In Chechnya, a monument was opened to the paratroopers who died in the Argun Gorge. About the opening of the monument to the paratroopers in memory of the fallen heroes

From the press release: On August 5, 2012, in the village of Demyansk (Novgorod Region), a grand opening of the monument to the paratroopers of the 1st MVDbr (maneuverable airborne brigade) and the 204th airborne brigade (airborne brigade) who died in 1942 during a special reconnaissance and sabotage military operation. The opening of the monument is timed to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the large-scale, but little-known Demyansk landing operation. The monument was made and installed with funds raised by citizens and organizations who are not indifferent to the feat of Soviet soldiers with the support of the Demyansk search detachment and the administration of the Demyansky district of the Novgorod region.

Brief historical background

In early January 1942, as a result of the offensive of the Red Army by the forces of the troops of the North-Western and Kalinin fronts, south of Lake Ilmen and east of the city of Staraya Russa, 6 divisions of the Wehrmacht, SS and units attached to them, as well as rear units of the second army corps, were partially surrounded - only up to 100 thousand Germans.

This offensive was part of the "great counter-offensive near Moscow" and part of the Toropetsko-Kholmskaya operation. Warriors of the Red Army went to the Hill, Staraya Russa. As a result of the development of this and some other private operations, later, in mid-February, the so-called "Demyansky cauldron" was formed - the encirclement of a group of Germans wedged into our defenses, initially aimed at Bologoye with the task of "saddling" the Oktyabrskaya railway (Moscow-Leningrad road) .

In the spring of 1942, in the Demyansk region, in the German rear, with the forces of two MVDbr and the 204th Airborne Brigade, as well as separate ski battalions attached to them, the command of the Red Army tried to put an end to the encircled Demyansk enemy group from the inside.

The paratroopers were given the most difficult tasks: concentrating in the German rear, destroy the enemy airfield, thereby disrupting the supply of goods to the surrounded German troops and preventing the evacuation of the wounded; destroy the headquarters of the 2nd Army Corps, which would lead to the disorganization of the interaction of all encircled units; destroy the rear communications of the enemy; to clear the area around the Knevitsy-Lychkovo railway in the north of the Demyansk Cauldron from the enemy and hold it, which would allow the road to be used without hindrance for supplying and maneuvering the troops of the North-Western Front.

More than 9 thousand fighters and commanders took part in the operation, which was originally planned as a fleeting one. But the fighting dragged on significantly and were carried out by paratroopers in the most unfavorable conditions: the severe February frosts of 1942 were replaced by a wet thaw, the soldiers fighting behind enemy lines were in dire need of food and ammunition. Soon hunger began, sick and frostbite appeared, there were many wounded. There was an acute shortage of ammunition. The surviving paratroopers of the 1st MVDBr after the war noted in their memoirs that no one followed the filling of the duffel bags before the operation, and the fighters, pushed by patriotism, stuffed the duffel bags with cartridges, and not with a balanced food ration.

In the cold, in wet clothes, in the forest, under fire - the stocks of food brought in disappeared very quickly. People were tired, they were hungry; the mobility of the groups has fallen sharply; "On the psyche" was pressed by constant shelling and bombing from aircraft and the actions of enemy ski patrols.

Nevertheless, the paratroopers attacked the enemy more than once, trying to fulfill the tasks set by the command. During the fighting, most of the paratroopers died or went missing. Losses of the 1st MVDbr amounted to more than 2,600 people out of 3,000. These losses included captured, killed and "missing". The 204th brigade lost more than 1,800 out of 2,000. In general, out of 5,000 people of two brigades, no more than 432 people were able to break through to their own (in the period up to April 10, of which 87 people from the 204th brigade). About 150 more people were evacuated by aircraft (wounded and command and rear personnel). Separate groups of the wounded went out to their own, sometimes having more than 2 weeks behind them without food, without ammunition, moving through forests and swamps at night, avoiding roads.

About 500 people left the formation of the 2nd MVDbr and part of the 204th brigade (in the north of the pocket) across the front line. For a long time, until mid-May, single paratroopers and their small groups went out to their own. A few surviving paratroopers managed to join the partisan detachments operating in the rear of the Demyansk Cauldron.

Memory of fallen heroes

There are no results of the operation in the official "broad" historiography. There has not yet been a worthy monument to the paratroopers, who honestly and to the end fulfilled their duty to the Motherland. And most of the dead and missing paratroopers have not been found or buried to this day.

Work to search for the remains and establish the names of the dead and missing paratroopers for several decades has been carried out in the Demyansky district of the Novgorod region by the forces of the search engines of the Demyansk detachment (commander - Anatoly Pavlov), the search association "Dolg" from the Kirov region (commander of the Kirov search engines - Yuri Semenenko) and a search party of school No. 2 of the city of Kirovo-Chepetsk. To date, search engines have found more than 1,000 dead participants in the landing operation. A few years ago, the fighters of the Demyansk search detachment installed the first memorial sign for the paratroopers of the 204th Airborne Brigade, who died in the battle near the village of Igozhevo.

In 2012, 70 years after the tragic Demyansk landing operation, a memorial monument was opened in the village. The author of the sculptural composition is sculptor Mikhail Vladimirovich Pereyaslavets. Student of Lev Kerbel, sculptor of the studio of military artists named after M.B. Grekova, People's Artist of Russia, Professor of the Department of Sculpture at the Moscow State Academic Institute named after Surikov, full member of the Russian Academy of Arts. In 1968, Mikhail Pereyaslavets entered the institute, and in the early 70s began his professional career as a sculptor.

Mikhail Pereyaslavets is the author of many monuments, among them: Surikov in Moscow, Ershov in Tobolsk, Pokryshkin in Novosibirsk, Catherine the Great (who is Sophia Frederick Augustus, Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst) in Zerbst (Germany). One of his sculptures, installed in Moscow, is dedicated to the feat of the "winged infantry". The monument to the heroes from the 6th Airborne Company of the 104th Guards Airborne Regiment of the 76th Airborne Division was erected in 2002 next to the Central Museum of the Armed Forces.

Work on the monument began in 2010. During the design, a number of factors had to be taken into account, in particular, anti-vandal elements were also included in the design. The sculpture is made of a single piece of gabbro (diabase), weighs more than 8 tons with a pedestal. The height of the monument is more than three meters.

The preliminary estimate for the design and installation of the monument was more than 2 (two) million rubles. The money for the construction of the monument was collected from the personal funds of citizens. The vast majority of the work was financed personally by Alexei Pankratov, an entrepreneur from Moscow, head of Delo Tekhniki LLC, who had studied the history of the Demyansk landing operation for many years.

Governor of the Novgorod Region Sergey Mitin, Commander of the Airborne Forces of the Russian Federation Colonel-General Vladimir Shamanov, Auditor of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation Vladimir Katrenko, veterans of the Great Patriotic War, students of military-patriotic clubs and paratroopers of the oldest existing one, formations of the Airborne Forces - the 76th Guards Chernigov Red Banner Airborne Assault Division. In the lists of this particular unit, by order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR of April 20, 1985, V. F. Margelov was enlisted as an Honorary Soldier.

It is no coincidence that the grand opening of the monument to paratroopers is held on August 5, simultaneously with the celebration of the “Demyansk Day”. Veterans of the Second World War and the Airborne Forces, current paratroopers, students of military-patriotic clubs, schoolchildren, guests of Demyansk and its residents will come together to honor the memory of the soldiers who died for our Motherland 70 years ago. We remember our heroes and are proud of them.

Residents of Demyansk and guests of the village gathered on the morning of August 5 in a small square at the crossroads

At the parachute-covered monument to the paratroopers, soldiers of the reconnaissance company of the oldest, of the currently existing, airborne units, the 76th Guards Chernigov Red Banner Airborne Assault Division, froze in the guard of honor.
Next to them are cadets of the military-patriotic club "Young Paratrooper" of the Moscow City Palace of Children's (Youth) Creativity on Vorobyovy Gory

Came to the opening ceremony and a few already veterans-front-line soldiers

The governor of the Novgorod region, the head of the administration of the Demyansky district and the chairman of the Council of Commanders of the Dolina search expedition arrived

Aleksey Pankratov, the head of the Moscow-based Delo Tekhnika company and the main sponsor of the entire project with the monument, tells about the monument and the operation. Although, the word “sponsor” is completely unsuitable here, because Alexei not only financed most of all the work, but for many years he has personally been studying the history of the Demyansk landing operation both in archives and in swamps

Representative of the Airborne Forces of the Russian Federation - Colonel Gudymenko, assistant commander of the 76th Guards Chernigov Red Banner Airborne Assault Division for work with personnel

The governor of the Novgorod region and the head of the Demyansk district solemnly remove the parachute cover from the monument, the Anthem of the Russian Federation sounds

The son of one of the paratroopers who fought near Demyansk in the spring of 1942 arrived at the opening

A resident of Demyansk, who survived the occupation in childhood and knows firsthand what kind of war it was, said a few words.

After the opening of the monument, paratroopers marched in a solemn march, with banners unfurled and drumming to the central square of Demyansk, to congratulate Demyansk on the day of the village

After the completion of the official part, there was one more - unofficial. The fighters of the Demyansk search detachment and representatives of the Russian Airborne Forces went to the village of Igozhevo, where the paratroopers found by the Demyansk search detachment are buried

Those who distinguished themselves were awarded certificates of honor on behalf of the commander of the Airborne Forces of the Russian Federation, Colonel-General Shamanov

In response, the commander of the Demyansk search detachment, Anatoly Stepanovich Pavlov, handed over to the museum of the Pskov Airborne Division several exhibits found at the site of the death of paratroopers of the 204th Airborne Division. The detachment commander himself, by order of the commander of the Airborne Forces, was awarded the Margelov medal. The second award of Anatoly Stepanovich on this day was the Badge of Distinction of the Novgorod Region "For Merit to the Novgorod Region"

“The insignia of the Novgorod Region “For Services to the Novgorod Region” is a form of encouragement for citizens for a significant contribution to the socio-economic development of the Novgorod Region, merits in state, scientific, creative and other activities, many years of fruitful work aimed at improving the well-being of the inhabitants of the Novgorod Region. The insignia is awarded to citizens of the Russian Federation, citizens (subjects) of other states, stateless persons.

A submission for awarding a citizen with a badge of distinction is submitted to the Novgorod Regional Commission for Awards by the Governor of the Novgorod Region, the chairman of the Novgorod Regional Duma, the heads of municipalities of the region (municipal districts and urban districts), on the territory of which the citizen who is presented for awarding a badge of distinction lives and (or) carries out labor activity.

Work on the search, identification and perpetuation of the memory of the fallen paratroopers will, of course, be continued. If you have a desire to provide financial assistance to the Demyansk search squad, you can do this through Search Party Assistance Fund.

On behalf of the search engines and on my own behalf, I deeply thank everyone who had a hand in organizing the events for the opening of the monument in Demyansk. Thank you so much and regards!

P.S. Commemorative T-shirts were printed for the opening of the monument, such as these. There is a small amount of all sizes left, if there are those who want to get one, then.

Monument to the 6th company ("Dome") - a monument in the village of Cheryokha, Pskov region, designed to perpetuate the memory of the feat of 84 soldiers of the 6th parachute company of the 104th guards paratrooper regiment of the 76th guards airborne division.

Location

The monument is located on a small area between the Pskov federal highway and the checkpoint of the 104th Airborne Assault Regiment stationed in Cheryokha. The stone fence of the checkpoint and the military camp, imitating fortress walls with guard towers at the corners, limits the area from the north, east and south. The western border is the aforementioned road. In the northern and southern extremities of the square, a pedestrian crossing is organized through the highway, regulated by a traffic light with digital indication.

The close proximity of the regional center is emphasized by the roadside welcome sign "Pskov", located at a distance of about a hundred meters to the north of the monument in the line of sight.

Description

The author of the monument was the Pskov architect Anatoly Tsarik. As a basis, he took the main symbol of the paratroopers - parachute. The snow-white metal dome rests with steel straps on a pedestal stylized as a tetrahedral mountain peak. The pedestal in the center of each face is covered by trapezoidal slabs of red granite, which in plan form an image of the St. George Cross. Granite slabs contain a list of dead soldiers from 84 families. The western slab, facing the highway, is marked with the golden star of the Hero of Russia and stores the names of 21 paratroopers who received this honorary award. On the remaining slabs, 63 military personnel awarded the Order of Courage are grouped, as evidenced by the award symbol placed at the top of each slab.

The inner side of the parachute dome is covered with images of the autographs of the dead paratroopers, and the dome is crowned with a stylistic star of the Hero of Russia, enclosed in a polar hole. The central axis of the monument is a composition of 84 funeral candles directed upwards. At night, each of the candles lights up with a dim orange light. On the western side of the monument, at the foot of a bunch of candles, there is a shield with the inscription: "6 company of grateful Russia". In addition to the monument itself, the memorial complex is complemented by a memorial stone located on the northeastern edge of the square. A granite plaque attached to it reads:

Photo: Monument to the paratroopers of the sixth company

Monument to the paratroopers of the 6th company

Almost all monuments of Pskov are of great value for the city and its inhabitants. In the village of Cherekha, in the Pskov region, there is one monument that commands respect from everyone who visits it. This monument is a reminder of the feat accomplished by the paratroopers of the 6th Airborne Company.

Many tend to think that modern people are not capable of feats, and if there are such heroes, then there are only a few of them. However, this opinion is erroneous and even in the 21st century there are people who are ready at the cost of their lives to follow orders and cover their comrades with their backs. Take at least the famous 6th company. March 1, 2000, being in the composition of only 90 people, our fighters held the defense against 2500 militants. Ordinary soldiers and officers stood shoulder to shoulder, fighting against an enemy that outnumbered them several times over. There is no limit to their courage and valor, because each of them knew that this battle would most likely be their last. But no one gave up and did not turn back, and fought the enemy to the last.

At the cost of many lives, the order was carried out. Only 6 people survived. This feat will forever remain in the hearts of many. Today, we are reminded of this by the monument in Pskov, and films such as "Breakthrough", "Russian Victim" and books written based on this heroic story.

On the day when the Airborne Forces celebrated their 70th anniversary, Russian President Vladimir Putin personally visited the Pskov division and expressed his condolences to all the relatives of the victims. He also personally apologized for the miscalculations that were made by the command staff. As a sign of great sorrow and respect for the heroes, Putin ordered a monument erected in their honor, which will remind all Russians of these brave fighters.

In 2002, on August 3, the memorial sculpture was inaugurated. It is located near the checkpoint of the same 104th regiment. The monument is a huge open parachute, the autographs of all those who gave their lives in that unequal battle are engraved on the inside of the dome. And the crown of the dome is the stylistic star of the Hero of Russia.
The idea of ​​creating such a composition belongs to the Pskov architect Anatoly Tsarik. As the creator himself says, he did not even doubt that in order to create a sculpture, it was necessary to take a parachute, which is the main symbol of the Airborne Forces. Under the snow-white dome is a pedestal made in the form of mountain peaks. On granite slabs you can read the names of all 84 heroes. The plate that faces the highway is decorated with a golden star. It contains the names of those who were awarded the title of Hero of Russia.

On the pedestal, in the center of the composition, 84 funeral candles rise, after it gets dark, each of them emits a faint glow, paying tribute to the memory of their heroes.

We arrived in Pskov on a holiday - May 9th. Then they heard about an unusual monument to the paratroopers of the 6th company of the Airborne Forces, installed in the village of Cherekha near the checkpoint of the Pskov Airborne Division.

March 1, 2000, in a brutal unequal battle with Chechen fighters, the 6th company of the 2nd battalion of the 104th parachute regiment of the 76th Guards Pskov Airborne Division was killed.

84 servicemen were killed in the battle, including all 13 officers. Only six soldiers survived. The company blocked the way for Chechen fighters who were trying to break through from the Argun Gorge to Dagestan. According to the command, there were more than two thousand of them against 90 paratroopers. The eldest was thirty-seven, the youngest eighteen. Then even inexperienced recruits took part in the hostilities. For every Pskov paratrooper, there were 27 militants.

The death of the 6th company shocked the whole country. And it raised a lot of questions. How could it happen that only 90 paratroopers found themselves face to face against the vastly superior heavily armed bandits of Khattab, Basayev, Idris? Why didn't regular troops come to their aid? Until now, there are different versions of what happened in those days at a height of 776 and who is to blame for the death of paratroopers and scouts. But in spite of everything, it is clear that the paratroopers, at the cost of their lives, detained the enemy for three days and made it possible for the main forces to approach the battlefield.

From the site 234555.ru: “On March 1, at 6:10 am, communication with the commander of the 2nd paratrooper battalion Evtyukhin M.N. was cut off ... When the ammunition ran out, the paratroopers went into hand-to-hand combat and blew themselves up with grenades in a crowd of militants. The commander of the self-propelled artillery battery, Captain Viktor Romanov, having lost both legs as a result of a mine explosion, continued to correct the artillery fire "...

Wounded in the chest, Senior Lieutenant Alexander Kolgatin set off the mines as soon as the militants went on the attack. The wounded corporal Alexander Lebedev, tied with grenades, rushed into the midst of the attacking bandits and blew himself up with them. Senior Lieutenant Alexei Vorobyov, who destroyed the field commander Idris, had his legs broken by fragments of mines, one bullet hit his stomach, the other in his chest, but he fought to the last. When the 1st company broke through to the heights on the morning of March 2, the hero's body was still warm...

For three days there was a battle in the mountains. Later, one of the survivors, shell-shocked private Yevgeny Vladykin, recalled: “The battalion commander constantly encouraged us. Soon, he said, there would be help, we would stand. But then, when there was almost no one left, we stopped hoping for help ... And then the battalion commander called fire on himself. It's better to die than to surrender." However, the paratroopers had practically no chance to stay alive: the militants finished off everyone. And they were aiming for the face. That is why it turned out to be difficult to identify some of the paratroopers later. All of them - both living and dead - were awarded high awards of the Motherland. Twenty-two were awarded the title of Hero of Russia, the rest became holders of the Order of Courage.

The bandits paid for the death of our guys: more than five hundred non-humans remained on the battlefield. The rest could not escape from the gorge. The paratroopers stopped them at the cost of their lives. And yet why didn't help come to the dying company?

According to Igor Sergeyev, then the Minister of Defense, additional forces were sent to help, but they could not approach the positions of the company. "The dagger fire of the militants did not allow this to be done." And the commander of the Airborne Forces, General Georgy Shpak, reported: "Because of the flooded Sharoargun and Abazulgol rivers and because of the high density of fire, other landing units could not break through to help."

From a report, rather a memorandum: “On March 1, at 3 o’clock in the morning, a group of soldiers led by Major Dostavalov (15 people) managed to break through to the encircled, who, having violated the order, arbitrarily (against the order of the command) left the defensive lines of the 4th company in the neighboring height and went out to reinforce the sixth company. Major Dostavalov's raid extended the defense of height 776 by two hours."

Who is he, this man who, contrary to orders, managed to come to the aid of dying comrades? Alexander Vasilievich Dostavalov, deputy battalion commander. "... Having joined the paratroopers of the sixth company, Dostavalov received several severe wounds during the battle, but continued to lead the battle. The last wound turned out to be fatal. For courage and heroism, he was awarded the title of Hero of Russia (posthumously)."

The site 234555.ru has a story, a selection of videos about the 6th company, the names and photos of the dead and surviving heroes.

The author of the 20-meter monument - Pskov architect Anatoly Tsarik. The parachute was taken as the basis - the main symbol of the paratrooper. At the foot is a crimson-red granite St. George's cross with the names of paratroopers. It symbolizes a hand squeezing the dark forces that scatter in an explosion in different directions and at the same time - the fire caused on oneself (the last words of the battalion commander Mark Evtyukhin were: "I call fire on myself!"). 84 candles are directed upwards - according to the number of dead (in the evening the lights of the candles burn). On the inside of the dome there are exact copies of the autographs of the dead paratroopers, taken from their personal files. The dome is crowned with the Star of the Hero of Russia.

I think the song group DDT "Boys" will be right here.