How a cook from Kramatorsk captured a Nazi tank. "Dessert" from an ax. How cook Sereda captured a German tank The feat of a military cook in the who zone

It was at the beginning of the war. German then huge forces lane. Our retreated. The fighting was fiercest. The battalion, in which Corporal Ivan Sereda served as a cook, fought then in the Baltic. Well fought. The Nazis missed many, but our battalion also suffered losses. On that day, the Germans fell especially hard, tanks and self-propelled guns pulled up. There was a threat of encirclement. A liaison officer ran to the economic platoon, which was standing in the hollow, and gave the order of the battalion commander to advance to combat positions and repulse the attack on the left flank. The platoon commander led the fighters to carry out a combat mission, ordering Ivan to provide security and food for the personnel. Ivan cooks porridge, listens to distant shooting. I would like to help my comrades, but the order in war is the law. Ivan Sereda was completely sad, he began to remember his native places: his parents, the house on the banks of the Amur, school, his long-haired love ... And then something seemed to push him in the side. Looked back and froze. Three fascist tanks are crawling from the road in his direction. And where did they come from? There is no time to think - it is necessary to save the good. But how to save if there are already two hundred meters left to the front tank? Ivan quickly unharnessed the horses and directed them to the fishing line that was nearby, and he himself hid behind the field kitchen - maybe the Fritz would not notice. Maybe the number would have passed, but one tank had gone straight to the kitchen and rolled out. He stopped nearby, huge with white crosses. The tankers noticed the kitchen and were delighted. They decided that the Russians had abandoned her. The hatch cover opened and the tanker leaned out. Healthy, red. He turned his head and how he cackled triumphantly. Here Ivan could not stand it, where did the fear go. He grabbed an ax that fell under his arm and jumped on the tank. The redhead, as he saw him, jumped into the hatch and slammed the lid. And Ivan is already knocking on the armor with an ax: “Hyundai hoch, hansiki! Fly in guys, surround, destroy the Fritz. The Germans began to shoot, and Ivan, without thinking twice, bent the trunk with an ax - there is no reception against scrap. And so that the Fritz would not especially swagger, he closed the viewing slot with his dressing gown. Shouts: "Hitler kaput, surround them, guys ..." With an ax, like a sledgehammer, he wields armor. I don't know what the Germans thought. As soon as the hatch opens, and with raised hands, the old familiar red-haired big man shows up. Ivan Sereda remembered here about the carbine behind his back, instantly sent it to the fascist. And then the second tanker climbs, the third. Ivan yells even louder, commands non-existent fighters to "surround" and "keep the Fritz at gunpoint." And he himself lined up the prisoners near the kitchen, forced each other's hands to be tied. When, after completing a combat mission, the soldiers of his platoon returned and saw next to the kitchen german tank, captured Nazis and Ivan Seredu with a carbine at the ready - they did not believe their eyes. Laughter was to tears! Only the Germans stood gloomy, not understanding anything. Guard corporal Ivan Sereda became a Hero Soviet Union, and his ax was kept in part as a military relic. In war, this is how: the chest is in crosses or the head is in the bushes.

Ivan Pavlovich Sereda (1919-1950) - Soviet officer, participant of the Great Patriotic War, Hero of the Soviet Union (1941). Guards senior lieutenant of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army.

In August 1941, the cook of the 91st tank regiment The 46th Panzer Division of the 21st Mechanized Corps, the Red Army soldier I.P. Sereda, especially distinguished himself in the Daugavpils region (now Latvia). Armed only with a rifle and an ax, he disarmed a German tank that drove up to the Soviet field kitchen and captured four tankers.

After being transferred to the reserve in 1945, he lived in the village of Aleksandrovka, Donetsk region, and worked as chairman of the village council.

Biography

Born on July 1, 1919 in the village of Aleksandrovka, now part of the city of Kramatorsk in Ukraine peasant family. Ukrainian. Together with his family, he moved to the village of Galitsinovka, Maryinsky district, Donetsk region. Graduated from Donetsk Food College.

In November 1939, Ivan Sereda was drafted into the ranks of the Red Army (Snezhnyansky RVC of the Stalin region of the Ukrainian SSR). He served as a cook in the 91st tank regiment of the 46th tank division of the 21st mechanized corps. Red Army soldier I. P. Sereda on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War since June 1941.

In August 1941, near the city of Dvinsk (now Daugavpils, Latvia), he cooked dinner for the Red Army. At this time, he saw a German tank moving towards the field kitchen. Being armed only with a rifle and an ax, Ivan Sereda took cover behind the kitchen, and the tank, having driven up to the kitchen, stopped and the crew began to get out of it.

At that moment, Ivan Sereda jumped out from behind the kitchen and rushed to the tank. The crew immediately took cover in the tank, and Ivan Sereda jumped onto the armor. When the tankers opened fire from a machine gun, Ivan Sereda bent the machine gun barrel with ax blows, and then closed the viewing slots of the tank with a piece of tarpaulin. Then he began to knock on the armor with the butt of an ax, while giving orders to the Red Army soldiers, who were not around, to throw grenades at the tank. The crew of the tank surrendered, and Ivan Sereda, at gunpoint, forced them to tie each other's hands. When the fighters of the infantry unit arrived, they saw a tank and four German tankers tied up. According to the commander of the 21st mechanized corps, Major General D. D. Lelyushenko, “his brave act showed an exceptional example of heroism."

Later, the Red Army soldier I.P. Sereda distinguished himself in reconnaissance behind enemy lines, when German soldiers discovered Soviet observers and tried to capture them, he crawled up to a German tank and blew it up with a bunch of grenades. Then he replaced the killed machine gunner and with well-aimed fire destroyed more than ten German motorcyclists. The reconnaissance group fought off the pressing German soldiers and returned to their unit with trophies and 3 prisoners.

In July and August 1941 he was wounded (the second time - seriously).

Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 31, 1941 "for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command on the front of the fight against fascist german invaders and the courage and heroism shown at the same time, the Red Army soldier Sereda Ivan Pavlovich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 507).

The award to I.P. Sereda was solemnly presented in October 1941 on the North-Western Front. According to the memoirs of fellow soldier I.P. Sereda V. Bezvitelnov, his ax was kept in the unit as a military relic. The feat of Ivan Sereda was widely popularized during the war years, and was reflected on Soviet propaganda posters. Subsequently, this led to the fact that many began to believe that the "chef Sereda" is a myth, but the reality of Ivan Sereda and his exploits are documented.

From October 10 to November 23, 1941, I. P. Sereda commanded a platoon of the 4th Infantry Regiment of the 46th Infantry Division of the 1st Shock Army, and participated in the defense of Leningrad. Then, from November 27 to January 5, 1942, he took part in the battle for Moscow, commanded a company of the 7th Infantry Regiment of the 185th Infantry Division of the 30th Army.

In February 1942 he was seriously wounded. In 1942, I. P. Sereda graduated from advanced training courses commanders, and in 1944 - the Novocherkassk Cavalry School. Guards Senior Lieutenant I.P. Sereda served as assistant chief of food and economic allowances of the 8th Guards Cavalry Regiment of the 2nd Guards Cavalry Division.

In the period from April 14 to May 3, 1945, despite the separation of cavalrymen from supply bases and the complexity of the combat situation, it reliably provided personnel with food and ammunition. This allowed the regiment to successfully fight, which was noted by the regiment commander: on May 21, 1945, I.P. Sereda was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, II degree.

In 1945, with the rank of senior lieutenant, he was transferred to the reserve. He worked as the chairman of the village council in the village of Aleksandrovka, Donetsk region.

Awards and titles

Soviet state awards and titles:

Hero of the Soviet Union (August 31, 1941, Gold Star medal No. 507);
Order of Lenin (August 31, 1941);
Order of the Patriotic War II degree (May 21, 1945);
medals including:
- medal "For the Defense of Leningrad" (September 1, 1945);
- medal "For the Defense of Moscow" (September 1, 1945).

Memory

In the city of Daugavpils, streets were named after him and a memorial plaque was installed (but after the collapse of the USSR, the street was renamed and the plaque was removed). Also, streets in the city of Balti (now the Republic of Moldova) and in the village of Galitsinovka, Maryinsky district, Donetsk region, are named after him, where an obelisk was erected to him.

With hereda Ivan Pavlovich - cook of the 91st tank regiment of the 46th tank division of the 21st mechanized corps of the North-Western Front, Red Army soldier.
Born on July 1, 1919 in the village of Aleksandrovka, now the administration of the city of Kramatorsk, Donetsk region of Ukraine, in a peasant family. Lived in the village of Galitsinovka, Maryinsky district, Donetsk region of Ukraine. Ukrainian. Graduated from the Donetsk Food Training Plant.
In the Red Army since 1939. Member of the Great Patriotic War since June 1941.
Cook of the 91st Tank Regiment (46th tank division, 21st Mechanized Corps, Northwestern Front) Red Army soldier Ivan Sereda distinguished himself in August 1941 near the city of Dvinsk (Daugavpils, Latvia). He was preparing dinner in the woods when he heard the roar of a Nazi tank engine. Armed with a rifle and an ax, he crept up to a stopped Nazi tank, jumped onto the armor and with all his might slashed the machine gun barrel with an ax. Following this, he threw a piece of tarpaulin onto the viewing slot and drummed the butt on the armor, loudly ordering the imaginary fighters to prepare grenades for battle. When the soldiers of the infantry unit came running to the rescue. 4 enemy tankers who had surrendered were already on the ground.
Being with a group of fighters in reconnaissance behind enemy lines, when the Nazis discovered Soviet observers and tried to capture them, the Red Army soldier Sereda crawled up to a German tank with a bunch of grenades and blew it up. Then he replaced the killed machine gunner and with well-aimed fire destroyed more than ten fascist motorcyclists. The group fought off the attacking Nazis and returned to their unit with trophies and 3 prisoners.
At By order of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 31, 1941, for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command on the front of the fight against the Nazi invaders and the courage and heroism shown at the same time, the Red Army soldier Sereda Ivan Pavlovich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 507).
In 1942, the brave warrior graduated from advanced training courses for command personnel, and in 1944, the Novocherkassk Cavalry School.
Since 1945, Senior Lieutenant Sereda I.P. - in reserve. He worked as the chairman of the Oleksandrovsky village council of the Donetsk region of Ukraine. He died untimely on November 18, 1950 at the age of 32.
He was awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Patriotic War of the 2nd degree, and medals.
Streets in the city of Daugavpils and in the village of Galitsinovka are named after the Hero. In memory of the glorious son of the Ukrainian people, Ivan Sereda, a memorial plaque was installed on the street in the city of Daugavpils and an obelisk in Galitsinovka.
A detailed description of the feat is provided by Kirill Osovik

The heroic feat that he accomplished is unprecedented and unique in the history of the Great Patriotic War.
It was hot August 1941. Our troops stubbornly fought off the fierce onslaught of the Nazi hordes in the Dvinsk region of the Latvian SSR. Ivan Sereda was then a cook.
Settling down with his kitchen in a hollow overgrown with woods, he prepared dinner for the warriors who defended the approaches to the city, and listened to the sounds of battle. It seemed to him that the situation on the front line seemed to be “not hot”, in an hour it would be possible to feed friends with delicious soup.
I was just dreaming, and suddenly, not far away, I heard the hum of an engine. Ivan looked out from behind a bush and could not believe his eyes - a tank with a fascist cross was crawling along a country road. The cook's heart trembled: “Trouble. Right there, almost next to the headquarters, - a thought flashed. And after it another, resolute: - To act. Don't let the enemy go!"
Mechanically seizing a rifle and ... an ax, Sereda, running from tree to tree, rushed across the steel colossus. I wanted to shoot, but decided that it was useless. And at the same moment (“Where did the dexterity come from,” he said after) jumped onto the tank. Then everything happened, obviously, also mechanically. He grabbed a heavy ax from his belt and, swinging, slashed at the barrel of a machine gun with all his might. Following this, he threw a piece of tarpaulin onto the viewing slot and drummed the butt on the armor.
His blows thundered like exploding shells. Hitler's soldiers were confused. The car whined.
Hyundai ho! Kaput! - Sereda shouted and began to give imaginary commands loudly: - Prepare grenades. Weapon for battle!
Soon the hatch opened and two hands stretched out of it.
Get out, get out! Sereda commanded, holding his rifle at the ready.
When the fighters came running to help, four enemy tankers who had surrendered were already standing on the ground and looked around with fear.
There were a lot of good jokes, joy and fervent laughter on that difficult day. Sereda managed to become famous for his courage, and he managed to feed his friends with a hearty lunch and dinner.
After some time, Ivan had a chance with a group of fighters to visit reconnaissance behind enemy lines. And there he again showed fearlessness, high military dexterity. When the Nazis discovered the Soviet observers and tried to capture them, Ivan Sereda crawled up to the German tank with a bunch of grenades and blew it up. Then he replaced the killed machine gunner and mowed down about ten motorcyclists with well-aimed fire. The group fought off the advancing Nazis and returned to their unit with trophies and three prisoners.
On the proposal of the command of the North-Western Front, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 31, 1941, I.P. Sereda was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his military exploits.
From the front, Ivan Pavlovich returned to his native village with the rank of senior lieutenant of the guard with many orders and medals on his chest. For a long time he was the chairman of the Aleksandrovskiy Village Council of Workers' Deputies. In 1950 I.P. Wednesday is dead.

Awards and prizes

Ivan Pavlovich Sereda(1919-1950) - Soviet officer, participant in the Great Patriotic War, Hero of the Soviet Union (1941). Guards senior lieutenant of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army.

In August 1941, the cook of the 91st tank regiment of the 46th tank division of the 21st mechanized corps, Red Army soldier I.P. Sereda, especially distinguished himself in the Daugavpils region (now Latvia). Armed only with a rifle and an ax, he disarmed a German tank that drove up to the Soviet field kitchen and captured four tankers.

In August 1941, near the city of Dvinsk (now Daugavpils, Latvia), he was preparing dinner for the Red Army. At this time, he saw a German tank moving towards the field kitchen. Being armed only with a rifle and an ax, Ivan Sereda took cover behind the kitchen, and the tank, having driven up to the kitchen, stopped and the crew began to get out of it.

At that moment, Ivan Sereda jumped out from behind the kitchen and rushed to the tank. The crew immediately took cover in the tank, and Ivan Sereda jumped onto the armor. When the tankers opened fire from a machine gun, Ivan Sereda bent the machine gun barrel with ax blows, and then closed the viewing slots of the tank with a piece of tarpaulin. Then he began to knock on the armor with the butt of an ax, while giving orders to the Red Army soldiers, who were not around, to throw grenades at the tank. The crew of the tank surrendered, and Ivan Sereda, at gunpoint, forced them to tie each other's hands. When the fighters of the rifle unit arrived, they saw a tank and four German tankers tied up. According to the commander of the 21st mechanized corps, Major General D. D. Lelyushenko, "by his brave deed he showed an exceptional example of heroism."

Later, the Red Army soldier I.P. Sereda distinguished himself in reconnaissance behind enemy lines, when German soldiers discovered Soviet observers and tried to capture them, he crawled up to a German tank and blew it up with a bunch of grenades. Then he replaced the killed machine gunner and with well-aimed fire destroyed more than ten German motorcyclists. The reconnaissance group fought off the advancing German soldiers and returned to their unit with trophies and 3 prisoners.

In July and August 1941 he was wounded (the second time - seriously).

The award to I.P. Sereda was solemnly presented in October 1941 on the North-Western Front. According to the memoirs of fellow soldier I.P. Sereda V. Bezvitelnov, his ax was kept in part as a military relic. The feat of Ivan Sereda was widely popularized during the war years, and was reflected on Soviet propaganda posters. Subsequently, this led many to believe that "Chef Sereda" is a myth, but the reality of Ivan Sereda and his exploits are documented.

From October 10 to November 23, 1941, I. P. Sereda commanded a platoon of the 4th Infantry Regiment of the 46th Infantry Division of the 1st Shock Army, participated in the defense of Leningrad. Then, from November 27 to January 5, 1942, he took part in the Battle of Moscow, commanded a company of the 7th Infantry Regiment of the 185th Infantry Division of the 30th Army.

In February 1942 he was seriously wounded. In 1942, I.P. Sereda graduated from advanced training courses for command personnel, and in 1944, the Novocherkassk Cavalry School. Guards senior lieutenant I.P. Sereda served as assistant chief of food and economic allowances of the 8th Guards Cavalry Regiment of the 2nd Guards Cavalry Division.

Awards and titles

Soviet state awards and titles:

Memory

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Notes

Ufarkin N.V. Heroes of the Country".
in the electronic bank of documents "Feat of the People" (archival materials of TsAMO, f. 33, op. 690306, file 1969, l. 124)
in the electronic bank of documents "Feat of the People" (archival materials of TsAMO, f. 33, op. 793756, d. 43, l. 181-182)
B. Afanasiev, I. Denenberg// Dawn of the East. - Tbilisi, October 8, 1941. - No. 238.
(October 1941).
. Victory Calendar. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
Andrei Sidorchik.
in the electronic bank of documents "Feat of the People" (archival materials of TsAMO
in the electronic bank of documents "Feat of the People" (archival materials of TsAMO, f. 135, op. 12761, d. 738)
. Beltsy Online. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
Ufarkin N.V.. Site "Heroes of the Country".

Literature

// Heroes of the Soviet Union: A Brief Biographical Dictionary / Prev. ed. collegium I. N. Shkadov. - M .: Military Publishing, 1988. - T. 2 / Lyubov - Yashchuk /. - 863 p. - 100,000 copies. - ISBN 5-203-00536-2.
Cavaliers of the Golden Star: essays on the Heroes of the Soviet Union / ed. A. A. Trokaev. - Donetsk: Donbass, 1976. - S. 377-378. - 478 p.
Trokaev A. A. Heroes of fiery years: essays on the Heroes of the Soviet Union - natives of the Donetsk region / [intro. article by K. S. Moskalenko]. - Donetsk: Donbass, 1985. - S. 460-463. - 575 p. - (Heroes of the Soviet Union).
Semyonov N. S. Time has no power. - M .: DOSAAF, 1988. - S. 24-27. - 416 p.
Bortakovskiy T.V. Stay alive! Unknown pages of the Great Patriotic War. M .: "Veche", 2015. - ISBN 978-5-4444-3590-8.

An excerpt characterizing Sereda, Ivan Pavlovich

At that moment, a new face entered the living room. The new face was the young Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, the husband of the little princess. Prince Bolkonsky was short, a very handsome young man with definite and dry features. Everything in his figure, from the tired, bored look to the quiet measured step, represented the sharpest contrast with his small, lively wife. He, apparently, was not only familiar with everyone in the drawing room, but he was so tired of it that it was very boring for him to look at them and listen to them. Of all the faces that bored him, the face of his pretty wife seemed to bore him the most. With a grimace that ruined his handsome face, he turned away from her. He kissed Anna Pavlovna's hand and, screwing up his eyes, looked around the whole company.
Vous vous enrolez pour la guerre, mon prince? [Are you going to war, prince?] said Anna Pavlovna.
- Le general Koutouzoff, - said Bolkonsky, striking on the last syllable zoff, like a Frenchman, - a bien voulu de moi pour aide de camp ... [General Kutuzov wants me to be his adjutant.]
– Et Lise, votre femme? [And Lisa, your wife?]
She will go to the village.
“How is it not a sin for you to deprive us of your lovely wife?”
- Andre, [Andrei,] - said his wife, addressing her husband in the same coquettish tone that she addressed to outsiders, - what a story the viscount told us about m lle Georges and Bonaparte!
Prince Andrei closed his eyes and turned away. Pierre, who had not taken his joyful, friendly eyes from the moment Prince Andrei entered the living room, went up to him and took his hand. Prince Andrei, without looking back, wrinkled his face into a grimace, expressing annoyance at the one who touched his hand, but, seeing Pierre's smiling face, he smiled an unexpectedly kind and pleasant smile.
- That's how! ... And you are in the big world! he said to Pierre.
“I knew you would,” Pierre answered. “I will come to you for supper,” he added quietly, so as not to disturb the viscount, who continued his story. - Can?
“No, you can’t,” said Prince Andrei, laughing, shaking hands letting Pierre know that there was no need to ask.
He wanted to say something else, but at that time Prince Vasily and his daughter got up, and two young men got up to give them way.
“Excuse me, my dear viscount,” said Prince Vasily to the Frenchman, gently pulling him by the sleeve down to the chair so that he would not get up. “This unfortunate feast at the Messenger’s is depriving me of my pleasure and interrupting you. I am very sad to leave your delightful evening,” he said to Anna Pavlovna.
His daughter, Princess Helen, lightly holding the folds of her dress, went between the chairs, and the smile shone even brighter on her beautiful face. Pierre looked with almost frightened, enthusiastic eyes at this beauty when she passed him.
“Very good,” said Prince Andrei.
“Very,” said Pierre.
Passing by, Prince Vasily grabbed Pierre by the hand and turned to Anna Pavlovna.
“Educate me this bear,” he said. - Here he lives with me for a month, and for the first time I see him in the light. Nothing is needed young man as a society of smart women.

Anna Pavlovna smiled and promised to take care of Pierre, who, she knew, was a paternal relative of Prince Vasily. The elderly lady, who had previously been sitting with ma tante, hastily got up and overtook Prince Vasily in the hall. All the old pretense of interest was gone from her face. Her kind, weepy face expressed only anxiety and fear.
- What will you tell me, prince, about my Boris? she said, catching up with him in the front. (She pronounced the name Boris with a special emphasis on o). – I cannot stay longer in Petersburg. Tell me, what news can I bring to my poor boy?
Despite the fact that Prince Vasily listened reluctantly and almost impolitely to the elderly lady and even showed impatience, she smiled affectionately and touchingly at him and, so that he would not leave, took his hand.
“That you should say a word to the sovereign, and he will be directly transferred to the guards,” she asked.
“Believe me that I will do everything I can, princess,” answered Prince Vasily, “but it’s hard for me to ask the sovereign; I would advise you to turn to Rumyantsev, through Prince Golitsyn: that would be smarter.
The elderly lady bore the name of Princess Drubetskaya, one of the best families in Russia, but she was poor, long gone from the world and lost her former connections. She has come now to secure a position in the guards for her only son. Only then, in order to see Prince Vasily, did she name herself and come to Anna Pavlovna's for the evening, only then did she listen to the history of the viscount. She was frightened by the words of Prince Vasily; once her beautiful face expressed anger, but this lasted only a minute. She smiled again and gripped Prince Vasili more firmly by the arm.
“Listen, prince,” she said, “I never asked you, I will never ask, I never reminded you of my father’s friendship for you. But now, I conjure you by God, do this for my son, and I will consider you a benefactor,” she added hastily. - No, you are not angry, but you promise me. I asked Golitsyn, he refused. Soyez le bon enfant que vous avez ete, [Be a good fellow, as you were,] she said, trying to smile, while there were tears in her eyes.
“Papa, we will be late,” said Princess Helene, turning her beautiful head on antique shoulders, who was waiting at the door.
But influence in the world is a capital that must be protected so that it does not disappear. Prince Vasily knew this, and once he realized that if he began to ask for everyone who asks him, then soon he would not be able to ask for himself, he rarely used his influence. In the case of Princess Drubetskaya, however, after her new call, he felt something like a reproach of conscience. She reminded him of the truth: he owed his first steps in the service to her father. In addition, he saw from her methods that she was one of those women, especially mothers, who, once taking something into their heads, will not lag behind until they fulfill their desires, otherwise they are ready for daily, every minute pestering and even on the stage. This last consideration shook him.
“Chere Anna Mikhailovna,” he said with his usual familiarity and boredom in his voice, “it is almost impossible for me to do what you want; but in order to prove to you how much I love you and honor the memory of your late father, I will do the impossible: your son will be transferred to the guards, here is my hand to you. Are you satisfied?
- My dear, you are a benefactor! I did not expect anything else from you; I knew how kind you are.
He wanted to leave.
- Wait, two words. Une fois passe aux gardes ... [Once he goes to the guards ...] - She hesitated: - You are good with Mikhail Ilarionovich Kutuzov, recommend Boris to him as adjutant. Then I would be calm, and then I would...
Prince Vasily smiled.
- I don't promise that. You do not know how Kutuzov has been besieged since he was appointed commander in chief. He himself told me that all the Moscow ladies conspired to give him all their children as adjutants.
“No, promise me, I won’t let you in, dear, my benefactor…
- Dad! - the beauty repeated again in the same tone, - we will be late.
- Well, au revoir, [goodbye,] goodbye. See?
- So tomorrow you will report to the sovereign?
- Certainly, but I do not promise Kutuzov.
“No, promise, promise, Basile, [Vasily],” Anna Mikhailovna said after him, with a smile of a young coquette, which once must have been characteristic of her, but now did not suit her emaciated face.
She apparently forgot her years and used, out of habit, all the old women's means. But as soon as he left, her face again assumed the same cold, feigned expression that had been on it before. She returned to the circle, in which the viscount continued to talk, and again pretended to be listening, waiting for the time to leave, since her business was done.
“But how do you find all this latest comedy du sacre de Milan?” [Milanese anointing?] – said Anna Pavlovna. Et la nouvelle comedie des peuples de Genes et de Lucques, qui viennent presenter leurs voeux a M. Buonaparte assis sur un trone, et exaucant les voeux des nations! Adorable! Non, mais c "est a en devenir folle! On dirait, que le monde entier a perdu la tete. [And here is a new comedy: the peoples of Genoa and Lucca express their desires to Mr. Bonaparte. And Mr. Bonaparte sits on the throne and fulfills the wishes of the peoples. 0! It's amazing! No, it's crazy. You'll think the whole world has lost its head.]
Prince Andrei grinned, looking directly into the face of Anna Pavlovna.
- “Dieu me la donne, gare a qui la touche,” he said (the words of Bonaparte, spoken at the laying of the crown). - On dit qu "il a ete tres beau en prononcant ces paroles, [God gave me the crown. Trouble for the one who touches it. - They say he was very good pronouncing these words,] - he added and repeated these words again in Italian: "Dio mi la dona, guai a chi la tocca".
- J "espere enfin," continued Anna Pavlovna, "que ca a ete la goutte d" eau qui fera deborder le verre. Les souverains ne peuvent plus supporter cet homme, qui menace tout. [I hope that it was finally the drop that would overflow the glass. Sovereigns can no longer tolerate this man who threatens everything.]
– Les souverains? Je ne parle pas de la Russie,” said the viscount politely and hopelessly: “Les souverains, madame!” Qu "ont ils fait pour Louis XVII, pour la reine, pour madame Elisabeth? Rien," he continued animatedly. - Et croyez moi, ils subissent la punition pour leur trahison de la cause des Bourbons. Les souverains? Ils envoient des ambassadeurs complimenter l "usurpateur. [Sovereigns! I'm not talking about Russia. Sovereigns! But what did they do for Louis XVII, for the queen, for Elizabeth? Nothing. And believe me, they are punished for their betrayal of the Bourbon cause. Sovereigns! They send envoys to greet the stealer of the throne.]
And he, with a contemptuous sigh, changed his position again. Prince Hippolyte, who had been looking at the viscount through a lorgnette for a long time, suddenly, at these words, turned his whole body to the little princess and, asking her for a needle, began to show her, drawing with a needle on the table, the coat of arms of Condé. He explained this coat of arms to her with such a significant air, as if the princess asked him about it.
- Baton de gueules, engrele de gueules d "azur - maison Conde, [A phrase that cannot be translated literally, as it consists of conditional heraldic terms that are not quite accurately used. The general meaning is this: The coat of arms of Conde represents a shield with red and blue narrow jagged stripes ,] he said.
The princess, smiling, listened.
“If Bonaparte remains on the throne of France for another year,” the viscount continued the conversation that had begun, with the air of a man who does not listen to others, but in a matter that he knows best of all, following only the course of his thoughts, “then things will go too far. By intrigue, violence, expulsions, executions, society, I mean a good society, French, will be destroyed forever, and then ...

Ivan Sereda was born on July 1, 1919 in a Ukrainian family that lived in the Donbass village of Aleksandrovka, and later moved to Galitsinovka, located in the same Maryinsky district. Like all his peers, Ivan was strong and dexterous, he perfectly mastered all the skills of rural work, but he chose a profession for himself a little unusual: he became a student at a food training plant located in Donetsk. In the autumn of 1939, the young man received a summons to military service, and continued to apply his profession already in army conditions. Ivan met the war as a cook of the 91st tank regiment, which was part of the corps of General Lelyushenko, who fought in the northwestern direction. After the retreat from Dvinsk (Daugavpils), captured by the forces of Manstein's corps, the tank division, which included the regiment of Ivan Sereda, took up defense east of the city. It was only the ninth day of the war, and the fighting practically did not stop. After the news of a new German attack, the tank crews moved towards them, and the cook Sereda remained near his field kitchen. The fighters of the economic platoon were sent to help the tankers, and Ivan was preparing dinner alone. At this time, German tank units were sent to bypass the defense Soviet troops and planned a strike from the rear. It is difficult to say why the crews of two PzKpfw38(t) tanks (of Czech design) decided to go through the forest hollow alone, perhaps they were attracted by the smoke from the field kitchen. Hearing the noise of approaching cars, Sereda led the horses further into the forest, after that he wanted to hide behind the trees himself, but then decided to arm himself with an ax and stay nearby, in the hope that the tanks would still pass by. The first crew, indeed, did not stop moving, but the second went straight to the boiler. At first, the Nazis seemed to be in for a funny surprise - an almost ready dinner and complete desertion. One of the tankers looked out of the hatch with a laugh. At this time, Sereda jumped with an ax onto the roof of the tank, the German slammed the hatch in surprise. A tarpaulin was fixed on top of the tank, with which the cook closed the viewing slots. The crew began to shoot from a machine gun, but it was impossible to hit Sereda, who was on the roof, in this way. Ivan hit the machine-gun barrel with the butt of an ax, and the weapon fell silent. The resourceful cook began to pound the hull of the tank with an ax and shout loudly, imitating the presence a large number of people. His task was also facilitated by the fact that the only weapon inside the tank was the commander's parabellum, and the regular MP40 machine guns were fixed on top of the armor. When the crew was sufficiently deafened by the noise, Sereda, who grabbed a German machine gun (according to other sources, a rifle carbine), waited until the hatch cover opened. At gunpoint, German tankers came out one at a time and tied each other up. The noise attracted the attention of the fighters of the infantry unit stationed nearby. Arriving at the scene, the soldiers saw four bound German tankers and Sereda holding them at gunpoint. After this event, the commander of the tank regiment appointed another fighter to the post of cook, and sent corporal Sereda to the command of the commander of the reconnaissance unit. The combat situation continued to be hot, and after a few days, Ivan Sereda again had to fight with the tank.

This time he was behind enemy lines, and their reconnaissance group was suddenly attacked by the Germans. Ivan Sereda, armed with RGD33 grenades, managed to get close to a German tank and blow it up. But even after that, the battle continued, the machine gunner of the group was killed, and the brave corporal took his place. With machine-gun fire, he managed to hit about ten fascist motorcyclists and put the enemy to flight. The reconnaissance group returned with a victory and considerable trophies, including captured motorcycles and three prisoners. For his valor at the end of August 1941, Ivan Sereda was presented with the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, the Order of Lenin and the Golden Star. The awards found him already in the hospital, where he was recovering from a serious injury. The ax of the hero-cook remained in the regiment and was preserved as a combat reminder. After recovering, Ivan Pavlovich served as commander of a rifle platoon near Leningrad, and during the fighting near Moscow he was commander of a rifle company that was part of the 30th Army. In February 1942, Ivan Sereda was seriously wounded. After leaving the hospital and completing his studies at the advanced training courses for command personnel, he continued his military service. In 1944, Lieutenant Sereda was again sent to study - this time to the cavalry school of Novocherkassk. After graduation, he was engaged in the food and fodder supply of the Eighth Guards Cavalry Regiment, and in the spring of 1945, during the offensive Soviet army, managed to establish exemplary supplies of food and ammunition in the conditions of separation from supply bases. After the war, Ivan Pavlovich was also awarded the Order patriotic war II degree, as well as medals for participation in the defense of Moscow and Leningrad. After being transferred to the reserve, Senior Lieutenant Sereda returned to his native Alexandrovka, where he headed the village council. Unfortunately, the consequences of severe injuries made themselves felt - Ivan Pavlovich passed away in the fall of 1950, having lived only 31 years.