And still very seldom spent time in a log hut, all in the fresh air, in work. Probably, therefore grew almost that the epic athlete – we will tell, carried valenoks of the 49th size …
Before the war Anatoly went to the city of Voskresensk to arrive in a vocational school, became the mechanic, got a job on weaving mill …
When war began, the 15-year-old teenager attributed to himself few years and left to be at war in field army. As it had no army specialty – got to the mother infantry. Considering its silushka, commanders offered it as an individual weapon a machine gun of "maxims".
Both itself asn't lost, and the machine gun rescued
In October, 1943 to division in which Parfyonov served, ordered to force Dnepr near the settlement of Gridezhsk. settled on a raft with "maxims" and Anatoly. Germans quickly found out that Red Army men are transported and opened on them heavy fire from guns and mortars. The most part of rafts was destroyed on the middle of Dnepr. But the raft with Parfyonov's division was as if exorcized. Here to the coast there were fifty meters, forty, thirty …
And here good luck turned away. One of shells became torn in such proximity from a raft that it turned, as a fuzz. Many Red Army men didn't come up on the coast. But Anatoly, having appeared in cold water, first of all found out that "maxim" eft under water. And then the machine gunner started diving on a bottom to find the weapon.
From what attempt it worked well – and remained secret. But in a few minutes Parfyonov groped at the bottom "maxims" and dragged out him on a water surface. As it reached with the machine gun which weight made 63 (!) kilograms, doesn't go in. But it was quite so …
Certainly, fascists did everything possible to dump a landing back to the river. They threw an infantry battalion against a handful of men of courage. But the machine gunner Parfyonov took a successful position and opened storm fire on coming chains of Hitlerites.
From a next world...
So it turned out that our armies couldn't support the landing. Within three (!) days Anatoly practically didn't close eyes, without coming off the machine gun (fortunately, in machine-gun tapes of a shortcoming wasn't). In the first day it seriously wounded, but, having hastily redressed the interrupted hand, the hero didn't leave a battlefield …
And further there was a tragic outcome – on a position of Red Army men Hitlerites threw a tank battalion. And it against one and a half tens wounded Soviet soldiers. Forces were unequal. Fascist tanks pressed the entrenchments occupied with Red Army men, having actually razed them to the ground. Here and Parfyonov was covered with earth practically with the head. It was rescued only with that the mouth and a nose not was are hammered with the soil …
He regained consciousness and heard the Russian speech! Cried that there are forces. It seemed to it that it it is audible on tens kilometers, but the nurse who saw that it is live only on the hand which is sticking out from under the earth. She told then that to a voice practically didn't react as the sound wasn't stronger than miaow of a kitten. But as then sounded in the post-war song: "You survived, the soldier though hundred times died …" Returned, consider, from a next world...
For such feat to hundred others without thought appropriated a rank of the Hero of the Soviet Union. Parfyonova this award for some reason bypassed though it became known of his courage at once. It awarded with the Order of Lenin, but the award found Anatoly Ivanovich not at once, and already at the very end of war.
From infantrymen in tankmen...
Having received medical treatment in hospital, the sergeant Panfenov decides to change the front destiny coolly. Remembering how it was ironed by the tank, he decides to become a tankman. In the beginning I was the mechanic-driver, then him appointed the commander of "tridtsatchetverka". After war companions often played a trick on Anatoly: "How you such athlete in "thirty four" were located? " On what Parfyonov always laughed the matter off: "And we always landed the tipper-of also with the mechanic-driver were at war …".
Actually it was located in a tank tower hardly, but in a fight fever about it was somehow forgotten …
At the very end of war Parfyonov made a new feat – Saviour of the commander of a tank division when on the tank in which that was, fascists opened fire. "Tridtsatchetverka" of Anatoly covered the general tank with the tower and assumed shell blow. The sergeant received the second award for this feat – Patriotic war of the II degree. And it finished war in prostrate Berlin, participating in its storm …
Plunged into the water without reflecting...
After war Parfyonov returned on native plant. Slesaril. On a fun to companions on shop I transferred from one room to other heavy equipment which couldn't lift and five together.
… In July, 1949 Parfyonov came back after a shift from factory and suddenly heard a baby's cry about the help. the 12-year-old girl took out on the river middle a strong current, and it started sinking. Anatoly Ivanovich threw ashore a small suitcase in which he carried dinners, and rushed to the river. It appeared in time in time – Ninochka already choked and went to a bottom …
Having dived, it got the girl, washed her ashore, made an artificial respiration. Nina recovered …
At the Olympic Games in Melbourne equal to it wasn't...
In 1951 together with companions I went to a football match of "Dynamo" – "Spartak", and in a break I went down in a wrestling hall where Dinamo masters of Greco-Roman wrestling trained. Having seen such athlete, trainers didn't refuse to themselves pleasure to look as it looks on a carpet. Here only the shot hand practically wasn't bent …
But also "one-armed" Parfyonov gave few chances to the rivals. Already after a while he became the bronze prize-winner of the USSR championship, and in 1956 at the Olympic Games in Melbourne to it entrusted to represent the country in heavy weight. The most difficult duel at Anatoly Ivanovich was given with German Dietrich. As if remembering battles on Great Patriotic War fields, Parfyonov didn't concede to much more skilled German, having won against it. This victory allowed it to become the Olympic champion later! And one more Olympic champion – Nikolay Balboshin who won 24 years later, Moscow, Anatoly Ivanovich prepared as the trainer …
On a rural cemetery where the hero is buried, on a marble slab the following record is beaten out: "Here the athlete of the earth of the Russian, great soul of people, the Olympic champion Anatoly Ivanovich Parfyonov is based" …
