Major Pyotr Gavrilov is the last (according to official data) defender of the Brest Fortress, who was undeservedly persecuted for many years and received the Gold Star of the Hero only 12 years after the Victory. This year marks the 115th anniversary of his birth. The hero’s life story was studied by an AiF-Kazan correspondent
Petr Gavrilov Photo: AiF/
Inconvenient commander
Pyotr Gavrilov was born in Tataria, in the village of Alvidino. Grew up without a father. Their family - mother Alexandra Efimovna, brother Sergei lived in a half-dugout. The mother had to do day labor, washing other people's clothes. At the age of 8, Peter was sent to school. But he only finished 4th grade - he had to feed his family. At the age of 14, Peter left for Kazan.
He was a janitor, a loader, a worker. During the Civil War he volunteered for the Red Army. And I felt a craving for the military profession. After the Civil War, he entered command courses and served in the North Caucasus. He graduated from the Military Academy and got married. He and his wife had no children; they adopted an orphan boy. A few months before the start of the war, Gavrilov was transferred to the Brest Fortress.The garrison authorities considered him an inconvenient commander. Meticulous, corrosive, he did not let himself or others get away with it. In conversations with soldiers, the regiment commander said more than once that war was just around the corner, and it would cost Hitler nothing to break the peace treaty with the USSR. Gavrilov was accused of spreading alarming sentiments. On June 27, 1941, his case was supposed to be considered at a party meeting...
Pyotr Gavrilov with his wife Photo: AiF/ Photo from the Peter Gavrilov Museum
Hearing the first explosions at dawn on June 22, the major immediately realized: war had begun. He said goodbye to his wife and son and told them to go to the basement. He began to gather his soldiers to lead them from the fortress to the line of defense. But at the main exit there was already a battle going on. By 9 am the Germans had surrounded the fortress.
Pyotr Gavrilov was the commander of the 44th Infantry Regiment. For more than a month he led the defense of the Eastern Fort, which the Nazis were able to take only after brutal bombing.
“The Eastern Fort remained a nest of resistance,” a German staff officer wrote from Brest on June 26, 1941. “It is impossible to approach here; excellent rifle and machine-gun fire mowed down everyone approaching.” The Nazis knew that “there are about 20 commanders and 370 soldiers, women and children in the fort. And the soul of the resistance is supposedly one major and one commissar.”On June 29, the Germans presented an ultimatum to the defenders of the Eastern Fort - to hand over Gavrilov and lay down their arms. Otherwise, the fort and its stubborn garrison will be razed to the ground. But none of the fighters gave up. By order of Gavrilov, women and children were sent into captivity. Hand-to-hand fighting began, the resistance of the defenders of the Eastern Fort was broken. The survivors were captured. The Germans searched the casemates of the fortress in search of Gavrilov.
Pyotr Gavrilov with his grandson Photo: AiF/ Photo from the Peter Gavrilov Museum
Writer Sergei Smirnov in his book “Brest Fortress” cites the story of a doctor at a camp hospital, where on the 32nd day of the war the Germans brought a major captured in the fortress. “The prisoner was in a commander’s uniform, but it turned into rags. He was wounded, so exhausted that he could not even swallow, the doctors had to use artificial nutrition. But the Germans said that this man, just an hour ago, single-handedly fought in one of the casemates and killed several Nazis. It was clear that it was only out of respect for his bravery that the prisoner was left alive.” This major was Pyotr Gavrilov, one of the most experienced commanders of the fortress, who went through the Civil and Finnish wars.
Having been captured on the 32nd day of the war, Gavrilov went through several concentration camps, in one of which he met General Dmitry Mikhailovich Karbyshev. In May 1945, the defender of Brest was released from captivity by units of the Red Army. Due to his lost party card, Gavrilov was expelled from the party, but was reinstated in his military rank. There is evidence that in the fall of 1945 he was appointed head of a Soviet camp for Japanese prisoners of war in Siberia. There, Gavrilov received several commendations for his service, in particular, for preventing a typhus epidemic among prisoners of war.
Pyotr Gavrilov at a meeting with schoolchildren from the village of Pestretsy. 1965 Photo: AiF/ Photo from the Peter Gavrilov Museum
Soon Pyotr Mikhailovich returned to Tataria. In his native village he was greeted with caution. The harvest was underway, but the former prisoner was not hired. They were afraid to trust the equipment, horses, they threw potatoes after him... Gavrilov was very worried, he tried to improve relations with his fellow villagers. But unsuccessfully. In search of work, he went to the regional center and got a job at a pottery factory. A year later he left for Krasnodar and married a second time. He considered his first wife Ekaterina Grigorievna dead.
Didn't hold a grudge
In 1955, a series of programs “In Search of the Heroes of the Brest Fortress” was broadcast on the radio. Their author, S. Smirnov, published a book in which he spoke about the feat of the commander of the Eastern Fort. After this, Gavrilov was reinstated in the party, he received the Gold Star of the Hero. In the 50s, during one of his visits to Brest, Pyotr Mikhailovich learned that his first wife Ekaterina Grigorievna and son Nikolai, whom he had not seen since the first day of the war and considered dead, were alive. The son served in the army. And Ekaterina Grigorievna was paralyzed and lived in a nursing home. Pyotr Mikhailovich and his second wife took Ekaterina Grigorievna to their home in Krasnodar and looked after her until her death. Gavrilov did not forget his homeland.
Memorial sign in the village of Alvidino, where Pyotr Gavrilov was born and raised Photo: AiF/ Photo from the Peter Gavrilov Museum
He often came to Alvidino, corresponded with his fellow countrymen, and did not hold a grudge against them. I understood that society and the system had imposed a stereotype on people: prisoners were necessarily traitors to their homeland.
Pyotr Mikhailovich bequeathed to bury himself in the garrison cemetery of the Brest Fortress. There are no relatives left in Alvidino today. It is known that his adopted son is alive and has a grandson, but they do not maintain ties with the homeland of their father and grandfather.
There is Gavrilov Street in Kazan, but many Kazan residents do not know who he is. The hero's 115th birthday passed unnoticed. This date was celebrated in the village of Alvidino, Pestrechinsky district, where Gavrilov was born and lived until he was 14 years old. His museum was opened there 5 years ago.
Gavrilov was a Kryashen by nationality, so part of the exhibition is dedicated to the culture of this people. The major's personal belongings are also kept in the museum: uniform, watches, correspondence with fellow villagers, documents, photos. In the center of the exhibition is soil from the Brest Fortress, melted bricks of the fort in which Gavrilov fought his last battle. They were brought to Tatarstan by employees of the Brest Fortress Museum. For the 115th anniversary of Gavrilov, the museum received as a gift a book by German historians translated by R. Aliyev with archival materials about the storming of the citadel. It also contains stories of German soldiers about Gavrilov.
House-museum of Peter Gavrilov in the village of Alvidino Photo: AiF/ Photo from the Peter Gavrilov Museum
By the way
Who is the first Hero of the Soviet Union from Tataria?
The Book of Heroes, which was published in the Republic of Tatarstan 15 years ago, spoke of 378 Heroes of the Soviet Union. But these were not only natives of Tatarstan, those who lived, studied or worked here in different years, but also simply Tatars from all over the country. There were 186 of our fellow countrymen there, but there are award certificates for another 190 fellow countrymen who were nominated for the title of Hero, 60 of them were nominated for the award posthumously.
The first Hero of the Soviet Union from Tatarstan was Major Fyodor Batalov (August 9, 1941). During the battles in the Gomel region, the battalion he commanded broke the enemy’s resistance and occupied the station and populated areas. The battalion commander did not have time to receive the award; he died on August 17, 1941.The youngest Hero of the Soviet Union in Kazan and the Republic of Tatarstan is Boris Kuznetsov. He distinguished himself during the crossing of the Dnieper and in battles on the bridgehead on the right bank in 1943. Having been wounded twice, he remained in the ranks and raised the soldiers to attack.
The only twice Hero of the Soviet Union in the republic is pilot Nikolai Stolyarov. He was responsible for 186 combat missions, during which 52 tanks, 24 artillery batteries, more than 200 vehicles with cargo, and up to 1,000 fascist soldiers and officers were destroyed.
We would like to thank Leisan Shaikhutdinova, a researcher at the museum P. Gavrilov, for her assistance in preparing the material.
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Igor Vostryakov
Stories - horror stories
The incredible adventures of Colonel Gavrilov
Three old men drank tea, sipping savorily from saucers. They were no different from ordinary old men, except that they were sitting on boxes with anti-personnel mines, each had a machine gun hanging on his shoulder, and on the table, next to porcelain cups, were bundles of grenades.
- Eh-he-he! - one sighed. – What a pity that the resident retired, went to Australia and left us without work! We would send him a spy, Uncle Petya, and pretend that we know nothing about it.
“And the resident would instruct the spy Uncle Petya according to the most secret instructions and pretend that he didn’t understand anything,” picked up another old man, who looked very similar to the old woman.
Suddenly one of the old men became wary and vigilantly looked around the room. The beeping of Morse code could be heard from the right corner.
- Colonel Gavrilov and the spy Uncle Petya! - whispered the old man, who looked very much like an old woman. - We're being watched! Let's pretend we didn't notice anything.
- Yes, boss! Pretend we didn't notice anything! - the brave old men barked, standing at attention and clutching cups of tea to their chests.
The boss smiled contentedly.
- Colonel Gavrilov! - he ordered. - Neutralize the infiltrator!
Gavrilov instantly disappeared into a dark corner, from where the chief heard a strange fuss and hissing.
- Chief! - Gavrilov shouted, appearing in front of the boss. - The scout has been captured!
In the colonel's hand, an artificial spider with an antenna on its head hissed and wriggled. Suddenly the spider bit the colonel. Gavrilov unclenched his fingers. The spider, with its paws tucked in, jumped across the floor like a rubber bullet.
- Chief! Grenade! - Gavrilov yelled.
The chief deftly threw a bunch of grenades at the colonel's feet. When the smoke cleared, the chief saw a deep hole in the place where the colonel and the spider had just stood.
- Chief! - Gavrilov exclaimed, jumping out of the pit as if nothing had happened. – What a nice pensioner’s gift we received from the resident! He managed to hide a small aerial bomb in the spy spider!
“Three days ago, Colonel,” the chief boomed in a malicious voice, “I also sent the resident a gift!” Such a cute little flower, under whose roots I buried a mine with an inertial fuse.
“What a pleasure, boss, to receive such gifts,” spy Uncle Petya rasped in a broken voice, “unfortunately, people have forgotten how to do nice things for each other!”
“What an amazing time we lived in,” Gavrilov picked up. “Everyone around us was eavesdropping and spying.” They were watching us. We've been keeping an eye on them! Explosions, sabotage, chases, shooting! P R O T I V O S T O Y N I E!
- Oh, boss! – the spy Uncle Petya croaked dreamily. - Will this never happen again?
– Intelligence is immortal! – the boss said in a stern voice. – It’s not for nothing that children from generation to generation tell “horror stories” about Colonel Gavrilov and the resident. It was not for nothing that the resident cried like a beluga when he heard the historical words about himself: “The resident was no different from the crowd, except for the parachute dragging behind him...”
“They write books about us,” picked up the spy Uncle Petya, “one of these books began with the words: “There was a time when there was nothing on Earth yet, but there was Colonel Gavrilov and a resident with a grenade...”.
“But the best and most truthful book,” the boss proudly declared, “is in front of you!” It's called: "The Adventures of Colonel Gavrilov"
Chief
Cleverly masquerading as an ordinary passer-by, Colonel Gavrilov marched up to the decrepit old woman selling greens.
The old woman's freshly shaved face was inscrutable.
- Chief! There is a resident in the city! - Gavrilov reported.
The chief straightened up and quietly moved three boxes of grenades from the right pocket to the left, clicked the shutter of the machine gun and adjusted the belt of the heavy machine gun with a professional movement.
“I order you to immediately track down the resident and report him!” - he barked.
In order not to arouse suspicion among others and thus not to fail the skillfully disguised appearance, the colonel bought a bunch of greens from the chief and, clearly marking his step, left.
From the chef's description.
The character is Nordic, strong.
Education too...
In ambush
Colonel Gavrilov was sitting in ambush, astride a trash can, in the middle of the sidewalk. He was no different from the crowd, except for the machine gun hanging on his chest and five grenades tucked into his belt.
The resident appeared at the appointed time, unexpectedly as always. He was dragging behind him a small surface-to-surface missile device. Having dragged him onto the roof of the newsstand, he took aim at the colonel and pulled the trigger.
A terrible blow knocked the urn out from under Gavrilov. Tossed by the blast wave, the colonel managed to fire at the resident with a machine gun and throw grenades at him, but the resident was not found among the ruins and burnt newspapers.
Concerned, Colonel Gavrilov took the resident’s trail two steps from the broken kiosk and, wrapping it in a clean handkerchief, jumped into the car.
Food for thought.
What size shoes does the resident wear? If the left shoe barely fits a small kitten, and
end of introductory fragment
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16.04.1908 - 30.03.1992
Hero of the Soviet Union
Gavrilov Vladimir Yakovlevich - commander of the 804th Bomber Aviation Regiment (293rd Bomber Aviation Division, 1st Bomber Aviation Corps, 3rd Air Army, Kalinin Front), major.
Born on April 3 (16), 1908 in the city of Lugansk, Slavyanoserbsky district, Yekaterinoslav province (now the regional center of Ukraine). Russian. In 1920 he graduated from the 4th grade of primary school in Lugansk. Since 1920, he lived in the village of the Northern mine (now the village of Pivnichnoe within the city of Toretsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine). In 1920-1924 he worked as a boiler cleaner, lamp carrier, coal dumper and apprentice in mechanical workshops at the Northern Mine. In 1926 he graduated from the FZU school. In 1926-1928 he worked as a metal turner in the Central Mechanical Workshops in the city of Shcherbinovka (now the city of Toretsk).
In the army since July 1928. In 1931 he graduated from the Tula Weapons Technical School, and until December 1934 he served there as a junior and senior weapons technician.
In December 1936 he graduated from the Borisoglebsk Military Aviation Pilot School. He served in the Air Force as a flight commander of a separate air squadron (in the Belarusian Military District), as an air squadron commander in bomber air regiments (in the Oryol and Baltic Special Military Districts). In 1941, he completed 2 courses in absentia at the N.E. Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy.
Participant of the Great Patriotic War: in June-July 1941 - commander of the air squadron of the 46th Bomber Aviation Regiment (North-Western Front). Participated in defensive battles in the Baltic states. On June 22, 1941 he was slightly wounded.
In September-October 1941 - deputy commander of the 603rd Bomber Aviation Regiment, which was being formed in the rear. Since October 1941 - commander of the emerging 804th Bomber Aviation Regiment (in the Volga and Transbaikal military districts).
In October 1942 - March 1943 - commander of the 804th Bomber Aviation Regiment. He fought on the Kalinin (October 1942 - January 1943), Volkhov (January-February 1943) and North-Western (February-March 1943) fronts. Participated in the defensive operation in the area of the city of Bely, in the Velikolukskaya operation, breaking the blockade of Leningrad and the Demyansk operation.
He particularly distinguished himself during the Velikiye Luki operation. On January 16, 1943, while performing a combat mission in the area of the city of Velikiye Luki (Pskov region), the left wing of his Pe-2 was damaged by an anti-aircraft shell and caught fire. At the same time, V.Ya. Gavrilov received a slight concussion of the head. Despite the damage and fire of the plane, he continued to carry out the task and lead the group. During the air battle, his crew shot down 2 enemy fighters on a burning plane. He managed to bring his Pe-2 to the front line and landed on neutral territory 70 meters from enemy positions. Despite the mortar fire, he and his crew went out to their troops.
For courage and heroism shown in battles with the Nazi invaders, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 1, 1943, to Lieutenant Colonel Gavrilov Vladimir Yakovlevich awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.
Since March 1943 - commander of the 81st Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment. He fought on the Voronezh (March-August 1943), Steppe (August-October 1943), 2nd (October 1943 - July 1944) and 1st (July 1944 - May 1945) Ukrainian fronts. Participated in the Battle of Kursk, Belgorod-Kharkov, Poltava-Kremenchug, Kirovograd, Uman-Botosha, Lvov-Sandomierz, Sandomierz-Silesian, Lower Silesian, Upper Silesian, Berlin and Prague operations.
In total, during the war he made 109 combat missions on SB and Pe-2 bombers.
After the war, until October 1946, he continued to command the 81st Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment (in the Central Group of Forces, Austria).
In October 1946 - October 1948 - commander of the 276th Bomber Aviation Division (in the Baltic Military District; Chernyakhovsk city, Kaliningrad region).
In 1949 he graduated from the Advanced Course for Division Commanders at the Air Force Academy (Monino). In June 1949 - May 1953 - commander of the bomber aviation division of the Polish Army.
In 1955 he graduated from the Higher Military Academy (Military Academy of the General Staff). In 1955-1956 - head of the combat training department and military educational institutions of the Air Force of the North Caucasus Military District (headquarters in the city of Rostov-on-Don). In 1956-1960 – senior teacher of Air Force tactics at the Military-Political Academy. Since September 1960, Colonel V.Ya. Gavrilov has been in reserve.
In 1961-1972 he worked as a senior engineer in the economic department of the State Planning Committee of the RSFSR. From 1974 – deputy head of the 5th Moscow aerial photography expedition; in 1976-1977 – senior inspector of the personnel department of the Moscow specialized forest management enterprise.
Colonel (1946). Awarded 2 Orders of Lenin (05/1/1943; 11/5/1954), 3 Orders of the Red Banner (03/17/1943; 05/21/1945; 11/15/1950), Order of Suvorov 3rd degree (05/18/1945), 2 Orders of the Patriotic War 1- 1st degree (02/16/1944; 03/11/1985), Order of the Red Star (11/3/1944), medals, Polish medals.
Ivan Vasilievich Gavrilov(-) - Soviet military leader. Participant of the Civil and Great Patriotic Wars. Hero of the Soviet Union (1945, posthumously). Guard Colonel.
Biography
Ivan Vasilyevich Gavrilov was born on October 19 (October 7 - old style) 1899 in the city of Yeisk, Yeisk department of the Kuban region of the Russian Empire (now a city in the Krasnodar region of the Russian Federation) in a working-class family. In 1920, Ivan Gavrilov voluntarily joined the ranks of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. Participated in the Civil War in the North Caucasus. In 1921 he graduated from cavalry command courses. He served in various cavalry units, holding the positions of platoon commander, squadron commander, and chief of staff of a regiment. Before the war, he served as commander of the 129th Cavalry Regiment of the 14th Cavalry Division of the 5th Cavalry Corps of the Kyiv Special Military District, which was stationed in the city of Slavuta, Kamenets-Podolsk (now Khmelnitsky) region of the Ukrainian SSR.
In battles with the Nazi invaders, Lieutenant Colonel I.V. Gavrilov from the first days of the war as part of the Southwestern Front. He took part in the battles of Dubno, Berdichev, Tarashchey, and then in the Kharkov direction. In December 1941, the 5th Cavalry Corps covered itself with unfading glory in the battles near Livny as part of the group of Lieutenant General F. Ya. Kostenko. On 7 December 1941, the 5th Cavalry Corps, 1st Guards Rifle Division, 129th Tank Brigade and 34th Motorized Rifle Brigade counterattacked the 95th and 45th Infantry Divisions of the Wehrmacht's 2nd Army, forcing them onto the defensive. The regiment of Lieutenant Colonel I.V. Gavrilov in the battle near the Serbino farm on December 7, 1941, defeated the enemy units opposing it, and on December 14, 1941, recaptured the village of Rossoshnoye from the Germans. In total, during the battles, Gavrilov’s regiment captured 50 prisoners and a large amount of ammunition. For his distinction in battle, Lieutenant Colonel I.V. Gavrilov was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. The 5th Cavalry Corps was reorganized into the 3rd Guards Corps by order of the People's Commissariat of Defense of the USSR No. 366 of December 25, 1941. The 14th Cavalry Division was renamed the 6th Guards Division. In the winter - spring of 1942, the division in which I.V. Gavrilov served took part in the defensive battles of the Southwestern Front as part of the 21st, 38th and 28th armies, then in the Battle of Stalingrad. In March 1943, Guard Lieutenant Colonel I.V. Gavrilov was wounded. After recovery in May 1943, he was sent to courses at the Military Academy of Armored and Mechanized Forces of the Red Army named after I.V. Stalin.
In June 1944, Colonel I.V. Gavrilov was appointed commander of the 35th mechanized brigade of the 1st mechanized corps of the 1st Belorussian Front. Gavrilov's brigade distinguished itself in the Belarusian operation during its component - the Bobruisk offensive operation. On June 24, 1944, the 35th Mechanized Brigade, with a roundabout maneuver from the north, ensured that infantry units overcame the German defense in the area of the village of Zubarevskaya Buda, Gomel Region of Belarus (now the village of Zub Buda), after which, in cooperation with the 219th Tank Brigade, it liberated Starye Dorogi, and At the end of June 29, 1944, it captured the city of Slutsk.
In October 1944, Ivan Vasilyevich was wounded a second time. He returned to the front in early February 1945 and on February 14, 1945 he was appointed commander of the 19th Guards Mechanized Brigade of the 8th Guards Mechanized Corps of the 1st Guards Tank Army of the 1st Belorussian Front. During the East Pomeranian operation, the 19th Guards Mechanized Brigade under the command of Guard Colonel I.V. Gavrilov, transferred to the 2nd Belorussian Front for the duration of the operation, acting in the vanguard of the corps, quickly marched north of the city of Lauenburg, ensuring its capture by parts of the corps. Then the brigade captured crossings in the area of the settlement of Kneverbruch, which ensured the brigade’s breakthrough into the Bolschau region, after which, in cooperation with other brigades, it captured the city of Neustadt. By March 20, 1945, the brigade broke through the heavily fortified enemy defenses and reached the approaches to the city of Gdynia in the area of the village of Janowo. During the battles from March 2, 1945 to March 20, 1945, Gavrilov’s brigade destroyed 2,865 enemy soldiers and officers, 78 machine guns, 4 guns and mortars, 10 self-propelled guns, 129 cars and motorcycles. 486 Wehrmacht soldiers surrendered. 41 machine guns, 10 mortars and 9 guns of various calibers were captured as trophies.
The best brigade of the 1st Guards Tank Army was the 19th Guards Mechanized Brigade. Already on April 15, 1945, she broke through the heavily fortified and deeply echeloned enemy defenses on the Oder River. Moving forward in battles, repelling constant enemy attacks, the brigade broke into Berlin on April 25, 1945 and captured several canal crossings within the city. During the period of fighting, the brigade destroyed 713 enemy soldiers and officers, 2 guns, 9 mortars, 9 machine guns, 15 vehicles, 2 aircraft. 40 aircraft, 15 cars and a large number of warehouses with various property were captured as trophies. On April 26, 1945, during street battles while repelling a counterattack by the enemy guard, Colonel I.V. Gavrilov died a heroic death. He was buried in Berlin in the Tiergarten park. Later, a memorial to fallen Soviet soldiers was erected here. 
By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Guard Colonel Ivan Vasilyevich Gavrilov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on May 31, 1945.
Awards
- Medal "Gold Star" (05/31/1945, posthumously).
- Order of Lenin (05/31/1945, posthumously).
- Order of the Red Banner - twice (12/29/1941, 04/11/1945).
- Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree (09/08/1944).
Memory
- The name of Hero of the Soviet Union I.V. Gavrilov is immortalized on the memorial to fallen Soviet soldiers in Berlin.
Note
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Literature
- Heroes of the Soviet Union: A Brief Biographical Dictionary / Prev. ed. collegium I. N. Shkadov. - M.: Voenizdat, 1987. - T. 1 /Abaev - Lyubichev/. - 911 p. - 100,000 copies. - ISBN ex., Reg. No. in RKP 87-95382.
- Zhukov Yu.A.. - M: Soviet Russia, 1975.
- M. E. Katukov. At the forefront of the main blow. - M: Voengiz, 1974.
Documentation
- . . No. in database . . , . . , . . , . . , . . , . .
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Links
Anton Bocharov.. Website "Heroes of the Country". Retrieved September 18, 2015.
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Excerpt characterizing Gavrilov, Ivan Vasilievich
“You don’t hold on to a woman’s skirt for not being overdue.” Service comes first. Thank you, thank you! - And he continued to write, so that splashes flew from the crackling pen. - If you need to say something, say it. I can do these two things together,” he added.- About my wife... I’m already ashamed that I’m leaving her in your arms...
- Why are you lying? Say what you need.
- When it’s time for your wife to give birth, send to Moscow for an obstetrician... So that he is here.
The old prince stopped and, as if not understanding, stared with stern eyes at his son.
“I know that no one can help unless nature helps,” said Prince Andrei, apparently embarrassed. “I agree that out of a million cases, one is unfortunate, but this is her and my imagination.” They told her, she saw it in a dream, and she is afraid.
“Hm... hm...” the old prince said to himself, continuing to write. - I'll do it.
He drew out the signature, suddenly turned quickly to his son and laughed.
- It's bad, huh?
- What's bad, father?
- Wife! – the old prince said briefly and significantly.
“I don’t understand,” said Prince Andrei.
“There’s nothing to do, my friend,” said the prince, “they’re all like that, you won’t get married.” Do not be afraid; I won't tell anyone; and you know it yourself.
He grabbed his hand with his bony little hand, shook it, looked straight into his son’s face with his quick eyes, which seemed to see right through the man, and laughed again with his cold laugh.
The son sighed, admitting with this sigh that his father understood him. The old man, continuing to fold and print letters, with his usual speed, grabbed and threw sealing wax, seal and paper.
- What to do? Beautiful! I'll do everything. “Be at peace,” he said abruptly while typing.
Andrei was silent: he was both pleased and unpleasant that his father understood him. The old man stood up and handed the letter to his son.
“Listen,” he said, “don’t worry about your wife: what can be done will be done.” Now listen: give the letter to Mikhail Ilarionovich. I am writing to tell him to use you in good places and not keep you as an adjutant for a long time: it’s a bad position! Tell him that I remember him and love him. Yes, write how he will receive you. If you are good, serve. Nikolai Andreich Bolkonsky’s son will not serve anyone out of mercy. Well, now come here.
He spoke in such a rapid-fire manner that he did not finish half the words, but his son got used to understanding him. He led his son to the bureau, threw back the lid, pulled out the drawer and took out a notebook covered in his large, long and condensed handwriting.
“I must die before you.” Know that my notes are here, to be handed over to the Emperor after my death. Now here is a pawn ticket and a letter: this is a prize for the one who writes the history of Suvorov’s wars. Send to the academy. Here are my remarks, after me read for yourself, you will find benefit.
Andrei did not tell his father that he would probably live for a long time. He understood that there was no need to say this.
“I will do everything, father,” he said.
- Well, now goodbye! “He let his son kiss his hand and hugged him. “Remember one thing, Prince Andrei: if they kill you, it will hurt my old man...” He suddenly fell silent and suddenly continued in a loud voice: “and if I find out that you did not behave like the son of Nikolai Bolkonsky, I will be ... ashamed!” – he squealed.
“You don’t have to tell me this, father,” the son said, smiling.
The old man fell silent.
“I also wanted to ask you,” continued Prince Andrey, “if they kill me and if I have a son, do not let him go from you, as I told you yesterday, so that he can grow up with you... please.”
- Shouldn’t I give it to my wife? - said the old man and laughed.
They stood silently opposite each other. The old man's quick eyes were directly fixed on his son's eyes. Something trembled in the lower part of the old prince’s face.
- Goodbye... go! - he suddenly said. - Go! - he shouted in an angry and loud voice, opening the office door.
- What is it, what? - asked the princess and princess, seeing Prince Andrei and for a moment the figure of an old man in a white robe, without a wig and wearing old man’s glasses, leaning out for a moment, shouting in an angry voice.
Prince Andrei sighed and did not answer.
“Well,” he said, turning to his wife.
And this “well” sounded like a cold mockery, as if he was saying: “Now do your tricks.”
– Andre, deja! [Andrey, already!] - said the little princess, turning pale and looking at her husband with fear.
He hugged her. She screamed and fell unconscious on his shoulder.
He carefully moved away the shoulder on which she was lying, looked into her face and carefully sat her down on a chair.
“Adieu, Marieie, [Goodbye, Masha,”] he said quietly to his sister, kissed her hand in hand and quickly walked out of the room.
The princess was lying in a chair, M lle Burien was rubbing her temples. Princess Marya, supporting her daughter-in-law, with tear-stained beautiful eyes, still looked at the door through which Prince Andrei came out, and baptized him. From the office one could hear, like gunshots, the often repeated angry sounds of an old man blowing his nose. As soon as Prince Andrei left, the office door quickly opened and the stern figure of an old man in a white robe looked out.
- Left? Well, good! - he said, looking angrily at the emotionless little princess, shook his head reproachfully and slammed the door.
In October 1805, Russian troops occupied the villages and towns of the Archduchy of Austria, and more new regiments came from Russia and, burdening the residents with billeting, were stationed at the Braunau fortress. The main apartment of Commander-in-Chief Kutuzov was in Braunau.
On October 11, 1805, one of the infantry regiments that had just arrived at Braunau, awaiting inspection by the commander-in-chief, stood half a mile from the city. Despite the non-Russian terrain and situation (orchards, stone fences, tiled roofs, mountains visible in the distance), despite the non-Russian people looking at the soldiers with curiosity, the regiment had exactly the same appearance as any Russian regiment had when preparing for a review somewhere in the middle of Russia.
In the evening, on the last march, an order was received that the commander-in-chief would inspect the regiment on the march. Although the words of the order seemed unclear to the regimental commander, and the question arose how to understand the words of the order: in marching uniform or not? In the council of battalion commanders, it was decided to present the regiment in full dress uniform on the grounds that it is always better to bow than not to bow. And the soldiers, after a thirty-mile march, did not sleep a wink, they repaired and cleaned themselves all night; adjutants and company commanders counted and expelled; and by morning the regiment, instead of the sprawling, disorderly crowd that it had been the day before during the last march, represented an orderly mass of 2,000 people, each of whom knew his place, his job, and of whom, on each of them, every button and strap was in its place and sparkled with cleanliness . Not only was the outside in good order, but if the commander-in-chief had wanted to look under the uniforms, he would have seen an equally clean shirt on each one and in each knapsack he would have found the legal number of things, “sweat and soap,” as the soldiers say. There was only one circumstance about which no one could be calm. It was shoes. More than half the people's boots were broken. But this deficiency was not due to the fault of the regimental commander, since, despite repeated demands, the goods were not released to him from the Austrian department, and the regiment traveled a thousand miles.
The regimental commander was an elderly, sanguine general with graying eyebrows and sideburns, thick-set and wider from chest to back than from one shoulder to the other. He was wearing a new, brand new uniform with wrinkled folds and thick golden epaulettes, which seemed to lift his fat shoulders upward rather than downwards. The regimental commander had the appearance of a man happily performing one of the most solemn affairs of life. He walked in front of the front and, as he walked, trembled at every step, slightly arching his back. It was clear that the regimental commander was admiring his regiment, happy with it, that all his mental strength was occupied only with the regiment; but, despite the fact that his trembling gait seemed to say that, in addition to military interests, the interests of social life and the female sex occupied a significant place in his soul.
“Well, Father Mikhailo Mitrich,” he turned to one battalion commander (the battalion commander leaned forward smiling; it was clear that they were happy), “it was a lot of trouble this night.” However, it seems that nothing is wrong, the regiment is not bad... Eh?
The battalion commander understood the funny irony and laughed.
- And in Tsaritsyn Meadow they wouldn’t have driven you away from the field.
- What? - said the commander.
At this time, along the road from the city, along which the makhalnye were placed, two horsemen appeared. These were the adjutant and the Cossack riding behind.
The adjutant was sent from the main headquarters to confirm to the regimental commander what was said unclearly in yesterday's order, namely, that the commander-in-chief wanted to see the regiment exactly in the position in which it was marching - in overcoats, in covers and without any preparations.
A member of the Gofkriegsrat from Vienna arrived to Kutuzov the day before, with proposals and demands to join the army of Archduke Ferdinand and Mack as soon as possible, and Kutuzov, not considering this connection beneficial, among other evidence in favor of his opinion, intended to show the Austrian general that sad situation , in which troops came from Russia. For this purpose, he wanted to go out to meet the regiment, so the worse the situation of the regiment, the more pleasant it would be for the commander-in-chief. Although the adjutant did not know these details, he conveyed to the regimental commander the commander-in-chief’s indispensable requirement that the people wear overcoats and covers, and that otherwise the commander-in-chief would be dissatisfied. Having heard these words, the regimental commander lowered his head, silently raised his shoulders and spread his hands with a sanguine gesture.
- We've done things! - he said. “I told you, Mikhailo Mitrich, that on a campaign, we wear greatcoats,” he turned reproachfully to the battalion commander. - Oh, my God! - he added and decisively stepped forward. - Gentlemen, company commanders! – he shouted in a voice familiar to the command. - Sergeants major!... Will they be here soon? - he turned to the arriving adjutant with an expression of respectful courtesy, apparently referring to the person about whom he was speaking.
- In an hour, I think.
- Will we have time to change clothes?
- I don’t know, General...
The regimental commander himself approached the ranks and ordered that they change into their overcoats again. The company commanders scattered to their companies, the sergeants began to fuss (the overcoats were not entirely in good working order) and at the same moment the previously regular, silent quadrangles swayed, stretched out, and hummed with conversation. Soldiers ran and ran up from all sides, threw them from behind with their shoulders, dragged backpacks over their heads, took off their greatcoats and, raising their arms high, pulled them into their sleeves.
- Biography:
Orthodox. From the nobles. He received his education at the Siberian Cadet Corps. Entered service on September 1, 1884. Graduated from the 2nd Konstantinovsky Military School (1886; 1st category). Released in the 2nd horse art. ZabKV battery. Khorunzhy (pr. 08/11/1886; art. 08/07/1885). Centurion (Art. 08/07/1889). Podesaul (Art. 08/01/1894). Esaul (Art. 08/01/1898). Participant in the expedition to China 1900-01. Graduated from the Officer's Art. school "successfully". Commander of the 3rd Transbaikal Kaz. preferential battery (06/12/1900-12/29/1902). Commander of the 1st Transbaikal Kaz. batteries (09/02/1903-09/22/1906). Military Sergeant Major (Art. 08.10.1903). Participant in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05. Adjutant wing (since 1904). Awarded the Golden Arms with the inscription “For Bravery” (VP 11/23/1904) and the Order of St. George, 4th class. (VP 03/02/1905; for suppressing the fire of enemy batteries in the battles of 06/11/1904 and 07/18/1904). Colonel (pr. 1905; art. 01/14/1905; for military distinction). Commander of the 5th Horse Artillery. division (22.09.1906-05.05.1909). Major General (Project 1911; Art. 07/19/1911; for distinction). Commander of the 17th Artillery Brigade (from 07/19/1911). On 07/01/1913 in the same rank and position. Discharged from service for domestic reasons, with a uniform and a pension and with enrollment in the foot militia in the St. Petersburg province (VP 10.25.1913). After the outbreak of World War 08/03/1914 he was returned to service. Commander of the 10th Artillery Brigade (08/03/1914-03/13/1915). Commander of the 10th Infantry Division (03/13/1915-04/18/1916). Lieutenant General (04/09/1915; Art. 08/18/1914; for distinction in affairs...) with confirmation as the head of the same division. Commander of the 1st Army Corps (04/18/1916-08/14/1916). Commander of the 30th Army Corps (from 08/14/1916).
- Ranks:
aka - His Imperial Majesty's Retinue, Colonel, Adjutant Wing of the EIV Retinue
- Awards:
- Additional Information:
- Sources:
- The offensive of the Southwestern Front in May-June 1916. Collection of documents of the world imperialist war on the Russian front (1914-1917). M., 1940.
- Zalessky K.A. Who was who in the First World War. M., 2003.
- "Military Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George. Bio-bibliographic reference book" RGVIA, M., 2004. Information provided by D. Nikolaev.
- M.E. Barkhatov, V.V. Funke "History of the Russian-Japanese War", St. Petersburg, 1907, vol.6. Information provided by D. Nikolaev.
- List of senior military commanders, chiefs of staff: districts, corps and divisions and commanders of individual combat units. Saint Petersburg. Military Printing House. 1913.
- "Chronicle of the War with Japan" ed. regiment. Dubensky (1904-1905). Information provided by Dmitry Nikolaev (Moscow)
- List of generals by seniority. Compiled on 07/01/1913. St. Petersburg, 1913
- List of generals by seniority. Compiled on July 10, 1916. Petrograd, 1916
- Information provided by Pavel Reznichenko
- VP 08/11/1886; List of adjutant generals, major generals and rear admirals of the Suite and adjutant wing of H.I.V. by seniority. Compiled on 06/01/1911; VP 1905, 1914 and 1916. Information provided by Valery Konstantinovich Vokhmyanin (Kharkov)
- VP for the military department/Reconnaissance No. 1281, 05/26/1915
- VP for the military department/Reconnaissance No. 1287, 07/07/1915
