49th Guards Rifle Division combat path. In battles on Smolensk land

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"... Regardless of age, you can forget individual episodes of your biography, the features of people you once knew fade, the brightest vivid pictures of youth imprinted in your memory are even slightly obscured, but you must not forget the pages of your people ... "

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FORMATION OF THE DIVISION

Thousands of kilometers in battles with the Nazi invaders will pass the 69th - 107th motorized rifle division. There will be everything: grief for the dead comrades, and great victories before it becomes known as the 49th Guards Kherson Red Banner Order of Suvorov, 2nd degree, rifle division.

Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945 The city will forever remain in the memory of our people, in the memory of new generations. Far Eastern warriors made a great contribution to the victory over Nazi Germany. Two divisions left the region for the Great Patriotic War to defend the Motherland: the 69th and 204th divisions.

The history of the 69th - 107th motorized rifle divisions marks the difficult, sometimes dramatic military work of soldiers and commanders, when battles had to be fought in different front-line conditions: in retreat, encirclement and offensive. Sometimes the struggle went on for every firing point of the enemy, for every trench, with enormous physical and moral stress. The division arrived at the front from the banks of the Amur and Zeya. Participated in battles on Smolensk land, in the battles for Moscow, Stalingrad. Kherson, Nikolaev, Odessa, Moldova, Romania, Yugoslavia, Hungary. Czechoslovakia. And only on May 9-14 she completed victorious battles in the area of ​​the large Austrian city of Linz.

The division was formed by the spring of 1932 as the 3rd collective farm division of the OKDVA special collective farm corps. During these years, she was in the Khabarovsk Territory (corps commander twice Red Banner M. V. Kolmakov (repressed in 1937), conducted agricultural work in the area between the cities of Belogorsk and Blagoveshchensk.

severe climatic conditions in the Far East, the constant provocations of the Japanese on the border created additional difficulties for the commanders and the Red Army. The soldiers of the division, along with combat training, were engaged in agricultural work: sowed wheat, soybeans, planted potatoes, vegetables. IN winter period 1933-1936 military and political training was in progress, and with the onset of spring, usually from April 5 to April 11, tactical exercises with live shooting were carried out on the fields intended for sowing. After that, early sowing immediately began. Commanders, political workers, especially before the first sowing campaign, studied agricultural techniques for cultivating grain, soybeans, potatoes, vegetables, learned how to cultivate the land on STZ and KhTZ tractors, and use other soil-cultivating equipment. The personnel mastered the agricultural specialties needed by many after the end of military service. The main mode of transport was a double wagon and only 5-6 AMO vehicles per regiment. This transport transported everything necessary for work, food, grain to the elevators. Hay was harvested at a distance of 10-12 km. about ts. Ivanovka. During these works, the soldiers huddled in small houses and camp tents transported from the surrounding villages. The families of the commanders had a difficult life. They didn’t sell meat bread in stores at that time. railroad workers. Most families started farms.

This is how the retired colonel N. K. Serbaev describes this period of the guard: “How hungry we lived in those years Soviet people, could be judged by the replenishment to the division that arrived in 1933 from Ukraine. Sunken eyes, large noses beyond their age, thin lips withered - the characteristic appearance of each conscript. Only regular normal food, health care helped young men not only to survive, but also to get stronger physically. Efficiency, high diligence were inherent in those boys. Warriors not only physically, but also psychologically hardened, experiencing stress in living conditions.

In 1936, the division was transferred to the Ivanovo region. The division headquarters, rifle regiments are located in the village. , separate parts - in the village of Ivanovka, Blagoveshchensk, Tambov regions. During a period of special tension on the border, the 118th artillery regiment is temporarily transferred to Konstantinovsky area. Since October of this year, the division was transformed into the 69th Rifle Division, and then a motorized rifle division. There were few such divisions, essentially new in structure, which included not only rifle and artillery regiments, but also a tank regiment, at that time in the Red Army.

The repressions of the 1930s had a negative impact on the division. From the memoirs of Nikolai Kirillovich Serbaev: "Mass repressions did not bypass the division and the 118th artillery regiment. The commander of the division, Colonel Zaitsev, and his successors were arrested: A. Anufriev, chief of staff Barinov, head of the operational department, Korean Kim, commander of the artillery regiment, Latvian Rudzit, commissar Burmistrov, assistant in logistics, Captain Kuklin, commanders and political workers of other regiments. In the 118th / future guards / artillery regiment, it turned out that Lieutenant Gennady Sharygin took command of the regiment ... I, too, because of the repressed middle brother Constantine, political distrust was expressed and from the border Konstantinovka was transferred to Tomich as the commander of the 5th battery under the supervision of senior political officer Belash. "But even at this difficult time, combat and political training was intensively going on. In harsh winter conditions, theoretical knowledge was worked out and consolidated. It happened that tents flared up due to overheating of the stoves. living conditions privates, commanders and their families.

In with. Cheremkhovo were built the House of the Soviet Army, solid apartments for the families of commanders, barracks, canteens, warehouses. Many buildings from that period have survived to this day. In all documents, memoirs of veterans of the division, the thought of enhanced training, training of command personnel, Red Army soldiers runs like a red thread.

Blazing in the west the second World War, the events at Khasan and Khalkhin Gol required the accelerated development of new technology. The exercises of the soldiers took place in conditions close to combat. Provocations on the border from the Side of Japan intensified.

Guards captain, retired I. I. Glorious writes: " For two years, we trained Red Army soldiers of a military specialty: drivers of T-20 transporters - excellent driving and shooting from machine guns, trained gunners and gunners, taught the choice of firing positions, targets for accurately hitting them with fragmentation and armor-piercing shells when escorting infantry on the offensive, and also when repulsing tank attacks and organizing strong anti-tank points in tank-dangerous directions. All this played a colossal role in repelling the tank attacks of the 20th German tank division tanks that broke through to the rear of our units in the first battles near the village of Krapivnya, Smolensk region.

On June 22, 1941, Slavny Ivan Ivanovich, on duty at the Cheremkhovo garrison, was the first to receive the news of the attack of fascist Germany on the Soviet Union. During these June days, almost the entire composition of the division was in summer camps. Already on July 27, the last of its military units plunged into echelons at Berezovka and Srednebelaya stations and poisoned to the front.

So, the division under the command of Colonel Petr Nikolayevich Domrachev, having in its composition the 120th motorized rifle regiment / commander Colonel P. G. Chanchibadze /, the 237th motorized rifle regiment / commander Lieutenant Colonel G. F. Dobrovolsky /, in the future both Heroes Soviet Union/, 118th artillery regiment / commander lieutenant colonel I.F. Mityukhin /, 109th division of 45-mm guns, a separate anti-aircraft battery of 37-mm guns, and in the regiments, a company of quad anti-aircraft installations "Maxim", arrived at the front and unloaded at the site Nelidovo-Olenino. By this time, the 143rd Tank Regiment under the command of Colonel G.I. Bychinsky additionally arrived from Zavitinsk, Amur Region.

The military unit was replenished with new tanks "T-34" and "KV-1" and on July 17, 1941 was renamed the 107th tank division. Having made a 200-kilometer march, she took up defense at the Bely - Yelnya line and near the village of Krapivnya, Yartsevsky district, Smolensk region, blocked the advance of the 20th German Panzer Division, defeated it, and threw the remnants back 20-25 km. From Yartsevo to Moscow, the Germans had to overcome only 300 kilometers,

In "History of the Red Banner Far Eastern Military District" / ed, 1971 / it is written: "... In July 1941, the 107th motorized rifle division arrived at one of the sectors of the Western Front. After unloading in the area Nelidovo-Olenino she became part of the 30th Army, made a 200-kilometer march, and on July 23, west of the town of Bely, she entered into battle with the 20th Panzer Division of the enemy. By July 25, the enemy had suffered serious losses. On the site of the 107th motorized rifle division alone, 700 enemy corpses and more than 200 wrecked tanks and armored vehicles remained. "/ The authors admit inaccuracy in two cases. The 107th tank division entered the battle and only on September 6, 1941 was again renamed the 107th motorized rifle/.

What contributed to the first success of this division? Success accompanied not only this Far Eastern connection. WITH Far East 23 divisions, 19 brigades, as well as aviation units, hundreds of marching companies, and a lot of military equipment were transferred to the active army to the most dangerous sectors of the fight against the Germans. Having received good combat training in the Far East, the units fought near Smolensk, Moscow, Stalingrad and Leningrad, on the Kursk Bulge and on the Dnieper, and on the grandiose final operations of the Great Patriotic War. Eight Far Eastern formations earned the rank of guards, including two that went to the front from the Ivanovsky region - the 107th and 204th motorized rifle divisions.

Many memoirs of veterans of the units of the Far Eastern District confirm the high combat readiness of the formations. In the book "From the Amur to the Danube and the Elbe" / ed. 1990 / in the article "107th / 2nd Guards / Motor Rifle Division" retired Lieutenant General N. Morgunov, at that time the commander of the tank battalion of this division, talking about the feat on the front of the Far Eastern soldiers, emphasized that in our army is not some special detachment, that their personnel had the same wonderful features as everyone else Soviet soldiers. “But it must be borne in mind,” he writes, “that the Far East for many years was the edge of our most disturbing border, the edge where severe battles with enemies broke out more than once, where our fighting traditions were honed and multiplied, the traditions of the heroes of Volochaevka, Spassk , CER, Hasana.

The very service in this region, harsh and less settled, tempered the hearts and strengths of people. And this gave rise to the soldiers from the banks of the Amur and Pacific Ocean a feeling of special patriotic pride", and further "... Speaking of this, I want to express a deep feeling of gratitude, which I feel for many wonderful commanders who prepared us in the Far East in the 30s for the coming battles. This primarily applies to the commander of the Far Eastern troops, V.K. Blucher.

About the courage, courage, about the remarkable qualities of Vasily Konstantinovich Blucher, a man and a commander, legends were made up among the people. Cavalier of the Order of the Red Banner number one, hero of Perekop, Volochaevka ... I thank fate for the fact that I had a close chance to meet him, the glorious commander of OK TWO, to hear his good advice ... Marshal V.K. battles with the Nazi invaders at that unreasonably difficult time. But such a high was the combat training received by many Far Eastern soldiers, primarily, of course, by regular commanders in the Far Eastern troops, led by V.K. Blucher and his wonderful companions, the ideological and moral imprint left in our minds by his activities, his personality was so deep that all this was our reliable weapon in the fiercest battle with the enemy.

Invisibly even, perhaps, somehow implicitly, he was then with us. And I can't e to say about it, remembering the last war.

After the Great Patriotic War, Lieutenant-General N. Morgunov again served in the Far East for 15 years as deputy commander of the Far Eastern Military District for combat training.

IN THE BATTLE ON SMOLENSK LAND.

By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated May 6, 1985, the city of Smolensk was awarded the honorary title of "Hero City" for the courage and steadfastness, mass heroism of the working people in the fight against the Nazi invaders during the Great Patriotic War. The Smolensk-Moscow direction of all the strategic directions on which the hordes of invaders attacked was considered paramount. The Hitlerite command, counting on its "blitzkrieg", intended for the first week of the war to capture the Vitebsk-Mogilev-Smolensk region, encircle and destroy the main forces of the troops of the Western Front and open the way to Moscow.

The Smolensk defensive battle, grandiose in scale, began on July 10, 1941. The 107th Panzer Division under the command of Colonel Pyotr Nikolaevich Domrachev appeared in the Smolensk region in the terrible, dramatic days of July 1941. Possessing a significant superiority in men and equipment in the first period of the war, German troops already invaded the Smolensk region on July 13, and on the evening of July 15 their advanced units broke into Smolensk.

One of the enemy tank wedges broke through our defenses and reached with its tip the district center Prechistoye, and then invaded the Baturinsky district through the Dukhovshchina-Bely highway. Following them, columns of the 20th German Panzer Division appeared in these places, deployed to reinforce the enemy grouping that had broken through. By order of July 21, 1941, the Military Council of the Western direction created army groups of generals V. D. Khomenko and S. A. Kalinin and sent them to the breakthrough site. By the same order, units of the 107th Panzer Division were advanced from the city of Bely to the Baturino area for its subsequent inclusion in the group of General K.K. Rokossovsky. However, the rapid advance of the German 20th Panzer Division changed the situation.

Moving into the regional center of Baturino, the 107th Panzer suddenly ran into the enemy and on the night of July 22 came into contact with the Germans. After a short battle, they began to gain a foothold at the turn of the Osotnya River, not far from the settlements of Mikhailovshchina, Karpovo, Krapivnya, preparations for battle were hastily going on. Separate units only approached the planned lines by dawn.

Morning of July 22, 1941. Exactly a month ago, Nazi Germany treacherously attacked our country. Its troops passed in the main Moscow direction, Belarus, part of the Smolensk region. Behind them was the capital of our Motherland. And the Nazis decided to mark this date with a new throw to the east. The enemy delivered the main blow near the village of Krapivnya. dozens of fascist tanks rushed to the positions of our soldiers. The forces were clearly unequal. The enemy 20th tank division in terms of tanks and armored vehicles was twice as superior to our 107th tank division. True, we had excellent tanks: the medium T-34 and the heavy KB, but at that time there were very few of them. Dangerous for our division was the fact that by the beginning of the battle it had open flanks.

In the first minutes of the battle, confusion occurred in a number of formations. You can understand, because it was for our soldiers the first battle in a real war. And it was here that the enemy tanks managed to break through the defenses and reached the firing positions of the 118th artillery regiment. But the gunners - the Far East, having overcome the confusion, with bitterness and great artillery dexterity developed in the Far Eastern fields, boldly entered the battle. The battle was skillfully led by the commander of the artillery regiment, lieutenant colonel Ivan Fedorovich Mityukhin and the chief of staff of the regiment, captain Mikhail Pavlovich Besedin, the commissar of the regiment Ostyakov Innokenty Mitrofanovich. Hurricane fire gunners smashed the tanks and battle formations of the Nazis. Separate gun crews rolled out their guns from shelters and destroyed German tanks with direct fire. But even those fired at artillerymen from tank guns, watered from machine guns. Warriors died, the wounded appeared, but the soldiers did not retreat. Enemy aircraft dropped tons of bombs on positions.

Some enemy tanks managed to break through to the positions of the artillerymen, but they did not decide the outcome of the battle and were soon destroyed by the fire of guns put forward for direct fire. From the explosions of shells, bombs and the actions of tanks, communication with the divisions was lost, they had to manage by direct communication with the commanders of the divisions and batteries. It was very difficult to do this in such a fierce oncoming battle.

From the memoirs of M. P. Besedin: “I, with the assistant chief of communications of the regiment, junior lieutenant Rashchupkin, while remaining at the observation post, ended up among German tanks, and, as we later learned, we had already been reported to the division headquarters as dead in this battle. But after "ironing" our gap, where we were hiding, with German tanks, we nevertheless managed to get out and make our way to our headquarters. By evening, the fighting had subsided. Our units put themselves in order, equipped combat positions and fought a firefight."

The division of 152-mm howitzers, commanded by Captain Nikolai Kirillovich Serbaev, fought decisively. ... Black smoke obscured the sun. Fascist tanks were on fire. Captain Serbaev's battery occupied firing positions at the edge of the Baturin forest. Correcting the fire of the batteries, he gave the command in a hoarse voice. He no longer remembered what kind of attack the tanks, supported by the Junkers, were undertaking. If only there were enough shells! .. Night fell, and in the morning the guns rumbled again, causing great damage to the pressing enemy. They helped our tankers point-blank shoot and ram powerful enemy vehicles. The fighters with fire from machine guns mowed down the fascist paratroopers. The paint on the barrels of the guns burned from the intense fire, the water in the Maxim machine guns boiled. From the scorching sun, dust and burning, the soldiers lost their taste for food, they only wanted to drink. The tanks were rapidly approaching the observation post of Nikolai Serbaev ... " / N. Shapkin, N. Gorodov, newspaper "Omskaya Pravda" dated November 17, 1980, article "And the tanks did not pass."

In this battle, the battery under the command of Sergeant Alexei Konstantinovich Besedin distinguished himself. His well-aimed and timely volleys more than once disabled enemy mortars, machine guns, and detained columns of motorized infantry. When the tanks broke through to the firing positions of Captain Serbaev's division, Alexei Besedin's guns fired accurately. The fighters did not leave their posts, and under the bombardment they continued to methodically and accurately send shell after shell. "... Enemies began to fire at the gunners from a gun with which they best owned a mortar. Mines lay around the guns of Alexei Besedin, the gunner was wounded, but the battery fire did not stop. Then five German tanks were sent to suppress the guns. Aleksey Besedin, maintaining restraint and composure, let cars closer, rolled out one heavy gun to an open position, shot three tanks point-blank, but two cars escaped and crawled around to the guns. Besedin, standing at the gun, shouted: "Fire! For 1 "one!" The battery still continued to fire at the enemy. Besedin fell slain by a bullet, but the guns did not stop, sending shell after shell with the same accuracy, "/Article of the military special correspondent O. Kurganov "Victory or Death" in the newspaper "Pravda" for October 2, 1941 /, The feat of the brave artilleryman became known to the entire Western Front, The front-line newspaper "Krasnoarmeyskaya Pravda" also wrote about him.

All the difficulties of this battle were also experienced by our fellow countryman of the guard, retired captain Ivan Ivanovich Glorious. Having fulfilled the combat order of the division command, having reconnoitred concentrations of German tanks west of Krapivnia, he received the following order: to equip an anti-tank stronghold on the edge of the forest near the road east of Krapivnia. From the memoirs of I. I. Slavny: “At the stronghold anti-tank point, the combat unit had two armored personnel carriers, two 45 mm anti-tank guns / during the war they were simply called “magpies” /, and to them three sets of armor-piercing and fragmentation shells, one heavy KV tank. The order was extremely brief: to stand to the end, not to let the German tanks into the rear of the division ... One group of German tanks - a dozen and a half with machine gunners moved to our positions, the other, most of them, went around the forest where the batteries of Vasily Dmitrievich Rusinov were located - Commander of the 1st Battalion, 118th Artillery Regiment. Letting a column of tanks to 600-700 meters, we opened fire. The first tank caught fire, stopped, blocking the path of the rest of the vehicles, the Nazis opened up indiscriminate return fire. Part of the tanks began to slide onto the side of the road, several got stuck in a swamp ... In this battle, we destroyed three tanks and three dozen machine gunners. The Germans retreated. This gave us confidence that an impudent fascist can be beaten."

It was just before this battle in July 1941 that Ivan Ivanovich wrote in his medallion: "I'm not going to die." For this battle, I. I. Glorious was awarded the Order of the Red Star and received it from the hands of M. I. Kalinin in the Kremlin.

In the first battle, the gunners made a decisive contribution to the destruction of German tanks, their artillery and manpower. It is impossible not to stop at the feat of the commander of the fire platoon of the 2nd battery, Lieutenant Parfenov. Smolensk journalists M. Vorobyov, V. Usov in the book "For every piece of land" in chapter "There is metal stronger metal”, this is how this event is described: “... Parfenov, repelling the attack of German tanks at the observation post of the artillery regiment with three guns, stood up to his full height and, despite the whistle of bullets and close explosions of shells, gave commands. The courageous behavior of Lieutenant Parfenov was transferred to gun crews. the red-hot barrels of the guns were already smoking paint, and they were all hitting. Nine enemy tanks had already been knocked out and set on fire by the gunners, but a fragment of enemy metal struck Parfyonov ... "In all areas of this battle, the batteries stood to death. Not a single battery left its positions. And they won.

And in separate sections of the nine-kilometer front, the combat vehicles of the 143rd tank regiment of Lieutenant Colonel G. I. Bychinsky met in a fierce battle with German tanks. Far Eastern tankers confidently entered the first battle. Led by their fearless commander, the tankers hit the German vehicles with well-aimed fire, and went to ram when the shells ran out. Tank commanders Golubev and Zakharchenko, along with their crews, died in this head-on battle. Other tankers also died that day, but in pa g did not go through any section. Our compatriots-tankers successfully fought: the driver Sergeant Mikhail Ivanovich Shulga from the village. Ivanovka, platoon commander Lieutenant P.I. Petrov, tank commander foreman P.A. Petrochenko from the city of Blagoveshchensk.

The Hitlerite command, not having achieved the set task, enraged by the failure, hastily creates a strong tank fist in the area Mikhailovshchina-Krapivnya and early in the morning next day throwing him to the front of the 107th Panzer Division. And before that, a flurry of fire hit the defense of its defenders. German bombers dropped tons of bombs. At the junction of the 14th Tank Battalion of the 143rd Tank Regiment and the 120th Motorized Rifle Regiment, the enemy managed to penetrate the defenses of the compound. But soon this breakthrough was eliminated not only here, but also in other areas.

The fighting continued, the enemy tanks continued to attack. As a result of these battles, dozens of our and enemy tanks remained on the scorched earth in the Baturino area. But the Germans did not achieve their goal. In these bloody brutal battles, they lost a lot of equipment, manpower, their offensive impulse dried up, and their units went on the defensive in the interfluve Vop-Votrya-Osotnya.

The Nazis, having the main strongholds of the villages of Mikhailovshchina and Yakunino, began hastily to gain a foothold near the village of Krapivnya. They thoroughly failed to do this, since on July 24, by order of the command in the morning, the 107th tank division went over to a decisive offensive and attacked the enemy in the Osotnya-Votrya interfluve. Her main blow was delivered to Krapivnya. The offensive of tanks and motorized infantry was supported by the illustrious units of the 118th artillery regiment.

A heavy tank battle broke out. Machines closely and mercilessly exterminated each other. But the onslaught of Far Eastern tankers, supported by well-aimed fire from the batteries of the 118th Artillery Regiment, was constantly intensifying. The Germans were driven out of Krapivnia. The advancing units began to move towards Mikhailovshchina and Yakunino. The enemy again responded with a strong tank counterattack. The Germans managed to wedge themselves into the battle formations of the 143rd Tank Regiment of Lieutenant Colonel G. I. Bychinsky. / G. I. Bychinsky was buried in a mass grave with. Bogolyubovo, Smolensk region/. But the German success was temporary. In this battle, the KV-1 and T-34 tanks performed well.

Here are two episodes from this heavy tank battle. "The commander of the tank company Kukushkin, firing shells in battle, ordered the driver:" Semenov, crush the bastards! "And obedient in the hands of foreman Semenov" thirty-four"rushed to the nearest German tank. A strong blow to the side, an incredible rattle - and the conqueror was overturned. The same target appeared - and the second German tank shared the fate of the first. And foreman Selivanov threw his T-34 from some hillock onto the third car. the tank was tilted to the left side. And the "thirty-four" with its right half crawled onto it, and it froze on the defeated German car. When, after the battle, I looked in the T-34, traces of blood spoke about the cost of the victory. "/ M Vorobyov, V. Usov "For every piece of land" Moscow worker, 1989 /

An eyewitness to this episode was the former deputy commander of the 14th tank battalion of the 143rd tank regiment for the technical part of T. I. Chaika. He participated as a driver on the tank of the battalion commander N. V. Morgunov in four attacks. He recalls: "... This happened when units of the 107th Panzer Division began to flow around German positions on the heights in the area of ​​Yakunin and Mikhailovshchina. They crossed the Votrya River and rushed to the village of Gorodno. light tank Senior Sergeant George Pitskelauri was shot down in a German trench. The Nazis surrounded the car, repeatedly offered the crew to surrender, and machine-gun and cannon fire was heard in response. Tankers fought back until night, until the ammunition ran out. But the enemy did not surrender. At night, the tank caught fire, and in it three male voices sang the Internationale.

Over four days of stubborn fighting in the area defended by the 107th Panzer Division, more than 700 Nazis, 200 tanks and armored vehicles were destroyed. The enemy retreated.

"In stubborn battles ... the En formation under the leadership of Comrade Domrachev inflicted great damage on the 20th Panzer Division of the German Army. Our formation, having crossed the river, went on the offensive and attacked the positions of the German division. Strong artillery and machine-gun fire, which was conducted by the Germans, could not delay the advance of our unit. soviet tanks. In a fierce tank battle, the Germans lost dozens of vehicles, hundreds of German soldiers died under the tracks of our heavy tanks, from the fire of guns and machine guns. The 112th and 59th German tank regiments were badly damaged. Parts of the formations of Comrade Domracheva captured a lot of equipment and equipment ... "

For exploits in the first battles, 60 soldiers of the division were awarded orders and medals. At the beginning of the war, it must be borne in mind that awards were not often made. The 107th Panzer Division, its soldiers with their courage and courage stopped the arrogant, self-confident, strong enemy. They forced him to stop, move back for a long time to go on the defensive three hundred kilometers from his main goal, Moscow.

In the following days, for two months, the heroic formation of the 107th tank as part of the 30th army of General V. A. Khomenko took up active defense. There have been changes in its structure and command staff. The division lost a lot of tanks in heavy battles, and there was nothing to replenish in the near future. Therefore, on September 16, 1941, it was again transformed into the 107th motorized rifle. On August 31, the seriously wounded division commander, Colonel Domrachev Petr Nikolaevich, was replaced by Colonel Chanchibadze Porfiry Georgievich, who commanded the 120th motorized rifle regiment in this unit. This talented, courageous commander fought remarkably throughout the Great Patriotic War, became a colonel general, Hero of the Soviet Union, commander of the 2nd Guards Army. But for this it was necessary to go through the whole war and survive.

apoca there were defensive battles and sometimes in a summary from the Soviet information bureau it was possible hear on the radio and read in the newspapers: "... the Ensk unit of Comrade Chanchibadze in the area ... fought local battles ..."

NAMOSKOVSKAYA DIRECTION

At the end of September 1941, the formation of Porfiry Georgievich Chanchibadze took up defensive positions in the area of ​​​​the town of Bely, Smolensk Region, at a relatively short distance from Moscow. And on September 30, 1941, one of the largest battles of the Second World War began - the Battle of Moscow. These were stubborn, fierce battles, the enemy in the Moscow direction had a numerical superiority over the Soviet troops: in personnel by 1.4 times, in guns and mortars - in 1.8, in tanks - in 1.7, in aircraft - in two times. Hitler and his generals believed that with such superiority, their Army Group Center would quickly achieve decisive success.

At the beginning of October 1941, the 107th motorized rifle division faced such tests that there were few chances for life for soldiers and commanders of all ranks. When on October 2 the enemy strike groups created in the area of ​​​​Dukhovshchina and Roslavl launched an offensive against Moscow and broke through the front, the division as part of the 30th Army in the most difficult conditions repelled attack after attack of the largely superior enemy forces in this sector. On October 3-5, she took part in an army counterattack and defeated the German motorized infantry regiment and connected with the units fighting on the first line of defense. However, the forces of the parties were unequal. In the course of stubborn fighting, the enemy managed to capture Belyi and encircle our troops in this area. On October 6, the 107th motorized rifle received an order to retreat to the Rzhev-Vyazemsky defensive line. But the division failed to complete this task. Enemy aircraft dealt eight blows to its combat formations that day. She was forced to fight in the encirclement in the areas of Volnovo, Samsonikha, Bykovo.

A participant in these events, the former head of the 118th artillery regiment, M P. Besedin, subsequently wrote: "... Many times superior enemy forces fell on the parts of the division ... Avalanches of tanks, armored vehicles, guns, mortars, motorized infantry and aviation brought down a flurry of deadly It is impossible to describe the courage and perseverance with which our gun crews, regardless of losses, repulsed the continuous attacks of tanks, armored vehicles and motorized infantry ... Having used up almost all the ammunition and fuel, we had a difficult way out of the encirclement, vehicles and equipment had to be destroyed, and the remaining fuel was poured into serviceable tanks, organizing a punching ram out of them ... "

Overcoming all difficulties, having neither enough food nor ammunition, the division, at the limit of its capabilities, inflicted significant losses on the enemy in the encirclement, smashed his rear, pulled back the German units rushing to Moscow. The formation passed almost four hundred kilometers, making its way through forests and swamps, and on October 31, it left the encirclement in the Kopylov region of the Kalinin region and joined its troops on the Mozhaisk line of defense, prepared by the workers of Moscow.

In the report of the Political Directorate of the Western Front of the Red Army dated October 10, 1941, which is stored in the military archive, we learn about the valor of the 107th motorized rifle division, which successfully fought in the encirclement. It is also known from this document that the Military Council of the 30th Army on the same day sent a welcome telegram to the motorized riflemen in commemoration of their heroic deeds. The feat of the soldiers of the 107th motorized rifle was set as an example to all the personnel of this army.

The German command began the second stage of the offensive against Moscow on November 15 with a strike against the 30th Army of the Kalinin Front. South of the Volga reservoir, this army had a relatively weak defense. More than 300 enemy tanks were advancing against the 30th Army, which were opposed by only 56 of our light tanks with weak weapons. A very strong enemy grouping consisting of the 14th motorized rifle, 6th and 7th tank divisions attacked the 107th motorized rifle division, which was defending south of the Moscow Sea. As a result, the defense could not stand it and was quickly broken through here. The troops of the 30th Army and the 107th Motorized Rifle Division were forced to retreat, stubbornly resisting at intermediate lines. The most critical situation developed in the zone of the 107th Motorized Rifle Division. The enemy crossed the Lama River, began to develop a strike along the coast of the southern part of the Moscow Sea on the village of Zavidovo. The division fought already surrounded. There was a threat of the Germans seizing the railway and highway bridges across the Moscow Sea - they had to be blown up. Enemy troops in the morning of November 16, having launched an offensive, quickly advanced towards the city of Klin. There were no reserve rates to close this gap; they were abandoned in the Volokolamsk region.

Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov in the book "Memoirs and Reflections" in the chapter "Battle for Moscow" writes: "I don’t remember what date - it was shortly after the tactical breakthrough of the Germans in the sector of the 30th Army of the Kalinin Front - I called and V. Stalin asked: Are you sure that we will keep Moscow? I ask you this with pain in my soul. Speak honestly, like a communist.

Moscow, of course, we will keep. But we still need at least two armies and at least six tanks.

It's good that you have such confidence. Call the General Staff and arrange where to concentrate the two reserve armies that you ask. They will be ready by the end of November. We won’t be able to give tanks yet.”

From this conversation, one can judge and imagine the complexity of the situation in the Moscow direction, when specifically the question of Moscow arose. The situation of the 107th motorized rifle division also remained difficult, as it managed to get out of the encirclement and immediately took up the leading positions without rest.

At 11 p.m. on November 17, the 30th Army of the Kalinin Front was transferred by the Stavka to the Western Front. Major General Dmitry Danilovich Lelyushenko was appointed commander of the 30th Army. He showed himself well as a capable commander of the 5th Army, successfully led the battle on the Borodino field. Subsequently - army general, twice Hero of the Soviet Union. Dmitry Danilovich did not consider it objective to release Vasily Afanasyevich Khomenko from command of the 30th Army. In his memoir "" (ed. "Nauka", 1975), he writes: "... The enemy created the greatest superiority in forces against our 30th army. During the first half of November, it did not receive any reinforcements ... Staff officer led me to the army commander, Major General V. A. Khomenko ... I showed the order to accept the 30th Army, and Khomenko to surrender it and go to the Headquarters. Vasily Afanasyevich grew gloomy. He did not feel guilty for himself: what can be done against 300 advancing enemy tanks. Khomenko quickly pulled himself together. He is a simple, open, unsophisticated person, gave a brief assessment of the formations. He did not shift the blame for the withdrawal to senior commanders and subordinates. On the contrary, he claimed that the commanders and commissars of the division showed themselves perfectly.

People fight like lions, not being afraid of the environment, - the commander said with vehemence. The 107th Motorized Division stands out in particular. Its commander, Porfiry Georgievich Chanchibadze, is a capable and courageous man. It didn’t work out for me, so it’s my own fault, and no one else. Blaming subordinates and complaining about the enemy is not good.

Khomenko was a brave, literate, worthy military leader, but he subsequently suffered a difficult fate. In 1943, in Northern Tavria, being the commander of the 44th Army, he came under enemy ambush fire and was killed.

The plight of the 30th Army, 107th Motorized Rifle Division is described in his book by Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky, commander of the 16th Army, "Memoirs. On the northern approaches to the capital." He recalls: "... By my arrival, the headquarters had collected and summarized data on the events. In the area of ​​​​the neighbor on the right, the enemy took active steps on November 15. All his attacks were repulsed by the 107th motorized rifle division of the 30th army. On the morning of November 16, a more powerful We have just received a message that the neighbor on the right (107th motorized rifle division) is not doing well. Solnechnogorsk directions created a very difficult situation. The fascist German command brought six divisions into battle here, of which three were armored, two infantry and one motorized.

Forces opposing German troops on Klinskoye and Solnechnogorsk sector of the front, were weakened. From November 18, very intense fighting again went south of the Moscow Sea. Units of the 107th motorized rifle division fought courageously. With decisive and skillful actions, Colonel P.G. Chanchibadze managed to organize a breakthrough of the ring and withdraw the encirclement division, withdraw his units north of Yamuga.

The blow of enormous force, brought down on the 30th Army in the first three days of the offensive, brought success to the enemy. The task was set - to keep the city of Klin.

The skillful and decisive actions of the division commander P. G. Chanchibadze were noticed by the commander of the Western Front, General of the Army G. K. Zhukov. By his order, for the defense of Klin, he formed a group of troops of General Zakharov. To fulfill this order and coordinate the actions of this group, G.K. Zhukov appointed the chief of staff of the 30th Army, Colonel Georgy Ivanovich Khetagurov (later General of the Army, Hero of the Soviet Union). In the book Fulfillment of Duty, Georgy Ivanovich writes: “... By order of the front commander, General of the Army Zhukov, a group of troops of General Zakharov was formed to defend the city of Klin. It is very important to organize interaction with it. This is a brave and decisive person. If necessary, subordinate to him all the scattered units and subunits to whom they belonged. He will make them | combat-ready and persistent. After heavy battles, the 16th army of K.K. Rokossovsky was forced to move away from Klin. With the loss of this city, an eight-kilometer gap formed between the 16th and 30th armies, which there was nothing to close. The position of the 10th Army in those harsh days remained difficult, especially of the 107th Division. She was cut off from the main forces of the army and fought off the enemy pressing from all sides. The new commander of the 30th Army was not yet able to get to know the units and commanders well. At this time, he received an urgent message from the army headquarters that Chanchibadze's division had left the encirclement.

D.D. Lelyushenko recalls: "... In the dugout, we met with the division commander P. G. Chanchibadze and the chief of staff, Major E.F. Dobrovolsky. The division commander briefly spoke about the actions of the formation in recent days. The enemy threw 80 tanks against him with infantry, 50 aircraft. But the enemy's attempts to defeat Chanchibadze were in vain. The division is ready for a new combat mission.

The divisional commander spoke with enthusiasm about the feat of the tankman of the 143rd tank regiment, Komsomol member V.V. Andronov. Near Teryaeva Svoboda, he destroyed six enemy tanks and two anti-tank guns. The 143rd regiment suffered heavy losses, but its combat effectiveness was greatly supported by the rapid recovery of damaged vehicles. Special merit in this belonged to the deputy commander of the regiment for the technical part of L.I. Dotsenko. In the most difficult moments, he often had to take on even the command of the unit. (D.D. Lelyushenko."Moscow-Stalingrad-Berlin-Prague".ed." Science". 1975)

By the morning of November 24, the 107th motorized rifle and 58th tank divisions, holding back the enemy, withdrew to the Voronino area. It should be noted that the latter also arrived from the Far East and in the first battles suffered heavy losses in tanks and personnel. Tragic and fate its commander, Major General A. A. Kotlyarov, (see Omelchak V. P., Kondratenko S. A. “Unforgettable Marshal”, pp. 17-18). Intense fighting continued here. Multiple attempts by the enemy to break through the defenses in this sector were unsuccessful. And only when the Nazis began to cover the divisions from the flanks with large forces, on the night of November 26 they were forced to withdraw to Rogachevo.

During November 26-27, fierce battles unfolded on the outskirts of Rogachev. The enemy attacked with the forces of the 6th, 7th Panzer and 14th Motorized Divisions. On the morning of November 27, heavy artillery fire fell on the defenders, and air bombardments intensified. The Germans began to bypass Rogachevo from the east and drove a wedge between the troops defending this city and the 107th motorized rifle division. The enemy sought to dismember and destroy the Soviet troops in parts. This happened very close to Moscow.

In this situation, G.K. Zhukov set the main task for G.I. Khetagurov - to prevent the Germans from entering the eastern bank of the Moscow-Volga Canal. G. I. Khetagurov recalls: “I contacted Chanchibadze by radio.

Porfiry Georgievich, - I tell him, the Germans bypassed Rogachevo, intercepted the road to Dimitrov between me and you. We can't stand alone. I am withdrawing troops from Rogachevo to you.

I see no other way out, - Chanchibadze agreed with me. In this case, I order to strike at the enemy, who broke through to the north of the road to Dmitrov. (This is even closer to Moscow), and when we withdraw, we will destroy everything that the Germans have south of this road. We agreed on the time of the strike and managed to strike it synchronously. In a fleeting battle, the Nazis lost 400 soldiers and officers. 14 tanks, 12 armored personnel carriers. Our losses were 12 killed and 17 wounded. Having united with the main forces of the troops subordinate to me, I drove around all the units by car, called on the fighters, commanders and political workers to courageously defend every piece of land. “There is nowhere to go,” I said, we have no land beyond the canal. The Motherland orders the enemy to be stopped here, and we must fulfill this order ... ”(G. I. Khetagurov “Fulfillment of Duty”). And they stopped...

The position of the defenders of Moscow was extremely difficult. The Nazis had already seen through their binoculars the Moscow-Volga Canal, the city of Yakhroma on its western bank and Dimitrov on its eastern bank. But at that time, the Headquarters of the High Command knew that the enemy, while still strong, suffered heavy losses, had practically no reserves for the offensive. In this regard, on December 1, the commander of the 30th Army, D. D. Lelyushenko, and a member of the military council of the army, N. P. Abramov, at the headquarters of the Western Front, received a specific task from General of the Army G. K. Zhukov to prepare for the offensive, while he emphasized that in a special role is assigned to this offensive by the 30th Army.

To defeat the fascist troops northwest and southwest of Moscow, two groups were created: northern and southern, the 30th army was part of the northern one. It was planned to deliver the main blow to the city of Klin. And to develop a breakthrough of operational success, a mobile group was created as part of the 107th motorized rifle and 82nd cavalry divisions (commander N.V. Gorin). This group was also attached to the 145th separate tank, 2nd and 9th ski battalions. The general command of the group was entrusted to Colonel P. G. Chanchibadze. Their task was to develop a blow around the Klin with north- west, cut the highway in the Teryaeva Svoboda area and cut off the enemy's escape route to Volokolamsk.

December 6 at 6 o'clock in the morning the 30th Army went on the offensive. Already by dawn in the main direction, she broke through the enemy defenses up to 5 km. in depth and 12 in width. The Germans did not expect the offensive, it began without artillery preparation. The enemy was taken by surprise, stunned. He believed that the Soviet troops were no longer capable of advancing.

This is how the chief of staff of the 118th artillery regiment of the 107th Motorized Division M. P. Besedin describes this moment: “We were standing not far from Klin. And then dawn came on December 6, 1941. At six o’clock in the morning, our units went on the offensive without artillery preparation. enemy.Suddenly a message from the advanced units: "The fascist is retreating, our infantry and tanks are moving forward. "At this time, I hurried to the observation post of the first division in order to establish the state of affairs on the spot. Suddenly I met a man of average height, in dark overalls with a small group of military men accompanying him. I did not know who he was, although I understood that it was someone from the high authorities. I introduced myself: "Chief of Staff of the 118th Artillery Regiment ..." The man in overalls quickly called himself "Commander". He asked what the artillery was doing. I, frankly speaking, he was at a loss, and confusedly began to report that the regiment was firing at concentrations of infantry and tanks and that due to poor visibility in the forest, effective shooting was difficult. The commander, and it was, as I later found out, General D. D. Lelyushenko, without letting me finish, said enthusiastically: “Nothing! It doesn’t matter now. The main thing is to shoot continuously at the enemy! The main thing is to make noise, rattle! Because he ran."

By ten o'clock, the headquarters of the 30th Army received data: 23 tanks were knocked out and burned, serviceable 38 were captured, 72 guns, hundreds of machine guns, vehicles were destroyed, the battle flag of the regiment of the 36th Nazi division was captured - the first banner of the enemy.

The actions of the 30th and 1st shock armies this time were supported by an aviation group under the command of Lieutenant General I.F. Petrov.

Leading the offensive Nag. Klin, this group had the goal not only of his release, but also of encirclement of the enemy. To this end, a development group under the command of P. G. Chanchibadze, consisting of the 107th motorized rifle and 82nd cavalry divisions, 145 separate tank (commander Major Savchenko) 2nd and 9th ski battalions rushed into the breakthrough behind enemy lines. This had a significant impact on the results of the battle to liberate the city of Klin. With skillful actions, motorized riflemen and cavalrymen, tankers and skiers pushed the enemy back, moving farther and farther to his rear, smashed enemy garrisons, and liberated settlements.

During the offensive battles from December 6 to 15, the enemy was dealt a crushing blow. Only parts of the 30th Army destroyed and captured more than 200 tanks and armored vehicles, 500 guns and mortars, 2500 vehicles and other equipment. Over 20 thousand enemy soldiers and officers were killed, several thousand captured.

During this period, the 86th Infantry and 36th Motorized Divisions were completely defeated, and the 7th Panzer and 20th Motorized Divisions became incapacitated. The 107th Motorized Rifle Division of the Far East also made a great contribution to this victory. The group made a bold raid behind enemy lines and in 9 days liberated Reshetnikovo, Kryukovo, Semchino and several dozen other settlements, destroyed up to three thousand Nazis, captured 13 tanks, 102 guns and mortars, 476 vehicles and on December 18 cut the Klin highway after two days of fighting - Volokolamsk, closed the enemy's path to the southwest. On the morning of January 4, 1942, the division began offensive battles in the direction of Rzhev. And on January 12, 1942, as part of the 11th cavalry corps, the 107th motorized rifle was again introduced into the breakthrough west of Rzhev. This time before her brought the good news on January 13, 1942, the connection was among the first reorganized 2nd Guards Motor Rifle Division.

Now the offensive path of the Far East led again to the Smolensk region, where they earned this high, honorary title in fierce battles. Encountering stubborn resistance from the enemy, the 2nd Guards Division reached the Moscow-Minsk highway, west of Vyazma. Retired lieutenant general N. Morgunov recalls: "I think about my comrades, with whom I served in the Far East, and then participated in

battles near Moscow, I want to give some vivid examples of the heroism they showed. I will never forget the feat of the commander of a tank company, senior lieutenant Lysenko. In one battle, a large group of enemy tanks went to the unit. The Nazis, by all means, decided to crush him. Senior Lieutenant Lysenko ordered his subordinates: "Nishagun back!" And the Far East stood firmly and courageously. One after another, the enemy vehicles burst into flames. Twelve German tanks were blazing like huge bonfires. But the rota of the Far East was thinning out.

on the lead fascist vehicle. It was one of the first tank rams in the war. A traffic jam formed at the narrow section, where the shelboy was, and the Lysenko machine gun prevented the Nazis from eliminating it. So he beat for 4 hours, until, but reinforcements approached.

I remember that the tank of the battalion commander Captain Machinnikov pulled ahead, but was hit by an enemy shell. The Soviet machine stood on a hillock, lonely, helpless, turned into a motionless target, threatening death. And at this moment to her the tank driver Arnautov approached stood up nearby and covered with his body. He got 24 shots. A seriously wounded mechanic-driver, after some time, fighting friends pulled him out of the car half-dead. 1990").

In defensive battles near Moscow on November 26, 1941, our countryman Ivan Ivanovich Glorious was wounded for the second time. And in January 1942, grief came to the family of the chairman of the Ivanovo district executive committee, Ivan Alekseevich Shulga. During a raid behind enemy lines on January 30, 1941, his son Mikhail, a senior sergeant, a tank driver, died. He was buried in the village of Mishino, Smolensk region.

From December 1941 to February 1942, Ivan Alekseevich was part of the delegation Khabarovsk Territory accompanied the echelon with gifts to the front. Hope to meet my son e came true. He was no longer alive.

The defeat of the Nazi troops near Moscow was the dawn of our victory and had a decisive influence on the further course of the Great Patriotic War and the Second World War. In the battle near Moscow, the Nazis lost more than half a million people, 1300 tanks, 2500 guns, more than 15 thousand vehicles and many other equipment. German troops were thrown back from Moscow to the west by 150-300 kilometers.

The 107th motorized rifle division, which took the first blow of the second enemy offensive against Moscow in one of the main directions, withstood it in bloody battles, showed examples of heroism and stamina and the already honorable 2nd Guards Motorized Rifle Division, marched victoriously against the enemy again across Smolensk land.

I end this section about our division "69th - 2nd Guards Far Eastern in the battles for Moscow" with the words of the great commander of the Great Patriotic and World War II Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov:

"Expressing deep gratitude to all the survivors of the battle for Moscow, I bow my head to the blessed memory of those who fought to the death, but did not let the enemy into the heart of our Motherland, its capital, the Hero City of Moscow. We are all indebted to them."

The 2nd Guards Motorized Rifle Division, having passed a good tactical and practical training in the harsh conditions of the Far East, the Amur Region, showed examples of courage, stamina, heroism in battles on Smolensk land, for Moscow, behind enemy lines. In the last city of Dmitrov, on the way to Moscow, she withstood the unprecedented pressure of the enemy, retained her combat capability and successfully defeated the enemy in offensive operations.

The defeat of the German fascist troops near Moscow had far-reaching political consequences. The peoples and countries of Europe, captured by Hitler, gained faith in getting rid of the fascist yoke.

In December 1941, the dawn of our victory dawned. It was from Moscow that we began to count our victorious kilometers to Berlin. "(D. D. Lelyushenko " Moscow-Stalingrad-Berlin-Prague", Moscow "Nauka", 1985)

PART OF THE 13th GUARDS CORPS OF THE 2nd GUARDS ARMY.

During May 1942, the 2nd Guards Motor Rifle Division was on vacation. In June, she headed for the city of Rzhev, where she fought heavy bloody battles until October 1942. She stormed the city twice, but then failed to capture it together with other units.

In Rzhev, the ashes of the soldiers of the 2nd Guards Motorized Rifle Division rest in two cemeteries. At the city military registration and enlistment office in the museum of military glory there is a stand with photographs and descriptions of the exploits of the Far Eastern warriors. On the outskirts, on one of the houses in the city of Rzhev, there is a memorial plaque dedicated to the feat of senior sergeant Nikita Golovnya, who covered the embrasure of an enemy bunker with his body. He was posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class.

In October 1942, the division was withdrawn from Rzhev and assigned to rest and reorganize in the Ryazan region on the border with Tambov. The 36th Guards Artillery Regiment was stationed at the Lev Tolstoy station.

During this period, stubborn battles were going on on the Soviet-German front. With heroic efforts, the Soviet troops stopped the enemy in the north, defeated the elite German units near Moscow. At the same time, the besieged Leningrad was in the most difficult situation, the fighting between the Volga and the Don did not stop for a minute.

In the summer campaign of 1942, the German command made every effort to succeed in the southern direction of the Soviet-German front. Since July 17, 1942, one of the greatest battles of the Great Patriotic and World War II, the Battle of Stalingrad, has been going on. The defense of the Soviet troops near Stalingrad lasted 125 days. During the defensive battles, the fascist German troops lost about 700,000 killed and wounded, over 2,000 guns and mortars, over 1,000 tanks and assault guns, and over 1,400 aircraft of all kinds. The Battle of Stalingrad largely determined the further course of the war. In the event that the Germans captured Stalingrad, Japan and Turkey were preparing to take the side of Nazi Germany.

By November 19, 1942, favorable conditions had developed for the transition of Soviet troops to counteroffensive. It took the Soviet troops 75 days and nights to encircle and defeat the Nazi troops near Stalingrad and go on a decisive offensive.

In accordance with the directive of the Headquarters of the Supreme Gnavno-mandation dated October 23, 1942 on the territory of Ryazan and

Tambov regions, in the areas of the cities of Tambov, Ranenburg, Michurinsk and Morshansk, the 2nd Guards Army began to form on the basis of the reserve 1st Army. According to its plan, it was preparing to carry out strategic tasks, like an offensive army. It included the 1st Guards Rifle Corps of Major General I.I. Missan, the 13th Guards Rifle Corps of Major General P.G. Chanchibadze, and the 2nd Guards Mechanized Corps of Major General K.V. Sviridov. Considering that an army of a powerful operational formation was being formed, designed to solve combat missions, for its staffing, the Headquarters allocated six rifle divisions that had distinguished themselves in battles from various fronts, four of them were already guards, including our Far Eastern 2nd Guards Division. She became part of the 13th Guards Rifle Corps. Instead of P. G. Chanchibadze, who headed the corps, Major General Denis Protasovich Podshivailov, who in the past served in the old Russian army as a non-commissioned officer, was appointed commander of the 2nd Guards Division, then forcibly mobilized to Kolchak's army. Soon he, with a group of soldiers, goes over to the side of the Red Army. A strong, unbending Siberian, a professional military man, fought against the fascist invaders from the first days of the war, commanded a regiment, division on the Western Front.:p>

In connection with the abolition of motorized rifle divisions in the Red Army, on October 25, 1942, the 2nd Guards Motorized Rifle Division was transformed into the 49th Guards Rifle Division. In this regard, the numbering of the regiments has also changed. The 36th Guards Artillery Regiment became the 100th Guards Artillery Regiment, the 2nd Guards Motor Rifle Regiment became the 144th Guards Rifle Regiment, the 109th Anti-Tank Fighter Battalion was renamed the 56th Separate Anti-Tank Fighter Battalion. The numbering of other specials has been changed. units and divisions. The 149th Guards Rifle Regiment was added to the two rifle regiments. So, the 2nd Guards Army, taking into account the tight deadlines allotted for formation - until November 25, united in its ranks the divisions hardened in battles, which entered into powerful corps

The formations that were part of the 13th Guards Corps had great combat experience, rich traditions. They were commanded by the battle-hardened commander Porfiry Georgievich Chanchibadze. "... energetic, impeccably honest, decisive and strong man. From the first hour of the war he commanded a regiment, and then a division; in the difficult conditions of a front-line situation, he showed himself to be a fearless commander, never lost in the face of mortal danger. On the battlefield, he was seen everywhere and most often exactly where the bullets whistled denser and the shells exploded thicker. The division led by him in January 1942 received the honorary title of Guards, and its commander, who was awarded two Orders of the Red Banner, became a general ... to match the 3rd Guards Division (it also entered the 13th Guards Corps. Note. the author of the article) in legend, combat experience and front-line merits was the 49th Guards Rifle Division. Long before the war, it had an amazing peaceful name - a collective farm division, and it was hard to imagine that it would turn out to be one of those truly steel formations that did not allow crushing the defense of Soviet troops in the Moscow direction in the difficult summer and autumn months of the first year of the war. ... The hundreds of kilometers covered by the division were marked by heroic resistance. Even surrounded by the enemy, she smashed his rear, destroyed manpower, destroyed communications, and breaking out of the encirclement, again bristled with indestructible defense in front of the battle formations of the Nazi troops. "(Lieutenant General V. M. Domnikov, G. A. Koltunov , F. I. Tsarev, major of the reserve S. I. Zhilin. Guards in the offensive. Order of the Red Banner of Labor, military publishing house of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR, Moscow, 1971)

The division distinguished itself not only in battles on Smolensk soil, during the defense and counteroffensive near Moscow, it successfully fought in a raid behind enemy lines, fought heavy battles near Rzhev in the midst of the Battle of Stalingrad.

The Second Guards Army completed the formation of corps and moved on to accelerated combat training. By decision of the Headquarters, an experienced military leader, Lieutenant General Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky, was appointed commander of the army. And a few days later, Major General Sergei Semenovich Biryuzov, appointed to the post of chief of staff of the army, arrived in the army.

Marshal of the Soviet Union Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky, who coordinates the actions of the fronts participating in the Battle of Stalingrad, highly appreciates the army: "The path of the 2nd Guards Army began near Stalingrad at a time when the fascist command made downright desperate efforts to unblock its large group, caught in a trap. In vain! The guardsmen of the 2nd Army fought to the death. I testify that it was thanks to their stamina, multiplied by military skill, that the enemy's plan failed completely. " (A. M. Vasilevsky. Word to readers. Preface to the book "On the Offensive Guard", Moscow, 1971)

The 2nd Guards Army went down in history as a breakthrough army, as an army that knew no defeat. Many of its combat operations went down in history as remarkable examples of military art. But all this is ahead.

In the meantime, the encircled troops of Field Marshal Paulus fought stubbornly. In the early days of December 1942, the second attempt by our troops to dismember and destroy the encircled group had no significant success. In addition, the situation on the southern and southwestern front lines became more complicated. Additional measures were required. A. M. Vasilevsky recalls: “On December 4, I reported to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief about the situation that had developed here. A decision was made on the Don Front (commander K.K. Rokossovsky. Note. the author of the article) as the main strike force to eliminate the encircled troops, send the 2nd Guards Army, as well as a number of other units and formations, from the Stavka reserve ... The headquarters placed special hopes on it in the big strategic plan in the defeat of the southern wing of the Nazi troops. She did not abandon this idea even now, setting before the 2nd Guards Army as a preliminary task participation in the liquidation of the encircled troops of Paulus. (Vasilevsky A.M. Life's Work, ed. 3rd Moscow, Politizdat, 1978).

For the transfer of troops, 165 trains were urgently allocated. Promptly, already on December 4, the loading of army units began. It was planned to complete the transfer of troops on December 18 in the area of ​​the Don Front. On December 10, the first echelons unloaded and concentrated northeast of Stalingrad at the stations of Ilovlya, Kalinin, Lyapki, Kachalino. Our 49th Guards Rifle Division unloaded at the Ilovdya and Log stations. The participation of the 2nd Guards Army would hasten the defeat of the encircled grouping of Nazi troops, as a result of which the large Stalingrad railway junction would have been freed. And this, in turn, would allow the Southwestern and Voronezh fronts to carry out the operation more efficiently and on a large scale in the Rostov direction.

But the enemy made adjustments. Near Kotelnikovsky and Tormosin, in order to break through our front, they concentrated a very strong grouping, which is part of the Don group, consisting of thirty divisions. December 12 from the area Kotelnikovsky they went on the offensive along the railroad Tikhoretsk-Salsk-Stalingrad to the rescue of the encircled Paulus group. The fascist German troops, reinforced by heavy tanks, attacked the formations of the 51st Army, quickly moving forward. By the end of the 2nd day of the offensive, they managed to force the Aksai River. The enemy's blow was heroically repulsed by our 3 rifle and two cavalry divisions. The Germans managed to reach the Verkhne-Kumsky farm. Attempts by the commander of the Stalingrad Front, Colonel-General A.I. Eremenko to bring additional forces into battle, did not have a decisive success, since the enemy had a significant superiority in both people and equipment. In this situation, the only way out was to temporarily postpone the operation to eliminate the enemy troops encircled near Stalingrad, and deploy the well-equipped 2nd Guards Army against the advancing troops of Manstein. With such a proposal, A. M. Vasilevsky turned to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. This proposal initially met with a sharp objection from Stalin. However, given the difficult situation, the Headquarters agreed to transfer the 2nd Guards Army from the Donskoy to the Stalingrad Front and use it on Kotelnikovsky direction. This decision was timely, since in the current situation by December 13, 1942, the slightest delay could change the course of events for the worse. A. M. Vasilevsky instructs the commander of the 2nd Guards Army R. Ya. Malinovsky to proceed with the immediate advancement of army formations towards the Manstein tank group and organize defense on the Myshkova River. This little-known river crossed the approaches to Stalingrad from east to west from Kotelnikovsky. The corps of the 2nd Guards Army rushed here.

The march of the guards corps to the banks of the Myshkovo was incredibly difficult, which can rightly be called heroic.

Our compatriot, retired captain Ivan Ivanovich Slavny, recalls: “The transfer of our 49th Guards Division to the front took place hastily, but clearly and in an organized manner. The commanders of various formations of the 2nd Guards Army were immediately acquainted with the order of Commander R. Ya. reach the Myshkova River by the morning of December 18, preempt the advancing enemy, take up a solid defense, prevent his breakthrough to the north to Stalingrad.We had to make an incredibly difficult 170-kilometer march.We covered 40-50 km a day. , deep snow, boundless snow field. There was nowhere to stop and warm up - the Nazis, retreating, burned settlements. , met the enemy tanks prepared.Separate formations of the army had to overcome a two-hundred-kilometer path. Everything possible and impossible was done. It was necessary to get ahead of the enemy tank grouping, to take up a strong defense on the Myshkovo River, since a lot was decided here for the further course of the war.

While the formations of the 2nd Guards Army were advancing on the crack, the situation on Kotelnikovsky direction remained extremely difficult. Units of the 3rd Guards Corps showed unparalleled courage and stamina. ca, 87th Infantry Division, formations of the 51st Army. By all means they held back the enemy. On December 19, the fascist German troops managed in places to reach the northern bank of the river and occupy some settlements, but they failed to further expand the bridgehead.

On December 20, the main forces of the 2nd Guards Army deployed along the northern bank of the Myshkova River, several hours ahead of the enemy. Not for a minute during two days did they carry either. The Germans abandoned everything for a breakthrough to Stalingrad. But they met with strong resistance from the formations of the 2nd Guards Army. All enemy attacks were repulsed with huge losses for him.

The 3rd and 49th Guards Rifle Divisions repelled enemy attacks in the area of ​​​​the settlements of Ivanovka, Vasilyevka. On the morning of December 22, the 1st and 13th Guards Corps launched a counterattack in order to clear the northern bank of the Myshkov River. By noon, all enemy units were driven out of the bridgeheads on the right bank of the river. Units of the 3rd and 49th Guards Rifle Divisions broke into Vasilievka and started heavy street fighting. Vasilievka became a place of especially fierce hand-to-hand fights. General's Guards A. Tsalikova and D. P., Podshivailova, having come close to the enemy’s battle formations, they imposed heavy close combat on them. On the streets, in the houses and the basement ax The liberated city was left with up to 500 enemy corpses. By evening, the Germans made a desperate attempt to regain lost ground. Up to 80 tanks with infantry and artillery fell upon the guards. Repelling the onslaught of the enemy, units of the 3rd and 49th Guards Divisions went on the defensive.

A bold raid on the same day on Vasilyevka occupied by the enemy was made by a group of machine gunners of the 144th Guards Regiment of the 49th Guards Rifle Division. The Far East secretly made their way to the southern outskirts of the border and attacked it from the rear. The short skirmish was successful, the guardsmen destroyed several firing points and returned to their unit without loss. The command further effectively used the information delivered by the scouts.

On December 22, the enemy made a last attempt to break through to the encircled Paulus grouping. But driven back across the Myshkova River by units of the 3rd and 49th Guards Rifle Divisions, they lost important positions. On the morning of December 23, these divisions, not allowing the Nazis to come to their senses, again attacked them in the settlements of Vasilyevka and Kapkunsky, crossed the river, slowly but stubbornly expanded the bridgehead on the left bank. Successful battles for these settlements were of great strategic importance; they became a harbinger of the subsequent major offensive of the 2nd Guards Army.

The 2nd Guards Army successfully completed the task set by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. In a difficult situation, on the border of the Aksai and Myshkova rivers, together with other formations of the Soviet troops, it inflicted a crushing defeat on the Nazi troops. The powerful enemy grouping suffered heavy losses and lost its offensive capability.

On December 23, the Manstein group was only 35-40 km from the encircled troops of Paulus. But she couldn't go any further. "The 51st Army, together with the troops of the 2nd Guards Army, supported by the excellently functioning 8th air army Major General Khryukin stopped the enemy. The time needed for the final deployment of the 2nd Guards Army, Lieutenant General R. Ya. Malinovsky, was won. The plan of the Nazi command to liberate Paulus' troops failed. Favorable conditions were created for the offensive of our troops. The main role in the performance of this even more responsible task, which had the goal of the final defeat of the Manstein group, was mainly assigned to the same 2nd Southern Guards Army. (Vasilevsky A.M. The matter of all life, 3rd ed., M., Politizdat, 1978).

So, the 2nd Guards Army, having withstood the blow of a powerful enemy grouping, got the opportunity to proceed with the main task - the final defeat Kotelnikovskaya enemy grouping, which even now remained a real combat force and was at a distance of a day's march to the encircled Nazi troops.

We admire the feat of the soldiers of the 49th Guards Rifle Division, who went to the front from our Ivanovo region. Since 1936, in our fields, in groves, on the banks of the Zeya River, the soldiers of this division in any, especially harsh winter conditions, improved their combat skills. In the very first battles of June 1941 on Smolensk soil, they - the Far East defeated the vaunted SS 20th German tank division, fought selflessly near Moscow and Rzhev, and here, on the most dangerous section of the northern bank of the Myshkov River, together with the soldiers of the 3rd Guards Rifle divisions stopped the enemy. It was from here that the victorious offensive of the 2nd Guards Army began in the future.

Artillerymen fought bravely, our countrymen of the guards of Captain Ivan Iianovich Glorious. The battery of the famous "forty-five" on the northern bank of the Myshkova River left six enemy tank fires, dozens of corpses of machine gunners. On their sector of defense, they did not allow the enemy to violate the defense. Today, a brave warrior, captain of the reserve I. I. Glorious, is doing great patriotic work among young people, heading the chess section of veterans of the Great Patriotic War, preparing memories of the military exploits of the soldiers of his battery of the 56th Guards Separate anti-tank destroyer division in offensive operations as part of the 49th Guards Rifle Division of the 2nd Guards Army.

Meanwhile, the 204th Rifle Division, which also went to the front from the Ivanovsky District in 1942, fought heavy battles in Stalingrad itself. She started fighting as part of the 64th Army almost at the beginning Battle of Stalingrad, passed the difficult path of containing the enemy, starting from the bend of the Don to Stalingrad. From September 12, 1942, the 62nd Army of General V.I. Chuikov and the 64th Army of General S.K. Shumilov fought in the hero city. These two armies played a major role in the defense of Stalingrad and did not allow it to be captured on the move. In the future, the 204th will become the 78th Guards Vistula Order of Suvorov II degree rifle division. The Far East will heroically fight on the Kursk Bulge, during the crossing of the Dnieper, the liberation of Kharkov, and will end their combat path in Czechoslovakia.

The defensive battle on the banks of the Myshkova River, its results are still the subject of deep study not only in our country, but also abroad. For fascist Germany, they had far-reaching negative results. The falsification of this event by foreign historians cannot cross out the historical truth. It is confirmed by the German military historian F. Mellenthin. He wrote bitterly: "It would not be an exaggeration to say that the battle on the banks of this unknown river led to the crisis of the Third Reich, put an end to Hitler's hopes for creating an empire and was the decisive link in the chain of events that predetermined the defeat of Germany. (Mellenthin F. Tank battle 1939 -1945. M., Publishing house of foreign literature, 1957).

ON THE WAY TO KHERSON.
The heroic defense of the 2nd Guards Army on the Mshkova River made it impossible for Manstein's large tank group to advance further. However, it could not yet be considered that the danger of the release of the encircled group of Germans in the Stalingrad region was completely eliminated. Still a significant number of enemy divisions were in the area of ​​​​Tormosin and Kotelnikovsky. In addition, to reinforce the Goth group, the Viking SS motorized division was urgently advanced from the Caucasus. The cutthroats of this division left a terrible bloody trail on their way. The Headquarters of the Supreme Command solved the elimination of this problem in conjunction with the liberation of the regions of the Don, the Caucasus and, in general, the vast territory of the south of the Soviet Union.
The initial task, before the 2nd Guards Army and other formations, is the final defeat of the formations of German troops concentrated in the area of ​​​​Tormosin and Kotelnikovsky, the liberation of these cities.
During this period, important events took place on the Middle Don, which played an exceptionally large role in disrupting the offensive of the Monstein group and defeating his troops. As a result of the offensive of the Southwestern and Voronezh fronts, on December 16, 1942, the 8th italian army and other parts of the Nazi troops.
On December 24, 1942, at 8 o'clock in the morning, the 2nd Guards and 51st Armies launched a decisive offensive. They pushed the enemy to Kotelnikovskoye. Our 49th Guards Far Eastern and 3rd Rifle Divisions of the 13th Guards Corps under the command of P. G. Chanchibadze delivered an auxiliary strike from the Gromoslavka, Vasilievka line in the direction of Kotelnikovsky. Shot down by powerful blows from positions on the Myshkov River, the enemy retreated across the Aksai River. The deputy battalion commander for political affairs from the 144th regiment of the 49th guards rifle division, senior political instructor A. G. Efanov, showed himself well in these battles. He led the attacking units, skillfully led the battle. For bravery and courage he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
On December 29, through the efforts of formations, in heavy offensive battles, the immediate task of the 2nd Guards Army was solved - the city of Kotelnikovsky was liberated. With the loss of this important railway junction and a strong stronghold, all Hitler's hopes for saving the encircled group of Nazi troops near Stalingrad disappeared. In this major victory of the 2nd Guards Army, the guardsmen of the 49th Far Eastern Rifle Division showed themselves well. In the battles for the city, the enemy lost about 3,000 killed and captured, 65 guns and mortars, 15 aircraft, huge warehouses with ammunition and food. It was from here that they were transferred to Stalingrad for the encircled group. As a result of the offensive of the Stalingrad Front, from December 24 to 31, the 4th Romanian Army was completely defeated, and the 57th Tank Corps of the 4th Tank Army of the enemy was driven back 150 km with heavy losses. These victories ended another important stage of the Battle of Stalingrad, in which were successfully fought by the 49th and 78th Guards Divisions, which had gone to the front from the Ivanovo region. One fought in Stalingrad itself, the other blocked the path of the fascist group to the encircled enemy troops.
The remnants of the defeated Goth group continued to retreat across the Sal River under resolute pressure from the formations of the 2nd Guards Army. Under its blows, together with the troops of the 51st and 5th shock armies, the city of Tormosin was also liberated. The remnants of the Kotelnikovskaya and Tormosinskaya groupings of the Nazi troops were pushed back 100-150 km. As a result, the danger of a de-blockade of the Stalingrad grouping of Paulus was completely eliminated. These victories created a favorable environment for the transition of Soviet troops to a general offensive on the southern wing of the Soviet-German front.
In January 1943, after the liberation of Kotelnikovsky, on the way to Rostov, near the Zimovniki station, Ivan Ivanovich Slavny was seriously wounded. This was his last fight. He changed six hospitals in a year. Eight months they fought for his life in hospital No. 1907 in Sverdlovsk. 11 operations were carried out by a warrior from the Far East. The German shell left a terrible mark on the face of a warrior. One fragment was removed in the superciliary part of the face, the eye was removed, the jaw was seriously damaged. Time passed, wounds healed, but the thought of meeting with the bride Raisa Kositsyna, whom he said goodbye to in Ivanovka on June 22, 1941, did not leave him before being sent to the front. After being discharged from the hospital, he nevertheless decided to return to Ivanovka. On the train, he often looked in a small mirror and got upset. His fellow traveler from the same hospital assured him that his wounds were combat. He returned to the old apartment where he lived before the war. The meeting with the bride was difficult, Raisa was upset and silently left. Ivan Ivanovich decided to return to his homeland in Ukraine. The next day, send me to the military registration and enlistment office to complete the documents, on the way I met with Raisa. She said: "We'll get married." These wonderful people lived a long life full of mutual understanding.
The 2nd Guards and 5th Shock Armies are advancing with fighting along the Don, striving to capture the city of Rostov and cut off the escape route of the enemy's Caucasian grouping. On January 2 - 4, 1943, formations of the 2nd Guards Army advanced to the Manych River, on January 8, the 49th Guards Rifle Division as part of the 13th Guards Rifle Corps captured the strongholds of Novonikolaevskaya, Kuteynikovo, Ilovaisky. By January 16, army formations had completely reached the line of the Manych River from the mouth to the Novovasilevsky farm, captured a number of bridgeheads on the right bank of the Don River. However, it was not possible to cut off the retreat routes of the Kuteinikov group. A significant part of the enemy troops retreated across the Manych River. By January 15, the advanced units of the army were 40 km from Rostov. Heavy bloody battles on the river. Manych continued until February 1943. Under these conditions, on January 26, the 13th Guards Corps captured the three farms of Krasny Kut, Svoboda, and Veseliy and, together with the 1st Guards Corps, continued the offensive on the lines of Krasny, east of Usman and Zelenaya Roshcha.
February 2, 1943 The Headquarters of the Supreme High Command appointed Lieutenant General Ya. G. Kreizer as commander of the 2nd Guards Army, and Lieutenant General Malinovsky R. Ya. as commander of the troops of the Southern Front. The army was withdrawn from the city of Rostov and launched an offensive against Novocherkassk. On February 13, the guards of the 49th Rifle Division, along with other units of the 98th and 3rd Guards Divisions, captured this city. During February 18, the 2nd Guards Army in the entire strip reached the Mius River. And the 49th Guards and 300th Rifle Divisions of the 13th Guards Rifle Division
the corps crossed the river, captured Alekseevka and started fighting for Aleksandrovka. The Mius-Front was a hard nut to crack - the strongest defensive line of the Germans on this river. Fierce fighting at this turn played a very important role. With their active actions, the troops of the 13th Guards Rifle Corps as part of the 2nd Guards Army of the Southern Front pinned down a large enemy grouping in the Donbass and not only did not allow it to transfer troops near Kursk, but also forced it to send significant forces against the Southern Front from near Kharkov. On March 10, weakened by continuous fighting, the 2nd Guards Army entered the front reserve. The 49th Guards Rifle Division deployed its units on the outskirts of Krasnodon, Voroshilograd Region. In March 1943 Colonel Kolesnikov took command of the division. During the January-February period, the troops of the 2nd Guards Army destroyed over 35 thousand enemy soldiers and officers, about 900 guns and mortars, almost 1000 tanks, over 1200 vehicles, captured 3000 prisoners, up to 500 guns and mortars, about 200 tanks, several thousand rifles and machine guns, dozens of warehouses. The guardsmen of the 49th Far East actively fought and won in their sector of the offensive.
On July 17, 1943, the offensive of the troops of the Southern Front on the river began. Mius, the development echelon of the 2nd Guards Army went on the offensive with the task of expanding the breakthrough of the 5th shock army. At the turn of the river, heavy, exhausting battles broke out. On August 19, army formations broke through the enemy defenses on the river during 3-day battles. Mius. On August 28-29, 30 settlements were liberated. The enemy was in a difficult position, the threat of encirclement loomed over him. The fighting troops moved south to the coast Sea of ​​Azov. On August 30, the city of Taganrog was liberated. The liberation of Donbass became the main task of the formations of the 2nd Guards Army. By September, they reached the cities of Makeevka, Stalino (Donetsk). The 49th Guards Rifle Division performed well in the liberation of Donetsk. In September 1943 Colonel Puzanov takes command of the division. At the end of September 1943 The headquarters of the High Command set the task for the troops of the Southern Front to break through the defenses at the turn of the river. Dairy, liberate Northern Tavria, liberate Kakhovka, Kherson and reach the lower reaches of the Dnieper. The 2nd Guards, 5th Shock and 44th Armies acted in the direction of the main attack. At that time, Lieutenant-General V. A. Khomenko, already known to us from the Smolensk battles, commanded the 44th Army on November 6, 1943. in the battles for Northern Tavria, Vasily Afanasyevich died tragically.
The attack on Kakhovka and Kherson began on 26 September. The enemy, using a well-fortified defense zone, provided stubborn
resistance, but the guardsmen of the 49th Far Eastern Division as part of the 13th Guards Rifle Corps slowly moved forward. However, to break through the enemy's defenses on the river. Dairy on the Mikhailovsky direction that day failed. October 9, 1943 the troops of the Southern Front with the forces of the 2nd, 5th and 28th armies again went on the offensive and on October 14 liberated the city of Zaporozhye. Formations of the 13th Guards Corps reached the Volnovakha East line (outskirts of Perekop). And the 49th Guards moved into the area west of Nov. Elizabeth. October 31 Advance Detachment 2nd
guards army as part of the 4th mechanized brigade, the 3rd and 49th guards and 37th rifle divisions, in cooperation with the 5th cavalry corps of A. G. Selivanov, broke into Kakhovka and by the morning of November 2, 1943. They completely freed her. With access to the Dnieper and the capture of a bridgehead on the right bank of the river. Dairy, with the liquidation of the heavily fortified Kherson bridgehead, the 2nd Guards Army on its anniversary on December 20, 1943. noted major
victories at Stalingrad and in southern Ukraine. Only in the region of Nikopol and Kherson did the enemy hold a small foothold on the left bank of the Dnieper.
Ahead of the battles for the Crimea. With the Soviet troops reaching the Crimean peninsula, the fascist troops were blocked from land and isolated from the main forces. The 49th Guards Rifle Division did not participate in the liberation of the Crimea; it, as part of the 28th Army, fought until March 1944 in a different direction.
AT THE FINAL STAGE
Story combat way The 49th Guards Rifle Division is closely associated with the name of its commander, Porfiry Georgievich Chanchibadze. The first battles on Smolensk soil, exit from the encirclement, battles for Moscow, raid behind enemy lines, participation in the defeat of the Manstein group near Stalingrad, a successful offensive as part of the 13th Guards Corps of the 2nd Guards Army for the liberation southern regions our Motherland - such is the glorious combat path of the division with its commander. It was not easy for the personnel to part with him. Until the end of the war, they will fight the Nazi occupiers on different sectors of the big front.
The 13th Guards Corps under the command of P. G. Chanchibadze as part of the 2nd Guards Army will fight for the liberation of the Crimea. The defeat of enemy troops in the Crimea was of great strategic importance. The 13th Guards Corps fought fierce battles along with other formations for the liberation of the city of Sevastopol. At dawn on May 5, 1944, an assault began in the direction of the North Bay. On May 8, the guards of the 13th Rifle Corps of Lieutenant General Chanchibadze started fighting in the area of ​​​​the Mekenziev mountains. With a swift onslaught, they broke through the complex system of enemy fortifications and broke into the South Bay on the nearest approaches to Sevastopol. On May 9, the city was returned to the Motherland. Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Colonel 3. Sh. Yanguzov in the essay "The Feat of Porfiry Chanchibadze" writes: "The 13th Guards Corps of Porfiry Chanchibadze, one of the first formations of the 2nd Guards Army, broke into Sevastopol. Breaking three defensive lines one after the other, on May 9 the troops of the front from the north, east and southeast entered the city ... Sapun Gora and the Mekenziev mountains were silent after the battles died down. The battlefield pitted with shells was silent, but Sevastopol was not silent, on May 10, Lieutenant General Chanchibadze, as the first commandant of the city and the head of the garrison, gave the order to salute the troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front, who had captured Sevastopol ... "
After the defeat of the enemy troops in the Crimea and the liberation of the city of Russian glory of Sevastopol, the 2nd Guards Army was withdrawn to the front reserve on May 10, 1944, its commander G. F. Zakharov departed for Headquarters, having received a new appointment. In June of this year, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command appointed P. G. Chanchibadze as commander of the 2nd Guards Army. A veteran of this army, he knew its personnel well. The army, after a short rest, is transferred to the 1st Baltic Front (commander I. X Bagramyan), and conducts successful battles in the Klaipeda direction. After the capture of the city of Tilsit, the army turned to the lower reaches of the Neman. The historic victorious year of 1945 was approaching. Since November 30, 1944 the guards army fought already as part of the 3rd Belorussian Front, aimed at East Prussia.
February 9, 1945 The Headquarters of the Supreme High Command ordered
The Belorussian Front must complete the defeat of the enemy southwest of Koenigsberg no later than February 20-25. The 2nd Guards Army of General Chanchibadze captured the city of Barteistein with a detour mini-maneuver with swift blows, thereby facilitating the task of the front. The next day, the guards of Chanchibadze captured the city of Preisish - Eylau. With its capture, an important strategic task was solved - a large grouping of Nazis on Cape Kalhotsky was cut off, which accelerated the fall of Koenigsberg and made it possible for the 2nd Guards Army to break through the strong defenses of enemy troops with a powerful throw and storm the city of Tsinmen - an important port on the Baltic Sea. After the capture of Tsinmen, the army launched an offensive on the Zemland Peninsula, after the assault on April 17, captured the city of Fishhadnen, and on April 25, the sea fortress of Pillau. The Zemland operation completed the offensive of the Soviet troops in East Prussia and the combat path of the 2nd Guards Army.
And the 49th Rifle Division continued fighting in November - December 1943 in the Kakhovka-Kherson region and, as a result of stubborn fighting, reached the Dnieper, fought for a bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnieper in the Tsyurupinsk area, Radenskoye, Cossack Camps. By December 20, the German bridgehead was liquidated. On December 23, Colonel V.F. Margelov was appointed commander of the division, who will command the division until the end of the war. The division received a short respite, replenished with people and equipment, and was preparing to force the Dnieper. She completed this task already as part of the 5th shock army, which she entered on the night of March 13, 1944. The 144th Rifle Regiment crossed the river, and the 147th Rifle and 100th Guards Artillery Regiments covered and supported this complex operation. In carrying out this task, the 1st rifle company of the 144th rifle regiment of senior lieutenant Semyon Antonovich Gumanyuk and two platoons of a sapper company distinguished themselves. Crossing in the first echelon, they reached the opposite shore, made reconnaissance, made passages in minefields and barbed wire. The Germans pulled up fresh forces to this sector and on March 13 launched a counteroffensive. During the battle, units of the guards S.A. Gumanyuk pushed the enemy back. In the course of a further offensive, on March 13, Soviet troops liberated the city of Kherson. The honorary name "Kherson" was awarded to six military units and formations, including the 49th Guards Division. For the skillful leadership of units and formations of the division, Colonel V.F. Margelov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He was promoted to the rank of major general. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was also awarded to the commander of the 1st company of the 144th rifle regiment of the guard, senior lieutenant S.A. Gumanyuk.
As part of the 5th shock army, the 49th Guards Rifle Division on March 20, 1944 liberates the city of Nikolaev, and on April 10 - the city of Odessa. After his release, the division in the Grigornopol-Dubossary area reached the river. Dnieper and in the second half of April, its 144th Guards Rifle Regiment crossed it in the Chobruchi area. However, further offensive actions of the regiment to expand the bridgehead were suspended due to weather conditions, spring floods flooded the floodplain and made it impossible to transport the remaining regiments of the division and artillery. By order of the army command, the 144th Guards Regiment left its positions on the right bank and took up its former position. In May, the division did not stop fighting to eliminate the German bridgehead in the Darotsko-Dubossary bend. After its elimination, the division went on the defensive, received reinforcements, and began to prepare to force the Dniester and liberate Moldova. As part of the 5th shock army, the division solves this task on the night of August 20, 1944, along with other formations and units, crosses the Dniester and liberates the capital of Moldova, Chisinau. The capture of this city was of great strategic importance and was part of the general plan for encircling a large grouping of Nazi troops in the Iasi-Kishinev operation. At the end of August, the 2nd Ukrainian Front, in cooperation with the 3rd Ukrainian Front, completed the destruction of the main forces of the encircled enemy grouping: 18 German divisions out of 25 in the Army Group South Ukraine were destroyed. General of the Army S. M. Shtemenko in the book "The General Staff during the War" writes: "... The significance of our victory in the Iasi-Kishinev operation can hardly be overestimated. The defeat of the main forces of the Army Group "Southern Ukraine" led to important military and political results The Soviet troops, as it were, opened the gates into the depths of Romania and the borders of Bulgaria, and then Yugoslavia, where subsequent strategic tasks were to be solved. (S. M. Shtemenko "General Staff during the war years," Order of the Red Banner of Labor, military publishing house of the USSR Ministry of Defense, Moscow-1974. second book, p. 134).
In the liberation of these countries, as well as Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Austria, the further combat path of the 49th Kherson Guards Division will pass. Having made a 100-kilometer march to the area of ​​​​the city of Cahul, on September 1, 1944, the division reached the state border of the USSR. At the end of August 1944, during the course of hostilities, it was withdrawn from the 5th shock army and entered the 46th army, in which it remained until the end of the war. She successfully fought the battles to force the border river Prut and entered the territory of Romania. During the liberation of Romania, the guards fought hard, overcoming the passes of the Carpathians in the areas of the cities of Typnu-Severin, Korbunari and other nodes of enemy resistance, the most important nodes of highways leading to the borders of Yugoslavia and Hungary. In the battles for the city of Korbunari, the soldiers of the 144th Guards Rifle Regiment distinguished themselves, he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
On September 8, 1944, advanced Soviet rifle formations entered the territory of Bulgaria, but they did not fight any battles. They met no resistance. This also applies to units and formations of the 49th Guards Kherson Rifle Division. On October 1, 1944, as part of the Guards Corps of the 46th Army, she crossed the border of Yugoslavia and participated in the Belgrade offensive operation. As part of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, the 46th Army advanced north of the Danube in Vojvodina. With the assistance of the People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia, she cleared the Yugoslav left bank of the Tisza and the Danube, part of Vojvodina east of the Tisza. Guardsmen of the 49th Rifle Division captured the city of Pancevo, located on the left bank of the Danube. These actions of the 46th Army contributed to the success of the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. Together with units and formations of the 46th Army, the division crossed the river on October 17th. Tisza, crossed the border of Hungary and captured the city of Selet, fought its way northwest towards the capital of Hungary, Budapest. She approached him on November 2. Stubborn battles began for the settlements of Vashad and Ille, led by the 144th Guards Rifle Regiment.
From October 9 to October 22, stubborn battles went on in the area of ​​Oradea and Debrecen, where the enemy pulled large forces. The 40th Army, operating on the left wing of the Debrecen-Niregyhan direction, provided great assistance to the formations of the 40th, 4th Romanian and 27th armies advancing on the right wing. She seized a huge foothold in the interfluve of the Tisza and the Danube. Its left-flank formations reached the Danube in the area of ​​the city of Vaia. Many distinguished themselves in these battles. combat units 49th Guards Kherson Division.
On October 29, 1944, the 2nd stage of the liberation of Hungary began - the Budapest operation. The density of the enemy defense of Budapest was high. The first offensive operations of the Soviet troops to capture the city did not bring complete success. On December 5, as part of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, the 46th Army resumed its attack on Budapest from the southwest of the left wing of the front, crossed the Danube in an insufficiently organized manner, with heavy losses, captured a tactical bridgehead, but failed to break through the enemy defenses southwest of Budapest. From December 15 to 17, the 49th Guards Kherson Rifle Division made an 80-kilometer detour march to the west, crossed the Danube, and from the area of ​​\u200b\u200bLake Velence advanced with battles on the southwestern approaches to Budapest. On December 27, northwest of Budapest, she reached the Danube. By this time, the operation of encircling the enemy troops in this city was completed. Hungarian soldiers and officers began to surrender in large groups, but the German garrison continued to resist with exceptional stubbornness.
From January 1 to February 13, 1945 the division repulsed the counterattacks of the enemy, who was trying to break out of the encirclement. The 144th Guards Rifle Regiment fought in the area of ​​the settlements of Zhambek, Samar, Perbal, Germel, Tine. On February 13, after the capture of Budapest, the second stage of hostilities to liberate Hungary ended. "Not a single operation in 1944 had to wage such fierce defensive battles as in Budapest. Not a single encirclement of enemy troops and their liquidation required so much time as in this operation." ("The Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union 1941-1945." Order of the Red Banner of Labor, military publishing house of the USSR Ministry of Defense, Moscow-1970, p. 424).
Our Far Eastern Division also made a considerable contribution to the defeat of the enemy in the Budapest operation. After continuous fighting and the capture of Budapest, the 49th Guards Kherson Rifle Division was assigned to replenishment and a short rest. From March 20 to April 2, 1945, as part of the 46th Army, she liberated the cities of Czechoslovakia - Bratislava and Petrzhalka. successful military operations The 144th Guards Rifle Regiment was awarded the Order of Kutuzov. On April 5, 1945, after the liberation of the city of Petrzhalka, the division crossed the border of Austria, where it fought the final battles. Since April 8, he has been fighting on the northwestern approaches to the capital of Austria, Vienna, blocking the withdrawal of German troops. On April 13, Vienna was taken by our troops. In the battles for Vienna, the 144th Guards Rifle Regiment again distinguished itself, it was given the name "Vienna". The regiment was also awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky. On April 14-15, parts of the division captured the cities of Hagenbrun Korneiburg. The division wages further battles in a northwestern direction and on May 8, 1945, took the city of Stockerau by storm, and on Victory Day, the city of Kreme. But the war is not over for her. On May 10, the city of Grein fell under the blows of the division.
From May 11 to May 14, not far from the large Australian city of Linz, the division was fighting for the cities of Perch, Precharten and Kerfermark, seizing them and blocking the escape routes to the West for the SS Panzer Corps, which included the elite divisions known for their cruelty "Totenkopf", "Great Germany" other parts.
As a result of stubborn fighting, the divisions of the SS Panzer Corps capitulated. The commanders of these divisions, 806 officers and 31,258 soldiers and non-commissioned officers were taken prisoner. The trophies amounted to: 5874 trucks, 13 passenger buses, 77 tanks and self-propelled guns, 46 six-barreled mortars, 16 steam locomotives, 397 wagons, a large number of small arms.
Arrived at the front a month after the start of the Great Patriotic War from the Far Eastern borders on July 23, 1941. the division entered into a deadly battle with the Nazi invaders on Smolensk soil and completed the last battles in the Austrian city of Kerfermark (14.05 - 05.06.45)
It became the 49th Guards Kherson Red Banner Order of Suvorov 2nd Class Rifle Division.
Every year the ranks of veterans of the 107-49th Guards Far Eastern Division are thinning. Fewer and fewer of them go to their main holiday, the day of the great Victory. This is their traditional "combat check". How important today is their word addressed to the youth, a reminder of the greatness of the feats of those who, in this most bloody war of the 20th century, selflessly fought against the brutal hordes of fascists and defended the honor and independence of our Motherland and hoisted the Red Banner of Victory over defeated Berlin 55 years ago.
But even today, the veterans of the division are doing a great job of patriotic education of the younger generation. Nikolai Kirilovich Serbaev in the city of Omsk heads the veteran organization of soldiers of the 107th - 49th Guards Division. At the age of 88, he manages to organize meetings of veterans at the site of past battles, often speaks to students of secondary schools and vocational schools not only in the regional center, but also in the districts. Corresponds with many veterans of the division. His brother-soldiers A.P. work with him. Tsurlo, I.K. Pestryakov, N.P. Obukhov, M.K. Sviridovich, I.F. Chernetsov and others. The well-known academician in the Omsk region, Honored Artist of the RSFSR Alexei Ivanovich Liberov fought as part of the division. He recently turned 89 years old. He is an active member of the veterans' organization. Veteran with. Ivanovka Ivan Ivanovich Glorious is known by many in the district and region. Dozens of articles have been written about his feat of arms in local, regional and central newspapers, other publications, since 1944 he has not stopped working with teenagers, soldiers of the Annunciation garrison. Ivan Ivanovich was awarded four military orders. And in 1999 he became an honorary resident of the village.
Throughout Russia and in the countries of the former USSR, veterans of the division live and work in moderation. Their exploits are not forgotten. The expositions in the village are dedicated to them. Yartsev, Yartsevsky district, Smolensk region, in one of the military units of the Moscow garrison, the Ivanovo branch of the Amur Regional Museum of Local Lore. G.S. Novikov-Daursky. Schoolchildren of the Ivanovo district are well acquainted with the history of the combat path of the 49th Guards Rifle Division, which they are introduced to by the museum staff, history teachers, publications in the Amurets newspaper and Amursky local historian, the author of this publication.

The Great Patriotic War went through a fiery conflagration in many destinies, scorched more than one family. Thanks to such soldiers as the guardsmen of the 49th division, we won and saved our homeland and the enslaved peoples of Europe from fascism. This must be remembered by the present and future generations.

Pervushin Viktor Grigorievich

LITERATURE
Kgsedin M.P. Retired Lieutenant Colonel. Veteran of the 107th - 49th Guards. shchi tire. Memories, photos
Kondarev Y. Hot snow. Ed. "Contemporary", M., 1988, p. 50-51.
And but or ever th A.M. Word to readers - Preface to the book "In the offensive i" tschshya, Military Publishing House of the Min. defense of the USSR. M. !971
Insilevsky A.M. Life's work- ^zd- 3 "e" additional-> m-< Политиздат, 1978, с. " ■ 1 "S4.
The last Patriotic War of the Soviet Union 1941-1945. Ed, 2nd. And. ..-pi dat, M. 1970, p. 424.
Norobiev M., Usov V. For every piece of land. Ed. Smolensk, 1989, p. 105-11
Norobiev M., Usov V. Raid on the rear of the enemy. Smolensk regional< .1 » ia «Рабочий путь», 24 июня 1989 г-
I ours Yu. In Rzhev, where the souls of the dead soldiers have not yet been calmed, the guardianship of the memorial-cemetery to the German invaders has begun. The newspaper "Soviet city of g, (ni" January 9, 1997.
(omnkov V.N., Koltunov G.A., flepe "F.I., Zhili" SI. In the offensive of the Ch "tskshya. Military Publishing House of the USSR Ministry of Defense. M-. 1971.
Zhukov G.K. Memories and Reflections, vol. 2, 12th edition, M., Novosti, p. 224.
Red Banner Far East - History of the Red Banner Far Eastern District, Ed. 3rd, add. Military Publishing, M.! 985, p. 155.
Red Banner Belarusian Military District. Ed. 2nd, 1990, p. 9-17.
Red Army Truth. Newspaper of the Western Front. August 30, 1941.
Kushetsov V. Fellow soldiers, countrymen. Newspaper "Red Way", Omsk, May 7 gays"
67
Kurganov O. War correspondent. victory and
death. Newspaper "Omskaya Pravda" November 17, 1980.
Lelyushenko D.D. "Moscow-Leningrad-Berlin-Prague" "Izd. 4th, M, Science 1975, p. 79-117.
Morgunov I. From the collection of stories "From the Amur to the Danube and the Elbe." 2nd edition Khabarovsk, 1990, p. 9-17.
Novikov P.I. Memoirs of veterans of the 49th Guards Division Documents, photographs, newspapers. S. Solnechnoye, Yartsevskiy district, Smolensk region.
Omelchak V.P., Kondratenko S.A. "Unforgettable Marshal", From the Knowledge Society, Dalgau, Blagoveshchensk, 1996.
Petrov P.I. Retired Major. Memories, Blagoveshchensk.
Petrochenko P.A. Guard foreman. Memories, Blagoveshchensk. Sofinform bureau summary. August 7, 1991.
Serbaev N.K. Retired Colonel of the Guard. Memoirs, documents, articles from newspapers, photographs, Omsk.
Glorious I.I. Retired Captain of the Guard. Memoirs, documents, photographs, p. Ivanovka.
Chaika T.I. Memoirs of a participant in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.
Shashkin I., Gorodov N. And the tanks did not pass. Newspaper "Omskaya Pravda" November 1, 1980.
Shtemenko SM. General Staff during the war. Book 2, Military Publishing, M. s. 134.

07.10.2008.
The story of the tragedy that happened to the troops Western Special Military District in June 1941, includes many unknown pages of the fight against the German troops of soldiers and units of the Red Army.
One of the most deprived in terms of information is 49th Red Banner Rifle Division.
An attempt to restore the chronology of hostilities and the process of defeating the 49th Infantry Division is in front of you.
The division arrived in the Western Special Military District in the second half of July-early August 1940 from the Leningrad Military District. The division distinguished itself in the war with Finland, and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
Command staff-1122
junior command staff -1403
enlisted personnel - 9938 Total - 12463
Horses: combatant-815, artillery - 1019, baggage - 1263, Total - 3097
Cars: cars - 12, trucks - 326, special - 131, Total - 469
Motorcycles -8,
Tractors - 72,
trailers -45
Personal weapons: automatic rifles-28, rifles-8143, revolvers-2200
Machine guns: light - 452, easel - 130, anti-aircraft -19 Total - 601
Artillery guns: 45-mm guns - 63, 76-mm - 42, 76-mm anti-aircraft guns - 4,
Howitzers 122-mm - 19, 152-mm - 12. Total artillery without mortars -140
Mortars: 50 mm -81, 82 mm - 61, 120 mm - 4 in total - 146
Tanks t-37.38 - 16,
Armored cars - 10
Radio stations and communication devices - 139,

kitchens -79

Over the following months, after November 1, 1940, the division received replenishment in weapons, supplies and personnel, like the entire Western Special Military District. However, there is no exact data, so it remains to be assumed that a similar composition was on June 21, 1941.
On June 21, 1941, the 49th Infantry Division was in the area limited from the west by the railway. station Semyatiche, from the north of the railway. station Cheremkha, from the east - eastern edge Vysoko-Litovska and the village of Malye Zvody, from the south, border fortifications along the Bug River.
Some of the units were in close proximity to the border during the construction of Brest? and the Zambruvian Fortified Areas.
The division was scattered over an area of ​​over 400 square kilometers.
In the autumn of 1940, in the 49th Infantry Division, the majority of old-timers who had combat experience gained during the Soviet-Finnish war were demobilized. Young soldiers who did not have combat skills came to the division. The combat capability of the division also fell due to the need to divert the Red Army to the construction of warehouses, barracks, dugouts and housing stock. In the spring of 1941, more intensive construction of pillboxes in fortified areas continued than last year, and as a result, less time was devoted to combat training.
To top it all, since October 1940, conscripts from Kazakhstan and the Samarkand region of the Uzbek SSR began to arrive in the division, along with others. If among the first, there were about half Kazakhs, then from Uzbekistan the overwhelming majority were Uzbeks who did not know Russian. Full-fledged combat training became impossible.
The leadership of the division, apparently, turned to the district headquarters with a request.
In the spring of 1941, part of the Russian-speaking old-timers from the 125th and 333rd rifle regiments of the 6th rifle division was transferred to the 49th rifle division. Some of the newly drafted conscripts were transferred to the 6th division.
In May - early June 1941, several hundred conscripts from the nearby Brest region were called up for 45-day camps. This group understood Russian, but that was not the main thing. Local Belarusians only had time to change clothes, get a haircut and start teaching how the war began. The bulk of them fled to their homes with the beginning of the war, some were detained by the Germans and taken prisoner.
In May 1941, part of the units of the 166th howitzer regiment in full strength was transferred to the tank unit in Botski. The postal address of this unit is PO Box 74 lit. K. Apparently, they were used to form the 31st howitzer artillery regiment of the 31st Panzer Division.
According to the recollections of soldiers called up for a 45-day training camp and ended up in the 291st anti-aircraft artillery division, on May 23, 1941, the division was sent by rail to the Krupki station in the Minsk region. Practical firing was carried out there until June 22, 1941. The beginning of the war found the 49th division without air defense. The division itself was reorganized in the first days of the war and part of it took part in the battles on the river. Berezina. In place in the village of Klyukovichi, only warehouses and their guards remained.
According to the testimony of a former soldier of the 222nd Infantry Regiment Zakriev Said, on February 1, 1941, he was transferred as a cadet to the regimental school of junior officers, which was located in the city of Brest. The postal address of the regimental school in Brest is letter 10. He also mentions that On May 1, 1941, a parade took place in Brest, in which his 222nd rifle regiment took part.
Judging by the TsAMO data (website obd.memorial), it turns out that the bulk of the rank and file, which is part of the division, managed to serve only 8 months or less before the start of the war.
Just before the war, on June 10, 1941, a group of young graduate lieutenants from various schools arrived in the division and were promoted to platoon commanders. The bulk of platoon commanders, deputy company commanders, were former sergeants who completed junior lieutenant courses only in 1939 or 1940.
Commanders on June 22, 1941:
Division Commander Colonel Vasiliev Konstantin Fedorovich
Deputy Commander for Combat Colonel Skuryat Nikodim Emelyanovich, born in 1888
Chief of Staff Major Gurov Stepan Ivanovich
Beginning Artillery Headquarters Captain Antonov Mikhail Antonovich, born in 1903
Beginning artillery supply to / quartermaster of the 3rd rank Selekhov Petr Andreevich, born in 1903
Beginning 1st division exercise. 49th Rifle Division Captain Fanifatov Vasily Ivanovich, born in 1903
Head of Engineering Service Capt. Ivanov Filipp Andreevich, born in 1905
Head of the Chemical Service Captain Sharlov Mikhail Fedoseevich, born in 1905
Head of food supply Major Batenin Ivan Ignatievich, born in 1902
Head of the financial service quartermaster engineer of the 3rd rank Akanov Alexey Aleksandrovich, born in 1904
15th Infantry Regiment Commander Major Nishchenkov Konstantin Borisovich, born in 1906
Chief of Staff Major Anatoly Illarionovich Zhigarev, born in 1903
battalion Captain Yakhin Illarion Ivanovich, born in 1907
battalion captain Nikolai Adamovich Rogovsky, born in 1911
battalion st. lieutenant Shalagin Alexander Vasilyevich, born in 1912
212 Infantry Regiment Commander Major Kovalenko Nikolay Ignatievich
Chief of Staff Captain Chuprov Petr Vasilyevich, born in 1905
Battalion commander Captain Grigoroshvili Mikhail Iosifovich, born in 1902.
222 Infantry Regiment Commander Colonel Yashin Ivan Mikhailovich
Deputy Commander Lieutenant Colonel Gutarov Avraam Dmitrievich, born in 1894
Chief of Staff Major Timofeev Boris Alekseevich, born in 1902
com. battalion Captain Dmitrienko Nikifor Leontievich, born in 1899
com. battalion Captain Lapenkov Georgy Georgievich, born in 1910
31st Light Artillery Regiment Major Tovstik Timofey Nikolaevich, born in 1905
Chief of Staff Major Klyuchnikov Sergey Ivanovich, born in 1902
166th howitzer artillery regiment commander unknown
79 dept. communications battalion commander captain Metkalov Ivan Evstafievich, born in 1907
91 dep. reconnaissance battalion commander captain Pankratov Valentin Mikhailovich born in 1904
121st division anti-tank battalion commander captain Nikiforov Stepan Alekseevich
291st division anti-aircraft artillery battalion.
1st department sapper battalion.
85th division transport battalion.
85th Medical Battalion
97th Field Automobile Bakery Plant Commander Lieutenant Colonel Vasily Ivanovich Moloknov, born in 1889

The 212th rifle regiment of the first composition was part of the 49th rifle division, which was formed in 1931 in Kostroma.

The division itself was an integral part of the 3rd Rifle Corps, whose headquarters was in Ivanovo. In 1938, the division was transferred to a personnel position and redeployed to the city of Staraya Russa, where it became part of the 1st Rifle Corps of the Leningrad Military District. In 1939, three new rifle divisions were deployed on the basis of each of the rifle regiments: the 49th in Staraya Russa, the 123rd in Vyshny Volochek, and the 142nd in Malaya Vishera. The new 49th division was replenished to wartime states (as of September 13, 1939, 18,906 people). There is information that by December 10, 1939, the division consisted of 13,882 people. This number is given after the first heavy fighting in the Soviet-Finnish war.

The new 49th Rifle Division, together with the 1st Rifle Corps, became part of the Novgorod Group of Forces, which on September 28, 1939 was transformed into the 8th Army.

Then, in connection with the planned offensive of the 8th Army in the Tartu direction in Estonia, it moved to the Pskov region. However, at the end of September, the conflict with Estonia was resolved peacefully, and at the end of October 1939 the 49th division was transferred to the Karelian Isthmus in the area of ​​Toksovo and Peri, where it became part of the 50th rifle corps of the 7th Army.

The division participated in the Soviet-Finnish war from the first to last day. She fought on the extreme right section of the Karelian Isthmus, adjacent to Lake Ladoga (the area of ​​the Taipalen-Yoki River), first as part of the 7th Army, then as part of the group of commander V.D. Grendal, then as part of the 13th Army created on the basis of this group.

On April 7, 1940, the division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for distinction in combat operations. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to the company commander of the 212th Infantry Regiment, Lieutenant Leonid Ilyich Buber, and the machine gunner of the 212th Infantry Regiment, Red Army soldier Nikolai Semenovich Grekov. Many Red Army soldiers and division commanders were also awarded orders and medals.

By mid-June 1940, the division arrived in the border area with Latvia and Estonia south of Pskov, where, as part of the 19th Rifle Corps of the 8th Army, it took part in the annexation of the Baltic states to the Soviet Union.

In the second half of July 1940, the division was transported by rail to the area of ​​Vysokoye, st. Cheremkha of the Brest region of Belarus and became part of the Western Special Military District.

In the autumn of 1940, the 49th Rifle Division was demobilizing the bulk of the old-timers who had combat experience gained during the Soviet-Finnish war. Young soldiers who did not have combat skills came to the division. The combat effectiveness of the division also fell due to the need to divert the Red Army to the construction of warehouses, barracks, dugouts and housing stock.

In the spring of 1941, more intensive construction of pillboxes in fortified areas continued than last year, and as a result, less time was devoted to combat training.

To top it all, since October 1940, conscripts from the Kazakh and Uzbek SSR began to arrive in the division along with others. If among the first Kazakhs there were about half, then from Uzbekistan the vast majority were Uzbeks who did not know the Russian language. Full-fledged combat training became impossible.

In May - early June 1941, several hundred conscripts from the nearby Brest region were called up for 45-day camps. This group understood Russian, but that was not the main thing. Local Belarusians only had time to change clothes, get a haircut and start teaching how the war began. The bulk of them fled home with the outbreak of war, some were detained by the Germans and taken prisoner.

Before the war itself, on June 10, 1941, a group of young lieutenants arrived in the division - graduates of various schools who received the positions of platoon commanders. Basically, platoon commanders, deputy company commanders were former sergeants who graduated from junior lieutenant courses only in 1939 or 1940.

The 212th regiment was located in the town of Nurets-Statsya, standing on the railway coming from the station. Cheremkha to the border. The regiment found itself in the worst conditions. Nurets station did not have any conditions to accommodate almost three thousand Red Army soldiers.

According to pre-war plans, the 49th division with its cover strip was to enter (together with the 113th rifle division) into the 2nd rifle corps of the new 13th Army. In fact, on June 21, 1941, the 49th Rifle Division was part of the 4th Army of the Western Special Military District.

On June 22 at 6 am Moscow time Colonel K.F. Vasiliev received a message that, east of the city of Drokhichin, German troops were crossing the river. Bug and are advancing in the direction of the city of Semyatich. The Germans advanced towards the right flank of the defense of the 49th division. Colonel Vasiliev gave the order to advance the 212th regiment in the direction of the city of Semyatich. In accordance with the "red packets", the regiment moved to the border cover zone, entered the battle 25 kilometers west of the Nurets cape on the right flank. The regiment was attacked from the west by the 292nd infantry division of the 9th army corps of the enemy and thus took upon itself the first and main blow of the beginning of the war. More in the reports of the 212th regiment is not mentioned.

By 11 o'clock the division was cut off from the main forces by enemy tanks. Communication could only be established with the commander of the 13th mechanized corps, General Akhlyustin, starting on June 24.

After heavy fighting, parts of the division were either defeated, or continued to retreat with fighting, or for the most part were captured. The final battles dragged on until July 3, when the entire Belovezhskaya Pushcha was combed by the enemy.

Since no archival materials on the 49th Infantry Division have been preserved, the only way to at least partially restore the names of the personnel of the division's soldiers is to search for them on the pages of the Memorial website.

As a result of such searches, it was possible to establish the names of 962 people who, on the morning of June 22, 1941, were on the lists of fighters and commanders of the 49th division. Among them, 510 people are the commanding staff. This list is incomplete, and the possibilities of the site have not yet been exhausted.

Most of the people on this list are missing or dead.

Part of the list, or rather 215 people, are soldiers who were captured in 1941, survived in inhuman conditions, and were released from captivity in 1945.

In their testimonies, most of them indicated the place and date of captivity. The majority, 46 people, indicated that they were taken prisoner near Minsk. Others indicated that they were captured in Brest, in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, near Baranovichi, in a number of other settlements.

54 soldiers were captured before July 1, 1941, 82 soldiers were captured from 1 to 10, 1941. The rest gave later dates, either vague, such as July 1941, or simply 1941.

Thus, conclusions can be drawn. Part of the survivors of the first battles managed to break into the cauldron near Minsk, and was already captured there. Some part of the 15th and 31st regiments was in the battles near Drokhichin and Semyatich, that is, in the defense zone of the 113th rifle division. Those who were captured near Belsk also fought outside the main group of the 49th Infantry Division. Some of those captured near Brest are either cadets of the regimental school of the 222nd regiment, or, possibly, units sent to the artillery range near Brest for exercises. Most of them were captured in the first days of the war. The bulk of the prisoners are warriors who have exhausted all the possibilities to avoid captivity. There was no mass surrender in the first days of the war.

No documents have been preserved for the 212th regiment.

About the history of the 212th regiment of the second composition, formed in Kineshma and passed the combat path from the Volga to the Elbe, read.