Naum Shusterman

Naum Semenovich Shusterman was a Lieutenant Colonel of the Soviet Union, who served as the Chief Engineer of the 43rd Soviet Fighter Aviation Regiment during the Great Patriotic War.

Early Life
Shusterman was born on the 18th of August 1912, in Kiev, Ukraine, to parents Shendlya and Simeon Shusterman. He had four sisters.

Military Service
At the age of 18, Shusterman attended the Military Aviation Engineer Academy of Leningrad. He remained there for three years, and learned numerous technicalities of military aircraft. In 1930, Shusterman enlisted in the 16th Aviation Army of the USSR, where he served as an Engineer of the 3rd rank.

Great Patriotic War
During the Winter War and the Great Patriotic War, Shusterman served as a Captain and later as a Major, holding the position of Chief Engineer of the 43rd Soviet Fighter Aviation Regiment. Serving all over the Eastern Bloc, he participated in the defense of Kiev, Stalingrad and Leningrad, in the liberation of Warsaw and in the capture of Berlin. Shusterman became one of the few people who fought in the war from beginning to end.

Later Service and Discharge
In 1950, Shusterman was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He continued to serve as Chief Engineer until his discharge. Shusterman, aged 42, was honorably discharged from the Soviet Army in 1954 on account of illness. His discharge conditions gave him rights to wear his military uniform.

Death
Even though in 1975 Shusterman attended the 30th Anniverasry of Victory celebrations in Moscow, his health slowly began to deteriorate. He was admitted to the Kiev War Hospital in February 1976, where he spent the final three months of his life. On the 25th of April 1976, Shusterman died of lung cancer. He was aged 63.

Personal Life
Shusterman married Elisabeth Chernyak in 1934, and in 1936, they had their first son, Alexander. In 1937, Elisabeth gave birth to twins, Arnold and Mikhail.

Awards and Decorations
Apart from receiving many commemorative medals, Shusterman received seven Orders and seven campaign medals:
 * Order of Lenin
 * Order of the Red Banner
 * Order of the Red Star (three times)
 * Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class
 * Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd class


 * Medal for Battle Merit
 * Medal "For the Defence of Stalingrad"
 * Medal "For the Defence of the Caucasus"
 * Medal "For the Defence of Kiev"
 * Medal "For the Capture of Berlin"
 * Medal "For the Liberation of Warsaw"
 * Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"