Mikhail Burkin

Burkin was born on 10 February 1912 in Moscow. From 1914, the family lived in the village of Novye Vyselki (now in the Plavsky District of the Tula Oblast), before returning to Moscow in 1930. He graduated from the three courses of Rabfak and the Central Flying Club named after Chkalov in Moscow in 1935.^[1][2]

Burkin joined the Soviet Navy in 1935. In 1936, he graduated from the Yeisk School of Naval Pilots named after I.V. Stalin. From November 1936, he served in the Air Force of the Pacific Fleet, where he was assigned as the pilot of the 109th Air Squadron.

From May 1938, he was assigned as a junior and then a senior pilot of the 4th Mine-Torpedo Aviation Regiment. In December 1940, he was appointed as a flight commander of the 36th Separate Air Squadron and in May 1941, he was assigned as flight commander in the 56th Long-Range Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment. Burkin became a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1939.^[3]

Following the outbreak of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, Burkin began flying missions while assigned to the Black Sea Fleet. By December 1941, he had completed 16 combat missions as a flight commander of the 2nd Mine and Torpedo-Aviation Regiment of the Air Force of the Black Sea Fleet. For his heroism, he was awarded his first Orders of Lenin and Red Banner.^[4][5]

By the beginning of February 1942, he had already completed 56 combat missions. At the same time, he was appointed inspector for piloting techniques of the 5th Guards Mine-Torpedo Aviation Regiment of the Air Force of the Black Sea Fleet.^[6]

Burkin proved himself to be a talented commander during his service. In February 1944, he was appointed commander of the 5th Guards Mine Torpedo Aviation Regiment. During his command of the regiment, the pilots flew 688 sorties during which they sank 12 transport ships, 4 self-propelled barges, 2 minesweepers and 5 landing barges, and damaged 6 transports and set 358 naval mines.^[1]

He took part in the 1941 bombing raids on Romania and in the defense of Sevastopol. He later participated in the defensive and offensive stages of the battle for the Caucasus, and in the Crimean and Second Jassy–Kishinev offensives. During the second Jassy–Kishinev offensive in August 1944, the pilots of the regiment successfully completed the task of blocking the main Romanian naval port of Constanța. As a result, the enemy forces were unable to wipe the naval mines set by the naval pilots and almost all the ships in the base were captured by the Soviet troops.^[7]

From 1942 to 1944, Burkin flew 88 sorties on an Ilyushin Il-4, including 17 night-time sorties. In one of the sorties, the gunner of his aircraft shot down a German fighter.^[8]

In September 1944, following the end of hostilities in the Black Sea, Burkin was reassigned to the Pacific Fleet in November 1944. He was assigned as the commander of the 52nd Mine-Torpedo Aviation Regiment of the Air Force of the Pacific Fleet. In August 1945, he took part in Operation August Storm in the Far East. As commander of the 52nd Mine-Torpedo Aviation Regiment, Burkin showed exceptional courage and military skill while flying the Il-4s. The regiment under his command from 9 August to 22 August 1945 made 138 sorties where they destroyed 2 transports, an industrial plant and port facilities at the cities of Seishin and Rajin-guyok, which are located at the northern portion of the Korean Peninsula. They also successfully disabled a railway bridge during their attacks. The regiment flew 527 hours and suffered no combat or emergency losses. Burkin flew two sorties, where he led the attacks on Seishin and Rajin-guyok.^[6]

By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of September 14, 1945, Lieutenant Colonel Burkin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.^[7]