Alexander Silin Biography

We live and remember. Tambov region we talk about the feat and fate of the Tambov residents at the front and rear Alexander Silin Alexander Vasilievich Silin, a radio operator of the shooting regiment of the 55th rifle division, participated in the battles on the Kursk arc, the liberation of Belarus and Poland, and forcing the Oder River and the Sturmate of the Reichstag.

After school he graduated from the Kirsanovsky Veterinary College. When the war began, Alexander took 3-month courses of signalmen and was drafted into the army. The battle path and the feat of October 27, Alexander Silin, was drafted into the army, he fell into the front in January of the year as part of the Rifle Regiment of the 55th Infantry Division. In January, Alexander Silin participated in the battles under the village of Levoshkino, Demyansky district of the Novgorod region.

This is one of the tragic pages of the history of the Great Patriotic War. But the unexpected thing happened: the German command quickly transferred fresh forces to the village, restoring the old line of defense, and the Russian regiments were surrounded by the main forces. The surrounded regiments received an order from the army headquarters: the captured line, at all costs, keep, with the remaining forces to break through under Levoshkino and continue the offensive.

The remaining forces - this means, without counting on reinforcement. Several attempts of a breakthrough failed. The situation was complicated by severe frosts, lack of ammunition, lack of food and medical care. The fighters did not have the opportunity to hide from continuous shelling - all had three dugouts, and they were filled with wounded. The ammunition was cherished, shot only at targets, grenades were generally worth its weight in gold.

The Germans had a numerical, food advantage, and a supply of ammunition. But Soviet soldiers broke through the line of defense. This happened on January 23. From the award sheet of Alexander Silin: “In the battles in the area of ​​the village of Levoshkino, when the battalion was surrounded, with Silin, being in a funnel meters from the enemy, when the enemy went 10 times numerically superior to the battalion, he calmly, energetically repelled the attacks and kept contact with the battalion.

Leaving the enemy environment, the platoon commander was wounded in the leg, he did not abandon him, brought him out and rendered first aid. Decisive, brave. Worthy of a government award by the medal "For Military Merit". " By the time of the breakthrough of the defense on January 23 in the entire group, surrounded, there was a man, from this number there were wounded. But even the fighters who could hold weapons were physically depleted, their strength was at the limit.

It was possible to break through the defense line only thanks to the heroism of our warriors and the fact that the Germans did not expect an attack. Only the fighters managed to break out from under Levoshkino. Among them was Alexander Vasilievich Silin.

In total, during the war, the soldier was wounded twice. The awards Alexander Vasilievich Silin were awarded with two medals “For Military Merit”, two medals “For Courage”, two orders of the “Red Star”, medals “For the Liberation of Warsaw”, “For the Capture of Berlin”, “For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War” and the Order of the Patriotic War of the II degree.

Medal "For Military Merit".