Continuation. Beginning in No. 8 for 1999

They fought for... poverty?

Stalingrad left its mark on the fate of all mankind. Especially in the flesh and blood of our people. In any Russian pedigree. And in the biography of my family.

In my late father's papers, I found the outline of an extended " ordinary biography." To the Stalingrad period, he prefixed a couplet by an unnamed poet:"...They, the young ones who covered this land, were covered by the Russian land." It was a time when tens of thousands of compatriots were burned in the fire of self-sacrifice.

On September 3, 1942, Stalin telegraphed General of the Army G. K. Zhukov in dismay and dismay: "The situation with Stalingrad has worsened... Stalingrad may be taken today or tomorrow if the Northern Group of Forces does not provide immediate assistance."

"How do you see this slightly hilly sagebrush steppe, gullies, "the valley of death" now, " I read in my father's manuscript. - On September 15, I was seriously wounded (through the neck) - a German shot at me almost at point-blank range, running out from behind a tank. They brought me to the medical unit half-dead. I woke up in a shock tent. My life was saved by a young nurse who later became my wife."

My father outlined the stages of the Stalingrad path of fellow soldiers: Kotluban and Samofalovka stations, Peskovatka and Vertyachy farms, the Nursery airfield, the Cossack mound and Mamaev. Expensive names... My native veteran was happy to find them in the memoirs of old enemies. It is interesting to compare your own experiences with what was happening and what was being thought about on the other front line.

"We can't do anything about a fiercely fought opponent. Their Guards division, which had been transferred here, entered the battle. There are also sailors... Ivan doesn't take a step back. Path to positions

the Russians are covered with their corpses, but many of our own will die before then. In fact, there are no real positions here. They fight for every ruin, for every stone. Death awaits us everywhere. We must learn from the Russians to conduct bayonet combat..."

The author of these lines, Wilhelm Adam, after the Russian captivity became a citizen of the GDR, headed the people's police school in Dresden. Here, in the late 50s, my father served as a deputy army commander. They might well have met (if it had been customary at the time) and had plenty of discussion. The main topic of conversation, of course, would concern Stalingrad. What motivated "us" and "them" in such a fierce confrontation?

For example, the Germans were reclaiming their "living space". To those awarded the Knight's Cross, the Fuhrer promised to give estates in the "eastern regions". Well, the Soviet order-bearers did not have any personal wealth. And behind them was a desperate need.

In the reference book "Heroes of the Soviet Union" I counted about two dozen Pavlovs alone. And most of them are "peasants". Our Yakov Fedotovich also "worked with his father on the collective farm from an early age." Collective farmers ' income - we know what it is. Ryazan residents lived (and continue to live) much worse than the Bavarians. That's why, once in Germany, the peasants were surprised: and why did the German woman come to us? For an increase in abundance? In turn, foreign tourists do not cease to be amazed, learning about the incredibly unpretentious life of the once fantastically inflexible defencists. We fought for collective poverty with more courage than the whole of Europe fought for private prosperity - is that how it turns out? I strongly doubt that the " new Russians "(if they happen to) will defend their palaces the way their old men defended their huts.

The hero could play himself

Recently, the film drama STALINGRAD was released on the screens of the West, where, according to director I. Wilsmeier, "there are no heroes, there are only victims." (I wonder what it looks like in a computer game of the same name and whether Pavlov's House is visible there?) No expense was spared for full-scale filming. The ruins of Stalingrad depicted an abandoned steel factory near Prague. The role of the "snow-covered steppe" was played by Finland, where our transport planes dragged T-34 tanks and extras from the Czechs by air.

Along the way, we will recall how in 1947, based on the screenplay by the Soviet writer N. Virta, the film "The Battle of Stalingrad"was created. There was no need to look for a full-scale character, everything was shot in the same places where hell had recently reigned. Reliability was also ensured by the fact that the Fuhrer's soldiers played... themselves. For this purpose, prisoners of war engaged in battle scenes were re-equipped and armed. Tanks with German crosses were also restored. In order to present everything in an undistorted form, they even planned to attract Paulus, releasing him from the Soviet camp for a while. Then they changed their minds-apparently for moral reasons: it is not known what the reaction of local residents who shared its tragic fate with the city will be. The former field Marshal was replaced as a consultant by his adjutant. They also used others

V. Adam testified: "The shooting probably caused these people bitter memories. However, not a single hostile word was said to the German officers present.'" But the impression of walking around the "fortress"::

"Not all the ruins have been removed yet. Mountains of iron and steel, wrecked cars, burnt-out tanks, guns with torn barrels... The big city was still bleeding from a thousand wounds. But new life was breaking out everywhere."

It is worth noting that the first" phoenix from peshla " was precisely the building that Pavlov and his associates did not hand over to the enemy. The wives and widows of the front-line soldiers who formed the "1st volunteer labor brigade"revived their native hearth. This was reported by the Trud newspaper in 1944 with an article by Brigadier A. Cherkasova. So a restored house wasn't suitable for a movie battle. But the one who made his name, I think, could be invited to shoot at least an expert. In the film, he is shown as the beauty and pride of street fighting. But in reality, they were neglected. Yes, we are not used to it...

What a heavy cross has befallen us! From the notes in my father's notebook: "If only these millions of dead could say their word about the war! About their torments, thoughts, their love for the Motherland - they proved it by their death, their unknown feat, embracing this part of the Motherland-wet, cold or snowy, or dusty... We sit in trenches and ditches, with a raincoat on top, and squelches in our boots. Without water, fuel, and the most bitter thoughts-ammunition, planes, anti-tank weapons-you can't fight back with molotov cocktails alone... Early cold weather in the Volga steppes. Burrows were dug to pass the night. The sandy slope collapsed - 5 corpses, a vain death..."

From my mother's stories: "At Stalingrad, hundreds of wounded were brought in a day. The infirmary was located in a gully, the tents were packed, and a lot of people were lying outside. From all sides: "Sister, I'm dying to drink." And then-forever unrequited. If he's dead, they take off his boots and greatcoat if they're passable. Wounds are scary to look at, especially in the stomach: a mess of blood and dirt, worms swarming in the intestines. Through your tears, you use tweezers and bandages. We were also forced to bind up the doomed. Probably, so that the unfortunate person does not feel abandoned, sees that something is being done to save him... They brought in someone who had been maimed by an explosion. Surgeon Anton Biryukov asks him: "Where is your leg?" And the one: "I cut it off myself - it prevented me from crawling." And how the hands and feet were taken away! First, a scalpel will make a notch on the soft tissues, and then-with a saw. Frostbitten limbs were often amputated. I was reeling with worry... The food supply was tight, and the bread rations were being dealt with at the moment. Stupid, they conjured: hurry up an air raid, or something! The horses that are killed will go to the cauldron. And they didn't understand that the bombing might as well not spare us..."

Chained to positions

When we fought the Japanese in Manchuria in the fall of 1945, we sometimes found machine-gunners chained up in occupied concrete pillboxes. And what kept the Stalingraders in their positions?

It was during the great Battle of Stalingrad (as it was called immediately after its completion) that the epochal order No. 227 was rolled in. "We must stubbornly defend every position, every meter of Soviet territory, cling to every piece of Soviet land and defend it to the last drop of blood... From now on, the iron law of discipline for every commander, Red Army soldier, political worker should be the requirement-not a step back without an order from the command...".

There is evidence that Commander V. I. Chuikov pardoned many alarmists. Maybe because he himself once experienced a moment of weakness with the headquarters-he beckoned him to the saving opposite bank of the Volga. "We got into the boat and were about to leave, but at the last moment I came to my senses. I just clearly imagined what would happen to me later in accordance with Order No. 227" (see "Living Memory", volume 2, p. 167). It turns out that the blued pupil of the punitive organs was drilling into his back, chaining him to his positions? So yes not so. I found the explanation of retired Major General A. Sergeev convincing:

"This isn't about the' Don't step back ' order. The order - it only helped the weaker ones. It's all about psychology. Something in us turned upside down. If you used to calm yourself down: there is somewhere to retreat. But at the Volga turn, the morale was different: either "we" or "they". Here we knew only one thing: I must stand, I must not die until I am relieved. ...A fighter, hitherto invisible, in Stalingrad became a figure, a person. He thought and acted on a much larger scale than just an ordinary soldier. I know a case - on Mamayev Kurgan, where we owned one half, and the Germans - the other. There, one soldier (I forget his name) very successfully settled behind the armor: the tank burned down, but the tower remained. So this tower shooter was personally supplied with ammunition. His name appeared on the maps of the "general attacks". And the order was given: to the position of so-and-so. The name was a call sign. A single firing point acquired the value of a command height.

How not to agree with the general of the Stalingrad hardening! Isn't it the same story with Pavlov's House?! In the literature about the battle of the Volga, many named centers of resistance are mentioned. The building of Lieutenant N.E. Zabolotny. The house of foreman of the 1st article V. G. Zaitsev, who personally destroyed over 200 Krauts with a sniper rifle. Island of the Division Commander I. I. Ludnikov. That's why they became heroes, because everyone thought: his trench, cell, standing point - the main height of Russia, which can not be conceded. This idea is not new - it is often heard at veterans ' meetings. The indestructible spirit of Stalingrad victory did not leave them until the end of the war. And in the trench leaflets they wrote: "We will beat the invaders, as befits the Stalingraders!" In a conversation with me, General Sergeyev mentioned: "On the way to Berlin, the most bitter thing was to bury the Stalingrad soldiers. My heart sank: I didn't make it." And I will add on my own: melancholy takes when you suddenly learn about the death of a well-deserved participant in that battle. Recently, a glorious pilot, retired Colonel B. Pustovalov, passed away-he repeatedly sent an air "hello" to Paulus, including dropping an ultimatum to him. The Stalingrad legion is thinning out, and you feel more uncomfortable in a weakened Fatherland.

I'm not sure that anywhere in Europe there are battle walls-ruins that can be worshipped. Nevertheless, I think that the capitals of developed countries should not have erased the destructive traces of the Second World War. There should be at least something sobering for modern aggressors who easily bomb recalcitrant countries...

Speaking about the victory on the Volga, among its components are usually called high Soviet military art, the increased defense potential of the USSR, the greatest heroism and skill of the soldiers of the Red Army. The incredible strength of the "Russian resistance" was considered a miracle by the Western press at that time: "According to all military canons, the city should have been captured by the Germans long ago, but..... military experts are baffled, and the human element is once again unaccountable."

The explanation for this "miracle" was given by Valentin Pikul in his latest novel "The Square of Fallen Fighters". He dedicated it to the memory of his father, commissar of the Stalingrad Marine battalion. The cry of the soul broke through the pages of the book: "The people were good-better than you and me. And the love for the great Fatherland, even in those evil times, the people experienced much greater than is now customary."

At the height of the defense - on October 17, 1942-Sergeant Pavlov turned 25 years old. For some reason, he didn't mention it in his memories. But he described in detail how the fortress celebrated the 25th anniversary of the revolution on November 7. The Germans did not bother them, apparently fearing some trick on the occasion of the holiday. Yakov Fedotovich (when his friends filled the soldiers ' mugs) gave a speech. "The soldiers send their military greetings to dear Comrade Stalin and swear to carry out his order to the end. For Stalin, for the Soviet Homeland, for Stalingrad, for our victory!" A friendly "Hurrah!" alarmed the Krauts. They thought it was an attack - the toast was drowned out by the howl of six-barrelled mortars and the crackle of machine guns...

The Stalinist cry "Don't take a step back"is often extolled to the skies. Hitler, it is worth noting, was also distinguished by both heartfelt orders and draconian measures - it did not help. Despite all my antipathy to the leader of the peoples, I come to the conclusion: after all, there is something to express my gratitude to him. The Soviet youth of the 40s was internally mobilized even before the tests, and the core of it was courageously civil. From my father's notebook: "I really needed good physical training and pre-war training. In the orphanage - the norms of the Red Cross. In grades 4-6 - "Young Voroshilov shooter", "Be ready for work and defense". In grades 7-10, the norms are more serious - TRP, machine gun, rifle, grenade, topography, self-help and mutual assistance, long hikes." Run your eyes through the biographies of the heroes - each of them has a military training course either in Osoaviakhim or in the flying club... Here it is, a feat in the bud. The TRP badge prepared the ground for the order.

I read Y. F. Pavlov's pamphlet "What I learned in the Defense Society"in one gulp. In the early 1930s, Yakov dreamed of heroic flights and polar expeditions. And along the way, he was engaged in gliding with his fellow countrymen (and this was in a remote village in the Novgorod region), learned to shoot, navigate the terrain... The initial school of valor later not only came in handy for him, but probably saved his life. A lot of instructive combat episodes are given in the book by the commandant of the legendary house. Moreover, he is annoyed with himself for not learning how to handle the transmitter and drive equipment in time. What is all this science for? I quote it verbatim: "We live in an anxious time when dark forces are preparing a new slaughter for humanity." Written in ... 1955. Has anything changed since then?

Changed... Today we no longer see documentary books, especially videos about the sons of the Fatherland who were baptized with fire. It's like we're burying heroics on purpose. And then you need moral ammunition, but there will be nowhere to take it.

Whether the tyrant insured himself or the country-it doesn't matter. Thank you to him. And not for order No. 227, dictated by a terrible hour. And for contributing to (or not interfering with) the defense movement (which we are sorely lacking right now).

Commander V. I. Chuikov called the only condition under which Stalingrad would fall before the enemy force: if every single soldier died. He knew what the young people of the forties were worth...

(The ending follows)