The combat path of my grandfather - Georgy Nikolaevich Starodubtsev. Museum Exhibition

My grandfather, Georgy Starodubtsev (in some documents Egor) Nikolaevich, was born in 1902 in the village of Starodubtsy, Svechinsky district. He got married there, and my mother was born there. His father Nikolai Starodubtsev, according to relatives, had a mill and a bakery. In 1930-31, during the dispossession of kulaks, great-grandfather Nikolai gathered his family one day and left at night towards the Gorky region. Grandfather's brother, Starodubtsev Kupriyan Nikolaevich, and his family settled at the Sharya station in the Kostroma region. The rest settled in the village of Syava, which is under construction in the Gorky region. Grandfather, Georgy Starodubtsev, worked on the construction of a timber chemical plant, and after the start-up he worked as a compressor unit operator at the same plant. When the Great Patriotic War began, my grandfather 08.24. In 1941, he was called up to the front by the Shakhunsky RVK and sent to the 322nd Infantry Division, 1089th Infantry Regiment. This division was formed in Gorky. On October 2, 1941, after a rally on Minin Square, the soldiers marched solemnly to the railway station, loaded into carriages and set off for the city of Kuznetsk, Penza region. This is the only division that the Gorky people openly and solemnly escorted to the front.

A short combat training took place in the city of Kuznetsk. The soldiers learned to shoot accurately, quickly dig in, and storm enemy positions. At the end of November, an order was received to move the division to the front. 322 SD was included in the 10th Army of the 3rd formation under the command of Lieutenant General F.I. Golikov and was created for a counterattack against the Nazi invaders near Moscow. Colonel Pyotr Isaevich Filimonov was appointed commander of the 322nd SD. From the memoirs of Army Commander P.F. Golikov about his days of study: « We accustomed the infantrymen to artillery and mortar fire over their heads and to the fire of machine guns, anti-tank guns and regimental guns in the gaps of the units. Much attention was paid to overcoming tank fear. The soldiers were taught to make bunches of grenades and use them boldly, to light tanks with bottles of gasoline, and when necessary, to take cover in a trench and under no circumstances run from tanks. Whenever possible, we told the soldiers about the armor-piercing power of our 45-mm battalion guns, about firing armor-piercing and incendiary cartridges.

The fighters were instilled with resistance against detours, infiltration and breakthroughs by the enemy. They instilled the need to bypass and encircle the enemy themselves, not to attack the enemy “head-on”, but to boldly penetrate into unoccupied gaps in his position, to envelop the enemy from the flanks, and to go to his rear. ... In November, the troops of the 10th Army were inspected by K. E. Voroshilov. Being present at a training exercise in the 322nd Infantry Division, he delved into all the issues, was interested in everything, and gave many instructions and suggestions...”

On November 24, 1941, the redeployment of army units from Kuznetsk to the area southwest of the city of Ryazan began. The deployment of the army was slow due to the lack of rolling stock on the railways. To transport the army, 152 trains were required.

But already on December 5, the army commander received a directive from the Military Council of the Western Front to deliver the main blow in the direction of the cities of Mikhailov, Stalinogorsk, Venev, Kurakovo through the town of Serebryanye Prudy. The immediate task of the 10th Army was to defeat the troops of Guderian's 2nd Tank Army and capture the area from Stalinogorsk (now Novomoskovsk) to Uzlovaya station. From the memoirs of Army Commander P.F. Golikov:

“From the unloading areas to the deployment line to go on the offensive, a number of our divisions had to walk 100 - 115 kilometers along country roads covered with snow. Due to lack of transport, people carried ammunition on themselves. But what a rise reigned in the units and formations! And how many songs they sang! And “Boldly, comrades, in step”, and “International”, and “Varyag”, and “Ermak”, and “Holy War”, and “Eaglet”, and “Kakhovka...”.

Occupying the right flank, the 322nd SD received its baptism of fire on December 6, 1941 in the battle for the regional center of Serebryanye Prudy near Moscow. They were opposed by the 10th, 29th motorized and 18th tank divisions of the enemy's 2nd Tank Army. The battle took place in difficult weather conditions: with temperatures below 28–35 degrees below zero and strong snowstorms, the snow cover in some places reached 80 cm.

From the memoirs of F.I. Golikov, commander of the 10th Army.

“We threw the entire 322nd Division against the reinforced regiment of the enemy’s 29th Division in Serebryanye Prudy. The weather was favorable for our offensive: a snowstorm arose, and enemy aircraft could not operate.”

From the operational report of the commander of the 322nd Infantry Division:
“From 8:00 on December 7, 1941, after a short artillery bombardment, units of the division, delivering a concentrated attack from three sides, captured Serebryanye Prudy. The enemy garrison, consisting of two battalions of the 15th Infantry Regiment with 6 guns, fled in panic after the battle in a westerly direction to Venev. Our division captured a large number of trophies: more than 200 trucks, cars and special vehicles, 20 motorcycles, 4 guns, a large number of heavy machine guns, rifles, cartridges, a lot of food, ammunition and equipment. They captured the battle flag and cash register of one of the regiments of the 29th motorized division, about 50 prisoners and many trophies. The trophy count continues."

After the liberation of Serebryanye Prudy, the 322nd Infantry Division continued to advance and liberated the cities of Venev and Stalinogorsk-1. After a fierce battle, at dawn on December 14, the Uzlovaya railway station, which is of strategic importance, was liberated. The offensive continued without interruption and into the night. During the offensive operation, our troops inflicted a serious defeat on the enemy, eliminating the threat of bypassing Moscow from the south.

From December 19 to December 30, 1941, having met stubborn enemy resistance, soldiers of the 322nd SD consistently drove the Germans out of populated areas and fought forward. On December 22, the city of Odoevo was taken with fighting. On the morning of December 27, fighting began for the city of Belev. The Nazis prepared Belev with its ancient buildings, monasteries and many churches, with the villages adjacent to it from the north and south for a long defense. There were bunkers, dugouts, machine gun nests in many stone buildings, areas with barbed wire, minefields, direct fire guns in blockhouses, scarps with icy slopes along the banks of the Oka River. In a number of areas, the approaches to the city were mined. For two days our troops fought fierce offensive battles. More than once it came to bayonet fights. Our units stubbornly recaptured every inch of land across the river from the enemy. Oka. They fought for long hours under deadly enemy fire, moving along the ice of the river. The enemy put up fierce resistance. During the fighting, the settlements of Beregovaya, Besedino, Kalizna, Fedinskoye changed hands several times. And yet a turning point occurred. The Germans failed to rebuild their defenses when the commander of the 10th Army encircled the enemy from the southeast and northwest. By the evening of January 1, 1942, the Germans began to retreat, then retreat from the city. The city of Belev was liberated from German troops.

Having suffered failures in battles and having lost the line of the Oka River, the fascist German troops, retreating to the west under the attacks of our units, sought to stay in other, previously prepared positions. Such positions were the important railway junction of Sukhinichi, the areas of Mosalsk, Meshchovsk, Kirov, Lyudinovo, Zikeevo, Zhizdra and other strongholds and centers of resistance, which the enemy continued to strengthen, pulling up reserves from the rear.

After January 5, 1942, the 10th Army received an additional task - to speed up access to the Vyazma-Bryansk railway road and capture the cities of Kirov, Lyudinovo, Zhizdra. After the army reached the Oka River, the 322nd SD was moved to the left flank towards Bryansk, in order to then approach Zhizdra.

On January 8 - 9, 1942, the 322nd SD entered the battle for the Zikeevo railway station, five kilometers west of the city of Zhizdra. Having struck the head regiment of the enemy’s fresh 208th Infantry Division that had arrived from France, our division forced it to retreat to the village of Zikeevo, where it surrounded it, but was unable to defeat it immediately. On January 12, 1942, the German offensive began against the left flank of the 10th Army, accompanied by intense fascist air raids. Under pressure from a numerically superior enemy, the 322nd Rifle Division was forced to withdraw from the Zikeev area to the northeast.

On January 21, 1942, the administration and headquarters of the 16th Army of General Rokossovsky received an order to surrender their troops to neighboring armies, and to move from the Volokolamsk-Gzhat direction to the area of ​​​​the city of Sukhinichi and take over part of the divisions of the 10th Army of General F.I. Golikova. On January 27, the command of the 16th Army took over part of the troops of the 10th Army. And 322 SD became part of the 16th Army. Colonel Terentyev Guriy Nikitich was appointed commander of the division.

The divisions accepted into the 16th Army were exhausted in battle and needed replenishment, weapons and ammunition. The task set by the front did not correspond to the forces and means. It was decided to mislead the enemy: let him think that the entire 16th Army, already known to the Germans from hot battles, was moving towards Sukhinichi.

The attack was planned for the morning of January 29. At dawn, artillery began shelling enemy fortifications. Then the infantry moved, and at noon the city of Sukhinichi was already liberated from the Nazis - the Germans abandoned it after a short fierce battle, abandoning a lot of equipment, ammunition, and fuel.

In the combat report dated January 31, 1942, sent signed by the chief of staff of the army Malinin to the front headquarters, the last paragraph states:

“The weather condition is an incessant snowstorm that has swept away all the roads... The movement of all types of transport is impossible. The supply of all types of material support for the troops stopped. The rear and artillery cannot move.”

In the most difficult conditions of off-road conditions and deep snow cover, Rokossovsky’s troops still successfully completed their assigned tasks, striking successively at one or the other enemy defense center. At the end of January, fascist German troops were again thrown back in a southwestern direction.

Stubborn fighting with varying success for both sides in the Zhizdra direction continued until May 1943. 322 SD continued to conduct offensive battles, but, having encountered stubborn enemy resistance, was unsuccessful.

At the beginning of March 1942, K.K. Rokossovsky was seriously wounded by a shell fragment that flew into the window of the headquarters. The notebook of the army chief of staff Mikhail Sergeevich Malinin contains a note on a page dated March 8 about this alarming incident: “At 22.30 Rokossovsky was wounded...”. The commander returned from the hospital in May. His duties during this period were performed by M.S. Malinin

In April 1942, due to illness, my grandfather was sent to a hospital in Gorky, where he underwent treatment for a month, then he was given leave for two weeks.

On May 29, 1942, my grandfather, Georgy Nikolaevich Starodubtsev, was again called up to the front. His further combat path took place on the Southern Front in the 37th Army of the 295th Infantry Division.
The army commander is Major General Kozlov, the division commander is Colonel N.G. Safaryan.

After the Battle of Kharkov on May 21-29, 1942, the troops of the Southern Front suffered heavy losses: about 280 thousand Red Army soldiers were killed or captured, a group of troops was surrounded in the Barvinkovsky ledge, which in small groups broke out of the encirclement. The tasks of liberating Kharkov and creating conditions for an attack on Dnepropetrovsk were not completed.
The fascist German command, having seized the strategic initiative in the spring of 1942, prepared a summer general offensive in the South with the goal of defeating Soviet troops, capturing the Stalingrad area and entering the Caucasus.

On June 28, German army troops launched an offensive in the Voronezh direction, breaking through the defenses on the Bryansk Front. The Voronezh-Voroshilovgrad defensive operation began on June 28 - July 24, 1942. On June 30, the defenses of the Southwestern Front were broken through. The troops of the Southern Front continued to defend Donbass. Throughout June 1942, the 295th SD defended on the right flank of the front in the area from the settlement of Krasny Liman, east of Slavyansk, Artemovsk on the right bank of the Seversky Donets River.

On July 6, 42, the Germans occupied Voronezh and turned south towards Rostov-on-Don, fulfilling the task of encircling and defeating the troops of the Southwestern and Southern Fronts. On the night of July 7, the troops of the right wing of the Southern Front began to retreat. The regiments of the 295th SD retreated to the left bank of the river. Seversky Donets. Soviet intelligence reported that the Germans were strengthening their group of troops against the right wing of the Southern Front in the area of ​​​​Kramatorsk and Slavyansk.

On July 10, 1942, by directive No. 170490, the Supreme Command Headquarters, in order to avoid encirclement, authorized the immediate, organized withdrawal of troops of the 37th Army to the Novo-Astrakhan-Trekhizbenka line.

295 SD began to withdraw on the night of July 10-11. It was necessary to walk along sandy roads for a distance of 17 to 25 km. German reports also indicated the difficulties of passing this area. The enemy did not give a break and continued to strike blow after blow.
By 12-00 o'clock. Red Army soldiers of the 295th SD, hungry and tired, took up defense in front of the positions of the 74th fortified area at the line: Novo-Astrakhansky - Chabanovka - the eastern outskirts of Smolyaninovo. Issues of interaction with the 74th fortified area were not linked; the headquarters of the 295th SD was not connected with the headquarters of the 74th SD. By 16-18 o'clock, the enemy's advanced units with a force of up to 30 tanks and an infantry battalion pushed our units behind the SD, and they retreated to the area of ​​​​the popasnoye settlement. On the morning of July 12, the 885th Infantry Regiment occupied the line: the northwestern outskirts of Novo-Aidar-Oknino and by 12-00 o'clock. was attacked by enemy tanks. 884 SP, approaching the line of defense, was also attacked by the enemy. The regiments of the 295th Infantry Division retreated to the east in disarray. On the approach to Alekseevka they were attacked again and retreated to the southern outskirts of the village of Mikhailyukov. The withdrawal of units and subunits turned into a disorderly movement of unorganized masses rushing to the crossings across the Seversky Donets. Traffic jams were created on the roads and especially crossings, making them a good target for enemy aircraft. The daytime air temperature was more than 35 degrees Celsius. There was no communication between the formations and the army headquarters, there were few cars and horse-drawn transport, so the artillery installations had to be dragged by the Red Army soldiers themselves. Food warehouses had previously been transferred to the rear and on July 10-11 the soldiers were left without food. The equipment was abandoned, convoys of military units mixed with the evacuating civilian population. Daily marches of 30-35 km, over shifting sands, under the scorching July sun and continuous bombing, exhausted the forces of the fighters, the division became unfit for combat, turning into a disorganized and uncontrollable mass of people.
On July 12, 1942, near Voroshilovgrad, my grandfather, Georgy Nikolaevich Starodubtsev, was captured. The prisoner of war card notes that at the time of captivity the grandfather was ill. Grandfather was sent to the prisoner of war camp Stalag 302 (II H) Gross-Born Rederitz. Grandfather died on December 30, 1942. He was buried in the cemetery in the prisoner of war camp. Now this is the territory of Poland. So far there are only birch crosses there, installed by foresters several years ago. Until 1992, this was the territory of the training ground of the Northern Group of Forces of the Soviet Army and no one took care of the cemetery. The administration of Borne Sulinovo and employees of the forestry department, which is located in this city, are planning to develop a cemetery.

Mom and grandmother received a notification that grandfather had gone missing without knowing anything about him.

⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ★ Subordination ★

07/30/1941 Reserve Front 33rd Army (USSR)

10/10/1941 Western Front 49th Army (USSR)

01.1942 Bryansk Front 3rd Army (USSR)

⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ★ Command ★

07/02/1941 - 09/26/1941 Major General Pronin Nikolai Nilovich
10/16/1941 - 11/13/1941 Colonel Kalinin Vasily Ivanovich
11/14/1941 - 11/07/1942 Colonel Zashibalov Mikhail Arsentievich
08.11.1942 - 27.08.1943 Colonel from 31.03.1943 Major General Klyaro Ignatius Vikentievich
08/29/1943 - 03/25/1944 regiment. Bogoyavlensky Alexander Viktorovich
03/29/1944 - 03/14/1945 Major General Viktor Georgievich Chernov
03/15/1945 - 05/09/1945 regiment. Ivanov Georgy Stepanovich

⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ★ Division history ★

The division was created on September 26, 1941 by renaming the 1st Moscow Rifle Division of the People's Militia (Leninsky District).
It was part of the 33rd Army of the Reserve Front. On August 26, the 1283rd Infantry Regiment was sent to the 24th Army on the Desna River, to replace the 100th Infantry Division, which had been withdrawn to reserve. The remaining units remained in the second echelon near Spas-Demensk. The 1283rd regiment of the division was one of the first to meet the Typhoon, already on October 2. The further fate of the regiment is unknown. The remaining units of the division fought in encirclement north of the city of Spas-Demensk, Kaluga Region, from October 3, 1941. Some rear units of the division (the entire medical battalion) emerged from the encirclement.
In November, the division was replenished with the remnants of the 303rd Infantry Division, and the 875th Howitzer Artillery Regiment was included in its composition. The division was transferred to the city of Serpukhov to cover the gap created after the fall of Kaluga. During stubborn positional battles, the division lost a significant part of its strength. On November 14, only 470 active bayonets remained in the entire division, the 969 artillery regiment did not have a single serviceable gun, and the 71 separate anti-tank fighter division had only two 76 mm guns. On December 21, the division launched a counteroffensive in the direction of Maloyaroslavets.
On January 1, 1942, the 60th Division was transferred to the General Headquarters reserve. In January 1942, the division was transferred to the Bryansk Front.
Subsequently it was part of the Belorussian and 2nd Belorussian fronts. In August 1943, for the successful operation to liberate Sevsk, it received the honorary name “Sevskaya”.
In February 1945, it was given the honorary name “Warsaw”
At the end of the Great Patriotic War, the division became part of the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany.
The division was formed in the Leninsky district of Moscow from volunteers aged 17 to 55 years, who were not subject to conscription and were not employed in the defense industry.
In the first two days, 12 thousand people joined the militia. Volunteers from the largest enterprises in the region joined the division: the Krasny Proletary machine tool plant, the Sergo Ordzhonikidze machine tool plant, the 2nd ball bearing plant, the carburetor plant, the ENIMS plant, HPP No. 2, the Lift plant, the Glavpoligrafmash plant, the 1st taxi fleet, People's Commissariat of Tsvetmet, People's Commissariat of Motor Transport, confectionery factory "Red October" and others. Teachers and scientists from the institutes came: Mining, Steel and Alloys, Oil, Textile and a number of institutes of the Academy of Sciences. Subsequently, it was also replenished from residents of the Sokolnichesky district of Moscow and the Orekhovo-Zuevsky and Leninsky districts of the Moscow region. The commander of the division, as well as the commanders of regiments, artillery divisions and most battalions, became career military personnel.
The division was formed from July 2 to July 7 at the Moscow Mining Institute, on Bolshaya Kaluzhskaya Street. At dawn, on July 9, 1941, units of the division marched through the streets of the capital, heading to the construction area of ​​defensive structures near Moscow. In mid-July, the division made the transition along the Medyn - Yukhnov - Spas-Demensk route.
On July 30, 1941, it became part of the 33rd Army of the Reserve Front. Major General Nikolai Nilovich Pronin was appointed commander. The division initially included the 2nd and 3rd rifle regiments, the 1st reserve rifle regiment, a transport company, 3 artillery divisions (45 mm, 76 mm and 152 mm guns), a reconnaissance company, a sapper company, a medical battalion, Automotive company, NKVD platoon. On August 11, the division was reorganized according to the staff of the NKO rifle division and its composition became as follows: 1281st, 1283rd, 1285th rifle regiments, 969th artillery regiment, 71st separate anti-tank fighter division, 468th reconnaissance company, 696th engineer battalion, 857th communications battalion, 491st medical battalion, etc.
On August 15, the division was assigned to the active army as the 60th Infantry Division.
Memory
On the facade of the building of the Moscow Mining Institute at Leninsky Prospekt, 6, there is a memorial plaque reminiscent of the formation of the 1st Moscow Rifle Division of the Leninsky District People's Militia here in July 1941. The monument was created on the initiative, with funds and by the efforts of students and teachers of two capital universities - the Moscow Mining Institute and the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys.
There are several museums whose exhibitions are dedicated to the history of the division, including in Kremenki, Protvino and Lyceum No. 1561 (formerly school No. 1693) in Moscow.
The Museum of Military Glory of the 60th Sevsko-Warsaw Red Banner Order of Suvorov Rifle Division has existed for more than 30 years, since May 1984. It was created by veterans at the site of the formation of the first division of the people's militia of the Leninsky district of Moscow. Now this is the Yasenevo district. All these years, the museum has been continuously developing and adding new exhibits. The museum has a Certificate and Certificate of Compliance with the status of MUSEUM OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION
The Lyceum Museum is an integral part of the regional “Path of Memory and Glory” and is part of the MUSEUM AND MEMORIAL COMPLEX, which also includes:
-Monument to the defenders of Moscow -military weapon - howitzer and
-A memorial plaque on the Lyceum building in memory of the formation of the First Division of the People's Militia in our area;
According to the results of the competition of military history museums, our museum takes first place in the region.

The history of the people's militia division is an integral part of the history of the country
The division graduated from the Great Patriotic War with the honorary name of the Sixtieth Sevsko-Warsaw Red Banner Order of Suvorov Rifle Division.

She marched from Moscow to Berlin with bloody battles, becoming a model of courage,
and loyalty to the Fatherland.
In the battles in the Serpukhov direction, the division did not retreat a single step and thwarted the Nazis’ plans to encircle and destroy the city of Tula.
For 72 days the enemy tried to break through our defenses, capture Serpukhov and cut off the roads to Moscow.
Already on December 17, 1941, units of the division went on the offensive.
During the Battle of Moscow, the fighters gained combat experience, which allowed them to defeat the Nazis on their territory.

The name SEVSKAYA was awarded for the capture of the city of Sevsk
Name WARSAW - for the liberation of Warsaw
In August 1944, the division was awarded the Order of SUVOROV

For courage and heroism
more than 10,000 soldiers were awarded military decorations,
and 40 people became
HEROES OF THE SOVIET UNION
Our museum contains fragments of military equipment given to us by participants in the battles and their relatives. The museum's exposition allows it to be used for training sessions, lyceums and city events, together with the Council of Veterans of our region.
We remember those who gave their lives to save our Motherland
and gave us the opportunity to live and learn.

The division was formed by order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief in August 1941 in the city of Gorky, Moscow Military District. The personnel were recruited from natives of Gorky and the Gorky region. This is the only division that the Gorky residents openly and solemnly escorted to the front on October 2, 1941, after a rally on Minin Square, at which the unit was presented with the Red Banner from the Sormovo plant.
The 322nd Gorky Division, which by that time was part of the 16th Army (according to the directive of the Supreme High Command Headquarters to the commander of the 10th Reserve Army on the concentration of the army in the Ryazan, Kanino, Shilovo area and the tasks to ensure it dated November 24, 1941 No. op/ 2995), received an order to relocate from the city of Kuznetsk to Rybnoye, Ryazan region. It was ordered to complete the concentration of the army by the evening of December 2, and on December 4 (according to Directive No. 0044/op) to deliver the main blow in the direction of Mikhailov, Stalinogorsk (now Novomoskovsk - approx. EDIT)

The 322nd Rifle Division received its baptism of fire on December 7, 1941 in the battle for the regional center of Serebryanye Prudy near Moscow.
“At the beginning of December 1941, the 10th Army under the command of General F.I. Golikova launched an attack on Novomoskovsk and Epifan. The 322nd Gorky Rifle Division, commanded by Colonel Pyotr Isaevich Filimonov, was advancing in the direction of Serebryanye Prudy. On December 4, 1941, the division from the side of the city of Zaraysk launched an offensive in the direction of Serebryanye Prudy and by December 5th reached the approaches to the Serebryano-Prudsky district” (“Serebryano-Prudsky Region”, A.I. Volkov, 2003, p. 62).

By the end of December 7 322nd Rifle Division captured the large settlement of Serebryanye Prudy. The appearance of our units here came as a complete surprise to the enemy, so the battle here was fleeting. According to the testimony of prisoners, when the fascist soldiers heard gunfire from three sides, they considered themselves surrounded and began to flee in panic. The first trophies were taken here: more than 200 trucks, cars and special vehicles, 20 motorcycles, 4 guns, a large number of heavy machine guns, rifles, cartridges, a lot of food, ammunition and equipment. Having received its first baptism of fire in Serebryanye Prudy, the 322nd Gorky Division continued its rapid attack on Venev, and on December 9 the city was liberated. In the battles for the liberation of Serebryanye Prudy, 9 Soviet soldiers and officers died the death of heroes, 19 people were wounded. And ahead was a long path covered in glory through the great battle of Kursk, the liberation of Ukraine, Poland, Czechoslovakia.
On July 27, 1944, the 322nd Rifle Division fights for Lvov. Then it participates in the Sandomierz-Silesian operation, liberating the Dąbrowski coal basin (the junction of the borders of Poland, Germany and Czechoslovakia). On March 31, 1945, the division's soldiers liberated the city of Ratibor.

Troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front December 31, 1944 As a result of a swift infantry attack and a skillful outflanking maneuver by tank formations, they captured the regional center of Ukraine, the city and railway junction of Zhitomir. To commemorate the victory, formations and units that distinguished themselves in the battles for the liberation of the city of Zhitomir, including the 322nd Infantry, will be given the name “Zhitomir”.
The 322nd Red Banner Zhytomyr Order of Suvorov Infantry Division ended its combat journey near the Czechoslovakian city of Olomouc.
From archival documents

To the commander of the 10th Army.
Combat report No. 003.
December 8, 1941.
"1. The division fought in Uzunovo - Myagkoe - Krasnoye - Serebryanye Prudy and, continuing the offensive in the direction of the city of Veneva, by 14:00 reached:
1085th Infantry Regiment - Soft - Grace.
1089th Infantry Regiment - Krasnoe - Kurebino.
The vanguard of the 1087th Infantry Regiment reached Annin. There is no connection with neighbors.
2. The enemy, offering resistance, retreated in the direction of Kurbatovo, Rogatovo, Lishnyagi, Pokrovka, Prudskie Vyselki. The reconnaissance units are fighting near Rogatov and Prudskie Vyselki.
3. I decided, overthrowing small enemy groups, to attack Venev with the goal of capturing it by 12/9/41.
Please authorize.
Divisional commander 322nd Colonel Filimonov."

From the memories of those battles:
“Guderian understood how important it was to withdraw his troops from the northern and northeastern parts of the “sack” in time, south of the Tula, Stalinogorsk 2nd (northern) line, since the neck of the “sack” was located in this place, which was only 30 kilometers away. The 2nd Tank Army retreated along its entire front with stubborn defensive battles.
The pace of advance of the 10th Army troops during the first and second operations was not the same. In the first two days, from the morning of December 6 to the morning of December 8, the army fought forward 45 - 55 kilometers, breaking through the well-prepared enemy defenses at the line Serebryanye Prudy, Mikhailov, Gagarino, Kremlevo... Overall, the actions of the 322nd were successful rifle division under the command of Colonel P.I. Filimonov, which attacked Serebryanye Prudy, where it captured the battle flag and the cash register of one of the regiments of the 29th motorized division, 50 prisoners and many trophies.”
Marshal of the Soviet Union F. I. Golikov
The rest of the army formations, without encountering much resistance along the way, continued the offensive and by the end of the day reached the Kurlyshevo-Malinka line. Right flank divisions ( 322nd and 330th) by the same time reached Duginka (9-10 km southwest of Serebryanye Prudy). Due to the slow advance of the troops of the 50th Army and some dispersion of its attacks, the front command on December 11 ordered the army, concentrating its forces, to launch two strikes with both groups entering the Ozerka area (a road junction 5 km south of Shchekino). The front command had the goal of cutting off the enemy's escape routes to the south with these concentrated attacks of army troops from the flanks, and then encircling and destroying him directly south of Tula. At the same time, the 322nd Infantry Division was transferred to the group from the 10th Army. This regrouping was dictated by the situation and the ability to create better command and control of the troops.

On December 29, 1942, the division received an order to redeploy. From December 30, 1942 to January 1, 1943, loading was carried out at the station. Sukhinichi and Zhivodovka junction; The division was transported through Moscow to the station. Tresvyatskaya 20 km northeast of Voronezh. The unloading took place on January 6, 1943. By combat order of the VF headquarters No. 003 dated January 4, 1943, the division became part of the Voronezh Front as its reserve, stationed on the territory of the 40th Army. Based on the combat order of the headquarters of the 40th Army No. 008 dated January 12, 1943, the division was given the task of being in the army reserve in the area of ​​Dobrino, Tryasorukovo, Davydovka. The division's artillery was supposed to operate in conjunction with

Falensky district

Hero of the Soviet Union

Fedor Vasilyevich Vasiliev was born in 1924 in the village of Savinenki, Falensky district, into a peasant family. He graduated from 7th grade and worked on a collective farm.

In 1942 he went to the front, fought as part of the 1085th Infantry Regiment of the 322nd Infantry Division of the 13th Army of the Central Front. He was a private. He distinguished himself in the battles for the Zikeevo station in the Bryansk region, where F.V. Vasiliev held the commanding heights for more than a day with a machine gun. For this battle, F.V. Vasiliev was awarded the Order of the Red Star.

In January 1943, F.V. Vasilyev, as part of the division, participated in the battles for the village of Kastornoye, including hand-to-hand combat. Then F. Vasiliev saved the life of the company commander. And after the battles near Kursk, he was awarded the medal “For Courage”.
On August 26, 1943, the crew in which Private Vasilyev fought was surrounded near the Ukrainian city of Glukhov, but did not surrender. Left alone, Fyodor Vasiliev fired mercilessly at the Nazis alternately from two machine guns. When reinforcements arrived, at the height occupied by F. Vasiliev, our soldiers counted more than 30 killed Germans.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to F.V. Vasiliev posthumously on October 16, 1943: in one of the next battles, an enemy bullet ended the life of a brave machine gunner. F.V. Vasilyev was buried in the village of Baranovka, Glukhovsky district, Sumy region of Ukraine.

Hero of the Soviet Union

Dmitry Andreevich Vorobyov was born on October 22, 1914 in the village of Russkaya Sada, Falensky district. He graduated from 7th grade and worked as an accountant at the Zagotzerno district office. He was drafted into the army in 1933, where he served until 1935, in February 1940 he was drafted again, and graduated from a military engineering school. He was sent to the active army in 1942.

D. A. Vorobyov was the company commander of the 42nd engineering battalion of the 59th separate engineer brigade of the 60th Army.

Captain Dmitry Vorobyov distinguished himself during the crossing of the Desna and Dnieper rivers on September 25, 1973. He led the crossing in the area of ​​the village of Staroglybov, Kozletsky district, Chernigov region of Ukraine. Thanks to clear crossing tactics, skillfully chosen timing and available means, the motorized units of the corps crossed to the opposite bank of the Dnieper with minimal losses and, having entered the battle, took possession of an important strategic bridgehead. Having managed to save the lives of hundreds of soldiers, D. A. Vorobyov could not save his life: on the second day after the start of the crossing, he was killed by a mine fragment.

He was buried in the city of Oster, Chernigov region of Ukraine.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded posthumously to D. A. Vorobyov on October 17, 1943. Captain Vorobiev was also awarded the Orders of Lenin, the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd degree, and the Order of the Red Star.

Streets in the city of Oster and in the village of Falenki, Kirov Region, are named after the Hero.

Hero of the Soviet Union

Vasily Vasilyevich Zayakin was born on March 9, 1918 in the village of Azovo, Falensky district. He graduated from 7th grade and worked as a foreman of a field crew on a collective farm. In the army - since September 1939.

Since August 1941, V.V. Zayakin was a participant in the Great Patriotic War - he was an assistant platoon commander of the 1343rd Infantry Regiment of the 399th Infantry Division of the 48th Army (1st Belorussian Front). He took part in battles on the Western, Bryansk, Central and 2nd Belorussian fronts.

Sergeant V.V. Zayakin distinguished himself on September 3, 1944 while breaking through enemy defenses in the area of ​​the Polish village of Rynek, which is 10 km away. from the city of Ostrow Mazowiecka, when he rushed into an enemy trench with a swift throw and destroyed more than a dozen fascists in hand-to-hand combat. The next day, developing the offensive, he was the first to cross the Narev River, south of the city of Ruzhan, with a group of fighters using improvised means. Having taken command of the platoon when the commander was killed, Sergeant Zayakin, together with the soldiers, repelled several fierce enemy attacks and gained a foothold in the bridgehead.

He was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on March 24, 1945, and was also awarded the Order of Lenin, the Red Star, the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, the Red Banner, Glory, 3rd degree, and medals.

Having been demobilized after the war, Zayakin V.V. lived in the town of Shakhty, Rostov region. Died January 7, 1995.

Hero of the Soviet Union

Egor Dmitrievich Kostitsyn was born on August 23, 1919 in the village of Chepchany, Falensky district. He studied at the Balakhninskaya elementary school, and in 1934, on a Komsomol voucher, he left to build Komsomolsk-on-Amur. He was drafted into the army in 1939. At the front in the Great Patriotic War since 1941.

The squad commander of the 5th separate motorized pontoon-bridge battalion of the 61st Army (1st Belorussian Front), Sergeant E. D. Kostitsyn, distinguished himself during the crossing of the Oder River on April 17, 1945 in the town of Nieder-Wutzow near the Polish city of Tsedynya. Under the leadership of E.D. Kostitsyn, the soldiers of the squad, under enemy fire, assembled a 30-ton ferry to transport artillery and troops. He was seriously wounded (his arm was cut off by shrapnel), but continued to work at the crossing. At the same time, he replaced the platoon commander who was killed by an enemy bullet. The crossing was successful. As, indeed, all the previous ones: through the rivers Oskol, Northern Donets, Don, Dnieper, Western Bug, where E.D. Kostitsyn’s sappers laid their hands.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded on May 31, 1945, and he was also awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, the Red Star, Glory, 3rd degree, and medals.
After the war, Yegor Dmitrievich lived in the Perm region. Died in February 1991, buried in the village. Serafimovsky, Perm region.

Hero of Russia

Alexander Semenovich Nikulin was born on July 21, 1918 in the village of Sitniki, Falensky district. He graduated from the seven-year school and was drafted into the army. Served in the Far East. He graduated from the Chelyabinsk Military Pilot School and was again sent to serve in the Far East.

In July 1941, the 947th Assault Aviation Regiment of the 289th Assault Aviation Division of the 8th Air Army, in which A.S. Nikulin served, was transferred to the Stalingrad area and almost immediately entered into hostilities. Alexander Semenovich also fought on the Steppe, Southern, 4th Ukrainian, 1st and 3rd Baltic fronts.

During the Great Patriotic War, Senior Sergeant A.S. Nikulin made 209 combat missions to attack enemy equipment, weapons and manpower. He especially distinguished himself in battles in Lithuania. Personally shot down five enemy aircraft and 36 in a group battle.

Hero of the Soviet Union

Vladimir Nikiforovich Opalev was born on August 30, 1919 in the village of Batikha, Falensky district. In 1921, the parents died, leaving four children orphans. After graduating from 6 classes, Opalev moved to live with his older brother in Izhevsk, where he later entered the FZO school. He worked at a machine-building plant and studied at a flying club.

In 1939 he was drafted into the army, and in 1940 he graduated from the Perm Military Aviation School.

In November 1942, Vladimir Nikiforovich sought to be sent to the front. He experienced his baptism of fire near Stalingrad, was an ordinary pilot, then a flight commander, and a squadron commander. Opalev V.N. fought in the skies of Donbass and the North Caucasus, beat the Nazis in the Crimea, especially distinguished himself during the offensive battles against Kerch and Sevastopol, and liberated Latvia.

The squadron commander of the 622nd assault aviation regiment of the 214th assault aviation division of the 2nd mixed aviation corps of the 4th air army, senior lieutenant V. N. Opalev, by January 1944, had made 103 sorties to attack enemy personnel and equipment (by the end war - 203 sorties).

On April 13, 1944, V. N. Opalev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Awarded two Orders of Lenin, two Orders of the Red Banner, Orders of Alexander Nevsky, Order of the Patriotic War 1st and 2nd degree, Red Star, medals.

After the war, Vladimir Nikiforovich served in the Air Force and graduated from the Air Force Academy. Since 1960, Colonel Opalev V.N. was in the reserve, lived in Riga, worked in the civil aviation department.
Died in April 1994.

In 1944, the command nominated him for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, but did not receive the award. Alexander Semenovich took part in the historical Victory Parade on June 24, 1945 in Moscow on Red Square.

Having been demobilized in 1947, A.S. Nikulin returned home and worked as a duty officer at the Falenki railway station, then at the Kosa station. Awarded the title "Honorary Railwayman".

Awarded the Order of the Red Banner, three Orders of the Patriotic War 1st and 2nd degree, Order of Glory 3rd degree, and medals.

On October 1, 1993, the President of Russia awarded senior reserve sergeant A.S. Nikulin the title Hero of the Russian Federation for the courage and heroism shown in the fight against the Nazi invaders.

A.S. Nikulin lived in the city of Glazov, Republic of Udmurtia. Died in March 1998. One of the streets in Glazov bears the name of the hero.