During the years of the Great Patriotic War, not much was known about the incredible feat of a simple Russian soldier Kolka Sirotinin, as well as about the hero himself. Perhaps no one would have ever known about the feat of a twenty-year-old artilleryman. If not for one case.
In the summer of 1942, an officer of the 4th Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht, Friedrich Fenfeld, died near Tula. Soviet soldiers discovered his diary. From its pages, some details of that very last battle of Senior Sergeant Sirotinin became known.
It was the 25th day of the war ...
In the summer of 1941, the 4th tank division of the Guderian group, one of the most talented German generals, broke through to the Belarusian city of Krichev. Part 13 Soviet army were forced to retreat. To cover the retreat of the artillery battery of the 55th Infantry Regiment, the commander left artilleryman Nikolai Sirotinin with a gun.
The order was brief: to hold up the German tank column on the bridge over the river Dobrost, and then, if possible, catch up with our own. The senior sergeant carried out only the first half of the order...
Sirotinin took up a position in a field near the village of Sokolnichi. The cannon sank in high rye. There is not a single noticeable landmark for the enemy nearby. But from here the highway and the river were clearly visible.
On the morning of July 17, a column of 59 tanks and armored vehicles with infantry appeared on the highway. When the lead tank reached the bridge, the first - successful - shot rang out. With the second shell, Sirotinin set fire to an armored personnel carrier at the tail of the column, thereby creating a traffic jam. Nikolai fired and fired, knocking out car after car.
Sirotinin fought alone, he was both a gunner and a loader. He had 60 shells in his ammunition load and a 76-millimeter cannon - an excellent weapon against tanks. And he made a decision: to continue the battle until the ammunition runs out.
The Nazis rushed to the ground in a panic, not understanding where the shooting was coming from. The guns were fired at random, in squares. Indeed, on the eve of their intelligence could not detect Soviet artillery in the vicinity, and the division advanced without any special precautions. The Germans made an attempt to clear the blockage by pulling the wrecked tank off the bridge with two other tanks, but they were also knocked out. The armored car, which tried to ford the river, got bogged down in the swampy bank, where it was destroyed. For a long time the Germans failed to determine the location of the well-camouflaged gun; they believed that a whole battery was fighting them.
This unique battle lasted a little over two hours. The crossing was blocked. By the time Nikolai's position was discovered, he had only three shells left. Sirotinin refused the offer to surrender and fired from a carbine to the last. Having entered the rear of Sirotinin on motorcycles, the Germans destroyed a lone gun with mortar fire. At the position they found a lone cannon and a soldier.
The result of the battle of Senior Sergeant Sirotinin against General Guderian is impressive: after the battle on the banks of the Dobrost River, the Nazis lost 11 tanks, 7 armored vehicles, 57 soldiers and officers.
The stamina of the Soviet fighter aroused the respect of the Nazis. The commander of the tank battalion, Colonel Erich Schneider, ordered to bury a worthy enemy with military honors.
From the diary of Lieutenant Friedrich Hönfeld of the 4th Panzer Division:
July 17, 1941. Sokolnichi, near Krichev. In the evening they buried an unknown Russian soldier. He alone stood at the cannon, shot a column of tanks and infantry for a long time, and died. Everyone was amazed at his bravery… Oberst (colonel – editorial note) said in front of the grave that if all the Fuhrer’s soldiers fought like this Russian, they would conquer the whole world. Three times they fired volleys from rifles. After all, he is Russian, is such admiration necessary?
From the testimony of Olga Verzhbitskaya, a resident of the village of Sokolnichi:
I, Verzhbitskaya Olga Borisovna, born in 1889, a native of Latvia (Latgale), lived before the war in the village of Sokolnichi, Krichevsky district, together with my sister.
We knew Nikolai Sirotinin and his sister until the day of the battle. He was with my friend, bought milk. He was very polite, always helping older women to get water from the well and in other hard work.
I remember well the evening before the fight. On a log at the gate of the Grabsky house, I saw Nikolai Sirotinin. He sat and thought about something. I was very surprised that everyone was leaving, and he was sitting.
When the fight started, I was not at home yet. I remember how tracer bullets flew. He walked for about two or three hours. In the afternoon, the Germans gathered at the place where the Sirotinin gun stood. We, the locals, were also forced to come there. To me, as knowing German, the chief German of about fifty with orders, tall, bald, gray-haired, ordered to translate his speech to local people. He said that the Russian fought very well, that if the Germans had fought like that, they would have taken Moscow long ago, that this is how a soldier should defend his homeland - fatherland.
Then a medallion was taken out of the pocket of our dead soldier's tunic. I remember firmly that it was written there “the city of Orel”, to Vladimir Sirotinin (I don’t remember his patronymic), that the name of the street was, as I remember, not Dobrolyubova, but Freight or Lomovaya, I remember that the house number was two digits. But we could not know who this Sirotinin Vladimir was - the father, brother, uncle of the murdered man or someone else - we could not.
German chief boss told me: “Take this document and write to your relatives. Let a mother know what a hero her son was and how he died.” Then a young German officer who was standing at the grave of Sirotinin came up and snatched a piece of paper and a medallion from me and said something rudely.
The Germans fired a volley of rifles in honor of our soldier and put a cross on the grave, hung up his helmet, pierced by a bullet.
I myself saw the body of Nikolai Sirotinin well, even when he was lowered into the grave. His face was not covered in blood, but the tunic on the left side had a large bloody stain, his helmet was pierced, and there were many shell casings lying around.
Since our house was not far from the battlefield, next to the road to Sokolniki, the Germans were standing near us. I myself heard how they spoke for a long time and admiringly about the feat of the Russian soldier, counting the shots and hits. Some of the Germans, even after the funeral, stood at the cannon and the grave for a long time and talked quietly.
February 29, 1960
Testimony of the telephone operator M. I. Grabskaya:
I, Grabskaya Maria Ivanovna, born in 1918, worked as a telephone operator at DEU 919 in Krichev, lived in native village Sokolnichi, three kilometers from the city of Krichev.
I remember well the events of July 1941. About a week before the arrival of the Germans, Soviet artillerymen settled in our village. The headquarters of their battery was in our house, the battery commander was a senior lieutenant named Nikolai, his assistant was a lieutenant named Fedya, of the fighters, I remember the Red Army soldier Nikolai Sirotinin the most. The fact is that the senior lieutenant very often called this fighter and entrusted him with both tasks as the most intelligent and experienced.
He was a little above average height, dark brown hair, a simple, cheerful face. When Sirotinin and senior lieutenant Nikolai decided to dig a dugout for the locals, I saw how he deftly threw the earth, noticed that he was apparently not from the boss's family. Nicholas jokingly replied:
“I am a worker from Orel, and I am no stranger to physical labor. We, the Oryols, know how to work.”
Today, in the village of Sokolnichi, there is no grave in which the Germans buried Nikolai Sirotinin. Three years after the war, his remains were transferred to the mass grave of Soviet soldiers in Krichev.
Pencil drawing made from memory by a colleague of Sirotinin in the 1990s The inhabitants of Belarus remember and honor the feat of the brave artilleryman. In Krichev there is a street named after him, a monument has been erected. But, despite the fact that the feat of Sirotinin, thanks to the efforts of the employees of the Archive of the Soviet Army, was recognized back in 1960, the title of Hero Soviet Union he was not assigned. A painfully absurd circumstance got in the way: the soldier's family did not have his photograph. And it is necessary to apply for a high rank.
Today there is only a pencil sketch made after the war by one of his colleagues. In the year of the 20th anniversary of the Victory, Senior Sergeant Sirotinin was awarded the Order Patriotic War first degree. Posthumously. Such is the story.
Memory
In 1948, the remains of Nikolai Sirotinin were reburied in a mass grave (according to the military burial record card on the OBD Memorial website - in 1943), on which a monument was erected in the form of a sculpture of a soldier grieving for his dead comrades, and on the marble boards in the list of the buried is indicated surname Sirotinina N.V.
In 1960, Sirotinin was posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class.
In 1961, a monument in the form of an obelisk with the name of the hero was erected at the site of the feat near the highway, next to which a real 76-mm gun was installed on a pedestal. In the city of Krichev, a street is named after Sirotinin.
At the Tekmash plant in Orel, Memorial plaque With brief reference about N. V. Sirotinin.
Museum of Military Glory in high school No. 17 of the city of Orel, there are materials dedicated to N. V. Sirotinin.
In 2015, the council of school No. 7 of the city of Orel petitioned for the school to be named after Nikolai Sirotinin. Nikolai's sister, Taisiya Vladimirovna, attended the celebrations. The name for the school was chosen by the students themselves on the basis of their search and information work.
When reporters asked Nikolai's sister why Nikolay volunteered to cover the retreat of the division, Taisiya Vladimirovna replied: "My brother could not have done otherwise."
The feat of Kolka Sirotinin is an example of loyalty to the Motherland for all our youth.
The war demanded from the people the greatest exertion of strength and huge sacrifices on a national scale, revealed the steadfastness and courage of the Soviet man, the ability to sacrifice himself in the name of the freedom and independence of the Motherland. During the war years, heroism became widespread, became the norm for the behavior of Soviet people. Thousands of soldiers and officers immortalized their names during the defense Brest Fortress, Odessa, Sevastopol, Kiev, Leningrad, Novorossiysk, in the battle of Moscow, Stalingrad, Kursk, in the North Caucasus, the Dnieper, in the foothills of the Carpathians, during the storming of Berlin and in other battles.
For heroic deeds in the Great Patriotic War, over 11 thousand people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (some of them posthumously), 104 of them twice, three three times (G.K. Zhukov, I.N. Kozhedub and A.I. Pokryshkin ). The first during the war years this title was awarded to Soviet pilots M. P. Zhukov, S. I. Zdorovtsev and P. T. Kharitonov, who rammed Nazi planes on the outskirts of Leningrad.
In total, over eight thousand heroes were brought up in the ground forces in wartime, including 1800 artillerymen, 1142 tankers, 650 soldiers engineering troops, over 290 signalmen, 93 air defense soldiers, 52 soldiers of the military rear, 44 doctors; V Air Force– over 2400 people; V Navy– over 500 people; partisans, underground fighters and Soviet intelligence officers- about 400; border guards - over 150 people.
| Representatives of the nations | Number of heroes |
|---|---|
| Russians | 8160 |
| Ukrainians | 2069 |
| Belarusians | 309 |
| Tatars | 161 |
| Jews | 108 |
| Kazakhs | 96 |
| Georgian | 90 |
| Armenians | 90 |
| Uzbeks | 69 |
| Mordovians | 61 |
| Chuvash | 44 |
| Azerbaijanis | 43 |
| Bashkirs | 39 |
| Ossetians | 32 |
| Tajiks | 14 |
| Turkmens | 18 |
| Lithokians | 15 |
| Latvians | 13 |
| Kyrgyz | 12 |
| Udmurts | 10 |
| Karelians | 8 |
| Estonians | 8 |
| Kalmyks | 8 |
| Kabardians | 7 |
| Adyghe | 6 |
| Abkhazians | 5 |
| Yakuts | 3 |
| Moldovans | 2 |
| results | 11501 |
Among the military personnel awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, privates, sergeants, foremen - over 35%, officers - about 60%, generals, admirals, marshals - over 380 people. There are 87 women among the Wartime Heroes of the Soviet Union. The first to receive this title was Z. A. Kosmodemyanskaya (posthumously).
About 35% of the Heroes of the Soviet Union at the time of awarding the title were under the age of 30, 28% - from 30 to 40 years old, 9% - over 40 years old.
Four Heroes of the Soviet Union: artilleryman A. V. Aleshin, pilot I. G. Drachenko, commander of a rifle platoon P. Kh. Dubinda, artilleryman N. I. Kuznetsov - were also awarded Orders of Glory of all three degrees for military exploits. More than 2,500 people, including 4 women, became full holders of the Order of Glory of three degrees. During the war, over 38 million orders and medals were awarded to the defenders of the Motherland for courage and heroism. The motherland highly appreciated the labor feat of the Soviet people in the rear. During the war years, the title of Hero of Socialist Labor was awarded to 201 people, about 200 thousand were awarded orders and medals.
Viktor Vasilievich Talalikhin
Born September 18, 1918 in the village. Teplovka, Volsky district, Saratov region. Russian. After graduating from the factory school, he worked at the Moscow meat processing plant, at the same time he studied at the flying club. He graduated from the Borisoglebokoe military aviation school for pilots. He took part in the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940. He made 47 sorties, shot down 4 Finnish aircraft, for which he was awarded the Order of the Red Star (1940).
In the battles of the Great Patriotic War since June 1941. Made more than 60 sorties. In the summer and autumn of 1941, he fought near Moscow. For military distinctions he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner (1941) and the Order of Lenin.
The title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the award of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal was awarded to Viktor Vasilyevich Talalikhin by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 8, 1941 for the first night ramming of an enemy bomber in the history of aviation.
Soon Talalikhin was appointed squadron commander, he was awarded the rank of lieutenant. The glorious pilot participated in many air battles near Moscow, shot down five more enemy aircraft personally and one in a group. He died a heroic death in an unequal battle with Nazi fighters on October 27, 1941.
Buried V.V. Talalikhin with military honors at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow. By order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR of August 30, 1948, he was forever enrolled in the lists of the first fighter squadron aviation regiment, in which he fought with the enemy near Moscow.
Streets in Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Borisoglebsk were named after Talalikhin Voronezh region and other cities, a sea vessel, GPTU No. 100 in Moscow, a number of schools. An obelisk was erected on the 43rd kilometer of the Varshavskoye Highway, over which an unprecedented night duel took place. A monument was erected in Podolsk, in Moscow - a bust of the Hero.
Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub
(1920-1991), air marshal (1985), Hero of the Soviet Union (1944 - twice; 1945). During the Great Patriotic War in fighter aviation, the squadron commander, deputy regiment commander, conducted 120 air battles; shot down 62 aircraft.
Three times Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub on La-7 shot down 17 enemy aircraft (including the Me-262 jet fighter) out of 62 shot down by him during the war on La fighters. One of the most memorable battles Kozhedub fought on February 19, 1945 (sometimes the date is February 24).
On this day, he flew out on a free hunt paired with Dmitry Titarenko. On the traverse of the Oder, the pilots noticed an aircraft rapidly approaching from the direction of Frankfurt an der Oder. The plane was flying along the riverbed at an altitude of 3500 m at a speed much greater than the La-7 could develop. It was Me-262. Kozhedub instantly made a decision. The Me-262 pilot relied on the speed qualities of his car and did not control the airspace in the rear hemisphere and below. Kozhedub attacked from below on a head-on course, hoping to hit the jet in the belly. However, Titarenko opened fire before Kozhedub. To the considerable surprise of Kozhedub, the premature firing of the wingman was beneficial.
The German turned to the left, towards Kozhedub, the latter had only to catch the Messerschmitt in the sight and press the trigger. Me-262 turned into a fireball. In the cockpit of the Me 262 was non-commissioned officer Kurt-Lange from 1. / KG (J) -54.
On the evening of April 17, 1945, Kozhedub and Titarenko flew their fourth combat sortie to the Berlin area in a day. Immediately after crossing the front line north of Berlin, the hunters discovered a large group of FW-190s with suspended bombs. Kozhedub began to gain altitude for the attack and reported to command post about establishing contact with a group of forty Focke-Wulwof with suspended bombs. German pilots clearly saw how a pair of Soviet fighters went into the clouds and did not expect that they would appear again. However, the hunters showed up.
Behind from the top, in the first attack, Kozhedub shot down the leader of the four fokkers that closed the group. The hunters sought to give the enemy the impression of the presence of a significant number of Soviet fighters in the air. Kozhedub threw his La-7 right into the thick of the enemy aircraft, turning Lavochkin left and right, the ace fired cannons in short bursts. The Germans succumbed to the trick - the Focke-Wulfs began to free them from bombs that prevented air combat. However, the Luftwaffe pilots soon established the presence of only two La-7s in the air and, taking advantage of the numerical advantage, took the guards into circulation. One FW-190 managed to get into the tail of the Kozhedub fighter, but Titarenko opened fire before the German pilot - the Focke-Wulf exploded in the air.
By this time, help had arrived - the La-7 group from the 176th regiment, Titarenko and Kozhedub were able to get out of the battle on the last remaining fuel. On the way back, Kozhedub saw a single FW-190, which was still trying to drop bombs on Soviet troops. Ace dived and shot down an enemy plane. It was the last, 62nd, German aircraft shot down by the best Allied fighter pilot.
Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub also distinguished himself in the Battle of Kursk.
Kozhedub's total score does not include at least two aircraft - American R-51 Mustang fighters. In one of the battles in April, Kozhedub tried to drive off German fighters from the American Flying Fortress with cannon fire. US Air Force escort fighters misunderstood the intentions of the La-7 pilot and opened barrage fire from a long distance. Kozhedub, apparently, also mistook the Mustangs for Messers, left the fire with a coup and, in turn, attacked the “enemy”.
He damaged one Mustang (the plane, smoking, left the battlefield and, after flying a little, fell, the pilot jumped out with a parachute), the second R-51 exploded in the air. Only after a successful attack did Kozhedub notice the white stars of the US Air Force on the wings and fuselages of the planes he shot down. After landing, the regiment commander, Colonel Chupikov, advised Kozhedub to keep quiet about the incident and gave him the developed film of the photo-machine gun. The existence of a film with footage of burning Mustangs became known only after the death of the legendary pilot. Detailed biography of the hero on the website: www.warheroes.ru "Unknown Heroes"
Alexey Petrovich Maresyev
Maresyev Aleksey Petrovich fighter pilot, deputy squadron commander of the 63rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, Guards Senior Lieutenant.
Born on May 20, 1916 in the city of Kamyshin, Volgograd Region, in a working class family. Russian. At the age of three, he was left without a father, who died shortly after returning from the First World War. After graduating from the 8th grade of secondary school, Alexei entered the FZU, where he received the specialty of a locksmith. Then he applied to the Moscow aviation institute, but instead of an institute on a Komsomol ticket, he went to build Komsomolsk-on-Amur. There he sawed wood in the taiga, built barracks, and then the first residential quarters. At the same time he studied at the flying club. He was drafted into the Soviet army in 1937. He served in the 12th Aviation Border Detachment. But, according to Maresyev himself, he did not fly, but "wafted his tails" at the planes. He really took to the air already at the Bataysk Military Aviation Pilot School, which he graduated in 1940. He served as a flight instructor.
He made his first sortie on August 23, 1941 in the Krivoy Rog region. Lieutenant Maresyev opened a combat account at the beginning of 1942 - he shot down a Ju-52. By the end of March 1942, he brought the number of downed Nazi aircraft to four. On April 4, in an air battle over the Demyansky bridgehead (Novgorod region), Maresyev's fighter was shot down. He tried to land on the ice of a frozen lake, but released the landing gear early. The plane began to quickly lose altitude and fell into the forest.
Maresyev crawled to his own. He had frostbite on his feet and had to be amputated. However, the pilot decided not to give up. When he got the prostheses, he trained long and hard and got permission to return to duty. He learned to fly again in the 11th reserve aviation brigade in Ivanovo.
In June 1943, Maresyev returned to service. He fought on the Kursk Bulge as part of the 63rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, was a deputy squadron commander. In August 1943, during one battle, Alexei Maresyev shot down three enemy FW-190 fighters at once.
On August 24, 1943, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Senior Lieutenant Maresyev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Later he fought in the Baltic States, became a regiment navigator. In 1944 he joined the CPSU. In total, he made 86 sorties, shot down 11 enemy aircraft: 4 before being wounded and seven with amputated legs. In June 1944, Major Maresyev of the Guards became an inspector-pilot of the Office of Higher educational institutions Air Force. The legendary fate of Alexei Petrovich Maresyev is the subject of Boris Polevoy's book "The Tale of a Real Man".
In July 1946, Maresyev was honorably discharged from the Air Force. In 1952 he graduated from the Higher Party School under the Central Committee of the CPSU, in 1956 - postgraduate studies at the Academy of Social Sciences under the Central Committee of the CPSU, received the title of candidate historical sciences. In the same year, he became the executive secretary of the Soviet Committee of War Veterans, in 1983 - the first deputy chairman of the committee. In this position, he worked until last day own life.
Retired Colonel A.P. Maresyev was awarded two orders of Lenin, orders October revolution, the Red Banner, the Patriotic War of the 1st degree, two Orders of the Red Banner of Labor, the Order of Friendship of Peoples, the Red Star, the Badge of Honor, "For Merit to the Fatherland" 3rd degree, medals, foreign orders. He was an honorary soldier of a military unit, an honorary citizen of the cities of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Kamyshin, Orel. A small planet is named after him solar system, public fund, youth patriotic clubs. He was elected a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Author of the book "On the Kursk Bulge" (M., 1960).
Even during the war, Boris Polevoy's book "The Tale of a Real Man" was published, the prototype of which was Maresyev (the author changed only one letter in his last name). In 1948, director Alexander Stolper shot a film of the same name based on the book at Mosfilm. Maresyev was even offered to play the main role himself, but he refused and this role was played by a professional actor Pavel Kadochnikov.
He died suddenly on May 18, 2001. He was buried in Moscow at the Novodevichy Cemetery. May 18, 2001 at the Theater Russian army a gala evening was planned on the occasion of Maresyev's 85th birthday, but an hour before the start, Alexei Petrovich had a heart attack. He was taken to the intensive care unit of a Moscow clinic, where he died without regaining consciousness. The gala evening nevertheless took place, but it began with a moment of silence.
Krasnoperov Sergey Leonidovich
Krasnoperov Sergey Leonidovich was born on July 23, 1923 in the village of Pokrovka, Chernushinsky district. In May 1941, he volunteered for the Soviet Army. For a year he studied at the Balashov Aviation School of Pilots. In November 1942, attack pilot Sergei Krasnoperov arrived in the 765th assault aviation regiment, and in January 1943 he was appointed deputy squadron commander of the 502nd assault aviation regiment of the 214th assault air division of the North Caucasian Front. In this regiment in June 1943 he joined the ranks of the party. For military distinctions he was awarded the Orders of the Red Banner, the Red Star, the Order of the Patriotic War of the 2nd degree.
The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded on February 4, 1944. Killed in action June 24, 1944. "March 14, 1943. Attack pilot Sergei Krasnoperov makes two sorties one after another to attack the port of Temrkzh. Leading six "silts", he set fire to a boat at the pier of the port. In the second flight, an enemy shell hit the engine. A bright flame for a moment, like it seemed to Krasnoperov, the sun eclipsed and immediately disappeared in thick black smoke. Krasnoperov turned off the ignition, turned off the gas and tried to fly the plane to the front line. However, after a few minutes it became clear that it would not be possible to save the plane. And under the wing - a solid swamp. There is only one way out As soon as the burning car touched the marsh bumps with its fuselage, the pilot barely had time to jump out of it and run a little to the side, an explosion rumbled.
A few days later, Krasnoperov was back in the air, and in the combat log of the flight commander of the 502nd assault aviation regiment, junior lieutenant Krasnoperov Sergey Leonidovich, a brief entry appeared: "03/23/43". With two sorties, he destroyed a convoy in the area of \u200b\u200bst. Crimean. Destroyed cars - 1, created fires - 2 ". On April 4, Krasnoperov stormed manpower and fire weapons in the height of 204.3 meters. On the next sortie, he stormed artillery and firing points in the area of Krymskaya station. At the same time, he destroyed two tanks, one gun and a mortar.
One day, a junior lieutenant received a task for a free flight in pairs. He was leading. Covertly, on a low-level flight, a pair of "silts" penetrated deep into the rear of the enemy. They noticed cars on the road - they attacked them. They discovered a concentration of troops - and suddenly brought down destructive fire on the heads of the Nazis. The Germans unloaded ammunition and weapons from a self-propelled barge. Combat entry - the barge flew into the air. The regiment commander, Lieutenant Colonel Smirnov, wrote about Sergei Krasnoperov: “Such heroic deeds of Comrade Krasnoperov are repeated in every sortie. The pilots of his flight became masters of the assault business. created for himself military glory, enjoys well-deserved military authority among the personnel of the regiment. And indeed. Sergei was only 19 years old, and for his exploits he was already awarded the order Red Star. He was only 20 years old, and his chest was adorned with the Golden Star of a Hero.
Seventy-four sorties were made by Sergei Krasnoperov during the days of fighting on the Taman Peninsula. As one of the best, he was entrusted 20 times to lead a group of "silts" to attack, and he always carried out a combat mission. He personally destroyed 6 tanks, 70 vehicles, 35 wagons with cargo, 10 guns, 3 mortars, 5 points of anti-aircraft artillery, 7 machine guns, 3 tractors, 5 bunkers, an ammunition depot, a boat, a self-propelled barge were sunk, two crossings across the Kuban were destroyed.
Matrosov Alexander Matveevich
Matrosov Alexander Matveyevich - rifleman of the 2nd battalion of the 91st separate rifle brigade (22nd Army, Kalinin Front), private. Born February 5, 1924 in the city of Yekaterinoslav (now Dnepropetrovsk). Russian. Member of the Komsomol. He lost his parents early. 5 years brought up in Ivanovsky orphanage(Ulyanovsk region). Then he was brought up in the Ufa children's labor colony. At the end of the 7th grade, he remained to work in the colony as an assistant teacher. In the Red Army since September 1942. In October 1942 he entered the Krasnokholmsk Infantry School, but soon most of the cadets were sent to the Kalinin Front.
In the army since November 1942. He served in the 2nd Battalion of the 91st Separate Rifle Brigade. For some time the brigade was in reserve. Then she was transferred near Pskov to the area of \u200b\u200bthe Big Lomovaty Bor. Right from the march, the brigade entered the battle.
On February 27, 1943, the 2nd battalion received the task of attacking a stronghold near the village of Chernushki (Loknyansky district, Pskov region). As soon as our soldiers passed through the forest and reached the edge of the forest, they came under heavy enemy machine gun fire - three enemy machine guns in bunkers covered the approaches to the village. One machine gun was suppressed by an assault group of machine gunners and armor-piercers. The second bunker was destroyed by another group of armor-piercers. But the machine gun from the third bunker continued to shell the entire hollow in front of the village. Efforts to silence him were unsuccessful. Then, in the direction of the bunker, Private A.M. Matrosov crawled. He approached the embrasure from the flank and threw two grenades. The machine gun fell silent. But as soon as the fighters went on the attack, the machine gun came to life again. Then Matrosov got up, rushed to the bunker and closed the embrasure with his body. At the cost of his life, he contributed to the combat mission of the unit.
A few days later, the name of Matrosov became known throughout the country. The feat of Matrosov was used by a journalist who happened to be with the unit for a patriotic article. At the same time, the regiment commander learned about the feat from the newspapers. Moreover, the date of the death of the hero was moved to February 23, coinciding the feat with the day of the Soviet Army. Despite the fact that Matrosov was not the first to perform such an act of self-sacrifice, it was his name that was used to glorify heroism. Soviet soldiers. Subsequently, over 300 people performed the same feat, but this was no longer widely reported. His feat has become a symbol of courage and military prowess, fearlessness and love for the Motherland.
The title of Hero of the Soviet Union Alexander Matveyevich Matrosov was posthumously awarded on June 19, 1943. He was buried in the city of Velikiye Luki. September 8, 1943 by order People's Commissar Defense of the USSR, the name of Matrosov was assigned to the 254th Guards Rifle Regiment, he himself was forever enrolled (one of the first in the Soviet Army) in the lists of the 1st company of this unit. Monuments to the Hero were erected in Ufa, Velikiye Luki, Ulyanovsk, etc. The Museum of Komsomol Glory in the city of Velikiye Luki, streets, schools, pioneer squads, motor ships, collective farms and state farms bore his name.
Ivan Vasilievich Panfilov
In the battles near Volokolamsk, the 316th Infantry Division of General I.V. Panfilov. Reflecting continuous enemy attacks for 6 days, they knocked out 80 tanks and destroyed several hundred soldiers and officers. Enemy attempts to capture the Volokolamsk region and open the way to Moscow from the west failed. For heroic actions, this formation was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and transformed into the 8th Guards, and its commander, General I.V. Panfilov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He was not lucky enough to witness the complete defeat of the enemy near Moscow: on November 18, near the village of Gusenevo, he died a heroic death.
Ivan Vasilyevich Panfilov, Major General of the Guards, commander of the 8th Guards Rifle Division of the Red Banner (former 316th) Division, was born on January 1, 1893 in the city of Petrovsk, Saratov Region. Russian. Member of the CPSU since 1920. From the age of 12 he worked for hire, in 1915 he was drafted into royal army. In the same year he was sent to the Russian-German front. Voluntarily joined the Red Army in 1918. He was enrolled in the 1st Saratov Infantry Regiment of the 25th Chapaev Division. Participated in the civil war, fought against Dutov, Kolchak, Denikin and the White Poles. After the war, he graduated from the two-year Kyiv United Infantry School and was assigned to the Central Asian Military District. He took part in the fight against the Basmachi.
The Great Patriotic War found Major General Panfilov at the post of military commissar of the Kyrgyz Republic. Having formed the 316th rifle division, he went with it to the front and in October - November 1941 fought near Moscow. For military distinctions he was awarded two Orders of the Red Banner (1921, 1929) and the medal "XX Years of the Red Army".
The title of Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Vasilievich Panfilov was awarded posthumously on April 12, 1942 for his skillful leadership of division units in the battles on the outskirts of Moscow and his personal courage and heroism.
In the first half of October 1941, the 316th Division arrived in the 16th Army and took up defensive positions on a wide front on the outskirts of Volokolamsk. General Panfilov was the first to widely use the system of in-depth artillery anti-tank defense, created and skillfully used mobile barrier detachments in battle. Thanks to this, the stamina of our troops increased significantly, and all attempts by the 5th German Army Corps to break through the defenses were unsuccessful. Within seven days, the division, together with the cadet regiment S.I. Mladentseva and dedicated units of anti-tank artillery successfully repelled enemy attacks.
Attaching great importance to the capture of Volokolamsk, the Nazi command sent another motorized corps into the area. Only under pressure from superior enemy forces, parts of the division were forced to leave Volokolamsk at the end of October and take up defenses east of the city.
November 16 fascist troops launched a second "general" offensive against Moscow. A fierce battle broke out near Volokolamsk again. On this day, at the Dubosekovo junction, 28 Panfilov soldiers under the command of political instructor V.G. Klochkov repelled the attack of enemy tanks, and held the occupied line. The enemy tanks also failed to break through in the direction of the villages of Mykanino and Strokovo. The division of General Panfilov firmly held its positions, its soldiers fought to the death.
For the exemplary performance of the combat missions of the command, the mass heroism of the personnel, the 316th division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner on November 17, 1941, and the next day it was transformed into the 8th Guards Rifle Division.
Nikolai Frantsevich Gastello
Nikolai Frantsevich was born on May 6, 1908 in Moscow, in a working-class family. Graduated from 5 classes. He worked as a mechanic at the Murom Locomotive Plant of Construction Machines. In the Soviet Army in May 1932. In 1933 he graduated from the Luhansk military school pilots in bomber units. In 1939 he participated in the battles on the river. Khalkhin - Gol and the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940. In the army since June 1941, the squadron commander of the 207th long-range bomber aviation regiment (42nd bomber aviation division, 3rd bomber aviation corps DBA), Captain Gastello, on June 26, 1941, carried out another flight on a mission. His bomber was hit and caught fire. He directed the burning aircraft at a concentration of enemy troops. From the explosion of the bomber, the enemy suffered heavy losses. For the accomplished feat on July 26, 1941, he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Gastello's name is forever listed military units. On the site of the feat on the Minsk-Vilnius highway, a memorial monument was erected in Moscow.
Zoya Anatolyevna Kosmodemyanskaya ("Tanya")
Zoya Anatolyevna ["Tanya" (09/13/1923 - 11/29/1941)] - Soviet partisan, Hero of the Soviet Union was born in Osino-Gai, Gavrilovsky district, Tambov region, in the family of an employee. In 1930 the family moved to Moscow. 
She graduated from 9 classes of school number 201. 
In October 1941, Komsomol member Kosmodemyanskaya voluntarily joined a special partisan detachment, acting on instructions from the headquarters of the Western Front in the Mozhaisk direction.
Twice sent to the rear of the enemy. At the end of November 1941, while performing the second combat mission in the area of the village of Petrishchevo (Russian district of the Moscow region), she was captured by the Nazis. Despite severe torture, she did not give out military secrets, did not give her name.
On November 29, she was hanged by the Nazis. Her devotion to the Motherland, courage and selflessness have become an inspiring example in the fight against the enemy. On February 6, 1942, he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Manshuk Zhiengalievna Mametova
Manshuk Mametova was born in 1922 in the Urdinsky district of the West Kazakhstan region. Manshuk's parents died early, and the five-year-old girl was adopted by her aunt Amina Mametova. Childhood Manshuk passed in Almaty.
When the Great Patriotic War began, Manshuk studied at medical institute and at the same time worked in the secretariat of the Council of People's Commissars of the republic. In August 1942, she voluntarily joined the Red Army and went to the front. In the unit where Manshuk arrived, she was left as a clerk at the headquarters. But the young patriot decided to become a front line fighter, and a month later Senior Sergeant Mametova was transferred to the rifle battalion of the 21st Guards Rifle Division.
Short, but bright, like a flashing star, was her life. Manshuk died in the battle for the honor and freedom of her native country, when she was in her twenty-first year and had just joined the party. The short battle path of the glorious daughter of the Kazakh people ended with an immortal feat accomplished by her near the walls of the ancient Russian city of Nevel.
On October 16, 1943, the battalion in which Manshuk Mametova served was ordered to repulse the enemy's counterattack. As soon as the Nazis tried to repulse the attack, the machine gun of Senior Sergeant Mametova started working. The Nazis rolled back, leaving hundreds of corpses. Several violent attacks of the Nazis have already choked at the foot of the hill. Suddenly, the girl noticed that two neighboring machine guns fell silent - the machine gunners were killed. Then Manshuk, quickly crawling from one firing point to another, began to fire at the pressing enemies from three machine guns.
The enemy transferred mortar fire to the positions of the resourceful girl. A close explosion of a heavy mine overturned a machine gun, behind which lay Manshuk. Wounded in the head, the machine gunner lost consciousness for a while, but the triumphant cries of the approaching Nazis forced her to wake up. Instantly moving to a nearby machine gun, Manshuk lashed the chains of fascist warriors with a lead shower. And again the enemy attack choked. This ensured the successful advance of our units, but the girl from distant Urda remained lying on the hillside. Her fingers froze on the Maxim trigger.
On March 1, 1944, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Senior Sergeant Manshuk Zhiengaliyevna Mametova was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Aliya Moldagulova
Aliya Moldagulova was born on April 20, 1924 in the village of Bulak, Khobdinsky district, Aktobe region. After the death of her parents, she was brought up by her uncle Aubakir Moldagulov. With his family, she moved from city to city. She studied at the 9th secondary school in Leningrad. In the fall of 1942, Aliya Moldagulova joined the army and was sent to a sniper school. In May 1943, Aliya submitted a report to the school command with a request to send her to the front. Aliya ended up in the 3rd company of the 4th battalion of the 54th rifle brigade under the command of Major Moiseev.
By the beginning of October, Aliya Moldagulova had 32 dead fascists on her account.
In December 1943, Moiseev's battalion was ordered to drive the enemy out of the village of Kazachikha. By seizing it locality Soviet command hoped to cut the railway line along which the Nazis were transferring reinforcements. The Nazis fiercely resisted, skillfully using the benefits of the area. The slightest advance of our companies came at a heavy price, and yet slowly but steadily our fighters approached the enemy's fortifications. Suddenly, a lone figure appeared ahead of the advancing chains.
Suddenly, a lone figure appeared ahead of the advancing chains. The Nazis noticed the brave warrior and opened fire from machine guns. Catching the moment when the fire weakened, the fighter rose to his full height and dragged the entire battalion with him.
After a fierce battle, our fighters took possession of the height. The daredevil lingered in the trench for some time. There were traces of pain on his pale face, and strands of black hair broke out from under his cap with earflaps. It was Aliya Moldagulova. She destroyed 10 fascists in this battle. The wound was light, and the girl remained in the ranks.
In an effort to restore the situation, the enemy rushed into counterattacks. On January 14, 1944, a group of enemy soldiers managed to break into our trenches. A hand-to-hand fight ensued. Aliya mowed down the Nazis with well-aimed bursts of the machine gun. Suddenly, she instinctively felt danger behind her back. She turned sharply, but it was too late: the German officer fired first. Gathering the last of her strength, Aliya threw up her machine gun and the Nazi officer fell to the frozen ground...
The wounded Aliya was carried out by her comrades from the battlefield. The fighters wanted to believe in a miracle, and they offered blood to save the girl. But the wound was fatal.
On June 4, 1944, Corporal Aliya Moldagulova was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Sevastyanov Alexey Tikhonovich
Sevastyanov Aleksey Tikhonovich, flight commander of the 26th Fighter Aviation Regiment (7th Fighter Aviation Corps, Leningrad Air Defense Zone), junior lieutenant. Born on February 16, 1917 in the village of Kholm, now the Likhoslavl district of the Tver (Kalinin) region. Russian. Graduated from the Kalinin Carriage Building College. In the Red Army since 1936. In 1939 he graduated from the Kachin Military Aviation School.
Member of the Great Patriotic War since June 1941. In total, during the war years, junior lieutenant Sevastyanov A.T. made more than 100 sorties, shot down 2 enemy aircraft personally (one of them by ramming), 2 - in a group and an observation balloon.
The title of Hero of the Soviet Union Alexei Tikhonovich Sevastyanov was awarded posthumously on June 6, 1942.
On November 4, 1941, junior lieutenant Sevastyanov on an Il-153 aircraft patrolled on the outskirts of Leningrad. At about 22.00, an enemy air raid on the city began. Despite the fire of anti-aircraft artillery, one He-111 bomber managed to break through to Leningrad. Sevastyanov attacked the enemy, but missed. He went on the attack a second time and opened fire at close range, but again missed. Sevastyanov attacked for the third time. Coming close, he pressed the trigger, but there were no shots - the cartridges ran out. In order not to miss the enemy, he decided to go for a ram. Approaching behind the "Heinkel", he chopped off his tail with a screw. Then he left the damaged fighter and landed by parachute. The bomber crashed in the Tauride Garden area. The crew members who jumped out on parachutes were taken prisoner. The fallen Sevastyanov fighter was found in Baskov lane and restored by specialists of the 1st Rembaza.
April 23, 1942 Sevastyanov A.T. died in an unequal air battle, defending the "Road of Life" across Ladoga (shot down 2.5 km from the village of Rakhya, Vsevolozhsk district; a monument was erected in this place). He was buried in Leningrad at the Chesme cemetery. Forever enrolled in the lists of the military unit. A street in St. Petersburg, the House of Culture in the village of Pervitino, Likhoslavl District, are named after him. Dedicated to his deed documentary"Heroes don't die."
Matveev Vladimir Ivanovich
Matveev Vladimir Ivanovich Squadron commander of the 154th Fighter Aviation Regiment (39th Fighter Aviation Division, Northern Front) - captain. Born October 27, 1911 in St. Petersburg in a working class family. Russian Member of the CPSU(b) since 1938. Graduated from 5 classes. He worked as a mechanic at the factory "Red October". In the Red Army since 1930. In 1931 he graduated from the Leningrad military-theoretical school of pilots, in 1933 - Borisoglebsk military aviation school of pilots. Member of the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940.
With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War at the front. Captain Matveev V.I. On July 8, 1941, when repelling an enemy air raid on Leningrad, having used up all the ammunition, he used a ram: he cut off the tail of a Nazi aircraft with the end of the plane of his MiG-3. An enemy plane crashed near the village of Malyutino. He successfully landed at his airport. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the award of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal was awarded to Vladimir Ivanovich Matveev on July 22, 1941.
Killed in air combat January 1, 1942, covering the "Road of Life" on Ladoga. Buried in Leningrad.
Polyakov Sergey Nikolaevich
Sergei Polyakov was born in 1908 in Moscow into a working-class family. He graduated from 7 classes of incomplete secondary school. Since 1930 in the Red Army, he graduated from the military aviation school. Participant civil war in Spain 1936-1939. In air battles, he shot down 5 Franco aircraft. 
Member of the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940. On the fronts of the Great Patriotic War from the first day. The commander of the 174th Assault Aviation Regiment, Major S.N. Polyakov, made 42 sorties, inflicting precise strikes on airfields, equipment and manpower of the enemy, while destroying 42 and damaging 35 aircraft.
On December 23, 1941, he died while performing the next combat mission. On February 10, 1943, for courage and courage shown in battles with enemies, Sergey Nikolaevich Polyakov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously). For the period of service he was awarded the Orders of Lenin, the Red Banner (twice), the Red Star, and medals. He was buried in the village of Agalatovo, Vsevolozhsk district, Leningrad region.
Muravitsky Luka Zakharovich
Luka Muravitsky was born on December 31, 1916 in the village of Dolgoe, now the Soligorsk district of the Minsk region, into a peasant family. He graduated from 6 classes and school FZU. Worked on the subway in Moscow. Graduated from the Aeroclub. In the Soviet Army since 1937. He graduated from the Borisoglebsk military school for pilots in 1939. B.ZYu 
Member of the Great Patriotic War since July 1941. My combat activity, Junior Lieutenant Muravitsky began as part of the 29th IAP of the Moscow Military District. This regiment met the war on outdated I-153 fighters. Sufficiently maneuverable, they were inferior to enemy aircraft in speed and firepower. Analyzing the first air battles, the pilots came to the conclusion that they needed to abandon the pattern of straight-line attacks, and fight on turns, in dives, on a "hill" when their "Seagull" gained additional speed. At the same time, it was decided to switch to flights in twos, abandoning the link of three aircraft established by the official position.
The very first flights of "twos" showed their clear advantage. So, at the end of July, Alexander Popov, paired with Luka Muravitsky, returning after escorting the bombers, met with six Messers. Our pilots were the first to attack and shot down the leader of the enemy group. Stunned by the sudden blow, the Nazis hurried to get out.
On each of his planes, Luka Muravitsky painted the inscription “For Anya” on the fuselage with white paint. The pilots at first laughed at him, and the authorities ordered the inscription to be erased. But before each new flight, on the fuselage of the aircraft on the starboard side again appeared - "For Anya" ... No one knew who this Anya was, whom Luka remembers even going into battle ...
Once, before a sortie, the regiment commander ordered Muravitsky to immediately erase the inscription and more so that it would not happen again! Then Luka told the commander that this was his beloved girl, who worked with him at the Metrostroy, studied at the flying club, that she loved him, they were going to get married, but ... She crashed jumping from an airplane. The parachute did not open... Even if she did not die in battle, Luka continued, but she was preparing to become an air fighter, to defend her Motherland. The commander relented.
Participating in the defense of Moscow, the commander of the 29th IAP, Luka Muravitsky, achieved excellent results. He was distinguished not only by sober calculation and courage, but also by his willingness to do anything to defeat the enemy. So on September 3, 1941, acting on the Western Front, he rammed an enemy He-111 reconnaissance aircraft and made a safe landing on the damaged aircraft. At the beginning of the war, we had few planes, and that day Muravitsky had to fly alone - to cover railway station where the ammunition train was being unloaded. Fighters, as a rule, flew in pairs, but here - one ...
At first everything went smoothly. The lieutenant vigilantly watched the air around the station, but as you can see, if there are multi-layered clouds overhead, rain. When Muravitsky was making a U-turn over the outskirts of the station, he saw a German reconnaissance aircraft in the gap between the tiers of clouds. Luka sharply increased the engine speed and rushed across the Heinkel-111. The Lieutenant's attack was unexpected, the "Heinkel" had not yet had time to open fire, as a machine-gun burst pierced the enemy, and he, descending steeply, began to flee. Muravitsky caught up with the Heinkel, opened fire on it again, and suddenly the machine gun fell silent. The pilot reloaded, but apparently ran out of ammunition. And then Muravitsky decided to ram the enemy.
He increased the speed of the plane - "Heinkel" is getting closer and closer. The Nazis are already visible in the cockpit ... Without reducing speed, Muravitsky approaches almost close to the Nazi aircraft and hits the tail with a propeller. The jerk and propeller of the fighter cut through the metal of the tail unit of the Non-111 ... The enemy plane crashed into the ground behind the railroad tracks in a wasteland. Luca also hit his head hard on the dashboard, aim and lost consciousness. I woke up - the plane falls to the ground in a tailspin. Gathering all his strength, the pilot with difficulty stopped the rotation of the machine and brought it out of a steep dive. He could not fly further and had to land the car at the station...
Having healed, Muravitsky returned to his regiment. And again fights. The flight commander flew into battle several times a day. He was eager to fight and again, as before the injury, the fuselage of his fighter was carefully displayed: "For Anya." By the end of September, the brave pilot already had about 40 air victories, won personally and as part of a group.
Soon one of the squadrons of the 29th IAP, which included Luka Muravitsky, was transferred to the Leningrad Front to reinforce the 127th IAP. The main task of this regiment was to escort transport aircraft along the Ladoga highway, cover their landing, loading and unloading. Acting as part of the 127th IAP, Senior Lieutenant Muravitsky shot down 3 more enemy aircraft. On October 22, 1941, Muravitsky was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the exemplary performance of the combat missions of the command, for the courage and bravery shown in battle. By this time, 14 enemy aircraft were already downed on his personal account.
On November 30, 1941, the commander of the 127th IAP, Senior Lieutenant Maravitsky, died in an unequal air battle, defending Leningrad ... The total result of his combat activities, in various sources, is estimated differently. The most common figure is 47 (10 victories won personally and 37 as part of a group), less often - 49 (12 personally and 37 in a group). However, all these figures do not fit in with the figure of personal victories - 14, given above. Moreover, in one of the publications it is generally stated that Luka Muravitsky won his last victory in May 1945, over Berlin. Unfortunately, exact data is not yet available.
Luka Zakharovich Muravitsky was buried in the village of Kapitolovo, Vsevolozhsk District Leningrad region. A street in the village of Dolgoye is named after him.
During the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet people showed unparalleled heroism and once again became 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 won not by strength and courage, but by cunning and ingenuity.
Winch against impregnable bunker
During the battle for Novorossiysk, he served and fought on the Malaya Zemlya bridgehead Marine Stepan Shchuka is a descendant of Kerch fishermen who have been fishing in the Black Sea for generations.
Thanks to his ingenuity, the soldiers managed to take the enemy pillbox (long-term firing point), which had previously seemed impregnable, without loss. 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 from 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, on the other hand, was able to get a winch with a cable, and at night, imperceptibly crept up to the wire fences, he attached this cable to them. And when he came back, he brought the mechanism into action.
When the Germans saw the creeping barrier, they first opened heavy fire, and then completely ran out of the house. Here they were taken prisoner. Later, they said that when they saw the creeping barrier, they were afraid that they were dealing with evil spirits and panicked. The fort was taken without loss.
Turtle saboteurs
Another case occurred on the same “Malaya Zemlya”. There were many turtles in that area. Once one of the fighters came up with the idea to tie a tin can to one of them and release the amphibian towards the German fortifications.
Hearing the strumming, the Germans thought that the Red Army soldiers were cutting barbed wire, on which empty tin cans were hung as a sound signal, and spent about two hours consuming ammunition, shooting a section where there was not a single soldier.
The next night, our fighters launched dozens of such amphibious "saboteurs" towards the enemy's positions. The roar of cans in the absence of a visible enemy did not give the Germans peace of mind, and for a long time they spent a huge amount of ammunition of all calibers, fighting off non-existent enemies.
Detonation of mines for several hundred kilometers
The name of Ilya Grigoryevich 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 to undermine German trains. Under his leadership, hundreds of demolition men were trained, who turned the rear 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 Kiev regional committee of the CPSU (b) Nikita Khrushchev insisted that the house in which Nikita Sergeyevich lived was mined in the city on Dzerzhinsky Street. He knew that the German officers from the command, when they stand up in the occupied cities, lodged with maximum comfort, and his house was the best suited for these purposes.
Ilya Starinov with a group of sappers planted a very powerful bomb in the boiler room of the Khrushchev mansion, which was activated by a radio signal. The fighters dug a 2-meter well right in the room and laid a mine with equipment there. So that the Germans would not find it, they "hid" in another corner of the boiler room, poorly disguised, another fake mine.
A couple of weeks later, when the Germans had already completely occupied Kharkov, the explosives were activated. The signal for the explosion was given as far as Voronezh, the distance to which was 330 kilometers. Only a funnel remained from the mansion, several German officers died, including the aforementioned Georg Braun.
The Russians are insolent and shoot with sheds
Many actions of the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War caused German troops surprise close to shock. Chancellor Otto von Bismarck is credited with the phrase: “Never fight the Russians. To your every stratagem they will respond with unpredictable stupidity.”
Multiple rocket launchers, which our soldiers affectionately nicknamed “Katyushas”, fired M-8 82 mm and M-13 132 mm shells. Later, more powerful modifications of these ammunition began to be used - 300 mm caliber rockets under the M-30 index.
Guides for such projectiles were not provided for on cars, and launchers were made for them, on which, in fact, only the angle of inclination was regulated. The shells were placed on the installations either in one row or in two, and directly in the factory shipping package, where there were 4 shells in a row. To launch, it was only necessary to connect the shells to a dynamo with a spinning handle, which initiated the ignition of the propellant charge.
Sometimes due to inattention, and sometimes simply due to negligence, without reading the instructions, our gunners forgot to take out the wooden stops for the shells from the packaging packs, and they flew away to the enemy positions right in the packages. The dimensions of the packages reached two meters, because of which there were rumors among the Germans that the completely insolent Russians were “shooting barns”.
With an ax to the tank
An equally incredible event took place in the summer of 1941 on the North-Western Front. When units of the 8th Panzer Division of the Third Reich surrounded our troops, one of German tanks drove to the edge of the forest, where his carriage saw a smoking field kitchen. It smoked not because it was hit, but because firewood was burning in the stove, and soldier's porridge and soup were cooked in cauldrons. The Germans did not notice anyone nearby. Then their commander got out of the car to profit from provisions. But at that moment, a Red Army soldier appeared from under the ground and rushed at him with an ax in one hand and a rifle in the other.
The tanker quickly jumped back, closed the hatch and started firing at our soldier with a machine gun. But it was too late - the fighter was too close and was able to escape from the shelling. Climbing onto an enemy vehicle, he began to hit the machine gun with an ax until he bent its barrel. After that, the cook closed the observation slots with a rag and began to thrash with an ax already on the tower itself. He was alone, but he went to the trick - he began to shout to his comrades who were supposedly nearby to carry anti-tank grenades as soon as possible in order to undermine the tank if the Germans did not surrender.
In a matter of seconds, the hatch of the tank opened and outstretched hands stuck 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 food that was being prepared, which could burn. The brother-soldiers who returned to the edge, who had successfully repelled the enemy’s attack by that time, found him just like that: he was peacefully stirring porridge, and four captured Germans were sitting next to him and their tank was not far away.
The soldiers were full, and the cook received a medal. The hero's name was Ivan Pavlovich Sereda. He went through the whole war and was awarded more than once.
Introduction
History does not know a larger-scale, fierce, destructive and bloody confrontation than that which our people had to wage against the fascist aggressors. In the war of 1941-1945. the fate of not only the Fatherland, but also many other peoples and countries - essentially all of humanity. The servicemen of the internal troops fought against the invaders shoulder to shoulder with the Red Army. Eternal and holy is the feat of our compatriots who overcame fascism and won Great Victory.
The Great Patriotic War will forever remain in the memory of the descendants and successors of the great people great country. About thirty million of our compatriots died heroically for the freedom of our Motherland. Sometimes it seemed to the enemy that the collapse of the USSR was inevitable: the Germans near Moscow and Leningrad were breaking through near Stalingrad. But the Nazis simply forgot that for centuries Genghis Khan, Batu, Mamai, Napoleon and others have tried unsuccessfully to conquer our country. The Russian man was always ready to stand up for his Motherland and fight to the last breath. There was no limit to the patriotism of our soldiers. Only a Russian soldier saved a wounded comrade from under heavy fire from enemy machine guns. Only the Russian soldier mercilessly beat the enemies, but spared the prisoners. Only a Russian soldier died, but did not give up.
Sometimes German commanders were horrified by the rage and perseverance, courage and heroism of ordinary Russian soldiers. One of the German officers said: "When my tanks go on the attack, the earth trembles under their weight. When the Russians go into battle, the earth trembles with fear of them." One of the captured German officers looked into the faces of Russian soldiers for a long time and, in the end, sighing, said: "Now I see that Russian spirit, about which we have been told many times." Many feats were accomplished by our soldiers during the Great Patriotic War. Young guys sacrificed themselves for this long-awaited Victory. Many of them did not return home, went missing or were killed on the battlefields. And each of them can be considered a hero. After all, it was they who, at the cost of their lives, led our Motherland to the Great Victory. Soldiers perished knowing full well that they were giving their lives in the name of happiness, in the name of freedom, in the name of clear skies and clear sun, in the name of future happy generations.
Yes, they accomplished a feat, they died, but did not give up. The consciousness of one's duty to the Motherland drowned out the feeling of fear, pain, and thoughts of death. This means that this action is not an unaccountable feat, but a conviction in the rightness and greatness of a cause for which a person consciously gives his life.
Victory in the Great Patriotic War is a feat and glory of our people. No matter how the assessments and facts of our history have changed in recent years, May 9, Victory Day, remains a sacred holiday for our people. Eternal glory to the soldiers of war! Their feat will forever remain in the hearts of millions of people who value peace, happiness and freedom.
feat hero soldier war
1. The exploits of Soviet soldiers and officers during the Great Patriotic War
The war between the USSR and Nazi Germany was not an ordinary war between two states, between two armies. It was the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet people against Nazi German invaders. From the very first days of the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet people had to deal with a very serious enemy who knew how to wage a big modern war. Hitler's mechanized hordes, regardless of losses, rushed forward and betrayed to fire and sword everything that they met on the way. Thanks to iron discipline, military skill and selflessness, millions of Soviet people, who looked death in the face, won and survived. The exploits of the Soviet heroes became a beacon to which other warrior heroes were equal.
Viktor Vasilievich Talalikhin
Born September 18, 1918 in the village. Teplovka, Volsky district, Saratov region. He graduated from the Borisoglebokoe military aviation school for pilots. He took part in the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940. He made 47 sorties, shot down 4 Finnish aircraft, for which he was awarded the Order of the Red Star (1940).
In the battles of the Great Patriotic War since June 1941. Made more than 60 sorties. In the summer and autumn of 1941, he fought near Moscow<#"justify">. Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub
(1920-1991), air marshal (1985), Hero of the Soviet Union (1944 - twice; 1945). During the Great Patriotic War in fighter aviation, the squadron commander, deputy regiment commander, conducted 120 air battles; shot down 62 aircraft.
Three times Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub on La-7 shot down 17 enemy aircraft (including the Me-262 jet fighter<#"justify">. Alexey Petrovich Maresyev
Maresyev Aleksey Petrovich fighter pilot, deputy squadron commander of the 63rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, Guards Senior Lieutenant.
Born on May 20, 1916 in the city of Kamyshin, Volgograd Region, in a working class family. He was drafted into the Soviet army in 1937. He served in the 12th Aviation Border Detachment. He made his first sortie on August 23, 1941 in the Krivoo Rog area. Lieutenant Maresyev opened a combat account at the beginning of 1942 - he shot down a Ju-52. By the end of March 1942, he brought the number of downed Nazi aircraft to four.
In June 1943, Maresyev returned to service. He fought on the Kursk Bulge as part of the 63rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, was a deputy squadron commander. In August 1943, during one battle, Alexei Maresyev shot down three enemy FW-190 fighters at once.
On August 1943, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Senior Lieutenant Maresyev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Later he fought in the Baltic States, became a regiment navigator. In 1944 he joined the CPSU. In total, he made 86 sorties, shot down 11 enemy aircraft: 4 - before being wounded and seven - with amputated legs. In June 1944, Major Maresyev of the Guards became an inspector-pilot of the Office of Higher Educational Institutions of the Air Force. The legendary fate of Alexei Petrovich Maresyev is the subject of Boris Polevoy's book "The Tale of a Real Man".
Retired Colonel A.P. Maresyev was awarded two Orders of Lenin, Orders of the October Revolution, Red Banner, Patriotic War 1st degree, two Orders of the Red Banner of Labor, Orders of Friendship of Peoples, Red Star, Badge of Honor, "For Merit to the Fatherland" 3rd degree, medals, foreign orders. He was an honorary soldier of a military unit, an honorary citizen of the cities of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Kamyshin, Orel. A minor planet in the solar system, a public foundation, and youth patriotic clubs are named after him. He was elected a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Author of the book "On the Kursk Bulge" (M., 1960).
Even during the war, Boris Polevoy's book "The Tale of a Real Man" was published, the prototype of the protagonist of which was Maresyev.
Krasnoperov Sergey Leonidovich
Krasnoperov Sergey Leonidovich was born on July 23, 1923 in the village of Pokrovka, Chernushinsky district. In May 1941, he volunteered for the Soviet Army. For a year he studied at the Balashov Aviation School of Pilots. In November 1942, attack pilot Sergei Krasnoperov arrived in the 765th assault aviation regiment, and in January 1943 he was appointed deputy squadron commander of the 502nd assault aviation regiment of the 214th assault air division of the North Caucasian Front. For military distinctions he was awarded the Orders of the Red Banner, the Red Star, the Order of the Patriotic War of the 2nd degree.
The regiment commander, Lieutenant Colonel Smirnov, wrote about Sergei Krasnoperov: “Such heroic deeds of Comrade Krasnoperov are repeated in every sortie. The pilots of his flight became masters of the assault business. created for himself military glory, enjoys well-deserved military authority among the personnel of the regiment. And indeed. Sergei was only 19 years old, and for his exploits he had already been awarded the Order of the Red Star. He was only 20 years old, and his chest was adorned with the Golden Star of a Hero.
Seventy-four sorties were made by Sergei Krasnoperov during the days of fighting on the Taman Peninsula. As one of the best, he was entrusted 20 times to lead a group of "silts" to attack, and he always carried out a combat mission. He personally destroyed 6 tanks, 70 vehicles, 35 wagons with cargo, 10 guns, 3 mortars, 5 points of anti-aircraft artillery, 7 machine guns, 3 tractors, 5 bunkers, an ammunition depot, a boat, a self-propelled barge were sunk, two crossings across the Kuban were destroyed.
Matrosov Alexander Matveevich
Matrosov Alexander Matveevich - rifleman of the 2nd battalion of the 91st separate rifle brigade (22nd Army, Kalinin Front), private. Born February 5, 1924 in the city of Yekaterinoslav (now Dnepropetrovsk). In October 1942 he entered the Krasnokholmsk Infantry School, but soon most of the cadets were sent to the Kalinin Front. In the army since November 1942. On February 27, 1943, the 2nd battalion received the task of attacking a stronghold near the village of Chernushki (Loknyansky district of the Pskov region). As soon as our soldiers passed through the forest and reached the edge of the forest, they came under heavy machine-gun fire from the enemy. Two machine guns were destroyed, but the machine gun from the third bunker continued to shell the entire hollow in front of the village. Then Matrosov got up, rushed to the bunker and closed the embrasure with his body. At the cost of his life, he contributed to the combat mission of the unit.
A few days later, the name of Matrosov became known throughout the country. The feat of Matrosov was used by a journalist who happened to be with the unit for a patriotic article. Despite the fact that Matrosov was not the first to perform such an act of self-sacrifice, it was his name that was used to glorify the heroism of Soviet soldiers. Subsequently, over 200 people performed the same feat, but it was no longer widely reported. His feat has become a symbol of courage and military prowess, fearlessness and love for the Motherland.
“It is known that Alexander Matrosov was far from the first in the history of the Great Patriotic War who accomplished such a feat. More precisely, he had 44 predecessors (5 in 1941, 31 in 1942 and 8 before February 27, 1943). And the very first to close the enemy machine gun with his body was political instructor Pankratov A.V. Subsequently, many more commanders and soldiers of the Red Army performed a self-sacrificing feat. Until the end of 1943, 38 soldiers followed the example of Matrosov, in 1944 - 87, in Last year war - 46. The last in the Great Patriotic War closed the machine gun embrasure with his body, Sergeant Arkhip Manita. It happened in Berlin 17 days before the Victory ...
out of 215 who accomplished the “feat of Matrosov”, the heroes were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Some feats were appreciated only many years after the war. For example, a Red Army soldier of the 679th Infantry Regiment, Abram Levin, who closed the embrasure of the bunker with his body in the battle for the village of Kholmets on February 22, 1942, was posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, I degree, only in 1967. There are also documented cases when the brave men who performed the "sailor's" feat remained alive. These are Udodov A.A., Rise R.Kh., Mayborsky V.P. and Kondratiev L.V.” (V. Bondarenko "One Hundred Great Feats of Russia", M., "Veche", 2011, p. 283).
The title of Hero of the Soviet Union Alexander Matveyevich Matrosov was posthumously awarded on June 19, 1943. He was buried in the city of Velikiye Luki. On September 8, 1943, by order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR, the name of Matrosov was assigned to the 254th Guards Rifle Regiment, he himself was forever enrolled (one of the first in the Soviet Army) in the lists of the 1st company of this unit. Monuments to the Hero were erected in St. Petersburg, Tolyatti, Velikiye Luki, Ulyanovsk, Krasnoyarsk, Ufa, Dnepropetrovsk, Kharkov, and the streets and squares of Alexander Matrosov in cities and villages former USSR there are at least a few hundred.
Ivan Vasilievich Panfilov
In the battles near Volokolamsk, the 316th Infantry Division of General I.V. Panfilov. Reflecting continuous enemy attacks for 6 days, they knocked out 80 tanks and destroyed several hundred soldiers and officers. Enemy attempts to capture the Volokolamsk region and open the way to Moscow<#"justify">. Nikolai Frantsevich Gastello
Nikolai Frantsevich was born on May 6, 1908 in Moscow, in a working-class family. Graduated from 5 classes. He worked as a mechanic at the Murom Locomotive Plant of Construction Machines. In the Soviet Army in May 1932. In 1933 he graduated from the Lugansk military pilot school in bomber units. In 1939 he participated in the battles on the river. Khalkhin - Gol and the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940. In the army since June 1941, the squadron commander of the 207th long-range bomber aviation regiment (42nd bomber aviation division, 3rd bomber aviation corps DBA), Captain Gastello, on June 26, 1941, carried out another flight on a mission. His bomber was hit and caught fire. He directed the burning aircraft at a concentration of enemy troops. From the explosion of the bomber, the enemy suffered heavy losses. For the accomplished feat on July 26, 1941, he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Gastello's name is forever listed in the lists of military units. On the site of the feat on the Minsk-Vilnius highway, a memorial monument was erected in Moscow.
9. Zoya Anatolyevna Kosmodemyanskaya ("Tanya")
Zoya Anatolyevna Kosmodemyanskaya was born on September 8, 1923 in the village of Osino-Gai (now the Tambov Region). On October 31, 1941, Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya voluntarily became a fighter of the reconnaissance and sabotage unit No. 9903 of the headquarters of the Western Front. The training was very short - already on November 4, Zoya was transferred to Volokolamsk, where she successfully completed the task of mining the road. On November 17, 1941, the Stavka order appeared Supreme High Command 0428, which ordered “to destroy and burn to the ground all settlements in the rear of the German troops at a distance of 40-60 km in depth from the front line and 20-30 km to the right and left of the roads. To destroy settlements within the indicated radius of action, immediately drop aircraft, make extensive use of artillery and mortar fire, teams of scouts, skiers and partisan sabotage groups equipped with Molotov cocktails, grenades and explosives.
And the very next day, the leadership of unit No. 9903 received a combat mission - to destroy 10 settlements, including the village of Petrishchevo, Ruzsky district, Moscow region. As part of one of the groups, Zoya also went on a mission. She was armed with three KS Molotov cocktails and a revolver. Near the village of Golovkovo, the group with which Zoya was walking came under fire, suffered losses and broke up. On the night of November 27, Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya reached Petrishchevo and managed to set fire to three houses there. After that, she spent the night in the forest and again returned to Petrishchevo in order to fulfill the combat order to the end - to destroy this settlement.
But overnight the situation in the village changed. The occupiers gathered local residents for a meeting and ordered them to guard the houses. It was a local resident named Sviridov who noticed Zoya at the moment when she tried to set fire to his barn with hay. Sviridov ran after the Germans, and Kosmodemyanskaya was captured. They mocked Zoya terribly. They flogged with belts, brought a burning kerosene lamp to their lips, drove barefoot through the snow, tore out their fingernails. Kosmodemyanskaya was beaten not only by the Germans, but also by local residents, whose houses she burned down. But Zoya held herself with amazing courage. She never gave her real name during the interrogation, she said that her name was Tanya.
November 1941 Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya was hanged by the invaders. Before her death, she uttered a proud phrase, which later became famous: “There are 170 million of us, you can’t outweigh everyone!” On January 27, 1942, the first publication in the press appeared about the feat of Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya - an article by P. Lidov "Tanya" (it was published by Pravda.) Soon the heroine's identity was established, and on February 18 a second article appeared - "Who was Tanya." Two days before, a decree had been issued to award Kosmodemyanskaya the title of Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously. She became the first woman to be awarded this title during the Great Patriotic War. The heroine was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.
About the feat of Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya already in 1944 they filmed about him Feature Film, monuments to the heroine adorned the streets of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kiev, Kharkov, Tambov, Saratov, Volgograd, Chelyabinsk, Rybinsk, poems and stories were written about Zoya, and there are several hundred streets named after her in the cities and villages of the former USSR.
Aliya Moldagulova
Aliya Moldagulova was born on April 20, 1924 in the village of Bulak, Khobdinsky district, Aktobe region. After the death of her parents, she was brought up by her uncle Aubakir Moldagulov. With his family, she moved from city to city. She studied at the 9th secondary school in Leningrad. In the fall of 1942, Aliya Moldagulova joined the army and was sent to a sniper school. In May 1943, Aliya submitted a report to the school command with a request to send her to the front. Aliya ended up in the 3rd company of the 4th battalion of the 54th rifle brigade under the command of Major Moiseev. By the beginning of October, Aliya Moldagulova had 32 dead fascists on her account.
In December 1943, Moiseev's battalion was ordered to drive the enemy out of the village of Kazachikha. By capturing this settlement, the Soviet command hoped to cut the railway line along which the Nazis were transferring reinforcements. The Nazis fiercely resisted, skillfully using the benefits of the area. The slightest advance of our companies came at a heavy price, and yet slowly but steadily our fighters approached the enemy's fortifications. Suddenly, a lone figure appeared ahead of the advancing chains.
Suddenly, a lone figure appeared ahead of the advancing chains. The Nazis noticed the brave warrior and opened fire from machine guns. Catching the moment when the fire weakened, the fighter rose to his full height and dragged the entire battalion with him.
After a fierce battle, our fighters took possession of the height. The daredevil lingered in the trench for some time. There were traces of pain on his pale face, and strands of black hair broke out from under his cap with earflaps. It was Aliya Moldagulova. She destroyed 10 fascists in this battle. The wound was light, and the girl remained in the ranks.
In an effort to restore the situation, the enemy rushed into counterattacks. On January 14, 1944, a group of enemy soldiers managed to break into our trenches. A hand-to-hand fight ensued. Aliya mowed down the Nazis with well-aimed bursts of the machine gun. Suddenly, she instinctively felt danger behind her. She turned sharply, but it was too late: the German officer fired first. Gathering the last of her strength, Aliya threw up her machine gun and the Nazi officer fell to the frozen ground...
The wounded Aliya was carried out by her comrades from the battlefield. The fighters wanted to believe in a miracle, and they offered blood to save the girl. But the wound was fatal.
On June 1944, Corporal Aliya Moldagulova was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Conclusion
From the very first days of the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet people had to deal with a very serious enemy. The Soviet people spared neither strength nor life in order to hasten the hour of victory over the enemy. Shoulder to shoulder with men, women also forged victory over the enemy. They courageously endured the incredible hardships of wartime, they were unparalleled workers in factories, collective farms, hospitals and schools.
Win or die - this was the question in the war against German fascism, and our soldiers understood this. They deliberately gave their lives for their homeland when the situation demanded it.
What fortitude was shown by those who did not hesitate to cover with their bodies the embrasure of the enemy bunker, which was spewing deadly fire!
Soldiers and officers of fascist Germany did not perform such feats, and could not do so. The spiritual motives of their actions were reactionary ideas of racial superiority and motives, and later - the fear of just retribution for the crimes committed and automatic, blind discipline.
The people glorify those who bravely fought and died, with the death of a hero, bringing closer the hour of our victory, they glorify the survivors who managed to defeat the enemy. Heroes do not die, their glory is immortal, their names are forever listed not only in the lists of personnel Armed Forces but also in the memory of the people. The people make up legends about heroes, put up beautiful monuments to them, and call the best streets of their cities and villages after them. More than 100 thousand soldiers, sergeants and officers of the troops were awarded orders and medals of the Soviet Union, and almost 200 graduates of the troops were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. More than 50 monuments and obelisks were erected in honor of the soldiers of the internal troops, about 60 streets and more than 200 schools were named. The feats of those who defended the life and independence of our Motherland will forever remain in the memory of the people.
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The battles have long died down. The veterans leave 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 about the brightest personalities of those years and their immortal deeds. Some were still quite young, while others were no longer young. Each of the characters has its own character and its 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 pupil 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. It was not possible to break through to our own - enemy machine guns fired too densely. Soon Matrosov was left alone. His comrades perished under the 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 is silent. The attack of the Red Army 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 the 41st he was in occupation. Marat's mother helped the partisans, providing them with her shelter and feeding them. Once the Germans found out about this and shot the woman. Left alone, the children, without hesitation, went to the forest and joined the partisans. Marat, who had completed only four classes before the war, helped his senior comrades as much as he could. He was even taken on reconnaissance; and he also participated in undermining the German trains. In the 43rd, 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 intelligence with an adult partisan. They were noticed by the Germans and began to fire. The older 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 inhabitant of the former Soviet Union. After all, we are talking about a legendary pilot. Alexei Maresyev was born in 1916 and dreamed of the sky since childhood. Even the transferred rheumatism did not become an obstacle on the way to the dream. Despite the prohibitions of doctors, Alexei entered the flight - they took him after several futile attempts. In 1941, the stubborn young man went to the front. The sky was not what he dreamed of. But it was necessary to defend the Motherland, and Maresyev did everything for this. Once his plane was shot down. Wounded in both legs, Aleksey managed to land the car on the territory occupied by the Germans and even somehow get through to his own. But time has been lost. The legs were "devoured" by gangrene, and they had to be amputated. Where to go to a soldier without both limbs? After all, she was completely crippled ... But Alexei Maresyev was not one of those. He remained in the ranks and continued to fight the enemy. As many as 86 times the winged car with the hero on board managed to take to the skies. Maresyev shot down 11 German planes. The pilot was lucky to survive in 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 the feat of Maresyev that inspired the author to write it.
Zinaida Portnova
Born in 1926, Zina Portnova met the war as a teenager. At that time, a native resident of Leningrad was visiting relatives in Belarus. Once in the occupied territory, she did not sit on the sidelines, but entered into partisan movement. She glued leaflets, established contact 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 that made the attitude of the Germans 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. Not a word could be squeezed out by the Nazis from her. As a result, the Germans shot their captive without getting anything from the heroine Zina Portnova.
Andrey Korzun
Andrei Korzun turned thirty in 1941. He was immediately called to the front, sent to the artillerymen. Korzun took part in the terrible battles near Leningrad, during one of which he was seriously wounded. It was November 5, 1943. As he fell, Korzun noticed that the ammunition depot was on fire. It was necessary to urgently put out the fire, otherwise the explosion of huge force threatened to take many lives. Somehow, bleeding and in pain, the gunner crawled to the warehouse. The artilleryman did not have the strength to take off his overcoat and throw it on the flame. Then he covered the fire with his body. The explosion didn't happen. Andrei Korzun failed to survive.
Leonid Golikov
Another young hero- Lenya Golikov. Born in 1926. Lived in Novgorod region. With the outbreak of war, he left to partisan. The courage and determination of this teenager was not to take. Leonid destroyed 78 fascists, a dozen enemy trains and even a couple of bridges. The explosion that went down in history and claimed the German General Richard von Wirtz was his doing. The car of an important rank flew into the air, and Golikov took possession of valuable documents, for which he received the star of the Hero. A brave partisan died in 1943 near the village of Ostraya Luka during a German attack. The enemy significantly outnumbered our fighters in number, and they had no chance. Golikov fought until his last breath.
These are just six of the great many stories that permeated the entire war. Everyone who passed it, who even for a moment brought victory closer, is already a hero. Thanks to such as 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 deeds was eternal life!
