Ivan Gorbunov

Ivan Mikhailovich Gorbunov (; 25 May 1915 – 29 June 1953) was a Soviet flying ace awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union during World War II. He remained in the military after the war and went on to fly in the Korean War, where he was killed in action on 29 June 1953.

Early life Gorbunov was born on 25 May 1915 to a Russian peasant family in Stuzhen village. After completing secondary school and veterinary technical school he was drafted into the military. Sent to the Yeisk Naval Aviation School on a Komsomol ticket, he graduated from the institution in 1937, after which he worked at the Konotop Military Aviation School as a flight instructor before being promoted flight commander in a fighter squadron associated with the institution.

Korean War After the end of the war, Gorbunov remained in the air force and went on to graduate from the Air Force Academy in 1949. Later he was deployed to the warfront of the Korean War in mid 1952 as deputy commander of flight training in the 676th Fighter Aviation Regiment; there, he conducted sorties on the MiG-15, but gained no aerial victories.

Last flight and death On 29 June 1953 Gorbunov, then a lieutenant colonel, participated in a sortie over Korea that resulted in air-to-air combat with American Sabers. While aiding a more inexperienced Russian pilot, he was shot down by an American plane. While he did survive the shootdown by ejecting, he was shot in his parachute, likely by American ace Henry Buttelman; US aircraft gun cameras were designed in such a way that they would only run while the aircraft gun was running, forcing pilots to fire in order to photograph proof of a shootdown. He was buried in the city cemetery of Voroshilov-Ussuriysky.

Awards Hero of the Soviet Union (2 September 1943) Order of Lenin (2 September 1943) Three Order of the Red Banner (9 September 1942, 5 April 1943, 15 April 1944) Order of Alexander Nevsky (17 June 1943) Order of the Red Star (15 November 1950) campaign medals