Full name: SURNAME: Petrov FIRST name: Alexey PATRONYMIC: Nikolaevich CITY: Kozelsk DATE of BIRTH: 16.03.1914 date of DEATH: 01.04.2009 HISTORY: Title: Lieutenant-colonel. Military branch: aviation. Unit: 218th night bomber aviation Yass red banner division. Born on March 16, 1914 in Kozelsk, Kaluga region. In 1933, he joined the Balashikha metal foundry. In the red army since 1935. In 1935, he entered the Irkutsk higher school of aircraft engineers, graduated with honors, and was awarded the rank of second Lieutenant. He took part in the events at lake Hasan. In 1942, A. Petrov, with the rank of senior technical Lieutenant, served in the 251st aviation regiment of heavy bomber aviation in the first squadron, commanded by captain Klimov. He gets into the crew of Lieutenant V. Ulyanov, Junior Lieutenant G. Bulatsky, Sergeant A. Basargin. The crew rushed to the front and submitted reports to their superiors, but the answers were not much different, they were reduced to the following: "Improve your combat skills, the time will come to take part in the battles." To implement their plans, the crew turned to the Supreme Commander, the report was concise: we want to buy a plane with our savings and use it to smash the German-fascist invaders. After some time, the crew was called to the division headquarters, where the division commander, Colonel Abramenko, read a telegram: "to Lieutenant Ulyanov, second Lieutenant Bulatsky, senior technician-Lieutenant Petrov, thank You for taking care of the red Army air forces, please Accept my greetings and gratitude to the red Army. Your wish will be fulfilled. I. Stalin". Soon the crew found out that they would receive their plane upon arrival at the place of new service. The crew arrives in Kirovobad, at 11 am, where the regiment commander, Lieutenant Colonel Ivanov, hands over a certificate in front of the formation that says: "Issued to the crew consisting of commander Lieutenant Ulyanov, Navigator Junior Lieutenant Bulatsky, aircraft technician senior technician Lieutenant Petrov that they were awarded the Boston a-20 G aircraft for No. 321609, purchased at their own expense." In 1944, the crew arrived in 452 BAP (218 BA, 5 VA) in the third squadron, which was commanded by P. A. Zhalibo. The crew took part in the liberation of Ukraine, Moldova, Hungary, Romania, and Czechoslovakia.Discharged for health reasons in 1957, major. He was awarded two orders of the red Star, the order of the Patriotic war, the Medal "for military merit" and other awards. In the post-war years, he began to study fine art in the Studio of G. N. Vasiliev and A.D. Potapov. In 1977, he graduated from the Correspondence national University of arts (ZNUI). He became one of the founders of the art gallery in Balashikha. Alexey Petrov is an honorary citizen of the city of Balashikha. In 2004, he donated his creative heritage to the city of Balashikha: more than a thousand paintings and an extensive archive.