A day in the life of Captain Belikov Bashny.Net

On the morning of March 13, 1969 Flight Lieutenant WGF in the GDR Igor Belikov came from Zerbst, which persisted part in Magdeburg - upcoming routine physical examination.
Before the appointed time there were still a few hours, and 28-year-old officer simply walked around the city, enjoying the mild spring weather.
The sun was bright, the mood - excellent, prospects - bright. Inhaling deeply cool and clean air-March, a young man excitedly looked at the shop windows, hurrying for whatever their business girls, monumental and pompous facades of buildings in the style of "Stalinist empire", built on the site of the ruins of war ...





Wandering aimlessly and idly gaze suddenly tripped and stopped at one of the windows of the last, fifth floor of a house on the N24 Wilhelm Peak alley.

Both flaps were wide open, clearly viewed on the window sill a small human figure. A few seconds Belikov, spellbound, watching the movements of dangerous man in the window, unable to budge ... Suddenly a small object flew down, and in a moment was on the tile sidewalk shoe. Children's shoes.
At the same time it hit the ground back to the officer's ability to think and act.
He ran to the house, on the go tearing off his overcoat.
Erecting out of it in a hurry some sort of trampoline, Belikov lifted my head up, trying to determine the trajectory of a child - but the fact that it falls, there is no doubt: the figure is no longer standing on the windowsill, and hung under him, clinging hands on the slippery wood ... < br />
Very soon the child broke and flew down. Belikov, prikipev him look his best sprained his coat.
There was a pretty loud and hard body impact of cotton cloth, and then for a few moments silence reigned ...
"It was possible?" - The officer had time to think - and immediately from the overcoat came a baby crying.
"It was possible!" - Relief flashed through my head.

If we reject the literary effect, bottom line is this: Lehmann family lived on the fifth floor said "Stalinist" house (the latter is important, because in those days, at the height of the ceilings and living space is not saved, but because the distance from the sill to the ground is 22 meters).
On that day, my father was at work, and his mother away for a short time in the store, located on the first floor of the entrance. 4-year-old Catherine remained so completely alone in the apartment.
Opened the window ...
Further, I have already described. Incredibly, Igor Belikov succeeded with the help of his greatcoat to make something that does not always work, even in professional firefighters with special equipment.
A Fortune? Certainly. But rapid response officer, plus the ability to instantly make decisions in difficult situations have played a significant role.
The girl received no damage, escaped with only a fright, Belikov slightly injured his hand. That's all.



The act of a Soviet officer caused a wide resonance not only in the city. Even outside the GDR press and television reported this incredible incident.
Well, in the GDR in general and in particular in Magdeburg ... weeks newspapers published an enthusiastic article appeared in tales and poems dedicated to Igor Belikov and amazing rescue of the child. Somewhat later in the DEFA was even filmed a 20-minute film "Hero in the blink of an eye».



June 9, 1977 at the initiative of the inhabitants of the city Igor Belikov became an honorary citizen of Magdeburg. Unlike many other Soviet citizens were awarded the honorary title of this for political reasons and those deprived of it for the same in the "post-socialist" period, the Soviet army officer Igor Belikov it remains to this day.
Not only that - in 1981, before the house N24 at William Peak Alley (today - Ernst-Reuter-Allee), a monument.



Belikov with my family several times since then been in Magdeburg, with their family Lehmann has long term and sincere friendship ...

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author paca2s



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