Hero of the Soviet Union, the fighter pilot of the 158th Fighter Regiment of the Red Army Air Force, Junior Lieutenant Pyotr Kharitonov in the cockpit of his I-16 fighter.
Kharitonov Peter Timofeevich – a participant in the Great Patriotic War from the first days. June 28, 1941 (according to other sources on June 27), Pyotr Kharitonov, during his first combat sortie, after consuming ammunition, rammed down a German Junkers Ju-88 bomber while still being able to land a fighter on its territory. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the award of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 543) was given to the second lieutenant Pyotr Kharitonov on July 8, 1941, one of the first in the Great Patriotic War.
In September 1941, in an air battle, Pyotr Kharitonov was seriously wounded. Returned to the system only in 1944. He fought until the end of the war in the air defense. In total during the war in air battles shot down 14 enemy aircraft.
Location: USSR
Date: 1941