Essay "feat of the people during the Great Patriotic War." Feats of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War

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

The fighting has long ceased. Veterans are leaving one by one. But the heroes of the Second World War of 1941-1945 and their exploits will forever remain in the memory of grateful descendants. This article will tell you about the most prominent personalities of those years and their immortal deeds. Some were still very young, while others were no longer young. Each of the heroes has their own character and their own destiny. But all of them were united by love for the Motherland and a willingness to sacrifice themselves for its good.

Alexander Matrosov

Orphanage student Sasha Matrosov went to war at the age of 18. Immediately after the infantry school he was sent to the front. February 1943 turned out to be “hot”. Alexander’s battalion went on the attack, and at some point the guy, along with several comrades, was surrounded. There was no way to break through to our own people - the enemy machine guns were firing too densely.

Soon Sailors was the only one left alive. His comrades died under bullets. The young man had only a few seconds to make a decision. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the last in his life. Wanting to bring at least some benefit to his native battalion, Alexander Matrosov rushed to the embrasure, covering it with his body. The fire went silent. The Red Army attack was ultimately successful - the Nazis retreated. And Sasha went to heaven as a young and handsome 19-year-old guy...

Marat Kazei

When the Great Patriotic War began, Marat Kazei was only twelve. He lived in the village of Stankovo ​​with his sister and parents. In 1941 he found himself under occupation. Marat's mother helped the partisans by providing them with her shelter and feeding them. One day the Germans found out about this and shot the woman. Left alone, the children, without hesitation, went into the forest and joined the partisans.

Marat, who managed to complete only four classes before the war, helped his older comrades as best he could. He was even taken on reconnaissance missions; and he also took part in undermining German trains. In 1943, the boy was awarded the medal “For Courage” for the heroism shown during the breakthrough of the encirclement. The boy was wounded in that terrible battle.

And in 1944, Kazei was returning from reconnaissance with an adult partisan. The Germans noticed them and began to fire. The senior comrade died. Marat fired back to the last bullet. And when he had only one grenade left, the teenager let the Germans get closer and blew himself up along with them. He was 15 years old.

Alexey Maresyev

The name of this man is known to every resident of the former Soviet Union. After all, we are talking about a legendary pilot. Alexey Maresyev was born in 1916 and dreamed of the sky since childhood. Even the rheumatism suffered did not become an obstacle to my dream. Despite the doctors' prohibitions, Alexey entered the flying class - they accepted him after several futile attempts.

In 1941, the stubborn young man went to the front. The sky turned out to be not what he dreamed of. But it was necessary to defend the Motherland, and Maresyev did everything for this. One day his plane was shot down. Wounded in both legs, Alexey managed to land the car in territory captured by the Germans and even somehow made his way to his own.

But time was lost. The legs were “devoured” by gangrene, and they had to be amputated. Where should a soldier go without both limbs? After all, he was completely crippled... But Alexey Maresyev was not one of those. He remained in service and continued to fight the enemy.

As many as 86 times the winged machine with the hero on board managed to take to the skies. Maresyev shot down 11 German planes. The pilot was lucky to survive that terrible war and feel the heady taste of victory. He died in 2001. “The Tale of a Real Man” by Boris Polevoy is a work about him. It was Maresyev’s feat that inspired the author to write it.

Zinaida Portnova

Born in 1926, Zina Portnova faced the war as a teenager. At that time, the native Leningrad resident was visiting relatives in Belarus. Once in the occupied territory, she did not sit on the sidelines, but joined the partisan movement. I pasted leaflets, established contacts with the underground...

In 1943, the Germans grabbed the girl and dragged her to their lair. During the interrogation, Zina somehow managed to take a pistol from the table. She shot her tormentors - two soldiers and an investigator.

It was a heroic act, which made the Germans' attitude towards Zina even more brutal. It is impossible to convey in words the torment that the girl experienced during the terrible torture. But she was silent. The fascists could not squeeze a word out of her. As a result, the Germans shot their captive without achieving anything from the heroine Zina Portnova.

Andrey Korzun

Andrei Korzun turned thirty in 1941. He was called to the front immediately, being sent to become an artilleryman. Korzun took part in terrible battles near Leningrad, during one of which he was seriously wounded. It was November 5, 1943.

While falling, Korzun noticed that the ammunition warehouse had started to catch fire. It was urgent to put out the fire, otherwise a huge explosion threatened to take many lives. Somehow, bleeding and suffering from pain, the artilleryman crawled to the warehouse. The artilleryman had no strength left to take off his overcoat and throw it into the flames. Then he covered the fire with his body. There was no explosion. Andrei Korzun did not survive.

Leonid Golikov

Another young hero is Lenya Golikov. Born in 1926. Lived in the Novgorod region. When the war began, he left to become a partisan. This teenager had plenty of courage and determination. Leonid destroyed 78 fascists, a dozen enemy trains and even a couple of bridges.

The explosion that went down in history and carried away the German general Richard von Wirtz was his doing. The car of an important rank went up in the air, and Golikov took possession of valuable documents, for which he received the Hero’s star.

The brave partisan died in 1943 near the village of Ostray Luka during a German attack. The enemy significantly outnumbered our fighters, and they had no chance. Golikov fought until his last breath.

These are just six stories out of a great many that permeate the entire war. Everyone who has completed it, who has brought victory even one moment closer, is already a hero. Thanks to people like Maresyev, Golikov, Korzun, Matrosov, Kazei, Portnova and millions of other Soviet soldiers, the world got rid of the brown plague of the 20th century. And the reward for their exploits was eternal life!

Modernity, with its measure of success in the form of monetary units, gives birth to far more heroes of scandalous gossip columns than true heroes, whose actions evoke pride and admiration.

Sometimes it seems that real heroes remain only on the pages of books about the Great Patriotic War.

But at any time there remain those who are ready to sacrifice what is most dear to them in the name of loved ones, in the name of the Motherland.

On Defender of the Fatherland Day, we will remember five of our contemporaries who accomplished feats. They did not seek fame and honor, but simply fulfilled their duty to the end.

Sergey Burnaev

Sergey Burnaev was born in Mordovia, in the village of Dubenki on January 15, 1982. When Seryozha was five years old, his parents moved to the Tula region.

The boy grew and matured, and the era changed around him. His peers were eager to go into business, some into crime, and Sergei dreamed of a military career, wanted to serve in the Airborne Forces. After graduating from school, he managed to work at a rubber shoe factory, and then was drafted into the army. However, he ended up not in the landing force, but in the special forces detachment of the Vityaz Airborne Forces.

Serious physical activity and training did not frighten the guy. The commanders immediately drew attention to Sergei - stubborn, with character, a real special forces soldier!

During two business trips to Chechnya in 2000-2002, Sergei established himself as a true professional, skillful and persistent.

On March 28, 2002, the detachment in which Sergei Burnaev served conducted a special operation in the city of Argun. The militants turned a local school into their fortification, placing an ammunition depot in it, as well as breaking through an entire system of underground passages under it. The special forces began to examine the tunnels in search of the militants who had taken refuge in them.

Sergei walked first and came across bandits. A battle ensued in the narrow and dark space of the dungeon. During the flash from the machine gun fire, Sergei saw a grenade rolling on the floor, thrown by a militant towards the special forces. The explosion could have injured several soldiers who did not see this danger.

The decision came in a split second. Sergei covered the grenade with his body, saving the rest of the soldiers. He died on the spot, but diverted the threat from his comrades.

A bandit group of 8 people was completely eliminated in this battle. All of Sergei’s comrades survived this battle.

For the courage and heroism shown during the performance of a special task in conditions involving risk to life, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation of September 16, 2002 No. 992, Sergeant Burnaev Sergei Aleksandrovich was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation (posthumously).

Sergei Burnaev is forever included in the lists of his military unit of the Internal Troops. In the city of Reutov, Moscow region, on the Alley of Heroes of the military memorial complex “To all Reutov residents who died for the Fatherland,” a bronze bust of the hero was installed.

Denis Vetchinov

Denis Vetchinov was born on June 28, 1976 in the village of Shantobe, Tselinograd region of Kazakhstan. I spent an ordinary childhood as a schoolboy of the last Soviet generation.

How is a hero raised? Probably no one knows this. But at the turn of the era, Denis chose a career as an officer, after military service he entered a military school. Maybe it was also due to the fact that the school from which he graduated was named after Vladimir Komarov, a cosmonaut who died during a flight on the Soyuz-1 spacecraft.

After graduating from college in Kazan in 2000, the newly minted officer did not run from difficulties - he immediately ended up in Chechnya. Everyone who knew him repeats one thing - the officer did not bow to bullets, took care of the soldiers and was a real “father to the soldiers” not in words, but in essence.

In 2003, the Chechen war ended for Captain Vetchinov. Until 2008, he served as deputy battalion commander for educational work in the 70th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment, and in 2005 he became a major.

Life as an officer is not easy, but Denis did not complain about anything. His wife Katya and daughter Masha were waiting for him at home.

Major Vetchinov was predicted to have a great future and general's shoulder straps. In 2008, he became deputy commander of the 135th motorized rifle regiment of the 19th motorized rifle division of the 58th army for educational work. The war in South Ossetia found him in this position.

On August 9, 2008, the marching column of the 58th Army on the approach to Tskhinvali was ambushed by Georgian special forces. Cars were shot from 10 points. The commander of the 58th Army, General Khrulev, was wounded.

Major Vetchinov, who was in the column, jumped from an armored personnel carrier and entered the battle. Having managed to prevent chaos, he organized a defense, suppressing Georgian firing points with return fire.

During the retreat, Denis Vetchinov was seriously wounded in the legs, however, overcoming the pain, he continued the battle, covering with fire his comrades and the journalists who were with the column. Only a new serious wound to the head could stop the major.

In this battle, Major Vetchinov destroyed up to a dozen enemy special forces and saved the lives of Komsomolskaya Pravda war correspondent Alexander Kots, VGTRK special correspondent Alexander Sladkov and Moskovsky Komsomolets correspondent Viktor Sokirko.

The wounded major was sent to the hospital, but died on the way.

On August 15, 2008, for the courage and heroism shown in the performance of military duty in the North Caucasus region, Major Denis Vetchinov was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation (posthumously).

Aldar Tsydenzhapov

Aldar Tsydenzhapov was born on August 4, 1991 in the village of Aginskoye, in Buryatia. The family had four children, including Aldara's twin sister Aryuna.

The father worked in the police, the mother was a nurse in a kindergarten - a simple family leading the ordinary life of residents of the Russian outback. Aldar graduated from school in his native village and was drafted into the army, ending up in the Pacific Fleet.

Sailor Tsydenzhapov served on the destroyer “Bystry”, he was trusted by the command, and was friends with his colleagues. There was only a month left before demobilization, when on September 24, 2010, Aldar took up duty as a boiler room crew operator.

The destroyer was preparing for a combat voyage from the base in Fokino in Primorye to Kamchatka. Suddenly, a fire broke out in the ship's engine room due to a short circuit in the wiring when the fuel pipeline broke. Aldar rushed to plug the fuel leak. A monstrous flame raged around, in which the sailor spent 9 seconds, managing to eliminate the leak. Despite the terrible burns, he got out of the compartment on his own. As the commission subsequently established, the prompt actions of sailor Tsydenzhapov led to the timely shutdown of the ship’s power plant, which otherwise could have exploded. In this case, both the destroyer itself and all 300 crew members would have died.

Aldar, in critical condition, was taken to the Pacific Fleet hospital in Vladivostok, where doctors fought for the hero’s life for four days. Alas, he died on September 28.

By Decree of the President of Russia No. 1431 of November 16, 2010, sailor Aldar Tsydenzhapov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Sergei Solnechnikov

Born on August 19, 1980 in Germany, in Potsdam, in a military family. Seryozha decided to continue the dynasty as a child, without looking back at all the difficulties of this path. After the 8th grade, he entered a cadet boarding school in the Astrakhan region, then without exams he was admitted to the Kachin Military School. Here he was caught by another reform, after which the school was disbanded.

However, this did not turn Sergei away from a military career - he entered the Kemerovo Higher Military Command School of Communications, from which he graduated in 2003.

A young officer served in Belogorsk, in the Far East. “A good officer, real, honest,” friends and subordinates said about Sergei. They also gave him the nickname “battalion commander Sun”.

I didn’t have time to start a family - I spent too much time on service. The bride waited patiently - after all, it seemed that there was still a whole life ahead.

On March 28, 2012, routine exercises on throwing the RGD-5 grenade, which are part of the training course for conscript soldiers, took place at the unit’s training ground.

19-year-old private Zhuravlev, getting excited, threw a grenade unsuccessfully - it hit the parapet and flew back where his colleagues were standing.

The confused boys looked in horror at the death lying on the ground. Battalion commander Sun reacted instantly - throwing the soldier aside, he covered the grenade with his body.

The wounded Sergei was taken to the hospital, but from numerous injuries he died on the operating table.

On April 3, 2012, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation, Major Sergei Solnechnikov was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation (posthumously) for heroism, courage and dedication shown in the performance of military duty.

Irina Yanina

“War does not have a woman’s face” is a wise phrase. But it just so happened that in all the wars that Russia waged, women found themselves next to men, enduring all the hardships and hardships equally with them.

Born in Taldy-Kurgan, Kazakh SSR on November 27, 1966, the girl Ira did not think that war would enter her life from the pages of books. School, medical school, a position as a nurse in a tuberculosis clinic, then in a maternity hospital - a purely peaceful biography.

Everything was turned upside down by the collapse of the Soviet Union. Russians in Kazakhstan suddenly became strangers and unnecessary. Like many, Irina and her family left for Russia, which had its own problems.

The husband of the beautiful Irina could not stand the difficulties and left the family in search of an easier life. Ira was left alone with two children in her arms, without normal housing and a corner. And then there was another misfortune - my daughter was diagnosed with leukemia, from which she quickly faded away.

Even men break down from all these troubles and go on a drinking binge. Irina did not break down - after all, she still had her son Zhenya, the light in the window, for whom she was ready to move mountains. In 1995, she entered service in the Internal Troops. Not for the sake of heroic deeds - they paid money there and gave rations. The paradox of modern history is that in order to survive and raise her son, a woman was forced to go to Chechnya, into the thick of it. Two business trips in 1996, three and a half months as a nurse under daily shelling, in blood and dirt.

A nurse of a medical company of an operational brigade of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia from the city of Kalach-on-Don - in this position Sergeant Yanina found herself in her second war. Basayev's gangs were rushing to Dagestan, where local Islamists were already waiting for them.

And again, battles, wounded, killed - the daily routine of medical service in war.

“Hello, my little, beloved, most beautiful son in the world!

I really miss you. Write to me how you are doing, how is school, who are your friends? Aren't you sick? Don't go out late in the evenings - there are a lot of bandits now. Stay near the house. Don't go anywhere alone. Listen to everyone at home and know that I love you very much. Read more. You are already a big and independent boy, so do everything right so that you don’t get scolded.

Waiting for your letter. Listen to everyone.

Kiss. Mother. 08/21/99"

Irina sent this letter to her son 10 days before her last fight.

On August 31, 1999, a brigade of internal troops, in which Irina Yanina served, stormed the village of Karamakhi, which terrorists had turned into an impregnable fortress.

That day, Sergeant Yanina, under enemy fire, assisted 15 wounded soldiers. Then she drove to the line of fire three times in an armored personnel carrier, taking another 28 seriously wounded from the battlefield. The fourth flight was fatal.

The armored personnel carrier came under heavy enemy fire. Irina began to cover the loading of the wounded with return fire from a machine gun. Finally, the car managed to move back, but the militants set the armored personnel carrier on fire with grenade launchers.

Sergeant Yanina, while she had enough strength, pulled the wounded out of the burning car. She did not have time to get out herself - the ammunition in the armored personnel carrier began to explode.

On October 14, 1999, medical service sergeant Irina Yanina was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation (posthumously); she was forever included in the lists of personnel of her military unit. Irina Yanina became the first woman awarded the title of Hero of Russia for her military actions in the Caucasian Wars.

Lenya Golikov (1926-1943) , brigade reconnaissance officer of the 67th detachment of the 4th Leningrad partisan brigade

In the summer of 1942, near the village of Varnitsa, Lenya Golikov blew up a car in which Major General of the German Engineering Troops Richard von Wirtz was riding. Lena managed to obtain documents about the advance of the enemy army, thanks to which the German attack was thwarted. For this feat, the boy was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Golikov died in the winter of 1943, when the Nazis attacked the partisans near the village of Ostray Luka.

Photo: yelena1234.livejournal.com

Alexander Matrosov (1924-1943) , machine gunner of the 2nd separate battalion of the 91st separate Siberian volunteer brigade named after. Stalin

In the winter of 1943, Matrosov’s battalion launched an attack on a German stronghold and fell into a trap. The soldiers were shot at from three wood-earth firing points (bunkers), then the shooting from two stopped. Alexander and his comrade crawled to the firing bunker and threw two grenades in its direction, the shooting stopped. The soldiers went on the attack again, but then the machine gun came to life, and Matrosov’s partner died. The young man rushed to the embrasure. Thanks to this, the Red Army soldiers were able to successfully attack the enemy, and Alexander Matrosov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously.

Zina Portnova (1926-1944), scout of the partisan detachment named after. Voroshilov in the territory occupied by the Nazis in Belarus

As a pioneer, in 1942 Portnova joined the underground organization “Young Avengers”, where she distributed anti-fascist leaflets in lands occupied by the Germans. Soon she got a job in a canteen for Germans. There she managed to organize several sabotages. In 1943, the girl was captured by the Nazis - she was surrendered by defectors. Zina Portnova underwent torture and interrogation, during one of which she grabbed a pistol from the table and killed three Germans. She was shot in prison.

Nikolai Gastello (1907-1941), pilot, captain, commander of the 2nd squadron of the 207th long-range bomber aviation regiment

In June 1941, the crew under the command of Nikolai Gastello flew out to attack a German mechanized column. It was guarded by enemy artillery, and Gastello’s plane was shot down by the Nazis from an anti-aircraft installation between the cities of Molodechno and Radoshkovichi (Belarus). The pilot had the opportunity to eject, but he directed the burning plane into an enemy convoy, thus committing the first fire ram in the Great Patriotic War. After the feat of Nikolai Gastello, all pilots who decided to ram were called Gastelloites.

Alexey Maresyev (1916-2001), pilot

During the Great Patriotic War, Maresyev's plane was shot down by the Nazis, and the pilot ejected. Wounded in both legs, it took him eighteen days to reach the front line. He managed to get to the hospital, but doctors had to amputate both legs of the fighter. Alexey Maresyev began to fly with prosthetics. He has 11 downed enemy aircraft and more than 80 combat missions, most of which he accomplished without legs.

It was the life and exploits of Maresyev that formed the basis of “The Tale of a Real Man” by Boris Polevoy.

Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya (1923-1941), partisan, member of the sabotage and reconnaissance group of the Western Front headquarters

In October 1941, Zoya went to a school for saboteurs, and then was sent to Volokolamsk. Here she was engaged in mining roads and destroying communication centers. During one of these sabotages, Kosmodemyanskaya was captured. The Nazis tortured her for a long time, but Zoya did not say a word to them, and they decided to hang the girl. Before her death, the partisan shouted to the assembled local residents: “Comrades, victory will be ours. German soldiers, before it’s too late, surrender!”

She became the first female Hero of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War.

Photo: defense.ru

Efim Osipenko (1902-1985), commander of a partisan detachment

When the war began, Efim Osipenko became a partisan as part of a detachment of six people. Efim and his comrades decided to blow up a German train. But since there was not enough ammunition, a bomb was made from a grenade. Osipenko crawled to the railway bridge, saw that the train was approaching, and threw an explosive device, but it did not go off. Then the partisan hit the bomb with an iron pole, and it exploded. The train derailed, but Osipenko himself lost his sight. He became the first to receive the “Partisan of the Patriotic War” medal.

Alexander German (1915-1943), commander of the 3rd Leningrad Partisan Brigade

During the war, Petrograd resident Alexander German was a scout. He commanded a partisan detachment behind enemy lines. His brigade managed to destroy thousands of fascists and hundreds of units of military equipment. In 1943, in the Pskov region, Herman’s detachment was surrounded, where he was killed.

Vladislav Khrustitsky (1902-1944), commander of the 30th separate guards tank brigade of the Leningrad Front

In 1942, Vladislav Khrustitsky became the commander of a separate light tank brigade, as part of which he participated in Operation Iskra, which marked the beginning of the path to victory over the Nazis on the Leningrad Front. In 1944, during a German counterattack near Volosovo, Khrustitsky’s brigade fell into a trap. He radioed the command to his fighters to stand to the death, and was the first to go on the attack, as a result of which he died and Volosovo was liberated.

Konstantin Zaslonov (1909-1942), commander of a partisan detachment and brigade. Before the war, Konstantin worked on the railway. This experience came in handy in the fall of 1941 near Moscow. He was thrown behind enemy lines and came up with “coal mines” - mines disguised as coal; Zaslonov also agitated the local population to go over to the side of the partisans. A reward was announced for a partisan alive or dead. Having learned that Konstantin Zaslonov was accepting locals into the partisan detachment, the Germans dressed in Soviet uniforms and came to him. During this battle, Zaslonov died, and the peasants hid his body without handing it over to the enemy.

Matvey Kuzmin (1858-1942), peasant

Matvey Kuzmin faced the Great Patriotic War at the advanced age of 82 years. It so happened that he had to lead a detachment of fascists through the forest. However, Kuzmin sent his grandson ahead to warn the Soviet partisans who were staying nearby. As a result, the Germans were ambushed. In the ensuing battle, Matvey Kuzmin died. He became the oldest person to be awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Victor Talalikhin (1918-1941), deputy squadron commander of the 177th Air Defense Fighter Aviation Regiment

At the end of the summer of 1941, Viktor Talalikhin rammed a German fighter, after which, wounded, he parachuted to the ground. In total, he accounted for six enemy aircraft. He died in the fall of the same year near Podolsk.

And in 2014, the remains of Talalikhin’s plane were found at the bottom of a swamp in the Moscow region.

Andrey Korzun (1911-1943), artilleryman of the 3rd counter-battery artillery corps of the Leningrad Front

From the very beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Andrei Korzun served on the Leningrad Front. In November 1943, Korzun’s battery came under fire. Andrei was wounded, and then saw that the powder charges were burning, and the entire ammunition depot could explode. He crawled to the blazing charges and, with the last of his strength, covered them with his body. The hero died, and the explosion was prevented.

Young Guard (1942-1943), underground anti-fascist organization

The Young Guard operated in the occupied Lugansk region. Its participants included more than a hundred people, the youngest of whom was only 14 years old. The organization was engaged in sabotage and agitation of the population. The Young Guard was responsible for an enemy tank repair workshop and a stock exchange, from where prisoners were taken to Germany for forced labor. The uprising organized by members of the group did not take place due to traitors who handed them over to the fascists. As a result, more than 70 participants were tortured and shot.

The exploits of the “Young Guard” inspired the creation of the work of the same name by Alexander Fadeev.

Panfilov's men, a detachment of 28 people under the command of Ivan Panfilov from the personnel of the 4th company of the 2nd battalion of the 1075th rifle regiment

In the fall of 1941, during the counter-offensive on Moscow, Panfilov’s men were near Volokolamsk. It was there that they met German tank troops and the battle began. As a result, 18 armored vehicles were destroyed, the attack was delayed, and the Nazi counteroffensive failed. It is believed that it was then that political instructor Vasily Klochkov shouted to his soldiers the famous phrase “Russia is great, but there is nowhere to retreat - Moscow is behind us!” According to the main version, all 28 Panfilov men died.

Based on materials from matveychev-oleg.livejournal.com

During the Great Patriotic War, many Soviet citizens (not just soldiers) performed heroic deeds, saving other people's lives and bringing closer the USSR's victory over the German invaders. These people are rightfully considered heroes. In our article we will recall some of them.

Heroes men

The list of heroes of the Soviet Union who became famous during the Great Patriotic War is quite extensive, so Let's name the most famous:

• Nikolai Gastello (1907-1941): Hero of the Union posthumously, squadron commander. After being bombed by German heavy equipment, Gastello's plane was shot down. The pilot rammed a burning bomber into an enemy column;
• Victor Talalikhin (1918-1941): Hero of the USSR, deputy squadron commander, participated in the Battle of Moscow. One of the first Soviet pilots to ram the enemy in a night air battle;
• Alexander Matrosov (1924-1943): Hero of the Union posthumously, private, rifleman. In a battle near the village of Chernushki (Pskov region), he blocked the embrasure of a German firing point;
• Alexander Pokryshkin (1913-1985): three times Hero of the USSR, fighter pilot (recognized as an ace), improved combat techniques (about 60 victories), went through the entire war (about 650 sorties), air marshal (since 1972);
• Ivan Kozhedub (1920-1991): three times Hero, fighter pilot (ace), squadron commander, participant in the Battle of Kursk, carried out about 330 combat missions (64 victories). He became famous for his effective shooting technique (200-300 m before the enemy) and the absence of cases when the plane was shot down;
• Alexey Maresyev (1916-2001): Hero, deputy squadron commander, fighter pilot. He is famous for the fact that after the amputation of both legs, using prosthetics, he was able to return to combat flights.

Rice. 1. Nikolai Gastello.

In 2010, an extensive Russian electronic database “Feat of the People” was created, containing reliable information from official documents about war participants, their exploits and awards.

Heroes of women

It is especially worth highlighting the women heroes of the Great Patriotic War.
Some of them:

• Valentina Grizodubova (1909-1993): the first female pilot - Hero of the Soviet Union, instructor pilot (5 world aviation records), commander of an air regiment, made about 200 combat missions (132 of them at night);
• Lyudmila Pavlichenko (1916-1974): Hero of the Union, world-famous sniper, instructor at a sniper school, participated in the defense of Odessa and Sevastopol. Destroyed about 309 enemies, of which 36 were snipers;
• Lydia Litvyak (1921-1943): Posthumous hero, fighter pilot (ace), squadron flight commander, participated in the Battle of Stalingrad, battles in Donbass (168 sorties, 12 victories in air combat);
• Ekaterina Budanova (1916-1943): Hero of the Russian Federation posthumously (she was listed as missing in the USSR), fighter pilot (ace), repeatedly fought against superior enemy forces, including launching a frontal attack (11 victories);
• Ekaterina Zelenko (1916-1941): Hero of the Union posthumously, deputy squadron commander. The only Soviet female pilot who took part in the Soviet-Finnish war. The only woman in the world to ram an enemy plane (in Belarus);
• Evdokia Bershanskaya (1913-1982): the only woman awarded the Order of Suvorov. Pilot, commander of the 46th Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment (1941-1945). The regiment was exclusively female. For his skill in performing combat missions, he received the nickname “night witches.” He particularly distinguished himself in the liberation of the Taman Peninsula, Feodosia, and Belarus.

Rice. 2. Pilots of the 46th Guards Aviation Regiment.

On 05/09/2012, the modern movement “Immortal Regiment” was born in Tomsk, designed to honor the memory of the heroes of the Second World War. Through the streets of the city, residents carried about two thousand portraits of their relatives who participated in the war. The movement became widespread. Every year the number of participating cities increases, even covering other countries. In 2015, the “Immortal Regiment” event received official permission and took place in Moscow immediately after the Victory Parade.

Young heroes of the Great Patriotic War

Educational material for extracurricular work on literary reading or history for elementary school on the topic: WWII

Before the war, these were the most ordinary boys and girls. They studied, helped their elders, played, raised pigeons, and sometimes even took part in fights. These were ordinary children and teenagers, whom only family, classmates and friends knew about.

But the hour of difficult trials came and they proved how huge an ordinary little child’s heart can become when a sacred love for the Motherland, pain for the fate of one’s people and hatred for enemies flares up in it. Together with the adults, the weight of adversity, disaster, and grief of the war years fell on their fragile shoulders. And they did not bend under this weight, they became stronger in spirit, more courageous, more resilient. And no one expected that it was these boys and girls who were capable of accomplishing a great feat for the glory of the freedom and independence of their Motherland!

No! - we told the fascists, -

Our people will not tolerate

So that Russian bread is fragrant

Called by the word "brot"....

Where is the strength in the world?

So that she can break us,

Bent us under the yoke

In those regions where on the days of victory

Our great-grandparents

Have you feasted so many times?..

And from sea to sea

The Russian regiments stood up.

We stood up, united with the Russians,

Belarusians, Latvians,

People of free Ukraine,

Both Armenians and Georgians,

Moldovans, Chuvash...

Glory to our generals,

Glory to our admirals

And to ordinary soldiers...

On foot, swimming, horseback,

Tempered in hot battles!

Glory to the fallen and the living,

Thank you to them from the bottom of my heart!

Let's not forget those heroes

What lies in the damp ground,

Giving my life on the battlefield

For the people - for you and me.

Excerpts from S. Mikhalkov’s poem “True for Children”

Kazei Marat Ivanovich(1929-1944), partisan of the Great Patriotic War, Hero of the Soviet Union (1965, posthumously). Since 1942, scout for a partisan detachment (Minsk region).

The Nazis burst into the village where Marat lived with his mother, Anna Alexandrovna. In the fall, Marat no longer had to go to school in the fifth grade. The Nazis turned the school building into their barracks. The enemy was fierce. Anna Aleksandrovna Kazei was captured for her connection with the partisans, and Marat soon learned that his mother had been hanged in Minsk. The boy's heart was filled with anger and hatred for the enemy. Together with his sister Hell Marat, Kazei went to the partisans in the Stankovsky forest. He became a scout at the headquarters of a partisan brigade. He penetrated enemy garrisons and delivered valuable information to the command. Using this data, the partisans developed a daring operation and defeated the fascist garrison in the city of Dzerzhinsk. Marat took part in battles and invariably showed courage and fearlessness; together with experienced demolitionists, he mined the railway. Marat died in battle. He fought to the last bullet, and when he had only one grenade left, he let his enemies get closer and blew them up... and himself. For courage and bravery, fifteen-year-old Marat Kazei was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. A monument to the young hero was erected in the city of Minsk.

Portnova Zinaida Martynovna (Zina) (1926-1944), young partisan of the Great Patriotic War, Hero of the Soviet Union (1958, posthumously). Scout of the partisan detachment “Young Avengers” (Vitebsk region).

The war found Leningrad resident Zina Portnova in the village of Zuya, where she came for vacation, not far from the Obol station in the Vitebsk region. An underground Komsomol-youth organization “Young Avengers” was created in Obol, and Zina was elected a member of its committee. She took part in daring operations against the enemy, distributed leaflets, and conducted reconnaissance on instructions from a partisan detachment. In December 1943, returning from a mission in the village of Mostishche, Zina was handed over as a traitor to the Nazis. The Nazis captured the young partisan and tortured her. The answer to the enemy was Zina’s silence, her contempt and hatred, her determination to fight to the end. During one of the interrogations, choosing the moment, Zina grabbed a pistol from the table and shot point-blank at the Gestapo man. The officer who ran in to hear the shot was also killed on the spot. Zina tried to escape, but the Nazis overtook her. The brave young partisan was brutally tortured, but until the last minute she remained persistent, courageous, and unbending. And the Motherland posthumously celebrated her feat with its highest title - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Kotik Valentin Alexandrovich(Valya) (1930-1944), young partisan of the Great Patriotic War, Hero of the Soviet Union (1958, posthumously). Since 1942 - liaison officer for an underground organization in the city of Shepetivka, scout for a partisan detachment (Khmelnitsky region, Ukraine).

Valya was born on February 11, 1930 in the village of Khmelevka, Shepetovsky district, Khmelnitsky region. Studied at school No. 4. When the Nazis burst into Shepetivka, Valya Kotik and his friends decided to fight the enemy. The guys collected weapons at the battle site, which the partisans then transported to the detachment on a cart of hay. Having taken a closer look at the boy, the leaders of the partisan detachment entrusted Valya to be a liaison and intelligence officer in their underground organization. He learned the location of enemy posts and the order of changing the guard. The Nazis planned a punitive operation against the partisans, and Valya, having tracked down the Nazi officer who led the punitive forces, killed him. When arrests began in the city, Valya, along with his mother and brother Victor, went to join the partisans. An ordinary boy, who had just turned fourteen years old, fought shoulder to shoulder with adults, liberating his native land. He was responsible for six enemy trains that were blown up on the way to the front. Valya Kotik was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, and the medal “Partisan of the Patriotic War,” 2nd degree. Valya died as a hero in one of the unequal battles with the Nazis.

Golikov Leonid Alexandrovich(1926-1943). Young partisan hero. Brigade scout of the 67th detachment of the fourth Leningrad partisan brigade, operating in the Novgorod and Pskov regions. Participated in 27 combat operations.

In total, he destroyed 78 fascists, two railway and 12 highway bridges, two food and feed warehouses and 10 vehicles with ammunition. He distinguished himself in battles near the villages of Aprosovo, Sosnitsa, and Sever. Accompanied a convoy with food (250 carts) to besieged Leningrad. For valor and courage he was awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner of Battle and the medal "For Courage".

On August 13, 1942, returning from reconnaissance from the Luga-Pskov highway, near the village of Varnitsa, he blew up a passenger car in which there was a German Major General of the Engineering Troops, Richard von Wirtz. Golikov shot the general, the officer and driver accompanying him with a machine gun in a shootout. The intelligence officer delivered a briefcase with documents to the brigade headquarters. These included drawings and descriptions of new models of German mines, inspection reports to higher command and other important military papers. Nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. On January 24, 1943, Leonid Golikov died in an unequal battle in the village of Ostray Luka, Pskov Region. By decree of April 2, 1944, the Presidium of the Supreme Council awarded him the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Arkady Kamanin dreamed of heaven when I was just a boy. Arkady's father, Nikolai Petrovich Kamanin, a pilot, participated in the rescue of the Chelyuskinites, for which he received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. And my father’s friend, Mikhail Vasilyevich Vodopyanov, is always nearby. There was something to make the boy's heart burn. But they didn’t let him fly, they told him to grow up. When the war began, he went to work at an aircraft factory, then at an airfield. Experienced pilots, even if only for a few minutes, sometimes trusted him to fly the plane. One day the cockpit glass was broken by an enemy bullet. The pilot was blinded. Losing consciousness, he managed to hand over control to Arkady, and the boy landed the plane at his airfield. After this, Arkady was allowed to seriously study flying, and soon he began to fly on his own. One day, from above, a young pilot saw our plane shot down by the Nazis. Under heavy mortar fire, Arkady landed, carried the pilot into his plane, took off and returned to his own. The Order of the Red Star shone on his chest. For participation in battles with the enemy, Arkady was awarded the second Order of the Red Star. By that time he had already become an experienced pilot, although he was fifteen years old. Arkady Kamanin fought with the Nazis until the victory. The young hero dreamed of the sky and conquered the sky!

Utah Bondarovskaya in the summer of 1941 she came from Leningrad on vacation to a village near Pskov. Here a terrible war overtook her. Utah began to help the partisans. At first she was a messenger, then a scout. Dressed as a beggar boy, she collected information from the villages: where the fascist headquarters were, how they were guarded, how many machine guns there were. The partisan detachment, together with units of the Red Army, left to help the Estonian partisans. In one of the battles - near the Estonian farm of Rostov - Yuta Bondarovskaya, the little heroine of the big war, died a heroic death. The Motherland posthumously awarded its heroic daughter the medal “Partisan of the Patriotic War”, 1st degree, and the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree.

When the war began and the Nazis were approaching Leningrad, high school counselor Anna Petrovna Semenova was left for underground work in the village of Tarnovichi - in the south of the Leningrad region. To communicate with the partisans, she selected her most reliable guys, and the first among them was Galina Komleva. During her six school years, the cheerful, brave, inquisitive girl was awarded books six times with the signature: “For excellent studies.” The young messenger brought assignments from the partisans to her counselor, and forwarded her reports to the detachment along with bread, potatoes, and food, which were obtained with great difficulty. One day, when a messenger from a partisan detachment did not arrive on time at the meeting place, Galya, half-frozen, made her way into the detachment, handed over a report and, having warmed up a little, hurried back, carrying a new task to the underground fighters. Together with the young partisan Tasya Yakovleva, Galya wrote leaflets and scattered them around the village at night. The Nazis tracked down and captured the young underground fighters. They kept me in the Gestapo for two months. The young patriot was shot. The Motherland celebrated the feat of Galya Komleva with the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree.

For the operation of reconnaissance and explosion of the railway bridge across the Drissa River, Leningrad schoolgirl Larisa Mikheenko was nominated for a government award. But the young heroine did not have time to receive her award.

The war cut the girl off from her hometown: in the summer she went on vacation to the Pustoshkinsky district, but was unable to return - the village was occupied by the Nazis. And then one night Larisa and two older friends left the village. At the headquarters of the 6th Kalinin Brigade, the commander is Major P.V. Ryndin initially refused to accept “such little ones.” But young girls were able to do what strong men could not. Dressed in rags, Lara walked through the villages, finding out where and how the guns were located, the sentries were posted, what German vehicles were moving along the highway, what kind of trains were coming to Pustoshka station and with what cargo. She also took part in military operations. The young partisan, betrayed by a traitor in the village of Ignatovo, was shot by the Nazis. In the Decree on awarding Larisa Mikheenko the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, there is a bitter word: “Posthumously.”

Could not put up with the atrocities of the Nazis and Sasha Borodulin. Having obtained a rifle, Sasha destroyed the fascist motorcyclist and took his first battle trophy - a real German machine gun. This was a good reason for his admission to the partisan detachment. Day after day he conducted reconnaissance. More than once he went on the most dangerous missions. He was responsible for many destroyed vehicles and soldiers. For carrying out dangerous tasks, for demonstrating courage, resourcefulness and courage, Sasha Borodulin was awarded the Order of the Red Banner in the winter of 1941. Punishers tracked down the partisans. The detachment left them for three days. In the group of volunteers, Sasha remained to cover the detachment’s retreat. When all his comrades died, the brave hero, allowing the fascists to close a ring around him, grabbed a grenade and blew them up and himself.

The feat of a young partisan

(Excerpts from M. Danilenko’s essay “Grishina’s Life” (translation by Yu. Bogushevich))

At night, punitive forces surrounded the village. Grisha woke up from some sound. He opened his eyes and looked out the window. A shadow flashed across the moonlit glass.

- Dad! - Grisha called quietly.

- Sleep, what do you want? - the father responded.

But the boy did not sleep anymore. Stepping barefoot on the cold floor, he quietly went out into the hallway. And then I heard someone tear open the doors and several pairs of boots thundered heavily into the hut.

The boy rushed into the garden, where there was a bathhouse with a small extension. Through the crack in the door Grisha saw his father, mother and sisters being taken out. Nadya was bleeding from her shoulder, and the girl was pressing the wound with her hand...

Until dawn, Grisha stood in the outbuilding and looked ahead with wide open eyes. The moonlight filtered sparingly. Somewhere an icicle fell from the roof and crashed on the rubble with a quiet ringing sound. The boy shuddered. He felt neither cold nor fear.

That night a small wrinkle appeared between his eyebrows. Appeared never to disappear again. Grisha's family was shot by the Nazis.

A thirteen-year-old boy with an unchildishly stern look walked from village to village. I went to Sozh. He knew that somewhere across the river his brother Alexei was, there were partisans. A few days later Grisha came to the village of Yametsky.

A resident of this village, Feodosia Ivanova, was a liaison officer for a partisan detachment commanded by Pyotr Antonovich Balykov. She brought the boy to the detachment.

The detachment commissar Pavel Ivanovich Dedik and the chief of staff Alexei Podobedov listened to Grisha with stern faces. And he stood in a torn shirt, with his legs knocked against the roots, with an undying fire of hatred in his eyes. The partisan life of Grisha Podobedov began. And no matter what mission the partisans were sent on, Grisha always asked to take him with them...

Grisha Podobedov became an excellent partisan intelligence officer. Somehow the messengers reported that the Nazis, together with policemen from Korma, robbed the population. They took 30 cows and everything they could get their hands on and were heading towards the Sixth Village. The detachment set off in pursuit of the enemy. The operation was led by Pyotr Antonovich Balykov.

“Well, Grisha,” said the commander. - You will go with Alena Konashkova on reconnaissance. Find out where the enemy is staying, what he is doing, what he is thinking of doing.

And so a tired woman with a hoe and a bag wanders into the Sixth Village, and with her a boy dressed in a large padded jacket that is too large for his size.

“They sowed millet, good people,” the woman complained, turning to the police. - Try to raise these fellings with little ones. It's not easy, oh, it's not easy!

And no one, of course, noticed how the boy’s keen eyes followed each soldier, how they noticed everything.

Grisha visited five houses where fascists and policemen stayed. And I found out about everything, then reported in detail to the commander. A red rocket soared into the sky. And a few minutes later it was all over: the partisans drove the enemy into a cleverly placed “bag” and destroyed him. The stolen goods were returned to the population.

Grisha also went on reconnaissance missions before the memorable battle near the Pokat River.

With a bridle, limping (a splinter had gotten into his heel), the little shepherd scurried among the Nazis. And such hatred burned in his eyes that it seemed that it alone could incinerate his enemies.

And then the scout reported how many guns he saw at the enemies, where there were machine guns and mortars. And from partisan bullets and mines, the invaders found their graves on Belarusian soil.

At the beginning of June 1943, Grisha Podobedov, together with partisan Yakov Kebikov, went on reconnaissance to the area of ​​​​the village of Zalesye, where a punitive company from the so-called Dnepr volunteer detachment was stationed. Grisha snuck into the house where the drunken punishers were having a party.

The partisans silently entered the village and completely destroyed the company. Only the commander was saved; he hid in a well. In the morning, a local grandfather pulled him out of there, like a filthy cat, by the scruff of the neck...

This was the last operation in which Grisha Podobedov participated. On June 17, together with foreman Nikolai Borisenko, he went to the village of Ruduya Bartolomeevka to buy flour prepared for the partisans.

The sun shone brightly. A gray bird fluttered on the roof of the mill, watching people with its cunning little eyes. Broad-shouldered Nikolai Borisenko had just loaded a heavy sack onto the cart when the pale miller came running.

- Punishers! - he exhaled.

The foreman and Grisha grabbed their machine guns and rushed into the bushes growing near the mill. But they were noticed. Evil bullets whistled, cutting off the branches of the alder tree.

- Get down! - Borisenko gave the command and fired a long burst from the machine gun.

Grisha, aiming, fired short bursts. He saw how the punishers, as if they had stumbled upon an invisible barrier, fell, mowed down by his bullets.

- So for you, so for you!..

Suddenly the sergeant-major gasped loudly and grabbed his throat. Grisha turned around. Borisenko twitched all over and fell silent. His glassy eyes were now looking indifferently at the high sky, and his hand was stuck, as if stuck, in the stock of the machine gun.

The bush, where only Grisha Podobedov now remained, was surrounded by enemies. There were about sixty of them.

Grisha clenched his teeth and raised his hand. Several soldiers immediately rushed towards him.

- Oh, you Herods! What did you want?! - the partisan shouted and slashed at them point-blank with a machine gun.

Six Nazis fell at his feet. The rest lay down. More and more often bullets whistled over Grisha’s head. The partisan was silent and did not respond. Then the emboldened enemies rose again. And again, under well-aimed machine gun fire, they pressed into the ground. And the machine gun had already run out of cartridges. Grisha pulled out a pistol. - I give up! - he shouted.

A tall and thin as a pole policeman ran up to him at a trot. Grisha shot him straight in the face. For an elusive moment, the boy looked around at the sparse bushes and clouds in the sky and, putting the pistol to his temple, pulled the trigger...

You can read about the exploits of young heroes of the Great Patriotic War in the books:

Avramenko A.I. Messengers from Captivity: a story / Transl. from Ukrainian - M.: Young Guard, 1981. - 208 e.: ill. — (Young heroes).

Bolshak V.G. Guide to the Abyss: Document. story. - M.: Young Guard, 1979. - 160 p. — (Young heroes).

Vuravkin G.N. Three pages from a legend / Trans. from Belarusian - M.: Young Guard, 1983. - 64 p. — (Young heroes).

Valko I.V. Where are you flying, little crane?: Document. story. - M.: Young Guard, 1978. - 174 p. — (Young heroes).

Vygovsky B.S. Fire of a young heart / Transl. from Ukrainian — M.: Det. lit., 1968. - 144 p. - (School library).

Children of the wartime / Comp. E. Maksimova. 2nd ed., add. - M.: Politizdat, 1988. - 319 p.

Ershov Ya.A. Vitya Korobkov - pioneer, partisan: a story - M.: Voenizdat, 1968 - 320 p. — (Library of a young patriot: About the Motherland, exploits, honor).

Zharikov A.D. Exploits of the Young: Stories and Essays. — M.: Young Guard, 1965. —- 144 e.: ill.

Zharikov A.D. Young partisans. - M.: Education, 1974. - 128 p.

Kassil L.A., Polyanovsky M.L. Street of the youngest son: a story. — M.: Det. lit., 1985. - 480 p. — (Student’s military library).

Kekkelev L.N. Countryman: The Tale of P. Shepelev. 3rd ed. - M.: Young Guard, 1981. - 143 p. — (Young heroes).

Korolkov Yu.M. Partisan Lenya Golikov: a story. - M.: Young Guard, 1985. - 215 p. — (Young heroes).

Lezinsky M.L., Eskin B.M. Live, Vilor!: a story. - M.: Young Guard, 1983. - 112 p. — (Young heroes).

Logvinenko I.M. Crimson Dawns: document. story / Transl. from Ukrainian — M.: Det. lit., 1972. - 160 p.

Lugovoy N.D. Scorched childhood. - M.: Young Guard, 1984. - 152 p. — (Young heroes).

Medvedev N.E. Eaglets of the Blagovsky forest: document. story. - M.: DOSAAF, 1969. - 96 p.

Morozov V.N. A boy went on reconnaissance: a story. - Minsk: State Publishing House of the BSSR, 1961. - 214 p.

Morozov V.N. Volodin front. - M.: Young Guard, 1975. - 96 p. — (Young heroes).