Shalva Kiriya
Shalva Nestorovich Kiriya | |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 January 1912 Tsayshi, Georgia, then Russian Empire |
| Died | 17 July 1988 (aged 76) Zugdidi, Georgian SSR |
| Allegiance |  Soviet Union |
| Service |  Soviet Air Force |
| Years of service | 1927 – 1988 |
| Rank | Major general |
| Unit | Cavalry 37th short-range bomber aviation regiment 427th Night Fighter Squadron Aviation Regiment 151st Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment |
| Commands | 195th Guards Fighter Aviation Division 145th Fighter Aviation Division |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Hero of the Soviet Union |
Shalva Nestorovich Kiriya (Georgian: შალვა კირია Shalva Kiria, Russian: Шалва Несторович Кирия; 10 January 1912 – 17 July 1988) was a Soviet fighter ace who fought in World War II.[1]
Early life
[edit]Shalva Kiriya was born in the village of Tsayshi, Georgia, when it was part of the Russian Empire. He finished school after the 6th grade and entered army service in 1927. Kiriya went on to visit military schools in Azerbaijan and Russia, to enter service as cavalry commander in Ukraine. In 1935 he graduated from the Orenburg Higher Military Aviation School for Pilots and became navigator of bomber regiments in Siberia and the Far East.[1][2]
World War II
[edit]When Nazi Germany invaded, Kiriya was a squadron commander of the 37th Short-Range Bomber Aviation Regiment. On 27 August 1941 during defensive operations, his Tupolev SB was shot down by enemy fighter aircraft but he managed to bail out with a parachute. In early 1942, Kiriya began retraining to become a fighter pilot himself and graduated in May 1943 from the then Lipetsk Advanced Training Courses for Air Force Command Personnel. From May to December of the same year, he served in leadership roles of the 151st Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment and fought on three separate fronts, as well as in a number of major battles that include Kursk, Dnieper, Budapest and Vienna. In that period, he was wounded twice. Kiriya flew a total of 25 combat sorties in SB bombers, as well as 225 in Yak-1, Yak-7 and Yak-9 fighter aircraft. In 64 air battles, he personally downed 27, according to other sources 29 enemy aircraft and shared two more victories. For his efforts, he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.[1][3][4]
Post war
[edit]Following the war, Shalva Kiriya continued military service as deputy commander of fighter regiments and divisions. In 1951 he graduated from the Advanced Training Courses for Command Personnel and became commander of the 119th Fighter Aviation Division. In March 1958 he took command over the 145th Fighter Aviation Division and from 1961 onwards, Major general Kiriya served in reserve capacity. He lived in the city of Odessa until he returned to Georgia in 1970. Shalva Kiriya died on July 17, 1988 in Zugdidi, Georgia. A street in Zugdidi is named after him.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Кирия Шалва Несторович". www.warheroes.ru.
- ^ Polak, Tomas; Shores, Christopher (1999). Stalin's Falcons: The Aces of the Red Star : A Tribute to the Notable Fighter Pilots of the Soviet Air Forces 1918-1953: Aces of the Red Star - ... Pilots of the Soviet Air Forces, 1918-53. Grub Street Publishing. p. 161. ISBN 978-1902304014.
- ^ "Кирия, Шалва Несторович". www.worldgonesour.ru.
- ^ Mellinger, George (2012). Yakovlev Aces of World War 2. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1782005537.