Military Archival Photo of AF Junior Lieutenant Fyodor Solovyov (Федор Титович Соловьев), a Reconnaissance Pilot, late 1930s.
Measures 3 ½ x 4 ¾", printed on thin glossy photo paper. The photo presents an Air Force Junior Lieutenant in dress uniform. The archival entry on the verso identifies him as Fyodor Solovyov. The entry is not certified by a seal and signature of certifying officer.
In very good to excellent condition. The paper is slightly creased. The worst of the creases (top left-hand corner) is not reaching the image, which shows a small scuff to the emulsion, and a couple of shallow creases which are visible only when tilting the photo to reflect a bright light. This wear is practically invisible when looking at the photo at a normal viewing angle.
Our search on pamyat-naroda.ru revealed that then Senior Lieutenant Fyodor Solovyov was awarded with the Order of the Patriotic War 2nd cl. in 1942 for excellent performance and innovation in long-distance air reconnaissance with photography in daytime, but especially in nighttime. Flying a DB-3f (aka Ilyushin Il-4) long-distance bomber, by July of 1942, Solovyov had 96 hours of flight time, 43 of them during the night, deep behind the enemy lines, sometimes combined with night bombing. His reconnaissance provided precise reliable information about location of enemy troops, airfields, hundreds of vehicles, tanks, etc., the list if impressively long.
Research Materials: b/w photocopy of the award commendation for the Order of the Patriotic War 2nd class.
Please note that the penny in our photo is for size reference.
Item# 43191
$80.00 Add to cart
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