On the night of September 5-6, 1943, at the height of the partisan "rail" war the legendary brigade commander Alexander Viktorovich German died (May 23, 1915, Petrograd - September 6, 1943, the village of Zhitnitsa, Novorzhevsky district, Pskov region).

Alexander Viktorovich German was born on May 23, 1915 in Petrograd, studied at an automotive technical school, then at a military school and in Moscow at the Academy. M. V. Frunze. With the outbreak of war, he was assigned to the headquarters of the North-Western Front, where he was engaged in the formation of special groups for being thrown behind enemy lines.

On May 24, 1942, Senior Lieutenant A.V. German was appointed commander of the 2nd Special Brigade, which was soon renamed the 3rd Leningrad Partisan Brigade. Largely thanks to the commander, the brigade developed its own tactics of warfare - flexible, mobile units of the brigade delivered a short, inevitable blow, and then quickly disappeared without engaging in battle with the enemy. As K. D. Karitsky, one of the famous partisan commanders, recalls "his (Herman's) outstanding organizational skills, his tactical skill have become common property."

1943 - the height of the "rail" war of partisans against the Nazis. Herman's brigade made a significant contribution by blowing up rails, echelons, bridges. Herman's name caused fury in the headquarters of the guard troops of Army Group North. A large-scale punitive operation against the brigade was prepared. On the night of September 5-6, in the battle of Zhitnitsa, the legendary brigade commander A.V. German died.

On September 6, 1963, on the 20th anniversary of his death, an obelisk was unveiled in the village of Zhitnitsa, Novorzhevsky District. Posthumously, A.V. German was awarded the title of Hero Soviet Union.

By order of the head of the Leningrad headquarters partisan movement dated September 7, 1943, the 3rd Leningrad Partisan Brigade was named after its heroically deceased commander.

Literature:

1. Voskresensky, M. L. German leads a brigade: memoirs of a partisan / M. L. Voskresensky. - L.: Lenizdat, 1965. - 215 p.: ill.
2. Masolov, N. Leningrad in my heart: (about A. V. German) / N. Masolov. - M.: Politizdat, 1981. - 125 p.: ill.
3. Gilev, V. The death of brigade commander Herman: on the article in Pskovskaya Pravda “How did the brigade commander die?” / V. Gilev // Pskovskaya Pravda. - 1992. - 13 Oct.
4. Semenov, I. (Semenkov I.). Zhitnitskaya tragedy: (to the 50th anniversary of the heroic death of brigade commander A.V. German) / I. Semenov // Pskovskaya Pravda. - 1993. - 4, 8 Sept.
5. Bakusov, G. Forever in the memory of the people / G. Bakusov // Sterkh. - 2003. - 6 September. – P. 8-9, fot.
6. Legendary brigade commander: [to the 95th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Viktorovich German - commander of the 3rd Leningrad partisan brigade] // Novorzhevskaya Land (Novorzhevsky district). - 2010. - May 28. - (Commemorative date).

Biography of Alexander Viktorovich German

A.V. German was born on May 24, 1915 in the city of Petrograd, today's St. Petersburg, in a working class family. He had a large family: his mother Alexandra Alexandrovna German was a German from the Volga region, his father Viktor Georgievich German, sisters Anastasia and Nina. The family lived in Svechny Lane. Alexander graduated from the 7th grade of the 3rd labor school, which was located on Ligovsky Prospekt, 87. He studied well, had excellent or good grades in all subjects. In our school museum, among the exhibits, there is a certificate of completion by A.V. German of the 3rd labor high school City of Leningrad No. 961994 dated June 20, 1930. There is not a single mediocre assessment in this certificate, and such subjects as arithmetic, algebra, geometry, geography, physics, chemistry, German were rated "in the highest degree Satisfactory”, which corresponds to the current rating of “5”. Sasha Herman sang in the school choir, loved to draw (his children's drawings are kept in our school museum). The drawings show the room in which he lived and the head of a horse. According to the recollections of classmates, Alexander loved to mess with the little ones and always stood up for them.

The museum also has an exhibit - a letter with the memories of Sasha's sister Nina. Here is an excerpt from this letter: “My brother Sasha and I sang in the same choir, although we studied in different classes. He was older than me, singing teacher Tuvim Markovich Berson, and I still remember him: he taught Alexander Viktorovich and me to understand music and everything connected with it. My brother had a good voice and was a choir soloist. I remember he sang the song "Oh you, Neman, the river."

In the photo of the senior class, A.V. German looks more mature than all his classmates. Although he is only 15 years old.

After graduating from school in 1931, A.V. German entered the auto repair shop of the Smolninsky district of Leningrad as an assistant locksmith. In 1932, A.V. German, on the job, studied at the Leningrad Automobile Building College named after the Lensoviet.

In 1933, on a Komsomol ticket, A.V. German went to the ranks of the Red Army. Directly from the ranks of the Red Army, he enters the Orel Armored School. I managed to contact the representative of the school museum of the Orel Armored School in the city of Orel, Marina Ivanovna Samarina, and find out the history of the school.

Here are some facts from the history of the Oryol Armored School. The glorious path of the Oryol Armored School began in Ivanovo-Voznesensk. At the beginning civil war, in May 1918, at the initiative of Mikhail Frunze, three-month infantry instructor courses were opened there, where future platoon commanders studied. The first issue took place in September 1918. On May 1, 1921, the ninth issue of paintballs took place. And two months later, the 14th Ivanovo-Voznesensky courses commanders The Red Army was renamed the 27th Ivanovo-Voznesensk Infantry School. The term of study in it was no longer three months, but three years. In the summer of 1925, M.V. Frunze, while visiting the school, drew attention to the fact that cadets needed more spacious premises. In September of the same year, the school was transferred to Orel, where it was housed in the building of the former Bakhtin cadet corps. Profile after five years educational institution changed drastically. The modernized army needed tank commanders. Therefore, in July 1930, the infantry school was renamed the Oryol armored school named after M.V. Frunze. In 1937, by order of the People's Commissar of Defense, the school was renamed the Oryol Armored School. Over the years of its existence, the school has trained more than ten thousand tank officers. 115 of them became Heroes of the Soviet Union, among them there is the name of A.V. Herman.

We can say with confidence that A.V. German's passion for amateur art has not passed. This is evidenced by a photograph of 1934, where he is photographed with a group of cadets - winners of an amateur art competition. Since 1940, A.V. German became a student of the special course of the Academy of the General Staff named after M.V. Frunze, as he graduated from college with honors.

In the book of I.G. Semenkov “Ways, roads, battles, campaigns”, excerpts from the radio story of the correspondent T. Pchelkina “Our German” are given: “I never found any of his schoolmates, at the technical school - too ...

And how delighted she was when she found out that Herman's comrade from the tank school lives in our city!

And here I am in the Noskovs' apartment... What was Alexander German like then, what did he live for, what did he dream about?

Noskov: I remember Sasha not even as a cadet, but as a candidate for cadets. We were called up in 1933, a large group of Komsomol members - forty-two people - were called up for mobilization in a tank school ... A year later we graduated from it, in October we were given the rank of tank commanders. And a representative from Orel came for us and took us to the Frunze Orel Armored School, and there we studied with him in the same platoon for all three years ...

Sasha studied "good" and "excellent", he never had other marks. In class, he was always collected. He always took everything very seriously, with great responsibility. Already at that time - I felt it - the traits of a hero were laid in him.

Corr: What about military talent, what then so clearly manifested itself in him? Well, probably, these are fours and fives, a good study at the school?

Noskov: You see, it is difficult to determine the future marshal in a cadet. If Sasha were alive, I think he would also be a general ... Will, perseverance, commitment - these are the features of the future hero. Already in those days he had the features of a scout. He prepared himself and, apparently, prepared for a big role. He did not say this out loud to anyone, but, apparently, in his heart he wore a marshal's baton, because he was very purposeful, he wanted to become a good officer ... "

From the first days of the war, A.V. German was appointed officer for special assignments of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the North-Western Front. In August 1941, when a partisan movement began to unfold in the Leningrad Region, he was appointed deputy intelligence commander of the 2nd Special Partisan Brigade. A.V. German was in the rank of senior lieutenant. It was in the 2nd Special Partisan Brigade that A.V. German gained experience in intelligence activities. Brigade Commander 2OPB Major A.M. Litvinenko became a role model for him. A.V. German established contact with the local underground and local partisan detachments (Penovsky, Serzhinsky and Andreapolsky).

On November 22, 1941, the Nazis captured and executed the secretary of the Penovsky district committee of the Komsomol, Elizaveta Chaikina. Thanks to reconnaissance led by A.V. German, a few days later the traitors who betrayed the brave partisan E.I. Chaikina into the hands of the enemy were caught. The 2OPB field court sentenced the traitors to capital punishment. They were shot. A.V. German also managed to establish a network of undercover intelligence. Local residents sent information to A.V. German about the concentration of fascist garrisons in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe railway stations, about the passage of enemy echelons in the direction of the city of Leningrad.

In the spring of 1942, the 2nd Special Brigade, by order of the headquarters of the North-Western Front, went to the Soviet rear to be reorganized in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe city of Ostashkov. Here it was transformed into 3 LPB, replenished with people, weapons and ammunition. A.V. German was appointed commander of the 3rd LPB. By order of the Leningrad headquarters of the partisan movement (LShPD) 3 LPB, an area of ​​operations near the city of Porkhov was determined. In August 1942, the brigade crossed the front line north of the city of Kholm and entered the territory of the partisan region, where the 2nd LPB fought fierce battles with punishers. On August 16, 1942, the LSHPD decided:

“The 3rd partisan brigade, consisting of 520 fighters and commanders under the command of Comrade. Herman and Commissar Comrade. Isaev to arrive from the territory of the partisan region and open fighting by 08/25/42 in the area: Porkhov - Dubrovka - Pskov - Ostrov - Soshihino - Porkhov. To inflict the main blows to the enemy on railways and highways:

a) Porkhov - Karamyshevo - Pskov;

b) Pskov - Island;

c) Pskov - Soshihino;

d) Island - Porkhov.

For sabotage on railways and highways, allocate at least 40 sabotage groups from the brigade, assign sections of roads and 30 groups for sabotage to destroy warehouses, bridges and communications.

A.V. German was instructed to organize a partisan base in the area of ​​​​the island of Polkhovets, located among the impenetrable swamps to the west of the Khilovo resort.

From an extract from order No. 73 of the LShPD dated October 31, 1942: “The third partisan brigade of Comrade Herman with a total number of 246 people will be deployed in the Porkhov region. To carry out sabotage work in the Dnovsky, Porkhovsky, Slavkovsky districts "

For the formation of the base camp, the place on the island was not the best. For the crossing, the only path was used, which was built in the 19th century by the monks who lived on this island. Along this path, the partisans went on assignments and to neighboring villages for provisions. Ammunition and medicines were supposed to be dropped from aircraft from big land.

But someone told the Nazis about the partisan camp. Then the Germans placed sentries near the gati, who were supposed to prevent the partisans from leaving the island. It soon became clear that the air route of German aircraft was passing over the island. Thus, the partisans lost the opportunity to make fires, as they were afraid to find the location of the brigade.

Autumn colds came, it was bad with food, which was dropped from airplanes. Each bag had to be taken out of the swamp. The partisans fought their way into the villages, but there was no food there either, since the Nazis completely took it away from the local residents. Famine began in the brigade, there were cases of starvation. A.V. German decided to send part of the exhausted partisans with their escorts to the Soviet rear. Subsequently, the partisans remembered this island under the name Starve.

Here is what the head of the Special Department of the 3LPB Alexander Filippovich Kadachigov recalled about these events: “I was summoned to Valdai, where the headquarters of the Partisan movement was located. They formed a group of 9 security officers and set the task - to withdraw the partisans of the brigade of A.V. German from the encirclement on the island of Polkhovets. The group was thrown out at night. The Nazis found us and opened fire. With a fight they made their way to the island of Polkhovets.

On the Internet, I found an essay by Vladimir Diaghilev, telling about A.F. Kadachigov and his stay on the island of Polkhovets. I'll quote a few passages:

“The first night on Goloday, I slept badly. I was awakened by some voices. It was dark in the dugout. He jumped up and got up quickly. What? Where is the belt? There was no belt. He came out of the dugout, involuntarily shivered from the morning freshness. A fire burned nearby. Six people, squinting from the smoke, were sitting over the bucket. Everyone's faces were grey, big-eyed. Such faces are familiar to me from the blockade. Water was bubbling in the bucket and bits of some kind of brown spice were floating. “Mushrooms, probably,” I thought, and immediately noticed the buckle of my belt flashing in the grass. I looked sideways at the fire, where my belt was being boiled, sighed and went to get acquainted with the command of the brigade.

“Starve is a piece of land among impenetrable swamps. He sheltered the partisans from the punishers. The brigade was worried hard days after three weeks of grueling fighting. There was no bread. There was no ammunition. There was no airfield where the plane could land. Only one thing remained in service with people: high morale and hatred for the invaders. It made me happy."

“By evening, the brigade commander gathered a commander's council.

We must get out of Goloday, - said A.V. Hermann. “According to reliable information,” he glanced at me, “there are not many Germans around. We have the support of the population. To prepare, I think, enough days. You can't delay.

The decision was daring: to go out under the very noses of the Germans, openly showing their weakness, with swollen from hunger, emaciated, poorly armed people. But there was no other solution.

We left at dawn, hoping to get out of the swamp before dark. However, this calculation was not justified. Although the paths were laid out by the people sent ahead, the road was still very difficult. The emaciated and wounded held up the movement. They were carried in their arms. Only in the evening of the next day did we reach the village of Krasnye Cheki. Before being accommodated in the huts, A.V. German ordered to provide enhanced security. Do not take anything without asking, not a gram, not a drop. For violation - execution.

Extract from the memorandum of the battalion commissar N.S. Kasyanov dated November 2, 1942: “In the village of Krasnye Shcheki, Porkhov district, the peasants, on their own initiative, decided at a meeting to allocate 6 sheep for us. At the same time, they said: “We will always feed our own. It's not a pity for the partisans." In all the villages we visited, the peasants supplied us with food, assisted in reconnaissance, provided guides. Women showed touching concern for the partisans. They gave the fighters warm socks, mittens, washed linen, and mended their dresses.”

At night, A.F. Kadachigov was informed: the Nazis were alarmed, punitive detachments were coming out to fight the partisans. Everyone who could hold a weapon, including, of course, the Chekists, took upon themselves the cover of the retreat.

So A.V. German decided, without instructions from his superiors, to arbitrarily withdraw the brigade from the island to the southern part of the Porkhov region. The partisans of the 3LPB recalled that they survived thanks to the able leadership of A.V.

The headquarters of the partisan movement of the North-Western Front planned the brigade as a base brigade, but the lack of forests, density settlements and the many enemy garrisons in these places prevented the brigade from establishing a permanent camp. The situation required the use of new tactics of partisan struggle, a different organization of life and actions of the partisans.

A.V. German decides to make a raid brigade. The partisans come into direct contact with the local population: after sabotage on railway at night, the brigade makes a march of 20-25 kilometers, stopping during the day to rest in the villages. Every day at the headquarters of the brigade, based on intelligence data, a new route is planned, the organization of new sabotage.

In 1943, a large number of local residents went over to the side of the partisans and the size of the brigade grew rapidly. It often happened that the resourcefulness of brigade commander Herman saved the brigade from encirclement, captivity, and death. There was a case when the headquarters of the brigade in the village of Pamzhino, Soshikha district, got into a very plight. It was squeezed on both sides by strong enemy detachments armed with artillery and light tanks, and only the resourcefulness of A.V. German then saved the headquarters and the hospital from heavy losses. A.V. German, unnoticed by the enemy, removed the detachment from the position and led them through a hollow into the forest about two kilometers from the village. And the enemy groupings, not noticing the departure of the partisans, collided and fought among themselves for several hours. For the operation A.V. German awarded the order Red banner.

Conclusion

"The inhabitants of the Pskov region will not forget,

The Russian land will remember

As for the glory of the beloved Motherland,

He could not do otherwise (the heroic death of A.V. German)

In March 1943, the Nazis launched a third punitive expedition against the partisans. Selected SS units were removed from the front, blocking the brigade in the area of ​​the village of Zhitnitsa, Novorzhevsky district.

On the Internet on the site "blokada.otrok.ru" I found material about the exit of the brigade through the village of Zhitnitsa. Unfortunately, I could not find the author of this material. The author of the article on the site claims that A.V. German knew that the enemy was in the village of Zhitnitsa. But in the memoirs of the partisans, in articles published in various newspapers, materials are cited that refute this assertion.

The brigade headquarters decided to conduct a general reconnaissance. This was very important, since the headquarters meeting decided on the direction of the brigade's breakthrough from the encirclement. It was decided that the breakthrough would be carried out in the area of ​​the village of Zhitnitsa.

Several reconnaissance groups were sent to clarify the situation. The first intelligence reported that there were no Germans in the village. When the brigade came closer to Zhitnitsa, a second reconnaissance group was sent, but it also reported that there were no Germans. Based on intelligence data, A.V. German gives the order to break through the Zhitnitsa. However, while the partisans approached the village, the Nazis managed to get ahead of them and set up barriers around them. As soon as the brigade began to enter the village, the Nazis opened heavy fire from machine guns and cannons. It became clear that intelligence was mistaken and the brigade would have to take the fight. The partisans moved in marching order: the weakest detachments were ahead. The brigade headquarters was located in the center of the column. The partisans did not have time to reorganize. Therefore, A.V. German gives the order: 1 and 2 regiments, where the most experienced partisans were, to make a hole in the German defenses and withdraw the entire brigade through it.

The regiments broke through the defenses and managed to escape. But the Germans managed to quickly close the gap in their defenses. The 4th regiment, consisting of unfired young guys, was supposed to break through a new gap. The fire of the Nazis was so strong that the commanders could not raise them into battle. A.V. German was reported that the offensive had bogged down. Then A.V. German ordered that detachment No. 11, which was moving with the brigade headquarters, move forward and engage in battle with the Germans. Realizing that the young partisans needed to be raised to the attack, A.V. German himself led the detachment to storm the height occupied by the enemy. With a Mauser in hand, shouting: “Forward! For the Motherland! Alexander Viktorovich rushed to the Germans. The soldiers rushed after him.

Punishers from a height were shot down. Together with A.V. German there were his adjutant Grigory Lemeshko and the chief of staff of the brigade I.V. Krylov. Lemeshko was wounded in the head. Alexander Viktorovich handed him over to the orderlies. Continuing to go forward, Alexander Viktorovich told the head of the political department M.L. Voskresensky: "I am wounded." When he was offered to go to the medical unit, he abruptly refused. He also abruptly refused to bandage when a nurse approached him.

L.G. Kokotov recalls this terrible battle: “I was lying on the ground, and it seemed to me that no force would make me rise. But these were the first moments of fear, when the instinct of self-preservation takes precedence over consciousness, over a sense of duty. And now I raise my head. As bright as day, the Germans hung dozens of flares, tracer bullets fly like bees, and it seems that each one flies towards you, into you. Against the backdrop of the illuminated sky, the figure of Herman rises. He stands fearless. He looked like he had doubled in size. I felt ashamed of my fear. I got up from the ground."

Already wounded, Alexander Viktorovich shouted: “Friends, go ahead. To the village!" The detachment broke into the Zhitnitsa. The Nazis resisted fiercely. They threw grenades from around the corners, fired from machine guns and machine guns, but the partisans, led by their favorite brigade commander, smashed the Germans until they were driven out of the village. A.V. German, together with the detachment, ran into the village. Next to him was also the wounded chief of staff of the brigade I.V. Krylov. Adjutant I.V. Krylov Sinelnikov says: “Alexander Viktorovich was wounded in the head a second time. He screamed and fell." Having the wounded Krylov in his arms, Sinelnikov could not bear the body of A.V. German. He removed the uniform from the dead. At this time, the Germans again opened a hurricane shelling of the village, and all attempts to carry out the body of the brigade commander failed. The brigade went to the Rugodevsky forests area.

And again, the author of the article on the site claims: “Destroying the punishers, having destroyed more than 300 Nazis, the 3rd partisan brigade escaped from the encirclement and went into the Rugodevsky forests. The column was headed by Krylov. With a bandaged head, he somehow sat sideways on a horse. He spoke with difficulty and could not come to terms with the idea that Alexander Viktorovich was no longer alive. In the headquarters detachment, the body of the brigade commander was carried on a wagon. The partisans silently followed the wagon.

But in fact, there was no column, the partisans went out into the Rugodevsky forests in groups, often not knowing that A.V. German had died.

A group of scouts made their way to the battlefield a day later. Skillfully hiding, bypassing enemy garrisons and ambushes, the scouts entered the village of Zhitnitsa, found the body of brigade commander A.V. moment headquarters 3 LPB. Here the partisans were waiting for the plane from the mainland. But only a few days later they managed to send the body of A.V. German to the city of Valdai, where the headquarters of the partisan movement of the North-Western Front was located. “Before the plane took off, the partisans said goodbye to their commander. The rally was short. IV Krylov took the floor. He said: “Hermann loved life, loved it with sorrows and joys, dreamed of reaching Berlin. He respected and appreciated people. He gave his young life for the happiness of the people. It was his last Stand. He turned 28 this year. We will avenge Herman. We will reach Berlin and fulfill his greatest desire - we will crush the fascist reptile!” In the autumn silence, a farewell salvo rang out. The PO-2 aircraft took off, made a farewell circle and headed for Valdai. He was followed by a courageous song about the dashing brigade commander German, which the partisans composed themselves.

On April 2, 1944, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, German Alexander Viktorovich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for exemplary performance of command assignments in the fight against the Nazi invaders behind enemy lines and for the courage and heroism shown. At the site of the death of brigade commander Herman in the village of Zhitnitsa, Novorzhevsky district, a memorial plaque was erected with the inscription: “Here on September 6, 1943, partisan brigade commander Hero of the Soviet Union Alexander Viktorovich German died in a fierce battle with the Nazi invaders.”

Conclusion

In my work, I wrote about the moral code that A.V. German created in the 3rd LPB. The main law by which the brigade lived was: "Die yourself, but save your comrade." This is exactly what A.V. German did in Zhitnitsa. Having died himself, he saved his comrades in the brigade. He was ready for this feat. This is evidenced by all of his surviving letters to his family.

In 1964, in the book "The Unconquered Land of Pskov", with the permission of A.V. German's wife Faina Abramovna, letters from Alexander Viktorovich from the front were published. These letters testify that Alexander Viktorovich was a very modest person. He never complained about difficulties. All letters of Alexander Viktorovich are imbued with love for the family, care for the little son Alik. Here are excerpts from some of them:

Everything is the same with me, I hit the enemy in my own way, I just miss you and Alik very much, but this is a personal matter, and now we have to put it on the back burner. After this brown plague is defeated, our personal desires and aspirations will prevail. Kiss Alik and tell him to be a smart, obedient boy. Write about your life in detail, because each of your letters is news from the Soviet Motherland and not only for me, but also for many of my comrades.

I fight, I beat the enemy with my weapon. Now, by force of circumstances, I got to my rear on native land soon the "golden days" will begin again. I am sure that the Nazi pack will soon be defeated.

Whatever happens, always be calm, never get lost, panic is especially terrible, do not believe any rumors, they come from the lips of the counter-revolution and are aimed at demoralizing the people, try with all your might to help the army, the state. The struggle is hard, but it is nationwide, therefore, victory is ours. Take care and do not forget Alik, but when I come, we will live in a new way, in a peaceful way, in fraternal union with the peoples of Europe.

In one of his last letters to his family, Alexander Viktorovich wrote the following lines:

“I love life madly, it is good both in its sorrows and in its joy, but if you have to die, then know that I will die honestly, selflessly, I will not shame the Russian land, I will not shame my family. And if such a formidable hour ever repeats, then there will be someone to take an example from. Well, if I am alive, after our units occupy the fascist lair - Berlin, after Hitler and his masters are physically destroyed, then we will live in a new way, and I myself will teach our people to hate our enemies fiercely, in whatever dress they are, whatever mask they take on. They are all thieves of our happiness.”

This letter was especially dear to the family. According to brother Vladimir Viktorovich, when Alexander Viktorovich's son Albert grew up, on the advice of partisans - Alexander Viktorovich's fighting friends, he went to study at the Leningrad Suvorov School. He, like his father, graduated from the Higher Artillery Academy and became a professional military man. In 1964, Albert Alexandrovich attended the opening of a monument at the site of his father's death in the village of Zhitnitsa, Novorzhevsky District. We have photographs of the opening of this monument in our museum.

Alexander Viktorovich lived his life with dignity, and we, the new generation, owe everything that we have to people like Alexander Viktorovich, namely, life. The brigade commander laid down his life for a just cause and his name is forever included in the history book of Russia. I am firmly convinced that the name of Alexander Viktorovich is forever connected with the history of the Pskov region. Not without reason, after the death of Alexander Viktorovich, a song appeared in 3 LPB, in which there are such words:

"The inhabitants of the Pskov region will not forget,

The Russian land will remember

As for the glory of the beloved Motherland,

Herman fought, not sparing his life.

I often had a desire to mentally communicate with Alexander Viktorovich, but alas, this is not possible.

Maybe if we learn to understand our history well, we will be able to prevent wars and save the lives of such amazing people as Alexander Viktorovich German.

Semenkov I.G. I'm taking risks. - St. Petersburg. : 2002. - S. 104.

Memoirs of L.G. Kokotov. - Exhibit of the school museum.

Semenkov I.G. At the front and behind enemy lines. - St. Petersburg. : 2000. - S. 162.

The unconquered land of Pskov. Documents and materials. - L.: Lenizdat, 1969. - S. 333.

The unconquered land of Pskov. Documents and materials. - L.: Lenizdat, 1969. - S. 335.

A well-groomed monument, photos, texts... for example, excellent material: http://blokada.otrok.ru/biogr.php?l=4&n=1eav&t=2 with a link to two book editions:

Probably there are descendants of the hero ... We have not forgotten anything. But the author of the publication believes that this is not so.

Herman - the forgotten Partisan with capital letter.

Many Petersburgers know Partizan Herman Street, but few know what outstanding person this street is named after.

Zoshchenko's stories contain information about a certain "detachment of Comrade Herman", which was very strong in the dense forests of the Leningrad, Kalinin and Pskov regions, and almost opened village councils and executive committees in villages and villages opposite the German commandant's offices, and so firmly defended Soviet power that the Nazis and other evil spirits preferred to stay away, not trying to cross the road, and if they crossed the road, they got very hurt.
Very funny.
We all know Zoshchenko as an outstanding master of the grotesque, hyperbole and sarcasm. But I didn’t and don’t consider him an inventor and dreamer at all, especially since the topic in those years (and the story of 1947) was more than serious.

Having taken a "journey into the past", according to the memoirs of the leaders of partisan movements and not finding anything, I already thought that this was a figment of fantasy, but I found some clues and went to German Alexander Viktorovich, and then it was already much easier.

I warn you in advance that although the stories look completely unreal and invented, however, everything stated is based on historical facts. I am not going to convince anyone, any Thomas the Unbeliever can easily take his own journey into history.

Let's start with the fact that the captain of the Red Army German Alexander Viktorovich. Born in 1915 in Leningrad. Russian. Member of the CPSU since 1942. Before the war, he lived and studied in Moscow for several years. Graduate of the Oryol Tank School, graduated military academy them. M.V. Frunze. From July 1941 to Northwestern Front, officer of the intelligence department, was responsible for communication and coordination of partisan detachments. In September 1941 he was sent to the German rear, the main task is reconnaissance, the destruction of the Germans and sabotage on communications. The initial strength of the detachment was about 100-150 fighters.

A.V. German, according to the testimony of his comrades in arms, combined many of the qualities of a Soviet commander: courage, courage, high military skill, optimism and tireless activity. He was one of the first to use the raiding tactics of the guerrilla forces, a bold and skillful maneuver in combat operations. Herman was ardently loved by the partisans for his personal courage, ability to command, adherence to principles, closeness to people, sincerity. He was 28 years old.

The detachment not only fought successfully, but also settled down completely unconventionally for partisans - in the depths of the forests, far from the well-traveled roads, a stationary base arose, which eventually turned into a real fortified area - with capital buildings, barracks, kitchens, baths, an infirmary, headquarters, warehouses, etc. .P.

By the summer of 1942, the success of the detachment, commanding talent and economic abilities of Herman led to the fact that a regular partisan brigade was formed on its basis, its number increased to 2500 people, the combat zone extended to most of the territory of Porkhovskoe, Pozherevitsky, Slavkovichsky, Novorzhevsky, Ostrovsky and other districts of the Pskov region.

Now for the incredible facts:

For the first time in partisan practice, Herman created a stationary airfield near the base, cut a clearing in the forest, equipped a strip and infrastructure for receiving heavy transport aircraft, posted warning posts and anti-aircraft crews. The problem of supply and communication with the "mainland" was solved. Several attempts to raise fighter aircraft to intercept partisan aircraft ended in attacks on an oil base in the city of Porkhov and aviation depots in the village of Pushkinskiye Gory, as a result, all expendable supplies of fuel, ammunition and other things were destroyed. The regiment turned out to be incompetent and could not perform combat missions at the front. They could have been scolded for the partisans, but for such consequences one can really “rattle”. The commander of the Luftwaffe regiment clearly understood this. And the planes in the "forest" flew regularly.

However, this was not enough for Herman. During one of the sorties, a “peat” narrow-gauge railway was discovered passing near the base with rolling stock abandoned on it in a hurry during the retreat - locomotives, wagons and platforms. The road led to the front line, moreover, along the most deaf marshes and swamps (in fact, peat is mined there). There was one bad luck - the section of the narrow-gauge railway passed along the outskirts of the Podseva junction station, which served as a transshipment point german army and had a strong garrison. If transportation was necessary, each time crushing blows were delivered to the station, and "on the sly" the partisan formations successfully passed a bad place. In the end (I really want to live), the command of the garrison simply stopped paying attention to small locomotives and wagons scurrying back and forth through the outskirts of the station, especially since they did not create any special problems, they behaved decently and preferred to move at night. All this time, partisan transportation was carried out.from the front line to the rear of the enemy by rail . This has never happened before or since.

After the planned replacement of the former composition of the garrison, a new commandant arrived at the station, from the staff, Major Paulwitz. Despite the "subtle" hints of the shifter, the situation with the enemy trains constantly following his station struck him so much that the same evening the path was cut and another transport was ambushed. In the morning, the station was captured by a swift blow and held for several days, the garrison was destroyed, the cargoes were blown up or taken as trophies. Along the way, five bridges were blown up, including a strategic one across the Keb River. The road "got up" exactly for 12 days. Who exactly shot Paulwitz is not exactly known, at least in the reports of the brigade this feat is not listed for any of the partisans.
According to the recollections of the railway workers, the Germans soon pulled the barbed wire from the tracks to the narrow gauge and did not notice it at point-blank range.

A special group arrived from Smolensk under the command of an authoritative specialist in the fight against partisans (the name has not been preserved, and it does not matter). On the conscience of this "specialist" there were about a dozen destroyed partisan detachments in the Smolensk region. Using his agent channels, Herman revealed the secret of his success: when partisans were captured or destroyed, their clothes and shoes were taken off, they were given a sniff by ordinary police bloodhounds - after which a detachment of punishers advanced in the footsteps exactly to the partisan base, bypassing all swamps, ambushes and mines. The use of well-known methods - sprinkling traces with shag, pouring urine did not help, because this fact only confirmed the correctness of the route. Groups began to leave one way, and return - the other. Immediately after the passage "there" the path was carefully mined. As well as after the passage "back". With the "craftsman" himself (after the death of several punitive detachments, he quickly figured out what was the matter, and he himself did not "follow" this trick), they dealt with it even more elegantly: by mining in front of the captive "tongue" according to the standard "reverse path", further they led him along a secret submerged gati. It is not known exactly how, but he nevertheless escaped and returned to his people along this gati. Alive. So the ditch is clean. Abverovets, rubbing his hands contentedly, demanded a large detachment, and smiling brazenly, led him around the mines in this way. He did not return himself and "demobilized" two SS companies. The gat still exploded, without much noise. From both ends at the same time. There was no need to shoot, the swamp coped with it one hundred percent. The command was alarmed - how could it disappear without a trace ALLSS detachment, and even without any signs of combat? But no more attempts were made to find the base until the autumn of 1943.

The German brigade developed more than friendly relations with the local population. Thanks to the airport and railway station operating at the base a tolerable supply was established, so that the villagers did not see the partisan food detachments, and the Germans preferred not to get hold of grubs in the villages near the detachment for well-known reasons and not to disturb the population once again with their presence.

Gradually, German began to change tactics in the territory under his control - from purely military to military-political. A military tribunal was organized, which held open field meetings in villages and villages (the institute of policemen and other elders and accomplices instantly disappeared as a biological species, and the Germans who got caught were transferred to the status of prisoners of war, and sent by rail to camps on the mainland ... yes -yes... past the same Podseva station).

An infirmary was opened, in which the surrounding residents could apply and receive all possible medical care. In severe cases, doctors went ON HOUSE. Soviet "ambulance" in the German rear. Hmmm...
In order to resolve current issues, temporary village councils and executive committees were formed, which went to the places, engaged in propaganda work and received the population. Of course, they did not occupy the buildings opposite the German commandant's offices, as Zoshchenko ironically says, they came for a short time and to a pre-selected place, but, nevertheless ...
Here the unthinkable happened. No, no, no executive committee was captured, and there were no German spies among the sick.

At the next reception of the underground executive committee, a deputation of the station garrison, a sort of wiser heirs of Paulwitz, showed up with the lowest request - they should be replaced, I really want to go back to Vaterland, to their families. And since the roads and bridges in the district are all blown up, and the roads are mined, and in general - you can’t drive through them anyway, then ... can they get a pass? Or get out on a partisan piece of iron (after all, only one is serviceable), but in the opposite direction. And they are nothing at all. With all understanding. The trains regularly pass and even the tracks are monitored so that no one hurts.

A few days later, an officer from the local field commandant’s office showed up with a complaint about a detachment of foragers from some neighboring unit, who scour the villages and procure food and oats for themselves, which the villagers are not at all happy about. And since he personally and his warriors are not going to answer for this outrage with their own skin, then, is it possible ... this detachment ... well ... in general, drive it home?
It is not known how these surreal claims ended for the petitioners (the consequences are not mentioned in the primary sources, although these facts themselves are noted), but somehow they became known to the high command, including in Berlin.

To say that the command was furious is to say nothing. A whole bunch of local chiefs and officers were arrested, convicted, demoted or sent to the front. Despite the tense situation, from the front there was WHOLEa combat-ready division was removed, along with tanks, artillery and aircraft, and two SS units with a total strength of about 4,500 people.

The brigade was surrounded, stubborn battles ensued, German personally commanded the withdrawal and planned another brilliant combination, and, although with losses, the brigade successfully broke through to the regular troops, destroying more than half of the attacking troops.

In the village of Zhitnitsa, the advance detachment stumbled upon a garrison of punishers and defeated it. The brigade escaped from the encirclement to the Rugodevsky forests, during the battle the commander of the 3rd partisan brigade, Colonel Alexander Viktorovich German, was wounded three times, the last wound to the head was fatal. He died on September 6, 1943 near the village of Zhitnitsy. Soon an order was received from the Leningrad headquarters of the partisan movement to assign the brigade named after Herman and continue to call it: the 3rd partisan brigade named after Herman of the Leningrad headquarters of the partisan movement. In April 1943, Alexander Viktorovich German was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

After that, the brigade continued successful operations behind enemy lines, about which you can Reading the official summary (from June 1942 to September 1943, a brigade under the command of Herman destroyed 9652 Nazis, 44 collapses of railway echelons with enemy manpower and equipment, 31 railway bridges were blown up, 17 enemy garrisons were defeated, up to 70 volost administrations, and so on. ..), I don’t understand why we know almost nothing about this person, how could the name of one of the most talented and successful military leaders, who had non-trivial strategic thinking, melt away in the fog of hoary antiquity?
Detailed description combat operations of the brigade of Alexander Herman completely baffles - could a person act like that, achieve such amazing results in defeating the enemy in the most difficult conditions, acting behind enemy lines, when the regular army was rapidly retreating, when the outcome of the war was still completely unknown ...

What do we know about the last heroes of the Brest Fortress, whom the Nazis saluted? What do we know about fighting behind enemy lines? What do we even know about the Great Patriotic War if we are debunking existing feats, but do not want to remember other feats at all? After all, the entire Victory in the Great War should rightfully be considered popular! After all, how many "Matrosovs", "Gastello" were just names assigned to them, and there were, if not thousands, then dozens of such people. And you need to make films about such Of people, and not about "good Germans" throwing chocolates.

Thank you for your attention, study history!

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Lenya Golikov (1926–1943) , brigade reconnaissance officer of the 67th detachment of the 4th Leningrad partisan brigade

In the summer of 1942, near the village of Varnitsa, Lenya Golikov blew up a car in which Major General was driving. engineering troops Germany Richard von Wirtz. Lena managed to get documents about the offensive of the enemy army, thanks to which the German attack failed. For this feat, the boy was presented to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Golikov died in the winter of 1943, when the Nazis attacked partisans near the village of Ostraya Luka.

Alexander Matrosov (1924–1943) , submachine gunner of the 2nd separate battalion of the 91st separate Siberian volunteer brigade. Stalin

In the winter of 1943, the Matrosov battalion launched an attack on the German stronghold and fell into a trap. The soldiers were fired from three wooden-earth firing points (bunker), then the firing from two stopped. Alexander and his comrade crawled up to the firing bunker and threw two grenades in his direction, the shooting stopped. The soldiers went on the attack again, but then the machine gun came to life, and Matrosov's partner died. The young man rushed to the embrasure. Thanks to this, the Red Army soldiers were able to successfully attack the enemy, and Alexander Matrosov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously.

Zina Portnova (1926–1944), scout partisan detachment. Voroshilov in the territory occupied by the Nazis in Belarus

As a pioneer, in 1942 Portnova joined the underground organization Young Avengers, where she distributed anti-fascist leaflets in the lands occupied by the Germans. Soon she got a job in a canteen for the Germans. There she managed to arrange several sabotage. In 1943, the girl was captured by the Nazis - she was surrendered by defectors. Zina Portnova was tortured and interrogated, during one of which she grabbed a pistol from the table and killed three Germans. She was shot in prison.

Nikolai Gastello (1907–1941), pilot, captain, commander of the 2nd squadron of the 207th long-range bomber aviation regiment

In June 1941, the crew under the command of Nikolai Gastello flew out to attack a German mechanized column. It was guarded by enemy artillery, and Gastello's plane was shot down by the Nazis from an anti-aircraft gun between the cities of Molodechno and Radoshkovichi (Belarus). The pilot had the opportunity to eject, but he sent the burning plane to the enemy column, thus making the first fire ram in the Great Patriotic War. After the feat of Nikolai Gastello, all pilots who decided to ram began to be called Gastellites.

Alexey Maresyev (1916–2001), pilot

During the Great Patriotic War, Maresyev's plane was shot down by the Nazis, and the pilot ejected. Wounded in both legs, he spent eighteen days reaching the front line. He managed to get to the hospital, but the doctors had to amputate both legs of the fighter. Alexey Maresyev began to fly with prostheses. He has 11 downed enemy planes and more than 80 sorties, most of which he made without legs.

It was the life and exploits of Maresyev that formed the basis of Boris Polevoy's The Tale of a Real Man.

Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya (1923–1941), partisan, member of the sabotage and reconnaissance group of the headquarters of the Western Front

In October 1941, Zoya went to a school for saboteurs, and then was sent to Volokolamsk. Here she was engaged in mining roads and destroying communication centers. During one of these sabotage Kosmodemyanskaya was captured. The Nazis tortured her for a long time, but Zoya did not say a word to them, and they decided to hang the girl. Before her death, the partisan shouted to the assembled local residents: “Comrades, victory will be ours. German soldiers before it's too late, surrender!".

She became the first female Hero of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War.

Yefim Osipenko (1902–1985), guerrilla commander

When the war began, Yefim Osipenko became a partisan in a detachment of six people. Yefim and his comrades decided to blow up the German train. But since there was not enough ammunition, the bomb was made from a grenade. Osipenko crawled to the railway bridge, saw that the train was approaching, and threw an explosive device, but it did not work. Then the partisans hit the bomb with an iron pole, and it exploded. The train derailed, but Osipenko himself lost his sight. He became the first to be awarded the medal "Partisan of the Patriotic War."

Alexander German (1915–1943), commander of the 3rd Leningrad partisan brigade

During the war Alexander German from Petrograd was a scout. He commanded a partisan detachment behind enemy lines. His brigade managed to destroy thousands of Nazis and hundreds of units military equipment. In 1943, in the Pskov region, Herman's detachment was surrounded, where he was killed.

Vladislav Khrustitsky (1902–1944), commander of the 30th separate guards tank brigade of the Leningrad Front

In 1942, Vladislav Khrustitsky became the commander of a separate light tank brigade, in which he participated in Operation Iskra, which marked the beginning of the path to victory over the Nazis on the Leningrad Front. In 1944, during a German counterattack near Volosovo, Khrustitsky's brigade fell into a trap. He radioed his fighters the command to stand to death, and was the first to go on the attack, as a result of which he died, and Volosovo was liberated.

Konstantin Zaslonov (1909–1942), commander of a partisan detachment and brigade. Before the war, Konstantin worked on the railroad. This experience was useful to him in the autumn of 1941 near Moscow. He was thrown behind enemy lines and came up with "coal mines" - mines disguised as coal, and Zaslonov also agitated the local population to go over to the side of the partisans. A reward was announced for a living or dead partisan. Upon learning that Konstantin Zaslonov was hosting local partisan detachment, the Germans changed into Soviet uniforms and came to him. During this battle, Zaslonov died, and the peasants hid his body without betraying it to the enemy.

Matvey Kuzmin (1858–1942), peasant

Matvey Kuzmin met the Great Patriotic War at an advanced age - 82 years. It so happened that he had to lead a detachment of fascists through the forest. However, Kuzmin sent his grandson forward to warn Soviet partisans who stopped nearby. As a result, the Germans were ambushed. In the battle that began, Matvey Kuzmin died. He became the oldest person to be awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Viktor Talalikhin (1918–1941), deputy squadron commander of the 177th Air Defense Fighter Aviation Regiment

At the end of the summer of 1941, Viktor Talalikhin rammed a German fighter, after which, wounded, he descended to the ground by parachute. In total, he has six enemy aircraft on his account. He died in the autumn of the same year near Podolsk.

And in 2014, the remains of Talalikhin's plane were found at the bottom of a swamp in the Moscow region.

Andrei Korzun (1911–1943), artilleryman of the 3rd counter-battery artillery corps Leningrad front

From the very beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Andrei Korzun served on the Leningrad front. In November 1943, Korzun's battery came under fire. Andrei was wounded, and then he saw that powder charges were burning, and an entire ammunition depot could explode. He crawled up to the blazing charges and with the last of his strength covered them with his body. The hero died, and the explosion was prevented.

Young Guard (1942–1943), an underground anti-fascist organization

"Young Guard" operated on the territory of the occupied Luhansk region. Its participants were more than a hundred people, the youngest of whom was only 14 years old. The organization was engaged in sabotage and agitation of the population. On the account of the "Young Guard" - an enemy tank repair shop and an exchange, from where the prisoners were taken to Germany for forced labor. The uprising, organized by the members of the group, did not take place because of the traitors who betrayed them to the Nazis. As a result, more than 70 participants were tortured and shot.

The exploits of the "Young Guard" inspired the creation of the work of the same name by Alexander Fadeev.

Panfilov, a detachment of 28 people under the command of Ivan Panfilov from personnel 4th company of the 2nd battalion of the 1075th rifle regiment

In the autumn of 1941, during the counterattack on Moscow, the Panfilovites were near Volokolamsk. It was there that they met the German tank forces, the fight began. As a result, 18 armored vehicles were eliminated, the attack was delayed, and the Nazi counteroffensive failed. It is believed that it was then that political instructor Vasily Klochkov shouted to his fighters the famous phrase “Russia is great, but there is nowhere to retreat - Moscow is behind!” According to the main version, all 28 Panfilovites died.

According to matveychev-oleg.livejournal.com