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Nikolai Frantsevich Gastello

Николай Францевич Гастелло

1907 – 1941

All veterans

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2 lit

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“Спасибо за победу!”

— Yaroslav Gorkovenko

Biography

Captain Nikolai Gastello became one of the first Soviet heroes of the war when, on 26 June 1941, his DB-3f bomber was hit by anti-aircraft fire during an attack on a German motorised column near Radoshkovichi. Rather than bail out, he directed his burning aircraft into a concentration of German vehicles and fuel tankers, destroying them in the resulting explosion. His sacrifice became a symbol of Soviet resistance in the opening days of the war. A Manchester family of Belarusian heritage registered his story.

Biography (Russian)

Капитан Николай Гастелло — один из первых героев войны. 26 июня 1941 года направил горящий бомбардировщик на колонну немецкой техники у Радошковичей. Посмертно Герой Советского Союза. Его подвиг стал символом сопротивления.