Viktor Borodachev was born on 23 August 1918 in the village of Shirokiy in the Stalingrad area.

In 1936 he finished a pedagogical school in Moscow before joining the army. He completed pilot training at the Kachin Military Aviation School of Pilots during 1938.

As part of 38 IAP, he toop part in the ”liberation” of Western Ukraine in 1939, flying Polikarpov I-15bis.

Borodachev took part in the Finnish-Soviet Winter War as part of the 38 IAP.

He wasn’t committed to combat in the Great Patriotic War until 1 February 1942. At this time, he was part of 743 IAP, which operated on the Crimean Front.

On 9 May 1942, he was seriously wounded in one leg and hospitalised after an air combat.

743 IAP claimed a shared Bf 109 ”in group” north of Kury on 10 October 1942. Two of the involved pilots were Borodachev and starshiy leitenant Gerasim Grishayev.

He was decorated with the Order of the Red Banner on 27 October 1942.

On recovery, he was posted to 131 IAP in November 1942.

On 8 February 1943, the 131 IAP became a guard’s unit and renamed to the 40 GIAP.

He was decorated with a second Order of the Red Banner on 9 July 1943.

He was decorated with the Order of Aleksandr Nevskiy on 7 November 1943.

He was decorated with the Order of the Patriotic War 1st Class on 11 June 1944.

On 1 July 1944 he was decorated with the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union (no. 2339) and the Order of Lenin for 364 sorties 19 and 5 shared victories claimed during 91 air combats as of February 1944.

He was decorated with a third Order of the Red Banner on 18 August 1944.

At the end of the war he was major and komesk (commanding officer of an eskadrilya) in the 40 GIAP. During the war he took part in the heavy air battles above Tiraspol, Dnyepropetrovsk, Taganrog and Kursk-Orel. He also served with the unit on the 1st Ukrainian Front.

On 9 February 1945, major Borodachev and starshiy leitenant Nikolay Yukhanov claimed one Bf 109 each over Lamsdorf airfield.
This was Borodachev’s last claim during the Second World War.

Borodachev ended the war with 2 biplane victories and a total of 24 claimed during 552 sorties and 116 air combats.

Borodachev continued to serve after the war and graduated from the Army Air Academy in 1950.

He was decorated with two Order of the Red Star after the war: one on 19 November 1951 and a second on 22 February 1955.

He was decorated with a fourth Order of the Red Banner on 23 January 1957.

In 1960 he graduated from the General Staff Academy.

Borodachev was killed in an accident on 11 July 1968.
During the war he was also decorated with the Order of the Red Banner (for times), Order of Alexandr Nievskii, the Order of the Patriotic War 1st Class (twice) and the Order of the Red Star (twice).

Claims:

Kill no.	Date	Time	Number	Type	Result	Plane type	Serial no.	Locality	Unit
	1942
1	10/04/42		1	Ju 88	Destroyed	I-153		N Cape Kazantip	743 IAP
2	04/05/42		1	Bf 109	Destroyed	I-153		Crimea	743 IAP
	10/10/42		1/?	Bf 109	Shared destroyed	LaGG-3		N Kury	743 IAP
	1943
3	15/02/43		1	Ju 88	Destroyed	La-5		Lebedinskaya	40 GIAP
4	09/06/43		1	Ju 87	Destroyed	La-5		Zinaidino Station	40 GIAP
5	05/07/43		1	Ju 88	Destroyed	La-5		S Cherkasskoye	40 GIAP
	07/07/43		1/2	Ju 88	Shared destroyed	La-5		W Luchki	40 GIAP
6	09/07/43		1	Bf 109	Destroyed	La-5		Pokrovka	40 GIAP
7	12/07/43		1	Bf 109	Destroyed	La-5		Vladimirovka	40 GIAP
8	20/08/43		1	Ju 87	Destroyed	La-5		SW Ivanovka	40 GIAP
9	25/08/43		1	Bf 109	Destroyed	La-5		E outskirts of Veprik	40 GIAP
10	26/09/43		1	FW 190	Destroyed	La-5		NE Romashki	40 GIAP
11	07/10/43		1	Ju 88	Destroyed	La-5		Rotichi	40 GIAP
12	07/10/43		1	FW 190	Destroyed	La-5		Dyabolovichi	40 GIAP
13	07/10/43		1	FW 190	Destroyed	La-5		N outskirts of Krasnovodsk	40 GIAP
14	15/10/43		1	FW 190	Destroyed	La-5		Rzhishchev	40 GIAP
15	29/10/43		1	FW 190	Destroyed	La-5		W Vyshenka - Kozino	40 GIAP
	1944
16	15/01/44		1	FW 189 (a)	Destroyed	La-5		N Maryanovka	40 GIAP
	15/01/44		1/2	FW 190	Shared destroyed	La-5		Obodnoye	40 GIAP
17	22/01/44		1	Ju 87	Destroyed	La-5		W Troitsa	40 GIAP
18	10/05/44		1	Ju 88	Destroyed	La-5		W Tarnopol	40 GIAP
19	10/05/44		1	FW 190	Destroyed	La-5		Berezovitsa-Velke	40 GIAP
20	15/05/44		1	FW 190	Destroyed	La-5		Aneluvka	40 GIAP
21	28/05/44		1	FW 190	Destroyed	La-5		Kozluv - Denisuv	40 GIAP
22	28/05/44		1	FW 190	Destroyed	La-5		SE Taurov	40 GIAP
23	14/07/44		1	FW 190	Destroyed	La-5		Penyaki	40 GIAP
	1945
24	09/02/45		1	Bf 109	Destroyed	La-5		Lamsdorf airfield	40 GIAP

Biplane victories: 2 destroyed.
TOTAL: 24 and 3 shared destroyed.
(a) Not verified with Luftwaffe records.

Sources:
All aces of Stalin 1936-1953 – Mikhail Bykov, 2014
Sovetskiye asy - Nikolay Bodrikhin, 1998 kindly provided by Ondrej Repka.
Soviet Aces 1936-1953
Soviet Fighter Pilots 1936-1953 - Mikhail Bykov
Stalin's Eagles - Hans D. Seidl, 1998 Schiffer Publishing, ISBN 0-7643-0476-3
Stalin's Falcons - Tomas Polak and Christhoper Shores, 1999 Grub Street, London, ISBN 1-902304-01-2