Feats Soviet heroes that we will never forget.
Roman Smishchuk. In one battle, destroyed 6 enemy tanks with hand grenades
For ordinary Ukrainian Roman Smishchuk, that battle was his first. In an effort to destroy the company that had taken up a perimeter defense, the enemy brought 16 tanks into battle. At this critical moment, Smishchuk showed exceptional courage: letting the enemy tank come close, he knocked out its chassis with a grenade, and then threw a bottle with a Molotov cocktail and set it on fire. Running from trench to trench, Roman Smishchuk attacked the tanks, running out to meet them, and in this way destroyed six tanks one after another. The company personnel, inspired by Smishchuk’s feat, successfully broke through the ring and joined their regiment. For his feat, Roman Semyonovich Smishchuk was awarded the title of Hero Soviet Union with the presentation of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal, Roman Smishchuk died on October 29, 1969, and was buried in the village of Kryzhopol, Vinnytsia region.
Vanya Kuznetsov. The youngest holder of 3 Orders of Glory
Ivan Kuznetsov went to the front at the age of 14. Vanya received his first medal “For Courage” at the age of 15 for his exploits in the battles for the liberation of Ukraine. He reached Berlin, showing courage beyond his years in a number of battles. For this, already at the age of 17, Kuznetsov became the youngest full holder of the Order of Glory of all three levels. Died January 21, 1989.
Georgy Sinyakov. Saved hundreds from captivity Soviet soldiers according to the Count of Monte Cristo system
The Soviet surgeon was captured during the battles for Kyiv and, as a captured doctor at a concentration camp in Küstrin (Poland), saved hundreds of prisoners: being a member of the camp underground, he drew up documents in the concentration camp hospital for them as dead and organized escapes. Most often, Georgy Fedorovich Sinyakov used imitation of death: he taught patients to pretend to be dead, declared death, the “corpse” was taken out with other truly dead people and thrown into a ditch nearby, where the prisoner was “resurrected.” In particular, Dr. Sinyakov saved the life and helped pilot Anna Egorova, Hero of the Soviet Union, who was shot down in August 1944 near Warsaw, escape from the plan. Sinyakov lubricated her purulent wounds with fish oil and a special ointment, which made the wounds look fresh, but in fact healed well. Then Anna recovered and, with the help of Sinyakov, escaped from the concentration camp.
Matvey Putilov. At the age of 19, at the cost of his life, he connected the ends of a broken wire, restoring the telephone line between the headquarters and a detachment of fighters
In October 1942, the 308th Infantry Division fought in the area of the factory and the workers' village "Barricades". On October 25, there was a breakdown in communication and Guard Major Dyatleko ordered Matvey to restore the wired telephone connection connecting the regiment headquarters with a group of soldiers who were holding a house surrounded by the enemy for the second day. Two previous unsuccessful attempts to restore communications ended in the death of the signalmen. Putilov was wounded in the shoulder by a mine fragment. Overcoming the pain, he crawled to the site of the broken wire, but was wounded a second time: his arm was crushed. Losing consciousness and unable to use his hand, he squeezed the ends of the wires with his teeth, and a current passed through his body. Communication was restored. He died with the ends of telephone wires clenched in his teeth.
Marionella Koroleva. Carried 50 seriously wounded soldiers from the battlefield
19-year-old actress Gulya Koroleva voluntarily went to the front in 1941 and ended up in a medical battalion. In November 1942, during the battle for height 56.8 in the area of the Panshino farm, Gorodishchensky district (Volgograd region of the Russian Federation), Gulya literally carried 50 seriously wounded soldiers from the battlefield. And then, when the moral strength of the fighters dried up, she herself went on the attack, where she was killed. Songs were written about Guli Koroleva’s feat, and her dedication was an example for millions of Soviet girls and boys. Her name is carved in gold on the banner military glory on Mamayev Kurgan, a village in the Sovetsky district of Volgograd and a street are named after her. E. Ilyina’s book “The Fourth Height” is dedicated to Gula Koroleva
Koroleva Marionella (Gulya), Soviet film actress, heroine of the Great Patriotic War
Vladimir Khazov. A tanker who alone destroyed 27 enemy tanks
The young officer has 27 destroyed enemy tanks on his personal account. For services to the Motherland, Khazov was awarded the highest award - in November 1942 he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He especially distinguished himself in the battle in June 1942, when Khazov received an order to stop an advancing enemy tank column, consisting of 30 vehicles, near the village of Olkhovatka (Kharkov region, Ukraine) while senior lieutenant Khazov’s platoon had only 3 combat vehicles. The commander made a bold decision: let the column pass and start firing from the rear. Three T-34s opened aimed fire at the enemy, positioning themselves at the tail of the enemy column. From frequent and accurate shots, German tanks caught fire one after another. In this battle, which lasted just over an hour, not a single enemy vehicle survived, and the full platoon returned to the battalion's location. As a result of the fighting in the Olkhovatka area, the enemy lost 157 tanks and stopped their attacks in this direction.
Alexander Mamkin. The pilot who evacuated 10 children at the cost of his life
During the air evacuation operation of children from Polotsk orphanage No. 1, whom the Nazis wanted to use as blood donors for their soldiers, Alexander Mamkin made a flight that we will always remember. On the night of April 10-11, 1944, ten children, their teacher Valentina Latko and two wounded partisans fit into his R-5 plane. At first everything went well, but when approaching the front line, Mamkin’s plane was shot down. The R-5 was burning... If Mamkin had been alone on board, he would have gained altitude and jumped out with a parachute. But he was not flying alone and drove the plane further... The flame reached the pilot's cabin. The temperature melted his flight goggles, he flew the plane almost blindly, overcoming the hellish pain, he still stood firmly between the children and death. Mamkin was able to land the plane on the shore of the lake, he was able to get out of the cockpit and asked: “Are the children alive?” And I heard the voice of the boy Volodya Shishkov: “Comrade pilot, don’t worry! I opened the door, everyone is alive, let’s get out...” Then Mamkin lost consciousness, a week later he died... The doctors were still unable to explain how a man could drive the car and even land it safely, whose glasses had been fused into his face, and only his legs remained bones.
Alexey Maresyev. Test pilot who returned to the front and combat missions after amputation of both legs
On April 4, 1942, in the area of the so-called “Demyansk Pocket”, during an operation to cover bombers in a battle with the Germans, Maresyev’s plane was shot down. For 18 days, the pilot wounded in the legs, first on crippled legs, and then crawled his way to the front line, eating tree bark, pine cones and berries. Due to gangrene, his legs were amputated. But while still in the hospital, Alexey Maresyev began training, preparing to fly with prostheses. In February 1943, he made his first test flight after being wounded. I managed to get sent to the front. July 20, 1943 Alexey Maresyev during air combat with superior enemy forces, saved the lives of 2 Soviet pilots and shot down two enemy Fw.190 fighters at once. In total, during the war he made 86 combat missions and shot down 11 enemy aircraft: four before being wounded and seven after being wounded.
Rosa Shanina. One of the most formidable lone snipers of the Great Patriotic War
Rosa Shanina - Soviet single sniper of a separate platoon of female snipers of the 3rd Belorussian Front, holder of the Order of Glory; one of the first female snipers to receive this award. She was known for her ability to accurately fire at moving targets with a doublet - two shots in succession. Rosa Shanina’s account records 59 confirmed killed enemy soldiers and officers. The young girl became a symbol of the Patriotic War. Her name is associated with many stories and legends that inspired new heroes to glorious deeds. Died on January 28, 1945 during East Prussian operation, protecting a seriously wounded artillery unit commander.
Nikolay Skorokhodov. Flew 605 combat missions. Personally shot down 46 enemy aircraft.
Soviet fighter pilot Nikolai Skorokhodov went through all levels of aviation during the war - he was a pilot, senior pilot, flight commander, deputy commander and squadron commander. He fought on the Transcaucasian, North Caucasian, Southwestern and 3rd Ukrainian fronts. During this time, he made more than 605 combat missions, conducted 143 air battles, shot down 46 enemy aircraft personally and 8 in a group, and also destroyed 3 bombers on the ground. Thanks to his unique skill, Skomorokhov was never wounded, his plane did not burn, was not shot down, and did not receive a single hole during the entire war.
Dzhulbars. Mine detection dog, participant of the Great Patriotic War, the only dog awarded the medal “For Military Merit”
From September 1944 to August 1945, taking part in mine clearance in Romania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Austria, a working dog named Julbars discovered 7468 mines and more than 150 shells. Thus, the architectural masterpieces of Prague, Vienna and other cities have survived to this day thanks to the phenomenal flair of Dzhulbars. The dog also helped the sappers who cleared the grave of Taras Shevchenko in Kanev and St. Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. On March 21, 1945, for the successful completion of a combat mission, Dzhulbars was awarded the medal “For Military Merit.” This is the only time during the war that a dog received a military award. For his military services, Dzhulbars participated in the Victory Parade, held on Red Square on June 24, 1945.
Dzhulbars, a mine-detecting dog, a participant in the Great Patriotic War
Already at 7.00 on May 9, the “Our Victory” telethon begins, and the evening will end with a grandiose festive concert"VICTORY. ONE FOR ALL”, which will start at 20.30. The concert was attended by Svetlana Loboda, Irina Bilyk, Natalya Mogilevskaya, Zlata Ognevich, Viktor Pavlik, Olga Polyakova and other popular Ukrainian pop stars.
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. Preventing the Nazis from reaching the rear of the Southwestern 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. Juvenile heroes of the Great Patriotic War and their exploits, stories about which are quite widespread large quantities, will remain in 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 deeds were committed 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.
During the Great Patriotic War Soviet people showed unparalleled heroism and became Once again an example of self-sacrifice in the name of Victory. The Red Army soldiers and partisans did not spare themselves in battle with the enemy. However, there were cases when victory was achieved not by strength and courage, but by cunning and ingenuity.
Winch against an impregnable bunker
During the battle for Novorossiysk on the bridgehead “ Malaya Zemlya“Marine Stepan Shchuka, a descendant of Kerch fishermen who hunted in the Black Sea for generations, served and fought.
Thanks to his ingenuity, the soldiers managed to take the enemy bunker (long-term firing point), which had previously seemed impregnable, without losses. It was a stone house with thick walls, the paths to which were blocked with barbed wire. Empty tin cans were hung on the “thorn”, rattling with every touch.
All attempts to take the bunker by force ended in failure - the assault groups suffered losses from machine gun, mortar and artillery fire and were forced to retreat. Stepan was able to get a winch with a cable, and at night, quietly approaching the wire fences, he attached this cable to them. And when he returned back, he set the mechanism into action.
When the Germans saw the crawling barrier, they first opened heavy fire, and then ran out of the house completely. Here they were captured. Later they said that when they saw the crawling barrier, they were afraid that they were dealing with evil spirits, and they panicked. The fortification was taken without losses.
Turtle saboteurs
Another incident occurred on the same “Malaya Zemlya”. There were many turtles in that area. One day, one of the fighters came up with the idea of tying a tin can to one of them and releasing the amphibian towards the German fortifications.
Hearing the strumming, the Germans thought that the Red Army soldiers were cutting the wire barriers on which empty cans were hung as a sound alarm, and for about two hours they spent ammunition shooting at an area where there was not a single soldier.
The next night, our fighters sent dozens of these amphibious “saboteurs” towards enemy positions. The sound of cans in the absence of a visible enemy gave the Germans no rest, and they for a long time They wasted a huge amount of ammunition of all calibers, fighting off non-existent enemies.
Mine detonation several hundred kilometers away
The name of Ilya Grigorievich Starinov is inscribed as a separate line in the history of the Russian army. Having gone through the Civil, Spanish, Soviet-Finnish and Great Patriotic Wars, he immortalized himself as a unique partisan and saboteur. It was he who created simple but extremely effective mines for blowing up German trains. Under his leadership, hundreds of demolitionists were trained, who turned the rear of the German army into a trap. But his most outstanding sabotage was the destruction of Lieutenant General Georg Braun, who commanded the 68th Wehrmacht Infantry Division.
When our troops, retreating, left Kharkov, the military and directly the first secretary of the Kyiv regional committee of the CPSU (b) Nikita Khrushchev insisted that the house in which Nikita Sergeevich lived in the city on Dzerzhinsky Street be mined. He knew that German officers from the command, when stationed in occupied cities, were accommodated with maximum comfort, and his house was perfectly suited for these purposes.
Ilya Starinov and a group of sappers planted a very powerful bomb in the boiler room of Khrushchev’s mansion, which was activated by a radio signal. The fighters dug a 2-meter well right in the room and planted a mine with equipment there. To prevent the Germans from finding it, they “hid” another decoy mine in another corner of the boiler room, poorly disguised.
A couple of weeks later, when the Germans had already completely occupied Kharkov, the explosives were activated. The signal for the explosion was sent all the way from Voronezh, the distance to which was 330 kilometers. All that was left of the mansion was a crater; several German officers were killed, including the aforementioned Georg Braun.
The Russians have become insolent and are shooting at barns
Many of the actions of the Red Army soldiers during the Great Patriotic War caused surprise, close to shock, among the German troops. Chancellor Otto von Bismarck is credited with the phrase: “Never fight the Russians. They will respond to your every military stratagem with unpredictable stupidity.”
The multiple launch rocket systems, which our soldiers affectionately nicknamed “Katyushas,” fired M-8 shells of 82 mm caliber and M-13 shells of 132 mm caliber. Later, more powerful modifications of these ammunition began to be used - 300 mm caliber rockets under the designation M-30.
Guide devices for such projectiles were not provided on vehicles, and launchers were made for them, on which, in fact, only the angle of inclination was adjusted. The shells were placed on the installations either in one row or in two, and directly in the factory shipping packaging, where there were 4 shells in a row. To launch, all that was needed was to connect the projectiles to a dynamo with a rotating handle, which initiated the ignition of the propellant charge.
Sometimes due to inattention, and sometimes simply due to negligence, without reading the instructions, our artillerymen forgot to remove wooden supports for shells from the packaging, and they flew to enemy positions right in the packages. The dimensions of the packages reached two meters, which is why there were rumors among the Germans that the completely insolent Russians were “shooting at barns.”
With an ax on a tank
An equally incredible event occurred in the summer of 1941 on the North-Western Front. When parts 8th tank division The Third Reich was surrounded by our troops, one of the German tanks drove to the edge of the forest, where its crew saw a smoking field kitchen. It was smoking not because it was damaged, but because wood was burning in the stove, and soldiers’ porridge and soup were being cooked in cauldrons. The Germans did not notice anyone nearby. Then their commander got out of the car to get some provisions. But at that moment a Red Army soldier appeared out of the ground and rushed towards him with an ax in one hand and a rifle in the other.
The tankman quickly jumped back, closed the hatch and began shooting at our soldier with a machine gun. But it was too late - the fighter was too close and was able to escape from the fire. Having climbed onto the enemy vehicle, he began to hit the machine gun with an ax until he bent its barrel. After this, the cook covered the observation gaps with a rag and began to hammer with an ax on the tower itself. He was alone, but he resorted to a trick - he began shouting to supposedly nearby comrades to quickly carry anti-tank grenades in order to blow up the tank if the Germans did not surrender.
In a matter of seconds, the hatch of the tank opened and raised hands poked out. Pointing a rifle at the enemy, the Red Army soldier forced the crew members to tie each other up, after which he ran to stir the cooking food, which could burn. His fellow soldiers who returned to the edge of the forest, having successfully repelled the enemy attack by that time, found him: he was peacefully stirring porridge, and four captured Germans were sitting next to him and their tank was standing nearby.
The soldiers remained well fed, and the cook received a medal. The hero's name was Ivan Pavlovich Sereda. He went through the entire war and was awarded more than once.
Heroes of the Great Patriotic War
Alexander Matrosov
Submachine gunner 2nd separate battalion 91st separate Siberian volunteer brigade named after Stalin.
Sasha Matrosov did not know his parents. He was brought up in an orphanage and a labor colony. When the war began, he was not even 20. Matrosov was drafted into the army in September 1942 and sent to the infantry school, and then to the front.
In February 1943, his battalion attacked a Nazi stronghold, but fell into a trap, coming under heavy fire, cutting off the path to the trenches. They fired from three bunkers. Two soon fell silent, but the third continued to shoot the Red Army soldiers lying in the snow.
Seeing that the only chance to get out of the fire was to suppress the enemy’s fire, Sailors and a fellow soldier crawled to the bunker and threw two grenades in his direction. The machine gun fell silent. The Red Army soldiers went on the attack, but the deadly weapon began to chatter again. Alexander’s partner was killed, and Sailors was left alone in front of the bunker. Something had to be done.
He didn't have even a few seconds to make a decision. Not wanting to let his comrades down, Alexander closed the bunker embrasure with his body. The attack was a success. And Matrosov posthumously received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Military pilot, commander of the 2nd squadron of the 207th long-range bomber aviation regiment, captain.
He worked as a mechanic, then in 1932 he was drafted into the Red Army. He ended up in an air regiment, where he became a pilot. Nikolai Gastello participated in three wars. A year before the Great Patriotic War, he received the rank of captain.
On June 26, 1941, the crew under the command of Captain Gastello took off to strike a German mechanized column. It happened on the road between the Belarusian cities of Molodechno and Radoshkovichi. But the column was well guarded by enemy artillery. A fight ensued. Gastello's plane was hit by anti-aircraft guns. The shell damaged the fuel tank and the car caught fire. The pilot could have ejected, but he decided to fulfill his military duty to the end. Nikolai Gastello directed the burning car directly at the enemy column. This was the first fire ram in the Great Patriotic War.
The name of the brave pilot became a household name. Until the end of the war, all aces who decided to ram were called Gastellites. If you follow official statistics, then during the entire war there were almost six hundred ramming attacks on the enemy.
Brigade reconnaissance officer of the 67th detachment of the 4th Leningrad partisan brigade.
Lena was 15 years old when the war began. He was already working at a factory, having completed seven years of school. When the Nazis captured his native Novgorod region, Lenya joined the partisans.
He was brave and decisive, the command valued him. Over the several years spent in the partisan detachment, he participated in 27 operations. He was responsible for several destroyed bridges behind enemy lines, 78 Germans killed, and 10 trains with ammunition.
It was he who, in the summer of 1942, near the village of Varnitsa, blew up a car in which was the German Major General of the Engineering Troops Richard von Wirtz. Golikov managed to get important documents about the German advance. The enemy attack was thwarted, and the young hero was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for this feat.
In the winter of 1943, a significantly superior enemy detachment unexpectedly attacked the partisans near the village of Ostray Luka. Lenya Golikov died as a real hero- in battle.
Pioneer. Scout of the Voroshilov partisan detachment in the territory occupied by the Nazis.
Zina was born and went to school in Leningrad. However, the war found her on the territory of Belarus, where she came on vacation.
In 1942, 16-year-old Zina joined the underground organization “Young Avengers”. She distributed anti-fascist leaflets in the occupied territories. Then, undercover, she got a job in a canteen for German officers, where she committed several acts of sabotage and was only miraculously not captured by the enemy. Many experienced military men were surprised at her courage.
In 1943, Zina Portnova joined the partisans and continued to engage in sabotage behind enemy lines. Due to the efforts of defectors who surrendered Zina to the Nazis, she was captured. She was interrogated and tortured in the dungeons. But Zina remained silent, not betraying her own. During one of these interrogations, she grabbed a pistol from the table and shot three Nazis. After that she was shot in prison.
An underground anti-fascist organization operating in the area of modern Lugansk region. There were more than a hundred people. The youngest participant was 14 years old.
This underground youth organization was formed immediately after the occupation of the Lugansk region. It included both regular military personnel who found themselves cut off from the main units, and local youth. Among the most famous participants: Oleg Koshevoy, Ulyana Gromova, Lyubov Shevtsova, Vasily Levashov, Sergey Tyulenin and many other young people.
The Young Guard issued leaflets and committed sabotage against the Nazis. Once they managed to disable an entire tank repair workshop and burn down the stock exchange, from where the Nazis were driving people away for forced labor in Germany. Members of the organization planned to stage an uprising, but were discovered due to traitors. The Nazis captured, tortured and shot more than seventy people. Their feat is immortalized in one of the most famous military books by Alexander Fadeev and the film adaptation of the same name.
28 people from the personnel of the 4th company of the 2nd battalion of the 1075th rifle regiment.
In November 1941, a counter-offensive against Moscow began. The enemy stopped at nothing, making a decisive forced march before the onset of a harsh winter.
At this time, fighters under the command of Ivan Panfilov took up a position on the highway seven kilometers from Volokolamsk, a small town near Moscow. There they gave battle to the advancing tank units. The battle lasted four hours. During this time, they destroyed 18 armored vehicles, delaying the enemy's attack and thwarting his plans. All 28 people (or almost all, historians’ opinions differ here) died.
According to legend, the company political instructor Vasily Klochkov, before the decisive stage of the battle, addressed the soldiers with a phrase that became known throughout the country: “Russia is great, but there is nowhere to retreat - Moscow is behind us!”
The Nazi counteroffensive ultimately failed. The Battle of Moscow, which was assigned the most important role during the war, was lost by the occupiers.
As a child, the future hero suffered from rheumatism, and doctors doubted that Maresyev would be able to fly. However, he stubbornly applied to the flight school until he was finally enrolled. Maresyev was drafted into the army in 1937.
He met the Great Patriotic War at a flight school, but soon found himself at the front. During a combat mission, his plane was shot down, and Maresyev himself was able to eject. Eighteen days later, seriously wounded in both legs, he got out of the encirclement. However, he still managed to overcome the front line and ended up in the hospital. But gangrene had already set in, and doctors amputated both of his legs.
For many, this would have meant the end of their service, but the pilot did not give up and returned to aviation. Until the end of the war he flew with prosthetics. Over the years, he made 86 combat missions and shot down 11 enemy aircraft. Moreover, 7 - after amputation. In 1944, Alexey Maresyev went to work as an inspector and lived to be 84 years old.
His fate inspired the writer Boris Polevoy to write “The Tale of a Real Man.”
Deputy squadron commander of the 177th Air Defense Fighter Aviation Regiment.
Viktor Talalikhin began to fight already in the Soviet-Finnish war. He shot down 4 enemy planes in a biplane. Then he served at an aviation school.
In August 1941, he was one of the first Soviet pilots to ram, shooting down a German bomber in a night air battle. Moreover, the wounded pilot was able to get out of the cockpit and parachute down to the rear to his own.
Talalikhin then shot down five more German aircraft. He died during another air battle near Podolsk in October 1941.
73 years later, in 2014, search engines found Talalikhin’s plane, which remained in the swamps near Moscow.
Artilleryman of the 3rd counter-battery artillery corps of the Leningrad Front.
Soldier Andrei Korzun was drafted into the army at the very beginning of the Great Patriotic War. He served on the Leningrad Front, where there were fierce and bloody battles.
On November 5, 1943, during another battle, his battery came under fierce enemy fire. Korzun was seriously injured. Despite the terrible pain, he saw that the powder charges were set on fire and the ammunition depot could fly into the air. Gathering his last strength, Andrei crawled to the blazing fire. But he could no longer take off his overcoat to cover the fire. Losing consciousness, he made a final effort and covered the fire with his body. The explosion was avoided at the cost of the life of the brave artilleryman.
Commander of the 3rd Leningrad Partisan Brigade.
A native of Petrograd, Alexander German, according to some sources, was a native of Germany. He served in the army since 1933. When the war started, I joined the scouts. He worked behind enemy lines, commanded a partisan detachment that terrified enemy soldiers. His brigade destroyed several thousand fascist soldiers and officers, derailed hundreds of trains and blew up hundreds of cars.
The Nazis staged a real hunt for Herman. In 1943, his partisan detachment was surrounded in the Pskov region. Making his way to his own, the brave commander died from an enemy bullet.
Commander of the 30th Separate Guards Tank Brigade of the Leningrad Front
Vladislav Khrustitsky was drafted into the Red Army back in the 20s. At the end of the 30s he completed armored courses. Since the fall of 1942, he commanded the 61st separate light tank brigade.
He distinguished himself during Operation Iskra, which marked the beginning of the defeat of the Germans on the Leningrad Front.
Killed in the battle near Volosovo. In 1944, the enemy retreated from Leningrad, but from time to time they attempted to counterattack. During one of these counterattacks, Khrustitsky's tank brigade fell into a trap.
Despite heavy fire, the commander ordered the offensive to continue. He radioed to his crews with the words: “Fight to the death!” - and went forward first. Unfortunately, the brave tanker died in this battle. And yet the village of Volosovo was liberated from the enemy.
Commander of a partisan detachment and brigade.
Before the war he worked for railway. In October 1941, when the Germans were already near Moscow, he himself volunteered for a complex operation in which his railway experience was needed. Was thrown behind enemy lines. There he came up with the so-called “coal mines” (in fact, these are just mines disguised as coal). With the help of this simple but effective weapon, hundreds of enemy trains were blown up in three months.
Zaslonov actively agitated the local population to go over to the side of the partisans. The Nazis, realizing this, dressed their soldiers in Soviet uniforms. Zaslonov mistook them for defectors and ordered them to join the partisan detachment. The way was open for the insidious enemy. A battle ensued, during which Zaslonov died. A reward was announced for Zaslonov, alive or dead, but the peasants hid his body, and the Germans did not get it.
Commander of a small partisan detachment.
Efim Osipenko fought back in Civil War. Therefore, when the enemy captured his land, without thinking twice, he joined the partisans. Together with five other comrades, he organized a small partisan detachment that committed sabotage against the Nazis.
During one of the operations, it was decided to undermine the enemy personnel. But the detachment had little ammunition. The bomb was made from an ordinary grenade. Osipenko himself had to install the explosives. He crawled to the railway bridge and, seeing the train approaching, threw it in front of the train. There was no explosion. Then the partisan himself hit the grenade with a pole from a railway sign. It worked! A long train with food and tanks went downhill. The detachment commander survived, but completely lost his sight.
For this feat, he was the first in the country to be awarded the “Partisan of the Patriotic War” medal.
Peasant Matvey Kuzmin was born three years before the abolition of serfdom. And he died, becoming the oldest holder of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
His story contains many references to the story of another famous peasant - Ivan Susanin. Matvey also had to lead the invaders through the forest and swamps. And, like legendary hero, decided to stop the enemy at the cost of his life. He sent his grandson ahead to warn a detachment of partisans who had stopped nearby. The Nazis were ambushed. A fight ensued. Matvey Kuzmin died by hand German officer. But he did his job. He was 84 years old.
A partisan who was part of a sabotage and reconnaissance group at the headquarters of the Western Front.
While studying at school, Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya wanted to enter a literary institute. But these plans were not destined to come true - the war interfered. In October 1941, Zoya came to the recruiting station as a volunteer and, after a short training at a school for saboteurs, was transferred to Volokolamsk. There, an 18-year-old partisan fighter, along with adult men, performed dangerous tasks: mined roads and destroyed communication centers.
During one of the sabotage operations, Kosmodemyanskaya was caught by the Germans. She was tortured, forcing her to give up her own people. Zoya heroically endured all the trials without saying a word to her enemies. Seeing that it was impossible to achieve anything from the young partisan, they decided to hang her.
Kosmodemyanskaya bravely accepted the tests. A moment before her death, she shouted to the crowd local residents: “Comrades, victory will be ours. German soldiers Before it’s too late, surrender!” The girl’s courage shocked the peasants so much that they later retold this story to front-line correspondents. And after publication in the newspaper Pravda, the whole country learned about Kosmodemyanskaya’s feat. She became the first woman to be awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War.