Heroes and feats

Military rank is Political Officer and branch of troop is Military-political composition. The division’s name: the 5th Guards City Rifle Order of Lenin Red Banner order of Suvorov Division. Before the war started, he has served in the 142nd Rifle Regiment of the 5th Rifle Division in the Baltic States. In June 1940, the division was transferred to the 11th Rifle corps. In May 1941, it was returned to the 16th Rifle corps with its location in the Kazlu-Ruda camps. By the beginning of the war, it was to take up positions on the border with East Prussia from the Niemen to the area west of Pilvishka. June 16-19, 1941, it was relocated to the assigned frontier cover line. June 22, 1941, it did not have time to turn around in the designated 30-kilometer lane. On the border from north to south, the 3rd battalion of the 142nd Rifle Regiment, the 2nd Battalion of the 190th Rifle Regiment and the 749th Rifle Regiment took up defense. June 23, 1941, the division, due to the lack of transport facilities, was forced to destroy the material part of the howitzer regiment and most of the vehicles. The division headquarters was located in the Luksha area. Advance units were on the line Zhile (10 km south of Yurburg), Debicki, and Penziski. In the first hours of the war the division was engaged in fighting against the advancing strip in the 10th Army corps of the 16th Wehrmacht army, comprised of 30 and 126 infantry divisions, having the order to defend the 1st, 2nd and 3rd units of the defense Kovno fortified region at the turn of Shaudhenya, Zykle and Shvarple. During noon the division held back the advance of the enemy, some of its units were surrounded in the area of Kozlovarudskiy forests. During June 22-23, 1941, the division retreated to Kaunas in difficult conditions. June 23, 1941, the division's positions were attacked at 8:00 am in the Shakyai area, and three attacks were repulsed from 8:00 am to 10:00 am. On 24th June 1941, parts of the division were located on the West Bank of the Neman river in a grove West of rumshishkes. The division crossed the Neman river using improvised means and swam 8-10 km South-East of Kaunas. It was sent to Josli (12 kilometers east of Kaisiadoris) with the task of destroying the enemy together with parts of the 84th motorized division and ensuring the crossing of the Vilia river at Shilan. In order to cancel the previous order, the division was assigned the task of defending the sector with the front edge of Shmotay, Virbalay, and the Vilia river together with the 270th corps Artillery Regiment. On 25th June 1941 the devision focused in the area Albertov, Kiselichka, Bastrika, then moved to the attack on Kaunas from the East and was able to emerge on its Eastern outskirts, however, the enemy, entering into battle fresh division, threw the troops of the division back to the river Vilia. June 26, 1941, the enemy went on the offensive and was able to surround the division on the river Vilia, however, the forces of a Tank Regiment 46 division of environment were rescued and on 27th June retreated on the route Bagaslaviskis, Kristi, Kiwanis, Lewanski, and Potelwa with a task focus in the area Crepelike, Sticks, Botanica. The division headquarters was located in Guinane. June 29th 1941 the order was received to retreat along the route Midenistis, Malati, Rudely, Siriski, Shishkin, covering the retreat of 16th Rifle Corps with the task to focus the morning on June 30 in district Strudengau. Due to the danger of meeting with the enemy, moving parallel course the devision was forced to deviate to the South. June 30-July 1, 1941 it departed from the Koltynyany area via the station of Daugelishki, Vidze, Murmishki, concentrating in the area of Voynyuntsy. On July 5, 1941, it was located in the area of Disna, the Drissa river and made a march along the Kokhanovichi-Sebezh-Idritsa road, with orders to concentrate in the Maksyutino area. July 6th, 1941, it was transferred to the 27th Army. On 6th – 8th July 1941 again enter into combat on the front Long Fields, Dubrovka (15 km north-west of Idritsa), Kuznetsovka, and then by July 9th 1941, sent to the route Collina, Myakishevo, Lauraine, Big Kraskino (north-east of Opochka), focusing in the area Ruchkin, Pecorino, Odincovo, which is again encircled, again out of his district Cadaveri by July 20, 1941, and took up defensive positions to the East Kadewere, South Davydkovoand Maslovo, located behind the lake Ale. July 20, 194, the division still had two 45-mm and eleven 76-mm guns, which were located in the area of Grinevo. At night of July 20-21, the division concentrated at Ivankovo. July 21, it defended the strip of Naumkino, Zakharino, lake Moshno, Leshchevo, and Masterovo. July 22, 1941 the German troops again went on the offensive and broke through the defenses northwest of Loknya station in the area of the villages of Utekhino and Nikiforovka. The division occupied the front of defense in Bocharov, Naumkovo, Doubkova, Zagarino, Kondratovo, Fleas. July 23, 1941 the division was sent to eliminate the breakthrough of enemy troops at the Mikhailov Churchyard and was again surrounded by the main forces. July 24, 1941 it remained surrounded in the area of Khilkovo, Yakoltsevo, and later that day in the area of Sakhnovo, Khilkovo and Eskino. It received orders to break through together with the 23rd, 33rd and 84th Rifle divisions to Loknya. July 25, 1941 the command of these divisions decided to make their way south of the Mikhailov Pogost through Martyushkino, Grishino and Pereluchye with a subsequent turn to Loknya. Parts of the division from 3rd to 4th August 1941 went to Toropets crossing the front line in the area of Maryino, from where they were sent by rail to Ostashkov, from there by ships on lake Seliger to Svapushche and then marching to the village of Molvotitsy, where they were met by representatives of the 27th Army. The division was ordered to replace the 84th Rifle division in the area of Korpovo, Uduba with orders to advance on Yamishchi in order to reach the line Rysevo – Mamonovo. On 9th August stepping on the front of Amishi bulls division engaged the enemy over the settlements Rysevo, Petrovo. August 12th it crossed the Krutovka river with its left flank and captured Pesochnoye, Mamonovo, and Demidovo. August 13th advanced to Rysevo, Luzhki. August 14th 1941, the division captured Balanevka, Rysevo and Ratno, and also destroyed an enemy group that broke through its location to Kamenka. August 17th the division from the initial line of Stifonovka – Kolomenets tried to attack, but was repulsed. On 20th August 1941, the division was able to move slightly in the direction of Veronica. August 26th – 27th 1941, the division was placed in reserve, surrendering its positions to 23rd divisions. During the offensive combat actions a number of villages were liberated, and Soviet troops advanced 25-30 kilometers to the West and tried to organize a new defensive line. In early September 1941, a powerful German offensive followed, and the division was forced to retreat. On 8th September 1941 it went to the Svapushche area. On 9th September, 1941 it retreated to the area of Kokovkino, the northern shore of the lake, and secured a position at the Svapushche — Kokovkino line. On 10th September the division with fights retreated in a South-easterly direction on Glutony, leaving Svapushche. On 11th September 1941, as a result of heavy combat actions, the division left Kokovkino. On September 12th 1941, the division was transferred to the Reserve Front. On September 13th 1941, the division was ordered to occupy the defensive line Senopunkt, Lake Stergut, Belkovo in pre-prepared positions. However, the division continued fighting and the retreat were carried out only on 18th September to the line of Lake Stergut, Shelekhovo. The division headquarters is located in Glaunach. Until October 2nd 1941, the division held positions at the Senopunkt line, Shelekhovo, after which it transferred the defense section to the 249th rifle division. In early October 1941, after the withdrawal of troops to Ostashkov, the drained division was sent from the area of Diaghilev, Novoselki, Strunino to rest in the area of Volokolamsk, Solnechnogorsk. However, due to the difficult situation in Kalinin, the echelon with the division was stopped October 12th 1941 and unloaded in this city. October 13th 1941 the division consisted of three regiments and one Artillery division, with 1,964 men (only two regiments arrived), had no ammunition and was short of weapons. It took up defensive positions near the villages of Danilovskoye and Troyanovo on the southern approaches to the city, but during the German offensive on 13 th October 1941 (the 1st Panzer division was operating from the enemy) it was quickly crushed and retreated to an Elevator on the eastern outskirts of Kalinin, suffering heavy losses. At night October 14th, 1941, the delayed 190th Rifle regiment arrived. The 142th and 336th Rifle regiments occupied the defense at the turn of Zheltikovo, Nikulino and Lebedevo, defending the Staritsky and Volokolamsk highways; the 190th Rifle regiment concentrated in the area of school No. 12. Under pressure from superior enemy forces, parts of the division retreated to the city center by noon and took up defensive positions along the Tmak river. Persistent street fighting in the southern part of Kalinin continued all day and night. October 15th, 1941, the division finally left the eastern and south-estern trenches of Kalinin and moved to the line of Staraya Konstantinovka, Maly Peremerki, and Kotovo. On 15th and 16th October 1941, it fought for Small and Large Peremerki, and settlements changed hands several times. By the day end of October 16th, it was located on the front of Bobachevo, Maly Peremerki, and Greblevo. On 17th October the division was unable to support the breakthrough of the enemy's front, carried out by 21st Tank brigade, limiting itself to a minor advance. On 18th October, the division was located in the area of Maly Peremerki, Biryulino. By the day’s end of December 19th, it was engaged in offensive battles in the area of Bolshye Peremerki, Greblevo, Belavino, and Koltsovo. During the 5 days from October 14th to 19th, the division lost 525 men killed and wounded. On 22nd October, 1941, it fought in the area of Maly Peremerok-Koltsovo-Vishenki-Mityaevo, slowly moving towards the South-Eastern outskirts of Kalinin. On October 26, 1941, the division fought hard on the Maly Peremerki, Greblevo, and Vishenki fronts. On October 29, 1941, the division liberated Vishenki and advanced west of it. Until mid-November 1941, the division continued to fight at Kalinin. On 15th November 1941, the division occupied a line along the Bank of the Volga River 6 kilometers southeast of Kalinin, Vishenka, and Kotovo. On this day, German troops again launched an offensive on Moscow and forced the division to withdraw beyond the Volga. By the morning of November 16th, 1941, the division had taken up positions north of the Moscow sea in the Poddubye, Orshino, Lisitsyand and Sudimirka area and repulsed all enemy attempts to cross in the Pasynkovo, Staroe Semyonovskoe area. Fighting continued in the following days (the enemy's 129th and 86th infantry divisions were fighting), but the division thwarted attempts to cross the Volga River, in particular on November 19th and 20th , 1941. The division defended this area until the beginning of the December counteroffensive ubder Moscow, on December 4, 1941, by order of the Supreme high command Headquarters No. 005292 of December 1, 1941, the division was withdrawn from the Army and transferred to the 31st Army of the Kalinin front to participate in the counteroffensive under Moscow. During the Kalinin offensive operation, the division was to launch a diversionary attack in the direction of Smolino, Gorodishche. December 5th, 1941, the division captured the bridgehead at Staro-Semyonovsky, occupied Staraya Vedernya and Aleksino, and engaged in battles for Gorodishche and Golenikha. On December 6, 1941, the enemy counterattacked four times and again captured the Settlement, forcing the division to retreat to the area of Staraya Vederna. On 13th December 1941 the division took possession of the Settlement Smolino, Galenika, Voskresenskoye and led the fight for Mineva. From December 14th, 1941, as part of the army's shock group, it went on the offensive and reached the line of Trunovo, Mezhevo. December 15th, 1941 it took Trunovo, Perkhurovo, Starikovo, Lukyanovo, then its combat path lay through the settlements of Zhelnino, Panino, Nesterovo. On 29th December the division's entry into battle in the Gostenevo area made it possible to turn the tide of prolonged fighting and break through the enemy's defenses. By the end of the operation, the division has reached the approaches to Rzhev from the East, in the area of the village of Asuzhnovo, where it ran into a powerful enemy defense. During the offensive, the division has took possession of settlements Mishnevo, Centrino, Polukarpovo, Mezanino, Loginova, Lukyanova, Megeve, New, Trunova, Perhurovo and Lobkovo. The last letter from A. A. Karpukhin, political instructor of the 142nd Rifle regiment of the 5th Rifle division, is dated January 19, 1942. According to the response of the Central archive of the Ministry of Defense, the location of the unit on this date was 16 km North-East of the city of Zubtsov (Kolodkino village, Otradnoye village, Kalinin region (star.). According to the archive data, A. A. Karpukhin was wounded on 25th January 1942 (base op 217510 D2L 86, 87) and sent to the hospital. The further fate is not known (signatures of the Chief of staff of the 142th Rifle regiment Smirnov and battalion Commissar Zolin). This was reported to the mother of Karpukhin A.A. March 29th, 1942. In the Memorial book on page 158 Karpukhin A.A. is listed as missing in September 1942.

Branch of Troops: Ground Forces, Air Force (except Marine aviation), shore service, NKVD troops, frontier troops. Pavel Ivanovich was served in the 39th Separate battalion of satchel flamethrowers as part of the 14th Assault fighter-sapper brigade of the 2nd Ukrainian front. He took part in the Iassko-Kishinev offensive (August 20-29, 1944). He has received three commendations for the participation in these offencive from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Marshal of the Soviet Union J. V. Stalin. The liberation of Hungary began in 1944 on 23rd September with the offensive of the 2nd Ukrainian front. During the successful offensive, Debrecen was liberated. For this he received the fourth commendation of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief on October 20th "For storming the major industrial center of Hungary, the city of Debrecen". In October 1944, he received a concussion and a skull injury. His comrades-in-arms Peter Sitnikov and Mikhail Surin (the squad Commander) saved him. They turned over him to the nurse in the ambulance. He soon recovered and was in the service. In December 1944 Pavel Ivanovich participated in breaking through the heavily fortified enemy defenses north-east of Budapest and crossing the Danube for which he received the fifth commendation of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. In March-April 1945, the troops of the left wing of the 2nd Ukrainian front participated in the strategic Vienna operation, during which they completed the liberation of Hungary, the Eastern regions of Austria and a large part of Czechoslovakia. During the battles in Hungary, he received two more commendations from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief: March 25th, 1945 for the conquest of the cities of Esztergom, Nesma, Felsogalla and Tatta. March 28th 1945 for the conquest of the cities of Dier and Komarom. The Eighth commendation Pavel Ivanovich has received for the mastery of Austrian cities Floridsdorf and Korneuburg. Pavel Ivanovich had heard the good news of Victory in the Czech lands in the city Beneshev.

Militaty rank is Major General. Branch of Troops: Ground service, Air Forces (except Marine aviation), shore service, NKVD troops, frontier troops. In 2013, the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the historic "Battle of the Dnieper" was celebrated. During the crossing of the Dnieper (August-December 1943), multinational Soviet troops showed mass heroism. The battle for the Dnieper, from its source to its mouth, was fought by five fronts: the Central, Voronezh, Steppe, South-Western and somewhat later the Southern front came to the lower course. During the fighting, these fronts were renamed the Belarussian, the 1st, the 2nd, thr 3rd and 4th Ukrainian, respectively, on October 20, 1943. For their courage and bravery, 2605 soldiers of the Red Army were awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Among them are 15 sons of the Armenian nation. Among them was the commander of the 74th Rifle Division, Major General A. A. Kazaryan, whose post-war fate is inextricably linked with the Crimea. Few people know that among more than 40 Armenians who received the title of Heroes of the Soviet Union in the battles for Ukraine and Crimea, major- General A. A. Kazaryan was the first. It was no surprise at all that on May 9th, 2004, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Hero of the Soviet Union Major General Andranik Abramovich Kazaryan (14.05.1904-18.01.1992), the Crimean Armenian society, at the suggestion and at the expense of the author of this essay, installed a modest memorial plaque in Simferopol. In 2014, an alley or square was planned to be opened in Simferopol on 14 th May for the 110th anniversary of Andranik Abrahamyan. But the events of the Crimean spring and the latest political twists and turns have postponed the solution of this issue for an indefinite period… Having retired to the reserve in 1959, from the position of first Deputy of the 32nd Army corps stationed in the Crimea, Andranik Abramovich carried out a huge public work on military-patriotic education of the population. What he did not do. Think of that … He was: the Chairman of the scientific and methodological Council for the promotion of military knowledge and military-patriotic education of the Crimean regional organization "Knowledge»; the head of the Crimean regional staff of Komsomol members and youth "In places of glory of the Soviet people"; the head of the Crimean regional staff of the military sports game "Zarnitsa"; the Chairman of the Crimean regional Commission on GTO (Ready for Labour and Defence). In addition, he participated in the work of DOSAAF, made reports and lectures. He published in newspapers, not only in the Crimean, but also in Moscow. A. A. Kazaryan is the author and compiler of the book "Heroes of the battles for the Crimea" (Tavria publishing house, Simferopol, 1972), which tells about 350 Heroes of the Soviet Union, representatives of 30 nationalities of the USSR who received this title in the battles for the Crimea, including ten Armenian soldiers. The General also wrote the book "Honorary citizen" — seven essays about Crimeans who fought in Europe, who were awarded the title of Honorary citizens of foreign cities (by the way, the author himself is an honorary citizen of Shakyai, Lithuania). He is also the author of methodological materials to help the lecturer "30 years of liberation of the Crimea from the Nazi invaders»… In Soviet times, a lot was said and written about A. A. Kazaryan. His active work in the military-patriotic education of young people, in the search for and identification of nameless heroes who went missing on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War is invaluable. His work was marked by more than 300 certificates of honor and commendations. What he did, can tell and a small article in the Central newspaper. In 1966, in "Krymskaya Pravda", in a note by V. Tolmacheva "where are you, General?" one can read: "Only last year, the youth of Crimea found 1,400 nameless heroes. Andranik Abramovich took part in the search for many of them." The Pathfinder General was then often seen in Podolsk, where the military archive was located. In May 1974, all Crimean newspapers celebrated the seventieth anniversary of the famous General. His 80th birthday was especially celebrated in 1984. First Secretary of the Nagorno-Karabakh regional Committee of the Komsomol M. sh.Musaelyan and Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan SSR S. V. Hayrapetyan came to congratulate their countryman on the glorious anniversary. For his forty-year service in the Armed Forces, the General received all his 12 battle orders during the war. Among his awards are the"Gold Star" of the Hero of the Soviet Union, as well as the Order of Lenin (2), Suvorov 2nd class (3), Red banner (5), Patriotic war 1st class, Chinese Order. In 1978, the Soviet writer publishing house in Moscow published Leonid Kudryavtsev's book “My General”, a documentary story about A. A. Kazaryan. You can learn about the heroic deeds of soldiers and officers of the division under the command of the General during the war from the book by Alexey Gordienko "the Dnieper were". The book "Dnipro-river of heroes" refers to 2605 Heroes of the Soviet Union who received these titles for crossing the Dnieper. Among them are 43 soldiers and officers of the 74th Rifle division (13th army, Central front). About the General, the participation of units under his command, the exploits of soldiers and officers can be read in dozens of books published both in Moscow and in the cities of Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the death of the General, the memory of him in the media was forgotten. The newspaper of the Crimean Armenian society "Dove of Masis"has not written about A. Kazaryan for more than 10 years. But it seemed that new times had come. In the revived and renewed community, new people have appeared, striving to preserve the rich cultural and historical heritage of the Armenians in Crimea for posterity. It was no exception to pay tribute to the memory of people who, working on the ancient fertile Crimean land, glorified their people. A. A. Kazaryan belongs to such people. I was lucky enough to visit my famous compatriot several times during the first years of my studies at the Simferopol higher military-political construction school. These meetings were held thanks to the Crimean Armenian cultural society "Luys", which started its activity in 1989. It was they who gave me the address of A. A. Kazaryan on the eve of Victory Day. On behalf of the community, together with other fellow cadets and students, on May 9 and 14, 1990, and the following year, I visited Major General Andranik Kazaryan at his home and congratulated him on his holiday and birthday. Unfortunately, at the beginning of 1992, he died… In order to perpetuate the memory of the hero, at the suggestion of the author of these lines, in 2004 the Crimean Armenian society addressed a letter to the mayor of Simferopol V. F. Ermak. The community requested permission to install a memorial plaque on the facade of 71st Gogol street. Finally, the long-awaited response was received. The mayor's letter said: "The Crimean Armenian society is allowed to construct and install a memorial plaque to the Hero of the Soviet Union, major General A. A. Kazaryan on the facade of the house No. 71 on Gogol street»... The beginning of the battle path (pages from the biography). Above we talked about the General's Affairs in peacetime, after the war. So who was he, what was he famous for, and what is his biography? Andranik Abramovich Kazaryan was born on May 14, 1904 in the ancient Armenian fortress city of Shusha in the Elizavetapol province of the Russian Empire (now the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic) in the family of a craftsman. He had to experience hardships and hardships early: he was orphaned early. Already in 1920, as a sixteen-year-old boy, he voluntarily joined the Red Army. He is enlisted in the second Armenian Rifle regiment. Subsequently, he gradually takes the positions of platoon Commander; company Commander, Chief of staff of the regiment, regimental Commander, Head of the fourth division of the division headquarters. Later, he teaches at the Yerevan state University. Improving his knowledge, in 1924, A. A. Kazaryan first graduated from the Infantry school, then, in 1925 and 1927, military and political courses, and in 1939 — two courses of the military Academy named after M. V. Frunze. Andranik Kazaryan creates one of the first Komsomol cells in Armenia and heads it. In 1927, the 23-year-old Commander became a member of the CPSU (the Soviet Union Communist Party), and later held various posts in the army Komsomol. In the first months of the war, he commanded a Regiment with the rank of Major. From September 1941, the 228th Rifle Regiment fought in the area of the cities of Dnepropetrovsk-Novomoskovsk. In September 1941, Kazarian was wounded by three enemy bullets. He was hospitalized and treated in a hospital in Georgievsk. In January 1942, Lieutenant Colonel A. A. Kazaryan was appointed Chief of Staff of the 134th Separate Rifle Brigade, which was formed in the city of Kuibyshev. The Brigade was part of the 13th Army of N.P. Pukhov (Bryansk front, Commander K. K. Rokossovsky). Upon the arrival of the Brigade to the front, A. A. Kazaryan was already appointed Commander of the Brigade and receives the rank of Colonel. In the bloody battles, he was wounded twice. He skilfully commanded the Brigade from August to October 1942. Subsequently, the 74th Rifle Division was created on the basis of the Brigade, which A. A. Kazaryan successfully commanded until crossing of the Dnieper and the liberation of Kiev, where he received his next wound and severe concussion. Under his command, the 134th separate Rifle Brigade takes part in combat operations in the Bryansk region. The commander presents Andranik Ghazaryan to the Order of the Red Banner. Extract from the award list: "The Brigade under the command of Colonel Ghazaryan conducts continuous active operations with reconnaissance groups, submachine gunners, snipers, inflicting great damage to the enemy, standing out in this respect for the better among the other formations of the army. Only for the period from August 10 to September 20, 1942, the Brigade units destroyed 7 officers, 1000 soldiers, 15 hand and machine guns, 28 dugouts and Bunkers without any significant fighting. As a result of bold intelligence actions, 2 prisoners were captured, who gave valuable testimony. On the site of comrade Kazaryan enemy cannot live and move freely during the day or at night. The enemy is kept in suspense all the time. The Brigade's combat activities were partially covered in the “Izvestia” newspaper of 9.1942 in the article "In the forward trench". The Brigade developed a special activity after the NCO Order No. 227. Currently, the team is put together and represents a strong well-prepared body. Comrade Kazaryan himself is personally brave, has two injuries, one of them is serious. On the front of the Patriotic war is 14 months. He enjoys great authority among his subordinates and colleagues. Strongly supports the discipline. Tactically prepared well. Devoted to the Lenin-Stalin party and the Socialist Motherland. For his leadership fighting brigade, caused the enemy great losses, for high combat activity parts of the brigade, Com. Kazarian worthy of awarding Order of the Red Banner. Commander of the 13th Army, Major General Pukhov, member of the Military Council, Brigadier Commissar Kozlov. September 28, 1942". A. A. Kazaryan was awarded his first Order of the Red Banner by the decree of the USSR Supreme Council Presidium of February 14, 1943 for exemplary performance of combat tasks of the command of the fight against the German invaders and for his valor and courage. In February 1943, there are serious battles south-west of Orel. On the left flank of the front, the 13th Army is active, which was transferred from the Bryansk front to the newly formed Central front (Commander K. K. Rokossovsky). The Brigade is being replenished, and the 74th Rifle Division is being formed on its base, with A. A. Kazaryan appointed as its Commander in October 1942. On February 23, 1943, Andranik Abramovich was awarded the rank of Major General. And for the liberation of Maloarkhangelsk by storm, he is presented to the Order of the Red Banner. Extract from the Award list: "Comrade Kazarian has been Division Commander since October 1942. From August to October 1942, he commanded the 134th Separate Rifle brigade. During his time in the army as a Division Commander, he showed himself to be a capable Commander, able to organize battles and bring it to the end. Tactically competent, executive disciplined Commander, demanding of himself and his subordinates. Strong-willed, bold, determined, fearless in battles with the enemy. A lot of work on putting together combat units and headquarters. In past private combat operations, comrade Kazaryan showed examples of fighting the enemy. During the period of combat operations from January 26, 1943, when breaking through the front edge of the German defense in the Kalinovka area, the Division fought hard for the height of "Cucumber". Breaking the enemy's resistance, captured the strongly fortified point on the river Fosna. Thanks to the skilful and correct leadership of the battle by com. Kazaryan, the division's units moved forward and liberated more than 100 settlements. The division destroyed 1,060 Hitlerites and captured 925 German soldiers and officers. Captured trophies: tanks-22, cars-20, guns of various calibers-33, armored trains-1, armored platforms and locomotives-9, six-barrelled mortars-6, machine guns-42, mortars-30, radio stations-4, bicycles-70, various warehouses-20, 50 kilometers of telephone cable. For his courage and bravery, skilful leadership of the division's units in battle, Com. Kazaryan deserves to be awarded the Order of the Red Banner. Commander of the 13th Army, Major General Pukhov, Member of the Military Council, Major General Kozlov. February 5, 1943". On February 7, 1943, the document was signed by the Commander of the Bryansk front. On the award sheet there is an inscription in red pencil that A. Kazaryan, earlier, in August 1942, was also assigned to the Order of Red Banner. Unfortunately, the text of this document has not yet been found by the MNU. Award list: Central Archive of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation: Fund 33, inventory No. 682525, storage unit 20. During the Bulge of Kursk, the 74th Rifle division occupies a defensive line about 10 kilometers long south-east of Orel, at the northern end of the Kursk bulge. Multi-layered defensive lines are being built. A. A. Kazaryan enjoys a well-deserved authority and love among the personnel. In the Division, a marching song with the following words becomes popular at this time: "Our simple and strict commander, comrade Kazaryan, led a terrible battle...". July 5, 1943 begins "thunderstorm" on the Kursk bulge. The 74th Rifle Division was stationed near the village of Protasovo. Extract from the award list for Major General A. A. Kazaryan: "devoted to the Lenin-Stalin Party and the Socialist Motherland, persistent in improving the combat activity of the division units. In the battles from 5 to 9 July, the Division's units showed fortitude and courage. On July 5, parts of the division counterattacked the enemy attacking in the flank, parts of the 148th Rifle Division, advancing, fought hard with the advancing infantry and a large number of tanks. Counterattacks of the 74th Rifle Division prevented the collapse of the battle formations of the 148th Rifle Division. On June 11, 1943, the 109th Rifle Regiment defending Protasovo fought bravely. One battalion almost completely fell to the death of the brave, but did not leave its positions. Only at the cost of heavy losses did the enemy manage to occupy Protasovo. According to the testimony of prisoners of the 78th Assault Infantry Division operating in this direction, the enemy suffered losses of 60-65 %. In offensive battles, parts of the division successfully completed the task, restoring the former position of defense, while causing great damage to the enemy. Com. Kazarian firmly managed the troops and promptly went to the battle, worthy of being awarded the Order of the Red Banner. Commander of the 15th Rifle Corps, Major General Ludnikov, July 20, 1943. Commander of the 13th army, Lieutenant General Pukhov, July 27, 1943". Major General Andranik Kazaryan was awarded another Order of the Red Banner by decision of the Central front troops 118/n of July 28, 1943. Central Archive of the Defence Ministry of the Russian Federation: Fund 33, inventory No.682526, storage unit 744. The Army took the main blow of the enemy on the Northern ledge of the Kursk bulge. After a week of fierce fighting in the Ponyrei area, by the end of July 12, the 13th army launched a counteroffensive Southeast of Orel. Three fronts- Western, Bryansk, and Central-conducted a coordinated assault to liberate Orel. On August 5, 1943, Orel was captured. In honor of the capture of Orel and Belgorod, the first artillery salute of Victory was made in Moscow. 13 times the 74th Rifle Division launched counterattacks, thwarting the plans of the fascist command. In only one battle, the division's personnel repulsed the attacks of 150 enemy tanks and inflicted huge losses on the enemy in manpower and military equipment. In these battles, the 74th Rifle Division fought south of Oryol. Operating in a westerly direction through Glazunovo station, it entered the city of Kromy from the south. For the skilful and firm leadership of the division during the defensive battles on the Kursk salient, the skilful transition to the counteroffensive and the courage and bravery shown at the same time, the General was awarded another Order of the Red Banner. Years later, in his book "the Road of a lifetime" (Moscow: Voenizdat, 1969), Hero of the Soviet Union Colonel-General Ivan Ilyich Lyudnikov (1902-1976) colorfully describes those battles. Being the Commander of the 15th Corps (which included the 74th Rifle Division in addition to the 8th and 148th), he gives a clear description of the actions of Major General A. A. Kazaryan and his division: "At midnight, scouts reported that the enemy was concentrating fresh forces against the left flank of our corps, that some kind of regrouping was taking place in its immediate rear. The situation required high vigilance. Everything cleared up in the morning. Junkers Ju-87 bomb raid on the area defended by Kazarian's division immediately determined the direction of the attack that the 78th German assault division had taken. The attack was supported by tanks, trying to pave the way for their infantry through Semenovka to Held. General Kazaryan's command post was located at an altitude of 243.9, near Semyonovka. From there, he reported the situation to me over the phone. I didn't just report clearly and thoroughly. General Kazarian had a genuine ecstasy of battle. "Comrade General, I see everything clearly. Our artillery covered the tanks! On the right flank of the division, five tanks are burning, on the left — four. Two cars ahead were hit by mines… Comrade "First", two more "tigers" caught fire. Honestly, they burn like torches! - Infantry? How are the German infantry? I ask Kazarian. — Lay low. We pinned it to the ground with machine-gun fire. The main thing is to put the German down, and we won't let him get up… General Kazaryan is fighting merrily. The Nazis failed to suppress the resistance of our 74th Division. Calling new tanks, changing the direction of the attack on the move, they tried to bypass the village of Buzuluk. We responded to this maneuver of the enemy with our own maneuver: the enemy tanks were met with fire from two anti-tank artillery regiments from the corps reserve. A fierce battle lasted for three hours, in which the enemy lost thirty-five tanks and a lot of manpower. It was still far from dusk, but the attack of the Nazis had already choked, and then stopped altogether." For crossing the Desna River near the city of Korop (landed near the village of Obolon), Andranik Kazaryan was awarded his first order of Suvorov, 2nd degree; a little later-the second of the same order. Extract from the Award list: "74th Rifle Division was assigned to cross the Desna River and capture a bridgehead on the West Bank. If you don't have the proper means to cross the river, you can't do it. Kazaryan collected fishing boats with a capacity of 3-4 people. 6 crossings were organized at the front of 30 km. Of these, 3 main ones – 20 km. 1 echelon of division 109th RR (Rifle Regiment) crossed the Desna River on the obolonye Korop section, secured on the Northern Bank. 78 SP in the first echelon transported 2 battalions, and stormed the village of Zmetnev. 74th RR (Rifle Regiment) under strong influence of the enemy 46th Infantry Regiment of Hungarians, 57th Guard Infantry Regiment of Germans, 183d and 930th Infantry Regiments of 211th Infantry Division of Germans, in difficult conditions crossed the Desna River, and provided a bridgehead for crossing the 2nd echelon of 15th RC ( Rifle Corps). And in the subsequent battles for the expansion of the bridgehead, parts of 74th RD (Rifle Division) showed cougare and bravery, the ability to force a water barrier in difficult conditions. Commander of the 74th RD (Rifle Division), Major General com. Kazaryan is awarded the Order of Suvorov, 2nd class, for his skilful leadership of the units, as a result of the success of crossing the Desna River and securing the bridgehead. Commander of the 15th Rifle Corps, major General Ludnikov, September 16, 1943."Archive TSAMO RF: Fund 33, inventory 686043, storage unit 23. Successfully crossing the Desna in September 1943, the division under his command liberated the Ukrainian cities of Novgorod-Seversky and Chernihiv. Here again, I would like to give the floor to Colonel-General I. I. Ludnikov: "The Corps covers the right flank of the army marching South-West. We update the maps, and I read on them the names of cities and villages where the 200th Division fought two years ago, bleeding to death. I really want the road of our offensive to run through these places. As far as I know, crossing the Desna is not yet part of the task of the 13th Army. But doesn't it happen in war that the course of hostilities makes you change your pre-planned plans abruptly? So it happened this time. The old-timers of Korop, two avid fishermen, showed us the most convenient areas for crossing the Desna. Just in case, we put them on our maps. It turned out that the Divisions of General A. A. Kazaryan and Colonel P. M. Gudz are now approaching these areas near the mouth of the Sejm. It was the evening of September 8. General Kazaryan said on the phone that his farm controls the Eastern Bank of the river for fifty kilometers and, according to all reports, our exit to the Desna caught the enemy by surprise. "Oh, there would be something to cross!" — laments Kazaryan. Less than five minutes after this conversation, the corps received an order: to force the Desna with two divisions, capture the bridgehead on the West Bank and then transfer it to the troops of Lieutenant General P. A. Belov's 61st Army approaching the Desna. The order is short and precise. It is unclear only one thing-what to cross? I ask the army commander about it. I don't find anything comforting in his answer: "I Can't give you what I don't have, Ivan Ilyich. And we need to cross. And immediately. The 74th Division's command post is located on the Eastern edge of the coastal village of Luklov. Together with the commander of the Artillery, Colonel Hovhannisyan, and the head of the operational Department, Colonel Zhivoderov, I am going to Kazaryan. The Division commander has already managed to scout the coast well and take into account all available means of crossing. There are few fishing boats. The soldiers knock together rafts and rafts. They fill their camping tents with hay. Empty barrels, gates, and fences are used. Everything that can stay on the water is pulled up to the shore. During two nights, on September 10 and 11, General Kazaryan's Division crossed the Desna river. The bridgehead it captured allowed the 8th Rifle Division to enter the battle on the third night. On a front twenty-two kilometers wide, we advanced twelve kilometers in depth. In the battles for the expansion of the bridgehead, five Hitler regiments were defeated. We burned eighteen tanks, captured four hundred and thirty enemy soldiers and officers, and captured rich trophies. But they also suffered significant losses. The Nazis understood that with our breakthrough through the Desna, the battle for the Dnieper begins. They tried to eliminate our bridgehead with fierce counterattacks. Parts of Kazaryan's division fought heroically. With a limited supply of shells and ammunition, they held their positions until fresh forces arrived. I was with the task force at the crossing when the city of Korop, where the corps headquarters was located, was heavily bombed. We lost many officers, including the Commander of the artillery of the 13th Army, Major General A. N. Pankov. Our corps transferred the bridgehead behind the Desna to the 61st Army, but five days later we again reached the Desna at the Yanovka, Ladvinka section South-West of Chernihiv. I begged the commander that at least one division of our corps participated in the liberation of Chernihiv. Two years ago, the 15th Infantry defended the city. Although the composition of the soldiers and commanders was completely updated, the number of the corps remained the same, its banner was preserved, and it should fly in the liberated Chernihiv. I remembered a lot when I got to the Desna river in the autumn of 1943. And how could I not remember! Two years ago, the 200th Division I commanded, which was retreating with fighting, crossed the pontoon bridge near the village of Slabino to the left Bank of the Desna River… I know these parts. Difficult to find the best site for crossing than near shore Labino. I ordered engineering of the housing to start the construction of the bridge in the same place, near Slavino. On the other side of the Desna are the well — known villages of Kuibyshev, Andreyevna, and Pakul. In Andreevka in the forty-first year, the 200th Rifle Division was engaged in fierce battles… The enemy discovered the exit of the troops of our corps to the flank of its Chernihiv group, bombing areas of possible crossings. Our ally is the dark autumn night, and we already have valuable experience of crossing the Desna river. It took only two hours for the vanguard units from Kazarian's division to reach the West Bank. Behind them, the others crossed the river. When the Junkers appeared over Desna on the morning of September 22, the crossing was empty." For me, the personality of I. I. lyudnikov is also interesting because during the bloody battles on the Kerch Peninsula in the spring of 1942, after the death of commander Simon zakiyan, he briefly commanded the 390th Armenian Rifle Division. The 74th Rifle Division was one of the first to cross the Dnieper river North of Kiev and capture a bridgehead 7-8 kilometers wide. The division reached the Dnieper river South of the destroyed railway bridge on the Chernihiv-Ovruch road, opposite the town of Kamarin, on the right Western Bank of the Dnieper, which is 700 meters wide here. The crossing of the river began. On the first night, the battalion crossed, by noon — the regiment, at midnight — the entire division, including artillery and mortars. The Nazis used everything, including tanks and aircraft. There were fierce battles, during which the General was wounded. 43 soldiers and officers of the 74th Rifle Division for their heroism and courage during the crossing of the Dnieper were awarded the title of Heroes of the Soviet Union — including A. Kazaryan (decree of the USSR Supreme Soviet Counsil of 16.10.1943). Extract from the Award list of the division commander of the 74th Rifle Division, Major General A. A. Kazaryan, which was signed on October 3, 1943 by the Commander of the 15th Rifle Corps of the guards, Lieutenant General I. I. Lyudnikov: "the 74th Rifle Division on improvised means under the strong influence of the enemy crossed the Dnieper river West of Chernihiv and fought hard to expand the bridgehead. At the same time, a large number of enemy equipment and manpower were destroyed. The 74th RD (Rifle Division) crossed the Dnieper river in difficult combat conditions, with simultaneous impact from the front and flank. The personnel of the division, its officers, sergeants and enlisted personnel showed organization and courage. For crossing the Dnieper river West of Chernihiv on improvised means, for persistent fighting for the expansion of the bridgehead, for the heroism and organization shown by the commander of the 74th Rifle Division, Major General com. Kazaryan A. A. is worthy of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union." On October 7, 1943, the Award list is signed by: the Commander of the 13th Army, Lieutenant General Pukhov, and Member of the Military Council, Major General Kozlov. October 12, this document with the PostScript "worthy of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union" is signed by the Commander of the Front Army General Rokossovsky and a Member of the Military Council Telegin. On October 16, Major General A. A. Kazaryan was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. Thanks to this Award list, you can find out that at the time of crossing the Dnieper, Andranik Kazaryan was wounded three times and had 2 Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of Suvorov 2nd degree and the medal "XX years of the Red Army". Commander of the 215th thrice-decorated Rifle Division… After recovery, in March 1944, Major General AA Kazarian was appointed Commander of the 215th Smolensk Rifle Division, which was part of the 72nd Corps (com. Major General Kazartsev) of the 5th Army (com. Hero of the Soviet Union Lieutenant General N. I. Krylov) of the 3rd Belorussian front (com. Hero of the Soviet Union Colonel General Chernyakhovsky). The Division under the command of the General takes part in the liberation of Belarus and Lithuania. The division's personnel distinguished themselves during the crossing of the Berezina River and the liberation of Vitebsk, Borisovo, Minsk and Vilnius. Extract from the Award list: "During the offensive battles for the liberation of the city of Vitebsk, the city of Bogushevskoye, Vitebsk region, June 22-25, 1944, Major General Kazaryan's units showed examples of courage and bravery. During the crossing of the Berezina River, on intermediate lines, when the enemy's defenses broke through on the outskirts of the city. Vilnius and the liberation of the city itself, where the enemy had a system of long-term firing points with a highly developed fire system, the division's units overcame the stubborn resistance of the enemy as a result of the skillful leadership of major General Kazaryan, based on a sober analysis of the situation, full interaction of firepower, equipment and manpower. Relentlessly pursuing and destroying it, the division fought for more than 500 kilometers and liberated several hundred settlements.For the excellent organization of the battle and the excellent implementation of the plans of the command, inflicted on the enemy a severe defeat with small losses for themselves. I present Hero of the Soviet Union Major General Kazaryan to the order of Suvorov, 2nd class. Commander of the 72nd Rifle Corps Hero of the Soviet Union, Major General Kazartsev, July 27, 1944". On August 24, 1944, the award list was signed by the commander of the 5th army, Colonel General N. Krylov. When signed on October 29, 1944 by the Commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front, Army General Chernyakhovsky changed the award to the order of Kutuzov, 2nd class. The award list contains information about his injuries. So, according to this document, he was wounded near Dnepropetrovsk in the shoulder and knee on September 29, 1941, in the arm in Kromy in May 1943, seriously contused when crossing te Dnieper North of Kiev on October 1, 1943. One of the first formations of the front, the division entered East Prussia with battles. It conducted combat operations in East Prussia, including for the city of Konigsberg. The Division received its baptism of fire under the General's command during operation Bagration, which began at dawn on June 23, 1944. Already at dawn on June 24, parts of the division were put into battle

Branch of Troops: the USSR Navy and Naval forces of NKVD Frontier troops. Born April 12, 1927 in the city of Kostroma. Parents: Krasnov M. A. and Krasnova V. S. In pre-war childhood he was engaged in the club of Young sailors. In this regard, in 1943 Valentin Mikhailovich was sent to the Jung school on the Solovetsky Islands. He started his service in 1943 and finished it in 1949. After demobilization, he visited his sister Tatiana, who was then working in the rural Matveev school. Valentin Mikhailovich won over all the local residents with a sailor uniform and the Yablochko dance. On the recommendation of a fellow officer, he met in absentia and in 1950 married Krasnova (Sinopushkina) Zinaida Grigorievna. He has brought my young wife from Yegoryevsk (Moscow region) to Kostroma. Their son Valery was born here. In 1952 Valentin Mikhailovich and his family moved to Yegoryevsk in the village of Berezhki. He worked at a factory and graduated from a technical school in absentia. Since the mid-60s of the twentieth century, he worked at the cotton mill "Leader of the proletariat" as the Head of the Labor protection Department. He established labor protection at the plant in an exemplary manner. Many textile companies came to him on a tour and for experience in the design of visual agitation of labor protection. In life, he was a very sociable and cheerful person, he could find a common language with anyone. Valentin Mikhailovich was toastmaster at all his nephews ' weddings. From his grandfather Kucherov, Savely he inherited the ability to sew, even embroidered a rooster on the car on the bib for his son, and sewed trousers for his wife. He died on December 5, 1991. He was buried in the rural cemetery of the village of Berezhki.

Military rank is Sergeant. My great-grandfather Kravchenkov Fedor Yakovlevich was born on 14 August 1926. He was called up for the war in 1943 and went to the regimental school, where he received the rank of Sergeant. Until he was 17, he trained recruits. After the regimental school, he went to the front in intelligence under the command of Marshal Zhukov. Great-grandfather was a hereditary don Cossack-desperate and very brave. And also, as he said about himself - reckless and risky. A very young man, he didn't even think about death then. He defended his homeland and remembered that his father and two older brothers died not far from their home. Intelligence service required to be on the ball. That was my great-grandpa. Once being on an intelligence mission, he managed to go to the rear of the Germans. Alone, he destroyed a platoon of fascist soldiers in a dugout, which is about 20-25 armed fighters. For his heroism, my grandfather was awarded the first award - the Order of Glory Third degree. This happened in early 1944. After that, he participated in the crossing of the Oder River by Soviet troops. It was then that he received one of the most difficult tasks: to get behind the enemy's back and mark the enemy's firing points. Once on the spot, he realized that he could only complete the task by calling fire on himself. There was no time to think. So, as a boy, he called fire on himself and performed his second feat. Miraculously, he survived, but was severely wounded and shell-shocked. For this feat, he was awarded the Order of Glory Second degree. So my great-grandfather went through the war and all the way to Berlin. In conducting further military operations were awarded medals "For Courage", Order of the Patriotic War Second degree and in the capture of Berlin for courage and heroism was promoted to the rank of Hero of the Soviet Union. But due to a serious injury, then the award did not find its hero. After being wounded, he was sent to the city of Berlin and served in the commandant's regiment until 1947, helping to restore order in the destroyed Berlin. The photo shows him at this time. After demobilization, he returned to his native collective farm and worked for the good and prosperity of our country. My great-grandfather died a long time ago, he left seven children and our family still remembers him as a real hero. God grant my generation to be such patriots of their homeland, as our great-grandfathers have been.

Here is a man who has been through the entire war sitting in front of me... Who saw in her 16 years so many nightmares and horror, so many human losses, that looking at her, you wonder: "How did she bear all this, how did she cope with it?" We talked with her on various topics, and after a while we talked about events related to the war. After all, we were all interested in hearing the history of that time. But her gaze quickly changed, and the smile faded from her face. She didn't say much. But even with this little information, we could see why she had turned dark. You can be amazed at her courage: at the age of 16, she volunteered for the war and became a scout. “We all had more then enough when the war started. There was hunger.. We were swollen from hunger.. Everything was. Maria Tarasovna began to tell the story with a tremor in her voice.—Well, how did you get to the front?"Well, I did. When they started taking the guys, well, we were 6 girls volunteered for. Yeah, they didn’t want to take us, we took years to get away. We were only 16 years old. Well, what to do. All the men were taken. 17-year-olds and even younger. It's like everything is dead around.. It was necessary, but where to go...Okay girls, well, it's about the war, let's talk about good things, and then I have goosebumps start to run. I don't want to remember anything.. As soon as you remember — a chill runs through your skin and you don't want to remember anything. Sometimes you turn on the TV and you see excerpts from war movies — and I turn them off right away. When I see their shape. I'm just shaking, I don't want to see them. I can't stand them, these fascists. Even when they show Merkel, although she has nothing to do with it, but still do not want to see. Although today is a different time, different people...but...the residue of the past.. How they hanged and killed our people.. We saw how difficult it was for her to talk about it, how she looked at her fingers and quickly fingered them. So we decided to change the subject. We also asked Maria Tarasovna about her village, where she lived before the war. She talked with a smile on her face, about her big farm, about the river next to it, over which a bridge was built. About the time when she and her friends went to the forest for mushrooms and berries. As they are not afraid of snakes and wild animals, they lived in peace and in harmony with nature. And many other things, she remembered with tenderness and trepidation. - Maria Tarasovna, what would you like to wish the modern generation? — I only want health and well-being. So that the clear sky is always above you, so that there is no war, so that you will never know it, never know it. This is my biggest wish. So that you respect each other, support each other, and understand each other. Then there will never be a war. War is the worst thing. Just let there always be peace.

Military Rank is Lieutenant General. Branch of Troops: Ground Forces, Military Air Forces (except Naval aviation), shore service, NKVD troops, Frontier troops. Grigory Ivanovich Kulik, Marshal of the Soviet Union (1940). Hero of the Soviet Union (21.3.1940). Military ranks: 20 November 1935 he obtained the rank of Corps Commander (Komkor), 14 June 1937 he assigned the rank of Commander of the 2nd Rank, 8 February 1939 he assigned the rank of Commander of the 1st Rank, May 7 1940 he was awarded the rank of the Marshal of the Soviet Union, March 17 1942 he was given the rank of Major General, April 15 1943 he assigned the rank of Lieutenant General and July 19 1945 he assigned the rank of Major General. In the Russian Army since November 1912, in the rank of Warrant Officer. Participated in World War I on the Western front as the Commander of Artillery platoon. In the Red Guard since 1917. In the Red Army since 1918. He graduated from the Ensign school in 1915 and completed the Higher Command Staff courses in 1924. In 1932 he graduated from the Military Academy named after M. Frunze. During the February revolution of 1917 he was elected Chairman of the soldiers' Committee of the battery, artillery division, brigade and the 9th infantry division. He led revolutionary work among the soldiers, for which he was arrested. In November 1917, in Poltava, he formed a Red guard detachment, which under his command in 1918 fought against the Haidamaks and the Germans; in April 1918, the detachment became part of the 5th Ukrainian army. G. I. Kulik was elected Chief of artillery of this army. He had participated in the Civil war. In June 1918, during the reorganization of the 5th Army into the 10th G. I. Kulik was appointed Chief of artillery of the Army. In this position, he participated in the defense of Tsaritsyn 1918-1919. In March 1919, as a military Commissar of the Kharkiv province and head of the garrison of Kharkov, he led the suppression of the Menshevik and socialist-revolutionary uprisings in Belgorod, Sumy, and Kharkov. In May 1919, G. I. Kulik was the Chief of the artillery of the newly created 14th Army, which participated in the liquidation of the armed formations of N. A. Grigoriev and the defeat of the army of General V. May-Mayevsky near the city of Kromy (Oryol region). Since June 1920, he became the Chief of artillery of the 1st Cavalry army, which participated in the battles against the troops of A. I. Denikin, belopolyakov and P. N. Wrangel. In the interwar period, from June 1921, G. I. Kulik is the Chief of artillery of the SKVO (North Caucass Millitary District), and then Assistant Chief of artillery of the Red Army, from 1925, Deputy Chairman of the Military-industrial Committee of the Supreme Economic Council. Since November 1926 he is Chief of the Artillery Department of the Red Army. From April to October 1930, he commanded the Moscow Proletarian division. Since 1932, commander and Commissar of the 3rd Rifle corps, since May 1937, head of the Artillery Department of the Red Army. Since January 1939, the USSR Deputy People's Commissar of Defense and Head of the Main artillery Department of the Red Army. In the first days of the Great Patriotic War, G. I. Kulik was sent to help the command of the Western front. On June 23, he flew to Bialystok to direct the actions of the 3rd and 10th Armies and organize a counterattack by the cavalry-mechanized group. Together with the troops of the 10th Army, he was encircled, lost contact and came out to his own only two weeks later. In September 1941, he took command of the 54th Separate Army. In October G. I. Kulik was entrusted with the formation of the 56th Separate Army, aimed at protecting Rostov. On November 9, 1941, by personal order of J. V. Stalin, he was sent to Kerch to help the command of the 51st Army. The troops that he received under his command were in a deplorable state — most of the divisions had 300 men. It was not possible to hold the position, and on November 16 Kerch was surrendered. On 19 November, after the evacuees from the Crimea troops took defensive positions on the Taman Peninsula, Kulik, as Stavka’s representative on the Southern Front, departed for Rostov-on-Don. The next day, November 20, 1941, German troops entered the city. After another failure, he was recalled to Moscow. On February 16, 1942, Marshal Kulik G. I. was charged under article 193-21 of the Supreme Court of the USSR, point "b" of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation in military misconduct, namely that he was in November 1941, as authorized by the Supreme Command on the Kerch direction contrary to the order Rate gave the troops the order the abandonment of the city of Kerch. The court found G. I. Kulik guilty and filed a petition before the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to deprive G. I. Kulik of the military rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and all government awards. In accordance with this verdict, the USSR Presidium of the Supreme Soviet adopted a decree on February 19, 1942, by which G. I. Kulik was stripped of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, three orders of Lenin, three orders of the Red Banner and other awards, and stripped of the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union. Soon he was removed from the Central Committee of the CPSU(b). By the Decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR on March 17, 1942, G. I. Kulik was awarded the military rank of Major General. From March 1942, Major General Kulik G. I. was at the disposal of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR. In September-October 1942, Major General G. I. Kulik was sent to the Kalinin front to clarify the situation and assist in organizing an offensive operation of the 22nd Army to defeat the enemy's Bely group (part of operation “Mars”, conducted by the troops of the Kalinin front against Army Center group and aimed at shackling the main enemy forces and preventing their transfer to the South-Western direction of the Soviet-German front). On April 15, 1943, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General and appointed commander of the 4th Guards’ Army, which was part of the Steppe military district. With the beginning of the transformation of the district into the Steppe front, the Army was withdrawn to the Suptime Command reserve. From 19 to 23 July, during the fighting in the Belgorod-Kharkiv direction, the Army fought as part of the Steppe front. Then until August again in reserve. With the inclusion of the 4th Guards Army in the Voronezh front on August 13, 1943, G. I. Kulik took part in the Belgorod-Kharkiv strategic offensive operation. In September, he was removed from command of the army and transferred to the Main Directorate of personnel. From January 1944 to April 1945, he was Deputy head of the Main Department of formation and staffing of the red army. On April 12, 1945, G. I. Kulik was suspended from work "for inactivity". By the decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR of July 19, 1945, Kulik G. I. was demoted to the rank of Major General. In the summer of 1945, he was appointed Deputy Commander of the Volga military district. On June 28, 1946, he was retired. On January 11, 1947, he was arrested. On August 23, 1950, he was sentenced to death by firing squad. On August 24, 1950, G. I. Kulik was shot. The body was buried on the territory of the Donskoy cemetery in Moscow. Kulik was rehabilitated in 1956. September 28, 1957 by the decree of the USSR Presidium of the Supreme Soviet G. I. Kulik was posthumously restored to the military rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and the rights to orders.

For a long time, our family did not know the fate of their father and grandfather Nikolay Kuryatnikov. Together with his family, before the war starting, he lived in Stalingrad. On July 8, 1941, he was drafted into the Soviet Army for the defense of the Fatherland. The family received the last letter from the front in August 1941. There was no more news about him. There were answers from the Archives that he was missing in actions. It was only after searching the Internet that we learned about the fate of my grandfather. In 2012, in the fall, once again, making a request to the Internet search box for the full name of Kuryatnikov Nikolay Alexandrovich 1905. Stalingrad, opened a website: "... 18 Nov 2011 ... They went to their deaths at full height with their eyes open-towards ... Write to gengen@bk.ru [ mailto:gengen@bk.ru ] . 1 ... Kuryatnicov Nicholay Alexander ...... Therefore, at night, he secretly carried out the dead and buried in the woods outside the concentration camp. .... Prisoners of war who died in the Herleshausen concentration camp with ...poiskvolgograd.ru/forums/index.php?/topic/168-168/[http://poiskvolgograd.ru/forums/index.php?/topic/168-168/ ] - Saved copy-Similar " Feelings that we experienced from the fact that he could be in captivity brought us into shock. Because, like in the head, this was not. From these lines the fate of our grandfather began to open, the search lasted a whole year. Request to the Archive of the FSB of Volgograd, International Red Cross and accordingly answers. The first answer gave the hope that perhaps fate gave the grandfather a chance to survive after a long captivity in the concentration camps of Germany. His path was difficult. 24.09.1941 he was captured near Demyansk (Novgorod region) in the so-called Demyansk mousetrap. And then he was moved to different concentration camps: Dulag No.375 (Viljanda Est.SSR); From 10.03.1943 it was camp Pernau; From 6.01.1944 it was Stalag No.336 (city of Kaunas). From 12.01.1944 camp Schanzen; From 18.04.1944 Stalag XVII A (village Kaisersteinbruch) 25 km from Vienna. From 26.07.1944 in Pottenstein A-1321 camp, prisoner No.54230 September 4th 1944 he was released. There was hope that perhaps the grandfather has been survived. The search was continued, and now the search on the Internet about the fate of prisoners of war. Website: https://www.drk-suchdienst.de/http://www.dokst.ru/main/contact[ https://www.drk-suchdienst.de/http://www.dokst.ru/main/contact ] geschickt. The answer was received from From: "Haritonow, Alexander - STSG" Date: Tue, 18 Dec 2012 16:06:22 + 0100 Subject: AW: [Requests for former Soviet prisoners of war] search for prisoner of war Kuryatnikov Nikolai Alexandrovich. Here I have already been sent German cards of the war prisoner Kuryatnikov N.A. And again the answer was that he had been released. And only a request to the Russian Red Cross gave us a result. I had to learn a lot from the Internet about the last place of my grandfather’s stay in the Ebensee concentration camp, which was classified, where the Nazis built adits for the production of Fau-2 missiles. How difficult it was for prisoners of war before the days of Victory. Conspiracy and rebellion of prisoners, their death and the expectation of freedom. The grandfather, as already known, died 12.03 1945 not having lived to be released for a little less than 2 months, when the camp with prisoners was liberated by American troops. On the memorial slabs, now the museum of the former concentration camp, there is also the name of my grandfather. Below is the list of those killed in the Ebensee concentration camp 1945 Austria http://memorial-ebensee.at/de/images/stories/WWWRun-Ordner/Namen.pdf chicken Coops [ http://memorial-ebensee.at/de/images/stories/WWWRun-Ordner/Namen.pdf Курятников Nikolay Alexandrovich 06.12.1905 year of birth Stalingrad art. Lieutenant Camp number K/L Ebensee 106169 page 8: KUPFERBERG NATHAN, Kupfermann JAKOB, KUPFERSTEIN Andreas, KUPFERSTEIN IMRE, KUPPERMANN JOSEF, KUPRACHIN ALEXEJ, KURANOWSKI ZENONKURBET, NIKOLAJ KURCBART, WOLFKURCZYK NIKOLAJ, KURDJUMOW MICHAILKUREK, HERONIMUSKUREK ZDISLAW, KURGINIDSE JEWTYC. Anatoly Aramisov has written a book about this terrible place, calling it "Kings Die Last," according to his grandfather’s memories, who was lucky enough to survive (and live to 95 years). And here there are some impressions and photos from the book of the writer Anatoly Aramisov, who visited the Ebensee concentration camp, where the events of the outbreak of war, camp life, death and victory took place. The book is written with the title: "Air soaked in death." And this is a photo of American soldiers at the time of the liberation of the camp with prisoners who were lucky enough to live to victory. So the fate one of the millions missing, our grandfather, Kuryatnikov Nikolai Alexandrovich, was restored. Blessed memory to all the victims of that terrible war! No one is forgotten and nothing is forgotten! It shouldn't happen again! R.S. Photo of the house from which my grandfather went to war: Stalingrad, 37 Koganovich Street. The house survived during the Battle of Stalingrad, and unknown soldiers made an inscription on it: "Revenge the Nazi scum for all their atrocities!» which being kept until modern days when the house was demolished due to the departure of his family and the receipt of a new apartment. For many years, people passing by, recalled the terrible years of war and only almost 70 years later we learned about the fate of our grandfather.

At the age of 20, in 1942, being a student of the Foreign languages institute in Nizhniy Novgorod (the former Gorkiy State Pedagogical Language Institute GSPI, now – Nizhniy Novgorog State Linguisic University NGLU) Lyubov Kaganovich volunteered to the front to defend the Motherland. She has attained the military rank of Guard Lieutenan and became a military interpreter of inteligance department of the 4th Guards Army. The 4th Guards’ Army actively participated in such outstanding battles and operations as Stalingrad, Kursk, Korsun-Shevchenko, Uman-Botoshan, Iasi-Kishinev, Budapest and Vienna. Each of these battles is a major milestone in the history of the Great Patriotic War. On its combat path, its troops crossed numerous water barriers, including the largest rivers- the Dnieper, the Southern Bug, the Dniester, and the Danube. The battle path of the 4th Guards Army is described in detail in the book "From the Volga steppes to the Austrian Alps" (T. F. Vorontsov, N. I. Biryukov, A. F. Smekalov and others, Voenizdat, 1971), as well as in the book "the Failure of operation Citadel "(the defeat of the German-fascist hordes in the battle of Kursk), Moscow, ed. political literature, 1965. Military awards: Order of the Red Star No. 1073688 from 25.3.44, Medal "For Battle Merit" № 1679972, Medal "For Defense of Stalingrad" No. 35135 31.5.1943 from the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR from 22.12.42, Medal "For the Capture of Vienna" No. 036946 from 26.7.46 decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated 9.6.45, Medal "For the Capture of Budapest" from 26.7.46 decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated 9.6.45, Medal "For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945", Medal "20 years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War" April 9, 1968, Medal "For Valiant Labor. In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of V. I. Lenin". April 1, 197, Sign "25 years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War". T. F. Vorontsov, Major General and former Head of intelligence of the 4th Guards Army, recalls in the book "the Failure of operation Citadel": "On the way to the observation point of the 2nd guards Rifle Ccorps, I noticed a small group of officers and soldiers huddled around a stack of straw. I come closer. It turns out that a prisoner is being interrogated. Suddenly the explosions of shells and mines became more frequent, and we went to a small shelter. The interrogation was led by intelligence chief of the 8th Guards Airborne division guards Major Safroshin. The guard was translated by Lieutenant Luba Kaganovich. I look at this fragile girl, a recent student of Gorky University, and I am surprised. How she grew up and resented, with what knowledge of the military matter she interrogates a prisoner! Until recently, participating in interrogations, she was timid, did not know where to start, what information is primarily interested in the command, how to catch a prisoner in a lie and contradictions in his testimony. But now he holds himself with great dignity, confidently asks questions, and their very tone tells the prisoner that it will not be possible to hold it."..

From the story of veteran M. I. Kondaurov: The war began on June 22, 1941 when I was 18 years old. It was pre-conscription age. In July, young people, Komsomol members of my age, including myself were mobilized to build defensive fortifications in the Smolensk region, first on the Dnieper river, where we dug anti-tank trenches along the river bank. The enemy was getting closer, and then the enemy aircraft began to bomb along the line of defensive fortifications. In September, the civilian population was evacuated to the rear of Vyazma. During the evacuation, enemy aircraft raided and bombarded. In Vyazma youth of 1924 were sent to their homeland, and those who were born in 1923 were left to fortify the defensive structures. The enemy was coming and going. In October, we were sent from the station Vyazma, under the bombardment of a level to the homeland (in Voronezh region). Upon arrival, we also had to dig anti-tank trenches. On February 2, 1942 I was called up to serve in the army. I’ve been enlisted in the 2nd Reserve Airborne Regiment, where I had been trained and graduated from the Junior Commanders ‘school in the Saratov region. Our brigade was preparing to land in the rear. Parachutes and weapons were prepared, but there was no need to fight in the rear. At the beginning of February 1943, our unit was delivered to Rzhev by car. Upon arrival at the front, our unit moved along the front at night in the direction of Staraya Ruza, being a part of the 2nd Baltic Front. In the first days of March, we were in reserve. On March 4, we were transferred to the front line. On the morning of March 5, the artillery troops of our army made strong attacks on the enemy's front line, and our unit was ordered to attack. During the offensive, the locality was occupied and the defense was secured. On the morning of March 6, our artillery also struck the enemy. Then we went on the offensive again. We crossed the Lovat River and gained a foothold on the bank, but the enemy tanks were advancing on our fixed area. Three tanks were hit by our anti-tank platoon, the rest went in the direction of the right flank. In the afternoon, with the assistance of our artillery tanks, we re-entered the battle. In this battle, I was wounded by shrapnel and sent for treatment in a hospital in Kineshma.”

We have a very large family. My great-grandmother, Yarysheva Tamara Yevgenievna, who is now 87 years old remembering her military childhood talks a lot about that difficult time: 1. About her father Zenkovich Yugine Matveevich (17.02.1900-05.08.1948), a Hero of the Civil war, owner of the Order of the Red Banner No. 5932. Having survived the repressions, great-grandfather was rehabilitated and during the Great Patriotic War with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, was appointed Head of the evacuation point of the Sverdlovsk regional Executive Committee; 2. About her older brother Yakov (14.03.1924-13.03.1944). Yakov fought for only three months and died on the Kursk Bulge, one day short of his 19th birthday. 3. About her husband, my great-grandfather, Ivan Yakovlevich Yaryshev (21.08.1923-19.11.1987), who passed the entire war in the ranks of the Navy in the Amphibious Assault detachment. For completing an important task in the Crimea, the only survivor of the operation he was presented with the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, but the boat with the documents was destroyed by the Nazis. My grandfather was awarded Order of the Red Banner many years later. He was also a participant in the War with Japan. My grandfather, Mokhnatov Alexander Anatolyevich, told me about other relatives: about his father, my great-grandfather, Anatoly Mokhnatov (10.08.1929-24.11.1990), who worked in Volkhov at a military factory. At the age of 13 years old he had a small height and due to this had to put a box of shells under his feet to get to the machine. I was also told about my great-great-grandfather Demin Stepan Ivanovich (1896-November 1944). He has missed in actions in Poland. Unfortunately, we know very little about him. They did not take him to the front, he was not young, but he still insisted on his own. It is scary to imagine 4 years of cold, hunger, fear, waiting for letters-triangles from the front. Postmen were being waited with bated breath: they were afraid to get a summons, a death notification…Everyone who survived, outlived and stayed out is worthy of respect and memory… The victory over fascism was fought not only on the front line, but also for the home front workers. Both children and women worked in factories, state farms, and collective farms. My great-great-grandmother Kazakova Varvara Evdokimovna was born in Vitebsk in December 1879 in a large and very poor family. The war found her at city Kalinin (Tver), at the state farm where she worked. This state farm provided the city with food. In October 1941, the Nazis broke through the defense. An urgent evacuation of the population was announced. Her daughter and grandchildren, who lived in the city itself, managed to cross the Volga on the only bridge. And my grandma Varya, had to walk from the farm across the city to her daughter's house, but she did not find them. Seeing the theft, she took two of the most valuable things: a Singer sewing machine and a carpet. Later, she wrapped the sewing machine in a carpet and buried it. When she returned to the small room on the farm where the old man and his wife still lived, she carefully disguised and hid with the others the food supplies cells. When the Germans had arrived, the old man immediately opened all the cellars to the enemies, turned out to be a traitor. And grandmother Varvara in her 62 years, a thin woman was not afraid of his threats and called her neighbor the Antichrist. She believed that the Germans would soon be gone, and she would have to meet and feed her own people. And when the German soldier took the only pig from her, she threw herself at him with her fists. Surprisingly, the The Nazi soldier did not kill her, but only pushed her away. After the liberation of the city, the old neighbor man was arrested. Varvara Evdokimovna was called as a witness. And then there was an incident: she saw officers in uniform in front of her. They ask her a question, but she doesn't say anything. She just couldn't figure out who was in front of her (Red or White). She didn't know that the Red Army had changed uniforms. It was explained to her, only then she told about the neighbor, because of whom many people died. At the face-to-face encounter, she confirmed her testimony, looking into the eyes of the old man who had blackmailed her many times by giving up information about her relatives: her Communist son-in-law and her Komsomol grandson. After the accupation of Kalinin, the family, who already lived in Sverdlovsk, found her and brought her to the Urals. My great-great-grandmother brought Singer sewing machine and carpet with her. The hardest blow for her was the news of the death of a 19-year-old grandson in 1943 and in 1948-the death of a son-in-law. According to the stories of relatives, my grandmother was dressed cleanly, neatly, long and curly hair was always hidden under a perfectly white handkerchief. Completely illiterate, her grandchildren taught her to sign at the age of 50. She missed her native Belarus very much. My great-grandmother Toma heard songs that she "cried out": "and no one will know where my grave is." In 1951, at the age of 72, she closed the oven door early and fell asleep. She was buried next to her son-in-law at the Mikhailovsky cemetery in Sverdlovsk (Yekaterinburg).

Military rank is Senior Sergeant. Branch of troops: Ground Forces, Military Air Forces (except Naval aviation), shore service, NKVD troops, Frontier troops. Subdivision was the 178th Rifle Kulaginskaya Red Banner division. Kukolev Anatoliy went to the front in August 1942. Initially, he studied at the Vilna Infantry school, located at that time in the city of Novokuznetsk. After completing a six-month course with the rank of Senior Sergeant, he served in the 178th Separate Mechanized division, where he voluntarily enlisted as a scout. Belgorod, Kharkiv, Poltava and Kremenchug are just some of the places where Anatoly Sergeyevich had to fight. Behind each city there is every minute danger to their own lives, because the scout must provide command of information from the "first hand", and this means raids into the deep rear of the enemy with the mandatory delivery of the captured prisoner for interrogation. He didn’t manage to have serious injuries. The first injury, after which they wanted to invalid him out of the army, he received while crossing the Dnieper River, but the scout simply ran away from the field hospital to his unit; the second was received already while moving to the Oder River. But even in this case, Senior Sergeant Anatoly Kukolev remained in the ranks.The Motherland highly appreciated Anatoly Sergeevich's military achievements. The two Orders of the Patriotic War I and II degrees, the medal "For Bravery" and many other awards were deservedly received by our fellow scout during the war. And in peaceful life, starting in 1947, he connected his life with work in the judicial system. He worked as a people's judge in Guryevsk, Belov, and for a long time was the Chairman of the court in the city of Jurga.

Military rank is Senior Officer (Starshina). Branch of troops: Ground Forces, Air Forces (except Naval aviation), Frontier troops. Subdivision: the 137th Bobruisk Rifle division of the Order of Suvorov. Vladimir Ivanovich Kalachev was born on October 15, 1920 in the Ryazan region, Mikhailovsky district, the village of Vilki in the family of a middle peasant. Since childhood, he worked and studied at a rural primary school. Then he worked from the age of 14 at the collective farm (kolkhoz). was a foreman and was in charge of a pig farm. On October 15, 1940, he was drafted into the army. He served in the city of Ferghana, was a cadet of the Regimental Cavalry school, because he loved horses from his childhood. He faced the war near Minsk, where he arrived by train from Ferghana and met his maiden battle on July 22, 1941 at the Poniatovka station. Our troops retreated to Bobruisk and then retreated to the village of Teploe in the Ryazan region. In November 1941 soldier Vladimir Kalachev was sent to the intelligence company, where he fought until the end of the war as a scout, and from 1943 he fought as a Seniour Oficer of the intelligence company. His company provided 200 people with everything necessary in the conditions of front-line activity: clothing, food. The war milestones: the division was formed from the soldiers who lived in Tula city. The combat guys had gone along with the division throught the Kursk bulge, Belarus and crossed the Dnieper River, being in the water up to the throat in winter and participating in the extremely difficult battles near Koenigsberg and in the Baltics. It was here where Seniour Officer Vladimir Kalachev met the end of the war. For front-line services, he was awarded two Orders of the Red Star, Medal “For Military Merit” and others. After the war, he had served in the army for another 7 years on a long-term basis, and was in charge of the soldiers' canteen in Latvia. He was discharged in 1952 after serving in the army for 12 years. He began working in geological exploration in the Moscow region as a drilling foreman. He had worked until 1957. In 1957 he moved to work as a Forester in the Dedenevsky Forest district and worked there until 1999. Vladimir Kalachev has retired at almost 80 years old. He paid a great attention to the Iksha secondary school, where he had organized forestry. Under the leadership of V.I. Kalachev, schoolchildren planted more than 100 hectares of forest in Dmitrovsky district. Dozens of schoolchildren passed through this school of labor training. The guys respected V.I. Kalachev for a serious attitude and respect for the work of schoolchildren. There were very good assistants among the teachers such as Zanegina Alexandra Petrovna, Bogatova Maria Fedorovna and the School Master Shchegolev Alexey Sergeevich. For a huge contribution to the work of the Forestry Department, Kalachev Vladimir Ivanvich received the title of "Excellent Forestry worker of the Moscow region".

Branch of Troops is Armoured and mechanized troops. Kolitvinov Arsenty Timofeevich was born on September 10, 1913 in the village of Verkhnyaya Khava, Voronezh region. He was called up for military service in 1934 from the village of Orlyanovka in the Ertilsky district. He served in the Far East as a tank driver. After returning from the service he got married, but his wife died in childbirth and left a son, Stepan. Soon he met my grandmother Ekaterina Sorokina and got married. In 1939, he moved with his family to the village of Pavlovka, Chaplinsky district, Kherson region, Ukrainian SSR. On August 25, 1940, his second son Vladimir was born. Almost a year later, the Great Patriotic war began. Arsenty Timofeyevich was drafted into the Army and served on the North Caucasus front. His wife and children found immediately themselves under occupation. Arsenty Timofeyevich did not write for a long time, and only in 1943 he was able to send a letter to the village of Orlyanovka. In the letter he wrote that he had participated in the battles near Mozdok, where he has been seriously injured. The family learned that the entire crew of the tank in which he was in had been killed; only he had miraculously managed to escape. After the tank exploded, he crawled into some basement, didn’t know how long he’d been there, but a medical orderly found him, bandaged his wounds and went to get help. After that, Arsenty Timofeevich did not remember anything, probably passed out, and has regained consciousness in hospital. He was sent home to the Voronezh Oblast. The wounds were in his leg, arm and lower back, so that he limped and walked with a cane all his life. Soon after the family received his letter, Kolitvinov A.T. returned to Ukraine, where he met Victory. In June 1945 they moved to Maykop, where they lived with the sister of Arsenty Timofeyevich. The family had three more children: daughters Tatiana, Julia and son Alexander. In early 1963, they moved to Lipetsk, and on August 9, he died. Son Vladimir recalls how war injuries did not let go Arsenty Timofeyevich until his death and reminded of them. Sometimes he would scratch his leg, run his hand over it, and felt the splinters from that terrible explosion in the tank under his skin. His father went to the surgeon several times and cut them out. These fragments were too small, but they did not allow him to forget the war.

Military rank is Red Army soldier. Karaynov Andrey Ilyich was born in 1923 in the village Chernigovka of Chelyabinsk region. In 1934 his family moved to the collective farm "Krasny Partizan", where he finished 4 classes of a primery school and immediately went to work. In 1940, he was sent to study at the school of agricultural Mechanization as a combine tractor driver in the city of Verkhneuralsk. When the war started, he was only 17 years old. When he and his friends learned about the beginning of the war, they rushed to the military enlistment office, but the boys were refused. However, in 1941 his father Ilya Timofeevich Karaynov received the summons and the family never saw him again. He missed in action in May 1942. In May 1942, Karaynov Andrey Ilyich volunteered to the front. He was assigned to an intelligence company. He began to fight on the Volkhov front as part of a Sabotage group. After training, in the fall of 1942 they were parachuted into the enemy's rear before breaking the siege of Leningrad. Their task was to blow up warehouses, airfields, enemy trains, get staff documents, take prisoners for interrogation. Their sabotage group was thrown behind the front line three times. In one of the raids behind enemy lines in November 1942, their group was surrounded by the Nazis from all sides, the only way out was to hide in the swamp. They had to sit up to their necks in icy water for a whole week before the punishers decided that all the saboteurs were destroyed and lifted the cordon. He spent more than three months behind the front lines. After all these actins only 3 people of their sabotage group have been left alive. After the siege of Leningrad broke in January 1943, the front line moved back and they automatically found themselves on our territory. After this Karaynov Andrey Ilyich was sent to the 299th Combat engineer regiment as a private soldier because he has mastered combat engineering technique very well. He was enlisted in the regimental intelligence service, where he went first to Novgorod and Pskov and participated in the liberation of these cities, then fought with the Nazis and their accomplices in the Baltics. He has been injuried twice and shell-shocked. He has been left in the Baltics to work on demining the territory, working there as a tractor driver. He was demobilized in 1945, after the Victory. At the front Karaynov Andrey Ilyich had joined the Communist party and remained a member until the end of his life. He was awarded orders and medals, including the Order of the Red Star, the Order of the Patriotic War First degree, and two medals "For Bravery". Pavel Kodochigov, a front - line friend and commander of Andrey Karyanov, became a writer after the war. In his book "The Second option", he described his fellow soldiers and their front-line everyday life in the 299th Sapper regiment. Is there a line dedicated Karaynov Andrei Ilyich, including this: "There were no weak soldiers in the platoon, all of them easily played with two–pood kettlebells, but Karyanov even raised the kettlebell with his teeth and threw it far away, he smashed any board with his fist, which not everyone could manage to do it".. After the war, Andrey Karyanov returned to his native village, worked first as a combine harvester, then as the Head of Machine and Tractor workshop, then as the Manager of a State Farm department. He has been awarded the Medal "For Virgin Lands Campaign” for his labour achievements. He got married and had six children. In 1972, together with his family, he moved to Magnitogorsk, where he worked as a car mechanic at SMU-2 trust Uraltransgaz (Bukhara-Ural) until the age of 63.