Who were the first 7 heroes of the USSR. Heroes of the great patriotic war

How are the fates of Soviet pilots who were the first to receive higher education similar and different? honorary title the USSR

The first Heroes of the Soviet Union - seven people - were, naturally, pilots. In young Soviet Russia, striving with all its might to become one of the leaders of the industrial world, the attitude towards aviation was special. It became for the pre-war USSR what cosmonautics was for the post-war one: a romantic dream of mastering a new living space. After all, the country itself was in many ways an attempt to make the dream of a new, previously unknown life... So where else to rave about the sky, if not in such a world ?!

The same romantic dream, only slightly inferior to the dream of the sky, was the idea of \u200b\u200bthe development of sea spaces, and the culmination, the simultaneous embodiment of both of these ideas, was the work on the development of the Russian North. And there is absolutely nothing strange about the fact that the first Heroes of the Soviet Union were the pilots of the polar aviation, who rescued the participants of the most daring polar expedition of the first half of the 1930s. On the contrary, it would be surprising if it turned out differently, if the first were not the pilots who took out the crew and passengers of the sunken steamer Chelyuskin to the mainland.

Seven heroes of the Chelyuskin epic

The greatest heroism, for the sake of which the highest award of the USSR was established, would not have happened without the greatest catastrophe. It was the first and last voyage of the "Chelyuskin" steamer. On March 11, 1933, it was launched under the name "Lena", on June 19 it was renamed "Chelyuskin" in honor of the legendary Russian explorer of the North, Semyon Chelyuskin, and on July 16, went on a campaign along the Northern Sea Route.

"Chelyuskin" had to go in one navigation from Murmansk to Vladivostok - the future port of registry - and thereby prove that such trips are possible. Let not alone, but with the support of icebreakers, but possible. For a country gaining industrial momentum, this was important: the Northern Sea Route saved significant manpower and funds for the delivery of goods to the Far East. Alas, the expedition actually proved the opposite: it is impossible to count on success during one navigation without serious icebreaker support and without ships specially built for the Arctic.

On September 23, 1933, after two months of sailing, the Chelyuskin was finally covered with ice, and on February 13, 1934, the ice crushed the steamer, and it sank within two hours. But only one person fell victim to the disaster. The expedition manager Boris Mogilevich, who was among the last to disembark the ship (together with captain Vladimir Voronin and the head of the expedition Otto Schmidt), was crushed by the deck cargo that had fallen from the fastenings. Another 104 people managed to safely land on the ice with all the equipment necessary for wintering and began to wait for help from the mainland.

It was quite clear that the only way to quickly evacuate the Chelyuskinites was to film them by air. It was pointless to send another steamer to help: it took a long time and there was no guarantee that it would have time to reach it before the ice began to break under the winterers. To ensure the success of the rescue operation, seven of the most experienced pilots of the newly emerging polar aviation were attracted to the flights: Mikhail Vodopyanov, Ivan Doronin, Nikolai Kamanin, Anatoly Lyapidevsky, Sigismund Levanevsky, Vasily Molokov and Mauritius Slepnev - the future first Heroes of the Soviet Union.

The first 12 people were evacuated on March 5 on an ANT-4 plane by Anatoly Lyapidevsky. The second time it was possible to reach the Chelyuskinites only on April 7, and within six days on 24 flights all the winterers were taken to the mainland, to the Chukotka village of Vankarem. The evacuation ended on April 13. Three days later, the Supreme Council established a new highest award of the USSR - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and four days later, on April 20, it was awarded to seven polar pilots. Each of them deserves, albeit a short, but separate story - in the order in which all seven were awarded the certificate of assignment the highest degree differences.

The very first: Anatoly Lyapidevsky (diploma and medal "Gold Star" No. 1)

Anatoly Lyapidevsky, who was awarded the highest honor - to be the first among the first Heroes of the Soviet Union, was one of the youngest (younger than him, and then only a year, only Kamanin) members of the legendary seven. He came to aviation in 1927, after graduating from the Leningrad military-theoretical school of the Air Force, and then the Sevastopol military school of naval pilots.

Anatoly Lyapidevsky. Photo: рervye-geroi.ru

In April 1933, Lyapidevsky, who was transferred to the reserve, went to work in civil aviation... First, he flew as a regular pilot in the Far East, and then asked for a transfer to the newly organized Air Service Directorate of the Main Directorate of the Northern Sea Route - polar aviation. Less than a year later, after 29 unsuccessful flights into a blizzard and blizzard on March 5, 1934, Anatoly Lyapidevsky became the first of the rescue squad pilots who was lucky enough to find the Chelyuskinites and land on a tiny area of \u200b\u200beven ice cleared by winterers: only 150 by 450 meters!

The pilot did not even imagine that this first flight, during which he evacuated all ten women and two children from the ice — all, so to speak, “weak” winterers, would become for him the last in the epic. During the flight from Uelen to Vankarem, where the headquarters of the rescue operation was located, in preparation for the second flight to the Chelyuskinites, Lyapidevsky's plane made an emergency landing in the ice, breaking the landing gear. The Chukchi crew, who saw the landing plane, saved the crew. It was only possible to repair it and lift it into the sky on 25 April. So that he became the first in the Hero of the Soviet Union, Lyapidevsky learned with a delay of five days: after an emergency landing, the radio did not work.

Youngest: Nikolay Kamanin (diploma and medal "Gold Star" No. 2)

The Second Hero of the Soviet Union was the youngest of the "magnificent seven". To become a cadet of the Leningrad Military-Theoretical School of the Air Force in 1927, Kamanin had to cheat and add an extra year for himself. They believed him, and the Vladimir boy's dream of the sky began to come true. A year later, Kamanin graduated from school in Leningrad and entered the Borisoglebsk Military Aviation Pilot School, and in 1929 he began serving in light bomber aviation in the Far East. And in five years he has earned himself such an excellent reputation that when an order came from Moscow to send Of the Far East a detachment of military pilots to participate in the rescue of the Chelyuskinites, there were no other candidates besides Kamanin.

Nikolay Kamanin. Photo: airaces.ru

A detachment of pilots, which included Vasily Molokov, reached Vankarem on light R-5 bombers for a month and a half! Everything resisted: the weather, and equipment not prepared for operation in polar conditions ... Only people did not let us down. As a result, having lost two aircraft, Kamanin's detachment flew to Vankarem and from April 7 began to evacuate the Chelyuskinites. On the first day, Kamanin and Molokov took six people out of the camp to the mainland, placing three passengers in the cockpit, where one pilot-observer was usually stationed. In total, the youngest of the hero pilots managed to evacuate 34 people to Vankarem - this is the second most effective indicator among all seven pilots.

Most productive: Vasily Molokov (diploma and medal "Gold Star" No. 3)

Vasily Molokov began his army service in the Russian Imperial Navy in 1915 in the Baltic, and after the revolution he managed to combine conscription service with vocation service, becoming a mechanic in naval aviation. In 1921, Molokov graduated from the Samara School of Naval Pilots and returned to where he began his service - to the Baltic.

Vasily Molokov. Photo: wikipedia.org

Ten years later, he retired, worked as a pilot on passenger lines in Siberia, and in 1932 he became one of the first polar pilots. In 1933, Molokov already commanded an air squadron as part of the Air Service Directorate of the Main Directorate of the Northern Sea Route, and in March 1934, when the Chelyuskin dies, he was ordered to join Nikolai Kamanin's squadron. The participation of Molokov, as Kamanin himself recalled, seriously helped the detachment: Molokov knew the insidious nature of the North well and knew how to fly in Arctic conditions. It is no coincidence that he became the most effective pilot of the "magnificent seven": in total, Molokov evacuated 39 Chelyuskinites on his P-5! For example, on April 11, Molokov took out 20 people on four flights - five at a time. To do this, he had to put people not only in the cockpit of the observer pilot, but also in the underwing parachute boxes - one and a half meter plywood "cigars", where they could only lie with their knees bent.

The most romantic: Sigismund Levanevsky (diploma and medal "Gold Star" No. 4)

The biography of Sigismund Levanevsky is romantic even for such a romantic time as the early years of Soviet Russia. A native of St. Petersburg, Pole by blood, he became a Red Guard in October 1917 and took an active part in the revolutionary events. Then there was the Civil War, the fight against bandits in Dagestan and work as a manager in an aeronautical detachment in Petrograd. From there, in 1923, Levanevsky was sent to study at the Sevastopol military school of naval pilots, to which he ... was late! He had to work for almost a year in the usual position of a manager at the same school in order to still enter the next year. However, the school did not regret it: Levanevsky quickly became one of the best cadets, and then, after serving in the linear units, he returned there as an instructor pilot.

The qualification helped Levanevsky to be among the first to become a pilot of the Air Service Directorate of the Main Directorate of the Northern Sea Route: he worked there since the spring of 1933. And it is quite logical that he, as an experienced pilot, was involved in the rescue of the Chelyuskinites. But even here the romantic biography of Levanevsky made itself felt. He became the only one of the first Heroes of the Soviet Union who, during the rescue operation ... did not evacuate a single person! In February 1934, together with the pilot Mauritius Slepnev and the authorized government commission Georgy Ushakov, he was sent to the United States to purchase the missing Consolidated Fleetster multi-seat aircraft. On March 29, 1934, at the height of the rescue operation, Slepnev on one plane and Levanevsky and Ushakov on another flew from American Nome to Vankarem. But only Slepnev flew there. Levanevsky, due to severe icing, made an emergency landing, crashing the plane. But he nevertheless brought the head of the operation to his destination, albeit on foot.

Of all the seven first Heroes of the Soviet Union, it was Levanevsky who did not even live to see the start of the Great Patriotic War. However, the ending of his biography was more than romantic. On August 12, 1937, on a DB-A aircraft with a crew of five, he went on a transarctic flight Moscow - Fairbanks. The next day, the plane with the tail number N-209 disappeared, and the mystery of its disappearance has not been solved to this day ...

The most professional: Mauritius Slepnev (certificate and medal "Gold Star" No. 5)

Mauritius Slepnev began to master the profession of a military pilot earlier than all other members of the "magnificent seven" - during the First World War. He was called up for service in 1914, a year later he graduated from the school of warrant officers, and in 1917 he graduated from the Gatchina flight school and served as a squadron commander with the rank of staff captain. However, Slepnev accepted the revolution immediately and unconditionally, participating in it as the commander of the Red Guard of the Luga district of Petrograd.

Mauritius Slepnev. Photo: old-yar.ru

Then there were command positions in the just nascent Red Air Force, and since 1925 - work in the civilian fleet with a stay in the military reserve (with the regular performance of purely military tasks). Since 1931, Slepnev began flying in the Arctic: he became a pilot of the Air Service Directorate of the Main Directorate of the Northern Sea Route at the same time as Levanevsky. Together they were sent to the United States for nine-seat Consolidated Fleetster aircraft. Having safely flown from Nome to Vankarem (having got into a blizzard, because of which the plane began to freeze up, Slepnev, unlike Levanevsky, did not break through, but returned and flew the next day), he took him out of the camp on the first flight on April 3 five Chelyuskinites. And on April 12, it was Slepnev who was entrusted with another difficult task: to deliver the seriously ill Otto Schmidt from Vankarem to the Alaskan Nome and at the same time return home the aircraft mechanics Clyde Armstedt and William Lavery (the first was a mechanic on Levanevsky's plane, the second - Slepnev, but both flew in a Glepnev car, since the head of the operation, Ushakov, was flying in Levanevsky's car).

The most persistent: Mikhail Vodopyanov (diploma and medal "Gold Star" No. 6)

Mikhail Vodopyanov came to aviation later than all the others from the "magnificent seven". However, this is how to count. Formally, only in 1928 he graduated from the Dobrolet flight school (which later became Aeroflot). But back in 1918, Vodopyanov, who volunteered for the Red Army, served as a fuel carrier in the Ilya Muromets air battalion in Lipetsk! And it took ten years to get back to the planes after demobilization, which so amazed a nineteen-year-old boy from Lipetsk.

Mikhail Vodopyanov. Photo: warheroes.ru

After that, Vodopyanov's flying career confidently went up the hill. First - the pilot of "Dobrolet", who took part in the fight against locusts in Central Asia, then - the pioneer of the passenger route to Sakhalin. Since 1931 he was a pilot of the Pravda flight detachment, which delivered the matrix of the main newspaper of the USSR to largest cities, primarily for the Urals. And then there was a test flight Moscow - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, an accident at Lake Baikal and severe injuries, after which only 36 (!) Stitches remained on the pilot's head. With such injuries, not only as rescuers, the Chelyuskinites could not be accepted into civil aviation! But Mikhail Vodopyanov got his way: he was included in the composition of the participants in the rescue operation and instructed to take part in the ferrying of three aircraft - two PS-3 and one R-5 - from Khabarovsk to Vankarem. Pilots Ivan Doronin and Viktor Galyshev, who commanded the flight, flew with Vodopyanov. Having overcome 6,000 kilometers, the three pilots reached Anadyr, where the engine of Galyshev's plane failed. Only Vodopyanov flew to Vankarem, followed by Doronin. For three flights to Chelyuskintsy Vodopyanov took out 10 people, proving that it was not in vain that he insisted on his inclusion in the rescue squad. By the way, he was also a participant in the last flight to the ice floe on April 13 - together with Nikolai Kamanin and Vasily Molokov.

The most experienced: Ivan Doronin (diploma and medal "Gold Star" No. 7)

As Doronin himself admitted to his comrades in the Chelyuskin epic, until the age of 16, he, a native of the Saratov province, "did not travel by train or steamer." But after the age of sixteen he gained his own with interest. On a Komsomol ticket, Ivan went to restore the military fleet and ended up in Leningrad - first at the courses of naval technicians, and then at the naval school. But soon he exchanged one ocean for another: in 1924, Doronin made sure that he was sent to the Yegoryevsk Aviation Technical School, from which he was transferred to the Sevastopol Military School of Naval Pilots.

Ivan Doronin. Photo: wikipedia.org

Five years later, Ivan Doronin left the army and began working as a civilian pilot, mastering the Siberian and Far Eastern routes. Rather, even not so much mastering as paving. By 1934, his track record included the first flight along the Irkutsk - Ust-Srednekan route, as well as participation in a polar expedition in the Kara Sea. And in the flight book it was written that in nine years of work, Doronin flew 300,000 kilometers without a single accident!

It was all the more offensive for him, the most experienced pilot, who broke through with Mikhail Vodopyanov to Vankar from Khabarovsk 6,000 kilometers away, to suffer an accident on the very first flight to the Chelyuskinites! And through no fault of their own: while landing, the ski of the PS-3 aircraft, on which Doronin was flying, came across an ice sastrug that had frozen over the night, swerved to the side, hit another sastrug and broke. The plane froze powerlessly right on the icy airfield ... The car was quickly put in order, but during the Chelyuskin epic Doronin managed to make only one flight and take out two people. This, however, did not in any way affect the decision to award him the title of Hero of the Soviet Union - among the other seven heroes.

Five years waiting for the Golden Star

The decree on the introduction of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union did not provide for any additional insignia, except for the diploma of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR on conferring the title. True, the first Heroes, along with a diploma, were awarded the highest award at that time - the Order of Lenin. Two years later, this practice was approved by the decree of the newly elected Supreme Soviet of the USSR, and three years later, in 1939, there appeared its own insignia of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union - the Gold Star medal. Since by that time 122 people had already received the highest distinction, the medals were awarded, so to speak, retroactively, but strictly adhering to the order of assignment of titles. Accordingly, the medal "Gold Star" No. 1 was awarded to the holder of diploma No. 1 - Anatoly Lyapidevsky, and further down the list. Of the participants in the "magnificent seven", only Sigismund Levanevsky could not personally receive the award: by that time he had been missing for two years.

The dates of the Decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the assignment of rank, data on the types of troops, positions and military ranks Heroes as of the date of submission for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, years of their life.

To facilitate the perception of the information presented in this list, an alternating fill is applied.

• Peach blossom in the alphabetical lists, Heroes awarded the title twice or more times are highlighted.
• In gray - Heroes awarded the title posthumously.

Alphabetically	General quantity Heroes	Including twice	Three times and four times	Wiklink to alphabetical list
List of Heroes whose last names begin with "A"				Abaev Akhsarbek - Azalov Klychniyaz
				Azarov Alexey - Aliev Shamsula
				Alimbetov Abylai - Anisichkin Fyodor
				Aniskin Alexander - Artemiev Ivan
				Artemiev Nikolay - Ayanyan Eduard
List of Heroes whose last names begin with "B"				Babadzhanyan Hamazasp - Balebin Vasily
				Balenko Alexander - Batyaev Vasily
				Bakhaev Stepan - Belousov Pavel
				Belousov Stepan - Birchenko Ivan
				Biryuzov Sergey - Boytsov Igor
				Boitsov Philip - Bortnik Roman
				Bortovsky Matvey - Bulaev Alexander
				Bulaenko Ivan - Byakov Alexey
List of Heroes whose last names begin with "B"				Vavilin Alexey - Vasilchenko Alexander
				Vasilchenko Alexey - Vinogradov Andrey
				Vinogradov Vyacheslav - Volkov Nikolay
				Volkov Pavel - Vyatkin Zosim
List of Heroes whose surnames begin with "G"				Gabaidulin Gennady - Garkusha Kuzma
				Garkusha Nikolay - Gnidash Kuzma
				Gnido Peter - Gorbach Mikhail
				Gorbach Feodosiy - Gretsky Peter
				Greceanîi Parthentius - Gubanov Nikolay
				Gubarev Alexey - Gushchin Fedor
List of Heroes whose surnames begin with "D"				Davidenko Vasily - Denisov Mikhail
				Denisov Osip - Donskikh Alexander
				Donskikh Ivan - Dyatlov Ignatius
List of Heroes whose surnames begin with "E" and "E"				Evgrafov Vadim - Emelyanov Boris
				Emelyanov Vasily - Efremov Fedor
List of Heroes whose surnames begin with "F"				Zhabinsky Dmitry - Zhuchkov Tikhon
List of Heroes whose surnames begin with "Z"				Zabagonsky Semyon - Zapadinsky Alexander
				Zaporozhan Igor - Zenkovsky Arkady
				Zentsov Vladimir - Zyulkovsky Vasily
List of Heroes whose surnames begin with "I" and "Y"				Ibarruri Ruben - Ivlev Dmitry
				Ivliev Ivan - Ian Sigmund
List of Heroes whose surnames begin with "K"				Kabak Nikolay - Kalinin Nikolay
				Kalinin Stepan - Karmatsky Vladimir
				Karmatsky Timofey - Kzhivon Anela
				Kiba Grigory - Klevtsov Sergey
				Kleybus Fedor - Kovalenko Sergey
				Kovalenko Yuri - Koldubov Mikhail
				Koldunov Alexander - Kompaneets Fedor
				Alexey Kompaniets - Mikhail Kopytin
				Kopytov Mikhail - Korchagin Lev
				Korchak Joseph - Kotov Nikolay
				Sergey Kotov - Anatoly Krasnov
				Krasnov Viktor - Kryukov Vasily
				Kryukov Vladimir - Kuznetsov Nikolay
				Kuznetsov Pavel - Kunavin Grigory
				Kungurtsev Evgeniy - Kyanzhin Panteley
List of Heroes whose surnames begin with "L"				Laar Joseph - Lebedev Vasily
				Lebedev Victor - Lipilin Alexander
				Lipkin German - Losev Alexey
				Losev Anatoly - Lyaschenko Nikolay
List of Heroes whose last names begin with "M"				Mageramov Melik - Malka Ivan
				Malkov Georgy - Markov Alexander
				Markov Alexey - Matrosov Alexey
				Matrosov Vadim - Melnov Ivan
				Menitsky Valery - Mironov Leonid
				Mironov Mikhail - Mogilchak Ivan
				Modin Boris - Moskalev Nikolay
				Moskalenko Georgy - Myachin Vasily
List of Heroes whose surnames begin with "H"				Nabiev Vali - Unwise Ivan
				Nemtsev Ivan - Nikolaenko Vladimir
				Nikolaenko Evgeniy - Nyukhtikov Mikhail
List of Heroes whose last names begin with "O"				Observer Nikolay - Opalev Alexander
				Opalev Alexey - Oshchepkov Andrey
List of Heroes whose last names begin with "P"				Pavkin Ivan - Panteleev Lev
				Pantelkin Anatoly - Flight Alexey
				Perepelitsa Alexander - Petrushin Ivan
				Petryuk Vasily - Pletensky Pavel
				Pletnev Peter - Polovinkin Alexander
				Polovinkin Valentin - Popov Nikolay
				Popov Pavel - Prosolov Ivan
				Prosyanik Emelyan - Pyatiari Ivan
List of Heroes whose last names begin with "R"				Rabovalyuk Mikhail - Rogachev Mikhail
				Rogachevsky Georgy - Rudakov Sergey
				Rudenko Alexander - Ryaposov Nikolay
List of Heroes whose last names begin with "C"				Sabanov Grigory - Samsonov Vladimir
				Samsonov Ivan - Sevryukov Alexey
				Sevryukov Leonid - Sergienkov Dmitry
				Sergov Alexey - Silantyev Nikolay
				Silin Nikolay - Skrylyov Alexey
				Skrylyov Viktor - Sobolevsky Anatoly
				Sobyanin Gabriel - Sorokin Sergei
				Sorokin Fedor - Stepin Kuzma
				Stepovoy Arsentiy - Sulin Semyon
				Sultanov Bary - Syabro Nikolay
List of Heroes whose last names begin with "T"				Tavadze David - Tereshkova Valentina
				Tereshchenko Vasily - Tkachenko Vasily
				Tkachenko Vladimir - Trubachev Vasily
				Trubachenko Vasily - Tyashchenko Gabriel
List of Heroes whose surnames begin with "U"				Ubiyvovk Elena - Uschev Boris
List of Heroes whose surnames begin with "F"				Fabrichnov Vasily - Filimonenkov Vasily
				Filimonov Alexander - Fufachev Vladimir
List of Heroes whose last names begin with "X"				Khabarov Alexander - Khitsenko Ivan
				Khlebnikov Mikhail - Khushnazarov Sapar
List of Heroes whose surnames begin with "C"				Tsaplin Andrey - Tsytsarkin Alexander
List of Heroes whose surnames begin with "H"				Chabunin Ivan - Chernyshev Alexander
				Chernyshev Arkady - Chkhaidze Sergey
List of Heroes whose surnames begin with "Ш"				Shabalin Alexander - Shevelev Victor
				Shevelev Mark - Shishkin Mikhail
				Shishkin Nikolay - Shushin Ivan
List of Heroes whose surnames begin with "Щ"				Shchabelsky Ivan - Shurikhin Alexander
List of Heroes whose last names begin with "E"				Emirov Valentin - Esaulko Grigory
List of Heroes whose surnames begin with "Yu"				Yubkin Vasily - Yushkov Mikhail
List of Heroes whose surnames begin with "I"				Yablochkin Dmitry - Yashchuk Rostislav
The total number of Heroes of the Soviet Union on this list:		twice - 154	three times - 3 four times - 2

see also

Literature

• I.N.Shkadov. - M .: Military Publishing, 1987 .-- T. 1 / Abaev - Lyubichev /. - 911 p. - 100,000 copies - ISBN from., Reg. No. in the RCP 87-95382.
• Heroes of the Soviet Union: Brief biographical dictionary / Prev ed. Collegium I. N. Shkadov. - M .: Military Publishing, 1988. - T. 2 / Lyubov - Yashchuk /. - 863 p. - 100,000 copies - ISBN 5-203-00536-2.
• Cavaliers of the Order of Glory of three degrees: A Brief Biographical Dictionary / Prev. ed. Collegium D.S.Sukhorukov. - Moscow: Military Publishing, 2000 .-- 703 p. - 10,000 copies. - ISBN 5-203-01883-9.

Links

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Lists Heroes of the Soviet Union By regions of Russia By cities of Russia By regions of Ukraine For others republics “Let's go to supper,” he said with a sigh, getting up and heading for the door. They entered the elegantly, newly richly decorated dining room. Everything, from napkins to silver, faience and crystal, bore that special imprint of novelty that occurs in the household of young spouses. In the middle of dinner, Prince Andrei leaned his elbows and, like a man who had something in his heart for a long time and suddenly decided to speak out, with an expression of nervous irritation in which Pierre had never seen his friend, began to say: - Never, never marry, my friend; here is my advice to you: do not marry until you tell yourself that you have done everything you could, and until you stop loving the woman you have chosen, until you see her clearly; otherwise you will be mistaken cruelly and irreparably. Marry an old man, worthless ... Otherwise everything that is good and high in you will be lost. Everything will be spent on trifles. Yes Yes Yes! Don't look at me with such surprise. If you expect something from yourself ahead, then at every step you will feel that everything is over for you, everything is closed, except for the drawing room, where you will stand on the same board with the court lackey and an idiot ... But what! ... He waved his hand energetically. Pierre took off his glasses, which made his face change, showing even more kindness, and looked at his friend in surprise. “My wife,” continued Prince Andrey, “is a wonderful woman. This is one of those rare women with whom you can be deceased for your honor; but, my God, what would I not give now, so as not to be married! I tell you this one and the first, because I love you. Prince Andrey, saying this, was even less like that Bolkonsky, who was lounging in Anna Pavlovna's armchairs and, through his teeth, squinting, spoke French phrases. His dry face trembled all over with the nervous revival of every muscle; the eyes, in which the fire of life had seemed extinguished before, now shone with a radiant, bright brilliance. It was evident that the more lifeless he seemed in ordinary times, the more energetic he was in those moments of almost painful irritation. “You don’t understand why I’m saying this,” he continued. - It's a whole life story. You say Bonaparte and his career, - he said, although Pierre did not speak about Bonaparte. - You say to Bonaparte; but Bonaparte, when he worked, walked step by step towards the goal, he was free, he had nothing but his goal - and he achieved it. But tie yourself to a woman - and like a shackled convict, you lose all freedom. And everything that has hope and strength in you, everything only weighs you down and torments you with repentance. Living rooms, gossip, balls, vanity, insignificance - this is a vicious circle from which I cannot escape. I'm going to war now, on the greatest war, what has only happened, but I know nothing and am not good for anywhere. Je suis tres aimable et tres caustique, [I am very nice and very eater,] - continued Prince Andrey, - and Anna Pavlovna's listen to me. And this is a stupid society, without which my wife cannot live, and these women ... If only you could know what it is toutes les femmes distinguees [all these women of good society] and women in general! My father is right. Selfishness, vanity, stupidity, insignificance in everything - these are women when everything is shown as they are. You look at them in the light, it seems that something is, but nothing, nothing, nothing! Yes, do not marry, my soul, do not marry, '' concluded Prince Andrey. - I find it funny, - said Pierre, - that you yourself, you consider yourself incapable, your life - a spoiled life. You have everything, everything is ahead. And you… He did not say that you, but his tone already showed how highly he values \u200b\u200bhis friend and how much he expects from him in the future. "How can he say that!" thought Pierre. Pierre considered Prince Andrei to be a model of all perfection precisely because Prince Andrei combined to the highest degree all those qualities that Pierre did not have and which can be best expressed by the concept of willpower. Pierre was always amazed at Prince Andrei's ability to calmly deal with all kinds of people, his extraordinary memory, erudition (he read everything, knew everything, had an idea about everything) and most of all his ability to work and study. If Pierre was often struck in Andrew by the lack of the ability to dreamily philosophize (to which Pierre was especially inclined), then in this he saw not a lack, but strength. In the best, friendliest and simplest relationships, flattery or praise is necessary, as lubrication is necessary for the wheels to drive. - Je suis un homme fini, [I am a finished man,] - said Prince Andrew. - What to say about me? Let's talk about you, - he said after a pause and smiling at his comforting thoughts. This smile at the same instant was reflected on Pierre's face. - And what to say about me? - said Pierre, opening his mouth into a carefree, cheerful smile. - What am I? Je suis un batard [I am an illegitimate son!] - And he suddenly blushed crimson. It was evident that he made a great effort to say this. - Sans nom, sans fortune ... [No name, no state ...] And well, right ... - But he didn't say he was right. - I'm free so far, and I'm fine. I just don't know what to start. I wanted to seriously consult with you. Prince Andrew looked at him with kind eyes. But in his look, friendly, affectionate, the consciousness of his superiority was still expressed. - You are dear to me, especially because you are one living person among all our world. You feel good. Choose what you want; it does not matter. You will be good everywhere, but one thing: stop going to these Kuragin, to lead this life. So this does not suit you: all these revelry, and the hussars, and everything ... - Que voulez vous, mon cher, - said Pierre, shrugging his shoulders, - les femmes, mon cher, les femmes! [What do you want, my dear, women, my dear, women!] - I don't understand, - Andrey answered. - Les femmes comme il faut, [Decent women,] is another matter; but les femmes Kuragin, les femmes et le vin, [Kuragin's women, women and wine,] I don't understand! Pierre lived with Prince Vasily Kuragin and took part in the riotous life of his son Anatol, the very one whom they were going to marry the sister of Prince Andrew for correction. “You know what,” said Pierre, as if he had an unexpectedly happy thought, “seriously, I've been thinking this for a long time. With this life I can neither decide nor think over anything. The head hurts, there is no money. Today he called me, I will not go. - Give me your word of honor that you will not drive? - Honestly! It was already two o'clock in the morning when Pierre left his friend. The night was a June, Petersburg, gloomy night. Pierre got into the cab with the intention of going home. But the closer he got, the more he felt the impossibility of falling asleep that night, which looked more like evening or morning. I could see far away along the empty streets. Dear Pierre remembered that that evening an ordinary gambling society was supposed to meet at Anatol Kuragin's, after which there was usually a drinking party, ending with one of Pierre's favorite entertainments. “It would be nice to go to Kuragin's,” he thought. But at once he remembered his word of honor given to Prince Andrey not to visit Kuragin. But immediately, as happens with people who are called spineless, he so passionately wanted to once again experience this dissolute life so familiar to him that he decided to go. And immediately the thought occurred to him that this word did not mean anything, because even before Prince Andrei, he also gave Prince Anatol his word to be with him; finally, he thought that all these honest words are such conventional things that do not have any definite meaning, especially if one realizes that maybe tomorrow either he will die or something so extraordinary will happen to him that will no longer be honest nor dishonorable. This kind of reasoning, destroying all his decisions and assumptions, often came to Pierre. He went to Kuragin's. Arriving at the porch of a large house near the horse guards barracks in which Anatol lived, he climbed the lighted porch, the stairs, and entered the open door. There was no one in the hall; there were empty bottles, raincoats, galoshes; there was a smell of wine, there was a distant talk and a cry. The game and dinner were already over, but the guests had not left yet. Pierre threw off his cloak and went into the first room, where the remains of the supper stood and one footman, thinking that no one was seeing him, was secretly drinking his unfinished glasses. From the third room one could hear fuss, laughter, shouts of familiar voices and the roar of a bear. About eight young people crowded anxiously near the open window. Three were busy with a young bear, which one was dragging on a chain, scaring the other with it. - I keep Stevens a hundred! One shouted. - Look not support! Shouted another. - I'm for Dolokhov! - shouted the third. - Separate, Kuragin. - Well, throw Mishka, there's a bet. - In one spirit, otherwise lost, - shouted the fourth. - Yakov, give me a bottle, Yakov! - shouted the owner himself, a tall handsome man, standing in the middle of the crowd in one thin shirt, opened in the middle of his chest. - Wait, gentlemen. Here he is Petrusha, dear friend, - he turned to Pierre. Another voice of a short man, with clear blue eyes, especially striking among all these drunken voices with its sober expression, shouted from the window: "Come here - make a bet!" It was Dolokhov, a Semyonov officer, a well-known player and brute who lived with Anatol. Pierre smiled, looking merrily around him. - I don’t understand. What's the matter? - Wait, he's not drunk. Give me a bottle, - said Anatole and, taking a glass from the table, went to Pierre. - Drink first. Pierre began to drink glass after glass, glancing downwardly at the drunken guests, who were again crowding at the window, and listening to their talk. Anatole poured him wine and told him that Dolokhov was betting with the Englishman Stevens, a sailor who was here, that he, Dolokhov, would drink a bottle of rum, sitting on the third-floor window with his legs down. - Well, drink it all! - said Anatole, handing the last glass to Pierre, - otherwise I won't let you in! “No, I don’t want to,” said Pierre, pushing Anatole away, and went to the window. Dolokhov held the Englishman's hand and clearly, distinctly pronounced the terms of the bet, referring mainly to Anatol and Pierre. Dolokhov was a man of medium height, curly and with light, blue eyes. He was twenty-five years old. He did not wear a mustache, like all infantry officers, and his mouth, the most striking feature of his face, was all visible. The lines of this mouth were remarkably finely curved. In the middle, the upper lip energetically descended onto the strong lower lip in a sharp wedge, and in the corners something like two smiles, one on each side, constantly formed; and all together, and especially in combination with a firm, arrogant, intelligent gaze, made the impression that it was impossible not to notice this face. Dolokhov was a poor man, without any connections. And despite the fact that Anatol lived in tens of thousands, Dolokhov lived with him and managed to put himself in such a way that Anatol and everyone who knew them respected Dolokhov more than Anatol. Dolokhov played all the games and almost always won. No matter how much he drank, he never lost his head. Both Kuragin and Dolokhov at that time were celebrities in the world of the hang-up and revelry of St. A bottle of rum was brought; the frame, which did not allow to sit on the outer slope of the window, was broken by two footmen, apparently in a hurry and shy from the advice and shouts of the gentlemen around. Anatole with his triumphant air went to the window. He wanted to break something. He pushed the footmen away and pulled on the frame, but the frame would not give up. He broke glass. - Well, you strong man, - he turned to Pierre. Pierre grabbed the crossbeams, pulled, and with a bang, twisted the oak frame. - All out, otherwise they will think that I'm holding on, - said Dolokhov. - The Englishman is bragging ... huh? ... okay? ... - said Anatole. “All right,” said Pierre, looking at Dolokhov, who, taking a bottle of rum in his hands, approached the window, from which one could see the light of the sky and the morning and evening dawn merging on it. Dolokhov, with a bottle of rum in his hand, jumped onto the window. "Listen!" he shouted, standing on the windowsill and turning into the room. Everyone fell silent. - I bet (he spoke French for an Englishman to understand, and didn't speak that language very well). I bet fifty imperials, you want a hundred? He added, addressing the Englishman. “No, fifty,” said the Englishman. - Well, for fifty imperials, - that I will drink the whole bottle of rum, without taking it from my mouth, I will drink, sitting outside the window, in this place (he bent down and showed the sloping ledge of the wall outside the window) and not holding on to anything ... So? ... “Very well,” said the Englishman. Anatole turned to the Englishman and, taking him by the button of his tailcoat and looking at him from above (the Englishman was small in stature), began to repeat the conditions of the bet in English. - Wait! Dolokhov shouted, knocking the bottle on the window to draw attention to himself. - Wait, Kuragin; listen. If anyone does the same, then I pay one hundred imperials. Do you understand? The Englishman nodded his head, giving no indication as to whether he intended or not to accept this new bet. Anatole did not let the Englishman go and, despite the fact that he, nodding, letting him know that he understood everything, Anatol translated Dolokhov's words for him in English. A thin young boy, the Life Hussar, who had lost that evening, climbed up the window, leaned out and looked down. “Ooh! ... oo! ... oo! ...” he said, looking out the window at the stone of the sidewalk. - Attention! Dolokhov shouted and pulled the officer out of the window, who, entangled in spurs, jumped awkwardly into the room. Putting the bottle on the windowsill so that it would be convenient to get it, Dolokhov carefully and quietly climbed out the window. Lowering his legs and spreading both hands to the edges of the window, he tried on, sat down, lowered his arms, moved to the right and left and took out the bottle. Anatole brought two candles and put them on the windowsill, although it was already quite light. Dolokhov's back in a white shirt and his curly head were illuminated from both sides. All crowded at the window. The Englishman stood in front. Pierre smiled and said nothing. One of those present, older than the others, with a frightened and angry face, suddenly moved forward and wanted to grab Dolokhov by the shirt. - Gentlemen, this is nonsense; he will be killed to death, said this more prudent man. Anatole stopped him: - Don't touch, you will frighten him, he will be killed. Huh? ... What then? ... Huh? ... Dolokhov turned around, recovering and again spreading his arms. “If anyone else will come to me,” he said, rarely letting words pass through his pursed and thin lips, “I’ll let him down here. Well!… Saying "well," he turned around again, let go of his hands, took the bottle and raised it to his mouth, threw back his head and threw up his free hand for the advantage. One of the footmen, who had begun to pick up the glass, stopped in a bent position, not taking his eyes off Dolokhov's window and back. Anatole stood straight with open eyes. The Englishman, lips protruding forward, looked from the side. The one who was stopping ran to the corner of the room and lay down on the sofa facing the wall. Pierre covered his face, and a faint smile, forgotten, remained on his face, although it now expressed horror and fear. All were silent. Pierre took his hands away from his eyes: Dolokhov was still sitting in the same position, only his head bent back, so that the curly hair on the back of his neck touched the collar of his shirt, and the hand with the bottle rose higher and higher, shuddering and making an effort. The bottle was apparently emptying and at the same time rose, bending its head. "Why is it taking so long?" thought Pierre. It seemed to him that more than half an hour had passed. Suddenly Dolokhov made a backward movement, and his hand trembled nervously; this shudder was enough to move the entire body sitting on the slope. He moved all over, and his hand and head shook even more, making an effort. One hand went up to grab the windowsill, but dropped again. Pierre closed his eyes again and said to himself that he would never open them. Suddenly he felt that everything around him stirred. He looked: Dolokhov was standing on the windowsill, his face was pale and cheerful. - Empty! He tossed the bottle to the Englishman, who deftly caught it. Dolokhov jumped from the window. He smelled strongly of rum. - Well! Well done! So wager! Damn you completely! - shouted from different sides. The Englishman took out his wallet and counted out the money. Dolokhov frowned and said nothing. Pierre jumped to the window. Gentlemen! Who wants to bet with me? I'll do the same, ”he suddenly shouted. - And there is no need to bet, that's what. Tell me to give you a bottle. I'll do ... tell me to give. - Let it go, let it go! - said Dolokhov, smiling. - What are you? crazy? Who will let you in? Your head is spinning even on the stairs, - they started talking from different sides. - I'll drink, give me a bottle of rum! - Pierre shouted, striking the table with a determined and drunken gesture, and climbed out the window. They grabbed him by the arms; but he was so strong that he pushed him far away who approached him. - No, you won't be able to persuade him for anything, - said Anatole, - wait, I'll deceive him. Look, I'm betting with you, but tomorrow, and now we're all going to ***. - Let's go, - Pierre shouted, - let's go! ... And we take Mishka with us ... And he grabbed the bear, and, embracing and lifting him, began to circle around the room with him. Prince Vasily fulfilled the promise given at the evening with Anna Pavlovna to Princess Drubetskaya, who asked him for her only son Boris. He was reported to the sovereign, and, unlike others, he was transferred to the guards of the Semenovsky regiment as an ensign. But Boris was never appointed an adjutant or a member of Kutuzov, despite all the troubles and intrigues of Anna Mikhailovna. Soon after Anna Pavlovna's evening, Anna Mikhailovna returned to Moscow, directly to her rich relatives Rostovs, with whom she stayed in Moscow and with whom her adored Borenka was brought up and lived for years, just promoted to the army and immediately transferred to the guards ensign. The Guard had already left Petersburg on August 10, and the son, who remained in Moscow for uniforms, had to catch up with her on the way to Radziwilov. The Rostovs had Natalya's birthday girls, a mother and a younger daughter. In the morning, without stopping, trains drove and drove off, bringing congratulators to the large, all Moscow famous house of Countess Rostova on Povarskaya. The countess with her beautiful older daughter and guests, who did not cease to replace one another, were sitting in the drawing-room. The countess was a woman with an oriental type of thin face, about forty-five years old, apparently exhausted by her children, of whom she had twelve. The sluggishness of her movements and speech, which stemmed from the weakness of her strength, gave her a significant look that inspired respect. Princess Anna Mikhailovna Drubetskaya, like a domestic person, was sitting right there, helping in the matter of receiving and engaging in conversation with guests. The youth were in the back rooms, not finding it necessary to participate in receiving visits. The count met and saw off the guests, inviting everyone to dinner.

How are the fates of Soviet pilots who were the first to receive the highest honorary title of the USSR?

The first Heroes of the Soviet Union - seven people - were, naturally, pilots. In the young Soviet Russia, striving with all its might to become one of the leaders of the industrial world, the attitude towards aviation was special. It became for the pre-war USSR what cosmonautics was for the post-war one: a romantic dream of mastering a new living space. After all, the country itself was in many ways an attempt to make the dream of a new, previously unknown life come true. So where else to rave about the sky, if not in such a world ?!

The same romantic dream, only slightly inferior to the dream of the sky, was the idea of \u200b\u200bthe development of sea spaces, and the culmination, the simultaneous embodiment of both of these ideas, was the work on the development of the Russian North. And there is absolutely nothing strange about the fact that the first Heroes of the Soviet Union were the pilots of the polar aviation, who rescued the participants of the most daring polar expedition of the first half of the 1930s. On the contrary, it would be surprising if it turned out differently, if the first were not the pilots who took out the crew and passengers of the sunken steamer Chelyuskin to the mainland.

Seven heroes of the Chelyuskin epic

The greatest heroism, for the sake of which the highest award of the USSR was established, would not have happened without the greatest catastrophe. It was the first and last voyage of the "Chelyuskin" steamer. On March 11, 1933, it was launched under the name "Lena", on June 19 it was renamed "Chelyuskin" in honor of the legendary Russian explorer of the North, Semyon Chelyuskin, and on July 16, went on a campaign along the Northern Sea Route.

"Chelyuskin" had to go in one navigation from Murmansk to Vladivostok - the future port of registry - and thereby prove that such trips are possible. Let not alone, but with the support of icebreakers, but possible. For a country gaining industrial momentum, this was important: the Northern Sea Route saved significant manpower and funds for the delivery of goods to the Far East. Alas, the expedition actually proved the opposite: it is impossible to count on success during one navigation without serious icebreaker support and without ships specially built for the Arctic.

The steamer "Chelyuskin" during its voyage in 1933 from the White Sea to Pacific Ocean was trapped among drifting ice and sank in the Chukchi Sea

On September 23, 1933, after two months of sailing, the Chelyuskin was finally covered with ice, and on February 13, 1934, the ice crushed the steamer, and it sank within two hours. But only one person fell victim to the disaster. The expedition manager Boris Mogilevich, who was among the last to disembark the ship (together with captain Vladimir Voronin and the head of the expedition Otto Schmidt), was crushed by the deck cargo that had fallen from the fastenings. Another 104 people managed to safely land on the ice with all the equipment necessary for wintering and began to wait for help from the mainland.

It was quite clear that the only way to quickly evacuate the Chelyuskinites was to film them by air. It was pointless to send another steamer to help: it took a long time and there was no guarantee that it would have time to reach it before the ice began to break under the winterers. To ensure the success of the rescue operation, seven of the most experienced pilots of the newly emerging polar aviation were attracted to the flights: Mikhail Vodopyanov, Ivan Doronin, Nikolai Kamanin, Anatoly Lyapidevsky, Sigismund Levanevsky, Vasily Molokov and Mauritius Slepnev - the future first Heroes of the Soviet Union.

The first 12 people were evacuated on March 5 on an ANT-4 plane by Anatoly Lyapidevsky. The second time it was possible to reach the Chelyuskinites only on April 7, and within six days on 24 flights all the winterers were taken to the mainland, to the Chukotka village of Vankarem. The evacuation ended on April 13. Three days later, the Supreme Council established a new highest award of the USSR - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and four days later, on April 20, it was awarded to seven polar pilots. Each of them deserves, albeit a short, but separate story - in the order in which all seven were awarded the certificate of conferring the highest degree of distinction.

The very first: Anatoly Lyapidevsky (diploma and medal "Gold Star" No. 1)

Anatoly Lyapidevsky, who was awarded the highest honor - to be the first among the first Heroes of the Soviet Union, was one of the youngest (younger than him, and then only a year, only Kamanin) members of the legendary seven. He came to aviation in 1927, after graduating from the Leningrad military-theoretical school of the Air Force, and then the Sevastopol military school of naval pilots.

Anatoly Lyapidevsky

In April 1933, Lyapidevsky, who was transferred to the reserve, went to work in civil aviation. First, he flew as a regular pilot in the Far East, and then asked for a transfer to the newly organized Air Service Directorate of the Main Directorate of the Northern Sea Route - polar aviation. Less than a year later, after 29 unsuccessful flights in a blizzard and blizzard on March 5, 1934, Anatoly Lyapidevsky became the first of the rescue squad pilots who was lucky enough to find the Chelyuskinites and land on a tiny area of \u200b\u200bflat ice cleared by winterers: only 150 by 450 meters!

The pilot did not even imagine that this first flight, during which he evacuated from the ice all ten women and two children - all, so to speak, "weak" winterers - would become for him the last in the epic. During the flight from Uelen to Vankarem, where the headquarters of the rescue operation was located, in preparation for the second flight to the Chelyuskinites, Lyapidevsky's plane made an emergency landing in the ice, breaking the landing gear. The Chukchi crew, who saw the landing plane, saved the crew. It was only possible to repair it and lift it into the sky on 25 April. So that he became the first Hero of the Soviet Union in history, Lyapidevsky learned five days later: after an emergency landing, the radio did not work.

Youngest: Nikolay Kamanin (diploma and medal "Gold Star" No. 2)

The Second Hero of the Soviet Union was the youngest of the "magnificent seven". To become a cadet of the Leningrad Military-Theoretical School of the Air Force in 1927, Kamanin had to cheat and add an extra year for himself. They believed him, and the Vladimir boy's dream of the sky began to come true.

A year later, Kamanin graduated from school in Leningrad and entered the Borisoglebsk Military Aviation Pilot School, and in 1929 he began serving in light bomber aviation in the Far East. And in five years he earned himself such an excellent reputation that when an order came from Moscow to send a detachment of military pilots from the Far East to participate in the rescue of the Chelyuskinites, there were no other candidates besides Kamanin.

Nikolay Kamanin

A detachment of pilots, which included Vasily Molokov, reached Vankarem in light R-5 bombers for a month and a half! Everything resisted: the weather, and equipment not prepared for operation in polar conditions ... Only people did not let us down. As a result, having lost two aircraft, Kamanin's detachment flew to Vankarem and from April 7 began to evacuate the Chelyuskinites.

On the first day, Kamanin and Molokov took six people out of the camp to the mainland, placing three passengers in the cockpit, where one pilot-observer was usually stationed. In total, the youngest of the hero pilots managed to evacuate 34 people to Vankarem - this is the second most effective indicator among all seven pilots.

Most productive: Vasily Molokov (diploma and medal "Gold Star" No. 3)

Vasily Molokov began his army service in the Russian Imperial Navy in 1915 in the Baltic, and after the revolution he managed to combine conscription service with vocation service, becoming a mechanic in naval aviation. In 1921, Molokov graduated from the Samara School of Naval Pilots and returned to where he began his service - to the Baltic.

Vasily Molokov

Ten years later, he retired, worked as a pilot on passenger lines in Siberia, and in 1932 became one of the first polar pilots. In 1933, Molokov already commanded an air squadron as part of the Air Service Directorate of the Main Directorate of the Northern Sea Route, and in March 1934, when the Chelyuskin dies, he was ordered to join Nikolai Kamanin's squadron.

The participation of Molokov, as Kamanin himself recalled, seriously helped the detachment: Molokov knew the insidious nature of the North well and knew how to fly in Arctic conditions. It is no coincidence that he became the most effective pilot of the "magnificent seven": in total, Molokov evacuated 39 Chelyuskinites on his P-5! For example, on April 11, Molokov took out 20 people on four flights - five at a time. To do this, he had to put people not only in the cockpit of the observer pilot, but also in the underwing parachute boxes - one and a half meter plywood "cigars", where they could only lie with their knees bent.

The most romantic: Sigismund Levanevsky (diploma and medal "Gold Star" No. 4)

The biography of Sigismund Levanevsky is romantic even for such a romantic time as the early years of Soviet Russia. A native of St. Petersburg, Pole by blood, he became a Red Guard in October 1917 and took an active part in the revolutionary events. Then there was the Civil War, the fight against bandits in Dagestan and work as a manager in the aeronautical detachment in Petrograd. From there, in 1923, Levanevsky was sent to study at the Sevastopol military school of naval pilots, to which he ... was late!

He had to work for almost a year in the usual position of a manager at the same school in order to still enter the next year. However, the school did not regret it: Levanevsky quickly became one of the best cadets, and then, after serving in the linear units, he returned there as an instructor pilot.

Sigismund Levanevsky

The qualification helped Levanevsky to be among the first to become a pilot of the Air Service Directorate of the Main Directorate of the Northern Sea Route: he worked there since the spring of 1933. And it is quite logical that he, as an experienced pilot, was attracted to the rescue of the Chelyuskinites. But even here the romantic biography of Levanevsky made itself felt. He became the only one of the first Heroes of the Soviet Union who, during the rescue operation ... did not evacuate a single person!

In February 1934, together with the pilot Mauritius Slepnev and the authorized government commission Georgy Ushakov, he was sent to the United States to purchase the missing Consolidated Fleetster multi-seat aircraft. On March 29, 1934, at the height of the rescue operation, Slepnev on one plane and Levanevsky and Ushakov on another flew from American Nome to Vankarem. But only Slepnev flew there. Levanevsky, due to severe icing, made an emergency landing, crashing the plane. But he nevertheless brought the chief of operation to his destination, albeit on foot.

Of all the seven first Heroes of the Soviet Union, it was Levanevsky who did not even live to see the start of the Great Patriotic War. However, the ending of his biography was more than romantic. On August 12, 1937, on a DB-A aircraft with a crew of five, he went on a transarctic flight Moscow - Fairbanks. The next day, the plane with the tail number N-209 disappeared, and the mystery of its disappearance has not been solved to this day ...

The most professional: Mauritius Slepnev (certificate and medal "Gold Star" No. 5)

Mauritius Slepnev began to master the profession of a military pilot earlier than all other members of the "magnificent seven" - during the First World War. He was called up for service in 1914, a year later he graduated from the school of warrant officers, and in 1917 he graduated from the Gatchina flight school and served as a squadron commander with the rank of staff captain. However, Slepnev accepted the revolution immediately and unconditionally, participating in it as the commander of the Red Guard of the Luga district of Petrograd.

Mauritius Slepnev

Then there were command positions in the just nascent Red Air Force, and since 1925 - work in the civilian fleet with a stay in the military reserve (with the regular performance of purely military tasks). Since 1931, Slepnev began flying in the Arctic: he became a pilot of the Air Service Directorate of the Main Directorate of the Northern Sea Route at the same time as Levanevsky. Together they were sent to the United States for nine-seat Consolidated Fleetster aircraft.

Having safely flown from Nome to Vankarem (having got into a blizzard, because of which the plane began to freeze up, Slepnev, unlike Levanevsky, did not break through, but returned and flew out the next day), he took him out of the camp on the first flight on April 3 five Chelyuskinites.

And on April 12, it was Slepnev who was entrusted with another difficult task: to deliver the seriously ill Otto Schmidt from Vankarem to the Alaskan Nome and at the same time return home the aircraft mechanics Clyde Armstedt and William Lavery (the first was a mechanic on the Levanevsky plane, the second - Slepnev, but both flew in a Glepnev car, since the head of the operation, Ushakov, was flying in Levanevsky's car).

The most persistent: Mikhail Vodopyanov (diploma and medal "Gold Star" No. 6)

Mikhail Vodopyanov came to aviation later than all the others from the "magnificent seven". However, this is how to count. Formally, only in 1928 he graduated from the Dobrolet flight school (which later became Aeroflot). But back in 1918, Vodopyanov, who volunteered for the Red Army, served as a fuel carrier in the Ilya Muromets air battalion in Lipetsk! And it took ten years to get back to the planes after demobilization, which so amazed a nineteen-year-old boy from Lipetsk.

Mikhail Vodopyanov

After that, Vodopyanov's flying career confidently went up the hill. First - the pilot of "Dobrolet", who participated in the fight against locusts in Central Asia, then - the pioneer of the passenger route to Sakhalin. Since 1931, he was a pilot of the Pravda flight detachment, which delivered the matrix of the main newspaper of the USSR to the largest cities, primarily beyond the Urals. And then there was a test flight Moscow - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, an accident at Lake Baikal and severe injuries, after which only 36 (!) Stitches remained on the pilot's head. With such injuries, not only as rescuers, the Chelyuskinites could not be accepted into civil aviation!

But Mikhail Vodopyanov achieved his goal: he was included in the composition of the participants in the rescue operation and instructed to take part in the ferrying of three aircraft - two PS-3 and one R-5 - from Khabarovsk to Vankarem. Pilots Ivan Doronin and Viktor Galyshev, who commanded the flight, flew with Vodopyanov. Having overcome 6,000 kilometers, the three pilots reached Anadyr, where the engine of Galyshev's plane failed. Only Vodopyanov flew to Vankarem, followed by Doronin.

For three flights to Chelyuskintsy Vodopyanov took out 10 people, proving that it was not in vain that he insisted on his inclusion in the rescue squad. By the way, he was also a participant in the last flight to the ice floe on April 13 - together with Nikolai Kamanin and Vasily Molokov.

The most experienced: Ivan Doronin (diploma and medal "Gold Star" No. 7)

As Doronin himself admitted to his comrades in the Chelyuskin epic, until the age of 16, he, a native of the Saratov province, "did not travel by train or steamer." But after the age of sixteen he gained his own with interest. On a Komsomol ticket, Ivan went to restore the military fleet and ended up in Leningrad - first at the courses of naval technicians, and then at the naval school. But soon he exchanged one ocean for another: in 1924, Doronin made sure that he was sent to the Yegoryevsk Aviation Technical School, from which he was transferred to the Sevastopol Military School of Naval Pilots.

Ivan Doronin

Five years later, Ivan Doronin left the army and began working as a civilian pilot, mastering the Siberian and Far Eastern routes. Rather, even not so much mastering as paving. By 1934, his track record included the first flight along the Irkutsk - Ust-Srednekan route, as well as participation in a polar expedition in the Kara Sea. And in the flight book it was written that in nine years of work, Doronin flew 300,000 kilometers without a single accident!

It was all the more offensive for him, the most experienced pilot, who broke through with Mikhail Vodopyanov to Vankar from Khabarovsk 6,000 kilometers away, to suffer an accident on the first flight to the Chelyuskinites! And through no fault of their own: while landing, the ski of the PS-3 aircraft, on which Doronin was flying, came across an icy sastrug that had frozen over the night, swerved to the side, hit another sastrug and broke. The plane froze powerlessly right on the icy airfield ...

The car was quickly put in order, but during the Chelyuskin epic, Doronin managed to make only one flight and take out two people. This, however, did not in any way affect the decision to award him the title of Hero of the Soviet Union - among the other seven heroes.

Five years waiting for the Golden Star

The decree on the introduction of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union did not provide for any additional insignia, except for the diploma of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR on conferring the title. True, the first Heroes, along with a diploma, were awarded the highest award at that time - the Order of Lenin. Two years later, this practice was approved by the decree of the newly elected Supreme Soviet of the USSR, and three years later, in 1939, there appeared its own insignia of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union - the Gold Star medal.

Since by that time 122 people had already received the highest distinction, medals were awarded, so to speak, retroactively, but strictly adhering to the order of assignment of titles. Accordingly, the medal "Gold Star" No. 1 was awarded to the holder of diploma No. 1 - Anatoly Lyapidevsky, and further down the list. Of the participants in the "magnificent seven", only Sigismund Levanevsky could not personally receive the award: by that time he had been missing for two years.

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

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

In total in wartime ground forces over eight thousand heroes were brought up, including 1800 artillerymen, 1142 tankmen, 650 soldiers engineering troops, over 290 signalmen, 93 air defense soldiers, 52 soldiers of the military rear, 44 medic; in the Air Force - over 2,400 people; at Navy - over 500 people; partisans, underground fighters and soviet intelligence officers - about 400; border guards - over 150 people.

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

Representatives of nations	Number of heroes
russians	8160
ukrainians	2069
belarusians	309
tatars	161
jews	108
kazakhs	96
georgian	90
armenians	90
uzbeks	69
mordovians	61
chuvash	44
azerbaijanis	43
bashkirs	39
ossetians	32
tajiks	14
turkmens	18
litokians	15
latvians	13
kirghiz	12
udmurts	10
karelians	8
estonians	8
kalmyks	8
kabardians	7
adyghe	6
abkhazians	5
yakuts	3
moldovans	2
results	11501

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

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

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

Viktor Vasilievich Talalikhin

Born September 18, 1918 in the village. Teplovka of the Volsky district of the Saratov region. Russian. After graduating from a factory school, he worked at the Moscow meat-packing plant, at the same time he studied at the flying club. Graduated from Borisoglebokoye Military Aviation School for Pilots. Took part in soviet-Finnish war 1939 - 1940. He flew 47 sorties, shot down 4 Finnish aircraft, for which he was awarded the Order of the Red Star (1940).

In the battles of the Great Patriotic War since June 1941. Made more than 60 sorties. In the summer and fall of 1941, he fought near Moscow. For military distinction he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner (1941) and the Order of Lenin.

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

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

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

Streets in Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Borisoglebsk, Voronezh region and other cities, a sea vessel, GPTU No. 100 in Moscow, and a number of schools were named after Talalikhin. On the 43rd kilometer of the Varshavskoe highway, over which an unprecedented night duel took place, an obelisk was erected. A monument is erected in Podolsk, a bust of the Hero in Moscow.

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub

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

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

On this day, he flew out on a free hunt in a pair with Dmitry Titarenko. On the traverse of the Oder, the pilots noticed a plane approaching rapidly from the direction of Frankfupt an der Oder. The plane flew along the riverbed at an altitude of 3500 m at a speed much higher than the La-7 could develop. It was the Me-262. Kozhedub instantly made a decision. The pilot of the Me-262 hoped for the high-speed qualities of his car and did not control air space in the rear hemisphere and below. Kozhedub attacked from below on a head-to-head course, hoping to hit the jet in the belly. However, before Kozhedub, Titarenko opened fire. Much to Kozhedub's surprise, the slave's premature firing was beneficial.

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

On the evening of April 17, 1945, Kozhedub and Titarenko performed the fourth combat sortie of the day to the Berlin area. Immediately after crossing the front line north of Berlin, the hunters discovered a large group of FW-190s with suspended bombs. Kozhedub began to climb to attack and reported to the command post about establishing contact with a group of forty Focke-Wulwof with suspended bombs. The German pilots clearly saw how a pair of Soviet fighters went into the clouds and did not expect them to appear again. However, hunters appeared.

From behind, from the top, Kozhedub in the first attack knocked down the leading four of the Fokkers, closing the group. The hunters tried to give the enemy the impression of the presence of a significant number of Soviet fighters in the air. Kozhedub threw his La-7 right into the midst of enemy aircraft, turning Lavochkin left and right, the ace fired in short bursts from the cannons. The Germans succumbed to a trick - the Focke-Wulfs began to free them from bombs that interfere with an air battle. However, the Luftwaffe pilots soon established the presence of only two La-7s in the air and, taking advantage of the numerical advantage, took the guardsmen into circulation. One FW-190 managed to get into the tail of Kozhedub's fighter, but Titarenko opened fire before the German pilot - the Focke-Wulf exploded in the air.

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

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub also distinguished himself in the battle for Kursk Bulge.

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

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

Alexey Petrovich Maresyev

Maresyev Alexey Petrovich fighter pilot, deputy squadron commander of the 63rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, Guard Senior Lieutenant.

Born May 20, 1916 in the city of Kamyshin, Volgograd Region, into a working class family. Russian. At the age of three, he was left without a father, who died shortly after returning from the First World War. After finishing 8th grade high school Alexey entered the FZU, where he received the specialty of a locksmith. Then he applied to the Moscow Aviation Institute, but instead of the institute on the Komsomol ticket he went to build Komsomolsk-on-Amur. There he sawed forest in the taiga, built barracks, and then the first residential quarters. At the same time he studied at the flying club. Drafted into the Soviet army in 1937. He served in the 12th Aviation Border Detachment. But, according to Maresyev himself, he did not fly, but "skidded the tails" of the aircraft. He really took off already at the Bataysk Military Aviation School of Pilots, from which he graduated in 1940. He served as an instructor-pilot in it.

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

Maresyev crawled to his own. He froze his feet and had to be amputated. However, the pilot decided not to give up. When he had prostheses made, he trained long and hard and won permission to return to duty. He learned to fly anew at the 11th reserve air brigade in Ivanovo.

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

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

Later he fought in the Baltic States, became the navigator of the regiment. In 1944 he joined the CPSU. In total, he made 86 sorties, shot down 11 enemy aircraft: 4 before injury and seven with amputated legs. In June 1944, Major Maresyev of the Guard became an inspector-pilot of the Office of Higher educational institutions Air force. Boris Polevoy's book "The Story of a Real Man" is dedicated to the legendary fate of Alexei Petrovich Maresyev.

In July 1946, Maresyev was honorably dismissed from the Air Force. In 1952 he graduated from the Higher Party School under the Central Committee of the CPSU, in 1956 - graduated from the Academy of Social Sciences under the Central Committee of the CPSU, received the title of candidate of historical sciences. In the same year, he became the executive secretary of the Soviet Committee of War Veterans, in 1983 - the first deputy chairman of the committee. In this position, he worked until last day own life.

Colonel retired A.P. Maresyev was awarded two Orders of Lenin, Orders of the October Revolution, Red Banner, Patriotic War 1 degree, two Orders of the Red Banner of Labor, Orders of Friendship of Peoples, Red Star, Badge of Honor, "For Services to the Fatherland" 3 degrees, medals, foreign orders. He was an honorary soldier of a military unit, an honorary citizen of the cities of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Kamyshin, Orel. A minor planet is named after him Solar system, public fund, youth patriotic clubs. Was elected as a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Author of the book "On the Kursk Bulge" (Moscow, 1960).

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

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

Krasnoperov Sergey Leonidovich

Sergey Krasnoperov was born on July 23, 1923 in the village of Pokrovka, Chernushinsky District. In May 1941, he volunteered for the Soviet Army. He studied for a year at the Balashov Aviation School of Pilots. In November 1942, attack pilot Sergei Krasnoperov arrived in the 765th Attack Aviation Regiment, and in January 1943 he was appointed deputy squadron commander of the 502nd Attack Aviation Regiment of the 214th Attack Aviation Division of the North Caucasian Front. In this regiment in June 1943 he joined the ranks of the party. For military distinctions he was awarded the Orders of the Red Banner, Red Star, and the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd degree.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded on February 4, 1944. Killed in action on June 24, 1944. "March 14, 1943. Attack pilot Sergei Krasnoperov makes two flights one after the other to attack the port of Temrkzh. Leading six" silts ", he set fire to a boat near the port of the port. On the second flight, an enemy shell hit the engine. Bright flame for a moment, like It seemed to Krasnoperov, the sun eclipsed the sun and immediately disappeared in thick black smoke. Krasnoperov turned off the ignition, cut off the gasoline and tried to lead the plane to the front line. However, after a few minutes it became clear that it would not be possible to save the plane. : to land. ”As soon as the burning car touched the fuselage of the marsh bumps, the pilot barely had time to jump out of it and just run away to the side, an explosion rumbled.

A few days later Krasnoperov was again in the air, and a short entry appeared in the combat log of the flight commander of the 502nd Assault Aviation Regiment, Junior Lieutenant Sergei Leonidovich Krasnoperov: "03/23/43". Two sorties destroyed a convoy in the area of \u200b\u200bart. Crimean. Destroyed cars - 1, created hot spots - 2 ". On April 4, Krasnoperov stormed manpower and fire weapons in the area of \u200b\u200b204.3 meters. In the next sortie he stormed artillery and firing points in the area of \u200b\u200bKrymskaya station. He destroyed two tanks, one gun. and a mortar.

One day a junior lieutenant was given a task to fly in pairs. He was the host. Covertly, at low level flight, a pair of "silts" penetrated deep into the rear of the enemy. We noticed cars on the road - we attacked them. They discovered an accumulation of troops - and suddenly brought down destructive fire on the heads of the Nazis. The Germans unloaded ammunition and weapons from the self-propelled barge. Combat approach - the barge took off into the air. The regiment commander, Lieutenant Colonel Smirnov, wrote about Sergei Krasnoperov: "Such heroic deeds of Comrade Krasnoperov are repeated in every combat sortie. The pilots of his flight have become masters of assault. The flight is united and occupies a leading place. The command always entrusts him with the most difficult and important tasks. He always entrusts him with his heroic deeds. created myself combat glory, enjoys a well-deserved military prestige among the personnel of the regiment. "And in fact. Sergei only 19 years old, and for his exploits he was already awarded the order Red Star. He was only 20 years old, and his chest was decorated with the Golden Star of the Hero.

Seventy-four sorties were flown by Sergei Krasnoperov during the fighting on the Taman Peninsula. As one of the best, he was trusted 20 times to lead a group of "silts" to attack, and he always carried out a combat mission. He personally destroyed 6 tanks, 70 cars, 35 wagons with cargo, 10 guns, 3 mortars, 5 anti-aircraft artillery points, 7 machine guns, 3 tractors, 5 bunkers, a depot with ammunition, sunk a boat, a self-propelled barge, destroyed two crossings across the Kuban.

Matrosov Alexander Matveevich

Matrosov Alexander Matveyevich - shooter of the 2nd battalion of the 91st separate rifle brigade (22nd army, Kalinin front), private. Born on February 5, 1924 in the city of Yekaterinoslav (now Dnepropetrovsk). Russian. Member of the Komsomol. Lost his parents early. For 5 years he was brought up in the Ivanovo orphanage (Ulyanovsk region). Then he was brought up in the Ufa children's labor colony. At the end of the 7th grade, he remained to work in the colony as an assistant teacher. In the Red Army since September 1942. In October 1942 he entered the Krasnokholmsk Infantry School, but soon most of the cadets were sent to the Kalinin Front.

In the army since November 1942. He served in the 2nd battalion of the 91st separate rifle brigade. For some time the brigade was in reserve. Then she was transferred near Pskov to the area of \u200b\u200bBolshoy Lomovaty Bor. Directly from the march, the brigade entered the battle.

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

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

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

Ivan Vasilievich Panfilov

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

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

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

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

In the first half of October 1941, the 316th Division arrived in the 16th Army and took up defensive positions on a wide front on the approaches to Volokolamsk. General Panfilov for the first time widely used a system of deeply echeloned artillery anti-tank defense, created and skillfully used mobile obstacle detachments in battle. Thanks to this, the resistance of our troops increased significantly, and all attempts of the 5th German Army Corps to break through the defenses were unsuccessful. For seven days, the division, together with the cadet regiment S.I. Mladentseva and loyal anti-tank artillery units successfully repulsed enemy attacks.

Attaching great importance to the capture of Volokolamsk, the Hitlerite command threw another motorized corps into the area. Only under pressure from superior enemy forces were the division's units forced to leave Volokolamsk at the end of October and take up defenses east of the city.

On November 16, the fascist troops launched a second "general" offensive against Moscow. Near Volokolamsk, a fierce battle began again. On this day, at the Dubosekovo junction, 28 Panfilov soldiers under the command of political instructor V.G. Klochkova repulsed the attack of enemy tanks, and held the occupied line. The enemy tanks also failed to break through in the direction of the villages of Mykanino and Strokovo. General Panfilov's division firmly held its positions, its soldiers fought to the death.

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

Nikolay Frantsevich Gastello

Nikolai Frantsevich was born on May 6, 1908 in Moscow, in a working class family. Graduated from 5 classes. He worked as a mechanic at the Murom steam locomotive repair plant of construction machines. In the Soviet Army in May 1932. In 1933 he graduated from the Luhansk Military Pilot School in bomber units. In 1939 he took part in the battles on the river. Khalkhin - Goal and the Soviet-Finnish War 1939-1940 In the active army since June 1941, the squadron commander of the 207th Long-Range Bomber Aviation Regiment (42nd Bomb Aviation Division, 3rd Bomber Aviation Corps DBA) Captain Gastello performed on June 26, 1941 the next mission on a mission. His bomber was hit and caught fire. He directed the burning plane towards the accumulation of enemy troops. The enemy suffered heavy losses from the explosion of the bomber. For the accomplished feat on July 26, 1941, he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The name Gastello is forever entered in the lists of military units. At the place of the feat on the Minsk-Vilnius highway, a memorial monument was erected in Moscow.

Zoya Anatolyevna Kosmodemyanskaya ("Tanya")

Zoya Anatolyevna ["Tanya" (09/13/1923 - 11/29/1941)] - Soviet partisan, Hero of the Soviet Union was born in Osino-Gai Gavrilovsky district of the Tambov region in the family of an employee. In 1930 the family moved to Moscow. She graduated from the 9th grade of school number 201. In October 1941, the Komsomol member Kosmodemyanskaya voluntarily joined a special partisan detachment, acting on instructions from the headquarters of the Western Front in the Mozhaisk direction.

Twice she was sent to the rear of the enemy. At the end of November 1941, while performing the second combat mission in the area of \u200b\u200bthe village of Petrishchevo (Russian district of the Moscow region), she was seized by the Nazis. Despite the cruel torture, she did not betray military secrets, did not give her name.

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

Manshuk Zhiengalievna Mametova

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

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

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

On October 16, 1943, the battalion in which Manshuk Mametova served was ordered to repulse the enemy's counterattack. As soon as the Nazis tried to repel the attack, the machine gun of senior sergeant Mametova started working. The Nazis rolled back, leaving hundreds of corpses. Several violent attacks from the Nazis had already drowned at the foot of the hill. Suddenly the girl noticed that two neighboring machine guns were silent - the machine gunners were killed. Then Manshuk, quickly crawling from one firing point to another, began to fire at the advancing enemies from three machine guns.

The enemy transferred mortar fire to the position of the resourceful girl. A close burst of a heavy mine knocked over the machine gun, behind which Manshuk was lying. Wounded in the head, the machine-gunner lost consciousness for some time, but the triumphant cries of the approaching Nazis forced her to wake up. Instantly getting over to the neighboring machine gun, Manshuk whipped a lead shower along the chains of the fascist warriors. And again the attack of the enemy drowned. This ensured the successful advance of our units, but the girl from distant Urda remained lying on the hillside. Her fingers froze on the Maxim trigger.

On March 1, 1944, by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Senior Sergeant Manshuk Zhiengalievna Mametova was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Aliya Moldagulova

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

By the beginning of October, Alia Moldagulova had 32 killed fascists on her account.

In December 1943, Moiseyev's battalion was ordered to drive the enemy out of the village of Kazachikha. By capturing this settlement, the Soviet command hoped to cut the railway line along which the Nazis had transferred reinforcements. The Nazis fiercely resisted, skillfully using the benefits of the terrain. The slightest advance of our companies came at a high cost, and yet slowly but steadily our fighters approached the enemy's fortifications. Suddenly a lone figure appeared ahead of the advancing chains.

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

After a fierce battle, our soldiers captured the height. The daredevil lingered in the trench for a while. His pale face showed traces of pain, and strands of black hair emerged from under his hat with earflaps. It was Aliya Moldagulova. She destroyed 10 fascists in this battle. The wound was light, and the girl remained in the ranks.

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

Comrades carried the wounded Aliya from the battlefield. The fighters wanted to believe in a miracle, they offered blood to save the girl. But the wound was fatal.

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

Sevastyanov Alexey Tikhonovich

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

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

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

On November 4, 1941, junior lieutenant Sevastyanov patrolled on an IL-153 on the outskirts of Leningrad. At about 22.00, enemy aircraft began raiding the city. Despite the fire of anti-aircraft artillery, one He-111 bomber managed to break through to Leningrad. Sevastyanov attacked the enemy, but missed. He went on the attack for the second time and opened fire from close range, but again past. Sevastyanov attacked for the third time. Coming close, he pressed the trigger, but no shots followed - he ran out of cartridges. In order not to miss the enemy, he decided to go to the ram. Approaching the Heinkel from behind, he chopped off the tail unit with a screw. Then he left the damaged fighter and landed by parachute. The bomber fell in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Tauride Garden. The crew members who had escaped by parachute were taken prisoner. The fallen Sevastyanov fighter was found in Baskov Lane and restored by specialists from the 1st Rembase.

April 23, 1942 Sevastyanov A.T. died in an unequal air battle, defending the "Road of Life" across Ladoga (shot down 2.5 km from the village of Rakhya, Vsevolozhsky District; a monument is erected in this place). He was buried in Leningrad at the Chesme cemetery. Forever enrolled in the lists of the military unit. A street in St. Petersburg, a House of Culture in the village of Pervitino, Likhoslavl District, are named after him. Dedicated to his feat documentary "Heroes don't die."

Matveev Vladimir Ivanovich

Matveev Vladimir Ivanovich Squadron commander of the 154th Fighter Aviation Regiment (39th Fighter Aviation Division, Northern Front) - captain. Born October 27, 1911 in St. Petersburg in a working class family. Russian Member of the CPSU (b) since 1938. Graduated from 5 classes. He worked as a mechanic at the Krasny Oktyabr factory. In the Red Army since 1930. In 1931 he graduated from the Leningrad military-theoretical school of pilots, in 1933 - from the Borisoglebsk military aviation school of pilots. Member of the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940.

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

Killed in an air battle on January 1, 1942, covering the "Road of Life" along Ladoga. Buried in Leningrad.

Polyakov, Sergei Nikolaevich

Sergei Polyakov was born in 1908 in Moscow into a working class family. He graduated from 7 classes of junior high school. In 1930 he joined the Red Army, graduated from the military aviation school. Member of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 - 1939. In air battles he shot down 5 Frankist planes. Member of the Soviet - Finnish War of 1939-1940. On the fronts of the Great Patriotic War from the first day. The commander of the 174th assault aviation regiment, Mayor S.N. Polyakov, made 42 sorties, inflicting precise strikes on the enemy's airfields, equipment and manpower, while destroying 42 and damaged 35 aircraft.

On December 23, 1941, he died while completing another combat mission. On February 10, 1943, Sergei Nikolayevich Polyakov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously) for his courage and bravery in battles with enemies. During the period of service he was awarded the Orders of Lenin, the Red Banner (twice), the Red Star, and medals. Buried in the village of Agalatovo, Vsevolozhsky district, Leningrad region.

Muravitsky Luka Zakharovich

Luka Muravitsky was born on December 31, 1916 in the village of Dolgoe, now the Soligorsk district of the Minsk region, in a peasant family. He graduated from 6 classes and a school of FZU. He worked on the subway in Moscow. Graduated from the Aeroclub. In the Soviet Army since 1937. Graduated from the Borisoglebsk Military Pilot School in 1939.

Member of the Great Patriotic War since July 1941. His combat activities, Junior Lieutenant Muravitsky began as part of the 29th IAP of the Moscow Military District. This regiment met the war on outdated I-153 fighters. Maneuverable enough, they were inferior to enemy aircraft in speed and firepower. Analyzing the first air battles, the pilots came to the conclusion that they needed to abandon the pattern of straight-line attacks, and fight on turns, in a dive, on a "hill" when their "Seagull" was gaining additional speed. At the same time, it was decided to switch to "doubles" flights, abandoning the link of three aircraft established by the official position.

The very first flights of "twos" showed their clear advantage. So, at the end of July, Alexander Popov, paired with Luka Muravitsky, returning after escorting the bombers, met with six "Messers". Our pilots were the first to rush into the attack and shoot down the leader of the enemy group. Stunned by the sudden blow, the Nazis hurried to get out.

On each of his aircraft, Luka Muravitsky painted with white paint on the fuselage the inscription "For Anya". At first, the pilots laughed at him, and the authorities ordered him to erase the inscription. But before each new flight on the fuselage of the aircraft on the starboard side again appeared - "For Anya" ... No one knew who this is Anya, about whom Luka remembers, even going into battle ...

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

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

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

He increased the speed of the plane - the Heinkel was getting closer and closer. The Nazis are already visible in the cockpit ... Without decreasing speed, Muravitsky approaches almost close to the fascist plane and hits the tail with a propeller. The jerk and propeller of the fighter cut through the metal of the tail of the He-111 ... The enemy plane crashed into the ground behind the railroad tracks in the wasteland. Luka also hit his head hard on the dashboard, the sight and lost consciousness. I woke up - the plane falls to the ground in a spin. Gathering all his strength, the pilot with difficulty stopped the rotation of the machine and brought it out of a steep dive. He could not fly further and he had to land the car at the station ...

After recovering, Muravitsky returned to his regiment. And fights again. The flight commander flew into battle several times a day. He was eager to fight and again, as before being wounded, the fuselage of his fighter was carefully displayed: "For Anya." By the end of September, the brave pilot had about 40 aerial victorieswon personally and as part of a group.

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

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

Luka Zakharovich Muravitsky was buried in the village of Kapitolovo, Vsevolozhsky District, Leningrad Region. A street in the village of Dolgoe is named after him.

Hero of the Soviet Union - the highest title, the greatest distinction and achievement that could only be achieved in the USSR. The award in the form of a golden star, universal respect and honor were received by those who performed a real feat during a war or other hostilities, as well as in peacetime, but, most likely, this was a rare exception than the rule. It was not easy to get such a title once, what can we say about those who have been awarded it several times?

Twice Hero of the Soviet Union ... There were as many as 154 such extremely brave people. Of these, 23 have survived to this day - this is data as of November 2014.

The first twice heroes of the USSR

They were pilots. They received their awards back in 1939 during clashes with Japanese fighters. They are Colonel Kravchenko, Major Gritsevets and Corps Commander Smushkevich. Unfortunately, fate was ruthless to them. The pilot, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Gritsevets, having shot down a dozen enemy fighters in the sky, died a month after receiving the award.

The plane crash also claimed the life of Kravchenko. By the way, he became the youngest lieutenant general in the USSR. He was then only 28 years old. During the war he commanded a whole air division, in the Japanese sky eliminated 7 enemy aircraft. During one of the flights, he jumped out of a burning car, but his parachute did not open due to a cable broken by a shell fragment.

As for Smushkevich, after all his valor in Spain in 1937 and receiving the highest awards, in June 1941, representatives of the NKVD took him into custody. The hero was accused of conspiracy and campaigning aimed at reducing the defense capability of the Red Army. He was shot several months after his arrest.

Boris Safonov

One of those who first received the title "Twice Hero of the Soviet Union" was this world-famous pilot. He distinguished himself already in the first air battles with the Nazis in 1941. They say that the Germans, when they noticed his plane on the horizon, transmitted a message to each other: "Safonov is in the air." This was the signal for all enemy fighters to return to base immediately. FROM soviet pilot they were afraid not only to go into battle one-on-one, even a whole group of aircraft tried not to collide with him in the sky.

Soviet attack aircraft, whose combat vehicles were brightly painted, became the first targets of the Nazis. They were easy to notice, they annoyed and provoked aggression from the enemy. Safonov had two huge inscriptions on board: "Death to the Nazis" and "For Stalin." Despite this, for a long time he managed not only to survive, but also to have the highest rates of downed enemy fighters. Safonov's exploits were also celebrated in Great Britain. He received the highest aviation award of this country - "For Outstanding Flight Merit". The hero died in May 1942 in battle.

Leonov Victor Nikolaevich

They were two namesakes who received this high award. And I want to tell you about these courageous people, so different, but such significant feats of which are inscribed in golden letters in the history of our homeland. The first is twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Viktor Nikolaevich Leonov. In 1944, his detachment, fearlessly attacking the enemy and capturing the Germans, created all the conditions for the Soviet troops to successfully land in the port of Liinakhamari and liberate the cities: Finnish Petsamo and Norwegian Kirkenes.

The second time he showed valor and courage, in fact, in peacetime. In 1945, during the continuation of the confrontation between the Soviet and Japanese states, his detachment several times took thousands of soldiers and officers prisoner, fought with the enemy for many days in a row and seized ammunition depots. For all these merits, he again received the highest award. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union Viktor Nikolayevich Leonov continued to serve for the good of the Motherland after the war. He died in 2003.

Leonov Alexey Arkhipovich

Viktor Nikolaevich's namesake did not run under bullets and did not blow up dugouts, but his deeds not only glorified him, but the entire Soviet Union. Alexey Arkhipovich is a famous cosmonaut. He received a high award for being the first in the history of mankind to venture into outer space. His famous "walk" lasted 12 minutes and 9 seconds. He showed his valor when, due to a damaged bloated spacesuit, he could not return to the ship. But taking strength into a fist and showing ingenuity in unforeseen conditions, he guessed to pump out excess pressure from his clothes and got on board.

For the second time, the title "Hero of the Soviet Union" was awarded to him for the fact that, being the commander of the Soyuz 19 spacecraft, he successfully completed the operation to dock with the American Apollo. Neither Soviet cosmonauts nor their fellow astronauts have seen anything like this before. Therefore, Leonov's feat gave impetus to the further active development of the stellar expanses. He became an example for all young astronauts, and he still is, as he is one of the living heroes. In 2014 he turned 80 years old.

The feat of the Kazakhs

This nation played a big role in the destruction of fascism and the Third Reich. Like other republics of the USSR, Kazakhstan during World War II did everything for the front. More than a million ordinary soldiers volunteered for the battlefield. 50 regiments and battalions were mobilized, 7 rifle brigades, 4 cavalry and 12 rifle divisions. Kazakhs were among the first to burst into the Berlin City Hall, painting the walls of the Reichstag. Many of them, not thinking about themselves, covered the enemy pillboxes with their bodies and dropped their planes onto German "freight trains".

Five of them have won the highest award several times. Twice heroes of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstanis: Leonid Beda, Sergei Lugansky, Ivan Pavlov. For example, the first on this list, an assault aircraft, shot down hundreds of enemy aircraft. There are legends about the pilot Begeldinov today. Another Kazakh, Vladimir Dzhanibekov, became the fifth in this list, but after the war. He became famous as an outstanding astronaut. In addition, during the war, about 500 representatives of this nation became once heroes of the USSR, and their deeds will never be forgotten either.

Svetlana Savitskaya

The list of Heroes of the USSR includes 95 surnames of the fair sex. But only one of them managed to receive the highest award several times. A woman, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, she absorbed the desire to be the best with her mother's milk. Many character traits were passed on through genes, many of this strong personality brought up in itself.

Her father Yevgeny Savitsky, by the way, is also twice a Hero, during the war he was an air marshal. Behind my mother's back, there are also many sorties and downed Nazi aircraft. It is not surprising that the daughter of such parents enrolled in a flight school. But the woman never used her father's connections, but she achieved everything herself. She became the second female cosmonaut after Tereshkova. She has worked in outer space more than once, wiping her nose on American astronauts. She has nine world records on jet aircraft, three in group jumps from the stratosphere with a parachute. Savitskaya received the title of world champion in aerobatics on piston aircraft.

Amet-Khan-Sultan

The famous pilot is remembered and revered in his native Dagestan. The airport, streets, squares and parks are named in his honor. But Soviet citizens many years ago argued that twice Amet Khan Sultan also had another homeland: the city of Yaroslavl. He was recognized as an honorary citizen of this settlement, and a monument was erected to him. Old-timers remember this young boy of 21, who was not afraid to go to a ram with an enemy plane right above the rooftops and thereby save the city from bombing.

The ejected pilot was picked up locals and bandaged his wounds. And the German Messer, knocked out by him, was dragged into the center and put on public display, as an example of the valor and courage of a simple Soviet youth. Throughout the war, he repeatedly showed his heroism, so the awards he received are absolutely deserved. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union reached Berlin and his the last battle held on April 29, 1945, just a week before the Great Victory.

Ivan Boyko

Heroes were not only among the pilots. In the Great Patriotic War, tankers, including Ivan Boyko, distinguished themselves more than once. He fought in Belarus, in the Smolensk direction and commanded a tank regiment, which distinguished himself on the Ukrainian front during the Zhitomir-Berdychev operation. Having covered almost 300 kilometers, the tankers liberated hundreds of cities. They captured 150 Germans with all their guns and combat vehicles. We defeated several enemy echelons and seized a strategically important cargo.

The second time the tank regiment distinguished itself near the Ukrainian cities of Chernivtsi and Novoselitsa. The fighters under the leadership of Boyk not only liberated these settlements, but also captured many enemy soldiers and officers. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union ended the war on the ruins of the Reichstag. In the city of Kazatin, a memorial bust was erected to the valiant tanker, he became an honorary citizen in Chernivtsi. Has many medals, orders and other awards. He died in 1975 in Kiev.

Sergey Gorshkov

The title "Hero of the Soviet Union" among the naval fraternity received not so many soldiers and officers. But Sergei Gorshkov succeeded. He led the landing of the first amphibious assault on the Black Sea, which further contributed to the successful counteroffensive of the Red Army units in this sector. He commanded the Azov and Danube military flotillas. In 1944 he rose to the rank of vice admiral.

Sergei Gorshkov took part in the battles for the liberation of Hungary from the invaders. His last military operation was the capture of Guerjen, which he called the ideal foothold for an offensive towards Balaton. After reaching the lake, the Red Army could surround Budapest and expel the enemy from there. Operation was successfully completed. And at the beginning of 1945, Gorshkov was instructed to command The Black Sea Fleet... In this rank, he met a victory over the Third Reich. He received the highest awards for exceptional courage, courage and valor during the struggle against the invaders, for the skillful leadership of the troops entrusted to him.

Afanasy Shilin

The first time he received the highest award in the winter of 1944 for a successful one. Then he showed courage, which helped our soldiers to hold a bridgehead on the right bank. In this battle, Shilin independently managed to eliminate two machine-gun crews of the Germans, two officers and 11 soldiers. When the Fritzes surrounded him, he did not hesitate to summon fire on himself. Thanks to this, our troops managed to gain a foothold on the bridgehead and push the enemy far back.

The second time he was awarded as the head of a group that successfully reconnoitered the territory and destroyed the weapons of the Nazis. As a result, the enemy's plan to take the Magnushevsky bridgehead was thwarted. He personally stormed enemy strongpoints, and in battles on Polish soil, being wounded and almost unconscious, he threw a bunch of grenades into the bunker and destroyed it. Thanks to this, the Red Army launched an offensive.

Twice Heroes of the Soviet Union ... The list includes the names of pilots and cosmonauts, sea wolves and tankers, gunners and partisans. But even more of those who, having shown exceptional courage, died unknown, were exiled or repressed, despite their merits and loyal service to the Fatherland. It is necessary to remember not only the awarded war participants, but all privates and officers without exception, each of whom is a Hero.