Georgy Lobov

Georgy Ageevich Lobov (Russian:Гео́ргий Аге́евич Ло́бов; 7 May 1915 – 6 January 1994) was a Sovietfighter pilot and squadron commander of the 7th Guards Fighter Aviation Division during World War II who was credited with 10 solo and 7 shared aerial victories. He later commanded the64th Fighter Aviation Corps, during theKorean War.

Georgy Lobov

Native name	Георгий Агеевич Лобов
Birth name	Georgy Ageevich Lobov
Born	(1915-05-07)7 May 1915 Yekaterinodar, Kuban Oblast, Russian Empire
Died	6 January 1994(1994-01-06) (aged 78) Moscow, Russia
Allegiance	Soviet Union
Service/ branch	Soviet Air Force
Years of service	1935 – 1975
Rank	Lieutenant general
Commands	7th Guards Fighter Aviation Division 303rd Guards Fighter Aviation Division 64th Fighter Aviation Corps
Battles / wars	World War II Korean War
Awards	Hero of the Soviet Union

Early life

edit

Lobov was born on 7 May 1915 at the city of Yekaterinodar, to a family of a railway workers. He graduated from a seven-year school to become a factory teacher. He later worked at theProletariat cement plant in Novorossiysk, as a roaster, instructor and secretary of theKomsomol organization of the plant.^[1]

In 1934 he graduated from the Rostov branch of the Institute of Mass Extramural Education of the Party activist under the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks. In 1934, he entered theNovocherkassk Aviation Institute and in 1935 he graduated from the first course of the institute.^[1]

Military career

edit

In 1935, he was drafted into theRed Army and later to theRed Army Air Force. He was sent to study at the 7th Military Pilot School named after the Stalingrad Red Banner Proletariat inStalingrad, from which he graduated in 1938 with honors. From November 1938, he served in the 19th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 54th Aviation Brigade at the Air Force of theLeningrad Military District, where he served as flight commander. In June 1939, he was appointed as assistant military commissar of the squadron.^[1]

In the ranks of the 19th Fighter Aviation Regiment from 17 September 1939, to 8 October 1939, he participated in the 1939Soviet invasion of Poland, and from November 1939 to March 1940, he flew 66 sorties during theWinter War. During this war. he was awarded his firstOrder of the Red Star. In 1939, he joined theCommunist Party of Soviet Union. He flewPolikarpov I-16 in both the war campaigns.

World War II

edit

Following the outbreak ofOperation Barbarossa on 22 June 1941, Lobov took part an air battle over an airfield inWysokie Mazowieckie, during which he was slightly wounded, but did not quit the battle. He fought with theWestern Front, in the ranks of the 19th Fighter Aviation Regiment. From September 1941, he was assigned to theLeningrad Front. While flying aMiG-3, he scored his first aerial victory on 3 October 1941 overLake Ladoga, while repelling aLuftwaffe raid on ships delivering cargo to Leningrad. From October 1941, he was assigned as a military commissar of the squadron of the 26th Air Defense Fighter Aviation Regiment at the Leningrad Front. Lobov scored three more aerial victories by January 1942.^[2]

From February 1942, he was appointed military commissar of the 286th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Leningrad Front. In 1942, he flew 70 escort sorties to ensure the safety of transport aircraft flights tobesieged Leningrad, without losing any of them to enemy fighters, while flying a I-16. From May 1942 to June 1943, Lobov was the commander of the escort ofSecond Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Andrei Zhdanov's weekly in and out flights from Leningrad. From November 1942, he fought as deputy commander for political affairs of the 275th Fighter Aviation Division, flyingYak-1 andLa-5. For two years, he fought in air battles over Leningrad,Kronstadt andRoad of Life in Lake Ladoga.^[2]

From June 1943, Lobov was appointed as Deputy Commander of the 322nd Fighter Aviation Division. Flying La-5 andLa-7s, he fought in theWestern,Bryansk,1st Baltic,3rd Belorussian and1st Ukrainian fronts. He participated in theBattle of Kursk, Bryansk,Nevel, Gorodok,Belorussian andVistula-Oder offensives. On 25 July 1944, he led an aerial assault at a railway station inTilsit,East Prussia. In August 1944, Lobov organized and personally led a series of 4 assault air strikes against the largest enemy airfields in East Prussia. During the change of command of the division from 1 to 14 November 1944, he temporarily served as division commander.^[3]

In February 1945, he was appointed commander of the 7th Guards Fighter Aviation Division and commanded it until the end of the war. The division provided air cover for crossings across theNeisse River in preparation for theBerlin offensive. It participated in Berlin andPrague offensives. Lobov scored his 10th and last aerial victory of the war, when he shot down aHeinkel He 111 bomber over theCzechoslovak city ofMělník. It is also considered as the last of the enemy aircraft destroyed by Soviet pilots in theGreat Patriotic War.^[4]

During the war, Lobov flewI-16,MiG-3,Yak-1,La-5,La-7 andYak-3 fighters. He flew 346 sorties, and shot down 10 enemy aircraft personally and 7 in the group. According to his memoirs, he claimed that he shot down 15 enemy aircraft personally and 8 in the group.^[5]

Post war

edit

MiG-15s curving in to attack USAFB-29s during the Korean War, 1951.

After the war, Lobov commanded a division until September 1945, then was sent to study. In 1946, he completed a six-month advanced training course for the commanders of aviation divisions at theAir Force Academy. Since May 1946, he commanded the 303rd Fighter Aviation Division in the1st Air Army of theBelarusian Military District. In September 1948, the division was transferred to the 19th Air Defense Fighter Army of the Moscow Air Defense District. After the outbreak of theKorean War in June 1950, the 303rd FAD was transferred to theSoviet Far East, and later to airfields innorthern China.^[6]

In March 1951, he was promoted toMajor General. Lobov was stationed inNorth Korea, first as the commander of the 303rd Fighter Aviation Division and later as commander of the64th Fighter Aviation Corps from September 1951. Despite his rank and position, he flew missions to show young pilots how to combat enemy aircraft. Lobov flew 15 sorties during the war and shot down fourUSAF F-80 Shooting Stars indogfights, while flying theMikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15. On 10 October 1951, Lobov was awarded the title ofHero of the Soviet Union for his courage and bravery in performing his military duty, while taking into account his merits in the Great Patriotic War.^[2]

After returning toUSSR, Lobov graduated with honors from theK. Е. Voroshilov Higher Military Academy in 1955.

From November 1955, he served as Inspector General of the Fighter Aviation Inspectorate of the Main Inspectorate at theUSSR Ministry of Defense. In April 1957, he was appointed as Inspector General of Frontline Aviation of the Air Force Inspectorate within the Main Inspectorate of theUSSR Ministry of Defense. From April 1962, he was Deputy Commander for Combat Training and head of the Combat Training Department and Higher Educational Institutions of the Air Force of the Moscow Military District. From March 1963, he served as the head of the Department of the Air Force at theM. V. Frunze Military Academy. In 1975, he retired from active service.^[7]

Later life

edit

From February 1975, he was in reserves. He continued to actively engage in military research work. In the early 90s, he published his memoirs about his participation in the Korean War, one of the first such publications in the Soviet Union.^[2]

Lobov died in Moscow on 6 January 1994, at the age of 78. He is buried at theTroyekurovskoye Cemetery. A memorial plaque in honor of him was installed at house#1 on Kudrinskaya Square in Moscow, where he lived from 1955 to 1994.