Heroes of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 and their exploits
The fighting has long since died down. Veterans are leaving one by one. But the heroes of the Second World War of 1941-1945 and their exploits will forever remain in the memory of grateful descendants. This article will tell you about the most prominent personalities of those years and their immortal deeds. Some were still very young, while others were no longer young. Each of the heroes has their own character and their own destiny. But all of them were united by love for the Motherland and a willingness to sacrifice themselves for its good.Alexander Matrosov
Orphanage student Sasha Matrosov went to war at the age of 18. Immediately after the infantry school he was sent to the front. February 1943 turned out to be “hot”. Alexander’s battalion went on the attack, and at some point the guy, along with several comrades, was surrounded. There was no way to break through to our own people - the enemy machine guns were firing too densely.
Soon Sailors was the only one left alive. His comrades died under bullets. The young man had only a few seconds to make a decision. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the last in his life. Wanting to bring at least some benefit to his native battalion, Alexander Matrosov rushed to the embrasure, covering it with his body. The fire went silent. The Red Army attack was ultimately successful - the Nazis retreated. And Sasha went to heaven as a young and handsome 19-year-old guy...
Marat Kazei
When the Great Patriotic War began, Marat Kazei was only twelve. He lived in the village of Stankovo with his sister and parents. In 1941 he found himself under occupation. Marat's mother helped the partisans, providing them with her shelter and feeding them. One day the Germans found out about this and shot the woman. Left alone, the children, without hesitation, went into the forest and joined the partisans.
Marat, who managed to complete only four classes before the war, helped his older comrades as best he could. He was even taken on reconnaissance missions; and he also took part in undermining German trains. In 1943, the boy was awarded the medal “For Courage” for the heroism shown during the breakthrough of the encirclement. The boy was wounded in that terrible battle.
And in 1944, Kazei was returning from reconnaissance with an adult partisan. The Germans noticed them and began to fire. The senior comrade died. Marat fired back to the last bullet. And when he had only one grenade left, the teenager let the Germans get closer and blew himself up along with them. He was 15 years old.
Alexey Maresyev
The name of this man is known to every resident of the former Soviet Union. After all, we are talking about a legendary pilot. Alexey Maresyev was born in 1916 and dreamed of the sky since childhood. Even the rheumatism suffered did not become an obstacle to my dream. Despite the doctors' prohibitions, Alexey entered the flying class - they accepted him after several futile attempts.
In 1941, the stubborn young man went to the front. The sky turned out to be not what he dreamed of. But it was necessary to defend the Motherland, and Maresyev did everything for this. One day his plane was shot down. Wounded in both legs, Alexei managed to land the car in territory captured by the Germans and even somehow made his way to his own.
But time was lost. The legs were “devoured” by gangrene, and they had to be amputated. Where can a soldier go without both limbs? After all, she’s completely crippled... But Alexey Maresyev was not one of those. He remained in service and continued to fight the enemy.
As many as 86 times the winged machine with the hero on board managed to take to the sky. Maresyev shot down 11 German planes. The pilot was lucky to survive that terrible war and feel the heady taste of victory. He died in 2001. “The Tale of a Real Man” by Boris Polevoy is a work about him. It was Maresyev’s feat that inspired the author to write it.
Zinaida Portnova
Born in 1926, Zina Portnova faced the war as a teenager. At that time, the native Leningrad resident was visiting relatives in Belarus. Once in the occupied territory, she did not sit on the sidelines, but joined the partisan movement. I pasted leaflets, established contacts with the underground...
In 1943, the Germans grabbed the girl and dragged her to their lair. During the interrogation, Zina somehow managed to take a pistol from the table. She shot her tormentors - two soldiers and an investigator.
It was a heroic act, which made the Germans' attitude towards Zina even more brutal. It is impossible to convey in words the torment that the girl experienced during the terrible torture. But she was silent. The Nazis could not squeeze a word out of her. As a result, the Germans shot their captive without achieving anything from the heroine Zina Portnova.
Andrey Korzun
Andrei Korzun turned thirty in 1941. He was called to the front immediately, being sent to become an artilleryman. Korzun took part in terrible battles near Leningrad, during one of which he was seriously wounded. It was November 5, 1943.While falling, Korzun noticed that the ammunition warehouse had started to catch fire. It was urgent to put out the fire, otherwise a huge explosion threatened to take many lives. Somehow, bleeding and suffering from pain, the artilleryman crawled to the warehouse. The artilleryman had no strength left to take off his overcoat and throw it into the flames. Then he covered the fire with his body. There was no explosion. Andrei Korzun did not survive.
Leonid Golikov
Another young hero is Lenya Golikov. Born in 1926. Lived in the Novgorod region. When the war began, he left to become a partisan. This teenager had plenty of courage and determination. Leonid destroyed 78 fascists, a dozen enemy trains and even a couple of bridges.
The explosion that went down in history and carried away the German general Richard von Wirtz was his doing. The car of an important rank went up in the air, and Golikov took possession of valuable documents, for which he received the Hero’s star.
The brave partisan died in 1943 near the village of Ostray Luka during a German attack. The enemy significantly outnumbered our fighters, and they had no chance. Golikov fought until his last breath.
These are just six stories out of a great many that permeate the entire war. Everyone who has completed it, who has brought victory even one moment closer, is already a hero. Thanks to people like Maresyev, Golikov, Korzun, Matrosov, Kazei, Portnova and millions of other Soviet soldiers, the world got rid of the brown plague of the 20th century. And the reward for their exploits was eternal life!
Veteran of the Great Patriotic War Ksenia Pavlovna Karpunina
Commissioner of the 2nd Squadron of the 46th Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment of the 325th Night Bomber Aviation Division of the 4th Air Army of the 2nd Belorussian Front, Guard Captain. In the Red Army since 1941. In the active army since May 1942. As part of the regiment, she took part in the battle for the Caucasus and the liberation of Kuban and Crimea. In 1943, due to the liquidation of the post of commissar, she left the regiment.
Veterans of the Great Patriotic War Antonov P.V. and Parshutkin V.T..
Antonov Pavel was born into a peasant family in the village. Starkovo, Moscow province, Bronnitsky district, Zagornovsky volost on January 13, 1902.
Parshutkin Vasily Trofimovich was born on January 11, 1919. in the village of Krasny-Shadym, Mordovian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.
Zapevalov Alexander Ivanovich
Alexander Ivanovich Zapevalov was born in 1897 in the village of Voskresenskoye, Cherepovets district. Vologda region. Member of the CPSU.
On the eve of the Great Patriotic War, he worked in the People's Commissariat of Finance of the RSFSR. During the war he was at the front. Later, behind enemy lines, he was the commander of a sabotage group, the secretary of the party organization of the detachment, and later the Budyonny brigade.
Awarded the Order of the Red Star and nine medals.
Participants of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. –
Heroes of the Soviet Union, residents of the Northern Medvedkovo district
Hero of the Soviet Union
BORISKIN Pyotr Nikitovich
Boriskin Pyotr Nikitovich was born on July 20, 1921 in the village of Asanovo, Korablinsky district Ryazan region in a peasant family. In 1939, he graduated from the 7th grade of Nikitinskaya junior high school and went to Moscow to live with his older sister. Got a job as a milling machine operator at plant No. 8 named after. Kalinin in the city of Kaliningrad, Moscow region. On October 10, 1940, the Mytishchi RVC was drafted into the Red Army. He served in the Volga Military District in the 3rd Tank Division, in reconnaissance. battalion as a signalman-motorcyclist.
From October 1941 to December 15, 1942 Boriskin P.N. on the Volkhov Front, where the command of the unit noticed the brave motorcyclist and sent him to study at the Kazan Tank School, which he graduated in 1943. Having received the rank of junior lieutenant, he becomes a tank commander. He fights in the 87th separate tank regiment, which soon became the Red Banner Zhytomyr Regiment, which was part of the 15th Guards Mechanized Division, 1st Ukrainian Front.
Junior Lieutenant Boriskin P.N. with the crew of his tank he took part in many combat operations. He especially distinguished himself in battle when, in the direction of Art. Saw his tank as part of a platoon was in the Zimforst area. On the night of January 27-28, 1945, the enemy launched a counterattack with superior forces, which resulted in cutting off 4 tanks of the mechanized corps and the 21st Guards Cavalry Regiment from the rest of the division. The situation in this area has become serious. Then junior lieutenant Boriskin led his tank out of the ambush and, as part of a platoon, in night conditions and in difficult terrain, went on the offensive against the enemy group. Only thanks to the brave and decisive actions of the tankers, the position of the 21st Guards Cavalry Regiment was restored, the enemy was thrown back to the previously occupied line of defense with heavy losses for him. In this battle Boriskin P.N. destroyed 2 tanks, 1 cannon and scattered up to a company of enemy infantry.
In the battles to capture a bridgehead on the western bank of the Oder River, on January 31, 1945, Junior Lieutenant Boriskin received an order to support the combat operations of the 27th Guards Cavalry Regiment on the western bank of the Oder River along the Oderbrück-Leng road with fire and maneuver of a tank. His tank was attacked by 4 enemy self-propelled guns. The brave officer entered into single combat with them, and, despite the fact that the superiority of forces was one to four, Boriskin P.N. emerged victorious and destroyed two enemy self-propelled guns along with their crews. The rest turned back.
With his bold and decisive actions, Junior Lieutenant Boriskin ensured the safe entry of division units to the crossing. An enemy shell knocked out and set fire to his tank. The crew was completely disabled, the driver was killed, and the radiotelegraph operator was seriously wounded. Junior Lieutenant Boriskin, being wounded, did not leave the tank and crew, but remained in the tank until the unit commander ordered to go to the hospital. Burning with hatred for the enemy, Boriskin P.N. did not go to the hospital, but sat on another tank and rushed into battle again, where he destroyed 1 tank, 2 armored personnel carriers with fire from a tank cannon, suppressed the fire of one mortar battery and destroyed up to a company of enemy infantry.
For the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command in the battles for the capture and retention of a bridgehead on the western bank of the Oder River, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated June 27, 1945, junior lieutenant Pyotr Nikitovich Boriskin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.
After the war, in 1947, Lieutenant Boriskin P.N. He graduated from advanced training courses for officers at the Ulyanovsk Tank School and continued to serve in the Soviet Army. In 1953, with the rank of captain, he retired to the reserve, and until his retirement he lived and worked in the Moscow region, in the village of Lokomotivny, Solnechnogorsk district. After retirement Boriskin P.N. moved to Moscow and lived in Northern Medvedkovo on Polyarnaya Street. On April 8, 1990, he died and was buried at the Preobrazhenskoye cemetery.
For service to the Motherland, Hero of the Soviet Union Boriskin Pyotr Nikitovich was awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Patriotic War 1st degree, medals “For Military Merit”, “For the Defense of Leningrad”, “For Victory over Germany” and many others. His name is engraved in the list of Heroes of the Soviet Union in the Hall of Fame at Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow.
Hero of the Soviet Union
EFIMOV Ivan Nikolaevich
Retired lieutenant colonel Ivan Nikolaevich Efimov was born on October 23, 1918 in the village of Novotroitskoye, Ternovsky district Voronezh region in a peasant family. After finishing 7th grade in 1936, he left for Moscow. He worked at a car depot and at the same time was involved in a flying club, which he dreamed of from early childhood. In 1940 he was drafted into the Red Army and sent to the school of junior aviation specialists. In 1943 he graduated from the Ulyanovsk Military Aviation Pilot School. Since February 1944, Efimov I.N. In the active army, he flies Ilah, first as an ordinary attack pilot, then as an aviation flight commander of the 565th Assault Aviation Regiment, 224th Assault Aviation Division, 8th Assault Aviation Corps, 8th Air Army, 4th Ukrainian Front. In March 1944, the 224th Assault Aviation Division relocated from the Moscow region to Ukraine.
In 1944, he took part in the battles for the liberation of Western Ukraine, including the cities of Starokonstantinov, Chernivtsi, Stanislav (Ivano-Frankivsk), Drohobych, Lvov, and in the battles for the liberation of the Carpathians. March 19, 1944, as part of a group of 8 aircraft Efimov I.N. . flew to attack enemy troops and military equipment. Going on the attack, he brought down the full power of his plane’s fire on the enemy. Using machine guns and cannons, he fired at the Nazis holed up in trenches and trenches, and attacked enemy artillery and mortar batteries with rockets and bombs.
In July 1944, having broken through the enemy’s defenses, our troops rapidly moved forward. Already on the approaches to Lvov, the command learned that the enemy was preparing a counterattack. Southeast of the city, the Nazis concentrated a large number of tanks and assault guns. And again Efimov I.N. on a combat course. Despite strong enemy anti-aircraft fire, his group destroyed 5 enemy tanks on this flight. Combat sorties for Efimov I.N. have become commonplace. It was especially difficult in the Carpathians. Flying between the mountains, he sought out and delivered crushing blows to concentrations of enemy troops in narrow gorges and passes. In 1945, Efimov I.N. participated in the liberation of Poland, in the battles over the Oder and in Czechoslovakia.
In February 1945, Efimov I.N., the leader of eight attack aircraft, flew to attack the Zebrzydowice station in Polish Silesia. As he approached it, he noticed an enemy fortified area. The enemy met the Soviet planes with strong barrage fire. The “Ilys” formed a battle formation and suppressed anti-aircraft batteries; others, at the command of the leader, attacked the armored train, fired at it with rockets, and then struck with anti-tank bombs. The task was completed - the armored train was destroyed.
Another time, Efimov was given the task of scouting out an enemy crossing across the Oder River. The pilots Efimov and Fufachev could not find any signs of it. And when they were reconnaissance of the approaches to the river, trying to find at least access roads behind enemy lines, enemy anti-aircraft gunners opened strong barrage fire. The wingman fired a salvo of rockets at the firing position of the fascist anti-aircraft gunners located near the very bank of the river. At the same time, Efimov dropped several bombs. One of them fell into the water not far from the shore. After the explosion, fragments of logs and boards floated down the river. The crossing, hidden under water at a depth of 15–25 centimeters, was discovered and attacked by Soviet attack aircraft. The bombs hit their target exactly.
By April 1945, the flight commander of the 565th attack air regiment, senior lieutenant Efimov I.N. made 142 combat missions to reconnaissance and attack railway trains, armored trains, crossings, and concentrations of enemy troops.
For the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command on the front of the fight against the Nazi invaders and the courage and heroism demonstrated by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated June 29, 1945, senior lieutenant Ivan Nikolaevich Efimov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal. "
In total, during the war years, Efimov made 183 combat missions to attack enemy military targets. The deputy squadron commander, Senior Lieutenant Efimov, made his last combat flight on May 8, 1945. It was near the city of Olomouc in Czechoslovakia.
On June 24, 1945, Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Nikolaevich Efimov participated in the Victory Parade on Red Square in Moscow.
At the end of the Great Patriotic War, Ivan Nikolaevich Efimov served in the military for over ten years. Air Force, conscientiously fulfilling his military duty. The front-line soldier trained young pilots and generously passed on his rich combat experience to them. Died March 10, 2010.
Ivan Nikolaevich for service to the Motherland, courage and bravery shown in battles with the Nazis, was awarded the Order of Lenin, two Orders of the Red Banner, two Orders of the Patriotic War 1st degree, two Orders of the Red Star, the medal “For Victory over Germany” and the 18th other medals. His name is engraved in the list of Heroes of the Soviet Union in the Hall of Fame on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow.
Efimov Ivan Nikolaevich lived next to us on Zarevo Proezd.
From the memories of participants in the Great Patriotic War, residents of the Northern Medvedkovo region
Veteran of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.
ALEXEEV Ivan Sergeevich.
I, Ivan Sergeevich Alekseev, was born on January 14, 1927 in the village of Oskolishche, Volokonovsky district, Kursk (now Belgorod) region into a peasant family. I don't remember my parents. When I was five years old, there was a terrible famine in the country, there was nothing to eat and my parents, saving me from starvation, dropped off at an orphanage, and then disappeared. I never saw them again, and later found out that they had died. He was brought up and grew up in an orphanage. In 1941, as the Nazis approached our area, our orphanage was evacuated to Uzbekistan, to the city of Namangan.
There I continued to study at a regular school, but, given my inclination and passion for music, I was transferred as a student to the 2nd Moscow School of Military Musicians, which was also located in Namangan. The school was headed by Colonel Zlobin. Before the war, this school opened all parades on Red Square. In 1944, the head of the military band service of the Red Army, General Chernetsky, came to the school to check and ensure that the school was ready to return to Moscow. That same year, the school of military musicians returned to Moscow, including me.
Soon I was drafted into the army and sent to serve in the military orchestra at the Higher School of Bandmasters of the Red Army. With this orchestra, as part of the combined orchestra, I took part in the Victory Parade in Moscow on Red Square on June 24, 1945.
In 1945, I entered this higher school to study, graduated in 1949 and was sent as a conductor to a separate Moscow special-purpose division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He served in various positions until 1987. He retired with the rank of colonel from the post of head of the military band service of a special purpose division.
For service to the Motherland I have awards: the medal “For Victory over Germany” and other anniversary medals, 14 medals in total.
Participant of the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945.
ZHIDKOV Elisey Grigorievich
I, Zhidkov Elisey Grigorievich, was born on June 12, 1917 in Belarus. In 1939 he graduated from the Minsk Infantry School and was awarded the military rank of lieutenant.
During the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945, as an officer in the operational department of the headquarters of the 38th Army (second formation), he was directly involved in the preparation and conduct of operations carried out by army troops.
The first major offensive operation in which the 38th Army took part was the Voronezh-Kastornenskaya. This operation is the beginning of the main victorious march of the 38th Army towards Victory over fascism. By March 1943, the army fought its way to the line east of Sumy. In July-August she took part in the Battle of Kursk. Then the defeat of the Nazis on the left bank of Ukraine and participation in the heroic crossing of the Dnieper. Played a decisive role in the liberation of the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv.
From January 1943 until the victorious end of the war, the 38th Army almost continuously advanced to the west. Hundreds of Soviet cities and thousands of villages were liberated, including: Sumy, Kyiv, Zhitomir, Vinnitsa, Lvov. Participated in the defeat of the enemy in Poland and Czechoslovakia.
The range of duties of an operations officer was large, complex and sometimes deadly. In addition to direct participation in planning and organizing combat operations, collecting and summarizing situational data, developing combat documents and bringing them to the executors, he carried out combat missions related to command and control of troops in various types battle.
During the crossing of the Dnieper, I was on the bridgehead in the Lyutezh area as a representative of the Army Military Council to adjust the combat operations of the military branches and monitor the progress of the battle to expand the bridgehead and prepare for the development of the offensive.
On January 28, 1944, during the operation to liberate right-bank Ukraine, a difficult situation developed in the zone of action of the 17th Guards Rifle Corps. The enemy, with a large number of tanks and motorized infantry, broke through the battle formations of our troops, cut off railway south of the Lipovets station and continued to advance towards the village of Vladimirovka, threatening to reach the rear of our army.
Army Commander General Moskalenko K.S. decided to urgently turn around the tank brigade, which was on the march, and counterattack the enemy. I had to convey this order to the corps commander and the commander of the tank brigade. However, there was no communication with the corps and brigade at that time. I was ordered to urgently deliver the commander's order to its destination on a U-2 plane. On approach to the corps headquarters, our plane was attacked by two enemy fighters. The pilot, a senior lieutenant, began to cling to the ground, trying to land, but was wounded in the air, and our plane crashed into the snow. I was sitting on the plane untethered, and I was thrown out of the plane about 30 meters forward. At this time, the Messerschmitts fired at our plane a second time, trying to burn it down. We fell on neutral territory. Enemy tanks are firing on one side, and our artillery on the other. The pilot was killed, I took his documents, ran to the corps headquarters and handed the commander's order to the corps commander.
When we were flying, communication with the building was restored. The corps commander received this order by radio and at the same time reported that our plane was shot down and the officer and pilot were killed. I walked about 40 kilometers to the army headquarters and reported to the commander that I had handed the order to the corps commander. The pilot was posthumously awarded the Order of the Red Star.
In the battles on the right bank of Ukraine, the army continued to develop its offensive, repelling enemy counterattacks. The army command post moved behind the troops at a short distance. The enemy, holding back our advance, counterattacked with Tiger tanks. Some of our fighters could not stand it and began to retreat in panic. The army commander sends me to the threatened area to find out the situation. I and the soldiers of the security company went to the battle formations of the troops. We managed to stop the fleeing people in front of the army headquarters by firing machine guns over their heads and by our personal example. One lieutenant with the remnants of the 45 mm gun crew fled in panic from the tanks and stopped in front of the house where the commander was located. At this time I reported to the commander that the situation had been restored and the enemy attack had been repulsed. General Colonel Moskalenko saw an officer with a cannon through the window and ordered him to be brought to him. The lieutenant reported in fright: “Everyone died, two soldiers and I survived.” The commander ordered me to shoot the officer. I took him away from the house, shot upward twice, and told the lieutenant: “Run quickly to your unit and continue to fight for real.” I felt sorry for the young officer; he will come to his senses and will still benefit the Motherland.
In difficult battle conditions, when unit commanders were out of action, he took control. More than once he led mobile groups to destroy the enemy who had infiltrated the flanks and joints of the battle formations of our troops.
September - October 1944, the 38th Army carried out the Carpathian-Duklensk operation. Units of the 70th Guards Division in the area southwest of the city of Ivli, finding themselves cut off from the main forces of the army, fought stubborn battles surrounded by the enemy on September 15 and 16. Army Commander K.S. Moskalenko He sent officers of the operational department to this difficult area - Lieutenant Colonel M.A. Syvak, Major O.A. Lyshko. and me - Major E.G. Zhidkov. In difficult conditions of encirclement, when a number of commanders were out of action, we more than once took control of units and restored the situation in threatened areas. In a battle with the enemy, Syvak and Lyshko were killed; by a lucky coincidence, I remained alive.
Often it was necessary to provide commanders of formations and units with assistance in preparing, organizing and conducting combat. Exercise control over the accomplishment by troops of the tasks determined by the order. Provide army command with data on the position of troops during the battle, and if conflicting information is received, clarify it with direct presence at the front line or line occupied by advanced units.
The front commander, Army General I.E. Petrov, arrived at the army command post. A decision was made to bring in the second echelon of the army to develop the offensive. In the direction of the entry of the 2nd echelon, fierce battles were fought for a large populated area by two divisions. One division commander reports that this settlement is occupied by the Germans, the second - that it is not. If it is busy, the 2nd echelon must be entered and vice versa. There was an urgent need to clarify the veracity of the information on this report. The commander sends me urgently to clarify the situation on the spot. When I drove up to the checkpoint in my car, our car was fired upon with automatic weapons, and the settlement itself was littered with soldier corpses—ours and the enemy’s. On the outskirts, a command post of one regiment of our division was discovered in the attic of a house. The settlement was not occupied by the enemy; fierce battles were fought for it. Based on my report, which was truthful, the necessary decision was made to bring the second echelon into battle.
In the Carpathians in the Dukla direction, he acted in fierce battles together with officers of the Czechoslovak Corps.
It seems to me that there is no need to list all the combat activities of an officer in the operations department of the headquarters. The department was the main body for command and control of troops in the hands of the commander and chief of staff of the army.
The war ended on May 9, 1945, but the troops of the 38th Army continued to destroy scattered enemy groups on the territory of Czechoslovakia until May 12. At this time, I finished my combat service in the operational department of the headquarters and was sent to study at the M.V. Military Academy. Frunze.
On June 24, 1945, I took part in the Victory Parade in Moscow as part of the combined regiment of the 1st Belorussian Front, commanded by Marshal K.K. Rokossovsky.
After graduating from the Academy. M.V. Frunze, I continued my service in the Armed Forces. In 1952 he graduated from the second academy - the General Staff Academy, and served in large operational headquarters. Before leaving the Armed Forces, he held the position of senior lecturer in the department of operational art at the Military Academy of the General Staff. In 1974, on July 12, he was dismissed from active duty. military service in reserve (by age).
After leaving the Armed Forces, he was hired by the All-Union Research Institute of the Metrological Service of Gosstandart as head of the scientific department, where he worked for 17 years.
For service to the Motherland he was awarded: the Order of the Red Banner of Battle and the Red Banner of Labor, three Orders of the Red Star, three Orders of the Patriotic War and the Order for Service to the Motherland in the USSR Armed Forces; medals “For Military Merit”, “For Distinction in Protecting the State Border of the USSR”, “Veteran of the Armed Forces” and ten anniversary medals.
He was also awarded two foreign orders: the American officer's Order of Merit and the Iranian Order of Hamayun, 2nd class.
ZAKHAROV Sergey Fedotovich.
I, Sergei Fedotovich Zakharov, was born on February 28, 1921 into a peasant family in the village of Gruzdovka, Kaluga district, Kaluga region. In 1929, they moved to live in the Moscow region, where they graduated from the 7th grade of high school and, before being drafted into the army, worked at enterprises in Moscow. In April 1940 he was drafted into the Red Army and before the start of World War II served as a private in a construction battalion.
At the beginning of the war, he was transferred to the 333rd Infantry Regiment, with which he arrived on the Western Front near the city of Kalinin. The fascist army, fulfilling Hitler's directive, abandoned its main forces and sought to capture Moscow. Here, on the Western Front, participating in fierce battles with the Nazis, I was wounded, and after recovery I was sent to the city of Gorky for junior commander courses.
After completing the courses, I arrived in the 2nd Tank Corps of the Voronezh Front in the motorized infantry. Retreating with battles, he reached Stalingrad, and on the approaches to it he was wounded again. Treatment took place in a hospital in Saratov. After recovery, he again arrived in Stalingrad in the 284th Infantry Division of the 62nd Army as a company sergeant major, with which he took part in battles until the end of the defeat of the Nazis at Stalingrad, i.e. until February 2, 1943. Here he was slightly wounded twice and was treated in a medical battalion.
After the end of the Battle of Stalingrad, I was sent to a course for lieutenants of the 62nd - 8th Guards Army. Upon completion of training on May 15, 1943, I was awarded the rank of guard lieutenant and remained on the course as a rifle platoon commander and teacher of fire and drill training.
After the first graduation of platoon commanders, he was sent to the front line as commander of a rifle company of the 79th Guards Rifle Division of the 8th Guards Army on the 3rd Ukrainian Front. He took part in crossing the Dnieper River and in the liberation of the cities of Zaporozhye and Odessa. In the battles for the city of Krivoy Rog he was again wounded, and was again sent to the Saratov hospital for treatment. After recovery, he was sent to the city of Ulyanovsk for advanced training courses for infantry officers.
After studying for six months, he was sent to the 1st Belorussian Front in the 61st Army, 9th Guards Corps, 12th Guards Division as commander of a rifle company. I served in this division until the end of the war, participating in the battles for the liberation of Warsaw, Koenigsberg, Frankfurt on the Oder, crossed the Vistula and Oder rivers, participated in the assault on Berlin, and was slightly wounded twice more.
At the end of the war, he was honored to take part in the Victory Parade in Moscow on June 24, 1945. When selecting candidates for the Parade, the following were taken into account: positive combat characteristics, military awards, height and drill bearing.
He got married on June 25, 1945, and he and his wife lived for 57 years and raised a son and daughter. After the Victory Parade he returned to Germany and served for another year in the military commandant's office of the city of Halle.
Participant of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.
SIGALOV Viktor Monevich.
I, Viktor Monevich Sigalov, was born on October 18, 1920 in the city of Dnepropetrovsk. In 1924, my family moved to Moscow, where I graduated high school and worked in a printing house. In 1939, he was drafted into the Red Army and sent to serve in the Red Banner Baltic Fleet (KBF). The war found me serving in the 1st Submarine Brigade. We stood at the mouth of the Dvina, in Bolderai, 18 kilometers from Riga. After leaving Tallinn, they were based in Kronstadt.
On September 8, 1941, I, like many sailors, was sent to the land front to defend Leningrad, to the 98th Infantry Regiment. In fierce battles near Oranienbaum (Lomonosov) on September 15, he was wounded with a through bullet wound to his right forearm and shoulder. Treatment took place in hospital 1114 (Herzen Institute on Moika 48).
On November 8, 1941, he was discharged from the hospital and voluntarily joined the newly formed 5th separate ski battalion of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet (KBF). As part of the battalion, he participated in the defense of Kronstadt, the protection of the winter road connecting Kronstadt with the mainland, in the defense and combat operations in the Oranienbaum area and the forts “Red Hill” and “Grey Horse”. Here he was wounded again.
After recovery, from April 1942 he served in the 1st trawling brigade of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet (later the 1st Red Banner trawling brigade) in the 4th division of the Red Banner minesweepers TSH 62 and TSH 65. Participated in trawling the bay, convoying ships and supplying our islands in the Gulf of Finland, the liberation of the islands in the Vyborg Gulf, the transfer of the 2nd Shock Army to the Oranienbaum bridgehead during the preparation of the breakthrough and lifting of the blockade of Leningrad. He took part in the landing of troops near Narva, the liberation of Tallinn, and in the transfer of troops to the islands of Ezel and Dago.
On June 24, 1945, he participated in the Victory Parade in Moscow as part of a consolidated regiment of Baltic sailors with the rank of “sergeant major of the 2nd article.” He was demobilized in 1947 and worked in national economy countries.
For service to the Motherland I have awards: Order of the Patriotic War 1st degree, Order of the Red Star, Ushakov medal, medal “For the Defense of Leningrad”, medal “For Victory over Germany” and many anniversary medals.
Heroes of the Great Patriotic War, after whom the streets of the North-Eastern Administrative District of Moscow are named
Ivan Vasilievich Bochkov
Ace pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union, participant in the Soviet-Finnish and Great Patriotic Wars. Won more than twenty air victories, for his valor he was awarded the Order of Lenin (twice), the Red Banner and the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, as well as the medal “For Courage”.
Ivan Vasilyevich Bochkov was born on September 17, 1915 in the territory of the present Baryatinsky district of the Kaluga region into a peasant family. In 1928 he came to Moscow. After completing the driver's course, he began working at the Caliber plant, while simultaneously completing his training at the flying club. In 1937 he was drafted into the Red Army. In 1939, Bochkov graduated from the Borisoglebsk Military Aviation School named after V.P. Chkalov, where he was sent to study.
He took part in the Soviet-Finnish war and was awarded a medal for his courage.
At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he had the rank of senior lieutenant; by February 1943, he was already captain and head of the air rifle service of the 19th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, which was part of the 7th Air Army of the Karelian Front. In total, during the war, Bochkov made more than 300 combat missions, participated in approximately 50 air battles, personally shot down 7 and as part of a group 32 enemy aircraft. Heroic victories brought fame to the pilot - they jokingly said that Bochkov’s enemies put Bochkov in a difficult position, leaving no room on his plane for stars indicating the number of downed vehicles. The newspaper “Combat Watch” even called: “Pilot! Be as persistent, skillful and brave in battle as Guard Captain Ivan Bochkov!”, but after the death of the ace.
On April 4, 1943, Ivan Bochkov and Pavel Kutakhov rose into the sky following a combat alarm. Bochkov broke up the formation of enemy planes, but noticed that Kutakhov was under attack and rushed to the rescue. The life of his comrade was saved, but the ace himself died. He was buried in a mass grave at Shongui station (Kola district, Murmansk region).
On May 1, 1943, Ivan Vasilyevich Bochkov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously.
A street in the North-Eastern district of Moscow, in the Ostankino district from Mira Avenue to Olminsky Proezd, is named in honor of Ivan Bochkov. In the garden of the Kalibr plant, where Ivan Vasilyevich began to work, there is his bust.
Boris Lavrentievich Galushkin
Participant of the Great Patriotic War, commander of the special detachment of the NKGB of the USSR “Help” of the partisan group “Arthur”. Hero of the Soviet Union (11/5/1944, posthumously), lieutenant.
Born in 1919 in the city of Aleksandrovsk-Grushevsky (now the city of Shakhty).
In July 1941, from his fourth year at the institute, he volunteered for the Red Army and was sent to the front in the fall of that year.
He fought on the Leningrad Front, where he was wounded and hospitalized, but secretly fled from the hospital to the front. In 1942, he carried out special missions behind enemy lines in the territories of the Minsk and Vitebsk regions. In 1943 he became a member of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks). In May 1943, he was appointed commander of the special detachment of the NKGB of the USSR “Help”, which, in turn, was part of the “Arthur” group. Galushkin's detachment was able to derail twenty-four enemy trains, destroy and damage twenty-three steam locomotives, dozens of cars, tanks and tractors, blow up six warehouses with ammunition and fodder, disable a paper factory in the city of Borisov, Minsk region, a power plant, a timber and flax plant .
He died on June 15, 1944 while escaping from encirclement as part of an assault group he commanded in the area of Lake Palik, Borisov district, Minsk region.
He was buried in a mass grave in the village of Makovye, Borisov district, Minsk region of Belarus, among eighty-nine military personnel and partisans.
A street in the Alekseevsky district of the North-Eastern district of Moscow is named in honor of Boris Lavrentievich Galushkin. Boris Galushkin Street starts from Mira Avenue opposite the northern entrance of the All-Russian Exhibition Center, runs southeast parallel to Kasatkina Street, crosses Yaroslavskaya Street, Cosmonauts Street, forming with it Academician Lyulki Square, Pavel Korchagin Street (on the right) and Rizhsky Proezd, which, however , at this point it is interrupted and goes out onto Boris Galushkin Street along with Pavel Korchagin Street. It ends at the bridge-overpass across the Yaroslavl direction railway tracks, turning into Rostokinsky passage.
Sergei Konstantinovich Godovikov
Platoon commander of the 1183rd Infantry Regiment of the 356th Infantry Division of the 61st Army of the Central Front, Lieutenant.
Born on June 10, 1924 in Moscow. He graduated from nine classes of secondary school No. 237. He worked as a turner at the Kalibr plant and was secretary of the factory Komsomol committee.
In August 1942 he was drafted into the Red Army. He graduated from the Moscow Machine Gun School, located in the city of Mozhga, Udmurt Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. In the battles of the Great Patriotic War from August 1943. He fought on the Central Front.
Platoon commander of the 1183rd Infantry Regiment, junior lieutenant S.K. Godovikov distinguished himself on September 28, 1943. The platoon successfully crossed the Dnieper near the village of Novoselki, and then, together with neighboring units, captured a bridgehead on the right bank of the river. Died in this battle. He was buried in the village of Novoselki, Repkinsky district, Chernigov region.
By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of January 15, 1944, for the courage and heroism shown during the crossing of the Dnieper and holding a bridgehead on its right bank, junior lieutenant Sergei Konstantinovich Godovikov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
In Moscow, a street is named after the Hero, and a bust was installed on the Alley of Heroes on the territory of the Kalibr plant. Godovikova Street is located in the Ostankino district of the North-Eastern District, between Murmansky Proezd and Zvezdny Boulevard.
Ivan Arkhipovich Dokukin
Participant of the Great Patriotic War, Hero of the Soviet Union, deputy squadron commander of the 504th assault aviation regiment of the 226th assault aviation division of the 8th air army of the South-Eastern Front, captain of the Air Force.
Born on June 17, 1920 in the village of Znamenka, now Bolsheboldinsky district, Nizhny Novgorod region.
The father died during the civil war. The mother went to work in Moscow, where in 1932 she took her son. After graduating from school, FZU worked as a welder in the thermite shop of the Moscow Kalibr plant. In 1939, the Komsomol organization of the plant sent him to the gliding school of the Rostokinsky district, after graduation - to the Tushino, and then to the Serpukhov aviation school.
In the Red Army since 1939. In 1941 he graduated from the Serpukhov Military Aviation School of Pilots. Since June 1941 in the active army. The war found Ivan Dokukin in an aviation unit that was based on the western border. From the very beginning of the war, the pilot took part in battles. Defended the sky of Leningrad.
From October 9 to October 13, 1941, Ivan Dokukin made 5 combat missions on an Il-2 aircraft to destroy enemy ground forces. As a result, together with other pilots of the unit, he destroyed up to a battalion of enemy infantry, several tanks and guns. In May 1942, near Kharkov, Dokukin, as part of the eight, made repeated raids on enemy airfields where fascist fighters were stationed. Acting boldly and decisively, he and his comrades for a short time destroyed 15 German Me-109 aircraft on the ground and in air battles. From mid-summer 1942, Dokukin fought at Stalingrad. On July 21, 1942, he made 9 combat runs on an enemy convoy, destroying 9 vehicles.
By September 25, 1942, the deputy squadron commander of the 504th assault aviation regiment, Lieutenant Dokukin, destroyed 8 aircraft, 15 tanks, 110 vehicles with military cargo, 15 motorcycles, 3 anti-aircraft guns, 4 gas tanks and many other enemy equipment.
By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated February 8, 1943, for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command on the front of the fight against the Nazi invaders and the courage and heroism displayed, Lieutenant Ivan Arkhipovich Dokukin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the presentation of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal "(No. 833).
In the summer of 1943, Ivan Dokukin fought over the Mius River and in the skies of Donbass. On July 8, 1943, he was killed in an air battle.
He was buried in the village of Zverevo, Rostov region.
In the North-Eastern District, the Hero’s name is given to a street in the Rostokino district, located between Mira Avenue (beginning) and the intersection of 1st Leonov Passage with Leonov Street, as well as the crew of the Caliber plant, on the territory of which his bust is installed.
Sergey Vasilievich Milashenkov
Hero of the Soviet Union, attack pilot, born on September 15, 1921, in the village of Lesovaya, now Safonovsky district, Smolensk region.
After finishing the seven-year school, he worked in Moscow in an artel musical instruments, in the editorial office of the newspaper "Pravda".
In the Red Army since 1940. In 1942 he graduated from the Engels Military Aviation Pilot School. Since December 1942 at the front. Squadron commander of the 109th Guards Attack Aviation Regiment, Guard Senior Lieutenant. Made 90 successful combat missions. Member of the CPSU(b) since 1943.
On July 14, 1944, near the village of Mikulichi (Vladimir-Volynsky district, Volyn region, Ukraine), he was shot down during a combat mission. Then the pilot directed his burning plane towards a concentration of enemy troops. Air gunner Ivan Solop also died along with the pilot.
For this feat, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated June 27, 1945, S.V. Milashenkov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously). Sergei Vasilyevich Milashenkov was also awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner, the Order of the Red Star, the Order of the Patriotic War 2nd degree, and medals.
A street in the Butyrsky district of the North-Eastern district of Moscow, located between Fonvizin Street and Komdiv Orlov Street, the monorail station “Milashenkova Street”, is named after the Hero. Also in the Butyrsky district there is a middle comprehensive school No. 230 named after S.V. Milashenkova, a monument to the Hero was erected in the courtyard of school No. 1236.
Vladimir Alexandrovich Molodtsov
Soviet intelligence officer, state security captain, partisan, Hero of the Soviet Union (November 5, 1944, posthumously) pseudonym - Pavel Vladimirovich Badaev. During the Great Patriotic War he led a reconnaissance and sabotage detachment in occupied Odessa. Executed by the Romanian occupiers. The burial place is unknown.
Born on July 5, 1911 in the village of Sasovo, Elatomsky district, Tambov province (now Ryazan region).
In 1926 he joined the Komsomol (VLKSM) and soon became secretary of the Kratovo cell. After graduating from the Kratov school, he studied at a 9-year school in Ramenskoye, Moscow region, and graduated from the 10th grade at Moscow Railway School No. 1. He began his career in 1929 as a laborer, then as a mechanic’s assistant. In 1934 he studied at the workers' faculty at the Moscow Engineering and Economics Institute named after. S. Ordzhonikidze. In the same year, at the call of the party, he was sent to study at the Central School of the NKVD of the USSR. Since 1935 - in the central office (GUGB) of the NKVD of the USSR, assistant to the detective officer.
Since 1935, he lived with his family in the village. Nemchinovka. Since December 1937, he lived in Moscow.
With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, on July 8, 1941, he accompanied his wife and 3 children to the evacuation to Prokopyevsk (Kemerovo region). On July 19, 1941, having received a special assignment from the command, V.A. Molodtsov arrived in Odessa to organize partisan formations and to lead sabotage and reconnaissance work behind enemy lines under the pseudonym Pavel Badaev (operational name “Kir”). Directly led detachments in the Odessa catacombs and in the city. On October 16-18, 1941, the first partisan attacks were carried out on the Romanian troops that invaded Odessa. Until the beginning of 1942, despite the exceptional difficult conditions stay in the catacombs, a detachment of partisans repeatedly destroyed wire communication lines and railway tracks, committed sabotage in the seaport, blew up the dam of the Khadzhibey Estuary, destroyed enemy personnel and equipment, mined roads, and obtained valuable intelligence information for Headquarters. Soviet aviation more than once carried out precise bombing strikes, the coordinates for which the commander transmitted to the “Center”. A detachment of 75-80 people, based in the catacombs, diverted significant forces of the SS troops and field gendarmerie numbering up to 16,000 people. Romanian and German security services blew up, mined and concreted exits, released poisonous gases into mines, poisoned water in wells, left ambushes, etc., but the detachment acted.
On February 9, 1942, as a result of the betrayal of one of the members of the detachment, the commander of the unit Molodtsov V.A., his contacts T. Mezhigurskaya and T. Shestakova, as well as Yasha Gordienko were arrested at a safe house in the city. In the Siguran prison, the commander and partisans bravely endured savage torture, but did not hand over anyone.
May 29, 1942 - Molodtsov spoke for the first time only after the death sentence was announced - when asked to submit a request for clemency, he replied: “We do not ask for clemency from our enemies on our land!”
By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of November 5, 1944, for the heroic feat shown while performing special tasks behind enemy lines, state security captain Vladimir Aleksandrovich Molodtsov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Vladimir Alexandrovich was also awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner, medals “For the Defense of Odessa” and “Partisan of the Patriotic War” 1st degree.
The memory of the Hero is immortalized in many cities of Russia and Ukraine. A street is named after him, which runs in the Northern and Southern Medvedkovo districts in the North-Eastern administrative district Moscow, in the Northern Medvedkovo district, a memorial plaque named after V.A. was opened in 2010. Molodtsov secondary school No. 285 was named.
Fedor Mikhailovich Orlov
Soviet military leader, colonel. Fyodor Mikhailovich was born in the village of Teterovka, Grodno province (now the Grodno region of Belarus) in 1878. From 1899 to 1905 he served as a private in the Guards Uhlan Regiment, took part in Russo-Japanese War. After graduating from the training team, he became a non-commissioned officer and took part in the First World War. After the October Revolution of 1917 in the Red Army. Was sent to North Caucasus for the organization of Red Guard and partisan detachments. In the spring of 1918 he was appointed commissar of the Kuban army. For military distinctions and exploits, he was repeatedly awarded with valuable gifts, including a gold personalized cigarette case. In 1920, Fyodor Mikhailovich Orlov was awarded the first Order of the Red Banner. He was an associate of M.V. Frunze in battles against Wrangel. In December 1920, he was appointed deputy commander of the troops of Ukraine and Crimea. In 1920-1921 Commander of the Kharkov Military District. From 1924 to 1931, for health reasons (in the years Civil War Orlov received 24 wounds and concussions) and was in the reserve of the Red Army. In 1931, he was appointed deputy head of the special department of military-technical propaganda of the Red Army. In 1935 he suffered a stroke, and in 1938 due to illness he was discharged from the Red Army. From 1938 to 1941 deputy Head of the 7th Department of Plant No. 1 of the Main Artillery Directorate of the Red Army. In July 1941, Fyodor Mikhailovich came to the mobilization point of the people's militia, but was refused; he was already 63 years old. But after urgent requests, he was enrolled in the militia. Later he commanded a company, a reconnaissance battalion of the 6th People's Militia Division. He took part in the battles near Yelnya, received two wounds and a shell shock, but remained in the ranks and led the remnants of the 6th Moscow People's Militia Division out of encirclement. At the end of September 1941, he was appointed commander of the 160th Infantry Division, reorganized from the 6th Moscow People's Militia Division of the Dzerzhinsky District. On January 29, 1942, in the area of the village of Gridenki, Kaluga Region, Orlov received his twenty-fifth wound as a result of a German air raid. But already in August 1942 he returned to the troops again and only in 1946 was he discharged from military service with the rank of colonel. Fyodor Vasilyevich Orlov was awarded the Order of Lenin and three Orders of the Red Banner. A street in the Marfino district of the North-Eastern Administrative District is named in honor of Divisional Commander Orlov.
Evgenia Maksimovna Rudneva
Navigator of the 46th Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment of the 325th Night Bomber Aviation Division, Guard Senior Lieutenant. Hero of the Soviet Union.
She was born on December 24, 1920 in the city of Berdyansk, now the Zaporozhye region of Ukraine. She lived in the village of Saltykovka, Moscow region, in the city of Babushkin. In 1938, Zhenya graduated from high school with an honors certificate and became a student at the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics at Moscow State University. Thanks to her extraordinary hard work and inquisitiveness, Zhenya quickly became one of the best students of the course at the university. In the same year, she began working at the All-Union Astronomical and Geodetic Society (VAGO) in the solar department, and the very next year she was elected head of this department. At the same time, she worked in the Variable Stars Department, with enthusiasm, often conducting observations all night long at the Observatory on Presnya. In 1939, the first Research Article E. Rudneva: “ Biological observations during Solar eclipse June 19, 1936." When the Great Patriotic War began, Zhenya took the spring exam session, finishing her third year. Passionately in love with her specialty, with the distant undying stars, a student who was predicted to have a great future, she firmly decided that she would not study until the war was over, that her path lay at the front. In the Red Army - from October 1941, graduated from navigator school. On the fronts of the Great Patriotic War - from May 1942, she was a crew navigator. Navigator of the 46th Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment (325th Night Bomber Aviation Division, 4th Air Army, 2nd Belorussian Front) Guard Senior Lieutenant E.M. Rudneva made 645 night combat sorties to destroy enemy crossings, railway trains, manpower and equipment. She fought on the Transcaucasian, North Caucasian, and 4th Ukrainian fronts. She took part in battles in the North Caucasus, Taman and Kerch peninsulas. The brave pilot died a heroic death on the night of April 9, 1944 while flying, together with P.M. Prokopyeva, a combat mission north of the city of Kerch, Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Buried in the hero city of Kerch on Voinsky memorial cemetery. Even before her death, she was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of October 26, 1944, for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command and the courage and heroism shown in battles with the Nazi invaders of the Guard, senior lieutenant Evgenia Maksimovna Rudneva was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. She was awarded the Order of Lenin, the Red Banner, the Patriotic War 1st degree, the Red Star, as well as medals. A street in the Babushkinsky district of the North-Eastern district of the capital was named in honor of Evgenia Rudneva, and a monument was erected.
Andrey Mikhailovich Serebryakov
Soviet tank officer, participant in the Soviet-Finnish and Great Patriotic Wars, Hero of the Soviet Union.
Born on October 29, 1913 in the city of Ryazhsk, now Ryazan region. In the Red Army since 1939. He graduated from tank driver mechanic courses. Participant in the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-40. Senior tank mechanic-driver of the 232nd separate reconnaissance tank battalion (39th separate light tank brigade, 13th Army, North-Western Front), company Komsomol organizer, junior commander Andrei Serebryakov, distinguished himself in battles in the Vyborg direction. On February 12, 1940, in the battle for the city of Kyurela, the tanker drove the combat vehicle into the attack eight times, suppressing firing points and destroying enemy personnel. By their actions, the tank crew created favorable conditions for the assault of the rifle unit. On February 28, 1940, during a reconnaissance raid deep into enemy defenses in the area of Lake Heikurila, Andrei Serebryakov established the location of eight pillboxes. The tank was hit, but the crew continued to fight until dark. At night, the tankers repaired the damage and returned to their unit. By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated April 7, 1940, “for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command on the front of the fight against the Finnish White Guard and the courage and heroism shown,” junior commander Andrei Mikhailovich Serebryakov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal "(No. 295). After the end of hostilities, the tanker lived in Moscow in 1940 and worked in state security agencies.
Participant of the Great Patriotic War since 1942. The commander of the tank company named after Felix Dzerzhinsky of the 475th separate heavy tank battalion (the KV tanks of which were manufactured in May 1942 at the expense of the workers of the Dzerzhinsky district of Moscow), junior lieutenant of state security Serebryakov A.M. died a heroic death in battle on July 27, 1942 during the defense of the city of Voronezh. He was buried in mass grave No. 13 (Voronezh city park). Andrei Mikhailovich was awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree (February 16, 1943, posthumously), and medals.
A passage in the Sviblovo area of the North-Eastern Administrative District bears the name of Andrei Mikhailovich Serebryakov.
More than a dozen years ago, Mikhail Efremov was born - a brilliant military leader who distinguished himself during two wars - Civil and Patriotic. However, the feats that he accomplished were not immediately appreciated. After his death, many years passed until he received his well-deserved title. What other heroes of the Great Patriotic War have been forgotten?
Steel Commander
At the age of 17, Mikhail Efremov joined the army. He began his service as a volunteer in an infantry regiment. Just two years later, with the rank of ensign, he participated in the famous breakthrough under the command of Brusilov. Mikhail joined the Red Army in 1918. The hero gained fame thanks to armored flights. Due to the fact that the Red Army did not have armored trains with good equipment, Mikhail decided to create them himself, using improvised means.
Mikhail Efremov met the Great Patriotic War at the head of the 21st Army. Under his leadership, soldiers held back enemy troops on the Dnieper and defended Gomel. Not allowing the Nazis to reach the rear of the South- Western Front. Mikhail Efremov met the beginning of the Patriotic War while leading the 33rd Army. At this time he took part in the defense of Moscow and in the subsequent counter-offensive.
At the beginning of February, the strike group, commanded by Mikhail Efremov, made a hole in the enemy’s defenses and reached Vyazma. However, the soldiers were cut off from the main forces and surrounded. For two months, the soldiers carried out raids behind German lines, destroyed enemy soldiers and military equipment. And when the ammunition and food ran out, Mikhail Efremov decided to break through to his own, asking on the radio to organize a corridor.
But the hero was never able to do this. The Germans noticed the movement and defeated Efremov’s strike group. Mikhail himself shot himself to avoid being captured. He was buried by the Germans in the village of Slobodka with full military honors.
In 1996, persistent veterans and search engines ensured that Efremov was awarded the title of Hero of Russia.
In honor of Gastello's feat
What other heroes of the Great Patriotic War have been forgotten? In 1941, a DB-3F bomber took off from the airfield near Smolensk. Alexander Maslov, and it was he who flew the combat aircraft, was given the task of eliminating the enemy column moving along the Molodechno-Radoshkovichi road. The plane was shot down by enemy anti-aircraft guns, and the crew was declared missing.
A few years later, namely in 1951, in order to honor the memory of the famous bomber Nikolai Gastello, who carried out a ramming attack on the same highway, it was decided to transfer the remains of the crew to the village of Radoshkovichi, to the central square. During the exhumation, a medallion was found that belonged to Sergeant Grigory Reutov, who was a shooter in Maslov’s crew.
The historiography was not changed, however, the crew began to be listed not as missing, but as dead. Heroes of the Great Patriotic War and their exploits were recognized in 1996. It was in this year that Maslov’s entire crew received the corresponding title.
The pilot whose name was forgotten
The exploits of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War will remain in our hearts forever. However, not all heroic deeds are remembered.
Pyotr Eremeev was considered an experienced pilot. He received his for repelling several German attacks in one night. Having shot down several Junkers, Peter was wounded. However, having bandaged the wound, within a few minutes he again flew out on another plane to repel the enemy attack. And a month after this memorable night, he accomplished a feat.
On the night of July 28, Eremeev received the task of patrolling the airspace over Novo-Petrovsk. It was at this time that he noticed an enemy bomber that was heading towards Moscow. Peter got behind him and started shooting. The enemy went to the right, and the Soviet pilot lost him. However, another bomber was immediately noticed, which was leaving for the West. Coming close to him, Eremeev pressed the trigger. But shooting was never opened, as the cartridges ran out.
Without thinking for a long time, Peter crashed his propeller into the tail of a German plane. The fighter turned over and began to fall apart. However, Eremeev saved himself by jumping out with a parachute. They wanted to give him a reward for this feat, but they didn’t have time to do this. On the night of August 7, the attack was repeated by Viktor Talalikhin. It was his name that was inscribed in the official chronicle.
But the heroes of the Great Patriotic War and their exploits will never be forgotten. This was proven by Alexey Tolstoy. He wrote an essay called “Taran”, in which he described Peter’s feat.
Only in 2010 he was recognized as a hero
In the Volgograd region there is a monument on which are written the names of the Red Army soldiers who died in these parts. All of them are heroes of the Great Patriotic War, and their exploits will forever be remembered in history. On that monument the name Maxim Passar appears. He was awarded the corresponding title only in 2010. And it should be noted that he fully deserved it.
He was born in the Khabarovsk Territory. The hereditary hunter became one of the best snipers. He showed himself back in By 1943, he destroyed about 237 Nazis. The Germans placed a significant reward on the head of the marksman Nanai. Enemy snipers were hunting him.
He accomplished his feat at the very beginning of 1943. In order to free the village of Peschanka from enemy soldiers, it was necessary to first get rid of two German machine guns. They were well fortified on the flanks. And it was Maxim Passar who had to do this. 100 meters before the firing points, Maxim opened fire and destroyed the crews. However, he failed to survive. The hero was covered by enemy artillery fire.
Underage Heroes
All of the above heroes of the Great Patriotic War and their exploits were forgotten. However, they all must be remembered. They did everything possible to bring Victory Day closer. However, not only adults managed to prove themselves. There are also heroes who are not even 18 years old. And it is about them that we will talk further.
Along with adults, several tens of thousands of teenagers took part in the fighting. They, just like adults, died and received orders and medals. Some images were taken for Soviet propaganda. All of them are heroes of the Great Patriotic War, and their exploits have been preserved in numerous stories. However, it is worth highlighting five teenagers who received the corresponding title.
Not wanting to surrender, he blew himself up along with enemy soldiers
Marat Kazei was born in 1929. This happened in the village of Stankovo. Before the war I managed to complete only four classes. The parents were recognized as “enemies of the people.” However, despite this, Marat’s mother began hiding partisans in her home back in 1941. For which she was killed by the Germans. Marat and his sister joined the partisans.
Marat Kazei constantly went on reconnaissance missions, took part in numerous raids, and undermined echelons. He received the medal "For Courage" in 1943. He managed to rouse his comrades into the attack and break through the ring of enemies. At the same time, Marat was wounded.
Talking about the exploits of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War, it is worth saying that a 14-year-old soldier died in 1944. This happened while performing the next task. Returning from reconnaissance, he and his commander were fired upon by the Germans. The commander died immediately, and Marat began to shoot back. He had nowhere to go. And there was no opportunity as such, since he was wounded in the arm. Until the cartridges ran out, he held the line. Then he took two grenades. He threw one immediately, and held the second until the Germans approached. Marat blew himself up, thus killing several more opponents.
Marat Kazei was recognized as a Hero in 1965. The minor heroes of the Great Patriotic War and their exploits, stories about which are widespread in quite a large number, will remain in the memory for a long time.
The heroic deeds of a 14-year-old boy
Partisan reconnaissance Valya was born in the village of Khmelevka. This happened in 1930. Before the capture of the village by the Germans, he completed only 5 classes. After that, he began collecting weapons and ammunition. He handed them over to the partisans.
In 1942 he became a scout for the partisans. In the fall, he was given the task of destroying the head of the field gendarmerie. The task was completed. Valya, together with several of his peers, blew up two enemy vehicles, killing seven soldiers and the commander himself, Franz Koenig. About 30 people were injured.
In 1943, he was engaged in reconnaissance of the location of an underground telephone cable, which was subsequently successfully undermined. Valya also took part in the destruction of several trains and warehouses. That same year, while on duty, the young hero noticed punitive forces who decided to stage a raid. Having destroyed the enemy officer, Valya raised the alarm. Thanks to this, the partisans prepared for battle.
He died in 1944 after the battle for the city of Izyaslav. In that battle, the young warrior was mortally wounded. He received the title of hero in 1958.
Just a little short of turning 17
What other heroes of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 should be mentioned? Scout in the future Lenya Golikov was born in 1926. From the very beginning of the war, having obtained a rifle for himself, he joined the partisans. Under the guise of a beggar, the guy went around the villages, collecting information about the enemy. He passed on all the information to the partisans.
The guy joined the detachment in 1942. Over the course of his entire combat journey, he took part in 27 operations, destroyed about 78 enemy soldiers, blew up several bridges (railway and highway), and blew up about 9 vehicles with ammunition. It was Lenya Golikov who blew up the car in which Major General Richard Witz was traveling. All his merits are fully listed in the award list.
These are the minor heroes of the Great Patriotic War and their exploits. Children sometimes performed feats that adults did not always have the courage to do. It was decided to award Lenya Golikov with the Golden Star medal and the title of Hero. However, he was never able to receive them. In 1943, the combat detachment in which Lenya was a member was surrounded. Only a few people escaped the encirclement. And Leni was not among them. He was killed on January 24, 1943. The guy never lived to see the age of 17.
Died due to the fault of a traitor
The heroes of the Great Patriotic War rarely remembered themselves. And their exploits, photos, images remained in the memory of many people. Sasha Chekalin is one of them. He was born in 1925. IN partisan detachment joined in 1941. He served there for no more than a month.
In 1941, a partisan detachment inflicted significant damage on enemy forces. Numerous warehouses were burning, cars were constantly being blown up, trains were derailed, sentries and enemy patrols regularly disappeared. Fighter Sasha Chekalin took part in all this.
In November 1941, he caught a severe cold. The commissioner decided to leave him in the nearest village with a trusted person. However, there was a traitor in the village. It was he who betrayed the minor fighter. Sasha was captured by partisans at night. And finally, the constant torture was over. Sasha was hanged. For 20 days he was forbidden to be removed from the gallows. And only after the liberation of the village by the partisans was Sasha buried with military honors.
It was decided to award him the corresponding title of Hero in 1942.
Shot after prolonged torture
All of the above people are heroes of the Great Patriotic War. And their exploits are the best stories for children. Next we will talk about a girl who was not inferior in courage not only to her peers, but also to adult soldiers.
Zina Portnova was born in 1926. The war found her in the village of Zuya, where she came to rest with her relatives. Since 1942, she has been posting leaflets against the invaders.
In 1943, she joined a partisan detachment, becoming a scout. That same year I received my first assignment. She had to identify the reasons for the failure of the organization called the Young Avengers. She was also supposed to establish contact with the underground. However, upon returning to the detachment, Zina was captured by German soldiers.
During the interrogation, the girl managed to grab a pistol lying on the table and shoot the investigator and two other soldiers. While trying to escape, she was captured. They constantly tortured her, trying to force her to answer questions. However, Zina was silent. Eyewitnesses claimed that one day, when she was taken out for another interrogation, she threw herself under a car. However, the car stopped. The girl was pulled out from under the wheels and taken away for interrogation. But she was silent again. This is what the heroes of the Great Patriotic War were like.
The girl never waited until 1945. In 1944 she was shot. Zina at that time was only 17 years old.
Conclusion
The heroic exploits of soldiers during hostilities numbered in the tens of thousands. No one knows exactly how many brave and courageous actions in the name of the Motherland. This review described some heroes of the Great Patriotic War and their exploits. It is impossible to briefly convey all the strength of character that they possessed. But there is simply not enough time for a full story about their heroic deeds.
The fate of millions of people depended on their decisions! This is not the entire list of our great commanders of the Second World War!
Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich (1896-1974)
Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov was born on November 1, 1896 in the Kaluga region, into a peasant family. During the First World War, he was drafted into the army and enrolled in a regiment stationed in the Kharkov province. In the spring of 1916, he was enrolled in a group sent to officer courses. After studying, Zhukov became a non-commissioned officer and went to a dragoon regiment, with which he participated in battles Great War. Soon he received a concussion from a mine explosion and was sent to the hospital. He managed to prove himself, and for capturing a German officer he was awarded the Cross of St. George.After the civil war, he completed the courses for Red commanders. He commanded a cavalry regiment, then a brigade. He was an assistant inspector of the Red Army cavalry.
In January 1941, shortly before the German invasion of the USSR, Zhukov was appointed chief of the General Staff and deputy people's commissar of defense.
He commanded the troops of the Reserve, Leningrad, Western, 1st Belorussian fronts, coordinated the actions of a number of fronts, made a great contribution to achieving victory in the battle of Moscow, in the Battles of Stalingrad, Kursk, in the Belorussian, Vistula-Oder and Berlin operations.Four times Hero of the Soviet Union, holder of two Orders of Victory, and many other Soviet and foreign orders and medals.
Vasilevsky Alexander Mikhailovich (1895-1977) - Marshal of the Soviet Union.
Born on September 16 (September 30), 1895 in the village. Novaya Golchikha, Kineshma district, Ivanovo region, in the family of a priest, Russian. In February 1915, after graduating from the Kostroma Theological Seminary, he entered the Alekseevsky Military School (Moscow) and graduated from it in 4 months (in June 1915).During the Great Patriotic War, as Chief of the General Staff (1942-1945), he took an active part in the development and implementation of almost all major operations on the Soviet-German front. From February 1945, he commanded the 3rd Belorussian Front and led the assault on Königsberg. In 1945, the commander-in-chief of the Soviet troops at Far East in the war with Japan.
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Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich (1896-1968) - Marshal of the Soviet Union, Marshal of Poland.
Born on December 21, 1896 in the small Russian town of Velikiye Luki (formerly Pskov province), in the family of a Pole railway driver, Xavier-Józef Rokossovsky and his Russian wife Antonina. After the birth of Konstantin, the Rokossovsky family moved to Warsaw. At less than 6 years old, Kostya was orphaned: his father was in a train accident and died in 1902 after a long illness. In 1911, his mother also died. With the outbreak of World War I, Rokossovsky asked to join one of the Russian regiments heading west through Warsaw.With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he commanded the 9th Mechanized Corps. In the summer of 1941 he was appointed commander of the 4th Army. He managed to somewhat hold back the advance of the German armies on the western front. In the summer of 1942 he became commander of the Bryansk Front. The Germans managed to approach the Don and, from advantageous positions, create threats to capture Stalingrad and break through to the North Caucasus. With a blow from his army, he prevented the Germans from trying to break through to the north, towards the city of Yelets. Rokossovsky took part in the counteroffensive Soviet troops near Stalingrad. His ability to conduct combat operations played a big role in the success of the operation. In 1943, he led the central front, which, under his command, began the defensive battle on the Kursk Bulge. A little later, he organized an offensive and liberated significant territories from the Germans. He also led the liberation of Belarus, implementing the Stavka plan - “Bagration”
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union
At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Konev commanded the 19th Army, which took part in battles with the Germans and closed the capital from the enemy. For successful leadership of the army's actions, he receives the rank of colonel general.
During the Great Patriotic War, Ivan Stepanovich managed to be the commander of several fronts: Kalinin, Western, Northwestern, Steppe, Second Ukrainian and First Ukrainian. In January 1945, the First Ukrainian Front, together with the First Belorussian Front, launched the offensive Vistula-Oder operation. The troops managed to occupy several cities of strategic importance, and even liberate Krakow from the Germans. At the end of January, the Auschwitz camp was liberated from the Nazis. In April, two fronts launched an offensive in the Berlin direction. Soon Berlin was taken, and Konev took direct part in the assault on the city.
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union
Vatutin Nikolai Fedorovich (1901-1944) - army general.
Born on December 16, 1901 in the village of Chepukhino, Kursk province, into a large peasant family. He graduated from four classes of the zemstvo school, where he was considered the first student.In the first days of the Great Patriotic War, Vatutin visited the most critical sectors of the front. The staff worker turned into a brilliant combat commander.
On February 21, Headquarters instructed Vatutin to prepare an attack on Dubno and further on Chernivtsi. On February 29, the general was heading to the headquarters of the 60th Army. On the way, his car was fired upon by a detachment of Ukrainian Bandera partisans. The wounded Vatutin died on the night of April 15 in a Kiev military hospital.
In 1965, Vatutin was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Katukov Mikhail Efimovich (1900-1976) - Marshal of the armored forces. One of the founders of the Tank Guard.
Born on September 4 (17), 1900 in the village of Bolshoye Uvarovo, then Kolomna district, Moscow province, into a large peasant family (his father had seven children from two marriages). He graduated with a diploma of commendation from an elementary rural school, during which he was the first student in the class and schools.In the Soviet Army - since 1919.
At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he took part in defensive operations in the area of the cities of Lutsk, Dubno, Korosten, showing himself to be a skillful, proactive organizer of a tank battle with superior enemy forces. These qualities were brilliantly demonstrated in the Battle of Moscow, when he commanded the 4th Tank Brigade. In the first half of October 1941, near Mtsensk, on a number of defensive lines, the brigade steadfastly held back the advance of enemy tanks and infantry and inflicted enormous damage on them. Having completed a 360-km march to the Istra orientation, the M.E. brigade. Katukova, as part of the 16th Army of the Western Front, heroically fought in the Volokolamsk direction and participated in the counter-offensive near Moscow. On November 11, 1941, for brave and skillful military actions, the brigade was the first in the tank forces to receive the rank of guards. In 1942, M.E. Katukov commanded the 1st Tank Corps, which repelled the onslaught of enemy troops in the Kursk-Voronezh direction, from September 1942 - the 3rd Mechanized Corps. In January 1943, he was appointed commander of the 1st Tank Army, which was part of the Voronezh, and later the 1st of the Ukrainian Front differed in Battle of Kursk and during the liberation of Ukraine. In April 1944, the armed forces were transformed into the 1st Guards Tank Army, which, under the command of M.E. Katukova participated in the Lviv-Sandomierz, Vistula-Oder, East Pomeranian and Berlin operations, crossed the Vistula and Oder rivers.
Rotmistrov Pavel Alekseevich (1901-1982) - chief marshal of the armored forces.
Born in the village of Skovorovo, now Selizharovsky district, Tver region, into a large peasant family (he had 8 brothers and sisters)... In 1916 he graduated from higher primary schoolIn the Soviet Army from April 1919 (he was enlisted in the Samara Workers' Regiment), a participant in the Civil War.
During the Great Patriotic War P.A. Rotmistrov fought on the Western, Northwestern, Kalinin, Stalingrad, Voronezh, Steppe, Southwestern, 2nd Ukrainian and 3rd Belorussian fronts. He commanded the 5th Guards Tank Army, which distinguished itself in the Battle of Kursk. In the summer of 1944, P.A. Rotmistrov and his army took part in the Belarusian offensive operation, the liberation of the cities of Borisov, Minsk, and Vilnius. Since August 1944, he was appointed deputy commander of the armored and mechanized forces of the Soviet Army.
Kravchenko Andrey Grigorievich (1899-1963) - Colonel General of tank forces.
Born on November 30, 1899 on the Sulimin farm, now the village of Sulimovka, Yagotinsky district, Kyiv region of Ukraine, in a peasant family. Ukrainian. Member of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) since 1925. Participant in the Civil War. He graduated from the Poltava Military Infantry School in 1923, the Military Academy named after M.V. Frunze in 1928.From June 1940 to the end of February 1941 A.G. Kravchenko - chief of staff of the 16th tank division, and from March to September 1941 - chief of staff of the 18th mechanized corps.
On the fronts of the Great Patriotic War since September 1941. Commander of the 31st Tank Brigade (09/09/1941 - 01/10/1942). Since February 1942, Deputy Commander of the 61st Army for tank troops. Chief of Staff of the 1st Tank Corps (03/31/1942 - 07/30/1942). Commanded the 2nd (07/2/1942 - 09/13/1942) and 4th (from 02/7/43 - 5th Guards; from 09/18/1942 to 01/24/1944) tank corps.
In November 1942, the 4th Corps took part in the encirclement of the 6th German Army at Stalingrad, in July 1943 - in the tank battle near Prokhorovka, in October of the same year - in the Battle of the Dnieper.
Novikov Alexander Alexandrovich (1900-1976) - chief marshal of aviation.
Born on November 19, 1900 in the village of Kryukovo, Nerekhta district, Kostroma region. He received his education at the teachers' seminary in 1918.In the Soviet Army since 1919
In aviation since 1933. Participant of the Great Patriotic War from the first day. He was the commander of the Northern Air Force, then the Leningrad Front. From April 1942 until the end of the war, he was the commander of the Red Army Air Force. In March 1946, he was illegally repressed (together with A.I. Shakhurin), rehabilitated in 1953.
Kuznetsov Nikolai Gerasimovich (1902-1974) - Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union. People's Commissar of the Navy.
Born on July 11 (24), 1904 in the family of Gerasim Fedorovich Kuznetsov (1861-1915), a peasant in the village of Medvedki, Veliko-Ustyug district, Vologda province (now in the Kotlas district of the Arkhangelsk region).In 1919, at the age of 15, he joined the Severodvinsk flotilla, giving himself two years to be accepted (the erroneous birth year of 1902 is still found in some reference books). In 1921-1922 he was a combatant in the Arkhangelsk naval crew.
During the Great Patriotic War, N. G. Kuznetsov was the chairman of the Main Military Council of the Navy and the commander-in-chief of the Navy. He promptly and energetically led the fleet, coordinating its actions with the operations of other armed forces. The admiral was a member of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command and constantly traveled to ships and fronts. The fleet prevented an invasion of the Caucasus from the sea. In 1944, N. G. Kuznetsov was awarded the military rank of fleet admiral. On May 25, 1945, this rank was equated to the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union and marshal-type shoulder straps were introduced.
Hero of the Soviet Union,Chernyakhovsky Ivan Danilovich (1906-1945) - army general.
Born in the city of Uman. His father was a railway worker, so it is not surprising that in 1915 his son followed in his father’s footsteps and entered a railway school. In 1919, a real tragedy occurred in the family: his parents died due to typhus, so the boy was forced to leave school and study agriculture. He worked as a shepherd, driving cattle into the field in the morning, and sat down to his textbooks every free minute. Immediately after dinner, I ran to the teacher for clarification of the material.During the Second World War, he was one of those young military leaders who, by their example, motivated the soldiers, gave them confidence and gave them faith in a bright future.
Introduction
This short article contains only a drop of information about the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. In fact, there are a huge number of heroes and collecting all the information about these people and their exploits is a titanic work and it is already a little beyond the scope of our project. However, we decided to start with 5 heroes - many have heard about some of them, there is a little less information about others and few people know about them, especially the younger generation.
Victory in the Great Patriotic War was achieved by the Soviet people thanks to their incredible effort, dedication, ingenuity and self-sacrifice. This is especially clearly revealed in the heroes of the war, who performed incredible feats on the battlefield and beyond. These great people should be known to everyone who is grateful to their fathers and grandfathers for the opportunity to live in peace and tranquility.
Viktor Vasilievich Talalikhin
The story of Viktor Vasilyevich begins with the small village of Teplovka, located in the Saratov province. Here he was born in the fall of 1918. His parents were simple workers. After graduating from college, which specialized in producing workers for factories and factories, he himself worked at a meat processing plant and at the same time attended a flying club. Afterwards he graduated from one of the few pilot schools in Borisoglebsk. He took part in the conflict between our country and Finland, where he received a baptism of fire. During the period of confrontation between the USSR and Finland, Talalikhin carried out about five dozen combat missions, while destroying several enemy aircraft, as a result of which he was awarded the honorary Order of the Red Star in the forties for special successes and the completion of assigned tasks.
Viktor Vasilyevich distinguished himself by heroic feats already during the battles in the great war for our people. Although he was credited with about sixty combat missions, the main battle took place on August 6, 1941 in the skies over Moscow. As part of a small air group, Victor flew out on an I-16 to repel an enemy air attack on the capital of the USSR. At an altitude of several kilometers, he met a German He-111 bomber. Talalikhin fired several machine-gun bursts at him, but the German plane skillfully dodged them. Then Viktor Vasilyevich, through a cunning maneuver and subsequent shots from a machine gun, hit one of the bomber’s engines, but this did not help stop the “German”. To the chagrin of the Russian pilot, after unsuccessful attempts to stop the bomber, there were no live cartridges left, and Talalikhin decides to ram. For this ram he was awarded the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.
During the war there were many such cases, but as fate would have it, Talalikhin became the first who decided to ram, neglecting his own safety, in our skies. He died in October 1941 with the rank of squadron commander, while performing another combat mission.
Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub
In the village of Obrazhievka, the future hero, Ivan Kozhedub, was born into a family of simple peasants. After graduating from school in 1934, he entered the Chemical Technology College. The Shostka Aero Club was the first place where Kozhedub acquired flying skills. Then in 1940 he enlisted in the army. In the same year, he successfully entered and graduated from the military aviation school in the city of Chuguev.
Ivan Nikitovich took direct part in the Great Patriotic War. He has more than a hundred air battles to his name, during which he shot down 62 aircraft. From large quantity There are two main combat sorties - a battle with a Me-262 fighter with a jet engine, and an attack on a group of FW-190 bombers.
The battle with the Me-262 jet fighter took place in mid-February 1945. On this day, Ivan Nikitovich, together with his partner Dmitry Tatarenko, flew out on La-7 planes to hunt. After a short search, they came across a low-flying plane. He flew along the river from Frankfurt an der Oder. As they got closer, the pilots discovered that it was a new generation Me-262 aircraft. But this did not discourage the pilots from attacking an enemy plane. Then Kozhedub decided to attack on a collision course, since this was the only opportunity to destroy the enemy. During the attack, the wingman fired a short burst from a machine gun ahead of schedule, which could have confused all the cards. But to the surprise of Ivan Nikitovich, such an outburst by Dmitry Tatarenko had a positive effect. The German pilot turned around in such a way that he ended up in Kozhedub’s sights. All he had to do was pull the trigger and destroy the enemy. Which is what he did.
Ivan Nikitovich performed his second heroic feat in mid-April 1945 in the area of the capital of Germany. Again, together with Titarenko, carrying out another combat mission, they discovered a group of FW-190 bombers with full combat kits. Kozhedub immediately reported this to the command post, but without waiting for reinforcements, he began an attack maneuver. German pilots saw two Soviet planes take off and disappear into the clouds, but they did not attach any importance to this. Then the Russian pilots decided to attack. Kozhedub descended to the Germans' flight altitude and began shooting them, and Titarenko from a higher altitude fired in short bursts in different directions, trying to create the impression on the enemy of the presence of a large number of Soviet fighters. The German pilots believed at first, but after several minutes of battle their doubts were dispelled, and they moved on to active action to destroy the enemy. Kozhedub was on the verge of death in this battle, but his friend saved him. When Ivan Nikitovich tried to get away from the German fighter that was pursuing him and was in the firing position of the Soviet fighter, Titarenko, with a short burst, got ahead of the German pilot and destroyed the enemy aircraft. Soon a reinforcement group arrived, and the German group of aircraft was destroyed.
During the war, Kozhedub was twice recognized as a Hero of the Soviet Union and was elevated to the rank of marshal of Soviet aviation.
Dmitry Romanovich Ovcharenko
The soldier’s homeland is a village with the telling name Ovcharovo, Kharkov province. He was born into the family of a carpenter in 1919. His father taught him all the intricacies of his craft, which later played an important role in the fate of the hero. Ovcharenko studied at school for only five years, then went to work on a collective farm. He was drafted into the army in 1939. I met the first days of the war, as befits a soldier, on the front line. After a short service, he received minor damage, which, unfortunately for the soldier, became the reason for his transfer from the main unit to service at an ammunition depot. It was this position that became key for Dmitry Romanovich, in which he accomplished his feat.
It all happened in the middle of the summer of 1941 in the area of the village of Pestsa. Ovcharenko was carrying out orders from his superiors to deliver ammunition and food to a military unit located several kilometers from the village. He came across two trucks with fifty German soldiers and three officers. They surrounded him, took away his rifle and began interrogating him. But the Soviet soldier was not taken aback and, taking the ax lying next to him, cut off the head of one of the officers. While the Germans were discouraged, he took three grenades from a dead officer and threw them towards the German vehicles. These throws were extremely successful: 21 soldiers were killed on the spot, and Ovcharenko finished off the remaining ones with an ax, including the second officer who was trying to escape. The third officer still managed to escape. But even here the Soviet soldier was not at a loss. He collected all the documents, maps, records and machine guns and took them to the General Staff, while bringing ammunition and food on time. At first they did not believe him that he alone had dealt with an entire platoon of the enemy, but after a detailed study of the battle site, all doubts were dispelled.
Thanks to the heroic deed of soldier Ovcharenko, he was recognized as a Hero of the Soviet Union, and he also received one of the most significant orders- Order of Lenin along with the Gold Star medal. He did not live to see victory for only three months. The wound received in the battles for Hungary in January was fatal for the fighter. At that time he was a machine gunner in the 389th Infantry Regiment. He went down in history as a soldier with an axe.
Zoya Anatolyevna Kosmodemyanskaya
Zoya Anatolyevna’s homeland is the village of Osina-Gai, located in the Tambov region. She was born on September 8, 1923 into a Christian family. As fate would have it, Zoya spent her childhood in dark wanderings around the country. So, in 1925, the family was forced to move to Siberia to avoid persecution by the state. A year later they moved to Moscow, where her father died in 1933. Orphaned Zoya begins to have health problems that prevent her from studying. In the fall of 1941, Kosmodemyanskaya joined the ranks of intelligence officers and saboteurs on the Western Front. In a short time, Zoya completed combat training and began to carry out her assigned tasks.
She accomplished her heroic feat in the village of Petrishchevo. By order, Zoya and a group of fighters were tasked with burning a dozen settlements, which included the village of Petrishchevo. On the night of November twenty-eighth, Zoya and her comrades made their way to the village and came under fire, as a result of which the group broke up and Kosmodemyanskaya had to act alone. After spending the night in the forest, early in the morning she set out to complete the task. Zoya managed to set fire to three houses and escape unnoticed. But when she decided to return again and finish what she started, villagers were already waiting for her, who, seeing the saboteur, immediately reported German soldiers. Kosmodemyanskaya was captured and tortured for a long time. They tried to extract information from her about the unit in which she served and her name. Zoya refused and didn’t say anything, and when asked what her name was, she called herself Tanya. The Germans felt that they could not get more information and hung it up in public. Zoya met her death with dignity, and her last words went down in history forever. Dying, she said that our people number one hundred and seventy million people, and they cannot be outweighed in all. So, Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya died heroically.
Mentions of Zoya are associated primarily with the name “Tanya”, under which she went down in history. She is also a Hero of the Soviet Union. Her distinguishing feature- the first woman to receive this honorary title posthumously.
Alexey Tikhonovich Sevastyanov
This hero was the son of a simple cavalryman, a native of the Tver region, and was born in the winter of 1917 in the small village of Kholm. After graduating from technical school in Kalinin, he entered school military aviation. Sevastyanov finished it successfully in 1939. In more than a hundred combat sorties, he destroyed four enemy aircraft, of which two each personally and in a group, as well as one balloon.
He received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously. The most important sorties for Alexei Tikhonovich were battles in the skies over the Leningrad region. So, on November 4, 1941, Sevastyanov patrolled the sky above in his IL-153 aircraft. Northern capital. And just while he was on duty, the Germans carried out a raid. The artillery could not cope with the onslaught and Alexei Tikhonovich had to join the battle. The German He-111 aircraft managed to keep away the Soviet fighter for a long time. After two unsuccessful attacks, Sevastyanov made a third attempt, but when the time came to pull the trigger and destroy the enemy with a short burst, the Soviet pilot discovered a lack of ammunition. Without thinking twice, he decides to go for the ram. A Soviet plane pierced the tail of an enemy bomber with its propeller. For Sevastyanov, this maneuver turned out well, but for the Germans it all ended in captivity.
The second significant flight and the last for the hero was an air battle in the skies over Ladoga. Alexey Tikhonovich died in an unequal battle with the enemy on April 23, 1942.
Conclusion
As we have already said in this article, not all the heroes of the war are collected; there are about eleven thousand of them in total (according to official data). Among them are Russians, Kazakhs, Ukrainians, Belarusians, and all other nations of our multinational state. There are those who did not receive the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, having committed an equally important act, but due to a coincidence of circumstances, information about them was lost. There was a lot in the war: desertion of soldiers, betrayal, death, and much more, but the most great importance had exploits - these are the heroes. Thanks to them, victory was won in the Great Patriotic War.