Alexei Orekhov was one of the "small heroes" of the war - honored veterans of their field, who made a certain contribution to the victory, but were almost forgotten by their descendants. People like Orekhov were neither martyrs, like Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, nor prominent commanders-in-chief, like Zhukov. They were just people who did their job well, just like most of us do.
Alexey Egorovich Orekhov: the early years
Our hero was born on March 15, 1915 in the village of Shlyakhovo, which is now part of the Korchansky district of the Belgorod region. He grew up in a simple peasant family, graduated from a village school, and after the revolution he worked as a laborer already in the new, Soviet Russia. The first years of the war, Alexei Orekhov managed to spend in his native village, but in 1943 he was still drafted into the Soviet army to defend the country from German invaders.
Front Service
Once on the front line, our hero became a coherent 569th Infantry Regiment. In this regiment, he proved himself an executive officer and at times a very brave fighter. Fighting in the 161st Infantry Division, he distinguished himself during the battles for the Dnieper. Crossing this mighty Ukrainian river in the Cherkasy region, the 161st division could be sure that it would not lose touch with the General Staff and other divisions, despite the Germans' increased attempts to break it. And all thanks to the efforts of Aleksey Orekhov - an excellent signalman and a heroic soldier, who miraculously combined professional front-line duties with direct participation in the battles.
Already in October 1943, our hero became the owner of the Order of Lenin, and was also awarded the Gold Star Medal. Subsequently, this fighter was also awarded the title of Hero of the USSR.
Post-war time
Having successfully lived to Victory, Alexey Orekhov returned to his homeland and, having received several more awards, settled in his native village. Until the very end of his life, he worked on a collective farm. Our hero died at the end of July 1988, in the midst of perestroika. Until the collapse of the country, which he defended by faith and truth, he did not live.