Heroes and feats

Branch of troopps: Armored and mechanized forces. Gabuev Taimuraz Borisovich was born in 1925 in the settlement of V. Biragzang in a large family of Gabuyev Batyr Afakoevich. His mother-Olichka-raised six children, two sons and four daughters. One of the daughters - Gabuyeva Zara Borisovna devoted her entire life to the education of children, taught in a rural school of Biragzang. When Taimuraz was 16 years old, the Great Patriotic war began. In 1942 at the age of 17, adding a year to his age, he volunteered for the front. He was enrolled as a Cadet in the Grozny military school. After completing the Lieutenant's courses, he was sent to the front line as the commander of a tank combat brigade.He served selflessly. More than once, Taimuraz's war machines were destroyed by the enemy. In the battles for the North Caucasus, once again the tank was hit, the soldiers moved from the tank to the trenches, whrere the nazi tank practically buried Taimuraz under it. He was saved by a fellow countryman, a native of Alagir Nazir Khamikoev. They were captured by the Nazis, locked in a barrack, which, while retreating, the nazi set on fire. Local residents rushed to rescue the prisoners. Two sisters saved him, they brought him lifeless on a sledge to their home and treated him till his health was restored. Repeatedly, during the long years of the war, his poor mother received letter on for her son death. After each wound, after recovering, he caught up with his unit and continued to terminate the enemy. Taimuraz served in the 1st Belorussian front under the command of General Zhukov. In the fight against nazi fascism, he reached Berlin, participated in the battles for the Reichstag, where he left his inscriptions on its walls. For two more years he stayed in Berlin working hard on its city life revival. Taimuraz returned home in 1947 but did not rest for a day. He spent his entire life at the forefront of agriculture in leadership positions. Always been the front-runner. He married and had four children. After retiring, he always participated in the Patriotic education of the younger generation. He passed away on 5.06.2010. Eternal memory to him!

Gyrylov Tychkin Tsyrenjapovich was born on 15.08.1914 in the village of Dzhidiskiy district of the Republic of Buryatia. Branch of troops: army, air force (except marine aviation), the coast guard, the troops of the NKVD border troops. My grandfather on my father's side. Veteran of war and labor. Was a participant in the battle of Kursk. In one of the battles, he was wounded and hospitalized. Then he returned home, where he worked on his native collective farm until the end of the war. My grandfather was an amazing person! Cheerful and always ready to help! He had many friends and was highly respected. Whatever he did, it worked! He was a jack of all trades! All day long, in his little workshop, he worked his miracles! He perfectly mastered the technique of wood carving, built houses, had the skills of a blacksmith, drew well, and sang old Buryat songs beautifully... My grandfather was the best shot of the Buryat bow in the whole area! By the way, he made bows and arrows with his own hands. I do remember that every summer he produced wooden rakes, fork handles, etc for farm needs. All around the courtyard were sledges and carts made by his hands. We still have houses in our village built by his hands, household items: signs, chests, cabinets, etc. He was very fond of animals, was able to treat them according to folk recipes. And he also had a black horse, very beautiful and large! It recognized only my grandfather, never allowed strangers to approach him. On this horse, he grazed cows every summer. And when he was a meadow farmer, he harnessed his horse to a cart and left for the whole day to irrigate the meadows. My grandfather often took me with him. I remember very well how I hung my legs from the cart, looked at the clear blue sky and listened with ecstasy to my grandfather singing his old Buryat songs... It was so great!!!

DMITRY TERENTYEVICH GERGEL - a hereditary Cossack, a native of the Krasnodar territory, a father of 10 children, a jack of-all-trades, went through the entire war, despite shrapnel wounds to the head and lung, which caused such an early death. He was a participant in the battle of Krivoy Rog on the Belarussian front, where he was wounded in the head. He had orders and medals, which, alas, did not reach us – grandchildren (he did not forbid his children to play with them). He was so noble (the Cossack blood probably affected him) that when the order came for him to be awarded the order, he said: "My reward will find me everywhere!"- and remained sitting quietly on a stump polishing the star on his cap, and his friend, having polished his boots, went to get his order at the headquarters, located 200 meters from their trench. Grandfather saw with his own eyes, as a friend went up on the porch of the headquarters and at this moment... - a direct hit and from the headquarters only the funnel was left… My grandfather was very fond of children, and children loved him. He was very hardworking and always said: "A real man should have 1000 and one profession, and all of them will be useful to him in life!». When at his job the colleagues collected a ruble from each one for a drink, he usually paid them 2 times more and went home, to his wife and children, buying them gingerbread on the way... Such a man was my GRANDFATHER - kind, calm, caring, hardworking and courageous... My GRANDFATHER IS my PRIDE!!! THANK YOU, MY DEAR GRANDPA, FOR WHAT I AM!!! And thanks to my grandmother Gergel (Bezuglova) Vera Efimovna, who did not get enough sleep, did not eat enough, worked like a "horse" to have Victory day as soon as possible, to save and raise children – to raise them as worthy people... MY DEAR FAMILY, I AM SO MUCH GRATEFUL TO YOU !!!

Branch of troops: Artillery. Gorelov Alexey Alexandrovich was born in 1922 in the village of Vozdvizhenie, Kineshemsky district, Ivanovo region. In August of 1941, he was drafted into the Soviet Red Army from the third year of the Palekh art school . He was a Cadet at the first Leningrad artillery school "Red October" (a crash course in the training of junior officers in Engels, where this school was evacuated.) Participated in the Second World War from May 1942 to February 1943 as the commander of a platoon of anti-tank guns. He was enlisted in the 668th Artillery regiment of the 217th rifle division of the Western front. My father told me that he often had to draw panoramas of the front line of defense. Such panoramas were annexed to the reports on the situation of the batteries. Took part in the design of combat leaflets. Twice he organized exhibitions of children's drawings, which children sent to the front in letters to their fathers. In February 1943, there was heavy fighting in the area of Sukhinichi, Kaluga (Smolensk) region. They drove nazi beyond the village of Yukhnovo. In this battle, near the village of Buda Monastyrskaya, my father was seriously wounded in the left leg. After being injured, he was treated at the evacuation hospital No. 1487 in Ulan-Ude. For bravery, fortitude and courage shown in the battles for the liberation of the Sukhinichesky district of the Kaluga region from the enemy, he was awarded the order of the Patriotic War of the first degree. After the war, in 1947, my father graduated from the Ivanovo art school, and in 1957 from the Moscow State Art Institute named after V. I. Surikov. (thesis "Favorite book", which was shown at the all-Union anniversary exhibition in the Manege, dedicated to the 40th anniversary of October). From 1958 to 1977, he was a teacher at IKHU. His works are kept in a private collections and in the Ivanovo art Museum.

Rank: Captain Branch of troops: Air forces. Division: 132nd bomber aviation Sevastopol division. Hero of the Soviet Union. Mikhail Gorkunov was born on September 5, 1915 in the village of Nadezhdino, now Bliznyukovsky district, Kharkiv region of Ukraine in a poor peasant family. Ukrainian. Participant of the Great Patriotic War since December 1941. In 1941, he became a member of the CPSU (b). From December 11, 1941, he was a flight commander of the 152nd separate army reconnaissance air squadron on the Crimean front. Extract from the award list for awarding the first order of the Red Banner (spelling preserved in all documents): "...Flight commander Lieutenant Gorkunov during the period of military operations from December 11 to January 20, 1942 has 12 sorties with a flight time of 29 hours. The crew of comrade Gorkunova is the best crew of the unit. The most difficult and responsible tasks were assigned to comrade Gorkunov." Extract from the award list for the second order of the Red Banner: "... Deputy squadron commander Lieutenant Gorkunov for the period 02.05.1942 to 20.05.1942 has 13 combat night sorties with a flight time of 27 hours. All combat tasks for reconnaissance and termination of enemy troops are completed. Thanks to the great skill, initiative and endurance when performing night combat missions, the crew of the comrade Gorkunova achieved great effectiveness in the results of night raids on enemy targets. On 15.05.1942 his crew was assigned to destroy the enemy's materiel at the Gramatikovo airfield. The task was completed perfectly. Overcoming difficult weather conditions while approaching the target, comrade Gorkunov accurately brought the plane to the object on the set course. As a result of the bombing, 2 enemy aircraft were destroyed. Comrade Gorkunov has 22 day combat sorties, for which he was twice presented to the government award... " in June 1942, as part of the regiment, he took part in the defense of Sevastopol. From June 18 to 30, the Gorkunov crew from the predstrike staging base of Anapa airfield performs combat sorties to bombard enemy positions at an altitude of 164.9, in the settlements of Kamary and Balaklava. In February 1943, the pilot received the medal "for the Defense of Sevastopol". In January 1943, captain Gorkunov was presented with the highest government award for his valor, courage and bravery in the battles with the Nazi invaders. Extract from the award list for the presentation of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union: "...during the period of his participation on the front of the Patriotic war against the German invaders Captain Gorkunov personally made a total of 144 sorties with successful completion of the Command task, 111 of them at night. Bombardments made by the crew of comrade Gorkunov, completelly destroyed and seriously damaged 17 aircraft at airfields, 16 tanks, 13 guns, 13 machine guns, 94 vehicles with cargo and troops, 4 different warehouses, 31 wagons, 2 transport, 3 crossings, 1 bridge, 14 railway cars, destroyed up to two companies of infantry and one squadron of enemy cavalry, caused 27 fires, 22 explosions of great force in areas of concentration of equipment and manpower of the enemy, at railway stations, ports and airfields of the enemy. For 144 sorties of which 111 were during the night time and successful execution of combat missions of the Command on the front line of the Patriotic war against the nazi invaders, for courage and heroism, captain Gorkunov M. S. worthy of the highest government award - the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union... " By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 1, 1943, for exemplary performance of combat tasks of the command on the front of the fight against the Nazi invaders and for the courage and heroism shown, captain Mikhail Gorkunov was awarded the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union with the order of Lenin and the gold Star medal (No. 1000). The awards were presented to the Hero in the Kremlin on June 18, 1943. By order of the 4th Air army of the North Caucasus front of May 9, 1943, captain Gorkunov already in the position of commander of the 2nd air squadron 367 BAP receives his fourth order. Extract from the decree of awarding the order of the Patriotic War of the 2nd degree: "...on 20.3.1943 while performing a combat mission of the command to destroy enemy personnel and equipment in the area of the spit Chushka, and despite enemy opposition and bad weather conditions of low clouds and rain, repeatedly performed the targeting of the enemy thus exhausting its air defense forces, skillfully distractig the enemy's air defense to its maneuver thus provided suitable conditions for bombing of the enemy by his other crews. When the enemy was exhausted, he destroyed by bombs up to 3 cars due to an excellent approach to the target and had suppressed the fire of 3 enemy anti-aircraft guns. After being presented for the highest Government award – the title of Hero of the Soviet Union from January 1943 to May 1943, comrade Gorkunov made 66 sorties at night, with aircraft time of 129 hours and 25 minutes. And in total for the period of participation in the Great Patriotic war, comrade Gorkunov made 210 sorties, 177 of them at night, with a total flight time of 491 hours and 12 minutes. ... " But his mortally dangerous and bold combat work was not destined to continue. On December 6, 1943, the brave pilot did not return from the flight. Like thousands of soldiers of the great Patriotic war, he passed away before he could breathe the heady air of the spring of 1945. During the night time from 5th to 6th of December 1943 when the combat mission to bomb troops and artillery of the enemy at the height of 56.8 to the south of Kerch, crew of captain Gorkunov consisting of navigating officer Lieutenant Bazoviy Alexander Vasilievich, chief of AE communications Senior Sergeant Delevoy Timofey Maksimovich and air gunner Sergeant Selyavin Grigory Petrovich has not returned from a mission. Awarded the order of Lenin and medal "Gold Star" (№1000), two orders of Red Banner, order of Patriotic War 2nd degree (No. 15897 from 09.05.1943), the medal "For defense of Sevastopol". One of the streets of the village of Krasnotorka near the city of Kramatorsk is named after him. In the village of Nadezhdino is the school that bears the name of the Hero, his bust is installed. On May 9, 1985, a Monument to the Heroes of the Soviet Union, who were awarded high military award for courage and bravery in the battles against the fascist invaders in the Kuban, was opened in the Krasnodar Park of the 30th anniversary of Victory. Gorkunov M.S. name is inscribed on the memorial stella.

Rank: Senior Sergeant. Branch of troops: Land forces, air forces (except naval aviation), coast service, NKVD troops, border guards. Peter Goncharov was born on January 15, 1903 in the village of Yerzovka (Yerzovskaya parish of the Saratov province, now-Gorodishchensky district of the Volgograd region), in a peasant family. At the age of eight, Peter became an orphan, but it was possible to him to enter the school and work as a shepherd. In Yerzovka, Pyotr Alekseyevich met his wife, Natalia Andreyevna, who came from a large family that earned its bread by producing felt boots. In 1928, the newlyweds leave for Stalingrad, where the construction of the Stalingrad tractor plant was unfolding. In Stalingrad, Pyotr Alekseyevich worked for three years as a carter on the construction of the STZ, and then was able to get a job at the Red October metallurgical plant, where he worked as a castings dresser before the war. The Goncharov family grew rapidly: Natalia Andreyevna gave birth to four sons (Fyodor in 1928, Viktor in 1930, Vladimir in 1932 and Mikhail in 1934). In the village of workers of the Red October plant at Zhukovskiy street Pyotr Alekseyevich build a small private house. During the Stalingrad battle both the house and the street were destroyed. At the front line of the Great Patriotic war, Vladimir Petrovich Goncharov (the hero's son) recalled "that once, after leaving for work, his father did not return and no one knew where he was." Pyotr Goncharov was among the soldiers of the Red October factory workers detachment of the Stalingrad people's militia, which took part in the fighting on the Northern outskirts of the village at the Tractor plant. P. A. Goncharov returned home as a soldier of the Red Army. Pyotr Alekseyevich joined the 44th guards regiment of the 15th guards rifle division on October 3, 1942. A middle-aged soldier without special skills and combat experience first got into the bakery, then ended up in a wagon train, within which he delivered ammunition and food to the regiment on the front line, and took the wounded back. In one of the battles in the area of the Old Rogachik farm, an incident occurred that changed the fate of Peter Alekseevich. During the German attack, Pyotr Goncharov found himself next to a heavily wounded in the stomach driver of an armoured truck. This young armoured car driver passed away in the arms of Pyotr Goncharov. Pyotr Alekseyevich took an anti-tank rifle and hit the enemy car with three accurate shots. This incident did not go unnoticed. The company commander, a participant in the war with Finland, senior Lieutenant Demin, drew attention to a well-aimed fighter from the wagon train and was surprised to learn that Goncharov did not serve in either the tsarist or Red Army. The platoon commander Sologubov became a tutor for Pyotr Alekseyevich. Until November 25, 1942, the future famous sniper destroyed 11 enemy soldiers and officers and burned one vehicle with ammunition from the PTR. This time, the fighter Goncharov uses a simple (as stated in the documents "Russian") rifle-three-line, prepared for him by the company commander. On November 25, 1942, Pyotr Goncharov received a sniper rifle. In battles of January 13 and 14, 1943 sniper of the 1st rifle battalion of the 44th guards rifle regiment P. A. Goncharov distinguished himself. On January 13, in a defensive battle near the village of Stary Rogachik, Pyotr Alekseevich destroyed 17 enemy snipers. During offensive battle on January 14 near the village of Peschany Karier, Pyotr Alekseevich destroyed 47 soldiers and officers. For these two fights, P. A. Goncharov was awarded the medal "for Bravery". In the days of the counter-offensive to the north of Voroponovo settlement Peter Goncharov dueled against two bunkers of the enemy. Here's how Pyotr Alekseevich described it: I was crawling, completelly exausted, and could not even catch a glimpse of the damned bunkers. Ut was so silent. But i knew for sure that the same moment our soldiers will get up from the tranches, hundreds of nazi machine gun bullets start to spray death on them. So my job was to stop nazi from doing that. And then one of our guys couldn't stand it, and rushed forward, I noticed a light smoke. Four hundred meters. Not too good. I did not even check the distance with a tracer bullet, but sent three bullets at once into the embrasure of the bunker, and immediately the machine gun was cut off and fell silent. Soldiers rushed forward. But the second bunker hits even more fiercely. I calculated by eye that it would be nine hundred meters. Reloaded the rifle and released the entire clip without a break. The bunker fell silent. I could not believe that eventually I put lead in his throat. By the end of the battle of Stalingrad, Pyotr Alekseyevich Goncharov had 64 enemy soldiers and officers on his personal account. After Stalingrad battle Peter Alekseevich was placed on leave, but on arrival at his plant village "Red October", he found no family, no home, nor even the street on which the house stood. Pyotr Alekseyevich tried to find the family in Yerzovka, but it was not there either. At this time, the Goncharov family was located in the village of Rynok. According to the memoirs of the youngest son of Mikhail Petrovich during the battle of Stalingrad, they hid at some odd hole. Later on, to search for the family, Pyotr Goncharov turned to the Chairman of the Rostov regional Executive Committee. Only in the summer of 1943, Pyotr Alekseevich received a letter from his wife. In the autumn, the chief of staff of the regiment sent P. A. Goncharov with documents to Stalingrad, where he was able to see his family. During his stay in Stalingrad, Peter Alekseevich, already a well-known sniper, spoke with workers among whom was his native team of the crimping shop about the front line affairs. Sniper P. A. Goncharov was looking for meeting famous sniper Nikolai Yakovlevich Ilyin. And then one fine day two snipers met and under the impression of meeting P. A. Goncharov wrote the poem "The sniper's Duma": "Dark wuthering cloud goes above my Fatherland, it brought bloody battles with it, the terrible war goes on. Red bright Sun, would you rise, please, and warm me, snipper-warrior, give me new, mighty power, let my hands be more firm, give my eyes more vigilance, through the fields of my native land, through the dense forests, in the gray twilight, at dawn I go...I'll wait for the nazi villain and kill him with a bullet. Oh, green Fritz, beware of me, you will not escape retribution, you will not escape justice!" . In the area of the village of Gatische (Kharkiv region, Ukraine) from March 20 to April 1, 1943 guard corporal Goncharov destroyed 32 enemy soldiers and officers, including four snipers and five machine gunners. By this time, Pyotr Alekseevich had trained 6 Red Army soldiers in sniping. For these battles in the area of the Volchansk city, Pyotr Alekseevich was awarded the order of the Red Star and the "Sniper" badge. By the time the award list was issued, the sniper had 96 invaders on his account.Once the commander asked Pyotr Goncharov where he learned to shoot so accurately, and the sniper replied: "the War taught me, comrade Senior Lieutenant! And the fires that burned over Stalingrad for three months ". Pyotr Goncharov became the initiator and soul of mass training of snipers in all parts of the division under the motto "Every fighter is a great shooter!". Peter Alekseevich was helped by his students snipers Mikhail Sokhin, Sizykov, Dmitry Strebkov, Fyodor Sherstyuk with this work. The training was conducted on a personal example: during the battle on April 15, 1943, the guard corporal P. A. Goncharov destroyed 32 enemy soldiers and officers. On April 16, Pyotr Alekseevich was presented to the order of the Red Banner. On the day of registration of the award list on the account of the famous sniper was already 128 soldiers and officers of the enemy. At one and the same time, P.A. Goncharov was awarded by the commander of the 64th army, M. S. Shumilov with the orders of the Red Star and the Red Banner. When presenting the awards, Peter Alekseevich uttered the following words: "From now on, I will increase score of my vengeance even more aggressively, thus bringing the day of our Victory closer." From April 15 to May 29, 1943, the training of fighters was conducted at training camps and practical classes (hunting) in the Seversky Donets region. On May 29, 1943, Pyotr Alekseevich's personal account reached 355 enemy soldiers and officers. After the end of the training camp, Pyotr Goncharov conducted practical training with snipers on the front line until June 25. During this time, he destroyed 25 enemy soldiers and officers, set fire to two bunkers and suppressed 7 enemy firing points. On June 25, 1943, P. A. Goncharov's personal account reached 380 enemy soldiers and officers. By this day, he had trained 9 snipers. For his military achievements, on June 26, the commander of the 44th guards rifle regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Usyk, presented Pyotr Alekseevich to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. On the same day, the presentation was supported by the commander of the 15th guards rifle division, Major General E. I. Vasilenko, and the commander of the 24th guards rifle corps, Major General Vasiliev. On June 27, the submission was signed by the army commander, Lieutenant General M. S. Shumilov, and on July 20, by the Voronezh front commander, Lieutenant General N. F. Vatutin, and a member of the front's military Council, Lieutenant General N. S. Khrushchev. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of January 10, 1944 for "exemplary performance of command assignments at the front against the nazi invaders and outstanding courage and heroism" guard Sergeant Pyotr Goncharov was awarded the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union. However, the Order of Lenin and medal "Gold Star" were not handed to him, since on January 31, 1944 he perished in the battle for the village Vodianoe Sofiyevsky region of the Dnepropetrovsk oblast, Ukrainian SSR. Thanks to the presentation to the title Hero of the Soviet Union, Pyotr Goncharov was granted leave to travel to Stalingrad. on July 31, 1943, Pyotr Alekseevich was present at the first metal melting on the restored open-hearth furnace No. 0 ("nulik») at the Red October factory. Master Mikhail Vasilyevich Nagorny presented P. A. Goncharov with a piece of metal which he took with him to prove to his colleagues that the restored plant began to produce steel.On January 30, 1944, the 44th guards regiment within the 15th guards division took part in breaking through the enemy's defenses and by the end of the day occupied a number of localities, including the village of Vodianoe. The enemy resistant was stubborn - in the area of the village of Vodianoe, it counterattacked using up to 30 tanks, 4 self-propelled guns, armored vehicles and up to an infantry regiment. A group of snipers under the command of guard Senior Sergeant Pyotr Alekseyevich Goncharov spent the whole day fighting in the encirclement. In this battle, P. A. Goncharov destroyed 30 nazi and brought his score to 441. The guards held their position, but many of them, including Pyotr Alekseyevich Goncharov, perished. Pyotr Alekseyevich Goncharov was buried in a mass grave in the village of Vodianoe. In total, during his participation in the war, Goncharov destroyed 441 enemy soldiers and officers and trained 9 snipers.

GALICHANIN Karam Usmanovich was born in 1924 in the village of Bul-Kaipanovo. He went to the war before his peers. He fought from 1941 until the end of the war, was a signalman. He participated in the liberation of Poland, reached Germany, after the end of the war, serving for two more years, in 1947 he returned to the village. He was wounded three times. The metal fragment remained in his lower back to the very end of his life. He was awarded the medals "for Bravery"," for the Capture of Koniegsberg", "for the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic war" and the order of the Red Star. He had many commendations from the command. From the award lists: "on October 24, 1944, at the front line, corporal Galishanin provided telephone communication. Ten times the wire broke. And each time the brave Red Army telephone operator spliced the ends of the telephone cable under enemy mortar fire. For his courage and bravery in ensuring uninterrupted communication in the battles for the city of Augustov on October 31, 1944, comrade Galishanin was awarded the government award "for Bravery". And the following documents tell us that he was awarded the order of the Red Star for: "GALICHANIN - corporal, telephonist, in the offensive battles in East Prussia showed courage and bravery. During the battles for the villages of Sheiborn and Kleihauzenberg he set up the communication line while beeing under heavy enemy fire. In spite of mortal danger to his life GALICHANIN in a timely manner provide telephone service during all the offensive . Lance-Corporal GALICHANIN is worthy the governmental award of the order of the Red Star”.

Branch of troops: Soviet Navy and Naval forces of the NKVD border troops. Radiooperator Gorlov returned to the cockpit tired and with an uneasy feeling: when transmitting the last radio message, something went wrong with the radio's motor generator. This morning Grigory Gorlov learned from the report of Sovinformburo that the Soviet troops completed the liberation of his native Donbas. "When I get back from the patrol," he thought, " I'll write a letter to my old people. Are they alive?" Gorlov met the war in Odessa, on the training ship "Dnepr", where he, at that time a laboratory assistant at the department of radio engineering of the Black sea higher naval school, trained with cadets. The cadets were recalled to the school, and he remained on board a ship as a radiotelegraph operator. Service on the "Dnipro" battle ship ended dramatically for Gorlov: on October 3, 1941, on the way from Novorossiysk to Sevastopol, the ship was torpedoed by the Heinkel nazi airplane. Gorlov was picked up from the water by a minesweeper. Then he fought in Kerch on Taman, near Novorossiysk, and now served within the division of boat minesweepers. Their KTSHCH-520 military boat almost never quit going out for patrols and briefly stayed at their base - to replenish supplies only. In the morning of August 20, as soon as they returned from the sea, Gorlov was called to the communications center by Sergeant - Major Subbotin. "Get the radio," he said, "and go on patrol on board the "Shkval" battle ship. So the signalman of the flagship ordered. "You're our strike force...". "Strike force!" Gorlov repeated to himself silently and not without reproach, remembering again the problems with the engine`s generator. He was already rising from his cockpit, intending to go back to the control room, when the battle alarm sounded. Ksenofontov, the mechanic, was the first to rush to the ramp. Gorlov has popped up on the deck behind him. The engine roared. The ship's machine gun rattled. Two hundred meters away from the ship, Gorlov clearly saw the dark hull of the submarine. "Gorlov," Lieutenant Bakchevnikov shouted him from the bridge, "immediately inform staff watch officer that: "at 21:30 I had spotted a nazi submarine. Got into the battle». Gorlov rushed to the radio, flipped the switch and ... swore angrily in annoyance: the engine-generator was not functionig. Never before had his hands worked with such speed and dexterity. But then something hot and sharp tore at his back. I am wounded… The next moment, a burst of machine-gun fire went through the radio set. Gorlov went upstairs to the commander, exhausted from the weakness and sharp pain that filled his body: "I didn't have time to pass the report, comrade Lieutenant. The radio is broken, I'm injured…"

Gabdrashitov Gabdrakhim Gabdelhalikovich was born in 1924 in the village Karan. He was cheerful and honest, told people directly what he was thinking about, and he also drew well, enjoyed reading books. He always had a book in his pocket. Before the war, after graduating from Karan high school, he worked on the collective farm "Commune". In 1941, together with his friend Gaisa Ramazanovich Arslanov, he was sent to the FZO No. 7 (factory training facility) in Nizhny Tagil, Sverdlovsk region. Then he studied at the RU (handycraft school), later at PTO and PTU vocational schools. When the war started, students were sent home. On August 12, 1942, 18 people were drafted into the army by the Buzdyak district military Commissariat and sent to the Chkalovsk machine-gun school for six-month courses for Junior commanders. But they did not have time to complete their studies, since it became "too hot" at Stalingrad. Here is what his friend and colleague, the late Galimzyan Farkhutdinov, a native of the village of Uran, said: "Once they lined up the entire school and informed us on current situation at the front line, especially at Stalingrad, and requested those who wanted to fight at the Western front take a step forward. Gabdrakhim said to his friend Galimzyan: "Dustym, yazmyshtan uzmysh bulmas" - "No one is going to escape from his fate, my Friend", and took a step forward. G. G. Gabdrashitov and his fellow soldiers served within the 147th guards rifle regiment of the 49th guards division of the 2nd guards Army under the command of then Army General, later Marshal of the Soviet Union Radion Yakovlevich Malinovsky. Their platoon commander was Junior Lieutenant Mukhametshin, a Tatar from the city of Kazan. The train took the cadets from school to the front line. Uncle Gabdrakhim sent his last letter from there. All in all, since August 12, 1942, three letters have come from him. But while they were on march, they could not write letters, since it was prohibitied due to the "silence" mode. Such a violation could be punished by a tribunal or if you were lucky - to a penal battalion. Actually, the "criminals" were just shot down on the spot for disclosing military secrets. They took the cadets to the village of Krugloe, there they were engaged in making dugouts which serve as a humble dwellings to cadets. Once the alarm signal was given and they were moved into the woods. And again they had to work on construction of dugouts. Ten days passed just like this. Then the alarm sounded again they were taken back to the station and loaded into the train. It all happened at night. From time to time, nazi air force bombed us sometime, which was then strong and "dominated" the skies. The soldiers marched forward without stopping. The detachment reached the border of the Myshkov river, entered the battle and stopped nazi tanks that were going to unlock the encirclement in Stalingrad for the army of Paulus and the 4th Panzer army. Thus the backbone of the fascist beast was broken. In Stalingrad itself, the fighting went on until February 3, 1943. Gabdrashitov G.G. together with his fellow soldiers went further. He fought for Rostov and reached the Miuse river on the eastern border of Germany. Gabdrashitov G. G fought side to side with Z. M. Masalimov, 1924, from the village Cartomac Buzdyaksky district, F. V. Khismatullin, 1924 from the settlement Akhunovskoye of Blagovarsky district, who worked as a senior accountant. A. E. Kobzev, 1924, a native of the village Sergeevka, Buzdyaksky district, who lived in Tuymazy. Dremin N.E. from Buzdyaksky district, who studied together with him at Factory Training Facility (FTF). In 1979, all of them were well and alive but my uncle Gabdrakhim. While at the front, his mother received a funeral that he went missing, it was in March of 1943. I am much grateful to my grandfather for collecting information about uncle Gabdrakhim.

Rank: Red Army Common Soldier Branch of troops: Land forces, air forces (except for naval aviation), coastal service, NKVD troops, border guards. Gulyaev Ivan Fedotovich (1908-1995) was mobilized into the ranks of the Workers and Peasants Red Army on September 17, 1941. For the first six months, great-grandfather Ivan was in training near Smolensk, then served near the city of Orel, where the front line was at that time. There, for the first time, he felt the reality of war. His wife and three children were waiting for him at home… Great-great-grandfather Ivan served in the infantry and was the second number of the machine gun: he held the machine gun belt during the attack and refilled the cartridges. He understood that not only his life, but also the lives of his comrades, depended on his accuracy and quick response. Before his injury, Ivan Fomich was in battle several times, steadfastly resisting the enemy. From his certificate of exemption from military service (white ticket) I learned that Ivan Fomich served in the 110th rifle regiment. In July 1942, during the battle, the Nazis identified the machine-gun point of Ivan's great-great-grandfather and dropped a shell on it. As a result, Ivan Fomich legs were severely broken, spine and an arm were injured, a stray bullet knocked out 2 teeth. Red Army troops were retreating in this area. All those who remained lying on the battlefield were considered dead or missing - reports on the the losses were sent to relatives. That's when our family got a "funeral" letter. However, great-grandfather Ivan was alive. Seriously wounded, he was left lying on the battlefield. On the first night he heard how the nazi soldiers finished off the wounded and Ivan Fomich was trying hard to lie as quietly as possible. For seven days my great-grandfather was lying in no man's land periodically falling into oblivion from pain and hunger. At one of these moments, he saw the Oka river and his family. He regained consciousness and decided to leave the battle field. Having determined the location of the Soviet troops by the sounds of artillery, he, overcoming the pain, rolled from his back to the chest and crawled to his fellow country men. He was found by Soviet scouts and transported to the rear. Ivan Fomich was brought from the hospital in a cart, his legs were not walking because of a broken spine. Gulyaev I. F. overcame his illness, and after a while returned to a full life.

Rank: Senior Sergeant Branch of troops: Artillery Vasily Antonovich GAVRISH, born in 1904, a native of the village of Starominskaya. He was drafted into the Red Army by the Starominsky RVC. Nationality: Russian. Served as a gunner in 353, 51, gun commander in 722 division company 73 Guard rifle division. Three times he was wounded and had the correspondent entry in the military ticket: neck and chest had thru woundes and shrapnel wound in the neck. He was awarded the order of the Patriotic War of the first degree, two medals "for Bravery", the medal "for the Victory over Germany". Our great-grandfather was a modest man and never talked about the war. When asked by his grandchildren " tell us how you fought?", he modestly replied "i fought the same way as others". Extracts from award lists: "03.10.1942 in the battle for the liberation from the Nazi invaders of the village of Fanagariyskaya Goryachy of the Klyuchevsky district of the Krasnodar territory, the gun squad of comrade Gavrish conducted accurate fire on the accumulation of enemy infantry, thereby contributing to the reflection of more than a dozen enemy attacks. With his well-aimed fire, unit of comrade Gavrish suppressed two enemy batteries, destroyed an ammunition depot and 5 enemy vehicles, thereby ensuring the liberation of the village from the fascist invaders. Worthy of the Government award for bravery." "November 6, 1943. In the area of the junction of roads to south-east of the village of Krasny Orlik, gun squad of comrade Gavrish supported with its fire three defencing rifle battalions. The enemy within two infantry battalions, 30 tanks, supported by three artillery batteries, four mortar batteries, and 40 aircraft from the air, went on the offensive against 3 rifle battalions. Gavrish from his gun met the enemy tank with a well-aimed barrage. In the first attack, he destroyed two German tanks. Having regrouped their forces, the enemy attacked again with two reinforced infantry battalions and 60 tanks. The unit of the comrade Gavrish did not flinch even this time, but calmly continued to destroy German tanks with a well-aimed shot, and a few minutes later a German tank and an enemy armored vehicle were again on fire, in front of our infantrymen. In the area of the location of the gun, as a result of fierce fighting, not a single person of our rifle units remained, despite the threatening situation created in the combat situation, comrade Gavrish did not move a step back from his position, but took up a circular defense near his gun and continued to repel the enemy's attacks. For three hours, being completely surrounded by the enemy, the gunners defended the line they occupied. In just one day of fighting, comrade Gavrish destroyed 4 tanks and an armored vehicle. Worthy of the title Hero of the Soviet Union." "On behalf of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to award the medal "for Bravery" to the commander of the battery of 76 mm guns, Senior Sergeant Gavrish Vasily Antonovich, for the fact that in battle of 26. 10. 1943 for the village of Krinichki, with accurate fire from his gun, he destroyed vehicles with enemy infantry." Unfortunally, we don't know how many other feats there really were! Our huge family is proud of their Father, Grandfather, great-Grandfather and great-great-Grandfather!!!!!

Rank: Lieutenant. Branch of troops: Artillery. M. G. Gadzhimuradov battle record. On April 17, 1941 he was drafted into the Red Army. On April 26, 1941 arrived in Borisoglebsk, Voronezh region, spent three days within the infantry unit, and then was transferred to the anti-aircraft unit 1758. On May 4, 1941 left Borisoglebsk for a camp. On May 6, 1941 arrived in the town of Krupki, Minsk region. On Sunday, June 22, 1941, in the morning after the breakfast with the political Commissar Krapivko went to the river to swim. An alarm signal came in the midday, all of us gathered next to the podium and brigade commander informed us that Germany attacked us, bombed the city of Kiev, Leningrad, Sevastopol, etc. On June 22, 1941 we left the camps. On 27 June, 1941. Orsha station was bombed, five German planes dropped three bombs on our train, six people perished and two horses were killed. June 28, 1941 at two o'clock in the night, bombs were dropped on our train in Smolensk. On July 2, 1941 we arrived in Borisoglebsk. On July 4, 1941 we left the city of Borisoglebsk. September 3, 1941. After marching for 90 km. got to the front line near Smolensk. On September 26, 1941 we left the front line. On December 3, 1941. arrived in Tregulyaevo, Tambov region. On May 26, 1942 arrived in Skornyakovo, Voronezh region. On July 30, 1942 arrived at Livny. On August 5, 1942, we left for Latushkina station, Orel region. On September 19, 1942 arrived in Verkhovye, Oryol region. On January 19, 1943, we left for Gotischevo and Kostornaya, after which we were alocated at Berezovsk-Alekseyevka. On February 12, 1943, we arrived at Russian Ford of the Oryol region, Kursk bulge. On July 25, 1943, we got to the front edge of the Alekseyevka farm at the Zmeevka station. On October 25, 1943 moved from Voronezh to Glukhov. October 8, 1943 spent in Novozybkov. On 6 December, 1943 - in the town of Gomel. On April 9, 1944 left city of Gomel for Ovrug, crossing the Dnieper, arriving at Mozyr. On April 11, 1944 arrived in Ovrug. On April 12, 1944, we left Ovrug for Nowork raiway station at the approaches to Kovel. On April 15, 1944, we left Vladava for Medzhenets (Poland). October 7, 1944 in Siedletc (Poland). On January 16, 1945, we arrived in Kutno. On January 18, 1945 arrived in Otvotsk 30 km. from Warsaw. On 31 January, 1945 arrived in Gnesen (There the "Messer" airplane was shot down on February 8, 1945). On February 6, 1945 in the city of Birimbaum (Germany). On April 14, 1945, we arrived in Landsberg. On April 28, 1945 arrived in Strausberg, 30 km from Berlin. On May 25, 1945 in Berlin stayed at the southern outskirts, next to the aircraft factory (Adlerhof). In October, we went to the north of Germany, to the Danish border, and then home. It was rather long but glorious way from the walls of Voronezh to the gates of Berlin.

Rank: Sergeant. Branch of troops: Land forces, air force (except naval aviation), coast service, NKVD troops, border guards. Division: 8th Rezhitskaya of the Order of Lenin and Suvorov Red Banner guards rifle division named after I. V. Panfilov. My uncle - Gorokhov Nikifor Safronovich, blood brother of my father Gorokhov Alexander Safronovich, was called up to the Red Army on mobilization on November 15, 1941 by the Molotov RVC of the city of Kuibyshev. In the Great Patriotic war, he took part in battles within Kalinin, North-Western, 2nd Baltic fronts from March, 1942 to November 19, 1944. 1077th rifle regiment (commander of the guards regiment Lieutenant Colonel Fyodor RESHETNIKOV), on September 23, 1942 renamed the 30th guards rifle regiment of the 8th guards Red Banner rifle division of the Order of Lenin and Suvorov named after the Hero of the Soviet Union Major General Ivan Vasilyevich Panfilov, division commander of the guards Major General Ivan CHERNYUGOV. Positions and ranks during the period of military operations: mortar gunner-Guard Private, assistant mortar gunner-Guard Corporal, mortar gunner-Guard Junior Sergeant of the 2nd mortar company, 1st rifle battalion. Military unit number 51932, address for the fieldmail 30 GV. SP, 8 GV. SD. On November 19, 1944 received a blind shrapnel penetrating wound to the right elbow joint with damage to both condyles of the humerus. Was on treatment in 6 MSB (medical and sanitary battalion) from 19 November 1944; PG 48 (evacuation temporary hospital) Teveli, Latvian SSR since November 20, 1944; EG 1027 (evacuation hospital) of Sebezh, Pskov region since November 26, 1944; EG 2570 (evacuation hospital) of Solikamsk, Solikamsk district, Perm (Molotov) region since December 16, 1944. On March 4, 1945, the Military Medical Commission of EG 2570 under article 49 of the second-third columns of the schedule of diseases of the order of the NKO of the USSR No. 336 of 1942 about the contracture of the right elbow joint after a blind shrapnel wound with intra-articular damage to both condyles of the humerus found him unfit for military service with the exception from the register. VTEK resolution: disabled person of the second group. After returning from the front, he worked for a long time in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He took an active part in the military-patriotic education of young people.

Branch of troops: Armored and mechanized forces. Unit: 62-rifle division (2nd formation). Golenkov Nikolay Fedorovych was born on January 15, 1925 in Krasnoyarsk region, Dzerzhinsk district, in the village of Ulikol. Before army conscription lived in the village of Razdolinsk Motiginsky district of Krasnoyarsk region. Member of the CPSU since 1945. He fought from 1943 to 1945. Awarded the order of the Red Star and eighteen medals. He was wounded during the crossing of the Dnieper in September 1943. Took part in battles with the Steppe and 1st Far Eastern front. His first-person story (extract from the personal file): "After studying from March to July 1943 at the Asin military infantry school i was sent to the front line within the cadet battalion. Enlisted in the 62nd Guards rifle division, in the 182nd Guards rifle regiment as a company machine gunner in the 1st company of the 1st rifle battalion. On September 27, 1943, in the afternoon, our 1st rifle company as part of the regiment approached the Dnieper river. By order of the regimental commander, we began to build rafts from improvised means, bring them closer to the water's edge, preparing to cross the Dnieper river. However, the very first attempt to cross the Dnieper failed. When we had came to the water's edge, nazi discovered us and heavily bombed, firing from guns. Having lost some of our men, we were forced to withdraw to our initial positions. However, that same night, our 1st rifle company, under cover of darkness, using hidden approaches to the terrain, moved a second time to the water's edge and crossed the Dnieper river on boats and rafts capturing a small bridgehead on the opposite river bank. Thanks to the sandy river bank, by dawn we already had dug trenches in full growth. This small bridgehead, captured by us on the opposite bank, was held by us for two days, repulsing enemy attacks and providing a crossing to other units of the battalion and regiment. Just a few soldiers of our company were left alive by the beginning of the offensive from the captured bridgehead, that is about 1/3 of the company's personnel. For these actions, I was awarded the Order of the Red Star. Soon I was wounded and sent to hospital for treatment, which was in the city of Biysk, USSR. When i was cured, was sent to the reserve regiment, and from the regiment to the tank school in Chirchik, Uzbek SSR, graduated from which in April 1945. After receiving tanks in Tagil, marching companies were formed, and I was sent to the 1st Far Eastern front, to the 10th mechanized corps, 204 tank brigade as a tank platoon commander. On August 9, 1945, the brigade engaged Japanese militarists. I fought with a platoon in the reconnaissance of the brigade, and also was in charge of a rifle platoon coming on tanks. In this composition, we fought until the end of the war with Japan. The brigade finished its combat operations in North Korea, Pyongyang, and that's where my combat path ended. For participation in battles and impeccable service in the Soviet Army, i was awarded the order of the Red Star and 12 medals. Guards Colonel in retirement Golenkov N. F.

Rank: Red Army soldier. Branch of troops: Artillery. Joined Red Army in 1943. Place of conscription: RVC Mostovskiy, Krasnodar region, Mostovsky district. Andrey Konstantinovich Hopka, as a barefoot boy, survived in Ukraine thru the famine of 1933, when death mercilessly claimed the lives of his mother and two sisters. In search of daily bread had to make a difficult move to the Kuban, and then the war began. During nazi occupation of Caucasus, that lasted from September 1942 to February 1943, they had to suffer the mockery and humiliation of the enemy. Immediately after the liberation of Kuban, an eigteen-year-old Gopka A.K. was called up as a radiotelegraph operator for the 145th artillery brigade of the rocket forces that had abandoned fighting in the Caucasus. Heavy artillery, within which was fighting A. K. Gopka, liberated many cities in Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, and Austria. After the victory, A. K. Gopka was transferred to one of the suburbs of the city of Plovdiv, in Bulgaria, where he completed the Junior Sergeants course. Then there was a service in Georgia, in Azerbaijan, where he commanded the artillery department. It was only in February of 1947 that the radiotelegraphist of the rocket forces and artillery, Junior Sergeant A. K. Gopka, returned to his home in Kuban. The hardships of wartime were replaced by joyful events: meeting with relatives, marriage, and the birth of children. In 1961, fate threw the family of A. K. Gopka in Kalmykia. For a quarter of a century, at the Leninsky state farm, a former front-line soldier had to be a handyman, a tractor driver, and a cattleman. But at any work he found joy and moral satisfaction.