Courage is a great quality of the soul: the people marked by it should be proud of themselves.
N. M. Karamzin
The Brest Fortress was built and put into operation on April 26, 1842. It was located on the western border of the Russian Empire (the territory of modern Belarus) and was built to strengthen the western border of the Russian Empire. Initially, the significance of this defensive line was quite symbolic, but it was in Brest in 1941 that one of the most terrible battles took place, in which the defenders showed all their courage and bravery.
Balance of forces and means
It was this fortress that was destined to be the first to take the blow of the German army. By June 22, 1941, there was only one division in Brest. The main forces were withdrawn shortly before the start of the war to conduct exercises. Initially, the defense of the Brest Fortress was carried out by the following forces:
- 8 rifle battalions,
- 1 artillery battalion,
- 1 anti-tank company,
- 1 reconnaissance company,
- 1 anti-aircraft battery.
In general, Major Gavrilov, who was in charge of the defense of the Brest Fortress, had 8 thousand soldiers, plus medical personnel. The problem for the defenders was that it was in this place that the epicenter of the movement of the German Army “Center” was located, which, in order to implement the Barbarossa plan, planned to quickly destroy all the key strongholds of the USSR on the western sector of the front. The German 45th Army, which consisted of 17 thousand people, was sent for the assault. Consequently, by the beginning of the Battle of Brest, the German army was twice the size of the defenders. According to the plan of the German command, Brest was to be captured without the use of tanks. This was necessary because the German command did not dare to send tanks to this area due to the swampy terrain.
Beginning of the assault
Preparations for the assault began at 4 a.m. 1941. The German army began artillery preparation for the attack, delivering its main attack on the barracks, as well as on that part of the garrison where the officers were located. The defenders were taken by surprise. It was impossible to leave the fortress, since German artillery was firing at the approaches to the fortress itself and its gates. At 4:45 a.m. the assault began.
It should be noted that the defenders of Brest, taken by surprise by a sudden artillery attack, were mostly buried in their barracks. Most of the command was destroyed by the Germans during the artillery preparation for the attack. As a result, the defense of the Brest Fortress at the initial stage took place virtually without command and consisted of holding individual fortifications. Soviet soldiers fought bravely. The Germans captured the fortifications with great difficulty. Most Fierce fighting took place near the Kobrin fortification fortresses
On June 23, the German army again began the day with an artillery bombardment of the fortress, followed by another assault. Brest survived that day too. By the end of June 24, at the cost of colossal human sacrifices, the German army managed to capture the Terespol and Volyn fortifications. Realizing that it was impossible to hold the fortifications any longer, the defenders retreated to the citadel of the fortress at night. As a result, starting from June 25, the defense of the Brest Fortress was concentrated at two points: in the citadel and the eastern fort, which is on the Kobrin fortifications. The defenders of the eastern fort numbered 400 people. They were led by Major Gavrilov. The Germans carried out up to ten assaults every day, but the defenders held out.
Fall of the fortress
On June 26, 1941, the next German offensive was successful. The citadel has fallen. Most of the Soviet soldiers were captured. On June 29, the eastern fort fell. But the defense of the Brest Fortress did not end there! From that time on, it became unorganized, but those Soviet soldiers who took refuge in the dungeon entered into battle with the Germans every day. They managed the almost incredible. A small group of Soviet people, 12 people, commanded by Major Gavrilov, resisted the Germans until July 12. These heroes held an entire German division in the area of the Brest Fortress for almost a month! But even after Major Gavrilov and his detachment fell, fighting continued in the fortress. According to historians, isolated pockets of resistance in this region existed until the beginning of August 1941.
Dishonorably, cruelly, brutally, on June 22, 1941, fascist Germany attacked the sleeping Soviet Union. It was especially difficult for the border towns, which were the first to be hit by the Germans. A separate line in the immortal feat of our compatriots is the defense of the Brest Fortress. An object that was a “tidbit” for the Nazis. What do we know about defending the hero fortress?However, first let's look at its history. The beginning of construction of the Brest Fortress dates back to 1833. Note that the city is an important border garrison; it “blocks” the central highway leading to Belarusian Minsk. For this reason, it simply needed to be strengthened. In different years of its “life” the fortress was a barracks, a military warehouse, and a political prison. The city itself either fell into the possession of the Poles, then returned to the territory of Russia, or was again captured by its neighbors.
Shortly before the start of the bloody war (1939), Brest was included in the USSR. The fortress itself no longer carried the significance of a strategic military facility, but rather was a monument to past battles. On the eve of the Great Patriotic War, it housed garrisons of military personnel, a hospital, premises for household needs, and the families of the commanding officers permanently lived there. In total there are about 8 thousand military personnel and 300 “civilians” - members of their families. Of course, there were weapons and food supplies here, but more “for show.” Rumor has it that the water in the fortress ran out two days before the start of the great confrontation...
The attack on the Brest Fortress coincided with. It is not difficult to guess that residential buildings and barracks were the first to come under fire. The Germans systematically destroyed the command staff with heavy artillery fire and air strikes. Their goals were ambitious: to throw the army, left without leadership, into panic and take the fortress into their own hands before noon.
In reality, the assault on the fortification lasted several days. The surprise factor did not work as Hitler planned. Yes, most of the officers died, but the living soldiers immediately got their bearings, taking up a selfless defense. Did the Soviet high command know in advance about the impending attack on the country? There is no clear answer. But before the start of the war, a decree was issued: to immediately leave the fortress in the event of an enemy attack and take a defensive position along the perimeter. In fact, only a few were able to get out, and most of the military remained inside the bastion.
The Germans planned to take the fortress by storm, but were only able to reach its central part. Eyewitnesses of the events counted up to 8 attempts by the Nazis to break through the defenses of our soldiers, but all of them turned out to be fruitless.
Moreover: the German command suffered enormous losses. This is not at all the start of the war that Hitler was counting on! The enemy urgently changes tactics: the storming of the fortress is replaced by its siege. Troops that have made at least a little progress in the offensive are urgently recalled, they are placed along the perimeter of the rebellious stronghold.
From now on, the enemy’s task is to completely block the entrances and exits of the fortress for Soviet troops. The besieged were literally left without supplies, weapons or water. The lack of life-giving moisture was especially acutely felt in the stone walls. The atrocity of the Germans reached the point that they took special control of all nearby sources, dooming those imprisoned to certain death.
Despite the constant bombing, artillery shelling, and foot advances of the Germans, our soldiers held the defense with dignity. Along with them, women and children showed fortitude. Many refused to leave the walls of the fortress and voluntarily surrender to the enemy for the chance to save their lives.
The Nazis tried to alternate tactics of assault and siege, but made little progress in capturing the Brest Fortress. Only by the end of June did the German army manage to take control of most of the bastion. However, individual scattered groups of our soldiers resisted the invaders even until the fall.
Even though it ended up in the hands of the enemy, the feat of the Soviet soldiers unpleasantly struck the German “elite”. To say the least, he scared me. And how can one not shudder at such will to fight, courage and dedication! Of the 8 thousand fighters, almost none survived.
Our people first learned about the heroic fortress’s feat... from captured German reports in the winter of 1942. On the border of the 40-50s. Notes about the Brest Bastion in Soviet newspapers were based solely on rumors. A key role in restoring the historical picture was played by the historian S. Smirnov and the writer K. Simonov, with whose input the book “Brest Fortress” was published. Today, the site of great battles has become. Here everyone can plunge into the picture of the events of the terrible years.
The famous Brest Fortress has become synonymous with unbroken spirit and perseverance. During the Great Patriotic War, the elite forces of the Wehrmacht were forced to spend 8 full days to capture it, instead of the planned 8 hours. What motivated the defenders of the fortress and why this resistance played an important role in the overall picture of the Second World War.
Early in the morning of June 22, 1941, the German offensive began along the entire line of the Soviet border, from the Barents to the Black Sea. One of the many initial targets was the Brest Fortress - a small line in the Barbarossa plan. The Germans took only 8 hours to storm and capture it. Despite the loud name, this fortification, which was once the pride of the Russian Empire, turned into simple barracks and the Germans did not expect to encounter serious resistance there.
But the unexpected and desperate resistance that the Wehrmacht forces met in the fortress entered the history of the Great Patriotic War so vividly that today many believe that the Second World War began precisely with the attack on the Brest Fortress. But it could have happened that this feat would have remained unknown, but chance decreed otherwise.
History of the Brest Fortress
Where the Brest Fortress is located today, there used to be the city of Berestye, which was mentioned for the first time in the Tale of Bygone Years. Historians believe that this city originally grew up around a castle, the history of which is lost in the centuries. Located at the junction of Lithuanian, Polish and Russian lands, it has always played an important strategic role. The city was built on a cape formed by the Western Bug and Mukhovets rivers. In ancient times, rivers were the main communications routes for traders. Therefore, Berestye flourished economically. But the location on the border itself also entailed dangers. The city often moved from one state to another. It was repeatedly besieged and captured by Poles, Lithuanians, German knights, Swedes, Crimean Tatars and troops of the Russian kingdom.
Important fortification
The history of the modern Brest Fortress originates in imperial Russia. It was built by order of Emperor Nicholas I. The fortification was located at an important point - on the shortest land route from Warsaw to Moscow. At the confluence of two rivers - the Western Bug and Mukhavets there was a natural island, which became the site of the Citadel - the main fortification of the fortress. This building was a two-story building that housed 500 casemates. There could be 12 thousand people there at the same time. The two-meter thick walls reliably protected them from any weapons that existed in the 19th century.
Three more islands were created artificially, using the waters of the Mukhovets River and a man-made ditch system. Additional fortifications were located on them: Kobrin, Volyn and Terespol. This arrangement suited the commanders defending the fortress very much, because it reliably protected the Citadel from enemies. It was very difficult to break through to the main fortification, and bringing battering guns there was almost impossible. The first stone of the fortress was laid on June 1, 1836, and on April 26, 1842, the fortress standard soared above it in a solemn ceremony. At that time it was one of the best defensive structures in the country. Knowledge of the design features of this military fortification will help you understand how the defense of the Brest Fortress took place in 1941.
Time passed and weapons improved. The range of artillery fire was increasing. What was previously impregnable could now be destroyed without even getting close. Therefore, military engineers decided to build an additional line of defense, which was supposed to encircle the fortress at a distance of 9 km from the main fortification. It included artillery batteries, defensive barracks, two dozen strong points and 14 forts.
An unexpected find
February 1942 turned out to be cold. German troops were rushing deep into the Soviet Union. The Red Army soldiers tried to restrain their advance, but most often they had no choice but to continue to retreat deeper into the country. But they were not always defeated. And now, not far from Orel, the 45th Wehrmacht Infantry Division was completely defeated. It was even possible to capture documents from the headquarters archives. Among them they found a “Combat report on the occupation of Brest-Litovsk.”
The careful Germans, day after day, documented the events that took place during the protracted siege in the Brest Fortress. Staff officers had to explain the reasons for the delay. At the same time, as has always been the case in history, they tried their best to extol their own courage and downplay the merits of the enemy. But even in this light, the feat of the unbroken defenders of the Brest Fortress looked so bright that excerpts from this document were published in the Soviet publication “Red Star” to strengthen the spirit of both front-line soldiers and civilians. But history at that time had not yet revealed all its secrets. The Brest Fortress in 1941 suffered much more than the trials that became known from the documents found.
Word to the witnesses
Three years passed after the capture of the Brest Fortress. After heavy fighting, Belarus and, in particular, the Brest Fortress were recaptured from the Nazis. By that time, stories about her had practically become legends and an ode to courage. Therefore, there was immediately increased interest in this object. The powerful fortress lay in ruins. At first glance, traces of destruction from artillery strikes told experienced front-line soldiers what kind of hell the garrison located here had to face at the very beginning of the war.
A detailed overview of the ruins provided an even more complete picture. Literally dozens of messages from participants in the defense of the fortress were written and scrawled on the walls. Many boiled down to the message: “I’m dying, but I’m not giving up.” Some contained dates and surnames. Over time, eyewitnesses of those events were found. German newsreels and photo reports became available. Step by step, historians reconstructed the picture of the events that took place on June 22, 1941 in the battles for the Brest Fortress. The writings on the walls told about things that were not in the official reports. In the documents, the date of the fall of the fortress was July 1, 1941. But one of the inscriptions was dated July 20, 1941. This meant that the resistance, albeit in the form of a guerrilla movement, lasted almost a month.
Defense of the Brest Fortress
By the time the fire of World War II broke out, the Brest Fortress was no longer a strategically important facility. But since it was inappropriate to neglect existing material resources, it was used as a barracks. The fortress turned into a small military town where the families of the commanders lived. Among the civilian population permanently residing in the territory were women, children and the elderly. About 300 families lived outside the walls of the fortress.
Due to military exercises planned for June 22, rifle and artillery units and senior army commanders left the fortress. 10 rifle battalions, 3 artillery regiments, air defense and anti-tank battalions left the territory. Less than half the usual number of people remained - approximately 8.5 thousand people. The national composition of the defenders would be a credit to any UN meeting. There were Belarusians, Ossetians, Ukrainians, Uzbeks, Tatars, Kalmyks, Georgians, Chechens and Russians. In total, among the defenders of the fortress there were representatives of thirty nationalities. 19 thousand well-trained soldiers, who had considerable experience of real battles in Europe, were approaching them.
Soldiers of the 45th Wehrmacht Infantry Division stormed the Brest Fortress. This was a special unit. It was the first to triumphantly enter Paris. Soldiers from this division traveled through Belgium, Holland and fought in Warsaw. They were considered practically the elite of the German army. The Forty-fifth Division always quickly and accurately carried out the tasks assigned to it. The Fuhrer himself singled her out from others. This is a division of the former Austrian army. It was formed in Hitler's homeland - in the district of Linz. Personal devotion to the Fuhrer was carefully cultivated in her. They are expected to win quickly, and they have no doubt about it.
Fully ready for a quick assault
The Germans had a detailed plan of the Brest Fortress. After all, just a few years ago they had already conquered it from Poland. Then Brest was also attacked at the very beginning of the war. The assault on the Brest Fortress in 1939 lasted two weeks. It was then that the Brest Fortress was first subjected to aerial bombing. And on September 22, the whole of Brest was pompously handed over to the Red Army, in honor of which a joint parade of Red Army soldiers and the Wehrmacht was held.
Fortifications: 1 - Citadel; 2 - Kobrin fortification; 3 - Volyn fortification; 4 - Terespol fortification Objects: 1. Defensive barracks; 2. Barbicans; 3. White Palace; 4. Engineering management; 5. Barracks; 6. Club; 7. Dining room; 8. Brest Gate; 9. Kholm Gate; 10. Terespol Gate; 11. Brigid Gate. 12. Border post building; 13. Western Fort; 14. East Fort; 15. Barracks; 16. Residential buildings; 17. North-West Gate; 18. North Gate; 19. East Gate; 20. Powder magazines; 21. Brigid Prison; 22. Hospital; 23. Regimental school; 24. Hospital building; 25. Strengthening; 26. South Gate; 27. Barracks; 28. Garages; 30. Barracks.
Therefore, the advancing soldiers had all the necessary information and a diagram of the Brest Fortress. They knew about the strengths and weaknesses of fortifications, and had a clear plan of action. At dawn on June 22, everyone was in place. We installed mortar batteries and prepared assault troops. At 4:15 the Germans opened artillery fire. Everything was very clearly verified. Every four minutes the line of fire was moved 100 meters forward. The Germans carefully and methodically mowed down everything they could get their hands on. A detailed map of the Brest Fortress served as an invaluable help in this.
The emphasis was placed primarily on surprise. The artillery bombardment was supposed to be short but massive. The enemy needed to be disoriented and not given the opportunity to provide united resistance. During the short attack, nine mortar batteries managed to fire 2,880 shots at the fortress. No one expected any serious resistance from the survivors. After all, in the fortress there were rear guards, repairmen, and families of commanders. As soon as the mortars died down, the assault began.
The attackers passed the South Island quickly. Warehouses were concentrated there, and there was a hospital. The soldiers did not stand on ceremony with bedridden patients - they finished them off with rifle butts. Those who could move independently were killed selectively.
But on the western island, where the Terespol fortification was located, the border guards managed to get their bearings and meet the enemy with dignity. But due to the fact that they were scattered into small groups, it was not possible to restrain the attackers for long. Through the Terespol Gate of the attacked Brest Fortress, the Germans broke into the Citadel. They quickly occupied some of the casemates, the officers' mess and the club.
First failures
At the same time, the newly-minted heroes of the Brest Fortress begin to gather in groups. They take out their weapons and take defensive positions. Now it turns out that the Germans who broke through find themselves in a ring. They are attacked from the rear, and yet undiscovered defenders await ahead. The Red Army soldiers purposefully shot officers among the attacking Germans. The infantrymen, discouraged by such a rebuff, try to retreat, but are then met with fire by the border guards. German losses in this attack amounted to almost half of the detachment. They retreat and settle in the club. This time as besieged.
Artillery cannot help the Nazis. It is impossible to open fire, since the probability of shooting your own people is too great. The Germans are trying to get through to their comrades stuck in the Citadel, but Soviet snipers force them to keep their distance with careful shots. The same snipers block the movement of machine guns, preventing them from being transferred to other positions.
By 7:30 in the morning, the seemingly shot fortress literally comes to life and completely comes to its senses. Defense has already been organized along the entire perimeter. The commanders hastily reorganize the surviving soldiers and place them in positions. Nobody has a complete picture of what is happening. But at this time, the fighters are sure that they just need to hold their positions. Hold out until help comes.
Complete isolation
The Red Army soldiers had no contact with the outside world. Messages sent over the air went unanswered. By noon the city was completely occupied by the Germans. The Brest Fortress on the map of Brest remained the only center of resistance. All escape routes were cut off. But contrary to the expectations of the Nazis, resistance only grew. It was absolutely clear that the attempt to capture the fortress had failed outright. The offensive stalled.
At 13:15, the German command throws the reserve into battle - the 133rd Infantry Regiment. This does not bring results. At 14:30, the commander of the 45th division, Fritz Schlieper, arrives at the German-occupied site of the Kobrin fortification to personally assess the situation. He becomes convinced that his infantry is not able to take the Citadel on its own. Shlieper gives the order at nightfall to withdraw the infantry and resume shelling from heavy guns. The heroic defense of the besieged Brest Fortress is bearing fruit. This is the first retreat of the famous 45th Division since the beginning of the war in Europe.
The Wehrmacht forces could not simply take and leave the fortress as it was. In order to move forward it was necessary to occupy it. The strategists knew this, and it has been proven by history. The defense of the Brest Fortress by the Poles in 1939 and the Russians in 1915 served as a good lesson for the Germans. The fortress blocked important crossings across the Western Bug River and access roads to both tank highways, which were crucial for the transfer of troops and provision of supplies to the advancing army.
According to the plans of the German command, troops aimed at Moscow were to march non-stop through Brest. German generals considered the fortress a serious obstacle, but simply did not consider it as a powerful defensive line. The desperate defense of the Brest Fortress in 1941 made adjustments to the plans of the aggressors. In addition, the defending Red Army soldiers did not just sit in the corners. Time after time they organized counterattacks. Losing people and rolling back to their positions, they rebuilt and went into battle again.
This is how the first day of the war passed. The next day, the Germans gathered the captured people, and, hiding behind women, children and the wounded from the captured hospital, they began to cross the bridge. Thus, the Germans forced the defenders to either let them through or shoot their relatives and friends with their own hands.
Meanwhile, artillery fire resumed. To help the besiegers, two super-heavy guns were delivered - 600 mm self-propelled mortars of the Karl system. These were such exclusive weapons that they even had their own names. In total, only six such mortars were produced throughout history. The two-ton shells fired from these mastodons left craters 10 meters deep. They knocked down the towers at the Terespol Gate. In Europe, the mere appearance of such a “Charles” at the walls of a besieged city meant victory. The Brest Fortress, as long as the defense lasted, did not even give the enemy a reason to think about the possibility of surrender. The defenders continued to fire even when seriously wounded.
The first prisoners
However, at 10 am the Germans take the first break and offer to surrender. This continued during each of the subsequent breaks in the shooting. Insistent offers to surrender were heard from German loudspeakers throughout the entire area. This was supposed to undermine the morale of the Russians. This approach has brought certain results. On this day, about 1,900 people left the fortress with their hands raised. Among them there were a lot of women and children. But there were also military personnel. Mostly reservists who arrived for training camp.
The third day of defense began with artillery shelling, comparable in power to the first day of the war. The Nazis could not help but admit that the Russians were defending themselves courageously. But they did not understand the reasons that forced people to continue to resist. Brest was taken. There is nowhere to wait for help. However, initially no one planned to defend the fortress. In fact, this would even be a direct disobedience to the order, which stated that in the event of hostilities, the fortress was to be abandoned immediately.
The military personnel there simply did not have time to leave the facility. The narrow gate, which was the only exit then, was under targeted fire from the Germans. Those who failed to break through initially expected help from the Red Army. They did not know that German tanks were already in the center of Minsk.
Not all the women left the fortress, having heeded the exhortations to surrender. Many stayed to fight with their husbands. German attack aircraft even reported to the command about the women's battalion. However, there were never female units in the fortress.
Premature report
On the twenty-fourth of June, Hitler was informed about the capture of the Brest-Litovsk Fortress. That day, the stormtroopers managed to capture the Citadel. But the fortress has not yet surrendered. That evening, the surviving commanders gathered in the engineering barracks building. The result of the meeting is Order No. 1 - the only document of the besieged garrison. Because of the assault that had begun, they didn’t even have time to finish writing it. But it is thanks to him that we know the names of the commanders and the numbers of the fighting units.
After the fall of the Citadel, the eastern fort became the main center of resistance in the Brest Fortress. Stormtroopers try to take the Kobrin rampart repeatedly, but the artillerymen of the 98th anti-tank division firmly hold the defense. They knock out a couple of tanks and several armored vehicles. When the enemy destroys the cannons, the soldiers with rifles and grenades go into the casemates.
The Nazis combined assaults and shelling with psychological treatment. With the help of leaflets dropped from airplanes, the Germans call for surrender, promising life and humane treatment. They announce through loudspeakers that both Minsk and Smolensk have already been taken and there is no point in resistance. But the people in the fortress simply do not believe it. They are waiting for help from the Red Army.
The Germans were afraid to enter the casemates - the wounded continued to shoot. But they couldn’t get out either. Then the Germans decided to use flamethrowers. The terrible heat melted brick and metal. These stains can still be seen today on the walls of the casemates.
The Germans issue an ultimatum. It is carried to the surviving soldiers by a fourteen-year-old girl - Valya Zenkina, the daughter of the foreman, who was captured the day before. The ultimatum states that either the Brest Fortress surrenders down to the last defender, or the Germans will wipe the garrison off the face of the earth. But the girl did not return. She chose to stay in the fortress with her people.
Current problems
The period of the first shock passes, and the body begins to demand its own. People understand that they haven’t eaten anything all this time, and the food warehouses burned down during the very first shelling. Even worse, the defenders have nothing to drink. During the first artillery shelling of the fortress, the water supply system was disabled. People suffer from thirst. The fortress was located at the confluence of two rivers, but it was impossible to reach this water. There are German machine guns along the banks of rivers and canals. The attempts of the besieged to get to the water are paid for with their lives.
The basements are overflowing with the wounded and families of command personnel. It is especially difficult for children. The commanders decide to send women and children into captivity. With white flags they go out into the street and go to the exit. These women did not remain in captivity for long. The Germans simply released them, and the women went either to Brest or to the nearest village.
On June 29, the Germans call in aviation. This was the date of the beginning of the end. Bombers drop several 500 kg bombs on the fort, but it survives and continues to snarl with fire. After lunch, another super-powerful bomb (1800 kg) was dropped. This time the casemates were penetrated through. Following this, stormtroopers burst into the fort. They managed to capture about 400 prisoners. Under heavy fire and constant assaults, the fortress held out for 8 days in 1941.
One for all
Major Pyotr Gavrilov, who led the main defense in this area, did not surrender. He took refuge in a hole dug in one of the casemates. The last defender of the Brest Fortress decided to wage his own war. Gavrilov wanted to take refuge in the northwestern corner of the fortress, where there were stables before the war. During the day he buries himself in a pile of manure, and at night he carefully crawls out to the canal to drink water. The major eats the remaining feed in the stable. However, after several days of such a diet, acute pain in the abdomen begins, Gavrilov quickly weakens and begins to fall into oblivion at times. Soon he is captured.
The world will learn much later how many days the defense of the Brest Fortress lasted. As well as the price the defenders had to pay. But the fortress began to become overgrown with legends almost immediately. One of the most popular ones originated from the words of one Jew, Zalman Stavsky, who worked as a violinist in a restaurant. He said that one day, while going to work, he was stopped by a German officer. Zalman was taken to the fortress and led to the entrance to the dungeon around which soldiers gathered, bristling with cocked rifles. Stavsky was ordered to go downstairs and take the Russian fighter out of there. He obeyed, and below he found a half-dead man, whose name remained unknown. Thin and overgrown, he could no longer move independently. Rumor attributed to him the title of the last defender. This happened in April 1942. 10 months have passed since the beginning of the war.
From the shadow of oblivion
A year after the first attack on the fortification, an article was written about this event in Red Star, where details of the soldiers’ protection were revealed. The Moscow Kremlin decided that it could raise the fighting fervor of the population, which had subsided by that time. It was not yet a real memorial article, but only a notification about what kind of heroes those 9 thousand people who came under the bombing were considered. Numbers and some names of the dead soldiers, the names of the fighters, the results of the surrender of the fortress and where the army was moving next were announced. In 1948, 7 years after the end of the battle, an article appeared in Ogonyok, which was more reminiscent of a memorial ode to the fallen people.
In fact, the presence of a complete picture of the defense of the Brest Fortress should be credited to Sergei Smirnov, who at one time set out to restore and organize the records previously stored in the archives. Konstantin Simonov took up the historian’s initiative and a drama, a documentary and a feature film were born under his leadership. Historians conducted research in order to get as much documentary footage as possible and they succeeded - the German soldiers were going to make a propaganda film about the victory, and therefore there was already video material. However, it was not destined to become a symbol of victory, so all the information was stored in archives.
Around the same time, the painting “To the Defenders of the Brest Fortress” was painted, and since the 1960s, poems began to appear where the Brest Fortress is presented as an ordinary city having fun. They were preparing for a skit based on Shakespeare, but did not suspect that another “tragedy” was brewing. Over time, songs have appeared in which, from the heights of the 21st century, a person looks at the hardships of soldiers a century earlier.
It is worth noting that it was not only Germany that carried out propaganda: propaganda speeches, films, posters encouraging action. The Russian Soviet authorities also did this, and therefore these films also had a patriotic character. The poetry glorified courage, the idea of the feat of small military troops in the territory of the fortress, who were trapped. From time to time, notes appeared about the results of the defense of the Brest Fortress, but the emphasis was placed on the decisions of the soldiers in conditions of complete isolation from the command.
Soon, the Brest Fortress, already famous for its defense, had numerous poems, many of which were set to songs and served as screensavers for documentaries during the Great Patriotic War and chronicles of the advance of troops towards Moscow. In addition, there is a cartoon that tells the story of the Soviet people as foolish children (junior grades). In principle, the reason for the appearance of traitors and why there were so many saboteurs in Brest is explained to the viewer. But this is explained by the fact that the people believed the ideas of fascism, while sabotage attacks were not always carried out by traitors.
In 1965, the fortress was awarded the title of “hero”; in the media it was referred to exclusively as the “Brest Hero Fortress”, and by 1971 a memorial complex was formed. In 2004, Vladimir Beshanov published the full chronicle “Brest Fortress”.
History of the complex
The existence of the museum “The Fifth Fort of the Brest Fortress” is owed to the Communist Party, which proposed its creation on the 20th anniversary of the defense of the fortress. Funds had previously been collected by the people, and now all that remained was to get approval to turn the ruins into a cultural monument. The idea originated long before 1971 and, for example, back in 1965 the fortress received the “Hero Star”, and a year later a creative group was formed to design the museum.
She did extensive work, right down to specifying what kind of cladding the obelisk bayonet should have (titanium steel), the main color of the stone (gray) and the required material (concrete). The Council of Ministers agreed to implement the project and in 1971 a memorial complex was opened, where sculptural compositions are correctly and neatly arranged and battle sites are represented. Today they are visited by tourists from many countries around the world.
Location of monuments
The resulting complex has a main entrance, which is a concrete parallelepiped with a carved star. Polished to a shine, it stands on a rampart, on which, from a certain angle, the desolation of the barracks is especially striking. They are not so much abandoned as they are left in the condition in which they were used by the soldiers after the bombing. This contrast especially emphasizes the condition of the castle. On both sides there are casemates of the Eastern part of the fortress, and from the opening the Central part is visible. This is how the story begins that the Brest Fortress will tell the visitor.
A special feature of the Brest Fortress is the panorama. From the elevation you can see the citadel, the Mukhavets River, on the coast of which it is located, as well as the largest monuments. The sculptural composition “Thirst” is impressively made, glorifying the courage of the soldiers left without water. Since the water supply system was destroyed in the first hours of the siege, the soldiers themselves, in need of drinking water, gave it to their families, and used the remainder to cool their guns. It is this difficulty that is meant when they say that the soldiers were ready to kill and walk over corpses for a sip of water.
The White Palace, depicted in the famous painting by Zaitsev, is surprising; in some places it was completely destroyed even before the bombing began. During the Second World War, the building served as a canteen, club and warehouse at the same time. Historically, it was in the palace that the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty was signed, and according to myths, Trotsky left the famous slogan “no war, no peace”, imprinting it above the billiard table. However, the latter is not provable. During the construction of the museum, approximately 130 people were found killed near the palace, and the walls were damaged by potholes.
Together with the palace, the ceremonial area forms a single whole, and if we take into account the barracks, then all these buildings are entirely conserved ruins, untouched by archaeologists. The layout of the Brest Fortress memorial most often denotes the area with numbers, although it is quite extensive. In the center are slabs with the names of the defenders of the Brest Fortress, a list of which was restored, where the remains of more than 800 people are buried, and titles and merits are indicated next to the initials.
Most visited attractions
The Eternal Flame is located near the square, overlooked by the Main Monument. As the diagram shows, the Brest Fortress rings this place, making it a kind of core of the memorial complex. The Memory Post, organized under Soviet rule in 1972, has been serving next to the fire for many years. Young Army soldiers serve here, whose shift lasts 20 minutes and you can often get a shift change. The monument also deserves attention: it was made from reduced parts made from plaster at a local factory. Then they took impressions of them and enlarged them 7 times.
The engineering department is also part of the untouched ruins and is located inside the citadel, and the Mukhavets and Western Bug rivers make an island out of it. There was always a fighter in the Directorate who never stopped transmitting signals via the radio station. This is how the remains of one soldier were found: not far from the equipment, until his last breath, he did not stop trying to contact the command. In addition, during the First World War, the Engineering Directorate was only partially restored and was not a reliable shelter.
The garrison temple became an almost legendary place, which was one of the very last to be captured by enemy troops. Initially, the temple served as an Orthodox church, however, by 1941 there was a regiment club there. Since the building was very advantageous, it became the place for which both sides fought intensely: the club passed from commander to commander and only at the very end of the siege remained with the German soldiers. The temple building was restored several times, and only by 1960 was it included in the complex.
At the very Terespol Gate there is a monument to the “Heroes of the Border...”, created according to the idea of the State Committee in Belarus. A member of the creative committee worked on the design of the monument, and construction cost 800 million rubles. The sculpture depicts three soldiers defending themselves from enemies invisible to the observer, and behind them are children and their mother giving precious water to a wounded soldier.
Underground tales
The attraction of the Brest Fortress are the dungeons, which have an almost mystical aura, and around them there are legends of different origins and content. However, whether they should be called such a big word still needs to be figured out. Many journalists made reports without first checking the information. In fact, many of the dungeons turned out to be manholes, several tens of meters long, not at all “from Poland to Belarus.” The human factor played a role: those who survived mention underground passages as something big, but often the stories cannot be confirmed by facts.
Often, before looking for ancient passages, you need to study the information, thoroughly study the archive and understand the photographs found in newspaper clippings. Why is it important? The fortress was built for certain purposes, and in some places these passages may simply not exist - they were not needed! But certain fortifications are worth paying attention to. The map of the Brest Fortress will help with this.
Fort
When constructing forts, it was taken into account that they should only support the infantry. So, in the minds of the builders, they looked like separate buildings that were well armed. The forts were supposed to protect the areas between themselves where the military were located, thus forming a single chain - a line of defense. In these distances between fortified forts, there was often a road hidden on the sides by an embankment. This mound could serve as walls, but not as a roof - there was nothing for it to support. However, researchers perceived and described it precisely as a dungeon.
The presence of underground passages as such is not only illogical, but also difficult to implement. The financial expenses that the command would incur were absolutely not justified by the benefits of these dungeons. Much more effort would have been spent on construction, but the passages could have been used from time to time. Such dungeons can be used, for example, only when the fortress was defended. Moreover, it was beneficial for the commanders for the fort to remain autonomous and not become part of a chain that provided only a temporary advantage.
There are certified written memoirs of the lieutenant, describing his retreat with the army through the dungeons, stretching in the Brest Fortress, according to him, 300 meters! But the story briefly talked about the matches that the soldiers used to illuminate the path, but the size of the passages described by the lieutenant speaks for itself: it is unlikely that they would have had enough such lighting for such a distance, and even taking into account the return journey.
Old communications in legends
The fortress had storm drains and sewers, which made it a real stronghold from an ordinary pile of buildings with large walls. It is these technical passages that can most correctly be called dungeons, since they are made as a smaller version of the catacombs: a network of narrow passages branched over a long distance can only allow one person of average build to pass through. A soldier with ammunition will not pass through such cracks, much less several people in a row. This is an ancient sewerage system, which, by the way, is located on the diagram of the Brest Fortress. A person could crawl along it to the point of blockage and clear it so that this branch of the highway could be used further.
There is also a gateway that helps maintain the required amount of water in the fortress moat. It was also perceived as a dungeon and took on the image of a fabulously large hole. Numerous other communications can be listed, but the meaning will not change and they can only be considered dungeons conditionally.
Ghosts taking revenge from the dungeons
After the fortification was surrendered to Germany, legends about cruel ghosts avenging their comrades began to be passed on from mouth to mouth. There was a real basis for such myths: the remnants of the regiment hid for a long time in underground communications and shot at the night watchmen. Soon, descriptions of ghosts that never missed began to frighten so much that the Germans wished each other to avoid meeting the Fraumit Automaton, one of the legendary avenging ghosts.
Upon the arrival of Hitler and Benito Mussolini, everyone’s hands were sweating in the Brest Fortress: if, while these two brilliant personalities pass by the caves, ghosts fly out of there, trouble will not be avoided. However, this, to the considerable relief of the soldiers, did not happen. At night, Frau did not stop committing atrocities. She attacked unexpectedly, always swiftly, and just as unexpectedly disappeared into the dungeons, as if she had disappeared into them. From the descriptions of the soldiers it followed that the woman had a dress torn in several places, tangled hair and a dirty face. Because of her hair, by the way, her middle name was “Kudlataya.”
The story had a real basis, since the wives of the commanders also came under siege. They were trained to shoot, and they did it masterfully, without a miss, because the GTO standards had to be passed. In addition, being in good physical shape and being able to handle various types of weapons was an honor, and therefore some woman, blinded by revenge for her loved ones, could well have done this. One way or another, the Fraumit Automaton was not the only legend among German soldiers.
Defense of the Brest Fortress (defense of Brest) - one of the very first battles between the Soviet and German armies during the period Great Patriotic War.
Brest was one of the border garrisons on the territory of the USSR, it covered even the central highway leading to Minsk, which is why Brest was one of the first cities to be attacked after the German attack. The Soviet army held back the enemy's onslaught for a week, despite the numerical superiority of the Germans, as well as support from artillery and aviation. As a result of a long siege, the Germans were still able to capture the main fortifications of the Brest Fortress and destroy them, but in other areas the struggle continued for quite a long time - small groups remaining after the raid resisted the enemy with all their might. The defense of the Brest Fortress became a very important battle in which Soviet troops were able to show their readiness to defend themselves to the last drop of blood, despite the enemy's advantages. The defense of Brest went down in history as one of the bloodiest sieges, and at the same time, as one of the greatest battles that showed all the courage of the Soviet army.
Brest Fortress on the eve of the war
The city of Brest became part of the Soviet Union shortly before the start of the war - in 1939. By that time, the fortress had already lost its military significance due to the destruction that had begun, and remained as one of the reminders of past battles. The Brest Fortress was built in the 19th century and was part of the defensive fortifications of the Russian Empire on its western borders, but in the 20th century it ceased to have military significance. By the time the war began, the Brest Fortress was mainly used to house garrisons of military personnel, as well as a number of families of the military command, a hospital and utility rooms. By the time of Germany’s treacherous attack on the USSR, about 8,000 military personnel and about 300 command families lived in the fortress. There were weapons and supplies in the fortress, but their quantity was not designed for military operations.
Storming of the Brest Fortress
The assault on the Brest Fortress began on the morning of June 22, 1941, simultaneously with the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. The barracks and residential buildings of the command were the first to be subjected to powerful artillery fire and air strikes, since the Germans wanted, first of all, to completely destroy the entire command staff located in the fortress and thereby create confusion in the army and disorient it. Despite the fact that almost all the officers were killed, the surviving soldiers were able to quickly find their bearings and create a powerful defense. The surprise factor did not work as expected Hitler and the assault, which according to plans was supposed to end by 12 noon, lasted for several days.
Even before the start of the war, the Soviet command issued a decree according to which, in the event of an attack, military personnel must immediately leave the fortress itself and take positions along its perimeter, but only a few managed to do this - most of the soldiers remained in the fortress. The defenders of the fortress were in a deliberately losing position, but even this fact did not allow them to give up their positions and allow the Germans to quickly and unconditionally take possession of Brest.
Major Gavrilov
The commander of the 44th Infantry Regiment of the 42nd Infantry Division, Major Pyotr Mikhailovich Gavrilov, led the defense in the area of the Northern Gate of the Kobrin fortification for 2 days, and on the third day of the war he moved to the Eastern Fort, where he commanded a combined group of soldiers from various units in the amount about 400 people. According to the enemy, “... it was impossible to approach here with infantry weapons, since excellently organized rifle and machine-gun fire from deep trenches and from the horseshoe-shaped courtyard mowed down everyone approaching. There was only one solution left - to force the Russians to surrender by hunger and thirst...” On June 30, after a long shelling and bombing, the Nazis captured most of the Eastern Fort, but Major Gavrilov with a small group of soldiers continued to fight there until July 12. On the 32nd day of the war, after an unequal battle with a group of German soldiers in the North-Western caponier of the Kobrin fortification, he was captured unconscious.
Liberated by Soviet troops in May 1945. Until 1946 he served in the Soviet Army. After demobilization he lived in Krasnodar.
In 1957, for courage and heroism during the defense of the Brest Fortress, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He was an honorary citizen of the city of Brest. Died in 1979. He was buried in Brest, at the Garrison Cemetery, where a monument was erected to him. Streets in Brest, Minsk, Pestrachi (in Tataria - the hero’s homeland), a motor ship, and a collective farm in the Krasnodar Territory are named after him.
Lieutenant Kizhevatov
The head of the 9th outpost of the 17th Brest Red Banner Border Detachment, Lieutenant Andrei Mitrofanovich Kizhevatov, was one of the leaders of the defense in the Terespol Gate area. On June 22, Lieutenant Kizhevatov and the soldiers of his outpost took on the Nazi invaders from the first minutes of the war. He was wounded several times. On June 29, he remained with a small group of border guards to cover the breakthrough group and died in battle. The border post, where a monument was erected to him, and streets in Brest, Kamenets, Kobrin, Minsk are named after him.
In 1943, the family of A.M. was brutally shot by fascist executioners. Kizhevatova - wife Ekaterina Ivanovna, children Vanya, Nyura, Galya and elderly mother.
Organizers of the defense of the citadel
Captain Zubachev
Assistant commander for the economic department of the 44th Infantry Regiment of the 42nd Infantry Division, Captain Ivan Nikolaevich Zubachev, a participant in the civil war and battles with the White Finns, became the commander of the combined battle group for the defense of the Citadel on June 24, 1941. On June 30, 1941, seriously wounded and shell-shocked, he was captured. He died in 1944 in the Hammelburg camp. Posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree. Streets in Brest, Zhabinka, and Minsk are named after him.
Regimental Commissar Fomin
Deputy commander for political affairs of the 84th Infantry Regiment of the 6th Oryol Infantry Division, Regimental Commissar Fomin Efim Moiseevich, initially headed the defense at the location of the 84th Infantry Regiment (at the Kholm Gate) and in the building of the Engineering Directorate (its ruins currently remain in the Eternal area fire), organized one of the first counterattacks of our soldiers.
On June 24, by order N1, the fortress defense headquarters was created. The command was entrusted to Captain I.N. Zubachev, regimental commissar E.M. Fomin was appointed his deputy.
Order No. 1 was found in November 1950 while dismantling the rubble of the barracks at the Brest Gate among the remains of 34 Soviet soldiers in the tablet of an unidentified commander. The regiment's banner was also found here. Fomin was shot by the Nazis at the Kholm Gate. Posthumously awarded the Order of Lenin. He was buried under the Memorial slabs.
Streets in Minsk, Brest, Liozna, and a garment factory in Brest are named after him.
Defender of the Terespol Gate, Lieutenant Naganov
The platoon commander of the regimental school of the 333rd Infantry Regiment of the 6th Oryol Rifle Division, Lieutenant Aleksey Fedorovich Naganov, at dawn on June 22, 1941, with a group of fighters, took up defense in a three-story water tower above the Terespol Gate. Killed in battle on the same day. In August 1949, the remains of Naganov and his 14 fighting friends were discovered in the ruins.
Urn with the ashes of A.F. Naganova is buried in the Necropolis of the memorial. Posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree.
Streets in Brest and Zhabinka are named after him. A monument was erected to him in Brest.
Defenders of the Kobrin fortification
Captain Shablovsky
The defender of the Kobrin bridgehead, Captain Shablovsky Vladimir Vasilyevich, battalion commander of the 125th Infantry Regiment of the 6th Oryol Infantry Division, stationed in the Brest Fortress, at dawn on June 22, 1941, led the defense in the area of the Western Fort and command houses at the Kobrin fortification. For about 3 days the Nazis laid siege to residential buildings.
Women and children took part in their defense. The Nazis managed to capture a handful of wounded soldiers. Among them was Captain Shablovsky, along with his wife Galina Korneevna and children. When the prisoners were being led across the bridge over the bypass canal, Shablovsky pushed the guard with his shoulder and, shouting: “Follow me!”, threw himself into the water. An automatic burst cut short the patriot’s life. Captain Shablovsky was posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree. Streets in Minsk and Brest are named after him.
In the winter of 1943/44, the Nazis tortured Galina Korneevna Shablovskaya, the mother of four children.
Lieutenant Akimochkin, political instructor Nesterchuk
The chief of staff of the 98th separate anti-tank artillery division, Lieutenant Ivan Filippovich Akimochkin, together with the deputy division commander for political affairs, senior political instructor Nesterchuk Nikolai Vasilyevich, organized defensive positions on the Eastern ramparts of the Kobrin fortification (near “Zvezda”). The surviving cannons and machine guns were installed here. For 2 weeks, the heroes held the Eastern Ramparts and defeated a column of enemy troops moving along the highway. On July 4, 1941, the seriously wounded Akimochkin was captured by the Nazis and, having found a party card in his tunic, was shot. Posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree. A street in Brest is named after him.
Defense of the Terespol fortification
Art. Lieutenant Melnikov, Lieutenant Zhdanov, St. Lieutenant Black
Under the cover of artillery fire at dawn on June 22, the advance detachment of the enemy's 45th Infantry Division managed to break through the Terespol Gate into the Citadel. However, the defenders stopped further enemy advance in this area and firmly held their positions for several days. A group of the head of the driver training course, Art. Lieutenant Melnikov Fedor Mikhailovich, 80 border guards led by Lieutenant Zhdanov and soldiers of the transport company led by Senior Lieutenant Cherny Akim Stepanovich - about 300 people in total.
The losses of the Germans here, by their own admission, “especially officers, assumed deplorable proportions... Already on the first day of the war at the Terespol fortification, the headquarters of two German units were surrounded and destroyed, and the unit commanders were killed.” On the night of June 24-25, the combined group of Art. Lt. Melnikov and Cherny made a breakthrough to the Kobrin fortification. The cadets, led by Lieutenant Zhdanov, continued to fight at the Terespol fortification and on June 30 made their way to the Citadel. On July 5, the soldiers decided to join the Red Army. Only three managed to break out of the besieged fortress - Myasnikov, Sukhorukov and Nikulin.
Mikhail Ivanovich Myasnikov, a cadet of the district border guard driver courses, fought at the Terespol fortification and in the Citadel until July 5, 1941. With a group of border guards, he broke out of the enemy ring and, retreating through the Belarusian forests, united with units of the Soviet Army in the Mozyr region. For heroism shown in the battles during the liberation of the city of Sevastopol, senior lieutenant M.I. Myasnikov. was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Senior Lieutenant Cherny Akim Stepanovich, commander of the transport company of the 17th Red Banner Border Detachment. One of the leaders of the defense at the Terespol fortification. On the night of June 25, together with a group of senior lieutenant Melnikov, he made his way to the Kobrin fortification. On June 28, he was captured shell-shocked. Passed through fascist camps: Biala Podlaska, Hammelburg. He took part in the activities of the underground anti-fascist committee in the Nuremberg camp. Released from captivity in May 1945.
Defense of the Volyn fortification
Military doctor 1st rank Babkin, Art. political instructor Kislitsky, commissar Bogateev
The Volyn fortification housed the hospitals of the 4th Army and the 25th Rifle Corps, the 95th Medical Battalion of the 6th Rifle Division and the regimental school of the 84th Rifle Regiment. At the Southern Gate of the fortification, cadets of the regimental school of the 84th Infantry Regiment under the leadership of senior political instructor L.E. Kislitsky held back the enemy’s onslaught.
The Germans captured the hospital building by noon on June 22, 1941. The head of the hospital, military doctor 2nd rank Stepan Semenovich Babkin, and battalion commissar Nikolai Semenovich Bogateev, saving the sick and wounded, died heroically while firing back from the enemy.
A group of cadets from the regimental school for junior commanders, with some patients from the hospital and soldiers who arrived from the Citadel, fought until June 27.
Musician platoon students
Petya Vasiliev
From the first minutes of the war, Petya Vasilyev, a student of the musician platoon, helped pull ammunition out of destroyed warehouses, delivered food from a dilapidated store, carried out reconnaissance missions, and obtained water. Participating in one of the attacks to liberate the Red Army club (church), he replaced the deceased machine gunner. Petit's well-aimed fire forced the Nazis to lie down and then run back. In this battle, the seventeen-year-old hero was mortally wounded. Posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree. Buried in the Memorial Necropolis.
Peter Klypa
A student of the musician platoon, Klypa Pyotr Sergeevich, fought at the Terespol Gate of the Citadel until July 1st. He delivered ammunition and food to the soldiers, obtained water for children, women, wounded and fighting defenders of the fortress. Conducted reconnaissance. For his fearlessness and ingenuity, the fighters called Petya “Gavroche of Brest.” During the breakout from the fortress he was captured. He escaped from prison, but was captured and taken to work in Germany. After liberation, he served in the Soviet Army. For the courage and heroism shown during the defense of the Brest Fortress, he was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree.
Women in the defense of the Brest Fortress
Vera Khorpetskaya
“Verochka” - that’s what everyone in the hospital called her. On June 22, a girl from the Minsk region, together with the battalion commissar Bogateev, carried patients out of a burning building. When she found out that there were many wounded in the dense bush where the border guards were positioned, she rushed there. Bandages: one, two, three - and the warriors again go into the line of fire. And the Nazis are still tightening their grip. A fascist with a machine gun emerged from behind a bush, followed by another, Khoretskaya leaned forward, covering the exhausted warrior with herself. The crackle of a machine gun burst merged with the last words of a nineteen-year-old girl. She died in battle. She was buried in the Memorial Necropolis.
Raisa Abakumova
A dressing station was set up in a shelter in the Eastern Fort. It was headed by military paramedic Raisa Abakumova. She carried seriously wounded soldiers out from under enemy fire and provided them with medical care in shelters.
Praskovya Tkacheva
From the first minutes of the war, nurse Praskovya Leontyevna Tkacheva rushes into the smoke of a hospital engulfed in flames. From the second floor, where postoperative patients were lying, she managed to save more than twenty people. Then, after being seriously wounded, she was captured. In the summer of 1942, she became a liaison officer in the Chernak partisan detachment.