Bibliography

German Alexander Viktorovich

German Alexander Viktorovich // Korneev N.P. The exploits of heroes are immortal / N.P. Korneev, O. V. Alekseev. - Pskov: Pskov. region org.-method. Center for the preparation and publication of Books of Memory, 2005. - P. 183.

German Alexander Viktorovich: [biographical information] // Book of Memory: historical-doc. Chronicle: to the 50th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War: in 18 volumes / ch. ed. N.P. Korneev. - Pskov: Publishing house of org.-method. Center, 1993. - T. 1: Pskov region. - S. 186-187.

Masolov, N.V. Leningrad in my heart: (about A.V. German) / N.V. Masolov. - M.: Politizdat, 1981 .-- 126 p. : ill. - (Heroes of the Soviet Motherland).

The book of the journalist Nikolai Vissarionovich Masolov is based on archival documents, personal letters of A.V. German, memoirs of his associates.

Nikitenko, N.V. German Alexander Viktorovich (05.24.1915-6.09.1943) // Nikitenko N.V. war) / Nikolay Nikitenko. - Pskov: [b. and.], 2010. - S. 70-88: fot.

The book of local lore and historian Nikolai Vasilyevich Nikitenko for the first time, on the basis of archival materials, restores biographies and tells about the fate of the commanders of partisan brigades who acted during the Great Patriotic War in the territory of the Leningrad and Kalinin regions occupied by the Nazi invaders.

Memories of Alexander Viktorovich German

Vinogradov, I. V. Legendary German / I. V. Vinogradov // Vinogradov I. V. Heroes and Fates. - L.: Lenizdat, 1988 .-- S. 179 - 185: photo.

The author of the memoir collection - writer Ivan Vasilyevich Vinogradov during the Great Patriotic War was in the ranks of the Leningrad partisans, participated in battles, edited partisan newspapers, wrote leaflets, essays. The writer had a chance to meet several times with the legendary brigade commander A.V. German.

Voskresensky, M. L. German leads a brigade: memoirs of a partisan / M. L. Voskresensky; [lit. entry by N. Mosolov]. - L.: Lenizdat, 1965 .-- 215 p. : ill.

The author of the book, Mikhail Leonidovich Voskresensky, was the head of the political department of the 3rd Leningrad Partisan Brigade, commanded by A.V. German. Voskresensky M. L. tells about what he and his comrades had to endure, participating in the struggle against the Nazis on the territory of the Leningrad region and the Pskov region.

Voskresensky, M. Germanovtsy / M. Voskresensky // Partisan Pskov region: memoirs of participants in the partisan movement: [collection] / comp. V. A. Akatov; lit. processing P. G. Osokin]. - L.: Lenizdat, 1979 .-- S. 121 - 132.

Gilev, V.I. According to health indications: notes of a partisan doctor / V.I.Gilev. - L.: Lenizdat, 1990 .-- 157, p.

Sergunin, I. I. Next to German / I. I. German // Sergunin I. I. The partisans swore an oath. - L.: Lenizdat, 1985 .-- 382 p. : photo

The author of the book, Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Ivanovich Sergunin, is one of the prominent participants in the partisan movement. The memoirs are based on personal impressions, memories and stories of partisans, entries in the diaries of military operations of detachments, letters and other documents.

Streets named after Alexander Viktorovich German

Street Partizan German // Gorbachevich KS Why are they named so? : about the origin of the names of streets, squares, islands, rivers and bridges of Leningrad / KS Gorbachevich, EP Khablo. - L.: Lenizdat, 1985 .-- S. 281 - 282.

Krasnopevtsev, V. P. Herman Street / V. P. Krasnopevtsev // Krasnopevtsev V. P. Streets of Pskov: History in titles: [reference book]. - Pskov: Kursiv, 1994 .-- P. 52.

Heroes' Square

In the very center of Valdai, next to the Trinity Cathedral, there is the Heroes' Garden. This is the place where the burials of war heroes and the monument with the Eternal Flame are located.
Trinity Church.

View of the Heroes' Garden from the Trinity Church.

Few people know that until 1772 on this place, on the square near the Trinity Cathedral and the Vvedenskaya Church, there was the largest and oldest Valdai cemetery. All generations of the Valdash were buried here.
In 1770, Empress Catherine II, by her decree, declared Valdai to be a city and ordered to carry out improvements for the improvement, including the removal of the cemetery outside the city limits beyond Pyatnitskaya Street (now Lunacharsky Street). The story about the cemetery on Lunacharsky Street (burial periods - 1770-1917) will be in one of the next part of the Valdai stories.

In the 1930s, services in the Trinity Cathedral were discontinued, and the temple was closed. In 1941, an evacuation hospital worked in the building, in 1942-43. - House of the Red Army of the Political Administration of the North-Western Front.
Valdai was the center of the front, here were the Headquarters of the NWF, PU of the NWF, the Operations Department of the Headquarters of the Partisan Movement, the Headquarters of the Logistics, the Medical Directorate, etc. elevation.

At the moment, there are 5 individual monuments on the square:

Pilot Nikolai Terekhin
Hero of the Soviet Union Nikolai Vasiliev.
Hero of the Soviet Union Alexander German.
Lieutenant General of Artillery Belov Pavel Mironovich
Food Commissioner I. Nikolaev (participant in the civil war).

What are these warriors famous for?

Nikolay Vasilievich Terekhin
(1916-1942)

"Nikolai Terekhin was one of these guys,
Which is easier to die than to step back.
If he is such a friend, then to death, to the end,
If he is already fighting, then without dropping his face.
If he is in trouble, he still goes ahead.
If he dies and takes the enemy to the grave. "

Konstantin Simonov "The Secret of Victory"

Terekhin - Soviet fighter pilot, participant of the Great Patriotic War. One of two Soviet pilots who performed an aerial ram three times, with two rams in one battle:
07/10/1941, having used up all the ammunition, hit the Junkers 88 with a ram and knocked down another Junkers-88 with the second ram, already damaged by his car.
18.07. 1941, at the end of the air battle, without ammunition, with a skillful ramming maneuver, he drove the enemy's Dornier-17 aircraft into the ground.

He served in the ranks of the Red Army since 1934. Member of the CPSU (b) since 1939.
From August 1941 he commanded the 10th Fighter Aviation Regiment.
On May 30, 1942, he had 15 personally shot down enemy aircraft.

Killed under unexplained circumstances in an air battle on 12/30/1942. in the area of ​​Vershinsky lake (Novgorod region). By the time of the death of Major N.V. Terekhin, there were about 250 sorties and 17 downed enemy aircraft.

Initially, he was buried in the village of Dobyvalovo, Valdai region, and after the war, his remains were reburied in the Heroes' Park.

He was awarded the Orders of Lenin (1941) and the Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree (1942). He was presented for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, but was not awarded.

According to the recollections of Terekhin's colleagues, while still at the military school, referring to the profession of a fighter pilot, Nikolai liked to refer to the eastern wisdom: "He who goes to the mountains should not be afraid of precipices."

Years passed, and everyone seemed to have forgotten about the brave, selfless hero. There remained only scant information about his unparalleled battle on the 7th day of the war in the volumes of "History of the Great Patriotic War" and a short biography in the reference book "Heroes of Air Ramming" by General of Aviation A.D. Zaitsev, in which the place of the historical battle - near Mogilev - was transferred to the Leningrad Front and its date was incorrectly indicated.

These inaccuracies are easily explainable - the circumstances of the death of ace Terekhin are still shrouded in riddles. Talking about the death of their fearless commander, fellow soldiers uttered a mysterious phrase: "The group headed by the regiment commander Teryokhin, by order of someone from the ground, changed course and left without warning the commander. And after a few minutes of flight, his Kittyhawk was attacked by 6" Messerov "... They don't know exactly where the regiment's plane fell."
The documents of his personal file are not complete, to inquiries from researchers to the archives of the Ministry of Defense, why Terekhin was not awarded the "Golden Star", for many years the same type of answer came: "There is no submission for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union."

Only much later, in post-Andropov times, through the efforts of Terekhin's friend, Vasily Khovanov, and the involved researchers - journalists, a copy of the award list for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, signed six months before the death of the pilot, was found in Terekhin's personal file.

Burial places of the Heroes of the Soviet Union N.G. Vasiliev and A.V. Herman

Nikolay Grigorievich Vasiliev
(1908-1943)

Commander of the 2nd Leningrad Partisan Brigade. Hero of the Soviet Union (1944).

In July 1941, during a meeting of the task force for the formation of partisan detachments, Vasiliev was offered to join the partisans. He agreed without hesitation. In Staraya Russa, the formation of the 2nd partisan brigade from the inhabitants of the Novgorod and Pskov lands began. Vasiliev was appointed commander.
In the spring of 1942, the brigade carried out a daring operation. A convoy with food was transported across the front line to besieged Leningrad (223 carts).

Nikolai Grigorievich Vasiliev died on March 25, 1943 in a hospital in the city of Vyshny Volochek from tuberculosis.

He was awarded the Order of Lenin (1942), the Order of the Patriotic War I degree (1943, posthumously), the Medal "Partisan of the Patriotic War" I degree (1943, posthumously), Hero of the Soviet Union, the Order of Lenin, the Gold Star medal (1944, posthumously).

Alexander Viktorovich German
(1915-1943)

Commander of the 3rd Leningrad Partisan Brigade. Hero of the Soviet Union (1944)

Alexander German was born on May 23, 1915 in Petrograd in the family of an employee. In November 1933 he joined the Red Army. The beginning of the Great Patriotic War found him a 2nd year student at the Frunze Military Academy.

From July 1941, German served in the intelligence department of the headquarters of the North-Western Front, and then acted as deputy commander of the 2nd special partisan brigade for intelligence.

Since the summer of 1942, Major Alexander German has been the commander of the 3rd Leningrad Partisan Brigade. Under his command, the brigade destroyed several thousand enemy soldiers and officers, derailed over three hundred railway trains, blew up hundreds of vehicles and saved thirty-five thousand Soviet citizens from being hijacked into slavery.

Major German died a heroic death on September 6, 1943, emerging from the enemy's encirclement near the village of Zhitnitsy, Novorzhevsky district, Pskov region.

Awarded: Medal "Gold Star", Order of Lenin, Order of the Red Banner, Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree.

In St. Petersburg there is a monument-stele in honor of A. Herman.
In the village of Zhitnitsa, where Herman died, an obelisk was erected.

Food Commissioner Nikolaev Ivan Nikolaevich
(died in 1918)

We could not find any information about this character. Perhaps he was a participant in the requisition of food supplies from the Iversky Monastery. These events were described in the first part of the survey of Valdai cemeteries (see Bishop Joseph of Valdai).

Belov Pavel Mironovich
(1898- 1942)

Born in Saratov. Chief of Artillery of the North-Western Front. Lieutenant General.
Non-partisan; military education - advanced training courses for higher command personnel (KUVNAS) in 1931.
Participated in the Civil War on the Denikin, Polish, Wrangel and Antonov fronts.
He was awarded the Order of the Red Star and the jubilee medal "XX Years of the Red Army".
He died on February 6, 1942 in a hospital from a short illness (presumably pneumonia).

Unfortunately, it was not possible to find information about how many people were supposedly buried at the site of the Heroes' Square and whether reburials were carried out in the future. When, in what year, the traces of the burials were destroyed and a memorial to the Eternal Flame was installed in this place.
Eternal flame in the Heroes' Square

At the end of the review of the Heroes' Square, I would like to tell you a little about the mystical story that happened to me. As already mentioned at the beginning, next to the Heroes' Square there is the Valdai Church of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple.

This temple was built in 1776. Closed in 1930. Currently considered mothballed. The vaults of the main temple have collapsed.

In 2008, under the federal program “Revival of Small Towns of Russia”, 7,000,000 rubles were allocated for design and survey work to restore the Church of the Presentation of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple of the Lord in the city of Valdai.

Valdai City Hall told the press that experts, together with archaeologists, are examining the state of the church foundation. For this, they made pits up to 1.5-2 meters deep near the walls of the building. In the soil layer, workers have already found fragments of ceramics, ancient coins, and the remains of burials. Based on the data received, documents will be drawn up for further reconstruction and restoration of the Vvedenskaya Church.
6 years have passed. It seems that 7 million was enough just to cover the temple with lime and tighten the facade with a fabric banner.

Walking around the temple, the architecture of which did not interest me, I found a small gap in the boards above the side door, at a height just above my height. Switching the camera to shooting mode with display through the display (I could not reach the viewfinder), I launched my hands with the camera into the gap. On the display I saw absolutely wonderful views of collapsed walls made of ancient bricks, some fantastic roots, plants and arches crawling along the walls. Taking shot after shot, I was glad that enough light was coming in through the hole in the roof so as not to use the flash. I saw how the pictures "appear" on the display. They were supposed to be the "pearl" of my filming of this location.

Upon arrival, it turned out that there was not a single internal photograph of the temple! And I did about 10 frames! A timer that marks the time of each frame by second (and I shoot like a photo-maniac at 2-3 frames per second) shows a two-minute absence of shooting, and the frames, without straying from the numbering, are completely intact until the moment when I entered the cherished threshold, to reach the breach, and then, after a 2-minute pause, they resume from the place when I had already left this ledge-threshold.

When I was told such things before, I did not believe. Now I believe. For three evenings, I went through 2,500 frames on the card several times, hoping to find the SAME pictures. In vain. The Vvedenskaya church, which saw so much evil from people, chose to die, closed from the eyes and lenses of idle observers. In fact, the church has been destroyed. It will be possible to "restore" it only by "new construction" and it is not a fact that this will happen.

The next part is a story about the “new” Valdai Civil Cemetery.

Many people know the heroes-partisans of the Great Patriotic War - Sidor Kovpak, Dmitry Emlyutin, Dmitry Medvedev, Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, Alexander Saburov. Books have been written about them, documentaries and feature films have been shot. But in the vast expanses of the Soviet Union, involved in hostilities in 1941-1944, thousands of heroes acted, whose names were lost in the hoary past.

One of these heroes is German Alexander Viktorovich (1915-1943). Having collected the facts bit by bit, we will tell the full story of this partisan.

Brief outline

• May 24, 1915 - the birthday of Alexander Viktorovich German. Place of birth - Leningrad (today - St. Petersburg).
• He graduated from a seven-year school, worked as a mechanic. In November 1933 he joined the Red Army.
• 1937 - a graduate of the Oryol Armored School. 1940 - entered the military academy. Frunze.
• From the very beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he served as an intelligence officer at the headquarters of the North-Western Front, after which he was appointed deputy commander of a partisan reconnaissance brigade.
• Summer 1942 - with the rank of major, German Alexander became the commander of the Third Leningrad Partisan Brigade.
• On September 6, 1943, he died in a battle near the village of Zhitnitsa, Pskov region.
• During the years of service, he showed himself as a brave officer and a talented strategist. He had many awards, he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

This is how dry the short history of the partisan Herman sounds. Next, we will dwell in more detail on some of the facts of his life.

Before the start of the war

As mentioned above, Alexander German was born on May 24, 1915 in St. Petersburg, in a family of Russian Germans. His father and mother were ordinary employees. Sasha successfully completed the seven-year school and got a job in a locksmith's shop. The future partisan Herman combined his work with his studies, he graduated from an auto-building technical school.

In 1933 he was drafted into the army, after which the young man, dreaming of a military career, entered the Oryol Tank School. Here he studied the Constitution of the Soviet Union, the history of the Communist Party, the history of the peoples of the USSR, tactics, topography, higher mathematics. He completed a course in tank driving and studied combat techniques, did a lot of combat and construction training, developed physical strength and endurance.

At the end of the 30s of the 20th century, the future partisan Herman, whose biography is described in the article, married a girl Faina, they had a son, Albert, whom his father affectionately called Alusik. Together with his wife and child, he moved to Moscow, to a communal apartment, on the street

In 1940 he became a cadet at the Frunze Military Academy in Moscow. He studied perfectly. The future partisan Herman was a romantic at heart and in his free time he loved to wander alone through the capital's streets and historical museums.

To defend the Motherland!

The war found him in his second year at the academy. Alexander Viktorovich immediately filed a request to send him to the active army. In July 1941, he left to serve as a scout on the North-Western Front.

Intelligent, well-trained, courageous, Major Herman soon distinguished himself in the service and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, which was personally presented to him by the front commander.

The military leadership saw great potential in the young officer, and it was decided to entrust him with a whole partisan detachment.

The beginning of the partisan path

In June 1942, by order, the hero of our article was appointed commander of the Third Leningrad Partisan Brigade of just over 100 people. This is how the legendary partisan German Alexander Viktorovich appeared. Thrown deep into the rear, he began a new life, full of dangers and difficulties.

Officer Ivan Vasilievich Krylov was appointed chief of staff, with whom the partisan German became friends. A good comrade and closest assistant, Krylov helped the brigade commander develop operational and sabotage measures, plan guerrilla sorties, reconnaissance operations.

Extraordinary commander of a partisan detachment

Partisan German, whose biography interests researchers of the history of the Great Patriotic War, became famous as an intelligent, resourceful and courageous commander. He owned the present. All the plans he developed were successful. His goal, along with the defeat of the tactical targets of opponents, was to save the lives of his people, whom he held very dear. In turn, the soldiers loved their commander very much for his openness, sincerity, benevolence, respected him for his firmness, severity, ability, if necessary, to show character and will.

The third Leningrad partisan brigade operated in the Leningrad, Pskov, Novgorod and Tver (then Kalinin) regions. Dense forests, many lakes and swampy terrain helped the partisans to reliably hide, to deliver surprise attacks on the enemy, who could not answer them with tanks or heavy artillery.

Before the arrival of the Third Leningrad Partisan Brigade, the dominance of the Nazis reigned in these parts. The invaders robbed local residents, mocked them, intimidated and executed them. The story of the hero of the partisan Herman began with the fact that he, together with his people, inflicted a series of crushing blows on the enemy. In record time and with minimal human losses, nine German garrisons, fifty administrative boards were defeated, five Nazi echelons were derailed, which destroyed a lot of enemy manpower and equipment.

Such successes inspired not only the partisans, but also local residents, many of whom began to enter Herman's detachment. Soon the number of his brigade increased from 100 to 450 people, by the end of 1942 there were already more than 1000 partisans, and in the fall of 1943 - 2500 people! It was already a truly formidable force, the stronghold and soul of which was the hero of the Second World War, German Alexander Viktorovich.

Achievements during the war

German partisan detachments liberated hundreds of settlements in the Novgorod, Pskov and Tver regions. Places in the vicinity of the cities of Staraya Russa, Dno and Bezhanitsy began to be called the Partisan Territory.

The hero of the article was one of the first to use the tactics of quick maneuvers and swift raids. During their activity, Germanic heroes:

• exterminated, according to documents, 9652 Germans and many more non-documented enemies,
• organized 44 successful train crashes, in which the enemy lost a lot of equipment and manpower,
• blew up 31,
• burned hundreds of enemy warehouses,
• destroyed 70 volost administrations,
• defeated 17 Nazi garrisons,
• saved 35 thousand Soviet citizens from captivity and theft into slavery.

Partisan German Alexander Viktorovich, together with his fighters, performed many feats, their activities were marked with many awards. German was awarded the rank of colonel.

A capital base has been set up behind enemy lines

In addition to outstanding fighting qualities and strategic talents, the partisan Herman, whose history is described in the article, also had the gift of an economic manager.

It was mentioned earlier that he treasured every human life entrusted to him by the highest military command. He was also worried about how to arrange the life of his soldiers as comfortably as possible, so that after tiring sorties the soldiers could fully rest, and in case of injury, receive the necessary medical care. Therefore, having settled in the forest, Herman's partisans settled down in a completely unconventional way: they lived with minimal, but such necessary amenities in a stationary base - in heated barracks, the headquarters was located in a capital structure, kitchens, baths, a medical center were built on the brigade's territory on their own. mini hospital, warehouses.

Partisan German was convinced that nothing should be destroyed that could help his soldiers defeat the Nazis. Therefore, uniforms and weapons came not only from the mainland, but also replenished with trophies.

The partisans appreciated such care and said about him: "We will not be lost with our commander!", "We are behind the brigade commander - into the fire and into the water!"

Operating airfield and railway

Amazing in themselves, and two more facts sound improbable: the partisan Herman, whose photos show his open, bold look, built a real airfield on his base and mastered the railway!

The stationary airfield was built by the forces of the same partisans. A wide clearing was cut in the forest, anti-aircraft calculations were carried out, a runway with warning posts was equipped in accordance with all the rules, an infrastructure was created for the possibility of receiving large transport aircraft. Communication with the mainland was established. The partisans responded with lightning speed to enemy attempts to destroy the airfield with attacks. This is how the Nazi oil base in the city of Porkhov and the German air depots in the village of Pushkinskie Gory were destroyed. As a result, during the entire existence of the partisan base, Soviet planes flew there regularly, supplying uniforms, food, ammunition, and taking the wounded.

An interesting story happened with the railway. In one of the reconnaissance sorties, the German soldiers found a narrow-gauge peat railway with an abandoned steam locomotive, wagons and platforms. Upon closer examination, it turned out that everything was in working order, and the partisans began to actively use the narrow-gauge railway under the nose of the Nazis. The railway passed mainly through a remote swampy area. Only one section of it approached the Podsevy station, which was controlled by the Germans. The partisans each time, when it was necessary to go through this section, fired at the station, and each time the train successfully passed the obstacle.

Attempts to destroy the squad

Do not think that the partisan German, along with his soldiers, calmly fought behind enemy lines. The Nazis all the time made attempts to destroy this brigade.

In March 1943, a large-scale punitive operation was carried out against the German partisan detachments by the forces of 4,000 German soldiers and officers, reinforced by tanks and artillery. The arena of battles was the village of Rovnyak in the Porkhovsky district of the Pskov region. During the battles, more than 900 fascists were killed, 3 enemy echelons were destroyed, 4 highway bridges were blown up, 6 tanks were knocked out. In contrast to the significant losses of the Nazis, the partisan brigade Herman lost 96 fighters, of whom 37 were killed, 59 were wounded.

In May 1943, wanting to end the partisans in the Leningrad forests, the Germans threw an entire rifle division at them. In total, Soviet heroes withstood 19 battles, during which the enemy lost 1604 soldiers and officers, 7 echelons, 16 highway bridges and 2 cars were blown up. In the ranks of the partisans, 39 fighters were killed and 64 were wounded.

In August 1943, a well-known specialist was invited to these regions, who destroyed many partisan detachments near Smolensk. The partisan Herman was immediately notified of this by his scouts. Who is this? How does this mysterious specialist work? The reconnaissance group managed to establish that the fascist expert acts as follows: they take off their clothes and shoes from the captured Soviet soldiers, give the trained dogs a sniff, which take the trail and take the punishers to the place where the partisans are stationed. Moreover, neither the dusting of the path with makhorka, nor the trampling of the road by other people could knock the dogs off the track. Having received this data, Alexander German immediately came up with an original plan. His men took the "tongue" prisoner, who was led to the headquarters by a secret path through the swamps, then they organized his escape, and the path was mined. When the Germans in a large detachment moved along this road to the headquarters of the partisans, the mines, naturally, exploded, and the entire fascist detachment died without a single shot from our side.

Battle of the Granaries. Death of a hero

In early September 1943, Hermann's partisan brigade was attacked again. This time the battle took place near the village of Zhitnitsa, Novorzhevsky district, Pskov region.

Soviet soldiers defeated the enemy, but suffered heavy losses, breaking out of the encirclement. In a hot battle on September 6, 1943, Alexander Viktorovich German, a forgotten partisan with a capital letter, died heroically.

According to the recollections of the commissar of the Voskresensky brigade, the beloved brigade commander was wounded twice, but he forbade the soldiers to talk about it and continued to shoot back. The third wound to the head was fatal. The 28-year-old brigade commander was killed.

The colonel's body was flown to the Soviet rear. The hero was buried in the city of Valdai, Novgorod Region, on Freedom Square.

On April 2, 1944, by the Decree of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces, Colonel Herman A.V. was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the impeccable performance of combat missions, courage and courage shown.

Awards and titles

Partisan German Alexander Viktorovich was awarded:

• the Gold Star medal, which was awarded to persons awarded the highest title of Hero of the Soviet Union,
• for special services to the Soviet state and society,
• Order of the Red Banner for unprecedented courage and dedication in the fight against the fascist invaders,
• Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree for military valor.

Memory of the hero

On September 7, 1943, the Third Leningrad Partisan Brigade was renamed the German Partisan Brigade, in honor of its glorious commander.

In the village of Zhitnitsy, an obelisk was erected at the place of the hero's death. Streets in St. Petersburg, Veliky Novgorod, Pskov, the cities of Ostrov and Porkhovo, Valday are named after him. In St. Petersburg, a stele was also installed as a memorial sign to the partisan German.

In the city of Novorzhev, a memorial plaque was erected in honor of the deceased commander. The district administration has ruled that September 6 is the Day of Partisan Glory. The holiday is celebrated annually to this day with the participation of veterans, townspeople, schoolchildren.

The hero of the partisan Herman, whose photo adorns many, is an absolute example to follow. Many chapters in books are devoted to him, his short but bright life, his courage and great humanity:

• "Heroes' exploits are immortal", authors N. P Korneev and O. V. Alekseev, 2005 edition.
• "German Alexander Viktorovich", edited by N. P. Korneev, 1993 edition.
• "Leningrad in my heart", the author of the book was the journalist N.V. Masolov, who used archival documents, personal letters of Herman, memoirs of his associates to write it. The book was published in 1981.
• "Partisan brigade commanders: people and destinies". The book on the basis of archival materials was written by the local historian N.V. Nikitenko. She was released in 2010. It tells about the partisan detachments that operated during the Great Patriotic War in the occupied territories of the Leningrad and Tver regions.
• Memoir collection "Heroes and Fates" IV Vinogradov, 1988 edition. The writer several times personally met with Alexander German.
• "German leads a brigade" by the author ML Voskresensky, who served directly under the legendary partisan commander. The book was published in 1965.
• "Pskov Partisan" - memoirs of the partisan M. Voskresensky, head of the political department of the Third Leningrad Partisan Brigade. The book was published in 1979.
• "According to health indications", 1990 edition. The author is a partisan doctor V.I.Gilev.
• "The partisans swore an oath", 1985 edition. Memoirs were written by II Sergunin, Hero of the Soviet Union, a prominent member of the partisan movement. The book is based on his personal impressions, entries in the diaries of other fighters, letters and archival documents.
• "Why are they named so", 1985 edition under the authorship of EP Khablo and KS Gorbachevich. The book explains the names of streets, islands, squares of St. Petersburg.

Not far from my house there is Partizan Herman Street. We so often treat the names of the streets of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War so casually that we do not even know in honor of what deeds the streets of our cities are named after them. I confess that I also did not know the history of Partisan Herman until today. Meanwhile, this is an absolutely fantastic story, which even Zoshchenko told (exaggerating a little) in "Tales from the Partisans" in 1947.

This theme is very similar to the Ukrainian theme, because it shows us HOW IT IS POSSIBLE TO RESIST THE ENEMY even in the deep rear of the Nazis. Moreover, the story turned out, though tragic, but still funny and absolutely fantastic. Note to our comrades who think to fight fascism in Ukraine!

This material was prepared by Dmitry Cherkasov and it seems it will be very interesting to everyone.

While rereading Zoshchenko, in the now little-known "Tales of Partisans" I came across a story about "Comrade Herman's Elusive Detachment", which was very strong in the dense Pskov forests, and almost opened village councils and executive committees in the villages and villages opposite the German commandant's offices, and so firmly defended the Soviet power, that punishers and other evil spirits preferred to move on "their side", not trying to cross the road.

Very funny.

We all know Zoshchenko as an outstanding master of grotesque, hyperbole and sarcasm. But I do not consider him an inventor and a dreamer at all, especially since the topic in those years (and the story of 1947) was more than serious.
All of a sudden, I decided to undertake a little research. In the memoirs of famous leaders of the partisan movement, I did not find anything intelligible on this score, which only provoked me.

And here's what we managed to establish.

I warn you in advance that although the stories look absolutely fantastic, everything stated is based on historical facts. I am not going to convince anyone and give a voluminous list of primary sources, any Thomas the Unbeliever can easily take his own journey into history.

To begin with, there was no mysterious "Comrade Herman". And there was a very real career officer, the captain of the Red Army, German Alexander Viktorovich. Was born in 1915 in Leningrad. Russian. Member of the CPSU since 1942. Before the war, he lived and studied in Moscow for several years. A graduate of the Oryol Tank School, graduated from the Military Academy. M.V. Frunze. From July 1941 - on the North-Western Front, an officer of the reconnaissance department, was responsible for communication and coordination of partisan detachments. In September 1941, he was sent to the German rear, the main task - reconnaissance, the destruction of the Germans and sabotage in communications. The initial strength of the detachment was about 100-150 fighters.
The detachment not only fought successfully, but also settled down completely unconventionally for the partisans - in the depths of the forests, far from the well-worn roads, a stationary base arose, which eventually turned into a real fortified area - with capital buildings, barracks, kitchens, baths, an infirmary, headquarters, warehouses, etc. .P.

By the summer of 1942, the success of the detachment, the commanding talent and economic abilities of Herman led to the fact that a regular partisan brigade was formed on its basis, its number increased to 2500 people, the combat zone spread to most of the territory of Porkhovsky, Pozherevitsky, Slavkovichsky, Novorzhevsky, Ostrovsky and other areas of the Pskov region.

But let's stop. About the activities of A.V. Herman, you can talk about his military innovations and non-standard solutions for as long as you like, give hundreds of examples, and everything will not be enough and will not give a complete impression of this talented person.
And now - a few facts.

For the first time in partisan practice, German created a stationary airfield near the base, cut a clearing in the forest, equipped a strip and infrastructure for receiving heavy transport aircraft, set up warning posts and anti-aircraft crews. The problem of supply and communication with the "mainland" was resolved. Several attempts to raise fighter aircraft to intercept partisan aircraft ended in attacks (capturing the airfield, of course, was an unrealistic task) on the oil base in the city of Porkhov and the air depots in the village of Pushkinskie Gory, as a result all consumable supplies of fuel, ammunition and other things were destroyed. The regiment turned out to be incapable of combat and was unable to carry out combat missions at the front. They could be scolded for the partisans, but for such consequences one can really “thunder”. The commander of the Luftwaffe regiment clearly understood this. And planes flew to the "forest" regularly.

However, it seemed not enough to Herman. In the course of one of the sorties, a narrow-gauge "peat" railway was found passing not far from the base, with rolling stock abandoned in a hurry during retreat - steam locomotives, wagons and platforms. The road led to the front line, and through the most remote swamps and swamps (in fact, peat is mined there). There was one mishap - a section of the narrow-gauge railway passed along the outskirts of the Podsevy junction station, which served as a transit point for the German army and had a strong garrison. When transportations were necessary, each time crushing blows were inflicted on the station, and “on the quiet” partisan trains successfully passed the bad place. In the end (I want to live) the command of the garrison simply stopped paying attention to little trains and trailers scurrying back and forth across the outskirts of the station, especially since they did not create any particular problems, behaved decently and preferred to move at night. All this time, partisan transportation was carried out from the front line (!) To the rear of the enemy (!) By rail (!). This has never happened before or since.

After the planned replacement of the old garrison, a new commandant arrived at the station, from the staff, Major Paulwitz. Despite the "subtle" hints of the commander, the situation with the enemy trains constantly moving through his station struck him so much that the same evening the path was cut and another transport was ambushed. The next morning, the station was captured by a swift blow and held for several days, the garrison was destroyed, the cargo was blown up or captured by trophies. Along the way, five bridges were blown up "thoroughly", including the strategic one across the Keb River. The road "stopped" for exactly 12 days. It is not known exactly who shot Paulwitz, at least in the reports of the brigade this feat does not appear for any of the partisans.
According to the recollections of the railway workers, the Germans soon pulled the barbed wire from the tracks to the narrow gauge and did not notice it at close range.

Lovers of "beefel und ordnung" began to worry about such an outrage. A special group arrived from the Abwernebenstelle of Smolensk under the command of an authoritative specialist in the fight against partisans (the name has not survived, and it does not matter). On the conscience of this "craftsman" was about a dozen destroyed partisan detachments in the Smolensk region. Using his intelligence channels, Herman revealed the secret of his success: when the partisans were captured or destroyed, their clothes and shoes were removed from them, they were given a sniff to ordinary police bloodhounds - after which a detachment of punishers followed the tracks exactly to the partisan base, bypassing all swamps, ambushes and mines. The use of well-known methods - sprinkling the tracks with makhorka, sprinkling with urine did not help, because this fact only confirmed the correctness of the route. The groups began to leave one way and return another. Immediately after the passage "there" the path was carefully mined. As well as after the "back" passage. With the "craftsman" himself (after the death of several punitive detachments, he quickly figured out what was the matter, and he himself did not "trick" into this trick), they figured out even more gracefully: having mined before the eyes of the captured "tongue" according to the standard "return path" scheme, then they took him along a secret submerged gati. It is not known exactly how, but he nevertheless escaped and returned to his own people along this gate. Alive. This means that the backyard is clean. The Abverovets, rubbing their hands contentedly, demanded a large detachment, and with a brazen smile, led him around the mines in this very way. He himself did not return and "demobilized" two SS companies. The gat still exploded, without much noise. From both ends at the same time. We didn’t have to shoot, the swamp coped one hundred percent. The command was alarmed - how could the ENTIRE SS detachment disappear without a trace, and even without any signs of battle? But they did not try to find the base anymore until the fall of 1943.

Herman's brigade developed more than friendly relations with the local population. Thanks to the airport and railway station operating at the base (!), Tolerable supplies were established, so the villagers did not see the partisan food detachments, and the Germans preferred not to get rich with food in the villages near the detachment, for obvious reasons, and not to disturb the population once again with their presence.

Gradually, Herman began to change tactics in the territory under his control - from purely military to military-political. A military tribunal was organized, which held open field sessions in villages and villages (the institute of policemen and other elders and accomplices instantly disappeared as a biological species, and the Germans who came across were transferred to the status of prisoners of war, and were sent by rail to the camps on the mainland ... yes -yes ... past the same Podsevy station).

An infirmary was opened, to which local residents could apply and receive all possible medical assistance. In severe cases, doctors went home (!). Soviet "ambulance" in the German rear. Yeah ..
In order to resolve current issues, temporary village councils and executive committees were formed, which went to places, were engaged in propaganda work and received the population. Of course, they did not occupy the buildings opposite the German commandant's offices, as Zoshchenko sneers, they came for a short time and to a pre-selected place, but, nevertheless ...
And then the irreparable happened. No, no, no executive committee was captured, and among the sick German scouts did not happen.

At the next reception of the underground executive committee, a deputation of the station garrison, such wiser heirs of Paulwitz, showed up with the lowest request - they should be replaced, I really want to go back to Vaterland, to their families. And since the roads and bridges in the area have all been blown up, and the roads are mined and, in general, they still cannot be passed through, then ... can they not get a pass? Or on a partisan piece of iron to get out (after all, only one is in good order), but in the opposite direction. And they, in general, nothing. With all understanding. The trains are regularly passed and even the tracks are monitored so as not to damage anyone.

A few days later, an officer from the local field commandant's office appeared with a complaint about a detachment of foragers from some neighboring unit, who prowl the villages and procure food and oats for themselves, which the villagers are not at all happy about. And since he personally and his soldiers with their own skins are not going to answer for this outrage, then, is it possible ... this detachment ... well ... in general, drive home?
It is not known how these surreal suits ended for the petitioners (the consequences are not mentioned in the primary sources, although these facts themselves are noted), but somehow they became known to the high command, including in Berlin.

To say that the command was furious is to say nothing. A whole bunch of local bosses and officers were arrested, convicted, demoted, or sent to the front. Despite the tense situation, a combat-ready division, together with tanks, artillery and aviation, and two SS units with a total strength of about 4500 people, were WHOLEly withdrawn from the front.
The brigade was surrounded, stubborn battles ensued, the withdrawal was personally commanded by German planned another brilliant combination, and, although with losses, the brigade successfully broke through to the regular troops, destroying more than half of the attacking troops. During the battle, the commander of the 3rd partisan brigade, Colonel Alexander Viktorovich German, was wounded three times, the last wound to the head was fatal. He died on September 6, 1943 near the village of Zhitnitsa. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Reading a dry official summary (... a brigade under the command of Herman from June 1942 to September 1943 destroyed 9652 Nazis, 44 crashes of railway echelons with enemy manpower and equipment were committed, 31 railway bridges were blown up, 17 enemy garrisons were destroyed, up to 70 volost administrations etc ...), I don't understand why we know almost nothing about this man, how could the name of one of the most talented and successful military leaders, who possessed non-trivial strategic thinking, melt into the fog of gray antiquity?
A detailed description of the hostilities of the brigade of Alexander Herman completely baffles me - could a person act like that, achieve such amazing results in defeating the enemy in the most difficult conditions, acting behind enemy lines, when the regular army was rapidly retreating, when the outcome of the war was still completely unknown ...

Read this document, give it credit.

Heroes of the Great Patriotic War. Outstanding feats that the whole country should know about Vostryshev Mikhail Ivanovich

Alexander German (1915-1943)

Alexander German

Alexander Viktorovich German was born on May 11 (24), 1915 in Petrograd in the family of an employee. After graduating from the seven-year school, he worked as a mechanic and studied at an auto-building technical school.

In November 1933 he joined the Red Army. In 1937 he graduated from the Oryol Armored School and served in a mechanized brigade.

The beginning of the Great Patriotic War found Alexander Viktorovich in Moscow as a 2nd year student at the Frunze Military Academy.

From July 1941, German served in the intelligence department of the headquarters of the North-Western Front. There were fierce battles at the front. The partisan movement flared up and spread in the territory occupied by the enemy. The strikes of the partisans would have been even more noticeable if at that time their detachments had had enough trained military personnel. Herman was quite suitable for the job. He kept in touch with the partisans, received intelligence data for the front headquarters through them, and was aware of many of their operations.

The military talent of Alexander Viktorovich was especially vividly revealed when in June 1942 he was appointed commander of the 3rd Leningrad Partisan Brigade. Actually, the brigade still had to be created, but for now there was a detachment of 150 people. It will serve as the nucleus for the formation of the connection. Ivan Vasilyevich Krylov was appointed chief of staff, who became the closest assistant to the brigade commander in the development of operational and sabotage measures. They quickly worked together, and this largely contributed to the successful actions of the partisans. The 3rd partisan brigade operated in many occupied areas of the Leningrad, Kalinin and Pskov regions. Before the arrival of the partisans, there was a complete dominance of the Nazis. Feeling their impunity, the invaders sneered at the Soviet people, took away livestock and poultry from local residents, and drove people to Germany. And those who did not obey the new order were destroyed.

Crazy grenade and crazy bullet.

And when we cuddle "by" - praying,

It pushes us away, sending us into the fire,

Our earth is black as bread.

Mikhail Kulchitsky

Taking advantage of the carelessness of the Nazis, the partisans attacked their garrison in one of the villages. The operation was successful. The victory inspired all the fighters, added moral strength to the local residents.

In a short time, the partisans of the brigade defeated nine Nazi garrisons and 50 volost administrations, and derailed several enemy echelons. Large forests, rugged terrain with many lakes and swamps allowed the partisans to deliver surprise attacks on the Nazis, reliably sheltered them from punishers who could not use heavy equipment against the partisans - tanks, artillery. As Herman had assumed, the brigade's active hostilities raised the workers of a number of districts of the Leningrad, Kalinin and Pskov regions to an armed struggle against the invaders and their henchmen. Many of those whom the partisans saved from being hijacked to Germany joined the detachments of Alexander German. The combat experience of the partisans was accumulating, the number of the brigade was growing. In the first three months, the number of fighters in it tripled. And by the fall of 1943, due to the admission of local residents to the brigade, it already numbered 2,500 people and turned into a formidable force.

Lively and sociable, firm when it came to following orders and discipline, the tactically competent brigade commander became a favorite of the fighters. And among the local population, his authority was high. “We will not be lost with our brigade commander! Let's follow him into fire and water! " - said the partisans about Herman. And they had a reason for that. Punishers tried many times to destroy the brigade, but Alexander Viktorovich figured out their plans in time, led the partisans away from the blow. The combat glory of the brigade commander flew ahead of the partisan formation. His name terrified the invaders.

Under the command of Alexander German, the brigade destroyed 9652 Nazis from June 1942 to September 1943, made 44 crashes of railway echelons with enemy manpower and equipment, blew up 31 railway bridges, defeated 17 enemy garrisons and up to 70 volost administrations.

In early September 1943, having prepared a special airfield, the partisans began to receive transports from the mainland with ammunition, weapons, medicines, which delayed the brigade in one place for several days. The Nazis took advantage of this. Pulling off SS units, they surrounded the partisans.

IV Krylov recalled: “Operating with intelligence data, we decided to get out of the encirclement. The brigade commander gave the order to march, and not to defeat the punishers in this village. We had no information that they appeared there. Otherwise, we would not be preparing our regiments for a campaign, but for a night battle. In such a situation, the battle formations would have been different. They would have let the fourth regiment, where there were mainly very young, unfired partisans, to bypass the enemy ambush, and not to storm the garrison of Zhitnitsa from the front after the third regiment. At 23.30, when we approached the village, the chasteners from the Zhitnitsa met us with fire. For the command of the brigade and its fighters, it was a bolt from the blue. When did the Germans appear in the village? How many are there? What weapons do they have? For the battalion commander and headquarters, these issues were a secret behind seven seals. For Herman, there was a difficult choice: to start a night battle or to bypass the village along the Shernetka river. The brigade commander ordered to storm Zhitzin. "

A night battle broke out. Submachine gun and machine-gun bursts crackled. Rockets flew over the village every now and then, illuminating the fields and gardens with a flickering light. The enemy side bristled with hurricane fire. However, even after that, the third regiment continued to confidently approach the enemy. Incendiary bullets in the Granary set fire to wooden buildings. Figures of fascists flashed in the alarming light of the fire. They tried to stop the attackers. However, the regiment stepped up the onslaught, destroying the enemy, broke through the defenses. It seemed that the most difficult thing was left behind - the way was open. But the advancing fourth regiment, consisting of young soldiers, slowed down the pace of advance, and then stopped. And this was enough for the punishers to close the gap.

Herman again led his soldiers to the assault. The Nazis desperately resisted, rushed into counterattacks, fired hurricanely at the partisans. Suddenly Herman stopped, looked with the eyes of the commissar, quietly said: “I am wounded! What to do?" The commissar wanted to immediately call someone to help the brigade commander, but Herman forbade: “Be quiet! Nobody should know about my injury now! " A nurse ran up to Herman, the commissar left the brigade commander in her care, and he himself hurried into the chain to lead the attack. The headquarters detachment captured the Granary, defeated the punishers.

Herman in a fluttering cloak, with a Mauser raised high, walked in the midst of the attackers. Everyone ran, but he walked firmly and seemed calm, as if he was walking not towards a thick stream of bullets, but towards the wind. I was next to Herman, looked back at him and admired him.

Brigade Commissioner M. Voznesensky

German got up and, supported by a nurse, went to the village. But he was wounded for the third time. This time in the head. Alexander German died a heroic death on September 6, 1943.

Destruction of punishers, the 3rd partisan brigade escaped from the encirclement. In the headquarters detachment, the body of the brigade commander was transported in a cart. The partisans followed the cart in silence. At their request, his name was given to the brigade. As before, she continued to instill fear in the occupiers.

The brigade commander was buried in the square of the city of Valdai, Novgorod region.

By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of April 2, 1944, Major A.V. German was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command at the front and the courage and heroism shown at the same time.

Hero of the Soviet Union A.V. German (right) and V.P. Gordin developing the operation

This text is an introductory fragment. From the author's book

Goring Hermann Wilhelm German statesman, political and military leader Goring Hermann Wilhelm (01/12/1893, near Rosenheim, Bavaria - 10/15/1946, Nuremberg), Field Marshal General (1938), Reichsmarshal (1940). The son of a high-ranking official who at one time held the post

From the author's book

Malandin German Kapitonovich (3 (15) .12.1884-27.10.1961) Born in the village of Nolinsk, Novgorod province in the family of an official of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He graduated from a classical gymnasium. Studied at the Law Faculty of St. Petersburg University. Drafted into military service

From the author's book

Southwest Pacific. Dutch East Indies, Australia, Pelelew, Biak - March 1943-July 1943 In the spring of 1943, the 5th US Air Force based in Australia went into active combat. In the fall of 1942, a detachment of British

From the author's book

Hermann Boni The German Naval Attaché Captain Hermann Boni became the head of the spy network in this vast country. His main agent was Alfredo, recruited by the Abwehr in Brazil in June 1940. Both Canaris and Dönitz, the head of the submarine fleet of the Third Reich, are very

From the author's book

Plutarch. ALEXANDER (FROM THE BOOK "COMPARATIVE LIFES

From the author's book

Alexander Matrosov (1924–1943) Private company of machine gunners, on February 27, 1943, who closed the embrasure of an enemy pillbox with his body Alexander Matveevich Matrosov was born on February 5, 1924 in the city of Yekaterinoslav (now Dnepropetrovsk). Was brought up in Ivanovsky and Melekessky

From the author's book

Hermann Teske, retired colonel The military significance of transport Without being a specialist, one cannot form a correct idea of ​​the decisive importance given to transport in modern warfare and what a huge role it played in victories and

From the author's book

Message from Herriot, imprisoned in Evo (The message was transmitted to General de Gaulle in London on May 12, 1943 by Pierre Vienot) Evo, April 23, 1943 I am ready at any time to join the government headed by General de Gaulle, in which I see the only person capable of uniting

From the author's book

General de Gaulle's conversations with Wilson December 16-17, 1943 and with Macmillan December 17, 1943 (Recorded by General de Gaulle's office) December 16, 1943 December 16, 1943 On this day, General de Gaulle invited Ambassador Wilson to his place for a conversation. At the beginning of the conversation, General de Gaulle, referring to

From the author's book

Xvi. THE INVASION OF BATAL-PASHI (General German) The second Turkish war (1787-1792), during which Turkey still felt the loss of Crimea vividly, naturally, could not but raise the question of its reverse conquest. With failures on the Danube, Turkey seemed the only possible

From the author's book

Chapter 12. TRANSFER TO UKRAINE AND FIRST COMBAT OPERATIONS IN THE NORTHERN Kryvyi Rih (10/17/1943–11/14/1943)

From the author's book

Yuri German. ICE AND FLAME I have never seen Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky, but many years ago, on the recommendation of Maxim Gorky, I talked with people who worked with Dzerzhinsky at different stages of his amazing career. They were Chekists, engineers, and

From the author's book

3. ISAEV AND GERMAN Back in Valdai, Alexander Filippovich tried to find out more about the command of the brigade. About the commissar Isaev he was told briefly: "A standing man." It was more difficult with the brigade commander German. Alexander Viktorovich is from Leningrad. Graduated from the military school in Barnaul.

From the author's book

Hermann Bücher Phytopathologist appointed head of the colossal General German Electricity Company! German industrialists couldn’t believe their ears when they heard in 1928 that the scientist and diplomat Hermann Bücher had succeeded Emil Rathenau, the founder of the company, and his son

From the author's book

OPERATIONS "GÜNTER" AND "HERMAN" Literally ten days after the end of Operation Cottbus, on the orders of von dem Bach, SS units were again thrown into the fight against the "bandits". On the territory of Minsk, Logoisk districts of Minsk, Volozhin district of Baranovichi region