The war demanded from the people the greatest effort and enormous sacrifices on a national scale, revealing the fortitude 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 of behavior of Soviet people. Thousands of soldiers and officers immortalized their names during the defense Brest Fortress, Odessa, Sevastopol, Kyiv, Leningrad, Novorossiysk, in the battle of Moscow, Stalingrad, Kursk, in the North Caucasus, the Dnieper, in the foothills of the Carpathians, during the storming of Berlin and in other battles.

For heroic deeds in the Great Patriotic War, the title of Hero Soviet Union Over 11 thousand people were awarded (some posthumously), of which 104 were awarded twice, three three times (G.K. Zhukov, I.N. Kozhedub and A.I. Pokryshkin). The first to receive this title during the war were Soviet pilots M.P. Zhukov, S.I. Zdorovtsev and P.T. Kharitonov, who rammed fascist planes on the outskirts of Leningrad.

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

About 35% of Heroes of the Soviet Union at the time of awarding the title were under 30 years of age, 28% were between 30 and 40 years old, 9% were over 40 years old.

Four Heroes of the Soviet Union: artilleryman A.V. Aleshin, pilot I.G. Drachenko, rifle platoon commander P.Kh. Dubinda, artilleryman N.I. Kuznetsov - were also awarded Orders of Glory of all three degrees for their military exploits. Over 2,500 people, including 4 women, became full holders of the Order of Glory of three degrees. During the war, over 38 million orders and medals were awarded to the defenders of the Motherland for courage and heroism. The Motherland highly appreciated the labor feat of the Soviet people in the rear. During the war years, 201 people were awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor, about 200 thousand were awarded orders and medals.

Viktor Vasilievich Talalikhin

In the battles of the Great Patriotic War from June 1941. Made more than 60 combat missions. In the summer and autumn of 1941, he fought near Moscow. For military distinctions he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner (1941) and the Order of Lenin.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the presentation of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal was awarded to Viktor Vasilyevich Talalikhin by Decree of the Presidium Supreme Council 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 and was awarded the rank of lieutenant. The glorious pilot took part in many air combat x near Moscow, shot down five more enemy aircraft personally and one in a group. He died a heroic death in an unequal battle with fascist fighters on October 27, 1941.

V.V. was buried Talalikhin with military honors Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow. By order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR dated August 30, 1948, he was forever included in the lists of the first squadron of the fighter aviation regiment, with which he fought the enemy near Moscow.

Streets in Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Borisoglebsk in the Voronezh region and other cities, a sea vessel, State Pedagogical Technical University No. 100 in Moscow, and a number of schools were named after Talalikhin. At the 43rd kilometer of the Warsaw Highway, over which the unprecedented night fight took place, an obelisk was erected. A monument was erected in Podolsk, and a bust of the Hero was erected in Moscow.

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub

Three times Hero of the Soviet Union, Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub, flying the La-7, shot down 17 enemy aircraft (including the Me-262 jet fighter) out of the 62 he shot down during the war on La brand fighters. Kozhedub fought one of the most memorable battles on February 19, 1945 (sometimes the date is given as February 24).

On this day, he went on a free hunt together with Dmitry Titarenko. On the Oder traverse, the pilots noticed a plane quickly approaching from the direction of Frankfurt an der Oder. The plane flew along the river bed at an altitude of 3500 m at a speed much greater than the La-7 could reach. It was Me-262. Kozhedub instantly made a decision. The Me-262 pilot relied on the speed qualities of his machine and did not control the airspace in the rear hemisphere and below. Kozhedub attacked from below on a head-on course, hoping to hit the jet in the belly. However, Titarenko opened fire before Kozhedub. Much to Kozhedub’s surprise, the wingman’s premature shooting was beneficial.

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

On the evening of April 17, 1945, Kozhedub and Titarenko carried out their fourth combat mission of the day to the Berlin area. Immediately after crossing the front line north of Berlin, the hunters discovered large group FW-190 with suspended bombs. Kozhedub began to gain altitude for the attack and reported to the command post that contact had been made with a group of forty Focke-Wolwofs with suspended bombs. The German pilots clearly saw a pair of Soviet fighters go into the clouds and did not imagine that they would appear again. However, the hunters appeared.

From behind, from above, Kozhedub in the first attack shot down the leading four Fokkers at the back of the group. The hunters sought to give the enemy the impression that there were a significant number of Soviet fighters in the air. Kozhedub threw his La-7 right into the thick of the enemy planes, turning Lavochkin left and right, the ace fired in short bursts from his cannons. The Germans succumbed to the trick - the Focke-Wulfs began to free them from bombs that were interfering with air combat. However, the Luftwaffe pilots soon established the presence of only two La-7s in the air and, taking advantage of the numerical advantage, took advantage of the guardsmen. One FW-190 managed to get behind Kozhedub’s fighter, but Titarenko opened fire before the German pilot - the Focke-Wulf exploded in the air.

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

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub also distinguished himself in the battle on Kursk Bulge.

Kozhedub's total account 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 La-7 pilot's intentions and opened barrage fire from a long distance. Kozhedub, apparently, also mistook the Mustangs for Messers, escaped from under fire in a coup and, in turn, attacked the “enemy.”

He damaged one Mustang (the plane, smoking, left the battle and, having flown a little, fell, the pilot jumped out with a parachute), the second P-51 exploded in the air. Only after the successful attack did Kozhedub notice the white stars of the US Air Force on the wings and fuselages of the planes he had 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 photographic machine gun. The existence of a film with footage of burning Mustangs became known only after the death of the legendary pilot. A detailed biography of the hero on the website: www.warheroes.ru "Unknown Heroes"

Alexey Petrovich Maresyev

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 8th grade high school Alexey entered the federal educational institution, where he received a specialty as a mechanic. Then he applied to the Moscow Aviation Institute, but instead of the institute, he went on a Komsomol voucher to build Komsomolsk-on-Amur. There he sawed wood in the taiga, built barracks, and then the first residential areas. At the same time he studied at the flying club. He was drafted into the Soviet army in 1937. Served in the 12th aviation border detachment. But, according to Maresyev himself, he did not fly, but “took up the tails” of the planes. He really took to the air already at the Bataysk Military Aviation School of Pilots, from which he graduated in 1940. He served as a pilot instructor there.

He made his first combat mission on August 23, 1941 in the Krivoy Rog area. Lieutenant Maresyev opened his combat account at the beginning of 1942 - he shot down a Ju-52. By the end of March 1942, he brought the count of downed fascist planes 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 his landing gear early. The plane began to quickly lose altitude and fell into the forest.

Maresyev crawled to his side. His feet were frostbitten and they had to be amputated. However, the pilot decided not to give up. When he received prosthetics, he trained long and hard and got permission to return to duty. I learned to fly again in the 11th reserve air brigade in Ivanovo.

In June 1943, Maresyev returned to duty. He fought on the Kursk Bulge as part of the 63rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment and was deputy squadron commander. In August 1943, during one battle, Alexey Maresyev shot down three enemy FW-190 fighters at once.

On August 24, 1943, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Guard Senior Lieutenant Maresyev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Later he fought in the Baltic states and became a regiment navigator. In 1944 he joined the CPSU. In total, he made 86 combat missions, shot down 11 enemy aircraft: 4 before being wounded and seven with amputated legs. In June 1944, Guard Major Maresyev became an inspector-pilot of the Directorate of Higher educational institutions Air Force. Boris Polevoy's book "The Tale of a Real Man" is dedicated to the legendary fate of Alexei Petrovich Maresyev.

In July 1946, Maresyev was honorably discharged from the Air Force. In 1952 he graduated from the Higher Party School under the CPSU Central Committee, in 1956 he graduated from graduate school at the Academy 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 War Veterans Committee, and in 1983, first deputy chairman of the committee. He worked in this position until last day own life.

Retired Colonel A.P. Maresyev was awarded two Orders of Lenin, orders October revolution, Red Banner, Patriotic War 1st degree, two Orders of the Red Banner of Labor, Orders of Friendship of Peoples, Red Star, Badge of Honor, "For Services to the Fatherland" 3rd degree, medals, foreign orders. He was an honorary soldier of a military unit, an honorary citizen of the cities of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Kamyshin, and Orel. A small planet is named after him solar system, public fund, youth patriotic clubs. He was elected as a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Author of the book "On the Kursk Bulge" (M., 1960).

Even during the war, Boris Polevoy’s book “The Tale of a Real Man” was published, the prototype of which was Maresyev (the author changed only one letter in his last name). In 1948, based on the book at Mosfilm, director Alexander Stolper made a film of the same name. Maresyev was even offered to play himself main role, but he refused and this role was played by professional actor Pavel Kadochnikov.

Died suddenly on May 18, 2001. He was buried in Moscow at the Novodevichy cemetery. May 18, 2001 at the Theater Russian army A gala evening was planned to mark 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 still took place, but it began with a minute of silence.

Krasnoperov Sergey Leonidovich

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 sorties one after another to attack the port of Temrkzh. Leading six "silts", he set fire to a boat at the pier of the port. On the second flight, an enemy shell hit the engine. A bright flame for a moment, like it seemed to Krasnoperov, the sun eclipsed and immediately disappeared in thick black smoke. Krasnoperov turned off the ignition, turned off the gas and tried to fly the plane to the front line. However, after a few minutes it became clear that it would not be possible to save the plane. And under the wing there was a complete swamp. There was only one way out. : to land. As soon as the burning car touched the marsh hummocks with its fuselage, barely had the pilot time to jump out of it and run slightly to the side, an explosion roared.

A few days later, Krasnoperov was again in the air, and in the combat log of the flight commander of the 502nd assault aviation regiment, junior lieutenant Sergei Leonidovich Krasnoperov, a short entry appeared: “03.23.43.” In two sorties he destroyed a convoy in the area of ​​the station. Crimean. Destroyed 1 vehicles, created 2 fires." On April 4, Krasnoperov stormed manpower and firepower in the area of ​​204.3 meters. In the next flight, he stormed artillery and firing points in the area of ​​Krymskaya station. At the same time, he destroyed two tanks and one gun and a mortar.

One day, a junior lieutenant received an assignment for a free flight in pairs. He was the leader. Secretly, in a low-level flight, a pair of “silts” penetrated deep into the enemy’s rear. They noticed cars on the road and attacked them. They discovered a concentration of troops - and suddenly brought down destructive fire on the heads of the Nazis. The Germans unloaded ammunition and weapons from a self-propelled barge. Combat approach - the barge flew into the air. The regiment commander, Lieutenant Colonel Smirnov, wrote about Sergei Krasnoperov: “Such heroic deeds of Comrade Krasnoperov are repeated in every combat mission. The pilots of his flight became masters of assault. The flight is united and occupies a leading position. The command always entrusts him with the most difficult and responsible tasks. With his heroic exploits, he created military glory for himself and enjoys well-deserved military authority among the regiment’s personnel.” Indeed. Sergei was only 19 years old, and for his exploits he had already been awarded the Order of the Red Star. He was only 20, and his chest was decorated with the Golden Star of the Hero.

Sergei Krasnoperov made seventy-four combat missions during the days of fighting on the Taman Peninsula. As one of the best, he was trusted to lead groups of “silts” on assault 20 times, and he always carried out a combat mission. He personally destroyed 6 tanks, 70 vehicles, 35 carts 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, and destroyed two crossings across the Kuban.

Matrosov Alexander Matveevich

Sailors Alexander Matveevich - 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 Ekaterinoslav (now Dnepropetrovsk). Russian. Member of the Komsomol. Lost his parents early. He was raised for 5 years in the Ivanovo orphanage (Ulyanovsk region). Then he was brought up in the Ufa children's labor colony. After finishing 7th grade, he remained to work in the colony as an assistant teacher. In the Red Army since September 1942. In October 1942 he entered the Krasnokholmsky Infantry School, but soon most of the cadets were sent to the Kalinin Front.

On February 27, 1943, the 2nd battalion received the task of attacking a strong point in the area of ​​the village of Chernushki (Loknyansky district of the Pskov region). As soon as our soldiers passed through the forest and reached 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-piercers. The second bunker was destroyed by another group of armor-piercing soldiers. But the machine gun from the third bunker continued to fire at the entire ravine in front of the village. Attempts to silence him were unsuccessful. Then Private A.M. Sailors crawled towards the bunker. He approached the embrasure from the flank and threw two grenades. The machine gun fell silent. But as soon as the fighters went on the attack, the machine gun came to life again. Then Matrosov stood up, rushed to the bunker and closed the embrasure with his body. At the cost of his life, he contributed to the accomplishment of the unit’s combat mission.

A few days later, the name of Matrosov became known throughout the country. Matrosov’s feat was used by a journalist who happened to be with the unit for a patriotic article. At the same time, the regiment commander learned about the feat from the newspapers. Moreover, the date of the hero’s death was moved to February 23, timing the feat to coincide with Soviet Army Day. 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 accomplished the same feat, but this was no longer widely publicized. His feat became a symbol of courage and military valor, fearlessness and love for the Motherland.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was posthumously awarded to Alexander Matveevich Matrosov on June 19, 1943. He was buried in the city of Velikiye Luki. On September 8, 1943, by order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR, the name of Matrosov was assigned to the 254th Guards Rifle Regiment, and he himself was forever included (one of the first in the Soviet Army) in the lists of the 1st company of this unit. Monuments to the Hero were erected in Ufa, Velikiye Luki, Ulyanovsk, etc. The museum of Komsomol glory of the city of Velikiye Luki, streets, schools, pioneer squads, motor ships, collective farms and state farms were named after him.

Ivan Vasilievich Panfilov

In the battles near Volokolamsk, the 316th Infantry Division of General I.V. especially distinguished itself. Panfilova. Reflecting continuous enemy attacks for 6 days, they knocked out 80 tanks and killed several hundred soldiers and officers. The enemy's attempts to capture the Volokolamsk region and open the way to Moscow from the west failed. For heroic actions, this formation was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and transformed into the 8th Guards, and its commander, General I.V. Panfilov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He was not lucky enough to witness the complete defeat of the enemy near Moscow: on November 18, near the village of Gusenevo, he died a brave death.

Ivan Vasilyevich Panfilov, Guard Major General, commander of the 8th Guards Rifle Red Banner (formerly 316th) Division, was born on January 1, 1893 in the city of Petrovsk, Saratov Region. Russian. Member of the CPSU since 1920. From the age of 12 he worked for hire, in 1915 he was drafted into tsarist army. In the same year he was sent to the Russian-German front. He joined the Red Army voluntarily in 1918. He was enlisted in the 1st Saratov Infantry Regiment of the 25th Chapaev 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 Kyiv United Infantry School and was assigned to the Central Asian Military District. He took part in the fight against the Basmachi.

The Great Patriotic War found Major General Panfilov at the post of military commissar of the Kyrgyz Republic. Having formed the 316th Infantry Division, he went to the front with it and fought near Moscow in October - November 1941. 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 was awarded posthumously to Ivan Vasilyevich Panfilov on April 12, 1942 for his skillful leadership of division 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 as part of the 16th Army and took up defense on a wide front on the outskirts of Volokolamsk. General Panfilov was the first to widely use a system of deeply layered artillery anti-tank defense, created and skillfully used mobile barrage detachments in battle. Thanks to this, the resilience 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 dedicated anti-tank artillery units successfully repelled enemy attacks.

Attaching great importance to the capture of Volokolamsk, the Nazi command sent another motorized corps to this area. Only under pressure from superior enemy forces were units of the division forced to leave Volokolamsk at the end of October and take up defense east of the city.

On November 16, fascist troops launched a second “general” attack on Moscow. A fierce battle began again near Volokolamsk. On this day, at the Dubosekovo crossing, there were 28 Panfilov soldiers under the command of political instructor V.G. Klochkov repelled the attack of enemy tanks and held the occupied line. Enemy tanks were also unable to penetrate 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 combat missions of the command and the massive heroism of its personnel, the 316th Division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner on November 17, 1941, and the next day it was reorganized into the 8th Guards Rifle Division.

Nikolai Frantsevich Gastello

Zoya Anatolyevna Kosmodemyanskaya (“Tanya”)

Zoya Anatolyevna ["Tanya" (09/13/1923 - 11/29/1941)] - Soviet partisan, Hero of the Soviet Union was born in Osino-Gai, Gavrilovsky district, Tambov region in the family of an employee. In 1930 the family moved to Moscow. She graduated from the 9th grade of school No. 201. In October 1941, Komsomol member Kosmodemyanskaya voluntarily joined a special partisan detachment, acting on instructions from the headquarters of the Western Front in the Mozhaisk direction.

Twice she was sent behind enemy lines. At the end of November 1941, while performing a second combat mission near the village of Petrishchevo (Russian district of the Moscow region), she was captured by the Nazis. Despite cruel torture, she did not reveal military secrets and 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 her childhood in Almaty.

When the Great Patriotic War began, Manshuk was studying at a medical institute and at the same time working in the secretariat of the Council of People's Commissars of the Republic. In August 1942, she voluntarily joined the Red Army and went to the front. In the unit where Manshuk arrived, she was left as a clerk at the headquarters. But the young patriot decided to become a front-line fighter, and a month later Senior Sergeant Mametova was transferred to the rifle battalion of the 21st Guards Rifle Division.

Her life was short, but bright, like a flashing star. Manshuk died in battle for the honor and freedom of her native country when she was twenty-one and had just joined the party. The short military journey of the glorious daughter of the Kazakh people ended with an immortal feat she performed near the walls of the ancient Russian city of Nevel.

On October 16, 1943, the battalion in which Manshuk Mametova served received an order to repel an enemy counterattack. As soon as the Nazis tried to repel the attack, Senior Sergeant Mametova’s machine gun started working. The Nazis rolled back, leaving hundreds of corpses. Several fierce attacks of the Nazis had already been drowned out at the foot of the hill. Suddenly the girl noticed that two neighboring machine guns had fallen silent - the machine gunners had been 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 nearby explosion of a heavy mine knocked over the machine gun behind which Manshuk lay. 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 moving to a nearby machine gun, Manshuk lashed out with a shower of lead at the chains of the fascist warriors. And again the enemy’s attack failed. This ensured the successful advancement of our units, but the girl from distant Urda remained lying on the hillside. Her fingers froze on the Maxima trigger.

On March 1, 1944, by 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

By the beginning of October, Aliya Moldagulova had 32 killed fascists.

In December 1943, Moiseev’s battalion received an order to drive the enemy out of the village of Kazachikha. By capturing this settlement, the Soviet command hoped to cut the railway line along which the Nazis were transporting reinforcements. The Nazis resisted fiercely, skillfully taking advantage of the terrain. The slightest advance of our companies came at a high price, and yet slowly but steadily our fighters approached the enemy’s fortifications. Suddenly a lone figure appeared in front of the advancing chains.

Suddenly a lone figure appeared in front of the advancing chains. The Nazis noticed the brave warrior and opened fire with 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 fighters took possession of the heights. The daredevil lingered in the trench for some time. Traces of pain appeared on his pale face, and strands of black hair came out from under his earflap hat. It was Aliya Moldagulova. She destroyed 10 fascists in this battle. The wound turned out to be minor, and the girl remained in service.

In an effort to restore the situation, the enemy launched counterattacks. On January 14, 1944, a group of enemy soldiers managed to break into our trenches. Hand-to-hand combat ensued. Aliya mowed down the fascists with well-aimed bursts from her machine gun. Suddenly she instinctively felt danger behind her. She turned sharply, but it was too late: the German officer fired first. Gathering her last strength, Aliya raised her machine gun and the Nazi officer fell to the cold ground...

The wounded Aliya was carried out by her comrades from the battlefield. The fighters wanted to believe in a miracle, and vying with each other to save the girl, they offered blood. 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

Aleksey Tikhonovich Sevastyanov, 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 Freight Car Building College. In the Red Army since 1936. In 1939 he graduated from the Kachin Military Aviation School.

Participant of the Great Patriotic War since June 1941. In total, during the war years, junior lieutenant Sevastyanov A.T. made more than 100 combat missions, shot down 2 enemy aircraft personally (one of them with a ram), 2 in a group and an observation balloon.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded posthumously to Alexei Tikhonovich Sevastyanov on June 6, 1942.

On November 4, 1941, junior lieutenant Sevastyanov was on patrol on the outskirts of Leningrad in an Il-153 aircraft. At about 10 p.m., an enemy air raid on the city began. Despite anti-aircraft fire, one He-111 bomber managed to break through to Leningrad. Sevastyanov attacked the enemy, but missed. He went on the attack a second time and opened fire at close range, but again missed. Sevastyanov attacked for the third time. Having come close, he pressed the trigger, but no shots were fired - the cartridges had run out. In order not to miss the enemy, he decided to ram. Approaching the Heinkel from behind, he cut off its tail unit with a propeller. Then he left the damaged fighter and landed by parachute. The bomber crashed near the Tauride Garden. The crew members who parachuted out were taken prisoner. Sevastyanov’s fallen fighter was found in Baskov Lane and restored by specialists from the 1st repair base.

April 23, 1942 Sevastyanov A.T. died in an unequal air battle, defending the “Road of Life” through Ladoga (shot down 2.5 km from the village of Rakhya, Vsevolozhsk region; a monument was erected in this place). He was buried in Leningrad at the Chesme Cemetery. Enlisted forever in the lists of the military unit. A street in St. Petersburg and 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

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 the 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 presentation of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal was awarded to Vladimir Ivanovich Matveev on July 22, 1941.

He died in an air battle on January 1, 1942, covering the “Road of Life” along Ladoga. He was buried in Leningrad.

Polyakov Sergey Nikolaevich

On December 23, 1941, he died while performing another combat mission. On February 10, 1943, for the courage and courage shown in battles with enemies, Sergei Nikolaevich Polyakov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously). During his service, he was awarded the Order of Lenin, the Red Banner (twice), the Red Star, and medals. He was buried in the village of Agalatovo, Vsevolozhsk district, Leningrad region.

Muravitsky Luka Zakharovich

Luka Muravitsky was born on December 31, 1916 in the village of Dolgoe, now Soligorsk district of the Minsk region, into a peasant family. He graduated from 6 classes and the FZU school. Worked on the Moscow metro. Graduated from the Aeroclub. In the Soviet Army since 1937. Graduated from the Borisoglebsk military pilot school in 1939.B.ZYu

Participant of the Great Patriotic War since July 1941. Junior Lieutenant Muravitsky began his combat activities as part of the 29th IAP of the Moscow Military District. This regiment met the war on outdated I-153 fighters. Quite maneuverable, they were inferior to enemy aircraft in speed and firepower. Analyzing the first air battles, the pilots came to the conclusion that they needed to abandon the pattern of straightforward attacks, and fight on turns, in a dive, on a “slide” when their “Seagull” gained additional speed. At the same time, it was decided to switch to flights in “twos”, abandoning the officially established flight of three aircraft.

The very first flights of the twos showed their clear advantage. So, at the end of July, Alexander Popov, together with Luka Muravitsky, returning from escorting the bombers, met with six “Messers”. Our pilots were the first to rush into the attack and shot down the leader of the enemy group. Stunned with a sudden blow The Nazis hastened to leave.

On each of his planes, Luka Muravitsky painted the inscription “For Anya” on the fuselage with white paint. At first the pilots laughed at him, and the authorities ordered the inscription to be erased. But before each new flight, “For Anya” appeared again on the starboard side of the plane’s fuselage... No one knew who Anya was, whom Luka remembered, even going into battle...

Once, before a combat mission, 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 a plane. The parachute did not open... She may not have died in battle, Luka continued, but she was preparing to become an air fighter, to defend her Motherland. The commander resigned himself.

Participating 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 his willingness to do anything to defeat the enemy. So on September 3, 1941, while operating on the Western Front, he rammed an enemy He-111 reconnaissance aircraft and made a safe landing on the damaged aircraft. At the beginning of the war, we had few planes and that day Muravitsky had to fly alone - to cover the railway station where the train with ammunition was being unloaded. Fighters, as a rule, flew in pairs, but here there was one...

At first everything went calmly. The lieutenant vigilantly monitored the air in the area of ​​the station, but as you can see, if there are multilayer clouds overhead, it’s raining. When Muravitsky made a U-turn over the outskirts of the station, in the gap between the tiers of clouds he saw a German reconnaissance plane. Luka sharply increased the engine speed and rushed across the Heinkel-111. The Lieutenant’s attack was unexpected; the Heinkel had not yet had time to open fire when a machine-gun burst pierced the enemy and he, descending steeply, began to run away. 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 speed, Muravitsky approaches almost closely to the fascist plane and hits the tail with the propeller. The jerk and propeller of the fighter cut the metal of the tail unit of the He-111... The enemy plane crashed into the ground behind the railway track in a vacant lot. Luka also hit his head hard on the dashboard, the sight and lost consciousness. I woke up and the plane was falling to the ground in a tailspin. Gathering all his strength, the pilot hardly stopped the rotation of the machine and brought it out of a steep dive. He could not fly further and had to land the car at the station...

Having received medical treatment, Muravitsky returned to his regiment. And again there are fights. The flight commander flew into battle several times a day. He was eager to fight and again, as before his injury, the words “For Anya” were carefully written on the fuselage of his fighter. By the end of September, the brave pilot already had about 40 aerial victories, won personally and as part of a group.

Soon, one of the squadrons of the 29th IAP, which included Luka Muravitsky, was transferred to the Leningrad Front to reinforce the 127th IAP. The main task of this regiment was to escort transport aircraft along the Ladoga highway, covering their landing, loading and unloading. Operating as part of the 127th IAP, Senior Lieutenant Muravitsky shot down 3 more enemy aircraft. On October 22, 1941, for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command, for the courage and courage shown in battles, Muravitsky was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. By this time, his personal account already included 14 downed enemy aircraft.

On November 30, 1941, flight commander of the 127th IAP, Senior Lieutenant Maravitsky, died in an unequal air battle, defending Leningrad... The overall result of his combat activity, in various sources, is assessed differently. The most common number is 47 (10 victories won personally and 37 as part of a group), less often - 49 (12 personally and 37 in a group). However, all these figures do not fit in with the 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, Vsevolozhsk district Leningrad region. A street in the village of Dolgoye is named after him.

The names of this year's heroes that should not be forgotten

They say that there were too many tragic events in the past year, and there was almost nothing good to remember on the eve of the New Year. Constantinople decided to argue with this statement and collected a selection of our most outstanding compatriots (and not only) and their heroic deeds. Unfortunately, many of them accomplished this feat at the cost of their own lives, but the memory of them and their actions will support us for a long time and serve as an example to follow. Ten names that made a splash in 2016 and should not be forgotten.

Alexander Prokhorenko

A special forces officer, 25-year-old Lieutenant Prokhorenko, died in March near Palmyra while carrying out missions to direct Russian air strikes against ISIS militants. He was discovered by terrorists and, finding himself surrounded, did not want to surrender and drew fire on himself. He was awarded the title of Hero of Russia posthumously, and a street in Orenburg was named after him. Prokhorenko’s feat aroused admiration not only in Russia. Two French families donated awards, including the Legion of Honor.

Farewell ceremony for the hero of Russia, senior lieutenant Alexander Prokhorenko, who died in Syria, in the village of Gorodki, Tyulgansky district. Sergey Medvedev/TASS

In Orenburg, where the officer is from, he left behind a young wife, who, after the death of Alexander, had to be hospitalized in order to save the life of their child. In August, her daughter Violetta was born.

Magomed Nurbagandov

A policeman from Dagestan, Magomet Nurbagandov, and his brother Abdurashid were killed in July, but the details became known only in September, when a video of the execution of police officers was found on the phone of one of the liquidated militants of the Izberbash criminal group. On that ill-fated day, the brothers and their relatives, schoolchildren, were relaxing outdoors in tents; no one expected an attack by bandits. Abdurashid was killed immediately because he stood up for one of the boys, whom the bandits began to insult. Mohammed was tortured before his death because his documents as a law enforcement officer were discovered. The purpose of the bullying was to force Nurbagandov to renounce his colleagues on record, recognize the strength of the militants and call on Dagestanis to leave the police. In response to this, Nurbagandov addressed his colleagues with the words “Work, brothers!” The enraged militants could only kill him. President Vladimir Putin met with the brothers’ parents, thanked them for their son’s courage and awarded him the title of Hero of Russia posthumously. The last phrase of Mohammed became the main slogan of the past year and, one might assume, for the years to come. Two small children were left without a father. Nurbagandov's son now says that he will only become a policeman.

Elizaveta Glinka

Photo: Mikhail Metzel/TASS

The resuscitator and philanthropist, popularly known as Doctor Lisa, accomplished a lot this year. In May, she took children out of Donbass. 22 sick children were saved, the youngest of whom was only 5 days old. These were children with heart defects, oncology, and congenital diseases. Special treatment and support programs have been created for children from Donbass and Syria. In Syria, Elizaveta Glinka also helped sick children and organized the delivery of medicines and humanitarian aid to hospitals. During the delivery of another humanitarian cargo, Doctor Lisa died in a TU-154 plane crash over the Black Sea. Despite the tragedy, all programs will continue. Today there will be a New Year's party for the guys from Lugansk and Donetsk...

Oleg Fedura

Head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the Primorsky Territory, Colonel of the Internal Service Oleg Fedura. Press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations for the Primorsky Territory/TASS

Head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the Primorsky Territory, who distinguished himself during natural Disasters in the region. The rescuer personally visited all the flooded cities and villages, led search and rescue operations, helped evacuate people, and he himself did not sit idly by - he has hundreds of similar events on his account. On September 2, together with his brigade, he was heading to another village, where 400 houses were flooded and more than 1,000 people were waiting for help. Crossing the river, the KAMAZ, in which Fedura and 8 other people were, collapsed into the water. Oleg Fedura saved all the personnel, but then could not get out of the flooded car and died.

Lyubov Pechko

The entire Russian world learned the name of the 91-year-old female veteran from the news on May 9. During the festive procession in honor of Victory Day in Slavyansk, occupied by the Ukrainians, the column of veterans was pelted with eggs, doused with brilliant green and sprinkled with flour by the Ukrainian Nazis, but the spirit of the old soldiers could not be broken, no one fell out of action. The Nazis shouted insults; in occupied Slavyansk, where any Russian and Soviet symbols are prohibited, the situation was extremely explosive and could at any moment turn into a massacre. However, the veterans, despite the threat to their lives, were not afraid to openly put on their medals and St. George ribbons, after all, they did not go through the war with the Nazis in order to be afraid of their ideological followers. Lyubov Pechko, who took part in the liberation of Belarus during the Great Patriotic War, was splashed with brilliant green directly in the face. Photos showing traces of brilliant green being wiped off Lyubov Pechko’s face have spread across social networks and the media. The sister of an elderly woman, who saw the abuse of veterans on TV and suffered a heart attack, died from the resulting shock.

Danil Maksudov

In January of this year, during a severe snowstorm, a dangerous traffic jam formed on the Orenburg-Orsk highway, in which hundreds of people were trapped. Ordinary employees of various services showed heroism, leading people out of icy captivity, sometimes putting them in danger own life. Russia remembers the name of policeman Danil Maksudov, who was hospitalized with severe frostbite because he gave his jacket, hat and gloves to those who needed it most. After that, Danil spent several more hours in the snowstorm helping to get people out of the jam. Then Maksudov himself ended up in the emergency traumatology department with frostbitten hands; there was talk of amputating his fingers. However, in the end the policeman recovered.

Konstantin Parikozha

Russian President Vladimir Putin and crew commander Boeing aircraft 777-200 Orenburg Airlines Konstantin Parikozha, awarded the Order of Courage, during the state awards ceremony in the Kremlin. Mikhail Metzel/TASS

A native of Tomsk, the 38-year-old pilot managed to land a plane with a burning engine, which was carrying 350 passengers, including many families with children and 20 crew members. The plane was flying from the Dominican Republic, at an altitude of 6 thousand meters a bang was heard and the cabin was filled with smoke, panic began. During landing, the plane's landing gear also caught fire. However, thanks to the skill of the pilot, the Boeing 777 was successfully landed and none of the passengers were injured. Parikozha received the Order of Courage from the hands of the President.

Andrey Logvinov

The 44-year-old commander of the Il-18 crew that crashed in Yakutia managed to land the plane without wings. They tried to land the plane until the last minute and in the end they managed to avoid casualties, although both wings of the plane broke off when it hit the ground and the fuselage collapsed. The pilots themselves received multiple fractures, but despite this, according to rescuers, they refused help and asked to be the last to be evacuated to the hospital. “He managed the impossible,” they said about Andrei Logvinov’s skill.

Georgy Gladysh

On a February morning, the rector Orthodox church in Krivoy Rog, Priest Georgy, as usual, was riding home from service on a bicycle. Suddenly he heard cries for help from a nearby body of water. It turned out that the fisherman had fallen through the ice. Father ran to the water, threw off his clothes and, making the sign of sign of the cross, rushed to help. The noise attracted the attention of local residents, who called an ambulance and helped pull the already unconscious retired fisherman out of the water. The priest himself refused honors: " It wasn't me who saved. God decided this for me. If I had been driving a car instead of a bicycle, I simply would not have heard the cries for help. If I started to think about whether to help the person or not, I wouldn’t have time. If the people on the shore had not thrown us a rope, we would have drowned together. And so everything happened by itself"After the feat, he went on to perform church services.

Yulia Kolosova

Russia. Moscow. December 2, 2016. Commissioner for Children’s Rights under the President of the Russian Federation Anna Kuznetsova (left) and Yulia Kolosova, winner in the “Children-Heroes” nomination, at the awards ceremony for the VIII winners All-Russian festival on the topic of safety and rescue of people "Constellation of Courage". Mikhail Pochuev/TASS

The Valdai schoolgirl, despite the fact that she herself was only 12 years old, was not afraid to enter the burning a private house, hearing the screams of children. Julia took two boys out of the house, and already on the street they told her that their other little brother remained inside. The girl returned to the house and carried a 7-year-old baby in her arms, who was crying and afraid to go down the stairs shrouded in smoke. As a result, none of the children were harmed. " It seems to me that in my place any teenager would do this, but not every adult, because adults are much more indifferent than children", says the girl. Concerned residents of Staraya Russa collected money and gave the girl a computer and a souvenir - a mug with her photo. The schoolgirl herself admits that she did not help for the sake of gifts and praise, but she, of course, was pleased, because she is from a low-income family - Yulia’s mother is a saleswoman, and her father works at a factory.

The war demanded courage from people, and heroism was massive. 5 impressive battle stories in which you can appreciate the resilience and courage of the heroes of the Second World War.

On July 13, 1941, in battles near the city of Balti, while delivering ammunition to his company near the town of Arctic Fox, the riding machine gun company of the 389th Infantry Regiment of the 176th Infantry Division of the 9th Army of the Southern Front, Red Army soldier D. R. Ovcharenko was surrounded by a detachment of soldiers and enemy officers numbering 50 people. At the same time, the enemy managed to take possession of his rifle. However, D. R. Ovcharenko was not taken aback and, grabbing an ax from the cart, cut off the head of the officer who was interrogating him, threw 3 grenades at the enemy soldiers, destroying 21 soldiers. The rest fled in panic. He then caught up with the second officer and also cut off his head. The third officer managed to escape. After which he collected documents and maps from the dead and arrived at the company along with the cargo. (A copy of the document confirming Ovcharenko’s feat is on wikipedia.org)

Unfortunately, the hero did not live to see the Victory. In the battles for the liberation of Hungary in the area of ​​the Sheregeyesh station, the machine gunner of the 3rd Tank Brigade, Private D. R. Ovcharenko, was seriously wounded. He died in hospital from his wounds on January 28, 1945. Awarded the Order of Lenin.

Under the onslaught of Heinz Guderian's 4th Panzer Division, commanded by von Langerman, units of the 13th Army retreated, and with them Sirotinin's regiment. On July 17, 1941, the battery commander decided to leave one gun with a two-man crew and 60 rounds of ammunition at the bridge over the Dobrost River at the 476th kilometer of the Moscow-Warsaw highway to cover the retreat with the task of delaying the tank column. One of the crew numbers was the battalion commander himself; Nikolai Sirotinin volunteered second.

The gun was camouflaged on a hill in thick rye; the position allowed a good view of the highway and bridge. When a column of German armored vehicles appeared at dawn, Nikolai with the first shot knocked out the lead tank that had reached the bridge, and with the second - the armored personnel carrier that trailed the column, thereby creating a traffic jam. The battery commander was wounded and, since the combat mission was completed, retreated towards the Soviet positions. However, Sirotinin refused to retreat, since the cannon still had a significant number of unexpended shells.

The Germans attempted to clear the jam by dragging the damaged tank from the bridge with two other tanks, but they were also hit. An armored vehicle that tried to ford the river got stuck in a swampy bank, where it was destroyed. For a long time the Germans were unable to determine the location of the well-camouflaged gun; they believed that a whole battery was fighting them. The battle lasted two and a half hours, during which time 11 tanks, 6 armored vehicles, 57 soldiers and officers were destroyed.

By the time Nikolai's position was discovered, he had only three shells left. When asked to surrender, Sirotinin refused and fired from his carbine to the last.

Awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree (posthumously). N.V. Sirotinin was never nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. According to relatives, a photograph was needed to complete the documents, but the only photograph the relatives had was lost during the evacuation.

“July 7, 1941. Sokolnichi, near Krichev. In the evening, an unknown Russian soldier was buried. He stood alone at the cannon, shot at a column of tanks and infantry for a long time, and died. Everyone was surprised at his courage... Oberst said before his grave that if all the Fuhrer’s soldiers fought like this Russian, they would conquer the whole world. They fired rifle volleys three times...” From the diary of Chief Lieutenant of the 4th Panzer Division Friedrich Hoenfeld

One of beautiful legends during the Second World War, it tells about a Red Army soldier named Vataman from such an assault unit, who in 1944 killed 10 Nazi soldiers in hand-to-hand combat with a faulty cartridge. According to one version - 10, according to another - 9, according to the third - 8, according to the fourth - 13 in total. Be that as it may, in the article “Engineer Assault Units of the RVGK” I. Mshchansky talks about 10 Nazis.

Of course, like any legend, the Vataman phenomenon has critics who claim that the Faustpatron is too heavy to fight effectively, and the warhead would simply fall off from the blows. There are several thoughts in the discussion on WarHistory that seem rational.

The first is that in hand-to-hand combat the fighter used the Faust cartridge after firing it. That is, in fact, I only used a pipe that weighs several kg. The Panzerfaust launch tube has a diameter of 15 cm and a length of 1 m, and the projectile weighs 3 kg. For hand-to-hand combat it is quite a suitable weapon.

And for a photograph after the battle, he picked up an entire Faust cartridge. In addition, dr_guillotin also notes that the grenade in the pipe is held by a pin by the ears - so it will not fall out in hand-to-hand combat. In general, faust cartridges were stored separately from fuses. They were inserted shortly before use, and without a fuse you can even throw it from the third floor...

The second thought is that the whole event did not happen in one fell swoop, as in action films, where they scatter a bunch of enemies at once, but sequentially throughout the battle. After all, the fighter Vataman fought “half of Europe”, and his opponents, urgently mobilized into the militia, only took up arms a few days ago. And in the stupor of the first battle, they were not very formidable opponents.

But in any case, it's impressive combat history. And Vataman himself looks real epic hero- his wide palms reveal him to be a natural strongman. In my opinion, this case can also, in principle, be classified as “one at the gun”... In the end, the Faustpatron is, although not a cannon, but a small anti-tank weapon.

Yes, by the way, I can add that although the name of the daredevil remains unknown, the surname of our hero speaks of his Moldavian roots.

Here we will talk not so much about an individual person, but about a team - the crew of the KV-1 tank, led by senior lieutenant Zinovy ​​Grigorievich Kolobanov. In addition to the commander, the crew included driver-mechanic foreman N. Nikiforov, gun commander senior sergeant A. Usov, radio operator-machine gunner senior sergeant P. Kiselnikov and junior driver-mechanic Red Army soldier N. Rodnikov.

So, this heroic crew, in just three hours of battle, on August 19, 1941, destroyed as many as 22 enemy tanks! This absolute record throughout the Great Patriotic War, and subsequent wars. No one was able to destroy 22 tanks in three hours. After the “debriefing” it turned out that the battle was carried out in accordance with all the then accepted rules of military art.

The tankers acted very smartly: on a tank column passing along the nearest road, they shot the “head” and “tail”, after which they began to methodically, like in a shooting range, shoot the stuck “iron beasts” of the enemy. Let us note that the tank of our heroes received 135 hits from German shells. At the same time, the tank continued the battle, and nothing in its design failed.

The crew of the KV-1, senior lieutenant Z. Kolobanov (center) at their combat vehicle. August 1941 (CMVS)

On October 16, 1943, the battalion in which Manshuk Mametova served received an order to repel an enemy counterattack. As soon as the Nazis tried to repel the attack, Senior Sergeant Mametova’s machine gun started working. The Nazis rolled back, leaving hundreds of corpses. Several fierce attacks of the Nazis had already been drowned out at the foot of the hill. Suddenly the girl noticed that two neighboring machine guns had fallen silent - the machine gunners had been 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 nearby explosion of a heavy mine knocked over the machine gun behind which Manshuk lay. 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 moving to a nearby machine gun, Manshuk lashed out with a shower of lead at the chains of the fascist warriors. And again the enemy’s attack failed. This ensured the successful advancement of our units, but the girl from distant Urda remained lying on the hillside. Her fingers froze on the Maxima trigger.

On March 1, 1944, by 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.

Eternal glory to the heroes who fell in battles for the freedom and independence of our Motherland...

Feats Soviet heroes that we will never forget.

Roman Smishchuk. In one battle, destroyed 6 enemy tanks with hand grenades

For ordinary Ukrainian Roman Smishchuk, that battle was his first. In an effort to destroy the company that had taken up a perimeter defense, the enemy brought 16 tanks into battle. At this critical moment, Smishchuk showed exceptional courage: letting the enemy tank come close, he knocked out its chassis with a grenade, and then threw a bottle with a Molotov cocktail and set it on fire. Running from trench to trench, Roman Smishchuk attacked the tanks, running out to meet them, and in this way destroyed six tanks one after another. The company personnel, inspired by Smishchuk’s feat, successfully broke through the ring and joined their regiment. For his feat, Roman Semenovich 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, Vinnytsia region.

Vanya Kuznetsov. The youngest holder of 3 Orders of Glory

Ivan Kuznetsov went to the front at the age of 14. Vanya received his first medal “For Courage” at the age of 15 for his exploits in the battles for the liberation of Ukraine. He reached Berlin, showing courage beyond his years in a number of battles. For this, already at the age of 17, Kuznetsov became the youngest full holder of the Order of Glory of all three levels. Died January 21, 1989.

Georgy Sinyakov. Rescued hundreds of Soviet soldiers from captivity using the Count of Monte Cristo system

The Soviet surgeon was captured during the battles for Kyiv and, as a captured doctor at a concentration camp in Küstrin (Poland), saved hundreds of prisoners: being a member of the camp underground, he drew up documents in the concentration camp hospital for them as dead and organized escapes. Most often, Georgy Fedorovich Sinyakov used imitation of death: he taught patients to pretend to be dead, declared death, the “corpse” was taken out with other truly dead people and thrown into a ditch nearby, where the prisoner was “resurrected.” In particular, Dr. Sinyakov saved the life and helped pilot Anna Egorova, Hero of the Soviet Union, who was shot down in August 1944 near Warsaw, escape from the plan. Sinyakov lubricated her purulent wounds with fish oil and a special ointment, which made the wounds look fresh, but in fact healed well. Then Anna recovered and, with the help of Sinyakov, escaped from the concentration camp.

Matvey Putilov. At the age of 19, at the cost of his life, he connected the ends of a broken wire, restoring the telephone line between the headquarters and a detachment of fighters

In October 1942, the 308th Infantry Division fought in the area of ​​the factory and the workers' village "Barricades". On October 25, there was a breakdown in communication and Guard Major Dyatleko ordered Matvey to restore the wired telephone connection connecting the regiment headquarters with a group of soldiers who were holding a house surrounded by the enemy for the second day. Two previous unsuccessful attempts to restore communications ended in the death of the signalmen. Putilov was wounded in the shoulder by a mine fragment. Overcoming the pain, he crawled to the site of the broken wire, but was wounded a second time: his arm was crushed. Losing consciousness and unable to use his hand, he squeezed the ends of the wires with his teeth, and a current passed through his body. Communication was restored. He died with the ends of telephone wires clenched in his teeth.

Marionella Koroleva. Carried 50 seriously wounded soldiers from the battlefield

19-year-old actress Gulya Koroleva voluntarily went to the front in 1941 and ended up in a medical battalion. In November 1942, during the battle for height 56.8 in the area of ​​​​the Panshino farm, Gorodishchensky district ( Volgograd region RF) Gulya literally carried 50 seriously wounded soldiers from the battlefield. And then, when the moral strength of the fighters dried up, she herself went on the attack, where she was killed. Songs were written about Guli Koroleva’s feat, and her dedication was an example for millions of Soviet girls and boys. Her name is carved in gold on the banner of military glory on Mamayev Kurgan, and a village in the Sovetsky district of Volgograd and a street are named after her. E. Ilyina’s book “The Fourth Height” is dedicated to Gula Koroleva

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

Vladimir Khazov. A tanker who alone destroyed 27 enemy tanks

The young officer has 27 destroyed enemy tanks on his personal account. For services to the Motherland, Khazov was awarded the highest award - in November 1942 he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He especially distinguished himself in the battle in June 1942, when Khazov received an order to stop an advancing enemy tank column, consisting of 30 vehicles, near the village of Olkhovatka (Kharkov region, Ukraine) while senior lieutenant Khazov’s platoon had only 3 combat vehicles. The commander made a bold decision: let the column pass and start firing from the rear. Three T-34s opened aimed fire at the enemy, positioning themselves at the tail of the enemy column. From frequent and accurate shots, German tanks caught fire one after another. In this battle, which lasted just over an hour, not a single enemy vehicle survived, and the full platoon returned to the battalion's location. As a result of the fighting in the Olkhovatka area, the enemy lost 157 tanks and stopped their attacks in this direction.

Alexander Mamkin. The pilot who evacuated 10 children at the cost of his life

During the air evacuation operation of children from Polotsk orphanage No. 1, whom the Nazis wanted to use as blood donors for their soldiers, Alexander Mamkin made a flight that we will always remember. On the night of April 10-11, 1944, ten children, their teacher Valentina Latko and two wounded partisans fit into his R-5 plane. At first everything went well, but when approaching the front line, Mamkin’s plane was shot down. The R-5 was burning... If Mamkin had been alone on board, he would have gained altitude and jumped out with a parachute. But he was not flying alone and drove the plane further... The flame reached the pilot's cabin. The temperature melted his flight goggles, he flew the plane almost blindly, overcoming the hellish pain, he still stood firmly between the children and death. Mamkin was able to land the plane on the shore of the lake, he was able to get out of the cockpit and asked: “Are the children alive?” And I heard the voice of the boy Volodya Shishkov: “Comrade pilot, don’t worry! I opened the door, everyone is alive, let’s get out...” Then Mamkin lost consciousness, a week later he died... The doctors were still unable to explain how a man could drive the car and even land it safely, whose glasses had been fused into his face, and only his legs remained bones.

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

On April 4, 1942, in the area of ​​the so-called “Demyansk Pocket”, during an operation to cover bombers in a battle with the Germans, Maresyev’s plane was shot down. For 18 days, the pilot wounded in the legs, first on crippled legs, and then crawled his way to the front line, eating tree bark, pine cones and berries. Due to gangrene, his legs were amputated. But while still in the hospital, Alexey Maresyev began training, preparing to fly with prostheses. In February 1943, he made his first test flight after being wounded. I managed to get sent to the front. On July 20, 1943, during an air battle with superior enemy forces, Alexey Maresyev saved the lives of 2 Soviet pilots and shot down two enemy Fw.190 fighters at once. In total, during the war he made 86 combat missions and shot down 11 enemy aircraft: four before being wounded and seven after being wounded.

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

Rosa Shanina - Soviet single sniper of a separate platoon of female snipers of the 3rd Belorussian Front, holder of the Order of Glory; one of the first female snipers to receive this award. She was known for her ability to accurately fire at moving targets with a doublet - two shots in succession. Rosa Shanina’s account records 59 confirmed killed enemy soldiers and officers. The young girl became a symbol of the Patriotic War. Her name is associated with many stories and legends that inspired new heroes to glorious deeds. She died on January 28, 1945 during the East Prussian operation, protecting the seriously wounded commander of an artillery unit.

Nikolai Skorokhodov. Flew 605 combat missions. Personally shot down 46 enemy aircraft.

Soviet fighter pilot Nikolai Skorokhodov went through all levels of aviation during the war - he was a pilot, senior pilot, flight commander, deputy commander and squadron commander. He fought on the Transcaucasian, North Caucasian, Southwestern and 3rd Ukrainian fronts. During this time, he made more than 605 combat missions, conducted 143 air battles, shot down 46 enemy aircraft personally and 8 in a group, and also destroyed 3 bombers on the ground. Thanks to his unique skill, Skomorokhov was never wounded, his plane did not burn, was not shot down, and did not receive a single hole during the entire war.

Julbars. Mine detection dog, participant of the Great Patriotic War, the only dog ​​awarded the medal “For Military Merit”

From September 1944 to August 1945, taking part in mine clearance in Romania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Austria, a working dog named Julbars discovered 7468 mines and more than 150 shells. Thus, the architectural masterpieces of Prague, Vienna and other cities have survived to this day thanks to the phenomenal flair of Dzhulbars. The dog also helped the sappers who cleared the grave of Taras Shevchenko in Kanev and St. Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. On March 21, 1945, for the successful completion of a combat mission, Dzhulbars was awarded the medal “For Military Merit.” This is the only time during the war that a dog received a military award. For his military services, Dzhulbars participated in the Victory Parade, held on Red Square on June 24, 1945.

Dzhulbars, a mine-detecting dog, a participant in the Great Patriotic War

Already at 7.00 on May 9, the telethon “Our Victory” begins, and the evening will end with a grandiose festive concert “VICTORY. ONE FOR ALL”, which will start at 20.30. The concert was attended by Svetlana Loboda, Irina Bilyk, Natalya Mogilevskaya, Zlata Ognevich, Viktor Pavlik, Olga Polyakova and other popular Ukrainian pop stars.

Many people know the exploits of heroes during the Great Patriotic War. Representatives of all post-war generations listen with pleasure and rapture to stories about the exploits performed by ordinary people to save their Motherland. Many of the characters' names are constantly heard and are often mentioned in various sources. But there are also a huge number of surnames that, for one reason or another, have not received such wide popularity.

Agashev Alexey Fedorovich

On October 15, 1942, the squad commander of a separate company of machine gunners of the 146th separate rifle brigade, junior sergeant A.F. Agashev. the order was given. According to the order, the junior sergeant with the squad entrusted to him was supposed to get behind enemy lines and organize activities there to destroy personnel from among the retreating Nazi troops. Alexei and his squad managed to recapture one of the bunkers from the enemy (destroying 10 fascists in the process) and organize a defense there.

October 16, 1942 to junior sergeant A.F. Agashev An order was received to organize covering fire for a group of reconnaissance officers. Thanks to the skillful and coordinated actions of the squad led by Alexei Agashev, it was possible to prevent the encirclement of the reconnaissance group (16 Nazis were destroyed).

On October 18, 1942, having received the task from the command to deliver the language, the squad under the control of Alexei, interacting with four intelligence officers, managed to capture and deliver two languages ​​to headquarters.

For his skillful leadership of the department's personnel and the successful completion of assigned tasks, this man was nominated for the Order of the Red Banner.

Bakirov Karim Magizovich

Squad commander of the 3rd separate rifle battalion of the 146th separate rifle brigade K.M. Bakirov. after the commander of the group of Red Army soldiers was out of action, he took command upon himself, leading the group by a strong-willed decision.

Under the leadership of Karim, the group managed to break into several German bunkers, throw grenades at them and destroy them a large number of fascists (about 50 people). After this, a counterattack by German troops began. Karim managed to organize a repulse of the attack, while he personally managed to destroy 25 Nazis. Despite the serious injury he received as a result of the firefight, the sergeant continued to remain on the battlefield and lead the Red Army soldiers. Karim was on the battlefield until the Nazis were repulsed.

Thanks to his demonstrated perseverance and courage, Bakirov managed to organize and successfully repel the enemy’s counterattack. For these actions, Sergeant Bakirov Karim Magizovich was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

Burak Nikolay Andreevich

Senior Lieutenant Burak N.A., commander of the fire platoon of the 3rd battery of the separate artillery battalion of the 146th separate rifle brigade, during the battle on August 15-17, 1942, he was with his platoon (consisting of two guns) in the direct fire zone of enemy guns, at a distance of 500- 600 meters from the enemy.

Thanks to the initiative, determination and personal endurance of the senior lieutenant, in three days of battle the platoon personnel managed to destroy 3 enemy bunkers (including their garrisons), 3 machine gun points, as well as an anti-tank gun.

After the infantry began to advance, Nikolai gave the order to the platoon personnel to hook onto the KV tanks and move to the front line. As a result, the guns ended up right next to the populated area occupied by the Germans, which greatly facilitated the advance of the infantry.

In the battle, Senior Lieutenant Burak's arm was torn off, however, despite this severe wound, he remained close to his guns and supervised the actions of the personnel subordinate to him. It was possible to remove him from the battlefield only by order of higher command.

This feat was noted by the command. Senior Lieutenant Burak Nikolai Andreevich was awarded a government award - the Order of the Red Banner.

This is only a small part of the feats that were accomplished by Soviet people during the war. The participation of every soldier, home front worker, and doctor in the difficult task of bringing victory over the treacherous invaders closer can already be considered a feat worthy of great rewards. But not everyone is destined to be rewarded with various government awards. Those who perform a feat sincerely, with all their hearts, devoting it to their people and fatherland, will not demand any special treatment and chase various awards.

People who did not spare their lives to defend their Motherland during the Great Patriotic War are those from whom all subsequent generations, without exception, should take an example. The exploits of these people should in no case be forgotten by the residents of our free country, which became free precisely thanks to the exploits of the Great Patriotic War.