Heroes and feats

Rank: Senior Lieutenant. Type of Army: Artillery. I would like to introduce my grandfather to you. He's a real hero!!! A hero not only of that time, but also of our time, because those people who gave us life will remain heroes for all of us forever!!! There was a graduation party at the Gotnyansky school on June 21, 1941. There were slow waltz sounds heard, people talked and laughed. Young men and women were on the threshold of independent life. A fleeting cloud of sadness sometimes crossed their smiling faces. It is not easy to leave the walls of the school where they spent ten unforgettable years. The future worried them. The graduates ' dreams were bright, their hopes were endless, and their aspirations were high. They talked excitedly, sang a lot, danced a lot, and did not notice how the morning of June 22 came. The school was empty. Tired and happy, the boys went home. They did not know yet that terrible events had stirred up the whole world: the great Patriotic war had begun… Six days later, on June 28, my grandfather, a seventeen-year-old boy at that time, came to the military enlistment office with a request to send him to the front. It wasn't a youthful romance that drove him, or a reckless desire to show off his courage. No! These were high patriotic feelings and love for the Motherland which forced him to join the ranks together with volunteers like him. After saying goodbye to the girl, he went to the Moscow Red Banner Artillery school, where he did not stay much. The Germans were approaching the capital. Students of the school were thrown to the defense of the city, and a month later, together with the teachers, the youth who had experienced the first baptism of fire returned to classes. The school was now far in the rear. One year had passed. My grandfather was promoted to Lieutenant and was sent to the defense of Volgograd as part of the Guards Mortar Regiment. There was a fierce battle on the Volga. The city was nothing but smoking ruins, the ground burned under their feet, but the courage of the Soviet soldiers, their inexhaustible faith in victory, created a miracle: a huge army under the command of field Marshal Paulus was destroyed. At the same time, in a combat situation, a nineteen-year-old Lieutenant, a division intelligence commander, was accepted into the ranks of the Communist party. ""It was an ordinary day,"" my grandfather told me, "" but the memory of it will remain with me for the rest of my life. I immediately felt taller, stronger, and more serious.» From the banks of the flaming Volga, my grandfather, now the Commander of a Fire Platoon, went to his native place, to the Kursk bulge, where an unheard-of battle unfolded, where every piece of land was drenched in blood. Our units retreated, attacked again with counter-attacks, suffered heavy losses, but did not lose heart. At first slower, but then faster, they began to move forward, liberating towns and villages that had been burned by the Germans. For the courage and bravery shown during the capture of the capital of Ukraine, Kiev, my grandfather received the first award-the Order of the ""Red Star"". Much time have pessed ,and Zhytomyr fell. After this event he got the Order of the ""Patriotic war of 2nd class"". His unit was moving towards Berlin liberating Poland. For the capture of the city of Sandomierz on the Vistula, a young Communist is awarded the Order of the ""Patriotic war of the 1st class"". All the fighters carried the name of Motherland in their hearts as a banner, as a call to victory. When only 50 kilometers to Berlin were left my grandfather was a member of the 3rd Tank Army. It was very difficult for our soldiers to cross the water barriets towards Berlin. The crossing was under continuous enemy fire, but this did not stop the soldiers, and the enemy ran. Later he received the fourth Order of the ""Red Banner"". These are the words about his courage: ""Guard senior Lieutenant Gavrilenko in battles with the German invaders shows courage and heroism. On January 16,1945 Guards Senior Lieutenant Gavrilenko, performing a private combat mission, under machine-gun fire of the enemy took the stronghold and as a result of a timely, accurate salvo, the tanks of the 51st Guards Tank Division occupied the town of Przedbuzh from the move. On February 15,1945 comrade Gavrilenko fired 4 volleys above the center of Naumburg, destroyed 2 wagons with military cargo, an armored train was suppressed, and up to 2 platoons of enemy infantry were destroyed. On February 19, 1945 in the area of Rotwasser he gave 6 volleys, repulsed 2 enemy counterattacks, destroyed a company of enemy infantry, 3 tanks, suppressed an artillery battery, 2 anti-tank guns, destroyed 2 large-caliber machine guns"".He was seriously wounded in April 1945, almost before the end of the war. My grandfather was declared unfit for military service. A former senior Lieutenant, he became an accountant at the same school where he studied before. My grandfather often recalled his comrades in arms, their courage, firmness of spirit, and selflessness. He modestly kept silent about personal merits, but orders and medals speak of courage, of his undying love for life, for the Motherland, for people. He, like all those who have seen the horrors of the war years, spoke with disgust of the inhuman cruelty of the enemy. He did everything to ensure that all children always had a clear sky and the sun shining! Going back to the beginning of my story, I mentioned there about the girl grandfather said good-bye before leaving for the war, I did not say most important, he cut from her head a lock of hair, which he kept through the war, and today it is still in my grandmother's house. They lived the whole life together!"

Rank: Sublieutenant. Type of the Army: Army, Air Force (except marine aviation), the Coast Guard, the NKVD troops, Border troops. Division: 273rd Rifle Bezhitsky Red Banner Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Division. Gan Viktor Georgievich was born on October 24, 1924 in Ordzhonikidze (Vladikavkaz). Became the member of the Komsomol since 1939. He was drafted into the Red Army since August 1942, by Dangar RVC, Kulyab region, Tajik SSR. Since May 1943 served as the Commander of a machine-gun platoon, the 30th Rifle battalion, 967th Rifle Regiment of the 273d Rifle Division. Served in the rank of Sublieutenant of the 273d Rifle Bezhitsky Red Banner Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Division. Yt was called to the Active Army three times: May 12, 1942 - February 5, 1943; July 11, 1943 - March 4, 1944; April 18, 1944 - May 9, 1945.The division was formed in Podolsk in early May 1942 as the 273rd Rifle division. It was formed from soldiers who survived the bloody battles at Stary Oskol (including ski battalions), as well as fighters who returned from hospitals.On May 2, 1942, 35 cadets from the Moscow infantry school named after the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR were sent to the division. Most of them were promoted to the rank of Sergeant after graduation. The summer was spent in drill and combat exercises, and no one in the division knew where they would be sent. At the end of August, the division was thrown into the defense of Stalingrad. The division took part in the battle of Stalingrad from September 18, 1942 to February 2, 1943. Before reaching 120 kilometers to Stalingrad, trains with soldiers were unloaded and, as it turned out, on time: they only managed to dig in, the cars were bombed by German aircraft. He had to walk to Stalingrad. Having reached the place, the division concentrated in the area of Kotluban station, where it immediately took part in the fighting as part of the 24th Army. After the end of the battle, the division moved from Stalingrad to the Tula region. He took part in the liberation of the Bryansk region. For the liberation of Bezhitsa the Division received the honorary name ""Bezhitskaya"". These are the words from his award list:"" Sublieutenant Gan V. G. showed courage in the battles, he was slightly wounded on October 19, 1943. When storming the German stronghold of the district center of Vasilyevka, Zaporozhye region, being the Commander of a machine-gun platoon in the 1008th Rifle Regiment, 266th Rifle Division, he ensured the success of the battle with machine guns. Repulsed 3 German counterattacks, where 30 Germans were killed. By order of the 273d Rifle Division #44/N of May 22, 1944, Subieutenant Gan Viktor Georgievich, the Commander of the Machine-gun Platoon of the 967th Rifle Regiment, was awarded the Medal ""For bravery"". Leaving behind Ukraine and Belarus, 273th Division fought liberation battles in Poland. At the end of the war the 273d Rifle Bezhitsky Red Banner Division was named after Bogdan Khmelnitskyi."

Rank: Sergeant. My great-grandfather Leonid Isaakovich Goldberg was born in the town of Glusk, Polessky district, BSSR on June 10, 1926. He graduated from the 7th grade, played football and showed great promise. When the Great Patriotic War began, his father, Isaac Leonidovich, volunteered for the front. In February 1943, the family received a notice that read: ""Goldberg Isaac Leonidovich, born in 1897, the Red Army soldier, a native of the city of Bobruisk, died on April 12, 1943, buried in Smolensk region, the village of Dolina."" My great-grandfather's mother, at that time worked as a nurse on a military train and she was not at home. My grandfather ran home and told his younger sister Sonya about what had happened. He asked her not to tell my mother and grandmother anything . He packed his things in a backpack and went to the station. A train to the front was passing by. He, almost a seventeen-year-old boy, jumped into the car. Most of all, he wanted to avenge the death of his father. So he got to the front. From February 1943, he served in the 15th Western Rifle Regiment as a machine gunner. In March 1943, he was at the disposal of the 272d Guards Rifle Regiment. He was a Rifleman, a Squad leader. At the end of 1944, he joined the tank crew. He was a tank loader, with the rank of Sergeant on the 2nd Belorussian Front. He passed the war from the Kursk bulge, through Lithuania, Poland and finished it in Germany, in the city of Bellegarde. He was injured. Immediately after the end of the war, he joined the Army. From may 1947 to April 1949, he was a cadet. From April 1949, he was the Commander of a self-propelled artillery gun. In November 1950, he was discharged. Later he went to work at aggregate plant “Science” on a speciality ""the mechanic of compressor installations."" He met my great-grandmother at the factory. In 1952, they were married. In 1953, they had a daughter. Since 1994, he worked as a second - class controller-watchman at the Bolshevichka factory. 64 years later, after the end of the great Patriotic war, my grandfather died. He died on May 9, 2009, of cancer. But the fact that he performed a heroic feat, in the name of Victory over the enemy, will remain forever in our hearts!!!"

Rank: Lieutenant-colonel. On August 17, 1942, by order of the people's Commissar of defense, Separate Guard battalions of miners and a Separate Guards brigade of miners were created in the engineering troops of each front at the Headquarters of the VGK ""for mining and destroying communications in the enemy's rear"". So, the 9th Separate Guards battalion of miners of the North-Western front commanded by Lieutenant Colonel A. Galli (period 1942-1944) derailed 108 echelons, blew up 47 bridges and undermined 30 km of rail track on the Luga–Pskov–DNO sections. It was the only unit of the guards minelayers that lasted until the end of the war at the North-Western front. On November 20, 1943 it was placed in the Stavka reserve and relocated to the territory of the Moscow military district in Jelyabino village. The battalion became a training center and a kind of reserve for the preparation of reconnaisance and sabotage groups of the General staff Department, acting in the interests of reconnaisance departments of various fronts. The battalion's training ground was located in the vicinity of Teykovo, Ivanovo region. Here is the personnel, replenished from the 14th battalion of the miners, trained together with Polish, Baltic, and German anti-fascists. Reconnaissance and sabotage groups from the battalion successfully operated during the Belarusian, Baltic, East Prussian, Vistula-Oder and Berlin operations. In essence, the guards minelayers were military partisans during the war, but their formation and combat use marked the beginning of the creation of the Soviet army special forces. And it is no accident that Marshal Vasilevsky, who signed the order to create that Division in 1942, was already in the rank of Minister of Defence on October 25, 1950. He ordered to create separate special forces companies under the leadership of the Main Reconnaisance Directorate of the General staff."

Type of Army: Army, Air Force (except marine aviation), the Coast Guard, the NKVD troops, Border troops. My great-grandfather was born on January 26, 1917 in Tartaria, in a small village called Bolshoy Bulgayar. He grew up in a large and poor family. The family had totally 7 children. He studied hard at school. From early childhood, he loved work and played sports, went skiing a lot, was engaged in hand-to-hand combat. After graduation, he was offered a job as a physical education teacher. Before enlisting in the army he married my great-grandmother Minirui. But peaceful life was interrupted, and the war began. At the age of twenty-three, he went to the front. In the same year, his first daughter Nadezhda was born. During the war years, he was a racon. I know from my grandmother's stories that my great-grandfather was very brave. He fought mercilessly against the Germans, fought for his family and friends, for the entire nation. My great-grandfather liberated the territory of today's Ukraine and Belarus, Russian cities and villages. In one of the Tatar Newspapers in 2005, dedicated to the sixtieth anniversary of the Great Patriotic war, an article about my great-grandfather ""ETIEM TALLARY""was published.It told about the combat episodes of the brave racon: ""Once a young racon Ismagil was sent to a small Belarusian village to find out if there were any Germans there. When he got to the first inconspicuous hut, the owner of the house told him about the Germans. There were no Germans in the village, and Ismagil had to return to the unit. But suddenly a German attacked him the back. A duel began between them. But the agile racon was much stronger. He tied up the German and brought him to headquarters. This German turned out to be a very important ""informer"", so Ismagil later was awarded another Medal ""For bravery"". During the war, my great-grandfather had many medals and orders for his valor and bravery: Order of the ""Red Star"" , Order of Lenin, Order of the ""Patriotic War"", Order of ""Glory of the 1st class"", Order of ""Glory of the 2nd class"", Order of ""Glory of 3d class"", Order ""Victory"", the Medal ""For military merit"", the Medal ""For defence of Odessa"", the Medal ""For bravery"", the Medal ""For the victory over Germanyin the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945"", the Medal ""For valiant labour during Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945"". He didn't die in the war. And the name of his first and at that time only daughter Nadezhda gave him strength, faith and hope to survive. My brave great-grandfather went all the way to Dresden. He was shot many times. During the war, one of his brothers was killed, and the other hardly stayed alive.Exhausted, he returned home from the war and soon died. One of the combat episodes, about which my grandmother Ramzia Ismagilovna told me a lot, I remember well. Our troops took the city of Dresden in heavy, grueling battles. The red flag of Victory had to be erected on the main square. One by one, 2 fighters tried to do this, but were killed. My great – grandfather managed to raise the red flag - the symbol of Victory-only on the third attempt. He was badly wounded in the arm. For his bravery, my great-grandfather was awarded the Order of the ""Red Star"". After the war, he came home with many injuries, shell-shocked, and without one arm. After the war, he worked as a firefighter. A few years later, my great-grandfather and great-grandmother had six more children. Great-grandfather did not like to talk much about the hard years when he had to starve and to kill people. My grandmother remembers from her father's stingy stories how during the reconnaisance service he had to hide from the Germans in swamps and reeds, the soldiers sat for days in cold water in the hope that the dogs would not smell them. My great-grandfather Ismagil died 20 years ago. I'm very sorry that I didn't see him alive, that I couldn't talk to him and know his life better. I believe that my great-grandfather was a real man. A man must do three things in his life: build a house, plant a tree, and raise a son. My great-grandfather did all three things. He built a house for the family without a hand, raised seven children with his wife - three sons and four daughters - and planted his own garden of trees."

Mikhail Nikolaevich Glazunov was born in 1921 in Belgorod, at Industrialialnaya street, 12. At the age of 11, when there was the most active period of growth, the famine of 1932-1933 began. The whole family lived very hard, but Misha never complained, despite the constant feeling of hunger, the pain in his swollen from hunger legs, and always tried to somehow comfort and cheer up his little sisters. After graduation, he started working as a turner in a car depot in Belgorod. From 1939 to September-October 1941, Mikhail worked as a turner at the machine and tractor plant in Shchebekino, Belgorod region. In September 1941, he came on foot (40 km) from Shchebekino to Belgorod, to find out how his parents lived and to consult what to do - to be evacuated together with the factory or go to the front. His parents couldn't give him any advice. The country needed soldiers at the front and specialists in the rear. And Mikhail was only 20 years old at that time. He was a young boy - tired, hungry, thin. That choice was very difficult for him. On the same day, Mikhail, without even sleeping in his home, walked back again. His family never saw him again and nothing is known about his fate. After the end of the war, the parents sent a request, hoping to find out something about the fate of their son. The only thing that was found out was that Mikhail in October 1941 volunteered for the Red Army. A domestic boy who could not and did not even like to fight, who had never seen a weapon close, completely untrained, became a warrior in the most difficult, most terrible first months of the war. Branch of service: Army, Air Force (except marine aviation), the Coast guard, the NKVD troops, Border troops."

Rank: Foreman. ype of the Army: Aviation. My father Gaisin Issak Ismagilovich was drafted into the red Army in 1937. He was immediately sent to study in Kiev at the higher school of aviators. He begins to learn the basics of the pilot. Later he would be sent to Kazan to master the IL-2 aircraft as one of the best pilots. Since 1940, he served as a mechanic in the 94th High-speed Bomber Regiment of the Zhytomyr region in Ukraine. In his letters he wrote: “I will serve and return home soon."" But my father did not yet know what fate had in store for him. On June 22, 1941, the Great Patriotic war began. He met the first day of the war in the city of Obruch in Ukraine. He recalled :"" No one warned us, we didn't know anything about the beginning of the war. They thought it was another military alert. But when we saw enemy planes flying above us in the sky and soon began to bomb us, we realized that the war had begun."" At first, my father flew plywood planes and could only shoot forward. “If our plane was hit by an enemy shell, it was completely in the air and only the engine fell to the ground."" Later, with the advent of the IL-2, which were more maneuverable, it became easier to fly. The Nazis called this plane ""Flying tank"", ""Black death"". In 1943, during a reconnaissance flight, my dad's plane was attacked. He managed to jump out of the burning plane by parachute. Landed on a lake with reeds. It was October, he was hiding for several days, bleeding to death. He still managed to get over to his own people. This event will affect his health in the future, the joints ached. This is just one episode from the war. And there were many of them. Unfortunately, there are many things we will never know. As relatives recall, my father did not like to talk about the war. When the TV showed scenes around the campfire with accordion, songs and dances, he said through tears that he had not seen such a thing. After going through all the hardships of the war, my father reached Germany. He celebrated Victory day in Berlin and wrote his name on the walls of the Reichstag. Having many medals and orders, having served for 9 years, he returned home in May 1946. In the post-war period, my father, having trained as a combine harvester, has been growing bread for more than 30 years. He has earned many awards and rewards. In 1967, the Republican newspaper ""Council of Bashkortostan"" wrote an article about him. He has the Medal ""For the development of virgin land"", the Order ""Badge of Honor"". Father is included in the encyclopedia of the Baymaksky district for labor meritsof the Republic of Bashkortostan. He lived for 38 years with my mother. My mother is ""Mother-hero"",she raised 10 children and had a ""Gold Star"". In 1984, my mother died, and two years later my father died. My parents' life path was not easy at all, but they overcame all obstacles with honor. Their example gives me reason to believe that everything in this life depends on ourselves, and when solving problems that arise, we should always refer to the experience of previous generations."

Rank: Lieutenant-colonel. Type of the Army: Coastal defense and Air defense Artillery, Coastal Units, Aviation of the Red Army, Marine Forces of the NKVD border troops. My grandfather, commander of the 26th Order of the Red Star of the Separate Anti-aircraft Searchlight battalion of the 5th Air Defense Corps of the Northern front of the 1st Belorussian front, Lieutenant Colonel Pyotr Grishchenko, was born in July 1905 in the city of Pervomaisk (until May 1, 1919 it was Petrovka village), Odessa region. He served in the Red Army since 1927 and was the ember of the CPSU (b) since 1931. On the eve of the great Patriotic war, on the personal recommendation of the Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel-General Mikhail Petrovich Kirponos, captain Grishchenko was sent from Moscow to serve in the Kiev Special military district. War met at dawn on June 22, 1941 as part of the 3rd Air Defense Division (division commander major General of artillery V. G. Pozdnyakov, chief of staff Colonel D. F. Garkusha) Kiev divisional area of the KOVO Air Defense (from June 20, 1941, the South-Western front). ""The Kiev air defense system received a timely ""warning"" Directive from Tymoshenko and Zhukov. Sent in the first half hour of the night on 22 June, it warnined about a possible German attack, contained a number of requirements, including the embattled defense, darkening cities, etc. To 3.00 a.m. the guns and machine guns occupied the parts of the 3rd Division of Air Defense, with the exception of soldiers of several units sent for training shooting. In contrast to the border areas, where many Red Army commanders, demoralized by conflicting pre-war orders, were afraid of strict reprisals and did not immediately take retaliatory actions against the aggressor, in Kiev all the guns immediately began firing to kill.""(""The battle over Kiev"" D. Khazanov, A. kotlobovsky, ""aviation and Time"" magazine No. 6 (53) 2001). In 1941-1942, as part of the air defense units, he participated in the battles for the defense of Kiev (South-Western front) and Moscow (Central front; Moscow air defense front). On September 17, 1941, he was wounded in a battle near Lubny, Poltava region. In February 1943, the Deputy commander of the 14th Searchlight Regiment, P. S. Grishchenko, was awarded the military rank of ""major"". In the early autumn of 1944, he became the Commander of the 26th Separate Anti-aircraft Searchlight battalion of the 5th Air Defense Corps of the Northern Air Defense Front. These are the words from the award list: ""Major Grishchenko is an energetic, growing commander. As the Deputy commander of the 14th Searchlight Regiment of the Moscow front, he skillfully performed the combat task of lighting and reflecting enemy aircraft with his courage and perseverance. The battalion has been a part of the 5th Corps since September 1944. During this short time, thanks to the exactingness and skill of major Grishchenko, the battalion was brought to the forefront of the Corps. Currently, the battalion is fully operational and can perform any task.For conscientious, painstaking work, for boundless devotion to the Socialist Motherland, for skilful education of personnel, for high combat training, he is worthy of the Government award – the Order of the ""Patriotic war of the 1st class"".Commander of the 5th Air Defense Corps, Major General of Artillery / Atonenko / December 3, 1944"". (Mikhail Vasilyevich Antonenko, without any exaggeration , is a legendary person. At the age of 27, under the pseudonym ""Lieutenant Antonio"", he participated in the national revolutionary war in Spain, was the commander of the 4th"" Spanish "" anti-aircraft battery of the naval base Malaga. Under his command, the battery shot down 7 Nazi planes). The Grishchenko's battalion took part in the liberation of the cities of Yelets, Bryansk, Mozyr, Baranovichi, Brest, Lodz, Kyustrin and in the storming of Berlin. From the memoirs of the commander of the searchlight platoon Abram Matveyevich Galich (born September 15, 1922 in Omsk in the family of an employee, a participant in the First World War and the Civil War): ""After being awarded the rank of second Lieutenant, I was sent to the newly liberated Orel at the disposal of the commander of the 26th Separate Anti-aircraft Searchlight battalion, Major Grishchenko, as a platoon commander. The platoon consisted of four searchlight stations. The purpose of the two search stations, as we called them, was to use searchlights and a sound detector to find the enemy aircraft with a beam. Two other ""escort"" stations picked up the plane at the intersection of the beams, highlighted it. ""Firemen"" had only to finish off the ""caught butterfly"". The battalion had three companies, with three platoons in each company. Our 2nd company (commander Lieutenant Sych) and 3rd (commander Lieutenant Kirchetov) defended Orel and its railway station, the 1st company (commander Lieutenant Konovalov) was stationed in Bryansk. All attacks by German bombers (mainly u-88 and Heinkel-111), with the aim of disabling railway stations, were unsuccessful. Our companies and anti-aircraft artillery divisions that interacted with us completed their task. Despite the fact that we were forbidden to work on ground targets, sometimes we did it ""on the sly"". A group of German paratroopers was found near farms near Baranovichi. Senior Sergeant Dolgopolov's position, where I was, received a phone call with a warning that the Germans might appear in this square. Saboteurs, as we later learned, had the task to destroy the station. After receiving the message, I gave the command to"" search "" the nearby forest with the beam. Paratroopers at this time went out to the edge of the forest-and then our beam met them. While the second number of the units regulated the supply of coals of the lamp, and the first number further searched the forest, I. Dolgopolov, the electrician and the telephone operator fired in short bursts at the saboteurs. We put four people down, and the rest left. We did not pursue them, as we were few and could not risk our units. Since everything went well, I did not report to the company commander, because I knew that the authorities react nervously to this. It called the work on the ground enemy ""hooliganism"". I still reported to major Grishchenko, but he grumbled a little, and then said: ""Why did you want them to cut you up like chickens?"" I would have done the same. The defense of Baranovichi was ahead, as well as Brest, Lodz. And, finally, the Berlin operation, where, violating the previous rules, we worked on the ground enemy, blinding him and not allowing him to conduct targeted fire. I want to tell you more about this operation. The night of April 15-16 was warm and starry. Rockets of various colors shot up into the sky from all sides, flashing.The time dragged on very wearily. And at last the earth shuddered from the volleys of thousands of guns. The sky was streaked with fire trails - the ""Katyusha"" hit. In response, the Germans began to beat with guns and mortars. As I expected, the connection between the points of my platoon was broken in the first few minutes. But I didn't dare and send soldiers to restore it. It would be quickly broken again, and the risk of losing people was high. The task was clear enough. Now they were just waiting for one General signal for everyone: ""Beam to Zenith"". ""Luch"" - I barked in the ear of the second number, and at the same moment the entire front of the beams lit up in the direction of the enemy. Probably, from the height it looked like a fantastic sight.We were so engrossed in our work that we did not immediately notice that tanks and infantry were moving past us towards the enemy. The artillery stopped. The Marines clearly liked our lighting. They were shouting: ""Thank you, lads! Like at a ball! It's more fun to go into battle."" Then we learned how the Germans reacted: "" It was an incomprehensible powerful light from the Russian side. We didn't see anything, this is some new type of weapon, maybe-chemistry!» This was confirmed later by captured German soldiers."" There were great losses where I was seconded with a platoon during this operation, Lieutenant Denisov, second Lieutenant Nikolsky, senior Sergeant Khodeev, Kopylov, red army soldiers Savchuk, Perevertailenko, signalman Naberezhnye Chelny were killed. We remember them and will never forget them. General M. I. Safonov, then Chief of staff of the 301st Division, wrote well about the participation of searchlights in the defense breakthrough in his book. We were then operating in the band of General Berzarin's 5th Shock Army, which included the 301st Division.Many of my fellow soldiers are no longer with us. It became difficult to communicate with the survivors in person, but the fighting years spent together will never be forgotten,as well as the comrades themselves.(""The living of the living ... and the fallen.""). In preparation for the Berlin operation in early April 1945, commander Grishchenko submits a report with a proposal to use anti-aircraft searchlights to blind enemy troops. From the award list: ""Major Grisghchenko perfectly prepared his battalion for the task of blinding the enemy on the front line in the 69th Army's combat operation on April 16,1945. He personally made a reconnaissance for all of your projector settings and supervised engineering works on preparation of positions for combat operations. During the operation, he was appointed Chief of the searchlight group of the Army and in battle led all searchlight facilities of the Army. Major Grishenko ensured that the searchlight units successfully completed their tasks with minimal losses in personnel and equipment. For his leadership fighting operation searchlight units of the Army and displaying courage Major Grishchenko got the governmental award – the Order of the ""Red Banner"".Before the start of the Berlin offensive of April 15, 1945 on the personal instructions of the commander of the troops of the 1st Belorussian front Marshal of the Soviet Union G. K. Zhukov, all the searchlight part of the 5th Air Defense Corps took the battle formations on Kostrinsky base for illumination of ground targets and blinding the enemy in the areas of breakthrough. 143 anti-aircraft searchlights, placed at intervals of 150-200 meters, were connected by wire and radio communication. On April 16, at a signal from the command post, they simultaneously illuminated the enemy's defenses, blinded and demoralized the enemy, ensuring a successful offensive by the front's troops. German night vision systems detected targets at a distance of up to one kilometer and posed a serious threat when storming the Seelow heights, and searchlights disabled them with powerful illumination. The light of the searchlights illuminated the terrain ahead, which made it possible to move forward and relatively quickly master the three enemy trenches. Tankers and self-propelled gunners who, using light, moved with their tanks and self-propelled guns in the conditions of night battle not blindly speak especially well of the actions of searchlights. ""More than 100 billion candles lit up the battlefield, blinding the enemy and snatching objects of attack from the darkness for our tanks and infantry. It was a picture of great, impressive power, and I don't think I remember feeling anything like it in my entire life."" (Zhukov ""Memories and reflections"", Moscow 1970). Sergey Kiselyov, a participant in the Seelow-Berlin operation, recalls the combat path of the searchlight soldiers: ""I got into the regiment, the 43rd Searchlight Regiment. I was appointed to the position of platoon commander. The searchlight had 700 million candles, there was a voltaic arc, special coals, a special lamp, in focus this light was reflected on the reflector and from the reflector went into the air. We went to Germany on our own. We stopped in the town of Konigswald. Then there was the 26th Separate Searchlight battalion, the searchlight battalion from the gunners (the searchlight battalion of the 1875th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment. This was on the 16th of April, and at about four o'clock or about four o'clock the artillery training began. It was so loud that we couldn't hear each other. They were shooting through us, and Katyushas were standing behind me. They turned on the switches and started driving along the Seelow heights. The soldiers said: ""Just look out of the trench — and then you can't see for an hour, you are blinded"". One of the German generals reported that they intercepted it somewhere in Berlin, that the Russians used some kind of light, either chemistry, or something else, because it is very bright."" Thus, it was the searchlights of the 5th Air Defense Corps that launched the Berlin offensive. The merits of the corps ' searchlights were highly appreciated. The 43rd Anti-aircraft Searchlight Regiment, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel N. G. Pavlov, was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky, and the 26th Separate Snti-aircraft Searchlight battalion, commanded by major P. S. Grishchenko gor the Order of the ""Red Star"" (Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated may 28, 1945). Many soldiers and commanders of these units were also awarded Government awards. Having broken the stubborn resistance of the enemy, the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front broke into the suburbs of Berlin on April 21 and began destroying the garrison troops. Together with them, units of the 5th Air Defense Corps moved forward, which not only continued to cover the Oder river crossings, front-line rear lines and communications, but also provided direct fire support on the battlefield against the ground enemy. On May 2, the corps management arrived in the Berlin suburb of Landsberg. From that day , enemy aircraft did not appear in the area of responsibility of the 5th Air Defense Corps. The corps ' anti-aircraft artillery did not open fire. This is how the Great Patriotic war ended for the soldiers of the 5th Air Defense Corps.On may 9, 1945, Lieutenant Colonel P. S. Grishchenko was in Berlin and among the soldiers and officers of the 1st Belorussian front signed on the ruins of the defeated Reichstag. For participation in the great Patriotic war Peter S. Grishchenko was awarded the Order of Lenin, two Orders ""Red Banner"", Order of ""Patriotic war of 2nd class"", the Order ""Red Star"" and medals, including ""For defense of Moscow"" ""For defence of Kiev"", ""For victory over Germany in the great Patriotic war 1941-1945"", ""For capture of Berlin""."

Golishnikov Alexey Fedorovich was born in 1924 and lived in the Volgograd region, Dubovsky district, the village of Gorny Balykley.In the fall of 1942, hewas drafted into the Red Army. He was 18 years old. The German-fascist invaders came close to the village. Alexey Fedorovich was sent to a tank regiment. However, he did not serve on a tank, but as a driver of an ambulance ""lorry"" and took the wounded from the front line to the rear hospitals. A young, strong and diligent guy, was noticed by the Commander-Colonel of a tank regiment and was taken to work as to his personal driver.As a very young man, he took part in the largest and most intense tank battle in history at Prokhorovka, on the Kursk bulge, later in the battle for the Caucasus. Many kilometers of roads of the great Patriotic war he traveled all the way to the victorious Berlin! He liberated the Crimea. His regiment was welcomed by the people of Western Europe who had thrown off the yoke of fascism. My great-grandfather ended the war in Germany, in the enemy's lair. And then for two more years after the Victory, he was in the active army, on German territory.The brave soldier returned home only in 1947. Judging by his military awards and the awards of the regiment commander, whom he drove, Alexey Fedorovich got into a steep mess! But not once during the war was he wounded or shell-shocked. For his feat of arms in battle, Alexey Fyodorovitch Golishnikov was awarded medals ""For courage"", ""For military merit"", ""For defense of Caucasus"", ""For liberation of Warsaw"""", ""For capture of Berlin"", ""For Victory over Germany"", the Order of ""Patriotic War of 2nd class"" and many other honors, diplomas, commemorative medals. Arriving home, my great-grandfather worked as a driver in the Mountain Balyklei and the state farm ""Balyklei"" until his retirement, earning many rewards and awards for his conscientious work, earning respect and honor among the villagers."

Vasily Ermolaevich Gorbunov was born in 1921 in the Tyumen region, Berdyuzhsky district in the village of Murashevo. As a 19-year-old boy, he was drafted into the Red Army in May 1940. Since June 1941, he participated in the Great Patriotic War. He received his first order in 1943 for exemplary performance of combat missions. Being the head of the radio station of the 10th Separate Guards battalion of miners, guards Sergeant Vasily Gorbunov, was awarded the Order of the ""Red Star"".These are the words from the award list: ""Being part of a Squad of guardsmen miner parachutists with radio officer in the unit guards Lieutenant Casto, operating in the deep rear of the enemy on the train station Borisov – Orsha, for four months he ensured uninterrupted radio contact with battalion headquarters, timely passed the results on the destruction of enemy communications and explored about the enemy. Having good communication, the battalion headquarters was always aware of the life of the detachment and provided the detachment with everything necessary. Being surrounded by the enemy, despite being wounded, Gorbunov took out the radio station and kept it in good condition. During the fighting, the detachment undermined 11 enemy railway echelons, broke 11 locomotives, 66 trains, 12 platforms, 12 vehicles, killed and wounded 790 Germans..."" In 1944 Sergeant Gorbunov Vasily ermolaevich, a radio officer of 10th Guards Motorized Engineer battalion, was awarded the Medal ""For courage"". Extract from the award list "" Comrade Gorbunov acting as head of the radio station and assistant platoon commander, acting in the detachment of the battalion, provided timely and uninterrupted command of radio communications. Being under intense fire and exposure from the enemy's air, Gorbunov did not show the slightest sign of cowardice and personally repaired three damaged radio broadcast stations, and his example attracted subordinates on precise execution of tasks to ensure communication."" Order from 02.06.1945, No. 472 :""On behalf of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet USSR, for exemplary performance of Command assignments at the front against the German invaders and the manifestation of the courage and bravery he was awarded the Order ""Glory of the 3d class"". Sergeant Gorbunov provided continuous radio communication, carried out mining and mine clearance work. Risking his life, Gorbunov found a German radio and immediately adapted it to communicate with the battalion. Knowing the radio business perfectly well, comrade Gorbunov trained excellent radio operators in the battalion. The order of Glory of the third degree is worthy of the government award»... ""In 1945, he walked along Red Square in Moscow, as a participant in the Victory Parade."

Rank: Sergeant. Type of the Army: Artillery Division: 150th Rifle Idritsko-Berlin order of Kutuzov Division. Sergeant Leonid Aleksandrovich Germizeev was the Commander of the 45mm Gun battery. He was born in Omsk region, Tarsky district, Lozhnikovo village in 1918, was called up to the Arny on October 5,1939 by Tarsky RVC, Omsk region.He was killed on July 23,1944.The primary burial place is probably 500 m West of the village of Bylanino ( Reicke district, Kaunata region of the Latvian SSR).His father - Germizeev Alexander Akimovich-lived in Omsk region, Tarsky district, Lozhnikova village.During the search work, it was established, that the primary burial site is located 500 metres West from Baltyn village( the Latvian SSR).Judging by the names of other localities (Besovka, Sobolevo, Bondari, Chornoye), where the division of soldiers died on July 23-26, we are talking about the Balynov estate (Balinov) or the village of Baltyn. Since there were no administrative borders on the topocards, the clerc did not note that in some places it is already a neighboring parish - Reznas (including the manor). Moreover, the border between the parishes was just in this place. But after the war the borders changed, it is now the parish of Charnas. The bodies were reburied from those places on the memorial in the village of Mitri."

My great-grandfather Golovistikov Sergey Ivanovich was born in Moscow region, Leninsky district, the Ostrov village. He married my great-grandmother Kruglova Lyubov Ivanovna. They worked for the collective farm ""Path to the commune"". The collective farmers had to work hard.My great-grandfather also graduated from a special school in Gorki and then worked on a collective farm as an accountant. But soon the Great Patriotic war began, my great-grandfather went to the front, and my great-grandmother was left alone with three children. He told me that it was very hard, just unbearably hard, but it warmed him to think that they were waiting for him at home. And with this thought, he went into battle, endured all the hardships of a soldier's life. When he received triangular letters from home, he reread them several times, held them close to my face, so that at least somehow, at least a little, he could catch and imagine their favorite smell. My great-grandfather remembered that the letters came when it was most difficult. Once he even mentioned it, and survived thanks to those letters. He fought in the Artillery Forces as part of the 334th Rifle Division (Vitebsk division of the order of Suvorov). My great-grandfather had the rank of Chief Petty Officer. Awards and many commendations speak about his fighting path. Extract from the archive:""Sergeant Golovistikov Sergey Ivanovich, participating in many battles, showed himself to be a brave, resolute warrior. In the offensive battle of April 8,1945 for the locality of Poysnen, he was the first to raise his squad to attack, skillfully lead the squad broke into the enemy's location, with bold and decisive actions knocked the enemy out of the trenches, destroying the enemy's light machine gun, which prevented the advance of our units"" He returned alive from the front. Great-grandfather worked a lot on the collective farm and soon began to hold the position of chief accountant. All household chores fell on the female shoulders of the great-grandmother, her children helped her.So their life flowed in labors and cares. And on November 7, 1950, my great-grandmother and great-grandfather had a daughter, Nina."

Rank: Major. Type of the Arny: Armored and mechanized troops. Division: 182nd Dnovskaya Rifle Division. Grigoriev Stepan Ivanovich devoted his entire life to military service. He served in the Red Army since 1923. He was trained at the Military school in Moscow. He took part in the Finnish war of 1939-1940. He was awarded the Order of the ""Red Star"" in 1940 for the Finnish company. Before the war, he served as a commander of a tank platoon in the village of Strelna, Leningrad region, and as a commander of a tank brigade in the city of Porkhov. During the great Patriotic war, he was at the front as the head of the automobile service-the 182nd Rifle Division of the Dnovskaya. Since 1944 he was Deputy head of the auto Department of the First Shock Army for repair and supply. The award list says: ""In the spring of 1945, in a short period of time (10 days), under his leadership, the units repaired 247 medium repairs and 22 combat vehicles with major repairs. In combat conditions, he organized the production of acutely scarce parts that were previously produced only in industrial plants. This played a crucial role in the offensive actions of the red Army. "" He was awarded the order of the ""Patriotic war of the 2nd class"". the Order of the ""Red Star"", the Medal ""For military merit"", the Medal ""For the victory over Germany in the second world war 1941-1945"". After the war, he returned to the city of Porkhov, Pskov region. He worked as the head of the Construction Department for the restoration of the city."

Rank: Lieutenant. Division: 286th Leningrad Red Banner Rifle Division. On one February day, on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Armed forces of the USSR, the newspaper ""Dagestanskaya Pravda"" published an article by the war correspondent A. Donskoy ""Defender of Leningrad"". Here is a summary of this article: ""This happened on the Leningrad front in March 1943. Along the railway connecting Leningrad with Moscow, there were bloody battles with the German-fascist invaders. The main burden fell on the Rifle Division, where Magaram Gabibov served. The Deputy commander Gabibov liked to repeat the proverb :"" Sharpness stabs, sharpness beats, sharpness takes the enemy prisoner "". During the next battle, Deputy political officer Gabibov ran ahead the Division. Suddenly, in the bushes, he noticed a German who was setting up a light machine gun. He raised his rifle, but the enemy was faster and had time to pull the trigger. Only a happy accident saved this life. He fell to the ground, but the bullets tore through the leather. There were 7 holes. He jumped up in a rage and rushed at the German. It was very difficult for him to cope with it, but his dexterity and sharpness helped him at that time. He snatched out the knife that was hanging from the belt of the Nazi quickly. After finishing the German, the Lieutenant got up and saw a fascist officer with a revolver. But the Deputy did not lose his head and hit the enemy with the butt. After the fight, one of the soldiers said, "" Comrade zampolit, and smetka after all helped you."" Gabibov smiled and rubbed his sweaty face with the palm of his hand."" This article made a great impression on the villagers. They passed the paper from hand to hand. They came to visit my grandfather and expressed their gratitude, admiration and delight. After a very short time, a letter from the first Secretary of the Luzhsky city Committee of the CPSU came to Gabibov Magaram Safarovich. The text of this letter was a confirmation that the feat of a simple Dagestani guy is remembered by his fellow soldiers. The contents of this letter spread all over the village. Here are a few lines from this letter: ""On your example, selfless devotion to the Motherland, which was clearly manifested in the harsh years of trials for the Soviet people, we have raised and will continue to educate young people to teach them to be like their heroic grandfathers, fathers, mothers and sisters in everything. We express our gratitude to you, an active participant in the liberation of Luzhskaya land from the Nazi invaders. We wish you inexhaustible cheerfulness, health and happiness"". The full text of the letter was published in"" Dagestanskaya Pravda "" dated June 12,1974 under number 135. The collective farmers of Sovetskoye village congratulated the workers of Luga on the glorious date, the 30th anniversary of the liberation of their land from the Nazi invaders, and wished the workers of the city good health and excellent success for the glory of our Motherland. The villagers were deeply grateful to the Luzhsky city Committee of the CPSU for keeping the heroic deeds of the glorious sons of the Motherland sacred in their memory. Every year my grandfather was a dear guest on Luzhskaya land. The exploits of Magaram Gabibov during the great Patriotic war are highly appreciated by our state. Gabibov Magaram Safarovich was awarded orders and medals for his bravery and ingenuity in battle, and has many government awards and letters of thanks. For 900 days the inhabitants had to survive in the besieged Leningrad. The 2nd Shock Army, where the three Gabibov brothers served, also played a significant role in the liberation of besieged Leningrad. Among all his awards, the most precious for him was the medal for the defense of Leningrad, which he was awarded on July 17, 1943. He went through the entire war, and completed his combat career on German land. On January 1, 1946, he was awarded the Medal ""For the Victory over Germany in the great Patriotic war of 1941-1945"". Gabibov Magaram had many awards, but the biggest award for him was his large family, his wife and children, who, despite all the difficulties, were alive and well. On his tombstone it is carved: ""To the founder of the village of Sovetskoe"". In the distant 1950ies his relatives moved to the plains and founded the village Sovietskoe, Magaramkentskyi district. We, his descendants, are proud of those who protected us without fear of anything in their path. At the cost of their lives, our grandfathers and great-grandfathers defended their Homeland, children, old people, and wives. Russia won, and this is a great happiness for us. Those who are alive and those who did not return from the war deserve a great and eternal memory. I am proud of my great-grandfather, who was brave, courageous and strong. I believe that victory is one for all. We are celebrating this day all over the country. After all, we are their heirs. We must remember and know much. Our memory is a soul, a life, an experience that has been paid a high price: the price of millions of victims. Victory in the great Patriotic war is a life given to us by our grandfathers. The war has already become the history. But is it true? One thing is clear to me: the main participants in history are People and Time. To remember the Time means not to forget People, not to forget People means not to forget Time."" We, the children of the twenty-first century, do not want to live for war. We want to study at school, play with friends, sing, have fun, launch boats on spring puddles, draw, fly a kite into the clear blue sky, plant trees - in short, it is light and joyful to live on Earth. I'm proud of my great-grandfather. We will continue his work."

Gavriil Samuilovich Gurevich, was born on November 5, 1911. He finished seven years of school, studied at the Polotsk construction technical school (1929-1932), then worked on the construction of the Oktyabrskaya garment factory, lived with his family in Minsk. He was a student at the construction Institute in Minsk, where he worked until April 1941, when he was transferred to the special construction of the NKVD. It appears in the passport that Gavriil Samuilovich was employed in the construction of the NKVD camps of the USSR in March-April 1941 and worked there until July 1941. By order of the NKVD No. 00328 given on March 24, 1941, it was entrusted with the construction of airfields for the air forces of the Red Army. The work was carried out by prisoners sentenced to correctional labor (without detention), construction battalions, prisoners of war and collective farmers mobilized by local authorities."" My grandfather did not tell me anything in detail about this period, but according to the documents, it appears that he worked there until October 1941 (he was registered in this period in Kursk, 6 Pravdy street) before the object was handed over. From November 1941 to the end of 1943, he served in the 33rd Military Road Detachment of the 3rd Military Road Administration of the Bryansk Front as a Platoon Commander, participated in the Bryansk, Central and 1st Belorussian fronts, which was mainly focused on the restoration and construction of bridge crossings.In March 1944, he was transferred to the 76th Military Road Detachment of the Main road administration of the Red Army of the Transcaucasian Military district, from where he was demobilized on December 18, 1945."