Born in 1910 in Kursk, into the family of a steam locomotive driver. He was Russian. He completed 9 grades of secondary school No. 42 in Kursk.
He joined the Red Army (RKKA) in 1928. In 1928, he entered the Volsky Combined Military School of Pilots and Aviation Technicians, then was transferred to the 3rd Military School of Pilots and Navigators in Orenburg, from which he graduated in 1931.
Early Life and Military Career
He served in the 40th squadron of the 83rd Fighter Aviation Brigade of the Belorussian Military District. In training aerial battles, he showed unusual persistence and will to win. He participated in the annual May Day and November air parades over Red Square.
In 1936, for his successes in combat, political, and technical training, Senior Lieutenant Bocharov was awarded the Order of the Red Star.
Role in the Spanish Civil War
He participated in the National Revolutionary War in Spain under the pseudonym “Jose Galars.” He arrived in Spain in early November 1936 as part of a group of Soviet pilots under the command of Captain Tarkhov.
He commanded an aviation detachment of the I-16 squadron. On November 13, 1936, during an air combat, Bocharov went missing. The next day, in a dropped box containing the pilot’s remains, our volunteers identified Bocharov.
Posthumous Recognition and Legacy
On December 31, 1936, Captain Vladimir Mikhailovich Bocharov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. A street in Kursk is named after the hero. A memorial plaque is installed on the house where he lived, and a bust of the Hero stands in the park near the school where he studied.