Heroes and feats

Rank: Red Army_x000D_ Branch of troops: Ground Forces, Air Force (except for naval aviation), coastal service, NKVD troops, border troops. _x000D_ Subdivision: 7th Guards Cavalry Zhitomir Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Bogdan Khmelnitsky Division. _x000D_ He was born in 1901 in the village of Presnogorkovskaya of the Siberian Cossack Host (1st military Department) in a Cossack family as his third son. In 1918 he was drafted into the Kolchak army, but together with a hundred went over to the side of the Red Army. He served in the cavalry Squadron of the Regiment commanded by V.I. Chuikov. He fought with whites in Siberia, the Urals and Transbaikalia. He joined the ranks of the Communist Party. After the Civil War, he organized an agricultural cartel in his native village, and then a kolkhoz. _x000D_ Before the start of the Great Patriotic War, he was the head of a dairy plant in a kolkhoz. For participation in the Civil War on the side of Kolchak, he came under investigation, was expelled from the party and removed from office. With the outbreak of the war, he voluntarily went to the front, where, together with his fellow-Cossacks and two brothers, he ended up in the 31st Cavalry Division near Voronezh. _x000D_ The Division took part in the battles For Defense of Moscow, in the counterattack near Moscow. For the liberation of Sukhinichi the Division was awarded the title of the Guards. Fyodor Mikhailovich was awarded the medal "For Courage", became a guardsman, he was reinstated in the party and was appointed party organizer of the Artillery Division of the Cavalry Regiment. He was an anti-tank gunner. The Division fought in the Donbass, took part in the defense of Stalingrad, and from February 1943 moved towards Kharkov. Fascist troops, preparing for the summer campaign near Kursk, transferred new tank divisions to Kharkov. 7th Guards Cavalry Division near Staryy Saltov came under attack from German tanks. The Cavalry Artillery Division was located near the village. Peremoga, where Fyodor Mikhailovich took his last battle ... _x000D_ Here is an excerpt from a letter to his wife Ekaterina Grigorievna to his native Presnogorkovka: _x000D_ “In March heavy fighting began, German tanks broke through from Kharkov. Our Regiment forcibly approached Old Saltov in order to stop the enemy. But the forces were too unequal. We were already well battered in previous battles and it so happened that in the village of Peremoga, right from the march, we got lost with German tanks ... _x000D_ Fyodor Mikhailovich, our communist leader, was a gun driver after being wounded, he was already old, over forty years old. To us, young soldiers, he seemed quite old, but we all respected him both as a comrade in arms and as a participant in the Civil War … The Germans jumped out suddenly, but the gun crew managed to take a position and set the tank on fire with the first shots. Fyodor Mikhailovich himself stood behind the gun's sight. He shot great, but here it was just hot. Another tank was knocked out, but there was no one left near the gun, everyone was killed. And then another fascist pounced on the gun with tracks … So our comrade was killed …”_x000D_ It happened on March 18, 1943. _x000D_ Now in the village of Peremoga near Kharkov there is a mass grave where Fyodor Mikhailovich Stepanov and his comrades are buried. Two sons and a daughter grew up in the Stepanov family,. Sons Alexander and Nikolai, also participants in the Great Patriotic War, became military men, retired colonels. Daughter Tamara became a Teacher. Eternal memory to the hero!

Rank: Junior Sergeant _x000D_ Branch of troops: ground forces, air force (except naval aviation), coastal service, NKVD troops, border troops_x000D_ My grandfather is Vasily Tarasovich Smirnov. He was born in the quiet and beautiful village of Semeikino, Buisky district, Kostroma Region in May 1926. Since his childhood he had been very hardworking, dexterous, raised in a simple village family. Like all rural children, he attended School, although it was not easy to get to it. There was no automobile transport, as it is now, we had to walk to School 10 km along with the village children straight through the forest in any weather. _x000D_ But the war time had come and this damned war broke many simple destinies of the village guys. One after another they went to the front, tears welling up in the eyes of mothers, sons, daughters, wives, but everyone understood that he was going to defend his family, perhaps at the cost of his life. My grandfather was drafted into the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army in 1943. He was only 17 years old. Vasily Tarasovich, a strong, dexterous, savvy guy, quickly mastered military training and began to serve in the 230th Stalin Division of the 990th Rifle Regiment. He participated in the liberation of the Polish city of Gniezno, for which he received gratitude from the higher command. He showed his courage, bravery, and fearlessness of the Soviet soldier in battle at a combat for the capital of Nazi Germany, Berlin. _x000D_ During the capture of the settlement of Karlsbise (province of Brandenburg), he destroyed two Panzerfaust soldiers from his light machine gun, and, thereby, contributed to the overall success in capturing the capital of Germany, Berlin. On the right bank of the Oder, he was also seriously wounded, destroyed the enemy, did not retreat a step back until nightfall, then was sent at the insistence of the Commander to the rank of unit. _x000D_ Awards: the Order of Glory of the 3rd degree, the Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st and 2nd degrees. _x000D_ After the end of the war, he married my grandmother, a labor veteran, and had two sons and a daughter. All his life he was a responsible, hardworking, responsive, true patriot of his Motherland. He passed away in 1997.

My father, Sokolov Anatoly Andreevich was born on December 4, 1926, in the village of Issad, Novoladozhsky district of the Leningrad Region, in the family of Andrei Antonovich and Maria Afanasyevna Sokolovs. In 1937 he graduated from the primary Issad School and entered the 5th grade of the Novaya Ladoga School. In 1940 he graduated from the seven-year course in Novaya Ladoga. After School, he worked as a minder at a water station in the nearest military unit._x000D_ On November 21, 1943 he was drafted into the army. There was a war going on. For three months my father was in Leningrad, in a "training", where young recruits were taught to fight. His father's military specialty is a communication technician, he was sent to the 14th Separate Reserve Line Communications Regiment, located in Leningrad. He and his comrades ensured communications among the troops on the "Nevsky Pyatachka", fought in the Sinyavo swamps. Since May 5, 1944, Private Sokolov, a line supervisor of the 45th Separate cable-pole company of the 54th army of the 3rd Baltic Front, took part in the liberation of the Baltic. _x000D_ For excellent mastery of his military specialties and skillful transfer of his experience to others, he was awarded the badge "Excellent communication technician" (this is an extract from the order to the Signal Troops of the SGV No. 160 dated November 5, 1945). For the courage and courage shown in the elimination of damage to the communication line by order of the Commander of the 3rd Baltic Front No. 0189 of 21.07.1944, the Pope was awarded the medal "For Military Merit". Since November 1944, as part of the 45th Separate cable-pole company of the 5th Guards Tank Army of the 1st Baltic Front, and then the 2nd and 3rd Belorussian fronts, he participated in the battles in East Prussia. _x000D_ The memories of my father, Anatoly Andreevich Sokolov, published in the book "Soldiers of Victory" in 2011, have survived about the events of those fiery years. After the end of the war, he passed military service in the Northern Group of Forces, in Poland in the positions of the shooter of the 34th military depot and the postman of the 3047th military depot station. On June 15, 1950 he was dismissed (demobilized) to the Reserve. _x000D_ Awards: "For Capture of Konigsberg", "For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945", as well as the "Zhukov Medal", jubilee medals ("20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War "," 30 years of the Soviet Army and Navy "," 60, 70 years of the Armed Forces "). In 1985, in honor of the 40th anniversary of Victory, he was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, II degree. _x000D_ In the family archive there is a certificate dated August 20, 1945: “Issued to the Red Army Soldier Anatoly Timofeevich Sokolov that he actually served in the 45th Division of the Order of the Red Star in the cable 6th company, which was part of the 5th Tank Army when liberated city of Warsaw. The certificate was issued for the right to receive the medal "For Liberation of Warsaw". Apparently, due to a technical error, the father's middle name was confused and he does not have such a medal. Dad had no desire to be associated with the combats, did not want to talk about any part of that period of life , apparently, it was a forbidden and very painful topic for him. He only said that this was a cruel and terrible war. He was seventeen years old at the front. Old, experienced soldiers taught young people what to do in order to survive and how they could, took care of them. _x000D_ My dad had served in the army until June 15, 1950, after the end of the service he returned to Issad. In July 1950 he got a job at the Novoladozhsky shipyard as a worker. There he met my mother, Kozlova Nadezhda Ivanovna. They got married on February 15, 1952. In the same year he entered the courses of mechanics._x000D_ On July 15, 1952, he came to work at the Novoladozhskiy fish processing plant as a mechanic at the PTS (receiving and transport vessel). He worked on the ships Volkhovstroy and Svir for 34 years. In 1986 he retired. For peaceful labor, he was awarded the honorary badges "Winner of Socialist Competition" (1973, 1974, 1976, 1979), badges "Strike Worker" (9th and 10th five-year plans), the medal "Veteran of Labor". _x000D_ The family has two children: Tatiana (born in 1953) and Alexei, born in 1963), three grandchildren: Elena (born in 1974), Anton (born in 1985) and Artem (born in 1990) , as well as the great-granddaughter Tatiana, born in 1993 and the great-grandson Ivan, born in 2014. We all loved our parents very much, we remember them and are grateful to them for everything. Dad passed away on April 16, 2010, mom passed away on February 21, 2006.

Rank: Major, Hero of the Soviet Union _x000D_ Branch of troops: Ground Forces, Air Force (except for naval aviation), coastal service, NKVD troops, border troops _x000D_ Subdivision: 100th Infantry Division of the Order of Lenin. _x000D_ Egemkul Tasanbaevich Tasanbayev was born on February 23, 1917 in a peasant family in the village of Kazygurt, South Kazakhstan Region ... From December 1941 to January 1947 he participated in the Great Patriotic War and hostilities on the Far Eastern Front. From July to December 1941 he passed training at the Tashkent Military Tank School and was sent to Almaty, where, along with other officers, he took up the formation of the 100th Separate Infantry Brigades. _x000D_ In 1942, while holding the position of assistant to the Political Department for the Komsomol of the 100th Separate Rifle Brigade of the 39th army of the Kalinin Front, he was awarded the Order of the Red Star with the rank of Captain. He started the war on the distant outskirts of Moscow, near the ancient Russian city of Western Rzhev. _x000D_ On November 25, 1942, in the area of the Molodoy Tut River of Western Rzhev, fierce battles were fought with the fascist invaders. The Germans stubbornly resisted, trying to repel the offensive of the Soviet troops. The 100th Rifle Brigade, together with other units, repulsed the attacks of the fascists. And in 5 days they liberated 13 villages with the regional center Young Tut. _x000D_ In one of the combats in the village of Bochkovo, the Nazis counterattacked, the units put up stubborn resistance. German snipers hunted the officers, trying to incapacitate them. Here Tasanbaev Egemkul was overtaken by a sniper bullet, hitting a pistol hidden under his clothes. Ricocheting, it only slightly injured her arm. As a result of two wounds, he lost a lot of blood and was in serious condition. The surgeon of the medical and sanitary unit Nigmatulin provided him with medical assistance. To support the weakened body, doctors decided on a blood transfusion. _x000D_ Later, Tasanbaev Yegemkul learned that his fellow soldiers, two officers and Manshuk Mametova, whom he, being a Political Instructor, presented with a party card before the battle, had become his donors. Then the future Hero of the Soviet Union performed his first effort. Egemkul Tasanbaev with his fighting friends finished off the powerful Kurland group of fascists in the Baltic states. The war for Egemkul Tasanbayev ended in the Far East. _x000D_ After the surrender of Japan, he got into an Artillery Brigade and was demobilized from the army only in 1947 with the rank of Major. He was awarded the Order of Lenin (08.06.1957), three Orders of the Red Banner of Labor (01.03.1965, 10.12.1973, 22.02.1982), the Order of the October Revolution (27.08.1971), the Order of the Red Star (03.12.1942. ), Order of the Patriotic War 1 degree (03/11/1985), medals "For Victory over Germany in WWII 1941-1945", "For Victory over Japan", "For Valiant Labor", "For Courage", "In commemoration of 100 anniversary of the birth of V.I. Lenin ". He passed away on August 18, 2006 at the age of 89.

Rank: Red Army_x000D_ Branch of troops: Ground Forces, Air Force (except for naval aviation), coastal service, NKVD troops, border troops. _x000D_ Ivan Egorovich Turkenichev was born on October 12, 1924 in the village of Novy Liman, Voronezh Region. In 1933, his family moved to Kh. Parisian Rostov Region. After graduating from the 6th grade, he began to help his father, on an equal basis with adults, he collected potatoes in the field, carried water and grain on oxen. _x000D_ June 22, 1941 it was an ordinary day, everyone was working. And then they announced the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. In November of this year, the kolkhoz received a decree that all the cattle were evacuated across the Volga. And he, together with old men and women, drove cattle to the Elan station of the Saratov Region. _x000D_ When Ivan Yegorovich turned 18, he was sent as a recon to the 556th Rifle Regiment, which stood between Lake Chiganaki and the Don River. At the next offensive, in a hurry, he did not have time to wind up his foot bindings, but was crossing the river barefoot, the water was icy, he froze his leg. He had a fever, and when they stopped for a halt next to the shock where he was, a shell exploded and he was concussed. He lost his hearing, spoke poorly, stuttered. When we got to the medical unit, he was given the first aid and was sent to the hospital. There, without anesthesia, his left toes were amputated, he was held by five people. Then he was transferred to a hospital in the Penza Region, after treatment, the medical commission recognized him as disabled, and sent home. _x000D_ But already in November 1942 he was enlisted back into an active army. So Ivan Yegorovich ended up in besieged Leningrad. He served as a traffic cop in the 127th Separate Road Battalion on the Road of Life. He was there for a whole year and knew what 125 grams of bread for the whole day was for the civilian population, and 400 grams for soldiers, and even rotten cabbage. _x000D_ In Leningrad they lived in dugouts, there was no heat, no water, no light. They worked day and night, transporting construction materials to the "Road of Life" in an onboard vehicle. On January 18, 1944, the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts united, and the 900-day blockade of Leningrad was broken. _x000D_ In August 1944 he was transferred to Poland to the 317th Infantry Regiment. His regiment was liberating the city of Krakow. During the offensive near Breslavl in January 1945, he was wounded. And again the hospital, but there he did not stay. After some medical treatment, the soldier Turkenichev was sent to the military commandant's office in Beutkhen to protect civilians from the Banderaites. _x000D_ For good service, Ivan Yegorovich was presented with a bicycle, clothes, shoes. In a freight train, he reached the city of Voronezh. My grandfather returned from the war in August 1946.

Rank: Red Army Soldier_x000D_ Branch of troops: Communications Troops_x000D_ Division: 135th Infantry Division (1st Formation)_x000D_ _x000D_ The Great Patriotic War became a hardship for our people. We have won through the hard work of many millions of people. One of these war workers was my great-grandfather—Tuishev Khusyain Akhmedzhanovich (March 7, 1916—September 13, 1986). He was born in the village of Ust-Uza. He worked for several years at the Krasnaya Zvezda kolkhoz of the Shemysheysky district of the Penza Region. Unforgettable was the day when the first Fordson tractor and the first car were brought to the kolkhoz._x000D_ There were many who wanted to drive, but only great-grandfather was sent to the courses. My great-grandfather left for the military service in a kolkhoz car. He served on the Finnish border, took part in hostilities. He returned home in 1940 and immediately began to work in his own kolkhoz. But the war soon started. _x000D_ Chauffeur in the communications troops was the name of his military work. The first war trials began for him near Moscow. The battles were fierce here. The basic rule that the communication technician followed was: "Communication must work." _x000D_ Near Moscow, my great-grandfather came under fire and was wounded. He spent a whole month in the hospital, and then was sent to a Mechanized Regiment on the Kalinin front. Together with the First Ukrainian Front, my great-grandfather fought on the Kursk Bulge, crossed the Dnieper, liberated Ukraine and Poland. _x000D_ The Commander of his automobile unit 92431 writes in his characteristic: _x000D_ Comrade Tuishev was distinguished to be a good chauffeur who is veru much fond of cars. Comrade Tuishev knows the material part very well, his car is always kept ready for transportation and maintenance ". For exemplary performance of the command assignments, the great-grandfather was awarded the Medal "For Military Merit", the badge "Excellent Driver". Great-grandfather celebrated the victory in Berlin. He returned home in 1946. _x000D_ He came to his native village as a hero with awards: two Orders of the Red Star, the Order of the Patriotic War of the second degree, Medals "For Courage", "For Military Merit", entered in the Book of Honor of the Shemysheysky District, awarded with a Certificate of Appreciation signed by Marshal Konev, in which it is written: "Many thanks for the excellent service." I am proud and remember!

Rank: Starshina _x000D_ Subdivision: 15th Guards Rifle Kharkov-Prague Order of Lenin, twice Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Division. _x000D_ To my great regret, I did not know my grandfather. He passed away long before I was born. For some reason, it was hard to ask my grandmother about him. Now I managed to ask my mother what she remembers. My grandfather went through the entire war, but due to severe wounds he could not live a long life and passed away 12 years after its end. _x000D_ Alexey Nikolaevich was born in 1915. In 1939 he was drafted to serve on a submarine, which was based in Sevastopol. The war found Alexei when he had three children. In October 1941, he was called up by an infantryman to defend Moscow. During the siege of Koenigsberg (Kaliningrad) on April 22, 1945, my grandfather was seriously wounded. During the hostilities, he had to be both a liaison, and a machine gunner, and a simple infantryman. After a severe shrapnel wound, Alexei spent a whole year in the hospital and returned to his homeland only in 1946. _x000D_ Unfortunately, many fragments prevented my great-grandfather from leading a happy life. _x000D_ 1957, at the age of 41, the shell fragments had reached the heart. All awards were lost during Alexei's stay in the hospital, and then no one talked about his efforts. _x000D_ We found out that our grandfather had been awarded only at the website “Memory of the People”. On June 24, 1944, Alexei, being a liaison of the company Commander, was instructed to deliver an important report. On the way, Alexey faced two enemy soldiers, threw grenades at them and destroyed them. The report was delivered on time. For this effort my grandfather received the medal "For Courage".

My grandfather Alexander Pavlovich Smirnov was born on August 23, 1922 in the village of Petrino, Cherepovets district of the Vologda Region. In 1938, he graduated from the 9th grade of the Ergolsk rural School (now the village of Voskresenskoye) and went to work as an Accountant at a creamery in the village of Petrino. In 1941 he was drafted into military service by the Petrinevsky Commissariat of the Vologda Region. He fought on the Leningrad front. He was a sub-machine gunner of a company of machine gunners of the 197th Guards Rifle Order of the Kutuzov Regiment, 64th Guards Rifle Krasnoselskaya Red Banner Division. He was wounded a few times. _x000D_ Combat awards: Medal "For Courage" 08/15/1944, order No. 029-N (for combat on 07/03/44 "….. when repelling an enemy counterattack, he was wounded, but did not leave the field battle… _x000D_ "Medal" For Courage "10/16/1944, order No. 035-N (for combat on 25.10.44 “… on the SYRVE peninsula he was the first to break into the enemy's trench and personally killed 3 German soldiers from a machine gun.. ", _x000D_ Medal" For Courage "03/09/1945, order No. 07-N,"… the Commander of the sub-machine gun company of the Guard, the Senior Sergeant for being in battle 24.2.45, in the area of the river VARTAYA, while repelling the counterattacks of infiltrated German sub-machine gunners, destroyed 4 German sub-machine gunners with machine gun fire and grenades… "_x000D_ Order" Red Star "05/21/1945, order No. 041-N,"… for combat in the area of the Vartaya River on 02/23/1945, when attacking the enemy trenches, he was the first to break into the trenches and destroy 7 German soldiers with machine gun fire, in the same battle, when the platoon commander came out of action, he boldly took over command, and a platoon under his command successfully completed the combat mission of forcing the river, where he destroyed the crew of a heavy machine gun and captured 2 enemy light machine guns. "_x000D_ Medal" For Courage "06/14/1945, order No. 021-N (for combat in the area of the river Vartai, Latvian SSR, 28.2.45, "… while repelling the enemy's counterattack with machine gun fire and grenades, he destroyed 4 German soldiers, was wounded, but did not leave the battlefield before completing the combat mission…". _x000D_ He was supposed to take part in the parade on Red Square in Moscow in June 1945, but was not able to attend due to illness. _x000D_ After the war, my grandfather worked as an Accountant at a dairy (village Petrino), then as a Chief Accountant at a creamery (Ustyuzhna, Molochnoe, Vologda Oblast). From 1951 until his retirement he was the Chief Accountant of the Kaliningrad regional production association of the dairy industry. Awards: medal "For Valiant Labor"; badge "Drummer of the 9th Five-Year Plan"; medal "Veteran of Labor". He loved reading a free time. He advised his granddaughters to read A Tale of the True Man. He loved Russian folk songs. He appreciated honesty in people. He hated lies, bragging, and insolence. He passed away on October 13, 1992 in Kaliningrad.

Rank: Major General of Aviation _x000D_ Branch of troops: Aviation _x000D_ Ivan Karpovich Starostenkov (01/29/1900 - 08/07/1975) is a Soviet military leader, Major General of Aviation. _x000D_ The biography of Ivan Karpovich starts at the beginning of the 20th century, he was born in the small village of Vydritsa, Mstislavsky district, Mogilev province. Coming from a simple peasant family, his father Starostenkov Karp Kireevich, mother Glafira Yakovlevna. In June 1919, he was drafted by the Khislavichsky Commissariat of the Smolensk Region into the ranks of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army. During the Civil War, he fought on the Eastern Front, a Red Army Soldier of a stage company of the 49th stage Battalion, and in December 1920 he was appointed assistant platoon Commander of the 46th Rifle Regiment. In May 1921, he was appointed Commander of an administrative platoon of a training and personnel sapper company stationed in Mtsensk. From December of the same year, he consistently studied at the Military Railway School, from December 1922 he was at the Yegoryevsk Theoretical Aviation School, from March 1924 he was at the 2nd Borisoglebsk Military Pilot School, and from June 1926 he was at the Shooting and Bombing School, stationed in Serpukhov. _x000D_ After graduation in February 1929, he was appointed to the position of a Junior Pilot of the 16th Reconnaissance Air Squadron, in October was transferred to the position of Flight Commander of the 15th fighter Air Squadron, in February 1933 occupied to the position of detachment Commander of the 7th cruising Air Squadron, and in February 1937 he was the Commander of the 1st Fighter Squadron. In June 1938, Starostenkov was appointed Commander of the 6th Fighter Squadron of Special Aviation, in June 1939—as Commander of the 36th Aviation Regiment (36th Aviation Division), and in January 1941—as Commander of 27 1st Fighter Aviation Division (Transcaucasian Military District). _x000D_ With the outbreak of the war, Starostenkov was in his former position. The Division under his command covered the facilities of Baku and the oil-bearing area within the boundaries of the 3rd Air Defense Corps. With the transformation of the Division into the 8th Air Defense Corps by July, Starostenkov was appointed Commander of the 66th Fighter Aviation Division on July 9, which in August was included in the Southern Front. In November 1941, he was appointed Commander of the 144th Air Defense Fighter Aviation Division, formed in Rasskazovo, after graduation from which, by November 20, the management and part of the division were relocated to the Saratov Air Center, where they were included in the Saratov-Balashov Air Defense Divisional District. _x000D_ The division performed the combat missions of air defense of industrial facilities in Saratov and Balashov, railway bridges across the Volga at Saratov and through Khoper at Balashov, railway junctions and sections of the railway within the boundaries of the divisional air defense area, and also escorted especially important aircraft. _x000D_ In March 1943, Starostenkov was appointed Commander of the 148th Air Defense Fighter Aviation Division, which, as part of the Cherepovets-Vologda Air Defense Divisional Area, defended the cities and railway junctions of Cherepovets, Vologda, Kadui, Babaevo and Efimovskaya, and the Bolshoy Dvor railway stations from air attacks. , Lezha, Nyandoma and Gryazovets and objects of railway communications, and since May 1943, after opening the Sheksna and Sukhona rivers, as well as channels for navigation, additional combat missions of the Division were to cover ships in the water section Myaksa - Cherepovets - Sheksna - Kirillov - Kubenskoe Lake - Sokol - Shuiskoe - Selische - Totma. In July 1943, the Division was included in the Air Force of the Western Front of the Air Defense. In August 1943, Colonel Starostenkov Ivan Karpovich was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, the award list says: “Disciplined, demanding of himself and his subordinates, a Commander with organizational skills. _x000D_ On October 10, 1942, during an enemy air attack on the city of Grozny, being the duty officer at the command depot, he promptly raised fighters to repel a raid and skillfully directed the attack of fighters on enemy aircraft, as a result of which there were 22 enemy aircraft in air battles. In November of the same year, the Division's Command was redeployed to Kursk, where it was included in the 9th Voronezh Fighter Air Defense Corps, after which the Division performed the combat missions of air cover for the railway junctions of Bakhmach, Konotop, Belopole, Lgov, Kursk, Voronezh and Liski. railway bridges across the Don in the Liski Region. _x000D_ In July 1944, Starostenkov was appointed Commander of the 8th Air Defense Fighter Aviation Corps, which was part of the Air Force of the Transcaucasian Air Defense Front and performed air defense missions within the borders of the Baku Air Defense Army. In the combat characteristics, it was noted: “... flies on all modern aircraft, both domestic and foreign brands. The flying technique is good. He understands quickly combat situations and makes the right decisions. Under the command of I. K. Starostenkov building for 1943-44 received and overtaken more than 1000 aircraft of foreign brands, which were also ferried from Iran to the USSR for the units of the Red Army Air Defense Agency. _x000D_ In August 1944 he was awarded the second Order of the Red Banner. After the end of the war, Starostenkov continued to command the corps, which was transformed into the Baku Air Defense Aviation Corps. In March 1950, he was appointed head of the combat training Department of higher educational institutions of the Air Force of the South Ural Military District, and in February 1952, he was appointed Deputy head of the Flight Service and Air Law Directorate of the Air Force General Staff. Major General Ivan Karpovich Starostenkov in June 1953 went into the reserve. He passed away on August 7, 1975 in Moscow. Awards: Order of Lenin; Four Orders of the Red Banner; medals.

Rank: Senior Lieutenant _x000D_ Spitsin Petr Andriyanovich was born in 1910 in the town of Krasnoturyisk, Sverdlovsk Region. In the 1930s, he was a people's judge of the Kumensky district of the Kirov Region. He participated in the Soviet-Finnish war, was drafted from the village of Kumeny, Kirov Region. Before the Second World War, he worked in the Control and Audit Department of the USSR People's Commissariat for Finance in the Kumensky District. He ended the Great Patriotic War as a Senior Lieutenant in the ranks of the 2nd Belorussian Front under the command of Marshal of the Soviet Union Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky. _x000D_ During the Berlin offensive operation, the troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front under the command of K. K. Rokossovsky, with their actions, fettered the main forces of the 3rd German Panzer Army, depriving it of the opportunity to participate in the battle for Berlin. Until 1948 he served in the Northern Group of Forces in Poland in the city of Legnica. He was decorated with orders and medals. In 1948 he entered and in 1953 graduated from the All-Union Legal Correspondence Institute. By profession he was a lawyer. _x000D_ Until December 15, 1955, he was in the ranks of the Soviet Army with the rank of Senior Lieutenant of justice. Wife is Klavdia Alexandrovna Spitsina, born in 1911. She was born in the village of Burry in the Kotelnichesky district of the Kirov Region. Awarded with the medal "For Valiant Labor during the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945." (Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated June 6, 1945, No. 0147405). He was a member of the Nuremberg Trials. _x000D_ The international trial of the former leaders of Hitler Germany took place from November 20, 1945 to October 1, 1946 at the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg (Germany), located in Hall 600 of the jury building. All 403 sessions of the Tribunal were public. About 60 thousand passes were issued to the courtroom. The work of the Tribunal was widely covered by the press and was broadcast live.

Branch of troops: Artillery. _x000D_ Smagin Vasily Titovich (04/12/1911 - 02/23/1991). Vasily Titovich was born and raised in the village of Konstantinovskoye, Petrovsky district, Stavropol Territory. He is buried here, too. _x000D_ He was drafted to the front in the summer of 1942. He served in the Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment as the first gunner on an anti-aircraft gun. As my grandfather said, he was a gunner of the 2nd battery of military unit 1339 ZAII-GIZA. Vasily Titovich took part in the Vitebsk offensive operation (February-March 1944). _x000D_ For the liberation of Vitebsk in Belarus, he received the gratitude of the supreme Commander-in-Chief for the liberation of Vitebsk, (this letter was handed to grandfather personally by Zhukov and it was signed by Stalin) and the medal "For Courage". _x000D_ Vasily Titovich participated in the East Prussian operation and the crossing of the Neman River (1945). He said: _x000D_ At the crossings over the Oder and Neman rivers in East Prussia there was such a fierce battle that it was hard to see, where was the sky, where was the ground. The water was boiling, the ground was burning from bombs. The planes circled in the sky like locusts. People and horses and equipment went under the water. For participation in this battle, he received a medal "For Military Merit" and gratitude for crossing the Neman river. _x000D_ Vasily Titovich took part in the assault on Konigsberg (April-May 1945). During a combat for Konigsberg my grandfather was wounded and ended up in a medical unit. Immediately after the treatment, he went back еще the war. _x000D_ Vasily Titovich was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, II degree. Also his awards: a medal “For Capture of Berlin”, a medal “For Victory over Germany”, and 14 Jubilee medals. Vasily Titovich celebrated the Victory Day in Berlin. He has 6 children, 9 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and a friendly family is growing.

My grandfather Sakharov Vasily Illarionovich in 1936 entered the Pedagogical Institute, the Physics and Mathematics Faculty in the city of Nikolaev, Ukrainian SSR, from where in December 1936, by special order, he entered the army, and rose to the rank of Political Instructor. By the war he served in the 2nd Separate Railway Regiment in the position of Political Instructor. The regiment was located in the city of Sarny, on the eve of the war arrived in Sarny from Bessarabia, where he participated in the alteration of railway tracks to the Soviet gauge. _x000D_ A few days after the start of the war, one echelon was sent with the wives of the command staff (among them was his wife Olga, with a little daughter and mother-in-law) and the property of the regiment. At first they planned three echelons, but then, due to the complicated situation at the front, they decided to send everyone in a single echelon. On the way, the echelon was repeatedly subjected to air raids. _x000D_ My grandfather, Vasily Illarionovich Sakharov, as part of a group of several units and commanders, set off towards the front to restore the destroyed railway tracks for the delivery of replenishment and ammunition to the front, and back the wounded and property from the abandoned territories. From the command staff with his grandfather there were: _x000D_ 1) Captain Sushko. A bridge had to be mined in case the Germans broke through, but for now our echelons were leaving. There were continuous air raids on the bridge. One of the bombs hit the bridge, but fortunately it did not explode, but only damaged truss bridge._x000D_ According to the pre-war standards, the bridge was not subject to operation and remained closed until the repair was completed, but there was no time to wait and Captain Sushko made a quick, albeit risky decision. He removed the entire crew from the locomotive, climbed into the locomotive, he himself was once a machinist, drove through the damaged section twice and allowed to operate the bridge. Then we received a notice that 11 trains were coming to us from the north, from the city of Mozyr in Belarus, mainly with the troops that were cut off from our rear, the enemy tank wedge broke through (the bridge was in the city of Ovruch). _x000D_ 2) Junior Political Instructor Katyuzhan of the Brigade. He died during the air a raid from a shrapnel that hit him in the head, 3) Military Technician Grishanok, 4) Volobuev, engineer of the headquarters of the Regiment 5) Senior Lieutenant, Battalion commissar, Senior Political Instructor Sysoev. 6) Medical Instructor Loban Ivan Gerasimovich. _x000D_ At 15 - 20 km from Nizhyn, the detachment halted for the night. In the morning they found out that the road to Nizhyn was cut, and transferred to cars, had moved towards the south of the city of Prilutsk. Captain Sushko (a native of these places), deciding to go on reconnaissance patrol of the further route, took Volobuev with him and another 5—6 soldiers. They sat down in a lorry and went on reconnaissance, and nobody had never seen them again. _x000D_ Moving further, we got to the Grebenki junction station (southern railway on the Kiev-Poltava line), where we met Major Shuboderov. At the meeting, it was decided to organize the defense of the station. We broke the defense into sectors: the company of Senior Lieutenant Bondarenko, the company of Junior Lieutenant Vinnitsky, and the machine gunners of Rozhkov's platoon. _x000D_ After several days at the station, it became clear that we were cut off from the East Front and that the available forces (350 people) could not break through to the East. It was decided to move west to help the defenders in Kiev. _x000D_ A sequence military plan was developed. After leaving a few kilometers from the station, it became known that one company remained at the station, it was the Leiutenant Bondarenko's company. _x000D_ My grandfather, a Political Instructor, and Sysoev went to the station to find out why they stayed. When they arrived at the station, Bondarenko explained that a decision was made at the company meeting, that they his company occupies a perimeter defense and gives battle to the Germans here at the station. _x000D_ At the beginning of October 1941, he was wounded by a mine fragment in the arm and leg, after several days of wandering, he stopped in the village of Zelenyi Gai, Drabovsky district, at Stepan Ivanovich Kuts, (later the Germans would hang him for his connection with the underground and burn his house and shed). _x000D_ On October 10, 1941, when leaving the village of Zeleny Gai, he faced a column of Soviet prisoners of war under escort and was arrested by the Germans and sent in a general column to a field camp for prisoners of war. In the camp, he called himself the maiden name of his wife Naumenko Vasily Ivanovich. In the same camp he met his company Medical Instructor Loban Ivan Gerasimovich. He learned that among the commanders in the camp there was also a Deputy Regiment Commander was Lieutenant Bohan. My grandfather was transferred from camp to camp several times. _x000D_ While escorting through Kiev, he fled, got to his new friend Kuzemka Yevtukh in the village of Pishchiki, where he was registered with the local commandant's office. After all the non-locals were taken to a labor camp. There were several more attempts to escape, but unsuccessful. A successful attempt turned out in late autumn on the territory of Czechoslovakia, where he got to a local forester, and through him the Soviet recons transferred him with a fled comrade across the front line to the front headquarters. _x000D_ There he met his wife Olga, and after 10 days of checks, he and his comrade, through local partisans, were sent back to German captivity for agitation of Soviet citizens. The idea was that the Soviet people would not go west but return to their homeland, (they were scared to be sent to Siberia as traitors). At the end of the winter of 1945, they flee again and fall to the local partisans. _x000D_ After the departure of the Germans, before the arrival of Soviet troops, he was in the people's militia. After that, with a large wagon train of horses, he was sent to the Union, then to Lviv, where he was tested for 6 months. After the end of the special check, I went to my home in Makeevka. _x000D_ In Makeyevka, he got a job at the factory where he worked before. Then he moved to Belaya Kalitva, Rostov Region and was engaged in the electrification of the area. He had 5 children: 4 daughters and 1 son.

Rank: Red Army. _x000D_ Smaglyuk Dmitry Silovich walked along the roads of war from the first to the last day. He was born in 1915 into a peasant family in the village of Blagoveshchenka, Kurdai district, Dzhambul Region, Kazakhstan. In 1930 he joined the kolkhoz named after Budyonny, and from that time he began his labor activity. After graduating from the courses of tractor drivers in 1930, he began to engage in the most peaceful business to grow grains. But the war broke out, and Dmitry Silovich went to the front. _x000D_ On December 18, 1942, the chauffeur of the combat vehicle of the 2nd battery of the 228th Separate Guards Mortar Division, the Red Army Soldier Smaglyuk Dmitry Silovich, was awarded the medal "For Military Merit" for his courage and dedication in the fight against the German invaders. _x000D_ For participation in the offensive operation of Soviet units from 2 to 5 January 1944 in the direction Novosokolskoye (from the Staraya Russa Region to the Nevel Region) Smaglyuk Dmitry Silovich was awarded the Order of the Red Star. _x000D_ After the end of the war, Dmitry Silovich returned to his native Kazakhstan, where he continued his labor heroic path. In 1947, the tractor Brigade under the leadership of Dmitry Smaglyuk fulfilled the plan by 150%, saving 2.5 tons of fuel. In the same year, the Brigade worked on an area of 189 hectares, on which 22.2 centners of grain were collected from each hectare. For this valiant work, he was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor in 1948. _x000D_ In 2010, by the decision of the rural district of the village of Kainar (Blagoveshchensk), one of the streets of the village was named in honor of Dmitry Silovich Smaglyuk.

Branch of troops: Ground forces, Air Force (except naval aviation), coastal service, NKVD troops, border troops _x000D_ Subdivision: 399th Infantry Novozybkovskaya Red Banner Order of Suvorov Division. _x000D_ _x000D_ Ivan Semyonov, as part of the regimental reconnaissance of the 1345th Infantry Regiment of the 399th Infantry Division, fought on the Central Front. He defended Moscow, took part in the Battle of the Kursk Bulge, beat the Nazis on the land of Belarus. For his heroism and courage, he was more than once presented to state awards. _x000D_ Today the family of Ivan Lvovich carefully preserves his medals and orders: medals "For Courage", "For Military Merit", "For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945", the Order of the Red Star, the Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree. _x000D_ He mentioned about hardships for the infantrymen, especially women, during the war. In particular, in the 16th Lithuanian Division, 60% were women. For example, they carried a 60 kg of a machine gun. We helped them as best we could. Then Stalin issued an order to leave women to serve as communication technicians, in medical battalions, at work in headquarters. _x000D_ Once our troops broke through the enemy's defenses and went on the offensive 80 km to the west. Artillery and provisions were carried on horseback. It was winter, the horses were getting stuck in the snowdrifts. The carts fell behind, we went ahead. There was no food, for 2-3 days the fighters did not receive anything. Then they delivered us flour, 200 grams per person, but there was no salt. We made cakes, rubbish, but without salt, within a week the soldiers began to get sick and fall. _x000D_ On October 13, 1943, Ivan was wounded in the head. A heavy eleven-gram bullet interrupted his right optic nerve and was stuck 2.5 mm from the cerebral cortex, threatening his life every minute. After a year of treatment in hospitals, Ivan returned home to the village of Rybnoye. Only 20% of vision remained. _x000D_ Returning home, Ivan studied to be an Accountant-economist, and before retiring worked at the Constriction Bureau in Uyara. Together with his wife Nina Ilyinichna, they raised children. Son Vitaly devoted himself to education. Alexander became a miner. Lyudmila devoted herself to trade and her youngest daughter Galina was an assistant to her father. At the request of the Chairman of the All-Russian Society of the Blind, he headed the Uyarsk Blind Society and subsequently was its Chairman. He passed away on October 16, 1995. He was buried in Uyar.

Rank: Red Army Soldier _x000D_ Branch of troops: Ground Forces, Air Force (except naval aviation), coastal service, NKVD troops, border troops _x000D_ Subdivision: 59th Red Banner Infantry Division. _x000D_ Serdyukov Timofey Trofimovich was the legal husband (approximately since 1956) of Maria Andreevna. He was born in 1915 in the Rostov Region, Kolushkinsky district in village Kolushkino. Now the territory is included in the Tarasovsky district, Rostov Region. Before the war he was married to Zinaida Petrovna (in 1944 their son Valentin was born). _x000D_ I don’t remember when he was drafted into the Red Army, Timofei Trofimovich Serdyukov was in the documents (it was not preserved after his death) in the 80s the "Book of the Red Army Soldier". According to the documents, his last duty station was the 59th Red Banner Infantry Division. His combat path lasted from February 17, 1943 to April 30, 1943. The 59th Rifle Division was formed on March 7, 1942. He served there until February 17, 1943, there is no data in the information sources. The Red Army Soldier TT Serdyukov was declared missing in action in Ukrainian SSR Voroshilovgrad Region, Lisichansk district on July 17, 1943. _x000D_ Howver, on 17.07. 1943 it is known that he was wounded in the leg. There was a scar on his leg. In 1944 his son Valya was born. In 1956 he was officially registered with marriage. He worked until his retirement as a truck driver at a motor depot. He did not receive any jubilee awards. He passed away in 1989. _x000D_ And so far, according to the Book of Memory of the Rostov Region, volume 15, p. 532, Private Serdyukov Timofey Trofimovich, born in 1915, on July 17, 1943, missed in action!