On January 22, in the village of Porozhki, Lomonosov district of the Leningrad region, a reconstruction of Operation “January Thunder” took place, which began on January 14, 1944 and during which the Siege of Leningrad was completely lifted and the Peterhof-Strelninsky group of the German army was destroyed. The reconstruction, which as a phenomenon and show is becoming more and more popular every year, this time attracted just a huge number of people! The number of those who arrived can only be compared with Nikolsky, but there the fighting takes place practically in a populated area, and in this case the action took place in the field and in the forest!
During reconstructions these days, the situation is this: if you want to take a place convenient for viewing, arrive at least an hour in advance and stand in this very place, don’t leave! If you don’t want to stand in one place for an hour in the cold and listen to all sorts of nonsense that the crazy neighbors will broadcast all this time, come with a big party and warm drinks and create a frenzy so that everyone is scared and does not strain, etc.. And if you arrive in minutes for 30 - that means you will take the place that will be free at that time. Of course, you won’t be able to see a damn thing from there! This time it happened...
Troops take positions, Red Army artillerymen check the gun.
A German machine gunner fills a belt with cartridges...
Handsome MG-42 on the machine!!!
The Red Army soldier goes to his company.
German forward position
German rear. Please note, in addition to the banner of the Third Reich, ROA flags and two red flags are also flying - obviously for camouflage and to completely confuse and disorient the long-range artillery spotters of the Main Caliber and bomber and attack aircraft pilots!
There is also a Living Shield made up of forcibly exiled residents of surrounding villages and prisoners of war!!!
But the “wise commanders” (c) had already learned how to fight by 1944; you can’t fool them! Art preparation has begun...
The Red Army rushed to the offensive!
Pay attention! The political instructor-standard bearer, disguised as a simple soldier, urges the soldiers to attack, threatening with a revolver!
“Our German Wehrmacht” (c) responds with artillery and machine gun fire and at some point the offensive stops...
Motorcyclists come to the aid of the infantry, “which can be equated to armored vehicles” (c) commentator on the reconstruction...
So the German artillery “equalized” them...
New crews with Degtyarev machine guns cross the Chernaya River along the bridge.
The Germans are firing back
An excellent marksman, probably the holder of the “Excellent Shooting” badge, is trying to hit the enemy with a TT pistol from a distance of a couple of hundred meters!
The Red Army is gathering strength for a new strike
One fighter pours lead from the Tar on his enemies! The second, who fought in Halkingolka before 1944, is aiming from the SVT, and the third is ready to storm well-fortified German positions with melee weapons...
A new attack begins!
The roar of mators is heard in the sky, aviation joins the battle!
"Stalin's Falcons" (c) commentator on the reconstruction, dropping leaflets on German positions.
Baltic sailors are going into battle! In the background you can see a top-secret technique from the Future!
There is wild bustle and confusion in the German positions!
The naval officer, in the turmoil of the battle, explains to the soldiers that they must wait until the aircraft bomb, and then continue the offensive
The planes, meanwhile, are making their second round.
The planes are again flying over the German positions and dropping bombs!
But then a German fighter appears in the sky! The ROA flag is on the tail! Last greetings from General Vlasov...
An air battle ensues
German artillerymen are trying to shoot down Soviet planes with their guns
Meanwhile, the Red Army begins a new attack!
A gun is rolled into a combat position...
And immediately fires a salvo!
Direct hit! The German cannon is disabled! Hans position is covered in smoke...
The Red Army soldiers are rising to attack again!
But, at this moment, German reserves appear from the flank - an armored personnel carrier of the SS-Polizei division, with the support of infantry!
At first the counterattack is successful for the Germans...
But soon, the SS armored vehicle is knocked out by Soviet artillery and the Red Army begins a decisive assault on the German defense stronghold
In some places it comes to hand-to-hand combat!
A complete dump!
The German defense line has been captured!
Photos and videos from other reconstructions of the Second World War, Civil War, Winter War can be found by tag -
The reconstruction of the battle “In the breakthrough zone”, which took place on January 22, 2012 near the village of Porozhki, is dedicated to a small episode of the operation called “Neva-2” - the beginning of the offensive of the Soviet troops.
This Krasnoselsko-Ropshinskaya offensive operation by the troops of the Leningrad Front led to the complete lifting of the blockade of Leningrad in the Great Patriotic War, which is celebrated on January 27.
On January 14, 1944, a massive artillery barrage, which began at 9.35 and continued for an hour, inflicted heavy damage on enemy troops in the Gostilits area.
The offensive began at 10.50, Soviet troops at the front 10.5 km from mark 132.2 Porozhki, attacked the front line of the enemy’s defense in the direction of Dyatlitsy.
It was necessary to cross a bridge on the Chernaya River, and in order to prevent the Nazis from blowing it up, a reconnaissance group was sent. A platoon of the 32nd Infantry Regiment, consisting of 40 men, destroyed a German dugout. The bridge guards were knocked out and retreated to fortified positions.
The Germans opened mortar fire on the bridge.
Image 8: Light Machine Gun DP (Degtyarev Infantry) model 1927 - 7.62 mm, magazine for 47 rounds, 600 rounds per minute. In 1944 it was modernized.
Image 9: You can’t run with such a machine gun; the weight of the fully equipped DP is 11.3 kg.
Image 11
MP-38/40 erroneously called "Schmeisser" due to the use of the bolt mechanism of this designer. (Schmeiser was also the author of the idea of modifying the MP-41 with a wooden butt.) The weapon itself was developed by designer Heinrich Vollmer and put into service in 1938. The machine gun is intended for landing troops, motorized infantry, crews of armored vehicles and commanders of infantry platoons, squads, subunits (one for ten people). And only later, towards the end of the war, it entered service with infantry units en masse.
Image 13: German Army soldier with the Mauser K98k (sniper) carbine, which became the main weapon of the infantry.
Image 18
Image 19: Soldiers of Nazi Germany with a machine gun MG-34 (?), and since 1942 it has been an improved MG-42 (caliber 7.92x57mm Mauser).
As a result of the breakthrough of the enemy's defense, Zherebyatki, Perelesye, Zrekino, Gostilitsy, and a storage farm were liberated. Krasnaya Baltika, Novaya, Thresholds.
Image 23
Several dozen military history clubs of St. Petersburg and the Region took part in the reconstruction - about 300 reenactors, an armored car, motorcycles, 3 aircraft (one of which was German) and guns.
Image 25: German 88 mm anti-aircraft gun FlaK 18/36/37/41 (or Soviet (?)).
According to the media, more than 10 thousand spectators - adults and children, as well as war veterans witnessed this performance. Who would count them? I noticed on the train that a lot of people were going to the reconstruction site. Transport was organized for the guests - buses from the Old Peterhof station. And the road itself at the entrance to the place is completely clogged with cars.
Image 27
It was not possible to find a place from which everything could be seen. I myself was sitting on a tree in the area of the crossing, and therefore I saw the key moment of the battle - the storming of the bridge.
But with the reenactors on the battlefield there was a photographer - a girl in a white disguise. I regretted not taking my ghillie suit. Then I would have merged with the crowd of military men and would have been in the thick of things.
Image 29: Buckwheat porridge with meat from the field kitchen, which worked throughout the day.
By the way, the porridge turned out to be delicious; I ate two servings myself. Dining outdoors is wonderful!
People were allowed into the battle site only after the end of the battle, when the field was cleared of unexploded pyrotechnics.
Only at such events can you see Soviet sailors of the Baltic Fleet peacefully talking with soldiers of the Wehrmacht army.
Image 33
One of the soldiers has a machine gun, similar to a Kalashnikov assault rifle. This is the (Maschinenpistole-43) MP-43, later modernized into the StG 44 (Sturmgewehr 44) or the MP-44 assault rifle - caliber 7.92×33 mm (7.92mm Kurz). It was created by the designer Hugo Schmeisser and borrowed by Kalashnikov.
Operation January Thunder
January 14, 1944 Friday. The Krasnoselsko-Ropshinsky operation "January Thunder", or Operation "Neva-2" began - a major offensive operation of the troops of the Leningrad Front (front commander - Army General L. A. Govorov) as part of the strategic Leningrad-Novgorod operation of Soviet troops against the 18th German army besieging Leningrad.On the night of January 14th. Before the start of the offensive, the rifle units of the 2nd Shock Army move to the neutral zone and dig in 150–350 meters from the enemy’s forward positions, and sappers make passages in minefields and barbed wire obstacles.
Before dawn on January 14 . Long-range aviation carries out 109 sorties, striking enemy defenses in front of the front of the 2nd strike (commander - Lieutenant General I. I. Fedyuninsky) and 42nd armies (commander - Colonel General I. I. Maslennikov) of Leningradsky front.
Early morning January 14 . Simultaneously with night bombers, artillery batteries of the Leningrad Front strike enemy defense centers and artillery positions from the Oranienbaum bridgehead. After 65 minutes of artillery preparation, fierce battles with the enemy immediately ensued.
From the combat log of the 42nd Army: “The troops of the Leningrad Front went on the offensive. At 9.20, the battery opened fire on enemy firing points. The consumption of shells was 400 pieces. The gun crew of Senior Sergeant Andreev, the loader, Apolinsky, especially distinguished himself. January 14, 1944.”
In addition to front-line artillery, naval and coastal artillery of the Baltic Fleet, as well as anti-aircraft artillery of the Leningrad Air Defense Army, take part in the Leningrad Front zone.
From the memoirs of Ivan Ivanovich Fedyuninsky: “The January morning was startled by thunder. It rolled, grew, and turned into a bubbling roar. In the sky, still covered with the twilight of a late winter dawn, crimson lightning shuddered. Leningrad was accustomed to artillery cannonades, but this had never happened before. Everyone understood: it has begun!”
Artillery preparation is also carried out on the front of the 67th Army with the aim of misleading the enemy and creating favorable conditions for the 42nd Army, which will have to break through very strong enemy defenses.
At the same time. Residents of Leningrad heard a powerful roar coming from the southwest. "It's begun!" - passed from mouth to mouth. In 1 hour 40 minutes, 220 thousand shells are fired at enemy positions.
From the memories of participants in those events:"...The whole city was stunned by a gigantic roar that, like a tornado, swept over Leningrad. Leningraders heard a lot of shooting during the siege, but they had never heard such a stunning, menacing, growing roar. Some pedestrians on the streets began to carefully look sideways, looking for where shells were falling. But the shells were not falling. Then it became clear that it was us who were shooting, it was our shells that were lifting up the German fortifications.
The whole city went into excitement. People realized that what they had been thinking about incessantly had begun. And the voice of the Leningrad guns spread throughout the entire arc of the front. The guns hit the front line, the heavy guns hit from the depths, the ships hit, the forts hit, Kronstadt said.
The explosions of German shells falling on the southern outskirts of the city were not terrible in these waves of roar, which turned into a storm of retaliation. Tons of metal smashed German pillboxes, turned guns into scrap, tore apart infantry, collapsed dugouts, and leveled trenches. Pieces of torn wire flew into the sky. Mines were exploding in mine fields. Black clouds of smoke covered the horizon..."
10 o'clock 40 min. January 14. The first to go on the offensive was the 2nd Shock Army of the Leningrad Front from the Oranienbaum bridgehead in the direction of Ropsha. Captain Marchenko's rifle company was one of the first to break into enemy trenches.
After powerful artillery preparation, the infantry rose to attack. Oranienbaum bridgehead, January 14, 1944.
That same morning. Simultaneously with the Krasnoselsko-Ropshinskaya operation, the Novgorod-Luga offensive operation of the Soviet troops of the Volkhov Front begins against part of the forces of the 18th German Army besieging Leningrad, which is part of the Leningrad-Novgorod strategic offensive operation. Objectives of the operation: defeat the enemy group in the Novgorod area, liberate the Oktyabrskaya Railway and encircle, together with the troops of the Leningrad Front, the main forces of the 18th Army in the Luga area.
The operation begins with the actions of the troops of the 59th Army (commander - Lieutenant General I.T. Korovnikov) of the Volkhov Front in difficult conditions of wooded and swampy terrain. After artillery preparation on the main direction north of Novgorod, which lasted 1 hour 50 minutes, using the darkness and the beginning of a snowstorm, the southern group of troops of T. A. Sviklin, deputy commander of the 59th Army, consisting of the 58th separate rifle brigade and the 225th rifle division, reinforced by two snowmobile battalions, secretly crosses Lake Ilmen across the ice on the night of January 14. With a surprise attack, she destroys enemy strongholds on the western bank, capturing a bridgehead. The enemy suffers losses, but his defense is not suppressed. Regardless of losses, the enemy immediately throws reserves into battle, masses artillery and aviation in areas where Soviet troops break through.
The battle is taking place in difficult conditions. Bad weather made it difficult for Soviet artillerymen to observe targets. For the same reason, our aviation does not take part in preparing and supporting the offensive.
On January 24, 2016, this reconstruction took place, which conditionally showed the Soviet operation "January Thunder", which began on January 14, 1944 and ended on January 30 of the same year. As a result of the operation, the troops of the Leningrad Front destroyed the Peterhof-Strelninsky group of Germans, threw it back to a distance of 60-100 km from the city, liberated a number of settlements, and, in cooperation with the troops of the Volkhov Front, completely liberated Leningrad from the German blockade.
The day began with arrival at a specially prepared parking lot, where volunteers and police officers worked to regulate traffic. The reconstruction base turned out to be impressive, on the one hand it is Soviet, where everything Soviet is concentrated - equipment, artillery, easel weapons, etc., infantrymen, field kitchens, and on the other hand it is German, but it is noticeably smaller. You could ride for 200 rubles. on SU-76, T-70 and PzKpfw. II Ausf. D (all tracked armored vehicles are replicas, including the Marder II). It was possible to shoot from an impressive arsenal of hand weapons, including even a Maxim heavy machine gun.
In general, the reenactors provided a wealth of material for study, palpation, and enlightenment. The only negative (cold weather doesn’t even count) is the lack of wooden stands for easy viewing of the reconstruction, because there were a lot of people there.
After lunch, I suggested going to the German side, because I believed that from their side it would be closer and better visible beyond the battlefield. It turned out that it was not in vain that we crossed over - exactly where we ended up standing, in the German rear, it was very clearly visible, deafeningly audible and we were practically in the very epicenter of events. This is easy to understand from the video clips, especially the last one, where planes often flew directly above us.
Some spectators wanted to see everything better to such an extent that they literally climbed a tree, creating an almost perfect symmetrical composition:
The pilots of the four aircraft deserved special praise - they were wonderful. Without them, the reconstruction would be incomplete and not as impressive. After the end of the battle, the T-70 and SU-76 turned around and went back to the field to give rides to those who wanted to ride them.
In the link is a playlist with ten video excerpts, almost entirely showing the reconstruction - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwEKKEPBrsbJi9Ep3TcuwLb4yHYVPmmbm
Below are photos with comments.
SU-76 during landing, we were the first to climb: 
I only know about tanks and self-propelled guns, but other weapons are bad, so I don’t know exactly what kind of howitzer this is, perhaps an M-30: 
37 mm Soviet anti-aircraft gun, like 61-K: 
In the background, just to the left of center, you can see the BTR-60, which the public also rode on: 
You could ride motorcycles, but not ride them, of course: 
Large selection of hand and easel weapons. Even children shot. And in the background it was possible to shoot from the ZIS-3 divisional cannon. By the way, one girl tried a black weapon that looked like an AK-47, so the cartridges flew out a couple of meters to her right, reaching me and the audience. One of them hit my head like this: 
Soviet infantry: 
I wasn’t happy with the view from here, I was worried that it wouldn’t be visible as well and not as close, so I suggested moving to the opposite side: 
Place of the future battle (on a historical site): 
It looks like a German reporter, half dressed in a winter uniform, with colorful German reenactors. By the way, this road connecting the two sides was later closed for crossing, because it was the site of a battle: 
When we arrived, PzKpfw. II Ausf. D was no longer carrying the troops: 
And Marder II simply stood there as an exhibit, because the design features did not allow the self-propelled gun to be ridden (and, like in the SU-76, it was not allowed into the fighting compartment in order to avoid damage to interior parts): 
So the battle began, with the appearance of two of our planes and firing at them by the Soviet 52-K anti-aircraft gun, playing the role of the 88-mm German Flak 18/36/37 anti-aircraft gun: 
The battle was over, we were allowed to walk around the battlefield: 
Marder II: 
There were a lot of people (try to spot a German self-propelled gun!): 
PzKpfw. II Ausf. D, who for some reason turned the turret towards the stern: 
One last look at the battlefield: 
Thank you for your attention!
As part of the 3rd International St. Petersburg Military History Festival, dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the Nazi blockade, on January 26, 2014, a reconstruction of the battle will take place for residents of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region - the beginning of Operation January Thunder. The fight will take place at the HISTORICAL site of the FIRST "Stalin's strike"!!!
400 reenactors, divisional and anti-aircraft artillery, tanks, and military equipment will take to the battlefield, and air battles will unfold in the sky between “Stalin’s falcons” and “Luftwaffe aces.”
The event will take place at a prepared site, in the village of Porozhki, Lomonosov district, Leningrad region, where it is possible to accommodate 20,000 spectators or more.
ATTENTION TO VIEWERS!
The fight starts at 15:00, BUT you need to arrive early!!!
From 14.15 the road to cars will be closed to the village of Petrovskoye - 3 km from the battle site.
Arrive early, around 13.30.
For spectators in cars - see the map.
For spectators on transport: FREE buses will be launched from the railway station. Old Peterhof to the reconstruction site.
From 11.00 to 13.30 there, from 15.00 to 17.00 back.
There will be on-site catering to keep spectators warm and fed.
Opening plan of the 3rd International St. Petersburg Military History Festival:
From 12.00 - all exhibitions and interactive areas for spectators are open - this is all military equipment, weapons, the life of soldiers on both sides of the front, etc.
At 14.00 - concerts of front-line brigades - as it was during the Second World War, when artists came to the front and sang in front of the soldiers right next to the front line.
At 14.30 - the grand opening of the Festival, performances by WWII veterans and Heroes of the Soviet Union.
At 14.45 - a story for the audience about what happened at this place exactly 70 years ago, and about what will be reconstructed today.
At 15.00 - Fight...
At 16.00 - Giving military honors to Soviet soldiers who fell at this line in January 1944.
From 16.15 to 18.00 - time for communication and photography with reconstruction participants.
Location:
Memorial "January Thunder", village of Porozhki, Lomonosov district, Leningrad region.
VKontakte Events Group: http://vk.com/vproriv
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And another addition from the official website of the administration of St. Petersburg:
(http://gov.spb.ru/gov/otrasl/kpmp/news/43351/)
“In the Breakthrough Zone” is the largest military-historical reconstruction of recent years, timed to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the fascist blockade. 5 aircraft will participate in the reconstruction of the combat operation. After the aerial bombing, heavy equipment will come into play: T-34 tanks, wartime trucks, cars, motorcycles. Viewers will see the only exact copy of the German artillery self-propelled gun “Marder 2D” in the world. During the war there were only 200 of them, not a single one has survived to this day. For the first time, a copy of the German Pz-IID tank will go into battle. Military equipment and aircraft for combat are provided by the Russian Military Historical Society. Many samples will come to our city from Moscow and other regions of Russia. Private collectors will also provide their collector cars. Mounted troops will also take part in the battles - just like in January 1944.
The reconstruction will take place under historical conditions as close as possible. It was in these places, near the village of Porozhki, that in January 1944 the first of the famous “Stalin Strikes” was delivered, which marked the beginning of the operation to completely liberate Leningrad from the Nazi Siege. The center of action and a strategically important point will be the historical bridge. During the War, it was preserved thanks to the feat of four Soviet intelligence officers, and it was along it that the tanks made their breakthrough.
More than 400 reenactors will take part in the fighting. The team is multinational: 150 people from regions of Russia, as well as the CIS and foreign countries, 250 St. Petersburg residents.
