Alexey Alelyukhin in the Cockpit of Yakovlev Yak-1B, Spring 1943

August 12, 2025 - Reading time: 5 minutes

Alexey Alelyukhin, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, in the cockpit of his Yakovlev Yak-1B with his trademark black panther emblem, spring 1943.

This historic photograph captures Senior Lieutenant Alexey Vasilyevich Alelyukhin (1920–1990), future twice Hero of the Soviet Union, standing in the cockpit of his Yakovlev Yak-1B fighter aircraft. Taken in the spring of 1943, the photo shows his distinctive black panther insignia on the fuselage — his personal emblem.

Alelyukhin participated in the Great Patriotic War from its first day. On June 24, 1941, as part of a fighter wing, he scored his first victory by downing a Heinkel He-111 bomber. Over the course of the war, he flew the Polikarpov I-16, LaGG-3, Yak-1, Airacobra, and La-7, completing 183 combat missions on the I-16 alone, including 56 ground-attack sorties, a particularly dangerous task for a fighter pilot.

He was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on August 24, 1943 for completing 265 combat missions and engaging in 65 aerial battles, with 11 personal victories and 6 shared kills. On November 1, 1943, he received the title for the second time, credited with 410 combat missions, 114 aerial battles, and 26 personal victories.

By the end of the war, Alelyukhin had flown 601 combat missions, fought 258 aerial battles, and was credited with 40 personal victories and 17 shared kills, cementing his status as one of the Soviet Union’s most accomplished WWII fighter aces.

Technical photo data:
📝 Source of information: Unknown
📍 Location: USSR
📅 Date of photo: Spring 1943
📷 Photographer: Unknown

Alexey Alelyukhin Yak-1B
Soviet WWII fighter ace
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union pilot
Yakovlev Yak-1B black panther emblem
Great Patriotic War Soviet Air Force
Soviet ace pilot 1943
Alexey Alelyukhin biography WWII
Spring 1943 Soviet aviation photo
Yak-1B Eastern Front WWII
Soviet fighter pilot victories