The Pantheon of heroes
The Minister of culture Vladimir Medinsky is about how ignorance of history is turning the nation in population.
The national Pantheon of the heroes exist in every country, without it there is no historical memory, there is no nation. Nowadays it is a very important issue. The national Pantheon is not a burial place of outstanding personalities, not the “temple of all gods”, in ancient Greece.
Rather, the totality of bright people from culture, art, science, who live in people’s memory. And, of course, the heroes who accomplished the feat.
Historians usually try to save all, but something unfairly overlooked. The people were fixed only two named soldiers, hoisting the victory Banner over the Reichstag — Mikhail Yegorov and Meliton kantariya. But it was still the third — Lieutenant Alexey Berest, the commander of these soldiers. This is the official story, and its no secret. But on hearing all the same two names. Egorov — Russian, Kantaria Georgian. Apparently, the Belarusian last name Berest has been difficult memorable and decided to limit myself to two. Berest and still received the award and remained in the shadows.
Same story with the Minin and Pozharsky. After the victory over the Polish-Lithuanian intervention in 1612, made them heroes, Prince of Skopin-Shuisky and the voivode Shein — lost.
There are heroes, whose exploits overwrite propaganda. Young people now do not remember what he did Pavlik than were the famous Alexei Stakhanov or Kliment Voroshilov. Although a few decades ago, these people were the brightest stars of the Pantheon of heroes. The circulation of the novel “How the steel was tempered” at one time reached nearly 40 million copies. And ask the youth — who is Nikolai Ostrovsky? I think one in a thousand can answer.
Each country does everything to her Pantheon of heroes expanded. Because the characters create a collective national archetype. Pozharsky, Dmitry Donskoy, Alexander Nevsky, Kutuzov, Suvorov, Zhukov. It is important that the heroes of the great Patriotic war, too, remained in the Pantheon. The names of many of them is not something that we have forgotten — we simply do not know.
Who made the first RAM during the war? About this, historians argue. The characters in the first hours of the war were several. Well-known feat of captain Gastello. His battering RAM is called “fiery”, as it sent a burning aircraft on a ground target. But he did not fly the fighter and bomber. Then, on Board were at least three people, respectively, the decision to go to the RAM was shared. All three were Communists and to sacrifice their lives in the name of victory decided together. That is, the act of the heroes is a completely different flavor. Fire rams for example Gastello for the war were recorded 237!
All the years of the great Patriotic committed about 600 rams. While the allies have dared to just one. Only we and the Japanese were so desperate kamikaze. And that’s a fact for those who like to say that we could not fight. Another figure — the biggest loss of the Germans in the air suffered on the first day of the great Patriotic war. On 22 June, the Luftwaffe lost 300 planes. More such heavy casualties from German air force was not.
By the way, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union the first was in the pilot Kharitonov, Zhukov and Zdorovtsev, fought near Leningrad. 28 June 1941, each of them made air RAM, cut off the propeller and the Elevator of the enemy. Unique situation. Why they went to RAM? Because we were ready to fight even without weapons, which ended. Using the difference in speed, the pilots caught up with the enemy bombers had them pinned down, while they themselves managed to wriggle out unscathed.
And who remembers now about the absolute world record for lined tanks? In August 1941, in one of the battles KV-1 Lieutenant Zenobia Kolobanova destroyed 22 vehicles. All tank company Kolobanova shot down 43 enemy tanks. Zinovy Grigoryevich lived until 1994. For the feat he was presented the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. But given the order. Now the Military historical society decided to restore justice. To Zinoviy Kolobanov was named a Hero, albeit posthumously, collected a hundred thousand signatures. By the way, about the heroism of Lieutenant will remind the audience the creators of two feature films that are in production.
Here is another tank ACE, whose name was not at the hearing. An absolute record for the number of destroyed tanks was the tank commander Dmitry Lavrinenko. In its short combat career with the June to December 1941 he shot down a Nazi tank 52 and died of Volokolamsk.
In the St. George hall of the Kremlin on the marble are carved the names of the knights of the order of St. George. In the hall of Fame of the Central Museum of the great Patriotic war are inscribed the names of all heroes of the Soviet Union, received the title in 1941-1945, and their 11 657. But are historians, public figures willing to rewrite history to forget the great names. To this day they are willing to “expose” the deeds of fame which argued for years to come. And it defies logic. Russia needs heroes. If you want to destroy the country, to transform the nation in population, knock out from under her. Unlike other countries, thank God, we do not need to invent. We have a large Pantheon of heroes, and the reason we feel embarrassed.
The author — Vladimir Medinsky, Minister of culture of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Russian military historical society