Novikov, Aleksandr Aleksandrovich
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[edit] Biography
Novikov joined the Red Army in 1919, fought in the Caucuses during the Russian Civil War, and participated in the suppression of the Kronstadt Uprising. He was a member of the Communist Party from 1920[1].
In 1922 Novikov completed the "Vystrel" (Gun Shot) commander's course, and in 1930 he graduated from the Frunze Military Academy[1].
In March, 1933, Novikov was transferred to the air forces and became Chief of Staff of an air brigade. He went on to serve as a squadron commander and Chief of Staff of one of the Military District's air forces. During the Soviet-Finnish War (1939-1940) he served as Chief of Staff of the Northwestern Front's air forces[1].
In the beginning of World War II, Novikov held the posts of Commander of the Northern and Leningrad Military Districts. In the Spring of 1942, he was made Commander of the Red Army Air Forces and a Deputy to the People's Committee on Defense for Aviation. On February 22, 1944, Novikov received the rank of Chief Marshal of Aviation (the first to hold that rank)[1].
Novikov was featured on the cover of the July 31, 1944 issue of Time magazine, and in the issue's cover story, Close to the Earth.
He was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union on April 17, 1945, and again on September 8, 1945 for his leadership of the air forces in the Far East[1].
In April, 1946, Novikov was arrested along with Minister of Aviation Industry A. I. Shakhurin after Stalin's son convinced his father that American aircraft were superior to Soviet aircraft. Novikov and others were imprisoned until May, 1953, after Stalin's death[1].
After being released from prison, Novikov continued to serve in the air forces as Commander of Long Range Aviation and Deputy Commander of the Air Forces. He entered the reserves in 1956, and subsequently served as a professor. His memoirs, "In the Skies of Leningrad", were published in 1970.
[edit] Timeline
- November 19, 1900 Future Soviet Air Force (VVS) commander during World War II, Aleksandr Novikov is born[1].
[edit] Publications
[edit] Sources
- Novikov, Aleksandr Aleksandrovich at National Heros (Герои Страны) (in Russian)
- Novikov, Aleksandr Aleksandrovich at Khronos (in Russian)
- Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Novikov at Peoples.ru a brief interview with Novikov's daughter, Svletana Aleksandrovna, that covers her father's imprisonment and his relationship to Zhukov and Stalin (in Russian)
- Chief Marshal of Aviation AA. Novikov - His 100th Birthday by Kornukov, A. M., Voennaya Mysl', November 2000
[edit] References
