Fiery angel: feat of the Soviet pilot Alexander Mamkin

When in February of the 44th biplane R-5 flying by over a front line was fired by enemy zenitka, to use a parachute and to throw the burning plane the pilot could not. Onboard the double car there were children … «To Protect Russia» remembers a feat of guard of lieutenant Alexander Mamkin.

Operation "Asterisk"

In days of the Great Patriotic War the 105th Separate aviaregiment of merchant air fleet (since July the 1941st staff of the Soviet GVF, according to the order of the people’s commissar of defense of the USSR, was considered called in Red army) the first adjusted the regular message with the Belarusian guerrillas. In the woods through a front line pilots on low-high-speed biplanes R-5 and PO-2 delivered the food, the weapon and ammunition, transported wounded in rear hospital. And still rescued children.

At the beginning of 1944 in the occupied Polotsk Germans near orphanage No. 1 organized nazi hospital. Such the neighbourhood bore for orphans deadly threat – Hitlerite command decided to use children as donors of blood for wounded soldiers. It was necessary to rescue orphans immediately.

So the operation "Asterisk" began. In February, 1944, despite close attention of invaders, guerrillas Polotsk Lepelskoy of a zone it is reserved deduced from the city more than 150 pupils and about 40 employees of orphanage deep into the territory under control to them. It was the first a rescue stage. To remain with guerrillas it was unsafe – German command developed the strengthened hunting for avengers. It was necessary to deliver orphans to the Continent, and this task laid down on shoulders of pilots of the 105th Separate aviaregiment of GVF.

Guards lieutenant Alexander Mamkin was one of those who, manoeuvring under fire enemy a zenitok, took away children far away from war.

Pilot Mamkin

To fly Alexander Mamkin began before war. In the 1939th with honors graduated from Balashovsky flight school of GVF. As to the best cadet to it it was given the chance to choose, where he wants to work, but Alexander did not use the right. «Direct there where I am necessary», – he told to members of the commission on distribution of flight structure.

So after the termination of flight school of Mamkin three years worked in Tajik, and then in Uzbek managements of merchant air fleet. During this time the pilot accumulated 1700 flight hours and delivered over two hundred tons of mail and cargoes.

From the first days of war Alexander aspired to get on the front, but in management of GVF decided that in the back the skilled pilot is more necessary.

Mamkin’s request satisfied in a year, and in August 1942 it arrived on the front.

In August the 43rd Mamkin received the first award – an award «Patriotic war of the 1st degree». «During Patriotic war made 74 fighting departures (…). Delivered to guerrillas of 13240 kg of ammunition and took out 24 persons of guerrillas, – it was told in representation of the pilot to an award. – Always carries out perfectly fighting tasks, showing thus courage and courage».

Feat

On April 11, 1944 Alexander on the R-5 took off for the next flight – on a guerrilla platform on Velechye’s lake the following group of children prepared for evacuation.

The most senior boy Volodya Shishkov Mamkin set in a back cabin, the teacher and nine more kids – in a fuselage, two wounded guerrillas – in the cartridges similar to torpedo tubes. So in double R-5 13 people went in.

The biplane not without effort came off the earth and, having risen in the night sky, headed for native base. Flight passed normally, but on approach to front line R-5 enemy zenitka fired. The plane lit up.

From a motor compartment on the engine, from the engine on a cabin of the pilot – fire extended very quickly.

In similar situations the instruction orders to the pilot to use a parachute and to leave the car. But onboard children! To doom orphans to terrible death it, itself grown without the father, could not in any way. The pilot decided to take children to airfield by all means.

On it all burned: шлемофон, clothes, high fur boots. Overcoming an excruciating pain, it pulled everything to a landing strip. Also held on! «Under enemy fire by the burning plane, burning itself, it reached the territory, decreased and made landing», – was told in the report on fighting work of a regiment for April of the 1944th.

«When regimental physicians and pilots will approach on a place of landing, they will see on white snow the turned black, smoking body of the pilot with vplavlenny points in a face – "canned food" and will be surprised: how the person could stand intolerable pain of fire devouring a body? To operate plane. To plant. To get out of a cabin, – Mamkina Olga Zhukov, the granddaughter of the brother-soldier of the pilot wrote about a feat. – On the scorched feet to step to a passenger door to open it. And – to fall, having only caught a voice of the senior boy, Volodya Shishkov:« Companion pilot! Do not worry! I opened a door. All are live, we leave …»

Alexander Mamkin died in hospital on April 17, 1944.

Memory

Strangely enough, Alexander Mamkin’s unprecedented feat was not noted by awards. In representation on appropriated to the pilot posthumously an award of the Red Banner a word about rescue of children. To an award of the pilot presented for next «33 fighting departures at night to the back of the opponent», delivery «9035 kg of ammunition, 41 persons of the military personnel», export «113 wounded guerrillas». And the document on April 8 the 44th – in 3 days prior to the last flight of the pilot was signed.

The image of the hero and children rescued by it remained in a newsreel – cameramen found the pilot in guerrilla airfield before its last departure. These shots were used in different films, including in the fourth part of the documentary film epic «The Great Patriotic War. Guerrillas».