Viktor Nikolayevich Buyanov

Viktor Nikolayevich Buyanov was born on 18 November 1912 at Vikhlyayka in Saratov governorate, now in Novoburassky district of Saratov region, into a working-class family. He finished secondary school in Petrovsk and in 1934 graduated from the Voronezh aviation technical school and the flying club there. He entered the Red Army in 1934, graduated from the Engels military aviation school for pilots in 1937 and joined the Party in 1939. He met the war as squadron commissar of the 146th Fighter Aviation Regiment and flew from its first days over Moldavia; on the MiG-3 he shot down a bomber on 25 June 1941 and, with his wingman, another on 29 June. He fought in the defensive operations at Uman, Kyiv and Kharkiv, became regimental commissar in September 1941, and then fought near Rzhev in 1942 and at Kursk and in the Oryol offensive in 1943. On 14 July 1943, according to warheroes, Major Buyanov and his wingman Farafontov, left to cover a tank crossing over the river Resseta, attacked a formation of about forty Ju 87s and their fighter escort, broke up the bombers' attack and shot down several aircraft. By then, as deputy commander for political affairs of the 146th Fighter Aviation Regiment, 15th Air Army, Bryansk Front, he had flown 280 combat sorties and, according to the award sheet, shot down 9 enemy aircraft personally and 4 in a group. By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of 2 September 1943 he was made a Hero of the Soviet Union, with the Order of Lenin and Gold Star medal no. 1108. The next day the regiment became the 115th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. From February 1944 he was deputy commander for political affairs of the 7th Guards Fighter Aviation Division and took part in the Belorussian, Vistula–Oder and Berlin operations. His final tally is given differently by different sources; the last wartime award sheet records 289 sorties, 64 air battles, 9 personal and 7 shared victories. After the war he completed courses for heads of political departments in 1947 and the Voroshilov Higher Military Academy in 1956. From November 1950 to February 1951 he was deputy commander of the 28th Fighter Aviation Division in the Korean War. He became a major general of aviation and retired in 1971. He died in Odesa on 14 July 1976 and is buried at the Tairove Cemetery.