Heroes and feats

At the beginning of the second hour of the night on June 22, 1941, a telegram from the People's Commissar of the Navy N. G. Kuznetsov was received at the headquarters of the Black sea fleet. It contained an order to all fleets, except the Pacific fleet, to immediately switch to operational readiness No. 1. The Black sea sailors were among the first to start fighting. My grandfather, Ilya Maksimovich Krivonos, also fought with the German-fascist invaders in the ranks of the hero defenders of the Motherland. As a twenty-year-old boy, he joined the Navy in 1939. He was trained at the joint school of training units of the Black sea fleet. The young man was assigned to serve on the cruiser Molotov. It was there that he learned about the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the most trying test for our country. Thanks to the courage and dedication of the sailors, attempts by the enemy army to disable the main forces of the Black sea fleet were thwarted. The cruiser "Molotov" was involved in the artillery support of the troops, firing at the enemy troops. During the defense of Sevastopol, it delivered 9440 soldiers and commanders, the “Katyush” unit, 560 guns, 45 mortars, 16,800 rifles, 3,680 machine guns and machine guns, 10 cars of aerial bombs, 145 cars of ammunition to the main base, more than 6,000 wounded soldiers, women and children were carried out of the besieged city. The landing forces of the South Ozereyka and Stanitski regions (near Myskhako) became the heroes of the history books of the Black sea fleet in February 1943, along with the defense of "The Malaya Zemlya", the Novorossiysk-Taman operation 1943, Kerch-Eltigen amphibious operation in 1942. The sea was the only way to transport troops and weapons to the area of defense, evacuate the wounded and civilians, as well as industrial equipment, raw materials, and valuable cargo. Throughout the entire defense period, the Black sea fleet reliably provided these sea communications. In 1943, near the village of Golubitskaya, during the landing, Grandfather Ilya was seriously wounded in the chest. After treatment in the hospital, he was assigned to the guard of the Azov flotilla, where he occupied the position of a signalman. The flotilla, which was part of the Black sea fleet, participated in the liberation of the ports of the sea of Azov by supporting the ground forces. The main tasks assigned to the flotilla was artillery support for troops in the defense of the coast, ensuring the passage of troops across the Don and the destruction of enemy crossings, preventing the landing of enemy troops, and ensuring the work of their own sea communications. As a result of active military operations of the Azov flotilla in cooperation with frontline aviation, the Nazis suffered heavy losses in ships and watercraft. From 1944 to 1947, Ilya Maksimovich Krivonos served on an armored boat in the Danube flotilla. Being part of the Black sea fleet, the flotilla fought from the lower reaches of the Danube to Vienna. The awards he received in battles speak for themselves: the order of the Red Star, the order of the Great Patriotic War of I and II degrees, medals: "For the Victory over Germany", "For the Defense of Sevastopol"," For the Defense of the Caucasus", "For the Capture of Budapest and Vienna". My grandfather had to go through a lot: a serious injury, which had lasting effects, the loss of comrades. Grandfather Ilya did not like to talk about the war. But in his eyes, you could always see the terrible memories of wartime. Wordlessly they spoke about the pain, losses, and deprivations of everyday combat. My grandfather, the defender of the Motherland, died, but every year with the arrival of spring, I feel proud of the Motherland, for the Victory, for May of 1945. Ilya Maksimovich Krivonos is one of the people who brought the victory to us without sparing himself.

I was three years and nine months old when the war started. We lived in Khorinsk. My father worked as an accountant in a private subsidiary farm, my mother in a closed canteen. Dad was transferred to a new personal subsidiary farm in Leonovka: I remember well how we drove up to the house in Leonovka, a messenger caught up with us and handed dad a summons. Without unloading the carts, we returned to Khorinsk. The house where we were supposed to be placed was new, large, I heard a conversation between my father and mother, my mother said that he had a “reservation” (respite), my father answered that a summons meant going the frontlines. We returned to Khorinsk, to the same house, my father went to the frontlines, we stayed with my mother. The previous job was already taken, and my mother got a job in a kindergarten. So we lived, when our family grew to have four children, my mother's dad came and moved us to a plot of land in Zagustaysky personal subsidiary farm, near the village of Mikhailovka. There we were put in a barrack, where there was no vegetable garden. My mother worked as a superviser at a boarding school and as a warehouse manager. She was responsible for alcohol and kerosene, and at night she sewed sacks, and clothes for the city residents, some from new fabric, and some from old clothes. Residents paid for her work with food. And we, the children, ran, played, went to the forest to collect mushrooms and berries, helped adults in the ways we could. I remember my grandfather calling for us to come with him and help. My grandfather harnessed a horse, took a seine, and so we went. There was a small bay on the river, and my mother's brother worked as a forester and saw that there was a school of fish. So, he made a dam and came for my grandfather. When we arrived, there were so many fish that you could catch them with your hands. And so, the three of us plunged the net and began to pull. With great difficulty we pulled the net, and grandfather exclaimed that the net was full of fish. We put the fish in a koshevo, went to the station, and gave out the carp to everyone. We helped my grandfather dry the grain, then he would take it to the mill, and bring flour, which was portioned and given to residents of the personal subsidiary farm. That is how we lived in the barracks until the demobilization of 1946. The family of Vyacheslav Pavlovich Salnikov moved to another personal subsidiary farm, and we had a house with a vegetable garden once again. My father was discharged in November 1946 and transferred to Khorinsk, and we once again lived in Khorinsk in the same house as the one we lived in before the war.

Tikhon Vasilyevich Kortunov was born on July 12, 1907 in the village of Zhuravka in the Pavlovsky district of the Voronezh region. He went to the parochial school only until the 3rd grade, afterwards learning everything he knew himself. In his military ticket in the column education it was written: "self-taught". Grandfather was born in the same year as the century, so all the events, great and terrible, did not pass him by. He was a teenager when, during the hungry year of 1921, the Kortunov family, among other immigrants, moved to our region and stayed in the village of Khrushchev. In the late 1920s, he witnessed collectivization. In the early 1930s, he participated in the liquidation of basmachestvo. When the Great Patriotic War began, my grandfather was working on a collective farm as a tractor driver, so he was called up to the army only in 1942: the tractor drivers had a "reservation" (respite). He was called up for mobilization of the Teplovsky Military Comissiriat of the Chkalovsky region on May 25, 1942. He served as a rifleman in the 225th guards rifle regiment from May 1942 to October 1943, in the 924th rifle regiment from October 1943 to November 1943, in the 3rd separate assault battalion from November 1943 to June 1944. He was dismissed due to injury in June 1944. In July 1957, my grandfather in the position of a foreman field team kolkhoz of Kirov Teplovskiy district became the participant of the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition and was awarded a medal for Participation in the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition. By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the USSR on January 11, 1957, he was awarded the order “Badge of Honor”. In accordance with the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the USSR of October 20, 1956, Tikhon V. Kortunov was awarded the medal "For the Development of Virgin Lands" on behalf of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. The medal was awarded on May 29, 1957. On March 12, 1967, Kortunov Tikhon Vasilyevich was elected a Deputy of the Soviet Rural Council of Worker Deputies of the Pervomaisky district, Orenburg region, RSFSR region from the five-year electoral district No. 21. In 1960, he created a family with Penkova Maria Ilyinichnaya (my grandmother). They had four children together: George (May 5, 1960), Viktor (January 2, 1966), Nadezhda (January 1, 1968), and Galina (September 27, 1970).

He was born in 1912 in Gorky city, Sejm station. In 1932, he was called up by the Dzerzhinsk Military Comissiriat of the Gorky region and served in tank units and formations. His combat career began as a member of the 164th tank brigade on June 16, 1942 on the Bryansk frontline in the 16th tank corps. In June - July 1942, the brigade participated in the defensive operation of the Bryansk front in the Voronezh direction. In August - November 1942, as part of the 1st guards’ army of the Stalingrad (then Don) front, it fought long and persistent defensive battles near Stalingrad. Thus, during the repulse of enemy tank attacks near the Bolshoe village, captain L. A. Barynin led a group of our tanks (7 T-34 tanks and 2 T-60 tanks). The enemy attacked with up to 50 tanks, but our tank group did not waver and entered the battle, destroying 6 tanks, 10 enemy vehicles with ammunition and food. The enemy wavered and retreated. At the same time, only 2 of our tanks were hit. Captain L.A. Barynin organized their evacuation along with the wounded crews. The remaining tanks returned to the meeting area in good condition. For this battle, he was awarded a government award: the order of the Red Banner. During the encirclement of the enemy group, the brigade operated as part of the 24th army of the Don front. There, major L. A. Barynin also demonstrated his courage and competence as an officer. At the time of the enemy's breakthrough on the Eastern Bank of the Don river, the tanks of the 164th brigade, under his direct command, successfully counterattacked in the direction of Kuzmichi village, held back the enemy's offensive, and ensured the approach and deployment of reserves. The brigade was especially successful during the night attack, organized and conducted by major L. A. Barynin in the direction of the mount of 130.4 (South-Eastern p. Kotluban) on September 24, 1942, when the frontline of defense was broken and the Germans ran, leaving their weapons behind. Thanks to the successful actions of the tanks, the infantry was provided with access to the southern slopes of the mount. For his heroism and skillful leadership, he was awarded a government award the order of the Red Star. During the fighting of the guards, Lieutenant Colonel L. A. Barynin was severely wounded in the leg, which made it difficult to move normally. He died on October 27, 1943, before he could get out of the car that was blown up by a mine and was buried in Bryansk in a mass grave. In addition, he was awarded the medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad".

Rank: Senior sergeant. Branch of service: army, air force (except marine aviation), the coast guard, the troops of the NKVD border troops. Division: 184th rifle Dukhovshchinskaya Red Banner order of Suvorov and Kutuzov division. The worst thing that can happen to a country is war. Our country suffered this tragic event in the middle of the twentieth century. The Great Patriotic War was the most trying test for the entire Soviet people. It left a bloody imprint on the memory of the people who experienced all its horrors firsthand. There is no family in our country whose fate has not been affected by the Great Patriotic War. On June 22, 1941, the news of the beginning of the war reached the family of my great-grandfather Ivan Grigoryevich Kovalev, who had been working peacefully for the good of the Motherland in the village of Sal-Adyanov in the Dubovsky district. The family was large by today's standards: an old mother, a brother, a wife expecting a son, and two young daughters. Terrible news broke into the house of the Kovalevs, my great-grandfather Ivan Grigoryevich and his brother Nikolai were immediately called up to protect the country. Great-grandmother Anastasia Alekseevna was left all alone pregnant, with two children in her arms, and an old mother-in-law. She worked on a collective farm, leaving early in the morning, and returning late at night. At the same time, my great-grandfather fought bravely on the war frontlines, commanding a platoon. Once, when there were fierce battles near Kursk, a platoon commanded by my great-grandfather, Lieutenant Kovalev, discovered an enemy trophy: a tank of alcohol. Several soldiers took possession of the trophy without the commander's knowledge and fell asleep at the post. My great-grandfather was court martialed for this incident. The court made a decision: "Atone with blood." Thus, my great-grandfather got to the frontline near Kursk and in the hardest battle, he lost his leg. While in the hospital, he learned that he was awarded the order of the Red Star. And another terrible news came from home: his family, mother, wife, three young children, were gathered with other villagers in a cattle shed. The fascists were about to set fire to the women and children, as Soviet planes appeared in the sky over the farm, so the women and children escaped from a most terrible death. My great-grandmother's hair turned completely white during the few hours of waiting for this terrible death. In 1944, my great-grandfather returned from the war as a communist and became the chairman of his native collective farm: it was necessary to restore the economy destroyed by the war. It was not easy for my great-grandmother either: they had to carry hay and firewood on cows, harrow and plow the land, even the young daughters worked in the field, collected spikelets, then ground them and baked crumpets with the addition of grass-quinoa. During the war, everything became worn out, children ran in rags, barefoot both when it was hot and cold. My great-grandmother could sew. And then one day, great-grandfather brought home a soldier's raincoat-tent. How much joy there was: the girls had skirts sewn for them, and little Kolya now had trousers. The clothes did not let] either moisture or air pass through, but still everyone was happy. In 1945, when all the people were celebrating the victory, my great-grandfather's family learned that the younger brother Nikolai Grigoryevich was captured and was in the Buchenwald concentration camp. Soon after the war, the family moved from the farm Sal-Adyanov to the village of Dubovskoye, built a house, raised three children, and worked fervently for the good of their motherland. My great-grandfather was awarded orders and medals for his military services. In 1979, my great-grandfather was awarded a car as he was a disabled person. In 1991, Ivan Kovalev died. Until now, our family keeps the glorious defender of the motherland in our memory. The road to victory was long and difficult. How can we even measure it? By battles, days, grief, suffering. The heroes of the war have fought for this victory for four difficult years at the cost of their health and lives. The Great Victory is 70 years old; this era is directly connected with our great-grandfathers who witnessed those heroic events. Our valiant soldiers showed the world the courage, bravery, heroism that still excites people's souls. This will be forever remembered by their descendants, whose right to life came at a high price. And let them not think that the dead do not hear when their descendants speak of them.

Rank: Red Army soldier. Type of troops: armored and mechanized troops, 317th separate motor transport battalion 4th Ukrainian front (chauffeur). Grigory Matveyevich Kashirin was born in 1909 in in the village Ipatova of Bezopasnoye Trunovskoye region of Stavropol Krai. He started his career in this village, working as a driver. From 1931 to 1933, he served in the Red Army. Since June 1941, he took part in the Great Patriotic War. From the award list: awarded the medal "For Military Merit" on April 21, 1945. Comrade G. M. Kashirin - driver of the ZIS–5 – is an energetic hardy driver, perfectly completes his combat missions. Carrying various types of cargo, never minding his fatigue, he always delivers them to the unloading points on time. He has been repeatedly assigned urgent combat missions to deliver fuel and lubricants and has always completed them in a timely manner. At the time of the offensive of the troops of our front in January 1945, comrade Kashirin made 19 trips through the Carpathian passes from the Gumenne region to Romanov, delivering 30 tons of oil. He has a high mileage. In 1944, he drove 28,350 kilometers. For the overfulfillment of transportation standards, he was repeatedly awarded a cash prize. His car is always ready for action. On December 22, he was assigned to transport containers from Khyrov to Mukachevo with a cargo of 75 tons. Despite the exceeded size, the driver Kashirin delivered 5 containers through the Uzhok pass, for which he received gratitude from the warehouse command office. At the moment, he is driving around the clock, transporting car oil from Ustriki-Dolny for the 8th air army, making 220 kilometers a day. For skillful preservation of his car and excellent performance of combat tasks, he was awarded the badge "EXCELLENT DRIVER". For 3 months of 1945, he achieved great performance markers in following combat orders of the command office, having a total mileage of 14,000 kilometers, delivering 63 tons of fuel to frontline units. He is worthy of being awarded the medal "For Military Merit". Grigory Matveyevich celebrated the victory in Prague, the capital of Czechoslovakia, on May 11, 1945. After the end of the war, Grigory Matveyevich returned to the village Bezopasnoye, where he continued to work as a driver. Together with his wife Melania Gavrilovna, he raised two children: a son, Alexey, and a daughter, Nina. Grigory Matveyevich Kashirin died in 1982 in his native village.

Belousov Nikolai Ivanovich - Colonel, Doctor of Science was born on October 14, 1918 at the railway station Kistendey Arkadaksky region in the Saratov district. In 1937 he was drafted into the army. In 1940 he graduated from the flying school for bomber pilots and was sent to the 53rd Flying Regiment of the 36th Flying Division for long-range bombing, stationed at Reblitsy Airfield in the Novgorod region. Lieutenant Belousov, the flight commander, learned about the beginning of the war on the first day. Four days later he made his first combat mission to bomb enemy tank columns on the road Vilnius-Kaunas. Already on the third mission, on 27 June 1941, Belousov's plane was shot down by enemy fighters and he had to jump out of a burning plane with a parachute. Returning to the regiment, Lieutenant Belousov continued to carry out combat operations to bombard objects in the enemy's rear. In the Battle of Moscow between October 21 and December 27, 1941, he commanded a unit that had already been in the 455th Air Force Regiment of the 36th Air Force. He completed 11 successful missions against tanks, vehicles and troops of the fascist forces, for which he was awarded the first military award - the Order of the Red Banner (No. 32823) - by decree of the Presidium of Supreme Soviet of USSR of June 20, 1942. On 11 September 1942 the regiment was transferred to the airfield Afrikanda in the Arctic. By order of the Stavka, the regiment's pilots were to carry out intensified attacks on enemy airfields, from which the enemy attacked convoys on their way to the port of Murmansk with weapons and equipment from the United States and England. Belousov completed a total of 44 missions by 20 September 1942, 24 of which were carried out at night. On the 45th flight Belousov's plane was shot down again, but this time by the enemy anti-aircraft artillery. Nikolai Ivanovich Belousov tells in his memoirs how he had to fight his way through the front line to his units. After a short absence he returned to his regiment. On 30 November 1942 he was appointed Deputy Commander of the squadron. He flew missions to bomb not only airfields but also large cities behind enemy lines: Koenigsberg, Danzig, Warsaw. For the successful execution of bombing raids on objects of the deep hinterland, as well as for participation in operations to ensure the passage of ship caravans with weapons from America to the port of Murmansk, he was awarded the degree of Patriotic War II (No. 6567) by the decree of the Presidium of Supreme Soviet of USSR of 31 December 1942. On April 12, 1943 the crew of the Belousov completed its longest flight on the objects of the Kings Mountain, which lasted 10 hours and 15 minutes, with outboard fuel tanks. On April 20, a bombing raid was carried out on Tilsit. And on July 17, 1943 Belousov was awarded the second Red Flag Order (No. 3135 - "2") for successful combat operations for bombing rear facilities on the order of the commander - commander-in-chief of the Air Force. On September 4, 1943, Captain Belousov was given command of an air force squadron in the 109th Air Regiment of the 48th Long-range Division. As a part of this regiment he will take part in the fights for the liberation of Belarus, the Baltic States and Poland as well as in the fights over the area of East Prussia. For the skilful command of long-range aircraft combat units and personal flying skills in combat operations, in which the enemy suffered considerable losses during the bombing of railway junctions and enemy airfields towards North-Western, he was given the order Alexander Nevsky № 19001 by the Commander of the Long-range Aviation No. 0665/n of November 6, 1944, Squadron Commander of the 109th Aviation Division of the 48th Aviation Division Long-range Major Belousov N. And. During the war, Major Belousov carried out a total of 180 missions with Nazi Germany, including those on objects deep behind enemy lines: Koenigsberg, Gdansk, Warsaw, Insterburg, Berlin, Helsinki, Tilsit. The combat operations during the war with Germany ended on April 30, 1945, after the last operation in the seaport of Swinemuende had been completed. By order of the Commander of the 18th Air Force dated 13 July 1945, Major Belousov was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War First Degree (No. 225117). For Major Belousov, however, the war did not end there. He was sent to the Far East, where he temporarily took part in the bombing of important objects of the Kwantung Army in China as commander of the 433rd Long Range Regiment of the 55th Long Range Air Division. Major Belousov personally carried out two missions, the last of which took place on 15 August 1945 on the fortified area of Schiminza. Its total flying time until the end of 1945 was 1,500 hours, 814 of which were at night. In 1950 he completed the Gagarin flight Force Academy, where he served further. At his own request he was discharged from the army in May 1979 with the military rank of "colonel". Post-war service N.I. Belousov also noted a number of state awards: the medal "For Military Merits" (No. 3208302) and the Order of the Red Star (No. 3067813), the Order "For Services to the Fatherland in the USSR Armed Forces " 3rd degree (№ 17804), and the 40th anniversary of Victory, which was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War II (№ 1059911). The work of Colonel Belousov is also noted in scientific papers. He not only defended his doctorate, but also his dissertation on the automation of the control of long-range air units and connections in 1965. After leaving the army, in June 1979, Colonel Belousov was admitted to the research group of the Gagarin Air Force Academy, where he worked until December 1991, after which he retired. Colonel Belousov - holder of two orders of the red flag, the order of Alexander Nevsky and the degree of the Patriotic War I, two orders of the Patriotic War II, the order of the red star and "For the service to the fatherland in the USSR Armed Forces " 3 degrees. He was also awarded with many medals.

My great-grandfather, Vladimir V. Kuznetsov, was born on June 25, 1921 in the village Terehova, Mikhailovsky district, Ryazan oblast in the family of peasants. In June 1940, he was drafted into the Red Army. He served in the 2509 special anti-aircraft artillery division in Kamianets-Podilskyi (Western Ukraine). He met the war there. In 1941, the enemy began the capture of Western Ukraine. The regiment in which my great-grandfather served was part of the southern front. The troops retreated, going into defensive battles. In the summer of 1941, Vladimir Vasilyevich was wounded in the leg. He was taken to a hospital in Voronezh, where he underwent a full course of treatment, and then in the ranks of the active army, was sent to the Stalingrad frontline. As part of the 648th artillery regiment of the 5th Shock Army, he fought until the end of the war. My great-grandfather participated in the great battle of the Volga from its first to its last day. V. V. Kuznetsov was awarded the medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad". In August 1944, my great-grandfather participated in the Iasi-Kishinev operation in the 5th Shock Army, during which Kishinev was liberated on August 24, 1944. V.V. Kuznetsov was awarded the medal "For Bravery". At the end of October 1944, the 5th Shock Army was transferred to the 1st Belorussian front and took part in the Warsaw-Poznan operation in 1945. My great-grandfather was awarded the medal "For the Liberation of Warsaw". During this operation, the 5th Shock Army reached the Oder river, in Germany and captured a bridgehead Northwest of the city of Kustrin. Vladimir Vasilyevich celebrated the Victory day of 1945 in Berlin. He was awarded the medal "For the Capture of Berlin". My great-grandfather served in Germany, 50 kilometers from Berlin, a year after the war, in the 648th artillery regiment, a division of 152 mm Howitzers. He retired to the reserve in June 1946, with the rank of petty officer and as in the position of an artillery gun commander. For bravery and courage, he was awarded the orders of the Red Star and the Patriotic War of II degree, medals "For Military Merit", "For the Defense of Stalingrad", "For Courage", "For the Liberation of Warsaw", "For the capture of Berlin", "For Victory over Germany in the great Patriotic war 1941 – 1945". In addition, he has received many commendations from the Supreme Commander I. V. Stalin. After returning to his homeland, he worked all his life at a cement factory as a truck driver, and later as a worker in a railway transport shop. Vladimir V. Kuznetsov died on September 26, 1994, at the age of 73.

All I know about my grandfather Vasily Petrovich Krylov stems from the stories about him told by my grandmother, father, and father's sister. Before the war, V. P. Krylov worked as a school principal in the village of Emelkino in the Bilyar district of the TASSR. In June 1941, he went to the frontlines without using his "reservation" (respite). He left his young pregnant wife at home. In 1944, he was discharged due to injury, nevertheless, after the hospital he went back to the battlefront for some more. On returning home, Vasily Petrovich saw his first-born, Valera, who was already 3 years old, for the first time. Soon after returning from the front, Vasily Petrovich resumed his duties as a school principal. His wife, Faina Krylova, also worked as a teacher of Russian and German at the same school. In 1945, the Krylov family had a daughter, Lyudmila, and in 1946 - a son, Eugene. In 1947, Vasily Petrovich, maintaining the post of school principal, was transferred to the village of Shumkovo in the Rybnoslobodsky district of the TASSR, where he moved with his family. In 1949, they moved again, due to the transfer of Vasily Petrovich to the village of Aktau in the Chistopol district of the TASSR. In 1950, the family was hit with woe. Vasily Petrovich became seriously ill: his injury and severe front-line conditions had caught up to him. He was sent for treatment to a military hospital in Kazan, where he died in June 1950, without seeing his youngest son Kolya, who was born in April. Vasily Petrovich was buried at the Arsky cemetery in Kazan. At the age of 27, Faina Mikhailovna was left a widow with four children in her arms. When their father died, the children were still young and their knowledge about their father's military past is rather slight. They remember (according to their mother) only that he participated in the defense of Novorossiysk, had an officer's rank, and had military awards. In November 1943, during the combat, their unit was crossing the lake Sivash, they had to make their way waist-deep in water, which affected the health of Vasily Petrovich (his kidneys and joints were frostbitten). He was also shot in the leg, after which he limped and suffered from leg pain for the rest of his life. With immense respect to and in loving memory of my grandfather Vasily Petrovich Krylov.

Rank: Sergeant. Type of troops: Armored and mechanized troops. Konstantin Yakovlevich Krutikov was born in 1914 in the village of Kuminovo, Slobodo-torinsky district. He served in the army, was the member of the Finnish war. Before the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he married Darya Filippovna Kaigorodova, who was born in the same village in 1911. They had two sons: Alexander and Anatoly, and two daughters: Galina and Tamara. He volunteered for the service on the frontlines on September 06, 1941, leaving his wife and children at home. The eldest daughter was 6 years old, and the youngest was not even four months old. Daria Filippovna was one of the toilers of the homefront. She worked on a collective farm as a milkmaid and managed to find time to babysit children. My great-grandfather began his military career in the Tver region near the village of Nelidovo. He fought his way to Budapest. In one of the battles near the city of Budapest, he was awarded the medal "For Bravery". The award order describes the feat of my great-grandfather: "The loader of the mortar on the 524th mortar regiment of the 2nd guards’ mechanized corps Sergeant Konstantin Yakovlevich Krutikov on January 06, 1945 in the area of the village of Shoimar, under repeated enemy attacks with artillery and rifle fire, provided accurate and quick work, conducting combat fire and repelling counterattacks, causing significant losses in equipment and manpower to the enemy." The second guards’ mechanized corps gloriously fought its way from the Northern Donets to Kishinev, and then Bucharest, Budapest, Vienna, and the capital of Czechoslovakia – Prague. For the capture of the city of Nikolaev, the corps was awarded the title “Nikolaev”. For performing special tasks of the supreme command office, the mechanized corps was awarded the battle order of the Red Banner, the order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky and Alexander Nevsky. The corps was commanded by Lieutenant General Sviridov, and the corps' artillery was commanded by the Hero of the Soviet Union Guards’ Colonel Samokhin. As part of the 524th mortar guards’ regiment of the 2nd guards mechanized corps, he took part in crossing the rivers of the Northern Donets, Dnieper, and Danube. He participated in the liberation of 16 cities in the Soviet Union, Romania, Hungary, Austria, and Czechoslovakia from the Nazi invaders. My great-grandfather was injured and returned home to his family after undergoing treatment in the hospital. After the end of the war, he lived and worked in the city of Turinsk as a storekeeper at an enterprise. On April 06, 1985, by order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR, he was awarded the order of the Patriotic War of the II degree.

Every person can become a hero in their lifetime, distinguish themselves in some way, live so well that even after their death, years later, people remember them with respect. This is exactly the kind of person Mikhail Petrovich Bobrovsky was. He was my fellow villager about whom I want to tell you. Mikhail Petrovich was born in 1922 in the village of Storozhevoe, graduated from the 7 years of the Storozhevskaya school. Then there were the years of service in the Soviet Army, which strated at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. It so happened that just before the war, Mikhail Petrovich completed pilot courses at the aeroclub, and expected to fly, which in those years strongly attracted young guys. However, fate decided otherwise. When the war began, M. P. Bobrovsky had to undergo retraining to become a machine gunner. In March 1943, Mikhail Petrovich Bobrovsky was sent to the frontlines. It was in the machine-gun unit of the 240th rifle division of the 842 regiment that the veteran fought until the victorious year of 1945. Mikhail Petrovich fought on the Kursk bulge, participated in the liberation of the city of Budapest. The most difficult days, according to the veteran, were that of the battle of Kursk, when, according to his own metaphorical expression, " It seemed that everything was burning: both the earth and the sky." "I got lucky then," Mikhail Petrovich recalled, with tears in his eyes, " there were so many deaths nearby, but I remained alive." In January 1945, he was seriously injured and sent for treatment in the Dagestani city of Derbent. This was the end of the Great Patriotic War for the frontline soldier. After returning to his native village, Mikhail Petrovich worked on a collective farm. Then, he got married. Soon my grandfather was born. But in the post-war period, life did not become any easier, as it was necessary to restore the economy destroyed by the war. There were not enough men, so one had to work not only for himself, but also for those who did not return from the war. The war did not spare the soldier's health. In 2006, after a serious illness, Mikhail Petrovich died. In memory of the frontline soldier, his family keeps photos and awards: - the order of the Patriotic War of II degree, - the Zhukov medal, - the sign "Front-Line soldier 1941-1945", - the medal "Glory to the Heroes of the Battle of Kursk", - the medal "70 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR", anniversary medals. What a strong, courageous, decent man he was. He went through his life with honor and dignity. He did not give up in the face of difficulties and troubles. He proudly went forward and always helped those who needed it.

My great-grandfather Mikhail Fyodorovich Kruglov, grandfather of my mother Elena Yuryevna Pankova (Telegina) and father of my grandmother) Alevtina Mikhailovna Telegina (Kruglova, was born in 1907 in the village of Petryevo, Shuisky district (now Komsomol district) in a peasant family. In this village, he lived, studied, worked, and raised his children. Although he had finished only 3 years of education, he was a smart man, well-read, a good manager, led an active life, and was always in the thick of things. He was one of the first to join the collective farm of the 13 years of the Red Army, performed various works, quickly mastered new equipment: (Reaping, mowing), at one time was even the chairman of the collective farm. By nature, great-grandfather was a direct person, not indifferent to everything that surrounded him. He subscribed to and read the local newspaper “Za Energetiku”, published at the time and sometimes wrote notes about collective farm life himself. My great-grandfather was a patriot of his country and loved to sing. His favorite song is "Courageously Comrades in Step". Cheerful and optimistic, but at the same time serious and thoughtful, he was respected among the villagers. And children especially loved him. A group of children often gathered around him, and he arranged some competitions for them. And this love was mutual. Great-grandfather Mikhail was very fond of children: both his own and others'. He had seven of his own (4 sons and 3 daughters). And another daughter, born in 38, died very young. The eldest of them was my future grandfather Slava, who was born in 1927. Mikhail Fyodorovich not only loved, but also greatly respected his wife, my great-grandmother Evdokia Mikhailovna, nee Novikova. Later on, all alone she supported and raised seven children to be worthy citizens of their homeland, and lived a difficult, honest, selfless life, full of work and whole-hearted devotion. And I can rightly be proud of my great-grandmother for her labor and maternal feats. In those early years, the Kruglov family was struggling financially, because they had many children, but they were still quite happy: they loved, took care of each other, and believed in a bright future. The news of the beginning of the war came to the village of Petryevo on June 22 at around 15-16 o’clock, and the next day came a summons to the frontlines due on June 30. Mikhail Fedorovich immediately went to the military enlistment office in Komsomolsk, where he was granted a respite, due to family circumstances (many children). And on June 24, the youngest son Shurik was born. Joy and sorrow were so intertwined in those days. Then there was the 2nd summons (July 4) and the 3rd from August 23, 1941. In the summer, knowing that he would soon have to leave for the frontlines, great-grandfather Michael along with his wife and older children were urgently finishing up various household chores: cut firewood for the coming winter, gathered milk, including that of their neighbors all around the farm, and went to Ivanovo Kotorowski to sell it in the market and save up, leaving the family more money to live on. It was impossible hold back tears while listening to the memories of Lev Mikhailovich Kruglov, born in 1929, the second of Mikhail Fedorovich's children, the same Leva with whom he went to Ivanovo to sell milk. A railway passed by the Khutor market, along which a train with equipment, ammunition and recruits was traveling. Soldiers from the train waved their hands, saying goodbye to Ivanov, its residents and, probably, to peaceful life in general. And the people in the market looked at them and cried - everyone from young to old cried, so deeply did they feel the impending grief. Mikhail turned away from his son, probably not wanting to show him his weakness, and when he turned back, Leva saw that his cheeks were also wet. This episode is imprinted in the boy's memory for life. And on August 23, in the evening, great-grandfather Mikhail received the 3rd summons to the frontlines. At that time in the village they said: "Where are you going? – To the war. – No, not to the war, but to the slaughter..." Great-grandfather Mikhail had a hard time saying goodbye to his family. He returned home once or twice, hugged his children and wife, and leaned over the crib of two-month-old Sasha... His last words were, "Good-bye, children." The gathering station was near Novotalitsy. He stayed there for two months. It was formed by the 332 infantry division of Frunze. This division included 1115, 1117 and 1119 regiments. M. F. Kruglov was assigned to the 1115, i.e. first regiment, first battalion, and the first company. And now we can only guess that he was among the first to enter battle. After that, he became a submachine gunner and a soldier. On October 24, the formed division was sent to Moscow. On January 5, 1942, great-grandfather Mikhail wrote a letter home – this was the last message from him. And then came silence; then came uncertainty. Great-grandmother Dusya made a request to the command office in May 1942. The answer came signed by some quartermaster that her husband is alive and fighting at the frontlines and letters, you know, you will just have to wait, they will come soon. But there were no more of them. Later, there was a report that he was missing. Thus, my great-grandmother died without any news about the fate of her husband. And in 1992, Nikonov's article "The First Battle" was published in the newspaper "Rabochiye Krai". It made a deep impression on Lev Mikhailovich Kruglov. He talked to his brothers and sisters and they decided to go to the places where their father's last days were spent and visit his grave. In the summer of the same year, 4 sons and 2 daughters of M.F.Kruglov visited these places, bowed to the mass graves in the villages of Zamoshye, Zaneprechye, Gorodishche, Bolshoe Lokhovo. On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Great Victory on May 5, 1995, the opening of the memorial complex in the village of Bolshoe Lokhovo in the Ostashkinsky district of the Tver region took place. On May 25, 2014, during search operations in the area of the village Titovschina of the Demidovsky district of the Smolensk region the search party "Patriot" of the Demidov city (under the commander A.V. Korneev) found a mass unaccounted for sanitary burial. During the exhumation, a medallion was found reading: Mikhail FEDOROVICH KRUGLOV 1907 Ivanovo region Komsomolsky district village Prislon. On May 3, 2015, a tombstone with the name of the fallen soldier was installed at the place of his reburial.

Rank: Lieutenant. Type of service: - ground forces, - air force (except naval aviation), - the coast guard, troops of the NKVD, - the border guards. Unit: 1st Moscow rifle division of the people's militia (Leninsky district). Lev Ignatievich Korzun was born on March 30, 1925 in Saltykovka. His father, Ignatiy Pavlovich worked as a land surveyor, while his mother, Sofya Filippovna was a housewife. Along with Leo, another two brothers were brought up in the family. He often likes to say: "I am a happy person. I have been lucky to have good teachers throughout my whole life: in school, in the military college, in the military academy, and at the Moscow University. If there were any poor teachers, they passed me without deeply touching neither my soul nor my heart. And in my memory remained only the favorites, and, above all, the saltykovskiye. They not only taught us their subjects, but also were unobtrusively raising us, teaching us life itself, foremostly, by being an example to us. After all, each of them was their own person." So many years have passed, a long difficult life has been lived, and the memories of those years at school are filled with feelings of deep respect and heartfelt gratitude. When in 1943, Lev Ignatievich had the opportunity to command a company of several dozens of people, all of whom were older than him, he was greatly helped by the lessons and skills that he received from the teachers of his dear school. After graduating from school in June 1942, Lev Ignatievich decided to volunteer for the army and enter a military school. However, the district military commissariat refused him due to the fact that he had not turned eighteen years old yet. However, through the Central Committee of the Komsomol, the young man still managed to get a referral to study at the Moscow Red Banner infantry school named after the Supreme Council of the RSFSR. On the day of his eighteenth birthday, March 30, 1943, Lev Ignatievich received a certificate of completion of the accelerated course. And in April, Lieutenant Korzun was sent to the active army on the Central frontline (on the Kursk bulge) as the commander of the 1st rifle company of the 1285 rifle regiment, which was part of the 60th rifle division of the 65th army of the Central frontline. On August 26 - 27, the division participated in the assault of the city of Sevsk. During the assault, on August 27, he was wounded in his thigh by an explosive bullet: "At this time, something heavy hit my legs. I fell, like a log. Raising my head, I saw that the open skirts of my greatcoat were torn. The right leg of my pants was torn to shreds just above the knee. These rags quickly became soaked in blood. I felt blood running down my leg and into my boot. Someone shouted: "Senior Lieutenant wounded!". Fortunately, there were a few of medical instructors nearby. They ran up to me immediately, expertly applied a tourniquet, not sparing no bandages, bandaged the thigh directly over the pant leg. I do not know what miracle saved my life at that moment. After all, if the Hitlerite had aimed a little to the side, I would have been left without both legs. I probably would not be able to make it to the medical unit, anyways. If he had aimed a little higher, my stomach and chest would have been a bloody mess. Afterall, it was a burst of explosive bullets. I saw my wound only in the medical unit. Just above the right knee, there was a small bullet hole in the thigh, and a piece of meat literally torn out of the back of the thigh. The bullet was, indeed, explosive. In the medical battalion on August 31, in the divisional newspaper, young soldiers read the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief to Army General K. K. Rokossovsky. Korzun L.I. recalls: "We were very happy and proud that our division was marked in the order. It was given the name Sevskaya, and the Supreme Commander-in-Chief bestowed gratitude upon us. In Moscow, on this day, an artillery salute was held in our honor. It was one of the first salutes in my life." After 7 months of hospitals, tenacious Lev Ignatievich decided to continue his military career. Lev Ignatyevich was sent to study at the officers' training crash courses. Then, he worked as a commander of an reconnaissance company. In 1948, he entered the Command Department of the Military Academy of Panzor Forces, from which he graduated with honors in 1953, and was left to study at the post-graduate school, from which he graduated in 1956. After the post-graduate, he served in staff and military scientific work in the headquarters, in the "Shot" courses in the main headquarters of the ground forces. His love of literature instilled in school by his teacher Lyudmila Evgenievna Ivanova had finally shown through in 1960, when Lev Ignatievich entered the correspondence department of the faculty of journalism of Moscow State University. In 1963, he was accepted as a member of the Union of Journalists of the USSR. For a long time, Lev Ignatievich worked in the general staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR, and after retiring with the rank of major general, he began working as deputy editor-in-chief of the magazine “Military thought”, and then “Military historical magazine”. At present, Lev Ignatievich also tries to be in the thick of things, always happy to respond to an invitation to visit his old school. His memoirs share some elements of a confession, a kind of spiritual testament from the generation of the forties to the generation of the two-thousands. Indeed, how little do we know about those who live or have lived near us! We do not know anything about our ancestors beyond our parents or, at best, our grandparents. In this regard, the words of the remarkable Russian writer Emmanuel Kazakevich, the author of the novel "Star", with whom L.I. Korzun was well acquainted and whom he likes to quote so much, sound very fitting: "Remember: the heroes are next to us. They are not great generals or great artists. They are just people. But they are great for their dedication to the common cause and love for the people, the people around them. It is easy to love humanity. It is hard to love the people around you. And that is the thing they need. Heroes are near you. So, try to learn how to understand them when it is still not too late. Be able to understand, appreciate, and love them! »

In Nazi captivity I cannot judge which was more difficult: to defend the homeland at the frontlines, constantly feeling the shoulder of a fellow comrade, the power of the weapon you have been given, the support of the homefront, or to be driven like slave cattle to the conqueror, to work for him in order to get your soup and bread, to constantly endure beatings and humiliation. Now, when I feel the heavy burden of the years I have lived, it is hard to believe what I, and tens of thousands of Soviet people, had to go through while in Nazi captivity. I was born in Azov in 1926. The Great Patriotic War found me me at my school desk. The frontline was rapidly approaching, and in July 1942, my hometown, Azov was occupied by the German-fascist invaders. The commandant's office appeared with its commandant, the city council, the police, made up of traitors. All of them began to establish a "new order" in the city. Raids and shootings began. I remember how the military commandant made a speech before lined up boys and girls. The translator repeated: "You all are healthy kids, will be sent to work in Germany for the benefit and prosperity of the Third Reich. Disobedience, runaway - death." Then there were submachine gunners, dogs, "calves" with barbed wire on the windows. Thus, my life in captivity began. The allocation points were located in the cities of Ulm and Stuttgart (Germany). From there, I was taken to the Swiss border in Friedrichshafen to the Olympia concentration camp. I was assigned №636. The Germans forced guys just like me, hungry and exhausted, to build a factory. We dug deep ditches. In any weather - rain or mud - we shoveled the soil up, and others picked it up and threw it even higher. Often all of it would fall back on us. And all this for 12 to 14 hours a day. We would cut blocks from stone for building construction. We would fall from fatigue, but the guards roused us with whips, and we continued to work to survive. There were constant thoughts of escape. The first attempt failed. I was caught, beaten with a whip, taken back to the camp. In total, there were four attempts alone and with friends, and all of them ended in failure. Then, I was sent to build another plant in the city of Kressbronn. It was right on the border with Switzerland. Here, on April 28, 1945, we were liberated by General De Gaulle's French 6th Shock Army. They brought us to Hoiberg and then transferred to the command of the Soviet zone of occupation in Germany. After three checks by the “Smersh” authorities, I was called up for military service in the military unit No. 61470, in the city of Uterbok (25 km South of Potsdam). After the disbanding of this unit, I was sent to serve in Gorky, in the 1241st rifle regiment, where I served as a commander of a 76-mm gun in the rank of sergeant until March 1950. In the same year, I returned to Azov. Returned to peaceful labor. When I was serving in Gorky, I met and then married a good person, Tamara Vasilyevna, who had become my life partner for 56 years. She worked as a craftswoman of the tailoring facility of the Gorky Fashion Studio, the products of which were sent to the frontlines in 1944. The work of a seamstress was very hard: she had to sit at the sewing machine for 10-12 hours in cold and hunger. That is how she lost her health, especially her eyesight. She was a veteran of the homefront, had awards and commendations. Almost all of my working years were devoted to the baking industry. I gave 27 years of my life to this business and went from being a handyman to the manager of a bakery. In 1968, I graduated from the Moscow Remote Institute of the Food Industry. While working, I carried out a lot of public work. I was elected deputy of the city council of People's Deputies for two periods. For my work, I have received government awards, including the medals: "Veteran of Labor", "50 years of Victory of the Great Patriotic War", "For valiant Labor in Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of V. I. Lenin "Bronze Medal of VDNH", "For Achievements in the National Economy" and many others. Now I am surrounded by children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. I am busy doing what I love in my garden and at home, and the only wish I have for my family and friends, for all the people of our country, is that there will be no war, that the nightmare that we had to go through in the distant forties will not be repeated.

Rank: Red Army soldier. Branch of service: artillery. I, like all my peers, am not familiar with war. I am not familiar with and do not want war. But neither did those who died without a thought that they would die, that they would never see the sun, the sky, the grass, or the children. The war did not spare a single household, brought trouble to each one. Millions of soldiers did not return. They were left on countless battlefields, in the ashes of concentration camp cremation furnaces, on land and at the bottom of the seas. Everywhere. My grandfather Vasily Kurochkin did not return from the frontlines either. What do I know about him? Quite a bit from the stories of friends and relatives. My grandfather, Vasily Grigoryevich Kurochkin, was born in a large peasant family with five children, in the village of Enikeyevka in the Ruzaevsky district. Life was difficult, from the age of six my grandfather had been working: tilling the garden, grazing cattle. But he was studying, at the same time. My grandfather learned to write and count. He was a very literate person. Before the war, he had everything: his beloved wife Domna Vasilyevna, seven children (three sons and four daughters), and his treasured job. My grandfather worked as an accountant on the Krasnaya Zvezda collective farm. He was a very honest, decent, and kind person. But suddenly everything was turned upside down: "war" - this terrible word entered the village, its every house. Vasily Grigoryevich had the opportunity to stay with his family and work in the police, but he was not the kind of person that could hide behind the backs of others. Without a moment's hesitation, he went to the military enlistment office. Grandfather was mobilized from the former Kulicheyskiy village council, and, among a number of other volunteers, was sent to the army. He liberated the city of Sevastopol. Then he was transferred to the city of Voronezh. He wrote kind and tender letters to his wife and children. He was very worried about them. He never thought about death, never thought about it under any circumstances. He wanted to bid goodbye to the enemy as fast as he could and return to his hometown. But he was never to return. In July 1942, trouble fell onto the family. The funeral service reported that Vasily Grigoryevich Kurochkin died a brave death in the battle for the city of Voronezh. He was buried in a mass grave in the city of Voronezh. I am proud of my grandfather. He is worthy of respect. I am proud of my grandmother, Domna Kurochkina, who raised seven worthy children. They say that a person lives as long as the memory of him is alive. Let this memory teach us kindness, peacefulness, and humanity. And let none of us forget who and how fought for our freedom and happiness. We are indebted to them.