Grigoriy Petrovich Yevdokimov was born on 2 September 1919 in the village Ozhga, Udmurtiya ASSR. He entered military service in the Soviet Army in 1938, at the age of 19, and in 1940 graduated from Chelyabinsk Pilot-Observer Aviation Academy. In August 1941, Yevdokimov was serving in the 449th Bomber Aviation Regiment (244th Bomber Aviation Division, 17th Air Army, 3rd Ukrainian Front), and for much of the war served as navigator for his squadron. He became a member of the Communist Party in 1943. By April 1945, he had flown 270 combat sorties in reconnaissance and bombardment of strategic enemy targets. He was awarded the rank Hero of the Soviet Union on 18 August 1945. After the war, Yevdokimov continued to serve in the Soviet Air Force until his retirement at the rank of colonel in 1966. His memoir, 300 Vyletov za liniyu fronta (300 sorties behind the front line, Izhevsk: Udmurtiya) was published in 1979.
This interview was conducted by Oleg Korytov and Konstantin Chirkin in St. Petersburg [Leningrad], and transcribed for translation and publication by Igor Zhidov.
Interview with G.Yevdokimov
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"A good fighter pilot, like a good boxer, should have a knockout punch..... You will find one attack you prefer to all others. Work on it till you can do it to perfection... then use it whenever possible."
- Captain Reade Tilley, USAAF 7 Victories, WW-II - 
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