The crew of the downed Soviet ANT-40 bomber, parts of which were found near the village of Voznesenye, Podporozhsky district, Leningrad region, could consist of Alexander Istrashkin, Nikolai Mikhailovsky and Ivan Zhigulin, the Movement’s press service reported Russian Search. May 24 on the VKontakte social network.
Pieces of the plane together and a fragment of the remains of the Soviet pilot were found in May during the Spring 2024 Memory Watch by activists from the search teams “Combat Brotherhood – Podporozhye”, “SvirFront” and “Zveno”. A plate with the technological number 114-239-17 was found at the scene of the accident. This means that the aircraft was serial 239, which corresponds to one of the serial numbers of the aircraft decommissioned by the 72nd Composite Bomber Regiment on October 6, 1941.
All-Russian Information Recovery Center specialist Ilya Prokofiev collected the data and drew up an information certificate. That day, during a combat mission to carry out a bomb attack on a target near the village of Proletarskaya Storona (Voznesenye), two high-speed bombers were shot down. Search engines consider that the remains of the plane on which the crew of Istrashkin, Mikhailovsky and Zhigulin flew on a combat mission were most likely found.
The flight commander, Senior Lieutenant Alexander Vasilyevich Istrashkin, was born in 1914 in Tatarstan (Tsipyinsky district, Shemordan village, Smagil village, Staraya Tsipya village), career military man since March 17, 1936. Documents indicate to his wife Maria Kuzminichna.
Shooter-bombardier lieutenant (senior lieutenant) Nikolai Yakovlevich Mikhailovsky, born in 1912, native of Staraya Russa (Revolution Street, building 3, apartment 4), career military officer since March 23, 1935. wife – Maria Vasilievna.
Sergeant radio operator and air gunner Zhigulin Ivan Ivanovich, born in 1918, native of the Altai Territory (Pavlovsky district, Lebyazhye village, recruited by Pavlovsky RVK). The documents indicate the name of his mother: Paraskovya Nikitichna.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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