The faces of WWII Heroes — photos by tag, page 667

Vertushenko Alexander Fedorovich_x000D_ _x000D_ Rank: Red army soldier. Branch of service: army, air force (except marine aviation), the coast guard, the troops of the NKVD border troops. Division: 301st Stalin's rifle division of the order of Suvorov. Alexander Fedorovich Versalink (1912-1953) was born in S. Ermakovka Odessa region. He lived and worked in Tiraspol before the war, and then from 1946 to 1953. On the fronts of the great Patriotic war since April 1944. From April 4, 1944 before winning the may day, were shot 1050 infantry regiment, 301 Stalin order of Suvorov, 2-stepeni division of the 9th red banner corps under command of General I. P. Rosly. During the Odessa offensive and the Iasi-Kishinev operations of 1944, the regiment was part of the 57th army of General N. A. Hagen, which liberated the settlements of Transnistria, and then Moldova. During the Iasi-Kishinev operation, the 1050th regiment, in which A. F. Vershutenko served, entered the battle on August 22 and by 9 o'clock captured the locality of Tanatyr. By the end of August 23, the 301st division reached the Zolotyanka-Kashkalia line. Parts of the 301st division were sent to the Prut river, but orders were received to turn the division in a South-easterly direction, to reach the heights: 250.0 South-West of S.Baziens and 214,0 North-West of the village of Albin and close the ring of encirclement of the Gura-galbensky enemy group. The enemy could not be released from the ring. At an altitude of 250,0, fire and hand-to-hand combat raged. In this battle participated and Alexander Fedorovich Versalink. For this fight, he was awarded the order of Glory, 3rd class. From the award list follows: "In the battle on the night of 26.04.1944 for the mastery of the height of 250,0 near the village of Albina, Kotovsky district of the Moldavian ASSR (so in the award list-N. D.) with a group of fighters broke into the enemy's location and personally destroyed 11 German soldiers. 26.08.1944 in the area of Albina took part in the reflection of 11 counterattacks numerically superior enemy. During the battle, he destroyed three more German soldiers. Worthy of being awarded the order of Glory of the third degree. The order of Glory of the 3rd degree No. 67093 was awarded to A. F. Vershutenko in September 1944. After the liberation of Kishinev, the 5th Shock army was withdrawn from the 3rd Ukrainian front to the reserve of the Supreme command Headquarters. 301 division was transferred to this army. On August 29, the division began its March to the Vesely Kut station, where it was to embark in railway trains. After the review conducted by the commander of the 5th Shock army, Lieutenant General N. E. Berzarin, on September 7, 1944, the echelons with troops and equipment moved to Belarus. In mid-October, the division changed into winter uniforms and relocated to a new area of concentration – to the Vistula. Alexander Fedorovich Versatel had the opportunity to participate in Warszawa-Poznanski and Vistula-Oder operations. For fighting on the bridgehead Marushevska Alexander Fedorovich was awarded the order. From the award list: "In the battle for the height of 139.5 near the village of Vratseshev on 15.01.1945, when repelling the numerical counterattacks of the enemy's infantry and tanks, comrade. Vershutenko at a critical moment, when the enemy tank was going to his unit moved forward and a hand-held anti-tank grenade hit the enemy tank, which forced the other two enemy tanks to turn back. In this battle, he personally destroyed 7 German soldiers. Worthy of being awarded the order of Glory of the second degree." But the command of the 5th shock army appreciated this feat with a higher reward. Alexander Fedorovich was awarded the order of the red banner of Battle (No. 386388). In the future A. F. Versalink took part in the Berlin operation. He participated in the battles on the famous Seelow heights and in Karlshorst (this is where the act of surrender of Nazi Germany will be signed). The 1050th rifle regiment, in which A. F. Vershutenko served, participated in the capture of the buildings of the Gestapo and the Ministry of aviation. The regiment in heavy fighting captured the fascist lair-the Imperial Chancellery. A. F. Vershutenko returned from the war only in 1946. He began to live and work in Tiraspol. Was elected to Kolpakovskogo rural Council (now the district "Oktyabrskaya"). In 1953, he died at the age of 41 from illnesses and injuries. He was buried in a cemetery near Likhoradka Tiraspol. After the expansion of the city, the cemetery was closed. In its place there was a sports school stadium. The veteran's ashes were not moved and rest under the concrete slabs of the stadium. It remains only a memory.... P.S.: the Biography of Alexander Vershutenko is presented by the grandson of the red banner, - Dymchenko Nikolay Viktorovich.

Vtulochkin Leonid Konstantinovich

Volik Grigory Fedotovich

Volik Grigory Fedotovich_x000D_ Rank: Red army Type of troops: Land forces, air force (except naval aviation), coast service, NKVD troops, border guards My grandfather went through the whole war as a simple soldier. He is one of many who went through the entire war from beginning to end, who survived the horror of the war, was wounded more than once, won and returned home. Grigory Fedorovich was called up to the front in June 1941 by the Yeisk military enlistment office of the Krasnodar territory and sent to the 204th auto company. At the beginning of world war II, the 204th motor transport company was part of the 127th rifle division (1st formation) . On June 22, 1941, the division was part of the 25th rifle corps. In early July 1941, the 25th rifle corps was transferred to the Smolensk region. Participated in the battles for the city of Smolensk and South-East of Smolensk. On the night of August 3 to 4, the division crossed the Dnieper river in the Solovyevskaya crossing area, then was withdrawn to the Dorogobuzh area for re-formation. At the end of September 1941, the division was included in the operational group of A. N. Ermakov and moved to the area East of Glukhov, where, as a result of a strong enemy strike, it was pressed against the Kleven river. 3.10.1941 G. the division was moved to Kursk, and in November units of the division fought heavy defensive battles in the area of the city of Tim. 22.12.1941 parts of the division, interacting with the 1st guards and 87th rifle divisions, went on a decisive offensive and, having liberated the settlements of Ivanovka, Perevalochnoye, Marmyzhi, Sukhoi Khutor, Krasnaya Polyana, went to the area of the villages of Plakhovka, Golovanovka, Polevoe, Petrovka. In March 1942, as part of the corps, she participated in the attack on Taganrog.By the end of August 1942 parts of the division in the 37th army of the Northern group of forces of the Transcaucasian front defended on the left flank of the front along the Baksan river. On 04.12.1942, a division of the 37th army suddenly attacked Khaznidon, Toldzgun, and Urukh for the enemy. As a result of a rapid offensive, the guards captured these localities. 06.01.1943 the division fought heavy battles for Nalchik. Having broken through the enemy barrier, the guards broke into the city. Fierce street fighting ensued. By noon, Nalchik was released. On January 11, 1943, the division took part in the liberation of Yessentuki, and on January 17, Cherkessk. On March 9, 1943, simultaneously with the 37th army, the division in the 9th army went on the offensive and attacked Krasnoarmeyskaya. Having captured this station, parts of the division went to the river Channel. In mid-March, the division reached the approaches to the village of Krymskaya, where it took up a strong defense, preparing for the offensive. In September-October 1943, the division participated in the Novorossiysk-Taman offensive as part of the 56th army of the North Caucasus front. In the Crimean offensive operation of 1944, the division fought as part of the Primorye army. 15.04.1944 parts of the division occupied Alushta. In July-August 1944, as part of the 1st Baltic front, the division participated in the Siauliai offensive, and in October in the Memel offensive. The division completed its combat operations in mid-April 1945 by reaching the Baltic sea coast North of Fischhausen (Primorsk). Until December 1945, my grandfather served in the military and then returned home.

Volosov Alexey Vasilyevich

Volosov Alexey Vasilyevich_x000D_ _x000D_ Born in the village of Naumovka, Arzamas County in 1902, in a wealthy peasant family. I finished 2 classes. In 1923, he married Militsa Mikhailovna, a native of the village of Menshchikov. Alexey Vasilyevich was called to the front on mobilization on June 25, 1941 by the Chernukhinsky RVC. As a gun tube installer, he participated in the battles on the territory of Belarus, namely in the offensive operation codenamed "Bagration", and also fought in East Prussia. Alexey Vasilyevich was a direct participant in the storming of Berlin. During the fighting, he was wounded twice: on August 26, 1943, he was slightly wounded, and on may 14, 1944, he was seriously wounded, one of the wounds was in the leg. He served in the 2012 anti-aircraft artillery regiment 49 of the Smolensk red banner order of Suvorov II class of the 2nd Belorussian front division. For active participation in the fighting against the Nazi invaders, he was awarded the medal "for Bravery". The reason for the award was the following: "on February 27, 1945, in the area of the village of Chernizh, thanks to his courageous work, the gun suppressed the fire of 3 enemy machine-gun points. On March 22, 1945, near the village of Wittstokk, the gun used by comrade Volosov destroyed 1 enemy gun with calculation." He was also awarded the medals "for the victory over Germany in the great Patriotic war of 1941-1945" (1947), "Twenty years of Victory in the great Patriotic war of 1941-1945" (1967). Alexey Vasilyevich returned home in 1945. All his career he worked as an ordinary foreman of the collective farm "Naumovsky". With his wife, Militsa Mikhailovna, they raised two sons and two daughters. He died on September 18, 1969.

Vasiliev Pavel Vasilyevich

Vasiliev Pavel Vasilyevich_x000D_ _x000D_ Rank: Red army Unit: 109th rifle Leningrad red banner division Pavel VASILIEV-born in 1925 .Participant of the great Patriotic war. Pavel Vasilyevich was born in the village of Gorbovo, Pskov region. In a large, friendly family there were six children. All the men of the farm went to the front on the first day of the war, and soon the Germans "came". Those guys who were not hijacked to work in Germany, the Germans used as a gratuitous force. I had to do what I was told. In winter, the roads were cleared of snow, and in summer they worked in the fields. Any insubordination was severely punished. If a villager was suspected of collaborating with the partisans, the entire family was shot and the houses burned. The neighboring village, Melenka, was burned to the ground, along with the residents. 90 people were burned for communication with the partisans. And when the Germans retreated, they set fire to all the houses in a row. The farm was liberated in 1944. Pavel immediately went to the front. First, he was sent to Kalinin (Tver), then as part of the 109th Leningrad red banner rifle division to Estonia. The Germans fought fiercely in Poland. In one of the battles, Pavel Vasilyevich was seriously wounded. After treatment in Lviv - again in battle. Victory day was celebrated in Bratislava. He returned home four years later. He served in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Germany, and Poland. Returning home in 1949, he married his countryman Claudia, and had three children. Pavel Vassilyevich got a job in the Kalachinsky distance of the way as a track worker. The Vasilyev generation is proud of their grandfather and great-grandfather. Modest, hard-working Pavel Vasilyevich did not like to stand out among others, did not like to talk about the war, believed that he had no special merits. And the medal" for bravery " received in the war, so it's a war, if you got to it, he thought, so you need to fight and there is nothing to hide behind the backs of others. –All I want is that there would never be a war, that the country would create such conditions when everyone could create a good life by honest work.

Alexey Timofeevich Voronin

Alexey Timofeevich Voronin_x000D_ _x000D_ Rank: Second Lieutenant. Branch of the armed forces: aviation Division: 271st night bomber aviation Stalingrad-Rechitsa division. My great-uncle Alexey Voronin fought in the great Patriotic war as part of 271 IAP / 64 GIAP. He was a fighter pilot. Rank-second Lieutenant. By August 1944, he had flown 85 sorties, 35 of them reconnaissance missions, conducted 30 air battles, and shot down 6 aircraft. He was awarded two military orders of the red Star (01.08.1943, Ave. No. 012/n 4 gIad) and the red banner (10.07.44, Ave. No. 029/n 1 VA) on August 21, 1944, while escorting Il-2 attack aircraft near Auce (Lithuania), was shot down by anti-aircraft artillery fire. Was seriously wounded (in the head, arm, leg, left side), losing consciousness used a parachute. Two days later, he regained consciousness in captivity.A few days later, after treatment in a hospital in Libava, he was sent to the rear. He escaped from the train, made his way to the East for almost a month, but was captured again. Interrogations in the prison of Lodz, then the camp near Koenigberg. Here I met pilots from my 4 gIad Pyotr Kolpikov, Nikolai Vorobyov, and pilots majors Talamanov, Kitaev, and Vandyshev. Then there was a camp near Berlin, another unsuccessful escape in March 1945. 22.04.1945 was liberated by red Army units.Passed checks in 32 ZSP in Alkino (Bashkiria) and sent to its 64 GIAP. In 1947, he was demobilized.Return home. He worked as an instructor pilot in the Saransk Aero club, as a school teacher. Last years lived in Ivanovo. He died on may 5, 1990.

Vagina Claudia Dorofeevna

Vagina Claudia Dorofeevna_x000D_ _x000D_ Rank: military medical Assistant Type of troops: Military medical staff Claudia dorofeevna Vagina, Lieutenant of the medical service, participant of combat battles on the Volkhov front. For two years, together with our soldiers, she stood at the walls of the legendary Leningrad, saving wounded and frostbitten soldiers in a medical reinforcement company in the 2nd Shock army. She was born in a simple peasant family with many children in d.Dorogino. When she finished school in 1938, she went to Kurgan on her own to enroll in medical school. 1941-the year of graduation from the medical school, which was later renamed the medical school. In the fall, Claudia was called to the military enlistment office, handed a summons. A day later, she is already in Yalutorovsk on medical courses for Junior command staff. They were sent to the front in heatballs only at the end of 1941. They did not know where they were taking them, and only before Cherepovets they announced the Volkhov front. Claudia falls into the 2nd Shock army of the 59th rifle brigade in the medical reinforcement company. The tent has only 16 beds. I had to give first aid to a German officer who was bleeding profusely from a severed hand, " recalls Claudia Dorofeevna. - The commander called me, ordered. Our scouts brought him on a raincoat-tent, he was unconscious. I used the knowledge that I once had in medical school, and I made a bandage for him. The officer came to, opened his eyes. And I'm staring at him because it's the first time I've seen a German! And not just a German, but an enemy! He said something barely audible to me in his own language, kind of thanked me, we studied German at school and it was an a, and I turned away and left the tent." She was accepted into the party at the front. It was in 1943. She considers the most valuable award to be the medal "Defender of Leningrad" and "for the defense of Leningrad".

Volchkov Dmitry Ivanovich

Volchkov Dmitry Ivanovich_x000D_ _x000D_ Branch of service: Artillery. Division: 56th guards rifle Smolensk red banner division. My grandfather, Dmitry Ivanovich Volchkov, was a surprisingly kind, modest and peaceful person, he lived a long and honest life. We, the grandchildren, he never told about the war, we only knew from my grandmother that my grandfather was wounded at the front, and she herself had a hard time alone with small children, especially when the Nazis entered the village, burned houses, took residents prisoner... And in peacetime, Dmitry Ivanovich worked as an accountant for the state Bank of Moscow. Rudni, at the same time was an absolute silverless man, very much loved his young wife Anastasia, children Lilya and Misha. The war was a real shock for the family, as well as for the entire nation. In 1943, at the age of 47, my grandfather was called up to the front, fought in the 258th guards rifle regiment of the 56th guards rifle division, was wounded, was awarded the medal for military merit and the order of the Patriotic war II degree. After the victory, he returned home to his native village, and in 1947. the youngest daughter Valya was born - my mother. After the war, my grandfather worked as an accountant at the Grankinsky peat technical school, but his salary was not enough for anything. To feed themselves, they kept a cow, chickens, and planted a vegetable garden. I remember my grandfather was able to weave very comfortable and strong baskets from willow vines, all the neighbors went to him for baskets, or to beat off the scythe, or fix something. His hands were Golden. And he was also a book lover, he could not see well in his old age, but he did not part with the book. That's how I remember it... Grandfather lived for 90 years, when he was seen off, a lot of relatives, neighbors and residents of other villages gathered, so everyone loved and respected him. Eternal memory!

Voitov Mikhail Kononovich

Voitov Mikhail Kononovich_x000D_ Rank: Sergeant Branch of the army: Artillery Division: 311th Dvina red banner rifle division of the order of Suvorov. Mikhail Kononovich Voitov was born in 1907 in the village of Fursin, Kursk province (now Belgorod region, Novooskolsky district) in a large peasant family. He was called up to the front on 02.07.1941. After a short course, the fighter was sent, as part of the same recruits as he was, near Smolensk (Yartsevo), to contain the fascist troops that broke through. He was wounded in the leg in the battle. He was taken to a hospital near Moscow, then to Novosibirsk. He was treated for a little more than 6 months. After recovery, as part of a marching company, he was sent to the Volkhov front. There, he was assigned to the 855th artillery regiment, which joined the 311th rifle division. With this regiment and division passed the entire war. Its main battle route: liberated Novgorod, Libau (Latvia), Stettin (Poland), Warsaw (Poland), Germany (Altkonstrinchen, Eberswalde, hammer, Liebenwalde, Falkental, Hermendorf, Alt-Ruppin, Krenzlin, Neustadt, Studenitz, Glezen, Kvitzebel). In the town of Kvitzebel on the Elbe river, (may 3, 1945) there was a meeting of the advanced units of the 311th division with the Americans. Michael Kononovich was a direct participant in this historic event. This ended the fighting of the division. He received his first medal "for bravery" on the Volkhov front for the fact that".... in the battle in the Korbusel area from July 22 to July 30, 1943, under heavy artillery and mortar fire of the enemy, he corrected 30-40 communication gusts per day, which ensured uninterrupted communication of the observation post with firing positions. In this battle, he was shell-shocked, but refused to leave the battlefield, although he had permission to do so... " this is indicated in the award document. Then there was a second medal "for bravery" for fighting in the area of Uskibye-Lonna also on the Volkhov front. My father received the order of Glory, 3rd class, for providing communication across the Oder river. He died at the age of 87.

Peter Timofeyevich Vorobyov

Peter Timofeyevich Vorobyov_x000D_ _x000D_ Pyotr Timofeyevich Vorobyov was born on April 16, 1902 in the village of Mokhnachi, Orsha district, Mogilev region, now rudnyansky district, Smolensk region, to a peasant family. He received an incomplete secondary education. He worked on his father's farm. In 1924-1927, he served in the red Army. When he returned home, he worked on a collective farm. In October 1943, he was again drafted into the army. From the same time at the front. By the summer of 1944, he fought as part of the 1083rd rifle regiment of the 312th rifle division, and served in it until the end of the war. He distinguished himself in the battles for the liberation of Poland. On July 19, 1944, lance corporal Peter Timofeyevich Vorobyov was one of the first to cross the Western bug river near the village of werba (Poland) and together with the soldiers held the bridgehead until reinforcements arrived. Fire from his rifle suppressed the enemy's machine gun. By order of units of the 312th rifle division (No. 48/n) of August 2, 1944, corporal Peter Timofeyevich Vorobyov was awarded the order of Glory of the 3rd degree. On August 4, in the battle for the village of Yakovitsy, he destroyed four fascists and took one prisoner with fire from his machine gun, and repelled 6 enemy counterattacks. Awarded the order of the red Star. On January 24-27, 1945, in the battle for the liberation of the city of Poznan (Poland), Sergeant Pyotr Vorobyov was the first with his squad to break into a house that had been turned into a strongpoint by the enemy. In the ensuing battle, he destroyed 2 machine guns, a faustnik and about 20 fascists. By order of the 69th army (No. 99/n) dated March 27, 1945, Sergeant Peter Timofeyevich Vorobyov was awarded the order of Glory of the 2nd degree. On April 22, 1945, as part of an assault group, Sergeant Vorobyov was one of the first to cross the spree river and the canal near the city of bad Zarow (Germany). During the defense of the bridgehead, he destroyed about 10 and captured several enemy soldiers, as well as blew up an anti-tank gun. He was presented for the award of the order of Glory of the 1st degree. On April 28, in the battle for the locality of Hermsdorf, breaking into the enemy infantry battle formations, he destroyed 24 enemy soldiers, 2 machine guns, and captured 14 enemy soldiers. For this fight, he was awarded the order of the red Star. In 1945, senior Sergeant Pyotr Vorobyov was demobilized. By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on may 15, 1946, Sergeant Peter Timofeyevich Vorobyov was awarded the order of Glory of the 1st degree. Became a full knight of the order of Glory. I returned to my native village. He worked as the Chairman of the collective farm "Bolshevik". He died on October 17, 1967. He was awarded two orders of the red Star (22.08.1944, 31.05.1945), the order of Glory of the 1st (15.05.1946), 2nd (27.03.1945) and 3rd (02.08.1944) degrees and other medals.

Valesina Vera Michailovna

Valesina Vera Michailovna_x000D_ _x000D_ Branch of the armed forces: signal Troops. Vera Mikhailovna was born on October 5, 1923 in Logoisk, Minsk region. Orphaned early. She lived with her older sister in Osipovichi. In 1940, she married Ivan Timofeevich Valeshin. War found the young family in the town of Brest. On the first day of the war, Vera Mikhailovna was in the hospital with her newborn son. Her husband, Ivan Timofeyevich, was guarding military warehouses and could not take her away. With the baby in her arms, she left the encirclement along with the retreating units of the red Army. It was dangerous to be on the territory of the military camp where they lived. Exhausted, frightened, hungry, an eighteen-year-old girl with a child in her arms wandered through the Belarusian forests with people just like her, terrified. The milk was gone and the boy died. She dug a hole with her hands and buried it. Vera Mikhailovna was able to get out only thanks to the soldier-driver, who picked her up, already completely exhausted, and took her to his own. The Germans advanced and occupied Belarus. Vera went from this horror to the interior of the country. As a military wife, she joined the special communications group of the black sea fleet in June 1942. She took the oath and received the military rank of " sailor "and the specialty"telephone operator". The service noticed her abilities and, despite the difficult time, determined to continue her studies. Planning and economic Institute. By the end of the war, she had completed the 2nd year of the Institute. During her studies, she had the state of food rations, military uniforms, a stipend and accommodation in the hostel. I didn't know anything about my husband during the war. I thought that if he was alive and would not look for her, then she did not complain, because she had a perspective and goal in life: to graduate from the Institute and remain in the military service. And Ivan Timofeyevich was discharged and began to search for her. Vera Mikhailovna by that time contacted her sisters (there were four of them) through letters. The older sister lived in Osipovichi. Ivan Timofeyevich wrote to her. That's how they knew they were both alive. Ivan Timofeyevich was already at home, in the village of Divnoye. He called his wife to him, and on November 1, 1945 Vera Mikhailovna retired to the reserve and in early 1946 came to her husband with a suitcase in her hands. All the rest of Vera Mikhailovna's life depended on Ivan Timofeevich's place of work, and he, exhausted by the camp, captivity, and uncertainty about his family, could not get along in one place – Divnoye, Raguli, state farm 107, Kievka. And no matter who he worked for, she was always there. In 1948, she became a Communist and received a party ticket. She worked as a milk lab assistant before retirement and for another 11 years after that. She was awarded with medals: "For the victory over Germany in the second world war 1941-1945"," for the defense of the Caucasus", commemorative medals dedicated to the anniversaries of the Victory in the great Patriotic war and the formation of the Soviet Army and Navy. Vera Mikhailovna died in 2000.

Vetluzhskih Leonid Michailovich

Vetluzhskih Leonid Michailovich_x000D_ _x000D_ Rank: Lieutenant. Military branch: aviation. Many years have passed since the victory in the great Patriotic war, but the heroism and courage of the Russian people will always remain in our memory. My great-grandfather, Vetluzhskih Leonid, participated in the great Patriotic war. He was born on March 25, 1920 in the village of Pantyl, Belokholunitsky district in the family of a priest of the local Dmitrievsky Church. His early childhood years were spent here. In 1935, the Vetluzhsky family, which had five children, moved to the Klinki station (Sofrino village) near Moscow.In 1940, he entered the Kharkiv school of military pilots. At the end of it, second Lieutenant Vetluzhskikh is appointed Navigator of the 38th high-speed bomber aviation regiment. One of Leonid's sisters, Nina Mikhailovna Lambros, my great-grandmother, who worked at a shipyard in Volgograd, told me: "...I'm younger than Leonid and I don't remember his early school years very well. I only know that my mother said that for Lenya she never blushed anywhere. He grew up in a good way stubborn, what he wants - will do, will achieve. Since childhood, he loved airplanes and his dream was to become a pilot. I remember him sitting at his lessons or reading, and maybe a plane is flying - he drops everything and follows the flight... In 1936, he was accepted into the Komsomol. In 1937 or 1938 (I don't remember exactly), he got a job at one of the factories near Moscow. In 'thirty-nine, I went to the same place and always saw a picture of my brother Leonid on the Stakhanovites' Bulletin Board. Once he told me in confidence that he wanted to go to flight school... So he did: he wrote a request to send him to a flight school. The military Commissar knew him as an active Komsomol member, and in the first set of his brother was called to the military enlistment office. If you had seen him fly into the house, not enter, but fly in, beaming all rushed to my mother, hugged her and said: "I'm going to flight school! I'll be a pilot, mother, do you understand that?! So he became a cadet of the Kharkiv aviation military school. And in February of the forty-first, he and a friend went on a business trip and called home. When I saw them off, he stood on the running Board of the car and began to sing: "A comrade flies to a distant land..." This is how he remained in my memory. At the end of August, in the evening, the radio broadcast about their feat... I was shocked, but not surprised: this is how I knew Lenya, ready for a feat in the name of the Motherland." In the summer of 1941, units of the 2nd army of the Reserve front launched a counter-attack on the grouping of the 4th army of Hitler's Germany in the Yelnya region. At the same time, the troops of the Bryansk front went on the offensive. In these battles, the crew of the SB-38 high-speed bomber, whose commander was Communist Sergeant Nikolai Skovorodin, radio operator Sergeant Komsomolets Vasily Cherkashin and observer pilot Junior Lieutenant Komsomolets Leonid Vetluzhskikh, distinguished themselves. They flew out with a mission to bomb a large group of German infantry moving towards the river crossing. Attacked once, went to the second attack. And at this time, the Germans shot down the plane. Then the burning bomber swooped on the accumulation of enemy troops and equipment. The Gomel regional Museum of local lore contains yellowed pages of the newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda for September 5, 1941. One of the notes in this issue tells about the feat of the bombers. The correspondent wrote: "In these tragic moments, they were inspired by the example of the Hero of the Soviet Union, the fearless captain Gastello. Brave Soviet patriots, proud falcons of the country, Communist Skovorodin, Komsomol members Vetluzhskikh and Cherkashin heroically died for their Homeland and caused great damage to the enemy by their death." The famous poet Mikhail Golodny's poem "Bogatyrs", published on September 6, 1941 in the newspaper "Krasnaya Zvezda", was dedicated to the heroism of the heroes: the Motherland Sends three bogatyrs to a new feat. Sergeant skovorodin And two of his friends. At point N and about — German troops. Order-law. Three falcons Soar into the clouds. Here they marked the goal, and the bombs are thrown high. Then they Start a fiery speech from top to bottom. From this speech of fire, the heroes Look, two Columns are dispersed And three fly up. The enemy dumbfounded Noticed the plane. In Vetluzhskih and Cherkashin his anti-aircraft gun hits. And suddenly the car is in flames, pulling the roll to the ground. But there are words on the banner: more Terrible than death-captivity! And, changing the course, the falcons Suddenly fly down like a stone. Neither side by side, nor near — on the heads of soldiers. Did you remember Gastello or did you make an Immortal feat by yourself, Like a song about wrestling? But the Motherland will not forget its heroes-Sergeant skovorodin And two of his friends! On September 12, the same newspaper published an article by the writer Alexey Tolstoy "Immortality", in which he, with his usual passion, told about the feat of the skovorodin crew. The article, in particular, said: "we will Remember with love and pride three hearts that stopped beating, three hearts that fervently gave themselves for the Motherland, three heroes-pilots: Nikolai skovorodin, Leonid Vetluzhsky and Vasily Cherkashin. Their feat was simple for a Soviet patriot, for a Russian pilot and impossible, incomprehensible and impossible for a man-beast, a fascist-German.... So Soviet pilots die, so the Bolsheviks die, so the Soviet people fight. The people are immortal and invincible!» Below Alexey Tolstoy's article was a letter from Leonid Vetluzhsky's parents, Mikhail Matveevich And Ksenia Semyonovna. Grieving over the death of their son, they gave instructions to the pilots of the 38th high-speed bomber regiment, where their son served, and called on Soviet soldiers to take revenge on the fascist robbers for the grief and suffering of our people. In the second issue of the magazine "Young Communist" in 1974, a list of pilots who repeated the feat of Gastello was published. It also contains a brief message about skovorodin's crew. The exact date is given: it happened on August 22, 1941 near the village of Chopovo in the Pochepsky district of the Bryansk region .The remains of the heroes are buried in a mass grave in the village of Chopovo. Fire pilots are remembered there. The grave is cared for by students of Chopovsky high school. Materials about the heroic crew are stored in the rural local history corner.

Verkhovykh Pavel Mikhailovich

Verkhovykh Pavel Mikhailovich_x000D_ Rank: Junior Sergeant. _x000D_ Branch of service: Artillery._x000D_ Unit: 1st guards rifle division. _x000D_ _x000D_ Pavel Mikhailovich Verkhovykh was born on January 16, 1927 in village Gerbil of the Galkinsky district of the Kurgan region. For some time he was brought up in the Galkin orphanage, where he graduated from four classes of school, and then remained without this shelter – so as a boy for the time being and wandered between courtyards. _x000D_ Then he left, or rather, escaped from starvation to Magnitogorsk, where a woman sheltered him. He worked at the Magnitogorsk collective farm "Kharkiv", helped the hostess around the house, and she took care of him as if he were her son. However, hunger plagued here, and so Pashka decided to go to the front, adding an extra year and thinking that it was better to die in battle than to perish from hunger. _x000D_ He was thin and small: the hunger of his military childhood had affected him. He had four brothers and four sisters, but no one saw him off, he did not write to anyone, because after the death of his mother, fate scattered everyone to different orphanages. Pavel got to the 1st Belorussian front. _x000D_ From November 1943 to may 1944, he joined the military unit "36 reserve artillery regiment". From may 1944 to February 1946, he was a machine gunner in the "137 guards rifle regiment". Senior comrades took patronage over a very young soldier, protected him, and taught him military skills._x000D_ Pavel Mikhailovich went all the way to Berlin, through Poland. He had no serious injuries. He described more than one circle around the Reichstag, but he did not leave a memorial record on it: he was illiterate, and there was no "empty" space on the building – everything was covered with writing. I believe that my great-grandfather was a hero, because he was a direct participant in the historical events of our country. He finished his service 5 years after the end of the war. He served in Germany in the 62nd mechanical regiment as a driver of a wheeled armored personnel carrier from February 1946 to April 1949, then in military unit No. 52806 as a squad leader from April 1949 to November 1950.

Alexey Dmitrievich Vodnev

Vankov Sergey Yakovlevich

Vankov Sergey Yakovlevich_x000D_ Rank: Corporal. _x000D_ Branch of the armed forces: Signal troops._x000D_ _x000D_ Unfortunately, I can't tell you much about my grandfather, because I was still quite young when he died. We didn't talk about the war. I only remember that my grandfather was a very kind, calm and reasonable person who was loved both at home and at work. He never raised his voice to anyone and always spoke in a low voice. Before the war, he was the Chairman of the collective farm, as evidenced by the surviving certificate. In peacetime, he worked at the Arzamas felt factory as a Stoker and was a trade unionist, about which there is also a clipping from the newspaper Arzamas Pravda. Grandfather loved the song «Oh, the roads…», sang it, and tears appeared in his eyes. _x000D_ In General, he never thought about the war. Unfortunately, he died early (stomach cancer). That's all I can tell you about him. I also know that he had a lot of medals, decorations and certificates for his awards. Unfortunately, all these awards disappeared after the death of my father, who continued to live in his parents ' home after the death of his parents. I really wish I had taken them earlier to keep them. I vaguely remember what kind of medals they were. I remember that there was a medal "for bravery". _x000D_ I would very much like to learn about my grandfather's battle path with your help. Maybe on the front-line photo that I posted here, someone will recognize their relatives and respond. This way you will be able to restore at least something bit by bit. Since I'm trying to find information about my grandfather, I visit websites from time to time. So on the pamyat website - naroda.ru I found a document about awarding my grandfather the medal "for the defense of the Soviet Arctic".