Makarov, Nikolai Akimovich

Born December 1, 1905 in the city of Vitebsk, Belarus in the family of a railwayman. Byelorussian.

In 1923, he came to work on rail transport. He began his career as a technical clerk at Vitebsk station. Then he was a weigher, a superintendent of a freight yard, a dispatcher, an instructor of train movements. In 1927-1929 he served in the Red Army . In the prewar years, he went from an ordinary mover to the head of the Vitebsk branch of the Western Railway. He was appointed to this position in December 1940.

In July 1941, when opponents occupied Vitebsk, N. A. Makarov was sent to the office of the authorized People’s Commissar on the Western Front - the head of the Western Railway and headed the traffic department. In October, he was appointed head of the military-operational department No. 36 serving the Moscow -Kashin section. The railway workers of Moscow VEO worked sparingly, providing the first victory over the enemy at the walls of Moscow .

After the disbandment of the Moscow Military Operations Directorate in March-May 1942, he worked as part of a task force on the Western Front , and headed the transportation planning department of the Western Highway Directorate.

In May 1942, he was appointed head of the locomotive convoy No. 3 of the special reserve of the People’s Commissariat, formed in the locomotive depot named after Ilyich Zapadnaya Doroga from train drivers, assistants, senior and main conductors, carriage foremen of the Western and Belorussian roads. Under the guidance of N. A. Makarov, depot repairmen intensively restored steam locomotives. The column consisted of experienced railway workers who completed a large life and production school.

In August 1942, the fleet of convoy No. 3 headed for the Stalingrad region, where it drove military trains on the Pallasovka - Elton - Upper Baskunchak -Pier Leninskaya section. In August-September 1942 alone, under the enemy bombing, the convoy conducted 510 trains. 232 times locomotives were bombed from the air and 9 times - artillery raids. Oil products were also delivered from Astrakhan to Saratov . The train crews of the locomotive convoy No. 3 had to travel unchanged for 10-12 days. Chronic insomnia, cold, constant tension accompanied them along the way. But they endured all hardships and hardships, remembering the main thing - to deliver goods on time.

In September-December 1942, Makarov led the VEO-112 team. At the beginning of 1943, he returned to the locomotive column No. 3, which in January-February became the leader in the competition among all the columns of the special reserve of the NKPS. The personnel of convoy No. 3 worked on the highways of the Kursk Bulge, leading echelons for the troops of the Central and Voronezh fronts. For the courage and perseverance shown during the fulfillment of special tasks of the People’s Commissariat of Railways during the Battle of Kursk, more than 25 employees of the locomotive convoy of the special reserve of the NKPS No. 3 were marked with the signs “Honorary Railway Worker”. The four railroad workers, the head of convoy No. 3, N. A. Makarov, also, the drivers V. I. Murzich, A. A. Yankovsky, and the carriage driver A. V. Glebov was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor.

By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of November 5, 1943 "for special merits in providing transportation for the front and the national economy and outstanding achievements in restoring the railway industry in difficult wartime conditions" Nikolai Akimovich Makarov was awarded the title Hero of Socialist Labor with the award of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Medal "Hammer and sickle".

In October 1943, Makarov was transferred to the pre-war place of work, to the post of head of the Vitebsk branch of the movement. Together with the staff of the department, he showed maximum efforts, ingenuity, stamina and courage in transporting the operation "Bagration" to liberate Belarus from June 23 to August 29, 1944.

Until October 1946 he headed the department of the movement. Then, before retiring in March 1966, he headed the Vitebsk branch of the Belarusian Railway.

He lived in the city of Vitebsk. Honorary citizen of the city of Vitebsk. He died on June 26, 1975.

He was awarded two Orders of Lenin , two Orders of the Red Banner of Labor , medals, three badges of the “Honorary Railway Worker”.

In the city of Vitebsk, a street is named after him. In the locomotive depot Vitebsk of the Belarusian Railway, a diesel locomotive with the name "Nikolai Makarov" is operated.

Nikolai Akimovich Makarov (Russian) . Site " Heroes of the country ". Date of treatment August 22, 2014.

• Heroes of steel highways. Prince 2.M. 2003
• Heroes of labor of the war years 19411945. M. 2001