Golovanov, Aleksandr

Born July 25 (Aug. 7), 1904, in Nizhny Novgorod, now Gorky. Soviet military leader. Chief air marshal (1944). Became a member of the CPSU in 1929. Son of a worker.

Golovanov volunteered for the Red Army in May 1919 and took part in the Civil War. He graduated from the flying school of the N. E. Zhukovskii Central Aerohydrodynamics Institute in 1932 and worked in the civilian air fleet from 1933 to 1941. He participated in the battle actions on the river Khalkhin-Gol in 1939 and the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939–40. In February 1941 he became commander of the long-range bomber aviation regiment. During the Great Patriotic War he held a series of posts: he became commander of the long-range air division in August 1941, commander of long-range aviation in February 1942, and commander of the Eighteenth Air Army in December 1944. He took part in the East Prussian and Berlin operations. In April 1946 he became commander of long-range aviation. He graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff in 1950. Golovanov has been in the reserve since September 1953. He was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the second convocation. He has been awarded two Orders of Lenin, three Orders of the Red Banner, three Orders of Suvorov First Class, the Order of the Red Star, two foreign orders, and medals.