Aleksey Orekhov was one of the "minor heroes" of the war - honored veterans of their field, who made a certain contribution to the victory, but were practically forgotten by their descendants. People like Orekhov were neither martyrs, like Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, nor outstanding commanders-in-chief, like Zhukov. They were just people doing quality work, just like most of us.
Alexey Egorovich Orekhov: 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 worked as a laborer in the new, Soviet Russia. Alexei Orekhov managed to spend the first years of the war in his native village, but in 1943 he was nevertheless drafted into the Soviet army to defend the country from the German invaders.
Service at the front
Having got to the front line, our hero became a liaison officer of the 569th Infantry Regiment. In this regiment, he proved to be executiveworker 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 contact with the General Staff and the rest of the divisions, despite the intensified attempts of the Germans to cut it off. And all thanks to the efforts of Alexei Orekhov, an excellent signalman and heroic soldier, who miraculously combined professional front-line duties with direct participation in 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
Having successfully lived up to the Victory, Alexei 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. Before the collapse of the country, which he defended faithfully, he did not live.
