It so happened that the life of Natalya Kovshova was very short, but, despite this, the girl lived her in such a way that the whole country is still proud of the feat of an ordinary young girl.
Life before the war
November 26, 1920 in the capital of Bashkiria (Ufa), in the family of ordinary workers, a girl was born. Her father and mother could not even imagine that on this day, thanks to them, a real warrior was born who would not give mercy to the enemy. But so far it was the most ordinary child.
As soon as the girl grew up a little, the Kovshov family moved to Moscow, where Natasha went to school (School No. 281, today No. 1284).
In the pre-war period, Soviet youth literally from the school bench was preparing to defend their homeland. Natalia did not stand aside: the girl entered Osoaviahim, where she took a training course in bullet shooting, according to the results of which she was awarded the title "Voroshilovsky shooter".
Having received a graduation certificate at school, the girl got a job at the Orgaviaprom Trust as an inspector of the personnel department, while preparing to enter the Aviation Institute (MAI). However, Natasha’s plans were not destined to come true - the war began: Germany, despite the previously concluded non-aggression pact, invaded the territory of the USSR.
Start of war
From the very first days of the war, Natalya Kovshova strove to help the country fight the enemy by joining the civilian air defense fighter team. Their task was to extinguish incendiary bombs that fell on the roofs of houses. However, this was not enough for her: the girl wanted to go to the front. And a certain help in achieving the goal was provided to Natasha by the previously acquired shooting experience.
On July 26, 1941, a girl was sent to special courses on a Komsomol ticket, where she was to undergo sniper training. And already here the girl excelled, being among the best graduates. And in October of that year, Natalya Kovshova was enlisted in the third rifle division, formed from the people's militia and deployed in Moscow.
Young sniper combat experience
Natalia spent her first battle in the fall of 1941, when her division defended the capital from the enemy. And in January 1942 the girl was sent to the North-Western Front, where she was enlisted as a sniper in the 528th regiment of the 130th Rifle Division, which is part of the First Army.
According to information received from the award sheet for Natalya Venediktovna Kovshova, the girl took an active part in almost all military operations conducted by the regiment.
So, in battles for the village of Novaya Rossa, Natasha destroyed eleven Germans within two days, most of whom were snipers or, as they were called in military jargon, “cuckoos”.
Five more Nazis died at her hand near the village of Guchkovo. In this battle, Natasha saved the life of the seriously wounded commander of the third battalion of Art. Lieutenant Ivanov, pulling him out of the battlefield under hurricane fire of the enemy. In addition, the girl combined her main work - a sniper - with the duties of a signalman.
During the fighting for the village of Velikushu, 12 fascists died at the hands of Kovshova. In addition, Natalya, along with a friend as young as herself, a friend and also a sniper - Masha Polivanova - destroyed the machine gun crew of the Nazis, which provided the opportunity to complete the attack to her unit.
In the battle for vil. Bolshaya Vragovo Natalia destroyed six more German soldiers, but was wounded by fragments from the shell: both arms and legs were injured, but she remained in service until the end of the battle, refusing to leave her position.
The girl was discharged from the hospital, without even waiting until the wounds healed completely. Returning to the unit, sniper Natalya Kovshova continued her work. Soon officially on her account there were already 167 murdered Nazis, although according to the testimony of Georgy Balovnev (her fellow soldier), their real number reached two hundred.
Natalya Kovshova - Hero of the Soviet Union
On August 14, 1942, the regiment in which Natalya served fought north of the Ryabye River (Novgorod Region). Kovshova and Polivanov as part of a sniper group were sent to positions in the village of Sutoki-Byakovo, where they soon had to join the battle.
During the confrontation, the group lost its commander, and Natalya took over its functions. Constantly changing their positions, snipers held back the advance of the Germans. During the next Nazi attack, the soldiers waited until the Germans were no more than thirty meters from their location, after which they opened fire. The German attack “choked”, but not for long, the superiority in manpower affected, and soon the Germans resumed the offensive. By that time, three of the entire defending group remained alive: Natasha, her friend Masha Polivanova and the badly wounded fighter Novikov, so only girls could fire back.
Having numerous wounds, the two girls fired back until the last bullet was sent towards the enemy. As a result, of the ammunition they only had four hand grenades. Two of them flew towards the approaching Germans. The remaining girls saved for themselves. Of course, they could have surrendered and possibly survived, but they preferred death to captivity. The girls blew themselves up when the Germans came close to their shelter, destroying another dozen Nazis.
For their dedication and courage, both girls were posthumously awarded the Order of Lenin and the Golden Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union.
Tribute to the heroes
N. Kovshova and M. Polivanova were buried in the village of Korovitchino, where an obelisk was erected to pay tribute to their feat.
Ufa and Moscow rightfully consider Natalia Kovshova their “daughter”. In this regard, one of the streets of the capital bears her name. Also in Ufa there is a street named after the girl sniper.
A memorial plaque hangs on the wall of the school in Moscow where Kovshova studied . In addition, streets in the cities of Chelyabinsk and Staraya Russa, as well as the villages of Zaluchye, Marevo and Mesyagutovo, are named in honor of Natasha.
It should be noted that back in 1944 the USSR Post specially issued a commemorative stamp in honor of the exploit of two girls.
And in the seventies, the name of Natalia Kovshova was one of the ships.
Natasha and Masha, when they accomplished the feat, were a little over twenty years old, but the girls, without hesitation, gave their lives for their homeland, becoming for both their contemporaries and their descendants an example of true patriotism.