How many heroes were in the USSR during the Great Patriotic War

33
How many heroes were in the USSR during the Great Patriotic War


What can dry statistics tell you about the number of those who were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union and full cavaliers of the Order of Glory
How many heroes of World War II were in the Soviet Union? It would seem a strange question. In a country that had survived the most terrible tragedy of the 20th century, everyone was a hero who defended it from weapons in the hands at the front or at the machine tool and in the field in the rear. That is, each of its 170-million multinational people, who bore the brunt of the war on their shoulders.

But if we ignore pathos and return to specifics, the question can be formulated differently. How in the USSR was it noted that man is a hero? True, the title of "Hero of the Soviet Union." And after the war 31 a year later, another sign of heroism appeared: they equated the full cavaliers of the Order of Glory with the Heroes of the Soviet Union, that is, those who received all three degrees of this award. It turns out that the question “How many heroes of the Great Patriotic War were in the Soviet Union?” Is more precise to formulate: “How many people in the USSR were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union and became full holders of the Order of Glory for the exploits committed during the Great Patriotic War?”.

You can get a very specific answer to such a question: a total of 14 411 people, including 11 739 Heroes of the Soviet Union and 2672 full cavalier of the Order of Glory.

The first Heroes of the Soviet Union during the war

The number of Heroes of the Soviet Union who received this title for their exploits during the Great Patriotic War was 11 739. This title was awarded posthumously to the 3051 of them; 82 people were denied the title in the future by court order. 107 heroes were awarded this title twice (seven posthumously), three times three times: Marshal Semyon Budyonny (all awards occurred after the war), Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Pokryshkin and Major Ivan Kozhedub. And only one - Marshal Georgy Zhukov - became the Hero of the Soviet Union four times, and he won one award even before World War II, and received it for the fourth time in 1956.

Among those who were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War were representatives of all the arms and types of troops in ranks from private to marshal. And every branch of military service, be it infantrymen, pilots or sailors, is proud of its first colleagues who received the highest honorary title.

airmen

The first titles of Hero of the Soviet Union were awarded to the pilots 8 July 1941. And here the pilots supported the tradition: six pilots were the first Heroes of the Soviet Union in stories this award - and the three pilots were the first to be awarded this title during the Great Patriotic War! 8 July 1941 of the year it was assigned to the fighter pilots of the 158 th Fighter Regiment of the 41 th mixed aircraft division of the Air Force of the 23 th Army of the Northern Front. Junior lieutenants Mikhail Zhukov, Stepan Zdorovtsev and Peter Kharitonov received awards for the rams committed in the first days of the war. Stepan Zdorovtsev died the day after the award, Mikhail Zhukov died in January 1943 in a fight with nine German fighters, and Peter Kharitonov, who was seriously wounded in 1941 and returned to service only in 1944, ended the war, having 14 destroyed enemy aircraft.


Fighter pilot at his A-Cobra P-39. Photo: waralbum.ru


Infantrymen

The first Hero of the Soviet Union among the 22 infantrymen on July 1941 was the commander of the 1-th Moscow motorized rifle division of the 20-th army of the Western Front, Colonel Yakov Kreyzer. He was awarded for successful containment of the Germans on the Berezina River and in the battles for Orsha. It is noteworthy that Colonel Kreyzer was also the first among the Jewish soldiers who received the highest award during the war years.

Tankmen

July 22, 1941 the highest awards of the country immediately received three tankmen - commander tank 1st Sergeant Regiment of the 1st Panzer Division of the 14th Army of the Northern Front Senior Sergeant Alexander Borisov, commander of the 163rd reconnaissance battalion of the 104th Infantry Division of the 14th Army of the Northern Front Junior Sergeant Alexander Gryaznov (he was awarded the posthumous rank) and the deputy commander of the tank battalion of the 115th tank regiment of the 57th tank division of the 20th Army of the Western Front, Captain Joseph Kaduchenko. Senior sergeant Borisov, a week and a half after the award, died in the hospital from serious wounds. Captain Kaduchenko managed to visit the lists of the dead, in October 1941 he was captured, tried unsuccessfully three times and was released only in March 1945, after which he fought until the Victory.

Sappers

Among the soldiers and commanders of sapper units, the first Hero of the Soviet Union was 20 November 1941, the assistant commander of a platoon of the 184 th separate sapper battalion of the 7 Army of the Northern Front, private soldier Viktor Karandakov. In the battle under Sortavala against the Finnish units, he fired three enemy attacks with his machine gun, actually saved the regiment from the environment, the next day headed the counter-attack of the squad instead of the wounded commander, and two days later carried the wounded company commander out of the fire. In April 1942, the sapper lost his arm in battle was demobilized.


Sappers deactivate German anti-tank mines. Photo: militariorgucoz.ru


Gunners

2 August 1941 was the first gunner - the Hero of the Soviet Union was the gunner of the "forty-fives" of the 680 th rifle regiment of the 169 th rifle division of the 18 th army of the Southern Front, Red Army soldier Jacob Kolchak. 13 July 1941, he managed to hit four enemy tanks in an hour of battle with his gun! But Jacob did not find out about conferring the high rank: on July 23 he was wounded and captured. He was released in August 1944 of the year in Moldova, and Kolchak reached victory in the composition of the penalty company, where he fought first with a gunner, and then as a squad leader. A high award is a former penalty box, on whose chest the Order of the Red Star and the Medal for Military Merit have already flaunted, received only 25 March 1947 of the year in the Kremlin.

partisans

The first Heroes of the Soviet Union from among the partisans were the leaders of the partisan detachment "Red October" that operated in the territory of Belarus: the commissioner of the detachment Tikhon Bumazhkov and the commander Fedor Pavlovsky. The decree awarding them was signed on 6 on August 1941. Of the two heroes, only one survived to Victory - Fyodor Pavlovsky, and the commissioner of the “Red October” detachment Tikhon Bumazhkov, who managed to receive his award in Moscow, died in December of the same year, leaving the German entourage.

Marines

On August 13, 1941, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to the commander of the Northern Marine Volunteer Detachment fleet Senior Sergeant Vasily Kislyakov. He received a high reward for his actions in mid-July 1941, when he led a platoon instead of a dead commander and, first, along with his comrades, and then alone held an important height. By the end of the war, Captain Kislyakov had several landings on the Northern Front, and participated in the Petsamo-Kirkenes, Budapest and Vienna offensive operations.


Soldiers of marines in the area of ​​Kerch. Photo: Alexander Brodsky / RIA News


Politruki

The first decree on conferring the title of Hero of the Soviet Union to political workers of the Red Army was issued on August 15 1941. This document awarded the highest award to the deputy political officer of the radio communications of the 415-th separate communications battalion of the 22-nd Estonian Territorial Rifle Corps of the North-Western Front, Arnold Meri, and the secretary of the party bureau of the 245-th howitzer artillery regiment of the 37-Rifle Division of the 19-nd Army of the West X-th Union. political instructor Kirill Osipov. Mary was awarded for having twice wounded, managed to stop the battalion’s retreat and led the defense of the corps headquarters. Osipov in July-August 1941, in fact, worked as a coherent command of the division, fighting in the environment, and several times crossed the front line, delivering important information.

Doctors

Among the army medics who received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, the first was Anatoly Kokorin, a sanitary instructor of the 14 motorized rifle regiment of the 21 motorized rifle division of the NKVD troops of the Northern Front. A high award was awarded to him 26 August 1941 of the year - posthumously. During the battle with the Finns, he remained the last in the ranks and blew himself up with a grenade to avoid being captured.

Border guards

Although the Soviet border guards were the first to take on the 22 enemy june 1941, the heroes of the Soviet Union appeared among them only two months later. But just six people at once: junior sergeant Ivan Buzytskov, lieutenant Kuzma Vetchinkin, senior lieutenant Nikita Kaymanov, senior lieutenant Alexander Konstantinov, junior sergeant Vasiliy Mikhalkov and lieutenant Anatoly Ryzhikov. Five of them served in Moldova, senior lieutenant of the Caymans - in Karelia. All six received awards for their heroic actions in the first days of the war - which, in general, is not surprising. And all six reached the end of the war and continued service after the Victory — in the same border troops.

Connectors

The first Hero of the Soviet Union among telecom operators appeared 9 November 1941 of the year - they became the commander of the radio department of the 289 th anti-tank regiment of the Western Front junior sergeant Peter Stemasov. He was awarded for his feat 25 of October near Moscow - during the battle he replaced the wounded gunner of the gun and, together with the calculation, knocked out nine enemy tanks, after which he took the fighters out of the encirclement. And then he fought until Victory, which he had already met as an officer.


Field communication. Photo: pobeda1945.su


Cavalrymen

On the same day as the first communication hero, the first trooper hero appeared. 9 November 1941 was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously to the commander of the 134 Cavalry Regiment of the 28 Cavalry Division of the Reserve Army of the Southern Front, Major Boris Krotov. The highest award he was awarded for feats during the defense of Dnepropetrovsk. How difficult those battles were, you can imagine for yourself one episode: the last feat of the regiment was the undermining of an enemy tank that broke through into the depths of the defense.

Paratroopers


Winged infantry gained their first Heroes of the Soviet Union on November 20 1941. They were the commander of the reconnaissance company squadron of the 212 airborne brigade of the 37 th army of the South-Western Front, sergeant Yakov Vatomov and the gunner of the same brigade Nikolai Obukhov. Both received an award for feats in August-September 1941, when the paratroopers fought hard battles in eastern Ukraine.

Sailors

After all - only 17, January 1942, the first Hero of the Soviet Union appeared in the Soviet Navy. Posthumously, the gunner Ivan Sivko of the 2 Volunteer Detachment of Seamen of the Northern Fleet was awarded the highest award. Ivan accomplished his feat, which was so highly appreciated by the country, as part of a notorious landing party in the Bay of the Great Western. Covering the waste of his colleagues, he, fighting alone, destroyed the enemies 26, and then blew himself up with a grenade along with the Nazis who surrounded him.


Soviet sailors, the heroes of the storming of Berlin. Photo: radionetplus.ru


Generals


The first to be awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union by the Red Army General was 22 July 1941, the commander of the 19 Panzer Division of the 22 Mechanized Corps of the 5 Army of the South-Western Front, Major General Kuzma Semenchenko. His division took an active part in the largest tank battle of the Great Patriotic War - the battle of Dubno - and after heavy fighting got surrounded, but the general was able to withdraw his subordinates through the front line. By mid-August, 1941 had only one tank left in the division, and it was disbanded in early September. But General Semenchenko fought to the end of the war and in 1947 he retired in the same rank in which he began to fight.

"The battle is not for the sake of glory ..."

During the Great Patriotic War, there was the most honorable soldiers award - the Order of Glory. Both her tape and her statute very much resembled another soldier's award — the insignia of the Order of Saint George, the “soldier Yegoriy” who was especially revered in the army of the Russian Empire. In total, more than a million people were awarded with the Order of Glory in a year and a half of the war - since its establishment on November 8 and before the Victory - and in the post-war period. Of these, almost a million are of the order of the third degree, over 1943 of thousands are of the second, and 46 of the person are of the first degree; they have become full holders of the order.

Of the 2672 holders of the Order of Glory, 16 people in the future for various reasons were deprived of the award by the court. Among those deprived was the only holder of five orders of Glory - 3, three 2 and 1. In addition, 72 people were presented to the four Orders of Glory, but, as a rule, did not receive a "redundant" award.


Order of Glory 1-th, 2-th and 3-th degree. Photo: Central Museum of the Armed Forces

The first full men of the Order of Glory were the sapper of the 1134 Infantry Regiment of the 338 Infantry Division Corporal Mitrofan Pitenin and the commander of the 110 Separate reconnaissance company 158 Infantry Division, Sergeant General Shevchenko. Corporal Pytenin was introduced to the first order in November 1943 for the battles in Belarus, to the second in April 1944, and the third in July of the same year. But I did not manage to receive the last award: on August 3 he died in battle. And Senior Sergeant Shevchenko received all three orders in 1944 year: in February, April and July. He ended the war in 1945 with the rank of petty officer and was soon demobilized, returning home not only with three orders of Glory on his chest, but also with orders of the Red Star and World War II of both degrees.

And there were four people who received both marks of the highest recognition of military heroism - both the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and the title of full holder of the Order of Glory. The first is the senior pilot of the 140th guards assault aviation regiment of the 8th guards assault aviation Divisions of the 1st Assault Aviation Corps of the 5th Air Army Guard Senior Lieutenant Ivan Drachenko. He received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union in 1944, and became the full holder of the Order of Glory after re-awarding (double awarding with the Order of the 2nd degree) in 1968.

The second is the commander of the 369-th separate anti-tank artillery battalion of the 263-th rifle division of the 43-th army of the 3-th Belarusian front, sergeant-general Nikolai Kuznetsov. In April, 1945, he received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and after re-awarding in 1980 (double awarding of the 2 degree) he became a full holder of the Order of Glory.

The third was the gun crew commander of the 175 Guards Artillery Mortar Regiment of the 4 Guards Cavalry Division of the 2 Guards Cavalry Corps of the 1 Belorussian Front, Sergeant Major Aleshin. He became the hero of the Soviet Union at the end of May 1945 of the year, and the full holder of the Order of Glory - after re-awarding (double award of the 3 degree) in 1955 year.

Finally, the fourth is a company officer of the 293-th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 96-th Guards Rifle Division of the 28-th Army of the 3-th Belorussian Guard Front, elder Pavel Dubinda. He is perhaps the most unusual fate of all four heroes. Sailor, he served on the cruiser "Chervona Ukraine" on the Black Sea, after the death of the ship - in the marines, defended Sevastopol. Here he was taken prisoner, from which he fled and in March 1944 of the year was again enlisted in the army, but already in the infantry. The full holder of the Order of Glory became by March 1945 of the year, and in June of the same year he received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. By the way, among his awards was the rare Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky of the 3 degree - a kind of “soldier’s” commander’s order.

Multinational heroism


The Soviet Union was indeed a multinational country: 1939 nationalities appear in the data of the last pre-war 95 census, not counting the “others” (other peoples of the North, other peoples of Dagestan). Naturally, among the Heroes of the Soviet Union and full gentlemen of the Order of Glory were representatives of almost all Soviet peoples. Among the first - 67 nationalities, among the second (according to clearly incomplete data) - 39 nationalities.

The number of heroes marked by higher ranks among a given nationality as a whole corresponds to the ratio of the number of fellow tribesmen to the total number of the pre-war USSR. So, the leaders in all lists were and remain the Russians, followed by the Ukrainians and Belarusians. But then the situation is different. For example, in the top ten awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union, Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians are followed (in order) by Tatars, Jews, Kazakhs, Armenians, Georgians, Uzbeks and Mordvinians. And in the top ten full gentlemen of the Order of Glory, after the Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians, go (also in order) Tatars, Kazakhs, Armenians, Mordovians, Uzbeks, Chuvash and Jews.


The pledge of victory over fascism was the unity and solidarity of the peoples of the USSR. Photo: all-retro.ru


But judging by these statistics, which people were more heroic, and which one less, is meaningless. Firstly, many nationalities of heroes were accidental, or even deliberately indicated incorrectly or were absent (for example, Germans and Jews often concealed their nationality, and the “Crimean Tatar” option was simply not present in the 1939 census documents). And secondly, even today, far from all the documents relating to the awarding of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War have been brought together and taken into account. This colossal topic is still waiting for its researcher, who will certainly confirm: heroism is a property of every single person, and not of this or that people.

The national composition of the Heroes of the Soviet Union who received this title for feats during the Great Patriotic War *

Russians - 7998 (including 70 - twice, 2 - three times and 1 - four times)

Ukrainians - 2019 (including 28 - twice),

Belarusians - 274 (including 4 - twice),

Tatars - 161

Jews - 128 (including 1 - twice)

Kazakhs - 98 (including 1 - twice)

Armenians - 91 (including 2 - twice)

Georgians - 90

Uzbeks - 67

Mordva - 66

Chuvash - 47

Azeris - 41 (including 1 - twice)

Bashkirs - 40 (including 1 - twice)

Ossetians - 34 (including 1 - twice)

Mariys - 18

Turkmen - 16

Lithuanians - 15

Tajiks - 15

Latvians - 12

Kirghiz - 12

Karels - 11 (including 1 - twice)

Komi - 10

Udmurti - 11

Estonians - 11

Avars - 9

Poles - 9

Buryats and Mongols - 8

Kalmyks - 8

Kabardians - 8

Adyghe - 7

Greeks - 7

Germans - 7

Komi - 6

Crimean Tatars - 6 (including 1 - twice)

Chechens - 6

Yakuts - 6

Moldovans - 5

Abkhazians - 4

Laktsy - 4

Lezgins - 4

French - 4

Czechs - 4

Karachays - 3

Tuva - 3

Circassians - 3

Balkars —2

Bulgarians - 2

Dargins - 2

Kumyki - 2

Finns - 2

Khakasy - 2

Abazinets - 1

Ajaretz - 1

Altai - 1

Assyrian - 1

Veps - 1

Spanish - 1

Chinese (Dunganin) - 1

Korean - 1

Kurd - 1

Swann - 1

Slovak - 1

Tuva - 1

Tsakhur - 1

Gypsy - 1

Soretz - 1

Evenk - 1

* The list is incomplete, compiled using data from the project “Heroes of the Country” (http://www.warheroes.ru/main.asp) and data from the writer Gennady Ovrutsky (http://www.proza.ru/2009/08/16/ 901).

The national composition of full cavaliers of the Order of Glory, who received this title for feats during the Great Patriotic War **

Russians - 1276

Ukrainians - 285

Belarusians - 62

Tatars - 48

Kazakhs - 30

Armenians - 19

Mordva - 16

Uzbeks - 12

Chuvash - 11

Jews - 9

Azeris - 8

Bashkirs - 7

Kirghiz - 7

Udmurti - 6

Turkmen - 5

Buryats - 4

Georgians - 4

Komi - 4

Mariys - 3

Poles - 3

Adyghe - 2

Karels - 2

Latvians - 2

Moldovans - 2

Ossetians - 2

Tajiks - 2

Khakasy - 2

Abazinets - 1

Greek - 1

Kabardian - 1

Kalmyk - 1

Chinese - 1

Crimean Tatar - 1

Kumyk - 1

Lithuanian —1

Romanian - 1

Meskhetian Turks - 1

Chechen - 1

Yakut - 1

** The list is incomplete, compiled using data from the project "Heroes of the country" (http://www.warheroes.ru/main.asp).
Our news channels

Subscribe and stay up to date with the latest news and the most important events of the day.

33 comments
Information
Dear reader, to leave comments on the publication, you must sign in.
  1. +21
    8 July 2015 06: 54
    My grandfather is the first Komsomol member of Belarus Hero of the Soviet Union !!!
    Incredibly proud.
  2. +9
    8 July 2015 07: 19
    Many thanks to the author for the careful selection of material!

    And Heroes are all those who fought for the liberation of the Motherland and Europe from fascism.
    1. 0
      8 July 2015 13: 34
      I doubt the thoroughness. And where in the national composition of Heroes is considered the Ukrainian Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich, who three times ?? Or is it not fashionable to remember these days? Further - Marshal Budyonny received the last Star in 1968 almost on his birthday. And he is considered as a feat in the years of the Second World War. Why, then, Hero Brezhnev Many times is not taken into account ???
      1. 0
        8 July 2015 13: 57
        Carefulness does not mean thoroughness, but nevertheless, I agree with you.
  3. +1
    8 July 2015 07: 33
    On July 8 of 1941 of the year it was assigned to fighter pilots of the 158 th fighter regiment of the 41 th mixed air division of the Air Force of the 23 th Army of the Northern Front.

    158 th fighter regiment in 1941g. located in Pskov and the Island. On 1941 I-16 was armed, retrained on the Yak-1.

    Monument to Hero Pilots in the Crosses (Pskov)

    And many thanks for the article!
  4. +3
    8 July 2015 07: 55
    Multinational heroism-Soviet heroism .. for one country they fought and died .. USSR, and not for a separate apartment ... in a common house ...
  5. +4
    8 July 2015 07: 56
    Now their nationality matters, and then they were just Soviet people, citizens of a great country. I suspect that the people liberated from the German occupation were deeply even of what nationality their liberators were, the fact itself was important.
  6. +1
    8 July 2015 08: 00
    And how many of their unknowns still rest in the earth cannot be counted!
  7. +1
    8 July 2015 08: 07
    USSR - Country of Heroes!
  8. +1
    8 July 2015 08: 38
    There is one "expert" in these matters, citizen Venediktov from Echo of Moscow.
  9. +1
    8 July 2015 09: 00
    In the ratio of Heroes to the population, 1st place is occupied by Ossetians.
    1. +2
      8 July 2015 13: 44
      A couple of weeks ago, Jews from Israel claimed something different on the pages of VO. You still, damn it, fight, hot Finnish guys. laughing
      1. +2
        9 July 2015 08: 45
        Why argue? The Armenians ordered that Adam and Eve are Armenians, therefore all people are Armenians and all heroes are Armenians, well, you don’t understand anything! Tree sticks!
  10. +4
    8 July 2015 09: 04
    100 grams covered with brown bread
    Soldiers are sleeping under the blue sky
    Unloving and not living
    Prescheduled heads folded
    In the graves of fraternal
    Unborn children sleeping with them.
    Souls slaughtered millions
    Inside the soldier’s medallions
    Remember, bow our heads
    And quietly thank
    And keep quiet, forgetting about the mat: Berlin, Voronezh, Stalingrad ..........
  11. +1
    8 July 2015 09: 13
    The heroism of some is the retribution for gouging and the unpreparedness of others.
    As a person who has gone through Afghanistan and two Chechnya told me: - "Be a professional in battle and let the enemy perform feats and die a hero."
    A bow to the veterans for their feat, minus the command for poor preparation.
  12. +1
    8 July 2015 09: 20
    Wonderful article! More information so people know their Heroes!
  13. +12
    8 July 2015 09: 41
    Nedorubov Konstantin Iosifovich - complete St. George Knight, Hero of the Soviet Union. In the history of our country there were only three full cavaliers of St. George and at the same time Heroes of the Soviet Union: Marshal Budyonny, General Tyulenev and Captain Nedorubov.
    The fate of Konstantin Nedorubov bizarrely reminds the fate of the hero of the Quiet Don Gregory Melekhov. A hereditary Cossack, a native of a farm with the characteristic name Rubezhniy (now part of the Lovyagin farm in the Volgograd region), he, along with other stanitsy, was called up to the German front. It quickly became clear there that the war was when the Great Patriotic War broke out, the St. George cavalier Nedorubov was no longer subject to conscription - by age. By that time he was 53 years old.
    But in July, the forty-first in the Don villages began to form a squadron of Cossack militias.
    Together with his old military friend Sutchev, Konstantin Iosifovich resolutely went to the regional executive committee: “Give the right to apply all combat experience and die for the motherland!” In the regional executive committee, they were dumbfounded, then they penetrated. And they appointed the gentleman of St. George the commander of the newly formed Cossack squadron (only volunteers were recruited into it).
    But here, “the Cossacks say,” there was one problem: his 17-year-old son, who had not reached the age of draft age, “hung” on his father’s shoulders. Relatives rushed to discourage Nicholas, but he was adamant. “Remember, son, you will not be indulgent,” said Nedorubov Sr. only. - I’ll be stricter with you than with experienced Cossacks. The commander’s son must be the first in battle! ” So the third war was cut into the life of Cossack Nedorubov ... And also the world war - like the first. with all its horrors and passions - the native element of the Don Cossack.
    During the period of hostilities, Nedorubov was awarded two Orders of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner and various medals for his accomplished deeds. On October 26, 1943, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council, the St. George Knight Konstantin Nedorubov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. “Our Konstantin Iosifovich gave birth to the Red Star with the St. George Cross,” the village residents joked about this.
    Undercounter of the 1st Don Cossack Division Nedorubov, with his attitude to awards, proved that power and homeland are absolutely different things. He did not understand why it is impossible to wear royal rewards received for victories over a foreign enemy. About "crosses" he said: "I in this form at the Victory Parade in the front row walked. And at the reception, Comrade Stalin himself shook hands, thanked for participating in two wars. "
  14. +2
    8 July 2015 09: 58
    Quote: Gsxr1300rr
    The heroism of some is the retribution for gouging and the unpreparedness of others.

    It turns out that the pilot who shot down 15 enemy aircraft received the award undeservedly? Due to the fuss of leadership?
    The article is a tremendous Plus. Very interesting statistics. I am glad that my nationality also gave the Motherland a Hero of the Soviet Union.
    1. -1
      8 July 2015 10: 25
      Quote: kvs207
      Quote: Gsxr1300rr
      The heroism of some is the retribution for gouging and the unpreparedness of others.

      It turns out that the pilot who shot down 15 enemy aircraft received the award undeservedly? Due to the gouging leadership

      This pilot is a good shooter and feels his plane. His well-deserved reward.
      Most people ask similar questions, but for some reason they do not ask the question, where were his comrades in arms? other links? Why did he have to shoot down these 15? It was necessary, not one adequate person will not enter into battle with a superior enemy because he wanted to. And there is no need for fairy tales like "yes, they distracted them, but he flew and shot down, or it was generally a free hunt."
      If a company of motorized rifles held back the enemy, incurring losses, and after the battle there were dozens of fighters who were given the heroes of the USSR, the question arises of where were: art, communication for adjustments, tanks, provision? Why, due to the inability of the command to organize this, most of the company remains to lie in the field? But heroes.
      If a unit commits a feat, this means that others do not reach their level, which means that the interaction between the branches of the armed forces is poorly established.

      The army fights well exactly as much as there is enough money for training (physical, fire, psycho (fighting spirit), interaction between the military branches, etc.) and means for providing (weapons, food, communications, information, etc. .). Then there are no heroes, but there is an annihilated enemy and returning soldiers.
      1. +1
        8 July 2015 10: 37
        Quote: Gsxr1300rr
        If a unit commits a feat, this means that others do not reach their level, which means that the interaction between the branches of the armed forces is poorly established.

        Or the generals did not finish something.
        1. 0
          8 July 2015 13: 36
          Or in this unit more courageous fighters were selected than in others.
          Or, as an option, other units did not find themselves in a situation where they can accomplish a feat.
          In any case, the topic under discussion is about rotten flaws.
          Performed a feat - get a reward, and in the appendage, promotion.
          Spanked - try to make excuses to the Mehlis.
          Who deserved what he received.
      2. +2
        8 July 2015 13: 25
        That's it, you, Australian comrade, are speaking correctly, but! ... "It was smooth on paper, but they forgot about the ravines" (C)
        War is such a thing that everything is impossible to foresee.
  15. +4
    8 July 2015 11: 34
    General Petrov Vasily Stepanovich, twice Hero of the Soviet Union. He fought without both hands. Here is his battle path.
    LIFE IS A FEAT. Petrov Vasily Stepanovich - fought without both hands. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union.
    By order of Stalin, this warrior was enlisted in the army for life ...

    Vasily Stepanovich Petrov was born in with. Dmitriyevka, Zaporizhzhya region, March 5, 1922. At 17, he entered the Sumy Artillery School, which he graduated as a lieutenant in 1941.

    On June 22, 1941, Lieutenant Vasily Petrov met with the platoon commander of the 152-mm howitzers of the 92nd separate artillery division of the Vladimir-Volyn fortified area. His officer service on the western border was exactly two weeks old.

    Baptism of fire was cruel, with tragic consequences. Having opened fire on fascist tanks only after a belated order, changing fire positions several times, the gunners found themselves in a swamp and without tractors, without heavy guns later joined the retreating infantry. After Petrov left, they were appointed to the IPTAP - anti-tank fighter artillery regiment. Fighter gunners always met the enemy first, that is, open almost at the forefront, in fire duels with armored vehicles. Frontline workers know what kind of hell is this. Do not count losses after each direct fire ...

    He was an Iptapovets both in 1942 and in 1943. In 1942, they started talking about the battalion commander Petrov after the battery crossing the front broken legends by German bombers, who entered frontline legends, across the Don, after which the battery instantly turned to a firing position and repelled German tanks from the crossing. On September 14, 1943, the feat was practically repeated - only the river was different, Sula. Two hours after crossing the captain Petrov’s division, 13 tanks went with the support of an infantry battalion. The Iptapovites destroyed seven tanks and up to two infantry companies when a company of machine gunners went behind the gunners. Turning around, several guns of the division met them with buckshot, while Petrov led a platoon of control and all free artillerymen in a counterattack. After a two-hour battle, having received another wound in the shoulder, Petrov destroyed up to 90 Nazis and took his batteries out of the encirclement, taking seven prisoners.
    A week later, Captain Petrov replaces the retired regiment commander - and at a crucial moment: at the crossing of the Dnieper. It was Petrov’s trunks that became the first artillery of the Bukrinsky bridgehead. October 1, he stands up for the cannon with his orderly - the fire of German tanks swept away the entire calculation of one of the batteries. The personal account of the gunner increased by 4 tanks and 2 six-barreled mortars.
  16. +1
    8 July 2015 11: 34
    A week later, on the bridgehead, Petrov’s friend, the head of the brigade’s intelligence, Major Grigory Bolely, disappeared. Petrov went in search of him - and disappeared himself ... Literally every meter was shot through. In this fiery whirlpool, at night, Basil found a wounded friend - sprinkled with earth, unconscious and carried him in his arms. Suddenly - a close gap, the fragments hit his chest, arms ....

    A few days later, fellow soldiers found Captain Petrov in the Medsanbat morgue among ... the dead. However, he miraculously survived. Moved several operations. Long months of hospital life stretched. No less heroic than in the ranks. Now it’s even difficult for us to imagine how much willpower and courage are needed for a person with amputated arms so as not to lose heart. But he did not recognize his apparent disability and was eager for the front.

    In one of the Moscow hospitals, Petrov was awarded the highest awards for the courage and bravery shown during the crossing of the Dnieper - the Order of Lenin and the Golden Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union.

    About him, an obsessed maximalist, reported to Stalin. And by personal order of the Supreme Commander, the armless officer returned to the front line.

    In his book “The Past With Us,” Vasily Stepanovich Petrov, recalling the woeful days of the retreat at the beginning of the war, wrote: “In the face of old women wiping their tears in an unknown Volyn village, as before part of their homeland, our people showed military spirit and unwavering determination to remain soldiers” . That was how he was.
  17. +1
    8 July 2015 11: 35
    The front line moved further west. And again, stubborn battles for the bridgehead, now on the Oder. The Nazis fiercely resisted. In one of the battles, the tank division of the Nazis entered the battle formations of the advancing Polish units. Officer Petrov and his subordinates immediately came to the rescue of the combat twin cities. Like on the Dnieper, enemy tanks flamed from the well-aimed fire of Soviet artillerymen. The most amazing - and hitherto unprecedented in history! - it was that the 22-year-old Vasily Petrov, already with the rank of major, without both hands, confidently commanded the 248th guards Lviv fighter-anti-tank artillery regiment at that time.

    In the battles near Dresden in April, the forty-fifth Petrov personally raised the attack of a combined group of artillerymen, tankers and infantrymen to a height held by the Germans. In a fearless impulse, our soldiers fled the enemy. 350 corpses and 9 enemy tanks were left on the battlefield. Here officer Petrov deserved the second Golden Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union. I got it at the hospital, where I ended up with a serious wound, with legs broken through by bullets ...

    After the Great Patriotic War, by the order of Stalin, Petrov was enrolled for life in the cadres of the Armed Forces. He continued his service in the Armed Forces. Member of the CPSU (b) / CPSU since 1945. In 1954 he graduated from Lviv State University. Candidate of Military Sciences. He was deputy chief of missile forces and artillery of the Carpathian military district.
  18. +3
    8 July 2015 11: 35
    He lived in Kiev.

    Once he had to go to the hospital again. While he was there, the house on Basseinaya Street was sold to private owners. The Kiev mayors ordered to throw away the personal belongings and the archive of the military officer in order to make a museum of the former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir from the general's apartment. "The one-eyed bitch," as Vysotsky sang, lived in this house in her youth, and the perpetuation of her memory turned out to be more important not even the memory, but the living Hero.

    April 15, 2003 Petrov was gone. He was buried at the Baykovsky cemetery in Kiev. Money for the monument was raised by his sons.
    A documentary film "General Petrov" was made about this amazing Man in 1973
    Here are some People to make films about. Educate youth.

    Honor and Glory, Eternal Memory, low bow - to the Russian Hero.
  19. 0
    8 July 2015 11: 40
    It turns out that the entire multinational Soviet people had 11431 heroes of the Soviet Union and 90% are Slavs!
  20. +1
    8 July 2015 12: 23
    The heroes of the Great Patriotic War were all who forged the Victory. And it doesn’t matter at the front or in the rear. Eternal Glory to them and Low bow.
    1. +2
      8 July 2015 13: 36
      I saw a little inaccuracy:
      "Russians - 7998 (including 70 - twice, 2 - three times and 1 - four times)

      Ukrainians - 2019 (including 28 - twice) "

      Russian - 1 three times GSS A.I. Pokryshkin
      Ukrainians - 1 three times GSS I.N. Kozhedub

      So it will be more correct from a historical point of view.
  21. -6
    8 July 2015 16: 19
    how many more Kazakhs have not been given a hero, due to the fact that they are Kazakhs, and not of Slavic nationality - Momyshuly, Koshkarbaev ..
    1. +3
      8 July 2015 19: 59
      Twice Heroes of the Soviet Union - Kazakhstanis, participants in the Great Patriotic War:
      Talgat Yakubekovich Begeldinov (trek. Talgat Zhagypbekuly Bigeldinov; August 5, 1922, Maybalyk, Akmola region - November 10, 2014, Alma-Ata) - Soviet attack pilot, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Major General of Aviation of Kazakhstan.
      Leonid Ignatievich Beda (August 16, 1920; the village of Novopokrovka, now Uzynkolsky district of the Kostanay region, Kazakhstan - December 26, 1976; the city of Minsk, Belarus) - Soviet attack pilot, twice Hero of the Soviet Union (October 26, 1944, June 29, 1945), honored military man USSR pilot (August 17, 1971), lieutenant general of aviation (1972).
      Sergey Danilovich Lugansky (October 1, 1918 Verny — January 16, 1977, Alma-Ata) - Soviet fighter pilot, squadron commander of the 270th Fighter Aviation Regiment (203th Fighter Aviation Division, 1st Assault Aviation Corps, 5th Air Army, Steppe Front), twice Hero of the Soviet Union.
      Ivan Fomich Pavlov (June 25, 1922, the village of Boris Romanovna (now the village of Kostanay district, Kazakhstan) - October 12, 1950 (died in a plane crash) - Soviet attack pilot, unit commander of the 6th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment of the 3rd Air Army Kalinin Front; squadron commander of the 6th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment of the 3rd Air Army of the 1st Baltic Front, twice Hero of the Soviet Union.
      Twice another Hero of the Soviet Union was another Kazakhstani - Vladimir Aleksindrovich Dzhanibekov, nee Krysin (having married, Vladimir Alexandrovich took the surname of the wife of Lilia Dzhanibekova - granddaughter of the ethnographer Abdulkhamid Dzhanibekov), (born May 13, 1942, Iskander village, South-Kazakhstan region, Kazakhstan ) - USSR pilot-cosmonaut (1978), twice Hero of the Soviet Union (1978, 1981), major general of aviation (1985). The most experienced cosmonaut of the USSR, who completed the largest number of space flights - five, all of them as the commander of the spacecraft. This is an unsurpassed world record so far. Even astronauts and astronauts who flew 6 and 7 times did not surpass this record, and only James Weatherby repeated it, but in the sixth flight, since in the first he was not a commander. The record was repeated only after 17 years. The greater number of flights among domestic cosmonauts (6) was made by Sergei Krikalev alone, but already in Russia, and not in the USSR.
  22. +3
    8 July 2015 23: 34
    Very good and correct article.
    I want to correct a little stat. data for the sake of historical justice and honesty in relation to the heroes themselves, to contemporaries and to the future of the generation to whom this article may catch the eye.

    The Jews of the heroes of the Soviet Union were not 121 as indicated in the article but 153.
    Full holders of the orders of Glory are not 9 as indicated in the article but 12.

    Link: http://zhurnal.lib.ru/k/kac_a_s/geroi.shtml

    https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D0%BF%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%BA_%D0%B5%D0%B2%
    D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B5%D0%B2_%E2%80%94_%D0%93%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B5%D0%B2_%D0%A1%D0
    %BE%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%82%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE_%D0%A1%D0%BE%D1%8E%D0%B7%D0%
    B0

    With Sincere Respect for the Author of the article !!!
  23. 0
    15 August 2019 01: 07
    There are 26, and not 19, full cavaliers of the Orders of Glory from among the Armenian soldiers. Since Soviet times, this figure has been voiced. Armenians - Heroes of the Soviet Union (for feats accomplished during the Great Patriotic War), not 91, but 103 (including 4 - for feats accomplished during the Soviet-Finnish War), 2 - twice. If you do not take into account those who received in 1940 (they took an active part in the Great Patriotic War), then - 99. Another 3 Armenians became Heroes of the Soviet Union after the war for the conquest of the Arctic and the testing of aircraft. and of that, Armenians - Heroes of the Soviet Union - 106. It does not take into account those deprived of these ranks for crimes committed after the war (there were three of them). another Armenian became the Hero of Russia - the Black Sea pilot Suren Tashchiev (died in 1943).
    Regarding the first twice Hero of the Soviet Union, an Azerbaijani. I ask you not to confuse the Muslim peoples of the Az.SSR - Talyshs, Lezghins and Kurds with Azerbaijanis. The tankman, brigade commander Asi Aslanov, who posthumously received the title of twice GSS in 1, is Talysh by nationality.

"Right Sector" (banned in Russia), "Ukrainian Insurgent Army" (UPA) (banned in Russia), ISIS (banned in Russia), "Jabhat Fatah al-Sham" formerly "Jabhat al-Nusra" (banned in Russia) , Taliban (banned in Russia), Al-Qaeda (banned in Russia), Anti-Corruption Foundation (banned in Russia), Navalny Headquarters (banned in Russia), Facebook (banned in Russia), Instagram (banned in Russia), Meta (banned in Russia), Misanthropic Division (banned in Russia), Azov (banned in Russia), Muslim Brotherhood (banned in Russia), Aum Shinrikyo (banned in Russia), AUE (banned in Russia), UNA-UNSO (banned in Russia), Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People (banned in Russia), Legion “Freedom of Russia” (armed formation, recognized as terrorist in the Russian Federation and banned)

“Non-profit organizations, unregistered public associations or individuals performing the functions of a foreign agent,” as well as media outlets performing the functions of a foreign agent: “Medusa”; "Voice of America"; "Realities"; "Present time"; "Radio Freedom"; Ponomarev; Savitskaya; Markelov; Kamalyagin; Apakhonchich; Makarevich; Dud; Gordon; Zhdanov; Medvedev; Fedorov; "Owl"; "Alliance of Doctors"; "RKK" "Levada Center"; "Memorial"; "Voice"; "Person and law"; "Rain"; "Mediazone"; "Deutsche Welle"; QMS "Caucasian Knot"; "Insider"; "New Newspaper"