VASILY GEORGIEVICH SEREGIN
1915 – 1996
Hero of the Soviet Union
Vasily Georgievich Seregin was born in the village of Lomintsevo, now Shchekinsky district of the Tula region, in a peasant family. In 1935, he graduated from the Ulyanovsk Flight Instructor School of the GVF. In the Soviet Army since 1939. In 1940, he graduated from the Perm Military Aviation School of Pilots, then the Chkalov Military Aviation School.
On the fronts of the Great Patriotic War since June 1941.
The combat fate of Vasily Georgievich is inextricably linked with the famous French air regiment "Normandy – Neman", which became a symbol of military brotherhood, friendship and mutual assistance of Soviet and French pilots during the Second World War. At the end of 1942, a squadron of French anti-fascist pilots "Normandy" was formed. At the request of the personnel, the Soviet command presented the squadron with fighter aircraft of the Yakovlev design, and it became part of the Soviet air force.
In November 1943, Senior Lieutenant Seregin was appointed squadron commander. In December 1944, he was appointed navigator of the fighter aviation division. During the war of the Guards, Major Seregin made 332 combat sorties, personally shot down 16 enemy aircraft in 35 air battles and 8 in a group. On February 23, 48, Vasily Georgievich Seregin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
After the war, he continued to serve in the Air Force. Since 1958, Colonel Seregin has been in the reserve. He lived in Gomel.
In 1961, at the city hall of the French capital, Seregin was awarded a diploma and a medal of an honorary citizen of Paris at the reception of General de Gaulle at the Presidential Palace in France in honor of the veterans of the Normandy – Niemen regiment. He is the only Belarusian citizen who has been awarded this title.
He was awarded two Orders of Lenin, six Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of Alexander Nevsky, two Orders of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree, two Orders of the Red Star, and medals. A memorial plaque to the Hero of the Soviet Union Vasily Georgievich Seregin is installed on the building at the address: 8b Portovaya Street in Gomel.