Piercing Fire: The Story of How a Soviet Pilot Became an Indian Chief

This unusual story is literally full of mysteries. It is so overgrown with myths and unexpected discoveries that it is simply marvelous. As a result, there is a strong impression that all the facts are hidden in a suitcase with a double bottom. The fate of our hero is still of genuine interest. We offer to try to understand it.

A brave pilot

A combat pilot, Guards Captain Ivan Datsenko, Hero of the Soviet Union, was born on November 29, 1918 in the village of Chernechiy Yar near Gogol’s Dikanka. He grew up in an ordinary family, and the peasant origin promised the boy a bright future.

After graduating from the seven-year school, Ivan will enter a zooveterinary school. Then briefly worked in his specialty. In 1937 Datsenko will be drafted into the Red Army. Here a rural boy suddenly awakens a craving for the sky. On the recommendation of senior comrades the active Komsomol member will join the Party. And then – to the Chkalov flying school.

From the very beginning of the Great Patriotic War Ivan Datsenko participated in combat sorties. It should be noted that the pilot fought bravely and skillfully. In the summer of 1942 he was severely wounded, but managed to land the war machine at his native airfield from the last strength, overcoming the pain.

Ivan Datsenko participated in the famous Battle of Stalingrad: his attack aircraft successfully carried out bombing strikes on Nazi positions. By that time he was considered an experienced and successful pilot. Orders of Lenin, Red Banner decorated the chest of the combat officer, and on September 18, 1943 he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Ivan Datsenko had time to visit his homeland. For the village of Chernechiy Yar it was a whole event, which remained in the memory of the inhabitants for a long time. The vacation among relatives and friends flew by quickly. Soon Guards Captain Ivan Datsenko went to his long-range aviation regiment. It was the last meeting of the combat pilot with his relatives.

Disappearance without a trace

On April 19, 1944, after a successful mission, when the railway station Lvov-2 was destroyed, Ivan Datsenko’s plane came under fire from German anti-aircraft guns. The machine crashed to the ground and exploded. All this happened before the eyes of other pilots, who were returning to the airfield after the bombing.

A funeral came to the native village of the Hero of the Soviet Union. And a little later Ivan Datsenko’s personal belongings were delivered. He was recognized as missing in action on enemy territory.

Ivan Datsenko was remembered only in the 1980s, and with pomp, a symbolic monument was solemnly erected in Bryukhovichi, on the territory of the pioneer camp – the supposed place where Datsenko’s plane crashed. A little later a granite slab appeared in the hero’s native village. On it immortalized the names of Ivan Datsenko and members of his crew.

Unexpected news

The news that the glorious pilot is alive and lives in Canada, sounded like thunder. It turns out that Ivan Datsenko is now an Iroquois chief and a respected man on the Indian reservation. He goes by the name Piercing Fire, and white people call him John McComber. This sensation has stirred the world. There was an unprecedented excitement around the identity of the former combat pilot.

Although it should be noted that interest in Ivan Datsenko appeared even earlier. According to the famous Soviet dancer Mahmud Esambayev, who was part of the delegation that flew to Quebec for the World Expo 67, he met Datsenko quite by chance during a tour of an Indian reservation.

Daria Ivanovna – Ivan Datsenko’s sister – received a photograph of her brother from Esambayev. But soon the famous dancer suddenly stopped communicating with the aviator’s relatives. And later he refused to say anything at all. He began to say that he had never seen Ivan Datsenko in the image of the Iroquois leader. The videotape from the Indian festival in the reservation (Esambayev himself had filmed it) also disappeared. According to him, the material was allegedly burned in a fire.

The much-talked-about photo of Ivan Datsenko

The notorious photo by Ivan Datsenko

The first program “Wait for Me”, dedicated to the life of Ivan Datsenko, was released on January 28, 2002. Here the program hosts told about the transcript of Esambayev’s speech at the All-Union meeting of cultural workers in Zhitomir on March 29, 1991. Here is what he told then:

“That day was a day off. We came. 800-900 people danced at the same time: men, women, children. Beautiful to the point of impossibility! I asked: “Where is the leader?” And then I see a tall, sturdy man walking towards me. All decorated, with a festive feather decoration on his head. He was my height, perhaps even taller. Next to him stood a beautiful Indian wife. And then he bowed and said, “Bless you! Good afternoon. I’m happy to greet you. Please come to my hut.”

There were more than 20 people who recognized the famous pilot in the photo. Ivan’s own sister did not doubt the authenticity of the photo. The famous expert criminalist Sergei Nikitin with the help of a thorough study also came to the conclusion: the photo really depicts Datsenko.

In 2010 in St. Petersburg was published a book “Heroes of the Soviet Union. Handbook.” And on one of the pages you can find a curious entry: “Datsenko Ivan Ivanovich… Died in Canada. Iroquois Reservation. In the 1980s.” It seemed that now everything is very clear. And we can rightfully say that the “Indian from the farm near Dikanka” left a noticeable trace far from his homeland. It was in Canada that former Guards Captain Ivan Datsenko found personal happiness, respect and… the last shelter.

However, it is too early to put an end to this extremely confusing story …

The investigation continues

There are facts that still make one doubt the authenticity of this story. For example, on that tragic day, when the crew of the Hero of the Soviet Union died, his battle comrades noticed one significant discrepancy. After a direct hit by a German shell in the car, no one ever saw the parachute domes unravel. And it seems that neither Ivan Datsenko nor his navigator had time to get out of the burning car. The airplane exploded from the impact with the ground and flew into debris. The pilots’ survival in this situation would be tantamount to a miracle.

Other information is also confusing. In 1936, a man named Piercing Fire opened an Indian Museum in Canada. At this time, Ivan Datsenko was still a vet and was preparing for service in the Red Army.

We should also add that a man named John McComber was not even on the reservation. Although the surname was well known in Kanawaka. Its founder is considered to be Jarvis McComber, a Protestant who left his native Massachusetts in search of a piece of bread and settled in Canada.

This happened in 1796. In Canada, Jarvis quickly became a Catholic, a successful fur trapper. He married an Indian woman, Charlotte, then two more women. The result of his turbulent family life – 26 children, who after the death of his father was not poor and thanked his parent for his business acumen.

One of the descendants of Jarvis McComber invented a kind of business: opened a huge “tepee” with all the Indian accessories – a great lure for tourists. And at the same time he became the chief of the reservation.

Unfortunately, there is only one way to shed light on the truth connected with the fantastic story of Ivan Datsenko. This is possible only if the exact place of the battle crew’s death is found and the airplane with the remains of Soviet officers is recovered.

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