Lenya Golikov. A feat accomplished by Lenya Golikov.

In former times, their portraits could be found in every children's institution - on a stand, in a wall newspaper, among slogans and red cloths. Any schoolchild could name a dozen brave boys and girls who were included in the canonical lists of pioneer heroes. Their names were given to streets and pioneer detachments. Alas, they are remembered less often now.

Not so long ago, it was completely customary to expose “legends of the Soviet era.” The pioneer heroes also got it. Only in last years They started telling schoolchildren about them again. And for many today’s teenagers, the fates of their warrior peers turned out to be a revelation.

Meanwhile, they were looked up to not according to their rank: the courage of young heroes at all times makes a strong impression. It is wrong, unnatural, for “boys” to go into battle. But war in itself is more than unnatural...

They simply could not stand aside when - and the language of the posters is quite appropriate here - the enemy trampled their native land. For most of them, pioneer principles were indeed not an empty phrase. And martyrdom for the Motherland and “for one’s friends” in any era is perceived as a feat before which everyone must bow their heads.

The most important thing in their destinies is the absence of falsehood. This is not a piece of propaganda, not a myth, not an elaborate blockbuster plot. Here is the real basis. Not mysticism, but the black bread of history. Of course, books about the exploits of pioneers were not without romanticization. Of course, the writers slightly exaggerated the scale of military merits young partisans. But even without exaggeration, they are worthy of monuments. Not pompous ones, but real soldier ones.

However, strictly speaking, not all of this cohort accomplished feats at pioneer age. Some were already Komsomol members. However, despite this, they were still considered pioneers - as students of a pioneer organization. This is how minor heroes of the Great Patriotic War are usually called. Six children were awarded the highest award - the “Golden Star” of the Hero Soviet Union. Many were awarded the Orders of Lenin and the Patriotic War, 1st degree, the Red Banner and the Red Star. And how many of them were never presented with orders and medals - who can count now...

Almost all of the pioneer heroes died at the front, fighting along with their fathers. As a rule, behind enemy lines, in partisan detachments. They grew up reading books Arkady Gaidar, with the belief that the Motherland is the highest value, because it contains the past, present and future of many generations. For this, if necessary, you can sacrifice yourself.

“There is always a place for exploits in life” - this maxim of Gorky became a life principle for many. Gorky addressed contemptuous lines to the indifferent:

And you will live on earth,

How blind worms live:

They won't tell any fairy tales about you,

They won’t sing any songs about you!

This is how heroes were raised. The pioneers of the front generation believed in people. They believed that courage is the only path to immortality. They did not live to see Victory. Almost all of them died in the darkest days of the war, when the Nazis occupied city after city...

After the war, films were made about little fighters, novels and stories were written, among which the most famous is the series of the publishing house “Kid”, published since 1974. They contain an eternal reproach for adults who failed to protect a peaceful childhood. And pride in the brave men who gave their lives for the freedom of the Motherland. Books about pioneer heroes made a strong impression with brutal, naturalistic scenes of torture and execution. In children's literature, they tried to avoid too bloody scenes, but they made an exception for the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. It is difficult to read the stories of these people without tears and anger. short lives. But we must not forget about them.

SHURA CHEKALIN

He graduated from eight-year school in the city of Likhvin, Tula region, when the war began. The Nazis rushed to the city of Russian gunsmiths and occupied part of the region. The son of a hunter, a Voroshilov shooter, in the summer of 1941 Shura volunteered to join the “Advanced” partisan fighter detachment. He acted like an experienced intelligence officer - hardy, prudent. In the most terrible days of the war, when the Germans did not know major defeats, this boy was one of those who did not flinch and set an example of courage to his despondent comrades. He trained to be a radio operator, but most importantly, he mined roads and derailed German trains. In early November he was captured. During interrogations, he remained steadfast and did not expect favors from the enemy. On November 6, 1941, Shura was hanged in the central square of his native town, which in 1944 was renamed Chekalin. Holding back tears, with a noose around his neck, before his death, the young man sang “Internationale,” the then national anthem. The first book about him, “Shura Chekalin,” was published already in 1942. In the film “Fifteenth Spring” (1971), he played the role of a pioneer hero Raimundas Banionis- son of People's Artist of the USSR Donatas Banionis.

LENYA GOLIKOV

The boy graduated from seven classes. In the Novgorod region, in his native village of Lukino, the war came quickly and inexorably. After the battle, Lenya picked up several rifles from the ashes and stole two boxes of grenades from the Nazis. He handed over everything to the partisans. His beloved teacher Vasily Grigorievich also joined the partisans. He vouched for the student, and soon 15-year-old Lenya became a scout for a partisan brigade. Irreplaceable. There are almost no photographs left of him, but his track record is known. He destroyed 78 German soldiers and officers, blew up 12 highway and 2 railway bridges, blew up a dozen vehicles with ammunition, accompanied a food train to besieged Leningrad... On August 13, 1942, not far from the village of Varnitsa, returning from a mission, Lenya blew up a car with a grenade, in which there was a major general Richard von Wirtz. The boy returned to the partisan headquarters with drawings of the latest German mines. Lenya was nominated for the title of Hero, but he did not wait high award. On January 24, 1943, Leonid Golikov died in an unequal battle in the village of Ostraya Luka, Pskov Region. Writer Anatoly Vakhov published an essay about him in 1944. And after the war the book gained great popularity Yuri Korolkova"Partisan Lenya Golikov."

"Golden Star" posthumously

During the Great Patriotic War, two teenagers were posthumously awarded the Hero Star - Sasha Chekalin and Lenya Golikov. Boris Tsarikov received this award on the eve of his death in November 1943. After the Victory, the title of Hero was awarded to three more - Marat Kazei, Valya Kotik and Zina Portnova. However, all the guys who performed feats at the front and behind enemy lines, regardless of the awards they received, are rightly considered pioneer heroes.

VALYA KOTIK

Valya Kotik is forever the youngest Hero of the Soviet Union. He died at the age of 14, and fought at the age of 11. He studied at one of the schools in the city of Shepetovka, Kamenets-Podolsk (now Khmelnitsky) region, and graduated from the fifth grade in June 1941. When Shepetivka was occupied by the Nazis, Valya had no doubts. In the first months of the occupation, he blew up the head of the field gendarmerie. He became a partisan messenger, took part in battles and in daring acts of sabotage. In October 1943, he discovered an underground telephone cable connecting the Germans to the Fuhrer's Warsaw headquarters. The partisans destroyed the wire. A little later, when the Karmelyuk detachment, in which the boy fought, was surrounded by punitive forces, he shot the officer, raised the alarm and thereby saved his comrades from death.

He did not have a chance to see the Victory fireworks. On February 16, 1944, in the battle for the city of Izyaslav, pioneer Valentin Kotik was wounded. Izyaslav was soon released, and the wounded Valya was urgently sent to the hospital. But they couldn't save him. The partisans buried the fearless scout with military honors. In 1958, Shepetovsky Orlyonok was awarded the title of Hero posthumously. And then he stood up in his native Shepetivka to his full height - bronze.

MARAT KAZEY

His father, a communist and former Baltic sailor, was repressed in 1935. In 1942, the mother was hanged by the Germans who captured Minsk. 13-year-old Marat and his elder sister Ariadne joined the partisan detachment. The boy became a scout. He acted inventively and fearlessly, took part in sabotage, and obtained information thanks to which the partisans destroyed the fascist garrison in Belarusian Dzerzhinsk. Together with his sick sister, they wanted to evacuate Marat to the rear, but he flatly refused to leave the front line. His comrades recalled how, in a hot battle, wounded, he raised despondent soldiers to attack. And when in March 1943, near the village of Rumok, German punitive forces encircled a partisan detachment named after Furmanov, the elusive boy managed to break through the enemy’s ring and brought reinforcements. The detachment was saved from destruction.

On May 11, 1944, when Marat and his commander were returning from a mission, they were surrounded by the Nazis. The commander was immediately killed in a firefight. There was nowhere to go, there were enemies all around. The Nazis wanted to take the little partisan alive, but he blew himself up along with them... The monument in Minsk captured the last seconds of his 14-year life. The boy raised a grenade over his head. Next - immortality, legend.

Monument to Marat Kazei in Minsk

ZINA PORTNOVA

A 15-year-old Leningrad girl came to a Belarusian village to visit her grandmother for the summer holidays. At the very beginning of the war they found themselves under occupation. A girl with pigtails joined the underground organization “Young Avengers”. Legends circulated about the daring sabotage of the underground. They disabled Nazi equipment, burned bridges, warehouses with ammunition and weapons. And the daring leaflets reminded the occupied Belarusians of the great Motherland, that our cause is just...

Zina got a job as a dishwasher in the dining room for German officers and there she poisoned the Nazis with rat poison. And then, without hesitation, she slurped the poisoned soup in front of the investigator, so as not to give herself away. Miraculously she survived. It was dangerous to stay in the village, so the girl was transferred to a partisan detachment. When the Gestapo arrested almost all the members of the Young Avengers, Zina volunteered to find the traitor. She headed to the village where the Germans were located. She was caught. During interrogation, she managed to grab a loaded pistol from the table: she shot the Gestapo investigator and two other officers and tried to escape. Did not work out. She was brutally tortured for a whole month, but the resilience of the young intelligence officer turned out to be stronger than the cruelty of the “supermans”. Zina became blind from torture, but did not utter a word about the partisans. In January 1944 she was shot. And in 1958, Zinaida Portnova was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

ABRAM PINKENSON

This boy remained in history under his home name - Musya. The son of a famous Bessarabian doctor, he was already considered a gifted violinist at the age of five. At the beginning of the war, my father was transferred to Kuban, to the Ust-Labinsk military hospital. The Nazis were rushing south. In the summer of 1942, the village was occupied by Wehrmacht units. The Pinkensons were arrested. One November day they were lined up on the high bank of the Kuban River, near a ditch - Jews, communists, partisans. Sentenced to death. The entire population of the village was driven here to watch how the disobedient were destroyed. To be respected and feared. But the boy did not feel fear. He had a violin in his hands. When they were led to the cliff, Musya started playing “Internationale”. In the mournful silence, the melody sounded loudly and clearly, as a reminder that victory would still be ours. An automatic burst interrupted the music... He had never held a military weapon in his hands. But he did not submit, did not break. In 1971, the cartoon “The Pioneer Violin” was released, reminiscent of the brave little violinist. Monuments to him stand in Ust-Labinsk, at the site of the execution, and in Tbilisi.

LARA MIKHEENKO

Larisa was born in Lakhta, near Leningrad. The war found her in the village of Pechenevo, Kalinin region (now the territory of the Pskov region), where she was on vacation with relatives. Already at the end of August, the Nazis entered the village. And then a real family tragedy broke out. Larisa's uncle began to cooperate with the invaders, the Germans appointed him as a local headman. He kicked his niece, who was indignant at the betrayal, out of the house.

Lara and her friends Raya and Frosya were reluctantly accepted into the partisan detachment. The commander believed that teenagers would be a burden for the underground. But they withstood severe testing. What is guerrilla intelligence? Here barefoot girls appear with baskets in the village of Orekhovo: they go to their aunt for cabbage seedlings. Here, in this village, the Nazis herded cattle taken from the surrounding collective farmers. The guards did not suspect anything, and the partisans received accurate information: how many machine gunners were there, where the firing points were located, where the roads were blocked. A few days later they raided Orekhovo and recaptured livestock and fodder from the enemy with virtually no losses. The inexperienced girl quickly became an intelligence ace. She was responsible for blowing up the railway bridge across Drissa. In addition, she managed to derail a German train approaching this bridge: Lara managed to get close to the tracks and light a fire cord in front of the approaching train.

In the fall of 1943, the hut in which the partisan headquarters was located was surrounded by the Nazis. Larisa was taken prisoner. She tried to blow herself up along with the punishers, but the grenade did not work... After interrogations and torture, on November 4, 1943, Larisa Mikheenko was shot.

VOLODYA DUBININ

Volodya was born in Kerch. The son of a sailor, he dreamed of long voyages and was fond of photography. And also, like all the guys of the pre-war period, he indulged in dreams of the sky, and studied in the aircraft modeling circle of the Pioneer House. His I-16 fighter model set records. When Crimea was occupied by the Nazis, a 14-year-old boy joined a partisan detachment hiding in the quarries of Old Quarantine. In the same ancient catacombs during Civil War his father fought Nikifor Dubinin... Kerch quarries became for invaders impregnable fortress. The detachment spent fifty days and nights underground. The partisans went to a depth of 50–60 meters, lost track of the hours, and lived according to a work schedule. The Germans blocked all the exits from the mines - and only small scouts provided the detachment with contact with the world...

In a month and a half, the leader of a group of young scouts, pioneer Volodya Dubinin, rose to the surface seven times. He left the quarries and made his way back almost in front of the German sentries. During one of the forays, he learned that the Nazis were going to flood the quarries, and managed to warn the command of the detachment. One day Volodya discovered a seriously wounded sailor and helped carry him into the mine. And one day, when the boy was returning to the detachment, it turned out that the Germans had walled up the hole through which he had escaped a few hours earlier. He had to crawl for a long time on mined stones a few steps from the armed guards before he found another loophole.

Volodya saw the early dawn of victory, which he was bringing closer with all his might. In December 1941, Soviet troops entered the city. But the Nazis surrounded the Starokarantinsky quarries with a network of minefields, and the partisans could not leave cover. It was necessary to clear the exit mines, and Volodya volunteered to be a guide for the sappers, again he was the first to rush to the rescue of his comrades. On January 4, 1942, Vladimir Dubinin and several sappers were blown up by a mine.

A book was published in 1949 Lev Kassil And Max Polyanovsky“Street of the Youngest Son,” which 13 years later was filmed by film director Lev Golub. One cannot help but sympathize with such a hero, and the memory of Volodya Dubinin’s feat has not been erased. In Kerch there is a monument to the young defender of the city. The figure of a boy is carved from a large monolithic block of Crimean diorite. He seems to be coming out of hiding with his coat open and a hat with earflaps on his head. He looks around intently. This is how he was on the day of his death.

Nikolay Krylov

Marat Kazei Pioneer hero Marat Kazei was born in 1929 into a family of ardent Bolsheviks. They named him such an unusual name in honor of the seagoing vessel of the same name, where his father served...

Marat Kazei

Pioneer hero Marat Kazei was born in 1929 into a family of ardent Bolsheviks. They named him with such an unusual name in honor of the seagoing vessel of the same name, where his father served for 10 years.

Soon after the start of the Great Patriotic War, Marat’s mother began to actively help the partisans in the capital of Belarus; she sheltered wounded soldiers and helped them recover for further battles. But the Nazis found out about this and hanged the woman.

Soon after the death of his mother, Marat Kazei and his sister joined a partisan detachment, where the boy began to be 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 organizing many acts of sabotage at German targets.

The boy also demonstrated his courage and heroism in direct combat with enemies - even after being 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 Ariadne, who had significant health problems. The pioneer would have easily been released to the rear, since he had not yet reached the age of 18, but Kazei refused and remained to fight further.

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 soldiers to help the partisans. The Nazis were dispersed, the Soviet soldiers were saved.

Recognizing the teenager’s considerable merits 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 friend were walking back from reconnaissance, and suddenly they were surrounded by the Nazis. Kazei’s partner was shot by the enemies, and the teenager blew himself up with the last grenade so that he could not be captured. Exists alternative opinion historians that the young hero wanted to prevent this so much 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 several 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, it was organized Kid `s camp, where students were brought up by the example of the 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 did the Great Patriotic War, the boy only completed five years of schooling. During his studies, Valya showed himself to be a sociable, intelligent student, a good organizer and a born leader.

When the Nazis captured Vali Kotik’s hometown, he was only 11 years old. Historians claim that the pioneer immediately began helping adults collect ammunition and weapons, which were sent to the line of fire. Valya and his comrades picked up pistols and machine guns from the sites of military clashes and secretly handed them over to the partisans in the forest. In addition, Kotik himself drew caricatures of the Nazis and hung them up in the city.

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

Valya Kotik also blew up fascist warehouses and trains and was ambushed many times. While still a young hero, he found out information about Nazi posts for the partisans.

In the fall of 1943, the boy again saved the lives of many partisans. While standing on duty, he was attacked. Valya Kotik killed one of the Nazis and reported the danger to his comrades.

For his many exploits, pioneer hero Valya Kotik was awarded two orders and a medal.

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 lightly wounded Valentin was sent on a convoy to the rear after the fighting, and this convoy was bombed by the Nazis.

During the Soviet era, all students knew the name of the brave teenager, as well as all his achievements. 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 a former Red partisan. Already from a young age, Volodya demonstrated a lively mind, quick wit and dexterity. He read a lot, took photographs, and made aircraft models. Father Nikifor Semenovich often told his children about his heroic partisan past and the formation of Soviet power.

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

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

Since the partisans did not sit silently in the quarries after the Nazis captured Old Quarantine, but organized 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 Old Quarantine captured by the Germans. Volodya Dubinin was the smallest in build and one day he was the only one left who could get to the surface. At this time, his comrades helped as best they could, diverting the attention of the fascists from those places where Volodya was getting out. Then they were active in another place so that Volodya could return back to the catacombs just as unnoticed in the evening.

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

In the winter of 1941, the Nazis decided to put an end to the partisans in the quarries near Old Karantin once and for all by flooding them with water. Volodya Dubinin, who went on reconnaissance duty, found out about this in time and promptly warned the underground fighters about the insidious plan of the fascists. In order to

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

The partisans urgently set up a barrier by building a dam, and thanks to this they were saved. 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 entire families.

At the time of his death, Volodya Dubinin was 14 years old. This happened after the New Year of 1942. On the orders of the partisan commander, he went to the Adzhimushkai quarries to establish contact with them. On the road, he met Soviet military units that liberated Kerch from the fascist invaders.

All that remained was to rescue the partisans from the quarries, defusing the minefield that the Nazis had left behind. Volodya became a guide for the sappers. But one of them made a fatal mistake and the boy, along with four soldiers, 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 Red Banner.

Zina Portnova

Zina Portnova performed several feats and acts of sabotage against the Nazis, being a member of the underground organization in the city of Vitebsk. The inhuman torment that she had to endure from the Nazis is forever in the hearts of her descendants and many years later fills us with sorrow.

Zina Portnova was born in 1926 in Leningrad. Before the war began, she was an ordinary girl. In the summer of 1941, she and her sister went to visit her grandmother in the Vitebsk region. After the start of the war, German invaders almost immediately came to this area. The girls were unable to 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 fascists. Zina Portnova became a member of the Young Avengers group. Their leader Efrosinya Zenkova was seventeen years old. Zina turned 15.

Zina’s most significant feat is the case of poisoning more than a hundred fascists. The girl managed to do this while performing the duties of a kitchen worker. She was suspected of this sabotage, but she herself ate the poisoned soup and they abandoned her. She herself miraculously remained alive after this; her grandmother treated her with the help of medicinal herbs.

Upon completion of this matter, Zina went to the partisans. Here I became a Komsomol member. But in the summer of 1943, a traitor revealed the Vitebsk underground, 30 young people were executed. Only a few managed to escape. The partisans instructed Zina to contact the survivors. However, she failed, she was recognized and arrested.

The Nazis already knew that Zina was also part of the Young Avengers, they just didn’t 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. During one of the interrogations, she snatched a Mauser from a German and shot three fascists. But she couldn’t escape - she was wounded in the leg. Zina Portnova could not kill herself - it was a misfire.

After this, the angry fascists began to brutally torture the girl. They poked Zina's eyes out, stuck needles under her nails, and burned her with hot irons. She just dreamed of dying. After another torture, she threw herself under a passing car, but the German monsters saved her to continue the torture.

In the winter of 1944, Zina Portnova, exhausted, crippled, blind and completely gray-haired, 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. Following the example of his father, a hunter, Alexander was able to shoot very accurately and navigate the terrain at his age.

At the age of fourteen, Sasha was accepted into the Komsomol. By the beginning of the war, he graduated from the eighth grade. A month after the Nazi attack, the front became close to the Tula region. Father and son Chekalin immediately joined the partisans.

In the early days, the young partisan showed himself to be a smart and brave fighter; he successfully obtained information about 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 organizes very effective sabotage against the Nazis on railway. Chekalin often sits in ambushes, punishes defectors, and undermines enemy posts.

At the end of 1941, Alexander became seriously ill with a cold, and in order for him to receive treatment, 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 had been 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 traitorous elder tracked him down and informed the Nazis about his arrival.

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

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

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

Lenya Golikov

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

In 1941, Leni’s native village was captured by the Nazis. Having seen enough of their atrocities, the teenager voluntarily joined the partisans after the liberation of his native land. At first they didn’t want to take him because young age(15 years old), but his former teacher vouched for him.

In the spring of 1942, Golikov became a full-time partisan intelligence officer. He acted very smartly and courageously, and had twenty-seven successful military operations to his credit.

The most important achievement of the pioneer hero came in August 1942, when he and another intelligence officer 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 redoubled force. January 1943 turned out to be especially difficult for them. The detachment in which Lenya Golikov served, about twenty people, took refuge in the village of Ostraya Luka. We decided to pass the night quietly. But a local traitor betrayed the partisans.

One hundred and fifty Nazis attacked the partisans at night, they bravely entered the battle, and only six escaped the ring of punitive forces. Only at the end of the month did they reach their own people and tell them that their comrades had died heroes in an unequal battle. Among them was Lenya Golikov.

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

Korolkov Yuri Mikhailovich

Lenya Golikov

Not far from the lake, on the steep bank of the Pola River, stands the village of Lukino, in which the rafter Golikov lived with his wife and three children. Every year in early spring Uncle Sasha went rafting, drove large rafts tied from logs along the rivers, and only returned to his village in the fall.

And mother Ekaterina Alekseevna remained at home with the children - two daughters and youngest son Lyonka. From morning until evening she was engaged in housekeeping or worked on a collective farm. And she taught her children to work, the children helped their mother in everything. Lyonka carried water from the well, looked after the cow and sheep. He knew how to straighten a fence and mend his felt boots.

The children went to school across the river to a neighboring village, and free time loved listening to fairy tales. Mother knew a lot of them and was a master at telling them.

Lenka was short, much smaller than his fellow peers, but in strength and agility rarely could anyone compare with him.

Whether it’s jumping at full speed across a stream, going into the depths of a forest, climbing the tallest tree, or swimming across a river - in all these matters Lyonka was inferior to few others.

So Lyonka lived in the open air among the forests, and his native land became more and more dear to him. He lived happily and thought that his free life would always be like this. But then one day, when Lyonka was already a pioneer, a misfortune happened in the Golikov family. My father fell into cold water, caught a cold and became seriously ill. He lay in bed for many months, and when he got up, he could no longer work as a rafter. He called Lyonka, sat him down in front of him and said:

That's it, Leonid, you need to help your family. I’ve become bad, the illness is completely tormenting me, go to work...

And his father got him a job as an apprentice on a crane that loaded firewood and logs on the river. They were loaded onto river barges and sent somewhere beyond Lake Ilmen. Lenka was interested in everything here: the steam engine, in which the fire was humming, and the steam was escaping in large white clouds, and the mighty crane, which lifted heavy logs like feathers. But Lyonka didn’t have to work for long.

* * *

It was Sunday, a warm and sunny day. Everyone was resting, and Lyonka also went with his comrades to the river. Near the ferry, which was transporting people, trucks and carts to the other side, the guys heard the driver of a truck, which had just approached the river, anxiously ask:

Have you heard about the war?

What war?

Hitler attacked us. Just now I heard it on the radio. The Nazis are bombing our cities.

The boys saw how everyone's faces darkened. The guys felt that something terrible had happened. The women were crying, more and more people were gathering around the driver, and everyone was repeating: war, war. Lyonka had a map somewhere in her old textbook. He remembered: the book was in the attic, and the guys went to the Golikovs. Here, in the attic, they bent over the map and saw that fascist Germany located far from Lake Ilmen. The guys calmed down a little.

The next day, almost all the men went into the army. Only women, old people, and children remained in the village.

The boys had no time for games now. They spent all their time on the field, replacing adults.

Several weeks have passed since the war began. On a hot August day, the guys were carrying sheaves from the field and talking about the war.

“Hitler is approaching Staraya Russa,” said the white-headed Tolka, laying sheaves on the cart. - The soldiers were driving and they said that there was nothing between Russa and us.

Well, he shouldn’t be here,” Lyonka answered confidently.

And if they come, what will you do? - asked the youngest of the guys, Valka, nicknamed Yagoday.

“I’ll do something,” Lyonka answered vaguely.

The boys tied the sheaves on the cart and moved towards the village...

But it turned out that little Valka was right. The fascist troops were approaching closer and closer to the village where Lyonka lived. Not today or tomorrow they could capture Lukino. The villagers were wondering what to do and decided to go with the whole village into the forest, into the most remote places where the Nazis would not be able to find them. And so they did.

There was a lot of work in the forest. At first they built huts, but some people had already dug dugouts. Lyonka and her father were also digging a dugout.

As soon as Lyonka had free time, he decided to visit the village. As there?

Lenka ran after the guys, and the three of them went to Lukino. The shooting either died down or started again. They decided that everyone would go their own way and meet in the gardens in front of the village.

Stealthily, listening to the slightest rustle, Lyonka safely reached the river. He walked up the path to his house and carefully looked out from behind the hillock. The village was empty. The sun was hitting his eyes, and Lenka put his palm to the visor of his cap. Not a single person around. But what is it? Soldiers appeared on the road outside the village. Lyonka immediately saw that the soldiers were not ours.

"Germans! - he decided. “Here you go!”

The soldiers stood at the edge of the forest and looked at Lukino.

“Here you go!” - Lyonka thought again. - I shouldn’t have fought off the guys. We must run!..”

A plan matured in his head: while the Nazis were walking along the road, he would go back down to the river and go along the stream into the forest. Otherwise... Lyonka was even scared to imagine that it would be different...

Lyonka took a few steps, and suddenly the mute silence of the autumn day was cut through by the shot of a machine gun. He glanced down the road. The Nazis fled to the forest, leaving several dead on the ground. Lyonka could not understand where our machine gunner was shooting from. And then I saw him. He was shooting from a shallow hole. The Germans also opened fire.

Lyonka quietly approached the machine gunner from behind and looked at his worn-out heels and his back, darkened with sweat.

And you're great at them! - Lyonka said when the soldier began to reload the machine gun.

The machine gunner shuddered and looked around.

Damn you! - he exclaimed when he saw the boy in front of him. - What do you want here?

I’m from here... I wanted to see my village.

The machine gunner fired a burst again and turned to Lyonka.

What's your name?

Lyonka... Uncle, maybe I can help you with something?

Look, how smart you are. Well, help me. I should have brought some water, my mouth was dry.

What, what? At least scoop it up with a cap...

Lenka went down to the river and plunged his cap into the cool water. By the time he reached the machine gunner, there was very little water left in his cap. The soldier greedily clung to Lyonka’s cap...

“Bring more,” he said.

From the direction of the forest, they began firing mortars along the shore.

And when the war ends, and we begin to reflect on the reasons for our victory over the enemy of humanity, we will not forget that we had a powerful ally: a multimillion-strong, tightly united army of Soviet children.

K. Chukovsky, 1942

Korolkov Yuri Mikhailovich(1906, Sasovo, Tambov province - 1981, Moscow) - Russian Soviet writer, journalist.

Studied at the Institute of National Economy named after. G. V. Plekhanov (1925-1928, completed 3 courses). My literary activity He began working in the editorial office of Komsomolskaya Pravda in 1927. Began publishing in 1928.

He worked as a correspondent for a number of central newspapers (Pravda, Komsomolskaya Pravda, Krasnaya Zvezda) abroad. Author of historical and documentary novels and stories “Kyo ku mitsu!”, “The man for whom there were no secrets” - about the life and work of Richard Sorge, “Somewhere in Germany...”, “During the years of the great war... " - O Soviet intelligence officers, known as the "Red Chapel".

The book by writer Yuri Korolkov, “Partisan Lenya Golikov,” was published in the early 1950s. The writer, who went through the war as a front-line correspondent, talks about real events.

Korolkov, Yu. M . Partisan Lenya Golikov. - M.: Young Guard, 1985. -26 p.

In those days, boys and girls, your peers, grew up early: they did not play at war, they lived according to its harsh laws. The greatest love for the Soviet people and the greatest hatred for the enemy called the pioneers of the fiery forties to defend the Motherland.

The Great Patriotic War claimed the lives of many young children who died defending their Motherland. One of them -Lenya Golikov.

Born on June 17, 1926 in the village of Lukino, now Parfinsky district, Novgorod region, in a working-class family. Russian. Graduated from 5th grade. He worked at plywood factory No. 2 in the city of Staraya Russa.
But suddenly the Great Patriotic War began, and everything he dreamed of in a peaceful life suddenly ended. On June 17, 1941, he turned 15 years old, and on June 22, the war began.

The Nazis captured his village, began to commit atrocities, and tried to establish their “new order.” Together with the adults, Lenya joined the partisan detachment to fight against the Nazis. He collected information about the number and weapons of enemies. Using his data, the partisans freed over a thousand prisoners of war, defeated several fascist garrisons, and saved many Soviet people from theft to Germany. With his direct participation, 2 railway and 12 highway bridges were blown up, 2 food warehouses and 10 vehicles with ammunition were burned. He especially distinguished himself during the defeat of enemy garrisons in the villages of Aprosovo, Sosnitsy, and Sever. Accompanied a convoy with food in 250 carts to besieged Leningrad.
The Nazis were afraid of the partisans. German prisoners stated during interrogations: “We saw terrible Russian partisans around every turn, behind every tree, behind every house and corner. We were afraid to travel and walk alone. And the partisans were elusive.”

On August 13, 1942, a group of scouts, which included Lenya Golikov, in the area of the village of Varnitsa, Strugokrasnensky district, Pskov region, made an attempt on the life of the fascist major general engineering troops Richard Wirtz and captured valuable documents, including descriptions of new types of German mines, inspection reports to higher command and other intelligence data. Soon from the General Staff partisan movement An order was received to nominate all participants in the daring operation for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

A fearless name is a reward for a hero
He was your age
Let's sing about how the squad's favorite
I went on reconnaissance fearlessly.
Let's sing about how the trains flew out of the way,
Which he undermined.
I believed with all my heart in the coming victory,
In battle he was desperate.
No wonder one day the fascist beast
In the ranks of general he knocked out.
He returned to the detachment with a priceless package.
Fell asleep by the fire on the ground
He never dreamed that about this feat
In the morning they will find out in the Kremlin.
What will the hero have a golden star -
Reward for military work.
That people, dreaming of a glorious feat,
They will look up to Lyonka.

But the hero did not have time to receive the award. In December 1942, the partisan detachment was surrounded by the Germans. After fierce fighting, the detachment managed to break through the encirclement and escape to another area. There were 50 people left in the ranks, the radio was broken, and the ammunition was running out. Attempts to establish contact with other units and stock up on food ended in the death of the partisans. On a January night in 1943, 27 exhausted soldiers came out to the village of Ostraya Luka, Dedovichi district, Pskov region and occupied the three outermost huts. Intelligence did not find anything suspicious - the German garrison was located several kilometers away. The detachment commander decided not to set up patrols so as not to attract attention. In the morning, the partisans' sleep was interrupted by the roar of a machine gun - a traitor was found in the village who told the Germans who had come to the village at night. I had to fight back and go to the forest... In that battle, the entire headquarters of the partisan brigade was killed.

Among them was 16-year-old Lenya Golikov.

By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated April 2, 1944, for the exemplary fulfillment of command assignments and the courage and heroism shown in battles with the Nazi invaders, Leonid Aleksandrovich Golikov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously). He was awarded the Order of Lenin (04/2/1944; posthumously), the Red Banner and the medal “For Courage”.

He was buried in his homeland - in the village of Lukino, Parfinsky district, Novgorod region. January 24, 2013 marked the 70th anniversary of his death Leonid Aleksandrovich Golikov, Hero of the Soviet Union. He was officially listed pioneer heroes.

Good book. Necessary. Correct. And straight to the heart.

And again about the Great Patriotic War...

It seems that modern youth are already so far from those events that they are simply not able to evaluate another book about a war hero. If you think this way, then you are wrong!

Book Verkin, E. N. Cloud Regiment / E. N. Verkin. - M: KompasGid, 2012. - 290 p.- proof of this.

It was the teenagers who gave this book first place in the national literary competition “Kniguru”. It was from them that this poignant story found the most lively response. A very difficult book, sometimes piercing to the core.

Eduard Nikolaevich Verkin known as the author of short stories, novels and books for children. Eduard Verkin is a modern writer, multiple winner of the “Treasured Dream” literary award, winner of the “Book” competition, winner of the competition named after. S. Mikhalkova and one of the brightest modern authors for teenagers. His books are unusual, although they seem to tell about Everyday life. They shock, upend the usual picture of the world both by the story itself, which is always masterfully conveyed, and by what is left behind the scenes.

Born in Vorkuta in 1975. Member of the Russian Writers' Union. E. Verkin has been publishing since 2004. From his pen came books that have nothing in common with this story, but are fascinating to read: “Superboy, Maniac and Robot”, “Investigations of Felix Kuropyatkin”, the encyclopedia “For stylish girls and... not only. A reference book for life”, “The Island of the Last Villain”, “The Glass Hand”, “The Prankster Zhmurik”, “The Vampire on Thin Legs”...

"Cloud Regiment", a very unexpected novel about teenage partisans.

This is a story about the war, which we see through the eyes of a shell-shocked boy, Dima, an urban boy, completely unadapted to partisan life in the forest. He has neither home nor family.

« What is war like? How does it feel?“- his great-grandson asks him at the beginning of the story. And he tries to answer in a way that makes it clear: “You are sick, with a swollen head, wandering through the snow through eternal Monday. And at the same time you understand that Tuesday may not happen.”

The story of how a feat is accomplished. Not to the sound of fanfare, but in blood, hunger, despair.

We see a partisan detachment. He is not big, one of the very young guys, children forced to grow up “prematurely.” Dima, his friend Sanych, Kovalets, who is trying to teach them, Alka and his brother, others... They matured early, and when reading, you don’t immediately understand that they are from 14 to 17 years old, and Shchury is even younger. They are different, but now they live with one goal - to destroy the enemy.

The main characters of “Cloud Regiment” are partisans Sanych and Dima. Their daily concerns are exploration, procurement of provisions and weapons. Sanych is a hero, he failed German general, for which he is about to be given a medal, and journalists are making their way through the swamps to interview him and take a photograph. By the way, no one manages to take a photographic portrait. Sanych claims that he is under a spell. ...And at the moment when we accept the rules of the game, when we begin to read “The Cloud Regiment” exclusively as an adventure work, the writer begins to talk about a real war. About a very simple and evil one.
This is not heroism and exploits, but a terrible circumstance of life in which young people grew up and were brought up. Soldier's life was incredibly difficult, and the fact that this is honestly told in the book is very important - we need to know what really happened in the war.
The lack of “heroism”, simplicity, understatement, and the ordinariness of war put this book on a par with the best works of the 20th century.

The story “Cloud Regiment” shakes you to the core.

Of course, the novel “Cloud Regiment” is worth reading for everyone. It is simply impossible to tear yourself away from him.

The book is the first prize winner of the “BOOK” competition, season 2 (2011-2012). Winner of the Belkin Prize in the “Teacher Belkin” category, 2013. Prize named after. P. Bazhova. Laureate of the International Children's Literary Prize V. P. Krapivin, 2012.