Aleksey Afanasyevich Pasko (russian: Алексей Афанасьевич Пасько; 1 March 1916 – 4 April 1997) was a

junior lieutenant Junior lieutenant is a junior officer rank in several countries, equivalent to Sub-lieutenant. Germany In the National People's Army, the rank of () was introduced in 1956. Eastern Europe In many Eastern European countries, the rank of junior l ...

of the Red Army. He fought in the Second World War, being awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union in 1945.

Biography

Aleksey Afanasyevich Pasko was born on 1 March 1916, in Yekaterinoslav, in a family of employees. He was an ethnic Ukrainian. After graduating from the Poltava Medical College, he worked in a photo team. In 1940, Pasko was called up for service in the Red Army by the Novo-Senzharsky District Military Commissariat. From July 1942 he was on the fronts of World War II. In 1944, Pasko graduated from the . In battles he was shell-shocked.A. A. Pasko on the site warheroes.ru
/ref> By January 1945, Junior Technician-Lieutenant Aleksey Pasko was a tank driver of the 13th Guards Separate Heavy Tank Regiment of the

4th Tank Army The 20th Guards Combined Arms Army (originally designated as the 4th Tank Army, 4th Guards Tank Army in 1945, 4th Guards Mechanised Army in 1946, and the 20th Guards Army in 1960 within the Soviet Ground Forces) is a field army. In 1991, after th ...

of the

1st Ukrainian Front The 1st Ukrainian Front (Russian: Пéрвый Украи́нский фронт), previously the Voronezh Front (Russian: Воронежский Фронт) was a major formation of the Soviet Army during World War II, being equivalent to a ...

. He distinguished himself during the liberation of Poland. Pasko's crew, together with a group of submachine gunners, attacked a large group of enemy troops near the city of

Kobylin Kobylin (german: 1943-45 Koppelstädt) is a town in Krotoszyn County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland, with 3,130 inhabitants (2009). History In the Early Middle Ages it was a market settlement, which became part of the emerging Polish st ...

, destroying 1 tank, 5 artillery pieces and 30 enemy soldiers and officers. When, 12 kilometres southwest of Kobylin, Pasko's tank became immobilised to a malfunction, Pasko, with the tank crew and submachine gunners, repelled the attacks of the Nazis for three days, destroying an enemy armoured personnel carrier, five vehicles and many enemy fighters. When the tank was completely destroyed, Pasko covered the retreat of his comrades to the nearby village of Penkovo with machine-gun fire, after which he took refuge with his comrades from local residents, where he waited for reinforcements to arrive. By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 10 April 1945, for "exemplary performance of combat missions of the command and the courage and heroism shown at the same time," junior technician-lieutenant Aleksey Pasko was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal with the number 7480. In 1946, Pasko was transferred to the reserve. He lived and worked in the settlement of

Vysokyi Vysokyi ( uk, Високий, russian: Высокий) is an urban-type settlement in Kharkiv Raion of Kharkiv Oblast in Ukraine. It is located approximately southwest of the city of Kharkiv. Vysokyi hosts the administration of Vysokyi settlement ...

, Kharkiv Raion, Kharkiv Oblast of Ukraine, at a furniture factory. He died on 4 April 1997, and was buried in Vysoky. He was also awarded the

Orders of the Patriotic War The Order of the Patriotic War (russian: Орден Отечественной войны, Orden Otechestvennoy voiny) is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisan ...

of the 1st and 2nd degrees, and a number of medals.А. А. Пасько на сайте «память народа»
/ref>

Books

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pasko, Aleksey 1916 births 1997 deaths Heroes of the Soviet Union Soviet military personnel of World War II Military personnel from Dnipro Recipients of the Order of Lenin