Mikhail Fyodorovich Burmistrov

Born into a working-class family, Mikhail Fyodorovich Burmistrov lived in Western Siberia from 1909, working as a hammerer in a forge. He joined the Red Army (RKKA) in 1919, fighting as a partisan from 1919-1920, rising from assistant detachment commander to platoon commander. He also served on the field collegium of the mountain-partisan division.

From 1920 to 1928, Burmistrov served in cavalry units of the Red Army. He was a private in the Barnaul Cavalry Regiment (1920-1922) and later a squadron foreman in the 60th Cavalry Regiment of the 10th Cavalry Division. He participated in battles against the Bakich and Kaigorodov bands.

Between 1922 and 1924, he commanded a platoon and then a squadron in the 48th Cavalry Regiment of the 6th Separate Cavalry Brigade on the Turkestan Front. He fought against the Basmachi in the Fergana Valley and Eastern Bukhara, sustaining two injuries during this period.

Burmistrov studied at the cavalry department of the Kiev Combined Military School from 1924-1926, becoming a member of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) in 1926. He then commanded a squadron in the 39th Cavalry Regiment of the 7th Samara Cavalry Division from 1926 to 1928.

In 1928, Burmistrov transferred to the Red Army Air Force, serving as a trainee in the 18th Aviation Squadron (1928-1929). He graduated from the 3rd Military School for Pilots and Navigators in Orenburg in 1930, then served as a navigator in the 5th Separate Aviation Squadron from 1930-1932.

He furthered his education, graduating from the Red Army Air Force’s Higher School of Special Services in 1932 and the 2nd Military School for Pilots in Borisoglebsk in 1933. From 1933 to 1938, he commanded an aviation detachment and later served as assistant commander of the 150th Mixed Bomber Aviation Regiment. On February 22, 1938, he was awarded the “XX Years of the Red Army” jubilee medal.

Deployment to Khalkhin Gol

On November 15, 1938, Major Burmistrov was appointed commander of the 150th Mixed Bomber Aviation Regiment (SBAP), part of the 100th Mixed Aviation Brigade of the 57th Special Corps. The regiment was stationed in Bain-Tumen, Mongolian People’s Republic. It comprised 17 R-5Sh light attack aircraft and 29 SB high-speed bombers, though personnel were still not fully proficient with the SBs when the Mongolian fighting began.

The Khalkhin Gol conflict saw its first air casualty on May 21, 1939, when a liaison R-5Sh flying to the 6th Mongolian Cavalry Division was shot down, killing one pilot. Burmistrov and his 150th SBAP participated in the subsequent battles along the Khalkhin Gol River.

The regiment’s first combat sortie took place on June 24, 1939, when 23 SBs bombed Japanese forces on the river’s eastern bank. On the return flight, the unescorted bombers were attacked by Japanese fighters. A radio operator-gunner in one SB was wounded but managed to damage an enemy fighter and wound its pilot with return fire.

Intense Combat and Heavy Losses

July 1939 proved to be the most challenging period for the regiment. On July 3, during raids on Japanese forces near Bain-Tsagan and Nomon-Khan-Burd-Obo, one SB was downed by anti-aircraft fire, and two more by enemy fighters.

The following day, July 4, the 150th SBAP flew two bombing missions against Japanese crossings. Soviet fighters failed to provide adequate cover for the bombers, resulting in seven SBs being shot down and ten crew members killed.

Major General of Aviation Vorozheikin vividly recounted the grim scene of a downed Soviet bomber pilot: “Our bomber lay nearby. It had crash-landed on its belly and burned after landing. The front fuselage, including the cockpit, and the mid-wing section were consumed by fire. Melted metal from the high temperature had pooled on the ground.”

“Through the soot-blackened, fire-warped fuselage ribs, the charred body of the pilot was visible. His head was thrown back, hands still on the controls. Beside him lay a burned gunner. I understood why he was here, not in the tail near his turret. He was likely wounded in the air and, after landing, managed to crawl out of the cockpit to help the pilot, probably with his last strength, reaching him and collapsing dead nearby.”

“The navigator was not in the plane; I found no trace of him. He must have parachuted out. Why didn’t the pilot jump? He landed the plane, meaning he was alive. And the burned gunner? It seems the wounded gunner was unable to use his parachute, and the pilot couldn’t abandon him, deciding to land the aircraft, but apparently lost consciousness at the last moment.”

Due to these heavy losses, the bombing altitude had to be increased from 2500-3000 meters to 6800-7500 meters. From July 9 to 15, bombing sorties against enemy troops proceeded without losses, though their effectiveness at such altitudes was difficult to assess.

The Final Attack and Burmistrov’s Demise

Losses resumed in August 1939. On August 5, the crew of Political Commissar Yuyukin from the 150th SBAP perished when their SB was shot down by anti-aircraft fire while bombing enemy reserves near Khalun-Arshan. Another crew was lost on August 19 over Khalun-Arshan railway station, a critical Japanese supply route.

The decisive operation to eliminate Japanese forces in Mongolian territory began on August 20, 1939. At 5:45 AM, 153 Soviet bombers, covered by 144 fighters, struck Japanese positions on the eastern bank of the Khalkhin Gol, bombing precisely from 2500-3000 meters.

Later that morning, at 8:45 AM, 52 SBs, escorted by 162 fighters, attacked enemy fortifications on the Khailastyn-Gol riverbank. Japanese fighters failed to down any SBs, with only three damaged aircraft successfully returning to base.

The 150th SBAP continued raids on Japanese positions on August 21, bombing from 1500 meters, which made them vulnerable even to 20mm anti-aircraft guns. As a result, four aircraft were subsequently shot down by anti-aircraft fire. Losses continued on August 23, with Major Semenov’s crew failing to return from a combat mission.

Soviet bombers suffered their final combat loss over the Khalkhin Gol River on August 25, 1939, when the commander of the 150th SBAP, Major Burmistrov, was killed. Officially, Burmistrov’s aircraft was shot down by anti-aircraft fire.

However, an alternative account suggests a tragic friendly fire incident. On August 25, Captain Zvonarev, leading a group of I-153s armed with RS rockets, attacked what he believed to be Japanese bombers, which were actually Soviet SBs.

Only when closing to firing distance did Zvonarev recognize the stars on the wings. At the last moment, he sharply swerved away. However, one of his pilots, Lieutenant Fedosov, had already fired two rockets, which exploded near the leading SB. The bomber continued on its course briefly but then suddenly spun down and crashed near Khalkhin Gol. While the navigator parachuted to safety, the pilot and radio operator-gunner perished, likely from rocket shrapnel incapacitating the pilot.

Major Burmistrov’s posthumous recommendation for Hero of the Soviet Union stated: “In battles with the Japanese… he was an example of valor and heroism. Under his personal leadership, the regiment perfectly executed missions. Throughout the operation, he was a fearless air fighter. He led the regiment into battle 22 times. He heroically died in an aerial battle… Previously, for his military merits in the Khalkhin Gol area, he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.”

On November 17, 1939, Major Mikhail Fyodorovich Burmistrov was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.