The first award with the title of Hero of the Soviet Union during WWII. The exploits of Soviet soldiers during the Great Patriotic War

And courage in rescuing the crew of the icebreaker "Chelyuskin", which suffered a disaster in the ice of the Arctic Ocean.

The last person to be awarded the Gold Star medal of the Hero of the Soviet Union on December 24, 1991 was a junior researcher - diving specialist, captain 3rd rank Leonid Solodkov.

In total, over 12,770 people were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. The largest number of awards were made during the Great Patriotic War (over 11 thousand people).

On July 8, 1941, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the first titles of Heroes of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War were awarded. “For the exemplary performance of combat missions of the Command on the front of the fight against German fascism and the courage and heroism shown,” the highest state award was received by junior lieutenants of the 158th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 7th Air Defense Fighter Corps, flight commander Stepan Zdorovtsev and pilots Mikhail Zhukov and Pyotr Kharitonov .

On June 28, 1941, Pyotr Kharitonov flew as part of an I-16 flight to repel a Ju-88 bomber raid on the city of Ostrov, Pskov Region. This was his first combat mission. During an aerial duel with an enemy bomber, Kharitonov, having used up his ammunition, came up behind the fascist plane and struck its tail with the propeller of his fighter. The Junkers nodded and fell to the ground. Due to a bent propeller, Kharitonov’s fighter was shaken, but he continued to obey the controls. The pilot did not leave the damaged aircraft and landed on his territory.

On the same day, while repelling a raid by German planes on the airfield, the pilot of the same regiment, Stepan Zdorovtsev, had to ram a fascist bomber. During a fight with an enemy aircraft, he ran out of ammunition. While revving up the engine, Zdorovtsev approached the bomber's tail from below and cut off the Junkers' tail unit with a propeller. He managed to keep his damaged I-16 in flight, while the German plane, having lost control, crashed into the ground. The fascist pilots who parachuted out were captured. Zdorovtsev landed safely and two hours later took off on the same plane for a new mission.

On June 29, a group of fighters from the same regiment, which included junior lieutenant Mikhail Zhukov, was scrambled to intercept the enemy air force.

Attacked by Soviet fighters, enemy planes began to randomly drop bombs and turn towards their territory. But one of them, descending, still tried to break through to the airfield unnoticed. Zhukov rushed after him. The German gunner opened fire, but the Soviet pilot silenced him with several bursts. Junkers began to decline sharply. Zhukov knew that enemy pilots sometimes simulate a fall, but underneath them there was Lake Pskov, on which you cannot make an emergency landing. He continued the pursuit and conducted targeted fire at the most vulnerable spots of the German bomber. When the ammunition ran out, I decided to ram the enemy.

Moving away from a possible ram, the German pilot completely pressed the car to the surface of the water and his plane buried its nose in Lake Pskov, 15 kilometers west of the city of Ostrov. Not reaching the water about two meters, Zhukov leveled his I-16 and soared upward. After some time, he landed at his airfield. This was Mikhail Zhukov's third combat mission.

On July 9, 1941, the day after the award, Stepan Zdorovtsev died in an air battle near Pskov. Mikhail Zhukov fought in the skies of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) and was wounded. He died at the beginning of the breakthrough of the siege of Leningrad on January 12, 1943 near Dubrovka, covering ground troops. Pyotr Kharitonov was seriously wounded in an air battle in September 1941 and returned to duty in 1944. He fought until the end of the war in air defense units. After the war, he continued to serve in the air force; in 1955, with the rank of colonel, he retired to the reserve and worked at the civil defense headquarters in Donetsk. Died in 1987.

A passenger ship that sailed along the Volga, streets in Astrakhan, Volgograd and Leningrad were named after Stepan Zdorovtsev, and a monument to him was erected in Astrakhan. Streets in Yaroslavl and Cherepovets are named after Mikhail Zhukov, and his bust is installed in Yaroslavl.

On July 22, 2005, on the international route St. Petersburg - Kyiv (Pskov, Kresty district) a monument was opened dedicated to the memory of pilots Pyotr Kharitonov, Mikhail Zhukov and Stepan Zdorovtsev, the first Heroes of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War. In this area, in the military town of Kresty, before the war, a flight regiment in which the Heroes served was based.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

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, Kyiv, 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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 that the sun was darkened 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 only one way out. : to land. As soon as the burning car touched the marsh hummocks with its fuselage, the pilot barely had 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 exploits of Comrade Krasnoperov are repeated in every combat mission. The pilots of his flight have become 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 Yekaterinoslav (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.

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 the command's combat missions 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

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

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 in front of the advancing chains.

Suddenly a lone figure appeared in front 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 go for a 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 captured. 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

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

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 Aero Club. 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...

After receiving 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 Dolgoe is named after him.

The highest degree of distinction in the USSR was the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. It was awarded to citizens who accomplished a feat during military operations or distinguished themselves by other outstanding services to their Motherland. As an exception, it could have been appropriated in peacetime.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was established by the Decree of the USSR Central Executive Committee of April 16, 1934. Later, on August 1, 1939, as an additional insignia for Heroes of the USSR, it was approved in the form of a five-pointed star mounted on a rectangular block, which was issued to the recipients along with a diploma from the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces. At the same time, it was established that those who repeated a feat worthy of the title of Hero would be awarded the second Order of Lenin and the second Gold Star medal. When the hero was re-awarded, his bronze bust was installed in his homeland. The number of awards with the title Hero of the Soviet Union was not limited.

The list of the first Heroes of the Soviet Union was opened on April 20, 1934 by polar explorer pilots: A. Lyapidevsky, S. Levanevsky, N. Kamanin, V. Molokov, M. Vodopyanov, M. Slepnev and I. Doronin. Participants in the rescue of passengers in distress on the legendary steamship Chelyuskin.

Eighth on the list was M. Gromov (September 28, 1934). The crew of the aircraft he led set a world record for flight range along a closed curve at a distance of more than 12 thousand kilometers. The next Heroes of the USSR were the pilots: crew commander Valery Chkalov, who together with G. Baidukov and A. Belyakov made a long non-stop flight along the Moscow - Far East route.

It was for military exploits that for the first time 17 commanders of the Red Army (Decree of December 31, 1936) who participated in the Spanish Civil War became Heroes of the Soviet Union. Six of them were tank crews, the rest were pilots. Three of them were awarded the title posthumously. Two of the recipients were foreigners: Bulgarian V. Goranov and Italian P. Gibelli. In total, for battles in Spain (1936-39), the highest honor was awarded 60 times.

In August 1938, this list was supplemented by 26 more people who showed courage and heroism during the defeat of the Japanese interventionists in the area of ​​Lake Khasan. About a year later, the first presentation of the Gold Star medal took place, which was received by 70 fighters for their exploits during battles in the area of ​​the river. Khalkhin Gol (1939). Some of them became twice Heroes of the Soviet Union.

After the start of the Soviet-Finnish conflict (1939-40), the list of Heroes of the Soviet Union increased by another 412 people. Thus, before the start of the Great Patriotic War, 626 citizens received the Hero, among whom were 3 women (M. Raskova, P. Osipenko and V. Grizodubova).

More than 90 percent of the total number of Heroes of the Soviet Union appeared in the country during the Great Patriotic War. 11 thousand 657 people were awarded this high title, 3051 of them posthumously. This list includes 107 fighters who became twice heroes (7 were awarded posthumously), and the total number of those awarded included 90 women (49 - posthumously).

The attack of Nazi Germany on the USSR caused an unprecedented rise in patriotism. The Great War brought a lot of grief, but it also revealed the heights of courage and strength of character of seemingly ordinary ordinary people.

So, who would have expected heroism from the elderly Pskov peasant Matvey Kuzmin. In the very first days of the war, he came to the military registration and enlistment office, but they brushed him off because he was too old: “go, grandfather, to your grandchildren, we’ll figure it out without you.” Meanwhile, the front was inexorably moving east. The Germans entered the village of Kurakino, where Kuzmin lived. In February 1942, an elderly peasant was unexpectedly summoned to the commandant's office - the battalion commander of the 1st Mountain Rifle Division found out that Kuzmin was an excellent tracker with perfect knowledge of the terrain and ordered him to assist the Nazis - to lead a German detachment to the rear of the advanced battalion of the Soviet 3rd Shock Army . “If you do everything right, I’ll pay you well, but if you don’t, blame yourself...” “Yes, of course, of course, don’t worry, your honor,” Kuzmin feignedly whined. But an hour later, the cunning peasant sent his grandson with a note to our people: “The Germans ordered a detachment to be led to your rear, in the morning I will lure them to the fork near the village of Malkino, meet me.” That same evening, the fascist detachment with its guide set off. Kuzmin led the Nazis in circles and deliberately exhausted the invaders: they forced them to climb steep hillsides and wade through dense bushes. “What can you do, your honor, well, there is no other way here...” At dawn, tired and cold fascists found themselves at the Malkino fork. "That's it, guys, they're here." “How did you come!?” “So, let’s rest here and then we’ll see...” The Germans looked around - they had been walking all night, but they had moved only a couple of kilometers from Kurakino and were now standing on the road in an open field, and twenty meters in front of them was a forest, where, now they understood for sure, there was a Soviet ambush. “Oh, you…” – the German officer pulled out a pistol and emptied the entire clip into the old man. But at that same second, a rifle salvo rang out from the forest, then another, Soviet machine guns began to chatter, and a mortar fired. The Nazis rushed about, screamed, and shot randomly in all directions, but not one of them escaped alive. The hero died and took with him 250 Nazi occupiers. Matvey Kuzmin became the oldest Hero of the Soviet Union, he was 83 years old.

And the youngest gentleman of the highest Soviet rank, Valya Kotik, joined the partisan detachment at the age of 11. At first he was a liaison for an underground organization, then he took part in military operations. With his courage, fearlessness and strength of character, Valya amazed his seasoned senior comrades. In October 1943, the young hero saved his squad by noticing the approaching punitive forces in time, he raised the alarm and was the first to enter the battle, killing several Nazis, including a German officer. On February 16, 1944, Valya was mortally wounded in battle. The young hero was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. He was 14 years old.

The entire people, young and old, rose up to fight the fascist infection. Soldiers, sailors, officers, even children and old people selflessly fought against the Nazi invaders. Therefore, it is not surprising that the vast majority of awards with the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union occur during the war years.

In the post-war period, the title of GSS was awarded quite rarely. But even before 1990, awards continued for exploits during the Great Patriotic War, which were not carried out at the time for various reasons, intelligence officer Richard Sorge, F.A. Poletaev, the legendary submariner A.I. Marinesko and many others.

For military courage and dedication, the title of GSS was awarded to participants in combat operations performing international duty in North Korea, Hungary, Egypt - 15 awards; in Afghanistan, 85 internationalist soldiers received the highest honor, of which 28 were posthumous.

A special group, awarding military equipment test pilots, polar explorers, participants in the exploration of the depths of the World Ocean - 250 people in total. Since 1961, the title of GSS has been awarded to cosmonauts; over 30 years, 84 people who have completed a space flight have been awarded it. Six people were awarded for eliminating the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant

It should also be noted that in the post-war years, a vicious tradition arose of awarding high military honors for “armchair” achievements dedicated to anniversary birthdays. This is how repeatedly noted heroes like Brezhnev and Budyonny appeared. “Gold Stars” were also awarded as friendly political gestures; due to this, the list of Heroes of the USSR was supplemented by the heads of the allied states Fidel Castro, Egyptian President Nasser and some others.

The list of Heroes of the Soviet Union was completed on December 24, 1991, by captain 3rd rank, underwater specialist L. Solodkov, who participated in a diving experiment for long-term work at a depth of 500 meters under water.

In total, during the existence of the USSR, 12 thousand 776 people received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Of these, 154 people were awarded it twice, 3 people three times. and four times – 2 people. The first twice Heroes were military pilots S. Gritsevich and G. Kravchenko. Three times Heroes: air marshals A. Pokryshkin and I. Kozhedub, as well as Marshal of the USSR S. Budyonny. There are only two four-time Heroes on the list - USSR Marshals G. Zhukov and L. Brezhnev.

In history, there are known cases of deprivation of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union - 72 in total, plus 13 canceled Decrees on conferring this title as unfounded.

Biographies and exploits of Heroes of the Soviet Union and holders of Soviet orders:

The first Heroes of the Soviet Union in the Great Patriotic War were:

Air Force:

Fighter pilots, junior lieutenants Mikhail Petrovich Zhukov, Stepan Ivanovich Zdorovtsev and Petr Timofeevich Kharitonov, distinguished themselves in air battles with enemy bombers.

On June 28 (Zhukov 29), these pilots, using their I-16 fighters, used ramming attacks against enemy Ju-88 bombers (in general, the first ram was carried out 15 minutes after the start of the war by D. Kokorev).

Navy:

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union in the Navy was first awarded to a sailor of the Northern Fleet, squad commander, senior sergeant Vasily Pavlovich Kislyakov, who distinguished himself during the landing in Motovsky Bay in the Arctic in July 1941 (replaced the killed commander, and then held the altitude for 7 hours) .

The first Hero of the Soviet Union in the ground forces was the commander of the 1st Moscow Motorized Rifle Division of the 20th Army, Colonel Kreiser Yakov Grigorievich, for organizing the combat operations of the division, which, having launched a counterattack to the enemy, delayed his advance for two days at the line of the Berezina River.

Armored troops:

The first (I couldn’t find any other data) Heroes of the Soviet Union were the tank commander of the 1st tank regiment of the 1st tank division of the 14th army of the Northern Front, senior sergeant Borisov Alexander Ivanovich and captain Kaduchenko Joseph Andriyanovich, deputy commander of the tank battalion of the 115th tank regiment 57 1st Tank Division of the 20th Army of the Western Front.

Artillery:

The first artilleryman to become a Hero of the Soviet Union was the gunner of the anti-tank battery of the 680th Infantry Regiment of the 169th Infantry Division of the 18th Army of the Southern Front, Red Army soldier Yakov Kharitonovich Kolchak.

People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs:

The first Heroes of the Soviet Union were the border guards of outpost No. 5 of the 25th Kagul border detachment of the Moldavian border district, who entered the battle on the Prut River on June 22, 1941: senior lieutenant Alexander Konstantinov Konstantinov, junior lieutenant Ivan Dmitrievich Buzytskov, junior sergeant Vasily Fedorovich Mikhalkov.

For 11 days, the outpost remained completely surrounded.

Also, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to the head of the 12th outpost of the 25th Cahul border detachment of the Moldavian border district, Lieutenant Vetchinkin Kuzma Fedorovich.

Partisans:

The first Heroes of the Soviet Union were the Belarusian secretary of the district party committee Bumazhkov Tikhon Pimenovich, commissar of the partisan detachment "Red October" and the commander of the same detachment Pavlovsky Fedor Illarionovich

Total Heroes of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War:

In total, during the Great Patriotic War, 11,635 people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Among all the Heroes of the Soviet Union, 35% were privates and non-commissioned officers (soldiers, sailors, sergeants and foremen), 61% were officers and 3.3% (380 people) were generals, admirals and marshals.

The national composition of the Heroes of the Soviet Union was:

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union is held by four full holders of the Order of Glory:

1) Only 30 minutes were allocated by the Wehrmacht command to suppress the resistance of the border guards. However, the 13th outpost under the command of A. Lopatin fought for more than 10 days and the Brest Fortress for more than a month.
2) At 4 hours 25 minutes on June 22, 1941, pilot Senior Lieutenant I. Ivanov carried out an aerial ram. This was the first feat during the war; awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
3) The first counterattack was carried out by border guards and units of the Red Army on June 23. They liberated the city of Przemysl, and two groups of border guards broke into Zasanje (Polish territory occupied by Germany), where they destroyed the headquarters of the German division and the Gestapo, and freed many prisoners.

4) During heavy battles with enemy tanks and assault guns, the gunner of the 76 mm gun of the 636th anti-tank artillery regiment, Alexander Serov, destroyed 18 tanks and fascist assault guns on June 23 and 24, 1941. The relatives received two funerals, but the brave warrior remained alive. Recently, the veteran was awarded the title of Hero of Russia.

5) On the night of August 8, 1941, a group of Baltic Fleet bombers under the command of Colonel E. Preobrazhensky carried out the first air raid on Berlin. Such raids continued until September 4th.

6) Lieutenant Dmitry Lavrinenko from the 4th Tank Brigade is rightfully considered the number one tank ace. During three months of fighting in September-November 1941, he destroyed 52 enemy tanks in 28 battles. Unfortunately, the brave tankman died in November 1941 near Moscow.

7) The most unique record of the Great Patriotic War was set by the crew of senior lieutenant Zinovy ​​Kolobanov on the KV tank from the 1st Tank Division. In 3 hours of battle in the area of ​​the Voyskovitsy state farm (Leningrad region), he destroyed 22 enemy tanks.

8) In the battle for Zhitomir in the area of ​​the Nizhnekumsky farm on December 31, 1943, the crew of junior lieutenant Ivan Golub (13th Guards Tank Brigade of the 4th Guards Tank Corps.) destroyed 5 "tigers", 2 "Panthers", 5 hundreds of guns fascists.

9) The crew of an anti-tank gun, consisting of senior sergeant R. Sinyavsky and corporal A. Mukozobov (542nd Infantry Regiment, 161st Infantry Division), destroyed 17 enemy tanks and assault guns in battles near Minsk from June 22 to 26. For this feat, the soldiers were awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

10) Crew of the gun of the 197th Guards. regiment of the 92nd Guards rifle division (152 mm howitzer) consisting of the brothers of the Guard Senior Sergeant Dmitry Lukanin and the Guard Sergeant Yakov Lukanin from October 1943 until the end of the war, destroyed 37 tanks and armored personnel carriers and more than 600 enemy soldiers and officers. For the battle near the village of Kaluzhino, Dnepropetrovsk region, the fighters were awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Now their 152-mm howitzer cannon is installed in the Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineering Troops and Signal Corps. (Saint Petersburg).

11) The commander of the 37 mm gun crew of the 93rd separate anti-aircraft artillery battalion, Sergeant Petr Petrov, is rightfully considered the most successful anti-aircraft gunner ace. In June-September 1942, his crew destroyed 20 enemy aircraft. The crew under the command of a senior sergeant (632nd anti-aircraft artillery regiment) destroyed 18 enemy aircraft.

12) In two years, the calculation of a 37 mm gun of the 75th Guards. army anti-aircraft artillery regiment under the command of Guards. Petty Officer Nikolai Botsman destroyed 15 enemy aircraft. The latter were shot down in the sky over Berlin.

13) Gunner of the 1st Baltic Front Klavdiya Barkhotkina hit 12 enemy air targets.

14) The most effective of the Soviet boatmen was Lieutenant-Commander Alexander Shabalin (Northern Fleet); he led the destruction of 32 enemy warships and transports (as commander of a boat, a flight and a detachment of torpedo boats). For his exploits, A. Shabalin was twice awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

15) Over several months of fighting on the Bryansk Front, soldier of the fighter squad, Private Vasily Putchin, destroyed 37 enemy tanks with only grenades and Molotov cocktails.

16) At the height of the battles on the Kursk Bulge on July 7, 1943, machine gunner of the 1019th regiment, senior sergeant Yakov Studennikov, alone (the rest of his crew died) fought for two days. Having been wounded, he managed to repel 10 Nazi attacks and destroyed more than 300 Nazis. For his accomplished feat, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

17) About the feat of the soldiers of the 316th SD. (divisional commander, Major General I. Panfilov) at the well-known Dubosekovo crossing on November 16, 1941, 28 tank destroyers met the attack of 50 tanks, of which 18 were destroyed. Hundreds of enemy soldiers met their end at Dubosekovo. But few people know about the feat of the soldiers of the 1378th regiment of the 87th division. On December 17, 1942, in the area of ​​the village of Verkhne-Kumskoye, soldiers from the company of senior lieutenant Nikolai Naumov with two crews of anti-tank rifles, while defending a height of 1372 m, repelled 3 attacks by enemy tanks and infantry. The next day there were several more attacks. All 24 soldiers died defending the heights, but the enemy lost 18 tanks and hundreds of infantrymen.

18) In the battle of Stalingrad on September 1, 1943, machine gunner Sergeant Khanpasha Nuradilov destroyed 920 fascists.

19) In the Battle of Stalingrad, in one battle on December 21, 1942, Marine I. Kaplunov knocked out 9 enemy tanks. He knocked out 5 and, being seriously wounded, took out 4 more.

20) During the Battle of Kursk on July 6, 1943, Guard pilot Lieutenant A. Horovets took part in battle with 20 enemy aircraft, and shot down 9 of them.

21) The crew of the submarine under the command of P. Grishchenko sunk 19 enemy ships, moreover, in the initial period of the war.

22) Northern Fleet pilot B. Safonov shot down 30 enemy aircraft from June 1941 to May 1942 and became the first twice Hero of the Soviet Union in the Great Patriotic War.

23) During the defense of Leningrad, sniper F. Dyachenko destroyed 425 Nazis.

24) The first Decree on conferring the title of Hero of the Soviet Union during the war was adopted by the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces on July 8, 1941. It was awarded to pilots M. Zhukov, S. Zdorovets, P. Kharitonov for air ramming in the sky of Leningrad.

25) The famous pilot I. Kozhedub received the third Gold Star - at the age of 25, artilleryman A. Shilin received the second Gold Star - at the age of 20.

26) During the Great Patriotic War, five schoolchildren under the age of 16 received the title of Hero: Sasha Chekalin and Lenya Golikov - at 15 years old, Valya Kotik, Marat Kazei and Zina Portnova - at 14 years old.

27) The heroes of the Soviet Union were pilots brothers Boris and Dmitry Glinka (Dmitry later became a twice Hero), tankers Evsei and Matvey Vainruba, partisans Evgeniy and Gennady Ignatov, pilots Tamara and Vladimir Konstantinov, Zoya and Alexander Kosmodemyansky, brothers pilots Sergei and Alexander Kurzenkov, brothers Alexander and Pyotr Lizyukov, twin brothers Dmitry and Yakov Lukanin, brothers Nikolai and Mikhail Panichkin.

28) More than 300 Soviet soldiers covered the enemy's embrasures with their bodies, about 500 aviators used an air ram in battle, over 300 crews sent downed planes to concentrations of enemy troops.

29) During the war, more than 6,200 partisan detachments and underground groups, in which there were over 1,000,000 people's avengers, operated behind enemy lines.

30) During the war years, 5,300,000 orders and 7,580,000 medals were awarded.

31) There were about 600,000 women in the active army, more than 150,000 of them were awarded orders and medals, 86 were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

32) 10,900 times regiments and divisions were awarded the Order of the USSR, 29 units and formations have 5 or more awards.

33) During the Great Patriotic War, 41,000 people were awarded the Order of Lenin, of which 36,000 were awarded for military exploits. More than 200 military units and formations were awarded the Order of Lenin.

34) More than 300,000 people were awarded the Order of the Red Banner during the war.

35) For exploits during the Great Patriotic War, more than 2,860,000 awards were made with the Order of the Red Star.

36) The Order of Suvorov 1st degree was first awarded to G. Zhukov, the Order of Suvorov 2nd degree No. 1 was awarded to Major General of Tank Forces V. Badanov.

37) The Order of Kutuzov, 1st degree No. 1, was awarded to Lieutenant General N. Galanin, the Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky, 1st degree No. 1, was awarded to General A. Danilo.

38) During the war years, 340 were awarded the Order of Suvorov 1st degree, 2nd degree - 2100, 3rd degree - 300, Order of Ushakov 1st degree - 30, 2nd degree - 180, Order of Kutuzov 1st degree - 570, 2nd degree - 2570, 3rd degree - 2200, Order of Nakhimov 1st degree - 70, 2nd degree - 350, Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky 1st degree - 200, 2nd degree - 1450 , 3rd degree - 5400, Order of Alexander Nevsky - 40,000.

39) The Order of the Great Patriotic War, 1st degree No. 1, was awarded to the family of the deceased senior political instructor V. Konyukhov.

40) The Order of the Great War, 2nd degree, was awarded to the parents of the deceased senior lieutenant P. Razhkin.

41) N. Petrov received six Orders of the Red Banner during the Great Patriotic War. The feat of N. Yanenkov and D. Panchuk was awarded with four Orders of the Patriotic War. Six Orders of the Red Star awarded the merits of I. Panchenko.

42) The Order of Glory, 1st degree No. 1, was received by Sergeant Major N. Zalyotov.

43) 2,577 people became full holders of the Order of Glory. After the soldiers, 8 full holders of the Order of Glory became Heroes of Socialist Labor.

44) During the war years, about 980,000 people were awarded the Order of Glory, 3rd degree, and more than 46,000 people, 2nd and 1st degrees.

45) Only 4 people - Heroes of the Soviet Union - are full holders of the Order of Glory. These are guard artillerymen senior sergeants A. Aleshin and N. Kuznetsov, infantryman foreman P. Dubina, pilot senior lieutenant I. Drachenko, who lived in Kyiv in the last years of his life.

46) During the Great Patriotic War, the medal “For Courage” was awarded to more than 4,000,000 people, “For Military Merit” - 3,320,000.

47) The military feat of intelligence officer V. Breev was awarded with six medals “For Courage”.

48) The youngest of those awarded the medal “For Military Merit” is six-year-old Seryozha Aleshkov.

49) The medal “Partisan of the Great Patriotic War”, 1st degree, was awarded to more than 56,000 people, 2nd degree - about 71,000 people.

50) 185,000 people were awarded orders and medals for their feat behind enemy lines.