Alexander Andreevich
Kolesov
1922-1994
Alexander Andreevich Kolesov was a Colonel of the Soviet Army, participant of the Great Patriotic War, the Hero of the Soviet Union. He was born on February 1, 1922 on the farm Sukhovsky (now the Alekseevsky district of the Volgograd region). After finishing seven grades of school, he worked as a radio operator, then as an assistant projectionist in the district recreation center. In May 1941 he was called up to serve in the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army. Since October of the same year, he was on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. In 1942 he completed the joint advanced training courses for the Airborne command staff. By October 1943, Guards Lieutenant Alexander Kolesov had commanded a platoon of anti-tank rifles of the 8th Guards Airborne Regiment of the 3rd Guards Airborne Division of the 60th Army of the Central Front. He distinguished himself during the Battle of the Dnieper. On October 5, 1943, during the battles on the bridgehead on the western bank of the Dnieper, he destroyed two German self-propelled artillery installations along with their calculations, thanks to which the Soviet units successfully repelled the counterattack. By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR “On conferring the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union to generals, officers, sergeants and enlisted personnel of the Red Army” dated January 10, 1944, for “exemplary performance of combat missions of the command at the front of the struggle against the Nazi invaders and the courage and heroism shown at the same time”, he was awarded the high title of the Hero of the Soviet Union with the award the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal. In 1946 he was discharged from the reserve with the rank of captain. In 1949-1974 he served in the army again, was discharged in the reserve with the rank of colonel. He lived in Moscow. He died on July 31, 1994. He was also awarded the Orders of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree and the “Badge of Honor”, a number of medals.
Address: Moscow, Yunykh Lenintsev str., 5
