Dolgov, Nikolai Ivanovich

Before the war

Nikolai Ivanovich Dolgov was born on March 25, 1918 in a peasant family ^{[1] [2] [3]} in the village of Verkhnyaya Yaroslavka, Morshansky district, Tambov province of the RSFSR (now the village of Sosnovsky district, Tambov region of the Russian Federation ). Russian ^[1] . He graduated from seven classes of the school in 1933 ^[3] . Prior to being drafted into military service, he worked as an accountant on a collective farm ^{[1] [4]} .

In the ranks of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army, N. I. Dolgov was called up by the Lamsky district military registration and enlistment office of the Tambov region in August 1938 ^[3] . He served in the cavalry unit in the Belarusian Special Military District ^[4] . In September 1939 he took part in the Polish campaign of the Red Army ^{[2] [4]} . After the operation, the Cossack cavalry regiment, which included N. I. Dolgov, was stationed in Western Belarus near the new border of the USSR .

In the partisan squad

In the battles with the Nazi invaders N. I. Dolgov from the first days of World War II . Participated in a defensive battle in Belarus . In July 1941, he was surrounded by Chausy . Forest paths went more than 100 kilometers to the east until he met partisans in the Smolensk forests. Until the fall of 1943, he fought as a reconnaissance demolitionist in a partisan detachment operating in the Smolensk and Mogilev regions. More than once, Nikolai Ivanovich had to derail enemy trains , blow up bridges, set up ambushes and sabotage, and engage in punitive battles ^[4] . During the Smolensk offensive operation, partisans, on instructions from the Western Front command , actively acted on the enemy’s communications in its immediate rear, thereby contributing to the successful offensive of the regular units of the Red Army. For his great contribution to the defeat of the enemy in Smolensk, by the order of the Smolensk headquarters of the partisan movement, N. I. Dolgov in December 1943 was awarded the medal "Partisan of the Patriotic War" , 2nd degree ^[5] .

In the fall of 1943, most of the Smolensk partisans who found themselves on the liberated territory joined the army . Debt was no exception. After retraining on the basis of one of the army reserve regiments in April 1944, Nikolai Ivanovich with the rank of senior sergeant was sent to continue his service in the 154th fortified area .

Liberation of Belarus

Prior to the start of the Belarusian strategic operation 154 SD (Maloyaroslavets SD) under the command of Major GeneralA.I. Yakimovich held a defense on the Pronia River in the area of ​​the settlement of Dribin . During the Bagration strategic plan, which began on June 23, 1944, the Mogilev operation of the fortified area broke through the heavily fortified enemy defensive lines on the Pronya and Basya rivers , ensuring the entry of units of the second echelon of the 33rd Army . On June 29, at the height of the offensive, by order of the commander of the 2nd Belorussian Front, 154th UR was reorganized into the 343rd Rifle Division . Senior sergeant N. I. Dolgov became the submachine gunner of the 5th rifle company of the 2nd rifle battalion of the 356th rifle regiment.

During the further offensive in Belarus, the division moved behind the main forces of the 49th Army , clearing the territory and eliminating small enemy units remaining in the rear of the Soviet troops. On July 20, it was included in the 38th Rifle Corps of the 49th Army. As part of the Bialystok operation, Nikolai Ivanovich participated in the breakthrough of the German defense on the Svisloch River, the liberation of the city of Sokulka . For military valor shown during the assault on the city ​​of Knyshin, he was awarded the medal "For Courage" ^[6] .

After the completion of the Bialystok operation, the troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front continued their offensive in Western Belarus on the Ostrolenkov direction. By August 10, the 343rd Infantry Division reached the approaches to the city of Novogrud . The enemy created a powerful defensive line along the Narev River, intending to stop the further advancement of the Soviet troops, and offered fierce resistance. In order to evaluate the enemy’s forces and identify their firearms, the division command decided on August 14 to conduct reconnaissance in battle . The combat mission was assigned to the machine gunners of the 5th rifle company, which was headed by a senior lieutenant N. A. Rumyantsev . The reconnaissance group also included the department of senior sergeant N. I. Dolgov. Scouts managed to quietly get closer to German positions. At the signal of the group commander, they opened heavy automatic fire on the enemy. This, in turn, served as a signal for the Soviet artillerymen and mortars, who brought down a hail of fire on enemy fortifications. An alarm arose in the camp of the enemy. Probably believing that the attack had begun, the Germans returned fire from all types of weapons. Taking advantage of this, the gunners quickly detected and suppressed enemy fire weapons. Meanwhile, fighters of the 5th company broke into the German trenches and started a close battle with the enemy. Acting with machine guns, grenades, and sometimes engaging in hand- to -hand combat with the enemy, they broke the Germans' resistance and forced them to retreat deep into their defenses. During the battle, Senior Sergeant Dolgov in time noticed a group of German soldiers hiding in the bushes and waiting for the right moment to attack from the rear. With heavy automatic fire, he scattered the enemy’s cluster. When the platoon commander fell out of service, Nikolai Ivanovich took command of the unit upon himself, and skillfully commanding the fighters, he completed the assigned combat mission. Scouts in the course of reconnaissance in battle completely cleared the first line of trenches from the Germans, inflicting great damage to the enemy in manpower and capturing two officers and one soldier. Significant damage to the enemy was caused by Soviet artillery. On the evening of August 15, 1944, the units of the 343rd Infantry Division took an important highway junction and a powerful German stronghold on the left bank of the Narev River, the city of Novogrud ^{[1] [3] [7] [8]} . For the exemplary performance of the combat mission of the command, Senior Sergeant N. I. Dolgov, who personally destroyed 8 Wehrmacht soldiers in battle, was awarded the Order of Glory of the 3rd degree (No. 198352) by order of September 20, 1944 ^[2] .

In East Prussia

After the capture of Navahrud, the 343rd Infantry Division fought for more than five months at the turn of the Narev River. On January 22, 1945, as part of the East Prussian operation, fighters of the compound of Major General A.L. Kronik , breaking through the defensive orders of the Germans in the area of ​​the village of Jednaczewo, crossed the water barrier and on January 24 they were one of the first in the 50th Army to enter territory of Germany . As a result of fierce battles, units of the division broke into a heavily fortified enemy defensive line in the area of ​​the Masurian Lakes and developed an offensive in the Wormditt - Melzak direction. Senior Sergeant N.I. Dolgov with his squad participated in battles for the cities of Bischofsburg and Seeburg . On February 4, during the storming of the courtyard of the courtyard, Tsekhern ^[9] Nikolai Ivanovich was the first to burst into the village under heavy barrage of machine-gun fire. During the battle, he personally destroyed two enemy soldiers and captured one ^[10] . As a result of heavy fighting on February 6-8, the 343rd Division broke into the enemy’s powerful defense in the Burgerwalde ^[11] —Frauendorf ^{[12] area} and rushed to Melsak . On February 12, during the storming of the next stronghold of the Germans in the village of Lotterbach ^{[13], the} senior sergeant Dolgov, under the fierce fire of the enemy by personal example, again raised his squad to attack, the first to burst into the village and knocked out the Germans from it. Having taken up defense on the outskirts of Lotterbach, Nikolai Ivanovich with his fighters repelled a counterattack seeking to restore the enemy's former position, inflicting heavy damage on manpower. At the same time, he personally exterminated up to 10 enemy soldiers ^[5] .

At the beginning of March 1945, the units of the 343rd Infantry Division reached the area of ​​Hoenfürst ^[14] , completing the assigned combat mission. In total, from January 22 to March 5, 1945, the division marched with continuous battles of more than 240 kilometers, cleared 252 settlements from enemy troops, destroyed 10 self-propelled artillery installations , 6 armored personnel carriers , 22 artillery pieces, 19 mortars, 76 vehicles and over 160 wagons with goods, 140 motorcycles, 3 tractors, 182 machine guns, 16 bunkers . Losses of Germans in manpower amounted to over 3,000 soldiers and officers killed, more than 300 Wehrmacht troops were captured. For the valor and courage shown in the battles in East Prussia , Senior Sergeant N. I. Dolgov was awarded the Order of Glory of the 2nd degree (No. 14180) by order of March 23, 1945 ^[2] , and a day later - the Order of the Red Star ^{[5 ]} .

Königsberg Assault

At the beginning of March 1945, the 343rd Infantry Division as part of the 50th Army was transferred to the 3rd Belorussian Front , and having made a march bypassing Königsberg , by March 14 it concentrated in a forest northwest of the capital of East Prussia. By this time, Senior Sergeant N.I. Dolgov was transferred to the foot reconnaissance platoon of the 356th Infantry Regiment. In preparation for the assault on Koenigsberg, Nikolai Ivanovich, as part of reconnaissance groups, took part in several night searches, during which he killed 8 Wehrmacht soldiers and captured 11 German soldiers and one officer ^[15] .

On April 4, two companies of the regiment, reinforced by a platoon of foot reconnaissance, unexpectedly attacked German positions on the outskirts of Konigsberg from Tannenwalde ^[16] . A group of scouts, which included Senior Sergeant N. I. Dolgov, broke into the small fort No. 4a, located between forts No. 5 and No. 4 . The Germans, who did not expect the Soviet soldiers to appear in the area soon, were taken by surprise. The fourteen Wehrmacht soldiers and officers who made up the fort garrison surrendered without a fight. The enemy soon discovered the loss of an important defense node and tried to recapture it, but the scouts could hold out until the reinforcements arrived, repelling three enemy counterattacks and inflicting great damage on the enemy. During the battle, Senior Sergeant Dolgov personally exterminated 15 German soldiers and two non-commissioned officers ^{[1] [7] [15]} . On April 6, 1945, after the artillery preparation, the units of the 343rd Infantry Division went on the assault on German fortifications. Blocking and destroying pillboxes and bunkers , they broke into the long-term defense of the Germans and broke into the area of ​​Palfe ^[17] . After fierce battles for the railway station and the central stadium, on April 8, parts of the compound of Major General A.L. Kronik reached the shore of the Ober Taih pond. With a subsequent strike to the south, the division joined forces with the 11th Guards Army , thereby completing the encirclement of the enemy group in the central quarters of the city.

For the feat of arms during the assault on Konigsberg, Nikolai Ivanovich was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War ^[15] , and a year later for the difference in battles in East Prussia by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 15, 1946, he was awarded the Order of Glory of the 1st degree (No. 1239 ) ^[2] .

After the war

The assault on Koenigsberg was the last military operation in which senior sergeant N.I. Dolgov participated. After the surrender of the garrison of the city, the 343rd Infantry Division was redeployed to the master's yard of Proddau, 20 kilometers from Königsberg ^[18] . Here Nikolai Ivanovich met Victory Day . In October 1945, he was demobilized from the Red Army ^[3] . He returned to his native village, where he worked at the state farm ^{[1] [2]} before retiring.

He died in 1992 ^[19] .

• Two orders of the Patriotic 1st degree (02/02/1945 ^[15] ; 03/11/1985 ^[20] );
• Order of the Red Star (03.24.1945) ^[5] ;
• Order of Glory 1st degree (06/15/1946) ^{[1] [2]} ;
• Order of Glory of the 2nd degree (03.23.1945) ^[10] ;
• Order of Glory 3rd degree (09/20/1944) ^[8] ;
• medals, including:
  • medal "For Courage" (08/14/1944) ^[6] ;
  • medal "For Military Merit" (04.24.1945) ^{[3] [15]} ;
  • Medal "Partisan of the Patriotic War" 2nd degree (12/27/1943) ^{[3] [5]} ;
  • medal "For the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945." ;
  • medal "For the capture of Konigsberg . "

• Public electronic document bank “The Feat of the People in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945” (neopr.) . Numbers in the database:

Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, 1945 (archive props 44471229) (neopr.) .

Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree, 1985 (archive props 1514802091) (neopr.) .

Order of the Red Star (archive props 28936725) (neopr.) .

Order of Glory of the 2nd degree (archive props 26134458) (neopr.) .

Order of Glory 3rd degree (archive props 34574984) (neopr.) .

Medal "For Courage" (archive props 34709916) (neopr.) .

• 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. - ISBN 5-203-01883-9 .
• Loboda V.F. Soldier Glory. - M .: Military Publishing House, 1967. - T. 2. - S. 97-98. - 352 p.
• Kostenkov A.G. Glorious is their battle path. - Kaliningrad: Kaliningrad book. Publishing House, 1987. - S. 42–44. - 152 p.
• Knights of the Order of Glory: documentary essays / ed. V. I. Selezneva. - Voronezh: Central Black Earth book. publishing house

• Dolgov, Nikolai Ivanovich (Russian) . Site " Heroes of the country ".