Military exploits 1941 1945. Young heroes of the Great Patriotic War and their exploits

During the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet people showed unparalleled heroism and once again became an example of self-sacrifice in the name of Victory. The Red Army soldiers and partisans did not spare themselves in battle with the enemy. However, there were cases when victory was achieved not by strength and courage, but by cunning and ingenuity.

Winch against an impregnable bunker

During the battle for Novorossiysk, Marine Stepan Shchuka, a descendant of Kerch fishermen who had been fishing in the Black Sea for generations, served and fought on the Malaya Zemlya bridgehead.

Thanks to his ingenuity, the soldiers managed to take the enemy bunker (long-term firing point), which had previously seemed impregnable, without losses. It was a stone house with thick walls, the paths to which were blocked with barbed wire. Empty tin cans were hung on the “thorn”, rattling with every touch.

All attempts to take the bunker by force ended in failure - the assault groups suffered losses from machine gun, mortar and artillery fire and were forced to retreat. Stepan was able to get a winch with a cable, and at night, quietly approaching the wire fences, he attached this cable to them. And when he returned back, he set the mechanism into action.

When the Germans saw the crawling barrier, they first opened heavy fire, and then ran out of the house completely. Here they were captured. Later they said that when they saw the crawling barrier, they were afraid that they were dealing with evil spirits, and they panicked. The fortification was taken without losses.

Turtle saboteurs

Another incident occurred on the same “Malaya Zemlya”. There were many turtles in that area. One day, one of the fighters came up with the idea of ​​tying a tin can to one of them and releasing the amphibian towards the German fortifications.

Hearing the strumming, the Germans thought that the Red Army soldiers were cutting the wire barriers on which empty cans were hung as a sound alarm, and for about two hours they spent ammunition shooting at an area where there was not a single soldier.

The next night, our fighters sent dozens of these amphibious “saboteurs” towards enemy positions. The rattle of cans in the absence of a visible enemy gave the Germans no rest, and for a long time they spent a huge amount of ammunition of all calibers, fighting off non-existent enemies.

Mine detonation several hundred kilometers away

The name of Ilya Grigorievich Starinov is inscribed as a separate line in the history of the Russian army. Having gone through the Civil, Spanish, Soviet-Finnish and Great Patriotic Wars, he immortalized himself as a unique partisan and saboteur. It was he who created simple but extremely effective mines for blowing up German trains. Under his leadership, hundreds of demolitionists were trained, who turned the rear of the German army into a trap. But his most outstanding sabotage was the destruction of Lieutenant General Georg Braun, who commanded the 68th Wehrmacht Infantry Division.

When our troops, retreating, left Kharkov, the military and directly the first secretary of the Kyiv regional committee of the CPSU (b) Nikita Khrushchev insisted that the house in which Nikita Sergeevich lived in the city on Dzerzhinsky Street be mined. He knew that German officers from the command, when stationed in occupied cities, were accommodated with maximum comfort, and his house was perfectly suited for these purposes.

Ilya Starinov and a group of sappers planted a very powerful bomb in the boiler room of Khrushchev’s mansion, which was activated by a radio signal. The fighters dug a 2-meter well right in the room and planted a mine with equipment there. To prevent the Germans from finding it, they “hid” another decoy mine in another corner of the boiler room, poorly disguised.

A couple of weeks later, when the Germans had already completely occupied Kharkov, the explosives were activated. The signal for the explosion was sent all the way from Voronezh, the distance to which was 330 kilometers. All that was left of the mansion was a crater; several German officers were killed, including the aforementioned Georg Braun.

The Russians have become insolent and are shooting at barns

Many of the actions of the Red Army soldiers during the Great Patriotic War caused surprise, close to shock, among the German troops. Chancellor Otto von Bismarck is credited with the phrase: “Never fight the Russians. They will respond to your every military stratagem with unpredictable stupidity.”

The multiple launch rocket systems, which our soldiers affectionately nicknamed “Katyushas,” fired M-8 shells of 82 mm caliber and M-13 shells of 132 mm caliber. Later, more powerful modifications of these ammunition began to be used - 300 mm caliber rockets under the designation M-30.

Guide devices for such projectiles were not provided on vehicles, and launchers were made for them, on which, in fact, only the angle of inclination was adjusted. The shells were placed on the installations either in one row or in two, and directly in the factory shipping packaging, where there were 4 shells in a row. To launch, all that was needed was to connect the projectiles to a dynamo with a rotating handle, which initiated the ignition of the propellant charge.

Sometimes due to inattention, and sometimes simply due to negligence, without reading the instructions, our artillerymen forgot to remove wooden supports for shells from the packaging, and they flew to enemy positions right in the packages. The dimensions of the packages reached two meters, which is why there were rumors among the Germans that the completely insolent Russians were “shooting at barns.”

With an ax on a tank

An equally incredible event occurred in the summer of 1941 on the North-Western Front. When units of the 8th Panzer Division of the Third Reich surrounded our troops, one of the German tanks drove to the edge of the forest, where its crew saw a smoking field kitchen. It was smoking not because it was damaged, but because wood was burning in the stove, and soldiers’ porridge and soup were being cooked in cauldrons. The Germans did not notice anyone nearby. Then their commander got out of the car to get some provisions. But at that moment a Red Army soldier appeared out of the ground and rushed towards him with an ax in one hand and a rifle in the other.

The tankman quickly jumped back, closed the hatch and began shooting at our soldier with a machine gun. But it was too late - the fighter was too close and was able to escape from the fire. Having climbed onto the enemy vehicle, he began to hit the machine gun with an ax until he bent its barrel. After this, the cook covered the observation gaps with a rag and began to hammer with an ax on the tower itself. He was alone, but he resorted to a trick - he began shouting to supposedly nearby comrades to quickly carry anti-tank grenades in order to blow up the tank if the Germans did not surrender.

In a matter of seconds, the hatch of the tank opened and raised hands poked out. Pointing a rifle at the enemy, the Red Army soldier forced the crew members to tie each other up, after which he ran to stir the cooking food, which could burn. His fellow soldiers who returned to the edge of the forest, having successfully repelled the enemy attack by that time, found him: he was peacefully stirring porridge, and four captured Germans were sitting next to him and their tank was standing nearby.

The soldiers remained well fed, and the cook received a medal. The hero's name was Ivan Pavlovich Sereda. He went through the entire war and was awarded more than once.

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

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

Alexander Matrosov

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

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

Marat Kazei

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

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

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

Alexey Maresyev

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

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

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

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

Zinaida Portnova

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

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

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

Andrey Korzun

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

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

Leonid Golikov

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

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

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

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

Modern action movie heroes seem to be the coolest. But we forget the real incredible feats of the WWII participants. They didn't play, they fought to the death, they were cooler.

The war demanded courage from people, and heroism was massive. 5 impressive battle stories in which you can appreciate the resilience and courage of the heroes of the Second World War.

On July 13, 1941, in battles near the city of Balti, while delivering ammunition to his company near the town of Arctic Fox, the riding machine gun company of the 389th Infantry Regiment of the 176th Infantry Division of the 9th Army of the Southern Front, Red Army soldier D. R. Ovcharenko was surrounded by a detachment of soldiers and enemy officers numbering 50 people. At the same time, the enemy managed to take possession of his rifle. However, D. R. Ovcharenko was not taken aback and, grabbing an ax from the cart, cut off the head of the officer who was interrogating him, threw 3 grenades at the enemy soldiers, destroying 21 soldiers. The rest fled in panic. He then caught up with the second officer and also cut off his head. The third officer managed to escape. After which he collected documents and maps from the dead and arrived at the company along with the cargo. (A copy of the document confirming Ovcharenko’s feat is on wikipedia.org)

Unfortunately, the hero did not live to see the Victory. In the battles for the liberation of Hungary in the area of ​​the Sheregeyesh station, the machine gunner of the 3rd Tank Brigade, Private D. R. Ovcharenko, was seriously wounded. He died in hospital from his wounds on January 28, 1945. Awarded the Order of Lenin.

Under the onslaught of Heinz Guderian's 4th Panzer Division, commanded by von Langerman, units of the 13th Army retreated, and with them Sirotinin's regiment. On July 17, 1941, the battery commander decided to leave one gun with a two-man crew and 60 rounds of ammunition at the bridge over the Dobrost River at the 476th kilometer of the Moscow-Warsaw highway to cover the retreat with the task of delaying the tank column. One of the crew numbers was the battalion commander himself; Nikolai Sirotinin volunteered second.

The gun was camouflaged on a hill in thick rye; the position allowed a good view of the highway and bridge. When a column of German armored vehicles appeared at dawn, Nikolai with the first shot knocked out the lead tank that had reached the bridge, and with the second - the armored personnel carrier that trailed the column, thereby creating a traffic jam. The battery commander was wounded and, since the combat mission was completed, retreated towards the Soviet positions. However, Sirotinin refused to retreat, since the cannon still had a significant number of unexpended shells.

The Germans attempted to clear the jam by dragging the damaged tank from the bridge with two other tanks, but they were also hit. An armored vehicle that tried to ford the river got stuck in a swampy bank, where it was destroyed. For a long time the Germans were unable to determine the location of the well-camouflaged gun; they believed that a whole battery was fighting them. The battle lasted two and a half hours, during which time 11 tanks, 6 armored vehicles, 57 soldiers and officers were destroyed.

By the time Nikolai's position was discovered, he had only three shells left. When asked to surrender, Sirotinin refused and fired from his carbine to the last.

Awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree (posthumously). N.V. Sirotinin was never nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. According to relatives, a photograph was needed to complete the documents, but the only photograph the relatives had was lost during the evacuation.

“July 7, 1941. Sokolnichi, near Krichev. In the evening, an unknown Russian soldier was buried. He stood alone at the cannon, shot at a column of tanks and infantry for a long time, and died. Everyone was surprised at his courage... Oberst said before his grave that if all the Fuhrer’s soldiers fought like this Russian, they would conquer the whole world. They fired rifle volleys three times...” From the diary of Chief Lieutenant of the 4th Panzer Division Friedrich Hoenfeld

One of the beautiful legends from the Second World War tells about a Red Army soldier named Vataman from such an assault unit, who in 1944 killed 10 Nazi soldiers in hand-to-hand combat with a faulty cartridge. According to one version - 10, according to another - 9, according to the third - 8, according to the fourth - 13 in total. Be that as it may, in the article “Engineer assault units of the RVGK” I. Mshchansky talks about 10 Nazis.

Of course, like any legend, the Vataman phenomenon has critics who claim that the Faustpatron is too heavy to fight effectively, and the warhead would simply fall off from the blows. There are several thoughts in the discussion on WarHistory that seem rational.

The first is that in hand-to-hand combat the fighter used the Faust cartridge after firing it. That is, in fact, I only used a pipe that weighs several kg. The Panzerfaust launch tube has a diameter of 15 cm and a length of 1 m, and the projectile weighs 3 kg. For hand-to-hand combat it is quite a suitable weapon.

And for a photograph after the battle, he picked up an entire Faust cartridge. In addition, dr_guillotin also notes that the grenade in the pipe is held by a pin by the ears - so that it will not fall out in hand-to-hand combat. In general, faust cartridges were stored separately from fuses. They were inserted shortly before use, and without a fuse you could even throw it from the third floor...

The second thought is that the whole event did not happen in one fell swoop, as in action films, where a bunch of enemies are scattered at once, but sequentially throughout the battle. After all, the fighter Vataman fought “half of Europe”, and his opponents, urgently mobilized into the militia, only took up arms a few days ago. And in the stupor of the first battle, they were not very formidable opponents.

But in any case, this is an impressive combat story. And Vataman himself looks like a real epic hero - his wide palms reveal him to be a natural strongman. In my opinion, this case can also, in principle, be classified as “one at the gun”... In the end, the Faustpatron is, although not a cannon, but a small anti-tank weapon.

Yes, by the way, I can add that although the name of the daredevil remains unknown, the surname of our hero speaks of his Moldavian roots.

Here we will talk not so much about an individual, but about a team - the crew of the KV-1 tank, led by senior lieutenant Zinovy ​​Grigorievich Kolobanov. In addition to the commander, the crew included driver-mechanic foreman N. Nikiforov, gun commander senior sergeant A. Usov, radio operator-machine gunner senior sergeant P. Kiselnikov and junior driver-mechanic Red Army soldier N. Rodnikov.

So, this heroic crew, in just three hours of battle, on August 19, 1941, destroyed as many as 22 enemy tanks! This is an absolute record for the entire Great Patriotic War, and subsequent wars. No one was able to destroy 22 tanks in three hours. After the “debriefing” it turned out that the battle was carried out in accordance with all the then accepted rules of military art.

The tankers acted very smartly: on a tank column passing along the nearest road, they shot the “head” and “tail”, after which they began to methodically, like in a shooting range, shoot the stuck “iron beasts” of the enemy. Let us note that the tank of our heroes received 135 hits from German shells. At the same time, the tank continued the battle, and nothing in its design failed.

The crew of the KV-1, senior lieutenant Z. Kolobanov (center) at their combat vehicle. August 1941 (CMVS)

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

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

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

Eternal glory to the heroes who fell in battles for the freedom and independence of our Motherland...

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

Heroes men

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

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

Rice. 1. Nikolai Gastello.

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

Women's heroes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sergey Burnaev

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Denis Vetchinov

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Aldar Tsydenzhapov

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sergei Solnechnikov

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Irina Yanina

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Waiting for your letter. Listen to everyone.

Kiss. Mother. 08/21/99"

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

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

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

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

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

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