Gumanov Efim Arkadievich

     Efim Arkadievich Gumanov was born in Stalingrad, was born on October 7, 1926. In October 1943, after high school, Gumanov enrolled in the Moscow Aviation Institute. But he did not have to study. Fierce battles continued on the Soviet-German front. In the group of volunteers Gumanov, at the age 17, joined the Red Army on December 13, 1943. At the beginning he was sent to a communication training centre, which he did not finish because of great demand on signalers. From April 1944 to April 1945 he served in 45th separate detachment of the First Strike Army attached to the 2nd and 3rd Baltic fronts. He participated in the liberation from the Nazi occupiers Latvian cities Riga, Kemeri, Jelgava, Tukums, Jurmala. The most severe battle happened during the encirclement of the German formation "North" (the 16th and 18th armies) and the capture of Konigsberg. In this battle Gumanov was twice concussed and then his service was terminated on medical grounds.

     On June 24, 1945 he was honored to take part in the Moscow Victory Parade of 1945 held by the Red Army after the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War. This, the longest and largest military parade ever held on Red Square, involved 40,000 Red Armysoldiers and 1,850 military vehicles and other military hardware. It was an unforgettable solemn event: At the end soldiers carried the banners of Nazi Germany and threw them down next to the Lenin's mausoleum. One of the standards that was tossed down belonged to the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, Hitler's personal bodyguard. He has been awarded Order of the Patriotic War and Medal "For Courage" and Medal "For the Capture of Konigsberg".

     On 9 May, 2015 Efim Gumanov was invited to the rostrum of Red Square in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. E. Gumanov is a member of the Union of Journalists of Moscow, Russia and the International Federation of Journalists, a screenwriter. In 2010 Gumanov was elected as chairman of the Veterans Council of the First Strike Army.