Pyotr Evstafievich Gora (russian: Пётр Евстафьевич Гора; 28 December 1922 – 11 May 2002) was a colonel of the Soviet Ministry of Internal Affairs, a participant of the

Great Patriotic War The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers against the Soviet Union (USSR), Poland and other Allies, which encompassed Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Northeast Europe (Baltics), and Sou ...

, and a

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...

(1943).

Biography

Gora was born on 28 December 1922 in the village of Svetilovka (now in Belogorsky District,

Amur Oblast Amur Oblast ( rus, Аму́рская о́бласть, r=Amurskaya oblast, p=ɐˈmurskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located on the banks of the Amur and Zeya Rivers in the Russian Far East. The administrat ...

) into a peasant family. He graduated from seven classes of junior high school, after which he worked as a driver at a machine-tractor station. In July 1941, Gora was drafted into military service with the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

by the Kuibyshev RVK of the Khabarovsk Krai. He served on the front line from 1 August 1942 as part of the 248th Separate Cadet Rifle Brigade. By order of the 248th Brigade № 4/n of 4 March 1943, Gora, then serving with the rank of sergeant as assistant platoon commander of the 3rd Rifle Battalion, was awarded the Medal "For Courage". During the offensive on the Kurs station, leading his battalion, he personally killed 10 enemy soldiers. By September 1943, Senior Sergeant Pyotr Gora was assistant platoon commander of the 248th Cadet Rifle Brigade of the

60th Army The Red Army's 60th Army was a Soviet field army during the Second World War. It was first formed in reserve in the Moscow Military District in October 1941, but soon was disbanded. It was formed a second time in July 1942, and continued in servi ...

of the Central Front. He distinguished himself during the

battle of the Dnieper The Battle of the Dnieper was a military campaign that took place in 1943 in Ukraine on the Eastern Front of World War II. One of the largest operations of the war, it involved almost 4,000,000 troops at a time stretched on a front. Over four m ...

.cite:Герои страны
/ref> On 24 September 1943, Gora, with a group of fighters, was one of the first to cross the Dnieper near the village of ,

Vyshhorod Raion Vyshhorod Raion () is a raion (district) in Kyiv Oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Vyshhorod. It has a population of On 18 July 2020, as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, the number of raions of Kyiv Oblast ...

of the

Kiev Oblast Kyiv Oblast ( uk, Ки́ївська о́бласть, translit=Kyïvska oblast), also called Kyivshchyna ( uk, Ки́ївщина), is an oblast (province) in central and northern Ukraine. It surrounds, but does not include, the city of Kyiv, w ...

of the

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...

and captured an enemy trench. When the platoon leader was incapacitated, Gora took charge and repelled several enemy counterattacks. In hand-to-hand combat, he personally killed more than 10 enemy soldiers and officers. Gora was wounded in battle, but did not leave the battlefield. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union of 17 October 1943 for "courage and heroism shown during the crossing of the Dnieper and holding a bridgehead on its right bank", Senior Sergeant Pyotr Gora was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the award of the

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration ...

and the

Gold Star medal The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...

(number 2062). In 1945, Gora graduated from the . In 1946 he was transferred to the reserve. He worked in subdivisions of the Soviet Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) in Sverdlovsk. In 1954 he graduated from the Sverdlovsk Law Institute. Gora retired from the MVD with the rank of colonel. He lived in

Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburg ( ; rus, Екатеринбург, p=jɪkətʲɪrʲɪnˈburk), alternatively romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( rus, Свердло́вск, , svʲɪrˈdlofsk, 1924–1991), is a city and the administra ...

, and died on 11 May 2002, and was buried at the . Gora was also awarded the

Order 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 partisa ...

of the 1st degree (1985) and "For Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" of the 3rd degree, as well as a number of medals.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gora, Pyotr Heroes of the Soviet Union 1922 births 2002 deaths Soviet colonels Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order "For Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR", 3rd class Recipients of the Medal "For Courage" (Russia) People from Belogorsky District Soviet military personnel of World War II Ural State Law University alumni