serviceyears branch commands death_place death_date birth_place allegiance unit awards battles birth_date rank article_title name
1939 -- 1974 20px soviet air forces 1939-1958 , strategic rocket forces squadron commander moscow , russian sfsr , soviet union 19 january 1975 malaya nichka , russian sfsr soviet union soviet union 24th guards bomber regiment 1944 1948 world war ii , june 1941 - may 1945 25 december 1919 colonel stepan kretov
 stepan ivanovich kretov
stepan kretov

stepan ivanovich kretov -lrb- ; december 25 , 1919 - january 19 , 1975 -rrb- was a soviet military aviator .
he was made a hero of the soviet union on two occasions -lrb- march 13 , 1944 and february 23 , 1948 -rrb- .
colonel kretov was awarded two orders of lenin , two orders of the red banner , order of the red star , and numerous medals .
