«FOR THE MOTHERLAND!» UNFORGETTABLE HEROES OF THE PEOPLE

The names of the heroes who fearlessly fought in the battles for the independence of the motherland, the human memory will be kept for all centuries. The feats of hundreds of thousands of fighters are an enduring example of fortitude, love for their native land and their people. Kozhabay Zhazykov, Sultan Baimagambetov, Tolegen Toktarov, Agadil Sukhambaev, Abu Dosmukhambetov, Zhalel Kizatuly, Nagi Ilyasov, Leonid Beda - the valiant sons of the people, whose heroic deeds gave millions of people a peaceful sky. All of them were born in 1920 and bravely stepped into the heat of war as young men.  The heroes of the Soviet Union would have been 100 this year.

A brave scout, Kozhabay Zhazykov, was born on October 4, 1920, in the village of Kyzylbulak, Bayganinsky district of the Aktobe region. After receiving secondary education, he worked as a teacher in the Bayganinsky district of Aktau primary school. In January 1942, he joined the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. The war came – 22-year-old Kozhabay went to the front of the Great Patriotic War.

The military chronicle testifies to the fearlessness of the young fighter Zhazykov. In December 1944, guard sergeant Kozhabay Zhazykov was appointed assistant commander of the reconnaissance platoon of the separate reconnaissance company of the 25th rifle division of the 7th army of the 2nd Ukrainian front. He showed particular courage during the crossing of the Danube River. Leading a group of fighters, Kozhabay Zhazykov crossed the Danube to an island near the town of Sentedre in Hungary. Quickly oriented, the Red Army fighters attacked the enemy from the rear and captured 6 enemy soldiers.  

The brave scouts managed to land on the island again that night, this time capturing 70 German soldiers and officers. This heroism was highly appreciated by the Soviet command. By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of April 28, 1945, for "the exemplary performance of command missions at the front against the German invaders and the courage and heroism shown" sergeant Kozhabay Zhazykov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal No. 611.

After the war, K. Zhazykov returned to his homeland and resumed work in the education system. In 1953, he graduated from the Ural Pedagogical Institute. The war hero passed away on October 23, 1982. A street and a school in the Bayganin village, Aktobe region are named after K. Zhazykov.

The fellow soldiers of Sultan Baimagambetov remembered him as the courageous commander. He was born on 1 April 1920 in the village of Koyanda-Agash in the Kostanay region. Since childhood, he has known hunger, poverty, and the death of loved ones. But despite all the hardships, Sultan grew up an honest and hardworking guy. At the age of 14, Sultan's mother died. His father also died early. His sister Zeynep brought up the children. When he was still very young, Sultan got a job as a cashier at the Semiozernoye post office. Soon he became the head of the post office. In 1939, he joined the Komsomol, and later took up the position of Secretary of the Semiozernoye village Council. A year later, Sultan was drafted into the Red Army.

At the front, Sultan Baimagambetov commanded a detachment of the 147th regiment of the red banner 48th rifle division. Four times was wounded, and each time without waiting for a full recovery, the commander returned to the front.

The hero’s fellow soldier, Hanif Gainutdinov, recalling the events of July 22, 1943, described fearlessness of Baimagambetov in the battles near Leningrad.  A fierce battle took place at the Sinyavinsky heights. The attack after the attack was unsuccessful. And then Sultan Baimagambetov crawled to the firing point and threw grenades at it. The machine gun did not stop and then he closed the embrasure of the enemy machine gun with his chest. "He rushed forward and threw a grenade. It exploded near the embrasure, causing no harm to the fascist machine gunner. The fire didn't stop. Then I saw Sultan leap to his feet, rush to the embrasure, and cover it with his body. We rushed into the attack", recalled H. Gainutdinov.

It was this heroic step by Sultan Baimagambetov that allowed the Soviet troops to defeat large Hitler troops and occupy important positions. By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated February 21, 1944, Sultan Baimagambetov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. S. Baymagambetov buried in a mass grave on the military memorial "Sinyavinsky heights" in the village of Sinyavino, Leningrad region. The streets in Kostanay and Almaty are named after the Hero. There is a monument to S. Baimagambetov in the village of Auliekol.

Tolegen Tokhtarov – a rifleman of the 23rd Guards Rifle Regiment of the 8th Guards Order of Lenin of the Red Banner Rifle Division named after Major-General I.V.Panfilov, 3rd Shock Army of the Kalinin Front, guard soldier. He was born on December 19, 1921, in the village of Karakuduk, East Kazakhstan region.

The chronicle of the war years testifies to Tokhtarov's fearlessness in the battle for the village of Nagatkino in the Starorussky district of the Novgorod region. On February 5, 1942, he broke into the village and destroyed 7 fascists, took 2 prisoners. Two days later, in a battle for the village of Borodino, he destroyed five enemy soldiers.

The last day of the life of the brave son of the Kazakh steppes Tolegen Tokhtarov was February 10, 1942. In a persistent struggle, surrounded on all sides by the fascists, the Hero, even being wounded in the stomach, stood up despite the mortal pain and did not stop firing until he ran out of bullets. And at this moment, with the last of his strength, he rushed at the Hitlerite and smashed his head with his rifle. The bullet of the next fascist finally took his life. Tolegen Tokhtarov was buried in a mass grave in the village of Braklovitsy, Starorussky district.  

By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of January 30, 1943, for the exemplary performance of command missions at the front against the German invaders, for courage and heroism Red Army soldier Tokhtarov Tolegen was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. He was awarded the Order of Lenin. The bust of the Hero was installed in the village of Gerasimovka, Tavrichesky district, in the city of Leninogorsk, a monument was erected to him. His name was given to streets in Ust-Kamenogorsk, Zaisan and in the town of Staraya Russa of the Novgorod region. In 1947, the composers A. Zhubanov and L. Khamidi wrote the opera "Tolegen Tokhtarov" (libretto by M. O. Auezov).

Inhuman pain and anger experienced in the last moments of his life, the soldier Agadil Sukhambaev. All riddled with enemy bullets, streaming with blood, he managed to run up to the Nazi bunker with the last of his strength, and before the Hitlerites realized what was happening, he closed the embrasure with his chest. A. Sukhambaev performed this deadly feat on July 31, 1944, near the village of Stsheltsowizna, 24 kilometers northeast of the city of Augustow (Poland).  

A. Sukhambaev was born on December 16, 1920, in the village of Karasu, Zhambyl region. In 1940, Sukhambayev entered the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. From the very first days of the war, he proved himself a brave and skillful soldier. He especially distinguished himself in the battles for Belarus, Lithuania, and Poland. After the first battle with the enemy, in which he participated, he was appointed commander of the squad.

By July 1944, the Red Army soldier Sukhambaev already commanded a squad of the 628th rifle regiment of the 174th rifle division of the 31st army of the 3rd Belorussian front.

On 3 October 1944, a front-line newspaper "On the enemy" wrote about Sukhambaev's fearlessness: "The soldier Agadil Sukhambaev repeated the feat of Alexander Matrosov. Sukhambaev was not afraid of death because he loved life, with his death he showed the enemy all his terrible hatred. He paved the way to victory with the noble death of a warrior." Agadil Sukhambaev was buried in Druskininkai, Lithuania.

By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated March 24, 1945, Red Army soldier Agadil Sukhambaev was posthumously awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He was also posthumously awarded the Order of Lenin.

The streets in Grodno, Taraz, Druskininkai, Akzhar village of Sverdlovsk region, as well as his school bear the name of A. Sukhambaev. In 2005, a monument to A. Sukhambaev was opened in Taraz. 

Hero of the Soviet Union Abu Dosmukhambetov was born on June 15, 1920, in the village of Ushkol in the North Kazakhstan region. He joined the Red Army in 1939. He commanded a rifle squad, and a year later, he was appointed deputy commander of a rifle platoon. In 1941, he took the courses of junior lieutenants. In spring of 1942, he was appointed commander of a rifle platoon of the 229th rifle regiment of the 8th rifle division of the 13th army of the Bryansk front. It is known from the war chronicle: on September 22, 1943, the troop of A. Dosmukhambetov crossed to the right bank of the Dnieper and gained a beachhead at the village of Verkhniye Zhary, covering with fire the crossing of other units of the regiment. He died heroically on October 5, 1943 in a battle with German tanks north of Chernobyl. He was buried in a park in the same city.

By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated October 16, 1943, for successfully crossing the Dnieper River to the north of Kiev, firmly securing the bridgehead on the western bank of the Dnieper River and for courage and heroism, 23-year-old senior Lieutenant Abu Dosmukhambetov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal. The streets in Chernobyl and Petropavlovsk are named after Abu Dosmukhambetov. On May 8, 2008, a bust of Abu Dosmukhambetov was unveiled in Petropavlovsk.  

Zhalel Kizatov - a hero who defended his homeland from the fascist invaders. He was born on October 9, 1920, in the village of Bulak, North Kazakhstan region. In 1940, he was drafted into the Workers and Peasants' Red Army, and went to the front in September 1941. He fought in the 157th rifle division's artillery regiment on the Southern, Transcaucasian, Caucasian, Crimean, North Caucasus, Stalingrad, Southeastern, Don, Bryansk, Central, and 1st Belorussian fronts. He participated in the defense of Odessa, Crimea, Stalingrad, the battle of Kursk, the liberation of Ukraine and Belarus.

Zh. Kizatov distinguished himself on September 28, 1943, during the Chernigov-Pripyat offensive operation.  Kizatov was one of the first to cross the Dnieper with infantry in the area of ​​the village of Mysy, Chernigov region of Ukraine and, having reconnoitered the position of the enemy's fire systems, until October 3, under heavy artillery, mortar and machine-gun fire, he successfully adjusted artillery fire, thanks to which the captured bridgehead was firmly retained and significantly expanded.

After the war, Zh. Kizatov proved himself in the party and economic work. He participated in the development of virgin lands in the North Kazakhstan region. He was elected to the Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh SSR and the USSR.

In addition, Zh. Kizatov was a member of the Union of Writers of Kazakhstan. He is the author of 4 books. By the decree of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces of January 15, 1944, for the courage and heroism shown during the crossing of the Dnieper, Zhalel Kizatov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Hero of the Soviet Union Nagi Ilyasov was the commander of the reconnaissance section of the 2nd division of the 473rd artillery regiment of the 99th rifle division of the 46th army of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, corporal. He was born on November 6, 1920, in village No. 8 of the collective farm "Red commune" in the Kyzylorda region. In 1939, Nagi graduated from the workers' faculty of the Tashkent Pedagogical School and began working as an elementary school teacher in the Verkhne-Chirchik district of the Tashkent region.  In 1942, Nagi Ilyasov was drafted into the Red Army. In September, at the village of Khalkhuta near Astrakhan he went through a baptism of fire. He served as the commander of the intelligence department of the 2nd division, the 473rd artillery regiment, the 99th rifle division of the 46th army, and the 2nd Ukrainian front.

The documents of the war years preserved data on his heroism, committed in December 1944. He was one of the first to cross to the right bank of the Danube at night and as part of an assault group participated in the battles for the Hungarian village of Mayoshkhaza. He was badly wounded, repelling enemy counterattacks, but in spite of everything remained in the ranks. The scouts cut the road leading to Budapest, destroyed the enemy's train, and blew up 9 cars.

Naga Ilyasov met the long-awaited victory day near Prague. The indelible impressions left in his memory participation in the Victory Parade in Moscow. By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of March 24, 1945, Naga Ilyasov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union with the award of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal for performing command missions at the front in the fight against Nazi invaders, for courage and heroism.

The famous intelligence officer N. Ilyasov after demobilization in November 1945 began party work in Kyzylorda. All his life after the war, he devoted to agriculture. Nagi Ilyasov passed away on May 6, 1987, in Almaty. Currently, his name is given to his native village in the Syrdarya district of the Kyzylorda region. For his heroic contribution to the Victory, the name of Naga Ilyasov is immortalized in the Hall of Fame of the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War on Poklonnaya Gora in Moscow.

A graduate of the Orenburg school, Leonid Beda literally immediately plunged into the boiling front-line life at Stalingrad. There were fierce battles, but despite the ongoing chaos, the young pilot immediately got used to the situation and happily accepted the mission of the first sortie.  

On this day, Leonid destroyed several enemy tanks, but he could not escape from the pursuit, and was wounded. In great pain, he still managed to fly to the airfield and landed the plane on the fuselage. After leaving the hospital, Beda returned to the regiment. Soon, the pilot was awarded the first order - the Order of the Red Banner.

Leonid Beda was born on August 16, 1920, in the village of Novopokrovka, Omsk province, now the Kostanay region. In 1936, he graduated from a seven-year school, and in 1940 - from the Ural Teacher Institute and the Ural Flying Club. He joined the army in August 1940. In 1942, he graduated from the 1st Chkalov Military Aviation School of Pilots.

Leonid Beda participated in the battles for the Donbas, in the liberation of the Crimea, Belarus, and East Prussia. He carried out seven extremely risky and spectacular raids on the enemy’s fortified positions on Sapun Mountain. For combat work in the Crimea, he was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky. During the war, Leonid Ignatievich Beda made 214 successful sorties, of which more than 30 were attacks on enemy airfields.

For exemplary performance of combat missions of command, courage and heroism by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated October 26, 1944, Leonid Beda was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.

After the war, Leonid Beda served as the commander of an aviation regiment, deputy commander of an aviation division for flight training. In 1956, he was trained at the Military Academy of the General staff. He was appointed commander of the aviation division. In 1973, he was a commander of aviation of the Red Banner Belarusian Military District. The famous pilot died on 26 December 1976 in the line of duty.

A bronze bust of the outstanding pilot, twice Hero of the Soviet Union Leonid Beda was installed in Kostanay. Streets and avenues in a number of cities in Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus bear his name.

Poets, many documentaries, sing the feats of fighters from Kazakhstan and feature films have been made about them. In the memory of the people, the fearless deeds and valor of their sons and daughters who bravely fought against the German invaders are cherished. Many of them at the cost of their lives preserved peace on our land. This sacred memory will live forever.