On April 24, 1942, an outstanding Soviet military pilot, commander of the air forces of the Black Sea Fleet, Nikolai Ostryakov, died in Sevastopol.

Historians call him an excellent military organizer, distinguished by great courage, and Nikolai Kuznetsov, People's Commissar of the Navy of the USSR, considered Ostryakov the best commander of the flight crew of the navy of the Soviet Union.

"Unsurpassed Purposefulness"

Nikolai Ostryakov was born on May 17, 1911 in Moscow.

He lost his father early, who died at the front (according to one version during the First World War, according to another - during the Civil War).

After graduating from seven classes of school, Nikolai in 1926 got a job at the Krasny Metallist plant, and then, following the Komsomol appeal, went to the construction of Turksib.

Returning to his hometown, Ostryakov worked as a car mechanic and bus driver, while studying in parallel at the Moscow Glider School.

“Nikolai grew up as a gifted child.

He drew well, played musical instruments and was interested in technology, dreaming of connecting his life with it, ”Alexander Makushin, member of the Association of Historians of the Union State, co-chairman of the East Patriotica Foundation, told RT.

In 1932-1933, Ostryakov was trained at the courses of pilots and parachute instructors at the Central Flight School of the Society for Assistance to Defense, Aviation and Chemical Construction in the USSR, after which he was hired as deputy chief - senior instructor pilot of the Higher Parachute School Osoaviakhim.

According to historians, Ostryakov was one of the pioneers of Soviet parachuting.

He made experimental jumps from various heights and participated in practical tests of parachute equipment developed by the Special Design Bureau of the Research Institute of the Red Army Air Force.

In 1934, Ostryakov was one of the first in the Soviet Union to be awarded the title of master of parachuting of the USSR.

“Ostryakov was one of the enthusiasts involved in the development of parachuting in the 1930s, both for military and sporting purposes.

This was a feat significant for the entire aviation industry.

The work, in which Ostryakov participated, subsequently saved the lives of many pilots who used parachutes when their planes were shot down, helped the airborne troops develop in the USSR, allowed the use of parachutes when supplying partisans during the Great Patriotic War, ”said in a conversation with RT Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Aviapanorama magazine, Honored Military Pilot of Russia, Major General Vladimir Popov.

Experts emphasize the fact that in just a few years, a young man who studied as a locksmith became one of the founders of the Soviet parachute school.

“Nikolai Ostryakov was characterized by unsurpassed determination, he created himself,” Tatyana Shcherbakova, historian and deputy of the Legislative Assembly of Sevastopol, said in an interview with RT.

In 1934, Nikolai Ostryakov was called up for military service.

For some time he was an instructor pilot in the parachute service at a special school for the NKVD troops of the Ukrainian military district and an instructor in the parachute section of the flying club of the Dynamo sports society in Kyiv.

  • Monument to Soviet volunteers who fought in Spain during the Civil War

  • © Alexander Batrakov/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

In 1936-1937 Ostryakov participated as a volunteer in the Spanish Civil War on the side of the republican government.

According to Alexander Makushin, the original purpose of Ostryakov's arrival to the Iberian Peninsula, who previously worked in the structure of the NKVD, is still not known to historians.

It is possible that he could be involved in special operations against the Francoists and their fascist patrons.

“It was not in vain that already at the beginning of 1937 Ostryakov received one of the highest Soviet awards - the Order of the Red Banner,” Makushin emphasized.

While in Spain, Ostryakov mastered the SB bomber and made about 250 sorties, during which he gained experience in interaction between aviation and the navy.

In May 1937, while escorting the Magallanes ship from the USSR to Spain near the island of Ibiza, Ostryakov attacked the German heavy cruiser Deutschland, inflicting serious damage to it.

  • Nikolai Alekseevich Ostryakov, between 1937 and 1938

  • © Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

Returning to the Soviet Union, Nikolai Ostryakov received the second Order of the Red Banner, was elected a deputy of the Council of Nationalities of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and was appointed commander of the 71st high-speed bomber aviation brigade of the Black Sea Fleet Air Force.

In 1939, he was transferred to the Pacific Fleet, where he first became commander of the 29th aviation brigade, and then - deputy commander of the Fleet Air Force.

In 1940, at the age of 29, Nikolai Ostryakov was awarded the rank of Major General of Aviation.

Defense of Sevastopol

In 1941, Ostryakov graduated from the advanced training courses for the senior commanding staff of the Navy at the Naval Academy of the Workers 'and Peasants' Navy.

K. E. Voroshilova.

He repeatedly submitted reports for transfer to the active army, and in the autumn of the same year he was appointed commander of the Air Force of the Black Sea Fleet.

According to historians, one of the key tasks of the Black Sea Fleet units at that time was the protection of Sevastopol from the Nazis who had broken through to the Crimean peninsula.

One of the organizers of the defense of the city was Nikolai Ostryakov.

“Ostryakov faced large-scale tasks.

By November 1941, part of the Black Sea Fleet aviation bases had already been captured by the enemy.

Ostryakov quickly got his bearings and ensured the most efficient use of the airfields remaining at his disposal.

He thought over the protection of the aircraft located in the bases from the scattering of fragments during enemy bombing with the help of special structures.

Ostryakov paid special attention to the combat training of pilots and the establishment of interaction between various branches of the military, so that they all act as a single mechanism.

He proved himself to be an amazing organizer,” said Tatyana Shcherbakova.

According to historians, Nikolai Ostryakov also considered aerial reconnaissance and optimization of air force control to be extremely important.

At the same time, showing great courage, he continued to fight in the air.

At the end of 1941, Nikolai Ostryakov mastered the Yak-1 fighter and made more than a hundred sorties during the defense of Sevastopol.

Personally and as part of a group, he destroyed three Nazi aircraft.

“At thirty years old, Ostryakov had behind him the experience of fighting in Spain, he was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

A talented aviation commander, Nikolai Alekseevich was a tireless, temperamental and very brave man, truly a fighter general, ”wrote Nikolai Kulakov, a member of the Military Council of the Black Sea Fleet.

In his memoirs, Kulakov told how he once observed in the Inkerman area an air victory of two Soviet fighters over several Messerschmitts.

After meeting Ostryakov at a meeting of the Military Council, Kulakov asked the commander of the Fleet Air Force how he assessed this battle, and from his reaction he realized that the general himself was at the helm of one of the aircraft.

Ostryakov confirmed his suspicions.

  • Nikolai Alekseevich Ostryakov

  • RIA News

From December 1941 to April 1942, pilots of the Black Sea Fleet under the command of Ostryakov shot down 354 enemy aircraft.

On April 24, 1942, Ostryakov, together with the Deputy Commander of Aviation of the USSR Navy, Major General of Aviation Fyodor Korobkov, inspected aircraft repair shops in the area of ​​Sevastopol's Kruglaya Bay.

“About half an hour after their arrival at the facility, a group of Yu-87s descended from the sea and bombed right into the workshops.

A direct hit by a heavy air bomb on one of the hangars killed both generals and some of the officers accompanying them, ”writes Ilona Belikova, senior researcher at the Sevastopol Museum of Defense, in her article about Nikolai Ostryakov.

Some sources mention the version that the Nazis deliberately hunted down Ostryakov.

“None of us could come to terms with the idea that we had lost Nikolai Alekseevich Ostryakov ... At first, no one wanted to believe this, or rather, no one could imagine dead Nikolai Alekseevich, whom we saw an hour ago, as always, energetic, smiling, cheerful , and deep down everyone, including myself, hoped that maybe there was some mistake in this message.

And only when we saw our commander dead with our own eyes, we realized the gravity and irreparability of the loss, ”pilot Mikhail Avdeev, Hero of the Soviet Union, wrote in his memoirs.

  • Monument to the heroes of the defense of Sevastopol Ostryakov, Korobkov, Stepanenko at the Communards Cemetery in Sevastopol

  • © Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

Nikolay Kuznetsov, People's Commissar of the Navy of the USSR, highly appreciated Ostryakov.

“If I were asked to name the best commander and person among the flight personnel of the Navy, I would name Major General Ostryakov.

Heroism, modesty, skill, composure and selfless devotion to the Motherland - this is Ostryakov, ”he said.

June 14, 1942 Nikolai Ostryakov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously.

Monuments were erected to him in several cities of Russia.

The name of Ostryakov is the station of the Crimean railway and the avenue in Sevastopol.