Heroic exploits during the war. Children heroes and their exploits during the Great Patriotic War

The war demanded from the people the greatest effort and enormous sacrifices on a national scale, revealing the fortitude and courage of the Soviet people, the ability to sacrifice themselves in the name of freedom and independence of the Motherland. During the war years, heroism became widespread and became the norm of behavior of Soviet people. Thousands of soldiers and officers immortalized their names during the defense of the Brest Fortress, Odessa, Sevastopol, Kiev, Leningrad, Novorossiysk, in the battle of Moscow, Stalingrad, Kursk, in the North Caucasus, the Dnieper, in the foothills of the Carpathians, during the storming of Berlin and in other battles.

For heroic deeds in the Great Patriotic War, over 11 thousand people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (some posthumously), of which 104 were awarded twice, three three times (G.K. Zhukov, I.N. Kozhedub and A.I. Pokryshkin ). The first to receive this title during the war were Soviet pilots M.P. Zhukov, S.I. Zdorovtsev and P.T. Kharitonov, who rammed fascist planes on the outskirts of Leningrad.

In total, over eight thousand heroes were trained in the ground forces during wartime, including 1,800 artillerymen, 1,142 tank crews, 650 engineering troops, over 290 signalmen, 93 air defense soldiers, 52 military logistics soldiers, 44 doctors; in the Air Force - over 2,400 people; in the Navy - over 500 people; partisans, underground fighters and Soviet intelligence officers - about 400; border guards - over 150 people.

Among the Heroes of the Soviet Union are representatives of most nations and nationalities of the USSR

Representatives of nations	Number of heroes
Russians	8160
Ukrainians	2069
Belarusians	309
Tatars	161
Jews	108
Kazakhs	96
Georgian	90
Armenians	90
Uzbeks	69
Mordovians	61
Chuvash	44
Azerbaijanis	43
Bashkirs	39
Ossetians	32
Tajiks	14
Turkmens	18
Litokians	15
Latvians	13
Kyrgyz	12
Udmurts	10
Karelians	8
Estonians	8
Kalmyks	8
Kabardians	7
Adyghe people	6
Abkhazians	5
Yakuts	3
Moldovans	2
results	11501

Among the military personnel awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, privates, sergeants, foremen - over 35%, officers - about 60%, generals, admirals, marshals - over 380 people. There are 87 women among the wartime Heroes of the Soviet Union. The first to receive this title was Z. A. Kosmodemyanskaya (posthumously).

About 35% of Heroes of the Soviet Union at the time of awarding the title were under 30 years of age, 28% were between 30 and 40 years old, 9% were over 40 years old.

Four Heroes of the Soviet Union: artilleryman A.V. Aleshin, pilot I.G. Drachenko, rifle platoon commander P.Kh. Dubinda, artilleryman N.I. Kuznetsov - were also awarded Orders of Glory of all three degrees for their military exploits. Over 2,500 people, including 4 women, became full holders of the Order of Glory of three degrees. During the war, over 38 million orders and medals were awarded to the defenders of the Motherland for courage and heroism. The Motherland highly appreciated the labor feat of the Soviet people in the rear. During the war years, 201 people were awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor, about 200 thousand were awarded orders and medals.

Viktor Vasilievich Talalikhin

Born on September 18, 1918 in the village. Teplovka, Volsky district, Saratov region. Russian. After graduating from the factory school, he worked at the Moscow meat processing plant and at the same time studied at the flying club. Graduated from the Borisoglebok Military Aviation School for Pilots. He took part in the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939–1940. He made 47 combat missions, shot down 4 Finnish aircraft, for which he was awarded the Order of the Red Star (1940).

In the battles of the Great Patriotic War from June 1941. Made more than 60 combat missions. In the summer and autumn of 1941, he fought near Moscow. For military distinctions he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner (1941) and the Order of Lenin.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the presentation of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal was awarded to Viktor Vasilyevich Talalikhin by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 8, 1941 for the first night ramming of an enemy bomber in the history of aviation.

Soon Talalikhin was appointed squadron commander and was awarded the rank of lieutenant. The glorious pilot took part in many air battles near Moscow, shooting down five more enemy aircraft personally and one in a group. He died a heroic death in an unequal battle with fascist fighters on October 27, 1941.

V.V. was buried Talalikhin with military honors at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow. By order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR dated August 30, 1948, he was forever included in the lists of the first squadron of the fighter aviation regiment, with which he fought the enemy near Moscow.

Streets in Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Borisoglebsk in the Voronezh region and other cities, a sea vessel, State Pedagogical Technical University No. 100 in Moscow, and a number of schools were named after Talalikhin. An obelisk was erected at the 43rd kilometer of the Warsaw Highway, over which the unprecedented night fight took place. A monument was erected in Podolsk, and a bust of the Hero was erected in Moscow.

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub

(1920–1991), Air Marshal (1985), Hero of the Soviet Union (1944 – twice; 1945). During the Great Patriotic War in fighter aviation, squadron commander, deputy regiment commander, conducted 120 air battles; shot down 62 planes.

Three times Hero of the Soviet Union, Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub, flying the La-7, shot down 17 enemy aircraft (including the Me-262 jet fighter) out of the 62 he shot down during the war on La brand fighters. Kozhedub fought one of the most memorable battles on February 19, 1945 (sometimes the date is given as February 24).

On this day, he went on a free hunt together with Dmitry Titarenko. On the Oder traverse, the pilots noticed a plane quickly approaching from the direction of Frankfurt an der Oder. The plane flew along the river bed at an altitude of 3500 m at a speed much greater than the La-7 could reach. It was Me-262. Kozhedub instantly made a decision. The Me-262 pilot relied on the speed qualities of his machine and did not control the airspace in the rear hemisphere and below. Kozhedub attacked from below on a head-on course, hoping to hit the jet in the belly. However, Titarenko opened fire before Kozhedub. Much to Kozhedub’s surprise, the wingman’s premature shooting was beneficial.

The German turned to the left, towards Kozhedub, the latter could only catch the Messerschmitt in his sights and press the trigger. Me-262 turned into a fireball. In the cockpit of the Me 262 was non-commissioned officer Kurt-Lange from 1./KG(J)-54.

On the evening of April 17, 1945, Kozhedub and Titarenko carried out their fourth combat mission of the day to the Berlin area. Immediately after crossing the front line north of Berlin, the hunters discovered a large group of FW-190s with suspended bombs. Kozhedub began to gain altitude for the attack and reported to the command post that contact had been made with a group of forty Focke-Wolwofs with suspended bombs. The German pilots clearly saw a pair of Soviet fighters go into the clouds and did not imagine that they would appear again. However, the hunters appeared.

From behind, from above, Kozhedub in the first attack shot down the leading four Fokkers at the back of the group. The hunters sought to give the enemy the impression that there were a significant number of Soviet fighters in the air. Kozhedub threw his La-7 right into the thick of the enemy planes, turning Lavochkin left and right, the ace fired in short bursts from his cannons. The Germans succumbed to the trick - the Focke-Wulfs began to free them from bombs that were interfering with air combat. However, the Luftwaffe pilots soon established the presence of only two La-7s in the air and, taking advantage of the numerical advantage, took advantage of the guardsmen. One FW-190 managed to get behind Kozhedub’s fighter, but Titarenko opened fire before the German pilot - the Focke-Wulf exploded in the air.

By this time, help arrived - the La-7 group from the 176th regiment, Titarenko and Kozhedub were able to leave the battle with the last remaining fuel. On the way back, Kozhedub saw a single FW-190 trying to drop bombs on Soviet troops. The ace dived and shot down an enemy plane. This was the last, 62nd, German plane shot down by the best Allied fighter pilot.

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub also distinguished himself in the Battle of Kursk.

Kozhedub's total account does not include at least two aircraft - American P-51 Mustang fighters. In one of the battles in April, Kozhedub tried to drive away German fighters from the American “Flying Fortress” with cannon fire. The US Air Force escort fighters misunderstood the La-7 pilot's intentions and opened barrage fire from a long distance. Kozhedub, apparently, also mistook the Mustangs for Messers, escaped from under fire in a coup and, in turn, attacked the “enemy.”

He damaged one Mustang (the plane, smoking, left the battle and, having flown a little, fell, the pilot jumped out with a parachute), the second P-51 exploded in the air. Only after the successful attack did Kozhedub notice the white stars of the US Air Force on the wings and fuselages of the planes he had shot down. After landing, the regiment commander, Colonel Chupikov, advised Kozhedub to keep quiet about the incident and gave him the developed film of the photographic machine gun. The existence of a film with footage of burning Mustangs became known only after the death of the legendary pilot. A detailed biography of the hero on the website: www.warheroes.ru "Unknown Heroes"

Alexey Petrovich Maresyev

Maresyev Alexey Petrovich fighter pilot, deputy squadron commander of the 63rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, guard senior lieutenant.

Born on May 20, 1916 in the city of Kamyshin, Volgograd Region, into a working-class family. Russian. At the age of three he was left without a father, who died shortly after returning from the First World War. After graduating from the 8th grade of high school, Alexey entered the federal educational institution, where he received a specialty as a mechanic. Then he applied to the Moscow Aviation Institute, but instead of the institute, he went on a Komsomol voucher to build Komsomolsk-on-Amur. There he sawed wood in the taiga, built barracks, and then the first residential areas. At the same time he studied at the flying club. He was drafted into the Soviet army in 1937. Served in the 12th aviation border detachment. But, according to Maresyev himself, he did not fly, but “took up the tails” of the planes. He really took to the air already at the Bataysk Military Aviation School of Pilots, from which he graduated in 1940. He served as a pilot instructor there.

He made his first combat mission on August 23, 1941 in the Krivoy Rog area. Lieutenant Maresyev opened his combat account at the beginning of 1942 - he shot down a Ju-52. By the end of March 1942, he brought the count of downed fascist planes to four. On April 4, in an air battle over the Demyansk bridgehead (Novgorod region), Maresyev’s fighter was shot down. He attempted to land on the ice of a frozen lake, but released his landing gear early. The plane began to quickly lose altitude and fell into the forest.

Maresyev crawled to his side. His feet were frostbitten and they had to be amputated. However, the pilot decided not to give up. When he received prosthetics, he trained long and hard and got permission to return to duty. I learned to fly again in the 11th reserve air brigade in Ivanovo.

In June 1943, Maresyev returned to duty. He fought on the Kursk Bulge as part of the 63rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment and was deputy squadron commander. In August 1943, during one battle, Alexey Maresyev shot down three enemy FW-190 fighters at once.

On August 24, 1943, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Guard Senior Lieutenant Maresyev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Later he fought in the Baltic states and became a regiment navigator. In 1944 he joined the CPSU. In total, he made 86 combat missions, shot down 11 enemy aircraft: 4 before being wounded and seven with amputated legs. In June 1944, Guard Major Maresyev became an inspector-pilot of the Air Force Higher Educational Institutions Directorate. Boris Polevoy's book "The Tale of a Real Man" is dedicated to the legendary fate of Alexei Petrovich Maresyev.

In July 1946, Maresyev was honorably discharged from the Air Force. In 1952, he graduated from the Higher Party School under the CPSU Central Committee, in 1956, he completed graduate school at the Academy of Social Sciences under the CPSU Central Committee, and received the title of Candidate of Historical Sciences. In the same year, he became the executive secretary of the Soviet War Veterans Committee, and in 1983, first deputy chairman of the committee. He worked in this position until the last day of his life.

Retired Colonel A.P. Maresyev was awarded two Orders of Lenin, the Order of the October Revolution, the Red Banner, the Patriotic War, 1st degree, two Orders of the Red Banner of Labor, the Order of People's Friendship, the Red Star, the Badge of Honor, "For Services to the Fatherland" 3rd degree, medals, and foreign orders. He was an honorary soldier of a military unit, an honorary citizen of the cities of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Kamyshin, and Orel. A minor planet of the solar system, a public foundation, and youth patriotic clubs are named after him. He was elected as a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Author of the book "On the Kursk Bulge" (M., 1960).

Even during the war, Boris Polevoy’s book “The Tale of a Real Man” was published, the prototype of which was Maresyev (the author changed only one letter in his last name). In 1948, based on the book at Mosfilm, director Alexander Stolper made a film of the same name. Maresyev was even offered to play the main role himself, but he refused and this role was played by professional actor Pavel Kadochnikov.

Died suddenly on May 18, 2001. He was buried in Moscow at the Novodevichy cemetery. On May 18, 2001, a gala evening was planned at the Russian Army Theater to mark Maresyev’s 85th birthday, but an hour before the start, Alexei Petrovich suffered a heart attack. He was taken to the intensive care unit of one of the Moscow clinics, where he died without regaining consciousness. The gala evening still took place, but it began with a minute of silence.

Krasnoperov Sergey Leonidovich

Krasnoperov Sergei Leonidovich was born on July 23, 1923 in the village of Pokrovka, Chernushinsky district. In May 1941, he volunteered to join the Soviet Army. I studied at the Balashov Aviation Pilot School for a year. In November 1942, attack pilot Sergei Krasnoperov arrived at the 765th attack air regiment, and in January 1943 he was appointed deputy squadron commander of the 502nd attack air regiment of the 214th attack air division of the North Caucasus Front. In this regiment in June 1943 he joined the ranks of the party. For military distinctions he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, the Red Star, and the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd degree.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded on February 4, 1944. Killed in action on June 24, 1944. "March 14, 1943. Attack pilot Sergei Krasnoperov makes two sorties one after another to attack the port of Temrkzh. Leading six "silts", he set fire to a boat at the pier of the port. On the second flight, an enemy shell hit the engine. A bright flame for a moment, like it seemed to Krasnoperov, the sun eclipsed and immediately disappeared in thick black smoke. Krasnoperov turned off the ignition, turned off the gas and tried to fly the plane to the front line. However, after a few minutes it became clear that it would not be possible to save the plane. And under the wing there was a complete swamp. There was only one way out. : to land. As soon as the burning car touched the marsh hummocks with its fuselage, barely had the pilot time to jump out of it and run slightly to the side, an explosion roared.

A few days later, Krasnoperov was again in the air, and in the combat log of the flight commander of the 502nd assault aviation regiment, junior lieutenant Sergei Leonidovich Krasnoperov, a short entry appeared: “03.23.43.” In two sorties he destroyed a convoy in the area of ​​the station. Crimean. Destroyed 1 vehicles, created 2 fires." On April 4, Krasnoperov stormed manpower and firepower in the area of ​​204.3 meters. In the next flight, he stormed artillery and firing points in the area of ​​Krymskaya station. At the same time, he destroyed two tanks and one gun and a mortar.

One day, a junior lieutenant received an assignment for a free flight in pairs. He was the leader. Secretly, in a low-level flight, a pair of “silts” penetrated deep into the enemy’s rear. They noticed cars on the road and attacked them. They discovered a concentration of troops - and suddenly brought down destructive fire on the heads of the Nazis. The Germans unloaded ammunition and weapons from a self-propelled barge. Combat approach - the barge flew into the air. The regiment commander, Lieutenant Colonel Smirnov, wrote about Sergei Krasnoperov: “Such heroic deeds of Comrade Krasnoperov are repeated in every combat mission. The pilots of his flight became masters of assault. The flight is united and occupies a leading position. The command always entrusts him with the most difficult and responsible tasks. With his heroic exploits, he created military glory for himself and enjoys well-deserved military authority among the regiment’s personnel.” Indeed. Sergei was only 19 years old, and for his exploits he had already been awarded the Order of the Red Star. He was only 20, and his chest was decorated with the Golden Star of the Hero.

Sergei Krasnoperov made seventy-four combat missions during the days of fighting on the Taman Peninsula. As one of the best, he was trusted to lead groups of “silts” on assault 20 times, and he always carried out a combat mission. He personally destroyed 6 tanks, 70 vehicles, 35 carts with cargo, 10 guns, 3 mortars, 5 anti-aircraft artillery points, 7 machine guns, 3 tractors, 5 bunkers, an ammunition depot, sunk a boat, a self-propelled barge, and destroyed two crossings across the Kuban.

Matrosov Alexander Matveevich

Sailors Alexander Matveevich - rifleman of the 2nd battalion of the 91st separate rifle brigade (22nd Army, Kalinin Front), private. Born on February 5, 1924 in the city of Ekaterinoslav (now Dnepropetrovsk). Russian. Member of the Komsomol. Lost his parents early. He was raised for 5 years in the Ivanovo orphanage (Ulyanovsk region). Then he was brought up in the Ufa children's labor colony. After finishing 7th grade, he remained to work in the colony as an assistant teacher. In the Red Army since September 1942. In October 1942 he entered the Krasnokholmsky Infantry School, but soon most of the cadets were sent to the Kalinin Front.

In the active army since November 1942. He served in the 2nd battalion of the 91st separate rifle brigade. For some time the brigade was in reserve. Then she was transferred near Pskov to the area of ​​Bolshoi Lomovatoy Bor. Straight from the march, the brigade entered the battle.

On February 27, 1943, the 2nd battalion received the task of attacking a strong point in the area of ​​the village of Chernushki (Loknyansky district of the Pskov region). As soon as our soldiers passed through the forest and reached the edge, they came under heavy enemy machine-gun fire - three enemy machine guns in bunkers covered the approaches to the village. One machine gun was suppressed by an assault group of machine gunners and armor-piercers. The second bunker was destroyed by another group of armor-piercing soldiers. But the machine gun from the third bunker continued to fire at the entire ravine in front of the village. Attempts to silence him were unsuccessful. Then Private A.M. Sailors crawled towards the bunker. He approached the embrasure from the flank and threw two grenades. The machine gun fell silent. But as soon as the fighters went on the attack, the machine gun came to life again. Then Matrosov stood up, rushed to the bunker and closed the embrasure with his body. At the cost of his life, he contributed to the accomplishment of the unit’s combat mission.

A few days later, the name of Matrosov became known throughout the country. Matrosov’s feat was used by a journalist who happened to be with the unit for a patriotic article. At the same time, the regiment commander learned about the feat from the newspapers. Moreover, the date of the hero’s death was moved to February 23, timing the feat to coincide with Soviet Army Day. Despite the fact that Matrosov was not the first to commit such an act of self-sacrifice, it was his name that was used to glorify the heroism of Soviet soldiers. Subsequently, over 300 people accomplished the same feat, but this was no longer widely publicized. His feat became a symbol of courage and military valor, fearlessness and love for the Motherland.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was posthumously awarded to Alexander Matveevich Matrosov on June 19, 1943. He was buried in the city of Velikiye Luki. On September 8, 1943, by order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR, the name of Matrosov was assigned to the 254th Guards Rifle Regiment, and he himself was forever included (one of the first in the Soviet Army) in the lists of the 1st company of this unit. Monuments to the Hero were erected in Ufa, Velikiye Luki, Ulyanovsk, etc. The museum of Komsomol glory of the city of Velikiye Luki, streets, schools, pioneer squads, motor ships, collective farms and state farms were named after him.

Ivan Vasilievich Panfilov

In the battles near Volokolamsk, the 316th Infantry Division of General I.V. especially distinguished itself. Panfilova. Reflecting continuous enemy attacks for 6 days, they knocked out 80 tanks and killed several hundred soldiers and officers. The enemy's attempts to capture the Volokolamsk region and open the way to Moscow from the west failed. For heroic actions, this formation was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and transformed into the 8th Guards, and its commander, General I.V. Panfilov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He was not lucky enough to witness the complete defeat of the enemy near Moscow: on November 18, near the village of Gusenevo, he died a brave death.

Ivan Vasilyevich Panfilov, Guard Major General, commander of the 8th Guards Rifle Red Banner (formerly 316th) Division, was born on January 1, 1893 in the city of Petrovsk, Saratov Region. Russian. Member of the CPSU since 1920. From the age of 12 he worked for hire, and in 1915 he was drafted into the tsarist army. In the same year he was sent to the Russian-German front. He joined the Red Army voluntarily in 1918. He was enlisted in the 1st Saratov Infantry Regiment of the 25th Chapaev Division. He took part in the civil war, fought against Dutov, Kolchak, Denikin and the White Poles. After the war, he graduated from the two-year Kyiv United Infantry School and was assigned to the Central Asian Military District. He took part in the fight against the Basmachi.

The Great Patriotic War found Major General Panfilov at the post of military commissar of the Kyrgyz Republic. Having formed the 316th Infantry Division, he went to the front with it and fought near Moscow in October - November 1941. For military distinctions he was awarded two Orders of the Red Banner (1921, 1929) and the medal "XX Years of the Red Army".

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded posthumously to Ivan Vasilyevich Panfilov on April 12, 1942 for his skillful leadership of division units in battles on the outskirts of Moscow and his personal courage and heroism.

In the first half of October 1941, the 316th Division arrived as part of the 16th Army and took up defense on a wide front on the outskirts of Volokolamsk. General Panfilov was the first to widely use a system of deeply layered artillery anti-tank defense, created and skillfully used mobile barrage detachments in battle. Thanks to this, the resilience of our troops increased significantly, and all attempts of the 5th German Army Corps to break through the defenses were unsuccessful. For seven days, the division, together with the cadet regiment S.I. Mladentseva and dedicated anti-tank artillery units successfully repelled enemy attacks.

Attaching great importance to the capture of Volokolamsk, the Nazi command sent another motorized corps to this area. Only under pressure from superior enemy forces were units of the division forced to leave Volokolamsk at the end of October and take up defense east of the city.

On November 16, fascist troops launched a second “general” attack on Moscow. A fierce battle began again near Volokolamsk. On this day, at the Dubosekovo crossing, there were 28 Panfilov soldiers under the command of political instructor V.G. Klochkov repelled the attack of enemy tanks and held the occupied line. Enemy tanks were also unable to penetrate in the direction of the villages of Mykanino and Strokovo. General Panfilov's division firmly held its positions, its soldiers fought to the death.

For the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command and the massive heroism of its personnel, the 316th Division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner on November 17, 1941, and the next day it was reorganized into the 8th Guards Rifle Division.

Nikolai Frantsevich Gastello

Nikolai Frantsevich was born on May 6, 1908 in Moscow, into a working-class family. Graduated from 5th grade. He worked as a mechanic at the Murom Steam Locomotive Construction Machinery Plant. In the Soviet Army in May 1932. In 1933 he graduated from the Lugansk military pilot school in bomber units. In 1939 he took part in the battles on the river. Khalkhin - Gol and the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940. In the active army since June 1941, the squadron commander of the 207th Long-Range Bomber Aviation Regiment (42nd Bomber Aviation Division, 3rd Bomber Aviation Corps DBA), Captain Gastello, carried out another mission flight on June 26, 1941. His bomber was hit and caught fire. He flew the burning plane into a concentration of enemy troops. The enemy suffered heavy losses from the explosion of the bomber. For the accomplished feat, on July 26, 1941, he was posthumously awarded the Title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Gastello's name is forever included in the lists of military units. At the site of the feat on the Minsk-Vilnius highway, a memorial monument was erected in Moscow.

Zoya Anatolyevna Kosmodemyanskaya (“Tanya”)

Zoya Anatolyevna ["Tanya" (09/13/1923 - 11/29/1941)] - Soviet partisan, Hero of the Soviet Union was born in Osino-Gai, Gavrilovsky district, Tambov region in the family of an employee. In 1930 the family moved to Moscow. She graduated from the 9th grade of school No. 201. In October 1941, Komsomol member Kosmodemyanskaya voluntarily joined a special partisan detachment, acting on instructions from the headquarters of the Western Front in the Mozhaisk direction.

Twice she was sent behind enemy lines. At the end of November 1941, while performing a second combat mission near the village of Petrishchevo (Russian district of the Moscow region), she was captured by the Nazis. Despite cruel torture, she did not reveal military secrets and did not give her name.

On November 29, she was hanged by the Nazis. Her devotion to the Motherland, courage and dedication became an inspiring example in the fight against the enemy. On February 6, 1942, he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Manshuk Zhiengalievna Mametova

Manshuk Mametova was born in 1922 in the Urdinsky district of the West Kazakhstan region. Manshuk’s parents died early, and the five-year-old girl was adopted by her aunt Amina Mametova. Manshuk spent her childhood in Almaty.

When the Great Patriotic War began, Manshuk was studying at a medical institute and at the same time working in the secretariat of the Council of People's Commissars of the Republic. In August 1942, she voluntarily joined the Red Army and went to the front. In the unit where Manshuk arrived, she was left as a clerk at the headquarters. But the young patriot decided to become a front-line fighter, and a month later Senior Sergeant Mametova was transferred to the rifle battalion of the 21st Guards Rifle Division.

Her life was short, but bright, like a flashing star. Manshuk died in battle for the honor and freedom of her native country when she was twenty-one and had just joined the party. The short military journey of the glorious daughter of the Kazakh people ended with an immortal feat she performed near the walls of the ancient Russian city of Nevel.

On October 16, 1943, the battalion in which Manshuk Mametova served received an order to repel an enemy counterattack. As soon as the Nazis tried to repel the attack, Senior Sergeant Mametova’s machine gun started working. The Nazis rolled back, leaving hundreds of corpses. Several fierce attacks of the Nazis had already been drowned out at the foot of the hill. Suddenly the girl noticed that two neighboring machine guns had fallen silent - the machine gunners had been killed. Then Manshuk, quickly crawling from one firing point to another, began to fire at the advancing enemies from three machine guns.

The enemy transferred mortar fire to the position of the resourceful girl. A nearby explosion of a heavy mine knocked over the machine gun behind which Manshuk lay. Wounded in the head, the machine gunner lost consciousness for some time, but the triumphant cries of the approaching Nazis forced her to wake up. Instantly moving to a nearby machine gun, Manshuk lashed out with a shower of lead at the chains of the fascist warriors. And again the enemy’s attack failed. This ensured the successful advancement of our units, but the girl from distant Urda remained lying on the hillside. Her fingers froze on the Maxima trigger.

On March 1, 1944, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, senior sergeant Manshuk Zhiengalievna Mametova was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Aliya Moldagulova

Aliya Moldagulova was born on April 20, 1924 in the village of Bulak, Khobdinsky district, Aktobe region. After the death of her parents, she was raised by her uncle Aubakir Moldagulov. I moved with his family from city to city. She studied at the 9th secondary school in Leningrad. In the fall of 1942, Aliya Moldagulova joined the army and was sent to sniper school. In May 1943, Aliya submitted a report to the school command with a request to send her to the front. Aliya ended up in the 3rd company of the 4th battalion of the 54th Rifle Brigade under the command of Major Moiseev.

By the beginning of October, Aliya Moldagulova had 32 killed fascists.

In December 1943, Moiseev’s battalion received an order to drive the enemy out of the village of Kazachikha. By capturing this settlement, the Soviet command hoped to cut the railway line along which the Nazis were transporting reinforcements. The Nazis resisted fiercely, skillfully taking advantage of the terrain. The slightest advance of our companies came at a high price, and yet slowly but steadily our fighters approached the enemy’s fortifications. Suddenly a lone figure appeared ahead of the advancing chains.

Suddenly a lone figure appeared ahead of the advancing chains. The Nazis noticed the brave warrior and opened fire with machine guns. Seizing the moment when the fire weakened, the fighter rose to his full height and carried the entire battalion with him.

After a fierce battle, our fighters took possession of the heights. The daredevil lingered in the trench for some time. Traces of pain appeared on his pale face, and strands of black hair came out from under his earflap hat. It was Aliya Moldagulova. She destroyed 10 fascists in this battle. The wound turned out to be minor, and the girl remained in service.

In an effort to restore the situation, the enemy launched counterattacks. On January 14, 1944, a group of enemy soldiers managed to break into our trenches. Hand-to-hand combat ensued. Aliya mowed down the fascists with well-aimed bursts from her machine gun. Suddenly she instinctively felt danger behind her. She turned sharply, but it was too late: the German officer fired first. Gathering her last strength, Aliya raised her machine gun and the Nazi officer fell to the cold ground...

The wounded Aliya was carried out by her comrades from the battlefield. The fighters wanted to believe in a miracle, and vying with each other to save the girl, they offered blood. But the wound was fatal.

On June 4, 1944, Corporal Aliya Moldagulova was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Sevastyanov Alexey Tikhonovich

Aleksey Tikhonovich Sevastyanov, flight commander of the 26th Fighter Aviation Regiment (7th Fighter Aviation Corps, Leningrad Air Defense Zone), junior lieutenant. Born on February 16, 1917 in the village of Kholm, now Likhoslavl district, Tver (Kalinin) region. Russian. Graduated from the Kalinin Freight Car Building College. In the Red Army since 1936. In 1939 he graduated from the Kachin Military Aviation School.

Participant of the Great Patriotic War since June 1941. In total, during the war years, junior lieutenant Sevastyanov A.T. made more than 100 combat missions, shot down 2 enemy aircraft personally (one of them with a ram), 2 in a group and an observation balloon.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded posthumously to Alexei Tikhonovich Sevastyanov on June 6, 1942.

On November 4, 1941, junior lieutenant Sevastyanov was on patrol on the outskirts of Leningrad in an Il-153 aircraft. At about 10 p.m., an enemy air raid on the city began. Despite anti-aircraft fire, one He-111 bomber managed to break through to Leningrad. Sevastyanov attacked the enemy, but missed. He went on the attack a second time and opened fire at close range, but again missed. Sevastyanov attacked for the third time. Having come close, he pressed the trigger, but no shots were fired - the cartridges had run out. In order not to miss the enemy, he decided to ram. Approaching the Heinkel from behind, he cut off its tail unit with a propeller. Then he left the damaged fighter and landed by parachute. The bomber crashed near the Tauride Garden. The crew members who parachuted out were taken prisoner. Sevastyanov’s fallen fighter was found in Baskov Lane and restored by specialists from the 1st repair base.

April 23, 1942 Sevastyanov A.T. died in an unequal air battle, defending the “Road of Life” through Ladoga (shot down 2.5 km from the village of Rakhya, Vsevolozhsk region; a monument was erected in this place). He was buried in Leningrad at the Chesme Cemetery. Enlisted forever in the lists of the military unit. A street in St. Petersburg and a House of Culture in the village of Pervitino, Likhoslavl district, are named after him. The documentary "Heroes Don't Die" is dedicated to his feat.

Matveev Vladimir Ivanovich

Matveev Vladimir Ivanovich Squadron commander of the 154th Fighter Aviation Regiment (39th Fighter Aviation Division, Northern Front) - captain. Born on October 27, 1911 in St. Petersburg in a working-class family. Russian Member of the CPSU(b) since 1938. Graduated from 5th grade. He worked as a mechanic at the Red October factory. In the Red Army since 1930. In 1931 he graduated from the Leningrad Military Theoretical School of Pilots, and in 1933 from the Borisoglebsk Military Aviation School of Pilots. Participant in the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939–1940.

With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War at the front. Captain Matveev V.I. On July 8, 1941, when repelling an enemy air raid on Leningrad, having used up all the ammunition, he used a ram: with the end of the plane of his MiG-3 he cut off the tail of the fascist aircraft. An enemy plane crashed near the village of Malyutino. He landed safely at his airfield. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the presentation of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal was awarded to Vladimir Ivanovich Matveev on July 22, 1941.

He died in an air battle on January 1, 1942, covering the “Road of Life” along Ladoga. He was buried in Leningrad.

Polyakov Sergey Nikolaevich

Sergei Polyakov was born in 1908 in Moscow, into a working-class family. He graduated from 7 classes of junior high school. Since 1930 in the Red Army, he graduated from the military aviation school. Participant in the Spanish Civil War 1936 – 1939. In air battles he shot down 5 Franco planes. Participant of the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940. On the fronts of the Great Patriotic War from the first day. The commander of the 174th Assault Aviation Regiment, Major S.N. Polyakov, made 42 combat missions, delivering precision strikes on enemy airfields, equipment and manpower, destroying 42 and damaging 35 aircraft.

On December 23, 1941, he died while performing another combat mission. On February 10, 1943, for the courage and courage shown in battles with enemies, Sergei Nikolaevich Polyakov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously). During his service, he was awarded the Order of Lenin, the Red Banner (twice), the Red Star, and medals. He was buried in the village of Agalatovo, Vsevolozhsk district, Leningrad region.

Muravitsky Luka Zakharovich

Luka Muravitsky was born on December 31, 1916 in the village of Dolgoe, now Soligorsk district of the Minsk region, into a peasant family. He graduated from 6 classes and the FZU school. Worked on the Moscow metro. Graduated from the Aeroclub. In the Soviet Army since 1937. Graduated from the Borisoglebsk military pilot school in 1939.B.ZYu

Participant of the Great Patriotic War since July 1941. Junior Lieutenant Muravitsky began his combat activities as part of the 29th IAP of the Moscow Military District. This regiment met the war on outdated I-153 fighters. Quite maneuverable, they were inferior to enemy aircraft in speed and firepower. Analyzing the first air battles, the pilots came to the conclusion that they needed to abandon the pattern of straightforward attacks, and fight on turns, in a dive, on a “slide” when their “Seagull” gained additional speed. At the same time, it was decided to switch to flights in “twos”, abandoning the officially established flight of three aircraft.

The very first flights of the twos showed their clear advantage. So, at the end of July, Alexander Popov, together with Luka Muravitsky, returning from escorting the bombers, met with six “Messers”. Our pilots were the first to rush into the attack and shot down the leader of the enemy group. Stunned by the sudden blow, the Nazis hastened to get away.

On each of his planes, Luka Muravitsky painted the inscription “For Anya” on the fuselage with white paint. At first the pilots laughed at him, and the authorities ordered the inscription to be erased. But before each new flight, “For Anya” appeared again on the starboard side of the plane’s fuselage... No one knew who Anya was, whom Luka remembered, even going into battle...

Once, before a combat mission, the regiment commander ordered Muravitsky to immediately erase the inscription and more so that it would not be repeated! Then Luka told the commander that this was his beloved girl, who worked with him at Metrostroy, studied at the flying club, that she loved him, they were going to get married, but... She crashed while jumping from a plane. The parachute did not open... She may not have died in battle, Luka continued, but she was preparing to become an air fighter, to defend her Motherland. The commander resigned himself.

Participating in the defense of Moscow, Flight Commander of the 29th IAP Luka Muravitsky achieved brilliant results. He was distinguished not only by sober calculation and courage, but also by his willingness to do anything to defeat the enemy. So on September 3, 1941, while operating on the Western Front, he rammed an enemy He-111 reconnaissance aircraft and made a safe landing on the damaged aircraft. At the beginning of the war, we had few planes and that day Muravitsky had to fly alone - to cover the railway station where the train with ammunition was being unloaded. Fighters, as a rule, flew in pairs, but here there was one...

At first everything went calmly. The lieutenant vigilantly monitored the air in the area of ​​the station, but as you can see, if there are multilayer clouds overhead, it’s raining. When Muravitsky made a U-turn over the outskirts of the station, in the gap between the tiers of clouds he saw a German reconnaissance plane. Luka sharply increased the engine speed and rushed across the Heinkel-111. The Lieutenant's attack was unexpected; the Heinkel had not yet had time to open fire when a machine-gun burst pierced the enemy and he, descending steeply, began to run away. Muravitsky caught up with the Heinkel, opened fire on it again, and suddenly the machine gun fell silent. The pilot reloaded, but apparently ran out of ammunition. And then Muravitsky decided to ram the enemy.

He increased the speed of the plane - the Heinkel was getting closer and closer. The Nazis are already visible in the cockpit... Without reducing speed, Muravitsky approaches almost closely to the fascist plane and hits the tail with the propeller. The jerk and propeller of the fighter cut the metal of the tail unit of the He-111... The enemy plane crashed into the ground behind the railway track in a vacant lot. Luka also hit his head hard on the dashboard, the sight and lost consciousness. I woke up and the plane was falling to the ground in a tailspin. Gathering all his strength, the pilot hardly stopped the rotation of the machine and brought it out of a steep dive. He could not fly further and had to land the car at the station...

Having received medical treatment, Muravitsky returned to his regiment. And again there are fights. The flight commander flew into battle several times a day. He was eager to fight and again, as before his injury, the words “For Anya” were carefully written on the fuselage of his fighter. By the end of September, the brave pilot already had about 40 aerial victories, won personally and as part of a group.

Soon, one of the squadrons of the 29th IAP, which included Luka Muravitsky, was transferred to the Leningrad Front to reinforce the 127th IAP. The main task of this regiment was to escort transport aircraft along the Ladoga highway, covering their landing, loading and unloading. Operating as part of the 127th IAP, Senior Lieutenant Muravitsky shot down 3 more enemy aircraft. On October 22, 1941, for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command, for the courage and courage shown in battles, Muravitsky was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. By this time, his personal account already included 14 downed enemy aircraft.

On November 30, 1941, flight commander of the 127th IAP, Senior Lieutenant Maravitsky, died in an unequal air battle, defending Leningrad... The overall result of his combat activity, in various sources, is assessed differently. The most common number is 47 (10 victories won personally and 37 as part of a group), less often - 49 (12 personally and 37 in a group). However, all these figures do not fit in with the number of personal victories – 14, given above. Moreover, one of the publications generally states that Luka Muravitsky won his last victory in May 1945, over Berlin. Unfortunately, there is no exact data yet.

Luka Zakharovich Muravitsky was buried in the village of Kapitolovo, Vsevolozhsk district, Leningrad region. A street in the village of Dolgoye is named after him.

The exploits of Soviet heroes that we will never forget.

Roman Smishchuk. In one battle, destroyed 6 enemy tanks with hand grenades

For ordinary Ukrainian Roman Smishchuk, that battle was his first. In an effort to destroy the company that had taken up a perimeter defense, the enemy brought 16 tanks into battle. At this critical moment, Smishchuk showed exceptional courage: letting the enemy tank come close, he knocked out its chassis with a grenade, and then threw a bottle with a Molotov cocktail and set it on fire. Running from trench to trench, Roman Smishchuk attacked the tanks, running out to meet them, and in this way destroyed six tanks one after another. The company personnel, inspired by Smishchuk’s feat, successfully broke through the ring and joined their regiment. For his feat, Roman Semenovich Smishchuk was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal. Roman Smishchuk died on October 29, 1969, and was buried in the village of Kryzhopol, Vinnytsia region.

Vanya Kuznetsov. The youngest holder of 3 Orders of Glory

Ivan Kuznetsov went to the front at the age of 14. Vanya received his first medal “For Courage” at the age of 15 for his exploits in the battles for the liberation of Ukraine. He reached Berlin, showing courage beyond his years in a number of battles. For this, already at the age of 17, Kuznetsov became the youngest full holder of the Order of Glory of all three levels. Died January 21, 1989.

Georgy Sinyakov. Rescued hundreds of Soviet soldiers from captivity using the Count of Monte Cristo system

The Soviet surgeon was captured during the battles for Kyiv and, as a captured doctor at a concentration camp in Küstrin (Poland), saved hundreds of prisoners: being a member of the camp underground, he drew up documents in the concentration camp hospital for them as dead and organized escapes. Most often, Georgy Fedorovich Sinyakov used imitation of death: he taught patients to pretend to be dead, declared death, the “corpse” was taken out with other truly dead people and thrown into a ditch nearby, where the prisoner was “resurrected.” In particular, Dr. Sinyakov saved the life and helped pilot Anna Egorova, Hero of the Soviet Union, who was shot down in August 1944 near Warsaw, escape from the plan. Sinyakov lubricated her purulent wounds with fish oil and a special ointment, which made the wounds look fresh, but in fact healed well. Then Anna recovered and, with the help of Sinyakov, escaped from the concentration camp.

Matvey Putilov. At the age of 19, at the cost of his life, he connected the ends of a broken wire, restoring the telephone line between the headquarters and a detachment of fighters

In October 1942, the 308th Infantry Division fought in the area of ​​the factory and the workers' village "Barricades". On October 25, there was a breakdown in communication and Guard Major Dyatleko ordered Matvey to restore the wired telephone connection connecting the regiment headquarters with a group of soldiers who were holding a house surrounded by the enemy for the second day. Two previous unsuccessful attempts to restore communications ended in the death of the signalmen. Putilov was wounded in the shoulder by a mine fragment. Overcoming the pain, he crawled to the site of the broken wire, but was wounded a second time: his arm was crushed. Losing consciousness and unable to use his hand, he squeezed the ends of the wires with his teeth, and a current passed through his body. Communication was restored. He died with the ends of telephone wires clenched in his teeth.

Marionella Koroleva. Carried 50 seriously wounded soldiers from the battlefield

19-year-old actress Gulya Koroleva voluntarily went to the front in 1941 and ended up in a medical battalion. In November 1942, during the battle for height 56.8 in the area of ​​the Panshino farm, Gorodishchensky district (Volgograd region of the Russian Federation), Gulya literally carried 50 seriously wounded soldiers from the battlefield. And then, when the moral strength of the fighters dried up, she herself went on the attack, where she was killed. Songs were written about Guli Koroleva’s feat, and her dedication was an example for millions of Soviet girls and boys. Her name is carved in gold on the banner of military glory on Mamayev Kurgan, and a village in the Sovetsky district of Volgograd and a street are named after her. E. Ilyina’s book “The Fourth Height” is dedicated to Gula Koroleva

Koroleva Marionella (Gulya), Soviet film actress, heroine of the Great Patriotic War

Vladimir Khazov. A tanker who alone destroyed 27 enemy tanks

The young officer has 27 destroyed enemy tanks on his personal account. For services to the Motherland, Khazov was awarded the highest award - in November 1942 he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He especially distinguished himself in the battle in June 1942, when Khazov received an order to stop an advancing enemy tank column, consisting of 30 vehicles, near the village of Olkhovatka (Kharkov region, Ukraine) while senior lieutenant Khazov’s platoon had only 3 combat vehicles. The commander made a bold decision: let the column pass and start firing from the rear. Three T-34s opened aimed fire at the enemy, positioning themselves at the tail of the enemy column. From frequent and accurate shots, German tanks caught fire one after another. In this battle, which lasted just over an hour, not a single enemy vehicle survived, and the full platoon returned to the battalion's location. As a result of the fighting in the Olkhovatka area, the enemy lost 157 tanks and stopped their attacks in this direction.

Alexander Mamkin. The pilot who evacuated 10 children at the cost of his life

During the operation of air evacuation of children from Polotsk orphanage No. 1, whom the Nazis wanted to use as blood donors for their soldiers, Alexander Mamkin made a flight that we will always remember. On the night of April 10-11, 1944, ten children, their teacher Valentina Latko and two wounded partisans fit into his R-5 plane. At first everything went well, but when approaching the front line, Mamkin’s plane was shot down. The R-5 was burning... If Mamkin had been alone on board, he would have gained altitude and jumped out with a parachute. But he was not flying alone and drove the plane further... The flame reached the pilot's cabin. The temperature melted his flight goggles, he flew the plane almost blindly, overcoming the hellish pain, he still stood firmly between the children and death. Mamkin was able to land the plane on the shore of the lake, he was able to get out of the cockpit and asked: “Are the children alive?” And I heard the voice of the boy Volodya Shishkov: “Comrade pilot, don’t worry! I opened the door, everyone is alive, let’s get out...” Then Mamkin lost consciousness, a week later he died... The doctors were still unable to explain how a man could drive the car and even land it safely, whose glasses had been fused into his face, and only his legs remained bones.

Alexey Maresyev. Test pilot who returned to the front and combat missions after amputation of both legs

On April 4, 1942, in the area of ​​the so-called “Demyansk Pocket”, during an operation to cover bombers in a battle with the Germans, Maresyev’s plane was shot down. For 18 days, the pilot wounded in the legs, first on crippled legs, and then crawled his way to the front line, eating tree bark, pine cones and berries. Due to gangrene, his legs were amputated. But while still in the hospital, Alexey Maresyev began training, preparing to fly with prostheses. In February 1943, he made his first test flight after being wounded. I managed to get sent to the front. On July 20, 1943, during an air battle with superior enemy forces, Alexey Maresyev saved the lives of 2 Soviet pilots and shot down two enemy Fw.190 fighters at once. In total, during the war he made 86 combat missions and shot down 11 enemy aircraft: four before being wounded and seven after being wounded.

Rosa Shanina. One of the most formidable lone snipers of the Great Patriotic War

Rosa Shanina - Soviet single sniper of a separate platoon of female snipers of the 3rd Belorussian Front, holder of the Order of Glory; one of the first female snipers to receive this award. She was known for her ability to accurately fire at moving targets with a doublet - two shots in succession. Rosa Shanina’s account records 59 confirmed killed enemy soldiers and officers. The young girl became a symbol of the Patriotic War. Her name is associated with many stories and legends that inspired new heroes to glorious deeds. She died on January 28, 1945 during the East Prussian operation, protecting the seriously wounded commander of an artillery unit.

Nikolai Skorokhodov. Flew 605 combat missions. Personally shot down 46 enemy aircraft.

Soviet fighter pilot Nikolai Skorokhodov went through all levels of aviation during the war - he was a pilot, senior pilot, flight commander, deputy commander and squadron commander. He fought on the Transcaucasian, North Caucasian, Southwestern and 3rd Ukrainian fronts. During this time, he made more than 605 combat missions, conducted 143 air battles, shot down 46 enemy aircraft personally and 8 in a group, and also destroyed 3 bombers on the ground. Thanks to his unique skill, Skomorokhov was never wounded, his plane did not burn, was not shot down, and did not receive a single hole during the entire war.

Dzhulbars. Mine detection dog, participant of the Great Patriotic War, the only dog ​​awarded the medal “For Military Merit”

From September 1944 to August 1945, taking part in mine clearance in Romania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Austria, a working dog named Julbars discovered 7468 mines and more than 150 shells. Thus, the architectural masterpieces of Prague, Vienna and other cities have survived to this day thanks to the phenomenal flair of Dzhulbars. The dog also helped the sappers who cleared the grave of Taras Shevchenko in Kanev and St. Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. On March 21, 1945, for the successful completion of a combat mission, Dzhulbars was awarded the medal “For Military Merit.” This is the only time during the war that a dog received a military award. For his military services, Dzhulbars participated in the Victory Parade, held on Red Square on June 24, 1945.

Dzhulbars, a mine-detecting dog, a participant in the Great Patriotic War

Already at 7.00 on May 9, the telethon “Our Victory” begins, and the evening will end with a grandiose festive concert “VICTORY. ONE FOR ALL”, which will start at 20.30. The concert was attended by Svetlana Loboda, Irina Bilyk, Natalya Mogilevskaya, Zlata Ognevich, Viktor Pavlik, Olga Polyakova and other popular Ukrainian pop stars.

During the battles, the child heroes of the Great Patriotic War did not spare their own lives and walked with the same courage and bravery as adult men. Their fate was not limited to exploits on the battlefield - they worked in the rear, promoted communism in the occupied territories, helped supply troops and much more.

There is an opinion that the victory over the Germans is the merit of grown men and women, but this is not entirely true. The child heroes of the Great Patriotic War made no less contribution to the victory over the regime of the Third Reich and their names should not be forgotten either.

The young pioneer heroes of the Great Patriotic War also acted bravely, because they understood that not only their own lives were at stake, but also the fate of the entire state.

The article will talk about child heroes of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945), more precisely about seven brave boys who received the right to be called heroes of the USSR.

The stories of child heroes of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 are a valuable source of data for historians, even if the children did not take part in bloody battles with weapons in their hands. Below, in addition, you can see photos of the pioneer heroes of the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945 and learn about their brave deeds during the fighting.

All stories about child heroes of the Great Patriotic War contain only verified information; their full names and the full names of their loved ones have not changed. However, some data may not correspond to the truth (for example, exact dates of death, birth), since documentary evidence was lost during the conflict.

Probably the most child hero of the Great Patriotic War is Valentin Aleksandrovich Kotik. The future brave man and patriot was born on February 11, 1930 in a small settlement called Khmelevka, in the Shepetovsky district of the Khmelnitsky region and studied at the Russian-language secondary school No. 4 of the same town. Being an eleven-year-old boy who only had to study in the sixth grade and learn about life, from the first hours of the confrontation he decided for himself that he would fight the invaders.

When the autumn of 1941 came, Kotik, together with his close comrades, carefully organized an ambush for the police of the city of Shepetivka. In the course of a well-thought-out operation, the boy managed to eliminate the head of the police by throwing a live grenade under his car.

Around the beginning of 1942, the little saboteur joined a detachment of Soviet partisans who fought deep behind enemy lines during the war. Initially, young Valya was not sent into battle - he was assigned to work as a signalman - a rather important position. However, the young fighter insisted on his participation in battles against the Nazi occupiers, invaders and murderers.

In August 1943, the young patriot was accepted, having shown extraordinary initiative, into a large and active underground group named after Ustim Karmelyuk under the leadership of Lieutenant Ivan Muzalev. Throughout 1943, he regularly took part in battles, during which he received a bullet more than once, but even despite this he returned to the front line again, not sparing his life. Valya was not shy about any work, and therefore also often went on reconnaissance missions in his underground organization.

The young fighter accomplished one famous feat in October 1943. Quite by accident, Kotik discovered a well-hidden telephone cable, which was located shallow underground and was extremely important for the Germans. This telephone cable provided communication between the headquarters of the Supreme Commander (Adolf Hitler) and occupied Warsaw. This played an important role in the liberation of the Polish capital, since the fascist headquarters had no connection with the high command. In the same year, Kotik helped to blow up an enemy warehouse with ammunition for weapons, and also destroyed six railway trains with the equipment necessary for the Germans, and in which the people of Kiev were hijacked, mining them and blowing them up without remorse.

At the end of October of the same year, the little patriot of the USSR Valya Kotik accomplished another feat. Being part of a partisan group, Valya stood on patrol and noticed how enemy soldiers surrounded his group. The cat was not at a loss and first of all killed the enemy officer who commanded the punitive operation, and then raised the alarm. Thanks to such a courageous act of this brave pioneer, the partisans managed to react to the encirclement and were able to fight off the enemy, avoiding huge losses in their ranks.

Unfortunately, in the battle for the city of Izyaslav in mid-February of the following year, Valya was mortally wounded by a shot from a German rifle. The pioneer hero died from his wound the next morning at the age of just 14 years.

The young warrior was laid to rest forever in his hometown. Despite the significance of Valya Kotik’s exploits, his merits were noticed only thirteen years later, when the boy was awarded the title of “Hero of the Soviet Union,” but posthumously. In addition, Valya was also awarded the Order of Lenin, the Red Banner and the Order of the Patriotic War. Monuments were erected not only in the hero’s native village, but throughout the entire territory of the USSR. Streets, orphanages, and so on were named after him.

Pyotr Sergeevich Klypa is one of those who can easily be called a rather controversial personality, who, being a hero of the Brest Fortress and possessing the “Order of the Patriotic War,” was also known as a criminal.

The future defender of the Brest Fortress was born at the end of September 1926 in the Russian city of Bryansk. The boy spent his childhood practically without a father. He was a railway worker and died early - the boy was raised only by his mother.

In 1939, Peter was taken into the army by his older brother, Nikolai Klypa, who at that time had already achieved the rank of lieutenant of the spacecraft, and under his command was the musical platoon of the 333rd regiment of the 6th rifle division. The young fighter became a student of this platoon.

After the Red Army captured the territory of Poland, he, together with the 6th Infantry Division, was sent to the area of ​​​​the city of Brest-Litovsk. The barracks of his regiment were located close to the famous Brest Fortress. On June 22, Pyotr Klypa woke up in the barracks just as the Germans began to bomb the fortress and the surrounding barracks. The soldiers of the 333rd Infantry Regiment, despite the panic, were able to give an organized rebuff to the first attack of the German infantry, and young Peter also actively participated in this battle.

From the first day, he, together with his friend Kolya Novikov, began to go on reconnaissance missions around the dilapidated and surrounded fortress and carry out orders from their commanders. On June 23, during the next reconnaissance, young soldiers managed to discover a whole warehouse of ammunition that was not destroyed by explosions - this ammunition greatly helped the defenders of the fortress. For many more days, Soviet soldiers repelled enemy attacks using this find.

When senior lieutenant Alexander Potapov became commander of 333-poka, he appointed the young and energetic Peter as his liaison. He did a lot of useful things. One day he brought to the medical unit a large supply of bandages and medicines that were urgently needed by the wounded. Every day Peter also brought water to the soldiers, which was sorely lacking for the defenders of the fortress.

By the end of the month, the situation of the Red Army soldiers in the fortress became catastrophically difficult. To save the lives of innocent people, the soldiers sent children, old people and women into captivity to the Germans, giving them a chance to survive. The young intelligence officer was also offered to surrender, but he refused, deciding to continue participating in battles against the Germans.

In early July, the defenders of the fortress almost ran out of ammunition, water and food. Then it was decided with all our might to make a breakthrough. It ended in complete failure for the Red Army soldiers - the Germans killed most of the soldiers and took the rest half prisoner. Only a few managed to survive and break through the encirclement. One of them was Peter Klypa.

However, after a couple of days of grueling pursuit, the Nazis captured him and the other survivors and took them prisoner. Until 1945, Peter worked in Germany as a farm laborer for a fairly wealthy German farmer. He was freed by the troops of the United States of America, after which he returned to the ranks of the Red Army. After demobilization, Petya became a bandit and robber. He even had murder on his hands. He served a significant part of his life in prison, after which he returned to normal life and started a family and two children. Pyotr Klypa died in 1983 at the age of 57. His early death was caused by a serious illness - cancer.

Among the child heroes of the Great Patriotic War (WWII), the young partisan fighter Vilor Chekmak deserves special attention. The boy was born at the end of December 1925 in the glorious city of sailors Simferopol. Vilor had Greek roots. His father, a hero of many conflicts with the participation of the USSR, died during the defense of the capital of the USSR in 1941.

Vilor was an excellent student at school, experienced extraordinary love and had artistic talent - he drew beautifully. When he grew up, he dreamed of painting expensive paintings, but the events of bloody June 1941 crossed out his dreams once and for all.

In August 1941, Vilor could no longer sit back while others shed blood for him. And then, taking his beloved shepherd dog, he went to the partisan detachment. The boy was a real defender of the Fatherland. His mother dissuaded him from joining an underground group, since the guy had a congenital heart defect, but he still decided to save his homeland. Like many other boys his age, Vilor began serving in the intelligence service.

He served in the ranks of the partisan detachment for only a couple of months, but before his death he accomplished a real feat. On November 10, 1941, he was on duty, covering his brothers. The Germans began to surround the partisan detachment and Vilor was the first to notice their approach. The guy risked everything and fired a rocket launcher to warn his brothers about the enemy, but with the same act he attracted the attention of an entire squad of Nazis. Realizing that he could no longer escape, he decided to cover the retreat of his brothers in arms, and therefore opened fire on the Germans. The boy fought until the last shot, but then did not give up. He, like a real hero, rushed at the enemy with explosives, blowing up himself and the Germans.

For his achievements, he received the medal “For Military Merit” and the medal “For the Defense of Sevastopol.”

Medal "For the Defense of Sevastopol".

Among the famous child heroes of the Great Patriotic War, it is also worth highlighting Arkady Nakolaevich Kamanin, who was born in early November 1928 in the family of the famous Soviet military leader and Red Army Air Force general Nikolai Kamanin. It is noteworthy that his father was one of the first citizens of the USSR to receive the highest title in the state, Hero of the Soviet Union.

Arkady spent his childhood in the Far East, but then moved to Moscow, where he lived for a short time. Being the son of a military pilot, Arkady was able to fly airplanes as a child. In the summer, the young hero always worked at the airfield, and also briefly worked at a factory for the production of aircraft for various purposes as a mechanic. When hostilities began against the Third Reich, the boy moved to the city of Tashkent, where his father was sent.

In 1943, Arkady Kamanin became one of the youngest military pilots in history, and the youngest pilot of the Great Patriotic War. Together with his father he went to the Karelian front. He was enlisted in the 5th Guards Attack Air Corps. At first he worked as a mechanic - not the most prestigious job on board an aircraft. But very soon he was appointed navigator-observer and flight mechanic on the plane to establish communications between individual units called U-2. This plane had dual controls, and Arkasha himself flew the plane more than once. Already in July 1943, the young patriot was flying without any help - completely on his own.

At the age of 14, Arkady officially became a pilot and was enlisted in the 423rd Separate Communications Squadron. Since June 1943, the hero fought against the enemies of the state as part of the 1st Ukrainian Front. Since the victorious autumn of 1944, it became part of the 2nd Ukrainian Front.

Arkady took more part in communication tasks. He flew behind the front line more than once to help the partisans establish communications. At the age of 15, the guy was awarded the Order of the Red Star. He received this award for assisting the Soviet pilot of an Il-2 attack aircraft, who crashed on the so-called no man's land. If the young patriot had not intervened, Polito would have died. Then Arkady received another Order of the Red Star, and then the Order of the Red Banner. Thanks to his successful actions in the sky, the Red Army was able to plant a red flag in occupied Budapest and Vienna.

After defeating the enemy, Arkady went to continue his studies at high school, where he quickly caught up with the program. However, the guy was killed by meningitis, from which he died at the age of 18.

Lenya Golikov is a well-known occupier killer, partisan and pioneer, who for his exploits and extraordinary devotion to the Fatherland, as well as dedication, earned the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, as well as the Medal “Partisan of the Patriotic War, 1st degree.” In addition, his homeland awarded him the Order of Lenin.

Lenya Golikov was born in a small village in the Parfinsky district, in the Novgorod region. Her parents were ordinary workers, and the boy could have had the same calm fate. At the time of the outbreak of hostilities, Lenya had completed seven classes and was already working at a local plywood factory. He began to actively participate in hostilities only in 1942, when the enemies of the state had already captured Ukraine and went to Russia.

In mid-August of the second year of the confrontation, being at that moment a young but already quite experienced intelligence officer of the 4th Leningrad Underground Brigade, he threw a combat grenade under an enemy vehicle. In that car sat a German major general from the engineering forces, Richard von Wirtz. Previously, it was believed that Lenya decisively eliminated the German military leader, but he was able to miraculously survive, albeit seriously injured. In 1945, American troops captured this general. However, on that day, Golikov managed to steal the general’s documents, which contained information about new enemy mines that could cause significant harm to the Red Army. For this achievement, he was nominated for the highest title in the country, “Hero of the Soviet Union.”

In the period from 1942 to 1943, Lena Golikov managed to kill almost 80 German soldiers, blew up 12 highway bridges and 2 more railway bridges. Destroyed a couple of food warehouses important for the Nazis and blew up 10 vehicles with ammunition for the German army.

On January 24, 1943, Leni’s detachment found itself in battle with superior enemy forces. Lenya Golikov died in a battle near a small settlement called Ostray Luka, in the Pskov region, from an enemy bullet. His brothers in arms also died with him. Like many others, he was awarded the title of “Hero of the Soviet Union” posthumously.

One of the heroes of the children of the Great Patriotic War was also a boy named Vladimir Dubinin, who actively acted against the enemy in the Crimea.

The future partisan was born in Kerch on August 29, 1927. Since childhood, the boy was extremely brave and stubborn, and therefore from the first days of hostilities against the Reich he wanted to defend his homeland. It was thanks to his persistence that he ended up in a partisan detachment that operated near Kerch.

Volodya, as a member of a partisan detachment, conducted reconnaissance operations together with his close comrades and brothers in arms. The boy delivered extremely important information and information about the location of enemy units and the number of Wehrmacht fighters, which helped the partisans prepare their offensive combat operations. In December 1941, during the next reconnaissance, Volodya Dubinin provided comprehensive information about the enemy, which made it possible for the partisans to completely defeat the Nazi punitive detachment. Volodya was not afraid to participate in battles - at first he simply brought ammunition under heavy fire, and then stood in the place of a seriously wounded soldier.

Volodya had the trick of leading his enemies by the nose - he “helped” the Nazis find the partisans, but in fact led them into an ambush. The boy successfully completed all the tasks of the partisan detachment. After the successful liberation of the city of Kerch during the Kerch-Feodosia landing operation of 1941-1942. the young partisan joined the sapper detachment. On January 4, 1942, while clearing one of the mines, Volodya died along with a Soviet sapper from a mine explosion. For his services, the pioneer hero received the posthumous award of the Order of the Red Banner.

Sasha Borodulin was born on the day of a famous holiday, namely March 8, 1926 in a hero city called Leningrad. His family was rather poor. Sasha also had two sisters, one older than the hero, and the second younger. The boy did not live long in Leningrad - his family moved to the Republic of Karelia, and then returned to the Leningrad region - in the small village of Novinka, which was 70 kilometers from Leningrad. In this village the hero went to school. There he was elected chairman of the pioneer squad, which the boy dreamed of for a long time.

Sasha was fifteen years old when the fighting began. The hero graduated from 7th grade and became a member of the Komsomol. In the early autumn of 1941, the boy volunteered to join the partisan detachment. At first he conducted exclusively reconnaissance activities for the partisan unit, but soon took up arms.

At the end of the autumn of 1941, he proved himself in the battle for the Chashcha railway station in the ranks of a partisan detachment under the command of the famous partisan leader Ivan Boloznev. For his bravery in the winter of 1941, Alexander was awarded another very honorable Order of the Red Banner in the country.

Over the next months, Vanya repeatedly showed courage, went on reconnaissance missions and fought on the battlefield. On July 7, 1942, the young hero and partisan died. This happened near the village of Oredezh, in the Leningrad region. Sasha remained to cover the retreat of his comrades. He sacrificed his life to allow his brothers in arms to escape. After his death, the young partisan was twice awarded the same Order of the Red Banner.

The names listed above are far from all the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. The children performed many feats that should not be forgotten.

A boy named Marat Kazei accomplished no less than other child heroes of the Great Patriotic War. Despite the fact that his family was out of favor with the government, Marat still remained a patriot. At the beginning of the war, Marat and his mother Anna hid partisans at home. Even when arrests of the local population began in order to find those who were sheltering the partisans, his family did not hand over theirs to the Germans.

Afterwards he himself joined the ranks of the partisan detachment. Marat was actively eager to fight. He accomplished his first feat in January 1943. When the next firefight took place, he was easily wounded, but he still raised his comrades and led them into battle. Being surrounded, the detachment under his command broke through the ring and was able to avoid death. For this feat the guy received the medal “For Courage”. Later he was also given the medal “Partisan of the Patriotic War”, 2nd class.

Marat died along with his commander during a battle in May 1944. When the cartridges ran out, the hero threw one grenade at the enemies, and blew up the second one to avoid being captured by the enemy.

However, not only photos and names of boys pioneer heroes of the Great Patriotic War now decorate the streets of large cities and textbooks. There were also young girls among them. It is worth mentioning the bright but sadly cut short life of the Soviet partisan Zina Portnova.

After the war began in the summer of forty-one, a thirteen-year-old girl found herself in occupied territory and was forced to work in a canteen for German officers. Even then, she worked underground and, on the orders of the partisans, poisoned about a hundred Nazi officers. The fascist garrison in the city began to catch the girl, but she managed to escape, after which she joined the partisan detachment.

At the end of the summer of 1943, during another mission in which she participated as a scout, the Germans captured a young partisan. One of the local residents confirmed that it was Zina who poisoned the officers. They began to brutally torture the girl in order to find out information about the partisan detachment. However, the girl did not say a word. Once she managed to escape, she grabbed a pistol and killed three more Germans. She tried to escape, but was captured again. Afterwards she was tortured for a very long time, practically depriving the girl of any desire to live. Zina still didn’t say a word, after which she was shot on the morning of January 10, 1944.

For her services, the seventeen-year-old girl received the title of Hero of the USSR posthumously.

These stories, stories about child heroes of the Great Patriotic War should never be forgotten, but on the contrary, they will always be in the memory of posterity. It is worth remembering them at least once a year - on the day of the Great Victory.

Introduction

History does not know a more large-scale, fierce, destructive and bloody confrontation than the one that our people had to wage against the fascist aggressors. In the war of 1941-1945. The fate of not only the Fatherland, but also many other peoples and countries - essentially all of humanity - was being decided. Military personnel of the internal troops fought shoulder to shoulder with the Red Army against the invaders. The feat of our compatriots who defeated fascism and won the Great Victory is eternal and holy.

The Great Patriotic War will forever remain in the memory of the descendants and successors of the great people of the great country. About thirty million of our compatriots died heroically for the freedom of our Motherland. At times it seemed to the enemy that the collapse of the USSR was inevitable: the Germans were near Moscow and Leningrad, breaking through near Stalingrad. But the fascists simply forgot that for centuries Genghis Khan, Batu, Mamai, Napoleon and others tried unsuccessfully to conquer our country. The Russian people were always ready to defend their Motherland and fight until their last breath. There was no limit to the patriotism of our soldiers. Only a Russian soldier saved a wounded comrade from under heavy fire from enemy machine guns. Only the Russian soldier mercilessly beat the enemies, but spared the prisoners. Only the Russian soldier died, but did not give up.

At times, German commanders were horrified by the rage and tenacity, courage and heroism of ordinary Russian soldiers. One of the German officers said: “When my tanks go on the attack, the earth trembles under their weight. When the Russians go into battle, the earth trembles from fear of them.” One of the captured German officers looked into the faces of the Russian soldiers for a long time and, in the end, sighed and said: “Now I see that Russian spirit that we were told about many times.” Our soldiers performed many feats during the Great Patriotic War. The young guys sacrificed themselves for this long-awaited Victory. Many of them did not return home, disappeared or were killed on the battlefields. And each of them can be considered a hero. After all, it was they who, at the cost of their lives, led our Motherland to the Great Victory. The soldiers died, knowing full well that they were giving their lives in the name of happiness, in the name of freedom, in the name of clear skies and clear suns, in the name of future happy generations.

Yes, they accomplished a feat, they died, but did not give up. The consciousness of his duty to the Motherland drowned out the feeling of fear, pain, and thoughts of death. This means that this action is not an unconscious action - a feat, but a conviction in the rightness and greatness of the cause for which a person consciously gives his life.

Victory in the Great Patriotic War is a feat and glory of our people. No matter how the assessments and facts of our history have changed in recent years, May 9, Victory Day, remains a sacred holiday for our people. Eternal glory to the soldiers of war! Their feat will forever remain in the hearts of millions of people who value peace, happiness, and freedom.

feat hero soldier war

1. The exploits of Soviet soldiers and officers during the Great Patriotic War

The war between the USSR and Nazi Germany was not an ordinary war between two states, between two armies. It was the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet people against the Nazi invaders. From the very first days of the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet people had to deal with a very serious enemy who knew how to wage a major modern war. Hitler's mechanized hordes, regardless of losses, rushed forward and put to fire and sword everything that came along the way. Thanks to iron discipline, military skill and dedication, millions of Soviet people, who looked death in the face, won and remained alive. The exploits of Soviet heroes became a beacon to which other heroic warriors looked up.

Viktor Vasilievich Talalikhin

Born on September 18, 1918 in the village. Teplovka, Volsky district, Saratov region. Graduated from the Borisoglebok Military Aviation School for Pilots. He took part in the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939 - 1940. He made 47 combat missions, shot down 4 Finnish aircraft, for which he was awarded the Order of the Red Star (1940).

In the battles of the Great Patriotic War from June 1941. Made more than 60 combat missions. In the summer and autumn of 1941, he fought near Moscow<#"justify">. Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub

(1920-1991), Air Marshal (1985), Hero of the Soviet Union (1944 - twice; 1945). During the Great Patriotic War in fighter aviation, squadron commander, deputy regiment commander, conducted 120 air battles; shot down 62 planes.

Three times Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub shot down 17 enemy aircraft on the La-7 (including the Me-262 jet fighter<#"justify">. Alexey Petrovich Maresyev

Maresyev Alexey Petrovich fighter pilot, deputy squadron commander of the 63rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, guard senior lieutenant.

Born on May 20, 1916 in the city of Kamyshin, Volgograd Region, into a working-class family. He was drafted into the Soviet army in 1937. Served in the 12th aviation border detachment. He made his first combat mission on August 23, 1941 in the Krivoo Rog area. Lieutenant Maresyev opened his combat account at the beginning of 1942 - he shot down a Ju-52. By the end of March 1942, he brought the count of downed fascist planes to four

In June 1943, Maresyev returned to duty. He fought on the Kursk Bulge as part of the 63rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment and was deputy squadron commander. In August 1943, during one battle, Alexey Maresyev shot down three enemy FW-190 fighters at once.

On August 1943, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Guard Senior Lieutenant Maresyev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Later he fought in the Baltic states and became a regiment navigator. In 1944 he joined the CPSU. In total, he made 86 combat missions, shot down 11 enemy aircraft: 4 before being wounded and seven with amputated legs. In June 1944, Guard Major Maresyev became an inspector-pilot of the Air Force Higher Educational Institutions Directorate. Boris Polevoy's book "The Tale of a Real Man" is dedicated to the legendary fate of Alexei Petrovich Maresyev.

Retired Colonel A.P. Maresyev was awarded two Orders of Lenin, the Order of the October Revolution, the Red Banner, the Patriotic War, 1st degree, two Orders of the Red Banner of Labor, the Order of People's Friendship, the Red Star, the Badge of Honor, "For Services to the Fatherland" 3rd degree, medals, and foreign orders. He was an honorary soldier of a military unit, an honorary citizen of the cities of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Kamyshin, and Orel. A minor planet of the solar system, a public foundation, and youth patriotic clubs are named after him. He was elected as a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Author of the book "On the Kursk Bulge" (M., 1960).

Even during the war, Boris Polevoy’s book “The Tale of a Real Man” was published, the prototype of the main character of which was Maresyev.

Krasnoperov Sergey Leonidovich

Krasnoperov Sergei Leonidovich was born on July 23, 1923 in the village of Pokrovka, Chernushinsky district. In May 1941, he volunteered to join the Soviet Army. I studied at the Balashov Aviation Pilot School for a year. In November 1942, attack pilot Sergei Krasnoperov arrived at the 765th attack air regiment, and in January 1943 he was appointed deputy squadron commander of the 502nd attack air regiment of the 214th attack air division of the North Caucasus Front. For military distinctions he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, the Red Star, and the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd degree.

The regiment commander, Lieutenant Colonel Smirnov, wrote about Sergei Krasnoperov: “Such heroic deeds of Comrade Krasnoperov are repeated in every combat mission. The pilots of his flight became masters of assault. The flight is united and occupies a leading position. The command always entrusts him with the most difficult and responsible tasks. With his heroic exploits, he created military glory for himself and enjoys well-deserved military authority among the regiment’s personnel.” Indeed. Sergei was only 19 years old, and for his exploits he had already been awarded the Order of the Red Star. He was only 20, and his chest was decorated with the Golden Star of the Hero.

Sergei Krasnoperov made seventy-four combat missions during the days of fighting on the Taman Peninsula. As one of the best, he was trusted to lead groups of “silts” on assault 20 times, and he always carried out a combat mission. He personally destroyed 6 tanks, 70 vehicles, 35 carts with cargo, 10 guns, 3 mortars, 5 anti-aircraft artillery points, 7 machine guns, 3 tractors, 5 bunkers, an ammunition depot, sunk a boat, a self-propelled barge, and destroyed two crossings across the Kuban.

Matrosov Alexander Matveevich

Matrosov Alexander Matveevich - rifleman of the 2nd battalion of the 91st separate rifle brigade (22nd Army, Kalinin Front), private. Born on February 5, 1924 in the city of Ekaterinoslav (now Dnepropetrovsk). In October 1942 he entered the Krasnokholmsky Infantry School, but soon most of the cadets were sent to the Kalinin Front. In the active army since November 1942. On February 27, 1943, the 2nd battalion received the task of attacking a strong point in the area of ​​the village of Chernushki (Loknyansky district of the Pskov region). As soon as our soldiers passed through the forest and reached the edge, they came under heavy enemy machine-gun fire. Two machine guns were destroyed, but the machine gun from the third bunker continued to fire at the entire ravine in front of the village. Then Matrosov stood up, rushed to the bunker and closed the embrasure with his body. At the cost of his life, he contributed to the accomplishment of the unit’s combat mission.

A few days later, the name of Matrosov became known throughout the country. Matrosov’s feat was used by a journalist who happened to be with the unit for a patriotic article. Despite the fact that Matrosov was not the first to commit such an act of self-sacrifice, it was his name that was used to glorify the heroism of Soviet soldiers. Subsequently, over 200 people accomplished the same feat, but this was no longer widely publicized. His feat became a symbol of courage and military valor, fearlessness and love for the Motherland.

“It is known that Alexander Matrosov was far from the first in the history of the Great Patriotic War to accomplish such a feat. More precisely, he had 44 predecessors (5 in 1941, 31 in 1942 and 8 before February 27, 1943). And the very first to cover the enemy machine gun with his body was political instructor A.V. Pankratov. Subsequently, many more commanders and soldiers of the Red Army performed the self-sacrificing feat. By the end of 1943, 38 soldiers followed Matrosov’s example, in 1944 - 87, in the last year of the war - 46. The last one in the Great Patriotic War to close the machine gun embrasure with his body was Guard Sergeant Arkhip Manita. This happened in Berlin 17 days before the Victory...

Of the 215 who accomplished the “feat of Matrosov,” the heroes were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Some exploits were appreciated only many years after the war. For example, Red Army soldier of the 679th Infantry Regiment Abram Levin, who covered the bunker embrasure with his body in the battle for the village of Kholmets on February 22, 1942, was posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, only in 1967. There are also documented cases where brave men who performed the “sailor’s” feat remained alive. This is Udodov A.A., Rise R.Kh., Maiborsky V.P. and Kondratyev L.V.” (V. Bondarenko “One Hundred Great Feats of Russia”, M., “Veche”, 2011, p. 283).

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was posthumously awarded to Alexander Matveevich Matrosov on June 19, 1943. He was buried in the city of Velikiye Luki. On September 8, 1943, by order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR, the name of Matrosov was assigned to the 254th Guards Rifle Regiment, and he himself was forever included (one of the first in the Soviet Army) in the lists of the 1st company of this unit. Monuments to the Hero were erected in St. Petersburg, Tolyatti, Velikiye Luki, Ulyanovsk, Krasnoyarsk, Ufa, Dnepropetrovsk, Kharkov, and there are at least several hundred streets and squares of Alexander Matrosov in the cities and villages of the former USSR.

Ivan Vasilievich Panfilov

In the battles near Volokolamsk, the 316th Infantry Division of General I.V. especially distinguished itself. Panfilova. Reflecting continuous enemy attacks for 6 days, they knocked out 80 tanks and killed several hundred soldiers and officers. Enemy attempts to capture the Volokolamsk area and open the way to Moscow<#"justify">. Nikolai Frantsevich Gastello

Nikolai Frantsevich was born on May 6, 1908 in Moscow, into a working-class family. Graduated from 5th grade. He worked as a mechanic at the Murom Steam Locomotive Construction Machinery Plant. In the Soviet Army in May 1932. In 1933 he graduated from the Lugansk military pilot school in bomber units. In 1939 he took part in the battles on the river. Khalkhin - Gol and the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940. In the active army since June 1941, the squadron commander of the 207th Long-Range Bomber Aviation Regiment (42nd Bomber Aviation Division, 3rd Bomber Aviation Corps DBA), Captain Gastello, carried out another mission flight on June 26, 1941. His bomber was hit and caught fire. He flew the burning plane into a concentration of enemy troops. The enemy suffered heavy losses from the explosion of the bomber. For the accomplished feat, on July 26, 1941, he was posthumously awarded the Title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Gastello's name is forever included in the lists of military units. At the site of the feat on the Minsk-Vilnius highway, a memorial monument was erected in Moscow.

9. Zoya Anatolyevna Kosmodemyanskaya (“Tanya”)

Zoya Anatolyevna Kosmodemyanskaya was born on September 8, 1923 in the village of Osino-Gai (now Tambov region). On October 31, 1941, Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya voluntarily became a fighter in the reconnaissance and sabotage unit No. 9903 of the headquarters of the Western Front. The training was very short - already on November 4, Zoya was transferred to Volokolamsk, where she successfully completed the task of mining the road. On November 17, 1941, Order No. 0428 of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command appeared, ordering “to destroy and burn to the ground all populated areas in the rear of German troops at a distance of 40-60 km in depth from the front line and 20-30 km to the right and left of the roads. To destroy populated areas within the specified radius of action, immediately deploy aviation, make extensive use of artillery and mortar fire, reconnaissance teams, skiers and partisan sabotage groups equipped with Molotov cocktails, grenades and demolition means.”

And the very next day, the leadership of unit No. 9903 received a combat mission - to destroy 10 settlements, including the village of Petrishchevo, Ruza district, Moscow region. Zoya also went on a mission as part of one of the groups. She was armed with three Molotov cocktails and a revolver. Near the village of Golovkovo, the group with which Zoya was walking came under fire, suffered losses and disbanded. On the night of November 27, Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya reached Petrishchev and managed to set fire to three houses there. After that, she spent the night in the forest and returned to Petrishchevo again in order to fully carry out the combat order - to destroy this settlement.

But within a day the situation in the village changed. The occupiers gathered local residents for a meeting and ordered them to guard their houses. It was a local resident named Sviridov who noticed Zoya at the moment when she tried to set fire to his barn with hay. Sviridov ran after the Germans, and Kosmodemyanskaya was captured. They bullied Zoya terribly. They flogged me with belts, held a burning kerosene lamp to my lips, walked me barefoot through the snow, and tore out my fingernails. Kosmodemyanskaya was beaten not only by the Germans, but also by local residents, whose houses she burned. But Zoya held on with amazing courage. She never gave her real name during the interrogation; she said that her name was Tanya.

November 1941 Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya was hanged by the occupiers. Before her death, she uttered a proud phrase, which later became famous: “There are 170 million of us, you can’t outweigh them all!” On January 27, 1942, the first publication in the press appeared about the feat of Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya - an article by P. Lidov “Tanya” (it was published by Pravda.) Soon it was possible to establish the identity of the heroine, and on February 18 a second article appeared - “Who was Tanya.” Two days before this, a decree was issued on awarding Kosmodemyanskaya the title of Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously. She became the first woman awarded this title during the Great Patriotic War. The heroine was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow.

About the feat of Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, a feature film was made about it already in 1944, monuments to the heroine decorated the streets of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kiev, Kharkov, Tambov, Saratov, Volgograd, Chelyabinsk, Rybinsk, poems and stories were written about Zoya, and the streets named in her honor, there are several hundred in the cities and villages of the former USSR.

Aliya Moldagulova

Aliya Moldagulova was born on April 20, 1924 in the village of Bulak, Khobdinsky district, Aktobe region. After the death of her parents, she was raised by her uncle Aubakir Moldagulov. I moved with his family from city to city. She studied at the 9th secondary school in Leningrad. In the fall of 1942, Aliya Moldagulova joined the army and was sent to sniper school. In May 1943, Aliya submitted a report to the school command with a request to send her to the front. Aliya ended up in the 3rd company of the 4th battalion of the 54th Rifle Brigade under the command of Major Moiseev. By the beginning of October, Aliya Moldagulova had 32 killed fascists.

In December 1943, Moiseev’s battalion received an order to drive the enemy out of the village of Kazachikha. By capturing this settlement, the Soviet command hoped to cut the railway line along which the Nazis were transporting reinforcements. The Nazis resisted fiercely, skillfully taking advantage of the terrain. The slightest advance of our companies came at a high price, and yet slowly but steadily our fighters approached the enemy’s fortifications. Suddenly a lone figure appeared ahead of the advancing chains.

Suddenly a lone figure appeared ahead of the advancing chains. The Nazis noticed the brave warrior and opened fire with machine guns. Seizing the moment when the fire weakened, the fighter rose to his full height and carried the entire battalion with him.

After a fierce battle, our fighters took possession of the heights. The daredevil lingered in the trench for some time. Traces of pain appeared on his pale face, and strands of black hair came out from under his earflap hat. It was Aliya Moldagulova. She destroyed 10 fascists in this battle. The wound turned out to be minor, and the girl remained in service.

In an effort to restore the situation, the enemy launched counterattacks. On January 14, 1944, a group of enemy soldiers managed to break into our trenches. Hand-to-hand combat ensued. Aliya mowed down the fascists with well-aimed bursts from her machine gun. Suddenly she instinctively sensed danger behind her. She turned sharply, but it was too late: the German officer fired first. Gathering her last strength, Aliya raised her machine gun and the Nazi officer fell to the cold ground...

The wounded Aliya was carried out by her comrades from the battlefield. The fighters wanted to believe in a miracle, and vying with each other to save the girl, they offered blood. But the wound was fatal.

June 1944, Corporal Aliya Moldagulova was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Conclusion

From the very first days of the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet people had to deal with a very serious enemy. The Soviet people spared neither strength nor life in order to bring the hour of victory over the enemy closer. Women also forged victory over the enemy shoulder to shoulder with men. They bravely endured the incredible hardships of wartime, they were unparalleled workers in factories, on collective farms, in hospitals and schools.

Win or die - this was the question in the war against German fascism, and our soldiers understood this. They consciously gave their lives for their Motherland when the situation demanded it.

What strength of spirit was demonstrated by those who did not hesitate to cover with their bodies the embrasure of the enemy bunker that was spewing deadly fire!

The soldiers and officers of Nazi Germany did not perform such feats, and could not have accomplished them. The spiritual motives for their actions were reactionary ideas of racial superiority and motives, and later - fear of fair retribution for crimes committed and automatic, blind discipline.

The people glorify those who fought bravely and died, with the death of a hero, having brought closer the hour of our victory, glorify the survivors who managed to defeat the enemy. Heroes do not die, their glory is immortal, their names are forever included not only in the lists of personnel of the Armed Forces, but also in people's memory. People make up legends about heroes, erect beautiful monuments to them, and name the best streets of their cities and villages after them. More than 100 thousand soldiers, sergeants and military officers were awarded orders and medals of the Soviet Union, and almost 200 military graduates were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. More than 50 monuments and obelisks were built in honor of the soldiers of the internal troops, about 60 streets and more than 200 schools were named. The exploits of those who defended the life and independence of our Motherland will forever remain in the people's memory.

Need help studying a topic?

Our specialists will advise or provide tutoring services on topics that interest you.
Submit your application indicating the topic right now to find out about the possibility of obtaining a consultation.

The heroes of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 and their exploits are briefly described in many articles and books dedicated to that era. Quite a lot of different films have been made about this. However, the meager information presented in this way cannot fully tell how big a role they played in the overall victory over fascism. But the contribution of each hero individually was simply colossal and inherently unique. In this article, the given facts are also listed very succinctly, but this does not detract from their significance in the historical aspect!

Heroes of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 and their exploits, briefly:

Matrosov’s famous feat was admired and applauded by virtually the entire country. His name has always appeared among the most famous heroes of the USSR of that time.

After all, it was hard to imagine that this brave man would be able, at a critical moment in the battle, to take the extraordinary step of covering the embrasure with his own body, from which the German gun was firing. In fact, by this action, Sailors allowed his comrades to successfully complete the attack on German positions, but at the same time lost his own life.

In 1941, the Nazis dominated the skies, so during this period it was extremely difficult for Soviet pilots to compete with them. But, even despite this, on June 26, the crew, led by Captain Gastello, flew out on a combat mission. The purpose of this sortie was to destroy the enemy mechanized column.

However, the Nazis reliably guarded their unit and as soon as they noticed the enemy planes, they opened heavy fire on them from anti-aircraft guns. As a result of this shelling, Gastello's plane was damaged - the fuel tank caught fire. Of course, even in this situation the pilot could jump out of the parachute and land safely. However, he chose a completely different path - he sent the burning plane directly to the accumulation of German equipment.

Victor Talalikhin

He made his first ram in August 1941, when he damaged a German bomber, but at the same time he managed to jump out of the plane by parachute and thus save his life.

Later, Victor managed to destroy 5 more German planes, but in October of the same year, near Podolsk, during another air battle, the hero died.

He was the commander of a partisan detachment, which became a real hell for the Nazis. The partisans, led by Herman, were able to destroy a lot of military equipment and manpower of the enemy, derailed entire trains and destroyed German military locations. But in 1943, in the Pskov region, the detachment was surrounded.

And even being in such a difficult situation, Herman did not lose his composure, but ordered his soldiers to fight their way through the German positions. The partisans fought desperately against superior enemy forces. In one of the battles, Alexander German received a fatal bullet wound, but the feat of his militia will live forever!

Khrustitsky successfully led a tank brigade and distinguished himself during Operation Iskra, which was carried out on the Leningrad Front. Thanks to this success, the German group in this area was subsequently completely eliminated. The battle of Volosovo, which took place in 1944, was fatal for Vladislav.

Finding himself surrounded, Khrustitsky gave the command to his tank unit via radio communication to counterattack the enemy troops, after which his vehicle was the first to go into open battle. As a result of the bloody battle, the village of Volosovo was liberated from the Nazis, but the brave commander fell in this exhausting battle.

In the Lugansk region, an underground youth organization, which included about 100 young people, successfully resisted the fascist regime. The youngest member of this group was only 14 years old. This mainly included young activists and Soviet soldiers cut off from the main units. The most famous members of the Young Guard militia were Sergei Tyulenin, Ulyana Gromova, Oleg Koshevoy, Vasily Levashov. The main activity of this organization was to distribute anti-fascist leaflets among the local population.

Massive damage to the Germans was caused when young underground fighters burned down a workshop in which damaged German tanks were being restored. Also, members of the “Young Guard” managed to liquidate the invaders’ exchange, from which people were sent en masse to Germany for forced labor. In the future, this group planned a large-scale uprising against the Nazis, but their plans were revealed due to traitors. The Nazis shot about 70 people, but the memory of their brave feat will live forever!

Kosmodemyanskaya was part of the Western Front and its main activity was to organize sabotage actions aimed at destroying the occupying forces. In 1941, during another mission, Zoya was caught by the Germans, then she was tortured for a long time in the hope of extracting information from her about other members of the group. However, the 18-year-old girl steadfastly endured all the trials, without saying a single extra word to the Nazis regarding her sabotage activities.

Having come to terms with this fact, the Nazis hanged Kosmodemyanskaya. However, even before her death, Zoya, seeing that peaceful local residents had come to watch her execution, shouted parting words to them that the enemy would be defeated anyway and sooner or later retribution for the Nazis would definitely come!

Matvey Kuzmin

It just so happened that, by the will of fate, Matvey Kuzmin accomplished a feat very similar to the famous story about Ivan Susanin. He also had to lead a unit of invaders through the forest area. Having assessed the situation, Matvey first sent his grandson ahead of him, who was supposed to notify the partisans that the enemy was approaching.

Thanks to this prudent action, the Nazis were actually trapped and a terrible mortal battle ensued. As a result of the shootout, Kuzmin was killed by a German officer, but the feat of this elderly man, who was already 84 years old at that time, will remain in the memory of people forever!

Osipenko led a small partisan detachment. Together with his comrades, he organized various acts of sabotage and during one of them he had to blow up an enemy train. To achieve this goal, Efim Osipenko crawled under the railway bridge and threw homemade explosives under the train itself.

Initially, there was no explosion, but the hero was not taken aback, and managed to hit the grenade with a pole from the railway sign, after which it detonated, and the long train went downhill. Efim miraculously survived this situation, but completely lost consciousness from the blast wave.

In 1942, Zina Portnova distributed leaflets with anti-fascist slogans, and later, having got a job in a German canteen, she was able to commit several acts of sabotage there. Since 1943, the brave girl went to the partisan detachment, where she also continued to engage in sabotage activities against the invaders. However, the defectors handed Zina over to the enemy, after which she was subjected to terrible torture at the hands of the Nazis, but did not submit to them.

During one of the interrogations, the girl noticed that there was a loaded pistol on the table. Without hesitation, she grabbed a weapon and shot three of her tormentors right on the spot. Realizing that her fate was already predetermined, Zina Portnova steadfastly met death in prison, where she was shot by the Nazis.

Of course, each of the listed feats is thoroughly imbued with the courage and fortitude of the fighters against the occupation regime of Nazi Germany. These stories were used to instill a sense of patriotism among young people in the Soviet Union. We were always proud of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War and wanted to emulate them. Children were told about them in school during lessons and even in kindergartens.

The heroes of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 and their exploits are briefly described in this article. The memory of those bloody events and the inexhaustible heroism that reigned among the Soviet people will live forever, since one can only admire their exploits! Even future generations, having read a book about the war or watched a film telling about those distant events, will be amazed by the fortitude of the spirit of their legendary ancestors! Thematic Video: