Chapter 30 War Memoirs of Marshal Baghramyan: Myth Busted-1.Reconstructed Front

In the city of Gajachi, I was ordered to go to the city of Akhturka with these staff officers from the War Department to check the formation of the 21st Army. On September 25th, we were already on our way.We crossed the Volskra River Bridge and entered the coastal jungle.After a few minutes, we arrived at the edge of the forest, and in almost a short time we drove to the outskirts of the city.The sun shone brightly on the shaded houses, unlike the autumn sun.Akhturka is three hundred years old.At that time it was an important stronghold on the southern cordon that protected Rus from the raids of the Crimean Tatars.Since the establishment of Soviet power, Akhturka has changed - its own industry has appeared, a school has been built.The city expanded and became more beautiful.Factory chimneys belched smoke.Despite being close to the front lines, all businesses are working.

The headquarters of the group army are distributed in several small bungalows.In one, two tables were placed side by side behind a thin partition.A general is looking at a map spread out on a table.I introduced myself to him.The general stopped looking at the map and replied very coldly: "Hello." Then he extended his hand to me: "Gordorf." I said why.I said, I just broke out and knew next to nothing about the situation.The general pointed to the map.Intermittent red lines mark the battle lines.It extends from Vorozhba to Krasnograd, nearly 300 kilometers. I thought of the German leaflets and newspapers that fell into our hands when we went behind enemy lines.Goebbels and his aides boasted to the world that the Russian Southwestern Front, the so-called "Budyonny armies", had been wiped out and that the road to the Urals was clear for the Führer's victorious army up.But, lo and behold, the Southwestern Front is still there, and is still blocking the enemy.

"It's a little less powerful now," said B. H. Goldoff.He traced the picture with a pencil.On the northern flank was General Podelas' 40th Army.Now it is in a difficult position.The ninety-kilometer-wide area consisted of General Chesnov's small detachment, Colonel Ragutin's 293rd Rifle Division, Colonel Ter Gasparyan's 227th Rifle Division, and General Semenchenko's Tank 1st Division. The rest of the 10th Division occupied it.These small troops struggled to block the onslaught of the German Tank Second Army troops.However, the 1st Guards Motorized Rifle Division, which arrived from the reserve team of the base camp, has begun to unload at Sumy, and it will be dispatched by Poderas.To the south is the 80-kilometer-wide area of ​​the 21st Army.At present, only General Belov's cavalry and mechanized troops are operating here, which governs the 5th and 9th Cavalry Divisions, the 1st Guards Infantry Division and two tank brigades.The 295th Infantry Division is now being hastily formed in Akhtelka.It was forwarded to the Gajachi area in order to connect the front of the Belov Group with the units of the 297th Infantry Division defending to the south.Further south, the 5th Cavalry Corps of General O. B. Kamkov is on the defensive. It governs the 3rd and 14th Cavalry Divisions, two tank brigades, a motorized infantry brigade, and the 297th and 212th Infantry Divisions. .On the left of the corps, fighting between Gavronzi and Karlovka, were five infantry divisions and one cavalry division of the 38th Army.

Goldov put down his pencil and said wearily: "The situation of the front army today is like this. I heard that Marshal Timoshenko's reserve team does not have heavy troops for the time being. We can only count on our people to carry forward their tenacity and maneuver their forces from one sector to another." Yes, the situation is difficult.But in any case, the front army still exists and is fighting. Our army has been indomitable in blocking the way of the fascist armies.And above all, the divisions that formed the basic backbone of the Southwest Front in the newly fortified area were precisely those divisions it had been formed into, while the Fascists shouted to the world that they had been encircled and annihilated.Here, only the two infantry divisions and the 2nd Cavalry Corps transferred from other fronts were new regiments.

I am also pleased that the headquarters of the 21st Army, which commanded all the troops operating in the sector between the 40th Army and the 5th Cavalry Corps, saved the main cadre of its commanders during the breakout. When I asked if I could meet the army commander, Goldov replied that Lieutenant General B. A. Kuznetsov, the commander of the army, is in the hospital and will be replaced by General F. M. Cherevchenko. he. We agreed that I would go to Major General E. A. Belov's cavalry mechanized group the next day, and from there I would go to the Gajachi area where the reorganized 295th Infantry Division was going.

For the rest of the time before departure I got to know the staff of the headquarters, first of all the officers of the Operations Division headed by Colonel Mikhail Stepanovich Poshagin.Poschakin held this position and went with the army through its entire difficult journey from the frontier.He is a well-trained staff officer, having graduated from the Frunze Military Academy.Among his closest aides, I particularly recall Major Peter Grigorievich Tyukhov, who was chief of staff of an infantry division of our Front when the war began. The next day, when I was already in front of the car and ready to disembark, I bumped into my old colleague, Major General Alexander Ilyich Danilov, assistant to Kirponos's air defense.This encounter was sudden for both of us.We broke up on that side of the front when we were going the opposite way.It was a pleasure to meet people who had shared a difficult time in the enemy's pocket.We hugged each other tightly and exclaimed happily:

"So you're alive! That's great!" I learned from Danilov that with him stood out many commanders and political staff of the Front Command and the 5th Army, Chief of Staff of the Front Air Defense Command Valentin Antonovich Penikowski also made it out alive and healthy with the officers.Many of these comrades are here now, in Akhtelka.I couldn't help running towards where they lived and found them in a school yard.Everyone was neat and dignified, dressed according to the regulations with the serious attitude unique to the old core commanders.Only the shrapnel-shattered military uniforms and the gauze bandages covering the wounds remind people that these men have just been killed from the fiercest battle.

On September 27, I reached the forest west of Lebedin.The headquarters of the 1st Guards Infantry Division, which was transferred to us from the Western Front not long ago, is here.This glorious regiment fought continuously, from the border to Smolensk.The Fascists encircled the 100th Division (its original designation) several times, but each time it protruded from the encirclement and continued to hit the enemy just as successfully as before.Commanding the division was Major General A. H. Rusyanov, a skilled tactician and excellent maneuverer.No wonder the division ranked first among the first regiments of the Guards.

I learned that Rusyanov's division has been with the 2nd Cavalry Corps since September 21 The team took part in the counter-assault against the Guderian Romney Group together.The impact of these armies contained a large number of enemy forces, thereby improving the situation of several of my surrounded armies. Rusyanov's division has suffered heavy losses and has just received fresh reinforcements.What I have to do is to understand the cause of the loss and determine whether the division can continue to conduct active combat operations. I did not find Rusyanov until night in a farmhouse with a kerosene lamp.I looked curiously at this man who was told so many stories.He has a strong physique, is not tall, and has a big face.His light-colored hair was brushed back flat and slick, exposing a high forehead.The Order of Lenin and the Order of the Red Banner gleamed on fully buttoned and dusty military jackets.Ivan Nikitich Rusyanov was not yet forty-two, and was an experienced and well-trained soldier.I know that he has the qualities of an excellent commander: cheerful, kind-hearted, indomitable will, hard and simple, extremely hardworking, stubborn, can deeply understand his duties, and has abundant energy.Of course, he also has shortcomings.He was said to be too commanding and too blunt.But his subordinates love him because of this: "Our teacher does not tolerate anyone, and everyone under him knows his duty!"

After we met, we started talking.I said that the chief wanted to know why the 1st Guards Division suffered such a large loss near Romney.The general tugged at his thick eyebrows with his fingers, and said with a wry smile: "You know how we got into the fight? We were just replenished before we were transferred here. It was some new fighters and new commanders who hadn't fought and hadn't had time to learn what they needed to. Just This immediately sent them to war. We got off the train and marched a hundred kilometers without even an hour to breathe. We went into battle from the march to deal with enemy tanks and motorized infantry. There was not even time to mobilize the artillery None. However, we beat the enemy solidly and drove it back. Of course, the price we paid was not small." The general was silent for a while. "It's different now. Yesterday's recruits have learned a lot and become real soldiers. We got some submachine guns and machine guns, and we don't just fight with rifles anymore. Our division is ready for any mission."

In the morning we went to the position of an infantry regiment.The group left a very good impression on me.As soon as we were about to leave the bunker, the enemy launched heavy artillery fire.There are enemy planes in the sky.Dive bombers wailed and dropped bombs on the artillery emplacements.Suddenly the fireworks soared into the sky, and the explosion sounded deafening.I am used to these things, but I am still very worried: Can anyone survive such a violent bombing?But what's the matter?The dull explosion sound was mixed with whirring sounds.The anti-aircraft artillery did not stop firing.Already three planes fell to the ground dragging flames. The rest jumped up and fled in all directions. "What a good anti-aircraft artillery!" I couldn't help exclaiming. "They followed the rules," said Rusyanov calmly. "But the fascists are about to strike." Sure enough, artillery and mortar explosions from the village of Sinevka became more frequent. After the thick explosion of smoke came the rattling of machine guns and the roar of tank motors.The ground trembled beneath his feet. "It's begun," said Rusyanov darkly. A head to report: "More than thirty tanks and about one motorized infantry regiment are attacking our position." He spoke very calmly, with no panic on his face.Yeah, people here are used to everything. "What's the situation with your neighbors?" the teacher asked. "Same." Rusyanov called the chief of staff, Colonel K. A. Kaseyev, and asked him for a long time about the situation in other parts of his division.Then turned to me and said: "The fascists will not be able to break into our position in any area for the time being." Then he shouted into the microphone: "Observe the progress of the battle. I will go to your place immediately." The head of the regiment reported that the impact had been repulsed, and the enemy suffered heavy casualties.I drove to the division command post with Rusyanov. A report has been received from the Right Wing Cavalry Army.It was later found out that the enemy was carrying out the main assault in the army zone.Guderian's 9th Tank Division and the 25th Motorized Rifle Division advanced along the road from Sinevka Village to Stepovka.The enemy has a superior force.The front of the 5th Cavalry Division was broken through, and the fascist column rushed along the road to Vasiliye de Ka, where the headquarters of the 2nd Cavalry Army was located.At noon, the vanguard tanks of the fascists began to shoot directly at the vehicles of the headquarters.The commanders and fighters of the headquarters, led by General P. A. Belov and Chief of Staff Colonel M. J. Grezov, occupied the ring defense.The situation is very serious: as long as the tanks attack together, the headquarters will only be left with broken wood.But the Fascists hesitated.Having lost their three lead tanks, they fell back and began firing at the headquarters from a distance.At this time, the 1st Tank Brigade, which was advancing along the road to the front, arrived.After hearing the sound of shooting, the brigade commander, Colonel A. M. Hassin, galloped towards the headquarters in a tank.Belov ordered him to deploy tank brigades to strike the fascists on the move.The enemy had fifty tanks, and Hassin had almost half as few.But the brigade unfolded and charged.Enemy tanks are approaching.So a fierce battle ensued.According to eyewitnesses, our army has two burning T-34s galloping on the battlefield, crushing the anti-tank artillery squad and firing at enemy tanks.This is the tank of Sergeant Krivorotov and Sergeant Shashlow.Five members of the Communist Party and three members of the Komsomol did not leave the blazing tank while shells remained.Mikhail Pavlovich Krivorotov and Timofey Pavlovich Shashlo were awarded Heroes of the Soviet Union for their service in this battle. The first skirmish ended in favor of the 1st Tank Brigade: the enemy was driven back.Army headquarters retreated to a safe location.But two hours later, the enemy mobilized new troops and began to force our troops to retreat again.The enemy's advance could have serious consequences: Hitlerites were in danger of advancing out of the rear of our 9th Cavalry Division, which was defending west of Štepovka.Belov ordered Hasin to stop the enemy.Prior to this, the enemy had already occupied Štepovka, so Hasin decided to attack the enemy motorized column passing through the town.The brigade commander counted on the recapture of Štepovka, thereby opening the way for the cavalry to retreat.He entrusted this task to the tank detachment commanded by the brigade chief of staff, Colonel C. E. Dayev. The day was warm and sunny.When the tanks climbed the hill, the enemy's columns were well known.Dayev ordered firing on the column.There was a sudden panic on the road.Vehicles left the road and crawled everywhere like ants.Dayev led the detachment to attack.When the fascists saw the speeding Soviet tanks, they jumped out of the cars while they were still moving, and ran in all directions.But the enemy has gained a firm footing near the village of Mironovshina, south of Shtepovka, and is putting up desperate resistance.So Daev implemented a detour with a force.Defending the enemy could not hold on, and retreated hastily to Shtepovka, where the main force of the German Motorized 25th Division had already been fortified. The battle for the town of Shtebovka began. I have observed the subsequent battles at the 21st Army Headquarters——9 I was called to the headquarters on April 29.I learned here that the Guderian Group's tank 9th and 16th divisions and the motorized 10th and 25th divisions attacked the Belov Cavalry Army.However, despite their strength, the enemy failed to defeat the cavalry. General B. C. Baranov's 5th Cavalry Division maneuvered skillfully, galloped ten kilometers, and stopped the enemy in a tenacious battle. The 9th Cavalry Division of General A. O. Bechkovsky made a sudden night charge, rushed to his own men and took part in the battle for Štepovka, which had changed hands several times. The commanders of the 21st and 40th Army Group implemented the order of Marshal Timoshenko and strived to eliminate the breach.Participating in the battle were the Belov Cavalry Corps and the 1st Motorized Rifle Division of the Guards under the command of Colonel A. A. Lidyukov, who had just arrived from the reserve of the headquarters. On October 1, units of the 9th Cavalry Division and the 1st Guards Motorized Rifle Division Attacking Shtepovka was launched from the east and north, while Colonel Hassin's tank brigade made a detour from the southwest.By noon, Lidyukov's Guards were stopped in close proximity to the town.So Belov sent his own reserve team-the 5th Cavalry Division, and the cavalry dismounted to support the Guards.When the fighting moved to the northeast and northern suburbs of the town, Colonel Hassin's tanks entered the town from the southwest and Major A. H. Vysotsky's cavalry regiment rode into the town from the southeast.The cavalry swung their sabers bravely.The besieged Fascists resisted at first, but then fled from the town.It had just rained the day before.The car was stuck in the mud, spinning its wheels.And the Soviet cavalry came galloping along the road, swinging their shiny unsheathed sabers.The fascists fled, leaving their cars stuck in the mud.Belov's cavalry followed and pursued. In a few days our army liberated twenty villages, captured one hundred and fifty artillery pieces, five mortar batteries and much other equipment.The fascists abandoned about 8,000 corpses, more than 1,000 trucks, 500 motorcycles, and more than 2,000 German heavy-drawn horses on the way to escape. In the context of the serious situation, the "Stepovka Battle" was extraordinary, and it brought great joy to our commanders and fighters.The reconstructed Southwest Front has shown that it can crush the enemy. I was ordered to go to the front headquarters in Kharkov.I noticed on the way that there were hardly any troops left in our rear—everything was transferred to the front.Most of the defense work is carried out by residents.It is only on the fortification construction site near Kharkov that occasionally people in military coats can be seen. The leading organs of the front army are scattered throughout the city.I was lucky: I ran into a familiar officer from the Communications Department.No one knows the configuration of the front army better than the signal soldiers.The officer told me that the Military Council and all the main departments of the headquarters are housed in the state committee villa on the outskirts of the city.In a short while I was at the place of the Chief of Staff of the Front, Major General Alexander Petrovich Pokrovsky.I knew him as early as when I was a classmate of the General Staff Military Academy.A man of great military learning, his demeanor was always calm, and his speech soft and concise.Perhaps because of this, he seemed a bit withdrawn and indifferent. When I entered, Aleksandr Petrovich stopped looking at the map and looked at me with weary eyes.I reported that I stayed in the 21st Army after breaking out of the siege, and carried out the tasks assigned by Marshal Timoshenko.Now I want to inquire about my future fate. After listening to my report, the chief of staff said softly: "Are you finished?" "It's over, Comrade General." "Now go to the marshal and let him decide where you will work in the future." He leaned over to look at the map again. It didn't take long for me to be convinced that my new chief was a man of culture, intelligence, stability, and compassion.At first glance it seems aloof, but it is the result of his full concentration on work.He can be seen studying the map day and night. I went to Marshal C. C. Timoshenko, who is now the commander of the Southwest Front.The tall and thin Semyon Konstantinovich stood up from the table, said hello, and immediately began to ask the army about the detailed combat situation when it broke through.Then, the marshal said that he planned to keep me working at the front army headquarters. "How we need people right now!" he added with an obvious gesture. Semyon Konstantinovich asked me to describe in detail the state and capabilities of the headquarters of the 21st Army, and the conditions of the armies I visited.He questioned Rusyanov's division at particularly long intervals.When I reported the division commander's explanation of why his corps suffered heavy losses in the Romney area, the marshal frowned: "The command should be better, but he is looking for objective reasons." I wondered then why Semyon Konstantinovich was so angry with Rusyanov.Later, when Stalin's telegram was delivered to me, I understood it.The telegram said: "After marching a hundred kilometers, the soldiers are not allowed to breathe and recover, and they are sent to fight from the march... This determination is not correct... This is not the right way to send troops into battle. would ruin any first-rate division." This reproach certainly displeased the Field Marshal.But what can be done?On the wide front facing Guderian's army, there were only two cavalry divisions of General Belov.At that time, it was not only necessary to stop the enemy, but also to carry out an immediate assault to confront the breakout army.If this circumstance does not fully justify the hasty deployment of the Guards, it may in any case explain to some extent the determination made by the head of the front army. The Marshal ordered me to familiarize myself with the situation as soon as possible, and prepare to replace Major General A. A. Stromberg as the Chief of Operations of the Front Army (Stromberg should go to the base camp to wait for dispatch). I was very happy to stay in the Southwest Front, happy to get back to the work I was already familiar with, and hurried to the War Department.I found myself among a group of officers, most of whom were old colleagues of mine.Here are my Deputy Ministers H. J. Zakhvatayev and A. C. Glebov, my assistants Lieutenant Colonel M. B. Solovyov, Major O. A. Flores, Major B.C. Pogrebenko, Major H.B. Novikov, Major O.C. Afanasyev, Major B.A. Savchuk, Major A.H. Szymansky Captain, Captain O.H. Lippis, etc.Among the officers of the Operations Department of the former Commander-in-Chief, I met Lieutenant Colonel B. M. Chumakov, Lieutenant Colonel A. E. Yakovlev, P. B. Sobolje, whom I had met before Major C. H. Yeremeyev, Major J. H. Rondarev, Captain B. O. Chizh and Captain A. B. Parodkin. Since almost all the combat staff officers of the front army broke through with me, the new combat department is different from other departments of the front army in that it is superstaffed.Now there are forty-four people in the Ministry: two colonels, three lieutenant colonels, sixteen majors, and the rest are captains and lieutenants.Among the Ministry staff I also saw our female typists Maria Lembikova and Roza Kleinberg.These two brave women stood the test with honor and broke through with everyone. My presence caused an uproar, and General A. A. Stromberg heard the sound and stepped out.He and I previously studied and worked together at the Military Academy of the General Staff.My friend was all smiles and radiant.He hugged me and led me into his office. "Hey, tell me about your adventures!" Albert Ivanovich listened with interest to my account of the struggle of our troops in the encirclement of the enemy.After I answered all his questions, I asked him why he was leaving the War Department. "Are you afraid that you will squeeze me away?" Stromberg guessed it all at once. "Don't worry. The superiors just promoted me to another job. Everything is normal, Ivan Khristoforovich." I asked Albert Ivanovich to familiarize me with the operations of the Front.We talked for a long time beside the map.Hitlerites often carry out attacks in different areas.But our army is still successfully resisting the impact for the time being.And in places where the enemy has never invaded, our army's special detachments bravely attack the rear every night, so as not to give the Hitlerites peace. But the situation remains tense.The defensive front has been stretched very wide, but the head of the front army does not have a large reserve.There is another situation that seriously reduces the stability of our defense, which is the battle situation between the neighboring Bryansk Front Army and the Southern Front Army.Guderian split the left flank of the Bryansk Front with a fierce tank wedge assault, and advanced far in the direction of Orel.Our right wing has been exposed.This forces us to consider withdrawing our 40th and 21st Army Groups eastward now. The situation in the left neighbor has also seriously deteriorated.The enemy concentrated heavy troops there and broke through the defense of the Southern Front. On September 28, the Kleist tank and motorized corps rushed across Novomoskovsk towards Pavlograd.The base camp took resolute measures to block their way towards Taganrog.However, no matter what, the southern wing of our front army is still exposed.We may have to withdraw troops there as well. My work at the new headquarters of the Southwest Front began.What makes things easy for me is that due to past work relationships, I am familiar with many leaders of the front military organizations.Lieutenant General Fyodor Yakovlevich Kostenko, former commander of our 26th Army, was appointed deputy commander of the Front, and Lieutenant General M. A. Parshegov was appointed deputy commander in charge of artillery member.Major General O. F. Faraleyev, whom I met before flying to the encircled area, was in charge of commanding the air force.His second-in-command was Colonel H. C. Skripko, whom I had known from Fifth Army.The assistant to the commander of the front in charge of armored tanks was Major General B.C. Tamrucci, already known to the reader, who commanded the Mechanized Corps.Major General P. H. Morgunov, formerly of the Southwest Front, headed the Automobile and Tractor Division.Due to past work relationships, I also know the Minister of Health of the Front Army, Brigade Doctor A. E. Kolesov, the Minister of Military Supplies of the Front Army A. A. Kovalev, and the Minister of Engineering B.C. Nevsky , Assistant Commander in charge of air defense, General P.A. Jiwin. The Minister of Intelligence was Colonel H. B. Gryaznov, whom I did not know. But his deputy was Colonel Alexander Ilyich Kaminsky, my old friend who had worked with me in the 12th Army.The people I met for the first time were: Minister of Supplement, First Class Quartermaster A. A. Sosenkov, Minister of Fuel Supply, Colonel A. B. Tyurin, Director of Surveying and Mapping, Lieutenant Colonel A. A. Zevakin, To Captain M. H. Agapov (who was soon replaced by my old colleague Colonel Yevgeny Vladimirovich Klochkov).Military transport services are still in the charge of Colonel A·A·Korshunov. To me, it seemed that nothing had changed: the same front army, the same people, the usual atmosphere of fighting was still so worrying and tense.The trials we have passed have brought us closer together.These are also helpful for work. During those days in October, soldiers, commanders and political workers of our front continued to break out from the front line in batches.Among them are A. A. Mikhailov, director of the political department and brigade political commissar, Major General H. C. Petukhov, our energetic director of chemical defense, colonel P. A. Morozov, commander of the infantry division, B. C. Topolev, A. C. Berestov, C. C. Potekhin, C. H. Verichev, A. M. Ilying, H. M. Panov, H. C. Voronin, B. P. Pankov, C. A. Novik, brigade commander M. A. Romanov, O. O. Zhmachenko and many others. They came out exhausted, but I didn't see any depression or pessimism in any of them.Burning hatred for the enemy in their hearts, they went to the commander of the front army before their wounds healed, and they only insisted on one thing: "Send me to fight again, and give me a chance to clean up the Fascists." The chief satisfied their request.And so again we see these tried and tested veterans in battles no less brutal and bloody than those they had already seen.