Famous partisan detachments. Six heroes of the Soviet partisan movement

State educational institution

Education Center No. 000

Heroes - partisans of the Patriotic War of 1812 D. Davydov, A. Seslavin, A. Figner - their role in the victory of Russia and the reflection of their names in the names of the streets of Moscow.

Students of grade 6 "A"

Degtyareva Anastasia

Grishchenko Valeria

Markosova Karina

Project leaders:

a history teacher

Ph.D. head Scientific and Information Department of the State Institution “Museum-Panorama “Battle of Borodino””

Moscow


Introduction
Chapter 1 Heroes - partisans D. Davydov, A. Seslavin, A. Figner	Page 6
1.1 Basic concepts used in the work	Page 6
1.2 Hero - partisan D. Davydov	Page 8
1.3 Hero - partisan A. Seslavin	Page 11
1.4 Hero - partisan A. Figner	Page 16
	Page 27
	Page 27
2.2 Monuments of the Patriotic War of 1812 in Moscow	Srt.30
Conclusion	Page 35
Bibliography	Page 36
Applications

Introduction

The Patriotic War of 1812 is one of the most striking events in Russian history. As the famous publicist and literary critic of the 19th century wrote. : “Every nation has its own history, and history has its own critical moments by which one can judge the strength and greatness of its spirit...” [Zaichenko[ In 1812, Russia showed the whole world the strength and greatness of its spirit and proved that it is impossible to defeat it , even striking to the very heart, capturing Moscow. From the first days of the war, the people rose up to fight the invaders; all classes of Russian society were united: nobles, peasants, commoners, clergy.

Having visited the Museum - the Battle of Borodino panorama, we wanted to learn more about the partisan heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812. From the guide we learned that the partisan movement first arose during the Patriotic War of 1812. Kutuzov combined partisan warfare with the actions of the regular army; D. Davydov, A. Seslavin, and A. Figner played a major role in this.

Therefore, the choice of the topic of our project is not accidental. We turned to the head of the scientific and information department, Ph.D. State Institution "Museum-Panorama" Battle of Borodino" with a request to tell us about the partisan heroes and provide us with materials about the activities of partisan detachments.

The purpose of our research- show the need to create partisan detachments, the activities of their leaders D. Davydov, A. Seslavin, A. Figner, note their personal qualities and fully evaluate their contribution to the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812.

In 2012 we will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Patriotic War of 1812. We became interested in how descendants paid tribute to the memory and honor and courage of the heroes who saved Russia in that terrible time.

Hence the theme of our project “Heroes - partisans of the Patriotic War of 1812 D. Davydov, A. Seslavin, A. Figner - their role in the victory of Russia and the reflection of their names in the names of Moscow streets.”

Object of study are the activities of partisans in the Patriotic War.

Subject of research are the personalities of D. Davydov, A. Seslavin, A. Figner and their activities in the Patriotic War of 1812.

We assume that without the action of the partisans, without their courage, heroism and dedication, the defeat of the Napoleonic army and its expulsion from Russia would not be possible.

Having studied literature, diaries, memoirs, letters and poems on this topic, we developed a research strategy and identified research objectives.

Tasks

1. Analyze the literature (essays, poems, stories, memoirs) and find out how partisan detachments acquired mass popularity and became widespread.

2. To study what ways and means the partisans acted to achieve their goals and victories in the war of 1812.

3. Study the biography and activities of D. Davydov, A. Seslavin, A. Figner.

4. Name the character qualities of the partisan heroes (D. Davydov, A. Seslavin, A. Figner), provide for discussion the appearance of the partisans, partisan detachments, show how necessary, difficult and heroic their work was.

5. Explore and visit memorable places in Moscow associated with the War of 1812.

6. Collect material for the school - military museum and speak to the students of the education center.

To solve these problems we used the following methods: definition of concepts, theoretical - analysis, synthesis, generalization, free interviewing, application of toponymic knowledge in the search for memorable places in Moscow.

The work was carried out in several stages:

First stage, organizational, visit to the Museum - Panorama "Battle of Borodino". Study planning. Finding sources of information (interviews, reading printed sources, viewing a map, finding Internet resources) to study. Determining in what form the result of the work can be presented. Distribution of responsibilities between team members.

Second phase, stating the selection of the necessary material. Interviewing (head of the scientific and information department, candidate of historical sciences, State Institution "Museum-Panorama" Battle of Borodino"). Studying the map of Moscow. Reading and analyzing information sources.

Third stage, formative, selection of necessary material, finding memorable places in Moscow related to the Patriotic War of 1812.

Fourth stage, control, report of each team member on the work done.

Fifth stage, implementation, creating a presentation, collecting material for the school - military museum and speaking to the students of the education center

Chapter 1

1.1 Basic concepts used in the work.

What is Guerrilla Warfare? How is it different from a conventional war? When and where did it appear? What are the goals and significance of Guerrilla Warfare? What is the difference between Guerrilla War and the Little War and the People's War? These questions appeared to us while studying the literature. In order to correctly understand and use these terms, we need to define their concepts. Using the encyclopedia “Patriotic War of 1812”: Encyclopedia. M., 2004., we learned that:

Guerrilla warfare

In the XVIII-XIX centuries. Guerrilla warfare was understood as the independent actions of small mobile army detachments on the flanks, in the rear and on enemy communications. The purpose of the Guerrilla War was to disrupt the communication of enemy troops with each other and with the rear, with convoys, the destruction of supplies (shops) and rear military institutions, transports, reinforcements, as well as attacks on transit posts, the release of their prisoners, and the interception of couriers. The partisan detachments were entrusted with establishing communications between the separated parts of their army, initiating people's war behind enemy lines, obtaining information about the movement and size of the enemy army, as well as constantly disturbing the enemy in order to deprive him of the necessary rest and thereby lead him “to exhaustion and frustration.” Guerrilla warfare was seen as part small war, since the actions of the partisans did not lead to the defeat of the enemy, but only contributed to the achievement of this goal.

In the XVIII-XIX centuries. the concept of Small War denoted the actions of troops in small detachments, as opposed to the actions of large units and formations. The Small War included guarding one's own troops (service at outposts, guards, patrols, pickets, patrols, etc.) and actions by detachments (simple and enhanced reconnaissance, ambushes, attacks). Guerrilla warfare was carried out in the form of short-term raids by relatively strong “flying corps” or in the form of long-term “searches” of small partisan parties behind enemy lines.

Guerrilla actions were first used by the commander-in-chief of the 3rd Western Army, General. With permission, on August 25 (September 6), the lieutenant colonel’s party was sent out on a “search.”

The guerrilla war intensified in the fall of 1812, when the army stood near Tarutino. In September, a “flying corps” was sent to raid the Mozhaisk road. In September, a colonel’s party was sent to the enemy’s rear. September 23 (October 5) – captain’s party. September 26 (Oct 8) – colonel’s party, September 30 (Oct 12) – captain’s party.

Temporary army mobile detachments, created by the Russian command for short raids (“raids”, “expeditions”), were also called “small corps”, “detachments of light troops”. The “light corps” consisted of regular (light cavalry, dragoons, rangers, horse artillery) and irregular (Cossacks, Bashkirs, Kalmyks) troops. Average number: 2-3 thousand people. The actions of the “light corps” were a form of guerrilla warfare.

We learned that Guerrilla warfare refers to the independent actions of small mobile army units on the flanks, in the rear and on enemy communications. We learned the goals of Guerrilla Warfare, that Guerrilla Warfare is part of a small war, that “flying corps” are temporary mobile units.

1.2 Davydova (1784 – 1839)

Nevstruev, 1998
Shmurzdyuk, 1998

1.3 Hero of the Partisans - A. Seslavin

Along with Denis Davydov, he is one of the most famous partisans of 1812. His name is inextricably linked with the events immediately preceding the transition of Russian troops to the offensive, which led to the death of Napoleonic army.

Only shortly before the Patriotic War, Seslavin was promoted to captain. Such modest advancement along the “ladder of ranks” was the result of a two-time break in military service. Having graduated from the Artillery and Engineering Cadet Corps, the best military educational institution of that time, in 1798, Seslavin was released as a second lieutenant into the Guards artillery, in which he served for 7 years, being promoted to the next rank for this, and at the beginning of 1805 “he resigned at the request of from service." In the autumn of the same year, after the declaration of war with Napoleonic France, Seslavin returned to service and was assigned to the horse artillery.

He first took part in military action in the 1807 campaign in East Prussia. In the battle of Heilsberg he was seriously wounded and awarded a golden weapon for his bravery. Soon after the end of the war, he left the service for the second time and spent 3 years in retirement, recovering from the consequences of his wound.

In 1810, Seslavin returned to the army and fought against the Turks on the Danube. During the assault on Rushchuk, he walked at the head of one of the columns and, having already climbed the earthen rampart, was seriously wounded in his right hand. For his distinction in battles with the Turks, Seslavin was promoted to staff captain and soon afterwards to captain.

At the beginning of the Patriotic War, Seslavin was Barclay de Tolly's adjutant. Possessing good theoretical training, a broad military outlook and combat experience, he performed duties at the headquarters of Barclay de Tolly as a “quartermaster,” that is, an officer of the general staff. With units of the 1st Army, Seslavin took part in almost all the battles of the first period of the war - near Ostrovnaya, Smolensk, Valutina Mountain and others. In the battle near Shevardino he was wounded, but remained in service, participated in the Battle of Borodino and, among the most distinguished officers, was awarded the St. George Cross, 4th degree.

Soon after leaving Moscow, Seslavin received a “flying detachment” and began partisan searches, in which he fully demonstrated his brilliant military talents. His detachment, like other partisan detachments, attacked enemy transports, destroyed or captured parties of foragers and marauders. But Seslavin considered his main task to be tireless monitoring of the movements of large formations of the enemy army, believing that this reconnaissance activity could most contribute to the success of the operations of the main forces of the Russian army. It was these actions that glorified his name.

Having made the decision in Tarutino to unleash a “small war” and surround the Napoleonic army with a ring of army partisan detachments, Kutuzov clearly organized their actions, allocating a certain area to each detachment. Thus, Denis Davydov was ordered to act between Mozhaisk and Vyazma, Dorokhov - in the Vereya - Gzhatsk area, Efremov - on the Ryazan road, Kudashev - on Tula, Seslavin and Fonvizin (the future Decembrist) - between Smolensk and Kaluga roads.

On October 7, the day after the battle of Murat's corps near Tarutino, Napoleon gave the order to abandon Moscow, intending to go to Smolensk through Kaluga and Yelnya. However, trying to preserve the morale of his army and at the same time mislead Kutuzov, Napoleon set out from Moscow along the old Kaluga road in the direction of Tarutin, thus giving his movement an “offensive character.” Halfway to Tarutino, he unexpectedly ordered his army to turn right at Krasnaya Pakhra, went out along the country roads onto the New Kaluga Road and moved along it to the south, to Maloyaroslavets, trying to bypass the main forces of the Russian army. Ney's corps at first continued to move along the Old Kaluga Road to Tarutino and linked up with Murat's troops. According to Napoleon's calculations, this was supposed to disorient Kutuzov and give him the impression that the entire Napoleonic army was going to Tarutin with the intention of imposing a general battle on the Russian army.

On October 10, Seslavin discovered the main forces of the French army near the village of Fominskoye and, having notified the command about this, gave the Russian troops the opportunity to forestall the enemy at Maloyaroslavets and block his path to Kaluga. Seslavin himself described this most important episode of his military activity as follows: “I was standing on a tree when I discovered the movement of the French army, which was stretching at my feet, where Napoleon himself was in a carriage. Several people (French) separated from the edge of the forest and the road, were captured and delivered to His Serene Highness, as proof of such an important discovery for Russia, deciding the fate of the Fatherland, Europe and Napoleon himself... I found General Dokhturov in Aristov by accident, not knowing at all about his stay there; I rushed to Kutuzov in Tarutino. Having handed over the prisoners to be presented to His Serene Highness, I went back to the detachment to observe Napoleon’s movements more closely.”

On the night of October 11, the messenger informed Kutuzov about Seslavin’s “discovery”. Everyone remembers from “War and Peace” the meeting between Kutuzov and the messenger sent by Dokhturov (in the Bolkhovitinov novel), described by Tolstoy based on Bolgovsky’s memoirs.

For the next month and a half, Seslavin acted with his detachment with exceptional courage and energy, fully justifying the description given to him by one of the participants in the Patriotic War as an officer of “tested courage and zeal, extraordinary enterprise.” So, on October 22, near Vyazma, Seslavin, galloping between the enemy columns, discovered the beginning of their retreat and let the Russian troops know about it, and he himself and the Pernovsky regiment burst into the city. On October 28, near Lyakhov, together with Denis Davydov and Orlov-Denisov, he captured the brigade of General Augereau, for which he was promoted to colonel; together with another famous partisan, Figner, he recaptured from the French a transport with valuables looted in Moscow. On November 16, Seslavin broke into Borisov with his detachment, captured 3,000 prisoners, and established contact between the troops of Wittgenstein and Chichagov. Finally, on November 27, he was the first to attack French troops in Vilna and was seriously wounded.

In December 1812, Seslavin was appointed commander of the Sumy Hussar Regiment. In the autumn of 1813 and 1814, he commanded the advanced detachments of the Allied army and took part in the battles of Leipzig and Ferchampenoise; for military distinction he was promoted to major general.

Seslavin, according to him, took part “in 74 military battles” and was wounded 9 times. Intense combat service and severe wounds affected his health and mental balance. At the end of hostilities, he received a long leave for treatment abroad, visited France, Italy, Switzerland, where he walked along the path of Suvorov - through St. Gotthard and the Devil's Bridge, was treated on the waters, but his health did not improve. In 1820, he left the service and retired to his small Tver estate, Esemovo, where he lived alone, without meeting any of the neighboring landowners, for more than 30 years.

Seslavin was distinguished by exceptional courage and energy, his courage fully justifying the description given to him by one of the participants in the Patriotic War, as an officer of “tested courage and zeal, extraordinary enterprise.” (Alexander Nikitich was a deeply educated person, interested in various sciences. After retiring, he wrote memoirs of which only fragments have survived. This man was undeservedly forgotten by his contemporaries, but deserves memory and study by his descendants.

Nevstruev, 1998
Shmurzdyuk, 1998

1.4 Hero of the Partisans - A. Figner

Famous partisan of the Patriotic War, descendant of an ancient German family that went to Russia under Peter I, b. in 1787, died on October 1, 1813. Figner’s grandfather, Baron Figner von Rutmersbach, lived in Livonia, and his father, Samuil Samuilovich, having begun his service with a private rank, reached the rank of staff officer, was appointed director of the state-owned crystal factory near St. Petersburg and soon after that, renamed state councilors, he was appointed in 1809 as vice-governor of the Pskov province (died July 8, 1811). Alexander Figner, having successfully completed the course in the 2nd Cadet Corps, was released on April 13, 1805 as a second lieutenant in the 6th Artillery Regiment and in the same year was sent to the Anglo-Russian expedition to the Mediterranean Sea. Here he found an opportunity to be in Italy and lived for several months in Milan, diligently studying the Italian language, with a thorough knowledge of which he was subsequently able to provide so many services to his fatherland. Upon returning to Russia, on January 17, 1807, Figner was promoted to lieutenant, and on March 16 he was transferred to the 13th artillery brigade. With the beginning of the Turkish campaign of 1810, he entered the Moldavian army, participated with the detachment of General Zass in the capture of the Turtukai fortress on May 19 and from June 14 to September 15 in the blockade and capitulation of the Rushchuk fortress by the troops of the gr. Kamensky. In a number of cases near Rushchuk, Figner managed to show excellent courage and bravery. Commanding 8 guns in the nearest flying glanders during the besieging of the fortress, he was seriously wounded in the chest while repelling one of the enemy’s attacks, but did not leave the formation, and soon volunteered for a new feat. When gr. Kamensky decided to storm Ruschuk, Figner volunteered to measure the depth of the fortress moat and did it with courage that amazed the Turks themselves. The assault on July 22 failed, but Figner, who brilliantly participated in it, was awarded the Order of St. George, removed by the commander-in-chief from the artillery general Sivers killed on the glacis of the fortress, and on December 8, 1810, he was honored to receive a personal All-Merciful Rescript. In 1811, Figner returned to his homeland to meet with his father and here he married the daughter of a Pskov landowner, retired state councilor Bibikov, Olga Mikhailovna Bibikova. On December 29, 1811, he was promoted to staff captain, with a transfer to the 11th artillery brigade, and soon received command of the same brigade of a light company. The Patriotic War again called Figner into combat. His first feat in this war was the courageous defense by fire of the guns of the left flank of the Russian troops in the case of the river. Stragani; here, having stopped the riflemen who had been overthrown by the French, he, at their head, recaptured one of his company’s guns from the enemy, for which the commander-in-chief personally congratulated Figner with the rank of captain. With the retreat of Russian troops through Moscow to Tarutino, Figner’s combat activity changed: he handed over command of the company to its senior officer, having recently entered the field of partisan operations. According to a secret order from Kutuzov, dressed as a peasant, Figner, accompanied by several Cossacks, went to Moscow, which was already occupied by the French. Figner failed to carry out his secret intention - to somehow get to Napoleon and kill him, but nevertheless his stay in Moscow was a true horror for the French. Having formed an armed party from the inhabitants remaining in the city, he made ambushes with it, exterminated lonely enemies, and after his night attacks, many corpses of killed French were found every morning. His actions instilled panic in the enemy. The French tried in vain to find the brave and secretive avenger: Figner was elusive. Knowing the languages French, German, Italian and Polish perfectly, he, dressed in all sorts of costumes, wandered during the day among the soldiers of the Napoleonic army of different tribes and listened to their conversations, and at nightfall he ordered his daredevils to the death of the enemy he hated. At the same time, Figner found out everything necessary about the intentions of the French and with the important information collected, on September 20, having safely left Moscow, he arrived at the main headquarters of the Russian army, in Tarutino. Figner’s courageous enterprise and ingenuity attracted the attention of the commander-in-chief, and he was instructed, together with other partisans, Davydov and Seslavin, to develop partisan actions based on enemy messages. Gathering two hundred daredevils from hunters and stragglers, mounting the foot soldiers on peasant horses, Figner led this combined detachment onto the Mozhaisk road and began to carry out his destructive raids here in the rear of the enemy army. During the day, he hid a detachment somewhere in the nearest forest, and he himself, disguised as a Frenchman, Italian or Pole, sometimes accompanied by a trumpeter, drove around enemy outposts, looked out for their location and, with the onset of darkness, swooped down on the French with his partisans and sent them to the main apartment of hundreds of prisoners. Taking advantage of the enemy's oversight, Figner beat him wherever possible; In particular, his actions intensified when armed peasants near Moscow joined the detachment. 10 versts from Moscow he overtook an enemy transport, took away and riveted six 12-pounders. guns, blew up several charging trucks, killed up to 400 people on the spot. and about 200 people, together with the Hanoverian Colonel Tink, were captured. Napoleon placed a prize on Figner's head, but the latter did not stop his brave activities; Wanting to bring his heterogeneous detachment into a larger structure, he began to introduce order and discipline into it, which, however, his hunters did not like, and they fled. Then Kutuzov gave Figner 600 people at his disposal. regular cavalry and Cossacks, with officers of his choice. With this well-established detachment, Figner became even more terrible for the French, here his outstanding abilities as a partisan developed even more, and his enterprise, reaching the point of insane audacity, manifested itself in full brilliance. Deceiving the enemy's vigilance with skillful maneuvers and stealth of transitions and having good guides, he unexpectedly attacked the enemy, broke up foraging parties, burned convoys, intercepted couriers and harassed the French day and night, appearing at different points and everywhere carrying death and captivity in his wake. Napoleon was forced to send infantry and Ornano's cavalry division to the Mozhaisk road against Figner and other partisans, but all searches for the enemy were in vain. Several times the French overtook the Figner detachment, surrounded it with superior forces, it seemed that the death of the brave partisan was inevitable, but he always managed to deceive the enemy with cunning maneuvers. Figner’s courage reached the point that one day, near Moscow itself, he attacked Napoleon’s guards cuirassiers, wounded their colonel and took him prisoner, along with 50 soldiers. Before the Battle of Tarutino, he passed “through all the French outposts,” made sure of the isolation of the French vanguard, reported this to the commander-in-chief, and thereby rendered considerable assistance in the complete defeat of Murat’s troops that followed the next day. With the beginning of Napoleon's retreat from Moscow, a people's war broke out; Taking advantage of this favorable circumstance for the partisan, Figner acted tirelessly. Together with Seslavin, he recaptured an entire transport with jewelry looted by the French in Moscow; soon after, meeting with an enemy detachment near the village. Kamennogo, smashed it, put up to 350 people in its place. and took about the same number of lower ranks with 5 officers prisoner, and finally, on November 27, in the case of the village. Lyakhov, uniting with the partisan detachments of Count Orlov-Denisov, Seslavin and Denis Davydov, contributed to the defeat of the French General Augereau, who laid down his arms by the end of the battle. Admired by Figner's exploits, Emperor Alexander promoted him to lieutenant colonel, with transfer to the guards artillery, and awarded him 7,000 rubles. and, at the same time, at the request of the commander-in-chief and the English agent at the main apartment, R. Wilson, who was a witness to many of Figner’s exploits, released his father-in-law, the former Pskov vice-governor Bibikov, from trial and punishment. Upon returning from St. Petersburg, Figner overtook our army already in northern Germany, near besieged Danzig. Here he volunteered to carry out the brave assignment of Count. Wittgenstein - to get into the fortress, collect all the necessary information about the strength and location of the fortress churches, the size of the garrison, the amount of military and food supplies, and also secretly incite the inhabitants of Danzig to revolt against the French. Only with extraordinary presence of mind and excellent knowledge of foreign languages could Figner dare to carry out such a dangerous assignment. Under the guise of an unfortunate Italian, robbed by the Cossacks, he entered the city; here, however, they did not immediately believe his stories and put him in prison. Figner languished in it for two months, tormented by incessant interrogations; They demanded from him proof of his actual origin from Italy; at any moment he could be recognized as a spy and shot. The stern commandant of Danzig himself, General Rapp, interrogated him, but his extraordinary ingenuity and resourcefulness saved this time the brave daredevil. Remembering his long stay in Milan, he identified himself as the son of a well-known Italian family and told, in a confrontation with a native of Milan who happened to be in Danzig, all the smallest details about what age his father and mother were, what their condition was, on what street they were standing the house and even what color the roof and shutters were, and not only managed to justify himself, but, hiding behind his ardent devotion to the Emperor of the French, even crept into the confidence of Rapp so much that he sent him with important dispatches to Napoleon. Of course, Figner, having got out of Danzig, delivered the dispatches, along with the information he had obtained, to our main apartment. For his accomplished feat, he was promoted to colonel and temporarily left at the main apartment. However, following his calling, he again devoted himself to the activities of a partisan. At his suggestion, a detachment was formed from various deserters of the Napoleonic army, mainly Spaniards who were forcibly recruited into it, as well as from German volunteers, and was called the “legion of revenge”; To ensure the reliability of partisan actions, a combined team from various hussar and Cossack regiments was assigned to the detachment, which formed the core of the detachment. With this detachment, Figner again opened his destructive raids on the enemy in a new theater of war. On August 22, 1813, he defeated an enemy detachment he met at Cape Niske, three days later he appeared in the vicinity of Bautzen, on August 26, at Königsbrück, he passed 800 steps past the puzzled enemy, who did not even fire a single shot, and on August 29 he attacked the French General Mortier at Speirsweiler and took several hundred people prisoner. Continuing further movement ahead of the Silesian army, illuminating the area, the Figner partisan detachment on September 26 met at Eulenburg with the corps of General Sacken, but on the same day, separating from him, took the direction of the Elbe. Twice the detachment then encountered enemy detachments, so few in number that their extermination could have been certain, but Figner avoided attacks and did not even allow the Cossacks to chase after those lagging behind. The brave partisan was obviously saving his men and horses for some more important undertaking. Seeing from the movements of the warring parties that the fate of Germany would be decided between the Elbe and Sala, Figner assumed that at the beginning of October Napoleon, in view of the decisive battle, would remove his troops from the left bank of the Elbe, and therefore, in anticipation of this movement, he wanted to hold out for several days near Dessau, then invade Westphalia, which remained loyal to the Prussian government, and raise its population against the French. But his assumptions were not justified. Napoleon, due to changed circumstances, decided to move to the right bank of the Elbe, and, according to the orders given by him, Marshals Rainier and Ney moved towards Wittenberg and Dessau to take possession of the crossings. On September 30, one of the patrols notified Figner that several squadrons of enemy cavalry had appeared on the road from Leipzig to Dessau, but he, confident that the French troops had already begun a retreat towards Sale, explained the appearance of the squadrons as foragers sent from the enemy. Soon a party of Prussian black hussars came upon the detachment, explaining that the enemy squadrons belonged to a strong vanguard, followed by the entire army of Napoleon. Realizing the danger, Figner immediately turned the detachment between the main roads leading to Wörlitz and Dessau, and with a forced march approached the Elbe in the evening. Here news was received from the commander of the Prussian troops stationed at Dessau that, in view of the unexpected advance of the French army towards this city, Tauentsin's corps would retreat to the right bank of the river, without leaving a single detachment on the left. But the men and horses of Figner’s detachment were tired from the intensive march in the environs of Dessau, devastated by the French and allies; in addition, Figner was confident that the French movement was only a demonstration to divert the attention of Bernadotte and Blucher, and that Tauentsin, having become convinced of this, would cancel the proposed retreat to the right bank of the Elbe. Figner decided to stay on the left bank. He planned to hide his detachment the next day in the dense bushes of a small island near Werlitz and then, having let the French through, rush, depending on the circumstances, either to Westphalia or to the Leipzig road to search for enemy convoys and parks. Based on all these considerations, Figner positioned his detachment seven versts above Dessau; the left flank of the detachment was adjacent to the coastal road to this city, the right flank was adjacent to the forest, which stretched for a mile along the river; in front, seventy fathoms away, lay a small village; in it, as in the forest, the Spaniards were located, and two platoons of Mariupol and Belarusian hussars stood between the village and the forest, the Don Cossacks were on the left flank. The patrols sent in all directions reported that at a distance of 5 miles the enemy was nowhere to be seen, and the reassured Figner allowed the detachment to light a fire and indulge in rest. But, for almost the entire detachment, this vacation turned out to be the last. Before dawn on October 1, the partisans perked up at the drawn-out command: “to your horses!” Gun shots and screams from the combatants were heard in the village. It turned out that two or three platoons of enemy cavalry, taking advantage of the night and the carelessness of the Spaniards, broke their picket and rushed through the streets, but, met by the hussars, turned back and, pursued by shots, scattered across the field. Several captured Polish lancers showed that they belonged to the vanguard of Ney's corps advancing along the Dessau road. Meanwhile, dawn began, and a formation of enemy cavalry was discovered no more than a hundred fathoms from the village. The situation became critical, moreover, with sunrise, the presence of the enemy was discovered not on one, but on all sides. Obviously, the detachment of brave men was bypassed and pressed against the Elbe. Figner gathered the officers of the detachment. “Gentlemen,” he said, “we are surrounded; we need to break through; if the enemy breaks our ranks, then don’t think about me anymore, save yourself in all directions; I’ve told you about this many times. The gathering place is the village [Figner named it], it on the Torgau road, about ten versts from here...” The detachment entered the gap between the village occupied by a platoon of Spaniards and the forest and prepared for a united attack. The commanding words of enemy officers were heard in the fog. "Akhtyrtsy, Alexandrians, pikes at the ready, march - march!" Figner commanded, and the detachment cut into the enemy, paving the way for themselves with bayonets and pikes. Inspired by the example of their leader, a handful of brave men performed miracles of courage, but, suppressed by disproportionately superior forces, they were pushed back to the very banks of the Elbe. The partisans fought to the death: their ranks were broken, their flanks were captured, most of the officers and lower ranks were killed. Finally, the detachment could not stand it and rushed into the river, seeking salvation by swimming. Weak and wounded people and horses were carried away by the current and died in the waves or from enemy bullets raining down on them from the shore. Figner was among the dead; On the shore they found only his saber, which he had taken from a French general in 1812. This is how the famous partisan ended his days. His name became the best asset in the history of the exploits of the Russian troops, to the increase of the glory of which, it seemed, he devoted all his strength.

Disregarding his life, he volunteered to carry out the most dangerous assignments, led the most risky enterprises, selflessly loving his homeland, he seemed to be looking for an opportunity to take cruel revenge on Napoleon and his hordes. The entire Russian army knew about his exploits and highly valued them. Back in 1812, Kutuzov, sending a letter to his wife with Figner, instructed her: “Look at him closely: he is an extraordinary man; I have never seen such a high soul; he is a fanatic in courage and patriotism, and God knows what he won't do it." , Comrade Figner. due to the nature of his activity, he decided to cast a shadow on the glorious partisan, explaining, in his letter to, all of Figner’s heroism was only a thirst for satisfying his immense feelings of ambition and pride. Figner is portrayed in different colors according to the testimony of his other comrades and contemporaries, who appreciated in the famous partisan his true heroism, bright mind, captivating eloquence and outstanding willpower.

Despite different opinions about Figner’s personal qualities, this man was bold, courageous, daring, and fearless. Knew several foreign languages. The French awarded a large sum for his capture and called him a “terrible robber” who is as elusive as the devil.” This man deserves the attention and memory of posterity.

Conclusion

During the preparation for the counteroffensive, the combined forces of the army, militias and partisans constrained the actions of Napoleonic troops, inflicted damage on enemy personnel, and destroyed military property. The troops of the Tarutino camp firmly covered the routes to the southern regions that were not devastated by the war. During the French stay in Moscow, their army, without conducting open military operations, at the same time suffered significant losses every day. From Moscow, it became increasingly difficult for Napoleon to communicate with rear troops and send urgent dispatches to France and other Western European countries. The Smolensk road, which remained the only guarded postal route leading from Moscow to the west, was constantly subject to partisan raids. They intercepted French correspondence, especially valuable ones were delivered to the main apartment of the Russian army.

The actions of the partisans forced Napoleon to send large forces to guard the roads. Thus, to ensure the safety of the Smolensk road, Napoleon advanced part of the corps of Marshal Victor to Mozhaisk. Marshals Junot and Murat were ordered to strengthen the security of the Borovskaya and Podolsk roads.

The heroic struggle of the army, partisans, people's militia led by Kutuzov and his headquarters, the feat of the people in the rear created favorable conditions for the Russian army to launch a counteroffensive. The war was entering a new phase.

Analyzing the actions of military partisans and summing up the results of their activities during the army’s stay in the Tarutino camp, Kutuzov wrote: “During the six-week rest of the Main Army at Tarutino, my partisans instilled fear and horror in the enemy, taking away all means of food.” This was how the foundation for the approaching victory was laid. The names of Davydov, Seslavin, Figner and other brave commanders became known throughout Russia.

Denis Davydov, one of the first theorists of partisan warfare in 1812, reasonably believed that during the retreat of Napoleonic army, partisans participated together with the main units of the Russian army in all the most important combat operations and inflicted enormous damage on the enemy. He emphasized that “guerrilla warfare also has an impact on the main operations of the enemy army” and that partisan detachments “help the pursuing army to push back the retreating army and take advantage of local advantages for its final destruction.” 55. More than a third of the prisoners, a huge number of rifles, even cannons, various carts were taken by partisans. During the retreat of Napoleon's army, the number of prisoners increased so quickly that the command of the advancing Russian troops did not have time to allocate detachments to escort them and left a significant part of the prisoners in the villages under the protection of armed villagers.

Kutuzov had every reason to inform the tsar that “my partisans instilled fear and terror in the enemy, taking away all means of food.”

Chapter 2 Gratitude of descendants to the heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812 in Moscow

2.1 The Patriotic War of 1812 in the names of Moscow streets Many architectural ensembles and monuments of Moscow today remind us of the people's feat in 1812. The Triumphal Arch rises near Poklonnaya Hill on Kutuzovsky Prospekt. Not far from the Arc de Triomphe there is the Battle of Borodino panorama museum, a monument to the heroes of this battle and the famous Kutuzov Izba. The monument is installed on Victory Square.

From here the road to the center of Moscow leads through the monument to the heroes of Borodin - Borodinsky Bridge. And there it’s not far from Kropotkinskaya Street, where the house of the partisan of 1812 is located, and to the Khamovniki barracks (on Komsomolsky Prospekt), where the Moscow militia was formed in 1812. Not far from here is the Manege located next to the Kremlin - also a monument to the heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812, built for the 5th anniversary of the victory in this war.

Every place, every house or other monument associated with the time of the Patriotic War of 1812,

gives rise to a feeling of pride: for the heroic past of our people

The names of the streets also remind us of the War of 1812. Thus, in Moscow, a number of streets are named after the heroes of 1812: Kutuzovsky Prospect, Bagrationovsky, Platovsky, Barclay passages, streets of General Ermolov, D. Davydov, Seslavin, Vasilisa Kozhina, Gerasim Kurin, st. Bolshaya Filevskaya, st. Tuchkovskaya and many others.

Metro stations Bagrationovskaya, Kutuzovskaya, Fili, Filyovsky Park also remind of the war.

https://pandia.ru/text/77/500/images/image002_13.jpg" align="left" width="329" height="221 src=">

Fig.1 Seslavinskaya Street

· Seslavinskaya Street (July 17, 1963) Named in honor of A N Seslavin () - Lieutenant General, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812

· Denis Davydov street (May 9, 1961) Named in honor of D. V. Davydov () - poet one of the organizers of the partisan movement in 1812

https://pandia.ru/text/77/500/images/image005_7.jpg" align="left" width="294" height="221 src=">

· One thousand eight hundred and twelve (1812) street (May 12, 1959) Named in honor of the feat accomplished by the people of Russia in 1812 to defend their Fatherland

· Kutuzovsky Avenue (December 13, 1957). Named in honor of Kutuzov ()

Field Marshal General, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army during https://pandia.ru/text/77/500/images/image007_5.jpg" width="296" height="222">

Rice. 3 on

2.2 Monuments to the Patriotic War of 1812 in Moscow

· The 1812 Memorial at Poklonnaya Gora includes several objects.

Triumphal Arch

Kutuzovskaya hut

Temple of the Archangel Michael near Kutuzovskaya Izba

Museum-panorama "Battle of Borodino"

Kutuzov and the glorious sons of the Russian people

Fig.4 Arc de Triomphe

https://pandia.ru/text/77/500/images/image011_4.jpg" align="left" width="235" height="312 src=">

Fig.5 Kutuzov and the glorious sons of the Russian people

Fig.6 Kutuzovskaya hut

Rice. 7 Temple of the Archangel Michael near Kutuzovskaya Izba

· Monuments of the Patriotic War of 1812 in Moscow

Cathedral of Christ the Savior

Kremlin Arsenal

Moscow Manege

Alexander Garden

St. George's Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace

Borodinsky Bridge

Fig.8 Cathedral of Christ the Savior

Fig.9 Kremlin Arsenal

Rice. 10 Moscow Manege

Fig. 11Alexandrovsky Garden

Fig. 12 St. George's Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace

Fig. 13 Borodino Bridge

Conclusion

In the process of working on the project, we studied a lot of material about the partisans and their activities during the Patriotic War of 1812.

We know the name of Denis Davydov from literature lessons, but he was known as a poet. Having visited the Museum - the Battle of Borodino panorama, we recognized Denis Davydov from the other side - a brave, courageous partisan, a competent commander. Reading his biography in more detail, we became aware of the names of Alexander Seslavin,

Alexander Figner, who were also leaders of partisan detachments.

The partisans carried out daring raids on the enemy and obtained important information about the enemy’s activities. highly appreciated the activities of military partisans for their courage, unbridled bravery,

After the Patriotic War of 1812, Denis Davydov generalized and systematized

military results of the actions of military partisans in two works of 1821: “Experience in the theory of partisan actions” and “Diary of partisans”

actions of 1812”, where he rightly emphasized the significant effect of the new

for the 19th century forms of war to defeat the enemy. [12 p.181]

The collected material replenished the information fund of the school museum.

1. 1812 in Russian poetry and memoirs of contemporaries. M., 1987.

2. . M.: Moscow worker, 1971.

3. Heroes of 1812: Collection. M.: Young Guard, 1987.

4. , . Military Gallery of the Winter Palace. L.: Publishing house "Aurora", 1974.

5. Davydov Denis. War notes. M.: Gospolitizdat, 1940.

6. Moscow. Large illustrated encyclopedia. Moscow studies from A to. Eksmo, 2007

7. Moscow magazine. History of Russian Goverment. 2001. No. 1. p.64

8. Moscow is modern. Atlas. M. Print", 2005.

9. “The Thunderstorm of the Twelfth Year...” M. “Science” 1987 p.192

10. Patriotic War of 1812: Encyclopedia. M., 2004.

11. Popov Davydov. M.: Education, 1971.

12. Sirotkin War of 1812: Book. For students of Art. classes of environments school-M.: Enlightenment, 198 p.: ill.

13. Khataevich. M.: Moscow worker, 1973.

14. Figner Posluzhn. list, storage in the archives of St. Petersburg. artillery museum. - I.R.: "Camping notes of an artilleryman from 1812 to 1816", Moscow, 1835 - "Northern Post", 1813, No. 49. - "Russian Inv.", 1838, No. No. 91-99. - "Military Collection.", 1870, No. 8. - "Everyone. Illustrated.", 1848, No. 35. - "Russian Star.", 1887, vol. 55, p. 321- 338. - "Military encyclical lexicon", St. Petersburg, 1857. D. S - century. [Polovtsov]

Guerrilla war 1941-1945 (partisan movement) - one of the components of the USSR's resistance to the fascist troops of Germany and the Allies during the Great Patriotic War.

The movement of Soviet partisans during the Great Patriotic War was very large-scale and differed from other popular movements in the highest degree of organization and efficiency. The partisans were controlled by the Soviet authorities; the movement had not only its own detachments, but also headquarters and commanders. In total, during the war there were more than 7 thousand partisan detachments operating on the territory of the USSR, and several hundred more working abroad. The approximate number of all partisans and underground workers was 1 million people.

The goal of the partisan movement is to destroy the support system of the German front. The partisans were supposed to disrupt the supply of weapons and food, break communication channels with the General Staff and in every possible way destabilize the work of the German fascist machine.

The emergence of partisan detachments

On June 29, 1941, a directive was issued “to Party and Soviet organizations in front-line regions,” which served as an incentive for the formation of a nationwide partisan movement. On July 18, another directive was issued - “On the organization of the fight in the rear of German troops.” In these documents, the USSR government formulated the main directions of the Soviet Union’s struggle against the Germans, including the need to wage an underground war. On September 5, 1942, Stalin issued an order “On the tasks of the partisan movement,” which officially consolidated the partisan detachments already actively working by that time.

Another important prerequisite for the creation of an official partisan movement in the Great Patriotic War was the creation of the 4th Directorate of the NKVD, which began to form special detachments designed to wage subversive warfare.

On May 30, 1942, the Central Headquarters of the partisan movement was created, to which local regional headquarters, headed mainly by the heads of the Central Committee of the Communist Parties, were subordinate. It was the creation of headquarters that served as a serious impetus for the development of guerrilla warfare, since a unified and clear system of control and communication with the center significantly increased the effectiveness of guerrilla warfare. The partisans were no longer chaotic formations, they had a clear structure, like the official army.

The partisan detachments included citizens of different ages, genders and financial status. Most of the population not directly involved in military operations was related to the partisan movement.

Main activities of the partisan movement

The main activities of partisan detachments during the Great Patriotic War boiled down to several main points:

sabotage activities: destruction of enemy infrastructure - disruption of food supplies, communications, destruction of water pipes and wells, sometimes explosions in camps;
intelligence activities: there was a very extensive and powerful network of agents who were engaged in reconnaissance in the enemy’s camp on the territory of the USSR and beyond;
Bolshevik propaganda: in order to win the war and avoid internal unrest, it was necessary to convince citizens of the power and greatness of power;
direct combat operations: partisans rarely acted openly, but battles still occurred; in addition, one of the main tasks of the partisan movement was to destroy the vital forces of the enemy;
the destruction of false partisans and strict control over the entire partisan movement;
restoration of Soviet power in the occupied territories: this was carried out mainly through propaganda and mobilization of the local Soviet population remaining in the territories occupied by the Germans; the partisans wanted to reconquer these lands “from within.”

Partisan units

Partisan detachments existed almost throughout the entire territory of the USSR, including the Baltic states and Ukraine, but it is worth noting that in a number of regions captured by the Germans, the partisan movement existed, but did not support Soviet power. Local partisans fought only for their own independence.

Usually the partisan detachment consisted of several dozen people. By the end of the war, their number had increased to several hundred, but in most cases a standard partisan detachment consisted of 150-200 people. During the war, if necessary, units were united into brigades. Such brigades were usually armed with light weapons - grenades, hand rifles, carbines, but many of them also had heavier equipment - mortars, artillery weapons. Equipment depended on the region and the tasks of the partisans. All citizens who joined the detachments took an oath, and the detachment itself lived according to strict discipline.

In 1942, the post of commander-in-chief of the partisan movement was proclaimed, which was taken by Marshal Voroshilov, but then this post was abolished.

Particularly noteworthy are the Jewish partisan detachments, which were formed from the Jews who remained in the USSR and managed to escape from the ghetto camp. Their main goal was to save the Jewish people, who were particularly persecuted by the Germans. The work of such detachments was complicated by the fact that even among Soviet partisans anti-Semitic sentiments often reigned and there was nowhere for Jews to get help from. By the end of the war, many Jewish units mixed with the Soviet ones.

Results and significance of guerrilla warfare

Partisan movement in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. was one of the main resistance forces along with the regular army. Thanks to a clear structure, support from the population, competent leadership and good equipment of the partisans, their sabotage and reconnaissance activities often played a decisive role in the war of the Russian army with the Germans. Without partisans, the USSR could have lost the war.

The medal "Partisan of the Patriotic War" was established in the USSR on February 2, 1943. Over the following years, about 150 thousand heroes were awarded it. This material tells about five people's militias who, by their example, showed how to defend the Motherland.

Efim Ilyich Osipenko

An experienced commander who fought during the Civil War, a true leader, Efim Ilyich became the commander of a partisan detachment in the fall of 1941. Although a detachment is too strong a word: together with the commander there were only six of them. There were practically no weapons and ammunition, winter was approaching, and endless groups of the German army were already approaching Moscow.

Realizing that as much time as possible was needed to prepare the defense of the capital, the partisans decided to blow up a strategically important section of the railway near Myshbor station. There were few explosives, there were no detonators at all, but Osipenko decided to detonate the bomb with a grenade. Silently and unnoticed, the group moved close to the railway tracks and planted explosives. Having sent his friends back and being left alone, the commander saw the train approaching, threw a grenade and fell into the snow. But for some reason the explosion did not happen, then Efim Ilyich himself hit the bomb with a pole from a railway sign. There was an explosion and a long train with food and tanks went downhill. The partisan himself miraculously survived, although he completely lost his sight and was severely shell-shocked. On April 4, 1942, he was the first in the country to be awarded the “Partisan of the Great Patriotic War” medal for No. 000001.

Konstantin Chekhovich

Konstantin Chekhovich - organizer and performer of one of the largest partisan sabotage acts of the Great Patriotic War.

The future hero was born in 1919 in Odessa, almost immediately after graduating from the Industrial Institute he was drafted into the Red Army, and already in August 1941, as part of a sabotage group, he was sent behind enemy lines. While crossing the front line, the group was ambushed, and of the five people, only Chekhovich survived, and he had nowhere to take much optimism - the Germans, after checking the bodies, were convinced that he only had a shell shock and Konstantin Aleksandrovich was captured. He managed to escape from it two weeks later, and after another week he already got in touch with the partisans of the 7th Leningrad Brigade, where he received the task of infiltrating the Germans in the city of Porkhov for sabotage work.

Having achieved some favor with the Nazis, Chekhovich received the position of administrator at a local cinema, which he planned to blow up. He involved Evgenia Vasilyeva in the case - his wife’s sister was employed as a cleaner at the cinema. Every day she carried several briquettes in buckets with dirty water and a rag. This cinema became a mass grave for 760 German soldiers and officers - an inconspicuous “administrator” installed bombs on the supporting columns and roof, so that during the explosion the entire structure collapsed like a house of cards.

Matvey Kuzmich Kuzmin

The oldest recipient of the "Partisan of the Patriotic War" and "Hero of the Soviet Union" awards. He was awarded both awards posthumously, and at the time of his feat he was 83 years old.

The future partisan was born back in 1858, 3 years before the abolition of serfdom, in the Pskov province. He spent his entire life isolated (he was not a member of the collective farm), but by no means lonely - Matvey Kuzmich had 8 children from two different wives. He was engaged in hunting and fishing, and knew the area remarkably well.

The Germans who came to the village occupied his house, and later the battalion commander himself settled in it. At the beginning of February 1942, this German commander asked Kuzmin to be a guide and lead the German unit to the village of Pershino occupied by the Red Army, in return he offered almost unlimited food. Kuzmin agreed. However, having seen the route of movement on the map, he sent his grandson Vasily to the destination in advance to warn the Soviet troops. Matvey Kuzmich himself led the frozen Germans through the forest for a long time and confusedly and only in the morning led them out, but not to the desired village, but to an ambush, where the Red Army soldiers had already taken positions. The invaders came under fire from machine gun crews and lost up to 80 people captured and killed, but the hero-guide himself also died.

Leonid Golikov

He was one of many teenage partisans of the Great Patriotic War, a Hero of the Soviet Union. Brigade scout of the Leningrad partisan brigade, spreading panic and chaos in German units in the Novgorod and Pskov regions. Despite his young age - Leonid was born in 1926, at the start of the war he was 15 years old - he was distinguished by his sharp mind and military courage. In just a year and a half of partisan activity, he destroyed 78 Germans, 2 railway and 12 highway bridges, 2 food warehouses and 10 wagons with ammunition. Guarded and accompanied a food convoy to besieged Leningrad.

This is what Lenya Golikov himself wrote about his main feat in a report: “On the evening of August 12, 1942, we, 6 partisans, got out onto the Pskov-Luga highway and lay down near the village of Varnitsa. There was no movement at night. It was dawn. From Pskov 13 August, a small passenger car appeared. It was going fast, but near the bridge where we were, the car went quieter. Partisan Vasiliev threw an anti-tank grenade, but missed. Alexander Petrov threw the second grenade from the ditch, hit the beam. The car didn’t stop immediately, but went further 20 meters and almost caught up with us (we were lying behind a pile of stones). Two officers jumped out of the car. I fired a burst from a machine gun. I didn’t hit. The officer who was driving ran through the ditch towards the forest. I fired several bursts from my PPSh . Hit the enemy in the neck and back. Petrov began shooting at the second officer, who kept looking around, shouting and firing back. Petrov killed this officer with a rifle. Then the two of them ran to the first wounded officer. They tore off their shoulder straps, took a briefcase, documents, it turned out to be the general from the infantry of the special weapons troops, that is, the engineering troops, Richard Wirtz, who was returning from a meeting from Konigsberg to his corps in Luga. There was still a heavy suitcase in the car. We barely managed to drag him into the bushes (150 meters from the highway). While we were still at the car, we heard an alarm, a ringing sound, and a scream in the neighboring village. Grabbing a briefcase, shoulder straps and three captured pistols, we ran to our....”.

As it turned out, the teenager took out extremely important drawings and descriptions of new examples of German mines, maps of minefields, and inspection reports to higher command. For this, Golikov was nominated for the Golden Star and the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

He received the title posthumously. Defending himself in a village house from a German punitive detachment, the hero died along with the partisan headquarters on January 24, 1943, before he turned 17 years old.

Tikhon Pimenovich Bumazhkov

Coming from a poor peasant family, Hero of the Soviet Union, Tikhon Pimenovich was already the director of the plant at the age of 26, but the onset of the war did not take him by surprise. Bumazhkov is considered by historians to be one of the first organizers of partisan detachments during the Great Patriotic War. In the summer of 1941, he became one of the leaders and organizers of the extermination squad, which later became known as “Red October”.

In collaboration with units of the Red Army, the partisans destroyed several dozen bridges and enemy headquarters. In just less than 6 months of guerrilla warfare, Bumazhkov’s detachment destroyed up to two hundred enemy vehicles and motorcycles, up to 20 warehouses with fodder and food were blown up or captured, and the number of captured officers and soldiers is estimated at several thousand. Bumazhkov died a heroic death while escaping from encirclement near the village of Orzhitsa, Poltava region.

The partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War was massive. Thousands of residents of the occupied territories joined the partisans in order to fight the invader. Their courage and coordinated actions against the enemy made it possible to significantly weaken him, which influenced the course of the war and brought a great victory to the Soviet Union.

The partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War was a mass phenomenon in the territory of the USSR occupied by Nazi Germany, which was characterized by the struggle of people living in the occupied lands against the forces of the Wehrmacht.

Partisans are the main part of the anti-fascist movement, the Resistance of the Soviet People. Their actions, contrary to many opinions, were not chaotic - large partisan detachments were subordinate to the governing bodies of the Red Army.

The main tasks of the partisans were to disrupt the enemy's road, air and railway communications, as well as to undermine the operation of communication lines.

Interesting! As of 1944, over one million partisans were operating in the occupied lands.

During the Soviet offensive, partisans joined the regular troops of the Red Army.

Beginning of the guerrilla war

It is now well known what role the partisans played in the Great Patriotic War. Partisan brigades began to be organized in the first weeks of hostilities, when the Red Army was retreating with huge losses.

The main goals of the Resistance movement were set out in documents dating from June 29 of the first year of the war. On September 5, they developed a wide list that formulated the main tasks for the fight in the rear of German troops.

In 1941, a special motorized rifle brigade was created, which played a vital role in the development of the partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War. Separate sabotage groups (usually several dozen people) were specially sent behind enemy lines in order to replenish the ranks of partisan groups.

The formation of partisan detachments was caused by the brutal Nazi regime, as well as the removal of civilians from enemy-occupied territory to Germany for hard work.

In the first months of the war, there were very few partisan detachments, since most of the people took a wait-and-see attitude. Initially, no one supplied the partisan detachments with weapons and ammunition, and therefore their role at the beginning of the war was extremely small.

In the early autumn of 1941, communication with the partisans in the deep rear improved significantly - the movement of partisan detachments intensified significantly and began to be more organized. At the same time, the interaction of the partisans with the regular troops of the Soviet Union (USSR) improved - they took part in battles together.

Often, the leaders of the partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War were ordinary peasants who had no military training. Later, the Headquarters sent its own officers to command the detachments.

In the first months of the war, the partisans gathered in small detachments of up to several dozen people. After less than six months, the fighters in the detachments began to number hundreds of fighters. When the Red Army went on the offensive, the detachments turned into entire brigades with thousands of defenders of the Soviet Union.

The largest detachments arose in the regions of Ukraine and Belarus, where German oppression was especially severe.

Main activities of the partisan movement

An important role in organizing the work of resistance units was the creation of the Headquarters of the Partisan Movement (TsSHPD). Stalin appointed Marshal Voroshilov to the post of commander of the Resistance, who believed that their support was the key strategic goal of the spacecraft.

In the small partisan detachments there were no heavy weapons - light weapons predominated: rifles;

rifles;
pistols;
machine guns;
grenades;
light machine guns.

Large brigades had mortars and other heavy weapons, which allowed them to fight against enemy tanks.

The partisan and underground movement during the Great Patriotic War seriously undermined the work of the German rear, reducing the combat effectiveness of the Wehrmacht in the lands of Ukraine and the Belarusian SSR.

Partisan detachment in destroyed Minsk, photo 1944

Partisan brigades were mainly engaged in blowing up railways, bridges and trains, making the rapid transfer of troops, ammunition and provisions over long distances unproductive.

The groups that were engaged in subversive work were armed with powerful explosives; such operations were led by officers from specialized units of the Red Army.

The main task of the partisans during the fighting was to prevent the Germans from preparing a defense, undermine morale and inflict such damage on their rear from which it is difficult to recover. Undermining communications - mainly railways, bridges, killing officers, depriving communications and much more - seriously helped in the fight against the enemy. The confused enemy could not resist, and the Red Army was victorious.

Initially, small (about 30 people) units of partisan detachments took part in large-scale offensive operations of the Soviet troops. Then entire brigades joined the ranks of the spacecraft, replenishing the reserves of the troops weakened by the battles.

As a conclusion, we can briefly highlight the main methods of struggle of the Resistance brigades:

Sabotage work (pogroms were carried out in the rear of the German army) in any form - especially in relation to enemy trains.
Intelligence and counterintelligence.
Propaganda for the benefit of the Communist Party.
Combat assistance by the Red Army.
Elimination of traitors to the motherland - called collaborators.
Destruction of enemy combat personnel and officers.
Mobilization of civilians.
Maintaining Soviet power in the occupied areas.

Legalization of the partisan movement

The formation of partisan detachments was controlled by the command of the Red Army - the Headquarters understood that sabotage work behind enemy lines and other actions would seriously ruin the life of the German army. The headquarters contributed to the armed struggle of the partisans against the Nazi invaders, and assistance increased significantly after the victory at Stalingrad.

If before 1942 the mortality rate in partisan detachments reached 100%, then by 1944 it had dropped to 10%.

Individual partisan brigades were controlled directly by senior leadership. The ranks of such brigades also included specially trained specialists in sabotage activities, whose task was to train and organize less trained fighters.

The support of the party significantly strengthened the power of the detachments, and therefore the actions of the partisans were directed to help the Red Army. During any offensive operation of the spacecraft, the enemy had to expect an attack from the rear.

Sign operations

The Resistance forces carried out hundreds, if not thousands, of operations in order to undermine the enemy's combat capability. The most notable of them was the military operation “Concert”.

More than one hundred thousand soldiers took part in this operation and it took place over a vast territory: in Belarus, Crimea, the Baltic states, the Leningrad region, and so on.

The main goal is to destroy the enemy's railway communication so that he will not be able to replenish reserves and supplies during the battle for the Dnieper.

As a result, the efficiency of railways decreased by a catastrophic 40% for the enemy. The operation stopped due to a lack of explosives - with more ammunition, the partisans could have caused much more significant damage.

After the victory over the enemy on the Dnieper River, partisans began to participate en masse in major operations, starting in 1944.

Geography and scale of movement

Resistance units gathered in areas where there were dense forests, gullies and swamps. In the steppe regions, the Germans easily found the partisans and destroyed them. In difficult areas they were protected from the German numerical advantage.

One of the large centers of the partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War was in Belarus.

Belarusian partisans in the forests terrified the enemy, attacking suddenly when the Germans could not repulse the attack, and then also disappearing unnoticed.

Initially, the situation of the partisans on the territory of Belarus was extremely deplorable. However, the victory near Moscow, and then the winter offensive of the spacecraft, significantly raised their morale. After the liberation of the capital of Belarus, a partisan parade took place.

No less large-scale is the Resistance movement on the territory of Ukraine, especially in Crimea.

The cruel attitude of the Germans towards the Ukrainian people forced people en masse to join the ranks of the Resistance. However, here partisan resistance had its own characteristic features.

Very often the movement was aimed not only at fighting against the fascists, but also against the Soviet regime. This was especially evident in the territory of Western Ukraine; the local population saw the German invasion as liberation from the Bolshevik regime, and en masse went over to the side of Germany.

Participants in the partisan movement became national heroes, for example, Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, who died at the age of 18 in German captivity, becoming the Soviet Joan of Arc.

The struggle of the population against Nazi Germany took place in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Karelia and other regions.

The most ambitious operation carried out by the Resistance fighters was the so-called “Rail War”. In August 1943, large sabotage formations were transported behind enemy lines, and on the first night they blew up tens of thousands of rails. In total, more than two hundred thousand rails were blown up during the operation - Hitler seriously underestimated the resistance of the Soviet people.

As mentioned above, Operation Concert, which followed the Rail War and was associated with the offensive of the spacecraft forces, played an important role.

The partisan attacks became massive (warring groups were present on all fronts); the enemy could not react objectively and quickly - the German troops were in panic.

In turn, this caused executions of the population who assisted the partisans - the Nazis destroyed entire villages. Such actions encouraged even more people to join the Resistance.

Results and significance of guerrilla warfare

It is very difficult to fully assess the contribution of the partisans to the victory over the enemy, but all historians agree that it was extremely significant. Never before in history has the Resistance movement gained such a massive scale - millions of civilians began to stand up for their Motherland and brought it victory.

Resistance fighters not only blew up railways, warehouses and bridges - they captured Germans and handed them over to Soviet intelligence so that they would learn the enemy's plans.

At the hands of the Resistance, the defensive capacity of the Wehrmacht forces on the territory of Ukraine and Belarus was seriously undermined, which simplified the offensive and reduced losses in the ranks of the spacecraft.

Children-partisans

The phenomenon of child partisans deserves special attention. School-age boys wanted to fight the invader. Among these heroes it is worth highlighting:

Valentin Kotik;
Marat Kazei;
Vanya Kazachenko;
Vitya Sitnitsa;
Olya Demesh;
Alyosha Vyalov;
Zina Portnova;
Pavlik Titov and others.

Boys and girls were engaged in reconnaissance, supplied brigades with supplies and water, fought in battle against the enemy, blew up tanks - did everything to drive away the Nazis. Children partisans of the Great Patriotic War did no less than adults. Many of them died and received the title of “Hero of the Soviet Union.”

Heroes of the partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War

Hundreds of members of the Resistance movement became “Heroes of the Soviet Union” – some twice. Among such figures, I would like to highlight Sidor Kovpak, the commander of a partisan detachment who fought on the territory of Ukraine.

Sidor Kovpak was the man who inspired the people to resist the enemy. He was the military leader of the largest partisan formation in Ukraine and thousands of Germans were killed under his command. In 1943, for his effective actions against the enemy, Kovpak was given the rank of major general.

Next to him it is worth placing Alexey Fedorov, who also commanded a large formation. Fedorov operated on the territory of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. He was one of the most wanted partisans. Fedorov made a huge contribution to the development of guerrilla warfare tactics, which were used in subsequent years.

Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, one of the most famous female partisans, also became the first woman to receive the title of “Hero of the Soviet Union.” During one of the operations, she was captured and hanged, but she showed courage to the end and did not betray the plans of the Soviet command to the enemy. The girl became a saboteur despite the commander’s words that 95% of the entire staff would die during operations. She was assigned the task of burning down ten settlements in which German soldiers were based. The heroine was unable to fully carry out the order, since during the next arson she was noticed by a village resident who handed the girl over to the Germans.

Zoya became a symbol of resistance to fascism - her image was used not only in Soviet propaganda. The news of the Soviet partisan even reached Burma, where she also became a national hero.

Awards for members of partisan detachments

Since the Resistance played an important role in the victory over the Germans, a special award was established - the medal “Partisan of the Patriotic War”.

First class awards were often given to fighters posthumously. This applies, first of all, to those partisans who were not afraid to act in the first year of the war, being in the rear without any support from the spacecraft forces.

As war heroes, partisans appeared in many Soviet films devoted to military themes. Among the key films are the following:

"Rising" (1976).
"Konstantin Zaslonov" (1949).
The trilogy “The Thought of Kovpak”, published from 1973 to 1976.
“Partisans in the steppes of Ukraine” (1943).
“In the woods near Kovel” (1984) and many others.
The above-mentioned sources say that films about partisans began to be made during military operations - this was necessary so that people would support this movement and join the ranks of the Resistance fighters.

In addition to films, the partisans became heroes of many songs and ballads that highlighted their exploits and carried the news about them among the people.

Now streets and parks are named after famous partisans, thousands of monuments have been erected throughout the CIS countries and beyond. A striking example is Burma, where the feat of Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya is honored.

This is rarely remembered, but during the war years there was a joke that sounded with a tinge of pride: “Why should we wait until the Allies open a second front? It's been open for a long time! It’s called the Partisan Front.” If there is an exaggeration in this, it is a small one. The partisans of the Great Patriotic War really were a real second front for the Nazis.

To imagine the scale of guerrilla warfare, it is enough to provide a few figures. By 1944, about 1.1 million people fought in partisan detachments and formations. The losses of the German side from the actions of the partisans amounted to several hundred thousand people - this number includes Wehrmacht soldiers and officers (at least 40,000 people even according to the meager data of the German side), and all sorts of collaborators such as Vlasovites, police officers, colonists, and so on. Among those destroyed by the people's avengers were 67 German generals; five more were taken alive and transported to the mainland. Finally, the effectiveness of the partisan movement can be judged by this fact: the Germans had to divert every tenth soldier of the ground forces to fight the enemy in their own rear!

It is clear that such successes came at a high price for the partisans themselves. In the ceremonial reports of that time, everything looks beautiful: they destroyed 150 enemy soldiers and lost two partisans killed. In reality, partisan losses were much higher, and even today their final figure is unknown. But the losses were probably no less than those of the enemy. Hundreds of thousands of partisans and underground fighters gave their lives for the liberation of their homeland.

How many partisan heroes do we have?

Just one figure speaks very clearly about the severity of losses among partisans and underground participants: out of 250 Heroes of the Soviet Union who fought in the German rear, 124 people - every second! - received this high title posthumously. And this despite the fact that during the Great Patriotic War, a total of 11,657 people were awarded the country’s highest award, 3,051 of them posthumously. That is, every fourth...

Among the 250 partisans and underground fighters - Heroes of the Soviet Union, two were awarded the high title twice. These are the commanders of the partisan units Sidor Kovpak and Alexey Fedorov. What is noteworthy: both partisan commanders were awarded at the same time each time, by the same decree. For the first time - on May 18, 1942, together with partisan Ivan Kopenkin, who received the title posthumously. The second time - on January 4, 1944, together with 13 more partisans: this was one of the most massive simultaneous awards to partisans with the highest ranks.

Sidor Kovpak. Reproduction: TASS

Two more partisans - Hero of the Soviet Union wore on their chests not only the sign of this highest rank, but also the Gold Star of the Hero of Socialist Labor: the commissar of the partisan brigade named after K.K. Rokossovsky Pyotr Masherov and the commander of the partisan detachment “Falcons” Kirill Orlovsky. Pyotr Masherov received his first title in August 1944, the second in 1978 for his success in the party field. Kirill Orlovsky was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union in September 1943, and Hero of Socialist Labor in 1958: the Rassvet collective farm he headed became the first millionaire collective farm in the USSR.

The first Heroes of the Soviet Union from among the partisans were the leaders of the Red October partisan detachment operating on the territory of Belarus: the detachment's commissar Tikhon Bumazhkov and commander Fyodor Pavlovsky. And this happened during the most difficult period at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War - August 6, 1941! Alas, only one of them lived to see the Victory: the commissar of the Red October detachment, Tikhon Bumazhkov, who managed to receive his award in Moscow, died in December of the same year, leaving the German encirclement.

Belarusian partisans on Lenin Square in Minsk, after the liberation of the city from the Nazi invaders. Photo: Vladimir Lupeiko / RIA Novosti

Chronicle of partisan heroism

In total, in the first year and a half of the war, 21 partisans and underground fighters received the highest award, 12 of them received the title posthumously. In total, by the end of 1942, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR issued nine decrees conferring the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on partisans, five of them were group, four were individual. Among them was a decree on awarding the legendary partisan Lisa Chaikina dated March 6, 1942. And on September 1 of the same year, the highest award was awarded to nine participants in the partisan movement, two of whom received it posthumously.

The year 1943 turned out to be just as stingy in terms of top awards for partisans: only 24 awarded. But in the next year, 1944, when the entire territory of the USSR was liberated from the fascist yoke and the partisans found themselves on their side of the front line, 111 people received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union at once, including two - Sidor Kovpak and Alexey Fedorov - in the second once. And in the victorious year of 1945, another 29 people were added to the number of partisans - Heroes of the Soviet Union.

But many were among the partisans and those whose exploits the country fully appreciated only many years after the Victory. A total of 65 Heroes of the Soviet Union from among those who fought behind enemy lines were awarded this high title after 1945. Most of the awards found their heroes in the year of the 20th anniversary of the Victory - by decree of May 8, 1965, the country's highest award was awarded to 46 partisans. And the last time the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded on May 5, 1990, to the partisan in Italy, Fora Mosulishvili, and the leader of the Young Guard, Ivan Turkenich. Both received the award posthumously.

What else can you add when talking about partisan heroes? Every ninth person who fought in a partisan detachment or underground and earned the title of Hero of the Soviet Union is a woman! But here the sad statistics are even more inexorable: only five out of 28 partisans received this title during their lifetime, the rest - posthumously. Among them were the first woman, Hero of the Soviet Union Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, and members of the underground organization “Young Guard” Ulyana Gromova and Lyuba Shevtsova. In addition, among the partisans - Heroes of the Soviet Union there were two Germans: intelligence officer Fritz Schmenkel, awarded posthumously in 1964, and reconnaissance commander Robert Klein, awarded in 1944. And also Slovakian Jan Nalepka, commander of a partisan detachment, awarded posthumously in 1945.

It only remains to add that after the collapse of the USSR, the title of Hero of the Russian Federation was awarded to another 9 partisans, including three posthumously (one of the awarded was intelligence officer Vera Voloshina). The medal “Partisan of the Patriotic War” was awarded to a total of 127,875 men and women (1st degree - 56,883 people, 2nd degree - 70,992 people): organizers and leaders of the partisan movement, commanders of partisan detachments and particularly distinguished partisans. The very first of the medals “Partisan of the Patriotic War”, 1st degree, was received in June 1943 by the commander of a demolition group, Efim Osipenko. He was awarded the award for his feat in the fall of 1941, when he had to detonate a failed mine literally by hand. As a result, the train with tanks and food collapsed from the road, and the detachment managed to pull out the shell-shocked and blinded commander and transport him to the mainland.

Partisans by call of heart and duty of service

The fact that the Soviet government would rely on partisan warfare in the event of a major war on the western borders was clear back in the late 1920s and early 1930s. It was then that the OGPU employees and the partisans they recruited - Civil War veterans - developed plans for organizing the structure of future partisan detachments, laid down hidden bases and caches with weapons, ammunition and equipment. But, alas, shortly before the start of the war, as veterans recall, these bases began to be opened and liquidated, and the built warning system and organization of partisan detachments began to be broken. Nevertheless, when the first bombs fell on Soviet soil on June 22, many local party workers remembered these pre-war plans and began to form the backbone of future detachments.

But not all groups arose this way. There were also many who appeared spontaneously - from soldiers and officers who were unable to break through the front line, who were surrounded by units, specialists who did not have time to evacuate, conscripts who did not reach their units, and the like. Moreover, this process was uncontrollable, and the number of such detachments was small. According to some reports, in the winter of 1941-1942, over 2 thousand partisan detachments operated in the German rear, their total number was 90 thousand fighters. It turns out that on average there were up to fifty fighters in each detachment, more often one or two dozen. By the way, as eyewitnesses recall, local residents did not begin to actively join partisan detachments immediately, but only in the spring of 1942, when the “new order” showed itself in a nightmare, and the opportunity to survive in the forest became real.

In turn, the detachments that arose under the command of people who were preparing partisan actions even before the war were more numerous. Such were, for example, the detachments of Sidor Kovpak and Alexei Fedorov. The basis of such formations were employees of party and Soviet bodies, headed by future partisan generals. This is how the legendary partisan detachment “Red October” arose: the basis for it was the fighter battalion formed by Tikhon Bumazhkov (a volunteer armed formation in the first months of the war, involved in the anti-sabotage fight in the front line), which was then “overgrown” with local residents and encirclement. In exactly the same way, the famous Pinsk partisan detachment arose, which later grew into a formation - on the basis of a destroyer battalion created by Vasily Korzh, a career NKVD employee, who 20 years earlier was involved in preparing partisan warfare. By the way, his first battle, which the detachment fought on June 28, 1941, is considered by many historians to be the first battle of the partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War.

In addition, there were partisan detachments that were formed in the Soviet rear, after which they were transferred across the front line to the German rear - for example, Dmitry Medvedev’s legendary “Winners” detachment. The basis of such detachments were soldiers and commanders of NKVD units and professional intelligence officers and saboteurs. In particular, the Soviet “saboteur number one” Ilya Starinov was involved in the training of such units (as well as in the retraining of ordinary partisans). And the activities of such detachments were supervised by a Special Group under the NKVD under the leadership of Pavel Sudoplatov, which later became the 4th Directorate of the People's Commissariat.

The commander of the partisan detachment “Winners”, writer Dmitry Medvedev, during the Great Patriotic War. Photo: Leonid Korobov / RIA Novosti

The commanders of such special detachments were given more serious and difficult tasks than ordinary partisans. Often they had to conduct large-scale rear reconnaissance, develop and carry out penetration operations and liquidation actions. One can again cite as an example the same detachment of Dmitry Medvedev “Winners”: it was he who provided support and supplies for the famous Soviet intelligence officer Nikolai Kuznetsov, who was responsible for the liquidation of several major officials of the occupation administration and several major successes in human intelligence.

Insomnia and the rail war

But still, the main task of the partisan movement, which since May 1942 was led from Moscow by the Central Headquarters of the partisan movement (and from September to November also by the Commander-in-Chief of the partisan movement, whose post was occupied by the “first red marshal” Kliment Voroshilov for three months), was different. Not allowing the invaders to gain a foothold on the occupied land, inflicting constant harassing attacks on them, disrupting rear communications and transport links - this is what the mainland expected and demanded from the partisans.

True, the partisans, one might say, learned that they had some kind of global goal only after the appearance of the Central Headquarters. And the point here is not at all that previously there was no one to give orders; there was no way to convey them to the performers. From the autumn of 1941 until the spring of 1942, while the front was moving east at tremendous speed and the country was making titanic efforts to stop this movement, the partisan detachments mostly acted at their own peril and risk. Left to their own devices, with virtually no support from behind the front line, they were forced to focus more on survival than on inflicting significant damage on the enemy. Few could boast of communication with the mainland, and even then mainly those who were organizedly thrown into the German rear, equipped with both a walkie-talkie and radio operators.

But after the appearance of the headquarters, the partisans began to be centrally provided with communications (in particular, regular graduations of partisan radio operators from schools began), to establish coordination between units and formations, and to use the gradually emerging partisan regions as a base for air supply. By that time, the basic tactics of guerrilla warfare had also been formed. The actions of the detachments, as a rule, came down to one of two methods: harassing strikes at the place of deployment or long raids on the enemy’s rear. Supporters and active implementers of raid tactics were the partisan commanders Kovpak and Vershigora, while the “Winners” detachment rather demonstrated harassment.

But what almost all partisan detachments, without exception, did was disrupt German communications. And it doesn’t matter whether this was done as part of a raid or harassing tactics: attacks were carried out on railways (primarily) and roads. Those who could not boast of a large number of troops and special skills focused on blowing up rails and bridges. Larger detachments, which had subdivisions of demolitions, reconnaissance and saboteurs and special means, could count on larger targets: large bridges, junction stations, railway infrastructure.

Partisans mine railway tracks near Moscow. Photo: RIA Novosti

The largest coordinated actions were two sabotage operations - “Rail War” and “Concert”. Both were carried out by partisans on the orders of the Central Headquarters of the Partisan Movement and the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command and were coordinated with the offensives of the Red Army in the late summer and autumn of 1943. The result of the “Rail War” was a reduction in the operational transportation of the Germans by 40%, and the result of the “Concert” - by 35%. This had a tangible impact on providing the active Wehrmacht units with reinforcements and equipment, although some experts in the field of sabotage warfare believed that the partisan capabilities could have been managed differently. For example, it was necessary to strive to disable not so much railway tracks as equipment, which is much more difficult to restore. It was for this purpose that a device like an overhead rail was invented at the Higher Operational School for Special Purposes, which literally threw trains off the track. But still, for the majority of partisan detachments, the most accessible method of rail warfare was precisely the demolition of the track, and even such assistance to the front turned out to be pointless.

A feat that cannot be undone

Today's view of the partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War is seriously different from what existed in society 30 years ago. Many details became known that eyewitnesses had accidentally or deliberately kept silent about, testimonies appeared from those who never romanticized the activities of the partisans, and even from those who had a death view against the partisans of the Great Patriotic War. And in many now independent former Soviet republics, they completely swapped the plus and minus positions, writing the partisans as enemies, and the policemen as the saviors of the homeland.

But all these events cannot detract from the main thing - the incredible, unique feat of the people who, deep behind enemy lines, did everything to defend their Motherland. Albeit by touch, without any idea of tactics and strategy, with only rifles and grenades, but these people fought for their freedom. And the best monument to them can and will be the memory of the feat of the partisans - the heroes of the Great Patriotic War, which cannot be canceled or downplayed by any effort.

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