A hero, but not a pioneer. Real and mythical stories of Leni Golikov

The Great Patriotic War is the most bloody and ruthless in world history; it took away millions of human lives, including the lives of many young people who bravely defended their Motherland. Golikov Leonid Alexandrovich is one of the heroes of his country.

This is an ordinary boy, whose childhood was carefree and happy, he was friends with the guys, helped his parents, graduated from seven classes, after which he worked at a plywood factory. The war caught Lenya at the age of 15, instantly cutting off all the youthful dreams of the boy.

Young partisan

The village in the Novgorod region, where the boy lived, was captured by the Nazis and, trying to establish their new order, they began to commit excesses. Lenya Golikov, whose feat is inscribed in history with a red line, did not reconcile himself to the horrors that were happening around him and decided to fight against the Nazis; after the liberation of the village, he went to the emerging partisan detachment, where he fought alongside adults. True, at first the guy was not taken for a young age; help came from a school teacher who was in the partisans. He vouched for the boy, saying that he was a reliable person, would show himself well and would not let him down. In March 1942, Lenya became a scout in the Leningrad partisan brigade; a little later he joined the Komsomol there.

Fight against fascists

The Nazis were afraid of the partisans, because they mercilessly destroyed German officers and soldiers, blew up trains, and attacked enemy columns. Elusive partisans seemed to the enemies everywhere: behind every tree, house, turn - so they tried not to walk alone.

There was even such a case: Lenya Golikov, whose feat became for the youth of different generations, was returning from intelligence and saw five Nazis looting in the apiary. They were so engrossed in getting honey and fighting bees that they threw their weapons on the ground. The young scout took advantage of this, destroying three enemies; two managed to escape.

The boy, who grew up early, had a lot of military merits (27 military operations, 78 enemy officers; several explosions of enemy vehicles and bridges), but the feat of Leni Golikov was not far off. It was 1942…

Fearless Lenya Golikov: a feat

Highway Luga-Pskov (near the village of Varintsy). 1942 August 13th. Being with a partner in reconnaissance, Lenya blew up an enemy passenger car, in which, as it turned out, was Richard von Wirtz, Major General of the Germans. In his portfolio, there was very important information: reports to higher authorities, diagrams, detailed drawings of some samples of German mines and others data that were of great value to the partisans.

The feat of Leni Golikov, a brief summary of which is described above, was evaluated by the Gold Star medal and awarded the title of truth, posthumously. In the winter of 1942, the partisan detachment, which included Golikov, fell into the German encirclement, but after fierce fighting he was able to break through and change location. Fifty people remained in the ranks, cartridges were running out, the radio was broken, food was running out. Attempts to restore contact with other units were unsuccessful.

In ambush

In January 1943, 27 exhausted partisans, exhausted by the chase, occupied the three extreme huts of the village of Ostraya Luka. Preliminary reconnaissance found nothing suspicious; the nearest German garrison was quite far away, several kilometers away. The patrols were not put up so as not to attract undue attention. However, there was a “kind man” in the village - the owner of one of the houses (a certain Stepanov), who informed the headman Pykhov, and he, in turn, the punishers about what guests had come to the village at night.

For this treacherous act, Pykhov received a generous reward from the Germans, but at the beginning of 1944 he was shot as Stepanov - the second traitor, was only a year older than Leni, in troubled times for himself (when the turn of the war became clear) showed resourcefulness: he went into partisans , and from there Stepanov even managed to earn awards and return home almost as a hero, but the hand of justice caught up with this traitor to the Motherland. In 1948, for treason, he was arrested and sentenced to 25 years in prison, and with the deprivation of all received awards.

They are no more

Sharp Luka on this unkind January night was surrounded by 50 punishers, among whom were local residents who collaborated with the Nazis. The partisans, taken by surprise, had to fight back and, under the bullets of enemy shells, urgently go back to the forest. Only six people managed to break out of the encirclement.

In that unequal battle, almost the entire partisan detachment perished, including Lenya Golikov, whose feat remained forever in the memory of his comrades-in-arms.

Sister instead of brother

Initially, it was believed that the original photograph of Leni Golikov was not preserved. Therefore, to reproduce the image of the hero, the image of his sister Lydia was used (for example, for a portrait painted in 1958 by Viktor Fomin). Later, a partisan photo was found, but the familiar face of Lida, who acted as a brother, adorned the biography of Leni Golikov, who became a symbol of courage for Soviet teenagers. After all, the feat accomplished by Lenya Golikov is a vivid example of courage and love for the Motherland.

In April 1944, Leonid Golikov was awarded (posthumously) the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his heroism and courage in the fight against the Nazi invaders.

In everyone's heart

In many publications, Leonid Golikov is referred to as a pioneer, and he is on a par with such fearless young personalities as Marat Kazei, Vitya Korobkov, Valya Kotik, Zina Portnova.

However, during the perestroika period, when the heroes of the Soviet era were subjected to "mass exposures", a claim arose against these children that they could not be pioneers, because they were older than the prescribed age. The information was not confirmed: Marat Kazei, Zina Portnova and Vitya Korobkov were indeed pioneers, but with Lenya it turned out a little differently.

He got into the list of pioneers thanks to the efforts of people who are not indifferent to his fate and, apparently, from the best of intentions. The first materials about his heroism speak of Lena as a member of the Komsomol. The feat of Leni Golikov, a summary of which was described by Yury Korolkov in his book "Partisan Lenya Golikov", is an example of the behavior of a young man in the days of mortal danger hanging over his country.

The writer, who went through the war as a front-line correspondent, reduced the age of the hero by literally a couple of years, turning a 16-year-old boy into a 14-year-old pioneer hero. Perhaps, with this, the writer wanted to make Leni's feat more striking. Although everyone who knew Lenya was aware of the current state of affairs, believing that this inaccuracy fundamentally changes nothing. In any case, the country needed a suitable person for the collective image of a pioneer hero, who would also be a Hero of the Soviet Union. Lenya Golikov approached the image optimally.

His feat is described in all Soviet newspapers, many books have been written about him and the same young heroes. In any case, this is the history of a great country. Therefore, the feat of Leni Golikov, like himself - a man who defended his homeland - will forever remain in the heart of everyone.

Among the children and adolescents who distinguished themselves during the Great Patriotic War and subsequently included in the list of "pioneer heroes", there were four who were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union - Valya Kotik, Marat Kazei, and .

During the period of perestroika, when the heroes of the Soviet era were subjected to mass "exposing", these four also got it in full. Among the numerous claims, there was also this - in fact, the "pioneers" were older than the age attributed to them.

Our esteemed readers, who managed to get acquainted with, and, could make sure that the accusations of forgery were unfair - Marat and Valya were indeed pioneers, and Zina, being a pioneer, began her activity as an underground worker.

With Lenya Golikov, the story is different - he was undoubtedly a pioneer, undoubtedly a hero, but he got into the list of pioneer heroes through the efforts of people who clearly "wanted the best."

Lenya Golikov was born into a working-class family living in the Novgorod region, in the village of Lukino, on June 17, 1926. Like most young heroes, his pre-war biography is nothing special - he graduated from seven classes of school, managed to work at a plywood factory.

An important point - according to the regulations on the pioneer organization, its members at that time could be persons aged 9 to 14 years. On June 17, 1941, Lena Golikov turned 15, that is, he finally left the pioneer age a few days before the war.

We’ll talk about how he “became a pioneer” again a little later, but for now, about how Lenya became a partisan.

The area of the village of Lukino was under Nazi occupation, but was recaptured in March 1942. It was during this period that a partisan brigade was formed on the liberated territory by the decision of the Leningrad headquarters of the partisan movement from among the fighters of the previously operating partisan detachments, as well as young volunteers, which was supposed to go to the enemy rear to continue the fight against the Nazis.

Among the guys and girls who survived the occupation and wanted to fight the enemy was Lenya Golikov, who at first was not accepted.

Lena at that time was 15, and the commanders who selected the fighters felt that he was too young. They took him thanks to the recommendation of a school teacher, who also joined the partisans, and assured that "the student will not let you down."

The student really did not disappoint - as part of the 4th Leningrad partisan brigade, he took part in 27 military operations, chalking up several dozen destroyed Nazis, 10 destroyed vehicles with ammunition, more than a dozen blown up bridges, etc.

Lenya Golikov received his first award, the medal "For Courage", already in July 1942. Everyone who knew Lenya when he was a partisan noted his courage and courage.

One day, returning from reconnaissance, Lenya went to the outskirts of the village, where he found five Germans looting in the apiary. The Nazis were so engrossed in extracting honey and brushing off bees that they put their weapons aside. The scout took advantage of this, destroying three Germans. The remaining two fled.

One of Leni's most striking operations took place on August 13, 1942, when partisans attacked a car on the Luga-Pskov highway, in which was the German Major General of the Engineering Troops Richard von Wirtz.

The Nazis put up fierce resistance, but Lenya, having reached the car, together with his partner, grabbed a suitcase with valuable documents.

It must be said that in the classic stories about Len Golikov it was often stated that he almost single-handedly attacked the general's car. This is not true. But the fact that the main merit in the extraction of documents belongs to him is undoubtedly.

The documents were forwarded to the Soviet command, and Lenya himself was presented to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. However, the documents, apparently, were not so significant - in November 1942, Lenya was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for this feat.

Heroes and traitors

Alas, the partisan biography, like Lenya's life, turned out to be short-lived. In December 1942, the Nazis launched a large-scale anti-partisan operation, pursuing the detachment in which Lenya Golikov fought. It was impossible to break away from the enemy.

On January 24, 1943, a group of partisans consisting of just over 20 people went to the village of Ostraya Luka. There were no Germans in the settlement, and exhausted people stopped to rest in three houses. After some time, the village was surrounded by a detachment of punishers in the amount of 150 people, made up of local traitors and Lithuanian nationalists. The guerrillas, who were taken by surprise, nevertheless joined the battle.

Only a few people were able to break out of the encirclement, and later reported to the headquarters about the death of the detachment. Lenya Golikov, like most of his comrades, died in battle in Ostraya Luka.

During the war years, the NKVD and Soviet counterintelligence agencies conducted a thorough investigation in order to establish the causes of the death of certain partisan formations. So it was in this case.

Thanks to the testimonies of the villagers, obtained after the liberation from the occupation, as well as the testimonies of the surviving partisans, it was established that Lenya Golikov and his comrades fell victims of betrayal.

Someone Stepanov, a resident of one of the houses where the partisans stopped, reported about them headman Pykhov, who informed about the punitive partisans, whose detachment was in the village of Krutets.

Lenya Golikov. Photo: Public Domain

Pykhov received a generous reward from the Nazis for the services rendered. However, during the retreat, the owners of the accomplice did not take with them. In early 1944, he was arrested by the Soviet counterintelligence, was convicted as a traitor to the Motherland and shot in April 1944.

The second traitor, Stepanov, who, by the way, was only a year older than Leni Golikov, showed great resourcefulness - at the beginning of 1944, when it became clear that the war was leaning towards the defeat of the Nazis, he joined the partisans, from where he got into the regular Soviet Army. In this capacity, he even managed to earn awards and return home as a hero, but in the fall of 1948, retribution caught up with Stepanov - he was arrested and sentenced for treason to 25 years in prison with deprivation of state awards.

How the same age as the hero of the "Young Guard" "rejuvenated"

The partisans who survived the last battle of the detachment did not forget about their comrades, including Lena.

In March 1944, the head of the Leningrad headquarters of the partisan movement, a member of the Military Council of the Leningrad Front, Nikitin signed a new testimonial for the presentation of Lenya Golikov to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of April 2, 1944, for the exemplary performance of command assignments and the courage and heroism shown in battles with the Nazi invaders, Golikov Leonid Aleksandrovich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously).

So, there are no doubts about the heroism of Leonid Golikov and there cannot be, his rewards are quite fair and deserved.

But how can Leonid Golikov, who, by the way, is only nine days younger than the legendary Komsomol hero from the Young Guard Oleg Koshevoy, became "the pioneer hero Lenya Golikov."

Oddly enough, the first materials about the exploits of Leonid Golikov spoke of him as a member of the Komsomol.

Everything changed the book of the writer Yuri Korolkov "Partisan Lenya Golikov", published in the early 1950s. The writer, who went through the war as a front-line correspondent, talking about the real exploits of Leonid Golikov, reduced his age by just a couple of years. And from a 16-year-old heroic Komsomol member, a 14-year-old heroic pioneer turned out.

Why this was done is exactly known to the author, who passed away in 1981. Perhaps the writer decided that this way the feat would look more vivid.

Memorial sign at the site of the feat of Leni Golikov. Photo: Public Domain

Sister instead of brother

Perhaps, in the All-Union Pioneer Organization, where the creation of a collective image of “pioneer heroes” was just beginning, they decided that thousands of pioneers who were awarded orders and medals during the war years were not enough, and at least one Hero of the Soviet Union was needed. Recall that Marat Kazei, Valya Kotik, Zina Portnova were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union much later, in the late 1950s, and only Lenya Golikov became a Hero back in 1944.

At the same time, everyone who knew the real Leonid Golikov was well aware of the true state of affairs, but believed that a fundamentally similar "inaccuracy" did not change anything.

I must say that even the appearance of the hero was changed to complete the picture. In the only photo of Leonid in the partisan detachment, Golikov appears as a determined and dashing young man, while in the illustrations that appeared in all the pioneer books about Len Golikov, he has an absolutely childish expression on his face.

Where did this image come from? As it turned out, Leonid’s mother didn’t have any childhood photographs, so when he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, the reporters dressed him as a “partisan” ... his younger sister, Lida. It was the image of Lida Golikova that became "Lyonya Golikov" for millions of Soviet pioneers.

It is unlikely that those who created the canonical history of Lenya Golikov pursued some selfish goals. They simply wanted the best, they believed that in this form the feat of Leonid Golikov would look brighter. It never occurred to them that at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s all these “trifles” would turn against the hero himself.

So, having voluntarily embarked on the path of armed struggle against fascism at the age of 15 and died at 16, Leonid Golikov, on formal grounds, cannot be considered a “pioneer-hero”.

Does this detract in any way from his feat? Of course not.

We just need to learn to accept our characters for who they are without trying to improve them. After all, the feat of the young Komsomol member Leonid Golikov is no worse than the feat of the pioneer Lenya Golikov.

Made and sent by Anatoly Kaydalov.
_____________________

Not far from the lake, on the steep bank of the Pola River, stands the village of Lukino, where the raftsman Golikov lived with his wife and three children. Every year, in early spring, Uncle Sasha went rafting, drove large rafts made of logs along the rivers, and only returned to his village in autumn.
And at home with the children - two daughters and the youngest son Lenka - remained mother Ekaterina Alekseevna. From morning until evening she was engaged in housekeeping or worked on a collective farm. And she taught her children to work, the guys helped their mother in everything. Lyonka carried water from the well, took care of the cow and sheep. He knew how to fix the fence, mend his felt boots.
The children went to school across the river to the neighboring village, and in their free time they liked to listen to fairy tales. Mother knew a lot of them and was a craftswoman to tell.
Lyonka was not tall, much smaller than his comrades of the same age, but rarely anyone could compare with him in strength and dexterity.
Whether to jump across the stream from the entire run, to go into the wilderness of the forest, whether to climb the highest tree or swim across the river - in all these matters Lenka was inferior to few.
And so Lyonka lived in the wild among the forests, and his native land became more and more dear to him. He lived happily and thought that his free life would always be like that. But one day, when Lenka was already a pioneer, misfortune happened in the Golikov family. My father fell into the cold water, caught a cold and became seriously ill. He lay in bed for many months, and when he got up, he could no longer work as a raftsman. He called Lyonka, seated him in front of him and said:
- That's what, Leonid, you need to help your family. I became bad, the disease completely tortured me, go to work ...
And his father arranged for him to be a student on a crane, which loaded firewood and logs on the river. They were loaded onto river barges, sent somewhere beyond Lake Ilmen. Everything here was interesting to Lyonka: both the steam engine, in which the fire roared, and the steam escaped in large white clouds, and the mighty crane, which lifted heavy logs like feathers. But Lenka did not have to work for long.

It was Sunday, a warm and sunny day. Everyone was resting, and Lyonka also went with his comrades to the river. Near the ferry, which was transporting people, trucks and carts to the other side, the guys heard the driver of a truck that had just arrived at the river, anxiously asked:
Have you heard about the war?
- About what war?
- Hitler attacked us. Now I heard it on the radio. The Nazis are bombing our cities.
The boys saw everyone's faces darken. The children felt that something terrible had happened. Women cried, more and more people gathered around the driver, and everyone repeated: war, war. Lyonka had a map somewhere in an old textbook. He remembered: the book was lying in the attic, and the guys went to the Golikovs. Here, in the attic, they bent over the map and saw that Nazi Germany was located far from Lake Ilmen. The guys calmed down a bit.
The next day, almost all the men left for the army. Only women, old people and children remained in the village.
The boys had no time for games now. They spent all the time on the field, replacing adults.
It's been a few weeks since the war started. On a hot August day, the guys were carrying sheaves from the field, talking about the war.
“Hitler is approaching Staraya Russa,” said the white-headed Only, laying sheaves on a cart. - The fighters rode, they said, from Russa to us, there was nothing at all.
“Well, he shouldn’t be here,” Lyonka answered confidently.
- And if they come, what will you do? - asked the youngest of the guys, Valka, nicknamed Yagodai.
“I’ll do something,” Lyonka answered vaguely.
The boys tied the sheaves on the wagon and moved towards the village...
But it turned out that little Valka was right. The Nazi troops were coming closer and closer to the village where Lyonka lived. Not today or tomorrow they could capture Luchino. The villagers thought about what to do, and decided to go into the forest with the whole village, to the most remote places where the Nazis could not find them. So they did.
There was a lot of work in the forest. For the first time, huts were built, but some have already dug dugouts. Lyonka and his father also dug a dugout.
As soon as Lenka freed up time, he decided to visit the village. How is it there?
Lyonka ran after the guys, and the three of them went to Lukino. The shooting stopped, then started again. We decided that everyone would go their own way, and in the gardens, in front of the village, they would meet.
Stealthily, listening to the slightest rustle, Lyonka safely reached the river. He went up the path to his house and cautiously looked out from behind the hillock. The village was empty. The sun beat into his eyes, and Lyonka put his hand to the visor of his cap. Not a single person around. But what is it? Beyond the village, soldiers appeared on the road. Lyonka immediately saw that the soldiers were not ours.
"Germans! he decided. - Here it is!
The soldiers stood at the edge of the forest and looked at Luchino.
“Here it is! - Lenka thought again. - In vain I fought off the guys. We must run! ..” A plan ripened in his head: while the Nazis were on the road, he would go down back to the river and along the stream he would go into the forest. Otherwise ... Lyonka was even afraid to imagine what would happen differently ...
Lyonka took a few steps, and suddenly the mute silence of the autumn day was cut through by the shot of a machine gun. He glanced at the road. The Nazis fled to the forest, several dead remained on the ground. Lyonka could not understand in any way where our machine gunner was shooting from. And then I saw him. He fired from a shallow hole. The Germans also opened fire.
Lyonka imperceptibly approached the machine gunner from behind and looked at his worn-out heels, at his back, darkened with sweat.
- A cool you have them! - said Lyonka, when the soldier began to reload the machine gun.
The machine gunner shuddered and looked around.
- And to you! he exclaimed, seeing the little boy in front of him. - What do you want here?
- I am here... I wanted to see my village.
The machine gunner again fired a burst and turned to Lyonka.
- What's your name?
- Lyonka... Uncle, maybe you can help with something?
- Look how smart you are. Well, help. I would have brought some water, everything in my mouth was dry.
- With what?
- What, what? At least scoop up a cap ...
Lyonka went down to the river, plunged his cap into the cool water. While he ran to the machine gunner, there was very little water left in the cap " The soldier greedily clung to Lyonka's cap ...
“Get more,” he said.
From the side of the forest along the shore they began to hit from a mortar.
“Well, now we must retreat,” said the machine gunner. - It was ordered to keep the village until noon, and now it will soon be evening. What is the name of the village?
- Lukino...
- Lukino? At least I'll know where the fight was held. And what is this - blood? Where did you get hooked? Let me bandage.
Lyonka himself only now noticed that his leg was covered in blood. It looks like it was really hit by a bullet.
The soldier tore off his shirt and bandaged Lyonka's leg.
- That's it... And now let's go. - The soldier put the machine gun on his shoulders .. - I also have something to do with you, Leonid, - said the machine gunner. - My comrade was killed by the Nazis. More in the morning. So you bury him. It's under the bushes over there. His name was Oleg...
When Lyonka met with the guys, he told them about everything that had happened. They decided that night to bury the dead.

Twilight was gathering in the forest, the sun had already set when the guys approached the stream. Stealthily, they went out to the edge and hid in the bushes. Lyonka went first, showing the way. The dead man lay on the grass. Nearby - his machine gun, discs with cartridges were lying around.
Soon a mound grew in this place. The guys were silent. With their bare feet they felt the freshness of the dug earth. Someone sobbed, the others could not stand it either. Melting their tears from each other, the guys bowed their heads even lower.
From the village came voices, the roar of engines. The Nazis occupied Lukino.
The guys shouldered a light machine gun and disappeared into the darkness of the forest. Lyonka put Oleg's cap on his head, which he picked up on the ground.
Early in the morning the guys went to make a hiding place. They did it according to all the rules. First, they spread matting and threw earth on it so as not to leave marks. In place of the hiding place they threw dry branches, and Lyonka said:
- Now to anyone not a single word. Like a military secret.
- It would be necessary to take an oath to make it stronger.
Everyone agreed. The guys raised their hands and made a solemn promise to keep the secret. Now they had weapons. Now they could fight the enemies.
As time went. No matter how the villagers, who had gone into the forest, hid, the Nazis still found out where they were. One day, returning to the forest camp, the boys heard from a distance that indistinct cries were heard from the forest, someone's rude laughter, the loud cry of women.
Among the dugouts, Nazi soldiers paced with a masterly air. From their shoulder bags stuck out various things that they managed to loot. Two Germans passed Lenka, then one of them looked back, returned and, stamping his feet, began to shout something, pointing at Lenka's cap and at his chest, where a pioneer badge was pinned. The second German was a translator. He said:
- Mr. Corporal ordered you to hang if you do not throw away this hat and another badge.
Before Lyonka had time to come to his senses, the pioneer badge found itself in the hands of a lanky corporal. He threw the badge on the ground and crushed it under his heel. Then he tore off the cap from Lyonka, slapped him painfully on the cheeks, threw the cap on the ground and began to stomp it, trying to crush the little star.
"We'll hang you another time," said the interpreter.
The Germans went, taking away the stolen things.
It was hard on the soul of Lenka. No, not a cap with an asterisk,
it was not the pioneer badge that this lanky fascist trampled on, it seemed to Lyonka as if the Nazi had stepped on his chest with his heel and was crushing him so that it was impossible to breathe. Lyonka went into the dugout, lay down on the bunk and lay there until evening.
In the forest every day it became more and more unpleasant and colder. Tired and cold, my mother came one evening. She said that a German stopped her and ordered her to go to the village. There, in the hut, he pulled out a pile of dirty linen from under the bench and ordered it to be washed on the river. The water is icy, the hands get cold, the fingers cannot be straightened...
“I don’t know how I washed it,” my mother said quietly. - My strength was not. And the German gave me a slice of bread for this washing, he became generous.
Lyonka jumped up from the bench, his eyes burned.
- Throw this bread, mom! I can't do this anymore. You have to beat them! Here I go to the partisans ...
Father looked sternly at Lyonka:
What are you thinking, where are you going? You are still small! We must endure, we are now prisoners.
- I won't, I can't! - Lyonka left the dugout and, without understanding the road, went into the darkness of the forest.
And Ekaterina Alekseevna, Lyonka's mother, caught a bad cold after that wash in ice water. For two days she endured, on the third she said to Lyonka: “Lenyushka, we’ll go to Lukino, we’ll warm ourselves in our hut, maybe I’ll feel better. I'm afraid of one."
And Lyonka went to see his mother off.
Soon the Germans drove the inhabitants out of the forest. They had to return to the village again. Now they lived closely, several families in one hut. Winter came, they said that partisans appeared in the forests, but Lenka and his comrades never saw them.
One day Only One came running and, drawing Lyonka aside, he said in a whisper:
- I was with the partisans.
- Drop you! - Lenka did not believe.
- Honest pioneer, I'm not lying!
He only told me that he went to the forest and met the partisans there. They asked who he was and where he came from. They asked where they could get hay for the horses. Just promised to bring them.
A few days later, the guys went to carry out a partisan mission. Early in the morning, in four wagons, they drove to the meadows, where tall haystacks had stood since summer. On a deaf road, the guys took the hay to the forest - to the place where they only agreed to meet with the partisans. The pioneers slowly followed the wagons, looked around every now and then, but there was no one around.
Suddenly the leading horse stopped. The guys did not even notice how a man who appeared out of nowhere took her by the bridle.
- We've arrived! he said cheerfully. - I've been following you for a long time.
Partizan put two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. He was answered with the same whistle.
- Nu, and now quickly! Turn into the forest!
Bonfires were burning in the dense forest, near which the partisans were sitting. A man in a sheepskin coat with a pistol in his belt got up to meet them.
“We’ll give you guys another sleigh,” he said, “and we’ll leave yours with hay so that it’s faster.”
While the horses were being harnessed, the detachment commander asked the guys what was happening in the village. Saying goodbye, he said:
- Well, thanks again, but take these sheets with you. Give them to adults, but be careful that the Nazis do not sniff out, otherwise they will shoot.
In leaflets, partisans urged Soviet people to fight the invaders, to join detachments so that the Nazis would not have peace day or night ...
Soon Lyonka met with his teacher Vasily Grigorievich. He was a partisan and brought Lyonka to his detachment.
Lyonka could not come to his senses. He looked around curiously. That would have taken him here. Looks like a brave people, cheerful. One word: partisans!
Someone offered to take him on reconnaissance, but Lenka took it at first as a joke, and then he thought, maybe they would really take him ... No, there’s nothing to think about. They say - small, you need to grow up. However, he asked the teacher:
- Vasily Grigorievich, can I join the partisans?
- You? the teacher was surprised. - I don't know...
- Take it, Vasily Grigorievich, I won’t let you down! ..
- Or maybe it’s true to take it, at school, I remember, I was a good fellow ...
From that day on, pioneer Lenya Golikov was enlisted in the partisan
detachment, and a week later the detachment went to other places to fight the Germans. Soon another boy appeared in the detachment - Mityayka. Lyonka right away
made friends with Mityaika. They even slept on the same bunk. At first, the guys were not given any instructions. They only worked in the kitchen: sawing and chopping wood, peeling potatoes... But once a mustachioed partisan entered the dugout and said:
- Well, eagles, the commander calls, there is a task for you.
From that day on, Lyonka and Mityayka began to go on reconnaissance. They learned and told the commander of the detachment where the fascist soldiers were located, where their cannons and machine guns were.
The guys, when they went to reconnaissance, dressed in rags, took old bags. They walked around the villages, like beggars, begging for pieces of bread, while they themselves looked with all their eyes, noticed everything: how many soldiers were there, how many cars, guns ...
Once they came to a large village and stopped in front of an extreme hut.
“Give me a alms for food,” they chanted in different voices.
A German officer came out of the house. Guys to him:
- Pan, give the ford ... Pan ...
The officer didn't even look at the guys.
“Here’s the greedy one, he’s not looking,” Mityayka whispered.
- That's good, - said Lenka. "So he thinks we're really beggars."
The exploration was successful. Lyonka and Mityayka learned that new Nazi troops had just arrived in the village. The guys even made their way to the officers' canteen, where they were given food. When Lyonka had finished everything they were given, he slyly winked at Mityaika - it was clear that he had come up with something. Fumbling in his pocket, he took out a stub of a pencil and, looking around, quickly wrote something on a paper napkin.
“What are you doing?” Mityayka asked quietly.
- Congratulations to the Nazis. Now you have to leave quickly. Read!
On a piece of paper, Mityayka read: “The partisans dined here
Golikov. Tremble, bastards!”
The boys put their note under their plate and slipped out of the dining room.
Each time the guys got more and more difficult tasks. Now Lyonka had his own machine gun, which he got in battle. As an experienced partisan, he was even taken to blow up enemy trains.
Creeping up one night to the railway, the partisans laid a large mine and waited for the train to leave. They waited until almost dawn. Finally we saw platforms loaded with guns and tanks; wagons in which sat fascist soldiers. When the locomotive
approached the place where the partisans laid the mine, the senior group Stepan commanded Lyonka:
- Let's!
Lyonka pulled the cord. A column of fire shot up under the locomotive, the cars climbed one on top of the other, ammunition began to burst.
When the partisans fled from the railway towards the forest, they heard rifle shots behind them.
- They started the chase, - said Stepan, - now take your feet.
They both ran. There was very little left of the forest. Suddenly Stepan screamed.
- They hurt me, now you can't leave ... Run alone.
“Let’s go, Stepan,” Lyonka persuaded him, “they won’t find us in the forest.” You lean on me, let's go...
Stepan moved forward with difficulty. The shots stopped. Stepan was almost falling, and Lyonka could hardly drag him on himself.
- No, I can't do it anymore, - said the wounded Stepan and sank to the ground.
Lyonka bandaged him and again led the wounded man. Stepan was getting worse, he was already losing consciousness and could not move on. Exhausted, Lyonka dragged Stepan to the camp...
For rescuing a wounded comrade, Lenya Golikov was awarded the medal "For Military Merit".
But the most extraordinary thing happened to Lyonka on August 13, 1942.
The night before, the partisan scouts had gone on a mission—fifteen kilometers to the highway from the camp. They lay on the side of the road all night. Cars did not move, the road was deserted. What to do? The group leader ordered to withdraw. The partisans withdrew to the edge of the forest. Lyonka lagged behind them a little. He was about to catch up with his people, but, looking back at the road, he saw that a passenger car was approaching along the highway.
He rushed forward and lay down near the bridge behind a pile of stones.
The car approached the bridge, slowed down, and Lyonka, swinging, threw a grenade at it. There was an explosion. Lyonka saw a Nazi in a white tunic jump out of the car with a red briefcase and a machine gun.
Lenka fired, but missed. The fascist fled. Lenka chased after him. The officer looked around and saw that a boy was running after him. Very small. If they were put side by side, the boy would barely reach his waist. The officer stopped and fired. The boy fell. The fascist ran on.
But Lyonka was not wounded. He quickly crawled to the side and fired several shots. The officer ran...
For a whole kilometer Lenka was chasing. And the Nazi, firing back, approached the forest. On the move, he threw off his white tunic and remained in a dark shirt. It became more difficult to aim at him.
Lyonka began to lag behind. Now the fascist will hide in the forest, then everything is lost. There were only a few rounds left in the gun. Then Lyonka threw off his heavy boots and ran barefoot, not bending down under the bullets that the enemy sent at him.
The last cartridge remained in the disk of the machine gun, and with this last shot Lenka hit the enemy. He took his machine gun, briefcase and, breathing heavily, went back. On the way, he picked up a white tunic thrown by the Nazis and only then saw the general's twisted shoulder straps on it.
- Ege! .. And the bird, it turns out, is important, - he said aloud.
Lyonka put on a general's tunic, fastened it on everything
buttons, rolled up the sleeves that hung below the knees, pulled on a cap with gold patterns over the cap, which he found in a wrecked car, and ran to catch up with his comrades ...
Teacher Vasily Grigorievich was already worried, he wanted to send a group in search of Lyonka, when he suddenly appeared near the fire. Lyonka came out into the light of the fire in a white general's tunic with gold shoulder straps. He had two machine guns hanging around his neck - his own and a trophy one. Under his arm he held a red briefcase. Lenka's look was so hilarious that loud laughter broke out.
- And what do you have? the teacher asked, pointing to the briefcase.
- German documents, I took from the general, - Lyonka answered.
The teacher took the documents and went with them to the chief of staff of the detachment.
An interpreter was urgently called there, then a radio operator. The papers were very important. Then Vasily Grigorievich left the headquarters dugout and called Lyonka.
“Well, well done,” he said. - Such documents and experienced scouts are mined once in a hundred years. Now they will be reported to Moscow about them.
After some time, a radiogram came from Moscow, it said that everyone who captured such important documents should be presented to the highest award. In Moscow, of course, they did not know that they were captured by one Lenya Golikov, who was only fourteen years old.
So the pioneer Lenya Golikov became a hero of the Soviet Union.

The young pioneer hero died a heroic death on January 24, 1943 in an unequal battle near the village of Ostraya Luka.

On the grave of Lenya Golikov, in the village of Ostraya Luka of the Dedovichi district, fishermen of the Novgorod region erected an obelisk, and a monument was erected to the young hero on the banks of the Pola River.
In June 1960, a monument to Lena Golikov was unveiled in Moscow at VDNKh at the entrance to the Young Naturalists and Technicians pavilion. A monument to the young hero was also erected in the city of Novgorod at the expense of the pioneers for the scrap metal they collected.

The name of the brave partisan Lenya Golikov is listed in the Book of Honor of the All-Union Pioneer Organization named after A.I. V. I. Lenin.
By a decree of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR, one of the ships of the Soviet fleet was named after Lenya Golikov.

_____________________

Recognition - BK-MTGC.

Korolkov Yuri Mikhailovich

Lenya Golikov

And at home with the children - two daughters and the youngest son Lenka - remained mother Ekaterina Alekseevna. From morning until evening she was engaged in housekeeping or worked on a collective farm. And she taught her children to work, the guys helped their mother in everything. Lyonka carried water from the well, took care of the cow and sheep. He knew how to fix the fence, mend his felt boots.

The children went to school across the river to the neighboring village, and in their free time they liked to listen to fairy tales. Mother knew a lot of them and was a craftswoman to tell.

Lyonka was not tall, much smaller than his comrades of the same age, but rarely anyone could compare with him in strength and dexterity.

Whether to jump across the stream from the entire run, to go into the wilderness of the forest, whether to climb the highest tree or swim across the river - in all these matters Lenka was inferior to few.

And so Lyonka lived in the wild among the forests, and his native land became more and more dear to him. He lived happily and thought that his free life would always be like that. But one day, when Lenka was already a pioneer, misfortune happened in the Golikov family. My father fell into the cold water, caught a cold and became seriously ill. He lay in bed for many months, and when he got up, he could no longer work as a raftsman. He called Lyonka, seated him in front of him and said:

That's what, Leonid, you need to help your family. I became bad, the disease completely tortured me, go to work ...

And his father arranged for him to be a student on a crane, which loaded firewood and logs on the river. They were loaded onto river barges, sent somewhere beyond Lake Ilmen. Lyonka was interested in everything here: both the steam engine, in which the fire roared, and the steam escaped in large white clouds, and the mighty crane, which lifted heavy logs like feathers. But Lenka did not have to work for long.

* * *

Have you heard about the war?

About what war?

Hitler attacked us. Now I heard it on the radio. The Nazis are bombing our cities.

The boys saw everyone's faces darken. The children felt that something terrible had happened. Women cried, more and more people gathered around the driver, and everyone repeated: war, war. Lyonka had a map somewhere in an old textbook. He remembered: the book was lying in the attic, and the guys went to the Golikovs. Here, in the attic, they bent over the map and saw that Nazi Germany was located far from Lake Ilmen. The guys calmed down a bit.

The next day, almost all the men left for the army. Only women, old people and children remained in the village.

The boys had no time for games now. They spent all the time on the field, replacing adults.

It's been a few weeks since the war started. On a hot August day, the guys were carrying sheaves from the field, talking about the war.

Hitler is approaching Staraya Russa, - said the white-headed Tolka, laying sheaves on a cart. - The fighters rode, they said, from Russa to us, there was nothing at all.

Well, he shouldn't be here, - Lyonka answered confidently.

And if they come, what will you do? - asked the youngest of the guys, Valka, nicknamed Yagodai.

I'll do something, - Lyonka answered vaguely.

The boys tied the sheaves on the cart and moved towards the village ...

But it turned out that little Valka was right. The Nazi troops were coming closer and closer to the village where Lyonka lived. Not today or tomorrow they could capture Luchino. The villagers thought about what to do, and decided to go into the forest with the whole village, to the most remote places where the Nazis could not find them. So they did.

There was a lot of work in the forest. For the first time, huts were built, but some have already dug dugouts. Lyonka and his father also dug a dugout.

As soon as Lenka freed up time, he decided to visit the village. How is it there?

And when the war is over, and we begin to think about the reasons for our victory over the enemy of mankind, we will not forget that we had a powerful ally: a multi-million, strong-knit army of Soviet children.

K. Chukovsky, 1942

Korolkov Yuri Mikhailovich(1906, Sasovo, Tambov province - 1981, Moscow) - Russian Soviet writer, journalist.

Studied at the Institute of National Economy. G. V. Plekhanov (1925-1928, completed 3 courses). He began his literary activity with work in the editorial office of Komsomolskaya Pravda in 1927. He began to print in 1928.

He worked as a correspondent for a number of central newspapers (Pravda, Komsomolskaya Pravda, Krasnaya Zvezda) abroad. Author of historical documentary novels and short stories "Kyo ku mitsu!", "A Man For Whom There Were No Secrets" about the life and work of Richard Sorge, "Somewhere in Germany...", "During the Great War... ”- about Soviet intelligence officers, known as the Red Chapel.

The book of the writer Yuri Korolkov "Partisan Lenya Golikov" was published in the early 1950s. The writer, who went through the war as a front-line correspondent, tells about real events.

Korolkov, Yu. M . Partisan Lenya Golikov. - M .: Young Guard, 1985. -26p.

In those days, boys and girls, your peers, grew up early: they did not play war, they lived according to its harsh laws. The greatest love for the Soviet people and the greatest hatred for the enemy called the pioneers of the fiery forties to defend the Motherland.

The Great Patriotic War claimed the lives of many young children who died defending their homeland. One of them -Lenya Golikov.

Born on June 17, 1926 in the village of Lukino, now the Parfinsky district of the Novgorod region, in a working class family. Russian. Graduated from 5 classes. He worked at the plywood factory No. 2 in the city of Staraya Russa.
But the Great Patriotic War suddenly began, and everything that he so dreamed of in civilian life suddenly broke off. On June 17, 1941, he turned 15 years old, and on June 22 the war began.

The Nazis seized his village, began to create atrocities, tried to establish their "new order". Together with adults, Lenya joined a partisan detachment to fight against the Nazis. He collected information about the number and weapons of the enemies. Using his data, the partisans freed over a thousand prisoners of war, defeated several fascist garrisons, and saved many Soviet people from deportation to Germany. With his direct participation, 2 railway and 12 highway bridges were blown up, 2 food depots and 10 vehicles with ammunition were burned. He especially distinguished himself in the defeat of enemy garrisons in the villages of Aprosovo, Sosnitsy, Sever. Accompanied a wagon train with food in 250 carts to besieged Leningrad.
The Nazis were afraid of the partisans. Captured Germans stated during interrogations: “At every turn, behind every tree, behind every house and corner, we saw terrible Russian partisans. We were afraid to travel and walk alone. And the partisans were elusive.”

On August 13, 1942, a group of scouts, which included Lenya Golikov, near the village of Varnitsa, Strugokrasnensky district, Pskov region, made an attempt on the fascist Major General of the Engineering Troops Richard Wirtz and captured valuable documents, including a description of new samples of German mines, inspection reports higher command and other intelligence data. Soon, an order was received from the General Staff of the partisan movement to present all participants in the daring operation to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Fearless name is a hero's reward
He was your age
Sing about how the squad's favorite
Fearlessly went to reconnaissance.
Sing about how trains flew from the path,
which he undermined.
With all my heart I believed in the coming victory,
In battle, he was desperate.
No wonder once a fascist beast
In the ranks of a general he knocked out.
He returned to the detachment with a priceless package.
Fell asleep by the fire on the ground
He did not dream about this feat
In the morning they will recognize in the Kremlin.
What will happen to the hero Golden Star -
Military service award.
That people, dreaming of a glorious feat,
They will take equality with Lenka.

But the hero did not have time to receive the award. In December 1942, the partisan detachment was surrounded by the Germans. After fierce fighting, the detachment managed to break through the encirclement and leave for another area. 50 people remained in the ranks, the radio was broken, the cartridges were running out. Attempts to establish contact with other detachments and stock up on food ended in the death of the partisans. On a January night in 1943, 27 exhausted soldiers came out to the village of Ostraya Luka, Dedovichsky District, Pskov Region, and occupied three extreme huts. Intelligence did not find anything suspicious - the German garrison was located a few kilometers away. The commander of the detachment of patrols decided not to put up, so as not to attract attention. In the morning, the sleep of the partisans was interrupted by the roar of a machine gun - a traitor was found in the village who told the Germans who had come to the village at night. I had to, fighting back, go to the forest ... In that battle, the entire headquarters of the partisan brigade died.

Among them was 16-year-old Lenya Golikov.

He was buried at home - in the village of Lukino, Parfinsky district, Novgorod region. January 24, 2013 marks the 70th anniversary of his death Leonid Alexandrovich Golikov, Hero of the Soviet Union. He was officially listed pioneer heroes.

Good book. Needed. Correct. And straight to the heart.

And again about the Great Patriotic War ...

It seems that modern youth is already so far from those events that they are simply not able to evaluate the next book about a war hero. If you think so, then you are wrong!

Book Verkin, E.N. Cloud Regiment / E.N. Verkin. - M: CompassGuide, 2012. - 290s.- proof of that.

It was the teenagers who gave this book the first place at the national literary competition "Kniguru". It was with them that this poignant story found the most lively response. A very difficult book, sometimes piercing to the core.

Eduard Nikolaevich Verkin known as the author of short stories, novels and books for children. Eduard Verkin is a modern writer, multiple winner of the Cherished Dream literary prize, winner of the Kniguru contest, winner of the T. S. Mikhalkov and one of the brightest modern authors for teenagers. His books are unusual, although they seem to tell about everyday life. They shake, turn over the usual picture of the world and the story itself, which is always masterfully conveyed, and what is left behind the scenes.

Born in Vorkuta in 1975. Member of the Writers' Union of Russia. E. Verkin has been published since 2004. From under his pen came books that have nothing to do with this story, but are fascinating to read: “Superboy, Maniac and Robot”, “Investigations by Felix Kuropyatkin”, an encyclopedia “For stylish girls and ... not only. Desktop book on life”, “Island of the last villain”, “Glass hand”, “Zhmurik-prankster”, “Vampire on thin legs”...

"Cloud Regiment", a highly unexpected novel about teenage partisans.

This is a story about the war, which we see through the eyes of a shell-shocked boy Dima, an urban boy who is completely unadapted to partisan life in the forest. He has no home or family.

« What is war like? By feeling?- asks his great-grandson at the beginning of the story. And he tries to answer in a way that is clear: “You are sick, with a swollen head, wandering through the snow through eternal Monday. And at the same time, you understand that Tuesday may not happen. ”

The story of how the feat is accomplished. Not to the sound of fanfare, but in blood, hunger, despair.

We see a partisan detachment. He is not big, from very young guys, children who are forced to grow up “ahead of schedule”. Dima, his friend Sanych, Kovalets, who is trying to teach them, Alka and his brother, others ... They matured early, and when reading, you don’t immediately understand that they are from 14 to 17 years old, and even less than Shchury. They are different, but now they live with one goal - to destroy the enemy.

The main characters of the Cloud Regiment are partisans Sanych and Dima. Their daily worries are reconnaissance, the extraction of provisions and weapons. Sanych is a hero, he flunked a German general, for which he is about to be given a medal, and journalists make their way through the swamps to interview him and take a photo. By the way, it is precisely to make a photographic portrait that no one succeeds. Sanych claims that he is a charmer. ... And at the moment when we accept the rules of the game, when we start reading The Cloud Regiment exclusively as an adventure work, the writer begins to talk about a real war. About very simple and evil.
This is not heroism and exploits, but a terrible circumstance of life in which young people grew up and were brought up. The life of a soldier was incredibly difficult, and the fact that this book is honestly told about it is very important - we need to know what really happened in the war.
The absence of "heroism", simplicity, innuendo, the routine of war put this book on a par with the best works of the 20th century.

The story "Cloud Regiment" shakes to the core.

Of course, the novel "Cloud Regiment" is worth reading for everyone. It is simply impossible to break away from it.

Book - Laureate of the first prize of the competition "KNIGURU" season 2 (2011-2012). Laureate of the Belkin Prize in the nomination "Teaching Belkin", 2013. Prize. P. Bazhov. Laureate of the International Children's Literary Prize of V. P. Krapivin, 2012.