RP79MM
Tambov

Hero of the Soviet Union Medvedev Nikolai Yakovlevich

Medvedev Nikolai Yakovlevich, native of the Tambov region (1922-1985) — participant of the Great Patriotic War, 2nd number of the anti-tank rifle company of the 384th separate Marine Battalion of the Odessa Naval Base of the Black Sea Fleet, sailor. Hero of the Soviet Union.

Biography

He was born on December 4, 1922 in the village of Mashkovo-Surena, now Nikiforovsky district of the Tambov region, in a peasant family. Russian.

He graduated from the 5th grade of school No. 9 in Michurinsk. He worked as a locksmith at a locomotive repair plant in Michurinsk.

He served in the Navy since September 1941 as a lock in the artillery unit of the coastal defense of the city of Batumi.

In 1943, Nikolai Medevedev was sent to the city of Poti to form a separate flamethrower company. In November 1943, in the city of Osipenko (now Berdyansk), the company was joined by the 384th separate Marine battalion - Medvedev became the 2nd number of the anti-tank rifle.

In the second half of March 1944, he joined the landing group under the command of Senior Lieutenant Konstantin Fedorovich Olshansky. The task of the landing was to facilitate the frontal attack of the Soviet troops during the liberation of the city of Nikolaev, which was part of the Odessa operation. After landing at the seaport of Nikolaev, the detachment repelled 18 enemy attacks within two days, destroying about 700 Nazis. Almost all the paratroopers died heroically in these battles, Nikolai Medvedev was wounded and sent to the hospital.

After treatment in the hospital, Medvedev returned to his Marine battalion, in which he fought until the spring of 1945. He was demobilized in November 1945.

He lived in the city of Moscow. Since July 1947, he worked in Laboratory No. 2 of the USSR Academy of Sciences (now the I. V. Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy) as a mechanic of experimental stands and installations. Member of the CPSU since 1951. He has been retired since 1977.

He died on October 17, 1985. He was buried at the Kuntsevo cemetery in Moscow (plot 9-2).

THE STORY OF THE FEAT

Nikolay Yakovlevich Medvedev is the 2nd number of the anti-tank rifle of the PTR company of the 384th separate Marine Battalion of the Odessa Naval Base of the Black Sea Fleet, krasnoflotets.

He was born on December 4, 1922 in the village of Mashkovo-Surena, now Nikiforovsky district, Tambov region, in a peasant family. Russian. Since 1933, he lived with his family in the city of Michurinsk. He graduated from 5th grade, factory school. He worked as a locksmith at a locomotive repair plant in Michurinsk.

In the Navy since September 1941. I took the course of a young sailor. He served as a lock in the artillery unit of the coastal defense of the city of Batumi. I have repeatedly submitted reports with a request to be sent to the front. In 1943, Medevedev was sent to the city of Poti to form a separate flamethrower company. In November 1943, in the city of Osipenko (now Berdyansk), the company was joined by the 384th separate Marine Battalion. Medvedev became the 2nd number of the anti-tank rifle.

Medvedev received his baptism of fire in the battle for the villages of Alexandrovka, Bogoyavlenskoye and Shirokaya Balka in the Mykolaiv region, in which he captured 4 Nazis.

In the second half of March 1944, the troops of the 28th Army began fighting to liberate the city of Nikolaev. In order to facilitate the frontal attack of the attackers, it was decided to land troops in the port of Nikolaev. A group of paratroopers under the command of Senior Lieutenant Konstantin Olshansky was allocated from the 384th separate Marine Battalion. It included 55 sailors, 2 signalmen from the army headquarters and 10 sappers. The local fisherman Andreev went as a guide. One of the paratroopers was the Red Navy man Medvedev.

For two days, the detachment fought bloody battles, repelled 18 fierce enemy attacks, while destroying up to 700 enemy soldiers and officers. During the last attack, the Nazis used flamethrower tanks and toxic substances. But nothing could break the resistance of the paratroopers, force them to lay down their weapons. They fulfilled their combat mission with honor.

On March 28, 1944, Soviet troops liberated Nikolaev. When the attackers stormed into the port, they saw a picture of the carnage that had taken place here: burnt buildings destroyed by shells, more than 700 corpses of Fascist soldiers and officers lay around, the stench of a conflagration. 6 survivors, barely able to stand on their feet, came out of the ruins of the port office, 2 more, including Medvedev, were sent to the hospital. Four more paratroopers who could not get up were found in the ruins of the office: They were dying. All officers, all petty officers, sergeants and many Red Navy men fell heroically.

The news of their feat spread throughout the army, throughout the country. The Supreme Commander-in-Chief ordered all participants of the landing to be presented with the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated April 20, 1945, for exemplary performance of combat missions of the command at the front of the struggle against the German invaders and the bravery and heroism shown at the same time, Red Navy man Nikolai Yakovlevich Medvedev was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union with the award of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.

After treatment in the hospital, Medvedev returned to his Marine battalion, in which he fought until the spring of 1945. He participated in the Iasi-Kishinev offensive operation, the liberation of Bulgaria.

In November 1945, the foreman of the 2nd article, N.Ya. Medvedev, was demobilized. He lived in the hero city of Moscow. Since July 1947, he worked in Laboratory No. 2 of the USSR Academy of Sciences (now the I.V. Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy) as a mechanic of experimental stands and installations. Member of the CPSU since 1951. He has been retired since 1977. The author of the book of memoirs "There were 68 of us ...".

He died on October 17, 1985. He was buried at the Kuntsevo cemetery in Moscow (plot 9-2).

N.Ya.Medvedev is an honorary citizen of the city of Nikolaev.

In Nikolaev, a monument has been erected in the park named after 68 paratroopers. In the village of Oktyabrsky on the shore of the Bug estuary, from where the paratroopers went on a mission, a memorial granite block with a commemorative inscription was installed.

He was awarded the Order of Lenin (04/20/1945, posthumously), the Orders of the Patriotic War of the 1st (03/11/1985) and 2nd (09/27/1944) degrees, medals, including "Veteran of Labor".

A paratrooper from among the 68 Heroes. How was it

On the night of March 26, 1944, near the village of Bogoyavlensky (now the village of Oktyabrsky), the detachment boarded boats and walked 15 kilometers up the Southern Bug, both banks of which were in enemy hands. At dawn, he landed at the port of the city of Nikolaev. The squad was tasked with: by secretly landing in the rear, disrupt communications, sow panic, disrupt the planned March 26 hijacking of civilians into Fascist slavery, strike at German defenses from the rear and assist the advancing Soviet units in liberating the city.

After landing on the shore, Medvedev and 7 other paratroopers were sent to investigate. Khakimov and Medvedev silently removed 3 enemy sentries, after which the paratroopers took up a circular defense in the two-story building of the elevator office (44 paratroopers), located east of the office in a wooden house (10 paratroopers) and a stone cement shed (9 paratroopers). One sailor settled down in a small shed. Armed with an anti-tank rifle and a machine gun 30 meters south-east of the office, 4 more sailors lay down on the railway embankment in front of the fence. The building of the elevator office was turned into the main stronghold. Sailor Medvedev, with his anti-tank rifle, took up a position in a cement shed, which was closest to all the buildings to the city. Here, the commander of the "garrison" became the foreman of the 2nd article Bochkovich. Loopholes were punched in the walls, doors and windows were bricked up, boxes with sand.

When a cart with 2 Nazis appeared on the road, it was Medvedev who fired the first shots at the enemy, wounding both fascists. One wounded man managed to escape. At dawn, the Nazis discovered the paratroopers and launched 3 attacks one after the other. At first, the fascists were on the rise. After letting them get close, Medvedev and his friends opened fire with machine guns and rifles. The chains of the Nazis were melting before our eyes.

Having pulled up to an infantry regiment with tanks, mortars and artillery into the battle area, the Nazis made another attempt to break the resistance of the landing in the middle of the day. The fascists began methodically firing cannons and mortars at the buildings where the paratroopers were holed up. They received bruises from the collapsing walls, but continued to fire at the advancing enemy. In this battle, machine gunner Prokofiev died, and sailor Khakimov destroyed one machine gun with an anti-tank rifle and knocked out one Fascist tank. Medvedev fired at the Nazis with a rifle.

Before the 5th attack, the Nazis pulled up six-barrelled mortars and used thermite shells. They set fire to a wooden house where 10 paratroopers were fighting, and a cement shed also smoked. By the end of the first day of defense, the paratroopers repelled 3 more attacks by drunken, distraught Nazis. The buildings were bombed with small bombs from the air, and several tanks were shelled. During the 8th attack, sailor Minenkov was killed. By the end of the day, 7 out of 9 defenders of the cement shed remained alive. There were losses at other points of defense – at the end of the day, a burning wooden house collapsed from several tank shots, burying 4 sailors and 5 sappers under the ruins. There were no casualties in the office building, but many were injured.

On the morning of March 27, 1944, a part of the cement shed wall collapsed from a direct hit by a shell, after which the Nazis resumed their onslaught on the brave paratroopers. They came close to the cement shed, where Medvedev and 6 of his associates were defending themselves. A fairly long grenade battle began, as a result of which the Nazis suffered losses and withdrew.