Mikhail Alekseevich Bolshakov is a mechanic driver of the tank of the 28th separate guards tank brigade of the 39th army, a participant in the Great Patriotic War. Full Knight of the Order of Glory.
Biography
Mikhail Alekseevich was born in early November 1920 in the small village of Abramtsevo, Moscow Region. Michael's family was from peasants. In the early period of the Soviet Union, the life of peasants was very difficult. From an early age, the boy was introduced to work, since in the village it was impossible otherwise.
Bolshakov received a seven-year education and immediately after school he went to Balashikha, where he got a job at a factory specializing in dry cleaning clothes. After some time, the local locksmith took Michael to his students. Having received the proper knowledge, the young guy himself took the position of a locksmith in this factory.
War period
In 1940, when Bolshakov was already twenty years old, he was drafted into the ranks of the Red Army. Having locksmith skills and experience in village life, Mikhail was assigned to the tank troops, where he underwent training and preparation until mid-1941. At the very beginning of his career, he was still in the training battalion, and for the first time he appeared at the front only in October of that year.
Bolshakov always demonstrated amazing courage and resourcefulness in battle. However, he received his first high award only in 1944. On June 23, when the Bagration offensive began, he destroyed the Nazis' hidden position on his tank by simply crushing it with caterpillars. Later, their crew easily crossed the Luchesa River in Nazi-occupied territory.
When a fierce battle began with a group of German forces, Bolshakov’s tank destroyed three enemy fortified positions, three bunkers and twelve Nazi soldiers. For such a huge contribution to the success of the operation, Mikhail Alekseevich was presented to the Order of Glory of the Third Degree after only three days.
In October of the same year, his tank participated in battles in Lithuania. The unit was faced with the task of recapturing the Soviet city of Taurage. The brave driver’s tank broke through the Nazi defense line and during a hot battle disabled two artillery crews, destroyed three fortified positions and killed almost three dozen Nazis. In November, Bolshakov received the Order of Glory of the Second Degree for his services in the battle for the city.
The last battle of Mikhail Alekseevich took place in mid-January 1945 near Koenigsberg. Without betraying himself, Bolshakov was one of the first to break into the position of the Nazis and destroy several guns and anti-tank fortifications. He also killed more than 30 soldiers and neutralized three machine gun crews. In this battle, Mikhail’s tank was shot down, but the crew continued to fight even with a defective main gun. After the battle, Bolshakov was found on the battlefield by riders. He remained the only survivor of the tank crew. For this battle, Mikhail Alekseevich was awarded the Order of Glory of the first degree.
