Hero of the Soviet Union Mikhaylenko Yevgeny Yefimovich
Yevgeny Yefimovich Mikhaylenko was born in 1921 in the city of Przhevalsk, Kyrgyz SSR, in a family of a civil servant.
Russian. Member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. In 1941, he graduated from the Chkalov Military Aviation School.
He fought on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War starting in July 1942. Guards Senior Lieutenant, squadron commander, attack pilot. He fought on the Kalinin, Voronezh, and 1st Ukrainian fronts. An experienced and brave pilot, well-versed in piloting techniques, he demonstrated courage and heroism in his first battles against the fascist invaders.
While performing combat missions to attack enemy troops and equipment, he made 108 sorties on the IL-2 aircraft.
The brave pilot died in an air battle near the city of Sokal in the Lviv region.
For exemplary performance of combat missions, courage, bravery, and heroism, Y. E. Mikhaylenko was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on October 26, 1944. He was also awarded two Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of the Red Star, and many medals.
THE SKY BELONGS TO THE BRAVE
Spring comes early to Transcarpathia. April brings with it the white bloom of gardens and the lush green hues of mountain slopes and fields. The small town of Sokal, located in Lviv region, is immersed in greenery. Adults hurry about their business, and the cheerful laughter of children can be heard in the yards. It is hard to imagine that fierce battles took place here more than forty years ago.
The residents of Sokal remember the price at which their peaceful life was won. At the monument to the mass grave of Soviet soldiers, there are always fresh flowers. The monument bears the inscription: “Pilots. Eternal glory to the heroes who fell in battles for the freedom and independence of our Motherland. Hero of the Soviet Union Guards Senior Lieutenant Mikhaylenko Yevgeny Yefimovich, 1921 — 1944. Hero of the Soviet Union Guards Junior Sergeant Yesinyak Mikhail Fyodorovich, 1921 — 1944.”
Here, near Sokal, our fellow countryman from Kyrgyzstan, Y. Mikhaylenko, made his last combat flight. A street in Sokal and a pioneer troop in the city’s secondary school are named after him. This school has a museum of military glory, one of the displays of which is dedicated to Y. Mikhaylenko. Numerous photographs and documents tell the story of the brave pilot. The pioneers take care of the Hero's grave and, until recently, corresponded with his mother, who lived in Frunze.
Another pioneer troop is named after Mikhaylenko — the Frunze School No. 29. There is also a museum of the Hero here. Each lesson of courage, held annually in all classes of the school on February 23 and May 9, begins with a story about his feat...
Yevgeny Mikhaylenko was born in Przhevalsk, completed five grades in Frunze, and continued his studies in Almaty, where his family moved. In childhood, like many boys of that time, he loved to play war: “reds” against “whites.” Of course, the “reds” always won, and there was no limit to the joy of the strongest, leaving the defeated only the right to smear tears on their dirty cheeks. Unlike some of his peers, Zhenya did not forget about his studies and reading fiction during the yard games. He studied without “threes” and preferred to read military and historical literature. He followed the “Chelyuskin epic” with special attention.
In the evenings, he eagerly listened to the voice of the announcer reporting on the new details of the rescue of the passengers of the “Chelyuskin” from the ice captivity, about the heroism of Soviet pilots Molokov, Kamanin, and Vodopyanov. Even in his wildest dreams, the boy could not have imagined that just a few years later, fate would bring him together with one of them — Kamanin — in military service.
Even then, at the age of 14, Zhenya firmly decided to become a pilot. Not only under the impression of what he heard on the radio and read in newspapers and books. During the summer holidays, he worked at the city painting station for draining swamps. It was there that he first saw an aircraft that was processing fields. It seemed like a simple job for a pilot, but it was so necessary for people. As soon as the school year began, he went to the aeroclub, but they told him: “Come back when you turn fifteen.” Now Zhenya had almost no free time left. Every day, after returning from school, he had lunch and hurried to the aeroclub, even if there were no classes. There was always something to do: help disassemble an engine, make a stand. And how could he miss the flights? Watching in admiration as his older comrades performed complex figures in the sky, he dreamed: I wish I could do that too...
The time for solo flights came quickly. Yevgeny Mikhaylenko performed them confidently, carefully monitoring the instrument readings and making sound and bold decisions in the air.
After finishing high school, he entered the Chkalov Military Aviation School. After graduating in January 1941, he was assigned to the 133rd Aviation Regiment, commanded by the famous Kamanin. He barely had time to get settled and learn the new equipment when war broke out. During those days, Yevgeny, like his fellow pilots, thought of only one thing: to get to the front as soon as possible and smash the hated enemy. He eagerly awaited each new report from the Soviet Information Bureau.
Soon after the start of the Great Patriotic War, the serial production of new IL-2 attack aircraft began, significantly superior to the fascist ones. Yevgeny Mikhaylenko also began to master the new technology.
The pilot received his first combat baptism in January 1942 on the Kalinin Front. Yevgeny was distinguished by his bravery, composure, and excellent piloting technique. The intensity of combat life did not diminish. Two or three sorties a day were considered normal. Sometimes, it was necessary to take to the skies four or five times a day. In the skilled hands of pilots, attack aircraft were a formidable weapon. Low flight altitude and good maneuverability made the IL-2 almost invulnerable to fascist anti-aircraft guns. Suddenly appearing over enemy positions, they would streak by, dropping their deadly cargo and striking the enemy with their cannons. Dozens of destroyed fascist vehicles and tanks, destroyed ammunition depots, cars, and railway lines were left after each sortie of the squadron of Soviet attack aircraft.
Yevgeny Mikhaylenko participated in battles against the fascists as part of the troops of the Kalinin, then Voronezh, and 1st Ukrainian fronts. He was a pilot in the 687th Assault Aviation Regiment, and from January 1944, he was the commander of the squadron of the 92nd Guards Assault Aviation Regiment. In this position, he participated in battles for the liberation of the Ukrainian cities of Zhytomyr, Bila Tserkva, Vinnytsia, and Ternopil.
...February 1944 was marked by inclement weather. The thawed snow, mud, and poor roads. Rain fell for several days in a row. The pilots had no combat work: tactical exercises were conducted, experienced aces trained the newcomers who had recently joined the regiment. On one of those days, the command set the task — to assist the infantry. Some of the pilots had to take off from the muddy ground, locate, and destroy fascist tanks. The commander of the aviation unit, General Kamanin, called the commander of the 92nd Guards Assault Aviation Regiment, Colonel Kovshikov. The choice fell on Mikhaylenko as the most experienced pilot, who had been tested in difficult combat conditions. Skillfully lifting the aircraft into the air, the pilot set course for the target. More precisely, for the presumed, and that quite conditionally, location of the tanks.
Thick fog made it difficult to search even at the lowest possible altitude. Time was passing, and when the instrument's needle began to signal that there was only enough fuel for the return trip, dark silhouettes of tanks flashed below. One more approach. There they are! Reporting the location of the fascist “tigers” via radio, Mikhaylenko skillfully dropped bombs on the tank column... Three enemy tanks caught fire from direct hits. The mission was successfully completed.
Shortly after this, a group of seven IL-2s under Mikhaylenko's command flew out to attack counterattacking tanks in the area of the Yakubovskie Khutora settlement. The pilots unleashed deadly fire on the fascist troops. Mikhaylenko himself destroyed three tanks and ten enemy vehicles in this battle.
Spring of '44 was marked by the rapid advance of our troops along the entire front line. Cities and settlements in Ukraine were liberated one after another. The pilots made a significant contribution to the successful outcome of the battles. On April 19, Mikhaylenko's squadron delivered a powerful assault strike on a railway station, destroying ammunition depots, five trains with enemy equipment and personnel. The commander particularly distinguished himself during this sortie.
The battles did not cease. On June 24, the High Command issued a directive to the commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front: prepare and conduct an operation to defeat enemy groupings in the Lviv direction. Despite the difficult weather conditions, the aviation confidently supported the offensive. The Nazis resisted fiercely. On July 15, they managed to deliver a counterstrike in the area of Pluhiv-Zboriv. At this tense moment, our aviation made its presence felt. Within a day, fighters and attack aircraft made over 2000 sorties.
Mikhaylenko's squadron participated in the combat operations. It was thanks to their efforts that the city of Zolochiv was liberated. For four days, our troops fought to eliminate a large enemy grouping. During one of those battles, Mikhaylenko led his squadron to the area of the city of Sokal, where ground troops were successfully smashing the enemy. The fascist vultures no longer offered our pilots any serious resistance. But on the ground, it was hell. Explosions roared, flames blazed. One of the shells hit the fuel tank of Mikhaylenko's aircraft. The machine caught fire.
Yevgeny Yefimovich Mikhaylenko died a hero's death. By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on October 26, 1944, he was posthumously awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
V. KRYGIN