Why teenagers rushed to the front and for what merits they received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

When the whole country stood up to defend the Motherland, the most ardent maximalists - teenagers, could hardly have stayed on the sidelines. They had to grow up early - to take on back-breaking labor in the rear, but many of them were eager to go to the front, wanting to test themselves in the face of real danger. The guys, despite their young age, showed strength of mind, courage, and self-sacrifice. We tell you about real stories of the exploits of adolescents in the war.

In the central archive of the Ministry of Defense there is information about more than 3, 5 thousand soldiers who were not 16 years old. In addition, in fairness it should be emphasized that not every commander was in a hurry to inform the command that they had a “son of the regiment”. They tried to hide, conceal, change the age in the documents. The confusion in the latter clearly demonstrates this. The real number of years at the time of certain events was found out much later, thanks to other documents.

In addition to these teenagers, there were also completely unaccounted for, who fought in the militia and partisans, often creating their own detachment. Moreover, there were a huge number of these, the saboteurs who operated in almost every settlement in the occupation territories can be attributed to the same unaccounted fighters.

Therefore, if we talk about the real number of teenagers who took part in hostilities during World War II, then we are talking about tens of thousands. And we are unlikely to ever find out about most of the little heroes.

Young and brave

Sergei Aleshkin is called the youngest soldier, at least that's how it appears in the surviving documents. He was born shortly before the war and at the time of the first record of him in the documents, he was only six years old. Moreover, these are award documents. Alyoshkin entered the army in 1942, after his mother and brother were shot for conducting partisan activities. It was then that an orphan was in a military unit (Guards Rifle Division), where they began to take care of him.

In 1943, he was awarded as a favorite of the regiment, which, with its love of life and love, helped the soldiers to overcome difficulties, instilled in them the desire for victory. And in the fall of 1945 he was awarded again as a graduate of the Suvorov military school. However, the story of Alyoshin, who lived with the division, is rather an exception to the rule, because basically those who were in the rear were at least 13-14 years old. Some of them were able to reach Berlin in May 1945.

Young Heroes of the USSR

Among adolescents, there are those who were awarded the highest award of the country of the Soviets - the title of Hero of the USSR. There are four of them, their names are well-known, they fought in different corners, got into different circumstances, met with different people, but behaved equally with dignity and heroism.

Leonid Golikov was the first to be awarded such an honorary title. The corresponding decree was signed in the spring of 1944. The text of the document dryly testifies that "comrade Golikov" was awarded the title of Hero for fulfilling the orders of the command and for the courage he showed in battles.

Golikov was born in 1926 in a tiny village, that is, at the start of the war he was already 15, however, he is often mistakenly called a pioneer hero, although it is obvious that he had outgrown this age by the beginning of the war. He was the only boy in the family and early became the only breadwinner, because his father lost his health and could no longer work - all the burden fell on the boy's shoulders. After finishing the seven-year period, he began to work at a plywood factory.

The village of Golikova was occupied literally a month or two after the start of the war, six months later this territory was liberated by the Red Army. Almost immediately after that, teams of saboteurs began to form here, which included former partisans and volunteers. Lenya was also asked to join the team, but the 15-year-old boy was not taken seriously and did not even consider his candidacy. But his teacher assured that Lenya is a guy you can rely on. This was enough to get into the partisan detachment.

At first he was on the economic side, preparing firewood, preparing food. But this was not enough for the guy, he wanted to test himself in a real battle, in action. Gradually, they began to give him such an opportunity. He began to go to reconnaissance, led subversive activities behind enemy lines. By the summer he managed to distinguish himself and he was awarded a medal. He received it for killing three Germans during one operation and blowing up a car with a German major general during another. In addition, during the second operation, he took the documents, which were classified as "secret".

In total, he managed to take part in almost 30 operations, destroyed about 80 fascists, 14 bridges, 2 warehouses and dozens of enemy vehicles. The partisans were killed in battle, and the title of Hero was awarded posthumously. His memory is immortalized by monuments, streets in different cities bear his name.

Usually boys were eager to join the ranks of volunteers, but Zina Portnova, who also belongs to the category of young and courageous, also bears the title of hero of the Soviet Union. Could the parents of Zina and her younger sister have guessed that by sending the girls to their grandmother for the summer, they are in serious danger? The girls left for Belarus in June 1941, Zina was then 15 years old. Soon enough, the territory was occupied. And almost immediately Zina joins the underground movement "Young Avengers". First, they put up leaflets, and then they began to organize sabotage.

The guys used their age for cover, having gathered for another sabotage, at the sight of the Germans, they began to joke and have fun like ordinary children. Further more, the guys got in touch with an adult partisan detachment, who supplied them with information and explosives. The guys blew up the power plant, then put the factories out of action, and spoiled the water pumping station - the only one in the whole district. The Germans understood perfectly well that a gang of saboteurs was wielding, all forces were thrown into their capture.

However, even during this period, Zina did not flee to the forest to the partisans, but on the contrary, got even closer to the Germans - she gets a job in the kitchen to wash dishes. In this canteen, the officers who were taking training courses dined. On the one hand, this work was beneficial for the girl, because she could take away the leftovers for her sister. Once she found out that the local residents were going to be taken to Germany, then she secretly took her sister to the partisans, and she herself returned to the dining room.

The underground organization, which Zina was a member of, had long planned to carry out a sabotage in which Zina worked, but now the most suitable case has come. She poured poison into the prepared soup, as a result of the use of which more than a hundred officers died. Panic began among the Nazis, they began to look for the guilty ones, checking them with the help of the same soup. Zina ate it calmly, only she got home barely alive. But the grandmother was able to put her granddaughter on her feet.

Zina got over to the partisans. With them, she participated in many operations, once, participating in an operation to identify traitors, she herself became their victim. Some of the residents began to provoke her, calling her a partisan. Zina was seized and tortured, then she snatched a pistol from one of the Germans, killed him and two more. As a result, after terrible torture, she, almost completely gray-haired, was shot. She did not have time to turn 18 years old. Hero of the Soviet Union was assigned to her posthumously.

Valya Kotik received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union also 13 years after the Victory, he is considered the youngest Hero. A hero who never matured. He was born in 1930 in Ukraine, and at the beginning of the war he was in the 6th grade. Quite quickly, his village ended up in the occupied territory.

If some adults had already come to terms with the occupation, then Valya and a few other boys did not even think to do this. First, they collected the weapons they could find and hid them. Fortunately, battles were constantly taking place nearby and after them various weapons periodically remained there. Further - more, they began to steal weapons left unattended from the Germans.

However, Valya was a real saboteur, he hid by the road and managed to throw a grenade at the Nazis' car. So he managed to destroy several opponents, including the commander of the detachment. An underground organization working in this district learned about Vali's tricks, the cunning boy was invited to work under their wing. He began to collect information, some data was transmitted through him. The fascists did not pay attention to the thin boy, but the number of sabotage increased, more and more efforts were made to find the culprits. Everyone literally fell under suspicion, without exception.

When suspicions fell on Valya, he, along with his mother and brother, went into the forest. There he continued his activities together with the partisans. He has many successful operations on his account, he often showed himself not only brave, but also resourceful, he managed to get out of many situations, and age played into his hands.

In 1944, when the front line had already advanced westward, Vali's detachment was to be disbanded, and he himself was to be sent to study. The last operation was coming - the storming of the city. There he was mortally wounded. I could not get out. His merits were appreciated only after a while, and his title of hero is also posthumous.

The merits of another young Hero of the Soviet Union, Marat Kazey, were appreciated even later - 20 years after the Victory. However, in this case, time has put everything in its place. He was born into the family of an ardent Bolshevik in 1929, despite this, his father was accused of sabotage and exiled, there, in exile, he died. When the war began, his mother almost immediately joined the partisan movement. She continued to live in the village, providing all kinds of support to the underground, but the Nazis soon found out about this and shot. The orphaned children joined the partisans.

Marat often went to the Germans' garrisons for information and often returned with useful "booty". The Nazis did not pay special attention to the boy who was scurrying underfoot. But he showed himself not only in intelligence. Once the detachment in which he fought was surrounded by the Nazis. There was nowhere to wait for salvation, and the ring was getting narrower. However, the Boy managed to break through the circle and get to his own - a neighboring partisan detachment, which hastened to help. Thanks to joint efforts, they managed to defeat the enemy.

Returning from another mission, they stumbled upon the punishers, the commander was killed almost immediately, Marat managed to break through, but the cartridges were running out, with only two more grenades. He understood that they would want to take him alive. He let the Germans get as close as possible and detonated a grenade. Marat died, but the partisans heard the explosion and were warned that the enemy was nearby.

Young snipers, pilots and scouts

Young soldiers were not always partisans, although this, of course, was the most acceptable way for them to participate in the struggle for Victory. Vasily Kurka, for example, was a sniper, and this, despite his 16 years. At first they didn't take him anywhere, although he was mobilized, the boy got his way and got into the sniper team.

Throughout the war, he served in the same division where he ended up at first. He rose to the rank of lieutenant, commanded a rifle platoon. On his account there were up to 200 killed fascists, did not live to see Victory less than six months, having received a mortal wound and died.

Often the boys went to the front having lost their parents. But Arkady Kamanin, who became an excellent pilot, on the contrary, went to fight with his father. His father was a legendary pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union, and his son got a job as an aircraft mechanic. At first, the unit perceived Arkady as the general's son - condescendingly and not seriously. However, it soon became clear that the son had not only his father's surname, but also character. He became an excellent pilot, like his father. Arkady died of meningitis, an organism weakened by the war could not survive this test. He was 18 years old.

The fate of Yuri Zhdanko is happier, and this is a rarity among young heroes. He got to the front by accident. The boy went to show the ford of the retreating Red Army, but did not have time to return - there were already Germans in the city. So he left with the unit, becoming the son of the regiment. Huge trials awaited him ahead: he participates in operations to blow up the bridge, breaks out of the encirclement ring and brings help to his battalion.

After being seriously wounded, he, already hung with medals, was sent to the rear. There he enters the Suvorov School, but does not pass for health reasons. Then he studies to be a welder and in this profession he will be able to reach professional heights.

The feat of Alexander Matrosov was repeated by more than 200 people, among them was Anatoly Komar, who at that time was only 15 years old. He began to fight when the front line fell on his hometown, at first he also helped the Red Army men navigate the terrain, and then he got involved in military operations.

His combat path was short. He and his comrades were returning from a reconnaissance operation as they betrayed themselves. The battle began. The enemy had a machine gun. The mosquito threw a grenade, the fire died down, the soldiers rose to attack, and the machine gun resumed fire. The boy was closest to him and without hesitation, he blocked the fire with himself. He managed to defend seconds, but this was the most precious time that was needed for the successful completion of the operation.

Young fighters and their courage are a clear demonstration of patriotism and love for the Motherland and their loved ones. After all, the boys did not at all look back at the difficulties and dangers, they wanted to fight alongside the adults, because they could not do otherwise.