Lieutenant General of Aviation Mikhail Sergeevich Finogenov /Михаил Сергеевич Финогенов; 12.7.1908, Rostov-on-Don - 23.9.1974, Moscow)/ with his 6th class order of the Cloud and Banner.
Mikhail Sergeevich Finogenov was born on July 12, 1908 in the city of Rostov-on-Don in a working-class family. He lost his father early. After graduating from school, he enters the factory school in the city of Zlatoust . In the Red Army since May 1931. He graduated from the 1st Military School for Pilots in the town of Kacha in 1932. Upon graduation from 1st Military Pilot School Mikhail Sergeevich was left at school and served as an instructor-pilot, instructor-pilot, flight commander. From October 1934 to May 1935 he was at the courses of ship commanders in Yeysk, then he was sent as the ship commander of the 110th heavy bomber squadron stationed at the Vozdvizhenka airfield in the Far Eastern Territory. From February 1937 he commanded an air squadron in the 111th heavy bomber air squadron. In May 1938, he was appointed commander of this squadron, which at that time was part of the 10th bomber regiment. In this position, he participated in the battles in the area of the lake Hasan. For courage and heroism shown during the fighting, he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. From December 1939 Finogenov commanded a squadron in the 14th long-range bomber air regiment of the Air Force of the 1st Separate Red Banner Army, from February 1941 - deputy commander of this regiment. With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Captain M.S. Finogenov continued to serve as deputy commander of the same regiment which was part of the 33rd Air Division of the Air Force of the Far Eastern Front. In March 1942, he was appointed commander of the 303rd long-range bomber regiment of the 53rd air division of the Air Force of the Far Eastern Front. The regiment carried out tasks to cover the Far Eastern border of the USSR. In February 1943, he was relocated to the city of Rybinsk and renamed the 6th Bomber Aviation Regiment. After retraining for new aircraft at the end of April, he was relocated first to the Kirzhach airfield, then to the Usman airfield of the 2nd Air Army. Since the last regiment, as part of the 304th bomber air division of the 5th mixed air corps, carried out the tasks of delivering bombing attacks on enemy troops and targets in the Belgorod region. In June, he was relocated to the area of the city of Tula, where he became part of the 113th separate special bomber air division of the ADD. During the Battle of Kursk, parts of this division bombed enemy troops and targets in the Voronezh and Bryansk fronts. Since September 1943, Lieutenant Colonel M.S. Finogenov served as deputy commander of this division. After the Battle of Kursk, she was relocated near Leningrad and conducted combat work on the Leningrad front. Its units distinguished themselves during the Leningrad-Novgorod offensive operation, for which the division received the name "Leningrad". Since June 1944, she was part of the 13th Air Army of the Leningrad Front and took part in the Vyborg offensive operation. On September 7, 1944, Colonel M. S. Finogenov took command of this division. In the same month, he relocated it near Murmansk to the 7th Air Army of the Karelian Front. Here she conducted combat work, first in the Kandalaksha direction, then in the areas of Kuolajärvi, Petsamo and Kirkenes. Participated in the Petsamo-Kirkenes offensive operation. In December 1944, the 113th bomber air division was withdrawn to the reserve of the Headquarters of the High Command, and from January 1945 it was based in the Moscow Military District. In March, she became part of the 6th bomber air corps of the 16th air army of the 1st Belorussian Front and participated in the Berlin offensive, supporting the troops of the 8th guards and 1st tank armies. The successful actions of the division during the war years were highly appreciated by the command: it was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, and two of its regiments were awarded the Orders of Suvorov 3rd class. In June 1945, the division was redeployed from Poland to the Far East, where it became part of the 7th Bomber Air Corps of the 12th Air Army of the Trans-Baikal Front. Participated in the Soviet-Japanese War of 1945. During the Khingan-Mukden offensive operation, she supported the offensive of the front troops in the Solun and Hailar directions, bombed enemy airfields and railroads. Art. Solun, Hailar, Uchagou, Sikou and others. After the war, he continued to command this division in the Primorsky Military District. From October 1948 to June 1949 he was in the advanced training courses for commanders and chiefs of staff of air divisions at the Red Banner Air Force Academy, after which he was appointed deputy. commander of the 73rd bomber aviation Lublin Red Banner Corps. From February 1950, he took command of this corps, which was part of the 57th Air Army of the PrikVO. Since February 1952 served as assistant the commander of the same air army, in February - March 1953, was a deputy deputy. army commander for the formation and training of bomber aircraft. From November 1953 to November 1954 he studied at the Higher Attestation Commission at the Higher Military Academy. K. E. Voroshilov, then was appointed head of the Air Force Research and Testing Range No. 4. From January 1956 he was the head of the State Research and Testing Institute of Air Force Special Weapons. From January 1961, he temporarily served as head of the State Red Banner Air Force Research and Testing Institute, from December 1965 he headed the 8th State Red Banner Air Force Research and Testing Institute. In September 1970, he was dismissed due to illness. Awarded with the Order of Lenin, 5 Orders of the Red Banner, Orders of Kutuzov 2nd class, Order of the Red Banner of Labor, Red Star, medals, as well as a Chinese order.
