Spirin, Alexander Ivanovich

Alexander Ivanovich was born on August 17, 1917 in the city of Cherdyn , now Perm Territory, in a working class family. In 1933 he graduated from the 7th grade of the Cherdynsky high school. He worked as an electrician in a house of culture, at a city power station. For conscientious and honest work, he was repeatedly awarded valuable gifts. The staff of the Komsomol organization was elected secretary of the committee.

Since September 1938 in the Red Army . Member of the CPSU (b) . In 1939 he graduated from the regimental school with the rank of sergeant-radio operator. In 1939-1941 he trained young tankers.

Member of the Great Patriotic War on July 19, 1941. He was appointed to the crew of the regiment commander Major Potapov. He was wounded in one of the battles and was treated in a hospital in the city of Dzerzhinsk, Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod) region. After recovery, he was sent to the newly formed unit, which was soon aimed at protecting the city of Leningrad .

In April 1943, he was seriously wounded and concussed, and until September of that year was in the hospital. The medical commission ordered Alexander Ivanovich to leave home, but instead of his native Urals, the sergeant went to the front in his unit.

In January 1944 he distinguished himself in battles during the lifting of the siege of Leningrad. In fierce battles and only in one day on January 14, 1944, the 2nd tank company under the command of Spirin A.I. destroyed two tanks, 38 dugouts and bunkers , 36 machine gun points, 38 guns of various calibers and one armored enemy tractor. Seven soldiers and one officer were captured, 700 manpower was destroyed.

In these tense days, A. I. Spirin personally, from a cannon and a machine gun, destroyed 7 anti-tank and 9 other guns, 18 dugouts, 13 machine guns, one German heavy tank " Tiger ", enemy personnel of up to 19 people.

On January 16, 1944, the tank company of Spirin A.I. was given the task of interacting with the 308th Rifle Regiment on the east side and the 19th Rifle Regiment on the west side of the village (now the village) of Dyatlitsy, Lomonosov District, Leningrad Region, and gain control point of the third defensive line of the enemy. On the third day of the battle, southeast of the stronghold, the enemy brought into battle from the operational reserve two regiments of the 61st Infantry Division and several battalions of the motorized division.

In the night battle on January 16, 1944, a company of senior lieutenant Spirin A.I. with three T-34 tanks pulled far ahead and approached the village of Dyatlitsa . The company commander was in the lead tank. A large amount of enemy equipment was concentrated on the approaches to it. Spirin A. I. did not wait for the main forces of the regiment to come up, and decided to accept an unequal battle. In a quarter of an hour, the commander’s tank, skillfully maneuvering, destroyed nine guns of various calibers.

Bursting first on the outskirts of the village of Dyatlitsy, A. I. Spirin discovered 8 enemy tanks and immediately knocked out one of them, and then two more enemy tanks. The response fire of German tanks, the car of Spirin A.I. was hit and caught fire. Spirin A.I. got out and opened fire on the enemy soldiers surrounding him.

When Soviet troops entered Dyatlitsy, the senior lieutenant was no longer alive. 16 wounds were found on his body, and around him lay 60 killed German soldiers and officers.

Senior Lieutenant A. I. Spirin was buried in the village of Gostilitsy, Lomonosov district, Leningrad region .

By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of February 13, 1944, "for exemplary performance of command missions on the front of the struggle against Nazi invaders and courage and heroism shown at the same time, Senior Lieutenant Spirin Alexander Ivanovich was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union .

• Hero of the Soviet Union (02/13/1944);
• Order of Lenin (02/13/1944);
• Order of the Red Star (04.16.1943);
• two medals “For Courage” (05/21/1942, 09/09/1942);
• Medal "For the Defense of Leningrad" (07/10/1943).

• By order of the USSR Minister of Defense for valor, courage and stamina, Hero of the Soviet Union Senior Lieutenant Spirin A.I. was forever enlisted in the lists of personnel of the 127th Guards Tank Ropshinsky Red Banner Order of the Suvorov and Red Star Regiment.
• A school and one of the streets of Cherdyn are named after the Hero.
• In 1975 - a street in the Krasnoselsky district of Leningrad (now - St. Petersburg ).
• A memorial plaque is installed on the building of school number 1 in Cherdyn.
• A bust of senior lieutenant A. I. Spirin was installed in the village of Vilpovitsy, Lomonosov district, Leningrad region .
• The name of the Hero of Spirin A.I. was named a state farm in the same area.
• The name of the Hero was also carried by numerous squads and squads of schools.
• 12/08/2017 in Polezhaevsky Park on the Walk of Fame a memorial sign was opened. Concrete anti-tank fridge with a sign. (St. Petersburg)

• Spirin Alexander Ivanovich // 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 .
• It was in Dyatlitsy // Burov A.V. Your heroes, Leningrad. - L .: Lenizdat, 1970 .-- S. 369-372.
• At the head of the attackers // Golden Stars of Prikamye / comp .: I. A. Kondaurov , S. I. Mokrousov. - 3rd ed., Ext. - Perm: Perm Book Publishing House, 1974. - S. 378-379. - 487 p.

Spirin, Alexander Ivanovich (Russian) . Site " Heroes of the country ".