Andrey Chirkov, a legendary fighter pilot and a hero of the defense of Leningrad, was one of the front’s finest combatants. Later, leading his regiment, he proved himself an outstanding commander. He was a man of exceptional willpower, demonstrating it repeatedly in critical situations.
Unwavering Resilience
In the winter of 1939, during training parachute jumps in strong winds, the young pilot suffered severe injuries: a broken shin and torn muscle tissues. Within a few hours, gangrene began. Losing consciousness, he literally tore himself from the operating table, refusing amputation. The skill of the doctors and his young body allowed him to overcome the terrible ailment.
In his first combat sortie during the Soviet-Finnish War, he was shot down during a ground attack and for 20 hours in minus 30-degree Celsius frost, he trekked back to his lines through snow-covered expanses. On January 20, 1942, in a battle over Pogostie station, Lieutenant Chirkov, in a head-on attack, used his wing to knock off the wing of an enemy fighter and then parachuted from his uncontrollable machine.
In the summer of 1944, his aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire, and he parachuted over enemy-occupied territory. While making his way to the front line, he captured two German military signalmen and crossed the front line with them.
Early Life and Training
Chirkov was born on October 10, 1917, in the city of Yekaterinoslav (now Dnipro). After FZU school, while working as an electrician at a tram depot, he graduated from the Dnepropetrovsk aero club. Here, he set a record for glider flight duration. In 1937, the Komsomol organization gave him a referral to the Kachin Military Aviation School.
Combat Exploits
On June 23, 1941, he intercepted and, attacking from the sun, shot down a He-111 with his first attack. This was the first enemy aircraft destroyed in the Leningrad sky. Three days later, he achieved his second victory, again shooting down a “Heinkel” and damaging another, which departed westward, smoking and losing altitude.
In 1942, the 154th IAP (from November 22, 1942 – the 29th GIAP), where Senior Lieutenant Chirkov fought, was re-equipped with American “Tomahawk” and “Warhawk” fighters. At that time, the pilot often flew in tandem with Pyotr Pokryshev, a future twice Hero, and together they destroyed more than a dozen enemy machines.
In January 1943, after another re-equipment of the regiment, A. Chirkov was one of the first to master the Yak-7B, and in his very first combat on the new machine, he shot down two Fw-190s. In the spring of 1944, he was appointed commander of the 196th IAP.
During the war, Major Chirkov conducted 420 combat sorties, personally shooting down 29 and participating in the destruction of 9 enemy aircraft in group engagements. In 1949, he was discharged to the reserve. An honorary citizen of Leningrad, A. Chirkov lived and worked in that city until his death on September 10, 1956, after a severe illness.
He was awarded Hero of the Soviet Union (February 4, 1944). He received two Orders of Lenin, two Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of the Patriotic War 1st Class, and several medals.