Michael Tsiselsky

Michael Petrovich Tsiselsky ( Михаил Петрович Цисельский); May 20, 1909 – November 3, 1989) was a Soviet naval pilot during World War II (German-Soviet War).

Biography
Michael Tsiselsky was born May 20, 1909 (May 7 by old style) in Stoykovo (a village in the Katerynopil Raion of Cherkasy Oblast) in a peasant family. He was Ukrainian. He finished incomplete secondary school and specialized technical school. He lived in Ussuriysk from 1928. He repaired steam locomotives, and became a member of the All-Union Communist Party (bolsheviks) in 1932.

Tsiselsky joined the Red Army's Fourth Zabaykalsky cavalry regiment in 1932. He completed aircraft maintenance training at Irkutsky in 1934 and subsequently served in the Byelorussian command as an aircraft technician. He completed a naval aviation course at Yeisky in 1936 and then served in the Black Sea Fleet's naval aviation branch.

His first combat mission of the German-Soviet War took place on June 22, 1941. He participated in the destruction of a tank battalion in the Gros-Libental-Odessa district. On September 23, Tsiselsky and his unit sunk a heavy troop transport on the Dniester Liman and killing hundreds of Nazi soldiers and officers, as well as 15 tanks and 20 other vehicles in the Perekop-Sevastopol district in a separate action. For great services to the Motherland, Tsiselsky was awarded his first Order of the Red Banner.

Tsiselsky was a Navigator in a bomber squadron of the Baltic Fleet's 12th Guards air regiment during the German-Soviet War and performed 396 successful combat missions for air reconnaissance and bombardment of enemy ships and troops. He destroyed three troop transports of 11000 tonnes displacement, several vehicle landing craft, motorboats, motor torpedo boat, 31 tanks, 20 cars, fuel storage tanks and 4 transport aircraft. He personally downed three fascist aircraft.

"March 6, 1945 he was recognized as a Hero of Soviet Union by decree of the Supreme Soviet for exemplary fulfilment of battle orders on front of the German-Soviet War, and his fortitude and heroism."

Tsiselsky was demobilized as a Major in 1948. During 1948-1955 he worked as a kolkhoz head in a native village. He lived in Kiev from 1955 and worked as a foreman at the “Krasny Rezinschik’’ plant for the production of mechanical rubber goods.

Michael Petrovich Tsiselsky died on November 3, 1989 and he was buried in Kiev.

Awards

 * Hero of the Soviet Union Medal of Gold Star (№ 5083, 6 March 1945)
 * Order of Lenin (№29282)
 * Order of the Red Banner, twice (№5667 and №27662)
 * Order of the Patriotic War, 1st Class (№ 478 013)
 * Order of the Red Star (№3737020)
 * Order of the October Revolution (№40988)
 * Medal "For the Defence of Odessa" (№ 1347)
 * Medal "For the Defence of Sevastopol" (№ 25109)
 * Medal "For the Defence of the Caucasus" (№37989)
 * Medal "For the Capture of Königsberg" (№190893)
 * Medal for Combat Service (№2857891)
 * Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"
 * Medal "Veteran of Labour"
 * Jubilee Medal "30 Years of the Soviet Army and Navy"
 * Jubilee Medal "Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945"
 * Jubilee Medal "50 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"
 * Jubilee Medal "Thirty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945"
 * Jubilee Medal "60 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"

Family
Wife — Maria Nikolaevna Tsiselska (maiden name— Tsupkina) (January 21, 1916 — June 12, 2004)

Children:


 * Daughter — Tamara Mihaylovna Tsiselska (married name — Ostrovska) (January 9, 1936 — March 28, 1993). Neurologist
 * Son — Albert Mihaylovich Tsiselsky (was born October 14, 1937). Engineer in nuclear-power engineering