A unique photograph showing three Heroes of the Soviet Union walking along a central street in Tashkent. One of them may be Qochqor Durdiyev (Turdiyev).
I colorized the photographs taken from the Tashkent Retrospective channel using neural networks. I would have chosen different clothing colors myself, but that would have taken much longer. Still, the photographs now clearly show the faces and emotions of the people.
Veterans of the battles walk along Leningradskaya Street (now Matbuotchilar). Possibly 1945. Photographer: Georgi Zelma.
Perhaps someone will recognize their relatives among the young men or random passersby.
In the second photograph by G. Permyonov and B. Yusupov, the man in the center is a well-known figure — Hero of the Soviet Union Qochqor Akhmedovich Durdiyev (another version of the surname is Turdiyev). He may also appear in the first photograph.
Durdiyev was born on September 1, 1917, in the settlement of Dardoq (now in the Qorgontepa district of Andijan Region, Uzbekistan). He graduated from primary school and worked on a collective farm.
He had served in the Red Army since 1940. From September 1941, he took part in battles on the Soviet-German front of the Second World War.
On October 15, 1941, the rifle company in which Red Army soldier Kochkar Durdiev served was advancing near the settlement of Trudolyubovka in the Krasnokutsk district of Kharkiv Region, Ukraine. An enemy bunker blocked the advance, and machine-gun fire from it stopped the company’s movement. A rifle squad was ordered to destroy the enemy position.
While carrying out the mission, Durdiyev crawled up to the bunker from the rear and knocked unconscious a German officer sitting behind the machine gun with the butt of his rifle. He then engaged in hand-to-hand combat with two more German soldiers. After capturing two prisoners, Durdiyev rejoined his company, which resumed the offensive and successfully completed its combat mission.
In 1942, Durdiyev completed junior lieutenant courses, and in 1943 he graduated from an accelerated course at the Gomel Military Infantry School.
After the war, Senior Lieutenant Durdiyev retired to the reserve. He lived in the village of Oyim in the Jalaquduq district of Andijan Region. He headed a cotton-growing brigade at a state farm. He died on August 4, 1992 (according to some data, in 1989).
In the final photograph we are publishing today, an Uzbek family welcomes a son returning home from the war. 1946. The people in the photograph and the photographer are unknown.
In Uzbekistan, May 9 is observed as the Day of Memory and Honors. Happy Day of Memory and Honors!