home crafts The hero and his feat. Fifty facts: the exploits of Soviet soldiers during the Great Patriotic War

The hero and his feat. Fifty facts: the exploits of Soviet soldiers during the Great Patriotic War

Description of the presentation Heroes of the Great Patriotic War and their exploits Shahbazyan on slides

Alexander Matveevich Matrosov (1924 -1943) February 23, 1943 at one of the sites Kalinin Front near the village of Chernushki north of the city Great Luki unfolded fierce battles. The enemy turned the village into a heavily fortified stronghold. Several times the fighters attacked the Nazi fortifications, but the destructive fire from the bunker blocked their path. Then the private of the Matrosov guard, having made his way to the bunker, closed the embrasure with his body. Inspired by the feat of Matrosov, the soldiers went on the attack and drove the Germans out of the village. For the feat A. M. Matrosov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero Soviet Union. Today, the regiment in which Matrosov served bears the name of a hero forever enrolled in the lists of the unit.

Nelson Georgievich Stepanyan (1913 -1944) During the Great Patriotic War the commander of the assault regiment Stepanyan made 293 successful sorties to attack and bombard enemy ships. Stepanyan became famous for his high skill, suddenness and audacity of strikes against the enemy. One day, Colonel Stepanyan led a group of planes to bombard an enemy airfield. The stormtroopers dropped their bombs and began to leave. But Stepanyan saw that several fascist planes remained intact. Then he sent his plane back, and approaching the enemy airfield, released the landing gear. The enemy anti-aircraft artillery ceased fire, thinking that a Soviet plane was voluntarily landing on their airfield. At that moment, Stepanyan gave gas, retracted the landing gear and dropped the bombs. All three aircraft that survived the first raid blazed with torches. And Stepanyan's plane landed safely at its airfield. On October 23, 1942, for the excellent performance of command assignments, the glorious son of the Armenian people was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He was posthumously awarded the second Gold Star medal on March 6, 1945.

Nikolai Gastello (1907 -1941) Military pilot, commander of the 2nd squadron of the 207th long-range bomber aviation regiment, captain. On June 26, 1941, the crew under the command of Captain Gastello took off to attack a German mechanized column. It was on the road between the Belarusian cities of Molodechno and Radoshkovichi. But the column was well guarded by enemy artillery. A fight ensued. Aircraft Gastello was hit by anti-aircraft guns. The shell damaged the fuel tank, the car caught fire. The pilot could eject, but he decided to fulfill his military duty to the end. Nikolai Gastello sent a burning car directly to the enemy column. It was the first fire ram in the Great Patriotic War. The name of the brave pilot has become a household name. Until the end of the war, all the aces who decided to go for a ram were called Gastellites. According to official statistics, almost six hundred enemy rams were made during the entire war.

Matvey Kuzmin (1858 -1942) The peasant Matvey Kuzmin was born three years before the abolition of serfdom. And he died, becoming the oldest holder of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. His story contains many references to the history of another famous peasant - Ivan Susanin. Matvey also had to lead the invaders through the forest and swamps. And, like the legendary hero, he decided to stop the enemy at the cost of his life. He sent his grandson ahead to warn a detachment of partisans who had stopped nearby. The Nazis were ambushed. A fight ensued. Matvey Kuzmin died at the hands of a German officer. But he did his job. He was in his 84th year.

Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya (1923 -1941) Partisan, part of the sabotage and reconnaissance group of the headquarters Western front. During one of the sabotage operations, Kosmodemyanskaya was caught by the Germans. She was tortured, forcing her to betray her own. Zoya heroically endured all the trials without saying a word to the enemies. Seeing that it was impossible to get anything from the young partisan, they decided to hang her. Kosmodemyanskaya steadfastly accepted the test. A moment before her death, she shouted to the assembled local residents: “Comrades, victory will be ours. German soldiers before it's too late, surrender!" The courage of the girl so shocked the peasants that they later retold this story to front-line correspondents. And after the publication in the Pravda newspaper, the whole country learned about the feat of Kosmodemyanskaya. She became the first woman to be awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War.

Viktor Talalikhin (1918 -1941) Deputy squadron commander of the 177th Air Defense Fighter Aviation Regiment. Victor Talalikhin began to fight already in the Soviet-Finnish war. He shot down 4 enemy planes on a biplane. Then he served in aviation school. In August 1941, one of the first Soviet pilots made a ram, shooting down a German bomber in a night air battle. Moreover, the wounded pilot was able to get out of the cockpit and descend by parachute to the rear of his own. Talalikhin then shot down five more German planes. Killed during another air battle near Podolsk in October 1941. After 73 years, in 2014, search engines found Talalikhin's plane, which remained in the swamps near Moscow.

Alexey Maresyev (1916 -2001) Pilot. He met the Great Patriotic War in flight school, but soon got to the front. During a sortie, his plane was shot down, and Maresyev himself was able to eject. Eighteen days, seriously wounded in both legs, he got out of the encirclement. However, he still managed to overcome the front line and ended up in the hospital. But gangrene had already begun, and the doctors amputated both of his legs. For many, this would mean the end of the service, but the pilot did not give up and returned to aviation. Until the end of the war, he flew with prostheses. Over the years, he made 86 sorties and shot down 11 enemy aircraft. And 7 - already after amputation. In 1944, Alexei Maresyev went to work as an inspector and lived to be 84 years old. His fate inspired the writer Boris Polevoy to write The Tale of a Real Man.

Lenya Golikov (1926 -1943) Brigade reconnaissance officer of the 67th detachment of the 4th Leningrad partisan brigade. Lena was 15 years old when the war began. He already worked at the factory, having finished the seven-year plan. When the Nazis took over his native Novgorod region, Lenya went to the partisans. He was brave and determined, the command appreciated him. For several years spent in the partisan detachment, he participated in 27 operations. On his account, several destroyed bridges behind enemy lines, 78 destroyed Germans, 10 trains with ammunition. It was he who, in the summer of 1942, near the village of Varnitsa, blew up a car in which the German Major General of the Engineering Troops, Richard von Wirtz, was located. Golikov managed to obtain important documents about the German offensive. The enemy attack was thwarted, and the young hero for this feat was presented to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In the winter of 1943, a significantly superior enemy detachment unexpectedly attacked partisans near the village of Ostraya Luka. Lenya Golikov died like a real hero - in battle.

Zina Portnova (1926 -1944) Pioneer. Scout of the partisan detachment named after Voroshilov in the territory occupied by the Nazis. Zina was born and went to school in Leningrad. However, the war found her on the territory of Belarus, where she came for the holidays. In 1942, 16-year-old Zina joined the underground organization Young Avengers. It distributed anti-fascist leaflets in the occupied territories. Then, under cover, she got a job working in a canteen for German officers, where she committed several acts of sabotage and only miraculously was not captured by the enemy. Her courage surprised many experienced soldiers. In 1943, Zina Portnova joined the partisans and continued to engage in sabotage behind enemy lines. Due to the efforts of defectors who surrendered Zina to the Nazis, she was captured. In the dungeons, she was interrogated and tortured. But Zina was silent, not betraying her. At one of these interrogations, she grabbed a pistol from the table and shot three Nazis. After that, she was shot in prison.

Imagine that you are trying to save a blind man from a burning building, making your way step by step through burning flames and smoke. Now imagine that you are also blind. Jim Sherman, blind from birth, heard his 85-year-old neighbor's cries for help when she was trapped in her burning house. He found his way along the fence. Once he got to the woman's house, he somehow managed to sneak in and find his neighbor, Annie Smith, also blind. Sherman pulled Smith out of the fire and took him to safety.

Skydiving instructors sacrificed everything to save their students

Few people will survive a fall from several hundred meters. But two women made it through the dedication of two men. The first gave his life to save the man he saw for the first time in his life.

Skydiving instructor Robert Cook and his student Kimberley Dear were about to make their first jump when the plane's engine failed. Cook told the girl to sit on his lap and tied their straps together. As the plane crashed to the ground, Cooke's body took the brunt, killing the man and leaving Kimberly alive.

Another skydiving instructor, Dave Hartstock, also saved his student from being hit. It was Shirley Dygert's first jump and she jumped with an instructor. Digert's parachute did not open. During the fall, Hartstock managed to get under the girl, softening the blow to the ground. Dave Hartstock injured his spine, the injury paralyzed his body from the very neck, but both survived.

A mere mortal Joe Rollino (Joe Rollino, pictured above) during his 104-year life has done incredible, inhuman things. Although he weighed only about 68 kg, in his prime he could lift 288 kg with his fingers and 1450 kg with his back, for which he won various competitions several times. However, not the title of "Most the strong man in the world" made him a hero.

During World War II, Rollino served in pacific ocean and received bronze and silver stars for gallantry in the line of duty, as well as three purple hearts for battle wounds, which saw him spend a total of 2 years in the hospital. He took 4 of his comrades from the battlefield, two in each hand, while also returning to the heat of battle for the rest.

A father's love can inspire superhuman feats, as two fathers in different parts of the world have proven.

In Florida, Joesph Welch came to the rescue of his six-year-old son when an alligator grabbed the boy's arm. Forgetting his own safety, Welch hit the alligator in an attempt to force it to open its mouth. Then a passer-by arrived and began to beat the alligator in the stomach until the beast finally let go of the boy.

In Mutoko, Zimbabwe, another father saved his son from a crocodile when it attacked him in a river. Father Tafadzwa Kacher started poking the cane into the animal's eyes and mouth until his son ran away. Then the crocodile took aim at the man. Tafadzwa had to gouge out the animal's eyes. As a result of the attack, the boy lost his leg, but he will be able to tell about the superhuman courage of his father.

Two ordinary women lifted cars to save loved ones

Not only men are capable of displaying superhuman abilities in critical situations. The daughter and mother showed that women can be heroes too, especially when a loved one is in danger.

In Virginia, a 22-year-old saved her father when a jack slipped from under the BMW he was working under and the car fell on the man's chest. There was no time to wait for help, the young woman lifted the car and moved it, then gave her father CPR.

In Georgia, the jack also slipped and a 1,350-kilogram Chevrolet Impala fell on a young man. Alone, his mother Angela Cavallo lifted the car and held it for five minutes until her son was pulled out by neighbors.

Superhuman abilities are not only strength and courage, it is also the ability to think and act quickly in an emergency.

In New Mexico, a school bus driver suffered a seizure, putting children in danger. The girl waiting for the bus noticed that something had happened to the driver and called her mother. The woman, Rhonda Carlsen, took immediate action. She ran next to the bus and gestured to one of the children to open the door. After that, she jumped inside, grabbed the steering wheel and stopped the bus. Thanks to her quick reaction, none of the students were hurt, not to mention the people passing by.

A truck with a trailer was driving along the edge of a cliff in the dead of night. The cab of a large truck stopped right above the cliff, the driver was in it. A young man came to the rescue, he broke the window and pulled the man out with his bare hands.

This happened in New Zealand in the Wayoka Gorge on October 5, 2008. The hero was 18-year-old Peter Hanne, who was at home when he heard the roar. Without thinking about his own safety, he climbed onto the balancing car, jumped into a narrow gap between the cab and the trailer, and broke the rear window. He carefully helped the injured driver out while the truck staggered under his feet.

In 2011 for this heroic deed Hanne was awarded the New Zealand Bravery Medal.

The war is full of heroes who risk their lives to save fellow soldiers. In the movie Forrest Gump, we saw how a fictional character saved several of his co-workers, even after he was wounded. V real life you can meet the plot and abruptly.

Here, for example, is the story of Robert Ingram, who received the Medal of Honor. In 1966, during the siege by the enemy, Ingram continued to fight and save his comrades even after he was wounded three times: in the head (as a result, he partially lost his sight and became deaf in one ear), in the arm and in the left knee. Despite being wounded, he continued to kill the North Vietnamese soldiers who attacked his unit.

Aquaman is nothing compared to Shavarsh Karapetyan, who rescued 20 people from a sinking bus in 1976.

The Armenian speed swimming champion was jogging with his brother when a bus with 92 passengers ran off the road and fell into the water 24 meters from the shore. Karapetyan dived, kicked out the window with his feet and began to pull out people who were by that time in cold water at a depth of 10 m. It is said that for each person he saved, it took 30 seconds, he saved one after another until he lost consciousness in cold and dark water. As a result, 20 people survived.

But the exploits of Karapetyan did not end there. Eight years later, he rescued several people from a burning building, suffering severe burns in the process. Karapetyan received the Order of the Badge of Honor of the USSR and several other awards for underwater rescue. But he himself claimed that he was not a hero at all, he just did what he had to.

A man lifted a helicopter to save his colleague

The TV show site was turned into a tragedy when a helicopter from the hit series Magnum P.I. crashed into a drainage ditch in 1988.

During landing, the helicopter suddenly banked, went out of control and fell to the ground, while everything was filmed. One of the pilots Steve Kaks (Steve Kux) was trapped under a helicopter in shallow water. And then Warren "Tiny" Everal (Warren "Tiny" Everal) ran up and lifted the helicopter from Cax. It was a Hughes 500D which weighs at least 703kg empty. Everal's quick reaction and his superhuman strength saved Cax from a helicopter pinning him in the water. Despite the fact that the pilot injured his left hand, he escaped death thanks to a local Hawaiian hero.

The true abilities, capabilities and character of a person often manifest themselves in emergency situations, at a difficult time for the country, society, and people. It's in moments like these that heroes are born. This is what happens everywhere. The heroes of Russia and their exploits have entered the history of the Fatherland forever, people remember them for many years, and tell future generations. Every hero is worthy of respect and reverence. Feats are not performed in the name of glory and honor. At the time of their accomplishment, people do not think about their own benefit, on the contrary, they show courage for the sake of other people or in the name of the Motherland.

Be that as it may, even in the last century our country was called the USSR, and people born in this state do not forget and honor their heroes who had the title of Hero of the USSR. This highest award was established in the Soviet Union in 1934. They gave it for special services to the Fatherland. It was made of gold, had the shape of a five-pointed star with the inscription "Hero of the USSR", complemented by a red ribbon 20 mm wide. A star appeared in October 1939, by which time several hundred people had already been awarded this distinction. Together with the star, the Order of Lenin was also awarded.

Who was awarded the star? A person had to accomplish a significant feat for the state. Description of the exploits of the heroes of Russia and the Soviet Union can now be found not only in textbooks and books: the Internet allows you to find out interesting information about each hero of both the last century and the present. Hero of the USSR - an honorary title and an award badge of the same name, which some individuals have been awarded several times. But, of course, there are few of them. Since 1973, with the second award, along with the star, the second Order of Lenin was also awarded. A bust was erected in the homeland of the hero. Back in 1934, pilots (there were seven of them) received the first stars, who played a major role in rescuing the Chelyuskin icebreaker trapped in the ice.

The appearance of the award "Hero of Russia"

The Soviet Union collapsed, and in the 1990s we "transferred" to live in a new state. Despite all the political troubles, heroes have always been and are among us. So, in 1992, the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation enacted the Law "On the Establishment of the Title of Hero of Russia." The award was still the same Golden Star, only now with the inscription "Hero of Russia" and with a ribbon in the form of the Russian tricolor. The assignment of the title of Hero of the Russian Federation by the President of Russia is carried out only once. A bronze bust is erected in the homeland of the hero.

The modern heroes of Russia and their exploits are known throughout the country. The first to be awarded this title was S. S. Oskanov, Major General of Aviation. Unfortunately, the title was awarded to him posthumously. February 7, 1992 during the flight mission happened unforeseen situation- equipment failure, and the MIG-29 was rapidly falling on a settlement in the Lipetsk region. To avoid tragedy, save human lives, Oskanov took the plane aside, but the pilot himself failed to escape. The pilot's widow received Gold Star No. 2. The country's leadership decided that Hero No. 1 should be alive. So, medal No. 1 was awarded to pilot-cosmonaut S. K. Krikalev. On the orbital station"Mir" he performed the longest space flight. The list of those awarded the title of Hero is long - these are military personnel, and cosmonauts, and participants in the Second World War and hot spots, and intelligence officers, and scientists, and athletes.

Heroes of Russia: list and photos, their exploits

It is impossible to list all the heroes of Russia: at the beginning of 2017 there were 1042 of them (474 people received the title posthumously). Russians remember each of them, honor their exploits, set an example for the younger generation. Bronze busts are installed in the homeland of heroes. Below we list only some of the feats of the Heroes of Russia.

Sergey Solnechnikov. Everyone has heard and remembers the feat of the major, who saved the lives of young, inexperienced soldiers. It happened in the Amur region. An ordinary soldier, out of inexperience, unsuccessfully threw a grenade, the ammunition ended up on the edge of the parapet, which protected the firing position. The soldiers were in real danger. Major Solnechnikov made an instant decision, he pushed the young guy away and covered the grenade with his body. An hour and a half later, he died on the operating table. On April 3, 2012 Major Solnechnikov was posthumously awarded the title Hero of Russia.

North Caucasus

The heroes of Russia showed themselves in the battles in the Caucasus, and their exploits should not be forgotten.

Sergei Yashkin - commander of the Perm special forces detachment. In the summer of 2012, special forces deployed in Dagestan in a gorge near the village of Kidero. The task is not to let a gang of militants through the border. This gang could not be eliminated for several years. The militants were found, a fight ensued. Yashkin was shell-shocked during the battle, burned, wounded, but did not leave his post until the end of the operation. He himself personally destroyed three of the five militants. For courage and heroism, on June 14, 2013 he was awarded the title Hero of Russia. Currently lives in Perm.

Mikhail Minenkov. Served in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation since 1994. In 1999, he fought in Dagestan against the gangs of Khattab and Basaev. He commanded a reconnaissance group, while performing important tasks, caused significant damage to the militants. Already in Chechnya in the same 1999, returning from a reconnaissance mission from the village of Shcheglovskaya, he received an order to rescue a group of special forces surrounded by militants. The battle was hard, many guys were injured. The commander himself was seriously wounded in the leg, but continued to command the detachment, to withdraw the wounded soldiers. The Airborne Forces groups successfully got out of the encirclement. Comrades carried Minenkov from the battlefield. The leg was amputated at the hospital. But Mikhail survived and even returned to his regiment, where he continued his service. For heroism on January 17, 2000 he was awarded the title Hero of Russia.

Heroes of Russia 2016

Oleg Artemiev - test cosmonaut.
Elena Serova is a female cosmonaut.
Vadim Baikulov is a serviceman.
Alexander Dvornikov - commander of the grouping of the Armed Forces in Syria until July 2016, now - Russian military leader Commander of the Southern Military District.
Andrey Dyachenko - pilot, participant in the operation in Syria.
Viktor Romanov - military navigator, participant in the operation in Syria.
Alexander Prokhorenko. All the heroes of Russia, who received the title posthumously, are on a special note. In a peaceful life, they left their parents, families and gave their lives for the ideas of the Motherland. Alexander died during the fighting in Syria for Palmyra. Surrounded by militants, the soldier, not wanting to surrender, took fire upon himself, died heroically, and the militants were also destroyed.
Dmitry Bulgakov - Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation.
Valery Gerasimov - head general staff RF Armed Forces.
Igor Sergun is a military intelligence officer. The title was awarded posthumously.
Marat Akhmetshin is a participant in the hostilities in Syria. Killed in the battle for Palmyra.
Ryafagat Khabibullin - military pilot. He died in Syria, the plane was shot down on the territory of militants.
Alexander Misurkin - test cosmonaut.
Anatoly Gorshkov - major general, participant in the Second World War.
Alexander Zhuravlev - head military operation in Syria.
Magomed Nurbagandov is an employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He received the title of Hero posthumously. Killed by militants.
Andrey Karlov - Ambassador to Turkey. Killed by a terrorist.

Women Heroes of Russia

Below are the female Heroes of Russia. The list and their exploits only briefly introduce the heroic representatives of the weaker sex. Since 1992, 17 women have received the honorary title.

Marina Plotnikova - a young girl who saved the price own life three drowning children.
Ekaterina Budanova - pilot, participant in the Second World War.
Lidia Shulaykina is a pilot in naval aviation. WWII participant.
Alexandra Akimova - pilot. WWII participant.
Vera Voloshina is a Soviet partisan. WWII participant.
Lyubov Yegorova is a 6-time Olympic champion. Skier.
Elena Kondakova - pilot-cosmonaut.
Valentina Savitskaya - pilot. WWII participant.
Tatyana Sumarokova - pilot. WWII participant.
Leontine Cohen - soviet spy. WWII participant.
Natalya Kochuevskaya - medical instructor. WWII participant.
Larisa Lazutina - skier, 5-time Olympic champion.
Irina Yanina is a nurse. She died during the Second Chechen War. She saved the soldiers at the cost of her life.
Marem Arapkhanova - died at the hands of militants, protecting her family and her village.
Nina Brusnikova is a milkmaid at the Avrora collective farm. Saved the livestock complex from a fire.
Alime Abdenanova - Soviet intelligence officer. WWII participant.
Elena Serova - cosmonaut.

Children-heroes of Russia and their exploits

Russia - great country, rich in heroes not only among adults. Children in emergency situations, without hesitation, show heroism. Of course, not everyone has the title of Hero of Russia. In addition to this sign, the country awards heroes with the Order of Courage, as well as medals "For the salvation of the dead." Among us there are such heroes of Russia of our time, and their exploits are known and honored in the country. Someone deserved the award posthumously.

Zhenya Tabakov is a hero of Russia. Died at the age of 7 years. Saved his sister Yana when a robber broke into the house. Yana managed to escape, and Zhenya received eight stab wounds, from which he died.
Danil Sadykov. A 12-year-old boy rescued a boy who fell into a fountain and was electrocuted. Danil was not afraid, rushed after him, managed to pull him out, but he himself received the strongest discharge, which is why he died.
Vasily Zhirkov and Alexander Maltsev. Teenagers who received awards for rescuing the dying - a drowning grandmother and her eight-year-old grandson.
Sergey Krivov - boy 11 years old. Saved a drowning friend from the waters of the icy Cupid.
Alexander Petchenko. The boy did not leave his mother during the accident, he pulled her out of the burning car.
Artem Artyukhin. Risking his life, he led a 12-year-old girl from the eighth floor during a fire.

What categories of citizens were awarded the award

The title of Hero of Russia was awarded to:

combatants in the North Caucasus;
participants in the Second World War;
test pilots;
persons distinguished in the fight against terrorism;
astronauts;
military sailors, submariners;
participants in the events of 1993 in Moscow;
people who saved the lives of others;
combatants in Ossetia;
combatants in Tajikistan;
senior officials of ministries and departments;
designers of the Armed Forces;
scouts;
participants in the war in Afghanistan;
sportsmen, travelers;
liquidators of the Chernobyl accident;
members of Arctic expeditions;
participants of the operation in Abkhazia4
civil aviation pilots;
ambassadors;
combatants in Syria.

Ranks of heroes at the time of the award

Not only the military, but also ordinary citizens fill up the list of "Heroes of Russia". Photos, their exploits are published and described in books, magazines, there are many presentations on this topic on the Internet. The title of Hero was indicated at the time the President signed the Decree on the award; for civilians, a civil title is indicated. Who was awarded the title of hero, in what categories? There are many of them: privates, sailors, corporals, sergeants, junior sergeants, senior sergeants, warrant officers, foremen, warrant officers, lieutenants, junior and senior lieutenants, lieutenant colonels, colonels, captains, major generals, lieutenant generals, rear admirals, vice- admirals, army generals, and civilians. The only marshal in Russia - Igor Sergeev - also has the star of the Hero of Russia.

People are heroes of two countries

There are individuals in our country who have been awarded two titles - both Heroes of the USSR and Heroes of Russia. The list and photos, their exploits can not fit in one article. We list only the most famous:

Mikhail Kalashnikov - gunsmith-designer. He also has the title of Hero of Socialist Labor.
Pilot-cosmonauts V. V. Polyakov and S. K. Krikalev, helicopter pilot Maidanov - Heroes of the Russian Federation and Heroes of the USSR.
A. N. Chilingarov - polar explorer, Hero of the Russian Federation and Hero of the USSR.
T. A. Musabaev, Yu. I. Malenchenko - cosmonauts. Folk Heroes of Kazakhstan and Heroes of Russia.
S. Sh. Sharpov - cosmonaut. Hero of Kyrgyzstan and Hero of Russia.
V. A. Volf - Sergeant of the Airborne Forces. Hero of Russia and Hero of Abkhazia.

As of January 2017, 1,042 people have been awarded the Hero of Russia star. 474 of this list received the award posthumously. Usually the lists of Heroes and most Decrees are not officially published. Information about the heroes can be scattered and contradict each other, but we all remember their exploits and collect information piece by piece.

Privileges

The heroes of Russia and their exploits are in the special account of the state. Those who have this honorary title have a number of benefits that they have the right to use unlimitedly:

monthly pension.
Free medical care.
Exemption from state duties and taxes.
50% discount on tickets for any type of transport (once a year) in both directions.
30% discount on utilities.
Free travel in public transport.
Free education for children.
Once a year a ticket to the sanatorium.
Free home renovation.
Free home phone.
Service out of turn in medical organizations.
Improvement of living conditions
Free funeral with honors.

Twelve of several thousand examples of unparalleled childish courage
Young heroes of the Great Patriotic War - how many were there? If you count - how else? - the hero of every boy and every girl whom fate brought to war and made soldiers, sailors or partisans, then - tens, if not hundreds of thousands.

According to official data from the Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense (TsAMO) of Russia, during the war years there were over 3,500 servicemen under the age of 16 in combat units. At the same time, it is clear that not every unit commander who dared to take on the education of the son of the regiment, found the courage to declare a pupil on command. You can understand how their fathers-commanders, who really were many instead of fathers, tried to hide the age of the little fighters, by the confusion in the award documents. On the yellowed archival sheets, most of the underage servicemen indicate a clearly overestimated age. The real one became clear much later, after ten or even forty years.

But there were still children and teenagers who fought in partisan detachments and were members of underground organizations! And there were much more of them: sometimes whole families went to the partisans, and if not, then almost every teenager who ended up on the occupied land had someone to avenge.

So "tens of thousands" is far from an exaggeration, but rather an understatement. And, apparently, we will never know the exact number of young heroes of the Great Patriotic War. But that is no reason not to remember them.

The boys went from Brest to Berlin

The youngest of all known little soldiers - at least, according to the documents stored in the military archives - can be considered a pupil of the 142nd Guards Rifle Regiment of the 47th Guards Rifle Division Sergei Aleshkin. In archival documents, one can find two certificates of awarding a boy who was born in 1936 and ended up in the army on September 8, 1942, shortly after the punishers shot his mother and older brother for their connection with the partisans. The first document dated April 26, 1943 - on awarding him the medal "For Military Merit" due to the fact that "Comrade. Aleshkin, the regiment's favorite, ""with his cheerfulness, love for the unit and those around him, in extremely difficult moments, instilled vigor and confidence in victory." The second, dated November 19, 1945, is about awarding students of the Tula Suvorov Military School with the medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945": in the list of 13 Suvorov students, Aleshkin's surname is first.

But still, such a young soldier is an exception even for wartime and for a country where all the people, young and old, have risen to defend their homeland. Most of the young heroes who fought at the front and behind enemy lines were on average 13-14 years old. The very first of them were defenders Brest Fortress, and one of the sons of the regiment - holder of the Order of the Red Star, the Order of Glory of the III degree and the medal "For Courage" Vladimir Tarnovsky, who served in the 370th artillery regiment of the 230th rifle division, left his autograph on the wall of the Reichstag in the victorious May 1945 …

Most young Heroes Soviet Union

These four names - Lenya Golikov, Marat Kazei, Zina Portnova and Valya Kotik - have been the most famous symbol of the heroism of the young defenders of our Motherland for over half a century. Those who fought in different places and accomplished feats of different circumstances, all of them were partisans and all were posthumously awarded the highest award countries - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Two - Lena Golikov and Zina Portnova - by the time they had to show unprecedented courage, were 17 years old, two more - Valya Kotik and Marat Kazei - only 14.

Lenya Golikov was the first of the four who was awarded the highest rank: the decree on assignment was signed on April 2, 1944. The text says that Golikov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union "for the exemplary performance of command assignments and the courage and heroism shown in battles." And indeed, in less than a year - from March 1942 to January 1943 - Lenya Golikov managed to take part in the defeat of three enemy garrisons, in undermining more than a dozen bridges, in capturing a German major general with secret documents ... And heroically die in battle near the village of Ostraya Luka, without waiting for a high reward for capturing a strategically important "language".

Zina Portnova and Valya Kotik were awarded the titles of Heroes of the Soviet Union 13 years after the Victory, in 1958. Zina was awarded for the courage with which she conducted underground work, then served as a liaison between the partisans and the underground, and eventually endured inhuman torment, falling into the hands of the Nazis at the very beginning of 1944. Valya - according to the totality of exploits in the ranks of the Shepetov partisan detachment named after Karmelyuk, where he came after a year of work in an underground organization in Shepetovka itself. And Marat Kazei was awarded the highest award only in the year of the 20th anniversary of the Victory: the decree on conferring on him the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was promulgated on May 8, 1965. For almost two years - from November 1942 to May 1944 - Marat fought as part of the partisan formations of Belarus and died, blowing up himself and the Nazis surrounding him with the last grenade.

Over the past half century, the circumstances of the exploits of the four heroes have become known throughout the country: more than one generation of Soviet schoolchildren has grown up on their example, and the current generation is certainly told about them. But even among those who did not receive the highest award, there were many real heroes - pilots, sailors, snipers, scouts and even musicians.

Sniper Vasily Kurka

The war caught Vasya at the age of sixteen. In the very first days he was mobilized to the labor front, and in October he was admitted to the 726th rifle regiment of the 395th rifle division. At first, a boy of unconscripted age, who also looked a couple of years younger than his age, was left in the wagon train: they say, there is nothing for teenagers to do on the front line. But soon the guy got his way and was transferred to a combat unit - to a team of snipers.

Vasily Kurka. Photo: Imperial War Museum

An amazing military fate: from the first to the last day, Vasya Kurka fought in the same regiment of the same division! did a good job military career, rising to the rank of lieutenant and taking command of a rifle platoon. Recorded at his own expense, according to various sources, from 179 to 200 destroyed Nazis. He fought from the Donbass to Tuapse and back, and then further, to the West, to the Sandomierz bridgehead. It was there that Lieutenant Kurka was mortally wounded in January 1945, less than six months before the Victory.

Pilot Arkady Kamanin

At the location of the 5th Guards Assault Air Corps, 15-year-old Arkady Kamanin arrived with his father, who was appointed commander of this illustrious unit. The pilots were surprised to learn that the son of the legendary pilot, one of the first seven Heroes of the Soviet Union, a member of the Chelyuskin rescue expedition, would work as an aircraft mechanic in the communications squadron. But they soon became convinced that general's son does not live up to their negative expectations at all. The boy did not hide behind the back of the famous father, but simply did his job well - and with all his might strove for the sky.

Sergeant Kamanin in 1944. Photo: war.ee

Soon Arkady achieved his goal: first he takes to the air as a letnab, then as a navigator on the U-2, and then goes on his first independent flight. And finally - the long-awaited appointment: the son of General Kamanin becomes a pilot of the 423rd separate communications squadron. Before the victory, Arkady, who had risen to the rank of foreman, managed to fly almost 300 hours and earn three orders: two - the Red Star and one - the Red Banner. And if it weren’t for meningitis, which literally killed an 18-year-old guy in the spring of 1947, literally in a matter of days, Kamanin Jr. would have been included in the cosmonaut detachment, the first commander of which was Kamanin Sr.: Arkady managed to enter the Zhukovsky Air Force Academy back in 1946.

Front-line scout Yuri Zhdanko

Ten-year-old Yura ended up in the army by chance. In July 1941, he went to show the retreating Red Army soldiers a little-known ford on the Western Dvina and did not have time to return to his native Vitebsk, where the Germans had already entered. And so he left with a part to the east, to Moscow itself, in order to start the return journey to the west from there.

Yuri Zhdanko. Photo: russia-reborn.ru

On this path, Yura managed a lot. In January 1942, he, who had never jumped with a parachute before, went to the rescue of encircled partisans and helped them break through the enemy ring. In the summer of 1942, together with a group of reconnaissance colleagues, he blows up a strategically important bridge across the Berezina, sending to the bottom of the river not only the bridge deck, but also nine trucks passing through it, and less than a year later, he is the only one of all the messengers who managed to break through to the surrounded battalion and help him get out of the "ring".

By February 1944, the chest of the 13-year-old scout was decorated with the medal "For Courage" and the Order of the Red Star. But a shell that exploded literally underfoot interrupted Yura's front-line career. He ended up in the hospital, from where he went to Suvorov School but failed due to health reasons. Then the retired young intelligence officer retrained as a welder and also managed to become famous on this “front”, having traveled with his welding machine almost half of Eurasia - he built pipelines.

Infantryman Anatoly Komar

Among 263 Soviet soldiers covered with their bodies enemy embrasures, the youngest was 15-year-old private of the 332nd reconnaissance company of the 252nd rifle division of the 53rd army of the 2nd Ukrainian Front Anatoly Komar. The teenager got into the active army in September 1943, when the front came close to his native Slavyansk. It happened with him almost the same way as with Yura Zhdanko, with the only difference that the boy served as a guide not for the retreating, but for the advancing Red Army. Anatoly helped them go deep into the front line of the Germans, and then left with the advancing army to the west.

Young partisan. Photo: Imperial War Museum

But, unlike Yura Zhdanko, Tolya Komar's front-line path was much shorter. For only two months he had a chance to wear epaulettes that had recently appeared in the Red Army and go on reconnaissance. In November of the same year, returning from a free search in the rear of the Germans, a group of scouts revealed themselves and was forced to break through to their own with a fight. The last obstacle on the way back was a machine gun, which pressed the reconnaissance to the ground. Anatoly Komar threw a grenade at him, and the fire subsided, but as soon as the scouts got up, the machine gunner began to shoot again. And then Tolya, who was closest to the enemy, got up and fell on a machine-gun barrel, at the cost of his life, buying his comrades precious minutes for a breakthrough.

Sailor Boris Kuleshin

In the cracked photograph, a ten-year-old boy stands against the backdrop of sailors in black uniforms with ammunition boxes on their backs and the superstructures of a Soviet cruiser. His hands are tightly squeezing a PPSh assault rifle, and on his head is a peakless cap with a guards ribbon and the inscription "Tashkent". This is a pupil of the crew of the leader of the destroyers "Tashkent" Borya Kuleshin. The picture was taken in Poti, where, after repairs, the ship called for another cargo of ammunition for the besieged Sevastopol. It was here that the twelve-year-old Borya Kuleshin appeared at the gangway of the Tashkent. His father died at the front, his mother, as soon as Donetsk was occupied, was taken to Germany, and he himself managed to escape across the front line to his own people and, together with the retreating army, reach the Caucasus.

Boris Kuleshin. Photo: weralbum.ru

While they were persuading the commander of the ship, Vasily Eroshenko, while they were deciding which combat unit to enroll the cabin boy in, the sailors managed to give him a belt, cap and machine gun and take a picture of the new crew member. And then there was a transition to Sevastopol, Borya's first raid on the "Tashkent" in his life and the first clips for an anti-aircraft gun in his life, which he, along with other anti-aircraft gunners, gave to the shooters. At his combat post, he was wounded on July 2, 1942, when German aircraft tried to sink the ship in the port of Novorossiysk. After the hospital, Borya, following Captain Eroshenko, came to a new ship - the guards cruiser Krasny Kavkaz. And already here he found his well-deserved award: presented for the battles on the "Tashkent" to the medal "For Courage", he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner by the decision of the front commander, Marshal Budyonny and a member of the Military Council, Admiral Isakov. And in the next front-line picture, he already flaunts in a new uniform of a young sailor, on whose head is a peakless cap with a guards ribbon and the inscription "Red Caucasus". It was in this form that in 1944 Borya went to the Tbilisi Nakhimov School, where in September 1945, among other teachers, educators and pupils, he was awarded the medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945."

Musician Petr Klypa

Fifteen-year-old pupil of the musical platoon of the 333rd rifle regiment, Pyotr Klypa, like other underage inhabitants of the Brest Fortress, had to go to the rear with the outbreak of war. But Petya refused to leave the fighting citadel, which, among others, was defended by the only native person - his older brother, Lieutenant Nikolai. So he became one of the first teenage soldiers in the Great Patriotic War and a full participant heroic defense Brest fortress.

Peter Klypa. Photo: worldwar.com

He fought there until the beginning of July, until he received an order, along with the remnants of the regiment, to break through to Brest. This is where Petit's ordeals began. Having crossed the tributary of the Bug, he, along with other colleagues, was captured, from which he soon managed to escape. He got to Brest, lived there for a month and moved east, behind the retreating Red Army, but did not reach. During one of the nights, he and a friend were discovered by the police, and the teenagers were sent to forced labor in Germany. Petya was released only in 1945 by American troops, and after checking he even managed to serve in Soviet army. And upon returning to his homeland, he again ended up behind bars, because he succumbed to the persuasion of an old friend and helped him speculate on the loot. Pyotr Klypa was released only seven years later. He had to thank the historian and writer Sergei Smirnov for this, bit by bit recreating the history of the heroic defense of the Brest Fortress and, of course, not missing the story of one of its youngest defenders, who, after his release, was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree.