Documentary chronicle of the events of the liberation of the city of Pskov from fascist invaders

Compiled from the book “The Irreversible” by Nikolai Mikhailovich Ivanov.

The liberation of their native Pskov is only one stage on the long path to the Great Victory, but even today veterans remember everything as if it were yesterday...

Hitler's command called Pskov “the key to the front doors of Leningrad.” In addition, the ancient Russian city was the gateway to the Baltic states. That is why, already in October 1942, the Germans began building a defensive line - the Panther Line. Construction continued until 1944. The Panther line ran through the heights and hills of the Pskov Plain. The Panther's strongholds were the cities of Ostrov and Pskov.

To break through the Panther, troops of the 3rd Baltic Front were formed under the command of General I.I. Maslennikov. At the end of February 1944, Soviet troops reached the enemy’s fortified area. For almost four months, our units prepared for the assault on the Panther. The day of Pskov's liberation was approaching.

The 42nd Army was preparing for the decisive battles for the liberation of Pskov. On the eve of the offensive operation, local battles broke out, in which Soviet soldiers showed courage and heroism. On June 26, a soldier of the 42nd separate engineer battalion N.V. Nikitchenko carried out an order to urgently mine a tank-hazardous area near the village of Pogostishche. We had to work under enemy artillery fire. Nikitchenko was wounded. Soon the sounds of roaring engines and the clanging of tracks intertwined with the roar of explosions. Having climbed the hill, the sapper saw: six “tigers” and two “Ferdinands” were pressing our units. Nikitchenko began placing anti-tank mines in the enemy’s path. One "tiger" was blown up. The turret gunner of another tank saw the sapper and wounded him a second time with a machine-gun burst. Work has become even more difficult. But then the second “tiger” was blown up by a mine, and this gave the brave fighter new strength. At the cost of his own life, N. Nikitchenko blew up the enemy’s third vehicle.

Along with ground troops, air forces participated in preparing the offensive. By order of the command, the 958th Assault Regiment organized photographing of the enemy defenses in the area of ​​the impending breakthrough. IL-2 aircraft, equipped with special photographic installations, suddenly appeared over enemy structures and captured them on film from an extremely low altitude. Lieutenant Nikolai Nikitenko performed this work with particular brilliance.

According to the plan of the Soviet command, the 42nd Army attacked the enemy in the east in the direction of the points of Gora, Chernyakovitsy, and Klishevo. 128th Infantry Division Major General D.A. Lukyanova, having cleared the south-eastern part of Pskov of the enemy, was supposed to force the Velikaya River and seize a bridgehead on Zavelichye.

An auxiliary strike was planned to be delivered in the north of the enemy’s fortified area, bypassing the impregnable Vaulin Heights, in the direction of Khotitsa, Verkhnie Galkovichi, Ovsishche.

The 376th division of Major General N.A. Polyakov was to capture Zapskovye, reach Velikaya north of the Kremlin, cross the river and seize a bridgehead on its western bank.

The 128th Rifle Division was at the front from the first day of the Great Patriotic War. “On the twenty-second of June, at exactly four o’clock,” she met with her chest the first blow of the Nazi troops in Lithuania, on the state border. Its history included difficult days of retreat to the east under the pressure of superior enemy forces, active participation in the defense of Leningrad and breaking through the blockade ring, and the Leningrad-Novgorod offensive operation.

The division was among the most seasoned formations of the Soviet Army, tested in fierce battles. Regiments, battalions, and companies were commanded by brave and skillful officers.

The 128th Division deployed its battle formation eight kilometers east of Pskov. Its first echelon consisted of the right-flank 533rd Infantry Regiment (opposite the villages of Lazhnevo and Klishevo) and the left-flank 374th Infantry Regiment (opposite the Gornevo and Berdovo roads). The 41st Regiment (without the first battalion, the division commander's reserve withdrawn) was in the second echelon.

The commanders spent the anxious night from July 21 to July 22, 1944 at their command and observation posts. In the neutral zone, sappers worked silently. Reconnaissance groups have been sent to the enemy's location.

The soldiers were preparing for an important military operation. The former commander of the 374th regiment of the 128th Infantry Division, K.A. Shestak, recalls: “We knew that we had to move, in a short time, estimated at 2-3 hours, and at the first stage in minutes, to cross the Velikaya River, so according to the map and, based on intelligence reports, they studied in detail possible crossing points, the enemy’s rear lines, and reserves of available means. We did not count on regular transport means, so from the very beginning we relied on Russian ingenuity and resourcefulness: we learned to quickly and reliably build rafts using barrels, boxes, doors, window and door frames, gates, telephone poles... Training attacks followed one after another , according to the wise soldier’s commandment: “More sweat - less blood.”

The German command demanded that its subordinates blow up and burn everything. In two weeks from July 8 to July 22, 1944, half of the city that had survived until then was destroyed: bridges were blown up, a power plant, industrial buildings, historical monuments were destroyed, and the central part of the city was reduced to ruins. One of the German officers said: “Pskov no longer exists and will never exist.”

In the Soviet units, everything was ready to deliver a decisive blow to the enemy: troops were concentrated at the starting positions, guns and mortars were aimed at targets, sappers were widening passages in minefields, tanks, self-propelled guns, and airplanes were filled with fuel. An order from the command will arrive, and all this mighty force will rush forward to Victory!

At three in the morning on July 22, the Germans called from the front line in the Lazhnevo sector and left the first trenches. The commander of the 533rd regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Panin, gave the order to the assault group: immediately occupy the free trenches and advance further, imposing battle on the enemy.

A battle began with the enemy rearguards for the villages of Lazhnevo and Klishovo. The so-called “Klishovsky pillbox”, from which the Germans fired flanking machine-gun fire, was especially disruptive. Brave scouts Vasily Zhukov and Roman Shaloboda crawled closer to the pillbox and, throwing grenades at it, silenced the fascist machine gunners. However, the 533rd Regiment, having captured Lazhnevo and Klishevo, then met stubborn enemy resistance and its advance temporarily slowed down.

At the same time, the neighboring one to the right of the 533rd regiment, the 374th Infantry Regiment, moved to approach the enemy. Former machine gunner A. Rozhalin recalls: “The sappers quickly walked through the trenches of the front edge into the neutral zone, bending down, to remove mines on the passages. The soldiers of the rifle company began to pull up to the starting line. Everyone is tense.

Our artillery struck like thunder, transferring fire from the enemy’s first line of defense further into its depths. Here is the long-awaited signal flare. Following the scouts, we stepped in single file, one after another, into the thickets of the swamp. From the enemy trenches, machine guns were fired up, rockets soared into the sky. Overcoming the last meters of the swamp, jumping from hummock to hummock, we finally reach solid ground.”

The artillery preparation was short, powerful, stunning. The guards' mortars - the famous "Katyushas" - had their say.

The former commander of the 374th Infantry Regiment, reserve colonel K.A. Shestak, says: “Our regiment began the offensive on July 22 at 4 o’clock in the morning. The horizon slowly became clearer. From the swamp, which lay in front of the Berdovo heights, a bluish plume of thick fog stretched upward. How was it, by the way, this fog! He helped the regiment secretly reach the enemy's minefields and barbed wire obstacles. During the day of battle, sappers neutralized about a thousand mines and landmines, blew up several enemy firing points, and made 12 passes through minefields and obstacles. They opened the way and gave the signal for the start of artillery preparation... The enemy was taken by surprise. He didn’t even have time to take up firing positions and strengthen the defense line.”

Rising to the heights of Berdovo, the 374th regiment broke the Nazi defense system, attacking from the flank, and relatively easily captured the village of Gornevo.

Developing the offensive, the regiment attacked the Berezka station. The first battalion under the command of Captain N. Korotaev approached Kresty at 6 o’clock in the morning. It was assumed that he would deliver only an auxiliary blow to the enemy, since a swampy section of the front stretched in front of the regiment, which excluded tank support. However, using surprise, supported by powerful artillery fire and attacks from neighbors, the regiment developed a very successful offensive.

In the Krestov area, the 374th Regiment encountered strong enemy resistance. The infantry lay down under destructive fire. From the left flank, the enemy was already preparing a counterattack with tanks, holding onto the Crosses as an intermediate line of defense.

In addition, a prisoner of war camp was located in this area. The Nazis did not have time to liquidate everyone. The decisive actions of our troops prevented the Nazis from committing reprisals. The artillerymen, in single combat with enemy tanks, cleared the way for the infantry.

The 374th Regiment, continuing the offensive, was the first to start fighting directly for Pskov. Despite the fact that both of its flanks, due to the lag of their neighbors, were open, the battalions went deep into the outlying streets of the city, knocking out German machine gunners from houses and ruins.

The command of the 128th division, supporting the offensive impulse of the 374th regiment, took measures to secure its flanks. For this purpose, the 1st battalion of the 741st Infantry Regiment, which was in reserve, was placed at the disposal of the regiment commander. Battalion commander Captain I.I. Baranov immediately deployed his units on the right flank of the 374th Regiment and led them on the offensive.

At 6.30 on July 22, the 1252nd Infantry Regiment broke through the enemy defenses and went on the offensive, and 15 minutes after it, the 1248th Regiment, which occupied positions east of Lake Pskov, also went on the offensive.

At exactly noon, the 1250th Infantry Regiment under the command of A.I. Glushkov started a battle on the northern outskirts of Pskov. And the first who crossed the city line here were the soldiers of Lieutenant Borisov’s reconnaissance platoon. The battalions rushed to the Velikaya River, sweeping away the resisting fascist groups from their path.

One of the rifle companies was led by Lieutenant Murashev. Four mortars and six machine guns are the first combat trophies of the soldiers of his company. At the head of the company reconnaissance was the squad commander Trofimov. Calling fire on himself, he identified the location of enemy firing points and began a battle with the goal of breaking through to Velikaya. On the radio, the commander of the 1250th regiment, Lieutenant Colonel A.I. Glushkov, reported to the division commander that his battalions had reached the shore of the Velikaya River north of the mouth of the Pskov River and were preparing improvised means for crossing to the west bank.

The 374th Regiment, having passed Krestovskoye Highway, stopped near the railway crossing. “From the ruins of the Vydvizhenets plant,” recalls I. Markov, a former sergeant of the army communications company, “machine guns began to fire. The soldiers lay down. We tried to go around, but we were also met with fire from the destroyed station building on the left. Then the battalion went on the attack. A unanimous “Hurray!” rang out... The enemy machine guns choked, and the Nazis fled. And now I’m already on the territory of the “Vydvizhenets” plant, in the first, albeit destroyed, but liberated building of my hometown. And the neighboring battalion was knocking out the Nazis from the station building at that time.”

Units of the 741st Infantry Regiment cleared the railway station and station buildings from the Nazis. The smoky ruins of the station looked at the attackers with the gloomy failures of high window openings. German machine gunners sat behind them. But they had to either flee or stay there forever.

The fascist sappers mutilated the railway track in a sophisticated way, using a special machine. She cut the wooden sleepers down the middle, pulling the crutches out of their sockets. The entire structure moved from its place and became unsuitable for train traffic. Part of the railway embankment was blasted to such a depth that the craters were filled with groundwater.

“Every step was fought,” recalls I. Markov, “the Nazis settled in the ruins of houses. There is not a single intact house around, only ruins... Now the ruins of the Oktyabrskaya Hotel. I stopped at the Summer Garden and looked at my watch. Exactly 9 am. We are located in the center of our hometown."

From the Summer Garden and the House of Soviets, the soldiers of the 374th Infantry Regiment and the first battalion of the 741st Regiment attached to it, pushing back the enemy, advanced to the Velikaya River, under the cover of the flagstone wall of the Okolny City and the ruins of houses on the streets of Sverdlov, Gogol, Nekrasov, Sovetskaya.

They reached the eastern bank of the river in the area from the Georgievsky Vzvoz to the Pokrovskaya Tower. From Zavelichye they received heavy fire from fascist machine guns, mortars and artillery pieces, but the thick walls built by their ancestors reliably protected the soldiers from bullets and shrapnel.

While retreating, the Nazis destroyed bridges and transportation facilities, clearly hoping to delay the advance of our troops and gain time to regroup their units.

But the 374th Regiment began crossing the Velikaya River immediately. It included a landing detachment of one hundred and fifty paratroopers who could swim. They were commanded by senior lieutenant I.D. Golovko. The detachment had at its disposal standard equipment for the crossing - inflatable vests. True, not everyone had enough of them. Most of the paratroopers had to make do with homemade rafts and raincoats stuffed with straw.

The former commander of the 374th Infantry Regiment K.A. Shestak recalls: “On July 22 at 10 o’clock in the morning, a caravan of homemade rafts and rafts headed for the Mirozhsky Monastery and the Church of Clement. My control and observation post was set up on the top of a small hill next to the Pokrovskaya Tower. From here there was a good view of both banks of the river. To support the landing with fire and suppress enemy fire, 36 artillery pieces were placed on the river bank. We had direct communication with the commander of the landing party - underwater telephone, radio and visual communication. Already by 11 o’clock in the morning on July 22, the bridgehead on the opposite bank was conquered and firmly held by us.”

A. Rozhalin, a former machine gunner of the 374th Infantry Regiment, recalls: “We cover our people from the hill with Maxim fire.” We hit the thickets of the opposite sloping bank. Fountains began to rise up on the water: enemy ambushes from the opposite bank launched a heavy bombardment of mines. I transfer the fire of my machine gun into the depths of the opposite bank. From somewhere to the right, along the river, an enemy machine gun began to fire. Aral Get out of that destroyed brick building. I turn my machine gun there and engage in a duel with him. The fascist also spotted our machine gun: bullets began to click and whistle all around. We wish our people could swim across quickly!”

From the report of the headquarters of the 42nd Army dated July 22, 1944: “Guskov’s machine gun crew was especially distinguished, continuously ensuring the crossing of the river. The artillerymen of the 76th mortar battery accurately hit enemy firing points. The gun crews of Chernov, Kuznetsov and Melnik silenced the enemy's firing points with direct fire. Excellently covered the crossing and the machine gun crew of the 1st Infantry Company. The fighters opened targeted fire as soon as the Germans tried to delay the unit’s advance.”

From the report of the commander of the 128th Infantry Division, Major General D.A. Lukyanov, to the command of the 3rd Baltic Front: “Pskov was turned by the enemy into a powerful center of resistance. Machine gun emplacements are installed in buildings, and bunkers and pillboxes are equipped in the foundations of houses. The streets and most of the houses are mined. The regiment's units immediately began the assault on the city. Assault groups were moved forward, which quickly and skillfully cleared the minefields... The assault groups were followed by infantry... Artillerymen destroyed enemy firing points with direct fire. By 9.00 on July 22, the eastern part of Pskov was cleared of the enemy and our units reached the bank of the Velikaya River.”

From the report of the head of the political department of the 128th Infantry Division, P.P. Kazmin: “The soldiers of our units showed exceptional examples of courage and bravery in hot battles during the crossing of the Velikaya River. The fifth rifle company of the 374th regiment rushed to swim, using logs, boards, and sheaves of hay. Sergeant Baldakov, with a reel over his shoulders, crossed to the opposite bank and promptly communicated to the command.

The Red Army soldier Samoilov, having crossed to the western bank of the Velikaya River, stole a boat from under the enemy’s nose, on which many soldiers and equipment were later transported.”

The crossing of the soldiers of the 374th regiment across the Velikaya was supported by powerful fire from 40 guns of the 122nd mortar and 292nd artillery regiments, a division of guards mortars, and anti-tank destroyer batteries.

A lot of dangerous work fell to the lot of sappers during the hot hours of the offensive. They cleared thousands of mines and landmines on the city streets.

It was possible to begin clearing the river bank of explosive objects only at dusk. During daylight hours, this was prevented by the frantic fire of fascist machine gunners from Zavelichye.

Among the sappers who worked selflessly that day was Senior Sergeant Pyotr Pozdeev, who was awarded the Order of Glory, III degree, for the courage shown in the battle for the liberation of his native city.

On July 22, when it began to get dark, units of the 128th Infantry Division crossed the Velikaya River in different places. The 374th Infantry Regiment, having completely completed the crossing, continued offensive operations on the western bank of the river. On the same day, the 741st Regiment crossed the Velikaya in the area of ​​Profsoyuznaya Street and the blown up Red Army Bridge. 533rd Regiment July 23 - crossed above the railway bridge and in the Korytov area.

This is how G.I. Gerodnik describes the crossing of the 533rd regiment: “We went down a steep embankment down to the river. We look to the right: the bridges have been blown up, there are no pontoon crossings yet. The only way out remains: to use the soldier's ingenuity, to use available means. And we can’t hesitate for a minute: after us, soldiers from rifle battalions run down the steep slope and, as they go, pick up everything that can float on the water: boards, logs, doors, gates, empty fuel barrels... Presumably, our little the flotilla looked very funny.

Fountains of water rose up around us. It was the Germans who fired at the crossing with guns and large-caliber mortars. But they were already shooting from afar. And aimless shooting is ineffective! So our reconnaissance platoon crossed without loss.”

At 15.00 on July 22, the regiments of the 376th Infantry Division also reached the right bank of the Velikaya River everywhere from Lake Pskov to the mouth of the Pskova. Only Greatness remained in the hands of the enemy. The flanks of the advancing divisions closed to form a united front. On the first day of the offensive, our units advanced 8-12 kilometers.

The 376th Rifle Division crossed the Velikaya at the end of the night from July 22 to 23. A. Mindlik recalls how this happened: “Dawn had not yet come when several homemade rafts with scouts, sappers and soldiers of rifle companies silently sailed from our shore. They all immediately began clearing mines from the coast still occupied by the enemy and identifying his fire system. The machine gunner of the 3rd rifle company, Red Army soldier Khalilov, discovered the boats abandoned by the Germans. Having fastened them together, he returned back to transport his platoon.”

“At 4 o’clock in the morning on July 23, the 1250th regiment began crossing the Velikaya. The flotilla, in deployed formation, under the cover of all types of fire, moved towards the machine gun barrels pointed at the face. Once on the shore, the battalions launched an assault on Zavelichye. And there was no force that could stop us then...

Some machine gunners were left on the right bank to cover our crossing. Among them is the crew commander, junior sergeant Pastukhov. It was he who silenced the enemy machine gun, which was interfering with the crossing, with one burst...

Mines and shells are exploding in the water. Water fountains are everywhere - behind us, on both sides, and in front. We pick up the wounded in the water...

Not everyone swam to the landing site then.” (From the memoirs of A. Mindlin).

Truly, the heroism of the soldiers of the 376th division was massive. Sergeant Major Balukov, acting as platoon commander of the 2nd machine gun company, began a battle with the Nazis on the occupied bridgehead. Wounded in the right arm, he continued to command a platoon that suppressed two enemy firing points and killed twenty Germans.

Somewhere nearby they beat the fascists of the squad Ivan Goncharov and Viktor Morozov. Yuri Zanonov, being a sapper by profession, neutralized about two dozen anti-personnel bouncing mines, clearing the way for his soldiers.

The sappers, returning to the shore with the freed watercraft, transported the regiment's units. It only took an hour and a half for the regimental artillery to reach the left bank of the Velikaya River.”

During the days of the battles for the liberation of Pskov, our attack aircraft, bombers, and fighters dominated the air. The 305th Assault Division of the 14th Air Army performed excellently; the division was commanded by Colonel F. Polushin. The division's task is to ensure a breakthrough of the enemy's defenses with bombing and assault strikes and accompany the offensive of our troops, destroying the enemy's fire weapons and manpower. In the battles for Pskov, a fighter pilot of the 254th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 269th Air Division, Captain V. Sidorenkov, accomplished a feat.

The feat of the legendary N. Gastello was repeated by the flight commander of the 807th air regiment, Lieutenant Ya. Lyakhov.

Hero of the Soviet Union pilot A. Karpov, fighter pilot A. Kobelyatsky and his wingman V. Tormyshev distinguished themselves.

On July 22, when soldiers of the 128th and 376th rifle divisions broke into Pskov, the commander, Lieutenant General V.P. Sviridov, ordered the headquarters to be prepared to move to the west. At the same time, he ordered Major A. Gusko, appointed military commandant of Pskov, to immediately take up his duties.

The major, with a group of machine gunners and sappers, entered the Pskov fires shrouded in bitter smoke in the afternoon. At that time, the enemy, mostly driven back to Zavelichye, still held the Kremlin. From the heights of the bell tower of the Trinity Cathedral, machine guns were fired, pressing our fighters to the cobblestones of the market square. In the center and on the outskirts of the city, individual buildings continually flew into the air with thunder and crackling noises, as explosive devices planted by the Nazis before the retreat were triggered.

One of the soldiers traveling with Major A. Gusko often stopped and posted leaflets. Those who followed read the words on paper: “Order No. 1.” dated July 22, 1944.

Today the city of Pskov has been liberated by units of the Red Army. The Nazi invaders are forever expelled from the city and this puts an end to the tyranny, violence and atrocities they have been committing for three years. The city of Pskov, like hundreds of other cities of the Soviet Union, became Soviet again.

From now on, all orders, regulations and procedures established by the Nazi authorities are cancelled.

Soviet power is restored in the city. In order to establish order in the city, I order:

Due to the proximity of the front, the city of Pskov is declared under martial law.

The following procedure is established in the city, mandatory for all civilians and military personnel:

a).strict adherence to all blackout rules;

b). I allow civilian traffic around the city only from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; the rest of the time I strictly prohibit appearance on the street.

Civilians and military personnel must immediately take measures to extinguish fires, prevent the destruction of buildings and theft of public and private property...

I urge the population of the city to observe the strictest vigilance, order, organization and fulfill the requirements of this order.

Commandant of the city of Pskov, Major Gusko.

Major Gusko occupied a two-story house on Grazhdanskaya Street as the commandant's office. Built from logs, covered inside and out with a thick layer of plaster, and covered with tiles, it was protected from the fire that turned many city buildings into ashes. The commandant ordered the sappers to begin demining Proletarsky Boulevard and Oktyabrskaya Street. The main movement of troops followed them. Inscriptions soon appeared on the walls of the houses: “The house has been cleared. Lt. Korneev."

In different parts of the city, machine gun fire was still heard and grenades were exploding. The last groups of Germans were destroyed or surrendered. S. Pavlov brought an officer who not only surrendered, but also provided valuable information about the fascist defense on Zavelichye. An alarming night began from July 22 to 23.

“From 2.00 on July 23, under pressure from our units that crossed to the left bank of the river, the enemy rearguards began to retreat to the west. By 4:00 on July 23, Pskov and the left bank of the Velikaya River were completely cleared of the enemy,” it was reported at 21:00 on July 23 in a report to front headquarters about the military operations of the 42nd Army.

On July 23, along with the dawn, the dawn of liberation rose over the ruins of Pskov. The morning dawned calm and sunny. The machine guns and machine guns did not fire, the rumbles of artillery salvos fell silent. Mines exploded less often. The fires were no longer burning, but were smoking the last of the acrid smoke. In the bright rays of the sun, a red flag solemnly fluttered over the city. Levitan's voice sounded on the radio, announcing the Order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

On the evening of July 23, 1944, Moscow, on behalf of the Motherland, saluted the valiant units and formations that liberated the ancient Russian city on the Velikaya River with twenty artillery salvoes from two hundred and twenty-four guns.

The Pskov-Ostrov offensive operation lasted 15 days (from July 17 to July 31, 1944).

The Panther defensive line, on which the Nazi command had high hopes, was crushed along its entire length. The troops of the 3rd Baltic Front inflicted a serious defeat on the 18th German Army, defeating 11 infantry divisions, many special units and advanced west from 50 to 130 kilometers, liberating about 4,000 settlements, including the ancient Russian cities of Pskov and Ostrov.

Russian soldiers said goodbye to Pskov. The ancient city, lying in ruins, remaining beautiful and majestic, resembled a seriously wounded knight. The liberators were sure that the healing people would give the hero a drink of living water and would soon put him back on his feet.

It has become a good tradition in July to gather on the territory of the Stalin Line memorial complex. Here the events of 1944 are restored, when Red Army soldiers broke through the German Panther defensive line.

From Pskov to Ostrov - about 50 kilometers. And from there it’s another 32 kilometers to Kholmatka. Let it be not close. But that doesn't stop fans of reenactment festivals.

In 2017, about 200 reenactors arrived at the site. And these are not only representatives of the strong half of humanity, but also fragile, almost airy girls. At the same time, some of them chose tarpaulin boots and a rough soldier’s uniform, while others chose a loose dress, jacket, scarf over their shoulders and socks with small-heeled shoes. This is exactly how women dressed on the eve of the Great Patriotic War.

The main requirement for all festival participants is that everything must correspond to the period of history being restored. No modern types of clothing, weapons, shoes. Even wristwatches must correspond to the spirit of the times.

The task of the reenactors is to reconstruct the events of July 1944. And show the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the participants in that war how it was.

At the festival site, before the start of the event, everything was strictly checked - the conformity of uniforms, personal belongings. Police officers checked the weapons used in the operation - none of the participants or guests should be harmed.

In July 2017, a fiery sun hung over the fields where reconstruction was planned. It seems that the first day of summer has arrived - since the beginning of June there has been only rain and the north wind is blowing. And then suddenly it’s hot!

While waiting for the audience, the festival participants go over the details of the scenario again and again: who is moving from where and where, when and where the offensive begins and ends. Everything should look natural for guests.

Not only infantry, but also heavy equipment is involved in breaking through the defensive line. This requires special coordination. A second attempt to hit the enemy will not be allowed.

In the German camp, meanwhile, final preparations are underway - nurses have hung out laundry near a tent with a red cross.

According to the scenario, part of the SS troops is located in this place, withdrawn for rest and reorganization. And also the DRK division.

The signal has been given. And then a column of civilians appears in the distance. These are mainly women and children. This is a convoy of local residents being driven to work in Germany. One of the soldiers takes a fancy to a woman and takes her aside. A child runs up to him and pushes the German away. The soldiers immediately attack the people walking in the column, and only the officer who arrives in time restores order. He selects several people. After a couple of minutes they are taken into the woods. Shots are heard. This is not fiction. Similar scenes actually took place near the Island during the war. And traces of such executions are still found.

A German column arrives in the direction of the bunker (long-term firing point). These are broken parts. In one row are infantrymen, armored grenadiers, storm troopers, and mountain rangers. The soldiers are allowed into the territory of the fortified point.

And suddenly a column of Soviet troops appears behind them. These are the units that pursue the retreating enemy.

The guard at the checkpoint opens fire. Soviet soldiers leave the transport, artillerymen unhook the Sorokapyatka anti-tank gun and prepare for battle. In the German camp, soldiers are called together, grouped and moved to the trench in front of the road.

Soviet soldiers attack trenches, hiding behind armor.

The Wehrmacht fighters entrenched on the hill resist. But now Soviet soldiers are bursting into the trenches.

German soldiers retreat to the bunker.

Ahead of the Red Army soldiers is a barbed wire fence. But after a couple of minutes a passage was made in it.

And now, with a throw, the Soviet soldiers knock the Germans out of the corner trench and unblock the bunker.

The surrendered enemy is disarmed and formed into a column.

The memory of the fallen soldiers is honored with a minute of silence.

The final chord of the festival is the acquaintance of guests with reenactors. You can not only take pictures with the participants, but also ask about the details of weapons or uniforms.

BY THE WAY

In 2017, about 5,000 people attended the reconstruction.

How the Russian army saved Leningrad from Hitler.

In the second half of 1943, German troops staggered under the powerful blows of the Red Army, which advanced hundreds of kilometers to the west in the central and southern sectors of the Eastern Front. After the major Battle of Kursk, the Soviets launched their first large-scale summer offensive in late July.

A month and a half later, the cities of Smolensk, Bryansk and Kirov were liberated ( so in the text, the city of Kirov, Kaluga region, was liberated in January 1942 - approx. translation), and German troops retreated across the Sozh River and beyond. By September 30, Soviet troops occupied most of the Azov Sea coast in the south, and also liberated a number of key cities, including Kharkov, Stalino and Poltava, pushing the Germans back almost to the Dnieper.

Fortunately for the Germans, the rear fell behind the advancing Soviet troops, and they were forced to stop their advance while waiting for reinforcements, ammunition and supplies. Since July 1, both sides had suffered enormous losses, and although the Russians could replace their losses by recruiting men from the liberated territories, they needed time to mobilize, equip, and train in basic warfare skills.

While German troops fought the Soviets and gradually retreated, thousands of people, under the leadership of German engineers, worked in forced labor, building powerful defensive lines. On August 11, Hitler signed an order in which he demanded the construction of the so-called “Eastern Wall”. Although the Fuhrer preferred to fight for every inch of captured land, after the Battle of Kursk and the Soviet offensive he was forced to realize reality.

Line "Panther - Wotan"

This defensive line was supposed to run from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea. In the south, the main part of the defensive positions was planned to be built on the western bank of the Dnieper. North of Kyiv, this line would run along the Desna River to Chernigov, and then northward east of Gomel, Orsha, Nevel and Pskov, ending at the southern tip of Lake Pskov. Next, the shaft was supposed to go north along the western shore of Lake Pskov, and then along the Narva River north to the Gulf of Finland.

By the end of August, the High Command of the Wehrmacht ground forces gave two code names to the northern and southern sectors of this line. The part of the rampart that Army Groups A and South were to defend was called the Wotan line, and the line where Army Groups Center and North were to fight was called Panther.

Hitler hoped that after the construction of the Eastern Wall it would become a powerful obstacle where the advancing Red Army troops would be bled dry. In essence, it was a return to the trench warfare and battles of attrition that Hitler himself fought in during the First World War.

But there were three serious problems with this shaft. The first problem is the time required to build it. As a result of the Soviet offensive, German troops retreated dangerously close to the planned construction line, and some of them had already occupied unfinished defensive positions. The second problem was manpower. Having finally reached their defensive positions, some German units were so drained of blood that they could only accommodate one soldier for every 50 meters of front.

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The third problem concerned the extreme southern sector of the rampart. The Dnieper near Zaporozhye makes a sharp turn to the west and there flows into the Black Sea west of the Crimean Peninsula. Therefore, the line from Melitopol to Zaporozhye had to be built on territory completely unsuitable for this purpose, since there were no water barriers there that would help defend the position. The Germans were forced to hold this area in order to protect the 17th Army, which occupied Crimea.

The Fall of the Wotan Line

When reinforcements and rear forces arrived, the Russians continued to attack the Germans. In November, the Red Army took Kyiv, and the 4th Ukrainian Front broke the defense line of the German 6th Army, which held Melitopol and the surrounding area. To the north, Soviet troops managed to gain a foothold on bridgeheads on the opposite bank of the Dnieper, capturing several key positions on the never completed Wotan line. By the end of the year, most of the vaunted defensive line in the central and southern sectors of the Eastern Front was occupied by the Red Army.

If in the center and south the situation worsened in the summer, then in the sector occupied by Army Group North under the command of Field Marshal Georg von Küchler, it was unnaturally quiet and calm. This group of armies had been besieging Leningrad since 1941, and on this section of the front, Soviet troops tried several times to carry out powerful offensives during the two-year blockade, but the front line remained relatively stable.

In August, von Küchler received intelligence indicating that the Soviets were building up forces in the Oranienbaum bridgehead. This was a small section of the coast of the Gulf of Finland west of Leningrad, where the 2nd Shock Army fought defensive battles. To the south, where the 16th Army of General Christian Hansen held its sector, intelligence also pointed to a hidden concentration of enemy troops at the junction of Army Group Center and Army Group North, opposite the most important railway junction of Nevel.

In response to the likely threat, von Küchler withdrew five divisions from the front line to create a combat-ready reserve to repel the Soviet advance. He immediately lost these two divisions, since Hitler, despite the objections of the commander of the army group, sent them south to strengthen other sectors of the front.

When Army Group Center withdrew to the Panther Line, Army Group North received General Karl von Ofen's 43rd Army Corps, which occupied the northern flank of the retreating army group. Thus, Küchler received three more divisions, but now he was responsible for an additional 77 kilometers of the front line and for the settlements of Nevel and Novosokolniki, which were key communication points between Army Groups Center and North.

Punching holes in the German defenses

In the first week of October, low clouds prevented the Germans from conducting aerial reconnaissance. This made it possible for the Kalinin Front of General Andrei Ivanovich Eremenko (on October 12, his front was renamed the 1st Baltic) to take positions to go on the offensive without fear of being discovered by the Germans.

On October 6, Lieutenant General Kuzma Nikitovich Galitsky attacked the 2nd Air Field Division, which occupied the northernmost sector of Army Group Center. This offensive involved four rifle divisions and two tank brigades from his 3rd Shock Army. The 21st Guards Division and the 78th Tank Brigade broke through the enemy defenses in the sector of the 2nd Air Field Division and scattered its troops. The second echelon of the advancing troops was brought into battle in the breakthrough area of ​​the defeated division and launched an offensive to the northeast in the direction of Nevel. Due to the failures of this and other airfield divisions, Hitler decided to transfer most of them to the subordination of the ground forces, where they were called field divisions (Luftwaffe). The neighboring 4th Shock Army also advanced, and by the end of the day Nevel was already in Soviet hands.

Trying to restore the position of the troops at the front, von Küchler ordered the three divisions remaining in reserve to attack the Russians around Nevel. These formations arrived there scatteredly and were unable to stop the superior enemy forces. Thus, a gap 24 kilometers wide opened between Army Groups Center and North.

Only units of one reserve division managed to enter the battle. The transfer of the other two divisions was prevented by partisans who blew up the railway leading to the city. Because of this delay, von Küchler ordered the remaining German troops around Nevel to take defensive positions.

At the same time, Soviet commanders stopped the advance. The success of the initial offensive came as a surprise to the Russians, as they expected more powerful enemy resistance. They now set about strengthening their flanks, having learned the hard way that the Germans would often allow the enemy to penetrate their defenses and then launch counterattacks into the flanks, in many cases pocketing and then destroying the advance elements of the advancing Soviet forces.

The respite lasted until November 2. Moving forward under the cover of thick fog, the 3rd and 4th Shock Armies struck the 3rd Tank Army of Army Group Center, punching a 16-kilometer gap in its defensive formations. This allowed the 3rd Shock Army to turn northeast and attack the flank of Hansen's 16th Army. Von Küchler responded by sending six battalions from General Georg Lindemann's 18th Army to help Hansen, who strengthened his right flank with them. With the arrival of these troops, Lindemann's flank was held, despite powerful attacks.

Weak German counter-offensive

By this time Hitler was furious. The Nevelsk salient remained intact, and moreover, the Soviet offensive threatened to breach the entire front in the northern sector. He demanded a counter-offensive on November 8 to destroy this salient by concentrating the efforts of Army Groups Center and North.

Von Küchler strongly objected to this. He noted that if he went on the offensive, he would weaken the 19th Army, which was in positions around Leningrad and Oranienbaum. He also pointed to German intelligence data about the build-up of the Soviet group in these areas. Küchler feared that with the coming of winter the Russians would go on the offensive in these areas, as they had done so every winter since the start of the war on the Eastern Front.

But Hitler was unshakable. He ordered Army Group Center to begin its attack on November 8th, with von Küchler joining the attack on the 9th. On the 8th, infantry and tank divisions went on the offensive, unexpectedly achieving considerable success and advancing eight kilometers. The next day, von Küchler postponed his own attack, saying that he did not have the troops available for it. An enraged Hitler demanded that Army Group North launch an offensive no later than November 10th.

On the 10th, von Küchler made a half-hearted attempt to carry out Hitler's orders, throwing only seven battalions into battle against the Soviet forces on the northern flank. The Russians opened artillery fire and then launched a counterattack, driving the Germans back and inflicting heavy casualties. Hitler and his commander again entered into a debate about priorities.

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Stretched formations of the 18th Army

While they were arguing, the Russians advanced. They formed a new ledge 80 kilometers deep. Now a new threat arose as the Soviet troops at the forefront of the offensive turned east, threatening the right flank of the 16th Army. They came dangerously close to Novosokolniki.

Von Küchler was summoned to Hitler's headquarters, where they had a heated discussion about the danger that had arisen. Although Hitler was haunted by the idea of ​​the Nevel salient, he eventually agreed that the Soviet troops threatening his flank must be stopped before attempts were made to stabilize the situation at Nevel.

As a result, Lindemann suffered again, losing another division from his 18th Army. Although his situation was relatively calm, the transfer of one division after another to the south made Lindemann's line of defense dangerously weak and fragile. The Luftwaffe field divisions under his command were in defensive positions, and their combat effectiveness was highly doubtful. At the same time, divisions from the regular army were rarely fully equipped.

While von Küchler waited for new divisions to arrive in the south, the 11th Guards Army went on the offensive on November 21 and struck Army Group Center. Two divisions that had attacked the Soviet salient on November 8 were pulled back to repel the new offensive, effectively thwarting Army Group North's plan to eliminate the salient. In the last week of November, a thaw began, and this completely ruined the German plans, as the ground turned into a swamp, and the offensive had to be postponed until December 1st.

When it finally began, the German divisions had advanced only five kilometers deep into the Soviet salient. Tanks and armored vehicles got stuck in the mud, and the infantry found every step difficult. It was a battle with nature. Even Hitler recognized the futility of trying to continue the attack on the Soviet western flank and therefore ordered it to stop. And von Küchler received orders from him to gradually win back positions on the Nevel ledge from the enemy.

Departure from the Nevelsk ledge

Until the end of November, the Soviets in the western salient were regrouping and consolidating their positions. They were pleased with the results of the operation carried out in November, since they were able to make significant progress and threaten both Army Group Center and Army Group North. However, they were far ahead of their rear units, and could not receive reinforcements to make up for the losses suffered, because these units and formations were in reserve and were preparing for the general winter offensive, which was planned in Moscow.

On December 16, Hitler finally realized that he could not destroy the Nevel salient. The onslaught of the enemy advancing on the 3rd Tank Army forced the Germans to retreat even further, and this created a threat to the communications center in Vitebsk. For the next 10 days, the Fuhrer carefully monitored developments in the Vitebsk area, leaving all the affairs of Army Group North to von Küchler.

On December 27, Hitler agreed to von Küchler's request to shorten the extended front. German troops were withdrawn from the Nevel ledge to a line running south of Novosokolniki to the west in the direction of Pustoshka. Thanks to the retreat, Hansen received additional forces to organize defenses and strengthen positions along the front line in the west.

It should be noted that Army Group North was the only army group that had not yet retreated to the Panther line of the Eastern Wall. Since September, approximately 50,000 civilian workers and engineers have been constructing this line in the north, constructing some 6,000 permanent fire structures and installing 200 kilometers of barbed wire. They also dug 40 kilometers of trenches and anti-tank ditches. In addition to this, reserve positions with fortifications were built in the areas of Narva, Chudovo, Kingisepp, Luga, Krasnogvardeysk and Novgorod.

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German retreat

The plan for the withdrawal of troops to the Panther line began to be implemented in September. Most of all, the command of Army Group North was concerned about the need to evacuate 900 thousand civilians living in these areas. It was impossible to evacuate them all, and so the security forces in the rear areas began to select adult men whom the advancing Red Army could mobilize or use as workers in the war industry. In total, by the end of the year, approximately 250 thousand men were forcibly transported to Latvia and Lithuania. In addition, it was also planned to transport hundreds of thousands of tons of grain and potatoes, as well as millions of livestock, to safe areas.

The operation plan provided for a phased withdrawal, which was to begin in mid-January and continue for two months until the spring thaw. However, on December 22, Hitler decided not to approve the operation plan unless the Soviets launched a general offensive against the army group.

By the end of the month, the 18th Army lost one of its best units, the 1st Infantry Division, which was transferred south to strengthen the front. In the first days of January, two more divisions were sent there. Each time von Küchler protested, turning directly to Hitler, but to no avail. In return for the divisions transferred to the south, Hitler sent Lieutenant General Felix Steiner's 3rd SS Panzer Corps to the Oranienbaum area for reinforcement.

Operational formation of German troops on the front line

At the beginning of 1944, units of Lindemann's 18th Army around Leningrad and in the Oranienbaum patch were exhausted to the limit. On the front line, where the troops of the 2nd Shock Army of Lieutenant General Ivan Ivanovich Fedyuninsky fought, Steiner’s corps (SS police division, SS Nordland division, as well as the 9th and 10th Luftwaffe field divisions) stood against them. An SS brigade from the Nederland division was also sent there.

The semicircle on the southern section of the front around Leningrad ran from the Gulf of Finland 30 kilometers southwest of the city of Pushkin and ended at the Neva River. This section of the front was occupied by the 50th Army Corps of General Wilhelm Wegener (consisting of the 126th, 170th and 215th Infantry Divisions) and the 54th Army Corps of General Otto Sponheimer (11th, 24th and 225th infantry divisions). The 26th Army Corps of General Martin Grase (61st, 121st, 212th, 227th, 254th Infantry and 12th Air Field Infantry Division) stood against the Soviet troops on the Sinyavin Heights and in the Pogostye area, and also the Spanish Legion, consisting of volunteers who had previously served in the withdrawn 250th Division).

The last sector of the 18th Army was the section on the Volkhov River from Kirishi to Novgorod. Along the river bank were located the 28th Army Corps of General Herbert Loch (21st, 96th and 13th Airfield Infantry Divisions) and the 38th Army Corps of General Kurt Herzog (which included the 2nd Latvian SS Brigade, 28 -1st Jaeger (light) division and 1st airfield infantry division).

South of Lake Ilmen, Hansen's 16th Army was still in contact with Army Group Center. General Thomas Wikede's 10th Army Corps (consisting of the 8th Jaeger Division, 30th and 21st Airfield Infantry Divisions) held the line from Lake Ilmen to Kholm. On Wickede's right flank were General Paul Laux's 2nd Army Corps (218th and 93rd Infantry Divisions) and Lieutenant General Karl von Pfeffer-Wildenbruch's 6th SS Army Corps (331st and 205th Infantry Divisions) on the front line from Kholm to Novosokolniki Heights. The Nevel area was held by General Karl von Ofen's 43rd Army Corps (15th Latvian SS Division, 83rd and 263rd Infantry Divisions) and General Karl Hilpert's 1st Army Corps (58th, 69th, 23rd I, 122nd and 290th Infantry Divisions). The last sector from Pustoshka to Lake Nescherdo was occupied by the 8th Army Corps of General Gustav Hoene (81st and 329th Infantry Divisions, as well as the SS Kampfgruppe Jeckeln).

To be continued.

InoSMI materials contain assessments exclusively of foreign media and do not reflect the position of the InoSMI editorial staff.

Pskov is ours!

On July 23, 1944, as a result of heavy street fighting, Pskov, dilapidated by powerful bombing, was liberated from the Nazi invaders. The longest occupation in the history of our city has ended.

As a result, the date, which practically coincided with the day of remembrance of the patron saint of Pskov, Princess Olga, became the main city holiday. And the theatrical “crossing” of the Velikaya River by the troops of the Pskov garrison was the favorite holiday show of the townspeople for many years. 71 years after the liberation of the regional capital, the Pskov Information Agency recalls how it was...

Pskov under occupation

Pskov was occupied on July 9, 1941 - already on the 18th day of the war.
The city became a support rear area for the German Army Group North: its administrative, economic and military center. The command and economic inspection of Army Group North, the command of the 18th Army, the headquarters of the operational command 1-a (SD security service), the military construction organization TODT, German hospitals and intelligence schools were located here.

Since the spring of 1943, units were stationed in Pskov Russian Liberation Army (ROA), Estonian commandant's office and police, Latvian volunteers, Spanish legionnaires from "Blue Division", headquarters of the railway troops.

The permanent German garrison of Pskov numbered about 20 thousand people, periodically the number of stationed in the city the number of soldiers increased up to 70 thousand.

"Russian Liberation Army" of General Vlasov on the streets of Pskov

There was a bank in the city, separate theaters for the Germans and for the Russian population, a newspaper was published in Russian "For the Motherland"(according to some reports, the entire staff of the Soviet newspaper, headed by the editor, went to work there "Pskov collective farmer"), officers' and soldiers' clubs operated. Contrary to common practice, There was a post office in occupied Pskov, and even special stamps were printed.

A separate page in the history of the occupied city is the work of the so-called Pskov spiritual mission. The Orthodox priests who worked there, who arrived from the Baltic states, were engaged in charitable activities (collecting donations for prisoners of war in the Pskov concentration camps), opened a kindergarten, an orphanage, and parochial schools. Thanks to the mission’s activities, Orthodox churches, including the Trinity Cathedral, were opened for worship.

<- Уже 18 августа 1941 года в Псков прибыли первые 14 миссионеров-священников Псковской православной миссии -

mostly Russian priests from Riga

and Narva dioceses.

In 2010, director Vladimir Khotinenko made a feature film “Pop” about a mission priest ->

“Stalag-372” was located on Zavelichye, on the territory of a former military camp (within the current boundaries of Yubileinaya, Major Dostavalov and General Margelov streets). The prisoners of war were housed in 30 stables of the former Omsk Infantry Regiment.

Among other things, Pskov became a major detention center for Soviet prisoners of war,

in particular in the city I found Xia camp for prisoners of war of enlisted personnelStalag-372.

According to the Extraordinary State Commission to establish and investigate the atrocities of the Nazi invaders and their accomplices, 250-290 thousand Soviet prisoners of war died in Pskov during the years of occupation. In total, during the war years, Pskov, which was an important transport center in the German rear, passed through

According to experts, a total of about 1 million military and civilian prisoners.

The beginning of the liberation of the territory of the Pskov region

The liberation of the cities of the present Pskov region began already at the beginning

1942. Immediately after the defeat of the German troops near Moscow, the administrative centers of the two southernmost regions were liberated: Cunha(January 23) and Usvyaty(January 28-29).

Then liberation continued only at the end of 1942. November 24th began Velikolukskaya offensive operation, called upon to capture railway junctions in Velikiye Luki And Novosokolniki pin down German troops and prevent their transfer under Stalingrad. After 4 days, troops of the 3rd Shock Army under the command of Lieutenant General Kuzma Galitsky They closed a cordon ring around the city on Lovat, after which the assault began. By New Year's Eve, the troops captured almost the entire city with the exception of the railway junction and the fortress. At noon on January 16, 1943, the resistance of the defenders was finally broken, and a special detachment of the 249th division of 30 people captured the last center of defense - the garrison headquarters, capturing the lieutenant colonel von Sass.

At the same time, another goal of the offensive operation - the liberation of Novosokolniki - was never achieved.

January 16, 1943: commander of the Velikiye Luki garrison, Baron Eduard von Sass, after being captured by a special detachment of the 249th division.

The baron came from a family of Estonian landowners from the island of Saaremaa, who had proven themselves through military service in the Russian Empire. Von Sass managed to lure almost 2,000 Estonians who fought in the Red Army to the side of the Germans near Velikiye Luki. The Baron was publicly hanged for war crimes in the town's market square on Lovat at the beginning of 1946.

Fierce fighting on the territory Novosokolniki district- on Ptakhinskaya height- resumed only in the summer of 1943. Later, from October 6 to October 10 of the same year, he was released Nevel. And from Novosokolnikov the Germans were driven out only on January 29, 1944 to prevent the transfer of enemy troops under Leningrad And Novgorod.

In parallel, on the same days, Soviet troops launched an offensive from the north, liberating Gdov(February 4), Plussu(18th of Febuary), Strugi Red(February 23), Bottom(24 February), Dedovichi(25 February). On February 26, three regional centers were liberated at once - Bezhanitsy, Porkhov and Loknya. Joined them on February 29 Novorzhev. Thus, the eastern half of the present Pskov region was liberated.

Further advance of the Soviet troops was stopped again due to the fact that the famous German Panther defensive line was waiting ahead of them...

Panther Line

Panther Line- part of the so-called "Eastern Wall": German defensive system stretching from Baltic before Black Sea and designed to stop the advance of Soviet troops. It passed from the confluence Narva River V The Gulf of Finland to the northeastern tip Lake Peipsi, from the southeastern tipPskov Lakearc to the east of the curvePskov, walked along Velikaya Riverin a southeast direction toLake Ale, further to Lake Bolshoi IvannortheastNevelya.

By the end of 1943, the Panther included 36.9 km of anti-tank ditches, 38.9 km of full profile trenches, 251.1 km of wire fences and 1346 firing points (pillboxes and bunkers). Its most powerful defensive nodes were Ostrov and Pskov. In the area of ​​the latter, there were an average of 8 pillboxes and 12 bunkers per 1 kilometer of fortification line. It also included anti-tank and anti-personnel minefields and anti-tank ditches.

Before the breakthrough

At the end of February 1944, units of the Red Army reached the Panther. A positional war began, which lasted 5 months.

On February 4, 1944, in connection with the approach of Soviet troops, the German command in Pskov issued an order “On Evacuation”.

As part of its implementation, 11 thousand Pskov residents were sent to the Baltic states and Germany.

Valuables and equipment began to be actively removed from the city.

What could not be removed was destroyed on the spot.

On April 18, 1944 it was formed 3rd Baltic Front under the command of an army general Ivan Maslennikova, whose troops had been preparing for the upcoming assault on the Panther fortifications for three months. Combat planning was underway at the headquarters, special training was carried out with the soldiers, and armored and mechanized troops were engaged in the restoration of equipment.

In the spring and summer, several attempts were made to break through the Panther in different areas. North of the Pushkin Mountains - in the area Devil's Mountain- a small Soviet bridgehead appeared on the left bank of the Velikaya, the so-called Strezhnevsky bridgehead.

At this time, in Pskov, from July 8 to July 22, 1944, the Germans blew up bridges, destroyed the city power plant, many industrial facilities,

historical monuments, residential buildings.

Commander of the 3rd Baltic Front

Ivan Ivanovich Maslennikov (1900-1954)

From front-line newspapers of the 42nd, 376th, 128th rifle divisions:

“Pskov is burning! His wounds burn our hearts. Pskov is waiting for its liberators."

“Before us is an ancient Russian city, glorified by its centuries-old heroic struggle against the German invaders. Pskov is the last stronghold of the Germans on Leningrad land. Pskov is the gateway to the Baltics.”

“Liberating Pskov means liberating thousands of Soviet citizens from fascist captivity. Liberating Pskov means paving the way for the Red Army to the Baltic states. Liberating Pskov means inflicting another serious blow on the enemy. It is a matter of honor for the soldiers of our army to snatch Pskov from German bondage and return it

to a happy Soviet life."

From a leaflet of the Military Council of the 42nd Army:

“Glorious warriors of our army!

...You are on the approaches to the large administrative center of the Leningrad region, an important railway junction - the city of Pskov.

Before you is an ancient Russian city, glorified by its centuries-old heroic struggle against the German invaders. Our ancestors, the Pskovites and Novgorodians, led by Alexander Nevsky, defeated the German dog knights on Lake Peipus in 1242. This is "Ice" massacre” forever glorified the power of Russian weapons.

Our fathers and older brothers in 1918, near Narva and Pskov, completely defeated selected German troops and thereby wrote the first greatest page in the history of the military glory of the young Red Army...”

Pskov-Ostrov offensive operation

Pskov-Ostrovsk operation began the offensive with Strezhnevsky bridgehead July 17, 1944. The main blow was delivered at the junction between the main forces Army Group North – 18th And 16th armies. On the first day of the operation, the troops advanced 40 kilometers. The significance of this event was so great that a salute was given in Moscow in honor of the soldiers of the 3rd Baltic Front who made the breakthrough.

July 21 was captured Island. As a result, a real threat of encirclement of the Wehrmacht group in the Pskov region was created. The panicked retreat of the German troops began.

From the combat log of the 42nd Army of the 3rd Baltic Front:

July 20. “The insignificance of artillery and mortar fire from the enemy, the movement of boats, the railway. echelons and manpower to the west - characterize the withdrawal of its main forces and rear to the western bank of the river. GREAT."

21 July. “The reduction in the movement of manpower and transport, the collapse of communications in certain areas confirms yesterday’s conclusion and we must expect the enemy to abandon their positions.”

From the testimony of captured Wehrmacht corporal Heinz Kenwe about the advance of Soviet troops in the Ostrov area:

“Nobody expected a Russian offensive in our sector. We were amazed when the artillery preparation began. Out of alarm, they began to form groups from the rear to hold back the Russians. But after the shells exploded, Russian infantry suddenly appeared in the dugouts. We started to run.

The commanders were the first to flee, followed by the soldiers... On the first day of the Russian offensive, the companies lost more than half of their strength.”

Soviet infantry on the streets of Ostrov

On July 22, 1944, troops of the 42nd Army of the 3rd Baltic Front launched an offensive against Pskov.

The main blow to the city was dealt 128th And 376th Rifle Division(commanders - generals Dmitry Lukyanov And Nikolay Polyakov), included in 42nd Army(commander - general Vladimir Sviridov) 3rd Baltic Front.

Together with them, the formations and units assigned to them - engineering, artillery, sapper and others - acted. The pilots supported the advance

14th Air Army general Ivan Zhuravlev.

The regiments of the 128th Infantry Division attacked Pskov directly: 741st(commander - Lieutenant Colonel G Rigory Churganov), 374th(commander - major Konstantin Shestak), 533rd(commander - lieutenant colonel Nikolay Panin), and from the 376th Infantry Division - 1250th Regiment(commander - lieutenant colonel Andrey Glushkov).

From the report of the commander of the 128th Infantry Division D. A Lukyanov to the command of the 3rd Baltic Front:

“Pskov was turned by the enemy into a powerful center of resistance. Machine gun emplacements were installed in the buildings, and pillboxes and bunkers were installed in the foundations of houses. The streets and most of the houses are mined, and landmines are installed at intersections. On the Pskov-Riga highway, charges with electric fuses were tied to trees..."

“We knew that we had to cross the Velikaya River immediately, in a short time, estimated at 2-3 hours, and at the first stage in minutes, so using the map and intelligence reports we studied in detail possible crossing points, the enemy’s rear lines, reserves of available means . We didn’t count on regular transport means, so from the very beginning we relied on Russian ingenuity and resourcefulness: we learned to quickly and reliably build rafts using barrels, boxes, doors, window and door frames, gates, and telephone poles.”

Chronicle of the liberation of Pskov

The 533rd Infantry Regiment of the 128th Infantry Division began breaking through the “Panther” line in the area of ​​Cheryokha, Lazhnevo, Klishovo, advancing on Promezhitsy.

The 374th Infantry Regiment (from Gornevo, Berdovo to Kresty) and the 741st Infantry Regiment (from Lyubyatovo) went on the offensive.

The 376th Infantry Division went on the offensive (at 06:00 the 1250th Infantry Regiment in the direction of Gora - Abrosovo, at 06:30 the 1252nd Infantry Regiment in the direction of Upper and Nizhniye Galkovichi, Mezhnikovo, Duletovo, at 06:45 1248- th rifle regiment in the direction of Molgovo, Abija). The 374th and 741st rifle regiments of the 128th rifle division occupied Kresty and Berezka station.

The 533rd and 374th rifle regiments of the 128th rifle division cleared the eastern and central regions of Pskov of the enemy and reached the Velikaya River.

The 741st Infantry Regiment, advancing on the left bank of the Pskova River, reached the bank of the Velikaya River at the mouth of the Pskova River.

Crossing the Velikaya River by two companies of the 374th Infantry Regiment in the area of ​​the Intercession Tower, the battle for capturing the bridgehead on Zavelichye south of the Mirozhsky Monastery and for its retention.

All units of the 128th Infantry Division concentrated on the right bank of the Velikaya River (from the mouth of the Pskova River to Promezhitsy): 741st Infantry Regiment - from the mouth of Pskova to the mouth of Mirozhi, 374th Infantry Regiment - from the mouth of Mirozhi to the railway bridge, 533- 1st Rifle Regiment - from the railway bridge to Promezhitsy.

By evening, the 128th Rifle Division occupied the line: the right bank of the Velikaya from the mouth of the Pskova to Promezhitsy, two companies on the bridgehead on the left bank south of the Mirozhsky Monastery. The 376th Rifle Division occupied the line: Murovitsy, Khotitsy, Almazovo. The shore was cleared of mines and transport facilities were prepared.

Two more companies of the 374th Infantry Regiment crossed to the bridgehead on Zavelichye.

03:00


04:40 - 05:00


06:00 - 06:45






09:00 - 10:00

11:00 - 15:00

12:00 - 14:00

The regiments of the 128th Infantry Division liberated 50 settlements on July 22. The 376th Rifle Division liberated the northern region of Pskov and concentrated on the right bank of the Velikaya (from the mouth of the Pskova to the mouth of the Velikaya).

Since the beginning of the offensive, the regiments of the 376th Infantry Division have liberated 69 settlements.

From the combat log of the 42nd Army of the 3rd Baltic Front:

July 22. “Having correctly assessed the situation, the behavior of the enemy and the moment of his withdrawal, army units, especially the 128th Infantry Division, did not allow the enemy to break away, and burst into the mountain on his shoulders. PSKOV and captured a bridgehead on the left bank of the river. GREAT, which contributed to the breakthrough of his first intermediate milestone.”

03:00 - 04:00


04:00


05:00 - 06:30


06:30

The 533rd, 374th, 741st rifle regiments of the 128th rifle division crossed the Velikaya River.

The 1250th Infantry Regiment began crossing the Velikaya downstream from the mouth of the Pskov.

The 1248th, 1250th, 1252nd rifle regiments of the 376th rifle division crossed the Velikaya in the northern part of Pskov, to the mouth of the Velikaya.

Pskov is completely cleared of enemy troops.

From a special issue of the newspaper “Strike on the Enemy” dated July 26, 1944:

“The company began to cross the Velikaya River. An enemy machine gunner, holed up in the basement of a stone building, was attacking the crossing. The company party organizer, Sergeant Kudzoev, grabbed two grenades and ran to the river. The soldiers saw how the courageous communist crossed the river, how he approached the embrasure and threw grenades there. The machine gun fell silent, the company quickly crossed the river and rushed into the attack. The communist hero Sergeant Kudzoev walked ahead.”

From the memoirs of the commander of the 374th regiment of the 128th Infantry Division K. A. Shestak:

“Our regiment began the offensive on July 22 at 4 o’clock in the morning. The horizon slowly became clearer. From the swamp, which lay in front of the Berdovo heights, a bluish plume of thick fog stretched upward. How was it, by the way, this fog! He helped the regiment secretly reach the enemy's minefields and barbed wire obstacles. During the day of battle, sappers neutralized about a thousand mines and landmines, blew up several enemy firing points, and made 12 passes through minefields and obstacles. They opened the way and gave the signal for the start of artillery preparation... The enemy was taken by surprise. He didn’t even have time to take up firing positions and strengthen the defense line.”

From the memoirs of the sergeant of the signal company of the 374th regiment I. Markov:

“Machine guns were fired from the ruins of the Vydvizhenets plant. The soldiers lay down. We tried to go around, but we were also met with fire from the destroyed station building on the left. Then the battalion went on the attack. A unanimous “Hurray!” rang out... The enemy machine guns choked, and the Nazis fled. And now I’m already on the territory of the “Vydvizhenets” plant, in the first, albeit destroyed, but liberated building of my hometown. And the neighboring battalion was knocking out the Nazis from the station building at that time.”

From the memoirs of a communications company sergeant

374th regiment I. Markov:

« Every step was fought and the Nazis settled in the ruins of houses. Around– not a single whole house, only ruins... Now the ruins of the Oktyabrskaya Hotel.

I stopped at the Summer Garden and looked at my watch. Exactly 9 am. We are located in the center of our hometown."

From the memoirs of the commander of the 374th regiment of the 128th Infantry Division K. A. Shestak:

“On July 22 at 10 o’clock in the morning, a caravan of homemade rafts and rafts headed for the Mirozhsky monastery and the Church of Clement. My control and observation post was set up on the top of a small hill next to the Pokrovskaya Tower. From here there was a good view of both banks of the river. To support the landing with fire and suppress enemy fire weapons, it was placed on the river bank

36 artillery pieces.

We had direct communication with the commander of the landing party - underwater telephone, radio and visual communication. By 11 a.m. on July 22, the bridgehead on the opposite bank was conquered and firmly held by us.”.

AND From the memoirs of the machine gunner of the 374th Infantry Regiment A. Rozhalin:

« From the hill we cover our own with Maxim fire. We hit the thickets of the opposite sloping bank. Fountains began to rise up on the water: enemy ambushes from the opposite bank launched a heavy bombardment of mines. I transfer the fire of my machine gun into the depths of the opposite bank. From somewhere to the right, along the river, an enemy machine gun began to fire. Yeah! Get out of that ruined brick building. I turn my machine gun there and engage in a duel with him. The fascist also spotted our machine gun: bullets began to click and whistle all around. We wish our people could swim across quickly!”

From the report of the head of the political department of the 128th Infantry Division P.P. Kazmin:

« The soldiers of our units showed exceptional examples of courage and courage in the hot battles during the crossing of the Velikaya River. The fifth rifle company of the 374th regiment rushed to swim, using logs, boards, and sheaves of hay. Sergeant Baldakov, with a reel over his shoulders, crossed to the opposite bank and promptly communicated to the command. Red Army soldier Samoilov, having crossed to the western bank of the Velikaya River, stole a boat from under the enemy’s nose, on which many soldiers and equipment were then transported».

From the memoirs of a reconnaissance platoon soldier of the 533rd regiment G.I. Gerodnik:

« We went down the steep embankment down to the river. We look to the right: the bridges have been blown up, there are no pontoon crossings yet. The only way out remains: to use the soldier's ingenuity, to use available means.And we can’t hesitate for a minute: after us, soldiers from rifle battalions run down the steep slope and, as they go, pick up everything that can float on the water: boards, logs, doors, gates, empty fuel barrels... Presumably, our little the flotilla looked very funny. Fountains of water rose up around us. It was the Germans who fired guns at the crossingand large-caliber mortars.

But they were already shooting from afar. And aimless shooting is ineffective! So our reconnaissance platoon crossed without loss.”

According to reports of irretrievable losses for July 22-23, 1944, the casualties in the 128th and 376th rifle divisions, as well as in units of the 14th fortified area, amounted to 100 people...

“Soviet troops took the city of Pskov by storm. Honor and glory to the valiant troops of the Third Baltic Front! They had the good fortune to liberate one of the oldest cities in Russia, whose name resurrects in the memory of the Russian people the most glorious pages of its history.

Since ancient times, Pskov has stood as an unshakable outpost of Rus' on its western border. Pskov is memorable to enemies. Armored bandits of German dog-knights were crushed more than once against its stone walls. In fierce battles on the Pskov land, the power of the Livonian Order was cut down to the roots. Pskov regiments, tested in military art, participated in historical battles, in which the united forces of the Slavic peoples dealt the final blow to the Teutonic conquerors - the predecessors of German imperialism.

The old glory of Pskov echoes the new. In the historical battles near Pskov, the Red Army was born in 1918. And again, as of old, as 26 years ago, near Pskov, the occupiers learned the power of Russian weapons, they learned the anger of the Russian people. But never before have they been beaten as they are now... A wonderful city, the keeper of Russian culture, again in the family of native cities!”

All units participating in the operation

received the name “Pskovskie”.

By order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief No. 0248 of August 9, 1944, it was assigned to the 128th Infantry Division, 376th Infantry Division, 122nd Army Mortar Regiment, 52nd Guards Heavy Cannon Artillery Division, 631st Army Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment, 38th separate motorized pontoon-bridge battalion,

85th separate communications regiment.

Orders and medals for the liberation of Pskov were awarded

4244 soldiersand commander.

« We walk with the soldiers along the streets of liberated Pskov... Streets erased

from the face of the earth, piles of ruins, ashes and only occasionally surviving houses, thickly stuffed with mines. Some neighborhoods at first glance seem to have survived. In reality, these are only walls: everything inside is blown up. The station, hotel, most residential buildings, theatre, churches, churches were turned into ruins, looted

and enterprises were destroyed."

"They kept retreating"

“On the night of July 14, 1944, near Pskov, we took up another position in order to support the reconnaissance of the neighboring division in force in the morning. It was pouring rain. The squad commander, communications sergeant Efim Leibovich, and his squad extended communications from the battery to the observation post on the front line. We, led by our platoon commander, prepared the data for firing.

Everything seemed to be going well. But as soon as I climbed into the dugout to get some sleep, battalion commander Shubnikov called me. It turns out that communication with the observation post was interrupted, and Shubnikov ordered the damage to be repaired immediately.

With difficulty I push away the sleeping signalmen Rudakov and Shlyamin. Since Leibovich was called to the division command post, I had to lead the group.

Deaf darkness. My feet move apart on the clay. We ring the line every hundred meters. And then the shelling began, and I had to almost crawl. Finally the damage was discovered. They spent a long time searching in the darkness for the second end of the wire, thrown away by the explosion. Shlyamin quickly fused the ends, you can return. Not far from the battery, he ordered Rudakov to ring the line. Then it turned out that the connection was broken again.

We walked back again under fire... This happened three times. When, completely exhausted, we returned to the battery, we heard the ominous whistle of a shell. They fell face down to the ground. A gap, another, a third... For several minutes they could not raise their heads. Finally it calmed down. I got up and saw Shlyamin getting out of the trench nearby. Rudakov is nowhere to be found. They began to call loudly - in vain.

In the dim dawn twilight they noticed a motionless body near a small stone. They ran up to their friend and turned him around to face him.

- Sasha! Sasha! What happened to you?

Rudakov opened his eyes, blinked sleepily and confusedly:

- Nothing, Comrade Sergeant... I fell asleep to the “music”...

How tired people were and how accustomed they were to the constant proximity of mortal danger!..

...In the summer of 1944 we stopped in the city of Izborsk. A group of scouts and I almost died near this city. And it turned out like this. Efim Leibovich, I and three more of our scouts were traveling in a lorry. In the car there are reels with a communication cable and the rest of our combat equipment. The Germans, as we were told, had fled from here, and we calmly drove along the road. True, we saw that people were lying along the side of the road and vigorously waving their hands at us. We didn't pay much attention to them. We drove into a village, stopped in the center and then realized: there were Germans in the village.

Our rifles lie under the coils. To get them, you need to unload the entire car. Of course, only careless soldiers, like we turned out to be, could afford this. And we see that the Germans with machine guns are running towards our car. We instantly jumped off the back and ran into the rye.

What saved us? Probably, the Germans also didn’t understand something: they couldn’t admit that among the Russians there were several idiots who came to their village without weapons. Maybe from a distance they mistook us for their own, because one German stood for a long time on the edge of the field and kept shouting in our direction:

- Hans, Hans!..

We are lying in the rye, and I, trying to suppress my breathing, involuntarily looking at some crawling insects, think: “Oh, how stupidly I’m going to die now...”

But the Germans soon left. We waited for a while, left the rye field, got into the car, having first taken out our rifles, and drove back.

I can’t understand why our car didn’t attract the Germans, why they didn’t leave the ambush. Probably because they were panicking then. They kept retreating.

We found our battery, and battalion commander Shubnikov, seeing us alive, was happy.

“I thought you were all dead,” he said. - You were sent to the village by mistake, mixed up...

So I was lucky again"

The Pskov land was also liberated by the sergeant of the 72nd separate anti-aircraft division, later a popular circus and cinema artist, Yuri Nikulin.

In his book “Almost Seriously” in the chapter

“Near Gdov, near Pskov” there are memories of these battles:

“July 23, 1944. We enter the city, the city is still burning, explosions are often heard. These are mines exploding. The city is heavily mined. Many mines explode on their own -

These are time bombs. The city suffered greatly. All good buildings have been destroyed. We drove almost to the cathedral, but did not meet a single civilian. The city is dead. The entire people were taken with them by the Germans,” he wrote in his diary Korneliy Orlov, fighter of the special group of the 2nd Baltic Front.

Demining the city began with Proletarsky Boulevard and Oktyabrskaya Street: transport arteries along which the main movement of Soviet troops took place.

Inscriptions soon appeared on the walls of the houses: “The house has been cleared of mines. Lt Korneev".

In memory of this, a similar inscription is now preserved on the facade of the building of the Pskov Museum-Reserve on Nekrasova Street.

In accordance with the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 23, 1944, Pskov became the center of the newly formed region. On January 5, 1945, the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR adopted the Resolution “On measures to restore the economy of the city of Pskov and the Pskov region.” And on November 1, 1945, by a resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, Pskov was included

A short trip with the director of the Opochetsky Museum of Local Lore, Alexander Kondratenya, to the German fortifications of the Pskov defensive circuit was planned back in February as an “alaverda” for kindly conducting a tour of the defensive circuit of Opochka. And then the appointed day came.
The morning started with a pleasant surprise. When examining the shelter near the bus station, it turned out that the entrance to it had been opened, but the inside was relatively clean and dry. Personally, I have never been there. The shelter is remarkable for its strange design with an observation tower. Which, in principle, is completely justified due to the presence of a railway junction. We just don’t have any analogues anymore. It is impossible to say for sure whose construction it was: German during the occupation or Soviet. Conventionally, we still consider it German.
This is what it looked like in March 2007

And this is how it is now

A staircase with concrete steps led down. The entrance was designed as a dead end. The front door is metal, most likely post-war, with four locks. Not as massive as at nuclear defense shelters. The door has already been removed from its hinges by scrap metal lovers. Behind the first door is a small corridor and a second door to the interior of the bunker. Behind it you can see a dilapidated shelf and a ventilation valve.

Passing to the right through the second door we find ourselves in the first room of the shelter. It is small in size. Approximately 15 sq. m area. There is an almost completely rotten bench in it, the remains of another one are lying on the floor. An unobstructed doorway leads from the room into the next room, similar in size, next to the opening there is a manhole into the emergency exit shaft.

The manhole shaft is covered with a round steel hatch

In the next room there is a foundation for installing some kind of air supply unit and a wonderful fresh inscription on the wall

In general, the object is interesting for osomtra and attractive due to its lack of dirt. We still didn’t understand how to get into the sentry’s turret. Most likely the entrance was from outside and is now covered. After inspecting the shelter, colleagues from the Pskov 4x4 club joined us and we went to the structures of the German defensive perimeter of the Panther Line.
First of all, we examined a local landmark - an artillery outpost in the village of Ambrosovo. We had to walk to him in knee-deep snow. This typical German structure was disguised as a house. I know only two so far: one here, the second in the Smolensk region.

Only now I noticed that the ceiling rails were not cut neatly, but were torn apart by an explosion. Not otherwise from Gdovka?

At the nearest height in the village of Gory, information was received about five German bunkers dismantled for building materials after the war. We managed to realize a long-time dream - to climb a triangulation tower to explore the surrounding area. Dumb, but interesting!

From the tower on the horizon you can see Pskov and the entire territory of the Pskov defensive contour, which our troops had to storm in 1944. Now, after reclamation, the fields here are overgrown. And then there were swampy lowlands overgrown with bushes.

When we came down from the tower, we were met by the local horse Gingerbread. A very active animal;-0

Then the excursionists went to see the abandoned Golubovo estate and park. We arrived in the village, but there was no manor house. It was dismantled for firewood this winter. Only the foundation remains. So after this, take a tour - show the estate the beauty of the Pskov region. You can read about the estate separately.

After the Golubovo estate we went to see other German buildings in the vicinity of the city. One of them, a standard shelter made of concrete blocks, is located in the village of Panino on private territory. But we have an agreement with the owners with the right to inspection. I already wrote about this shelter in the fall.

The second structure - an original design cast pudemetny bunker (or NP?) is located in the village of Pavshino, also on private territory. We had to walk to him through snowdrifts and burrs, periodically falling waist-deep into the snow.

The bunker itself is hidden among outbuildings and littered with scrap metal. Did you see him in the photo?

Having shaken the snow out of our boots, we returned to the city to see the notorious “tank” repair plant of the Wehrmacht at the Flax Mill. I wrote about his visit with numerous photos in October 2010. It was flooded and it was possible to inspect the gigantic room only from the edge. Now the weather is favorable. The water below froze, although a hole had to be dug out of the snow. There was an absolutely wonderful picture of six people getting out of their cars, walking across a snowy field, and then disappearing into a barely noticeable hole in the center of it. The photo shows the descent down. Inside view.

As I already said, the internal underground space was flooded. In winter, the water froze and it became possible to move freely there. Large spaces have been turned into an ice skating rink. In some places the ice formed bizarre crystals that shimmered in the rays of the lanterns. Large piles of garbage dumped in the openings of the ceiling froze slightly and did not cause disgust; the air was fresh. We completely walked around all the areas of the former workshop. Inside there were several concrete “booths” in varying states of preservation.

We are not sure about the purpose of these “booths”. Each of them has several small doors.

And next to each of the bottoms there is an industrial fan box of varying degrees of preservation.