The youngest pilot of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945)was 14 year old Arkady Kamanin.

In 1941, when he was only 14 years old, he began to fly, flatly refusing to go evacuate. Before his eyes, Arkadi had an example of his father – the famous pilot and Hero of the Soviet Union, military leader Nikolai Petrovich Kamanin.
Arkady, the youngest of the pilots, who received the nickname “Letunok” (Little flyer) was taken care of as best they could. But war is war, and his father General Kamanin gave orders to Sergeant Kamanin, sending him on flights, each of which could be the last.

The first award was given to the teenager at the age of 15 – it was the Order of the Red Star. Arkady rescued the pilot of the Il-2 attack plane, which crashed in the neutral zone. The Germans were preparing a sortie, intending to capture the pilots, however Soviet infantrymen covered Arkady with fire. Later he was also awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
Arkady died in 1947 at the age of 20 from meningitis. In his short life, he had flown over 650 missions and flown over 283 hours.
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Photo: Sergeant Arkady Kamanin.