Title: Petty Officer Military branch: Land Forces, Air Force (except Naval Aviation), Coast Guard, NKVD troops, Border Guards Unit: 124th Rifle Division (1st formation) My grandfather, Mikhail Branitskiy, was born on June 2, 1914 in the village of Podkamen, in Ukraine, near the city of Smela. He graduated from the seven-year school. Before the war he worked in Osoaviakhim (Society for the promotion of defense, aviation and chemical warfair). After the beginning of the war, in 1941, he sent his family to Penza. After that, he was mobilized to the front. The photo belongs to 1942, when he was 28 years old, although you one can hardly say.. Since 1942, Mikhail was always on the front line with the rank of Sergeant of the Guards in the company of submachine gunners of the 124th Red Banner Separate Rifle Brigade. My grandfather fought at Stalingrad and was wounded twice during the war. The last wound was received during the battle of Konigsberg. After the incident, he was sent to the Chita hospital for treatment. As soon as he recovered, he went with our troops through Mongolia and Bolshoy Khingan to liberate China from the Japanese imperialists. He finished the war in Vladivostok, in Port Arthur, where he served until 1946. Has awards: Order of the Red Star, Medals For bravery, For the defense of Stalingrad, For the capture of Königsberg, For Victory over Germany, For Victory over Japan and jubilee medal. Unfortunately, I never saw my grandfather. He died 8 years before I was born. This happened on April 11, 1979, in the village Daktuy Amur region.