107 separate rifle brigade was formed in the city of Volzhsk of the Republic of Mari El by order of the State Defense Committee in December 1941. The brigade included four separate rifle battalion, two separate artillery battalions, a separate mortar battalion and separate units: reconnaissance, submachine gunners, communications, medical, engineering and automotive services. The detached 4th battalion of the 107th brigade included three rifle, machine-gun companies, a reconnaissance star, a medical unit, and was recruited from volunteers and conscripts from the Volzhsky, Mari-Turekskoye, Zvenigovsky, Morkinsky and other regions of the republic. Combat path: until October 1942, the 107th brigade fought near Bryansk. In a short time, it has established itself as a close-knit military unit capable of fulfilling any order of the Fatherland. During defensive battles, participated in three offensive operations, destroyed hundreds of enemy soldiers, officers, and military equipment.
Many soldiers were awarded orders and medals for their shown georism and courage Soviet Union... Later, the brigade was transferred to the Caucasus, by order of the command, it was relocated to the Tuapse region. They were given the task of stopping the enemy in Tuapse, completing their task at the Marukh pass. By the beginning of 1943 - Malaya Zemlya, September 16 - Moscow saluted the valiant soldiers of the North Caucasus and Black Sea fleet, consisting of which were also soldiers of the 107th rifle brigade. The personnel of the brigade fought near Anapa. After the Taman Peninsula was liberated by order of the Headquarters of the Main Command of the USSR Armed Forces, the 117th Guards brigade was formed on the basis of three separate brigades - 107th, 81st and 8th. rifle division... Its soldiers carried the guards banner to Berlin and Prague with battles. Lipets L.Ya. One thousand four hundred and eighteen days the People's War was going on. Don't forget about her. It will be remembered for a long time: the battles near Moscow, And the terrible bombing, and the sirens howl. And on the Volga-mother strong Stalingrad, And not conquered, proud surviving Leningrad ... 107 glorious in Volzhsk was born. Such is the hypostasis of the brigade. And when the order came to go to fight, Our whole city went out to see off that brigade. Here we passed Moscow, direction to Bryansk. Here the fighters received their first "baptism". One hundred and seventh fought, did not surrender, About her battles fame spread. Soon the order was received from the Supreme to beat the enemies in the South, to defend the Caucasus. ... There, on the passes, the mountains are high, And below them the stormy streams of the Pshish River. And our countrymen did not flinch in the mountains, Though all the days were very difficult. How heroes fell in the terrible battles there Kolya Romashenkov, Evgenia Pavlova ... And other brave ... You cannot count all, Who entered immortality, Glory to them and Honor! And they ended the war on a foreign land, Recording the one hundred and seventh Banner in history (January 2004)
On December 15, 1941, 5 people from the city of Gorky, future commanders and commissars of battalions, arrived in Volzhsk. The formation of the 107th separate rifle brigade began.
The creation of these brigades in the second half of 1941 and at the beginning of 1942 was a temporary measure that made it possible to accelerate the replenishment of the active army with trained reserves. Each rifle brigade included 3 rifle battalions, an artillery and mortar divisions, a company of machine gunners, and combat and material support units. Three different staffs of the rifle brigade, with personnel ranging from 4,356 to 6,000, were active simultaneously.
In April 1942, the People's Commissariat for Defense introduced a new staff of a rifle brigade with four rifle battalions, a battalion of machine gunners, an artillery battalion, and a company of anti-tank rifles.
In mid-December 1941, Vasily Vladimirovich Kabanov was assigned to the brigade and soon arrived in Volzhsk.
V.V. Kabanov - brigade commissar
In January 1942 Colonel Pyotr Efimovich Kuzmin was appointed commander of the 107th separate rifle brigade.
P.E. Kuzmin - brigade commander
On December 30, 1941, a meeting of the district committee bureau was held, to which the heads of enterprises and institutions of Volzhsk and the region were invited. The question of helping the brigade in its formation was discussed.
Food and cultural services for the personnel were organized. School No. 5 did a lot. By the efforts of teachers and students, it was put in an exemplary order, a classroom was equipped for training personnel. The brigade's headquarters is located in the building of the House of Pioneers in the old park.
House of Pioneers, where from December 1941 to April 1942 the brigade headquarters was located
By the end of January 1942, the brigade was in general staffed with command personnel and political workers. Private and non-commissioned officers arrived mainly from the Far Eastern garrisons, replenished from the military reserves of the Gorky and Sverdlovsk regions, from the Mari and Chuvash republics.
Hundreds of men, women and even teenagers turned to the draft board of the military registration and enlistment office with a request to enroll them in the brigade.
A considerable part of the replenishment was made up of volunteers from the Mari Republic.
Among them were our Volzhans.
Signal operator Grigory Suslov
Young milling machine operator Grigory Suslov. As part of the brigade, and then the 117th Guards Rifle Division, he went through a glorious combat path, was awarded two Orders of the Red Star, a medal "For Courage" and other military awards.
At the insistent request, a 9th grade student of the Komsomol Kolya Romashenkov was enrolled in the scout company.
Nikolay Romashenkov - scout
Andrey Bakaev arrived at the age of seventeen.
Andrey Bakaev - communications operator
He fought in a communications company, in a rifle company of the 1st battalion, distinguished himself in battles on the Bryansk front, on the Marukh pass, on the Malaya land. He was wounded twice. He was awarded the Medal For Courage, the Order of the Red Star and Patriotic War II degree.
Among the volunteers was Nikolai Lazarev, who was not yet 18 years old.
Kolya Lazarev - signalman
He distinguished himself on the Bryansk front. He was wounded and awarded several government awards.
Volunteers and conscripts of the republic Alexei Sukhov, Ivan Sidorkin, Sergei fought skillfully. Kalabushkin and others.
Lev Lipets left in the 4th battalion.
Lev Lipets
There were many girls among the volunteers.
Kapitolina Anoshkina,
Kapitolina Anoshkina with her friend Vera Khurtina
Anna Blokhnina,
Anna Blokhnina (Samoletova)
Caucasian love,
Love Caucasian
Vera Osipova,
Vera Osipova (Aktuganova)
who had a medical education, were enrolled in the unit by nurses. Later they were awarded government awards.
Schoolgirl Zhenya Pavlova was enrolled as a medical instructor in a rifle company of the 1st battalion.
Zhenya Pavlova - medical instructor
She fought bravely and was awarded the Order of the Red Star and the Medal For Courage. On June 19, 1943, she died and was buried on Mount Myskhako.
At the beginning of February 1942, the brigade was fully completed. Loading into the trains took place on May 1 after the city meeting.
The rally began at 9 o'clock at the MBK House of Culture.
House of Culture of the Mari Paper Mill, photo 1935
The entire local population went out to escort the soldiers to the front. The rally was opened by the first secretary of the district committee of the party, who expressed confidence that the 107th separate rifle brigade, formed on the Mari land, will honor the order of the Motherland. On behalf of the workers, the chairman of the factory committee P.N. Abinyakov. He assured that the home front workers will spare no effort to provide the front with everything necessary. The brigade was presented with the banner with which it marched to the Victory.
Banner of the 107th separate rifle brigade
Having passed a solemn march, the brigade's units marched to the station to the music of a brass band and incessant applause. The warriors perceived the warm farewell of the townspeople as a military order of the Motherland.
In early May 1942, the 107th brigade was transferred to the 61st Army of the Bryansk Front.
On July 7, in this area, the 1st rifle battalion fought with the aim of reaching a new position. During it, a more advantageous defensive line was captured.
On the battlefield, courageous medical workers were able to provide timely assistance to all the wounded. Medical instructor Zhenya Pavlova and military assistant Nadya Zemlyanova were the first of the brigade's medical workers to receive government awards.
During the period of battles on the Bryansk Front - from May 5 to August 8, 1942, the rifle brigade, conducting defensive battles, participated in three offensive operations, destroyed hundreds of soldiers and officers and a lot of enemy military equipment. For their heroism and courage, more than one hundred soldiers of the brigade were awarded orders and medals of the Soviet Union.
In August 1942, the 107th Rifle Brigade was transferred to the Caucasus. On September 3, she concentrated in the Sukhumi region and became part of the 46th Army of the Transcaucasian Front.
The situation was dire. On September 4, the commander of the 46th Army, Major General K.N. Leselidze ordered to send one of the brigade's rifle battalions to the Marukh Pass with the task of stopping the enemy's advance and, together with other units, to destroy it. Take up defense on the Black Sea coast from Krasny Mayak to Sukhumi. Be prepared to repel the amphibious assault.
The 1st Rifle Battalion, equipped, made a march across the mountains of the Main Caucasian Range and arrived at the Marukh Pass.
For more than a month, the battalion, together with other units, fought stubborn battles on the Marukh pass with superior forces enemy. But the enemy was stopped.
Having completed the assigned task, the battalion returned to the brigade, which was fighting northeast of Tuapse.
In September 1942, the 107th separate rifle brigade was transferred to the 18th army, leading the battles in the Tuapse direction.
Map of the Tuapse battle, October 1942
During the hostilities near Tuapse - from October 10, 1942 to January 1943 - the 107th brigade carried out the order of the commander of the Black Sea group, stopped the enemy's advance along the highway on Tuapse. Without retreating not a step, inflicted heavy losses on the enemy in manpower and equipment.
By the end of October 1942, the enemy reached the rear of the brigade. The threat of encirclement was created. Telephone communication with the 4th rifle battalion was interrupted. All who could hold a weapon held back the enemy.
In battle, the signalman, a Volzhan, Nikolai Lazarev, distinguished himself. The signalmen were tasked with establishing communication with the company of machine gunners and the reconnaissance company. With comrade Nikolai Fomin, N. Lazarev, taking reels of cable and telephones, ran and crawled to the designated place.
The enemy opened heavy mortar fire, the telephone cable was broken in several places. Fomin took up the elimination, Lazarev continued to move to the specified point. The telephone connection was restored, but a few minutes later it was broken again. Lazarev went to the line, but was seriously wounded. After recovery, he was sent to another part. After the war, he returned to Volzhsk, worked at the Marbumkombinat.
As a result of the enemy's access to the approaches to Shahumyan, a gap was formed between the 383rd and 328th rifle divisions. There was a threat of the enemy's exit through the Ostrovskaya Shchel to the Tuapse highway.
In front of the commander of the 107th Rifle Brigade that had just arrived, Colonel P.E. Kuzmin was given the task: to cover this direction and stop the advance of the Nazis. The brigade commander quickly moved rifle battalions to the road junction near Ostrovskaya Gap. Fierce fighting did not stop for several days. German bombers attacked the battle formations of the 107th Infantry Brigade almost continuously. The enemy infantry, supported by strong artillery and mortar fire, again and again tried to break through to the Tuapse highway, but each time it rolled back to its original position, leaving the dead and wounded on the battlefield.
The brigade, formed from Siberians, already had experience in military operations in the mountains at the Marukh Pass as part of the 46th Army. These were mainly young soldiers and sergeants, conscripts in 1939. About 1700 envoys of the Moscow militia joined the brigade in early October. 580 Communists and 1560 Komsomol members cemented the ranks of the soldiers of the 107th Rifle Brigade.
In the battles for the village of Shaumyan, scout N. Romashenkov, the secretary of the Komsomol organization of the company, distinguished himself.
The defense occupied by the 107th brigade northeast of Tuapse became insurmountable for the enemy.
On January 15, 1943, the brigade, along with other formations of the 18th Army, went on the offensive.
On January 16, the brigade commander P.E. Kuzmin. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of June 6, 1943, for the exemplary fulfillment of the tasks of the command, for the skillful leadership of the troops and the courage and courage shown by P.E. Kuzmin posthumously awarded the order Suvorov of the second degree.
At the end of January 1943, the brigade was transferred to the Gelendzhik area. Objective: to seize Mount Myskhako, then to advance on Glebovka and cut the road Novorossiysk - Anapa.
On the night of February 10, 1943, artillery, mortars and ammunition were transferred to the bridgehead. In the following nights, the transfer of artillery and mortars, the landing of the 107th Infantry Brigade continued ... The brigades, having landed on the shore, immediately entered into a struggle to expand the bridgehead.
On April 17, heavy bloody battles unfolded in the defense zones of the 8th Guards, 51st and the right flank of the 107th rifle brigades. Here the enemy delivered the main blow. He strove to break through at any cost along the Fedotovka-Myskhako state farm road along the Bezymyanny brook gorge (“the valley of death”).
The struggle was for every meter of land. The 107th Rifle Brigade repulsed more than 16 enemy attacks during the day.
Nikolai Romashenkov in April 1943 wrote a letter to his mother Anastasia Mikhailovna in Volzhsk: “ Dear Mom! I was accepted as a candidate member of the party, and the head of the political department of the brigade said that he recommended me as the secretary of the Komsomol organization of the battalion ... I was in intelligence many times and I believe: our guys are friendly, they will not leave in trouble».
This was Nikolai's last letter. On May 2, 1943, in a battle on Malaya Zemlya, Nikolai died from a fatal wound. In the last minutes of his life, bleeding to death, he turned to his countrywoman Zhenya Pavlova: “ Zhenya, after the Victory you will return to Volzhsk, tell your sister, mother and father that I gave my life for my beloved Motherland».
For heroic deeds in battles, Nikolai Romashenkov was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War of the second degree, posthumously.
Small Earth, 1943
A difficult task fell to the lot of the signalmen. Among them was our fellow countryman Gregory. Suslov. Once, in the course of the battle, the connection was cut off again. Suslov took the telephone, a coil of wire, said to a friend: “You know, Vanya, this is a 28th hit on the wire. The Fritzes are not appeased, but the connection will still be there. " Despite the explosions of shells and mines, both set off on another risky flight.
The 107th separate rifle brigade on Malaya Zemlya fought for 7 months. During this time, she exterminated several thousand enemy soldiers, a large number of guns and mortars, vehicles with ammunition. More than two thousand soldiers of the brigade were awarded government awards.
Novorossiysk - Taman offensive operation, which ended on October 9, 1943, was the final stage battles for the Caucasus.
On the same day, a directive came about the formation of the 117th Guards Rifle Division, which consisted of 3 brigades: the 8th Guards, the 81st Marine Brigade and the 107th Separate Rifle Division. The commander is Colonel L.V. Kosonogov, deputy commander for political affairs and head of the political department of the division - V.V. Kabanov, Chief of Staff of the Division - Lieutenant Colonel V.G. Prudnik.
After the liberation of the Taman Peninsula, the troops of the North Caucasian Front began preparations for the battles for the liberation of the Crimea.
By mid-December, the 18th Army was redeployed to the Right-Bank Ukraine and became part of the 1st Ukrainian Front.
The troops fought heavy defensive battles in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Dnieper and the Southern Bug. It was necessary to hold the defense, and then, during the counterattack, go to the Zhitomir-Berdichev direction. At dawn on January 1, 1944, the Zhitomir - Berdichev highway was intercepted. On January 5, 1944, in stubborn and fierce battles, Berdichev was liberated.
Freeing Berdichev, part 117 guards division continued the offensive.
On January 6, 1944, the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the USSR I.V. Stalin: “For successful fighting during the liberation of the city of Berdichev from the German fascist invaders and the courage and courage shown at the same time, to assign the name of the 117th Guards Rifle Division to the Berdichevskaya division, and to declare gratitude to the personnel. "
In mid-March 1944, the division was withdrawn from battle and received an order to march to the Ternopil region. On 22 days and 22 nights, from March 27 to April 16, there were stubborn battles for Ternopil, which ended in the complete destruction of the enemy.
During the Lvov-Sandomierz operation of the 13th Army, the 117th, together with formations, fought over 500 km, liberating over 100 settlements from the enemy.
From the Sandomierz bridgehead 1, the Ukrainian front advanced on Breslavl, and then forward to Berlin!
For the 117th Guards Berdichev Order of Bogdan Khmelnytsky Rifle Division, May 11 was the last day of the war.
In Czechoslovakia, a memorial plaque was installed on the Plasi square:
"SQUARE OF THE CZECHOSLOVAK-SOVIET FRIENDSHIP.
A memorial plaque was erected by the citizens of Plasi in the place where the 117th Guards Division ended its combat path in 1945. "
By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 26, 1945, the 117th Guards Rifle Division was awarded the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, II degree, for breaking through the enemy's defenses on the Neisse River.
V. V. KABANOV
former deputy commander of the 107th brigade for political affairs
In those days, our 107th separate rifle brigade, transferred to the 18th army (except for the 1st battalion, which continued to carry out its task at the Marukh pass), concentrated in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Indyuk railway station and the Goytkh pass.
While traveling to the designated area, brigade commander Colonel P. Ye. Kuzmin and the author of these lines were summoned to the commander of the Black Sea group of forces, I. Ye. Petrov.
The commander familiarized us with the situation, set the task for the brigade: to stop the enemy's advance in Tuapse along the railway and highways at the line with mark 576 - Shaumyan.
Parts of the brigade, the general emphasized, must fight to the death!
On the morning of October 10, we reported to the commanders and political workers of units and subunits on the order of the commander of the ChGV and gave instructions on preparations for entering the defense line. Particular attention was paid to working with the personnel of rifle battalions, since more than half of the privates and sergeants in them did not have combat experience.
The situation was dire. The enemy with the forces of the 97th and 101st light infantry divisions continued to press our units. On October 11, the commander of the 18th Army gave the following assessment in combat order: "Up to four enemy infantry regiments, having captured Mount Gaiman and the village of Gunayka, seeks to break through into the valley of the Pshish River and into the Ostrovskaya Shchel region, in order to cut the Tuapse highway and the railway. ...
The 107th Separate Rifle Brigade received the order: by the morning of October 11, take up defensive positions in the area, height 388.3, \u200b\u200bGoytkhsky pass, height 396.8, in order to prevent the enemy from entering the valley of the Pshish river, along the Kholodnaya gully and Ostrovskaya crack to railwayse and highway. Pay special attention to the defense of the road junction in the Ostrovskaya gap, be ready for counterattacks in the direction of Goyth, Gunayka, the Pshish junction.
The 4th Rifle Battalion was to defend the area of \u200b\u200bheight 396.8 and be ready for action in the direction of mark 224 (Goith) and along the Kholodnaya gully; The 3rd rifle battalion with a mortar battalion and two batteries of the artillery battalion - the area of \u200b\u200bthe Ostrovskaya gap, heights 388.3, \u200b\u200b352 and firmly hold the road junction three kilometers south of Shahumyan; The 2nd rifle battalion to defend the Goytkh pass at the turn of heights 363.7, 384 and be ready to conduct military operations in the direction along the Ostrovskaya gap and the road to Shahumyan; battalion of machine gunners to defend Mount Turkey. The main firepower of the brigade - a division of 76-mm cannons and an anti-tank destroyer battalion - took up firing positions in a tank-hazardous direction, covering the valley of the Pshish River.
There was little time to prepare the defensive line. The enemy continued the offensive, crowding out the subunits of the forward units, which retreated in small groups through the brigade's battle formations. On the same day, October 11, the 3rd and 4th battalions, which took up defenses in the first echelon of the brigade, took up a battle with the advancing Nazi units. The enemy subjected our defense to fierce attacks (in some areas he attacked up to eight or nine times), but did not achieve success. Hundreds of corpses of German soldiers and officers remained in front of the front line.
All night, the brigade's personnel strengthened the defensive lines. A sapper company under the command of Captain P. M. Dolgushin mined separate sections of the highway and the valley of the Pshish River. On October 12 and in the following days, enemy attacks were repulsed. In an effort to break the resistance of our troops at any cost and reach the Black Sea, the enemy brought in fresh forces - infantry and artillery, every day intensified the bombardment of the brigade's battle formations to the entire depth of the defense. Many areas were covered with solid craters. Taking this into account, the brigade commander demanded that all unit commanders continuously improve the engineering equipment of the positions. As a result of the measures taken, losses from enemy air strikes have been significantly reduced. But the tension did not abate. On the right flank, fierce battles were fought on both banks of the Pshish River.
The 4th battalion successfully attacked the enemy and in two companies crossed the Pshish to a height of 618.7, which had steep wooded slopes. Immediately the enemy tried to throw our units into the river and cross over to the right bank. But every time the Nazis in battles that reached hand-to-hand fights, rolled back.
Assessing the situation, the brigade commander ordered the 4th rifle battalion to capture the dominant height of 618.7 in order to improve the position. To accomplish the task, the battalion commander A. V. Kaminsky created an assault group as part of a reinforced company of machine gunners under the command of Senior Lieutenant V. V. Kolmogorov. On October 16, the group, supported by artillery and mortars, attacked the hill, but achieved nothing. Two subsequent attempts were also unsuccessful. Only by the end of the day, the assault group under the command of political instructor Rem Karpinsky broke into the enemy's trenches, where it held out until dawn the next day. The enemy concentrated heavy mortar and artillery fire on our units. They suffered losses. Karpinsky died. The brigade commander ordered the assault group to return to their original lines. In this battle, led by the political instructor Karpinsky, privates N.P. Nemtsev, S.V. Kuznetsov, I.E. Timofeev, N.A.Klochkov and many others fought bravely.
On the left flank of the brigade, along the highway and railway, the enemy, methodically inflicting bombing strikes, conducted heavy artillery and mortar shelling. Up to ten times a day, the Nazis attacked the captain's 3rd rifle battalion. I. T. Tyugankina. But the fighters held back the onslaught of the enemy. The first rifle company under the command of Senior Lieutenant V.M.Kovynov, with the support of the heavy machine guns of the company of Senior Lieutenant S.I. Shtoda, destroyed more than an enemy battalion in the area of \u200b\u200bthe road junction in two days of fighting, on October 13 and 14. The third company of Lieutenant N. D. Kalinin destroyed more than a hundred fascists.
These days, all political workers were in battle formations, encouraging the soldiers with words and personal example. The deputy commander of the 3rd rifle battalion for political affairs, Captain A. Ye. Afanasyev, being among the soldiers of the first rifle company of Lieutenant P. Ya. Samoilenko, was especially distinguished for his courage. The deputy political instructor of the third rifle company, petty officer V.M. Shestakov, when the enemy approached our forward edge, raised the soldiers and rushed to the counter-attack. The enemy could not stand it and turned back.
Mortars and artillerymen played an important role in repelling enemy attacks. The guns of the fighter anti-tank battalion of Major P. P. Ivanov reliably covered the junction of the roads. The battery of Senior Lieutenant MI Bichevin in five days of fighting destroyed seven bunkers, ten carts and several machine-gun points. During the battle, the gunner of the gun, senior sergeant K.A. Skuratov remained alone in the ranks, the rest of the crew were killed or wounded. K. to his aid came the deputy political instructor of the battery P. M. Izmailov, but soon he was struck by fragments of an enemy mine. Left alone again, Skuratov continued to fire until the end of the battle.
The artillerymen of the 76-mm cannon battalion of Captain I. G. Pavlovsky suppressed three enemy mortar batteries, especially the fire platoon of Junior Lieutenant P. I. Kolyada. The gun crews of the Komsomol sergeants Ivan Didenko and Petr Berezkin destroyed two enemy depots with ammunition and fuel. The mortarmen of the 82-mm mortar battalion were called enemy infantry fighters in the brigade. They fired accurately at the enemy clusters. On October 31, six enemy aircraft dropped a deadly cargo on the battalion's position. The battalion commander, senior lieutenant Zubenko, was killed, and the company of senior lieutenant NP Petrenko suffered significant losses. The deputy battalion commander for political affairs, Captain A. N. Kopenkin, himself stunned by the explosions of the bombs, managed to quickly raise the crews and strike at the enemy. From the battalion's mortar fire in this battle, the enemy lost more than two companies in killed and wounded. The Nazis dropped thousands of leaflets on our positions, tried to break the will of our soldiers to resist, to shake the faith in victory, but the fascist lies did not achieve their goal.
The headquarters of the brigade, headed by Lieutenant Colonel A.T. Letyagin, worked hard. Officers N.I. Orlov, D.P. Chumin and others were almost continuously in the battalions, assisting the commanders in organizing interaction between rifle units and artillery, taking measures to improve the defense, studying and clarifying the situation on the front line. Direct communication of the headquarters with units and subunits ensured uninterrupted control of the battle. On October 21, the enemy struck a strong blow in the sector of the right neighbor and, pushing it back, began to bypass the brigade's right flank, where the 4th rifle battalion was defended.
The next day, the situation deteriorated even more. The enemy went to the rear of the brigade, a threat of encirclement was created. The telephone communication between the headquarters and the 4th rifle battalion was interrupted. The battalion commander, Captain A. V. Kaminsky, and his deputy for political affairs, Captain A. D. Kabanov, gathered everyone who was nearby: messengers, signalmen, cooks, riding, lightly wounded soldiers, and formed a group of them to cover the flank. Senior Lieutenant I. M. Pesev, sergeant E. M. Stepanov with a heavy machine gun, riding - an elderly soldier G. I. Dyatlov (everyone called him Uncle Grisha), with rifles and grenades; a group of wounded in the first-aid post - Sergeant RF Otarov, privates ND Klochkov, AV Lansky, IE Timofeev and others, led by paramedic Shura Golovko, armed with machine guns, entered the battle. From morning to four o'clock in the afternoon, a small group courageously restrained the enemy. None wavered. AT unequal battle died the death of the brave Shura Golovko and other soldiers.
To cover the right flank, the brigade commander allocated a company of submachine gunners of Senior Lieutenant M.M. Maslov and a company of reconnaissance officers of Lieutenant G.A.Krezm, who were tasked with blocking the enemy's path to the Goytkh Pass. The brigade commissar by phone reported in detail to the brigade commander on the measures taken and asked to urgently increase artillery and mortar fire at the places of concentration of enemy troops. The commander immediately took appropriate action. The battle went on continuously for two days. On October 25, Kaminsky was seriously wounded and out of action. The battalion commander was taken over by his political officer A.D. Kabanov.
The units covering the brigade's right flank delayed the enemy's advance in the direction of the Goytkh Pass, but the danger of his going to Mount Indyuk did not pass: in the zone of our right neighbor, enemy units continued to spread in the direction of the Semashkho Pass. To strengthen the defense of the pass, General A.A. Grechko reinforced the 107th brigade with one battalion of the 8th Guards Rifle Brigade. By October 29, the enemy advancing on the pass was defeated. The 8th Guards Rifle Brigade took up defenses at the foot of Mount Indyuk.
The enemy shifted the center of gravity of the attacks to the neighbor on the right in the direction of Mount Semashkho. His aircraft continued to bombard the battle formations of both brigades. To combat it, the companies practiced salvo firing at descending aircraft from all types of small arms. On one of the November days, nine Ju-87 aircraft appeared. One by one they dived and dropped bombs. Soldiers of the third company of senior lieutenant D.F.German unanimously struck with volley fire. One of the planes caught fire and crashed to the ground. The pilot jumped out with a parachute and was immediately captured.
Usually the planes appeared from behind Mount Turkey, this provided them with a hidden exit to the target. At the headquarters of the brigade, the idea was born: to use anti-tank rifles for firing at aircraft. The experiment was entrusted to the commander of a platoon of anti-tank rifles, Lieutenant Fyodor Kuznetsov. The platoon took up a position on the slope of Mount Turkey so that it was possible to shoot at the diving planes. Soon, firing anti-tank guns at aircraft was mastered. Two bombers were shot down in a week. After that, not a single enemy aircraft dared to appear from behind Mount Turkey.
From the moment of reaching Mount Semashkho, the enemy intensified hostilities in the defense zone of the left neighbor of the 107th Brigade of the 328th Infantry Division. There was no elbow communication between the brigade and the division. The Nazis, taking advantage of the weak point, began to accumulate in the Prochev gully. On October 29, General Grechko ordered: “The 107th Brigade to cease active operations on its right flank in the direction of Goith, to firmly hold the occupied lines and, together with the 119th Rifle Brigade and the 8th guards brigade eliminate the enemy in the Prochev gully. "
The task was assigned to the 2nd rifle battalion (commander Major F.V.Burenko). Previously, the brigade commander sent out a reconnaissance group under the command of the brigade's intelligence chief, Captain V.G. Bondar. The group included a junior political instructor M.I.Bukotin, a reconnaissance platoon of Lieutenant S.P. Mochalov, three sappers, two crews of light machine guns and a group of signalmen led by the brigade's communications chief
I by Major V.F.Batula. The group had to establish contact with a neighbor on the left and study the location of the enemy.
Under cover of darkness, the scouts reached the southern outskirts of the village of Shahumyan, where they found a congestion of Nazis. VG Bondar, assessing the situation, made a bold decision. He divided the scouts into three groups, widely dispersed to create the appearance of a large force. At the signal with a rocket, scouts from three directions opened fire. The enemy was confused by the sudden fire. Taking advantage of this, the scouts boldly attacked, a significant part of the Nazis were destroyed, and three, including a lieutenant colonel from the headquarters of the infantry division, were taken prisoner. Having received a message about the successes of the reconnaissance group, the commander of the 2nd rifle battalion, Major F.V.Burenko, sent rifle companies bypassing Hill 388 with access to the Prochev gully. Despite the darkness, the personnel acted decisively. Procheva's gully was cleared of the enemy.
The Military Council of the Black Sea Group of Forces praised their actions. All participants in this operation were awarded orders and medals. The scouts of the brigade repeatedly penetrated into the depths of the enemy's location, brought prisoners, and obtained important documents. The reconnaissance commander Senior Lieutenant GA Krezma, the company’s political instructor MI Bukotin, and the company’s Komsomol organization secretary N. Romashenkov served as an example for the soldiers. Their actions were bold and calculating. During the period of battles near Tuapse, the brigade's scouts captured thirty-six enemy soldiers and officers.
Defense occupied by the 107th Brigade to the northeast. Tuapse, became insurmountable for the Nazis? The brigade was preparing to launch a counteroffensive. In October-November 1942, private battles took place to capture more advantageous lines. In the second half of October, the 3rd Rifle Battalion fought such a battle to capture the height of 405.3. She was a key point of resistance of the German troops in this sector of the front. Its steep steep slope in our direction excluded the possibility of a frontal attack. Therefore, the battalion commander Captain I.T.Tyugankin made a decision: to demonstrate the offensive on a steep slope with one company, and to deliver the main blow bypassing, from the direction of the Shaumyan village. The battalion was reinforced with one battery of an anti-tank destroyer battalion, two mortar companies and a battery of 76 mm cannons. Preparations for the battle lasted a day. During this time, the officers led by the chief of staff did a lot of work with the commanders of the battalion and attached units to organize interaction. The brigade's political department assisted the deputy battalion commander for political affairs, Captain Afanasyev, in holding party and Komsomol meetings in company organizations, and in holding conversations with personnel. Each communist and Komsomol member was given personal instructions, due attention was paid to preparing weapons for battle, providing ammunition.
At the appointed time, all the units took their places. After a short but powerful artillery preparation, the rifle companies, at the signal of the battalion commander, attacked the enemy. The first and second platoons of the company of senior lieutenant V.M.Kovynev burst into the trench and tied hand-to-hand combat... The third platoon came to their aid, with which the company’s political instructor, Senior Lieutenant Ya. V. Ryzhiy, was with him. The platoon completed the attack and went deep into the defense of the Nazis. To develop the success, the battalion commander brought a company of machine gunners into battle and ordered it to attack the enemy from the flank. The enemy was driven out, but he continued to offer strong resistance. The company commander, senior lieutenant L.I.Kamsky, was wounded, and political instructor T.U. Tolmosyan assumed command. In battle, he received a mortal wound. He was replaced by Sergeant Major V. D. Rudnik. Continuing to carry out the assigned task, the first platoon, led by the communist P. I. Kubenov, destroyed the enemy bunker. The communists I.K.Kubyakov and A.V. Danilin, the Komsomol leader of the company I.N.Melnikov dragged the soldiers of the second platoon into the attack and defeated two enemy firing points. Dozens of Nazi soldiers were destroyed by the soldiers of the machine-gun company of Senior Lieutenant S. I. Shtoda.
By noon, units of the 3rd battalion reached the crest of the hill. In the afternoon, the enemy, supported by aviation, artillery and mortars, repeatedly counterattacked. The battle was fierce. The battalion commander, Captain I. T. Tyugankin, Lieutenant P. Ya. Samoilenko, Junior Lieutenant E. V. Korpeikin, Deputy Political Instructor V. M. Shestakov and our other comrades, died the death of the brave. But despite desperate counterattacks, the enemy failed to throw our units from a height. Senior lieutenant V.M.Kovynev, company political instructor Ya.V. Ryzhiy, senior lieutenant S.I.Shtoda, company political instructor N.V. Ryabtsev, lieutenants P.N. Makarov, F.F. Vasin distinguished themselves in battle. G. Taraloshvili and many others.
During the day of the battle, fifteen soldiers of the battalion applied for admission to the party. Private of the first rifle company I. T. Yurenkov wrote: “I want to go into battle as a communist. I will not spare my life to fulfill the order ”. Machine gunner BN Kuznetsov said in a statement: "I am going into a bloody and brutal battle, my life belongs to the party, in battle I will not regret either blood or my young life to defeat the bloody enemy."
The political department of the brigade held a seminar in November for the secretaries of the primary party organizations to exchange experience in admission to the party. In November-December, seventy-one people joined the party organization of the brigade, and the Komsomol organizations grew by more than a hundred people. The party-Komsomol stratum in the companies was 30-40 percent, and in artillery and mortar batteries it was even higher. In each platoon, two or three agitators were allocated from among the Communists and Komsomol members. They brought the reports of the Sovinformburo to each soldier, explained the situation in our area, and read newspapers.
The most effective form of party political work was personal communication between commanders and political workers with soldiers. Among the best propagandists it is necessary to name the head of the political department of the brigade P.T.Shatalin, instructor of the political department G.N. Yurkin, deputy commanders of battalions and divisions A.N.Kopenkin, A.D. Kabanov, D.A.Kuren, D.A.Jabua , P. D. Olenchenko, D. M. Shestakova, V. P. Meshkova.
The war made a requirement for every political worker to know deeply about military affairs. For this purpose, at the headquarters of the brigade, a group of political personnel was created, with which, according to a special program, the deputy brigade commander Colonel TI Shuklin conducted classes. Classes were usually held at the front line, under enemy fire. In any weather, day or night. As a result of systematic military training, political workers could replace the out-of-service commanders at any time, and some of them were appointed to command positions.
During the hostilities near Tuapse - from October 10, 1942 to January 15, 1943 - the 107th brigade carried out the order of the commander of the Black Sea Group of Forces, stopped the enemy's advance along the highway on Tuapse. Without retreating a single step, inflicted heavy losses on the enemy in manpower and equipment, especially its 97th and 101st divisions.
On January 15, 1943, the brigade, along with other formations of the 18th Army, went on the offensive. Each of us has been waiting for such an order for a long time.
For several days, intense training was going on in all divisions. The brigade commander, Colonel P. Ye. Kuzmin, ordered the commander of the 3rd rifle battalion to send reconnaissance in the direction of the Pshish railway station, and to the 4th battalion - to a height of 618.7. Reconnaissance has established that the number of weapons on the front line of the enemy's defense has been significantly reduced. This gave grounds for the conclusion that the enemy intended to withdraw the troops from the attack. And so it turned out.
Parts of the brigade launched an offensive without artillery preparation. Having met and suppressed separate centers of resistance, the 3rd and 4th battalions, advancing in the first echelon, reached heights 618.7 and 576, Pshish station by 12 o'clock. At the turn of the Shubinka railway station, they met strong fire resistance; the second line of defense of the Nazis passed here. Stubborn battles unfolded for mastering it.
On the morning of January 16, Colonel Kuzmin, while moving to a new observation post, was hit by an enemy mine. The command was taken over by his deputy Colonel Trifon Ivanovich Shuklin.
The brigade commander P. Ye. Kuzmin was one of those people about whom one can say in the words of A. V. Lunacharsky: “You lived gloriously and died beautifully”. Not a day passed that he did not visit the combat formations of the units. Communicating with people, resolving issues of interaction between units on the spot, friendly conversations with subordinates, knowledge of the mood and needs of soldiers, skillful performance of combat missions, personal courage, energy and dedication - this was the style of work of the brigade commander on the Bryansk front and as part of the Black Sea group of forces ...
By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of June 6, 1943, for the exemplary performance of the command assignments, for the skillful leadership of the troops and the courage and courage shown at the same time, P.E. Kuzmin was posthumously awarded the Order of Suvorov, II degree.
The veteran of the brigade M. Malakhov wrote the poem "Immortality" dedicated to the brigade commander. And even if the works of the participants in the war, who passed the severe tests of those formidable years, sometimes do not meet the strict rules of versification. But the intensity of the battles lives in them, the feeling of a great soldier brotherhood, welded by blood in the struggle for the freedom and independence of our Motherland, for a peaceful sky over our heads, for our happy life. They passionately and excitedly tell about those who will live forever in the memory of the people. Here are some stanzas from the poem:
Do not forget the cruel adversity
And the sky scorched by war
Harsh and long hikes
And those who are still expected to go home.
Loved the soldiers and led them
The brigade commander Kuzmin, as father of sons.
There is still a great sorrow in my heart,
Do not heal mental wounds to doctors.
The brigade commander died, he fell a hero
In battles with the enemy for Shahumyan.
RP68MB - In memory of the soldiers of the 107th separate rifle brigade
The 107th separate rifle brigade was formed in the city of Volzhsk in the Republic of Mari El by order of the State Defense Committee in December 1941.
The brigade consisted of: four separate rifle battalions, two separate artillery battalions, a separate mortar battalion, a separate mortar battalion and separate units: reconnaissance, submachine gunners, communications, medical and sanitary, engineering and automotive services. A separate 4th battalion of the 107th brigade included three rifle, machine-gun companies, a reconnaissance platoon, a medical unit and was recruited from volunteers and conscripts from the Volzhsky, Mari-Turek, Zvenigovsky, Morkinsky and other regions of the republic.
https://pandia.ru/text/78/221/images/image005_83.jpg "align \u003d" left "width \u003d" 190 "height \u003d" 252 src \u003d "\u003e. gif" alt \u003d "(! LANG: Signature:" align="left" width="196" height="40 src=">Боевой путь: До октября 1942 года 107 бригада сражалась под Брянском. За короткое время зарекомендовала себя сплоченной воинской частью, способной выполнить любой приказ Отчизны. Ведя оборонительные бои, участвовали в трех наступательных операциях, уничтожили сотни вражеских солдат, офицеров, боевой техники.!}
For their heroism and courage, many soldiers were awarded orders and medals of the Soviet Union. Later it was transferred to the Caucasus, by order of the command, redeployed to the Tuapse region. The brigade was given the task of stopping the advance of the enemy in Tuapse, fulfilling its task at the Marukh pass.
By the beginning of 1943 - Malaya Zemlya, September 16 - Moscow saluted the valiant soldiers of the North Caucasian Front and the Black Sea Fleet, which included soldiers of the 107th rifle brigade. The personnel of the brigade fought near Anapa.
After the Taman Peninsula was liberated by order of the Headquarters of the Main Command of the USSR Armed Forces, the 117th Guards Rifle Division was formed on the basis of three separate brigades - the 107th, 81st and 8th. Its soldiers with battles victoriously carried the guards banner to Berlin and Prague.