Fyodor Fyodorovich Shilyayev, an eyelid of the century, was born at the Verkhotury station (now the Sverdlovsk region) in the family of a railway worker. At the age of 14 he began to work.
During the Civil War he coached on an armoured train that crushed the Kolchakovites in the Urals. In 1929 he participated in liquidation of conflict in CEL.
Since 1942 as a part of military formations from Kazakhstan Fedor Fedorovich went to front.
Brave, enterprising commander, he fought heroically, skillfully commanded a platoon of sappers, always was ahead, where it is harder and more dangerous.
Wounded. Hospital. And again, the front.
It was 1944. The Soviet people, who rose to the Great Patriotic War, drove the Nazi invaders out of their country. Hitlerites clung to every scrap of land, every house. The department of sappers-attackers under the command of Petty Officer Shilyaev took part in the battles to break through the German defense and force the Western Dvina west of Vitebsk. June 24, 1944 Shilyaev’s detachment as part of the assault rifle battalion attacked the enemy’s stronghold – Shumilino. The company of Hitlerites, supported by tanks, went on a counteroffensive. Petty Officer Shilyaev let the enemy’s infantry and tanks down by a hundred meters, and then with fire from a hand machine gun and assault rifles of his platoon, the enemy’s infantry section from the tanks. The counterattack was repulsed, the stronghold was taken.
On the night of July 25, while forcing the Western Dvina River (near Vitebsk), Petty Officer Shilyayev was ordered to build a raft. This is how Fyodor Fyodorovich himself told about it. (newspaper “Motherland calls”):
“The commander of the unit called me and said: “I need a raft. I give 20 minutes for the construction. Drop the raft on the water and cross with your sappers to the other side. Is that clear?” It was clear to me. I knew fascists shouldn’t be given a break. I knew it was impossible to build a raft in 20 minutes under enemy fire. But I also knew that I would build a raft after all. We started working. The fire increased with every minute… Everything was humming, moaning and out…
We were working. Land and water were boiling from shells and mines. The first wounded and killed appeared. After 15 minutes, I reported to the commander:
- Your order has been carried out!
- To the other side! – He gave a short order, but I knew from my eyes and voice that it worked well.
We sank down and set sail. When this group landed on the opposite shore, the Hitlerites opened fire. Supporting the actions of the crossed platoon, Petty Officer Shilyaev led his sappers into attack. Pushing the enemy off the shore, digging up, the infantry covered the further crossing with fire.
During the night our squad dropped 6 rafts on the water. Rifle units that crossed to the opposite shore continued their successful advance to the west”.
A humble, brave warrior did not even think what a feat he had done on this predawn morning.
By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of July 22, 1944, petty officer, commander of the branch of the 22nd Independent Assault Engineer Battalion of the 5th Assault Engineer Brigade 43-1 of the Army of the 1st Baltic Front, Fedor Shilyaev was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union for his services in forcing the Western Dvina.
In September 1944 Shilyaev was seriously wounded. After demobilization he lived in Karaganda. He died here in November 1968. He was buried in Mikhailovsky cemetery.
The material is published on the basis of the book published in Bolashak Baspa and on the Internet.
Qaharman karagandylyktar = Heroes of Karaganda [Text]: a collection of biographical information / ed. Zh. S. Akylbaev, A. A. Abdakimov, N. O. Dulatbekov, R. K. Omarbekova. – Karaganda: Bolashak-Baspa, 2000. – – 146 p.
