Koldunov, Aleksandr

Born Sept. 20, 1923, in the village of Moshchinovo, present-day Monastyr-shchina Raion, Smolensk Oblast. Soviet military commander; colonel general of aviation (1971); twice Hero of the Soviet Union (Aug. 2, 1944, and Feb. 23, 1948). Member of the CPSU since 1944. Son of a peasant.

Koldunov has been in the Soviet Army since February 1941. He graduated from the Kacha Military Aviation School for Pilots in 1943, from the Air Force Academy (now named after Iu. A. Gagarin) in 1952, and from the Military Academy of the General Staff in 1960. In the Great Patriotic War (1941–45), Koldunov served from May 1943 on the Southwestern and Third Ukrainian fronts and was a pilot, commander of a flight, and deputy commander and commander of a squadron of the 866th Fighter Aviation Regiment. He made 358 combat flights, engaged in 96 air battles, and personally shot down 46 enemy aircraft. He has held command positions after the war. Koldunov has been commander of the troops of the Moscow Air Defense District since November 1970. He has been a candidate member of the Central Committee of the CPSU since 1971. He has been awarded the Order of Lenin, five Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of Alexander Nevsky, the Order of the Patriotic War First Class, the Order of the Red Star, and various medals.