Alexei Petrovich Maressjew

Maressjew around 1943

Alexey Maresyev ( Russian Алексей Петрович Маресьев ., Scientific transliteration Aleksej Petrovič Mares'ev * May 7 ^jul. / 20th May 1916 ^greg. In Kamyshin ; † 19th May 2001 in Moscow ) was a Soviet fighter pilot and a veteran of Great Patriotic War .

Commemorative stele of Maressjew, erected in 2016 at the place where he was found seriously wounded

Maressjew began his flights as a fighter pilot in August 1941 during World War II . He shot down four German planes until, in April 1942, his fighter plane was shot down near the then German-occupied town of Staraya Russa . He still managed to get his damaged Jakowlew Jak-1 into the Soviet-controlled area. In a crash landing, he fell in a wooded area from a height of about 30 meters. During his 18-day march through forests and swamps, his injuries worsened so much that both legs below the knee had to be amputated . But he really wanted to continue his career as a fighter pilot; therefore, he practiced for almost a year to master the control of his prostheses and was ultimately successful. He flew again in June 1943 and took part in the battle of Kursk as part of the 63rd Guards Fighter Regiment . During an aerial battle in August 1943, Alexei Maressjew shot down three German Fw 190 planes. In total, he was involved in 86 air battles and shot down eleven German aircraft. He was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union .

In 1956, Maressjew obtained a doctorate in history and began to work on the Soviet War Veterans Committee. Eventually he also became a member of the Supreme Soviet .

On May 19, 2001, Alexei Petrovich Maressjew died of a heart attack, just about an hour before his 85th birthday.

His story became the basis for the novel The Real Man by Boris Nikolajewitsch Polewoi , an opera by Sergei Prokofjew and the Soviet film The Real Man (1948) with Pavel Kadotschnikow in the lead role.

The asteroid (2173) Maresjev is named after him.

Web links

Commons : Alexei Maressjew - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ Christopher Shores: Decisive air battles of the 2nd World War. Engine book. Stuttgart, 1988. ISBN 3-613-01240-5 . P. 163.

personal data
SURNAME	Maressjew, Alexei Petrovich
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Маресьев, Алексей Петрович (Russian)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Soviet fighter pilot
DATE OF BIRTH	May 20, 1916
PLACE OF BIRTH	Kamyshin , Russian Empire
DATE OF DEATH	May 19, 2001
Place of death	Moscow

[1] Christopher Shores: Decisive air battles of the 2nd World War. Engine book. Stuttgart, 1988. ISBN 3-613-01240-5 . P. 163.