Articles about Kobrin: 1941 - 1945

Under oppression of a swastika

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Having woken up in the morning on June 24, 1941, to the kobrinchena with bitterness and fear realized that their habitually adjusted way abruptly broke yesterday. Transition to absolutely new, unpredictable state called by enemy occupation began. The frozen city watchfully hid, inhabitants preferred to sit out on houses. Already from the dawn on the most remote small streets zatopat boots of the German patrols combing the city. With a rifle under the arm, with an unbuttoned collar and the rolled-up sleeves soldiers of Wehrmacht passed slowly, is inquisitive looking around. From the first day on walls and columns there were bilingual announcements on which the short word "that is death" was highlighted especially in bold type. In the detailed list of the violations punished by immediate execution it appeared: attempt at Germans and their property, storage of the weapon and ammunition, concealment of communists and Soviet military personnel, storage of radio receivers and hearing of foreign transfers, storage of the Soviet literature and other. And as if a solid nail each point of a ban was nailed with the word clear to everyone: "that is death!"

For infinitely long first weeks of invasion close city streets appeared in the power of the elements unbridled, violently torn to the East. Tanks, cars of different function, mixed guns, obozny vehicles, bicycles and motorcycles and uniforms, uniforms, river of uniforms … This human weight which is torn to an operational scope dammed not only carriageways of streets, but also sidewalks, even passes between houses. Low-low huge transport planes rushed, muffling a roar of mighty motors all terrestrial sounds as if accompanying the deafening symphony of invasion: "Nakh Osten! On the East!"

On a deep belief of veterans, victorious march the fires and destructions surely have to accompany. Here it was not observed. But unless it not in their power?! And here one of houses at the beginning of Oktyabrskaya Street was deliberately set on fire. The fire quickly began to extend that was promoted by dry weather. Attempts to extinguish it were nipped by execution threat in the bud. The frozen population of the flaring quarter crowded on Kobrinki's coast, with horror watching death of the property. And there is only a lot of nateshivshis "fireworks", veterans allowed to defend the structures which are not captured by a flame yet.

On suburban streets the joyful excited soldatna bands were scattered. The draft posvist alternated by abrupt and sharp shouts were from everywhere distributed. Also cheerful hunting behind house living creatures began. Cottons of pistol shots mixed up with squeal of the hit pigs whose carcasses together with hens were dragged to field kitchens.

The heads of aggressors were turned from the first progress: resistance of red weakens, Minsk is taken, the road to Moscow is open. Their self-confidence bordered on anecdotalism. Told about officers who left at locals linen for washing which will be taken away supposedly in two weeks upon return from Moscow … In a word, among most of the veterans who won easy victories in the West the feeling of the exciting euphoria prevailed. However, along with the youths inspired with the first progress many gloomy thoughtful faces came across. Some of them, timidly looking back, tried to explain in broken Polish that they are not Germans, and the Austrians whom Hitler violently drives on Russlyand.

Many our fighters were killed in battles for Kobrin. In particular, the commander of the 22nd tank division V. P. Puganov fell death brave. The great number of wounded managed to be taken from a battlefield to the become empty city hospital. Their situation was catastrophic: at total absence of military-medical personnel according to the lights and opportunities first aid was given by few local physicians. The stock of medicines was extremely limited, there were dressing means even less. With huge tension adjusted the most primitive food. And here, when on the neighboring streets the disturbing message about a distress of our wounded was carried, there were many compassionate women who, really for soul, volunteered to look after sufferers.

At first food was organized by citizens, then relation with the population of suburban villages which more regularly and plentifully supplied hospital with products was established. In this period Germans completely withdrew from rendering the necessary help, though did not prevent manifestation of civil responsiveness.

Naturally, at the created severe conditions mortality, especially among seriously wounded, was huge. Buried here, near the hospital chapel serving as a morgue. Graves small as necessary dug lightly wounded. However already soon Germans ordered to release hospital in which the German military hospital was placed. The remained one hundred our wounded was moved on the second floor of the next SSh No. 1. And still after a while several tens which survived sent to Brest on confiscated supplies.

In the very first days to a monument to V. I. Lenin at Liberty Square Germans dragged two Soviet padded tanks with the burned tankmen. For mockery on Lenin's figure which was broken soon put the old shivering Jew whom with a laughter, dancing and playing on harmonicas, photographed from the different parties. In initial, especially fussing days when the undivided power over destinies of everyone was concentrated in military commandant's office, the delegation consisting of the former Polish employees with the offer to render to conquerors assistance in adjustment of temporary civil board addressed the commandant. According to one of participants of delegation, the commandant generally was positive to the shown initiative, however considered it necessary to warn that it can turn back for them big risk as large forces of Red Army which can cut off the tank connections which are torn to the East are still concentrated on the North and the South. And at a similar turn of events, according to him, they will be traitors with all that it implies. However and so unattractive prospect did not influence the decision of delegation which convulsively sought not to allow to the power of the Ukrainian nationalists of whom they very much were afraid and hated. And this time they achieved the objective: in all the time of occupation the position of the burgomaster Kobrin (mayor) was held by the former teacher of German of a local gymnasium Medynsky. And the overwhelming part of city office office-work was conducted in Polish.

When in the fall of 1941 the power of the military commandant was replaced by civil, it turned out that Kobrin became the center of area, in German – a gebitskomissariat which was part of fake Ukraine created by invaders in the propaganda purposes. Though nobody seriously reckoned with lime German Ukraine, nevertheless Kobrin gebitskomissariat "bordered" in the north on East Prussia which structure included the next Pruzhana. In tens of kilometers to the North from. Dams on the highway the real customs service protected by Prussian frontier guards was established. Crossing of "border" without special admission was not allowed. Moreover, for greater effect special money - karbovanets came to the address. It is characteristic that on these pseudo-Ukrainian bank notes the text took very modest, minor place.

The occupational authorities provided to small group of local Ukrainian nationalists insignificant roles in the economic organizations. It is indicative in this regard that the only elementary school in the city in Ukrainian huddled in tiny rooms of the shabby Suvorov house. Having completely been disappointed in the German promises, leaders of nationalists began to create the underground anti-Hitlerite organization which was exposed and shot in Brest later.

One of the most fatal departments of a gebitskomissariat for local population soon became arbeytsamt – bureau on employment by which all adult population was obliged to be registered. Evasion from it or absence from work according to the agenda of this establishment involved departure in a concentration camp. It was headed arbeytsamt by German Moos, "refugee" from Poland – Ufnalski who soon was active "folksdeychy" at whom Parfyonov knowing local conditions went to helpers became his right hand. In the direction of an arbeytsamt in the same fall several hundreds of officially nowhere busy citizens had to be from the dawn on airfield where in pre-war months for construction of a runway huge heaps of stones were brought. The driven slaves had to break them in filling brick. Supervision was exercised by tidy old men with bandages of the construction organization "Todt" on sleeves. However, they were completely indifferent to results of work. Apparently, all invention was reduced keeping the unorganized weight which did not find more suitable occupation yet under supervision.

In a distance from citizens hundreds of prisoners of war sat at similar occupation. Unlike the first group here sticks of supervisors were quite often used. Soon to the kobrinchena came into contact with prisoners whom Germans held on short rations, shared with them bread, tobacco. After stories of the house about their distress it was succeeded to organize more essential help. Tens of sympathetic women, especially that whose relatives were in the ranks of army, on mutual arrangement baked bread, brought buckets potato and porridge. At first protection concerned to these violators indulgently. However lasted so not for long: the uncompromising administration by order of which the brought food began to be thrown out on the earth interfered, and to disperse women.

Sitting on stones dragged on to frosts. Then the same men switched to other work – dismantling of the brick boxes which remained after the fire on Oktyabrskaya Street. Next year "unemployed" did not appear: all were distributed for permanent jobs. So, through arbeytsamt men were hired for maintenance of the cattle sent to the front. This duty was accompanied by a great risk owing to raids of the Soviet aircraft.

It is indicative that if in an initial stage there were many volunteers to a position politsayev, then those did not become already soon. Then the set in police began to be made according to the agenda of an arbeytsamt. For the purpose of evasion from this mean duty much enlisted deliberately caused in themselves a serious illness: drank the strong tobacco tincture which is negatively influencing heart, irritated ulcers standing which often were incurable, etc. Nevertheless took any risk. There was much and such which on coercion got on a hated uniform to contact guerrillas, to carry out their instructions then went to the wood.

Arbeystayt assigned one more mean duty to men: to neutralize with risk for own life guerrilla mines on the railroad. For this purpose according to the order it was necessary to be on duty on a certain site of the railroad under the supervision of patrols at night. The smart device consisting of a long stick by which end the metal wheel with a hook fastened was constructed. Pair persons on duty had to carry this wheel continuously on rails, and in case of detection of a mine, explosion rattled. Quite often in order to avoid severe punishment of dependent security guards according to the mutual arrangement guerrillas connected then mined the chosen site of the road. As they say in such cases, gol on an invention it is cunning …

Through Kobrin often passed the long wagon trains of the Polish peasants whom Germans mobilized for transportation of military property. At stories about those mockeries and mockery to which "the race of misters" subjected them at many tears came into eyes. For themselves they considered as the only rescue an inevitable victory of Red Army without what, on their deep belief, "all to perish".

Beyond Bug, near of Byal Podlyask, in the first months of war Hitlerites suited a huge concentration camp for the Soviet prisoners of war which with horror remembered visited it. There tens of thousands of people were doomed to inevitable painful death. Almost deprived of food, without the slightest shelter in any weather, on the waste ground behind a barbed wire, they were brought to a despair limit. And here, by previous concert, mass completely of exhausted unarmed people rushed on a barbed wire and the security guards who shot them at point blank range from machine guns. Certainly, many at the same time paid with life, however a bigger quantity found freedom.

Pavel Getman

Some were covered by the Polish peasants transporting subsequently to neighboring guerrillas. However the huge number rushed for Bug, trying to make the way to a front line. And as the winter approached, many prisoners began to get a job as workers in country farms. Naturally, such families in which relatives were at war in the ranks of Red Army especially willingly gave them a shelter. Strangely enough, for the time being Germans made light of it. When in the spring of 1942 the order was made to all prisoners of war to be on "registration" for assembly point, naturally, at anybody from tested delights of camp vegetation of desire again to get to a trap it did not appear. Preferred the wood where meanwhile the first guerrilla groups began to be formed of the local Soviet activists who passed to illegal status. Especially as to start armed struggle at the population since 1941. a lot of weapon was hidden, and further it was necessary to be supplied both with the weapon, and ammunition generally at the expense of invaders.

Meanwhile for the purpose of introduction of split on Wednesday of the local population which is extremely unfriendly adjusted to invaders, Germans organized society so-called "фолькдейчев" in which the persons capable to prove that in their veins the small shred of "noble Aryan blood" flows were enlisted. Any privileges and advantages, special rations and other were provided to this category.

As neighbors often avoided these German henchmen, with contempt and hostility treating mean double-dealing fellows, not unreasonably suspecting them of shadowings and denunciations, many folksdeych preferred not to advertize the participation in "race of misters". Besides, on this soil in many families safe before there was a split, original human tragedies were developed. The case when the daughter became the irreconcilable enemy of own mother who self-willedally enlisted her in folksdeych what that desperately objected to was known.

It is necessary to tell that boastful subjugators of Europe felt not especially comfortably in the taken Kobrin district. From the very beginning sabotages became frequent. In the fall of 1941 in the territory of Kobrin MTS there was an explosion of a warehouse to fuel. Rumors about impudent diversions on roads, the destroyed cars, the broken communication were persistently spread. Day by day appeared in the city of the German families moving from Poland where under legs of aggressors the earth burned more and more. "There are Cossacks. they shoot …" – with fear in eyes told the German kids.

Most of heads chose the downtown, especially Suvorov and Soviet streets which are carefully protected by military patrols for housing. To the houses occupied by Germans special water which guerrillas intended to poison was laid on. However on sensible reflection it was necessary to refuse this invention as children inevitably would suffer.

When in an opening of the base of one of the houses occupied by Hitlerite officers on Pervomayskaya Street the guerrilla mine which destroyed ten fighters blew up, panic seized the authorities. Hastily began to immure outlets in the bases and to hang a dense sun blind on windows of the German houses.

In the building of SSh No. 2 the squadron of horse gendarmerie intended for fight against guerrillas was placed. On the neighboring platform for horses big stables were constructed. Having struck up acquaintance to grooms, the local underground worker Alexey Kuresha contracted systematically to take out manure. On the instructions of guerrillas it poisoned more than seventy horses. Having scented shadowing, it left to guerrillas. The police station near movie theater on Pervomayskaya Street was undermined. The police officer who enclosed a mine went with a family to the wood. The native of one of suburban villages young Komsomol member Pavel Getman forced to work in the German garage contacted guerrillas who charged to it to enclose a mine in a car trunk to a gebitskomissar Pantsera. There was an explosion, however insufficiently powerful thanks to what Pantser sitting near the driver escaped. In attempt of flight by car to guerrillas Getman was seized in the act at a military camp and badgered in prison by dogs.

Puganov's square

Along a railway track and highways in the wood very broad glades for fear of guerrilla ambushes were cut down. And through each several kilometers of the railroad were built strengthened the bunker, enclosed with a barbed wire which military protection constantly patrolled roads.

And nevertheless the main roads were regularly mined, explosions on them did not stop. About scope of subversive activities it is possible to judge by the fact that on a railroad stage Kobrin-Pinsk guerrillas undermined up to four hundred fascist military echelons with manpower and equipment. Especially this activity during "rail war" in 1944 quickened. Reached that at night on the highway any movement of the German transport stopped and preferred to go columns in the afternoon. Not without reason in the people the biting proverb went for a walk soon: "In the afternoon the power German, at night – Soviet".

Without exaggeration it is possible to tell that by the end of occupation the key German organizations in a varying degree appeared "under a cap" guerrilla investigation which got into all time of the occupational power. Communication between a city underground and the guerrilla wood worked smoothly. The gaps caused by failures of certain underground workers quickly were restored. City patriots organized escapes of the Soviet prisoners of war. It was succeeded even to raspropagandirovat group of the vlasovets training at Hitlerites for espionage activity among underground workers which in full strength passed later to guerrillas.

Capture of army of Pauls in Stalingrad made the stunning impression on Kobrin Germans. The official mourning was declared. The confusion of invaders was so big that from the Brest prison the considerable part of arrested was released. And still for the Hitlerites dreaming to locate in Kobrin seriously and for a long time news of occupation parts of Red Army at the beginning of 1944 of Sarna located on a straight line in only two hundred kilometers was the greatest shock. Clearly blew softly evacuation moods.

There is no trace left also from boastful arrogance of fascist bureaucrats whose families hasty went to the West.

To complete the picture it is necessary to mention extraordinary diversity of the European nationalities driven into Kobrin with a Hitlerite whip in brief. First of all it is necessary to call the Magyar (Hungarians) whose division in 1943 replaced the German garrisons with some time in our corner of the world. Kobrinchan struck contrast even in appearance between officers and soldiers. It seemed, these are two different breeds of people: before the first were tall and well-cared whereas soldiers in comparison to them looked the hammered zamukhryshka. Medieval mockery at soldiers who into punishment were hit was surprising or even tortured suspension. Observant citizens claimed that sometimes in Mukhavtsa representatives of dozens of nationalities, including Czechs with Slovaks, Belgians, Italians, Dutches, French, etc., mobilized for execution of auxiliary services in Hitlerite Wehrmacht at the same time bathed. All of them fiercely hated the "race of misters" which enslaved them the country and with gloating learned about their military defeats. Dutches told how their guerrillas dealt shortly with invaders, throwing stood gaping at night in numerous ditches.

A. Martynov

Materials about Kobrin district

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