Articles about Kobrin: 1941 - 1945

So war began

Uneasy the spring of 1941 was. In Kobrin. On the one hand, the passions caused by shocks of September, 1939 still did not settle. Abruptly tenor of life of the last two decades fell that, naturally, caused concern of a considerable layer of inhabitants.

The population of the city increased sharply and updated at first at the expense of a wave of the Polish refugees broken by war from familiar spots. However, their considerable part in 1940 returned for Bug. In the western direction from the East, being accelerated, there was a counter flow: here experts with families and families of the military personnel went to the help to construction of any new life. The separate kobrinets who got stuck in the east after evacuation of 1915 came back to native places.

In May of the 41st
On the other hand, more and more persistent were rumors about inevitability of fast war. Because of Bug data on the strengthened military preparations of Hitlerites filtered: to border troops were continuously tightened, military equipment, fortification works were strenuously conducted … From 15 kilometer border areas the population was moved. Even more often our air space was provocatively violated by the German military planes whereas at us the categorical order worked – not to give in on provocation. And the complete turmoil in minds was caused by systematically carried out withdrawal from libraries of all literature of anti-fascist contents, phonograph records such were destroyed. Still here and there scraps of the posters calling hung on walls: "Shift to the Left, Hitler, is more left! The road will be pryamy".

Since the beginning of May at night through Kobrin on the West there passed columns of the Red Army men for some reason disappearing per day in the woods. It were mainly the construction battalions and engineer parts directed to construction of the Brest ukreprayon. For these works 10000 civilian population and the 4000th supply, including a significant amount from Kobrin district were attracted.

Disturbing expectation
Even more the alarm in June when owners of lamp radio receivers, numerous during that time, stealthily distributed messages of the BBC on the approaching attack of Germans increased, even exact date – was called on June 22. At the same time laconic, but also significant messages on emergence of Hitlerite divisions in Finland and Romania were published in the central newspapers.

It is not necessary to be surprised that at shops the long turns were built: the population strenuously stocked up with food. The excitement caused among indigenous people by the so-called "exports" which began in 1940 did not stop. Usually on the East families which heads were arrested already earlier were taken out or were in hiding. It concerned originally former Polish employees, first of all police officers, the osadnik who were not in time to disappear in due time for Bug. They were followed by families of the Ukrainian nationalists, fists and so forth who was told to be considered as "the enemy of the people".

Usually the arrests preceded by searches were made at night. Taken away an opportunity to take away the most necessary things was given: the clothes, a bed and under escort of them were sent to station. There already they were waited by commodity cars which after filling went to the East, mainly to Kazakhstan.

The last from such echelons was sent literally in two days prior to war. Near Minsk the echelon got under air bombardment. It is indicative that for these passengers gave "the green street".

Without panic!
Against told easily to imagine what confusion caused the well-known message of TASS of June 15, 1941 in which, in particular, it was told: "According to the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics, Germany also steadily meets conditions of the Soviet-German non-aggression pact, as well as the Soviet Union in view of what, according to the Soviet circles, rumors about intention of Germany to tear the pact and to undertake attack on the USSR are deprived of any basis, and the transfer of the German troops exempted from operations on the Balkans happening recently to east and northeast regions of Germany is connected, probably, with other motives which do not have a concern to the Soviet-German relations" …

Apparently, the calm of the increasing alarm among the population was the purpose of this message. In practice it first of all affected obtusion of the general combat readiness. Military began much hladnokrovny to react to the spreading general concern. Commanders ceased to spend the night in barracks, and fighters began to undress for the night.

Rather eloquently says the fact that in the eve of war, in the evening on June 21, in a military camp the actors of the Belarusian operetta theater giving the operetta "Gipsy Baron" on an open-air stage acted about the occurred unjustified complacency of certain circles. And group of executives of different departments at the end of the working day collectively went to the remote woods to hunting.

Beginning of war
About military operations in Kobrin district is written much. Most detailed to the events preceding the beginning of war, and the book of the dead colonel general L.M. Sandalov is devoted recently to the description of the first heavy fights. Her author in 1941 was the chief of a staff of the 4th army which was placed in Kobrin. Till winter of 1940 ordering this army was the general V. I. Chuykov who was replaced by the general A.A. Korobkov.

Against the 4th army of the western special military district the main forces of the 4th were developed (strange coincidence!) the German army of the field marshal Klyuge incorporating 12 infantry and one cavalry division, i.e. the exceeding our 4th army more than by 3 times. The 2nd tank group of Guderian surpassing the mechanized case which is quickly subordinated to the 4th army 14 by 3 times was transferred to Klyuge's army.

As for aircraft, Hitlerites had even more overwhelming advantage: against our mixed aviadivision with the planes which were outdate in the majority the German army had the most part of planes of the 2nd air fleet.

Such is there was a ratio of forces by the beginning of war. It was even more aggravated with the fact that, according to Sandalov, we did not have enough shells, mines, explosive, a barbed wire, completely there was no antiaircraft artillery. Apparently, substantially it should attribute that the enemy got all Kobrin bridges safe.

June 22
And here came fatal on June 22. Already at 2 o'clock in the morning enemy saboteurs worked: the city power plant was put out of action and tens of meters of telecommunication were diversely destroyed.

Woke kobrinets at dawn a strained rumble of hard loaded German bombers. Soon explosions of bombardment which a dotted line blew over the southern suburb of the city, from the channel of the Bond to Sverdlov St. roared. There were direct hits with the human victims. In particular, in this raid the part of the former barracks on Suvorov St. was destroyed.

The indigenous people which already transferred a similar raid on September 1, 1939 thought at once – war, but many new settlers at first rather coolly apprehended the events. So, hours at 8 in the morning at the cracked window a zavgorkommunkhoza Slizhov complacently drank tea. On uneasy statements of neighbors: "War!", he unperturbably objected: "Any it is not war. Just study". Even in response to instructions on the taken-off glasses in windows he continued to insist on that, as at study of a window suffer. And only on the message that literally in 200 meters from it from left the charred legs remained to milk the woman's cow the cow was killed also sheds razmetan, Slizhov had to agree that he at study of it does not happen. Half an hour later all his family disappeared.

During the day on the downtown one more bombing attack as a result of which the forward part of present restaurant "Belarus" was destroyed swept and the young woman is nearby killed. There were also other destructions with the victims. But during the day explosions almost did not stop reaching from a military camp and adjacent military airfield. Already the first raid on it burned the majority of planes. The direct hit destroyed the building of a staff of the 4th army. Fortunately, it was beforehand evacuated and losses in people were insignificant. Under ruins there was an employee of cryptographic department Stepan Aleksandrovich Komendant who held a position of the chairman of Kobrin district executive committee subsequently.

And still the relative tranquility, at least, of panic reigned in the city it was not observed. Shops were open, besides without turns. Even the staff of city library was behind the counters.

Soon from Brest there were first trucks overflowed with women with children. The considerable part turned on Pinskoye Highway. Persons liable for call-up kobrinets collected holdalls waiting for mobilization announcements, but those did not appear. Over the city at big height enemy planes continuously soared. Ours were almost not visible. From the West the continuous deaf rumble of explosions reached.

June 23
To the population of the city had no time for a dream when hot June day was replaced at disturbing night. But morning of citizens unusual euphoria captured: the joyful message was immediately carried that Germans are rejected, fights follow Bug, our troops uncontrollably go forward. This optimism was caused by data that on Pinskoye Highway, clanking with caterpillars of tractors, Kobrin includes a column of heavy artillery. However already later short time there came sobering up, and the unreasonable enthusiasm completely evaporated. Simply it turned out that the coming artillery was forced to turn back to break through on Moskovskoye Highway as on Pinsk the direction bridges were destroyed by bombing.

Meanwhile from Brest the flow of pedestrian refugees, cars, country a supply with the evacuated military property continuously accrued. Over mournful crowds of confused people continuously turned enemy planes, dropping bombs and watering with machine gun fire.

In the afternoon on June 23 on the western approaches to Kobrin, and then along the channel of the Bond tank actions were tied. Short blows of tank guns reached the city. In this fight many our easy tanks were destroyed. Later rifle and machine-gun shots became constant visitor, shouts "hurrah!" from time to time broke Reached hand-to-hand fights. Here the summary infantry regiment of the lieutenant colonel Manevich held the fort.

It is very characteristic of understanding of a situation of that time that in talk with citizens the vast majority of the departing, exhausted and dusty fighters amicably claimed that it is not war at all, and simply the conflict of local value which will be settled soon as it was on Hassan and Halkin-Gola …

Meanwhile under cover of overwhelming superiority in aircraft enemy tanks broke on Moskovskoye Highway to the north of Kobrin. About 19 hours the last Red Army groups left the city. The gloomy period of fascist occupation which dragged on for infinitely long 1122 days began.

A. Martynov

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