During the Great Patriotic War, being on the territory of the Shepetovsky district temporarily occupied by Nazi troops, Valya Kotik worked to collect weapons and ammunition, drew and posted caricatures of the Nazis. Since 1942, he had connections with the Shepetovsky underground party organization and carried out its intelligence orders.

Having taken a closer look at the boy, the communists entrusted Valya with being a liaison and intelligence officer in their underground organization. He learned the location of enemy posts and the order of changing the guard. The day came when Valya accomplished his feat.

The roar of the engines became louder - the cars were approaching. The faces of the soldiers were already clearly visible. Sweat dripped from their foreheads, half-covered by green helmets. Some soldiers carelessly took off their helmets.

The front car reached the bushes behind which the boys were hiding. Valya stood up, counting down the seconds to himself. The car passed, and there was already an armored car opposite him. Then he rose to his full height and shouted “Fire!” he threw two grenades one after another... At the same time, explosions were heard from the left and right. Both cars stopped, the front one caught fire. The soldiers quickly jumped to the ground, threw themselves into a ditch and from there opened indiscriminate fire from machine guns.

Valya did not see this picture. He was already running along a well-known path into the depths of the forest. There was no pursuit; the Germans were afraid of the partisans. The next day, Gebietskommissar Government Advisor Dr. Worbs wrote in a report to his superiors: “Attacked by large forces of bandits, the Fuhrer’s soldiers showed courage and restraint. They took on an unequal battle and scattered the rebels. Oberleutnant Franz Koenig skillfully led the fighting. While chasing bandits, he was seriously wounded and died on the spot from loss of blood. Our losses: seven killed and nine wounded. The bandits lost twenty people killed and about thirty wounded...” Rumors about the attack of partisans on the Nazis and the death of the executioner, the chief of the gendarmerie, quickly spread in the city.

Since August 1943, the young patriot was a scout in the Shepetovsky partisan detachment named after Karmelyuk.

In October 1943, a young partisan scouted the location of the underground telephone cable of Hitler's headquarters, which was soon blown up. He also participated in the bombing of six railway trains and a warehouse.

On October 29, 1943, while at his post, Valya noticed that the punitive forces had staged a raid on the detachment. Having killed a fascist officer with a pistol, he raised the alarm, and the partisans managed to prepare for battle.

On February 16, 1944, in a battle for the city of Izyaslav, Kamenets-Podolsk, now Khmelnitsky region, a 14-year-old partisan scout was mortally wounded and died the next day.

The young partisan died a few days after his fourteenth birthday. Fourteen is very little. At this age, you usually just make plans for the future, prepare for it, dream about it. Valya also built, prepared, dreamed. There is no doubt that if he had lived to this day, he would have become an outstanding personality. But he did not become an astronaut, nor an innovative worker, nor a scientist-inventor. He remained forever young, remained a pioneer.

Pioneer hero Valya Kotik, who would have turned 80 today, blew up six German trains during the Great Patriotic War and died in battle with the Germans when he was only 14 years old. Not so long ago, his name was known in all corners of the Soviet Union, and every schoolchild could retell the story of his feat by heart.

The youngest Hero of the Soviet Union Valya Kotik - Valentin Aleksandrovich Kotik - was born on February 11, 1930 in the village of Khmelevka, Shepetovsky district, Kamenets-Podolsk (now Khmelnitsky) region of Ukraine. The Ukrainian pioneer studied at a secondary school in the regional center - the city of Shepetivka - until the fifth grade.

When the war began, Valya Kotik was only 11 years old. His native Shepetovsky district was occupied by Nazi troops. As Valya’s official biography stated, from the first days of the war the boy worked to collect weapons and ammunition, which were then transported to the partisans, drew and posted caricatures of the Nazis, according to the website “Heroes of the Country”.

In 1942, he joined the Shepetivka underground party organization and carried out its intelligence assignments. In August 1943, the young intelligence officer was a fighter in the Shepetovsky partisan detachment named after. Karmelyuk under the leadership of Ivan Alekseevich Muzalev, according to the website biogr.ru.

In October 1943, a young partisan scouted the location of the underground telephone cable of Hitler's headquarters, which was soon blown up. He also participated in the bombing of six railway trains and a warehouse. He has many successful ambushes to his credit.

On October 29, 1943, while at his post, Valya Kotik noticed that the punitive forces had staged a raid on the detachment. Having killed a fascist officer with a pistol, he raised the alarm, and the partisans managed to prepare for battle.

On February 16, 1944, in the battle for the city of Izyaslav Kamenets-Podolsk, a partisan intelligence officer, who had just turned 14 years old, was mortally wounded. The next day he died. He was buried in the center of the park in the city of Shepetivka.

Already at the time of his death, Valya Kotik wore on his chest the Order of Lenin and the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, and the medal “Partisan of the Patriotic War,” 2nd degree. Such awards would honor even the commander of a partisan unit, writes Arguments and Facts.

On June 27, 1958, Valentin Aleksandrovich Kotik was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR for his heroism in the fight against the Nazi invaders.

Every Soviet child knew about the pioneer hero Valya Kotik. His name was given not only to pioneer detachments, squads and schools, but also to the ship. A monument to the young hero was erected in front of the school where he studied, and in Moscow - at VDNKh. Streets in Russian and Ukrainian cities bear his name.

In addition, Valya Kotik became one of the prototypes of the hero Valya Kotko from the film "Eaglet", released in 1957. Another prototype of the screen image was the Belarusian schoolboy Marat Kazei, who went to join the partisans during the war when he was just over 13 years old.

Marat was also a young intelligence officer: he made his way to enemy garrisons, looked out for where German posts, headquarters, and ammunition depots were located. He blew up bridges and derailed enemy trains. In May 1944, when the Soviet army was already very close, the teenager was ambushed. He fired back to the last bullet, and when he had only one grenade left, he let the enemies get closer and pulled the pin. Marat Kazei became a Hero of the Soviet Union in 1965 - also posthumously.

According to the plot of the feature film "Eaglet", during the Great Patriotic War, the Germans occupy a small Ukrainian town. Pioneer Valya Kotko, nicknamed Eaglet by the partisans, helps the detachment monitor the Germans and obtain weapons. Surrounded by fascists, he blows himself up with a grenade.

It must be said that by the time the film was released in 1957, the nickname “Eaglet” was already a common noun for any young hero. This meaning of the word comes from a song written before the war by composer Viktor Bely and poet Yakov Shvedov, whose calling card is also the song “Darkie.”

The song "Eaglet" ("Eaglet, little eaglet, fly higher than the sun...") was written in 1936 for the play "Khlopchik", staged at the Mossovet Theater. The hero of the play, Khlopchik, was not a partisan; he was a young apprentice shoemaker from Belarus and helped the Red Army. And when the White Poles occupied the city, Khlopchik did not betray the underground fighters during interrogation, for which he was sentenced to death.

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Patriotic stories. Children of war. Valya Kotik

Valya Kotik (or Valentin Aleksandrovich Kotik) was born on February 11, 1930 in the village of Khmelevka (Ukraine) into a peasant family. By the beginning of the war, he had just entered the sixth grade, but from the first days he began to fight the occupiers. In the fall of 1941, together with his comrades, he killed the head of the field gendarmerie near the city of Shepetovka, throwing a grenade at the car in which he was driving. Since 1942, he took an active part in the partisan movement in Ukraine. At first he was a liaison for the Shepetovsky underground organization, then he took part in battles.

When the Germans occupied the Shepetovsky district, Valya Kotik was only 11 years old. The official biography states that he immediately took part in collecting ammunition and weapons, which were then sent to the front. Together with his friends, Valya collected weapons abandoned at the site of clashes, which were transported to the partisans in carts of hay. The young hero also independently made and posted caricatures of fascists around the city.

In 1942, he was accepted into the ranks of the Shepetivka underground organization as an intelligence officer. Further, his military biography was supplemented by participation in the exploits of a partisan detachment under the command of Ivan Alekseevich Muzalev (1943). In October of the same year, Valya Kotik accomplished his first high-profile feat - he managed to discover an underground telephone cable at the German command headquarters, which was then successfully blown up by partisans.

The courageous pioneer also has other feats to his credit - the successful bombing of six warehouses and railway trains, as well as numerous ambushes in which he took part. Valya Kotik’s responsibilities included obtaining information about the location of German posts and the order of changing their guards.

The young hero accomplished another feat that saved the lives of many of his adult comrades on October 29, 1943. That day, the guy was standing at his post when suddenly he was attacked by Hitler’s punitive forces. The boy managed to shoot an enemy officer, and thereby raise the alarm. This made it possible to prevent the partisans from being taken by surprise.

For his heroism, courage and repeated feats, pioneer Valya Kotik was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, and the Order of Lenin, as well as the medal “Partisan of the Patriotic War,” 2nd degree.

On February 16, 1944, the 14-year-old hero was mortally wounded in the battle for the liberation of the city of Izyaslav Kamenets-Podolsky. He died the next day, February 17, and was buried in the central park of Shepetivka.

According to another version of Valya Kotik’s biography from a direct participant in the battles for the city of Izyaslav, WWII veteran Murashov, the boy was first non-fatally wounded, in the shoulder. The narrator's brother (who was with him on the mission) dragged him to the nearby Gorinya valley and bandaged him. On the second day, during the evacuation of the wounded to the partisan hospital in Strigani, the carts carrying Kotik were subjected to German bombardment. The young hero received mortal wounds from which he died on the way.

By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated June 27, 1958, Valentin Aleksandrovich Kotik was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

During the Soviet years, every schoolchild knew about this brave pioneer and his exploits. Numerous streets, both in Russia and Ukraine, pioneer squads, detachments and camps were named after the courageous guy. A monument to Valya Kotik was erected in front of the school where he studied, another monument stood at VDNKh. One motor ship was also named after him.

The biography of the pioneer Valya Kotko formed the basis of a feature film about Valya Kotko, released in 1957 under the title “Eaglet”. The film tells about the struggle of the young pioneer Vali with the fascist invaders who occupied his hometown. The boy helps his partisan detachment spy on the enemy and obtain weapons. One day, finding himself surrounded by Nazis, a schoolboy accomplishes a feat by blowing himself up with a grenade.

One of the most famous child heroes of the Great Patriotic War is Valya Kotik. The feat (a brief summary of his biography and military activities is the subject of this review) of this boy is probably known to every schoolchild. This work provides a description of his life and participation in battles in the partisan detachment. His personality became an example of the courage and heroism of the Soviet people shown during the years of the German invasion of our Motherland. The child's fate was all the more tragic because he died at the age of fourteen, however, despite his young age, he did a lot to liberate his native city, for which he was awarded the highest military award.

Childhood years

In 1930, Valya Kotik was born into the family of an employee. The feat (a summary of which will be described below) of this boy was of great importance not only in a practical, but also in an ideological sense, since his actions became an example to follow. He was the youngest in the family and was in the sixth grade at the time of the enemy invasion.

At first, the child began to pay attention to fascist posts and distribute propaganda leaflets calling for a fight against the invaders. Thus, the schoolboy attracted the attention of the leader of a local underground organization, who settled in his house. At first, the little hero of the big war, Valya Kotik, mistook him for an enemy spy and traitor, but after learning the truth, he became a member of his group. They began to give him small assignments: to monitor German officers, to obtain and guard weapons. The capable child showed courage, quickness and ingenuity, so that he began to be given more responsible and serious assignments.

Participation in the partisan movement

The boy quickly learned how to handle weapons and explosives. He was able to mine the roads and highways along which patrols passed. One day, a child noticed the head of the local gendarmerie in a passing car, who was driving to his hometown of Shepetivka. The student threw a grenade and the car exploded.

Thus, Valya Kotik made a great contribution to the liberation of the city. The boy’s feat (a brief summary of his military biography reflects the tragic fate of many child partisans) lies in the fact that he combined physical dexterity with ideological conviction, thanks to which he did not leave his detachment even at a time when he was offered to cross to safe areas of the country.

1942-1944

At first, the student served as a liaison in an underground group, but soon began to participate in battles. An important stage in his military biography was the transition to the command of Lieutenant Muzalev, who headed the occupied territories. The teenager actively fought on the side of the Red Army and was wounded twice.

In 1943, Valya Kotik interrupted Warsaw’s connection with the main German headquarters. The feat, a brief summary of which allows us only to approximately judge the significance of this step, facilitated the actions of the members of the underground organization in the liberation of the conquered territory. The boy also took part in undermining German trains. In addition to his powers of observation and skillful organizational skills, he also proved himself to be an excellent patrolman. One day, he, alone from the entire group of partisans, noticed an impending raid on his comrades and raised the alarm in time, thus saving all the people.

Death

Valya Kotik, a feat whose biography is compulsorily studied in all Soviet schools, fought on Ukrainian territory. As mentioned above, he was offered to move to a safer area, but he did not want to leave his home unit. He took part in the liberation operation to lift the occupation from the city of Izyaslav. According to one version, the boy was sent on reconnaissance, noticed a German patrol, raised the alarm, but was mortally wounded, after which he quickly died. Some scientists believe that the young hero's wound was minor, but he died due to shelling during the evacuation. He was buried in his hometown. Many streets in Russian cities are named after him, as well as pioneer camps, schools, and squads. Several monuments have been erected to him, including in the capital of our country. A number of films are dedicated to his life.

Confession

Among the many partisans who made a significant contribution to the victory, Valya Kotik, a pioneer hero, stands out. Heroes of Russia and the USSR have always received the highest awards and orders. So the boy initially received partisan medals, and in 1958 he was awarded the country's main honorary title. As mentioned above, a film was made about him.

According to the plot of the film, the character, a young schoolboy, sacrifices his life by blowing himself up with a grenade so as not to be captured by the enemy. It is significant that many young fighters became famous after their tragic death. In this series, Kotik occupies an honorable place, as he carried out a number of actions of strategic importance. The destruction of the connection with the headquarters was a step whose significance went beyond local success. Therefore, in school history lessons, attention should be paid to the importance of his underground activities in the liberation of Ukraine from German occupation.

Valya Kotik is one of the teenage heroes who fought during the Great Patriotic War against the German occupiers. Valentin glorified his name as a courageous defender of his land and a faithful son of the Motherland.

Valya Kotik biography briefly

Valentin came from a simple peasant family. He was born in the Khmelnitsky region of Ukraine. When the Germans occupied Ukrainian soil in 1941, Valya was a simple schoolboy. At that time the boy was eleven years old.

The young pioneer immediately took an ardent part in helping the Soviet front. Together with his classmates, Valya collected ammunition: grenades, rifles, pistols that remained on the battlefields and transported all these weapons to the partisans.

The children hid weapons in haystacks and transported them quite freely, because it did not occur to the Germans that children were also assistants to the partisans.

In 1942, Valya was accepted into the number of intelligence officers of the underground Soviet organization; the following year, 1943, the boy became a full member of the partisan detachment. Valentin Kotik went through a long and difficult two and a half years of war; he died from mortal wounds received in battle in February 1944.

Description of the exploits of Valentin Kotik

The hero Valentin Kotik was immediately remembered by his comrades for his courage and ingenuity. The boy accomplished his most famous feat in the fall of 1943: he discovered a secret radio line of the Germans, which they carefully concealed (later the partisans destroyed this line, leaving the Nazis without communication). Valentin took part in many partisan operations: he was a good demolitionist, signalman and fighter. He went on reconnaissance missions, and once in 1943 he saved the entire detachment.

It happened this way: Valentin was sent on reconnaissance, he noticed in time the Germans who had begun a punitive operation, shot one of the senior commanders of this operation and made a noise, thereby warning his comrades of the danger that threatened them. The story of the death of Valentin Kotik has two main versions. According to the first of them, he was mortally wounded in battle and died the next day. According to the second, the slightly wounded Valentin died during German shelling of evacuated Soviet soldiers. The young hero was buried in the city of Shepetivka.

Posthumous fame

After the war, the name Valentin Kotik became a household name. The boy was awarded orders and partisan medals. And in 1958 he was awarded the title of Hero. Pioneer detachments, streets, parks and public gardens were named after Vali Kotik. Monuments were erected to him throughout the Soviet Union. The most famous of all the monuments is the sculptural monument erected in 1960 in the center of Moscow.

Another monument is still located in the city of Simferopol on the Alley of Heroes, where there are sculptures of adults and children who heroically defended their Motherland during the Great Patriotic War. Valentin's feat was glorified in the feature film about the war "Eaglet", in which the main character, a courageous young pioneer, blew himself up with a grenade so as not to be captured by the Nazis.