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Avak AntinyanParticipant of the Great Patriotic War, Hero of the Soviet Union, Guard Sergeant Major
Date of Birth: 15.01.1917
Country:  Armenia |
Content:
Avak Vartanavich Antianyan: A Hero of the Great Patriotic War
Early Life and War ServiceA hero of the Great Patriotic War, Guard Senior Sergeant Avaro Vartanavich Antianyan was born on January 15, 1917, in the village of Gamzachiman (now Margaovit), Gugark District, Armenia. After completing seven grades of education, he worked in the local kolkhoz. He joined the Soviet Army in 1939 and participated in the Great Patriotic War from June 1941.
Heroism on the Front
Antianyan served as a gun commander in the 5th battery of the 353rd Guards Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment, 8th Guards Mechanized Corps, 1st Guards Tank Army, 1st Ukrainian Front. On July 24, 1944, during a battle for the capture of a bridgehead near the city of Jaroslaw, Poland, on the left bank of the San River, his crew repelled three enemy counterattacks. Under his command, they destroyed six tanks, a self-propelled gun, and a platoon of infantry. The following day, Antianyan repelled two more counterattacks, personally destroying 18 enemy tanks, an act for which he was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Post-War Life
After the war, Antianyan was demobilized and returned to his hometown, where he served as chairman of the Gamzachiman village council. The local school's pioneer group bore his name, and a memorial plaque was erected on the house where he was born.
