Lavochkin La-7 Eduard 2004 tool, 2016 box

A. Alelyukhin was in the service of the Red Army from 1938. He graduated from the Chkalov Military Aviation school (1939), the Frunze Military Academy (1948) and the Voroshilov Highest Military Academy in 1953; nowadays the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

A participant in the Great Patriotic War from 1941, he rose through the ranks from an aircraftman to the Deputy Commander of a fighter aviation regiment. He participated in the defence of Odessa, Kharkov, in offensives near Rostov, Taganrog, Melitopol and inside Germany.

In total, over the period of the War, A. Alelyukhin carried out 601 assault flights, participated in 258 dog fights, shot down 40 enemy aircraft personally and 17 within a group.

After the War, he continued to serve in the Air Force in command and staff positions.

Alexei V. Alelyukhin was awarded with the Orders of Lenin (1942, 1943), the Orders of the Red Banner (1941, 1943, 1945), the Order of Alexander Nevsky (1943), the Order of Patriotic War, 1st class (1985), the Order of the Red Banner of Labor (1968), and the Orders of the Red Star (1942, 1954).