Vladimir Stepanovich Eliseev - Soviet military leader, pilot, participant in the Great Patriotic War. He was awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation.
Early years and education
Vladimir Stepanovich Eliseev was born on July 19, 1923 in the village of Lukino, Ryazan Region, into an ordinary peasant family.
Vladimir studied well at school, had a good physical shape. After graduating from 9th grade, he got a job as a mechanic in Moscow, and then entered the Moscow Aviation Institute.
The Great Patriotic War
When the war began in 1941, Eliseev was only 18 years old. The young man immediately joined the Red Army and went to the front. In 1942 he graduated from the school of pilots and began to serve in the aviation regiment. All 4 years he fought first on a fighter, was a talented and valuable pilot for the Soviet troops, after which he was promoted to commander of an air squadron.
Vladimir Stepanovich destroyed many German planes, moreover, Eliseev’s plane was also shot down twice, and the soldier was injured, but refused to be transported to the hospital and returned to battle.
He was a participant in the Battle of Stalingrad and Kursk, in which he shot down several enemy fighters, along with all conducted offensive operations.
On the day of victory for the Soviet army, May 9, 1945, near Berlin, shot down 6 German aircraft.
During the entire service, Vladimir Stepanovich made more than 250 sorties, shot down 21 enemy aircraft, and was wounded several times.
Future life
At the end of World War II, Eliseev did not leave the Red Army. Vladimir Stepanovich successfully completed the flight tactical courses, and the famous pilot became an inspector of the aviation division. He tested aircraft engines and helicopters, during his career he tested more than 60 types of equipment.
Later, 27-year-old Vladimir Eliseev became a test pilot at the institute, with whom he stayed until 1977.
After retiring, he lived with his family in the village of Chkalovsky and worked as an engineer. He died on January 7, 2003 at the 80th year of his life, and was buried in Moscow.
Personal life
Vladimir Stepanovich was married. With his wife, Valentina Iosipovna, he lived until his death. He had two sons, who followed in the footsteps of his father and became military figures.
Contemporaries described Eliseev as a kind and honest man devoted to his family and homeland. They also noted that he was a skilled pilot and military man.
