Protecting the Fatherland sky

Kobrin → Materials about Kobrin district → Kobrin district in the years of war

Farther and farther from us in time the unprecedented epic of the Great Patriotic War. Numerous editions of book fund of our museum light the entire periods of war, tell us about each step on which our soldiers went back to unfading glory of winners. Among them there is a rare edition from the Military Memoirs series - the book of memoirs of Leonid Mikhaylovich Sandalov "ENDURED" with a donative inscription of the author.

Leonid Mikhaylovich met the Great Patriotic War as the chief of a staff of the fourth army which was located in the city of Kobrin, there was a staff of the mixed aviation division (the staff of army and a staff of a division settled down in one building). Leonid Mikhaylovich Sandalov's memoirs cover rather small period - the eve and the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. The author deletes the main attention to display of combat readiness of troops of the border district, tell about how command and forces staffs and parts operated troops in the first tragic days of war with what dedication and heroism our fighters battled against superior forces of the enemy in the period of defensive actions.

"By the end of 1940, despite the German misinformation about preparation for invasion of Hitlerite troops to the British Isles, danger of their treacherous attack on our Homeland began to appear more and more distinctly. I find it difficult to tell how, but to us data on what found reflection in Guderian's memoirs much later filtered. For us was not a secret that Hitler carefully studies acts of kings Germany, tries to imitate some of them, and Friedrich Barbarossa's portrait always carries in a pocket. This its worship for the German emperor who laid the foundation to a new stage in the German policy - "Drang na Osten", could not but guard.

And our intuition did not deceive us. Now the whole world knows that Hitler called by the name of Barbarossa the plan of predatory invasion into borders of the Soviet country".

Literature of the fact call military memoirs, they truthfully and authentically transfer reality of disturbing premilitary years and the severe truth of war. Sandal-wood trees writes that, despite a number of measures which were taken on strengthening of power of our Armed Forces, namely: shooting divisions were equipped with new artillery, anti-tank and small arms; formation of the mechanized cases and parts of antiaircraft defense began; planes of outdated designs began to be replaced with more modern, the construction plan of new airfields with the concreted strips and many other things was claimed, however all this was insufficiently. Owing to many circumstances not everything planned was carried out in time, and much of what was strict to execution, was not executed because of discharge of responsible persons. Leonid Mikhaylovich claims that extremely negative role was played by illusion about approach of the period of long peaceful co-existence with Germany after signing of the nonaggression pact on August 23, 1939. Stories about exclusive politeness, goodwill of the German officers from the Soviet-German commission on specification of the border working both at one and on other party of a line of demarcation, widely extended in parts of the district and strengthened peaceful illusions even more. War because of Bug breathed in a face, and in directives of command was emphasized that a task of our troops - not to give in on any provocative actions capable to entail large complications. Certainly, all understood that war is inevitable that it is only a matter of time, and nevertheless, the enemy blow of artillery and aircraft, blow of enormous force, was after all unexpected.

"About the German artillery raid which was the beginning of war in the army magazine of military operations the following is written down: "At 4 o'clock 22.6., when dawn, in all our border strip just approached unexpectedly, like a bolt from the blue, the cannonade rang out. The sudden gun-fire of fascists collapsed on the connections and parts located near border on points where the rifle and engineer battalions working in a borderland, on the divisions concentrated on the Brest ground for carrying out the doctrine and also on outposts of frontier guards spent the night. The most intensive gun-fire was concentrated on military camps in Brest, and especially on the Brest fortress.

The Brest fortress was literally filled up with shells and mines. It is confirmed also by the taken documents of the 45th infantry division of Germans to which the task to seize fortress was assigned and which was broken there. "Along with it the German aircraft made a number of massive attacks to our airfields...", - Leonid Mikhaylovich writes about the first moments of war.

Further it is necessary to return to acquaintance of the chief of a staff of the fourth army to an aviation division on his arrival to Kobrin in 1940.

"Four regiments of this division were placed so: bombing - in Pinsk, one destructive - near Kobrin, another destructive and a regiment of attack planes – around Pruzhan. Airfields were primitive, without the concreted runways. Pilots waited for replacement of old planes with new. Commanders of regiments in careful tones, but quite persistently paid my attention that in case of war regiments need immediately to transfer the base as the old airfield network to the German command is well-known...", - these lines of memoirs of the author pain and bitterness respond in his further narration about an initial stage of war.

"Remembering those days, I especially distinctly and brightly imagine that I did on Saturday June 21, 1941 whom met what told about where I went and went... Near Kobrin I glanced on our second old airfield. There the major Surin ordered.

- Yesterday at Tevli's station we unloaded twenty new YAK-1 planes from an echelon, - he reported pleasant news. - Now we bring them to a fighting state. And the pilots able to fly by these cars will arrive by the passenger train tomorrow. Except new planes to a regiment there are 60 fighters "Tea". From old I went to new Kobrin airfield and found the commander of an aviation division, and also the commander of the region of air defense there.

- As you can see, the runway is almost ready, - the colonel Belov boasted. - In the next few days it will be possible to transfer Surin's regiment here.

- This regiment is lucky: receives both new airfield, and new equipment, and reliable cover, - I noticed, looking towards the commander of air defense.

Reaction of the last was absolutely unexpected.

- You know well, he started talking to undisguised irritation in a voice, - that at me, as well as in troops of the fourth army, antiaircraft parts are in district camp beyond Minsk. Neither a staff of army, nor a staff of the mechanized case, nor aircraft, nor even to cover itself from air around Kobrin I have nothing...

Evening was on June 21 for fighters and commanders of the 4th army in the usual Saturday evening: people had a rest, saw performances, movies... And meanwhile in other 4th army, on that side of Bug, prepared for them death..." - it was the last peace day before mournful series of long 1418 days of war.

"At 4 hours 30 minutes to the commander the uneasy commander of an aviation division rushed and reported:

- Now I was called from Pruzhan, from a staff of a tank division. There on our airfield flew over 60 German bombers. Many our planes are destroyed. Escaped are rolled on hands in coppices and bushes for line of airfield. I ordered to lift the Kobrin destructive regiment in air. I send it to Pruzhany.

Still the colonel Belov of the report as strong explosions did not finish were distributed somewhere absolutely nearby. In the beginning single, they promptly became frequent and soon merged in a continuous rumble. The operations duty officer reported by phone that the Kobrin airfield underwent enemy bombing from air...

With the permission of the commander I right there ordered to the person on duty to transfer to all to chiefs of departments: to immediately leave the room of a staff, to take with itself staff documents, to concentrate as it was agreed in advance, in a garden behind a staff and to expect cars for moving to Bukhovichi. Within several minutes the building of a staff became empty.

I began to look through contents of the safe too. At this time phone call was distributed. From the mechanized case reported that several bombs are dropped on their staff, the building is destroyed, there are victims. And from the street the person on duty on a staff shouted to me in an open window that the group of the German planes heads for our military camp.

Having headlong jumped out of a staff and having run off meters hundred, I lay down in a ditch near others. And immediately over us the enemy squadron appeared. Terrible explosions shook air, and before our eyes the building of a staff began to collapse. The first wave of bombers was followed by the second. And we lay in a ditch, something to undertake the deprived opportunities: antiaircraft means at a staff were not, and the most part of fighters burned down in airfield.

All our military camp including houses underwent bombing...", is already lines of memoirs of Sandalov about with what stunning speed black clouds of war rushed. The escaped fighters from Kobrin airfield led by the commander of a regiment repeatedly took off in the direction of Brest and battled desperately safely, battled heroically. The ambassador of the next air fight the major Surin came back to Kobrin airfield seriously injured and died, without going out of the plane.

In short fighting history of the 123rd destructive aviation regiment it is written down: "For the first day of war pilots of a regiment shot down 30 fascist planes... The commander of a regiment major Surin Boris Nikolaevich who carried out four air fights this day was killed in unequal battle and personally shot down three planes of the opponent".

Leonid Mikhaylovich Sandalov continues the memoirs: "... And here I with group of commanders head in High. Both of our cars continually are attacked by enemy planes, and we are forced to move down from the highway, to mask in the wood.

Approaching Zhabinka, saw how fascist bombers a wave behind a wave at small height directed to Kobrin. Towards to them took off two small groups of our fighters. One of these groups and structure of four planes I-153/" of Seagulls" / brought down two fascist bombers and safely engaged with enemy fighters. In fighting history of the 123rd destructive aviaregiment this case is described so: "22.6.41g. four fighters – the captain Mazhayev, lieutenants Zhidov, Ryabtsev and Nazarov – engaged from eight Me-Yu9. The plane of the lieutenant Zhidov was lined and began to descend. Three fascists, seeing an easy mark, began to attack from above it, but the captain Mazhayev, covering a disengagement of the lieutenant Zhidov, a tag machine gun fire struck one "Messerschmitt"; the second fascist was intercepted by the lieutenant Zhidov and set on fire. At the end of fight at the lieutenant Ryabtsev all unit of fire was spent, but Ryabtsev, without reckoning with danger to life, the plane on the opponent led and in collision blow forced it to plummet fragments to earth. In this fight three fascist cars were hit, and from our party one is lost".

Further Leonid Mikhaylovich writes that after data on bombing of airfield in Pinsk arrived, the Air Force commander of the front ordered to put on Pinsky airfield all escaped planes of Kobrin and Pruzhansky aviaregiments after their next departure to Brest, the commander of an aviation division together with a division staff was transported there.

The bitterness and offense overflow heart and soul of the author when he analyzes the reasons of miscalculations, mistakes and unused opportunities for successful reflection of the enemy near border in tragic days 1941. At the same time he everywhere pays a tribute of respect and a worship for heroism of soldiers, emphasizing that the enemy who got used to easy victories in the West was stunned with courage and firmness of the Soviet fighters and commanders. But forces were too unequal, the blow of the enemy was too artful, and our troops were forced to depart. In this unequal heavy fighting there were unknown many feats, and only memoirs of people, will of destiny survived, can help to revive and immortalize names of remarkable fearless heroes of those of days.

Passed 55 years since the twentieth century wrote down in the annals of history the most gloomy date - on June 22, 1941. But how many generations on the earth would not change, people cannot and should not forget what is fascism what sufferings were brought by it to the people of Europe what incalculable victims were incurred by our Fatherland in fight against fascism.

L. I. Kurashova, librarian of the Kobrin military and historical museum of A.V. Suvorov

Kurashova, L.I. Zashchishchaya Fatherland / L.I sky. Kurashova//Kobrin-inform. – 2006. – June 22. – Page 14. L. M. Sandalov's reminiscence, the chief of a staff of the fourth army which was settling down in to Kobrina - about the eve and the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. 

Popular materials


Materials about Kobrin district

Make the contribution to a reconstruction of history of Kobrin district. If you have interesting materials - share with us: admin@ikobrin.ru

Comments


Names of articles





Search in the website



Our partners