Nikolay Sirotinin, a young sergeant from Orel, in one two-hour battle, 11 tanks, 6 armored personnel carriers and armored cars, 57 German soldiers and officers. The best artilleryman of the Great Patriotic War. His feat was highly appreciated even by his enemies.
Childhood and the beginning of the war
There are some dry facts about the childhood of Nikolai Sirotinin. Born on March 7, 1921 in the city of Orel. He lived at 32 Dobrolyubova Street. Father - Vladimir Kuzmich Sirotinin, mother - Elena Korneevna. The family has five children, Nikolai is the second oldest. The father notes that as a child, Nikolai met him at the semaphore - Vladimir Kuzmich worked as a machinist. Mom noted his hard work, affectionate disposition and help in raising younger children. After leaving school, Nikolai went to work at the Tokmash plant as a turner.
On October 5, 1940, Nicholas was drafted into the army. He was assigned to the 55th rifle regiment in the city of Polotsk, Byelorussian SSR. Of the documents about Nikolai, only the conscript's medical record and a letter home have been preserved. According to the medical records, Sirotinin was small in build - 164 cm and weighed only 53 kg. The letter dates from 1940, most likely written immediately after arriving at the 55th Infantry Regiment.
In June 1941, Nikolai became a senior sergeant. The approach of war was felt more and more clearly both by the people and by the leaders, therefore, in such conditions, an intelligent and hardworking young man quickly received the rank of sergeant, and then senior sergeant.
June - July 1941
In early July 1941, Hein Guderian's tanks broke through the weak defensive line near Bykhov and began to cross the Dnieper. They easily continued to go east along the Sozh River, to Slavgorod, through Cherikov to the city of Krichev, in order to strike at the Soviet troops near Smolensk. The Soviet army retreated in front of the enemy, and took up defenses near Sozh.
The left bank of the Sozh river is steep and has deep ravines. On the way from the town of Cherikov to Krichev there were several such ravines. A group of Soviet fighters, on July 17, 1941, attacked a Wehrmacht tank division, fired at it and crossed the Sozh to inform the command about the approaching Krichev tank division Germans. In Krichev there were units of the 6th Infantry Division, and after the news of the tanks, an order was received - to cross the Sozh. But units of the division could not do this promptly. The second order was short: delay the Panzer Division as much as possible. Under favorable circumstances, catch up with your part. But senior sergeant Nikolai Sirotinin managed to carry out only the first part of the order.
No man is an island
Nikolai Sirotinin volunteered as a volunteer. Nikolay installed an anti-tank gun 45 mm on a low hill, in a rye field near the Dobrost River. The cannon was completely hidden by the rye. The Sirotinin shelling point was located near the village of Sokolnichi, which is located four kilometers from Krichev. The location was ideal for invisible shelling.
The road leading to Krichev was 200 meters away. The road was clearly visible from the Sirotinin hillock, and there was a swampy area near the road, which meant that the tanks would not be able to move either to the left or to the right in case of something. Sirotinin understood what he was doing, there was only one task - to hold out as long as possible in order to gain time for the division.
Sergeant Sirotinin was an experienced artilleryman. Nikolai chose the moment when it would be possible to hit the armored car going in front of the column of tanks. When the armored car was near the bridge, Sirotinin fired - and hit the armored car. Then the sergeant hit a tank that was going around the armored car to set both vehicles on fire. The next tank got stuck in the barrel, bypassing the armored car and the first destroyed tank.
The tanks began to turn towards the firing site, but the rye hid Sirotinin's point well. The sergeant turned the cannon to the left and began aiming at the tank that closed the column - he knocked it out. Shot at the infantry truck - and again at the target. The Germans tried to move out, but the tanks got stuck in the swampy area. The Germans only on the seventh destroyed tank were able to understand where the shelling was coming from, but because of Sirotinin's successful position, heavy fire did not kill him, but only wounded him in the left side and arm. One of the armored cars began to fire at the sergeant, then, after three shells, Sirotinin defused the enemy armored car.
The number of shells became smaller, and Sirotinin decided to shoot less often, but more accurately. One by one, he aimed at tanks and armored cars, hit, everything exploded, flew, in the air there was black smoke from burning equipment. Angry Germans opened mortar fire on Sirotinin.
The losses of the Germans were: 11 tanks, 6 armored personnel carriers and armored cars, 57 German soldiers and officers. The battle lasted 2 hours. There were not many shells left, about 15. Nikolay saw that the Germans were rolling out their weapons into position and fired 4 times. Sirotinin destroyed the German cannon. The shell would only be enough for one shot. He stood up to load the cannon - and at that moment he was shot from behind by German motorcyclists. Nikolai Sirotinin died.
After battle
Sergeant Sirotinin completed the main task: the column of tanks was delayed, the 6th rifle division was able to cross the Sozh River without loss.
The records of the diary of Chief Lieutenant Friedrich Hönfeld have been preserved:
“He alone stood at the cannon, shot a column of tanks and infantry for a long time, and died. Everyone was amazed at his courage ... Oberst (Colonel) before the grave said that if all the soldiers of the Fuhrer fought like this Russian, they would have conquered the whole world. Three times they fired volleys from rifles. After all, he is Russian, is such admiration necessary? "
Olga Verzhbitskaya, a resident of the village of Sokolnichi, recalls: “In the afternoon, the Germans gathered at the place where the Sirotinin's cannon stood. They made us come there too, local residents... As someone who knows German, the main German of about fifty with orders, tall, bald, gray-haired, ordered me to translate his speech to local people. He said that the Russian fought very well, that if the Germans had fought like this, they would have taken Moscow long ago, that this is how a soldier should defend his Motherland - Fatherland ... ”.
Residents of the village of Sokolniki and the Germans arranged a solemn funeral for Nikolai Sirotinin. German soldiers gave a military salute to the deceased sergeant with three shots.
Memory of Nikolai Sirotinin
First, Sergeant Sirotinin was buried at the battle site. Later he was reburied in a mass grave in the city of Krichev.
In Belarus they remember the feat of the Oryol artilleryman. In Krichev, a street was named in his honor, a monument was erected. After the war, the employees of the Archive Soviet army did a great job to restore the chronicle of events. The feat of Sirotinin was recognized in 1960, but the title of Hero Soviet Union was not appropriated due to bureaucratic inconsistencies - the Sirotinin family did not have photographs of their son. In 1961, an obelisk with the name of Sirotinin was erected on the site of the feat, and a real weapon was placed. On the 20th anniversary of the Victory, Sergeant Sirotinin was posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree.
AT hometown Orle also did not forget about Sirotinin's feat. A memorial plaque dedicated to Nikolai Sirotinin was installed at the Tekmash plant. In 2015, school number 7 in the city of Oryol was named after Sergeant Sirotinin.
Nikolai Vladimirovich Sirotinin, covering the retreat of his regiment, in one battle alone destroyed 11 tanks, 7 armored vehicles, 57 enemy soldiers and officers during the Great Patriotic War Nikolai Vladimirovich Sirotinin (March 7, 1921, Orel - July 17, 1941, Krichev, Belorussian SSR ) - senior sergeant of artillery. During the Great Patriotic War, covering the retreat of his regiment, in one battle he alone destroyed 11 tanks, 7 armored vehicles, 57 enemy soldiers and officers.Kolya Sirotinin was the age of 19 to challenge the saying "One is not a warrior in the field." But he did not become a legend of the Great Patriotic War, like Alexander Matrosov or Nikolai Gastello. In the summer of 1941, the 4th Panzer Division, one of the divisions of the 2nd Panzer Group of Heinz Guderian, one of the most talented German tank generals, broke through to the Belarusian town of Krichev. Parts of the 13th Soviet Army were retreating. Only gunner Kolya Sirotinin did not retreat - quite a boy, short, quiet, frail. On that day, it was necessary to cover the withdrawal of troops. “There will be two people with a cannon left here,” the battery commander said. Nikolai volunteered. The second was the commander himself. On the morning of July 17, a column of German tanks appeared on the highway.
Kolya took up a position on a hill right on the collective farm field. The cannon was sinking in the high rye, but he could clearly see the highway and the bridge over the Dobrost rivulet. When the lead tank reached the bridge, Kolya knocked it out with the first shot. The second shell set fire to the armored personnel carrier that closed the column. We must stop here. Because it is still not entirely clear why Kolya was left alone in the field. But there are versions. He, apparently, had just the task - to create a "traffic jam" on the bridge, knocking out the lead vehicle of the Nazis. The lieutenant at the bridge also adjusted the fire, and then, apparently, caused the fire of our other artillery from German tanks to a jam. Over the river. It is reliably known that the lieutenant was wounded and then he left towards our positions. There is an assumption that Kolya had to go to his own people, having completed the task. But ... he had 60 rounds. And he stayed!
Two tanks tried to drag the lead tank off the bridge, but were also hit. The armored vehicle tried to cross the Dobrost River not across the bridge. But she got stuck in a swampy shore, where another shell found her. Kolya fired and fired, knocking out tank after tank ... Guderian's tanks rested on Kolya Sirotinin, as in Brest Fortress... Already 11 tanks and 6 armored personnel carriers were on fire! For a long time, the Germans were unable to determine the location of the well-camouflaged gun; they believed that a whole battery was fighting them. For almost two hours of this strange battle, the Germans could not understand where the Russian battery had dug in. And when we reached Kolin's position, he had only three shells left. They offered to surrender. Kolya responded by firing at them with a carbine. This last battle was short-lived ...
July 17, 1941. Sokolniki, near Krichev. An unknown Russian soldier was buried in the evening. He alone stood at the cannon, shot a column of tanks and infantry for a long time, and died. Everyone was amazed at his courage ... Oberst said before the grave that if all the soldiers of the Fuhrer fought like this Russian, they would have conquered the whole world. Three times they fired volleys from rifles. Still, he is Russian, is such admiration necessary?
- From the diary of Chief Lieutenant of the 4th Panzer Division Friedrich Hönfeld
Nikolai Vladimirovich Sirotinin (March 7, 1921, Oryol - July 17, 1941, Krichev, Belorussian SSR) - senior sergeant of artillery. During the Great Patriotic War, covering the retreat of his regiment, in one battle he alone destroyed 11 tanks, 7 armored vehicles, 57 killed and wounded enemy soldiers and officers.
Kolya Sirotinin was 20 years old to challenge the saying "One is not a warrior in the field." But he did not become a legend of the Great Patriotic War, like Alexander Matrosov or Nikolai Gastello ...
Nikolay Sirotinin was born in 1921 in the city of Orel. After leaving school, the young man worked for some time at the Oryol plant "Tekmash", and in 1940 he was drafted into the ranks of the Red Army. Sirotinin served in Polotsk, and on the first day of the war he was wounded during an enemy air raid. After a short treatment in the hospital, Nikolai was sent to the front in the Krichev region (Belarus). At the time of its last fight the young man had the rank of senior sergeant and served as a gunner in the 6th rifle division of the 13th army.
In mid-July 1941 soviet troops continued to retreat almost along the entire length of the front. The division, in which Nikolai Sirotinin served, reached the defensive line near the Dobrost River and suffered heavy losses, since it did not have enough equipment and military equipmentto counter the onslaught of the 4th Panzer Division under the command of Colonel von Langermann. This Wehrmacht unit was part of the 2nd Panzer Group of Colonel General Heinz Guderian, one of the most talented German tank generals.
On the day the feat of Sergeant Nikolai Sirotinin was accomplished (July 17), the commander of the battery in which the hero served, decided to organize a cover for the retreat of his military unit. For this purpose, one gun was installed near the bridge on the 476th km of the Moscow - Warsaw highway across the Dobrost River. It was supposed to be served by a combat crew of two people, one of whom was the battalion commander himself. Senior Sergeant Sirotinin volunteered to cover the retreat. He was supposed to help to fire on enemy tanks as soon as they leave the bridge.
The gun was camouflaged on a hill in thick rye. From this position, the highway and the bridge were clearly visible, but it was difficult for the enemy to notice and destroy.
A column of German armored vehicles appeared at dawn. With the first shot, Nikolai knocked out the head tank of the convoy, which came out onto the bridge, and with the second, the armored personnel carrier that closed it. Thus, a traffic jam formed on the road, and the 6th Infantry Division was able to calmly retreat.
When the shock from the sudden artillery attack passed, the Germans began to shoot back and wounded the battalion commander of the Soviet gun. Because combat mission to detain the enemy's tank column was completed, the commander retreated to the Soviet positions, but Sergeant Sirotinin refused to follow him, saying that the gun had 60 unused shells left, and he wanted to disable as many enemy tanks as possible.
The Germans tried to pull the knocked-out lead tank off the bridge with the help of two other armored vehicles. Then Sirotinin knocked them out too, thereby infuriating the Nazis. An attempt was also made to wade through the river, but the very first tank got stuck near the shore and was destroyed by the fire of a Soviet gun.
Guderian's tanks rested on Kolya Sirotinin, as in the Brest fortress. For almost two hours of this strange battle, the Germans could not understand where the Russian battery had dug in. And when we reached Kolin's position, he had only three shells left. They offered to surrender. Kolya responded by firing at them with a carbine.
The battle lasted about two and a half hours, during which Sirotinin destroyed 11 tanks, 6 armored vehicles, as well as more than fifty enemy soldiers and officers.
Finally, the enemies surrounded the hero and asked him to surrender. But Sirotinin continued the fight, firing back from a carbine, until he was killed ...
Chief Lieutenant of the 4th Panzer Division Henfeld wrote in his diary: “July 17, 1941. Sokolniki, near Krichev. In the evening, a Russian soldier was buried. He alone stood at the cannon, shot a column of tanks and infantry for a long time, and died. Everyone was amazed at his courage ... Oberst (Colonel) before the grave said that if all the soldiers of the Fuhrer fought like this Russian, they would have conquered the whole world. Three times they fired volleys from rifles. After all, he is Russian, is such admiration necessary? "
In the afternoon, the Germans gathered at the place where the cannon stood. We, local residents, were also forced to come there, ”recalls Olga Verzhbitskaya. - As someone who knows German, the chief German with orders ordered me to translate. He said that this is how a soldier should defend his homeland - Vaterland. Then, from the pocket of our killed soldier's tunic, they took out a medallion with a note, who and where. The main German told me: “Take it and write to your relatives. Let the mother know what a hero her son was and how he died. "
"I was afraid to do it ... Then the German young officer, who was standing in the grave and covering the body of Sirotinin with a Soviet raincoat-tent, snatched a piece of paper and a medallion from me and said something rudely. For a long time after the funeral, the Nazis stood at the cannon and the grave in the middle of the collective farm field, not without admiration counting shots and hits. " The Germans did not touch any of the residents, they left the next day.
Today in the village of Sokolnichi there are no graves in which the Germans buried Kolya. Three years after the war, Kolya's remains were transferred to a mass grave, the field was plowed up and sown, and the cannon was handed over for recycling. And he was called a hero only 19 years after the feat. And not even a Hero of the Soviet Union - he was posthumously awarded the order World War I degree. Only in 1960 did the employees of the Central Archive of the Soviet Army reconnoiter all the details of the feat. A monument to the hero was also erected, but awkward, with a fake cannon and just somewhere off to the side.
Memory
In 1948, the hero's body was reburied in a mass grave, and his name was indicated, among others, on a marble plaque. In 1958, Ogonyok published an article "The Legend of the Heroic Deed", from which the inhabitants of the Soviet Union learned about the events of July 17, 1941, which took place on the bridge over the Dobrost River.
Kolya Sirotinin's family learned about his feat only in 1958 from a publication in Ogonyok.
The feat of Nikolai Sirotinin shocked hundreds of thousands of people. In 1961, an obelisk was erected at the place where the young man alone held the defense against a column of German tanks.
In addition, a commemorative plaque with short story about Sirotinin's feat was mounted on the wall of the workshop of the Tekmash plant, where the hero worked before the war.
Nikolai Vladimirovich Sirotinin was never nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.According to relatives, a photograph was needed to complete the documents, but the only photograph that the family had was lost during the evacuation. According to the official response of the Main Personnel Directorate of the USSR Ministry of Defense, for the presentation of N.V. Sirotinin to a high rank there are no grounds, since during the war, the higher command did not make such a decision, and in the post-war years, only unrealized ideas were re-examined ...
This pencil portrait was made from memory only in the 1990s by one of Nikolai Sirotinin's colleagues.
Here is what the sister of Nikolai Sirotinin, Taisiya Shestakov, recalled on this occasion:
We had his only passport card. But during the evacuation in Mordovia, my mother gave it to be enlarged. And the master lost her! He brought completed orders to all our neighbors, but not to us. We were very sad.
Did you know that Kolya alone stopped a tank division? And why didn't he get a Hero?
We found out in the 61st year, when the Krychev ethnographers found Kolya's grave. The whole family went to Belarus. The Krichevtsy tried to present Kolya for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Only in vain: for the paperwork, his photograph was required, at least some. And we don't have it! They did not give Kolya a Hero. In Belarus, his feat is known. And it's a shame that very few people know about him in his native Oryol. Even a small lane was not named after him.
But, in 2015, the council of school number 7 of the city of Oryol petitioned to assign the school the name of Nikolai Sirotinin. Nikolai's sister Taisia \u200b\u200bVladimirovna was present at the solemn events. The name for the school was chosen by the students themselves on the basis of their search and information work.
A street and a school in Krichev are named after Nikolai Sirotinin.
In 2010 about Nikolai Sirotinin was filmed documentary "One soldier in the field. The feat of the 41st"
Per recent times there have appeared many so-called historians, or people trying to classify themselves as such, who are trying to refute not even the feat, but the very existence of Nikolai Sirotinin. These pseudo-historians are based on the data of the Book of Memory for the Oryol Region, where it is reported about the death of Nikolai Sirotinin on July 16, 1944 near Karachev in the Bryansk Region, German sources, their own so-to-say "research", basically illiterate in nature, and, purely selective , on the data of witnesses of that battle. But the main thing is not all this, but the fact that, as shown by a long discussion with one of such "historians", the main argument, omitting various kinds of insults, was the following: "This is nowhere to be found, so it cannot be."
The purpose of this article is to show the main arguments "for", on the basis of newly discovered circumstances and analysis of existing data, which allow, from a not literary, but a historical point of view, to look at what happened on that day near Krichev, and before the battle and immediately after him. As a result, it was possible to restore almost completely the whole picture of what was happening both before and after the feat of Nikolai Sirotinin on July 17, 1941, as if from the point of view of himself.
We will not dwell here on the entire difficult situation that had developed by that time on this sector of the front in Belarus, and we will resort to it only if it is related to the feat itself. And we will not describe that battle itself now, since this is a topic for a separate note. In short, I would like to say that the battle was not the same as it was described in the literature, since Nikolai was not alone in the first attacks on Sokolnichi (in the first part of the day on July 17), and he participated, on an equal basis with others, along with the entire personnel of the consolidated infantry regiment 5 armies. But the battle, which everyone knows about from literary sources, when he was left alone with the column - this was the third attempt to cross the Dobrost River, and, basically, it was no longer tank, but artillery units. But now the main thing is to show how everything was before that day.
So, first of all, I would like to start with the fact that from the documents about Nicholas only the medical record of the conscript was preserved, weight - 53 kg, height - 164 cm, year of birth - 1921, and his letter home, 1940, from the 55th rifle regiment from under Polotsk, possibly written immediately after the conscription in October of the same year. His 17th Infantry Division was stationed in Belarus all the pre-war period, and by the beginning of the war it was redeployed to the line of the r. Ditva, where she came into direct contact with the enemy.
Figure: Part of N. Sirotinin's medical record.
By June 1941, he was already a senior sergeant, a gun commander. For about 2/3 years, it was quite realistic to reach such a rank and position. After all, it was a special time when the very possibility of war was already felt by all the people and leaders of all levels. Naturally, in these critical conditions, a successful, intelligent and skillful boy-gunner could quickly get the ranks of both sergeant and senior sergeant. Still, tomorrow there may be a war and it was necessary to train personnel, and, especially, to show an example to others.
One of the main counter-arguments that Nikolai could not be with Krichev was that at that time his entire 55th regiment of the 17th SD was in retreat to Kalinkovichi, which is 250 km south-west of Krichev. We give further in full that part of the memoirs of the commander of the 55th rifle regiment, Major Skripka, explaining what happened and how then: “In the evening of June 24, the division commander received an order to withdraw to the eastern bank of the Ditva River. Leaving the rifle company at the height as a rear marching outpost, at night it moved to a new line. The outpost was supposed to join the regiment in the morning. However, at dawn, the rumble of a strong battle was heard from the side of the hill. Besides, the regiment was ordered to withdraw to Lida without stopping at the Ditva line. As a result, the outpost did not return to the regiment. . Her fate is unknown. "
So we got an unambiguous answer why Nikolai retreated himself and not like his entire division. One company of the 55th regiment died at the end of June, at dawn on June 25, apparently, in the end, being surrounded, isolated from the entire retreating regiment and the entire division, that is, without the possibility of receiving reinforcements. And Nikolai either survived that battle, or, more likely, had an order from the company commander to find the regiment and report their death.
Here it is necessary to especially mention the heroism of these soldiers and officers, since, apart from those meager lines of Major Skripka, no one said anything about them. And Nikolai, who knew more, also died, but only later and in different circumstances. But then, starting in the early morning of June 25, Nikolai alone decides to move independently towards the east, ending up in Sokolnichi near Krichev, where only the front line was formed.
By the way, the fact that Krichev comes across on the map in the direction from the Lida area and strictly to the east is another proof that this is not an accidental coincidence. Since the regiment, from the point of view of N. Sirotinin, withdrew to an unknown destination2, and there was no one at the Ditva line in the morning, he was left alone, then in these conditions it was logical to move exactly to the east, hoping to catch up with the regiment. But this is how, unfortunately, the paths of Kolya and the regiment diverged even more, since his unit, by order, did not logically retreat to the southeast. If we assume that every day Nicholas walked 30-35 km (which is close to the value of 35 km of one day's journey along Herodotus, see V. Yanovich, “Great Scythia: History of Dokievskaya Rus”), then this distance to Sokolnichi is about 500 km, it was covered in 14-17 days. He approached Minsk (and this is about halfway) already when the encirclement was closed over units of the 3rd and 10th army on June 27. Of course, a young man could walk more in a day, but this was the limit, given that one had to be careful, look around in the environment, or close to the environment, move through wooded areas, and not roads, and, in the end, moreover, while still finding sources of food and drink.
So, by July 7-10, he gets to the front line at Sokolnichi, held by the forces of the 4th and 13th armies. Upon reaching this line of defense, Nikolai passes into the disposal of Captain Kim, chief of staff, who, due to the circumstances (and the enemy rapidly and unexpectedly continued the offensive from the north-west), performed many functions in his person, including, obviously, establishing deserters from the retreating troops 3. There was no need to doubt what Nikolai had told him. Apparently, both his documents and his uniform were in order, and it was both practically and theoretically impossible to contact his division, which was retreating to the Kalinkovichi at that time, to verify the information received. Therefore, he was ranked among the regiment located on this line of defense, but only as a "penalty box" - gunner.
Note that these dates, calculated from the time of walking, surprisingly coincide with the dates from witnesses who claim Kolya's appearance in Sokolnichi around July 9-10. Sokolnichi residents have more vivid memories of him, since he helped with the housework in one of the courtyards. The fellow villagers also remember the "high commander", obviously - Captain Kim. And all this is also not random coincidences and guesses, but everything is so, or almost so, and it was.
It should be noted that by July 16, the encirclement ring to the north of Krichev was closed, where, near Smolensk, units of the 16th and 20th army were surrounded, therefore, the capture of Krichev, as the last line on the right bank of the river. Sozh, special importance was given. Indeed, there is a photograph from July 14, 1941, in which General von Langermann, commander of 2 tank army, discusses the details of the operation at Krichev with Colonels Eberbach and Schneider4, direct participants in the battles at Sokolnichi, commanders of tank and artillery units, respectively.
As a result, Krichev fell, and parts of the Wehrmacht fortified their positions on the right bank. Subsequently, attempts were made to recapture this city, due to the awareness of its strategic importance, but this did not lead to anything, but only led to the failure of almost all personnel of the 4th Airborne Forces, which took up defenses on the left bank of the river. Sozh. This is how the decision of the individual commander to surrender the positions at the Sokolniki decided the fate of the entire corps.
So, it can be considered definitely reliable that a soldier of the Red Army, senior sergeant Nikolai Sirotinin, from the 55th rifle regiment of the 17th rifle division in the period starting from July 9-10, 1941, found himself at the defense line near the village of Sokolnichi, across the Dobrost River and entered the battle with the enemy, starting at dawn on July 17, along with other soldiers.
As then, and especially now, each person has a choice - to remain honest to the end and fulfill their duty to the Motherland or live a life of plankton and in the end be consigned to oblivion.
Notes
1 As it turns out, there were no military actions in the Karachev area in 1944 and could not have happened, and the coincidences of the names of the cities (compare - "Krichev" and "Karachev") and the date of death on July 16, look somehow strange, which is close to the actual date of July 17, 1941, with an "error" of exactly three years.
2 By the way, the order to retreat the entire 17th division to the southeast looks inexplicable and incomprehensible, when the enemy's offensive during this period of time took place mainly to the east, along all sectors of the front. At the same time, other parts of the Red Army were able to hold back the offensive, for example, with a competent retreat and dynamic use of the 5th Army's artillery anti-tank brigade, directing it to the most necessary place. You can learn more about this from the memoirs of its commander, who later became the army commander, KS Moskalenko “In the southwest direction. Book 1 ”. It is worth noting that the front line by the end of the summer of 1941 was extended towards the west in the area in front of Kiev and precisely on the front line of the 5th Army, possibly due to these competent actions of the gunners.
3 Note that he was able to fulfill this function in the best way, and of all the memories of the war, he left for us a short and verbally said “there were many bad things”. But from the memoirs of Lieutenant Larionov, the commander of a machine-gun company, Captain Kim was later demoted, mainly, apparently, for the surrender of positions near Sokolnichi, which resulted in the capture of Krichev. Under these conditions, from the point of view of Captain Kim, it was “natural” to keep silent about some kind of fighter, especially since he, even as a hero, died, which means that he cannot say anything in his own defense. And the fact that, according to the recollections of the same Larionov, Kim called the fighters who honorably fulfilled their duty “marauders”, just because they grabbed German machine guns from the battlefield, already speaks volumes about this, if after all so to speak, a person.
4 By the way, Colonel Erich Schneider, who later became Lieutenant General, was that “tall and bald head”, according to local residents, who took part in Kolya's funeral in Sokolnichi on the afternoon of July 17, 1941, after the capture of Krichev.
There is evidence that Schneider was tall and bald. In particular, this can be clearly seen in the photograph taken on October 1, 1941 on page 58 from the book “Panzer Warfare on the Eastern Front”. It should be so when, as it would seem from a series of random coincidences, a puzzle is being assembled.
First of all, it is worth mentioning how Nikolai ended up near Krichev. He left the encirclement on June 25, 41, and one walked 500 km to the east, until he got to the front line, in the Sokolnichi area. His 55th rifle regiment was retreating in an organized manner to the southeast. Here he ended up in the combined battalion, which was tasked with keeping the defense of Krichev from the west (there are two roads - Varshavka and the old road, just north of it). From July 9-10, he is in Sokolnichi, in one of the houses where the headquarters is located. The main part of the battalion is a little to the north, but south of Khotilovichi. On July 16, the battalion will register and dig in a howitzer with 6 shells (near Khotilovichi) plus 3 magpies. Another 2 magpies (Kolina and Petrov) stand right on Varshavka, only Kolina is probably a little further from the road and is not so noticeable in the rye field. In the evening of the same day, German scouts (a Soviet-made vehicle) visit the positions and discover Petrov's cannon and a howitzer near Khotilovichi.
In the morning of July 17, another reconnaissance is carried out in force, by the efforts of the reconnaissance group, but without approaching the bridge over the Dobrost river, the group loses several tanks (ALL guns (5 cannons 45 mm + howitzer) conduct heavy fire and retreats. 2 enemy attack with T-3 tanks fell completely on the position south of Khotilovichi, bypassing the highway, and on Varshavka itself at this time, tanks were still smoking in the morning.Unfortunately, by the 2nd attack only ONE Kolya's gun remains at Sokolnichi and Larionov's pulrot with bottles south of Khotilovichi. The main part of the battalion retreats beyond river Sozh (to the crossing) and 4 guns - to Krichev By the way, this moment was also described by the villagers. 
Figure: Shooting directions of N. Sirotinin and the approximate line of our defense (in green)
During this attack, Kolya deployed a cannon (its weight is 1.5 tons) and fired at the sides of the tanks at a distance of about 1-1.5 km (quite enough to penetrate the armor, the calculations confirm). At this moment the howitzer runs out of shells, but the enemy thinks that this howitzer is firing. When the tanks reached the trenches, bottles were also set on fire. As a result, the remaining intact tanks ironed the trenches (after all, one gun is not enough), but the pulrota laid down all the infantry. Therefore, without support, the remaining tanks returned to their positions (almost enough).
3, the attack again falls on Larionov at Khotilovichi, but he, having fulfilled the order, having lost about half of the personnel (having previously taken the captured machine guns from the battlefield), left the position. Having met NO resistance (Kolya's gun was "silent" because Kolya turned it around again in the direction of the highway), the tanks (Eberbach's group) rush to Krichev (in front of a lorry with scouts) along another, northern road and across the field. A command is given to launch armored vehicles, guns, trucks with infantry and motorcyclists across Varshavka (this was already Schneider's group).
Kolya sets fire to the first tank near the bridge (or right on the bridge), and the last large transport object in sight (a car or an armored personnel carrier). The group is at a loss as Eberbach reported free traffic on the highway and DOES NOT UNDERSTAND WHERE THE FIRING IS COMING FROM. The positions at Khotilovichi (where Eberbach passed) are carefully inspected, but there is NO ONE. The positions of Kolya Polokho are visible to the enemy (smoke and fire at the bridge). Kolya at this time is engaged in a simple soldier's business - wets the enemy (and he is neither forward nor in the ass, well, nothing).
Since they cannot break through the bridge (traffic jam and smoke), the enemy again goes around, along the forest road and then through Sokolnichi (on motorcycles) and / or deep bypass through Khotilovichi (but there with caution, and for a long time). Here the invaders are already entering the rear of Kolya and firing mortars after Kolya "snapped" with a carbine and possibly killed another enemy.
After that, Kolya's funeral was held, and the German soldiers were sent to the rear, perhaps they were buried at home (since Eberbach had already reported on the capture of Krichev and additional force was not needed). Schneider, as a person with education and a warrior from the 1st world (old school), appreciates Kolya's choice of position, courage and determination. Thanks to Schneider, NO punitive actions are carried out against the local population, although it was here that they should have been especially significant, given the HUGE losses in 2 attacks and 1 movement on the highway.
As a result, from the point of view of the enemy, a lot of equipment was set on fire and a lot of enemy manpower was put out of action due to INCIDENCE. Because if the column stood still and did not move, it would have avoided losses (Krichev was taken this way). And the scouts could not be allowed in front of the columns (as insurance), because they were involved in Krichev (in front of the shock tank group).
That's the whole battle, in which Kolya AS A SOLDIER was accompanied by real luck and the bird Sva-Slava will sing forever a song to him !!!
Let us remember that each of us always has a choice, either to live and die like a hero, or be known as corrupt plankton and be consigned to oblivion.
The history of the Great Patriotic War is full of dramatic events, as well as examples of the amazing dedication of Soviet people who sacrificed their lives to crush fascism. Among them is the feat of Nikolai Vladimirovich Sirotinin, which aroused sincere admiration even among the enemies who buried the hero with all military honors.
Biography
Member of the Komsomol Nikolai Sirotinin was born in 1921 in the city of Orel. After leaving school, the young man worked for some time at the Oryol plant "Tekmash", and in 1940 he was drafted into the ranks of the Red Army. Sirotinin served in Polotsk, and on the first day of the war he was wounded during an enemy air raid. After a short treatment in the hospital, Nikolai was sent to the front in the Krichev area. At the time of his last battle, the young man had the rank of senior sergeant and served as a gunner in the 6th (according to some sources, 17th) rifle division of the 13th Army.
The situation at the line of defense near the Dobrost River
In mid-July 1941, Soviet troops continued their retreat along almost the entire length of the front. The division, in which Nikolai Sirotinin served, reached the defensive line near the Dobrost River and suffered heavy losses, since it did not have enough equipment and military equipment to withstand the onslaught of the 4th Panzer Division under the command of Colonel von Langermann. This Wehrmacht unit was part of the 2nd Panzer Group of Colonel-General Heinz Guderian, who distinguished himself during the occupation of France and Poland.
On the day when the feat of Sergeant Nikolai Sirotinin was performed (July 17), the commander of the battery in which the hero served, decided to organize a cover for the retreat of his military unit. For this purpose, one gun was installed at the bridge on the 476th km of the Moscow - Warsaw highway across the Dobrost River. It had to be served by two people, one of whom was the battalion commander himself. Nikolai Sirotinin also volunteered to stay on the crossing. He was supposed to help fire at enemy tanks as soon as they leave the bridge.
in 1941: battle
The gun was camouflaged on a hill in thick rye. From this position, the highway and the bridge were clearly visible, but it was difficult for the enemy to notice and destroy.
A column of German armored vehicles appeared at dawn. With the first shot, Nikolai knocked out the head tank of the convoy, which came out onto the bridge, and with the second, the armored personnel carrier that closed it. Thus, a traffic jam formed on the road, and the 6th Infantry Division was able to calmly retreat.
When the shock from the sudden artillery attack passed, the Germans began to shoot back and wounded the battalion commander of the Soviet gun. Since the combat mission of stopping the enemy's tank column was completed, the commander retreated to the Soviet positions, but Sergeant Sirotinin refused to follow him, saying that the gun had several dozen unused shells, and he wanted to disable as many enemy tanks as possible.
The feat of Nikolai Vladimirovich Sirotinin: the death of a hero
The Germans tried to pull the knocked out lead tank off the bridge using two other armored vehicles. Then Sirotinin knocked them out too, thereby infuriating the Nazis. An attempt was also made to wade through the river, but the very first tank got stuck near the shore and was destroyed by the fire of a Soviet gun. The battle lasted about two and a half hours, during which Sirotinin destroyed 11 tanks, 6 armored vehicles, as well as more than fifty enemy soldiers and officers.
Finally, the enemies surrounded the hero and asked him to surrender. But Sirotinin continued the fight, firing back from his carbine, until he was killed.
The funeral
The history of war knows only a few examples when the enemy showed respect to his defeated enemy, worshiping his valor. It was these feelings that the feat of Nikolai Sirotinin aroused in the German command. Moreover, the testimonies of several eyewitnesses have survived about the hero's funeral. In particular, one of the residents of the village of Sokolnichi, who owned german, which the invaders, together with their fellow villagers, drove to the place where Sirotinin's cannon was located, later said that the "main German", before betraying the body soviet sergeant earth, said the speech. In it, he praised the bravery of the Russian soldier and urged his soldiers to love the Motherland as well as deceased hero... Even more interesting are the memoirs of Chief Lieutenant Friedrich Henfeld, who in his diary was indignant that Colonel von Langermann ordered German soldiers to fire three rifle volleys in honor of the Russian soldier.
Memory
The feat of Nikolai Sirotinin was not appreciated by the country at its true worth. The fact is that Kolya's relatives did not have a single photograph of the boy, so he was not presented for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The only award of the young man was the Order Patriotic War first degree.
In 1948, the hero's body was reburied in and on a marble plaque, among others, his name was indicated. In 1958, Ogonyok published an article "The Legend of the Heroic Deed", from which the inhabitants of the Soviet Union learned about the events of July 17, 1941 that took place on the bridge over the Dobrost River. The feat of Nikolai Sirotinin shocked hundreds of thousands of people. In 1961, an obelisk was erected at the place where the young man alone held the defense against a column of German tanks. In addition, a commemorative plaque with a short story about Sirotinin's feat was mounted on the wall of the workshop of the Tekmash plant, where the hero worked before the war.
Opinions
Since more than 70 years have passed since the moment when Nikolai Sirotinin's feat took place, it is almost impossible to find living eyewitnesses of those events. That is why some researchers, in pursuit of a sensation, try to present it as a beautiful heroic legend, forgetting that the deceased young man had a family, and relatives are still alive. In addition, if the story of the heroic deed of Sergeant Sirotinin were a fairy tale, then why for about 20 years almost no one knew about it? And, finally, on the edge of one of the Belarusian villages and today there are the remains of a 19-year-old boy who died for his homeland. This circumstance alone allows us to consider him a hero and adore the feat of his comrades who saved the world from the "brown plague."
Now you know what the feat of Nikolai Sirotinin is. It is very difficult to tell about him briefly and without emotion. After all, this story cannot but take for the soul, for it is an exceptional example of dedication and love for the Motherland of a still young man who, like everyone else, wanted to live ...