Title: Junior Lieutenant _x000D_ Branch of troops: Aviation_x000D_ Pakhomov Artem Evstigneevich was born in 1922 in the Petrushin farm in the Volgograd Region. Since 15 years old he had a dream to become a geologist. This romantic profession attracted him. But destiny had other plans for him. On the day when he was handed a school graduation certificate of maturity with excellent grades, the postman served a summons to the Pakhomovs' house. The summer of 1940 was peaceful. _x000D_ The years of study at the Stalingrad Aviation School were passing by painfully long. The cadets eagerly caught the reports of the Information Bureau on military actions and looked forward to the day of graduation. Everyone was eager to go to the war front. For three years he learned the art of piloting and air combat. And finally, he made farewell to the school, to friends, to pilot-instructors. _x000D_ He flew his first combat mission in 1944. In total, he made 632 flights during the war, flying more than 200 hours in the air. In less than two years, he participated in 78 air battles. He has three shot down German fighters on his account. The first Focke-Wulf -190 was shot down by my grandfather on February 22, 1945. _x000D_ The squadron consisting of Ponomarev, my grandfather Pakhomov, Supkhankulov and Budilin was preparing for the combat mission. The command was given to the pilots: "Readiness # 1". Each of them was in the cockpit of the fighter. Red rocket soared, the signal for takeoff. _x000D_ Artem Yevstigneevich buttoned up his headset and heard on the radio: "A large group of German air-crafts coming to the river crossing. The mission is to prevent them, meet them on enemy territory and frustrate the enemy's plans." _x000D_ The squadron Commander Semyon Ponomarev led the flight. His wing man was Artem Pakhomov. A few minutes later they crossed the front line. Ponomarev shouted: “Дook, I have counted 18 bombers.”_x000D_ Artem peered into the clouds. Flickering crosses, twin-e ngined aircrafts sailed, carrying heavy bombs. “Like striped perches in the depths of the river,” thought grandfather Artem and was surprised at this comparison. An unequal fight had started, led by an ace, Semyon Ponomarev, an experienced military pilot. The actions of four brave pilots violated the targets of the fascist bombers. They were forced to dump the deadly cargo on their territory. _x000D_ During the combat, Artyom Evstigneevich's aircraft was torn off from the others. And at that moment, when grandfather Artem looked around, turned the car on the course to his own, he noticed "Focke-Wulf". He went to it. He went to the frontal and, closing his eyes, pressed the trigger. When he opened his eyes, he noticed: a parachute was floating under the clouds. And below, with strong smoke, two aircrafts were rapidly falling. Already at the airfield, he learned that the aircraft of Sashka Sapkhankulov, a Tatar by nationality, had burned down. _x000D_ Friends silently lowered their heads: he could hardly go down alive, and if he were alive, then he landed on the territory of the enemy. And what was their surprise when on the second day this Sashka entered the barracks, safe and sound. _x000D_ Sashka looked at Artyom with gratitude. “Not only mine, but also the fascist aircraft that you knocked out burned down, Artyom. I could see how you collided. Otherwise, I would not make it.” _x000D_ The second aircraft was shot down by Artem Evstigneevich on the Oder, when he and Alexander Shigaev were defending the river crossing. The fight was short. Grandfather Artyom came in from the tail and hit it from the first turn. But he almost ran into the Messerschmitts himself. The third "Focke-Wulf"190 was shot down by his grandfather over Berlin. _x000D_ Artem Yevstigneevich returned from the front at the age of 23. For participation in the Great Patriotic War, he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner", the Order of the "Patriotic War of 2nd degree", medals: "For Capture of Berlin", "For Liberation of Warsaw", “For Victory over Germany.” He passed away in 1981.