Vasily Pavlovich
Kislyakov
1916-1990
Vasily Pavlovich Kislyakov was the assistant platoon commander of a separate degassing company of the Murmansk fortified area; the commander of the marine volunteer detachment of the Northern Fleet, a senior sergeant; the first Hero of the Soviet Union in the Northern Fleet. He was born on February 7 (20), 1916 in the village of Sredny Bugaevo (now the Ust-Tsilemsky district of the Komi Republic) in a peasant family. He finished 4 grades of school. He worked in his father’s farm, since 1930 he worked on the ships of the Pechora River Shipping Company. He was in the Soviet Navy since 1937. He served in the Northern Fleet, served in military construction, machine gun and chemical units. He was a participant of the Great Patriotic War since June 1941. Senior Sergeant Vasily Kislyakov was one of the first North Sea sailors who went to the land front when the combat situation demanded it. He was a member of the CPSU (b)/CPSU since 1942. Senior Sergeant Vasily Pavlovich Kislyakov distinguished himself in the Murmansk defensive operation in the summer of 1941 as the assistant to the platoon commander of a separate degassing company of the Murmansk fortified area and the commander of the department of the marine volunteer detachment of the Northern Fleet. In the period from July 14 to July 18, 1941, in one of the battles, the assistant platoon commander of a separate degassing company, senior sergeant V.P. Kislyakov, replaced the killed platoon commander and together with the fighters captured the Nameless height near the mouth of the Bolshaya Zapadnaya River in the Murmansk region, and took up defence. When the ammunition ran out, he ordered the soldiers to withdraw, and he covered the departure of his comrades. He fired from a machine gun, rifle and captured weapons, and when he ran out of ammunition – with grenades. Leading an unequal battle with hundreds of Nazis, Senior Sergeant V.P. Kislyakov created the appearance of having an entire unit at the height. He held the altitude for several hours, until reinforcements arrived. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated August 13, 1941, Senior Sergeant Vasily Pavlovich Kislyakov was awarded the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union, with the award of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal for his heroism in the battles against the Nazi invaders. He became the first in the Northern Fleet to be awarded this highest degree of distinction. Then he served in the headquarters of the coastal defence of the Northern Fleet. In 1943, V.P. Kislyakov completed the Advanced Training Courses for the Command Staff in Arkhangelsk. Since 1943, he fought in the 12th separate brigade of the Northern Fleet Marines as the assistant Chief of Staff of the battalion for intelligence and the commander of a company of submachine gunners. Since January 1945 he was the Company commander of the 143rd separate Marine Battalion of the Danube Military Flotilla. He participated in several amphibious landings in the Northern Fleet, the Petsamo-Kirkinese, Budapest and Vienna offensive operations. He was a member of the CPSU (b)/CPSU since 1942. After the Victory, he continued to serve in the Navy. He served in the marine corps units of the Black Sea Fleet, since 1948 as the company commander in the coastal part of the Baltic Fleet at the naval base Parkalla-Ud (Finland). Since 1955, Captain V.P. Kislyakov was in reserve.
Address: Moscow, Dmitrovskoe shosse., 137A
