Date of birth:

August 26th, 1915 (Sinyavino/Tula Governorate, Russia)

Date of death:

May 30th, 1942 (Arctic Ocean)

Nationality:

Soviet

Boris Feoktistovich Safonov was born on 26 August 1915 in the village of Sinyavino in the Tula Governorate. In 1931 he started taking flying lessons at the Tula airclub. His instructor was the famous Valentina Stepanovna Grizodubova. In 1933 Safonov joined the Red Army. He completed his fighter pilot training in November 1934 with excellent grades.

In the second half of the 30s he held several posts in the airforce and in 1940 he joined the Northern Fleet as a flight commander. When the war broke out he was a squadron commander in the 72nd Mixed Aviation Regiment of the air forces of the Northern Fleet. He flew a Polikarpov !-16 fighter. At the end of the summer of 1941 he had already flown 130 combat missions, fought in 32 air battles and shot down 11 enemy aircraft. When he was named a Hero of the Soviet Union in September 1941, he had a tally of 16 victories, and his entire squadron 50.

In October 1941 Major Safonov became commander of the 78th Fighter Aviation Regiment, and in the second half of March 1942 he took over command of the 2nd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment as a Lieutenant-Colonel. That month he also received the British Distinguished Flying Cross, as one of only five Soviet servicemen during the war. Because of his high post, Safonov flew less, but he kept claiming victories.

On 27 May 1942 he was recommended for a second HSU title. By that time he was the most succesful Soviet pilot, having shot down 30 enemy aircraft and with three shared victories. Three days later, on 30 May 1942, he perished during an air battle over the Barents Sea. He received his second Gold Star posthumously.

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