The Great Patriotic War

Rank: Captain _x000D_ Branch of troops: Artillery _x000D_ My grandfather, Staratonov Nikolai Prokhorovich, was born in 1923, in the village. Lamskoe, Volynsky District, Oryol Region (now Stanovlyansky District, Lipetsk Region), in a peasant family. When the Great Patriotic War began, he was only nineteen years old. In July 1941, Nikolai Prokhorovich Staratonov was drafted into the ranks of the Red Army in the Volyn Commissariat. And he took part in military operations from June 1942, as indicated in the documents. There is reason to believe that this year he could have been in a military school. Until 1943, we know nothing about the military fate of Nikolai Prokhorovich Staratonov. We could not find information on the Internet either. It is known for certain that until July 1943 my grandfather fought on the Western and Bryansk fronts. Specific information about the military unit or at least the army in which N.P. Staratonov could be located during this period we don’t have. _x000D_ At home we used to have two Orders of the Patriotic War, I and II degree left from Uncle Nilolay. One of them was intact, and another was split by a shell, only half of it remained with a piece of his tunic. These orders were brought later to the parents by Nikolai's friends. Unfortunately, they were stolen. _x000D_ The Order of Alexander Nevsky was not issued, we only have a temporary certificate of awarding. At the time Staratonov, Nikolai Prokhorovich had the rank of Guard Senior Lieutenant and commanded a control platoon of the division of the 60th Guards Corps Artillery Regiment, which was part of the 61st Army. _x000D_ He was destined to be a part of the Kurksk Bulge, the key battle of WWII in terms of its scale, the forces and means involved, the tension, the results and political consequences. During the offensive battles from 11 to 20 July 1943 on the city of Bolkhov in the area of the villages of Tolkachevo - Bagrinovo he adjusted the division's fire for infantry. As a result, 2 mortar batteries, 1 Artillery battery, 12 enemy firing points and up to 2 companies of enemy infantry were destroyed. _x000D_ On July 14, 43 he organized a repulse of the enemy's counterattack by battalion force, and at the same time adjusted the division's fire on the counter-attacking infantry and German firing points. The counterattack was repulsed with heavy losses for the enemy: up to two infantry companies killed and wounded, 1 self-propelled gun and 2 direct-fire guns. _x000D_ For his courage in the fight against the enemy, my grandfather was nominated for the Order of the Patriotic War, II degree. On October 19, 1943, in the Hatka-Udalivka area on the Braginka River, he moved his battery to an open firing position and with direct fire made two passes in the barbed wire, destroyed 3 firing points and one direct-fire gun. As a result, a supported infantry unit, on the offensive, knocked the Germans out of the first trenches, occupied them and began to pursue the enemy. _x000D_ From the 19th to 25th October 1943, my grandfather pursued the enemy to the settlement of Maly Avtyutsevichi with the infantry with fire and wheels. _x000D_ From 8th to 14th January 1944, during the breakthrough of the enemy's defenses in the Aleksandrovka area, Golevitsy and Kalinkovichi Staratonov Nikolay neutralized the enemy's front edge by direct fire, allowing the infantry to knock the enemy out of the first trenches and break into the southern outskirts of the village Aleksandrovka, destroying: 5 machine-gun points, one machine-gun bunker, one separate gun. After the breakthrough, together with the infantry, he pursued the enemy beyond the outskirts of Kalinkovichi, where he suppressed the fire of three machine guns and one battery. For this feat he was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky. _x000D_ My grandfather also was distinguished on the Baltic front. As the Commander of the 3rd battery of the 60th Guards Corps Artillery Kobrin Red Banner Regiment of the Guard, Captain Nikolai Prokhorovich Staratonov on the approaches to Riga in the Laugas area on September 30 and October 1, 1944 repelled three enemy counterattacks with battery fire, scattering and partially destroying up to 2 companies of the German infantry, suppressed two machine guns and destroyed one 75 mm cannon. _x000D_ In the combat east of the Sigulda line on September 5, 1944t, he discovered a concentration of enemy infantry, up to a battalion, preparing for a counterattack and, opening battery fire, destroyed more than 30 German soldiers and officers. _x000D_ On October 10, in the Vesturi Region, with battery fire, he suppressed the enemy's mortar battery and destroyed the heavy machine gun, which was an obstacle with the advance of our infantry, thereby ensuring the crossing of the Maza-Jugla River. For his courage in the above combat, my grandfather was presented with a state award, the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree. _x000D_ The soldier’s fate kept him, he had passed the Western, Bryansk, Belorussian and Baltic fronts with no scratch. _x000D_ However, he was not destined to return home. On March 5, 1945, just two months before the Victory, Nikolai Prokhorovich Staratonov passed away. And only 70 years later did we find out where Nikolai was buried. _x000D_ As a result of our searches, it was found out that the Commander of the 3rd battery of the 60th Guards Corps Artillery Kobrin Red Banner Guards Regiment, Captain Nikolai Prokhorovich Staratonov, died of wounds on 03/05/1945. _x000D_ The primary burial place is the village of Zaghelev, now Sadlovo in Poland. On July 23, 1952, he and 14 other soldiers were reburied in Stargard at the Stargard-Szczecinski International Military Cemetery. Now he rests in mass grave number 42. Eternal Glory!

Rank: Lieutenant Colonel _x000D_ Branch of troops: Artillery _x000D_ A boy was born in a large and friendly peasant family on October 25, 1919 in the small mountain village of Urada, Shamil District. They named him Magomed. The boy was brought up in excellent Dagestan traditions: respect for elders, courage, love for his land, devotion to his people, reverent attitude towards women, towards mountain culture. _x000D_ Knowing that there is little fertile land in Dagestan, Magomed dreamed of turning the Gidatlinskaya valley into a blooming garden, to be an an agronomist. He plunged headlong into student life. In addition to studying, he fell in love with sports: volleyball, basketball, high jumping, was fond of shooting. In 1939 there was anxiety in the air, tension is felt, people talking about war in Spain, the Japanese aggression on Lake Khasol and Khalkhin Gol, the ideas of fascism about the Aryan nation. This atmosphere called for vigilance, for increased military training. Magomed changed his mind and firmly decided to become a military man. _x000D_ Being the third year of the Agricultural Institute, he transferred to the Krasnodar Military Infantry School. It was hard for a freedom-loving Dagestani to obey someone else's will! The Company Commander spent more than one hour convincing the young man that in the army it was necessary to follow the Commander's orders. The Commander's sincerity, his delicacy, was also remembered by the young man for life, for future military leader. _x000D_ Since the first days of the war, Tankaev had been at the front. He commanded a platoon, a company, a regiment. Everywhere he showed himself to be a competent, caring commander. This is confirmed by the lines from the award list: “... Magomed Tankaevich could be seen only where it was especially hard for his soldiers. Sombre by complexion, he was completely blackened by stress ... "_x000D_ Those regiments commanded by Magomed were highly awarded: 823 Red Banner Rifle Regiment for the assault and capture of the city of Debica and successful actions in the Lvov-Sandomierz operation were given the honorary name" Dembitsky "; the 460th Regiment was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky for valor and courage displayed during capture of Rybnik. _x000D_ The Victory Day on May 9, 1945 Magomed Tankaev had celebrated in the liberated Prague. But the war for Magomed Tankayevich on May 9 did not end. He still had to fight with a fierce retreat and defeat of the enemy. By the end of the war M. Tankaev was in the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. For feats of arms during the Patriotic War, our countryman was awarded three Orders of the Red Banner and the Order of the Patriotic War of the first degree, many medals. _x000D_ After the war, Magomed Tankayevich decided to remain in the Armed Forces, to serve the Motherland with faith and truth. But since he was firmly convinced that knowledge was needed for military affairs, in 1948 he graduated from the Frunze Military Academy, and in 1960 he graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces. And both did with a gold medal.

Rank: Captain _x000D_ Fragment of the memoirs of Elena Ivanovna Mikitenko, Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor, Head of the Department of German philology, Kalmyk State University. _x000D_ When I came for a job interview at the department as a Laboratory Assistant after graduation, the Head of the Department of Foreign Languages of the Kalmyk State University, Nikolay Pavlovich Serov, asked me: “Are you good at typing?” _x000D_ It was January 1973. Nikolai Pavlovich was the Head of the Department for two years. _x000D_ My ability to type was not an idle issue. At that time there was a great shortage of paper printed teaching materials not only for the specialty “Roman-Germanic languages” (as our specialty was called then), but also for other specialties where English and German were taught as a foreign language. Nikolai Pavlovich himself created many manuals, so I had to work hard on a typewriter, or rather on typewriters, since I had to insert words, sentences, comments, tasks, etc. in Russian into a foreign text. _x000D_ In the future, these typing skills were useful to me. While studying in graduate school, I published my articles and typed dissertation. The Head of the Department was taking good care of his staff. He was interested in attracting more young specialists to the department, so he writing to Moscow State University, to the Gorky Pedagogical Institute of Foreign Languages. He especially tried to recruit men. At that time, many talented young people were invited by Nikolai Pavlovich: Kolodko Vasily, Shevnin Anatoly, Avilov Sergey, Kornachik Alexander, Mikitenko Yuri and others, to work at our department. _x000D_ In those days, it was quite common to work side by side with war veterans. And Nikolai Pavlovich, at 50, was a veteran of the Great Patriotic War and had state awards "For Victory over Germany" and the jubilee medals "30 years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War", "60 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR". He spoke little about this, was modest, claiming that he had little to fight, since he was drafted at the end of the war, at the beginning of 1944. He served as a trumpeter in the regimental orchestra, but in special situations he had to use real weapons. Therefore, his love for music is understandable. Nikolai Pavlovich knew well, loved and appreciated classical music and songs of the war years. Nikolai Pavlovich was always cheerful, fit and in a good spirits. Few people guessed that he had suffered from severe asthma since the war years. Therefore, he was anxiously concerned about his health: he was a vegetarian, he drank water only from a spring, he even washed himself with rainwater, (then the rainwater was clean). _x000D_ I was amazed that his son Pavlusha 5 years old talked with Nikolai Pavlovich in English. Few people were able to teach their children a foreign language. Nikolai Pavlovich knew English well, he lectured on the lexicology of the English language, on the theory of translation and especially liked to analyze the texts of the original and the translated parts; he had many published works on this subject. _x000D_ This skill formed the basis for instructing English for graduate students who were preparing to pass the candidate science minimum requirements in a foreign language. For him there was no obstacle in translating a text in any field of science, since at home Nikolai Pavlovich had many dictionaries for a variety of specialties. Today it is easy to translate any word, but then you had to run to the library, find a special dictionary or reference book. _x000D_ Nikolai Pavlovich treated the students kindly, he felt young being around them. We had always passed his exams and tests, he did not skimp on grades! For many years Nikolai Pavlovich Serov successfully headed the Department of Foreign Languages. _x000D_ After dividing the department into two: the Department of English Philology and the Department of Foreign Languages, he worked for only a few years, but then he had to leave the department for health reasons. We have preserved in our memory the image of our colleague Nikolai Pavlovich Serov, the defender of this country in the Great Patriotic War!

Rank: Colonel _x000D_ Division: 365th Red Banner Infantry Division. _x000D_ In the spring of 1939, a Major came to the Nikitskaya school and began to agitate the children to enter military schools. And eight tenth graders disappeared, dropping out of school. A month later, the “missing” were found in the Kharkov, where they studied at various military schools. The director of the school, together with the teachers, had to travel 180 km to Kharkov in order to take final exams from the "fugitives" and issue secondary education certificates. _x000D_ On May 15, 1941 Zinovy graduated from the course of the Kharkov Military Infantry School. The First Deputy People's Commissar for Defense of the SSR, Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny, came to graduation and handed the young Lieutenant Z.A. Sibirtsev a diploma with honors. As one of the best, he was sent to the Kiev Special Military District (at that time the most prestigious), where he was appointed Commander of the anti-aircraft machine gun platoon of 475th Infantry Regiment of the 53rd Infantry Division. But a peaceful service did not last long, the war began quite soon. Their Rifle Regiment, as part of the Southwestern Front, went into action against the German invaders. It was the third day of the war, and my grandfather was the Deputy Commander of a machine-gun company. _x000D_ The attack of the armed enemy was strong, the division had leave its positions and retreat. The 475th Rifle Regiment was left for cover. The forces were not equal: out of ammunition, having lost weapons and personnel, the remnants of the regiment were surrounded in the Rzhishchensky forests near Kiev. _x000D_ Once in the rear of the Germans, they began to leave the encirclement. Exhausted by cold and hunger, they had been on their way to the Soviet troops for more than 200 days. Only 400 soldiers and the commanders of their regiment and joined soldiers of other military units managed to get out of the encirclement. Having united with its division, the hastily reformed Regiment again entered the hostilities to defeat the enemy. German troops were advancing to Moscow. The situation on the Western Front was challenging, defensive battles were fought in all directions. An important area of the heroic combat for Moscow on the left flank of the Mozhaisk line of defense was the Maloyaroslavets sector of the front. Stubborn battles were fought on Maloyaroslavets land. Divisions from the Far East and other fronts were hastily deployed here again. The 43rd army of Major General Golubev K.D. fought In the Podolsk sector, and the 53rd Rifle Division was in its composition. Its Commander was Colonel A.F. Naumov. The division firmly held the defenses in the Kamenskoye, Tarutino, Kresty, Stremilovo zone, did not retreat a single step until the Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive near Moscow. _x000D_ On January 7, 1942, in a combat near the village of Ilyinka, Kaluga Region, Zinovy Ageevich was wounded and ended up in a hospital. After recovery, he was again sent to the front. But he fought in the 40th Separate Red Banner Rifle Brigade, which became famous in the battles near Moscow, for which he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. He was promoted to the military rank of “Captain” and became chief of staff of 1st Separate Infantry Battalion. The young Commander fought bravely, distinguished himself by competent conduct of the combat, therefore he was in good standing with the command of the Brigade. Directly from the front line in the battles for the Dorogobuzh, my grandfather was recalled from the front and sent to the Solnechnogorsk for the Higher courses of Command Personnel called "Shot" named after Marshal of the Soviet Union B.M. Shaposhnikov. _x000D_ In June, at the "Shot" course, there was a selection of excellent students for further study at the Frunze Military Academy. The Head of the courses, Lieutenant-General Smirnov, and Marshal G.K. Zhukov, who arrived, talked personally with each candidate. After a short conversation, Z.A. Sibirtsev was given the order: “Tomorrow you leave for the city of Moscow to the Academy.” _x000D_ So Captain Z.A. Sibirtsev in July 1943 became a student of the Frunze Military Academy. The study at the Academy was very intense, but the young officers-listeners, and among them were experienced front-line soldiers, order-bearers, tirelessly mastered the knowledge of military science. _x000D_ The long-awaited Victory Day was celebrated in Moscow, within the walls of the Academy. Then there was the world famous Victory Parade on June 24, 1945. My grandfather took part in this parade as part of the column of the oldest academy in the country, which was given the honor to lead the Moscow garrison in this parade. On October 10, 1947, students graduated from the Frunze Military Academy. Upon completion of his studies, Captain Z.A. Sibirtsev was sent to the Far East, where he served in military units for more than 10 years. For a year he served in the operational department of the headquarters of 5th army of the Primorsky Military District, then until July 1954 he was an officer of the operational headquarters of 25th army of the Primorsky Military District. _x000D_ From July 1954 to May 1957 he served as Head of the Air Defense Department of the 3rd Panzer Division of 25th Army of the Far Eastern Military District,then, until April 1959, he was the Head of the Air defense department of the 46th Panzer Division of 25th Army of the Far East Military District. _x000D_ On March 8, 1958 he was awarded the rank of Colonel. In April 1959 he was transferred to the command of the troops of the North Caucasian Military District, until October 1961 he was the Head of 2nd section of the Stavropol Military Commissariat of the North Caucasus Military District. _x000D_ In October 1961, Colonel Z.A. Sibirtsev was sent to the post of military Comissar of the Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Region of the Stavropol Territory. He served in the responsible work of the Military Comissar for 13 years. On October 25, 1974, he would have been transferred to the reserve, but in civilian life he worked as a member of the regional party committee, was in the thick of the social and political life of the country and the republic. In March 2004 Z. A. Sibirtsev was invited to Sochi to a plenary meeting of the public forum of the peoples of the Caucasus and southern Russia, where repeated meetings and conversations with Russian President V. V. Putin took place. _x000D_ In May 2005, Zinovy Ageevich was invited to Moscow to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Victory as a guest of honor and as a participant in the Victory parade. He was present at all the ceremonial events held by Russian President Vladimir Putin in honor of the Great Victory. _x000D_ For military work Zinovy Ageevich has more than 30 state awards: two Orders of the Red Star, the Order of the Patriotic War of 1st degree, medals "For Military Merit", "For Defense of Moscow", "For Victory over Germany" "Georgy Zhukov", "For Impeccable Military Service", "For Services to the Fatherland" II degree, jubilee and others.

Branch of troops: Armored and Mechanized Troops _x000D_ Subdivision: 264th Rifle Ussuri Division. _x000D_ My grandfather, Sorokin Alexander Alekseevich was born on 12/08/1923 in the village of Chernotrog of the Agapovsky District of the Chelyabinsk Region. It was 1942, a hard war year. He was not yet the full 18 years old when he was drafted into the ranks of the Armed Forces and sent to the border with China occupied by Japan. He learned the basics of military science in the Ussuri taiga, Japanese recons looked for gaps in order to penetrate Soviet territory ... .._x000D_ In 1943 he was sent to one of the replenishment points of the active army, and from there to 25th Tank Regiment. At first he was a radio operator, then a machine gunner. He received his baptism of fire near a small Viennese town. Then there were many fights and the path to the Victory Day in Berlin was paved by young healthy lifes of the Soviet soldiers. _x000D_ The crossing of the Danube became one of the examples of courage of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers. In the combat for Budapest, the tank was knocked out, two guys were killed, grandfather Alexander Alekseevich received a shell shock, but survived ... _x000D_ Further on the path of the young tanker was Czechoslovakia. There, Soviet troops linked up with American troops. Great-grandfather learned the good news about the end of the war while in the Czechoslovak village of Golubitsa. Everyone was happy about the victory. _x000D_ A week later, the units were transferred to Prague. Passing through the city, everywhere they met cheering Czechs, they threw flowers, smiled, shouted: "The liberators are coming!" _x000D_ With the declaration of Germany's surrender, the military service for the great-grandfather, like for many thousands of Soviet soldiers, did not end. In September A.A. Sorokina with fellow soldiers were sent to Romania, where there were many hiding fascists and not very calm. Only in December 1945 he was discharged. He returned home at the beginning of 1946 ... .. Alexander Alekseevich left as a boy, and returned as an adult man, matured, handsome, stately, black-eyed, on his chest there were medal "For Courage" "For Capture of Budapest" "For Liberation of Vienna" and other awards ... ..

Sushinsky Alexey Petrovich was born on March 7, 1921, in the Kalinin Region, Bezhetsk District, the village of Vydumer. After graduating from high school, in 1939 he entered 2nd Leningrad Red Banner Artillery School, after which in June 1941 he was awarded the rank of Lieutenant. Then he was sent to the Odessa Military District and was appointed Commander of the measuring and sighting platoon of the headquarters battery of the 265th Corps Artillery Regiment. _x000D_ Since the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he participated in the defense of Odessa as part of the Regiment. Then the Regiment was evacuated to the Crimea, where it took part in the defense of Sevastopol. During the defense of Sevastopol, Alexei Petrovich was awarded the rank of Senior Lieutenant, and in March 1942, he was appointed adjutant of the Regiment Commander. In April 1942, the Regiment was renamed 18th Guards Red Banner Artillery Regiment. _x000D_ Alexey Petrovich took part in the defense of the city until July 3, 1942. On this day, he was wounded, and the next day on July 4, 1942, he was captured near the Chersonesos lighthouse. He remained in captivity until August 28, 1942, and on the night of August 28-29, during transportation by rail, he escaped from a carriage near the Znamenka station of the Kirovograd Region. Then he tried to get to the front line and go out to the Soviet troops. Through the occupied territory he reached the Krasnodar Territory, where at a farm had found the Russian troops. After that, he was reviewed in a special counterintelligence department. Later he was appointed Commander of a control platoon of 773 Artillery Regiment of 317th Rifle Division (2nd formation). Then, in September 1943, he was appointed battery Commander of the same Regiment. As part of the unit, he took part in the liberation of the Taman Peninsula, the liberation of Uzhgorod, the overcoming of the Carpathians, in the breakthrough of the defense in the mountains of Värteshegy, the capture of the cities of Brno, Gyor, Magyarovar. For participation in these operations, the troops received gratitude from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief I.V. Stalin. _x000D_ Alexey Petrovich was a participant in the combat for the Caucasus, the liberation of the Kuban, a participant in the storming of Budapest and Vienna. He had a celebration of Victory in Czechoslovakia. _x000D_ Further, as part of the unit, he was transferred to the Far East, where he took part in the war with Japan. In the summer of 1946, he retired from the Armed Forces with the rank of Captain and returned home after 7 years of absence. In addition to the wound received near Sevastopol, he was wounded 2 more times: during the liberation of the Taman Peninsula and during the assault on Budapest. _x000D_ After the war he worked as a teacher in a rural school. He passed away in 1998. _x000D_ Awards: the Order of the Red Star, the Order of the Patriotic War II degree, the Order of the Patriotic War II degree was received in 1985, in honor of the 40th anniversary of Victory. _x000D_ Medals: For Defense of Odessa, For Defense of Sevastopol, For Defense of the Caucasus, For Capture of Budapest, For Capture of Vienna, For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945, For Victory Over Japan and many jubilee medals.

Suzdaltsev Mikhail Romanovich was born on November 20, 1915 in a simple peasant family, where the foundations of decency, kindness, respect for the older generations, for women were honored. He carried all these qualities through his entire life, passing them on to his children and grandchildren. _x000D_ At war he was lucky twice. The first time he escaped death near Moscow in 1941, when a bomb explosion threw him many meters from the trench, stunning and burying him in the ground. He was strong, he got out, he didn't go for first-aid treatment to the Medical Battalion, there was no time - the Germans were advancing. _x000D_ The eardrum in the left ear had burst. Over the years, the second ear also stopped hearing. After Stalin's order "Not a step back!" in 4 years of the war, Mikhail Romanovich reached East Prussia in grueling combats. He had the highest soldier's military rank, Starshina. He was respected in the regiment by friends, comrades, and commanders. _x000D_ The second time he got lucky when he fell ill with meningitis in 1943. There were 32 of them in the hospital; two survived, Mikhail and another soldier. Then he got a vacation, came home for a visit. He was very thin, with sunken eyes, recovered a little at home; and back to the front to finish off the fascists. _x000D_ After the war, he worked all his life in the fields and farms on the Michurin kolkhoz in the Tokarevsky District. Mikhail was always sent to the most challenging areas of kolkhoz work: for example, to feed livestock. Tall and strong man, all in frozen clothes, clogged with snow, he brought hay, straw, feed the cows on the farm; or pumped out 250 buckets of water from an artesian well to water livestock. Mikhail Romanovich fully fulfilled the behest of his ancestors: he built a house after the war, raised three children, planted and raised a beautiful garden; and did other many big and small things! He passed away on November 8, 2004.

Rank: Lieutenant Colonel _x000D_ Nilolay Tarakanov had been a member of the Communist Party since 1945. He was drafted into the Soviet Army in 1939 in the city of Sursk, Gorodishchensky District, Penza Region. Нe was demobilized in the city of Klyazma, Buryat ASSR in 1960. He began service in the rifle forces, but since 1950 had been in the USSR Air Force. He was also awarded a medal "For impeccable service in the Armed Forces of the USSR" and six jubilee medals. After demobilization, he worked at the VEM plant in the city of Penza as a department Head. He had labor awards, medals "For Valiant Labor in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of V. I. Lenin", "Veteran of Labor", badges "Winner of Socialist Competition in 1973 and 1975". _x000D_ From the words of the veteran: "After graduating from the military school, throughout the Great Patriotic War, I served in the military Kemerovo Infantry School as a combat officer, where officers were trained for the front. According to the order of the Supreme Commander, Comrade Stalin, the staff officers of military schools were not sent еще the war front. We trained platoon commanders: rifle, machine-gun and mortar. I was engaged in the education and training of platoon commanders of 82 mm mortars. We taught cadets to be able to use mortars and all types of small arms in service with the troops, as well as enemy weapons, skillfully control a mortar platoon in all types of combat at any time of the day or year, in conditions close to combat. During the preparation period, marches were made with overcoming various terrain obstacles and overcoming water obstacles. Marches were made on foot, and in winter on skis in full gear as part of units up to 25 km with the completion of live fire and the attack of a conditional enemy. The training, as a rule, ended with field exercises, in which the cadets spent 10 days in field conditions far from settlements, improving the actions of the platoon Commander in various types of combat close to the active combat missions. It was especially hard if such exercises were carried out in Siberian winter frosts at a temperature of minus 35 degrees Celsius. The training was carried out for 6 months, after the exams the military rank the officers received the rank of Junior Lieutenant and were sent to the war front. _x000D_ Personally, I had to accompany officers to the front just once in 1943. _x000D_ In 1950 I was to the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany at the newly formed military educational institution of the Air Force to organize and conduct training for Junior Aviation Professionals. "

Nikolai Alekseevich Sulimenko was born on June 22, 1923 in the Krasnodar Territory, Abinsky District, Vorobiev farm. Before the war, the family moved to the village of Dinskaya. In 1940 he graduated from 8 classes. The main civilian specialty was an electrical fitter. He was drafted into active military service on December 10, 1941. In December 1941-March 1942 he was Cadet of the Vladivostok Military Infantry School. He took the oath on February 23, 1942. He was Senior Seargeant Mortar Commander of Mortar 82 mm and 120 mm mortars. -Нe had been a participant of the Second World War since 1942: Central Front. Belorussian front, 1st Ukrainian Front. _x000D_ March 1942 - October 1943: 248 Separate Cadet Rifle Brigade, Commander of 82 mm mortar crew. _x000D_ October 1943 - March 1944: hospital, wounded on 09/14/1943, Central Front. March 1944 - January 1945: 747th Infantry Regiment. 172nd Pavlograd Red Banner Order of Suvorov Infantry Division, squad leader of a Reconnaissance Platoon. _x000D_ January 1945 - August 1945: hospital, seriously wounded on 01/12/1945._x000D_ August 1945 - October 1945: 23rd Infantry Regiment, Commander of the sub-machine gunner squad. _x000D_ He was demobilized on October 29, 1945 by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated 09.25.1945. He had been a member of the Communist Party since April 1943. _x000D_ Awards (combat): Medal "For Courage" No. 200012; Medal "For Courage" No. 1261896; Order of Glory the 3rd degree No. 569499; Order of Glory 2nd degree No. 45589; Medal "For Victory over Germany"; Badge "Guard of the USSR". AWARDS (labor): Medal "For Distinction in Labor"; Veteran of Labor Medal; Order of the Badge of Honor; Medal "For Conscientious Labor" to the 100th anniversary of V. I. Lenin; Badge "Excellence in Communist Competition". _x000D_ Jubilee Awards: Medal "20 years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945"; Medal "30 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945"; Medal "40 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945"; Medal "50 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"; Medal "60 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"; Medal "70 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"; Badge "25 years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945"; Army Veteran badge. _x000D_ After the war, he worked in the mines of Donbass as a miner at the call of the Communist party. He was married to Sulimenko (Ryapolova) Alexandra Mitrofanovna. He had 3 sons, 5 grandchildren and 2 granddaughters. He passed away on April 7, 1991 from silicosis. He was buried in the cemetery in the village of Dinskaya.

Rank: Senior Lieutenant_x000D_ Branch of troops: Artillery. _x000D_ Division: 166th Infantry Division (1st Formation). _x000D_ Smetanin Akaki Akakievich was born in 1914 on November 23 in the village of Kedva in the Ukhta Region of the Komi ASSR in the family of a middle peasant. My father was engaged in agriculture. In 1924 he entered a rural school and graduated in 1930. From 1930 to 1933 he worked in the production of logging as a worker. The family joined the kolkhoz in 1933. From 1933 to 1936 he worked there as a foreman. In 1936 he was drafted into the ranks of the Red Army. In 1938 he entered the courses for Junior Lieutenants and graduated from them in May 1939, received the rank of Junior Lieutenant. _x000D_ Since May 1939 he was appointed Platoon Commander of 9720 unit in Kirovsk, where he served until September 1939. From September 1939, together with a unit, he left for the Finnish border. He took part in the war with the Finns as Commander of a machine gun platoon in April 1940, he was appointed Company Commander of a Separate Machine-Gun Batillion in 14th Rifle Division of 14th army. In October 1940, he was appointed Commander of the platoon of the regimental school of the 242nd Rifle Regiment by the headquarters of 14th Army. 104th Suvorov Division, where he served until the beginning of the Patriotic War. _x000D_ On June 23, 1941 he was appointed Deputy Commander of a Separate Reconnaissance Detachment, where he served until August 10, 1941. From August 10, 1941 he became a Chief of staff of a Separate Reconnaissance Battalion at 5th Rifle Brigade of 9th Army, where he served until he was wounded on October 28, 1941 and was treated in hospital No. 2537 in the Asbest town on January 8, 1942. From January 1942 to July 1942 he was the Commander of a machine-gun company in 423rd Rifle Regiment. From July 7, 1942 to November 20, 1942 he was on the courses of the Commander of a machine-gun company, was released from the course by the Deputy of Battalion Commander. _x000D_ From November 20, 1942 he was at the post of Deputy Battalion Commander of 423rd Rifle Regiment 166 s.p. At the front on August 3, 1943, on August 3, 1943, he was wounded and was treated in the hospital until November 20, 1943.From December 1943 to March 21, 1944, he was the Commander of a training machine-gun company of 7th Brigade in Kungur. From March 31, 1944 to May 8, 1944, 11th poll in Sverdlovsk was in reserve. From May 8, 1944 to November 1944 he was a Senior Instructor of 4th unit of the District military enlistment office in Malmyzh. From November 1944 to April 1945 he was in reserve. From April 5 to April 25, 1945 he studied at the Reconnaissance courses of the Liegnitz Regiment. From April 27, 1945 to August 30, 1946 he was a recon of the Regiment of 292th Guards Regiment, 97 Guards Suvorov Division. On August 30, 1946 he was demobilized from the Red Army. _x000D_ From December 10, 1946 he worked as a Deputy Director of the school FZO №5 in Balti until April 1947. From May 29, 1947 to January 10, 1949 he was the Chairman of the “Red Border Guard” Martel. From January 10, 1949 to March 14, 1951, he was a Head of oil depot in Bolotinskaya Machinery & Tractor Station (MTS). _x000D_ He was a Member of the Communist Party. He fought in Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria. He has medals "For Victory over Hitler Germany", "For Courage", "For Military Merit", "For Liberation of Prague", "For Capture of Vienna", the Order of the Patriotic War and many others at the war and after the war. He was wounded three times and once shell-shocked. _x000D_ After the war he worked at a construction site in Kazakhstan, Moldova, in the city of Volzhsky. In 1954 he came with his family (wife and 3 children) to Volzhsky. He built houses, also built hydroelectric power plants, then worked at the Abrasive Plant, then retired. After the was he was a Senior Lieutenant in Reserve. He passed away on 02.04.1999 in the city of Volzhsky, where he was buried.

Samodurov Viktor Ivanovich worked at the Aircraft Plant number 240, in Moscow, had an exemption from active duty. The family was evacuated during the war and they got lost. They had met only in the late 50s. Now his daughter lives in Kazakhstan with her family. _x000D_ On March 7, 1916 (old style) in Moscow, Ivan Mikhailovich Samodurov and his wife Anna Dmitrievna had a daughter, Alexandra. In the same year, her father, Ivan Mikhailovich Samodurov, was taken to 1st World War. It was hard to live in Moscow with five children, and his wife decided to return home to the village of Novo-Krasnoe, Sapozhkovsky District, Ryazan Region. When my father returned from the war, they decided to stay in the village. They worked hard, lived well, my mother often recalled: _x000D_ “All the young people go for a walk in the evening to the outskirts, and the father does not let us, because we start working with the first roosters, and if you do not get enough sleep, you can not work well. " _x000D_ According to the new political strategy, twice kolkhoz had tried to dispossess their property as kulaks, but they never had hired workers, they did everything with their own hands, so this initiative had no support at the village meeting." _x000D_ But this politics had consequences on the fate of my brother. In 1932, when he served in the ranks of the Workers 'and Peasants' Army for a year of military service, a letter came from the village of Novo-Krasnoe to the military unit, in which it was written that the kolkhoz meeting had decided: “...the son of a wealthy, unconscious peasant cannot serve in Workers 'and Peasants' Army". And my brother was expelled, but he dreamed to be a military man. _x000D_ From the first days of the war, he was at the front and was killed at the crossing of the Dnieper. Two more of my brothers went through the roads of war and returned alive with awards.

Branch of troops: Artillery_x000D_ I want to tell you about my grandfather Pyotr Fomich Tyukin, a participant in the Great Patriotic War. He was beaten by the ordeal of the war, and not just once. His life path was hard, but he withstood everything with valor. Pyotr Fomich was born on November 23 in 1917 into a large family with three sons and a daughter, Anna. His post-revolutionary childhood was not easy. He was the eldest of the children, and since the age of six he had already helped his father to work the land. He hardly studied at school and finished only four classes. At the age of fifteen, he had already worked in kolkhoz as a hand. In 1937 he graduated from the courses of tractor drivers in the neighboring village of Vetlyanka. And the next year he was drafted into the Red Army. Then there was Khalkhin-Gol, the Great Patriotic War and the war with Japan. _x000D_ Since September 1938, Pyotr Fomich had served in the Red Army in 5588th Tank Regiment in Siberia at the Olovyanaya station. In 1939 he received his first baptism of fire on Khalkhin-Gol. The Japanese militarists launched large-scale military operations against the friendly Mongolian People's Republic in order to seize territory and prepare a foothold for a further offensive against the USSR. The Soviet offensive was successful, and the plans of the Japanese aggressors were thwarted. He returned home in November 1940, began to work as a trackman at the Tirazh railway station. _x000D_ The treacherous and sudden attack of Nazi Germany without declaring war on the USSR on June 22, 1941 showed the whole world the true face of fascism. German troops outnumbered the Soviet in both manpower and equipment. The Germans rushed to the Volga in order to cut off supplies: grains, oil and fuels and lubricants. The main target on this path was the city of Stalingrad. A general mobilization was announced. Pyotr Fomich was drafted in August 1941. Military training took place in Aktyubinsk, the time for training was limited, because the enemy occupied a significant territory of the country. Pyotr Fomich was enlisted in 129th Mortar Regiment. They received weapons, ammunition and the command "To defend Stalingrad!" By train they went along the Ural railway to the station Polotnyanaya, and then on horseback, carts, to the station Kletnaya. This is where it all started. The air hummed, the Nazis bombed non-stop, even the ground groaned with screams and horror. Not everyone made it to the place of deployment. His Regiment entered the Don Front, where Konstantin Rokossovsky was the Commander. Red Army defended Stalingrad without spare no pains. It was hot. Even those who did not believe in God prayed to survive. They fought for every street, for every house. Rumble, explosions, shooting. There was not enough ammunition and grubs, but the louse gnawed mercilessly. _x000D_ Private Tyukin Pyotr Fomich was appointed the Chef of the Division. It would seem an easy mission to feed the soldiers. But try to do this, crossing the Dnieper River, under continuous artillery fire. For courage shown in battles with the German invaders, Pyotr Fomich was awarded in 1943 the medal "For Courage" and "For Defense of Stalingrad". Received the rank of Corporal. _x000D_ In the summer of 1943, he was part of 1st Ukrainian Front. He fought across the Ukrainian land, liberating the cities of Shevchenko, Molodechno. Burnt-out villages, only the stoves stood like candles, reminded that there had been houses here, and people once lived. And everywhere they were greeted by deadly tired old men, women, children. Then they liberated Latvia and Estonia. In July 1944 he was awarded the Order of Glory III degree for courage, fearlessness and resourcefulness. _x000D_ In the battles for Lithuania near the city of Shauliai, enemy aircraft set fire to a car with a kitchen. Not paying attention to the shelling, under the explosive burning shells, Pyotr Fomich removed the slopes from the nearby burning car, and quickly moved it to his own. As a result of his actions, hot food was delivered to the firing positions on time. They drove the fascists all the way to Germany. Here is the long-awaited Victory! _x000D_ They dreamed of a home, of meeting their relatives, but they were transferred to Novosibirsk, in the direction of the Far Eastern Territory. Some were assigned to the Japanese front, and they began to prepare for a new war against the Kwantung Army. _x000D_ Since August, rains have charged, mountain streams and rivers overflowed, off-road. They experienced again shells, explosions and death of comrades. _x000D_ Pyotr Fomich was wounded and was sent to the military medical unit in the town of Sposke, then transferred to a hospital. Only in 1946 did he return home. For military operations he was awarded the medal "For Victory over Japan." _x000D_ The post-war period was not easy either. "Everything for the front, everything For Victory!" All resources were pulled out of the village for the needs of the front. Despite the labor heroism of the peasants, agriculture had suffered heavy losses during the war. The number of able workers in kolkhoz had decreased, and the material and technical base was undermined. The vast majority of equipment available in agriculture was worn out. In kolkhoz, young girls worked on tractors, all the hardships of wartime fell on their shoulders. The lack of equipment and workers affected the area under crops and the number of livestock. The cultivated area has declined from 3.6 million hectares in 1940 to 2.2 million hectares in 1945. Agricultural workers had to restore the potential lost during the war years, rebuild a peaceful life._x000D_ After arriving home in May 1946, Pyotr Fomich continued to work in kolkhoz. For his labor success he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. He married Varvara Vasilievna, raised two daughters and three sons, bringing up in them respect and love for the Motherland. But the events of those years left an indelible mark on his soul. More than once, Pyotr Fomich met with his war veterans, remembering the dead comrades.

Rank: Junior Lieutenant _x000D_ Branch of troops: Artillery _x000D_ My grandfather Tarasov Leonid Alexandrovich was born on December 6, 1913 in the village Khokhorsk, Bokhansk District, Irkutsk Region, in a poor family, finished 7 classes at a school for working youth. In October 1935 he was drafted into the ranks of the Workers’and Peasants' Red Army and sent to the Buryat Kaalerian Regiment at the Divisional station, where he served as a cavalryman. In November 1939 he began his studies at the courses of Junior Officers, which he graduated in March 1940 and received the rank of Junior Lieutenant. In August 1940 he was sent to Bain-Tumen, now Choybolsan, Mongolian People's Republic in 27th Artillery Regiment, 17th army of the Trans-Baikal Front. _x000D_ The Artillery Regiment was armed with anti-aircraft guns and covered the troops from the Japanese aviation. The Regiment entered the war against the Japanese troops on August 9, 1945. For excellent military operations against the Japanese aggressors, forcing the Great Khingan mountain range, overcoming the waterless Mongolian steppe, the grandfather was commended by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Generalissimo Comrade Stalin I.V. dated August 23, 195 # 372. _x000D_ On this war trip, my grandfather was wounded. The Regiment marched through northeast China. He liberated such large cities as Chang-Chun and Harbin. The Regiment finished fighting on 03.09.1945.In 1947, the Artillery Regiment was transferred to the Soviet Union, in Ulan-Ude. He was released in 1957 with the rank of Major, served in the ranks of the Red Army, and then in the Soviet Army for 22 years. _x000D_ Awards: the Order of the Patriotic War of 2nd degree, the Order of the Red Banner of the combat, the Order of the Red Star and 10 medals, including "For Military Merit", "For Victory over Germany", "For Victory over Japan", medal of the MPR "Bugdnayramdah” (translated as We will win). He passed away on June 10, 1994 at the age of 81, buried in Ulan-Ude.

Branch of troops: the USSR Navy and the Naval Forces of the NKVD border troops. _x000D_ Не was born on October 1, 1921 in the village of Tatary, Kotelnichsky District, Kirov Region. In 1940 he graduated from the Cooperative College in the city of Sarapul with a degree in Accounting. Не was called up by the draft board of the Kotelnichsky District of the Kirov Region. In 1940 he studied at an Artillery School, after an injury he was expelled and was assigned to the Naval Base in the city of Novorossiysk. On January 3, 1941 he arrived to 89th mine party of the Black Sea Fleet in the city of Novorossiysk, military specialty Junior Miner. A mine party is a full-time team of miners, which maintains the mine stock in warehouses, arsenals and sets mines from ships. _x000D_ He participated in the Second World War as a miner at the Destroyer Formation Base. He took the oath on March 6, 1941. 89 mine party according to the list of Control bodies, formations, ships, units and institutions took part in active hostilities in the period from 06/22/1941 to 03/30/1943. He was wounded by a bomb fragment in the lower part of the Head. He met the Victory Day on May 9, 1941 at the location of the unit in the city of Batumi. _x000D_ During the war, he was awarded the medals “For Defense of the Caucasus” and “For Victory over Germany” on April 24, 1947, demobilized to the reserve on the basis of the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of February 4, 1947. _x000D_ After the war, he worked in the city of Nizhny Tagil of the Sverdlovsk Region at the Ural Carriage Works (UVZ) as an accountant (department 17). He retired in October 1981. He passed away on February 13, 2012 at the age of 90.

Rank: Junior Sergeant_x000D_ Branch of troops: Artillery. _x000D_ _x000D_ My father, Vikenty Vasilievich Smolin, was born on October 26, 1918 in the Vologda region, Chebsar district, village Sholomovo. His parents Smolin Vasily and Zelenkova Alexandra Konstantinovna had 5 children. His father returned from the army sick, his boots were frozen to his feet. When dad was 3 years old, grandfather died of pneumonia. His mother was left a widow at 32 with children: Nikolai, who was missed in the war, Lydia, Nina, Maria / died in infancy / and the younger Vincent. My grandmother worked in an artel, weaved beautiful Vologda lace, which was sold abroad, including to England. _x000D_ In addition, he had to manage the house and run the entire household, take care of the cattle in order to raise and feed the children. Approximately in 1939, dad left for Arkhangelsk. On 09/20/1939 he was added to the reserve. And then the war began. _x000D_ On 18/12/1942 my father was called up for active military service in Artillery Regiment. From January 1943 to May 1946 he served as the Commander of the reconnaissance department of an artillery and mortar unit. As a Junior Sergeant, he participated in military campaigns from 01/27/1943 to 05/09/1945. _x000D_ On 23/08/1943 for military operations he was awarded the medal "For Military Merit". On 30/03/1944 was wounded when with a friend carried out of the combatfield the Commander, for this action he was awarded 09/01/1944 the Order of the Red Star. For participation in fierce combats on the Leningrad Front 03/05/1945 he awarded the Order of Glory III degree. The very hard combats that my father recalled were near Luga, Staraya Russa. He spent the entire war on the front line, having experienced all the difficulties of military service during the war. He served in artillery reconnaissance, had to go for a German prisoner at any time of the year and in any weather, lie for hours in the cold in the snow, in the summer in the hot sun. With pain he recalled a case when shells of the wrong caliber were brought to the gun, howitzer, and with delight about the Katyusha that had appeared at the end of the war. _x000D_ For Liberation of Soviet Latvia he earned the gratitude of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Marshal of the Soviet Union I.V. Stalin. _x000D_ On 13/10/1944 at 4 o'clock in the morning, our soldiers were the first to walk along the deserted streets of Riga. My father was one of them. In the Baltics, the war ended for my father. They learned about the Victory 08/05/1945. Everyone was happy, hugging, kissing each other, firing weapons. Then, on May 9, 1945, the victory was officially announced. _x000D_ But despite the fact that the war was over, my father had to serve for another year. _x000D_ After demobilization in May 1946, my father came to Murmansk, got a job at the Murmansk seaport, worked as a loader and crane operator. On 02/22/1948 he married Sidorovskaya Anna Kuzminichna, and they had three children: me, Nadezhda, and my brother Nikolay. _x000D_ Then the whole family left for the Arkhangelsk region, Konosha district, the Krasnoye village, but Murmansk pulled back and we returned. He worked at Murmanskmorstroy. Wherever he was,whether he fought or worked, his merits were celebrated everywhere. For his excellent work, he was repeatedly awarded and acknowledged. _x000D_ Then he became a grandfather, he loved very much his grandchildren. This is how the life of one modest man had passed, difficult and peaceful, quiet and inconspicuous. On 04/04/1983 my dad passed away. _x000D_ Many times, at the invitation, he went to schools and told children about the war. I am very sorry that I, being his daughter, had little interest in the war period of his life, and because of his modesty he spoke so little about it himself. Only when he was drank did he like to sing the song "Fire is beating in a cramped dugout" and cried when they performed "Victory Day" and "Holy War", remembering their fellow soldiers and the harsh war days.