Red Navy sailor Yevgeny Nikonov died at the very beginning of the Great Patriotic War. For many years his feat became a symbol of the resistance of Soviet troops to the German invaders. On the life example of the hero, more than one generation was brought up even after the end of hostilities.
Biography
Eugene was born into a large family of Russian peasants who lived in the Samara region. His father Alexander Fedorovich and mother Ksenia Frolovna had four children. Eugene was born the third, in 1920. Eugene's father participated in the First World War and the Civil War, served in one of the Chapayev divisions.
In 1921-1922, there was a post-war famine in Russia, when a lot of people died. The exact data is still unknown, but figures are of the order of 5 million people. The most affected areas were the Volga and South Urals. The misfortune did not pass Eugene's family - the mother and the youngest child in the Anatoly family died.
A little later, Eugene's father married a second time, but did not live long. He died in 1924, caused by old war wounds. A neighbor looked after the children, then a great uncle. Because of all these events, Eugene had to work on a collective farm from the age of six, he performed the duties of a caretaker.
In 1931, the elder brother Viktor Nikonov leaves to build a car plant in Gorky. A year later, Eugene and sister Anna move to their brother. The elders work, and Yevgeny is educated - he is in the third grade of a seven-year school. Then he graduated from a factory school with the assignment of the 3rd category of a turner.
From the surviving memories of acquaintances and friends, we can conclude that Eugene was very well-read, especially he loved history. He played sports and was interested in theatrical performances. At his suggestion, a drama club was organized in the region.
In 1939, Yevgeny Nikonov was enlisted in the USSR Navy. He was trained as an artillery electrician, and then joined the destroyer leader Minsk.
He took part in the Great Patriotic War from the very beginning, defended Tallinn. While carrying out a reconnaissance mission in the Keila region, Yevgeny was seriously wounded and lost consciousness. In this state, the Germans captured him.
The captive sailor Yevgeny Nikonov was a great success for the invaders. The Germans hoped to learn from him the disposition of forces and the number of Soviet soldiers. However, Yevgeny refused to answer questions, even after being tortured. From impotence, the Germans poured gasoline on the sailor and set him on fire. August 19, 1941 is considered to be the date of the heroic death of Yevgeny Nikonov.
Later, the Soviet military reclaimed the occupied territories. Evgeny's body was found among the dead. He was identified by the political instructor G. Shevchenko, who described the feat of the young sailor in order to send the story to the command. Later, a leaflet of one of the military correspondents was distributed among the Baltic sailors. It was made in the form of a picture with the inscription "Remember and take revenge!"
During the existence of the Soviet Union, all descriptions of Nikonov's feat unambiguously indicated that he was captured by the Germans. They tortured him and then executed him. However, later, after the documents were declassified, a version appeared that in the area where the sailor died there were units of Estonian nationalists. Their actions were distinguished by special cruelty, exceeding the fascist atrocities. And it was they who tortured and burned Yevgeny Nikonov.
Later, Eugene's feat was described in detail, the torpedo tube was named after him. However, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to him posthumously only in 1957, after the petition of the Gorky Komsomol members. The full list of his awards includes the Order of Lenin and the Patriotic War of the first degree and the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Nikonov was buried in the Estonian village of Harku. In 1951, the authorities of Tallinn decided to perpetuate his feat and reburied the remains in one of the city's parks, erecting a monument to the sailor. Later it was destroyed by nationalists.
In 1992, Russian military leaders managed to negotiate the transfer of his ashes. Yevgeny Nikonov was interred in his native village of Vasilievka.
Memory of the Hero
Back in the imperial period of Russia's development, military units developed a custom to forever enroll in their lists servicemen who died in the line of duty. This is an honorary act, which was awarded to the sailor E. Nikonov.
For some time, two ships and several ships bore the name of the hero: the minesweepers "Evgeny Nikonov" (project 253 and 266), a motor ship, a river pusher and others.
In Soviet times, a school in Tallinn was named after him, and a monument was erected at the burial site. The author of the sculpture was E. Haggi and J. Carro. Later, these objects were dismantled and the memory of the hero was completely destroyed.
Streets named after E. Nikonov are in Nizhny Novgorod, where he lived and studied, in Samara, Togliatti and his native village Vasilyevka. In these settlements there are also schools bearing his name, and in Nizhny Novgorod there is a museum.
Feat of E. Nikonov in art
During the war, Yevgeny's feat was reflected in numerous posters and leaflets.
In 1972 V. Spirin shot a short (20 minutes) historical-patriotic film describing his contribution to the victory.
In Nizhny Novgorod in 2005, a collection of poems was published under the title "To the Hero Who Didn't Come from the War." In 2008, a short film was released under the same name, which was completely created by the library staff.
