It was one of the first four Soviet cities to be awarded the title of `` Hero City '' in 1945 , though some of the Odessans had a more favourable view of the Romanian occupation , in contrast with the Soviet official view that the period was exclusively a time of hardship , deprivation , oppression and suffering - claims embodied in public monuments and disseminated through the media to this day .
It was one of the first four Soviet cities to be awarded the title of `` Hero City '' in 1945 .