Full Cavalier of the Order of Glory Abdykasyim Karymshakovich Karymshakov
Abdykasyim Karymshakov
Air gunner of the 75th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment (1st Guards Assault Aviation Division, 1st Air Army, 3rd Belorussian Front), Guards Sergeant.
Born on April 27 (May 10), 1909, in the village of Kurmenty, now in the Tyup District of the Issyk-Kul Region (Kyrgyzstan), in a peasant family. Kyrgyz. Graduated from 7 grades and a mechanics school in the city of Samarkand (Uzbekistan). He returned to his native village with the profession of a mechanic-driver and quickly became a respected person among his fellow villagers.
It was said about him that Abdykasyim could fix anything, and if necessary, he could assemble a car from a primus stove and a sewing machine.
He later worked at a motorcycle club in the city of Przhevalsk (now Karakol), and served as a teacher at the Osaviakhim motorcycle club (Society for the Assistance of Defense, Aviation, and Chemical Construction (1927–1948) — a socio-political defense organization). He joined the army in August 1941.
A participant in the Great Patriotic War since January 1943 as an air gunner of the 505th (from March 1943 – 75th Guards) Assault Aviation Regiment. Karymshakov's military biography began two years before his first combat flight. His service as an aviation armorer, training at a flight technical school, and constant training prepared him to be a true air gunner—the first defender and assistant to the pilot in the sky.
He fought on the Southern, 4th Ukrainian, and 3rd Belorussian fronts. He participated in the liberation of Donbass, Southern Ukraine, Crimea, Belarus, and the Baltic states, in battles on the territory of East Prussia and the storming of Königsberg. He flew as part of the crew of twice Hero of the Soviet Union A.Ya. Brandys.
In late September 1943, the crew with the call sign "Altai" received its combat baptism in the skies over Donbass. The Il-2 of Brandys and Karymshakov experienced engine trouble upon returning from a combat mission. The attack aircraft fell behind the group and was immediately attacked by a "Messer," which thought it could easily handle the "Il." Not so fast—the gunner repelled the attacks of the German ace three times and allowed the commander to escape from pursuit.
An air gunner on the front is a rare profession. When comrades were injured, Abdykasyim flew out with other crews, making up to three sorties a day.
In the regiment, he was called a "sniper," and there was no exaggeration in that. He was credited with destroying enemy vehicles and anti-aircraft guns. In November 1943, Abdykasyim Karymshakov officially recorded his first downed enemy aircraft, destroying a German Me-109.
On April 16, 1944, in an air battle near the city of Sevastopol, a group of Il-2s came under anti-aircraft fire, after which German fighters took to the air. Of the six Soviet attack aircraft, only one remained in formation. Four Hitlerite "Focke-Wulfs" attempted to encircle the Il-2 to land it at their airfield and capture the pilots. But Abdykasyim repelled one attack after another. The Germans' fervor waned when one of the fighters crashed, shot down by the gunner of the Il-2.
One of the hits forced the Il into a dive, from which Anatoly brought the aircraft back only above the smooth surface of the Black Sea.
When they returned to the airfield, the plane was found to have 72 bullet holes.
On May 6, 1944, during the assault on a German airfield, a group of Il-2s encountered enemy fighters. The gunners of two Soviet aircraft were killed. The planes then reformed, and Abdykasyim began to "protect the rear" of three Il-2s. He repelled seven attacks, suppressed several anti-aircraft firing points, and allowed all the attack aircraft to return to the airfield.
By mid-February 1944, the combat record of the air gunner-radio operator with the call sign "Altai" already included more than 50 combat sorties. For his distinction in battles, Abdykasyim Karymshakov was awarded the Orders of the Red Star and the Red Banner. On September 27, 1944, he was awarded the Order of Glory 3rd class (No. 125396).
On January 16, 1945, in an air battle 40 kilometers southeast of the city of Tilsit (now the city of Sovetsk in the Kaliningrad region), he repelled two attacks by enemy fighters. On January 20, 1945, during an assault on enemy troop concentrations, he set an enemy vehicle on fire with machine gun fire.
Excerpts from documents: “...In the area of Brakunen, while performing a combat mission, Comrade Karymshakov repelled two attacks from six enemy fighters.
On February 25, 1945, in the area of Rodelstorg, a group of "ILs" was attacked by fighters. In this battle, Comrade Karymshakov repelled 36 attacks from "FW-190".
The same in the area of Bregden, in the area of Königsberg and other cities of East Prussia “...successfully completed 30 combat sorties... Successfully completed 27 combat sorties...”
On March 19, 1945, he was awarded the Order of Glory 2nd class (No. 9967).
During the Great Patriotic War, by April 15, 1945, Guards Senior Sergeant Abdykasyim Karymshakov made 227 combat sorties on the Il-2 for the assault on airfields, railway junctions, fortifications, concentrations of military equipment, and enemy personnel. During these, he participated in 52 air battles and shot down seven enemy aircraft (3 individually and 4 in a group).
His last sortie was on May 5 in the area of the naval base Pillau.
By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated June 29, 1945, for courage and heroism displayed in battles against the German fascist invaders, Guards Sergeant Karymshakov Abdykasyim was awarded the Order of Glory 1st class.
In 1945, Sergeant A. Karymshakov was demobilized. He returned to his native village. He worked as a tractor driver in a collective farm. He devoted much time to the patriotic education of the youth, often speaking to the schoolchildren of the village.
The taciturn man found it difficult when invited to schools to talk about the war. But he went, understanding how important it was to instill in the new generations the feelings that guided him, his commander and friend Anatoly, and millions of other Soviet people in that terrible war against fascism.
He died on August 6, 1997. He was buried in the village of Kurmenty in the Tyup District.
He was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, 2 Orders of the Patriotic War 1st class, Orders of the Red Star, and 3 Orders of Glory, as well as medals.
The secondary school No. 6 named after Karl Marx in the village of Tyup was renamed in 1995 to the school named after A. Karymshakov. A bust of the hero is installed in the school's foyer, and there is also a museum of A. Karymshakov in the same school. A street and a public fund are named after him.
Kyrgyzstanis – Full Knights of the Order of Glory
