Biplane fighter aces

Soviet Union

General Polkovnik Sergey Ivanovich Mironov HSU

12 July 1914 – 3 August 1963

Sergey Mironov was born in Zhitomir Ukraine) on 12 July 1914.

He joined the army in 1933 and attended the Kharkov Military Air College, from which he graduated in 1934.

He obtained his first operational experience during the Winter War against Finland, flying as a starshiy leitenant and zveno leader with the 7 IAP on the North-West Front.

At 15:52 on 20 December 1939, nine I-152s from 2./7 IAP led by kapitan Postaush strafed Säiniö railway station. At Liimatta, they were strafed upon by AA artillery, after which Suurpero and Pilppula were atacked. At Kämärä-Karpela, five Fokker D.XXIs were detected, of which two attacked, one of which was shot down by Mironov. The other Fokkers escaped.
The Finnish fighters were probably from LLv 24, which actually reported combat against the I-16s of 4./7 IAP during the day. The Finnish didn't suffer any losses during the day.

By 27 January 1940 he had flown 37 sorties and claimed one victory. By this time he was CO of 4./68 IAP.

On 7 April 1940, he was awarded the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union (no. 280) and the Order of Lenin.

As a result of his experience, he was rapidly promoted, and in June 1940 was a kapitan in 7 IAP, operating I-16s near Leningrad.

In August 1941, he was posted to 153 IAP, flying I-16s and Airacobras with this unit. He took command of the unit in October 1941.

On 3 May 1942, he was decorated with a second Order of the Red Banner. He had been decorated with the first in 1940.

In early 1942, he led this unit to the Karelian Front, moving in summer 1942 to the Voronezh Front, where re-equipment with Airacobras took place.

The unit consisting of two squadrons and 20 Airacobras flew its first sortie with the new fighter on 30 June.
The unit then relocated to Lipetsk.

On 6 August 1942, kapitan Mironov, starshiy leitenant Mikhail Ivanov and leitenant Anatoliy Kislyakov claimed a shared MC.200 over Podkletnoye together with a fourth pilot.

Under Mironov's leadership 153 IAP operated on the Voronezh Front for 59 days, flying 1070 sorties. Its pilot claimed 61 victories (39 Bf 109s, 1 Bf 110, 1 Me210, 1 MC.200, 15 Ju 88s, 1 Do 17, 1 He 111, 1 Fw189 and 1 Hs126) for the loss of eight aircraft and three pilots in combat and two aircraft and one pilot to non-combat causes.

On 13 September, he was decorated with a third Order of the Red Banner. He was to be decorated with two more Orders of the Red Banner; one in 1943 and the fifth on an unknown date.

On 1 October, the regiment was withdrawn to Ivanovo.

Mironov was now promoted to podpolkovnik, and on 21 November the unit became the 28 GIAP on the same date.

He was assigned to the Main Administration of Combat Training.

He later took command of 193 IAD, and when the war ended, he had reached the rank of polkovnik.

Mironov ended the war with 1 biplane victory and a total of 8.
These victories were claimed during 124 sorties and 38 air combats.

During his career, he was also decorated with the Order of Suvorov 2nd Class twice (6 April 1945 and 31 May 1945), the Order of Kutuzov 2nd Class and the Order of the Red Star.

He continued to serve after the war, graduating from the General Staff Academy in 1949, then undertaking a number of senior appointments, reaching the rank of general polkovnik.

Mironov died in an air crash on 3 August 1964.

Claims:
Kill no. Date Time Number Type Result Plane type Serial no. Locality Unit
  1939                
1 20/12/39 15:52 1 Fokker D.XXI (a) Destroyed I-15bis   Kämärä-Karpela 2./7 IAP
  1941                
  02/08/41   1/9 Bf 109 Shared destroyed I-16   Kirk-Rauti 7 IAP
2 03/08/41   1 Fokker D.XXI Shared destroyed I-16   Karelian Isthmus 7 IAP
  13/08/41   1/3 Bf 109 Shared destroyed I-16   Antrea Station 7 IAP
  13/08/41   1/3 Bf 109 Shared destroyed I-16   Antrea Station 7 IAP
  05/10/41   1 Balloon Destroyed I-16     153 IAP
  1942                
3 30/06/42   1 Ju 88 Destroyed Airacobra   from Voronezh airfield 153 IAP
4 30/06/42   1 Ju 88 Destroyed Airacobra   from Voronezh airfield 153 IAP
5 01/07/42   1 Ju 88 Destroyed Airacobra   from Voronezh airfield 153 IAP
6 08/07/42   1 Bf 109 Destroyed Airacobra     153 IAP
7 08/07/42   1 Bf 109 Destroyed Airacobra     153 IAP
  06/08/42   1/4 MC.200 Shared destroyed Airacobra   Podkletnoye 153 IAP
  1945                
9 16/04/45   1 Fw 190 Destroyed Yak-9     193 IAD
  ??/??/4?   1 Balloon Destroyed        
  ??/??/4?   1 Balloon Destroyed        

Biplane victories: 1 destroyed.
TOTAL: 8 and 4 shared destroyed, 3 balloons destroyed.
(a) Probably claimed in combat with Fokker D.XXIs from LLv 24, which didn’t suffer any losses.

Sources:
All aces of Stalin 1936–1953 – Mikhail Bykov, 2014
P-39 Airacobra Aces of the World War 2 - George Mellinger and John Stanaway, 2001 Osprey Publishing, Oxford, ISBN 1-84176-204-0
Red Stars 7 - Talvisota Ilmassa - The Winter War In the Air - Carl-Fredrik Geust, 2011 Apali Oy, Tampere, ISBN 978-952-5877-04-5
Soviet Aces 1936-1953
Soviet Fighter Pilots 1936-1953 - Mikhail Bykov
Stalin's Falcons - Tomas Polak and Christhoper Shores, 1999 Grub Street, London, ISBN 1-902304-01-2
Additonal information kindly provided by Christer Bergström and Ondrej Repka.




Last modified 13 May 2020