This seemingly ordinary shirt became an exhibit at the Central Museum of the Armed Forces in the early 1990s. How did it find its way into the museum's walls? Why was it placed in a prominent position among the numerous items on display for visitors to see? There is only a short note next to the exhibit, stating that the shirt belonged to the brave pilot Yakov Smushkevich. When conducting a tour, the museum staff always stops at this exhibit. The story of the exhibit's history is highly engaging for the visitors. However, let's take things in order. ...Summer of 1937. Airport near Madrid in Spain. In front of the plane's ramp, two people were standing by a car. The car's driver was a Spaniard, and his passenger had the bearing of a military man. "Farewell, General Douglas. Spain will not forget you!" the driver said in a choked voice. - Goodbye, brother, - a strong man's handshake is better than any farewell words. It carries the memory of the military days shared with a friend in the Republican army, the battles, and the fallen comrades. The plane's engines roared with effort. We have to go. The general looked at his comrade-in-arms one last time, and then, as if remembering something, he opened his suitcase. After rummaging through his meager belongings and finding nothing suitable, he glanced at his personal items. "Keep it as a keepsake!" And the general handed the Spaniard one of his new shirts... The plane took off into the sky. It was carrying the legendary General Douglas back to Russia. It would be many years before the people of Spain learned that the famous Soviet pilot Yakov Smushkevich had fought for the Republicans under the name of General Douglas... Yakov Vladimirovich was born in the village of Rakishki in the Novo-Alekseevsky district of the Kovno province, in the family of a poor craftsman. He participated in the Civil War, first as a company political officer, and then as a regiment commissar on the Western Front. After the Civil War, h ... Read more