GRIGORY KIRILLOVICH DENISENKO
1921 - 2011
The hero of the USSR
Grigory Kirillovich Denisenko was born in the village of Babenkovo (now - Izyumsky district, Kharkov region, Ukraine) into a peasant family. In 1940, Denisenko was drafted to serve in the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army. Since October 1943 - on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. By September 1944, Lieutenant Grigory Denisenko was the navigator of the squadron. By that time, he made 118 sorties, destroying 8 enemy aircraft in air battles and on the ground, and also destroying several dozen enemy tanks and more than a hundred enemy vehicles during ground attacks. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on May 15, 1946, Lieutenant Grigory Denisenko was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
After the end of the war, Denisenko continued to serve in the Soviet Army. In 1953 he graduated from advanced training courses for officers. In 1957, with the rank of colonel, he was transferred to the reserve. In the mid-50s, he headed the Saratov flying club. He taught to fly Yuri Gagarin, a student of the industrial technical school of the future first cosmonaut of the Earth. Lived in Gomel, worked as a senior engineer at the Electroapparatus plant. Honorary Citizen of the city of Gomel (1988) and the Gomel region (2008). Grigor Kirillovich on the streets of Gomel could almost always be seen in the column of veterans during public holidays, he paid great attention to the work of the veteran organization. Awards: two Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of Alexander Nevsky, three Orders of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree, the Order of the Red Star, Glory of the 3rd degree, the Belarusian order "For Service to the Motherland" of the 3rd degree, the Ukrainian Order of Merit 3- 1st degree, as well as a number of medals. In the city of Gomel, a memorial plaque was erected at house number 36 on Sovetskaya Street.