Special separate battalion of the Military Council of the Moscow Military District.

Separate ski battalion of the 43rd army consisting of active army from January 5, 1942 to August 31, 1942 Participated in battles with the enemy in the Yukhnovsko-Vyazemsky direction.
Disbanded on August 31, 1942.

Sorry about battle path Almost nothing is known about this ski battalion.
One can only assume that a battalion was formed at the front, from personnel of units of the 43rd Army who can ski well. The only mention that has so far been found does not entirely add clarity to the battalion’s combat path.

“During the liberation of Akatov and Vorobyov, a special ski battalion of the military council of the 43rd Army under the command of Major A.I. Eppelgard, numbering 702 people, distinguished itself. Having walked through deep snow about 20 km behind enemy lines, the battalion concentrated east of Aristov on the night of December 25. Having crossed From this line on the offensive, by 18 o'clock he captured Taidashev, cleared the passages to the enemy strongholds in Voroby and Akatov, and at 21 o'clock he suddenly burst into them, crushing the enemy garrisons.
Having captured these strong points and organized a perimeter defense, Eppelgard instilled fear in the enemy by transmitting orders to “regiments and battalions” by telephone and radio. The enemy's communication with the front was interrupted. The fierce battle lasted for three days. Leaving up to 400 corpses on the battlefield, the enemy fled. The battalion itself lost only 19 people in these battles.
On December 27, the battalion, supported by two tanks of the 25th tank brigade, took possession of Belousov. However, success here came at a high price. Losses in killed and wounded amounted to 100 people.
The battle for Vysokinichi was especially difficult. Considering how difficult it is to break through enemy defenses with a strike from the front, Soviet command organized a raid behind enemy lines of a combined ski battalion under the command of I.A. Bystrikova. Having bypassed the enemy's main defensive positions along forest roads from the flank, the battalion suddenly captured an enemy stronghold near the forester's house, and then, making a swift rush, reached the rear of the German artillery unit from the direction of Troitsky. The appearance of the skiers was so unexpected for the Nazis that they did not even have time to reach the firing positions of their batteries. In panic, they rushed into the forest, but their escape route was cut off. Having surrounded the fascists, the skiers destroyed almost everyone. About 600 dead and wounded Germans remained on the battlefield, and about 100 Nazis surrendered. 32 guns were captured.
While the skiers were crushing the Germans in their rear, the main forces of the division delivered a powerful blow from the front. The fate of the Vysokinichi was decided. On December 27, with a sudden and swift attack, the battalions of the 1281st rifle regiment burst into the village and started street battles. From the southwestern side, the 1283rd Infantry Regiment with a group of partisans burst into the village. By mid-day, Vysokinichi was completely cleared of fascists."

According to other sources, Major Epelhardt's battalion is not mentioned as a ski battalion.

"On December 23, 1941, a special battalion of the Military Council of the Moscow Military District arrived in the army and concentrated near the village of Novoselki. The battalion included: two rifle companies, one machine gun company, one mortar company, an engineer platoon, a platoon of tank destroyers, a battery of 76-mm guns ZIS-Z, reconnaissance platoon. A total of 702 people. The battalion was commanded by Major Epelgardt. On the night of December 24, Major Epelgardt led his army to the line of the forest east of Aristovo and Alopovo and in a surprise attack, together with units of the 93rd Infantry Division, penetrated the German defense. During the battle, a narrow gap was finally made in the German defense, and the battalion was drawn into it and concentrated in the forest east of Aristovo. Once in the rear, the battalion approached the largest enemy stronghold in this area. The sappers quickly cleared the passages. minefields, and rifle companies, supported by machine-gun and mortar fire, burst into Vorobyi and soon cleared the village of the enemy. The battalion's actions were so swift and decisive that the Germans did not always have time to open fire and fled to neighboring Okatovo. Okatovo was also turned into a stronghold and was defended by a strong garrison.

It was already dark when Epelgardt gave the order to attack Okatovo. The eastern part of the village was soon occupied. At midnight the companies reached the highway. This was the highway on Maloyaroslavets, which all these days, like an artery, fed the German defense with everything necessary in order to carry out the Fuhrer’s order to fanatically defend the territory on which the troops were stationed. The major immediately ordered to cut the highway and, riding it, gain a foothold for all-round defense.

Local partisans contributed to the successful actions of the battalion. They not only provided Major Epelhardt's headquarters with intelligence, but also provided guides.

Meanwhile, the enemy discovered that a fairly large unit had penetrated his rear and intercepted critical communications. At the location where the battalion was concentrated, the Germans opened heavy mortar fire, gradually increasing its intensity. But they never went on the attack.

The enemy confirms big losses in the battles for Vorobyi and Akatovo.

« About half a mountain kilometers from the “motorway”, in a brightly lit forest, a battalion of skiers who had secretly crossed Istya suddenly appears and attacks the battalion of the 289th from the flank and rear infantry regiment, which shortly before was again received by Lieutenant Colonel von Bose.

The enemy is literally crushing the battalion, numb from the cold. Only a few manage to escape to the "freeway". Later, Lieutenant Colonel von Bose with the remnants of his battalion occupied the intermediate defensive line northwest of Aleshin. In total, 60-70 fighters gather. Fate .

Now there is no longer even the slightest possibility of retreating, or more honestly, of “escaping” to the southwest by a roundabout route. The only road passes through the narrow neck of the entrance to Maloyaroslavets.

Major Aberle, fighting along with his soldiers, receives a through wound in the thigh. It's boiling all around hand-to-hand combat. The light sled on which the mortally wounded man was loaded breaks down after a few meters.

It is impossible to carry a wounded person in your arms through deep snowdrifts. Adjutant, non-commissioned officer medical service and the signalman are fussing over their commander in vain.

The shelling of a Soviet plane wedged into the ground battle puts an end to the suffering of the bleeding Aberle: he instantly dies from a shot in the neck.
Overwork and frostbite are growing like a snowball these days, especially among former signalmen and staff inexperienced in such matters.

Underestimating the seriousness of the situation and the condition of the troops, by order from above - despite the protests of the division command - the remnants of the 289th Infantry Regiment, reinforced by military engineers and riflemen from Maloyaroslavets, again rushed to attack Potresovo.

And the suicidal order is actually carried out. The attack begins at dawn in almost waist-deep snow in open terrain for many kilometers and in front of the village is choked by enemy fire.

In tactical terms, completely unprepared for combat operations in winter conditions, the regiment showed up without companies of heavy weapons, without field kitchens, without winter uniforms and equipment, in Western-style summer uniforms! The self-confidence of newly arrived mouths quickly melts when they come into contact with bitter reality. Just eight days ago, they were basking in Cherbourg, now they are plowing through deep, waist-deep snow towards the enemy.

Heavy combat losses and frostbite nullifies their significance. In contrast, enemy ski units, thanks to their mobility, gain an advantage over divisional infantry units tied to strong points. The danger of being outflanked and being cut off largely determined the decision to surrender these villages and continue the retreat.”

There are a few more points to pay attention to.

Epelgardt's battalion operated along the axis of the Maloyaroslavets - Moscow highway, while Bystrikov's battalion operated 30 km to the south. We can see the actions of two ski battalions and both before January 5, 1942, before the official date of creation of the battalion. According to the enemy, our skiers from the Epelgardt battalion were perfectly equipped - felt boots, cotton jackets, cotton pants, hats with ear flaps, and camouflage suits on top of them, “armed to the teeth.” There are not just infantrymen put on skis, but a well-equipped, armed and trained ski unit.

And the enemy says even more about our skiers, pointing out that our ski battalion carried out a raid on the corps headquarters even before December 23, 1941.

« Bolshevik "special battalion" dark night through deep snow through the forest it comes to our rear right up to the location of the corps command post. According to a carefully developed plan, a battalion consisting of 330 Red Army soldiers, communists and Komsomol members, divided into numerous groups, bursts into a sleeping settlement with hand grenades, machine guns and bottles of Molotov cocktails. Fortunately, our troops are no longer sleeping! The sentries raise the alarm on time. And yet there are losses: 19 killed, 29 wounded.

The battalion fails to follow the trail of the battalion that passed through the dense snow-covered forest. He appeared like a ghost and like a ghost he disappeared.

Only those returning from the front line to the command post were the commander of the 282nd Infantry Regiment with the commander of the signalmen, Sergeant Major Nesveta, 30 meters ahead, who noticed a flashing platoon of skiers crossing their path: hats with ear flaps pulled over their ears, eyes fixed on the front line, running as if in line , weapons to the teeth - that's all.

The tracks are covered by drifting snow. Both woke up only from the snow whirlwind that hit their pale faces and barely straightened up to move on, shaking off the white obsession.

With an unexpected raid, the enemy hits the positions of the anti-tank battalion and also captures the positions of the 2nd company. »

As we can see, skiers were actively used both for operations against enemy headquarters and rear areas, and for enveloping and bypassing enemy strongholds and acted very successfully.

I knew Semyon Mikhailovich well in the pre-war years, but especially often I had to meet him in the autumn of the memorable year one thousand nine hundred and forty-one, during the days of preparation and conduct of the traditional parade of troops of the Moscow garrison, dedicated to the 24th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution.

As the commander of the troops of the Moscow Military District, I was ordered to command this unusual parade and was assigned to host the parade. All, even not very significant, moments from that now distant time and that historical, truly legendary parade were clearly imprinted in my memory.

IN last days October, after listening to another report on strengthening the Moscow defense zone, I.V. Stalin asked whether we were going to hold a parade of troops of the Moscow garrison to commemorate the 24th anniversary of the Great October Revolution socialist revolution. Referring to the situation, I expressed doubts about the advisability of holding this parade. In addition, only infantry could participate in the parade, since artillery units were in firing positions, and there were no tanks in the garrison at all.

Emphasizing the political significance of holding the parade right now, he ordered: to hold the parade on November 7, to find artillery with the help of the head of the Main Artillery Directorate, Colonel General N.D. Yakovlev, and to find tanks too. It was decided that preparations for the parade would be conducted in the strictest secrecy. It was announced to me that the parade would be hosted by Marshal Soviet Union S. M. Budyonny.

The day after this conversation at Headquarters, A.S. Shcherbakov, First Secretary of the MK and MGK of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, and I began to individually call the commanders of the units that were supposed to participate in the parade. These included: battalions of cadets from schools named after Supreme Council RSFSR, District Military-Political and Artillery, regiments of the 2nd Moscow Rifle Division, 332nd Ivanovo Division named after M.V. Frunze, rifle regiment divisions special purpose named after F. E. Dzerzhinsky, Moscow naval crew, Special battalion Military Council of the Moscow Military District and the Moscow Defense Zone, a battalion of former Red Guard veterans, two Vsevobuch battalions, motorized units, artillery regiments Moscow defense zone, combined anti-aircraft air defense regiment, tank battalions of the Headquarters reserve.

We told the commanders that Muscovites would like to see the military units leaving for the front. Therefore, the Military Council of the zone expects around mid-November in the area Crimean bridge hold a small military parade. Since there is very little time left, we need to pay special attention to drill training.

“You must try, comrades,” A.S. Shcherbakov told them.

It was not easy to organize this parade from newly formed units without the usual careful preparation. Artillery units will arrive directly from the firing positions. Tank battalions that had just unloaded from the platforms had to know exactly their place in the formation and the order of passage. In addition, if previously units went to the parade without ammunition, this time they were fully armed, so that, if necessary, they could enter into battle without delay. The measures for air cover of Moscow and the parade were thought out very carefully and comprehensively. 550 aircraft were at airfields in readiness number one.

Even during the conversation at Headquarters, I asked: “What to do if on the morning of November 7 the enemy launches a raid on Moscow?” The answer was short: “We must take all measures to ensure that not a single fascist plane penetrates the Moscow sky. But if this happens, the parade should under no circumstances be cancelled.”

In short, there was little time to prepare such a grandiose event, and besides, all this work was carried out, as I already noted, in the strictest type. The day of the parade was approaching.

And then one day Semyon Mikhailovich calls me to his place and says, as if jokingly:

- What are you, comrade parade commander, keeping secret? You don’t report on how the preparation of such an important task for the Central Committee of the Party and the Soviet Government is going...

From further conversation it became clear to me that Semyon Mikhailovich had already thought through a lot and done a lot to prepare for the parade in the most thorough manner, and also outlined security measures.

He said that one day at the end of October, when he was on the Western Front, Moscow called him to the telephone. J.V. Stalin was with the apparatus; he suggested that Budyonny urgently come to Moscow to carry out an important assignment.

“The next day,” said the marshal, “I was at Headquarters. After greeting, Stalin said:

— We are going to hold a military parade in Moscow on November 7. What do you say to this? We will definitely hold a parade,” Stalin repeated, as if reasoning with himself. “You and I, Semyon Mikhailovich, will share the responsibilities of hosting the parade: you will go around and congratulate the troops, and I will make a short speech.” Do you agree?

“I will be glad to fulfill this order,” I quickly answered.

- Fine. Think with Artemyev what precautions need to be taken against enemy provocations, especially from the air, and do everything to make it real big parade troops of the Moscow garrison."

And such measures were taken. Semyon Mikhailovich went to the airfields to visit the fighter pilots who in those days guarded the air borders of the capital. He couldn't tell them about the parade directly. And he addressed the assembled pilots with a request: November 7 is our great national revolutionary holiday; fascist planes must not be allowed to drop bombs on Moscow on this day.

- We won’t let you through to Moscow! If necessary, we will ram,” the pilots told S. M. Budyonny.

Then Semyon Mikhailovich appointed me, as the commander of the parade, a time for instructions. All this happened at night, accompanied by only a few of our adjutants. He himself showed everything: where, when and how he would enter Red Square, where and how the report would be given, others also discussed practical issues. His instructions were comprehensive and extremely clear.

We strictly followed the order of the Headquarters, and until the late evening of November 6, the commanders and personnel of the units selected for the parade did not know that they would participate in the parade on Red Square and would march in a ceremonial march in front of the Mausoleum of V. I. Lenin. Only after the ceremonial meeting at the Mayakovskaya metro station was I allowed to inform the unit commanders about their true task. I remember how people’s faces lit up when I told this news, what joy splashed in their eyes, and how readily they listened to instructions.

So, preparatory stage ended, everything was thought out to the smallest detail, the troops were selected. Tomorrow is the parade. It must be held at the highest level so that the parade becomes inspiring for all defenders of Moscow. It was in these days here, in the fields of the Moscow region, that the question of who would win was to be decided. Not only Moscow, but the whole country has come to the ancient walls of the Kremlin: Kazakhs and Ukrainians, Russians and Latvians are brothers of the same family. And the traditional festive parade on November 7 was supposed to show the whole world that, despite temporary setbacks, the enemy violated the foundations of the life of our state, that the country, as usual, solemnly celebrates its holiday - the 24th anniversary of the Great October Revolution.

Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny did not hide from us that on the morning of November 7 he experienced bright and joyful moments. And all of us who were next to him were also proud of the happiness that befell us. After all, we knew that in Berlin a program for the victory parade in Moscow had already been drawn up, invitations were printed for a meeting in Moscow for the new year, 1942, but...

On November 7, 1941, as always, no matter what, OUR parade took place on Red Square. A stern, strict, truly military parade, not decorated with flowers and flags - a parade in a besieged capital.

A few minutes before 8.00, the familiar voice of Yu. Levitan sounded on the air: “Attention! All radio stations of the Soviet Union are working! The Central Radio Station of Moscow begins broadcasting from Red Square the parade of Red Army units dedicated to the 24th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution.”

Red Square is especially solemn on this historic morning. Heavy snow that fell at night dusted the ancient walls of the Kremlin and the granite stands stretching on both sides of the Mausoleum of V.I. Lenin, and touched the buildings bordering the square with gray hair. It was blowing sharply cold wind. But the guests gathered on the granite stands did not feel the cold...

Across the entire area from Moskvoretsky Bridge to the building Historical Museum the troops are standing. The rectangles of companies and battalions are motionless. A fierce wind raises frosty dust into the air. White needles of frost settle on the attached bayonets. The security chain is geometrically straight. The troops are waiting.

The clock of the Spasskaya Tower echoed eight times across the square.

— . Parade, attention! - I immediately give the command.

Immediately from the gates of the Spasskaya Tower, a deputy rides out on a kind, beautiful and frisky horse People's Commissar Defense of the USSR Marshal of the Soviet Union S. M. Budyonny. The stands greeted him with applause. I reported to the marshal:

- Comrade Deputy People's Commissar of Defense! The troops of the Moscow garrison have been assembled for the parade in honor of the twenty-fourth anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution! The commander of the parade, Lieutenant General Artemyev...

Budyonny gallops along the front, stops, and is heard:

- Hello, comrades! Congratulations on the holiday of the Great October Socialist Revolution...

Gromov "Hurray!" the troops return his greeting.

Many years later, S. M. Budyonny recalled these minutes: “Ordinary soldiers stood in the columns. But in those moments they seemed to me like miracle heroes. The Red Army soldiers responded to the greetings in unison. “Hurray” rolled across Red Square, loud, militant, swearing. After touring the troops, I climbed the Mausoleum. Stalin walked up to the microphone and, as always, quietly, but with some kind of firmness that was unusual even for him, he delivered a speech: last words which sounded the party’s parting words to the soldiers going straight from Red Square to their combat positions.”*

And in the ranks of troops, and in the stands - on the faces of everyone who was lucky enough to be on Red Square that day, there was deep emotion, delight. Thunderous "hurray!" covers final words I: V. Stalin. The mighty Red Army greeting thunders and rolls across the vast square from edge to edge. Gun salutes roar, the combined orchestra solemnly and powerfully plays “The Internationale”.

The solemn march of the units begins, and Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny from the rostrum of the Lenin Mausoleum joyfully and approvingly looks at the clearly marching ranks. The beat of drums gives way to marching melodies, military songs born in the years civil war. Slender columns of Red Army soldiers... Severe and fit, they really resemble Russian heroes worthy of their great ancestors.

The infantry march ended. The orchestra changes the rhythm and beat of the melodies. Buglers sound the cavalry signal. The cavalry enters the square. Squadrons prance in the fresh snow. Matched by color, playful, well-fed horses. The cavalrymen sit well in their saddles, and the standards of their units float through the air. Behind the squadrons, machine-gun carts pulled by white fours rush with a roar, causing stormy applause from the stands. Motorized infantry marches sedately and sternly along the flank, cars with anti-aircraft guns roll silently...

The Kremlin chimes marked nine o'clock in the morning with a melodious ringing, and artillery is still moving across the square - anti-aircraft, anti-tank, heavy... Completing the march of the Soviet military equipment, the area was occupied by tanks - there were 200 of them!

300 aircraft were prepared to participate in the air parade different types. However, due to extremely unfavorable weather it had to be postponed.

The parade ended with the passing of the tanks. Party and government leaders left the stands. S. M. Budyonny called me over and conveyed I. V. Stalin’s invitation to come to his apartment in the Kremlin. Thus, I found myself participating in a small informal reception hosted by the Chairman of the State Defense Committee, I.V. Stalin, and witnessed a lively exchange of views regarding the majestic historical parade that had just ended. Over lunch, J.V. Stalin and S.M. Budyonny recalled the years of the Civil War, pre-war years, joked a lot.

I was pleased to realize that, under the direct leadership of S. M. Budyonny, I coped with the responsible assignment of the Central Committee of the Party and the Soviet Government. Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny did not hide his legitimate sense of pride.

P. A. ARTEMYEV, retired Colonel General

Started publishing the series interesting stories about domestic parades. Today is the first story about the Parade of Inevitability, which took place on November 7, 1941.

Military parade on Red Square. Moscow, November 7, 1941. The photo is interesting because the Red Army soldiers are wearing winter helmets, which were abolished in July 1940, and are armed with old English Lewis machine guns, imported to Russia in 1917. Photo by Alexander Ustinov

It’s logical to start a brief daily review of Victory parades with the most legendary parade on Red Square November 7, 1941. Although formally, of course, it did not signify the awareness of victory, but the unthinkability of life without it, this particular parade can be considered the beginning of a victorious tradition. It is considered to be a turning point and even considered as a full-fledged military operation. In the alarming and most difficult days for the country of absolute loss on all fronts, the parade demonstrated the spirit of the country and its people’s will to win. It was a brilliant propaganda act.

Judge for yourself. The situation was so dangerous that in mid-October some government agencies and the diplomatic corps were evacuated to Kuibyshev. Since October 20, the capital has been placed under a state of siege. Moscow was preparing for street fighting. The raids and bombings did not stop. Already at the beginning of October it seemed that my strength was at its limit, and November was ahead, followed by winter. On top of that, rumors spread that Stalin had left the capital. This greatly demoralized the rear and the front. It was necessary to show that everything was fine, the situation was under control. In the best way there would be a traditional parade.

Stalin summoned the entire military elite: “The anniversary is coming soon. October Revolution“,” he said, “will we hold a parade in Moscow?” The question shocked everyone; no one could answer. What the hell is a parade when bridges across the Moscow-Volga canal are already being mined, factories, for example, “Red October” and TMZ are being mined! Stalin had to repeat his question three times in an already angry voice. Only then did the warriors respond and speak in unison: “Yes, of course, this will raise the spirit of the troops and the rear!”

Zhukov carefully organized reconnaissance, because anything could happen during the parade - from a German air raid to a breakthrough of large enemy tank forces. But it turned out that the Germans were licking their wounds at that time. Zhukov wrote a note to Stalin in crayon on a piece of paper: “The Germans are demoralized. Their offensive in the near future is impossible. Zhukov." And only after this Stalin gave the final go-ahead for the parade.

On November 6, a ceremonial meeting of the Moscow City Council dedicated to the anniversary of the October Revolution was held at the Mayakovskaya metro station. Long rows of benches, a podium, and a brightly lit train standing on one track. The government delegation led by Stalin arrived at the station on a separate train on a different track. Everything looked more than solemn. Zhukov was present at this meeting, but he was not on the platform of the Mausoleum during the parade. He was at the command post, ready to immediately take all necessary measures if the Nazis tried to break through to the Kremlin.

A column of M-72 motorcycles with armed infantrymen before the parade on Red Square. Moscow, Garden Ring, November 1941

The start of the parade was scheduled, as always, at 10 o’clock in the morning. But shortly before the start, Stalin rescheduled the time - 8 am. The main reason is safety. In November, at 8 o'clock in the morning in Moscow it is still dark - it is difficult for aviation to break through. Nobody knew that there would be low clouds and snow and wind.

The parade was commanded by the commander of the Moscow Military District, General Pavel Artemyev, and was hosted by Marshal of the Soviet Union Semyon Budyonny. The ceremonial march was opened by cadets of the mortar school and the school named after the Supreme Council, followed by riflemen of the 322nd Ivanovo and 2nd Moscow divisions, then the Dzerzhinsky division and the regiment of the special purpose brigade. Then everything went more or less in the usual order: cavalry, artillery, tanks.

Soviet T-34 medium tanks at a parade on Red Square on November 7, 1941. Photo by Alexander Ustinov

With the passage of the tanks, complications began due to the postponement of the parade by two hours. Two "thirty-fours", which brought up the rear of the column of tanks, having passed by the Mausoleum, suddenly turned around and high speed proceeded to reverse side. Stalin asked the head of security: what's the matter? After the investigation, it turned out that the tanks arrived on alarm straight from the front line. During a hasty briefing, the crews were explained that during the parade an enemy breakthrough could occur and they needed to be ready to immediately engage in battle. Three T-34s brought up the rear of the tank column. But the paving stones in front of the entrance to Red Square were so slippery that the tracks skidded on the climb. One tank got stuck and radioed: “I have a complete stop.” Thinking it was an SOS, the other two tanks returned to his aid. IN peacetime such a turn, this act would be impossible. But the tankers were participating in the parade, but were thinking about the battle. At first they wanted to punish them, but then they changed their minds.

Due to the postponement of the parade, the television crews, or rather the sound crews, did not have time to work properly. If the operators arrived in advance and managed to set up the equipment, the sound technician arrived only at half past nine and saw only tracks of caterpillars and dung in the middle of Red Square. Of course, re-shooting at the Mausoleum was excluded, and then director Leonid Varlamov, cameramen Mark Troyanovsky and Ivan Belyakov proposed building a plywood model of the Mausoleum rostrum in the Grand Kremlin Palace, painting it like marble, and so that Stalin would have steam coming out of his mouth during his speech , all the windows in the building were opened. But no matter how much they cooled the hall, the steam did not want to come out of my mouth. But the audience and American film academics did not notice anything. Footage of the parade and Stalin’s edited speech were included in the documentary film by Leonid Varlamov and Ilya Kopalin “The Defeat of Nazi Troops near Moscow,” which in 1942 received an Oscar, but most importantly, it had great importance to raise a high spirit of resistance and focus on Victory among Soviet people.

This great parade had another, far from well-known, spiritual side. The day before, Stalin allowed church hierarchs to hold a religious procession with the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, which more than once saved Rus' from foreign invaders. It was at the time when Stalin was giving a speech to the parade participants on Red Square that Metropolitan Sergius addressed the believers with words that are still relevant today: “This is not the first time that the Russian people are experiencing an invasion of foreigners. It is not the first time that we have received baptism of fire to save our native land. The enemy is strong. But great is the God of the Russian Land! This is how Mamai exclaimed on the Kulikovo field, defeated by the Russian army. Lord willing, our current enemy will have to repeat this exclamation.”

It is interesting that the orchestra at this parade was led by Vasily Agapkin, the author of the famous “Farewell of the Slav”. He had to stand motionless for a long time, and therefore, when the combined orchestra had to make room, he could not get off the small wooden stand. His feet were simply frozen. The musicians ran up and took Agapkin off the podium and brought him by the arms to the GUM building, where they provided assistance.

For the whole country, the parade on November 7, 1941 became an unexpected, truly joyful event. It was an extraordinary parade, a challenge parade, a parade of contempt for the enemy, a parade held at the dawn of the still very distant, but already foreseeable Victory. He's on unprecedented height raised the spirit of the Soviet people. But at the same time he inflicted the first moral defeat on the fascists, on the fascist spirit. Hitler's intelligence missed the surprise.

Military parade on Red Square. The photo shows servicemen with self-loading Tokarev rifles of the 1940 model SVT-40 in the “shoulder” position. Bladed monocotyledon bayonets are attached to the rifles. Behind the soldier's back is a 1936 model backpack, and on his side are small infantry shovels. Photo by D. Baltermants

The radio broadcast from Red Square was turned on to the whole world the minute the parade had already begun. It was, of course, heard both in Berlin and in Wolf's Lair" - the Fuhrer's headquarters. Later, his associates recalled that no one dared to report to Hitler about what was happening in Moscow. He himself, quite by accident, turned on the receiver and heard the music of a march and the firm tread of soldiers' boots. When the commands sounded in Russian, the Fuhrer realized what was happening. He rushed to the telephone and ordered it to be connected to the headquarters of Army Group Center. He gave a dressing down, demanded the commander of the bomber aviation to answer the phone and ordered him: “I give you an hour to atone for your guilt. The parade must be bombed at all costs!” Despite the snowstorm, the bombers took off. Not a single one made it to Moscow. Twenty-five of them were shot down at the distant approaches, the rest turned back.

Moscow was already inaccessible to the enemy. There will still be breakthroughs and air bombings, there will still be shelling from long-range artillery. But after that legendary parade, the spring of war began to unwind in the opposite direction.

Military parade on Red Square. Moscow, November 7, 1941. Very famous photograph historical parade. Photo by Arkady Shaikhet

Some facts:

List of parade participants:

Moscow (1st) Mortar and Artillery School named after L.B. Krasina

Moscow Infantry School named after the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR

Moscow Military-Political School named after V.I. Lenin

2nd Moscow rifle division

332nd Ivanovskaya named after M.V. Frunze rifle division

Separate motorized rifle brigade special purpose

Special Purpose Division named after F.E. Dzerzhinsky

Fighter motorized rifle Moscow regiment of the NKVD Directorate of Moscow and the Moscow region.

Moscow naval crew

Special battalion of the Military Council of the Moscow Military District and the Moscow Defense Zone

Battalion of former Red Guard veterans

Two Vsevobuch battalions

Consolidated motorized regiment

Cavalry and artillery units of the Moscow defense zone

Combined anti-aircraft air defense regiment

Tank units

Meteorological conditions on November 7, 1941 - snow, cloudiness 10 points, air temperature minus 6 degrees, windy.

The distance of the front line from Moscow is 50-60 kilometers.

At the time of the parade, Moscow and the areas adjacent to the city were already on the 17th day (from 10/20/41)
state of siege.

In total, 28,487 military personnel (69 battalions), 140 artillery pieces, 160 tanks and 232 vehicles. To strengthen the existing fighter units, aircraft from nearby fronts were temporarily redeployed to airfields near Moscow. total quantity fighters reached 550 units.

The photographs were borrowed by me from the War Album

Hello! While there is little documentary evidence, we need to look further.

"When there was a danger of interception by the enemy Dmitrovskoe highway, The Military Council nominated a special battalion of the Military Council of the Moscow Military District and MZO to Rogachevo, which occupied a prepared line of defense in an area 16 kilometers wide, joining the Dmitrov fighter battalion. On one kilometer of front there were up to 60 rifles, seven heavy machine guns, three light machine guns and one gun. The battalion conducted reconnaissance and improved defense. On November 25, he came under the command of the operational group of the 30th Army that arrived in Rogachevo.

On November 26 at 10 o'clock the enemy, with a force of up to an infantry regiment with tanks and artillery, appeared in front of the front line of defense, pursuing the retreating units of the 30th Army, and immediately attacked the left flank fighter squad and pushed him back. The situation was restored by the battalion commander's reserve. By four o'clock the battalion had repelled several attacks by the Nazis, but due to the threat of the enemy bypassing the open flanks, on the orders of the task force commander, it began to retreat to the Dmitrov area. In the evening, the battalion was tasked with occupying the defense of a strong point at the line Pulikha, Astretsovo, Voronovo, height 233.7, height 220.2. By the morning of November 27, the battalion occupied the defense of this strong point. A few hours later, the enemy attacked the strong point along its entire front, broke through to Pulikha, Voronov, Dyatlev and surrounded them with tanks and two infantry battalions. The battle lasted five hours, the fighters fought heroically. Lieutenant Krasilnikov's platoon from Lieutenant Chistyakov's anti-tank battery destroyed two tanks and two mortars; Krasilnikov himself was seriously wounded, but did not leave the battlefield. The 76-mm gunner Zvezdin knocked out four tanks. The platoon of junior lieutenant Matyushkin allowed the enemy to come within 40 meters and threw grenades: the Red Army soldier Bolotin crawled up to the tank and blew it up with grenades, and the cartridge carrier Nabakhtoveli fearlessly delivered ammunition under enemy fire. Thanks to the steadfastness of this battalion and the units of the 30th Army that interacted with it, the enemy was detained on the approaches to Dmitrov for two days, which was so necessary for Headquarters to withdraw to this sector. shock army" - http://www.eco-kovcheg.ru/ilinskie_rubezhi-20.html

Last name Akhmatov
Name Akim
Patronymic Nikolaevich
Place of birth Moscow region, Moscow, Neglinnaya, 20/2-11
Reason for retirement killed
Primary burial place, Moscow region, Pulikha village
Information source inventory number 1942
Case number of the source of information 414 t1

https://www.obd-memorial.ru/html/info.htm?id=86837557

Information from documents clarifying losses
Last name Akhmatov
Name Akim
Patronymic Nikolaevich
Last place of service of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Moscow Military District
Reason for retirement killed
Name of the source of information Tver UWC, Moscow
Information source inventory number 1943
Case number of the source of information 415 t1

https://www.obd-memorial.ru/html/info.htm?id=86867148

Information from burial lists
Last name Akhmatov
Name Akim
Patronymic Nikolaevich
Date of birth/age __.__.1910
Military rank: Red Army soldier
Date of death 01/03/1942
Country of burial Russia
Burial place Dmitrovsky district, Gorshkovo village
Where is the village of Pulikha reburied from?

https://www.obd-memorial.ru/html/info.htm?id=87135759

Burial information
Country of burial Russia
Burial region Moscow region.
Burial number in VMC 50-85/2014
Primary burial place, Dmitrovsky district, Gorshkovo village
Date of creation of the modern burial site __.__.1941
Date of last burial __.__.1960
Type of burial: combat burial and reburial
The condition of the burial is good
Number of graves 1
Only 40 buried
Buried known 40
Buried unknown 0
Who is in charge of the burial of OJSC "Agromekhservice"
Where did the reburials take place from: Dyatlino village, Zverkovo village, Nastasino village, Nesterovo village, Podmoshye village, Pulikha village, Spiridovo, village Spiridonovo, no. Sysoevo, p. f-ki May 1

https://www.obd-memorial.ru/html/info.htm?id=87135756&page=1

Map - http://www.etomesto.ru/map-tver_rkka-valday/?z=1&x=37.350754&y=56.341618

Http://www.etomesto.ru/map-atlas_rkka/?z=1&x=37.350754&y=56.341618

139th day of the war

On November 7, 1941, the parade begins earlier than usual, at eight in the morning. This is done as a precaution in case German aviation decided to stage a raid.

Early in the morning there is dense fog over the square, heavy snow is falling and the weather is completely unflyable.

The parade on Red Square is also a farewell to the front.

2 am on November 7th. “The situation in which we have to celebrate this great day,” recalls the commander tank company 3rd Moscow Division - creates an exceptional morale boost for all soldiers, singing “The Internationale” we arrive at the battalion’s location. Having learned about famous speech Comrade Stalin from people who heard it on the radio dedicated to the 24th anniversary of the revolution, we are looking forward to the morning newspapers.

We settle down for the night in a shelter under the battalion headquarters building, but then we receive an order to move to the parachute factory, since our company is assigned to duty at the regimental headquarters.

Cold. It began to snow heavily. We are located in the basement of the factory, the fighters lie down on tables covered with silk.

The posts are set up, everything is quiet, I walk through the factory building with a flashlight. All the equipment has been taken out, pieces of silk and calico are lying on the floor and wide, smoothly polished long tables.

I go into the first aid station, there is a broken drill overturned in a hurry and a sparkling clean glass cabinet with some medicines. A heap of metal buckles and parachute bags, empty cold halls filled with smoke from a fire burning on the stone floor near the orderly.

2 o'clock in the morning, alarm, we occupy the defense lines. In the area of ​​the village of Panshino-Olkhino, according to headquarters, troops were dropped.

Three quarters of the company leave for reconnaissance. The alarm turned out to be false, we returned at 8 a.m. tired and hungry. A good festive breakfast, lots of cigarettes and butter, newspapers with Comrade Stalin’s report were received” (room 5).

Dawn November 7th. General Tyurnev reported this about the legendary 1941 parade:

“There was little time left to prepare personnel, equipment and enter the given area. The headquarters and political department officers worked in their units all night. Special attention appealed to check the serviceability of the material part. We found time to take tank commanders and driver mechanics to Red Square. We had to drive trucks in complete darkness (headlights were not allowed). But it was necessary to go. Many of the tankers had never been to Moscow in their lives and had never seen our main square. We carried out a kind of reconnaissance with the tankers and walked along Red Square “on foot like a tank.”

Red Army tanks on the streets of Moscow. 1941

This was our only training for that historic parade.

5 hours 30 minutes November 7, 1941 . The troops left along Leningradsky Prospekt and Gorky Street and moved towards the center of Moscow. Residents of the city look at our columns in surprise. Joyful smiles light up their faces when they learn about the parade.

6 o'clock in the morning. General Tyurnev noted: “By six o’clock in the morning our brigade reached the Okhotny Ryad with the head of the column.”

7 o'clock in the morning . Snowstorm, dim sky, air temperature - 6 degrees. Red Square looks especially solemn and menacingly majestic on this historical day. The snow that fell the day before dusted the ancient walls of the Kremlin and the granite of the Mausoleum of V. I. Lenin. Frosty and windy. At about eight in the morning, the radio announces the start of broadcasting a parade of Red Army units from Red Square. J.V. Stalin spoke on behalf of the Central Committee of the Party.

He said, addressing the parade participants and everyone Soviet soldiers: “The whole world looks at you as a force capable of destroying the predatory hordes German invaders. The enslaved peoples of Europe, who fell under the yoke of the Nazi invaders, look at you as their liberators. The great liberation mission has fallen to your lot. Be worthy of this mission! The war you are waging is a war of liberation, a just war. Let the courageous image of our great ancestors - Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy, Kuzma Minin, Dmitry Pozharsky, Alexander Suvorov, Mikhail Kutuzov - inspire you in this war! Let the victorious banner of the Great Lenin overshadow you.”

Leaders of the party and government on the podium of the Mausoleum of V.I. Lenin on the day of celebration of the 24th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution

Commander of the parade on Red Square, Marshal of the Soviet Union S. M. Budyonny. November 7, 1941

From the parade to the front!

During the military parade on Red Square dedicated to the 24th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution, November 7, 1941

Platoons line up at the parade,

The earth hums underfoot,

The native factories stand behind the fighters

And the ruby ​​stars of the Kremlin.

Soldiers with SVT-40 rifles at the parade

Machine gunners on Red Square

People's militias at the parade

Cavalrymen on Red Square at the parade in honor of the 24th anniversary of the Great October Revolution

Soviet medium tanks T-34 at a parade on Red Square

Tanks walking along Tverskaya Street

Tanks and column Marine Corps heading to the front, passing along the Garden Ring

Dressed in good winter uniforms, the troops in full combat readiness walk past the Mausoleum of V.I. Lenin, swearing an oath to the party and government to turn the approaches to Moscow into a grave for the German invaders. Soldiers of the 332nd Ivanovo named after. M.V. Frunze division, cadets of the artillery school, battalions of cadets of the schools named after the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR and the District Military-Political School, rifle regiment named after. F.E. Dzerzhinsky, Moscow naval crew, Special battalion of the Military Council of the Moscow Military District and the Moscow Defense Zone, a battalion of former Red Guard veterans, two general training battalions, a cavalry squadron. Machine-gun carts rushed by, artillery regiments, a combined anti-aircraft air defense regiment, and the 129th Infantry Division passed by. people's militia Moscow. In conclusion, more than 200 tanks passed through. The multivocal “hurray”, the measured tread of the regiments, the roar of engines merged into a powerful roar. Heavy snowfall and blizzard excluded the possibility of aviation participation. This parade lasted 62 minutes (room 5).

On October 15, 1941, the USSR Government, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, diplomatic missions and large cultural institutions were evacuated to the city of Kuibyshev. In the event of the fall of Moscow, in which Headquarters continued to remain Supreme High Command, State Defense Committee and General Staff Red Army, Kuibyshev was supposed to become new capital USSR.

The parade on November 7, 1941 in Kuibyshev demonstrated to the whole world the presence of fresh reserves that were well armed and equipped advanced technology. The parade was attended by the 65th division of Colonel Pyotr Koshevoy (future marshal and twice Hero of the Soviet Union), which arrived from Trans-Baikal Dauria, and the 415th division of Major General Pyotr Alexandrov, which had just been formed in Primorye. The parade was commanded by Lieutenant General M.A. Purkaev, and hosted by Marshal K.E. Voroshilov. Members of the USSR government were present in the stands, to the left of the stand were the diplomatic corps, military attaches from 27 Western countries and journalists. For an hour and a half in twenty-degree frost, a combined regiment passed in front of the stands command staff, infantry, cadets of the Military Medical Academy, combined women's battalion air defense troops and cavalry - in total over 22 thousand people. They were followed by light tanks T-26 and T-38, heavy tanks T-35, T-20 Komsomolets tractors with 45-mm anti-tank guns and BA-10 armored vehicles. Il-2 attack aircraft, as well as fighters and bombers, passed in the sky in several waves.

Marshal Kliment Voroshilov, followed by the commander of the parade, Lieutenant General Maxim Purkaev and adjutants

The main spectators are foreign diplomats in uniform, military attaches of embassies accredited to the USSR

Members of the USSR Government and leaders of the Kuibyshev region host a military parade and demonstration of workers on November 7, 1941 on the square named after. V.V. Kuibyshev in Kuibyshev. In the center stands Marshal of the Soviet Union Kliment Efremovich Voroshilov - a member of the State Defense Committee and a representative of the Headquarters for the formation of troops, to his left is Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin - Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (unofficially he was often called the “All-Union Headman”), on either side are the leaders Kuibyshev region

Infantrymen - participants in the military parade on November 7, 1941 on the square. V. V. Kuibysheva

Tracked semi-armored artillery tractors T-20 "Komsomolets" with 45-mm anti-tank guns at the parade on November 7, 1941 in the city of Kuibyshev

At this time . The counterattack of the 3rd and 50th armies, carried out on this day, upsets all of Guderian's plans. He has to stop the offensive for ten days.

From archival documents and materials of the current period

The whole country listens to the parade with excitement and joy, as a harbinger of the coming victory. From Red Square, the soldiers participating in the legendary parade go straight to the front, to defend their native Moscow. Chief Marshal artillery N.N. Voronov, who was in Leningrad in those days, wrote in his memoirs: “On November 7, all Leningrad rejoiced. The parade in Moscow meant a lot. He testified again and again that the party and the government are confident of victory... Everyone has increased strength and energy.”

Nikolai Nikolaevich Voronov

From the memories of veterans who took part in the parade on November 7, 1941.: “It was a special parade. Not just a review of troops, but an expression of the unshakable determination of the Soviet Union to defend its capital, a manifestation of its strength and confidence in victory over German fascist invaders. The parade inspired all our people and their heroic army to defeat the hated enemy.

The ceremonial march of infantrymen, cavalrymen, and artillerymen was completed by the tanks of our brigade. Ahead tank group the parade was going on fighting machine brigade commander Colonel Kravchenko. He alone was allowed to be in the command tank with the hatch open. All other cars were moving with their hatches closed. The troops marched in full combat gear. Infantrymen - with cartridge pouches, sapper shovels, gas masks. We, the tankers, are fully loaded with fuel and live sets of shells. Everyone understood: from here, from the walls of the gray Kremlin, we will go straight to the front, straight into battle.”

From the memoirs of Zaitsev, former chief engineer of plant No. 398: “On November 7, I came to the plant. The plant was in ruins: there were no windows, no glass in the window frames, no doors, no equipment, the boiler room did not work, the steam pipeline and water supply were damaged by frost. Electrical network, both power and lighting, were completely paralyzed. Moscow needed ammunition."