(3. 5. 1925)
In IKTOR Ivanovich Kireev, sergeant, commander of the 57-millimeter guns 386-anti-tank artillery regiment. Born May 3, 1925 in a. Perekopnom Ershovskogo district of Saratov region. Russian. After high school he was drafted into the Red Army.
In July-November 1943, fought at Voronezh and 1 Ukrainian Front. Participated in the liberation of Sumy, Chernigov and Kiev region, Ukraine. Seriously wounded on Nov. 10, 1943. For military distinction awarded two medals.
. Fastova.
Fter the war from 1957 to 1966 VI. Kireev headed farm Thaelmann Krasnopartisansky area.
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P OLK, which served Kireev, after the liberation of Kiev on November 7, together with other parts of the 3rd Guards Tank Army reached the area, Mr.
. Fastova. The next day began with a strong counterattacks German tank units along the entire front of Fastova to the Dnieper. The enemy made desperate efforts to restore the situation to get through to Kiev.
Gun sergeant Kireeva took firing position near the high mound and a half miles south Fastova. Here there is another gun platoon, machine gun and 152-mm self-propelled gun ISU-152. The gunners knew that from the direction of the White Church suitable fresh tank columns of the enemy, and prepared to repel the enemy attack.
At dusk, the vanguard of the Nazis tried to break through our military formations. Skirmished. Calculation Kireeva from the second shell set fire to an enemy tank. Two tanks burned by the fire of neighboring shells. But, despite the loss, the Nazis were moving forward. At this time, they successfully covered our "Katyusha". Leaving the battlefield six burning tanks, the Germans retreated.
On the morning of November 10, exactly eight hours, on a field covered with snow appeared enemy tanks. There were more than forty. At each armor-tommy. First opened fire Kireev, then hit the rest. Two leading tank, crawled from the valley, we stopped and smoked.
In calculating the gunner was killed. Kireev replaced it. He is taking aim at the dark silhouettes of enemy vehicles and pressed the trigger.
The enemy took the mound in the crossfire, but the shooting of the German tank was inaccurate, heavy fog prevented. Poor visibility hampered the gunners firing at tanks, but at the same time, well concealed defenders. For a long time enemy could not determine where beat our anti-gun.
Half an hour later at the self-propelled guns ran out of ammunition, and she went to the rear. The machine gun on top of the mound was laid direct hit. The adjacent 57-millimeter gun, which was in position on the other side of the mound, after 25-30 shots out of order: a shell fragment had pierced recoil device. Kireev the gun was left alone against dozens of enemy tanks attacking. In his calculation was now only four. Sergeant himself charged the gun and fired at the tanks, the other trays of the mound and from the neighboring gun boxes, unpacked them, were preparing to fire projectiles.
Kireev was fighting with tanks, four o'clock. During this time he has released more than 400 shells and personally destroyed 5 enemy tanks. Overall, in front of the mound from the fire of our gunners was burned down 16 enemy tanks, not counting lined, which towed the Nazis in the rear.
At 12 o'clock, the Germans stopped the attack. But Kireeva ran out of ammunition, and in calculating the remaining two. In the left wheel suddenly hit an enemy shell-Plural, ricocheted, and struck Kireeva in his thigh and shattered. Unconscious brave artilleryman was sent to the hospital.
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Sources:
1) Heroes of the Soviet Union: A Brief Biographical Dictionary. V.1. M.: Voeniz.1987.
2) Rumyantsev.N.M. People legendary heroism ". Saratov. 1968
