Leonid Alexandrovich Golikov was born on June 17, 1926 in the village of Lukino, Novgorod Region, into a working-class family. His school biography "fit" in only seven classes, after which he went to work at the plywood factory No. 2 in the village of Parfino.

In the summer of 1941, the village was occupied by the Nazis. The boy saw with his own eyes all the horrors of German domination, and therefore, when in 1942 (after liberation) partisan detachments began to form, the guy without hesitation decided to join them.

However, he was denied this desire, referring to his young age - Lena Golikov at that time was 15 years old. It is not known how his biography would have developed further, unexpected help came in the person of the boy's school teacher, who at that time was already in the partisans. Leni's teacher said that this "student will not let you down" and later turned out to be right.

So, in March 1942, L. Golikov became a scout of the 67th detachment of the Leningrad Partisan Brigade. Later, he joined the Komsomol there. In total, on the combat account of his biography, there are 27 military operations, during which the young partisan destroyed 78 enemy officers and soldiers, as well as 14 undermining bridges and 9 enemy vehicles.

The feat accomplished by Lenya Golikov

The most significant feat in his military biography was accomplished on August 13, 1942, not far from the village of Varnitsa, on the Luga-Pskov highway. Being in reconnaissance with a partner Alexander Petrov, Golikov blew up an enemy car. As it turned out, Major General of the German engineering troops Richard Wirtz was in it, a briefcase with documents found with him was taken to the headquarters. Among them were diagrams of minefields, important inspection reports of Wirtz to higher authorities, detailed outlines of several samples of German mines, and others very necessary for partisan movement the documents.

Per perfect feat Lenya Golikov was nominated for the title of Hero Soviet Union and awarded with the Gold Star medal. Unfortunately, he did not have time to get them.

In December 1942, the Germans launched a large-scale operation, under the persecution of which the detachment in which the hero fought also fell. January 24, 1943, he and more than 20 people, exhausted by the chase, went to the village of Ostraya Luka. After making sure that there were no Germans in it, we stopped for the night in the three outermost houses. The enemy garrison was not so far away, it was decided not to post sentries, so as not to attract unnecessary attention. Among the villagers there was a traitor who told the headman of the village in which houses the partisans were hiding.

Some time later, Ostraya Luka was surrounded by 150 punishers, which included local residents who collaborated with the Nazis, and Lithuanian nationalists.

Taken by surprise, the partisans heroically entered the battle, only six of them managed to escape alive from the encirclement. Only on January 31, exhausted and frostbitten (plus two seriously wounded), were they able to reach the regular Soviet troops. They reported on the dead heroes, among whom was the young partisan Lenya Golikov. For his courage and repeated feats, April 2, 1944, he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

At first, it was believed that Lenya Golikov did not have a genuine photograph. Therefore, for the image of the hero (for example, for the portrait created by Viktor Fomin in 1958), his own sister, Lida, was used. And although later a partisan photo was found, it was the image of his sister that began to decorate his biography and symbolize Lenya Golikov and his exploits for millions of Soviet pioneers.

Biographies and exploits of Heroes of the Soviet Union and holders of Soviet orders:

On February 11, 1930, Valya Kotik was born - the youngest Hero of the Soviet Union, a young reconnaissance partisan. Along with him, many children performed feats in the war. We decided to recall a few more pioneer heroes of World War II.

Valya Kotik

1. Valya Kotik was born into a peasant family in the village of Khmelevka, Shepetovsky district, in the Kamenetz-Podolsk region of Ukraine. This territory was occupied German troops. When the war began, Valya had just entered the sixth grade. However, he accomplished a lot. At first, he was collecting weapons and ammunition, drawing and pasting caricatures of the Nazis. Then the teenager was entrusted with more meaningful work. On the boy's account, he worked as a liaison in an underground organization, several battles in which he was wounded twice, a break in the telephone cable, through which the invaders were connected with Hitler's headquarters in Warsaw. In addition, Valya blew up six railway echelons and a warehouse, and in October 1943, while on patrol, he threw grenades into an enemy tank, killed a German officer and warned the detachment in time about the attack, thereby saving the lives of soldiers. The boy was mortally wounded in the battle for the city of Izyaslav on February 16, 1944. After 14 years, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In addition, he was awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order Patriotic War I degree and medal "Partisan of the Patriotic War" II degree.

Petr Klypa

2. When the war began, Petya Klype was in his fifteenth year. On June 21, 1941, Petya, together with his friend Kolya Novikov, a boy a year or a year and a half older than him, who was also a pupil in the music platoon, watched a movie in the Brest Fortress. It was especially crowded there. In the evening, Petya decided not to return home, but to spend the night in the barracks with Kolya, and in the morning the boys were going to go fishing. They did not yet know that they would wake up among the thundering explosions, seeing blood and death around them ... The assault on the fortress began on June 22 at three o'clock in the morning. Jumping out of bed, Petya was thrown against the wall by the explosion. He hit hard and lost consciousness. Coming to his senses, the boy immediately grabbed his rifle. He coped with the excitement and helped his senior comrades in everything. In the following days of defense, Petya went to reconnaissance, carried ammunition and medical supplies for the wounded. Risking his life all the time, Petya performed difficult and dangerous tasks, participated in battles and at the same time was always cheerful, cheerful, constantly sang some song, and the mere sight of this daring, resilient boy raised the spirit of the fighters, added strength to them. What can we say: since childhood, he chose a military vocation for himself, looking at his older lieutenant brother, and wanted to become the commander of the Red Army (from the book by S.S. Smirnov "Brest Fortress" - 1965) By 1941, Petya had already served for several years in the army as a pupil of the regiment and during this time he became a real military man.
When the situation in the fortress became hopeless, they decided to send children and women into captivity to try to save them. When Petya was told about this, the boy was indignant. “Am I not a Red Army soldier?” he asked the commander indignantly. Later, Petya and his comrades managed to swim across the river and break through the ring of Germans. He was taken prisoner, and even there Petya was able to distinguish himself. The guys were attached to a large column of prisoners of war, which, under a strong escort, was led beyond the Bug. They were filmed by a group of German cameramen - for the military chronicle. Suddenly, all black from dust and powder soot, a half-dressed and bloodied boy, walking in the front row of the column, raised his fist and threatened right into the camera lens. I must say that this act seriously infuriated the Germans. The boy was almost killed. But he survived and lived for a long time.
It does not fit in my head, but the young hero was imprisoned for not denouncing a comrade who committed a crime. Of the prescribed 25 years in Kolyma, he spent seven.

Vilor Chekmak

3. Vilor Chekmak, a partisan resistance fighter, had just finished 8 classes by the beginning of the war. The boy had a congenital heart disease, despite this, he went to war. A 15-year-old teenager, at the cost of his life, saved the Sevastopol partisan detachment. November 10, 1941 he was on patrol. The guy noticed the approach of the enemy. Having warned the detachment of the danger, he alone accepted the battle. Vilor fired back, and when the cartridges ran out, he let the enemies close to him and blew himself up with a grenade along with the Nazis. He was buried at the cemetery of WWII veterans in the village of Dergachi near Sevastopol. After the war, Vilor's birthday became the Day of the Young Defenders of Sevastopol.

Arkady Kamanin

4. Arkady Kamanin was the youngest pilot of World War II. He started flying when he was only 14 years old. This is not at all surprising, given that the boy had before his eyes the example of his father, the famous pilot and military leader N.P. Kamanin. Arkady was born on Far East, and subsequently fought on several fronts: Kalinin - from March 1943; 1st Ukrainian - from June 1943; 2nd Ukrainian - since September 1944. The boy flew to the headquarters of divisions, to the command posts of the regiments, handed over food to the partisans. The teenager was awarded the first award at the age of 15 - it was the Order of the Red Star. Arkady saved the pilot who crashed in the neutral zone of the Il-2 attack aircraft. Later he was also awarded the Order of the Red Banner. The boy died at the age of 18 from meningitis. During his, albeit short, life, he made more than 650 sorties and flew 283 hours.

Lenya Golikov

5. Another young Hero of the Soviet Union - Lenya Golikov - was born in the Novgorod region. When the war came, he finished seven classes. Leonid was a scout of the 67th detachment of the fourth Leningrad partisan brigade. He participated in 27 combat operations. On account of Leni Golikov, 78 Germans were killed, he destroyed 2 railway and 12 highway bridges, 2 food and feed depots and 10 vehicles with ammunition. In addition, he was the escort of a convoy with food, which was taken to besieged Leningrad.
The feat of Leni Golikov in August 1942 is especially famous. On the 13th, he was returning from reconnaissance from the Luga-Pskov highway, not far from the village of Varnitsy, Strugokrasnensky district. The boy threw a grenade and blew up the car with the German major general of engineering troops, Richard von Wirtz. The young Hero died in battle on January 24, 1943.

Volodya Dubinin

6. Volodya Dubinin died at the age of 15. The pioneer hero was a member of a partisan detachment in Kerch. Together with two other guys, he carried ammunition, water, food for the partisans, and went on reconnaissance.
In 1942, the boy volunteered to help his adult comrades - sappers. They cleared the approaches to the quarries. There was an explosion - a mine was blown up, and with it one of the sappers and Volodya Dubinin. The boy was buried in the military grave of the partisans. He was posthumously awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
In honor of Volodya, a city was named, streets in several settlements, a film was made and two books were written.

Marat with his sister Ariadna

7. Marat Kazei was 13 years old when his mother died, and he and his sister went to the partisan detachment. Mother, Anna Kazei, was hanged by the Germans in Minsk because she hid the wounded partisans and treated them.
Marat's sister, Ariadna, had to be evacuated - the girl froze both legs when the partisan detachment left the encirclement, and they had to be amputated. However, the boy refused to be evacuated and remained in the ranks. For courage and courage in battles, he was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree, the medals "For Courage" (wounded, raised partisans to attack) and "For Military Merit". The young partisan died after being blown up by a grenade. The boy blew himself up so as not to surrender and not bring trouble to the inhabitants of the nearby village.

A pioneer hero who was not a pioneer died because of a betrayal that they preferred not to remember.
Not pioneer age
Among the children and adolescents who distinguished themselves during the Great Patriotic War and subsequently included in the list of "pioneer heroes", there were four who were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union - Valya Kotik, Marat Kazei, Zina Portnova and Lenya Golikov.
During the period of perestroika, when the heroes Soviet era were subjected to mass "exposure", this four also got it in full. Among the numerous claims, there was also this - in fact, the "pioneers" were older than the age attributed to them.
Our esteemed readers, who had time to get acquainted with the materials about Marat Kazei, Val Kotik and Zina Portnova, could make sure that the accusations of forgery were unfair - Marat and Valya were indeed pioneers, and Zina, being a pioneer, began her activity as an underground worker.
With Lenya Golikov, the story is different - he was undoubtedly a pioneer, undoubtedly a hero, but he got into the list of pioneer heroes through the efforts of people who clearly "wanted the best."
Lenya Golikov was born into a working-class family living in the Novgorod region, in the village of Lukino, on June 17, 1926. Like most young heroes, his pre-war biography is nothing special - he graduated from seven classes of school, managed to work at a plywood factory.
An important point - according to the regulations on the pioneer organization, its members at that time could be persons aged 9 to 14 years. On June 17, 1941, Lena Golikov turned 15, that is, he finally left the pioneer age a few days before the war.
We’ll talk about how he “became a pioneer” again a little later, but for now, about how Lenya became a partisan.
To partisans by recommendation
The area of ​​the village of Lukino was under Nazi occupation, but was recaptured in March 1942. It was during this period that in the liberated territory, by the decision of the Leningrad headquarters of the partisan movement, from among the fighters of the previously operating partisan detachments, as well as young volunteers, a partisan brigade was formed, which was supposed to go to the enemy rear to continue the fight against the Nazis.
Among the guys and girls who survived the occupation and wanted to fight the enemy was Lenya Golikov, who at first was not accepted.
Lena at that time was 15, and the commanders who selected the fighters felt that he was too young. They took him thanks to the recommendation of a school teacher, who also joined the partisans, and assured that "the student will not let you down."
The student really did not disappoint - as part of the 4th Leningrad Partisan Brigade, he took part in 27 military operations, chalking up several dozen destroyed Nazis, 10 destroyed vehicles with ammunition, more than a dozen blown up bridges, etc.
Lenya Golikov received his first award, the medal "For Courage", already in July 1942. Everyone who knew Lenya when he was a partisan noted his courage and courage.
One day, returning from reconnaissance, Lenya went to the outskirts of the village, where he found five Germans looting in the apiary. The Nazis were so engrossed in extracting honey and brushing off bees that they put their weapons aside. The scout took advantage of this, destroying three Germans. The remaining two fled.
One of Leni's most striking operations took place on August 13, 1942, when partisans attacked a car on the Luga-Pskov highway, in which the German Major General of the Engineering Troops Richard von Wirtz was located.
The Nazis put up fierce resistance, but Lenya, having reached the car, together with his partner, grabbed a suitcase with valuable documents.
It must be said that in the classic stories about Len Golikov it was often stated that he almost single-handedly attacked the general's car. This is not true. But the fact that the main merit in the extraction of documents belongs to him is undoubtedly.
The documents were forwarded to the Soviet command, and Lenya himself was presented to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. However, the documents, apparently, were not so significant - in November 1942, Lenya was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for this feat.
Heroes and traitors
Alas, the partisan biography, like Lenya's life, turned out to be short-lived. In December 1942, the Nazis launched a large-scale anti-partisan operation, pursuing the detachment in which Lenya Golikov fought. It was impossible to break away from the enemy.
On January 24, 1943, a group of partisans consisting of just over 20 people went to the village of Ostraya Luka. There were no Germans in the settlement, and exhausted people stopped to rest in three houses. After some time, the village was surrounded by a detachment of punishers in the amount of 150 people, made up of local traitors and Lithuanian nationalists. The guerrillas, who were taken by surprise, nevertheless joined the battle.
Only a few people were able to break out of the encirclement, and later reported to the headquarters about the death of the detachment. Lenya Golikov, like most of his comrades, died in battle in Ostraya Luka.
The organs of the NKVD and the Soviet counterintelligence during the war years conducted a thorough investigation in order to establish the causes of the death of certain partisan formations. So it was in this case.
Thanks to the testimonies of the villagers obtained after the liberation from the occupation, as well as the testimonies of the surviving partisans, it was established that Lenya Golikov and his comrades fell victims of betrayal.
Someone Stepanov, a resident of one of the houses where the partisans stopped, reported them to the headman Pykhov, who informed the punishers about the partisans, whose detachment was in the village of Krutets.
Pykhov received a generous reward from the Nazis for the services rendered. However, during the retreat, the owners of the accomplice did not take with them. In early 1944, he was arrested by the Soviet counterintelligence, was convicted as a traitor to the Motherland and shot in April 1944.
The second traitor, Stepanov, who, by the way, was only a year older than Lenya Golikov, showed great resourcefulness - at the beginning of 1944, when it became clear that the war was tending to defeat the Nazis, he joined the partisans, from where he got into the regular Soviet army. In this capacity, he even managed to earn awards and return home as a hero, but in the fall of 1948, retribution overtook Stepanov - he was arrested and sentenced for treason to 25 years in prison with deprivation of state awards.
How the same age as the hero of the "Young Guard" "rejuvenated"
The partisans who survived the last battle of the detachment did not forget about their comrades, including Lena.
In March 1944, the head of the Leningrad headquarters of the partisan movement, a member of the Military Council of the Leningrad Front, Nikitin signed a new testimonial for the presentation of Lenya Golikov to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of April 2, 1944, for the exemplary performance of command assignments and the courage and heroism shown in battles with the Nazi invaders, Golikov Leonid Aleksandrovich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously).
So, there are no doubts about the heroism of Leonid Golikov and there cannot be, his rewards are quite fair and deserved.
But how did Leonid Golikov, who, by the way, is only nine days younger than the legendary Komsomol hero from the Young Guard Oleg Koshevoy, become the “pioneer hero Lenya Golikov”.
Oddly enough, the first materials about the exploits of Leonid Golikov spoke of him as a member of the Komsomol.
Everything changed the book of the writer Yuri Korolkov "Partisan Lenya Golikov", published in the early 1950s. The writer, who went through the war as a front-line correspondent, talking about the real exploits of Leonid Golikov, reduced his age by just a couple of years. And from a 16-year-old heroic Komsomol member, a 14-year-old heroic pioneer turned out.
Why this was done is exactly known to the author, who passed away in 1981. Perhaps the writer decided that this way the feat would look more vivid.

Memorial sign at the site of the feat of Leni Golikov

Sister instead of brother
Perhaps, in the All-Union Pioneer Organization, where the creation of a collective image of “hero pioneers” was just beginning, they decided that thousands of pioneers who were awarded orders and medals during the war years were not enough, and at least one Hero of the Soviet Union was needed. Recall that Marat Kazei, Valya Kotik, Zina Portnova were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union much later, in the late 1950s, and only Lenya Golikov became a Hero back in 1944.
At the same time, everyone who knew the real Leonid Golikov was well aware of the true state of affairs, but believed that a fundamentally similar "inaccuracy" did not change anything.
I must say that even the appearance of the hero was changed to complete the picture. In the only photo of Leonid in the partisan detachment, Golikov appears as a determined and dashing young man, while in the illustrations that appeared in all the pioneer books about Len Golikov, he has an absolutely childish expression on his face.
Where did this image come from? As it turned out, Leonid's mother did not have any childhood photographs, so when he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, the reporters dressed him as a "partisan" ... his younger sister, Lida. It was the image of Lida Golikova that became "Lyonya Golikov" for millions of Soviet pioneers.
It is unlikely that those who created the canonical history of Lenya Golikov pursued some selfish goals. They simply wanted the best, they believed that in this form the feat of Leonid Golikov would look brighter. It never occurred to them that at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s all these “trifles” would turn against the hero himself.
So, having voluntarily embarked on the path of armed struggle against fascism at the age of 15 and died at 16, Leonid Golikov, on formal grounds, cannot be considered a “pioneer-hero”.
Does this detract in any way from his feat? Of course not.
We just need to learn to accept our characters for who they are without trying to improve them. After all, the feat of the young Komsomol member Leonid Golikov is no worse than the feat of the pioneer Lenya Golikov.

The Great Patriotic War is the most bloody and ruthless in world history, it took away millions human lives, including the lives of many young guys who boldly stood up for the defense of their homeland. Golikov Leonid Alexandrovich is one of the heroes of his country.

This is an ordinary boy, whose childhood was carefree and happy, he was friends with the guys, helped his parents, graduated from seven classes, after which he worked at a plywood factory. The war caught Lenya at the age of 15, instantly cutting off all the youthful dreams of the boy.

Young partisan

The village in the Novgorod region, where the boy lived, was captured by the Nazis and, trying to establish their new order, they began to commit excesses. Lenya Golikov, whose feat is inscribed in history with a red line, did not reconcile himself to the horrors that were happening around him and decided to fight against the Nazis; after the liberation of the village, he went to the emerging partisan detachment, where he fought alongside adults. True, at first the guy was not taken for a young age; help came from a school teacher who was in the partisans. He vouched for the boy, saying that he was a reliable person, would show himself well and would not let him down. In March 1942, Lenya became a scout in the Leningrad partisan brigade; a little later he joined the Komsomol there.

Fight against fascists

The Nazis were afraid of the partisans, because they mercilessly destroyed German officers and soldiers, blew up trains, attacked enemy columns. Elusive partisans seemed to the enemies everywhere: behind every tree, house, turn - so they tried not to walk alone.

There was even such a case: Lenya Golikov, whose feat became for the youth of different generations, was returning from intelligence and saw five Nazis looting in the apiary. They were so engrossed in getting honey and fighting bees that they threw their weapons on the ground. The young scout took advantage of this, destroying three enemies; two managed to escape.

The boy who grew up early had a lot of military merits (27 military operations, 78 enemy officers; several explosions of enemy vehicles and bridges), but the feat of Leni Golikov was not far off. It was 1942…

Fearless Lenya Golikov: a feat

Highway Luga-Pskov (near the village of Varintsy). 1942 August 13th. Being with a partner in reconnaissance, Lenya blew up an enemy passenger car, in which, as it turned out, there was Richard von Wirtz, Major General of the Germans. The briefcase he had with him turned out to be very important information: reports to higher authorities, diagrams, detailed drawings of some samples of German mines and others data that were of great value to the partisans.

The feat of Leni Golikov, summary which is described above, was evaluated by the Gold Star medal and awarded the title of truth, posthumously. In the winter of 1942, the partisan detachment, which included Golikov, fell into the German encirclement, but after fierce fighting he was able to break through and change location. Fifty people remained in the ranks, cartridges were running out, the radio was broken, food was running out. Attempts to restore contact with other units were unsuccessful.

In ambush

In January 1943, 27 exhausted partisans, exhausted by the chase, occupied the three extreme huts of the village of Ostraya Luka. Preliminary reconnaissance found nothing suspicious; the nearest German garrison was quite far away, several kilometers away. The patrols were not put up so as not to attract undue attention. However, there was a “kind man” in the village - the owner of one of the houses (a certain Stepanov), who informed the headman Pykhov, and he, in turn, the punishers about what guests had come to the village at night.

For this treacherous act, Pykhov received a generous reward from the Germans, but at the beginning of 1944 he was shot as Stepanov - the second traitor, was only a year older than Leni, in troubled times for himself (when the turn of the war became clear) showed resourcefulness: he went into partisans , and from there Stepanov even managed to earn awards and return home almost as a hero, but the hand of justice caught up with this traitor to the Motherland. In 1948, for treason, he was arrested and sentenced to 25 years in prison, and with the deprivation of all received awards.

They are no more

Sharp Luka on this unkind January night was surrounded by 50 punishers, among whom were local residents who collaborated with the Nazis. The partisans, taken by surprise, had to fight back and, under the bullets of enemy shells, urgently go back to the forest. Only six people managed to break out of the encirclement.

In that unequal battle, almost the entire partisan detachment perished, including Lenya Golikov, whose feat remained forever in the memory of his comrades-in-arms.

Sister instead of brother

Initially, it was believed that the original photograph of Leni Golikov was not preserved. Therefore, to reproduce the image of the hero, the image of his sister Lydia was used (for example, for a portrait painted in 1958 by Viktor Fomin). Later, a partisan photo was found, but the familiar face of Lida, who acted as a brother, adorned the biography of Leni Golikov, who became a symbol of courage for Soviet teenagers. After all, the feat accomplished by Lenya Golikov is a vivid example of courage and love for the Motherland.

In April 1944, Leonid Golikov was awarded (posthumously) the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his heroism and courage in the fight against the Nazi invaders.

In everyone's heart

In many publications, Leonid Golikov is referred to as a pioneer, and he is on a par with the same fearless young personalities as Marat Kazei, Vitya Korobkov, Valya Kotik, Zina Portnova.

However, during the perestroika period, when the heroes of the Soviet era were subjected to "mass exposures", a claim arose against these children that they could not be pioneers, because they were older than the prescribed age. The information was not confirmed: Marat Kazei, Zina Portnova and Vitya Korobkov were indeed pioneers, but with Lenya it turned out a little differently.

He got into the list of pioneers thanks to the efforts of people who are not indifferent to his fate and, apparently, from the best of intentions. The first materials about his heroism speak of Lena as a member of the Komsomol. The feat of Leni Golikov, a summary of which was described by Yury Korolkov in his book “Partisan Lenya Golikov”, is an example of the behavior of a young man in the days of mortal danger hanging over his country.

The writer, who went through the war as a front-line correspondent, reduced the age of the hero by literally a couple of years, turning a 16-year-old boy into a 14-year-old pioneer hero. Perhaps, with this, the writer wanted to make Leni's feat more striking. Although everyone who knew Lenya was aware of the current state of affairs, believing that this inaccuracy fundamentally changes nothing. In any case, the country needed a suitable person for the collective image of a pioneer hero, who would also be a Hero of the Soviet Union. Lenya Golikov approached the image optimally.

His feat is described in all Soviet newspapers, many books have been written about him and the same young heroes. Anyway, this is history. great country. Therefore, the feat of Leni Golikov, like himself - a man who defended his homeland - will forever remain in the heart of everyone.

Marat Kazei Pioneer-hero Marat Kazei was born in 1929 in a family of fiery Bolsheviks. They called him such an unusual name in honor of the seaworthy vessel of the same name, where his father served ...

Marat Kazei

Pioneer-hero Marat Kazei was born in 1929 in a family of fiery Bolsheviks. They called him such an unusual name in honor of the seaworthy vessel of the same name, where his father served for 10 years.

Soon after the start of World War II, Marat's mother began to actively help the partisans in the capital of Belarus, she sheltered wounded fighters and helped them recover for further battles. But the Nazis found out about this and the woman was hanged.

Soon after the death of his mother, Marat Kazei and his sister joined the partisan detachment, where the boy became listed as a scout. Brave and flexible, Marat often easily made his way into Nazi military units and brought important information. In addition, the pioneer participated in the organization of many acts of sabotage at German facilities.

The boy also demonstrated his courage and heroism in direct combat with enemies - even when he was wounded, he gathered his strength and continued to attack the Nazis.

At the very beginning of 1943, Marat was offered to go to a quiet area, far from the front, accompanying his sister Ariadna, who had significant health problems. The pioneer would have been easily released to the rear, since he had not yet reached the age of 18, but Kazei refused and remained to fight on.

A significant feat was accomplished by Marat Kazei in the spring of 1943, when the Nazis surrounded a partisan detachment near one of the Belarusian villages. The teenager got out of the ring of enemies and led the Red Army to help the partisans. The Nazis were dispersed, the Soviet soldiers were saved.

Recognizing the considerable merits of the teenager in military battles, open combat and as a saboteur, at the end of 1943 Marat Kazei was awarded three times: two medals and an order.

Marat Kazei met his heroic death on May 11, 1944. The pioneer and his comrade were walking back from reconnaissance, and suddenly the Nazis encircled them. Kazei's partner was shot by enemies, and the teenager blew himself up on the last grenade so that they could not capture him. There is an alternative opinion of historians that the young hero so wanted to prevent the fact that if the Nazis recognized him, they would severely punish the inhabitants of the entire village where he lived. The third opinion is that the young man decided to deal with this and take with him a few Nazis who came too close to him.

In 1965, Marat Kazei was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. A monument to the young hero was erected in the capital of Belarus, depicting the scene of his heroic death. Many streets throughout the USSR were named after the young man. In addition, organized Kid `s camp, where students were brought up on the example of a young hero, and they were instilled with the same ardent and selfless love for the Motherland. He also bore the name "Marat Kazei".

Valya Kotik

Pioneer-hero Valentin Kotik was born in 1930 in Ukraine, into a peasant family. When the Great Patriotic War began, the boy managed to unlearn only five years. During his studies, Valya showed himself to be a sociable, smart student, a good organizer and a born leader.

When the Nazis captured the hometown of Vali Kotika, he was only 11 years old. Historians claim that the pioneer immediately began to help adults collect ammunition and weapons, which were sent to the firing line. Valya and his comrades picked up pistols and machine guns from the places of military clashes and secretly passed them to the partisans in the forest. In addition, Kotik personally drew caricatures of the Nazis and hung them in the city.

In 1942, Valentin was accepted into his underground organization. hometown scout. There is information about his exploits committed as part of a partisan detachment in 1943. In the autumn of 1943, Kotik obtained information about a communication cable buried deep underground, which was used by the Nazis, and it was successfully destroyed.

Valya Kotik also blew up warehouses and trains of the Nazis, sat in ambushes many times. Even a young hero learned for the partisans information about the posts of the Nazis.

In the autumn of 1943, the boy again saved the lives of many partisans. While standing at his post, he was attacked. Valya Kotik killed one of the Nazis and informed his comrades-in-arms about the danger.

Valya Kotik was awarded two orders and a medal for his many heroic deeds.

There are two versions of the death of Valentin Kotik. The first is that he died at the beginning of 1944 (February 16) in a battle for one of the Ukrainian cities. The second is that the relatively slightly wounded Valentine was sent on a wagon train to the rear after the fighting, and this wagon train was bombed by the Nazis.

In Soviet times, all students knew the name of the brave teenager, as well as about all his accomplishments. A monument to Valentin Kotik was erected in Moscow.

Volodya Dubinin

Pioneer-hero Volodya Dubinin was born in 1927. His father was a sailor and in the past - a red partisan. From a young age, Volodya demonstrated a lively mind, quick wit and dexterity. He read a lot, took photographs, made aircraft models. Father Nikifor Semenovich often told the children about his heroic partisan past, about the formation of Soviet power.

At the very beginning of the Great Patriotic War, my father went to the front. Volodya's mother went with him and his sister to relatives near Kerch, in the village of Stary Karantin.

Meanwhile, the enemy was approaching. Part of the population decided to join the partisans, hiding in the nearby quarries. Volodya Dubinin and other pioneers asked to join them. The main partisan in the detachment, Alexander Zyabrev, hesitated, agreed. There were many chokepoints in the underground catacombs that only children could penetrate, and so, he reasoned, they could scout. This was the beginning of the heroic activity of the pioneer hero Volodya Dubinin, who many times rescued the partisans.

Since the partisans did not sit silently in the quarries, after the Nazis captured the Old Quarantine, but arranged all sorts of sabotage for them, the Nazis staged a blockade of the catacombs. They sealed all the exits from the quarries, filling them with cement, and it was at this moment that Volodya and his comrades did a lot for the partisans.

The boys penetrated narrow crevices and reconnoitered the situation in the Old Quarantine captured by the Germans. Volodya Dubinin was the smallest in physique and one day he was the only one who could get out to the surface. His comrades at that time helped as best they could, diverting the attention of the Nazis from those places where Volodya got out. Then they were active in another place, so that Volodya could return to the catacombs just as unnoticed in the evening.

The boys not only scouted the situation - they brought ammunition and weapons, medicine for the wounded and did other useful things. Volodya Dubinin differed from everyone in the effectiveness of his actions. He deftly deceived the Nazi patrols, making his way into the quarries, and, among other things, accurately memorized important numbers, for example, the number of enemy units in different villages.

In the winter of 1941, the Nazis decided once and for all to put an end to the partisans in the quarries under the Old Quarantine by flooding them with water. Volodya Dubinin, who went into intelligence, found out about this in time and promptly warned the underground about the insidious plan of the Nazis. To

in time, he returned to the catacombs in the middle of the day, risking being seen by the Nazis.

The partisans urgently put up a barrier, building a dam, and were saved thanks to this. This is the most significant feat of Volodya Dubinin, which saved the lives of many partisans, their wives and children, because some went into the catacombs with their whole families.

At the time of his death, Volodya Dubinin was 14 years old. This happened after the new year 1942. On the orders of the partisan commander, he went to the Adzhimushkay quarries to establish contact with them. On the way, he met the Soviet military units, which liberated Kerch from the Nazi invaders.

It only remained to rescue the partisans from the quarries, neutralizing the minefield that the Nazis had left behind. Volodya became a guide to the sappers. But one of them made a fatal mistake and the boy, along with four fighters, was blown up by a mine. They were buried in a common grave in the city of Kerch. And already posthumously the pioneer hero Volodya Dubinin was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

Zina Portnova

Zina Portnova accomplished several feats and acts of sabotage against the Nazis, being a member of the underground organization of the city of Vitebsk. The inhuman torments that she had to endure from the Nazis will forever be in the hearts of her descendants and after many years fill us with sorrow.

Zina Portnova was born in 1926 in Leningrad. Before the start of the war, she was an ordinary girl. In the summer of 1941, she went with her sister to her grandmother in the Vitebsk region. After the outbreak of the war, German invaders came to the area almost immediately. The girls could not return to their parents and stayed with their grandmother.

Almost immediately after the start of the war, many underground cells and partisan detachments were organized in the Vitebsk region to fight the Nazis. Zina Portnova became a member of the Young Avengers group. Their leader, Efrosinya Zenkova, was seventeen years old. Zina turned 15.

The most significant feat of Zina is the case of poisoning more than a hundred Nazis. The girl managed to do this while acting as a kitchen worker. She was suspected of this sabotage, but she herself ate the poisoned soup and was abandoned. She herself miraculously remained alive after that, her grandmother departed her with the help of medicinal herbs.

Upon completion of this case, Zina went to the partisans. Here she became a Komsomol member. But in the summer of 1943, a traitor uncovered the Vitebsk underground, 30 young people were executed. Only a few managed to escape. Zina was instructed by the partisans to contact the survivors. However, she did not succeed, she was recognized and arrested.

The Nazis already knew that Zina was also a member of the Young Avengers, they only did not know that it was she who poisoned the German officers. They tried to “split” her so that she would betray those members of the underground who managed to escape. But Zina stood her ground and actively resisted at the same time. During one of the interrogations, she snatched a Mauser from a German and shot three Nazis. But she could not escape - she was wounded in the leg. Zina Portnova could not kill herself - a misfire came out.

After that, angry fascists began to brutally torture the girl. They gouged out Zina's eyes, stuck needles under her nails, burned her with a red-hot iron. She just wanted to die. After another torture, she threw herself under a passing car, but the German nonhumans saved her in order to continue the torture.

In the winter of 1944, exhausted, crippled, blind and completely gray-haired, Zina Portnova was finally shot in the square along with other Komsomol members. Only fifteen years later this story became known to the world and Soviet citizens.

In 1958, Zina Portnova was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin.

Alexander Chekalin

Sasha Chekalin accomplished several feats and died heroically at the age of sixteen. He was born in the spring of 1925 in the Tula region. Taking an example from his father, a hunter, Alexander knew how to shoot very accurately and navigate the terrain in his years.

At fourteen, Sasha was accepted into the Komsomol. By the beginning of the war, he had completed the eighth grade. A month after the Nazi attack, the front became close to the Tula region. Chekalina's father and son immediately joined the partisans.

The young partisan showed himself in the first days as a smart and brave fighter, he successfully obtained information about the important secrets of the Nazis. Sasha also trained as a radio operator and successfully connected his detachment with other partisans. The young Komsomol member also arranges very effective sabotage against the Nazis on railway. Chekalin often sits in ambush, punishes defectors, undermines enemy posts.

At the end of 1941, Alexander fell seriously ill with a cold, and in order for him to heal, the partisan command sent him to a teacher in one of the villages. But when Sasha got to the designated place, it turned out that the teacher was arrested by the Nazis and taken to another locality. Then the young man climbed into the house where they lived with their parents. But the headman-traitor tracked him down and informed the Nazis about his arrival.

The Nazis besieged native home Sasha and ordered him to come out with his hands up. Komsomol started firing. When the ammunition ran out, Sasha threw a "lemon", but it did not explode. The young man was taken. For almost a week he was tortured very cruelly, demanding information about the partisans. But Chekalin did not say anything.

Later, the Nazis hanged the young man in front of the people. A sign was attached to the dead body that all partisans were executed in this way, and it hung in this form for three weeks. Only when the Soviet soldiers finally liberated the Tula region, the body of the young hero was buried with honor in the city of Likhvin, which was later renamed Chekalin.

Already in 1942, Chekalin Alexander Pavlovich was posthumously given the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Lenya Golikov

The pioneer hero Lenya Golikov was born in 1926 from the villages of the Novgorod region. The parents were workers. He studied for only seven years, after which he went to work at the factory.

In 1941, the Nazis captured Leni's native village. Having seen enough of their atrocities, the teenager after his release native land voluntarily joined the partisans. At first they did not want to take him because of his young age (15 years), but his former teacher vouched for him.

In the spring of 1942, Golikov became a full-time partisan intelligence officer. He acted very cleverly and courageously, on account of his twenty-seven successful military operations.

The most important achievement of the pioneer hero came in August 1942, when he and another scout blew up a Nazi car and captured documents that were very important for the partisans.

In the last month of 1942, the Nazis began to pursue the partisans with a vengeance. January 1943 was especially difficult for them. The detachment, in which Lenya Golikov also served, about twenty people, took refuge in the village of Ostraya Luka. We decided to spend the night quietly. But a traitor from the locals betrayed the partisans.

One hundred and fifty Nazis attacked the partisans at night, they bravely entered the battle, he left the ring of punishers only six. Only at the end of the month they got to their own and said that their comrades died as heroes in an unequal battle. Among them was Lenya Golikov.

In 1944, Leonid was given the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.