Airborne troops of Russia: history, structure, weapons. Why Voronezh refused to create a museum of airborne forces More category materials

Yes, a very pleasant event. On such days, you even work with such a strange twinkle, because you understand that everything is beautiful.

On July 30, 2019, we are in the very territory that 89 years ago became the arena for the landing of the first Soviet airborne assault force. In those days this place was called the Klochkov farm, now it is the territory of Voronezh, but, probably, it will be even better this way.

Yes, in 1930 it was utter wilderness, and it was here that two groups of paratroopers under the command of Leonid Minov and Yakov Moshkovsky landed. About which a memorial sign was erected in 1997, then a monument was erected, and now (quite logically) the time has come to perpetuate the memory of a man who gave his whole life in the name of the airborne troops.

It makes no sense to represent General of the Army, Hero of the Soviet Union, USSR State Prize Laureate, Candidate of Military Sciences Vasily Filippovich Margelov. We will not do this, his biography was spelled out a long time ago, and it is simply unrealistic to find something new.

It is just worth noting that this small park, which is loudly called "Victory Park", is the best fit for the role of a military-patriotic place on an urban scale. Especially in light of the fact that after the sign and two monuments, the Voronezh paratroopers swung no less at the construction of the Airborne Forces museum.

And what, in fact, is quite logical. If Voronezh is the birthplace of the Airborne Forces, then the museum must have a place to be.

And then this park will become not just a gathering place for various events of "blue berets", but also a historical complex. On the basis of which it is possible to conduct quite well both patriotic and historical work.

Being familiar with the Voronezh branch of the Union of Paratroopers, I want to say that I am absolutely sure that they will succeed in their plans, and, I suspect, even before the time comes to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Airborne Forces. There are prerequisites for this, you know ...

But I am sure we will tell you about the construction of the museum separately. Today we will talk about the Bath monument.

A working day, especially in the middle of the week ... However, there were about two hundred people. There were also representatives of the Voronezh "world", because the whole world was really gathered for the monument, many very famous names were sounded at the rally, and there were even more unknown to a wide circle of the public.

So they were divided in an interesting way, on the one hand there were blue uniforms and blue suits, on the other - a multi-colored freeman. The rally was rather short, it took literally twenty minutes. On the other hand, what about the words? The deed was done, the words, in fact, are not so necessary.

So, actually. Modest but tasteful. Personally, I really liked the monument, nothing more. Metal and granite. Better than it was possible to perpetuate the memory of such a person as Vasily Filippovich Margelov.

Such things sometimes happen in our province. In general, it is wonderful when, following their motto "Nobody but us," the paratroopers do just such things. Things that are up to real paratroopers.

In the foreseeable future, our city will once again emphasize its status as a place where the Airborne Forces were created.

Recently, the Voronezh mayor's office published a tender for design and survey work for the construction of a unique museum of the Airborne Forces. This object is planned to be located in the Victory Park in the Northern microdistrict of the city. In this place there is already a monument "Voronezh - Homeland of the Airborne Forces". Every year veterans of this kind of troops gather around him and chant their trademark "Nobody but us." The Museum of the Airborne Forces should emphasize the status of the capital of the Black Earth Region as the Motherland of the Airborne Forces. After all, it was in the sky above our city that this one of the strongest combat arms on the planet was born 89 years ago.

In honor of the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, our publication would like to talk about how the Airborne Forces were created in the sky near Voronezh. In the modern world, the Airborne Forces are still one of the most powerful paramilitary formations. Russian paratroopers are the glory, honor and irresistible strength of our Motherland.

The project of the future museum of the Airborne Forces in Voronezh

To begin with, with the inception of aviation in the USSR, the idea of ​​a quick airlift of troops arose. In those 20s of the XX century, aircraft for these purposes were quite unpretentious. They could land and take off from any more or less horizontal platform. However, then it was more about the rescue of the pilots, and not the whole group of troops.

However, the history of the Armed Forces of Russia knows how in 1928 Leonid Grigorievich Minov spoke at a meeting of the Air Force of the Soviet Union. He touched upon the role of parachutes in aviation. That speech greatly interested the country's leadership. Minov was sent to the United States of America, so that there he could study the state of parachuting.

Leonid Minov

And so, Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin decides on a show jump in the sky over Voronezh. Our city for these purposes was not chosen by chance. In the late 1920s, we had the largest aviation hub in the Soviet Union. In Voronezh, the 11th heavy bombers air brigade of the Moscow Military District of the Red Army Air Force was based.

Leonid Minov was appointed the leader of the show jump. A young pilot Yakov Moshkovsky was appointed his assistant. So, on July 26, 1930, the first jump in the history of mankind took place in front of the flight crew of the aviation brigade.

Heavy bombers at the Voronezh airfield

Here is what Leonid Grigorievich Minov then recalled:

My jump really worked out. I landed easily, not far from the audience, I even resisted on my feet. We were greeted with applause. A girl who came from somewhere handed a bouquet of field daisies, - Leonid Minov told reporters.

Since then, July 26 is considered the birthday of the Airborne Forces. And, since the heavenly patron of this kind of troops is Elijah the Prophet, the paratroopers celebrate their holiday every August 2.

General of the USSR Army Vasily Filippovich Margelov played a significant role in the development of the Airborne Forces. For every paratrooper, this is a very, very significant figure. It was this commander who was the first to understand that in the modern operations of that time, only highly mobile soldiers, ready for a wide maneuver, could operate in the deep rear of the enemy. As a result, under more than 20 years of leadership by Margelov (in 1954-1959 and 1961-1979), the USSR Airborne Forces became one of the most effective in the country's Armed Forces. Service in this branch of the military has become the most prestigious. The photo with Vasily Filippovich in the demobilization album was appreciated by the paratroopers above all else.

Vasily Margelov

In the future museum of the Airborne Forces in Voronezh, in addition to the building itself, it is also planned to install a monument to Vasily Margelov. The institution itself is planned to be semicircular. Its exposition will be built on the basis of a combination of traditional showcases and multimedia equipment. They will contain the personal of General Margelov, as well as the diaries of the aforementioned Major Moshkovsky. The museum wants to create an interactive table. It will contain the history and characteristics of each exhibit. And for thematic lessons, conferences and film screenings, they will equip a multimedia area with projection equipment.

That is, Voronezh should soon become a Mecca for everyone who has the right to say every August 2: "Nobody but us."

Ilya Ershov

The monument is located in the Kominternovsky district of the city of Voronezh, the Severny microdistrict, at the intersection of General Lizyukov Street and 60 Army Street in Victory Park near the Arena shopping and entertainment complex. The monument is a sculptural composition consisting of two bronze figures:
a paratrooper, dressed in a military uniform from the 30s of the last century, and a teenager standing next to him, holding a model airplane in his hand.
Above the figures there is a steel structure, almost 10 meters high, in the form of an open parachute. The pedestal is made of polished granite slabs, on which the name - "Voronezh - Homeland of the Airborne Forces" and the flag of the Airborne Forces are engraved.

Monument "" personifies Military duty, courage and continuity of generations.

The project of the monument was developed by a creative group led by a Voronezh sculptor, a member of the Union of Artists of Russia Petrikhin Vladimir Nazarovich.

This is one of the modern (relatively "young") monuments of Voronezh.

Opening of the monument

Initially, the monument was planned to be opened on August 1, 2010 for the 80th anniversary of the Airborne Forces, but the ceremony had to be postponed for a month due to the emergency caused by the fires in the summer of 2010.

The official opening of the monument "Voronezh - Homeland of the Airborne Forces" took place September 4, 2010... The ceremonial part was turned into a whole holiday with the laying of flowers at the foot of the sculpture, the march of the guard of honor, demonstration performances of parachutists, after which a festive concert took place.

The history of the Airborne Forces and the monument "Voronezh - Homeland of the Airborne Forces"

The date of birth of the Airborne Forces is considered to be August 2, 1930. On this day, during a demonstration exercise of the Air Force of the Moscow Military District on the outskirts of the city of Voronezh, the first airborne assault in the world history took place.

In Voronezh, the historic site of the landing of the first assault force occupies the territory of Victory Park near the Arena shopping and entertainment center. In the 1930s, there was land here free of plowing, 2 kilometers from the airfield, not far from the Klochkovo farm. This event marked the beginning of the formation of airborne units and thus the Kominternovsky district of the city of Voronezh became the birthplace of the Airborne Forces.

In our time, the field where the first paratroopers landed has turned into a residential building built up with multi-storey buildings. microdistrict Severny, and the wasteland near the Academy of Arts, on which the monument was erected, turned into a large park called Victory Park.

In 1997, a memorial sign was installed at the landing site - a granite stone and a memorial plaque with the inscription: "HERE ON AUGUST 2, 1930, THE FIRST AIRLANDING IN THE USSR IN NUMBER OF TWELVE PEOPLE WAS PRODUCED." And later on September 4, 2010, the monument "Voronezh - the Motherland of the Airborne Forces" was erected.

Photos of the monument Voronezh - Homeland of the Airborne Forces

Video from the opening of the monument Voronezh - Homeland of the Airborne Forces

Years of creation:

The monument was erected in the Northern microdistrict of Voronezh at the site of the landing of the first airborne formation in the USSR

Description of the monument:

For the first time, the landing of military paratroopers and the release of cargo with weapons and ammunition for the paratroopers took place near Voronezh on August 2, 1930. Now this day is annually celebrated as the birthday of the Russian airborne troops, and Voronezh is rightfully considered the homeland Airborne Forces.

The first monument to the paratroopers was erected on this site on August 2, 1997. This is a red granite block, on the front surface of which a metal plaque was fixed with the words: "HERE ON AUGUST 2, 1930. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE USSR AIRLANDS WERE LANDED IN NUMBER OF TWELVE PEOPLE"

In our time, the field where the first paratroopers landed has turned into a residential neighborhood built up with multi-storey buildings, and the wasteland near the Academy of Arts, on which the first monument was erected, has turned into a large park called Victory Park.

On September 4, 2010, the grand opening of the monument "Voronezh - the Motherland of the Airborne Forces" took place in Victory Park. It is a sculptural composition consisting of two bronze figures - a paratrooper dressed in a military uniform of the 30s of the last century, and next to him is a teenager holding a model airplane in his hand. A parachute canopy, a nine-meter-high steel structure, flew over them. The pedestal of the monument is made of polished granite.

In the city, the first landing took decades to perpetuate the memory of this event. And on the foundation stone in the Northern region went a lump prepared by an aviation veteran for the grave [photo]

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However, nothing surprising. There have always been big problems with perpetuating the memory of the first group landing in Voronezh. This theme is as if bewitched. About this "Komsomolskaya Pravda" told local historian Vladimir Eletskikh. In the mid-80s, he collected materials for the Airborne Forces Museum planned in the Voronezh DOSAAF, which was never destined to open ...

Why Voronezh became the birthplace of the Airborne Forces

Our city was not chosen for that legendary landing operation by chance. In the late 1920s, the largest military air hub was located on the southwestern outskirts of Voronezh. A special 11th air brigade of heavy bombers of the Moscow Military District of the Red Army Air Force was based here.

In June 1930, the air brigade suffered a heavy loss - during a test flight near Saratov, the TB-1 plane crashed. The brigade commander Alexander Osadchiy and six people of the crew were killed (their graves are in the park "Eaglet". - ed.). One of the reasons for the death of the flight personnel, the commission recognized the inability of the crew members to use parachutes.

And then on July 3, Air Force Commander Baranov issued order No. 0476 to hold the first parachute jumping training camp in Voronezh. And to raise the morale of the demoralized air brigade and train pilots in parachuting, they sent Leonid Minov, a high-class specialist, a parachute ace who studied in America. He fulfilled his task brilliantly - 12 people in two groups successfully landed on August 2, 1930 at the demonstration exercises of the Moscow Military District.

It turned out to be much more difficult and time-consuming to get the authorities of Voronezh to perpetuate that memorable event than in the distant 1930s to teach people to overcome the fear of heights.

The city did not need parachute relics

The idea to open a museum of the Airborne Forces in our city came from the veterans of the local DOSAAF flying club. And local historian Vladimir Yeletskikh undertook to actively help them. The collection of materials for the museum lasted for several years - and not only in Voronezh, but also in the capital. Together with the former polar explorer Stanislav Austrievsky, who was going to become the director of the museum, the Yeletskikhs, armed with a heavy reel-to-reel tape recorder, visited the house of the widow of the legendary parachutist Leonid Minov. We wrote down valuable memories of her and her friends, collected photographs. And they received a truly royal proposal from the parachutist's wife.

The apartment kept the aura of Leonid Grigorievich. Everywhere there were memorable photographs, diplomas, medals, tokens - a real museum of parachutism in miniature, - Vladimir Leonidovich recalls. - Seeing our admiration, the hostess admitted that her husband had punished her: “If they decide to set up a parachuting museum in Voronezh, you will give everything they ask! But for my office to be completely preserved - let everyone know how Minov lived. " And she added: "Do not hesitate, I will give everything together with the cabinet, if you promise to put it as it is!" This would be a very valuable acquisition for Voronezh ...

However, it was not necessary to accept such a gift, like many others already prepared in the capital. The trip was set up by our native Voronezh.

When we arrived at the director of the Central Museum of Aviation and Cosmonautics Stepanov, he was furious. It turned out that at this time a petition came from the Voronezh Regional Council of DOSAAF refusing to accept the exhibits collected for the future of our museum. For a banal reason - lack of funds, premises and staff. Evgeny Nikolaevich was simply indignant then: “For three years we collected a collection for you, spent so much effort and money ... 13 boxes of rarities, including the first Kotelnikovsky parachute! And to refuse this is just some kind of savagery! I am offended at Voronezh. I will give half of the exhibits to Ryazan, the second - to Kharkov, everything will be useful there! "

The installation of a memorial plaque and a stone in honor of the paratroopers was punched for more than 10 years

The long-running epic of "kick off" also accompanied the installation of a memorial plaque (it was opened in 1996) and a foundation stone (in 1997) in honor of the paratroopers in Voronezh. The Council of veterans of the flying club, headed by Vasily Nikiforov, pushed them for more than ten years.

How many documents had to be collected then, nerves were spent to open a memorial plaque at the former headquarters of the 11th air brigade at 60 Cosmonauts! - said Vladimir Leonidovich. - The officials had distrust of the historical authenticity of that order of the 30th year to conduct training jumps in Voronezh. There were so many notorious excuses that “the order was lost, that maybe the first group jumps were not in Voronezh” ... So it was I who brought the number of that order on that memorable trip to Moscow in the mid-80s. A copy of it was shown to me by the biographer of Leonid Minov Igor Glushkov. And this played a role.

The initiative of aviation veterans to install a memorial stone was also not immediately realized.

There were many obstacles. Firstly, for a long time they could not decide on a place, - recalls Yeletskikh. - The landing force itself landed at the Klochkovo farm, now it is the Teplichny area. But I offered a place near the Academy of Arts - there is a large park, and at this place the airfield once ended, which means that here, too, parachutists jumped and put their parachutes into flight. The place was liked by the veterans of the flying club. Then problems with financing surfaced - the architects proposed too large and costly projects, there was simply nowhere to take such millions during the Yeltsin devastation. And then, upon hearing about this, honored pilot and war veteran Vladimir Nikitin told me: "If this is the only reason, I am ready to give my tombstone to a memorial sign!" The block was bought by the administration of the Kominternovsky district from the veteran for a ridiculous amount, and in 1997 the stone was finally erected ... By the way, after the installation of the monument "Voronezh - the homeland of the Airborne Forces", the paratroopers, remembering the ordeal associated with the foundation stone, expressed a desire to preserve it too. And the block was simply moved. Now it lies on the lawn in front of the Northern Lights skating rink, a dozen meters from the new monument.