Grigory Semenovich Kovalev ( 1902 - 1944 ) - Guard sergeant of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army , participant in the Great Patriotic War , Hero of the Soviet Union ( 1945 ).
| Grigory Semenovich Kovalev | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of Birth | May 8, 1902 | ||
| Place of Birth | the village of Bolshaya Krushinovka , Rogachev district , Gomel region | ||
| Date of death | August 18, 1944 (42 years old) | ||
| Place of death | Siauliai district , Lithuanian SSR | ||
| Affiliation |  the USSR | ||
| Type of army | infantry | ||
| Years of service | 1924 - 1944 (with a break) | ||
| Rank |  | ||
| Part | 2nd Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade, ( 3rd Guards Tank Corps ) | ||
| Battles / wars | The Great Patriotic War | ||
| Awards and prizes |
| ||
Biography
Grigory Kovalev was born on April 25 (new style - May 8 ) in 1902 in the village of Bolshaya Krushinovka (now Rogachev district of the Gomel region of Belarus ). In 1924 - 1928 he served in the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army. Since 1932 he worked as chairman of a collective farm in his homeland. At the beginning of World War II, he was in occupation and joined the partisan detachment as a fighter. In August 1944, Kovalev was again drafted into the army, was a shooter of the 2nd Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 3rd Guards Tank Corps of the 5th Guards Tank Army of the 1st Baltic Front . Distinguished himself during the Šiauliai operation [1] .
On August 18, 1944, Kovalev was among the Soviet fighters who defended the height west of Siauliai from the powerful counterattack of the enemy infantry battalion, 23 tanks and 9 armored personnel carriers. At a critical moment in the battle, Kovalev with a bunch of hand grenades threw himself under a German tank , destroying it at the cost of his life. Initially, he was buried in the Lithuanian village of Kupri , but was later reburied in the town of Ginkunai in the Šiauliai region of Lithuania [1] .
By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated March 24, 1945, for the "exemplary performance of command missions on the front line against the German invaders and the courage and heroism shown" of the guard, Sergeant Grigory Kovalev was posthumously awarded the high rank of Hero of the Soviet Union . He was also posthumously awarded the Order of Lenin [1] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 Kovalev, Grigory Semenovich . Site " Heroes of the country ".
Literature
- Heroes of the Soviet Union: A Brief Biographical Dictionary / Prev. ed. collegium I. N. Shkadov . - M .: Military Publishing , 1987.- T. 1 / Abaev - Lyubichev /. - 911 p. - 100,000 copies. - ISBN comp., Reg. RCP No. 87-95382.
- Heroes of the Soviet Union - Mogilev. Minsk, 1965.
- Forever in the heart of the people. 3rd ed., Ext. and rev. Minsk, 1984.