Rank: Junior Lieutenant Troops: Artillery Division: 10th tank division. Grandmother's brother, Alexander Kuznetsov, was born in 1923, and died in 1945. He was only 22 years old. He was called up to the front on March 28, 1942, immediately from the tank school. He didn't have any children, he didn't even have time to get married, but he managed to give his life for our Country. Alexander Yefimovich was awarded the "Order of the Red Star" and the "Order of the First Degree Patriotic War" He received his first order in November 1944. During the battles to liberate the Baltic States in the areas of Auce, Tevede, Kovari, Tultsy, the commander of the self-propelled gun, Junior Lieutenant Kuznetsov, proved to be a courageous and fearless officer. In the battle for the enemy's stronghold, Kutse, moving with his car in the forward detachment, found two enemy anti-tank guns, which did not allow the advance of our tanks and infantry. With well-aimed fire from a self-propelled gun, Alexander Kuznetsov destroyed one of the enemy's guns and suppressed the fire of the second, thus freeing the way for tanks and infantry. In the battle for the village of Tultsy, with a bold and decisive maneuver, he outflanked the enemy and with well-aimed shots lit the enemy's self-propelled gun "Ferdinand", destroyed two mortars and about a dozen soldiers and officers. For his bravery and courage, he was presented for the government award. He was awarded the second order posthumously in January 1945. The award list says: "In the battles with the German invaders for the heavily fortified enemy defense center Naydenburg, Junior Lieutenant Kuznetsov showed an example of courage, selflessness and heroism. Acting with his self-propelled gun all the time in the vanguard, tov. Kuznetsov boldly and rapidly broke into the enemy's battle formations, destroying the enemy's firing points and infantry on his way with cannon fire and caterpillars." In this battle, my grandfather hit a self-propelled gun of the enemy, destroyed three anti-tank guns, four machine-gun points and more than a platoon of Nazis. Among the first, he broke into the city of Naydenburg, smashing the enemy through the streets of the city, shooting them at point-blank range. The grandfather's car was set on fire by an enemy shell, but despite this, he continued to pursue the enemy, remaining in the burning car until the end. Alexander Kuznetsov died the death of the brave and was buried in Germany on the southern outskirts of Osterode