Soviet fighter ace and Hero of the USSR Maj. Nikolai Pinchuk visiting his home collective farm after the war, 1945

December 19, 2025 - Reading time: 5 minutes

Soviet fighter ace and Hero of the USSR Maj. Nikolai Pinchuk visiting his home collective farm after the war, 1945.

Soviet fighter ace Maj. Nikolai Pinchuk, Hero of the Soviet Union, speaking with villagers at his home collective farm in Belarus, 1945.

This photograph shows Maj. Nikolai Grigorievich Pinchuk, a Soviet fighter ace and Hero of the Soviet Union, speaking with fellow villagers in his native collective farm during a short leave in July–August 1945, shortly after the end of World War II in Europe. The image captures a rare and intimate moment when a celebrated combat pilot returns to civilian life among the people he came from.

During the war, Pinchuk served as commander of the 1st Squadron of the 18th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, part of the 303rd Fighter Aviation Division, 1st Air Army, 3rd Belorussian Front. He was one of the most experienced and resilient fighter pilots of the Red Army Air Force.

On 30 August 1943, near the town of Yelnya, Pinchuk was seriously wounded after ramming a German Ju 87 dive bomber in aerial combat. Evacuated toward the rear for medical treatment, he escaped en route and returned to his regiment. Less than a month later, he was back in active combat duty — a testament to both his determination and the acute shortage of experienced pilots at the front.

Pinchuk was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union on 19 April 1945 for his outstanding combat record: 226 combat sorties, 46 air battles, and 18 enemy aircraft destroyed by that point. Over the course of the entire war, his final tally reached 307 combat missions, 68 air engagements, and 24 confirmed aerial victories — 22 personal (including one ramming attack) and 2 shared.

The photograph reflects the transition from war to peace: a front-line ace, still in uniform, speaking calmly with fellow villagers who endured the war far from the cockpit but no less intensely. It stands as a reminder that behind every decorated pilot was a civilian life interrupted by total war.

The image was taken by Mikhail Savin, one of the most prominent Soviet frontline photographers, known for capturing both combat action and deeply human postwar moments.

Technical Photo Data:

📍 Location: Belarus, USSR
📅 Date: 1945
📝 Subject: Hero of the Soviet Union Maj. Nikolai Pinchuk among villagers
📷 Photographer: Mikhail Savin