Pumpur, Pyotr Ivanovich
From OnAirpower.org
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[edit] Biography
Pumpur joined the Red Army in 1918 and participated in the Russian Civil War. In 1924 he completed pilot's school, and by 1935 had attained the rank of Brigade Commander (Kombrig)[1].
He participated in the Spanish Civil War, commanding a fighter group on the Madrid front. He participated in several aerial engagements, and shot down five enemy aircraft[1].
On July 4, 1937 he was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union[1].
After returning from Spain, he served as chief of the Air Force Directorate for Military Readiness, and later as the commander of a combined arms army's air forces. In 1940 he became commander of the Moscow Military District's Air Forces, and received the rank of Lt. Gen. of Aviation on June 4, 1940[2][1].
He was arrested during a series of air force leadership purges, on May 31, 1941, just weeks before the German invasion. He was executed on March 23, 1942[1].
[edit] Sources
- Pumpur, Pyotr Ivanovich at National Heroes (Герои Страны)
