At the beginning of the war, he voluntarily went to the recruiting station. In September 1941, he joined the training unit of the electromechanical school of ships of the Black Sea Fleet. He didn't get to graduate from the school, as the Germans fought fierce battles on the outskirts of Sevastopol. In the shortest possible time, two marine infantry battalions were formed and sent to the defense of Sevastopol. On October 29, 1941, he took the first battle in the area of the Mekenziy Mountains. There he also received his first wound – a mine exploded near him. Fate tested the" caul", with which Pavel Ostapovich was born, for strength again in 1942, in the same place, near Sevastopol. Due to a severe wound and concussion, he was evacuated from the battlefield to a hospital in Kislovodsk. In the Caucasus, he met the love of his life – nurse Anna, who helped him get back on his feet and return into the ranks. After the war, they got married.
After recovering, he fought in the 323rd Separate Marine Infantry Battalion, took part in the defense of Sevastopol, Novorossiysk, Tuapse, Anapa and was wounded for the third time. After the hospital, he was sent to the 376th Engineer Battalion, which did not take part in active combat operations on the front line. He celebrated Victory Day in Georgia in the city of Akhaltsikhe with the 328th Border Detachment.
Awards:
Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st class, Order of Glory of the 3rd class, medal "For the Victory over Germany", medal "For the Defense of Sevastopol", medal "For the Defense of the Caucasus"
