Young soldiers of the 83rd Separate Guards Airborne Assault Brigade, called up from various regions of the Far East, took the oath over the weekend. My younger brother was also among the recruits, so I simply had to shoot a report!
Relatives of young conscripts were able to attend the event, which happens only once in the life of every man. After the solemn ceremony, the parents of the fighters got acquainted with the command of the unit, held a meeting with the officers in the "question-answer" mode.
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The personnel of the young replenishment company was staffed mainly by conscripts from Primorye, the Amur Region, Yakutia and the Jewish Autonomous Region.
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Here is my brother in the foreground.
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Not a single major exercise in the Far East is complete without the participation of the 83rd Airborne Brigade. In 2002, at Cape Klerk, combat interaction with the Marine Corps units of the Pacific Fleet was successfully practiced. The exercises "Mobility-2004" showed that the level of training of the paratroopers of the 83rd airborne brigade of Ussuriysk is in no way lower than that of their colleagues from the 76th airborne division. In 2005-2006, a number of successful exercises are being conducted on Sakhalin, in Khabarovsk and in the Amur Region. Also in 2006, 83 ovdbr is recognized as the best connection in the district.
By Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated March 25, 2015 No. 158, the brigade was given the honorary name "Guards".
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Read more about the brigade
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Many fighters were released on leave on the day off to communicate with family and friends in an informal setting.
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In the coming year, the guys will be doing the following things:
On Thursday and Friday, March 26 and 27, soldiers and officers of the 83rd Separate Air Assault Brigade conducted an active part of large-scale exercises under the leadership of Major General Andrei Kholzakov at several firing ranges in Primorsky Krai at once.
By order of President Vladimir Putin, the brigade was given the honorary name "Guards".
Since March 23, in Ussuriysk, under the leadership of the Deputy Commander of the Airborne Forces (VDV), Major General Andrei Kholzakov, a tactical exercise has been held with a separate airborne assault brigade. Within the normative terms, the units of the brigade were brought to the highest degree of combat readiness and entered the area of concentration.
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Introduction
The 83rd Separate Marine Brigade was formed in the autumn of 1941 from sailors of the Black Sea Fleet, cadets of naval schools, reserve sailors and others. From the first day of its existence until the complete defeat of the enemy, it has never been withdrawn from the active army. Alternately being part of the Black Sea Fleet, the Azov and Danube Military Flotillas, acting in the ground armies - the 7th Guards, 18th Airborne, in the 46th, 47th, 51st, 56th, in the Primorsky Army, in the 6th Guards Tank armies, brigade battalions fought on seven fronts; Transcaucasian, Caucasian, Crimean, North Caucasian, 2nd, 3rd, 4th Ukrainian, in the Separate Primorsky Army and in several groups of troops.
Fighting for the Crimea and the Caucasus, the 83rd Marine Brigade participated in the battles for Kerch, Novorossiysk and Sevastopol, went through a liberation campaign through the lands of Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Austria and ended the war in Czechoslovakia. The sailors' brigade traveled over 5,000 kilometers along the military roads. Twice she was awarded honorary titles - Novorossiysk and Danube, three times she was awarded orders. The Marine Battalion was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. Thousands of pupils of the brigade were awarded state awards for military exploits and merit, four became full holders of the Order of Glory, and 26 people became Heroes of the Soviet Union.
The heroism of the Marines, their selfless courage, selflessness, ability to endure any difficulties, their combat skills growing during the war are of considerable value not only for history, but also for continuing the combat traditions of the marine infantry, which has now become a special branch of the Naval Forces. Fleet of the USSR.
The combat path of the brigade of sailors is interesting and instructive. Fighting for the liberation of the peoples of the Danubian countries from fascism, the naval brigade interacted with Bulgarian, Romanian, Yugoslav and Hungarian units and subunits, met with Czechoslovak partisans. An objective account of these events is especially necessary at the present time in order to oppose it to attempts to slanderously cover the liberation mission of the Red Army in the Great Patriotic War, to belittle the pride of the Soviet people in our historical Victory over Nazi Germany.
The history of the 83rd Marine Brigade was written by decision of the Brigade Veterans Council in connection with the 50th anniversary of its formation. The work is based on archival materials, military-historical research, memoirs and memoirs of direct participants in military events, that is, those people who survived, felt, suffered and retained much of what is contained in this study.
Of course, the "Battle Way" needs further refinement. It must be remembered that in the first months of the war, no one kept any records and diaries, and the exploits of many heroes, especially ordinary ones, are undeservedly forgotten. Therefore, the authors of this book will be grateful to those fellow soldiers who remember individual episodes, exploits and mass heroism of the brigade fighters and send their memories to the Council of Veterans of fellow soldiers at the address: 335045, Sevastopol-45, st. Dmitry Ulyanov, 16, apt. 139, Rogalsky I.O.
To remember all fellow soldiers, to leave a mark on them - this is our duty to them, especially those who fell in battle.
Formation of the 83rd brigade
It was the fourth month of the Great Patriotic War. The troops of the Red Army, ships and formations of the Navy in heavy battles and battles held back the advance of the fascist German armies to the east. Leningrad was already blocked, the Nazis captured the Donbass, threatened Moscow, cut off the Crimea. There was a threat of a breakthrough of enemy troops to the Caucasus. In this difficult situation, the State Defense Committee decided to form twenty-five naval rifle brigades. All of them were assigned numbers from 61 to 85. To staff them, the Navy allocated 38,000 sailors and officers. Of the 25 brigades, 12 were formed at the expense of the Black Sea Fleet.
The selection of volunteers for the marines from the personnel of the fleet took place in a solemn atmosphere. At rallies on ships and in naval bases, sailors leaving for the land front assured their comrades who remained on ships that they would beat the enemy without sparing their lives. The mourners gave an order to keep sacred the fighting traditions of the fleet on the shore.
The place of formation of the 83rd brigade was the Uspensky district of the Krasnodar Territory with the Konakovo railway station. The first commander of the brigade was Colonel Ivan Pavlovich Leontiev, a senior teacher of air defense tactics at the Naval Air Defense School in the village of Strelna near Leningrad, evacuated by that time to the city of Engels, who previously worked at the Naval School. "Lenin Komsomol" of Ukraine in Sevastopol. With a group of cadets from his school, he arrived at the village of Uspenskaya and on November 7 reported to the fleet commander: "... by order of the People's Commissar of the Navy, the formation of the 83rd brigade entrusted to me began."
One of the best naval political workers, a member of the CPSU (b) since 1924, became the commissar of the brigade. regimental commissar Vasily Ivanovich Navoznov, who distinguished himself in battles during the defense of Odessa. The battalion commissar P.S.Kaban, who had completed the retraining courses for political personnel in Moscow, was appointed to the post of head of the political department, a responsible party worker in the past. The brigade headquarters was headed by Major Shevchenko, a career commander of the Red Army. The newly formed battalions were accepted by experienced people: the 1st separate battalion - Captain A.I. Kapran, who commanded a training company of border guards before the war; 2nd separate battalion - captain V.Vdovin; 3rd separate battalion - senior lieutenant A.P. Panov, who started the war near Odessa as a company commander in the 25th Chapaev division, was wounded there and returned from the hospital.
Experienced commanders of the Red Army arrived to command the artillery units of the naval brigade. A separate artillery battalion was received by senior lieutenant Nizyuk, a separate anti-tank battalion - by lieutenant A.D. Kholodny, awarded the Order of Lenin; a separate mortar battery was taken over by senior lieutenant I. Belbrut, and the company commander of the Naval School, Lieutenant Ya.S. Borisenko, became his deputy. The reconnaissance of the brigade was headed by Major G. Perednya, the artillery workshops - by Lieutenant V.I. Zhuravel and other newcomers were military engineer of the 3rd rank E.A. to the Komsomol, the commander of the platoon of the author A.F. Grinchenko, the commander of the rifle platoon A.A. Prussakov. From the graduates of the Black Sea Naval School, lieutenants arrived in the brigade; V.Demichev, A.Shcherbinin, G.P.Bondar, V.P.Bychkov, V.I.Ivanov, G.F.Kovalev, A.A.Kononov, N.A.Kuyumchan, L.V.Mizin, A S. Nizhnyak, Yu.L. All of them have proven themselves in battles, many have distinguished themselves in the post-war service. Lieutenant A.P. Kazmirchuk arrived from the Ordzhonikidze School of Communications, who later distinguished himself in the defense of the Adzhimushkay quarries. Junior Lieutenant I.L. Varfolomeev, later a well-known sapper specialist of the Black Sea marine infantry, arrived from the short-term courses of fleet mechanics.
To staff the positions of junior commanding officers, foremen of the fleet and first-year cadets of naval educational institutions arrived, among whom were: S.A. Voronov - commander of the PTR company squad, O.V. .Rozanov - foreman of the company of the 3rd battalion, F.S. Etinov - reconnaissance company of the brigade, G.F. Kovalev and N. Matveev - scouts of the 1st battalion.
The rank and file of the brigade being formed consisted mainly of volunteer sailors who expressed a desire to fight on land. Among them were the sailors of the battleship Parizhskaya Kommuna, renamed Sevastopol, the cruisers Krasny Kavkaz, Krasny Krym, Chervona Ukraina, destroyers Boikiy, Soobrazitelny, Merciless, sailors of the semi-crews of the Novorossiysk and Kerch naval bases. From the Batumi fortified sector, a large group of volunteer sailors arrived in the brigade, which included the foreman of the 2nd article A.V.Raykunov, the future Hero of the Soviet Union; from the battleship - senior sailor M.3. Alkanovich, appointed commissar of the PTR company, and sailor A.P. Bukreev, from other ships and coastal batteries - sailors L.E. Belonozhko, S.M. Zinchenko, N.I. Nesterenko, I. Merzlyakov, I. Yabloshv, O. Ya. Konstantinov, N. Dolganov, A. Orlov, Vladimir Shishko and others.
During the days of the formation of the brigade in the village of Uspenskaya, a large group of participants in the defense of Odessa and Sevastopol, people who had already been in battles at sea and on the land front, arrived at the disposal of Colonel I.P. Leontiev. Among them, V.A. Bogdanov, appointed assistant platoon commander, A.S. squad leader in autorote.
Representatives of the intelligentsia who arrived in various positions had a noticeable influence on strengthening the morale of the marines. Among them were: the sculptor G.L. party organizer of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks of the Armavir Combine Ivashchenko, teacher V.A. Gamayunov and others.
The Krasnodar military enlistment office replenished the brigade with reserve servicemen: L.G. Karatsupa, I.A. Kononenko, D.A. Savonenko, A.T. Sazonov, I.A. Usatov, S.A. Alekseenko, I.I. .S.Vishnyakov, G.T.Gerashchenko, I.F.Dergachev, G.I.Zhidkov, M.M.Imizyan, P.V.Karachentsev, A.I.Lysenko, P.A.Lychkunov, V.F .Nazarko, G.A. Popov, K.I. Savchenko, A.I. Trofimenko.
In mid-November 1941, a group of graduates of the Krasnodar Medical Institute arrived in the brigade. It included military doctors G. Golovatskaya, V.V. Maksimenko, A.N. Osintseva, L. Cherednichenko, M. M. Sharmina, Z. M. Levitskaya, O. S. Krasovskaya.
And in subsequent years, the 83rd Marine Brigade was recruited mainly by young people. So, for example, on January 1, 1943, when the marines were preparing for a landing in the Novorossiysk region, there were more than 4,500 people in the units of the brigade. 29% of them were under the age of 20, 23% - under 25, 24% - under 30, 19% - under 35, and only 5% of the military personnel were older than this age.
The basis of the brigade was three separate battalions of 715 people. In addition to these units, the brigade included: a separate communications battalion, a separate artillery battalion - eight 76-mm guns, a separate anti-tank artillery battalion - twelve 45-mm guns, a separate mortar battery - 82- and 120-mm mortars. The brigade also included separate companies - submachine gunners, reconnaissance, anti-tank rifles, a sapper, motor transport and medical and sanitary companies, an air defense platoon and one tank company, which never received tanks. In total, the brigade was supposed to have: 4,334 personnel, 20 guns, 24 mortars, 149 light and 48 heavy machine guns, 48 anti-tank rifles, 612 machine guns (there were rifles for the rest of the personnel), 178 vehicles and 818 horses.
It should be noted that by the beginning of hostilities, it was not possible to obtain all the weapons required by the report card. Part of the guns and mortars entered the brigade already on the way to the front, and the machine guns were fully received only in the spring of 1942. Subsequently, the degree of armament of the brigade steadily increased. In 1943, there were already 713 machine guns, 118 anti-tank rifles, 62 mortars and 24 guns. In the anti-tank artillery battalion, 45 mm guns were replaced by 76 mm guns. In August 1944 All personnel of the rifles were replaced with new carbines of the 1944 model.
All Red Navy men who arrived in the formation area in naval uniforms changed into new army-style winter uniforms. It was allowed to leave only vests, naval belts and peakless caps as a keepsake, since everyone was given a winter hat.
Meanwhile, the situation at the front continued to deteriorate. On November 16, 1941, our troops left Kerch and evacuated to the Taman Peninsula. The sailors had to study the tactics of land combat according to a very short program, but the morale of the personnel invariably remained high, everyone unanimously strove to quickly fight the enemy, who mercilessly trampled on our Motherland.
In December 1941, the 83rd brigade left for the front in full strength. Her path lay by rail from the Konakovo station, through Kavkazskaya and Krasnodar, to Slavyanskaya and further along the Kuban River on ships and barges, the marines arrived at the naval base of the Azov military flotilla in the city of Temryuk, where they were placed at the disposal of the commander of the 51st army of the Transcaucasian Front, Lieutenant General V. N. Lvov.
83rd brigade in the Kerch-Feodosiya landing operation
On December 17, 1941, the Nazi troops began the second assault on Sevastopol, and on December 18, the 83rd brigade received its first combat mission - to land on the Kerch Peninsula and advance towards Sevastopol as part of the front.
The leadership of the operation, which went down in history under the name of the Kerch-Feodosiya, was entrusted to the commander of the Transcaucasian (from December 30 - Caucasian) Front, Lieutenant General D.T. Kozlov, to whom the Black Sea Fleet and the Azov Flotilla were subordinate for the duration of the operation. According to the plan, the landing units landed on the Kerch Peninsula three days before the main forces of the front, aimed at Feodosia. In the landing area, the defense was occupied by the 46th German infantry division with artillery and tanks, numbering 25 thousand people.
The 51st Army, which included the 83rd Marine Brigade, was tasked with crossing the Kerch Strait together with the Azov Flotilla and the Kerch Naval Base and simultaneously destroying the enemy’s Kerch grouping from the north and east, capturing the city of Kerch, reach the line: mark 177 - Aleksandrovaka - Ortazli - Kiz-Aul, take possession of the Turkish rampart and advance in the direction of the Ak-Monai station in order to occupy the northern part of the Ak-Monai positions. By decision of the army commander, the 83rd brigade was supposed to act in fact by battalion - two battalions with the 224th rifle division, one battalion, acting completely independently, was supposed to land at Ak-Monai, capture the Arabatka area, intercept, as stated in the order for the army , Arabatskaya Strelka in the narrowest place northwest of the Krsh-Eli salt mine and prevent the enemy from approaching along the Arbatskaya Strelka from Genichesk, as well as his withdrawal in a northwestern direction.
The Azov military flotilla faced an extremely difficult task - on a cold December night to transport 16 thousand fighters with weapons by sea over a distance of more than 65 miles. For the transportation of people, in addition to warships, civilian ships were also attracted, which were at hand. Among them were steamships, fishing seiners, tugboats, self-propelled scows, open fishing boats, and even a dredger, although slow-moving, but capable of taking on board a large number of people. Together with warships - gunboats, minesweepers and boats, 162 floating units gathered.
The landing of paratroopers began on the night of December 24, 1941. The first echelon of the landing force consisted of battalions of the 83rd brigade and units of the 224th rifle division. On the night of December 25, when the loading on the ships was already completed, the weather deteriorated sharply. A cold north wind blew, a high wave rose into the sea, especially dangerous for overloaded ships. But the commander did not cancel the decision, and, despite the bad weather, all the ships went to sea.
Overloaded ships were flooded with water, and the paratroopers were thoroughly wet even before approaching the shore occupied by the enemy. The swell of the sea increased, the speed did not correspond to the calculated one, individual ships were torn off by waves from tugboats, and they drifted helplessly in the stormy sea. It was impossible to reach the Arabat Spit, as previously planned, and the commander of the Azov Flotilla, Rear Admiral S. G. Gorshkov, decided to land paratroopers at only two points - at Cape Zyuk and Cape Khrani.
They approached the landing site at Cape Zyuk at 6 am on December 26. At dawn, from the ships they saw snow-covered heights on the shore, descending to the sea with rocky cliffs. On this group of ships was the 1st separate battalion of the 83rd brigade, which was previously intended for landing at Ak-Monai. However, the minesweeper, on which the battalion commander, Captain A.I. Kapran, was located, could not land the paratroopers and returned to Temryuk. Therefore, all those who landed on the shore from other ships were united by the military commissar of the 1st battalion, senior political instructor I.A. Teslenko.
With a consolidated detachment, he moved deep into the peninsula and for three days fought heavy battles surrounded. One night, with a group of sailors, Teslenko came across a German artillery battery. Creeping up to the guns, foreman of the 1st article Nikolai Dolganov and the Red Navy sailor Vladimir Shishko blew up the guns with grenades and put the battery out of action. But the Germans discovered the daredevils and threw grenades at them, covered them with mortar fire. I.A.Teslenko was wounded for the second time, and Vladimir Shishko had his legs broken and he died of his wounds. Only N. Dolganov remained intact. He first carried the commissar from the battlefield, and then the body of V. Shishko. For this feat, he was presented to the Order of Lenin and, for a long time, fought in the intelligence of the 1st battalion.
When leaving the encirclement in battle on December 28, the platoon commander, junior lieutenant Mikhail Maksimovich Fedotov, saved the life of senior political officer I.A. Teslenko, covering him with his body from a machine-gun burst in battle.
In total, at Cape Zyuk and at the fishing village of Mama Russkaya, not far from the cape, the ships managed to land 1378 people, unload three tanks, four guns and nine mortars. The landing took place in a strong storm, which did not allow the ships to come close to the shore due to rolling and waves. The paratroopers jumped into the icy water and swam. Part went to Mama Russian. The Germans celebrated Christmas and did not expect an attack, but quickly recovered and organized a strong defense in a number of points, including Mama Tatarskaya, Bolshoy Babchik, Tarkhan and at a height of 98.7.
The landing at Cape Khroni at the same time also took place under heavy enemy fire. True, the gunboats Dniester and No. 4 supported the paratroopers here with their fire. Here they managed to land 1,452 people from ships, unload three tanks and four guns. The 3rd battalion landed here from the 83rd Marine Brigade under the command of Senior Lieutenant A.P. Panov, the headquarters and administration of the brigade, headed by Colonel I.P. However, he did not have experience either, and, having gone on the offensive, did not leave strength to cover the coast. As a result, the second echelons, delivered to the Crimea on December 27 and 28, 1941, had to again fight for the landing and take the same bridgehead with a fight.
In the battle for the landing at Cape Khroni, the commander of a company of submachine gunners, Lieutenant Alexandrov, distinguished himself, he was the first on the enemy artillery battery. In one of the landing groups was the secretary of the party commission of the political department of the brigade, political instructor Kavlyuchenko. With a rifle at the ready, he rushed to the enemy position, dragging people along with him. He was already a middle-aged man, he wore glasses, could not see well, but acted boldly. He managed to unite the paratroopers into a strong, cohesive assault group. But the brave political instructor did not fight for long, a sniper disguised in the bushes shot him in the chest with a bullet.
Among the few documentary evidence of the brigade's first landing battle, there is one exceptional in its military fate. It was found in the Adzhimushkay catacombs among the remains of the last defenders of the legendary underground fortress. The entry says: “December 26. What's the weather. Cold wind is blowing. Frost 20 degrees. The cannonade of artillery is growing and growing. "Follow me! For the Motherland! Ahead, clutching a machine gun, ran the battalion commander, Comrade Panov! ..».
The battalion of senior lieutenant A.P. Panov became the backbone of the landing group, which was united by the commander of the 83rd brigade, Colonel I.P. Leontiev. There were about two thousand people in it, and the brigade commander tried to attack directly on Kerch. But when approaching Adzhimushkay, parts of the paratroopers met with strong resistance and were forced to retreat to Cape Tarkhan. In these battles, the military commissar of the brigade, regimental commissar V.I. Navoznov, distinguished himself. In a naval overcoat and a naval cap, he walked ahead of the sailors with a rifle. The onslaught of his group was swift, and the sailors threw the enemy out of their way.
However, the position of the group of paratroopers, united by Colonel I.P. Leontiev, remained very difficult. The brigade commander had no connection with the mainland, the ammunition was running out, the food ran out. At this time, our U-2 night bomber liaison aircraft appeared over the bridgehead. He made a circle and sat down at our positions. The plane was picked up and covered in a ravine. The pilot spoke with Colonel Leontiev, then returned to the plane. The paratroopers rolled it out on their hands and, with the engine running, turned towards the sea. The brave pilot took off under enemy fire and headed for Temryuk. Soon our planes flew in from there, dropped bags of food, ammunition and newspapers, from which the marines learned about the defeat of enemy troops near Moscow and the successful repulse of the enemy’s attack on Sevastopol. This especially inspired the sailors who were ready to break through the Kerch Peninsula to the rescue of the main base of the fleet.
Meanwhile, the storm in the Sea of Azov continued, but the ships of the flotilla still went to sea. In Bulganak Bay, they landed paratroopers, among whom were many marines of the 83rd brigade, who remained on ships that had not been able to land them earlier. They were led by the commander of the 1st battalion, Captain A.I. Katran, an enterprising and courageous person. The Yeysk transport, approaching the shore, was severely damaged and caught fire. But the paratroopers and the crew of the ship managed to get to the coast and ensure the landing of 1,354 people in this area.
At dawn on December 29, a blizzard began, the air temperature dropped even more, the Kerch Strait was frozen over. The delivery of reinforcements to the paratroopers by sea has ceased. For three days and three nights, the marines of the brigade fought on the Kerch Peninsula, pulling back significant enemy forces, and meanwhile, on December 29, the main forces of the 44th Army landed in Feodosia. The first boats broke into the port of Feodosia and landed assault groups on the berths. They were marines from the 9th Marine Brigade, specially assigned for this purpose to the “special purpose” detachment, under the command of Senior Lieutenant A.F. Aidinov and Military Commissar D.F. Ponomarev. They captured part of the port and provided access to the berths of ships with the main landing forces.
As a result of the successful completion of the landing of two landings north of Kerch and in Feodosia, the enemy was completely driven out of the Kerch Peninsula, and it became easier for a while near Sevastopol.
Commissar of the Navy of the USSR Admiral N. G. Kuznetsov highly appreciated the actions of the marines in this operation. In the book Combat Alert in the Fleets, he writes: “The 83rd Marine Rifle Brigade deserves special admiration. Her battalions were the forward detachments during the landing of the 51st Army in the Kerch region, at Cape Khroni and in other places. In addition to Cape Khroni and Cape Zyuk, part of the brigade had a landing near the village of Chelochik - one or two houses of local shepherds. A part of the 2nd battalion of the brigade under the command of senior lieutenant A. Tarasyan landed there.
Most of the brigade's artillery was delivered to the Kerch Peninsula along the ice road through the Kerch Strait, but they tried to land the 45-mm guns of a separate anti-tank artillery battalion with the first echelon. During the battle for the landing, he acted heroically and the commander of this division, Lieutenant A.D. Kholodny, a holder of the Order of Lenin, received before serving in the brigade, died in battle.
For the personnel of the brigade, this was the first battle, the first baptism of fire. Sailors, fighting on land, showed examples of courage, heroism, devotion to the Motherland. Among those who especially distinguished themselves was the commissar of the 1st battalion, senior political instructor I.A. Teslenko, who was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The award report, signed by Colonel I.P. Leontiev and Regimental Commissar V.I. Navoznov, reads: “I personally led the landing detachment and led it on the offensive, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy. With his personal example of fearlessness, he inspired the fighters and for 3 days led the battle against superior enemy forces. Captured two enemy batteries, mortars and weapons. During the battle, the enemy threw up new units and surrounded the landing detachment. Tov. Teslenko I.A. was wounded three times and did not leave the battlefield, continued to lead the way out of the encirclement. Under his leadership, the detachment broke through the encirclement ... Only after the fourth wound, Teslenko was taken out by the fighters from the battlefield and, despite being seriously wounded, continued to be interested in the course of the battle. The command of the brigade concluded that I.A. Teslenko deserved to be awarded the Order of Lenin. However, the commander of the troops of the 51st Army, Lieutenant General Lvov, and a member of the Military Council, Corps Commissar Nikolaev, made a note: “We consider it necessary and petition for conferring on him the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.” So the brave political instructor became the first Hero of the glorious 83rd Marine Brigade.
It should be noted here that on January 3, 1942, by order of the People's Commissar of the Navy, the 83rd brigade, formed as a "marine rifle" brigade, was renamed the 83rd marine brigade.
Among those who especially distinguished themselves, we know the names of: chief of staff of the battalion I.V. Zhernovy, assistant chief of staff of the battalion, lieutenant A.A. Onezhko, lieutenants V.D. battalion Y.S. Grinberg, commander of the reconnaissance company A. Martynov, reconnaissance officer F.S. Eginov. Marines of various combat specialties also distinguished themselves: L.E. Belonozhko, E.A. Baranovsky, Ya.S. Borisenko, I.S. Vishnyakov, G.S. Volkov, S.A. Voronov, G.T. Gerashchenko, Ya.M.Gorobets, O.V.Dykov, I.F.Dergachev, I.D.Dubodelov, A.A.Zhmur, V.A.Zakharov, S.M.Zinchenko, V.A.Zinoviev. N.S. Ilyukhin, P.V. Karachentsev, S.T. Kolesnikov, O.Ya. Konstantinov, F.A. Kornelyuk; G.F. Kovalev, P.I. Kupriyanenko, Ya.M. Levitskaya, V.V. Maksimenko, A.D. Matveev, L.V. Mizin, A.S. Nizhnik, N.I. Nesterenko, L. V.Obrezkova, M.K.Oboenko, A.N.Osintseva, M.G.Povazhny, G.A.Potov, V.A.Priselkov, N.L.Semenov, N.V.Sbrodov, D.D. Glushko, Yu.L.Rossi, Ya.P.Tereshchenko, P.P.Fomin, M.M.Sharmina.
During the battles on the Kerch Peninsula, in the battle formations of the brigade, war correspondents of the front-line newspaper of the 51st army "Son of the Fatherland" - Boris Serman and Nikolai Poltorak - were often seen. Their essays, articles and photographs, which told about the exploits of the marines, were remembered for a long time by all participants in those events. Boris Evgenyevich Serman, the author of many books and poetry collections, is rightfully considered a full-fledged brother-soldier to all marines of the 83rd brigade. He dedicated, in particular, the following verses to the heroic landing of sailors on the Kerch Peninsula in the stormy winter of 1941-1942:
On me from the donated photo
Looks again sailor infantry
In full form, with full layout
I got to see her
From ships breaking in at midnight
In silence shot through.
Missiles cut through the darkness
Bullet tracks, snowy wind
And the marine eighty-third
The brigade took the height ...
At dusk, the steppe was already brightening.
The sailors went to bed at dawn,
And the editor was waiting for the news
From Brigade 83.
To this we can add that B.E. Serman published the collection “In the catacombs of Adzhimushkay” in four editions and for many years sought to reward the participants in the legendary defense of the quarries near Kerch, among whom there were many of our fellow soldiers.
Reconstruction of the 83rd Marine Brigade
under the command of Colonel V.A. Vrutsky
On May 27, 1942, the commander of the 143rd cadet brigade, Colonel V.A. Vrutsky, who distinguished himself in battles near Odessa and in the Crimea, was appointed commander of the 83rd Marine Brigade, who was recovering after being wounded. The brigade commissar was appointed regimental commissar V.G. Kazachek, an experienced political worker, former commissar of the 143rd cadet brigade. Of the experienced, shelled soldiers who fought on the Kerch Peninsula, the brigade continued to serve: Major M.M. .D.Vishnevsky, PTR company commander Ya.S.Borisenko, communications company commander N.I.Aleksandrov, commanders of other units: E.G.Larikov, F.P.Pilitenko, I.Kopytnenko, L.Varfolomeev, V.A .Botylev; gunners; E.A.Baranovsky, V.Kh.Kuzmenko, A.P.Kustov, A.T.Sazonov, K.I. A. Usatov; sailors: I.I. Blokhinov, N.V. Obrodov, M.K. Oboenko, I.G. Gorbenok, A.I. Subbotin, N.S. Serikov, A.S. Markitanyuk; physician L.V. Obrezkova.
They were joined almost daily by marines returning from hospitals from among the wounded in the February and March battles on the Kerch Peninsula, as well as marines who were sent from the 64th, 68th, 76th and 81st separate marine rifle brigades, who distinguished themselves in battles on the Mius Front, as well as sailors from the crews of the Black Sea Fleet, who voluntarily expressed a desire to fight on the land front. All of them were concentrated in the Chapaevsky camp near Novorossiysk, where, thanks to the efforts of the newly appointed commander and commissar, as well as the chief of staff of the brigade, Major M.V. Ocheredny, the 83rd Marine Brigade, which had actually gained popularity at the front, was created anew.
Its combat strength was built according to the previous staff: three battalions of 715 people each, a communications battalion, two artillery battalions, a mortar battalion, reconnaissance companies, machine gunners, a sapper, automobile, medical and sanitary and other units. The total staff strength of the brigade is 4,392 people.
The 1st battalion was received by senior lieutenant I. Elkin, his chief of staff was senior lieutenant I.V. Zhernovoy, the commissar was senior political instructor S. Serdyukov, the 2nd battalion was headed by senior lieutenant N.M. Senior Lieutenant Rybalko was appointed. The artillery division of the brigade after the death of Major Nizyuk was taken over by Captain Klimatov, a separate anti-tank battalion continued to be commanded by Captain V.A. Stogov, Commissar Rykunov, the mortar division was commanded by Major K.M.
The management of the brigade was also formed - Captain Ya. Beknev became the head of the operational unit, Captain Zagrebelny became the head of intelligence, and Major M.M. Yanchuk became the head of the combat unit.
The whole of June and July 1942 was spent on the restoration of the brigade. The battalions were engaged in combat training, obtaining weapons, artillerymen received guns, mortarmen - mortars. The brigade was given the task of coastal defense of the Caucasian coast north of Novorossiysk - the front passed along the strait between Kerch and Taman.
83rd Marine Brigade
in the defense of Novorossiysk in the summer of 1942
The real threat of the enemy's breakthrough to the Caucasus emerged after July 25, 1942, when the Nazi troops broke through the Southern Front and the enemy's tank, motorized formations rushed to the Zadonsk and Salsk steppes. On July 28, the Headquarters united the Southern and North Caucasian fronts into one North Caucasian front, appointing Marshal of the Soviet Union S. M. Budyonny as commander. This decision did not change much: the enemy was rapidly advancing across the flat terrain, overtaking our rifle divisions, which were retreating on foot and did not have time to occupy the defense lines assigned to them.
It was relatively calm on the Caucasian coast in August, and the command decides to remove the 83rd Marine Brigade from the coastal defense lines and send it towards the advancing enemy. Colonel V.A. Vrutsky received an order to take up defense at the turn of the villages of Slavyanskaya, Kievskaya, Gladkovskaya and Moldavanskaya - this line clearly exceeded the combat capabilities of the brigade, an entire army was needed to defend it, but the brigade of sailors moved to the designated lines. When the foot columns of marines approached them, it turned out that the Germans had already captured Krymskaya and entrenched themselves on the commanding heights. The brigade commander ordered the 1st battalion to capture the Pervomaisky farm, but the enemy was already outflanking the brigade with tank wedges, and she was forced to retreat with heavy fighting through the wooded mountainous terrain.
It was possible to create the first line of organized defense near the village of Natukhaevskaya and Semigorye on August 28. But the enemy tanks and then bypassed the brigade. Colonel V.A. Vrutsky had to withdraw the battalions to the village of Raevskaya. But even here the enemy did not go to the defense of the sailors, but rounded it with tank wedges, and on August 31 captured Anapa. After that, the brigade was given the task of withdrawing from the defense and going through Abrau-Durso to Borisovka, Vladimirovka, Glebovka and cover Novorossiysk from the enemy grouping, concentrating on the coast. Here, all three battalions of the brigade were still under the firm control of the brigade commander. He competently and tactically expediently built the defense: the 1st and 2nd battalions - in the first echelon, the 3rd battalion - in the second, near Fedotovka. Part of the units and artillery of the brigade simultaneously fought in the area of Verkhnebakanskaya and the Wolf Gate Pass. Here they held the defense together with the 16th separate battalion of the Marine Corps, Major D.V. Krasnikov, until September 4th.
At the turn of Glebovka - Borisovka, the brigade, acting in close cooperation with the 144th separate battalion of captain-lieutenant A.I. Vostrikov, who had withdrawn here from Temryuk, fought until September 4. In these battles, the brigade commander, Colonel V.A. Vrutsky, the brigade commissar, regimental commissar V.G. Kazachek, and the commander of the 2nd battalion, captain N.M. Dmitryak, were wounded. His battalion suffered particularly heavy losses, as it was surrounded by a German unit dressed in Red Army uniforms. The battalion commander of the 1st battalion I. Elkin was also wounded. He was replaced by the chief of staff of the battalion, senior lieutenant I.V. Zhernovoy. He managed to gather part of his battalion, withdraw people who fell into one or another environment, and go to Novorossiysk as a rather close-knit group. There, these fighters organized, under the leadership of I. V. Zhernovy, the defense of cement plants, which went down in history, because at this turn the enemy’s offensive was finally stopped. At the same time, the 1st company of the battalion, under the command of Lieutenant A.V. Taranovsky, who replaced Lieutenant G. Gorev, who died in Raevskaya, turned out to be cut off from Zhernovy’s group at the refrigerator, defended the city center for almost a day, and then, pressed against the bay, was evacuated on boats and appeared at the disposal of Zhernovoi in the area of cement plants.
Here it was possible to stabilize the defense on September 7, 1942. The backbone of the barrier created on the Sukhumi highway was the 1st battalion of the 83rd Marine Brigade under the command of Senior Lieutenant I.V. The remnants of the 15th separate battalion of marines fought here, which suffered heavy losses in the battles for the Wolf Gate. The barrier was replenished with fighters and officers, and soon a separate battalion of four hundredth strength was created from it directly during the fighting. The command passed to senior lieutenant N. Frolov, senior lieutenant I.V. Zhernovoy became the chief of staff, A. Oleinikov became the commissar, A. V. Taranovsky, M. Yaroslavsky, A. Ruslantsev and N. Voronkin commanded the companies. On the night of September 19, 1942, when the front on the Sukhumi highway finally stabilized, the marines handed over the line of defense to the 318th rifle division, and they themselves left to replenish a number of naval units that were being formed at that time near Novorossiysk.
During the defense of Novorossiysk in August-September 1942, the artillerymen of the 83rd brigade acted in the same directions in which the battalions fought, their firing positions were under the stations of Kievskaya, Gladkovskaya, Natukhaevskaya, batteries of artillery battalions and mortarmen supported the battalions in the battle near Glebovna and Abrau-Durso. Artillerymen suffered losses, constantly felt a shortage of ammunition, they were often distracted from direct support of the brigade battalions to perform other tasks. However, in the memoirs of both the gunners of the brigade and the mortarmen, there is invariably an episode of support for the sailors in the battle near the cement plants on the Sukhumi highway. This was announced by the former commander of the correction post V.O. Vlasenko and the commander of the mortar platoon of the Mindivision I.A. Pshuk. Recalling these events, the participants give specific examples of the unprecedented resilience of people and the invariably high fighting spirit of our fellow soldiers. Krasnoflot M.P. Popov from a company of submachine gunners, talking about his platoon commander, Lieutenant G.A. Naumov, writes: “He had such faith, such a desire to tell something to people ... I will write such a book... Gennady Alekseevich Naumov died in the battle near Glebovka.
Good memories were left by the seriously wounded commander of a company of submachine gunners, Lieutenant P. Khoroshilov, he was evacuated from the elevator pier with a crushed leg. Among the officers and sailors who distinguished themselves in battles during the period of command of the brigade by Colonel V.A. Vrutsky are: V. Borzik, V.P. Bychkov, A.F. Grinchenko, I.G. Gorbenko, I.F. , N.Gorbatenko, V.G.Dmitrieva, I.Zherdeva, S.M.Zinchenko, N.I.Isachenko, A.S.Kolodka, V.M.Kleshnina, A.S.Kumpanenko, F.P.Lisogorsky , V.L. Lvovsky, I.S. Parnyuk, I. Pismenny, S.I. Romanovsky, M.K. Struga, A.Y. Tarasenko, V.F.
Instructor of the Political Directorate of the Black Sea Fleet, Captain 1st Rank L.I. Bondarenko, kept records of the exploits of the marines. According to the 83rd brigade, there appear: the commander of the machine-gun crew, Sergeant Kotov, who destroyed three machine-gun points of the enemy; Red Navy men of the platoon of senior sergeant Pozdnyakov, who destroyed two tanks and a group of submachine gunners; junior sergeant Tsarev, who emerged victorious from hand-to-hand combat; political instructor Morozov, who emerged from the encirclement along with a mortar battery; Red Navy scout Trufanov, who returned from reconnaissance with captured weapons; Red Navy sailors Ponomarev and Safonov, who destroyed one tank each; the Red Navy soldier Zaitsev, who noticed an abandoned cannon on one of the streets of Novorossiysk and opened fire on the German infantry from it, and many other facts of the unparalleled stamina of the sailors.
Once surrounded, they fought to the last bullet. Captured sailors terrified the enemies. Our fellow soldier, Red Navy soldier Alexander Mikhailovich Katz, finding himself in a hopeless situation, was captured and placed in a prisoner of war camp. Having gone through all the horrors of fascist captivity, A.M. Katz retained the unshakable stamina of a fighter, eventually escaped from captivity and returned to duty.
As a result of a whole month of fighting for Novorossiysk, the 83rd brigade was so drained of blood that another restoration was required.
Second formation of the 83rd brigade in September 1942
In the early days of September 1942, when the marines of the 83rd brigade were fighting for Novorossiysk in the area of cement plants, Adamovich Balka and Mefodievka, the 305th separate battalion of marines, withdrawn from the Taman Peninsula under the command of Major Ts. L. Kunikova. Fighting in the area of Glebovka, Borisovka, at Tonnelnaya and at the Volchie Gates, the brigade battalions closely cooperated with the 16th separate battalion of the marines of Major D.V. Krasnikov and the 144th separate battalion of the marines of captain-lieutenant A.I. Vostrikov. These three battalions came out of heavy fighting quite combat-ready, while the battalions of the 83rd brigade, having lost their commanders and most of the commanders, who had lost the brigade commander and commissar in battle and were actually no longer controlled by the headquarters, fought in the form of scattered units. In the book “Battle for the Caucasus”, they are given the following assessment: “... the 305th, 14th battalions of the marines and units of the 83rd marine rifle brigade stood to the death. They finally stopped the enemy, holding the Oktyabr plant. ... In the area of the Novorossiysk factories, the Germans could not take another step."
From these heroic units and divisions, it was decided to form the 2nd Marine Brigade. Its main parts, instead of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd battalions that existed in the past, were the 16th, 144th and 305th separate battalions of the Marine Corps, hardened in the battles for Novorossiysk. Lieutenant Colonel M.P. Kravchenko, commander of the 1st Naval Regiment, was appointed commander of the reconstituted brigade, while the duties of the commissar were temporarily assigned to the senior political officer Ya.L. Kornilov. On September 12, the military commissar of the brigade, regimental commissar F.V. Monastyrsky, appointed by the Military Council of the Black Sea Fleet, arrived.
By this time, communications units, the personnel of a sapper company, a motor transport company, part of a mortar battalion, rear units of artillery battalions, the main batteries of which were still at the forefront, had already concentrated in the Kabardinka area. From Kabardinka, the 83rd brigade was transferred to the area of Falshivogo Gelendzhik (Divnomorskoye), where all the rest of the work was carried out to organize the management of the brigade, its units and subdivisions.
Regimental commissar A.I. Ryzhov was appointed head of the political department of the 83rd brigade, senior political instructor Ya.L. Kornilov was appointed his deputy, captain 3rd rank A.Ya. Chirkov was appointed chief of staff, colonel N.N. commander of the communications battalion - captain 3rd rank A.Ya. Ishchenko, commander of the artillery division - captain Petrushechkin. Major V.A. Stogov continued to be the commander of the anti-tank battalion, Major A.I. Biryuk took over the mortar battalion, and Captain I.M. Pisarenko was appointed commander of a separate medical unit.
Each of the battalions included in the brigade already had experience in combat operations as separate units of the Marine Corps, and managed to prove itself in battles. The 16th separate battalion of the marines was headed by the former flagship inspector of physical training and sports of the Black Sea Fleet, fleet champion in freestyle wrestling, master of sports D.V. Krasnikov, his deputy for political affairs was senior political instructor D.F. Ponomarev, a landing party to Feodosia . The battalion arrived in Novorossiysk on the Soobrazitelny destroyer on the night of August 26, 1942, on the morning of the same day, went to the forefront and acted so successfully that the Soviet Information Bureau reported on the capture of an important line by the battalion.
The 144th separate battalion of the Marine Corps was headed by Lieutenant Commander A.I. Vostrikov, a participant in the defense of Leningrad in the autumn of 1941. He was ordered to form his unit in Moscow in the winter of 1942. The basis of the battalion was the personnel returning from hospitals, officers - graduates of the military - maritime educational institutions. In the spring, the battalion arrived at the disposal of the commander of the Azov military flotilla, Rear Admiral S.G. Gorshkov, and participated in the defense of Yeysk, then Temryuk, where the marines held back the advance of superior enemy forces for more than two weeks. Residents of Temryuk highly appreciated the feat of the marines in defending the city, conferring the title of honorary citizen on Lieutenant Commander A.I. Vostrikov. In perfect order, fully combat-ready, the commander led his battalion to the firing lines of Novorossiysk and, fighting south of the city, next to the units of the 83rd brigade, stopped the enemy advance.
The 305th separate battalion of marines was formed in the Yaroslavl semi-crew and in the spring of 1942 arrived at the Azov military flotilla, where it was received by Major Ts.L. Kunikov. The battalion under his command participated in the defense of Temryuk, and after the evacuation of the naval base, by order of the command, it retreated to the village of Starotitarovskaya and further to Taman, where it was removed by the ships of the Azov Flotilla and the Black Sea Fleet and delivered to Novorossiysk. Here, Major Ts.L.Kunikov was sent to the hospital after a car accident, and the battalion under the command of Senior Lieutenant V.S.Bogoslovsky was sent to the front line near the cement plants. By the time the battalion arrived in Fake Gelendzhik, it was commanded by Lieutenant Commander A.M. Sherman.
To replenish the brigade, the fleet sent participants in the defense of Odessa, Sevastopol, Kerch, who had recovered from wounds, sailors and foremen from cruisers and the battleship of the Black Sea Fleet, from submarines, boats, from the legendary leader "Tashkent" sunk in the Novorossiysk Bay, from coastal defense units and from army regiments and divisions. The units and subunits of the brigade assembled in the area of False Gelendzhik had only a few days to put together units, receive weapons and prepare for battle. The enemy near Novorossiysk was still trying to break through further into the Caucasus, and the front was restless.
Participation of the 83rd brigade in the battles in the North Caucasus in 1942
On September 21, 1942, the brigade commander, Lieutenant Colonel M.P. Kravchenko, received an order from the commander of the Novorossiysk defensive region to be placed at the disposal of the commander of the 47th Army of the Black Sea Group of Forces, which fought heavy defensive battles, holding back the advancing group of enemy troops from the Abinskaya. When the tip of the German wedge crawled to Shapsugskaya, the army commander A.A. Grechko ordered two marine brigades - the 2nd and 1st - to launch a counterattack. The 2nd brigade was forced to go on a campaign not yet fully formed, there were not enough guns in the artillery battalions, there were not enough means of communication and transport. Before the starting line, the battalions of the brigade went on a forced march through the mountains and forests. At dawn on September 25, the battalion commanders gave orders and were the first to go forward. The attacking chains included commissars, political departments and staff commanders. The mood in the brigade is upbeat: for the first time after several months of defensive battles and failures, the brigade in full strength went on the offensive!
Next to the commander of the 305th battalion, Lieutenant Commander A.M. Sherman, the brigade commissar F.V. Monastyrsky went on the attack. To the right, the 144th battalion was advancing. The sailors walked to their full height, without making dashes. At this time, the enemy tried to hit the flank of the attacking battalions, but the brigade commander, Lieutenant Colonel M.P. Kravchenko, brought into battle his second echelon - the 16th battalion.
The German infantry lay down, trying to shoot back, and then ran. The commander of the battalion, Major D.V. Krasnikov, ordered the company of junior lieutenant P.K. Yabrov to pursue the enemy, and the sailors did an excellent job with this matter. The company returned from the battle with prisoners and trophies.
The fighting took place on heights covered with forests. The enemy counterattacked several times a day, but each time rolled back with heavy losses. The commander of the 144th battalion, captain-lieutenant A.I. Vostrikov, was wounded, but did not leave the battalion. It was an experienced commander. Having met with particularly strong resistance near the village of Skazhenny Baba, he did not lead people in a frontal attack, but bypassed the enemy stronghold from the rear. The enemy noticed the sailors when they were already a few meters from the village. In the forefront were the battalion commissar, senior political instructor V.A. Illarionov and party organizer G.V. Masterov. The Nazis retreated, but the battery continued to beat from the side of the orchard. Komsomol organizer of the battalion K.A. Kharlamov with a group of submachine gunners walked around it. The brave Komsomol organizer was wounded by a pistol shot, but he, like the battalion commander, remained in the ranks. As a result of the battle for this small village, the entire brigade was able to advance in the direction of Uzun and Kuaffo. Near the village of Abinskaya, the sailors captured a small high-rise and raised the 3rd battery of the artillery battalion, armed with 76-mm regimental guns, onto it. The guns camouflaged at the height opened aimed fire at the enemy. The Germans tried for a long time to expel the impudent battery from a height, covered them with fire, attacked with submachine gunners. The battery had losses, but the instructor Anna Kumpanenko fearlessly fulfilled her duty, she managed to save the gunner Zuev and many other wounded sailors. Among those who distinguished themselves were company commanders: D V. Kunitsyn, A. T. Pilipenko, G. M. Kisin, P. Ya. Murashkevich, political instructor N. I. Stupka, intelligence platoon commander F. F. Hamburg, platoon commanders: A .A.Vorobiev, I.K.Kuznetsov, sailors: N.K.Bogaty, I.F.Zharikov, V.N.Manilkin, S.N.Korzh, P.P.Pomerantsev; medical workers E.P. Kharlamova, paramedic V. Velsky, who died in battle, staff commander V.M. Likhachev, deputy commander of the 16th battalion, senior lieutenant I.O. Rogalsky and many other marines.
In a three-day battle near Abinskaya, the 2nd Marine Brigade, acting in cooperation with its brother, the 1st Marine Brigade, cut off the wedge driven into our defenses and advanced 15 km. After the fighting, the 2nd brigade transferred its sector to the 216th rifle division and entered the reserve of the 47th army. On October 1, the 2nd Brigade was redesignated the 83rd and the 1st Brigade the 255th Naval Infantry Brigade. However, the respite was short-lived. On October 1, 1942, the brigade received the task of advancing northeast of Shapsugskaya. After marching along the forest roads, the marines reached the deployment line and attacked the enemy on October 3, occupying the village of Lindarovo. Here, the 16th battalion of Major D.V. Krasnikov distinguished himself again, capturing a height of 181.4. Further, the brigade had to advance on the village of Erivan. A stubborn battle went on for several days. The deputy commander of the 16th battalion, senior lieutenant I.O. Rogalsky, was all the time in the battle formations of the advanced units. Erivan was taken, the remnants of the enemy units retreated and no more attempts were made to attack in this direction.
On October 12, the brigade was again withdrawn to the reserve of the 47th Army. In mid-October, the enemy is trying to break through to the sea along the road to Tuapse. The new commander of the Black Sea Group of Forces, General I.E. Petrov, who heroically showed himself in the battles near Odessa and Sevastopol, on October 17 transferred the 83rd Marine Brigade to the 56th Army, in the pouring rain the battalions set out along the route Gelendzhik, Dzhubga, Novo- Mikhailovskoye, Psebs, where they arrived on the night of October 18. The fighting was already going on at the Elizabethan Pass. The fascist mountain rangers captured Mount Lantern and Fanagoriyskoe. Acting at the forefront of the created strike force, the sailors of the 83rd brigade drove the Germans out of Fanagoriysky, and immediately the commander transferred them to another sector - to Mount Kochkanovo. This mountain dominated the area in the valley of the village of Sadovoye. Again there was a difficult transition in the rain along mountain paths, but exactly at the indicated time, by the morning of October 24, the battalions of the brigade reached the line designated for the offensive. After a short artillery preparation, the sailors saw a smoking height in front of them. The 305th battalion attacked from the west, the 16th from the northwest, and the 144th attacked from the southeast with the forces of just one company. The heated battle for the height of Kochkanovo lasted until midnight. Leaving about two hundred corpses on the mountain, the enemy withdrew in a northeasterly direction. In the battle for the height of Kochkanovo, the 16th battalion of Major D.V. Krasnikov especially distinguished himself, having made a deep detour maneuver and stunned the enemy with a sudden attack. The enemy did not reconcile himself to the loss of height, the sailors withstood the artillery fire, the fierce assaults, but the height was no longer given to the enemy. There are many books, articles, songs, and poems about their selfless courage in the battle near Kochkanovo.
On October 30, 1942, by order of the commander of the 56th Army, the 83rd brigade was thrown into a new battle in the direction of Kirkorovo, here the marines threw back the advanced units of the enemy, rushing towards Tuapse, captured trophies and valuable documents, among which was the order of the German command to break through on Tuapse at any cost. Throughout November, there were battles in the mountains. The enemy groups that had broken through away from the brigade's defense sector were eliminated by the sailors only on November 17, after which the enemy went on the defensive in this sector.
On November 19, the 83rd brigade was withdrawn to the reserve of the commander of the Black Sea Group of Forces and concentrated in Tuapse. The commander of the 56th Army, Major General A.I. Ryzhov, thanked all the personnel of the brigade, and about two hundred marines were awarded. Among the most distinguished were Captain-Lieutenant A.I. Vostrikov, awarded the Order of Lenin, commanders of the 16th and 305th battalions D.V. Krasnikov and A.M. Sherman, awarded the Order of the Red Banner, company commander G.E. Untershlyag , deputy commander of the 144th battalion captain A.M. Fisher, chief of staff of the 144th battalion N.M. Gerasimenko, unit commanders: A.I. Bogachenko, G.G. Tsuprov, A.I. Vereshchak, political officers: N .F. Golovanev, G.F. Gutnik, I.G. Fomenko, G.M. Romashkovsky, as well as A.P. Allakhverdov, A.E. Bedarev, B.A. Bely, K.T. .I.Butvin, D.I.Gapon, T.A.Gappoev, V.I.Gorbacheva, S.I.Golovakho I.N.Goncharov, S.P.Golovachenko, G.S.Grachev, V.E. Turin, V.S. Dovbnya, M.M. Zhukov, A.I. Kirillov, A.A. Kunzhulov, A.V. Krugov, I.T. D.N.Mirgorodsky, V.Ya.Myakishev, N.S.Nikitin D.P.Nazarenko, N.N.Orlov, S.I.Savotchenko, P.I.Sych, S.E.Tkachenko, F.M. Kharkovsky, S.G. Khorenin, A.Ya. Chirkov, V.I. Chernenko, P.I. Shcherbakov, I.V. Gorelik, physician Indian workers R.S. Bogdanova, M.T. Dreychuk, E.G. Zharikova, machine gunner Yu.M. Bondarenko, K.A. Egorov.
Combat merits of the 83rd Marine Brigade are highly appreciated. By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of December 13, 1942, she was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
After the fighting in the North Caucasus in connection with the departure of Lieutenant Colonel M.P. Kravchenko to the hospital, he was appointed commander of the brigade (Lieutenant Colonel D.V. Krasnikov was appointed, commander of the 16th Marine Battalion - I.O. Rogalsky, who commanded the gunboat before arriving at the brigade "Rostov-Don" on the Azov military flotilla. Instead of A.I. Vostrikov, who left to study at the military academy, his deputy captain A.M. Fisher became the commander of the 144th battalion. Instead of captain-lieutenant A.M. Major M.M. Yanchuk became the 305th battalion, instead of the captain of the 3rd rank A.Ya. Chirkov, the brigade headquarters was headed by Major L.F. Buryachenko.
While on vacation, the Marines received reinforcements. They told the newly arrived sailors and army men about the exploits of the commander of a platoon of submachine gunners Panna Kozlova, the fearless marines Vasily Yashin and Oleg Minin, company commanders I.N. M.G. Degtyarev, Red Navy men O.M. Boytsov, S. Mkrtumov, V. Tovstonogov and many other heroes of the Red Banner Brigade.
Yuri Dementiev, retired They carried out the order as best they could in the most difficult conditions. But without external management, proper intelligence and supply. This may happen again today.
2. The authors' remark about the presence of tanks in the 46th division of the 42nd army corps of the Wehrmacht raises doubts. M.b., the authors take assault guns for tanks, but this is not the same thing. Perhaps there were Romanian tanks, but they could be treated as such very, very conditionally.
3. The stage of evacuation from the Kerch Peninsula after the breakthrough of the defense of the Crimean Front is not described at all. But this is a tragic episode of a failed operation that ended in the defeat of the Crimean Front.
There is not a word about what was happening in Kerch and on the approaches to it, the role of L. Mekhlis, General Kozlov, etc. I am convinced that the issues of describing a retreat with complete tactical superiority and air supremacy of the enemy are very important both tactically and ethically and emotionally. Certain instructive conclusions should and can be drawn from concrete examples. It is important not to hide the truth and to cover this tragic stage impartially, as far as possible. I have photos of guys from the Marine Corps in the spring of 42. Perhaps from 83 obmp. Beautiful faces, a spirit of mutual assistance, contempt for death and something corporate: pride in being Marines. I see.
This should be written about not in the dry language of a historian, but, for example, as artistic essays, stories, eyewitness memories. At least about the words of those who heard this from the participants themselves. My father Kryuchkov Nikolai Yegorovich since 1942 fought in the 83rd brigade 305 of a separate marine battalion. . Although officially listed as missing since December 1942. According to the stories of my grandmother, my grandfather either served or died on a submarine. I hope to help! Thanks a lot!
83rd Separate Airborne Assault (Airborne) Brigade
The predecessor of the 83rd Airborne Assault Brigade (Ussuriysk) was the 65th Separate Airborne Assault Battalion (65th Airborne Assault Battalion) formed in November 1985.
By November 1986, on the territory of Poland (the city of Bialogard), on the basis of the 65th ODSHB, the 83rd separate airborne assault brigade of the High Command of the Western Direction was being created. 83 ODSHBr (military unit 71289) was formed on the territory of the garrison of 126 ORR of the 6th Guards Motorized Rifle Division.
The initial composition of the 83rd Airborne Brigade: 2 airborne battalions, an airborne assault battalion, an artillery battalion, communications, repair and support units. However, in 1987, almost all armored vehicles of the BMD type, necessary for the airborne assault battalion, were transferred to other formations, which essentially means that at that time all battalions were airborne, and 3 DShB was only formally like that, in fact being a PDB . This is an interesting case from the history of the 83rd Air Assault Brigade.
In 1990, the formation became the 83rd Airborne Brigade after being reassigned to the command of the Airborne Forces. In the same year, 83 ODShBr were transferred from Poland to Ussuriysk. On March 27, 1990, the 83rd separate airborne assault brigade was reorganized into the 83rd Airborne Brigade in Ussuriysk.
By January 1996, the 83rd separate airborne brigade became subordinate to the command of the Far Eastern Military District. Since February of the same year, the command and control of the 83rd Airborne Brigade has been carried out personally by the commander of the district troops.
It is worth noting one rather interesting experiment. In 1996, the brigade included the 111th separate tank battalion, stationed in the settlement. Lyalichi. The military equipment of the 111th detachment consisted of 31 T-80B tanks, including several combat training tanks.
In the same year, paratrooper battalions received number designations. The composition of the 83rd air assault brigade of Ussuriysk in 1996: 593rd brigade, 635th brigade and 654th brigade.
It is known that paratroopers from Ussuriysk took part in combat operations during the 2nd Chechen War as part of consolidated units.
83 ovdbr in our time.
Not a single major exercise in the Far East is complete without the participation of the 83rd Airborne Brigade. In 2002, at Cape Klerk, combat interaction with the Marine Corps units of the Pacific Fleet was successfully practiced. The exercises "Mobility-2004" showed that the level of training of the paratroopers of the 83rd airborne brigade of Ussuriysk is in no way lower than that of their colleagues from the 76th airborne division. In 2005-2006, a number of successful exercises are being conducted on Sakhalin, in Khabarovsk and in the Amur Region. Also in 2006, 83 ovdbr is recognized as the best connection in the district.
The composition of the brigade today: management of 83 ODSHBr (military unit 71289), 635 opdb, 654 opdb, 9 separate artillery battalion, 111 separate tank battalion, anti-aircraft missile and artillery battery, special forces.
Heavy weapons 83 ovdbr Ussuriysk:
- T-80B tanks - 31 units;
- BTR-80/82A - 30 units;
- BMP-2 - 61 units;
- howitzers 2A18M D-30 - 18 units;
- 82-mm mortars 2B14 - 18 units.
As we can see, the 83rd Airborne Brigade has enough firepower to become an important factor in guaranteeing peace in the Far East region.
Much to strengthen the combat readiness of the unit in Ussuriysk was done by the commander of the 83rd airborne brigade, colonel Gusev and the chief of staff, colonel Bushuev. Many paratroopers of the 83rd Airborne Brigade will warmly remember the commander of the brigade, Colonel Yuri Volyaninov, and the older generation, Vladimir Kazantsev.
The 83rd separate air assault brigade, or military unit 71289, is located in the city of Ussuriysk. Its slogan is “Honor is dearer than life!” reflects the history of the unit and the opinion of the paratroopers themselves that "true men are brought up here."
History of military unit 71289
The formation of the unit began during the Great Patriotic War, in 1939. Then it was the 119th rifle division, located in the city of Krasnoyarsk. The fighters of the brigade (as it was called in the 1940s) defended the city of Bely (1942) and participated in the Battle of Kursk (1943). Then the division was reorganized into the 17th Guards Rifle Division, and until 1955 China was its location. After 1955, today's military unit 71289 was part of the 5th Combined Arms Army of the Far Eastern Military District, whose headquarters was in the village of Barabash. In 1957, it was reorganized into the 123rd Guards Division (motorized rifle), which in 1985 became the 65th separate air assault battalion.
The 83rd Airborne Assault Brigade (today one of the best in the Airborne Forces of the Russian Federation) was formed in Poland (Bialograd) in 1986. After the collapse of the USSR, in 1990, it was included in the Airborne Forces and transferred to a strategically important Russian region - the Far East (Ussuriysk).
Since 1996, it was withdrawn from the Airborne Forces of the Russian Federation and was subordinate to the commander of the Red Banner Far Eastern Military District. Since August 2013, the unit is again included in the Airborne Forces.
Employees of military unit 72189 as part of consolidated units were participants in hostilities in "hot spots" (Chechnya and Abkhazia).
The fighters took part in all large-scale exercises held in the Far East. So, at the exercises in 2002, they distinguished themselves together with the infantrymen of the Pacific Fleet, and at the exercises "Mobility-2004" they showed the same good results as the soldiers of the 76-1 Pskov division, a year later, military unit 72189 stood out at the exercises in the Amur Region and Sakhalin.
In 2005, two battalions of the unit were transferred to the contract recruitment method.
In 2006, the unit was awarded the challenge banner "To the best unit of the Red Banner Far Eastern Military District"
Reviews of military unit 71289
The buildings of the military camp in Ussuriysk, as the locals recall, appeared in the time of Marshal Blucher. Since 1990, material and living conditions have been improved - funds were allocated from the federal budget, and now there are 2 baths, 2 canteens, a tea room, a club, a library and 2 medical centers on the territory of military unit 72189. House of life, hairdressers and workshops are located in the city. At the moment, it is planned to improve the housing stock.
The paratroopers often hold demonstration performances for city schools and, of course, on the Day of the Airborne Forces.
The last event gathers residents of the taiga city on the central square, because for many it is an opportunity to meet with their loved ones.
The rest of the time, communication with employees of military unit 72189 is maintained by mobile phone - calls are allowed only on weekends. The rest of the time, the means of communication is with the company commander. In case of emergency, relatives can call the duty officer.
As for the daily routine of military unit 72189, it is regulated in the same way as in other military units - military and physical training, outfits and guards.
Outfits are given both in the kitchen (cooking) and in the household part (the territory of the unit is being put in order). Monday is a "commander's day" when a full check is carried out: the appearance of the soldiers, their nightstands are checked, and parcels, mobile phones and social media accounts can also be viewed on this day.
Dismissals are given to employees upon prior application, even during the oath, so it is better to plan a visit on Friday (then the soldiers are released for the weekend). The rest of the time, meetings with relatives and friends take place at the checkpoint. It is noteworthy that soldiers and paratrooper officers who made 4 parachute jumps while undergoing combat training are provided with an additional vacation of 15 days.
For those wishing to serve under a contract in military unit 72189, the following requirements apply:
Age from 18 to 40 years and the presence of Russian citizenship;
Relevant education (not lower than secondary incomplete);
Health certificate;
Mental stability is not lower than "satisfactory" (according to the result of professional and mental selection);
As for money transfers, it is better to send money to a bank card of the Asia-Pacific Bank, Alfa Bank or Sberbank of Russia.
On the territory of the unit there is only a Sberbank ATM (Baranovsky garrison), the rest are located within the city.
Asia-Pacific Bank ATM Addresses:
Reserve Lieutenant Colonel V. N. Drokin is a veteran of the 83rd Separate Guards Airborne Brigade, which will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2016.
And in 1983, Viktor Nikolayevich was sent to the Polish city of Bialogard even before her birth. A group of officers, which included the Afghan captain Viktor Drokin, formed the predecessor of the 83rd Ogdshbr - a separate airborne battalion.
Viktor Nikolayevich served in the brigade for 20 years, and since May 2001, for exactly four years he was in the position of deputy brigade commander and head of the airborne service of this formation.
Recalling the mid-80s, the experienced paratrooper spoke about himself and about interesting cases from his military life:
FOR epaulettes - TO THE HOMELAND
“Two-thirds of the entire period of army service, I gave 83 ogdshbr. This is a very significant part of my officer life, as well as many colleagues in the brigade.
In the autumn of 1985, having been sent abroad, I came to Bialogard to continue my service in the Northern Group of Forces of the USSR, which are part of the Armed Forces of the countries participating in the Warsaw Pact.
In the military town, I was surprised by the different colors of shoulder straps for military personnel. Then it was not yet known in what form the personnel of the unborn military unit would walk.
The airborne reconnaissance company, on the basis of which the airborne battalion was formed up to the brigade, wore the uniform of motorized riflemen. Yes, and officers arrived from anywhere. There were no sailors.
Pure paratroopers were not recruited even a third of the entire composition of the new battalion. At that time, there were no corresponding uniforms for them in military warehouses. The battalion commander Lieutenant Colonel V. M. Sinitsin solved the problem simply: he ordered all officers and ensigns leaving on vacation to return with paratroopers on shoulder straps, which was done with particular zeal. For a couple of months, the battalion acquired a decent appearance of the Airborne Forces unit. And later the form appeared.
IMMEDIATELY GET INTO TURNOVER
The command of the brigade in the process of its formation had a very difficult time. There were few officers who had previously served in the Airborne Forces.
The difficulties were mostly domestic. There were not enough barracks, the soldiers were placed in cramped cockpits with bunk beds. The officers lived in different parts of the city, and even on the territory of other parts. A hostel for lieutenants was organized in the attic of the barracks.
Artillerymen generally lived for a year in tents at the training ground and did not complain. All problems were solved according to plan. Well, no one had to relax at all. Discipline was very strict. "Dembel" only in their infantry were such, but with us they immediately got into circulation.
By September, after the holidays, about two hundred freshly minted lieutenants arrived at once. But they also needed parachute training, since they graduated mainly from either combined arms universities or schools of other military branches.
At such a turning point, out of the whole motley mass of military personnel, the commanders had to not only organize, but also educate real "winged infantry"!
This is what the combat commander of the future brigade, Colonel V. I. Borodavkin, did with his small team of experienced officers who, like Vladimir Illarionovich himself, arrived from active units: the brigade commander and his deputy for weapons, Colonel Skryl, from the 106th Guards Airborne Division , the rest of the people - from everywhere.
The guards brought to their future offspring a special inexhaustible optimism and the victorious spirit of the airborne troops, a readiness to complete the most difficult tasks, in spite of any difficulties.
FIRST DESIGN JUMP
After graduating from the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School in 1981, I immediately became an instructor in parachute training. He served two years as a platoon commander in the 137th Infantry Regiment, in the "capital of the Airborne Forces" - Ryazan. Then there was Afghanistan. And in 1983, he was among the three officers who were sent to Poland, where the battalion was formed, to the positions of deputy company commander and airborne training instructor. The service got me hooked. And when the brigade was born, at the same time there were those who wanted to join its sports team in parachuting. I also agreed to join it.
The first demonstration jumps took place on the Day of the Airborne Forces - August 2, 1986 - at the stadium, opposite the checkpoint of the brigade. By that time, we had only just begun to receive materiel. There were no sports parachutes at all. We decided to get by with the usual landing, which are controlled more in theory than in practice. The head of the airborne service, Major D.F. Yakimenko, gathered a group of officers who had sufficient experience to jump. It included two captains - V. Volokhov and I, as well as lieutenants D. Brylev, A. Morozov, Z. Latypov and V. Zalepaenkov.
It was quiet on a holiday morning. At eight o'clock we performed a training jump and landed successfully: everyone got to the stadium, although the area of 50 by 150 meters for jumps from six hundred meters was not enough for six brave guys.
As soon as the time of the celebration came, and by 10 o'clock the people pulled up, as if for evil, the breeze rose. As we expected, he scattered us a little. And although everyone was stretching with all their might to land in the “given square”, only two of us ended up on the football field, the rest were outside the stadium.
It did not turn out as well as on the first jump. But the people liked it, and everyone began to look forward to the mass jumps. Nobody knew when that day would come. The bulk of the personnel had yet to learn how to descend under the dome from under the clouds.
AT THE TOWER - A CONVEYOR OF STUDENTS
Usually, in airborne units, parachute training and familiarization jumps are included in the course of a young fighter. We also had to teach the science of landing and recruits, and replenishment of sergeants, and even young officers who had not studied landing business, and all of them at the same time.
The problems started with the parachute tower. Each of the trainees had to perform their first five jumps here.
From the very morning rise to the lights out, in two shifts, the four of us dragged the parachute from the bottom up in order to prepare it for a new entry. Even a group of broad-shouldered guys managed to raise the dome to the tower after each jump with a moderate wind with great difficulty.
Another paratrooper from the whole "conveyor line" did not even have time to get scared, as with the command "Let's go!" the releaser let go of the straps, and the "student" was literally blown off the jump platform of the tower. In general, albeit with great difficulty, they prepared everyone on time.
From this "pedagogical poem" I remember one episode that took place in 1987.
BY HEAVEN
At that time, a group of old-timers from other military units was transferred to our brigade in exchange for the young people who had arrived to “dilute” them. So leveled the number of rank and file on calls. Naturally, we were shoved into the cream of society, determined to return home as soon as possible. There were also those who could hardly understand Russian. It was me who got to train this “gop-team” for jumps.
Two weeks of exceptional airborne training flew by like one day! Before the next takeoff, I submitted my new group to the publisher for verification. Major Yu. V. Agapov is an experienced officer. On his personal account there were more than 400 jumps. He, as expected, examined the guys, gave additional briefing, and I followed my “eagles” with my eyes to the helicopter.
I'm watching the combat course. It looks like everyone jumped. True, there is a small interval between descending domes. So someone got stuck. It happens.
The helicopter is landing. I'm going to the publisher to find out the details.
The major is an experienced officer, and for a long time he could not stop his verbal “burst”, similar to an automatic one. It was obvious that he was outraged. And that's putting it mildly.
It was an active volcano! A two-by-two “closet” with a palm-shovel could not be unbalanced by anything. Those who suddenly got lost before the jump or, God forbid, began to resist, the major did not persuade, but simply carried him out the door by the collar. But even at the same time, he made sure that the parachutist held the ring with one hand, and pressed the other to the body. By spreading your arms, you could catch on.
And then, as it turned out, one of my wards first slowed down everyone, frightened of heights. Then the “eagle” grabbed his head with both hands and with all his might rushed through the helicopter door with a cry of “Alla ...!”. Well, at least with God's help, but still he jumped with a parachute himself, and most importantly, he landed safely. Well done! And thank heavens!
... A year later we already had a large sports team. Although we did not pursue achievements, the team fulfilled the main goal - to interest the personnel in jumping and lead the guys with them into the sky! And on August 2, 1987, a long chain of paratroopers was already flaunting over the festive military town. Our football field was already not enough for them!
Posted by Tatyana Romanova
