The Great Patriotic War

Burov Ippolit Firsovich was born on January 11, 1920 in the city of Verkh-Neivinsky, Sverdlovsk region. In 1939, he graduated from the Sverdlovsk electro-mechanical technical school. On September 13, 1939, he was drafted into the Armed Forces of the USSR. Participated in the Great Patriotic war from September 1941 to May 1945. Ippolit participated in battles at the South-Western front from September 1941 to July 1942 (tower shooter). At the Stalingrad front - from July 1942 to January 1943 (tower shooter). 3rd Belorussian front - from January 1943 to May 1945 (radio operator). Awarded the rank of a Guardsman on December 26, 1942. Sergeant Burov began his service in the tank forces as a gunner-radio operator. He received his baptism of fire in November 1941 near Taganrog. There were fights for Rostov, for the city of Izyum, fights near Poltava. One of the crew's tanks burned down, and the soldiers had to break out of the encirclement on foot. They fought on the South-Western front, then were transferred to the Voronezh front. After losing another tank, Sergeant Burov had to fight within the infantry regiment for some time. Later on - after a tank was delivered - soldiers moved to the Don front. In December 1942 their 24th Tank corps, having broken through from North to South, took part in the operation, the purpose of which was to wedge between the fascist group surrounded in Stalingrad and the enemy units coming to its aid from the West. After the strategic victory in the village of Tatsinskaya, the 24th Tank corps was transformed into the "2nd guards Tatsinsky", and the crew of the Burov tank was entrusted to accept the guards banner of their tank brigade. In July 1943, the armoured corps fought at the Kursk-Oryol arc. In the autumn of 1943 - on the 3rd Belorussian front. Then the corps was engaged in the liberation of Orsha, Vitebsk, and Minsk. And after that – supported the crossing of the Neman river and liberation of Konigsberg. But the war did not end for the Guard Sergeant Burov. He took part in battles against nationalist gangs in Poland. Burov was awarded with the order of the Patriotic War II degree, order of the Red Star, medals "For Defense of Stalingrad", "For Capture of Koenigsberg", "For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941 -1945 years." And then the Victory came! Guard Sergeant Burov participated in the Victory parade.

Rank: Senior Lieutenant of National Security Forces (GB). Branch of troops: the Troops of the NKVD and NKGB (except border guards). Division: 295th Red banner Kherson rifle division of the Order of Lenin and Suvorov orders. Alexey Nikolaevich Borzykh was called up for military service in February 1940. Alexey served far from his native Trubchevsk, but wrote home often. In May 1941, for his excellent service, he was awarded with a short leave of absence. "Marusya",- Alexey writes to his wife to share his joy with her, "we are going to meet soon. I look forward to seeing you." But they were not destined to meet then nor in the next five years. The Great Patriotic war began. Soon A. N. Borzykh became a scout and fought within the Fifth Attack army, which was commanded by Colonel-General N. E. Berzarin. The soldiers of this army especially distinguished themselves in the Iasski-Kishinev, Visla-Oder and Berlin operations. Berzarin's troops were the first to break into the capital of Nazi Germany – Berlin. General Berzarin was appointed the first Soviet military commandant of the city of Berlin. The 5th Attack Army soldiers did a lot to ensure proper order and establish normal life in the city. In early June, A. N. Borzykh received a patrol order for Berlin as part of the allied group. When the soldiers came out of the entrance of the commandant's office, a military photojournalist suddenly approached them and made quite a few pictures because this group of four souldiers looked so colorful against the background of the impressive building of the military commandant's office. Subsequently, this picture was published more than once in various albums. When Marshal G. K. Zhukov was to select a picture which reflects the Alliance of the great powers from many hundreds of such photographs about the war offered to him, he stopped his choise on this very picture as well and it was included in the book "Memories and reflections". Each reader of the very first books of memoirs of military leaders, paid attention to this photo, especially to the smiling Soviet soldier surrounded by French, English and American soldiers.... Alexey Nikolaevich returned home at the end of February 1946 with the rank of Lieutenant. Luck was with him: he was both wounded and shell-shocked, but quickly recovered. Important to mention that Alexey was famous for outstanding personal bravery. And Homeland appreciated his courage and bravery with due respect - Alexey was awarded with the orders of the Red Banner, Red Star, Patriotic War of the 1st degree and a medal "For courage". After the Great Patriotic War Alexey was so happy to live with grandma Masha, but unfortunatelly it was not for a long time. Injuries and concussion left their heavy mark: Alexey Nikolaevich's health became worse and worse. He passed away in April 1949. He was just 30 years old at the time.

Rank: Sergeant. Branch of troops: Artillery Gavrilenko George Nazarovich was born on April 15, 1915 on the farm side of Krasnorlovsky Rakityansky district in a family of simple peasants. He graduated from seven classes of the local school and went to work at the Krasnoyaruzhsky sugar factory, where he received a specialty – electrician. He was called up for active military service and sent to the unit on October 15, 1937. He had the rank of a common soldier. The name of the Department – company number 9. From Octover 1937 to October 1939 he served in the 4th communications regiment as an electrician. In the same year, he married Neonila Kuzminichna Golovkova, a medical assistant at the medical center. But the war came. George was called to the front on October 10, 1941. He took the military oath on October 20, 1942 at the 985th rifle regiment. Georgy Nazarovich was called up for mobilization of the Krasnoyaruzhsky RVC to the 985th rifle regiment as a rifleman (from October 1941 to April 1943). From April 1943 to August 1943, he was in evacuation hospital No. 159. From August 1943 to January 1944, he was a machine gunner in the 42nd rifle brigade. From January 1944 to December 1945, he served in the 8th army reserve rifle regiment as an easel machine gunner. He fought at the Central front from October 20, 1941. From May 5, 1944-at the 2nd Ukrainian front. And from July 10, 1944-at the 4th Ukrainian front. George was wounded several times. The first time - in April 1943-had a severe shrapnel wound to the face, in August of the same year-a wound to the right shoulder with a severe fracture. In June 1944, he was seriously wounded in the left arm and stomach. On Victory day Gavrilenko was in Poland.

Rank: Red Army Common Soldier. Branch of troops: armored and mechanized troops. Division: 32nd Red Banner rifle division. This year, Nikolai Gruzdev, a participant in the great Patriotic war, would have been 94 years old, of which 73 are listed as missing. The assistant platoon commander, Sergeant Nikolai Gruzdev was born in 1923 in the village of Grozdevo Elabuga district. According to the Central archive of the Ministry of Defense in Podolsk, Gruzdev was called up for military service by Elabuga RVC in May of 1942, but according to Elabuga military men it was on the 11th of June 11, 1942 when Gruzdev had joined the team of recruits available to the 18-th spare rifle brigade in Izhevsk. Twice wounded. Before his first injury in 1943, Nikolai Gruzdev was a tankman in the 242nd tank brigade. According to the Leningrad archive of military medical documents, "on July 8, 1943, he received a tangential shrapnel wound to the right cheek in the area of the zygomatic bone without damage to the bone; blind shrapnel wound to the right eyeball and because of that from July 10, 1943 Gruzdev was on treatment in APG 2734 which he left on July 27, 1943 for further treatment. Note on surgery (date not specified): removal of a fragment from the cornea of the right eye." On February 27, 1944, he joined the 17th rifle regiment of the 32nd rifle division. "In the book of records of private and non-commissioned officers of 17 company of the 32nd rifle division for 1944-1945, it appears that for the battle on June 23, 1944, Sergeant Nikolai Gruzdev received an award and was wounded on the same day. It is known that the regiment in which he fought was served by the fourth medical and sanitary battalion, but Nikolai Sergeyevich is not listed in the documents on the registration of the dead soldiers for 1944" (TSAMO, op. 307123s, d.2, page 63). It is obvious that he was not delivered to the medical unit of his army regiment. According to the same Central archive of the Ministry of Defense, Nikolai Gruzdev went missing in August 1944. It turns out that the injury was not serious, and he continued to fight? After all, a report on the loss of a soldier is made after he is not in the location of the military unit for 14 days. Or perhaps they didn't pick him up when he was wounded? Be that as it may, but he was in the unit until August, otherwise he would have been considered missing in early July. It’s a riddle... Nikolai Gruzdev was awarded twice: - the medal "for Military Merit" was awarded by order on May 1, 1944 "for excellent assimilation of combat and political training and transfer of experience and knowledge to the soldiers of his unit" to the commander of the 6th rifle company. - the medal " for bravery "(decreed on September 5th, 1944) was not awarded. By the way, it was awarded to the “Sergeant, assistant platoon commander of the 6th rifle company Nikolai Gruzdev for crossing the Pronya river near the village of Zastenki-Zalezhye, Mogilev region, in an offensive battle on June 23, 1944. He was the first to break into the enemy's trench, where he personally destroyed four German soldiers. The platoon destroyed up to 18 German soldiers and officers." It is known that the 32nd rifle division took part in the battles in Belarus until July 12, 1944, and then was transferred to Lithuania. According to reports, the division was fighting in Vilkaviskis and Marijampolė (modern name) areas of Lithuania. According to reports, you can determine the places of departure of soldiers: June-Mogilev region, July 7-8-the transition from Mogilev to Minsk region, from July 20-22 – Lithuania, from August 22-Latvia. The date of departure of Nikolai Gruzdev makes Yelabuga military enlistment office a post-war report from August 7, 1946, which means that the military unit did not report anything about his fate. As a result, the fighter went missing in the period from June 24, and since it is known that he was wounded on June 23, but the award was not given to him, he either died before September 1944, or you need to make a request to the medical institutions of other divisions that fought with the 32nd.

Rank: Senior Sergeant. Branch of troops: Artillery. Military regiment: 13th guards rifle twice Red Banner Poltava division of the Orders of Lenin, Suvorov and Kutuzov. Horovets was called up to the armed forces in 1938 by the Vetrinsky RVC, Belorussian SSR, Vitebsk region. Participated in the defense of Stalingrad. On April 16, 1944 in Ukraine, acting as a gun commander, being on direct fire courageously repelled the attacks of enemy tanks and infantry, in battle destroyed up to 20 soldiers and knocked out 1 tank. The enemy was forced to retreat. On January 12, 1945, in Poland, when breaking through the enemy's defenses to the north from the village of Stopnica, showing exceptional courage and skill, Horovetz destroyed 3 machine-gun emplacements, 2 guns, more than 15 nazi soldiers, and 1 bunker. On January 13, when repelling an enemy counterattack in the area of Buska-Zdroj, showing courage and fearlessness, he knocked out 1 self-propelled gun, 2 machine guns and up to 20 enemy soldiers. On January 20, he shot down 1 armored personnel carrier, set fire to 3 cars, and destroyed more than 20 enemy submachine gunners. On January 25, repelling enemy counterattacks on the West Bank of the Oder river, showing exceptional courage, fearlessness and military skill, he shot down 1 armored personnel carrier, destroyed 3 mortars, 3 machine guns and up to 30 nazi soldiers, which greatly contributed to the retention and expansion of the Oder bridgehead. On the 5th of February, the enemy launched a counterattack in the Kreisburg area. Thanks to the steadfastness and bravery of comrade Horowitz's team, the counterattack was repulsed, while knocking out 1 self-propelled gun, destroying 3 machine guns and more than 50 enemy soldiers and officers. On April 18th, 1945, he was seriously wounded by a shell fragment.

Rank: Colonel. Branch of troops: Artillery. Until the end of September 1942, he was a Common Soldier within the 4th reserve artillery brigade in Astrakhan. Dates of his study at the military school: October 1942-end of August 1943 in Perm (2nd Rostov artillery school of self-propelled artillery). After graduation, he received the rank of a Junior Lieutenant. Took the military oath: November 6, 1942. In August 1943-January 1944, he served within the self-propelled artillery regiment as the commander of the SU-76 self-propelled gun. From January 1944 to May 1945 he fought as a SU-76 commander on the 1st Baltic front, 2nd Belorussian front, 3rd Belorussian front, and 2nd Ukrainian front. Goncharov was cited for bravery by orders of the Supreme commander-in-Chief, Marshal of the Soviet Union, comrade Stalin: 1. For the liberation of Borisov-1.07.1944 2. Liberation of Minsk-3.07.1944 3. Liberation of Vilnius-13.07.1944 4. Participation in the breakthrough of the enemy's defense in the West of Heinitz-27.02.1945 5. Taking by force cities of Rummelsburg and Polyanov-3.03.1945 6. Access to the Baltic sea coast and capture of Kezlin-4.03.1945 7. Liberation of Gitoln-9.03.1945 8. Liberation of the cities of Dirschau and Neustadt-12.03.1945 9. Liberation of the city and fortress of Gdansk (Danzig) 10. Liberation of Prenzlau and Angermund – 27.04.1945 11. Liberation of Anklam, Frilland, Neubrandenburg, Lichen – 29.04.1945 12. Liberation of Stralzbund, Grimmen, Demmin, Melchin, Waren, Wesenberg – 1.05.1945 13. Liberation of Rostock, Warnemunde – 2.05.1945 14. Liberation of Barth, bad Deberan, Neubuk, Varin, Wittenberg and unification with the British forces allied to USSR-3.05.1945 Operational record: 6.11.1942 – Common Soldier 12.08.1943 - Junior Lieutenant 12.05.1945 - Lieutenant 17.01.1949 - Senior Lieutenant 26.05.1952 - Captain 10.12.1968 -Major 29.09.1974 Lieutenant Colonel 9.05.1980 - Colonel

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.