Mikhail Odintsov

Mikhail Petrovich Odintsov ( Михаи́л Петро́вич Одинцо́в; November 18, 1921 in Polozovo (Perm Governorate); † December 12, 2011 in Moscow ) was a Russian journalist and writer, twofold Hero of the Soviet Union, colonel general of the aviation, distinguished military pilot of the USSR and World War II veteran.

Biography
Mikhail Odintsov was born on November 18, 1921 in a Russian family with peasantry roots in the village of Polozovo in Sarapulsky Uyezd in Perm Governorate. His father worked as an investigating officer of the OGPU and the NKVD, and his mother was a laboratory worker. In the town of Sverdlovsk, today Yekaterinburg, he graduated from School No. 36 and studied at the local construction institute. Due to the financial difficulties of his family, he soon gave up studying and became a skilled worker of the Uralobuv shoe factory in Sverdlovsk between 1937 and 1938. Simultaneously, he became a member of the local flying club and passed the pilot examination with distinction in 1938.

Early Military career
At the age of 17, in November 1938, he volunteered for the Red Army and became a soldier. After basic training and swearing-in, he applied for the military pilot school in Perm. After the one-year training course he graduated with distinction, became an interim flight instructor and was finally assigned as Kursant to the Engels Air Force Officer School. In May 1940 he passed the examination and was promoted to junior lieutenant (Russian: младший лейтенант; translit.: mlatshij lejtenant). In 1943, he became a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

First assignments and war duty
Odintsov´s first military pilot assignment was to the 62nd Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment as member of a Tupolev SB crew. Due to Odintsov's excellent performance, he soon became pilot of an Su-2 bomber aircraft of the 226th High-Speed Bomber Aviation Regiment.

From June 23, 1941, Odintsov fought in combat against the Nazi German Wehrmacht. During an air attack his aircraft was shot down. Odintsov and Chervinsky, his flight navigator, survived and were seriously wounded. After a seven-month convalescence, Odintsov was diagnosed by a medical commission as unfit for active service and flying. Nevertheless, Oditsow went to his bomber wing and started headstrong to fly with handicap. At his own responsibility and with physical limitation he was ranted the particular flight licence to the bomber air craft Il-2. On this type of air craft he flow until the victory over ''Hitler-Germany' ' in 1945.

Due to his individual combat experience and last but not least his wound, Odintsov strongly demanded the additional armor plating in order to protect the air-gunner´s stand of combat aircraft. The success of staff sergeant (SSG) Dimitiy Nikonov (ru: Дмитрий Никонов), his high decorated air-gunner, confirmed his confidence. During numerous air combats, SSG Nikonov shot down eight enemy tactical aircraft, and personally remained uninjured.

During WW II, Mikhail Odintsov was appointed to:
 * Military command position:
 * Crew commander of several types of tactical aircraft
 * Squadron commander of the 820th Ground attack aviation wing (ru: штурмовый авиационный полк; literal: assault aviation regiment)
 * Second in command position:
 * 155th Guard ground attack aviation wing (ru: штурмовый авиационный полк; literal: assault aviation regiment)

All through the war Miachl Petrovich showed personally bravery during air-attack-operation, and performed as well excellent as commanding officer of large flight formation e.g.:
 * as tactical commander of the:
 * 292nd Ground attack aviation division (XX)
 * 1st Ground attack aviation corps (XXX)
 * 5th Air Army (XXXX) of the Steppe Front (2nd Ukrainian Front on October 20, 1943)
 * as second in command of the:
 * 9th Guard ground attack aviation division (XX)
 * 1st Guard ground attack aviation corps (XXX)
 * 2nd Air Army (XXXX) of the 1st Ukrainian Front (Voronezh Front on October 16, 1943)

Odintsov finished the war assignment with the rank of a Guard-major of the aviation (OF-3) with the total number of 215 direct enemy attacks. Throughout air-attacks, he performed 14 shot down of enemy aircraft, which was extraordinary for a bomber pilot of the Soviet Air Force. For this, he was honored with highest awards and decorations of the country, e.g. «twofold - Hero of the Soviet Union». Detailed information contains the summary operation´s report of his wing commander (Hero of the Soviet Union and guard lieutenant colonel G.U. Tshernetsov; 155th Guard ground attack wing) as of June 8, 1945. His excellent performance was often appreciated by supreme commanders of the Army and Air Force. Former crew members, subordinated, and officers under his personally command, among them sex Hero of the Soviet Union, dedicated Odintsov a book with the title «Conquest; ru: Преодоление» in 1987.

Time after WW II
As the result of Nephritis, not completely cured in the years of war, Odintsov had been banned from flying, including suspension of field service, from 1948 to 1950. However, he was assigned as student to the Air Force military academy. Afterwards he attended the Lenin academy for military polity, and graduated in 1952 with «distinction». Subsequent to study, he continued to perform as military pilot. Therefore, he personally evaluated a large number of Soviet military airplanes. Types concerned were as follows: Pe-2, Tu-2, Tu-4, IL-28, Su-7, MiG-15, Mig-17, MiG-21, MiG-23, Tu-16, Tu-22, Su-24, Mi-2, Mi-4, Mi-8 and Mi-24. His evaluation reports influenced directly constructive changes, operational improvements, under maintenance of flying characteristics, proved successful.

Hereafter, from 1958 to 1959, Mikhail Petrovich was assigned to the command and general staff officers course to the General Staff Academy (Russia), and graduated again with «distinction». Among top assignments, e.g. division commander, and Air Force commanding general of the Moscow military district, Odintsov became in 1963 one of the first commanding officers of the Soviet cosmonaut training centre. It was followed by other essential appointment as follows:
 * Supervisor to the Polish Armed Forces (1976–1981)
 * Air Force Inspector general in the main inspectorate of MOD USSR (1981–1987)
 * Assistant to the Polish representative in the Supreme command of the WP-armed forces (1981–1987)
 * Delegate to the XXIV and XXV Convention of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union

Retirement
During his active service, but also after retirement, Odintsov published frequently articles and books; e.g. «Then in the year 1942 … (Тогда, в 1942-м), «Examination in fire (Испытание огнём)», «Notes of a pilot (Записки лётчика)» and «Conquest (Преодоление)».

After retirement, in 1987, Mikhail Petrovich was living in Moscow, who he died December 12, 2011. His tomb is located on the Troyekurovskoye Cemetery

Mikhail Odintsov, colonel general of the aviation retired, was married with his spouse Galina Anisimovna. The Odintsov family had three children, the daughter Marianna and the sons Dimity und Sergey.

Orders and decorations
Among numerous orders and decorations colonel general of the aviation Odintsov was awarded with:


 * Golden star of a «Hero of the Soviet Union», two-times
 * Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 4th class
 * Order of Lenin, two-times
 * Order of the October Revolution
 * Order of the Red Banner, five-times
 * Order of Alexander Nevsky (USSR)
 * Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class
 * Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd class
 * Order of the Red Star
 * Order for Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR, 3rd class
 * other medals and awards of the USSR and Russia
 * Honoured Military Pilot of the USSR, 1st Class military pilot
 * Honorary citizen of Yekaterinburg (1980)
 * foreign awards and medals

Honorary memorials

 * Bronze bust in Polosov (Perm Governorate) person of naming to the local secondary school
 * Suvorov military school in Yekaterinburg with bronze bust (Colonel general of the aviation, M.P. Odintsov) on the main entrance
 * Person of naming of School № 36 in Yekaterinburg
 * Person of naming of a street in Yekaterinburg, «Mikhail Odintsov Square, two-fold Hero of the Soviet Union».