In early May 1907, the distinguished Soviet military pilot and participant in three wars, hero of the Great Patriotic War, Nikolai Gastello, was born in Moscow. Nikolai began his military career in 1932, a year after graduating from the 1st Lugansk Aviation School, serving in the 82nd heavy bombardment squadron of the 21st air brigade. In 1939, while serving in the 1st heavy bombardment aviation regiment, Gastello participated in the battles of Khalkhin Gol and the Soviet-Finnish War. A year later, he received the rank of aviation captain, and in May 1941 — on the eve of the Great Patriotic War — he was appointed commander of a squadron in the 207th long-range bombardment regiment, equipped with DB-3F bombers. Nikolai Gastello is remembered in history for his act of heroism, known as the "fire ram". On the fourth day of the war, June 26, 1941, his crew took off in a DB-3F to bomb a German mechanized column on the Molodechno-Radoshkovichi road. The plane was shot down. Gastello, at the cost of his own life and at the controls of the burning plane, directed it towards the column of fascist machinery. Dozens of enemy combat vehicles were instantly destroyed by the plane's explosion. For this feat, he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, receiving the "Gold Star" medal and the Order of Lenin. During the Great Patriotic War, Gastello's deed was repeated by over 800 Soviet pilots who fought the enemy until the final moments.