Uliana Gromova Member of the headquarters of the underground Komsomol organization "Young Guard" Date of Birth: 03.01.1924 Country: Russia

Biography of Ulyana Gromova

Ulyana Matveevna Gromova was born on January 3, 1924, in the village of Pervomaiskaya in the Krasnodon District. She grew up in a family of five children, being the youngest. Her father, Matvey Maximovich, often told the children about the glory of Russian weapons, famous military leaders, and past battles, instilling in them pride for their people and their homeland. Her mother, Matrena Savelievna, knew many songs and epics, being a true folk storyteller.

Ulyana began attending Pervomaiskaya School No. 6 in 1932. She excelled academically, receiving awards of excellence and progressing from one class to another with commendations. According to the former director of School No. 6, I. A. Shkreba, "Gromova is rightly considered the best student in the class and the school. Of course, she has excellent abilities and high development, but the main role belongs to hard work - persistent and systematic. She studies with soul and interest. Thanks to this, Gromova's knowledge is wider, and her understanding of phenomena is deeper than that of many of her classmates." Ulyana was an avid reader and a passionate admirer of M. Y. Lermontov, T. G. Shevchenko, A. M. Gorky, and Jack London. She kept a diary where she noted expressions she liked from recently read books.

In 1939, Gromova was elected as a member of the school committee. In March 1940, she joined the ranks of the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League (Komsomol). With her first Komsomol assignment as a leader in a pioneer detachment, she successfully fulfilled her duties. She meticulously prepared for each gathering, collecting newspaper and magazine clippings, selecting children's poems and stories. Ulyana was in her tenth grade when the Great Patriotic War began. According to I. A. Shkreba's recollection, "By that time, she had already formed strong notions of duty, honor, and morality. She had a strong will." Ulyana possessed an exceptional sense of friendship and collectivism. Together with her peers, she worked in the collective farms, cared for the wounded in the hospital. In 1942, she graduated from school.

During the occupation, Anatoliy Popov and Ulyana Gromova organized a patriotic youth group in Pervomaiskaya, which became part of the "Young Guard" underground organization. Gromova was elected as a member of the staff of the underground Komsomol organization. She actively participated in preparing military operations for the Young Guards, distributing leaflets, collecting medicine, and working among the population to encourage the people of Krasnodon to disrupt the occupiers' plans for food supplies and the recruitment of youth for Germany. On the eve of the 25th anniversary of the October Revolution, together with Anatoliy Popov, Ulyana raised the red flag on the chimney of Mine No. 1-bis.

Ulyana Gromova was a determined and courageous underground activist, known for her firm convictions and the ability to instill confidence in others. These qualities were particularly evident during the most tragic period of her life when she was captured by the Nazis in January 1943. According to Valeriya Borz, Ulyana's mother, even in the prison cell, Ulyana firmly spoke about the fight, saying, "We must not yield in any circumstances, but find a way out and fight. We can also fight under these conditions, we just need to be more determined and organized." Ulyana held herself with dignity during interrogations, refusing to provide any information about the activities of the underground activists.

After enduring brutal torture, Ulyana Gromova was executed by her captors on January 16, 1943, and her body was thrown into the shaft of Mine No. 5. The archives of the KGB at the USSR Council of Ministers document the extensive torture she endured, including hanging by her hair, a carved five-pointed star on her back, broken ribs, and a broken right arm.

Ulyana Gromova was buried in a mass grave of heroes on the central square of Krasnodon. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated September 13, 1943, Ulyana Matveevna Gromova, a member of the staff of the underground Komsomol organization "Young Guard," was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.