Whoever Heroes of the Soviet Union were. In their circles met writers, musicians, public figures, and teachers. Krenkel Ernst Teodorovich also joined their ranks, as one of the best polar explorers and radio operators.
Youth
Krenkel Ernst Theodorovich - Soviet radio operator, polar explorer and participant in many expeditions in the Arctic, was born December 24, 1903 in the city of Bialystok. Then this territory belonged to the Russian Empire, today it is Poland. Being representatives of the working intelligentsia and having a decent income, the Krenkel family did everything so that their children received a worthy education.
Moving to Moscow took place in 1910. Three years later, the boy began to study in a gymnasium at the Swiss church, however, the outbreak of the war did not give him a chance to finish it. Times were difficult and the young man, not disdaining even the most difficult work, took up it to help his parents. He packed parcels, was a mechanic's assistant, put up posters and helped an electrician. But this was not enough for a capable young man, and already in 1921 he took courses of wireless telegraphists, lasting nine months. It was this step that changed his whole life.
Start of work
He got to his first job by distribution. It was a Lyubertsy radio station. And this despite the fact that graduates of such courses usually first went to the labor exchange in search of work. Deciding to continue to improve his skills, Krenkel entered the radio technical school. Two years later, he abandoned his work and studies. He was drawn to the sea, and he went to Leningrad with the firm intention of getting into the fleet. But instead, he ended up on his first expedition to the Arctic Ocean. Other radio operators did not agree - the salary is small, the duration is a whole year. Ernst was not afraid and went on an expedition.
It turned out that his temperament, goodwill, a good sense of humor - just what you need for a real polar explorer. Krenkel's call sign was RAEM, his radio operators and polar explorers all over the North knew. In 1929 there was an expedition to the l / p “G. Sedov. " After the international expedition on the airship "Count Zeppelin", and many others that have become significant in the history of the study of the Arctic.
Station "North Pole 1"
In 1936, after returning to Moscow, Ernst did not do anything special for some time. However, already in May 1937 he and three other polar explorers landed on the ice of the North Pole. The leadership of this expedition was headed by I.D. Papanin. They started working at the North Pole 1 station. The work program included observations of various nature: meteorological, oceanographic, geophysical, oceanological.
In order to make the observations as valuable as possible, all their results had to be promptly and regularly sent to scientific centers. And it depended precisely on radio communications. The Soviet polar explorer and radio operator Krenkel coped with this task perfectly, even despite the difficult weather conditions and heavy workload. He sent all the reports four times a day.
He managed, in addition to his main duties, to keep in touch with a huge number of short-wave amateur. He enthusiastically helped his expedition colleagues. The station was drifting, so no one was surprised that one day the ice floe collapsed and the whole team left their tent. The radio station was made after in the open air, but even this did not prevent Ernst from continuing to transmit information. Thanks to this, icebreaking steamers nevertheless approached the station and helped the polar explorers. The work of the expedition was deservedly appreciated.
Honoring the memory of ancestors
Krenkel Ernst Teodorovich always remembered the story of his family and was never ashamed of it. His ancestors arrived in Russia from Germany, and he himself was German by birth. They arrived to watch the sheep. In the XIX century, his ancestor was an ordinary baker, who worked in Kharkov. In the same city, Ernst's father was born. The father's name was Theodore, but his father, that is, the grandfather of the Soviet polar explorer, was called Ernst. The polar explorer also named his son in honor of his father, Theodore, continuing the unspoken family tradition.
Krenkel’s grandmother promised that her son Theodore would devote himself to God, truly believing that he survived, only thanks to the help of the Most High. So, Theodore entered the theological faculty and even prepared to eventually become a pastor. But suddenly, he decided to change his life and moved to the Faculty of Philology. So he became a teacher of Latin and German. Ernst's mother, Maria Kestner, was also a teacher.
Recognized hero
The activities of the Soviet radio operator and polar explorer did not go unnoticed. Krenkel Ernst Teodorovich received the most honorable award - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In addition, among his awards:
• Order of the Red Banner of Labor;
• Two orders of the Red Star ;
• Two orders of Lenin;
But this honorable regalia did not end there. The streets of many cities are named in its part: Moscow, Donetsk, Krasny Klyuch, Yekaterinburg, Mariupol. In addition, his name is the polar station of hydrometeorology on the Franz Josef Land archipelago, as well as the bay in the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago near the island of Komsomolets.
Krenkel Museum
Another very significant tribute to the polar explorer is the opening of a museum named after him. The E.T.Krenkel Museum is located in Moscow. It was created in 2005, and the exhibits were taken from the collection of the Central Radio Club of the USSR. Only 3,000 copies. You can get there absolutely free of charge, but only after agreeing on the time of the visit.