Many years ago, the Great Patriotic War ended, ruthlessly passed through the souls of people and claimed millions of human lives. She entered each family without knocking, destroyed her usual way of life, introducing into it new, irreversible in its scale amendments. It was at this time that the patriotism of the Russian man, ready for his native land, in the name of a bright future for descendants, to pay his own life was maximally manifested. Everyone entered the fray with death: men and women, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, adults and children. Children of war…
Arkady Kamanin, whose feat contributed to the approach of the Great Victory, in peacetime was an ordinary Soviet boy who, like most peers, was fond of sports, reading, playing musical instruments (button accordion and accordion). And he was attracted by the sky: blue, clear, distant ...
He was attracted by the sky
Arkady Kamanin was born, whose biography and photo are of genuine interest to the modern generation, on November 2, 1928. The father of the future hero Nikolai Petrovich Kamanin, a Soviet officer, an experienced pilot, who was a striking example of a real man for a young man, served at the airport, and his son always had the opportunity to be near him and provide all possible teenage assistance.
Arkady Kamanin is a pioneer hero, whose biography is a vivid example of love for the Motherland, readiness to protect his native land from enemies in the name of a bright future. A boy born in the Far East, along with his family (on duty of his father), changed his place of residence several times, lived in Moscow for some time and spent the whole summer vacation at the airport, mastering the profession of an aviation mechanic. As such, he even managed to work at the capital's aircraft factory in 1941.
Stayed at war
In the same year, his father continued to serve in Tashkent (Uzbekistan), where he stayed with his family until 1943. In February, he was appointed commander of the assault air corps, and 14-year-old Arkady Kamanin again began to work as an aircraft mechanic at the location of his father’s military unit. As a minor, he was threatened with being sent to the rear, but flatly refused to leave the military unit. In addition, the high level of qualification did not allow management to easily let go of a competent specialist. Indeed, in wartime, the need for qualified technical workers was constant.
Successful start
Arkady Kamanin was enlisted as a mechanic of special equipment in the 423rd communications air squadron (Kalinin Front), which was a successful start in the air career of a young man who decided to learn how to fly. It was flying practice that gave invaluable experience and helped to understand the theory. For the first time, Kamanin Jr. climbed into the sky on a two-seat training U-2.
At first he flew as a flight mechanic and an observer navigator, and in July 1943 received official permission to fly independently. The reason for this was the case when, during one of the flights, a stray bullet smashed into smithereens the visor of the cockpit, and the fragments that got inside blinded Arkady. The young man called an experienced pilot from the ground, under whose remote guidance he managed to professionally land the car. After this successful event, a talented young man began to undergo flight training officially. Two months later, Kamanin Jr. successfully passed the exams to the strict and demanding Major General N. Kamanin, who was unable to find grounds for not allowing his son to fly independently.
Save comrade
War is war, and General Nikolai Kamanin sent Sergeant Arkady Kamanin on flights, risking not to wait for his son from the next assignment. In reconnaissance flights, the “flyer” (as the boy was called by his adult colleagues) showed himself heroically, delivering orders from the leadership to the commanders of advanced units, extracting valuable information right under the nose of the Nazis and carrying out other complex missions.
Arkady Kamanin - a pioneer hero, was characterized by amazing fearlessness and risked on an equal basis with adults. In support of this, there is a case when, upon returning to the headquarters of the squadron on his combat vehicle, Arkady saw in a neutral strip a downed attack aircraft lying on his belly. Looking at the closed cockpit, the young man realized that the pilot was inside and, apparently, was wounded. Remembering the unwritten law - the mutual assistance of a friend, Arkady Kamanin, without a second's hesitation, professionally landed near the downed plane, masterfully "parked", hiding from the Germans with the downed attack aircraft, in the cockpit of which was lieutenant Berdnikov wounded in the head. Having completed the task, he did not manage to deliver to the base the results of aerial photography. The fragile young man managed to transport a camera with a film to his plane, and then the limp body of a rescued pilot.
First reward
Kamanin Jr. managed to get safe and sound to the location of his unit, and his colleagues helped him in this, diverting the Germans' attention from the brave and arrogant maize by firing. For the perfect feat, 15-year-old Arkady was awarded his first Order of the Red Star.
On account of Arkady, the rescue of another comrade - a mechanic who took off at the tail of an airplane. When taking off on wet ground, technical workers specially landed on the tail of the device, pressing it so that it would not “peck its nose” into the ground. Then it was necessary to jump skillfully and in a timely manner, which in this case the mechanic did not have time to do.
Arkady, while waiting for permission to land, noticed a man in the air, which was signaled by rocket launchers to an imprudent pilot who had already managed to hide the landing gear. A man was taken off the tail of an airplane.
Fearless flyer
Arkady Kamanin was awarded the Second Red Star in 1944: when an enemy attacked the front line headquarters, a young man took off on a plane under fire, called for help, and bombarded uninvited guests with grenades.
Arkady earned the Order of the Red Banner in early 1945 for delivering classified documents and food for a walkie-talkie to a partisan detachment. The young man had to make a 1.5-hour flight over the front line along an unfamiliar route characterized by a difficult mountainous terrain, which at times complicated the task.
The general track record of the pilot Kamanin Jr. has 283 hours in the air (and this is more than six hundred sorties). Many of them were produced in severe weather conditions, under the gun of German guns. During this period, the young man was awarded six government awards, among which were the medals “For the capture of Vienna”, “for the victory over Germany”, “for the capture of Budapest”.
Peaceful Ahead
War is over. It seemed that ahead of Arkady Kamanin was a bright future. Significantly behind in schooling from peers, the young man with his inherent determination and zeal began to actively study the lost material. One school year was enough for him.
Having received a school certificate, in 1946 Arkady Kamanin (photo can be seen in the article) was enrolled in the preparatory course of the Air Force Academy. Zhukovsky, in which his father once studied. Years of training, service in the Soviet army, a real opportunity to get into the detachment of Soviet cosmonauts ... But ...
Forever Young
At 18, Arkady fell seriously ill with meningitis and suddenly died for everyone. April 13, 1947 is the last day of the life of the youngest pilot who fearlessly passed the Great Patriotic War from beginning to end. Arkady was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow. So he was remembered by his peers: young, cheerful, purposeful, always ready to help his comrade. Lovers in the sky ...