Questions:

1. Courage and heroism of the defenders of the Motherland - a crucial condition for glorious victories in the Great Patriotic War

2. Continue the traditions of our fathers and grandfathers with dignity.

Our time is fleeting, and many things are forgotten over the years. But there are events in history that cannot disappear without a trace, disappear from the people's memory. For our country, such an event was the Great Patriotic War. It showed the whole world the indomitable will of the Soviet people, the courage, steadfastness and military valor of its soldiers.

The path of our people to the Great Victory was difficult and long. During the most difficult 1418 days and nights, the slogan "Everything for the front, everything for Victory!" became the meaning of life for millions of our compatriots. Everyone contributed to the common cause of defeating the enemy: the soldier - at the front, the worker - at the machine, the peasant-in the field, the engineer and technician-in production, the scientist - in the laboratory. But a special role in achieving Victory over the fascist aggressors still belongs to the Soviet soldier. As Marshal of the Soviet Union G. K. Zhukov noted, " victory over a strong enemy was won by his will, his indomitable spirit, and his blood. The Soviet soldier was able to boldly face the deadly danger, showing at the same time combat valor and heroism. There are no limits to the greatness of " his feat in the name of the Motherland..."

The enemy initially had military superiority, and we had to experience both setbacks and the bitterness of defeat. But from the first days of the war, our soldiers sacrificed themselves and fought heroically for every inch of land. The legendary garrison of the Brest Fortress held back the enemy for a month, three times passed from hand to hand Przemysl.

Forty-four years after the war, a note written by a young Red Army soldier Pavel Guzhenko on the 6th day of the war was found in an old trench near Zaslavl: "We were 190 Red Army soldiers, only 6 wounded remained. The sun is setting. Six attacks were repulsed. They destroyed an armored car, 5 motorcycles, several tanks, and the entire field of fascists killed... I'm not even 20 yet, I want to live, but I'll give my life for my Homeland until my last breath. We believe that the enemy will still be defeated."

So selflessly, showing unprecedented courage and heroism, our fathers and grandfathers fought for the freedom and independence of their Fatherland.

The most vivid manifestation of heroism and ardent love for the Motherland were numerous facts of self-sacrifice of Soviet soldiers in the name of achieving victory over the enemy. Today we know the names of about three hundred heroes who, at critical moments of the battle, closed the embrasures of enemy firing points with their bodies. It is impossible to read without excitement about these amazing people, most of them very young, who would like to live and live...

On August 24, 1941, in the battle for Novgorod, junior political instructor Alexander Pankratov led the company's attack. The company rushed forward and found themselves at the monastery gate. The path was blocked by an enemy machine gun. Pankratov crawled up to him and threw a grenade. The machine gun fell silent. But as soon as the company rose, the fire resumed. What to do? No grenades, no ammo either... And Alexander Pankratov threw his chest at the machine gun.

...The news of the feat of submachine gunner Alexander Matrosov, committed by him on February 23, 1943 in the battle for the village of Chernushki, spread all over our country. The circumstances of the battle were similar to those in which Pankratov found himself a year and a half earlier. Yes, and the basis of the feat is the same. We are convinced of this by the last letter of Alexander Matrosov, sent from the front:"...I saw my comrades die. And today the battalion commander told the story of how the general died. He died facing west. I love life. I want to live. But the front is such a thing that you live and live, and suddenly a bullet or shrapnel puts an end to it... If I am to die, I would like to die like this general: in battle and facing west."

...Guard Sergeant Arkhip Money reached Berlin. Victory was already close. But on the way to it there were still enemy pillboxes. Leading his squad to attack, Manita found himself facing one of them. The attack was stalled, comrades were killed. And then the sergeant blocked the embrasure with his own body. The battle continued. Another quarter of the huge city was cleared of the enemy.

Three names, three lives, three immortal feats! And thousands more of the same glorious names of those who did not see the Victory, but to whom we owe this Victory.

"On the first day of the war, at 4: 15 a.m. on June 22, 1941, in the sky over the city of Zambruv, flight commander Junior Lieutenant Dmitry Kokarev made the first air ram of an enemy aircraft in the Great Patriotic War. Having used up all the ammunition in the air battle, Kokarev at an altitude of 7,000 meters with the propeller of his fighter cut off the tail of an enemy vulture, which crashed down and exploded. On the same day, six more Soviet pilots went to ram fascist planes: senior Lieutenant N. I. Ivanov, Lieutenant P. S. Ryabtsev, junior lieutenants L. G. Butelin, I. P. Ignatiev, Senior Lieutenant A. I. Moklyak and senior political instructor A. S. Danilov.

On July 8, 1941, for the first time in the history of the Great Patriotic War, fighter pilots S. Zdorovtsev, M. Zhukov, and P. Kharitonov were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union for ramming aircraft in battles on the outskirts of Leningrad. A similar feat during the war years was repeated by 636 Soviet pilots, and Junior Lieutenant B. Kovzan made four aerial rams.

A sacred example of self-sacrifice in the name of victory over the enemy was the feat performed on June 26, 1941 by the squadron commander, Captain N. F. Gastello, and his crew - lieutenants A. A. Burdenyuk, T. N. Skorobachy, and Senior Sergeant A. A. Kalinin. They aimed their burning plane at the column of enemy vehicles. More than 400 Soviet pilots performed this heroic feat during the war years.

Examples of dedication in combat can be listed further. However, where is the source of this bravery and courage? Our enemies claim that the heroism of the Soviet people during the war years is primarily due to fear of commissars and commanders.

A. Chakovsky's novel "The Blockade", which reflects the heroism of soldiers in the defense of Leningrad, shows one of the many feats of Russian soldiers on the battlefields. A group of Red Army soldiers who were defending one of the borders of the old border in a bunker, after many hours of fighting in the enemy's rear, was surrounded and, at the suggestion of the Nazis to surrender, blew themselves up with the remaining ammunition, not wanting to get the enemy alive. The commander of the Fascist detachment, Officer Danwitz, is amazed by what has happened and asks himself in bewilderment: "What made them choose death over even trying to save their lives? There were only two Communists in the bunker. The others could kill them and save themselves. But they chose death. Their resistance cost Germany two dozen soldiers and one damaged tank. The advance of the armored detachment was delayed by a handful of Red Army soldiers for several hours." The German officer could not understand the simple truth-freedom, the honor of the Motherland for Russian soldiers and officers were more precious than life. They went into battle not under fear of being shot, but voluntarily, realizing their responsibility for the fate of the Fatherland.

Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev wrote::

"Russia can do without each of us, but none of us can do without it." This is what millions of heroes of the Great Patriotic War thought and defended their native country with this idea. No amount of the dangers and hardships of war, no amount of the atrocities of the fascists could force the soldiers and commanders of the Red Army to deviate even one iota from their military duty. People who were required to work in the rear were eager to go to the front, in the midst of the heaviest battles. The wounded, barely cured, sought urgent dispatch to their units in order to beat and beat the enemy again.

On a par with men, women endured the hardships of war with fortitude. In the ranks of the Soviet Army there were about 600 thousand women, and only officers-more than 80 thousand. They fought the enemy bravely and bravely, selflessly fulfilling their military duty. Suffice it to recall the famous 46th Guards Taman Night Bomber Aviation Regiment under the command of Hero of the Soviet Union Marina Raskova. During the war years, the regiment made more than 24 thousand sorties, dropped up to 3 million kilograms of bombs on the enemy, 2 pilots became Heroes of the Soviet Union.

Here's another example. In August 1942, the anti-aircraft artillery regiment (Commander Colonel B. C. Herman), one-third consisting of young girls, was in the direction of the attacks of the Nazis, who were rushing to Stalingrad. The appearance of the enemy here was considered unlikely, so there were no rifle units. The regiment repelled more than 20 enemy attacks for two days without infantry support, but did not leave its position. In these battles, anti-aircraft gunners destroyed 83 tanks, destroyed and dispersed over 3 battalions of submachine gunners, and shot down 14 enemy aircraft.

For the selfless performance of their military duty during the war, 150 thousand women were awarded orders and medals, 86 were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.

Thus, one of the decisive conditions for an outstanding Victory in the Great Patriotic War is high combat skills, courage and heroism of soldiers, their invincible morale. At the heart of these qualities was boundless love for the Motherland, a deep awareness that the war on our part is fair, in defense of our Fatherland.

Admiring the courage and mass heroism of the soldiers, Marshal of the Soviet Union K. K. Rokossovsky wrote in his memoirs: "Millions became heroes. Soldiers stood to their deaths on the last lines, chest rushed at the embrasures of enemy pillboxes, pilots and tankers, without hesitation, went to ram. Everyone was a hero - those who charged through the wall of fire, and those who built bridges under the shells and pulled wires to the command posts. Glory to you, wonderful Soviet people!.."

For the Russian people, the Great Patriotic War was just and liberating. Their actions were imbued with patriotism and dedication. Therefore, the heroism of our soldiers and officers was not the fanaticism of lone individuals, but was carried out by a single person.

G. K. Zhukov, reflecting on this, wrote:: "What did the fascist troops stumble over when they made their first step on the territory of our country? What first of all prevented them from moving forward at their usual pace? We can firmly say that it is mainly the mass heroism of our troops, their fierce resistance, perseverance, and the greatest patriotism of the army and people."

It is difficult to single out heroes when the whole country in a single patriotic impulse stood up to defend its independence. Entire military units, companies and battalions covered themselves with unfading glory.

The 28 heroes of Captain Pavel Gundilovich's company of the 316th Rifle Division, led by Political instructor Vasily Klochkov, who gave their lives in an unequal battle at the Dubosekovo junction with German tanks, became a symbol of unyielding resilience. The words of the political instructor " Great Russia, but there is nowhere to retreat - Moscow is behind!" they flew all over the world.

In 1945, the Military Council of the 69th Army awarded the honorary name "Battalion of Glory" to the battalion commanded by Major B. N. Yemelyanov of the Guards. All its soldiers and sergeants in full strength-350 people - for the successful breakthrough of the Pulava bridgehead and access to the German border were awarded the Order of Glory. Three participants of this breakthrough became full cavaliers of the Order of Glory. All platoon commanders were awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky, company commanders-the Order of the Red Banner. The battalion commander and platoon commander of the Guards, Lieutenant M. Guryev, became Heroes of the Soviet Union.

The Order of Glory is a soldier's award established in 1943, the prototype of which was the St. George Cross. It is noteworthy that the order had a black and orange ribbon. This symbolized the continuity and continuation of the traditions associated with the St. George awards of the Russian Army. This order was awarded only to private and non-commissioned officers, and in aviation and junior lieutenants who showed courage and fearlessness. The Order of Glory could be awarded to a soldier who destroyed from 10 to 50 fascists, two tanks or three planes. This order was awarded for the capture of an enemy officer, for the fact that the fighter, despising the danger, was the first to break into the enemy bunker, trench, dugout. It was also awarded for saving the Banner of a unit or the life of a commander in battle. Thus, it was not easy to earn the Order of Glory, and the front-line soldiers knew about it. All the more honorable was this battle award. Cavaliers of the Order of Glory fought selflessly, always going ahead, not sparing their lives. Many fell in bloody battles.

The first to receive this award were on July 22, 1944, Lance Corporal M. Patenin and Senior Sergeant K. Shevchenko. However, the Order of Glory of the First degree for No. 1 was awarded to Senior Sergeant N. A. Zaletov on October 5, 1944. During the storming of enemy fortifications on the Karelian Isthmus, at a critical moment in the battle, the company commander was out of action. The commander of the rifle squad, Sergeant Zaletov, showed initiative and resourcefulness. He confidently led the company's soldiers to storm the heavily fortified enemy stronghold. For resourcefulness and courage Zaletov, previously awarded the Order of Glory III and II degrees, and was awarded the Order of Glory I degree for N 1.

During the war years, more than 2580 people became full cavaliers of the Order of Glory, over 46 thousand soldiers were awarded the Order of Glory of the III and II degrees, and about 980 thousand became cavaliers of this Order of the III degree. Several fearless soldiers - gunners Andrey Aleshin and Nikolai Kuznetsov, sailor Pavel Dubinda, pilot Ivan Drachenko-were awarded the Order of Glory of all three degrees and the title Hero of the Soviet Union. Among the full cavaliers of the Order of Glory, there are also women. These are sniper Nina Petrova, air gunner-radio operator Nadezhda Zhurkina-Kiek, medical instructor Matryona Nechepor-chukova and machine gunner Danute Staniliene.

One of the indicators of mass heroism of our soldiers was the collective feats of the Soviet Guard, born in 1941 during the famous Battle of Smolensk. The success of this battle was ensured solely by the heroism, dedication and combat prowess of the personnel of a number of divisions, the military skill of commanders and superiors. For steadfastness in defense, courage and bravery in the offensive, four famous rifle divisions of the Western direction - the 100, 127, 153 and 161st-were the first to be transformed into Guards. They were commanded respectively by General I. N. Russiyanov, Colonels A. Z. Akimenko, N. A. Hagen, and P. F. Moskvitin.

These were the firstborn of the Soviet Army, who opened an account for Guards units and formations. They revived and multiplied the best military traditions of the Russian Guard, which achieved its glory for centuries, fighting for its native Fatherland. In the military exploits of their ancestors, our guardsmen found high examples of perseverance and fearlessness, loyalty to their people.

The ranks of the Guards were awarded to units, ships, formations and associations that fought the enemy courageously and decisively, showed mass heroism and achieved major successes in battles and battles. So, during the Great Patriotic War, 17 armies, 1 cavalry-mechanized group, 82 corps, 215 divisions, 236 brigades and regiments, 1 fortified area, 18 surface ships, 16 submarines, 13 divisional combat boats, 1 marine brigade and a large number of units of various branches of the armed forces and special forces were transformed into guards.

For military personnel of these units, in May 1942, the badge "Guard" was established, and Guards military ranks were introduced. Soon established guards banners of units and formations. The awarding of guard ranks and the presentation of banners was carried out in a solemn atmosphere at rallies, where soldiers swore not to shame the honor of their units, but to carry this honorary title high.

Mass heroism, the great power of patriotism were inherent not only in the soldiers of the active army, but also in the partisans, who brought victory closer to the rear of Hitler's troops. Soldiers and commanders of the Red Army who escaped from Nazi captivity, were sheltered by local residents when wounded, were surrounded or left on the territory occupied by the enemy by order of the command, heroically fought on the land occupied by the enemy. There were more than 1 million people in the partisan detachments. The partisan movement was a factor of strategic importance, providing invaluable assistance to the Soviet Army. The Fascist command was forced to keep 24 divisions in its rear to fight the partisans. The most powerful partisan movement was in Belarus, Orel, Smolensk, Bryansk, Leningrad and Kalinin regions. The main blows of the partisans were inflicted on the enemy's communications. During the war, they destroyed and captured 1.5 million German soldiers, officers and generals (5 percent of the Wehrmacht personnel), blew up 65 thousand cars, 12 thousand bridges, and carried out more than 20 thousand crashes of enemy trains with weapons and equipment. Exploits and names of S. A. Kovpak, A. F. Fedorov, K. S. Zaslonov, N. I. Kuznetsov and thousands of other heroes-partisans, underground fighters and scouts-occupy a worthy place in the military annals of the Motherland.

Among the hundreds of thousands of feats performed by warriors on the battlefields, no two are the same. All of them were committed under different circumstances. But they all had the same foundation - love for the Motherland. The Hero of the Soviet Union, General Dmitry Karbyshev, expressed the deep patriotism of our people in his words while in the dungeons of a nazi concentration camp, where the Nazis tried to persuade him to cooperate: "My beliefs do not fall out with my teeth from a lack of vitamins in the camp diet."

More than 7 million Soviet soldiers were awarded orders and medals for their exploits on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, and 11,603 people became Heroes of the Soviet Union.

Thus, during the Great Patriotic War, soldiers from soldier to marshal showed genuine mass heroism, which was based on boundless love for the Motherland. This was one of the decisive factors of our victory.

In the current military-political situation, when NATO is rushing to Russia's eastern borders, trying to establish world domination, the military personnel of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation must be extremely vigilant, remembering the lessons of the past war and the price that Victory cost us. This is a necessary condition for high combat readiness of the troops and forces of the fleet, a guarantee of preserving the sovereignty of Russia.

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