In the final battles of the Second World War in Europe, numerous aviation units of the Red Army took part, including personnel who were natives of Ukraine. One of them was Semen Vasyliovych Zhorov (1922–1987), a ground-attack pilot of the 569th Osovets Red Banner Order of Suvorov (3rd Class) Assault Aviation Regiment, which was part of the 199th Assault Aviation Division, 4th Assault Aviation Corps, 4th Air Army of the 2nd Belorussian Front. Zhorov grew up in Mariupol, where he finished school, later worked, and where he returned after his service. A photograph has preserved the memory of the unit’s pilots on the day the war in Europe ended - May 9, 1945, in the city of Stettin (now Szczecin, Poland). The pilots of the 1st squadron of this regiment specialized in low-altitude ground-attack strikes, primarily using Il-2 aircraft.
The horizontal black-and-white photograph depicts a group of servicemen arranged in three rows near an aircraft. Some are sitting or lying on the ground, while others are standing. In the background is an Il-2 attack aircraft with a three-bladed propeller and its characteristic nose shape. The personnel are wearing summer uniforms (gimnastyorkas). Several men wear caps, while many are without headgear. Some servicemen are decorated with state awards.
First from the right side stands Hero of the Soviet Union Junior Lieutenant Alexei Molchanov, senior pilot (Decree of August 18, 1945). In the third row stand Heroes of the Soviet Union: Zhorov S. (fourth from the left) – a pilot, Chernyshov O. (sixth from the left) – a squadron commander; Rybakov O. (seventh from the right in the second row).