Zina Portnova: a feat that went down in history

Zina Portnova's feat, the summary of which will be described in this article, is not very widely covered on the Internet. There is little information and it repeats itself all the time. There are no sources that would reveal the multifaceted picture of her heroic deed. Basically, only dry facts are cited: she was born in Leningrad in 1926 in the family of a worker, she was in the youth underground group "Young Avengers", during the execution of the next task she was captured by the fascists and executed in January 1944.

To understand who this girl was, and to imagine what she was thinking during the severe tests, let's turn to the content of the eponymous story of V.I. Smirnova.

Character

In this story, the author very vividly describes the fate of Zina, a young Komsomol member and a pioneer who fought against the fascist invaders and duly passed the path of life, despite numerous difficulties. She never retreated and faced the challenges with challenge. Even in the most difficult times, the girl never cared about herself, but worried about others more. Recognition of one's duty, perseverance, sense of responsibility and a passionate love for the motherland - these are the qualities that determine the feat of Zina Portnova.

Entry into the ranks of the "Young Avengers"

In June 1941, the parents sent the girl to the village of Zui (Vitebsk region) for school holidays. Just at this time the Hitlerites invaded the USSR, and Portnova was in the occupied territory. She was not going to put up with the current state of affairs and decided to fight the enemy. In 1942, Zina Portnova, whose feat will never be forgotten, joined the Young Avengers.

Difficult task

The story of Smirnov filled the life of the dry facts of the biography of the girl and enabled the reader to stay with the pioneer mentally in moments of severe trials. When Zina got a job in the canteen for the Wehrmacht cadets, she received one of the most difficult tasks from the Young Avengers. Portnova was supposed to pour poison into the food. After the girl did it, about 100 fascists died. Among them were the pilots, who on this day were supposed to fly to the bombing of Moscow and Leningrad. Thus, the feat of Zina Portnova saved thousands of lives of her compatriots.

Care of the partisans

The Germans immediately began to search for the guilty and brought together all the staff of the dining room. Each was offered a plate of poisoned soup. Portnova ate it without any discussion. The girl was not afraid to be caught, but was very worried about the fate of the youngest sister Galya and her cousins who were left by her dependents after Ira's aunt's arrest. The fear that they will be taken away by the Germans proved to be stronger than the fear of death. Weakening and feeling a strong pain in her stomach, the girl thought only of how to lead Galya to a safe place - to the partisans in the forest.

Zina Portnova, whose feat is known all over the world, took her sister by the hand and went into the forest through the marshland. The pain intensified, but she did not stop. Zina knew that she would die, and the bill was on her watch. The main thing for the future Komsomol member was to take her sister to the partisans. They found the girls only at dawn. Portnova was lying unconscious on the ground, and Galya was sitting next to her. Doctors stated acute food poisoning and pneumonia. The fact that the young pioneer survived was a real miracle. In 1943 she was accepted into the Komsomol.

New assignment

After the Nazis shot most of the Young Avengers group, Zina Portnova, whose exploit motivated the fighters of the Soviet army, went with her brother Ilya and Masha Dementieva to reconnoitre to the village Mostyschi. There the girl had to meet with a liaison officer and find out how many Komsomol members were alive, what help they needed. Zina went to a meeting alone, and Ilya and Masha had to cover her and wait at the appointed place.

Arrest

Portnova found out the necessary information from her liaison and went back. On the way, she met two women, one of whom knew Zina. And the one to whom Portnova was unfamiliar, asked the girl's name. The woman replied that this is Zina - the granddaughter of Yablokov. Passing by the policemen well knew this name and detained Portnov, deciding to take her to the village of Obol. Just on the way there the girl should have been waiting for Masha and Ilya. But when the fascists held a pioneer next to the agreed place, the comrades did not come to her aid. Only a few years later, when the feat of the pioneer Zina Portnova became public, it turned out that the boys left the observation post for only a few minutes because of the booming sound in the forest. Just at that moment the fascists had a girl.

Try to escape

Zina Portnova, whose feat is known to all the inhabitants of the USSR, was brought in for questioning to the Gestapo officer. He looked at the Komsomol with glassy eyes. Then the Gestapo pulled out his pistol and laid it on the table. Outside the window roared the engine of the car, and the fascist turned away from the girl. Zina reacted instantly - grabbed the gun and shot the enemy in the chest. There was another Gestapo in the room, frantically trying to get a gun. He was also shot. Running out of the building, Portnova at point-blank killed the sentry. Shooting from the chase, the girl went down to the river.

Torture and shooting

Soon it was overtaken by a machine-gun fire, the girl was badly injured in the leg. But she did not stop and continued to shoot back. Zina left the last bullet for herself. When the Germans almost overtook it, the Komsomol sent the muzzle of the pistol to her chest and pulled the trigger. But there was a misfire. The fascist who ran up knocked out a pistol and grabbed a brave Komsomol member.

After the incident Portnov was taken to Polotsk. Torture lasted for a month. The fascists shredded Zina's joints, gouged out her eyes and twisted her hands. They also cauterized the girl with hot iron and pounded her needles under her fingernails. The Young Communist League did not utter a word and was shot. The unshakable firmness of the girl became another reason that the feat of Zina Portnova, interesting facts about which are given in this article, will always be an example for young people.

Conclusion

The Soviet people learned about the "Young Avengers" only 15 years after the end of the war. In 1958, the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the country issued a decree on awarding all the members of the underground group "Young Avengers" with USSR orders.

Time inexorably runs forward, but the feat of Zina Portnova, a brief description of which is described above, will live forever in the hearts of people.