During the Patriotic War, many soldiers showed heroism, showed courage, courage. For the feats committed during the war, more than 10 thousand soldiers received their award. Many were officially named Heroes. They deserve it.
But there are soldiers who have accomplished the feat, but are not awarded worthily. Their heroism was forgotten. Among such people, it is worth highlighting a real hero named Zinoviy Kolobanov.
The story of a brilliant tanker
Zinovy was born in 1925. This event happened at the end of December in a small village, which is located in the Vladimir province. Arefino - that was the name of the village.
When the guy was still a child, the Civil War began. During the battle, the father of the future tanker died. The already difficult childhood has become even more difficult. It was necessary to constantly work, and not have fun. After leaving school, Zinovy entered the technical school. But I couldn’t finish my studies. The guy joined the ranks of the military.
Initially hit the infantry. However, the Red Army needed tankers. Therefore, the guy was sent to an armored school, which was located in Orel. He studied diligently. He finished school with honors, and then went to the front, receiving the rank of lieutenant.
Baptism of fire took place during the Soviet-Finnish war. Zinovy led the tank company. For all the time of hostilities he could die several times. However, he always returned to duty even after serious injuries.
During World War II, Zinovy received at the disposal of KV-1. He himself needed to learn how to control a heavy tank, and also to teach this to a soldier from his company.
The feat of the great tanker
Enemy forces in 1941 launched an attack on Leningrad. The Soviet troops did not succeed in holding back Army Group North. The soldiers gradually retreated. The situation was heating up to the limit. Enemies rushed to the city of Krasnogvardeisk (Gatchina), which was of strategic importance.
In mid-August, Zinovy received an order. He needed to block all approaches to Krasnogvardeisk. Zinovia had 5 tanks at its disposal. These heavy combat vehicles could destroy German tanks. But there were several reasons why they had to be used for an ambush. Firstly, low maneuverability. Secondly, there were not so many cars, so they tried to save them.
Therefore, Zinovy decided to ambush. He sent 2 crews to the Luga road. Another 2 crews closed the road that led to Volosov. Kolobanov himself stood next to the Uchkhoz village 300 meters from the intersection. He planned to hit the enemy "in the forehead", not allowing the Germans to perform maneuvers. Fortunately, the terrain allowed.
At first, the enemies tried to break through the Luga highway. However, they were waiting for the crew of Evdokimenko and Degtyar. Soviet soldiers managed to knock out several tanks and armored personnel carriers. By their actions they forced the Germans to retreat.
The next attack was undertaken at the place where the crew of Zinovia was located. The soldiers missed the scout motorcyclists, and only then attacked. With the first shot they managed to stop several head tanks. Then they fired at the tail of the column. Thanks to this, the Germans could neither retreat nor maneuver normally.
But they also found Kolobanov, after which they tried to destroy his tank. A few minutes, and the disguise completely disappeared. However, the tank did not penetrate the tank. All that the vaunted German cars could do was disable the tower. The mechanic Nikiforov had to take the car out of the trench and begin to maneuver. He turned the tank so that it was possible to shoot at enemies.
It took 30 minutes to destroy all the tanks that were in the convoy. There were 22 cars in total. This result was a record. For all the time of the war no one was able to repeat this result.
Officially, he was not appointed a hero
In the fall of 1941, Kolobanov’s crew was introduced to the rank of Hero of the Soviet Union. But at the last moment the command changed its mind. The generals considered that the successes of Zinovy did not draw on a serious feat. As a result, Kolobanov received the Order of the Red Banner.
Almost immediately after the award, Kolobanov was seriously injured. This happened when the ammunition was loaded into the tank. A shell fell near the machine. Because of this, the tanker fell on a hospital bed until the end of the war. However, he managed to recover and return to duty in 1945. He served for more than 10 years. He left the army with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He died in 1994.
A few decades later, a monument was erected under the Troops. Dmitry Ustinov, who held the post of Minister of Defense, agreed to allocate a tank. About this he was asked in a letter by Zinoviy Kolobanov.
After the death of the tankman, social activists tried to put pressure on the authorities so that Kolobanov’s feat was officially recognized. Several attempts have been made. But to achieve a positive result did not work. Social activists simply ignored.
Even the developers of the popular tank game entered the fight for justice. Each player can get a Kolobanov Medal. To do this, knock out more than 5 tanks in one battle.
