| Lev Vaksman | |
| Fictional Character | |
| The Hot War POD: November, 1950 | |
| Appearance(s): | Fallout |
| Type of Appearance: | Direct |
| Nationality: | Russian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Date of Birth: | 20th century |
| Religion: | Officially atheist, culturally Jewish |
| Occupation: | Pilot, radio operator |
| Military Branch: | Soviet Air Force (World War III) |
First Lieutenant Lev Vaksman was a radio operator in the Soviet Red Air Force during World War III. He was assigned to the Tu-4 piloted by Boris Gribkov in January 1952. For his part, Gribkov was nervous about having the Jewish Vaksman in his crew. The crew began training for mid-air refueling, using a technique based on one the Germans had actually attempted to use to refuel their submarines.[1]
In May 1952, he participated in the atomic bombing of Washington, DC.[2] The crew ditched in the ocean, and were picked up by the submarine S-71, commanded by Alexei Vavilov[3] which carried the crew to Kem, the only viable port in the White Sea the Soviet Union had left. Without much fanfare, they then were placed on a train and sent to Petrozavodsk.[4]
They were in Tula in June 1952 when Joseph Stalin was killed in Omsk, and Lavrenty Beria succeeded him.[5] When Beria was ousted and replaced by Vyacheslav Molotov, the war in Europe halted, and the crew received a brief respite from fighting.[6] In July 1952, they were assigned to attack Budapest with conventional ordinance, and not atomics. Vaksman and the crew were then stationed in Mogilev, Belarus.[7] He was part of bombing raid on Warsaw, Poland, which had just been seized by the Red Army.[8]
Vaksman had a peculiar sense of humor. When Gribkov off-handedly noted that Soviets had copied the U.S. B-29, Vaksman "corrected" him, claiming Comrade Reguspatoff was clever. He then clarified that this wasn't a person, it stood for "Registered-U.S. Patent Office." When Gribkov wondered which regulation stated every outfit had to have one "crazy Zhid", Vaksman had a quick and convincing legal citation.[9]
References[]
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