Roads scorched by war... From newspaper articles 922 artillery regiment 355 during the war
The other day, the editorial office of “SK” was visited by a 74-year-old resident of the village of Podrezchikha, Belokholunitsky district, V.I. Plotnikov. He told the story of the Great Patriotic War, in which for us, Sloboda residents, there are more questions than answers. The fact is that, starting in 1987, Valery Ivanovich persistently searched for the place of death and burial of his father. At the same time, he learned not only his tragic story, but also the fate of the entire 355th Infantry Division, formed from residents of the Kirov region.
The memory of the victims haunts our guest and on the eve of Victory Day brought him to our newspaper, for whose readers he told:
— The combat path of the 355th Infantry Division was short but bright. She did a lot to defeat the Germans near Moscow and liberate the lands of the Kalinin and Smolensk regions. Kirov residents know the famous feat of our fellow countryman Yakov Nikolaevich Paderin, a private in the 1186th regiment of this division, who on December 27, 1941 closed the embrasure of an enemy bunker with his body. The film "Sashka", which was shown on central television many years ago, was dedicated to the 355th division. But its real story is known to few people; many fighters died, and we do not know their names. Including Slobozhans, from whom the 1182nd Infantry Regiment was formed. The division also included the 1184th and 1186th regiments: the first was formed from residents of the city of Kirov, the second from Nagorsk, Verkhnekamsk and Belokholunitsky recruits.
The formation of the regiments took place in September-October 1941, mainly young family people born in 1900-1914 were recruited into them. The division's regiments were initially located near Kirov in the villages of Bolshaya and Malaya Subbotikha, but on November 7 their transfer to the front near Moscow began. The division was included in the 39th Army of the Kalinin Front, which was ordered by the Supreme High Command headquarters to destroy a large enemy group in the Rzhev area.
According to the combat order, the 355th Infantry Division was supposed to reach the front line on the night of December 26 and begin an offensive in the area of the village of Ryabinikha at dawn. The first day of fighting was unsuccessful; the Kirov residents were unable to break through the enemy’s defenses. But the next day, December 27, the artillery managed to destroy a number of firing points and bunkers, ensuring a successful infantry offensive. Having broken through the fascist defenses, the division received the task of pursuing the enemy and operating in the main direction of the 39th Army Rzhev - Vyazma. Every night our regiments liberated several villages. With access to the city of Sychevka, Smolensk region, the 355th division found itself separated from the main forces of the 39th Army and was surrounded.
The 1182nd regiment of Slobozhans found themselves in a difficult situation. At first, his fighters captured the railway station, but did not hold it, the Germans kicked them out of there, and ours retreated, losing killed. This happened on January 28, 1942, when there were especially many human losses. The Slobodskaya regiment retreated to the northwest from Sychevka, fought fiercely 6 km from it in a field near the village of Karavaevo and died there. Local resident L.K. Bagaeva, who was a 10-year-old girl at the time, told me that in April 1942, the Germans rounded up old people and children to collect corpses. They dug shallow trenches and stacked the fallen in rows, and carried their documents home. During the retreat, the Nazis burned the village and everything burned down.
In 2000, the burial was moved to Sychevka. Based on the location of the division's regiments, it can be argued that over 600 Sloboda residents who are still considered missing during the war are buried there. Next to their burial there are two more mass graves, on which there are modest obelisks with the inscription: “To the Udmurt warriors from their fellow countrymen.” And I just want to throw out a cry: Sloboda residents, you too honor the memory of your ancestors.
I also ask the people of Sloboda to carry out investigative work. First of all, using the draft book at the military registration and enlistment office, you can determine the names of those who were drafted in September-October 1941. There you can also find out the names of those missing in action at the end of January 1942. And then establish which of them fought in the 355th Infantry Division. Then these fighters will no longer be missing in action, but killed in battles for their homeland, and their relatives will know the place of their burial. If at least some names are identified, we will thus pay tribute to the memory of those who fought for us to live on this land."
For those who want to know more about this story, we inform you that the phone number of V.I. Plotnikov is available in the editorial office of SK.
Nadezhda Mokerova.
[email protected].
355th Order of Lenin Rifle Regiment
The regiment's military glory was born in the snows of Finland. His banner flew over the broken pillboxes of the Mannerheim line. Five of the best sons of the regiment in battles with the White Finns won the names of Heroes of the Soviet Union, 256 soldiers, commanders and political workers won orders and medals.
On the fronts of the Great Patriotic War against German fascism, the regiment increased its glory.
The regiment's first deadly battles with the Nazis were:
near Ostrokidsky town, where the enemy advanced tanks against the regiment. They lined up in a semi-circle on a wide front and fired from afar, afraid to approach our infantry.
The battle took place at dusk. The first battalion under the command of Senior Lieutenant Bezuglov occupied the heights near the bridge. He took the brunt of the German attack and defeated him brilliantly. The platoon of anti-tank guns of Senior Lieutenant Odyshkin disabled 4 German tanks with the first shots. Igonin's rifle company, having met the Germans with hostility, threw them far back. The battalion completed its success with swift counterattacks. The regiment destroyed 20 German tanks and several armored vehicles in this battle.
The next battle with the enemy took place on the Volga River, where the regiment covered the division's retreat to a new line. Along with tanks, the enemy brought in heavy artillery. At dawn, sappers blew up the crossings and blocked the enemy's path with forest debris. The Germans regrouped the tanks on the flank and aimed at the battalion of Captain Alekseev. The battalion held out for four and did not retreat one step. Greeted by a barrage of fire, the Germans rolled back with heavy losses. The artillerymen crushed the Germans at the crossing and in the rear. At the most acute moment of the battle, a company under the command of junior lieutenant Barabashkin struck the flank of the Nazis and put them to flight. The enemy left one and a half battalions of infantry, 10 tanks, 20 transporters, several cars and motorcycles on the river and on the approaches to it. The battle lasted the whole day. Here the regiment successfully used bottles of fuel against fascist tanks for the first time. A few days later, residents of the village of Zhurovka had the opportunity to witness an interesting picture. On a hot afternoon, two Soviet trucks with bread and two anti-tank guns appeared simultaneously on one end of the dusty street, and four German tanks on the other side. The surprise of meeting the enemy did not discourage the fighters. Gunner Volkov turned his gun sharply and shot two fascist tanks at point-blank range; Red Army food workers crept up to the third and lit it with bottles; the fourth managed to escape.
So the days passed, the Regiment fought in the forests, crossed rivers, went on night attacks, and fought street battles. In continuous battles with the enemy, the fighters became stronger and more tempered. They went through the school of modern warfare with the regiment and learned to deal blow after blow to the enemy. On the Dnieper, the regiment was surrounded by numerically superior enemy forces. The commander decided to cross the river in battle. The regiment was covered by Commissar Gutnik with fifteen soldiers, holding back the onslaught of German infantry for several hours. The regiment made its way to the river, covering the road with the corpses of the Nazis. Among the first to break through the enemy ring was the regiment's standard bearer, Red Army soldier Edevich. Taking the banner from the staff, he wrapped it around his chest and so went into battle. The regiment was transported by boat; there were not enough pantons. Enemy planes dived over the river. Regimental commander Shvarev was the last to approach the Dnieper. He boldly rushed to swim; in the middle of the river, the commander helped the tired soldier climb onto a floating log and, pushing him forward, reached the shore. The soldiers followed the actions of their beloved commander with alarm and admiration.
“Shvarevtsy” is their name in the division and they bear this name with pride. Shvarev participated in many wars. This battle-hardened man, tireless, cold-blooded, facing danger, from the very first days won love and respect in the regiment. Following him and at his first word, companies and battalions boldly go on the attack.
The regiment fought fierce battles in the area of the village “U”. On July 25, he attacked the village and knocked out the Germans from it and occupied the heights. The enemy trenches were filled to the brim with wounded Germans. The enemy lost several tanks, battalions, infantry, two guns, and many machine guns.
... It was in the morning. During the day, enemy aircraft forced the regiment to take refuge in the forest. The Germans reoccupied the village, and at night the regiment repeated the attack. With a shout of “Hurray!” fighters burst into the village. The number of German corpses on the outskirts doubled. To return the village, the enemy had to throw more than half of the tanks here. From that day on, the village changed hands several times and was recaptured by Shvarev’s regiment.
Books will someday be written about the people of the regiment. Stran learns about the feat of Lieutenant Logoisky, who stormed an impregnable height. The path to get there was pure hell. The company went into the fire bag, but Logoisky, having received the order, said confidently: “We’ll take it!”
And the height was taken. The company commander died, having fulfilled his duty with honor. Strong military friendship unites all the people of the regiment. They love him like their family, are proud of him, and tirelessly increase his glory.
Senior political instructor K. Bukovsky
Western direction.
355th Infantry
355th Infantry Regiment of the N Order-Bearing Division. Commander Colonel Order Bearer Comrade. Shvarev N.A. All battalion and company commanders are also order bearers. The White Finns are well aware of the power and striking force of this illustrious, decorated division and the 355th Infantry Regiment. Since the beginning of the war with Hitler's hordes, the 355th Infantry Regiment has been at the front. Continuously in battles. Courage, courage, valor are the hallmarks of the people of this combat unit. Hundreds of order bearers in its ranks.
Once a regiment found itself in an enemy ring (encirclement). The situation was serious: in front and on the flanks were the fascists, behind was an impenetrable forest thicket. The third day of struggle: Goebbels hastened to boast: “The 355th rifle regiment of the famous N division was completely destroyed.” And Colonel Shvarev gathered the commanders at the command post and set them a combat mission - to escape the encirclement through the forest and swamp during the night. How? When the time comes, we will tell you in more detail.
Dawn has arrived. The entire 355th Infantry Regiment, in full combat gear, was already in the new place. The Germans were left to attack the swamp.
Days passed. And again it happened to the 355th Infantry Regiment, which was covering the regrouping of the N Division, to take on a frantic enemy attack on one of the sectors of the front, or rather a series of continuous attacks that followed one after another. But all the enemy's efforts were in vain. The regrouping was completed successfully. Then the command ordered the regiment commander to take position “H”. It's night again. Again the enemy is ahead, a deep river is behind. Difficult. But the heroic fighters, inspired by their love for the Motherland, successfully swim across the river and, despite heavy enemy fire, escape from him. And after 3 hours, together with newly arrived units, they enter into battle and win - they knock out the enemy from the village “N”, littering the road for many kilometers with German corpses. They took many prisoners. At this time, Goebbels is again lying about the complete destruction of the 355th Infantry Regiment, the soldiers laugh.
Less than a week passed when the 355th Infantry Regiment happened to fight with a bayonet. The Germans don’t like the bayonet, says Shvarev, especially at night. And it’s just more convenient for us at night. In 2 hours of battle, two battalions of Germans were killed. And again Goebbels for the third time announced the complete defeat, this time “without a trace” of the 355th Infantry Regiment. But the regiment is alive and well. Then Goebbels’ department took on Comrade Shvarev. The Nazis announced that Shvarev was captured and Shvarev was killed.
Here a living, smiling Colonel Shvarev sits in front of me and talks with enthusiasm about the prowess and bravery of his soldiers.
On August 31, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the 355th Infantry Regiment was awarded the Order of Lenin. The valiant commander of this regiment, Nikolai Aleksandrovich Shvarev, was also awarded the Order of the Red Banner. The same 355th Infantry Regiment and the same Colonel Shvarev, who were persistently and repeatedly captured and destroyed by the lying Goebbels. The soldiers and commanders laugh at Goebbels. Now the whole world will laugh.
M. Gribov.
From Red Army soldier to general
The young Red Army soldier Nikolai Shvarev, who received his baptism of fire in battles with cadets near the Kremlin walls in October 1917, realized that it was difficult to defend people’s power with a rifle and bayonet. He enrolls in machine gunner courses at the Kremlin school, which later produced a galaxy of prominent military leaders of our Motherland. During the years of the Civil War, the Red commander Shvarev mastered the art of war in fierce battles with Kolchak, Denikin, the White Poles, and foreign invaders, and courageously defended the gains of the Great October Revolution. During the first five-year plans, he, remaining in the ranks of the Armed Forces of the Motherland, religiously fulfilled his duty to protect the creative labor of the Soviet people.
On September 1, 1939, Hitler's troops invaded Poland. The Soviet government decided to protect the lives of the population of Western Ukraine and Belarus, to save the fraternal people from the brown plague. Early in the morning, the liberation campaign of the rifle regiment, commanded by Major N.A. Shvarev, began its battle. In 10 days, overcoming the difficulties of combat marching life, his fighters covered about 500 km, liberating a significant part of the peoples of Western Belarus and Western Ukraine from new exploiters - the German barons.
In November 1939, the Finnish military, incited by the imperialists of other countries, provoked a war with the Soviet Union on the Karelian Isthmus. The troops of the Leningrad District entered into battle with the White Finns. A regiment under the command of Major N.A. Shvarev also fought in their ranks. The regiment was tasked with breaking through the “Mannerheim Line,” which was considered impregnable. There were fierce battles for five days, and the regiment under the command of our fellow countryman destroyed 22 bunkers and 46 bunkers. This greatly helped to quickly decide the outcome of the war with the White Finns.
By decree of the Presidium of the USSR Union in 1940, N.A. Shvarev was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
In June 1940, N.A. Shvarev’s regiment took part in the liberation of Bessarabia from the Romanian boyars and princes.
On June 22, 1941, early in the morning, Colonel N.A. Shvarev raised his units on combat alert to repel the onslaught of the fascist monsters who had broken into our territory. On the approaches to Minsk, it blocks their path. The forces were unequal, there were not enough weapons and ammunition. In Shvarev's regiment, bottles of gasoline were used for the first time to destroy the tanks of Guderian's army. In one of the battles with the Nazis, soldiers of Shvarev’s regiment burned 34 enemy tanks. The Germans lost hundreds of soldiers and officers. In the Shklov trap, Shvarev’s regiment, which was covering the crossing of Soviet troops across the Dnieper, was surrounded. The commander found a way out of the difficult situation and fought to lead the units out of the fascist ring to the Dnieper, the last to cross the river by swimming. In the middle of the river, he helped a wounded soldier climb onto a floating log and transported him to the opposite bank.
By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR in August 1941. Colonel Shvarev was awarded the Order of Lenin. The regiment under the command of our fellow countryman walked the difficult roads of war to victory, took part in the bloody battles near Yelnya, where the courageous commander, who had not taken off his military uniform since October 1917, was seriously wounded. For the battles near Yelnya, Shvarev’s regiment received the rank of guards. This is one of the first units of the Armed Forces of the Motherland to be awarded the honorary title. Having recovered from a serious wound, N.A. Shvarev returned to the front. He commanded the 317th Rifle Division and then the 20th Guards Airborne Corps.
N.A. Shvarev particularly distinguished himself in the battle for the Caucasus. As the head of a group of troops of the 18th Airborne Army on Malaya Zemlya, N.A. Shvarev, commanding the 83rd Marine Brigade, the 8th Guards Rifle Brigade, in collaboration with the 255th Marine Brigade, broke through enemy defenses and captured the western part of the city of Novorossiysk with battles, which contributed to liberation of the city from the Nazi occupiers and was decisive in the liberation of the Caucasus from enemy troops. Great merits of Colonel N.A. Shvarev in carrying out the historical landing in the Crimea in the Eltigen area.
Major General Nikolai Aleksandrovich Shvarev ended the war in the lair of the Nazis - in Berlin.
The homeland highly appreciated the merits of the military commander. Nikolai Aleksandrovich Shvarev was awarded the Order of Lenin, four Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, the Orders of Alexander Nevsky, Bogdan Khmelnitsky, the Orders of Kutuzov and Suvorov, the American Cross for Excellent Service - for extreme heroism and many medals. From an ordinary Red Army soldier, who received his first baptism of fire under the banner of the 1917 revolution, to a major general, commander of the corps, our fellow countryman, the son of a Beloyomut peasant, Nikolai Aleksandrovich Shvarev, went through a glorious battle path in the struggle for Soviet power. He was not destined to live to see the half-century anniversary of the Great October Revolution. He died on June 1, 1960 from many serious wounds received during the Great Patriotic War. The courageous image of a faithful son of the Motherland, our glorious fellow countryman Nikolai Aleksandrovich Shvarev will always be an example of faithful service to the Fatherland and his people.
Article reprinted from newspaper
“On Lenin's path” from October 31, 1967
No. 127/5950/, organ of the Lukhovitsky district committee
CPSU and District Council of Deputies
workers of the Moscow region.
In May 2010, our entire country will celebrate a great holiday - the 65th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The war is getting further and further from us, and there are fewer and fewer living witnesses to it. Soon they will all leave, as they once did in a mortal battle. And we - the younger generation - will not know the whole truth about the Great Patriotic War. The only source of knowledge for us will remain books, documentaries and feature films. In the conditions of economic and political difficulties that our country is experiencing, the neo-fascist movement is intensifying and more and more young people are joining its banner, without really knowing anything about it. We must not allow a repetition of the tragedy that our great-grandfathers and great-great-grandfathers experienced! Due to these circumstances, I am convinced that at present the topic of perpetuating the memory of the Great Patriotic War and the millions of victims, including our fellow countrymen, relevant to the highest degree!
The purpose of my work: Using the example of the activities of the 311th and 355th rifle divisions, reveal the contribution of the Kirov residents to the overall victory over fascism.
Tasks: 1. Select and analyze information resources on this issue.
2. Trace the combat path of the divisions, their participation in the largest operations of the Great Patriotic War.
3. To highlight the feats of arms of ordinary soldiers and officers - fellow countrymen, who fought as part of the famous Kirov divisions, worthy of memory for centuries.
Thus, object my research is the activities of the 311 and 355 Kirov rifle divisions, and subject - their military path, military deeds, military exploits.
I hope that this work, perhaps, will serve as a reason for deep reflection and a source of new knowledge for someone. But, undoubtedly, it will evoke a feeling of pride for their fellow countrymen, a desire to pay tribute to the heroes - those who died at an anonymous height, those who signed on the walls of the Reichstag and, of course, those who are still with us today.
The topic I chose for research turned out to be insufficiently studied and covered in the literature.
In writing the work, it was necessary to rely, first of all, on the memories of those who, as part of divisions or with them, walked along roads scorched by the war. Among them is military photojournalist Dmitry Onokhin. His book “From Vyatka to Elbe” (the only one of its kind) presents the entire combat path of the 311th Kirov Rifle Division. An interesting addition to the stories of Dm. For me, Onokhin became the memories of Mikhail Koltsin, a reserve major who directly fought as part of the 311th Infantry Division, preserved in archival materials library named after Herzen, published in the newspaper “Kirovskaya Pravda” No. 65 for February 23, 1965. From a newspaper article I learned about the exploits of the soldiers - his fellow soldiers: Nikolai Grigoryevich Kobelev, Boris Aleksandrovich Vladimirov, Kolya Vorozhtsov and others. The short but bright military path of the 355th Kirov Rifle Division, the exploits of its soldiers appeared from the pages of articles in the Encyclopedia of the Vyatka Land, Reader on the history of the Kirov region and in the materials of the scientific and practical conference “Vyatka Land in the Past and Present”. Archive site on the Internet, as well as photographs from family albums helped to revive the faces of those heroes whose military path was connected with the famous Kirov divisions.
The combat path of the 311th Kirov Rifle Division.
The Nazis called this division “black,” but its fighters gave it a name: wooded and swampy, waterproof, unfreeze. It was formed on July 7, 1941. first as a division of the Kirov people's militia and only then became the 311th rifle division.
The division received its baptism of fire on the Leningrad Front in the Volkhov-Novgorod region - a forested and swampy region. “Forests and swamps... It was only possible to walk here on a flooring made of logs. That’s how they fought: they went into battle during the day, and paved roads at night. This was, perhaps, the only section along the entire length of the front where you couldn’t even dig a trench or a trench, where 200 buckets of water were poured from the headquarters dugout every day. Mosquitoes don't count anymore. And in such conditions the division fought for a just, holy cause,” recalled Mikhail Koltsin.
Summer and autumn 1941 The division fought fierce defensive battles near Chudov, Voybokal, Tikhvin, Pogost, and New Kirishi. She blocked the Nazis' road to Leningrad. In the winter of 1941-1942, having exhausted the enemy's forces, bringing him to severe exhaustion, the division went on the offensive (together with other units of the 54th Army of the Leningrad Front). The Volkhov and Tikhvin large enemy groups were destroyed. The plan of the fascist invaders, which included the capture of Leningrad, thereby failed. Since the spring of 1942 until the autumn of 1943 The division continued to successfully hold defensive lines in its sector of the Leningrad Front Voybokalo-Tikhvin-Kirishi. At the end of November 1943 The division left the subordination of the 54th Army. As part of other fronts, she participated in offensive operations in the Novgorod and Pskov directions, and then was unexpectedly transferred to Belarus, where she liberated the city of Dvinsk. The 311th Infantry Division, as having particularly distinguished itself during the liberation of this ancient city, was given the name “Dvinskaya”, and was also awarded the Order of Suvorov, II degree.
Pursuing the retreating enemy, the division, together with other units of the Red Army, crossed the western border of the USSR and entered the territory of Poland. For successful military operations to cross the Vistula at the beginning of 1945. The Order of the Red Banner was added to the division's awards. As part of the 1st Belorussian Front, she took part in the great and decisive battle for Berlin and stormed the Reichstag. Here, on the banks of the Elbe, her military journey ended.
The 311th Infantry Division's path to victory was long and difficult. It ran from Volkhov in Russia to Berlin in Germany. The division defended Leningrad for about 870 days, spent 200 days in battles for the liberation of Novgorod and Pskov, 150 days in Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, 80 days in Poland and 90 days in Germany.
Leaving Berlin, on the walls of the defeated Reichstag, our Vyatka boys, following the example of other Russian soldiers from different villages, villages and cities: Ryazan, Saratov, Moscow, Tula... left a memorial inscription of the winners. “Before leaving, my friend artillery technician N.A. Paderin,” recalled Dmitry Onokhin, “took a screwdriver from his pocket and scratched it on the wall of the main hall: “I examined the Reichstag. Everything is correct! N. Paderin. Vyatka-Kirov
From February to March 1942 The division fought local battles in the Rzhev-Bely direction. The fascist German command managed to gather large forces in the area of the city of Bely. June 2, 1942 to encircle the division for the second time with massive tank attacks on opposing directions. This time, few escaped the encirclement. Many died, were captured, or went missing. Division commander Ryzhkov A.I. was seriously wounded. Having lost more than half of its personnel, the division was disbanded. Those who survived continued to fight as part of other units of the 39th Army.
The 355th Infantry Division did not last long, but did a lot to defeat the Germans near Moscow and liberate the lands of the Kalinin and Smolensk regions from the fascist invaders.
Photos of the war years from a family album.
A. Bushkov and his comrades are soldiers of the 355th Kirov Rifle Division.
Vyatich soldier Kolya Vorozhtsov wrote his name into the division’s chronicle. He was the orderly of the general, the division commander. “We all loved our military leader like our own father,” Mikhail Koltsin recalls again. Boris Aleksandrovich Vladimirov was a brave man, a talented master of military art. I remember this incident. Somehow, during the battle, the machine gunner faltered and backed away when the Nazis rushed to attack. Suddenly the general himself appeared on his way, wearing a soldier’s hat and an open quilted coat. He stopped the fighter and shouted:
Why did you lose your temper, my dear? Who are you running from? From some shabby German? Do you know who you are? You are a Vyatka hero! Come on, darling, here's the tape.
And the division commander lay down with the soldier behind the machine gun. It was as if the fighter had been replaced, he seemed to be rooted to the sight. Bullets whistle around the machine gun and plow through the snow. And then Kolya Vorozhtsov appeared. He saw the general and, like a cat, jumped towards him and covered him with his body. It’s okay that Kolya was scratched in the hand, but the division commander remained alive and unharmed.”
There were many such cases when Vorozhtsov, sacrificing himself, saved the general. In one of the battles, Kolya died, still defending the life of the division commander.
We all know the illustrious name of Alexander Matrosov, who is written about in history books as the first to accomplish the feat of closing the embrasure of an enemy bunker with his body. This happened on February 27, 1943. near the village of Cheryomushki, Loknyansky district, Pskov region. And few people know that the same feat, but almost 1 year and 2 months earlier (December 27, 1941 on the Kalinin Front in the battles for the village of Ryabinikha) was accomplished by our fellow countryman - Yakov Nikolaevich Paderin - private of the 1186th regiment of the 355th rifle division. I asked myself: why did the Kirov resident’s feat go unnoticed? I put forward several hypotheses, each of which required verification.
Hypothesis No. 1: maybe it's all a matter of age? Matrosov was 19, and Paderin was 41 at the time of the feat. Probably, it would have been more convenient to make a national hero a young guy, rather than a mature man - a resident of a small village in the godforsaken Vyatka region?!
Hypothesis No. 2: perhaps the time (military situation) required the appearance of a national hero?
The answer was unexpected for me! At the end of 1942 and the beginning of 1943, as the historical encyclopedia testifies, the USSR was on the verge of a military disaster: there were fierce battles for Stalingrad and the Caucasus. Maximum mobilization of forces and resources, illustrative examples of courage and heroism were required. That’s when the press paid attention to the feat of Alexander Matrosov and made him a national hero! Thus, hypothesis No. 2 was confirmed!
Studying archival materials and literature describing the feat, I tried to mentally imagine what Yakov Paderin was thinking at the last moment of his life. Perhaps about home, about loved ones, about unfulfilled dreams? It was probably not easy to decide to take such a step! But he still did it! Jacob Paderin died for us, for our future.
The name of Yakov Nikolaevich Paderin was immortalized in his poem by the poet Viktor Gusev.
Such a people will not be defeated!
Snow, snow!
In the midst of a battle, an attack.
Fire. Lead.
The snowstorm swirls and howls.
From the dungeon barks like a dog
Grinning fascist machine gun.
He slows down our progress
An evil, hoarse gnome buried in the ground,
Broken Enemy
goes into battle again,
Supported by its destructive fire.
Minutes will pass -
the battle will be lost,
The enemy will come to his senses and become stronger. Trouble!
Then the fighter Paderin crawls forward.
Let's remember this name forever!
Our comrade is crawling in a white robe,
And the Russian blizzard flies over him, sings,
And with his body,
With your hot body
The fascist closes the machine gun.
And instantly dozens of bullets pierce him.
But, dying, he hears, he hears:
The soldiers move forward, they sweep away the enemy.
Such a people will not be defeated!
May 5, 1942 posthumously Y.N. Paderin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Streets in the city of Kirov and the village of Loino, as well as in the city of Torzhok in the Kalinin region, are named after the hero.
Encyclopedia for schoolchildren. The Great Patriotic War. 1941-1945. M.: OLMA-PRESS, 2005. I.A. Damaskin, P.A. Koshel. P.198-218.
Reader on the history of the Kirov region. Kirov. Volgo-Vyatka book publishing house. 1982. P.146.
Conclusion.
Let the war get further and further every year. But human memory will return again and again to the distant 40s. And I, like many boys today, really want to be at least a little like those who survived this terrible hell and turned out to be stronger than the enemy.
In the near future I am planning take a closer look at the activities of the Kirov search detachment “Brotherhood”, which since 1996 annually participates in the All-Russian “Memory Watch”. He is engaged in clearing the area in the Starorussky district of the Novgorod region in the Sutoki tract.
The activities of the detachment deserve respect and are of particular interest because, as has already been precisely established, soldiers mobilized in the Kirov region also took part in the offensive operations to liberate this area.
Informational resources.
1. Burov E.M. Article "The combat path of the 355th Infantry Division." Collection of materials from the scientific and practical conference “Vyatka Land in the Past and Present”. St. Petersburg, 1975 P.152-155.
2. Zagvozdkin G.G. Article “In the battle for the Fatherland: 1941-1945.” Encyclopedia of the Vyatka Land. T.4. 1995 P.393-408.
The 70th anniversary of the Victory was widely celebrated. They paid due tribute to the memory of the liberating soldiers who did not return from the war and passed on to another world after the Victory. They showed signs of attention to the living soldiers of the Great Patriotic War. Many thanks to them for the memory and “Keep it up”! We must not forget about the price paid for the Victory.
I will very briefly touch on the fate of the 355th Infantry Division. It was part of the 39th Army and was formed in the city of Kirov already during the war. By September 1, 1941, the 1182nd, 1184th and 1186th rifle regiments and the 922nd artillery regiment were formed. This day is considered the birthday of the 355th Infantry Division. Divisional commander Colonel Andrei Egorovich Khodunovich, Commissioner Sergei Izosimovich Chekmarev. From November 5 to 7, 1941, the division with military equipment using a combined method of movement was sent to the Kalinin Front. In Torzhok, after unloading, the personnel were given weapons, ammunition, and food, and they moved on foot to the front line. Having completed a 60-kilometer march, on December 25, 1941, they took up their starting positions near the villages of Ryabinikha (not far from the border of the Kuvshinovsky district) and Erukovo, the main centers of the Nazi defense. Until December, the Germans in Ryabinikha built 40 bunkers, 30 dugouts, several pit traps for tanks, minefields, and the approaches were covered with machine gun fire and anti-tank guns. The Germans considered the mountain ash impregnable and invulnerable. The 355th Division received an order to break through the enemy’s defenses in the area of the villages of Ryabinikha-Erunovo - a section of the impregnable “Schubert Line”. On December 25 and 26, 1941, soldiers of the division unsuccessfully attacked the enemy fortifications, suffering huge losses. Deep snow, open terrain riddled with crossfire, frosts in which the lubricant in the weapons froze and they did not fire, the order to break through the enemy’s defense line was impossible to carry out. From a letter from Evgeniy Golovin: “The entire regiment was laid out on one field, this is about a thousand people... The entire field was covered with ours...” The soldiers of the division fulfilled their duty, and it was not their fault that this nut was too tough. And only on December 27, 1941, with the support of the 39th Katyusha division (commander Captain Davidenko) and the 165th separate tank battalion (commander Major Ionin), the soldiers of the 355th division managed to break through the “impregnable” enemy defenses and develop an offensive towards Rzhev, liberating village after village of Lukovnikovsky district, including Pustoradikha, in which I had the honor of being born. In the battle for Ryabinikha, Yakov Nikolaevich Paderin performed an immortal feat, covering the embrasure of an enemy bunker with his chest, thereby ensuring a successful attack on the village. With losses and reinforcements, she reached Rzhev. The story about the military operations and exploits of its warriors can only be contained in several books, and not in a newspaper article. I don’t hope that someday someone will write a book about the combat path of the 355th Infantry Division.
From January 8 to April 20, 1942, the Rzhev-Vyazemsk offensive operation of the troops of the Kalinin Front was carried out. The start was successful. The 39th Army managed to break through the enemy's defenses and penetrate deep into his rear. The 29th Army and the 11th Cavalry Corps were brought into the breakthrough. The Nazis were on the verge of a heavy defeat, but at that moment Colonel General Strauss was replaced by Walter Model, the most experienced general in the Nazi army. He managed, by regrouping his forces, to close the breakthrough in the Rzhev area, and thus our troops found themselves surrounded, where they continued to courageously fight the enemy, inflicting significant losses on him and pinning down his divisions needed in other sectors of the front. The order to leave the encirclement was late; the encircled troops faced a tragic end. The 355th Division fought heroically and was surrounded. In winter conditions, without outside support, practically without food and with a very limited amount of ammunition, she continued to inflict significant damage on the enemy. The division suffered its main losses from incessant enemy bombing. Our fighters could not cover our troops from the air, because our troops were fighting deep behind enemy lines. For the accomplished feat near the village of Ryabinikha Y.N. On May 5, 1942, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Paderin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. On this occasion, on May 15, 1942, a rally was held in the forest a hundred kilometers from the site of the feat. Senior battalion commissar V. Tselousov and political instructor N. Shvedenko spoke about it. The words were said in the speeches: “This is a heavy loss for us, but we know that you gave your life for the happiness of our people, in the name of our beloved Motherland. We will always carry your name in our hearts as a bright banner of Victory. The time will come, and legends will be made about your feat, people will sing about it in their songs. Our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will remember you with a sense of pride.” But the days of the 355th Division were numbered. Of the more than 12 thousand soldiers near Rzhev, 500 survived. Now not a single person from the division is alive. E. Golovin writes: “When I turned to the House of Officers, they told me: who will look for a division whose banner has been lost. And then I found out who carried out this banner, and who, by order, destroyed all the archives of this division when it came out of encirclement.” In this unjust way, the memory of the division’s military deeds and the exploits of its soldiers, who at one time drove the enemy back from the borders of the Kuvshinovsky district by a hundred kilometers in a few days of fighting, was destroyed. Currently, several people from the Lukovnikovsky district live in Kuvshinovo, whose small homeland was liberated by the 355th division, as well as children and grandchildren of those who have passed on to another world. So let's not forget about the exploits of those who liberated our small Motherland from the Nazis in the harsh December days of 1941. On Defender of the Fatherland Day and Victory Day, we will definitely drink a bitter glass to the soldiers of the 355th Division, who found eternal peace on the Lukovnikovskaya and Rzhevskaya lands, who did everything they could for the sake of our lives and the lives of subsequent generations. Their memory is sacred!
