ASTANA – Kazakhstan celebrates the 100th day of a Kazakh heroine Manshuk Mametova, who mastered the Maxim instrumentality weapon during World War II and fought the Nazis till her past breath.
Mametova was lone 21 erstwhile she died defending her country.
Born successful 1922 successful Zhaskus colony successful the West Kazakhstan Region, Mametova was the 5th kid successful the family. At the property of five, she mislaid her parents and was raised by her uncle and his woman successful Almaty.
Mametova was among millions of women whose beingness was overturned by World War II. In 1942, Mametova, aged 19, decided to voluntarily enlist successful the service aft completing 2 years of aesculapian schoolhouse successful Almaty. Brave girl, ruffling each sex norms, she was enlisted successful the 100th autarkic Kazakh firearm brigade.
The surviving transcript of her exertion to the beforehand reads, “giving a little presumption of my autobiography, I inquire you to nonstop maine to the beforehand to destruct the Nazis, arsenic determination is nary member oregon sister to send. That is wherefore I americium asking to bash it myself.”
At first, Mametova was assigned to the office arsenic a clerk, past arsenic a caregiver successful a tract hospital. In her escaped time, she studied the operation of the Maxim instrumentality weapon and she learned to sprout accurately successful the grooming courses. Mametova completed the courses arsenic the champion instrumentality gunner and was consequently appointed commandant of a airy instrumentality gun. Within months she joined the front.
A paired bronze monument to Kazakh warfare heroines Manshuk Mametova and Aliya Moldagulova was installed successful Central Park successful Almaty.
A instrumentality gunner with bully training, Mametova was sent to Nevel municipality successful the Pskov portion connected the north-western borderline of the Soviet Union successful October 1943 towards an force that had crossed the Kalinin beforehand enactment and was advancing fast.
In Nevel town, occupied by Nazis since 1941, the enemies continually launched counterattacks, seeking to hold the beforehand of Soviet soldiers. The firearm unit, which Mametova was portion of, had the task of capturing the precocious grounds that dominated the terrain. This decided the result of the battle.
With the lands being bombed and dying Soviet soldiers around, Mametova rushed consecutive into attack. The twenty-one-year-old pistillate had to occurrence from 3 instrumentality guns successful rotation to forestall the Nazis from capturing their positions. She was severely wounded successful the caput but continued to sprout until her past breath. She died successful the conflict destroying, according to immoderate sources, much than 70 German soldiers and officers.
In 1 of the letters to her aunt successful August 1943, 2 months earlier she died successful Nevel town, Mametova wrote: “Apketai (older sister), of course, I americium frankly penning to you, conscionable bash not get upset and bash not deliberation astir anything. If I die, it volition beryllium for my homeland, for my father, and for you.”
In 1944, Mametova was posthumously awarded the Heroine of the Soviet Union title.
There are monuments successful Nevel and successful Almaty erected to grant the glorious girl of the Kazakh people. A writer Maryam Khakimzhanova devoted a poem to her and satellite celebrated movie manager Andrei Konchalovsky wrote a screenplay for the movie “The Song of Manshuk.”
Film inactive from “The Song of Manshuk” with Natalya Arinbasarova playing Manshuk’s role. Photo credit: film.ru.
People with capable upland climbing grooming tin effort to conquer the highest named aft Manshuk Mametova, which is 4,194 meters supra oversea level located successful the Small Almaty spur.
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