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Did Panfilov's men really exist? Panfilov's men

Do you know who the Panfilovites are? What feat did they accomplish? We will answer these and other questions in the article. Panfilovites are the military personnel of the 316th Rifle Division, which was formed in the cities of Frunze, Kyrgyz USSR, and Alma-Ata, Kazakh USSR, and later became known as the 8th Guards Division. They participated in the defense of Moscow in 1941 under the leadership of Major General I.V. Panfilov, who had previously served as commissar of the army of the Kirghiz SSR.

Version

What did Panfilov's men become famous for? Their feat is known to many. In the 1075th Infantry Regiment (4th company, 2nd battalion), 28 people served who received the greatest fame. It was they who began to be called “Panfilov’s heroes.” In the USSR, a version of the event that happened in 1941, on November 16, was widespread. It was on this day that the Germans began to attack Moscow again, and the soldiers of the 4th company accomplished a feat. They carried out defense seven kilometers southeast of Volokolamsk (the Dubosekovo crossing area) under the leadership of political instructor Vasily Klochkov. During the battle, which lasted four hours, the soldiers were able to destroy 18 Nazi tanks.

In Soviet historiography it is written that all 28 people, called heroes, died (later they began to indicate “almost all”).

According to Red Star correspondents, before his death, political instructor Klochkov uttered the phrase: “Great is Mother Rus', but there is nowhere to go - Moscow is behind us!” It was included in Soviet university and school history textbooks.

Consensus

Did Panfilov's men really accomplish a feat? In 1948 and 1988, the formal version of the act was studied by the Main Army Prosecutor's Office of the USSR and was recognized as an artistic invention. The open publication of these documents by Sergei Mironenko caused an impressive public outcry.

At the same time, the heavy fortification battles of the 316th Infantry Division against the 35th Infantry and 2nd Tank Divisions, which took place in 1941, on November 16, in the Volokolamsk direction, are a historical fact. In fact, the entire personnel of the 1075th Regiment took part in the battle. Writers' versions of the battle usually do not indicate that the real heroes of the battle had to fight not only tanks, but also numerous enemy infantry.

Major General Panfilov commanded a typical military formation during the battles on the Moscow course. His division was poorly trained, motley, hastily created to plug the gaps that appeared in the Soviet defense. The defending Red Army soldiers did not have a sufficient number of serious anti-tank weapons. That is why stubborn resistance to the blow of powerful iron machines is a feat and also Sergei Mironenko is not questioned.

Despite the discussions, the scientific consensus is that the true facts of the battles were recorded by war correspondents in a distorted form. Further, on the basis of these articles, books were prepared that were far from the actual historical facts.

Memories

So what are Panfilov’s men famous for? The feat of these people is priceless. Captain Gundilovich Pavel gave the names of 28 missing and killed soldiers, whom he was able to remember from the results of the battle, to the journalist Alexander Krivitsky (some believe that Krivitsky himself found these names in the lists of missing and dead).

In Russia and other former Soviet republics, steles and other monuments have been installed on which the names of these 28 soldiers are inscribed, and they are included in the official anthem of Moscow. However, according to the documents, some of the named persons were captured (Timofeev, Shadrin, Kozhubergenov), others died earlier (Shopokov, Natarov), or later (Bondarenko). Some were maimed in battle, but remained alive (Shemyakin, Vasiliev), and I. E. Dobrobabin even energetically helped the Nazis and was subsequently convicted.

Criticism

And yet, is the feat of Panfilov’s men true or fiction? Sergei Mironenko believes that there was no feat, that this was one of the legends imposed by the state. Critics of the official version usually cite the following assumptions and arguments:

It is not clear how Krivitsky and Koroteev learned an impressive number of details of the battle. Information that information was received in the hospital from a battle participant, Notarov, who was mortally wounded, is doubtful. Indeed, according to the documents, this man died on November 14, two days before the battle.
Nothing is known about the battle with these details, neither the commander of the 1075th regiment, Colonel Kaprov, nor the commander of the 316th formation, Major General Panfilov, nor the military commander of the 2nd battalion (which included the 4th company) Major Reshetnikov, nor the commander of the 16th army to Lieutenant General Rokossovsky. German sources also report nothing about him.
By November 16, the 4th company was 100% manned, meaning it could not consist of only 28 soldiers. I.V. Kaprov (military commander of the 1075th Rifle Regiment) claimed that there were approximately 140 souls in the company.

Facts of the inquiry

People decided to find out whether the feat of Panfilov’s men was fact or fiction. In November 1947, the military prosecutor's office of the Kharkov garrison arrested and prosecuted I. E. Dobrobabin for treason. Experts found out that Dobrobabin, while still fighting at the front, surrendered to the Nazis of his own free will and in the spring of 1942 went to serve with them.

This man took the post of chief of police in the village of Perekop (Valkovsky district, Kharkov region) temporarily captured by the Germans. During his arrest, they found a book about 28 Panfilov heroes, and it turned out that he took part in this daring battle, for which he was awarded the title of Hero of the USSR. During the interrogation, it turned out that Dobrobabin at Dubosekovo was indeed lightly wounded and captured by the Germans, but he did not perform any feats, and everything that the authors told about him in the book does not correspond to reality.

Are the 28 Panfilov men fictional characters? The General Military Prosecutor's Office of the USSR thoroughly studied the history of the battle at the Dubosekovsky junction. For the first time, the authenticity of the story about Panfilov’s men was publicly doubted by E. V. Cardin, who published the article “Facts and Legends” in the almanac “New World” (1996, February).

And in 1997, an article by Olga Edelman and Nikolai Petrov “New about the heroes of the USSR” appeared in the same magazine, which stated that the official version of the feat was studied by the Main Army Prosecutor's Office of the USSR in 1948 and recognized it as a literary fiction.

Krivitsky's testimony

The interrogated Krivitsky (the newspaper's secretary) testified that 28 Panfilov's men were his literary fiction. He said he had not spoken to any of the surviving or wounded Guardsmen. Of the local residents, he only communicated with a boy of 14-15 years old, who brought him to the grave where Klochkov was buried.

In 1943, from the formation in which 28 heroes served, he was sent a letter conferring the rank of guardsman. He visited the division three or four times. Krapivin asked Krivitsky where he found the famous statement of political instructor Klochkov about the impossibility of retreat. And he replied that he composed it himself.

Conclusion

So, the investigation materials revealed that the Panfilov heroes are the invention of the editor of “Red Star” Ortenberg, the journalist Koroteev and, most of all, Krivitsky (the newspaper’s secretary).

In 1988, the Main Army Prosecutor's Office of the USSR again took up the circumstances of the feat. As a result, the military chief prosecutor of justice, Lieutenant General A.F. Katusev, published the article “Alien Glory” in the Military Historical Journal (1990, No. 8-9). He wrote in it that the massive feat of the entire division, the entire regiment, was reduced to the scale of a fabulous platoon through the negligence of dishonest correspondents. The Doctor of Historical Sciences, Director of the State Archive of the Russian Federation, has the same opinion. S. V. Mironenko.

Support

Surely Panfilov's heroes really existed. Marshal of the Soviet Union D.T. Yazov defended the official version. He relied on the analysis of Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences G. A. Kumanev “Forgery and Feat.” In 2011 (September), the newspaper “Soviet Russia” published an article “Shamelessly ridiculed feat,” including a letter from the marshal in which he criticized Mironenko.

The battle of Dubosekovo was studied by the writer V. O. Osipov. According to his data and the testimony of the soldiers of Panfilov’s formation, it is said that the author of the famous above phrase is precisely political instructor Klochkov, and not correspondent Krivitsky. Personal letters from Klochkov were found that have survived to this day. In them, he wrote to his wife about his feeling of special guarantee for Moscow. Among other things, similar calls were published in issues of the division newspaper in Panfilov’s appeals.

Ideological significance

Today even children know what feat Panfilov’s men accomplished. Researcher at the Institute of Islamic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences K. S. Drozdov (candidate of historical sciences) believes that the battle at the Dubosekovo crossing played “an extraordinary mobilizing role, becoming an example of self-sacrifice, courage and perseverance.” Soviet propaganda set her as an example for the soldiers of the Red Army. Marshal of the Soviet Union D.T. Yazov believes that the actions of Panfilov’s men became a model of perseverance for the defenders of Leningrad and Stalingrad; with their name, our soldiers repelled the frantic attacks of the enemy on the Kursk Bulge.

November 16, 1941 at the Dubosekovo crossing, the 1075th regiment of the 316th division took on battle with superior enemy forces. The 316th division, commanded by Major General Panfilov, was in the direction of the main attack throughout October. The heroism of Panfilov’s men immediately became known to the Soviet people, and the division and its commander became legendary after the battles in the Volokolamsk direction. It is not surprising that the heroic division attracted increased attention from the press. On November 16, 1075 the regiment was attacked by superior German forces. The regiment repelled the attack, knocking out several tanks. The Germans brought up their reserves and broke through the defenses by evening. Resisting heroically, Soviet soldiers were forced to retreat, suffering huge losses. The fate of the regiment also befell the rest of the division. Almost defeated during the November battles, it was forced to retreat to the Istra line. On November 18, General Panfilov himself died in battle. Subsequently, the 316th Division was transformed into the 8th Guards Rifle Division and took part in the battles near the famous village of Kryukovo on the Leningradskoe Highway. And only at the end of December 1941. she went to the rear for reorganization. The commander of the 1075th regiment Kaprov recalled: “By November 16, 1941, the regiment that I commanded was on the left flank of the division and covered the exits from Volokolamsk to Moscow and the railway. The 2nd battalion occupied the defense: the village of Novo-Nikolskoye- villagePetelino and Dubosekovo junction.... > The fourth company was commanded by Captain Gundilovich, political instructor Klochkov... By November 16, 1941, there were 120 in the company- 140 people. ... >. In total there were 10 battalions in the area- 12 enemy tanks. I don’t know how many tanks went to the 4th company’s site, or rather, I can’t determine. With the help of the regiment and the efforts of the 2nd battalion, this German tank attack was repulsed. In the battle the regiment destroyed 5- 6 German tanks, and the Germans retreated... Around 14.00- At 15.00 the Germans opened heavy artillery fire on all positions of the regiment, and German tanks again went on the attack. ... >Over 50 tanks attacked the regiment's sector, and the main attack was directed at the positions of the 2nd battalion, since this sector was most accessible to enemy tanks. For about 40- 45 minutes later, enemy tanks crushed the location of the 2nd battalion,including the section of the 4th company. ... > When I crossed the railway embankment, people who had survived the attack by German tanks began to gather around me. The 4th Company suffered the most from the attack; Led by company commander Gundilovich, about 20 people survived- 25, the rest all died. The remaining companies suffered less damage." The Soviet people learned about the heroism of the Division from the Izvestia newspaper within 3 days. November 19, 1941 it contained a note by G. Ivanov, “The 8th Guards Division in Battles,” which described the battle of one of the companies. The encircled company put up heroic resistance, knocking out 9 tanks (3 of them burned out), and forcing the rest to retreat. There is no information about where Ivanov received the information, but the information, firstly, is plausible, and secondly, operational, from which we can conclude that Ivanov received it from sources close to the front line. Thirdly, the information did not raise any questions in the Authorities. But more on that below. Koroteev About a week later, the Red Star correspondent Koroteev visited the headquarters of the 16th Army (which included Panfilov’s division). This is how he himself describes it in 1948. during interrogation by the investigator, the way in which he received the information. " Around 23-On November 24, 1941, I, together with the war correspondent of the newspaper "Komsomolskaya Pravda" Chernyshev, was at the headquarters of the 16th Army... When leaving the army headquarters, we met the commissar of the 8th Panfilov Division Egorov, who spoke about the extremely difficult situation at the front and said that our people are fighting heroically in all areas. In particular, Egorov gave an example of the heroic battle of one company with German tanks; 54 tanks were advancing on the company’s line, and the company delayed them, destroying some of them. Egorov himself was not a participant in the battle, but spoke from the words of the regiment commissar, who also did not participate in the battle with German tanks... Egorov recommended writing in the newspaper about the heroic battle of the company with enemy tanks, having previously become acquainted with the political report received from the regiment... The political report spoke about the battle of the fifth company with enemy tanks and that the company stood “to the death” - it died, but did not retreat, and only two people turned out to be traitors, they raised their hands to surrender to the Germans, but they were destroyed by our soldiers. The report did not say about the number of company soldiers who died in this battle, and their names were not mentioned. We did not establish this from conversations with the regiment commander. It was impossible to get into the regiment, and Egorov did not advise us to try to get into the regiment. Upon arrival in Moscow, I reported the situation to the editor of the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper, Ortenberg, and talked about the company’s battle with enemy tanks. Ortenberg asked me how many people were in the company. I answered him that the company apparently was incomplete, about 30-40 people; I also said that two of these people turned out to be traitors... I didn’t know that the front line was being prepared on this topic, but Ortenberg called me again and asked how many people were in the company. I told him that there were about 30 people. Thus, the number of those who fought appeared to be 28, since out of 30 two turned out to be traitors. Ortenberg said that it was impossible to write about two traitors, and, apparently, after consulting with someone, he decided to write about only one traitor in the editorial. On November 27, 1941, my short correspondence was published in the newspaper, and on November 28, the Red Star published the editorial “The Testament of 28 Fallen Heroes,” written by Krivitsky" .
Either not trusting Koroteev’s literary abilities, or guided by considerations of subordination in the journalistic table of ranks, or for some other reason, the editor-in-chief of “Red Star” Ortenberg assigns the writing of the editorial not to the “getter” of information, but to the lit. newspaper secretary A.Yu. Krivitsky. Who eagerly gets down to business, and already on November 28, an editorial filled with pathos entitled “Testament” appears in “Red Star”
28 fallen heroes." " Resistance might seem crazy. Fifty armored monsters against twenty-nine people! In what war, in what times did such an unequal battle take place! But the Soviet soldiers accepted it without flinching. They didn't back down, they didn't retreat. "We have no way back"- they told themselves. Only one out of twenty-nine lost heart. When the Germans, confident of their easy victory, shouted to the guards- "Give up!"- only one raised his hands up. A salvo immediately rang out. Several guardsmen simultaneously, without agreement, without command, shot at the coward and traitor. It was the homeland that punished the apostate. Already eighteen mangled tanks stood motionless on the battlefield. The battle lasted more than four hours, and the armored fist of the Nazis could not break through the line defended by the guards. But the ammunition ran out, the cartridges in the anti-tank rifle magazines ran out. There were no more grenades. Fascist vehicles approached the trench. The Germans jumped out of the hatches, wanting to take the surviving brave men alive and deal with them. But there is only one warrior in the field, if he is a Soviet warrior! Political instructor Diev grouped the remaining comrades around him and a bloody battle ensued again. Our people fought, remembering the old motto: “The Guard dies, but does not surrender.” And they laid down their heads- all twenty-eight. We died, but did not let the enemy through!" - writes Krivitsky, showing an example of how a journalist does not have the right to work. Too lazy to check the information. Or they were scared - after all, to do this they need to go closer to the front line and put the precious journalistic life at risk. And this is unacceptable: it is women who give birth to soldiers, but there are few journalists, and they must be protected. How many fighters fought is unknown? Well, let there be about thirty people. Are two traitors for thirty people too many? Well, let there be one. What is the surname of the political instructor? There, like some hero named Diev was mentioned, so let him be Diev! How many tanks were destroyed? Well, let there be 18.50 tanks in the regiment's sector? Not heroic enough, let it be 50 to 28 people. The rear journalists apparently did not even think about the fact that this number was completely implausible. Neither Koroteev nor Krivitsky are professional military journalists wearing shoulder straps! - they didn’t even think about how physically 54 tanks could attack an area defended by 28 people. Provided that about 50 tanks is a lot even for the area defended by the regiment, as Kaprov’s testimony quoted above clearly shows. Journalist Chernyshev from Komsomolskaya Pravda, together with Koroteev “received information” at the headquarters of the 16th Army, also wrote an article entitled “Glory to fearless patriots.” Where he described the battle described to him by the division commissar who did not participate in it from the words of the regiment commissar who did not participate in it. I even added for authenticity the names of Lieutenant Bezvremny and senior political instructor Kalachev, it is not known whether on my own or from the words of one of the staff officers of the 16th Army. This is how not the most successful literary works appeared, which generalized and “creatively” processed the real events of mid-November. Well, it would seem, God bless this. In the end, why not consider the articles of Chernyshev and Krivitsky a literary fiction based on real facts of mass heroism, and close this topic? But, alas, it doesn’t work. After all, if Chernyshev had the conscience and common sense to stop at what had been “achieved,” then Krivitsky and Ortenberg decided to squeeze as much as possible out of the heroic theme. In January 1942, Krivitsky published an essay “About 28 Fallen Heroes,” in which he already lists by name those killed in a battle he himself invented. And Ortenberg, who personally sucked the number 28 out of his finger, prints it! Ortenberg “When guardsmen die in battle, winged glory flies from the military banner and invisibly stands as an honorary and permanent guard at the head of the dead. The news of the feat of twenty-eight Panfilov guardsmen who laid down their lives on the battlefield spread far across Soviet soil. We didn’t know yet all the details of their death, the names of the heroes had not yet been named, their bodies were still resting on the ground captured by the enemy, but rumors about the fabulous valor of twenty-eight Soviet heroes were already going around the fronts. Only now have we been able to reconstruct the full picture of the death of a handful of brave guardsmen."- Krivitsky writes proudly. Krivitsky A. Yu. We have already seen the method of “establishing a complete picture of the battle.” But where do the surnames come from? Throughout November and half of December, the 1075th regiment (like the entire division) fought bloody stubborn battles, repeatedly changing locations. In some companies, 20% of the personnel remained alive. And as soon as the regiment is withdrawn to the rear for reorganization, a Moscow journalist arrives with the division commissar (as the one that most distinguished itself and suffered in the battles of November 16). And they demand the names of 28 people who fought off the attack of German tanks on November 16. Which, naturally, puts the regiment commander and commissar at a dead end. From the testimony of regiment commander I.V. Kaprova to the investigator of the Main Military Prosecutor's Office: " At the end of December 1941, when the division was withdrawn for formation, the Red Star correspondent Krivitsky came to my regiment along with representatives of the political department of the division Glushko and Egorov. Here I first heard about the 28 Panfilov guardsmen. In a conversation with me, Krivitsky said that it was necessary to have 28 Panfilov guardsmen who fought with German tanks. I told him that the entire regiment and especially the 4th company of the 2nd battalion fought with German tanks, but I know nothing about the battle of 28 guardsmen... Krivitsky’s last name was given to Krivitsky from memory by Captain Gundilovich, who had conversations with him about this topic, there were and could not be any documents about the battle of 28 Panfilov men in the regiment. Nobody asked me about last names" . In response to an urgent request, or rather an order, to name the 28 names of those who fought the tanks on November 16, regiment commander Kaprov names the 4th company of the 2nd battalion, and directs the journalist to the company commander Gundilovich. When asked “where exactly did you fight on November 16,” he answers that he fought in the Dubosekovo area. And the requirement to name 28 fighters by name is satisfied as follows. From Krivitsky’s testimony to the GVP investigator: “Kaprov did not tell me the names, but instructed Mukhamedyarov and Gundilovich to do this, who compiled the list, taking information from some kind of statement or list. Thus, I have a list of the names of 28 Panfilov men who died in battle with German tanks at the Dubosekovo crossing. Arriving in Moscow, I wrote a letter to the newspaper under the heading “About 28 fallen heroes”; the basement was sent for a visa to the PUR. When talking at the PUR with Comrade Krapivin, he asked where I got the words of political instructor Klochkov, written in my basement: “Russia is great, but there is nowhere to retreat - Moscow is behind us,” I told him that I had invented it myself. The basement was placed in the "Red Star" of January 22, 1942. Here I used the stories of Gundilovich, Kaprov, Mukhamedyarov, Egorov. As for the feelings and actions of the 28 heroes, this is my literary conjecture. I did not talk to any of the wounded or surviving guardsmen. I'm from the local populationril only with a boy of about 14-15, which showed the grave where Klochkov was buried. ...In 1943, from the division where 28 Panfilov heroes were and fought, they sent me a letter conferring on me the rank of guardsman. I was only in the division three or four times." Gundilovich P.M. Commander of the 4th company. Thus, the myth of 28 is already taking shape. Now there is a battle site and 28 names, selected, however, completely randomly. The latter almost ruined the journalist Krivitsky. After a month and a half of difficult fighting (let me remind you that on November 16 alone the company lost over 100 people), when the composition of the company was constantly changing, even the best commander will not be able to accurately account for the losses in killed and wounded. Therefore, among the “28 heroically fallen” were: - Sergeant Dobrobabin, who deserted and subsequently worked as a policeman (more about him below). - liaison Kuzhebergenov, who did not participate in the battle and was captured by the Germans. - row. Notarov, as it turned out later, fell two days before the battle on November 16. - row. Timofeev, who was wounded in German captivity. - Foreman Shemyakin and a row. Shadrin, seriously wounded and taken to rear hospitals. The last three were subsequently awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. A discrepancy also occurred with the surname of the political instructor, who was already named Diev in the first publication, but in the company lists bore the surname Klochkov. Apparently, the surname Diev belongs to some other person. And I will talk about some research in this direction at the end of the article. For some reason, the hero’s name stuck in the head of a staff member, and he told it to journalists on November 23-24. So Diev was mentioned in Koroteev’s November article and Krivitsky’s editorial. And when Krivitsky received 28 names of fighters and saw that the deceased political instructor of the 4th company of the 2nd battalion bore the last name Klochkov, the journalist, without blinking an eye, came up with another story. He explained the confusion with the names of the political instructor by the fact that Klochkov was a political instructor according to his passport, and one of the Ukrainian fighters jokingly dubbed him Diev. He was already a very active (active) man. Krivitsky developed vigorous activity. The matter was not limited to just articles; by the end of the war, books about 28 Panfilovites were already in print. The feat was adopted by Soviet propaganda as an exemplary one. Krivitsky wrote tirelessly, the battle at Dubosekovo acquired absolutely incredible, truly fabulous details. Krivitsky described in detail who said what and who thought what; his books were published in large editions and translated into foreign languages. 28 Panfilov men were the most powerful business project of their time in the field of PR. It all almost ended soon after the war. In 1947 the “fallen hero” Dobrobabin was arrested, who managed to desert, work as a policeman, flee to another area during the advance of the Red Army, and be re-enlisted in the army from the liberated territory, hiding his service in the police. He was ruined (as it almost ruined Krivitsky) by his own arrogance. Anyone else with such a biography would have hidden, but Dobrobabin, armed with Krivitsky’s book about his heroism, went to demand the hero’s star. And after checking he was arrested. During the investigation, the prosecutor’s office found out that four more “fallen heroes” were alive and decided to investigate the case. The results of the work of the Stalinist prosecutor's office are known and published: http://statearchive.ru/607 The conclusion of the people in uniform is clear. Thus, the investigation materials have established that the feat of 28 Panfilov guardsmen, covered in the press, is an invention of the correspondent Koroteev, the editor of “Red Star” Ortenberg, and especially the literary secretary of the newspaper Krivitsky. This fiction was repeated in the works of writers N. Tikhonov, V. Stavsky, A. Bek, N. Kuznetsov, V. Lipko, M. Svetlov and others and was widely popularized among the population of the Soviet Union. The memory of 28 Panfilovites was immortalized by the installation of a monument in the village. Nelidovo, Moscow region. A marble obelisk with a memorial plaque was installed in the Alma-Ata Culture and Recreation Park; The Federation Park and several streets of the capital of the republic are named after them. The names of 28 Panfilovites were assigned to many schools, enterprises and collective farms of the Soviet Union.

Chief Military Prosecutor of the USSR Armed Forces

Lieutenant General of Justice

N. Afanasyev.

The investigation of the prosecutor's office was directed as intended - i.e. Andrei Aleksandrovich Zhdanov, secretary of the Central Committee, who oversaw the ideological and propaganda direction. But the matter was not progressed. As the historian Aleksey Isaev, the author of the book “anti-Suvorov”, which dealt in detail with the history of the “28 Panfilovites”, said about this: “In my opinion, it would be more reasonable if Krivitsky was sent to Verkhoyansk for this. Then the story would be extremely instructive and would remain in journalism textbooks as an example of what not to do. But the Soviet government, represented by such a person, like A.A.Zhdanov,showed softness." Isaev also drew attention to the fact that data on the losses of such a number of tanks undoubtedly should have been reflected in the German archives. And they were always reflected. But nothing similar to the destruction of two dozen tanks on November 16 at Dubosekovo was found. It is also important to note that during the entire war and post-war period this was the only case when the prosecutor’s office was involved in such an investigation. The consequences of journalistic and human baseness could be very far-reaching. 28 people who did not distinguish themselves in anything special received the stars of Heroes, which disavowed the very concept of feat. The mass heroism of hundreds of people is forgotten and replaced by feat 28, which was also invented for career purposes. The party leadership is put in the position of hostages when it is forced to follow the lead of an irresponsible and unscrupulous scribbler. Moreover, one of Panfilov’s men turned out to be a policeman. Let him go now? Or imprison the “hero”? Both solutions are bad. What if this story leaks abroad? With what gusto the enemy would attack her in the conditions of the Cold War! It is impossible to agree with Isaev on one thing: that Zhdanov showed softness. Zhdanov sent the received document to members of the Politburo and personally to Stalin. Thus, the fact that the case was not progressed is not on Andrei Aleksandrovich’s conscience. Moreover, since Zhdanov informed other senior party leaders about the circumstances of the case, it can be assumed that he wanted to give the case a legal proceeding. It seems that only a progressive illness and imminent death prevented Zhdanov from dotting all the i’s in this matter. But be that as it may, Krivitsky escaped with a slight fright. Someone may ask, is it really so important whether the forgery is exposed or not? Is it necessary to “say to the end who is the bastard,” as Mayakovsky said? Time has shown that then, in 1948, it was certainly necessary to do this. There are among us (and, alas, there are more and more of them) who sincerely believe that any lie can and should be used if it is aimed at a “good patriotic” cause. Let's try to take their position. Let’s forget that for the rest of their lives, 28 Panfilov men fed Krivitsky and fed him much more nutritiously than an ordinary Soviet person. That all his life he (like his boss in “Red Star” Ortenberg) wrote about the war and depicted exploits, raising children on opuses, the degree of conscientiousness of which we already know. That Krivitsky, who, according to his own statement, was in the division 3-4 times throughout the war, received the rank of guardsman on a par with the true heroes of the war. That the mythical feat of the 28th overshadowed real mass heroism. That the stars of heroes were received by people who were no different from any of the hundreds of thousands of other ordinary participants in the battle for Moscow. That out of a hundred dead soldiers of the 4th company, only 28 were “worthy” of being counted as heroes, and no one remembered the soldiers of neighboring companies, each of which lost up to 4/5 of its strength. That among the heroes there was a policeman and a deserter... In a word, let’s forget about the moral side of the matter and begin to be guided by considerations of “pragmatic patriotism” a la modern Russian professional patriots. But even from this position, the myth of 28 needed to be exposed. For Krivitsky’s forgery, which was not exposed in time, backfired on Perestroika.

Perestroika

Putin's noughties

It seems that the authors of both this and other similar emotional letters are inclined to support, without deeply understanding the essence of the issue, any campaign fanned in the press. This time they warmly responded to the call of Kumanev and Dobrobaba. Katusev F. A. Alien glory of Ivan Dobrobaba

We've already dined on Soviet soldiers twice. First in the post-war years, then during Perestroika. But new times require new varieties of corpse eating. The USSR was destroyed for the sake of the triumph of the market economy - or rather, for the sake of the opportunity for legal enrichment that it provides. And former secretaries of regional committees, Komsomol leaders, security officers and directors of enterprises, having ruined a great country, thanks to the market economy, turned into those against whom they once swore to fight at party meetings, and into those from whom they swore an oath to protect the Soviet people. A market economy has its own laws. Demand gives rise to supply, and if there was anything the humiliated people were okay with, it was the demand for the heroic deeds of their ancestors. And so it began. In the USSR, parades on Red Square took place in anniversary years - 1965, 75, 85 and 90. Starting with Yeltsin, they became annual. Victory Day is celebrated on such a scale that even Brezhnev could not have dreamed of, not to mention Stalin, who celebrated the anniversary twice and then decided that he should not rest on his laurels, he must move forward. To new reasons for pride. They take mummered “veterans” around the city, who are fit to be sons of real veterans, and paint everything they can in St. George’s (not red!) colors. Nightclubs invite you to a “Victory Night” party, food workers hang guard ribbons on “Danish-style cod.” Stickers “T-34” are hung on BMWs, and “To Berlin” - on Volkswagens; striptease competitions (sorry, modern dance) and bodybuilding competitions are timed to coincide with Victory Day. Biotoilets and beer cans are painted in patriotic colors... And many already consider this the norm. The film directed by Shalopa is from the same series. Challopa's motives have nothing to do with patriotism. As he himself says in

Illustration copyright RIA Novosti Image caption The monument to 28 Panfilov men hangs over the crossing in Dubosekovo near Moscow

The State Archive of Russia has declassified documents exposing the canonical Soviet story about 28 Panfilov heroes. Despite the debunking, many continue to believe in the original version of the myth. The BBC is trying to understand the mythologization of the military image.

The battle at the Dubosekovo crossing in the Volokolamsk district of the Moscow region in November 1941 was indeed part of a large-scale campaign to defend Moscow from Wehrmacht troops, and specifically the 316th Infantry Division was stationed near Dubosekovo.

For the first time, a message about the feat of 28 heroes allegedly killed in battle with the Nazis appeared in an essay by correspondent Vasily Koroteev in the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper, which was edited by Alexander Krivitsky.

The same correspondent, according to archival data, coined the widely quoted phrase: “Russia is great, but there is nowhere to retreat. Moscow is behind.”

“Over 50 enemy tanks moved to the lines occupied by 29 Soviet guardsmen from the Panfilov division... Only one of the 29 became faint-hearted... only one raised his hands up... several guardsmen simultaneously, without saying a word, without a command, shot at the coward and a traitor,” said the note, which told about the destruction of 18 enemy tanks by this group of people.

Arrest with a book about yourself

Despite the glorification of Soviet times, questions about both the authorship of the phrase and the absence in German military chronicles of a message about the simultaneous loss of a large group of tanks were raised quite regularly.

To finally clarify the situation, the state archive on Wednesday - “in connection with numerous appeals from citizens” - posted a certificate-report from the chief military prosecutor of the Second World War, Nikolai Afanasyev, which tells about the four surviving Panfilovites, one of whom actually worked for the Germans after being captured.

"In November 1947, the military prosecutor's office of the Kharkov garrison arrested and prosecuted for treason against the Motherland Mr. Ivan Evstafievich Dobrobabin. The investigation materials established that, while at the front, Dobrobabin voluntarily surrendered to the Germans and in the spring of 1942 he entered their service. service [...] During Dobrobabin’s arrest, a book about “28 Panfilov heroes” was found, and it turned out that he was listed as one of the main participants in this battle, for which he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union,” the certificate says. dated May 10, 1948.

The investigation then established that, in addition to Dobrobabin, four more soldiers survived the battle near Dubosekov - Illarion Vasiliev, Grigory Shemyakin, Ivan Shadrin and Daniil Kuzhebergenov.

Soldier Ivan Natarov, who, according to Krasnaya Zvezda journalists, spoke about the feat on his deathbed, was killed on November 14 - two days before the expected battle.

Glorifying crowdfunding

At the same time, by July 19, the film "Panfilov's 28 Men" will be completed in Russia, half of the budget of which - 33 million rubles out of 60 million (580 thousand dollars out of about 1 million) - was collected on the basis of crowdfunding.

The director of the film, Kim Druzhinin, told the BBC Russian Service that he was aware of Dobrobabin’s case, but considered the coverage of his case to be controversial, since some historians doubt the exposure of the “Red Star” version.

“We were making a film about a feat, about heroes. In our film there is a resolution to this not very good dispute. The 316th division was really there, there were battles there - and why debunk the feat at a time when the country especially needs heroes,” - said the director.

According to Druzhinin, the remaining funding for the film was provided by the Ministry of Culture and a certain “permanent partner.”

The film's premiere is scheduled for November 16, when canonical Soviet historiography will celebrate the 74th anniversary of the "feat of Panfilov's men."

Generous donors

In a comment to the publication "Titr", the producer of the film "Panfilov's 28 Men" Andrei Shalyopa said that he does not doubt the valor of the fighters, and the cultural figure called the refutation of falsifications "a weakening of the moral pillars of the people."

In early July, Russian Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky called the upcoming film unique and noted that the Ministry of Culture of Kazakhstan, where the 316th Infantry Division, along with Kyrgyzstan, was initially formed, also took part in its financing.

Illustration copyright RIA Novosti Image caption Panfilov's men appear in dozens of works of art

Crowdfunding for the project was launched at the end of 2013.

The most generous donor who made an open transfer of funds was Severodvinsk resident Andrei Fokin, who donated 1 million rubles to the authors of the film.

“I wouldn’t call it charity. It’s the hope that there will be more stories about exploits and self-sacrifice than “fine battalions”, “bastards” and other slag like the films “Burnt by the Sun - 2”. I want my children to watch good cinema,” Fokin explained to the Pravda Severa publication the reasons for his action.

Shock of revelations

A month ago, the general director of the Russian State Archives, Sergei Mironenko, at the World Congress of the Russian Press in Moscow, personally spoke about how the USSR military prosecutor's office recognized the official version of the feat as fiction.

His comment provoked a strong reaction from the journalists present.

According to eyewitnesses, some of the correspondents even accused Mironenko of Russophobia.

“It was also a shock for me that there were no Panfilovites. We learned all 28 names by heart at school,” said Alexey Venediktov, editor-in-chief of the Ekho Moskvy radio station.

Myth in the service of the state?

Director of the Levada Center Lev Gudkov, in a conversation with the BBC, noted that already in the 1960s, refutations of Soviet myths about military operations appeared in Russian.

“[Publicist Emil] Cardin began to refute these myths in the 60s in Novy Mir. There he refuted... these Panfilovites and so on. Firstly, they are reproduced simply because this is the state policy of historical memory, and no structure, no public organizations can compete with it, there is no public discussion on this matter, and accordingly it does not transfer to other channels for the reproduction of historical knowledge itself,” the sociologist complains.

In addition, according to Gudkov, denial of facts in cases of debunking historical inaccuracies supports ideas about national pride.

“There is some demand on the part of society to maintain such a heroic image of themselves - non-aggressive, defending, always the victim of an attack, but in the case of external aggression - mobilizing around the authorities. This is a society whose main value is heroic self-sacrifice for the sake of preserving the whole,” - said the sociologist.

"Isolation and sovereignty"

According to the head of the Levada Center, the reproduction and maintenance of myths is a characteristic of isolated societies.

Illustration copyright Getty Image caption Claude Lévi-Strauss devoted his life to studying the origins of myths

“Now in Russia it’s been more than 10 years since everything has been paved and cleared, and the voices of historians are definitely not heard in the media; at best, some Soviet or militaristic myths are reproduced here and the emphasis is placed only on the symbols of imperial greatness, great power and so on,” says the Doctor of Philosophy.

Streets in 12 cities of Russia and Ukraine, as well as several parks, are named in honor of Panfilov’s men. Fallen soldiers are also mentioned in Moscow's anthem and dozens of works of art.

One of the leading French anthropologists, Claude Lévi-Strauss, wrote a lot about the creation of myths based on real events in closed communities.

As the scientist argued, myths are characterized by a layered structure, in which each subsequent bearer enriches the previous myth.

“Society does not reject positive, even false, interpretations,” wrote the creator of structural anthropology.

Panfilov’s soldiers are the soldiers of the 316th Rifle Division (from November 18, 1941 - the 8th Guards Division, from November 23 - named after its deceased commander, Major General I.V. Panfilov), who showed in October - November 1941 during the Moscow battles of mass heroism in defensive battles in the Volokolamsk direction.

On November 16, 28 soldiers of the 4th company of the 2nd battalion of the 1075th rifle regiment under the command of political instructor Vasily Georgievich Klochkov, who occupied the defense 7 km southeast of Volokolamsk, in the area of the Dubosekovo crossing, showed unparalleled heroism and fortitude on November 16.

Panfilov’s men in a 4-hour battle destroyed 18 enemy tanks and almost all died, including Klochkov, but did not let the German tanks pass. 28 Panfilov men were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. This battle is known in history as the feat of 28 Panfilov heroes. 1975 - the memorial ensemble “Feat of 28” was erected at the site of the battle.”

28 Panfilovites (alternative versions of the feat)

Modern historians present the battle at Dubosekovo in a completely different light. Some of them even question the official version of the battle of 28 Panfilov men.

How many Panfilovites were there?

The investigation, which was carried out after the war by the MGB and the military prosecutor's office, showed that in the legendary battle at the Dubosekovo crossing it was not 28 “Panfilofe Guardsmen” who took part, but a full company of 120–140 people, which was crushed by German tanks, having managed to knock out only 5-6 of them. No more than 25–30 fighters survived, the rest died or were captured.

An error crept in in the first newspaper reports about the feat of Panfilov’s men, because journalists, from the words of political workers, decided that the company was incomplete and consisted of only 30 people. Since it was known that at the beginning of the battle two fighters defected to the fascists, Red Star editor-in-chief David Ortenberg subtracted two traitors from 30 and received the number 28, which became canonical. However, in the essay he allowed to write only about one traitor, whom the Red Army soldiers allegedly immediately shot. Two traitors, and even for 30 people, would be a lot and would not allow us to talk about an insignificant renegade.

Mentions of combat

There is no mention of the battle with such details either in Soviet or German official documents. Neither the commander of the 2nd battalion (which included the 4th company), Major Reshetnikov, nor the commander of the 1075th regiment, Colonel Kaprov, nor the commander of the 316th division, Major General Panfilov, nor the commander of the 16th Army, General, says anything about him - Lieutenant Rokossovsky. There are no reports about it in German sources either (and the loss of 18 tanks in one battle was a notable event for the Nazis at the end of 1941).

Is the legendary feat a fiction of journalists?

The version that there was no battle as such at all was publicly voiced by many historians. Sergei Mironenko, who then headed the state archive, officially stated that the whole story about the feat of Panfilov’s men is just a myth. Based on declassified archives, some historians came to the conclusion that the legendary feat was an invention of Red Star journalist Alexander Krivitsky (literary secretary of the newspaper), who was the first to talk about the battle. Finding himself on the front line, he tried to write an essay about the events taking place. Everything about the battle was recorded from the words of the current division commissar, who spoke about the battle in great detail. The battle was fought by the 4th company, which consisted of more than 120 soldiers, and not 28 heroes, as was later said in the printed publication. Many facts are distorted.

During interrogation, Krivitsky testified: During a conversation in the PUR with Comrade Krapivin, he was interested in where I got the words of political instructor Klochkov: “Russia is great, but there is nowhere to retreat - Moscow is behind us,” I told him that I had invented this myself...

Krivitsky and Koroteev, the authors of the material published in Krasnaya Zvezda, stated during the investigation that they were based only on oral stories of fellow soldiers who died and their colleagues, war correspondents, but were not familiar with anyone who could definitely know the details of the battle. The military prosecutor's office came to the conclusion that the story, as published in Krasnaya Zvezda, was the work of journalists. But the battle actually took place.

Unexpected arrest

1948 - in the Kharkov region. They arrested the former soldier Dobrobabin, who was captured by the Germans during the war. During his arrest, a book was found on him, describing the feat of Panfilov’s men and, in particular, his name was indicated as one of the dead participants in the battle. The main military prosecutor's office of the USSR conducted an investigation, during which it was possible to find out that several more people who were considered killed in the battle at the Dubosekovo crossing actually survived, and the described clash cited by journalists does not have direct documentary evidence - and the very fact of the battle is in doubt was not installed.

Not only Ivan Dobrobabin survived. They “resurrected” Daniil Kuzhebergenov, Grigory Shemyakin, Illarion Vasiliev, Ivan Shadrin. Later it became known that Dmitry Timofeev was also alive. All of them were wounded in the battle at Dubosekovo; Kuzhebergenov, Shadrin and Timofeev passed through German captivity.

From the testimony of Colonel Kaprova

All 28 Panfilov heroes served in Ilya Karpov’s regiment. During interrogation at the prosecutor's office in 1948, Kaprov (commander of the 1075th Infantry Regiment) testified: “There was no battle between 28 Panfilov men and fascist tanks at the Dubosekovo crossing on November 16, 1941 - this is a complete fiction. That day, at the Dubosekovo crossing, as part of the 2nd battalion, the 4th company fought with German tanks, and in fact fought heroically. More than 100 people from the company died and not 28, as written in the newspapers. None of the correspondents contacted me at that time; I never told anyone about the battle of 28 Panfilov’s men, and I couldn’t tell, because there was no such battle. I did not write any political report on this matter. I don’t know, based on what materials they wrote in newspapers, in particular in Krasnaya Zvezda, about the battle of 28 guardsmen from the division named after. Panfilova.

Memorial at the Dubosekovo crossing, dedicated to the feat of 28 Panfilov heroes

There was a battle at Dubosekovo

According to the testimony of local residents, on November 16, 1941, at the Dubosekovo crossing, there was actually a battle between Soviet soldiers and the Germans. Six fighters, including political instructor Klochkov, were buried by residents of surrounding villages.

No one doubts that the soldiers of the 4th company at the Dubosekovo junction fought heroically.

There is no doubt that the 316th Rifle Division of General Panfilov in defensive battles in the Volokolamsk direction in November 1941 was able to hold back the enemy onslaught, which became the most important factor that allowed the Germans to be defeated near Moscow.

According to the archives of the USSR Ministry of Defense, the entire 1075th Infantry Regiment on November 16, 1941 destroyed 15 or 16 tanks and about 800 enemy personnel. That is, we can say that 28 soldiers at the Dubosekovo crossing did not destroy 18 tanks and not all of them died.

conclusions

Based on the explanations of eyewitnesses of the battle and hundreds of declassified archives, historians still managed to establish the truth - the battle actually took place, and there was a feat. Only the fact of the existence of these same 28 Panfilovites remains a big question.

28 PANFILOV MEMBERS: TRUE OR FICTION?

On November 16, the premiere of the film “28 Panfilov’s Men” took place in Volokolamsk. Let's figure out what really happened on November 16, 1941 at the Dubosekovo crossing.

The same correspondent, according to archival data, coined the widely quoted phrase: “Russia is great, but there is nowhere to retreat. Moscow is behind.”

Arrest with a book about yourself

To finally clarify the situation, the state archive - "in connection with numerous appeals from citizens" - posted a certificate-report from the chief military prosecutor of the Second World War, Nikolai Afanasyev, which tells about the four surviving Panfilovites, one of whom actually worked for the Germans after being captured.

By the verdict of the military tribunal of the Kyiv Military District on June 8, 1948, Ivan Dobrobabin was sentenced to 15 years in prison with disqualification for five years, confiscation of property and deprivation of medals “For the Defense of Moscow” and “For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941.” –1945”, “For the capture of Vienna” and “For the capture of Budapest”; By decree of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces of February 11, 1949, he was deprived of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

During the 1955 amnesty, his sentence was reduced to 7 years, after which he was released.

In 1947, prosecutors checking the circumstances of the battle at the Dubosekovo crossing found out that not only Ivan Dobrobabin survived. “Resurrected” Daniil Kuzhebergenov, Grigory Shemyakin, Illarion Vasiliev, Ivan Shadrin. Later it became known that Dmitry Timofeev was also alive.

All of them were wounded in the battle at Dubosekovo; Kuzhebergenov, Shadrin and Timofeev passed through German captivity.

Soldier Ivan Natarov, who, according to Krasnaya Zvezda journalists, spoke about the feat on his deathbed, was killed on November 14 - two days before the expected battle.

Testimony of the commander of the 1075th Infantry Regiment, Ilya Kaprov. All 28 Panfilov heroes served in Karpov’s regiment.

During interrogation at the prosecutor’s office in 1948, Kaprov testified: “There was no battle between 28 Panfilov men and German tanks at the Dubosekovo crossing on November 16, 1941 - this is a complete fiction. On this day, at the Dubosekovo crossing, as part of the 2nd battalion, the 4th company fought with German tanks, and they really fought heroically. Over 100 people from the company died, and not 28, as was written about in the newspapers. None of the correspondents contacted me during this period; I never told anyone about the battle of 28 Panfilov’s men, and I couldn’t talk about it, since there was no such battle. I did not write any political report on this matter. I don’t know on the basis of what materials they wrote in newspapers, in particular in Krasnaya Zvezda, about the battle of 28 guardsmen from the division named after. Panfilova. At the end of December 1941, when the division was withdrawn for formation, the Red Star correspondent Krivitsky came to my regiment along with representatives of the political department of the division Glushko and Egorov. Here I first heard about the 28 Panfilov guardsmen. In a conversation with me, Krivitsky said that it was necessary to have 28 Panfilov guardsmen who fought with German tanks. I told him that the entire regiment fought with German tanks, and especially the 4th company of the 2nd battalion, but I don’t know anything about the battle of 28 guardsmen... Krivitsky’s last name was given to Krivitsky from memory by Captain Gundilovich, who had conversations with him on this topic , there were and could not be any documents about the battle of 28 Panfilov’s men in the regiment.”

Interrogations of journalists

Alexander Krivitsky testified during interrogation: “When talking in the PUR with Comrade Krapivin, he was interested in where I got the words of political instructor Klochkov, written in my basement: “Russia is great, but there is nowhere to retreat - Moscow is behind,” I told him that I made it up I myself...

...As far as the feelings and actions of the 28 heroes are concerned, this is my literary conjecture. I did not talk to any of the wounded or surviving guardsmen. From the local population, I only spoke with a boy of about 14–15 years old, who showed me the grave where Klochkov was buried.”

There was a battle at Dubosekovo, the company fought heroically

Testimony from local residents indicates that on November 16, 1941, at the Dubosekovo crossing, there really was a battle between Soviet soldiers and the advancing Germans. Six fighters, including political instructor Klochkov, were buried by residents of surrounding villages.

No one doubts that the soldiers of the 4th company at the Dubosekovo junction fought heroically.

There is no doubt that the 316th Infantry Division of General Panfilov, in defensive battles in the Volokolamsk direction in November 1941, managed to hold back the enemy’s onslaught, which became the most important factor that allowed the Nazis to be defeated near Moscow.

According to archival data from the USSR Ministry of Defense, the entire 1075th Infantry Regiment on November 16, 1941 destroyed 15 or 16 tanks and about 800 enemy personnel. That is, we can say that 28 soldiers at the Dubosekovo crossing did not destroy 18 tanks and not all of them died.

But there is no doubt that their perseverance and courage, their self-sacrifice made it possible to defend Moscow.