Sergey Prokofyevich Denisov | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Native name | Сергей Прокофьевич Денисов |
| Born | 12 December [O.S. 25 December] 1909 Rossosh,Russian Empire |
| Died | 6 June 1971(1971-06-06) (aged 61) Moscow,Soviet Union |
| Allegiance |  Soviet Union |
| Service |  Soviet Air Force |
| Years of service | 1929 – 1947 |
| Rank | Lieutenant-General of Aviation |
| Commands | Transcaucasian Military District Aviation 283rd Fighter Aviation Division |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Hero of the Soviet Union (twice) |
Sergey Prokofyevich Denisov (Russian:Серге́й Проко́фьевич Дени́сов; 12 December [O.S. 25 December] 1909 – 6 June 1971) was a Soviet fighter pilot during theSpanish Civil War who went on to hold various high commands during theBattles of Khalkhin Gol, theSoviet-Finnish War, andWorld War II in addition to being awarded the titleHero of the Soviet Union twice.
Denisov was born on 7 January [O.S. 25 December 1909] 1910 to a Ukrainian family inRossosh, Russian Empire. After completing his fourth grade of schooling in 1921 he went on to attend trade school, and in 1926 he completed his third grade of trade school, after which he worked as a mechanic until joining the military in 1929.[1]
Having entered the military in October 1929, he was based inGomel until being transferred to the 83rd Training Squadron inSmolensk, which soon became a flight school. There he studied with future twice Hero of the Soviet UnionStepan Suprun before graduating in July 1931; he became a member of thecommunist party in 1930.[2] He then spent just a few months in the 9th Aviation Squadron before switching to the 33rd Aviation Squadron, where he rose through the ranks to flight commander; there he flew the I-4 andI-5, but when made commander of the 41st Squadron in May 1934 he switched to theI-16.[1]
Not long after the outbreak of thecivil war in Spain between the Republicans and the Nationalists, Denisov volunteered to go to Spain as part of the group of Soviet volunteers assisting theSpanish Republican Air Force. He was deployed in Spain from November 1936 to April 1937, during which he flew on the I-16 fighter and gained multiple aerial victories; his exact tally of aerial victories in Spain is somewhere around 2-3 solo victories and 3-4 shared victories.[3] For his actions in the conflict he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union on 4 July 1937, although his participation in the war was not publicly acknowledged since the Soviet role in the war was classified.[4]
Upon returning from Spain he was made commander of the 142nd Fighter Aviation Brigade, which he remained in command of until April 1939. He then began attending command improvement courses at theMilitary Academy of General Staff. He was then tasked with studying and correcting the reasons for unsatisfactory performance of the 57th Separate Corps in the battles against the Japanese. In late May he arrived in Mongolia, where he was stationed at the headquarters of the 1st Army. When he returned from Mongolia, he spoke withMikhail Kaganovich,Nikolai Polikarpov,Alexander Yakovlev, andStalin about the design of Soviet fighters.[5]
Less than a year after returning from Mongolia, Denisov began his role in theWinter War as the commander of the 7th Air Army,[6] which managed to break through theMannerheim Line. He was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union on 21 March 1940 for his command in the war. That year he was promoted to General-lieutenant of Aviation.[2][7]
Shortly before the start ofOperation Barbarossa, he was made commander of aviation in theTranscaucasian Military District in April 1940, but was demoted just two days before the start of the invasion due toalcoholism. Many of his colleagues from Spain, Khalkhin Gol and Finland, includingPavel Rychagov,Yakov Smushkevich, andIvan Proskurov, were arrested on fabricated charges of treason shortly before the German invasion;[8] Denisov survived the purges. After the start of the war he was made head of the Kacha Military Aviation School in August, which had been evacuated toSaratov. When the school was inspected in 1942, major problems were noted, with the final report being critical of Denisov for failure to resolve problems at the school, rarely took charge, and continued to abuse alcohol; on 4 November 1942 he was fired from the school. In February 1943 he was made commander of the 283rd Fighter Aviation Division, which took part in the battles forKursk,Chernigov,Pripiyat, andGomel before he was removed from the post in December due to failure to maintain discipline among his unit. After another demotion he was eventually posted to the 4th Tactical Training Division as an assistant chief until October 1946. Having graduated from the Military Academy of General Staff in September 1947, he soon entered the reserve in November.[9]
After leaving the military he began working as the head of a test flight station at an aircraft factory in 1948, and in 1951 he headed the test station at aMil-Mi factory. He learned to fly the Mi-1 before leaving the institution in 1953. Starting in 1955 he headed a branch of a school for training engineers in Moscow. The school was turned into an independent institution in 1957, but he left it in December 1958. In July 1964 he started work, where he managed a laboratory at the All-Union chamber of commerce. He died on 6 June 1971 and was buried in theNovodevichy cemetery.[10]
