Leonid Georgievich Belousov

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Major

Leonid Georgievich Belousov
Native name
Леони́д Гео́ргиевич Белоу́сов
Born(1909-03-16)16 March 1909
Odessa, Russian Empire
Died7 May 1998(1998-05-07) (aged 89)
St. Petersburg, Russia
Allegiance Soviet Union
Service/branch Soviet Navy
RankMajor
Battles/wars
AwardsHero of the Soviet Union

Major Leonid Georgievich Belousov (Russian: Леони́д Гео́ргиевич Белоу́сов; 16 March 1909 – 7 May 1998) was a Soviet flying ace who served throughout World War II, even after both of his legs had to be amputated due to injuries.

Early life[edit]

Belousov was born in Odessa on 16 March 1909.[1][2][3] As a teenager he would run away from home, becoming a homeless child.[4] At the age of 13, Belousov became a pupil of the 51st Rifle Division, assisting them during the Russian Civil War.[3][5]

He joined the Soviet Navy in 1932 as a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.[1] In 1935 he graduated from the aviation school in Borisoglebsk as a pilot.[2][6]

World War II[edit]

In 1938 Belousov, serving as a naval pilot, suffered an accident in which he was badly burned.[7] He was ordered to lead a group to intercept a foreign aircraft that violated the USSR's borders, but would get into an accident that resulted in the burn.[8][9] After the treatment, which ultimately included 32 plastic surgeries, he returned to military service and continued to fly.[7] He would go on to fight for the entirety of the Winter War. For his service in the war, Belousov received the Order of the Red Banner.[1][10][11]

During the blockade of Leningrad, of the Great Patriotic War, Belousov defended the Road of Life over the Lake Ladoga.[12] In December 1941, Belousov lost both of his legs due injury and freezing, which induced gangrene. He would have prosthetics fitted at the Leningrad Research Institute for Prosthetics, and after a year of rehabilitation returned to piloting.[11][13] In 1944 he returned to combat, due in part to the simple design of U-2 plane.[14][15][16] After returning to the skies for the last year of the war, he would shoot down one additional plane.[17]

Belousov served as Commander of the Ganguttsev squadron, and was recognized as an ace fighter pilot of the Red Army.[13][18] By the end of the war he was a guard major and totaled over 300 sorties.[19][20][21]

Later life[edit]

In 1957 Belousov was awarded the order of the Hero of the Soviet Union.[22]

Belousov died on 7 May 1998 in St. Petersburg, Russia, where he had retired.[4][12][19]

Publicity[edit]

Belousov actions would earn him public acclaim in the Soviet Union, with Pravda highlighting his heroic deeds and inspirational story.[23][24]

Later, Belousov would write a short series of memoirs about his life, selling over 100 thousand copies. It was 64 pages and was titled Веление долга.[23][24]

Belousov's friend Mikhail Dudin, a Soviet poet and fellow Ganguttsev veteran, wrote a poem about Belousov titled Eyes of L. Belousov.[11]

A street in St. Petersburg was renamed in Belousov's honor.[12]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Morskoĭ sbornik (in Russian). V Morskoĭ tipografīi. 1975.
  2. ^ a b Pähklimägi, August (1984). Герои войны (in Russian). Ээсти раамат.
  3. ^ a b Камедин, Вячеслав (2022-05-15). Когда плачет Будда. Сборник стихотворений (in Russian). Litres. ISBN 978-5-04-115610-7.
  4. ^ a b "Одессит, повторивший подвиг Маресьева". grad.ua (in Russian). March 16, 2019. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
  5. ^ Bibliotekarʹ (in Russian). Goskulʹtprosvetizdat. 1984.
  6. ^ Леонтьев(Поправкин), Алексей (2022-05-15). Герои Ленинградского Неба (in Russian). Litres. ISBN 978-5-04-310004-7.
  7. ^ a b Казаков, Владимир (2022-05-15). Вспомни, Облако! Книга вторая (in Russian). Litres. ISBN 978-5-04-004010-0.
  8. ^ Bekesh, Vladimir Iosifovich (1986). Ради жизни на земле (in Russian). Лениздат.
  9. ^ Zankishiev, Khuseĭn (1995). В дни войны и мира: документальная повесть и очерки (in Russian). Эльбрус.
  10. ^ Мы из Кронштадта (in Russian). Лениздат. 1975.
  11. ^ a b c Drozdov, Sergey (May 28, 2010). "Летчик Леонид Белоусов (Сергей Дроздов) / Проза.ру". proza.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  12. ^ a b c Сокольский, Юрий (2022-05-15). Известные и знаменитые петербуржцы. Справочное издание (in Russian). Litres. ISBN 978-5-04-177140-9.
  13. ^ a b Ponomarenko, G.N.; Shcherbina, K.K.; Smirnova, L.M.; Sokurov, A.V.; Bol’shakov, V.A.; Burov, G.N.; Kuz’menko, E.I.; Ermolenko, T.V.; Belyanin, O.L. (June 2020). "Leningrad Research Institute for Prosthetics during the Great Patriotic war and the city blockade". Genij Ortopedii. 26 (2): 282–288. doi:10.18019/1028-4427-2020-26-2-282-288. S2CID 225866462 – via Researchgate.
  14. ^ Molodoĭ Kommunist (in Russian). Molodai͡a gvardii͡a. 1974.
  15. ^ Evrei i evreĭskiĭ narod (in Russian). contemporary Jewish Library. 1975.
  16. ^ Казаков, Владимир (2022-05-15). Вспомни, Облако! Книга вторая (in Russian). Litres. ISBN 978-5-04-004010-0.
  17. ^ Сутормин, Виктор (2022-05-15). По обе стороны Арбата, или Три дома Маргариты (in Russian). Litres. ISBN 978-5-457-87864-8.
  18. ^ Polak, Tomas; Shores, Christopher F. (1999). Stalin's Falcons: The Aces of the Red Star. Grub Street. ISBN 978-1-902304-01-4.
  19. ^ a b Залесский, Константин (2022-05-14). Великая Отечественная война. Большая биографическая энциклопедия (in Russian). Litres. ISBN 978-5-457-27697-0.
  20. ^ Голубев, Андрей; Лобанов, Дмитрий (2022-05-15). Великая Отечественная война 1941–1945 гг. Энциклопедический словарь (in Russian). Litres. ISBN 978-5-04-034141-2.
  21. ^ Marples, David (2014-09-01). 'Our Glorious Past': Lukashenka's Belarus and the Great Patriotic War. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-3-8382-6674-9.
  22. ^ Молодая гвардия: ежемесячный литературно-художественный и общественно-политический журнал ЦК ВЛКСМ (in Russian). Комитет. 2000.
  23. ^ a b "Белоусов Л.Г. Веление долга". www.migavia.com (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  24. ^ a b Myatishkin, Andrey. "ВОЕННАЯ ЛИТЕРАТУРА --[ Мемуары ]-- Белоусов Л. Г. Веление долга". militera.lib.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-07-11.
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