Nikolai Kotov Biography

Shuya, the stele of the heroov Kotov Nikolai Ivanovich - the commander of the sapper department of a separate motorized pontoon -bridge battalion, I am an army, central front, senior sergeant. He was born on March 12 in the village of Voskresenskoye now Nekouzsky district of the Yaroslavl region in the family of workers-man. In years, 9 brothers and sisters died from hunger, one Nikolai survived.

In the year he graduated only to elementary school in his native village. In the year, together with his father, he moved to a permanent place of residence in the village of Molochnaya under the city of Vologda. He began to work with his father Malyar. Drafted to the Red Army in the year. He served as the Chapaev division. In the year he graduated from junior commanders and, as part of the tank division, participated in a campaign in Bessarabia.

He met the Great Patriotic War in Moldova. He distinguished himself in the first months. In the area of ​​Odessa, he blew up the dam by which our troops had just retreated, thereby not allowing the breakthrough of enemy detachments. He was captured, but a few days later he fled and returned to the unit. Since September, the entire military path to victory has passed as part of a separate motorized pontoon-bridge battalion.

Its department made the crossing first for the retreating, then for the advancing troops across the Don, Kuban, Terek and others. For guiding crossings through estuaries on the approaches to the city of Temryuk, he was awarded the Order of the Red Star. Heroically acted when crossing the Dnieper River. Only on the night of October 6, he made 15 flights and transferred near fighters and officers with weapons.

In reverse flights, he transported the wounded. Rookossovsky personally handed a high reward to the hero right at the front, whom Kotov was transported several times on his ferry through the Dnieper. In April, the younger lieutenant was awarded the title and was appointed platoon commander. With his part, as part of the 1st Belorussian Front, he took place until the end of the war.

He brought crossings over the rivers Berezina, Visla, Oder. On one of the bridges, which were induced by the subordinates of Kotov across the Elbu River, there was a meeting with the allies. After the victory, he guarded the participants of the Lessi Conference. Since June, junior lieutenant N. Kotov is in reserve from the post of commander of the Autovsite 7th Pontoon-Most Brigade.

From the year he lived in the homeland of his wife, in the city of Shua, Ivanovo region. Up to a year, he worked in a construction organization by a malarus. He died on April 9th. He was buried in the Trinity cemetery of the city of Shuya.

His name is immortalized on the steel Shuyan - Heroes of the Soviet Union, installed in the military memorial at the Trinity Cemetery and on the memorial of heroes -Ivanovites in the regional center. The Nazis took all measures to bring down the Soviet fighters from the bridgehead and prevent new landing. They fiercely fired at the left bank. Having received an order, Kotov with a group of pontuners prepared Ponton and, as soon as our artillery opened fire, lowered it into the water.

When everyone sat down, Ponton moved to the right bank. The Nazis strengthened the machine gun and mortar shelling. In several places, Ponton was pierced, water poured into it. But the courageous pontiners tirelessly fought, preventing him from sinking. They closed the holes of the tarred bag, a rag, or even a shirt from their shoulder. After the first flight, they followed the second, the third in one night of the cats on his pontoon made fifteen flights, crossing the fighters with weapons.

From the right bank, a reverse flight, he delivered the wounded, carefully transferring them in his hands to Ponton. To reduce the time for each flight, Kotov jumped out, not reaching the shore, and pulled Ponton to the pier on berth. In one of the flights, two rowers were wounded by the Minas break. The movement slowed down. Then Kotov himself sat behind the oars.

And when the enemy shell disabled the commander of the landing group, he left for himself on the pontoon of Sergeant Alexei Shipugin, and he headed the landing. Having reached the advanced, cats under the cover of night darkness came close to the trenches of the Nazis and threw them grenades. To the dawn of the cats returned to Ponton. On this day, he received a new task - to ensure a ferry crossing of guns and tanks through the Dnieper.

And again, the senior sergeant clearly carries a combat shift on the ferry, despite the artillery and mortar shelling of the enemy. When the marina was partially destroyed under the weight of the tank, he immediately sank into cold water and, with the help of a satuler-saturator, restored the pier until the next approach of the ferry with military equipment. So, within two days, not knowing sleep and rest, it ensured the crossing of our troops to the right bank of the wide Dnieper indefatigable pontiner.

Torless pontoon. From the book "feat" Yaroslavl, p.