Branch of Service: Technical Troops. Unit: 83rd Guards Gorodok Red Banner Order of Suvorov Rifle Division. Trifon Balandin was born on February 14, 1909. In 1936, together with his wife Anna, they came to the construction of a mining town. They lived amicably and happily. But in 1941, the war began. In the autumn, in October of 1941, Trifon volunteered for the front. For the first time, he was returned from the place where the regiment was formed. He was left to work in the rear. But he could not stay there, and already secretly escaped to fight, hiding under mattresses in the back of a truck that was being driven to the battle sites. Their division was formed in Ulan-Ude. Its first Commander (as Trifon himself said) was a Mongol. The battalion in which he fought was best dressed, in warm sheepskin coats that were supplied from Mongolia. He defended Moscow, participated in the Battles on the Kursk Bulge, recaptured the cities of Karachev, Baltiysk (the port of Pilau), and stormed the fortress city of Konigsberg. He Liberated Belarus and Ukraine. He was a very humble man, but his injuries and awards speak of his exploits. Medals For Bravery, For the Capture of Konigsberg, Order of the Red Star. Trifon Balandin was an honorary citizen of the cities of Duminichi and Baltiysk. One of his awards for taking the prisoner ("languages") alone: once during the fighting in Belarus, my grandfather was returning from the hospital to the unit. It was early morning... freezing… He was walking through a field where there were haystacks. He noticed that only one side of the haystack was covered with frost, and understood: there's someone hiding out there. It turned out that there were fascist scouts, there were three of them. Thanks to his ingenuity, strength and courage, he managed to neutralize them and take them prisoners. After tying them up and tying them to a pole, he led the Germans to the nearest unit. As it turned out later, the Nazis mined the crossing of the Berezina River. By neutralizing the enemies, he saved the lives of many people. Trifon received the Order of the Red Star for timely delivery of ammunition. During the bombing, his truck was the only one able to get to the right place and supply the battalion with shells. He went through the entire war from 1941 to 1945. Tryphon and Anna had seven children: three sons and four daughters. Now they – our parents-are telling us about their father. Trifon Balandin died in 1984. His great-grandchildren have not seen him, but they know that their great-grandfather was a true soldier, a good man and a hero of our time. Thanks to people like Trifon, Russia has held on and will continue to hold on.