The faces of WWII Heroes

Rank: Colonel. Branch of troops: Armored and mechanized forces. Gladush Methodius Kuzmich was born on June 7, 1920 in the village of Mishurin-Rog, Verkhnedneprovsky district, Dnipropetrovsk region. In 1939, he entered the 1st Saratov panzer specialized school. After graduation in June 1941, he was sent for further military service in the 144th tank regiment of the 23rd tank division as a platoon commander of T-26 tanks. Gladush got to the regiment's location on June 17th, 1941. In June 1941, the division was stationed in Libava, with 350 T-26 tanks, 17 “Vickers” tanks, 2 tankettes, 9 flamethrower tanks, 3 t-26 tow trucks, 5 BA-10 armored vehicles, 15 BA-20 armored vehicles. Starting with June 19, the division secretly relocated from Libava and concentrated by June 22 to the north of Telshay in the Kurtuvena area. In June-July 1941 the division protected retreat of Soviet units through Riga towards Pskov. By July 4th, the division had 10 tanks and 150 men in its composition, and was located on the Ostrov-Pskov highway. On July 5th Gladush`s division was supposed to be withdrawn from the fighting, but on July 7, German units knocked back Soviet troops and rushed to the crossings on the Cheryokha river. The remnants of the division were detained and together with the 3rd motorized rifle regiment of the 3rd tank division and the rifle battalion of the 118th rifle division were put on the defense of the crossings. On the evening of July 7, the division's tanks moved into action with the tanks of the German 1st Panzer division. On the morning of July 8, German units crossed the river and reached the southern outskirts of Pskov, where the remnants of the division retreated and on the same day the division left the city through the Northern outskirts. Only two properly operating tanks remained in the division (in addition to 56 damaged and requiring repair). During the first 16 days of the war, 144 tanks were lost due to the enemy fire, 122-for a technical reasons, 9-transferred to other units. After Pskov battle, the remaining tank man of the division were sent to Novgorod to join 8th tank brigade under the command of the future chief Marshal of the armored forces, at that time Colonel, P. Rotmistrov. From September 1941 to Januanry 1942 Gladush participated in the defense of Moscow staying with the 8th tank brigade which was part of the North-Western, Kalinin and Western fronts and took part in the winter counteroffensive of Soviet troops near Moscow when he distinguished himself during liberation of the city of Klin. During the offensive, the brigade marched as far as Rzhev. On January 11th, 1942, the 8th tank brigade was transformed into the 3rd guards tank brigade for the mass heroism of its personnel. After liberation of the town of Kalinin, emblems were painted on the turrets of all tanks of the 3rd guards brigade - large white circles with the number "3" in the middle. Each tank was given a name, which was written in white paint on the tower. On June 26, 1942, the brigade was re-equipped with KV heavy tanks. On July 1, 1942, due to the threat of an enemy breakthrough near Voronezh, the brigade within the 7th tank corps was transferred to the Bryansk front in the Yelets area, where it became part of the 5th Tank Army. On August 24, 1942, the brigade within the 7th tank corps was transferred to the Stalingrad front and became part of the 1st guards army. In August-September 1942, as a part of the 3rd guards tank brigade took part in fierce battles to defend Stalingrad. On 18th of September 1942 after the battle for the hill “154.2” in the area of the junction exit 564, he was awarded with the medal "for bravery". The phrase "a battle for a forester's hut" became a symbol for the positional battles of the First World War. But during battles of WWII in the steppes close to Stalingrad there were no forests, nor foresters, nor huts. In the operational documents of the troops fighting North of the city, another local landmark is mentioned - a traffic light on the railway running from Kotlubani towards Stalingrad. It is amazing how this traffic light survived several fierce battles, was not destroyed by attacking tanks or blown to pieces by shells and aerial bombs. So this particular trafic light at the 564 km junction exit can much more claim to be a symbol of the battle of Stalingrad than the house of Sergeant Pavlov since it was in the center of events much more often and was mentioned in operational reports up to and including the front-line level. And much more soldiers perished next to this traffic light than around any single house in Stalingrad. Gladush participated in the November offensive that terminated by encircling of the 4th Panzer and 6th German armies at Stalingrad. During the Soviet army's counteroffensive at Stalingrad on 19.11-30.12.42, a new tank attack tactic was used during the battle for the Rychkovskaya railway station. Our troops were located on high ground, the positions of the German troops - in the lowlands. At night, with their lights on, but without gunfire or machine-gun fire, the tanks began to move towards the German positions. The enemy was surprised by this kind of attack, the tanks reached the enemy's fortifications without firing a single shot, broke through the defenses and reached the Bank of the Don river. On December 13th, during nazi airstrike his tank was hit by a thermite shell that killed practrically all the guards crew – master sergeant Zemlyakov, sergeant Borowski, senior Sergeant Volchkov. After the crew was buried on the battlefield, repairmen welded a hole from a shell hit with electric welding, and in the morning the tank was back in service, having distinguished itself in battle, paying tribute to the fallen comrades. After the defeat of enemy troops at Stalingrad, Gladush participated in the Rostov offensive operation on January 1 – February 18, 1943. In March 1943, he participated in the defense of Belgorod during the German counteroffensive. In the summer of 1943, he took part in the battle of Kursk. In August 1943, he was transferred to the newly formed 233rd separate tank regiment as a company commander of KV tanks. As part of the regiment, he fought at the 1st Belorussian front within the 50th Army. He was awarded the order of the Red Banner for his distinction in crossing the Pronya and Dnipro rivers and liberating the city of Mogilev. It was decreed on 10th of July, 1944 that 233rd Separate Tank Regiment was given the honorary name "Mogilev". For military valour during the battle for Pron river Gladush M. K. was awarded the order of the Red Star. Together with the regiment, he participated in the liberation of Belarus and Poland. In the summer of 1944, he was sent to serve in the Polish Army, as a tutor of the tank school of the Polish Army in the city of Khelm. All Soviet officers in this school wore the uniform of The Polish Army. In March 1945 Gladush participated in the suppression of the uprising of supporters of the Krayovy Army among the cadets of the school. He was awarded the Polish silver Cross of merit. In the post-War years, he was commissioned as a teacher to the Kazan tank school, but due to the discrepancy in rank and age, he was transferred to Anapa as a company commander of a tank battalion. After Kazan, Gladush worked for Kharkov tank school as a teacher of tactics. In 1958 Gladush graduated from the Military Red Banner Academy of the Armored Forces of the Order of Lenin and the October Revolution named after Marshal of the Soviet Union R. Ya. Malinovsky- and after that served in various positions in the Baltic States, within the group of Soviet forces in Germany and in Crimea. In 1970, he went on a well-deserved rest. He passed away in 2012 at the age of 92.

Rank: Junior Lieutenant Type of Troops: Coastal Defense and Air Defense Artillery Subdivision: 28th Guards Rifle Kharkov Red Banner Division Ganeev Akhmet Gareevich, born 05/15/1921 Was drafted into the Red Army on September 18, 1940 Until December 1942 he served in the coastal protection of the Pacific Fleet in Vladivostok. Further, after the third report, he was sent to the front in the formation at the station. South of the Perm region, a separate ski team. After training, he was transferred to the Kalinin Front in the 28th Guards Rifle Division. From the beginning of August 1943 he took part in the battles at the Kursk Bulge, lasting 3.5 months. As part of the division, he liberated Krivoy Rog, was wounded in the thigh. From November 1943 to early 1944 he was in the hospital. After the hospital, he was assigned to a reserve regiment, which then became part of the 4th Ukrainian Front. Together with his regiment he took part in the Jassy-Kishinev battle (Moldova). After this battle, he was transferred to Ukraine, participated in the capture of the Brest bridgehead as a mortarman, crew commander. As part of the 373 rifle division, he participated in the liberation of Poland, reached Berlin. From the walls of Berlin, the division was transported to Czechoslovakia. He met Victory Day in Prague. Then the division was returned to the Lvov region (Western Ukraine) to eliminate the Bandera gangs. Demobilized in May 1946 with the rank of junior lieutenant. Awarded: 2 commendations for the liberation of Belgorod and Kharkov (from Commander-in-Chief IV Stalin), Order of the Patriotic War 1 degree, Medal "For Courage", Medal "For Victory over Germany "And a number of jubilee medals. He died on May 14, 1999.

Rank: Senior Lieutenant. Type of troops: aviation. Division: 213rd night bomber aviation Vitebsk Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Division. Before the Great Patriotic War, Dmitry Sergeevich Gavrilov worked as a mechanic, then went to study and successfully graduated from the flight school. In the army since June 22, 1941. 24th Guards Bomber Aviation Yukhnovsky Order of Kutuzov Regiment. He fought on the Northern, then Volkhov fronts. He flew in the daytime and at night. He carried out especially difficult reconnaissance and bombing missions, transported seriously wounded soldiers and commanders. Often he carried out combat missions in the most difficult meteorological conditions, with limited visibility and at low altitude. He performed over 1000 sorties, of which more than 500 combat missions. In the flight service, he showed examples of perseverance, dedication and contempt for death, in order to achieve an early victory over the enemy. For the exemplary performance of complex combat missions, for the courage,valor and fearlessness shown at the same time, he was awarded government awards. Once, performing an important mission on an ambulance plane, taking out seriously wounded soldiers, he was attacked by two enemy fighters. The plane was badly damaged, and the pilot was seriously wounded in the leg. Despite the serious injury and damage to the aircraft, Gavrilov D.S. skillfully brought the plane out of the fire, planted it in the forest and saved the lives of the wounded. After the Great Patriotic War, Gavrilov D.S. moved to civil aviation. Passed training in helicopter piloting. He worked as a commander of a helicopter detachment. He worked with oilmen from Tyumen and Urengoy. Finished flying service at 60. Then he continued to teach young cadets an honorable and responsible flying business.

Rank: Senior Sergeant. Type of troops: Armored and mechanized troops. My father, Glukhov Vladimir Mikhailovich, on July 15, 1941 at 15 o'clock left Kargapolye station for the front. The Great Patriotic War was going on. Already without him, on July 22, 1941, a son was born - Glukhov Vladimir Vladimirovich. He fought in the armored forces as a tank driver in the Zhukov Army. He already had military experience - the war with the Japanese and the Finnish one was behind him. From November 13, 1935 to February 1938, he served in the Far East in Manchuria, fought on a wedge heel on Lake Khasan and the Khalkhin-Gol River with the Japanese. From September 11, 1939 to August 1940, he took part in the battles in the Finnish War as a driver. He transported the shells there, and back - the wounded. In the Great Patriotic War, having such experience, it was easier to fight. At the end of 1943, he was slightly wounded and lost a tank. For a new tank he was sent to the city of Nizhny Tagil, Chelyabinsk region (almost home). On October 10, 1943, my mother took her son for the first time to show his father to Nizhny Tagil. Father was ordered to leave for 4 months to train young tankers at a training ground in Nizhny Tagil. They offered to remain an instructor. The father refused and filed a report on being sent to the front. On January 25, 1944, he came home for a visit for 5 days, after which he left for the front. In early May 1944, when crossing the Oder River, there was a direct bomb hit in Poland. The father was wounded (wounded in the head), two phalanges of the ring finger of his right hand were torn off and a wound in the knee. A radio operator, also wounded, pulled out of the burning tank. The paint from the burning tank bounced off and pierced his father's face. All over my face were such black and green beads. I touched them, rolled them under the skin and wondered why my dad had such a strange face. Over time, they all came out and the face became clean, just a little porous. After the hospital, my father was discharged from the tank forces. In the distributor, all (such) were lined up. The captain came out and examined. He went up to his father, ran his finger along his straight nose and asked: - Siberian? The father answered: - Siberian. - If there are still Siberians, get out of order and me. So my father left for a new place of service already as a driver. He was officially retired in February 1946.

Rank: Lieutenant Colonel. Type of troops: Armored and mechanized troops. Division: 10th Panzer Division. My great-grandfather, Dmitry Petrovich Grigoriev, was born on January 5, 1920 in the village of Vymets (now it does not exist, was on the territory of the Dukhovshchinsky district of the Smolensk region) in a peasant family. Since 1927 he lived in the city of Yartsevo. He graduated from seven classes of school, after which he worked as a laboratory assistant at a control and seed station. In 1939, Grigoriev graduated from the Nikolo-Pogorelovsky Agricultural College. In 1940 he was called up to serve in the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army. In 1941, Grigoriev graduated from a tank technical school in Kiev, with the rank of lieutenant he served in the 10th tank division stationed in the Lithuanian SSR. From the first day of the Great Patriotic War, on its fronts, on June 22, 1941, he took part in a battle with German troops on the Neman River. Grigoriev's tank platoon fought 20 enemy tanks. Grigoriev personally destroyed one of the tanks, but his tank was also knocked out. With battles, he retreated to the east, took part in defensive battles for Vilnius, Molodechno, Minsk, Orsha, the Battle of Smolensk, battles at the Solovyov Ferry. In the fall of 1941, Lieutenant Dmitry Grigoriev, who underwent special training, was thrown into the enemy's rear at the head of a sabotage and reconnaissance group. A month later, the group turned into a partisan detachment named after Furmanov, which committed a large number of sabotage actions in the Dukhovshchinsky, Prechistensky and Baturinsky districts of the Smolensk region. In March 1943, Grigoriev's detachment merged with the Red Army. In the autumn of the same year, he graduated from advanced training courses for the officers of the Western Front, after which, with the rank of captain, he was appointed commander of a company of machine gunners of the 250th rifle regiment of the 82nd rifle division of the 3rd army of the 1st Belorussian Front. He distinguished himself during the liberation of the Byelorussian SSR. In June 1944, Grigoriev led an airborne group from his platoon and 20 76-mm self-propelled guns. At the beginning of the Soviet offensive during Operation Bagration, the group broke away from the division's subunits and went into a raid on the enemy rear in order to capture the bridge across the Berezina. On the way to the bridge, the group defeated 18 German garrisons. The bridge, located near the city of Bobruisk, Mogilev region, was successfully captured on June 29, and was held by Grigoriev's group for 32 hours. In the battles for the bridge, the group repelled several fierce enemy counterattacks, destroying 420 enemy soldiers and officers, 65 motorcycles, 3 tankettes, 12 machine guns. For this operation, Grigoriev was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. On July 2, without an order from the command, Grigoriev with a group made a rush to Minsk and seized the freight station of the railway, freeing a large number of Soviet citizens who were being hijacked to work in Germany, and held this station until the approach of Soviet troops. For this throw, Grigoriev received a reprimand from the command, as he acted without his knowledge. In the future, Grigoriev took part in the liberation of Poland, forcing the Western Bug, Vistula and Oder. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of March 24, 1945 for "exemplary fulfillment of command assignments and displayed courage and heroism in battles against the German invaders" Captain Dmitry Grigoriev was awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal numbered 8057 Took part in the capture of Berlin. He left his painting on the wall of the Reichstag. In 1946, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, Grigoriev was transferred to the reserve. He lived in the city of Yartsevo, Smolensk region, worked as director of the Yartsevo bakery, then director of a nursing home. In 1950 he joined the CPSU (b). Participated in social work. He died on January 3, 1985, and was buried at the Khatyn cemetery in Yartsevo. He was also awarded the Orders of the Red Banner, Alexander Nevsky, the First Class of the Patriotic War, as well as a number of medals.

My great-grandfather, Nikolai Afanasevich Garusov, was born in 1926 in a small Belarusian village. When the war began, he was 14 years old. For the first time, the Nazis occupied the territory of Belarus. The older brothers were taken to Germany. Great-grandfather managed to hide. And, for 3 long years, he lived with his mother and younger sister in a dugout, because the village was burned down by the Nazis. From the stories of my great-grandfather, I know what a terrible time it was: hunger, devastation, shelling, fires. As a boy, my great-grandfather saw terrible pictures of executions, saw how partisans were hanged and tortured. And he himself was on the verge of death several times. In 1944, Soviet troops liberated Belarus. At the age of 18, my great-grandfather was taken into the army. In 1945 he entered the active army. The hostilities took place in Japan. In heavy battles with the Japanese, my great-grandfather was wounded, and was awarded medals for bravery and courage. The Japanese started this war to divert the forces of the Soviet army from the fight against the Nazis. But the courage and valor of the Soviet soldiers did not allow these plans to come true. 71 years separate us from that great victory day in 1945. But even today my great-grandfather remembers that distant time and his deceased comrades with tears in his eyes. Served: 16th separate order of the Red star moto-sapper battalion. The beginning of hostilities in China near the Great Khingan Mountain. The first battle is the Salun station. The battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Polishchuk. Before the offensive, the battalion's task was to clear mined areas for the offensive of the main Soviet troops.

Rank: Lieutenant. Type of troops: Artillery. Unit: 51st Rifle Vitebsk Red Banner Order of Suvorov Division Nikolai Gnedov was drafted into the ranks of the Red Army in 1938 by the Volosovsky Military Commissariat of the Leningrad Region. He was sent to the regimental school of the 85th anti-aircraft artillery regiment. Upon its completion, from 1939 to 1942, he served first in the named regiment, then in the 408th separate anti-aircraft artillery battalion of the Trans-Baikal Military District as the commander of an artillery gun. In June - September 1939 he took part in battles in the area of the Khalkhin-Gol River. In 1942 he took an accelerated course of study at the military-political school in Irkutsk. On the fronts of the Great Patriotic War he fought since January 1943 as part of the 257th mortar regiment of the 22nd artillery division on the North-Western Front as deputy battery commander for political affairs, since April 1944 as part of the 154th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 51st Infantry Division 6- 1st Guards Army as commander of a mortar platoon, then a mortar company. In July 1944, Lieutenant Gnedov was awarded the Order of the Red Star for bravery in offensive battles. He received the second Order of the Red Star for his participation in the battles for the city of Polotsk. In November 1944, he was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky for his participation in breaking through the defense line in the area of the Venta River (Lithuania), for skillful command of a mortar platoon and personal courage. Nikolai Petrovich received another Order of the Red Star in December 1944 for bravery and courage in battles on the territory of Latvia. In 1946, Nikolai Petrovich Gnedov was demobilized. He lived in the town of Opochka, Pskov region, worked in the district committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, then took part in the movement of thirty thousand people and headed the collective farm "Red Order". He started a family with a girl who also returned from the fronts of the Great Patriotic War - Anna Tyuneva. Together they lived in peace and harmony for 17 years until the death of Nikolai Petrovich. I am their daughter, I was 5 years old when my father passed away. Mom carefully kept the memory of him. But I didn’t have a chance to hear my father’s front-line stories. My older brother tried to question him, but my father always made fun of him. People who knew Nikolai Petrovich remember him as a very kind, attentive person, who could be approached with any problem. He never refused to help anyone, even in his own time.

Bychkov Yegor Sidorovich was born in 1915 or 1917 in the village of V.-Yashinka, Yeltsovsky district of Altai Territory. A member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, on July 12, 1942, he volunteered for the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army and was sent to the front by the Kuzedeevsky regional military enlistment office of the West Siberian Military District. On July 23, 1942, at the Yurga station of the Novosibirsk (now Kemerovo) region, the formation of the 150th rifle division of Siberian volunteers took place. On the morning of September 14, 1942, the division's transfer by rail to the west began. From 23 to 30 September 1942, the Siberian Volunteer Division was in camps near Moscow. Here it was replenished with military equipment, vehicles and partly with weapons. After checking the combat readiness of the units, the division was transferred by rail to the unloading points - the Selizharovo and Shuvaevo stations. From here the Siberian Volunteer Division made a 170-kilometer march under the city of Bely. On November 16, 1942, the 150th Infantry Division in the 41st Army began to prepare for hostilities. From November 24, 1942 to January 20, 1943, units of the division fought fierce battles with the enemy in the area of ​​the city of Bely. The active actions of our troops in this sector of the Kalinin Front forced the German command to urgently transfer 12 new divisions to the "Rzhevsky salient" area and thereby significantly weaken their forces already moving towards Stalingrad. At the cost of enormous losses, the Siberian volunteers for several months constrained the actions of the selected Nazi troops of the Center group. The success of the Battle of Stalingrad, a turning point in the course of the Great Patriotic War, was largely ensured by the bloody battles on the Kalinin (Tver) land. The feat of the Siberians became a vivid evidence of their high patriotism and unparalleled courage.

The combat path of my grandfather, senior sergeant Buyantuev Tsyren-Dondok Doksonovich (Republic of Buryatia, Selenginsky district, village Noekhon). 236 soldiers left Noekhon for the war, 127 of them did not return from the front: some died, some went missing. The names of 127 dead soldiers are included in the "Book of Memory". In the village there is a monument to the soldiers-fellow villagers. It contains a list of all those who did not return from the front. The war did not bypass our family - the Buyantuyev family. According to the stories of my dad and close relatives, I know that my grandfather, Buyantuev Tsyren-Dondok Doksonovich, fought at the front. I know my grandfather only from memories, since he died long before my birth. My grandfather was born in the village of Noekhon in the Selenginsky region in 1913 into a family of peasants. My grandfather did not like to remember the war, but thanks to my dad, Bimba Tsyrendondopovich Buyantuev, I learned the battle path that he went through. Grandfather fought to Berlin. He fought in the ranks of the famous 62nd Guards Cavalry Regiment of the 18th Guards Division of the 7th Cavalry Corps of General Konstantinov. Already in the first battles, he showed himself to be a brave, resourceful soldier, for this he was appointed commander of the crew of a heavy machine gun. Senior Sergeant Tsyren-Dondok Doksonovich received his first award - the Medal for Military Merit in the summer of 1942 in the battles for the town of Sukhinichi. From the memoirs of my grandfather, which are kept in the museum of the Noekhon secondary school: “Having successfully overcome the Desna, the regiment began to deploy on the right bank of the river. The Germans tried several times to knock us out of this bridgehead. A platoon under my command repulsed several Nazi attacks during the afternoon, but did not surrender the height. " For the courage shown in this battle, the Order of the Red Star shone on my grandfather's chest. The fearless platoon commander took part in many battles and more than once showed valor and courage. In the battles for the Dnieper he was wounded. Having recovered after being wounded, he liberated the cities of Chernigov and Mozyr in Belarus as part of his 18th Guards Division. In the fall of 1943, the troops of the Central Front (renamed into Belorussian in October 1943) approached the Dnieper. On November 26, after continuous fighting, our troops liberated Gomel. The time for the release of Mozyr was approaching. An operation was developed that went down in the history of the Great Patriotic War as the Kalinkovichi-Mozyr operation. Five days were given to prepare the operation. In the conditions of wooded and swampy terrain and off-road , communications acquired particular importance. The Hitlerite command took all measures to strengthen its group. It attached exceptional importance to the Kalinkovichi railway and highway junctions, the regional center of Mozyr. The defense was held by 9 infantry and 2 tank divisions, 3 divisions of assault guns, a cavalry regiment and other units. Long-term defensive structures, pillboxes, trench lines were built, the area was heavily mined. The battle for Mozyr reached the highest tension on January 13th. The enemy continued to counterattack. Mozyr was completely released by 6 a.m. In the battles for Mozyr, significant losses were inflicted mainly on the enemy's 86 infantry divisions, 1,500 soldiers and officers were killed. 710 sq. kilometers, more than 80 settlements are occupied. In the battles for the liberation of Mozyr, the troops suffered heavy losses. Also, my grandfather, together with his division, liberated the city of Chernigov. For 40 days of the offensive, Soviet troops completely expelled the fascist invaders from Poland and launched hostilities on the territory of Nazi Germany. The 7th Cavalry Corps of General Konstantinov, in which my brave grandfather fought, also participated in the Berlin offensive. The glorious military path of our fellow countryman ends in Berlin. For the courage and heroism shown during the Great Patriotic War, my grandfather is awarded two military medals "For the capture of Berlin", "For the liberation of Warsaw", the Order of the Patriotic War, II degree. Having returned home with victory, he gives all his strength and knowledge to his native collective farm. He works in various areas of collective farm production - construction, as a shepherd on a brood flock, as a foreman of a tractor brigade, as a deputy chairman of a collective farm. Together with my grandmother Tsyrema Dondopovna, they raised six wonderful children. For his great organizational skills, the people elected him in 1968 as the chairman of the Noekhon Somon Council. He worked in this position without fail until retirement. For long-term, fruitful work in collective farm construction, he is awarded a state award - the Order of the Badge of Honor. He has not been among us for a long time, but the memory of him as a fearless warrior, a person infinitely loving his land, a wonderful leader always lives in the hearts of relatives and fellow countrymen. In the history of mankind, there are events over which time has no power. The Great Patriotic War should never be erased from the memory of our people, no matter how much time has passed after its end. It is everyone's duty to cherish the memory of those who did not return from the war, to pay tribute and gratitude to those who are with us.During the war he took part in many military operations: • liberated the cities: Sukhinichi, Chernigov, Mozyr in Belarus; • participated in the battles for Desna, Dnieper; • participated in the Kalinkovichi-Mozyr operation; • He ended the war when he reached Berlin. For military operations he was awarded: • Order of the Red Star; • Order of the Patriotic War II degree; • Medal "For Military Merit"; • medal "For the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War in 1941 - 1945"; • medal "For the capture of Berlin"; • Medal "For the Liberation of Warsaw". He was also awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor and has anniversary medals. I imagine him young, handsome and cheerful, although I know that the soldiers were exhausted, tortured by the war. But they instilled confidence in everyone: the mother was consoled, the wife was encouraged with an affectionate word, the children were instructed to learn and help their relatives. Gradually, the image of my grandfather Buyantuev Tsyren-Dondok Doksonovich, a loving son, brother, father, courageous defender of the Fatherland, liberator of Europe from the German invaders, appears. Let the memory of those who selflessly loved their Motherland, who bequeathed to us faith in Russia, will remain with us. I am proud of my grandfather. I think that today he would be proud and happy, and happily celebrated the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

Born on February 18, 1923 in the village of Vysokogorodetsk, Aban District, Krasnoyarsk Territory, into a peasant family. Parents died in 1937-1938. Victor studied first at an elementary school in the village of Vysokogorodetsk, then at a school in the village of Aban. He graduated from 8 classes of Aban secondary school in 1940. In the 9th grade, Bogutsky studied only until November 22, 1940. In October 1940, on a Komsomol ticket, he entered the Kansk Aero Club. After graduating with honors from the flying club on April 3, 1941, he was drafted into the Red Army by the Aban RVK of the Krasnoyarsk Territory and enrolled in the Omsk military aviation school of pilots. On December 9, 1942, after graduating from the aviation school, he was appointed a pilot of the 17th training aviation regiment of the 8th reserve aviation brigade in Kazan with the assignment of the military rank of sergeant. From June 10, 1943 - pilot of the 99th Guards Trans-Baikal Separate Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment. Already on July 20, 1943, by order of the regiment commander for the first 10 successful combat missions to reconnaissance of enemy troops, the Guard Sergeant Bogutsky was awarded the medal “For Courage”: “Fulfilling combat missions with strong opposition from anti-aircraft artillery and repeated attacks of enemy fighters, skillful maneuver and going into the clouds fully completed the tasks. He managed to reveal the movement of troops on highways, found 45 aircraft and 24 echelons at railway stations at enemy airfields. " On August 31, 1943, when a Pe-2 aircraft approached the assigned reconnaissance area Pochep-Unecha, Starodub one of the engines refused. The pilot had the right to go back. But he completed a combat mission, after which 210 km, conducting reconnaissance over enemy territory, walked on one engine, every minute at the risk of being shot down. On September 10, 1943, the Guard Junior Lieutenant Bogutsky was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. In the spring of 1944, he flew 32 more reconnaissance missions for the movement of enemy troops in Latvia. He flew without cover for fighters at an altitude of 3000-4000 meters, during the execution of missions he was fired upon by anti-aircraft artillery 14 times and 9 times attacked by enemy fighters. In March, he carried out a special task of the reconnaissance department of the army headquarters for wide-angle aerial photography of large areas in the Soviet offensive zone. For the excellent performance of combat missions on April 30, 1944, he was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree. For valuable intelligence on the movement of troops and the basing of aviation at enemy airfields, the guard senior lieutenant Bogutsky was awarded the second Order of the Red Banner on August 18, 1944. The fame of the fearless pilot thundered all over the front. Bogutsky was assigned the most difficult tasks. The attacks of large groups of bombers and attack aircraft were planned according to air reconnaissance data. In 1944, the pilot's intelligence was used in the preparation of the summer and autumn offensives of the troops of the 2nd Baltic Front. The crew of V.S.Bogutskiy photographed the entire system and power of the enemy's defense in areas with a total area of ​​1117 km2, and uncovered the defensive system in an area of ​​345 km2. All these data contributed to the successful breakthrough of the enemy's defenses and the development of the offensive success of our troops. On October 26, 1944, the Guard Senior Lieutenant Bogutsky was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. From the presentation for the award: “Taking part in the war since June 1943, he flew 120 successful combat missions to reconnoitre and photograph enemy troops and equipment. When conducting reconnaissance and photographing large defensive lines and areas 35 times he met the opposition of enemy fighters, but during air battles he always came out victorious, 46 times fired by anti-aircraft artillery, but with the right maneuver combined with cunning and fearlessness, he always performed the tasks perfectly. Meeting strong opposition from enemy fighter aircraft and anti-aircraft artillery at low and high altitudes, Comrade Bogutsky five times brought the Pe-2 aircraft on one engine to his airfield and, as a rule, with a fully completed combat mission. " Viktor Bogutsky did not have time to learn about the Hero's Golden Star and receive the second Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, to which he was presented on January 25, 1945. The order on awarding him was signed on the day of his death - February 23, 1945. On February 23, 1945, senior lieutenant Viktor Bogutsky of the Guard died while performing another combat mission. This was another sortie in the final operation to eliminate the enemy's Kurland grouping to photograph objects in the Konigsberg area. On the route, the scout was surrounded by fascist fighters. The plane was shot down, the crew was killed. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 18, 1945, Senior Lieutenant Viktor Stepanovich Bogutsky was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously) for the exemplary fulfillment of combat missions of the command on the front of the struggle against the German fascist invaders and the courage, courage and heroism of the guards displayed at the same time. Only in 1972, the search group found the place of death of the crew of V.S.Bogutsky.The plane was shot down 10 km from the town of Pinkuli, Latvian SSR. The remains of three crew members were buried with military honors in a mass grave in Ainadi, 60 km from Liepaja. By order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR V.S.Bogutsky was forever enlisted in the lists of the personnel of the military unit. On May 9, 1985, a bust of the Hero was installed in the village of Aban. Since 1963, one of the streets of the village of Aban, Krasnoyarsk Territory, has been named after the Hero. In 1968, the Museum of the Hero was established at school No. 4 in Aban, in 1979 the school was named after him. A memorial plaque was installed on the house in the village. Vysokogorodetsk of Abanskiy district, where he lived.

My great-grandmother was a participant in the war, her name was Barabash Raisa Alekseevna, she was born on November 2, 1923 in a large family. Granny has always been an example for our family and for her sisters. She graduated from the 7th grade and entered the Kushchevsky school as a veterinarian. But the war began, and her studies were interrupted, she had to return home, to Ekaterinovskaya (now Krylovskaya). Here she collected various information, reports in the trenches and transmitted to other villages and nearby farms. She carried all this information herself, on foot, sometimes the distances were several tens of kilometers! As a 19-year-old girl, my grandmother received a summon and was drafted into military service. In 1944, she was sent to Krasnodar, where a medical examination was passed. Then, to Novocherkassk for the courses of a young fighter. There, she and many other girls were taught to walk with a marching step, crawl on their bellies and handle weapons. Then she was sent to the Kharkov 90th anti-aircraft regiment. There she was already trained as an anti-aircraft gunner. The most vivid memory associated with this place is the parade, which was received by the regiment commander: the soldiers marched with a marching step with the song "Get up, the country is huge", and the grandmother was the lead singer. By the way, she was very fond of singing, even when disassembling weapons. And one spring she and her friends were walking along the Dnieper River with the song "Oh, Dnieper, Dnieper, you are wide, powerful" and fell through the ice. Fortunately, no one was hurt and nothing happened. My grandmother said that once the commander asked her: "You are probably from Poltava?" And she replied: "No, I am from the Kuban, I am Russian." So they began to call her "Russian". From Kharkov, with the rank of junior sergeant, my grandmother was sent to Kremenchug in 1870, an anti-aircraft artillery regiment, to battery number 2. She said: “There were a lot of us, girls from Penza, Novosibirsk, Krymsk, and I still remember all of them. It was not easy for us: we carried the tools on ourselves, lived in dugouts ... And in 44 the winter was very snowy, and there was water in our dugouts. We constantly had to carry a weapon with us, because from time to time Bendera's men attacked ... And soon there, in the Ukraine, we met victory. " The grandmother died in 2014, at the age of 92. She had many medals and orders, post-war photographs, and even had a whole box of letters and congratulations. She kept all this as a memory of the years gone by. Every year we went with her to a rally on May 9, where she held the honorary place of a war veteran. We were often visited by guests from the district administration, correspondents of the local newspaper. We still have all the newspapers at home where interviews, photographs and congratulations were printed. Now I take part in the Immortal Regiment action and proudly carry a portrait of my beloved grandmother.

Belousov Vladimir Makarovich, born on October 25, 1919, a native of the village of Parfenkovo, Dubrovensky district, Vitebsk region, BSSR, invalid of II group of the Great Patriotic War, a communist with a capital letter. Was called up for active military service in October 1939 into the ranks of the armed forces of the USSR. Since September 1941 appointed commander of the 592 artillery regiment of the Volga Military District. He was repeatedly wounded and received a concussion. He was treated in hospitals in Grozny and Stalinir, Georgian SSR. He fought on the South, Transcaucasian and 1st Belorussian fronts. He reached Berlin as part of a group of Soviet troops in Germany. He left his painting at the Reichstag. Senior sergeant V.M. Belousov was demobilized. 07/15/1946 from the anti-aircraft artillery regiment, 89th Guards Rifle Division. For bravery, stamina and courage shown in the struggle against the German fascist invaders, he was awarded medals: "For Military Merit", "For Courage", "For the Defense of the Caucasus", "For the Capture of Konigsberg", "For the Capture of Berlin", "For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945 ", the Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree. Thanks were announced from I. V. Stalin and G. K. Zhukov. When he was asked to tell about the war, he talked reluctantly and quietly, with pain in his eyes, sparing the psyche of his children, omitting terrible moments - then he could not sleep for a long time, walked around the house, shrapnel wounds ached, did not let him forget about those terrible days. It was evident how hard memories were given to him, and those close to him tried not to remind him of the war once again. He always said that he was ready to eat one bread and water, if only this hell would not be repeated on earth. When asked what helped to survive in the war, he replied: - "Dream! In between battles, lying in a trench, dreamed of a big friendly family, a big house, dreamed of meeting with relatives: mother, sister and three brothers. For the sake of them i had to live . I am the eldest and have to raise a family, since my father died at the front. " His dream came true: he returned from the war wounded, but alive, built a big house, got married, but the most important thing in his dream is the children - together with their wife, they gave birth and raised eight children. Life is measured not by the years lived, but by what a person has done good for people and relatives, which mark he left on the earth. Vladimir Makarovich has always been an honest, decent and hardworking person, never left anyone in trouble, always helped everything he could, always was an example for the family and other people: he defended and took care of his homeland like the apple of his eye, and in peacetime he worked tirelessly - he worked as a foreman at a state farm and always took his team to the first place, people loved and respected him, listened to his advice and requests. For valiant work, ideological commitment and dedication, he was awarded the following signs: "Winner of the Socialist Competition of 1977", "Drummer of the Ninth Five-Year Plan", the "Veteran of Labor" medal, and the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. The fact that the road was paved in the village and tap water was installed is his merit. Unfortunately, now there are very few such ideologically strong-minded people who would care about the people around them and the environment, who cares about what will happen next with their relatives, and the fate of strangers would not be indifferent to them, who are used to giving away, and not consume those who are used to being responsible, for whom honor and courage would not be empty words, but those concepts for which you can give your life. Vladimir Makarovich was just such a person, and his family and friends are proud of him and always remember him with trepidation, love and aching sadness in their hearts.

Born in 1919 in the village of Lukino, Velikie Luki region. First he graduated from seven classes of the Belsk secondary school, then the city pedagogical college. He read a lot and gradually collected a good library of fiction at home. On several self-made shelves, one could find poetry and prose, as well as various dictionaries and reference books. He loved to draw, compose poetry, compose and solve crosswords, rebuses. He was very fond of messing with children, easily found a common language with them. I dreamed of becoming a teacher. After graduating from the technical school, having passed all the exams, he was admitted to study at the Moscow Pedagogical Institute named after N.K. Krupskaya at the Faculty of History. He studied successfully, was enthusiastically engaged in scientific work. I learned about the short and tragic fate of my uncle Ivan Semyonovich Butsev during the dashing war years from my father Fyodor Semyonovich and his younger brother Pyotr Semyonovich. My grandfather Semyon Konstantinovich, a participant in the battles of the First World War, and then the Civil War, throughout his long life carefully kept documentary evidence of that heroic time - the war letters of his four beloved sons Ivan, Fyodor, Nikolai and Peter. Two sons Ivan and Nikolay remained young forever ... Only 12 letters and postcards from Ivan to his father have survived. In 1941, these are three letters: June 30, October 5 and 10. The rest of the letters refer to 1942: June 16 and 26; July 4, 18, 23 and 29; August 3, 15 and 19. From these letters, bit by bit, information about my uncle Ivan Semenovich Butsev began to be collected. It turned out that on June 26, 1941, he passed the last exam of the summer session for the third year at "good" and was sent to work as a sportsman in the pioneer camp No. 3 near Moscow in the area of ​​the railway station Pravda Severnaya ZhD. At the end of the summer (or autumn) of 1941, he was drafted into the Red Army by the Frunzensky district military registration and enlistment office in Moscow and sent to a military unit in the city of Arzamas, and in October, along with other former students, to study at a military infantry school in Vladimir. Already on May 2, 1942, an accelerated graduation of young officers took place. I.S. Butsev was assigned to the Western Front in the 12th Guards Rifle Division. Guard Lieutenant I.S. Butsev was appointed commander of the 2nd mortar company in the 29th Guards Rifle Regiment. Location in the area of ​​the city of Kozelsk, Kaluga region. On the front line since June 30, 1942. In a letter to his father dated July 4, he writes: "A few meters away is the enemy's front line." In a letter dated August 15: “Good afternoon, dear dad and Cockerel! I send you my heartfelt greetings! I received your letter, but I was a little late in answering it. For three days now we have been fighting the Germans. Yesterday we fought off four counterattacks. The enemy suffered heavy losses in men and equipment. The prisoners were taken. We firmly hold our borders. This morning there has been a lull, which I took advantage of to write to you. Yesterday I was slightly wounded by mine fragments in my arms, leg and neck. All the fragments, except one, were immediately removed by the medical instructor. One has not yet been removed, it sits deep in the neck, quite small. I repeat, the wound was completely insignificant, I didn’t even go to the first-aid post, I was helped on the spot. In general, everything is in order. "

Butsev Fedor Semenovich Butsev Fyodor Semenovich. The Belovsky RVK of the Smolensk Region was drafted into the Red Army on October 27, 1939, a Red Army soldier of the 148th Light Artillery Regiment in the North Caucasian Military District, since January 1941 - a cadet of the Odessa Military Aviation School of Pilots. The beginning of the war on June 22, 1941 was met by a cadet of the Odessa Military Aviation Pilot School. In August 1941, the aviation school was relocated to Stalingrad, and in November to Frunze. In the fall of 1942, for health reasons, he was discharged from flight work. He wrote a report and asked the command to send to the front in the active army. But in November 1942, as part of a large group of former cadets from the flight school, he was sent to the Frunze Military Infantry School as a cadet in a rifle battalion. Commander of a squadron of anti-tank rifles of the 444th Rifle Regiment of the 108th Rifle Division with the rank of senior sergeant, since March 1943 he participated in defensive and offensive battles in the area of ​​the Zhizdra River in the Kaluga Region, and in the summer of 1943 - in battles on the Kursk Bulge on Bolkhov direction, north of the city of Orel (Western and Bryansk fronts). In August 1943, he was appointed Komsomol organizer of the 444th Infantry Regiment, in October he was awarded the military rank of junior lieutenant. In January 1944 he was awarded the Order of the Red Star. He was also awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, II degree. In March 1945, as a Komsomol organizer of the regiment with the rank of captain, he took part in the battles for the liberation of Danzig and the liberation of Poland (1st and 2nd Belorussian fronts), was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree. In 1950 he graduated from the Higher Military Pedagogical Institute named after M.I. Kalinin. He served in the Armed Forces of the USSR in the Siberian and Leningrad Military District. Period from 1962 to 1976 - lecturer, and then senior lecturer at the Department of the Military Academy of Communications. Candidate of Historical Sciences (1972), Associate Professor (1973). Dismissed by age from the ranks of the Armed Forces of the USSR on August 3, 1976 with the rank of colonel. He was awarded two Orders of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree, the Order of the Patriotic War of the 2nd degree, three Orders of the Red Star and many medals, including: "For Military Merit", "For the Defense of Odessa", "For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. . "," For the liberation of Warsaw "; three medals of foreign states (Poland, Mongolia and Belarus).

In June 1940 he was drafted into the army, a Red Army soldier of the 268th Infantry Regiment. He fought on the Leningrad front. From March 1943 to March 1944 he was a cadet of the courses of junior lieutenants on the Leningrad Front, upon graduation he received the rank of junior lieutenant. From March 1944 to April 1944 he was commander of the 743 rifle regiment of the 131st rifle division. In April 1944 he was wounded and was being recovered in hospital No. 1539 until July 1944. From July to October 1944, he was in the reserve of the 9th archive officer regiment. From October to November he commanded a rifle platoon of the 256th rifle division of the 934th rifle regiment, in November Nikolai Semyonovich was wounded a second time, and he was undergoing treatment in hospital No. 1146 until December 1944. After the hospital was in reserve 421 officer regiment (December 1944 - January 1945) January - April 1945 - commander of the 934th rifle regiment of the 256th rifle division. From April to August 1945 - the commander of a rifle regiment of the 7th Guards Rifle Division. August - September 1945 - student at the advanced training courses for officers. From September to November 1945 - was in reserve. Discharged to the reserve on November 13, 1945 with the rank of guard lieutenant. Has awards: Order of the Great Patriotic War, 2nd degree (1945), Order of the Red Star (1944). Medals “For Courage” (1942), “For the Defense of Leningrad”, “For Victory over Germany” (dated May 9, 1945). After the war, he worked as chairman of the Krasnaya Derevnya collective farm in the Zherdevsky district. Nikolai Semenovich had 10 children.