For two and a half years blazed Great Patriotic War. Stalingrad attack Hitler's army drowned, The Red Army began to push the enemy to the west. But the liberation of the occupied territories of the enemy had a hard time. The Germans fought fiercely, if understanding, that will beat them to the territory of the Soviet Union and throughout the Third Reich soon come to an end.
16 December 1943 , the 328th Tank Battalion, who was a member of the 118th separate tank brigade of the Red Army, He fought a battle with the enemy for the village Demeshkovo. This is the neighborhood of the town of Nevel, that in the Pskov region. The Germans clung tightly village. Of 16 tank battalion during the battle burned six tanks, Three more tanks were hit, three tanks out of service for technical reasons. Another tank, in which there was a platoon commander, 25-year-old Lieutenant Stepan Tkachenko, missing. That Lieutenant Tkachenko in this ill-fated day led to the attack on the Soviet tanks Demeshkovo.
While other tanks fought with the Germans, platoon commander in his car managed to break almost a roundabout way to the enemy's line of defense. And then the unexpected happened - about thirty meters from the Defense tank T-34 line got stuck in a swamp covered with snow. There was a rather interesting situation. The tank is well sweep the German positions, so the enemy could not fail to destroy it big guns. But also, given the limited amount of ammunition, significant damage to the enemy positions Soviet tankers also cause could not.
What could I do? It would seem, way out of difficult situations lying "on the surface" — evacuated from the tank and retreat to their. But throw a serviceable machine crew could not. Therefore, the tank commander Lieutenant Tkachenko and a driver Sergeant Michael Bezukladnikov got out of the car and decided to look around, to understand, How can we get out of the swamp. This and took advantage of the enemy's arrows. Stepan Tkachenko was seriously wounded, and 33-year-old Sergeant Michael Bezukladnikov killed.
Literally under enemy fire from a tank turret gunner got Sergeant Alexander Kavlyugin, which dragged the wounded commander of the Red Army in the direction of position. So Kavlyugin saved the life of Lieutenant Tkachenko. Back it was not allowed to return - was put in another tank, and the next day 19-year-old Sergeant Kavlyugin it alive and burned during the battle.
In mired "Thirty" was the only member of the crew - gunner-radio operator Sergeant Victor Chernyshenko, who was only 18 years. Despite his age, Victor Chernyshenko had already in early December 1943 year to receive the Order of the Red Star.
Viktor S. Chernyshenko turned eighteen just a half months earlier. He was born 25 October 1925 in the village of Oleksandrivka, that now belongs to the Donetsk region Krasnolimanskiy, peasant family. AT 1943 Victor was called up for military service in the Army and was sent to a training tank regiment, stationed in Ulyanovsk. There's a guy trained as radio operator-gunner of tank T-34, then in the same October 1943 It has been directed in the 118th Tank Brigade of the 2nd Baltic Front.
Already 7 December 1943 Chernyshenko, Victor scored in the battle for the liberation of the village Zamoschitsa Pskov region, where in the crew destroyed one gun, two machine-guns, three mortars and up 40 soldiers and officers. The commander of the 328th Tank Battalion captain Peter Gazmurovich Jim was an idea Chernyshenko, the Order of the Red Star.
Generally, although the gunner-radio operator Victor Chernyshenko was young, he was shot and, the main thing, brave and selfless fighter. Remaining in the tank, he prepared to defend the car alone. The first day after the fight he spent in one tank. Meanwhile, Battalion commanders decided to send to the aid of Victor someone from the experienced mechanic-drivers. Mehvoda had to try to pull the tank out of the ravine. volunteered to Sergeant Alexei Sokolov.
A native of the village of Petrovka (Asekeyevsky District Orenburg region) Alexey Sokolov was already 25 years.
It now sounds strange phrase "over 25", but then, During the Great Patriotic, he was considered an adult, "Mothers" fighter. And it was so. Who had worked as a turner at a machine-building plant "Barricades" in Stalingrad, Alexei Sokolov was first drafted into the army as early as 1938 year. Then he received a specialty of the driver of the tank, He participated in the Soviet-Finnish War.
When Germany attacked the Soviet Union, Alexei Sokolov was mobilized to the front. He fought near Tula, He defended Stalingrad, He was wounded three times. Command Sergeant Major is rightly considered the best Sokolov mechanic-driver 328 th Tank Battalion.
Once you get to help Victor Chernyshenko, Sokolov all the forces trying to free the tank out of the swamp. But it was a useless task, and the Germans, meanwhile, continued to attack the lone Soviet machine. Sokolov Chernyshenko specifically kept off the Nazis at close distance, and then began to shoot them from a machine gun. Every day the Germans attacked the tank several times, but the crew fought so, that attack choked and superior enemy forces retreated.
As ammunition in the tank was almost full, This greatly facilitates the task of defense against enemy infantry. Much worse was the case with food. In tankers were only a few cans of corned beef, little crackers, sugar, a piece of bacon. Water seeped in through the bottom of the tank. Bolotnaya. Her and drink, and what was the way out?
As the days passed, are mixed as one - continuous attacks of the Nazis, fierce defense of tank. Victor recalled Chernyshenko:
«frankly: these fights in the siege merged in my mind into one endless battle. I can not even tell one day from another. The Nazis tried to come to us from different sides, and single, at different times of the day. We had all the time to be alert. We slept fitfully, alternately. He tormented by hunger, metal zhog arms. Only by working with guns and machine gun, slightly warmed. But even harder was a famine. No matter how stretched we miserable food supplies, it was only enough for a few days. We both strongly weakened, especially Sokolov, was seriously wounded…»
Sergeant Sokolov really almost lost the ability to move. The only thing, he could - to submit Chernyshenko shells and disks. But even in such a situation Sokolov lost heart, not going to panic or whining.
Later Chernyshenko warmly recalled his comrades in the heroic defense of the tank:
«What it was a wonderful man! From heavy wounds he suffered greatly, but I never heard a word of complaint. conversely, Falcons tried to show, that feels good, strongly encouraged me. It is unlikely that I would have survived, if not he…»
On the twelfth day of defense ran out of ammunition crew. Remained a grenade. Thrice Victor Chernyshenko threw grenades at a tank approaching the Nazis. Last grenade tankers have decided to reserve, to float, when the Germans still be able to get close to the tank. Give the characters were not going to, therefore, chose for himself here is the completion of the Defense. But undermined along with the tank is surrounded by enemies they had not.
30 December Soviet troops still managed to break through the decisive blow Hitler's defenses and take the village Demeshkovo. Naturally, immediately went to the brook and, where stuck tank T-34. Around the tank, Red Army found a large number of corpses of German soldiers. From a tank removed two frostbitten, emaciated and wounded tankers. One of the tankers was just unconscious, the second was still trying to say something, but then also "turn off".
Heroes brought to the location of the medical battalion. But the next day, 31 December 1943 of the year, Sergeant Alexey Sokolov died. As a cause of death, doctors called multiple lower leg injuries, thigh, neck, forearm and forced the 12-day fasting. Alexei Sokolov was buried in a mass grave in the village of Turks Transportation of Nevelsk District of Pskov Region.
Victor S. Chernyshenko, too, was in serious condition, but he managed to survive. Frontline surgeons did their best to keep the 18-year-old Vitya his frostbitten feet. But it did not happen - the gangrene did their dirty deed. First Victor amputated fingers, then half of the foot. Victor was taken to the rear - in a military hospital, where he spent more than a year, recovering.
In the hospital, and Viktor heard about the high award, Chernyshenko noted that the feat of the Soviet state and Sokolov. Decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR 10 Martha 1944 Chernyshenko, the sergeant Viktor S. was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. Senior Sergeant Sokolov, Alexei Ivanovich Hero of the Soviet Union, the same decree was awarded posthumously.
Mean line "for the exemplary performance of command assignments at the front of the struggle against the Nazi invaders and for displaying courage and heroism" hiding an amazing feat, which cost the life of Senior Sergeant Sokolov, and Sergeant Chernyshenko remember those terrible days, which ran as a single day, until the end of his life.
In July 1945 of the year, after the war, Sergeant Victor Chernyshenko was demobilized from the ranks of the Red Army. He was not yet twenty years, and I had to use a prosthetic leg. But, as befits the present hero, Viktor was not discouraged Chernyshenko. He did not consider it a life ending, I do not despair, I did not become an inveterate drunkard.
Victor entered the Sverdlovsk Law School, after which he worked as a district judge, and since January 1949 in August 1950 gg. He served as an assistant prosecutor in the prosecutor's Sysert district and the Leninsky district of the city of Sverdlovsk. Then Victor Chernyshenko joined the Prosecutor's Office of the Chelyabinsk region, where he worked until 1956 of the year. After graduating from the Sverdlovsk Law Institute Viktor Semenovich working people's judge, a member of the Regional Court, was chairman of one of the district courts.
Hero of the Soviet Union Viktor S. Chernyshenko managed to live to old age. He retired and lived in the city of Chelyabinsk, where he died in 1997 at the age 72 years.
In memory of the heroic deed of the Soviet tank near the village Demeshkovo obelisk. In honor of the dead from the wounds of Alexei Sokolov 1965 year has been one of the streets of Volgograd named. After all, the senior sergeant was a member of the Battle of Stalingrad. AT 1969 year memorial plaque in honor of Alexei Ivanovich was established and at the plant "Barricades", where he has worked as a turner until the war. Name of Senior Sergeant Alexei Sokolov, ever enrolled in the lists of the military unit, is Lovetskaya High School, what in 7 kilometers from Demeshkovo. AT 2009 by the name of Alexei Sokolov was awarded Lekarevskoy and high school in the Orenburg region Asekeyevsky District.
One crew member died, Mikhail Bezukladnikov, killed in battle 16 December, buried in a mass grave near the village of Ust-Dolyssy. At Alexander Mikhailovich Kavlyugina, the burnt alive in a tank, for obvious reasons, there is no grave. Unfortunately, the whereabouts of the tank commander Lieutenant Stepan Tkachenko, who after being wounded was taken to hospital and then traces of it are lost.
It has been over 75 years, but now we do not cease to admire the courage of the Soviet soldiers, by modern standards, even very young people, which until recently were fighting for their land, We remained faithful to the oath and military duty.
Low bow and eternal memory of heroes.