Partisan detachments of the Second World War 1941 1945. Commanders of the partisans of the Great Patriotic War. The main figures and heroes of the partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War

During the Great Patriotic War in the territories occupied by fascist troops Soviet Union a people's war was waged, which is a partisan movement. We will tell about its features and the brightest representatives in our article.

The concept and organization of movement

Partisans (partisan detachments) are unofficial persons (armed groups) who are hiding, avoiding direct confrontation, while fighting the enemy in the occupied lands. An important aspect of partisan activity is the voluntary support of the civilian population. If this does not happen, then battle groups are saboteurs or just bandits.

The Soviet partisan movement began to form immediately in 1941 (very active in Belarus). The partisans were required to take an oath. The detachments operated mainly in the frontline zone. During the war years, about 6,200 groups (a million people) were created. Where the terrain did not allow the creation of partisan zones, underground organizations or sabotage groups operated.

The main goals of the partisans:

Violation of the operation of the support and communication systems of the German troops;
Conducting reconnaissance;
Political agitation;
Destruction of defectors, false partisans, Nazi managers and officers;
Combat assistance to representatives of the Soviet government, military units, who survived in the occupation.

The partisan movement was not uncontrolled. Already in June 1941 the Council people's commissars adopted a directive that listed the main necessary actions of the partisans. In addition, part of the partisan detachments was created in free territories, and then transported to the enemy rear. In May 1942 the Central Headquarters was formed. partisan movement.

Rice. 1. Soviet partisans.

Hero guerrillas

Many underground workers and partisans of the Great Patriotic War 1941 1945 are recognized heroes.
We list the most famous:

Tikhon Bumazhkov (1910-1941): one of the first organizers of the partisan movement (Belarus). Together with Fedor Pavlovsky (1908-1989) - the first partisans who became heroes of the USSR;
Sidor Kovpak (1887-1967): one of the organizers of partisan activity in Ukraine, commander of the Sumy partisan unit, twice Hero;
Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya (1923-1941): scout saboteur. was captured after cruel torture(did not give out any information, even her real name) was hanged;
Elizaveta Chaikina (1918-1941): participated in the organization of partisan detachments in the Tver region. After fruitless torture - shot;
Vera Voloshina (1919-1941): scout saboteur. Diverted the attention of the enemy, covering the retreat of the group with valuable data. Wounded, after torture - hanged.

Rice. 2. Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the partisan pioneers:

What have we learned?

We learned about the specifics of the Soviet partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War, which operated with the support of the local population and with the approval of the military command. About 250 partisans received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The most famous are named in the article.

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Druzhinin V.N. Chernihiv partisan unit. For making clarifications on this photo, I express my gratitude to a colleague sergiy_rode

Hero of the Soset Union, commander of the 123rd partisan brigade F.I. Pavlovsky

Slyusarev. Commander of the Lvov Partisan Detachment

Hero of the Soviet Union, Commissar of the Sumy partisan unit Semyon Vasilyevich Rudnev. Died in battle with the invaders near Delyatyn

Commander of the First Ukrainian Partisan Division named after Kovpak Hero of the Soviet Union Petr Vershigora

Commander of the 3rd Regiment of the Kovpakovskaya Division, Hero of the Soviet Union P.E. Braiko

F.F. Cabbage, commander of the Bialystok partisan unit

The commander of the partisan detachment Dunyaev

Petr Nikitovich Zyabkin. Partisan Detachment Commander

The commander of the partisan detachment "Elusive" Hero of the Soviet Union Lieutenant Colonel M.S. Prudnikov

The commander of the partisan fighter battalion V. Blukov. Pskov region

Chief of Staff of the Gomel partisan unit E.I. Barykin

The commander of the 2nd regiment of the 3rd Leningrad partisan brigade A.P. Pakhomov

Commissar of the partisan detachment S.A. Ivanov

Commissioner of the Chernihiv partisan unit V.N. Druzhinin

The commander of the partisan detachment named after Chkalov S.D. Penkin. Novgorod region 1941

Chief of Staff of the 1st Belarusian Separate Cossack Partisan Division I.A. Soloshenko. 1943

The commander of the Transcarpathian partisan detachment Lavrov V.I.

Alexander Eliseevich Krivets, commander of the partisan detachment named after Shchors

The commander of the Chernihiv partisan unit Taranushchenko N.M.

The commander of the partisan unit twice Hero of the Soviet Union A. F. Fedorov

The commander of the formation of the Chernigov partisans, Hero of the Soviet Union Nikolai Nikitich Popudrenko, January 1943.

The commander of the Chernihiv-Volyn partisan unit A.F. Fedorov with comrades. 1943

The commander of the partisan formation. Kovpak P.P. Vershigora and regiment commander D.I. Bakradze

Command of the Chernihiv-Volyn partisan formation: S.V. Chintsov, A.F. Fedorov and L.E. Kizya

The commanders of the partisan detachment. Kirov

Heroes of the Soviet Union partisan commanders: Duka, Romashin, Emlyutin, Kovpak, Saburov on Red Square. 1942

Demyan Korotchenko, Alexey Fedorov, Semyon Rudnev, Timofey Strokach

Major General T.A. Strokach at dinner with the commanders of the Rivne partisan formations. 06.1943

Commanders of partisan formations: L.E. Kizya, V.A. Begma, A.F. Fedorov and T.A. Strokach

D. Korotchenko speaks at a meeting of the commanders of the Zhytomyr connection of partisan detachments under the command of S. Malikov. 1943

This is the last picture of the Hero of the Soviet Union N. N. Popudrenko (first from the left). Four hours later he died a heroic death

Commander of the Pinsk partisan brigade M.I. Gerasimov (2nd from right) and commissar of the brigade V.S. Kunkov (2nd from left)

Partisan movement (partisan war 1941 - 1945) - one of the sides of the resistance of the USSR fascist troops Germany and the Allies during the Great Patriotic War.

The partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War was very large-scale and, most importantly, well organized. It differed from other popular uprisings in that it had a clear command system, was legalized and was subject to Soviet power. The partisans were controlled by special bodies, their activities were spelled out in several legislative acts and had goals described personally by Stalin. The number of partisans during the Great Patriotic War amounted to about a million people, more than six thousand various underground detachments were formed, which included all categories of citizens.

The purpose of the guerrilla war 1941-1945. - destruction of infrastructure german army, disruption of the supply of food and weapons, destabilization of the entire fascist machine.

The beginning of the guerrilla war and the formation of partisan detachments

Guerrilla warfare is an integral part of any protracted military conflict, and quite often the order to start a guerrilla movement comes directly from the country's leadership. So it was in the case of the USSR. Immediately after the start of the war, two directives were issued “To the Party and Soviet organizations of the front-line regions” and “On the organization of the struggle in the rear of the German troops”, which spoke of the need to create popular resistance to help the regular army. In fact, the state gave the green light to the formation of partisan detachments. Already a year later, when the partisan movement was in full swing, Stalin issued an order "On the tasks of the partisan movement", which described the main directions of the work of the underground.

An important factor for the emergence of partisan resistance was the formation of the 4th Directorate of the NKVD, in the ranks of which special groups were created that were engaged in subversive work and intelligence.

On May 30, 1942, the partisan movement was legalized - the Central Headquarters of the partisan movement was created, to which local headquarters in the regions were subordinate, headed, for the most part, by the heads of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. The creation of a single administrative body served as impetus for the development of a large-scale guerrilla war, which was well organized, had a clear structure and subordination system. All this significantly increased the efficiency of the partisan detachments.

The main activities of the partisan movement

sabotage activity. The partisans tried with all their might to destroy the supply of food, weapons and manpower to the headquarters of the German army, very often pogroms were carried out in the camps in order to deprive the Germans of sources fresh water and kick out.
Intelligence service. An equally important part of the underground activity was intelligence, both on the territory of the USSR and in Germany. The partisans tried to steal or find out the secret plans of the German attack and transfer them to the headquarters in order to Soviet army was prepared for the attack.
Bolshevik propaganda. An effective fight against the enemy is impossible if the people do not believe in the state and do not follow common goals, so the partisans actively worked with the population, especially in the occupied territories.
Combat action. Armed clashes happened quite rarely, but still the partisan detachments entered into open confrontation with the German army.
Control of the entire partisan movement.
Restoration of Soviet power in the occupied territories. The partisans tried to raise an uprising among Soviet citizens who were under the yoke of the Germans.

Partisan detachments

By the middle of the war, large and small partisan detachments existed in almost the entire territory of the USSR, including the occupied lands of Ukraine and the Baltic states. However, it should be noted that in some territories the partisans did not support the Bolsheviks, they tried to defend the independence of their region, both from the Germans and from the Soviet Union.

Ordinary partisan detachment numbered several dozen people, however, with the growth of the partisan movement, the detachments began to consist of several hundred, although this happened infrequently. On average, one detachment included about 100-150 people. In some cases, detachments were combined into brigades in order to put up serious resistance to the Germans. The partisans were usually armed with light rifles, grenades and carbines, but sometimes large brigades had mortars and artillery weapons. The equipment depended on the region and the purpose of the detachment. All members of the partisan detachment took the oath.

In 1942, the post of Commander-in-Chief of the partisan movement was created, which was occupied by Marshal Voroshilov, but soon the post was abolished and the partisans were subordinate to the military Commander-in-Chief.

There were also special Jewish partisan detachments, which consisted of Jews who remained in the USSR. The main purpose of such detachments was to protect the Jewish population, which was subjected to special persecution by the Germans. Unfortunately, very often Jewish partisans faced serious problems, since many Soviet detachments were dominated by anti-Semitic sentiments and they rarely came to the aid of Jewish detachments. By the end of the war, the Jewish detachments mixed with the Soviet ones.

The results and significance of guerrilla warfare

Soviet partisans became one of the main forces resisting the Germans and in many ways helped decide the outcome of the war in the direction of the USSR. good management partisan movement made it highly effective and disciplined, thanks to which the partisans could fight on a par with the regular army.

The village of Uritskoye is memorable because there was a base for a partisan detachment under the command of T. T. Shlemin during the Great Patriotic War. Together with adult partisans, young partisans fought in this detachment.

"Red Pathfinders" of the Uritsa School

The red pathfinders of the Uritsky school did a great job of finding information about the partisan movement in the Uritsky area. The school has a museum.

Model of a dugout of partisans in front of the entrance to the museum

After the abolition educational institution All exhibits were transferred to the District Administration.

Partisan detachments provided invaluable support to the troops. To guide the partisan front on May 30, 1942, the Central Headquarters of the partisan movement was created at the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. By the same decision, the Kalinin headquarters of the partisan movement was formed. In the vast expanse of the western regions of the Kalinin region occupied by the Germans, in the rear of the Nazi German Army Group "North", the people's avengers launched a war on the enemy's transport communications in order to prevent the transfer of manpower, weapons, ammunition, equipment and fuel to the front line, to destroy its garrisons, the disruption of the measures of the occupation regime, to protect the population remaining in the occupied territory. The theater of operations was wooded, crossed by hundreds of small rivers, lakes, swamps, many of which were impassable. It had its own strategy and tactics, its own tricks and methods, irresistible and boldly bold, and they led to victory. The first partisan groups and detachments began to operate in the occupied regions of the Kalinin region as early as July-August 1941. Despite the brutal occupation regime, the partisan movement gained strength and found support among the people themselves.

The commanders of such formations, regardless of their military rank- (it should be noted that it was in a wide range - from a sergeant to a lieutenant colonel) was called brigade commander.

In total, in the occupied territory of the Kalinin region (within the boundaries of that time) in the period 1942-1944. There were 23 partisan brigades. Moreover, the entire territory on which they operated, after the expulsion of the Germans, became part of the Velikiye Luki region, and after its abolition in October 1957, it became part of the Pskov region.

The command of the 31st Rifle Brigade, for example, directly interacted with the detachments of K.P. Marsov “F. V. Zyleva. By the will of fate, both commanders were surrounded in 1941. Repeated attempts to break through the front line to connect with our troops failed. Both were deep behind enemy lines. Faithful to military duty decided to switch to partisan methods of struggle.

Pskov partisans go on a combat mission

In the second half of July 1941, a small group of Red Army soldiers, along with their commander, were surrounded and embarked on the path of partisan struggle. The group melted away after skirmishes with the Germans. And soon only Pavel Novikov remained alive, who stubbornly tried to find his own in order to join them. Soon he found like-minded people who were ready to embark on the path of partisan struggle.
The people's avengers attacked the enemy garrisons, exterminating the invaders and their accomplices. They blew up bridges, trains and tracks, disabled communication lines, destroyed warehouses with weapons and ammunition, carried out reconnaissance, and maintained contact with the population. All this demoralized the rear of the enemy, fettered his forces.
On February 18, 1942, the command of the Kalinin Front withdrew Marsov's detachment from the rear and connected it with units of the 31st Rifle Brigade. And Marsov himself, after being appointed chief of staff of the brigade, was ordered to form a united detachment in our rear, which included Koldobinsky, Uritsky and Borisoglebsky partisan detachments. F. V. Zylev became the commander of the united detachment, F. T. Boydin became the chief of staff, and P. A. Novikov became the commissar. So in the village of Korotyshevo, Kaldobinsky village council, a partisan detachment "For the Motherland" was created. He kept in touch directly with the 31st Infantry Brigade. The actions of the detachment became known from the memoirs at one of the meetings of veterans of the 1st rifle division former commissioner P. A. Novikov, and then from the essay “Forest Paths” written by him.

Shlemin Timofey Trofimovich before the war, he was chairman of the Uritsky village council. With the beginning of the occupation by the German invaders, he was left in a partisan detachment, where he stayed until August 1943. Timofey Trofimovich became the organizer of partisan detachments operating in Velikoluksky and Nevelsky districts. The first detachment of 25 people was commanded by Fedor Zylev. There were 75 people in the second detachment. This detachment was commanded by Ermolaev. Timofey Trofimovich himself was the commander of the third created detachment, consisting of 50 people, which was part of the 11th Kalinin brigade. In mid-February 1942, a united detachment was formed, called "For the Motherland". An order was given to carry out the mobilization of those liable for military service of all ages, both in the Red Army and in partisan detachments. Martynov Ustin Zakharovich was also in this detachment. He crossed the front line 6 times, helped Soviet soldiers, and his son Martynov Nikolay with his great-grandmother Volkova Praskovya Feoktistovna how they assisted both partisans and Soviet soldiers: they brought them food, delivered weapons, and provided the necessary information.

According to the memoirs of Timofey Trofimovich, the command of the “For the Motherland” detachment, having visited the headquarters of the 31st Infantry Division, received specific tasks: to provide the army command with intelligence data and to monitor the movement of the Germans along the Nevel-Usvyaty highway, along to which manpower, equipment and ammunition were transferred, to make ambushes, to mine roads. One of the first major operations of the detachment, carried out on behalf of the army command, was the defeat of the German garrison in the village of Lekhovo on the night of March 27-28, 1942.

Map of hostilities near the village of Lekhovo. March 28, 1942

A new order was received from the headquarters of the 31st brigade to find out the number and armament of the garrison in the village of Lekhovo, which was 30 kilometers from the front line. Apparently, the choice for the resettlement of the German garrison in Lekhovo was not accidental: Lekhovo is a convenient strategic object, as it is located on the Nevel-Usvyaty highway. There was a rather intense movement here, marching companies moving to the front line settled down for the night. It was necessary to establish the size of the garrison in the village of Lekhovo. The detachment, following the instructions of the brigade command, began to systematically arrange ambushes on the Nevel-Usvyaty highway. Sometimes scouts returned with nothing. The ambush was successful on March 15, 1942, when two Germans were captured. They learned from them that a large garrison was stationed in Lekhov, Nevelsky district. However, the testimony of the prisoners could not be trusted. It was decided to set up an ambush again and take the language. Combat operations were carried out near the villages of Subochevo, Peski, Bardino (Koshelevsky village council). But, neither these operations nor the interrogations of prisoners gave a clear picture of the size and armament of the Lekhovsky garrison. It was necessary to send scouts from the detachment to Lekhovo again. Again, because the first reconnaissance ended in complete failure and the death of scouts Elena Nosenkova and Zinaida Volkova.
In his memoirs, Pavel Alexandrovich Novikov points out that Seryozha Karasev went to reconnaissance in the village of Lekhovo twice. First time with Nadia Kozintseva.

A group of partisans on January 2, 1942.

Distribution of medicines among detachments of partisan brigades. 1942

The further fate of the partisan detachment "For the Motherland", with which the 31st brigade of the 3rd shock army interacted, was as follows: in June 1942, by decision of the Kalinin regional party committee and the Military Council of the Kalinin Front, the detachment was transformed into the 1st Kalinin partisan brigade, which united four detachment with a total number of 472 people. The brigade was constantly growing, and it soon had 2045 fighters. It was disaggregated and created the 6th and 7th Kalinin partisan brigades.
From the command of the partisan detachment "For the Motherland" the fate of only two people is known: the chief of staff F. T. Boydin and the commissar of the detachment P. A. Novikov.
Fedor Timofeevich Boydin after the war was in the Komsomol work, then for a long time he worked as the first secretary of the district committee of the party,
Pavel Alexandrovich Novikov, having been wounded, was treated in one of the Tashkent hospitals. After the war he graduated from the institute. He became a candidate of historical sciences, an assistant professor at the Ust-Kamenogorsk Pedagogical Institute.
In 1991, the author of these lines was sent a letter by V. I. Kravchenko, a scout from another partisan detachment - “Death to fascism”. Here is what she wrote: “N. V. Shipovalov commanded the partisan detachment, Ya. M. Lobitsky was the commissar, Maximov was the chief of staff. The detachment began operating in the southeastern part of the region in January 1942. Later controlled the highway and railway Velikiye Luki - Nevel. Communication was maintained with the 257th division and the 31st brigade. In August 1942, the detachment was redeployed to the Sebezh region for further fighting behind enemy lines.
In a letter from the commissar of the 31st brigade, Ya. M. Vershuta, dated February 20, 1966, we read: “V. I. Kravchenko was a member of the partisan detachment "Death to fascism". She was a scout and a liaison with other detachments and military units. Skillfully performed responsible and difficult tasks command. Currently he lives in the city of Velikiye Luki... He spends a lot of effort and energy on organizing and holding meetings of veterans - direct participants in the liberation of the city and the region. She was awarded two Orders of the Patriotic War, medals... Veteran of Labor. He has many honorary degrees."
According to a report addressed to the Military Council of the 3rd Shock Army, signed by the brigade commander Gorbunov and its commissar Vershuta, during the fighting, Shipovalov's partisan detachment delivered over 4,000 shells, a large number of cartridges and mines to the brigade's warehouse, disrupted the enemy's telephone and telegraph communications 18 times , carried out 24 undermining of the railway track and 10 undermining of various bridges, undermined six echelons, of which one completely destroyed, destroyed 240 enemy soldiers and officers.
It is no coincidence that the Council of Veterans of the 1st Rifle Division considers the partisans of the “Death to Fascism” and “For the Motherland” detachments to be their brother-soldiers: they closely cooperated with the 31st brigade of the 3rd shock army and fought jointly with the German invaders in the areas of Velikiye Luki and Nevel .

Partisan detachments, in the fight against the Nazi invaders, interacted with the 227 separate ski battalion of the 3rd Shock Army.

In 1985, at the invitation of the leadership of the Pskov region, Pavel Alexandrovich Novikov participated in the celebrations dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. He visited the Uritsky school, met with schoolchildren and teachers.

After the war Shlemin T.T. met with the pioneers of the Uritskaya and Porechenskaya schools. He told the guys about partisan attacks, saboteurs. According to his stories, the guys wrote a short report on the actions of the partisans.

In the book "The Book of Memory" (4th volume) there is"Report of the headquarters of the partisan detachment "Death to fascism" on the fighting in the period from June 10 to July 1, 1942"

The village of Kupuy was the base of the 2nd Kalinin partisan brigade. The detachment of Pyotr Ryndin was the first to settle in Kupuy in May 1942.
On July 6, 1942, in Kupuy, partisan detachments “For native land"(Commander Ryndin P.V.) and" People's Avenger "(Commander Lesnikov). They were merged into the 2nd Kalinin partisan brigade under the command of Georgy Arbuzov, who commanded it until July 29, 1942. The brigade, consisting of two detachments, set out from Kupuy to the area of operations Kudever. Kupiy was at that time the main partisan base of the brigade. From here, the partisans went on combat missions, they returned here from them and after a short rest left for new missions.

On September 1, 1942, the 2nd Kalinin partisan brigade became part of the 1st Kalinin partisan corps. On September 9, 1942, the corps advanced from Kupuy to the German rear. At that time, the 2nd Kalinin Brigade was part of the Central Strike Group of the Corps and moved as the Main Outpost.
When Ryndin P.V. became the commander of the 2nd Kalinin partisan brigade, then at that time it had a numerical strength: middle command staff - 34 people, junior command staff - 42 people, privates - 301 people (total 377 people). In service there were: 4 mortars, 13 machine guns, 13 rifles, 31 pistols.

Articles about the partisan movement were published in the local periodical press:

Novikov, P. Behind enemy lines / P. Novikov // Way of October. - 1990. - 26 Apr. Memories of the commissar of the partisan detachment "For the Motherland" (joined the 1st CPB).
Novikov P. A. So the First Kalininskaya was born / P. A. Novikov // Way of October. - 1969. - 16, 21, 23, 26 Aug.
“It is necessary to create a partisan detachment” // Vedomosti. Pskov-Velikiye Luki. - 2010. - May 26. – P. 8.

A significant contribution to the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany brought in partisan detachments operating behind enemy lines from Leningrad to Odessa. They were headed not only by military personnel, but also by people of peaceful professions. Real heroes.

Old Man Minai

By the beginning of the war, Minai Filipovich Shmyrev was the director of the Pudot cardboard factory (Belarus). The past of the 51-year-old director was a combat one: he was awarded three St. George's Crosses in World War I, in the Civil War he fought against banditry.

In July 1941, in the village of Pudot, Shmyrev formed a partisan detachment from factory workers. In two months, the partisans fought the enemy 27 times, destroyed 14 vehicles, 18 fuel tanks, blew up 8 bridges, and defeated the German district administration in Surazh.

In the spring of 1942, Shmyrev, on the orders of the Central Committee of Belarus, teamed up with three partisan detachments and headed the First Belarusian Partisan Brigade. The partisans drove the fascists out of 15 villages and created the Surazh partisan region. Here, before the arrival of the Red Army, Soviet power was restored. On the Usvyaty-Tarasenki section, the Surazh Gate existed for half a year - a 40-kilometer zone through which the partisans were supplied with weapons and food.
All relatives of Old Man Minai: four small children, sister and mother-in-law were shot by the Nazis.
In the fall of 1942, Shmyrev was transferred to the Central Headquarters of the partisan movement. In 1944 he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.
After the war, Shmyrev returned to economic work.

The son of the fist "Uncle Kostya"

Konstantin Sergeevich Zaslonov was born in the city of Ostashkov, Tver province. In the thirties, his family was dispossessed and exiled to the Kola Peninsula in Khibinogorsk.
After school, Zaslonov became a railway worker, by 1941 he worked as the head of a locomotive depot in Orsha (Belarus) and was evacuated to Moscow, but voluntarily went back.

He served under the pseudonym "Uncle Kostya", created an underground, which, with the help of mines disguised as coal, derailed 93 Nazi echelons in three months.
In the spring of 1942, Zaslonov organized a partisan detachment. The detachment fought with the Germans, lured 5 garrisons of the Russian National People's Army to their side.
Zaslonov died in a battle with RNNA punishers, who came to the partisans under the guise of defectors. He was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

NKVD officer Dmitry Medvedev

A native of the Oryol province, Dmitry Nikolaevich Medvedev was an officer in the NKVD.
He was fired twice - either because of his brother - "the enemy of the people", then "for the unreasonable termination of criminal cases." In the summer of 1941 he was reinstated in the ranks.
He headed the Mitya reconnaissance and sabotage task force, which conducted more than 50 operations in the Smolensk, Mogilev and Bryansk regions.
In the summer of 1942, he headed the "Winners" special squad and conducted more than 120 successful operations. 11 generals, 2000 soldiers, 6000 Banderites were destroyed, 81 trains were blown up.
In 1944, Medvedev was transferred to staff work, but in 1945 he traveled to Lithuania to fight the Forest Brothers gang. He retired with the rank of colonel. The hero of the USSR.

Saboteur Molodtsov-Badaev

Vladimir Alexandrovich Molodtsov worked at the mine from the age of 16. He went from trolley racer to deputy director. In 1934 he was sent to the Central School of the NKVD.
In July 1941 he arrived in Odessa for reconnaissance and sabotage work. He worked under the pseudonym Pavel Badaev.

Badaev's detachments hid in the Odessa catacombs, fought with the Romanians, tore communication lines, staged sabotage in the port, and carried out reconnaissance. They blew up the commandant's office with 149 officers. At the Zastava station, the train with the administration for the occupied Odessa was destroyed.

The Nazis threw 16,000 people to liquidate the detachment. They let gas into the catacombs, poisoned the water, mined the passages. In February 1942, Molodtsov and his contacts were captured. Molodtsov was executed on July 12, 1942.
Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously.

Desperate partisan "Mikhailo"

Azerbaijani Mehdi Ganifa-ogly Huseynzade was drafted into the Red Army from his student days. Participant Battle of Stalingrad. He was seriously wounded, captured and taken to Italy. Fled in early 1944, joined the partisans and became a company commissar Soviet partisans. He was engaged in reconnaissance, sabotage, blew up bridges and airfields, executed the Gestapo. For desperate courage he received the nickname "partisan Mikhailo".
A detachment under his command raided the prison, freeing 700 prisoners of war.
He was captured near the village of Vitovle. Mehdi fired back to the end, and then committed suicide.
His exploits were known after the war. In 1957 he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

OGPU officer Naumov

A native of the Perm region, Mikhail Ivanovich Naumov, by the beginning of the war, was an employee of the OGPU. He was shell-shocked while crossing the Dniester, was surrounded, went out to the partisans and soon led the detachment. In the autumn of 1942 he became chief of staff of partisan detachments in the Sumy region, and in January 1943 he headed a cavalry unit.

In the spring of 1943, Naumov carried out the legendary Steppe raid 2,379 kilometers long through the rear of the Nazis. For this operation, the captain was awarded the rank of major general, which is a unique event, and the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
In total, Naumov conducted three large-scale raids behind enemy lines.
After the war, he continued to serve in the ranks of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Kovpak

Sidor Artemyevich Kovpak became a legend during his lifetime. Born in Poltava in a poor peasant family. In World War I, from the hands of Nicholas II received George Cross. In the Civil partisan against the Germans, fought with the whites.

Since 1937 he was the chairman of the Putivl city executive committee of the Sumy region.
In the autumn of 1941, he headed the Putivl partisan detachment, and then - the connection of detachments of the Sumy region. The partisans carried out military raids behind enemy lines. Their total length was more than 10,000 kilometers. 39 enemy garrisons were defeated.

August 31, 1942 Kovpak participated in a meeting partisan commanders in Moscow, was received by Stalin and Voroshilov, after which he made a raid for the Dnieper. At that moment, Kovpak's detachment had 2000 fighters, 130 machine guns, 9 guns.
In April 1943 he was promoted to the rank of major general.
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union.