On June 26, 1941, Nikolai Gastello performed a fiery ramming of a Nazi column

Nikolai Frantsevich Gastello began the Great Patriotic War as squadron commander of the 207th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment. On June 24, 1941, he performed his first feat by shooting down a German Junkers aircraft.

Exactly two days later, on June 26, Nikolai Frantsevich, 40 km from Minsk, carried out a combat mission as part of a four-aircraft group. The pilots were ordered to bomb mechanized motorized units of the Nazis that had broken through to the Maladzyechna-Radoshkovichi area. Senior Lieutenant Vorobyov and Lieutenant Navigator Rybas flew on other aircraft and became eyewitnesses to the feat.