Our newspaper reported on the summing up of the review-competition of essays on the topic “My Native Street.” Today, with some abbreviations, we are publishing the abstract of the winner of the review competition, a student of the 9th grade of secondary school No. 20, Kirill Miroshnichenko.
The fate of many Yeych residents is connected with our city. They lived here, studied, worked. Many of them are no longer alive - some died during the Civil War, others fell on the battlefields during the Great Patriotic War. Their names are immortalized in the names of streets. It’s a shame that so many residents of Yerevan don’t even think about whose names their home street is named after.
My home street, Armavirskaya, used to be called Ivanovskaya. It was renamed in 1962 due to competition among workers from two cities: Yeisk and Armavir. There is a memorial plaque at house No. 55 on Armavirskaya Street. It was installed by Yeisk Komsomol members in memory of Viktor Chalenko, who died heroically on Malaya Zemlya. I wanted to learn more about this young hero who died for the freedom of our Motherland.
In search of information about Viktor Chalenko, I turned to the school and city libraries, the Yeisk Museum of History and Local Lore. V.V. Samsonov, visited the city archive, the E.A. Kotenko Museum, the monument to those who died in the Great Patriotic War of the defunct Stankozavod plant, Revolution Square, and of course, turned to the Internet. And this is what I managed to find out.
Victor was born on February 18, 1926 in Shabelsk, Shcherbinovsky district, Krasnodar region. In Yeisk he lived on Ivanovskaya Street...
A group of sailors stopped three houses from Chalenko. On the first day of the battalion’s arrival, May 19, 1942, Vitka met the sailors and became a welcome guest. He carried out simple tasks for the military and dug trenches with them.
A little time passed, and Vitya became the favorite of ordinary Red Navy men and commanders. They appreciated his hard work, prudence, his keen eye and tenacious memory. Victor knew the area very well.
In the book “Small Earth” G.V. Sokolov writes: “Before this, the battalion commander, fearing for the life of the teenager, forbade Viktor Chalenko to participate in the battle. But the young man sternly and firmly told the commander: “The Nazis want to capture my hometown. My two brothers and sister are fighting with them at the front. I want to be with you to take revenge on the fascists." And Victor, together with the sailors, rose to attack the enemy. He did not chicken out and did not run away from the firing positions. For five days the soldiers held the defense of Yeisk. But the forces were unequal, and the sailors retreated and left the city.”
Viktor Chalenko, who was enlisted in the 144th battalion as a cabin boy, also left with them. Saying goodbye to his mother, he asked: “Mom, I’m sorry for being silent. I'm leaving with the sailors. I can't sit at home. Please understand me." And my mother answered through her tears: “I understand everything, Vitya.”
Vitya Chalenko, as part of the battalion, participated in multi-day battles near Temryuk, Novorossiysk, Goryachiy Klyuch and Tuapse.
On October 7, Red Navy soldier Chalenko, going on reconnaissance, came across an enemy machine gun, which did not allow our company to approach the starting position. The machine gun crew was destroyed by throwing grenades. He shot one Nazi at point-blank range with a rifle.
On October 8, he crawled close to the Romanian trench and threw grenades at it, killing five Romanians. For performing these military operations, Viktor Chalenko was awarded the Order of the Red Star.
In the book “Wonderful People of Yeisk,” E. A. Kotenko writes: “As soon as the seams on the hero’s body grew together, he fled to the front and a week later found his battalion. Vitya wrote letters to his mother in the short hours of respite between battles, but there was nowhere to send them. Yeysk has been in the hands of the occupiers since August 10. “What’s wrong with mom? How is she there alone? Is she alive? The Nazis probably found out that she had four children in the Red Army fighting against them. Will the Nazis spare my dear mother? Where are my brothers Nikolai and Shurik? Where is Sister Ara? No one could answer these painful questions....
Viktor Chalenko received the Order of the Red Banner posthumously. In the award document, the young hero’s feat is described as follows: on February 10, he broke into an enemy bunker, which contained heavy and heavy machine guns, hindering the advance of the battalion’s right flank. Using grenades and machine gun fire, he destroyed the entire garrison, which gave the right flank the opportunity to continue the offensive.
On February 14, 1943, at the decisive moment of the attack, he rushed forward and shouted: “For Stalin! Beat the fascists!” carried away the fighters.
Victor died a heroic death, just a week short of his seventeenth birthday. In the pocket of his peacoat they found a homemade notebook containing fourteen pieces of green and white paper. A will was written on two pages in round, diligent student handwriting: “If I die in the struggle for the workers’ cause, I ask political instructor Vershinin and senior lieutenant Kunitsyn to come to my home in the city of Yeisk and tell my mother that her son died for the liberation of his native country. I ask you to give my Komsomol card, order, this notebook and cap to her. Let him keep and remember his sailor son. City of Yeisk, Ivanovskaya, No. 35, Chalenko Taisiya Efimovna. Sailor 15 years old, Viktor Chalenko.”
A street in the village of Shirochanka in the city of Yeisk, Yeisk district, is named after Viktor Chalenko.
A person is alive as long as he is remembered on earth. The name of Viktor Chalenko is forever inscribed in golden letters in the history of Yeisk and the Yeisk region
The city of Novorossiysk has always been famous for its heroic past. He is also known for his young heroes. The war heroes may be young, but the feats they accomplished are great. Their hearts were filled with courage and bravery. The life of these guys is an eternal example for their peers, including you, dear friend.
The news of Viktor Novitsky’s feat was published in a Novorossiysk newspaper in one short article. It dryly told about the boy’s difficult life. Vitya did not know his parents. As a baby, he was thrown into another family. The good-natured citizens of Novitsky, who already had two children at that time, sheltered the baby and raised him as their own son.
Heroes of war: not for glory, but at the call of the heart
In the difficult year of 1941, an anti-aircraft gun was installed on the street where the Novitsky family lived. Vitya constantly ran to the anti-aircraft gunners. He was entrusted with the simplest tasks, and a couple of times in the heat of battle he even had to carry shells. The soldiers quickly got used to the boy and often fed him soldier's porridge. For the boy it was the most delicious treat.
Despite the entreaties of his adoptive parents, Vitya ran away after the anti-aircraft detachment to the front. Having undergone military training, Vitya successfully mastered the skills of shooting from a machine gun and was excellent at throwing grenades. In 1942, he was temporarily evacuated to the rear to heal his wound. The neighborhood boys even then accepted him as a hero, silently envied him, and listened to his front-line stories with awe and horror in their eyes.
After recovery, Vita did not have to go to the front; soon the front was already near Novorossiysk. Urgent mobilization began in the city. Together with his squad, he was sent to the firing line, which the soldiers equipped in the Genoese Tower, a local historical landmark. It was on a hill, and from there the approaches to the city were clearly visible.
And then the battle broke out! Only 9 tower defenders against several units of the brutal enemy, who were covered by German artillery! Eyewitnesses later said that Victor fought equally with others, but the forces were not in our favor. One after another, the soldiers died. When the machine gunner fell, the Nazis managed to get almost close to the tower. But it was not there!
Victor picked up his fallen comrade's machine gun and opened fire on the enemy. For a long time he managed to hold off the enemy, but there was no longer any cover. The Nazis walked around the tower from behind and burst inside. Sneaking up behind the hero, they simply threw Vitya out of the window. After the boy's death, his enemies set his body on fire. They were so afraid of the boy and the country, in which even young citizens are such war heroes!
Victor means winner
Viktor Chalenko was also from Novorossiysk. True, he was born in another city. Even less is known about him. How he got to Novorossiysk was only learned from his colleagues. They said that the boy dreamed of becoming a sailor. Vitya was also an orphan, so he joined the Marine Corps detachment. The sailors accepted the boy as one of their own. Vitya repeatedly participated in operations to liberate the coastline of the Soviet Union.
The first real adult feat for Viktor Chalenko was the elimination of an enemy machine gun point. Having made his way almost close to the object, thanks to his small stature, the boy threw two grenades, which completely disabled the German riflemen. Later, he did similar heroic things more than once, but in enemy trenches, which he threw with grenades. Unfortunately, the boy died in one of these risky operations. In war, as in war.
Young war heroes! The city of Novorossiysk still remembers and honors the names of two Victors, who gave their young lives for the freedom and happiness of their Motherland. The streets of Novorossiysk are named after the children.
Victor Chalenko (1928-1943).
Graduate of the 83rd Marine Brigade of the Black Sea Fleet. In a notebook found in the pocket of his pea coat, his handwriting was written as a will:
“Front count: 2 machine guns, 14 Fritz, 1 tank... If I die, please come to my home in Yeisk and tell my old lady that her son died for the liberation of his native Fatherland... Give her a cap... Sailor 15 years old Chalenko Victor".
Vitya became a scout of the 144th battalion of the 83rd Red Banner Marine Brigade, defending Novorossiysk. They selected a sailor's uniform for him according to his height. It’s a pity that the mother didn’t see her son in a pea coat, a visor, with a machine gun on his chest. He quickly mastered the science of how to destroy the enemy, although commanders and comrades tried as much as possible to take care of the young man who was eager to go into battle.
His first attack... A slender figure jumped over the parapet like a bird and, firing as he went from a machine gun, rushed towards the German trenches. After this, Vitya wrote a statement asking to be accepted into the ranks of the Leninist Komsomol. In the statement he indicated that, having become a Komsomol member, he would mercilessly beat the fascists, and he kept his word. Soon he was awarded the Order of the Red Star for his courage and bravery. During the landing on Malaya Zemlya, the advancing battalion in the village of Myskhako was blocked by a hitherto silent German machine gun. Having prepared grenades and pressing tightly to the ground, Vitya Chalenko crawled towards the enemy’s firing point spewing death. With two grenades, the young reconnaissance sailor silenced the machine gun and immediately mowed down three fascists rushing at him from the trench with a burst of fire. A deafening “Hurray!” was heard behind him, sweeping away everything in his path. The battalion rushed forward. A second attack soon followed, which, unfortunately, was the last for Viktor Chalenko.
The company received the task of knocking out the Nazis on Myskhako from a height of 307.2. Victor did not return from this operation... The sailors advanced, but their advance was stopped by hurricane fire from a fascist machine gun. Without hesitation, Victor took out a grenade and crawled towards the machine gun from the flank.
Having approached the firing point within throwing distance, he threw grenades one after another. Explosions rang out - the fascist machine gun fell silent. The machine gunners were killed. But Vitya also died from shrapnel. This happened on February 10, 1943. The Military Council of the 18th Army posthumously awarded Victor the Order of the Red Banner.
His cap is kept by the young rangers of the Staroshcherbinovskaya school. Yeisk schoolchildren from School 4, where Victor studied, used their own funds to build a monument to him on the school grounds. On the house where the hero was born and lived, on the street. Armavirskaya, 49, a memorial plaque has been posted.
The steamship of the Novorossiysk Shipping Company with his name on board visited many countries of the world. To the questions of foreigners: “Who is Vitya Chalenko?” - our sailors proudly answered: “Hero!”
Nowadays in Novorossiysk there is a street named after the young defender Vitya Chalenko.
Celebrating this glorious feat, we express our deep gratitude and appreciation to all the defenders of the city who showed miracles of fortitude and courage, to everyone who fought against fascism, who forged and achieved the Great Victory. Honor and glory to them!
We bow our heads to the memory of those who died fighting, who did not live to see the hour of Victory. Everlasting memory!
Chalenko Viktor Nikolaevich was born on February 18, 1926 in the village of Shabelskoye, Shcherbinovsky district, Krasnodar Territory, into the family of Nikolai and Taisiya Chalenko. After some time, the family moved to the city of Yeisk.
Victor spent his childhood years in Yeisk, on Ivanovskaya Street, 55 (now Armavirskaya Street). After finishing 7th grade, he worked at the “Zapchast” plant, which was the former name of the Machine Tool Plant in Yeisk.
When the Great Patriotic War began, his older sister Ariadne and brothers Nikolai and Alexander went to the front. Victor also asked to join the active troops, but due to his young age (15 years old) he was refused.
The young man's father died two years before the start of the war; there was no news from the older children, so Vitya, who secretly hoped to go to the front, became the main support for the mother at this time.
As a result of offensive actions, the Nazis captured Yeysk a year after the start of the war - on August 8, 1942. And before that, the city was protected from fascist air raids and enemy landings from the sea by the Azov Military Flotilla and the 144th Separate Marine Battalion. Viktor Chalenko made friends with the sailors, carried out simple tasks for the military, and dug trenches with them. A little time passed, and Vitya became the favorite of all sailors - both privates and commanders. They appreciated his hard work, intelligence, his keen eye and tenacious memory. When huge enemy forces were sent to capture Yeisk, a bloody battle took place on August 6, 1942. Before this, the battalion commander, fearing for the life of the teenager, forbade Viktor Chalenko to participate in the battle. But Vitya, together with the sailors, rose to attack the enemy. He did not chicken out and did not run away from the firing positions. For five days the soldiers held the defense of Yeisk. Due to unequal forces, the sailors were forced to retreat and leave the city. Viktor Chalenko, who was enlisted in the battalion as a cabin boy, also left with them.
Young Chalenko and his battalion took part in multi-day battles for the city of Temryuk, liberated the village of Anastasievskaya, defended the approaches to Abrau-Durso and South Ozereyka, and held the defense of Novorossiysk. Every day, risking his life, sixteen-year-old Victor, together with experienced sailors, experienced all the hardships of a brutal war.
Viktor Chalenko was awarded the Order of the Red Star for heroism and courage shown in the battles near Goryachy Klyuch and Tuapse.
The local history museum houses the memories of his fellow soldiers. In one of the newspaper articles, friends recall: “The cabin boy Vitya Chalenko was the favorite of the entire brigade. He wrote poetry. I read a lot. Almost every night he went on reconnaissance and took part in all the battles. He proudly wore his award on his chest – the Order of the Red Star.”
On February 10, 1943, in the area of Novorossiysk, Victor, in a bloody battle, burst into an enemy pillbox, which contained heavy and heavy machine guns, hindering the advance of the right flank of the 144th battalion of the 83rd Marine Brigade. The young man destroyed the enemy with grenades and a machine gun, which enabled the Marines to continue the offensive. This was the last battle of the Red Army soldier...
Komsomol members installed a memorial plaque on the house in Yeisk where Victor lived. The films “Komsomol Members” and “Viktor Chalenko. Nikita Street. (A quarter of a century later).” The cabin boy's name appears in military memoirs and many books about the war. In the historical and local history museum of the city of Yeisk there is an exhibition dedicated to Viktor Chalenko. Museum visitors can see photographs of Viti, a visor, a handwritten copy of the death notice, pages from a notebook on which he wrote a request to his colleagues in the event of his death to transfer personal belongings to his mother. In Novorossiysk there is a street named after Viktor Chalenko.
For many years, the Novorossiysk Shipping Company included the fishing vessel “Viktor Chalenko”. Its crew visited many countries of the world. To the questions of foreigners: “Who is Vitya Chalenko?” – our sailors proudly answered: “Hero!”
The material was prepared jointly with the Novorossiysk Historical Museum.