When they attacked the Brest fortress. Little-known facts of the defense of the Brest Fortress

From February 1941, Germany began the transfer of troops to the borders of the Soviet Union. At the beginning of June, reports were already almost continuously coming from the operational departments of the western border districts and armies, indicating that the concentration of German troops near the borders of the USSR was completed. The enemy in a number of sectors began to dismantle the wire obstacles he had previously set up and to clear mine strips on the ground, clearly preparing passages for his troops to the Soviet border. Large tank groupings of the Germans were withdrawn to the starting areas. Everything pointed to the imminent start of the war.

At half past midnight on June 22, 1941, a directive signed by People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR S.K. Timoshenko and Chief of the General Staff G.K. It said that during June 22-23, a surprise attack by German troops on the fronts of these districts was possible. It was also pointed out that the attack could begin with provocative actions, so the task of the Soviet troops was not to succumb to any provocations. However, the need for the districts to be in full combat readiness, to meet a possible surprise attack by the enemy was further emphasized. The directive obligated the commanders of the troops: a) during the night of June 22, to covertly occupy the firing points of fortified areas on the state border; b) before dawn, disperse all aviation, including military aviation, over field airfields, carefully disguise it; c) put all units on combat readiness; troops to keep dispersed and disguised; d) put the air defense on alert without additional lifting of the assigned staff. Prepare all measures to darken cities and objects. However, the western military districts did not have time to fully implement this order.

The Great Patriotic War began on June 22, 1941 with the invasion of the army groups "North", "Center" and "South" in three strategic directions, aimed at Leningrad, Moscow, Kiev, with the task of dissecting, encircling and destroying the troops of the Soviet border districts and go to the line Arkhangelsk - Astrakhan. Already at 4.10 am, the Western and Baltic special districts reported to the General Staff about the start of hostilities by the German troops.

The main striking force of Germany, as in the invasion in the west, was four powerful armored groups. Two of them, the 2nd and 3rd, were included in the Army Group Center, designed to be the main offensive front, and one each in the Army Groups North and South. At the tip of the main strike, the activities of the armored groups were supported by the power of the 4th and 9th field armies, and from the air - by the aviation of the 2nd air fleet. In total, Army Group Center (commanded by Field Marshal von Bock) consisted of 820 thousand people, 1800 tanks, 14300 guns and mortars and 1680 combat aircraft. The plan of the commander of Army Group Center, which was advancing in the eastern strategic direction, was to inflict two converging attacks on the flanks of Soviet troops in Belarus in the general direction of Minsk with tank groups, to surround the main forces of the Western Special Military District (from June 22 - Western front) and destroy them with field armies. In the future, the German command planned to move mobile troops to the Smolensk region to prevent the approach of strategic reserves and their occupation of defense at a new frontier.

The Hitlerite command expected that by delivering a surprise strike with concentrated masses of tanks, infantry and aviation, it would be possible to stun Soviet troops, crush the defenses and achieve decisive strategic success already in the first days of the war. The command of the Army Group "Center" concentrated the bulk of the troops and military equipment in the first operational echelon, which included 28 divisions, including 22 infantry, 4 tank, 1 cavalry, 1 security. A high operational density of troops was created in areas of defense breakthrough (the average operational density was about 10 km per division, and up to 5-6 km in the direction of the main attack). This allowed the enemy to achieve a significant superiority in forces and means over the Soviet troops in the direction of the main attack. The superiority in manpower was 6.5 times, in the number of tanks - 1.8 times, in the number of guns and mortars - 3.3 times.

The blow of this armada was taken by the troops of the Western Special Military District located in the border zone. The Soviet border guards were the first to enter the battle with the advanced units of the enemy.

The Brest Fortress was a whole complex of defensive structures. The central one is the Citadel - a pentagonal closed two-story defensive barracks with a perimeter of 1.8 km, with walls almost two meters thick, with loopholes, embrasures, casemates. The central fortification is located on an island formed by the Bug and two branches of the Mukhavets. Three artificial islands are connected with this island by bridges, formed by Mukhavets and ditches, on which there were the Terespol fortification with the Terespol gates and a bridge over the Western Bug, Volynskoye - with the Kholmsky gates and a drawbridge over Mukhavets, Kobrinskoye - with the Brest and Brigitsky gates and bridges over Mukhavets .

Defenders of the Brest Fortress. Soldiers of the 44th Infantry Regiment of the 42nd Infantry Division. 1941 Photo from the BELTA archive

On the day of the German attack on the Soviet Union, 7 rifle battalions and 1 reconnaissance, 2 artillery battalions, some special forces of rifle regiments and units of corps units, training camps of the 6th Oryol Red Banner and 42nd rifle divisions of the 28th rifle corps were stationed in the Brest Fortress 4th Army, units of the 17th Red Banner Brest Border Detachment, 33rd Separate Engineer Regiment, part of the 132nd Battalion of the NKVD troops, unit headquarters (the headquarters of divisions and the 28th Rifle Corps were located in Brest). The units were not deployed in combat and did not occupy positions at the border lines. Some units or their units were in camps, at training grounds, at the construction of a fortified area. By the time of the attack, there were from 7 to 8 thousand Soviet soldiers in the fortress, 300 families of military personnel lived here.

From the first minutes of the war, Brest and the fortress were subjected to massive air bombardments and artillery fire. The German 45th Infantry Division (about 17 thousand soldiers and officers) stormed the Brest Fortress in cooperation with the 31st and 34th Infantry Divisions of the 12th Army Corps of the 4th German Army, as well as 2 tank divisions of the 2nd Panzer Guderian's group, with the active support of aviation and reinforcement units, which were armed with heavy artillery systems. The aim of the enemy was, using the surprise of the attack, to capture the Citadel and force the Soviet garrison to surrender.

Before the start of the assault, the enemy conducted a hurricane aimed shelling of the fortress for half an hour, moving a flurry of artillery fire every 4 minutes 100 meters deep into the fortress. Next came the enemy's strike assault groups, which, according to the plans of the German command, were to capture the fortifications by 12 noon on June 22. As a result of shelling and fires, most of the warehouses and the material part, many other objects were destroyed or destroyed, the water supply system stopped working, communications were interrupted. A significant part of the fighters and commanders was put out of action, the garrison of the fortress was divided into separate groups.

In the first minutes of the war, border guards on the Terespol fortification, Red Army soldiers and cadets of regimental schools of the 84th and 125th rifle regiments, located near the border, on the Volyn and Kobrin fortifications, entered into battle with the enemy. Their stubborn resistance allowed about half of the personnel to leave the fortress on the morning of June 22, withdraw several cannons and light tanks to the areas where their units were concentrated, and evacuate the first wounded. 3.5-4 thousand Soviet soldiers remained in the fortress. The enemy had almost 10-fold superiority in forces.

The Germans at the Terespol Gates of the Brest Fortress. June, 1941 Photo from the BELTA archive

On the first day of fighting, by 9 o'clock in the morning, the fortress was surrounded. The advanced units of the 45th German division tried to capture the fortress on the move. Through the bridge at the Terespol Gates, enemy assault groups broke into the Citadel, captured the building of the regimental club (the former church), which dominated other buildings, where spotters of artillery fire immediately settled. At the same time, the enemy developed an offensive in the direction of the Kholmsky and Brest Gates, hoping to link up there with groups advancing from the direction of the Volyn and Kobrin fortifications. This plan was thwarted. At the Kholmsky Gate, soldiers of the 3rd Battalion and headquarters units of the 84th Infantry Regiment entered into battle with the enemy, at the Brest Gates, soldiers of the 455th Infantry Regiment, the 37th Separate Communications Battalion, and the 33rd Separate Engineer Regiment launched a counterattack. With bayonet attacks, the enemy was crushed and overturned.

The retreating Nazis were met with dense fire by Soviet soldiers at the Terespol Gate, which by this time had been recaptured from the enemy. Border guards of the 9th frontier post and staff units of the 3rd border commandant's office - the 132nd NKVD battalion, soldiers of the 333rd and 44th rifle regiments, and the 31st separate autobattalion entrenched here. They held the bridge over the Western Bug under aimed rifle and machine-gun fire, and prevented the enemy from establishing a pontoon crossing across the river to the Kobrin fortification. Only a few of the German submachine gunners who broke through to the Citadel managed to hide in the club building and the neighboring canteen building. The enemy here was destroyed on the second day. Subsequently, these buildings repeatedly passed from hand to hand.

Almost simultaneously, fierce battles unfolded throughout the fortress. From the very beginning, they acquired the character of the defense of its individual fortifications without a single headquarters and command, without communication and almost without interaction between the defenders of different fortifications. The defenders were led by commanders and political workers, in some cases by ordinary soldiers who took command. In the shortest possible time, they rallied their forces and organized a rebuff to the Nazi invaders.

By the evening of June 22, the enemy entrenched himself in the part of the defensive barracks between the Kholmsky and Terespolsky gates (later used it as a bridgehead in the Citadel), captured several compartments of the barracks at the Brest Gates. However, the enemy's calculation of surprise did not materialize; defensive battles, counterattacks, Soviet soldiers pinned down the enemy forces, inflicted heavy losses on him.

Late in the evening, the German command decided to withdraw its infantry from the fortifications, create a blockade line behind the outer ramparts, so that on the morning of June 23, again, with shelling and bombardment, begin the assault on the fortress. The battles in the fortress took on a fierce, protracted character, which the enemy did not expect at all. On the territory of each fortification, the Nazi invaders met the stubborn heroic resistance of Soviet soldiers.

On the territory of the Terespol border fortification, the defense was held by the soldiers of the driver courses of the Belarusian border district under the command of the head of the courses, senior lieutenant F.M. cavalry courses, a sapper platoon, reinforced outfits of the 9th frontier post, a veterinary hospital, training camps for athletes. They managed to clear most of the territory of the fortification from the enemy that had broken through, but due to the lack of ammunition and heavy losses in personnel, they could not hold it. On the night of June 25, the remnants of the groups of Melnikov, who died in battle, and Chernoy crossed the Western Bug and joined the defenders of the Citadel and the Kobrin fortification.

By the beginning of hostilities, the Volyn fortification housed the hospitals of the 4th army and the 28th rifle corps, the 95th medical battalion of the 6th rifle division, there was a small part of the regimental school for junior commanders of the 84th rifle regiment, outfits of the 9th and frontier posts. Within the boundaries of the hospital, the defense was organized by the battalion commissar N.S. Bogateev, military doctor of the 2nd rank S.S. Babkin (both died). German submachine gunners who burst into hospital buildings brutally dealt with the sick and wounded. The defense of the Volyn fortification is full of examples of the dedication of soldiers and medical staff who fought to the end in the ruins of buildings. Covering the wounded, the nurses V.P. Khoretskaya and E.I. Rovnyagina died. Having captured the sick, the wounded, medical staff, children, on June 23 the Nazis used them as a human barrier, driving machine gunners ahead of the attacking Kholmsky Gate. "Shoot, don't pity us!" shouted the Soviet patriots. By the end of the week, the focal defense on the fortification had faded. Some fighters joined the ranks of the Citadel's defenders, few managed to break through from the enemy ring.

The course of the defense required the unification of all the forces of the defenders of the fortress. On June 24, a meeting of commanders and political workers was held in the Citadel, where the issue of creating a combined battle group, forming units from soldiers was decided different parts, the approval of their commanders who stood out during the hostilities. Order No. 1 was issued, according to which the command of the group was assigned to Captain Zubachev, and Regimental Commissar Fomin was appointed his deputy. In practice, they were able to lead the defense only in the Citadel. Although the command of the combined group failed to unify the leadership of the battles throughout the fortress, the headquarters played a large role in intensifying the hostilities.

The Germans in the Brest Fortress. 1941 Photo from the BELTA archive

By decision of the command of the combined group, attempts were made to break through the encirclement. On June 26, a detachment of 120 people headed by Lieutenant Vinogradov went on a breakthrough. 13 soldiers managed to break through the eastern line of the fortress, but they were captured by the enemy. Other attempts to break out of the besieged fortress turned out to be unsuccessful, only separate small groups were able to break through. The remaining small garrison of Soviet troops continued to fight with extraordinary stamina and perseverance.

The Nazis systematically attacked the fortress for a whole week. Soviet soldiers had to fight off 6-8 attacks a day. Next to the fighters were women and children. They helped the wounded, brought cartridges, participated in hostilities. The Nazis set in motion tanks, flamethrowers, gases, set fire to and rolled barrels with a combustible mixture from the outer shafts.

Being completely surrounded, without water and food, with an acute shortage of ammunition and medicines, the garrison bravely fought the enemy. Only in the first 9 days of fighting, the defenders of the fortress put out of action about 1.5 thousand enemy soldiers and officers. By the end of June, the enemy captured most of the fortress, on June 29 and 30, the Nazis launched a continuous two-day assault on the fortress using powerful air bombs. On June 29, Andrei Mitrofanovich Kizhevatov died covering a breakthrough group with several fighters. In the Citadel on June 30, the Nazis seized the seriously wounded and shell-shocked Captain Zubachev and the regimental commissar Fomin, whom the Nazis shot near the Kholmsky Gate. On June 30, after a long shelling and bombing, which ended in a fierce attack, the Nazis captured most of the structures of the Eastern Fort, captured the wounded.

As a result of bloody battles and losses incurred, the defense of the fortress broke up into a number of isolated pockets of resistance. Until July 12, a small group of fighters led by Pyotr Mikhailovich Gavrilov continued to fight in the Eastern Fort, until he, seriously wounded, together with the secretary of the Komsomol bureau of the 98th separate anti-tank artillery battalion, deputy political instructor G.D. Derevyanko, were captured on July 23 .

But even later on the 20th of July, Soviet soldiers continued to fight in the fortress. The last days of the struggle are covered with legends. These days include the inscriptions left on the walls of the fortress by its defenders: "We will die, but we will not leave the fortress", "I am dying, but I do not give up. Farewell, Motherland. 07/20/41". None of the banners of the military units that fought in the fortress went to the enemy.

Inscriptions on the walls of the Brest Fortress. Photo from the BELTA archive

The enemy was forced to note the steadfastness and heroism of the fortress defenders. In July, the commander of the 45th German Infantry Division, General Schlipper, in his "Report on the occupation of Brest-Litovsk" reported: "The Russians in Brest-Litovsk fought exceptionally stubbornly and persistently. They showed excellent infantry training and proved a remarkable will to resist."

The defenders of the fortress - warriors of more than 30 nationalities of the USSR - fulfilled their duty to the Motherland to the end, accomplished one of the greatest feats of the Soviet people in the history of the Great Patriotic War. The exceptional heroism of the fortress defenders was highly appreciated. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to Major Gavrilov and Lieutenant Kizhevatov. About 200 defense participants were awarded orders and medals.

After the start of the Great Patriotic War, the garrison of the Brest Fortress for a week heroically held back the onslaught of the 45th German Infantry Division, which was supported by artillery and aviation.

After a general assault on June 29-30, the Germans managed to capture the main fortifications. But the defenders of the fortress continued to fight courageously in separate areas for almost three more weeks in the face of shortages of water, food, ammunition and medicines. The defense of the Brest Fortress was the first, but eloquent lesson that showed the Germans what awaits them in the future.

Fights in the Brest Fortress

The defense of the old fortress near the city of Brest, which had lost its military significance, was included in the USSR in 1939, is an undoubted example of steadfastness and courage. The Brest Fortress was built in the 19th century as part of a system of fortifications built on the western borders of the Russian Empire. By the time of the German attack on the Soviet Union, it could no longer perform serious defensive tasks, and its central part, consisting of the citadel and three adjacent main fortifications, was used to accommodate the border detachment, border cover units, NKVD troops, engineering units, a hospital and auxiliary units. By the time of the attack, there were about 8,000 military personnel in the fortress, up to 300 families of commanders, a certain number of people who were undergoing military training, medical personnel and personnel of household services - in all likelihood, more than 10 thousand people.

At dawn on June 22, 1941, the fortress, primarily the barracks and residential buildings of the command staff, was subjected to powerful artillery fire, after which the fortifications were attacked by German assault detachments. The assault on the fortress was carried out by battalions of the 45th Infantry Division.

The German command hoped that the surprise attack and powerful artillery preparation would disorganize the troops stationed in the fortress and break their will to resist. According to calculations, the assault on the fortress was to be completed by 12 noon. However, the German staff miscalculated.

Despite the surprise, significant losses and death a large number commanders, the personnel of the garrison showed courage and stubbornness unexpected for the Germans. The position of the defenders of the fortress was hopeless.

Only a part of the personnel managed to leave the fortress (according to the plans, in case of a threat of the outbreak of hostilities, the troops were to take positions outside it), after which the fortress was completely surrounded.

They managed to destroy the detachments that broke into the central part of the fortress (the citadel) and take up defense in strong defensive barracks located along the perimeter of the citadel, as well as in various buildings, ruins, cellars and casemates both in the citadel and on the territory of the adjacent fortifications. The defenders were led by commanders and political workers, in some cases by ordinary soldiers who took command.

During June 22, the defenders of the fortress repulsed 8 enemy attacks. German troops suffered unexpectedly high losses, so by evening all the groups that had broken through to the territory of the fortress were withdrawn, a blockade line was created behind the outer ramparts, and hostilities began to take on the character of a siege. On the morning of June 23, after shelling and aerial bombardment, the enemy continued to attempt an assault. The battles in the fortress took on a fierce, protracted character, which the Germans did not expect at all. By the evening of June 23, their losses amounted to more than 300 people killed alone, which was almost twice the losses of the 45th Infantry Division for the entire Polish campaign.

In the following days, the defenders of the fortress continued to stubbornly resist, ignoring the calls for surrender transmitted through radio installations and the promises of truce truants. However, their strength gradually dwindled. The Germans brought up siege artillery. Using flamethrowers, barrels of combustible mixture, powerful explosive charges, and according to some sources, poisonous or asphyxiating gases, they gradually suppressed pockets of resistance. The defenders experienced a shortage of ammunition and food. The water pipeline was destroyed, and it was impossible to get to the water in the bypass channels, because. the Germans opened fire on anyone who appeared in sight.

A few days later, the defenders of the fortress decided that the women and children who were among them should leave the fortress and surrender to the mercy of the winners. But still, some women remained in the fortress until the last days of hostilities. After June 26, several attempts were made to break out of the besieged fortress, but only separate small groups were able to break through.

By the end of June, the enemy managed to capture most of the fortress, on June 29 and 30 the Germans launched a continuous two-day assault on the fortress, alternating attacks with shelling and air bombardments using heavy bombs. They managed to destroy and capture the main groups of defenders in the Citadel and the Eastern redoubt of the Kobrin fortification, after which the defense of the fortress broke up into a number of separate centers. A small group of fighters continued to fight in the Eastern Redoubt until July 12, and later - in the caponier behind the outer rampart of the fortification. The group was headed by Major Gavrilov and Deputy Political Commissar G.D. Derevyanko, being seriously wounded, were captured on July 23.

Separate defenders of the fortress, hiding in the basements and casemates of the fortifications, continued their personal war until the autumn of 1941, and their struggle is covered with legends.

The enemy did not get any of the banners of the military units that fought in the fortress. The total losses of the 45th German Infantry Division, according to the divisional report, amounted to 482 killed on June 30, 1941, including 48 officers, and over 1000 wounded. According to the report, the German troops captured 7,000 people, which, apparently, include everyone who was captured in the fortress, incl. civilians and children. V mass grave the remains of 850 of its defenders are buried on the territory of the fortress.

Smolensk battle

In the middle of summer - early autumn of 1941, Soviet troops carried out a complex of defensive and offensive operations, aimed at preventing the enemy from breaking through in the Moscow strategic direction and known as the Battle of Smolensk.

In July 1941, the German Army Group Center (commander - Field Marshal T. von Bock) sought to fulfill the task set by the German command - to surround the Soviet troops defending the line of the Western Dvina and Dnieper, to capture Vitebsk, Orsha, Smolensk and open the way to Moscow .

In order to frustrate the enemy's plans and prevent his breakthrough to Moscow and the central industrial regions of the country, the Soviet High Command from the end of June concentrated troops of the 2nd strategic echelon (22nd, 19th, 20th, 16th and 21st I army) along the middle reaches of the Western Dvina and the Dnieper. In early June, these troops were included in the Western Front (commander - Marshal of the Soviet Union S. K. Timoshenko). However, only 37 divisions out of 48 took up positions at the start of the German offensive. 24 divisions were in the first echelon. Soviet troops were unable to create a solid defense, and the density of troops was very low - each division had to defend a strip 25–30 km wide. The troops of the second echelon were deployed 210-240 km east of the main line.

By this time, formations of the 4th Panzer Army had reached the Dnieper and the Western Dvina, and the infantry divisions of the 16th German Army from Army Group North had reached the sector from Idritsa to Drissa. Over 30 infantry divisions of the 9th and 2nd armies of the German Army Group "Center", delayed by battles in Belarus, lagged behind the mobile troops by 120-150 km. Nevertheless, the enemy launched an offensive in the Smolensk direction, having a 2-4-fold superiority over the troops of the Western Front in manpower.

and technology.

The offensive of the German troops on the right wing and in the center of the Western Front began on July 10, 1941. A strike force consisting of 13 infantry, 9 tank and 7 motorized divisions broke through the Soviet defenses. Mobile formations of the enemy advanced up to 200 km, surrounded Mogilev, captured Orsha, part of Smolensk, Yelnya, Krichev. The 16th and 20th armies of the Western Front found themselves in an operational encirclement in the Smolensk region.

On July 21, the troops of the Western Front, having received reinforcements, launched a counteroffensive in the direction of Smolensk, and in the zone of the 21st Army, a group of three cavalry divisions raided the flank and rear of the main forces of Army Group Center. From the side of the enemy, the approaching infantry divisions of the 9th and 2nd German armies entered the fight. On July 24, the 13th and 21st armies were merged into the Central Front (commander - Colonel General F.I. Kuznetsov).

It was not possible to defeat the enemy’s Smolensk grouping, however, as a result of intense fighting, the Soviet troops thwarted the offensive of the German tank groups, helped the 20th and 16th armies to get out of the encirclement across the Dnieper River and forced the Center Army Group on July 30 to go on the defensive. At the same time, the Soviet High Command united all the troops of the reserve and the Mozhaisk line of defense (39 divisions in total) into the Reserve Front under the command of General of the Army G.K. Zhukov.

On August 8, German troops resumed their offensive, this time to the south - in the zone of the Central, and then the Bryansk Front (created on August 16, commander - Lieutenant General A. I. Eremenko), in order to secure their flank from the threat of Soviet troops from the south. By August 21, the enemy managed to advance 120-140 km and wedged between the Central and Bryansk fronts. In view of the threat of encirclement, on August 19, the Headquarters allowed the withdrawal of the troops of the Central and the troops of the Southwestern Fronts operating south of the Dnieper. The armies of the Central Front were transferred to the Bryansk Front. On August 17, the troops of the Western Front and two armies of the Reserve Front went on the offensive, inflicting significant losses on the Dukhovshchinskaya and Yelninskaya enemy groups.

The troops of the Bryansk Front continued to repel the offensive of the 2nd German Panzer Group and the 2nd German Army. A massive air attack (up to 460 aircraft) on the 2nd Panzer Group of the enemy could not stop its advance to the south. On the right wing of the Western Front, the enemy delivered a strong tank attack on the 22nd Army and on August 29 captured Toropets. The 22nd and 29th armies retreated to the eastern bank of the Western Dvina. On September 1, the 30th, 19th, 16th and 20th armies launched an offensive, but did not achieve significant success. By September 8, the defeat of the enemy grouping was completed and the dangerous ledge of the front in the Yelnya region was liquidated. On September 10, the troops of the Western, Reserve, and Bryansk Fronts went over to the defensive along the Subost, Desna, and Western Dvina rivers.

Despite the significant losses suffered during the Battle of Smolensk, the Soviet army managed to force the German troops for the first time during the Second World War to go on the defensive in the main direction. The battle of Smolensk was an important stage in the disruption of the German plan for a lightning war against the Soviet Union. Soviet army won time to prepare the defense of the capital of the USSR and subsequent victories in the battles near Moscow.

Tank battle in the area of ​​Lutsk-Brody-Rivne

From June 23 to June 29, 1941, during border clashes in the Lutsk-Brody-Rivne area, a head-on tank battle took place between the advancing German 1st Panzer Group and the counterattacking mechanized corps of the South-Western Front, together with the combined arms formations of the front.

Already on the first day of the war, the three corps that were in reserve received an order from the front headquarters to advance northeast of Rovno and strike, together with the 22nd mechanized corps (which was already there), on the left flank of the von Kleist tank group. While the reserve corps approached the place of concentration, the 22nd corps managed to suffer heavy losses during the battles with the German units, and the 15th corps, located to the south, was unable to break through the dense German anti-tank defenses. The reserve corps approached one by one.

The 8th Corps was the first to the place of the new deployment with a forced march, and he immediately had to go into battle alone, since the situation that had developed by that time in the 22nd Corps was very difficult. The approaching corps included T-34 and KV tanks, and the military contingent was well prepared. This helped the corps to maintain its combat effectiveness during the battles with superior enemy forces. Later, the 9th and 19th mechanized corps approached and also immediately entered into fighting. The inexperienced crews of these corps, exhausted by 4-day marches and continuous German air raids, found it difficult to resist the experienced tankers of the German 1st Panzer Group.

Unlike the 8th Corps, they were armed with the old T-26 and BT models, which were significantly inferior in maneuverability to the modern T-34, moreover, most of the vehicles were damaged during air raids on the march. It so happened that the front headquarters was not able to collect all the reserve corps for a powerful strike at the same time, and each of them had to join the battle in turn.

As a result, the strongest tank grouping of the Red Army lost its striking power even before the really critical phase of the fighting on the southern flank of the Soviet-German front arose. Nevertheless, the front headquarters managed to preserve the integrity of its troops for a while, but when the strength of the tank units was running out, the headquarters gave the order to retreat to the old Soviet-Polish border.

Despite the fact that these counterattacks did not lead to the defeat of the 1st Panzer Group, they forced the German command, instead of attacking Kiev, to turn its main forces to repulse the counterattack and prematurely use their reserves. The Soviet command won time to withdraw the Lvov group of troops, which was under the threat of encirclement, and to prepare defenses on the outskirts of Kiev.

The defense of the Brest Fortress (lasted from June 22 - June 30, 1941) is one of the very first major battles Soviet troops with German during the Great Patriotic War.

Brest was the first Soviet border garrison that covered the central highway leading to Minsk, so immediately after the start of the wars, the Brest Fortress was the first point that the Germans attacked. For a week, Soviet soldiers held back the onslaught of German troops, who had numerical superiority, as well as artillery and aviation support. As a result of the assault at the very end of the siege, the Germans were able to take over the main fortifications, but in other areas the fighting still continued for several weeks, despite the catastrophic shortage of food, medicine and ammunition. The defense of the Brest Fortress was the first battle in which the Soviet troops showed their full readiness to defend the Motherland to the last. The battle has become a kind of symbol, showing that the plan for a swift assault and capture by the Germans of the territory of the USSR may be unsuccessful.

History of the Brest Fortress

The city of Brest was included in the USSR in 1939, at the same time, the fortress, located near the city, had already lost its military significance and remained only a reminder of past battles. The fortress itself was built in the 19th century as part of a system of fortifications on the western borders. Russian Empire. By the time the Great Patriotic War began, the fortress could no longer perform its military functions, as it was partially destroyed - it was used mainly to accommodate border detachments, NKVD troops, engineering units, as well as a hospital and various border units. By the time of the German attack, there were about 8,000 military personnel, about 300 families of commanders, as well as medical and service personnel in the Brest Fortress.

Assault on the Brest Fortress

The assault on the fortress began on June 22, 1941 at dawn. The Germans subjected to powerful artillery fire, first of all, the barracks and residential buildings of the command staff in order to disorient the army and achieve chaos in the ranks of the Soviet troops. After the shelling, the assault began. The main idea of ​​​​the assault was the surprise factor, the German command hoped that an unexpected attack would cause panic and break the will of the military in the fortress to resist. According to the calculations of the German generals, the fortress was to be taken by 12 noon on June 22, but the plans did not materialize.

Only a small part of the soldiers managed to leave the fortress and take up positions outside it, as stipulated in the plans in the event of an attack, the rest remained inside - the fortress was surrounded. Despite the unexpectedness of the attack, as well as the death of a significant part of the Soviet military command, the soldiers showed courage and unbending will in the fight against the German invaders. Despite the fact that the position of the defenders of the Brest Fortress was initially almost hopeless, soviet soldiers resisted to the last.

Defense of the Brest Fortress

The Soviet soldiers, who could not leave the fortress, managed to quickly destroy the Germans, who broke into the center of the defensive structures, and then take advantageous positions for defense - the soldiers occupied the barracks and various buildings that were located along the perimeter of the citadel (the central part of the fortress). This made it possible to effectively organize the defense system. The defense was led by the remaining representatives of the officers and, in some cases, ordinary ordinary soldiers, who were then recognized as heroes for the defense of the Brest Fortress.

On June 22, 8 attacks were made by the enemy, the German troops, contrary to forecasts, suffered significant losses, so it was decided in the evening of the same day to withdraw the groups that had broken into the fortress back to the headquarters of the German troops. A blockade line was created along the perimeter of the fortress, military operations turned from an assault into a siege.

On the morning of June 23, the Germans began a bombardment, after which an attempt was again made to storm the fortress. The groups that broke through inside faced fierce resistance and the assault failed again, turning into protracted battles. By the evening of the same day, the Germans again suffered huge losses.

The next few days, resistance continued, despite the onslaught of German troops, artillery shelling and offers to surrender. The Soviet troops did not have the opportunity to replenish their ranks, so the resistance gradually faded away, and the forces of the soldiers were fading, but, despite this, it was still not possible to take the fortress. Food and water supplies were suspended, and the defenders decided that the women and children must surrender to stay alive, but some of the women refused to leave the fortress.

On June 26, several more attempts were made to break into the fortress, but only small groups succeeded. The Germans managed to capture most of the fortress only by the end of June. On June 29 and 30, a new assault was made, which was combined with shelling and bombing. The main groups of the defenders were captured or destroyed, as a result of which the defense lost its centralization and broke up into several separate centers, which ultimately played a role in the surrender of the fortress.

The results of the defense of the Brest Fortress

The remaining Soviet soldiers continued to resist until the autumn, despite the fact that the fortress was actually taken by the Germans, and the defense was destroyed - small battles continued until the last defender of the fortress was destroyed. As a result of the defense of the Brest Fortress, several thousand people were taken prisoner, the rest died. The battles in Brest became an example of the courage of the Soviet troops and went down in world history.

The heroic defense of the Brest Fortress became a bright page in the history of the Great Patriotic War. On June 22, 1941, the command of the Nazi troops planned to completely capture the fortress. As a result of a sudden attack, the garrison of the Brest Fortress was cut off from the main units of the Red Army. However, the Nazis met with a fierce rebuff from its defenders.

Units of the 6th and 42nd rifle divisions, the 17th border detachment and the 132nd separate battalion of the NKVD troops - a total of 3,500 people - held back the onslaught of the enemy to the end. Most of the defenders of the fortress were killed.

When the Brest Fortress was liberated by Soviet troops on July 28, 1944, an inscription of its last defender was found on the melted bricks of one of the casemates: “I am dying, but I do not give up! Farewell, Motherland”, scratched out on July 20, 1941.

Kholm Gate

Many participants in the defense of the Brest Fortress were posthumously awarded orders and medals. May 8, 1965 by decree of the Presidium Supreme Council USSR Brest Fortress was awarded honorary title"Fortress-Hero" and the medal "Gold Star".

In 1971, a memorial appeared here: giant sculptures "Courage" and "Thirst", the pantheon of glory, Ceremonial Square, preserved ruins and restored barracks of the Brest Fortress.

Construction and device

The construction of the fortress on the site of the center of the old city began in 1833 according to the project of the military topographer and engineer Karl Ivanovich Opperman. Initially, temporary earthen fortifications were erected, the first stone in the foundation of the fortress was laid on June 1, 1836. Main construction works were completed by April 26, 1842. The fortress consisted of a citadel and three fortifications protecting it with a total area of ​​​​4 km² and the length of the main fortress line of 6.4 km.

The Citadel, or Central Fortification, was two two-story red brick barracks 1.8 km in circumference. The citadel, which had walls two meters thick, consisted of 500 casemates, designed for 12 thousand people. The central fortification is located on an island formed by the Bug and two branches of the Mukhavets. Three artificial islands, formed by Mukhavets and moats, are connected with this island by drawbridges. There are fortifications on them: Kobrin (formerly Northern, the largest), with 4 curtain walls and 3 ravelins and caponiers; Terespol, or Western, with 4 lunettes; Volynskoe, or Southern, with 2 curtains and 2 ravelins. The former "casemated redoubt" now houses the Nativity of the Theotokos Monastery. The fortress is surrounded by a 10-meter earthen rampart with casemates in it. Of the eight gates of the fortress, five have been preserved - the Kholmsky gate (in the south of the citadel), the Terespol gate (in the southwest of the citadel), the Northern or Aleksandrovsky (in the north of the Kobrin fortification), the North-Western (in the north-west of the Kobrin fortification) and the Southern (on south of the Volyn fortification, Hospital Island). Brigid gates (in the west of the citadel), Brest gates (in the north of the citadel) and Eastern gates (eastern part of the Kobrin fortification) have not survived to this day.

In 1864-1888, according to the project of Eduard Ivanovich Totleben, the fortress was modernized. It was surrounded by a ring of forts 32 km in circumference; Western and Eastern forts were built on the territory of the Kobrin fortification. In 1876, on the territory of the fortress, according to the project of the architect David Ivanovich Grimm, the St. Orthodox church.

Fortress at the beginning of the 20th century

In 1913, the construction of the second ring of fortifications began (Dmitry Karbyshev, in particular, took part in its design), which was supposed to have a circumference of 45 km, but before the start of the war it was never completed.

Map-scheme of the Brest Fortress and its surrounding forts, 1912.

With the outbreak of World War I, the fortress was intensively preparing for defense, but on the night of August 13, 1915 (according to the old style), during the general retreat, it was abandoned and partially blown up by Russian troops. March 3, 1918 in the Citadel, in the so-called White Palace ( former church Basilian Uniate Monastery, then the officers' meeting) the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed. The fortress was in the hands of the Germans until the end of 1918, and then under the control of the Poles. In 1920, it was taken by the Red Army, but soon lost again, and in 1921, according to the Peace of Riga, it went to the Second Rzeczpospolita. In the interwar period, the fortress was used as a barracks, a military warehouse and a political prison (in the 1930s, opposition politicians were imprisoned here).

Defense of the Brest Fortress in 1939

The day after the start of World War II, on September 2, 1939, the Brest Fortress was bombed for the first time by the Germans: German planes dropped 10 bombs, damaging the White Palace. At that time, marching battalions of the 35th and 82nd infantry regiments and a number of other rather random units, as well as mobilized reservists who were waiting to be sent to their units, were located in the barracks of the fortress at that time.

The garrison of the city and the fortress was subordinate to the task force "Polesie" of General Franciszek Kleeberg; On September 11, retired General Konstantin Plisovsky was appointed head of the garrison, who formed a combat-ready detachment of 4 battalions (three infantry and engineering) from the units at his disposal with a total strength of 2000-2500 people, with the support of several batteries, two armored trains and a certain number of Renault tanks FT-17" from the First World War. The defenders of the fortress did not have anti-tank weapons, meanwhile they had to deal with tanks.
By September 13, families of military personnel were evacuated from the fortress, bridges and passages were mined, the main gates were blocked by tanks, and trenches for infantry were made on earthen ramparts.

Konstantin Plisovsky

The 19th armored corps of General Heinz Guderian was advancing on Brest nad Bug, moving from East Prussia to meet with another German tank division moving from the south. Guderian intended to capture the city of Brest in order to prevent the defenders of the fortress from retreating south and linking up with the main forces of the Polish Task Force Narew. The German units had superiority over the defenders of the fortress in infantry by 2 times, in tanks - by 4 times, in artillery - by 6 times. On September 14, 1939, 77 tanks of the 10th Panzer Division (subdivisions of the reconnaissance battalion and the 8th Panzer Regiment) tried to take the city and the fortress on the move, but were repulsed by infantry supported by 12 FT-17 tanks, which were knocked out. On the same day, German artillery and aircraft began bombarding the fortress. The next morning, after fierce street fighting, the Germans captured most of the city. The defenders retreated to the fortress. On the morning of September 16, the Germans (10th Panzer and 20th Motorized Divisions) launched an assault on the fortress, which was repulsed. By evening, the Germans captured the crest of the rampart, but could not break through further. Great damage was done to the German tanks by two FT-17s placed at the gates of the fortress. In total, since September 14, 7 German attacks were repulsed, while up to 40% of the personnel of the fortress defenders were lost. During the assault, Guderian's adjutant was mortally wounded. On the night of September 17, the wounded Plisovsky gave the order to leave the fortress and cross the Bug to the south. On the intact bridge, the troops left for the Terespol fortification and from there to Terespol.

On September 22, Brest was handed over by the Germans to the 29th Tank Brigade of the Red Army. Thus, Brest and the Brest Fortress became part of the USSR.

Defense of the Brest Fortress in 1941. On the eve of the war

By June 22, 1941, 8 rifle and 1 reconnaissance battalions, 2 artillery battalions (anti-aircraft defense and anti-aircraft defense), some special forces of rifle regiments and units of corps units, training camps of the assigned staff of the 6th Oryol and 42nd rifle divisions of the 28th rifle Corps of the 4th Army, units of the 17th Red Banner Brest Border Detachment, 33rd Separate Engineer Regiment, several units of the 132nd Separate Battalion of NKVD escort troops, unit headquarters (the headquarters of divisions and the 28th Rifle Corps were located in Brest), total 9 - 11 thousand people, not counting family members (300 military families).

The assault on the fortress, the city of Brest and the capture of bridges across the Western Bug and Mukhavets was entrusted to the 45th Infantry Division of Major General Fritz Schlieper (about 17 thousand people) with reinforcement units and in cooperation with units of neighboring formations (including mortar divisions attached to 31st and 34th Infantry Divisions of the 12th Army Corps of the 4th German Army and used by the 45th Infantry Division during the first five minutes of an artillery raid), in total up to 20 thousand people. But to be precise, the Brest Fortress was stormed not by the Germans, but by the Austrians. In 1938, after the Anschluss (annexation) of Austria to the Third Reich, the 4th Austrian division was renamed the 45th Wehrmacht infantry division - the same one that crossed the border on June 22, 1941.

Assault on the fortress

On June 22, at 3:15 (European time) or 4:15 (Moscow time), heavy artillery fire was opened on the fortress, taking the garrison by surprise. As a result, warehouses were destroyed, water pipes were damaged, communications were interrupted, and heavy losses were inflicted on the garrison. At 3:23 the assault began. Up to one and a half thousand infantry from three battalions of the 45th Infantry Division advanced directly on the fortress. The surprise of the attack led to the fact that the garrison could not provide a single coordinated resistance and was divided into several separate centers. Assault Squad The Germans, advancing through the Terespol fortification, initially did not meet serious resistance, and after passing the Citadel, advanced groups reached the Kobrin fortification. However, the units of the garrison that found themselves in the rear of the Germans launched a counterattack, dismembering and partially destroying the attackers.

The Germans in the Citadel were able to gain a foothold only in certain areas, including the club building dominating the fortress (the former church of St. Nicholas), the dining room for command staff and the barracks at the Brest Gates. They met strong resistance in Volyn and, especially, in Kobrin fortification, where it came to bayonet attacks. A small part of the garrison with part of the equipment managed to leave the fortress and join with their units; by 9 o'clock in the morning the fortress with 6-8 thousand people remaining in it was surrounded. During the day, the Germans were forced to bring into battle the reserve of the 45th Infantry Division, as well as the 130th Infantry Regiment, which was originally the reserve of the corps, thus bringing the assault force to two regiments.

Defense

On the night of June 23, having withdrawn troops to the outer ramparts of the fortress, the Germans began shelling, in between offering the garrison to surrender. Surrendered about 1900 people. But, nevertheless, on June 23, the remaining defenders of the fortress managed, having knocked out the Germans from the section of the ring barracks adjacent to the Brest Gate, to unite the two most powerful centers of resistance remaining on the Citadel - the battle group of the 455th rifle regiment, led by Lieutenant A. A. Vinogradov and Captain I.N. Zubachev, and the battle group of the so-called "House of Officers" (the units that concentrated here for the planned breakthrough attempt were led by regimental commissar E.M. Fomin, senior lieutenant Shcherbakov and private Shugurov (executive secretary of the Komsomol bureau of the 75th separate reconnaissance battalion).

Having met in the basement of the "House of Officers", the defenders of the Citadel tried to coordinate their actions: a draft order No. 1 dated June 24 was prepared, which proposed the creation of a combined battle group and headquarters headed by Captain I. N. Zubachev and his deputy regimental commissar E. M. Fomin, count the remaining personnel. However, the next day, the Germans broke into the Citadel with a surprise attack. large group The defenders of the Citadel, led by Lieutenant A. A. Vinogradov, tried to break out of the Fortress through the Kobrin fortification. But this ended in failure: although the breakthrough group, divided into several detachments, managed to break out of the main rampart, its fighters were captured or destroyed by units of the 45th Infantry Division, which were defending the highway around Brest.

By the evening of June 24, the Germans had captured most of the fortress, with the exception of the section of the ring barracks (“House of Officers”) near the Brest (Three-arch) gates of the Citadel, casemates in an earthen rampart on the opposite bank of the Mukhavets (“Point 145”) and the so-called "Eastern Fort" (its defense, which consisted of 400 soldiers and commanders of the Red Army, was commanded by Major P. M. Gavrilov). On this day, the Germans managed to capture 1250 defenders of the Fortress.

The last 450 defenders of the Citadel were captured on June 26 after blowing up several compartments of the ring barracks "Officers' House" and point 145, and on June 29, after the Germans dropped an aerial bomb weighing 1800 kg, the Eastern Fort fell. However, the Germans managed to finally clean it up only on June 30 (because of the fires that began on June 29). On June 27, the Germans began using 600-mm Karl-Gerät artillery, which fired concrete-piercing shells weighing more than 2 tons and high-explosive shells weighing 1250 kg. After a 600-mm gun shell burst, craters 30 meters in diameter were formed and horrific injuries were inflicted on the defenders, including rupture of the lungs of those hiding in the basement of the fortress from shock waves.

The organized defense of the fortress ended there; only isolated centers of resistance and single fighters remained, gathering in groups and again dispersing and dying, or trying to break out of the fortress and go to the partisans in Belovezhskaya Pushcha (some succeeded). Major P. M. Gavrilov was captured wounded among the last - on July 23. One of the inscriptions in the fortress reads: “I am dying, but I do not give up. Farewell, Motherland. 20/VII-41". According to witnesses, shooting was heard from the fortress until the beginning of August.

P.M.Gavrilov

The total losses of the Germans in the Brest Fortress amounted to 5% of the total losses of the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front in the first week of the war.

There were reports that the last areas of resistance were destroyed only at the end of August, before A. Hitler and B. Mussolini visited the fortress. It is also known that the stone that A. Hitler took from the ruins of the bridge was found in his office after the end of the war.

To eliminate the last pockets of resistance, the German high command gave the order to flood the cellars of the fortress with water from the Western Bug River.

The memory of the defenders of the fortress

For the first time, the defense of the Brest Fortress became known from a German headquarters report captured in the papers of the defeated unit in February 1942 near Orel. In the late 1940s, the first articles about the defense of the Brest Fortress appeared in newspapers, based solely on rumors. In 1951, during the analysis of the rubble of the barracks at the Brest Gate, order No. 1 was found. In the same year, the artist P. Krivonogov painted the painting “Defenders of the Brest Fortress”.

The merit of restoring the memory of the heroes of the fortress largely belongs to the writer and historian S. S. Smirnov, as well as to K. M. Simonov, who supported his initiative. The feat of the heroes of the Brest Fortress was popularized by S. S. Smirnov in the book The Brest Fortress (1957, expanded edition 1964, Lenin Prize 1965). After that, the theme of the defense of the Brest Fortress became an important symbol of the Victory.

Monument to the defenders of the Brest Fortress

On May 8, 1965, the Brest Fortress was awarded the title of Hero Fortress with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal. Since 1971 the fortress has been a memorial complex. On its territory, a number of monuments were built in memory of the heroes, and there is a museum of the defense of the Brest Fortress.

Sources of information:

http://en.wikipedia.org

http://www.brest-fortress.by

http://www.calend.ru

The defense of the Brest Fortress (defense of Brest) is one of the very first battles between the Soviet and German armies in the period Great Patriotic War.

Brest was one of the border garrisons on the territory of the USSR, it even covered the central highway leading to Minsk, which is why Brest turned out to be one of the first cities to be attacked after the German attack. The Soviet army held back the onslaught of the enemy for a week, despite the numerical superiority of the Germans, as well as support from artillery and aviation. As a result of a long siege, the Germans were still able to capture the main fortifications of the Brest Fortress and destroy them, but in other areas the struggle continued for quite a long time - small groups that remained after the raid resisted the enemy with their last strength. The defense of the Brest Fortress became a very important battle in which the Soviet troops were able to show their readiness to defend themselves to the last drop of blood, despite the advantages of the enemy. The defense of Brest went down in history as one of the bloodiest sieges, and at the same time, as one of the greatest battles that showed all the courage of the Soviet army.

Brest Fortress on the eve of the war

The city of Brest became part of the Soviet Union shortly before the start of the war - in 1939. By that time, the fortress had already lost its military significance due to the destruction that had begun, and remained as one of the reminders of past battles. The Brest Fortress was built in the 19th century and was part of the defensive fortifications of the Russian Empire on its western borders, but in the 20th century it ceased to have military significance. By the time the war began, the Brest Fortress was mainly used to accommodate military garrisons, as well as a number of families of the military command, a hospital and utility rooms. By the time of the perfidious German attack on the USSR, about 8,000 military personnel and about 300 command families lived in the fortress. There were weapons and supplies in the fortress, but their number was not designed for military operations.

Assault on the Brest Fortress

The assault on the Brest Fortress began on the morning of June 22, 1941, simultaneously with the start of the Great Patriotic War. The barracks and residential buildings of the command were the first to be subjected to powerful artillery fire and air strikes, since the Germans wanted, first of all, to completely destroy the entire command staff in the fortress and thereby confuse the army, disorient it. Despite the fact that almost all the officers died, the surviving soldiers were able to quickly orient themselves and create a powerful defense. The surprise factor did not work as expected Hitler and the assault, which, according to the plans, was supposed to end by 12 noon, dragged on for several days.

Even before the start of the war, the Soviet command issued a decree according to which, in the event of an attack, the military must immediately leave the fortress itself and take up positions along its perimeter, but only a few managed to do this - most of the soldiers remained in the fortress. The defenders of the fortress were in a deliberately losing position, but even this fact did not allow them to give up their positions and allow the Germans to quickly and unconditionally take over Brest.