Nikitin, Nikolai Alexandrovich (Colonel)

Born on November 9 (22), 1915 in the village of Ust-Chebul, now Chebulinsky district, Kemerovo region.

In 1930 he graduated from the 4th grade of a rural school, in 1933 - from the Mining and Industrial School of FZU in the city of Kemerovo . In 1933-1935, he worked as a storekeeper in an artel in the village of Tyret ( Zalarinsky district of the Irkutsk region ), in 1935-1936 - as a storekeeper of Zolotprodsnaba in the city of Tommot ( Aldan district of Yakutia ), in 1936-1937 - as a prospector at a gold mining mine in the village of Allah- Yun ( Ust-May district of Yakutia ).

In September 1937 - November 1939 he served in the army. He served as a clerk in a construction regiment (in the Far East ).

In 1940-1941 he worked as an instructor in official dog breeding of the Krasnoyarsk Territory Communications Administration.

Again in the army since August 1941. He served as the commander of the infantry division (in the Siberian Military District ).

Member of the Great Patriotic War : in January-April 1942 - commander of the commandant platoon of the headquarters of the Southern Group of Forces of the 34th Army , in April-May 1942 - head of the food warehouse of the headquarters of the Southern Group of Forces of the 34th Army (from May 1942 - of the headquarters of the 53rd army ). He fought on the North-Western Front . He participated in the blockade of the enemy’s demian group . In November 1942 he graduated from the courses of junior lieutenants of the North-Western Front . In November 1942 - May 1943 - commander of the reconnaissance platoon of the 303rd Infantry Regiment ( North-Western Front ). Participated in the liquidation of the enemy’s demian group .

In September 1943 he graduated from advanced training courses for officers of the Steppe Front . In September 1943 - February 1944 - intelligence platoon commander of the 273rd Guards Rifle Regiment ( Stepnoy and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts ). He participated in the battle for the Dnieper , the offensive in the Kryvyi Rih direction and the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky operation . On February 13, 1944, he was shell-shocked in the region of the city of Shpola ( Cherkasy region , Ukraine ) and until April 1944 was treated in a Kharkov hospital.

Feat

Particularly distinguished when crossing the Dnieper . On the night of September 29, 1943, a group of reconnaissance forces crossed the river in the area of ​​the village of Keleberda ( Kremenchug district of the Poltava region , Ukraine ) under enemy fire, destroyed the enemy military guard and seized the bridgehead by the morning of September 30, 1943. Within five days, scouts under his command repelled 6 Nazi counterattacks. In a battle on October 5, 1943, he personally raised the soldiers to attack and, in hand-to-hand combat, defended the captured line. On October 18, 1943, he was slightly wounded in a battle on the bridgehead.

Description of October 19, 1943 from a copy of the award sheet:

On September 29, 1943, his platoon was commissioned to force the Dnieper first, reconnoiter the enemy forces on the right bank and create conditions for the transporting infantry. Four scouts led by junior lieutenant Nikitin began to force the river. The enemy opened fire and broke through the boat. Nikolai Nikitin quickly organized the pumping of air into the boat and did not stop the crossing. Having landed on the right bank of the Dnieper, the scouts revealed the enemy’s forces and destroyed his military guard. Together with the infantry and machine gunners who arrived in time by this time, N. A. Nikitin and his fighters continued to press the enemy, and by the morning of September 30 created a bridgehead on the right bank of the Dnieper. On this day , lieutenant Nikitin and the scouts took part in repelling five enemy counterattacks and the bridgehead was restrained.

On October 5, 1943, with the support of eleven tanks, two battalions of German infantry launched a furious attack to drop paratroopers into the Dnieper. Nikitin with ten fighters beat off the enemy’s attack on the left flank, where an enhanced company of the enemy was advancing with the support of two tanks and artillery. Nikitin allowed the enemy at close range and opened fire. He raised the fighters to the attack, burst into the enemy’s trench and here, in hand-to-hand combat, decided the outcome of the battle in our favor. Over 50 fascists were destroyed, two easel, eight light machine guns and 37 rifles were captured. Personally, the junior lieutenant Nikitin destroyed eight fascists from a machine gun in this battle and threw the machine gun nests of the enemy with hand grenades - he destroyed the entire crew.

For courage and heroism shown in the battles, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of December 20, 1943, the guard was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Golden Star medal to the Lieutenant Nikitin Nikolai Alexandrovich.

From July 1944 he served in commandant's offices at Moscow stations: commander of a commandant platoon and military commandant of the Yaroslavl station (1944-1945), assistant military commandant of the Kazan station (August-October 1945), military commandant and assistant military commandant of the Leningrad station (1945-1948) . In 1949 he graduated from advanced training courses for officers at the Military Transport Academy . In 1949-1954 - the military commandant and deputy military commandant of the Leningrad station , in 1954-1965 - the deputy military commandant and military commandant of the Kiev station , in 1965-1971 - the military commandant of the Belorussian station . Since March 1971, Lieutenant Colonel N. A. Nikitin is in stock.

He lived in Moscow . He died on June 26, 1992 . He was buried at the Vvedensky cemetery in Moscow.

• Hero of the Soviet Union (12/20/1943);
• Order of Lenin (12/20/1943);
• Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree (03/11/1985);
• two orders of the Red Star (02/11/1943; 11/05/1954);
• medal "For Military Merit" (11/15/1950);
• other medals.

A street in the village of Ust-Chebula is named after N. A. Nikitin.

Heroes of the Soviet Union: A Brief Biographical Dictionary / Prev. ed. collegium I. N. Shkadov . - M .: Military Publishing , 1988. - T. 2 / Love - Yashchuk /. - 863 s. - 100,000 copies. - ISBN 5-203-00536-2 .

• Nikitin, Nikolai Alexandrovich (Colonel) (Russian) . Site " Heroes of the country ".
• Nikitin Nikolay Alexandrovich .