Anatoliy Kovalev Member of the underground organization 'Young Guard'. Date of Birth: 03.05.1924 Country: Ukraine

Biography of Anatoly Kovalev

Anatoly Kovalev was born on May 3, 1924, in the village of Mityakinskaya, Tarasovsky District, Rostov Oblast. In 1934, his family moved to the city of Krasnodon. He attended School No. 4 named after K. E. Voroshilov, where he developed a passion for technology, drawing, and reading. He particularly loved books about heroes and aviators. Kovalev actively participated in sports competitions at school, often winning first place in running events. From the age of 12, he regularly engaged in sports, enjoying activities such as lifting heavy weights and carrying children by their belts.

His involvement in sports had a significant impact on his physical development. At the age of 18, Anatoly was taller than average, broad-shouldered, and had well-developed muscles. He had a fast and light gait and always walked with great speed. In his family, he was the eldest and helped his mother with various tasks such as carrying water, whitewashing walls, and cleaning the floors. He loved children and paid special attention to his younger sister. Anatoly joined the Komsomol in 1939 and started working at the "Trud Gornyaka" collective farm while continuing his studies in the evening school. His closest friends were Vasily Pirozhok and Vasily Borisov, who shared his dream of becoming aviators.

In 1940, Anatoly traveled to the city of Millerovo for a medical examination to enter flight school. However, he was not accepted due to conjunctivitis.

During the occupation, Kovalev became a member of the underground organization "Molodaya Gvardiya" (Young Guard). He led a combat unit that controlled the city market and the surrounding streets. Together with his comrades, he collected weapons in the steppe from recent battles, hid them in secret caches, disrupted the occupation authorities' events to export goods to Germany, and wrote and distributed leaflets. Following the advice of the organization's headquarters, he joined the police force and provided information about the Nazis' plans to recruit young people for forced labor in Germany, passing notes to prisoners. However, Anatoly was suspected of disloyalty and was soon expelled from the police force due to "undisciplined behavior." To avoid being sent to Germany, he found work at the A.M. Gorky Club, where he led a group of acrobats.

Anatoly was arrested on January 28, 1943. During his imprisonment, he was subjected to brutal torture. However, it was difficult to break his spirit physically. Even in the prison cell, he continued to engage in gymnastics, inspired by the hero of the Civil War, Grigory Kotovsky.

On January 31, Anatoly and his friends were transported to Shaft No. 5. He later recounted to his parents: "They tied our hands behind our backs with telephone wire and put us in two trucks with four people each. I sat with Misha Grigoryev, Yuri Vitsenovsky, and Volodya Zagoruiko... There were nine policemen, drunk and armed with rifles. The thought of escape crossed my mind, and I whispered to Misha, 'Let's run, Misha!' Gathering his last strength, Anatoly loosened the wire. When the moment was right, he ran away but was wounded in his left arm. He hid in the Krasnodon District for several days. Fearing police persecution, he left the city and disappeared without a trace.