BRS: Soviet Ace Pilot: Vlad Pokrovsky

Vladimir Pokrovski flew in the Great Patriotic War from the moment of invasion in June 1941. He gained his first aerial victory, a Ju 88 bomber, in August of that year. He was part of the Northern Fleet Air Force during the chaotic years of 1941-42 flying a wide variety of aircraft including I-16s, Hurricanes, P-40 Kittyhawks, P-39 Airacobras and the Yak-1b. Pokrovski was made Hero of the Soviet Union in July 1943 and went on to survive the war credited with twelve personal victories and six shared in over 350 combat missions.