Biplane fighter aces

Soviet Union

Major Vyacheslav Fedorovich Sirotin HSU

22 September 1913 – 7 August 1948

Vyacheslav Sirotin was born on 22 September 1913 in St. Petersburg.

He joined the Red Army in 1934 and graduated from Kharkov military aviation school in 1937.

When Germany invade the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, starshiy politruk Sirotin served as deputy eskadrilya CO in 123 IAP, flying Polikarpov I-153s. At the time of the German invasion they were converting to Yak-1s.

After claiming two victories on 25 June, he was wounded in combat.

When he returned to combat in August, he flew combat missions in Yak-1s.

On 12 October 1941, he was again wounded in air combat and hospitalized.

He was decorated with the Order of Lenin on 23 December 1941.

He didn’t return to 123 IAP and was posted to 238 IAP in April 1942.
With this unit he flew LaGG-3s until 1943.

In June 1944, he was posted to 17 IAP, which was equipped with Bell P-39 Airacobras.

He was again shot down in air combat on 15 August 1944. He managed to parachute, wounded in one arm and one leg.

Sirotin was decorated with the Gold Star of the Hero of Soviet Union (HSU) and a second Order of Lenin on 23 February 1945.

17 IAP took part in the war against Japan between 9 August and 3 September 1945. At this time, they had re-equipped with P-63 Kingcobras and Sirotin was commander of the unit.

Sirotin ended the war with 6 biplane victories and a total of 21.
These had been claimed during 326 combat missions and 65 air combats. During his career he was also decorated with the Order of the Red Banner (7 October 1944 and 15 May 1945), the Order of Patriotic War, 1st Class (20 July 1944) and the Order of the Red Star (30 September 1945).

He continued to command 17 IAP after the war.

Vyacheslav Sirotin was killed in an aircraft crash on 7 August 1948.

Claims:
Kill no. Date Time Number Type Result Plane type Serial no. Locality Unit
  1941                
1 22/06/41   1 Bf 109 Destroyed Polikarpov I-153   Brest area 123 IAP
2 22/06/41   1 Bf 109 Destroyed Polikarpov I-153   Brest area 123 IAP
3 22/06/41   1 Hs 126 Destroyed Polikarpov I-153   Brest area 123 IAP
4 23/06/41   1 Ju 88 Destroyed Polikarpov I-153   Pinsk airfield 123 IAP
5 25/06/41   1 Ju 88 Destroyed Polikarpov I-153   Slutsk 123 IAP
6 25/06/41   1 Bf 109 Destroyed Polikarpov I-153   E Slutsk 123 IAP
7 23/09/41   1 Bf 109 Destroyed Yak-1   Srednyaya Rogatka 123 IAP
8 28/09/41   1 Ju 88 (a) Destroyed Yak-1   Siverskaya airfield 123 IAP
  29/09/41   1/2 Balloon Shared destroyed Yak-1   Yankelevo 123 IAP
  1944                
9 30/06/44   1 FW 190 Destroyed Airacobra   Zelonyy Gorodok 17 IAP
10 10/07/44   1 FW 190 Destroyed Airacobra   Daugalyay 17 IAP
11 11/07/44   1 FW 190 Destroyed Airacobra   SE Salakas 17 IAP
12 01/08/44   1 FW 190 Destroyed Airacobra   W Pobertay 17 IAP
13 15/08/44   1 FW 190 Destroyed Airacobra   SW Barbany 17 IAP
14 14/09/44   1 FW 190 Destroyed Airacobra   Plokanishki Station 17 IAP
15 15/09/44   1 FW 190 Destroyed Airacobra   S Riga suburbs 17 IAP
16 14/10/44   1 FW 190 Destroyed Airacobra   SW Memel 17 IAP
17 22/10/44   1 FW 190 Destroyed Airacobra   SE Libava 17 IAP
18 22/10/44   1 FW 190 Destroyed Airacobra   SE Libava 17 IAP
19 18/11/44   1 FW 190 Destroyed Airacobra   NE Priekule 17 IAP
20 21/12/44   1 FW 190 Destroyed Airacobra   Saldus airfield 17 IAP
  1945                
21 16/01/45   1 FW 190 Destroyed Airacobra   Priekule 17 IAP

Biplane victories: 6 destroyed.
TOTAL: 21 destroyed, 1 shared destroyed balloon.
(a) This was initially claimed as destroyed while taxiing on the ground.

Sources:
All aces of Stalin 1936–1953 – Mikhail Bykov, 2014
Soviet Aces 1936-1953




Last modified 29 September 2020