Mikhail Ivanovich Bezukh

Early Life and Military Beginnings

Mikhail Ivanovich Bezukh was born on May 25, 1914, in the village of Belosarayskaya Kosa, Pervomaisky district, Donetsk region, Ukraine. After completing primary school, he worked on the local “Pobeda” collective farm. He later pursued further education at the Fish Industry Factory-Plant Apprenticeship School and the Azov Fisheries Technical College.

Bezukh joined the Red Army in 1935, embarking on a distinguished military career. He successfully graduated from the Stalingrad Military Aviation School for Pilots in 1938, laying the groundwork for his future as a combat aviator.

World War II Service and Heroism

The outbreak of World War II found Bezukh serving with the 55th Fighter Aviation Regiment, stationed on the western border. From the very first day of the war, he flew combat missions in his I-153 biplane, engaging in ground attacks against enemy troops. Incomplete records, due to the loss of many regimental documents during the retreat, indicate he disabled approximately ten field and anti-aircraft guns, dozens of vehicles and carts, and around a hundred soldiers and officers.

His bravery was quickly recognized, earning him the Order of the Red Star in August 1941, early in the conflict. After a reorganization, Bezukh was transferred to an assault aviation regiment, where he mastered the formidable Il-2 ground-attack aircraft. He was deployed to the Volkhov Front, and in the spring of 1943, his regiment was urgently redeployed to the Western Front, near Bryansk.

From early 1944, the 565th Assault Aviation Regiment, as part of the 2nd Air Army, played a crucial role in the liberation of Right-bank Ukraine, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. For his outstanding service, Major Bezukh, navigator of the 565th SAP, 224th SAD, was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on July 1, 1944.

Combat Record and Post-War Life

By the end of the war, Mikhail Bezukh had completed 120 combat sorties. His impressive record included personally shooting down three enemy aircraft and contributing to the destruction of six more as part of a group. He concluded the war as the commander of the 571st Assault Aviation Regiment.

After the war, Bezukh continued his dedicated service in the Soviet Air Force, retiring in 1965. He passed away on July 31, 1971, and was laid to rest in Moscow.