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Children in War

Discussion in 'Eastern Europe' started by IRu, Nov 1, 2010.

  1. IRu

    IRu Member

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    It happened in the end of 1943. Returning from a mission, pilot of airplane U-2 observed in the neutral zone downed Russian plane. Cockpit was closed, so the pilot decided that the downed pilots inside. He landed his plane nearby, discovered and helped to pass on his airplane wounded pilot. In addition, he was able to get equipment that is carried out reconnaissance imagery. There was nothing unusual in that the act of pilot. If we do not assume that this pilot was only 14 years old:eek:! He was Arkady Kamanin, as far as I know - the youngest pilot in the war.
    His father - Nikolai Kamanin before the war was a pilot too, Hero of the Soviet Union's No. 2. Since the beginning of the war Nicholai led the various aircraft parts, and his son worked as a mechanic at an aircraft factory in Moscow.
    In early 1943, Nicholai became a general, commander of the 5 th Air Corps. Arkady began working in his military unit as a mechanic. Sometimes he flew as the second number on the U-2 plane. Once the main U-2 pilot was wounded and Arkady by another aircraft flying nearby could own land the aircraft on the ground.
    After that, his father gave him permission to take flight training and two months later, Arkady began to fly on their own.
    For the salvation of the pilot, he was awarded the Red Star.
    Second Red Star Arkady received in 1944. In the attack of West-Ukrainian partisans on the headquarters of the front, he managed to lift the aircraft into the air and began to throw their hand grenades (as it was in the WW I).
    His last military awards he received in spring 1945 for a flight to the Czechoslovak partisans.
    After the war, Arkady went to study at the Air Force Academy, but he died in 1947 from the disease.
    Nikolai Kamanin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Here, an article about Kamanin – senior, and a bit, about his son
    Does anyone know similar examples in other armies?

     
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  2. sniper1946

    sniper1946 Expert

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    Son of a Hero

    Category: Russian People |

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    Coming back home from a usual flight, a pilot U-2 of air squadron noticed a storm-trooper lying on a belly on the midground. IL-2 cabin was close – probably a pilot inside was wounded. Mutual supportiveness among pilots is a sacred law. U-2 parked taking refuge from Germans behind a storm-trooper. In the cabin really was a pilot badly wounded in his head. He had carried out his air photography mission but could not deliver the shot results to the base. Firstly the shot moved to U-2, then, at the cost of supreme efforts, the body of the saved wounded pilot. Gunners and tankmen protected the presumptuous cropduster drawing German attention to themselves, and U-2 luckily took off from the midground. Kamanin was awarded by Order Red Star.
    Pilot Arkady N. Kamanin was 14 years old…



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    In July 1942 colonel N. Kamanin was appointed commander of the 8th combined and later the 5th assault air corps. In the 1943 he was awarded a rank of major-general and his wife and son Arkady could come to him. Wife stayed to work at the corps headquarters. Arkady strongly objected going back home and father appointed him a special equipment mechanic in the communications squadron of his corps – since he’d had some experience at one of the Moscow aircraft factory.
    Being rather strong at materiel Arkady got a promotion – he became a flight mechanic and a navigating officer. He was rather persistent to gain flying practice. Once a random bullet broke a windshield of the pilot and debris made him almost blind.
    Communications aircrafts were radio-equipped; Arkady called a skilled pilot and under his distant control Arkady Kamanin landed perfectly. He had 2 months of flight training and passed examination personally to major-general N. Kamanin who didn’t find any reasons not to admit A. Kamanin to solo flights.
    His missions were getting more and more serious – especially when he affirmed his flight skills having left behind a messer that froze onto him. And one of his flights’ result was the rescue of that wounded lieutenant.
    He saved another comrade-in-arms in Poland: waiting for landing clearance from a fighting wing he noticed one of pilots taking off with a mechanic on the rear end. A signal pistol blizzard raised circumspection of the pilot who had already retracted the landing gear. The mechanic was taken off from the rear end already on the ground though not without difficulty.
    In 1944 sergeant Kamanin earned another Order Red Star: when the headquarters was under attack he, under fire, took off in his U-2, pelted the attackers with hand grenades and called reinforce.
    In spring 1945 16-year-old sergeant Arkady Kamanin brought food and a secret pack to a partisan party having made an hour and a half – flight behind the battle line along the unknown route in the mountainous area with rugged relief. That flight was valued with Order Red Star.
    And after the Great Patriotic War Arkady’s cherished dream came true: in autumn 1946 a 17-year-old veteran, medals and decorations holder, was accepted as a student for preparatory courses of Zhukovsky Academy from which his father graduated at due time.
    … There exists such a sad professional saying:Â “To take off a shoulder belt and crumble”. The youngest pilot of World War II Arkady N. Kamanin died from meningitis in April 13th, 1947, and forever remained 18-year-old hero.
     
  3. sniper1946

    sniper1946 Expert

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    Children of War

    Category: History,Photos,Russian People,russian army |

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    From time to time photos of child soldiers in Africa holding AK-47s or some other kind of weapon appear here and there provoking outrage and compassion from the Western public. But just a few decades ago, during World War II, there were often occasions of Russian kids fighting in the regular army against the Nazis.
    Generally speaking, children were not allowed to join the combat army—but many exceptions were made. Many kids tried to run away from their homes “to the War” but most such cases were eventually captured by military police and returned back to their homes. While some did succeed in joining the army, it was often the case for these runaways to get lost in the woods or shot along their journey.
    Also, from time to time, soldiers found children in the devastated and burnt down villages of the Soviet Union. While there was a directive for them to send such children to established orphanages, still sometimes such boys were simply incorporated into the active combat units. Specially sized uniforms were tailored for them and they were entrusted with guns. Some of those boys joined the army at nine or eleven, and stayed with their regiment through all the war front, from Russia to Germany, until the war ended and they were discharged at fourteen or sixteen, often with medals of honor.



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  4. Maurice48

    Maurice48 recruit

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    The commander-in-chief of Tibet, the 14th Dalai Lama, was born on July 6, 1935 and was enthroned
    on February 22, 1940. Tibet was aligned with the Allies. He may have been the youngest child to
    serve militarily in WWII in an official capacity.
     

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