Heroic deeds of ordinary people. Heroes of our time

The war demanded from the people the greatest exertion of forces and huge sacrifices on a national scale, revealed the staunchness and courage of the Soviet people, the ability to sacrifice themselves in the name of freedom and independence of the Motherland. During the war years heroism became widespread and became the norm for the behavior of Soviet people. Thousands of soldiers and officers immortalized their names during the defense of the Brest Fortress, Odessa, Sevastopol, Kiev, Leningrad, Novorossiysk, in the battle of Moscow, Stalingrad, Kursk, in the North Caucasus, Dnieper, in the foothills of the Carpathians, during the storming of Berlin and in other battles.

For heroic deeds in the Great Patriotic War, more than 11 thousand people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (some posthumously), of which 104 - twice, three - three times (G.K. Zhukov, I.N. Kozhedub and A.I. Pokryshkin ). The first during the war years this title were awarded to Soviet pilots M.P. Zhukov, S.I.Zdorovtsev and P.T.

In total, over eight thousand heroes were brought up in the ground forces in wartime, including 1800 artillerymen, 1142 tankmen, 650 soldiers of engineering troops, over 290 signalmen, 93 air defense soldiers, 52 soldiers of the military rear, 44 medics; in the Air Force - over 2,400 people; in the Navy - over 500 people; partisans, underground fighters and Soviet intelligence officers - about 400; border guards - over 150 people.

Among the Heroes of the Soviet Union are representatives of most of the nations and nationalities of the USSR

Representatives of 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
litokians	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 servicemen 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 Heroes of the Soviet Union during the war. The first to be awarded 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% were between 30 and 40 years old, and 9% were 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 the Orders of Glory of all three degrees for military exploits. More than 2,500 people, including 4 women, have become 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, 201 people were awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor, about 200 thousand were awarded orders and medals.

Viktor Vasilievich Talalikhin

Born September 18, 1918 in the village. Teplovka of the Volsky district of the Saratov region. Russian. After graduating from a factory school, he worked at the Moscow meat-packing plant, at the same time he studied at the flying club. Graduated from Borisoglebokoye Military Aviation School of Pilots. He took part in the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940. He flew 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 distinction 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 to Viktor Vasilyevich Talalikhin was awarded by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on 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 took part in many air battles near Moscow, shot down five more enemy aircraft personally and one in the group. He died a heroic death in an unequal battle with fascist 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 enlisted in the lists of the first squadron of the fighter aviation regiment, in which he fought the enemy near Moscow.

Streets in Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Borisoglebsk, Voronezh region and other cities, a sea vessel, GPTU No. 100 in Moscow, and a number of schools were named after Talalikhin. On the 43rd kilometer of the Varshavskoe highway, over which an unprecedented night duel took place, an obelisk was erected. A monument is erected in Podolsk, and a bust of the Hero in Moscow.

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub

(1920–1991), Air Marshal (1985), Hero of the Soviet Union (1944 - twice; 1945). During the Great Patriotic War in fighter aviation, squadron commander, deputy regiment commander, conducted 120 air battles; shot down 62 aircraft.

Three times Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub in La-7 shot down 17 enemy aircraft (including the Me-262 jet fighter) out of 62 he shot down during the war on La fighters. Kozhedub fought one of the most memorable battles 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 a plane approaching rapidly from the direction of Frankfupt an der Oder. The plane flew along the riverbed at an altitude of 3500 m at a speed much higher than the La-7 could develop. It was the Me-262. Kozhedub instantly made a decision. The Me-262 pilot relied on the high-speed qualities of his car and did not control the airspace in the rear hemisphere and below. Kozhedub attacked from below on a head-to-head course, hoping to hit the jet in the belly. However, before Kozhedub, Titarenko opened fire. Much to Kozhedub's surprise, the slave's premature firing was beneficial.

The German turned to the left, towards Kozhedub, the latter could only catch the Messerschmitt in the sight and press the trigger. Me-262 turned into a fireball. Non-commissioned officer Kurt-Lange from 1./KG(J)-54 was in the cockpit of the Me 262.

In the evening of April 17, 1945, Kozhedub and Titarenko performed the fourth combat sortie of the day to the Berlin area. Immediately after crossing the front line north of Berlin, the hunters discovered a large group of FW-190s with suspended bombs. Kozhedub began to climb to attack and reported to the command post about the establishment of contact with a group of forty Focke-Wulwof with suspended bombs. The German pilots clearly saw how a pair of Soviet fighters went into the clouds and did not expect them to appear again. However, hunters appeared.

From behind, from the top, Kozhedub in the first attack knocked down the leading four of the Fokkers, closing the group. The hunters tried 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 midst of enemy aircraft, turning Lavochkin left and right, the ace fired in short bursts from the cannons. The Germans succumbed to the trick - the Focke-Wulfs began to free them from bombs that interfere with an air battle. 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 Guardsmen into circulation. One FW-190 managed to get into the tail of Kozhedub's fighter, but Titarenko opened fire before the German pilot - the Focke-Wulf exploded in the air.

By this time, help arrived - a La-7 group from the 176th regiment, Titarenko and Kozhedub were able to get out of the battle on the last remnants of fuel. On the way back, Kozhedub saw a single FW-190, still trying to drop bombs on the Soviet troops. Ace dived and shot down an enemy plane. This was the last, 62nd, German aircraft shot down by the best Allied fighter pilot.

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub also distinguished himself in the Battle of the Kursk Bulge.

Kozhedub's total bill does not include at least two aircraft - American P-51 Mustang fighters. In one of the battles in April, Kozhedub tried to drive away German fighters from the American Flying Fortress with cannon fire. The US Air Force escort fighters misunderstood the intentions of the La-7 pilot and opened barrage from a long distance. Kozhedub, apparently, also mistook the Mustangs for Messers, escaped from under the fire in a coup and, in turn, attacked the “enemy”.

He damaged one "Mustang" (the plane, smoking, left the battle and, after flying a little, fell, the pilot jumped out with a parachute), the second P-51 exploded in the air. Only after a successful attack, Kozhedub noticed the white stars of the US Air Force on the wings and fuselages of the aircraft 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-gun. The existence of a film with footage of the burning Mustangs became known only after the death of the legendary pilot. Detailed biography of the hero on the site: www.warheroes.ru "Unknown heroes"

Alexey Petrovich Maresyev

Maresyev Alexey Petrovich fighter pilot, deputy squadron commander of the 63rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, Guard Senior Lieutenant.

Born on May 20, 1916 in the city of Kamyshin, Volgograd Region, into 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 finishing 8 classes of secondary school, Alexey entered the FZU, where he received the specialty of a locksmith. Then he applied to the Moscow Aviation Institute, but instead of the institute on the Komsomol ticket he went to build Komsomolsk-on-Amur. There he sawed through the forest in the taiga, built barracks, and then the first residential quarters. At the same time he studied at the flying club. 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 "skidded the tails" of the planes. He really took off already at the Batay Military Aviation School of Pilots, from which he graduated in 1940. He served as an instructor-pilot in it.

He made his first sortie on 23 August 1941 in the Krivoy Rog region. Lieutenant Maresyev opened the battle score 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 Demyansk bridgehead (Novgorod region), Maresyev's fighter was shot down. He attempted to land on the ice of a frozen lake, but released the landing gear early. The plane began to lose altitude quickly and fell into the forest.

Maresyev crawled to his own. He froze his feet and had to be amputated. However, the pilot decided not to give up. When he got prostheses, he trained long and hard and got permission to return to duty. He learned to fly anew in the 11 reserve air brigade in Ivanovo.

In June 1943, Maresyev returned to service. He fought at the Kursk Bulge as part of the 63rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, was deputy squadron commander. In August 1943, Alexei Maresyev, during one battle, 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, the Guard Senior Lieutenant Maresyev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Later he fought in the Baltic States, became the navigator of the regiment. In 1944 he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. In total, he flew 86 sorties, shot down 11 enemy aircraft: 4 before injury and seven with amputated legs. In June 1944, Major Maresyev of the Guard became an inspector-pilot of the Air Force Higher Educational Institutions Directorate. Boris Polevoy's book "The Story of a Real Man" is dedicated to the legendary fate of Alexei Petrovich Maresyev.

In July 1946, Maresyev was honorably dismissed from the Air Force. In 1952, he graduated from the Higher Party School under the Central Committee of the CPSU, in 1956 - graduated from the Academy of Social Sciences under the Central Committee of the CPSU, received the title of candidate of 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 the last day of his life.

Retired Colonel A.P. Maresyev was awarded two Orders of Lenin, Orders of the October Revolution, Red Banner, Patriotic War 1 degree, two Orders of the Red Banner of Labor, Orders of Friendship of Peoples, Red Star, Badge of Honor, "For Services to the Fatherland" 3 degrees, 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 of the solar system, a public fund, and youth patriotic clubs are named after him. Elected as a deputy to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Author of the book "On the Kursk Bulge" (Moscow, 1960).

Even during the war, Boris Polevoy's book "The Story of a Real Man" was published, the prototype of which was Maresyev (the author changed only one letter in his surname). In 1948, the film of the same name was shot by director Alexander Stolper based on the book on 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. On May 18, 2001, a gala evening was planned at the Theater of the Russian Army 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 one of the Moscow clinics, where he died without regaining consciousness. The gala evening did take place, but it began with a minute of silence.

Krasnoperov Sergey Leonidovich

Sergey Krasnoperov was born on July 23, 1923 in the village of Pokrovka, Chernushinsky District. In May 1941 he volunteered for the Soviet Army. He studied for a year at the Balashov Aviation School of Pilots. In November 1942, attack pilot Sergei Krasnoperov arrived at the 765th Attack Aviation Regiment, and in January 1943 he was appointed deputy squadron commander of the 502nd Attack Aviation Regiment of the 214th Attack Aviation 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 Order of the Red Banner, Red Star, and the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd degree.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded on February 4, 1944. Killed in action on June 24, 1944. "March 14, 1943. Attack pilot Sergei Krasnoperov makes two flights one after the other to attack the port of Temrkzh. Leading six" silts ", he set fire to a boat near the port of the port. On the second flight, an enemy shell hit the engine. It seemed to Krasnoperov that the sun eclipsed the sun and immediately disappeared in thick black smoke. Krasnoperov turned off the ignition, cut off the gasoline and tried to lead 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 there was a continuous swamp. Only one way out. : to land. ”As soon as the burning car touched the fuselage of the marsh bumps, the pilot barely had time to jump out of it and just run away to the side, an explosion rumbled.

A few days later Krasnoperov was again in the air, and a short entry appeared in the combat log of the flight commander of the 502nd Assault Aviation Regiment, Junior Lieutenant Sergey Leonidovich Krasnoperov: "03/23/43". Two sorties destroyed the convoy in the area of ​​the station. Crimean. Destroyed cars - 1, created hotbeds of fire - 2 ". On April 4 Krasnoperov stormed manpower and fire weapons in the area of ​​204.3 meters. In the next sortie he stormed artillery and firing points in the area of ​​Krymskaya station. He destroyed two tanks, one gun. and mortar.

One day, a junior lieutenant was assigned a free flight in pairs. He was the presenter. Covertly, at low level flight, a pair of "silts" penetrated deep into the rear of the enemy. We noticed cars on the road and attacked them. They discovered an accumulation of troops - and suddenly brought down destructive fire on the heads of the Nazis. The Germans unloaded ammunition and weapons from the self-propelled barge. Combat approach - the barge took off into the air. The regiment commander, Lieutenant Colonel Smirnov, wrote about Sergei Krasnoperov: "Such heroic deeds of Comrade Krasnoperov are repeated in every combat sortie. The pilots of his flight have become masters of assault. The flight is united and occupies a leading place. The command always entrusts him with the most difficult and responsible tasks. has created a military glory for himself, enjoys a well-deserved military prestige among the personnel of the regiment. " Indeed. Sergei is only 19 years old, and for his exploits he has 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 the Hero.

Seventy-four sorties were flown by Sergei Krasnoperov during the fighting on the Taman Peninsula. As one of the best, he was trusted 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 anti-aircraft artillery points, 7 machine guns, 3 tractors, 5 bunkers, an ammunition depot, sunk a boat, a self-propelled barge, destroyed two crossings across the Kuban.

Matrosov Alexander Matveevich

Matrosov Alexander Matveyevich - rifleman of the 2nd battalion of the 91st separate rifle brigade (22nd Army, Kalinin Front), private. Born on February 5, 1924 in the city of Yekaterinoslav (now Dnepropetrovsk). Russian. Member of the Komsomol. Lost his parents early. For 5 years he was brought up in the Ivanovo orphanage (Ulyanovsk region). Then he was brought up in the Ufa children's labor colony. At the end of the 7th grade, he stayed 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 ​​Bolshoy Lomovaty Bor. Directly from the march, the brigade entered the battle.

On February 27, 1943, the 2nd battalion received the task of attacking a strong point near the village of Chernushki (Loknyansky district of the Pskov region). As soon as our soldiers passed the forest and went to the edge, 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-piercing soldiers. The second bunker was destroyed by another group of armor-piercers. But the machine gun from the third bunker continued to fire at the entire hollow in front of the village. Attempts to silence him were unsuccessful. Then Private A.M. Matrosov crawled towards the bunker. He got to the flank of the embrasure and threw two grenades. The machine gun fell silent. But as soon as the fighters rose to attack, the machine gun came to life again. Then Matrosov got up, jerked to the bunker and closed the embrasure with his body. At the cost of his life, he contributed to the execution of the combat mission by 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 at 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 hero's death was postponed to February 23, timed the feat to the day of the Soviet Army. Despite the fact that Matrosov was not the first to commit such an act of self-sacrifice, it was his name that was used to glorify the heroism of Soviet soldiers. Subsequently, over 300 people performed the same feat, but this was no longer widely reported. His feat became a symbol of courage and military valor, fearlessness and love for the Motherland.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union, Alexander Matveevich Matrosov, was posthumously awarded on June 19, 1943. 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 enlisted (one of the first in the Soviet Army) in the lists of the 1st company of this unit. Monuments to the Hero are erected in Ufa, Velikiye Luki, Ulyanovsk and others. The museum of the Komsomol glory of 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. Repulsing continuous enemy attacks for 6 days, they knocked out 80 tanks and destroyed several hundred soldiers and officers. The enemy's attempts to seize the Volokolamsk region and open the way to Moscow from the west failed. For heroic actions, this unit 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, Guards Major General, Commander of the 8th Guards Rifle Red Banner (former 316th) Division, was born on January 1, 1893 in 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 the tsarist army. In the same year he was sent to the Russian-German front. He joined the Red Army voluntarily in 1918. Was enlisted in the 1st Saratov Infantry Regiment of the 25th Chapaevskaya Division. He took part in the civil war, fought against Dutov, Kolchak, Denikin and the White Poles. After the war, he graduated from the two-year Kiev 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 Infantry Division, 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 to Ivan Vasilyevich Panfilov was awarded posthumously on April 12, 1942 for his skillful leadership of the division's units in 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 approaches to Volokolamsk. General Panfilov for the first time widely used a system of deeply echeloned artillery anti-tank defense, created and skillfully used mobile obstacle detachments in battle. Thanks to this, the strength of our troops increased significantly, and all attempts of the 5th German Army Corps to break through the defenses were unsuccessful. For seven days, the division, together with the cadet regiment S.I. Mladentseva and loyal anti-tank artillery units successfully repulsed enemy attacks.

Attaching great importance to the capture of Volokolamsk, the Hitlerite command threw another motorized corps into the area. Only under pressure from superior enemy forces were the division's units forced to leave Volokolamsk at the end of October and take up defenses east of the city.

On November 16, fascist troops launched a second "general" offensive against Moscow. Near Volokolamsk, a fierce battle boiled over again. On this day, 28 Panfilov soldiers under the command of political instructor V.G. Klochkov repulsed 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. General Panfilov's division firmly held its positions, its soldiers fought to the death.

For the exemplary performance of the command's combat missions, the massive 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.

Nikolay 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 steam locomotive repair plant of construction machines. In the Soviet Army in May 1932. In 1933 he graduated from the Luhansk military school of pilots in bomber units. In 1939 he took part in the battles on the river. Khalkhin - Goal and the Soviet-Finnish War 1939-1940 In the active army since June 1941, the squadron commander of the 207th Long-Range Bomber Aviation Regiment (42nd Bomb Aviation Division, 3rd Bomber Aviation Corps DBA) Captain Gastello performed on June 26, 1941 the next mission on a mission. His bomber was hit and caught fire. He directed the burning plane towards the accumulation of enemy troops. The enemy suffered heavy losses from the explosion of the bomber. For the accomplished feat on July 26, 1941, he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The name Gastello is forever entered in the lists of military units. At the place 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 the Osino-Gai Gavrilovsky district of the Tambov region in the family of an employee. In 1930 the family moved to Moscow. She graduated from the 9th grade of school number 201. In October 1941, the Komsomol member Kosmodemyanskaya voluntarily joined a special partisan detachment, acting on the instructions of the headquarters of the Western Front in the Mozhaisk direction.

Twice she was 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 seized by the Nazis. Despite the cruel torture, she did not betray military secrets, did not give her name.

On November 29, she was hanged by the Nazis. Her devotion to the Motherland, courage and dedication became 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. Manshuk spent his childhood in Almaty.

When the Great Patriotic War began, Manshuk studied at a 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 ranks of 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 twenty-one and she had just joined the party. The short combat path of the glorious daughter of the Kazakh people ended with an immortal feat she accomplished at 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 repel the attack, the machine gun of senior sergeant Mametova started working. The Nazis rolled back, leaving hundreds of corpses. Several violent attacks from the Nazis had already drowned at the foot of the hill. Suddenly the girl noticed that two neighboring machine guns were silent - the machine gunners were killed. Then Manshuk, quickly crawling from one firing point to another, began to fire at the advancing enemies from three machine guns.

The enemy transferred mortar fire to the position of the resourceful girl. A close burst of a heavy mine knocked over the machine gun, behind which Manshuk was lying. Wounded in the head, the machine-gunner lost consciousness for some time, but the triumphant cries of the approaching Nazis forced her to wake up. Instantly getting over to the neighboring machine gun, Manshuk whipped a lead shower along the chains of the fascist warriors. And again the attack of the enemy drowned. 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 Zhiengalievna Mametova was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Aliya Moldagulova

Aliya Moldagulova was born on April 20, 1924 in the Bulak village of the Khobdinsky region of the 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 of 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 to the front. Aliya ended up in the 3rd company of the 4th battalion of the 54th rifle brigade under the command of Major Moiseyev.

By the beginning of October, Alia Moldagulova had 32 killed fascists on her account.

In December 1943, Moiseyev'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 transferred reinforcements. The Nazis fiercely resisted, skillfully using the benefits of the terrain. The slightest advance of our companies came at a high cost, 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. Seizing the moment when the fire weakened, the fighter rose to his full height and carried the entire battalion with him.

After a fierce battle, our soldiers captured the height. The daredevil lingered in the trench for a while. His pale face showed traces of pain, and strands of black hair emerged from under his hat 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 to counterattack. On January 14, 1944, a group of enemy soldiers managed to break into our trenches. Hand-to-hand fighting ensued. Aliya with well-aimed bursts of a machine gun mowed down the fascists. Suddenly she instinctively felt the danger behind her. She turned sharply, but it was too late: the German officer fired first. Gathering her last strength, Aliya threw up her machine gun and the Hitlerite officer fell to the cold ground ...

Comrades carried the wounded Aliya from the battlefield. The fighters wanted to believe in a miracle, 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 Likhoslavl district, Tver (Kalinin) region. Russian. Graduated from the Kalinin Railway Car 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 in person (one of them with a ram), 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 patrolled on an Il-153 aircraft on the outskirts of Leningrad. At about 22.00, enemy aircraft began raiding the city. 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 for the second time and opened fire from close range, but again past. Sevastyanov attacked for the third time. Coming close, he pressed the trigger, but no shots followed - he ran out of cartridges. In order not to miss the enemy, he decided to go to the ram. Approaching the Heinkel from behind, he chopped off the tail unit with a screw. Then he left the damaged fighter and landed by parachute. The bomber fell in the area of ​​the Tauride Garden. The crew members who had escaped by parachute were taken prisoner. The fallen Sevastyanov fighter was found in Baskov Lane and restored by specialists from the 1st Rembase.

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 region; a monument is erected in this place). Buried in Leningrad at the Chesme cemetery. Forever enlisted in the lists of the military unit. A street in St. Petersburg, a House of Culture in the village of Pervitino, Likhoslavl District, are named after him. The documentary "Heroes Don't Die" is dedicated to his feat.

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 Krasny Oktyabr factory. In the Red Army since 1930. In 1931 he graduated from the Leningrad military-theoretical school of pilots, in 1933 - from the 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: with the end of the plane of his MiG-3, he cut off the tail of a fascist aircraft. An enemy plane crashed near the village of Malyutino. He landed safely at his airfield. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the award of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal to Vladimir Ivanovich Matveev was awarded on July 22, 1941.

Killed in an air battle on January 1, 1942, covering the "Road of Life" along Ladoga. Buried in Leningrad.

Polyakov, Sergei Nikolaevich

Sergei Polyakov was born in 1908 in Moscow into a working class family. He graduated from 7 classes of junior high school. In 1930 he joined the Red Army, graduated from the military aviation school. Member of the Spanish Civil War 1936 - 1939. In air battles, he shot down 5 Frankist planes. 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, Mayor S.N.

On December 23, 1941, he died while performing another combat mission. On February 10, 1943, Sergei Nikolayevich Polyakov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously) for his courage and bravery in battles with enemies. During the period of service he was awarded the Orders of Lenin, the Red Banner (twice), the Red Star, medals. Buried in the village of Agalatovo, Vsevolozhsky 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, in a peasant family. He graduated from 6 classes and a school of FZU. He worked on the subway in Moscow. Graduated from the Aeroclub. In the Soviet Army since 1937. Graduated from Borisoglebsk Military Pilot School in 1939.

Member of the Great Patriotic War since July 1941. His military 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. Maneuverable enough, 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 to fight on turns, in a dive, on a "hill" when their "Seagull" was gaining additional speed. At the same time, it was decided to switch to "doubles" flights, 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 bombers, met with six "Messers". Our pilots were the first to rush into the attack and shoot down the leader of the enemy group. Stunned by the sudden blow, the Nazis hurried to get out.

On each of his aircraft, Luka Muravitsky painted with white paint on the fuselage the inscription "For Anya". At first, the pilots laughed at him, and the authorities ordered him to erase the inscription. But before each new flight on the fuselage on the starboard side again appeared - "For Anya" ... No one knew who this is Anya, whom Luka remembers, even going into battle ...

Once, before a combat flight, the regiment commander ordered Muravitsky to immediately erase the inscription and more so that it would not be repeated! Then Luka told the commander that this was his beloved girl who worked with him at Metrostroy, studied at the flying club, that she loved him, they were going to get married, but ... She crashed while jumping from an airplane. The parachute did not open ... Even though she did not die in battle, Luka continued, she was preparing to become an air fighter, to defend the Motherland. The commander resigned himself.

Taking part in the defense of Moscow, Flight Commander of the 29th IAP Luka Muravitsky achieved brilliant results. He was distinguished not only by sober calculation and courage, but also by the willingness to go to any lengths to defeat the enemy. So on September 3, 1941, operating on the Western Front, he rammed an enemy reconnaissance aircraft He-111 and made a safe landing on the damaged aircraft. At the beginning of the war, we had few aircraft, and that day Muravitsky had to fly alone - to cover the railway station, where an 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 in the station area, but as you can see, if there are multilayer clouds overhead, rain. When Muravitsky made a U-turn over the outskirts of the station, he saw a German reconnaissance plane between the layers of clouds. Luka sharply increased the engine speed and raced across the Heinkel-111. The Lieutenant's attack was unexpected, the Heinkel had not yet had time to open fire, when a machine-gun burst pierced the enemy, and he, steeply descending, 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 - the Heinkel was getting closer and closer. The Nazis are already visible in the cockpit ... Without reducing the speed, Muravitsky approaches almost close to the fascist plane and hits the tail with a propeller. The jerk and propeller of the fighter cut through the metal of the tail of the He-111 ... The enemy plane crashed into the ground behind the railroad tracks in the wasteland. Luka also hit his head hard on the dashboard, the sight and lost consciousness. 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 he had to land the car at the station ...

After recovering, Muravitsky returned to his regiment. And fights again. The flight commander flew into battle several times a day. He was eager to fight and again, as before being wounded, the fuselage of his fighter was carefully displayed: "For Anya." By the end of September, the brave pilot had about 40 aerial victories on his account, both 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, to 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 exemplary performance of the command's combat missions, for courage and bravery shown in battles. By this time, on his personal account there were already 14 shot down enemy planes.

On November 30, 1941, the flight commander of the 127th IAP, Senior Lieutenant Maravitsky, died in an unequal air battle, defending Leningrad ... The overall result of his combat activities, in various sources, is assessed differently. The most common figure is 47 (10 victories won personally and 37 in a group), less often - 49 (12 personally and 37 in a group). However, all these figures do not fit in any way with the number of personal victories - 14, given above. Moreover, one of the publications generally states that Luka Muravitsky won his last victory in May 1945, over Berlin. Unfortunately, there is no exact data yet.

Luka Zakharovich Muravitsky was buried in the village of Kapitolovo, Vsevolozhsky District, Leningrad Region. A street in the village of Dolgoe is named after him.

In Soviet times, their portraits were hung in every school. And every teenager knew their names. Zina Portnova, Marat Kazei, Lyonya Golikov, Valya Kotik, Zoya and Shura Kosmodemyanskiy. But there were tens of thousands of young heroes, whose names are unknown. They were called "pioneer heroes", members of the Komsomol. But they were heroes not because, like all their peers, they were members of a pioneer or Komsomol organization, but because they were real patriots and real people.

Army of youth

During the Great Patriotic War, a whole army of boys and girls acted against the Nazi invaders. In occupied Belarus alone, at least 74,500 boys and girls, boys and girls fought in partisan detachments. The Great Soviet Encyclopedia says that during the Great Patriotic War more than 35 thousand pioneers - young defenders of the Motherland - were awarded military orders and medals.

It was an amazing "move"! Boys and girls did not wait for adults to "call" them - they began to act from the first days of the occupation. They risked mortally!

Likewise, many others began to act at their own peril and risk. Someone found leaflets scattered from planes and distributed them in their regional center or village. The Polotsk boy Lenya Kosach collected 45 rifles, 2 light machine guns, several baskets of cartridges and grenades on the battlefield and hid it all securely; an opportunity presented itself - passed it on to the partisans. In the same way, arsenals and hundreds of other guys were created for the partisans. Twelve-year-old excellent pupil Lyuba Morozova, knowing a little German, was engaged in "special propaganda" among the enemies, telling them how well she lived before the war without the "new order" of the invaders. The soldiers often told her that she was "red to the bone" and advised her to hold her tongue until it ended badly for her. Later, Lyuba became a partisan. Eleven-year-old Tolya Korneev stole a pistol with cartridges from a German officer and began to look for people who would help him get out to the partisans. In the summer of 1942, the boy succeeded in this, having met his classmate Olya Demesh, who by that time was already a member of one of the detachments. And when the older guys brought 9-year-old Zhora Yuzov to the detachment, and the commander jokingly asked: "Who will nurse this guy?"

Seryozha Roslenko for 13 years, in addition to collecting weapons at his own peril and risk, conducted reconnaissance: there is someone to transfer information to! And I found it. From somewhere in the children, the concept of conspiracy appeared. Sixth-grader Vitya Pashkevich in the fall of 1941 organizes in the Nazi-occupied Borisov a semblance of the Krasnodon "Young Guard". He and his team took out weapons and ammunition from enemy warehouses, helped arrange the escape of prisoners of war from concentration camps for underground workers, burned an enemy warehouse with uniforms with thermite incendiary grenades ...

Experienced Scout

In January 1942, one of the partisan detachments operating in the Ponizovsky district of the Smolensk region was surrounded by the Nazis. The Germans, pretty battered during the Soviet counteroffensive near Moscow, did not dare to immediately liquidate the detachment. They did not have accurate intelligence about its numbers, so they were waiting for reinforcements. However, the ring was held tight. The partisans puzzled over how to get out of the encirclement. We ran out of food. And the commander of the detachment requested help from the command of the Red Army. In response, an encrypted message was received over the radio, in which it was reported that the troops would not be able to help with active actions, but an experienced scout would be sent to the detachment.

And indeed, at the agreed time, the noise of the engines of the air transporter was heard over the forest, and a few minutes later a paratrooper landed in the position of the surrounded. The partisans who received the heavenly messenger were surprised when they saw ... a boy in front of them.

- Are you an experienced scout? The commander asked.

- Me. Doesn't it look like it? - The boy was in a uniform army pea jacket, wadded trousers and a hat with earflaps with an asterisk. Red Army soldier!

- How old are you? - the commander still could not recover from surprise.

- Soon it will be eleven! - An "experienced scout" answered importantly.

The boy's name was Yura Zhdanko. He was originally from Vitebsk. In July 1941, the ubiquitous shooter and expert on local territories showed the retreating Soviet part of the ford through the Western Dvina. He could no longer return home - while he was acting as a guide, Hitler's armored vehicles entered his hometown. And the scouts tasked with escorting the boy back took him with them. So he was enlisted as a pupil of the motor reconnaissance company of the 332nd Ivanovo rifle division named after I. M.F. Frunze.

At first he was not involved in business, but, by nature observant, big-eyed and memorable, he quickly understood the basics of raid front-line science and even dared to give advice to adults. And his abilities were appreciated. They began to send him to the front line. In the villages, having changed his clothes, with a bag on his back, he begged for alms, collecting information about the location and number of enemy garrisons. I also managed to take part in the mining of a strategically important bridge. In the explosion, the Red Army minelayer was wounded, and Yura, having provided first aid, took him to the location of the unit. For which he received his first medal "For Courage".

... It seems that there really was no better scout to help the partisans.

“Only you, kid, didn’t jump with a parachute…” the chief of reconnaissance said sadly.

- I jumped twice! - Yura objected loudly. - I begged the sergeant ... he quietly taught me ...

Everyone knew that this sergeant and Yura were inseparable, and he could, of course, follow the lead of the regimental pet. The Li-2 engines were already roaring, the plane was ready to take off, when the boy admitted that, of course, he had never jumped with a parachute:

- The sergeant did not allow me, I only helped to lay the dome. Show how and what to pull!

- Why did you lie ?! The instructor shouted at him. - On the sergeant erected in vain.

- I thought you would check ... But you wouldn't have checked: the sergeant was killed ...

Having safely arrived at the detachment, ten-year-old Vitebsk resident Yura Zhdanko did what adults could not ... The Nazi lived in the house of a certain grandfather Vlas. A young scout came to him under the guise of a grandson from the regional center, who was given a rather difficult task - to get documents from an enemy officer with plans to destroy the encircled detachment. The opportunity fell out only a few days later. The Nazi left the house light, leaving the key to the safe in his overcoat ... So the documents ended up in the detachment. And at the same time, Yura and grandfather Vlas brought, convincing him that it is impossible to stay in such a situation in the house.

In 1943, Yura withdrew from the encirclement of the regular battalion of the Red Army. All the scouts sent to find the "corridor" for their comrades were killed. The task was assigned to Yura. One. And he found a weak spot in the enemy ring ... He became the Order-bearer of the Red Star.

Yuri Ivanovich Zhdanko, recalling his war childhood, said that he “played in a real war, did what adults could not, and there were a lot of situations when they could not do something, but I could”.

Fourteen Years Old POW Savior

14-year-old Minsk underground worker Volodya Shcherbatsevich was one of the first teenagers who were executed by the Germans for participating in the underground. They captured his execution on film and then distributed these frames throughout the city - for the edification of others ...

From the first days of the occupation of the Belarusian capital, the mother and son Shcherbatsevichs hid Soviet commanders in their apartment, for whom the underground fighters from time to time arranged escapes from the prisoner of war camp. Olga Fyodorovna was a doctor and provided medical assistance to those released, dressed in civilian clothes, which she and her son Volodya collected from relatives and friends. Several groups of the rescued have already been removed from the city. But once on the way, already outside the city blocks, one of the groups fell into the clutches of the Gestapo. Betrayed by a traitor, the son and mother ended up in fascist dungeons. Withstood all the torture.

And on October 26, 1941, the first gallows appeared in Minsk. On this day, for the last time, surrounded by a pack of machine gunners, Volodya Shcherbatsevich walked through the streets of his native city for the last time ... Pedantic punishers captured the report of his execution on film. And perhaps we see on it the first young hero who gave his life for his Motherland during the Great Patriotic War.

Die, but avenge

Here is another amazing example of youthful heroism from 1941 ...

Osintorf village. On one of the August days, the Nazis, together with their henchmen from local residents - the burgomaster, the clerk and the chief policeman - raped and brutally killed a young teacher Anya Lyutova. By that time, a youth underground was already operating in the village under the leadership of Slava Shmuglevsky. The guys got together and decided: "Death to the traitors!" Slava himself volunteered to carry out the sentence, as well as teenage brothers Misha and Zhenya Telenchenko, thirteen and fifteen years old.

By that time, they had already hidden a machine gun found in the battlefield. They acted simply and directly, like a boy. The brothers took advantage of the fact that the mother went to her relatives that day and had to return only in the morning. The machine gun was installed on the balcony of the apartment and began to wait for the traitors who often passed by. Have not miscalculated. When they approached, Slava began to shoot at them almost point-blank. But one of the criminals, the burgomaster, managed to escape. He reported by phone to Orsha that the village was attacked by a large partisan detachment (a machine gun is a serious thing). Cars with punishers rushed in. With the help of the hounds, the weapon was quickly found: Misha and Zhenya, not having time to find a more reliable cache, hid the machine gun in the attic of their own house. Both were arrested. The boys were tortured cruelly and for a long time, but not one of them betrayed Slava Shmuglevsky and other underground fighters to the enemy. The Telenchenko brothers were executed in October.

Great conspirator

Pavlik Titov was a great conspirator for his eleven. He had been partisan for more than two years in such a way that even his parents did not know about it. Many episodes of his combat biography remained unknown. We know this.

First, Pavlik and his comrades rescued a wounded Soviet commander who was burned in a burnt-out tank - they found a safe shelter for him, and at night they brought him food, water, and some medicinal decoctions according to grandmother's recipes. Thanks to the boys, the tanker quickly recovered.

In July 1942, Pavlik and his friends handed over to the partisans several rifles and machine guns with cartridges they had found. Tasks followed. The young scout penetrated the location of the Nazis, counted manpower and equipment.

He was generally a cunning kid. Once he brought a bale with a fascist uniform to the partisans:

- I think it will be useful for you ... Not to wear it yourself, of course ...

- Where did you get it?

- Yes, the Fritzes were swimming ...

More than once, disguised as the boy's uniform, the partisans carried out daring raids and operations.

The boy died in the fall of 1943. Not in combat. The Germans carried out another punitive operation. Pavlik and his parents were hiding in a dugout. Punishers shot the whole family - father, mother, Pavlik himself and even his little sister. He was buried in a mass grave in Surazh, not far from Vitebsk.

Leningrad schoolgirl Zina Portnova in June 1941 came with her younger sister Galya to her grandmother's summer vacation in the village of Zuya (Shumilinsky district of Vitebsk region). She was fifteen ... First, she got a job as a utility worker in the canteen for German officers. And soon, together with her friend, she carried out a daring operation - she poisoned more than a hundred Nazis. They could have grabbed her immediately, but they began to follow her. By that time, she was already associated with the Obolsk underground organization "Young Avengers". In order to avoid failure, Zina was sent to a partisan detachment.

Once she was instructed to scout the number and type of troops in the Oboli area. Another time - to clarify the reasons for the failure in the Obolsk underground and establish new contacts ... After completing the next task, she was seized by the punishers. They tortured me for a long time. During one of the interrogations, the girl, as soon as the investigator turned away, grabbed the pistol he had just threatened her with from the table and shot him. She jumped out the window, struck the sentry with a shot and rushed to Dvina. Another sentry rushed after her. Zina, hiding behind a bush, wanted to destroy it too, but the weapon misfired ...

Then she was no longer interrogated, but methodically tortured and mocked. They gouged out my eyes, cut off my ears. They drove needles under the nails, twisted their arms and legs ... On January 13, 1944, Zina Portnova was shot.

"Kid" and his sisters

From the report of the Vitebsk underground city party committee in 1942: "Kid" (he is 12 years old), having learned that the partisans needed gun oil, without assignment, on his own initiative, brought 2 liters of gun oil from the city. Then he was instructed to deliver sulfuric acid for sabotage purposes. He also brought it. And he carried it in a sack, behind his back. The acid spilled, his shirt burned out, his back was burned, but he did not throw the acid. "

The "kid" was Alyosha Vyalov, who enjoyed special sympathy among the local partisans. And he acted as part of a family group. When the war began, he was 11, the older sisters Vasilisa and Ana were 16 and 14, the rest of the children were small and small. Alyosha and his sisters were very creative. They set fire to the Vitebsk railway station three times, prepared the explosion of the labor exchange in order to confuse the registration of the population and save young people and other residents from being hijacked to the "German paradise", blew up the passport office in the police premises ... There are dozens of sabotages on their account. And besides the fact that they were connected, they distributed leaflets ...

"Baby" and Vasilisa died shortly after the war from tuberculosis ... A rare case: a memorial plaque was installed on the Vyalovs' house in Vitebsk. A monument to these children would be made of gold! ..

Meanwhile, it is known about another Vitebsk family - Lynchenko. 11-year-old Kolya, 9-year-old Dina and 7-year-old Emma were contacts for their mother, Natalya Fyodorovna, whose apartment was used for appearances. In 1943, as a result of a failure, the Gestapo burst into the house. The mother was beaten in front of the children, they shot over her head, demanding to name the members of the group. They also mocked the children, asking them who came to the mother, where she herself went. They tried to bribe little Emma with a chocolate bar. The children said nothing. Moreover, during a search in the apartment, seizing the moment, Dina took out from under the board of the table, where one of the hiding places was, encryptions and hid them under her dress, and when the punishers left, leaving her mother, she burned them. The children were left in the house as bait, but those, knowing that the house was being watched, managed to warn the messengers going to the failed turnout with signs ...

Young Saboteur Head Prize

For the head of the Orsha schoolgirl Oli Demesh, the Nazis promised a round sum. Colonel Sergei Zhunin, the Hero of the Soviet Union, the former commander of the 8th partisan brigade, told about this in his memoirs "From the Dnieper to the Bug". A 13-year-old girl at the Orsha-Tsentralnaya station blew up fuel tanks. Sometimes she acted with her twelve-year-old sister Lida. Zhunin recalled how they instructed Olya before the assignment: “It is necessary to put a mine under the tank with gasoline. Remember, just under the tank with gasoline! " - “I know how it smells of kerosene, I cooked it myself on kerosene gas, and gasoline… let me at least smell it.” A lot of trains, dozens of cisterns accumulated at the junction, and you find "the one". Olya and Lida crawled under the trains, sniffing: this or not this? Gasoline or not gasoline? Then they threw pebbles and determined by the sound: empty or full? And only then did they hit the magnetic mine. The fire destroyed a huge number of wagons with equipment, food, uniforms, fodder, and steam locomotives also burned down ...

The Germans managed to grab Oli's mother and sister, they were shot; but Olya remained elusive. For ten months of her participation in the Chekist brigade (from June 7, 1942 to April 10, 1943), she proved herself not only a fearless scout, but also derailed seven enemy echelons, participated in the defeat of several military-police garrisons, had his personal account of 20 destroyed enemy soldiers and officers. And then she was also a participant in the "rail war".

Eleven-year-old saboteur

Vitya Sitnitsa. How he wanted to partisan! But for two years from the beginning of the war, he remained "only" a conductor of partisan sabotage groups passing through his village of Curitichi. However, he learned a thing or two from the guerrilla guides during their short halts. In August 1943, together with his older brother, he was accepted into a partisan detachment. I was assigned to the economic platoon. Then he said that peeling potatoes and taking out slops with his ability to lay mines was unfair. Moreover, the "rail war" is in full swing. And they began to take him on combat missions. The boy personally derailed 9 echelons with manpower and military equipment of the enemy.

In the spring of 1944, Vitya fell ill with rheumatism and was released to his family for medicine. In the village, he was seized by the Nazis disguised as Red Army soldiers. The boy was brutally tortured.

Little Susanin

He began his war with the German fascist invaders when he was 9 years old. Already in the summer of 1941, in the house of his parents in the village of Bayki in the Brest region, the regional anti-fascist committee equipped a secret printing house. They issued leaflets with reports from the Sovinforburo. Tikhon Baran helped spread them. For two years, the young underground worker was engaged in this activity. The Nazis managed to get on the trail of printers. The printing house was destroyed. Tikhon's mother and her sisters hid with relatives, and he himself went to the partisans. Once, when he was visiting his relatives, the Germans came to the village. The mother was taken to Germany, and the boy was beaten. He became very ill and stayed in the village.

Local historians dated his feat on January 22, 1944. On this day, punishers appeared in the village again. For communication with the partisans, all residents were shot. The village was burned down. "And you," they said to Tikhon, "will show us the way to the partisans." It is difficult to say whether the village boy had heard anything about the Kostroma peasant Ivan Susanin, who more than three centuries before had led the Polish invaders into a swampy swamp, only Tikhon Baran showed the Nazis the same road. They killed him, but not all of them themselves crawled out of that quagmire.

Covering the squad

Vanya Kazachenko from the village of Zapolye, Orsha District, Vitebsk Region, in April 1943, became a machine gunner in a partisan detachment. He was thirteen. Those who served in the army and carried at least a Kalashnikov submachine gun (not a machine gun!) On their shoulders can imagine what it cost the boy. Guerrilla raids often lasted for many hours. And then the machine guns are heavier than the current ones ... After one of the successful operations to defeat the enemy garrison, in which Vanya once again distinguished himself, the partisans, returning to the base, stopped to rest in a village near Bogushevsk. Vanya, assigned to the security, chose a place, disguised himself and covered the road leading to the settlement. Here the young machine gunner took on his last battle.

Noticing the unexpectedly appeared carts with the Nazis, he opened fire on them. While the comrades arrived in time, the Germans managed to surround the boy, seriously injure him, take him prisoner and retreat. The partisans did not have the opportunity to chase the carts in order to upholster him. About twenty kilometers of Vanya, tied to a cart, was dragged by the Nazis along an icy road. In the village of Mezhevo, Orsha District, where the enemy garrison was stationed, he was tortured and shot.

The hero was 14 years old

Marat Kazei was born on October 10, 1929 in the village of Stankovo, Minsk region, Belarus. In November 1942 he joined the partisan detachment. 25th anniversary of October, then became a scout of the headquarters of the partisan brigade. K. K. Rokossovsky.

Marat's father Ivan Kazei was arrested in 1934 as a "saboteur", and he was rehabilitated only in 1959. Later, his wife was also arrested - then, however, released. So it turned out to be a family of an "enemy of the people", which the neighbors avoided. Kazei's sister, Ariadne, was not accepted into the Komsomol because of this.

It would seem that the Kazei should have been angry with the authorities from all this - but no. In 1941, Anna Kazei, the wife of the "enemy of the people", hid wounded partisans in her house - for which she was executed by the Germans. Ariadne and Marat went to the partisans. Ariadne survived, but became disabled - when the detachment left the encirclement, she froze her legs, which had to be amputated. When she was taken to the hospital by plane, the commander of the detachment offered to fly with her and Marat so that he would continue his studies interrupted by the war. But Marat refused and remained in the partisan detachment.

Marat went on reconnaissance, both alone and with a group. Participated in raids. He blew up trains. For the battle in January 1943, when, wounded, he roused his comrades to attack and fought his way through the enemy ring, Marat received the medal "For Courage". And in May 1944, Marat died. Returning from a mission together with the intelligence commander, they stumbled upon the Germans. The commander was killed immediately, Marat, firing back, lay in a hollow. There was nowhere to leave in the open field, and there was no possibility - Marat was seriously wounded. As long as there were cartridges, I kept the defensive, and when the store was empty, I took up my last weapon - two grenades, which I did not remove from my belt. He threw one at the Germans and left the other. When the Germans came very close, he blew himself up along with the enemies.

A monument to Kazei was erected in Minsk with funds raised by Belarusian pioneers. In 1958, an obelisk was erected on the grave of the young Hero in the village of Stankovo, Dzerzhinsky District, Minsk Region. The monument to Marat Kazei was erected in Moscow (on the territory of VDNKh). The state farm, streets, schools, pioneer squads and detachments of many schools of the Soviet Union, the ship of the Caspian Shipping Company were named after the pioneer hero Marat Kazei.

Boy from legend

Golikov Leonid Aleksandrovich, scout of the 67th detachment of the 4th Leningrad partisan brigade, born in 1926, a native of the village of Lukino, Parfinsky district. So it is written in the award list. The boy from the legend - so called the glory of Lenya Golikov.

When the war began, a schoolboy from the village of Lukino, near Staraya Russa, got a rifle and went to the partisans. Slender and short, at 14 he looked even younger. Disguised as a beggar, he walked through the villages, collecting the necessary data on the location of the fascist troops, on the number of enemy military equipment.

With his peers, he once picked up several rifles at the scene of the battle, stole two boxes of grenades from the Nazis. All this they then passed on to the partisans. "Comrade. Golikov joined the partisan detachment in March 1942, according to the award list. - He took part in 27 military operations ... Exterminated 78 German soldiers and officers, blew up 2 railway and 12 highway bridges, blew up 9 vehicles with ammunition ... Major of the Engineering Troops Richard Wirtz, heading from Pskov to Luga. A brave partisan killed the general from a machine gun, his jacket and captured documents were delivered to the brigade headquarters. Among the documents were: a description of new samples of German mines, inspection reports to higher command and other valuable intelligence data. "

Lake Radilovskoye was a gathering point when the brigade moved to a new area of ​​operations. On the way there, the partisans had to engage in battles with the enemy. Punishers watched the advance of the partisans, and as soon as the forces of the brigade joined up, they imposed a battle on it. After the battle at Lake Radilovskoye, the main forces of the brigade continued on their way to the Lyadsky forests. The detachments of I. Grozny and B. Ehren-Price remained in the area of ​​the lake to distract the Nazis. They never managed to connect with the brigade. In mid-November, the occupants attacked the headquarters. Defending it, many soldiers died. The rest managed to retreat to the Terp-Kamen swamp. On December 25, the swamp was surrounded by several hundred fascists. With considerable losses, the partisans escaped from the ring and entered the Strugokrasnensky region. Only 50 people remained in the ranks, the radio did not work. And the punishers scoured all the villages in search of partisans. We had to go along untrodden paths. The path was laid by scouts, among them Lenya Golikov. Attempts to establish contact with other detachments and stock up on food ended in tragedy. There was only one way out - to make their way to the mainland.

After crossing the Dno - Novosokolniki railway late at night on January 24, 1943, 27 hungry, exhausted partisans came out to the village of Ostraya Luka. Ahead of 90 kilometers stretched the Partizansky Territory burned down by punishers. The scouts found nothing suspicious. The enemy garrison was located several kilometers away. The partisans' companion - a nurse - was dying of a serious wound and asked for at least a little warmth. We occupied three outer huts. The brigade commander Glebov decided not to exhibit patrols, so as not to attract attention. They were on duty alternately at the windows and in the shed, from where both the village and the road to the forest were clearly visible.

Two hours later, sleep was interrupted by the roar of an exploding grenade. And immediately a heavy machine gun rattled. On the denunciation of the traitor, the punishers appeared. The partisans jumped out into the courtyard and in vegetable gardens, firing back, they began to dash towards the forest. Glebov with outposts covered the retreating with fire from a light machine gun and machine guns. A badly wounded chief of staff fell halfway. Lenya rushed to him. But Petrov ordered to return to the brigade commander, and he himself, covering the wound under the quilted jacket with an individual bag, again stitched it out from the machine gun. In that unequal battle, the entire headquarters of the 4th partisan brigade was killed. Among the fallen was the young partisan Lenya Golikov. Six managed to reach the forest, two of them were seriously wounded and could not move without assistance ... Only on January 31, near the village of Zhemchugovo, exhausted, frostbitten, they met with the scouts of the 8th Guards Panfilov division.

For a long time his mother, Ekaterina Alekseevna, did not know anything about the fate of Leni. The war had already moved far to the west, when one Sunday afternoon a horseman in military uniform stopped near their hut. Mother went out onto the porch. The officer handed her a large package. The old woman accepted him with trembling hands, called her daughter Valya. The package contained a letter bound in crimson leather. There was also an envelope, opening which Valya said quietly: - This is for you, mother, from Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin himself. With excitement, the mother took a bluish sheet of paper and read: “Dear Ekaterina Alekseevna! According to the command, your son Leonid Alexandrovich Golikov died for the Motherland a heroic death. For the heroic deed committed by your son in the fight against the German invaders behind enemy lines, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, by a decree of April 2, 1944, awarded him the highest degree of distinction - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. I am sending you a letter from the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on conferring the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on your son for keeping as a memory of his son-hero, whose feat will never be forgotten by our people. M. Kalinin ". - "This is how he turned out, my Lenyushka!" - said the mother quietly. And there were grief, pain, and pride in his son in these words ...

Lenya was buried in the village of Ostraya Luka. His name is inscribed on the obelisk installed on the mass grave. The monument in Novgorod was unveiled on January 20, 1964. The figure of a boy in a hat with earflaps with a submachine gun in his hands is carved from light granite. The name of the hero is borne by the streets in St. Petersburg, Pskov, Staraya Russa, Okulovka, the village of Pola, the village of Parfino, the motor ship of the Riga Shipping Company, in Novgorod - the street, the House of Pioneers, a training vessel for young sailors in Staraya Russa. A monument to the hero was also erected in Moscow at the USSR Exhibition of Economic Achievements.

The youngest hero of the Soviet Union

Valya Kotik. Young partisan intelligence officer of the Great Patriotic War in the Karmelyuk detachment, operating in the temporarily occupied territory; the youngest Hero of the Soviet Union. He was born on February 11, 1930 in the village of Khmelevka, Shepetovsky district, Kamenets-Podolsk region of Ukraine, according to one information in the family of an employee, according to another - a peasant. From education there are only 5 classes of secondary school in the regional center.

During the Great Patriotic War, being in the territory temporarily occupied by the German fascist troops, Valya Kotik worked to collect weapons and ammunition, drew and pasted cartoons of the Nazis. Valentin and his peers received their first combat mission in the fall of 1941. The guys lay down in the bushes near the Shepetovka-Slavuta highway. Hearing the noise of the engine, they froze. It was scary. But when the car with the fascist gendarmes caught up with them, Valya Kotik got up and threw a grenade. The chief of the field gendarmerie was killed.

In October 1943, a young partisan scouted the location of the underground telephone cable of the Hitlerite headquarters, which was soon blown up. He also participated in the bombing of six train trains and a warehouse. On October 29, 1943, while at the post, Valya noticed that the punishers had staged a raid on the detachment. After killing a fascist officer with a pistol, he raised the alarm, and thanks to his actions, the partisans managed to prepare for battle.

On February 16, 44, in a battle for the city of Izyaslav, Khmelnitsky region, a 14-year-old partisan intelligence officer was mortally wounded and died the next day. He was buried in the center of the park in the Ukrainian city of Shepetovka. For his heroism in the struggle against the German fascist invaders, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of June 27, 58, Valentin Aleksandrovich Kotik was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He was awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree, the medal "Partisan of the Great Patriotic War" of the 2nd degree. A motor ship, a number of secondary schools are named after him, there used to be pioneer squads and detachments named after Vali Kotik. In Moscow and in his hometown, monuments were erected to him in 60. There is a street named after the young hero in Yekaterinburg, Kiev and Kaliningrad.

Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya

Of all the young heroes, both living and dead, only Zoya was and remains known to most of the inhabitants of our country. Her name has become a household name, just like the names of other cult Soviet heroes, such as Nikolai Gastello and Alexander Matrosov.

Both before and now, if someone in our country becomes aware of a feat that was then performed by a teenager or a young man killed by the enemies, they say about him: “like Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya”.

... The surname Kosmodemyanskie in the Tambov province was borne by many clergy. Before the grandfather of the young heroine, Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, about whom our story will go, Peter Ivanovich, the rector of the church in their native village, Osin Gaya, was his uncle Vasily Ivanovich Kosmodemyanskiy, and before him his grandfather, great-grandfather, and so on. And Peter Ivanovich himself was born into the family of a priest.

Pyotr Ivanovich Kosmodemyansky died a martyr's death, as did his granddaughter later: in the hungry and cruel year of 1918, on the night of August 26-27, the communist bandits heated by alcohol dragged the priest out of the house, in front of his wife and three younger children they beat him half to death, tying by the hands to the saddle, dragged through the village and thrown into the ponds. The body of Kosmodemyansky was found in the spring, and, according to the testimony of all the same eyewitnesses, “it was unspoiled and had a waxy color,” which is in the Orthodox tradition an indirect sign of the spiritual purity of the deceased. They buried him in the cemetery near the Church of the Sign, in which Pyotr Ivanovich served in his last years.

After the death of Pyotr Ivanovich, the Kosmodemyanskys remained for some time in the same place. The eldest son Anatoly left his studies in Tambov and returned to the village to help his mother with younger children. When they grew up, he married the daughter of a local clerk, Luba. On September 13, 1923, a daughter, Zoya, was born, and two years later, a son, Alexander.

Immediately after the start of the war, Zoya enrolled as a volunteer, and she was assigned to a reconnaissance school. The school was located near the Moscow station Kuntsevo.

In mid-November 1941, the school received an order to burn down the villages in which the Germans were quartered. Created two divisions, each of ten people. But on November 22, only three scouts turned out to be near the village of Petrishchevo - Kosmodemyanskaya, a certain Klubkov and the more experienced Boris Krainov.

It was decided that Zoya should set fire to houses in the southern part of the village, where the Germans were quartered; Klubkov was in the north, and the commander was in the center, where the German headquarters was located. After completing the assignment, everyone had to gather at the same place and only then return home. Krainov acted professionally, and his houses caught fire first, then those that were located in the southern part did not catch fire in the northern part. Krainov waited for his comrades for almost the entire next day, but they never returned. Later, after a while, Klubkov returned ...

When it became known about the capture and death of Zoya, after the liberation of the village partially burned by the scouts by the Soviet army, the investigation showed that one of the group, Klubkov, turned out to be a traitor.

The transcript of his interrogation contains a detailed description of what happened to Zoya:

“When I approached the buildings that were supposed to be set on fire, I saw that the sections of Kosmodemyanskaya and Krainov were on fire. Approaching the house, I broke the Molotov cocktail and threw it, but it did not catch fire. At that time, I saw two German sentries not far from me and decided to run away into the forest, located 300 meters from the village. As soon as I ran into the forest, two German soldiers pounced on me and handed over to a German officer. He pointed a revolver at me and demanded that I reveal who had come with me to set fire to the village. I said that there were only three of us, named Krainov and Kosmodemyanskaya. The officer immediately gave some order and after a while they brought Zoya. She was asked how she set fire to the village. Kosmodemyanskaya replied that she did not set fire to the village. After that, the officer began to beat her and demanded to testify, she was silent, and then she was stripped naked and beaten with rubber truncheons for 2-3 hours. But Kosmodemyanskaya said one thing: "Kill me, I won't tell you anything." She didn’t even give her name. She repeated that her name was Tanya. Then they took her away, and I never saw her again. " Klubkov was tried and shot.

The exploits of Soviet heroes that we will never forget.

Roman Smishchuk. Destroyed 6 enemy tanks in one battle with hand grenades

For ordinary Ukrainian Roman Smishchuk, that fight was the first. In an effort to destroy a company that had occupied a perimeter defense, the enemy brought 16 tanks into battle. At this critical moment, Smishchuk showed exceptional courage: letting the enemy tank come close, knocked out its undercarriage with a grenade, and then set it on fire with a bottle of Molotov cocktail. 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 personnel of the company, inspired by the feat of Smishchuk, successfully broke through the ring and joined their regiment. For his feat, Roman Semyonovich Smishchuk was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal. Roman Smishchuk died on October 29, 1969, and was buried in the village of Kryzhopol, Vinnitsa 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, at the age of 17, Kuznetsov became the youngest full holder of the Order of Glory of all three degrees. He died on January 21, 1989.

Georgy Sinyakov. Rescued hundreds of Soviet soldiers from captivity according to the "Count of Monte Cristo" system

The Soviet surgeon was taken prisoner during the battles for Kiev and as a captive doctor of the concentration camp in Kustrin (Poland) he saved hundreds of prisoners: as a member of the underground camp, he made out documents in the concentration camp hospital for them as dead and organized escapes. Most often, Georgy Fedorovich Sinyakov used imitation of death: he taught the sick to pretend to be dead, stated death, the "corpse" was taken out with other really dead and thrown into a ditch nearby, where the prisoner was "resurrected". In particular, Dr. Sinyakov saved the life and helped the Hero of the Soviet Union escape from the plan, the pilot Anna Yegorova, who was shot down in August 1944 near Warsaw. Sinyakov smeared her purulent wounds with fish oil and a special ointment, from which the wounds looked fresh, but in fact healed perfectly. 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 the 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 plant and the workers' settlement "Barricades". On October 25, communications were interrupted and the guard Major Dyatleko ordered Matvey to restore the wire telephone connection connecting the regiment headquarters with a group of fighters who for the second day the fighters held the house surrounded by the enemy. Two previous unsuccessful attempts to restore communication ended in the death of the signalmen. A fragment of a mine wounded Putilov in the shoulder. Overcoming the pain, he crawled to the point where the wire was broken, but was wounded again: his arm was shattered. Losing consciousness and unable to act with his hand, he squeezed the ends of the wires with his teeth, and a current passed through his body. The connection was restored. He died with the ends of the telephone wires clamped in his teeth.

Marionella Koroleva. She carried 50 seriously wounded soldiers off the battlefield

19-year-old actress Gulya Koroleva voluntarily went to the front in 1941 and ended up in a medical-sanitary battalion. In November 1942, during the battle for height 56.8 near the Panshino farm in the 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 went on the attack, where she was killed. Songs were composed about the feat of Guli Koroleva, and her dedication was an example for millions of Soviet girls and boys. Her name is carved in gold on the banner of military glory on the Mamayev Kurgan, a village in the Soviet district of Volgograd and a street are named after her. The book by E. Ilyina "The Fourth Height" is dedicated to Gulya Koroleva

Koroleva Marionella (Gulya), Soviet film actress, heroine of the Great Patriotic War

Vladimir Khazov. Tanker who destroyed 27 enemy tanks alone

On the personal account of the young officer, 27 destroyed enemy tanks. For his 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 approaching 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: to let the column pass and start shooting from the rear. Three T-34s opened aimed fire at the enemy, joining the tail of the enemy column. From frequent and accurate shots one after another the German tanks caught fire. In this battle, which lasted just over an hour, not a single enemy vehicle survived, and the platoon in full force 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 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. R-5 was burning ... If Mamkin were alone on board, he would have gained altitude and jumped out with a parachute. But he was not flying alone and was leading the plane further ... The flame reached the cockpit. 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 himself 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, we go out ... "Then Mamkin lost consciousness, a week later he died ... The doctors could not explain how he could operate the car and even put it safely in a man, in whose face glasses were melted, and only from his legs were left bones.

Alexey Maresyev. Test pilot who returned to the front and to combat missions after amputation of both legs

On April 4, 1942, in the area of ​​the so-called "Demyansky cauldron" during an operation to cover the bombers in a battle with the Germans, Maresyev's plane was shot down. For 18 days, a pilot wounded in the legs, first on crippled legs, and then crawling to the front line, feeding on tree bark, cones and berries. His legs were amputated due to gangrene. But even in the hospital, Alexei Maresyev began to train, preparing to fly with prostheses. In February 1943, he made the first test flight after being wounded. I got sent to the front. On July 20, 1943, during an air battle with superior enemy forces, Alexei Maresyev saved the lives of 2 Soviet pilots and shot down two enemy Fw.190 fighters at once. In total, during the war, he flew 86 sorties, shot down 11 enemy aircraft: four before being wounded and seven after being wounded.

Rose Shanina. One of the most formidable lone snipers of the Great Patriotic War

Roza 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 that follow each other. On the account of Rosa Shanina, 59 confirmed destroyed enemy soldiers and officers were recorded. The young girl became a symbol of the Patriotic War. Many stories and legends are associated with her name, which inspired new heroes to glorious deeds. She died on January 28, 1945 during the East Prussian operation, defending the seriously wounded commander of an artillery unit.

Nikolay Skorokhodov. He flew 605 combat missions. Personally shot down 46 enemy aircraft.

During the war, Soviet fighter pilot Nikolai Skorokhodov passed all stages of aviation - 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 flew more than 605 sorties, conducted 143 air battles, personally shot down 46 enemy planes and in a group of 8, and also destroyed 3 bombers on the ground. Thanks to the unique skill of Skomorokhov, he was never wounded, his plane did not burn, was not shot down, and did not receive a single hole throughout the war.

Dzhulbars. A mine detective service dog, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, the only dog ​​awarded the medal "For Military Merit"

From September 1944 to August 1945, taking part in demining in Romania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Austria, a service dog named Dzhulbars 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 instinct of Dzhulbars. The dog also helped the sappers who cleared the grave of Taras Shevchenko in Kanev and the Vladimir Cathedral in Kiev. On March 21, 1945, for the successful completion of the combat mission, Dzhulbars was awarded the medal "For Military Merit". This is the only time during the war when a dog was awarded a combat award. For military merit, Dzhulbars took part in the Victory Parade held on Red Square on June 24, 1945.

Dzhulbars, dog of mine detection service, participant of the Great Patriotic War

Already at 7.00 on May 9, the television marathon "Our Victory" begins, and the evening ends with a grandiose festive concert "POBEDA. ONE FOR ALL ”, which starts at 20.30. The concert was attended by Svetlana Loboda, Irina Bilyk, Natalia Mogilevskaya, Zlata Ognevich, Victor Pavlik, Olga Polyakova and other popular Ukrainian pop stars.

Almost every day in our life there is a place for feat. Most often they are committed by the military, rescuers, police. To whom it is due to duty. But they are not alone in risking their lives to save others.

One often hears grumbling on the topic: the people are crumbling, people have gone completely wrong, there are no peasants left at all. Well, then everything, as the classic wrote: "Yes, there were people in our time ..." Since the time of Lermontov, little has changed: "Heroes are not you ...", other accusations against these modern handsome young men in skinny trousers and young men in stylish jackets on shiny cars. Looking fashionable and even glamorous. And looking at them, one can really doubt: where are they going to be heroes? They have more perfumes and cosmetics than any beauty. And, unfortunately, we will be wrong in our doubts.

Why "Unfortunately? Because, I really want to have no room for heroic deeds in our life. Because heroic deeds often have to be done by one, because of the negligence and carelessness of others.

From this, however, the surprise and admiration for modern heroes does not diminish. As there are no fewer heroes themselves, ready to sacrifice themselves for the sake of others. Here are the most striking examples of this.

1. The real colonel

Now this is the loudest story. In the Urals, a colonel covered a grenade that a soldier accidentally dropped. This happened in military unit 3275 in the town of Lesnoy, Sverdlovsk region, during an exercise on September 25. The sergeant, apparently, was at a loss, or thought, there is even talk that the night before he played computer games all night and did not get enough sleep, so he could not keep the grenade with the pin pulled. She rolled on the ground. The soldiers froze in horror. In general, you can imagine these terrible moments. Only the commander of the unit, 41-year-old Colonel Serik Sultangabiev, was not taken aback. He, without hesitation for a second, rushed to the RGD-5. And in the next instant, an explosion thundered.

Fortunately, none of the soldiers was hurt. The colonel was urgently taken to the hospital, where medical teams operated on Serik Sultangabiyev for 8 hours in a row. As a result, the officer lost his left eye and two fingers on his right hand. A bulletproof vest saved his life.

Now Colonel Serik Sultangabiev has been nominated for the Order of Courage. The documents required for this have already been sent to Moscow by the Ural command of the Interior Ministry troops.

2. The feat of Solnechnikov

Of course, when talking about the feat of Sultangabiev today, he is immediately compared to the feat of another officer - Sergei Solnechnikov. Major from the city of Belogorsk, Amur Region. Who became the Hero of Russia posthumously. He, too, covered a grenade dropped by one of his soldiers during a training exercise. An explosion thundered, the officer received numerous injuries. An hour and a half later, he died on the operating table of a military hospital. The wounds were found to be incompatible with life. So the major, at the cost of his own life, saved hundreds of his subordinates. I did it without hesitation. Last August he would have turned 34 years old. In honor of Major Sergei Solnechnikov, both in his hometown of Volzhsk and in Belogorsk, where he served, monuments are erected, streets are named after him.

3. Spas 300 people

Such an honor has not yet been awarded to another hero, who was remembered at the end of September in his native Buryatia and talked about collecting funds for the construction of a monument in his honor. Aldar Tsydenzhapov, a sailor of the Russian Pacific Fleet, died in the fall of 2010 while serving on the destroyer Bystry. Aldar, at the cost of his life, prevented a major accident on a warship, saved the ship itself and 300 crew members from death. The 19-year-old boy received the title of Hero posthumously ...

4. Ship in honor of the hero

And in the Irkutsk region at the end of September, a ship named after the hero-rescuer was launched: "Vitaly Tikhonov". The completely restored ship was named after the tragically deceased deputy head of the Baikal search and rescue squad. Vitaly Vladimirovich died during a training camp. For 25 years he saved people, participated in more than 500 search operations, saved more than 200 people. It was not possible to save him ...

These feats can hardly be forgotten. Although people, it would seem, died while serving, which, in general, in itself is associated with all sorts of risks. But in everyday life we ​​are lucky to have heroes.

5. Hollywood is resting

The other day, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Kaluga region, Sergei Bachurin, presented the traffic police inspector of the traffic police Yevgeny Vorobyov with a valuable gift, thanked his mother Valentina Semyonovna.

Yevgeny Vorobyov will be awarded by the Minister of Internal Affairs Vladimir Kolokoltsev. The corresponding submission to the minister has already been prepared. What distinguished Vorobyov? On the birthday of his hometown of Kaluga, Yevgeny Vorobyov managed to stop the car, which was rushing at high speed directly towards the column of participants in the carnival procession walking along the central street. The policeman managed to jump into the car at full speed and put on the brake. The car dragged the policeman along the asphalt a few meters and stopped just a few centimeters from the people. After that, the policeman pulled the drunk driver out of the car and twisted him. Agree, such scenes can only be seen in Hollywood action films, and all the stunts are performed by well-trained stuntmen. Meanwhile, it was done by a simple traffic police officer.

6. In honor of a fellow countryman and a real Cossack

These days in the Volgograd region they remember their heroic countryman. At the end of September, a monument to the Cossack Ruslan Kazakov was erected on the Nagolny farm in the Kotelnikovsky district of the Volgograd region. He himself voluntarily went to Simferopol to ensure order during the referendum on the status of Crimea, to ensure order there.

Kazakov served in the local Cossack self-defense detachment. On March 18, he patrolled the territory of the military unit. At that moment, his young colleague, an 18-year-old boy, was wounded in the leg by a sniper's shot. Seeing that the younger comrade fell, Ruslan Kazakov rushed to him and covered him with his body. And then he was killed by the next shot. Ruslan Kazakov was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage. A monument has been erected in his honor at home.

7. Hero-traffic cop

A traffic police officer from Saratov, risking his life, blocked the path of an unmanaged truck.

Police lieutenant, inspector of the traffic police regiment for Saratov Daniil Sultanov stood at the crossroads. The prohibitive traffic light came on. And suddenly Daniel saw that an uncontrollable truck was rushing along the road, knocking down cars and unable to stop itself. Then Daniel blocked his way with his car and thus stopped the rushing truck, which swept away everything in its path. Daniel was able to save a dozen lives. The traffic police inspector himself got off with a concussion.

In total, 12 cars and 4 people were injured in the accident. The incident could have ended in a terrible tragedy, if not for the feat of Daniil Sultanov.

Nobody in the country keeps special statistics, but if it were, it would probably become clear how many people, thanks to the heroes, continue to live. Someone was rescued from the fire, someone was pulled out of the reservoir. These people always come to the rescue themselves, they are not called, they are not asked for it. And not only in our country. Recently in Saratov, the Osherovs' father and son were awarded, both are named Sergei and Alexander Dubrovin. During a vacation in Israel, three residents of Saratov rescued a drowning mother and child and a woman. For which they were awarded medals. If not for them, the mother and son would have died.

These are our contemporaries. And no matter how much psychologists tell us that sacrificing oneself for the sake of others is not right. That you need to live exclusively for your own sake, there are those for whom this rule is simply unacceptable. And they, without hesitation, cover the other with themselves ...

A snapshot at the opening of the article: Residents of the city of Volzhsky before the farewell ceremony with Major Sergei Solnechnikov - Hero of Russia / Photo by RIA Novosti / Kirill Braga.

Pravoslavie.fm is an Orthodox, patriotic, family-oriented portal and therefore offers the readers' attention the top 10 amazing feats of the Russian army.

The top does not include single exploits of Russian soldiers like Captain Nikolai Gastello, sailor Pyotr Koshka, soldier Mercury of Smolensky or Staff Captain Pyotr Nesterov, because with the level of mass heroism that the Russian army has always distinguished, it is absolutely impossible to determine the top ten soldiers. They are all equally great.

The places in the top are not distributed, since the described feats belong to different eras and it is not entirely correct to compare them with each other, but they all have one thing in common - a vivid example of the triumph of the spirit of the Russian army.

• The feat of the squad Evpatiy Kolovrat (1238).

Evpatiy Kolovrat is a native of Ryazan, there is not much information about him, and they are contradictory. Some sources say that he was a local governor, others a boyar.

News came from the steppe that the Tatars were marching on Russia. Ryazan was the first on their way. Realizing that the Ryazan people had little of their own for the successful defense of the city, the prince sent Evpatiy Kolovrat to seek help in the neighboring principalities.

Kolovrat left for Chernigov, where he was overtaken by the news of the devastation of his native land by the Mongols. Without hesitating a minute, Kolovrat with a small squad hurriedly moved towards Ryazan.

Unfortunately, he found the city already ravaged and burned down. Seeing the ruins, he gathered those who could fight with an army of about 1700 people rushed in pursuit of the entire horde of Batu (about 300,000 soldiers).

Having overtaken the Tatars in the vicinity of Suzdal, he gave battle to the enemy. Despite the small size of the detachment, the Russians managed to crush the Tatar rearguard with a surprise attack.

Batu was very stunned by this frantic attack. Khan had to throw his best parts into battle. Batu asked to bring Kolovrat to him alive, but Evpatiy did not surrender and bravely fought with an outnumbered enemy.

Then Batu sent an envoy to Evpatiy to ask what the Russian soldiers want? Evpatiy answered - "just die"! The battle continued. As a result, the Mongols, who were afraid to approach the Russians, had to use catapults and, only in this way, they were able to defeat Kolovrat's squad.

Khan Batu, struck by the courage and heroism of the Russian soldier, gave the body of Evpatiy to his squad. For their courage, Batu ordered the rest of the soldiers to be released without harming them.

The feat of Evpatiy Kolovrat is described in the Old Russian "The Tale of the Ruin of Ryazan by Batu".

• Suvorov's crossing over the Alps (1799).

In 1799, Russian troops that participated in the battles with the French in Northern Italy as part of the Second Anti-French Coalition were recalled home. However, on the way home, the Russian troops were to provide assistance to the Rimsky-Korsakov corps and defeat the French in Switzerland.

For this, the army was led by Generalissimo Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov. together with a wagon train, artillery and wounded made an unprecedented crossing over the alpine passes.

In the campaign, Suvorov's army fought across Saint Gotthard and the Devil's Bridge and made the transition from the Reuss Valley to the Muten Valley, where it was surrounded. However, in the battle in the Muten Valley, where she defeated the French army and got out of the encirclement, after which she crossed the snow-covered, inaccessible Ringenkopf (Paniks) pass and went through the city of Chur towards Russia.

During the battle for the Devil's Bridge, the French managed to damage the span and to overcome the abyss. under fire, Russian soldiers tied the boards of a nearby shed with officers' scarves and went into battle over them. And while overcoming one of the passes, in order to knock the French down from a height, several dozen volunteers, without any climbing equipment, climbed a steep cliff to the top of the pass and hit the French in the rear.

In this campaign, under the command of Suvorov, the son of Emperor Paul I, Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich, participated as an ordinary soldier.

• Defense of the Brest Fortress (1941).

The Brest Fortress was built by the Russian military in 1836-42 and consisted of a citadel and three fortifications that protected it. Later, it was modernized several times, became the property of Poland and again returned to Russia.

By the beginning of June 1941, units of two rifle divisions of the Red Army were located on the territory of the fortress: the 6th Oryol Red Banner and the 42nd rifle division and several small units. In total, by the morning of June 22, there were about 9,000 people in the fortress.

The Germans decided in advance that the Brest Fortress, standing on the border with the USSR and therefore chosen as one of the objects of the first strike, would have to be taken only by infantry - without tanks. Their use was hampered by forests, swamps, river channels and canals that surrounded the fortress. The German strategists took the 45th division (17,000 men) no more than eight hours to capture the fortress.

Despite the surprise attack, the garrison gave the Germans a tough rebuff. The report said: “The Russians are fighting fiercely, especially behind our attacking companies. In the Citadel, the enemy organized a defense with infantry units supported by 35-40 tanks and armored vehicles. The fire of Russian snipers led to large losses among officers and non-commissioned officers. " Within one day on June 22, 1941, the 45th Infantry Division only lost 21 officers and 290 lower ranks in killed.

On June 23, at 5:00, the Germans began shelling the Citadel, while trying not to hit their soldiers trapped in the church. On the same day, tanks were used against the defenders of the Brest Fortress for the first time.

On June 26, on the North Island, German sappers blew up the wall of the school building for political personnel. 450 prisoners were taken there. The Eastern Fort remained the main focus of resistance on the North Island. On June 27, 20 commanders and 370 fighters from the 393rd Anti-Aircraft Battalion of the 42nd Infantry Division, led by the commander of the 44th Infantry Regiment, Major Pyotr Gavrilov, were defending there.

On June 28, two German tanks and several self-propelled guns returning from repair to the front continued to fire at the Eastern Fort on the North Island. However, this did not bring visible results, and the commander of the 45th division turned to the Luftwaffe for support.

On June 29 at 8:00 a German bomber dropped a 500-kilogram bomb on the Eastern Fort. Then another 500-kilogram and finally 1800-kilogram bomb was dropped. The fort was practically destroyed.

Nevertheless, a small group of fighters headed by Gavrilov continued to fight in the Eastern Fort. The major was captured only on 23 July. Residents of Brest said that until the end of July or even before the first days of August, shooting was heard from the fortress and the Nazis brought their wounded officers and soldiers from there to the city where the German army hospital was located.

However, the official date of the end of the defense of the Brest Fortress is considered July 20, based on the inscription that was found in the barracks of the 132nd separate battalion of the NKVD escort troops: “I am dying, but I am not surrendering. Goodbye, Motherland. 20 / VII-41 ".

• Campaigns of Kotlyarevsky's detachments during the Russian-Persian wars of 1799-1813.

All the exploits of the detachments of General Pyotr Kotlyarevsky are so amazing that it is difficult to choose the best one, so we will present them all:

In 1804, Kotlyarevsky with 600 soldiers and 2 guns fought back for 2 days in the old cemetery from 20,000 soldiers of Abbas Mirza. 257 soldiers and almost all of Kotlyarevsky's officers were killed. There were many wounded.

Then Kotlyarevsky, wrapping the wheels of the cannons with rags, made his way through the besieging camp at night, took by storm the nearby fortress of Shah-Bulakh, knocking out a Persian garrison of 400 people from there, and sat down in it.

For 13 days he fought off a corps of 8000 Persians besieging the fortress, and then at night he lowered guns along the wall and left with a detachment to the fortress Mukhrat, which he also took by assault, knocking out the Persians from there, and again prepared for defense.

To drag the cannons through the deep ditch during the second crossing, four soldiers volunteered to fill it with their bodies. Two were crushed to death, and two continued their march.

In Mukhrat, the Russian army came to the rescue of the battalion of Kotlyarevsky. In this operation and during the capture of the Ganzha fortress somewhat earlier, Kotlyarevsky was wounded four times, but remained in the ranks.

In 1806, in a field battle at Honashin in 1644, Major Kotlyarevsky's fighters defeated the 20-thousandth army of Abbas Mirza. In 1810, Abbas Mirza again marched against Russia with troops. Kotlyarevsky took 400 huntsmen and 40 horsemen and set out to meet them.

“Along the way,” he stormed the Migri fortress, defeating a 2,000-strong garrison, and captured 5 artillery batteries. After waiting for 2 companies of reinforcement, the colonel took a battle with 10,000 of the Shah's Persians and forced him to retreat to the Araks River. Taking 460 infantry and 20 mounted Cossacks, the colonel destroyed the 10-thousand detachment of Abbas-Mirza, having lost 4 Russian soldiers killed.

In 1811, Kotlyarevsky became a major general, crossing the impregnable ridge with 2 battalions and a hundred Cossacks and seizing the Akhalkalak fortress by storm. The British sent the Persians money and weapons for 12,000 soldiers. Then Kotlyarevsky went on a campaign and took by storm the fortress Kara-Kakh, where military warehouses were located.

In 1812, in a field battle at Aslanduz, 2,000 Kotlyarevsky's soldiers with 6 guns defeated the entire army of Abbas Mirza of 30,000 people.

By 1813, the British rebuilt the Lankaran fortress for the Persians according to the advanced European models. Kotlyarevsky took the fortress by storm, having only 1759 people against a 4-thousandth garrison and during the attack almost completely destroyed the defenders. Thanks to this victory, Persia asked for peace.

• The capture of Izmail by Suvorov (1790).

The Turkish fortress Izmail, which covered the Danube crossings, was built by French and English engineers to the Ottomans. Suvorov himself believed that it was "a fortress without weak points."

However, having arrived on December 13 near Izmail, Suvorov spent six days actively preparing for the assault, including training the troops to storm the models of the high fortress walls of Izmail.

Near Izmail, in the area of ​​the present village of Safyany, in the shortest possible time, earthen and wooden analogs of the ditch and walls of Izmail were built - the soldiers trained to throw a moat with a fascinator, quickly put up ladders, after climbing the wall, they quickly chopped and chopped the effigies installed there, imitating defenders.

For two days, Suvorov conducted artillery training with field guns and cannons of the rowing flotilla ships, on December 22 at 5:30 in the morning the assault on the fortress began. Resistance in the streets of the city lasted until 16:00.

The attacking troops were divided into 3 detachments (wings), 3 columns each. A detachment of Major General de Ribas (9,000 men) attacked from the river side; the right wing under the command of Lieutenant-General PS Potemkin (7,500 people) was to strike from the western part of the fortress; the left wing of Lieutenant-General A. N. Samoilov (12,000 people) - from the east. The cavalry reserves of Brigadier Westphalen (2,500 men) were on the land side. In total, Suvorov's army numbered 31,000 people.

Turkish casualties totaled 29,000 killed. 9 thousand were taken prisoner. Of the entire garrison, only one person survived. Slightly wounded, he fell into the water and swam across the Danube on a log.

The losses of the Russian army amounted to 4 thousand people killed and 6 thousand wounded. All 265 guns, 400 banners, huge supplies of provisions and jewelry worth 10 million piastres were captured. M. was appointed commandant of the fortress. I. Kutuzov, in the future a famous commander, the winner of Napoleon.

The conquest of Ishmael was of great political importance. It influenced the further course of the war and the conclusion in 1792 of the Yassy Peace between Russia and Turkey, which confirmed the annexation of Crimea to Russia and established the Russian-Turkish border along the Dniester River. Thus, the entire northern Black Sea region from the Dniester to the Kuban was assigned to Russia.

Andrey Segeda

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