Aleksandr Karasyov

Aleksandr Karasyov
Native name	Александр Никитович Карасёв
Born	30 August [O.S. 17 August] 1916 Sunzhenskaya village, Terek Oblast, Russian Empire (present-day Vladikavkaz, Russia)
Died	14 March 1991 (aged 74) Chernihiv, Ukrainian SSR, USSR
Allegiance	Soviet Union
Service/branch	Soviet Air Force
Years of service	1937–1968
Rank	General-major of Aviation
Battles/wars	World War II Korean War
Awards	Hero of the Soviet Union

Aleksandr Nikitovich Karasyov (Russian: Александр Никитович Карасёв; 30 August 1916 – 14 March 1991) was a fighter pilot in the Soviet Air Force who became a flying ace in both World War II and the Korean War, tallying 20 solo and two shared shootdowns in WWII and subsequently being credited with seven in Korea. Awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union in the midst of World War II for his first 14 shootdowns, he later became a survivor of the infamous Mauthausen concentration camp, having been shot down and taken captive by the Nazis. Eventually after the camp was liberated and he was released from the prisoner of war filtration camp, he returned to flying, going on to become the first pilot in his regiment to gain an aerial victory in the Korean war. Having been promoted in October 1951 to a post that left him little time for combat sorties, he nevertheless credited as an ace in the war and was nominated for the title Hero of the Soviet Union for a second time, but it was downgraded to an additional Order of Lenin instead.