Superheroes aren't just for comics and movies. There are many real-life heroes around the world performing superhuman feats. From unthinkable strength to incredible manifestations of courage and perseverance, these real people showed by example what incredible feats can be accomplished thanks to the strength of the human spirit.
10. A blind man saved a blind woman from a burning house.
Imagine what it's like to try to rescue a blind person from a burning building by guiding them step by step through the searing flames and smoke. Now imagine that you, too, are blind, as in this inspiring story. Jim Sherman, who is blind from birth, heard his 85-year-old neighbor's cries for help when she was trapped in her burning house. In a feat that can safely be called heroic, he made his way to her house from his trailer located next door, groping his way along the fence.
Once he got to the woman's house, he somehow managed to get in and locate his terrified neighbor, Annie Smith, who is also blind. Sherman pulled Smith from the burning house to safety.
9 Skydiving instructors sacrificed everything to save their students
Not many people survive a fall from a height of thousands of meters. However, no matter how incredible it may seem, two women managed to do this, thanks to the selfless deeds of two men. The first man gave his life to save the man he had just met. Skydiving instructor Robert Cook (Robert Cook) and his student, Kimberley Dear (Kimberley Dear), took to the skies so that she could make her first jump, it was at this time that the plane's engine failed. In an incredible feat, Cook told Deer to sit on his lap, clutching their gear. As the plane crashed to the ground, Cook's body absorbed the impact, killing him but protecting Kimberly Dear from what was to be a fatal accident.
Another skydiving instructor, Dave Hartsock, also saved his student from being hit. This was Shirley Dygert's first tandem jump with an instructor. Although their aircraft did not fail, Digert's parachute did not open. In a terrifying freefall, Hartsock was able to position himself under his student, taking the hit as they fell to the ground together. Despite the fact that Dave Hartsock fractured his spine, leaving his body paralyzed from the neck down, they both survived the fall.
8. A man carried four soldiers from the battlefield
Despite being a mere mortal, Joe Rollino spent his 104-year life doing incredible, superhuman things. Although he weighed only approximately 68 kilograms in his prime, he could lift 288 kilograms with his fingers and 1450 kilograms on his back. He won several strongman titles and many honors.
However, what made him a hero in the eyes of many people was not his talent in strength competitions, nor his title of "World's Strongest Man" that he earned on Coney Island. During World War II, Rollino served in the Pacific and received a Bronze & Silver Star for gallantry in the line of duty, and three Purple Hearts for his battle injuries that caused he spent a total of 24 months in the hospital. He is best known for the fact that he pulled his comrades from the battlefield, two in each hand, and then returned to the line of fire to carry more of his wounded brethren to safety.
7. A father fought an alligator to save his son.
A father's love can inspire superhuman feats, as two fathers from different parts of the world proved. In Florida, Joseph Welch came to the aid of his six-year-old son when an alligator grabbed the boy's arm. With no regard for his own safety, Welch hit the alligator non-stop in an attempt to get him to let go of his son. Finally, a passerby arrived to help Welch and began to kick the alligator in the stomach until the animal finally let go of the boy.
In Mutoko, Zimbabwe, another father saved his son from being attacked by a crocodile in a river. The father, named Tafadzwa Kacher, began to poke reeds in the eyes and mouth of the crocodile until he released his son. Having released the boy, the crocodile rushed at his father. Tafadzwa had to gouge out the animal's eyes to free his hand. The boy ended up losing his leg due to a crocodile attack, but survived and spoke of his father's superhuman bravery.
Source 6Two real-life Wonder Women who lifted cars to save lives
Men are not the only ones who can show superhuman strength in times of crisis. The daughter and mother showed that women can also be heroes, especially when a loved one is in danger. In Virginia, a 22-year-old woman saved her father's life when the BMW he was working on slid off the jack and landed on his chest, pinning him down. Realizing that there was no time to wait for help, the young woman lifted the car and pulled her father out, then gave him CPR to force him to breathe.
In Georgia, another jack slipped and lowered a 1,350-pound Chevy Impala onto a young man. Alone, his mother, Angela Cavallo, lifted the car and held it for five minutes until neighbors managed to drag her son to safety.
SourcePhoto 5The woman stopped an unmanned school bus.
Not all superhuman abilities consist of strength and courage, some of them are the ability to think and act quickly in an emergency. In New Mexico, a school bus full of kids became a traffic hazard when the driver had a seizure. The girl waiting for the bus saw that the bus driver was in trouble and turned to her mother for help. A woman, Rhonda Carlsen, immediately came to the rescue.
She ran beside the bus and gestured to one of the children on the bus to open the door. After the door was opened, Carlsen jumped onto the bus, grabbed the steering wheel, and calmly stopped the bus. Her quick reflexes helped prevent any harm that could be done to the children on the bus, not to mention any bystanders who might get in the way of the unmanned bus.
4. A teenager pulled a man out of a truck hanging over an abyss.
A truck with a trailer lurched over the edge of a cliff in the dead of night. The cab of the large truck creaked as it came to a stop, and began to dangle precariously over the ravine below. The truck driver was trapped inside. The young man came to his aid, broke the window and dragged the driver to safety with his bare hands. This is not a scene from an action movie, but a real event that took place in New Zealand in the Waioeka Gorge on October 5, 2008.
18-year-old Peter Hanne, who became a hero, was in his house when he heard the roar. Without thinking about his own safety, he climbed onto the balancing truck, jumped into a narrow gap between the cab and the trailer, and broke the rear window of the driver's cab. He gently helped the injured driver to safety as the truck creaked and rocked under their feet. In 2011, Hanne was awarded the New Zealand Bravery Medal for his heroic deed.
SourcePhoto 3The bullet-riddled soldier who returned to the battlefield
War is full of heroes, and many of them risk their lives to save their fellow soldiers. In the movie Forrest Gump, we saw how the fictional character of the same name saved several of his fellow soldiers, even after he received a gunshot wound. In real life, there are even more exciting stories, such as the story of Robert Ingram, who received the Medal of Honor (Medal Of Honor).
In 1966, while under siege from the enemy, Ingram continued to fight and rescue his comrades after being hit by three bullets - one in the head, which left him partially blind and deaf in one ear, the second hit in the arm, and the third dug into his left knee. Despite his wounds, Ingram continued to kill the North Vietnamese soldiers who were attacking his unit, and went under fire to save his fellow soldiers. His bravery is just one breathtaking example of the many wartime heroes who defended their countries with incredible feats.
Source 2The World Swimming Champion Saved 20 People from a Sinking Trolleybus
Aquaman is no match for Shavarsh Karapetyan, who saved 20 people from drowning in a submerged trolley bus in 1976. 11-time world record holder, 17-time world champion, 13-time European champion, seven-time USSR champion, Armenian speed swimming champion was finishing a training run with his brother when he witnessed a 92-passenger trolley bus run off the road into a reservoir falling into the water 24 meters from the shore. Karapetyan dived into the water, kicked out the rear window and began to get dozens of passengers out of the trolleybus, which by that time was already at a depth of 10 meters in icy water.
It was estimated that it took him approximately 30 seconds to save one person, allowing him to save person after person before he himself passed out in the cold, muddy water. Of all the people he pulled out of the trolleybus in this short time, 20 people survived. However, the heroic work of Karapetyan did not end there. Eight years later, he ran into a burning building and dragged several people to safety, suffering severe burns. Karapetyan received the Order of the Badge of Honor from the USSR and many other awards for underwater rescue, but he claimed that he was not a hero and did only what he had to.
1. A man raised a helicopter to save his employee
The TV show set became a real-life drama when a helicopter from the popular TV series Magnum P.I. fell into a drainage ditch in 1988. Preparing for a soft landing, the helicopter suddenly lurched out of control and crashed to the ground, all of which was caught on film. One of the show's pilots, Steve Kux, was trapped under a helicopter in shallow water. In an incredible Man of Steel moment, Warren “Tiny” Everal ran up and lifted the helicopter off Cax. The helicopter was a model Hughes 500D (Hughes 500D), and such a helicopter weighs at least 703 kilograms when it is not loaded.
Peewee's quick reaction and his superhuman strength saved Cax from the weight of the helicopter, chaining him to the water, which could crush him. Although the pilot's left arm was injured, he recovered from what could have been a fatal crash thanks to a local Hawaiian hero.
More than a dozen years ago, Mikhail Efremov was born - a brilliant military leader who proved himself during the periods of two wars - Civil and Patriotic. However, the feats that he accomplished were not immediately appreciated. After his death, many years passed until he received a well-deserved title. What other heroes of the Great Patriotic War were forgotten?
Steel Commander
At the age of 17, Mikhail Efremov joined the army. He began his service as a volunteer in an infantry regiment. Two years later, with the rank of ensign, he participated in the famous breakthrough under the command of Brusilov. Mikhail joined the Red Army in 1918. The hero of the Great Patriotic War gained fame thanks to armored guns. Due to the fact that the Red Army did not have armored trains with good equipment, Mikhail decided to create them on his own, using improvised means.
Mikhail Efremov met the Great Patriotic War at the head of the 21st Army. Under his leadership, the soldiers held back the enemy troops on the Dnieper, defended Gomel. Not allowing the Nazis to go to the rear of the Southwestern Front. Mikhail Efremov met the beginning of the Patriotic War, leading the 33rd Army. At this time, he participated in the defense of Moscow and in the subsequent counteroffensive.
In early February, the strike group, commanded by Mikhail Efremov, made a hole in the enemy's defenses and went to Vyazma. However, the soldiers were cut off from the main forces and surrounded. For two months, the fighters carried out raids on the rear of the Germans, destroyed enemy soldiers and military equipment. And when the cartridges with food ran out, Mikhail Efremov decided to break through to his own, asking by radio to organize a corridor.
But the hero never did. The Germans noticed the movement and defeated Efremov's shock group. Mikhail himself, in order not to be captured, shot himself. He was buried by the Germans in the village of Slobodka with full military honors.
In 1996, persistent veterans and search engines ensured that Efremov was awarded the title of Hero of Russia.
In honor of Gastello's feat
What other heroes of the Great Patriotic War were forgotten? In 1941, a DB-3F bomber took off from the airfield near Smolensk. Alexander Maslov, and it was he who flew the combat aircraft, was given the task of eliminating the enemy column moving along the Molodechno-Radoshkovichi road. The plane was hit by enemy anti-aircraft guns, the crew was declared missing.
A few years later, namely in 1951, in order to honor the memory of the famous bomber Nikolai Gastello, who rammed on the same highway, it was decided to transfer the remains of the crew to the village of Radoshkovichi, to the central square. During the exhumation, they found a medallion that belonged to Sergeant Grigory Reutov, who was a gunner in Maslov's crew.
They did not change the historiography, however, the crew began to be listed not as missing, but as dead. Heroes of the Great Patriotic War and their exploits were recognized in 1996. It was in this year that the entire crew of Maslov received the corresponding title.
The pilot whose name has been forgotten
The exploits of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War will remain in our hearts forever. However, not all heroic deeds are remembered.
Pyotr Yeremeev was considered an experienced pilot. He received his for repulsing several German attacks in one night. Having shot down several Junkers, Peter was wounded. However, having bandaged the wound, a few minutes later he again took off on another plane to repel an enemy attack. And a month after this memorable night, he accomplished a feat.
On the night of July 28, Eremeev was assigned to patrol the airspace over Novo-Petrovsk. It was at this time that he noticed an enemy bomber that was heading for Moscow. Peter went into his tail and started shooting. The enemy went to the right, while the Soviet pilot lost him. However, he immediately noticed another bomber, which went to the West. Coming close to him, Eremeev pressed the trigger. But the shooting was never opened, as the cartridges ran out.
Without thinking for a long time, Peter cut his propeller into the tail of a German aircraft. The fighter turned over and began to fall apart. However, Eremeev escaped by jumping out with a parachute. For this feat they wanted to hand him over, but they did not have time to do this. On the night of August 7, the pod was repeated by Viktor Talalikhin. It was his name that was inscribed in the official chronicle.
But the heroes of the Great Patriotic War and their exploits will never be forgotten. This was proved by Alexei Tolstoy. He wrote an essay called "Battering Ram", in which he described the feat of Peter.
Only in 2010 he was recognized as a hero
In the Volgograd region there is a monument on which the names of the Red Army soldiers who died in these parts are written. All of them are heroes of the Great Patriotic War, and their exploits will forever remain in history. On that monument is the name Maxim Passar. The corresponding title was awarded to him only in 2010. And it should be noted that he fully deserved it.
He was born in the Khabarovsk Territory. Hereditary hunter has become one of the best among snipers. He showed himself back in By 1943, he destroyed about 237 Nazis. The Germans set a significant reward for the head of the well-aimed Nanai. He was hunted by enemy snipers.
He accomplished his feat at the very beginning of 1943. In order to liberate the village of Peschanka from enemy soldiers, it was necessary first to get rid of two German machine guns. They were well fortified on the flanks. And it was Maxim Passar who had to do it. 100 meters before the firing points, Maxim opened fire and destroyed the crews. However, he failed to survive. The hero was covered by enemy artillery fire.
Underage Heroes
All of the above heroes of the Great Patriotic War and their exploits were forgotten. However, all of them must be remembered. They did everything possible to bring the Victory Day closer. However, not only adults managed to prove themselves. There are some heroes who are not even 18 years old. And it is about them that we will talk further.
Along with adults, several tens of thousands of teenagers participated in the hostilities. They, like adults, died, received orders and medals. The images of some were taken for Soviet propaganda. All of them are heroes of the Great Patriotic War, and their exploits have been preserved in numerous stories. However, five teenagers should be singled out, who received the corresponding title.
Not wanting to surrender, he blew himself up along with enemy soldiers
Marat Kazei was born in 1929. It happened in the village of Stankovo. Before the war, he managed to finish only four classes. Parents were recognized as "enemies of the people." However, despite this, Marat's mother, back in 1941, began to hide partisans at home. For which she was killed by the Germans. Marat and his sister joined the partisans.
Marat Kazei constantly went to reconnaissance, took part in numerous raids, undermined the echelons. He received the medal "For Courage" in 1943. He managed to raise his comrades to attack and break through the ring of enemies. At the same time, Marat was wounded.
Talking about the exploits of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War, it is worth saying that a 14-year-old soldier died in 1944. It happened while doing another job. Returning from reconnaissance, he and his commander were fired upon by the Germans. The commander died immediately, and Marat began to shoot back. He had nowhere to go. And there was no opportunity as such, since he was wounded in the arm. Until the cartridges ran out, he held the line. Then he took two grenades. He threw one immediately, and kept the second until the Germans approached. Marat blew himself up, killing several more opponents in this way.
Marat Kazei was recognized as a Hero in 1965. The underage heroes of the Great Patriotic War and their exploits, stories about which are widespread in a fairly large number, will remain in memory for a long time.
Heroic deeds of a 14-year-old boy
The partisan scout Valya was born in the village of Khmelevka. It happened in 1930. Before the capture of the village by the Germans, he graduated from only 5 classes. After that, he began to collect weapons and ammunition. He passed them on to the partisans.
Since 1942 he became a scout for the partisans. In the fall, he was given the task of destroying the head of the field gendarmerie. The task was completed. Valya, together with several of his peers, blew up two enemy vehicles, killing seven soldiers and the commander Franz Koenig himself. About 30 people were injured.
In 1943, he was engaged in reconnaissance of the location of an underground telephone cable, which was subsequently successfully blown up. Valya also took part in the destruction of several trains and warehouses. In the same year, while on duty, the young hero noticed the punishers, who decided to round up. Having destroyed the enemy officer, Valya raised the alarm. Thanks to this, the partisans prepared for battle.
He died in 1944 after the battle for the city of Izyaslav. In that battle, the young warrior was mortally wounded. He received the title of hero in 1958.
A little short of 17
What other heroes of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 should be mentioned? Scout in the future Lenya Golikov was born in 1926. From the very beginning of the war, having obtained a rifle for himself, he joined the partisans. Under the guise of a beggar, the guy went around the villages, collecting data on the enemy. He passed all the information to the partisans.
The guy joined the detachment in 1942. During his entire military career, he took part in 27 operations, destroyed about 78 enemy soldiers, blew up several bridges (railway and highway), blew up about 9 vehicles with ammunition. It was Lenya Golikov who blew up the car in which Major General Richard Witz was driving. All his merits are fully listed in the award list.
These are the underage heroes of the Great Patriotic War and their exploits. Children sometimes performed such feats that even adults did not always have the courage. It was decided to award Lenya Golikov with the Gold Star medal and the title of Hero. However, he was never able to get them. In 1943, the combat detachment, which included Lenya, was surrounded. Only a few people got out of the encirclement. And Leni was not among them. He was killed on January 24, 1943. Until the age of 17, the guy never lived.
Killed by a traitor
The heroes of the Great Patriotic War rarely remembered themselves. And their exploits, photos, images remained in the memory of many people. Sasha Chekalin is one of those. He was born in 1925. He joined the partisan detachment in 1941. He served no more than a month.
In 1941, the partisan detachment inflicted significant damage on the enemy forces. Numerous warehouses were on fire, cars were constantly undermined, trains went downhill, sentries and enemy patrols regularly disappeared. The fighter Sasha Chekalin took part in all this.
In November 1941, he caught a bad cold. The commissioner decided to leave him in the nearest village with a trusted person. However, there was a traitor in the village. It was he who betrayed the underage fighter. Sasha was captured by partisans at night. And finally, the constant torture was over. Sasha was hanged. For 20 days he was forbidden to be removed from the gallows. And only after the liberation of the village by the partisans, Sasha was buried with military honors.
The corresponding title of Hero was decided to be awarded to him in 1942.
Shot after prolonged torture
All of the above people are heroes of the Great Patriotic War. And their exploits for children are the best stories. Then we will talk about a girl who, in courage, was not inferior not only to her peers, but also to adult soldiers.
Zina Portnova was born in 1926. The war found her in the village of Zuya, where she came to rest with her relatives. Since 1942, she has been posting leaflets against the invaders.
In 1943 she joined a partisan detachment, becoming a scout. In the same year, she received her first assignment. She was supposed to uncover the reasons for the failure of the organization called "Young Avengers". She was also supposed to establish contact with the underground. However, at the moment of returning to the detachment, Zina was seized by German soldiers.
During the interrogation, the girl managed to grab a pistol lying on the table, shoot the investigator and two more soldiers. While trying to escape, she was captured. She was constantly tortured, trying to force her to answer questions. However, Zina remained silent. Eyewitnesses claimed that once, when she was taken out for another interrogation, she threw herself under a car. However, the car stopped. The girl was taken out from under the wheels and taken away for interrogation. But she was silent again. That's what the heroes of the Great Patriotic War were like.
The girl did not wait for 1945. In 1944 she was shot. Zina at that time was only 17 years old.
Conclusion
The heroic deeds of soldiers during the fighting numbered several tens of thousands. No one knows exactly how many brave and courageous deeds were committed in the name of the Motherland. This review described some of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War and their exploits. Briefly, it is impossible to convey all the strength of character that they possessed. But there is simply not enough time for a full story about their heroic deeds.
Imagine that you are trying to save a blind man from a burning building, making your way step by step through burning flames and smoke. Now imagine that you are also blind. Jim Sherman, blind from birth, heard his 85-year-old neighbor's cries for help when she was trapped in her burning house. He found his way along the fence. Once he got to the woman's house, he somehow managed to sneak in and find his neighbor, Annie Smith, also blind. Sherman pulled Smith out of the fire and took him to safety.
Skydiving instructors sacrificed everything to save their students
Few people will survive a fall from several hundred meters. But two women made it through the dedication of two men. The first gave his life to save the man he saw for the first time in his life.
Skydiving instructor Robert Cook and his student Kimberley Dear were about to make their first jump when the plane's engine failed. Cook told the girl to sit on his lap and tied their straps together. As the plane crashed to the ground, Cook's body took the brunt, killing the man and leaving Kimberly alive.
Another skydiving instructor, Dave Hartstock, also saved his student from being hit. It was Shirley Dygert's first jump and she jumped with an instructor. Digert's parachute did not open. During the fall, Hartstock managed to get under the girl, softening the blow to the ground. Dave Hartstock injured his spine, the injury paralyzed his body from the very neck, but both survived.
A mere mortal Joe Rollino (Joe Rollino, pictured above) during his 104-year life has done incredible, inhuman things. Although he weighed only about 68 kg, in his prime he could lift 288 kg with his fingers and 1450 kg with his back, for which he won various competitions several times. However, it was not the title of "The Strongest Man in the World" that made him a hero.
During World War II, Rollino served in the Pacific and received a bronze and silver star for gallantry in the line of duty, as well as three purple hearts for battle wounds, for which he spent a total of 2 years in the hospital. He took 4 of his comrades from the battlefield, two in each hand, while also returning to the heat of battle for the rest.
A father's love can inspire superhuman feats, as two fathers in different parts of the world have proven.
In Florida, Joesph Welch came to the rescue of his six-year-old son when an alligator grabbed the boy's arm. Forgetting his own safety, Welch hit the alligator in an attempt to force it to open its mouth. Then a passer-by arrived and began to beat the alligator in the stomach until the beast finally let go of the boy.
In Mutoko, Zimbabwe, another father saved his son from a crocodile when it attacked him in a river. Father Tafadzwa Kacher started poking the cane into the animal's eyes and mouth until his son ran away. Then the crocodile took aim at the man. Tafadzwa had to gouge out the animal's eyes. As a result of the attack, the boy lost his leg, but he will be able to tell about the superhuman courage of his father.
Two ordinary women raised cars to save loved ones
Not only men are capable of displaying superhuman abilities in critical situations. The daughter and mother showed that women can be heroes too, especially when a loved one is in danger.
In Virginia, a 22-year-old saved her father when a jack slipped from under the BMW he was working under and the car fell on the man's chest. There was no time to wait for help, the young woman lifted the car and moved it, then gave her father CPR.
In Georgia, the jack also slipped and a 1,350-kilogram Chevrolet Impala fell on a young man. Alone, his mother Angela Cavallo lifted the car and held it for five minutes until her son was pulled out by neighbors.
Superhuman abilities are not only strength and courage, it is also the ability to think and act quickly in an emergency.
In New Mexico, a school bus driver suffered a seizure, putting children in danger. The girl waiting for the bus noticed that something had happened to the driver and called her mother. The woman, Rhonda Carlsen, took immediate action. She ran next to the bus and gestured to one of the children to open the door. After that, she jumped inside, grabbed the steering wheel and stopped the bus. Thanks to her quick reaction, none of the students were hurt, not to mention the people passing by.
A truck with a trailer was driving along the edge of a cliff in the dead of night. The cab of a large truck stopped right above the cliff, the driver was in it. A young man came to the rescue, he broke the window and pulled the man out with his bare hands.
This happened in New Zealand in the Wayoka Gorge on October 5, 2008. The hero was 18-year-old Peter Hanne, who was at home when he heard the roar. Without thinking about his own safety, he climbed onto the balancing car, jumped into a narrow gap between the cab and the trailer, and broke the rear window. He carefully helped the injured driver out while the truck staggered under his feet.
In 2011, Hanne was awarded the New Zealand Bravery Medal for this heroic act.
The war is full of heroes who risk their lives to save fellow soldiers. In the movie Forrest Gump, we saw how a fictional character saved several of his co-workers, even after he was wounded. In real life, you can meet the plot and abruptly.
Here, for example, is the story of Robert Ingram, who received the Medal of Honor. In 1966, during the siege by the enemy, Ingram continued to fight and save his comrades even after he was wounded three times: in the head (as a result, he partially lost his sight and became deaf in one ear), in the arm and in the left knee. Despite being wounded, he continued to kill the North Vietnamese soldiers who attacked his unit.
Aquaman is nothing compared to Shavarsh Karapetyan, who rescued 20 people from a sinking bus in 1976.
The Armenian speed swimming champion was jogging with his brother when a bus with 92 passengers ran off the road and fell into the water 24 meters from the shore. Karapetyan dived, kicked out the window with his feet and began to pull out people who by that time were in cold water at a depth of 10 m. They say that it took 30 seconds for each person he saved, he saved one by one until he lost consciousness in cold and dark water . As a result, 20 people survived.
But the exploits of Karapetyan did not end there. Eight years later, he rescued several people from a burning building, suffering severe burns in the process. Karapetyan received the Order of the Badge of Honor of the USSR and several other awards for underwater rescue. But he himself claimed that he was not a hero at all, he just did what he had to.
A man lifted a helicopter to save his colleague
The TV show site was turned into a tragedy when a helicopter from the hit series Magnum P.I. crashed into a drainage ditch in 1988.
During landing, the helicopter suddenly banked, went out of control and fell to the ground, while everything was filmed. One of the pilots Steve Kaks (Steve Kux) was trapped under a helicopter in shallow water. And then Warren "Tiny" Everal (Warren "Tiny" Everal) ran up and lifted the helicopter from Cax. It was a Hughes 500D which weighs at least 703 kg empty. Everal's quick reaction and his superhuman strength saved Cax from a helicopter pinning him in the water. Despite the fact that the pilot injured his left hand, he escaped death thanks to a local Hawaiian hero.
Heroes of the Great Patriotic War
Alexander Matrosov
Submachine gunner of the 2nd Separate Battalion of the 91st Separate Siberian Volunteer Brigade named after Stalin.
Sasha Matrosov did not know his parents. He was brought up in an orphanage and a labor colony. When the war began, he was not even 20. Matrosov was drafted into the army in September 1942 and sent to an infantry school, and then to the front.
In February 1943, his battalion attacked the Nazi stronghold, but fell into a trap, falling under heavy fire, cutting off the path to the trenches. They fired from three bunkers. Two soon fell silent, but the third continued to shoot the Red Army soldiers who lay in the snow.
Seeing that the only chance to get out of the fire was to suppress the enemy's fire, Matrosov crawled to the bunker with a fellow soldier and threw two grenades in his direction. The gun was silent. The Red Army went on the attack, but the deadly weapon chirped again. Alexander's partner was killed, and Matrosov was left alone in front of the bunker. Something had to be done.
He didn't even have a few seconds to make a decision. Not wanting to let his comrades down, Alexander closed the embrasure of the bunker with his body. The attack was successful. And Matrosov posthumously received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Military pilot, commander of the 2nd squadron of the 207th long-range bomber aviation regiment, captain.
He worked as a mechanic, then in 1932 he was called up for service in the Red Army. He got into the air regiment, where he became a pilot. Nicholas Gastello participated in three wars. A year before the Great Patriotic War, he received the rank of captain.
On June 26, 1941, the crew under the command of Captain Gastello took off to attack a German mechanized column. It was on the road between the Belarusian cities of Molodechno and Radoshkovichi. But the column was well guarded by enemy artillery. A fight ensued. Aircraft Gastello was hit by anti-aircraft guns. The shell damaged the fuel tank, the car caught fire. The pilot could eject, but he decided to fulfill his military duty to the end. Nikolay Gastello directed the burning car directly to the enemy column. It was the first fire ram in the Great Patriotic War.
The name of the brave pilot has become a household name. Until the end of the war, all the aces who decided to go for a ram were called Gastellites. According to official statistics, almost six hundred enemy rams were made during the entire war.
Brigadier scout of the 67th detachment of the 4th Leningrad partisan brigade.
Lena was 15 years old when the war began. He already worked at the factory, having finished the seven-year plan. When the Nazis captured his native Novgorod region, Lenya joined the partisans.
He was brave and determined, the command appreciated him. For several years spent in the partisan detachment, he participated in 27 operations. On his account, several destroyed bridges behind enemy lines, 78 destroyed Germans, 10 trains with ammunition.
It was he who, in the summer of 1942, near the village of Varnitsa, blew up a car in which the German Major General of the Engineering Troops, Richard von Wirtz, was located. Golikov managed to obtain important documents about the German offensive. The enemy attack was thwarted, and the young hero for this feat was presented to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
In the winter of 1943, a significantly superior enemy detachment unexpectedly attacked partisans near the village of Ostraya Luka. Lenya Golikov died like a real hero - in battle.
Pioneer. Scout of the partisan detachment named after Voroshilov in the territory occupied by the Nazis.
Zina was born and went to school in Leningrad. However, the war found her on the territory of Belarus, where she came for the holidays.
In 1942, 16-year-old Zina joined the underground organization Young Avengers. It distributed anti-fascist leaflets in the occupied territories. Then, under cover, she got a job working in a canteen for German officers, where she committed several acts of sabotage and only miraculously was not captured by the enemy. Her courage surprised many experienced soldiers.
In 1943, Zina Portnova joined the partisans and continued to engage in sabotage behind enemy lines. Due to the efforts of defectors who surrendered Zina to the Nazis, she was captured. In the dungeons, she was interrogated and tortured. But Zina was silent, not betraying her. At one of these interrogations, she grabbed a pistol from the table and shot three Nazis. After that, she was shot in prison.
Underground anti-fascist organization operating in the area of modern Luhansk region. There were over a hundred people. The youngest participant was 14 years old.
This youth underground organization was formed immediately after the occupation of the Lugansk region. It included both regular military personnel, who were cut off from the main units, and local youth. Among the most famous participants: Oleg Koshevoy, Ulyana Gromova, Lyubov Shevtsova, Vasily Levashov, Sergey Tyulenin and many other young people.
The "Young Guard" issued leaflets and committed sabotage against the Nazis. Once they managed to disable an entire tank repair shop, burn down the stock exchange, from where the Nazis drove people to forced labor in Germany. The members of the organization planned to stage an uprising, but were exposed because of the traitors. The Nazis caught, tortured and shot more than seventy people. Their feat is immortalized in one of the most famous military books by Alexander Fadeev and the film adaptation of the same name.
28 people from the personnel of the 4th company of the 2nd battalion of the 1075th rifle regiment.
In November 1941, a counteroffensive against Moscow began. The enemy did not stop at nothing, making a decisive forced march before the onset of a harsh winter.
At this time, the fighters under the command of Ivan Panfilov took up a position on the highway seven kilometers from Volokolamsk, a small town near Moscow. There they gave battle to the advancing tank units. The battle lasted four hours. During this time, they destroyed 18 armored vehicles, delaying the enemy's attack and frustrating his plans. All 28 people (or almost all, here the opinions of historians differ) died.
According to legend, the political instructor of the company, Vasily Klochkov, before the decisive stage of the battle, turned to the fighters with a phrase that became known throughout the country: “Russia is great, but there is nowhere to retreat - Moscow is behind!”
The Nazi counteroffensive ultimately failed. The battle for Moscow, which was assigned the most important role during the war, was lost by the occupiers.
As a child, the future hero suffered from rheumatism, and the doctors doubted that Maresyev would be able to fly. However, he stubbornly applied to the flight school until he was finally enrolled. Maresyev was drafted into the army in 1937.
He met the Great Patriotic War at the flight school, but soon got to the front. During a sortie, his plane was shot down, and Maresyev himself was able to eject. Eighteen days, seriously wounded in both legs, he got out of the encirclement. However, he still managed to overcome the front line and ended up in the hospital. But gangrene had already begun, and the doctors amputated both of his legs.
For many, this would mean the end of the service, but the pilot did not give up and returned to aviation. Until the end of the war, he flew with prostheses. Over the years, he made 86 sorties and shot down 11 enemy aircraft. And 7 - already after amputation. In 1944, Alexei Maresyev went to work as an inspector and lived to be 84 years old.
His fate inspired the writer Boris Polevoy to write The Tale of a Real Man.
Deputy squadron commander of the 177th Air Defense Fighter Aviation Regiment.
Victor Talalikhin began to fight already in the Soviet-Finnish war. He shot down 4 enemy planes on a biplane. Then he served in the aviation school.
In August 1941, one of the first Soviet pilots made a ram, shooting down a German bomber in a night air battle. Moreover, the wounded pilot was able to get out of the cockpit and descend by parachute to the rear of his own.
Talalikhin then shot down five more German planes. Killed during another air battle near Podolsk in October 1941.
After 73 years, in 2014, search engines found Talalikhin's plane, which remained in the swamps near Moscow.
Artilleryman of the 3rd counter-battery artillery corps of the Leningrad Front.
Soldier Andrei Korzun was drafted into the army at the very beginning of World War II. He served on the Leningrad front, where there were fierce and bloody battles.
November 5, 1943, during the next battle, his battery came under fierce enemy fire. Korzun was seriously wounded. Despite the terrible pain, he saw that the powder charges were set on fire and the ammunition depot could fly into the air. Gathering the last of his strength, Andrey crawled to the blazing fire. But he could no longer take off his overcoat to cover the fire. Losing consciousness, he made a last effort and covered the fire with his body. The explosion was avoided at the cost of the life of a brave gunner.
Commander of the 3rd Leningrad Partisan Brigade.
A native of Petrograd, Alexander German, according to some sources, was a native of Germany. He served in the army from 1933. When the war began, he became a scout. He worked behind enemy lines, commanded a partisan detachment, which terrified the enemy soldiers. His brigade destroyed several thousand fascist soldiers and officers, derailed hundreds of trains and blew up hundreds of vehicles.
The Nazis staged a real hunt for Herman. In 1943, his partisan detachment was surrounded in the Pskov region. Making his way to his own, the brave commander died from an enemy bullet.
Commander of the 30th Separate Guards Tank Brigade of the Leningrad Front
Vladislav Khrustitsky was drafted into the Red Army back in the 1920s. In the late 30s he graduated from armored courses. Since the autumn of 1942, he commanded the 61st separate light tank brigade.
He distinguished himself during Operation Iskra, which marked the beginning of the defeat of the Germans on the Leningrad front.
He died in the battle near Volosovo. In 1944, the enemy retreated from Leningrad, but from time to time made attempts to counterattack. During one of these counterattacks, Khrustitsky's tank brigade fell into a trap.
Despite heavy fire, the commander ordered to continue the offensive. He turned on the radio to his crews with the words: "Stand to the death!" - and went forward first. Unfortunately, the brave tanker died in this battle. And yet the village of Volosovo was liberated from the enemy.
Commander of a partisan detachment and brigade.
Before the war, he worked on the railroad. In October 1941, when the Germans were already standing near Moscow, he himself volunteered for a difficult operation, in which his railway experience was needed. Was thrown behind enemy lines. There he came up with the so-called "coal mines" (in fact, these are just mines disguised as coal). With the help of this simple but effective weapon, a hundred enemy trains were blown up in three months.
Zaslonov actively agitated the local population to go over to the side of the partisans. The Nazis, having learned this, dressed their soldiers in Soviet uniforms. Zaslonov mistook them for defectors and ordered them to be allowed into the partisan detachment. The path to the insidious enemy was open. A battle ensued, during which Zaslonov died. A reward was announced for living or dead Zaslonov, but the peasants hid his body, and the Germans did not get it.
The commander of a small partisan detachment.
Yefim Osipenko fought back in the Civil War. Therefore, when the enemy seized his land, without thinking twice, he joined the partisans. Together with five other comrades, he organized a small partisan detachment that committed sabotage against the Nazis.
During one of the operations, it was decided to undermine the enemy composition. But there was little ammunition in the detachment. The bomb was made from an ordinary grenade. The explosives were to be installed by Osipenko himself. He crawled to the railway bridge and, seeing the approach of the train, threw it in front of the train. There was no explosion. Then the partisan himself hit the grenade with a pole from the railway sign. It worked! A long train with food and tanks went downhill. The squad leader survived, but lost his sight completely.
For this feat, he was the first in the country to be awarded the medal "Partisan of the Patriotic War."
The peasant Matvey Kuzmin was born three years before the abolition of serfdom. And he died, becoming the oldest holder of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
His story contains many references to the history of another famous peasant - Ivan Susanin. Matvey also had to lead the invaders through the forest and swamps. And, like the legendary hero, he decided to stop the enemy at the cost of his life. He sent his grandson ahead to warn a detachment of partisans who had stopped nearby. The Nazis were ambushed. A fight ensued. Matvey Kuzmin died at the hands of a German officer. But he did his job. He was in his 84th year.
A partisan who was part of the sabotage and reconnaissance group of the headquarters of the Western Front.
While studying at school, Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya wanted to enter a literary institute. But these plans were not destined to come true - the war prevented. In October 1941, Zoya, as a volunteer, came to the recruiting station and, after a short training at a school for saboteurs, was transferred to Volokolamsk. There, an 18-year-old partisan fighter, along with adult men, performed dangerous tasks: she mined roads and destroyed communication centers.
During one of the sabotage operations, Kosmodemyanskaya was caught by the Germans. She was tortured, forcing her to betray her own. Zoya heroically endured all the trials without saying a word to the enemies. Seeing that it was impossible to get anything from the young partisan, they decided to hang her.
Kosmodemyanskaya steadfastly accepted the test. A moment before her death, she shouted to the assembled local residents: “Comrades, victory will be ours. German soldiers, before it's too late, surrender!" The courage of the girl so shocked the peasants that they later retold this story to front-line correspondents. And after the publication in the Pravda newspaper, the whole country learned about the feat of Kosmodemyanskaya. She became the first woman to be awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War.
