This is a certificate-report of the Chief Military Prosecutor of the USSR N. Afanasyev “About 28 Panfilovites” dated May 10, 1948. The document debunks the legend of the origin of the formula of the struggle for independence: “There is nowhere to retreat - Moscow is behind us...” And gives the bitter truth about the 28 Panfilov heroes.
For those who are not aware of the significant for the Great Patriotic War stories with 28 Panfilov heroes who defended Moscow from the Nazis in 1941, short historical reference. We are talking about an investigation into the details of the battle at the Dubosekovo crossing in the Volokolamsk district of the Moscow region, in which 28 servicemen of the 4th company of the 2nd battalion of the 1075th rifle regiment of the 8th Panfilov Guards division of the Red Army took part. This is the same fight that is included in everything teaching aids on history. And the words of political instructor Klochkov: “There is nowhere to retreat - Moscow is behind us...” and completely became winged.
And the pages of the prosecutor’s investigation published by the State Archive indicate that most likely such words were not said. All this is nothing more than a fantasy of the literary secretary of the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper Krivitsky, based on an essay by front-line correspondent Koroteev, who described the battle of the 5th company of the N-regiment of the Panfilov division under the command of political instructor Diev. An essay about the battle of Panfilov’s men with 54 Wehrmacht tanks was published on November 27, and on the 28th, an editorial by Krivitsky appeared in “Red Star”, which already included the number of fighters and quoting political instructor Klochkov.
In the published prosecutor's investigation, Krivitsky admits in black and white that the words of the political instructor are the fruit of his imagination. And the number of heroes killed was calculated very approximately: there seemed to be 30 soldiers, but two tried to surrender and were shot. Chief Editor According to the prosecutor’s investigation, Ortenberg considered “Red Star” that two traitors were too many and left one. There, in the office of the editor-in-chief, it was decided that every single soldier died a heroic death, having destroyed 18 tanks.
Perhaps the essay would not have been noticed, but Krivitsky’s editorial under the loud headline "The Testament of 28 Fallen Heroes" paid more than close attention. The names of those killed in battle also appeared, the words of political instructor Klochkov were replicated in poetry and prose not by front-line reporters, but by respected writers. They themselves, having never been to the front, supplemented the dry newspaper lines with expression.
The investigation of this story did not take place during the years of perestroika and was not initiated by some structure seeking to denigrate the glory of the winners. The main military prosecutor's office investigated the case of treason against the Motherland by Ivan Dobrobabin. In 1942, he voluntarily surrendered to the Germans and served them in the police. During the arrest, the traitor was found with a book “About 28 Panfilov’s Heroes”, where he was listed as a dead hero.
The prosecutor's office began to investigate the plot and found out that in addition to Dobrobabin, the list of dead heroes included four more living Panfilovites. In addition to the traitor Dobrobabin, Daniil Kuzhebergenov was also captured by the Germans, who spoke during interrogations ( the document does not indicate who he told - the Germans or the Soviet SMERSH - Note "RM") that he is the one who died, one of the 28.
And Kuzhenbergenov was immortalized in poetry by the famous poet of that era, Nikolai Tikhonov:
Stands guard near Moscow
Kuzhebergenov Daniil,
I swear on my head
Fight to the last strength...
Further, the military prosecutor's office finds out that there was no battle at the Dubosekovo crossing on the day marked by the publication in Krasnaya Zvezda. On November 16, the Germans quickly broke the resistance of Panfilov’s troops on this section of the front, the 1075th regiment suffered serious losses and retreated to the next line of defense. Fellow soldiers had not heard of any feat of the 28 heroes. This is confirmed by the words of local government representatives. The chairman of the Nelidovo village council testified that the Germans passed through the line on November 16 and were knocked out on December 20 during the counter-offensive of the Red Army. Local residents were able to discover under the snow rubble and bury in a mass grave the remains of only six soldiers, including political instructor Klochkov.
The prosecutor's investigation is read in one breath. Although, of course, the Chief Military Prosecutor of the USSR Armed Forces, Lieutenant General N. Afanasyev, does not use any detective techniques. This is a dry investigation of facts leading to hard conclusions. The prosecutor's office states: there was no feat of the indicated 28 Red Army soldiers, there was no battle described by the Red Star journalists.
Now some are demanding that we not recognize the facts of the investigation, which allegedly call into question the heroism of the Soviet people as a whole. Others demand the renaming of streets named in memory of Panfilov’s heroes. Extremes when assessing history are commonplace. The famous publicist Maxim Shevchenko accurately formulated a reasonable attitude to what happened in a speech on the Ekho Moskvy radio:
“...28 Panfilovites was an important mobilization myth. And 28 Panfilov men, and political instructor Klochkov, and a Kyrgyz who stood under a tank with a grenade, perhaps a fairy tale. But this fairy tale that people believed, it inspired great amount people to fight. This tale justified the terrible hardships and sacrifices that people endured. Therefore, let’s assume that the 28 Panfilov men in particular and their battle were depicted by the journalist in some metaphorical form. Let us ask ourselves: were there no battles in which 28 soldiers were on the same Lamsky line near Volokolamsk, where the Panfilov division stopped the advance of the German Operation Typhoon? Were. Therefore, Panfilov’s men are heroes. General Panfilov is a hero. It's cumulative. There were many Panfilovites along the entire front. But the correspondent did not get there. He was not allowed to go to the front line. They will also kill him, or he will be captured by the Germans. The next question is: how does this discredit the memory of those who died near Moscow? They defeated the fascists. There are thousands of nameless Panfilovites like this. They lie in the ravines..."
It’s hard to argue with Shevchenko’s arguments: the characters are not to blame for the way they were written about. They fought honestly and as best they could. They are heroes. But what the so-called “Red Star” journalists did... They not only betrayed the meaning of the journalistic profession, main principle which “I saw - I want to tell.” They laid the nasty mine that went off years later in the heroic story Great Victory. But the truth is the truth. She, no matter how bitter she is, does not tolerate excuses “inappropriate, inappropriate.” The strength of the victorious people lies precisely in the ability to recognize the truth at any time, even the most inopportune time. And just the way she is.
75 years have passed since the heroic defense of Moscow. Of those events, the feat of 28 Panfilov’s men is the most famous, and at the same time it is this that is questioned and attempted to be refuted.So let's try to take a look, at least superficially, who Panfilov's men were and what actually happened near the village of Dubosekovo.
The “Panfilov” division, number 316, was recruited from residents of Alma-Ata (now Almaty) and Frunze (now Bishkek) immediately after the start of the Second World War. It was formed within a month from Russians and Kazakhs, the majority of whom had not even served in military service, i.e. from recruits who had neither combat experience nor military training.
In connection with the beginning of the German offensive on Moscow (Operation Typhoon), the 316th Division was transferred to the central direction. On October 12, 1941, the division was unloaded near Volokolamsk, where it began preparing its defensive line within the Mozhaisk defense line. total length This line, from the Bolychevo state farm to the village of Lvovo, was 41 km.
The 316th Division, unfired, made up of recruits and not having a full roster, received a strip of 41 km. And this is in the direction of the main attack. Moreover, the length of the division’s front was 5(!) times greater than the standard, and for each kilometer of the front there were 5 times fewer soldiers and firepower than was considered necessary to create a sufficiently strong defense.
The lack of guns in the “Panfilov” division itself (54 guns) was covered by reinforcement artillery units (another 141 guns). But this gain was greatly undermined by the lack of ammunition.
That is, in general, the defense, although very well organized, was very “liquid”, having several times less than the required density of troops and firepower.
German troops reached the Mozhaisk defense line by October 15. Opposed to the 316th division were the German 2nd and 11th tank and 35th infantry divisions. All units were well armed and had extensive combat experience. The Germans hoped to easily, on the move, knock Panfilov’s men off their occupied line.
Crew of a 45-mm anti-tank gun 53-K on the outskirts of a village near Moscow, November - December 1941
On October 16, the 2nd Tank Division unsuccessfully attacked the left flank of the “Panfilov” division - the positions of the 1075th regiment. The German attacks were repulsed. On October 17, the blow was delivered by large forces. During several attacks, the Germans managed to advance literally a kilometer, and Panfilov’s defense held firm. On October 18, the Germans further strengthened the attacking group and forced the 1075th Regiment to withdraw. But the Germans were stopped by the heroic resistance of artillery units.
Total: in three days of fierce fighting, having enormous numerical and fire superiority and relying on complete air supremacy, the Germans managed to advance only a few kilometers. Panfilov's division held out. They left Volokolamsk only at the end of October, when the Germans broke through in other sectors and there was a threat of encirclement of the division.
What happened before Dubosekovo? The Germans, conducting a rapid (according to plans) attack on Moscow, managed to advance less than two dozen kilometers in the Volokolamsk direction in half a month of fighting. And they stood up, pulling up reinforcements and rear forces. On November 2, the front line stabilized.
Was this a feat? Yes, it was actually a miracle.
...On November 16, the next stage of the German offensive began. The 4th Panzer Group of the Wehrmacht was rushing towards Moscow. Three Germans attacked our division. The 316th division should have been swept away immediately.
The positions of the 1075th regiment stretched from the exit from Volokolamsk to the Dubosekovo junction. That is, for one incompletely equipped regiment there was a larger front than was required in defense for a full-blooded division. On the Novo-Nikolskoye (now Bolshoye Nikolskoye) - Dubosekovo section, that is, on a front of 4 km, the 2nd battalion of the 1075th regiment held the defense.
Actually, at Dubosekovo-Petelino the 4th company of the 2nd battalion of the 1075th regiment held the defense, the same one in which the legendary Klochkov was political instructor. That is, the company, which consisted of less than one and a half hundred soldiers, accounted for more than a kilometer of front in an open field.
German tanks attack Soviet positions in the Istra region, November 25, 1941
The positions of the 1075th regiment were attacked by 11 TDs. In this case, the main blow fell on the 2nd battalion. With the indicated density of defense, with such a difference in forces, it is impossible to hold the front in the event of a counter attack. But Panfilov’s division held out. I held on for a long time, it was impossible long hours and 2nd battalion. The first German attack was repulsed. With the second blow, the German tank division crushed the battalion. But the units retreated fighting, with terrible losses, but delaying the enemy. There were 20-25 people left in the 4th company. That is about one out of every six. From November 16 to November 20, in 5 days of fighting, the Germans managed to advance only 12 km.
Testimony of the chairman of the Nelidovsky village council Smirnova at the investigation into the Panfilov case:
The battle of Panfilov’s division near our village of Nelidovo and the Dubosekovo crossing took place on November 16, 1941. During this battle, all our residents, including myself, were hiding in shelters... The Germans entered the area of our village and the Dubosekovo crossing on November 16, 1941 and were repulsed by units of the Soviet Army on December 20, 1941. At this time there were large snow drifts, which continued until February 1942, due to which we did not collect the corpses of those killed on the battlefield and did not conduct funerals.
It was during these battles that the division was awarded and became an example to follow. On November 17 she was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, and on November 18 she was awarded the rank of Guards. On November 23, the division received honorary title Panfilovskaya.
Were these battles heroic? Was it a feat of Panfilov's men?
Well, what else? What other name can you come up with?
Crew of the PTRD-41 anti-tank rifle in position during the Battle of Moscow. Moscow region, winter 1941–1942
Well, now about “yeah, but there were not 28 of them, the journalist gave other details.” Well, in reality, the feat never strictly coincides with newspaper descriptions in hot pursuit. Newspaper descriptions are not a report from a commission from headquarters.
Correspondent Krivitsky arrived at the front and asked the commander: “What’s going on here?” The commander said: “Yesterday there was a battle, during which 28 people died, 28 Panfilov’s men. Everyone died a heroic death, they held the line.” Afterwards the article “28 Panfilov’s Men” was published. Later it turned out that the number 28 was not accurate; someone survived.
One way or another, the number “28” is forever imprinted in our history.
And historical science is powerless here, not to mention arithmetic and statistics.
But the incorrect number 28 does not refute the feat of Panfilov’s men. Colonel General Erich Gepner, who commanded the 4th Panzer Group, whose striking forces were defeated in battles with the 8th Guards Division, calls it in his reports to the commander of Group Center Fedor von Bock - “a wild division fighting in violation of all regulations and rules of engagement, whose soldiers do not surrender, are extremely fanatical and are not afraid of death."
“Memorial to the Panfilov Heroes” at the Dubosekovo crossing
There was a feat of Panfilov's men.
There was a feat of individual companies.
And it is no longer possible for us to know all the details of this feat, the feat of each company. And when there is no way to find out all the facts, a legend remains.
But this legend is true, because it speaks of a real feat of real people.
Because no one invented German tanks. And they were never seen in the capital of our country - also because they were met by unimaginative Panfilovites.
Panfilov, Ivan Vasilievich(pictured left)
(December 20, 1892 (January 1, 1893), Petrovsk, Saratov province - November 18, 1941, near the village of Gusenevo, Moscow region) - Soviet military leader, major general, Hero Soviet Union(1942, posthumously).
In 1915 he was drafted into the Russian imperial army and sent to the Russian-German front. In 1918, he voluntarily joined the Red Army and was a participant in the Civil War, fighting as part of the 25th Chapaevskaya Rifle Division. He took an active part in the fight against the Basmachi. Since 1938 - military commissar of the Kyrgyz SSR.
During the Great Patriotic War - commander of the 316th Rifle Division (since November 17, 1941 - 8th Guards Division, famous for heavy defensive battles in the Volokolamsk direction). He died on November 18, 1941 near the village of Gusenevo, Volokolamsk district, Moscow region, from fragments of a German mortar mine.
According to the memoirs of his granddaughter Aigul Baikadamova, he considered the main calling of a military leader to be preserving the lives of soldiers in war, a warm attitude and care. The soldiers called Panfilov “General Dad.” He told the soldiers and commanders: “I don’t need you to die, I need you to stay alive!” There is information that before the war, Panfilov sent dispatches to the Kremlin with requests to take care of warm clothes, uniforms for soldiers and other everyday needs. In 1945, war correspondents captured inscriptions on the walls of the Reichstag: “We are Panfilov’s warriors. Thank you, Dad, for the felt boots.”
According to granddaughter Aigul Baikadamova, Panfilov managed to find “ mutual language" with his multinational division, because " he for a long time lived in Central Asia, knew the morals, customs, languages of these peoples and was able to become a real father-commander for them"
Monument to Panfilov in Almaty at the southern entrance to the park named after 28 Panfilov guardsmen
General Panfilov believed that the time of wars on horses with naked swords was becoming a thing of the past. Therefore, during the formation of the 316th Infantry Division, during exercises near Talgar, they organized training to overcome fear of tanks - for this purpose, tractors were driven to the positions of the recruits. Such a concept as the Panfilov loop came into military textbooks: when the forces of combat units were dispersed in several important points, rather than throwing themselves at the enemy entirely. During the defense of Moscow, he used a system of deeply layered artillery anti-tank defense, as well as mobile barrage units. According to rumors, in October 1941, when the battles were going on near Volokolamsk, he organized raids behind enemy lines, “so that the soldiers had the feeling that the enemy was also a living person and could be defeated.”
Vasily Klochkov, military commissar of the 4th company of the 2nd battalion of the 1075th rifle regiment of the 316th rifle division of the 16th army of the Western Front, political instructor, Hero of the Soviet Union. Awarded the Order of Lenin, two Orders of the Red Banner. Killed in battle.
The words are attributed to him: “Russia is great, but there is nowhere to retreat - Moscow is behind us!”
According to the research of the writer V.O. Osipov and the testimony of the soldiers of the Panfilov division, it is claimed that the author of the phrase “Russia is great, but there is nowhere to retreat - Moscow is behind!” belongs specifically to the political instructor Klochkov, and not to the correspondent Krivitsky: personal letters from Klochkov to his wife have been preserved, in which he expressed his feelings of special responsibility for Moscow, in addition, approximately the same calls were published in Panfilov’s appeals and in issues of the division newspaper.
Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated July 21, 1942 “On conferring the title of Hero of the Soviet Union to the commanding and rank and file of the Red Army” published in the newspaper “Red Star” No. 170 (5234) dated July 22, 1942
Distrust in the fact of the heroism of Panfilov's men arose when, in November 1947, the Military Prosecutor's Office of the Kharkov garrison arrested and prosecuted for treason against the Motherland I. E. Dobrobabin. According to the case materials, while at the front, Dobrobabin voluntarily surrendered to the Germans and in the spring of 1942 entered their service. He served as chief of police in the village of Perekop, temporarily occupied by the Germans, Valkovsky district, Kharkov region. In March 1943, during the liberation of this area from the Germans, Dobrobabin was arrested as a traitor by Soviet authorities.
During Dobrobabin’s arrest, a book about 28 Panfilov heroes was found, and it turned out that he was listed as one of the main participants in this heroic battle, for which he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Dobrobabin’s interrogation established that in the Dubosekov area he was indeed slightly wounded and captured by the Germans, but did not perform any feats, and everything that was written about him in the book about Panfilov’s heroes does not correspond to reality. In this regard, the Main Military Prosecutor's Office of the USSR conducted a detailed investigation into the history of the battle at the Dubosekovo crossing.
Materials from the interrogation of correspondent Koroteev were presented
(clarifying the origin of the number 28):
Around November 23-24, 1941, I, together with a war correspondent for the newspaper " TVNZ“Chernyshev was at the headquarters of the 16th Army... When leaving the army headquarters, we met the commissar of the 8th Panfilov Division, Egorov, who spoke about the extremely difficult situation at the front and said that our people were fighting heroically in all areas.
The political report spoke about the battle of the fifth company with enemy tanks and that the company stood “to the death” - it died, but did not retreat, and only two people turned out to be traitors, they raised their hands to surrender to the Germans, but they were destroyed by our soldiers. The report did not say about the number of company soldiers who died in this battle, and their names were not mentioned.
Upon arrival in Moscow, I reported the situation to the editor of the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper, Ortenberg, and talked about the company’s battle with enemy tanks. Ortenberg asked me how many people were in the company. I answered him that the company apparently was incomplete, about 30-40 people; I also said that two of these people turned out to be traitors... Thus, the number of people who fought appeared to be 28, since out of 30 two turned out to be traitors.
Documentary evidence of battles
Commander of the 1075th Regiment I.V. Kaprov (testimony given at the investigation into the Panfilov case):
...In the company by November 16, 1941 there were 120-140 people. My command post was located behind the Dubosekovo crossing, 1.5 km from the position of the 4th company (2nd battalion). I don’t remember now whether there were anti-tank rifles in the 4th company, but I repeat that in the entire 2nd battalion there were only 4 anti-tank rifles... In total, there were 10-12 enemy tanks in the 2nd battalion’s sector. I don’t know how many tanks went (directly) to the 4th company’s sector, or rather, I can’t determine...
With the help of the regiment and the efforts of the 2nd battalion, this tank attack was repulsed. In battle, the regiment destroyed 5-6 German tanks, and the Germans retreated. At 14-15 o'clock the Germans opened strong artillery fire... and again went on the attack with tanks... More than 50 tanks were advancing on the regiment's sectors, and the main attack was aimed at the positions of the 2nd battalion, including the sector of the 4th company, and one the tank even went to the regimental command post and set fire to the hay and the hut, so that I was accidentally able to get out of the dugout: the embankment saved me railway, people who had survived the attack by German tanks began to gather around me. The 4th company suffered the most: led by company commander Gundilovich, 20-25 people survived. The remaining companies suffered less.
On the 16th, at 6 am, the Germans began bombing our right and left flanks, and we were getting a fair amount of it. 35 planes bombed us.
After the aerial bombardment, a column of machine gunners left the village of Krasikovo... Then Sergeant Dobrobabin, who was a platoon deputy commander, whistled. We opened fire on the machine gunners... It was around 7 am... We repulsed the machine gunners... We killed about 80 people.
After this attack, political instructor Klochkov approached our trenches and began to talk. He greeted us. “How did you survive the fight?” - “Nothing, we survived.” He says: “Tanks are moving, we’ll have to endure another fight here... There are a lot of tanks coming, but there are more of us. 20 tanks, each brother won’t get one tank.”
We were all trained in a fighter battalion. They didn’t give themselves such horror that they immediately went into panic. We were sitting in the trenches. “It’s okay,” says the political instructor, “we’ll be able to repel the tank attack: there’s nowhere to retreat, Moscow is behind us.”
We took the fight to these tanks. They fired from an anti-tank rifle from the right flank, but we didn’t have one... They started jumping out of the trenches and throwing bunches of grenades under the tanks... They threw bottles of fuel at the crews. I don’t know what was exploding there, there were only big explosions in the tanks... I had to blow up two heavy tanks. We repulsed this attack and destroyed 15 tanks. 5 tanks retreated to reverse side to the village of Zhdanovo... In the first battle there were no losses on my left flank.
Political instructor Klochkov noticed that the second batch of tanks was moving and said: “Comrades, we will probably have to die here for the glory of our homeland. Let our homeland know how we fight, how we defend Moscow. Moscow is behind us, we have nowhere to retreat.” ... When the second batch of tanks approached, Klochkov jumped out of the trench with grenades. The soldiers are behind him... In this last attack, I blew up two tanks - a heavy one and a light one. The tanks were burning. Then I got under the third tank... from the left side. WITH right side Musabek Singerbaev - a Kazakh - ran up to this tank... Then I was wounded... I received three shrapnel wounds and a concussion.
According to archival data from the USSR Ministry of Defense, the entire 1075th Infantry Regiment on November 16, 1941 destroyed 15 (according to other sources - 16) tanks and about 800 people personnel enemy. The losses of the regiment, according to the report of its commander, amounted to 400 people killed, 600 people missing, 100 people wounded.
Russia will never stop trying to trample on its heroes who gave their lives in the name of the Fatherland.
At the request of citizens
State Archives Russian Federation, headed by Doctor of Historical Sciences Sergei Mironenko, gave a new reason for discussion about the feat of 28 Panfilov heroes.
« In connection with numerous appeals from citizens, institutions and organizations, we are posting a certificate-report of the Chief Military Prosecutor N. Afanasyev “About 28 Panfilovites” dated May 10, 1948, based on the results of the investigation of the Main Military Prosecutor’s Office, stored in the fund of the USSR Prosecutor’s Office.”, says a message on the website of the State Archives of the Russian Federation.
The publication of this certificate-report is not a sensation - its existence is known to everyone who was interested in the history of the feat.
On its basis, the head of the State Archives of the Russian Federation, Citizen Mironenko, himself made statements that “there were no 28 Panfilov heroes - this is one of the myths propagated by the state.”
But before we talk about myth and truth, let's remember the classic story of Panfilov's heroes.
Classic version of the feat
According to it, on November 16, 1941, 28 people from the personnel of the 4th company of the 2nd battalion of the 1075th rifle regiment, led by the political instructor of the 4th company Vasily Klochkov, held the defense against the advancing Nazis in the area of the Dubosekovo junction, 7 kilometers to the south. east of Volokolamsk.
During the 4-hour battle, they destroyed 18 enemy tanks, and the German advance towards Moscow was suspended. All 28 fighters were killed in the battle.
In April 1942, when the feat of 28 Panfilov men became widely known in the country, the command of the Western Front issued a petition to award all 28 soldiers the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated July 21, 1942, all 28 guardsmen listed in Krivitsky’s essay were posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
The “resurrected” Dobrobabin managed to serve the Germans and take Vienna
The investigation, a certificate report on the results of which was published by GARF, began in November 1947, when the military prosecutor's office of the Kharkov garrison arrested and prosecuted Ivan Dobrobabin for treason.
According to the case materials, while at the front, Dobrobabin voluntarily surrendered to the Germans and in the spring of 1942 entered their service. He served as chief of police in the village of Perekop, temporarily occupied by the Germans, Valkovsky district, Kharkov region.
In March 1943, during the liberation of this area from the Germans, Dobrobabin was arrested as a traitor by Soviet authorities, but escaped from custody, again went over to the Germans and again got a job in the German police, continuing active treasonous activities, arrests of Soviet citizens and the direct implementation of forced sending labor to Germany.
When Dobrobabin was arrested again after the war, during a search they found a book about 28 Panfilov heroes, in which it was written in black and white that he... was one of the dead heroes and, accordingly, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Dobrobabin, understanding the situation he found himself in, honestly told how it happened. He actually took part in the battle at the Dubosekovo junction, but was not killed, but received a shell shock and was captured.
Having escaped from the prisoner of war camp, Dobrobabin did not make his way to his own people, but went to his native village, which was under occupation, where he soon accepted the elder’s offer to join the police.
But this is not all the vicissitudes of his fate. When the Red Army went on the offensive again in 1943, Dobrobabin fled to his relatives in the Odessa region, where no one knew about his work for the Germans, waited for the arrival of Soviet troops, and was again called up to military service, participated in the Iasi-Kishinev operation, the capture of Budapest and Vienna, ended the war in Austria.
By the verdict of the military tribunal of the Kiev Military District on June 8, 1948, Ivan Dobrobabin was sentenced to 15 years in prison with disqualification for five years, confiscation of property and deprivation of medals “For the Defense of Moscow” and “For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941.” –1945”, “For the capture of Vienna” and “For the capture of Budapest”; By decree of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces of February 11, 1949, he was deprived of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
During the 1955 amnesty, his sentence was reduced to 7 years, after which he was released.
Ivan Dobrobabin moved in with his brother, lived an ordinary life and died in December 1996 at the age of 83.
Krivitsky list
But let's go back to 1947, when it turned out that one of the 28 Panfilov men, not only was alive, but also got dirty with his service with the Germans. The prosecutor's office was ordered to check all the circumstances of the battle at the Dubosekovo crossing in order to find out how everything really happened.
According to the materials of the prosecutor's office, the first description of the battle of the Panfilov guardsmen who stopped German tanks appeared in the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper in an essay by front-line correspondent Vasily Koroteev. This note did not name the names of the heroes, but said that “every one of them died, but they did not let the enemy through.”
The next day, the editorial “The Testament of 28 Fallen Heroes” appeared in the Red Star, which stated that 28 soldiers stopped the advance of 50 enemy tanks, destroying 18 of them. The note was signed by the literary secretary of “Red Star” Alexander Krivitsky.
And finally, on January 22, 1942, signed by Alexander Krivitsky, the material “About 28 Fallen Heroes” appeared, which became the basis for the classic version of the feat.
There, for the first time, all 28 heroes were named by name - Klochkov Vasily Georgievich, Dobrobabin Ivan Evstafievich, Shepetkov Ivan Alekseevich, Kryuchkov Abram Ivanovich, Mitin Gavriil Stepanovich, Kasaev Alikbay, Petrenko Grigory Alekseevich, Esibulatov Narsutbay, Kaleinikov Dmitry Mitrofanovich, Natarov Ivan Moiseevich, Shemyakin Grigor th Mikhailovich, Dutov Pyotr Danilovich,
Mitchenko Nikita, Shopokov Duishenkul, Konkin Grigory Efimovich, Shadrin Ivan Demidovich, Moskalenko Nikolay, Yemtsov Pyotr Kuzmich, Kuzhebergenov Daniil Alexandrovich, Timofeev Dmitry Fomich, Trofimov Nikolay Ignatievich, Bondarenko Yakov Alexandrovich, Vasiliev Larion Romanovich, Belashev Nikolay Nikonorovich, Bezrodny Grigor y, Sengirbaev Musabek , Maksimov Nikolay, Ananyev Nikolay.
Survivors of Dubosekovo
In 1947, prosecutors checking the circumstances of the battle at the Dubosekovo crossing found out that not only Ivan Dobrobabin survived. “Resurrected” Daniil Kuzhebergenov, Grigory Shemyakin, Illarion Vasiliev, Ivan Shadrin. Later it became known that Dmitry Timofeev was also alive.
All of them were wounded in the battle at Dubosekovo; Kuzhebergenov, Shadrin and Timofeev passed through German captivity.
It was especially difficult for Daniil Kuzhebergenov. He spent only a few hours in captivity, but that was enough to accuse him of voluntarily surrendering to the Germans.
As a result, in the presentation for the award, his name was replaced by a namesake, who, even theoretically, could not participate in that battle. And if the rest of the survivors, except for Dobrobabin, were recognized as heroes, then Daniil Kuzhebergenov, until his death in 1976, remained only a partially recognized participant in the legendary battle.
Meanwhile, employees of the prosecutor's office, having studied all the materials and heard the testimony of witnesses, came to the conclusion - “the feat of 28 Panfilov guardsmen, covered in the press, is an invention of the correspondent Koroteev, the editor of the Red Star Ortenberg, and especially the literary secretary of the newspaper Krivitsky.”
Panfilov heroes, veterans of the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945 Illarion Romanovich Vasiliev (left) and Grigory Melentyevich Shemyakin at a ceremonial meeting dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi troops near Moscow, in the Kremlin Palace
Testimony of the regiment commander
This conclusion is based on interrogations of Krivitsky, Koroteev and the commander of the 1075th Infantry Regiment, Ilya Kaprov. All 28 Panfilov heroes served in Karpov’s regiment.
During interrogation at the prosecutor’s office in 1948, Kaprov testified: “There was no battle between 28 Panfilov men and German tanks at the Dubosekovo crossing on November 16, 1941 - this is a complete fiction. On this day, at the Dubosekovo crossing, as part of the 2nd battalion, the 4th company fought with German tanks, and they really fought heroically.
Over 100 people from the company died, and not 28, as was written about in the newspapers. None of the correspondents contacted me during this period; I never told anyone about the battle of 28 Panfilov’s men, and I couldn’t talk about it, since there was no such battle. I did not write any political report on this matter.
I don’t know on the basis of what materials they wrote in newspapers, in particular in Krasnaya Zvezda, about the battle of 28 guardsmen from the division named after. Panfilova. At the end of December 1941, when the division was withdrawn for formation, the Red Star correspondent Krivitsky came to my regiment along with representatives of the political department of the division Glushko and Egorov.
Here I first heard about the 28 Panfilov guardsmen. In a conversation with me, Krivitsky said that it was necessary to have 28 Panfilov guardsmen who fought with German tanks. I told him that the entire regiment, and especially the 4th company of the 2nd battalion, fought with German tanks, but I don’t know anything about the battle of 28 guardsmen...
Captain Gundilovich, who had conversations with him on this topic, gave Krivitsky’s last name from memory; there were no documents about the battle of 28 Panfilov men in the regiment and there could not have been.”
Interrogations of journalists
Alexander Krivitsky testified during interrogation: “When talking at the PUR with Comrade Krapivin, he was interested in where I got the words of political instructor Klochkov, written in my basement: “Russia is great, but there is nowhere to retreat - Moscow is behind us,” I answered him that I had invented this myself...
...As far as the feelings and actions of the 28 heroes are concerned, this is my literary conjecture. I did not talk to any of the wounded or surviving guardsmen. From the local population, I only spoke with a boy of about 14–15 years old, who showed me the grave where Klochkov was buried.”
Guard senior sergeant Nikolai Bogdashko. Cossacks against tanks. 45 cavalrymen repeated the feat of Panfilov’s men. And here’s what Vasily Koroteev said: “Around November 23–24, 1941, I, together with the war correspondent of the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper Chernyshev, was at the headquarters of the 16th Army...
When leaving the army headquarters, we met the commissar of the 8th Panfilov division, Yegorov, who spoke about the extremely difficult situation at the front and said that our people were fighting heroically in all sectors. In particular, Egorov gave an example of the heroic battle of one company with German tanks; 54 tanks advanced on the company’s line, and the company delayed them, destroying some of them.
Egorov himself was not a participant in the battle, but spoke from the words of the regiment commissar, who also did not participate in the battle with German tanks... Egorov recommended writing in the newspaper about the heroic battle of the company with enemy tanks, having previously become acquainted with the political report received from the regiment...
The political report spoke about the battle of the fifth company with enemy tanks and that the company stood “to the death” - it died, but did not retreat, and only two people turned out to be traitors, they raised their hands to surrender to the Germans, but they were destroyed by our soldiers.
The report did not say about the number of company soldiers who died in this battle, and their names were not mentioned. We did not establish this from conversations with the regiment commander. It was impossible to get into the regiment, and Egorov did not advise us to try to get into the regiment...
Upon arrival in Moscow, I reported the situation to the editor of the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper, Ortenberg, and talked about the company’s battle with enemy tanks. Ortenberg asked me how many people were in the company. I answered him that the company apparently was incomplete, about 30–40 people; I also said that two of these people turned out to be traitors...
I didn’t know that a forward was being prepared on this topic, but Ortenberg called me again and asked how many people were in the company. I told him that there were about 30 people. Thus, the number of people who fought was 28, since two of the 30 turned out to be traitors.
Ortenberg said that it was impossible to write about two traitors, and, apparently, after consulting with someone, he decided to write about only one traitor in the editorial.”
“I was told that I would end up in Kolyma”
So, there was no feat of the 28 Panfilov heroes, and this is a literary fiction? This is what the head of GARF Mironenko and his supporters think.
But don't rush to conclusions.
Firstly, the Secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) Andrei Zhdanov, to whom the conclusions of the prosecutor's investigation were reported, did not give any progress. Let’s say a party leader decided to “drop the question.”
Alexander Krivitsky in the 1970s talked about how the investigation by the prosecutor's office proceeded in 1947–1948:
“I was told that if I refuse to testify that I completely invented the description of the battle at Dubosekovo and that I did not talk to any of the seriously wounded or surviving Panfilov soldiers before publishing the article, then I would soon find myself in Pechora or Kolyma. In such a situation, I had to say that the battle at Dubosekovo was my literary fiction.”
Regimental Commander Kaprov was also not so categorical in his other testimony: “At 14-15 hours the Germans opened strong artillery fire... and again went on the attack with tanks...
Over 50 tanks were advancing in the regiment's sectors, and the main attack was directed at the positions of the 2nd battalion, including the sector of the 4th company, and one tank even went to the regimental command post and set fire to the hay and the booth, so I accidentally I was able to get out of the dugout: I was saved by the embankment of the railway, people who survived the attack of German tanks began to gather around me.
The 4th company suffered the most: led by company commander Gundilovic, 20–25 people survived. The remaining companies suffered less."
There was a battle at Dubosekovo, the company fought heroically
Testimony from local residents indicates that on November 16, 1941, a battle actually took place at the Dubosekovo crossing. Soviet soldiers with the advancing Germans. Six fighters, including political instructor Klochkov, were buried by residents of surrounding villages.
No one doubts that the soldiers of the 4th company at the Dubosekovo junction fought heroically.
There is no doubt that the 316th Rifle Division of General Panfilov in defensive battles in the Volokolamsk direction in November 1941 managed to hold back the enemy’s onslaught, which became the most important factor, which allowed the Nazis to be defeated near Moscow.
According to archival data from the USSR Ministry of Defense, the entire 1075th Infantry Regiment on November 16, 1941 destroyed 15 or 16 tanks and about 800 enemy personnel. That is, we can say that 28 soldiers at the Dubosekovo crossing did not destroy 18 tanks and not all of them died.
But there is no doubt that their perseverance and courage, their self-sacrifice made it possible to defend Moscow.
Of the 28 people included in the lists of heroes, 6, who were considered dead, wounded and shell-shocked, miraculously survived. One of them turned out to be Ivan Dobrobabin who was cowardly. Does this negate the feat of the other 27?
300 Spartans - a myth propagated by the Greek state?
One of the most famous military exploits in the history of mankind, which everyone has heard about, is the feat of the 300 Spartans who fell in 480 BC. Battle of Thermopylae against a 200,000-strong Persian army.
Not everyone knows that it was not only 300 Spartans who fought the Persians at Thermopylae. The total number of Greek troops, representing not only Sparta, but also other policies, according to different estimates, ranged from 5,000 to 12,000 people.
Of these, about 4,000 died in the battle, and about 400 were captured. Moreover, according to Herodotus, not all of the 300 warriors of King Leonidas died at Theromopylae. The warrior Pantin, sent by Leonidas as a messenger and only therefore not being on the battlefield, hanged himself, because shame and contempt awaited him in Sparta.
Aristodemus, who was not on the battlefield only because of illness, drank the cup of shame to the end, living the rest of his years with the nickname Aristodemus the Coward. And this despite the fact that he fought heroically in subsequent battles with the Persians.
Despite all these circumstances, you are unlikely to see Greek historians or the head of the Greek archive frantically bombarding the Greek media with materials about how “300 Spartans are a myth propagated by the state.”
So why, tell me, will Russia never stop trying to trample on its heroes who gave their lives in the name of the Fatherland?
Heroes remain heroes
Director of the film “Panfilov’s 28 Men”: “There is nowhere to retreat” Historians agree that the feat of the 28 Panfilov heroes had great importance, playing an exceptional mobilizing role, becoming an example of perseverance, courage and self-sacrifice. Phrase " Russia is great, but there is nowhere to retreat - Moscow is behind us!"became a symbol of the defenders of the Motherland for decades to come.
In the fall of 2015, the film “Panfilov's 28 Men” directed by Andrei Shalopa should be released on Russian screens. Fundraising for the film, which will tell the classic story of the feat of the defenders of Moscow, was and is being carried out using the crowdfunding method.
Panfilov heroes, veterans of the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945 Illarion Romanovich Vasiliev (left) and Grigory Melentyevich Shemyakin at a ceremonial meeting dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi troops near Moscow, in the Kremlin Palace
The project “Panfilov’s 28” raised 31 million rubles, which makes it one of the most successful crowdfunding projects in Russian cinema.
Perhaps this is the best answer to the question of what the feat of 28 Panfilov heroes means for our contemporaries.
Dubosekovo, German look: “The not-too-strong enemy stubbornly defends” November 17th, 2016
Original taken from afirsov in Dubosekovo, German view: “The enemy, not too strong, stubbornly defends himself”
Exactly 75 years ago, on November 16, 1941, a well-known battle took place at the Dubosekovo crossing to the Soviet people. In the post-Soviet period, as part of the “fight against myths,” opinions began to “take shape” that there was no battle at Dubosekovo at all, and the Germans “drove by and didn’t notice” (c). Yes, and in our documents (which are known, for a moment!) of combat units there is no mention of the battle at Dubosekovo...
However, in Lately German documents related to the battle in this direction began to be put into circulation, in particular the combat logs of the divisions (LCD) directly conducting the battle in the dispersal area. A German view is offered, mainly from the side of the 2nd TD - the enemy of the 1075th Infantry Regiment, defending at the crossing, to which the 4th company of political instructor Vasily Klochkov belonged.
Why Dubosekovo? The fact is that here the railway runs through rather rough terrain - either along an embankment or in a recess (see map), which form natural obstacles to the movement of enemy armored vehicles. Among the few “flat places” where tanks could cross the railway was the Dubosekovo crossing. Yes, on German maps there really is no such name: there is simply no one there settlement- two rows of rails, two switches and a 3rd class station for 1908, what is there to celebrate?
From the ZhBD of the 2nd TD of the Germans for 11/16/1941:
6.30 Start of the offensive.
From 7.00 attack aviation support.
...
8.00 Report of the 74th artillery regiment (A.R.74): Morozovo and Shiryaevo are occupied by battle group 1. Enemy resistance is quite weak.
Shiryaevo had only military outposts, so it was not difficult to occupy it. In the 2nd German TD, three “battle groups” were formed before the offensive. Of these, the first was the main striking force and included a battalion of tanks from the 3rd Tank Regiment. 
From ZhBD 2nd TD:
9.13 Battle group 1 reaches Petelinka.
10.12 Combat group 1 reaches the edge of the forest 1 km north of Petelinka.
Now, if you look at the map, it really seems that the Germans passed Dubosekovo and did not notice, 
However, we read further from the ZhBD:
13.30 intermediate report to the V Army Corps: Battle Group 1 engages an enemy that is stubbornly defending on the forest edges south of the highway, along the line north of Shiryaevo - 1.5 km south of Petelinka.
The same entry in the railway database: 
It turns out that after five hours of battle, the Germans still did not overcome the positions of the 4th and 5th companies of the 1075th joint venture, and “1.5 km south of Petelino (Petelinka)” is the Dubosekovo crossing, which, as we remember, is not on German map. Moreover, in the intermediate conclusions further in the ZhBD it is written:
Impression: south of the highway not too strong enemy defends stubbornly using forested areas.
That is, contrary to modern myths that there was no feat at Dubosekovo, the Germans noticed “Panfilov’s men” there, and how!
What happened, and why, having already advanced beyond Petelino (Petelinki) to the right of the 4th company, the enemy gets stuck in front of the “Shiryaevo line - 1.5 km south of Petelinka”?
The answer is partially given by a conversation with one of the “Panfilov men”, a participant in the battle - B. Dzhetpysbaev (transcript January 2, 1947). Why are his opinions important to us? Dzhetpysbaev was illiterate, did not read newspapers, did not know anything about what was written about the “feat of 28 Panfilov’s men” - in fact, his memories turned out to be free from the “phantoms” of propaganda and the opinions of other participants in the battle.
Dzhetpysbaev: “My company stood 500 meters from Klochkov. Klochkov stood with his company right next to the railway, I stood to the left. On the morning of November 16, the battle began. 4 German tanks approached us. Two of them were knocked out, two escaped. The attack was repulsed. Most of the tanks went to the Dubosekov junction... We saw: they turn and the tanks go there. There was a battle there..."
That is, faced with the defense of the 5th company along the edge of the forest, reinforced by rubble and minefields (again from reinforced concrete - « 10.30 Report of the 74th artillery regiment (A.R.74): The forward line of battle group 1 along the outskirts of the forest 300 m north of Shiryaevo. There is an enemy in the forest. Patrols scout the road»
), the Germans from the 1st BG began to gradually “shift” their efforts more and more to the left - first to the patrol (“to Klochkov” - the 4th company). And the Germans managed to make a breakthrough in the defense in the sector of the 6th company - its positions were actually in an open field already behind the railway - simply an ideal place for the bulk of the tanks of the 1st BG of the Germans. The remnants of the 6th company after the attack, according to the testimony of the commander of the 1075th joint venture, Karpov, retreated behind the railway embankment. 
After this, three companies of the 2nd battalion actually found themselves in a “sack”, having in the rear only a forest without roads, difficult to pass in winter. Such isolation from the main forces, apparently, led to the fact that in our documents - in the division and above, there is no data about the battle at Dubosekovo. It was simply impossible to “send the information to the top.” And then there will simply be no one...
Next, the 3rd battle group of the 2nd TD of the Germans comes into action. It consists of a company of tanks, as well as artillery, including the “new product of the season” - six-barreled rocket mortars. Quote from the ZhBD for 11/14/1941 about the statement of the task:
Fireteam 3 follows Battlegroup 2 and clears the area to Battleteam 1's location.
That is, BG 3 strikes along the remaining defenses of the 1075th Regiment, “cleaning up” those who survived.
From ZhBD 2nd TD:
13.30 intermediate report to the V Army Corps: ... Combat Group 3 with its right flank clears the area west of Nelidovo-Nikolskoye.
Next, the 3rd BG was supposed to strike the remnants of the 2nd battalion of the 1075th regiment.
This is how Jetpysbaev recalls it: « Before sunset One liaison soldier runs up: “Klochkov is dead, they’re asking for help.” We have few people left. Many killed and wounded. We are fighting off attacks in front, but behind us, a German tank is coming straight towards us. Tanks bypassed And appeared from behind…»
Indeed, the 3rd BG struck at the rear of the 5th company of the Dzhetpysbaevs, and the positions of the 4th company were apparently “collapsed”.
Until how long did Panfilov’s men hold out at Dubosekovo? Dzhetpysbaev says, until “sunset.” This is indirectly confirmed by the neighbors of the “Panfilovites” on the left - the 50th Cavalry Division of Dovator’s Corps. Here is a quote from the memoirs of her military journey (the battle is for the already familiar village of Morozovo, which the Germans allegedly occupied in the morning):
"Despite the fact that already it's almost dark, the attacks continued with unabated force. Enemy chains advanced on our positions, rolled back, reformed, replenished and rushed forward again. The roar of artillery cannonade was joined by new sounds, not yet familiar to the horsemen - the Nazis put into action six-barreled mortars»
*
.
A battery of six-barreled mortars somewhere in winter
The fact is that the 2nd TD had six-barreled mortars only as part of the 3rd BG, and the 5th TD of the Germans, which Dovator’s cavalry mostly fought with, did not use them - this (the firing noise “creaks”), you see , do not forget! 
From these facts we can conclude that the resistance at Dubosekovo lasted almost the entire daylight hours and only by sunset the Germans managed to “collapse” the defense of the 2nd battalion of the 1075th regiment there. In fact, the battle ended with the death of all three companies: according to Kaprov, 100 out of 140 people in the 4th company were killed; according to Dzhetpysbaev, out of 75 people in his 5th company, only 15 left the battle.
As a result, at 19.00 the commander of the 1075th infantry regiment, Kaprov, was forced to leave his command post outside Dubosekovo, having only managed to radio: “Surrounded. They only defend the command post!”
In a few days, only 120 people will remain from the entire regiment...
PS . Now the “debunkers of the myth of 28” have retreated to reserve positions: now the battle is described in one phrase: “The Germans completed the task of the day.” Like, “all the provinces sneezed at your music” (c)
IN Soviet time There was this children's joke:
A soldier prays in a trench: “Lord, make me a Hero of the Soviet Union.”
- OK! - said the Lord. And there was one soldier with two grenades against three tanks!
It was clear then who this joke was about. Here is also Kaprova’s regiment with reinforcements - two guns that cannot even be transported - they were unloaded and left at the station next to Dubosekov, and they allocated as many as 20 armor-piercing shells (that’s about 80 German tanks), and they gave them as many as a platoon of anti-tank rifles with a coefficient durability, well, at the maximum - 0.3, and with all this “wealth” they left under the German tank division, under the bombing of fifty “Junkers” and shelling by “creaky”. For all day.
And then they will say: “Well, what feat is this? The Germans completed the task.”
P.S.S.
The invoice was honestly stolen from LiveJournal dms_mk1
.
________
* - About the 50th kvd (Sergey Nikolaevich Sevryugov, So it was... Notes of a cavalryman (1941-1945)
Thanks to the author for the detailed (with map) analysis of the battle. True, it seems to the author that he confirmed the “feat of 28 Panfilov’s men.” But in fact, the facts he cited completely refute the myth. There was no “unprecedented feat” when 28 people with only anti-tank rifles and grenades stopped the advance of 50 tanks, supported by infantry and artillery fire. It wasn’t, because it’s simply physically impossible. It is a myth. During the fierce battles for Moscow at the end of 1941, his appearance could be justified by the desire to psychologically support our retreating units. But it is not surprising that after the war, the army, which had fought four difficult years, abandoned it. What looked plausible in the fifth month of the war could not seem so after the end of this most difficult war.
But in a real combat situation on November 16, 1941 there was a different feat. Not “unprecedented”, but real. There was a heroic performance of military duty by three companies of the 1075th Infantry Regiment, most of whose personnel died or went missing. Three companies, at the cost of the lives of most of the soldiers, delayed the enemy's onslaught for a day and this was very important - we were gaining time. The Germans also completed their combat mission, but in the long term they lost. From thousands of such bloody battles, when at the cost of their lives our soldiers gained time for the country, and a future victory took shape. And it is this feat of soldiers and officers that must be honored. And the myth is for the propagandists of that harsh time. After 70 years, it is time to honor the truth.
75 years ago, on November 16, 1941, the most famous battle of the Panfilov division took place at the Dubosekovo crossing point near Moscow. Until now, historians and amateurs military history they argue about whether there were 28 Panfilovites or more. One thing is certain: the 8th Guards was one of active compounds who defended Moscow.
On the morning of November 15, 1941, the troops of Army Group Center, having completed their regrouping, launched a decisive offensive against units of the Western and Kalinin fronts. The main striking force of the last German attack on Moscow was the 3rd and 4th tank groups.
The strategic Volokolamsk Highway was defended by the 16th Army of Konstantin Rokossovsky, which included the 316th Rifle Division, which was previously assigned to it, under the command of Major General Ivan Panfilov. Panfilov's formation was greatly weakened in the previous October battles, when the German offensive was stopped in the first phase of Operation Typhoon.
On November 16, the 316th's positions were attacked by two German tank and one infantry divisions. In the area of the Dubosekovo crossing, located 9 kilometers southeast of Volokolamsk, the defense was held by the 4th company of the 1075th regiment under the command of Captain Pavel Gundilovich.
A fierce battle ensued with units of the 2nd Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht under the command of General Rudolf Fayel. It was not possible to stop the enemy. The forces were unequal, and after some time the Germans broke through the positions of the regiment, which was forced to retreat. No more than 25 people from Gundilovich's company survived.
An ordinary battle, of which there were dozens in the history of the division, would have remained unknown if not for the military newspapers of Izvestia and Krasnaya Zvezda. The latter ones especially tried. In particular, on November 28, 1941, the main press organ of the Red Army published the editorial “Testament of 28 Fallen Heroes” signed by the literary secretary Alexander Krivitsky.
His lively pen said that “the lines occupied by twenty-nine Soviet guardsmen from the Panfilov division” were attacked by over 50 German tanks at once. The result of the battle according to Krivitsky was this: all 28 heroes (except for one traitor who raised his hands) died in a four-hour battle, knocking out 18 enemy armored vehicles with grenades and armor-piercing guns and not letting the enemy through the line they defended.
In an essay dated January 22, 1942, “About 28 Fallen Heroes,” Krivitsky spoke in more detail about their feat, calling them by their last names for the first time. In particular, he named the political instructor as the organizer of the battle Vasily Klochkova.
According to him, he “was the first to notice the direction of movement of the enemy tanks and hurried into the trench. “Well, friends,” the political instructor said to the soldiers. “Twenty tanks. Less than one per brother. That’s not that much!” The article reiterated that total number There were 50 German tanks, of which at least 14 were knocked out, and all the heroes were killed.
On July 21, 1942, all 28 soldiers mentioned in Krivitsky’s article were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. As expected, posthumously. In addition, they were immortalized in many articles and poems. For example, the famous song “My Dear Capital” said: “And twenty-eight//Your bravest sons will live throughout the centuries.”
After the war in 1947, the Main Military Prosecutor's Office conducted a detailed investigation into the battle at the Dubosekovo crossing. The fact is that one of the 28 heroes, Ivan Dobrobabin, turned out to be alive and, after a legendary battle, was captured by the Germans, and then served in the occupied territory as the chief of the local police.
The conclusions of military prosecutors cast doubt on Krivitsky’s articles, but their investigation was shelved - demythologizing the heroes was considered inappropriate.
The opinion of colleagues was confirmed by a new investigation by the Main Military Prosecutor's Office of the USSR - in 1988. The head of the department, Alexander Katusev, came to the conclusion that “the massive feat of the entire company, the entire regiment, the entire division was downplayed by the irresponsibility of not entirely conscientious journalists to the scale of a mythical platoon.”
In turn, the military historian Georgy Kumanev did not agree with the summary of the military prosecutors. Based on his conversations with Dobrobabin and several surviving participants in that battle, he stated that the feat of 28 Panfilov’s men happened.
(c) warsh
“The feat was that they absolutely had to detain 53 tanks and a company of machine gunners at any cost,” says Kumanev. According to him, by the end of the more than four-hour battle, reserves arrived and closed the gap in the defense. He emphasized that, despite the fact that the enemy captured Dubosekovo, 28 fighters still saved Moscow. As for Dobrobabin, he, according to the historian, did not take an oath to the Germans, did not wear a police uniform and warned people about raids.
(c) warsh
From a military historian Alexey Isaev- a different perspective on events. According to him, German documents did not reflect the loss of 18 tanks at the Dubosekovo crossing on November 16, 1941. He emphasized that the enemy offensive was actually stopped by the end of the day by anti-tank artillery crews and reserves brought up by the command.
He believes that the Panfilov division is truly legendary, and it was completely deservedly awarded the title of guards. “But not for the feat described in Krivitsky’s articles, but for actions near Volokolamsk back in October 1941,” said Isaev , emphasizing that this is an episode of the war documented by both sides.
The 316th Rifle Division was formed by Major General Ivan Panfilov for a month in Almaty shortly after the start of the war. It consisted, overwhelmingly, of people who had no combat training and had not previously served in the army.
But Ivan Vasilyevich himself had considerable experience. The First World War is behind us, Civil War, where he fought in the famous Chapaev division and battles with the Basmachi. Having been the military commissar of the Kirghiz SSR before the war, he knew well the traditions and languages of his subordinates, a considerable part of whom were fighters from Kazakhstan and Central Asia.
In response, the soldiers respectfully called him “Dad”, “Aksakal”, appreciating his care. Those who reached Berlin wrote on the Reichstag “Thank you, Dad, for the felt boots! Panfilov’s men.” But at the same time, the 48-year-old general was a strict commander who did not tolerate sloppiness or violation of discipline.
The newly assembled division was lucky - it was not immediately thrown into battle. In September 1941, she occupied positions in the second echelon of the 52nd Army in the Novgorod region, equipping positions. The division commander took advantage of this to train the soldiers’ skills in fighting enemy tanks, the role of which was played by tractors.
Panfilov also encouraged sabotage raids by his subordinates behind German lines, believing that his fighters should not be afraid of the enemy, who could and should be beaten everywhere. In particular, political instructor of the 4th company Vasily Klochkov distinguished himself in one of them, who defeated an entire division of the Germans, losing his two soldiers in battle.
The study did not last long. In connection with the German offensive on Moscow, the 316th was hastily transferred to the central direction to close the gaps that formed on the Western Front after the encirclement of a number Soviet armies. On October 12, 1941, the division’s soldiers dug in near Volokolamsk, where the Mozhaisk defense line passed.
An unfired formation, consisting of recruits, placed in the direction of the main attack of the enemy, occupied a defensive zone five times larger than pre-war ideas about tactics - 41 kilometers instead of 12. All hope was in artillery, and there were only 54 of them in the division’s artillery regiment and a separate anti-aircraft division guns.
The command reinforced Panfilov’s troops with a number of artillery units, adding another 141 guns and adding a tank company to help. But there was not enough ammunition and the gunners were required to have increased skill in repelling enemy attacks.
On October 15, the positions of the Soviet division were attacked by two tank (2nd and 11th) and one infantry (35th) divisions of the Germans, who had extensive combat experience, were well armed and were determined to immediately break through the next line occupied by the Red Army, on the way to the cherished goal - the capital of the USSR.
During fierce battles, the Wehrmacht, supported by the Luftwaffe, managed to push Panfilov's troops back several kilometers, but did not break through their positions. The 316th fought to the death, despite heavy losses.
Played a role in repelling enemy attacks and an unexpected blow to the Nazi rear of the battalion under the command of Senior Lieutenant Baurzhan Momyshuly, who emerged from the encirclement in exemplary order.
Volokolamsk was abandoned only at the end of October 1941, when the enemy broke through in other sectors of the front, and there was a danger of encirclement of the division. But Panfilov’s men retreated not far, and since in other directions Soviet troops They put up fierce resistance, and the German offensive finally fizzled out. The troops of Army Group Center, in general, needed two weeks to regroup and bring up reserves.
On November 18, 1941, the division was awarded the title of 8th Guards Rifle. Ivan Vasilyevich Panfilov managed to rejoice at such a high assessment of the achievements of his soldiers - and in the evening of the same day he was killed by a mine fragment in the village of Gusenevo near Moscow.
Panfilov’s men fought fierce battles in the Volokolamsk direction in the second half of November 1941, shoulder to shoulder, together with the cavalry of the 2nd Cavalry Corps of General Lev Dovator and the crews of the 1st Guards Tank Brigade of Colonel Mikhail Katukov. They held back the onslaught of the German 46th Motorized and 5th Army Corps. On November 26, all three of these guards formations were transferred to the Leningradskoye Highway, in the area of the village of Kryukovo, where a very dangerous situation arose for the Western Front.
It changed hands 8 (!) times until it was finally liberated from German troops on December 7, 1941 by the forces of the 8th Guards Rifle Division and the 1st Guards Tank Brigade. This is what the Krivitskys had to paint about and make films about.
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