Heroes of the Soviet Union Milevsky, Shestakov, Shishlyannikov
Among them – Maxim Milevsky (1923-2005), senior sergeant, participant in the Great Patriotic War, Hero of the Soviet Union. The future hero was born on March 15, 1923 in the village of Pavlovka, Pavlodar region of Kazakhstan. In February 1942 he was called up for service in the Red Army. His war began on December 15 on the Stalingrad front in defensive battles on the Myshkova River, where the 2nd Guards Army repelled the blows of an enemy grouping that was trying to break through to the encircled 6th Paulus Army.
In January 1943, Guards Sergeant Milevsky fought on the fields of the Rostov offensive operation, during which our troops liberated Novocherkassk and reached the Mius River. In the summer and autumn of the same year, Maxim Milevsky participated in the Donbass strategic offensive operation, during which the division liberated cities and towns on the territory of the Donetsk and Zaporozhye regions. As part of his division, a Kazakhstani soldier went to the lower reaches of the Dnieper and to the Black Sea coast. In February 1944, the 2nd Guards Army was transferred to the area of the Perekop Isthmus. Sergeant Milevsky took part in the Crimean strategic offensive operation, as a result of which Evpatoria and Sevastopol were liberated.
On July 8, 1944, the division became part of the 1st Baltic Front, where it participated in the Siauliai offensive operation, in the Memel operation, clearing the northern bank of the Neman River from the enemy. From January 13 to April 25, 1944, Maxim Milevsky fought in East Prussia, where the enemy suffered a crushing defeat at Königsberg and on the Zemland Peninsula.
From the award list of Milevsky:
“02/05/1945, when repelling strong enemy counterattacks in the area of the settlement of Zand, East Prussia, taking advantage of the large numerical superiority, the enemy managed to push our rifle units. On the gun comrade. Milevsky moved to a company of drunken German machine gunners. Despite the difficult situation that has arisen, Milevsky opened destructive fire on the attacking Nazis and repulsed the counterattack.
Regrouping forces, the enemy launched a second, stronger counterattack.
Suffering heavy losses from the fire of the guns of Comrade. Milevsky, several groups of enemy submachine gunners managed to infiltrate his gun in order to capture the gun along with the calculation. At this critical moment Comrade. Milevsky, leaving one gunner at the gun, the rest of the crew shouting: “For the Motherland, for Stalin!” led to a counterattack. The Germans, unable to withstand the pressure of the artillerymen, turned back. At this time Comrade. Milevsky shot the fleeing Germans from his cannon.
On the gun comrade. Milevsky, 2 self-propelled guns “Ferdinand” moved, which from a long distance opened fire on the gun of comrade. Milevsky. Having let one self-propelled gun to 400 meters, comrade. Milevsky knocked her out.
For the day of the battle Comrade. Milevsky, with his crew, repulsed four German counterattacks, knocked out one self-propelled gun, and destroyed 60 Germans. Thanks to the courage and heroism of Comrade. Milevsky, our rifle units restored their former position.
For courage and heroism shown in repulsing enemy counterattacks, which contributed to the restoration of the previous position, comrade. Milevsky is worthy of being awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Award list of Maxim Milevsky. Illustration: podvignaroda.ru
In addition to the highest award, the senior sergeant was awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Star, the Order of Glory 3rd degree, the Order of the Patriotic War 1st degree, the medals “For Military Merit”, “For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945 gg.”, “For the defense of Stalingrad”, “For the capture of Königsberg”.
When the last volleys of the Second World War died down, the senior sergeant Milevsky returned to Kazakhstan. He lived in the village of Uspenka, worked as a driver, dispatcher of the machine and tractor station, chairman of the village council, chairman of the collective farm, director of the Uspensky motor transport enterprise. After his retirement, he headed the Council of Veterans of the Uspensky District. In 2004, for services to the state, he was awarded the Order of Parasat (Nobility). Passed away in 2005.
There is a monument to Maxim Milevsky in Pavlodar, in his native village of Uspenka, a bust was erected to the Hero of the Soviet Union.
Shot fifty enemy soldiers from a machine gun captured from them
Konstantin Shestakov (1923-1944) – shooter of the 129th Guards Regiment of the 45th Guards Rifle Division of the 21st Army of the Leningrad Front, Hero of the Soviet Union.
Born on April 23, 1923 in the Alma-Ata region of Kazakhstan in a peasant family. After school he worked as a tractor driver. He went to the front in June 1942.
From June 25, 1944, the 129th Guards Rifle Regiment, in which Shestakov served, participated in the offensive on the territory of the Leningrad Region. On June 27, near the village of Lampiliya, the rifle company met stubborn resistance from the enemy. The advance was hindered by an enemy machine gun hidden behind granite boulders.
Konstantin Shestakov volunteered to destroy the enemy. He crawled up to the enemy’s firing point, showered the crew with grenades, captured an enemy machine gun and opened fire from it on the Nazis dug in at a height, shooting about 50 soldiers. But our hero was seriously wounded. However, despite this, he fought his single battle to the last bullet. When the machine gun fell silent, three enemy soldiers tried to capture the brave warrior. Gathering his weakening forces into a fist, Shestakov threw a grenade at the enemies, the explosion of which became fatal for himself. After that, inspired by the feat of a comrade, Soviet soldiers mastered the height.
Award list of Konstantin Shestakov. Illustration: podvignaroda.ru
Konstantin Shestakov found his last refuge at the Petrovka military burial near the Vyborg-Svetogorsk highway.
For heroism in the fight against the Nazi invaders, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of March 24, 1945, the Red Army soldier Shestakov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
In 1958, he was forever enlisted in the lists of the 129th Guards Leningrad Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 45th Guards Motorized Rifle Division.
A river cargo ship, a street and a school in the village of Karabulak, Almaty region, a street in Vyborg, on one of the buildings of which his memorial plaque is installed, are named after the hero.
In Vyborg, a monument was erected to Konstantin Shestakov, which in 1985 was transferred to the territory of the military unit of the 138th Guards Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade in the village of Kamenka.
Trawler “Konstantin Shestakov”. Photo: fleetphoto.ru
Destroyed 5 observation posts, 2 dugouts, machine gun bunker
Hero of the Soviet Union, gun commander of the 1st battery of the 691st artillery regiment of the Voronezh Front, senior sergeant Viktor Shishlyannikov (1923-1954) was born on April 26, 1923 in the Volgograd region. When Victor was 8 years old, the family moved to Kazakhstan. After school, he worked as a locksmith at a furniture factory.
In May 1942, 19-year-old Viktor went to the front, from October 1942 he participated in battles with the invaders on the Voronezh front. The first award – the medal “For Courage” – was received for bravery in battles in the Sumy region of Ukraine in March 1943.
For a relatively short period of offensive fighting in August of the same year, Senior Sergeant Shishlyannikov with his crew destroyed 5 observation posts, 2 dugouts, a machine-gun bunker, 4 light and 5 heavy machine guns, and a 105-millimeter gun. He suppressed the fire of the mortar and artillery batteries, dispersed and destroyed the enemy infantry battalion. The award was the Order of the Red Star.
Award list of Viktor Shishlyannikov. Illustration: podvignaroda.ru
However, the real finest hour of Viktor Shishlyannikov was the crossing of the Dnieper near the village of Grebeni, Kyiv region, in September 1943. The senior sergeant was the first to cross with the gun to the right bank on a pontoon and, with the forces of calculation, dragged the gun through a continuous forest uphill for a distance of one and a half kilometers. From there, the calculation opened rapid fire, dispersing and partially destroying about two enemy companies. Thus, the threat to the open flank of the neighboring rifle regiment was eliminated, after which the success of the operation was a foregone conclusion.
By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of December 24, 1943, for courage and courage shown in the battles on the right bank of the Dnieper, Senior Sergeant Shishlyannikov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.
After the Victory, the senior sergeant continued his military career, he graduated from the courses of the Penza Artillery School and served in the 18th Guards Cannon Artillery Regiment.
The front-line soldier died suddenly in 1954 in the town of Skopin, Ryazan region. He was buried in the city cemetery next to the memorial.
A street and a park in the city of Dubovka in the Volgograd Region and in the village of Shortandy in the Republic of Kazakhstan are named after Viktor Shishlyannikov. Memorial plaques have been installed on the house where he was born in Dubovka and at the furniture factory in Shortandy. His name is immortalized on the Alley of Memory in Dubovka. In the city of Skopin, a street bears the name of Viktor Shishlyannikov.
“We remember the names of heroes”
It is worth recalling that during the war years, Kazakhstan paid a terrible price for the common Victory over the enemy. 1 million 200 thousand natives of the republic or about 70% of its male population went to the front, of which more than half – 610 thousand Kazakhstanis – did not return home.
In Kazakhstan, 12 rifle, 4 cavalry divisions, 7 rifle brigades, about 50 separate regiments and divisions were formed. The residents of the republic who went to the front defended the Brest Fortress, participated in the battles near Moscow and Rzhev, fought for Stalingrad, on the Kursk Bulge, liberated Belarus, the Baltic States, Moldova, Ukraine, Eastern Europe, stormed Berlin.
More than 500 Kazakhstanis became Heroes of the Soviet Union, 200 natives of the Kazakh SSR became full cavaliers of the Order of Glory.
President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasizes that Victory Day is a great holiday for the citizens of the republic. He recalled that every nine out of ten bullets were cast from lead, which was produced in Kazakhstan. In addition, Kazakhstan supplied food and clothing to the front.
“We remember the names of the heroes, if we talk about the memory of the Heroes of the Soviet Union: Talgat Begeldinov, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Sergei Lugansky, twice Hero of the Soviet Union. We are proud of Aliya Moldagulova – literally at the age of 20 she became a sniper who gave her life in this war. They, of course, are constantly in the memory of the people, ”- said President of Kazakhstan in a conversation last year with Deputy General Director of TASS.
