From school, everyone knows such great names as Ivan Kozhedub and Alexander Pokryshkin - the famous pilots who terrified the Luftwaffe pilots. But names found in the military chronicle are far less well-known, but no less significant. Vladimir Samoilovich Levitan is an ace pilot, who was promoted to colonel in the Soviet army, Hero of the Soviet Union, one of the brightest examples of heroism shown by Soviet people during the Second World War.
Biography
Vladimir was born in the Zaporozhye region in Ukraine, in a farm with the odious name Stallion (today it is the village of Tauride). It happened on May Day 1918. The future conqueror of heaven did not belong to education with due diligence and with difficulty finished 7 classes of a village school, and then he entered a regular labor school, graduated from it and got a job as a turner.
But Vladimir had a secret and big dream - he was attracted by the endless freedom of flight, and therefore in his free time he visited the flying club, eagerly absorbing knowledge of aircraft and pilot business. And once he had the chance to make his dream come true.
At the age of 19, Vladimir Levitan submitted documents to the military pilot school located in Sevastopol, which he graduated in 1939 with the rank of junior lieutenant and went on distribution to Siberia, to the Novosibirsk Aviation Corps. And on the eve of the war, in 1941, the young pilot got into the team of the best pilots - they formed a special link, the commander of which was he, Vladimir Samoilovich Levitan.
The Great Patriotic War
His group took an active part in the fierce battles of the 41st in the Melitopol direction. Twice Vladimir’s plane was shot down, but he was able to survive and get to his own. The first time he “splashed down” in the Sea of Azov, where Soviet fishermen helped him, and the second time he safely reached the ground with a parachute, despite the dense anti-aircraft fire.
But not all pilots of the Levitan squadron were so lucky. Many of them died in battle, and Vladimir’s link became part of the 170th Fighter Regiment, which operated on the Southern Front. The pilot proudly and enthusiastically sat down at the helm of the LaGG-3 and soon decorated his fuselage with the first star after a victorious duel with the Maki s210, an Italian fighter considered a formidable enemy. This battle took place in March 1942.
The high professionalism of Levitan was noticed by the leadership, and at the beginning of 1943 he was appointed commander of the whole squadron, which was engaged in reconnaissance and cover of ground military units. Moreover, despite the rather fierce air battles, the squadron under the command of Vladimir Samoilovich did not lose a single pilot, for which Levitan became the owner of the Order of the Red Banner.
Soon, Levitan and his guys carried out much more complex missions - they covered ground troops in the region of the city of Oboyan, participated in the battle of Kursk. The brilliant leadership of operations, valor and courage brought the ace pilot the second Order of the Red Banner, and in the summer of 1944 he became a hero of the USSR and received the Order of Lenin, with almost three hundred sorties and more than sixty successful battles.
