Morgunov Vasily Fedorovich_x000D_ Rank: Sergeant _x000D_ Branch of Troops: Aviation _x000D_ _x000D_ "I was taken into active service in 1940 and served in the city of Bobruisk in 180th Air Battalion, at an Air Repair Base. On the night of June 22, the Germans invaded our land without declaring war and began to bomb our airfield. We still did not know what had happened and only in the morning the terrible news spread around the battalion: the war began. On the same day, weapons were given to us, and military everyday life began. Our pilots prevented the rapid advance of the enemy deep into the country. This was and our merit, the mechanics who treated the wounded aircraft. On June 27, an order came to retreat. On that day, I and nine soldiers were on guard at the division headquarters. We were given the following order: after the regiment retreated to burn documents and catch up later. We carried out the orders. _x000D_ Walking along the roads of Belorussia, we reluctantly left city after city. The retreat ended near Kirsanov. At this time we served the night bombers. _x000D_ After the victory at Stalingrad, there, by the way, my brother Ivan Morgunov fought in the infantry. _x000D_ We began to advance westward with long combats. Our regiment took part in the Battle of the Kursk Bulge, where our pilots showed heroism and courage. But many comrades in arms did not return from their missions. We vowed to take revenge on the enemy to the last drop of blood for those who would not see the end of the war. _x000D_ One incident comes to mind. At night, on alarm, the regiment took off. The pilots flew to bomb the ammunition and fuel depot discovered by the reconnaissance. When half of the bombs were dropped, Junkers and Messerschmitts appeared in the sky. The fighters entered into an unequal battle with the enemy, defending our bombers. They returned at dawn. The wounded cars and pilots caused pain in the heart. Many pilots died in this battle a heroic death. There was not a single car that did not have holes. And then again the order: in an hour again on the combat flight. Now it depended on us, the mechanics, whether the planes would be able to take off in time. We did it. For this I was awarded the medal "For Courage". _x000D_ So we were moving west with tough combats. Finally, we came on the outskirts of Brest. From here the Nazis attacked our country, hoping to conquer it in a month. But the war has been going on for three years, we were approaching Germany and everywhere we felt warm feelings of liberated local people. _x000D_ The combat for Brest was very hard. There were six to eight flights a day, but a few days later we were in Brest! We were standing on the border of our country. But we went further, liberating Polish cities on our way from the fascist yoke. With tough combat we marched across Poland. The population greeted us as liberators with joy and tears in their eyes. They thanked us for their release. _x000D_ When we were standing on the outskirts of Warsaw, one incident happened: our airfield was located in a grove, the planes were on alert, it was lunch time. My friend Alexei Shevchenko and I, having lunch, went to explore a new place. We left a grove near the village. There was no one in the streets, but we heard strange sounds. Listening, we made out the hum of engines. Alexey said: "What could be there?" We headed towards the village. But suddenly 6 tanks and two vehicles jumped out of the village at full speed. How did they get here? After all, the front is 15 kilometers from here. We rushed back and reported to the regiment commander. The regiment commander Colonel Khlebnikov gave the order and the planes began to rise from the airfield, and we took up defensive positions. The battle lasted 2 hours. It turned out that the remnants of the German regiment were making their way out of the encirclement and accidentally ran into us. _x000D_ After 3 days, the attack began on Warsaw. The fighting was hard. Our regiment commander, Khlebnikov, perished in these combats. _x000D_ Then there was Germany. The same Germany that gave birth to Schiller, Goethe and Hitler, the same Germany along which the Red Army troops marched with a victorious step. The enemy defended himself, hoping for some kind of weapon with which the German army would go on the offensive. But the soldiers understood that this was an illusion. Selected SS units fought brutally. They were thugs, brutalized and lost their human appearance. Our regiment was one of the first to storm Berlin. I was awarded a certificate of honor and a medal "For Capture of Berlin". In Berlin, my military road ended. I was demobilized and went home to rebuild the agriculture destroyed by the war. "