Researching Heroes of the Soviet Union.

[Skrabichewski]

I would like to start a thread specifically on research of Heros of Soviet Union: Groups, photos, stories, facts, etc.

I have a photo of this young fighter-pilot Guards-1st Lieutenant . All I know if that his last name is Polyakov. Anyone has Hero's of Soviet Union books to find out more? Please let me know

Dmitry

Thank you for all your help

Here it is in Russian:

[Tal Inbar]

Art,

The man in your post is POLIKANOV, and we are looking for Polyakov.

It's a shame that the book don't have the S/N of the stars...

[Art]

Let's try this guy..

Biography

[Skrabichewski]

That is the guy, thank you so much

[Art]

Sure, no problem. Would sure like to know what it says though!

Art

[Skrabichewski]

Actually quite fascinating story:

POLYAKOV Vitaly Konstantinovich - born on November 11, 1923 in peasant's family. Enlisted to Red Army in 1940. In 1941 graduated from Serpuhov Military Academy and went to war in 1942. By July 1943 completed 75 missions, in 23 air fights destroyed 4 enemy's airplanes. In May 7th, 1943, while wounded, he destroyed leading German bomber by ramming it with his own airplane. (practically guaranteed to be awarded Hero of Soviet Union for such a maneuver). He survived by jumping with a parachute from his burning plane.

After the war he remained in Air Force, later graduated from the Air Force Academy, worked there as instructor, later professor, later Department Head. Retired as Aviation General Major.

Dmitry

[Chris]

Hi Art

This may be one for you or any one else with a HSU awardee book.

I was perusing a local grave yard as they offer a facinating insight into history out here and I came across a Grave of a Tret Yakov Nikolayi Nikolaevich 1916 / 1956.

His grave is still being looked after and has a small HSU star engraved on his tomb stone along with the citation Hero of the Soviet Union.

I was quite amazed as I was not looking for anything like it.

Just outside Tallinn in Estonia

Chris

[Art]

Chris,

That's an interesting story...try and grab a few pics of the marker as your out doing your morning run..here is what is in the hero books..I love this hobby.

Translation please anyone?

[Chris]

Hi Art


This is the gist of the text:-

He joined the Komosol in 1941. He attended seven classes at school (the normal is 10). He joined the Army in 1936 and graduated from the Gorkov Tank School in 1942.

He was a tank commander in No 36th Tank Division in the Ukraine.

As a 2nd Lt in Modovia (23.8.44) he overcame German Tank defences and captured a bridge stopping the Germans from retreating. He destroyed 2 tanks, 4 anti tank guns and ten vehicles full of german troops.

He was awarded a HSU on 23.3.45. After the war he stayed in the army and lived in Tallinn.

He has a Hero bust in a museum in Comrade (town name) in Moldovia and a Hero street named after him.

Died in Tallinn in 56.

[tinmoldova]

He earned his HSU for action in the former USSR Union Republic of Moldavia (now the Republic of Moldova). The town name is Comrat, the 2nd largest city in the south of Moldova and the capital of the autonomous region of Gagauzia in Moldova.

Actually, reading more of his background is more interesting since I just returned from Moldova after spending 5 years there. His action in 1944 was in the Leova rayon, which is directly across the Prut River from Romania. Most of the Soviet advance westward in that region went from Chisinau Moldova to Iasi Romania. He might have been part of a smaller army sent south a bit toward Bucharst and the Ploesti oil fields.

There were not very many HSUs awarded for action in Moldova. One of the few HSU that is buried in the central military cemetery is a pilot who was killed in June 1941. I would have to comb through my pictures for his name. He is actually one of the few buried in that cemetery who died fighting the combined German/Romanian army group as they advanced eastward toward Odessa. Most of the dead in the cemetery (there are about 500 including mass graves interred there) were killed as a result of action going westward--as the Soviet army advanced toward Romania.

I am pretty sure I have been in the museum that is mentioned, though I do not remember his bust. Museums in Comrat have been in dire financial straits for a long time--I am afraid the bust may have disappeared/sold for scrap.

From the Moldovan Press today:

Busts of Three Soviet Marshals to Be Unveiled in Moldovan Village

The busts of three Soviet marshals will be unveiled on August 25 at a memorial complex in Malinovscoe village, Balti County, on the occasion of the end of the Iasi-Chisinau operation during the World War II.
Deputy Premier Valerian Cristea announced Wednesday that WWII veterans would receive a premiums of 50 lei (some 3.6 dollars) from a fund for social support of the population on the occasion of "Moldova's liberation from fascist occupation." Cultural manifestations will be organised in the entire territory of Moldova on this occasion, Cristea stressed.

Deputy Culture Minister Veaceslav Madan told the press after a cabinet meeting that the busts of former Soviet marshals Rodion Malinovsky, Fyodor Tolbukhin and Ivan Konev were sculptured in Russia and would be donated to Moldova. They will be installed in Malinovscoe which was the scene of fierce fighting between advancing Soviet troops and retreating Romanian-German forces in 1944.

Transportation and Communication Minister Anatol Cuptov asked the government to allocate 300,000 lei for reparations of a four-kilometer of road near Malinovscoe. Cuptov specified that 370,000 lei has been spent for this purpose until now.

Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev promised to identify the necessary funds for the renovation of road in a short time.

According to government officials, governors from Russia and Moldovan state officials were invited at the inauguration of the memorial.

The operation Iasi-Chisinau started on August 20, 1944, and ended on August 24 the same year. Soviet historians posed this operation as one of the largest military campaigns during the WWII. The operation was aimed to occupy the oil rich refineries in Ploiesti, Romania. The Red Army fielded a corpse that was larger than the population between the Proute and Dniestr rivers.

According to western historians, the insurrection led by Romanian King Mihai I against governing Marshall Ion Antonescu on August 23 the turning of the Romanian arms against the Nazi decisively contributed to the success of this operation.