SEREDA Ivan Pavlovich

first in the brigade

Date of birth: 07/01/1919
Place of birth: s. Aleksandrovka (now the administration of the city of Kramatorsk, Donetsk region of Ukraine)

Date of death: 1950
Place of death: Alexandrovka
Title: Red Army soldier, Art. lieutenant
Awards: Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal, Order of the Patriotic War II degree.
Born on July 1, 1919 in the village of Aleksandrovka, now the administration of the city of Kramatorsk, Donetsk region of Ukraine, in a peasant family.

Lived in the village of Galitsinovka, Maryinsky district, Donetsk region of Ukraine. Ukrainian. Graduated from the Donetsk Food Training Plant.
In the Red Army since 1939.

Member of the Great Patriotic War since June 1941.

Ivan Pavlovich Sereda (1919-1950) - Soviet officer, participant in the Great Patriotic War, Hero of the Soviet Union (1941). Guards senior lieutenant of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army.
In August 1941, the cook of the 91st tank regiment of the 46th tank division of the 21st mechanized corps, Red Army soldier I.P. Sereda, especially distinguished himself in the Daugavpils region (now Latvia). Armed only with a rifle and an ax, he disarmed a German tank that drove up to the Soviet field kitchen and captured four tankers.
After being transferred to the reserve in 1945, he lived in the village of Aleksandrovka, Donetsk region, and worked as chairman of the village council.

Born on July 1, 1919 in the village of Aleksandrovka, now part of the city of Kramatorsk in Ukraine, into a peasant family. Ukrainian. Together with his family, he moved to the village of Galitsinovka, Maryinsky district, Donetsk region. Graduated from Donetsk Food College.
In November 1939, Ivan Sereda was drafted into the ranks of the Red Army (Snezhnyansky RVC of the Stalin region of the Ukrainian SSR). He served as a cook in the 91st tank regiment of the 46th tank division of the 21st mechanized corps. Red Army soldier I. P. Sereda on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War since June 1941.
In August 1941, near the city of Dvinsk (now Daugavpils, Latvia), he cooked dinner for the Red Army. At this time, he saw a German tank moving towards the field kitchen. Being armed only with a rifle and an ax, Ivan Sereda took cover behind the kitchen, and the tank, having driven up to the kitchen, stopped and the crew began to get out of it.
At that moment, Ivan Sereda jumped out from behind the kitchen and rushed to the tank. The crew immediately took cover in the tank, and Ivan Sereda jumped onto the armor. When the tankers opened fire from a machine gun, Ivan Sereda bent the machine gun barrel with ax blows, and then closed the viewing slots of the tank with a piece of tarpaulin. Then he began to knock on the armor with the butt of an ax, while giving orders to the Red Army soldiers, who were not around, to throw grenades at the tank. The crew of the tank surrendered, and Ivan Sereda, at gunpoint, forced them to tie each other's hands. When the fighters of the infantry unit arrived, they saw a tank and four German tankers tied up. According to the commander of the 21st mechanized corps, Major General D. D. Lelyushenko, "by his brave deed he showed an exceptional example of heroism."
Later, the Red Army soldier I.P. Sereda distinguished himself in reconnaissance behind enemy lines, when German soldiers discovered Soviet observers and tried to capture them, he crawled up to a German tank and blew it up with a bunch of grenades. Then he replaced the killed machine gunner and with well-aimed fire destroyed more than ten German motorcyclists. The reconnaissance group fought off the pressing German soldiers and returned to their unit with trophies and 3 prisoners.
In July and August 1941 he was wounded (the second time - seriously).
Presentation of the Gold Star medal to IP Sereda, Northwestern Front (October 1941).

By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 31, 1941, "for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command on the front of the fight against the Nazi invaders and the courage and heroism shown at the same time," Red Army soldier Sereda Ivan Pavlovich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold medal. Star" (No. 507).
The award to I.P. Sereda was solemnly presented in October 1941 on the North-Western Front. According to the memoirs of fellow soldier I.P. Sereda V. Bezvitelnov, his ax was kept in the unit as a military relic. The feat of Ivan Sereda was widely popularized during the war years, and was reflected on Soviet propaganda posters. Subsequently, this led to the fact that many began to believe that the "chef Sereda" is a myth, but the reality of Ivan Sereda and his exploits are documented.
From October 10 to November 23, 1941, I.P. Sereda commanded a platoon of the 4th Infantry Regiment of the 46th Infantry Division of the 1st Shock Army, and participated in the defense of Leningrad. Then, from November 27 to January 5, 1942, he took part in the battle for Moscow, commanded a company of the 7th Infantry Regiment of the 185th Infantry Division of the 30th Army.
In February 1942 he was seriously wounded. In 1942, I.P. Sereda graduated from the advanced training courses for command personnel, and in 1944, the Novocherkassk Cavalry School. Guards Senior Lieutenant I.P. Sereda served as assistant chief of food and economic allowances of the 8th Guards Cavalry Regiment of the 2nd Guards Cavalry Division.
In the period from April 14 to May 3, 1945, despite the separation of cavalrymen from supply bases and the complexity of the combat situation, it reliably provided personnel with food and ammunition. This allowed the regiment to successfully fight, which was noted by the regiment commander: on May 21, 1945, I.P. Sereda was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, II degree.
In 1945, with the rank of senior lieutenant, he was transferred to the reserve. He worked as the chairman of the village council in the village of Aleksandrovka, Donetsk region.
He died unexpectedly on November 18, 1950.

Soviet state awards and titles:
Hero of the Soviet Union (August 31, 1941, Gold Star medal No. 507);
Order of Lenin (August 31, 1941);
Order of the Patriotic War II degree (May 21, 1945);
medals including:
medal "For the Defense of Leningrad" (September 1, 1945);
medal "For the Defense of Moscow" (September 1, 1945).

Memory
In the city of Daugavpils, streets were named after him and a memorial plaque was installed (but after the collapse of the USSR, the street was renamed and the plaque was removed). Also, streets in the city of Balti (now the Republic of Moldova) and in the village of Galitsinovka, Maryinsky district, Donetsk region, are named after him, where an obelisk was erected to him.

Sereda Ivan Pavlovich - cook of the 91st tank regiment of the 46th tank division of the 21st mechanized corps of the North-Western Front, Red Army soldier.
Born on July 1, 1919 in the village of Aleksandrovka, now the administration of the city of Kramatorsk, Donetsk region of Ukraine, in a peasant family. Lived in the village of Galitsinovka, Maryinsky district, Donetsk region of Ukraine. Ukrainian. Graduated from the Donetsk Food Training Plant.
In the Red Army since 1939. Member of the Great Patriotic War since June 1941.
The cook of the 91st Tank Regiment (46th Tank Division, 21st Mechanized Corps, Northwestern Front), Red Army soldier Ivan Sereda distinguished himself in August 1941 near the city of Dvinsk (Daugavpils, Latvia). He was preparing dinner in the woods when he heard the roar of a Nazi tank engine. Armed with a rifle and an ax, he crept up to a stopped Nazi tank, jumped onto the armor and with all his might slashed the machine gun barrel with an ax. Following this, he threw a piece of tarpaulin onto the viewing slot and drummed the butt on the armor, loudly ordering the imaginary fighters to prepare grenades for battle. When the soldiers of the infantry unit came running to the rescue. 4 enemy tankers who had surrendered were already on the ground.
Being with a group of fighters in reconnaissance behind enemy lines, when the Nazis discovered Soviet observers and tried to capture them, the Red Army soldier Sereda crawled up to a German tank with a bunch of grenades and blew it up. Then he replaced the killed machine gunner and with well-aimed fire destroyed more than ten fascist motorcyclists. The group fought off the attacking Nazis and returned to their unit with trophies and 3 prisoners.
By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 31, 1941, for the exemplary performance of the combat missions of the command on the front of the fight against the Nazi invaders and the courage and heroism shown at the same time, the Red Army soldier Sereda Ivan Pavlovich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 507).
In 1942, the brave warrior graduated from advanced training courses for command personnel, and in 1944, the Novocherkassk Cavalry School.
Since 1945, Senior Lieutenant Sereda I.P. - in reserve. He worked as the chairman of the Oleksandrovsky village council of the Donetsk region of Ukraine. He died untimely on November 18, 1950 at the age of 32.
He was awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Patriotic War of the 2nd degree, and medals.
Streets in the city of Daugavpils and in the village of Galitsinovka are named after the Hero. In memory of the glorious son of the Ukrainian people, Ivan Sereda, a memorial plaque was installed on the street in the city of Daugavpils and an obelisk in Galitsinovka.

The heroic feat that he accomplished is unprecedented and unique in the history of the Great Patriotic War.
It was hot August 1941. Our troops stubbornly fought off the fierce onslaught of the Nazi hordes in the Dvinsk region of the Latvian SSR. Ivan Sereda was then a cook.
Settling down with his kitchen in a hollow overgrown with woods, he prepared dinner for the warriors who defended the approaches to the city, and listened to the sounds of battle. It seemed to him that the situation on the front line seemed to be “not hot”, in an hour it would be possible to feed friends with delicious soup.
I was just dreaming, and suddenly, not far away, I heard the hum of an engine. Ivan looked out from behind a bush and could not believe his eyes - a tank with a fascist cross was crawling along a country road. The cook's heart trembled: “Trouble. Right there, almost next to the headquarters, - a thought flashed. And after it another, resolute: - To act. Don't let the enemy go!"
Mechanically seizing a rifle and ... an ax, Sereda, running from tree to tree, rushed across the steel colossus. I wanted to shoot, but decided that it was useless. And at the same moment (“Where did the dexterity come from,” he said after) jumped onto the tank. Then everything happened, obviously, also mechanically. He grabbed a heavy ax from his belt and, swinging, slashed at the barrel of a machine gun with all his might. Following this, he threw a piece of tarpaulin onto the viewing slot and drummed the butt on the armor.
His blows thundered like exploding shells. Hitler's soldiers were confused. The car whined.
- Hyundai hoh! Kaput! - Sereda shouted and began to give imaginary commands loudly: - Prepare grenades. Weapon for battle!
Soon the hatch opened and two hands stretched out of it.
- Get out, get out! Sereda commanded, holding his rifle at the ready.
When the fighters came running to help, four enemy tankers who had surrendered were already standing on the ground and looked around with fear.
There were a lot of good jokes, joy and fervent laughter on that difficult day. Sereda managed to become famous for his courage, and he managed to feed his friends with a hearty lunch and dinner.
After some time, Ivan had a chance with a group of fighters to visit reconnaissance behind enemy lines. And there he again showed fearlessness, high military dexterity. When the Nazis discovered the Soviet observers and tried to capture them, Ivan Sereda crawled up to the German tank with a bunch of grenades and blew it up. Then he replaced the killed machine gunner and mowed down about ten motorcyclists with well-aimed fire. The group fought off the advancing Nazis and returned to their unit with trophies and three prisoners.
On the proposal of the command of the North-Western Front, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 31, 1941, I.P. Sereda was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his military exploits.
From the front, Ivan Pavlovich returned to his native village with the rank of senior lieutenant of the guard with many orders and medals on his chest. For a long time he was the chairman of the Aleksandrovskiy Village Council of Workers' Deputies. In 1950 I.P. Wednesday is dead.

From the book of A.A. Trokaev “Knights of the Golden Star. Essays on the Heroes of the Soviet Union. Donetsk, "Donbass", 1976. with. 377-378

Presentation of the medal "Gold Star" I.P. Sereda,

Northwestern Front, October 1941.

From the memoirs of fellow soldier Ivan Sereda V. Bezvitelnov

It was at the beginning of the war. German then huge forces lane. Our retreated. The fighting was fiercest. The battalion, in which Corporal Ivan Sereda served as a cook, fought then in the Baltic. Well fought. The Nazis missed many, but our battalion also suffered losses.
On that day, the Germans fell especially hard, tanks and self-propelled guns pulled up. There was a threat of encirclement. A liaison officer ran to the economic platoon, which was stationed in a hollow, and transmitted the order of the battalion commander to advance to combat positions and repulse the attack on the left flank. The platoon commander led the fighters to carry out a combat mission, ordering Ivan to provide security and food for the personnel.
Ivan cooks porridge, listens to distant shooting. I would like to help my comrades, but the order in war is the law. Ivan Sereda was completely sad, he began to remember his native places: parents, a house on the banks of the Amur, school, his long-haired love ...
And then something pushed him to the side. Looked back and froze. Three fascist tanks are crawling from the road in his direction. And where did they come from? There is no time to think - it is necessary to save the good. But how to save if there are already two hundred meters left to the front tank? Ivan quickly unharnessed the horses and directed them to the fishing line that was nearby, and he himself hid behind the field kitchen - maybe the Fritz would not notice.
Maybe the number would have passed, but one tank had gone straight to the kitchen and rolled out. He stopped nearby, huge with white crosses. The tankers noticed the kitchen and were delighted. They decided that the Russians had abandoned her. The hatch cover opened and the tanker leaned out. Healthy, red. He turned his head and how he cackled triumphantly. Here Ivan could not stand it, where did the fear go.
He grabbed an ax that fell under his arm and jumped on the tank. The redhead, as he saw him, jumped into the hatch and slammed the lid. And Ivan is already knocking on the armor with an ax:
“Hyundai hoh, gansiki! Fly in guys, surround, destroy the Fritz.
The Germans began to shoot, and Ivan, without thinking twice, bent the trunk with an ax - there is no reception against scrap. And so that the Fritz would not especially swagger, he closed the viewing slot with his dressing gown.
yelling:
"Hitler kaput, surround them guys..."
An ax, like a sledgehammer, wields armor. I don't know what the Germans thought. As soon as the hatch opens, and with raised hands, the old familiar red-haired big man shows up. Ivan Sereda remembered here about the carbine behind his back, instantly sent it to the fascist. And then the second tanker climbs, the third. Ivan yells even louder, commands non-existent fighters to "surround" and "keep the Fritz at gunpoint." And he himself lined up the prisoners near the kitchen, forced each other's hands to be tied.
When, after completing a combat mission, the soldiers of his platoon returned and saw a German tank next to the kitchen, captured Nazis and Ivan Sereda with a carbine at the ready, they did not believe their eyes. Laughter was to tears! Only the Germans stood gloomy, not understanding anything. Guard Corporal Ivan Sereda became a Hero of the Soviet Union, and his ax was kept in the unit as a military relic. In war, this is how: the chest is in crosses or the head is in the bushes.

Having learned about the heroism of the corporal-cook, the commander of the reconnaissance unit offered Sereda to become a scout, and literally a few days later Sereda again had to show heroism - the same one that is discussed in the second paragraph of this text ("Being with a group of soldiers in reconnaissance behind enemy lines, when the fascists discovered the Soviet observers and tried to capture them, the Red Army soldier Sereda with a bunch of grenades crawled up to the German tank and blew it up. Then he replaced the killed machine gunner and destroyed more than ten fascist motorcyclists with well-aimed fire.").

The feat of the Red Army soldier Sereda. - The feat of Ivan Sereda was widely popularized during the war and was reflected on propaganda posters.

From the book: Semenov N.S. It was at dawn.

In the battles near Dvinsk, our cook, Komsomol member Ivan Pavlovich Sereda, accomplished his immortal feat.
- With a scoop went on the attack?! someone put in.
Loud laughter erupted.
- No, with a sledgehammer!
The soldiers laughed even louder.
“I speak the truth, comrades. Our divisions withdrew, and Sereda, while collecting the kitchen facilities, was somewhat delayed. A tank with a cross on the turret crawls out from behind the bushes. The Nazis are constantly scribbling from a machine gun. But they do not see where the kitchen is disguised. Ivan realized quickly: the tank is light, with one machine gun, and crawls like a turtle. Grabbed a sledgehammer and - on the tank! First, he bent the barrel of a machine gun with a blow. Then he threw a cape over the viewing slot to prevent the enemy from conducting aimed fire. For warning, he knocked on the tower with a sledgehammer. It seems that he warned: do not show your head - otherwise it will hit the back of the head! While the frightened fascists were sitting, he dragged an armful of hay, on which he himself slept. Doused with gasoline and set on fire. The tankette burned down along with the calculation.
After that, he twice participated in reconnaissance at night. The first time he blew up the same enemy car with grenades, the second time he shot 20 motorcyclists, and brought three to the location of the unit.
For these exploits, Ivan Pavlovich Sereda was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 31, 1941. He became our first hero.

Memorial sign in the village of Galitsinovka. - Installed in the center of the village of Galitsinovka, Maryinsky district, Donetsk region (Ukraine).

With hereda Ivan Pavlovich - cook of the 91st tank regiment of the 46th tank division of the 21st mechanized corps of the North-Western Front, Red Army soldier.

Born on July 1, 1919 in the village of Aleksandrovka, now the administration of the city of Kramatorsk, Donetsk region of Ukraine, in a peasant family. Lived in the village of Galitsinovka, Maryinsky district, Donetsk region of Ukraine. Ukrainian. Graduated from the Donetsk Food Training Plant.

In the Red Army since 1939. Member of the Great Patriotic War since June 1941.

The cook of the 91st Tank Regiment (46th Tank Division, 21st Mechanized Corps, Northwestern Front), Red Army soldier Ivan Sereda distinguished himself in August 1941 near the city of Dvinsk (Daugavpils, Latvia). He was preparing dinner in the woods when he heard the roar of a Nazi tank engine. Armed with a rifle and an ax, he crept up to a stopped Nazi tank, jumped onto the armor and with all his might slashed the machine gun barrel with an ax. Following this, he threw a piece of tarpaulin onto the viewing slot and drummed the butt on the armor, loudly ordering the imaginary fighters to prepare grenades for battle. When the soldiers of the infantry unit came running to the rescue. 4 enemy tankers who had surrendered were already on the ground.

Being with a group of fighters in reconnaissance behind enemy lines, when the Nazis discovered Soviet observers and tried to capture them, the Red Army soldier Sereda crawled up to a German tank with a bunch of grenades and blew it up. Then he replaced the killed machine gunner and with well-aimed fire destroyed more than ten fascist motorcyclists. The group fought off the attacking Nazis and returned to their unit with trophies and 3 prisoners.

At By order of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 31, 1941, for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command on the front of the struggle against the Nazi invaders and the courage and heroism shown at the same time, the Red Army soldier Sereda Ivan Pavlovich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 507).

In 1942, the brave warrior graduated from advanced training courses for command personnel, and in 1944, the Novocherkassk Cavalry School.

Since 1945, Senior Lieutenant Sereda I.P. - in reserve. He worked as the chairman of the Oleksandrovsky village council of the Donetsk region of Ukraine. He died untimely on November 18, 1950 at the age of 32.

He was awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Patriotic War of the 2nd degree, and medals.

Streets in the city of Daugavpils and in the village of Galitsinovka are named after the Hero. In memory of the glorious son of the Ukrainian people, Ivan Sereda, a memorial plaque was installed on the street in the city of Daugavpils and an obelisk in Galitsinovka.

A detailed description of the feat is provided by Kirill Osovik

The heroic feat that he accomplished is unprecedented and unique in the history of the Great Patriotic War.

It was hot August 1941. Our troops stubbornly fought off the fierce onslaught of the Nazi hordes in the Dvinsk region of the Latvian SSR. Ivan Sereda was then a cook.

Settling down with his kitchen in a hollow overgrown with woods, he prepared dinner for the warriors who defended the approaches to the city, and listened to the sounds of battle. It seemed to him that the situation on the front line seemed to be “not hot”, in an hour it would be possible to feed friends with delicious soup.

I was just dreaming, and suddenly, not far away, I heard the hum of an engine. Ivan looked out from behind a bush and could not believe his eyes - a tank with a fascist cross was crawling along a country road. The cook's heart trembled: “Trouble. Right there, almost next to the headquarters, - a thought flashed. And after it another, resolute: - To act. Don't let the enemy go!"

Mechanically seizing a rifle and ... an ax, Sereda, running from tree to tree, rushed across the steel colossus. I wanted to shoot, but decided that it was useless. And at the same moment (“Where did the dexterity come from,” he said after) jumped onto the tank. Then everything happened, obviously, also mechanically. He grabbed a heavy ax from his belt and, swinging, slashed at the barrel of a machine gun with all his might. Following this, he threw a piece of tarpaulin onto the viewing slot and drummed the butt on the armor.

His blows thundered like exploding shells. Hitler's soldiers were confused. The car whined.

Hyundai ho! Kaput! - Sereda shouted and began to give imaginary commands loudly: - Prepare grenades. Weapon for battle!

Soon the hatch opened and two hands stretched out of it.

Get out, get out! Sereda commanded, holding his rifle at the ready.

When the fighters came running to help, four enemy tankers who had surrendered were already standing on the ground and looked around with fear.

There were a lot of good jokes, joy and fervent laughter on that difficult day. Sereda managed to become famous for his courage, and he managed to feed his friends with a hearty lunch and dinner.

After some time, Ivan had a chance with a group of fighters to visit reconnaissance behind enemy lines. And there he again showed fearlessness, high military dexterity. When the Nazis discovered the Soviet observers and tried to capture them, Ivan Sereda crawled up to the German tank with a bunch of grenades and blew it up. Then he replaced the killed machine gunner and mowed down about ten motorcyclists with well-aimed fire. The group fought off the advancing Nazis and returned to their unit with trophies and three prisoners.

On the proposal of the command of the North-Western Front, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 31, 1941, I.P. Sereda was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his military exploits.

From the front, Ivan Pavlovich returned to his native village with the rank of senior lieutenant of the guard with many orders and medals on his chest. For a long time he was the chairman of the Aleksandrovskiy Village Council of Workers' Deputies. In 1950 I.P. Wednesday is dead.

Awards and prizes

Ivan Pavlovich Sereda(1919-1950) - Soviet officer, participant in the Great Patriotic War, Hero of the Soviet Union (1941). Guards senior lieutenant of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army.

In August 1941, the cook of the 91st tank regiment of the 46th tank division of the 21st mechanized corps, Red Army soldier I.P. Sereda, especially distinguished himself in the Daugavpils region (now Latvia). Armed only with a rifle and an ax, he disarmed a German tank that drove up to the Soviet field kitchen and captured four tankers.

In August 1941, near the city of Dvinsk (now Daugavpils, Latvia), he was preparing dinner for the Red Army. At this time, he saw a German tank moving towards the field kitchen. Being armed only with a rifle and an ax, Ivan Sereda took cover behind the kitchen, and the tank, having driven up to the kitchen, stopped and the crew began to get out of it.

At that moment, Ivan Sereda jumped out from behind the kitchen and rushed to the tank. The crew immediately took cover in the tank, and Ivan Sereda jumped onto the armor. When the tankers opened fire from a machine gun, Ivan Sereda bent the machine gun barrel with ax blows, and then closed the viewing slots of the tank with a piece of tarpaulin. Then he began to knock on the armor with the butt of an ax, while giving orders to the Red Army soldiers, who were not around, to throw grenades at the tank. The crew of the tank surrendered, and Ivan Sereda, at gunpoint, forced them to tie each other's hands. When the fighters of the rifle unit arrived, they saw a tank and four German tankers tied up. According to the commander of the 21st mechanized corps, Major General D. D. Lelyushenko, "by his brave deed he showed an exceptional example of heroism."

Later, the Red Army soldier I.P. Sereda distinguished himself in reconnaissance behind enemy lines, when German soldiers discovered Soviet observers and tried to capture them, he crawled up to a German tank and blew it up with a bunch of grenades. Then he replaced the killed machine gunner and with well-aimed fire destroyed more than ten German motorcyclists. The reconnaissance group fought off the advancing German soldiers and returned to their unit with trophies and 3 prisoners.

In July and August 1941 he was wounded (the second time - seriously).

The award to I.P. Sereda was solemnly presented in October 1941 on the North-Western Front. According to the memoirs of fellow soldier I.P. Sereda V. Bezvitelnov, his ax was kept in part as a military relic. The feat of Ivan Sereda was widely popularized during the war years, and was reflected on Soviet propaganda posters. Subsequently, this led many to believe that "Chef Sereda" is a myth, but the reality of Ivan Sereda and his exploits are documented.

From October 10 to November 23, 1941, I. P. Sereda commanded a platoon of the 4th Infantry Regiment of the 46th Infantry Division of the 1st Shock Army, participated in the defense of Leningrad. Then, from November 27 to January 5, 1942, he took part in the Battle of Moscow, commanded a company of the 7th Infantry Regiment of the 185th Infantry Division of the 30th Army.

In February 1942 he was seriously wounded. In 1942, I.P. Sereda graduated from advanced training courses for command personnel, and in 1944, the Novocherkassk Cavalry School. Guards Senior Lieutenant I.P. Sereda served as assistant chief of food and economic allowances of the 8th Guards Cavalry Regiment of the 2nd Guards Cavalry Division.

In the period from April 14 to May 3, 1945, despite the separation of cavalrymen from supply bases and the complexity of the combat situation, it reliably provided personnel with food and ammunition. This allowed the regiment to successfully fight, which was noted by the regiment commander: on May 21, 1945, I.P. Sereda was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, II degree.

Awards and titles

Soviet state awards and titles:

Memory

see also

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Notes

1. Ufarkin N.V. Heroes of the Country".
2. in the electronic bank of documents "Feat of the People" (archival materials of TsAMO, f. 33, op. 690306, file 1969, l. 124)
3. in the electronic bank of documents "Feat of the People" (archival materials of TsAMO, f. 33, op. 793756, d. 43, l. 181-182)
4. B. Afanasiev, I. Denenberg// Dawn of the East. - Tbilisi, October 8, 1941. - No. 238.
5. (October 1941).
6. . Victory Calendar. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
7. Andrei Sidorchik.
8. in the electronic bank of documents "Feat of the People" (archival materials of TsAMO
9. in the electronic bank of documents "Feat of the People" (archival materials of TsAMO, f. 135, op. 12761, d. 738)
10. . Beltsy Online. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
11. Ufarkin N.V.. Site "Heroes of the Country".

Literature

• // Heroes of the Soviet Union: A Brief Biographical Dictionary / Prev. ed. collegium I. N. Shkadov. - M .: Military Publishing, 1988. - T. 2 / Lyubov - Yashchuk /. - 863 p. - 100,000 copies. - ISBN 5-203-00536-2.
• Cavaliers of the Golden Star: essays on the Heroes of the Soviet Union / ed. A. A. Trokaev. - Donetsk: Donbass, 1976. - S. 377-378. - 478 p.
• Trokaev A. A. Heroes of fiery years: essays on the Heroes of the Soviet Union - natives of the Donetsk region / [intro. article by K. S. Moskalenko]. - Donetsk: Donbass, 1985. - S. 460-463. - 575 p. - (Heroes of the Soviet Union).
• Semyonov N. S. Time has no power. - M .: DOSAAF, 1988. - S. 24-27. - 416 p.
• Bortakovskiy T.V. Stay alive! Unknown pages of the Great Patriotic War. M .: "Veche", 2015. - ISBN 978-5-4444-3590-8.

Links

Ufarkin N.V.. Site "Heroes of the Country".

• Andrei Sidorchik.. Arguments and Facts (October 2, 2014). Retrieved 3 July 2015.
• V. Bezvitelnov.. Amurskaya Pravda (April 7, 2005). Retrieved 3 July 2015.

An excerpt characterizing Sereda, Ivan Pavlovich

At that moment, a new face entered the living room. The new face was the young Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, the husband of the little princess. Prince Bolkonsky was short, a very handsome young man with definite and dry features. Everything in his figure, from the tired, bored look to the quiet measured step, represented the sharpest contrast with his small, lively wife. He, apparently, was not only familiar with everyone in the drawing room, but he was so tired of it that it was very boring for him to look at them and listen to them. Of all the faces that bored him, the face of his pretty wife seemed to bore him the most. With a grimace that ruined his handsome face, he turned away from her. He kissed Anna Pavlovna's hand and, screwing up his eyes, looked around the whole company.
Vous vous enrolez pour la guerre, mon prince? [Are you going to war, prince?] said Anna Pavlovna.
- Le general Koutouzoff, - said Bolkonsky, striking on the last syllable zoff, like a Frenchman, - a bien voulu de moi pour aide de camp ... [General Kutuzov wants me to be his adjutant.]
– Et Lise, votre femme? [And Lisa, your wife?]
She will go to the village.
“How is it not a sin for you to deprive us of your lovely wife?”
- Andre, [Andrei,] - said his wife, addressing her husband in the same coquettish tone that she addressed to outsiders, - what a story the viscount told us about m lle Georges and Bonaparte!
Prince Andrei closed his eyes and turned away. Pierre, who had not taken his joyful, friendly eyes from the moment Prince Andrei entered the living room, went up to him and took his hand. Prince Andrei, without looking back, wrinkled his face into a grimace, expressing annoyance at the one who touched his hand, but, seeing Pierre's smiling face, he smiled an unexpectedly kind and pleasant smile.
- That's how! ... And you are in the big world! he said to Pierre.
“I knew you would,” Pierre answered. “I will come to you for supper,” he added quietly, so as not to disturb the viscount, who continued his story. - Can?
“No, you can’t,” said Prince Andrei, laughing, shaking hands letting Pierre know that there was no need to ask this.
He wanted to say something else, but at that time Prince Vasily and his daughter got up, and two young men got up to give them way.
“Excuse me, my dear viscount,” said Prince Vasily to the Frenchman, gently pulling him by the sleeve down to the chair so that he would not get up. “This unfortunate feast at the Messenger’s is depriving me of my pleasure and interrupting you. I am very sad to leave your delightful evening,” he said to Anna Pavlovna.
His daughter, Princess Helen, lightly holding the folds of her dress, went between the chairs, and the smile shone even brighter on her beautiful face. Pierre looked with almost frightened, enthusiastic eyes at this beauty when she passed him.
“Very good,” said Prince Andrei.
“Very,” said Pierre.
Passing by, Prince Vasily grabbed Pierre by the hand and turned to Anna Pavlovna.
“Educate me this bear,” he said. - Here he lives with me for a month, and for the first time I see him in the light. Nothing is so necessary for a young man as a society of smart women.

Anna Pavlovna smiled and promised to take care of Pierre, who, she knew, was related to Prince Vasily on her father's side. The elderly lady, who had previously been sitting with ma tante, hastily got up and overtook Prince Vasily in the hall. All the old pretense of interest was gone from her face. Her kind, weepy face expressed only anxiety and fear.
- What will you tell me, prince, about my Boris? she said, catching up with him in the front. (She pronounced the name Boris with a special emphasis on o). – I cannot stay longer in Petersburg. Tell me, what news can I bring to my poor boy?
Despite the fact that Prince Vasily listened reluctantly and almost impolitely to the elderly lady and even showed impatience, she smiled affectionately and touchingly at him and, so that he would not leave, took his hand.
“That you should say a word to the sovereign, and he will be directly transferred to the guards,” she asked.
“Believe me that I will do everything I can, princess,” answered Prince Vasily, “but it’s hard for me to ask the sovereign; I would advise you to turn to Rumyantsev, through Prince Golitsyn: that would be smarter.
The elderly lady bore the name of Princess Drubetskaya, one of the best families in Russia, but she was poor, long gone from the world and lost her former connections. She has come now to secure a position in the guards for her only son. Only then, in order to see Prince Vasily, did she name herself and come to Anna Pavlovna's for the evening, only then did she listen to the history of the viscount. She was frightened by the words of Prince Vasily; once her beautiful face expressed anger, but this lasted only a minute. She smiled again and gripped Prince Vasili more firmly by the arm.
“Listen, prince,” she said, “I never asked you, I will never ask, I never reminded you of my father’s friendship for you. But now, I conjure you by God, do this for my son, and I will consider you a benefactor,” she added hastily. - No, you are not angry, but you promise me. I asked Golitsyn, he refused. Soyez le bon enfant que vous avez ete, [Be a good fellow, as you were,] she said, trying to smile, while there were tears in her eyes.
“Papa, we will be late,” said Princess Helene, turning her beautiful head on antique shoulders, who was waiting at the door.
But influence in the world is a capital that must be protected so that it does not disappear. Prince Vasily knew this, and once he realized that if he began to ask for everyone who asks him, then soon he would not be able to ask for himself, he rarely used his influence. In the case of Princess Drubetskaya, however, after her new call, he felt something like a reproach of conscience. She reminded him of the truth: he owed his first steps in the service to her father. In addition, he saw from her methods that she was one of those women, especially mothers, who, once taking something into their heads, will not lag behind until they fulfill their desires, otherwise they are ready for daily, every minute pestering and even on the stage. This last consideration shook him.
“Chere Anna Mikhailovna,” he said with his usual familiarity and boredom in his voice, “it is almost impossible for me to do what you want; but in order to prove to you how much I love you and honor the memory of your late father, I will do the impossible: your son will be transferred to the guards, here is my hand to you. Are you satisfied?
- My dear, you are a benefactor! I did not expect anything else from you; I knew how kind you are.
He wanted to leave.
- Wait, two words. Une fois passe aux gardes ... [Once he goes to the guards ...] - She hesitated: - You are good with Mikhail Ilarionovich Kutuzov, recommend Boris to him as adjutant. Then I would be calm, and then I would...
Prince Vasily smiled.
- I don't promise that. You do not know how Kutuzov has been besieged since he was appointed commander in chief. He himself told me that all the Moscow ladies conspired to give him all their children as adjutants.
“No, promise me, I won’t let you in, dear, my benefactor…
- Dad! - the beauty repeated again in the same tone, - we will be late.
- Well, au revoir, [goodbye,] goodbye. See?
- So tomorrow you will report to the sovereign?
- Certainly, but I do not promise Kutuzov.
- No, promise, promise, Basile, [Vasily,] - Anna Mikhailovna said after him, with a smile of a young coquette, which once must have been characteristic of her, but now did not go so well to her emaciated face.
She apparently forgot her years and used, out of habit, all the old women's means. But as soon as he left, her face again assumed the same cold, feigned expression that had been on it before. She returned to the circle, in which the viscount continued to talk, and again pretended to be listening, waiting for the time to leave, since her business was done.
“But how do you find all this latest comedy du sacre de Milan?” [Milanese anointing?] – said Anna Pavlovna. Et la nouvelle comedie des peuples de Genes et de Lucques, qui viennent presenter leurs voeux a M. Buonaparte assis sur un trone, et exaucant les voeux des nations! Adorable! Non, mais c "est a en devenir folle! On dirait, que le monde entier a perdu la tete. [And here is a new comedy: the peoples of Genoa and Lucca express their desires to Mr. Bonaparte. And Mr. Bonaparte sits on the throne and fulfills the wishes of the peoples. 0! It's amazing! No, it's crazy. You'll think the whole world has lost its head.]
Prince Andrei grinned, looking directly into the face of Anna Pavlovna.
- “Dieu me la donne, gare a qui la touche,” he said (the words of Bonaparte, spoken at the laying of the crown). - On dit qu "il a ete tres beau en prononcant ces paroles, [God gave me the crown. Trouble for the one who touches it. - They say he was very good pronouncing these words,] - he added and repeated these words again in Italian: "Dio mi la dona, guai a chi la tocca".
- J "espere enfin," continued Anna Pavlovna, "que ca a ete la goutte d" eau qui fera deborder le verre. Les souverains ne peuvent plus supporter cet homme, qui menace tout. [I hope that it was finally the drop that would overflow the glass. Sovereigns can no longer tolerate this man who threatens everything.]
– Les souverains? Je ne parle pas de la Russie,” said the viscount politely and hopelessly: “Les souverains, madame!” Qu "ont ils fait pour Louis XVII, pour la reine, pour madame Elisabeth? Rien," he continued animatedly. - Et croyez moi, ils subissent la punition pour leur trahison de la cause des Bourbons. Les souverains? Ils envoient des ambassadeurs complimenter l "usurpateur. [Sovereigns! I'm not talking about Russia. Sovereigns! But what did they do for Louis XVII, for the Queen, for Elisabeth? Nothing. And believe me, they are punished for their betrayal of the Bourbon cause. Sovereigns! They send envoys to greet the stealer of the throne.]
And he, with a contemptuous sigh, changed his position again. Prince Hippolyte, who had been looking at the viscount through a lorgnette for a long time, suddenly, at these words, turned his whole body to the little princess and, asking her for a needle, began to show her, drawing with a needle on the table, the coat of arms of Condé. He explained this coat of arms to her with such a significant air, as if the princess asked him about it.
- Baton de gueules, engrele de gueules d "azur - maison Conde, [A phrase that cannot be translated literally, as it consists of conditional heraldic terms that are not quite accurately used. The general meaning is this: The coat of arms of Conde represents a shield with red and blue narrow jagged stripes ,] he said.
The princess, smiling, listened.
“If Bonaparte remains on the throne of France for another year,” the viscount continued the conversation that had begun, with the air of a man who does not listen to others, but in a matter that he knows best of all, following only the course of his thoughts, “then things will go too far. By intrigue, violence, expulsions, executions, society, I mean a good society, French, will be destroyed forever, and then ...

Of course, the incident that occurred at the front in the summer of 1941 can hardly be called a tank duel, since only one tank participated in it, but this incident can be safely called the most unusual battle involving an infantryman. There is nothing surprising in this, because the Soviet soldier alone with an ax won the battle against the German tank Pz.38 (t), capturing the crew of an enemy vehicle consisting of four people. The feat of the Red Army soldier Ivan Sereda was very widely popularized during the Great Patriotic War, it was even reflected on Soviet propaganda posters of those years. In the future, this led to the fact that many began to believe that the cook and the whole story with a tank, an ax and captured Nazis was a myth, but the reality of Ivan Sereda and his feat was documented.

Many are familiar with the classic Russian fairy tale, in which a clever soldier managed to cook porridge from an ax. In this tale, the soldier was able to provide himself with lunch thanks to his ingenuity and an ax. In the story that took place in August 1941, ingenuity and an ax also played a major role and, as in the well-known Russian fairy tale, porridge was also present in it.

But back to the very beginning of this amazing story. Its main character was Ivan Pavlovich Sereda. He was born on July 1, 1919 in the village of Aleksandrovka, which is now part of the city of Kramatorsk, into an ordinary family of Ukrainian peasants. At some point, his family moved to the village of Galitsinovka, Maryinsky district, Donetsk region. Since childhood, Ivan Sereda loved not only to eat delicious food, but also to cook. It was for this reason that after graduating from school, he entered the Donetsk Food College, which he managed to graduate before he was drafted into the army.

He was drafted into the Red Army in November 1939. Due to his main profession and love of cooking, he served as a cook in the 91st tank regiment of the 46th tank division of the 21st mechanized corps. With this corps, the Red Army soldier Ivan Sereda met the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. This mechanized corps was part of the units of the North-Western Front.

It was the second week of the war, at that time the 21st mechanized corps, which at that moment was commanded by Major General Lelyushenko, after an unsuccessful attempt to recapture Dvinsk (Daugavpils) from the Germans, took up defenses east of the city, putting its units in order and, without giving 56 Manstein's th corps to break through the defense front and enter the operational space. While the Red Army fought heavy and generally unsuccessful battles for itself, Ivan Sereda also rushed to the front line, but he was left in the kitchen. Since everyone could shoot from a rifle, but few could feed a fighter.

The famous story of the capture of the German tank Pz.38(t) and its crew took place on June 30, 1941 near Dvinsk. Light tanks Pz.38(t) of the German-Czech production could be called one of the best light tanks of the beginning of World War II. The Germans gained access to Czechoslovak equipment, including this tank, as a result of the occupation of Czechoslovakia. This Czech tank was distinguished by a balanced set of characteristics: armor, speed, armament. At the initial stage of the war, its 37-mm gun was enough to deal with many enemy armored targets. And the 125 hp engine installed on the tank. allowed a combat vehicle weighing almost 10 tons to reach speeds of up to 48 km / h. By the beginning of June 22, 1941, the Wehrmacht was armed with approximately 600 tanks of this type, 5 German tank divisions were armed with them. One of these divisions - the 8th Panzer - was part of the 4th Göpner Panzer Group (Army Group North), which operated against the formations of the North-Western Front.

It was with a tank from the German 8th Panzer Division that the Red Army soldier Ivan Sereda, who at that time worked in his kitchen, encountered on June 30, 1941. The field kitchen of the battalion, where Sereda was cooking at that moment, was located in a small forest. It housed the entire economic platoon. Suddenly, a liaison from the battalion commander ran to the position, who spoke about a new German attack and the threat of encirclement. He ordered the economic platoon to move to the front line to help hold the front, while it was decided to leave the cook alone in the kitchen. From Ivan Sereda there was only a carbine and an ax, which seemed to be poor helpers in the fight against a formidable armored vehicle. However, when German tanks appeared at the positions of the economic platoon, he did not lose his head and did not run.

Before that, he had already managed to unharness all the horses and take them away into the forest. He himself decided to hide behind the field kitchen, deciding that the German tanks would pass by without paying attention to her. One of the tanks really drove somewhere further, and the second went directly to the field kitchen. Psychology played a big role in what happened next. The crew of a German tank at the sight of a trophy in the form of a field kitchen and a ready-made dinner cheered up and relaxed. From the tank turret, the head of a German appeared, who laughed contentedly and said something to his comrades who were inside the tank.

It was then that Ivan Sereda was literally seized with rage. He cooked porridge for his soldiers, and not for some fascist tankers. A moment later, he suddenly jumped out from behind the kitchen with an ax in his hands. The German tanker, seeing that a Russian soldier with an ax was running at him, quickly dived into the hatch. A machine gun fired from the tank, but Sereda did not fall into his firing zone. With several blows of the ax, the Red Army soldier bent the barrel of the machine gun, after which he used the tarpaulin, which the Germans prudently fixed on the armor of their tank. He used a tarpaulin to close the viewing slots and deprive the German tankers of the view. Courage, as you know, takes cities, and here there was only one tank. The cook literally saddled the enemy car and furiously thrashed the hatches with an ax, giving commands to his non-existent comrades at this time. Stunned by such pressure, the German tankers, who could not observe what was happening around the tank, were clearly at a loss. How many Red Army soldiers surrounded the tank, they did not know, and the furious blows of the ax on the armor did not improve their well-being.

When other Red Army soldiers came running to the rescue, attracted to the positions of the kitchen by a loud noise, four tied German tankers were already sitting on the ground near the Pz.38 (t) tank. Sereda remembered that he also had a carbine only when the Germans began to get out of the tank to surrender. Now they were tied up, and Sereda held them at gunpoint. According to the commander of the 21st mechanized corps, Major General Lelyushenko, Ivan Sereda showed an exceptional example of heroism with his brave act.

Having learned about the heroism of the cook, the commander of the reconnaissance unit offered Sereda to become a scout, and in just a few days he was able to prove his heroism again. Being on reconnaissance behind enemy lines, a group of Red Army soldiers attacked the Germans, took three prisoners, captured motorcycles and other trophies, successfully returning to the location of their troops. In July and August 1941, Ivan Sereda was wounded (the second time - seriously). And on August 31, 1941, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 507).

He received his award in a solemn atmosphere in October 1941, while on the same North-Western Front. According to the memoirs of fellow soldier Sereda V. Bezvitelnov, the cook's ax was kept in the unit as a valuable military relic. Ivan Sereda went through the entire Great Patriotic War from the first to the last day, took part in the defense of Leningrad and Moscow. During the war years he became an officer, graduating with the rank of senior lieutenant of the guard. In this rank, in 1945, he was transferred to the reserve. After the war, he worked as the chairman of the village council in the village of Aleksandrovka, Donetsk region. Unfortunately, his post-war life was short-lived, he died at the age of 31 on November 18, 1950. Most likely, his combat wounds affected.

Presentation of the Gold Star medal to I. P. Sereda, Northwestern Front (October 1941)

The memory of the hero was immortalized in Daugavpils, where a street was named after him and a memorial plaque was erected. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the street was renamed and the plaque was removed. In addition, a street in the city of Balti (Moldova) was named after him, as well as in the village of Galitsinovka, Maryinsky district, Donetsk region, in the same village an obelisk was erected to him.

Information sources:
http://www.warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=5612
http://www.aif.ru/society/history/desert_iz_topora_kak_kashevar_sereda_vzyal_v_plen_nemeckiy_tank
http://42.tut.by/447333
http://www.opoccuu.com/s-toporom-protiv-tanka.htm

The more thoroughly I study the history of the Great Patriotic War, the more I truly understand at what enormous cost and dedication of every Soviet person this Great Victory was won.
On June 30, 1941, Corporal Ivan Sereda, armed with only one ax, defeated a German tank and forcedhis crewto surrender.

It was the second week of the war. The 21st mechanized corps of Major General Lelyushenko, which was part of the North-Western Front, after an unsuccessful attempt to recapture Dvinsk, occupied by the enemy, firmly held defensive positions east of the city, preventing Manstein's 56th corps from breaking through the front and breaking out into operational space.
On June 30, 1941, the cook of the 91st Tank Regiment of the 46th Tank Division, Corporal Ivan Pavlovich Sereda, was preparing dinner.

Ivan Pavlovich Sereda was born on July 1, 1919 in the village of Aleksandrovka in the Donetsk region. In 1939, he graduated from the Donetsk Food Training Plant, and when in September 39 he was drafted into the Red Army, he was immediately assigned as a cook according to his specialty.
At the kitchen at that hour he was alone - the command had to involve the entire personnel of the household platoon in the battle that was going on nearby.

Seeing the armored monster, Sereda at first decided to bury himself in the woods, but when the tank drove up directly to the field kitchen, and the impudent red face of a German non-commissioned officer leaned out of the hatch, greedily licking his lips at the bubbling cauldron, Sereda took such anger that he, having lost the remnants of fear of vaunted German technology, rushed to the tank with an ax.

Oshalev from such impudence, the non-commissioned officer dived into the hatch and closed it from the inside. With an ax blow, Sereda bent the machine-gun barrel, and then, covering the viewing slots with a tarpaulin, prudently fixed on the armor by the Germans, began to drum on the tank hatches with a butt. When the soldiers of the neighboring unit, attracted by the noise, came running to the rescue, four German tankers who had surrendered were already lying on the ground, whom Sereda kept under the machine gun - to save space in the tank, regular MP-40s were also mounted on the outside on the armor, and inside the tankers had only one Parabellum of the crew commander.

From the memoirs of fellow soldier Ivan Sereda V. Bezvitelnov:

"
It was at the beginning of the war. German then huge forces lane. Our retreated. The fighting was fiercest. The battalion, in which Corporal Ivan Sereda served as a cook, fought then in the Baltic. Well fought. The Nazis missed many, but our battalion also suffered losses.
On that day, the Germans fell especially hard, tanks and self-propelled guns pulled up. There was a threat of encirclement. A liaison officer ran to the economic platoon, which was stationed in a hollow, and transmitted the order of the battalion commander to advance to combat positions and repulse the attack on the left flank. The platoon commander led the fighters to carry out a combat mission, ordering Ivan to provide security and food for the personnel.

Ivan cooks porridge, listens to distant shooting. I would like to help my comrades, but the order in war is the law. Ivan Sereda became completely sad, he began to remember his native places: his parents, the house on the banks of the Amur, school, his long-haired love ...

And then something pushed him to the side. Looked back and froze. Three fascist tanks are crawling from the road in his direction. And where did they come from? There is no time to think - it is necessary to save the good. But how to save if there are already two hundred meters left to the front tank? Ivan quickly unharnessed the horses and directed them to the fishing line that was nearby, and he himself hid behind the field kitchen - maybe the Fritz would not notice.

Maybe the number would have passed, but one tank had gone straight to the kitchen and rolled out. He stopped nearby, huge with white crosses. The tankers noticed the kitchen and were delighted. They decided that the Russians had abandoned her. The hatch cover opened and the tanker leaned out. Healthy, red. He turned his head and how he cackled triumphantly. Here Ivan could not stand it, where did the fear go.
He grabbed an ax that fell under his arm and jumped on the tank. The redhead, as he saw him, jumped into the hatch and slammed the lid. And Ivan is already knocking on the armor with an ax: “Hyundai hoch, hansiki! Fly in guys, surround, destroy the Fritz. The Germans began to shoot, and Ivan, without thinking twice, bent the trunk with an ax - there is no reception against scrap. And so that the Fritz would not especially swagger, he closed the viewing slot with his dressing gown.

Shouts: "Hitler kaput, surround them, guys ..." With an ax, like a sledgehammer, he wields armor. I don't know what the Germans thought. As soon as the hatch opens, and with raised hands, the old familiar red-haired big man shows up. Ivan Sereda remembered here about the carbine behind his back, instantly sent it to the fascist. And then the second tanker climbs, the third. Ivan yells even louder, commands non-existent fighters to "surround" and "keep the Fritz at gunpoint." And he himself lined up the prisoners near the kitchen, forced each other's hands to be tied.

When, after completing a combat mission, the soldiers of his platoon returned and saw a German tank next to the kitchen, captured Nazis and Ivan Sereda with a carbine at the ready, they did not believe their eyes. Laughter was to tears! Only the Germans stood gloomy, not understanding anything.
Guard Corporal Ivan Sereda became a Hero of the Soviet Union, and his ax was kept in the unit as a military relic. In war it is like this: the chest in crosses or the head in the bushes.

Having learned about the heroism of the corporal-cook, the commander of the reconnaissance unit offered Sereda to become a scout, and literally a few days later Sereda again had to show heroism.
Being in reconnaissance behind enemy lines, a group of our scouts, which included Ivan Sereda, was discovered by the enemy and attacked.
Corporal Sereda with a bunch of RGD-33 grenades crawled up to a German tank and blew it up. Then he replaced the killed machine gunner and with well-aimed fire from the DP-27 destroyed about a dozen German motorcyclists. The reconnaissance group fended off the persecution and returned to their unit on captured BMW R75 motorcycles, bringing with them rich trophies and bringing three prisoners.