Date of death:

April 29th, 1087 (Sofia, Bulgaria)

Nationality:

Bulgarian (1908-1946, Kingdom)

Goranov was born in 1904 in Bessarabovo, Bulgaria. After he was drafted for the military, he was trained in the aviation school and placed with a Bulgarian Air squadron.
Already at a young age he sympathized with the communists and was expelled from the Bulgarian Air Force after participating in a May 1st demonstration. After being released from prison, he emigrated in the 1920’s to the Soviet Union and became a Soviet citizen under the name of Volkana Goranova. He joined the Red Army and became an instructor with the Tambov aviation school.
Under the name of Turk Halila Ekrema, he joined the International Brigade during the Spanish Civil War and flew with a Potez-54 plane in the “Espania” squadron, with the Republican Air Force. For his courage and heroism he was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union. He returned to the Soviet Union and was appointed head of Management of educational institutions of Civil Air Fleet of the USSR.

After the Second World War he returned to Bulgaria under the name Zahari Zahariev and became commander of the Bulgarian Air Forces and the deputy minister of defense of National Republic of Bulgaria. Later he was appointed to military attache in Moscow.
Later he was once again decorated as Hero of the Soviet Union and Hero of Bulgaria.
Goranov died in Sofia on April, 29, 1987.

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• Photo: The Soviet Military Awards Page
  
• - The Soviet Military Awards Page