Rank: Lieutenant. Type of troops: Artillery. Unit: 7th Guards Mortar Kovno Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Division. Soldiers are not born ... Vladimir Ignatiev was born on June 22, 1923 in the village of Nikitino, Oryol Region, into a peasant family. Volodya's childhood was not easy, his mother died giving birth to his younger sister, his father soon went missing and, at the age of 8, he and his sister remain an orphan. The baby was adopted by her aunt Zinaida, her father's sister, and taken to Moscow, and Volodya and his older half-brother Ivan were taken into care by neighbors. He had to grow up early and, not only study, but also take care of their daily bread. Together with his brother he worked on a collective farm, in the summer as a shepherd, in the winter at the barnyard. After graduating from the seven-year school, Volodya went to Moscow, to his aunt, to continue his education. While working as a locksmith apprentice at the Radio Factory, he graduated from high school. At the plant, he joined the Komsomol and immediately plunged into Komsomol work, was a member of the Komsomol committee of the enterprise, a freelance instructor of the Proletarian RK Komsomol of the capital. The plans were to enter the Law Institute ... But on June 22, 1941, together with the age of majority, war came ... On June 23, Volodya, a Komsomol leader, with an extraordinary patriotic enthusiasm and consciousness of duty to the Motherland, spoke at a rally in front of the workers of the plant, his comrades. With a detachment of the Proletarsky district of the capital, Vladimir Ignatiev went to the labor front. For three months they built fortifications, dug trenches, working day and night. In September, Vladimir returned to Moscow and was immediately drafted into the army. The Stalinist roar of the military enlistment office directs him to a marching company. Soldiers ... yesterday's boys ! We walked on foot from Moscow to Murom. They were given uniforms, taught to use weapons, shoot, stab, throw grenades ... Soon they will have to take their first battle! Then, near the city of Yukhnov, which is only two hundred kilometers from the capital, a severe battle broke out. A platoon of recruits was repelling the onslaught of the enemy! Don't miss it! Survive at any cost! Soldiers are not born, they become! And they will become real soldiers, defenders, liberators !Vladimir Ignatiev also became a soldier. For his first fight, later in 1944, he will receive a medal "For the Defense of Moscow". Volodya served six months in a rifle unit from a private to an assistant platoon commander. On March 3, 1942, in a battle for the village of Pchelnya (Kaluga region), he was seriously wounded, a bullet went right through his left shoulder, very close to the heart .. After the hospital Volodya was sent to study at the Volsk Military Chemical School, where he underwent accelerated training , he receives the rank of lieutenant. In July 1943, Lieutenant Ignatiev returned to the front, to the 7th Guards Division of the 4th Guards Mortar Brigade of the 2nd Belorussian Front, to the legendary Katyushas. The conditions were difficult, the Katyusha was a formidable weapon, always at the forefront. His responsibilities included providing combat vehicles with shells, going out on special missions, conducting reconnaissance of the area, and after the battle, during respite, classes with soldiers and officers, teaching them how to use chemical protection equipment. He served for two years in one division. Here he was elected as a Komsomol organizer, and in February 1944 he was admitted to the party. As part of the brigade, he took part in military operations to liberate Orsha, Minsk, Bialystok, Warsaw ... And the last battle - the capture of the enemy fortress Swinemunde and the island of Rügen. For his courage he was presented with military awards: in July 1944 - the medal "For Courage", in February 1945 - the Order of the Red Star, in May 1945 - the medals "For the capture of Konigsberg", "For the Victory over Germany." Lieutenant Ignatiev was demobilized from the army only in August 1946. After the end of the war, I wanted to continue serving in the army, but my health did not allow, injury and concussion affected. Returning to Moscow, Vladimir graduates from the correspondence legal institute, VYUZI, works in the State Arbitration of the RSFSR. In peacetime, for services to the Motherland during the Second World War, he was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree. All his life, first of all, he worked hard and honestly, skillfully combined the performance of direct work and public duties. In the State Arbitration of the RSFSR - for many years a party leader. Vladimir Mikhailovich Ignatiev - Honored Lawyer of the RSFSR, holder of the Orders of the Red Banner of Labor and the Red Star