Boris Safonov was born on August 26, 1915 in the village of Sinyavino, Tula province, into a peasant family. After leaving school, the future ace continued his studies at the railway school of factory apprenticeship in Tula and joined the Komsomol.

Way to heaven

In parallel with his studies, Safonov, like many of his peers, in 1931 began attending a gliding circle at the Osoaviakhim pilot school. This determined his future. He soon became a pilot's apprentice. Moreover, his instructor was Valentina Grizodubova, who will soon break five world aviation records and become the first woman - Hero of the Soviet Union.

In 1933, after successfully completing the flying club program, Boris Safonov received a referral to the school of military pilots located in the Crimean village of Kacha. According to historians, the teachers immediately saw great potential in the young man, but they were very demanding of him, helping the young man to realize himself.

At the end of 1934, Safonov qualified as a fighter pilot and left for military service in the Belarusian Military District. Soon, Safonov gained a reputation as a capable pilot and aerial gunner.

In 1939, after the outbreak of the Soviet-Finnish war, Boris Safonov asked to be sent to the North. On the train, he accidentally met one of the first polar pilots of the USSR - Boris Chukhnovsky, under whose influence Safonov decided to continue serving in the naval aviation.

“Service as a pilot in the Arctic demanded special courage. The aircraft were not yet adapted for such conditions. But this did not bother Safonov, "military historian Yuri Knutov told RT in an interview.

To the north, Safonov was sent as a flight commander to the 72nd mixed aviation regiment of the Air Force of the Navy. During the Soviet-Finnish war, he struck at enemy ground forces and carried out reconnaissance missions.

  • Soviet single-engine piston fighter-monoplane of the 30s "I-16" (TsKB-12)
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Taking into account his personal flying skills and excellent organizational skills, Senior Lieutenant Safonov in 1941 was promoted to the commander of a training squadron.

As the authors of the collection “Pilots” write, “Boris Safonov was a patient and strict teacher. In the air, he watched every movement of the newcomers in flight, watched how the pilots react to his commands. Gradually, the flights became more difficult, and the planes took off in various meteorological conditions: rain, fog, with low clouds and snow charges, rapidly flying from the Barents Sea.

"Victory in the air is forged on the ground"

Safonov met the Great Patriotic War while at the helm of the I-16 fighter. On the third day of the war, June 24, 1941, he shot down his first enemy aircraft, the He-111 bomber. According to a number of testimonies, this was the first air victory of Soviet pilots in the Arctic. An article was published in the Krasnoflotets newspaper with the appeal "Beat the fascists like a pilot Safonov!" Safonov himself, after only three days, shot down another Hitlerite bomber.

Despite the fact that the situation in the Arctic was extremely tense, Safonov found time to analyze the battles and develop new tactical techniques. His squadron, having relatively small losses, became the most productive in the regiment. At the same time, he knew how to find an approach to subordinates. Some he taught tactics right during the battle and recorded on them the enemy aircraft shot down thanks to his help, with others he arranged "debriefing", and sometimes very painful.

According to the recollections of colleagues, Safonov once scolded a young pilot in front of his comrades, who showed excessive caution in battle, in the future he became literally a model of courage.

Safonov was not afraid to take responsibility for his subordinates and protect them, if he was sure that they were right. Once one of his pilots shot down a Soviet plane by mistake. The crew was not injured, but the command demanded that the guilty be handed over to a tribunal. However, Safonov defended him and secured the acquittal of the pilot during the investigation.

Safonov paid special attention to the technical support of flights. “Victory in the air is forged on the ground. For example, I attribute half of the planes I shot down at the expense of my technician Semyonov and mechanic Kolpakov. No matter how many holes there were in my plane after the battle, by the next flight it is invariably in perfect working order, ”he once said in an interview with the naval newspaper.

Safonov carefully studied the downed German aircraft, thought over the ways of their most effective destruction, pointed out to his subordinates their mistakes during the battle. He demanded that pilots not rely on chance and act in battle with a cool head. One day, he replaced the buckles on his helmet with buttons and made the entire squadron do the same. The innovation made it possible to win more than half a minute during an alarm takeoff.

  • Fighter pilot Boris Safonov (right) and British pilots of the 151st Air Wing Kenneth Wood and Charlton Wag Howe, fall 1941
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  • © Evgeny Khaldei

Safonov boldly attacked the outnumbered enemy. On August 8-9, 1941, his unit repelled the largest air raid attempt on Murmansk at that time, shooting down 13 Nazi planes at once. According to a number of testimonies, when Hitler's pilots saw Safonov's plane, they reported it by radio and retreated from the scene of the battle.

“I don’t remember a single case when a fascist, with whom the commander entered the battle, could leave unharmed. Boris Feoktistovich taught us many new tactical techniques that were never used by anyone. He taught us a sudden blow, the speed of maneuvers, ”recalled the pilot Pyotr Semyonenko.

On September 16, 1941, Boris Safonov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

In the fall of 1941, a new 78th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Northern Fleet was formed. Safonov was appointed its commander. Hawker Hurricane fighters provided by the British side were transferred to the regiment. Safonov positively assessed their flight characteristics, but was extremely dissatisfied with the weapons. Under his leadership, Soviet technicians installed domestic cannons and machine guns on British aircraft.

“An important part of the activities of the Safonovites was the escort of western convoys in the northern waters,” noted Yuri Knutov.

  • Boris Safonov
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"A pilot with a special spark"

In March 1942, Safonov was awarded the British Order of the Distinguished Flight Merit Cross.

On May 30, 1942, Boris Safonov flew to the aid of an allied convoy attacked by the Nazis. At the head of a troika of Soviet fighters, he attacked several dozen German aircraft. After some time, the command post received a radiogram from him: "I knocked out the third ... the engine ...". These were his last words. Safonov's plane fell into the water and sank instantly. The reasons for his tragic death have not yet been established. The two main versions that historians are discussing are enemy bullets hitting the plane of a Soviet ace and engine malfunction.

“Even before his death, Safonov was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the second time. But this Gold Star was awarded to him only posthumously, on June 14, 1942. It is believed that he became the first twice Hero of the Soviet Union for his actions during the Great Patriotic War, ”Knutov said.

The number of Safonov's victories is assessed differently in various sources. Most often in the literature, there are data on 30 aircraft destroyed by him personally, and three in group battles. However, some historians are of the opinion that, according to officially confirmed data, Safonov won from 22 to 25 air victories.

“Regardless of the difference in ratings, Safonov was one of the most effective Soviet fighters at the initial stage of the war. And this is in the harshest conditions of the North, ”stressed Yuri Knutov.

In various cities of the Soviet Union, monuments were erected to Boris Safonov, streets, educational institutions, ships, aircraft and military units were named in his honor. One of the villages of the Murmansk region is named Safonovo.

“Pilots like Safonov were worth their weight in gold during the Great Patriotic War. They taught, set an example of courage. His heroism is worthy of admiration, "said Honored Test Pilot of the Russian Federation, Hero of Russia, Major General Magomed Tolboyev in an interview with RT.

  • Bust of B.F.Safonov at the entrance to the village of Safonovo (Murmansk region)
  • © Sorokin Andrey Alexandrovich / Wikipedia

According to Honored Pilot of the Russian Federation, Major General Vladimir Popov, an eloquent testimony to Safonov's unprecedented courage is the fact that he has two Gold Stars of the Hero of the Soviet Union.

“At the initial stage of the war, we still did not have an advantage in the air, and people like Safonov showed that the Germans could be shot down,” Popov stressed.

Yuri Knutov believes that Boris Safonov was a unique person who could not fully realize his enormous potential due to his tragic death.

“Taking into account the amazing results demonstrated at the most difficult, initial stage of the war, there were all the prerequisites for Safonov to be recognized as one of the best pilots in the world. He was a natural-born fighter, a pilot with a special spark, strikingly combining flying skills, organizational skills and the talent of a teacher. In less than a year of participation in the hostilities, he became a real nightmare for the Nazis, ”summed up Knutov.