Maxim Passar received highest award of his country 67 years after his death
On the eve of the 65th anniversary of the Victory, I wrote a work about Maxim Passar, the famous sniper, hero Russian Federation. The work used materials from the archives of the museum of the high school named after Maxim Passar, the Center children's creativity, materials from local history museums of the city of Volgograd and the village of Gorodishche Volgograd region, Books of Memory of the Nanai region, memories of relatives, friends of Maxim Passar, extracts from newspapers, letters, diaries. Maxim Passar was born in 1923 into the family of a fisherman-hunter in the village of Nizhny Katar.
The childhood of Maxim Passar. From childhood, Maxim’s father Alexander Danilovich Passar taught his sons self-control, composure, the ability to take aim and shoot accurately. Alexander Danilovich and Tatyana Alekseevna had four sons - Denis, Pavel, Ivan, Maxim and Nadezhda, one daughter. My father's main occupation was hunting and fur extraction.
Maxim went to study late, in 1933, when Primary School village of Naykhin became seven years old in a boarding school. Until 1929, the village of Naikhin was a small camp of a dozen fanzes, located on the banks of the Naikhin channel. Since 1929, there was a unification of small fishing artels located on the nearby islands of Torgon, Gordomi, Soyan, Dondon, whose residents moved to Naykhin and formed a collective farm " New way" From that time on, the accelerated development of the village began. It was very important that Maxim’s father sent his children to study at the Naikhin school, whose teachers took part in eliminating illiteracy among the indigenous population in the villages of the region.
In 1936, a new school building opened. In it, Maxim is accepted into the pioneers. Then he joined the Lenin Youth Union. “One day,” his schoolmates recall, “he didn’t come to lunch, was left without dinner, and didn’t come home. Friends became alarmed and went looking for him. Maxim sat at his desk and read a book. Friends burst into the classroom and began calling him home. He didn't pay attention to them. “Now I’ll find out what will happen to the heroes, and then I’ll come right away.” Maxim could not go to bed until he had read the entire book, to the last page...
Maxim learned shooting skills while hunting in his native forests
Maxim Passar at the front. In 1941, the war began. Entire villages and hamlets went to the front. Komsomol organizations of national districts and districts Far East They trained skiers, shooters, snipers, machine gunners, and machine gunners.
The wishes of the volunteers were not always satisfied. Those who were called upon first of all were those who had a higher level of literacy, who showed themselves to be active in social work and was trained in defense circles. At first, Passar was a mortar man. But a brave and experienced hunter, he dreamed of being a sniper - and soon he cherished dream came true.
Volunteer Maxim Passar in 1942, at his request, was enrolled in a front-line sniper school, after which he arrived at location 117 rifle regiment 23 rifle division 21 Army, and from November 10, 1942, renamed 65 Army 71 guards division.
This is how Maxim Passar appeared at the front
Maxim's first sniper shot. Colonel Sivakov, commander of the 117th Infantry Regiment, and Sergeant Major Salbiev hastily completed the sniper school. What made me hurry was something that happened early in the morning. An officer walked through the dugouts and trenches General Staff from Moscow, checking the defense. Sivakov did not have time to warn the officer that it was unsafe here, and the general staff officer was killed by an enemy sniper...
And so Salbiev was returning from the mortar battery, and next to him walked little soldier, high cheekbones with narrow black eyes. He walked easily, silently stepping along the path. He offered to deal with the German sniper. The sergeant major introduced him to the regiment commander. “Where are you from?” asked the colonel. “From the Amur,” answered the soldier. “Hunter, you say? “Have you gone bear hunting?” asked the commander. “I went, Comrade Colonel. Squirrel
shot. In the eye,” was the answer. The colonel narrowed his eyes: “Tell me, Passar, can you remove that sniper who brought us so much grief yesterday?” “I’ll try, Comrade Colonel,” said the soldier...
Before dawn, Maxim was allowed to the front line. He settled down on a tall pine tree, camouflaged himself, sat there, and didn’t move. An hour passed, then another. My arms and legs went numb. I sat until noon. Finally, Maxim noticed: a branch on the same pine tree, three hundred meters from him, swayed. I took an even better look - a fascist sniper. He carefully caught it in his sights and smoothly pulled the trigger. The enemy fell from the tree like a sack, breaking off branches. The first sniper shot is the first success... 
This is how Maxim began to be promoted
Development of the sniper movement. On July 23, 1942, at the regimental general meeting, a report by regiment commander Sivakov on the development of the sniper movement was discussed. At the Naikhinsky secondary school named after Maxim Passar there is an extract from the protocol general meeting regiment dated July 23, 1942, at which the regiment commander, Colonel Sivakov, made a report “Tasks of Komsomol members in the development of the sniper movement in the regiment.” The discussion, as the minutes show, was active. And already in September, during Battle of Stalingrad manifested itself in the 23rd Infantry Division sniper art Maxima. On September 6, 1942, he destroyed 6 fascists. And on September 21, the best shooters of the 117th Infantry Regiment were awarded sniper rifles. The famous sniper’s first “hunting” with a new weapon increased his personal count of destroyed fascists by another seven enemies.
"Maxim has natural talent, - said regiment commander Sivakov, - he sees well and navigates in the dark. This is one of the reasons that contributes to the success of a sniper." And in fact, most of the fascists killed by Passar occurred in the early morning, when it was just beginning to get light, and in the evening. During these hours, the Germans' vigilance was dulled; they thought that the sniper would not notice them, and became Maxim's prey.
Once Maxim managed to destroy 7 fascists in 2 minutes. It had already become completely dark, and there was not the slightest movement on the front line of the Nazis. Maxim was about to leave when he suddenly noticed the fascist. He quickly prepared and fired. The enemy fell to the ground. Another ran to him to help. A second shot rang out. A third man bent over the dead. Maxim's well-aimed bullet killed him too. So the glorious son of the Nanai people fought for his country!
Sniper at work...
The sniper movement received a new impetus on September 26, 1942, when a divisional meeting-conference of snipers took place. Maxim Passar shared his sniper experience with his fighting friends and stated: “The suffering of my beloved Soviet Motherland and the death of my brother Pavel, who died from an enemy bullet, inflamed in me a feeling of deep hatred for the Nazis. I put all my strength, all my skill as a hunter into my military work in order to take revenge on the enemy.” And shortly before the meeting, having already become a well-known sniper at the front, Maxim Passar turned to his comrades in arms with an appeal to join the competition. He was supported by the already well-known snipers Moskovsky, Salbiev, Frolov. In his personal commitment, Maxim wrote: “I destroyed 59 Nazis. I undertake to double and triple this number in the coming days. I urge all snipers to compete with each other in order to mercilessly destroy the fascist evil spirits.”
Every day the sniper's combat score grew. In his notebook, Maxim writes: “Today I have a good day - I killed the hundredth fascist. The first was shot in the forests west of Moscow, and the hundredth Fritz remained forever lying here, in the Don steppes. So I will make every occupier who comes into my crosshairs lie down. Colonel Sivakov congratulated me on my success and read out the following telegram in front of everyone: “To the sniper of the 117th Infantry Regiment, Maxim Passar. On behalf of the military council of the Don Front and on my own behalf, I congratulate you, brave warrior, on your remarkable victory in extermination fascist invaders. I wish you new success in your military work. (Commander of the Don Front, General Rokossovsky).” By the day of the said divisional meeting-conference, Maxim Passar had already exterminated 103 fascists.
And the very next morning, as usual, Maxim took his rifle and binoculars and, using communication channels, made his way to a firing position prepared in advance by the regiment's sappers in the neutral zone. On this day, he continued another fight with a German sniper, whom he had been hunting for more than two weeks. Maxim wrote about this in his diary as follows: “Today I decided to use a little trick: I put a helmet on the scarecrow and stuck it out on the parapet, then removed it and raised it again. It took the bait: the German fired. That's when I spotted him. Sent me to the next world with one bullet. But he himself almost paid with his life. The Nazis opened mortar fire. The trench fell asleep, I was stunned, and now everything is buzzing in my head. It's good that the sight was not damaged. I’m sitting in the dugout, putting myself in order. I received a letter from my relatives. My father writes that winter is coming in the taiga there, hunters are going out to hunt. They miss me and worry about me. Little brother Alexander asks to go to the front. I read the letter to military friends Alexander Frolov and Sergeant Major Salbiev. They are brave guys. Frolov killed the eightieth Fritz, Salbiev is also not far behind...”
General Pavel Batov wanted to reward Maxim as well. Not allowed...
In September 1942, Maxim Passar was appointed commander of the sniper squad. The experience of the best snipers was brought to everything every day personnel divisions. Maxim was assigned to train 12 students in sniper combat tactics. Passar often spoke to soldiers of other units. The sniper movement in the 117th Infantry Regiment became widespread: by October 1, 1942, there were 145 masters of accurate fighter fire. In September-October 1942, 3,175 fascists were destroyed by snipers of the 117th Infantry Regiment alone. This is evidenced by a letter home, stored in the Volgograd Museum of City Defense: “Maxim Passar, having destroyed 123 fascists by this time, led the top ten best snipers Stalingrad Front and was eighth on the list of the best snipers of the Red Army. Maxim Passar not only skillfully exterminates the fascists, but also teaches many fighters the skillful and honorable work of a sniper. The name Passara became known to many fighters who passionately wanted to destroy the Germans the same way Maxim destroys them. Heroic exploits Passara fully deserves to be known not only by the soldiers of the Red Army, but also by his acquaintances and fellow countrymen, the workers of your region. Let the military deeds of Maxim Aleksandrovich Passar and his selfless love for the Motherland, his hatred of the enemy, his fearlessness and courage in battles become the property of all working people Khabarovsk Territory and inspire them in the stubborn struggle to provide the Red Army with everything necessary for victory over the fascist hordes.”
Severe battles every day gave birth to hundreds and thousands of examples of close, inextricable military friendship between warriors of all nations and nationalities, joint military labor forged victory over the insidious enemy. On the eve of the 25th anniversary of the Great October Revolution, a competition broke out between snipers of the Stalingrad Front. The renowned masters of accurate fire on the eve of the holidays addressed all snipers of the Stalingrad Front: “Standfastly and courageously defend your line, turn every piece of defended land into impregnable fortress for the enemy. To be merciless towards the enemies of the Motherland, to give them no rest day or night. Open a personal account for each sniper. Fight for the right to guards rank and each prepare 20 students.”
The political department, party and Komsomol organizations of the 23rd Rifle Division widely promoted the experience of the best snipers. Army and division newspapers regularly published their articles and notes about how they waged continuous duels with enemy sniper soldiers. In regiments and battalions, at the direction of the Military Council of the Army, an accurate record of the fascists killed by snipers was kept. Leaflets were dedicated to the best snipers and combat leaflets. The political department of the Don Front dedicated three leaflets to Maxim Passar.
Monument to the rifle...
Much attention was paid to the sniper movement not only in regiments and divisions. It was under constant control of the Military Councils of the armies. After the war, former commander of the 65th Army, twice Hero Soviet Union Army General Pavel Batov noted that he repeatedly set tasks for army snipers on the effectiveness of sniper fire, and did not miss the opportunity to meet with masters of marksmanship. In conversations with them, Batov constantly emphasized that success in defense largely depended on the effectiveness of the snipers. He personally knew Maxim Passard. The illustrious commander personally presented Maxim Passar with the Order of the Red Banner on the eve of the general offensive on October 17, 1942. By this time, the hero had killed 152 fascists...
Death of Maxim Passar. On November 19, 1942, the 65th Army, as part of the Don Front, went on the offensive from the Kletskaya area. On January 10, 1943, the troops of the Don Front began offensive operation"Ring" with the aim of eliminating the surrounded German group near Stalingrad. The troops of Konstantin Rokossovsky, without having much superiority over the enemy in manpower, were significantly superior to them in artillery. In the direction of the main attack, in the 65th Army zone, our troops outnumbered the enemy in infantry by 3 times, in tanks by 1.2 times, and in artillery by 15 times. Fulfilling the plan of Operation Ring, the troops prepared powerful blows dismember the surrounded group and destroy it piece by piece.
The sniper squad of Senior Sergeant Maxim Passar provided great assistance to the 117th Infantry Regiment in fulfilling its combat mission; snipers often moved forward, destroyed enemy firing points and ensured the rapidity of the attacking units. Later, Maxim writes in his notebook: “I killed 227 fascists. This is still not enough. Not enough, because the enemy has not yet been destroyed, he is trampling Soviet soil and mocking the civilian population. My Cupid - big river, very angry in a storm. Let our anger be like Cupid! Snipers, forward to the enemy!
For the liquidation of Maxim Passar German command a reward of 100 thousand Reichsmarks was assigned
Even during the days of the offensive, Maxim did not stop his agitation activities. On December 17, 1942, the newspaper “Stalingradskaya Pravda” published Maxim’s article “On the extermination of the Nazi invaders.” On January 1, 1943, the divisional newspaper “Pledge of Victory” published the note “My Toast” by sniper Maxim Passar: “Dear friends, faithful comrades in arms! Raise your front-line glasses. Today I want to remember the most dear and cherished thing that fills my heart. I want to remember my family, motherland, Nanai hunters and trappers, I want to remember and say about the main thing - about our great Motherland! My father is far away, my beloved is far away, my brother was killed at the front, I went into battle to avenge everyone. My pain will not subside as long as the enemy threatens my people. And then I remember my land, the taiga, distant friends, my old father. They trust me, they know that I protect them. I am their hero, they are waiting for me with victory, and until victory is won, I cannot return to them. And when I talk about victory, I talk about the Motherland. About the huge Motherland, as the song says: “From edge to edge, from sea to sea.” I’m talking about the Soviet Union because everything fits here: my small people, family, beloved, all human happiness. Only then will we be happy Dear friends when we defeat the enemy. I encourage all snipers to triple their combat scores. I raise a toast to the most important thing in our lives - to the Motherland and family, to loved ones and friends, to Victory!”
Location on railway station The Gumrak fascists put up fierce resistance. By order of the division command, Maxim Passar was transferred to the battalion reserve. By this time, he already had 234 killed Nazis on his account. He could not put up with the position of a reservist and was eager to fight. As it turned out, in the last... In the political report of the head of the division's political department there is an entry: “The notable sniper Maxim Passar died under the following circumstances. Since the morning of January 22, 1943, he, along with other snipers, was in the reserve of the battalion commander, but when the advance of our infantry was hampered by those entrenched on the right German snipers, Maxim Passar, without saying a word to anyone, moved forward to “hunt”, destroying two German snipers. Maxim himself died from an enemy bullet. Maxim’s body was taken out...”
A clarification to the political report is given in the leaflet of the political department of the Don Front: “01/22/1943 In the battle for railway in the area of Gumrak M.A. station Passar, by order of the commander, moved to the forefront of our units. Two blocking enemy heavy machine guns conducted strong barrage fire on our advancing units. Comrade Passar, approaching a distance of 100 meters to the enemy, suppressed two firing points with fire, while destroying their servants. This ensured the advancement of our troops. In this battle, Maxim Passar died the death of the brave. He was buried in the village of Gorodishche...
Maxim Passar in all his glory
The Germans called Maxim “the devil from the devil’s nest.” In leaflets specifically addressed to the sniper, the Fritz offered him all the blessings of life, if only he would surrender. Special groups of Nazis tracked and hunted for Passar. He alone inflicted significantly greater losses on the enemy than any other unit. He beat the Nazis only by choice, preferring middle and senior officers...
Conclusion. The question inevitably arises: what contributed to the success of Maxim Passard? After all, hunting skills alone are not enough to win duels with fascist snipers high class. “His feat,” answered General Batov, “was destined to be born at the very harsh time war, when the enemy approached the Volga. But it was not a feeling of hopelessness, but a deep faith in a just cause that led the soldier to the line. Defending Stalingrad, he, like hundreds of thousands of other soldiers, defended his home, his Fatherland, freedom, life. His success was facilitated not only by the subtle instinct of a tracker, the keen eye of a hunter, and the strong nerves of a warrior. Maxim Passar prevailed over the enemy with the strength of his spirit, superior moral fortitude, his skill, intelligence, dexterity, and courage.”
The feat of Maxim Passar had great educational significance. They tried to imitate him, they tried to emulate him in the active army, he was an example in the rear. It was this idea that was emphasized by political management Central Front in a letter to the secretary of the Khabarovsk Regional Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks. “The name of sniper Maxim Passar became known throughout the country. Sacred hatred for the enemy, boundless love to your Soviet Motherland gave birth in Maxim that heroic valor that glorified his name. ...Let the valiant deed of the Passar Nanai brothers be a model of service to the Motherland... During his stay at the front of the Patriotic War, Comrade Passar exterminated 236 Nazis.”
Military poster dedicated to the legendary sniper
However, in literature, media, and archives other numbers are indicated - 237, 280, 380. For the heroic struggle against sworn enemies Soviet people - Nazi occupiers Maxim Passar was awarded two Orders of the Red Banner. Passarovskaya school of sniper training had wide use and on other fronts of the Great Patriotic War. Front-line leaflets wrote: “A shot without a miss is a Passar shot! Strike like Passar into the heart of a fascist!”
The sniper movement was enriched with new names of heroes, but the name of the Nanai hunter sounded like an alarm bell, calling on the soldiers to mercilessly smash the enemy. 6 months after the death of Maxim Passar, the newspaper of the Stalingrad Front “Attack!”, addressing the snipers, reminded them of the continuity of established combat traditions. One of the issues of the newspaper (June 27, 1943) was entirely devoted to the military feat of the famous sniper and the memories of his students and friends. On the front page of the newspaper there was a large slogan and appeal: “Snipers! May the immortal name of Maxim Passar, his battle glory will inspire you to new exploits!” And the editorial “To beat the enemy like Passar!” noted: “Passar’s combat experience is great and valuable, which to this day is carefully studied by all our sniper youth. Passar's noble example will forever call forward. Guardsman, do not lose your honor dead hero! Honor his blessed memory and take revenge on the enemy! Love your Motherland just as the communist and warrior Maxim Passar loved it!”
There was even a song about Maxim Passar. They sang this song, composed and sung for the first time by an unknown person, on campaigns, on vacation, at a drill review and in battle:
Our well-aimed bullet will not miss.
She always hits for sure.
Who doesn’t know our Maxim in the army
Combat sniper, marksman...
Hit, rifle, hit, darling,
Hit and hit the enemy's skulls.
Cold night, road dust
You and I will split it in half.
The hour of victory will come, and we will finish the battle,
Our home will meet us again.
Let's clean the rifle, take out the clip,
Let's sing about Maxim the sniper...
Countrymen memorial plaque Maxim Passar on Mamayev Kurgan
Named after Maxim Passar high school in the village of Naikhin, streets in many villages of the district, Volgograd and the Volgograd region. At school every year on January 19th there is a line-up, dedicated to memory Maxim Passara...
Latest publication with the title “Why is Maxim Passar not a Hero of the Soviet Union?” appeared in the Suvorov Onslaught newspaper on June 25, 2009. And the question arose about awarding the title of Hero of the Russian Federation to the famous sniper. Many famous snipers, who had fewer killed enemies, received Stars of Heroes of the Soviet Union, but Maxim was not awarded this title, although after his death, on January 23, 1943, Army General Pavel Batov nominated Maxim Passar for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously. The Military Council of the Army, consisting of Lieutenant General Chistyakov and Major General Kranov, confirmed the award, but the Military Council of the Voronezh Front replaced it with the Order of the Red Banner.
Batov also in 1968 asked about awarding the title of Hero of the Soviet Union to Maxim Passar; in 1994, the administration of the Nanai region also addressed the relevant authorities with the same request. In 2003, the Nanai district meeting of deputies sent a letter requesting that Maxim Passar be awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union to President Vladimir Putin. On his instructions, the question was considered, and an answer was received: the Russian Ministry of Defense recognized “it is inappropriate to review the decision of the military command on awards and re-award, since this may cast doubt on the validity of awarding millions of front-line soldiers.”
Young people at the obelisk of Maxim Passard in his homeland
In 2009, high school seniors once again wrote a letter to the President of Russia, in which they asked to consider awarding the title of Hero of the Russian Federation (posthumously) to Sergeant Maxim Aleksandrovich Passar. Also, a great help in solving this problem was provided by a journalist, a member Public Chamber Russian Federation Irina Georgievna Polnikova. At one of the meetings with the President of the Russian Federation, she spoke about Maxim Passar and conveyed the request of schoolchildren to award him the Hero star.
And on April 14, 2010, a letter arrived from the Ministry of Defense. It reported that “By the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation, for the courage and heroism shown in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, Senior Sergeant Maxim Aleksandrovich Passar was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation (posthumously).” Thus, the country saw a new hero - Maxim Passard. Popular rumor long ago secured for him the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, but only 67 years after the death of this famous sniper The country's highest rank was officially confirmed...
Years will pass, the world will change, the hardships experienced will be forgotten, and new good deeds will glorify our Motherland. But the Earth will not be able to recreate the millions of heroes who defended home country. Living witnesses and participants in the war have grown old, but the soldiers who fell in battle will remain forever young in the people's memory. Great Patriotic War was a severe test of the patriotic, international tempering of the Nanai people. At the walls of the legendary Stalingrad, many sons of the Nanai people died a heroic death. The memory of them is sacredly preserved by the people. From year to year, the sacred land of Stalingrad is visited by fellow countrymen from the banks of the distant taiga of the Far Eastern Amur River. Handfuls of Amur soil are delivered to the land of the Volga stronghold, and handfuls of blood-washed Stalingrad soil are delivered to the banks of the Amur. This is Russian land...
Maxim Passar's grave
P.S. The star of Hero Maxim Passar, at the request of relatives, was transferred to the Regional local history museum them. Grodekov for eternal storage...
On September 28, 1942, Maxim Passar wrote the following in his diary:
“Today is a good day for me: I killed the 100th Nazi. The first was in June in the forest west of Moscow, and the hundredth is here. The hundredth is not the last. I will mercilessly exterminate the invaders!”
Born on August 30, 1923 in the village of Nizhny Katar in the Far Eastern Territory (now Nanaisky District, Khabarovsk Territory). Since 1933 he studied at school in the village of Naikhin. Since childhood, together with his father, he was engaged in the traditional trade of the Nanai people - hunting fur-bearing animals.
In February 1942, he volunteered to go to the front. In May 1942, he underwent sniper training in units Northwestern Front. Killed 21 Wehrmacht soldiers. Joined the CPSU(b).
Poster from 1942 dedicated to M. Passar
Since July 1942, he served in the 117th Infantry Regiment of the 23rd Infantry Division, which fought as part of the 21st Army of the Stalingrad Front and the 65th Army of the Don Front.
He was one of the most effective snipers of the Battle of Stalingrad, during which he destroyed more than two hundred enemy soldiers and officers. For the liquidation of M.A. Passar, the German command assigned a reward of 100 thousand Reichsmarks. 
He made a great contribution to the development of the sniper movement in the Red Army, took an active part in practical training shooters. The snipers of the 117th Infantry Regiment trained by him destroyed 775 Germans. His speeches on sniper tactics were repeatedly published in the large-circulation newspaper of the 23rd Infantry Division.
On December 8, 1942, M. A. Passar received a shell shock, but remained in service.
On January 22, 1943, in a battle near the village of Peschanka, Gorodishchensky district, Stalingrad region, he ensured the success of the offensive of the regiment's units, which was stopped by enemy flank machine-gun fire from camouflaged fortified positions. Secretly approaching to a distance of about 100 meters, Senior Sergeant Passar destroyed the crews of two heavy machine guns, which decided the outcome of the attack, during which the sniper died.
M. A. Passar is buried in mass grave on the Square of Fallen Fighters in the workers' village of Gorodishche, Volgograd Region.
Memorial plate of Maxim Passar on Mamayev Kurgan
The official score of Maxim Passar is 227 (299) confirmed, awards are two orders of the BKZ on 10/17/1942 and 04/23/1943 - for the battle near the village. Gerbil (posthumously). By Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 199 dated February 16, 2010, senior sergeant Maxim Aleksandrovich Passar was awarded the title Hero of Russia
(posthumously).
Sniper Maxim Passar
Perhaps, of all the heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad, Passar’s fate is the most unusual. The fact is that the title of Hero and a well-deserved award found him, or rather, his relatives, only in 2010.
The decree conferring the title was posthumously signed by then President Dmitry Medvedev. But award Passar the title of Hero non-existent country- USSR - of course, it was impossible, so he became a Hero of Russia.
Passar in Nanai means “ keen eye" He volunteered for the front in 1941. But a hereditary fisherman and hunter dreamed of a sniper school. He was sent to train as a sniper in 1942. After graduating from sniper school, he ended up in the 117th Infantry Regiment of the 23rd Infantry Division of the 21st Army, which on November 10, 1942 was renamed the 65th Army, 71st Guards Division.
The roads of war brought him to Stalingrad. Here he became a famous sniper. Front-line newspapers called him fearless and brave, cunning and dexterous, resourceful and quick-witted.
When the soldiers of the 71st Guards Rifle Division fought at Stalingrad, Passar already had more than 50 killed enemies. One day, the head of the political department, V.F. Egorov, called the editor of the divisional newspaper, V.P. Parkov.
— Valentin Pavlovich, we need to write more about Passar. Let every fighter learn from him and gain experience. And when he kills the 60th fascist, celebrate this day!
The newspaper followed this advice. The sniper himself appeared on her stripes several times. Passar's correspondence, articles and essays by Nikolai Kontrov talked about the famous sniper's firing techniques, how he hunts for a target, and how he camouflages himself. Soon the passion for sniper shooting in the division became widespread. The enemy felt firsthand the accuracy of the shots from Passar’s students.
“Today is a good day for me: I killed the 100th Nazi. The first was in June in the forest west of Moscow, and the hundredth is here. The hundredth is not the last. I will mercilessly exterminate the invaders!”
“You have to be a Passar,” wrote the commander of the 117th Infantry Regiment, Colonel Sivakov, “to shoot 5 Nazis with such speed, in semi-darkness, in one minute.”
His front-line friend, a mechanic at the Volzhsky Asbestos Products Plant, Alexander Ivanovich Frolov, who himself destroyed at least 63 enemies, tells how Passar did this:
“Usually Passar left for his position when dawn was just breaking in the east, and returned at night. Somehow an enemy sniper decided to deceive Maxim. From his trench he began to show his helmet. Maxim pointed his binoculars there. The helmet appeared again, and the stick was sticking out below. He guessed the enemy's trick and did not shoot. The German calmed down and stuck his head out. And at this time Maxim took him at gunpoint.”
Small, slender, with burning eyes, Maxim skillfully tracked down the enemy and destroyed him. German snipers began to hunt for Passar. Enemies dropped leaflets with wild threats against M. Passar.
By October 1942, his combat account already included 227 killed fascists.
“But this is still not enough,” said Maxim Passar at a rally of snipers of the 65th Army. - Not enough because the enemy has not yet been destroyed. My Amur is a big river, it is very angry in a storm. Let our anger be like an angry Cupid.”
The Germans placed a reward of 100 thousand marks on the head of Maxim Passard, and enemy snipers hunted him. One such, trying to deceive a taiga hunter, stuck his helmet on a stick out of the trench. The passenger was convinced through binoculars that it was a plant and did not shoot. Then the German leaned out himself and received a bullet in the forehead.
272 fascists were destroyed by the hand of a hunter - a sniper (in some sources, for example the collection “The Feat of the Heroic Land” - Publishing House “Mysl”, 1970, indicates 236 killed enemies, in some - even 299). Presidium Supreme Council The USSR awarded M.A. Passar the Order of the Red Banner of Combat, and the army command presented him with a personalized gold watch.
“His name was known to the entire Don Front,” writes the former commander of the 65th Army, General P. I. Batov, about the hero of the Nanai people. — The Germans dropped leaflets with wild threats against Maxim Passar... He went into his last attack, as always, furiously. His three-coat fluttered as he ran, his short fur coat was wide open, his tunic and shirt were unbuttoned, his bare chest was exposed to the scorching wind. This is how I would like to see a monument to this wonderful soldier.”
Maxim Passar died on January 17, 1943 in a battle near the village of Peschanka, Gorodishchensky district. Maxim's sniper rifle was taken by his brother Innokenty. “I will avenge the death of my brothers, as human conscience and civic duty require,” he said.
Maxim Passar was one of those, thanks to whose courage, bravery and skill, Soviet soldiers won brilliant victory on the Volga.
In the Sovetsky district of Volgograd there is Maxim Passar Street. It was named so in 1956.
In 2009, high school students in the village of Naikhin, Passara’s ancestral village, wrote a letter to the country’s President Dmitry Medvedev about the Nanai hero, asking him to be awarded the title posthumously. A member of the Public Chamber, journalist Irina Polnikova, conveyed this request to him at one of the meetings with the president. The title of Hero of Russia was awarded to Maxim Passar in April 2010.
In June 1941, Maxim Passar, having learned about the treacherous attack fascist Germany to our homeland, walked 60 kilometers from the village of Mukha to Troitsky to ask to volunteer for the front. He just turned 18 years old. Having demonstrated to the military commissar his ability to shoot and showed perseverance, Maxim was drafted into the Red Army.
First, I took a course at a sniper school. In the summer of 1942, Maxim was enrolled in the 117th rifle regiment 23rd Rifle Division (which became the 71st Guards Division on March 1, 1943). Thus began his stellar sniper journey. He began his combat account on the Kalinin Front in the same forty-second. On the shores of Lake Seliger, the first fascist fell on Passar’s sniper fly.
On September 21, 1942, Maxim Passar was awarded a sniper rifle as the best sniper of the division; before that, he “hunted” with the help of an ordinary “three-line rifle.”
On September 29, 1942, M. Passar already had 59 killed Germans on his personal account, and in October of the same year, 123 enemies. In September-October 1942 alone, 145 snipers trained by M. Passar killed 3,175 Nazis. Maxim Passar remained the division's best sniper. He coordinated his “hunt” with the combat operations of mortar men and riflemen. The mortar men “smoked out” the fascists from their shelters and thereby exposed them to Maxim’s well-aimed bullets. The arrows used tracer bullets to point out enemy firing points to Maxim and create a favorable environment for the sniper to select a target.
The political department of the Stalingrad Front dedicated a leaflet to Maxim Passar with a scathing caption under a photograph of the sniper: A shot without a miss is a Passar shot. Strike like Passar into the heart of a fascist.
Poems and songs were dedicated to the founder of the sniper movement on the Stalingrad front. The newspaper “Red Army” published poems by Evgeniy Dolmatovsky:
Listen to the song about Passar on a Far Eastern tune.
Teach us all, hunter, your cunning and dexterity.
Glory to the warrior Passar, glory sniper rifle!
The commander of the 65th Army, General P. Batov, presented Maxim Passar with the Order of the Red Banner on October 31, 1942. In November 1942, M. Passar already had 152 fascists killed. He was named the best sniper of the Stalingrad Front. By January 22, 1943, the commander of the guard sniper squad, senior sergeant, had already destroyed 234 Nazis. On this day, he managed to exterminate several more fascists, but he himself died the death of the brave. Posthumously, he was forever enrolled in the lists of the 117th Infantry Regiment.
For the heroic fight against German fascist invaders Maxim Passar was awarded two Orders of the Red Banner. The army commander had the right to award only the Order of the Red Banner. It is possible that General Pavel Ivanovich Batov petitioned for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union to be awarded to Maxim Aleksandrovich Passar. The commander in his memoirs spoke warmly about the glorious son of the Nanai people and indicated that Maxim Passar accounted for 280 destroyed Nazis.
On the combat account of snipers Heroes of the Soviet Union Vasily Zaitsev - 225, Ivan Vezhlintsev - 134, Fedosy Smolyachkov - 125, Vladimir Pchelintsev - 102, Ivan Bogatyrev - 75 destroyed Germans.
Guard Sergeant Maxim Passar, ace sniper, well deserved high rank Hero of the country. In 2010, the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedem, correcting the historical injustice regarding glorious son Nanai people Maxim Passar, by his Decree No. 199 awarded him the title of Hero of Russia. Posthumously.
M.A. Passar was buried in a mass grave on the Square of Fallen Fighters in the workers' village of Gorodishche, Volgograd Region.
A secondary school and cultural center in the village of Naikhin, Nanai district, are named after M. A. Passar.
In 1956, a street in the Sovetsky district of Volgograd was named after the hero. On September 28, 1984, a memorial plaque was installed at house number 33 on Maxim Passara Street.
"Passar" with Nanai language means "sharp eye". Among the snipers during the Battle of Stalingrad, Maxim is considered the most prolific shooter. With his well-aimed shots, he destroyed 237 German soldiers, among whom...
“Passar” from the Nanai language means “sharp eye.” Among the snipers during the Battle of Stalingrad, Maxim is considered the most effective shooter. With his well-aimed shots, he destroyed 237 German soldiers, among whom there were many officers.
"The Devil from the Devil's Nest"
That's what Maxim was called German soldiers. Maxim grew up in a hunter's family, and he learned to shoot when he was early childhood. He could lie in a shelter for hours, waiting for some animal.
The war took Maxim’s older brother and in 1942 he volunteered to fight at the front. Maxim studied sniper skills at a sniper school; his accuracy was excellent. top level. The shooter shot accurately both day and night in complete darkness.
Maxim used a Mosin rifle, which did not have optical sight. In September 1942, 56 enemy soldiers became victims of our hero. And a month later, he tripled this figure.
Maxim Passar was the best sniper in his division, and he willingly taught all the intricacies of this matter to young soldiers. Maxim’s lessons yielded results even in two incomplete autumn months In 1942, his team sent more than 3 thousand enemy soldiers to the next world.
Dalmatovsky dedicated his poems to Maxim
Maxim used his own special method for shooting. The mortar men helped him in this - they used mortar shots to smoke soldiers out of their shelters, and they became an easy target for a sniper. Maxim was famous for his rate of fire; there was a case when he destroyed 7 soldiers in just two minutes.
The shooter's name was often mentioned in the military press. The articles described his shooting technique and methods of camouflage. And the newspaper “Red Army” even published poems by Evgeny Dalmatovsky about the shooter. This had a positive impact on the younger generation, who began to become interested in shooting en masse.
The death of the famous sniper
In January 1943, the heart of the brave shooter stopped beating. Fascist machine gunners held back the advance Soviet soldiers, and Maxim was given the task of eliminating them. The guy completed the task successfully, although at the cost of his own life.
A month after his death, Maxim was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, unfortunately, posthumously.
The exploits of the famous shooter have not been forgotten by the current generation. So in 2010, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev, the shooter received the title of Hero of Russia posthumously. In Volgograd, one of the city streets bears his name.