Biography

RP78FC (Fire crew)
In memory of a native of Ryazan land and the crew ego, commander of the torpedo bomber DB-3T, junior lieutenant,
Igashov Peter Stepanovich

Igashov Pyotr Stepanovich - was born on June 18, 1915 in the village of Betino, Kasimovsky district, Ryazan province.
He graduated from elementary school in Betino. Then he entered the Kasimov Pedagogical College. After graduating from college in July 1935, he worked as a secondary school teacher in Kasimov. At the same time he was the secretary of the Komsomol organization of the Red Textile Worker factory.
In the Navy of the USSR since August 1937. He graduated from the Stalin Naval Aviation School in the city of Yeisk in 1940. In December 1940 he was sent to the Red Banner Baltic Fleet. Since March 1941, he served as a junior pilot and crew commander of a torpedo bomber DB-3T the 1st squadron of the 1st mine-torpedo aviation regiment of the 8th bomber aviation brigade of the Baltic Fleet Air Force.

Member of the Great Patriotic War from the first day. On June 30, 1941, Junior Lieutenant Pyotr Igashov flew out as part of a nine under the command of squadron commander Captain Chelnokov with the task of destroying the pontoon bridge over the Zapadnaya Dvina River near the city of Daugavpils in order to stop German tank columns. There was no fighter cover. Soviet bombers hit the target from the rear and destroyed the bridge at 14 hours 25 minutes. Upon returning to base, they were attacked by three German Me-109F fighters. The host of the group decided to close the formation and leave on a shaving. One Messerschmitt came under the crossfire of the bow and upper machine guns of Igashov's aircraft and was shot down. But at this time, another lit the left motor. DB-3T began to lose height. At this time, four more Me-109F attacked him. Then Igashov turned his plane towards them and demolished the tail of one Messerschmitt with his right wing. After that, he brought down a burning plane on an enemy motorcycle column trying to force the Western Dvina. At the same time, according to the official version, the entire crew died. A monument with the names of all four crew members was erected at the site of the plane's death.
It was the first air and ground target ram in aviation history in a single battle.
However, according to the documents identified in the post-Soviet era, namely, according to the file of prisoners of war of officers, P.S. Igashov was captured by the Germans on June 30, 1941 in the Dvinsk region, was held in a prisoner of war camp, and on October 8, 1941 Igashov was transferred to the Gestapo, and then shot at the Hebertshausen training ground near Dachau, where his name commemorated at the memorial.

On May 7, 1970, the entire crew was posthumously awarded the orders of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree.

By decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 679 of July 6, 1995 "for courage and heroism shown in the fight against Nazi invaders in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945" to the crew of a torpedo bomber (junior lieutenant Igashov Pyotr Stepanovich, lieutenant Parfyonov Dmitry Georgievich, junior lieutenant Khokhlachev Alexander Mitrofanovich, Red Navy Novikov Vasily Loginovich) was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation