There are a lot of examples of individual bravery displayed by military musicians during the rough times of the Great Patriotic War.
There are a lot of examples of military conductors who straight from conservatory headed directly to battlefields to take up the command over military units. So was Alexander Sirokha, the former party organizer of the Moscow Conservatory military faculty. Immediately after graduation he was appointed the bandmaster and sent to the acting army. Sirokha insisted to take command over a rifle company. During the Battle of Stalingrad Sirokha’s company valiantly defended their positions, holding out against the enemy units far outnumbering their own forces. Eventually the offensive was curbed. Alexander Sirokha died heroically in the battle and was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War (first class) posthumously.