Andrey Vitruk
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Andrey Nikiforovich Vitruk (Russian: Андрей Никифорович Витрук; 1902-1946) was a Soviet military officer, a Major General of the Soviet Air Forces and a Hero of the Soviet Union.
Vitruk was born July 7, 1902, in Andrushki near Zhytomir, then in Russian Empire, to a Ukrainian peasant family. He graduated from a local school and became a worker in a sugar factory. Following the Russian Civil War, in 1924 he joined the Red Army and graduated from a school of artillery. In 1934 he received further training at the Borisoglebsk Military Aviation School. As a pilot of fighter-bombers he took part in the Khalkhyn-Gol battles against Japan and in the German and Soviet Invasion of Poland in 1939. Until 1940 he also served on the Finnish front during the Winter War.
In 1941 he received officer's training in the Military Aviation Academy and became the commanding officer of the Soviet 65th Air Regiment of the Leningrad Military Area. On that post he remained until the beginning of the German invasion of the Soviet Union. On July 6, 1941 he was wounded in action, however Vitruk remained in action and was promoted to the rank of Lt. Colonel. He commanded his regiment during the transfer of equipment from the outdated Polikarpov I-15bis to the new Ilyushin Il-2. Following the transfer and training of the crews the regiment was divided and Vitruk continued to command one of its parts. In October of 1941 it was transferred to the Western Front near Moscow. By early 1942 he accomplished his 21st sortie, without any successes. However, for his superb command of the regiment on February 24, 1942 he was awarded with the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union.
In July of 1942 Vitruk became the commanding officer of the 291st Division, later transformed into the 10th Guards Division of the VVS. On that post he commanded his unit during the battles of Voronezh, Kiev, Târgul Frumos and the Iassy-Chisinau operation. Later on he took part in the battles leading to the Soviet capture of Ploesti, Bucharest and Craiova in Romania, as well as Belgrade in Yugoslavia and Szekesfehervar in Hungary. For his actions during the Yugoslavian campaign he was awarded with the title of the Hero of Yugoslavia. He died of a serious disease on June 1, 1946, and was buried in Kiev.
Among his awards was also the Order of Lenin, Order of Suvorov of 2nd Class, Order of Kutuzov of 2nd class, Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky 2nd class, Order of the Red Star and the Order of Alexander Nevsky.
