Zakharov was born on 24 April 1908 in the village Staroye Semenkino in the Samara region.

In 1930, he joined the Army and attended the 7th Army Pilot School in Stalingrad. On graduation from the school he served in 109th Istrebitelnaya Aviaeskadrilya in the Kiev Air Brigade.

In 1936, now a Starshii Leitenant, he volunteered for Republican service in Spain and arrived there during August.
In Spain, he served in the Escuadrilla Palancar.

On 4 November the I-15s were put in their first air-battles. There were four missions during the day.
Commanded by Pumpur and Pavel Rychagov, I-15 fighters in squadron strength engaged the enemy planes over Carrabanchel during the day’s first mission. The Soviet pilots claimed four victories in the clash that lasted barely 10 minutes.
The aim of the second mission was to intercept six Ju52 escorted by fighters. Commanded by Rychagov the squadron shot down one Ju52.
During the third mission a squadron led by Zakharov (in his first mission) fought against two flights of bombers, which were escorted by ten fighters. I-15s claimed one enemy fighter. There were no losses of I-15s.
The last, forth mission at the end of the day was an alert scramble. A squadron led by Rychagov claimed one more enemy fighter.
In all, the I-15s claims five enemy fighters and two Ju52 bombers in this day - 7 victories without losses. One of the fighters, a He51, was claimed by Rychagov. Two I-15s however became lost and the pilots made forced landing in Segovia.
Sources from the Nationalist side at least partially confirmed this tally. During the day an Italian fighter unit (the Dequal squadron) was engaged in combat and two Italian pilots were shot down. Magistrini (nom de guerre Mainetti) was seriously wounded and later died in hospital, while Dequal was wounded but escaped by parachute and dropped between the lines. Two more Fiat CR.32 suffered damage in landing accidents at Torrijos. Two Nationalist bombers also suffered this day. One German Ju52 from the Pablos y Pedros squadron, flown by Leutnant Kolbitz, was shot down over Humanes and a Spanish Ju52 from Luis Padron’s squadron was badly damaged and had to force-land at Esquivias. The observer Captain Aquirre was fatally wounded.

On 9 November, he shot down an enemy aircraft, which he identified as a two-seater bomber Arado. This was probably an Arado Ar68.

On 13 November, fourteen Fiat CR.32s escorted five ”Junkers” and three ”Romeos”. Over the Pasco de Rosales (Madrid) they clashed with sixteen I-15s led by Pavel Rychagov.
The Soviet pilots claimed six victories (three of them fell in Republican territory) while two I-15s were lost when Ivan K. Kovtun and Petr A. Purov were shot down by Fiats and killed. Kovtun’s death was witnessed by Georgiy Zakharov, who also took part in this combat. The Nationalist pilots claimed six victories over “Curtisses”. Joaquín García-Morato claimed one, Ángel Salas damaged three and Julio Salvador claimed another. One Fiat was lost when Captain Mosca (’Massa’), who was badly injured, made a crash-landing at Talavera. Captain Mariotti force-landed outside the airfield at Getafe, but without damaging his aircraft.
On their return flight, the Nationalist pilots encountered five Katiuskas, bombing Getafe and Cuatro Vientos from a height of 5000m. Salas damaged one so severely that the crew had to take to their parachutes, and Morato damaged three others. On this day, Morato recorded his fifteenth victory, both Salas and Salvador their fifth. Another pilot who claimed a Curtiss (I-15) over Madrid during the day was Corrado Ricci.
In the afternoon nine (or twelve) He51s from the German Legion Condor took off from Avila to provide escort for five Ju52s and three He46s, which were to attack the Republican positions on the west bank of the Manzanares. It seems that at least six CR.32s also were present.
At 15:00 twelve I-16 type 5 “Moscas” and twelve I-15s intercepted them over Madrid. The I-16s were led by the Russian squadron leader Sergeiy Tarchov (’Antonio’) (he was the commander of the first and newly created escadrilla of I-16s) while the I-15s (Escadrilla Rychagova) were again led by Pavel Rychagov. All Republican pilots taking part in this combat were Russians.
The Republican fighters dove on the Henrici Kette. Unteroffizier Mratzek was able to claim an I-16 as it dove past. Oberleutnant Oskar Henrici claimed a Russian fighter in the same way as the He51s dove into the clouds. A bitter dogfight raged over Madrid at 1,500 meters. The Knüppe Kette dove into a cloud, reversed course in a steep turn and re-emerged below the Republican aircraft. Oberleutnant Herwig Knüppel and Unteroffizier Sawallisch claimed two I-15s; Sawallisch made his way home with some difficulty with shot-up tail surfaces. The Eberhardt Kette had remained above the bombers as top cover. Oberleutnant Kraft Eberhardt collided with an enemy fighter he had shot down and was killed; the Russian pilot was able to bail out. Oberleutnant Henrici took a bullet through the lung, but was able to land his aircraft in friendly territory. As he left his aircraft, however, he collapsed and died. The German Staffel became completely scattered, each pilot seeking cover in cloud and making his own way back to Avila. Leutnant Hennig “Piefke” Strümpell and Leutnant Dietrich von Bothmer reported the destruction of two further I-15s.
Henrici was probably shot down by Sergiey Chernych, (I-16). It seems that Eberhardt collided with Tarchov since it’s reported that he single-handed fought against a number of He51s before being forced to bail out after a collision. While hanging in his parachute, Republican soldiers mistook him for Nationalist pilot and opened fire, hitting him six times. Tarchov landed in Madrid but was attacked by the public because they thought he was a German. He died of his injuries at Gómes Ulla hospital on 23 November. This led General Miaja to the issue following order the next day:

“Any aviator who jumps from his aircraft using a parachute is out of the battle and, therefore, I order all forces defending Madrid not to shoot at parachutists under any circumstances. They may be our own men, but, if they prove to be enemies they can provide us with valuable information, which will be of great use for our operations.”

On 8 December, he claimed a shared Potez 54. It seems that this was a civilian aircraft from the French Embassy (F-A000).

In February 1937, he shot down a Fiat CR.32.

He claimed a Fiat CR.32 on 10 February over the Madrid area.

During his time in Spain he is known to have claimed a shared He51.

He returned from Spain in 1938 with 6 and 4 shared victories.

Then he subsequently volunteered for service in China.

By 21 October, 447 Soviet volunteers were prepared (including ground personnel, specialists in airfield maintenance, engineers and workers for assembling the aircraft) for departure to the Far East. Changing into “civilian uniform” the volunteer pilots travelled by train to Alma-Ata. They were accompanied to the station by Ya. V. Smushkevich, unintentionally spoiling the secrecy. None the less, on the train, the pilots represented themselves as a sporting expedition. But Zakharov represented himself to the railway authorities and everyone else as the oldest of the legendary track athlete Znamenskii brothers and distributed forged autographs!

On arrival at Alma-Ata it was discovered that waiting for them were more than 30 already assembled but un-flown I-16s and that most pilots in the group only had experience on the I-15. In consequence, during the course of two-three weeks waiting for a new group of pilots, it fell to Zakharov to train each of the new pilots on the I-16.

Zakharov claimed one victory in February 1938.

According to Aleksey Dushin, the A5M2 shot down by him on 18 February was repaired and flown by Blagoveshchenskii and Zakharov. Finally in the summer of 1938 they tried to ferry it to the Soviet Union. However, the commander of the bombers, S. V. Slyusarev, quoting Zakharov, asserts that the Japanese who’s “Type 96” was later repaired, was forced down by Zakharov in an I-15bis and a young Chinese, Tun, in an I-16 during the first days of February. After two-three weeks the aircraft was restored. Zakharov himself dates this episode closer to the summer of 1938, but that the “Type 96” they had driven down, could not be retrieved for almost a year. While ferrying it to the USSR, due to sabotage (sugar in the fuel tank), Zakharov suffered an accident in the mountains, seriously injuring his left arm. It is possible that the discussion relates to different machines; in fact two flyable A5M2s became trophies of the Soviet volunteers. The second was conveyed to the USSR along a different path, although S. V. Slyusarev maintains that the second A5M2 was lost in an accident through similar sabotage, injuring A. S. Blagoveshchenskii. The Mitsubishi fighter delivered to the Soviet Union was tested at the NII VVS (Scientific Test Institute of the Air Forces) but was destroyed during a training battle against the I-153 in August 1939, killing the test pilot Vakhrushev.

On 29 April 1938 (Japanese Emperor Hirohito's birthday) 18 G3M2s of the 13th Kokutai Japanese Naval Air Force (IJNAF) escorted by 27 A5Ms of the 12th Kokutai under the command of Lieutenant Commodore Y. Ozono attacked Wuhan.
The 4th PG at Hankou Field had nine I-15bis, seven I-16s, and two I-16s from the 24th PS. The Russian volunteers had 23 I-15bis and 16 I-16s. The 3rd Group detachment based at Hsiao Kan was equipped with four I-15bis and six I-15bis were from the 17th PS, 5th PG.
Reconnaissance revealed the Japanese intentions in good time and early in the morning at Nanchang’s aerodromes (there were two) the order went out to all to fly to Hankou in flights, at treetop level (altitude no greater than 25 m). By 08:00 a lot of fighters had concentrated there. By 09:00 all the aircraft had been re-fuelled and the pilots were in the cockpits waiting the order to take off. That day dense clouds at several levels covered the sky, beginning at 2000-2500 m.
The first communications from the air warning system (VNOS) began to be received at 10:00. At 14:00, when the Japanese aircraft approached Wuhan fighters were already waiting in the air with sufficient altitude. According the previously drawn up plans, the I-15bis closed in on the Japanese fighters in a pincer attack while the I-16 formation fell upon the bombers.
Mao Ying-Chu, commander of the 4th PG, led nine I-15bis into the battle. Liu Chi-Han and Liu Chung-Wu took off first and met over a reported 20 Japanese aircraft. They each claimed a Japanese aircraft, as did Yang Shen-Yen. Moments later Liu Chung-Wu claimed a second Japanese aircraft. His aircraft was, however, also damaged in this battle.
Teng Ming-Teh led the I-16s of the 4th PG and 24th PS to patrol the airspace over the airfield. The Russians at first left the formation, but then turned around and joined in the battle near Liang Tze Lake. They claimed six Japanese bombers and seven fighters.
During the combat Lieutenant Chen Huai-Min of 23rd PS claimed a Japanese plane. His plane was then badly damaged and he rammed another Japanese aircraft and both aircraft exploded in mid-air. Chen was killed.
While the combat was in full swing the four I-15bis of 3rd PG and the six I-15bis of 17th PS arrived overhead at 6500 feet south of Wuhan after that the Japanese bombers had dropped their bombs. They immediately joined combat and Shen Tse-Liu, commander of the 3rd PG detachment severely damaged one Japanese bomber. His vice-commander Li Chia-Hsun and Mo Ta-Yen each downed a Japanese bomber. Zhu Jia-Xun flew the fourth 3rd PG I-15bis. During the combat Zhu claimed to have downed one of the G3M2s south-east of Wuchang. This was near the position where two of the IJNAF G3M2s was downed. Many other Chinese and Russian volunteer pilots also made claims so Zhu should probably only be credited with a "shared" kill.
The Russian volunteer Aleksey Dushin told in his memoirs that they took of early, first Aleksey Blagoveshchenskiy, after him the entire group in established order. The I-15bis were to join battle with the fighters. At a height of about 3000m they moved off from Hankou about 100 km in the direction of Nanking, orienting themselves through the gaps in the clouds by the channel of the Yangtze. Not finding the fighters, on a return course, through gaps in the clouds they discovered a large group of bombers approaching on a parallel course. With a sudden attack at close range they right away set fire to three of the bombers, including the formation leader. The formation immediately fell apart and jettisoned its bombs in a rice paddy. In the air developed dogfights and in various parts of the sky appeared the torches of burning Japanese aircraft. The “Chizhi” chased after the bombers for their full radius of action - more than 200 km. When his ammunition was completely exhausted Dushin ran into two A5Ms but there was nothing he could do to them. A. S. Zingaev’s group, with an advantageous position attacked a group of Japanese bombers on the approaches to the aerodrome, and in their first attack shot down two (Zingaev shot down the leader). In this combat Grigoriy Kravchenko shot down two (or according to other sources - three) aircraft. But in the end, he was cut off from his formation and hard pressed by four Japanese who set his aircraft afire. He was saved by Anton Gubenko, who came to his help at the right moment.
Known Russian volunteers known to have claimed in this combat are Blagoveshchenskiy, Dushin, A. Grisenko, Sergey Gritsevets, Gubenko, Kravchenko, I. Puntus, Georgiy Zakharov and A. Zingaev. The major success of the volunteers was explained by the Japanese fighters, which were late at the rendezvous with their bombers, and also by the Soviets’ successful use of the clouds.
AA at Wuchang also fired at the Japanese aircraft over Hanyang and claimed two of them.
A total of 21 Japanese aircraft, 11 fighters and 10 bombers, were claimed shot down in this fierce 30-minute battle and 50 aircrew were killed. Two parachuted and were captured. However it has only been possible to verify two lost G3M2s.
Twelve aircraft of the Chinese and Soviet volunteers were lost and five pilots killed (identified are Chen Huai-Min, Starshiy Leytenant L. Shuster – killed while colliding with a Japanese aircraft and Kapitan A. E. Uspenskii).
The Japanese reported that when their formation appeared over Hankou, a reported 78 I-15s and I-16s rose to intercept. They claimed that in a 30-minute battle they destroyed no fewer than 40 Chinese aircraft while themselves losing only two A5Ms (PO2c Ken-ichi Takahasi (Pilot 19) and PO3c Kinji Fujiwara (Pilot 29) being killed) and two G3M2s. During this combat Motonari Suho claimed his first victory (totally 15 victories – 11 in China) but his own aircraft received hits, however; on the way back to base he had to make an emergency landing at Anking because he ran out of fuel. Lieutenant Takahide Aioi claimed his first two victories when he shot down two I-15s (totally 10 victories – 5 in China). The Japanese attribute the greatest part of their success to the inexperience of their opponents. In other accounts (also based on Japanese sources), 67 Soviet aircraft participated in the battle, of 19 I-15bis and six I-16s were flown by Soviet volunteers. According to these accounts the Chinese lost nine aircraft and four pilots.
After this fierce combat Japanese did not attack Wuhan for a month.

According to some sources, he claimed one more victory while flying I-152 biplanes over the Central China.

Back in the Soviet Union, he was promoted to Polkovnik and by 1941 he had been promoted to General Major and was commanding the 43 IAD in Minsk.

Despite his rank, he still flew combat missions and on the first day of the Great Patriotic War he shot down two Ju88s during two sorties flying I-16s over the Minsk area.

On 23 June, he claimed a bomber in the Minska area.

On 1 October, he used an I-16 to destroy an Hs126 over Juchnov-Medyn.

In November 1941, he was appointed commander of the Pilot School in Ulan-Ude but in December 1942, he returned to the front as commander of the 303 IAD.

General Mayor Zakharov commanded the 303 IAD during the battle of Kursk in July 1943. At the time the 303 IAD consisted of 18 GIAP (Yak-7B), 20 IAP (Yak-9), 168 IAP (Yak fighters), 523 IAP (LA-5) and the Normandie-Niemen (the French volunteer unit, equipped with Yak-9s).

Later his unit was flying on the 3rd Ukrainian Front.

During 1943, he claimed an Fw189.

In the summer of 1944, he shot down a Bf109.

In 1945, his unit fought over East Preussia, and by the end of the war he had flown 153 sorties since June 1941, engaging in 48 combats and claimed 10 more victories to his total.

On 19 April 1945, he was awarded the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin.
He was also decorated with a second Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner (four times), Order of Kutuzov, 2nd Class, the Order of Aleksandr Nevskij, Order of the Patriotic War 1st Class, Order of the Red Star (twice) and the French Legion d’Honneur.

Zakharov ended his combat career with 8 biplane victories and a total of 18 victories claimed during three wars.

In 1950, he graduated from the General Staff Academy. He retired 10 years later in 1960 as a General Major and lived in Moscow. He wrote two books: Povest ob Istrebiteyakh (Tales of the Fighters) and Ya – Istrebitel (I-Fighter).

Claims:

Kill no.	Date	Time	Number	Type	Result	Plane type	Serial no.	Locality	Unit
	1936
1	09/11/36		1	Arado (a)	Destroyed	I-15		Madrid area	Escuadrilla Palancar
	08/12/36		1	Potez 54 (b)	Shared destroyed	I-15		Spain	Escuadrilla Palancar
	1937
?	??/02/37		1	CR.32	Destroyed	I-15		Madrid area	Escuadrilla Palancar
	10/02/37		1	CR.32	Shared destroyed	I-15		Madrid area	Escuadrilla Palancar
	1938
?	??/02/38		1	A5M (c)	Destroyed	I-152		China
?	29/04/38	14:00-	1	A5M (d)	Destroyed	I-152		Hankou area
	1941
9	22/06/41	22:00	1	Ju88	Destroyed	I-16		Minsk area	43 IAD
10	22/06/41	22:00	1	Ju88	Destroyed	I-16		Minsk area	43 IAD
?	23/06/41		1	Enemy bomber	Destroyed	I-16		Minsk area	43 IAD
?	01/10/41		1	Hs126	Destroyed	I-16		Juchnov-Medyn	43 IAD
	1943
?	??/??/43		1	Fw189	Destroyed	Yak			303 IAD
	1944
?	summer/44		1	Bf109	Destroyed	Yak-3?			303 IAD

Biplane victories: 8 and 4 shared destroyed.
TOTAL: 18 and 4 shared destroyed.
(a) Probably an Ar68.
(b) Probably a civilian aircraft from the French Embassy (F-A000).
(c) Force-landed in Chinese-held territory.
(d) Claimed in combat with G3M2s of the 13th Kokutai and A5Ms of the 12th Kokutai of the Japanese Naval Air Force. Chinese pilots and Russian voluntary pilots claimed 21 Japanese aircraft, 11 fighters and 10 bombers, but it seems that only two G3M2s and two A5Ms were admitted. The Japanese claimed 40 Chinese aircraft but only twelve aircraft of the Chinese and Soviet volunteers were lost and five pilots killed.

Sources:
Air Aces Home Page - Jan Safarik
Esa mezivalecneho obdobi (Plastic Kits Revue 44/95) - Tomas Polak, 1995, kindly provided by Ondrej Repka
Japanese Naval Aces and Fighter Units in World War II - Ikuhiko Hata and Yasuho Izawa, translated by Don Cyril Gorham, 1989 United States Naval Institute, Annapolis, ISBN 0-87021-315-6
Ja stihac - Georgiy Zakharov, 1992, kindly provided by Ondrej Repka
Kursk – The Air Battle: July 1943 – Christer Bergström, 2007, Chevron Publishing Limited, ISBN 978-1-903223-88-8
Pobedy sovetskich letcikov pervogo dnya vojny (Aerochobbi) - Igor A.Gulyas, kindly provided by Ondrej Repka
Soviet Fighters in the sky of China, Part II - Anatolii Demin, 2000 Aviatsiia Kosmonavtika 10 (translated by George M. Mellinger)
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
Tidbits from the Sino-Japanese Air Battles - Chang Kuang-Ming, 1998 World News Weekly August 1998 kindly provided by Tom Chan
Much additional information kindly provided by Raymond Cheung, Tom Chan, Ondrej Repka, Alexei Stepanov and Mirek Wawrzynski.