Rank: Corporal. Branch of military: Artillery. My great-grandfather, on my father's side, was Knyazev Mikhail Ivanovich. His father Knyazev Ivan Kuzmich came from the village of Spassky Murzy, and his mother Knyazev Marfa Shabanovna came from the village of Mikhailovka. My great-grandfather Mikhail Ivanovich was born on November 18, 1918 in a simple village family in the village of Spassky Murzy. There were 5 children in the family. When Mikhail Ivanovich's mother died, his father was betrothed to the widow Bashkaeva Maria, who had 4 children. When I grew up, I went to school. The school taught arithmetic, Russian and penmanship. The main goal of the school was to provide students with sustainable literacy skills. Children of both sexes attended the school. The training was free. On November 4, 1938, he was called up for active military service. In the army, he was a Rifleman in the 52nd construction battalion. He was discharged on November 17, 1940. In July 1941, my great-grandfather went to War. On November 7, 1941, he took the military oath under the 40th searchlight regiment. He was a corporal. Until November 1942, Mikhail Ivanovich was a searchlight operator in the 40th searchlight regiment. And from November 1942 to May 1945, my great-grandfather was an artilleryman in the 583rd anti-aircraft artillery regiment (according to records from the military ticket). He fought near Leningrad, Feodosia, Hungary (Budapest), Warsaw. Participated in the battle of Stalingrad. He was injured. The bullet hit the mouth and flew out near the ear. He was awarded the medal "for the defense of Stalingrad" from 20.02.1944 and the medal "for the victory over Germany" in March 1946. He returned home in 1946.