WWII 328th Infantry Division memories of veterans. rifle division. Local fight

The Great Patriotic War was not only the victorious 1945, but also the tragic 1941. December 1941 became a turning point in the entire war, laying the foundation for the future Great Victory over fascism. And one of the first settlements liberated by Soviet troops located on the territory of the municipality of Novomoskovsk was the ancient village of Gremyachee.

For many post-war years, search engines and researchers have been opening new little-known pages of the battles of December 9, 1941, naming the names of the defenders of the Motherland - the fighters and commanders of the 328th Infantry Division, who gave their lives during the assault on the German stronghold in Gremyachey. A significant contribution to the reconstruction of the battle for Gremyachey was made by the essay “For the Native Land” by freelance correspondent for Donskoy Gazeta A. V. Melikhov in 1986-87. In 2016, the storming of Gremyachey was studied in detail by Novomoskovsk historian Yu. A. Shakirov. In his work, for the first time, the circumstances of the exploits of specific fighters of the 328th Infantry Division were published, with links to their award sheets from the Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense Russian Federation(TsAMO RF).

In 2017, journalist M. S. Pereslavtsev, in the course of conducting historical and archival research of wartime documents concerning the losses of the 1103rd Infantry Regiment of the 328th Infantry Division, whose fighters attacked Gremyachey in December 1941 and fought for the liberation of the Novomoskovsk region, revealed several dozen names of soldiers who are not immortalized in modern mass military graves in the area. Additionally, he identified information about the dead soldiers of the 1103rd Infantry Regiment, in relation to whom there are reasonable doubts about the reliability of the place of their death and burial, and, accordingly, about the correctness of perpetuating the memory of the dead. We must complete this work.

M. S. Pereslavtsev
journalist, publicist

328th Infantry Division. Local fight

More than 75 years have passed since the time when the Tula land was liberated from the Nazi invaders. Sacred milestones in the combat chronicle of formations and units that liberated native land became mass graves of fallen soldiers. On the bright day of Victory, on the day of Remembrance and Sorrow, on the frosty December days, when we remember the counter-offensive of the Red Army in 1941, talk about the liberation of our native villages, villages, towns and cities, we proudly say:

No one is forgotten! We remember!

We really remember a lot. We take care of the memory of the victims. However, there are still little-known pages in the history of the war, there are names of dead soldiers that we have forgotten.

Today, a huge number of books have been written about the war. Both artistic and historical. There are also memories, memoirs of famous commanders, who talk more and more about victories. Well, yes, the generals do not want to remember about retreats, about “cauldrons”, about desperate and courageous battles while surrounded. As well as about thousands of soldiers who disappeared without a trace in those fierce battles. Today, in every region, and what is there in the region, in every district there are their own Books of MEMORY, the mournful pages of which are replete with the personal data of those killed, those who disappeared unknown, those who died from wounds or those who died in captivity.

However, let us return to the first days of December 1941 and read the memoirs of the commander of the 10th Army F.I. Golikov.

“The center of gravity of efforts on the first day of the army’s offensive was concentrated on the city of Mikhailov. It housed the main group of the enemy's 10th motorized division.

To guarantee the success of the attack on Mikhailov, three divisions had to move: the 328th from the front, and the 330th and 324th from the flanks. [...] Having liberated the city of Mikhailov with battle, the rifle divisions of the 10th Army continued the offensive forward to Stalinogorsk, liberating villages and villages from the German evil spirits along the way.”

Today, in the memoirs of former German generals, one can read complaints about the Russian “General Frost”, about the Russian impassability, and about the actions of the partisans. They are trying to find “objective” explanations for their defeat. Did nature create different weather conditions for the Red Army? Snow drifts in open areas, deep snow cover prevented the advance of troops and their deployment in battle formations. It was necessary to use roads on which the fascists had built strong defense centers and strongholds in convenient places. One of these defense centers was located on the road from Mikhailov in the direction of Stalinogorsk, in the village of Gremyachee.

This is what General F.I. says. Golikov.

« Gremyache is an important stronghold in the enemy defense system on the river Pronya. Possessing it, the enemy covered the main routes towards the cities of Novomoskovsk and Epifani. The Nazis thoroughly strengthened it. The village is located on a high and very steep rocky bank of the Pronya, and the approaches to it are open. The Nazis built machine-gun nests along the shore and flanked the river valley.

The division commander sent two rifle regiments to Gremyachey, assigning each an artillery regiment division. 1105th rifle regiment went around the village on the right to take possession of its northern half. The 1103rd regiment was supposed to pin down the enemy with part of its forces by attacking the eastern outskirts of the village, and with the main forces to cover it from the south. However, the offensive of this regiment developed unorganized and was directed head-on. The regiment immediately suffered heavy losses from strong flank and frontal machine-gun and artillery fire, and after several enemy counterattacks, it suspended the offensive on the western slopes of nameless heights located directly east and southeast of the village.

The division commander had to bring in the 1107th Infantry Regiment from his second echelon. It was introduced correctly - bypassing Gremyacheye from the south. [...] Through joint efforts, the enemy's resistance was broken. The ensuing street battle did not last long. The battalion of the 1105th regiment played a major role in the outcome of the battle. At the height of events, this battalion, having bypassed the enemy from the north, cut off the main road leading from Gremyachee to Novomoskovsk. Having discovered the impending danger of encirclement, the Nazis began to retreat. By 14:00 the village was cleared of the enemy. Two tanks, five armored vehicles, 30 motorcycles, four 105 mm guns, vehicles, weapons, and ammunition were taken. The 5-kilometer section of the road between Gremyachee and Yatsk was clogged with abandoned enemy military equipment, cars, carts and motorcycles.

Commander of the 1103rd Infantry Regiment, Major Ivan Mitrofanovich Talubyev (1896 - December 9, 1941)

This victory also cost the units of the 328th Infantry Division considerable sacrifices. The 1103rd Infantry Regiment lost the most soldiers. The death of the brave, carrying the soldiers into the attack, killed the regiment commander, Major I. M. Talubev. In the same battle, the commander of the 1107th Infantry Regiment, Major M.K. Markov, was seriously wounded.”

These lines were written by the commander of the 10th Army, Philip Ivanovich Golikov, in the book “In the Battle of Moscow: Notes of an Army Commander”.

Of course, after the war, the brave General Golikov could blame the losses suffered by the division on the “incompetence” of regimental commander I.M. Talubyev. Justify his own mistakes with the mistakes of his subordinates. In December 1941, there were not many regiment commanders who personally raised soldiers to attack! And I am very upset that the feat of the commander of the 1103rd regiment, Major Ivan Mitrofanovich Talubyev, was not properly noted. First week at the front. The first fierce bloody battles. No combat experience yet. But there is an ardent love for the Motherland, personal courage and bravery!

And the Germans in 1941 were far from fools! They had excellent training and combat experience. Excellent weapons and skills in their use. And this is not praise for enemies. This is a statement of fact - what an enemy our grandfathers and great-grandfathers had to fight with! And to defeat enemy soldiers, to break their backs, to grind down these selected units with each battle, and in the end - to force the enemy to retreat - is real soldier’s valor!

This is what a veteran of the 328th Infantry Division says P. N. Kuzmenko in his book “The Fiery Wind of Glory”:

“The task of the 328th Infantry Division was to liberate the Gremyachee region. [...] The enemy managed to equip the entire village with a perimeter defense until the unit of the 328th division arrived. [...] Colonel P. A. Eremin sent two rifle regiments to Gremyachey, giving each an artillery regiment division. The 1105th regiment went around the village on the right to capture its northern half. This was entrusted to the 1st and 3rd battalions, while the 2nd covered the right flank of the division advancing along the Pronya River. The 1103rd regiment was supposed to pin down the enemy with part of its forces by attacking the eastern outskirts of the village, and with its main forces to envelop it from the south.

Only after all the forces of the 328th Infantry Division were brought into battle was the attack on the Gremyacheye stronghold completed successfully. This victory cost the division's units considerable sacrifices. The 1103rd Infantry Regiment, which stormed a German stronghold head-on, lost the most. Its commander, Major Ivan Mitrofanovich Talubyev, died.

In Gremyache, 224 soldiers of the 328th Infantry Division, who liberated the village of Gremyache, were buried in a mass grave. Including: known 215, unknown - 9. The mass grave was formed during the fighting on December 8-9, 1941.

Mass grave in the village of Gremyachee.
Sources: 1) search center “Iskatel”; 2) Loginov A. Mass grave of Soviet soldiers at the entrance to Gremyachey, Novomoskovsk district // BlogoMedia, September 11, 2015.

When checking the information in the Memorial OBD, it was revealed that at the fraternal military burial the name of the regiment commander was indicated with an error - I. M. Tolubiev. It will be correct - I. M. Talubev. Yes, actually the point is not the mistake, but the fact that even immediately after the war, when the events were fresh in memory, neither later, on the 25th anniversary, nor later, neither army commander F.I. Golikov, nor the glorious victorious generals ever bothered to honor their soldiers, who remained forever in the Tula land. As, indeed, in other places of fierce fighting. Killed and forgotten. Mass graves and monuments were built on them by local residents, but not by fellow soldiers.

Kuzmenko Pyotr Nikitovich, author of the book “Fiery Wind of Glory,” did a titanic work, collecting archival materials and testimonies of participants in battles about battle path 31st Guards (328th Rifle) Division from the moment of its creation in the fall of 1941 until the end of the war. The author himself went all the way from the beginning to the end of the war as part of this division. The dead were buried directly in the area of death. The dead were included in lists of casualties and, in most cases, relatives were informed of the places of death. Those of them whose identities could not be established were listed as missing. Initially, a wooden monument was built and the area was surrounded by a wooden fence.

From the memoirs of old-timers in the village of Gremyacheye, it is known how they collected those killed in the field between Pushkari and Streltsy and took them to a silo, making a mass grave there. And in the spring, when the snow melted, the corpses were collected again: where they were found, they were buried there.

From the memoirs of a resident of the village of Kazaki, Alexandra Nikiforovna Bychkova, it is known how she found a wounded Russian soldier who had a wound in the head and forearm, and how she cared for him. When the soldier died, he and another soldier (7 people in total) were buried outside the village of Cossacks. A large stone was placed on the grave. A few years later, the remains of the soldiers were transferred to a mass grave on the edge of the village of Gremyachee.

In the 1960s, it was decided to move the burials in Berezovka, Pushkari, Streltsy, in the field where the Krasnobogatyrsky Garden is located, to the mass grave in the village of Gremyacheye.

Years have passed. While in Mikhailov at the invitation of Yu. V. Buchnev, a local historian and artist, founder of the Mikhailovsky Museum of Local Lore, I had the opportunity to pass through Gremyacheye, Pushkari, Streltsy... I remember then I was impressed not only by the amazing names of local villages and hamlets, but and a huge reservoir in the Gremyachee region.

All this wealth was carefully kept in memory. And finally, already this year, putting everything aside, I tried to restore the names of the dead soldiers of the 1103rd Infantry Regiment, and checked the lists of the regiment’s irretrievable losses. It seems to me that we were able to establish several dozen names of soldiers who were “lost” in time. During the research, questions arose, moreover, doubts about the validity of perpetuating the names of the soldiers of the 1103rd regiment on the territory of the Leninsky district Tula region, in the area of Plavsk and Efremov. Judging by wartime documents, they died on December 9, 1941, in that same battle for Gremyacheye. But their names are immortalized for some unknown reason in a completely different place. And I hope that local historians will be able to understand this issue. I believe that an absurd mistake occurred and the village of Gremyacheye, Novomoskovsk district, was confused with Gremyachevo, Leninsky district. An error or inattention led to distortion of information.

Besides, more than 80 percent of those killed in the 1103rd regiment of the 328th division were natives of the Yaroslavl region. And I believe it would be appropriate if the Tula residents, in honor of the Yaroslavl liberator soldiers, erect a memorial sign as an expression of their appreciation and gratitude. We talk a lot about patriotism, citizenship education, and the unity of the people. And such a memorial sign, without a doubt, will play a great educational role for the youth of the Tula region and will become a clear example of the unity of the people in the face of a cruel and insidious enemy!

Monument in honor of the military and labor glory of Yaroslavl residents
during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.

More than 75 years have passed since the time when the Tula land was liberated from the Nazi invaders. The mass graves of fallen soldiers became sacred milestones in the combat chronicle of formations and units that liberated their native land. On the bright day of Victory, on the day of Remembrance and Sorrow, on frosty December days, when we remember the counter-offensive of the Red Army in 1941, talk about the liberation of our native villages, villages, towns and cities, we proudly say: - No one is forgotten! We remember!

We really remember a lot. We take care of the memory of the victims. However, there are still little-known pages in the history of the war, there are names of dead soldiers that we have forgotten.

During December 7, our troops fought with the enemy on all fronts. In a number of sectors of the WESTERN Front, our units, having repulsed fierce enemy attacks, inflicted heavy damage to the German troops in equipment and manpower with their counterattacks and advanced forward.

Guards unit comrade. Oslikovsky, operating in one of the sections of the Stalinogorsk direction of the front, in several days of stubborn fighting knocked out the Germans from 20 settlements, killing more than a thousand German soldiers and officers. The soldiers destroyed 2 German tanks, 4 artillery and mortar batteries and captured many trophies.

Our fighters, in a fierce battle with the enemy on one of the sectors of the Western Front, destroyed 6 German tanks, 2 mortar batteries, 8 heavy machine guns and captured 21 enemy tanks.

The guards unit of Major Zubov, operating in the Stalinogorsk direction of the front, knocked out the Germans from 6 settlements. In the battle with the enemy, our soldiers destroyed over 1,000 fascist soldiers and officers, captured 12 vehicles, 1 tank, 2 walkie-talkies and many other trophies.

IN THE LAST HOUR.FAILURE OF THE GERMAN PLAN FOR ENVIRONMENT AND CAPTURE OF MOSCOW. DEFEAT OF GERMAN TROOPS ON THE APPROACHES OF MOSCOW

(brief extract)

a) the troops of General LELYUSHENKO, knocking down the enemy’s 1st tank, 14th and 36th motorized infantry divisions and occupying Rogachev, surrounded the city of Klin;

b) the troops of General KUZNETSOV, having captured the city of Yakhroma, are pursuing the retreating 6th, 7th tank and 23rd infantry divisions of the enemy and reached southwest of Klin;

c) troops, where the chief of staff was General SANDAPOV, pursuing the 2nd tank and 106th infantry divisions of the enemy, occupied the city of Solnechnogorsk;

d) the troops of General ROKOSSOVSKY, pursuing the 5th, 10th and 11th tank divisions, the SS division and the 35th infantry division of the enemy, occupied the city of Istra;

e) General GOVOROV’s troops broke through the defenses of the enemy’s 252nd, 87th, 78th and 267th infantry divisions and occupied the Kulebyakino-Lokotnya areas;

f) the troops of General BOLDIN, having defeated the enemy’s 3rd, 4th tank divisions and the “SS” (“Greater Germany”) regiment northeast of Tula, are developing an offensive, pushing back and enveloping the enemy’s 296th Infantry Division;

g) the 1st Guards Cavalry Corps of General BELOV, having successively defeated the enemy’s 17th Tank, 29th Motorized Infantry and 167th Infantry Divisions, pursued their remnants and occupied the cities of Venev and Stalinogorsk;

h) the troops of General GOLIKOV, throwing back units of the enemy’s 18th tank and 10th motorized infantry divisions to the southwest, occupied the towns of Mikhailov and the town of Epifan.

After going on the offensive, from December 6 to 10, units of our troops occupied and liberated over 400 settlements from the Germans.

Both at the front and in the rear they always impatiently awaited messages from the Sovinfrmburo. They listened with bitterness and sorrow to reports about the retreat of the Red Army. We greeted the news of the liberation of cities and towns from the German yoke with joy and tears in our eyes. One of the first cities liberated during the December counter-offensive of 1941 was the ancient city of Mikhailov. Of course, the meager lines of the report could not convey all the tension of the situation, all the difficulties and incredible efforts that the soldiers of the 10th Army of General Fyodor Golikov had to experience and endure.

“...throwing back the enemy, they occupied the town of Mikhailov and the town of Epifan.” It just so happens that when driving to Kulikovo Field, I have to pass through these places. Novomoskovsk (formerly Stalinogorsk), Kimovsk (Epifan station), Epifan village. I had a chance to visit Mikhailov. This cozy, green town, which has ancient history, today lives his measured, partly, one might even say, sleepy life.

On the outskirts of Kimovsk, almost at the exit from it, not far from the local cemetery, a military memorial was built in memory of the fallen liberating soldiers. Here, to this holy place, I taxi too. Stand, bow and remember the fallen soldiers.

And yet, despite the huge number of memoirs, memoirs and simply stories of front-line soldiers, I have never come across a truthful answer to a simple question: - What is war?! For marshals, division generals, and regiment commanders, the war seemed different than for the same soldiers fighting on the front line. The soldiers had their own view of the war. As did the platoon and company commanders who raised the soldiers to attack. And only a few of them, real front-line soldiers, survived. Those who could really tell the truth. And only the meager lines of archival documents, in part, allow us today to understand and appreciate the great tragedy of the war...

Several years ago, when I was actively searching for my grandfather, I had the chance to find and read the book “Vanka the Company Officer” by Alexander Ilyich Shumilin. In his book, the author talks about fierce battles in the same places where in the summer and autumn of 1941 my grandfather’s 922nd Infantry Regiment fought desperately and died heroically. The author of the book was born in 1921. Called to serve in Armed Forces Union of Soviet Socialist Republics October 25, 1939, demobilized March 17, 1946 with the rank of guard captain. He was wounded five times, once seriously. Has military awards. Died in 1983.

Here is his memory of the war. Believing that it is impossible, simply physically impossible, to condense or trim anything in this passage, I present it in full. “In October 1975, I received a letter from Komsomol members of the military-patriotic detachment “Maresyevets” of school No. 42 in Kalinin with a request to tell about the battles for the station Chupriyanovka. Circumstances developed in such a way that since then I decided to put my memories in order, I fulfilled the guys’ request and then wrote about the battles for Chupriyanovka station.

Actually, my first letter served as the beginning to recall in detail everything I had experienced. Now that the finish is close, I want to do more. There is little free time, I am either sick or working, and time flies faster than thought.

In those harsh days of the war, the entire burden of the battles to liberate our land fell on the infantry, on the shoulders of ordinary soldiers. Receiving reinforcements in people, we fought continuous battles, knowing neither sleep nor rest. Many people, having a superficial understanding of what war is, self-confidently believe that they are sufficiently informed. They read about the war in books and watched in movies.

For example, I am outraged by the “books about the war” written by front-line “front-line soldiers” and “trenchmen” of the headquarters and rear services, in the literary adaptation of journalists. And what do those who have been elevated to the rank of preachers of truth write? Take, for example, K. Simonov with his novels about the war. K. Simonov himself did not see war, did not look death in the eye. I drove along front-line roads, rubbing the soft seat of a passenger car. He imagined and imagined the war from the stories of others, but in order to write about it, a war must be experienced in one’s own skin! You can't write about something you don't know. What can a person say if he was tens of kilometers away from the war?...

Many people judge war from movies. One of my friends, for example, claims that when there is a battle in the forest, the trees burn.

Why? I asked him.

Didn't you see it in the movies?

Only children judge war from movies. They don’t understand the pain of a soldier’s soul; they are presented with shooting, hand-to-hand combat with picking and trees blazing with fire, doused with gasoline before filming.

A work of fiction staged in a movie, or the so-called “chronicle of events,” gives a collective image of battles, battles and episodes, vaguely reminiscent of war. I must disappoint you, it is very far from the cinema to the reality of war. What was happening ahead, during the advance of the rifle companies, did not reach the cinema. The infantry took those terrible days with them to the grave.

The war cannot be imagined from the reports of the Information Bureau. War is not a heart-warming movie about love at the “front”. These are not panoramic novels with their romanticization and glossing over war. These are not the works of those prose writers - “front-line soldiers”, for whom the war is only the background, the background, and in the foreground, obscuring all the space in the lace of literary phrases and fringes, there is artistic fiction. This is not a curved arrow drawn in red pencil and indicating on the map the tip of the division's main attack. This is not a village circled on the map...

War is a living, human step - towards the enemy, towards death, towards eternity. This is human blood on the snow, while it is bright and while it is still flowing. These are soldier corpses abandoned until spring. These are steps at full height, with open eyes - towards death. These are shreds of a rough soldier's overcoat with clots of blood and intestines hanging on twigs and tree branches. This is pink foam in a hole near the collarbone - the soldier’s entire lower jaw and larynx have been torn off. This is a tarpaulin boot filled with a pink mess. These are bloody splashes in the face of a soldier torn apart by a shell. These are hundreds and thousands of other bloody pictures along the path along which the front-line “front-line soldiers” and “trenchmen” of battalion, regimental and divisional services followed us.

But war is not only a bloody mess. This is constant hunger, when instead of food the soldier received salted water mixed with a handful of flour in the form of a pale gruel. This is cold in frost and snow, in stone cellars, when ice and frost freeze the living matter in the vertebrae. These are inhuman conditions for being alive on the front line, under a hail of shrapnel and bullets. This is shameless foul language, insults and threats from the headquarters “front-line soldiers” and “trenchmen” (battalion, regimental and divisional leadership).

War is exactly what they don’t talk about because they don’t know. Individuals have returned from the rifle companies, from the front line, no one knows them, and they are not invited to television programs, and if one of them decides to say something about the war, then his mouth is politely shut...

This begs the question. Which of the surviving eyewitnesses can tell about the people who fought in the companies? It’s one thing to sit under pressure, away from the front line, and another thing to go on attacks and look the Germans point-blank in the eyes. War must be known from the inside, felt with every fiber of the soul. War is not at all what was written by people who did not fight in companies.

I divide those who were assigned to the DKA during the war into two groups, into front-line soldiers and “participants”, into those soldiers and officers who were in companies, on the front line during the battle, and into those who sat behind them in the rear. The war was different for both, they talk about it and remember it differently.

These were inhuman tests. The bloody, snowy fields were strewn with the bodies of the dead, pieces of scattered human flesh, scarlet scraps of overcoats, desperate screams and groans of soldiers. All this must be experienced, heard and seen for yourself in order to imagine these nightmarish pictures in all details.

And now, I’m writing and I see them in front of me as if they were alive. I see the exhausted, pale faces of the soldiers and each of them, dying, wanted to say something. To tell those who will remain after them to live on this land, soaked in their blood. These thoughts haunt me.

With what hopeless longing for life, with what human suffering and pleading eyes for help, these people died. They did not die due to sloppiness and not in the silence of the deep rear, like those well-fed and warmed by the warmth of the village huts and residents of the front-line “front-line soldiers” and “trenchmen”.

They are front-line soldiers and trench soldiers of rifle companies; before their death, they were severely frozen, frozen and frozen in the snow fields in the wind. They went to death with their eyes open, knowing about it, expecting death every second, every moment, and these small periods of time dragged on like long hours.

Condemned to death, on the way to the scaffold, just like a soldier with a rifle in his hands, going towards a German, with every fiber of his soul he feels the preciousness of his passing life. He just wants to breathe, see the light, people and land. At such a moment, a person is cleansed of self-interest and envy, of hypocrisy and hypocrisy. Simple, honest, free from human vices the soldiers each time approached their final fatal point.

Without "Vanka Company" the soldiers will not go forward. I was “Vanka company commander” and went with them. Death spared no one. Some died instantly, others bled to death in agony. Only some of the hundreds and thousands of fighters were saved by chance. There were only a few loners left alive, I mean the trench soldiers from the infantry. Fate gave them life as the highest reward.

Many came from the front, there were a lot of people behind us, but almost no one returned from the infantry, from these same rifle companies.

I have been at the front since September 1941 and was wounded many times. I had the opportunity to go through a difficult and long journey along the roads of war. Hundreds and thousands of soldiers and junior officers died next to me.

Many names have disappeared from memory. Sometimes I didn’t even know the names of my soldiers because a company in battle lasted for a week. The lists of soldiers were at the regimental headquarters. They kept records and reported losses. They sent notices to families.

The lieutenant in the company had difficult responsibilities. He was responsible for the outcome of the battle with his own head. And this, I tell you, is not easy! - like in a movie, - sit down and watch. The German beats - you can’t raise your head, and “Vanka the company commander” - his nose bleeds, he must raise his company and take the village, and not take a step back - this is the combat order.

And now those nightmarish days of the war, when our frontline companies fought fierce battles, vividly appeared before my eyes. Everything came flooding in suddenly. Soldiers' faces, retreating and fleeing Germans, liberated villages, snow-covered fields and roads flashed. It was as if I could smell the snow, gloomy forest and burnt huts again. I again heard the roar and growing roar of German artillery, the quiet talk of my soldiers and the close-minded babble of the entrenched Germans.

Probably many of you think that war is an interesting show, romance, heroism and combat episodes. But that's not true. No one then, neither young nor old, wanted to die. Man is born to live. And none of those who fell in battle thought of dying so quickly. Everyone hoped only for the best. But the life of an infantryman in battle hangs on a thin thread, which can easily be torn off by a German bullet or a small shrapnel. The soldier does not have time to do anything heroic, and death overtakes him.

Every person has the strength to do something big and significant. But this requires conditions. The situation must be right for a person’s impulse to be noticed. But in war, in shooting combat, where we were left to our own devices, it often happened that each such impulse ended in death.

In the war, our land lost millions of its best sons. Weren’t those who in 1941, with a rifle in their hands and a handful of cartridges, going to certain death, heroes?! I think that they are the only and true heroes. They saved our land from invasion and their bones remained in the ground. But to this day, they lie unknown, no graves, no names.

Just for what the Russian soldier endured on his shoulders, he is worthy of the sacred memory of his people! Without sleep or rest, hungry and under terrible stress, in the bitter cold and all the time in the snow, under hurricane fire from the enemy, the advanced companies moved forward. The unbearable torment of the seriously wounded, which sometimes there was no one to endure, all this befell the infantryman going to the enemy.

Life is given to a person once and it is the most valuable and expensive thing that everyone has. Many were at war, but even more remained lying in dead silence. But not all those who are alive and have returned know what it means to go as part of a rifle company to certain death.

In my book "Vanka Company Officer", there is more human grief and suffering than joyful and cheerful combat episodes.

Perhaps I was not able to fully and impartially convey everything I experienced, but all this happened in my life, during the war, in reality and in reality. You must understand this harsh truth!

Comfrey would have understood me immediately and without second guessing. And I not only understood, but also added on my own that I spoke painfully softly about some aspects of the war and did not say a strong word about the war from the bottom of my heart.

Read the book “Vanka Company Officer” and think about how a front-line soldier differs from another “front-line soldier” and what war is!”

The archival documents available in TsAMO of irretrievable losses of divisions, regiments, individual units, medical battalions and mobile field hospitals, with their impartiality and dryness of headquarters lines, not only fully confirm what Alexander Ilyich said, but, moreover, allow us to imagine events on a variety of fronts and in a variety of periods . It happens that reading these documents becomes scary!

However, let us return to the first days of December 1941 and read the memoirs of the commander of the 10th Army F.I. Golikova.

“The center of gravity of efforts on the first day of the army’s offensive was concentrated on the city of Mikhailov. It housed the main group of the enemy's 10th motorized division.

To guarantee the success of the attack on Mikhailov, three divisions had to move: the 328th from the front, and the 330th and 324th from the flanks.

The front commander approved the decision without comments, amendments or any advice... The length of routes for a number of divisions reached 100-115 km. Some had to move in reinforced marches of up to 45-50 km per day. It should be taken into account that most of the army divisions were in almost continuous motion, starting from the day they were unloaded from the wagons. First they went to temporary concentration areas. As soon as they gathered together, they immediately moved to the deployment line to go on the offensive.

The marches were very difficult. By this time it had become sharply cold. For the sake of secrecy, the troops marched only at night. Frosts reached 28-35°. Movement was greatly hampered by deep snow cover and snowstorms, especially when crossing numerous ravines and floodplains.

Due to the conditions of the situation, the 10th Army entered the battle on the move. This was done forcedly - due to the complete lack of time for any advance preparation....”

Having liberated the city of Mikhailov with battle, the rifle divisions of the 10th Army continued the offensive forward to Stalinogorsk, liberating villages and villages from the German evil spirits along the way.”

Today, in the memoirs of former German generals, one can read complaints about the Russian “General Frost”, about the Russian impassability, and about the actions of the partisans. They are trying to find “objective” explanations for their defeat. Did nature create different weather conditions for the Red Army? Snow drifts in open areas and deep snow cover prevented the advance of troops and their deployment into battle formations. It was necessary to use roads on which the fascists had built strong defense centers and strongholds in convenient places. One of these defense centers was located on the road from Mikhailov in the direction of Stalinogorsk, in the village of Gremyachee.

This is what General F.I. says. Golikov. “Gremyachee is an important stronghold in the enemy’s defense system on the river. Pronya. Possessing it, the enemy covered the main routes towards the cities of Novomoskovsk and Epifani. The Nazis thoroughly strengthened it. The village is located on a high and very steep rocky bank of the Pronya, and the approaches to it are open. The Nazis built machine-gun nests along the shore and flanked the river valley.

The enemy held Gremyache with the main forces of the motorized regiment of the 25th motorized division, reinforced by divisions of two heavy artillery regiments, a significant number of tanks and armored vehicles with assault rifle troops.

As participants in the battles for Gremyachee recall, the advance detachment sent from the 328th Infantry Division to intercept the enemy’s escape routes from Gremyachee to the west was unable to complete its mission. It was inactive and had no tanks. The detachment commander nevertheless made an energetic attempt to capture the strong point on the move, but this failed.

The division commander sent two rifle regiments to Gremyachey, assigning each an artillery regiment division. The 1105th Infantry Regiment went around the village on the right to capture its northern half. The 1103rd regiment was supposed to pin down the enemy with part of its forces by attacking the eastern outskirts of the village, and with the main forces to cover it from the south. However, the offensive of this regiment developed unorganized and was directed head-on. The regiment immediately suffered heavy losses from strong flank and frontal machine-gun and artillery fire, and after several enemy counterattacks, it suspended the offensive on the western slopes of nameless heights located directly east and southeast of the village.

The division commander had to bring in the 1107th Infantry Regiment from his second echelon. It was introduced correctly - bypassing Gremyacheye from the south. The regiment's attack was preceded by a short strike of artillery and mortars on the discovered firing points. At the same time, the other two regiments of the division went on the attack. Through joint efforts, the enemy's resistance was broken. The ensuing street battle did not last long. The battalion of the 1105th regiment played a major role in the outcome of the battle. At the height of events, this battalion, having bypassed the enemy from the north, cut off the main road leading from Gremyachee to Novomoskovsk. Having discovered the impending danger of encirclement, the Nazis began to retreat. By 14:00 the village was cleared of the enemy. Two tanks, five armored vehicles, 30 motorcycles, four 105 mm guns, vehicles, weapons, and ammunition were taken. The 5-kilometer section of the road between Gremyachee and Yatskoye was clogged with abandoned enemy military equipment, cars, carts and motorcycles.

During the battle, the platoon commander of the 1107th regiment, junior lieutenant Kolosov, distinguished himself. He burst into a collective farm cattle yard occupied by the Nazis and destroyed 20 enemy soldiers with machine gun fire. The commander of the hand flamethrower squad of the 1103rd regiment, junior commander Ilyin, also distinguished himself. With three fighters, he secretly made his way behind enemy lines and burst into the building, from where an enemy machine gun was firing destructively. The machine gun was destroyed and the machine gun crew was killed. The division's artillerymen provided great assistance, especially the 2nd division of the artillery regiment under the command of Senior Lieutenant Ostapenko. He maneuvered fire and wheels very well. Its batteries, moving into open firing positions, tirelessly attacked enemy tanks, armored vehicles and machine gunners. The escort gun commander Astakhov knocked out two enemy tanks during one of the enemy counterattacks.

In the center of the village, a terrible picture appeared before our soldiers and commanders. Residents removed their relatives and fellow villagers from the gallows. These were fifteen patriots who responded with a decisive refusal to the Nazis’ demand to enter their service. The occupiers dealt with these people and, under threat of death, did not allow relatives to remove the hanged men for burial. The corpses hung like that until the liberation of the village.

And at the entrance to Gremyachey one could see many corpses of the Nazis: up to 250 killed soldiers and officers.

This victory also cost the units of the 328th Infantry Division considerable sacrifices. The 1103rd Infantry Regiment lost the most soldiers. The regiment commander, Major I.M. Talubyev, died the death of the brave, dragging the soldiers into the attack. In the same battle, the commander of the 1107th Infantry Regiment, Major M.K. Markov, was seriously wounded.” These lines were written by the commander of the 10th Army, Philip Ivanovich Golikov, in the book “In the Battle of Moscow: Notes of an Army Commander.”

Of course, after the war, the brave General Golikov could blame the losses suffered by the division on the “incompetence” of regimental commander I.M. Talubyev. Justify his own mistakes with the mistakes of his subordinates. In December 1941, there were not many regiment commanders who personally raised soldiers to attack! And I am very upset that the feat of the commander of the 1103rd regiment, Major Ivan Mitrofanovich Talubyev, was not properly noted. The circumstances of his death turned out to be very similar to the death of the commander of the 922nd Infantry Regiment of the 250th Division, Major Dmitry Ignatievich Kuznetsov. First week at the front. The first fierce bloody battles. No combat experience yet. But there is an ardent love for the Motherland, personal courage and bravery!

By the way, when checking the information in the OBD-Memorial, it was revealed that at the fraternal military burial the name of the regiment commander was indicated with an error - Tolubiev I.M. It will be true - Talubyev I.M. Yes, actually the point is not a mistake, but the fact that even immediately after the war, when the events were fresh in memory. Neither later, on the 25th anniversary, nor later, nor Army Commander F.I. Golikov and the glorious victorious generals never bothered to honor their soldiers, who remained forever in the Tula land. As, indeed, in other places of fierce fighting. Killed and forgotten. Mass graves and monuments were built on them by local residents, but not by fellow soldiers.

I was lucky enough to know two front-line soldiers. This is Sergeant Matytsin Sergei Nikiforovich, who initiated the construction of a monument to fallen fellow soldiers near the village of Kholmets, near Olenino, in the 70s. And the Guards foreman of regimental foot reconnaissance Antonina Vladimirovna Efremova (Vanysheva), who near Serpukhov built the “Glory” memorial in memory of the soldiers of the 5th Guards Rifle Division who died in 1941. It was they who, by their example, inspired me to build a memorial in memory of the soldiers of the 922nd Infantry Regiment of the 250th Infantry Division (first formation), among whom is the name of my grandfather....

And the Germans in 1941 were far from fools! They had excellent training and combat experience. Excellent weapons and skills in their use. And this is not praise for enemies. This is a statement of fact - what an enemy our grandfathers and great-grandfathers had to fight with! And to defeat enemy soldiers, to break their backs, to grind down these selected units with each battle, in the end - to force the enemy to retreat - is real soldier’s valor!

The enemy's defense system during this period was built on the principle of organizing strongholds and resistance centers, the base of which in winter conditions was populated areas. The defensive position of each formation consisted of company strong points and battalion resistance centers with gaps between them. The latter were covered by a system of flanking cross machine-gun fire, fire from mortar batteries and machine gunners; in some places the gaps were filled with snow trenches and snow (watered) ramparts.

Strongholds located at heights made it possible to view the terrain and attack the attackers at distant approaches. Moreover, in Gremyache the Pronya River flowed in front of the strongholds, which extremely complicated the position of the advancing troops.

The Germans located their firing points in stone or wooden buildings adapted for defense, as well as in wood-earth snow points specially built for this purpose and in snow trenches. Some houses and outbuildings were converted, others were mercilessly burned or dismantled into logs to strengthen machine-gun nests. A common technique for the Krauts was to install equipment right in the dugout house, in which one could survive the shelling, and then jump out and take positions at the loophole. The machine gun nest in the house was additionally protected from above, with logs and sprinkling with earth. At the same time, the walls and roof of the house “received” shells and mines, causing them to explode ahead of time. To protect the machine gunner, a fence was often made between the wall of the building and the machine gun point, where a layer of rubble, stones, bricks and earth was poured between the walls. "Defense and field fortifications German army" (M.: Voenizdat, 1942)

The enemy widely used heating of dugouts located along the main communication routes. In these dugouts, the Germans with machine guns and machine guns sat out from the artillery and mortar fire, leaving only combat guards in the trenches. And when the moment came for the Red Army to attack, the Krauts ran out and took up positions in nearby trenches and firing points. Quite often, the Germans placed their firing points on the reverse slopes, at a distance of 150-200 m from the crest of the height. This made it possible to avoid losses from artillery or mortar attacks. In addition, the Germans arranged several reserve positions for fire weapons; machine gunners, submachine gunners and individual guns, which made it possible to move from one position to another.

Taking into account winter time, frosts and artificial ice created by the Germans on the slopes in front of the strong points, the situation for the attack of the 1103rd regiment was extremely unfavorable.

This is what he says veteran of the 238th Infantrydivision P.N. Kuzmenko in his book “Fiery Wind of Glory”:“The task of the 328th Infantry Division was to liberate the Gremyachee region. The enemy held Gremyache with the help of a motorized regiment of the 25th Motorized Division, reinforced by divisions of two artillery regiments, two tank battalions and armored vehicles with a landing of machine gunners. The enemy managed to equip the entire village with a perimeter defense until the unit of the 328th division arrived. In an effort to disrupt our offensive, the enemy threw a significant number of armored vehicles into the battle, up to a company of tanks with a landing force of machine gunners and up to two battalions of infantry. Colonel P. A. Eremin sent two rifle regiments to Gremyachey, giving each an artillery regiment division. The 1105th regiment went around the village on the right to capture its northern half. This was entrusted to the 1st and 3rd battalions, while the 2nd covered the right flank of the division advancing along the Pronya River. The 1103rd regiment was supposed to pin down the enemy with part of its forces by attacking the eastern outskirts of the village, and with its main forces to envelop it from the south.

However, the offensive of this regiment did not develop in an organized manner and was directed head-on. The regiment immediately suffered heavy losses from strong flank and frontal machine-gun and artillery fire, and after several enemy counterattacks, it suspended the offensive on the western slopes of nameless heights located directly east and southeast of the village. The division commander had to bring in the 1107th regiment from his second echelon. It was introduced correctly - bypassing the village of Gremyachee from the south. The regiment's attack was preceded by a short strike of artillery and mortars on the discovered firing points. At the same time, the other two regiments of the division also went on the attack. Through joint efforts, the enemy's resistance was broken. The ensuing street battle did not last long. The 2nd battalion of the 1105th regiment, captain A.F. Seleznev, played a big role in the outcome of the battle. At the height of events, this battalion, having bypassed the enemy from the north, occupied the village of Yatskoye, cutting off the large road leading from Gremyachey to Stalinogorsk (Novomoskovsk). Having discovered the impending danger of encirclement, the Nazis began to retreat in a southwestern direction, abandoning their equipment and weapons. The five-kilometer section of the road between Gremyachee and Yatskoye was clogged with abandoned enemy military equipment, cars, carts and motorcycles. During the battle, the platoon commander of the 1107th regiment, junior lieutenant Kolosov, distinguished himself. He burst into a collective farm cattle yard occupied by the Nazis and destroyed 20 enemy soldiers with machine gun fire. The commander of the light machine gun squad of the 1103rd regiment, Ilyin, also distinguished himself. With three fighters, he secretly made his way behind enemy lines and burst into the building, from where an enemy machine gun was firing destructively. The machine gun was destroyed and the machine gun crew was killed. The division's artillerymen provided great assistance, especially the 2nd division of the artillery regiment. He maneuvered fire and wheels very well, his battery moved into open firing positions and tirelessly hit enemy tanks, armored vehicles and machine gunners. The escort gun commander Astakhov knocked out two enemy tanks during one of the enemy counterattacks. On December 9, 1941, by 2 p.m., the village was liberated. In this battle, the battalion of the enemy's 71st regiment was completely defeated, 7 armored vehicles, 8 mortars, and 4-105 mm guns were knocked out. 10 light and 6 heavy machine guns, over 150 rifles, up to 1000 machine gun belts, 12 vehicles were captured, one of them with personal belongings and correspondence of Guderian’s adjutant and 5 prisoners. At the entrance to Gremyachey there were up to 250 killed Nazi soldiers and officers

This victory also cost units of the division considerable sacrifices. The 1103rd Infantry Regiment lost the most. Its commander, Major Ivan Mitrofanovich Talubyev, died.”

In Gremyache, 224 soldiers of the 328th Infantry Division, who liberated the village of Gremyache, were buried in a mass grave. Including: known 215, unknown - 9. The mass grave was formed during the fighting on December 8-9, 1941.

Kuzmenko Pyotr Nikitovich, author of the book “Fiery Wind of Glory,” did a titanic work, collecting archival materials and testimonies of battle participants about the combat path of the 31st Guards Division from its creation in the fall of 1941 until the end of the war. The author himself went all the way from the beginning to the end of the war as part of this division. The dead were buried directly in the area of death. The dead were included in lists of casualties and, in most cases, relatives were informed of the places of death. Those of them whose identities could not be established were listed as missing. Initially, a wooden monument was built and the area was surrounded by a wooden fence.

In the 1960s, it was decided to move the burials in Berezovka, Pushkari, Streltsy, in the field where the Krasnobogatyrsky Garden is located, to the mass grave in the village of Gremyacheye.

Years have passed. While in Mikhailov at the invitation of Yu.V. Buchnev, local historian and artist, founder of the Mikhailovsky Museum of Local Lore, I had a chance to drive through Gremyachee, Pushkari, Streltsy... I remember that then I was impressed not only by the amazing names of local villages and hamlets, but also by the huge reservoir in the Gremyachee area.

All this wealth was carefully kept in memory. And finally, already this year, putting everything aside, I tried to restore the names of the dead soldiers of the 1103rd Infantry Regiment, and checked the lists of the regiment’s irretrievable losses. It seems to me that we were able to establish several dozen names of soldiers who were “lost” in time. During the research, questions arose, moreover, doubts, about the validity of perpetuating the names of the soldiers of the 1103rd regiment in the Leninsky district of the Tula region, in the area of Plavsk and Efremov. Judging by wartime documents, they died on December 8, 1941, in that same battle for Gremyacheye. But their names are immortalized for some unknown reason in a completely different place. And I hope that local historians will be able to understand this issue. I believe that an absurd mistake occurred and s. Gremyachevo of the Novomoskovsk district was confused with Gremyachevo of the Leninsky district. An error or inattention led to distortion of information.

In addition, more than 80 percent of those killed from the 1103rd regiment of the 328th division were natives of the Yaroslavl region. And I believe it would be appropriate if the people of Tula, in honor of the Yaroslavl warriors of the liberators, erect a memorial sign as an expression of their appreciation and gratitude. We talk a lot about patriotism, citizenship education, and the unity of the people. And such a memorial sign, without a doubt, will play a great educational role for the youth of the Tula region and will become a clear example of the unity of the people in the face of a cruel and insidious enemy!

I sent the results of my research to the Department of the Ministry of Defense for Perpetuating the Memory of those who died defending the Fatherland, to the head of the Gremyacheye Department, to the Novomoskovsk district newspaper and the regional council of veterans. I hope that the veteran organization of the Tula region, which has authority both at the level of the regional government and at the level of districts and districts, will provide me with all possible assistance in such an important issue as preserving the names of fallen soldiers. I hope so...

The combat path of the 328th Infantry Warsaw Red Banner Division

    The combat path of the 328th Infantry Warsaw Red Banner Division began in the North Caucasus in the fall of 1942.
    The soldiers of the division as part of the Black Sea Group of Forces of the Transcaucasian Front steadfastly held back the onslaught of the Nazi hordes rushing to the sea and in Transcaucasia. After heavy defensive battles, the Red Army troops thwarted the enemy's offensive in the foothills of the Main Caucasus Range and forced him to go on the defensive. The 328th also made a strong contribution to this. rifle division.
    The front-line roads of the 328th Infantry took it through Kuban and Donbass, Right Bank Ukraine and Poland to the capital of Nazi Germany. The first of the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front, it united in Ketzin with units of the 1st Ukrainian Front, closing the outer ring of encirclement of the enemy group in Berlin.
    The Motherland appreciated the military feats of the division's soldiers. She was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and given the honorary title of Warsaw. All its units were also awarded orders, some of them were given honorary titles. Thousands of division soldiers are marked state awards, and six of them became Heroes of the Soviet Union.

Division formation
    The defensive battle in the North Caucasus began on July 25, 1942 at the turn of the Don River in the strip from the village of Verkhnekurmoyarskaya to the mouth of the Don.
    In August, the enemy captured Krasnodar, Maykop, Belorechenskaya and rushed to Tuapse, trying to reach the Black and Caspian Seas. The fascist German command's immediate goal was to reach the Black Sea coast, capture the most important regions of the Caucasus, break through Dagestan to Baku and capture the Baku oil regions.
    The Supreme Command Headquarters took urgent measures to strengthen the Transcaucasian Front.
    On August 18, the enemy launched an offensive in the Northern Group of Forces zone. Having shot down its advanced detachments, he captured Mozdok on August 25, hoping to break through to Grozny from here.
    To prevent this threat and create a depth of defense in the Makhachkala region, the formation of the 58th Army was hastily completed, consisting of four rifle divisions, a rifle brigade and two artillery regiments under the command of Major General V.A. Khomenko. Among the rifle divisions that became part of the 58th Army was the 328th.
    The connection under this number was first created in August - September 1941 in the Kostroma region.
    For the courage and heroism of its personnel in the battle of Moscow in May 1942, the division was reorganized into the 31st Guards Rifle Division. For the second time, the 328th Rifle Division was formed on the basis of a decree of the State Defense Committee and an order of the commander of the North Caucasus Military District dated July 29, 1942.
    Formation began in the city of Beslan, Ordzhonikidze region, but without finishing it, on August 11, the division moved to the city of Vagharshapad, Armenian SSR. Along the way, she received a new task - by August 22, concentrate in the area of Buinaksk, Dagestan Autonomous Republic and join the 58th Army.
    The division included the 1103, 1105 and 1107th rifle regiments, the 889th artillery regiment, the 295th separate anti-tank artillery division, the 606th separate engineer battalion, the 446th separate company communications, 404th separate chemical defense company, 388th separate reconnaissance company, 411th separate medical battalion and other units [ TsAMO, f. 1641, op.1, d.1, l.1].
    Having arrived in the indicated area, the division was located in the city of Buinaksk, in the villages of Buglen, Atlanaul, Nizhny and Upper Dzhengutai, Kazaniche.
    Colonel N.I. Pavlovsky was appointed division commander, senior battalion commissar A.V. Margulis was appointed commissar, lieutenant colonel N.P. Zagrebelny was appointed deputy division commander, major Yu.M. Abramov was appointed chief of staff, and senior battalion commissar was appointed head of the political department. A.I. Shchetinin, artillery commander - Colonel I.P. Sabinin, regiment commanders: 1103rd - Lieutenant Colonel K.S. Tatarchuk, 1105th - Major V.I. Katrich, 1107th - Major G.D. Balbulyan, 889th Artillery - Major I.Ya. Kryzhko.
    Immediately, marching teams, as well as soldiers, sergeants and officers from hospitals, began to arrive at the units.
    The officers were mainly front-line soldiers, many of them were injured. On the same days, a large detachment of graduates of the Makhachkala and Telavi infantry schools arrived. At the same time, the division received equipment, equipment, weapons, transport, and horses. There was intense combat and political preparation, at the same time, reconnaissance of the area was carried out. The enemy was approaching, and it was necessary to be prepared to meet him at any moment.
The 58th Army constituted the second echelon of the Northern Group of Forces of the North Caucasus Front and its units still had the opportunity to improve their training and acquire the skills necessary for combat.
    In combat training, the main attention was paid to individual training and putting together units. The soldiers mastered weapons and artillery equipment, learned to shoot, conduct reconnaissance, and establish communications in relation to the mountain theater of military operations.
    By the beginning of hostilities in the division there were soldiers of 22 different nationalities, including seven nationalities of the Caucasus.
    In classes with command personnel and headquarters, planning of a defensive battle, organization of interaction, and management of units and subunits were practiced. Close connections were established with local Soviet and party bodies. Whenever possible, the division's personnel helped the collective farms in harvesting crops, repairing roads and buildings, and often provided vehicles for transporting goods. Political workers spoke to collective farmers with reports on international situation and the situation on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, agitators conducted conversations and political information.
    Every day the units and units grew stronger, became more united and combat-ready.
    Meanwhile, the situation at the front was deteriorating. On September 3, 1942, the enemy began transporting his troops from Crimea to Taman Peninsula and went on the offensive towards Novorossiysk, trying to cut off the Red Army troops from the sea. By September 9, part of Novorossiysk was captured by the enemy, but all his attempts to advance along the sea were unsuccessful. The enemy did not get further than Novorossiysk.
    Having failed to achieve success in the Novorossiysk direction, fascist German troops attempted to break through to the sea in the Tuapse direction. In September, the Nazis strengthened this direction and were preparing new attacks on the troops of the Black Sea Group. They intended to reach the Black Sea coast in the Tuapse area, cut off the Black Sea Group of Forces from the main forces of the front, deprive the Black Sea Fleet of bases and ports, and free up part of their forces for action in other directions.
    The Supreme High Command Headquarters carried out a number of measures to strengthen the Black Sea Group of Forces: they were regrouped, fresh formations and units were brought in, and reserves were created. The 328th Infantry Division also advanced to the Tuapse direction.

Defense of the Caucasus
    In accordance with the combat order of the headquarters of the North Caucasus Front, the division made a combined march from September 10 to 20: from Makhachkala to Sukhumi along railway, further to Tuapse, some units by sea, and the 889th artillery regiment, mortar and rear units - on their own.
    On September 20, the division concentrated in the Tuapse area, where it became part of the 18th Army of the Black Sea Group of Forces and took up defense on the line Bolshoye Pseushko, Anastasievka, Georgirpovka, Kochevka. On September 25, it was transferred to the Tuapse defensive region (TOR) with the task of defending its outer contour. On the same day the enemy went on the offensive. The Tuapse defensive operation began, which lasted until December 20, 1942.
    The enemy launched the main attack from the Neftegorsk area on Shaumyan and an auxiliary attack from the Goryachiy Klyuch area also on Shaumyan with the task of encircling the main forces of the 18th Army northeast of this city.
    After powerful air and artillery raids, the enemy attacked units of the 32nd Guards Rifle Division along the Maikop - Tuapse road. The guards defended steadfastly and held their positions. Having failed to achieve success in this direction, the enemy tried to break through the village of Gunayka (12 km east of Shaumyan) on September 27. After heated fighting, he managed to move forward. The Nazis achieved partial success in other areas as well. By the end of September 30, they had penetrated the defenses of the 18th Army in the Sosnovka area, Mount Geiman.
    In this regard, the Supreme Command Headquarters demanded that the front command under no circumstances allow the enemy to enter the Tuapse area. The Headquarters directive indicated the need for active action and covering the Tuapse direction, or more precisely, the Khadyzhinskaya-Tuapse road, with units of the 32nd Guards and 328th Rifle Divisions.
    The front commander set the task of destroying the enemy in the Sosnovka area and restoring the situation, for which to strike with the forces of the 119th Rifle Brigade, one regiment of the 328th Rifle Division and part of the forces of the 68th Marine Rifle Brigade, 32nd Guards, 236th and the 328th rifle divisions to firmly cover the Khadyzhinskaya - Tuapse road [ TsAMO, f. 371, op.6367, d.102, l.142].
    On September 29, the 328th Infantry Division returned to the 18th Army and concentrated in the area of Shaumyan with the task of occupying the line of Navaginskaya station, Elisavetpolsky pass, Shaumyan by the end of October 1 in readiness for an offensive with one regiment in the direction of the Geiman and Lysaya mountains. The 1103rd Rifle Regiment remained in the reserve of the commander of the 18th Army, and then under the operational subordination of the commander of the 56th Army and the commander of the 32nd Guards Rifle Division.
    However, on October 1, the enemy launched a preemptive strike, captured Mount Gunai and developed an offensive against the villages of Maratuki and Kotlovina. A gap opened up in the operational structure of the 18th Army. On October 3, the Nazis bypassed Mount Geiman from the southeast, reached the northern outskirts of Guynak and began to advance along the valley of the Guynak River towards Shaumyan.
    On the evening of October 3, the rear of the 328th division was subjected to fierce bombing. Several bombs exploded near ammunition stacks. A fire started. The sentry at the warehouse, Private V.N. Korolev, raised the alarm and was the first to put out the fire. The head of the mobile artillery depot, communist junior military technician F.P. Vlasov, showed composure and courage in leading the fight against the fire. The battle with the fire continued for three hours. Hot shells began to explode, but the soldiers did not flinch before mortal danger and saved the ammunition. F.P. Vlasov was awarded the medal "For Courage".
    The troops of the 18th Army during October 4-9 repelled fierce attacks by units of the 44th German Army Corps advancing in the Gunai and Kurin directions. The enemy managed to push back the first echelon formations and capture the villages of Gunayka and Kurinsky.
    The 1103rd Infantry Regiment, being operationally subordinate to the commander of the 32nd Guards. rifle division, during October 3-4 he fought for the Kurinsky farm. On October 4, as a result of a strong enemy attack, the 2nd Rifle Battalion under the command of Captain A.M. Apishev was cut off from the main forces of the regiment and surrounded. The battalion units fought bravely, not giving the enemy the opportunity to split them into small groups.
    During the battle, rifleman of the 4th company V.F. Mukhin and two soldiers occupied a bunker captured from the enemy. The Nazis pushed the company back, and it retreated. The soldiers did not have time to leave with her and remained in the bunker. From captured in battle light machine gun They fired accurately and repulsed several attacks, destroying up to fifteen enemy soldiers and two officers. The company took advantage of the hitch, went on the attack and occupied the previous line [ TsAMO, f. 1641, op.2, d.8, l.5]. Private V.F. Mukhin was awarded the order Red Star.
    Squad commander A.I. Veselov, mortar platoon commander Lieutenant G.F. Bezuburchuk, gunner Private A.V. Andreev and many other soldiers fought bravely.
    Sergeant Veselov was wounded, but continued to fight; after the platoon commander of the 5th rifle company failed, he replaced him, led a counterattack, personally destroyed up to 12 Nazis and led the platoon out of encirclement, for which he was awarded the Order of the Red Star.
    Lieutenant Bezuburchuk, having destroyed the enemy crew in hand-to-hand combat, captured a machine gun. Turning it around, he opened fire and helped repel the attack. The officer's feat was awarded the medal "For Military Merit".
    Private A.V. Andreev fired from a mortar until the last mine, after which, with a rifle in his hands, he joined the shooters and went with them on a counterattack. Having destroyed up to 15 Nazis, he and his battalion left the encirclement and, with the help of his comrades, carried out an 82-mm mortar [ TsAMO, f. 1641, op.2, d.8, l.3,4,11]. The brave warrior was awarded the Order of the Red Star.
    During heavy fighting, the regiment suffered serious losses, but held back the enemy's onslaught.
    Since October 4, the division (without the 1103rd regiment) defended the farmsteads southeast of the Pshish junction, the Navaginskaya station, and the Elisavetpolsky pass with the task of not allowing the enemy to pass along the Gunayka River valley to Shaumyan. On October 8, the 3rd Rifle Battalion of the 1105th Regiment was assigned to the 12th Guards Cavalry Division and participated with it in counterattacks. 1105th Infantry Regiment (without the 3rd battalion) in cooperation with the 12th Guards. During October 8 and 9, the cavalry division actively defended itself and carried out counterattacks along the Gunayka River valley. Having superiority in forces and means, the enemy repelled them, and the regiment went on the defensive. Continuing to advance, the Nazis penetrated the defenses in the 2nd battalion's sector and cut off the regiment. For two days, the 1st and 2nd battalions fought in and out of encirclement.
    The 1107th Infantry Regiment was the second echelon of the division and had not yet entered into battle. On the night of October 9, its 1st Rifle Battalion was withdrawn to the Ostrovskaya Shchel area and took up defense there until the arrival of the 107th Rifle Brigade.
    By the end of October 9, the enemy's offensive was stopped in all directions by the stubborn defense and counterattacks of the troops of the 18th Army. The first attempt of the Nazi troops to break through to Tuapse failed. They went on the defensive, but at the same time strengthened their grouping in the Gunai and Kurin directions.
    On October 12, the 328th Division received the task of blocking height 618.7 with part of its units, and with the main forces in the morning of October 13, advancing along the valley of the Gunayka River. The division commander ordered the 1st and 2nd battalions of the 1105th regiment to block height 618.7, then destroy the enemy there during the night, and the 1107th Infantry Regiment (without the 1st battalion) to capture the village of Gunayka 1st.
    The 26th NKVD Regiment (later operationally subordinate to the division) was advancing on the left; there was no neighbor on the right.
    On the morning of October 13, after a short artillery fire attack, the division went on the offensive, but encountered strong enemy fire resistance and did not reach the goal.
    On October 14, the enemy launched two attacks simultaneously: one from the Gunayki area to Shaumyan, Sadovoe, the other from the Fanagoriyskoye area to Sadovoe with the goal of encircling the main group of the 18th Army and breaking through to Tuapse.
    Advancing in the valley of the Gunayka River towards Shaumyan, the Nazis pushed back units of the 328th division and wedged themselves between the 1105th and 1107th rifle regiments, threatening to encircle the latter.
    A battery of 76-mm regimental guns located on the flank of the 1107th regiment came under bombing and lost its commander. He was replaced by a senior officer at the battery, Jr. Lieutenant M.P. Poberezhnyak. He ordered a quick change of position. Having occupied it, the battery met the attackers with rapid fire and, scattering up to a company of infantry, prevented the encirclement of the regiment. Jr. Lieutenant M.P. Poberezhnyak was awarded the medal "For Courage".
    The next day the attacks continued. Under heavy enemy fire, the 26th NKVD Regiment withdrew, opening the left flank of the 1107th Regiment. The 1105th Regiment also departed, which was then transferred to the operational subordination of the commander of the 107th Infantry Brigade and remained in its composition until November 4.
    By the end of October 15, the advanced units of the enemy reached the Ostrovskaya Shchel railway bridge and in the area 2 km east of G. Shaumyan, machine gunners infiltrated the southern outskirts of the city and attacked the division command post.
    The CP personnel, led by the chief of staff, Lieutenant Colonel Yu.M. Abramov, using personal weapons and grenades, entered into battle with the machine gunners and drove them back.
    On the same day, the driver of the 391st separate auto company, Private N.K. Komendantov, while delivering ammunition, came under bombing, and then under fire from machine gunners. In a vehicle loaded with shells, at high speed, he broke through enemy positions and safely delivered the ammunition to the firing positions of the 889th artillery regiment. The division commander awarded Komendantov the medal "For Courage".
    Other soldiers of the auto company also acted selflessly: Lieutenant V.Ya. Voinov, Sergeant Major I.S. Krivorot, Private S.P. Nedelsky. They uninterruptedly supplied ammunition to division units.
    On October 17, the enemy captured the city of Shaumyan and started a battle for the Elisavetpolsky pass. On the same day, the 1103rd Infantry Regiment returned to the division.
    The command of the 18th Army was urgently preparing counterattacks from two directions to defeat the enemy in the Shaumyan area. The 328th Infantry Division was supposed to take part in one of them [ TsAMO, f. 371, op.6367, d.102, l.148], which received the task, in cooperation with the 119th Infantry Brigade, to destroy the enemy in this area.
    On the morning of October 18, after an artillery fire raid, the 1107th Infantry Regiment went on the attack, reached the northwestern outskirts of Shaumyan and, encountering strong fire resistance, gained a foothold. Having repelled the army's attack, the enemy troops resumed their offensive. During intense battles, the Nazis pushed back the army formations and captured the Elisavetpolsky pass.
    On October 20, the division, with the exception of the 1107th regiment, was withdrawn to the army reserve and located in the Parneva gully area. Ahead of her were units of the 32nd Guards Rifle Division.
    The next day, after powerful artillery and air preparation, superior enemy forces delivered the main blow to the right neighbor of the 32nd Guards. division - the 408th Infantry Division from the Ostrovskaya Shchel area and the Kholodnaya beam. Fierce fighting began. The personnel of the 408th division showed resilience, heroism and did not allow the Nazis to penetrate deeply into the defense, but were still forced to retreat. The enemy entered the valley of the Pshish River to the villages of Perevalny and Goytkh, threatening to bypass the right flank of the army. By October 23, he managed to capture Perevalny and reach the Semashko and Indyuk mountains, cutting off the only rock road.
    The army command strengthened the defense of the Goytkhsky pass and created two army artillery groups, one of which included the 889th artillery regiment. As a result of the measures taken, the enemy's advance was stopped.
    On October 24, the Nazis launched an offensive on the left flank of the army and, after fierce fighting, captured Sarai Gora. Then the army commander gave the order to the 328th and 32nd Guards. rifle divisions to destroy the wedged enemy and restore the situation.
    By the end of October 26, the task was completed, the 328th division occupied Sarai Gora and cut the Shaumyan-Sadovoe road [ TsAMO, f. 371, op.6367, d.102, l.154]. Having repelled numerous enemy counterattacks, she held the captured line.
    Until October 31, formations of the 18th Army fought stubborn battles in the areas of the Semashko, Kamenistaya, Two Brothers mountains, the villages of Perevalny, Goytkh, inflicted significant damage on the enemy in manpower and equipment and threw them back across the Pshish River. Several fascist units were surrounded in the forests and ravines on the northern slopes of the Two Brothers and Semashko mountains.
    The 328th Division held the defense at this time, and its 1103rd Regiment, transferred to the command of the commander of the 68th Marine Rifle Brigade, was ready to act according to the situation.
    Thus, the second enemy attempt to attack Tuapse failed. Nazi troops also went on the defensive.
    The battles now mainly boiled down to improving the position of individual units and destroying encircled enemy groups in the areas of the Semashko and Dav Brata mountains. The first stage of the Tuapse defensive operation ended.
    The troops of the Black Sea group fought in very difficult conditions of mountainous and wooded terrain, with a constant lack of ammunition, food, and fodder. Supply was carried out along one road running along the sea. The enemy continuously bombarded it with artillery fire and launched air strikes. There were even attempts to interrupt communications by launching torpedo strikes from the sea.
    The supply routes of the 328th division were also under continuous influence of enemy aircraft. There were no rolling roads for vehicles. The supply of everything necessary for the battle was intermittent.
    On the night of November 11, the division replaced units of the 32nd Guards. divisions at the line of the Tuk River valley, Sarai Gora (7 km northwest of Shaumyan). In the first echelon there were the 1103rd regiment with the 889th artillery regiment (without the 2nd division) and the 1105th regiment with the 2nd artillery regiment division, the 1107th regiment was in the second echelon. The division was opposed by parts of the 125th German Infantry Division.
    On November 11, the 40th Motorized Rifle (right neighbor) and 10th Rifle (left neighbor) brigades went on the offensive. The next day, the 328th Division began to advance along the Tuk River valley with the task of capturing heights 475.8 and 512.0, and subsequently the bridge over the Tuk River on the highway.
    Having broken the resistance of the covering units, the regiments captured the heights and reached the main fortified enemy line, where they encountered powerful defensive structures. Thus, in the area of the 1105th regiment alone, 12 bunkers, 3 rows of barbed wire, subtle obstacles and minefields were discovered [ TsAMO, f. 1641, op.1, d. 4, l.11].
    Enemy planes continuously hovered in the air and carried out bombing and assault strikes on the formation's battle formations. Units of the division gained a foothold at the position they had reached and repelled counterattacks. The artillerymen suppressed the most active firing points of the Nazis, their artillery and mortar batteries.
    In mid-November, fascist German troops made their third and final attempt to break through to the sea. At the cost of huge losses, they managed to wedge themselves into the center operational construction 18th Army to a depth of 8 km. Their further progress was stopped.
    Having gained extensive experience in organizing and conducting defensive battles, the 328th Division skillfully carried out the task of repelling the enemy's offensive. At the same time, the personnel of the rifle units were busy equipping positions, improving engineering structures, and actively conducting reconnaissance. The artillerymen shot at benchmarks and detected targets and stockpiled ammunition. Sappers mined approaches to the defense, installed wire barriers, prepared passages in the mountains for blowing up, and adapted the terrain for defense.
    During this period, fighter-sabotage groups (squad - platoon) operated successfully. They boldly penetrated behind enemy lines and destroyed manpower, equipment, and warehouses there, disrupted transportation and evacuation, disrupted communication lines, and captured prisoners and documents.
    On December 17, the division surrendered the defense zone to the 119th Rifle Brigade and the 32nd Guards. rifle division and by the morning of December 19 concentrated in the area of the village of Krivenkovskaya, Mount Neveb, Georgievskoye, the Tuapse highway and put itself in order. The 889th artillery regiment remained in its previous firing positions under the command of the commander of the 119th brigade and was later withdrawn from the division.
    Three days later, the Tuapse defensive operation of the Black Sea Group of Forces ended and preparations for the offensive began. As a result of three unsuccessful attempts to break through to Tuapse, the enemy suffered significant losses and was forced to go on the defensive.

In Kuban
    On December 24, the 328th Rifle Division was withdrawn from the 18th Army to the reserve of the Black Sea Group of Forces. Soon, in accordance with the order, it transferred part of its personnel to the 8th Guards Rifle Brigade and was redeployed by rail to the Sochi, Matsesta area for recruitment.
    Having arrived at the site, the units began setting up dugouts and combat training, summing up the results of the September-December battles in the Tuapse direction.
    During the period from September 30 to December 17, 1942, the enemy suffered significant damage: up to 3 thousand soldiers and officers were killed and wounded, 10 people were captured, 25 bunkers were destroyed, 40 vehicles, 30 machine guns were destroyed, 6 artillery fire was suppressed and 8 mortar batteries [ TsAMO, f. 1641, op.1, d.1, l.4].
    Immediately upon the arrival of the division, reinforcements from reserve regiments, as well as weapons, materiel and everything necessary for the battle began to arrive in the deployment area. Most of the arriving soldiers were rather poorly trained and did not participate in battles, so the main task of the commanders was to quickly and efficiently teach soldiers how to wield weapons and fight, to put together units and units. Solving this problem was greatly complicated by the shortage of junior and middle command personnel.
    On January 6, 1943, the division became part of the 46th Army, and on January 13, the 687th Artillery Regiment, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel I.S. Kovalev, arrived in the formation [ TsAMO, f. 1641, op.1, d.4, l.13].
    Previously, the 687th Artillery Regiment was part of the 236th Infantry Division, which in December 1941 landed in the port of Feodosia as part of an amphibious assault. The division's soldiers fought bravely on the Kerch Peninsula. When leaving Crimea in May 1942, the regiment suffered heavy losses, but the artillerymen gained rich combat experience.
    After being completed, the 236th Rifle Division as part of the 18th Army fought in the Kuban and the North Caucasus.
    At the end of October, the division was again withdrawn to staffing, after which in January 1943 it left for the front, and the artillery regiment, which did not yet have means of traction, remained in place and was transferred to the 328th Infantry Division (instead of the 889th rifle regiment).
    In February 1943, instead of Colonel I.P. Sabinin, who had left for a new duty station, a new division artillery commander, Lieutenant Colonel D.N. Kalinin, arrived, and Major I.E. Rodionov was appointed to the post of commander of the 1107th Infantry Regiment.
    Intense combat training of units and subunits took place over a one-month training period and lasted until March 14. After this, the commission of the Black Sea Group of Forces checked the combat training and cohesion of the formation for two days.
    The Commission noted in its conclusions that “328 Rifle Division is fully combat-ready and prepared for combat... The personnel are eager to take part as soon as possible with the entire Red Army in the speedy defeat of the hated fascists...” [ ]. However, she indicated that for full readiness the division needs to be equipped with traction equipment and vehicles.
    Soon an order was received to concentrate in the area of the village of Severskaya (20 km southwest of Krasnodar). On March 17, the division set out on the march and by the morning of March 25, it had completed its concentration in the indicated area.
    After arriving in the area of the village of Severskaya, the division formed the reserve of the North Caucasus Front and was checked again - this time by a commission of the General Staff. In her act, she confirmed the conclusions of the commission of the Black Sea Group of Forces and indicated that “the command and command structure of the division’s units has been put together... and when equipped with everything necessary, the division will be able to carry out combat missions”[ TsAMO, f. 1641, op.1, d.4, l.14-15].
    In the new concentration area, combat training continued, while receiving incoming means of propulsion and transport was carried out.
    In March 1943, troops of the North Caucasus Front led a successful offensive in Kuban. They captured Krasnodar, the village of Abinskaya and reached the closest approaches to the village of Krymskaya - a large junction of railways and highways, which is the backbone of the enemy’s defense in the Novorossiysk and Taman directions.
    The enemy turned the village into a powerful center of resistance, the approaches to it were covered by engineering and mine-explosive barriers. East of Krymskaya there was a heavily fortified and deeply echeloned defense, called the Blue Line. It consisted of two defensive lines with a total depth of 20-25 km and cut-off positions. Each strip included a system of trenches and strong points covered by barriers.
    At the end of March, due to strong enemy resistance, the offensive of the troops of the North Caucasus Front was suspended. They began to prepare for the new offensive operation- breakthrough of the Blue Line.
    The offensive of the troops of the North Caucasus Front began on April 4 with a strike by the 56th Army north of the village of Krymskaya.
    The enemy offered stubborn resistance and often counterattacked. The command of the North Caucasus Front shifted the direction of the main attack to the south from the Crimean.
    On May 1, the 328th Division concentrated in camps south of the village of Abinskaya in the reserve of the 56th Army. The 687th Artillery Regiment was transferred to the command of the commander of the 61st Infantry Division, entered its zone and took up firing positions. The next day, the division command post was attacked by enemy aircraft. Among the dead were the deputy division commander, Lieutenant Colonel N.P. Zagrebelny, and the head of the operational department of the headquarters, Major I.P. Sapronov, was seriously wounded.
    Instead of N.P. Zagrebelny, Lieutenant Colonel V.I. Katrich became the deputy division commander, and Major A.U. Manzhosov was appointed commander of the 1105th regiment. Major A. A. Tvorogov arrived to the post of chief of the operational department of the division headquarters.
    Having completed the regrouping and withdrawal of formations to their original position, the 56th Army on the morning of May 3 went on the offensive. She delivered the main blow on the left flank with the task of reaching the Adagum River.
    The army's shock force, after a stubborn battle, broke the resistance of the Nazis, broke through their defenses and reached the Krymskaya-Neberdzhaevskaya road.
    The 328th Division, having made a night march, by the end of May 3 concentrated in the second echelon of the army east of the village of Neberdzhaevskaya in readiness to enter the battle.
    The successful offensive of the 56th Army created a threat of encirclement of the enemy in the Crimean region and forced him to retreat. On May 4, the village was liberated.
    In the second half of May 5, to develop the success of the formations of the first echelon of the army from the line of the Crimean - Neberdzhaevskaya road, the 328th Infantry Division was brought into battle with the task of advancing in the direction of Nizhne-Bakanskaya [ TsAMO, f. 412, op.10282, d.93, l.10].
    The division commander formed a battle formation in two echelons. The 1103rd and 1105th rifle regiments attacked in the first echelon, and the 1107th regiment in the second. The 1st NKVD Division was advancing on the right, and the 83rd Mountain Rifle Division was advancing on the Neberdzhaevskaya village on the left.
    The 328th Division crossed the Neberdzhayka River, broke the resistance of units of the 9th German Infantry Division and reached the slope of height 141.7 1 km north of Neberdzhayevskaya. Immediately after the crossing, the 1107th Regiment was brought into battle.
    In the 1103rd Rifle Regiment, the 2nd Rifle Company of Senior Lieutenant M.E. Galuev was the first to rush to a height of 141.7. At the signal “Attack”, the rifle squad of senior sergeant P.N. Tomilov rushed forward and reached the wire fence. The squad leader used a sapper shovel to make a passage through the wire fence, and others followed his example. The squad, and then the entire company, overcame the wire, reached the enemy’s front line, threw grenades into the trench, burst into it and began hand-to-hand combat. Art. Sergeant Tomilov destroyed several enemy soldiers, captured an officer and two privates and took them to battalion headquarters.
    The company commander was at the head of the company throughout the battle; he personally took part in the hand-to-hand combat and was seriously wounded. Art. Lieutenant Galuev and Art. Sergeant Tomilov were awarded the Order of the Red Banner [ TsAMO, f. 412, op.10308, d.111, l.8,22].
    The battalion's offensive was supported by the 5th battery of the 687th artillery regiment under the command of Art. Lieutenant V.M. Zhestkov. The artillerymen cleared the way for the battalion with well-aimed fire and ensured its advancement. The senior officer on the battery, Jr., showed high skill. Lieutenant N.A. Lenko. The battery suppressed machine gun fire, destroyed the dugout, scattered and destroyed up to a company of fascists [ TsAMO, f. 1641, op.2, d.8, l.122].
    In the 1105th Infantry Regiment, the 1st Infantry Battalion reached a height of 141.7 before others. In the first ranks of the attackers were the deputy commanders for political affairs of the 3rd and 2nd rifle companies, Lieutenant A.T. Panfilenko and Art. Lieutenant T.T. Tadzhibekov. When the 3rd rifle company was fired upon by a machine gun from a bunker and lay down, Panfilenko crawled to the firing point, threw grenades at it and raised the company to attack.
    Art. Lieutenant Tadzhibekov, setting an example for the soldiers, shouted “For the Motherland!” He was the first to burst into the enemy trench, captured an enemy machine gun and opened fire from it.
    At the same time, the 1st rifle company Art. Lieutenant F.G. Aristova made a maneuver, came out from under enemy fire, blocked 4 bunkers and, after a stubborn battle, captured them. Wedged deeply into the enemy’s defenses, she disrupted his fire system and ensured the battalion’s advance. The company destroyed several firing points, captured 10 machine guns and disabled 8 Nazi guns.
    For courage and masterful management of his unit Art. Lieutenant F.G. Aristov was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
    The advance of the 1st battalion was reliably supported by a mortar company. With her fire she destroyed 3 machine guns, scattered and destroyed up to a company of enemy infantry. During the battle, the deputy company commander for political affairs, Art. Lieutenant S.G. Chumchalov. He skillfully mobilized mortar men to successfully carry out a combat mission and often himself replaced in the crews soldiers who had dropped out after being wounded. Despite repeated raids by enemy aircraft, the company did not stop firing. The political officer showed an example of perseverance and fearlessness to the soldiers. Being wounded twice, he did not leave the firing position. For fearlessness and heroism, S.G. Chumchalov was awarded the Order of the Red Star.
    The crews of the 2nd and 3rd machine gun companies accurately struck the enemy. Commander of the 3rd machine gun company Art. Lieutenant I.A. Daurtsev, after the commander of the 8th rifle company went out of action, took charge of it and led it into the attack. The company blocked the bunker, destroyed its garrison and successfully attacked the Nazis at a height. For courage and initiative Art. Lieutenant I.A. Daurtsev was also awarded the Order of the Red Star [ TsAMO, f. 1641, op.2, d.8, l.77,112].
    The division was followed by the 60th Infantry Brigade, which finished off the remnants of the Nazis. After crossing the Neberjaika River, the brigade sharply turned south with the task of cutting off the Nazis defending in the mountains against the 83rd Mountain Rifle Division.
    On May 6, having transferred units of the 73rd and 125th German infantry divisions from Novorossiysk, the enemy launched a series of strong counterattacks against the formations of the 56th Army, ranging from an infantry battalion to a regiment, with the support of tanks and aircraft.
    During the day, the division repelled 7 counterattacks. When repelling one of them, a platoon of 45-mm guns of the 1105th regiment under the command of Lieutenant G.I. Borodin distinguished itself. Having quietly moved the platoon's guns to a tank-dangerous direction, the platoon commander ordered them to disguise themselves. When the enemy tanks launched a counterattack, the artillerymen knocked out two of them with several shots. The infantry following the tanks stopped and then retreated [ TsAMO, f. 1641, op.2, d.8, l.109].
    Reflecting counterattacks on the right flank, the division continued to advance on Nizhne-Bakanskaya with its left flank.
    On this day, Colonel I.G. Pavlovsky, who had previously commanded the 9th Guards Rifle Brigade, took command of the division, distinguished himself in battles and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
    Due to the great superiority of enemy aviation and the lack of reinforcement in artillery, units of the division advanced slowly. On May 11, the 56th Army went on the defensive.
    In preparation for the new offensive, the army regrouped. The 328th Division moved to the right, replacing on the night of May 12 the 169th Infantry Regiment and the 175th Separate Infantry Battalion of the 1st NKVD Division at the Verkhniy Adagum, Proletarsky village line. The division received artillery for reinforcement. It was assigned the 1195th howitzer artillery regiment of the RVGK, the 34th anti-tank artillery regiment, the 101st separate guards. mortar battalion, in addition, it was now supported by: the 1230th Artillery Regiment, the 2nd Division of the 1147th Howitzer Artillery Regiment and the battery of the 136th High Power Howitzer Artillery Regiment [ TsAMO, f. 1641, op.1, d.127, l.2].
    The units were consolidated at the new line, conducted reconnaissance and prepared for a new push forward.
    On May 13, the 328th Division became part of the 10th Rifle Corps, commanded by Major General K.P. Neverov. The next day, the enemy carried out three strong counterattacks in the zone of the division and its neighbors using units of the 9th German Infantry Division.
    The battle, as usual, began with a fire raid by enemy artillery and air strikes, and at 8 o'clock there was a counterattack of infantry and tanks against the 1103rd regiment. Having lost up to 100 people and 2 tanks, the enemy retreated. At 10 o'clock, up to 120 machine gunners, supported by 7 tanks, again attacked the regiment. At the same time, up to two infantry battalions with 15 tanks counterattacked their left neighbor, the 9th Mountain Division. After a stubborn battle, the counterattacks were repulsed, and the Nazis retreated to their original positions. The respite was short-lived. At 13:00 the artillery struck again, the Junkers swooped in, tanks appeared, followed by thick lines of infantry. This time the attack hit the junction of the 1103rd regiment and the 221st regiment of the 9th Mountain Division.
    At the cost of heavy losses, the enemy managed to wedge itself into the junction, infiltrate the rear of the 221st regiment and cut off its headquarters from the battalions. The regiment withdrew, exposing the left flank of its neighbor. The Nazis penetrated the location of the 1103rd Infantry Regiment and surrounded its 3rd battalion, but at night, having broken through the ring, the battalion in its entirety emerged from the encirclement. By order of the division commander, the 1103rd regiment retreated to the eastern bank of Neberjaika. On this day, up to 800 sorties of enemy aircraft were noted in the counterattack directions and up to 2 thousand bombs were dropped [ TsAMO, f. 412, op.10282, d.96, l.18].
    In other sectors, the division firmly held its position.
    Continuous artillery fire and air strikes led to frequent interruptions in wire communications, and control of units and subunits was disrupted. The signalmen had a lot of work to do. It was especially difficult for line supervisors, i.e. signalmen who were supposed to monitor the condition of the telephone line and fix it if damaged.
    The soldiers of the 446th separate communications company selflessly fulfilled their duty. The privates, S.A. Sergeev and N.M. Magomedov, especially distinguished themselves. During the day, under enemy fire, Sergeev eliminated gusts on the line 4 times and ensured continuous communication between the division commander and the commander of the 1107th regiment. Magomedov repaired 14 damages on the line of communication with the 1105th regiment. His communications interruptions did not exceed 15 minutes[ TsAMO, f. 1641, op.2, d.8, l.85,97]. S.A. Sergeev was awarded the medal "For Courage", and N.M. Magomedov the medal "For Military Merit".
    The division commander decided to restore the situation in the sector of the 1103rd regiment. Having reinforced it with the 3rd battalion of the 1107th regiment and two divisions of the 687th regiment, he ordered an advance in the direction of height 141.7, reach the western bank of the Neberjaika River and gain a foothold there.
    With the onset of darkness, division commanders P.P. Dudinov and P.I. Barkov arrived at the command post of the 1103rd regiment, received an order from the regiment commander, Lieutenant Colonel K.S. Tatarchuk, met with the commanders of the supported battalions and agreed on the tasks with them. Having returned to their observation posts, they prepared the initial data for firing and transmitted the necessary instructions to the battery commanders. At the firing positions, they recorded the initial data on the gun shields and laid out the ammunition for each target. Signalmen checked the connection and organized its duplication through various channels.
    That same night, a group of scouts led by Lieutenant K.R. Choporov went behind enemy lines. The group’s task was to clarify the enemy’s position, blow up an ammunition depot at an altitude of 141.7, scouted earlier, and scatter 1 thousand leaflets calling on enemy soldiers to surrender.
    The group, following a passage made by sappers Sergeant V.K. Ispanyuk and Corporal R. Khabibulaev, successfully penetrated behind the enemy front line, but the Nazis discovered it near the warehouse and fired at it. The scouts entered the battle, distracting the guards, while the sappers blew up the warehouse, killing up to 20 soldiers. On the way back, the scouts scattered leaflets. All participants in the sortie were awarded the medal "For Courage" [ TsAMO, f. 1641, op.2, d.9, l.40,70].
    At 9 o'clock on May 18, after an artillery fire raid, the 1103rd regiment and the 3rd battalion of the 1107th regiment went on the offensive. The enemy met the attackers with heavy fire. Enemy aircraft appeared in the sky. Artillery and mortar firing positions were subjected to especially intense bombing, which, naturally, could not but affect the activity of their fire.
    The 3rd battalion of the 1103rd regiment under the command of Captain A.G. Godunov crossed the Neberjaika River and by 12 o'clock was the first to reach the barbed wire barriers on its western bank. With the 3rd battalion of the regiment was the chief of reconnaissance of the 1st division of the 687th artillery regiment, Art. Lieutenant N.A. Seroshtan with several scouts and signalmen. A brave and energetic officer, he quickly and clearly conveyed the battalion commander’s orders to open fire and skillfully adjusted the firing of the batteries. But communication with the division was often disrupted. The signalmen did not have time to restore it. It was necessary to send scouts to the line.
    At the most critical moment of the battle, telephone communication with the division commander was interrupted. The commander of the intelligence department, Sergeant G.V. Yachkula, went on the line. Holding the wire in his hands, he jogged his way along the line. The blast was not far from the observation post, but the sergeant was unable to connect the ends of the cable - the explosion tore out a half-meter-long piece of wire. Having cleaned up the broken places with his teeth, the scout lay down on the ground, holding the ends of the wire in his hands. He immediately realized that the connection had worked, as the division resumed fire. When the enemy fired again, the wire in his hands weakened again - which means there was another gust. Having thrown the wire, Yachkula rushed to look for the ends. I came across a mortar firing position. They gave him a few meters of wire and the connection was restored.
    Having reached the barbed wire barriers, the soldiers of the 3rd battalion began to make passages through them, but other units of the regiment were unable to cross the river and support them. The battalion gained a foothold on the western bank of the river, and sappers began to mine the approaches to its positions. Soon the 1103rd Infantry Regiment, which suffered significant losses in battles, was withdrawn to the second echelon. For personal courage, initiative and skillful management of his unit in battle, Captain A.G. Godunov was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
    On May 26, after an hour and a half artillery preparation, the troops of the 56th Army again went on the offensive, this time with their right flank. Formations of the 10th Rifle Corps, carrying out private offensive missions, actively pinned down the enemy in the center of the army's operational formation. From the 328th Infantry Division, the reinforced 1107th Infantry Regiment took part in the offensive. He managed to overcome the wire fences and reach the eastern and northeastern slopes of height 141.7.
    During the battle, a squad of the 1st rifle company under the command of Sergeant Yu.A. Karasev blocked a large dugout. Getting closer to him, the sergeant threw two grenades, and the squad burst into the dugout. Three soldiers there were killed, the rest raised their hands. It turned out that this was the headquarters of the enemy battalion. Important documents were captured in the dugout[ TsAMO, f. 412, op.10308, d.111, l. 192]. The squad commander was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
    The right neighbor, the 216th Rifle Division, failed to advance, but units of the left neighbor, the 83rd Mountain Rifle Division, reached the southeastern slopes of height 141.7.
    Until June 1, the 328th, 216th Infantry and 83rd Mountain Rifle Divisions fought to capture the height of 141.7, which dominated the surrounding area in this area. Units of neighboring divisions bypassed it on the right and left, but this allowed the enemy to conduct flanking fire on them.
    Therefore, the corps commander again and again made attempts to master the heights. However, poor knowledge of the enemy’s fire system and insufficiently reliable suppression of his strongholds, mainly due to a lack of ammunition, did not allow us to successfully solve the problem.
    The fighting was heavy, the losses were significant. Under these conditions, medical workers selflessly fulfilled their duty. Medical instructor of the 388th separate reconnaissance company Art. Medical service sergeant E.E. Kozachenko repeatedly participated in reconnaissance and carried 14 wounded from the battlefield. The nurse of the surgical operating and dressing platoon of the 411th medical battalion L.I. Litvinova (Mochalova) made several hundred dressings in one day. Nurse E.I. Sorokopud (Shmushkovich) also distinguished herself. Working at the forward post of the medical battalion, even under the heaviest fire, she did not stop providing first aid to the wounded, making hundreds of dressings during these days [ TsAMO, f. 1641, op.2, d.8, l.130]. Brave girls were awarded the medal "For Military Merit".
    The doctors of the medical battalion worked selflessly - battalion commander 3rd rank military doctor S. Pevzner, surgeons - medical service majors M.I. Babiyan, M.N. Shiushkovich and others. The medical staff of the units also successfully coped with their duties.
    M.I.Babiyan and M.N.Shmushkovich were awarded the Order of the Red Star for these battles.
    On July 1, offensive fighting stopped. Units of the division began to improve their defenses, mined the approaches to the positions, installed wire barriers, and at the same time intensive combat training began.
    The units conducted classes on the topics “Rifle platoon in defense”, “Rifle squad in offensive”, “Material parts of weapons and rules for their storage and conservation”, “Responsibilities of a machine gunner in offensive combat” and others.
    During this period, snipers were very active. Every day they destroyed dozens of fascists. The snipers of the 1103rd regiment, privates G. Mikoyan, L. Mikhnyak, V. Gritsay, Art. Sergeants G. Arsiyan, G. Demchenko, Jr. Lieutenant A. Bobik; 1107th Regiment Art. Sergeant D. Vinnikov, a pair of snipers, privates P. Gochelovsky and K. Tembich.
    Party political work was carried out systematically. The divisional newspaper “Forward for the Motherland” was published regularly under the leadership of the editor of Art. Lieutenant G.G. Kondrashov. Work among enemy troops under the leadership of Art. The instructor, Major S.M. Dykhne, was in charge of the political department of the division. A group of mouthpieces was created in the political department. It also included representatives of the national Free Germany Committee.
    All reconnaissance means were used to obtain reliable information about the enemy. Artillerymen conducted visual reconnaissance and detection of targets from ground observation posts around the clock, and military reconnaissance conducted searches with the aim of capturing control prisoners. In the conditions of a pre-prepared, deep-echeloned enemy defense, this was very difficult. But on July 8, the division’s reconnaissance group finally managed to capture the chief corporal of the 57th Infantry Regiment of the 9th German Infantry Division at an altitude of 141.7.
    For this feat, Sergeant N.A. Taniashvili was awarded the Order of the Red Star, the rest of the intelligence officers were awarded the medal "For Courage", and the division intelligence chief, Captain E.N. Dikarev, received a valuable gift from the command of the 56th Army [ TsAMO, f. 1641, op.1, d.44, l.136].
    As a result of certain organizational measures taken by the commanders, noticeable damage was caused to the enemy in a short time. Thus, in the period from June 1 to July 27, 1943, the 687th artillery regiment destroyed 13 bunkers and an observation post, destroyed 5 guns, up to 40 enemy soldiers, suppressed 9 artillery batteries; The 295th separate anti-tank fighter division destroyed 3 bunkers and suppressed the fire of 2 machine guns; the artillery of the rifle regiments suppressed the fire of 8 bunkers and 5 mortars [ TsAMO, f. 1641, op.1, d.171, l.20].
    On August 17, the 10th Rifle Corps was withdrawn to the reserve of the North Caucasus Front. The division concentrated in the Gladko-Izyumsky, Petropavlovsky, Vesely area. The 889th artillery regiment (from August 1943 the artillery regiment received the number 889) remained in firing positions and supported the 32nd Guards Rifle Division and only returned to its formation on August 21.
    At the end of August, the 328th Rifle Division, as part of the 10th Rifle Corps, was transferred by rail to Semeykino and Daryevka stations in the Voroshilovgrad region and included in the 51st Army of the Southern Front.

1103, 1105 and 1107 rifle regiments,
889 artillery regiment,
295th separate anti-tank fighter division,
613 separate anti-aircraft artillery battalion,
505th Mortar Battalion,
388 reconnaissance company,
606 engineer battalion,
777th separate communications battalion,
411th medical battalion,
404th separate chemical defense company,
391 motor transport company,
180 field bakery,
749 divisional veterinary hospital,
654 field postal station,
767 field cash desk of the State Bank.

Combat period
2.12.41-24.5.42

Transformed into the 31st Guards Rifle Division on May 24, 1942.

The combat path of the 328th Infantry Warsaw Red Banner Division began in the North Caucasus in the fall of 1942.
The soldiers of the division as part of the Black Sea Group of Forces of the Transcaucasian Front steadfastly held back the onslaught of the Nazi hordes rushing to the sea and in Transcaucasia. After heavy defensive battles, the Red Army troops thwarted the enemy's offensive in the foothills of the Main Caucasus Range and forced him to go on the defensive. The 328th Infantry Division also made a strong contribution to this.
The front-line roads of the 328th Infantry took it through Kuban and Donbass, Right Bank Ukraine and Poland to the capital of Nazi Germany. The first of the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front, it united in Ketzin with units of the 1st Ukrainian Front, closing the outer ring of encirclement of the enemy group in Berlin.
The homeland appreciated the military feats of the division's soldiers. She was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and given the honorary title of Warsaw. All its units were also awarded orders, some of them were given honorary titles. Thousands of division soldiers were awarded state awards, and six of them became Heroes of the Soviet Union.

Division formation

The defensive battle in the North Caucasus began on July 25, 1942 at the turn of the Don River in the strip from the village of Verkhnekurmoyarskaya to the mouth of the Don.
In August, the enemy captured Krasnodar, Maikop, Belorechenskaya and rushed to Tuapse, trying to reach the Black and Caspian Seas. The fascist German command's immediate goal was to reach the Black Sea coast, capture the most important regions of the Caucasus, break through Dagestan to Baku and capture the Baku oil regions.
The Supreme Command Headquarters took urgent measures to strengthen the Transcaucasian Front.
On August 18, the enemy launched an offensive in the Northern Group of Forces zone. Having shot down its advanced detachments, he captured Mozdok on August 25, hoping to break through to Grozny from here.
To prevent this threat and create a depth of defense in the Makhachkala region, the formation of the 58th Army was hastily completed, consisting of four rifle divisions, a rifle brigade and two artillery regiments under the command of Major General V.A. Khomenko. Among the rifle divisions that became part of the 58th Army was the 328th.
The formation under this number was first created in August - September 1941 in the Kostroma region.
For the courage and heroism of its personnel in the battle of Moscow in May 1942, the division was reorganized into the 31st Guards Rifle Division.

The flag of the Airborne Forces 328 PDP 104 Airborne Division will remind everyone who has ever had the honor of serving in the 328 airborne regiment that there are no former paratroopers.

Characteristics

328 RAP
328 Guards RAP
Ganja
military unit 93626

Flag of the Airborne Forces 328 Guards Parachute Regiment

The 328th Airborne Regiment belongs to the first generation of these elite guards formations, born in the fire of the battles of the Great Patriotic War. Every paratrooper who had the honor of serving in the 328th Guards Paratroopers Division can be proud of this fact. On the other hand, this imposes additional responsibility. A guardsman cannot afford even a momentary weakness when performing a combat mission in the interests of the Motherland, protecting his loved ones and peace on our land.

Perhaps it’s worth starting the story about this famous unit by watching a video of the 328th Airborne Division of the 104th Airborne Division. Here is a short video with rare footage from the Geran training ground near Kirovabad.

And here is a video edited by one of the regiment's paratroopers.

328 RPD in the battles of World War II

In May 1943, the 1st separate airborne brigade was created in the Moscow region with a staff strength of about 6,000 people. In September 1943, it was planned to land the brigade on the Kanevsky site, however, the landing did not take place for various reasons.

Until the end of 1943, the 1st Airborne Brigade fought as part of the 1st Baltic Front, where it joined the 8th Airborne Corps together with the 2nd and 11th Airborne Brigades. In December 1943, these three airborne brigades formed the 11th Guards Airborne Division.

In August 1944, 11th Guards. The Airborne Division is part of the 38th Guards Airborne Corps. In December 1944, the 11th Airborne Division was reorganized into the 104th Guards. rifle division on the territory of the Belarusian SSR.

During the last reorganization, the former 1st Guards. The airborne brigade is renamed the 328th Guards. rifle regiment But already in September of the same year, 1944, 104th Guards. The SD again becomes an airborne division, and the rifle regiments become airborne brigades with the return of the previous numbering.

Until the end of the war, the organization and names of formations of the 104th Guards. the divisions did not change. As for the 1st Airborne Brigade, it successfully fought as part of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts in Hungary, Austria and Czechoslovakia.

After graduating from the Great Patriotic War in the Prague area, 1st Airborne Brigade, which was the predecessor of the 328th Airborne Division of the 104th Airborne Division, was based in Hungary until 1946. In the winter of 1946, the division was redeployed to the Leningrad area.

328 Airborne Regiment as part of the 104 Airborne Division in Ganja (Kirovabad)

When transferred to the Soviet Union, the 1st Airborne Brigade again received the name 328th Guards Parachute Regiment (328 airborne regiment). The initial location is the city of Kingisepp in the Leningrad region.

From 1947 to 1960, the 104th Guards Airborne Division, and with it the 328th Airborne Division, were based in the Pskov region in the city of Ostrov.

In 1960, the 328th Airborne Regiment was transferred to Azerbaijan to the city of Kirovabad (now Ganja).

As for the events that took place during the war in Afghanistan, according to documents, the 328th PDP did not participate in hostilities as part of a limited contingent of Soviet troops. However, there are a number of oral testimonies from regiment officers stating that they took part in the Afghan War in the spring of 1984.

328 traffic police station 104 airborne division in Ulyanovsk

After the collapse of the USSR, the regiment and division were relocated from Ganja to Ulyanovsk, where a new stage in the life of the formation began.

On May 1, 1998, the 104th Airborne Division was reorganized into the 31st separate airborne brigade with the transfer of historical records, awards and combat banners.

Twice the regiment takes part in operations of federal forces in the North Caucasus - in Chechnya (1994-1995), as well as in Dagestan and Chechnya (1999-2001). We have already written about these events in more detail.

On this moment The successor to the 328th Guards Division of the 104th Airborne Division is the 54th OPDB, to which all the regalia of the glorious 328th Airborne Regiment have been transferred. Now the 54th separate parachute battalion is engaged in combat training in peacetime, but is always ready to defend Russia, like the formations whose awards and banners it carries.