Anatoly Nikolayevich Levchenko

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In this article, the surname is Levchenko, not Nikolayevich.
Anatoly Nikolayevich Levchenko
Анатолий Николаевич Левченко
Born6 February 1947
Died27 December 1985
Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
RankLieutenant-Colonel

Anatoly Nikolayevich Levchenko (Russian: Анатолий Николаевич Левченко; 6 February 1947 – 27 December 1985) was a Soviet fighter pilot in the 655th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 40th Army of the Turkestan Military District during the Soviet–Afghan War. He was posthumously made a Hero of the Soviet Union after his death in combat.[1]

Early life

Levchenko was born in Novonikolayevsky District in 1947 to working class parents, joining the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1969.

Military service

Joining the Soviet Air Force in August 1964, Levchenko served in the 655th Fighter Aviation Regiment (IAP) flying the

Taldıqorğan) in July 1985.[3]
The 905th IAP had suffered relatively light losses, losing only one aircraft in combat on the 23rd July 1985.

Death

On the 27th December 1985, while flying a mission over the Salang Pass, Levchenko's aircraft was shot down by anti-aircraft fire from a DShK heavy machine gun, killing him. This was the first combat loss for the 655th IAP, which would go on to lose four more aircraft in that year. The death of Levchenko and three other pilots in similar incidents led the 40th Army's air contingent to re-evaluate their tactics, leading to a new method of landing being employed which required a steep spiral descent made within the airfield's perimeters and the firing of flares on takeoff and landing.

References

  1. OCLC 1108690733.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link
    )
  2. ^ "Левченко Анатолий Николаевич" [Anatoly Nikolayevich Levchenko]. warheroes.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2011-05-13. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
  3. OCLC 1108690733.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link
    )
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