Heroic deeds of people in war. The heroic feat of Soviet youth during the Second World War

During Soviet times, their portraits hung in every school. And every teenager knew their names. Zina Portnova, Marat Kazei, Lenya Golikov, Valya Kotik, Zoya and Shura Kosmodemyansky. But there were also tens of thousands of young heroes whose names are unknown. They were called “pioneer heroes”, Komsomol members. 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 occupiers. In occupied Belarus alone, at least 74,500 boys and girls, young men and women 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 “movement”! The boys and girls did not wait until adults “called” them, they began to act from the first days of the occupation. They took a mortal risk!

Likewise, many others began to act at their own peril and risk. Someone found leaflets scattered from airplanes and distributed them in their regional center or village. Polotsk boy Lenya Kosach collected 45 rifles, 2 light machine guns, several baskets of cartridges and grenades from the battlefields and hid it all securely; an opportunity presented itself - he handed it over to the partisans. Hundreds of other guys created arsenals for the partisans in the same way. Twelve-year-old excellent student Lyuba Morozova, knowing a little German, engaged in “special propaganda” among the enemies, telling them how well she lived before the war without the “new order” of the invaders. 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 ammunition from a German officer and began looking for people who would help him reach the partisans. In the summer of 1942, the boy succeeded in this, meeting his classmate Olya Demesh, who by that time was already a member of one of the units. And when the older guys brought 9-year-old Zhora Yuzov to the detachment, and the commander jokingly asked: “Who will babysit this little guy?”, the boy, in addition to the pistol, laid out four grenades in front of him: “That’s who will babysit me!”

For 13 years, Seryozha Roslenko, in addition to collecting weapons, conducted reconnaissance at his own risk: there will be someone to pass on information to! And I found it. From somewhere the children got the idea of ​​conspiracy. In the fall of 1941, sixth-grader Vitya Pashkevich organized a semblance of the Krasnodon “Young Guard” in Borisov, occupied by the Nazis. He and his team carried weapons and ammunition from enemy warehouses, helped underground fighters to escape prisoners of war from concentration camps, and 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 counter-offensive of Soviet troops near Moscow, did not risk immediately liquidating the detachment. They did not have accurate intelligence information about its strength, so they waited for reinforcements. However, the ring was held tightly. The partisans were racking their brains about how to get out of the encirclement. Food was running out. And the detachment commander requested help from the Red Army command. In response, an encrypted message came over the radio, in which it was reported that the troops would not be able to help with active actions, but an experienced intelligence officer would be sent to the detachment.

And indeed, at the appointed time, the noise of the engines of an air transport was heard above the forest, and a few minutes later a paratrooper landed in the location of the surrounded people. The partisans who received the heavenly messenger were quite surprised when they saw in front of them... a boy.

– Are you an experienced intelligence officer? – asked the commander.

- I am. What, it doesn’t look like it? “The boy was wearing a uniform army pea coat, cotton pants and a hat with earflaps with an asterisk. Red Army soldier!

- How old are you? – the commander still could not come to his senses from surprise.

- It's going to be eleven soon! – the “experienced intelligence officer” 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 unit a ford across the Western Dvina. He was no longer able to return home - while he was acting as a guide, Hitler’s armored vehicles entered his hometown. And the scouts, who were tasked with escorting the boy back, took him with them. So he was enrolled as a graduate of the motor reconnaissance company of the 332nd Ivanovo Rifle Division named after. M.F. Frunze.

At first he was not involved in business, but, naturally observant, sharp-eyed and memorative, he quickly learned the basics of front-line raid science and even dared to give advice to adults. And his abilities were appreciated. They began to send him behind the front line. In the villages, he, dressed in disguise, with a bag over his shoulders, 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. During the explosion, a Red Army miner was wounded, and Yura, after providing first aid, led him to the unit’s location. For which he received his first medal “For Courage”.

...It seems that a better intelligence officer to help the partisans really could not be found.

“But you, boy, didn’t jump with a parachute...” the intelligence chief said sadly.

- 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 favorite. The Li-2 engines were already roaring, the plane was ready to take off, when the guy admitted that, of course, he had never jumped with a parachute:

“The sergeant didn’t allow me, I only helped lay the dome.” Show me how and what to pull!

– Why did you lie?! - the instructor shouted at him. - He was lying against the sergeant in vain.

- I thought you would check... But they wouldn’t: the sergeant was killed...

Having arrived safely at the detachment, ten-year-old Vitebsk resident Yura Zhdanko did what adults could not... He was dressed in all the village clothes, and soon the boy made his way to the hut where the German officer in charge of the encirclement lodged. The Nazi lived in the house of a certain grandfather Vlas. It was to him, under the guise of a grandson, that a young intelligence officer came from the regional center and was given a rather difficult task - to obtain from the enemy officer documents with plans for the destruction of the encircled detachment. An opportunity arose only a few days later. The Nazi left the house lightly, leaving the key to the safe in his overcoat... So the documents ended up in the detachment. And at the same time, Yura brought grandfather Vlas, convincing him that it was impossible to stay in the house in such a situation.

In 1943, Yura led a regular Red Army battalion out of encirclement. All the scouts sent to find the “corridor” for their comrades died. The task was entrusted to Yura. Alone. And he found a weak spot in the enemy ring... He became an Order Bearer of the Red Star.

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

Fourteen-year-old savior of prisoners of war

14-year-old Minsk underground fighter Volodya Shcherbatsevich was one of the first teenagers whom the Germans executed for participating in the underground. They captured his execution on film and then distributed these images throughout the city as a warning to others...

From the first days of the occupation of the Belarusian capital, mother and son Shcherbatsevichs hid Soviet commanders in their apartment, for whom underground fighters from time to time arranged escapes from a prisoner of war camp. Olga Fedorovna was a doctor and provided assistance to those released medical care, changed into civilian clothes, which she and her son Volodya collected from relatives and friends. Several groups of rescued people have already been brought out of the city. But one day on the way, already outside the city blocks, one of the groups fell into the clutches of the Gestapo. Handed over by a traitor, the son and mother ended up in fascist dungeons. They 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... The pedantic punishers captured the report of his execution on photographic 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 take revenge

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

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

By that time, they already had hidden a machine gun found in the battlefields. They acted simply and directly, like a boy. The brothers took advantage of the fact that their mother had gone to relatives that day and was supposed to return only in the morning. They installed a machine gun on the balcony of the apartment and began to wait for traitors who often passed by. We didn't miscalculate. When they approached, Slava began shooting at them almost point-blank. But one of the criminals, the burgomaster, managed to escape. He reported by telephone to Orsha that the village was attacked by a large partisan detachment (a machine gun is a serious thing). Cars with punitive forces rushed in. With the help of bloodhounds, the weapon was quickly found: Misha and Zhenya, not having time to find a more reliable hiding place, hid the machine gun in the attic of their own house. Both were arrested. The boys were tortured most 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.

The Great Conspirator

Pavlik Titov, for his eleven years, was a great conspirator. He fought as a partisan for more than two years without even his parents knowing about it. Many episodes of his combat biography remained unknown. This is what is known.

First, Pavlik and his comrades rescued a wounded Soviet commander who had been burned in a burnt tank - they found a reliable shelter for him, and at night they brought him food, water, and brewed some medicinal decoctions according to his 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. Missions followed. The young intelligence officer penetrated the Nazis' location and kept count of manpower and equipment.

He was generally a cunning guy. One day he brought a bale of fascist uniforms to the partisans:

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

- Where did you get it?

- Yes, the Krauts were swimming...

More than once, dressed in the uniform obtained by the boy, the partisans carried out daring raids and operations.

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

In June 1941, Leningrad schoolgirl Zina Portnova came with her younger sister Galya to visit her grandmother in the village of Zui (Shumilinsky district of the Vitebsk region) for the summer holidays. She was fifteen... First, she got a job as an auxiliary worker in a canteen for German officers. And soon, together with her friend, she carried out a daring operation - she poisoned more than a hundred Nazis. She could have been captured right away, but they began to follow her. By that time, she was already connected with the Obol underground organization “Young Avengers”. In order to avoid failure, Zina was transferred to a partisan detachment.

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

Then they no longer interrogated her, but methodically tortured and mocked her. They gouged out their eyes and cut off their ears. They drove needles under her nails, twisted her 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: “Baby” (he is 12 years old), having learned that the partisans needed gun oil, without an assignment, on his own initiative, brought 2 liters of gun oil from the city. Then he was tasked with delivering sulfuric acid for sabotage purposes. He also brought it. And he carried it in a bag behind his back. The acid spilled, his shirt was burned, his back was burned, but he did not throw the acid.”

The “baby” 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, his older sisters Vasilisa and Anya were 16 and 14, the rest of the children were a little younger. Alyosha and his sisters were very inventive. They set fire to the Vitebsk railway station three times, prepared to blow up the labor exchange in order to confuse the population records and save young people and other residents from being taken to the “German paradise”, blew up the passport office in the police premises... They have dozens of acts of sabotage. And this is in addition to the fact that they were messengers and distributed leaflets...

“Baby” and Vasilisa died soon after the war from tuberculosis... A rare case: a memorial plaque was installed on the Vyalovs’ house in Vitebsk. These children should have a monument made of gold!..

Meanwhile, we also know about another Vitebsk family - Lynchenko. 11-year-old Kolya, 9-year-old Dina and 7-year-old Emma were the messengers of their mother, Natalya Fedorovna, whose apartment served as a reporting area. In 1943, as a result of the failure, the Gestapo broke into the house. The mother was beaten in front of her children, they shot above her head, demanding to name the members of the group. They also mocked the children, asking them who came to their mother and where she herself went. They tried to bribe little Emma with chocolate. The children didn't say anything. Moreover, during the search in the apartment, seizing the moment, Dina took out encryption codes from under the board of the table, where one of the hiding places was, and hid them under her dress, and when the punishers left, taking her mother away, she burned them. The children were left in the house as bait, but they, knowing that the house was being watched, managed to warn the messengers with signs who were going to the failed appearance...

Prize for the head of a young saboteur

The Nazis promised a round sum for the head of Orsha schoolgirl Olya Demesh. Hero of the Soviet Union, former commander of the 8th Partisan Brigade, Colonel Sergei Zhunin, spoke 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 Olya was instructed before the mission: “It is necessary to place a mine under the gasoline tank. Remember, only for a gasoline tank!” “I know what kerosene smells like, I cooked with kerosene gas myself, but gasoline... let me at least smell it.” There were a lot of trains and dozens of tanks at the junction, and you had to find “the one.” Olya and Lida crawled under the trains, sniffing: is this one or not this one? Gasoline or not gasoline? Then they threw stones and determined by the sound: empty or full? And only then they hooked the magnetic mine. The fire destroyed a huge number of carriages with equipment, food, uniforms, fodder, and steam locomotives were also burned...

The Germans managed to capture Olya’s mother and sister and shot them; but Olya remained elusive. During the ten months of her participation in the Chekist brigade (from June 7, 1942 to April 10, 1943), she showed herself not only to be a fearless intelligence officer, but also derailed seven enemy echelons, participated in the defeat of several military-police garrisons, and had to his personal account 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 be a 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 Kuritichi. However, he learned something from the partisan guides during their short rests. In August 1943, he and his older brother were accepted into the partisan detachment. They were 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 of enemy manpower and military equipment.

In the spring of 1944, Vitya fell ill with rheumatism and was sent to his relatives for medicine. In the village, he was captured by Nazis dressed as Red Army soldiers. The boy was brutally tortured.

Little Susanin

He began his war against the Nazi invaders at the age of 9. 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 distribute them. For two years the young underground worker was engaged in this activity. The Nazis managed to get on the trail of the printers. The printing house was destroyed. Tikhon’s mother and sisters hid with relatives, and he himself went to the partisans. One day, 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 remained in the village.

Local historians dated his feat to January 22, 1944. On this day, punitive forces appeared in the village again. All residents were shot for contacting the partisans. The village was burned. “And you,” they told Tikhon, “will show us the way to the partisans.” It is difficult to say whether the village boy heard anything about the Kostroma peasant Ivan Susanin, who more than three centuries earlier led the Polish interventionists into a swampy swamp, only Tikhon Baran showed the fascists the same road. They killed him, but not all of them got out of that quagmire.

Covering detachment

Vanya Kazachenko from the village of Zapolye, Orsha district, Vitebsk region, became a machine gunner in a partisan detachment in April 1943. He was thirteen. Anyone who served in the army and carried at least a Kalashnikov assault rifle (not a machine gun!) on their shoulders can imagine what it cost the boy. Guerrilla raids most often lasted many hours. And the machine guns of that time were 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 not far from Bogushevsk. Vanya, assigned to guard duty, chose a place, disguised himself and covered the road leading to the settlement. Here the young machine gunner fought his last battle.

Noticing the carts with the Nazis suddenly appearing, he opened fire on them. By the time his comrades arrived, the Germans managed to surround the boy, seriously wound him, take him prisoner and retreat. The partisans did not have the opportunity to chase the carts to beat him up. Vanya, tied to a cart, was dragged along an icy road for about twenty kilometers by the Nazis. In the village of Mezhevo, Orsha region, where there was an enemy garrison, 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 of Belarus. In November 1942 he joined the partisan detachment named after. 25th anniversary of October, then became a scout at the headquarters of the partisan brigade named after. 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, but later, however, she was released. So it turned out to be a family of an “enemy of the people” who were shunned by their neighbors. Kazei’s sister, Ariadne, was not accepted into the Komsomol because of this.

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

Marat went on reconnaissance missions, both alone and with a group. Participated in raids. He blew up the echelons. For the battle in January 1943, when, wounded, he roused his comrades to attack and made 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 reconnaissance commander, they came across the Germans. The commander was killed immediately, Marat, firing back, lay down in a hollow. There was nowhere to leave in the open field, and there was no opportunity - Marat was seriously wounded. While there were cartridges, he held the defense, and when the magazine was empty, he picked up his last weapon - two grenades, which he did not remove from his belt. He threw one at the Germans, and left the second. When the Germans came very close, he blew himself up along with the enemies.

In Minsk, a monument to Kazei was erected using funds raised by Belarusian pioneers. In 1958, an obelisk was erected at 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 VDNH). 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.

The boy from the legend

Golikov Leonid Aleksandrovich, scout of the 67th detachment of the 4th Leningrad Partisan Brigade, born in 1926, native of the village of Lukino, Parfinsky district. This is what is written on the award sheet. A boy from a legend - that’s what fame called Lenya Golikova.

When the war began, a schoolboy from the village of Lukino, near Staraya Russa, got a rifle and joined the partisans. Thin and short, at 14 he looked even younger. Under the guise of a beggar, he walked around the villages, collecting the necessary data on the location of fascist troops and the amount of enemy military equipment.

Together with his peers, he once picked up several rifles at a battle site and stole two boxes of grenades from the Nazis. They then handed all this over to the partisans. “Comrade Golikov joined the partisan detachment in March 1942, the award sheet says. - Participated in 27 military operations... Exterminated 78 German soldiers and officers, blew up 2 railway and 12 highway bridges, blew up 9 vehicles with ammunition... On August 15, in the new combat area of ​​the brigade, Golikov crashed a passenger car in which the general was Major of the Engineering Troops Richard Wirtz, heading from Pskov to Luga. A brave partisan killed the general with a machine gun and delivered his jacket and captured documents to the brigade headquarters. The documents included: a description of new types of German mines, inspection reports to higher command and other valuable intelligence data.”

Lake Radilovskoye was a gathering point during the brigade’s transition to a new area of ​​operations. On the way there, the partisans had to engage in battles with the enemy. The punishers monitored the progress of the partisans, and as soon as the forces of the brigade united, they forced a battle on it. After the battle at Lake Radilovskoe, the main forces of the brigade continued their journey to the Lyadskie forests. The detachments of I. Grozny and B. Eren-Price remained in the lake area to distract the fascists. They never managed to connect with the brigade. In mid-November, the occupiers attacked the headquarters. Many soldiers died defending him. 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 broke out of the ring and reached the Strugokrasnensky district. 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 follow untrodden paths. The path was paved by scouts, and among them Lenya Golikov. Attempts to establish contact with other units and stock up on food ended tragically. There was only one way out - to make our way to the mainland.

After the transition railway Bottom - Novosokolniki late at night on January 24, 1943, 27 hungry, exhausted partisans came to the village of Ostray Luka. Ahead, the Partizansky region, burned by punitive forces, stretched 90 kilometers. The scouts did not find anything suspicious. The enemy garrison was located several kilometers away. The partisans' companion, a nurse, was dying from a serious wound and asked for at least a little warmth. They occupied the three outer huts. Brigade commander Glebov decided not to post patrols so as not to attract attention. They were on duty alternately at the windows and in the barn, from where both the village and the road to the forest were clearly visible.

About two hours later, my sleep was interrupted by the roar of an exploding grenade. And immediately the heavy machine gun began to rattle. Following the traitor's denunciation, punitive forces arrived. The partisans jumped out into the courtyard and through the vegetable gardens, firing back, and began to rush towards the forest. Glebov with a military escort covered the retreating forces with light machine gun and machine gun fire. Halfway there, the seriously wounded chief of staff fell. Lenya rushed to him. But Petrov ordered to return to the brigade commander, and he himself, covering the wound under his padded jacket with an individual bag, again stitched with a 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 and frostbitten, they met with the scouts of the 8th Guards Panfilov Division.

For a long time, his mother Ekaterina Alekseevna knew nothing about Leni’s fate. 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 and called her daughter Valya. The package contained a certificate bound in crimson leather. There was also an envelope, which Valya opened quietly and said: “This is for you, mom, 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 Aleksandrovich Golikov died a brave death for his homeland. For the heroic feat performed by your son in the fight against the German invaders behind enemy lines, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, by 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 conferring on your son the title of Hero of the Soviet Union to be kept as a memory of a heroic son whose feat will never be forgotten by our people. M. Kalinin." - “That’s what he turned out to be, my Lenyushka!” - the mother said quietly. And in these words there was grief, pain, and pride for his son...

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 opened on January 20, 1964. The figure of a boy in a hat with earflaps and a machine gun in his hands is carved from light granite. The hero’s name is given to streets in St. Petersburg, Pskov, Staraya Russa, Okulovka, the village of Pola, the village of Parfino, a motor ship of the Riga Shipping Company, in Novgorod - a street, the House of Pioneers, a training ship for young sailors in Staraya Russa. In Moscow, at the Exhibition of Economic Achievements of the USSR, a monument to the hero was also erected.

The youngest hero of the Soviet Union

Valya Kotik. A young partisan reconnaissance officer of the Great Patriotic War in the Karmelyuk detachment, which operated in 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. Of education, there are only 5 classes of secondary school in the regional center.

During the Great Patriotic War, being in territory temporarily occupied by Nazi troops, Valya Kotik worked to collect weapons and ammunition, drew and pasted up caricatures 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 stood up and threw a grenade. The head of the field gendarmerie was killed.

In October 1943, a young partisan scouted the location of the underground telephone cable of Hitler's headquarters, which was soon blown up. He also participated in the bombing of six railway trains and a warehouse. On October 29, 1943, while at his post, Valya noticed that the punitive forces had staged a raid on the detachment. Having killed 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, 1944, in a battle for the city of Izyaslav, Khmelnitsky region, a 14-year-old partisan scout was mortally wounded and died the next day. He was buried in the center of a park in the Ukrainian city of Shepetivka. For his heroism in the fight against the Nazi invaders, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of June 27, 58, Kotik Valentin Aleksandrovich was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He was awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, and the medal “Partisan of the Great Patriotic War,” 2nd degree. A motor ship is named after him, a row secondary schools, there used to be pioneer squads and detachments named after Vali Kotik. In Moscow and in his hometown in 60, monuments were erected to him. There is a street named after the young hero in Yekaterinburg, Kyiv and Kaliningrad.

Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya

Of all the young heroes, both living and dead, only Zoya was and remains known to the majority of residents of our country. Her name became 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 accomplished by a teenager or young man killed by enemies, they say about him: “like Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya.”

...The surname Kosmodemyansky in the Tambov province was borne by many clergy. Before the grandfather of the young heroine, Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, about whom our story will go, Pyotr Ivanovich, the rector of the temple in their native village, Osiny Gai, was his uncle Vasily Ivanovich Kosmodemyansky, and before him his grandfather, great-grandfather, and so on. And Pyotr 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, communist bandits fueled 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 him up by the hands to the saddle, dragged through the village and thrown into ponds. Kosmodemyansky’s body was discovered in the spring, and, according to the same eyewitnesses, “it was unspoiled and had a waxy color,” which in the Orthodox tradition is an indirect sign of the spiritual purity of the deceased. He was buried in a cemetery near the Church of the Sign, in which Pyotr Ivanovich served last years.

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

Immediately after the start of the war, Zoya signed up as a volunteer and was assigned to an intelligence school. The school was located near the Moscow Kuntsevo station.

In mid-November 1941, the school received orders to burn the villages in which the Germans were stationed. We created two divisions, each with ten people. But on November 22, near the village of Petrishchevo there were only three scouts - Kosmodemyanskaya, a certain Klubkov and the more experienced Boris Krainov.

They decided that Zoya should set fire to the 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 task, everyone had to gather in the same place and only then return home. Krainov acted professionally, and his houses caught fire first, then those located in the southern part caught fire, but those in the northern part did not catch fire. Krainov waited for his comrades almost the entire next day, but they never returned. Later, after some time, Klubkov returned...

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

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

“When I approached the buildings that I was supposed to set on fire, I saw that sections of Kosmodemyanskaya and Krainova were on fire. Approaching the house, I broke the Molotov cocktail and threw it, but it did not catch fire. At this 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 me 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 three of us in total and named the names of Krainova and Kosmodemyanskaya. The officer immediately gave some order and after some time Zoya was brought in. They asked her how she set the village on fire. Kosmodemyanskaya replied that she did not set the village on fire. After that, the officer began to beat her and demanded testimony, she remained silent, and then they stripped her naked and beat her with rubber truncheons for 2-3 hours. But Kosmodemyanskaya said one thing: “Kill me, I won’t tell you anything.” She didn't even say her name. She insisted that her name was Tanya. After which she was taken away, and I never saw her again.” Klubkov was tried and shot.

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 of the 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, over 11 thousand people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (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.

Total in wartime ground forces over eight thousand heroes were trained, including 1,800 artillerymen, 1,142 tank crews, 650 engineering troops, over 290 signalmen, 93 air defense soldiers, 52 military logistics soldiers, 44 doctors; 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 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 people	6
Abkhazians	5
Yakuts	3
Moldovans	2
results	11501

Among the military personnel awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, privates, sergeants, foremen - over 35%, officers - about 60%, generals, admirals, marshals - over 380 people. There are 87 women among the wartime Heroes of the Soviet Union. The first to receive this title was Z. A. Kosmodemyanskaya (posthumously).

About 35% of 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. More than 2,500 people, including 4 women, became full holders of the Order of Glory of three degrees. During the war, over 38 million orders and medals were awarded to the defenders of the Motherland for courage and heroism. The Motherland highly appreciated the labor feat of the Soviet people in the rear. During the war years, 201 people were awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor, about 200 thousand were awarded orders and medals.

Viktor Vasilievich Talalikhin

Born on September 18, 1918 in the village. Teplovka, Volsky district, Saratov region. Russian. After graduating from the factory school, he worked at the Moscow meat processing plant and at the same time studied at the flying club. Graduated from the Borisoglebok Military Aviation School for Pilots. He took part in the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939–1940. He made 47 combat missions, 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 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 the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 8, 1941 for the first night ramming of an enemy bomber in the history of aviation.

Soon Talalikhin was appointed squadron commander and 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 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 at the 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 were named after Talalikhin Voronezh region and other cities, a sea vessel, GPTU No. 100 in Moscow, a number of schools. An obelisk was erected at the 43rd kilometer of the Warsaw Highway, over which the unprecedented night fight took place. A monument was erected in Podolsk, and a bust of the Hero was erected 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-time Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub on the La-7 shot down 17 enemy aircraft (including the Me-262 jet fighter) out of 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 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 a large group of FW-190s 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 of Kursk.

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

Alexey Petrovich Maresyev, 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 graduating from the 8th grade of high school, Alexey entered the federal educational institution, where he received a specialty as a mechanic. Then he submitted an application 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 Air Force Higher Educational Institutions Directorate. 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 completed graduate school at the Academy of Social Sciences under the CPSU Central Committee, and 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 the last day of his life.

Retired Colonel A.P. Maresyev was awarded two Orders of Lenin, the Order of the October Revolution, the Red Banner, the Patriotic War, 1st degree, two Orders of the Red Banner of Labor, the Order of People's Friendship, the Red Star, the Badge of Honor, "For Services to the Fatherland" 3rd degree, medals, and 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 minor planet of the solar system, a public foundation, and youth patriotic clubs are named after him. 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 the main role himself, 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. On May 18, 2001, a gala evening was planned at the Russian Army Theater to mark Maresyev’s 85th birthday, but an hour before the start, Alexei Petrovich suffered 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

Krasnoperov Sergei Leonidovich was born on July 23, 1923 in the village of Pokrovka, Chernushinsky district. In May 1941, he volunteered to join the ranks Soviet army. I studied at the Balashov Aviation Pilot School for a year. In November 1942, attack pilot Sergei Krasnoperov arrived at the 765th attack air regiment, and in January 1943 he was appointed deputy squadron commander of the 502nd attack air regiment of the 214th attack air division of the North Caucasus 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, the 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 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 that the sun was darkened 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 only one way out. : to land. As soon as the burning car touched the marsh hummocks with its fuselage, the pilot barely had 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 exploits of Comrade Krasnoperov are repeated in every combat mission. The pilots of his flight have become 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 Yekaterinoslav (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.

In the active 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 ​​Bolshoi Lomovatoy Bor. Straight from the march, the brigade entered the battle.

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, and 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. 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 skillful leadership of division units in battles on the outskirts of Moscow and the personal courage and heroism shown.

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

Nikolai Frantsevich was born on May 6, 1908 in Moscow, into a working-class family. Graduated from 5th grade. He worked as a mechanic at the Murom Steam Locomotive Construction Machinery Plant. In the Soviet Army in May 1932. In 1933 he graduated from the Lugansk military pilot school in bomber units. In 1939 he took part in the battles on the river. Khalkhin - Gol and the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940. In the active army since June 1941, the squadron commander of the 207th Long-Range Bomber Aviation Regiment (42nd Bomber Aviation Division, 3rd Bomber Aviation Corps DBA), Captain Gastello, carried out another mission flight on June 26, 1941. His bomber was hit and caught fire. He flew the burning plane into a concentration 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 included in the lists military units. At the site of the feat on the Minsk-Vilnius highway, a memorial monument was erected in Moscow.

Zoya Anatolyevna Kosmodemyanskaya (“Tanya”)

Zoya Anatolyevna ["Tanya" (09/13/1923 - 11/29/1941)] - Soviet partisan, Hero of the Soviet Union was born in Osino-Gai, Gavrilovsky district, Tambov region in the family of an employee. In 1930 the family moved to Moscow. She graduated from 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 provided successful promotion 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

Aliya Moldagulova was born on April 20, 1924 in the village of Bulak, Khobdinsky district, Aktobe region. After the death of her parents, she was raised by her uncle Aubakir Moldagulov. I moved with his family from city to city. She studied at the 9th secondary school in Leningrad. In the fall of 1942, Aliya Moldagulova joined the army and was sent to sniper school. In May 1943, Aliya submitted a report to the school command with a request to send her to the front. Aliya ended up in the 3rd company of the 4th battalion of the 54th Rifle Brigade under the command of Major Moiseev.

By the beginning of October, Aliya Moldagulova had 32 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 go for a 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 captured. 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

Matveev Vladimir Ivanovich Squadron commander of the 154th Fighter Aviation Regiment (39th Fighter Aviation Division, Northern Front) - captain. Born on October 27, 1911 in St. Petersburg in a working-class family. Russian Member of the CPSU(b) since 1938. Graduated from 5th grade. He worked as a mechanic at the Red October factory. In the Red Army since 1930. In 1931 he graduated from the Leningrad Military Theoretical School of Pilots, and in 1933 from the Borisoglebsk Military Aviation School of Pilots. Participant in 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 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

Sergei Polyakov was born in 1908 in Moscow, into a working-class family. He graduated from 7 classes of junior high school. Since 1930 in the Red Army, he graduated from the military aviation school. Participant in the Spanish Civil War 1936 – 1939. In air battles he shot down 5 Franco planes. Participant of the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940. On the fronts of the Great Patriotic War from the first day. The commander of the 174th Assault Aviation Regiment, Major S. N. Polyakov, made 42 combat missions, delivering precision strikes on enemy airfields, equipment and manpower, destroying 42 and damaging 35 aircraft.

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 Aero Club. 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 by the sudden blow, the Nazis hastened to get away.

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...

After receiving 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.

1. Introduction. ………………………………………………………………………………….. 2

2. Heroes-border guards……………………………………………………. 5

3. The feat of Viktor Talalikhin………………………………………………………5

4. The feat of Alexander Pankratov……………………………………….. 9

5. The heroism of the defenders of Sevastopol…………………………………………………….. 11

6. The feat of the submarine “Shch-408”………………………………………………………. eleven

7. Defense of Moscow…………………………………………………….. 12

8. Partisan movement………………………………………………... 14

9. Defense of Stalingrad……………………………………………………………... 18

10. The exploits of Soviet patriots…………………………………………. 19

11. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………… 23

12. List of references…………………………………….. 24

Introduction.

Russia with Russian bayonets

She saved herself and saved us

Guys! Isn't Moscow behind us?

No, much more than Moscow...

I always listened with great interest to my dad’s stories about my grandfather, who went through the Great Patriotic War. Unfortunately, grandfather himself died long ago. I listened and wondered if I or my friends could do the same as those who defended our Motherland in that war. Maybe those youth thought differently, or maybe they had something that we lack. Unfortunately, in school the topic of war was limited to the start date and end date of the war and the study of the main battles. But it was not clear what motivated them, the young ones, because they were not promised anything, they were not paid money, they themselves were eager to go to the front: they took credit for their years, if they were not taken into the army, they fought in the rear, at the machine tool, in partisan detachments. Maybe, having written this report, I will be able to understand at least a little how we differ from them or whether we are still the same.

On June 22, 1941, at about 4 o'clock in the morning, when millions of Soviet citizens were still sleeping peacefully, Nazi Germany, without presenting any claims, treacherously attacked the Soviet Union. Thousands of bombs and shells began exploding almost all along the western state border of the USSR; the pre-dawn silence was filled with the roar of German planes and the roar of tank engines.

The Nazis concentrated 82% of the total strength of the active ground army on the western borders of the USSR. Together with the troops of the satellite countries, 190 fully equipped divisions were deployed here. The invading army consisted of 5.5 million soldiers and officers, about 4,300 tanks, 4,980 combat aircraft, 47,200 guns and mortars.

Taking advantage of three-fold, and in some areas five-fold superiority, the Nazi hordes rushed into the depths of our country. In the main directions: southern - to Kyiv, northern - to Leningrad and central - to Moscow - a difficult military situation was created.

A mortal danger looms over our Motherland - to be free or to fall into dependence on the fascist invaders.

The Communist Party of the Soviet government immediately accepted necessary measures to protect the Motherland from fascist enslavement, to mobilize human and material resources to defeat the enemy.

The leadership of the country's Armed Forces was headed by the Supreme Command Headquarters created on July 10 (since August 8, 1941 - the Supreme High Command Headquarters), the chairman of which was appointed I.V. Stalin.

In order to unite the efforts of the front and rear, on June 30, the State Defense Committee was formed under the chairmanship of I.V. Stalin, who concentrated all power in his hands. The State Defense Committee led the restructuring of the economy, the mobilization of the country's forces and resources.

On July 3, J.V. Stalin gave a speech in which he outlined a detailed program of the party and the Soviet government, aimed at ensuring victory over the enemy. J.V. Stalin explained to the people the just nature of the Great Patriotic War, the sacred duty of every Soviet person to defend the Motherland, defend the gains of socialism, called for courage and heroism at the front and selfless work in the rear. The Chairman of the State Defense Committee addressed the working class, collective farm peasantry and intelligentsia with the call “Everything for the front!” Everything for victory! The Red Army was given the task of defending every inch of land, fighting to the last drop of blood for its cities and villages, exhausting and bleeding Nazi troops in defensive battles, defeating and expelling them from Soviet soil, and helping the peoples of Europe throw off the fascist yoke.

On the first day of the Patriotic War, a resolution of the Komsomol Central Committee was prepared, published on June 23. “In connection with the treacherous, predatory attack of the German fascists on our country,” the document said, “the Central Committee of the Komsomol demands tenfold vigilance, cohesion, discipline, and organization from all Komsomol organizations.” The Komsomol Central Committee demanded that “every Komsomol member be ready to fight with arms in hand against the attacking, arrogant enemy for the Motherland, for honor, for freedom.”

The Komsomol quickly responded to the call of its leadership to defend the Motherland. Young patriots of the capital, leaving for the front, wrote this in an appeal to Moscow youth: “We grew up, received an education and a profession under Soviet power, on Soviet soil, under the Soviet sun. What could be more honorable for us than to defend our beloved Motherland against the invasion of Hitler’s gangs! We are obliged, and therefore we rightfully demand that we be sent to the front. We will take revenge on our enemies with full consciousness of duty to our Motherland.” In total, 50 thousand applications for voluntary departure to the front were submitted in Moscow during the three days of the war. “All Komsomol members of the Leningrad organization submitted applications to be sent as volunteers to the front,” reported the Leningrad City Committee of the Komsomol Central Committee.

The unprecedented impulse of Soviet youth, first of all, was manifested in the fact that every boy and girl in the district Komsomol committee, in the military registration and enlistment office or at the enterprise declared their desire to immediately go into battle against fascism. More than 100 thousand Komsomol members of Moscow and the Moscow region, most of them voluntarily, joined the ranks of the Soviet Army already in the first months of the war.

From the very first days of the war, showing massive heroism, infantrymen, artillerymen, tank crews, sailors, pilots - warriors of all branches of the Soviet Armed Forces - bravely fought against the invaders.

Border Guard Heroes.

The Soviet border guard heroes were the first to engage in battle with the enemy.

At one of the border outposts, said Lieutenant I.S. Rubanik, a fierce battle took place with superior enemy forces. “The enemy paid for those killed in the unequal battle with black fascist blood, leaving up to 1,000 killed and wounded soldiers and officers on the battlefield.” The losses of the border guards amounted to 40 people killed and wounded.

On the western border, near the Ukrainian village of Paripsy, 136 border guards died a brave death. For an hour and a half they held back the onslaught of 16 fascist tanks. One of the heroes, junior lieutenant N.D. Sinokop, wrote on a piece of paper: “I will die for my Motherland, but I will not surrender to the enemy alive.”

The garrison of the Brest Fortress, consisting of a small part of the combat border forces, delayed the advance of two enemy infantry divisions for almost a month and inflicted heavy losses on them.

The front-line soldiers, without lying, spoke truthfully about heavy losses and retreat, especially in 1941. This is evidenced, in particular, by a letter from Red Army soldier Yegor Zlobin, sent to his relatives on July 20, 1941. Let us refer to a short excerpt from it: “... Dad and Mom, you know that the Germans attacked the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, and I have already been in battle since June 22: from 5 o’clock at night the Germans crossed, and we were no more than 20 kilometers from him in the camps, and from these days, dad and mom, I saw the country. As from the first days the Germans began to beat us, we couldn’t find a place. We were surrounded by him. He beat us up. About 50 people remained from the regiment, or they died or were taken into military service. Well, I forcibly jumped out of his hot clutches and ran... And the Germans were met by new units of the Red Army. When they started hitting him, only the feathers were flying..."

It wasn’t just Yegor Zlobin who was given such lines. And yet he decided to write the truth. One detail: there are no complaints or whining in the letter. And in the words “they started to beat him, only feathers fly” - the confidence that the enemy will be defeated, no matter what.

During the terrible days, the Pravda newspaper wrote: “The Soviet border guards fought like lions, having taken the first sudden blow of the vile enemy... They fought hand-to-hand, and only through their dead bodies was the enemy able to advance.”

The feat of Viktor Talalikhin.

But the Soviet pilots especially distinguished themselves in battles with the enemy. On the night of July 22, 1941, there was the first enemy air raid on Moscow, and on July - August German air raids became more frequent. On July 25, the regiment pilots opened the scoring, captain Ivan Samsonov shot down a Junkers 88. In the last days of July 1941, Viktor Talalikhin was appointed deputy commander of the first squadron, and then he began to serve as acting commander.

Viktor Talalikhin shot down the first bomber on the night of August 5-6 - it was a German Junkers-88 bomber.

Near Moscow, August 1941 was a restless, alarming and menacing wartime. Endless night bombing by German planes of Moscow and all its suburbs. I, who lived through those difficult summer and autumn months of the first year of the war, who experienced bombings and machine gun fire, remember a heightened sense of danger, and the victory of Soviet pilots and anti-aircraft gunners in the Moscow sky gave me hope.

We learned about the night ramming of a German Heinkel-111 aircraft by fighter pilot Viktor Talalikhin on August 8, 1941.

From the very early morning of August 6, aviation technicians and aircraft mechanics Sergei Borzov, Philip Usatyuk and Vladimir Tsvetkov prepared the fighters for flight.

Talalikhin's "Hawk" was prepared for flight. Borzov reported to the regimental engineer A.M. Menshov about the completion of the task: the engine was tested, gas tanks were filled, a preliminary inspection of the aircraft was carried out.

V. Talalikhin had to fly out for night duty, he approached the plane. Victor in a leather raglan, cap and chrome boots, with a tablet. He checked everything thoroughly and asked to rearrange the foot control pedals, shortening them. Victor Talalikhinsel into the cockpit and prepared for combat duty. The night from August 6 to 7 was warm, quiet, starry. Searchlights started working in the Moscow sky. Many bright rays pierced the dark sky, searching for enemy aircraft.

The fighters stood in shelter on the edge of a small forest, near the village, waiting for a combat signal. The planes of Viktor Talalikhin, Pyotr Funtov, Alexander Pechenevsky, Ivan Tyapin, Alexander Bogdanov, Grigory Finogenov received the message: “Enemy planes appeared in square 82 at an altitude of 4 thousand meters.” The regiment commander called the 1st squadron at 22:55. Talalikhin heard the command: “Air!” Talalikhin's "Hawk" rose into the sky and gained altitude. Below are the Lvovskaya and Stolbovaya railway stations. Talalikhin noticed a shiny point from which green-red flashes were coming. This is from the engines of an enemy aircraft.

Talalikhin quickly led the "hawk" towards the target - the Heinkel-111 bomber. He walked at an altitude of 4.5 km. The bomber is armed with seven machine guns and one cannon. Talalikhin walked behind the bomber, began to catch the Heinkel in his sight, and pressed the trigger. The right engine of the fascist bomber began to smoke, and the Heinkel 111 shuddered. Talalikhin attacked again, aiming for the cockpit. The German plane changed course, turning west. Talalikhin attacks again and again, releasing several bursts of fire. Having increased its speed, the Heinkel-111 began to descend, but the Hawk pursued it.

The air night duel continued. The fascist bomber, shot down but not finished, continued to fly, again the attack was the sixth. Talalikhin presses the trigger, but the machine gun is silent, the cartridges are out,

Heinkel 111 goes into the darkness of the night. Talalikhin instantly makes a decision - to go for a ram, informs the ground - the ammunition has run out. Talalikhin catches up with the Heinkel-111, approaches it, masterfully aligns himself with the tail of the plane, a machine-gun burst flashes from the Heinkel-111, Talalikhin’s right hand is burned - his hand is shot through. But the “hawk” is at the target - 10 meters left. Talalikhin rammed his entire car into the bomber, the “hawk” turned over in the air, the pilot left the plane and flew for about a thousand meters in a long jump, and then opened the parachute.

A fascist Heinkel-111 bomber crashes near a birch grove between the villages of Dobrynikha and Shcheglyatyevo.

This was the first night ram in the history of the war, a heroic feat of Viktor Talalikhin. Ram is highest degree heroism , when the life of a pilot is in the balance, when the unknown lies ahead: is it possible to jump out of a crumpled and damaged plane? Ramming is a special courage of the pilot. Ramming is on the verge of self-sacrifice. Soviet pilots made a daytime ram on the first day of the war near Leningrad, and during the war years, Soviet pilots made hundreds of rams. There were pilots who rammed twice and three times. German pilots did not go to war to ram.

Having thrown himself out of the plane, Talalikhin landed on the bottom of a shallow river. Severki near the outskirts of the village of Mansurovo. Having climbed ashore, Viktor Talalikhin felt pain in his legs and lower back, and the wound on his arm was especially bothersome.

Talalikhin's watch stopped at 23:28 (it was at this moment that the ramming occurred). The pilot was in flight for 33 minutes. The Mansurites found the pilot on the bank of the Severka River. They treated him cautiously - they didn’t know who he was. I.M. were the first to see Talalikhin and approached him. Buralkin , V.D. Zaelkin and V.G. Larionov, collective farmers from Mansurov.

The pilot said: “I belong,” and, overcoming the pain, stood up. The collective farmers carefully led the wounded Viktor Talalikhin to the last house in the village, where E.I. lived. Larionov. Marfa Ivanovna Larinova immediately bandaged Victor’s hand, brought him linen, gave him milk and put him to rest.

Victor, waking up at dawn, looked out of the window; not far away he could see the edge of the forest. In the morning, Victor was given tea, and Yegor Ivanovich Larionov escorted Talalikhin to the place where the plane crashed. After examining the remains of the plane, they returned to the house. The Larionovs already had a cart at home by order of the collective farm chairman N.I. Zaelkina. All Mansurites. escorted Viktor Talalikhin to the village of Stepygino.

That August night they were waiting for the pilot V. Talalikhin at the airfield, but he still wasn’t there. Everyone asked: “Where is Talalikhin, what happened to him?” Victor’s friend, pilot Alexander Pechenevsky, was worried; it was already three o’clock, but his comrade was still not there...

Morning: 9 hours 45 minutes... A U-2 plane appeared over Podolsk, flying to the airfield... Talalikhin got out of the plane with a bandaged hand. Victor is surrounded by fellow soldiers.

Regiment commander Korolev urgently reported to the air unit headquarters about Talalikhin’s feat. Air Corps Commander I.D. Klimov gave instructions to Major Korolev to personally go to the site of the fall of the fascist bomber and present materials for conferring the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on pilot Viktor Talalikhin. Major Korolev went with Talalikhin to the downed Heinkel-111 plane. Four fascists lay motionless ten meters away. While at the downed plane, MI. Korolev and V.V. Talalikhin was seen by correspondents and a photojournalist who had arrived from Moscow. In the photo, Viktor Talalikhin stands next to the fascist bomber he rammed in a long raincoat. Talalikhin's right hand is in a sling.

His parents learned about Victor’s heroic deed from a radio message. On the same day in the evening, Viktor Talalikhin will arrive in Moscow.

On August 8, 1941, all central newspapers reported on the military feat of fighter pilot V. Talalikhin, publishing a “decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR,” which stated: “...for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command on the front of the fight against German fascism and the courage and heroism shown at the same time, award the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the presentation of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal to fighter pilot junior lieutenant Viktor Vasilyevich Talalikhin.”

Early morning of October 27, cold and clear. By mid-day, clouds appeared and a piercing cold wind blew. The Nazis are rushing towards Moscow, columns of tanks are moving along the Warsaw Highway, bombers are flying into the suburbs in waves.

A squadron of “hawks” under the command of Viktor Talalikhin on the morning of October 27 flew towards the village of Kamenki, flying at low level. Kamenki is located on the 85th km of Warsaw Highway. Fascist scouts fly here day and night. The squadron flew up to Kamenka at 11 o'clock in the morning. In the continuous clouds, six Hawks discovered six Messerschmitts.

- “Messers” on the left! They're attacking! Act boldly and decisively!” - Talalikhin ordered over the radio.

And he was the first to rush into battle. Followers follow him. From the fire of V. Talalikhin and A. Bogdanov, one Messerschmitt fell down. The others left. The combat mission of Talalikhin’s squadron was to discover an enemy field airfield, from where Junkers and Heinkels flew to bomb our combat positions. But suddenly a large squadron of Messerschmitts emerged from the clouds and directed fire at Talalikhin’s plane. One Messerschmitt was shot down, but at the same moment Talalikhin’s plane began to descend. “Comrade commander!” cried the wingmen, but Viktor Talalikhin remained silent. Talalikhin's "Hawk" was riddled with bullets from three "Mssserschmitts". The squadron commander died a heroic death. The plane crashed into a dense forest, Viktor Talalikhin did not deviate from the battle, he boldly walked towards the enemy in those difficult October days of 1941 hanging over the country. It was necessary to win, it was necessary to save Russia, but heroes also die. The chief of staff of the regiment flew to the scene of death on a U-2 plane. In the thicket of the forest, the remains of the plane and the deceased Hero of the Soviet Union Viktor Talalikhin were found. Victor's funeral took place in Moscow at the meat-packing plant club.

The feat of Alexander Pankratov.

During the Great Patriotic War, the first feat of a heroic warrior, who covered the embrasure of an enemy bunker with his body, was performed by the political commissar of a tank company, Alexander Konstantinovich Pankratov, from the 125th tank regiment of the 28th tank division, commanded by Colonel I.D. Chernyakhovsky. A turner at the Vologda plant "Northern Communar", Komsomol member Alexander Pankratov, volunteered to serve in the army in October 1938. He was sent to the 21st Tank Brigade. There he graduated from the school for junior commanders, learned to drive a tank, and fire a tank cannon.

The command sent him to the Smolensk Military-Political School, from which he graduated in January 1941 with the rank of junior political instructor. And soon the war broke out.

Having a hard time experiencing the failure of the first days of the war, Alexander wrote home: “Don’t worry, mom! We will defeat the Nazis anyway, and if I have to die, I will die a hero.” This was Pankratov’s real oath, given to his homeland and his own mother, that he was ready for a feat, which he accomplished in the battles for Novgorod on August 24, 1941.

Leaving Novgorod, our units retreated to the east and took up defense on the eastern banks of the Volkhov and Maly Volkhovets rivers. Here stood the Kirillov Monastery, which the Nazis used as an artillery observation post.

On the night of August 24-25, the 125th Tank Regiment was given the task of secretly crossing Maly Volkhovets and capturing the Kirillov Monastery. This task was entrusted to a company in which Pankratov was the political instructor. The company crossed unnoticed, without firing a single shot, and began to make its way to the monastery. The Nazis noticed our fighters and opened machine-gun fire. The company lay down. Pankratov with a group of daredevils crawled towards the monastery. The Nazis discovered them too and began pouring lead on them from the pillbox. The political instructor pulled ahead a little and found himself in “dead” space. Squeezing the last lemon grenade, Pankratov crawled closer to the embrasure and threw the grenade inside. There was an explosion in the bunker. Then Pankratov made a sharp jerk towards the embrasure with the exclamation: “Attack, forward!” and covered the barrel of the enemy’s machine gun with his body. And his company, shouting “hurray,” broke through to the monastery.

The homeland highly appreciated the hero's feat. By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated March 16, 1942, junior political instructor Alexander Konstantinovich Pankratov was awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

A similar feat was accomplished on February 23, 1943 by Alexander Matrosov. All those who accomplished such feats before and after Matrosov began to be called sailors, and Pankratov was the first sailor. We couldn't think of anything worse, but it's a fact. If we were to call such heroes something, we should call them Pankratovites. After all, Alexander Pankratov was the first in the history of war to perform a feat of self-sacrifice, covering the enemy’s machine gun with his chest.

The heroism of the defenders of Sevastopol.

The defenders of Sevastopol showed unprecedented courage and resilience. October 30, 1941 The fighting was unprecedentedly fierce. The defenders of Sevastopol fought to the death, but did not surrender to the enemy: “Fight the enemy the Sevastopol way, to the last drop of blood!”

In the note of the sailor-machine gunner “My Motherland! Russian land! I, the son of Lenin’s Komsomol, his pupil, fought as my heart dictated, destroyed the reptiles while my heart beat in my chest. I'm dying, but I know that we will win. The enemy should not be in Sevastopol! Black Sea sailors! Hold on tight! Destroy the fascist mad dogs!”

During a difficult battle for one of the heights, many sailors were shell-shocked or wounded. And although the paratroopers arrived and brought ammunition, some food and water, the forces were clearly unequal. But only on December 20, when only three wounded sailors remained alive, the Nazis managed to capture the bunker and take possession of the heights. Courageous Black Sea residents destroyed several German tanks with bottles of flammable liquid. And when the supply of bottles with a combustible mixture was used up, they were tied with grenades and thrown under the tanks.

At the end of 1941, German troops broke through to Leningrad. All Leningraders capable of holding weapons in their hands joined the army. Seven hundred thousand young people built a belt of defensive structures around the city.

The feat of the submarine "Shch-408".

Not only infantrymen, but also sailors fought heroically for Leningrad. Of the submarines that tried to break into the Baltic in the spring of 1943, some died. The fate of the submarine "Shch-408" under the command of Lieutenant Commander P.S. Kuzmin is known. May 25, 1943 Submarine“Shch-408” under the command of Lieutenant Commander Pavel Kuzmin tried for three days to overcome German nets and mines placed in the area of ​​Vaindlo Island on the way from the Gulf of Finland to the Baltic Sea. The battery ran out, air supplies ran out, people began to suffocate and lose consciousness. From fuel tanks damaged by mine explosions, diesel bubbles floated to the surface and burst. Based on these spots, the submarine was discovered by enemy aircraft and boats.

The ship's commander, Pavel Kuzmin, a native of the city of Grozny, reported the difficult situation to the fleet command post. After which he ordered the main ballast tanks to be blown out and to ascend. The submarine was immediately surrounded by enemy torpedo boats and opened fire on it. Pavel Kuzmin climbed onto the bridge and called the artillery crew onto the deck. The boat, being on the surface, entered into an unequal battle. And a radiogram went ashore with a request to urgently send planes. Three aviation groups of the 71st Regiment flew from naval airfields to help the submariners; four of our planes were shot down, but the efforts were in vain - the pilots were late.

"Shch-408" was able to hit two enemy boats with artillery fire. And when the shells ran out, she went under the water without lowering the flag.

Defense of Moscow.

The heroic defense of Kyiv, Leningrad, Odessa, Sevastopol and Smolensk was of great importance for disrupting the fascist plan of the “blitzkrieg” and for the defense of Moscow.

In preparation for the capture of Moscow, Hitler gave an ominous, barbaric directive: “The city must be surrounded so that not a single Russian soldier, not a single resident - be it a man, a woman, or a child - can leave it. Any attempt to suppress by force. Make the necessary preparations so that Moscow and its surroundings are flooded with water using huge structures. Where Moscow stands today, a sea must appear that will forever hide the capital of the Russian people from the civilized world.”

In the historical battle for Moscow, the main blow was taken by the rifle divisions of I.V. Panfilov, the group of troops of General L.M. Dovator, and the 1st Guards Tank Brigade of M.E. Katukov.

316th Rifle Division under the command of General Panfilov was the force that was supposed to not let the enemy pass in the Volokolamsk direction. The last echelon of fighters from the Kresttsy and Borovichi area arrived at the Volokolamsk station on October 11, 1941. There was no prepared defense, just as there were no other troops.

The division took up defensive positions on the 41st kilometer front from Ruza to Lotoshino and immediately began to create centers of resistance in the likely directions of enemy attack. Ivan Vasilyevich Panfilov was sure that the enemy would rely on tanks as the main striking force. But... “The brave and skillful tank is not afraid,” said Panfilov.

“We will not surrender Moscow to the enemy,” wrote I.V. Panfilov to his wife Maria Ivanovna, “we will destroy the reptile in the thousands, hundreds of his tanks. The division is fighting well...” From October 20 to October 27 alone, the 316th Rifle Division knocked out and burned 80 tanks, killing more than nine thousand enemy soldiers and officers.

The exhausting battles did not stop; by the end of October the division's front was already 20 kilometers - from the Dubosekovo junction to settlement Teryaevo. Having brought up new forces, replacing broken divisions with new ones and concentrating more than 350 tanks against Panfilov’s division, by mid-November the enemy was ready for a general offensive. “We will have breakfast in Volokolamsk, and dinner in Moscow,” the Nazis hoped.

On the right flank the 1077th regiment of the rifle division held the defense, in the center there were two battalions of the 1073rd regiment of Major Elin, on the left flank, on the most critical section of Dubosekovo - Nelidovo, seven kilometers southeast of Volokolamsk, there was the 1075th regiment of Colonel Ilya Vasilyevich Kaprov. It was against him that the main forces of the enemy were concentrated, trying to break through to the Volokolamsk highway and the railway.

On November 16, 1941, the enemy offensive began. The battle that was fought at night near Dubosekovo by a group of tank destroyers of the 4th company of the 2nd battalion of the 1075th regiment, led by political instructor Vasily Georgievich Klochkov, was included in all history textbooks. For four hours, Panfilov’s men held back enemy tanks and infantry. They repelled several enemy attacks and destroyed 18 tanks. Most of the legendary warriors who accomplished this unparalleled feat, including Vasily Klochkov, died a brave death that night. The rest (D.F. Timofeev, G.M. Shemyakin, I.D. Shadrin, D.A. Kozhubergenov and I.R. Vasiliev) were seriously wounded. The battle of Dubosekovo went down in history as a feat of 28 Panfilov men; in 1942, all its participants were awarded the title of Heroes of the Soviet Union by the Soviet command...

Panfilov’s men became a terrible curse for the Nazis; there were legends about the strength and courage of the heroes. On November 17, 1941, the 316th Rifle Division was renamed the 8th Guards Rifle Division and awarded the Order of the Red Banner. Hundreds of guardsmen were awarded orders and medals.

On November 19, the division lost its commander... For 36 days it fought under the command of General I.V. Panfilov 316th Rifle Division, defending the capital on the main direction. During his lifetime, the division's soldiers in fierce battles destroyed over 30 thousand fascist soldiers and officers and more than 150 tanks.

Having failed to achieve decisive successes in the Volokolamsk direction, the main enemy forces turned to Solnechnogorsk, where they intended to break through first to Leningradskoye, then to Dmitrovskoye Highway and enter Moscow from the north-west.

Partisan movement.

The partisans operating behind enemy lines provided serious assistance to the Soviet Army.

During combat operations, partisan detachments of Mozhaisk, Volokolamsk, Lotoshinsky, Ruzsky and other districts of the Moscow region distinguished themselves.

Performed an immortal feat heroine Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya . On November 29, 1941, in the village of Petrishchevo near Moscow, the Germans hanged partisan Tanya, who set fire to a stable with German horses. Under the name Tanya was hiding the Moscow schoolgirl Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, who was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for her feat. The Germans did not catch the partisan themselves, she was betrayed by her comrade and peer, who walked with her on the fateful night of November 26, who at the same time had to throw his incendiary bottle. He chickened out last minute, he was afraid of being hanged by the Germans, but was shot by the Russians.
Vasily Klubkov chickened out and was caught. Zoya did not chicken out, she did her job and went to the appointed place. She could have gone further into the forest, but she did not want to leave her comrade in danger. Zoya trustingly waited for Klubkov, but instead of him, the German soldiers sent by him came to the edge of the forest.
Zoya was interrogated in the presence of Klubkov. She refused to identify herself, refused to answer where she came from and why. She said that she did not know Klubkov and was seeing him for the first time.
Then the officer looked at Klubkov. Klubkov said: “She’s lying, we’re from the same detachment. We carried out a task together. Her name is Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya...”
The story with Klubkov not only explained how the Germans established the true name of the partisan Tanya, but also made her interrogation by the Germans pointless. After all, from the traitor, the enemies had already learned the name and real biography of the heroine, and the location of the partisan detachment. And Zoya’s feat was measured not by the damage inflicted on the enemy, but by her moral superiority over him, expressed in her refusal to buy her life or at least an easy death at the cost of betrayal.
Klubkov, sent as a German agent to Moscow, either confessed himself or was exposed as an enemy spy. He was shot according to martial law. Obviously, before his death, the traitor told about Zoya’s last hours.
Here are excerpts from the essay by Peter Lidov:
"...And then they brought Zoya in, pointed to the bunk. She sat down. On the table opposite her were telephones, a typewriter, a radio, and staff papers were laid out.
The officers began to converge. The owners of the house (Voronin) were ordered to leave. The old woman hesitated, and the officer shouted: “Uterus, fuck!” - and pushed her in the back.
The commander of the 332nd Infantry Regiment of the 197th Division, Lieutenant Colonel Rüderer, himself interrogated Zoya.
Sitting in the kitchen, the Voronins could still hear what was happening in the room. The officer asked questions, and Zoya (here she called herself Tanya) answered them without hesitation, loudly and boldly.
- Who you are? - asked the lieutenant colonel.
- I will not say.
- Did you set fire to the stable?
- Yes I.
- Your aim?
- Destroy you.
Pause.
- When did you cross the front line?
- On Friday.
- You got there too quickly.
- Well, yawn, or what?
Zoya was asked about who sent her and who was with her. They demanded that she give up her friends. The answers were heard through the door: “no,” “I don’t know,” “I won’t tell,” “no.” Then the belts whistled in the air, and you could hear them lashing your body. A few minutes later, the young officer rushed out of the room into the kitchen, buried his head in his hands and sat there until the end of the interrogation, closing his eyes and plugging his ears. Even the fascist’s nerves couldn’t stand it... Four hefty men, taking off their belts, beat the girl. The owners of the house counted two hundred blows, but Zoya did not make a single sound. And then she answered again: “no,” “I won’t tell”; only her voice sounded muffled than before...
Non-commissioned officer Karl Bauerlein (later captured) was present at the torture inflicted on Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya by Lieutenant Colonel Rüderer. In his testimony he wrote:
“The little heroine of your people remained firm. She did not know what betrayal was... She turned blue from the cold, her wounds were bleeding, but she did not say anything.”
Zoya spent two hours in the Voronins’ hut. After interrogation, she was taken to Vasily Kulik’s hut. She walked under escort, still undressed, walking barefoot in the snow.
When she was brought into Kulik’s hut, she had a large bluish-black spot on her forehead and abrasions on her legs and arms. She was breathing heavily, her hair was disheveled, and black strands stuck together on her high forehead, covered with drops of sweat. The girl’s hands were tied behind her with a rope, her lips were bitten bloody and swollen. She probably bit them when they tried to torture them out of a confession.
She sat down on the bench. A German sentry stood at the door. She sat calmly and motionless, then asked for a drink. Vasily Kulik approached the tub of water, but the sentry beat him to it, grabbed the lamp from the table and brought it to Zoya’s mouth. He wanted to say that he should be given kerosene to drink, not water.
Kulik began to ask for the girl. The sentry snapped, but then reluctantly gave in and allowed Zoya to get a drink. She greedily drank two large mugs.
The soldiers who lived in the hut surrounded the girl and laughed loudly. Some stabbed her with their fists, others held lit matches to their chins, and someone ran a saw across her back.
Having had enough fun, the soldiers went to bed. Then the sentry raised his rifle at the ready and ordered Zoya to get up and leave the house. He walked down the street from behind, placing his bayonet almost close to her back. Then he shouted: “Tsuryuk!” - and took the girl to reverse side. Barefoot, in only her underwear, she walked through the snow until the tormentor himself was chilled and decided that it was time to return to a warm shelter.
This sentry watched Zoya from ten o'clock in the evening until two o'clock in the morning and every hour took her outside for fifteen to twenty minutes...
Finally a new sentry took up post. The unfortunate woman was allowed to lie down on a bench. Taking a moment, Praskovya Kulik spoke to Zoya.
-Whose will you be? - she asked.
- Why do you need this?
- Where are you from?
- I am from Moscow.
- Are there any parents?
The girl didn't answer. She lay there until the morning without moving, saying nothing more and not even groaning, although her legs were frostbitten and, apparently, were in great pain.
In the morning, the soldiers began to build a gallows in the middle of the village.
Praskovya spoke to the girl again:
- The day before yesterday - was it you?
- I... Did the Germans burn out?
- No.
- It's a pity. What burned?
- Their horses were burned. They say the weapon burned...
At ten o'clock in the morning the officers arrived. One of them asked Zoya again:
- Tell me: who are you?
Zoya didn't answer...
The owners of the house did not hear the continuation of the interrogation: they were pushed out of the house and let in when the interrogation was already over.
They brought Zoya's things: a blouse, trousers, stockings. There was also her duffel bag, and in it were matches and salt. The hat, fur jacket, downy knitted sweatshirt and boots were gone. The non-commissioned officers managed to divide them among themselves, and the mittens went to the red-haired cook from the officer's kitchen.
Zoya was dressed, and the owners helped her pull stockings onto her blackened legs. They hung bottles of gasoline taken from her and a board with the inscription: “Arsonist” on her chest. So they took him to the square where the gallows stood.
The execution site was surrounded by ten horsemen with drawn sabers, more than a hundred German soldiers and several officers. Local residents were ordered to gather and be present at the execution, but few of them came, and some, having come and stood, quietly went home so as not to witness the terrible spectacle.
Under a loop lowered from the crossbar, two boxes were placed one on top of the other. They lifted the girl, placed her on a box and put a noose around her neck. One of the officers began pointing the lens of his Kodak at the gallows. The commandant made a sign to the soldiers performing the duty of executioners to wait.
Zoya took advantage of this and, turning to the collective farmers and collective farm women, shouted in a loud and clear voice:
- Hey, comrades! Why are you looking sad? Be brave, fight, beat the fascists, burn, poison!
The fascist standing next to him swung his hand and wanted to either hit her or cover her mouth, but she pushed his hand away and continued:
- I'm not afraid to die, comrades! It is happiness to die for your people!
The photographer had photographed the gallows from a distance and close up and was now positioning himself to photograph it from the side. The executioners looked restlessly at the commandant, and he shouted to the photographer:
- Aber doh schneller! (Hurry up!)
Then Zoya turned towards the commandant and shouted to him and the German soldiers:
- You'll hang me now, but I'm not alone. There are two hundred million of us, you can’t outweigh them all. You will be avenged for me. Soldiers! Before it's too late, surrender: victory will still be ours!
The executioner pulled the rope, and the noose squeezed Zoya’s throat. But she spread the noose with both hands, rose up on her toes and shouted, straining all her strength:
- Farewell, comrades! Fight, don't be afraid...
The executioner rested his forged shoe on the box, which creaked on the slippery, trampled snow. The top drawer fell down and hit the ground with a loud sound. The crowd recoiled. Someone's scream rang out and died away, and the echo repeated it at the edge of the forest..."

Defense of Stalingrad.

In 1942, German troops broke through to the North Caucasus and launched an offensive in the Stalingrad direction.

The defense of Stalingrad was entrusted to the 62nd Army of General V.I. Chuikov. The whole world knows the words legendary hero, uttered by him upon his appointment as army commander: “I understand the task very well, I will carry out the task, but in general I will either die or Stalingrad will be lost.”

Every great battle gives birth to its heroes. The Battle of Stalingrad has no equal in history.

Soviet pilots fought valiantly in continuous air battles with the enemy. Pilot crew N. Divichenko , who made three combat sorties every day, went on a solo hunt on December 21, 1942. Having dropped bombs on an enemy airfield in the Morozovskaya area, the plane was damaged and was returning on one engine. Then the second engine was damaged by anti-aircraft fire and caught fire. There was a strong explosion in the car. The navigator's cabin was torn off and he bailed out. Divichenko and the shooters died.

Former student of GITIS Natasha Kachuevskaya , who voluntarily went to the front, performed what seemed like an incredible feat on the Stalingrad front as a nurse. After a long battle, 20 people were wounded. Kachuevskaya carried them out along with their weapons, provided first aid and, by order of the commander, took several seriously wounded to the medical battalion. Suddenly she noticed a group of German machine gunners who had infiltrated our rear. They were chasing the car. Natasha carried the wounded to the dugout, and she, armed with rifles and grenades, took cover nearby. The Nazis surrounded the dugout. With well-aimed shots she disabled two Nazis, but she herself was mortally wounded. Gathering her last strength, Natasha inserted fuses into the grenades and detonated them at the moment when at least a dozen fascists came close to her. Some of them were killed, others were wounded. Natasha Kachuevskaya also died, but the wounded were saved. They were taken to the hospital by soldiers from a neighboring company who arrived in time.

On February 2, 1943, the grandiose battle of Stalingrad ended. With this major battle, a turning point in the course of the Great Patriotic War began; from that moment on, the strategic initiative passed to the side of the Soviet command.

The largest battle of World War II was the Battle of Kursk.

Feats of Soviet patriots.

The chronicles of the Great Patriotic War record hundreds of thousands of remarkable feats of Soviet patriots.

Komsomolskaya Pravda Galina Kyiv in the winter of 1942 she found herself at the front near Staraya Russa as a company political instructor. In the battle she was seriously wounded, and the medical commission declared her unfit for life. military service. But, having recovered from her wound, the patriot was again eager to go to the front. And with the help of the Komsomol Central Committee, she received permission. At the beginning of May 1943, G. Kievskaya was appointed Komsomol organizer of the battalion of the 125th Infantry Division. During this battle, the attack of our Red Army soldiers failed. And at this critical moment the girl stood up to her full height and shouted “For the Motherland!” rushed forward. The soldiers, carried away by the heroic example of the Komsomol member, stood up, but the enemy could not withstand such an onslaught and abandoned the heights.

2nd year student of the Chuvash Pedagogical Institute Ivan Alekseev , drafted into the Red Army, participated in battles as an anti-aircraft gunner. After the first wound, he wrote to his sister: “Now I’m stronger, I don’t complain about my health. And don’t forget your older brother - he shot down many enemy planes with his cannons... Soon, having defeated the enemy, he will return home.” In another letter he gives advice: “Study, read, help the front in any way you can.” Having received the news of the death of brother Vasily, he answered sparingly: “There is no hope to wait. I will avenge him!”

June 13, 1944 Death tore Ivan Alekseev from the ranks of Soviet soldiers. In his suicide note, he asked to convey the following words to the “gray-haired father”: “Your son Vanya fulfilled your father’s advice and orders, sparing neither his strength nor his life.”

Lyudmila Pavlinchenko fought near Odessa and Sevastopol. Army newspapers and leaflets called for learning the art of marksmanship from snipers. Lyudmila accounted for 309 killed Nazis. At the front she was wounded, shell-shocked, and frostbitten, but she didn’t even want to hear about being sent to the rear. For her accomplished feat of arms, L. Pavlinchko was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

News of the exploits spread throughout the vast country "Young Guard" in Krasnodar. True to their oath, the Young Guards carried out a great deal of mass political work among the population. In total, during the occupation they issued more than 30 leaflets that ended with the words: “Death to the German occupiers!” On the night of November 7, 1942, Komsomol members strengthened red flags on a number of buildings in the city. Immediately after the November holidays, the underground organized the escape of 20 prisoners of war from the Pervomaiskaya hospital and freed more than 70 soldiers and commanders from the camp on the Volchanok farm.

All Young Guards became a symbol of perseverance, greatness of spirit, love for the Motherland and hatred of its enemies.

On January 1, 1943, failure unexpectedly occurred - due to the fault of a traitor. Arrests and torture began. Underground workers were hung by the neck from a window frame, their fingers were crushed by the door and needles were driven under their nails, they were beaten with sticks and whips. The investigator's office, in which the Komsomol members were tortured, looked more like a slaughterhouse, as it was spattered with blood.

On the walls of the prison cells they left farewell inscriptions that testify to the steadfastness and courage of the Young Guards.

I.A. Zemnukhov wrote: “Dear mom and dad! We need to endure everything steadfastly! Greetings from the loving son of Zemnukhov." L. Shevtsova’s inscription was laconic and tragic: “Farewell mother, your daughter Lyubka is leaving for the damp earth.”

January 30, 1945 Soviet submarine "S-13" under the command of captain 3rd rank A.I.Marinesko accomplished a truly heroic feat. She tracked down the German liner Wilhelm Gustow, which was transporting more than 6 thousand Nazis from Danzig to Kiel. Despite the raging storm, an hour before midnight our submarine attacked an enemy ship. Several torpedoes, one after another, quickly rushed towards the target. After a strong explosion, the liner was blown up.

Young communist pilot A.K. Horovets near the village of Zasorinye, he entered into battle with 20 enemy bombers, shooting down 9 of them. The rest, throwing bombs, turned back. It has never happened in aviation before that a pilot shot down nine enemy planes in one air battle! Communist A.K. Gorovets, who died in this unequal battle, was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Komsomol guard junior lieutenant A.A.Derevianko wrote to his mother: I will die, only heroically.” And he remained true to his oath. In the battle near Belgorod, Derevianko knocked out three Tiger tanks. A few minutes later, new tanks attacked his anti-aircraft gun. With the exclamation “We are Russians!” We will not retreat! Derevianko knocked out another tank. Without having time to load the gun, the Soviet patriot was crushed by the tank tracks. The courageous artilleryman was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

In 1939 Sr. lieutenantA. I. Pokryshkin graduates from aviation school with excellent grades and leaves for Kirovograd, to the 55th Fighter Aviation Regiment. This is where his flying biography began. Pokryshkin met the war in Moldova. And already on June 23 he opens the account - he shoots down the first Me -109. On July 3, already having several victories in the air, he was shot down by anti-aircraft fire over the Prut River. The plane was destroyed during landing at the edge of the forest. The pilot, despite his leg injury, managed to reach the regiment's location on the fourth day.

On October 5, 1941, in the Zaporozhye region, Pokryshkin was shot down for the second time. For several days he emerges from encirclement and fights at the head of a group of soldiers.

At the end of 1941, Pokryshkin's main combat job was as a reconnaissance officer, capable of providing reliable information to the command of the Southern Front. In November, when the lower edge of the clouds dropped to 30 meters, on a low-level flight, Pokryshkin alone (before that, two I-16 fighters flew out on the same mission and did not return) finds the main group of the general’s tank army in the Rostov-on-Don area von Kleist - more than 200 cars. For this feat he was awarded the Order of Lenin.

The air battle began in Kuban. The 16th Guards Regiment, whose first squadron was commanded by Alexander Pokryshkin, gained particular fame. On April 12, in one of the very first battles upon arrival in Kuban, in front of the front air force commander, Lieutenant General K. A. Vershinin, he shot down four Messerschmitts. For this success, the innovative pilot was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. A few weeks later, Pokryshkin’s name was already thundering in the front-line and central press. On May 24, 1943, A.I. Pokryshkin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The legendary battle of April 29, 1943, in which he shot down 5 bombers, is widely known. In the essay “Master of the Sky - Alexander Pokryshkin,” front-line correspondents A. Malyshko and A. Verkholetov wrote: “Does he shoot?” friends say about him. “He comes down with all his fire, burns like a blast furnace.” All firing points on Pokryshkin’s vehicle were transferred to one trigger. Four against 50, three against 23, alone against 8 Pokryshkin entered the battle. And I never knew defeat. Possessing a clear style, A. I. Pokryshkin himself appears with articles in the military press, where he writes about the famous “thunderstorm formula” he created: “Altitude - speed - maneuver - fire!”, about the “Kuban whatnot”, about the “falcon strike” , about a new method of patrolling at high speeds based on the principle of movement of a clock pendulum and other tactical innovations. “Feat requires thought, skill and risk” - this was the credo of the legendary pilot, whom the Hero of the Soviet Union famous pilot

and the writer M. L. Gallai accurately called him “a thinker in our business.”

In February 1944, a call to high authorities followed. The renowned ace is offered the general position of head of the combat training department of the Air Force fighter aircraft. Pokryshkin without hesitation refuses the promotion and returns to the front. In March 1944, Pokryshkin became commander of the 16th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (4th Ukrainian Front).

On July 8, 1944, he received the rank of colonel and was appointed commander of the 9th Guards Fighter Air Division.

On August 9, 1944, for 550 combat missions and 53 downed aircraft, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the third time. A.I. Pokryshkin became the first to be awarded this title, and remained the only three times Hero until the day of Victory over Germany.

Officially, Pokryshkin has 650 combat missions and 59 personally shot down aircraft.

Conclusion.

On May 9, 1945, the Soviet people, all progressive humanity, celebrated a great holiday - Victory Day, which announced the end of the bloodiest war.

The rejoicing of our people on this “holiday with tears in our eyes” knew no bounds. The terrible bloodshed ended and a new, peaceful life began.

In the front ranks of the warriors who fought on land, sea and in the air were young people. The famous Soviet commander G.K. Zhukov speaks with unusual warmth about the heroism and courage of young soldiers: “I have seen many times how soldiers rise to attack. It is not easy to rise to your height when the air is permeated with deadly metal. But they got up! But many of them barely knew the taste of life: 19-20 years old is the best age for a person - everything is ahead! And for them very often there was only a German dugout ahead, spewing machine-gun fire!”

We also won because there were those at the guns, in the tanks, on the planes whose energy and unquenchable passion for heroism in the name of saving the Motherland worked miracles.

During the war years, 7 thousand students of the Youth Union became Heroes of the Soviet Union, 60 Komsomol members were awarded this title twice. 9 million young men and women who joined the Komsomol during the war made an invaluable contribution to the achievement of Victory with their military and labor feats.

Let us bow to those great years,

Theme to glorious commanders and soldiers.

And the country's marshals and privates,

Let us bow to both the dead and the living, -

To all those who must not be forgotten,

Let's bow, bow, friends.

The whole world, all the people, the whole Earth -

Let us bow down for that great battle.

. Alexander Vert. Russia in the war of 1941-1945. Progress Publishing House.

Moscow 1967

Bibliography:

Since 2009, February 12 has been declared by the UN as International Day of Child Soldiers. This is the name given to minors who, due to circumstances, are forced to actively participate in wars and armed conflicts.

According to various sources, up to several tens of thousands of minors took part in the fighting during the Great Patriotic War. “Sons of the regiment”, pioneer heroes - they fought and died along with adults. For military merits they were awarded orders and medals. Images of some of them were used in Soviet propaganda as symbols of courage and loyalty to the Motherland.

Five minor fighters of the Great Patriotic War were awarded the highest award - the title of Hero of the USSR. All - posthumously, remaining in textbooks and books by children and teenagers. All Soviet schoolchildren knew these heroes by name. Today RG recalls their short and often similar biographies.

Marat Kazei, 14 years old

Member of the partisan detachment named after the 25th anniversary of the October Revolution, scout at the headquarters of the 200th partisan brigade named after Rokossovsky in the occupied territory of the Belarusian SSR.

Marat was born in 1929 in the village of Stankovo, Minsk region of Belarus, and managed to graduate from the 4th grade of a rural school. Before the war, his parents were arrested on charges of sabotage and “Trotskyism,” and numerous children were “scattered” among their grandparents. But the Kazeev family was not angry at Soviet power: In 1941, when Belarus became an occupied territory, Anna Kazei, the wife of an “enemy of the people” and the mother of little Marat and Ariadne, hid wounded partisans in her home, for which she was executed by the Germans. And the brother and sister joined the partisans. Ariadne was subsequently evacuated, but Marat remained in the detachment.

Along with his senior comrades, he went on reconnaissance missions - both alone and with a group. Participated in raids. He blew up the echelons. For the battle in January 1943, when, wounded, he roused his comrades to attack and made his way through the enemy ring, Marat received the medal "For Courage".

And in May 1944, while performing another mission near the village of Khoromitskiye, Minsk Region, a 14-year-old soldier died. Returning from a mission together with the reconnaissance commander, they came across the Germans. The commander was killed immediately, and Marat, firing back, lay down in a hollow. There was nowhere to leave in the open field, and there was no opportunity - the teenager was seriously wounded in the arm. While there were cartridges, he held the defense, and when the magazine was empty, he took the last weapon - two grenades from his belt. He threw one at the Germans right away, and waited with the second: when the enemies came very close, he blew himself up along with them.

In 1965, Marat Kazei was awarded the title of Hero of the USSR.

Valya Kotik, 14 years old

Partisan reconnaissance in the Karmelyuk detachment, the youngest Hero of the USSR.

Valya was born in 1930 in the village of Khmelevka, Shepetovsky district, Kamenets-Podolsk region of Ukraine. Before the war, he completed five classes. In a village occupied by German troops, the boy secretly collected weapons and ammunition and handed them over to the partisans. And he fought his own little war, as he understood it: he drew and pasted caricatures of the Nazis in prominent places.

Since 1942, he contacted the Shepetivka underground party organization and carried out its intelligence orders. And in the fall of the same year, Valya and her boys the same age received their first real combat mission: to eliminate the head of the field gendarmerie.

"The roar of the engines became louder - the cars were approaching. The faces of the soldiers were already clearly visible. Sweat was dripping from their foreheads, half-covered by green helmets. Some soldiers carelessly took off their helmets. The front car came level with the bushes behind which the boys were hiding. Valya stood up, counting the seconds to himself The car passed, an armored car was already facing him. Then he stood up to his full height and, shouting “Fire!”, threw two grenades one after another... At the same time, explosions sounded from the left and right, and the front one quickly jumped to the ground. , threw themselves into a ditch and from there opened indiscriminate fire from machine guns,” is how a Soviet textbook describes this first battle. Valya then completed the task of the partisans: the head of the gendarmerie, Chief Lieutenant Franz Koenig and seven German soldiers died. About 30 people were injured.

In October 1943, the young soldier scouted out the location of the underground telephone cable of Hitler's headquarters, which was soon blown up. Valya also participated in the destruction of six railway trains and a warehouse.

On October 29, 1943, while at his post, Valya noticed that the punitive forces had staged a raid on the detachment. Having killed a fascist officer with a pistol, the teenager raised the alarm, and the partisans managed to prepare for battle. On February 16, 1944, five days after his 14th birthday, in the battle for the city of Izyaslav, Kamenets-Podolsk, now Khmelnitsky region, the scout was mortally wounded and died the next day.

In 1958, Valentin Kotik was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Lenya Golikov, 16 years old

Scout of the 67th detachment of the 4th Leningrad Partisan Brigade.

Born in 1926 in the village of Lukino, Parfinsky district, Novgorod region. When the war began, he got a rifle and joined the partisans. Thin and short, he looked even younger than 14 years old. Under the guise of a beggar, Lenya walked around the villages, collecting the necessary information about the location of the fascist troops and the amount of their military equipment, and then passed this information on to the partisans.

In 1942 he joined the detachment. “He took part in 27 combat operations, destroyed 78 German soldiers and officers, blew up 2 railway and 12 highway bridges, blew up 9 vehicles with ammunition... On August 12, in the new combat area of ​​the brigade, Golikov crashed a passenger car in which there was a major general of engineering troops Richard Wirtz, heading from Pskov to Luga,” such data is contained in his award certificate.

In the regional military archive, Golikov’s original report with a story about the circumstances of this battle has been preserved:

“In the evening of August 12, 1942, we, 6 partisans, got out onto the Pskov-Luga highway and lay down near the village of Varnitsa. There was no movement at night. It was dawn. A small passenger car appeared from the direction of Pskov. It was walking fast, but near the bridge, where We were there, the car was quieter. Partisan Vasiliev threw an anti-tank grenade, but Alexander Petrov threw the second grenade and hit the beam. The car did not stop immediately, but went another 20 meters and almost caught up with us. Two officers jumped out of the car. fired a burst from a machine gun. The officer sitting at the wheel ran across the ditch towards the forest. I fired several bursts from my PPSh. Petrov started shooting at the second officer, who kept looking around, screaming. Petrov shot back and killed this officer. Then the two of us ran to the first wounded officer, took the briefcase and documents. We barely dragged it into the bushes (150 meters from the highway). , we heard an alarm, a ringing, a scream in the neighboring village. Grabbing a briefcase, shoulder straps and three captured pistols, we ran to ours...”

For this feat, Lenya was nominated for the highest government award - the Gold Star medal and the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. But I didn’t have time to receive them. From December 1942 to January 1943, the partisan detachment in which Golikov was located fought out of encirclement with fierce battles. Only a few managed to survive, but Leni was not among them: he died in a battle with a punitive detachment of fascists on January 24, 1943 near the village of Ostraya Luka, Pskov region, before he turned 17 years old.

Sasha Chekalin, 16 years old

Member of the "Advanced" partisan detachment of the Tula region.

Born in 1925 in the village of Peskovatskoye, now Suvorovsky district, Tula region. Before the start of the war, he completed 8 classes. After the occupation of his native village by Nazi troops in October 1941, he joined the “Advanced” partisan destroyer detachment, where he managed to serve for only a little more than a month.

By November 1941, the partisan detachment inflicted significant damage on the Nazis: warehouses burned, cars exploded on mines, enemy trains derailed, sentries and patrols disappeared without a trace. One day, a group of partisans, including Sasha Chekalin, set up an ambush near the road to the city of Likhvin (Tula region). A car appeared in the distance. A minute passed and the explosion tore the car apart. Several more cars followed and exploded. One of them, crowded with soldiers, tried to get through. But a grenade thrown by Sasha Chekalin destroyed her too.

At the beginning of November 1941, Sasha caught a cold and fell ill. The commissioner allowed him to rest with a trusted person in the nearest village. But there was a traitor who gave him away. At night, the Nazis broke into the house where the sick partisan lay. Chekalin managed to grab the prepared grenade and throw it, but it did not explode... After several days of torture, the Nazis hanged the teenager in the central square of Likhvin and for more than 20 days they did not allow his corpse to be removed from the gallows. And only when the city was liberated from the invaders, partisan Chekalin’s comrades-in-arms buried him with military honors.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to Alexander Chekalin in 1942.

Zina Portnova, 17 years old

Member of the underground Komsomol youth organization "Young Avengers", scout of the Voroshilov partisan detachment on the territory of the Belarusian SSR.

Born in 1926 in Leningrad, she graduated from 7 classes there and went on vacation to relatives in the village of Zuya, Vitebsk region of Belarus, for the summer holidays. There the war found her.

In 1942, she joined the Obol underground Komsomol youth organization “Young Avengers” and actively participated in distributing leaflets among the population and sabotage against the invaders.

Since August 1943, Zina has been a scout in the Voroshilov partisan detachment. In December 1943, she received the task of identifying the reasons for the failure of the Young Avengers organization and establishing contacts with the underground. But upon returning to the detachment, Zina was arrested.

During the interrogation, the girl grabbed the fascist investigator's pistol from the table, shot him and two other Nazis, tried to escape, but was captured.

From the book “Zina Portnova” by the Soviet writer Vasily Smirnov: “She was interrogated by the executioners who were the most sophisticated in cruel torture... They promised to save her life if only the young partisan confessed everything, named the names of all the underground fighters and partisans known to her. And again the Gestapo met with a surprising their unshakable firmness of this stubborn girl, who in their protocols was called the “Soviet bandit,” Zina, exhausted by torture, refused to answer questions, hoping that they would kill her faster.... Once in the prison yard, the prisoners saw a completely gray-haired girl when she They took me for another interrogation and torture, and threw herself under the wheels of a passing truck. But the car was stopped, the girl was pulled out from under the wheels and taken again for interrogation...”

On January 10, 1944, in the village of Goryany, now Shumilinsky district, Vitebsk region of Belarus, 17-year-old Zina was shot.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to Zinaida Portnova in 1958.

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 volleys from rifles three times...” From the diary of Chief Lieutenant of the 4th Panzer Division Friedrich Hoenfeld

One of the beautiful legends from the Second World War 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, this is an impressive combat story. And Vataman himself looks like a 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, 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 is an absolute record for the entire 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...