Faces of war

BACKGROUND: Title: Lieutenant. My grandfather was born in the Far East in the early 20th century to a military family who served under the Tsar. At the age of 14, he became an orphan. Nevertheless, he received a decent education for those times - four grades of school. He was brought up by an elderly Japanese and was taught all the wisdom of life. Ivan Ivanovich followed in the footsteps of his father - became a military man, and later joined the CPSU. By the order of the party, he moved with his wife and two children to the Altai - to develop the virgin lands of the region. There he built a house on his own, and his son helped him to do it. They had a large vegetable garden and pets. Two more children were born in Slavgorod, including my mother. After his military service in 1941, he was transferred to Nalchik, and from there to Leningrad. During the blockade, he led a car convoy carrying food to the city across Lake Ladoga. It was on his orders that the cars began to move on the ice not one after another, as it used to be, but in a wedge. This method allowed to reduce losses. At some point, on one of the rides, his car was hit by a German from the air. He was sitting next to the driver and miraculously survived. The driver died on the spot. His grandfather was wounded by a shell fragment and a part of the scalp was blown off. He quickly took control of the truck and drove the car to the shore. He felt weak on the shore and lost consciousness. He learned about his wound only when he regained consciousness in the hospital. There he spent six months. He was awarded several orders and medals. He did not like to talk about the war. When he was asked to remember something, he cried. In the postwar years, he worked in the fields of the Altai region, took the workers to collect wheat, and brought a car full of grain back to the elevator. I remember him cheerful, singing songs. My grandfather's favorite song is "A girl accompanied a fighter to the position".

BACKGROUND: Zhukovsky Nikolai Ivanovich was born on December 8, 1923, in the Stavropol Territory, Petrovsky District, village of Shvedino. He began his labor activity in 1933 in the collective farm "Frunze", worked as a groom. When the war began, Nikolai Ivanovich was 17 years old. His father (Ivan Zhukovsky) and brother (Vasiliy Zhukovsky) went to serve in the Red Army. In 1942, the funeral notice came. Nikolay was drafted to the front. While at the frontline, he learned about his brother's death from his mother's letter. 18-year-old Kolka became the third man from the Zhukovsky family who went to defend his Homeland with a weapon in his hands. Nikolai Ivanovich fought in the 276th Division of the 65th Rifle Regiment and fired an anti-tank gun. He chased the Nazis away and freed Gofitskoye, Prosyanka, Hrachevka, Beloglinka and Rostov from their Homeland. In the town of Saurmogila (near Taganrog) Nikolai was wounded, then there were six months of hospital and again the war, the legendary 1st Belorussian Front under the command of Zhukov, the hardest battles on the Visla (the river in Poland), where even the land burned. "Our troops spent two hours shelling each square of the enemy's territory when we, the infantry, broke into the Nazi dugouts, the Germans sat contoured, blood was flowing from their ears, almost all of them were shouting 'Hitler Kaput!' and putting their hands up,' said Nikolai Ivanovich. At the same place, on the Visla, Nikolai's leg was wounded. He spent a month recovering and then he was on the Odra (a river in Germany). At that time, the Hitlerites did not spare shells, preventing Soviet fighters from crossing to the other side, the river turned red with the blood of our soldiers. Nikolay Zhukovsky forced Oder, he had to fight on the enemy's land in Germany, when taking the city of Lebus in winter 1945, he was contused and wounded again, and for a year and a half he was being treated in Poland in one of the hospitals. In 1946, before returning home, Nikolai went to Brest and found his brother's grave, bowed to it with the words: "Here we are, brother!” The Order of Glory and the Order of the Red Star sparkled on the chest of matured Kolya. Three soldiers left home to defend their Homeland, only Nikolai came back. Later, Nikolai Ivanovich married Olga Mikhailovna, with whom they raised four children and built a large house near the old one. All his life grandfather Kolya worked hard, after the war he worked as a shepherd on the farm (since 1947), retired in 1976. The old wounds made themselves known, Nikolai Ivanovich Zhukovsky died on January 18, 2014.

BACKGROUND: Troops: Communication Troops. Even before the war, the family moved to Krasnoyarsk Krai for permanent residence. After finishing 10th grade in 1942, she voluntarily came to the Komsomol and asked to be sent to the front. Having received the consent, she passed the medical commission, and in September 1942, having loaded into echelons, she was sent together with other girls to the east. The military service was held near Khabarovsk as a telegraph operator. After the declaration of war with Japan, as part of the 119th Independent Battalion of the 11th Air Army she served near the village of Konstantinovka near the Amur River. The news of the Victory was also received here. For participation in the Great Patriotic War, she was awarded the Order of Patriotic War II degree, medals "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945", "For the Victory over Japan. In addition to combat, Anna has awards for achievements in labor and jubilee medals. And then she returned to her homeland near Khabarovsk. But diplomatic relations with Japan remained tense, and a decision was made to relocate the battalion to Kamchatka. Anna served in Vladivostok for some time, and after receiving an order for demobilization, she returned home to Krasnoyarsk. On the recommendation of the district party committee, she graduated from the Novosibirsk Law School and, having received a referral to the Kemerovo region, worked for the Ministry of Justice. For 19 years she worked as a people's judge. More than five years she worked as a chairman of the Kirovsky District Court of Kemerovo. Zheleznova Anna Grigoryevna, for her diligent work and high performance, was repeatedly encouraged by letters of commendation, honorary certificates, valuable gifts. She took an active part in public life to promote the laws of the Russian Federation. Anna Grigoryevna was repeatedly elected a deputy of the district council of workers' deputies of Kirovsky district of Kemerovo

BACKGROUND: Victor Ivanovich was born on November 7, 1924 in Sol-Iletsk, Orenburg region. Until he was 17 years old, he lived in this city, graduated from 8th grade and entered the Feldsher-Midwifery Technical School, where he studied for only 2 years, as on July 1, 1942, he was drafted into the army. He served in the Division Intelligence, 53rd Guards Division, 4th Shock Army. Soon, he and his entire division were sent to the town of Tikhvin, where they smashed the enemy's echelons, thus initiating the liberation of the Leningrad blockade. In March 1943, Viktor Ivanovich went to the city of Staraya Rusa, where he was later sent for a special operation in the enemy's rear. For 28 days Viktor Ivanovich together with the department of 12 people was moving in the enemy rear until they were spotted by German soldiers. For two days they were walking away from the chase, and in the end they not only broke away from the Germans, but even managed to confuse them. After this mission, all the members of the department were awarded the Order of the Red Banner, it was the first order of Viktor Ivanovich, which soon numbered as many as five: 2 Orders of Glory, Red Star, Order of the Great Patriotic War, as well as the Medal of Bravery! Unfortunately, Viktor Ivanovich was wounded on March 13, 1943. He stayed in hospital for 3 months. And it was not the only wound, later he was concussed, after which Viktor Ivanovich was sent to the reserve 204th regiment in the Lithuanian SSR. After the liberation of East Prussia, he was transferred there in the estate Groskazgen to clean up the crops. Having worked on the estate for a while, Viktor Ivanovich and his 4 other friends were convicted of looting, removed all the orders from each of them and ordered to be shot in two days. But in fact, these guys were not guilty of anything, they were convicted by a German woman from the neighboring estate, and later everything fell into place, except for one thing - the orders were not returned to anyone. Viktor Ivanovich returned to his hometown, got a job as a coppersmith at a mechanical plant, worked there for 6 months until he met an old friend, who got him a new job at the Ministry of Material Reserves – a petrol storage, a driver. In 1976 Viktor Ivanovich was sent to Kalmykia on the case of building state farms, within 2 years he had to build 5 state farms. And in July 1979, Viktor Ivanovich retired. He returned to Slavyansk-on-Kuban. From the "Book of Memory", collected by students of MBOU Lyceum № 4. Slavyansk-on-Kuban, in the framework of "Blue Handkerchief," "My countrymen - the heroes of the Russian Land" to the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory.

BACKGROUND: Rank: Senior Sergeant Troops: Artillery Division: 200th Rifle Division (1st formation) My father, Vasiliy Zhivetin, was born on January 14, 1922, to a large family in the village of Orlik, Ispul district, Guryev region, Kazakhstan. He graduated from 7th grade. When the war broke out, he worked at a collective farm. The conscription commission at the Ispul district military commissariat of Guryev region, my father was called up for military service and sent to the unit on January 4, 1942. (Military Ticket № NT number 4178773). Dad took the military oath of allegiance on February 23, 1942, at the 200th rifle division of the 648th rifle regiment of the North-Western Front, as a part of the 11th Army. He was an 82-120 mm mortar commander with the rank of senior sergeant. Upon arriving at the Northwestern Front, the Division, which was part of Major-General Ozerov's task force of the 11th Army, was caught up in the Demyanskaya offensive near Veliky Novgorod, which began as early as January 7, 1942, when the so-called Demyanskiy Kotel was launched by the Nazis. The division immediately entered the battle in the direction of Prysmorzhie-Alexandrovka. Prismorzhye was at the prevailing altitude and from it one could control Ramushevskoye highway. The combat operations were with varying success. On May 15, 1942 mortar fire destroyed 2 dugouts with infantry south of Prysmorzhie, scattered and destroyed the enemy infantry group of up to 20 people. In this battle my father was wounded in the left shoulder and forearm and received a general contusion. He got into evacuation hospital № 1247 and was taken out of the fire. In the hospital in Stalinsk, Novosibirsk region (now Novokuznetsk, Kemerovo region), he was treated until September 1942. In connection with his wound, my father was sent to his place of residence in the city of Guryev, where at school he taught and trained the young fighters for the front. He was awarded medals and the Order of Patriotic War of the 1st degree. From 1946 to 1977, before retirement, he worked as a senior engineer of ammonia compressors of alkylaciation plant. His portrait is still on the Alley of Fame of the plant.

BACKGROUND: My father, Dmitry Semyonovich Zhuravlov, was born on October 5, 1919 in Kuibyshev region, in Utyovka village. In 1931 the family of my father (he was 11 years old) was expropriated and sent to Karaganda. In 1942, on June 27, 1942, he was mobilized by the Kirov Rayvoenkomatom of Karaganda to work in the paramilitary guard of the Railway Station Sortirovochnaya as a fighter. The paramilitary guard of the Ministry of Railway Transport was assigned with the following duties: protection of cargo in station parks and on the way, fire fighting and preventive work at the railway junction facilities and in the residential sector. Six months later, in January 1943, my father was transferred as an assistant to the head of the paramilitary guard team. In February 1944, he was transferred to the 4th guard team, and in December 1944, he was appointed head of the fire department. It should be said that during the war and until 1962 the workers of the paramilitary guard were military, they wore military uniforms, epaulets, command staff had titles and weapons. Children's memories keep an image of my father in an officer's cap, galiph, chrome boots and a gymnast with officer belts on his waist and over his shoulder, and with a holster on his side. I was very proud of him! After the end of the WWII, my father stayed in the paramilitary guard and retired with the rank of colonel. He has government awards and honors. He died in 2008. During the war my mother, Ksenia Zhuravleva (1920 - 2004), also worked in the paramilitary guard of the Ministry of Railway Station Karaganda Sortirovochnaya as a fighter. Respectfully, Zhuravleva V.D. (Milovanova), pensioner, Naberezhnye Chelny town, RT.

Zhuravlev Boris Semenovich was born on May 9, 1923 in Pereschepino, Dnepropetrovsk region. He was conscripted to the Red Army on July 25, 1941 to the 19th Separate Regiment of Communication, from December 19, 1941 to August 8, 1942 he studied at the Stalingrad School of Communication, then as a member of the 18th Guards Red Banner Rifle Regiment of the 9th Guards Red Banner Rifle Division at the Kalinin Front took part in the capture and defense of Velikie Luki. In November 1942, providing communication with the battalion, he organized uninterrupted operation of the communication line and gave the regiment command the opportunity to lead the battle, eliminated the gust on the communication line three times under enemy mortar fire. At the moment of the German counterattack, being on the communication line under the rifle - machine gun fire of the enemy, eliminated the damage on the line, ensuring its uninterrupted operation and firing off the advancing enemy, killed three Germans with the rifle. Wounded, he continued to perform the task and went to the sanatorium only after the order. For which he was awarded the Medal "For Combat Merit. Until 1944, he studied at Michurinsk Engineering School in Novosibirsk. From 24.01.1944, he was sent to the Central Front as part of the 3rd Assault Engineer Order of Kutuzov, 2nd Class, Neman Brigade of the Reserve of the Supreme Command, as a part of which he went a combat path from platoon commander to company commander. On July 28 and 29, 1944, under artillery and mortar fire, despite the rapid water flow, by a personal example led the personnel of the brigade which ensured the construction of the bridge on time, thus ensuring the timely passage of the 5th Army units, for which they were awarded the Order of the Red Star, In September 1944, while performing the combat mission of securing the captured position, the platoon commander timely provided the makind of eleven passes in the enemy's wire fence under continuous enemy fire, thus providing the way for the infantry and artillery offensive, showing courage and bravery for which he was awarded the Order of the Red Star. In March 1945, while carrying out a combat mission to escort the tanks, he scouted an anti-tank moat, which was passing near Olive, by blasting made two passes into the moat and let the tanks through the passes, thus ensuring the combat mission of this battalion, despite the strong artillery fire of the enemy, showed courage and bravery. The battalion was awarded the Order of Patriotic War, 2nd class. Boris Semyonovich belongs to the generation of those who went to the front from the school benches. He fought at Velikie Luki, liberated the Baltics, Poland, forced the Oder, and participated in the battles in East Prussia. During the Great Patriotic War, he was twice wounded, once shell-shocked, and received six commendations. He was awarded two Orders of the "Red Star", one Order of the "Patriotic War"-2 degree, medals "For combat services", "For the capture of Koenigsberg", "For the Victory over Germany.” For further service he was awarded medals "For Irreproachable Service for 10 years", "For Irreproachable Service for 15 years", jubilee medals - "Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War", "Thirty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War", 40 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR, 50 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR, 60 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR. At the front, he met his wife Labunskaya Vladislava Ivanovna, who served as a nurse in ZSISB. He finished his service as a major at the military committee of Katava-Ivanovsk. He brought up two sons. He founded the officer dynasty of the Zhuravlevy.

BACKGROUND: Title: Krasnoflotz. Troops: Soviet Navy and Naval Forces Border Troops of the NKVD. My great grandmother, Zhila Irina Nikiforovna (maiden name - Shelkovnikova), was born in 1923 on December 10. When the war began in 1941, she was 17 years old. She, an excellent student of the 48th Borisoglebsk railway school, was among the first girl volunteers. My grandmother could not stay at home during the difficult days for the Homeland. In the training unit of the School of Communication she got a military profession - radio operator and got on one of the ships of the Baltic Fleet in Kronstadt. Thanks to them the Germans could not take Leningrad from the sea. Grandmother Ira guarded the "Road of Life", connecting the city of Kronstadt with Oranienbaum (now Lomonosov). There were many hardships: they had to endure many hours of watch in the cold under bullets and shells, they, for months, got a meagre ration, got under the bombing and lose battle friends. But Ira, as well as her friends, overcame everything, because she was defending her Homeland. 142 Borisoglebovtsa were awarded medals "For the Defense of Leningrad," and among them was my great grandmother. For her valor and bravery in the Great Patriotic War, she was awarded the Order of the Great Patriotic War of the 2nd degree, the medal "For the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945". In peacetime, for each memorable date - anniversary medals. In total, grandmother had 11 war awards, some of them are kept in our local history museum. After the war, there was Kamchatka, where my great-grandmother went with her husband, a staff officer. And only in 1955 she returned to Borisoglebsk with her family, where her daughter and son were growing up. When the opportunity presented itself, grandmother got a job in the editorial office of a local newspaper as a typist. My grandmother was left with various Honorary Certificates for her conscientious work and active community service, and the Veteran of Labor medal was added to her combat awards. My grandmother passed away in 2004, when I was 4 and she was 80. Just a little she did not live to see the 60th anniversary of Victory. Now my grandmother has two adult grandsons and three growing up great-grandsons. And the memory of our veteran, our grandmother, we will carry through all generations.

BACKGROUND: The USSR Navy and Naval Forces Border Guard NKVD. I've never seen my grandfather, Valentin Vasilyevich Zhurin, since I was born after he was gone. Of course, I knew that he fought, had awards and finished the war in Koenigsberg. According to my grandmother and mother, he did not like to talk about the war. Mom shared only short stories that she had heard during the visit of his commander to his grandfather. One occasion helped to restore the military way of my grandfather. Before another Victory Day celebration, I went to “the Memory of the People website. 1941-1945" to find out if my grandfather was in the information base. On the site, I found not only information about my grandfather's awards, but also the award lists, which said why this or that award was received. Also a military ticket was kept in the archive of the family. On the basis of these documents the military way one of the Heroes of the Great Patriotic War was restored. And the fact that he was a Hero, however, like anyone who rose at least once in the attack, there is no doubt. Valentin Vasilyevich Zhurin, born in 1909, was called by mobilization by Strugo-Krasnensky RVC of the Leningrad region on June 23, 1941. Got to the Red Banner Baltic Fleet (CBF) in the fortification of the peninsula Hanko. Peninsula Hanko, or Gangut, was leased to the Soviet Union as a result of the signing of the peace treaty between Finland and the USSR on March 12, 1940. By order of the Navy Commissar NG Kuznetsov here was formed naval base Hanko. On the first day of the war, June 22, 1941, enemy bomber aircraft raided Hanko. Since late June, Finnish artillery fired intensive artillery and mortar shells at the front edge of the defense, spending from 2 to 6 thousand shells per day. In early August, the KBF command appealed to the Navy Commissar with a proposal to evacuate the base, but that proposal was found to be wrong. The Hanko garrison was left without supplies after Tallinn was left and the fleet left for Kronstadt. The defenders of the base began saving on everything, including food. On September 1, the meat allowance was reduced to 33 grams a day per person. It was not until October 23, given the difficult situation near Leningrad and the difficulty of supplying Hanko with supplies and defense in winter conditions, the WGC Stake decided to abandon Hanko. By the end of November, there were about 12 thousand people left at the base who were holding the defense. My grandfather was also among them. They were to be evacuated by a detachment of ships, which included transport No 521 "Joseph Stalin". But ... my grandfather did not get on it. And it was pure luck, because on December 3, 1941 "Joseph Stalin" exploded on a mine. My grandfather and his fellows were leaving the peninsula on ice first for the island of Gogland, which served as a base for the evacuation of the Hanko garrison, and then for Kronstadt. From December 1941 to May 1942, V.V. Zhurin was assigned to the Kronshtadt Marine Defence District of the KBF, and from May 1941 to March 1943 - to the island fortification area of Lavensari Island (island Moshniy), which was the westernmost point controlled by the KBF. Not once he went on bayonet charge. And he was lucky again - despite his height, 186 cm, he was never injured, only twice lightly shell-shocked. Due to the confusion that reigned at the beginning of the war, he was considered missing in the report "On the exclusion from the list of the KBF" dated September 2, 1942. But grandmother did not receive the report, because she and her three daughters were evacuated to the Kirov region. On June 12, 1943 grandfather was awarded his first battle award - the Medal "For the Defense of Leningrad". And in a report dated September 12, 1943, it was recorded that V.V. Zhurin is alive and is serving in the KBF skerry detachment. From 1943 to 1945 grandfather served as a senior electrician in the Armored Boat Detachment (BC) #322. In the spring of 1944 in Leningrad their BK, which was part of the KBF Sherry Ship Brigade, was transferred to the Ship Brigade of Captain 2nd rank Alexander Fyodorovich Arzhavkin. This brigade was transported by rail to Lake Chudskoe. During the Tallinn offensive, the task of the brigade was to help the troops drive the enemy out of the northern and western parts of the lake and Lake Piirisar, a key point on the road from Lake Chudskoe to Lake Pskovskoe. The brigade's boats began watch duty and were actively engaged in enemy communications. In the first battle with 4 enemy boats, the sailors sank 2 boats and took prisoners. It was for that battle that Grandpa received his second award. In the award list of the senior electrician V.V. Zhurin was written: "On June 13, 1944 in the battle with fascist boats on Chudskoe lake near Domozhirka, under the strong fire of the enemy, Zhurin provided ammunition for the cannon. Alone, without anybody's help, fixeda complex underwater hole that threatened to sink the boat. He took part in the capture of two German sailors from a broken enemy boat. For his courage and bravery, Comrade Jurin deserves a government award of the Order of the Red Star. This case was mentioned in the report of Sovinformbureau from June 16, 1944: "Two of our armored boats under the command of Lieutenant Smirnov and Lieutenant Volkotrub, being in the patrol on Lake Chudskoe, found four German boats. The Soviet sailors attacked the enemy. Lieutenant Volkotrub's armored boat rammed the enemy's boat and sank it. Another German boat was seriously damaged. Our boats returned to their base without loss or damage. It was the first and only case during the war of sinking the enemy surface ship with a battering ram blow. This battle lasted only 7 minutes. From May to November 1945 my grandfather served as the chief mechanic of workshops in Pillau (Baltiysk, Kaliningrad region) and was demobilized in the rank of Petty Officer 1 degree on 11 November 1945. Already after the end of the war he was awarded the medal "For the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. He never took part in any festive events dedicated to Victory Day. He did not have time. But in the "Immortal Regiment" he was in formation along with other participants of the war, even if not in the city where he was born, and not in the city that he defended. And people said to him and to all of them, 'Thank you!

BACKGROUND: Red Army Troops: Ground Forces, Air Force (except marine aviation), Coast Guard, NKVD troops, Border Guard Division: 371st rifle division of Vitebsk Red Banner of the Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov. My great-grandfather Zheltov Vasily Ivanovich, was born in 1900 in Morshansk, Tambov region. The father of 11 children was drafted to the front in the 371st rifle division, which was formed on November 30, 1941 in the rank of Red Army as a gunner. The 371st rifle division included: rifle and artillery regiments, anti-tank fighter division, anti-aircraft artillery, reconnaissance company, sapper battalion, communications battalion, medical and sanitary battalion, chemical protection company, motor transport company, field bakery, veterinary infirmary, field post station and field cash office of the State Bank. In early August 1943, the Supreme Command's headquarters ordered the troops of the Western Front to advance in order to defeat the opposing German Army Group Center, to take possession of the Roslavl-Smolensk border and prevent the transfer of Hitler's units from that part of the front to the south, where the Soviet armed forces were dealing the main blow. The 10th Army had three enemy infantry divisions in front of them, defending the line of 72km, which meant that each division was defending a 24km strip on average. August 6, 1943 units of the 10th Army began fighting to break through a year and a half long enemy's defense. Tank companies and assault rifle companies were the first to attack. The attack was preceded by art.training, but it was not able to completely suppress the resistance of the enemy, as the Germans had a year and a half to greatly strengthen its positions and surrounded them with minefields. The first tanks were hit by artillery, bumping into a minefield and being undermined by mines. The Soviet tankers' attack was supported by assault aircraft. But it was met by German bombers. The brutal battle took place in the air and on the ground. As a result, our tankers broke into the Verhnuu Pesochnu, in the battle for which they destroyed 4 enemy batteries, 6 tanks and hundreds of Hitlerites. The bloody battles for the liberation of the area lasted for a whole month. On August 10 at 5.30 a.m., our offensive began from the frontier of Verhnuu Pesochnu - Ostraya Sloboda. At 11.00 our troops captured Ostroya Sloboda, Babkin, Vorobievka and by 17.00 broke through the enemy's defense at the front of 9 km, and at a depth of 2.5 km. Seven settlements were liberated, including Natarovo, Mamonovo, Pupovo, Yasnaya Polyana and Shinkovo. On August 11, after three days of heavy fighting, Chernaya, Kulakovka and Koryagino were freed. On that day, the compounds of the 10th Army, supported by the front air force forced the Bolva River at the front of 7 km from Dolgoye to Glin'kov and advanced from 4 to 8 km, releasing 8 settlements, including Glin'kovo, Tyagaevo, K. Marx settlement. During the battle of August 9-11, the soldiers of the rifle division alone killed more than 200 enemy soldiers and officers, 40 people and many rifles were captured, machine guns, mortars, ammunition and several vehicles. According to combat reports from the 371st rifle division's chief of staff, Colonel Sakayev, it was clear that there was a fierce battle in which Vasiliy Ivanovich Zheltov, great-grandfather, was killed. By 18 p.m. on August 11, 1943: -12 people were killed, 36 wounded, by 1:30 a.m. on August 12, 1943: 73 persons were killed, 173 wounded, of whom 60% from aviation activities. Later, on August 30, the commander of the Bryansk Front ordered by September 2, 1943, to redeploy the troops of the Bryansk 50th Army to the area of Kirov and help in the liberation of Kirov region. The offensive began on September 7, 1943. Having overcome the enemy's fire resistance, our troops broke through the defense to a depth of 25 km and liberated 52 settlements. The enemy suffered heavy losses: about 2,000 Hitlerites were killed, 300 enemies were captured. We got rich trophies: 32 guns, 15 mortars, 100 machine guns, 27 cars and 6 platforms with military equipment and food, many warehouses with ammunition. And already on September 10 the territory of Kirovsky district was completely cleared of German fascist troops. Then the divisions moved to liberate Bryansk and on September 17, 1943, the city in which I now live, was completely liberated from the Nazis. My great-grandfather was killed in the fiercest battle on August 11, 1943 in Smolensk region. The primary place of burial in the village of Blizhnee Natarovo, then on the outskirts of the village of Ostraya Sloboda a common grave with the size of 40 square meters appeared. There were buried Soviet soldiers who died in the defensive and offensive battles of 1942 - 1943. In 1961, a monument was erected on the common grave. On the pedestal - a one-and-a-half-meter plaster sculpture of the kneeling warrior with a naked and mournfully bowed head, with a cape behind his back, in his right hand holding a helmet, in the left – a banner, poined down. In total, in the common grave in the village of Ostraya Sloboda rest ashes 447 soldiers. Of these, the names of 368 warriors are known and 79 warriors whose names are unknown. Vasiliy Ivanovich Zheltov took part in the battle of Moscow, including the storming of the Klin, participated in the battles at Rzhev and Vyazma and the liberation of the Smolensk region. ______________________________________________________________________________ 371st Rifle Division was formed in the autumn of 1941 in the Chelyabinsk region in Chebarkul. At the end of November and beginning of December 1941, it became part of the 30th Army, unloading from 2 to 5.12.41 at the Savelovo station. As of December 1, 1941, the 371st Rifle Division was part of the 30th Army of the Western Front. From December 5, the 30th Army participated in the counteroffensive of our troops near Moscow. On the night of December 9, the 371st Rifle Division of Major-General F. V. Chernyshev and the 21st Tank Brigade of Lieutenant Colonel A. L. Lesovoy fought hard near Shevelev, Yasenev (5 km northeast of Klin). The Klin-Rogachevo highway was cut off at the exit to Shevelev. On December 12, the 371st Rifle Division and 21st Tank Brigade continued fighting at the Selukhino border (6-10 km northeast of Klin), M. Shchapovo, repulsing an enemy counterattack from a forest south of Selukhino. The 1233rd Reshetov Rifle Regiment of the 371st Chelyabinsk Division's 371st Rifle Division fought especially selflessly. Breaking down two regiments of Nazi resistance near Praslovo and to the west, the 371st rifle division stormed into the northern outskirts of Klin. One regiment of this division fought on the front of M. Shchapovo, Pluskovo, having the right flank at the southern outskirts of Maydanov, the left - 1.5 km west of Kirp. On December 15, at 2 pm after many days and heavy fighting, units of the 371st rifle division of the 30th Army entered Klin. The 1263rd rifle regiment, commanded by Colonel Reshetov, was the first to break into the city. By 7 a.m. the other two regiments of the 371st rifle division entered the city. By the morning of December 20, the 371st regiment had reached the border of the Lama River. In the second echelon behind the 371st rifle division was concentrated 365th rifle division of Colonel M.A. Shchukin. By the end of December 21, 1229th regiment of the 371st rifle division freed Shestakovo. The attack on Palkino and Kelii began. Attempts of the 371st rifle division to liberate Chapaevo and Oshenevo villages on December 25 were also unsuccessful. The day before the 1233rd regiment of the 371st Rifle Division, without the support of the 8th Tank Brigade, had to leave the newly liberated Marmyli and Zvanovo, battalion commander Lieutenant Bashko was killed. 371st Infantry Division with the support of the 21st Tank Brigade, freed Kletki, Rozhdestvo, Pavlovskoye, Fedosovo launched an offensive towards Novo-Vasilyevskoye, Makarovo, Oshenevo and Chapaevo. All these settlements were also heavily fortified by the enemy defenses. In late December, the Germans introduced the most brutal discipline in their units. Retreat, any surrender of positions was punished up to shooting. Hitlerites fought with the tenacity of the doomed. The 371st Rifle Division's units near Novo-Vasilyevsk and Makarov suffered heavy losses, while the 21st Tank Brigade lost almost all its tanks near Kalicin. As of January 1, 1942, it was part of the 30th Army of the Kalinin Front. From late July 1942, it was part of the 30th Army of the Kalinin Front. 371 rd was fighting at Rzhev for the villages of Isakovo, Burakovo, Gubino, Kopytikha and Gribeyevo. In November 1942 it fought at Zubarevo village, Zubtsovsky district, Kalinin region. Since November 1943, 371st Division within the 33rd Army broke through the German deep fortification of Vitebsk with the code name "Bear's rampart".

BACKGROUND: Tank Troops Major General Ivan Zharikov 30.01.1907 - 29.05.1969. Hero of the Soviet Union Dates of decrees 1. 31.05.1945. Medal № 6414 Order of Lenin № 42139. Monuments of the Alley of Glory in the city of Korocha. Ivan Alekseevich Zharikov - commander of the 36th Tank Brigade of the Red Banner Order of Suvorov and Kutuzov (11th Tank Brigade of the Red Banner Order of Suvorov and Kutuzov, 5th Shock Army, 1st Belorussian Front), Colonel. Born on January 30, 1907 in the town of Korocha, now Belgorod Region, in the family of a worker. Russian. Received an elementary education in a parochial school. In 1928, he graduated from the worker’s factory. Worked as a miner at the mine "Vetka" in the city of Stalino (now Donetsk). He was conscripted into the army in May 1929 by Stalin District Military Committee. In 1932 he graduated from the Odessa Military Infantry School, in 1934 - advanced training courses for command staff (KUKS). He participated in the battles with Japanese troops on the Khalkhin-Gol River (May - September 1939). He was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and the Order of Military Red Banner ("For Military Valor") of the Mongolian People's Republic during the Great Patriotic War in the active army - from June 22, 1941. He fought at the South-Western, Western, Kalinin, Bryansk, Southern, 1st Ukrainian and 1st Byelorussian fronts. He was wounded six times, two of them seriously, and was especially distinguished during the Berlin offensive and during the storming of Berlin. Tand Brigade under his commandmwnt was one of the first ones to drive into Berlin. On its way from the Oder River to Berlin and in street battles in the city, the brigade destroyed 50 tanks and assault rifles, 164 artillery guns, 176 mortars, 370 machine guns, 5 armored personnel carriers, 288 vehicles and tractors, about 3,500 enemy soldiers and officers, destroyed about 100 barricades and houses adapted for the defense, captured 5,600 soldiers and officers, and captured a large number of military equipment and property of the enemy. Colonel I.A.Zharikov was always in the brigade's fighting order, leading the battles. According to the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 31, 1945, Ivan Alekseevich Zharikov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star Medal for exemplary performance of combat missions of the command at the front of the fight against the German invaders and demonstrated courage and heroism. After the war, he continued to serve in the Armed Forces. In 1947, he graduated from the Officers Advanced Training Course (KUOS). Major-General (1954). Since 1956, Major-General I.A.Zharikov - in reserve. He lived in Odessa. He passed away on May 29, 1969. 2 Orders of Lenin (31.05.1945), 3 Orders of the Red Banner (1939; 12.08.1944), Orders of Suvorov of the II degree (6.04.1945), Alexander Nevskiy's (30.10.1943), 2 Orders of the Red Star (28.02.1942), medals, the Order of the Fighting Red Banner (MNR). The Hero's bust is installed on the Walk of Fame in Korocha. I.A.Zharikov started his combat activity on the South-Western Front on June 22, 1941. In the same month he was seriously wounded. After being treaed at the Western Front, he participated in a counteroffensive near Moscow as part of the 5th Army. Deputy commander of the 31st Independent Tank Battalion Major I.A.Zharikov in the battles from 13 to 17 December 1941 on the territory of Ruzsky district of Moscow region in the area of Kryukovo - Ruza proved himself as a brave warrior and commander. During the attack on the village of Lyzlovo on December 16, 1941 he personally destroyed 2 anti-tank guns, 3 mortars, 1 machine gun, 3 hand machine guns, 3 vehicles, up to 25 soldiers and officers of the enemy. In the same attack captured 2 trucks with ammunition, 1 tank, 1 self-propelled gun. He was awarded the Order of the Red Star. In February 1942, he was wounded again. In March 1943, Lieutenant Colonel I.A.Zharikov was appointed commander of the 36th Tank Brigade of the 2nd Mechanized Corps, which was at that time at the Kalinin Front under the operational command of the 3rd Shock Army. The Army occupied the frontiers west of the town of Velikie Luki, which had been liberated in January 1943, and was engaged in defensive battles in that area. At the end of April 1943, the 2nd Mechanized Corps was taken out for additional manning, and then into the Reserve Ranks of the Supreme Command. In June 1943, the 36th Tank Brigade became part of the 11th Tank Corps of the 4th Tank Army. On July 20, 1943, together with the 4th Tank Army, it joined the Western Front, and on July 30, 1943, the Bryansk Front, where it took part in the Orlov Offensive Operation (July 12-August 18, 1943), the final phase of the battle at the Kursk Bulge. In early September, the 11th Tank Corps Brigade was redeployed to the Southern Front. Under the 28th Army's operational command, the Corps participated in the Donbas offensive (August 13-September 22, 1943), including the liberation of the city of Volnovakh (now Donetsk Region), and then in the Melitopol offensive (September 26-October 21, 1943). In October 1943, I.A.Zharikov was slightly wounded and remained in the ranks. On October 21, 1943, the Brigade, together with the Corps, was withdrawn from the battles to the Reserve of the Supreme Command. During the battles on the Southern Front, Lieutenant Colonel I.A. Zharikov's 36th Tank Brigade took courageous and decisive action to advance its motorized infantry and the cavalry that interacted with the Corps. The brigade made a brave maneuver to bypass the Gulyay-Pole station from the northwest, cut the railroad and captured Gulyay-Pole, which allowed units to move forward. Lieutenant Colonel I.A. Zharikov skillfully organized interaction with the infantry and artillery. During the hostilities of September 7-22, 1943, the Brigade destroyed: 23 guns, 19 mortars, 9 machine guns, 9 vehicles, 20 tanks, 82 soldiers and officers. The following were seized: 33 soldiers and officers, 3 guns, 2 warehouses, 6 carriages and 3 motorcycles. He was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevskiy. On February 15, 1944 the 11th Tank Corps arrived from the reserve to the 1st Ukrainian Front and was subordinated to the 13th Army. It participated in Proskurov-Chernovitskaya offensive operation (March 4 - April 17, 1944) to defeat the German Army Group "South" on the right bank of Ukraine.29 April 1944 he was transferred to the 1st-Belarusian front, where he fought until the end of the war. He participated in the equestrian-mechanized group of Lieutenant General V.V.Kryukov in the Lublin-Brest offensive operation (July 18 - August 2, 1944) - a part of the Belarusian strategic operation "Bagration". During the operation, a mechanized horse-drawn group introduced into the breakout west of Kovel, Volyn Region (Luboml district), forced the West Bug River and began its rapid advance through Poland to the northwest. The Polish cities of Parchev, Radzyń Podlaski, Luków and Siedlce were liberated with the participation of the 36th Tank Brigade. The Brigade, commanded by Colonel I.A. Zharikov, was introduced on July 18, 1944, at the turn of the villages of Ruda - Hvorostov (Lubomlsky District, Volyn Region), overcoming the enemy's stubborn resistance and inflicting heavy damage with minor losses, by the end of July 19 came to the Western Bug River. At once breaking the enemy's resistance, it forced the Western Bug and seized the bridgehead on its western bank. Having rebuilt the battlefield, the brigade, in cooperation with other units of the 11th Tank Corps, took the towns of Parchev, Radzyń, Lukuw in a matter of minutes and by the end of July 24, 1944, reached the area of Sedlets, where it encountered a strong anti-tank defense of the enemy. On July 27, Colonel Zharikov's units bypassed Sedlets from the east to strike the enemy from the rear. Here, they were surrounded by tank division troops SS “dead Head”. Being seriously wounded, I.A.Zharikov personally led the battle for 8 hours in the encirclement and by the order of the command, having broken through the ring of the encirclement, went to the specified area, causing the enemy great damage in manpower and equipment. During the period of the operation from July 18 to 31, 1944, Colonel Zharikov's brigade destroyed: tanks and self-propelled guns - 42, armored vehicles - 2, airplanes - 4. guns of various types - 67, machine guns - 132, soldiers and officers - 2002. Captured: tanks and self-propelled guns - 2, automobiles - 128, railway echelons - 3, different warehouses - 5, guns of different caliber - 8, horses - 61, 509 soldiers and officers were taken prisoners. He was presented with the Order of Lenin, and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. The 36th Tank Brigade was awarded two Orders of the Red Banner and the 2nd Class of the Suvorov Tank Brigade for its excellent performance in the operation. After leaving the encirclement, I.A.Zharikov was hospitalized, but left the hospital early and took command of the brigade again on September 10, 1944. In 1945, the 11th Tank Corps of the 69th Army in the Warsaw-Poznań offensive operation (January 14 - February 3, 1945), a part of the Vistula-Oder Strategic Operation, dealt a blow from the Pulawska bridgehead towards Radom, Łódź. Together with other units of the front, it broke through the enemy's defense to a depth of 20 kilometers, freed with the participation of the 36th Tank Brigade on January 16 Radom, January 18 Tomaszów Mazowiecki, January 19 Lodz. On January 29, the Corps broke through the Mezeritsky fortified area and entered Germany within the 1938 borders. On January 31, advanced units of the Corps came out to the river Oder (Odra) near Frankfurt. The commander of the 36th Tank Brigade Colonel I.A.Zharikov in this operation once again proved to be a courageous and combat commander. The brigade inflicted a great deal of damage to the enemy, with little loss of life. It took 18 days, overcoming the enemy's stubborn resistance, to march from the Vistula to the Oder, 750-800 kilometers. Forced large water obstacles Radomka, Pilica, Warta, in cooperation with parts of the corps seized cities and towns Zvolen, Radom, Tomaszów, Łódź, Zharnów, Szbrem, Champin, Groznoc, Wolstein, Bomst, Ciumlihaihau (Sulehów), Sternberg, Reppen. On 3 February 1945, the brigade reached the Oder River near Frankfurt. Colonel Zharikov's crew destroyed tanks and self-propelled guns - 15, guns of various calibers - 166, planes - 2, vehicles - up to 7,700, killed 2,360 soldiers and officers, captured guns of various calibers - 18, mortars - 34, vehicles - 101, military warehouses - 132, captured up to 2,000 soldiers and officers. I.A.Zharikov was promoted to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the distiction in the operation. He was awarded the Order of Suvorov of the 2nd degree. 36th Tank Brigade was awarded the Order of Suvorov of the 2nd degree. From April 16 to May 8, 1945, the 11th Tank Corps of Major-General I.I.Yushchuk took part in the Berlin strategic offensive operation, which resulted in the capture of the German capital Berlin. The corps was under the operational command of the 1st Guards Tank Army of General M.E.Katukov and acted in the line of 8th Guars army. On April 24 during the attack on Berlin it was transferred to 5th Guards Army. For distinction in this operation Colonel I.A.Zharikov was secondly presented to the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union and received this title. From the award list. Colonel Zharikov had been in command of the brigade since March 1943. Under the command of Comrade Zharikov, the Brigade went through a glorious and historic battlefield at the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. On the Kalinin Front, it fought to liberate the city and the Velikie Luki fortress. After being transferred to the Bryansk front, the brigade with persistent battles went from the town of Oriol to the approaches to the town of Bryansk, initiating the offensive of our troops in the west. On the Southern Front, the 11th Tank Corps Brigade, which broke through the Germans' tough and long-term defenses and smashed the enemy's superior forces, developed its success towards the city Zaporozhie and took an active part in liberation of Melitopol - an important defensive point, covering the approaches to Crimea. In the battles on the 1st Belorussian front, Comrade Zharikov showed exceptional examples of courage and heroism, ability to command and control units in the most difficult battle conditions. When the Germans broke through their defenses west of Kovel, Colonel Zharikov's brigade was one of the first to reach the state border, the West Bug River, forcing it on its course and developing the success of the offensive towards Parchev, Radzyń, Lukow and Sedlec (Poland). In the battles from the Vistula River to the Oder River, the brigade covered itself with unfading glory in defeating the German invaders. Although Comrade Zharikov was wounded, without removing his bandages, he continued to command and lead units of the brigade from victory to victory. During the fighting on the 1st Belorussian Front, the unit led by Colonel Zharikov received eight commendations from Comrade Stalin, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the brigade. By decrees of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet, the brigade was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, the Order of the Suvorov Order of the 2nd degree and the Order of the Kutuzov Order of the 2nd degree. From the Oder River to Berlin, the capital of fascist Germany, and in the battles for Berlin, Colonel Zharikov proved himself a true commander and soldier of the Red Army. Without recovering from a serious wound, he personally led the brigade to storm the lair of the fascist beast, inspiring the personnel with his unparalleled bravery, courage and bravery. In the streets of Berlin, he was in constant combat order, directing the tanks' combat activity to the attack objects, broke through to the center of the city and seized the latter. While fighting hard from the Oder River to Berlin and in the battles for the city itself, the brigade inflicted losses on the enemy: it destroyed 50 tanks and self-propelled guns, 164 guns of various calibers, 176 mortars, 371 machine guns, 5 armored personnel carriers, 288 vehicles and tractors, 3480 soldiers and officers, and 97 destroyed barricades and houses adapted for defense. The brigade captured: tanks and self-propelled guns - 3, guns of different caliber - 115, machine guns - 31, cars - 326, motorcycles - 1275, bicycles - 3675, enterprises and factories - 57, warehouses with various property - 135, captured 5600 soldiers and officers. Thanks to the exceptional courage, selfless heroism of Colonel Zharikov, his military skills and ability to manage crews and units even in the most difficult conditions, the brigade was among the first to break into the city of Berlin and fight until the final surrender of its garrison. He deserves the highest government award - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Commander of the 11th Tank Radomsky Red Banner Order of Suvorov and Kutuzov Corps, Major General t

BACKGROUND: Rank: Lieutenant Troops: Ground Forces, Air Force (except marine aviation), Coast Guard, NKVD troops, Border Guards My grandfather, Vasiliy Zhirukhin, was born February 17, 1918 in the village of Kanino, Ryazan Province. After early graduation from the Ryazan Pedagogical Institute in 1941, he was drafted into the Red Army and sent to the courses of political workers. After completing the courses, in June 1942, my grandfather was enrolled as a political worker in the formative 30th Ski Rifle Brigade, which was sent to the Kalinin Front. During the fierce battles that continued throughout 1943, the brigade suffered serious losses, and since January 1944, Vasiliy Grigorievich, with the remains of the brigade, was included in the 836th rifle regiment of the Carpathian Red Banner Regiment of the 240th rifle regiment of the Kiev-Dnepr Red Banner Order of Suvorov and Bohdan Khmelnytsky Division of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. He continued to serve as battalion commander (assistant to the regiment's chief of staff for special communications) with the rank of senior lieutenant. He finished the war in Hungary. My grandfather did not like to talk about the war and, if we managed to persuade him, most often he remembered the following three points: In 1944, the regiment fought hard on the territory of the former Bessarabia, near the border with Romania, near the town of Gura-Gumor. The Soviet Army was preparing a breakthrough to the right of this settlement, and the 240th Division, in which my grandfather fought, was advancing in the Carpathians, distracting the attention and reserves of the fascist troops. During July-August, the division tried to make a breakthrough, but Hitler's troops took advantage of its advantageous location on the hills to prevent it from entering the Carpathians. The valley in front of Gura-Gumor and the settlement itself passed from hand to hand 15 times. The next episode that my grandfather remembered was the battle for the town of Ochawa in Czechoslovakia in February-March 1945. The attack of the battalion commanded by my grandfather, which began at 4 a.m., by 8 a.m. allowed to capture of half of the city. Next, the natural barrier was the river, the banks of which were mined by German engineers. The river was forced and the second attack was carried out in the evening. After a successful bypass maneuver, the platoon was able to secretly get close to the enemy's headquarters, and in a fleeting battle captured the entire command staff, seized headquarters equipment and disorganized the control of the German troops in this area, which allowed us to quickly break the resistance and minimize our losses. Vasiliy Zhirukhin was awarded the Order of Patriotic War II degree for decisive and brave actions in this battle. Another important stage on the military way was forcing the fast mountain river Tisza on the border of Czechoslovakia and Hungary in spring 1945. It took a whole week to prepare rafts and crossing equipment, as the spring full-flowing river was a serious obstacle. Out of 5 rafts commanded by my grandfather, only the first one was able to cross unnoticed, while the rest went under heavy gunfire. The second raft was smashed by a direct hit of artillery shells, the third and fourth raft turned over. However, the soldiers of the unit were able to get ashore and, having entered into a fierce battle, allowed the main forces to cross. My grandfather ended the war near the Hungarian town of Balatonfüred, which is located on Lake Balaton, by May 17, participating in scouting the mountainous wooded area and searching for scattered groups of German troops. My grandfather, Vasiliy Grigorievich Zhirukhin, was awarded two orders and six medals for participation in combat operations.

BACKGROUND: Title: Captain. Troops: Armored and mechanized troops. Division: 2nd Guards Motorized Rifle Division. From 1937, Zhylkyshiev Abzhappar, before being drafted to the front after graduating from school and the Talgar (Alma-Ata region) Agricultural College, worked as a Russian language teacher and then deputy director at the aul Akyrtobe school in Jambul region. In June 1942, being drafted for the war, he was immediately sent to the Tashkent Military Infantry School. However, he did not finish the school because he was sent to Iran together with a group of distinguished cadets. In 1943, after returning from Iran, he was sent to Ashgabat Military Infantry School to continue his studies. In the same year, at his urgent request, he was sent to the army of the Steppe Front as an ordinary Red Army soldier. While forcing the Dnieper, he was seriously injured in his right leg. He was treated in the hospital in Lunina village of Penza region. After the hospital, he graduated with honors from Ivanovo Military and Political School. Then he was sent to the 143rd Motorized Rifle Division of the 1st Belorussian Front as deputy battalion in the political part. The battalion commander was Major Krizhanovsky. Their battalion took part in forcing Oder, in taking Berlin (Zeelovskie vorota, Spandau). After the end of the war, he was sent to serve in Ukraine in the city of Izyum, Kharkov region. He was demobilized from the army in March 1947. During the war, he was awarded the Order of Patriotic War, 1st degree, medals. After demobilization from the army, he worked in party-soviet bodies of Dzhambul and South-Kazakhstan regions, graduated from the Higher Party School with honors. He was awarded orders of the Labor Red Banner, Badge of Honor, medals and certificates of honor. While working in party and Soviet bodies, he began to write stories and novellas. Since 1979, he was a member of the Writers' Union of Kazakhstan.

Sophia Fyodorovna Zhukova was born on October 17, 1924 in Voskresenka village, Klyavlensky district, Samara region, in a family of peasants. Her father - Fyodor Fyodorovich Zhukov, who fought with Chapaev, was an irreconcilable peasant - an individual. With a family of 6 children he ran away from the collective farms to Chelyabinsk to build a tractor factory, then to some place else, far away from the collective farms... In Buguruslan, Orenburg region, she graduated from a medical school, having received a specialty as an obstetrician. For some time she worked at a health center at a mine in the Tula region, from where in March 1943 she, a 18-year-old, was called up to the front. She took part in the battles near Leningrad, Warsaw, on the Elbe. My grandmother remembered these days in the following way: "Me and the nurses-girls, in the breaks between the marches on the cold endless mud, dreamed that the war was about to end, we will wash off the camping mud in a bath, put oil or sour cream on our feet and put them, the poor, on white feather pillows ... To rest. It was so hard for them ...". The war ended for her in November 1946, in Berlin,with demobilization in the rank of lieutenant of medical service and with awards - the Order of the Red Star, medals "For Military Merit", "For the Liberation of Warsaw," "For the capture of Berlin," etc.. In one of her letters to her front-line comrade - Peter Aleksandrovich Korotkikh - Chairman of the Veterans Council of the 311th Dvinsky Order of Suvorov Rifle Division, my mother wrote: "I am not a hero, there are no feats on my account, I did not throw myself under enemy tanks with a bunch of grenades. I was 18 years old at that time. And I think that for my age it was enough, WHAT I saw and experienced. Thousands of wounded were bandaged by my hands. I have seen so much death, so much crying over the killed....” In the award sheet to the Order of the Red Star on January 14, 1945 it is said that "During the battle of January 14-15, 1945 at the time of the Vistula River crossing, working as a paramedic at the regimental medical station to provide medical assistance to the wounded soldiers and commanders, in difficult conditions under enemy fire, Comrade Zhukova for 2 days of battle provided 67 soldiers and officers with medical assistance. At the same time, she helped the doctor in providing medical assistance to the seriously wounded. Front skill, the ability to act quickly, in an immediate environment to make the only right decision remained with her until the end of her life. Especially nice and beautiful grandmother's bandages were: postoperative or just for us, kids, who scratched their knees or elbows during the games. It was grandmother's hands - warm, careful, skilful - that were chosen by patients for intravenous "pricks" in the treatment rooms of the medical unit № 17, the regional TB dispensary in Kemerovo, where she worked. Grandmother confidently treated cough and other colds in our childhood with jars. Though through these jars we know her first front "defeat". The military doctor - Repina Alexandra Vasilyevna, with whom grandmother was friends and corresponded until the last days - once wrote: "Sonechka, dear, I remember you always. We were the closest . ...I remember how you once put jars on a soldier's back. And you left. Youth! I come to the tent in an hour, and he was still with jars! Do you remember? In general, I had to remove the jars with the skin, and he was glad to stay with us for a bit longer ...". But it was her only professional mistake. At the front she also met her only love, my grandfather - Grankin Matvey Semenovich - an operative of the Counterintelligence Department "SMERSH" 1069 of the Rifle Regiment of the 311th Rifle Division.

Vasily Zakharovich Zhurkin was born in 1923 in Bolshaya Glushitsa village, Bolshe-Glushitsky district, Kuibyshev region. He was recruited in 1942, at the age of 19, by the district military commissariat of Bolshe-Glushitsky district of Kuibyshev region (now Samara region) to the 371st Guards self-propelled artillery regiment (371 gv.s.a.) of the First Shock Army (1 Ud.A.). As part of the Army he participated in the following combat operations: - near Volokolamsk (03.01.1942 - 09.01.1942); - the offensive operation in the Vyazemsky direction (10.01.1942 - 13.02.1942) as part of the First Shock Army led by Lieutenant-General V.I. Kuznetsov, During the offensive, the front troops inflicted significant losses to the enemy, pushing them to the west from 16 to 150 km, liberated the cities of Mozhaisk, Vereya, Medyn, Myatlevo. - The first attack surrounding the Demian group of Germans (13.02.1942 - 19.03.1942) as part of the First Shock Army led by Lieutenant-General V.I. Kuznetsov. On 23 February 1942, the advancing troops of the North-Western Front completed the encirclement of the Demian group of the enemy and fought unsuccessfully to destroy it until the second half of March 1942. In March, the enemy managed to make a corridor gap up to 4 km wide and join the encircled group on 23 April 1942. Later, as a result of persistent battles, by 14.05.1942, the enemy had extended the corridor to 12 km. In the course of further military operations between 21.03.1942 and 14.02.1943, the 371st Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment marched the way Volokolamsk - Rzhev - Toropets - Lychkovo, Novgorod region. In mid-February 1943, the operation of the North-Western Front to eliminate Demyanskoye bridgehead was launched. Troops of the 53rd Army, led by Major-General E.P. Zhuravlev, interposed itself in the enemy's defense in the Zaluchie area and threatened to surround the Demyan group. On 18.02.1943, the enemy began withdrawing from Demyanskoye beachhead. By 01.03.1943, Soviet troops, pursuing the enemy, had reached the border of Omychkino, Dubka, northwest of Zaluchiye. As a result of the battles to the south and south-east of Staraya Russa, the front troops eliminated the enemy's bridgehead on the eastern bank of the Lovat River and, having advanced 20 km, reached the border of Bol. Gorby, Novye Selo, Vyazka. During the Staro-Russo-Novorzhevskaya operation to chase the enemy as part of the First Shock Army, the regiment moved through the settlements of Dedovichi-Sorokino-Veska-Basino in the Pskov region. The 1st and 22nd Armies moved 110-160 km, the 10th and 3rd Armies moved 8-20 km. By 4.3.44, the front troops had reached the border of Pogorelka, Pushkinskie Gory and Pustoshka. Then the battlefield of the First Strike Army as part of the Third Baltic Front (3 PribF) shifted to the Estonian SSR. The period from 10.08.1944 to 06.09.1944 was the period of the Tartu offensive. The front troops defeated the enemy group of Tartu and, advancing north-west for 120 km and west for 70-90 km, reached the border of Vybsta, north of Tartu, Verevi, Kuldsep, Gaiuen, west of Gulbene; during the offensive the Soviet troops liberated Võru, Tartu, Elva, Gulbene. Extract from the award sheet of Lieutenant Zhurkin V.Z. of 03.09.1944, No. 302/n: "...Lieutenant Zhurkin V.Z. of the Guards during the battles of August 18-24, 1944 was always in the regiment as a representative of the infantry units supported by self-propelled guns of the regiment. In the battle near the height of 107.7 on August 22, 1944, he showed determination and initiative. When the German infantry, supported by Artschturm self-propelled guns, went into counterattack, Zhurkin led the infantry with his personal example. Supported by fire of our SU (Self-propelled rifles), the infantry of 68 gv. Op repulsed the counterattack of the Germans, self-propelled gun "Artsturm" was hit by our SU ...". The commander of the 371 gv self-propelled artillery regiment of the Guard, Major Kibal. On the basis of the representation Zhurkin V.Z. was awarded the Order of the Red Star. After the war, he graduated from the Military Orders of Lenin and the October Revolution, the Red Banner Academy of Armored Troops named after Marshal of the Soviet Union R.Ya. Malinovsky. He served in the Red Army. The last place of service, before his retirement, was the General Staff of the USSR Ministry of Defense.