Rank: Specialist Branch of service: Artillery Pavel was born on June 29, 1915 in Kus, in a large family. In 1939, he was drafted into the Soviet army and served in the Far East. He returned home just before the beginning of the Patriotic War, which no one even suspected at that time. Pavel got a job at a machine-building plant, dreamed of a family and children, but in June 1941, the war broke out, and he received a summons to the front. At first Pavel was a telephone operator, and in 1942 he became an artilleryman, commanded a 76 mm gun, and took part in the defense of Leningrad. Those were terrible days. Defending the city, the soldiers had to literally drag their guns on themselves, and lie on the cold ground and in the water for days under heavy enemy fire. Pavel said that sometimes, before the next attack, they did not immediately manage to get up from the ground — their clothes just froze to it. He was wounded in the battle, but returned to the ranks after being bandaged. Pavel was awarded a medal for the heroic defense of Leningrad. After the liberation of Leningrad, our troops with heavy and bloody battles drove the Nazis out of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and reached Germany. The city of Koenigsberg met them with an impregnable defense. To clear the way for the infantry, to break through the armor of enemy pillboxes, the guns had to be rolled out on direct fire. The gun crews became a convenient target for the Germans, but this did not force the Soviet soldiers to retreat. During those battles, Pavel Belugin and his comrades, when changing the position of the gun, captured several Germans. One of the prisoners, in recognition of the valor of Russian soldiers, gave my grandfather a watch. This watch ran regularly until 1960, and it is still kept in our family as a relic. For our grandfather, the war did not end with the fall of the Reichstag. Then they were transferred to the Far East, where there was a war with Japan. They failed to break through strong Japanese fortifications, as they say, "head-on", and our command decided to maneuver. To bypass the enemy from the rear, the troops moved across the desert, the mountains of the Small and Great Khingan. They were carrying guns and shells, and the wheels of the guns were stucking in the sand. When crossing the desert, the soldiers had to face a shortage of water. Not all were able to withstand this test, many died in the desert. To slightly dull the feeling of thirst they were given at night... salted herring. This was how the salt deficiency in the body was replenished. Since then, my grandfather did not like herring, and did not eat it under any pretext. The Japanese did not expect an attack by Soviet troops from the desert, the suddenness of the maneuver decided the outcome of the battle. During the war, Pavel Belugin was awarded three Orders: of Glory, of the Red Star and the Patriotic War, and six medals: For the defense of Leningrad, For Military Merit, For Bravery, For the Capture of Konigsberg and For the Victory over Japan.