Semyon Danilovich Nomokonov (Russian: Семён Данилович Номоконов; 12 August 1900 – 15 July 1973) was a Soviet sniper during World War II credited with 367 kills.[1][a] An ethnic Hamnigan Evenk,[b] Nomokonov was among the indigenous peoples of Russia who fought in the war. He received the nickname "Taiga Shaman" from enemies.[1][2]
Semyon Nomokonov | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Native name | Семён Данилович Номоконов |
| Nickname(s) | Taiga Shaman |
| Born | 12 August 1900 Delyun, Transbaikal Oblast, Russian Empire |
| Died | 15 July 1973 (aged 72) Zugalai, Mogoytuysky District, Zabaykalsky Krai, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Allegiance |  Soviet Union |
| Years of service | 1941–1945 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Unit | 221st Rifle Division |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Order of Lenin |
Early life
editNomokonov was born in the settlement of Delyun in Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia (then Russian Empire), to a poor family of hunters, and from childhood lived in the taiga. Nomokonov first used a rifle at the age of 7. He hunted Sable, Manchurian wapiti and Elk, and was nicknamed Eye of the Kite. Nomokonov was baptized at the age of 15 and received the name Semyon. In 1928 Nomokonov moved to the settlement of Nizhny Stan in the Russian Shilkinsky District. He continued hunting and also practiced carpentry.[1][3][2]
War
editNomokonov started his military service in August 1941, initially in a subsistence farm of a regiment. Then he made crutches for the wounded. Nomokonov became a sniper by chance. In the fall of 1941 he was evacuating one of the wounded, when he noticed a German, aiming at him. Nomokonov killed him with his own rifle. According to another version, in October 1941 Nomokonov received a rifle and decided to test it. To avoid wasting the rounds, Nomokonov tested the rifle on a German, who was moving along the wooded lake shore, bending down. After that Nomokonov was transferred to a sniper platoon. He started to shoot from a Mosin–Nagant rifle without a telescopic sight. Nomokonov fought at the Valdai Heights, Karelian Isthmus, Ukraine, Lithuania, East Prussia and then in Manchuria. He initially marked the number of kills on his smoking pipe. Nomokonov was wounded eight times and suffered a blast injury twice.[1][3][2][4]
As a sniper instructor, Nomokonov trained over 150 soldiers.[3][4]
After the war
editNomokonov returned home on a horse. He continued practicing carpentry in Nizhny Stan, but then moved to the settlement of Zugalay, where his elder sons were living. He built a house and continued hunting during free time. In the fall of 1945, Nomokonov received a horse, binoculars and a rifle no. 24638 for his military service. According to Nomokonov's daughter Zoya Babuyeva, he was a taciturn person and did not like to talk much about the war.[1]
Nomokonov died in Zugalay and was interred there.[1] Poet Vasily Lebedev-Kumach dedicated a poem to him.[3]
Nomokonov left nine children and 49 grandchildren.[1]
Awards
edit- Order of Lenin
- Order of the Red Banner
- Two Order of the Red Star
- Medal "For Battle Merit"
- campaign and jubilee medals
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "Номоконов - вновь на коне" (in Russian). Zabmedia. 13 January 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f ""Дайн-тулугуй" Семена Номоконова". Krasnaya Zvezda (in Russian). 17 May 2005. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Константинов А.В. "Номоконов С. Д." (in Russian). Энциклопедия Забайкалья. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
- ^ a b c "Номоконов Семён Данилович". soviet-aces-1936-53.ru. Retrieved 2020-09-21.