On February 22, 1943, the sergeant of the 35th rifle regiment of the 10th Guards Division of the 14th Army of the Karelian Front Said Davydovich Aliev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The sniper received this high award for his courage and heroism in performing a combat mission.
Pre-war years
Said Aliyev is from Dagestan. His biography began on January 22, 1917 in the village of the Urals, located 13 kilometers from the regional center of Gunib. In the family of his Avar parents, several generations of peasants worked on the land.
After completing his education in an incomplete secondary school, the Komsomol member Aliyev began to eliminate rural illiteracy. In 1939 he took a pedagogical course and worked as a primary school teacher in his home country. In 1940 he was drafted into the Red Army. The service took place in the Far North, where corporal Aliyev met the news of the beginning of the war.
Fights in the Arctic
At the front, Aliyev showed himself to be a self-possessed and fearless warrior, never backed away and boldly walked towards danger. The hills and gorges of the Arctic Circle reminded him of the familiar Dagestan landscape. The former hunter begged a rifle from the commander and began to master the skill of a sniper. Said thoroughly studied the weapon and shot it well. It turned out that the fighter possesses the skill and ability to destroy the target with one shot. He could watch the enemy for a long time and then hit without a miss. The first baptism of fire was the battle for the Nameless Hill. For several days, moving from flank to flank, Said destroyed 41 fascists and 3 machine guns. The sniper became a real threat for the German rangers, who, in turn, announced a hunt for him. Aliyev was wounded several times, but after treatment he invariably returned to his native company, becoming more merciless and angrier.
The Karelian Front guarded the territory of the USSR from the Barents Sea to Lake Ladoga. During the war, the site in the Murmansk region was the only one where the Nazis could not break through the defenses and cross the state border.
When the commander of the Murmansk Group of Forces visited the position in October 1941, he was informed that at present the unit was not conducting active hostilities, but the soldiers killed 50 Nazi officers and soldiers. The commander was surprised at what the situation was explained to him: "Sharpshooters are working." The commander personally met one of the snipers, who turned out to be Aliyev. A correspondent of a military newspaper told about this case, he not only published an article, but also published a photo of the hero. The fellow soldiers laughed: “Said, won't fame spoil you?”, To which he proudly replied that in Dagestan it is customary to praise for merits, this makes a person even stronger. In the summer of 1942, Aliyev joined the ranks of the communists, and the sniper had 126 killed enemies.
Owner of the "Eagle's Nest"
In May 1942, the regiment, where Aliev served, fought for the Eagle's Nest. Control of this territory gave a dominant position on the front of hostilities. The enemy forces were superior, so the Germans fought back especially fiercely. Almost all the soldiers of the combat escort platoon were killed, only Aliev, thanks to careful camouflage, hid his position between rocks and stones so that it was difficult for enemies to find it. He stood in their way and destroyed 37 fascists one by one. After this incident, Said began to be called the owner of the "Eagle's Nest".
A well-deserved reward
The year 1943 became significant for a desperate sniper. In February, a decree was issued on awarding him the country's highest award - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The award list told about his military merits from the very beginning of the war. He could lie motionless for days and watch the enemy, equip trenches and go into the tent for only a few minutes to drink hot tea. In each battle, he destroyed dozens of fascists and saved the lives of Soviet soldiers and commanders. When one day a political instructor was seriously wounded in an unequal battle, Aliyev dragged him under cover of night to the location of the regiment, and he himself led the handful of the remaining brave men and held the altitude for more than 2 days.
Mentor and Commander
Once the fighters showed Said a newspaper. On the first page, the title "Top Ten" was in bold type. Listed below are the names and the number of enemies destroyed by each fighter. It turned out that Aliyev is the champion among the snipers of the Arctic. He was delighted not only by his own contribution to the victory, he was proud of his comrades who did not lag behind him. The famous sniper tried to share his knowledge and experience with young colleagues, the work increased when he was awarded the rank of sergeant and entrusted to command the squad.
In 1943, Aliyev was trained at the courses of junior officers, received the rank of lieutenant. In battles, he was seriously wounded, and after treatment he was sent to another unit. He fought on the 1st Ukrainian Front, commanded a company of machine gunners. He liberated Poland, reached Berlin, the news of the long-awaited victory found him in Prague.
In time of peace
In 1946, Said Aliyev returned to his homeland in Dagestan, for a long time he lived in Makhachkala. The party committee invited him to head the trade department of the district. This was followed by studies at the courses of party activists and working days at a machine-building enterprise in the Dagestan capital. As before, Aliyev was respected and full of energy. He paid much attention to the education of young people, was interested in the life of the museum of military glory. The veteran often met with fellow soldiers, recalled past battles. The years took their toll, but his eyes still sparkled with a lively brilliance. To the question "How does one live today?" replied that he had a lot to do at the plant and big plans.
Said believed that he was very lucky in his personal life. Together with his wife Savdat, he raised and raised four children. Two daughters and the eldest son devoted themselves to agriculture, worked on the collective farm for many years. The youngest son became a math teacher.
Inconspicuous war hero Said Davydovich Aliyev passed away in October 1991. A school in his native village and a street in the Dagestan village of Shamkhal-Termen bear his name.
