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Birth of Nikolai Alexandrovich Khokhlov, Hero of the Soviet Union, Participant of the Great Patriotic War
Nikolai Alexandrovich Khokhlov was born on June 18, 1923 in the village of Pachenka, Nizhnetavdinsky District, Tyumen Region. He graduated from a rural school and worked on a collective farm before the war. By the beginning of the war, two older brothers – Philemon and Pavel – had already been drafted into the ranks of the Red Army. In the autumn of 1941, the post office brought a notice of the heroic death of one of them – Philemon.
According to the stories of his relatives, Nikolai, like many of his peers, aspired to join the ranks of the defenders of the Fatherland – he hardened himself, played sports, swam, and practiced deep diving.
In 1943, Nikolai Khokhlov was drafted into the army. Before going to the front, he took courses for several months at the scout school in the city of Kamyshlov, Sverdlovsk Region. Then he was sent to a platoon of foot reconnaissance of the 609th Rifle Regiment (139th Rifle Division, 50th Army, 2nd Belorussian Front). By that time, our troops had already liberated many Russian cities, fought liberation battles for Belarus. For skillful actions in the rear of the enemy, Nikolai Khokhlov was repeatedly acknowledged by the command. With fellow scouts, he participated in the Mogilev and Minsk offensive operations. He especially distinguished himself in the Belostok offensive.
On July 15, 1944, the regiment in which Nikolai Alexandrovich served crossed the Neman River near the village of Kovshovo (now Mostovsky District, Grodno Region, Republic of Belarus). Nikolai was among the soldiers who volunteered to be the first to overcome the water boundary. Without giving the enemy time to recover, the soldiers seized a bridgehead on the left bank and held it until the main forces arrived. The award list of Sergeant Khokhlov says: “Comrade Khokhlov on 15.07.44 voluntarily expressed a desire to force the Neman River near the village of Kovshevo, Belostok Region. Under the hurricane fire of the enemy, he was the first to cross the river with the slogan “For the Motherland!” and gained a foothold on the western bank. The enemy launched a counterattack in order to restore its position. Comrade Khokhlov showed courage and heroism, shooting the enemy at point-blank range, firmly held the occupied area, thereby enabling the units of the regiment to force the river and move the enemy from the occupied line. Comrade Khokhlov destroyed 18 German soldiers in this battle... Commander of the regiment, Colonel Grishaev. 15.07.44”.
Our troops moved further and further and fought no less heavy offensive battles. Nine days later, Nikolai Khokhlov distinguished himself again. On July 28, 1944, he led a group of scouts who captured three German soldiers in the area of the Yalovo farm (now Svislochsky District, Grodno Region, Republic of Belarus). On July 30, 1944, by order of the 139th Rifle Division No. 025/n, Sergeant Khokhlov was awarded the 3rd Degree Order of Glory.
On September 3, 1944, Sergeant Nikolai Alexandrovich Khokhlov died in battle. He was buried near the town of Horomany (now the territory of Poland).
On March 24, 1945, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR with the wording “for exemplary performance of combat missions of the command at the front of the struggle against the Nazi invaders and the courage and heroism shown at the same time”, Sergeant Nikolai Alexandrovich Khokhlov was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal awarded as well.
The name of Hero of the Soviet Union Nikolai Alexandrovich Khokhlov is carved in gold letters in the Hall of Fame of the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Victory Park in Moscow. Streets in the city of Tyumen and in the district center, the village of Nizhnyaya Tavda, are named after him. At home, in the village of Pachenka, there is a memorial bust.
Lit.: Адреса Победы: 65-летию Великой Победы посвящается. Тюмень, 2010. С. 295–296; Андреев А. Остался вечно молодым // Тюменская правда. 2014. 9 декабря. С. 2; Большая Тюменская энциклопедия: в 4 томах. Тюмень, 2004. Т. 3: Р–Я. С. 366; Герои Тюменского края /сост. А. И. Бажин. Ишим, 2015. С. 84; Рыкова Н. С. А на столе лежала похоронка... // V Тавдинские чтения: материалы научно-практической конференции / ТюмГУ. Тюмень, 2013. С. 85–87; Стена памяти // Тюменский курьер. 2015. 25 июня; Тюменцы – Герои Советского Союза. Тюмень, 2004. С. 143, 271; Чудинова А. В мечтах – книга о разведчике // Тюменский курьер. 2016. 27 января. С. 3.
Based on the Presidential Library's materials:
Герои Советского Союза: Краткий биографический словарь: [В 2 т.] / [А. А. Бабаков и др.] ; Министерство обороны СССР, Гл. упр. кадров и др. [Т. 2]: Любов–Ящук. М., 1988 (Available in the Electronic Reading Room)
Defenders of the Fatherland // Memory of the Great Victory: [digital collection]
Based on the article of the Tyumen Region Branch of the Presidential Library