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Ivan BogatyrSniper, Hero of the Soviet Union.
Date of Birth: 27.01.1919
Country:  Ukraine |
Content:
Biography of Ivan Bogatyr
Ivan Ivanovich Bogatyr, a sniper and Hero of the Soviet Union, was born on January 27, 1919, in the village of Anno-Zachatovka, now part of the Krinichansky district of the Dnipropetrovsk region, in a peasant family. He completed incomplete secondary school in Dnipropetrovsk and worked as a lathe operator in a factory and later as a mechanic at the Krinichansky MTS. In 1939, he joined the ranks of the Red Army, serving on the frontlines at the start of the Great Patriotic War.
During the defense of Sevastopol, Ivan Ivanovich Bogatyr, a private in the 456th Composite Regiment of the Border Troops of the NKVD, destroyed 75 enemy soldiers and officers with his sniper rifle. He also trained 130 people in the art of sniping. On June 20, 1942, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his bravery and military valor displayed in battles against the enemy.
After the war, Bogatyr graduated from a border school and served in the Border Troops of the KGB. In 1953, he retired as Captain Ivan Ivanovich Bogatyr. In 1966, he graduated from the Kiev Institute of National Economy. He lived and worked in the urban-type settlement of Krinichki in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Throughout his military career, Bogatyr was awarded the Orders of Lenin, the Red Banner, and the Red Star, as well as various medals. He passed away on December 6, 1982.
The Defense of the Stronghold
The garrison of the stronghold consisted of only four people, led by the experienced warrior, Private Ivan Bogatyr. German soldiers launched attack after attack on the small fortress, but without success. The enemy bombarded the stronghold with artillery for over an hour, but it held its ground. They then conducted prolonged air bombardments. Convinced that the ground was thoroughly destroyed and that nothing could have survived at the site of the stronghold, the enemy sent an infantry company forward. However, from the smoky, semi-destroyed stronghold, a machine gun opened fire once again. Thus, the day passed, followed by the night.
At dawn, the artillery bombardment and bombings resumed. Another infantry attack on the stronghold also failed. On the third day, the Germans attempted to break through our defense on a neighboring sector. During a temporary lull, the garrison of the stronghold restored telephone communication with the command, and during the night, supplies and ammunition were delivered.
At dawn, hundreds of enemy soldiers, firing continuously from their rifles, advanced on the stronghold. "Psychological attack," Bogatyr determined. "Drunken fools..." He left his machine gun and took up his sniper rifle. He fired without missing a shot. Meanwhile, the Germans continued to advance... When they approached the stronghold, Ivan Ivanovich picked up his machine gun again and mowed down the front ranks of the attackers with a long burst. The surviving enemies turned and retreated.
The stronghold remained impregnable to the enemy. The Germans repeated their bombings, artillery and mortar shelling. The wall of the stronghold cracked, revealing a gaping breach. Shrapnel from a shell wounded Red Army soldiers Yuryev and Fedchenko. Bogatyr felt a pain in his temple. He touched it and found blood. He had been wounded.
...Another attack. This time, the Germans attacked head-on with a small force, while the rest went around. Bogatyr was wounded again, this time in the hand, but he kept on shooting. An enemy officer managed to get into the trench. In hand-to-hand combat, Bogatyr strangled the enemy.
When darkness fell, our soldiers found the brave warrior. They sent him to the hospital. Heavy defensive battles were taking place near Sevastopol, and Bogatyr, not fully recovered, returned to the front lines once again...
