as a flight commander in the 3rd squadron, commanded by flying ace Amet-khan Sultan. As a lieutenant in Amet-khan's squadron, Golovachev quickly increased his tally of aerial victories and participated in successful dogfights against German aircraft even when heavily outnumbered. In 1943 he became a member of the Communist Party. In November that year he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union for shooting down 17 enemy aircraft. By then he had participated in 92 dogfights and flown 225 sorties. In summer 1944 he was promoted to the rank of captain and made the deputy squadron commander. Golovachev performed an aerial ramming on 30 December 1944 during the fighting for East Prussia after running out of ammunition while trying to shoot down a Ju-188 on a reconnaissance mission. After ramming the Junkers his damaged plane entered a steep dive, but he managed to bring his plane back to the airfield. For the successful ramming attack he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. In February he became the commander of the first squadron; he scored his last two aerial victories upon shooting down two FW-190 on 25 April 1945. By the end of the war he had accumulated 31 personal aerial victories, one group victory, flew 457 sorties and engaged in 125 aerial battles. He was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union a second time on 29 June 1945. Later life Golovachev remained in the Air Force after the end of the war. In 1951 he graduated from the Red Banner Air Force Academy, and in 1959 he graduated from the Military Academy of General Staff. He went on to hold senior command positions in the Soviet Air Force, and became a General-Major of Aviation in 1957. He died in 1972 in Belarus and was buried in the East Minsk Cemetery. Awards and honors Twice Hero of the Soviet Union (1 November 1943 and 29 June 1945) Two Orders of Lenin (1 November 1943 and 4 June 1955) Six Orders of the Red Banner (30 August 1942, 1 August 1943, 5 January 1945, 24 January 1945, 22 February 1955, and 22 February 1968) Order of the Patriotic War 1st class (26 April 1943) Two Orders of the Red Star (29 April 1954 and 30 December 1956) campaign and jubilee medals References Bibliography 1917 births 1972 deaths People from Buda-Kashalyowa District People from Rogachyovsky Uyezd Soviet