Nikolai Ivanovich
Polagushin
1923-1999
Nikolai Ivanovich Polagushin was a squadron commander in the 15th Guards Neva Red Banner Assault Aviation Regiment, a Guards Captain, and a Hero of the Soviet Union. He was born on 7 March 1923 in Tashkent. After completing lower secondary school, he was called up to the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army in June 1941. He qualified as a military pilot in 1942, graduating from the Chkalov Military Aviation School of Pilots (now in Orenburg). From September of that year he took part in combat operations on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, flying the Il‑2 ground‑attack aircraft and being wounded three times. His combat career took him across the Leningrad and 3rd Belorussian Fronts. He fought in the defence and breakthrough of the Leningrad blockade, in the battles on the Karelian Isthmus, in the liberation of Vyborg and Estonia, and later in the assault on East Prussia and the capture of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad). By February 1945, as commander of a squadron in the 15th Guards Neva Red Banner Assault Aviation Regiment (277th Assault Aviation Division, 1st Air Army), he had flown 214 sorties against enemy equipment and manpower. Over the entire war he completed 259 successful combat missions. For his courage and heroism, by a Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 19 April 1945, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (№ 6120). After the Victory, Polagushin remained in the armed forces. In 1949 he graduated from the Higher Flight‑Tactical Courses, and in 1955 from the Air Force Academy. Holding the rank of colonel, he was placed in reserve in 1958 and returned to his native Tashkent, where he began his civilian career at an electronic engineering plant – first as a fitter, and later, at the invitation of the director Severian Papava, as head of the personnel department. In October 1966 he moved to Zelenograd and worked as head of personnel at the Research Institute of Molecular Electronics until his retirement, combining his main duties with active public work. In addition to the Hero’s Gold Star, Polagushin was decorated with four Orders of the Red Banner, the Orders of Alexander Nevsky, the Order of the Patriotic War 1st and 2nd classes, the Order of the Red Star, and numerous medals. Today the name of this distinguished pilot is forever commemorated in Zelenograd: one of the city’s streets bears the name Polagushin Street – a lasting reminder that this war hero, who spent many years of his life in Zelenograd, left an indelible mark on the history of the country.
Address: Moscow, Zelenograd, building 240
