On September 16, a PCWCS dedicated to the 100th Birth Anniversary of Vladimir Pikalov, a military commander, a Hero of the Soviet Union, was put into postal circulation in the History of the Armed Forces of Russia series

Vladimir Pikalov (1924-2003) was the Chief of Chemical Corps of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR, a Colonel-General, and a Hero of the Soviet Union.

He was born on September 15 of 1924 in Armavir of the Krasnodar Territory. In February of 1942, he graduated from the Rostov Artillery School and from March of the same year, he was already at war on the Western, Stalingrad, Don, Steppe and 2nd Belorussian Fronts. He took part in the Battle of Moscow, the Voronezh-Voroshilovgrad defensive operation in summer – autumn of 1942, in the Battles of Stalingrad and Kursk, in the Belorussian offensive operation and other battles.

In 1952, Vladimir Pikalov graduated from the K.E. Voroshilov Military Academy of Chemical Defense. He served as the Chief of the Chemical Service of a motorized rifle division; from 1954, he was a senior combat training officer of the District Headquarters; and from 1962, the Chief of Chemical Corps of the Baltic Military Region. In 1968, he graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR. In 1968-1969, Vladimir Pikalov was a Deputy Head of the Military Academy of Chemical Defense. In 1969, he was appointed the Head of Chemical Corps of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR. He re-equipped the troops with new equipment and weapons. He has 144 invention certificates to his credit.

The most heroic page in his biography is the elimination of the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster. By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of December 24, 1986, Colonel-General Vladimir Pikalov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with presentation of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal for courage and selfless work during the mitigation of the Chernobyl NPP accident and elimination of its consequences.

The commemorative stamp provides images of warriors of different times; the main illustration features a portrait of Vladimir Pikalov against the background of the destroyed reactor of the fourth nuclear power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

In addition to the issue of the postcard with a commemorative stamp, JSC Marka produced special cancels for Moscow, Krasnodar and Ekaterinburg.


Design Artists: S. Ulyanovsky (a stamp) and R. Komsa (an illustration).
Quantity: 5 thousand postcards.

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