Surnames of the heroes of the Brest Fortress. The fallen defenders of the Brest Fortress and members of their families, whose names are immortalized on the slabs of the memorial complex “Brest Hero Fortress”

It's been like this for years.

Past years, holy memory

We will store it carefully.

At least every year we celebrate

Many bright glorious days

But these days are in early May

Forever in people's memory.

Let not you, nor your children, neither your children's children will know the horrors of war s.

Low bow and Eternal memory to all the fallen defenders of the Brest Fortress!

You were the first to take the blow and survive, thwarting all the plans of the fascist command to capture the bastion by noon on June 22, 1941.

List of defenders of the Brest Fortress and members of their families (both dead and survivors), whose names are mentioned in documentary books, printed publications and personal memoirs: http://www.fire-of-war.ru/Brest- fortress/citadelnames_books.htm

June 22, 1941 is remembered by us as one of the most tragic days in the history of the country. On this day, Nazi Germany attacked our Motherland without declaring war. The Red Army bravely met the enemy; thousands of soldiers, at the cost of their own lives, tried to hold back the onslaught of the Nazis. According to the plan of Hitler's generals, the war was supposed to last only a few months.

The defense of the Brest Fortress is an example of the courage and steadfastness of the Soviet people in the struggle for the freedom and independence of the Motherland, a vivid manifestation of the indestructible unity of the peoples of the USSR.

Defenders of the fortress- warriors more than 30 nationalities of the USSR— fully fulfilled their duty to the Motherland, accomplished one of the greatest feats of the Soviet people in the history of the Great Patriotic War.

"And from sea to sea

The people stood up indignantly

To fight back the enemy - the fascist,

Protect your glorious family.

We stood united with the Russians,

Belarusians, armorshi,

People of free Ukraine,

Both Armenians and Georgians,

Moldovans, Chuvashs -

All Soviet peoples

Against the generalenemy

Everyone who loves freedom

And Russia is dear!”

Kholm Gate, considered a symbol of the defenders of the fortress. A beautiful architectural building of the 19th century overlooked the river. Makhovets and connected the citadel with the rest of the territory by a bridge.

It was built not from clay, but from gold bricks, Emperor Nicholas I once said in his hearts. The Brest Fortress took 10 years to build.

It cost the imperial treasury two million gold rubles. Advanced technologies were used. Bricks, for example, were not hewn, but cast from a special solution - a mixture of different types of clay, quartz sand and lead.

But it was not this that made her impregnable, but the Soviet soldier.

On the site of the current Brest Fortress, the settlement of Berestye was founded by the Nadbuzh Slavs in ancient times. It was first mentioned in 1019 in the Tale of Bygone Years.

Over the course of its centuries-old history, the city more than once became the subject of contention between the Kyiv, Turov, Galician, Volyn, Lithuanian princes and Polish kings. The lands of Berestye changed hands many times and became part of different states. Therefore, the name of the city changed: Berestye, Brest-Litovsk, Brest-nad-Bug, Brest.

After the third partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1795 (1st - 1772, 2nd - 1793), Brest-Litovsk became part of the Russian Empire. There was a need to strengthen the new borders of Russia, for which it was planned to build a number of fortresses along the western border. In 1830, a plan for the construction of the Brest-Litovsk Fortress was approved. The fortress consisted of the Citadel and three extensive fortifications, forming the main fortress fence and covering the Citadel from all sides: Volyn (from the south), Terespol (from the west), Kobrin (from the east and north). From the outside, the fortress was protected by a bastion front - a fortress fence (an earthen rampart with brick casemates inside) 10 meters high, 6.4 km long and a bypass channel filled with water. The total area of ​​the fortress is 4 km2 (400 hectares). The citadel was a natural island, along the entire perimeter of which a closed two-story defensive barracks with a length of 1.8 km was built. The thickness of the external walls reached 2 m, the internal ones - up to 1.5 m. The barracks consisted of 500 casemates, which could accommodate up to 12 thousand soldiers with ammunition and food. 1847

This is what the reduet looked like from an airship in 1915.

The citadel was connected to other fortifications with the help of bridges and gates: Brest, Kholm, Terespol and Brigid. The Southern (Nikolaevsky), Eastern (Mikhailovsky), Northern (Alexandrovsky), North-Western (Grafsky Proezd) gates and Varshavsky Proezd led outside the fortress. In 1851-1876. The Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas was built in the Citadel.

The beginning of the Great Patriotic War of 1941 - the feat of the defenders of the Brest Fortress. “The small garrison pinned down significant enemy forces for a month.” They said that hundreds of kilometers from the front, deep behind enemy lines, near the city of Brest, within the walls of an old Russian fortress standing on the very border of the USSR, our troops had been heroically fighting the enemy for many days and weeks.

They say that the pilots of our bomber aviation confirmed that the Brest Fortress was fighting. Going at night to bomb enemy rear military installations located on Polish territory and flying near Brest, they saw below the flashes of shell explosions, the trembling fire of firing machine guns and flowing streams of tracer bullets.

In the early morning of June 22, 1941, thousands of air bombs, mines and shells fell on the Brest Fortress. The German command planned to capture it on the first day at 12 o'clock, because the direct assault on the fortress was entrusted to the assault troops of the 45th division, formed in the mountains of Upper Austria, in Hitler's homeland, and therefore distinguished by its special devotion to the Fuhrer.

For the assault, the division was reinforced with three artillery regiments, and an additional nine mortars, heavy mortar batteries and heavy-duty siege guns “Karl” and “Thor”.

The last days of the struggle are covered in legends. These days include the inscriptions left on the walls of the fortress by its defenders: “We will die, but we will not leave the fortress,” “I am dying, but I am not giving up. Farewell, Motherland. 07.20.41.” Scratched on the wall of the barracks either with a blade or another metal object, these words became a symbol of the defenders of the Brest Fortress. According to witnesses, shooting was heard from the fortress until the beginning of August. But the defenders of the Brest Fortress courageously repelled the fierce attack. And the next one too. Every day the Nazis intensified their onslaught, suffering serious losses.

On the seventeenth day of the assault, the Germans announced the capture of the fortress, but this was not the case. For about another month, the Brest Fortress defended itself - a handful of Soviet fighters against almost an entire corps of fascists. The Nazis entered the fortress only after only seriously wounded and unconscious soldiers and officers remained there.

And the fighters can no longer stand -

The night passed, and again day and night.

There is an enemy in Minsk, there is a spider cross all around -

But the Brest fortress stands as before!

Again the day is darker than the darkness of the night,

It's night again, and day has come again -

Howling, thundering, explosive

Metal is flying at them from the air.

For three days everything has been buzzing around.

The Brest fortress has been groaning for three days!

And when they razed everything to the ground,

They filled it with rubble and ash -

Through the Bug and through Mukhovets

The lead flew deadly.

Looking into the pipe from across the river

The enemies launched the final assault -

But they just began to approach Brest -

The stones of Brest have come to life again!

Later, the Germans admitted in their reports that they did not expect such fierce and courageous resistance:

“The Russians in the central fortress of the city continued to offer desperate resistance. We captured all the outer defenses, but I had to crawl my way, because the snipers hit without a miss. The Russians rejected all offers of capitulation and an end to futile resistance. Several attempts to sneak up and take the fortress by storm ended in failure. The dead soldiers in gray-green uniforms that littered the area in front of the fortress were eloquent evidence of this. The Russians fought until the last minute and to the last man.”

According to the enemy, “it was impossible to approach here with only infantry means, since perfectly organized rifle and machine-gun fire from deep trenches and a horseshoe-shaped yard mowed down everyone approaching.

There was only one solution left - to force the Russians to surrender by hunger and thirst..."

The Nazis methodically attacked the fortress for a whole week. Soviet soldiers had to fight off 6-8 attacks a day. There were women and children next to the fighters. They helped the wounded, brought ammunition, and took part in hostilities.

Being completely surrounded, without water and food, and with an acute shortage of ammunition and medicine, the garrison courageously fought the enemy. In the first 9 days of fighting alone, the defenders of the fortress disabled about 1.5 thousand enemy soldiers and officers.

The last days of the struggle are covered in legends. These days include the inscriptions left on the walls of the fortress by its defenders: “We will die, but we will not leave the fortress,” “I am dying, but I am not giving up. Farewell, Motherland. 07.20.41.” Scratched on the wall of the barracks either with a blade or another metal object, these words became a symbol of the defenders of the Brest Fortress.

By the end of June, the enemy captured most of the fortress; on June 29 and 30 the Nazis launched a continuous two-day assault on the fortress using powerful aerial bombs. The remaining 24 people decided to leave the encirclement under any conditions.

ON JULY 30, the Nazis released gases into the dungeon. It became impossible to breathe and the soldiers decided to go out and accept death under the sun. Singing the Internationale, they left the dungeon.

The Germans, despite the Internationale, did not shoot. One of the officers took off his helmet in front of the defenders of the fortress, and all the German soldiers followed his example, paying tribute to the military duty of our soldiers.

Their appearance was terrible. They were so weak that they could barely stand on their feet, supporting each other.

Terespol Gate of the Brest Fortress

According to witnesses, shooting was heard from the fortress until the beginning of August.

According to one legend, Adolf Hitler, who arrived here, took a stone from the fortress, which was later found in Adolf’s personal desk.

Monument to the border guard heroes at the Terespol Gate

"From the heroes of old times

Sometimes there are no names left.

Those who accepted mortal combat,

They became just earth, grass...

Only their formidable valor

Settled in the hearts of the living.

We keep it in our chests.”

On June 22, 1941, the fortress garrison took the first blows of the Nazi invaders and held the defense in complete encirclement for more than a month. In the post-war period, for the courage and heroism shown by the defenders of the fortress during its defense, the citadel received the honorary title “Hero-Fortress”.

In the center of the fortress is the Citadel, or Central Fortification, which is connected by bridges to 3 artificial island fortifications. This:

Kobrin fortification (north-eastern side)

Terespol fortification (western side)

Volyn fortification (south-eastern island)

St. Nicholas ChurchThe architectural center of the Citadel is the garrison St. Nicholas Church, built in 1851-76.

The total area of ​​the fortress is about 4 square kilometers.

The architectural and sculptural ensemble of the memorial includes the main monument “Courage”, a bayonet-obelisk, the sculptural composition “Thirst”, Ceremonial Square, 3 rows of memorial plaques with the burials of the dead, ruins and surviving structures of the fortress, and a museum.

The main entrance of the memorial complex "Brest Hero Fortress" The memorial begins with a monumental main entrance in the form of a huge star cut into a concrete block.

The compositional center of the ensemble is the “Courage” monument, a chest-length sculpture of a warrior 33.5 m high, on the reverse side of which there are relief compositions telling about individual episodes of the heroic defense of the fortress.

The sculptural composition “Thirst” depicts a Soviet soldier who, leaning on a machine gun, with the last of his strength is trying to reach the river and scoop up water with his helmet.

The monument is dedicated to the courage of the defenders of the fortress, who held the defense for many days without food or drink.

A shining temple among the ruins of a fortress. A hole was left in the plaster as proof of the building's authenticity.

The first Orthodox church on the territory of the fortress was built in 1851-76. architect Grimm D.A. By the beginning of the twentieth century, the garrison cathedral was the main and one of the most beautiful churches in the Western Russian region. After the Peace of Riga in 1921 and the transfer of the city to Poland, it was rebuilt according to the canons of the Polish Catholic Church. In 1939, the cathedral building was converted into a club, which during the defense became the most important center of resistance to German troops. After the war, the church remained in a dilapidated state for a long time as a reminder of the destruction of the war.

As far as I know the facts, the families of those who fought honestly, not even necessarily order bearers, were not subject to deportation.

Of course, exceptions are possible.
Or, for example, the relatives you mention directly participated in the betrayal, or the traitors were relatives much closer to them than your grandfather.

Your phrase - that there were traitors and heroes in every nation - is a typical manipulative phrase. You are not necessarily manipulating; perhaps you were manipulated precisely with the help of this phrase. This is the same as justifying cannibalism among some modern tribes by saying that there is at least one cannibal in any nation.

And if we talk about traitors in any nation, then any traitors were dealt with unequivocally - execution. If they had done the same with the traitors - Chechens or Crimean Tatars - then, due to the massive scale of betrayal, almost all adult men would have been shot, and at the moment these peoples simply would not exist. And your grandfather’s relatives would have ended up not in the Chui Valley (where, in fact, people have lived from time immemorial), but in the next world.
Kara-Murza recalled how relieved the decision to evict him by his Crimean Tatar relatives was, because they had expected much worse.

In this case, we are not talking about deportation.
We are talking about a complete lack of honor - and even understanding that there is such a thing as honor - among some characters.
You can hate the enemy, but you can still respect him.
Otto Skorzen, Hitler's favorite, said at the end of the war that the Russians in this war showed the whole world who the true Aryans are in Europe. I don’t think he fell in love with the Russians by the end of the war, but in any case he felt respect.
An enemy can become a friend - there are such examples in history (the same Shamil), but this is clearly not our case.
An enemy can remain an enemy and say: I have killed and will kill, at the first opportunity I will betray and go over to the side of the enemy of my enemy.
You can hate such an enemy, but you can also respect him.
A cowardly enemy can say - I don’t love you, I’m offended by you, but I won’t kill or betray you. It is clear that he is lying out of cowardice, and it is impossible to respect such an enemy; you can treat him like an evil mongrel who is afraid, but is waiting for an opportunity to bite him on the sly, so it makes sense to be ready to kick him in the ribs. Nevertheless, he can be understood - cowardice is a completely human quality, not everyone can overcome it.

But what do you call someone who, taking advantage of the fact that a man went to war and the house was left unprotected, suddenly turned from a quiet neighbor into a murderer, began to rob and kill, at the same time secretly shooting in the back a man going to attack, and then, having lost, taking advantage the generosity of the winner, etc., to declare - in fact, it was he who went on the attack and defended the man’s house, because there are heroes in every nation, but others robbed and killed, and others shot in the back, and where did the man, the owner of the house, go? who knows? maybe he himself robbed his own home, because there are traitors in any nation.
There is no name for this, because it is generally beyond human morality, honor, weakness and other human qualities - both good and bad.
Even the Jew Soloviev looks much better, a scoundrel, but human - to incite neighbors, let them squabble, and against this background they can chew off something, land there or some property.

But Alkhanov and those who are with him, and those who do not feel the transcendence of what they are doing, must die. Like culling. Like a genetic mistake. For this is generally incompatible with the concept of “man,” neither in a high nor in a low sense.

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS IN THE DEFENSE OF THE BREST FORTRESS AND THE ADJACENT REGION, CALLED FROM THE CHECHEN-INGUSH ASSR

Years of birth are not given (mostly these were born in 1917-1921).

1. Abaev Saypuddi Sel. New Atagi, Shalinsky district. Chechen. Teacher. Drafted into the army in October 1939. Before the war he served in the Brest fortress. The used one disappeared (information from/from). 1 Conventional abbreviations: (photo) - there is a photograph in the writer’s archive; (information from village council) - information from the village council; gone missing - missing.

2. Abdulkadyrov Ali Sel. Starye Atagi, Grozny district. Chechen. Finnish campaign participant. Before the war, his relatives received letters from him from Brest. The used one disappeared (information from/from).

3. Abdulmusliev Ayub Sel. Beno-Yurt Nadterechny district. Chechen. He was drafted into the army in February 1940 (information from the Nadterechny district military registration and enlistment office). He served in the 125th Infantry Regiment in the 1st Company as a private. The used one has disappeared.

4. Abdurakhmanov Kosum Sel. Znamenskoye, Nadterechny district. Chechen. Drafted into the army in 1939. Regiment unknown. The used one disappeared (information from/from).

5. Abdrakhmanov Salih (photo) Gor. Grozny. Kazan Tatar. Komsomolets. Third-year student at the Grozny Oil College. Letters from Salih from Brest have been preserved. According to the testimony of Bedritsky and Baybekov, he died in the fortress. Served in the 44th Infantry Regiment.

6. Abdurakhmanov Shamsu (photo) Village. Alleroi Nozhai-Yurtovsky district. Chechen. Drafted into the army in 1939. He served in the 125th Infantry Regiment as a private. The last letter was received from Brest just before the war. Used to go missing (information from s/s and relatives).

7. Abdulkhadzhiev Dzhunaid Sel. Dachu-Barzoy, Grozny district. Chechen. Called up to St. Ataginsky RVC in the fall of 1940. He served in the 44th Infantry Regiment as a private. The used one disappeared (information from the military personnel and participants in the defense).

8. Ablushev Khumaid (photo) Village. Nadterechnoye Nadterechny district. Chechen. Regiment unknown. I left the fortress on the first day. Died at home in the village. Nadterechny.

9. Aduev Eldarkhan Sel. Gukhoy Sovetsky district. Chechen. Drafted into the army in February 1940. Served as a private in the 333rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Company. Killed in the fortress (information from defense participant S. A. Beytemirov). 10. Azamov Khalid Sel. Nadterechnoye Nadterechny district. Chechen. He was drafted into the army in February 1940. Alive1.

11. Akiev Kureysh Usmanovich Sel. Upper Achaluki, Malgobek district. Ingush. He served in the communications company of the 125th Infantry Regiment. Left the fortress on the first day of fighting. Participated in the battle with the invaders near Zhabinka. Lives in his native village.

12. Aliyev Makhmud Sel. Chishki Grozny district. Chechen. Komsomolets. Disappeared (information from s/s and defense participant Vakha Khidayev).

13. Aleroev Salman Timaevich (photo) Sel. Psedakh Malgobek district. Chechen. He was drafted into the army in February 1940 (information from the Malgobek RVC). According to information, he currently lives in Kazakhstan. The photo was taken with Khashakiev Abdurakhman from the village. Chemulga, who died in the fortress.

14. Alibulatov Shakhabutdin Sel. Kenkhi, Sovetsky district. Chechen. Sadimov Anab and Khasanov Murtazali, Shahabutdin’s cousins, served with him in the Brest Fortress. All three are missing. Salimov Anab was at home on vacation before the war and went back on June 11 (information from participant S.-A. Beytemirov, the village council and Alibulatov’s relatives). He served as a private in the 333rd Infantry Regiment.

15. Alisultanov Salambek Sel. Starye Atagi, Grozny district. Chechen. Komsomolets. He served in the 125th Infantry Regiment in the 3rd Battalion as a private. Died in the fortress (data from s/s and defense participant Musa Khaytaev).

16. Ampukaev Akhmad Sel. Duba-Yurt, Shalinsky district. Chechen. He served in the Brest Fortress in the 125th Infantry Regiment as a private. The used one disappeared (information from Khidayev Vakha from Duba-Yurt, with whom Ampukaev served).

17. Amkhadov Mairbek Sel. Dachu-Barzoy, Grozny district. Chechen. Drafted into the army in 1940 by the Ataginsky RVC. Served in the Brest Fortress. Regiment unknown. Used to go missing (information from s/s and relatives).

18. Anarchev Vasily Fedorovich St. Voznesenskaya Malgobek district. Russian. Komsomolets. Drafted into the army by the Malgobek RVC in February 1940. He served in the 333rd Infantry Regiment in the 3rd Machine Gun Company. The used one has disappeared.

19. Anzorov Zaina (photo) Village. Starye Atagi, Grozny district. Chechen. Komsomolets. He served as a private in the 125th Infantry Regiment. He died in the fortress (information from Khaitaev M. and Staroataginsky s/s).

20. Arbiev Israil Sel. Znamenskoye, Nadterechny district. Chechen. He was drafted into the army in October 1940. He first served in the 222nd Infantry Regiment, stationed at the station. Cheremkha, Brest region. Arbiev Israil participated in the Finnish campaign as part of the 222nd regiment. According to some reports, he served in the 125th regiment. The used one disappeared (information from the Nadterechny RVC and defense participants).

21. Arsagireev Khozhakhmet Sel. New Atagi, Shalinsky district. Chechen. Served in the 131st artillery regiment. The used one disappeared (information from colleagues).

22. Arsenoev Magomed Patievich Sel. Psedakh Malgobek district. Chechen. According to relatives, he was drafted into the army in 1939. Before the war, we received letters from him from Brest. According to the testimony of A. Sopikov, a participant in the defense of the Brest Fortress, set out in Shakhov’s book “On the Banks of the Bug,” Arsenoev was shot by the Nazis near the village of Orekhovka, Smolensk region. (see essay "Partisans").

23. Askiev Humaid Sel. Duba-Yurt, Shalinsky district. Chechen. Komsomolets. He served as a private in the 125th Infantry Regiment. He died in the fortress (information from defense participant Khidayev Bakha and others).

24. Astemirov Magomet Sel. New Atagi, Shalinsky district. Chechen. Komsomolets. He was drafted into the army in October 1939. It is unknown which regiment he served in. According to relatives, Astemirov Magomet, Magomedov Ali and Daguev Abubeshir came from Brest on vacation just before the war. After they returned to their duty station, the war began. All three were missing (information from the s/s and relatives).

25. Askhabov (Masaev) Zayndi (photo) Gor. Gudermes, Gudermes district. Chechen. Komsomolets. Drafted into the army in October 1940. He served as a private in the 455th Infantry Regiment. He died in the fortress (information from participants in the defense Gaitukaev Ali, Beloveshkin M.E.).

26. Arsemikov (Ibragimov) Abdul-Mutalib Starye Atagi, Grozny district. Chechen. 131st artillery regiment, 1st battery. The used one disappeared (information from M. Makhmadov).

27. Akharshaev Sirazhdin Sel. Meken-Yurt Nadterechny district. Chechen. At first he served in the 222nd Infantry Regiment, stationed at the station. Cheremkha, Brest region. Later Akharshaev was transferred to the Brest fortress. Regiment unknown. The used one disappeared (information from the Nadterechny RVK and Said Zakriev, a participant in the defense of the fortress, from the Konev farm).

28. Akhmadov Alkhazur Sel. Znamenskoye, Nadterechny district. Chechen. Drafted into the army in February 1940. Regiment unknown. Disappeared (information from participants in the defense. Akhmadov is on the list of 37 people sent by the Nadterechny RVK to the city of Rechitsa, some of whom were transferred to Brest).

29. Akhmadov Amkhad (photo) Village. Engenoy Nozhai-Yurtovsky district. Chechen. Served in the 125th Infantry Regiment. The used one disappeared (information from/from).

30. Akhmatkhanov Adam Sel. Znamenskoye, Nadterechny district. Chechen. Drafted into the army in 1939. The used one disappeared (information from/from).

31. Ayubov Ali Sel. Nadterechnoye Nadterechny district. Chechen. Drafted into the army in October 1940. First he served in the 222nd regiment in Art. Cheremkha, Brest region. It is unknown in which regiment he served in the Brest Fortress. On the third day of fighting, defense participant Zakriev Said met Ayubov Ali in the city of Kobrin in battle. Ayubov went missing after he got out of the encircled fortress (information from the Nadterechny RVK, Zakriev Said, Khasiev Akhmat, etc.).

32. Ayubov Umar (photo) Village. Chishki Grozny district. Chechen. Komsomolets. Served in the 333rd Infantry Regiment. He died in the fortress (information from defense participant Khidayev Vakha). Ayubov’s parents receive a pension for their son.

33. Baibekov Abdulla Sabirovich (photo) Gor. Grozny. Kazan Tatar. Drafted into the army in October 1940. Alive (See the story "Thirst"). Was in captivity. He served in the 44th Infantry Regiment as a sergeant.

34. Baysarov Akhmad Khasanovich Sel. Khakmadoy, Sovetsky district. Chechen. He was drafted into the army in October 1940. Served in the 44th Infantry Regiment. Disappeared (information from the s/s and defense participant S.A. Beytemirov).

35. Baigireev (Hasan?) Village. Chiri-Yurt, Shalinsky district. Chechen. Served in the 125th Infantry Regiment. The used one disappeared (information from colleagues).

36. Baisagurov Khuru (photo) Chechen Akkinets. From Khasav-Yurtovsky district. Relatives at the Druzhba state farm. Before the war, he served in the Brest fortress together with the Akkins Idrisov Movlid and Yashirov Temirsolta. Everyone disappeared secondhand (information from relatives).

37. Baysurkaev Dombi Sel. Meken-Yurt Nadterechny district. Chechen. At first I was in the 222nd Infantry Regiment. Then he served as a private in the 44th Infantry Regiment. The used one disappeared (information from the Nadterechny RVC and defense participants).

38. Bakriev Magomet Gor. Gudermes, Gudermes district. Chechen. Called up in October 1940. Private of the 455th Infantry Regiment. He died in the fortress (information from A. Gaitukaev).

39. Balaev Khusein Bamatovich Gor. Malgobek. Kumyk. He served in the 333rd Infantry Regiment, where the RVC was sent in February 1940. Lost used (information from relatives).

40. Baloev Nogai (photo) Village. Psedakh Malgobek district. Chechen. He served in the army together with Peshkhoev Vakha Datievich, a fellow villager. Presumably, he served in the 333rd Infantry Regiment, since Vakha was sent to this regiment by the Malgobek RVK. Died in the fortress. On the first day of the war he was in the Citadel (information from S. Aleroev).

41. Balyukov Petr Savelievich (photo) Nesterovskaya village, Sunzhensky district. Russian. He served in the 455th Infantry Regiment in the 8th Company. He was a friend of Ali Gaitukaev. According to the latter, Pyotr Balyukov was in the fortress on the first day of fighting. The mother receives a pension. According to the Central Directorate for Registration of Losses of Soldiers and Sergeants, Peter Balyukov was listed as missing in December 1941.

42. Bakhmurziev Khamzat Yutievich Sel. Upper Achaluki, Malgobek district. Ingush. He served in the 10th separate engineer battalion of the 6th division. The used one went missing (message from relatives).

43. Batsashev Said-Akhmat (photo) Village. Itum-Kala, Soviet district. Chechen. Komsomolets. He voluntarily joined the army at the age of 17. Private, 333rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion, 8th Company. Drafted into the army in February 1940. He died in the fortress (information from defense participant S.-A. Beytemirov).

44. Bedritsky Petr Semenovich (photo) Gor. Grozny. Russian. Drafted into the army in October 1940. Alive Was in captivity. (See memoirs "On Combat Alert").

45. Beybulatov Said-Hasan (photo) Village. New Atagi, Shalinsky district. Chechen. Komsomol member, joined the army voluntarily in 1939. He served in the 125th Infantry Regiment as a sergeant in a communications platoon in the 3rd Battalion. Disappeared (information from military personnel, relatives and participants in the defense).

46. ​​Beytemirov Said-Akhmat (photo) Village. Elistanzhi, Vedeno district. Chechen. (See the essay “In the Pool of Fire”). He died in 1970 in Checheno-Ingushetia.

47. Bekmurzaev Nurdi Sel. Nadterechnoye Nadterechny district. Chechen. Nadterechny RVK was sent to the 333rd Infantry Regiment in February 1940. Fate unknown.

48. Bektemirov Vakha Sel. New Atagi, Shalinsky district. Chechen. Served in the 125th Infantry Regiment. The used one disappeared (information from colleagues).

49. Bersanukaev Abdul-Khamid Akhmadovich Sel. Starye Atagi, Grozny district. Chechen. It is unknown which regiment he served in. Before the start of the war I was in the fortress. Disappeared (information from the s/s and defense participant M. Ya. Khaytaev).

50. Betilgireev Madi (photo) Village. Dachu-Barzoy, Grozny district. Chechen. Served in the 125th Infantry Regiment. Disappeared (information from the s/s and defense participant V. Khidayev).

51. Betsiev Adaga Sel. Itum-Kala, Soviet district. Chechen. He was drafted into the army in February 1940. Private, 333rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion, 8th Company. He died in the fortress (information from Beytemirov S.-A.).

52. Borisenko A.P. Stanitsa Voznesenskaya, Malgobek district. Russian. He was sent to Brest to the 333rd Infantry Regiment along with the Malgobek RVC. Borisenko A.P. served in Brest on the eve of the war. Fate unknown (information from fellow villagers and fellow soldiers).

53. Borodaev Vasily Ivanovich Stanitsa Voznesenskaya, Malgobek district. Russian. He served in the 333rd Infantry Regiment as a private. Fate unknown.

61. Gaitukaev Ali (photo) Village. Ishkhoy-Yurt, Gudermes district. Chechen. Served in the 455th Regiment. Alive He works as a teacher in his native village. (See memoirs “In the 455th Infantry”). Was in captivity.

62. Ganukaev Movsar Sel. Shawls of the Shalinsky district. Chechen. Served in the 125th Infantry Regiment. Killed on the 3rd day of the war while crawling for ammunition (information from a defense participant).

63. Hasanov Murtazali Sel. Kenkhi, Sovetsky district. Chechen. He served in the 44th Infantry Regiment as a private. He died in the fortress (information from defense participant S. A. Beytemirov).

64. Gelayev Magomet (photo) Village. Gukhoy Sovetsky district. Chechen. He was drafted into the army in February 1940. He served as a private in the 4th company of the 333rd Infantry Regiment. He died in the fortress (information from defense participant S.-A. Beytemirov).

65. Gerikhanov Khozha (aka Betrizov) (photo) Sat down. Bratskoe Nadterechny district. Chechen. Served as a private in the 3rd Infantry Regiment. Died in the fortress (information from participants in the defense Khasiev A., Shabuev A.K. and others. Sent to Brest along with the Nadterechny RVK).

66. Goncharov I.V. Voznesenskaya village, Malgobek district. Russian. He was sent to the 333rd Infantry Regiment in the Brest Fortress along with the Malgobek RVC in February 1940. Fate unknown. 67. Daguev Abubeshir Sel. New Atagi, Shalinsky district. Chechen. Komsomolets. Drafted into the army in the fall of 1939 along with Ali Magomedov and Magomet Astemirov. Used to go missing (information from s/s and relatives).

68. Dadaev Alkhazur (Gabaev) Village. Goyty Urus-Martan district. Chechen. Komsomol member, drafted into the army from the Zavodsky district of Grozny. Served in the 44th Infantry Regiment. The last letter is dated June 21, 1941. Lost used (information given by Dokka Dadaev, brother, former military pilot, captain, now an engineer at the Groznefterazvedka office).

69. Dakaev Khamzat Sel. Nadterechnoye Nadterechny district. Chechen. He was sent to Brest in February 1940 by the Nadterechny RVC along with 24 conscripts. Served in the 125th Infantry Regiment. The used one has disappeared.

70. Dementyev Mikhail Ivanovich Gor. Grozny. Russian. Komsomolets. He was sent to Brest along with the Malgobek RVC in February 1940. Sister Anastasia Ivanovna Ryabukhina keeps a document stating that M. I. Dementyev is a Red Army soldier of the 333rd Infantry Regiment. Anastasia Ivanovna received her last letters from Brest just before the war. The Dementiev family fulfilled their patriotic duty to the end: all the men died for our Motherland. Dmitry Ivanovich died fighting for Malgobek, Alexander Ivanovich - in Kerch, Mikhail Ivanovich, apparently, laid down his head in the fiery fortress of Brest.

71. Denisultanov Ades Akhtaevich Sel. Nadterechnoye Nadterechny district. Chechen. Served in the 44th Infantry Regiment. Disappeared used (information from participants in the defense Khasiev A., Shabuev A.K., etc.).

72. Derbok Chelement Yusupovich (photo) Oktyabrsky village, Teuchezhsky district, Adygea auto. region Adyghe. Member of the CPSU(b). He was sent to the 333rd Infantry Regiment in Brest by the Nadterechny RVK in February 1940. Got out of the surrounded fortress. He fought in besieged Leningrad. The used one has disappeared.

73. Dzhammirzaev Amsad (Dozu) Village Dachu-Barzoy, Grozny district. Chechen. The regiment in which Dzhammirzaev served is unknown. The used one disappeared (information from the military personnel and participants in the defense).

74. Dzhankhotov Magomet Sel. Znamenskoye, Nadterechny district. Chechen. Served in the 333rd Infantry Regiment. Disappeared used (information from defense participants, s/s data).

75. Dzhautkhanov Adam Sel. Meken-Yurt Nadterechny district. Chechen. Regiment unknown. Disappeared used (information from participants in the defense. Attire of the Nadterechny RVK dated 16.X.1940).

76. Dzhukaev Ali (photo) Sat. Sernovodskoye, Sunzhensky district. Chechen. 455th Infantry Regiment. According to the testimony of the former medical instructor of the 9th company of the 455th regiment, Vladimir Ponomarev, who now lives in the mountains. Frolov, Volgograd region, Ali Dzhukaev died in the fortress on approximately the tenth day of fighting.

77. Dzhumaev Hamid Sel. Starye Atagi, Grozny district. Chechen. Served in the 131st artillery regiment. Disappeared (information from the s/s and defense participant M. Ya. Khaytaev).

78. Dzugaev Usam Usmanovich Sel. Mineral Nadterechny district. Chechen. Served in the 44th Infantry Regiment. Disappeared used (information from participants in the defense Shabuev A.K., Khasiev A. and others. Outfit of the Nadterechny RVK dated 16.X.1940).

79. Dikaev Sultan (Sangaraev) Village. Starye Atagi, Grozny district. Chechen. Komsomolets. Regiment unknown. Died in the fortress (information from the s/s and defense participant M. Khaytaev).

80. Doskhoev Magomet-Girey Islamovich Sel. Keskem Malgobek district. Ingush. Sent to Brest by Malgobek RVC. Served in the 333rd Infantry Regiment. Fate unknown.

81. Dogaev Magomet Sel. Belgatoy Shali district. Chechen. Private of the 84th Infantry Regiment. The used one disappeared (information from Shalinsky RVK and Abzailov Kh. A.).

82. Dutuev Aladi (Photo) Village. Ishkhoy-Yurt, Gudermes district. Chechen. Private of the 455th Infantry Regiment. Died in the fortress (information from defense participant A. Gaitukaev and s/s).

83. Duhigov Mutush Makhdoevich (photo) Village. Znamenskoye, Nadterechny district. Chechen. Private of the 44th Infantry Regiment. He died in the fortress (information from the participants in the defense and the RVK outfit).

84. Evaev Gikalo Mikaevich Sel. Sernovodskoye, Sunzhensky district. Chechen. Komsomolets, private, 455th Infantry Regiment, 8th Company. He died in the fortress (information from A. Gaitukaev).

85. Zhulikov Petr Georgievich (photo) Gor. Grozny. Russian. Member of the CPSU(b). He worked in the Brest region. (See the essay "Unbending").

86. Zhukov Gennady Aleksandrovich Gor. Grozny. Russian. Paramedic. He was drafted into the army from the Nadterechny district and sent to the 333rd Infantry Regiment in Brest in October 1940. Upon arrival, he served for some time in the town of Meleshikha in the 166th howitzer-artillery regiment. Gennady's father, Alexander Fedorovich, has preserved three letters from his son from Brest and the Red Army certificate 166 of the GAP. A certificate from the military registration and enlistment office indicates that Gennady Zhukov went missing in December 1941. The second son of A.F. Zhukov, Mikhail, died in 1944 near Kharkov. Alexander Fedorovich himself was a participant in three wars: imperialist, civil and World War II.

87. Zakaev Sharpuddi Sel. Znamenskoye, Nadterechny district. Chechen. Sent to Brest to the 333rd Infantry Regiment along with the RVC on 10.2.1940. He died in the fortress (information from the Nadterechny RVK and participants in the defense). 88. Zakriev Said Khut. Konev Nadterechny district. Chechen. Served in the 235th hotel engineer battalion. Alive

89. Zakriev Sharpuddi Dzhamallaylovich (Mustafinov) Sel. Old Sunzha, Grozny district. Chechen. Komsomolets. Platoon commander in the 3rd battalion of the 125th rifle regiment. The used one disappeared (information from the s/s and participants in the defense of M. Ya. Khaytaev and others). Called from the villages. Old Atagi.

174. Suleymanov Magomet Jamaldaevich Sel. Ken-Yurt, Grozny district. He served in the 44th Infantry Regiment (according to other sources, in the 333rd Infantry Regiment). Disappeared used (information from Yusaev M., a participant in the defense).

175. Shalyako Yusup Yakubovich Aul Khashtuk, Teuchezhsky district of Adyghe. auto region Adyghe. Served in the 333rd regiment. Died in the fortress (information from participants in the defense).

176. Shatum Mukharbiy Salikhovich (photo) Aul Khashtuk, Teuchezhsky district of Adyghe. auto region Adyghe. In Brest he served at the headquarters of the 28th Corps. Now a colonel in the Soviet Army. Lives in Nalchik (information from defense participants).

177. Taimashanov Bolshevik Askhabovich (photo) Village. Duba-Yurt, Shalinsky district. Chechen. Served in the 125th Infantry Regiment. Disappeared used (information from V. Khidayev).

178. Tamaev Alavdi Sel. Engenoy Nozhai-Yurtovsky district. Chechen. Regiment unknown. Participated in battles. Being wounded, he was captured, where he was met by Khutsuruev Abu-Said (according to the information from the s/s, he disappeared b/c). 179. Tauzarkhanov Vita Sel. Koshkeldy Gudermes district. Chechen. Served in the 455th Infantry Regiment. The used one disappeared (information from Ali Gaitukaev).

180. Tashaev Salman Sel. Meken-Yurt Nadterechny district. Chechen. Regiment unknown. He left the surrounded fortress. He died after the war in Karaganda in a mine (information from Zakriev S., outfit of the Nadterechny RVK).

181. Tashaev Aktemir Dzhamalaevich Sel. Meken-Yurt Nadterechny district. Chechen. Secondary education. Komsomolets. Drafted into the army from the Old Crafts of the city of Grozny, disappeared second-hand (information from Azamov X.).

182. Tikhomirov Nikolay Ivanovich (photo) Gor. Grozny. Russian. Served in the 333rd Infantry Regiment as deputy. commander of the 6th company. Rank - lieutenant. According to S.A. Beytemirov, Tikhomirov was entrusted with training the Chechens of the 333rd regiment who did not speak Russian. Died in the fortress. Parents live in the village. Katayama (Grozny).

183. Tokayev Imran Sel. Ulus-Kert, Sovetsky district. Chechen. Lechi-Khadzhi was drafted into the army together with Mataev. Served in the 125th Infantry Regiment. The used one disappeared (information from Khidayev Vakha).

184. Tukaev Nazhmuddin Sel. Meken-Yurt Nadterechny district. Chechen. Served in the 44th Regiment. Lost used (information from defense participants and s/s).

185. Tutaev Abdurakhman Sel. Bengaroy, Sovetsky district. Chechen. Served in the 4th company of the 333rd regiment. Famous jumper. He died in the fortress (information from Beytemirov S.-A.).

186. Uzuev Magomet Yakhyaevich (photo) Village. Itum-Kala, Soviet district. Chechen. Candidate member of the CPSU(b). Sergeant of the 8th company of the 3rd battalion of the 333rd rifle regiment. He died in the fortress (information from the s/s, Beytemirov S.-A. and a number of defense participants).

187. Umaev Abdul-Mezhid Sel. Belgatoy Shali district. Chechen. Private of the 84th Infantry Regiment. The used one disappeared (information from the Shalinsky RVC and relatives).

188. Umarov Tapa Sel. Starye Atagi, Grozny district. Chechen. Served in the 125th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion, 9th Company. He was drafted into the army along with Mukhaddinov Said-Ali, Usmanov Akhmat from Duba-Yurt and Dikaev Sultan from Starye Atagi. The used one has disappeared.

189. Usmaev Shirvani Village. Beno-Yurt Nadterechny district. Chechen. Drafted into the army together with fellow villager Elmurzaev Baudin. The used one disappeared (information from Znamensky s/s).

190. Usmanov Akhmat Sel. Duba-Yurt, Shalinsky district. Chechen. Served in the 125th Infantry Regiment. The used one disappeared (information from Khidayev Vakha).

191. Ustarkhanov Ali Daudovich (photo) Village. Ken-Yurt, Grozny district. Served as a private in the 333rd regiment. Disappeared used (information from Yusaev M. and relatives).

192. Khabliev Mahdi Sel. Beno-Yurt Nadterechny district. Chechen. Regiment unknown. The used one disappeared (information from Znamensky s/s).

193. Khadzhiev Alaki (Askhabov) Village. Znamenskoye, Nadterechny district. Chechen. Regiment unknown. Disappeared used (information from defense participants, RVK squad).

194. Hadizov Abubakar Sel. Gvardeyskoe Nadterechny district. Chechen. Regiment unknown. Disappeared used (information from defense participants, RVK squad).

195. Khaitaev Musa Yakubovich (photo) Village of Starye Atagi, Grozny district. Chechen. Private of the 125th Infantry Regiment. Alive

196. Khamzatov Movla Village. Starye Atagi, Grozny district. Chechen. He served in the border troops of the Brest region. Estimated rank - lieutenant. The used one has disappeared. His wife Asma was captured during the evacuation of military families and remained in Frankfurt am Main throughout the war.

197. Khamidov Abdul-Muslim Akhtaevich Sel. Znamenskoye, Nadterechny district. Chechen. Regiment unknown. The used one disappeared (information from/from).

198. Khamidov(aka Khaladov) Hussein(photo) Sat down. Znamenskoye, Nadterechny district. Chechen. Served as a private in the 333rd regiment. Komsomolets. Disappeared used (information from RVC and defense participants).

199. Khasaev Baisa Musaevich (photo) Village. Dachu-Barzoy, Grozny district. Chechen. Komsomolets. He served in the 125th Infantry Regiment as a machine gunner. Died in the fortress (information from the s/s, participants in the defense and relatives).

200. Khasiev Akhmat (photo) Village. Bratskoe Nadterechny district. Chechen. Served in the 333rd Infantry Regiment. Alive (See the story “Didn’t reach Berlin”).

201. Khasemikov Osman (photo) Village. Gvardeyskoe Nadterechny district. Chechen. Private in an anti-aircraft artillery battalion. Disappeared used (information from defense participants, RVK squad).

212. Khyuziev Said Magometovich Sel. Shawls of the Shalinsky district. Chechen. Served in the 125th Infantry Regiment. He died in the fortress from a shell on the first day (information from participants in the defense).

213. Tseldiev Luga Village. Chishki Grozny district. Chechen. He was drafted into the army together with Umar Ayubov. Regiment unknown. Disappeared used (information from defense participant V. Khidayev).

214. Tsechoev Khalid Datoevich Sel. Middle Achaluki, Malgobek district. Ingush. Private of the 125th Infantry Regiment. According to the testimony of the participants in the defense, he died on the first day of the battle along with five Chechens from a shell explosion.

215. Tsurov Magomet Safarbievich Sel. Long valley of the Prigorodny district. Ingush. Regiment unknown. Died in the first days of fighting.

216. Chergizov Makasherip Abdurzakovich (photo) Village. Achaluki, Malgobek district. Ingush. Private, 125th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion. According to information, he died of wounds in the Biala Podlaska camp.

217. Shabuev Abdulkakhir (photo) Village. Mineral Nadterechny district. Chechen. Served in the 333rd Infantry Regiment. Alive (See the story "Breakthrough").

218. Shamilev Kharon Sel. Gudermes, Gudermes district. Chechen. Private of the 455th Infantry Regiment. The used one disappeared (information from Ali Gaitukaev).

219. Shakhanov Ya. T. Kumyk. He was sent by the Malgobek RVC to the 333rd Infantry Regiment. There is no information about his fate.

220. Shakhmaev Nuraddi (Khasanov) (photo) Village. Gvardeyskoe Nadterechny district. Chechen. Senior Lieutenant. Served in the 125th Infantry Regiment. Alive

221. Ediev Khavazhi Sel. Bratskoe Nadterechny district. Chechen. Regiment unknown. Disappeared used (information from participants in the defense Khasiev A. and others).

222. Edelkhanov Visanap Sel. Minai-Togai Khasav-Yurtovsky district. Chechen-Akkinets. Regiment unknown. According to Said Zakriev, he escaped from the encircled fortress on the 3rd day of fighting. Zakriev met him in Ukraine near Poltava. The used one has disappeared.

223. Edelkhanov Dasha Sel. Gvardeyskoe Nadterechny district. Chechen. Komsomolets. Private of the 333rd Infantry Regiment. The charred remains of his Komsomol membership card, found in the casemate from where he fought, are displayed in the window of the Brest Museum.

224. Edelsultanov Akhmat (photo) Village. Gukhoy Itum-Kalinsky district. Chechen. He served in the 4th company of the 333rd Infantry Regiment as a private. He died in the fortress (information from Beytemirov S.-A.).

225. Edilsultanov Akhmat Edilsultanovich (photo) Village. Gvardeyskoe Nadterechny district. Chechen. He was sent to Brest in February 1940 by the Malgobek RVC. Served in a mortar platoon of the 333rd Infantry Regiment. Disappeared used (information from RVC and defense participants).

226. Edilsultanov Salman Sel. Starye Atagi, Grozny district. Chechen. He served in the first battery of the 131st artillery regiment of the 6th division as an assistant political instructor of the platoon. Returned home (information from M. Makhmadov). 227. Elibaev Abdulkhan (photo) Village. Turtu-khutor Nozhai-Yurtovsky district. Chechen. Regiment unknown. Shamsu from Alleroi was drafted into the army together with Abdurakhmanov. Both disappeared second-hand (information from family members, relatives).

228. Elikhanov Israpil Mustapaevich (photo) Gor. Malgobek (came from the village of Kizlyarskoe KBASSR). Kumyk. Served in the 333rd Infantry Regiment. Disappeared used (information from RVC, letters from relatives).

229. Eldarov Sahab (photo) Village. Duba-Yurt, Shalinsky district. Chechen. Private of the 125th Infantry Regiment(?). He died in the fortress (information from Khidayev Vakha).

230. Eldarkhanov Magomet Sel. Belgatoy Shali district. Chechen. Private of the 84th Infantry Regiment. Died in German captivity on September 21, 1941 (information from the Shali military registration and enlistment office and relatives).

231. Elmurzaev Baudin (photo) Village. Beno-Yurt Nadterechny district. Regiment unknown. Lost used (information from defense participants and s/s).

232. Elmurzaev Baudin (photo) Village. Gvardeyskoe Nadterechny district. Chechen. He fought with the Nazis in the Brest area, not in the fortress. Initially he served in the 487th Infantry Regiment. Works on a state farm. Lieutenant of reserve.

233. Elmurzaev Selimsolta Village. Engel-Yurt Nozhai-Yurtovsky district. Chechen. Regiment unknown. The used one disappeared (information from/from).

234. Elmurzaev Elim Sel. Tolstoy-Yurt, Grozny district. Chechen. Machine gunner of the 333rd regiment. Killed in front of A. Shabuev during the breakout from the fortress.

235. Esbulatov Madarsolta (photo) Village. Azamat-Yurt, Gudermes district. Chechen. Private of the 455th Infantry Regiment. He died in the fortress (information from Gaitukaev A., Beloveshkina M.).

236. Esmurziev Sultan Sel. Middle Achaluki, Malgobek district. Ingush. Served in the 10th separate engineer battalion. Killed on the first day of the war by a shell (information from participants in the defense).

237. Yusaev Movlid Sel. Ken-Yurt, Grozny district. Chechen. Served in the 333rd regiment. Alive (See the story "Escape from Captivity").

238. Yakubov R. G. Chechen. He was sent along with the Malgobek RVC to the 333rd Infantry Regiment to the Brest Fortress in February 1940. Fate unknown.

239. Yasuev Selim Sel. Dachu-Barzoy, Grozny district. Chechen. Regiment unknown. The used one has disappeared. The mother received a pension (information from her husband and relatives).

240. Yashirov Temirsultan (photo) Village. Yurt-Aukh Khasav-Yurtovsky district. Chechen-Akkinets. Regiment unknown. Lost used (information from relatives).

Much of the information is valid as of 1971

Introduction

In June 1941, there were many indications that Germany was preparing for war against the Soviet Union. German divisions were approaching the border. The preparations for war became known from intelligence reports. In particular, the Soviet intelligence officer Richard Sorge even reported the exact day of the invasion and the number of enemy divisions that would be involved in the operation. In these difficult conditions, the Soviet leadership tried not to give the slightest reason for starting a war. It even allowed “archaeologists” from Germany to search for “the graves of soldiers killed during the First World War.” Under this pretext, German officers openly studied the area and outlined routes for a future invasion.

At dawn on June 22, one of the longest days of the year, Germany went to war against the Soviet Union. At 3:30 a.m., units of the Red Army were attacked by German troops along the entire border. In the early predawn hours of June 22, 1941, night guards and patrols of border guards who guarded the western state border of the Soviet country noticed a strange celestial phenomenon. There, ahead, beyond the border line, above the land of Poland captured by the Nazis, far away, on the western edge of the slightly brightening pre-dawn sky, among the already dimmed stars of the shortest summer night, some new, unprecedented stars suddenly appeared. Unusually bright and multi-colored, like the lights of fireworks - sometimes red, sometimes green - they did not stand still, but slowly and non-stop sailed here, to the east, making their way among the fading night stars. They dotted the entire horizon as far as the eye could see, and along with their appearance, from there, from the west, came the roar of many engines.

On the morning of June 22, Moscow radio broadcast the usual Sunday programs and peaceful music. Soviet citizens learned about the start of the war only at noon, when Vyacheslav Molotov spoke on the radio. He said: “Today, at 4 o’clock in the morning, without presenting any claims against the Soviet Union, without declaring war, German troops attacked our country. Brest Fortress capture German

Three powerful groups of German armies moved east. In the north, Field Marshal Leeb directed the attack of his troops through the Baltic states to Leningrad. In the south, Field Marshal Runstedt aimed his troops at Kyiv. But the strongest group of enemy troops deployed its operations in the middle of this huge front, where, starting at the border city of Brest, a wide ribbon of asphalt highway goes east - through the capital of Belarus Minsk, through the ancient Russian city of Smolensk, through Vyazma and Mozhaisk to to the heart of our Motherland - Moscow. In four days, German mobile formations, operating on narrow fronts, broke through to a depth of 250 km and reached the Western Dvina. The army corps were 100 - 150 km behind the tank corps.

The command of the North-Western Front, at the direction of the Headquarters, made an attempt to organize defense on the line of the Western Dvina. The 8th Army was to defend from Riga to Liepaja. The 27th Army advanced to the south, whose task was to cover the gap between the inner flanks of the 8th and 11th armies. The pace of deployment of troops and occupation of defense at the line of the Western Dvina was insufficient, which allowed the enemy's 56th motorized corps to immediately cross to the northern bank of the Western Dvina, capture Daugavpils and create a bridgehead on the northern bank of the river. The 8th Army, having lost up to 50% of its personnel and up to 75% of its equipment, began to retreat to the northeast and north, to Estonia.

Due to the fact that the 8th and 27th armies were retreating in diverging directions, the path for enemy mobile formations to Pskov and Ostrov was open. The Red Banner Baltic Fleet was forced to leave Liepaja and Ventspils. After this, the defense of the Gulf of Riga was based only on the islands of Sarema and Hiuma, which were still held by our troops. As a result of the fighting from June 22 to July 9, the troops of the Northwestern Front did not complete the tasks assigned to them. They abandoned the Baltic states, suffered heavy losses and allowed the enemy to advance up to 500 km.

The main forces of Army Group Center were advancing against the Western Front. Their immediate goal was to bypass the main forces of the Western Front and encircle them with the release of tank groups to the Minsk region. The enemy's offensive on the right wing of the Western Front in the direction of Grodno was repulsed. The most difficult situation developed on the left wing, where the enemy attacked Brest and Baranovichi with the 2nd Tank Group. With the start of the shelling of Brest at dawn on June 22, the units of the 6th and 42nd rifle divisions located in the city were alerted. At 7 o'clock the enemy broke into the city. Part of our troops retreated from the fortress. The remainder of the garrison, which by this time totaled up to an infantry regiment, organized the defense of the citadel and decided to fight encircled to the end. The heroic defense of Brest began, which lasted over a month and was an example of the legendary valor and courage of Soviet patriots.

1. Defense of the Brest Fortress

Brest Fortress is one of 9 fortresses built in the 19th century. to strengthen Russia's western border. On April 26, 1842, the fortress became one of the operating fortresses of the Russian Empire. All Soviet people were well aware of the feat of the defenders of the Brest Fortress. As the official version stated, a small garrison fought for a whole month against an entire division of Germans. But even from the book by S.S. Sergeev’s “Brest Fortress” you can find out that “in the spring of 1941, units of two rifle divisions of the Soviet Army were stationed on the territory of the Brest Fortress. These were persistent, seasoned, well-trained troops. One of these divisions - the 6th Oryol Red Banner - had a long and glorious military history. The other - the 42nd Infantry Division - was created in 1940 during the Finnish campaign and has already managed to show itself well in battles on the Mannerheim Line.” That is, in the fortress there were still not several dozen infantrymen armed only with rifles, as was the impression of many Soviet people who watched feature films about this defense. On the eve of the war, more than half of the units were withdrawn from the Brest Fortress to training camps - 10 of 18 rifle battalions, 3 of 4 artillery regiments, one of two anti-tank and air defense divisions each, reconnaissance battalions and some other units. On the morning of June 22, 1941, the fortress actually had an incomplete division - without 1 rifle battalion, 3 sapper companies and a howitzer regiment. Plus the NKVD battalion and border guards. On average, the divisions had about 9,300 personnel, i.e. 63%. It can be assumed that in total there were more than 8 thousand soldiers and commanders in the fortress on the morning of June 22, not counting the staff and patients of the hospital. The German 45th Infantry Division (from the former Austrian army), which had combat experience in the Polish and French campaigns, fought against the garrison. The staff strength of the German division was supposed to be 15-17 thousand. So, the Germans probably still had a numerical superiority in manpower, but not 10-fold, as Smirnov claimed. It is hardly possible to talk about superiority in artillery. Yes, the Germans had two 600-mm self-propelled mortars 040 (the so-called “Karls”). The ammunition capacity of these guns is 8 shells. But the two-meter walls of the casemates were not penetrated by divisional artillery.

The Germans decided in advance that the fortress would have to be taken only by infantry - without tanks. Their use was hampered by forests, swamps, river channels and canals surrounding the fortress. Based on aerial photographs and data obtained in 1939 after the capture of the fortress from the Poles, a model of the fortress was made. However, the command of the 45th Wehrmacht Division did not expect to suffer such high losses from the defenders of the fortress. The division report dated June 30, 1941 states: “the division took 7,000 prisoners, including 100 officers. Our losses were 482 killed, including 48 officers, and over 1,000 wounded.” It should be taken into account that the number of prisoners undoubtedly included medical staff and patients of the district hospital, and these are several hundred, if not more, people who were physically unable to fight. The proportion of commanders (officers) among prisoners is also indicatively small (military doctors and patients in the hospital are obviously counted among the 100 captured). The only senior commander (senior officer) among the defenders was the commander of the 44th regiment, Major Gavrilov. The fact is that in the first minutes of the war, the houses of the command staff came under artillery fire - naturally, they were not as strong as the structures of the citadel.

For comparison, during the Polish campaign in 13 days, the 45th Division, having covered 400 kilometers, lost 158 ​​killed and 360 wounded. Moreover, the total losses of the German army on the eastern front by June 30, 1941 amounted to 8886 killed. That is, the defenders of the Brest Fortress killed more than 5% of them. And the fact that there were about 8 thousand defenders of the fortress, and not a “handful” at all, does not detract from their glory, but, on the contrary, shows that there were many heroes. More than what the government for some reason tried to convince. And to this day, in books, articles and websites about the heroic defense of the Brest Fortress, the words “small garrison” are constantly encountered. Another common option is 3,500 defenders. 962 soldiers are buried under the slabs of the fortress.

Of the troops of the first echelon of the 4th Army, those that were stationed in the citadel of the Brest Fortress suffered the most, namely: almost the entire 6th Infantry Division (with the exception of the howitzer regiment) and the main forces of the 42nd Infantry Division, its 44th and 455th Infantry Regiment.

At 4 a.m. on June 22, heavy fire was opened on the barracks and the exits from the barracks in the central part of the fortress, as well as on the bridges and entrance gates of the fortress and the houses of the command staff. This raid caused confusion among the Red Army personnel, while the commanding personnel, who were attacked in their quarters, were partially destroyed. The surviving part of the command staff could not penetrate the barracks due to strong barrage fire. As a result, Red Army soldiers and junior command staff, deprived of leadership and control, dressed and undressed, in groups and individually left the fortress on their own, overcoming the bypass canal, the Mukhavets River and the rampart of the fortress under artillery, mortar and machine gun fire. It was impossible to take into account the losses, since the personnel of the 6th Division mixed with the personnel of the 42nd Division. Many could not get to the conditional gathering place, since the Germans fired concentrated artillery fire at it. Some commanders still managed to get to their units in the fortress, but they were unable to withdraw the units and remained in the fortress themselves. As a result, the personnel of units of the 6th and 42nd divisions, as well as other units, remained in the fortress as its garrison, not because they were assigned tasks to defend the fortress, but because it was impossible to leave it. Almost simultaneously, fierce battles broke out throughout the fortress. From the very beginning, they acquired the character of a defense of its individual fortifications without a single headquarters and command, without communication and almost without interaction between the defenders of different fortifications. The defenders were led by commanders and political workers, in some cases by ordinary soldiers who took command. In the shortest possible time, they rallied their forces and organized a rebuff to the Nazi invaders. After just a few hours of fighting, the command of the German 12th Army Corps was forced to send all available reserves to the fortress. However, as the commander of the German 45th Infantry Division, General Schlipper, reported, this “also did not change the situation. Where the Russians were thrown back or smoked out, after a short period of time new forces appeared from basements, drainpipes and other shelters and fired so excellent that our losses increased significantly." The enemy unsuccessfully broadcast calls for surrender through radio installations and sent envoys.

The resistance continued. The defenders of the Citadel held an almost 2-kilometer ring of defensive 2-story barracks belt in the face of intense bombing, artillery shelling and attacks by enemy assault groups. During the first day, they repulsed 8 fierce attacks by enemy infantry blocked in the Citadel, as well as attacks from outside, from bridgeheads captured by the enemy on the Terespol, Volyn, Kobrin fortifications, from where the Nazis rushed to all 4 gates of the Citadel. By the evening of June 22, the enemy entrenched himself in part of the defensive barracks between the Kholm and Terespol gates (later used it as a bridgehead in the Citadel), and captured several sections of the barracks at the Brest Gate. However, the enemy's calculation of surprise did not materialize; Through defensive battles and counterattacks, Soviet soldiers pinned down the enemy's forces and inflicted heavy losses on them. Late in the evening, the German command decided to pull back its infantry from the fortifications, create a blockade line behind the outer ramparts, and begin the assault on the fortress again on the morning of June 23 with artillery shelling and bombing.

The fighting in the fortress took on a fierce, protracted character, which the enemy did not expect. The stubborn heroic resistance of Soviet soldiers was met by the Nazi invaders on the territory of each fortification. On the territory of the border Terespol fortification, the defense was held by soldiers of the driver course of the Belarusian Border District under the command of the head of the course, senior lieutenant F.M. Melnikov and course teacher Lieutenant Zhdanov, transport company of the 17th border detachment, led by commander Senior Lieutenant A.S. Cherny together with soldiers from cavalry courses, a sapper platoon, reinforced squads of the 9th border outpost, a veterinary hospital, and a training camp for athletes. They managed to clear most of the territory of the fortification from the enemy who had broken through, but due to a lack of ammunition and large losses in personnel, they could not hold it. On the night of June 25, the remnants of the groups of Melnikov, who died in battle, and Cherny, crossed the Western Bug and joined the defenders of the Citadel and the Kobrin fortification.

At the beginning of hostilities, the Volyn fortification housed the hospitals of the 4th Army and the 28th Rifle Corps, the 95th medical battalion of the 6th Rifle Division, and there was a small part of the regimental school for junior commanders of the 84th Rifle Regiment, detachments of the 9th th border posts. On the earthen ramparts at the South Gate, the defense was held by the duty platoon of the regimental school. From the first minutes of the enemy invasion, the defense acquired a focal character. The enemy tried to break through to the Kholm Gate and, having broken through, connect with the assault group in the Citadel. Soldiers of the 84th Infantry Regiment came to the rescue from the Citadel. Within the boundaries of the hospital, the defense was organized by battalion commissar N.S. Bogateev, military doctor 2nd rank S.S. Babkin (both died). German machine gunners who burst into hospital buildings brutally dealt with the sick and wounded. The defense of the Volyn fortification is full of examples of the dedication of soldiers and medical personnel who fought to the end in the ruins of buildings. While covering the wounded, nurses V.P. died. Khoretskaya and E.I. Rovnyagina. Having captured the sick, wounded, medical staff, and children, on June 23 the Nazis used them as a human barrier, driving the submachine gunners ahead of the attacking Kholm gates. "Shoot, don't spare us!" - Soviet patriots shouted. By the end of the week, the focal defense at the fortification faded. Some fighters joined the ranks of the Citadel’s defenders; a few managed to break out of the enemy ring. By decision of the command of the combined group, attempts were made to break through the encirclement. On June 26, a detachment (120 people, mostly sergeants) led by Lieutenant Vinogradov went on a breakthrough. 13 soldiers managed to break through the eastern boundary of the fortress, but they were captured by the enemy. Other attempts at a mass breakthrough from the besieged fortress were also unsuccessful; only individual small groups were able to break through. The remaining small garrison of Soviet troops continued to fight with extraordinary tenacity and tenacity. Their inscriptions on the fortress walls speak about the unshakable courage of the fighters: “There were five of us: Sedov, Grutov, Bogolyub, Mikhailov, Selivanov V. We took the first battle on June 22, 1941. We will die, but we will not leave here...”, “June 26, 1941 “There were three of us, it was difficult for us, but we did not lose heart and die like heroes,” this is evidenced by the remains of 132 soldiers discovered during the excavations of the White Palace and the inscription left on the bricks: “We do not die in shame.”

Since the military operations, several areas of fierce defense have developed at the Kobrin fortification. On the territory of this fortification, the largest in area, there were many warehouses, hitching posts, artillery parks, personnel were housed in the barracks, as well as in the casemates of the earthen rampart (with a perimeter of up to 1.5 km), and in the residential town - the families of command personnel. Through the Northern and Northwestern, Eastern gates of the fortification in the first hours of the war, part of the garrison, the main forces of the 125th Infantry Regiment (commander Major A.E. Dulkeit) and the 98th separate anti-tank artillery division (commander Captain N.I. Nikitin).

Tough cover of the exit from the fortress through the North-Western Gate of the garrison soldiers, and then the defense of the barracks of the 125th Infantry Regiment, was led by battalion commissar S.V. Derbenev. The enemy managed to transfer a pontoon bridge across the Western Bug from the Terespol fortification to Kobrinskoye (the defenders of the western part of the Citadel fired on it, disrupting the crossing), seized a bridgehead in the western part of the Kobrinskoye fortification and moved infantry, artillery, and tanks there.

The defense was led by Major P. M. Gavrilov, Captain I. N. Zubachev and regimental commissar E. M. Fomin. The heroic defenders of the Brest Fortress successfully repelled the attacks of the Nazi troops for several days. On June 29 - 30, the enemy launched a general assault on the Brest Fortress, he managed to capture many fortifications, the defenders suffered heavy losses, but continued to resist in incredibly difficult conditions (lack of water, food, medicine). For almost a month, the heroes of the Brest Fortress pinned down an entire German division, most of them died in battle, some managed to break through to the partisans, and some of the exhausted and wounded were captured. As a result of bloody battles and losses, the defense of the fortress broke up into a number of isolated centers of resistance. Until July 12, a small group of fighters led by Gavrilov continued to fight in the Eastern Fort, later breaking out of the fort in a caponier behind the outer rampart of the fortification. The seriously wounded Gavrilov and the secretary of the Komsomol bureau of the 98th separate anti-tank artillery division, deputy political instructor G.D. Derevianko was captured on July 23. But even after the 20th of July, Soviet soldiers continued to fight in the fortress.

The last days of the struggle are covered in legends. These days include the inscriptions left on the walls of the fortress by its defenders: “We will die, but we will not leave the fortress,” “I am dying, but I am not giving up. Farewell, Motherland. 11/20/41.” Not a single banner of the military units fighting in the fortress fell to the enemy. The banner of the 393rd Independent Artillery Battalion was buried in the Eastern Fort by Senior Sergeant R.K. Semenyuk, privates I.D. Folvarkov and Tarasov. On September 26, 1956, it was dug up by Semenyuk.

The last defenders of the Citadel held out in the basements of the White Palace, the Engineering Department, the club, and the barracks of the 333rd regiment. In the Engineering Department building and the Eastern Fort, the Nazis used gases, and flamethrowers against the defenders of the barracks of the 333rd regiment and the 98th division, and the caponier in the area of ​​the 125th regiment. Explosives were lowered from the roof of the barracks of the 333rd Infantry Regiment to the windows, but Soviet soldiers wounded by the explosions continued to shoot until the walls of the building were destroyed and leveled. The enemy was forced to note the steadfastness and heroism of the fortress’s defenders. It was during these black, bitter days of retreat that the legend of the Brest Fortress was born among our troops. It is difficult to say where it first appeared, but, passed on from mouth to mouth, it soon passed along the entire thousand-kilometer front from the Baltic to the Black Sea steppes. It was a moving legend. They said that hundreds of kilometers from the front, deep behind enemy lines, near the city of Brest, within the walls of an old Russian fortress standing on the very border of the USSR, our troops had been heroically fighting the enemy for many days and weeks. They said that the enemy, having surrounded the fortress with a dense ring, was furiously storming it, but at the same time suffering huge losses, that neither bombs nor shells could break the tenacity of the fortress garrison and that the Soviet soldiers defending there had sworn an oath to die, but not to submit to the enemy and respond with fire to all Nazi proposals for surrender.

It is unknown how this legend originated. Either it was brought with them by groups of our soldiers and commanders who were making their way from the Brest area behind German lines and then making their way through the front. Perhaps one of the captured Nazis told about this.

They say that the pilots of our bomber aviation confirmed that the Brest Fortress was fighting. Going at night to bomb enemy rear military installations located on Polish territory and flying near Brest, they saw below the flashes of shell explosions, the trembling fire of firing machine guns and flowing streams of tracer bullets.

However, all these were just stories and rumors. It was impossible to verify whether our troops were really fighting there and what kind of troops they were: there was no radio contact with the fortress garrison. And the legend of the Brest Fortress at that time remained only a legend. But, full of exciting heroism, people really needed this legend. In those difficult, harsh days of retreat, she penetrated deeply into the hearts of the soldiers, inspired them, gave birth to vigor and faith in victory. And many who heard this story then, as a reproach to their own conscience, asked the question: “What about us? Can’t we fight just like they did there in the fortress? Why are we retreating?”

It happened that in response to such a question, as if guiltily looking for an excuse for himself, one of the old soldiers would say: “After all, it’s a fortress! It’s easier to defend in a fortress. There are probably a lot of walls, fortifications, guns. According to the enemy, “It was impossible to approach here with only infantry means, since perfectly organized rifle and machine-gun fire from deep trenches and a horseshoe-shaped yard mowed down everyone approaching. There was only one solution left - with hunger and thirst to force the Russians to surrender..." The Nazis methodically attacked the fortress for a whole week. Soviet soldiers had to fight off 6-8 attacks a day. Next to the fighters were women and children. They helped the wounded, brought food cartridges, took part in the hostilities. The Nazis used tanks, flamethrowers, gases, set fire and rolled barrels with a flammable mixture from the outer ramparts. The casemates burned and collapsed, there was nothing to breathe, but when the enemy infantry went on the attack, hand-to-hand combat broke out again. During short periods of relative calm, calls to surrender were heard from the loudspeakers.

Being completely surrounded, without water and food, and with an acute shortage of ammunition and medicine, the garrison courageously fought the enemy. In the first 9 days of fighting alone, the defenders of the fortress disabled about 1.5 thousand enemy soldiers and officers. By the end of June, the enemy captured most of the fortress; on June 29 and 30 the Nazis launched a continuous two-day assault on the fortress using powerful (500 and 1800 kg) aerial bombs. On June 29, he died while covering the breakthrough group, Kizhevatov, with several fighters. In the Citadel on June 30, the Nazis captured the seriously wounded and shell-shocked Captain Zubachev and Regimental Commissar Fomin, whom the Nazis shot near the Kholm Gate. On June 30, after a long shelling and bombing, which ended in a fierce attack, the Nazis captured most of the structures of the Eastern Fort and captured the wounded. In July, the commander of the 45th German Infantry Division, General Schlipper, in his “Report on the Occupation of Brest-Litovsk” reported: “The Russians in Brest-Litovsk fought extremely stubbornly and persistently. They showed excellent infantry training and proved a remarkable will to resist.” Stories like the defense of the Brest Fortress would become widely known in other countries. But the courage and heroism of the defenders of the Brest Fortress remained unsung. Until the death of Stalin in the USSR, it was as if they did not notice the feat of the citadel garrison.

The fortress fell and many of its defenders surrendered - in the eyes of the Stalinists this was seen as a shameful phenomenon. And therefore there were no heroes of Brest. The fortress was simply erased from the annals of military history, erasing the names of privates and commanders. In 1956, the world finally learned who led the defense of the citadel. Smirnov writes: “From the found combat order No. 1, we know the names of the commanders of the units defending the center: Commissar Fomin, Captain Zubachev, Senior Lieutenant Semenenko and Lieutenant Vinogradov.” The 44th Infantry Regiment was commanded by Pyotr Mikhailovich Gavrilov. Commissioner Fomin, Captain Zubachev and Lieutenant Vinogradov were part of the battle group that escaped from the fortress on June 25, but it was surrounded and destroyed on the Warsaw Highway.

Three officers were captured. Vinogradov survived the war. Smirnov tracked him down in Vologda, where he, unknown to anyone in 1956, worked as a blacksmith. According to Vinogradov: “Before making the breakthrough, Commissar Fomin put on the uniform of a killed private. In the prisoner of war camp, the commissar was betrayed to the Germans by one soldier, and Fomin was shot. Zubachev died in captivity. Major Gavrilov survived captivity, despite being seriously wounded. He did not want to surrender, threw a grenade and killed a German soldier." Much time passed before the names of the heroes of Brest were inscribed in Soviet history. They earned their place there. The way they fought, their unwavering tenacity, devotion to duty, the courage they showed against all odds - all this was quite typical of Soviet soldiers.

The defense of the Brest Fortress was an outstanding example of the exceptional tenacity and courage of Soviet soldiers. This was a truly legendary feat of the sons of the people, who loved their Motherland infinitely and gave their lives for it. The Soviet people honor the memory of the brave defenders of the Brest Fortress: captain V.V. Shablovsky, senior political instructor N.V. Nesterchuk, lieutenants I.F. Akimochkin, A.M. Kizhevatov, A.F. Naganov, junior political instructor A.P. Kalandadze , deputy political instructor S. M. Matevosyan, a member of the regiment P. S. Klypa and many others. In memory of the feat of the heroes of the Brest Fortress, on May 8, 1965, she was awarded the honorary title “Fortress Hero” with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.

Conclusion

For a long time, the country knew nothing about the defense of the Brest Fortress, as well as about many other exploits of Soviet soldiers in the first days of the war, although, perhaps, it was precisely such pages of its history that were able to instill faith in a people who found themselves on the verge of mortal danger. The troops, of course, talked about border battles on the Bug, but the very fact of defending the fortress was perceived rather as a legend. Surprisingly, the feat of the Brest garrison became known thanks to precisely that same report from the headquarters of the 45th German division. The entire archive of the division also fell into the hands of Soviet soldiers. For the first time, the defense of the Brest Fortress became known from a German headquarters report, captured in the papers of a defeated unit in February 1942 in the Krivtsovo area near Orel during an attempt to destroy the Bolkhov group of German troops. At the end of the 1940s. the first articles about the defense of the Brest Fortress appeared in newspapers, based solely on rumors; in 1951, the artist P. Krivonogov painted the famous painting “Defenders of the Brest Fortress.” The credit for restoring the memory of the heroes of the fortress largely belongs to the writer and historian S. S. Smirnov, as well as K. M. Simonov, who supported his initiative. The feat of the heroes of the Brest Fortress was popularized by Smirnov in the book “Brest Fortress” (1957, expanded edition 1964, Lenin Prize 1965). After this, the theme of the defense of the Brest Fortress became an important symbol of official patriotic propaganda. Sevastopol, Leningrad, Smolensk, Vyazma, Kerch, Stalingrad are milestones in the history of the Soviet people's resistance to Hitler's invasion. The first on this list is the Brest Fortress. It determined the entire mood of this war - uncompromising, persistent and, ultimately, victorious. And the main thing, probably, is not the awards, but about 200 defenders of the Brest Fortress were awarded orders and medals, two became Heroes of the Soviet Union - Major Gavrilov and Lieutenant Andrei Kizhevatov (posthumously), but the fact that it was then, in the first days of the war, Soviet soldiers proved to the whole world that courage and duty to their country and people can withstand any invasion. In this regard, it sometimes seems that the Brest Fortress is a confirmation of Bismarck’s words and the beginning of the end of Hitler’s Germany.

On May 8, 1965, the Brest Fortress was awarded the title of hero fortress. Since 1971 it has been a memorial complex. On the territory of the fortress, a number of monuments were built in memory of the heroes, and there is a museum of the defense of the Brest Fortress.

"Brest Hero Fortress", a memorial complex created in 1969-71. on the territory of the Brest Fortress to perpetuate the feat of the participants in the defense of the Brest Fortress. The master plan was approved by a resolution of the Council of Ministers of the BSSR dated November 6, 1969. The memorial was inaugurated on September 25, 1971. The sculptural and architectural ensemble includes surviving buildings, preserved ruins, ramparts and works of modern monumental art. The complex is located in the eastern part of the Citadel. Each compositional element of the ensemble carries a great meaning and has a strong emotional impact. The main entrance is designed as an opening in the form of a five-pointed star in a monolithic reinforced concrete mass, resting on the shaft and walls of the casemates. The star's chips, intersecting, form a complex dynamic shape. The propylaea walls are lined with black labradorite. On the outer side of the base there is a board with the text of the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated 05/08/1965 on awarding the Brest Fortress the honorary title “Hero-Fortress”. From the main entrance, a ceremonial alley leads across the bridge to the Ceremonial Square. To the left of the bridge is the sculptural composition “Thirst” - the figure of a Soviet soldier who, leaning on a machine gun, reaches out to the water with his helmet. In the planning and design of the memorial, an important role belongs to Ceremonial Square, where mass celebrations take place. It is adjacent to the building of the Museum of Defense of the Brest Fortress and the ruins of the White Palace. The compositional center of the ensemble is the main monument “Courage” - a chest-length sculpture of a warrior (made of concrete, height 33.5 m), on its reverse side there are relief compositions telling about individual episodes of the heroic defense of the fortress: “Attack”, “Party Meeting”, "The Last Grenade", "Feat of the Artillerymen", "Machine Gunners". The vast space is dominated by the obelisk bayonet (an all-welded metal structure lined with titanium; height 100 m, weight 620 tons). In the 3-tier necropolis, compositionally connected with the monument, the remains of 850 people are buried, and the names of 216 are on the memorial plaques installed here.

In front of the ruins of the former engineering department, in a recess lined with black labradorite, the Eternal Flame of Glory burns. In front of him are the words cast in bronze: “We fought to the death, glory to the heroes!” Not far from the Eternal Flame is the Memorial Site of the Hero Cities of the Soviet Union, opened on 05/09/1985. Under the granite slabs with the image of the Gold Star medal, there are capsules with the soil of the hero cities, delivered here by their delegations. On the walls of the barracks, ruins, bricks and stones, on special stands there are memorial plaques in the form of tear-off sheets of the 1941 calendar, which are a kind of chronicle of heroic events.

The observation deck displays artillery weapons from the mid-19th century and the initial period of the Great Patriotic War. The ruins of the barracks of the 333rd Infantry Regiment (former arsenal), the ruins of the defensive barracks, and the destroyed clubhouse of the 84th Infantry Regiment have been preserved. Along the main alley there are 2 powder magazines, in the ramparts there are casemates and a field bakery. On the road to the Northern Gate, the Eastern Fort, the ruins of a medical unit and residential buildings stand out. The pedestrian paths and the area in front of the main entrance are covered with red plastic concrete. Most of the alleys, the Ceremonial Square and partly the paths are lined with reinforced concrete slabs. Thousands of roses, weeping willows, poplars, spruces, birches, maples, and thujas were planted. In the evening, artistic and decorative lighting is turned on, consisting of many spotlights and lamps in red, white and green. At the main entrance, the song “Holy War” by A. Alexandrov and governments, a message about the treacherous attack on our homeland by the troops of Nazi Germany (read by Y. Levitan) are heard, at the Eternal Flame - the melody of R. Schumann “Dreams”.

Bibliography

• 1. In preparation, materials from the site LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF MILITARY HISTORY were used
• 2. Anikin V.I. Brest Fortress is a hero fortress. M., 1985.
• 3. Heroic defense / Sat. memories of the defense of the Brest Fortress in June - July 1941. Mn., 1966.
• 4. Smirnov S.S. Brest Fortress. M., 1970.
• 5. Smirnov S.S. In search of the heroes of the Brest Fortress. M., 1959.
• 6. Smirnov S.S. Stories about unknown heroes. M., 1985.
• 7. Brest. Encyclopedic reference book. Mn., 1987.

Perhaps the most well-known episode of the beginning Great Patriotic War 1941-1945 - feat of the defenders Brest Fortress . The official version read - "the small garrison pinned down significant enemy forces for a month".

However, this is not entirely true. And although it's a feat defenders of the Brest Fortress There are many books, films and articles devoted to this, I will risk giving my description of the events, using both Soviet and German sources.

As S.S. Smirnov wrote in the book :

"in the spring of 1941 on the territory Brest Fortress units of two rifle divisions of the Soviet Army were stationed. These were persistent, seasoned, well-trained troops... One of these divisions - 6th Oryol Red Banner- had a long and glorious military history... Another - 42nd Rifle Division- was created in 1940 during the Finnish campaign and has already managed to show itself well in battles on Mannerheim lines."

On the eve of the war, more than half of the units of these two divisions were withdrawn from the Brest Fortress to the camps for exercises - 10 of 18 rifle battalions, 3 of 4 artillery regiments, one of two anti-tank and air defense divisions, reconnaissance battalions and some other units. On the morning of June 22, 1941, the following were in the fortress:

• 84th Infantry Regiment without two battalions
• 125th Infantry Regiment
• 333rd Infantry Regiment without battalion and engineer company
• 44th Infantry Regiment without two battalions
• 455th Infantry Regiment without battalion and engineer company

according to the state, this should have been 10,074 personnel, in battalions there were 16 anti-tank guns and 120 mortars, in regiments there were 50 guns and anti-tank guns, 20 mortars.

• 131st artillery regiment
• 98th Anti-Tank Defense Battalion
• 393rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion
• 75th reconnaissance battalion
• 37th Signal Battalion
• 31st Autobat
• 158th Autobat

by state - 2,169 personnel, 42 artillery pieces, 16 light tanks, 13 armored vehicles.

• rear units of the 33rd Engineer Regiment and 22nd Tank Division
• 132nd convoy battalion of the NKVD troops
• 3rd Border Commandant's Office of the 17th Detachment
• 9th border post
(in the Citadel - the central part of the fortress)
• District Hospital (on the South Island. Most of the staff and patients were captured in the first hours of the war)

States NKVD battalion , border guards and hospitals are unknown to me. Of course the available strength in the units was significantly lower than the regular number . But in fact, on the morning of June 22, 1941, in the Brest Fortress there was a total incomplete division - without 1 rifle battalion, 3 sapper companies and a howitzer regiment. Plus the NKVD battalion and border guards. On average, the divisions of the Special Western Military District by June 22, 1941 actually had about 9,300 personnel, i.e. 63% from the state.

Thus, it can be assumed that only Brest Fortress on the morning of June 22nd it was more than 8 thousand soldiers and commanders , not counting hospital staff and patients.

On the front where it was located , as well as the railway line north of the fortress and the highway south of the fortress, the Germans were supposed to advance 45th Infantry Division(from the former Austrian army) of the 12th Army Corps, which had combat experience in the Polish and French campaigns.

The total staffing strength of this division was to be 17.7 thousand, and its combat units (infantry, artillery, engineers, reconnaissance, communications) were to be 15.1 thousand . Of these, 10.5 thousand are infantrymen, sappers, and reconnaissance officers (together with their own rear personnel).

So, the Germans had a numerical superiority in manpower (counting the total number of combat units). As for artillery, the Germans, in addition to the divisional artillery regiment (whose guns did not penetrate one and a half to two-meter walls of casemates) had two 600 mm self-propelled mortars 040 - the so-called "Carls". The total ammunition load of these two guns was 16 shells (one mortar jammed on the first shot). Also, the Germans in the area of ​​the Brest Fortress had more 9 mortars of 211 mm caliber . And besides - regiment of multi-barrel rocket launchers (54 six-barreled Nebelwerfers of 158.5 mm caliber) - and such Soviet weapons were not yet available not only in the Brest Fortress, but in the entire Red Army...

The Germans decided in advance that Brest Fortress will have to be taken only by infantry - without tanks. Their use was hampered by forests, swamps, river channels and canals surrounding the fortress. (However, the Germans still had to use tanks inside the fortress; more on that below.)

The immediate task 45th Division was: the capture of the Brest Fortress, the railway bridge across the Bug north-west of the fortress and several bridges across the Bug and Mukhavets rivers inside, south and east of the fortress. In the first echelon of the division were 135th Infantry Regiment(supported by armored train No. 28) And 130th Infantry Regiment(without one infantry battalion, which was in the division's reserve). By the end of the day on June 22, 1941, the division was supposed to reach a line 7-8 km from the Soviet-German border.

According to the German plan, it was supposed to be taken within no more than eight hours.

The Germans began fighting June 22, 1941 at 3.15 am Berlin time - by artillery and rocket launchers. Every 4 minutes artillery fire was transferred 100 meters to the east. At 3.19 the assault squad ( infantry company and sappers) on 9 rubber motor boats headed to capture the bridges. At 3.30 another German infantry company with the support of sappers, the railway bridge across the Bug was taken.

By 4.00, the assault detachment, having lost two-thirds of its personnel, captured two bridges connecting the Western and Southern islands with the Citadel (the central part of the Brest Fortress). These two islands, defended only border guards and NKVD battalion , were taken two infantry battalions also by 4.00.

At 6.23 headquarters 45th Division reported to corps headquarters that North Island would soon be taken Brest Fortress. The report said that Soviet resistance had intensified, with the use of armored vehicles, but the situation was under control.

However, at 8.50 the fighting in the fortress continued. Command 45th Division decided to bring the reserve into battle - the 133rd Infantry Regiment. By this time the fighting was two of the five German battalion commanders were killed and the regimental commander was seriously wounded.

At 10.50 headquarters 45th Division reported to the corps command about heavy losses and stubborn fighting in the fortress. The report stated:

“The Russians are resisting fiercely, especially behind our attacking companies. In the Citadel, the enemy organized a defense with infantry units supported by 35-40 tanks and armored vehicles. The fire of enemy snipers led to heavy losses among officers and non-commissioned officers.”

Let me remind you that according to the state 75th reconnaissance battalion was supposed to have 16 T-38 light tanks and 13 BA-10 armored vehicles. T-38 tanks were armed with only one 7.62 mm machine gun and had 9 mm armor (bulletproof). The BA-10 armored vehicles were armed with a 45 mm cannon and two 7.62 mm machine guns, with 10 mm armor. These vehicles could act quite effectively against infantry.

No Soviet data could be found regarding the total number of Soviet armored vehicles in the Brest Fortress. Perhaps the fortress contained part of the armored vehicles of the second reconnaissance battalion or 22nd Panzer Division (its rear parts, possibly repair ones, were located in the fortress).

IN 14.30 commander 45th Infantry Division Lieutenant General Schlieper, being on the Northern Island, partially occupied by the Germans, decided at nightfall to withdraw the units that had already penetrated the Central Island, since, in his opinion, it was impossible to take the Citadel by infantry alone. General Schlieper decided that in order to avoid unnecessary losses, the Citadel should be starved out and subjected to constant shelling, since the railway line north of the Brest Fortress and the road south of it could already be used by the Germans to advance to the east.

At the same time, in the center of the Citadel, in the former fortress church, they found themselves surrounded by about 70 German soldiers from the 3rd battalion of the 135th infantry regiment. This battalion entered the Citadel from the Western Island in the morning, captured the church as an important stronghold, and moved to the eastern tip of the Central Island, where it was supposed to link up with the 1st Battalion of the 135th Regiment. However, the 1st Battalion failed to break into the Citadel from the South Island, and the 3rd Battalion, having suffered losses, retreated back to the church.

In battles for one day June 22, 1941 45th Infantry Division during the assault Brest Fortress suffered unprecedented losses for her - only killed 21 officer and 290 soldiers and non-commissioned officers.

Meanwhile 31st and 34th Infantry Divisions, advancing to the left and to the right 45th Division, advanced by the evening of June 22, 1941 by 20-25 kilometers.

June 23 from 5.00 the Germans began shelling the Citadel, while they had to try not to hit their soldiers surrounded in the church. The shelling continued all day. German infantry strengthened positions around the positions of the fortress defenders.

For the first time against Brest Fortress German tanks were used. More precisely, captured French tanks Somua S-35 - armed with a 47 mm cannon and a 7.5 mm machine gun, quite well armored and fast. There were 4 of them - included in armored train No. 28.

One of these tanks was hit by hand grenades at the Northern Gate of the fortress. The second tank broke through into the central courtyard of the Citadel, but was hit by a gun from the 333rd regiment. The Germans managed to evacuate both damaged tanks. The third tank was hit by an anti-aircraft gun at the Northern Gate of the fortress.

On the same day, the besieged on the Central Island discovered two large weapons depots - a large number of PPD machine guns, cartridges, as well as mortars with ammunition. The defenders of the fortress began to massively fire at German positions south of the Citadel.

In the North Island, as well as from the South Island, German vehicles with loudspeakers began calling on the defenders to surrender. At 17.15 the Germans announced a cessation of artillery shelling for an hour and a half - for those wishing to surrender. Several hundred people came out of the ruins, a significant part of them were women and children of commanding families.

As darkness fell, several groups of besieged tried to escape from the fortress. Like the day before, all these attempts ended in failure - those who broke through either died, were captured, or again took up defensive positions.

June 24 The Germans sent a battle group, which relieved those surrounded in the church, and then they left the Citadel. In addition to the Central Island, the eastern part of the North Island still remained under the control of the defenders of the fortress. The Germans continued shelling all day.

At 16.00 on June 24, headquarters 45th Division reported that the Citadel had been taken and that individual pockets of resistance were being cleared. At 21.40, the capture of the Brest Fortress was reported to the corps headquarters. However, fighting continued.

The Germans formed combat groups of sappers and infantry, which methodically eliminated the remaining pockets of resistance. For this purpose, demolition charges and flamethrowers were used, however June 25 The German sappers had only one flamethrower left (out of nine), which they could not use without the support of armored vehicles.

June 26 On the North Island, German sappers blew up the wall of the political school building. It was taken there 450 prisoners.

Only the East Fort remained the main center of resistance on the North Island. According to the testimony of the defector, 27th of June defended there until 400 soldiers and commanders headed by Major Gavrilov .

The Germans used the two remaining tanks from their fleet against the fort. armored train No. 28- French Somua tank and captured Soviet tank. These tanks fired at the embrasures of the fort, as a result, as stated in the headquarters report 45th Division, “The Russians began to behave more quietly, but the continuous shooting of snipers continued from the most unexpected places.”

On the Central Island, the remnants of the defenders, concentrated in the northern barracks of the Citadel, decided to fight their way out of the fortress June 26 . In the vanguard went a detachment from 100-120 fighters under the command of Lieutenant Vinogradov. The detachment managed to break through the fortress, losing half of its strength, but the rest of the besieged on the Central Island failed to do this - having suffered heavy losses, they returned back. On the evening of June 26, the remnants of Lieutenant Vinogradov’s detachment were surrounded by the Germans and almost completely destroyed. Vinogradov and several soldiers were captured.

Attempts to break out from Central Island continued on June 27 and 28. They were discontinued due to heavy losses.

June 28 the same two German tanks and several self-propelled guns, returning from repairs to the front, continued to fire at the East Fort on the North Island. However, this did not bring visible results, and the commander 45th Division turned to for support Luftwaffe. However, due to low cloud cover that day, no airstrike was carried out.

June 29 at 8.00 a German bomber dropped a 500-kilogram bomb on the Eastern Fort. Then another 500 kg bomb was dropped and finally an 1800 kg bomb. The fort was practically destroyed. By nightfall they were captured 389 people .

In the morning 30 June the ruins of the Eastern Fort were searched, several wounded defenders were found (Major Gavrilov was not found - he was captured only on July 23, 1941). Headquarters 45th Division reported on the complete capture of the Brest Fortress.

Command 45th Division The Wehrmacht did not expect that it would suffer such high losses from the defenders of the Brest Fortress. In the divisional report from June 30, 1941 it says: "The division took 7,000 prisoners, including 100 officers. Our losses were 482 killed, including 48 officers, and over 1,000 wounded."

It should be noted that the number of prisoners undoubtedly included medical staff and patients of the district hospital, and this was probably several hundred people who were physically unable to fight. The proportion of commanders (officers) among prisoners is also indicatively small (the number of 100 captured officers (commanders) obviously included military doctors and patients in the hospital).

The only senior commander (senior officer) among those defending in Brest Fortress was Commander of the 44th Infantry Regiment, Major Gavrilov . The fact is that in the first minutes of the war, command houses on the North Island were subjected to artillery shelling and rocket mortar fire - naturally, they were not as strong as the structures of the Citadel and forts, and as a result of this shelling, a significant number of commanders were put out of action.

For comparison, during the Polish campaign in 13 days the German 45th Division, having fought 400 kilometers, lost 158 ​​killed and 360 wounded.

Moreover - total losses German army on the eastern front by June 30, 1941 there were 8886 killed . That is, the defenders Brest Fortress killed more than 5% of them.

And the fact that the defenders of the fortress were around 8 thousand , and not at all a “handful,” does not detract from their glory, but, on the contrary, shows that there were many heroes. More than the Soviet government for some reason tried to instill.

And still in books, articles and websites about heroic defense of the Brest Fortress The words “small garrison” constantly appear. Another common option is 3,500 defenders. But let's listen to the deputy director of the Brest Hero Fortress memorial complex, Elena Vladimirovna Kharichkova. When asked how many of the fortress’s defenders were still alive (in 1998), she replied:

“About 300 people, and on the eve of the war there were up to 8,000 military personnel and 300 families of officers in the Brest Fortress.”

And her words about the killed defenders of the fortress:

"962 buried under the slabs of the fortress."

Number 8 thousand confirmed by the memoirs of General L.M. Sandalov, at that time the chief of staff 4th Army , which included 6th and 42nd divisions . General Sandalov wrote that in the event of war in the Brest Fortress, according to the plan, only one battalion , all other units according to the plan were to be withdrawn from the fortress. However:

“Of the troops of the first echelon of the 4th Army, those who were stationed in the citadel of the Brest Fortress suffered the most, namely: almost the entire 6th Infantry Division (with the exception of the howitzer regiment) and the main forces of the 42nd Infantry Division, its 44th and the 455th Infantry Regiment.

I do not intend to talk in detail here about the heroic battles in the Brest Fortress. This has already been told a lot by people who were there themselves, as well as by writers S.S. Smirnov and K.M. Simonov. I will cite only two very interesting documents.

One of them is a brief combat report on the actions of the 6th Infantry Division in the first hours of the fascist attack. The report states:

“At 4 a.m. on June 22, hurricane fire was opened on the barracks and on the exits from the barracks in the central part of the fortress, as well as on the bridges and entrance gates of the fortress and the houses of the command staff. This raid caused confusion among the Red Army personnel, while the commanding personnel, who were attacked in their quarters, were partially destroyed. The surviving part of the command staff could not penetrate the barracks due to strong barrage fire... As a result, the Red Army soldiers and junior command staff, deprived of leadership and control, dressed and undressed, in groups and individually left the fortress independently, overcoming artillery, mortar and machine-gun fire bypass canal, the Mukhavets River and the rampart of the fortress. It was impossible to take into account the losses, since the personnel of the 6th Division mixed with the personnel of the 42nd Division. Many could not get to the conditional gathering place, since the Germans fired concentrated artillery fire at it.

Some commanders still managed to get to their units in the fortress, but they were unable to withdraw the units and remained in the fortress themselves. As a result, the personnel of units of the 6th and 42nd divisions, as well as other units, remained in the fortress as its garrison, not because they were assigned tasks to defend the fortress, but because it was impossible to leave it."

And here is another document: a report from the deputy commander for political affairs of the same 6th Infantry Division, regimental commissar M.N. Butin.

"To the concentration areas on alert due to continuous artillery shelling, suddenly launched by the enemy at 4.00 on 6/22/41, units of the division were compactly could not be withdrawn. Soldiers and officers arrived one by one, scantily clad. From those who concentrated it was possible to create the maximum up to two battalions. The first battles were carried out under the leadership of the regiment commanders, Comrades Dorodny (84 rifle regiments), Matveev (333 rifle regiments), Kovtunenko (125 rifle regiments)."

Yes, I foresee objections - the first passage is written too artistically for a military report, and the second generally uses unacceptable terms for 1941 - “soldiers and officers” in relation to Red Army soldiers and commanders of the Red Army. If there are complaints, then not to me.

I will repeat only one thing - in Brest Fortress it was not “a handful of fighters” who fought, but thousands of heroes . And the fact that many of them were captured does not detract from them feat .

About 200 defenders of the Brest Fortress were awarded orders and medals, only two received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union - Major Gavrilov and Lieutenant Kizhevatov (posthumously)...