Let me briefly retell the story of the Hero of the Russian Land, who at the time of the feat was 83 years old. In Moscow, in the underground lobby of the metro station Partizanskaya, stands a monument to an elderly bearded man in a fur coat and felt boots. The bronze grandfather peers into the distance, and in his hand holds a strong club.
Running past the Muscovites and guests of the capital rarely bother to read the inscription on the pedestal. And after reading, they hardly understand anything - well, the hero ... well, the partisans. Matvey Kuzmin, whom everyone in the district called Grandfather Kuzmich, lived in the village of Kurakino in the Pskov region. In the 1930s, he categorically refused to join the collective farm, and remained a peasant-individual peasant. I was engaged mainly in hunting and fishing.
The war began, and in August 1941, his village was occupied by the Nazis. The new authorities learned of the peasant individual farmer who was saved by the Soviets miraculously, summoned him and offered to become a village headman. Matvey Kuzmin thanked the Germans for his trust, but refused to give him a troublesome job. He said that the matter was serious, and he had become deaf and was blind. In February 1942, a battalion of the German 1st Mountain Division arrived in the village of Kurakino. Mountain hunters from Bavaria were transferred to this area to fight parts of the Soviet 3rd Shock Army.
For the raid in the rear of our troops in the dense forests they needed a guide from the local, and the Germans again remembered Matvei Kuzmin. Grandfather was summoned by the commander of the German battalion, and demanded that his detachment be led to the village of Pershino. For this work, Kuzmich was promised money, flour, kerosene, as well as a luxurious German hunting rifle. The old hunter examined the gun, estimated the "fee", and replied that he agreed to become a conductor.
The rumor that Matvey Kuzmin would lead the Fritzs to the Soviet rear, flew all over the village in a flash. The fellow villagers looked at him with hatred. But none of them knew that immediately after the talk of Grandfather Kuzmich with the German commander, one of his sons, Vasily, slipped out of the village towards the forest. He made his way to ours, went to the location of the 31st infantry brigade, and informed her brigade commander-Colonel Gorbunov of his father's plans-that he would lead the Germans not to Pershino, but to another village-to Malkino, where he asked for an ambush. On the night of February 14, 1942, Matvey Kuzmin led the choicest rangers to their death. They walked all night through the paths and roundabout roads known only to the old hunter.
Finally, at dawn Kuzmich led the Germans to the village. But before they could catch their breath and turn into battle formations, suddenly the heavy fire of Soviet soldiers was opened from all sides. The German detachment was defeated, the operation of the Hitlerites was foiled, several dozen rangers were destroyed, some of them were taken prisoner. Among the dead was the commander of the detachment. But, as it turned out, before he died, he realized that the old man had outwitted him, and fired several bullets into his grandfather. The old hunter sank to the snow and painted it with his own blood ... A strong old man who could have lived for another ten years was 83 years old ... The hero who repeated the feat of Ivan Susanin was buried first in his native village Kurakino, but in 1954 his remains were reburied in brotherly Cemetery of Velikie Luki.
Amazing is the fact: the feat of Matvey Kuzmin was officially recognized virtually immediately, the first one about it was told by the famous military commissar and writer Boris Polevoy, many newspapers about Dede Kuzmich wrote essays, stories and poems, but, strangely enough, for more than twenty years His feat was not marked by state awards. Perhaps, his role was played by the fact that Grandfather Kuzmich was nobody - not a soldier, not a partisan, but simply an unsociable old hunter who showed great strength of mind and clarity of mind.
He was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union only 20 years after the Great Victory - in May 65. At the age of 83, Matvei Kuzmin became the oldest possessor of the title of Hero of the USSR for his entire existence. If you find yourself at the station "Partizanskaya", stop at the monument with the inscription "Hero of the Soviet Union Matvey Kuzmich Kuzmin", bow to him. After all, without people like him, there would not be our Motherland today.
