Sergei Gritsevets lived a short, but unusually bright life and left a noticeable mark in the history of Russian aviation. The son of a poor Belarusian peasant, he was born on July 19, 1909 in the village of Borovtsy, now the Baranovichi district of the Brest region. He graduated from 7 classes in 1927. Worked as a laborer in the service of the road on railroad, in "Lnotorg", a locksmith's apprentice in the hilt shop of a mechanical plant in Zlatoust. He graduated from FZU, studied at the evening department of the metallurgical technical school. Since 1931 in the ranks of the Red Army.

In June 1931, on a Komsomol ticket, he arrived at the 3rd Orenburg military school pilots, where he was considered one of the most initiative and capable cadets. Fighting sheets of those years called to be equal in study to Sergei. After graduating from aviation school in September 1932, Gritsevets became a fighter pilot. First he served in the Kiev air brigade, and from December 1933 in the 1st Red Banner IAE in Gatchina. As part of this squadron, he then served on Far East, became chief of the squadron's air rifle service, then was appointed flight commander. From August 1, 1936, he studied at the Odessa School of Air Combat and Aerobatics, then was an instructor pilot there.

A military pilot with a small suitcase was waiting for the tram number 13, as it was called "aviation" here, to go from the Odessa-Glavnaya railway station in the direction of Lustdorf, a seaside children's climate station. The sultry day of the end of July 1936 was approaching, but the morning was not yet hot, and Sergei felt cheerful and light, enjoying the fresh and humid sea air. The mood was excellent.

Almost empty at an early hour, the carriage, having accepted the lonely passenger, ran through the deserted streets, lined with trees in the middle lane, interspersed with subtropical ones. In front of Lyustdorf the tram turned to Ulyanovka and stopped near the checkpoint of the aviation school. Sergei Gritsevets got out, and the car, rattling and ringing, turned into the city.

The core of the aerobatics school was the aviation squadron special purpose... Talented career pilots of the Red Army Air Force, under the guidance of experienced instructors - methodologists, honed the skills of conducting aerial combat here, increased the accuracy of aerial fire, in a word, mastered full course the use of the latest aircraft in combat - the I-16 fighter.

By the end of July 1936, most of the first set of fighter pilots had gathered at the Odessa Air Combat School ...

Sergei wrote to his brother Ivan in Moscow:

"Since August 1, I have been in Odessa and study at school. By the way, the theory is presented very well. I fly a new fighter. I have to work a lot: 7 hours a day and during extracurricular hours we study until 1 - 2 am. This is true , it happens on some days. Our study, it turns out, is designed for a year, but they also say that with an increased pace of study we will finish school in 6 - 8 months. That would be very good. If so, then Galya will live for this time it will be boring for my mother to live apart, but we are no stranger to her. This is the case with us. So far, all the best. Your brother Seryozha ... "

Then it happened in the aviation units. The rank of senior lieutenant was the Acting Flight Commander of the 8th Odessa Pilot School of the Kiev Military District.

In June 1938, as part of a group of 34 pilots, he arrived in Spain to provide assistance to the Republican Air Force. He had the pseudonyms "Sergio" and "Commander Serge".

In battles with enemy aircraft in unequal conditions, when the ratio between republican and Franco aircraft was often 1: 5, he came to the conviction that the only correct tactic of fighting in such conditions could only be a group "falcon strike" - a sudden attack of the enemy by the entire squadron from above, behind.

On August 14, 1938, a group of aircraft, which he commanded, used this new tactical technique for the first time in an air battle. The blow was so unexpected and overwhelming for the enemy that the enemy group lost control. Several enemy vehicles fell to the ground, engulfed in flames. Gritsevets' group in full force returned to the airfield.

In total, in the skies of Spain, Sergei Gritsevets made 88 sorties with a total flight time of 115 hours, in 42 (according to other sources in 24) air battles he shot down 30 enemy aircraft (6 personally and 24 as part of a group).

The pilots of the group under his leadership shot down 85 aircraft. The news of one of his combat missions spread all over the world ...

An air battle with German He-51s and Italian Cr-32s began near the Ebro River over the positions of Lister's corps, to which Spanish and foreign journalists were invited that day. Senior Lieutenant Gritsevets fought in the sky with superior enemy forces. But how! On the "donkey" - as the maneuverable I-16 was nicknamed - Sergey impudently attacked a group of enemy aircraft. The central newspaper of the Spanish communists "Mundo Obrero" reported about this unequal battle: "Sergio, a brave pilot of the Republic, faithful to his military duty, fighting heroically, in one sortie shot down 7 (seven!) Nazi planes (of which 5 Fiats CR-32), but his car was also badly damaged. "

He-51

Fiat CR-32

Many foreign newspapers also wrote about this feat. Among others - the English "Daily News", whose correspondent watched the air battle and even managed to find out the real name of Camarado Sergio. The newspaper came out with a catchy headline: "Russian pilot Sergei Gritsevets is a man of amazing courage." [According to S. V. Abrosov's data, in reality, during one of the sorties to escort the Security Council, Sergei had to fight off 7 Fiats alone, but, according to official documents, he did not declare victories in this battle. Most likely, this is just a beautiful legend. ]

Sergei Gritsevets especially distinguished himself in the final and most difficult battles for the Ebro, where the Germans used the experienced Messera armed with cannons and significantly superior to the I-16 in speed. In just 20 days in August 1938, Soviet and Spanish pilots shot down 72 enemy aircraft.

battle of I-16 with Bf-109

In one of the battles on August 13, 1938, together with the Spanish pilot Sergeant Luis Margalef, he knocked out and forced the German He-111 bomber to land on the republican territory, whose crew was captured.

August 18, 1938 - on the day of Aviation, Gritsevets shot down 2 Italian Fiats. With his pilots, Gritsevets sometimes climbed without oxygen devices to an altitude of up to 7 km, in order from there to unleash a blow on the enemy.

The last time the pilots of Sergei Gritsevets' group participated in the battle on October 15, 1938, when about 100 republican aircraft were taken into the air at once, consisting of 7 squadrons. Then, over the Ebro River in a tense air battle, by the joint efforts of Soviet and Spanish pilots, 3 Messera and 5 Fiats were shot down. Our losses amounted to 3 aircraft (all pilots escaped by parachute).

However, by the time the 113-day battle for the Ebro ended, of the 34 pilots who arrived with Gritsevets in June 1938, only 7 remained in the ranks.

List of famous victories of Senior Lieutenant S.I.Gritsevets:

Otto Bertram

On February 22, 1939, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted a decree stating that for the exemplary fulfillment of special tasks of the government to strengthen the defensive power of the Soviet Union and the personal courage and courage shown at the same time, Senior Lieutenant S.I.Gritsevets was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin himself presented Gritsevets with a certificate of conferring this high title. It should also be noted that the rank of captain Sergei Gritsevets never had: from a senior lieutenant he immediately became a major (December 31, 1938).

In full force strengths character and flying skills of Sergei Gritsevets manifested itself in the Khalkhin-Gol sky in the summer of 1939: lightning-quick resourcefulness, keen observation, a sense of comradely revenue, masterly mastery of piloting technique. In air battles, personally and as part of a group, he shot down 12 Japanese aircraft.

At first, Gritsevets flew the I-16, and when the new I-153 ("Seagulls") were received at the end of June, he was appointed squadron commander of these machines.

In most combat missions of the "Chaeks", the squadron of which Gritsevets was always in the lead, ended with the victory of the Soviet pilots.

So it was in the memorable air battle on August 25, when the ground troops pounded the encircled units of the 6th Japanese Army. On this day, 7 air battles took place over Khalkhin-Gol. More than 200 Soviet and Japanese aircraft took part in one of them.

The battle took place at altitudes up to 6,000 meters. Engines roared over the river valley, machine-gun bursts crackled, planes fell down, leaving plumes of black smoke behind them. And in this whirlwind the "Seagull" of the squadron commander stood out.

In the midst of the battle, Gritsevets noticed how a Japanese fighter was attached to the tail of Leonid Orlov's car. Carried away by the attack, Orlov did not notice this, and then Sergei Gritsevets went head-on to the Japanese. The enemy could not withstand the oncoming attack and soared upward with a candle. Gritsevets gave a short aiming burst at the Japanese pilot. He threw his car into a steep dive, pretended to be hit and falls. But such a trick of the enemy was well known to Gritsevets from the battles in Spain. He immediately dived down for the samurai, caught up with him and shot him at close range. The Japanese fighter, without leaving the dive, crashed into a sand dune.

On June 26, 1939, in the area of ​​Lake Buir-Nur, an air battle with the Japanese began, which lasted about two hours and ended with the complete victory of the Soviet pilots. The enemy lost 15 aircraft. On this day, Sergei Gritsevets performed a feat that became famous throughout the country.

I-153 and I-16 in Mongolia

In the battle, the plane of the commander of the 70th Fighter Aviation Regiment, Major V.M.Zabaluev, was shot down and he parachuted down on the territory occupied by the enemy.

All this was seen by Sergei Gritsevets. Without thinking twice, he landed his car near the landing comrade, helped him get into the cockpit and took off under the fire of the Japanese infantry. This was the first such case in Soviet aviation.

Sergei Ivanovich Gritsevets and Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Zabaluev

In the sky Khalkhin - Gola S. I. Gritsevets made 138 sorties. In air battles, he shot down 12 enemy aircraft (according to some sources - 10 personally and 2 in a group, according to others - all 12 personally).

List of famous victories of Major S.I.Gritsevets in the skies of Mongolia:

On August 29, 1939, for victories in aerial battles and the rescue of the commander, Sergei Gritsevets was awarded the second Gold Star medal of the Hero of the Soviet Union. He was also awarded the Order of the Red Banner (1939) and the Mongolian Order of the Battle Red Banner, 1st degree (08/18/1939).

He was not only an excellent air fighter, but also a wonderful mentor. Dozens of young pilots learned the art of air combat from Gritsevets. He conducted debriefings with them, tactics classes, taught them to combine maneuver and fire: "Only a second is given to the pilot for an aiming burst," he said, "Only one second!"

He really knew how to be the first to give a turn, for some fraction of a second ahead of the enemy. He always attacked unexpectedly, never allowing a template in tactics. By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, it was Gritsevets who was the most productive Soviet pilot- fighter having 42 air victories!

At the beginning of September 1939, Major S. I. Gritsevets, together with a group of pilots headed by corps commander Ya. V. Smushkevich, left for Moscow.

He was appointed an advisor to one of the air brigades of the Belarusian Military District. There was a march of the Red Army troops in Western Ukraine and Western Belarus.

On September 16, Gritsevets with a group of pilots attended a meeting of the District Military Council in Minsk. We returned to our airfield near Orsha at dusk. Gritsevets landed first. Major P.I. opposite side airfield and at high speed crashed into a parked car of Gritsevets.

As a result of the collision, both planes were destroyed, Khara was seriously injured, and Gritsevets was cut off by a propeller blow. So, an absurd accident caused the death of an outstanding Soviet pilot.

The concept of "twice, three times, four times a Hero" seems somewhat strange today, perhaps it would be more correct to talk about being awarded several Gold Star medals. But this is a fact of our history, and it cannot be ignored.
For the first time, three pilots became Heroes twice for military exploits shown in battles with Japanese interventionists on the Khalkhin-Gol River in 1939: Major Sergei Ivanovich Gritsevets and Colonel Grigory Panteleevich Kravchenko (Decree of August 29), as well as corps commander Yakov Vladimirovich Smushkevich (Decree of November 17). The fate of all three was tragic.

Marshal of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Army H. Choibalsan congratulates twice Hero of the Soviet Union S.I.Gritsevets with a high government award
Gritsevets shot down 11 enemy aircraft in the sky of Khalkhin-Gol. He died in a plane crash less than a month after being awarded. Kravchenko, who commanded a fighter regiment on Khalkhin Gol and shot down 7 Japanese aircraft during the conflict, in 1940 became the youngest lieutenant general of the Red Army. In the Great Patriotic War, he successfully commanded an air division, but on February 23, 1943, he died after jumping out of a downed plane and unable to use a parachute (his pull rope was broken by a shrapnel). Smushkevich was arrested in the summer of 1941 and shot in the fall of the same year.
Kravchenko and Gritsevets became the first twice Heroes of the Soviet Union
In 1940, the number of Heroes twice increased by two: the head of the rescue expedition to remove the icebreaker "Georgy Sedov" from the ice, Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Dmitrievich Papanin became twice a Hero (Decree of February 3), the second " Gold Star"For battles in Finland was received by the pilot of the division commander Sergei Prokofievich Denisov (Decree of March 21).

I. D. Papanin at the drifting station SP-1
During the Great Patriotic War, 101 people became twice Heroes, seven of them were posthumous. Pilot Hero of the Soviet Union Lieutenant Colonel Stepan Pavlovich Suprun By the decree of July 22, 1941, he was the first during the Great Patriotic War to be awarded the second Gold Star medal. On June 14, 1942, the first twice Hero appeared, both times awarded this title during the war. This was also a pilot, the commander of the fighter regiment of the Northern Fleet of the Guard, Lieutenant Colonel Boris Feoktistovich Safonov.
Among the twice Heroes were three Marshals of the Soviet Union - Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky, Ivan Stepanovich Konev and Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky, one Chief Marshal of Aviation - Alexander Alexandrovich Novikov, 21 generals and 76 officers. There were no soldiers and sergeants among the twice Heroes.
During the Second World War, 101 people became Heroes twice, 7 of them posthumously
It should be noted that in 1944, the Decrees were promulgated on awarding the navigator of the fighter aviation regiment Major Nikolai Dmitrievich Gulaev (during the war years he made 250 sorties, personally shot down 55 enemy aircraft in 49 air battles) the third Golden Star, as well as a number of pilots of the second "Golden Star", but none of them received awards because of the brawl they arranged in a Moscow restaurant on the eve of receiving. The decrees were canceled.


Nikolay Dmitrievich Gulaev
After the war, the number of Heroes twice continued to increase. In 1948, Lieutenant Colonel, future Chief Marshal of the USSR Aviation, Alexander Ivanovich Koldunov, was awarded the second Gold Star medal. During the war years, Koldunov made 412 sorties, personally shot down 46 enemy aircraft in 96 air battles.
In September 1957, the famous pilot Vladimir Konstantinovich Kokkinaki was awarded the title of twice Hero of the Soviet Union for testing aviation technology, the first he received back in 1938.
In total, 154 people became Heroes of the Soviet Union twice
Marshals of the Soviet Union Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko, Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky, Ivan Khristoforovich Baghramyan, Kirill Semyonovich Moskalenko and Matvey Vasilyevich Zakharov received the second "Gold Star" after the war in connection with various anniversaries, and Admiral of the Soviet Union Fleet Sergei Georgievich Sovetsky Yeremovich Voroshilov and Andrei Antonovich Grechko generally became twice Heroes only in peacetime.

G. T. Beregovoy on the stamp of the USSR Post
In November 1968, pilot-cosmonaut Georgy Timofeevich Beregovoy was awarded the title of twice Hero of the Soviet Union, and he received the first award during the Great Patriotic War for 186 sorties on the Il-2 attack aircraft. In 1969, the first cosmonauts appeared - twice Heroes, who received both "Stars" for space flights: Colonel Vladimir Alexandrovich Shatalov and Candidate of Technical Sciences Alexei Stanislavovich Eliseev (Decree of October 22). In 1971, they were both the first in the world to make a space flight for the third time, but the third Golden Stars were not given to them: perhaps because this flight was unsuccessful and was interrupted on the second day. In the future, the cosmonauts who completed the third and even the fourth space flight did not receive additional "Stars", but were awarded the Order of Lenin. Only 35 people received the title of twice Hero for space exploration.
The last twice Hero was the commander tank brigade Major General Hazi Agadovich Aslanov, posthumously awarded the second rank (Decree of June 21, 1991).
A.I. Pokryshkin - the first three times Hero of the Soviet Union
In total, 154 people became Heroes of the Soviet Union twice. The overwhelming majority of them - 71 people - are pilots, 15 tankers, 3 sailors, 2 partisans. The only woman among the twice Heroes is pilot-cosmonaut Svetlana Evgenievna Savitskaya, daughter of twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Air Marshal Evgeny Yakovlevich Savitsky.

Svetlana Evgenievna Savitskaya
On August 19, 1944, Colonel Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin became the first three times Hero of the Soviet Union, who during the war years flew 650 sorties, conducted 156 air battles, and personally shot down 59 enemy aircraft. In 1945, Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov, who was awarded the fourth "Star" (Decree of December 1, 1956) on the occasion of his 60th birthday, and Major Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub, became Heroes three times.
After the war, in connection with various anniversaries, Marshal of the Soviet Union Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny became Hero three times and Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev became Hero four times.

Hero of the Soviet Union - the highest title, the greatest distinction and achievement that could only be achieved in the USSR. The award in the form of a golden star, universal respect and honor were received by those who performed a real feat during a war or other hostilities, as well as in peacetime, but, most likely, this was a rare exception than the rule. It was not easy to get such a title once, what can we say about those who have been awarded it several times?

Twice Hero of the Soviet Union ... There were as many as 154 such exceptionally brave people. Of these, 23 have survived to this day - this is data as of November 2014.

The first twice heroes of the USSR

They were pilots. They received their awards back in 1939 during clashes with Japanese fighters. They are Colonel Kravchenko, Major Gritsevets and Corps Commander Smushkevich. Unfortunately, fate was ruthless to them. The pilot, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Gritsevets, having shot down a dozen enemy fighters in the sky, died a month after receiving the award.

The plane crash also claimed the life of Kravchenko. By the way, he became the youngest lieutenant general in the USSR. He was then only 28 years old. During the war, he commanded an entire air division, eliminated 7 enemy aircraft in the Japanese sky. During one of the flights, he jumped out of a burning car, but his parachute did not open due to a cable broken by a shell fragment.

As for Smushkevich, after all his valor in Spain in 1937 and receiving the highest awards, in June 1941, representatives of the NKVD took him into custody. The hero was accused of conspiracy and campaigning aimed at reducing the defense capability of the Red Army. He was shot several months after his arrest.

Boris Safonov

One of those who first received the title "Twice Hero of the Soviet Union" was this world-famous pilot. He distinguished himself already in the first air battles with the Nazis in 1941. They say that the Germans, when they noticed his plane on the horizon, passed a message to each other: "Safonov is in the air." This was the signal for all enemy fighters to return to base immediately. With the Soviet pilot, they were afraid not only to go into battle one-on-one, even a whole group of aircraft tried not to collide with him in the sky.

Soviet attack aircraft, whose combat vehicles were brightly painted, became the first targets of the Nazis. They were easy to notice, they annoyed and aroused aggression from the enemy. Safonov had two huge inscriptions on board: "Death to the Nazis" and "For Stalin." Despite this, for a long time he managed not only to survive, but also to have the highest rates of downed enemy fighters. Safonov's exploits were also celebrated in Great Britain. He received the highest aviation award of this country - "For Outstanding Flight Merit". The hero died in May 1942 in battle.

Leonov Victor Nikolaevich

They were two namesakes who received this high award. And I want to tell you about these courageous people, so different, but such significant feats of which are inscribed in golden letters in the history of our homeland. The first is twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Viktor Nikolaevich Leonov. In 1944, his detachment, fearlessly attacking the enemy and capturing the Germans, created all the conditions for the Soviet troops to successfully land in the port of Liinakhamari and liberate the cities: Finnish Petsamo and Norwegian Kirkenes.

The second time he showed valor and courage, in fact, in peacetime. In 1945, during the continuation of the confrontation between the Soviet and Japanese states, his detachment several times took thousands of soldiers and officers prisoner, fought with the enemy for many days in a row and seized ammunition depots. For all these merits, he again received the highest award. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union Viktor Nikolaevich Leonov continued to serve for the good of the Motherland after the war. He died in 2003.

Alexey Leonov

Viktor Nikolayevich's namesake did not run under bullets and did not blow up dugouts, but his deeds not only glorified him, but the entire Soviet Union. Alexey Arkhipovich - famous astronaut... He received a high award for being the first in the history of mankind to venture into outer space. His famous "walk" lasted 12 minutes and 9 seconds. He showed his valor when, due to a damaged swollen spacesuit, he could not return to the ship. But taking strength into a fist and showing ingenuity in unforeseen conditions, he guessed to siphon excess pressure from his clothes and got on board.

For the second time, the title "Hero of the Soviet Union" was awarded to him for the fact that, being the commander of the Soyuz 19 spacecraft, he successfully completed the docking operation with the American Apollo. Neither Soviet cosmonauts nor their fellow astronauts have seen anything like this before. Therefore, Leonov's feat gave impetus to the further active development of the stellar expanses. He became an example for all young astronauts, and he still is, as he is one of the living heroes. In 2014, he turned 80 years old.

The feat of the Kazakhs

This nation played a big role in the destruction of fascism and the Third Reich. Like other republics of the USSR, Kazakhstan during the Second World War did everything for the front. More than a million ordinary soldiers volunteered for the battlefield. 50 regiments and battalions were mobilized, 7 rifle brigades, 4 cavalry and 12 rifle divisions... Kazakhs were among the first to burst into the Berlin City Hall, painting the walls of the Reichstag. Many of them, not thinking about themselves, covered enemy pillboxes with their bodies and dropped their planes onto German "freight trains".

Five of them have won the highest award several times. Twice heroes of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstanis: Leonid Beda, Sergei Lugansky, Ivan Pavlov. For example, the first on this list, an assault aircraft, shot down hundreds of enemy aircraft. The pilot Begeldinov is legendary today. Another Kazakh, Vladimir Dzhanibekov, became the fifth in this list, but after the war. He became famous as an outstanding astronaut. In addition, during the war years, about 500 representatives of this nation became once heroes of the USSR, and their exploits will also never be forgotten.

Svetlana Savitskaya

The list of Heroes of the USSR includes 95 surnames of the fair sex. But only one of them managed to receive the highest award several times. A woman, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, she absorbed the desire to be the best with her mother's milk. Many character traits were passed on by genes, many of this strong personality brought up in itself.

Her father Yevgeny Savitsky, by the way, is also twice a Hero, during the war he was an air marshal. Behind my mother's back, there are also many combat missions and shot down Nazi planes. It is not surprising that the daughter of such parents entered the flight school. But the woman never used her father's connections, but she achieved everything herself. She became the second female astronaut after Tereshkova. Worked in open space rubbing his nose on American astronauts. She has nine world records in jet aircraft, three in group jumps from the stratosphere with a parachute. Savitskaya received the title of world champion in aerobatics on piston aircraft.

Amet-Khan-Sultan

The famous pilot is remembered and revered in his native Dagestan. The airport, streets, squares and parks are named in his honor. But Soviet citizens many years ago argued that twice Amet Khan Sultan also had another homeland: the city of Yaroslavl. He was recognized as an honorary citizen of this settlement, and a monument was erected to him. Old-timers remember this young boy of 21, who was not afraid to go to ram with an enemy plane right above the rooftops and thereby save the city from bombing.

The ejected pilot was picked up locals and bandaged his wounds. And the German Messer, knocked out by him, was dragged into the center and put on public display, as an example of the valor and courage of a simple Soviet youth. Throughout the war, he repeatedly showed his heroism, so the awards he received are absolutely deserved. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union reached Berlin and fought his last battle on April 29, 1945, just a week before the Great Victory.

Ivan Boyko

Heroes were not only among the pilots. In the Great Patriotic War, tankers, including Ivan Boyko, distinguished themselves more than once. He fought in Belarus, in the Smolensk direction and commanded a tank regiment, which distinguished himself on the Ukrainian front during the Zhitomir-Berdychev operation. Having traveled almost 300 kilometers, the tankers liberated a hundred cities. They captured 150 Germans with all their guns and combat vehicles. We defeated several enemy echelons, and seized a strategically important cargo from them.

The second time the tank regiment distinguished itself near the Ukrainian cities of Chernivtsi and Novoselitsa. The fighters under Boyk's leadership not only freed these settlements, but also captured many enemy soldiers and officers. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union ended the war on the ruins of the Reichstag. In the city of Kazatin, a memorial bust was erected to the valiant tanker, he became an honorary citizen in Chernivtsi. Has many medals, orders and other awards. He died in 1975 in Kiev.

Sergey Gorshkov

The title "Hero of the Soviet Union" among the naval fraternity received not so many soldiers and officers. But Sergei Gorshkov succeeded. He directed the landing of the first amphibious assault on the Black Sea, which further contributed to the successful counteroffensive of the Red Army units in this area. He commanded the Azov and Danube military flotillas. In 1944 he rose to the rank of vice admiral.

Sergei Gorshkov took part in the battles for the liberation of Hungary from the invaders. His last military operation was the capture of Guerjen, which he called the ideal foothold for an offensive towards Balaton. After reaching the lake, the Red Army could surround Budapest and expel the enemy from there. Operation was successfully completed. And at the beginning of 1945, Gorshkov was assigned to command the Black Sea Fleet. In this rank, he met a victory over the Third Reich. He received the highest awards for exceptional courage, courage and valor during the struggle against the invaders, for the skillful leadership of the troops entrusted to him.

Afanasy Shilin

The first time he received the highest award in the winter of 1944 for a successful one. Here he showed courage, which helped our soldiers to hold a bridgehead on the right bank. In this battle, Shilin independently managed to eliminate two machine-gun crews of the Germans, two officers and 11 soldiers. When the Fritzes surrounded him, he did not hesitate to summon fire on himself. Thanks to this, our troops managed to gain a foothold on the bridgehead and push the enemy far back.

The second time he was awarded as the head of a group that successfully reconnoitered the territory and destroyed the weapons of the Nazis. As a result, the enemy's plan to capture the Magnushevsky bridgehead was thwarted. He personally stormed the enemy's strongholds, and in battles on Polish soil, being wounded and almost unconscious, he threw a bunch of grenades into the bunker and destroyed it. Thanks to this, the Red Army launched an offensive.

Twice Heroes of the Soviet Union ... The list includes the names of pilots and cosmonauts, sea wolves and tankers, gunners and partisans. But even more of those who, having shown exceptional courage, died unknown, were exiled or repressed, despite their merits and loyal service to the Fatherland. You need to remember not only the awarded war participants, but all privates and officers without exception, each of whom is a Hero.

If you write about those who are three times Heroes of the Soviet Union, the list would be three names, but I will write about four. I'll start with Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov - four Heroes, well, where there are four, there are three, right?

Georgy Konstantinoich Zhukov is a gifted military leader and a bright personality, the name of Zhukov is a synonym for Victory.

Georgy Zhukov was born in 1896 in the village of Strelkovka in the Kaluga Region. After graduating from the parish school, he entered the furrier's workshop. Later he graduated from the city school in the evening department. Military career Zhukov began during the First World War. As part of the cavalry regiment, Zhukov distinguished himself in hostilities and was twice awarded the St. George Cross, a high award in the Russian Empire. In 1918, Georgy Zhukov entered service in the ranks of the Red Army, commanded a cavalry corps, showed himself to be a talented commander and organizer of hostilities. In July 1938, Zhukov was the commander of a group of Soviet troops in Mongolia. Zhukov received the first star of the Hero of the Soviet Union for leading the operation in Mongolia and defeating the Japanese on the Khalkin-Gol River. In this operation, Zhukov actively and successfully used tanks to encircle and destroy the enemy.

During the Great Patriotic War, Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov was Deputy Supreme Commander-in-Chief. During the war, Zhukov received military rank Marshal of the Soviet Union. He commanded the fronts: the troops of the Leningrad Front and the Baltic Fleet stopped the advance of the German army, troops Western Front army was defeated "Center" Zhukov was personally the coordinator of actions on the fronts near Stalingrad (1942), on Kursk Bulge(1943) and during the breaking of the blockade in Leningrad (1943). The name of Zhukov is associated with the liberation of the Right-Bank Ukraine, the Bagration operation in Belarus, the capture of Warsaw, the Vistula-Oder operation and the powerful Berlin operation. Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov personally received on May 8, 1945 unconditional surrender Germany from the German Field Marshal W. von Keitel.

Georgy Zhukov became the Hero of the Soviet Union four times. Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov received his fourth star of the Hero of the Soviet Union for suppressing the Hungarian uprising in 1956.

The book has been published in thirty countries and translated into nineteen languages. It is noteworthy that the first edition of the book was in West Germany, in the Federal Republic of Germany, in 1968.

Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin, three times Hero of the Soviet Union. Born in 1913 in the city of Novonikolaevsk (Novosibirsk), in a working class family. After completing the seven-year school, Alexander began to work in a locksmith's workshop, then graduated from an aviation school in Perm, and by the beginning of the Great Patriotic War was the deputy squadron commander on the Southern Front.

The proximity to the border led to the fact that the airfield where Pokryshkin worked was bombed on the first day of the war. Moreover, in the first days of the war, Pilot Pokryshkin shot down a Soviet plane by mistake, mistaking it for an enemy flying machine. This was partly due to the fact that the Su system aircraft appeared just before the war, their appearance was not standard, many pilots did not yet know them. The pilot of the plane shot down by mistake survived, but the navigator died. The failures of the first days prompted Pokryshkin to carefully analyze all his combat missions, changing the outdated tactics of the military air force Soviet Union. Alexander Pokryshkin said that "the one who did not fight in 1941-1942 is real war does not know. "Pokryshkin received the Order of Lenin for being able to deliver data on the location of enemy tanks near Rostov in difficult weather conditions.

Pokryshkin received the first Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union for thirteen downed enemy aircraft and participation in more than fifty combat missions.

Alexander Pokryshkin received the second title of Hero of the Soviet Union for brilliantly and talentedly showing himself in air battles in the south, in the Kuban. From here began the famous "Kuban Shelf" - a series of fighters that accompanied the offensive of our troops from the air. Pokryshkin always tried to take on an important task - to shoot down the enemy's leading aircraft and thereby demoralize the enemy.

Twenty-two German aircraft were shot down in the battles. The glory of Pokryshkin and his students thundered throughout the country. In 1943-1944, Pokryshkin's career was "at its zenith": fifty-three enemy aircraft were shot down, more than half a thousand sorties were made. And in August 1944, Alexander Pokryshkin received the third Star, thus becoming the first three times Hero of the Soviet Union. Aleskandr Pokryshkin died in Moscow in 1985, and was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery.

Every Soviet schoolchild knew that Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub was a pilot, three times Hero of the Soviet Union. Born in Ukraine, in the Chernigov province, in 1920, in the family of a church elder. Having become a student of the chemical-technological technical school in the city of Shostka, he began to study at the flying club. He graduated from the aviation military school, worked as a flight instructor.

The beginning of the war turned out to be chaotic and very dangerous for Sergeant Kozhedub. In the very first air battle, his aircraft LA-5 ("Lavochkin") was shot down by a German fighter, and during landing the plane was fired upon by mistake by Soviet anti-aircraft guns. All this, of course, speaks of the inconsistency and unpreparedness of the actions of the pilots at the very beginning of the war. Yes, and there were no good planes for a long time, I had to fly on practically decommissioned equipment from hangars.

After several dozen combat sorties, Ivan Kozhedub seemed to burst through: first, on the Kursk Bulge, he shot down a German bomber, the next day another, and then two fighters at once. Kozhedub was distinguished by the fact that he could "completely merge with the flying machine" and knew how to shoot accurately. Kozhedub was very brave, often went to risky frontal attacks, even when the enemy's forces were several times superior. When the government awarded Senior Lieutenant Kozhedub for the first time with the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, he had almost one hundred and fifty combat missions and twenty aircraft personally shot down by him. And in August 1944, the second star of the Hero of the Soviet Union was on Kozhedub's chest. Already in 1945, in a battle over the Oder, Kozhedub, together with his partner Dmitry Titorenko, shot down the newest German fighter-bomber at high altitude. By the end of the war, Ivan Kozhedub personally shot down 64 German aircraft and made 330 sorties. And during his last battle, on April 17, 1945, Ivan Kozhedub shot down two enemy fighters at once.

Ivan Kozhedub received the third star of the Hero of the Soviet Union in August 1945. After the war, Ivan Kozhedub continued to serve in the Air Force, in 1985 he became Air Marshal, died in 1991, and was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery.

Budyonny Semyon Mikhailovich - Marshal of the Soviet Union, three times Hero of the Soviet Union.

Born in 1883 on the Kazyurin farm (today - the territory of the city of Rostov-on-Don). After being drafted into the army in 1903, Budyonny remained to serve extra urgently, took part in Russo-Japanese War 1903-1904. Having received the honorary title "The best rider" in his regiment, Budyonny was sent to the rider courses in St. Petersburg at the Cavalry School. Then he served in a cavalry division on the Austrian-German and Caucasian fronts. As part of the reconnaissance regiment, they captured German transports and took the enemy prisoner, carried out attacks on the Turkish front and captured the enemy's guns, took Turkish soldiers prisoner. For the courage shown, Budyonny became full cavalier George cross four degrees ("St. George's bow").

In 1918, Budyonny led the revolutionary cavalry detachment on the Don. Budyonny's detachment acted against the White Guards and soon grew up and became a division, and later - the First Cavalry Army, at the head of which Budyonny was appointed.

Under the leadership of Semyon Budyonny, serious work was carried out at the stud farm and new breeds of horses with the names "Terskaya" and "Budenovskaya" were bred. Budyonny was also noted for the fact that in 1923 he arrived in Chechnya, in Urus-Martan and announced the creation of the Chechen Autonomous Region. Budyonny invested a lot in the development of the stud farm in Uspenko

Budyonny was one of the first five generals to be awarded the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union. Since 1940, Budyonny is the first deputy of the People's Commissar of Defense in the USSR. During the war, Budyonny, as part of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, took part in the defense of Moscow. Budyonny insisted on the urgent formation of new cavalry divisions light type instead of heavily reduced before the war (due to their incomparability in combat conditions with tanks and other equipment). Budyonny always considered cavalry to be a "breakthrough weapon".

Marshal Budyonny, being the commander-in-chief of the Southern Front, ordered to blow up the Dneproges. Water gushed out, soldiers of both the German and the Red Army, civilians, livestock were killed, the water flooded vast spaces.

Later, Budyonny submitted to the Headquarters a proposal on the need to retreat in the Kiev area due to the threat of encirclement. Stalin removed Budyonny from the command of the Southern Front and replaced him with Timoshenko. Although later it turned out that Budyonny was right, in Kiev the front troops fell into a cauldron and were defeated. After that, Budyonny was appointed commander of the Reserve Front and the troops of the North Caucasian Front, and since 1943, Semyon Budyonny was the commander of the Red Army cavalry. Since 1953 - inspector of cavalry, was a member of the Presidium of DOSAAF.

Semyon Budyonny was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union three times (in 1958, 1963 and 1968). Buried Budyonny at the Kremlin wall.