Karpov, Aleksandr

Karpov, Aleksandr Terent’evich

 

Born Oct. 4(17), 1917, in the village of Felenevo, in present-day Peremyshl’ Raion, Kaluga Oblast; died Oct. 29, 1944. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union (Sept. 28, 1943, and Aug. 22, 1944), major. Became a member of the CPSU in 1942. The son of a peasant.

Karpov graduated from a vocational training school inKaluga in 1935 and worked as a metalworker and studied at anaviation club until 1939. He joined the Soviet Army in 1939 andgraduated from the Miasnikov Military Aviation School in Ka-cha in 1940. From 1941, Karpov fought in air battles on theLeningrad front and rose from pilot to flight commander, deputy commander, and finally commander of a squadron of the 27thGuards Fighter Aviation Regiment. He made 456 combat flightsand fought in 97 air battles; he shot down 28 enemy aircraft personally and eight more in group combat. He died while on acombat mission. Karpov was awarded the Order of Lenin, threeOrders of the Red Banner, the Order of Alexander Nevsky, andmedals.