Soviet Union The
6th Fighter Aviation Regiment was formed on 19 June 1938 in
Khabarovsk as a component of the
Special Far Eastern Army and later the
Far Eastern Front. By 1941 the regiment consisted of four squadrons armed with
Polikarpov I-16 and
Polikarpov I-15bis fighters.
World War II With the start of the
German invasion of the Soviet Union, the regiment began moving west. On 20 July 1941, the regiment consisting of 64 aircraft reached
Borisoglebsk, where it was divided into the
6th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Northwestern Front and the
6th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Southwestern Front. The 6th IAP of the Northwestern Front departed for combat in the
Novgorod direction. In August 1941, the regiment saw combat in the northwestern direction. The regiment operated in the direction of
Novgorod,
Staraya Russa and
Demyansk until 8 February 1942 when it was withdrawn to the 5th Reserve Brigade in
Novosibirsk for reorganisation with the
Yak-7 and
Yak-1. Over its period of combat, the regiment carried out 4,420 combat missions, took part in 217 battles, shot down 61 aircraft and destroyed 6 on the ground. On 17 March 1942, the regiment was reorganised as the
18th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. Having been reformed and rearmed, the regiment arrived at
Ramenskoye near
Moscow on 1 June, where it was attached to the
1st Air Army. The regiment saw combat in the
Kozelsk and
Rzhev direction, carrying out 1,735 sorties. Amidst heavy losses in August 1942, the regiment was withdrawn to the rear once more. From 24 August 1942 to 22 February 1943, the regiment did not conduct combat operations while reforming, while remaining part of the 234th Fighter Aviation Division. From 22 February 1943 the regiment was attached to the newly formed 303rd Fighter Aviation Division, equipped with
Yak-7 and
Yak-1 fighters. This included 10 Yak-7b aircraft built with funds from workers of
Soviet Latvia, as well as soldiers of the
Latvian Rifle Division. These aircraft were marked "Latviesu strelnieks" meaning
Latvian Riflemen.
Ace Roger Sauvage with his
Yak-3, 1945 With the War in Europe over, a decree by
Joseph Stalin in June 1945 stated that the
Normandie-Niemen Squadron could return to
France with their 38
Yak-3 aircraft. On 20 June 1945, the squadron arrived at Paris–Le Bourget Airport, and their aircraft paraded down the
Champs-Élysées.
Soviet Chief Marshal Alexander Novikov wrote,In July 1945 the regiment left its base in
Kobrin,
Belarus for the
Far East to take part in the
Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation against
Japan. The regiment was involved in the capture of
Harbin,
Port Arthur and
Dalian. Vasily Barsukov Vladimir Balandin (posthumously) Nikolai Danilenko
Nikolai Pinchuk Semyon Sibirin Vasily Seregin - awarded in 1948. In 1948 the 303rd Fighter Aviation Division was transferred to the
Soviet Air Defence Forces. The regiment was temporarily re-equipped with
Yakovlev Yak-9 fighters, before receiving the
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-9 turbojet fighter.
Korean War In 1950, the 18th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment at
Dyatkovo were among the first in the
Soviet Air Forces to receive the transonic
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 fighter jet. After the engagement, Stelmakh was himself shot down by either a
B-29 gunner or an
F-86 and was forced to eject. After landing in what he mistakenly believed was enemy territory, Stelmakh shot himself. His body was retrieved by friendly forces and was buried in the Russian cemetery in
Lüshun (now
Dalian,
China). On 1 June 1951,
Lev Shchukin shot down a
USAF F-51D over
MiG Alley. A few days later on 6 June, Shchukin downed a
F-80 Shooting Star near
Sonchon. On 17 June, Shchukin was downed after shooting down a
F-86 Sabre, returning to service two months later after being rescued by
Chinese forces. On 29 August Shchukin severely damaged an
RAAF Gloster Meteor over
Chongju. During a battle alongside
Alexander Smorchkov, another
F-80 piloted by Lewis Pleiss was downed. In October 1951, Shchukin is credited with damaging or destroying an
F-86,
F-80,
F-84,
Meteor and an
RF-80. After being shot down on 11 January 1952, Shchukin was rescued by a nearby Soviet anti-aircraft crew. In total Shchukin flew 121 sorties and was credited with at least 15 solo victories. On 22 October 1951 a
USAF B-29 Superfortress of the
19th Bomb Wing was shot down near
Seoul by
Alexander Smorchkov flying a
MiG-15. In the same engagement, Smorchkov additionally engaged a
F-84 Thunderjet. In total, Smorchkov made 150 combat missions and was credited with at least 13 solo victories. Stelmakh (posthumous),
Shchukin and
Smorchkov were awarded the title of
Hero of the Soviet Union. In 1952, the regiment returned from
China, being relocated to
Galenki in
Primorye, where it would remain until 2009. The aircraft were equipped with the characteristic
Normandy lions and lightning bolt.
Russian Federation In 1993, following the
Dissolution of the Soviet Union, the vast
Soviet Armed Forces no longer possessed the ability to maintain its predecessors large standing formations. On 1 July 1993 the Air Force decreed that single-engine attack aircraft such as the MiG-27 were to be phased out. The regiment at
Galenki replaced its
Mikoyan MiG-27's with the
Sukhoi Su-25. with characteristic "lightning bolt" paint scheme|leftIn line with the change in aircraft, the regiment was renamed the
18th Assault Aviation Regiment. In 1995, the regiment was awarded the honorific "Normandie-Niemen", with increased cooperation between
Russia and
France. For the first time, a French delegation visited
Galenki in 1994. In 2006 a memorial was unveiled at the
Musée de l'air et de l'espace in
Le Bourget by leaders
Jacques Chirac and
Vladimir Putin.
Disbandment In line with the
2008 Russian military reforms, the regiment was disbanded on 11 November 2009, with its remaining assets alongside the 187th Assault Aviation Regiment transferred to the
6983rd Guards Aviation Base at
Galenki.
Reactivation On 1 December 2013, the regiment was reactivated as the
18th Assault Aviation Regiment based in
Chernigovka as part of the 303rd Composite Aviation Division,
11th Air and Air Defence Forces Army. On 7 February 2014, the regiments
honorific of "Normandie-Niemen" was restored. The regiment was equipped with modernised
Sukhoi Su-25SM attack aircraft, bearing camoflague and marking of the 121st Aviation Repair Plant. In 2014 the regiment took part in the joint
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Peace Mission 2014 military exercise at the
Zhurihe Training Base in
China. In September,
dispersal exercises were also carried out, with flights taking place from highways in
Primorsky Krai. Later in the month, the regiment was deployed to Sakhalin to take part in
Vostok-2014. In 2015, in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of Victory in the
Great Patriotic War, the awards and honorary titles of the unit were restored, gaining the full title of the '''18th Guards Assault Aviation Vitebsk twice Red Banner, the Order of Suvorov and the French Cross of the Order of the Legion of Honor Regiment "Normandie-Niemen". In January 2016, the first joint missions took place, consisting of
Syrian Air Force MiG-29 fighter jets, and Russian Air Force
Su-25 ground attack aircraft. In March 2016, Su-25 aircraft of the 18th and 960th ShAP supported ground forces during the
Palmyra offensive, successfully capturing the ancient city of
Palmyra from the
Islamic State. Filipov was able to successfully eject from the aircraft, but was surrounded by rebel forces. A gun battle ensued, with Filipov firing back at the attackers with a
Stechkin pistol, with his wingman providing support from the air. However, after being surrounded, Filipov blew himself up using a grenade. On the same day, Russian forces retaliated by firing
Kalibr missiles targeting rebel positions in
Idlib province responsible for the downing, killing at least 30 rebel fighters. The body of Filipov was subsequently repatriated by
Spetznaz and Syrian special forces units. Filipov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the
Russian Federation. == Lineage ==