Tokarev, Nikolai Danilovich

Nikolai Vorzhesinsky was born on December 19, 1915 in the village of Yermakovskoye in the Yenisei province of the Russian Empire (now - Yermakovsky district of the Krasnoyarsk Territory ) in a peasant family. In 1922 he changed his name to Tokarev. In 1930, he graduated from four classes of an elementary school, after which he worked at the Budenny collective farm as financial agents at the village council. In 1936, Tokarev graduated from the courses of chairpersons of the general public administration in Ermakovsky, after which he worked as chairman of the general director of agriculture and the team leader ^[1] .

In April 1936, Tokarev was called up for service in the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army . In February 1937, he graduated from the regimental school of the 76th Infantry Regiment of the 150th Infantry Division of the Special Red Banner Far Eastern Army in the city of Voroshilov (now Ussuriysk ) of the Primorsky Territory , then until May 1938 he served as an assistant platoon commander in the 85th military stock of the red army. In January 1939, Tokarev graduated from junior lieutenant courses and commanded a platoon of the 94th Infantry Regiment of the 32nd Infantry Division in the Far East . In June 1940, he graduated from advanced training courses for the command staff of the companies of the Siberian Military District in the city of Achinsk, Krasnoyarsk Territory. In March 1941, he was appointed commander of a rifle company in his regiment ^[1] .

Since July 1941 - on the fronts of World War II. In the first battle on July 18, 1941, Tokarev was seriously injured, he was treated for six months in a hospital in Novosibirsk . In December 1941, he was appointed commander of the mortar company of the 957th Infantry Regiment of the 309th Infantry Division of the 6th Reserve Army. In July 1942 he returned to the front. He took part in defensive battles on the Don in the summer and autumn of 1942, the Ostrogozh-Rossoshansk , Voronezh-Kastornensky and Kharkov operations, the Battle of Kursk , and the battle for the Dnieper . In February 1943 he was wounded, until May he was treated in a hospital. By the beginning of the battle for the Dnieper, Captain Tokarev commanded a battalion of the 957th Infantry Regiment of the 309th Infantry Division of the 40th Army of the Voronezh Front . He distinguished himself in battles on the outskirts of the Dnieper and during its crossing in the area of ​​the village of Shchuchinka, Kagarlyksky district, Kiev region . On September 2, 1943, the battalion broke through the defenses of the German units on the Psel river, after which it fought 300 kilometers, liberated many settlements, and participated in the liberation of the city of Piryatin . In these battles, at least 300 enemy soldiers were destroyed by the battalion. On the night of September 23-24, 1943, Tokarev directly supervised the crossing of the battalion across the Dnieper, despite massive enemy fire. September 25, 1943 Tokarev was wounded and sent to the hospital ^[1] .

On October 23, 1943, by a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR for “courage and heroism shown during the fulfillment of command assignments at the front of the struggle against Nazi invaders,” Captain Nikolai Tokarev was awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the award of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal for number 2544 ^[1] . (The award sheet was issued only on October 31, 1943, which directly indicates the random assignment of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union).

Since March 1944, Tokarev studied at the Shot courses.

On June 20, 1944, Order No. 1070 “On Undeserved Presentation of Captain Tokarev and Senior Lieutenant Naumkin” to the rank of Hero of the Soviet Union was issued on the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front. As a result of the investigation, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR filed a motion to deprive these officers of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

On September 11, 1944, the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of October 23, 1943 regarding the assignment of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union to Nikolai Danilovich Tokarev was canceled "in connection with an unreasonable representation."

In January-March 1945 he was treated in a sanatorium in Pyatigorsk . Since March 1945 Tokarev again at the front, returned to the same position. He took part in the battles for the capture of Breslau (now Wroclaw , Poland ), the battalion under his command captured two city blocks and inflicted heavy losses on the defenders ^[1] .

Since May 1945, Tokarev was a battalion commander of the 116th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 40th Guards Rifle Division of the 4th Guards Army in the Central Group of Forces . In January 1946, Tokarev was appointed commander of a rifle battalion in the 57th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 17th Guards Mechanized Division. In July 1946, Tokarev was sacked ^[1] .

On September 9, 1965, Tokarev wrote a complaint addressed to Leonid Brezhnev , then wrote motions several more times, but he failed to achieve restoration to the rank of Hero ^[1] .

He lived and worked in the city of Genichesk, Kherson region of the Ukrainian SSR , then in the city of Kyzyl, Tuva Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic . In December 1970, he was relocated from the reserve. He died on July 24, 1978 in the village of Ermakovskoye, when he was visiting with his brother. The body was transported to the city of Kyzyl. He was buried in Kyzyl ^[1] .

He was also awarded the orders of World War II 1st degree (04/23/1943) and 2nd degree (06/06/1945), medals "For the liberation of Warsaw" , "For the victory over Germany" and several others ^[1] .

• Konev V.N. Damned and forgotten. Outcast Heroes of the USSR. - M. Yauza, 2010.