During the Patriotic War, many soldiers showed heroism, demonstrated courage and bravery. More than 10 thousand soldiers received their awards for the deeds performed during the hostilities. Many were officially named Heroes. They deserve it.
But there are soldiers who accomplished the feat, but were not awarded what they deserved. Their heroism was forgotten. Among such people, it is worth highlighting a real hero named Zinovy Kolobanov.
The story of a genius tanker
Zinovy was born in 1925. This event took place at the end of December in a small village located in the Vladimir province. Arefino was the name of the settlement.
When the guy was still a child, the Civil War began. During the battles, the father of the future tanker was killed. An already difficult childhood has become even more difficult. I had to constantly work, not have fun. After leaving school, Zinovy entered the technical school. But I didn't manage to finish my studies. The guy joined the ranks of the military.
Initially, he was in the infantry. However, the Red Army needed tankers. Therefore, the guy was sent to an armored school, which was located in Oryol. He studied diligently. He graduated from school with honors, after which he went to the front, receiving the rank of lieutenant.
The baptism of fire took place during the Soviet-Finnish war. Zinovy led a tank company. During the entire period of hostilities, he could die several times. However, he always returned to service, even after serious injuries.
During the Patriotic War, Zinovy received the KV-1 at his disposal. He himself had to learn how to drive a heavy tank, as well as teach this to the soldiers from his company.
The feat of the great tanker
Enemy troops launched an offensive on Leningrad in 1941. The Soviet troops did not manage to contain the "North" army group. The soldiers gradually retreated. The situation was heating up to the limit. Enemies rushed to the city of Krasnogvardeysk (Gatchina), which was of strategic importance.
In mid-August, Zinovy received the order. He needed to block all approaches to Krasnogvardeysk. Zinovy had 5 tanks at his disposal. These heavy combat vehicles could destroy German tanks. But there were several reasons why they should have been used for an ambush. First, low maneuverability. Secondly, there were not so many cars, so they tried to save them.
Therefore, Zinovy decided to set up an 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 village of Uchkhoz, 300 meters from the intersection. He planned to hit the enemy "in the forehead", not allowing the Germans to make maneuvers. Fortunately, the terrain allowed.
At first, the enemies tried to break through the Luga highway. However, the crew of Evdokimenko and Degtyar were waiting for them. 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 made at the place where the crew of Xenovius was located. The soldiers let the scouts, the motorcyclists, and only then attacked. With the very first shot, they managed to stop several lead tanks. Then they fired a volley at the tail of the column. Thanks to this, the Germans could neither retreat nor maneuver normally.
But Kolobanov was also found, after which they tried to destroy his tank. A few minutes, and the disguise was completely gone. However, the shells never pierced the tank. All the vaunted German machines could do was to disable the tower. Mechanic Nikiforov had to take the car out of the trench and start maneuvering. He turned the tank so that he could 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 became a record one. During the entire war, no one was able to repeat this result.
Was not officially nominated as a hero
In the fall of 1941, Kolobanov's crew was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. But at the last moment, the command changed its mind. The generals considered that Zinovy's successes did not lead to a serious feat. As a result, Kolobanov received the Order of the Red Banner.
Almost immediately after the awarding, Kolobanov was seriously wounded. This happened when the ammunition was loaded into the tank. A shell fell near the car. Because of this, the tanker ended up in a hospital bed until the end of the war. However, he managed to recover and return to service in 1945. Served for more than 10 years. Left the troops with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He died in 1994.
A few decades later, a monument was erected near Voyskovitsy. Dmitry Ustinov, who served as Minister of Defense, agreed to provide a tank. Zinovy Kolobanov asked him about it in a letter.
After the death of the tanker, social activists tried to put pressure on the authorities so that Kolobanov's feat was officially recognized. Several attempts have been made. But they failed to achieve a positive result. Social activists were simply ignored.
Even the developers of the popular tank game have joined the fight for justice. Each player can receive a "Kolobanov medal". To do this, you need to knock out more than 5 tanks in one battle.
Possible reasons
Most likely, Kolobanov did not receive the title of Hero, because he was in prison. When the war between Finland and Russia was over, the former enemies went to fraternize with each other. Political workers noticed that soldiers from Kolobanov's battalion were exchanging cigarettes with Finns and reported this to their superiors. This was enough to put Xenovius in prison.
They released him when the Great Patriotic War began. But at the same time they were stripped of all titles.
