Truth moment

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To the 115 anniversary since the birth of Leonid Mikhaylovich Sandalov

Not one generation of historians, journalists, military analysts and writers entered the names in a historiography four full of the tragedy and greatness of military years. Among names which are inseparably linked a selfless contribution to researches and preservation of the truth about the first days of the Great Patriotic War forever there will be Konstantin Simonov and Sergey Smirnov. Each of them had the front and literary destiny, but everyone always took historical evidences of participants of events as a basis. The direct participant of defensive battles of the first days of war Leonid Mikhaylovich Sandalov who became in 1966 the honourable citizen Mr. Kobrina was one of their colleagues in this great standing for truth.

FROM THE BIOGRAPHY

Leonid Mikhaylovich Sandalov was born on March 28 (on April 10), 1900 in the village of Biserikh of the Kineshma County of the Kostroma province which in 1925 was a part of the city of Vichuga of Ivanovo Voznesenskaya of the province. His parents, the father Mikhail Vasilyevich and mother Eudoxia Andreevna, as well as their many fellows villager, worked at weaving mill of Kokorev which was nearby, in the village of Tezino.

As well as all rural children, Leonid it was since childhood accustomed to hard country work. At the same time he constantly felt thirst for knowledge. When he was 8 years old, parents sent him to Tezinsky five-cool factory school. Leonid studied well. He steadily kept superiority in a class and upon termination of each academic year was awarded with a certificate of appreciation: for "good behavior, constant diligence and achievements in the taught objects".

By thirteen years it with honors and a certificate of appreciation graduated from school. Upon termination of school till 1919 worked at factory. Was one of organizers and heads of the local Komsomol organization. In the spring of 1919 voluntarily arrived to Ivanovo Voznesensky courses of a komsostav and then was at war on fronts of civil war. In May, 1931. Sandal-wood trees came to Military academy of Frunze from which graduated in May, 1934. From October, 1936 to August, 1937 Leonid Mikhaylovich studied in Academy of the General Staff.

STAFF WORK

Premilitary years of its service are connected with the western border. Experience of civil war, study in Military academy of Frunze and Academy of the General Staff defined the main direction of activity - staff work. In 1937. Sandal-wood trees was given appointment to the post of the chief of an operations section of a staff of the Belarusian military district, and in 1940 - the chief of a staff of the 4th army Belarusian (since July, 1940 - Western) special military district.

The field of activity of the colonel L.M. Sandalov concerned preparation of a battlefield and staffs, engineering and material security, reorganization, rearmament and combat training of troops of the 4th army deployed in the district of the city of Brest and the Brest region. The staff of army was placed in the city of Kobrin which honourable citizen L.M. Sandalov will become in 1966.

From L.M. Sandalov's memories of a premilitary situation: "In aircraft the ratio of forces developed for Germans more favorably. Only one mixed aviadivision could support our 4th army. And on support of the 4th German army the most part of planes from the 2nd air fleet supporting group of Centre armies intended.

At the end of the first week of June the staff of our 4th army which was placed in Kobrin obtained information from a district staff that by June 5 on border of Belarus over 40 German divisions concentrated and that 15 infantry, 5 tank, 2 motorized and 2 cavalry divisions are established on the Brest direction.

The boundary group and our parts working at construction of defensive works in a border area informed us that reconnoitring actions of the German command on the west bank of Bug became frequent that Germans tighten engineering equipment and separate divisions to the river, dig trenches, establish camouflage boards before open sites, construct observation towers, etc. Especially wide information arrived from locals.

In the Western Belarus there was a big group of persons, hostile to the Soviet power. From them Germans also organized the "fifth column", in its structure there were both saboteurs, and spies, and owners of secret addresses. Their contact with the German intelligence was kept by means of radio stations, pigeon mail, and also thrown on our territory of parachutists. Besides, the large role was played by regular railway communication with Germany. In general it was in these parts easy to transfer espionage mail, at least in such primitive way as throwing through the river of an arrow and even stones. And transition through the new, not mastered by our parts yet border did not present at that time a great difficulty. Spies crossed Bug, and some of them, using special devices, passed the Po River to a bottom and left in in advance defined point close to a secret address.

At the end of spring and the beginning of summer many spies were detained, especially upon transition of border and transfers of radiogramms. To the middle of June the considerable part of suspicious inhabitants from border settlements was moved. But, as we know, especially skilled spies dexterously mask not to cause suspicions, it is frequent them it is possible".

BEGINNING OF WAR

From L.M. Sandalov's book "Military operations of troops of the 4th army of the Western front in an initial stage of the Great Patriotic War" *: "on June 22 (1941 - a comment of the author) near the 11th hour. The chief of a staff of the 4th army colonel L.M. Sandalov with group of staff officers left from the new command post in Kobrin. In the city they met many officers and the soldier departing one by one and groups from Brest and Zhabinki on the East. From accurate officers and soldiers according to instructions of the chief of a staff created group by force to two battalions to which gave on strengthening the battery of 45-mm tools and a company of tanks from 205 to a motorized division. Commander of L.M group. Sandalov appointed the head of department of combat training of the 4th army colonel A.V. Manevich and ordered to occupy defense to the west of Kobrin. The lieutenant colonel A.V. Manevich was at the same time appointed also the chief of garrison in Kobrin.

The chief of a staff of army instructed the city military commissioner in Kobrin to call as much as possible age of men on mobilization, to mobilize motor transport and horses and to contact at the same time the Brest regional military commissariat. In case with it it is not possible to reestablish communication, to come to submission of the Pinsky regional military registration and enlistment office. On a question of a gorvoyenkom what to advise to do to local authorities, the chief of a staff of army specified that they evacuated all valuable to Pinsk. To instruct in destruction at withdrawal of important civil objects, including railway bridges and locks on the river Mukhovets, a communication center in the city, the chief of a staff of army did not decide."

From L.M. Sandalov's memoirs: "... In the hardened fights on the approaches to Kobrin reaching often hand-to-hand fights, our fighters and commanders showed exclusive heroism. Their dedication and firmness surprised not only the Hitlerites who got used to easy victories, but also ourselves. Especially selflessly one of battalions of the 84th shooting regiment under command of the captain V.P. Olszewski battled here. Kind memory was left about himself also by the commander of the 22nd tank division major general V.P. Puganov: he heroically died in the tank near the settlement of the Name-day. From this point command of a division was entered by his deputy colonel I.V. Kononov".

COMMANDER, MILITARY LEADER, MILITARY HISTORIAN AND THEORIST...

Leonid Mikhaylovich Sandalov by right belongs to a remarkable group of commanders and military leaders of the Great Patriotic War. Directing army, and then and front staffs, he passed hard roads of war from the first and about its last day. Having met war in a position of the chief of a staff of the 4th army of the Western front defending on the Brest direction, having been influenced by all weight of an initial stage of war, 5 having passed through a hearth of the Moscow fight, battling against the enemy at the head of staffs of Bryansk, 2nd Baltic and 4th Ukrainian of fronts, it celebrated a Victory Day in the freed Prague. Under its management a number of the brilliant army and front operations which significantly enriched the theory and practice of military art was developed and carried out.
Later in the front biography of L.M. Sandalov there were Tula and Moscow, the Kursk arch, Baltic and the Prague operation, but the special place in consciousness and heart was occupied by Belarus.

The tragic case (car accident) which in 1951 chained it for many years to a wheelchair did not break its spirit. In post-war years Leonid Mikhaylovich revealed from the new party - as the talented military historian and the military theorist. One of the first it undertook judgment, the analysis and synthesis of experience of the Great Patriotic War. Truthfully, carefully checking each fact, he sought to tell readers that saw and worried in at years of war. More than 30 years, overcoming physical sufferings, this courageous person worked on creation of military and historical and memoirs works.

Works L.M. Sandalova with interest were met by the reader, and were highly appreciated by professionals. They did not lose the historical value and now, 70 years later after the Great Victory. Working on books, Leonid Mikhaylovich conducted extensive correspondence with participants soldiers, both with simple soldiers, and with prominent military leaders, seeking to specify this or that historic fact. Letters, documents from personal archive are published in L.M. Sandalov's books. The documents provided in Sandalov's collections allow to feel color of an era in a certain measure, through bright, frank voyepominaniye of direct participants of events to plunge into a difficult front situation, to look in a new way at actions of these or those historic figures.

INSTEAD OF THE CONCLUSION

The destiny needed to keep it in a fiery tornado of war not only as witness, but also as defender of honor, dignity of generals and privates of the forty first year, book "Endured", "First Days of War", "Difficult Boundaries", "1941. On the Moscow direction" determine by the name, contents the moment of truth not only for their author, but also for readers. We will treat the past how with respect, will judge so objectively our time.

Natalja Friedlander,
research associate
Kobrin military and historical
museum of A.V. Suvorov

Friedlander, N. Moment of truth: To the 115 anniversary since the birth of Leonid Mikhaylovich Sandalov / Natalya Friedlander//Kobrin-inform. – 2015. - April 9. – Page 11. L. M. Sandalov who became in 1966 the honourable citizen Mr. Kobrina was a direct participant of defensive battles of the first days of war in Kobrin district.
  

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