Վիկտոր Տալալիխինի հուշարձան, War memorial monument in central Moscow, Russia.
The Victor Talalikhin Monument stands at the fork of Talalikhina and Malaya Kalitnikovskaya streets in Moscow's Tagansky district. A bronze figure of the pilot in full flight uniform, arms at his sides and a strap across his chest, rises on a granite pedestal faced with polished reddish-brown stone. Gold Cyrillic lettering on the front names him and gives the dates 1918–1941.
In 1941 during World War II, pilot Victor Talalikhin defended Moscow's skies by ramming a German bomber in a night operation. This act became a defining moment in the city's aerial defense against invasion.
The monument's inscription, in gold letters on the pedestal, names Talalikhin as a Hero of the Soviet Union and fearless defender of Moscow, and gives his dates, 1918-1941. The names of sculptor A. V. Balashov and architects I. N. Voskresensky and I. A. Voskresenskaya are carved on the back of the pedestal, so a visitor who walks around it can read who made the memorial.
The monument stands at the fork of Talalikhina and Malaya Kalitnikovskaya streets in the Tagansky district, on a paved walkway with trees and buildings behind it. The sculptors' and architects' names are carved on the back of the pedestal, so walk around it. The site is open at all hours and free to visit.
This memorial honors one of the first daring aerial tactics in modern aviation history, where a pilot used his aircraft as a weapon to stop an attacker. This form of sacrifice was pioneering and demonstrated the dedication of pilots protecting their city.
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