Glinka pilot possessed exceptional abilities of conducting air battles. He effectively used the situation that developed during the battle, could easily organize coherence of actions within his group, perform incredibly complex maneuvers, and easily defeated the enemy. Glinka Dmitry Borisovich is endowed with such characteristics by his follower Ivan Babak. He, like no other, could appreciate the work of the commander.
Glinka Dmitry Borisovich biography (briefly)
Born in the village of Alexandrov Dar of the Yekaterinoslav province in Ukraine in 1917, December 10. He graduated from six classes of the school. Already since 1937 he was listed in the ranks of the Red Army.
In 1939, Dmitry completed his studies at the famous Kachinsky Aviation College.
In the ranks of the Glinka army, Dmitry Borisovich served as lieutenant since the beginning of 1942. As part of the IAP of the 45th, he received the first baptism of fire in a battle in the Crimea. He showed special differences when defending the Kuban. In April 1943, Glinka became an assistant commander of the air rifle service. By this time on his account there were already 15 enemy aircraft shot down during 146 sorties.
For the first time, the title of Hero of the USSR Dmitry Borisovich was awarded in 1943, on April 24. In August 1943, he was already twice awarded the "Golden Star", by this time he had 183 sorties in the battle, 29 Nazi planes were shot down.
After the war, the pilot did not leave service in the Air Force. The Air Force Academy was graduated by him in 1951. He served in civil aviation. Since 1960, Glinka - Guard Colonel Reserve, was a deputy in the Supreme Council. He died in 1979. His bronze bust was installed in Krivoy Rog. He was awarded the orders of Lenin, Alexander Nevsky, Red Banner, Red Star, and medals.
Brothers Boris and Dmitry Glinka
Brothers were born in the family of a hereditary miner. The eldest was Boris - born in 1914, Dmitry - in 1917. Since 1929, Boris worked with his father at the mine. In 1934 he studied at the mining technical school. At the same time he was engaged in a flying club. This marked the beginning of the “flight” career. In 1936, Boris graduated from the Kherson school of pilots and began to work as an instructor. In 1940 he was drafted into the Red Army, where he served as an instructor pilot. By his example, the older brother had a strong influence on Dmitry. He also decided to devote himself to heaven, studied at the Kachin Flight School.
During the war, the brothers perfectly mastered the American fighter R-39 ("Aero Cobra"). After the war, they did not leave aviation and continued their service. Boris graduated from the Academy in 1952, Dmitry - a year earlier, until 1960 he commanded a regiment.
The military pilots of the USSR, the Glinka brothers are outstanding fighters in the air. Each of them had its own style, characteristic handwriting. Boris is a virtuoso of aerobatics, Dmitry is an excellent organizer of a battle group, he was able to fully control the situation.
The famous "DB"
At the front of the great pilot, Glinka Dmitry Borisovich was dubbed the initials “DB”. His main qualities were perseverance and inquisitiveness, patient stubbornness with which Dmitry threw his plane into the most difficult and difficult figures. Like philosophers, the pilot tried to get to the root of various incredibly complex situations.
His students and colleagues noted in DB, as a mentor, goodwill, patience, pedagogical invention and tact. One of them, Grigory Dolnik, recalled that Dmitry Borisovich always replaced irony and suggestions with irony, and this had a tremendous effect on the audience.
Dmitry Glinka came to the front in 1942, without going through an instructor school, but before that he had flights to I-16 and service in the unit.
War. 1942 year
In Crimea, received his first baptism of fire Glinka Dmitry Borisovich. He participated in the battle on the Yak-1 aircraft, as part of a fighter aviation regiment. Already in the first battle, the fascist Ju-88 was shot down, but was shot down by itself. I didn’t remember how I went down with a parachute, how I ended up in the hands of the foot soldiers. The concussion was very severe, and doctors forbade Dmitry to fly. Despite this, the pilot soon returned to his regiment. With new strength he was eager for battle, making his heroic sorties; sometimes their number reached five per day. Already in 1942, Glinka became an ace in flight business. He was the first pilot in the regiment, and he was assigned to prepare and lead groups of fighters into battle.
During the fighting of 1942, the regiment, which participated in battles on four fronts, suffered losses in the amount of 30 vehicles, 12 pilots, while 95 enemy aircraft were destroyed. Then, already on the account of Dmitry there were six German cars.
Kuban
In 1943, the air regiment was transferred to "Aero Cobras" and in March they were thrown into battle for the Kuban lands. The regiment received the title of Guards (100th Guards IAP). Already the Guard captain Glinka in battles proved to be an unsurpassed master of maneuvers. The “Aero Cobra” of the pilot wore No. 21, this number simply began to scare the enemy. By May 43rd Glinka Dmitry Borisovich shot down his 21 German aircraft and became a legend, he was the most productive pilot.
Homeland deservedly appreciated his heroism. On April 24, Dmitry Borisovich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for military achievements, for heroism and courage, for courage in the fight against the fascists, and they were also awarded the Order of Lenin.
In the April battles for the Kuban, Glinka showed incredible stamina. During the day he made several sorties, one day their number reached nine. After such a stress, the pilot slept for more than a day, he was diagnosed with "severe overwork".
In one of the big battles in the Kuban, more than a hundred aircraft were involved. Dmitry made attacks from behind, from a hill, on both sides. He shot down two bombers, but was injured himself. He was shot down and wounded, saved by parachute. Even in bandages, he again returned from the hospital to the regiment and continued his service.
Test of glory
Pilots - heroes of the Great Patriotic War were popularly respected among the people. In April 1943, the newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda published the essay Sense of Heaven by the poet Selvinsky. He began his description of the hero by comparing man with the image of a bird. He compared the figure of the pilot Glinka with a free eagle.
In August 43rd, Dmitry Glinka was already twice a Hero of the USSR. The test of glory was sometimes difficult for him. The pilot was confused by cameramen and correspondents, newspaper portraits, letters delivered daily to him from strangers. With his unbalanced character, he often did not know how to behave in certain situations. On the one hand, the title of Hero obligated to carry one's worthy, and on the other hand, the front-line fraternity forced easy communication, sincerity, and utmost honesty with colleagues. It happened that the title took its toll, Dmitry became serious, sometimes severe, but more often youth prevailed, and the 23-year-old guy turned into a clumsy and funny joker.
Legendary 100th Guards Air Regiment
Pilots - heroes of World War II, made a significant contribution to the victory. Dmitry Glinka made its many sorties and relentlessly hit enemy aircraft. After the Kuban, the legendary regiment fought on the Molochnaya River, in the Miuss operation, in the Perekop battle. “The more enemies, the easier it is to beat them,” - said Dmitry Glinka. In September of the 43rd he received the second "Golden Star". Once, from a captured German grenade that exploded nearby, Dmitry suffered multiple wounds. But by December, the pilot was back in service and chalked up another eight enemy aircraft.
Soon, the air regiment accepted a replenishment and became a member on the southern front in the Iasi-Chisinau operation. Here the pilots shot down 50 aircraft, Dmitry raised his score to 46 aircraft. In a week of fighting near Iasi, Glinka won six victories.
End of war
In July 1944, Dmitry Glinka nearly died in a plane crash. Five pilots of the Guards regiment, including Dmitry Borisovich, flew in a transport plane to pick up cars from repairs. They arrived at the airport literally before departure. They did not have enough seats in the cabin, so I had to settle in the tail on airplane covers. It saved the guys. Overcoming the mountain route, the plane touched the peak, which was covered by clouds. There was a terrible crash in which all passengers and crew members died, only five of Glinka's group managed to survive. Dmitry was treated for two months, lay unconscious for several days. But after recovery he immediately returned to the front. In the battles for Berlin in one day he managed to bring down three German aircraft. In April 1945, his last victory was the destroyed FW-190 fighter, the pilot shot him point blank from thirty meters.
Summing up the military results, it is worth saying that Dmitry Glinka made three hundred sorties, one hundred air battles, and personally shot down fifty enemy aircraft.
Post-war years
Guard Colonel Dmitry Glinka has long served in the Air Force. There was a regiment in his command, then he served in the aviation division, was deputy commander. He lived in Moscow. He was demobilized in 1960. At that time, many military pilots changed the steering wheel of a combat vehicle to the cockpit of a passenger, agricultural or passenger aircraft. The famous ace, twice Hero of the USSR Dmitry Glinka sat at the helm of a passenger airliner. According to the pilot himself, he could not live without the sky, and it was not in his nature that he retired to rest in the country and collect mushrooms in the forest, read books and listen to calm music.