Skuchalov, Alexey Vasilievich

Born on February 26, 1913 in the village of Pogorelki, Makaryevsky District, Kostroma Region . He graduated from elementary school. He worked as a tractor driver on a collective farm. In 1939, he participated in the liberation of the western regions of Belarus and Ukraine .

June 22, 1941 he voluntarily came to the district military enlistment office in the city of Makaryev and went to the front even before receiving the summons. He was trained in the city of Ivanovo, got acquainted with the new military equipment - a 152-mm howitzer with mechanical traction. Together with the artillery regiment, on July 5, he arrived at the front — near Leningrad.

The gunner Skucalov received baptism of fire in the battles of Malaya Vishera and Sinyavino. In the most difficult days, gunners with direct fire restrained the onslaught of enemy tanks and infantry. In June 1942, in a battle near the city of Volkhov, Skuchalov was wounded.

Four months later, after the hospital, he again returned to the Leningrad Front , but in another part, the commander of the 76-mm guns in the rifle regiment. In this part, he went to the end of the war, participated in breaking the blockade of Leningrad. By January 1944, he was awarded two medals "For Military Merit".

When breaking through the defense in depth of the Germans by units of the 90th Infantry Division, the artillerymen of the battery, in which Junior Sergeant Skuchalov served, provided great assistance. In the battle for the Volosovo station, his calculation knocked out two enemy armored personnel carriers with an infantry and a staff car. Valuable documents that were quickly used by the headquarters fell into the hands of the command. At the skuchalov tunic appeared the Order of the Patriotic War of the 2nd degree.

On April 7, 1944, the commander of the 76-mm gun, Junior Sergeant Skuchalov, in the battle for the settlement of Big Mustache, skillfully commanding the crew, rendered great assistance to the advancing infantry. At a critical moment, when the opponents launched a counterattack, on his own initiative he advanced the gun to an open firing position and opened fire with direct fire. In this battle, the calculation of junior sergeant Skuchalov broke one enemy cannon, destroyed its servants and 40 German soldiers and officers. Being wounded in battle, the commander did not leave the firing line and continued to command the calculation. In further battles, the artilleryman Skucalov with his well-aimed shots destroyed six guns - an entire battery of the enemy. By order of the 90th Infantry Division of April 16, 1944, for the combat skill and courage shown in the battles near Leningrad, Junior Sergeant Skuchalov Alexei Vasilyevich was awarded the Order of Glory of the 3rd degree.

In the summer of 1944, fighting began for the liberation of the Karelian Isthmus. In the battles for the “Mannerheim Line” and the assault on the fortress city of Vyborg, the commander of the 76-mm gun again distinguished himself as Sergeant Aleksey Skuchalov. After Finland left the war, a regiment in the division was transferred to Estonia.

On September 17, 1944, the commander of the 76-mm gun, senior sergeant Skucalov, who calculated when breaking through the strongly fortified German defenses north of the city of Tartu, directly suppressed the enemy machine-gun point, destroyed the enemy dugout, destroyed the gun and over 30 enemy soldiers and officers. He ensured the advance of our infantry with his fire. Representing a well-aimed artilleryman to be awarded the Order of Glory of the 2nd degree, the regiment commander wrote in the award sheet: ". Throughout the year, Skuchalov’s gun moves in battle formations of infantry and, as necessary, unfolds and destroys enemy firing points and infantry. ” By order of the troops of the 2nd shock army of September 29, 1944, Senior Sergeant Skuchalov Alexei Vasilyevich was awarded the Order of Glory of the 2nd degree.

The artilleryman also distinguished himself in subsequent battles of the final period of the Great Patriotic War .

On January 14-15, 1945, in the area of ​​the village of Shvedice, senior sergeant Skuchalov provided fire to the combat area of ​​the breakthrough of his units. During artillery fire from his gun, Skuchalov’s crew destroyed two stationary machine-gun points of the enemy and up to 15 German soldiers and officers.

By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of March 24, 1945, for the exceptional courage, courage and fearlessness shown in battles with enemy invaders, Senior Sergeant Alexei Skuchalov was awarded the Order of Glory of the 1st degree. He became the full holder of the Order of Glory.

With his regiment he reached the central regions of the Reich, took part in the liberation of the German cities of Greattswald, Swineemunde. Senior Sergeant Skuchalov met Victory Day on the island of Rügen, where our landing, which included artillerymen, was thrown by the sea. After serving in the occupation forces until the winter of 1945, A. V. Skuchalov received a vacation home and was demobilized.

In 1946, he was elected chairman of the peasant collective farm, which he headed for several years with short interruptions. Then he worked as the head of the farm, the foreman, the secretary of the party organization, was in charge of electric current, for many years he was deputy chairman of the enlarged collective farm "Testament Ilyich."

In 1967, 22 years after the Victory, the veteran was awarded the highest award, which he was awarded at the end of the war - the Order of Glory of the 1st degree.

After retiring, he lived in the city of Kostroma. Died July 14, 1982. He was buried in his homeland in the village of Starikovo, the Makaryevsky district.

He was awarded the orders of the Patriotic War of the 2nd degree, Glory of 3 degrees, medals.

• Golubev E.P. Battle stars. Yaroslavl: Upper Volzh. Prince ed., 1972
• Cavaliers of the Order of Glory of three degrees: A Brief Biographical Dictionary / Prev. ed. collegium D. S. Sukhorukov . - M .: Military Publishing House , 2000 .-- 703 p. - 10,000 copies. - ISBN 5-203-01883-9 .

Alexey Vasilievich Skuchalov (Russian) . Site " Heroes of the country ". Date of treatment July 4, 2014.