Detachments of the Second World War Partisans in WWII
During the Great Patriotic War in the territories occupied by fascist troops Soviet Union a people's war was waged, which is a partisan movement. We will tell about its features and the brightest representatives in our article.
The concept and organization of movement
Partisans (partisan detachments) are unofficial persons (armed groups) who are hiding, avoiding direct confrontation, while fighting the enemy in the occupied lands. An important aspect of partisan activity is the voluntary support of the civilian population. If this does not happen, then the battle groups are saboteurs or simply bandits.
The Soviet partisan movement began to form immediately in 1941 (very active in Belarus). The partisans were required to take an oath. The detachments operated mainly in the frontline zone. During the war years, about 6,200 groups (a million people) were created. Where the terrain did not allow the creation of partisan zones, underground organizations or sabotage groups operated.
The main goals of the partisans:
- Violation of the operation of the support and communication systems of the German troops;
- Conducting reconnaissance;
- Political agitation;
- Destruction of defectors, false partisans, Nazi managers and officers;
- Combat assistance to representatives who survived in the occupation Soviet power, military units.
The partisan movement was not uncontrolled. Already in June 1941, the Council of People's Commissars adopted a directive listing the main necessary actions of the partisans. In addition, part of the partisan detachments was created in free territories, and then transported to the enemy rear. In May 1942, the Central Headquarters of the partisan movement was formed.
Rice. 1. Soviet partisans.
Hero guerrillas
Many underground workers and partisans of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 are acknowledged heroes.
We list the most famous:
- Tikhon Bumazhkov (1910-1941): one of the first organizers of the partisan movement (Belarus). Together with Fedor Pavlovsky (1908-1989) - the first partisans who became heroes of the USSR;
- Sidor Kovpak (1887-1967): one of the organizers of partisan activity in Ukraine, commander of the Sumy partisan unit, twice Hero;
- Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya (1923-1941): scout saboteur. was captured after cruel torture(did not give out any information, even her real name) was hanged;
- Elizaveta Chaikina (1918-1941): participated in the organization of partisan detachments in the Tver region. After fruitless torture - shot;
- Vera Voloshina (1919-1941): scout saboteur. Diverted the attention of the enemy, covering the retreat of the group with valuable data. Wounded, after torture - hanged.
Rice. 2. Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the partisan pioneers:
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- Vladimir Dubinin (1927-1942): using an excellent memory and natural dexterity, he obtained intelligence for a partisan detachment operating in the Kerch quarries;
- Alexander Chekalin (1925-1941): collected intelligence, organized sabotage in Tula region. Captured, after torture - exponentially hanged;
- Leonid Golikov (1926-1943): participated in the destruction of enemy equipment, warehouses, the seizure of valuable documents;
- Valentin Kotik (1930-1944): liaison of the Shepetovskaya underground organization (Ukraine). Found a German underground telephone cable; killed an officer of a group of punishers who organized an ambush for the partisans;
- Zinaida Portnova (1924-1943): underground worker (Vitebsk region, Belarus). In the dining room for the Germans, she poisoned about 100 officers. Captured, after torture - shot.
In Krasnodon (1942, Lugansk region, Donbass), an underground youth organization called the Young Guard was formed, immortalized in the film and novel of the same name (author Alexander Fadeev). Ivan Turkenich (1920-1944) was appointed its commander. The organization included about 110 people, 6 of whom became Heroes of the Soviet Union. Participants staged sabotage, distributed leaflets. Major action: set fire to lists of people selected for export to Germany; a raid on cars carrying German New Year's gifts. In January 1943, the Germans arrested and killed about 80 underground workers.
Rice. 3. Young Guards.
What have we learned?
We learned about the specifics of the Soviet partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War, which operated with the support of the local population and with the approval of the military command. About 250 partisans received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The most famous are named in the article.
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A significant contribution to the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany was made by partisan detachments operating behind enemy lines from Leningrad to Odessa. They were headed not only by military personnel, but also by people of peaceful professions. Real heroes.
Old Man Minai
By the beginning of the war, Minai Filipovich Shmyrev was the director of the Pudot cardboard factory (Belarus). The past of the 51-year-old director was a combat one: he was awarded three St. George's Crosses in World War I, in the Civil War he fought against banditry. In July 1941, in the village of Pudot, from the workers of the factory, Shmyrev formed partisan detachment. In two months, the partisans fought the enemy 27 times, destroyed 14 vehicles, 18 fuel tanks, blew up 8 bridges, and defeated the German district administration in Surazh. In the spring of 1942, Shmyrev, on the orders of the Central Committee of Belarus, teamed up with three partisan detachments and headed the First Belarusian Partisan Brigade. The partisans drove the fascists out of 15 villages and created the Surazh partisan region. Here, before the arrival of the Red Army, Soviet power was restored. On the Usvyaty-Tarasenki section, the Surazh Gate existed for half a year - a 40-kilometer zone through which the partisans were supplied with weapons and food. All relatives of Old Man Minai: four small children, sister and mother-in-law were shot by the Nazis. In the fall of 1942, Shmyrev was transferred to the Central Headquarters of the partisan movement. In 1944 he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. After the war, Shmyrev returned to economic work.
The son of the fist "Uncle Kostya"
Konstantin Sergeevich Zaslonov was born in the city of Ostashkov, Tver province. In the thirties, his family was dispossessed and exiled to the Kola Peninsula in Khibinogorsk. After school, Zaslonov became a railroad worker, by 1941 he worked as the head of a locomotive depot in Orsha (Belarus) and was evacuated to Moscow, but voluntarily went back. He served under the pseudonym "Uncle Kostya", created an underground, which, with the help of mines disguised as coal, derailed 93 Nazi echelons in three months. In the spring of 1942, Zaslonov organized a partisan detachment. The detachment fought with the Germans, lured 5 garrisons of the Russian National people's army. Zaslonov died in a battle with RNNA punishers, who came to the partisans under the guise of defectors. He was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
NKVD officer Dmitry Medvedev
A native of the Oryol province, Dmitry Nikolaevich Medvedev was an officer in the NKVD. He was fired twice - either because of his brother - "the enemy of the people", then "for the unreasonable termination of criminal cases." In the summer of 1941 he was reinstated in the ranks. He headed the Mitya reconnaissance and sabotage task force, which conducted more than 50 operations in the Smolensk, Mogilev and Bryansk regions. In the summer of 1942, he headed the "Winners" special squad and conducted more than 120 successful operations. 11 generals, 2000 soldiers, 6000 Banderites were destroyed, 81 trains were blown up. In 1944, Medvedev was transferred to staff work, but in 1945 he traveled to Lithuania to fight the Forest Brothers gang. He retired with the rank of colonel. The hero of the USSR.
Saboteur Molodtsov-Badaev
Vladimir Alexandrovich Molodtsov worked at the mine from the age of 16. He went from trolley racer to deputy director. In 1934 he was sent to the Central School of the NKVD. In July 1941 he arrived in Odessa for reconnaissance and sabotage work. He worked under the pseudonym Pavel Badaev. Badaev's detachments hid in the Odessa catacombs, fought with the Romanians, tore communication lines, staged sabotage in the port, and carried out reconnaissance. They blew up the commandant's office with 149 officers. At the Zastava station, the train with the administration for the occupied Odessa was destroyed. The Nazis threw 16,000 people to liquidate the detachment. They let gas into the catacombs, poisoned the water, mined the passages. In February 1942, Molodtsov and his contacts were captured. Molodtsov was executed on July 12, 1942. Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously.
OGPU officer Naumov
A native of the Perm region, Mikhail Ivanovich Naumov, by the beginning of the war, was an employee of the OGPU. He was shell-shocked while crossing the Dniester, was surrounded, went out to the partisans and soon led the detachment. In the autumn of 1942 he became chief of staff of partisan detachments in the Sumy region, and in January 1943 he headed a cavalry unit. In the spring of 1943, Naumov carried out the legendary Steppe raid 2,379 kilometers long through the rear of the Nazis. For this operation, the captain was awarded the rank of major general, which is a unique event, and the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In total, Naumov conducted three large-scale raids behind enemy lines. After the war, he continued to serve in the ranks of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Kovpak Sidor Artemevich
Kovpak became a legend during his lifetime. Born in Poltava in a poor peasant family. In World War I, from the hands of Nicholas II received George Cross. In the Civil partisan against the Germans, fought with the whites. Since 1937 he was the chairman of the Putivl city executive committee of the Sumy region. In the autumn of 1941, he headed the Putivl partisan detachment, and then - the connection of detachments of the Sumy region. The partisans carried out military raids behind enemy lines. Their total length was more than 10,000 kilometers. 39 enemy garrisons were defeated. On August 31, 1942, Kovpak participated in a meeting of partisan commanders in Moscow, was received by Stalin and Voroshilov, after which he made a raid across the Dnieper. At that moment, Kovpak's detachment had 2000 fighters, 130 machine guns, 9 guns. In April 1943 he was promoted to the rank of major general. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union.
A significant contribution to the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany was made by partisan detachments operating behind enemy lines from Leningrad to Odessa. They were headed not only by military personnel, but also by people of peaceful professions. Real heroes.
Old Man Minai
By the beginning of the war, Minai Filipovich Shmyrev was the director of the Pudot cardboard factory (Belarus). The past of the 51-year-old director was a combat one: he was awarded three St. George's Crosses in World War I, in the Civil War he fought against banditry.
In July 1941, in the village of Pudot, Shmyrev formed a partisan detachment from factory workers. In two months, the partisans fought the enemy 27 times, destroyed 14 vehicles, 18 fuel tanks, blew up 8 bridges, and defeated the German district administration in Surazh.
In the spring of 1942, Shmyrev, on the orders of the Central Committee of Belarus, teamed up with three partisan detachments and headed the First Belarusian Partisan Brigade. The partisans drove the fascists out of 15 villages and created the Surazh partisan region. Here, before the arrival of the Red Army, Soviet power was restored. On the Usvyaty-Tarasenki section, the Surazh Gate existed for half a year - a 40-kilometer zone through which the partisans were supplied with weapons and food.
All relatives of Old Man Minai: four small children, sister and mother-in-law were shot by the Nazis.
In the fall of 1942, Shmyrev was transferred to the Central Headquarters of the partisan movement. In 1944 he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.
After the war, Shmyrev returned to economic work.
The son of the fist "Uncle Kostya"
Konstantin Sergeevich Zaslonov was born in the city of Ostashkov, Tver province. In the thirties, his family was dispossessed and exiled to the Kola Peninsula in Khibinogorsk.
After school, Zaslonov became a railroad worker, by 1941 he worked as the head of a locomotive depot in Orsha (Belarus) and was evacuated to Moscow, but voluntarily went back.
He served under the pseudonym "Uncle Kostya", created an underground, which, with the help of mines disguised as coal, derailed 93 Nazi echelons in three months.
In the spring of 1942, Zaslonov organized a partisan detachment. The detachment fought with the Germans, lured 5 garrisons of the Russian National People's Army to their side.
Zaslonov died in a battle with RNNA punishers, who came to the partisans under the guise of defectors. He was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
NKVD officer Dmitry Medvedev
A native of the Oryol province, Dmitry Nikolaevich Medvedev was an officer in the NKVD.
He was fired twice - either because of his brother - "the enemy of the people", then "for the unreasonable termination of criminal cases." In the summer of 1941 he was reinstated in the ranks.
He headed the Mitya reconnaissance and sabotage task force, which conducted more than 50 operations in the Smolensk, Mogilev and Bryansk regions.
In the summer of 1942, he headed the "Winners" special squad and conducted more than 120 successful operations. 11 generals, 2000 soldiers, 6000 Banderites were destroyed, 81 trains were blown up.
In 1944, Medvedev was transferred to staff work, but in 1945 he traveled to Lithuania to fight the Forest Brothers gang. He retired with the rank of colonel. The hero of the USSR.
Saboteur Molodtsov-Badaev
Vladimir Alexandrovich Molodtsov worked at the mine from the age of 16. He went from trolley racer to deputy director. In 1934 he was sent to the Central School of the NKVD.
In July 1941 he arrived in Odessa for reconnaissance and sabotage work. He worked under the pseudonym Pavel Badaev.
Badaev's detachments hid in the Odessa catacombs, fought with the Romanians, tore communication lines, staged sabotage in the port, and carried out reconnaissance. They blew up the commandant's office with 149 officers. At the Zastava station, the train with the administration for the occupied Odessa was destroyed.
The Nazis threw 16,000 people to liquidate the detachment. They let gas into the catacombs, poisoned the water, mined the passages. In February 1942, Molodtsov and his contacts were captured. Molodtsov was executed on July 12, 1942.
Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously.
Desperate partisan "Mikhailo"
Azerbaijani Mehdi Ganifa-ogly Huseynzade was drafted into the Red Army from his student days. Participant Battle of Stalingrad. He was seriously wounded, captured and taken to Italy. Fled in early 1944, joined the partisans and became a company commissar Soviet partisans. He was engaged in reconnaissance, sabotage, blew up bridges and airfields, executed the Gestapo. For desperate courage he received the nickname "partisan Mikhailo".
A detachment under his command raided the prison, freeing 700 prisoners of war.
He was captured near the village of Vitovle. Mehdi fired back to the end, and then committed suicide.
His exploits were known after the war. In 1957 he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
OGPU officer Naumov
A native of the Perm region, Mikhail Ivanovich Naumov, by the beginning of the war, was an employee of the OGPU. He was shell-shocked while crossing the Dniester, was surrounded, went out to the partisans and soon led the detachment. In the autumn of 1942 he became chief of staff of partisan detachments in the Sumy region, and in January 1943 he headed a cavalry unit.
In the spring of 1943, Naumov carried out the legendary Steppe raid 2,379 kilometers long through the rear of the Nazis. For this operation, the captain was awarded the rank of major general, which is a unique event, and the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
In total, Naumov conducted three large-scale raids behind enemy lines.
After the war, he continued to serve in the ranks of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Kovpak
Sidor Artemyevich Kovpak became a legend during his lifetime. Born in Poltava in a poor peasant family. In World War I, he received the St. George Cross from the hands of Nicholas II. In the Civil partisan against the Germans, fought with the whites.
Since 1937 he was the chairman of the Putivl city executive committee of the Sumy region.
In the autumn of 1941, he headed the Putivl partisan detachment, and then - the connection of detachments of the Sumy region. The partisans carried out military raids behind enemy lines. Their total length was more than 10,000 kilometers. 39 enemy garrisons were defeated.
On August 31, 1942, Kovpak participated in a meeting of partisan commanders in Moscow, was received by Stalin and Voroshilov, after which he made a raid across the Dnieper. At that moment, Kovpak's detachment had 2000 fighters, 130 machine guns, 9 guns.
In April 1943 he was promoted to the rank of major general.
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union.
The partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War was massive. Inhabitants of the occupied territories by the thousands went to the partisans in order to fight the invader. Their courage and coordinated actions against the enemy made it possible to significantly weaken it, which influenced the course of the war and brought a great victory to the Soviet Union.
The partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War is a mass phenomenon in the occupied Nazi Germany the territory of the USSR, which was characterized by the struggle of people living in the occupied lands against the forces of the Wehrmacht.
Partisans are the main part of the anti-fascist movement, the Resistance of the Soviet people. Their actions, contrary to many opinions, were not chaotic - large partisan detachments were subordinate to the Red Army control bodies.
The main tasks of the partisans were to disrupt the enemy's road, air and rail communications, as well as to undermine the operation of communication lines.
Interesting! As of 1944, more than one million partisans operated on the territory of the occupied lands.
During the offensive of the USSR, the partisans joined the regular troops of the Red Army.
Beginning of the guerrilla war
Now it is well known what role the partisans played in the Great Patriotic war. Partisan brigades began to organize in the first weeks of hostilities, when the Red Army was retreating with huge losses.
The main goals of the resistance movement were set out in documents dated June 29 of the first year of the war. On September 5, a wide list was developed, which formulated the main tasks for fighting in the rear of the German troops.
In 1941, a special motorized rifle brigade, which played a crucial role in the development of the partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War. Separate sabotage groups (as a rule, several dozen people) were specially thrown behind enemy lines in order to replenish the ranks of partisan groups.
The formation of partisan detachments was caused by cruel Nazi orders, as well as the removal of civilians from the territory occupied by the enemy to Germany for hard work.
In the first months of the war, there were very few partisan detachments, since most of people took a wait-and-see attitude. Initially, no one supplied the partisan detachments with weapons and ammunition, and therefore their role at the beginning of the war was extremely small.
In the early autumn of 1941, communication with partisans in the rear improved significantly - the movement of partisan detachments became significantly more active and began to wear a more organized order. Along with this, the interaction of the partisans with the regular troops of the Soviet Union (USSR) also improved - they took part in the battles together.
Often the leaders of the partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War were ordinary peasants who had no military training. Later, the Stavka sent its own officers to command the detachments.
In the first months of the war, partisans huddled into small detachments of up to several dozen people. Already after less than six months, the fighters in the detachments began to number hundreds of fighters. When the Red Army went on the offensive, the detachments turned into entire brigades with thousands of defenders of the Soviet Union.
The largest detachments arose in the regions of Ukraine and Belarus, where the oppression of the Germans was especially severe.
The main activities of the partisan movement
An important role in organizing the work of resistance units was the creation of the Headquarters of the partisan movement (TSSHPD). Stalin appointed Marshal Voroshilov to the post of commander of the Resistance, who believed that their support was the key strategic goal of the spacecraft.
There were no heavy weapons in the small partisan detachments - light weapons prevailed: rifles;
- rifles;
- pistols;
- automatic machines;
- grenades;
- hand guns.
Large brigades had mortars and other heavy weapons, which allowed them to fight against enemy tanks.
The partisan and underground movement during the Great Patriotic War seriously undermined the work of the German rear, reducing the combat effectiveness of the Wehrmacht in the lands of Ukraine and the Byelorussian SSR.
A detachment of partisans in the destroyed Minsk, photo 1944
Partisan brigades were mainly engaged in undermining railways, bridges and echelons, making the rapid transfer of troops, ammunition and provisions over long distances unproductive.
Groups that were engaged in subversive work were armed with powerful explosives; such operations were led by officers from specialized units of the Red Army.
The main task of the partisans during the hostilities was to prevent the Germans from preparing defenses, undermining morale and inflicting such damage on their rear from which it is difficult to recover. Undermining communications - mainly railways, bridges, killing officers, depriving communications, and much more seriously helped in the fight against the enemy. The confused enemy could not offer resistance, and the Red Army was victorious.
Initially, small (about 30 people) units of partisan detachments took part in large-scale offensive operations. Soviet troops. Then whole brigades poured into the ranks of the spacecraft, replenishing the reserves of the troops weakened by battles.
As a conclusion, we can briefly highlight the main ways of fighting the Resistance brigades:
- Subversive work (in the rear german army pogroms were committed) in any form - especially in relation to enemy trains.
- Intelligence and counterintelligence.
- Propaganda for the benefit of the Communist Party.
- Combat assistance by the Red Army.
- Elimination of traitors to the motherland - called collaborators.
- Destruction of the enemy combat strength and officers.
- Mobilization of the civilian population.
- Maintaining Soviet power in the occupied areas.
Legalization of the partisan movement
The formation of partisan detachments was controlled by the command of the Red Army - the Headquarters understood that sabotage work behind enemy lines and other actions would seriously ruin the life of the German army. The Headquarters contributed to the armed struggle of the partisans against the Nazi invaders, and assistance increased significantly after the victory at Stalingrad.
If before 1942 the mortality rate in partisan detachments reached 100%, then by 1944 it had fallen to 10%.
Individual brigades of partisans were directly controlled by the top leadership. The ranks of such brigades also included specially trained specialists in sabotage activities, whose task was to train and organize less trained fighters.
The support of the party significantly strengthened the power of the detachments, and therefore the actions of the partisans were directed to the aid of the Red Army. During any offensive operation KA the enemy should have expected a strike from the rear.
Sign operations
The Resistance forces carried out hundreds or even thousands of operations in order to undermine the enemy's combat capability. The most notable of them was the military operation "Concert".
More than a hundred thousand soldiers participated in this operation and it took place on a vast territory: in Belarus, the Crimea, the Baltic states, Leningrad region and so on.
The main goal is to destroy the enemy's railway communication so that he could not replenish reserves and supplies during the battle for the Dnieper.
As a result, the effectiveness of the railways decreased by a catastrophic 40% for the enemy. The operation stopped due to the lack of explosives - with more ammunition, the partisans could cause much more significant damage.
After defeating the enemy on the Dnieper River, the partisans began to massively participate in major operations, starting in 1944.
Geography and scale of movement
Detachments of the Resistance gathered in those areas where there were dense forests, gullies and swamps. In the steppe regions, the Germans easily searched for partisans and destroyed them. In difficult areas, they were protected from the numerical superiority of the Germans.
One of the major centers of the partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War was in Belarus.
Belarusian partisans in the forests terrified the enemy, attacking suddenly when the Germans could not repulse the attack, and then also quietly disappeared.
Initially, the position of the partisans on the territory of Belarus was extremely deplorable. However, the victory near Moscow, and after the winter offensive of the spacecraft, significantly raised their morale. After the liberation of the capital of Belarus, a partisan parade took place.
No less large-scale resistance movement on the territory of Ukraine, especially in the Crimea.
German cruelty towards Ukrainian people forced people to leave en masse in the ranks of the Resistance. However, here the partisan resistance had its own characteristic features.
Very often the movement was directed not only to fight against the Nazis, but also against the Soviet regime. This was especially evident on the territory of Western Ukraine, the local population saw the German invasion as a liberation from the Bolshevik regime, and massively went over to the side of Germany.
Members of the partisan movement national heroes, for example, Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, who died at the age of 18 in German captivity, becoming the Soviet Joan of Arc.
The struggle of the population against Nazi Germany was going on - in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Karelia and other regions.
The most grandiose operation carried out by the Resistance fighters was the so-called "Rail War". In August 1943, large sabotage formations were sent behind enemy lines, which blew up tens of thousands of rails on the first night. In total, more than two hundred thousand rails were blown up during the operation - Hitler seriously underestimated the resistance of the Soviet people.
As mentioned above, Operation Concert, which followed after " Rail War” and is associated with the offensive of the spacecraft forces.
The attacks of the partisans took on a massive character (warring groups were present on all fronts), the enemy could not objectively and quickly respond - the German troops were in a panic.
In turn, this caused executions of the population that had assisted the partisans - the Nazis destroyed entire villages. Such actions prompted even more people to join the ranks of the Resistance.
The results and significance of guerrilla warfare
It is very difficult to fully assess the contribution of the partisans to the victory over the enemy, but all historians agree that it was extremely significant. Never before in history has the resistance movement gained such a massive character - millions of civilians began to stand up for their homeland and brought victory to it.
The resistance fighters not only blew up railways, warehouses and bridges - they captured the Germans and handed them over to Soviet intelligence so that they would know the plans of the enemy.
The hands of the Resistance seriously undermined the defensive capacity of the Wehrmacht forces on the territory of Ukraine and Belarus, which simplified the offensive and reduced losses in the ranks of the spacecraft.
partisan children
Special attention deserves such a phenomenon as partisan children. Boys school age wanted to fight the invader. These heroes include:
- Valentin Kotik;
- Marat Kazei;
- Vanya Kazachenko;
- Vitya Sitnitsa;
- Olya Demesh;
- Alyosha Vyalov;
- Zina Portnova;
- Pavlik Titov and others.
Boys and girls were engaged in reconnaissance, supplied the brigades with supplies and water, fought in battle against the enemy, blew up tanks - they did everything to drive the Nazis away. Children-partisans of the times of the Great Patriotic War did no less than adults. Many of them died and received the title of "Hero of the Soviet Union".
Heroes of the partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War
Hundreds of members of the resistance movement became "Heroes of the Soviet Union" - some twice. Among such figures, I would like to single out Sidor Kovpak, the commander of a partisan detachment that fought on the territory of Ukraine.
Sidor Kovpak was the man who inspired the people to resist the enemy. He was the commander of the largest partisan unit in Ukraine and thousands of Germans were killed under his command. In 1943, for his effective actions against the enemy, Kovpak was given the rank of major general.
Aleksey Fedorov should be placed next to him, he also commanded a large formation. Fedorov acted on the territory of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. He was one of the most wanted partisans. Fedorov made a huge contribution to the development of the tactics of guerrilla warfare, which was used in subsequent years.
Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya - one of the most famous female partisans, also became the first woman to receive the title of "Hero of the Soviet Union". During one of the operations, she was captured and hanged, but she showed courage to the end and did not give the enemy the plans of the Soviet command. The girl went into saboteurs despite the words of the commander that 95% of the entire staff would die during operations. She was assigned the task of burning ten settlements in which they were based German soldiers. The heroine failed to fully comply with the order, because during the next arson she was noticed by a villager who handed over the girl to the Germans.
Zoya became a symbol of resistance to fascism - her image was used not only in Soviet propaganda. The news of the Soviet partisan even reached Burma, where she also became a national hero.
Awards to members of partisan detachments
As the Resistance played important role in the victory over the Germans, a special award was established - the medal "Partisan of the Patriotic War".
Awards of the first degree were often awarded to fighters posthumously. This concerns, first of all, those partisans who were not afraid to act in the first year of the war, being in the rear without any support from the forces of the spacecraft.
Being heroes of the war, the partisans appeared in many Soviet films dedicated to military topics. Key films include:
"Rise" (1976).
"Konstantin Zaslonov" (1949).
The trilogy "The Thought of Kovpak", published from 1973 to 1976.
"Partisans in the steppes of Ukraine" (1943).
"In the woods near Kovel" (1984) and many others.
The above-mentioned sources say that films about partisans were also made during the hostilities - it was necessary for people to support this movement and join the ranks of the Resistance fighters.
In addition to films, the partisans became the heroes of many songs and ballads that covered their exploits and carried news of them among the people.
Now streets and parks are named after famous partisans, thousands of monuments have been erected in all CIS countries and beyond. A striking example- Burma, where the feat of Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya is honored.
The village of Uritskoye is memorable because there was a base for a partisan detachment under the command of T. T. Shlemin during the Great Patriotic War. Together with adult partisans, young partisans fought in this detachment.
"Red Pathfinders" of the Uritsa School
The red pathfinders of the Uritsky school did a great job of finding information about the partisan movement in the Uritsky area. The school has a museum.
Model of a dugout of partisans in front of the entrance to the museum
After the abolition educational institution All exhibits were transferred to the District Administration.
Partisan detachments provided invaluable support to the troops. To guide the partisan front on May 30, 1942, the Central Headquarters of the partisan movement was created at the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. By the same decision, the Kalinin headquarters of the partisan movement was formed. In the vast expanse of the western regions of the Kalinin region occupied by the Germans, in the rear of the Nazi German Army Group "North", the people's avengers launched a war on the enemy's transport communications in order to prevent the transfer of manpower, weapons, ammunition, equipment and fuel to the front line, to destroy its garrisons, the disruption of the measures of the occupation regime, to protect the population remaining in the occupied territory. The theater of operations was wooded, crossed by hundreds of small rivers, lakes, swamps, many of which were impassable. It had its own strategy and tactics, its own tricks and methods, irresistible and boldly bold, and they led to victory. The first partisan groups and detachments began to operate in the occupied regions of the Kalinin region as early as July-August 1941. Despite the brutal occupation regime, the partisan movement gained strength and found support among the people themselves.
The commanders of such formations, regardless of their military rank- (it should be noted that it was in a wide range - from a sergeant to a lieutenant colonel) was called brigade commander.
In total, in the occupied territory of the Kalinin region (within the boundaries of that time) in the period 1942-1944. There were 23 partisan brigades. Moreover, the entire territory on which they operated, after the expulsion of the Germans, became part of the Velikiye Luki region, and after its abolition in October 1957, it became part of the Pskov region.
The command of the 31st Rifle Brigade, for example, directly interacted with the detachments of K.P. Marsov “F. V. Zyleva. By the will of fate, both commanders were surrounded in 1941. Repeated attempts to break through the front line to connect with our troops failed. Both were deep behind enemy lines. Faithful to military duty decided to switch to partisan methods of struggle.
Pskov partisans go on a combat mission
In the second half of July 1941, a small group of Red Army soldiers, along with their commander, were surrounded and embarked on the path of partisan struggle. The group melted away after skirmishes with the Germans. And soon only Pavel Novikov remained alive, who stubbornly tried to find his own in order to join them. Soon he found like-minded people who were ready to embark on the path of partisan struggle.
The people's avengers attacked the enemy garrisons, exterminating the invaders and their accomplices. They blew up bridges, trains and tracks, disabled communication lines, destroyed warehouses with weapons and ammunition, carried out reconnaissance, and maintained contact with the population. All this demoralized the rear of the enemy, fettered his forces.
On February 18, 1942, the command of the Kalinin Front withdrew Marsov's detachment from the rear and connected it with units of the 31st Rifle Brigade. And Marsov himself, after being appointed chief of staff of the brigade, was ordered to form a united detachment in our rear, which included Koldobinsky, Uritsky and Borisoglebsky partisan detachments. F. V. Zylev became the commander of the united detachment, F. T. Boydin became the chief of staff, and P. A. Novikov became the commissar. So in the village of Korotyshevo, Kaldobinsky village council, a partisan detachment "For the Motherland" was created. He kept in touch directly with the 31st Infantry Brigade. The actions of the detachment became known from the memoirs at one of the meetings of veterans of the 1st rifle division former commissioner P. A. Novikov, and then from the essay “Forest Paths” written by him.
Shlemin Timofey Trofimovich before the war, he was chairman of the Uritsky village council. With the beginning of the occupation by the German invaders, he was left in a partisan detachment, where he stayed until August 1943. Timofey Trofimovich became the organizer of partisan detachments operating in Velikoluksky and Nevelsky districts. The first detachment of 25 people was commanded by Fedor Zylev. There were 75 people in the second detachment. This detachment was commanded by Ermolaev. Timofey Trofimovich himself was the commander of the third created detachment, consisting of 50 people, which was part of the 11th Kalinin brigade. In mid-February 1942, a united detachment was formed, called "For the Motherland". An order was given to carry out the mobilization of those liable for military service of all ages, both in the Red Army and in partisan detachments. Martynov Ustin Zakharovich was also in this detachment. He crossed the front line 6 times, helped Soviet soldiers, and his son Martynov Nikolai with his great-grandmother Volkova Praskovya Feoktistovna how they assisted both partisans and Soviet soldiers: they brought them food, delivered weapons, and provided the necessary information.
According to the memoirs of Timofey Trofimovich, the command of the “For the Motherland” detachment, having visited the headquarters of the 31st Infantry Division, received specific tasks: to provide the army command with intelligence data and to monitor the movement of the Germans along the Nevel-Usvyaty highway, along to which manpower, equipment and ammunition were transferred, to make ambushes, to mine roads. One of the first major operations of the detachment, carried out on behalf of the army command, was the defeat of the German garrison in the village of Lekhovo on the night of March 27-28, 1942.
Map of hostilities near the village of Lekhovo. March 28, 1942
A new order was received from the headquarters of the 31st brigade to find out the number and armament of the garrison in the village of Lekhovo, which was 30 kilometers from the front line. Apparently, the choice for the resettlement of the German garrison in Lekhovo was not accidental: Lekhovo is a convenient strategic object, as it is located on the Nevel-Usvyaty highway. There was a rather intense movement here, marching companies moving to the front line settled down for the night. It was necessary to establish the size of the garrison in the village of Lekhovo. The detachment, following the instructions of the brigade command, began to systematically arrange ambushes on the Nevel-Usvyaty highway. Sometimes scouts returned with nothing. The ambush was successful on March 15, 1942, when two Germans were captured. They learned from them that a large garrison was stationed in Lekhov, Nevelsky district. However, the testimony of the prisoners could not be trusted. It was decided to set up an ambush again and take the language. Were held combat operations near the villages of Subochevo, Peski, Bardino (Koshelevsky village council). But, neither these operations nor the interrogations of prisoners gave a clear picture of the size and armament of the Lekhovsky garrison. It was necessary to send scouts from the detachment to Lekhovo again. Again, because the first reconnaissance ended in complete failure and the death of scouts Elena Nosenkova and Zinaida Volkova.
In his memoirs, Pavel Alexandrovich Novikov points out that Seryozha Karasev went to reconnaissance in the village of Lekhovo twice. First time with Nadia Kozintseva.
A group of partisans on January 2, 1942.
Distribution of medicines among detachments of partisan brigades. 1942
The further fate of the partisan detachment "For the Motherland", with which the 31st brigade of the 3rd shock army interacted, was as follows: in June 1942, by decision of the Kalinin regional party committee and the Military Council of the Kalinin Front, the detachment was transformed into the 1st Kalinin partisan brigade, which united four detachment with a total number of 472 people. The brigade was constantly growing, and it soon had 2045 fighters. It was disaggregated and created the 6th and 7th Kalinin partisan brigades.
From the command of the partisan detachment "For the Motherland" the fate of only two people is known: the chief of staff F. T. Boydin and the commissar of the detachment P. A. Novikov.
Fedor Timofeevich Boydin after the war was in the Komsomol work, then for a long time he worked as the first secretary of the district committee of the party,
Pavel Alexandrovich Novikov, having been wounded, was treated in one of the Tashkent hospitals. After the war he graduated from the institute. Became a candidate historical sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of the Ust-Kamenogorsk Pedagogical Institute.
In 1991, the author of these lines was sent a letter by V. I. Kravchenko, a scout from another partisan detachment - “Death to fascism”. Here is what she wrote: “N. V. Shipovalov commanded the partisan detachment, Ya. M. Lobitsky was the commissar, Maximov was the chief of staff. The detachment began operating in the southeastern part of the region in January 1942. Later controlled the highway and railway Velikiye Luki - Nevel. Communication was maintained with the 257th division and the 31st brigade. In August 1942, the detachment was redeployed to the Sebezh region for further fighting behind enemy lines.
In a letter from the commissar of the 31st brigade, Ya. M. Vershuta, dated February 20, 1966, we read: “V. I. Kravchenko was a member of the partisan detachment "Death to fascism". She was a scout and liaison with other detachments and military units. Skillfully carried out responsible and difficult tasks of command. Currently he lives in the city of Velikiye Luki... He spends a lot of effort and energy on organizing and holding meetings of veterans - direct participants in the liberation of the city and the region. She was awarded two Orders of the Patriotic War, medals... Veteran of Labor. He has many honorary degrees."
According to a report addressed to the Military Council of the 3rd Shock Army, signed by the brigade commander Gorbunov and its commissar Vershuta, during the fighting, Shipovalov's partisan detachment delivered over 4,000 shells, a large number of cartridges and mines to the brigade's warehouse, disrupted the enemy's telephone and telegraph communications 18 times , carried out 24 undermining of the railway track and 10 undermining of various bridges, undermined six echelons, of which one completely destroyed, destroyed 240 enemy soldiers and officers.
It is no coincidence that the Council of Veterans of the 1st Rifle Division considers the partisans of the “Death to Fascism” and “For the Motherland” detachments to be their brother-soldiers: they closely cooperated with the 31st brigade of the 3rd shock army and fought jointly with the German invaders in the areas of Velikie Luki and Nevel .
Partisan detachments, in the fight against the Nazi invaders, interacted with 227 separate ski battalions of the 3rd Shock Army.
In 1985, at the invitation of the leadership of the Pskov region, Pavel Alexandrovich Novikov participated in the celebrations dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. He visited the Uritsky school, met with schoolchildren and teachers.
After the war Shlemin T.T. met with the pioneers of the Uritskaya and Porechenskaya schools. He told the guys about partisan attacks, saboteurs. According to his stories, the guys wrote a short report on the actions of the partisans.
In the book "The Book of Memory" (4th volume) there is"Report of the headquarters of the partisan detachment "Death to fascism" on the fighting in the period from June 10 to July 1, 1942"
The village of Kupuy was the base of the 2nd Kalinin partisan brigade. The detachment of Pyotr Ryndin was the first to settle in Kupuy in May 1942.
On July 6, 1942, in Kupuy, partisan detachments “For native land"(Commander Ryndin P.V.) and" People's avenger"(Commander Lesnikov). They were merged into the 2nd Kalinin partisan brigade under the command of Georgy Arbuzov, who commanded it until July 29, 1942. The brigade, consisting of two detachments, set out from Kupuy to the area of operations Kudever. Kupiy was at that time the main partisan base of the brigade. From here, the partisans went on combat missions, they returned here from them and, after a short rest, went on new missions.
On September 1, 1942, the 2nd Kalinin Partisan Brigade became part of the 1st Kalinin Partisan Corps. On September 9, 1942, the corps advanced from Kupuy to the German rear. At that time, the 2nd Kalinin Brigade was part of the Central Strike Group of the Corps and moved as the Main Outpost.
When Ryndin P.V. became the commander of the 2nd Kalinin partisan brigade, then at that time it had a numerical strength: middle command staff - 34 people, junior command staff - 42 people, privates - 301 people (total 377 people). In service there were: 4 mortars, 13 machine guns, 13 rifles, 31 pistols.
Articles about the partisan movement were published in the local periodical press:
Novikov, P. Behind enemy lines / P. Novikov // Way of October. - 1990. - 26 Apr. Memories of the commissar of the partisan detachment "For the Motherland" (joined the 1st CPB).
Novikov P. A. So the First Kalininskaya was born / P. A. Novikov // Way of October. - 1969. - 16, 21, 23, 26 Aug.
“It is necessary to create a partisan detachment” // Vedomosti. Pskov-Velikiye Luki. - 2010. - May 26. – P. 8.