Marshal of Aviation who led the 17th Air Army to Prague and commanded Soviet Air Defence Forces
On 30 October 1961, a Tu-95V of Sudets' Long-Range Aviation dropped the 50-megaton Tsar Bomba over Novaya Zemlya — the most powerful nuclear weapon ever detonated. The shockwave circled the globe several times.
A Soviet Marshal of Aviation who commanded the 17th Air Army through the Kursk, Dnieper-Carpathian, Jassy-Kishinev, and Prague offensives, earning the title Hero of the Soviet Union in 1945. Post-war, as Chief of Main Staff and Deputy C-in-C of the Air Force (1946–1949), he drove the transition to jets; as Commanding General of Long-Range Aviation (1955–1962), he led the introduction of Tu-95K missile carriers and Tu-22 supersonic bombers and oversaw the Tsar Bomba drop in 1961. As C-in-C of PVO Strany and Deputy Minister of Defence (1962–1966), he expanded low-altitude air defence and directed PVO support for Operation Anadyr during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He was among the few Soviet commanders also named People's Hero of Yugoslavia and Hero of the Mongolian People's Republic.
Activities and affiliations
- 1941–1942 Military command · Soviet Union · Military and defence
Career Timeline
- 1941–1942Commander, Air Forces of the 51st Army, then Volga Military District
- 1942–1943Commander, 1st Bomber Aviation Corps
- 1943–1946Commander, 17th Air Army
- 1946–1949Chief of Main Staff and Deputy C-in-C of the Soviet Air Force
- 1953–1955Commander, 26th Air Army
- 1955–1962Commanding General, Long-Range Aviation
- 1962–1966C-in-C of PVO Strany · Deputy Minister of Defence
- 1966–1981Inspector, Group of Inspectors General, Ministry of Defence
Related historical events
Air support in the Hungarian campaign
In autumn 1944, the 17th Air Army under Sudets supported the 3rd Ukrainian Front's effort to establish bridgeheads on the western bank of the Danube and advance into Hungary. It was tasked with covering the bridgeheads and crossings near Vatin and Apatin and helping the ground forces concentrate. Aerial reconnaissance photographed enemy defensive lines and identified troop deployments, airfields, aircraft strength and transport activity; the air army staff planned the movement of units to the Danube's western bank. Although formations were dispersed from southern Bulgaria to the approaches to Budapest, air liaison groups at ground-force command posts and radio communications maintained coordination.
Rain and damage inflicted during the German retreat made airfields difficult to use, so the air army repaired bases and redeployed units. The 31st Fighter Aviation Regiment flew hundreds of sorties from a temporary grass landing ground; when flooding made it unusable, the command moved the regiment by road to the repaired Sombor airfield. Its personnel and equipment made the move overnight without losses, and it resumed operations the next morning. On 20 November, the 17th Air Army's units flew 748 sorties, day and night, striking artillery positions and defensive strongpoints; ground troops used the opportunity to penetrate the enemy line. The air army continued supporting ground forces through the battles around Budapest and the 1945 Vienna offensive.