Alexander Novikov

Who was Alexander Novikov?

Alexander Alexandrovich Novikov was the Chief Marshal of Aviation for the Soviet Air Force during Russia's involvement in the Second World War. Lauded as "the man who has piloted the Red Air Force through the dark days into the present limelight" and a "master of tactical air power", he was twice given the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, as well as a number of other Soviet decorations.

A gifted air force commander and one of the leading men of the Soviet armed forces, Novikov was involved in nearly all exploits of the air force during World War II and was at the forefront of developments in command and control and of air combat techniques. After the war, Novikov was arrested by order of the Politburo, and was forced by NKVD chief Lavrentiy Beria into a "confession" which implicated Marshal Zhukov in a conspiracy. Novikov was then imprisoned until the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953, whereupon he became an avionics teacher and writer until his death.