Russia – Soviet: A Pilot and ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’s’ Second Award of the Order of the Red Banner awarded to Captain Sergey Petrovich Tyurikov, an Aviation Squadron Commander on the Volkhov Front who would later be awarded the title ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’ shortly after the war. He had served during the liberation of Western Ukraine and Belarus in September 1939, before taking part in the Winter War against Finland. He would serve from the opening days of the Great Patriotic War at one point being shot down behind German lines before returning to his base in civilian clothes. He would then fight throughout the defence of Leningrad and subsequent counterattacks destroying large quantities of German and Finnish personnel and material including 18 aircraft on the ground and 4 in the air. Surviving the war, he was transferred to the Reserve in 1958 and died in L’viv in 1972.
Order of the Red Banner 2nd Award, reverse numbered 1105 – a reissue award to replace a screwback variety in order to wear the correct type of award during the Victory Parade on 24th June 1945.
Sergey Petrovich Tyurikov was born in Rzhev on 12th September 1910 as a member of a working class family. He passed six classes of incomplete secondary school, and worked at the Rzhev flax-spinning factory.
Drafted into the Red Army in 1931, he graduated from Kharkov Military Aviation School in 1938, and was a member of the Soviet forces that liberated Western Ukraine and Belarus in September 1939. He also took part in the Soviet-Finish Winter War of 1940. He would receive his first Order of the Red Banner as a result of his actions in Finland on 7th April 1940. Going on to take part in the Great Patriotic War from the very first days, he would receive this, his second Order of the Red Banner by decree of the Volkhov Front on 3rd February 1942 as a result of the following recommendation.
‘He is an excellent bombardier and can navigate in difficult weather conditions. In many missions against the enemy railway trains and military troops, he enabled precise air strikes both for his aircraft and for a group. He has never had problems with navigation and never lost orientation in the air. He has made over 50 sorties. He deserves state award – Order ‘Red Banner’
Many of Tyurikov’s missions were in the Leningrad area where he flew in support of the beleaguered city, being awarded a Medal for the Defence of Leningrad by order of the general decree on 22nd December 1942. He would then be awarded an Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class by decree of 14th Air Force on 16th February 1943, most likely for his role in a winter offensive that led to the partial lifting of the siege of the city in January 1943.
His next award was a third award of the Order of the Red Banner, this by decree of the 14th Air Force on 8th February 1944, and in recognition of his flying during the liberation of the city of Novgorod and during the offensive that led to the final lifting of the siege of the city of Leningrad.
Tyurikov continued to fight through until the end of the war, and his final combat decoration was the award of the Order of Lenin and the title ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’ on 18th August 1945, the citation for this award aptly covering his extraordinary combat experience during the conflict
‘During the period of the Patriotic War against the Nazi invaders, comrade Tyurikov proved himself to be a courageous, staunch officer, a devoted son of the Lenin-Stalin party and our beloved socialist Motherland.
Since the beginning of the Patriotic War against the German fascism, he has been flying as a SB aircraft navigator and has made 8 successful sorties in the area of Tauragen, Kolvaria, Marianpol, Dvinsk
He successfully performed combat missions in difficult weather conditions and inflicted crushing blows to the enemy from the air despite the strong opposition of the enemy AA artillery and the enemy Air Force. In June 1941, comrade Tyurikov led a group of 8 SB aircraft to bombard enemy tank columns in the Tauragen area. In heavy anti-aircraft fire, the entire group of aircrafts reached and bombed the target, as a result of which 12 tanks were destroyed. His aircraft group was attacked by the enemy fighters (up to 12 ME-109s). Defending, our bombers managed to shoot down 4 Me-109, but the group leader’s bomber (where comrade Tyurikov) was a bombardier) was set ablaze by the enemy fire. Comrade Tyurikov jumped with a parachute and landed onto enemy controlled territory. He changed into civilian clothes and, having his personal weapon, was able to return to his unit and fly again combat missions.
In 1941, on a PE-2 aircraft, he took an active and direct part in the combat operation in the sector of 7 Separate Army, where he made 54 successful combat sorties, 8 of which were night missions on an SB aircraft.
Acting against the advancing enemy troops in a forested and swampy area, he nonetheless always found targets and accurately hit them with bombs, which was confirmed by photographs, ground troops and other data
In October 1941, he bombarded the Finnish troops, who were trying to cross over the Svir River in the Kutlakhta area and join with the German troops in the area of the town Tikhvin. Comrade Tyurikov led 2 aircraft groups of PE-2 and despite adverse weather conditions and intense AA fire (leading aircraft was hit) located the target and performed precise air strike destroying a lot of the enemy equipment and troops. An eyewitness, the commander of a separate 168 Sapper Company, who was crossing the Svir River at that time with his company, testified that several bombs fell on the sheds located on the river bank, where Finnish submachine gunners were located. After having taken control of the ground, up to 50 corpses of the Finns were discovered. This raid frustrated the enemy’s plan and facilitated the crossing of our troops across the Svir River.
Participating in operations to liberate the town Tikhvin, he conducted 23 successful sorties, punishing the German troops on the outskirts of Tikhvin and along the roads to Budogoshch and Chudovo
During the period of 1941, he made 54 successful combat sorties, leading the groups of 6-9 PE-2 aircraft into battle. During this period, personally and in a group he destroyed: 7 aircraft on the ground and in the air, 17 tanks, 18 guns, 36 cars, 27 firing positions, 34 railway wagons.
In April 1942, he received the objective to bomb the headquarters of the Finnish division (in the Podporozhye region, on the Svir river). His SB aircraft took off on a mission and successfully completed it, delivering a direct hit at the target. From the interrogation of a captured Finn, it was found that the commander of a Finnish division was killed in this direct hit bomb attack at the headquarters.
In June – August 1942, he delivered air strikes against the airfield Nurmalitsa-Peski and against the enemy floating crafts on the lake Onega, in which he destroyed 6 aircraft, 4 barges and 2 tugboats.
On 10 November 1942, his flight flew a mission in low cloud (300-400m). He delivered an air strike at the enemy artillery positions near the lake Pogra. Under intense enemy AA fire opposition, they made three bomb runs and scored direct hits, destroying 2 artillery batteries and their crews (corroborated by the ground troops). The commander of 7 Separate Army, who personally observed the mission from the ground, issued his gratitude for this effort.
In September 1942, he took an active part in the defence of Leningrad. During the Sinyavino operations and during the breakthrough of the Leningrad blockade, comrade Tyurikov made 38 successful combat sorties. His groups of PE-2 (6-9 aircraft) boldly and tactically competently approached the target under anti-aircraft fire, accurately hit the targets at the Mga and Sinyavino railway stations.
In January 1943, a group of 8 PE-2 aircraft led by the bombardier Tyurikov raided the Mga station, destroying 15 railway wagons with ammunition, numerous railway tracks, 4 houses, and suppressed 1 AA battery.
In February 1943, the commander of the 14 Air Force awarded comrade Tyurikov with an Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class for skilful combat operations and effective air strikes of aircraft groups led by him.
In 1943, comrade Tyurikov took an active part in the battles on the Volkhov Front, where he flew 1 successful night combat sortie on an SB aircraft, and 38 day missions on a PE-2 aircraft.
18th July 1943, he did an excellent job with the combat reconnaissance mission of 4 enemy airfields: Korostovichi, Gorodets, Saltsy, Relyuitsy. All airfields were thoroughly photographed by him. On some of these airfields there were up to 120 enemy aircraft, and according to his reconnaissance, units of 14 Air Force carried out a combined air raid, where up to 35 enemy aircraft were destroyed.
During 20.7-25.8.1943, he took an active part in night raids on enemy strongholds in the areas of the railway station Mga, Chudovo, Lyuban.
From the beginning of the general offensive of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts, he took an active part in their combat work of the regiment, inflicting effective bombing attacks on the enemy near Novgorod, Pskov, Narovo and Luga.
For the successful combat operations of the bomber groups led by him, for personal courage and courage during the liberation of the city of Novgorod, the commander of the Volkhov Front in February 1944 awarded comrade Tyurikov with order ‘Red Banner’.
In August 1944, he executed a special task of the headquarters of the Third Baltic Front to drop scouts behind enemy lines in the Aluskne area. Flying at night on an SB plane in bad weather conditions, he perfectly completed the task and received gratitude from the leader of the scout groups – Colonel Ustinov.
During the period of the liberation of the Baltic states, groups of diver bombers led by him carried out excellent bombing attacks on the railway stations of Jaunlatgale and Irboska, Valga and Tartu. The effectiveness of this air strikes was corroborated by aerial photography.
On 11th July 1944, he performed a combat mission by a group of 9 PE-2 aircraft to destroy railway trains at the Jaunlatgale station. As a result of direct hits by bombs, up to 15 railways wagons with ammunition and enemy manpower were destroyed, a fuel depot, a warehouse with app, 30t of explosives was blown up tracks, and station facilities were damaged. The results were confirmed by aerial photography and a special commission inquiry.
On 13th August 1944, a group of PE-2 aircraft conducted an air strike of railway trains concentration at Tartu railway stations, resulting in destruction of 10 wagons with ammunition and equipment, the key rail switches were disabled, and the rail tracks were damaged (confirmed by photographs).
During the retreat of German troops from the city of Riga, the regiment struck blow after blow against the concentration of barges in the port of Pabazi. A group of 9 PE-2 aircraft, where comrade Tyurikov was the lead navigator, sank two barges with enemy equipment and troops by bombs. The bombs that hit the pier and the pier area, where there was a congestion of vehicles, destroyed 17 vehicles, much other equipment and the enemy manpower.
In September 1944, during the assault at the city of Riga by our troops, he performed combat missions with a group of 9 PE-2 aircraft (leading navigator – Tyurikov), to destroy bridges across the Western Dvnia River and Riga city. Despite the strong AA fire and the opposition of enemy fighters, the entire group led by him perfectly completed the task. A photograph taken during the raid displayed direct hits of bombs on the pontoon and railway bridges, which caused the destruction.
During the period of participation in finishing off the German troops in the area between Tukums and Libava, comrade Tyurikov made 12 successful combat sorties, he led groups of 6-9 PE-2 aircrafts, delivering both the diving and the level flight attacks.
On 23rd December 1944, the regiment made 33 combat sorties against the enemy artillery and mortar batteries in the areas of the Pienarvai and Marinmuizha. The attacks were conducted both as the diving and the level flight attacks. On that day, comrade Tyurikov twice led groups of bombers towards the target. As the result of these missions, the aerial photographs and his crews confirmed 131 bomb hits at the designated targets, resulting in destruction of 6 enemy artillery batteries, 2 AA batteries, 5 trucks, 1 ammunition depot. On that day, general Rubanov broadcasted the message from his command post: ‘Excllent work!’
In the whole course of the war, the aircraft groups led by comrade Tyurikov have caused the following damage to the enemy:
44 tanks
47 artillery pieces
117 vehicles
5 barges and motor boats
85 railway wagons
21 mortars
13 depots
1 railway bridge
32 houses
28 horse carriages
1 river crossing
27 pillboxes
18 aircraft on the ground
4 aircraft in the air.
Attacking the enemy artillery and mortar positions, strongholds, concentrations of enemy troops, in close proximity (under 500m) to our own troops, comrade Tyurikov had not a single case of friendly fire or an inaccurate approach to targets for the entire period of his combat work as a leading navigator.
He goes into battle boldly and confidently, possesses military cunning, and is excellent at navigation and air strikes. He bombs perfectly, both individually and in a group, with his personal example of bravery and courage inspires his subordinates to military feats.
As the regiment chief navigator, he is comprehensively prepared, has rich practical combat experience, which he willingly and completely shares with his subordinates. He always know how to correctly assess the tactical situation in the air.
He is politically educated and correctly implements all the decisions of the party and the government.
Comrade Tyurikov personally has made 179 successful combat sorites with a total flight time of 226 hours and 52 minutes, of which 23 night missions with a flight time of 43 horus. Comrade Tyurikov participated in 20 air battles, in 153 sorties he was subjected to the enemy AA fire. He has 3 shot down enemy aircraft on his own and group account
In the period after his last award, he made 42 further successful sorties.’
Tyurikov remained in the armed forces after the war and would receive a Medal for Combat Merit for 10 years long service, an Order of the Red Star for 15 years long service on 5th November 1946, a fourth award of the Order of the Red Banner for 20 years long service on 19th November 1951, and a second Order of Lenin for 25 years long service on 30th December 1956. He was also to receive a Medal for the Capture of Konigsberg, a Medal for the Victory over Germany and a Medal for 30 Years of the Soviet Army and Navy.
On 6th February 1957 he was employed as a Bombardier of the Main Control and Interception Centre of the 57th Air Force. By 1958 he was transferred to the reserve. He died in the city of Lviv on 24th September 1972, being buried in the Lychakiv Cemetery.
