ZAVRAJNOV NIKOLAY NIKOLAYEVICH
Lieutenant Colonel, Participant of World War II, The Hero of the Soviet Union (April 28, 1945)
He was born in 1923 in the village of Grachevka, Krasnogvardeysky district, Orenburg region, in a peasant family. Grachev finished a junior high school and Yashkinsky high school. In June 1941, Zavrajnov was drafted into the Red Army. In the summer of 1942, he graduated from the Kuibyshev Military Airborne School. He joined World War II in September of that year. He fought on the 4th, 3rd and 2nd fronts in northwestern and southern Ukraine. He took part in the liberation of the Caucasus, Crimea and in the battles for Ukraine and the Moldovan SSR, Romania, Hungary, Yugoslavia, and Austria. Until January 1945, Captain Nikolai Zavrajno commanded the company of the 59th Special Attack Engineering and Combat Battalion of the 12th Attack Engineering and Combat Brigade of the 46th Army of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. He was active during the attack on Budapest.
In the battle for Budapest, the Zavrajnov’s route opened 196 crossings through the enemy wire barriers and blew up 5 buildings occupied by the enemy, cleared 3 minefields, occupied 65 houses, and killed dozens of enemy soldiers and officers. In one of the fights, Zavrajnov was seriously injured from 5 parts of his body.
By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of April 28, 1945, “For exemplary performance of combat duties on the front, in the fight against Nazi invaders, for courage and heroism”, Captain Nikolai Zavrazhnov was awarded the title of “The Hero of the Soviet Union”.
He lived in Tashkent. He died on June 15, 1980 and was buried in the Alley of Heroes in the Tashkent Military Cemetery.
GOLD STAR MEDAL OF THE HERO OF THE SOVIET UNION
THE ORDER OF “LENIN”
THE ORDER OF “THE RED BANNER”
THE ORDER OF “THE PATRIOTIC WAR OF THE I DEGREE”
THE ORDER OF “RED STAR”
