March 5, 1922 was born twice Hero of the Soviet Union Vasily Petrov, who fought in the ranks of the artillery of the Red Army throughout the Great Patriotic War - from the first to the last day.

Despite the fact that during the battle for the Dnieper he lost both hands, Petrov returned to duty and ended the war in Germany.

Historians compare him with the outstanding pilot Alexei Maresyev, who, after amputation of his legs, continued to fight the enemy in a fighter.

"Heroism from Day One"

Vasily Petrov was born in the village of Dmitrievka, Yekaterinoslav province (now it is the territory of the Zaporozhye region of Ukraine) into a peasant family.

From childhood, he was distinguished by an unbridled craving for knowledge.

In high school, Vasily had to walk 12 km every day to get to a school located in another village.

Today, historians are arguing about the exact date of Petrov's birth, as June 22, 1920 appears in some documents.

The confusion arose due to the fact that a teenager from childhood dreamed of being a military man, but was afraid not to be drafted because of his too young age.

As a result, Petrov applied for admission to the Sumy Artillery School, attributing to himself more than a year.

So the error spread through the Red Army and award documents.

Vasily Petrov graduated from college on June 6, 1941.

Due to the difficult military-political situation, immediately after receiving the rank of lieutenant, he went to the place of service - to the Vladimir-Volyn fortified area of ​​the Kiev Special Military District.

Early in the morning of June 22, Petrov woke up from the cannonade, and already at noon on the first day of the Great Patriotic War, he entered the battle with the Nazis.

In eight hours, his battery repelled 27 tank attacks and knocked out six enemy armored vehicles.

Soon, Petrov's unit was surrounded, but the soldiers managed to escape from it.

In the first weeks of the war, Vasily Petrov took part in the battles near Lutsk, and then, already as an artillery platoon commander, he participated in the defense of Kyiv and Chernigov.

In the battles near the city of Piryatin, his platoon lost the last gun, but on the Udai River, Petrov and a group of soldiers captured an enemy gun and, thanks to this, was able to ensure the safe crossing of the retreating Soviet units.

At the end of 1941, Petrov, who by this time had received the rank of senior lieutenant, became a platoon commander of the 595th artillery regiment of the Southwestern Front.

“Vasily Petrov showed heroism from the first day of the war.

At the same time, he was notable not only for his amazing military skill and courage, but also for his luck.

In 1941, death hovered next to him all the time, but she couldn’t get him, ”Andrei Gorbunov, a researcher at the Victory Museum, told RT.

  • Kyiv in 1941

  • © Wikimedia Commons

According to Dmitry Surzhik, Associate Professor of the State Academic University for the Humanities, due to the difficult situation in the country, Petrov was not awarded awards for the exploits committed in the first months of the war, although he clearly deserved them.

In 1942, Vasily Petrov participated in the Voronezh-Voroshilovgrad defensive operation, combining the position of battery commander with the duties of assistant chief of staff of the regiment.

The batteries under his command knocked out 17 units of enemy armored vehicles near the village of Bystrets in a day and destroyed 700 Nazi soldiers and officers.

During the crossing of the Don, Petrov managed to save four guns and 20 vehicles under bombardment.

For these exploits he was awarded the Order of the Red Star.

"Maresiev from artillery"

Vasily Petrov (by this time already a captain) participated in the Battle of Kursk as deputy commander of the 1850th anti-tank artillery regiment of the 40th Army of the Voronezh Front.

He personally took part in the battle on the Prokhorovsky field, which historians call one of the decisive battles that predetermined the outcome of the Great Patriotic War.

In August 1943, Petrov's unit, having repelled an enemy counteroffensive, provided the Soviet troops with the final liberation of the city of Lebedin.

For this battle, Petrov was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

Petrov's gunners also distinguished themselves during the battles on the Sula River in the Sumy region.

“According to documentary evidence that has come down to us, already two hours after the crossing, 13 German tanks and a battalion of enemy infantry broke through to the battle formations of the Petrov regiment.

Petrov allowed them to reach the distance of guaranteed destruction, about half a kilometer, and ordered them to open massive fire from all guns.

The fascist attack bogged down.

Then he repelled the attack of German submachine gunners who were trying to get around the Soviet artillerymen from the rear, ”said Dmitry Surzhik.

According to the military historian Sergei Perelygin, Petrov's gunners showed the highest heroism when crossing the Dnieper.

“He had to transport his unit under intense enemy artillery fire, which made forcing the river almost impossible,” the expert emphasized in a conversation with RT.

However, the fighters under the command of Petrov, despite enemy shelling, put together rafts from improvised materials, crossed the river and without respite entered into battle with the enemy.

  • Soviet soldiers preparing rafts to cross the Dnieper, 1943

  • © Wikimedia Commons

The situation on the bridgehead, which was occupied by Petrov's unit, was extremely difficult.

The Nazis broke through the regiment's defenses several times, and Petrov and his orderly personally stood up to the guns to repel enemy attacks.

September 29 (according to other sources, September 28 or October 1), 1943, Vasily Petrov, taking out a comrade from under fire, received a severe shrapnel wound in both hands.

He was found unconscious and sent to the medical battalion.

The doctors considered his wounds fatal and even reported the death of Petrov to the command, but the artilleryman survived, although he developed gangrene and was left without both arms.

Petrov was transferred for treatment to Kharkov, and then to Moscow.

December 24, 1943 he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

According to the memoirs of Petrov himself, considering himself deprived of the opportunity to fight, he lost the meaning of life.

He was offered to do social work, but he stubbornly sent reports to the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief about returning to the front.

The artilleryman's demands were also supported by Petrov's commanders, who believed that he could command a unit without hands.

Their efforts paid off.

After a lengthy treatment, Major Petrov was sent to serve in the 248th Guards Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment on the 1st Ukrainian Front in order to take part in the Vistula-Oder strategic operation.

On March 9, 1945, Petrov's regiment, having repelled enemy attacks, went on the offensive near the city of Gross Neukirch and destroyed more than ten enemy firing points.

And in April, the fighters under his command captured an advantageous foothold in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe settlement of Niski and did not allow the enemy to disrupt the communications of the Soviet troops advancing on Dresden.

On April 27, while raising his fighters to attack, Petrov was seriously wounded in both legs.

On June 27, 1945, for his courage in the final battles of the Great Patriotic War, the artilleryman was again awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

  • Vasily Petrov

  • © Wikimedia Commons

At the end of the war, Petrov was offered to switch to party or economic work, but he again refused, wishing to continue military service.

The perseverance of the hero was personally appreciated by Joseph Stalin, who ordered Petrov to be left in the ranks of the Armed Forces of the USSR for life.

Subsequently, Petrov served in command positions in parts of the Carpathian Military District.

In 1954, he simultaneously received a higher education in history, after which he defended his thesis for a candidate of military sciences.

He rose to the rank of Colonel General.

Vasily Petrov died on April 15, 2003 and was buried in the city of Kyiv.

“Petrov spent the entire war on the line of fire.

This is the real Alexei Maresiev from artillery.

Such people should be taken as an example for new generations,” summed up Sergey Perelygin.