The faces of WWII Heroes

Pavel Selin was born in the village of Vozdvizhenka in the Ponomarevskiy District of the Chkalov Region on July 18, 1918. After completing seven classes, Pavel studied in Buguruslan at the school of agricultural machine operators, after which he worked on a collective farm in Vozdvizhenka on a harvester. In 1938, he was called up by the Ponomarevskiy District Military Enlistment Office to join the Red Army in the tank forces. But the peace service was disrupted by the war. Pavel received his first baptism of fire on the territory of Belarus near Minsk, as a mechanic-driver of a BT-7 tank. It was a shock division, and therefore Pavel Makarovich took part in the defense of Moscow and Stalingrad, where the fiercest battles took place. Received medals For the Defense of Moscow, For the Defense of Stalingrad. At Stalingrad, the tank crew, where Selin was the driver, destroyed three enemy tanks and five artillery pieces with their personnel and more than 200 Hitlerites. For his brave actions, Pavel was awarded the Order of the Great Patriotic war of the 1st degree on 09.02.1943. Then the division was transferred to the Caucasus, where he was awarded the medal For the Defense of the Caucasus. At the end of 1943, Pavel participated in operation 140 TTTpp. Pursuing the enemy, his tank broke into the firing positions of German batteries. Eight guns with personnel were crushed by the tracks of the KV-85 tank, and 2 Tiger tanks were destroyed. But in an unequal battle, the tank was hit, and the tank commander was also killed. However, Pavel continued the fight. Although he was seriously wounded, overcoming pain, repelled 2 enemy counterattacks, was shell-shocked, and only when the tank caught fire, jumped out of it. He was injured in both legs, and then in the hospital they were amputated to his knees. The command highly appreciated him and awarded Pavel for his unparalleled courage and heroism in the fight against the German invaders with the medals For Bravery (12.01.1943), For Military Merit, the Order of the Red Banner of Battle (20.02.1944) and the Order of Lenin (03.04.1944). Pavel did not fight any longer, and returned home disabled. For some time he worked as a clerk in the Personnel Department of Ponomarev Agricultural Machinery. Then he married Matrena Bazulina, built a house with his wife in the village of Vozdvizhenka, where he lived with his family and children - the eldest daughter Nadezhda, and son Sergey, born on March 22, 1961. He died on July 26, 1987. He was buried in the village of Vozdvizhenka of the Ponomarevsky District of the Orenburg Region.

The childhood and youth of Stefan had passed in the village of Ananenkovskoe. At school, he studied diligently and had good grades. In the spring of 1941, he was transferred from 8th to 9th grade, but the outbreak of the war did not allow him to study further. In the first years of war, not upon reaching adulthood, worked hard on the state farm of Apanasenkovskoe, had positive reviews from fellow villagers and the management of the collective farm. In April 1943, at the age of 18, he was called up as a gunner for a 45 mm gun in the 22nd Cavalry Artillery Regiment, which was part of the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps of the Steppe Military District with a deployment in the area of Kartashevo, Borovoe, Dryazgi of the Lipetsk Region. On July 9, 1943, based on the Directive of the Supreme Command Headquarters, the Steppe Front was formed from the forces of the Steppe Military District in the Kursk Region. Initially, the front's troops were deployed in reserve behind the Central and Voronezh Fronts. The task of the front was to stop the enemy's advance on the occupied line in the event of a breakthrough. Since July 5, 1943 he took part in the battle of Kursk. 28.07.1943, the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps was transferred to the Bryansk Front. On the night of September 9, 1943 the 2nd Guards cCavalry Corps was assigned the task of reaching Desna, cutting off the enemy's escape routes to the Troitskiy and Vladimirovka crossings, seizing a bridgehead on the West Bank of the river, cutting the Bryansk — Smolensk railway, and holding the bridgehead until the infantry arrived. By noon on September 11, 1943. The 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps, which included the 22nd Cavalry Artillery Regiment, fully completed its combat mission: it crossed the Desna River, captured a bridgehead on the Western Bank of the river that stretched up to eight kilometers along the front and up to five kilometers deep, and cut the Bryansk-Smolensk railway. This brilliant success played an important role in the general course of the battle for Bryansk and Bezhitsa, in the breakthrough of the enemy's defensive line along the Desna River by our troops. During the fighting, when crossing the river Stefan was seriously wounded. He was urgently sent to the evacuation hospital #1601, located in Arkhangelsk, where he was treated until April 1944. After the hospital, in April 1944, Stefan was sent to the 14th Separate Tank Battalion, and in August 1944 he participated in combat operations in the area of the cities of Wengruv, Sokol-Podlaski. At the end of August 1944 however, his previous injury did not allow him to participate in combat operations and Stefan was sent to the evacuation hospital #5135, where he was demobilized for health reasons on September 23, 1944. For bravery, fortitude and courage shown in the fight against the Nazi invaders, Stefan Suchkov was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War 1st degree and the Marshal Zhukov Medal. He died on 16.08.1997 in the village of Divnoye, Apanasenkovskiy District, Stavropol territory.

This is the story of a short life and a heroic feat that every day, every hour was performed by simple Russian unknown guys who gave their lives for the sake of the lives of their mothers, wives and children. Alexander Slyakov was born back in 1902 (still in tsarist Russia) in the village of Kryukovo, Podolskiy District, Moscow Province, now Domodedovo District. Like all his peers, he witnessed the First world war in 1914, the revolutionary upheavals of 1917, famine, devastation, NEP. Married. Built a house in the village of Chulpanovo. During the Soviet time, from 1925 to 1928, Alexander served in the Workers and Peasants Red Army. After service he worked for the Podolsk Mechanical Sewing Machine Factory (former plant of the joint-stock company “Singer”, during the Soviet times the plant was named after M. Kalinin) as a fitter, raised children. But the peaceful happy life was over. The Great Patriotic War knocked on his door. Already Podolsk cadets stopped the enemy, at the cost of their lives, on the Ilinskiy borders of the Warsaw Highway. His factory was evacuated to the East. On October 31, 1941, Alexander was drafted by the Podolsk Military Commissariate into the Soviet Red Army, when the last of the four children was just over 2 months old. In the first days of November, he was sent to Kashira, where the 979th Artillery Regiment was formed as part of the 173rd Rifle Division, withdrawn to the reserve of the Western Front after bloody defensive battles, to put itself in order and replenish. On November 27, being under the operational control of the 1st Guards Cavalry Corps of General P. Belov, the division's regiments, interacting with the cavalry, launched a counter-offensive. The 173rd Division and the Cavalry Corps in the battle of Moscow were the first on the entire Western Front (commander G. Zhukov) to launch a decisive offensive. Since then, Alexander, along with most of the regimental colleagues, did not know the bitterness of retreat. From November 27 to December 9, during the defeat of the Kashir-Venev enemy group, General Belov's troops liberated 78 localities. The division was located at the junction of the 49th and 50th Armies and often moved from one subordination to another for tactical reasons. During the joint battles, the cities of Mordves, Venev, and Aleksin were liberated. By February 1942, according to the Stavka plan, units and formations of the Western Front, together with the troops of the Kalinin Front advancing from the North, were to close the encirclement of the enemy army group at Yukhnov. The 50th Army was ordered to pin down the enemy with its right flank. The left flank (413th, 290th, 173rd, 366th Rifle Divisions, 2nd and 32nd Tank Brigades) was to deliver the main blow in the area of Adamovka, then, in cooperation with parts of the 4th Airborne Corps operating behind enemy lines, to attack North of the Warsaw Highway in the rear of the enemy's Yukhnov group. Thus, on January 24, the 173rd Rifle Division also went on the offensive near the village of badgers. For almost a month, bloody fighting continued on this highway – the most important highway that connected the strong Yukhnov group of the enemy with its rear. The Nazis clung to every meter of land here. Strong fortifications were erected in villages along the highway, including reinforced concrete pillboxes with armored hoods. Their caps were so strong that they could withstand the bombing attacks of Soviet aircraft. The approaches to the highway were surrounded by trenches, barbed wire, and minefields. On the sixty-kilometer section from Yukhnov to Milyatin, there were more than three dozen such nodes-fortresses. On Warsaw Highway day and night plied detachments of infantry on cars and motorcycles with tanks, protected from the blows of our artillery with ice ramparts, drenched with water. Their thickness was such that they could not be pierced by gun shells. In addition, the Nazis created an effective fire system, and the air was constantly dominated by their aircraft. In early February 1942, the Germans attacked the villages of Vyshnee and Sitskoe and cut the road to the Height #186.1. Soviet divisions were surrounded. Soviet soldiers were forced to take up a circular defense four kilometers South-East from Barsukovo. To help them from the outside of the ring, the 290th and newly arrived fresh 336th Rifle Divisions and the remaining units of the 173rd Rifle Division began to strike. On February 8, they recaptured Vyshnee with heavy losses, but were unable to advance further and break the encirclement ring. On February 9-12, new, fresh enemy units appeared in the Barsukovo area: the 181st Infantry Regiment of the 52nd Infantry Division and the 57th Infantry Regiment of the 9th Infantry Division. All this indicated that the Germans were preparing to strike. When the headquarters lost hope of outside help, they decided to break through the encirclement on their own. They wanted to break the enemy's resistance in the valley of the Popolta river by a night attack and join the main forces of our army. The Germans lit up everything around them with rockets and hit them with machine guns and machine guns almost at point-blank range. I had to fight my way through a solid carpet of dead bodies. The enemy's resistance was broken and at dawn on February 15, 1942, the soldiers joined the main forces of the 50th Army. Our contemporaries call the surrounding area adjacent to the villages of badgers, Vyshnee, Devyatovka, as well as the floodplains of the former river Lydia and Popolta the "Valley of Death". More than eight thousands of our soldiers died in this place only from February 1 to February 15, 1942. The amazing courage and steadfastness of Soviet soldiers and their unparalleled heroism in overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles will forever go down in history. Death Notice Your husband, a Red Army soldier Alexander Slyakov, a native of Moscow Region, Podolsk District, village Kryukovo 45, in the battle for the Socialist Homeland, loyal to the military oath, showing heroism and courage, was killed on February 14, 1942.

My grandfather Vladimir Timoshenko was born in Ukraine in the village of Podlesnovka, Sumskoy Region, on December 03, 1925. His father, my great-grandfather Michael, was killed in fighting with the Ukrainian nationalists. In 1937, a mother with three children, fleeing from starvation, moved to Siberia in the small town of Yashkino in the Novosibirsk (now Kemerovo) Region. When the Great Patriotic War began, he was only 16 years old. By the age of 18, he graduated from the Novosibirsk Officer Courses and was sent to the front as a Second Lieutenant. He fought on the Kursk bulge near Prokhorovka, where the famous tank battle took place. The young officer commanded a squad whose task was to conduct reconnaissance behind the enemy lines, as well as take diversionary actions to confuse the fascists and distract them from attacking the main forces of the Russian Army. When the battle of Prokhorovka took place on July 12, 1943, the soldiers of the combat squad, being slightly away from the epicenter of the battle, created noise to confuse the enemy so that the blow to the main units was not so strong. This saved the lives of many of our soldiers. After such a fake attack, the soldiers lay down and waited for the reaction of the Germans. At this time, a German Tiger tank was already moving towards them. The muzzle of the Tiger was pointed in the direction of the fighters, but... fortunately, the aiming angle was not enough, and it fired at a nearby tree, which instantly shattered into splinters. Shrapnel shells wounded my grandfather, he received multiple wounds, and one fragment was near his heart. He lost consciousness. Some time later, when the shooting subsided, the wounded soldier was picked up by an old local woman. She dragged him to her house and hid there. When the attack began, and our troops entered the village, she told them that she had a wounded officer in her house. My grandfather was sent to a military hospital. The injuries were multiple, as a result of which he underwent many surgeries and was treated there for a long time, but the fragment that was near his heart could not be extracted. He passed with it all his life. After the battle of Prokhorovka, my grandfather was awarded the Order of the Red Star and medals for his military services. After the war, he moved to the city of Kemerovo and served In the Department for combating banditry. Then, served in the Regional military enlistment office, he accompanied conscripts to the Far East. After a while, he became a Director of the Central Stadium in Kemerovo. In 1954, by order of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR, he received the rank of Lieutenant. With his wife, my grandmother, Maria, they lived together for 50 years, raised two wonderful sons, one of them is my father. With their difficult life and honest work for the good of the Motherland, they set an example to their grandchildren, and even managed to rejoice at their great-granddaughter. My grandfather died on February 23, 1995, on Defender of the Fatherland Day. I will always keep the memory of my grandfather a true Defender of the Motherland.

M. Syrovatkin was born on April 21, 1923 in the village of Bychok, Petropavlovskiy District, Voronezh Region. Military rank: Guards Corporal. Position: calculator of the 8th Battery, 3rd Detachment, 38th Guards Kalinkovichskaya Double Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Artillery Brigade. In the Red Army from May 18, 1942. He was called up by the Mechetinsky District Military Commiserate of the Zernogradskiy District of the Rostov Region. Participation in the Great Patriotic War from September 27, 1942. Awards: Order of the Red Star (April 18, 1945), Order of the Patriotic War 2nd degree, Medals: For the Defense of the Caucasus, For the Liberation the Crimea, For the Capture of Berlin, For Bravery, For the Victory over Germany. “In May 1942, I was drafted into the Red Army and was sent to the Artillery Officer School in Ordzhonikidze (Vladikavkaz). After 4 months of training, due to the approach of the front, the school was disbanded and the cadets were assigned to military units. I was assigned to the 61st Artillery Regiment, which was in the Commander-in-Chief's reserve. The Commander, Colonel G. Dol, assigned me to a platoon of 152 mm guns, and soon transferred to the platoon management of calculations and adjustments, where there were more competent soldiers. I had a technical school and four months of artillery school behind. 61 regiment took part in the battles by the village of Voznesenskaya near Mozdok. With the German advance on Vladikavkaz, our regiment was transferred there. Fierce battles were fought for the villages of Khorsky, S. Dzuarikau and Elkhotovo (Elkhotovo Gate). That was a kind of meat grinder. We defended, the Germans pressed, they needed a breakthrough to the Caspian sea, and its oil. But we had hold out. Help came from the North. In connection with the defeat of the Germans at Stalingrad, our troops launched an offensive towards Transcaucasia. The Germans began to withdraw to the Taman Peninsula. Thanks to the coordinated work of fire control of the 61st Artillery Regiment, the shells fell exactly on targets at the retreating German troops. On January 11, 1943, Mozdok and Nalchik were liberated, and Stavropol was liberated by the morning of January 21. I participated in the liberation of Pyatigorsk and Krasnodar. My first award, the most expensive, for the defense of the Caucasus. The 61st Artillery Regiment also had a lot of merit in the liberation of this cities. Then our 61st Artillery Regiment was transferred to the Crimea in the area of Perekop and Sivash. In early March, it rained. Muddy roads hindered the movement of troops. We were practically standing still. Only tractors could move, but with difficulty. On April 8, we received an order for the offensive. We were issued with four sets of ammunition, food for 18 days, and five refills of gas. On April 11, 1944, we broke through the defenses at Perekop and Sivash and captured the city of Dzhankoy, and on April 13, our banners were flying over Simferopol, Yevpatoria and Feodosia. The 61st artillery regiment contributed a lot for these victories. After the Crimea, our regiment was sent to Belarus and fought as a part of the 1st Belorussian Front. Belarus was occupied by German for three years. We saw devastated cities, burned down houses in villages, not a single school, not a single family that would not have suffered from the Nazis. The task of the 1st Belorussian Front was to liberate Baranovichi, Pinsk, and Brest. At dawn on July 8, fighting broke out for the city of Baranovichi and by lunchtime, it was liberated. I participated in the liberation of Pinsk, and Borovichi. By the order of the Commander-in-Chief, the 61st Artillery Regiment was merged with the 62nd Artillery Regiment into the 38th Artillery Brigade in October 1944, and it was transferred to the Baltic States and participated in the liberation of Riga. Heavy battles were fought for the station Vainode. War is war. They awarded those who distinguished themselves, buried the dead, and sent the wounded to the medical unit. We received replacements in return, and were taught them how to fire. I close my eyes and see my comrades standing in front of me. I remember their faces, even some of them by name. Soldiers who died in battle are alive as long as we remember them. The closest comrades-in-arms remained in my memory forever. Ivan Kolmykov from Azov, was trained in Ordzhonikidze, received baptism of fire near the station of Arkhonskaya, Ivan Zhukov - the gun commander. Near Riga, he engaged 13 German tanks and destroyed four of them. Peter Kubanskiy, the chauffeur, delivered ammunition in any weather under any conditions. They are dead, they are dead! In December 1944, our 38th Artillery Brigade was already fighting in Poland. We came to the Oder River near Neu-Glitzen. Our troops started crossing and our artillery brigade covered it. The crossing was difficult, we made several attempts and suffered heavy losses. Many of our soldiers and commanders displayed heroism. The Oder River is more than 100 meters wide and up to 7 meters deep. In some places, the crossing was difficult. The town of Neu-Glitzen was located on the German side of the Oder River. From April 16 to April 19, the German defense consisting of three echelons was breached and the road to Berlin was opened. On April 18, 1945, I was awarded the Order of the Red Star for fighting in the town of Neu-Glitzen. Being the only calculator in the battery, despite the lack of a reference network and solid contour points when changing the battle lines of the battery, I managed to link the firing position and observation point in a timely and accurate manner. In addition, while simultaneously performing the role of a scout, I discovered on April 18 one enemy artillery battery, which was later suppressed. Our 38th Artillery Brigade together with other troops of the 1st Belorussian Front reached Berlin. I remember for the rest of my life the moment when the capitulation of Nazi Germany was announced on the radio at night. There was so much joy and tears. We congratulated each other, because we were still alive and the war was over. Combat crews of the 38th Artillery Brigade were stationed 6 km from Potsdam in the barracks of the former German air force. Everyday life, study, guard duty, and technical training and maintenance of equipment began. I participated in the opening ceremony of the Soldier-liberator Monument on May 8, 1946 in Treptow Park in Berlin. Its location was chosen by the Soviet command. The remains of soldiers who were previously buried in various city cemeteries, about 7,000 soldiers, were moved here, and granite from Hitler's Reich Chancellery was used in the construction of the memorial. During the formation of troops at this event, I was in the honor guard in my 38th Artillery brigade, next to us were our aviation and infantry divisions, as well as American, British and French soldiers. Marshal G. Zhukov was present at the opening of the monument, P. Rybalko made a speech, and then there was a parade of allied troops. Participated in the protection of Victory Day in Berlin in 1946. The most memorable moment of the Victory Day was the airship in the sky, from which a huge canvas with portraits of Lenin, Stalin, Engels, Marx hung. I also visited the Reichstag Building. I was impressed by the building itself, the figure of Wilhelm sitting on a horse, but most of all I remember the walls covered with chalk, charcoal and bayonets with names and surnames, numbers of military units who fought their way to Berlin, took the Reichstag and finished off the fascist evil spirits . My service in Germany continued until February 1947, and then I was discharged.”

My great-grandfather Alexey Smirnov was born in the village of Krasniy Kust of the 2nd Berezovskiy selsoviet of the Muchkapskiy District of the Tambov Region. Participant of the Great Patriotic War. He finished only five classes - his mother died, and his father could not raise children, because he worked hard. My great-grandfather went to live with his older sister in the city of Balashov. After some time there, he entered the Tractor operators school. Before the war, he served in the 3rd Separate Tank Company as a driver from November 1936. In October 1939, he was dismissed to the reserve. He was mobilized by the Kursinskiy District Military Commissariat in the Chita Region. He was the Chief of the military record-keeping Desk. After that, he was transferred to military unit #527, to the 3rd company, then was called up to the 206th Special Training Company of Scouts. Then transferred to the 328th Artillery Regiment. My great-grandfather was an ordinary soldier. He did not have a high rank, but did everything possible and impossible during the war. He was a brave and courageous man with a strong character. After that, he was assigned to the 2nd Belorussian Front. These war years were hard. Under the bursts of shells in rain and snow, heat and cold, the Soviet soldiers confidently approached Victory. My great-grandfather remembered their commander-in-chief, Konstantin Rokossovsky, a Soviet military commander and statesman, one of the most outstanding military leaders. Great-grandfather went through the war. He fought bravely for the world we now live in. My great-grandfather received Medals For the Defense of Leningrad, For the Victory over Germany, letters of thanks. After the war, my he participated in the restoration of the war-torn city of Voronezh. My great-grandfather died on April 27, 1980. I am very proud of my great-grandfather! 3rd grade student MAOU "Lyceum #29" Tambov Ksenia Lopukhova.

Dedicated to my great-grandfather Boris Anatolyevich Tresvyatsky. Unfortunately, I never saw him. My great-grandfather took part in the Great Patriotic War. I know about him only from the stories of my dad. And he, in turn, from his grandmother. My great-grandfather Borya was born on July 27, 1921, in the Ryazan region in the village of Blagie. He finished 10 classes and was drafted into the army at the beginning of the war. _x000D_ Like the whole country, my great-grandfather gave all his strength to protect his Fatherland. His military path was long and hard. He fought on various fronts, including the Belorussian and Ukrainian, with the rank of guard Junior Leiutenant. Participated in the storming of Berlin and the liberation of Prague. He was wounded 2 times. _x000D_ Orders and medals, which he was awarded, speak of his glorious military path: the Order of the Red Star, the medal “For Capture of Berlin”, the medal “For Liberation of Prague”, “For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. ", medal "20 years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 ", medal “50 years of the USSR Armed Forces ". _x000D_ In May 1945, the war ended, but his service in the ranks of the Red Army continued for another 2 years in Germany. All this time, my great-grandmother, then Polyakova Valentina Alekseevna, was waiting for him. Great-grandfather Borya wrote her letters from the war, which are still kept in our family. They have become very old over the years, but priceless. My great-grandmother Valya was very much waiting and believed that great-grandfather Borya would return safe and sound. And finally, the service ended and great-grandfather returned home. _x000D_ After the war they got married, and in 1949 my grandmother Nadia was born. After the war, my great-grandfather Borya worked as a teacher of the Russian Language and Literature. Then he worked as an inspector in the main Department of Vocational Education under the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR. And he worked there for the rest of his life. For his work, he was awarded the badge "Excellent worker in public education", badge "Excellent worker in vocational technical education of the USSR" and the medal "For valiant labor. In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. " _x000D_ My great-grandfather Borya died in 1970, when my grandmother Nadia was pregnant with my dad. Grandmother Nadya at that moment decided that if a boy was born, she would name him after her father. This is how my dad, Boris, was born. Great-grandfather had passed away for a long time, but we always remember him with respect and gratitude, keep his awards. Victory Day is a big holiday for us! Written byAnna Borisovna Tresvyatskaya.

Rank: Senior Leiutenant _x000D_ Branch: Ground Forces, Air Force (except naval Aviation), Coastal Service, troops People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs, Border Troops _x000D_ Unit: 345th Infantry Division (2 formations) _x000D_ _x000D_ Retired Colonel was born on June 17, 1923 in the village of Polom Kirov region. It was a harsh time, childhood and youth were very hard. His mother Alexandra Andreevna worked in the hospital as a nurse and paramedic. My father worked for hire, harvested charcoal, worked in a kolkhoz. On June 16, 1941, Arkady graduated from high School, and after 5 days the Great Patriotic War began. On July 3, he was drafted into the army and sent to the Aviation mechanics School, then in January 1943 - to the Podolsk infantry School. _x000D_ In March 1943, he was appointed platoon commander in the 52nd Motorcycle Regiment, and later as a company commander. The main missions of the regiment and the motorcyclists of the twenty-year-old company Leiutenant Sychev were actions behind enemy lines, capturing important strong points, routing headquarters, blowing up bridges, reconnaissance of the enemy, creating panic in his rear. Arkady Andreevich participated directly in hostilities for eighteen months. His company successfully operated in September - October 1943 in the Ukraine, in April - May 1944 in the Crimea, in July - October 1944 in Belarus, and later in the Baltic States. _x000D_ The most striking combat episodes with his participation were played out in the most hard conditions of bloody battles for the Left Bank Ukraine, for the left bank of the Dnieper. Since November 1943, the Regiment took part in the battles for the Nikopol foot strong. The Germans strengthened the foot strong and reinforced with troops in order to help their group in the Crimea. These were the hardest battles for A.A. Sychev's company. Only in January 1944 the foot strong was captured and the city of Nikopol was liberated. In the period from November 1943 to January 1944 alone, the company commander survived the death of five of his platoon commanders. _x000D_ As part of the motorcycle regiment A.A. Sychev participated with his company in the heroic assault on the famous Sapun Mountain near Sevastopol. The mountain was a natural barrier on the outskirts of Sevastopol. For several days, persistent efforts were made to take the heavily fortified Sapun Mountain. The main assault was undertaken on May 7, 1944. The fight was very hot. Sychev’s company participated in this assault from beginning to end. Led by their commander, the soldiers showed miracles of heroism. The impregnable Sapun Mountain was taken, which ensured the liberation of Sevastopol and the defeat of the Nazi group in the Crimea. _x000D_ More than once the brave company commander looked death in the face. Here is one of the combat episodes near Bobruisk in July 1944. Sychev’s company burst into the enemy trenches. With a pistol in hand and a cartridge in the chamber, the company commander runs through the trench. Several of his subordinates are behind him. The trench turns 90 degrees. Behind the bend he collides head-on with a German. He has a submachine gun on his chest. He turns the machine gun towards the company officer, who holds the pistol at chest level. The German was two or three meters away from him. Without aiming, Sychev A.A. pulls the trigger. The German falls. The rest of the Germans rushed to run away along the trench and were immediately destroyed by our soldiers. Such episodes occurred more than once or twice at the front. _x000D_ Arkady's military merits were deservedly awarded with many military orders and medals. One of the main events in his life he considers his participation in the historic Victory Parade on Red Square in June 1945. _x000D_ One of the main missions of his work, he considered to educate children, find out what each of them has in their souls, and instill in them love for their homeland. The result of his work was the advanced positions that his Suvorov platoon constantly occupied in study and discipline. He still believes that the most unforgettable and happy years of his service in the army were the time he worked as an educator at the Tambov Suvorov Military School. _x000D_ Despite his mature years, the front-line soldier is still in the ranks. He lives in the city of Korolev, takes an active part in the work of the Council of Veterans of the Tambov Suvorov Military School, the annual meetings of our graduates in Tambov, always calls on us to strengthen the cadet brotherhood. He constantly deals with issues of military-patriotic education of young people, and of the general population. In recent years, he has performed on a volunteer basis in dozens of schools, gymnasiums, boarding schools, work collectives. He teaches lessons in courage. He takes a class, a group, sometimes a whole hall, tells the truth about the war, about the heroism of our soldiers. Arkady Sychev believes that the main engine of longevity is to be in good spirit, be optimistic, keep smiling. Уoung people should be educated on the positive side, then they will be kind, respectful, and true people. _x000D_ Written by Council of Veterans of the Tambov Suvorov Military School.

Branch of troops: Engineering troops_x000D_ _x000D_ Tishalovich Semyon Fadeevich (04.06.1923 – 25.09.2015) was drafted into the army in June 1944, when Soviet troops liberated Belarus. At that time, my great-grandfather was 21 years old. Grandfather Semyon carried out an extremely dangerous service: he was a sapper in the 196th Lezny engineer-sapper Battalion of the 29th engineer-sapper brigade of the 6th Guards Army of the 1st Baltic Front. The front was commanded by General of the Army I. Kh. Bagramyan. _x000D_ Grandpa Semyon was a part of many crucial battles. He took part in the liberation of Belarus and the Baltic states (in the defeat of the German Army Group Center). Supporting the offensive of the 1st Baltic Front, the engineering troops were engaged in the Construction of bridges and crossings, and cleared minefields. During my grandfather's service, the Germans more than once organized counterattacks in different sectors of the front. And his sapper brigade always arrived at the forefront when there were messages about the intention of the enemy to attack. They planted mines in the fields, warning the actions of the fascists. _x000D_ Once, during a German offensive with the use of heavy tanks "Tiger" on the mines of grandfather Semyon, two enemy tanks were blown up at once. For this efforts he was awarded the medal "For Courage". He has many other medals and orders. _x000D_ Grandfather celebrated Victory Day in Latvia. After the end of the war, he continued to serve. The sappers had enough work - they cleared the places of past battles. And only in the spring of 1947 he returned to his native village Katilovo, Vitebsk region, where he lived until the end of his days. Together with his grandfather Semyon, his brother Fadey and two brothers-in-law, brothers Peter and Vladimir Petrovsky, fought. After the war, grandfather Semyon worked for 30 years on a tractor, growing grains. For these efforts, he was awarded the medal "For Valiant Labor" in honor of the 100th anniversary of the birth of V. I. Lenin. _x000D_ Grandfather Semyon lived a long, eventful life. However, his memories of the war have always remained clear and accurate. He remembered everything that happened to him during the war, down to the last detail, and loved to share his memories with us: children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren. At the end of September 2015, Semyon's grandfather passed away. However, the memory of his efforts, contribution to history, to the defense of our Motherland is forever alive with us.

Rank: Major _x000D_ Branch of troops: Technical troops (KhV, ZhDV, AV, RTV, DV, topographic) _x000D_ _x000D_ My grandfather, Sergeev Pavel Alexandrovich, was born in the village Owino near Tikhvin in 1912. He was a career officer in the Red Army since 1934. Participated in the Civil War in 1939-1940 in the fight against the White Finns on the Karelian Isthmus. In the Great Patriotic War from June 1941 he was in the rank of major. At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he served as the Deputy Military Commandant of the railway section and station Leningrad-Varshavsky Oktyabrskaya railway._x000D_ From June to September he took part in combat operations for the defense on the northern, western and south-western approaches to Leningrad, organized the transportation of military equipment, troops and cargo by rail. From September 1941 he provided evacuation from Leningrad. Further, the combat path passed with the Leningrad and 3rd Baltic fronts. _x000D_ He took part in the defensive operation in Estonia, in the offensive operations at Tikhvin, Sinyavino and Mgoi. Participated in the defeat of the Nazis near Novgorod and Leningrad, in breaking the blockade in January-February 1944. In the Krasnosel'sko-Ropsha, Pskov offensive operations, the defeat of the Finnish troops in Karelia and the German troops in the Baltic. _x000D_ He was awarded the Order of the Red Star for skillful and correct decisions during the coordination of the actions of the military commandants of the Dno and Pskov stations, the Pskov junction, which, despite the colossal congestion of the tracks, ensured the timely passage of the priority trains necessary for offensive operations of the troops. _x000D_ It is also known for certain that he was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War of the 2nd degree, the medals For Military Merit and For the Defense of Leningrad. In the post-war years, Pavel Alexandrovich continued to serve in the army with the rank of Colonel.

Rank: Red Army Soldier _x000D_ Branch of troops: Artillery _x000D_ Subdivision: 74th Guards Rifle Lower Dnieper Red Banner Order of Bogdan Khmelnytsky Shchors Division. _x000D_ _x000D_ Thirteen years have passed since my father, Ivan Savelievich Svyatogor, died, a man of rare kindness, sincerity and great love of life, a veteran World War II, an eternal worker who lived a decent life and left only good and warm memories of himself. His fate was not easy, he had to go through a lot, but my father was always an example for others. _x000D_ Immediately after leaving the High School, he went to the front, fought in the 62nd Army under the command of General Chuikov, walked from Stalingrad to Berlin. _x000D_ It was very hard, sometimes they went hungry for several days, they fell off their feet from fatigue and fell asleep right on the cold ground. Fate kept his father, for all the years he was only shell-shocked, but the war left a mark on his heart for all his life, because very many comrades remained on the battlefield. The two brothers did not return from the war. _x000D_ After the end of the war, my father graduated from the pedagogical institute and devoted his whole life, almost 40 years, to teaching, heading the Peretinskaya School. He taught physics and mathematics at School. In addition, he did a lot of social work, was an excellent organizer, handyman and painted well. _x000D_ My father never sat idle: he built a new house, landscaped it, loved to be in the forest, fish with a rod, loved working with wood. It so happened that at the age of 45 he was left alone, his mother unexpectedly died, and the family had 5 children. _x000D_ Lord does not give trials that cannot be endured. With his second wife, Evdokia Andreevna, they raised and brought up all worthy people. At that time I was 4 years old, and, as the youngest, I got more love, care and attention. The oldest sister, Lyubov, lives in Transbaikalia in the Chita region, already retired, is engaged in housekeeping, brings up grandchildren. Valentina is in Ukraine, she is also a pensioner, but she leads an active lifestyle, works a lot, does not sit still. Sister Tamara and brother Alexander live in Bryansk, work, raise children, help raise grandchildren. _x000D_ We have a wonderful family, friendly and cheerful, we never fight, because there is simply no reason. Like fingers on one hand, we hold tightly to each other, and this is probably the great merit of our parents.

Rank: Sergeant Major _x000D_ Military Medical Personnel _x000D_ _x000D_ Salamatov Pyotr Ivanovich, born in 1913, was drafted to the front in June 1941 from the village of Preobrazhenka, Malmyzhsky district, Kirov region. During the Great Patriotic War, he served at the front as a Starshina Medical Orderly. He went through the entire war with valor, helping his comrades to survive. _x000D_ Newspapers wrote about him more than once:“During the combat, Medical Orderly Comrade Salamatov received an order:“Immediately transport the wounded soldiers across the G. River and deliver them to a medical center. Comrade Salamatov fulfilled the combat order with honor. He also prepared a good meal for the wounded Red Army soldiers in the nearest settlement. As soon his comrades ewere refreshed with food, he promptly evacuated them to the medical center”(from newspaper articles of that time). _x000D_ In another battle, the Medical Orderly had to replace the wounded paramedic.“Under heavy enemy fire and bombing from the air, a brave Medical Orderly carried 35 wounded Red Army soldiers with their arms from the combat field, (later in the article“The Brave and the Fearless”P. I. Salamatov's effort was mentioned as he carried out 93 wounded from the combat field). _x000D_ The government highly appreciated the combat deeds of the brave Medical Orderly.“Comrade P.I. Salamatov awarded the Order of the Red Star. Guard military assistant Vasiliev. " He saved the lives of many people, returned the families of their loved ones and relatives, helped bring the Victory closer and liberate Europe from Nazi Germany. _x000D_ In April 1945, Pyotr Ivanovich, together with other soldiers, made a breakthrough of the German defense on the Oder River, which was covering Berlin from the East, and entered the German capital Berlin, for which he was thanked. During his military service, my great-grandfather was awarded the medal "For Courage", the Order of the Red Star, the Order of the Patriotic War of the II degree and the medal "For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945." _x000D_ After the end of the war, Pyotr Ivanovich graduated from the Urzhum regional School of Kolkhoz Chairmen in April 1946 and worked for the rest of his life as a Kolkhoz Chairman in the village of Preobrazhenka in the Kirov region, and raised agriculture in the postwar years. _x000D_ What helped my ancestors survive in those hard years? I think they believed in the bright future of our state, lived and worked to make life easier for us. These were not only physically strong people, but also people with great enthusiasm, strong spirit, and unshakable faith in the best.

Rank: Starshina _x000D_ Branch of troops: Aviation_x000D_ _x000D_ He had served from June 1941in the Uman defensive operation, retreated through Kharkov to Stalingrad. He served Il-2 aircraft, in a Mobile Aviation Shop. He ended the war in Konigsberg. He was awarded 13 medals and two orders. _x000D_ Here are some episodes that my grandfather told after the war: _x000D_ Before the war, he graduated from the School of Aviation specialists in Irkutsk. He faced the war in a military unit in the Ukraine near the city of Uman. The first strikes by the Germans were directed at our aircrafts and airfields. As a result, most of the aircrafts did not have time to take off, as the runways were broken. He and his comrade managed to carry out and keep the unit's banner. _x000D_ A certain number of fighters (mostly local Ukrainians) fled to the huts, and the remaining fighters (mostly sergeants and privates, originally from Russia) began to independently retreat to the east. The Germans moved along the roads, on tanks and motorcycles, while ours retreated on foot along the roads, through the forest and fields. The Germans did not specifically hunt for individual groups of fighters. As a result, they managed to retreat to their units. So, the military unit was not disbanded. There was a story when they were retreating across a large river, (when he was in the Kiev Forces). Our troops mined the bridge to blow it up before the Germans arrived. _x000D_ But when the German units appeared, the bridge could not be blown up, since wires were broken and cut. He repaired and connected it with his teeth, twisted the wires when the fire had already begun. As a result, the bridge was blown up in front of the Germans. He was awarded for this incident. But nevertheless, the Germans managed to cross this river rather quickly in other places. Ours again began to retreat east to their own troops. _x000D_ The other time, my grandfather miraculously survived, when he adjusted the fire on the observation tower at the airfield and watched the approach of German aircrafts. One of the bombs hit near the observation tower, and it began to fall down smoothly. He fell a great height, but fortunately did not hurt himself. _x000D_ After the Battle of Stalingrad, (where he served at an airfield on the other side of the front line), the front line began to move west. My grandfather often put forward rational proposals to improve aircraft equipment, installed bombs and rockets on Il-2 attack aircraft and other aircraft. If several aircrafts fired simultaneously with rockets, then the effect was like a shot from a small MLRS, but much more accurate (so it was convenient to aim from above) and the Nazis had a hard time. But my grandfather, nevertheless, always wanted to be a pilot. It is not known what fate he would have had if he had been a pilot, because pilots often were killed and burned. _x000D_ Once he and a friend detained an enemy saboteur. It turned out to be the son of a "kulak" who was inserting rags into aircraft engines. It is unknown how many of them did not return to the base because of this saboteur. _x000D_ He ended the war in Konigsberg. He talked about the fierce battles, and mentioned that some Germans fanatics tried to chain themselves to the walls so as not to retreat. The assault on Konigsberg was actively supported by our Aviation. Nevertheless, the war was finished, and our soldiers got valuable trophies from the Germans. _x000D_ My grandfather always considered the first months of the war to be the hardest. Many archives or other documents describing the courage of our soldiers have not survived about the heroes' efforts. After the war he got married and had four children. After the war he lived in Moscow, and then in the village of Novoelnya, Belarus.

Rank: Red Navy Sailor _x000D_ Branch of troops: the USSR Navy and the Naval Forces of the NKVD Border Troops_x000D_ _x000D_ Savenok Grigory Petrovich (1906-1942) is a Red Navy sailor of the Black Sea Fleet. He died defending Sevastopol in the midst of the Great Patriotic War, during the heroic defense of the city from the Nazis. He served on the military transport ship Abkhazia, which was sunk by German bombers on June 10, 1942. The death notice came later on May 4, 1946: _x000D_ “In the battle for the Socialist Motherland, the faithful to the military oath, showing heroism and courage, missed in military action on July 3, 1942 in the city of Sevastopol. _x000D_ From March to June 10, 1942, "Abkhazia" under the leadership of the new captain Mikhail Ivanovich Belukha had been breaking through to Sevastopol sixteen times. _x000D_ These were voyages of exceptional courage and fortitude of sailors. Often the ship fought off enemy aircraft with its artillery. The one-way trip had lasted for two or three days. They were bombed at sea and in the port, in addition, they were covered with artillery fire. _x000D_ On some days, from dawn until darkness, the combat alert was on all the time. _x000D_ In total, "Abkhazia" made 35 flights, took out 32355 wounded, of which 9641, that is, almost every third, had surgery onboard in the way to the rear hospital. _x000D_ In addition to the wounded, the ship transported 65 thousand civilians and soldiers of various units, as well as 33 thousand tons of various military cargo. The "Abkhazia" was destroyed on June 10, 1942 in Sevastopol at the pier of Sukharnaya Balka. She died heroically, defending to die. _x000D_ Nine enemy bombs hit the ship, and it was not possible to fight fire and flooding. In the struggle for the life of the ship, the boatswain Sergey Skoromny, political instructor Yevgeny Volkovinsky, many sailors, orderlies were killed ... Having buried their comrades with honors, the sailors and doctors left the ship and went to fight on the bastions of Sevastopol. Photo by E. Khaldey, Hero City Sevastopol. Book of Memory, Volume 5, Page 705: Savenok Grigory Petrovich. Eternal Memory to Heroes!

Rank: Leiutenant _x000D_ Branch: Ground Forces, Air Force (except naval Aviation), Coastal Service, NKVD troops, Border Troops _x000D_ Subdivision: 221st Infantry Mariupol-Khingan Red Banner Order of Suvorov Division _x000D_ _x000D_ My great-grandfather Pyotr Dmitrievich Sazhin was born in the village of Puregovo, Sverdlovsk region. Before the war, he completed military courses for Junior Сommanders. And on September 22, 1941 he was sent to the front. On November 15, 1941, he began to fight on the Leningrad (later Volkhov) front. At the end of December 1941, when the bridge over the Volkhov River was attacked, the great-grandfather was in command of the squad, the soldiers stormed the bridge. My great-grandfather was then seriously wounded, but left the battlefield only after the complete capture and explosion of the bridge. For this efforts, he was presented with an award, but in the heat of the battles the presentation was lost. _x000D_ Until 1943, the troops of the Volkhov Front held back the German troops so that they would not unite with the Finns. At the beginning of 1944, after the final breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad, my great-grandfather was transferred to the 695th Regiment of the 221st Infantry Division, which was transferred to participate in the Vyborg-Petrozavodsk operation. My great-grandfather covered the rest of the way to Victory in this regiment. At the end of June, the division was transferred to the east, where it took part in the Khingano-Mukden operation, advancing in one of the most hard directions. _x000D_ My great-grandfather returned home with the rank of Leiutenant only in 1946. During the war he was wounded many times. He was awarded the Order of the Red Star, medals. Because of his wounds, my great-grandfather died very early on December 31, 1954. He was only 52 years old.