Georgi Zakharov Georgi Nefiodovich Zakharov ( ; 24 April 1908 - 6 January 1996 ) was a Soviet Air Force general . Biography . Early life . Born to a peasant family , Zakharov graduated from an agricultural institute and went to work in a Sovkhoz , joining the Communist Party in 1929 . In 1930 he joined the Red Army , completing pilot training in the 7th Military Flight School at Stalingrad during 1933 . Afterwards , he served in the North Caucasus Military District and in the 36th Aviation Brigade of the Kiev Military District . Interwar years . In late 1936 , Zakharov volunteered to assist the Spanish Republic in the fight against Franco . He arrived in Cartagena on 20 October 1936 , under the alias ' Enrique Lores ' . He was soon dispatched to Madrid , that was besieged by the Nationalists . At an air battle on 4 November , while flying an I - 15 , he shot down two enemy Fiat CR . 32 ' s . On 9 November , he intercepted an IMAM Ro . 37 . On 8 December 1936 , he accidentally shot down a civilian plane on board of which was the French journalist Louis Delaprée , who was fatally wounded in the incident . By the end of 1937 , Zakharov was recalled to the Soviet Union . Overall , he claimed six solo and four group kills during his tour in Spain . For his accomplishments , he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and promoted to Captain . After his return , he first served as a test pilot and later as the commander of the 109th Interceptor Flight . In April 1938 , he was assigned to command a detachment of the Soviet Volunteer Group in China , based in Hankou , which was supporting the National Revolutionary Army in the Second Sino - Japanese War . During his service with the Group , which ended in November , he shot down three Japanese Mitsubishi A5M ' s . While flying a captured Mitsubishi to a Soviet airfield , he crashed in a remote region , but rescued later . World War II . During 1939 , Zakharov graduated from a course in the General Staff Academy and was promoted to Colonel . He was posted as the commander of the Siberian Military District ' s air component . On 7 May 1940 , he was granted the rank of Major General . On November , he left Siberia to command the 43rd Interceptor Division , that was stationed in Minsk , at the Western Special Military District . On 18 June 1941 , Zakharov flew a Polikarpov Po - 2 in a special reconnaissance mission over the German lines in the other side of the border . He spotted what he referred to as " an unprecedented German build - up . " In an interview , former GRU Colonel Vladimir Kvachkov claimed that Zakharov ' s report reached the Kremlin and prompted Joseph Stalin to order a full alert on the front , but Marshal Dmitry Pavlov failed to carry out the directive . On 22 June , when Operation Barbarossa was commenced , Zakharov - flying a Polikarpov I - 16 - shot down two Ju - 88 over Minsk . In November , he was relieved from his position in the 43rd Brigade and sent to the rear , to head the Trans - Baikal Military Flight School in Ulan - Ude , at Central Asia . In December 1942 he returned to front duty , and was given command of the 303th Interceptor Division , which was forming in the Kubinka . He served in that capacity until the end of the war . In April 1943 , the 303rd Division was reinforced by the Free French Normandie - Niemen Squadron . Zakharov ' s unit participated in the Battle of Kursk and provided air support for the 3rd Belorussian Front during the Battle of Smolensk and the campaign in Belarus . They later took part in the fighting in Eastern Prussia . Post - war career . During the Great Patriotic War , Zakhrov had personally flown 153 sorties , participated in 48 air battles and shot down ten enemy aircraft . For his " outstanding command and personal bravery " , Major General of the Aviation Zakharov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin . He was later also awarded the Legion d ' honneur ( Chevalier ) and made an honorary citizen of Paris . After the war , Zakharov served in the Far Eastern Military District and in the military aircraft industry . He retired from active service in 1960 .