Nikolai Antonovich Filippov - senior sailor of the USSR Navy. He was a participant in the Great Patriotic War. For special services he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Childhood, adolescence
Nikolai Filippov was born in 1920 in the city of Kozlov (now Michurinsk). He grew up in a complete large family. Parents worked hard to provide for themselves and their children. The financial situation was difficult and children from an early age were forced to earn extra money. His father worked as a mechanic at a factory, and his mother worked as an assistant to a sanitary doctor at a sanitary-epidemiological station. The head of the family later learned to be a machinist, but he did not succeed in working in a new position. He was arrested and arrested on charges of systematic anti-Soviet agitation of a defeatist nature and counter-revolutionary propaganda in railway transport. Filippov's father was posthumously rehabilitated.
Nikolai finished junior high school. He studied at the Kochetov railway school number 49. He did not study very well, so he did not think about continuing his education. After leaving school, Filippov had to work at a cannery. On the job, he learned to be a chauffeur. The beginning of the Great Patriotic War disrupted his peaceful, measured life. At that time, the young man was 21 years old.
In 1941, Filippov was called up to serve in the USSR Navy. Nikolai studied at the naval school, but did not graduate from it and voluntarily went to the front.
Participation in hostilities
Nikolai Filippov took part in hostilities since November 1941. In one of the battles near Sevastopol, he was seriously wounded. Filippov was treated for a long time in a hospital near Michurinsk. After recovering and recovering, on the recommendation of the city military commissar, he was sent to study at the Joint School of the Volga Military Flotilla.
In 1943, Filippov was sent to the Dnieper military flotilla. He served as commander of a semi-glider. On the rivers Dnieper, Vistula, Spree, Pripyat, the flotilla performed the most important tasks. In 1944, Nikolai distinguished himself in the difficult battles for Bobruisk and Pinsk. He received an award from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. With battles, Nikolai reached Germany.
In 1945, the famous Berlin operation was announced. It became decisive for Filippov. The Dnieper military flotilla was at that time subordinate to the Belarusian fleet. The army's troops had to be transported across the Spree River to Berlin. During the Berlin operation, Nikolai managed to prove himself. Through the Spree, he ferried forward Soviet units on a semi-glider, and also personally participated in the battles for the bridgehead and repelling counterattacks. Together with the paratroopers, Filippov managed to capture the bridgehead. On April 24, 1945, while returning to his boat, Nikolai was badly wounded. But he found the strength to ferry the boat to the right bank. The wound was fatal.
Personal life and recognition of the hero's merits
Nikolai Filippov went to the front early, never having had time to start a family. His death was a real tragedy for his family. His brother Mikhail was seriously wounded in the war. He became disabled, but the injury saved his life. In his native Michurinsk, the famous countryman is still remembered and told about his heroism to children and grandchildren.
By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 31, 1945, senior sailor Nikolai Filippov was posthumously awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his heroism. Filippov was awarded during his lifetime:
- the Order of Lenin;
- the Order of the Red Star;
- medal "For Courage".
In addition to the above awards, Filippov was awarded medals:
- "For the capture of Berlin";
- "For the victory over Germany";
- "For the victory in the Second World War".
Some of these awards were never received by Filippov's relatives, but the documents for receiving are kept in the Michurinsk Museum of Local Lore. In the museum, you can also get acquainted with the letters that the hero wrote to his family, see some of the personal belongings of the famous participant in the war. Nikolai Filippov was a very honest, decent person. Relatives and friends remembered him with great fondness. During the war, he often wrote letters to his brother, dreamed of meeting him and getting to know his young wife. But the meeting was not destined to take place. Nikolai wrote to his family that he was very afraid of dying and could not do anything about this fear. In his letters there were also arguments about how bad he was in a foreign land and how he wanted to return to his native land.
Nikolai Filippov was buried in the city of Kostyushkin (Poland) in a mass grave. In 1950, by order of the commander of the USSR Navy, he was forever enlisted in the lists of his military unit.
In 1964, at a meeting of the Michurinsky City Council of Working People's Deputies, the issue of renaming Socialist Street in the city of Michurinsk and Kurskaya Street in the workers' village of Kochetovka into streets of Hero of the Soviet Union Nikolai Filippov was raised. This proposal was supported by all those present and the streets were renamed.
In 1965, a memorial plaque in honor of the memory of Nikolai Filippov was opened. The board was installed in one of the central parks. The opening of the monument was attended by his relatives and residents of the city. In 1989, the obelisk was replaced with a new bust.
The author of the bust was Viktor Mikhailovich Belousov. It took a very long time to choose an architect. The project was approved several times. As a result, high-ranking officials were pleased with the way the memorial bust was made. This monument serves as a reminder of the heroism of Nikolai Filippov and other soldiers and sailors who distinguished themselves in the war.
