Aleksandr Ivanovich Pokryshkin (b.1913), marshal of the Air Force, thrice Hero of the Soviet Union (1943, 1943, 1944).

During the World War 2 he served as a fighter pilot in different positions starting from the squadron deputy commander and ending up as the Air Force division commander.

Pokryshkin's WWII record:

  • 600 combat missions
  • 145 air fights
  • over 60 enemy aircraft shot down