Nina Ivantcova Member of the underground organization 'Young Guard'. Date of Birth: 19.11.1923 Country: Ukraine

Nina Ivanova: A Biography

Nina Mikhailovna Ivanova was born on November 19, 1923, in the city of Krasnodon. She spent her childhood and teenage years here, and completed her education at School No. 4 named after K.E. Voroshilov. In 1939, she joined the Komsomol, the communist youth organization.

In 1941, Nina began her work as a statistician secretary for the Krasnodon District Department of Public Education. In the summer of 1942, she wanted to voluntarily join the Red Army. However, upon the recommendation of the Komsomol district committee, she underwent special training and was left with her sister Olga to conduct reconnaissance behind enemy lines in the Stalin region (now Donetsk). When the fascists arrived, the sisters moved to the city of Yenakiyevo. There, they gathered information about the enemy's troop dislocation, headquarters, bases, and airfields, and monitored the movement of enemy forces.

In November 1942, Nina joined the ranks of the "Young Guard," an underground organization. As instructed by the headquarters, she worked as a scout and liaison, delivering instructions from the underground leaders to the commanders of the combat groups, delivering reports from the combat units, and maintaining communication with the Mitakyinsky partisan detachment. She also distributed leaflets and conducted educational work among the population. During the night the labor exchange was set on fire, she and Ivan Zemnukhov were stationed nearby to help their comrades if necessary.

When the arrests began, Nina left Krasnodon. Together with Oleg Koshev, Valeriya Borz, Sergey Tyulenyev, and Olga Ivanova, they managed to reach the village of Fokino in the Rostov region with great difficulty. However, they were unable to cross the front line. The sisters returned to Krasnodon frostbitten, hungry, and barely able to stand. But it was dangerous to stay here as the Nazis were looking for underground members. Their second attempt to cross the front line was successful, and on January 17, 1943, the Ivanova sisters found themselves on liberated territory.

In February, Nina returned to her hometown with the units of the Red Army. Devastated by the loss of her underground comrades, Nina voluntarily went to the front. She served as the political officer of the 8th communication battalion of the 1st Guards Rifle Corps of the 2nd Guards Army of the 4th Ukrainian Front, and later in the 116th Army Communication Regiment of the 51st Army of the 2nd Baltic Front. She participated in battles on the Mius Front, in the liberation of Crimea and the Baltic States. In 1944, she became a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. She was demobilized from the Soviet Army in September 1945 with the rank of Guard Lieutenant.

In 1948, Nina graduated from the Donetsk Party School, and in 1953, she completed her studies at the Voroshilovgrad Pedagogical Institute. She worked in the apparatus of the Voroshilovgrad Regional Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine. Since 1964, Nina Mikhailovna has been the head of the Department of Political Economy at the Voroshilovgrad Machine-Building Institute. She is currently retired.

For her participation in the Great Patriotic War on the front lines and in the underground Komsomol organization "Young Guard," Nina Mikhailovna Ivanova has been awarded the Orders of the Red Star and the Patriotic War 2nd Class, as well as the Medals "Partisan of the Patriotic War" 1st Class, "For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945," and "For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945."