Shevelev Mark Ivanovich (1904-1991)

Shevelev Mark Ivanovich (Izrailevich) (24.09.1904, Rēzekne ― 1991, Moscow) ― lieutenant general, Hero of the Soviet Union.
Born into an office worker's family, he finished the Rēzekne Jewish school, then a secondary school in Petrograd.
From 1920 he fought in the ranks of the Red Army, a participant in the Civil War. In 1924 he completed three years of the military department of the air communications faculty of the Leningrad Institute of Railway Engineers.
He was head of Polar Aviation of the Main Directorate of the Northern Sea Route. In May 1937 he directed the landing, in the area of the North Pole, of the expedition led by I. D. Papanin. From 1939 ― deputy head of the Main Directorate of the Northern Sea Route.
In 1941―44 he fought on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War as deputy commander of an air division (in 1941), and chief of staff of long-range aviation (in 1942―44). In 1944―46 he was head of the Krasnoyarsk―Alaska air route. He was promoted to major general of aviation on 5 May 1942, and lieutenant general of aviation on 25 March 1943.
He was awarded two Orders of Lenin, the Order of Kutuzov 2nd Class, the Order of the Patriotic War 1st Class, three Orders of the Red Banner of Labour, three Orders of the Red Star, and medals.
In 1946―53 he was deputy head of the Main Directorate of Civil Air Fleet.
In 1955 he graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff and served as head of the Polar Aviation directorate of the Civil Air Fleet.
He was discharged on 10 May 1971.

Lit.: Sverdlov F. D. Jews ― Generals of the Armed Forces of the USSR (Brief biographies). Moscow, 1993. P. 239.

I. Rochko