During the early days of the Great Patriotic War, on 26th June of 1941 a heavy bomber under the command of Captain Gastello was hit in the fuel tank during a raid on major railway station. Gastello directed the burning aircraft at German trains tanks and fuel, and the crash inflicted major damage o nte enemy. Gastello was nominated The Hero of the Soviet Union. The 3 crewmembers ofwere awarded with the Order of The Great Patriotic War 1st class. The heroic deed of Gastello became well-known, commemorated in a song by Aram Ilyich Khachaturian, as well as the base named after [ie imeni] Gastello.
