Aleksey Afanasyevich Pasko (; 1 March 1916 – 4 April 1997) was a

junior lieutenant Junior lieutenant is a junior officer rank in several countries, comparable to Sub-lieutenant. Germany In East Germany's National People's Army, the rank of () was introduced in 1956 and used until German reunification in 1990. Eastern Europe ...

of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

. He fought in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, being awarded the title of

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...

in 1945.

Biography

Aleksey Afanasyevich Pasko was born on 1 March 1916, in

Yekaterinoslav Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...

, in a family of employees. He was an ethnic Ukrainian. After graduating from the Poltava Medical College, he worked in a photo team. In 1940, Pasko was called up for service in the

by the Novo-Senzharsky District Military Commissariat. From July 1942 he was on the fronts of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In 1944, Pasko graduated from the . In battles he was

shell-shocked Shell shock is a term that originated during World War I to describe symptoms similar to those of combat stress reaction and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which many soldiers suffered during the war. Before PTSD was officially recogni ...

.A. A. Pasko on the site warheroes.ru
/ref> By January 1945, Junior Technician-Lieutenant Aleksey Pasko was a tank driver of the 13th Guards Separate Heavy Tank Regiment of the 4th Tank Army of the

1st Ukrainian Front The 1st Ukrainian Front (), previously the Voronezh Front (), was a major formation of the Red Army during World War II, being equivalent to a Western army group. They took part in the capture of Berlin, the capital of Nazi Germany. Wartime ...

. He distinguished himself during the liberation of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. Pasko's crew, together with a group of submachine gunners, attacked a large group of enemy troops near the city of

Kobylin Kobylin () is a town in Krotoszyn County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland, with 3,130 inhabitants (2010). History In the Early Middle Ages it was a market settlement, which became part of the emerging Polish state in the 10th century, as par ...

, destroying 1 tank, 5 artillery pieces and 30 enemy soldiers and officers. When, 12 kilometres southwest of Kobylin, Pasko's tank became immobilised to a malfunction, Pasko, with the tank crew and submachine gunners, repelled the attacks of the Nazis for three days, destroying an enemy armoured personnel carrier, five vehicles and many enemy fighters. When the tank was completely destroyed, Pasko covered the retreat of his comrades to the nearby village of Penkovo with machine-gun fire, after which he took refuge with his comrades from local residents, where he waited for reinforcements to arrive. By decree of the Presidium of the

Supreme Soviet of the USSR The Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (SSUSSR) was the highest body of state authority of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1936 to 1991. Based on the principle of unified power, it was the only branch of government in the S ...

of 10 April 1945, for "exemplary performance of combat missions of the command and the courage and heroism shown at the same time," junior technician-lieutenant Aleksey Pasko was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

and the Gold Star medal with the number 7480. In 1946, Pasko was transferred to the reserve. He lived and worked in the settlement of Vysokyi,

Kharkiv Raion Kharkiv Raion () is a raion (district) of Kharkiv Oblast in eastern Ukraine. Its capital (political), administrative center is the city of Kharkiv. Population: On 18 July 2020, as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, the number of rai ...

Kharkiv Oblast Kharkiv Oblast (, ), also referred to as Kharkivshchyna (), is an oblast (province) in eastern Ukraine. Kharkiv borders Luhansk Oblast to the east, Donetsk Oblast to the southeast, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast to the southwest, Poltava Oblast to the w ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

, at a furniture factory. He died on 4 April 1997, and was buried in Vysoky. He was also awarded the Orders of the Patriotic War of the 1st and 2nd degrees, and a number of medals.А. А. Пасько на сайте «память народа»
/ref>

Books

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pasko, Aleksey 1916 births 1997 deaths Heroes of the Soviet Union Soviet military personnel of World War II Military personnel from Dnipro Recipients of the Order of Lenin