"This is our war!"

The Tuvan People's Republic became part of the Soviet Union already during the war, on August 17, 1944. In the summer of 1941, Tuva was de jure an independent state. In August 1921, the White Guard detachments of Kolchak and Ungern were expelled from there. The capital of the republic was the former Belotsarsk, renamed Kyzyl (Red City).

Soviet troops were withdrawn from Tuva by 1923, but the USSR continued to provide all possible assistance to Tuva, without claiming its independence.

It is customary to say that Great Britain provided the first support for the USSR in the war, but this is not so. Tuva declared war on Germany and its allies on June 22, 1941, 11 hours before Churchill's historic announcement on the radio. Mobilization immediately began in Tuva, the republic announced its readiness to send its army to the front. 38,000 Tuvan arats in a letter to Joseph Stalin stated: “We are together. This is our war."

There is a historical legend about Tuva's declaration of war on Germany that when Hitler found out about this, it amused him, he did not even bother to find this republic on the map. But in vain.

Everything for the front!

Immediately after the start of the war, Tuva handed over to Moscow its gold reserves (about 30 million rubles) and the entire production of Tuvan gold (10-11 million rubles annually).

The Tuvans really accepted the war as their own. This is evidenced by the amount of assistance that the poor republic provided to the front.

From June 1941 to October 1944 Tuva supplied 50,000 war horses and 750,000 heads of cattle for the needs of the Red Army. Each Tuvan family gave the front from 10 to 100 heads of cattle. The Tuvans literally put the Red Army on skis, supplying 52,000 pairs of skis to the front. The Prime Minister of Tuva, Saryk-Dongak Chimba, wrote in his diary: "they wiped out the entire birch forest near Kyzyl."

In addition, the Tuvans sent 12,000 sheepskin coats, 19,000 pairs of mittens, 16,000 pairs of felt boots, 70,000 tons of sheep's wool, 400 tons of meat, melted butter and flour, carts, sledges, harnesses and other goods totaling about 66.5 million rubles.

To help the USSR, the arats collected 5 echelons of gifts worth more than 10 million Tuvan akshas (the rate of 1 aksha is 3 rubles 50 kopecks), food for hospitals for 200,000 akshas.

According to Soviet expert estimates, presented, for example, in the book "The USSR and Foreign States in 1941-1945", the total supplies of Mongolia and Tuva to the USSR in 1941-1942 were only 35% less in volume than the total volume of Western allied supplies in those years in the USSR - that is, from the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, the Union of South Africa, Australia and New Zealand combined.

"Black Death"

The first Tuvan volunteers (about 200 people) joined the Red Army in May 1943. After a short training, they were enrolled in the 25th separate tank regiment (from February 1944 it was part of the 52nd army of the 2nd Ukrainian front). This regiment fought on the territory of Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Hungary and Czechoslovakia.

In September 1943, the second group of cavalry volunteers (206 people) was enrolled, after training in the Vladimir region, in the 8th cavalry division.

The cavalry division took part in raids behind enemy lines in western Ukraine. After the battle near Durazhno in January 1944, the Germans began to call the Tuvans "Der Schwarze Tod" - "Black Death".

The captured German officer G. Remke during interrogation said that the soldiers entrusted to him “subconsciously perceived these barbarians (Tuvans) as the hordes of Attila” and lost all combat capability ...

Here it must be said that the first Tuvan volunteers were a typical national part, they were dressed in national costumes, wore amulets. Only at the beginning of 1944, the Soviet command asked the Tuvan soldiers to send their "objects of the Buddhist and shamanic cult" to their homeland.

The Tuvans fought bravely. The command of the 8th Guards Cavalry Division wrote to the Tuvan government:

“... with a clear superiority of the enemy, the Tuvans fought to the death. So in the battles near the village of Surmiche, 10 machine gunners, led by the commander of the Dongur-Kyzyl squad, and the calculation of anti-tank rifles, led by Dazhy-Seren, died in this battle, but did not retreat a single step, fighting to the last bullet. Over 100 enemy corpses were counted in front of a handful of brave men who died the death of heroes. They died, but where the sons of your Motherland stood, the enemy did not pass ... ".

A squadron of Tuvan volunteers liberated 80 Western Ukrainian settlements.

Tuvan heroes

Of the 80,000 population of the Tuva Republic, about 8,000 Tuvan soldiers took part in the Great Patriotic War.

67 fighters and commanders were awarded orders and medals of the USSR. About 20 of them became holders of the Order of Glory, up to 5500 Tuvan soldiers were awarded other orders and medals of the Soviet Union and the Tuva Republic.

Two Tuvans were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union - Khomushka Churguy-ool and Tyulyush Kechil-ool.

Tuvan squadron

The Tuvans not only helped the front financially and bravely fought in tank and cavalry divisions, but also provided the Red Army with the construction of 10 Yak-7B aircraft for. On March 16, 1943, at the Chkalovsky airfield near Moscow, the delegation of Tuva solemnly handed over the aircraft to the 133rd Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Red Army Air Force.

The fighters were transferred to the commander of the 3rd aviation fighter squadron Novikov and assigned to the crews. On each was written in white paint "From the Tuvan people."

Unfortunately, not a single aircraft of the “Tuvin squadron” survived until the end of the war. Of the 20 servicemen of the 133rd Aviation Fighter Regiment, who made up the crews of the Yak-7B fighters, only three survived the war.

The first Tuvan volunteers (about 200 people) joined the Red Army in May 1943. After a short training, they were enrolled in the 25th separate tank regiment (from February 1944 it was part of the 52nd army of the 2nd Ukrainian front). This regiment fought on the territory of Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Hungary and Czechoslovakia.

In September 1943, the second group of cavalry volunteers (206 people) was enrolled, after training in the Vladimir region, in the 8th cavalry division.

The cavalry division took part in raids behind enemy lines in western Ukraine. After the battle near Durazhno in January 1944, the Germans began to call the Tuvans "der schwarze Tod" - "Black Death".

The captured German officer Hans Remke during interrogation said that the soldiers entrusted to him "subconsciously perceived these barbarians (Tuvans) as Attila's hordes" and lost all combat capability.

Here it must be said that the first Tuvan volunteers were a typical national unit, they were dressed in national costumes and wore amulets. Only at the beginning of 1944, the Soviet command asked the Tuvan soldiers to send their "objects of the Buddhist and shamanic cult" to their homeland.

The Tuvans fought bravely. The command of the 8th Guards Cavalry Division wrote to the Tuvan government:

“With a clear superiority of the enemy, the Tuvans fought to the death. So in the battles near the village of Surmiche, 10 machine gunners, led by the commander of the Dongur-Kyzyl squad, and the calculation of anti-tank rifles, led by Dazhy-Seren, died in this battle, but did not retreat a single step, fighting to the last bullet. Over 100 enemy corpses were counted in front of a handful of brave men who died the death of heroes. They died, but where the sons of your Motherland stood, the enemy did not pass.

A squadron of Tuvan volunteers liberated 80 Western Ukrainian settlements.

The Germans during the Great Patriotic War called the Tuvans "Der Schwarze Tod" - "Black Death". The Tuvans fought to the death even with the obvious superiority of the enemy, they did not take prisoners.

"This is our war!"

The Tuvan People's Republic became part of the Soviet Union already during the war, on August 17, 1944. In the summer of 1941, Tuva was de jure an independent state. In August 1921, the White Guard detachments of Kolchak and Ungern were expelled from there. The capital of the republic was the former Belotsarsk, renamed Kyzyl (Red City). Soviet troops were withdrawn from Tuva by 1923, but the USSR continued to provide all possible assistance to Tuva, without claiming its independence. It is customary to say that Great Britain provided the first support for the USSR in the war, but this is not so. Tuva declared war on Germany and its allies on June 22, 1941, 11 hours before Churchill's historic announcement on the radio. Mobilization immediately began in Tuva, the republic announced its readiness to send its army to the front. 38,000 Tuvan arats in a letter to Joseph Stalin stated: “We are together. This is our war." There is a historical legend about Tuva's declaration of war on Germany that when Hitler found out about this, it amused him, he did not even bother to find this republic on the map. But in vain.

Everything for the front!

Immediately after the start of the war, Tuva handed over to Moscow its gold reserves (about 30 million rubles) and the entire production of Tuvan gold (10-11 million rubles annually). The Tuvans really accepted the war as their own. This is evidenced by the amount of assistance that the poor republic provided to the front. From June 1941 to October 1944 Tuva supplied 50,000 war horses and 750,000 heads of cattle for the needs of the Red Army. Each Tuvan family gave the front from 10 to 100 heads of cattle. The Tuvans literally put the Red Army on skis, supplying 52,000 pairs of skis to the front. The Prime Minister of Tuva, Saryk-Dongak Chimba, wrote in his diary: "they wiped out the entire birch forest near Kyzyl." In addition, the Tuvans sent 12,000 sheepskin coats, 19,000 pairs of mittens, 16,000 pairs of felt boots, 70,000 tons of sheep's wool, 400 tons of meat, melted butter and flour, carts, sledges, harnesses and other goods totaling about 66.5 million rubles. To help the USSR, the arats collected 5 echelons of gifts worth more than 10 million Tuvan akshas (the rate of 1 aksha is 3 rubles 50 kopecks), food for hospitals for 200,000 akshas. According to Soviet expert estimates, presented, for example, in the book "The USSR and Foreign States in 1941-1945", the total supplies of Mongolia and Tuva to the USSR in 1941-1942 were only 35% less in volume than the total volume of Western allied supplies in those years in the USSR - that is, from the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, the Union of South Africa, Australia and New Zealand combined.

"Black Death"

The first Tuvan volunteers (about 200 people) joined the Red Army in May 1943. After a short training, they were enrolled in the 25th separate tank regiment (from February 1944 it was part of the 52nd army of the 2nd Ukrainian front). This regiment fought on the territory of Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. In September 1943, the second group of cavalry volunteers (206 people) was enrolled, after training in the Vladimir region, in the 8th cavalry division. The cavalry division took part in raids behind enemy lines in western Ukraine. After the battle near Durazhno in January 1944, the Germans began to call the Tuvans "Der Schwarze Tod" - "Black Death". The captured German officer G. Remke during interrogation said that the soldiers entrusted to him "subconsciously perceived these barbarians (Tuvans) as the hordes of Attila" and lost all combat capability ... Here it must be said that the first Tuvan volunteers were a typical national unit, they were dressed in national costumes, wore amulets. Only at the beginning of 1944, the Soviet command asked the Tuvan soldiers to send their "objects of the Buddhist and shamanic cult" to their homeland. The Tuvans fought bravely. The command of the 8th Guards Cavalry Division wrote to the Tuvan government: “... with a clear superiority of the enemy, the Tuvans fought to the death. So in the battles near the village of Surmiche, 10 machine gunners, led by the commander of the Dongur-Kyzyl squad, and the calculation of anti-tank rifles, led by Dazhy-Seren, died in this battle, but did not retreat a single step, fighting to the last bullet. Over 100 enemy corpses were counted in front of a handful of brave men who died the death of heroes. They died, but where the sons of your Motherland stood, the enemy did not pass ... ". A squadron of Tuvan volunteers liberated 80 Western Ukrainian settlements.

Tuvan heroes

Of the 80,000 population of the Tuva Republic, about 8,000 Tuvan soldiers took part in the Great Patriotic War. 67 fighters and commanders were awarded orders and medals of the USSR. About 20 of them became holders of the Order of Glory, up to 5500 Tuvan soldiers were awarded other orders and medals of the Soviet Union and the Tuvan Republic. Two Tuvans were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union - Khomushka Churguy-ool and Tyulyush Kechil-ool.

Tuvan squadron

The Tuvans not only helped the front financially and bravely fought in tank and cavalry divisions, but also provided the Red Army with the construction of 10 Yak-7B aircraft. On March 16, 1943, at the Chkalovsky airfield near Moscow, the delegation of Tuva solemnly handed over the aircraft to the 133rd Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Red Army Air Force. The fighters were transferred to the commander of the 3rd aviation fighter squadron Novikov and assigned to the crews. On each was written in white paint "From the Tuvan people." Unfortunately, not a single aircraft of the “Tuvin squadron” survived until the end of the war. Of the 20 servicemen of the 133rd Aviation Fighter Regiment, who made up the crews of the Yak-7B fighters, only three survived the war.

This year, the next, already 305th in a row, anniversary will be celebrated by one of the most famous branches of the Russian Armed Forces - the marines. Epochs changed, the political system in the country changed, the color of banners, uniforms and weapons changed. One thing remained unchanged - the high skill and high moral and psychological level of our marine, who was the image of a true hero, capable of breaking the will of the enemy with just a formidable look. For more than three centuries of existence, the Marine Corps, which has covered itself with unfading glory, has taken part in almost all major wars and armed conflicts waged by our state.

"Marine Regime"

The first regiment of marines in our country, called the "naval regiment" and formed under the command of General Admiral Franz Lefort during the famous Azov expedition conducted by Peter I in 1696, consisted of 28 companies and provided invaluable assistance during the siege of an enemy fortress. The tsar was listed only as a captain (commander) of the 3rd company of that same regiment. The “Naval Regime” was not a regular formation, it was formed only on a temporary basis, however, the experience gained prompted Peter I to make the final decision on the need to “officially” form marine infantry detachments as part of the Russian fleet. So, already in September-October 1704, in the Discourse on the Beginning Fleet on the Baltic Sea, the Russian emperor pointed out: “It is necessary to make regiments of naval soldiers (depending on the number of the fleet) and divide them by captains forever, to which corporals and sergeants should be taken from old soldiers for the sake of better training in order and order.

However, the course of the subsequent hostilities of the summer campaign of 1705 forced Peter I to change his mind and, instead of disparate teams, form a single naval regiment intended to serve in boarding and landing teams on warships of the Russian fleet. Moreover, given the complex nature of the tasks assigned to the "sea soldiers", it was decided to equip the regiment not with newly recruited recruits, but at the expense of already trained soldiers from army regiments. This case was entrusted to General-Admiral Count Fyodor Golovin, who on November 16, 1705 gave the order to the commander of the fleet on the Baltic Sea, Vice-Admiral Cornelius Kruys: so that he consisted of 1200 soldiers, and what belongs to that, what kind of gun and in other things, if you please, write to me and do not leave the others; and how many of all there are or a great reduction was composed, then we will try to find recruits. This date, November 16, according to the old style, or November 27, according to the new style, 1705, is considered the official birthday of the Russian Marine Corps.

Later, taking into account the experience of the Northern War, the marines were reorganized: instead of a regiment, several naval battalions were created - the "vice admiral's battalion" (tasks were assigned to serve as part of the boarding and landing teams on the ships of the squadron's avant-garde); "Admiral's battalion" (the same, but for the ships of the center of the squadron); "Rear Admiral's Battalion" (ships of the rear guard of the squadron); "galley battalion" (for the galley fleet), as well as the "admiralty battalion" (for guard duty and other tasks in the interests of the fleet command). By the way, during the Northern War, for the first time in the world, a large landing formation was formed in Russia - a corps of more than 20 thousand people. So in this we are ahead of even the Americans, who took similar steps only during the Second World War.

From Corfu to Borodino

Since then, our marines have taken part in many battles and wars that have become crucial for Russia. She fought in the Black and Baltic Seas, stormed the fortifications of the fortress of Corfu, which were considered impregnable, landed in Italy and the Balkans, even fought in battles for land plots hundreds and thousands of kilometers away from the sea coast. The commanders repeatedly used the battalions of the Marine Corps, famous for their swift onslaught and powerful bayonet strike, as assault detachments in the directions of the main attack in many battles.

The detachments of the marines took part in the famous assault on Izmail - three of the nine assault columns advancing on the fortress were made up of the personnel of the naval battalions and coastal grenadier regiments. Alexander Suvorov noted that the marines "showed amazing courage and zeal", and in his report he noted eight officers and one sergeant of naval battalions and almost 70 officers and sergeants of coastal grenadier regiments among those who especially distinguished themselves.

During the famous Mediterranean campaign of Admiral Fyodor Ushakov, there were no field troops on his squadron at all - all the tasks of storming coastal structures were solved by the marines of the Black Sea Fleet. Including - she took by storm from the sea the previously considered impregnable fortress of Corfu. Having received the news about the capture of Corfu, Alexander Suvorov wrote the famous lines: “Why was I not at Corfu, although a midshipman!”.

Even under the seemingly completely "land" village of Borodino, even the Marines managed to distinguish themselves and acquire the glory of formidable warriors - steadfast in defense and swift in the offensive. On the land fronts of the Patriotic War of 1812, two brigades formed from naval regiments fought, consolidated into the 25th Infantry Division. In the Battle of Borodino, after the wounding of Prince Bagration, the left flank of the Russian troops withdrew to the village of Semenovskoye, the Life Guards Light Company No. 1 and the artillery team of the Guards Naval Crew advanced here - for several hours the sailors, with only two guns, repelled powerful attacks of the enemy and fought a duel with the French artillerymen. For the battles at Borodino, artillery sailors were awarded the Order of St. Anna, 3rd degree (Lieutenant A.I. List and non-commissioned lieutenant I.P. Kiselev) and insignia of the Military Order of St. George (six sailors).

Few people know that in the battle of Kulm in 1813, soldiers and officers of the Guards Naval Crew, located in St. Petersburg and formed in 1810, the only formation in the history of our country, and, perhaps, Europe, that just a ship crew, but also an elite infantry battalion.

The marines did not stand aside in the Crimean War of 1854-1855, in the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878, in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 and, of course, in the First World War, during which a number of units and units of the Marine Corps, who took part in operations to defend naval bases and islands and solved the tasks assigned to them as part of the landing forces. According to the experience of military operations in 1916-1917 in the Black and Baltic Seas, the formation of two divisions of the marine corps began, which, however, for well-known reasons, did not have time to implement.

At the same time, however, more than once, due to the short-sighted policy of the military-political leadership, especially the army command obsessed with the “land character of the country”, more than once the marines were subjected to disastrous reorganization and even complete liquidation, with the transfer of its units to the ground forces. For example, despite the high effectiveness of the combat use of the Marine Corps units and the Guards Naval Crew during the wars with Napoleonic France, in 1813 the Marine Corps were transferred to the army department and over the next almost 100 years the Navy did not have any large formations of the Marine Corps. . Even the Crimean War and the defense of Sevastopol could not convince the Russian leadership of the need to recreate the marines as a separate branch of the military. Only in 1911, the Main Naval Staff developed a project to create permanent "infantry units" at the disposal of the command of the main naval bases - a regiment in the Baltic Fleet and a battalion in the Black Sea Fleet and in the Far East, in Vladivostok. Moreover, parts of the Marine Corps were divided into two types - for operations on land and for operations on naval theater of operations.

Soviet marines

And what about the events that we usually call the Kronstadt rebellion? There, the marines and gunners of coastal batteries, forming the backbone of those dissatisfied with the anti-revolutionary, in their opinion, policy of the then leadership of the Soviet Republic, showed considerable stamina and courage, for a long time repelling the numerous and powerful attacks of a huge mass of troops thrown to suppress the uprising. Until now, there is no unambiguous assessment of those events: there are supporters of both. But no one doubts the fact that the detachments of sailors showed an unbending will and did not show even a drop of cowardice and weakness even in the face of an enemy many times superior in strength.

The Marine Corps did not officially exist as part of the Armed Forces of the young Soviet Russia, although in 1920 the 1st Marine Expeditionary Division was formed on the Sea of ​​​​Azov, which solved the tasks inherent in the Marine Corps, took an active part in eliminating the threat from the landing of General Ulagay and contributed to squeezing White Guard troops from the regions of the Kuban. Then, for almost two decades, there was no talk of the marines, only on January 15, 1940 (according to other sources, this happened on April 25, 1940), according to the order of the People's Commissar of the Navy, the separate special rifle brigade created a year earlier was reorganized into the 1st special marine brigade infantry of the Baltic Fleet, which took an active part in the Soviet-Finnish war: its personnel participated in landings on the islands of Gogland, Seskar, etc.

But most fully all the spiritual strength and military prowess of our marines were revealed, of course, during the bloodiest war in the history of mankind - the Second World War. On its fronts, 105 formations of marines (hereinafter referred to as MPs) fought: one division of the MP, 19 brigades of the MP, 14 regiments of the MP and 36 separate battalions of the MP, as well as 35 marine rifle brigades. It was then that our marines earned the nickname “black death” from the enemy, although in the first weeks of the war, German soldiers, faced with fearless Russian soldiers who rushed to attack in only vests, gave the marines the nickname “striped death”. During the years of the war, which had a predominantly land character for the USSR, the Soviet marines and naval infantry brigades landed 125 times as part of various landing forces, the total number of units participating in which reached 240 thousand people. Acting independently, the marines - on a smaller scale - landed 159 times during the war in the rear of the enemy. Moreover, the vast majority of landings landed at night, so that by dawn all units of the landing detachments were landed on the shore and took up their assigned positions.

people's war

Already at the very beginning of the war, in the most difficult and difficult year for the Soviet Union in 1941, the USSR Navy allocated 146,899 people for operations on land, many of whom were qualified specialists in the fourth and fifth years of service, which, of course, was detrimental to the combat readiness of the fleet itself, but such was the dire necessity. In November - December of the same year, the formation of separate naval rifle brigades began, which were then formed by 25 with a total number of 39052 people. The main difference between a marine rifle brigade and a marine brigade was that the former was intended for combat operations as part of land fronts, and the latter for combat operations in coastal areas, mainly for the defense of naval bases, amphibious and antiamphibious tasks, etc. In addition, there were also formations and units of the ground forces, in the names of which there was no word "sea", but which were staffed mainly by sailors. Such units can also, without any reservations, be attributed to the marines: during the war years, on the basis of units and formations of the marines, a total of six guards rifle and 15 rifle divisions, two guards rifle, two rifle and four mountain rifle brigades were formed, and a significant number of sailors also fought in the 19 Guards Rifle and 41 Rifle Divisions.

In total, during 1941-1945, the command of the Soviet Navy formed and sent units and formations with a total number of 335,875 people (including 16,645 officers) to various sectors of the Soviet-German front, which amounted to almost 36 divisions in the army states of that time. In addition, units of the Marine Corps, numbering up to 100 thousand people, operated as part of the fleets and flotillas. Thus, almost half a million sailors fought shoulder to shoulder with the soldiers and commanders of the Red Army on the shore alone. And how it fought! According to the memoirs of many military leaders, the command always sought to use naval rifle brigades in the most critical sectors of the front, knowing for sure that the sailors would steadfastly hold their positions, causing great damage to the enemy with fire and counterattacks. The attack of the sailors was always swift, they "literally rammed the German troops."

During the defense of Tallinn, more than 16,000 marines fought on the coast, which accounted for more than half of the entire Tallinn group of Soviet troops, numbering 27,000 people. In total, the Baltic Fleet formed during the Second World War one division, nine brigades, four regiments and nine battalions of marines with a total strength of more than 120,000 people. During the same period, the Northern Fleet formed and sent to various sectors of the Soviet-German front three brigades, two regiments and seven battalions of marines numbering 33,480 people. The Black Sea Fleet accounted for about 70 thousand marines - six brigades, eight regiments and 22 separate battalions. One brigade and two battalions of marines, formed in the Pacific Fleet and taking part in the defeat of militaristic Japan, were transformed into guards.

It was the units of the Marine Corps that thwarted the attempt of the 11th Army, Colonel-General Manstein and the mechanized group of the 54th Army Corps, to take Sevastopol on the move at the end of October 1941 - by the time the German troops were under the city of Russian naval glory, the troops retreating through the Crimean the mountains of the Primorskaya army have not yet approached the naval base. At the same time, often the formations of the Soviet marines experienced a serious shortage of small arms and other weapons, ammunition and communications equipment. Thus, the 8th Marine Brigade, which took part in the defense of Sevastopol, at the very beginning of that illustrious defense for 3744 personnel, consisted of 3252 rifles, 16 easel and 20 light machine guns, as well as 42 mortars, and the newly formed and arrived at the front 1st Baltic the MP brigade was provided with rifles only by 50% of the supply norms, having no artillery, no cartridges, no grenades, not even sapper shovels at all!

The following record of the report of one of the defenders of the island of Hogland, dated March 1942, has been preserved: “The enemy stubbornly climbs our points in columns, they filled a lot of his soldiers and officers, and they all climb ... There are still many enemies on the ice. Our machine gun had two belts of ammunition left. There were three of us left at the machine gun (in the bunker - Auth.), the rest were killed. What would you like to do?" To the order of the garrison commander to defend to the last, a laconic answer followed: “Yes, we don’t even think about retreating - the Baltics do not retreat, but destroy the enemy to the last.” People stood to death.

In the initial period of the battle for Moscow, the Germans managed to approach the Moscow-Volga canal and even force it north of the city. The 64th and 71st naval rifle brigades were sent to the canal area from the reserve, dropping the Germans into the water. Moreover, the first unit consisted mainly of Pacific sailors, who, like the Siberians of General Panfilov, helped defend the capital of the country. In the area of ​​the village of Ivanovskoye, the Germans several times tried to launch, ridiculous to say, “psychic” attacks against the sailors of the 71st Marine Brigade, Colonel Ya. Bezverkhov. The Marines calmly let the Nazis marching in full-length chains and then shot them almost point-blank, finishing off those who did not have time to escape in hand-to-hand combat.
About 100 thousand sailors took part in the grand battle of Stalingrad, of which only in the 2nd Guards Army there were up to 20 thousand sailors from the Pacific Fleet and the Amur Flotilla - that is, every fifth fighter in the army of Lieutenant General Rodion Malinovsky (the latter later recalled: “Sailors "Pacific fought wonderfully. The army was fighting! Sailors are brave warriors, heroes!").

Self-sacrifice is the highest degree of heroism

“When the tank approached him, he freely and prudently lay down under the caterpillar” - these are lines from the work of Andrei Platonov, and they are dedicated to one of those marines who stopped a column of German tanks near Sevastopol - a historical fact that formed the basis of the feature film.

The sailors stopped the German tanks with their bodies and grenades, which were exactly one per brother, and therefore each grenade had to fall into a German tank. But how to achieve 100% efficiency? A simple solution does not come from the mind, but from a heart overflowing with love for one's Motherland and hatred for the enemy: one must tie a grenade to one's body and lie exactly under the tank's caterpillar. Explosion - and the tank stood up. And after the commander of that combat barrier, political instructor Nikolai Filchenko, a second one rushes under the tanks, and after him a third one. And suddenly the unimaginable happens - the surviving Nazi tanks stood up and backed away. The German tankers simply could not stand the nerves - they gave up in the face of such a terrible and incomprehensible heroism for them! It turned out that the armor is not the high-quality steel of German tanks, the armor is Soviet sailors dressed in thin vests. Therefore, I would like to recommend to those of our compatriots who bow to the traditions and prowess of the Japanese samurai to look at the history of their army and navy - there he can easily find all the qualities of professional fearless warriors in those officers, soldiers and sailors who for centuries protected from various adversary to our country. These, our own, traditions must be maintained and developed, and not bowed before a life alien to us.

By order of the People's Commissar of the Navy of the USSR dated July 25, 1942, a Northern defensive region of 32 thousand people was formed in the Soviet Arctic, which was based on three brigades of marines and three separate machine-gun battalions of marines and which for more than two years ensured the stability of the right flank of the Soviet German front. Moreover, in complete isolation from the main forces, the supply was carried out only by air and by sea. Not to mention the fact that a war in the harsh conditions of the Far North, when it is impossible to dig a trench in the rocks, or hide from aircraft or artillery fire, is a very difficult test. It is not for nothing that a saying was born in the North: “Where a reindeer passes, a marine will pass, and where a reindeer does not pass, a marine will still pass.” The first Hero of the Soviet Union in the Northern Fleet was senior sergeant of the Marine Corps V.P. Kislyakov, who was left alone at an important height and held back the onslaught of an enemy of more than a company for more than an hour.

Major Caesar Kunikov, well-known at the front, in January 1943 became the commander of a combined amphibious assault detachment. He wrote to his sister about his subordinates: “I command the sailors, if you could see what kind of people they are! I know that the accuracy of newspaper colors is sometimes doubted in the rear, but these colors are too pale to describe our people. A detachment of only 277 people, having landed in the Stanichki area (the future Malaya Zemlya), so frightened the German command (especially when Kunikov transmitted a false radio message in plain text: “The regiment landed successfully. We are moving forward. I am waiting for reinforcements”) that it hastily transferred units there already two divisions!

In March 1944, a detachment under the command of senior lieutenant Konstantin Olshansky distinguished himself, consisting of 55 marines of the 384th marine battalion and 12 soldiers from one of the neighboring units. For two days, this “landing into immortality,” as it was later called, fettered the enemy in the port of Nikolaev with distracting actions, repelled 18 attacks by an enemy combat group of three infantry battalions supported by half a company of tanks and a gun battery, destroying up to 700 soldiers and officers, as well as two tanks and the entire artillery battery. Only 12 people survived. All 67 fighters of the detachment were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union - a unique case even for the Great Patriotic War!

During the offensive of the Soviet troops in Hungary, the boats of the Danube Flotilla constantly provided fire support to the advancing troops, landed troops, including as part of units and units of the Marine Corps. So, for example, a marine battalion distinguished itself, landed on March 19, 1945 in the Tata region and cut off the enemy's retreat along the right bank of the Danube. Realizing this, the Germans threw large forces against a not very large landing, but the enemy did not manage to drop the paratroopers into the Danube.

For their heroism and courage, 200 marines were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and the famous intelligence officer Viktor Leonov, who fought in the Northern Fleet and then stood at the origins of the creation of naval reconnaissance and sabotage units of the Pacific Fleet, was awarded this award twice. And, for example, the personnel of the landing force of Senior Lieutenant Konstantin Olshansky, after whom one of the large landing ships of the Russian Navy is named today, which landed in the port of Nikolaev in March 1944 and at the cost of his life fulfilled the task assigned to him, was awarded this high award in full. It is less known that of the full cavaliers of the Order of Glory - and there are only 2562 of them, there are also four Heroes of the Soviet Union, and one of these four is the marine foreman P. Kh. Dubinda, who fought as part of the 8th Marine Brigade of the Black Sea Fleet .

Separate units and formations were also noted. Thus, the 13th, 66th, 71st, 75th and 154th Marine Brigades and Marine Rifle Brigades, as well as the 355th and 365th Marine Battalions were transformed into Guards units, many units and formations became Red Banner, and the 83rd and the 255th brigade - even twice Red Banner. The great contribution of the marines to achieving a common victory over the enemy was reflected in the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief No. 371 of July 22, 1945: “During the defense and offensive of the Red Army, our fleet reliably covered the flanks of the Red Army, resting on the sea, inflicted serious blows on the merchant fleet and shipping of the enemy and ensured the uninterrupted operation of their communications. The combat activity of Soviet sailors was distinguished by selfless stamina and courage, high combat activity and military skill.

It remains to be noted that many famous heroes of the Great Patriotic War and future commanders fought in the marines and marine rifle brigades. So, the creator of the airborne troops, Hero of the Soviet Union, General of the Army V.F. Margelov during the war years was one of the best commanders of marine regiments - he commanded the 1st Special Ski Regiment of the Marine Corps of the Leningrad Front. The commander of the 7th Airborne Division, Major General T. M. Parafilo, who at one time commanded the 1st Special (Separate) Marine Brigade of the Baltic Fleet, also left the Marine Corps, who died in 1943. At various times, such well-known military leaders as Marshal of the Soviet Union N.V. Ogarkov (in 1942 - brigade engineer of the 61st separate marine rifle brigade of the Karelian Front), Marshal of the Soviet Union S. F. Akhromeev (in 1941 - a first-year cadet of the VVMU named after M.V. Frunze - a fighter of the 3rd separate marine brigade), General of the Army N. G. Lyashchenko (in 1943 - commander of the 73rd separate marine rifle brigade Volkhov Front), Colonel General I. M. Chistyakov (in 1941-1942 - commander of the 64th Marine Rifle Brigade).

Today is the holiday of the Marines, this branch of the coastal troops of the Navy is rightfully considered part of the elite of the Armed Forces - on a par with paratroopers and special forces. In their more than 310-year history, the Marines have fought in hundreds of battles, performed many feats, and repeatedly put the enemy to flight with their mere appearance.

The Great Patriotic War only confirmed the indestructible heroism of the marines.

One of the first heroic pages in the history of the Soviet marines was the famous Evpatoria landing in January 1942. The operation was preceded by a successful sortie of Soviet military sailors from the besieged Sevastopol, committed a month earlier.

A detachment of 56 marines under the command of Captain Vasily Topchiev landed from two boats in the Crimean Evpatoria, defeated the gendarmerie and the police department, destroyed a German plane at the airfield, and several enemy ships and boats in the port. In addition, the soldiers managed to free 120 prisoners of war and return to Sevastopol without loss.

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The Soviet leadership appreciated the results of the sortie and decided to arrange a new operation, on a larger scale. On January 5, 1942, a second group landed in the port of Evpatoria under the command of the same Captain Topchiev.

Having landed the troops and unloaded the ammunition, the minesweeper and the tugboat, firing back, withdrew to the sea.

From hotel rooftops "Crimea" And "Beau Rivage" the paratroopers were hit by heavy machine guns. A fierce battle was going on for the hotel "Crimea", was affected by the absence of heavy weapons. Marines rushed deep into the city.

Capturing the area of ​​modern street. Revolution, both churches, on which German searchlights stood, and the building of a labor school (now gymnasium No. 4), the main landing force moved to the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe old city, from where the uprising of the townspeople was to begin.

The sailors broke into the city hospital, where at that time the German hospital was located. The charge of hatred for the invaders was so high that the Germans were killed even with their bare hands.

From the memoirs of A. Kornienko: "We broke into the hospital ... with knives, bayonets and rifle butts destroyed the Germans, threw them through the windows into the street ...".

Good knowledge of the quarters by the Yevpatoriya sailors ensured success at the first stage of the operation. The police station (now the library named after Makarenko) was occupied by employees of the Yevpatoriya city department of the NKVD, who transported a safe, documents and photographs from the police department and a photo studio onto the ships.

While the battle flared up in the center of the city, the group of scouts of Captain-Lieutenant Litovchuk, who had landed earlier, moved forward, practically without encountering resistance. They threw grenades at the coastal battery located on Cape Karantinny and seized the power station located here.

Having gained a foothold, the sailors began to move along the sea along the street. Gorky towards the new city. Here, behind the Udarnik sanatorium, a detachment of scouts entered into battle with an enemy unit, and forced it to retreat to the Gestapo building (the building of the resort polyclinic of the Udarnik sanatorium).

In the courtyard of the building where the Gestapo was located, a hand-to-hand fight ensued. The building of the Gestapo was defended mainly by local accomplices of the invaders, who defended themselves desperately, realizing what awaits them in case of captivity. The paratroopers could not occupy the building of the Gestapo, there were too few scouts.

The sailors who landed on the grain pier were also initially successful. Having shot the Romanian mounted patrol on the street. Revolutions, they, with little or no resistance, took possession of the warehouses "Zagotzerno" and a POW camp located near the cemetery. Up to five hundred servicemen were released from captivity.

The civilian population provided unusually active support for the paratroopers. Of the prisoners of war released from the camp near warehouses "Zagotzerno", the sailors formed a detachment with the name "All on Hitler" numbering up to 200 people, the rest were so exhausted that they could hardly move and hold weapons in their hands.

By morning, almost the entire old city was cleared of the Germans. The front line passed along the modern streets of Dm. Ulyanov - International - Matveev - Revolution. The entire new city and resort area remained in the hands of the Nazis. fierce battle for the building of the hotel "Crimea" ended only at 7 am. The headquarters of the battalion was located here.

Unfortunately, she failed to repeat the success of the first. The Germans, taught by bitter experience, pulled large forces into the city and quickly surrounded the detachment, and after two days of continuous fighting, it was defeated.

From the memoirs of the commander of the 70th engineer battalion Hubert Ritter von Heigl: "The Russians fired mercilessly at the advancing. Our forces were running out, but with the arrival of the reconnaissance battalion of the 22nd division and the 70th engineer battalion, the army regiments quickly replenished. By 14 o'clock we were taking house by house. The offensive continued with the help of the effective introduction of fighters into battle. ... From every corner and barely fortified shelters someone showed up and fired. The sappers, with their own means of combat, took over the protection of the units. They attacked the resistance with flamethrowers, explosive ammunition and gasoline. "

The fierce battle lasted up to 4 hours. The sailors were sorely lacking in ammunition. Ammunition for 100-m guns " also came to an end.

Taking into account the situation of the battalion, Lieutenant Commander K.V. Buzinov ordered a general withdrawal to the sea in order to keep at least the embankment until the arrival of the second echelon. However, there was no communication between the headquarters and many units. In fact, the fight broke into a series of street fights. The story with the hospital repeated itself, but now the roles have changed.

About fifty seriously wounded were in the hands of angry Germans. They were shot point-blank. All sailors took enemy bullets in the face, not a single one turned away. Together with them, the doctors Glitsos and Balakhchi (both Greeks by nationality), as well as one of the orderlies, died.

At about five o'clock in the evening at the hotel "Crimea" the surviving paratroopers gathered. Of the seven hundred and forty people, only 123 remained, many were wounded, along with them there were about two hundred fighters from among the released prisoners and local residents, but there were few weapons, there were almost no cartridges.

It became clear that the shore could not be held. Therefore, Buzinov decided to split up into groups and make his way through the city to the steppe. They broke through along Krasnoarmeyskaya Street to International Street, then went through Slobodka.

Some paratroopers managed to escape from the city. 48 people went to the Mamaisky quarries (according to another version, they hid for a day in a house on Russkaya Street, 4 near Praskovia Perekrestenko and Maria Glushko), and from there they dispersed in fives to the surrounding villages, many subsequently fought in partisan detachments. Some of the soldiers tried to hide in the city. The last center of resistance in the city was a group of paratroopers who had entrenched themselves on the upper floors of the Krym Hotel. Here the battle went on until the morning of January 6.

From the memoirs of the commander of the 70th engineer battalion H.R. von Heigl: "Before daylight, we were so close to the last center of resistance ... that the withdrawal of the Russian infantry became impossible. With my strike group with flamethrowers, explosive charges and 4 canisters of gasoline, I managed to capture the basement of the main building ... The Russians defended the last bastion before their total annihilation incredibly courageously..."

17 paratroopers, led by Buzinov, were surrounded by the Nazis near the village of Oraz (now Koloski). They took up defensive positions at the top of an ancient burial mound. During the battle, all paratroopers were killed. In 1977, during archaeological excavations, on the top of the barrow, the remains of naval belts, ribbons from peakless caps, spent cartridges, a naval badge, and a field bag were discovered. All this is in the trench, where the sailors of the battalion commander Buzinov took their last battle.

Soon, the M-33 submarine landed 13 scouts ashore to search for the missing group. The Germans pressed them to the sea as well. There was a hopeless situation - it was not possible to evacuate the detachment because of the storm. A week later, the commander of the group, Commissioner Ulyan Latyshev, transmitted the last radiogram - "We are undermined by our grenades. Farewell!"

Later, the enemy repeatedly noted the open contempt of the Soviet marines for captivity and their readiness to die, but not leave their positions. No wonder the Germans respectfully nicknamed the Marines the "Black Death".