Baidukov, Georgii Filippovich

Born May 13 (26), 1907, at the Taryshta station of the Omsk railroad. Colonel general of the air force (1961); Hero of the Soviet Union (June 24, 1936); member of the CPSU since 1936. He was born into the family of a railroad worker.

Baidukov began working as a laborer. In March 1926 he joined the Soviet Army as a volunteer. He graduated from the military pilot school (1928) and became a test pilot. In 1936, together with V. P. Chkalov and A. V. Beliakov, he completed a nonstop flight from Moscow to Udd Island and in 1937, across the North Pole to the USA. He fought in the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939–40. From November 1941, during the Great Patriotic War, he was deputy commanding officer and then commander of the 31st and later of the 211th Combined Air division, and commander of the Air Force 4th Shock Army. He was commander of the 212th (later the 4th Guards) Attack Air Division and from December 1943, commander of the 4th Attack Air Corps. After the war he had command responsibilities. In 1947–49 he was chief of the main directorate of the Civilian Air Force. He graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff (1951). After 1952 he held a responsible position in the Defense Ministry of the USSR. He was awarded two Orders of Lenin, four Orders of the Red Banner, two Orders of Suvorov Second Class, Orders of Kutuzov First and Second Class, Order of the Patriotic War Second Class, four Orders of the Red Star, one Polish order, and various medals. He is the author of the books Our Flight to America (1937), Notes of a Pilot (1938), and About Chkalov (1939).