Artillery

Rank: Senior Sergeant Branch of military: Artillery Division: 3rd artillery Zhytomyr order of Lenin Red Banner order of Suvorov breakthrough division From the memoirs of V. A. Kartashev It was in May 1943 on the territory of Ukraine. We have received orders to destroy the accumulation of enemy equipment. We, the scouts, noticed a tall tree near the forward position of the German trenches. I managed to climb this tree without being noticed. Through the binoculars, you could see everything you needed. Our battery started firing, I corrected the fire by phone. Soon the Germans, apparently, guessed where the fire was being corrected, and began firing mortars at the tree. I could feel the large fragments of mines hitting the tree trunk. Received several minor injuries. One of the large fragments tore off the nail of the thumb and shattered the bone of the phalanx of the finger. Wiping the blood from my forehead, from the wounds, and pressing my finger to stop the bleeding, I continued to look through the binoculars and adjust the fire of our howitzers on the wired phone. The accumulation of enemy equipment was destroyed. The order was executed. When it was dark, I slipped down from the tree and reached our trenches and reported everything I saw. For this and other similar battles, I was then awarded the first medal "for bravery", and later appointed to the post of commander of the Intelligence Department. Battle path of Kartashev V. A. as part of the 43rd Howitzer artillery brigade, 1475th artillery regiment, 3rd artillery division: The vicinity of the town of Makarov in the West of Kiev-further West and South-West-Radomyshl-Zhytomyr-starokonstantyniv-Khmelnitsky-Satanov-Kopychyntsy district-North-West to terebovl – South-West to monastyrisk-further North-East-Ternopil-North – West to Zboriv – Peremyshlyany – Lviv-further West and South – West to Gorodok – Rudki – Sambor-Star. Sambir. Then we crossed the border of Poland-Sanok on the San river, and then - to Dresden and towards Prague.

Umar Zaalievich Bogatyrev was born in 1913 (1917) in the village of Surkhakhi, Nazran district, where he lived with his wife and daughter before being drafted into the army. He joined the army three days before the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. All recruits from the village of Surkhakhi were taken to the city of Grozny for further relocation. That is where the conscripts learned about the beginning of the war, and the next morning they were all sent to the city of Kamensk, Rostov region. Thus, the battle path of Bogatyrev Umar began from the first day of the war. At the end of 1941, after completing artillery courses, he was transferred to Ukraine. Later, he fought as part of the 1st Ukrainian front in the 53rd army under the command of Konev. In 1943, after completing junior command courses in the city of Sumy, he was appointed commander of a mortar platoon, then, his military path led him to the Kursk Bulge. The most trying test for the soldiers and officers of the Red Army was the battle of Kursk, which lasted from July 5 to August 23, 1943. In terms of scale, the forces and means involved, the intensity, results, and military-political consequences it became one of the key battles of the Great Patriotic War. About two million people, six thousand tanks, and four thousand planes participated in the battle of Kursk. Of the 13 Red Army artillery batteries on the Kursk bulge, one was commanded by U. Bogatyrev. In these bloody battles, the troops under the command of General I. Konev distinguished themselves during the offensive in the Belgorod-Kharkiv direction. Umar Bogatyrev would recall this experience. The old soldier, also, remembered the meeting with Marshal Zhukov. One day after the capture of Budapest, he approached the soldiers and, addressing Umar, asked: "Do you, Umar Salievich, think we will take Berlin?", to which he replied: "We will definitely take it, comrade Marshal!» Then Bogatyrev's platoon was transferred to Belgorod. At the end of 1944, he participated in the liberation of Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary. In May 1945, being part of the 241st rifle division, an artillery battery commanded by Bogatyrev entered Berlin. In one of the 11 banner groups that hoisted the banner of Victory over the Reichstag was the Ingush Umar Zaalievich Bogatyrev. For his heroism and courage during the capture of the city of Berlin, Umar Bogatyrev was presented the order of the RED STAR! This order was awarded to him immediately after the capture of the city. Umar Zaalievich is one of the few Ingush soldiers who reached Berlin, despite the fact that the entire Ingush people were repressed in 1944.

My father Alexander Iolievich Berdyugin was born on September 5, 1921 in the Tyumen region, in the city of Yalutorovsk. After graduating from school in 1939, he was drafted into the Red Army and entered the Leningrad Military School of Instrumental Intelligence, from which he graduated on June 2, 1941, with the rank of lieutenant. My father participated in the battles for the defense of the Caucasus as a part of the anti-aircraft artillery regiment (as commander of the instrumental intelligence regiment) in the Transcaucasian front. Then he liberated Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, and Austria being part of the 4th and 3rd Ukrainian fronts (as commander of communications of the rifle battalion and the commander of the fire platoon of the machine-gun company). In the fall of 1945, my father was sent to a Panzer division as the secretary of the military tribunal. But he did not want to continue in the military path and retired to the reserve in 1947. In 1948, he was enrolled at the faculty of history in the department of art history in Moscow State University. He graduated from the university in 1953. During his years of study, he joined the ranks of the CPSU (b) in the year of 1951. After graduating from MSU, he worked as the head of editing department in the magazine "Art", and later the chief of organizational and creative department of the Art Fund of the USSR, He took the position of the executive secretary of the journal "Decorative Art"; since 1959, worked in the Moscow City Organization of the Art Fund of the RSFSR. Father was awarded 5 military and 9 peace medals: in November 1944, the medal "For Courage" (for advancing his platoon into attack) and the order "Red Star", in May 1944, a medal "For Defense of Caucasus", in May 1945, the medal "For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945" and the medal "For the Capture of Budapest"; his peace awards: 1965 - medal "Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945", 1967 - medal "50 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR", 1970 - the medal "For Valiant Labor in Commemoration of 100-anniversary of the Birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin", 1975 - the medal "Thirty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945", 1978 - medal "60 Years of the USSR Armed Forces", 1985 - medal "Forty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945" and the order "Patriotic War of the 2nd degree", 1988 - medal "70 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR", previously awarded the medal "Veteran of Labor". My father died on November 4, 1990 of heart failure and never learned about the collapse of the country he had defended.

Rank: Sergeant. Branch of service: Artillery. Anatoly Maksimovich Karsaev came from an ordinary peasant family. He was born on January 04, 1924, in the village of Mokrovka, Saratov region. He had three brothers and a younger sister, and when they moved to the village of Borono-Mikhaylovka during the hungry year of 1933, his father married into a family with three more children. Thus, they lived: as a large family, indulged in labor and worries. To help the household, my grandfather added an extra year to his age to get a job. He started with the simplest work: collected sacks for sowing, then became a tractor refueller, and in the spring of 1941 my grandfather finished the tractor driver's course and mastered the "iron horse". In the spring of 1942, the Red Army soldier Karseev took up arms. He took up just one line in the red army book: "called up by the Makarov District Military Commissariat on April 28, 1942". My grandfather was sent from Balashov to Borisoglebsk, where the field school of sergeants was established. "About 400 guys were chosen - those who were younger. We lived in tents in the woods. We were trained to be commanders of machine-gun crews. Every day, from morning to evening, classes following a crash course." And again, he was in Balashov, from here on August 26, 1942, the newly minted machine-gun sergeants were sent to Stalingrad. We went on foot, at night time, and even carrying a machine gun on our backs – that was almost 70 kilograms of weight: the machine gun rack was 32 kg., the barrel was 26 kg., a box with bullets was 9 kg. My grandfather recalled: "On September 8, we were on the outskirts of Stalingrad. We did not even have time to get to the starting line when we were bombed. It was hell for us, eighteen-year-olds, who haven't been under fire. It made our hair stand on end." Anatoly Karseev, a sergeant in an independent machine-gun battalion of the Red Banner 99th guards’ division of the 66th army, fought as part of the Don frontline troops commanded by General Konstantin Rokossovsky. The frontline occupied a defensive line along the Don river to Yerzovka on the Volga. "When we entered Stalingrad at the end of January 1943, it was nothing but ruins." My grandfather survived these battles, having received only two scratches from bullets. But he was not as lucky in the summer of 1943, when a new offensive began: "The "Messer" spotted our servicing division and slammed us with shrapnel shells. The commander - a guy from the Zhytomyr region – died. Both my legs were broken. One of them was saved by medics. And the other was cut off. Afterwards, it was amputated knee-deep in a field hospital. " In the spring of 1944, Guard Sergeant Anatoly Karseev, with two military orders - of the Patriotic War and the Red Star - on his tunic, returned to his dear Borono-Mikhailovka. In May, he already got a job at the state farm as a driver on a powerplant. Here he met his soulmate, my grandmother, Valentina. At the time, she was 17 years old. A week before her birthday in July 1944, they got married. They lived together for 60 years, lived to see their “diamond” wedding. They created a big strong family: raised 5 children. There were twice as many grandchildren: 10. And 18 great-grandchildren! Despite the fact that my grandfather lost a leg during the war, he worked all his life both on the collective farm, and at home, where they had a large farm with cows, goats, sheep, chickens, geese, ducks. He had to swing a scythe, dig a vegetable garden, and there were many things to do in the yard as well. My grandfather had a very cheerful character, he was a master storyteller, played the balalaika. He was very fond of fishing. My grandfather died shortly before the 60th anniversary of the Great Victory. He died at the age of 81 in March 2005.

Rank: guard corporal. Branch of service: Artillery. 26 guards’ cannon and artillery brigade of the reserve of the main command of the 8th cannon and artillery division of the 1st Baltic front. Extract from the article of the Besson newspaper "Nasha Gazeta" dated June 21, 1995: "Called up to the army by the Besson District Military Commissariat in 1939, he began his service in an artillery regiment in the Far East. As he already had experience in working with equipment (in Bessonovka, he worked as a tractor driver), he was enrolled in an artillery workshop. Served and worked easily and productively: the repair of artillery systems was interesting in itself. But suddenly the war broke out. The unit in which Komissarov served was urgently transferred to the frontline. They entered into battle near Vyazma. The Nazis, at that time, were incessantly climbing forward, regardless of any losses they endured. And the "gunners" had to operate under difficult and tough conditions, often changing firing positions, making marches on bad country roads and, therefore, the artillery masters had enough work on their hands. In addition to repairing guns, ordinary Komissarov had to perform guard duty, deliver shells and various military equipment to firing positions. And quiet often these trips were made under the bombing of planes or under the fire of guns. But in the summer of 1943, their place in the workshop was taken by young people who had not yet experienced war, and he and Nikolai Pokusaev were sent to an reconnaissance platoon, to one of the batteries of their home unit. Komissarov himself did not notice how he fell in love with his new profession, was proud of his soldier's work, his duties. In February 1944, Soviet troops were preparing to attack the city of Vitebsk. The artillery scouts had a lot of work to do. In the most difficult conditions, almost in an open, bare place, in the fierce crackling colds, in a hastily equipped trench, Komissarov continued his inconspicuous, but dangerous and heroic work, conducted careful surveillance of the enemy, detected its targets and sent data needed for conducting artillery fire. Vasily Vasilyevich's knee was shattered by fragments of a projectile; the heated metal sank into his arm and shoulder. Despite his injuries, he returned from the war alive and lived to be 79 years old. By order of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the USSR on February 6, 1944, he was awarded the medal "For Bravery" (dates of the feat: December 11, 1943, December 24, 1943). On April 6, 1985, the Minister of Defense of the USSR awarded him with the order of the Patriotic War of the I degree.

Rank: Sergeant. Branch of troops: Artillery. Division: 15th guards Kharkiv-Prague twice Red banner rifle division of the Order of Suvorov and Kutuzov. BOLOTSKY PYOTR MIKHAILOVICH was born in 1920 in the village of Verkhne-Kundryuchenskaya in the Razdorsky district of the Rostov region in a family of peasants. In 1939, he received a full secondary education and entered the Rostov state University at the faculty of physics and mathematics, but in the same year he was drafted into the Red Army, in the ranks of which he was until 1946. From 1941 to 1945 Bolotsky participated in military operations of the Great Patriotic war. Beeing positioned as a commander of the communications Department, he took part in combat operations on the Western and 1st Ukrainian fronts as part of the 341st howitzer artillery regiment, 347th automobile company of the 5th guards army, 47th rifle regiment of the 15th rifle division of the 155th army cannon and artillery brigade. In August 1944, he was wounded near Sandomierz (Poland). He was awarded with the medals "for Military Merit", "for Bravery", "for the Liberation of Prague", "for the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic war of 1941-1945". From the award list: " Bolotsky Pyotr Mikhailovich, Sergeant, topographer of the 155th Novorossiysk-Sevastopol artillery Army brigade adorned with Suvorov`s order. Bolotsky, working as a topographer for the brigade management during the fighting on the Oder bridgehead under enemy artillery fire, tied 12 firing positions, which enabled the divisions to conduct accurate shooting, as a result of which only near the city of Olau were destroyed up to 30 soldiers and officers, 7 wagons with cargo were broken. Later, after being wounded, Bolotsky, working at the brigade headquarters as a senior clerk, proved to be conscientious, reproduces combat documents, thereby giving more time to the brigade divisions to prepare and plan combat operations." Worthy of the order of the Red Star. May 28, 1945. In 1946, he was demobilized and entered the Rostov financial and economic University, from which he graduated in 1950. In the same year, he entered graduate school at the Department of statistics of the Rostov financial and economic University, from which he graduated in 1953 and was sent to the Kharkiv Institute of Soviet trade, where he worked as a senior lecturer at the Department of statistics and mathematics. In 1956, he defended his PhD thesis for the degree of candidate of economic Sciences. Since 1960-associate Professor, head of the Department of statistics, Dean of the faculty of trade and Economics of the Donetsk Institute of Soviet trade. Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 13.06.1966 awarded the order "Badge of Honor" for many years of scientific and methodological, educational and educational work.

Rank: Senior Sergeant. Branch of troops: Artillery. BATASHEV NIKOLAY IVANOVICH (1915-1997). Awarded with the title Hero of the Soviet Union for courage and heroism shown in the battles on the Kursk bulge, 1943. N. I. Batashev was born on 06.05.1915, in Astrakhan. In the active army - since August 1942. For successful combat operations near Voronezh, he was awarded the medal "for bravery" and appointed commander of the 128th mortar regiment (60th army, Voronezh front). 06.10.1943 in the battle for the bridgehead on the right Bank of the Dnieper river near the village of Gornostaypol (Chernobyl district, Kiev region), the enemy launched a fierce counterattack. Supporting their infantry with tanks and planes, as well as with heavy shelling, the Nazi began to push the battle formations of the Soviet troops. Senior Sergeant N. I. Batashev with his regiment was ordered to cover the withdrawal of the infantry and his division to the reserve firing positions. Up to a battalion of enemy infantry, supported by one self-propelled gun and a tank, moved to the line of senior Sergeant Batashev. The mortar crew destroyed 2 guns and 4 enemy machine guns. The self-propelled gun of the Germans came to 300-400 meters to the position and opened direct fire at the Batashovs regiment. After several shots, the mortar was smashed and the gunner and loader were killed. Twice wounded, Batashev found the strength to take an anti-tank rifle and engage in a duel with a self-propelled gun. Our artillery, which had changed battle lines, opened fire on the Ferdinand and pinned the enemy's infantry to the ground. Taking advantage of this, the division's scouts evacuated the unconscious Batashev. For the courage and heroism shown in this unequal battle, senior Sergeant N. I. Batashev was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated 10.01.1944. On leaving the hospital after Batashovs healtrh was recovered, he took part in the battles for the liberation of Simferopol and Sevastopol. Awarded with the order of Lenin, the Patriotic War I degree, the Glory order III degree and many medals. Then his battle path passed through the Baltic States, he took part in the defeat of the enemy's Kurland group. Demobilized in 1945. Lived in Kiev.

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: 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: 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.

My great-grandmother was a participant in the war, her name was Barabash Raisa Alekseevna, she was born on November 2, 1923 in a large family. Granny has always been an example for our family and for her sisters. She graduated from the 7th grade and entered the Kushchevsky school as a veterinarian. But the war began, and her studies were interrupted, she had to return home, to Ekaterinovskaya (now Krylovskaya). Here she collected various information, reports in the trenches and transmitted to other villages and nearby farms. She carried all this information herself, on foot, sometimes the distances were several tens of kilometers! As a 19-year-old girl, my grandmother received a summon and was drafted into military service. In 1944, she was sent to Krasnodar, where a medical examination was passed. Then, to Novocherkassk for the courses of a young fighter. There, she and many other girls were taught to walk with a marching step, crawl on their bellies and handle weapons. Then she was sent to the Kharkov 90th anti-aircraft regiment. There she was already trained as an anti-aircraft gunner. The most vivid memory associated with this place is the parade, which was received by the regiment commander: the soldiers marched with a marching step with the song "Get up, the country is huge", and the grandmother was the lead singer. By the way, she was very fond of singing, even when disassembling weapons. And one spring she and her friends were walking along the Dnieper River with the song "Oh, Dnieper, Dnieper, you are wide, powerful" and fell through the ice. Fortunately, no one was hurt and nothing happened. My grandmother said that once the commander asked her: "You are probably from Poltava?" And she replied: "No, I am from the Kuban, I am Russian." So they began to call her "Russian". From Kharkov, with the rank of junior sergeant, my grandmother was sent to Kremenchug in 1870, an anti-aircraft artillery regiment, to battery number 2. She said: “There were a lot of us, girls from Penza, Novosibirsk, Krymsk, and I still remember all of them. It was not easy for us: we carried the tools on ourselves, lived in dugouts ... And in 44 the winter was very snowy, and there was water in our dugouts. We constantly had to carry a weapon with us, because from time to time Bendera's men attacked ... And soon there, in the Ukraine, we met victory. " The grandmother died in 2014, at the age of 92. She had many medals and orders, post-war photographs, and even had a whole box of letters and congratulations. She kept all this as a memory of the years gone by. Every year we went with her to a rally on May 9, where she held the honorary place of a war veteran. We were often visited by guests from the district administration, correspondents of the local newspaper. We still have all the newspapers at home where interviews, photographs and congratulations were printed. Now I take part in the Immortal Regiment action and proudly carry a portrait of my beloved grandmother.

The newspaper "Znamya Oktyabrya" No. 29 (9712) dated April 15, 2015 reported: "The future Hero was born in the village of Syrtinsky, Kizil district in 1918. Soon the family moved to the Kochkarskie goldworks, where Mikhail Tashkin spent his childhood and youth. A graduate of Plast School No. 9 Tashkin was drafted into the Red Army in 1940. By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he was already a career military man: a cadet in the artillery school of junior commanders. The cadets, along with the guns, were included in the artillery division of the 31st Mountain Rifle Brigade, which was defending the Karelian city of Kandalaksha. On the fifth day of the war, he receives the rank of junior sergeant. Three days later, he was appointed as the gunner of the 76-mm mountain gun. At the end of the second month of fighting, he becomes the commander of the gun crew. And in this capacity, he will go through almost the entire war, reaching the heights of artillery skill. In the Arctic, the gun commander Tashkin fought for three years, was wounded twice, but did not leave the battery, refusing treatment in the hospital. His military orders show how he fought, which are almost impossible to be earned by an ordinary sergeant - the Order of the Battle Red Banner and the Patriotic War of the 1st degree. In the summer of 1944, Finland, against which the Karelian front fought, withdrew from the war, and hostilities ceased. Front troops began to be transferred to other fronts. So the 31st brigade was included in the composition of the 4th Ukrainian Front. On March 24, 1945, during the attack, one of the brigade's battalions came under heavy machine-gun fire. German firing points were in brick buildings, and they could only be destroyed by artillery fire - direct fire. Tashkin decided on a desperate act. The cannon was carried by a horse team. Mikhail gave a signal to the rider, and the horses with a cannon rushed towards the Nazis. At 200 meters from the enemy positions, the horses were deployed, the cannon was unhooked and opened fire. To destroy the machine guns, Tashkin needed four shells. A few days later (April 2), the advanced units of the brigade crossed the Oder River and captured the bridgehead. The Nazis, bringing up tanks and self-propelled guns, began to counterattack in order to eliminate the bridgehead. The Soviet infantry with small arms required artillery support. It was necessary to transport at least one cannon from the east bank of the river to the west. The choice fell on the crew of senior sergeant Tashkin. Under German fire, the gunners dragged logs to the shore and built a raft. The Nazis concentrated all their fire on the crossing. But fate often gives the brave a chance - the weapon has been ferried! For ten days, the infantry with the crew of Tashkin held the bridgehead. With the personal participation of senior sergeant M.A. Tashkin's entire battery crossed the Oder. In these battles, Tashkin's gun destroyed three tanks, 15 machine guns, no less than a company of Hitler's infantry, and helped the Soviet infantry to repulse more than thirty German attacks. The Order of Glory III degree and the Order of the Red Star have been added to the two orders! The senior sergeant Tashkin did not fight at all until the Victory - on April 30, 1945, a fragment of an enemy shell cut his life off. The Hero was buried in the mass grave of the Soviet soldiers' cemetery in a Czech town near the town of Ostrava. On May 15, 1945, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Senior Sergeant M.A. Tashkin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Posthumously". A street in the town of Plast, Chelyabinsk Region, is named after him. From the description of the feat: “During his stay in the battery from April 1942, Comrade Tashkin showed himself to be a capable junior commander. With his tireless work, he achieved good combat coordination in his crew, good discipline in it, despite the fact that the personnel of the crew changed several times. During this period, he trained 4 gunners and one of them is currently working as a gun commander. Comrade Tashkin repeatedly participated in battles with the German fascist invaders, where he showed personal courage, and endurance and the ability to lead his subordinates well. So, in the battle on July 27, 1942, being wounded, he did not leave his place in the crew and was in the ranks until the end of the battle, despite the massive artillery shelling of firing positions from the enemy and the raid of German aircraft. Five times he participated in combat exits to the rear and to the deep flanks of the enemy. In a combat operation from 13 to 19 July 1943, he was ordered to deliver ammunition and 2 guns to the area where the battery was located. During the day, the convoy under his leadership made a 60-kilometer march in difficult terrain and the task was completed successfully. In battles from June 15 to June 19 and from June 25 to June 29, 1944, Comrade Tashkin, working as a gun commander, ensured timely delivery of the gun to the battle area (to Lake Shulgul-Yavr, Bolshoy Karikvaivish and 264.2 heights), clear command execution of his crew, timely opening and accurate firing. At the time of the shelling of firing positions by enemy artillery, Comrade Tashkin, with an example of personal courage, inspired the crew and batteries and his gun, without stopping, fired at the enemy.In these battles, the battery, which also included the gun of senior sergeant Tashkin, destroyed up to 30 German enemy soldiers and officers. Battery fire disrupted the enemy's organized withdrawal from the battle area. Comrade Tashkin works tirelessly to improve his military knowledge. His calculation has excellent performance in shooting. As a junior commander and party organizer of the battery, Comrade Tashkin enjoys business authority among the personnel. Worthy of the government award - the Order of the Red Star. " From the description of the feat: “During his stay in the battery, Comrade Tashkin showed himself to be a disciplined, executive junior commander who knew his special job. Repeatedly participated in combat missions to the rear of the enemy, where he was twice wounded. For successful military operations, comrade Takshin was awarded the Order of the Red Star. In a battle at a road fork, deep behind enemy lines, Comrade Tashkin successfully delivered his gun to the battle area and was the first to open fire on the enemy, supporting a rifle subunit. Wounded, Comrade Tashkin did not leave his place, continuing to repulse the enemy's counterattacks to the last round. In this battle, the gun destroyed up to 40 Germans and 5 enemy firing points. " He was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree. From the description of the feat: “For excellent escort by fire, during a campaign behind enemy lines, he was awarded the Order of the Red Star. In the period from 6 to 10/30/1944, the gun of senior sergeant Tashkin operated as part of the vanguard of the brigade, passed a distance of up to 600 kilometers through swamps and highly rugged terrain, destroyed up to 220 Nazis and 6 heavy machine guns. 10/10/1944, reaching a fork in the road deep into the rear of the enemy, senior sergeant Tashkin set his cannon on the move on an open firing position and began to shoot the enemy convoy moving along the road with direct fire. The suddenness and well-aimed fire of his guns confused the Germans, which allowed the rifle units to quickly occupy a road fork and firmly gain a foothold on it. Within two days, the enemy fiercely launched 11 counterattacks in order to return the road fork at any cost. In this battle, Tashkin, firing direct fire, saving ammunition, struck the advancing Nazis with each shot, throwing them back to their original position. 10/13/1944, continuing the offensive, the gun of senior sergeant Tashkin covered the open flank. Setting the cannon to an open position, he opened accurate fire on the counterattacking groups of Germans. The enemy, having found a cannon, opened a concentrated 105-mm battery artillery fire on it. A direct hit of a projectile knocked out the entire crew of the gun, Comrade Tashkin was wounded in the head. Left alone, overcoming pain, Comrade Tashkin, working for the entire crew, beat off attacks until the last shell. In this battle, with the fire of his guns and in hand-to-hand combat, senior sergeant Tashkin destroyed 75 fascists, and ensured the battalion had a solid hold on its positions. He continued the fight despite being wounded, requiring evacuation to the hospital. Senior Sergeant Tashkin insisted on leaving the ranks. He made a 300-kilometer off-road march into the deep rear of the enemy and took part in the battle for the road fork, where he again heroically fought in the battle formation of a rifle company, pursuing the retreating enemy. " He was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. From the description of the feat: “03/24/45, at the edge of the forest, 2 enemy machine guns were installed in two houses. Comrade Tashkin, with his gun crew, rolled out the gun for direct fire and destroyed them from the first shots, thereby enabling the infantry to advance 2 kilometers forward. With his gun, he was all the time in the battle formations of the infantry, clearing the way for it to attack. On 03/30/45, the battery commander was killed and senior sergeant Tashkin took over command of the battery, organized the people and on the night of the same date with artillery and machine gun fire helped our infantry repel 2 enemy attacks, destroying 10 German soldiers and officers. In battle, he proved himself to be a capable and managerial commander, worthy of the title of a Soviet officer. On 1.4.45, together with the infantry and 1 gun, he escaped to the Oder River, suppressed 3 machine-gun points with artillery fire, provided the infantry could cross to the western bank of the river. Using improvised means, under heavy mortar fire, Senior Sergeant Tashkin ferried two guns of his battery to the opposite bank of the river, helped the infantry to gain a foothold on the occupied bridgehead, together with it, repulsed 2 enemy counterattacks, supported by tanks and a self-propelled gun. In battle he behaved boldly and decisively. " Mikhail Alexandrovich Tashkin was awarded the Order of Glory, III degree. From the description of the feat: “03/21/45, during the breakthrough of the German defense in the area of ​​Zorau, with his gun, he advanced in battle formations and came under cross machine-gun fire, which the Germans were firing from their homes. The battalion was caught by this fire in an open area and lay down. There was no convenient firing position for the gun.Senior sergeant Tashkin with a gun, under machine-gun fire, jumped out at a gallop at a distance of 200 meters from the enemy machine guns and, leading the gun into battle, with 4 shells broke 2 enemy machine-gun points. The enemy's fire ceased and the battalion rose to attack. They quickly took possession of the settlement. In this battle, the gun shield was pierced in many places, and the wounded appeared in the crew. At the same time, the platoon commander and the battery commander were wounded. Senior Sergeant Tashkin took over command. The courage and effectiveness of the fire of Tashkin's battery aroused the admiration of the attackers. 2.4.45, a small group of our soldiers and officers, reaching the Oder, crossed the river in a narrow section. The enemy, using tanks and self-propelled guns, began to violently counterattack. Nevertheless, Comrade Tashkin decided to immediately cross over to the left bank of the Oder. Having overcome from a kilometer of an open area, fired by artillery and machine-gun fire, he ferried a gun and ammunition. For the set up of the raft comrade Tashkin with his crew carried logs under fire. The place of the crossing was visible from a distance of 190 meters, and was fired upon from a machine gun. Despite this, the gun was ferried across the river. On this day, 3 fierce enemy counterattacks were repulsed. Lacking sub-caliber shells, Tashkin entered the battle with tanks and set fire to 3 German tanks. Under extremely difficult conditions, with the participation of Comrade Tashkin, the entire battery was ferried across the river. It was possible to expand the bridgehead. 2.4.45 to 12.4.45 T. Tashkin, with his crew, repelled 2-3 enemy counterattacks every day. At the same time, Comrade Tashkin destroyed up to 200 Nazis, burned 3 enemy tanks and by his actions ensured the expansion of the bridgehead beyond the Oder. For exceptional courage, dedication and high combat skill, Comrade Tashkin deserves a government award - the title of "Hero of the Soviet Union." Posthumously.

The childhood and youth of Stefan had passed in the village of Ananenkovskoe. At school, he studied diligently and had good grades. In the spring of 1941, he was transferred from 8th to 9th grade, but the outbreak of the war did not allow him to study further. In the first years of war, not upon reaching adulthood, worked hard on the state farm of Apanasenkovskoe, had positive reviews from fellow villagers and the management of the collective farm. In April 1943, at the age of 18, he was called up as a gunner for a 45 mm gun in the 22nd Cavalry Artillery Regiment, which was part of the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps of the Steppe Military District with a deployment in the area of Kartashevo, Borovoe, Dryazgi of the Lipetsk Region. On July 9, 1943, based on the Directive of the Supreme Command Headquarters, the Steppe Front was formed from the forces of the Steppe Military District in the Kursk Region. Initially, the front's troops were deployed in reserve behind the Central and Voronezh Fronts. The task of the front was to stop the enemy's advance on the occupied line in the event of a breakthrough. Since July 5, 1943 he took part in the battle of Kursk. 28.07.1943, the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps was transferred to the Bryansk Front. On the night of September 9, 1943 the 2nd Guards cCavalry Corps was assigned the task of reaching Desna, cutting off the enemy's escape routes to the Troitskiy and Vladimirovka crossings, seizing a bridgehead on the West Bank of the river, cutting the Bryansk — Smolensk railway, and holding the bridgehead until the infantry arrived. By noon on September 11, 1943. The 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps, which included the 22nd Cavalry Artillery Regiment, fully completed its combat mission: it crossed the Desna River, captured a bridgehead on the Western Bank of the river that stretched up to eight kilometers along the front and up to five kilometers deep, and cut the Bryansk-Smolensk railway. This brilliant success played an important role in the general course of the battle for Bryansk and Bezhitsa, in the breakthrough of the enemy's defensive line along the Desna River by our troops. During the fighting, when crossing the river Stefan was seriously wounded. He was urgently sent to the evacuation hospital #1601, located in Arkhangelsk, where he was treated until April 1944. After the hospital, in April 1944, Stefan was sent to the 14th Separate Tank Battalion, and in August 1944 he participated in combat operations in the area of the cities of Wengruv, Sokol-Podlaski. At the end of August 1944 however, his previous injury did not allow him to participate in combat operations and Stefan was sent to the evacuation hospital #5135, where he was demobilized for health reasons on September 23, 1944. For bravery, fortitude and courage shown in the fight against the Nazi invaders, Stefan Suchkov was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War 1st degree and the Marshal Zhukov Medal. He died on 16.08.1997 in the village of Divnoye, Apanasenkovskiy District, Stavropol territory.

M. Syrovatkin was born on April 21, 1923 in the village of Bychok, Petropavlovskiy District, Voronezh Region. Military rank: Guards Corporal. Position: calculator of the 8th Battery, 3rd Detachment, 38th Guards Kalinkovichskaya Double Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Artillery Brigade. In the Red Army from May 18, 1942. He was called up by the Mechetinsky District Military Commiserate of the Zernogradskiy District of the Rostov Region. Participation in the Great Patriotic War from September 27, 1942. Awards: Order of the Red Star (April 18, 1945), Order of the Patriotic War 2nd degree, Medals: For the Defense of the Caucasus, For the Liberation the Crimea, For the Capture of Berlin, For Bravery, For the Victory over Germany. “In May 1942, I was drafted into the Red Army and was sent to the Artillery Officer School in Ordzhonikidze (Vladikavkaz). After 4 months of training, due to the approach of the front, the school was disbanded and the cadets were assigned to military units. I was assigned to the 61st Artillery Regiment, which was in the Commander-in-Chief's reserve. The Commander, Colonel G. Dol, assigned me to a platoon of 152 mm guns, and soon transferred to the platoon management of calculations and adjustments, where there were more competent soldiers. I had a technical school and four months of artillery school behind. 61 regiment took part in the battles by the village of Voznesenskaya near Mozdok. With the German advance on Vladikavkaz, our regiment was transferred there. Fierce battles were fought for the villages of Khorsky, S. Dzuarikau and Elkhotovo (Elkhotovo Gate). That was a kind of meat grinder. We defended, the Germans pressed, they needed a breakthrough to the Caspian sea, and its oil. But we had hold out. Help came from the North. In connection with the defeat of the Germans at Stalingrad, our troops launched an offensive towards Transcaucasia. The Germans began to withdraw to the Taman Peninsula. Thanks to the coordinated work of fire control of the 61st Artillery Regiment, the shells fell exactly on targets at the retreating German troops. On January 11, 1943, Mozdok and Nalchik were liberated, and Stavropol was liberated by the morning of January 21. I participated in the liberation of Pyatigorsk and Krasnodar. My first award, the most expensive, for the defense of the Caucasus. The 61st Artillery Regiment also had a lot of merit in the liberation of this cities. Then our 61st Artillery Regiment was transferred to the Crimea in the area of Perekop and Sivash. In early March, it rained. Muddy roads hindered the movement of troops. We were practically standing still. Only tractors could move, but with difficulty. On April 8, we received an order for the offensive. We were issued with four sets of ammunition, food for 18 days, and five refills of gas. On April 11, 1944, we broke through the defenses at Perekop and Sivash and captured the city of Dzhankoy, and on April 13, our banners were flying over Simferopol, Yevpatoria and Feodosia. The 61st artillery regiment contributed a lot for these victories. After the Crimea, our regiment was sent to Belarus and fought as a part of the 1st Belorussian Front. Belarus was occupied by German for three years. We saw devastated cities, burned down houses in villages, not a single school, not a single family that would not have suffered from the Nazis. The task of the 1st Belorussian Front was to liberate Baranovichi, Pinsk, and Brest. At dawn on July 8, fighting broke out for the city of Baranovichi and by lunchtime, it was liberated. I participated in the liberation of Pinsk, and Borovichi. By the order of the Commander-in-Chief, the 61st Artillery Regiment was merged with the 62nd Artillery Regiment into the 38th Artillery Brigade in October 1944, and it was transferred to the Baltic States and participated in the liberation of Riga. Heavy battles were fought for the station Vainode. War is war. They awarded those who distinguished themselves, buried the dead, and sent the wounded to the medical unit. We received replacements in return, and were taught them how to fire. I close my eyes and see my comrades standing in front of me. I remember their faces, even some of them by name. Soldiers who died in battle are alive as long as we remember them. The closest comrades-in-arms remained in my memory forever. Ivan Kolmykov from Azov, was trained in Ordzhonikidze, received baptism of fire near the station of Arkhonskaya, Ivan Zhukov - the gun commander. Near Riga, he engaged 13 German tanks and destroyed four of them. Peter Kubanskiy, the chauffeur, delivered ammunition in any weather under any conditions. They are dead, they are dead! In December 1944, our 38th Artillery Brigade was already fighting in Poland. We came to the Oder River near Neu-Glitzen. Our troops started crossing and our artillery brigade covered it. The crossing was difficult, we made several attempts and suffered heavy losses. Many of our soldiers and commanders displayed heroism. The Oder River is more than 100 meters wide and up to 7 meters deep. In some places, the crossing was difficult. The town of Neu-Glitzen was located on the German side of the Oder River. From April 16 to April 19, the German defense consisting of three echelons was breached and the road to Berlin was opened. On April 18, 1945, I was awarded the Order of the Red Star for fighting in the town of Neu-Glitzen. Being the only calculator in the battery, despite the lack of a reference network and solid contour points when changing the battle lines of the battery, I managed to link the firing position and observation point in a timely and accurate manner. In addition, while simultaneously performing the role of a scout, I discovered on April 18 one enemy artillery battery, which was later suppressed. Our 38th Artillery Brigade together with other troops of the 1st Belorussian Front reached Berlin. I remember for the rest of my life the moment when the capitulation of Nazi Germany was announced on the radio at night. There was so much joy and tears. We congratulated each other, because we were still alive and the war was over. Combat crews of the 38th Artillery Brigade were stationed 6 km from Potsdam in the barracks of the former German air force. Everyday life, study, guard duty, and technical training and maintenance of equipment began. I participated in the opening ceremony of the Soldier-liberator Monument on May 8, 1946 in Treptow Park in Berlin. Its location was chosen by the Soviet command. The remains of soldiers who were previously buried in various city cemeteries, about 7,000 soldiers, were moved here, and granite from Hitler's Reich Chancellery was used in the construction of the memorial. During the formation of troops at this event, I was in the honor guard in my 38th Artillery brigade, next to us were our aviation and infantry divisions, as well as American, British and French soldiers. Marshal G. Zhukov was present at the opening of the monument, P. Rybalko made a speech, and then there was a parade of allied troops. Participated in the protection of Victory Day in Berlin in 1946. The most memorable moment of the Victory Day was the airship in the sky, from which a huge canvas with portraits of Lenin, Stalin, Engels, Marx hung. I also visited the Reichstag Building. I was impressed by the building itself, the figure of Wilhelm sitting on a horse, but most of all I remember the walls covered with chalk, charcoal and bayonets with names and surnames, numbers of military units who fought their way to Berlin, took the Reichstag and finished off the fascist evil spirits . My service in Germany continued until February 1947, and then I was discharged.”