Lieutenants of the 21st tank brigade. Tank legend from Vladimir

The Great Patriotic War transformed Vladimir. A small provincial town became the center of the formation of military units, many of which covered themselves with world military glory. One of the most famous was the 21st Tank Brigade (21st Tank Brigade). In October 1941, she, formed in Vladimir, went to the front and three days later made the famous "raid on Kalinin."

Tank elite
At the beginning of the war, the cities and towns of the future Vladimir region (recall that until August 1944 most of our lands were part of the Ivanovo region) suddenly became front-line. In 1941-1942 alone, more than 30 military units were formed here: rifle divisions, tank and motorized rifle brigades, artillery and other units. All of them - especially at the beginning of the war - were immediately sent into battle.
In September-October 1941, many famous tankers could be found in Vladimir. They were located at the base of a reserve tank regiment in a military town. Almost all of them were people with combat experience, and some of them were real celebrities of the allied scale.
If we are talking about the 21st tank brigade, first of all we must call it the "golden three": the commander of the 21st tank regiment, Major Mikhail Lukin, received the Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union on November 17, 1939 for Khalkhin Gol. The commander of the 1st tank battalion of the same regiment, Captain Mikhail Agibalov, was awarded for the same battles with the Japanese 6th Army even earlier - on August 29, 1939. The deputy commander of the 1st tank battalion of the tank regiment of the starley brigade, Joseph Makovsky, became a Hero on March 21, 1940 for his exploits during the war with Finland. All three, shortly before the start of the war, were students of the Military Academy of Mechanization and Motorization.
Three supertankers
The 21st separate tank brigade was formed very quickly. Here you need to understand: October 1941, the Germans were practically near Moscow, and all our thousands and thousands of pre-war tanks, both individual brigades and the notorious mechanized corps, were burned in the border battles of the war near Smolensk and Kiev.
Colonel Boris Mikhailovich Skvortsov was appointed commander of the 21st brigade. His previous position was deputy commander of the 17th Army for tank forces (Trans-Baikal Military District, border with China). For battles with the Japanese, Skvortsov was awarded the Orders of Lenin and the Red Banner. Lukin became the commander of a tank regiment. Agibalov led the 1st tank battalion. Makovsky was appointed his deputy.
The personnel of the brigade - both officers and soldiers - were matched by their "battalion commanders". Many had experience of battles with the Japanese and Finns, some have already fought with the Wehrmacht in Belarus and Ukraine. But there were also quite a few recruits. They, of course, still had a lot to learn, but everyone agreed that the learning process would be successful, since such experienced aces of tank battles were in charge of the brigade.
From Vladimir to Kalinin
All tankers were eager to fight, but for the time being they were "horseless". In Vladimir they were waiting for the equipment. The brigade's tanks were still being made at the factories of Kharkov and Gorky. And now it happened! Echelons with tanks arrived at Vladimir station on October 13, 1941.
None of the brigade's tankers then knew that in just four days many of them would not be alive. The heroes Lukin and Agibalov will die, and Makovsky will be seriously wounded.
Structurally, the brigade's tanks were divided into battalions as follows: the first included T-34 medium tanks, the second - light BT and T-26 tanks. New tanks were not even unloaded from the platforms. The personnel of the brigade plunged into the echelons and went to Moscow.
The brigade was lucky in a sense - it had the chronicler Semyon Fligelman. He himself went through the whole war. His book "To Spite All Deaths" ("On the Right Flank of the Moscow Battle") contains a lot of interesting information about what happened in October 1941 on the Kalinin Front. In the books and articles about the 21st Brigade, Fligelman does not hide - the brigade was sent to Kalinin almost at random.
The task for the 21st brigade was initially set as follows: to unload at the Kalinin station and prevent the enemy from capturing the city. But it turned out that the Germans took Kalinin on October 14. Our command did not possess the situation in the city and its environs (the 21st brigade was included in the 30th army Kalinin front, commander-30 - at that time Major General Khomenko Vasily Afanasyevich, front commander - at that time Colonel General Ivan Stepanovich Konev).
In Moscow, at the station, the brigade headquarters received maps of the vicinity of Kalinin. The trains continued their journey. But we only reached the station Zavidovo. All stations to the west have already been evacuated. The brigade unloaded and waited for an order. And they acted contradictory.
It all boiled down to one task - to knock the Germans out of Kalinin. The front command hoped that only the advanced units of the Germans entered the city and it would be easy to knock them out with a daring blow. But the brigade from Vladimir was practically without support, and around the roads to Kalinin, German tank and infantry units, artillery and other equipment were strewn about.
However, the Germans overslept the unloading of the brigade under their noses. The sudden thick snow, unexpected for mid-October, helped, and enemy air reconnaissance did not reveal the appearance of a fresh tank unit of the Red Army.
"Kalininsky raid"
As a result, on October 17, the brigade nevertheless moved to Kalinin, freeing the surrounding villages along the way. The raid on Kalinin, famous for its courage and sacrifice, began - one of the most striking events in the history of the war in 1941.
Our main trump card was surprise. Lukin with the main group of his tanks joined the rear of the German column. And at first the Germans did not notice anything suspicious, they took our people for their own. Having approached closer without firing, the tankers of the 21st brigade hit the enemy tanks, vehicles, guns and manpower. It was just a shock for the Germans.
However, the Germans soon pulled themselves together and organized a rebuff - enemy artillery and aviation hit the tanks of the 21st brigade. Our tankmen were opposed by units of the 3rd tank group and the 9th army of the Wehrmacht.
Mikhail Lukin died in the village of Troyanovo, 16 kilometers from Kalinin, on the banks of the small river Kamenka. His tank was hit, lost the ability to move, but fired to the end.
In a brave attack - in the village of Naprudnoye, 10 kilometers from Kalinin - Mikhail Agibalov also died. He also fought to the last bullet, even when he had to leave the damaged tank. He ordered the crew to retreat into the forest, and he himself died covering the retreat of his comrades.
After the Finnish war, Joseph Makovsky was considered an expert in seizing stations. He and his group broke through the German defenses on the southern outskirts of Kalinin and rushed to the railway station. He was assigned to command the brigade's motorized rifle battalion. But at the station, the hero was shot in the chest. Fortunately, Makovsky survived and went through many more battles.
Only eight T-34 tanks of the 21st brigade broke through to Kalinin. They started a battle on the streets of the city, which was oversaturated with enemy troops and equipment. On every street, in every yard, there was a goal. Having killed many enemies and frightened the rest with a surprise attack, seven of our crews were killed.
The eighth - the crew of tank number 3 - entered world tank history. He rushed through the entire city occupied by the Germans, destroying the enemy's manpower and equipment along the way. And then he was also able to go to his own - one of our divisions was nearby.
The commander of the happy "troika" Junior Lieutenant Sergei Khristoforovich Gorobets became in 1942 the fourth Hero of the Soviet Union of the 21st Tank Brigade.
As often happens with us, sometimes we only know the commander of a combat vehicle who accomplished the feat. Captain Gastello is a typical example. The feat of Nikolai Frantsevich is celebrated, but who remembers three more members of his crew - Lieutenants Burdenyuk and Skorobogatov, senior sergeant Kalinin? In fairness, their feat should be divided among all ...
So, we fill the gap. As part of the crew of Gorobets, the mechanic driver senior sergeant Fyodor Litovchenko, the tower sergeant Grigory Kolomiets, the gunner-radio operator of the Red Army Ivan Pastushin fought ...
The tankers of the 21st brigade, who attacked German airfields, showed amazing vitality. In total, the crews of senior political instructor Grigory Gnyri and senior sergeant Sergei Rybakov destroyed and damaged 19 aircraft on the airfields.
The knocked-out tank Gnyri, despite the bomb attack on it, was able to reach his own. But Rybakov, when the car stalled and ran out of ammunition, the Germans took prisoner. But a day later Rybakov strangled the sentry and fled. Went through the whole war. He served first in the infantry, and then on the KV tank.
This is how the 21st brigade fought. And this was just one of the many units formed in Vladimir. In the raid on Kalinin, 450 brigade fighters perished - more than a third of its original composition ...
According to Semyon Fligelman, the remnants of the 21st Brigade held their defenses near Kalinin for a long time. After the battles for Moscow, the brigade was reorganized and divided into two regiments. One of them fought at Stalingrad.
But the glorious combat path of tankers began in Vladimir.

The 21st separate tank brigade was formed according to wartime states and consisted of a command, a command company, a reconnaissance company, a 21st tank regiment (as part of the 1st and 2nd tank battalions), a motorized bulwark, an anti-aircraft battalion, remrots, autorot and medical -manitary platoon. In total, the brigade relied on 61 tanks (19 T-34s with a 76-mm gun, 10 more unique T-34s with a 54-mm gun, 2 chemical tanks based on T-26, 5 BT-5 and BT-7, a dozen T -60 and 4 self-propelled guns ZiS-30.

Raid of the 21st separate tank brigade on Kalinin - the military operation of the Soviet troops, carried out on October 17, 1941, upon the withdrawal of the 21st separate tank brigade to the rear of the Kalinin grouping of German troops to help liberate the city of Kalinin by the forces of the 16th Army.

Background

Having broken through the defenses of the Western Front, units of the 3rd Panzer Group, with the support of infantry divisions of the Wehrmacht's 9th Army, covered 215 kilometers from October 2 to 13 and reached the approaches to the city of Kalinin. By October 14, only the 5th and 256th rifle divisions were in the Kalinin area, whose forces were not enough for a solid defense. Therefore, during October 14, most of the city was captured by German troops. The Soviet command did not have sufficient forces to organize a full-fledged counteroffensive, nevertheless, energetic offensive operations by the operational group of N.F. Vatutin and the 21st tank brigade.

The 21st separate tank brigade was formed on October 10, 1941 in the city of Vladimir, consisting of:

• Brigade management - 54 people.
• Control company - 175 people.
• Reconnaissance company - 107 people.
• 21st Tank Regiment - 422 people.
• 1st tank battalion
• 2nd tank battalion
• Motorized rifle and machine gun battalion - 422 people.
• Anti-aircraft division
• Repair and restoration company - 91 people.
• Motor transport company - 62 people.
• Medical and sanitary platoon - 28 people.

On October 10, 1941, there were 61 tanks in the brigade: 19 T-34 with 76-mm guns, 10 T-34 with 57-mm ZIS-4, 2XT-26, 5 BT-2, 15 BT-5 and BT- 7, 10 T-60 and 4 self-propelled guns ZIS-30.

On October 12, 1941, the head of ABTU Ya.N. Fedorenko assigned the task to the 21st separate tank brigade, after receiving the tanks, to follow through Moscow to Kalinin, unload there and prevent the capture of the city. On October 13, 1941, echelons with tanks from Gorky and Kharkov arrived at the Vladimir station. The Kharkov train was already fully manned with crews. They were not unloaded, they were replenished with ammunition and property. By dawn on October 14, five echelons of the brigade arrived at the Kursk railway station in Moscow, where a representative of the General Staff of the Red Army, Colonel Demidov, confirmed the order of General Fedorenko to follow to Kalinin. He could not specify the situation in the city. Upon arrival at the Klin station, the communications officer handed over the topographic maps of the Kalinin environs to the chief of staff of the brigade D. Ya.

Upon arrival at the Zavidovo station, it became known from the station chief that Kalinin was already occupied by the enemy, the Redkino station was being evacuated, and there were no longer any high platforms suitable for unloading equipment in this area. In this regard, the brigade was forced to unload at Zavidovo, and the remaining 5 echelons - at the Reshetnikovo station.

In the afternoon of October 14, thick sleet began to fall, covering the brigade from aerial reconnaissance. On October 16, the 21st tank brigade, in a rainy autumn, overcame more than 10 km along the eastern coast of the Moscow Sea and crossed two rivers: Lama and Shoshu, losing one tank (commander Isaak Okrain), where a company of motorized riflemen was left for defense. On the same day, having defeated the German garrison, the brigade occupied the village of Turginovo. The headquarters is located in the village of Selishche.

Operation progress

The attack on Kalinin began in the early morning of October 17 in three groups. The first group of the regiment commander M.A.Lukin went west to the Volokolamskoe highway in the area of \u200b\u200bthe village of Panigino, went out onto the highway and moved north to the village of Pushkino. The second group of the battalion commander MP Agibalov struck at the village of Pushkino, where the enemy's headquarters was located. The third group of senior lieutenant I. I. Makovsky from Turginovo went to Kalinin along the Turginov highway.

The tanks of senior sergeant S. Kh. Gorobets and platoon commander Kireev, entering the Volokolamskoe highway, walked in front of Major Agibalov's battalion with the task of identifying the enemy and destroying his weapons. Agibalov's group for some time moved unnoticed behind a German column of vehicles with infantry and armored vehicles. But soon the Germans discovered that Soviet tanks were following them, and anti-tank guns were fired on the lead vehicles. Kireev's tank was hit, and Gorobets's crew broke away from their column by 500 meters and escaped several powerful enemy air strikes from the air.

In the village of Pushkino, the tankmen of the Agibalov group met strong resistance and defeated the German headquarters. During the first two hours of the raid, the group destroyed 10 tanks, up to 40 vehicles with infantry, 6 guns and several tractors, and up to 15 tank trucks with fuel. Their actions in the vicinity of the village of Pushkino were supported by the second tank column of Major Lukin. To the village of Troyanovo both groups broke through together.

Tank T-34 No. 3 senior sergeant S. Kh. Gorobets (driver-mechanic senior sergeant Litovchenko F.I., tower gunner sergeant Kolomiets I.K., gunner-radio operator Pastushin I.I.), broke away from the main group, passed along the avenues of 50 years of October and Lenin, fought to break through to the center of Kalinin, and then to its eastern outskirts, where the 5th Infantry Division held the defense.

The fate of other tank crews was different. While S. Kh. Gorobets's tank was successfully breaking through the city, 7 other crews from the 1st battalion of Captain M.P. Agibalov were hit or burned in their tanks on the streets of Kalinin.

The crew of the tank of the senior political instructor G.M. Gnyri (driver-mechanic Kovalev K.F., radio operator-gunner Borisov V.G., tower gunner Zakharov I.S., machine gunner Ishchenko V.A.), commissar of the 1st battalion 21 Regiment, attacked a German convoy on Volokolamsk highway, destroying 29 vehicles and 3 anti-tank guns. Then the tank broke into an airfield located on the outskirts of Kalinin, where there were up to 50 enemy aircraft. One bomber was rammed, the second was destroyed by cannon fire. Gnyri's tank was hit by bomb strikes from the planes that had risen, but he himself, Sergeant Ishchenko and the shooter Zakharov managed to break through to their own.

Another T-34 tank of senior sergeant S. Ye. Rybakov (driver-mechanic T. P. Pyrh, gunner-radio operator Terentyev, company commander Lieutenant Kudryavtsev) broke through to the city in the area of \u200b\u200bthe present Yuzhny microdistrict. Here they also attacked an enemy airfield, destroyed many enemy aircraft, but the Germans knocked out a tank, surrounded the tankers and took them prisoner; subsequently Rybakov managed to escape.

The tank crew of Sergeant Major Aleksey Shpak broke through to the southern outskirts of Kalinin, where at that time there was still a battle with the Germans. Destroying the enemy's equipment, Shpak led his tank to the railway station, where, having entered into an unequal battle, he died.

The T-34 tank of Lieutenant Vorobyov broke through to the southern outskirts of Kalinin, where three firing points and several vehicles were destroyed. Later, the crew was able to move further into the city center, where, in the continuation of street fighting, they died.

On the streets of the city of Kalinin, the crew of Lieutenant Ya. N. Malev, who managed to destroy several trucks with German motorized infantry, also died.

The crew of the tank of Lieutenant D. G. Lutsenko rammed the German self-propelled gun StuG III of Lieutenant Tachinski from the 660th assault gun battery. It was not possible to start the tank, and the crew was taken prisoner, its further fate is unknown.

The crew of Zhurbenko Ivan Grigorievich was captured.

During the battle near the village of Naprudnoye, the main gun of the tank commander Agibalov refused, which became an easy target for German anti-tank guns. The tank was hit, and captain Agibalov was killed covering the retreat of his crew to the forest.

At the bridge over the Kamenka River near the village of Troyanovo, the track of Major M.A.Lukin's tank was torn apart, and it was not possible to restore it. Continuing a stubborn battle from a stationary vehicle, the tankers used up all their ammunition. Covering the departure of his crew (driver-mechanic Sergeant Nenenko, tower gunner Sashkov, radio operator-gunner Yemelyanov, machine gunner Yemelyanov), Major Lukin died.

II Makovsky's group continued its movement along the Turginovskoe highway to Kalinin. At the village of Pokrovskoye, tankers with motorized riflemen routed up to the enemy battalion, and continued their advance towards Kalinin. In the area of \u200b\u200bthe village of Volodino, the group took another battle. On the southern outskirts of the city, the group broke through the defenses and rushed to the area of \u200b\u200bthe railway station, where the Germans had a fortified post. There the group suffered heavy losses, Makovsky himself was seriously wounded.

Having met significant resistance, battalion commissar of the 21st regiment Zakalyukin withdrew twelve T-34 tanks from Lukin's group from the raid and battle into the forest near the village of Troyanovo, where they spent the whole day and all night from October 17-18, hiding from the Germans, while their fuel and ammunition were not used up. Commissar Zakalyukin and the commander of the 2nd company of the 21st regiment, Senior Lieutenant Boldyrev, picked up three crew members of Major Lukin's tank near the village of Troyanovo, having learned about his death. The situation was unclear, and it was decided to move to the east, where the 29th Army held the defenses.

Losses of the parties

According to Soviet data, during the raid on October 17, 1941 near Kalinin and in the city itself, 38 enemy tanks were destroyed, up to 200 vehicles, 82 motorcycles, about 70 guns and mortars, at least 16 aircraft at airfields, 12 tanks with fuel, a large number of soldiers and officers, defeated 3 headquarters.

In total, in battles from 16 to 19 October 1941, 25 tanks (T-34 - 21, BT - 3 and T-60 - 1) and 450 personnel were lost from the 21st tank brigade.

Results of the operation

The sudden breakthrough of the tanks of the 21st Tank Brigade to the close approaches to the city of Kalinin, and then to the city itself from the south and southwest, caused confusion, and in some places panic among enemy units, inflicting heavy losses on him. However, with these and other attacks on Kalinin, the Soviet command failed to capture the city. The result of the actions of the Soviet troops at Kalinin was the disruption of the main task, for which the 3rd Panzer Group of the Wehrmacht was deployed from Moscow to the north. Thus, the 1st Panzer Division, which was advancing north to Vyshniy Volochok, was withdrawn to support the 36th Motorized Division, which was defending in the city. The German occupation of Kalinin began.

Updated and edited 01/15/2019

Formation, entry into battle

Officially, the 150th Tank Brigade began to form on the basis of the disbanded 50th Tank Division on September 9, 1941 in the village of Deryugino (north of Dmitriev-Lgovskiy) in accordance with order No. 010 of the Bryansk Front headquarters of September 8, 1941. In fact, only by 12.00 on September 11, the 50th Panzer Division, withdrawn to the front reserve, concentrated in the forest 3 kilometers north of Deryugino and only then began to reorganize into a tank brigade according to orders No. 0107 (!) Of the headquarters of the Bryansk front and No. 010 of headquarters 13- th army.

A new tank brigade was formed according to states No. 010/75 - 010/83 dated August 23, 1941, consisting of:

brigade management,

150th Tank Regiment of the 3rd Battalion,

150th motorized rifle and machine gun battalion,

150th anti-aircraft artillery battalion,

150th reconnaissance company,

150th repair and restoration company, 150th

motor transport company,

150th control company,

150th Medical and Sanitary Platoon.

The 99th and 100th tank regiments of the 50th TD were reorganized into the 150th tank regiment, the 50th motorized rifle regiment - into the 50th motorized rifle battalion, the 50th anti-aircraft artillery division - into the 150th anti-aircraft artillery division .

On September 15, the brigade received 310 vehicles from the 50th Tank Division: 15 cars, 226 trucks (168 GAZ-AA, 58 ZIS-5) and 69 special (37 GAZ-AA, 32 ZIS-5), which significantly exceeded the standard number of vehicles relying on the brigade (249 units). Another 264 vehicles were transferred to the front reserve, and 1604 non-staff personnel were sent to other units. There were no tanks, no armored vehicles, no motorcycles, no anti-tank guns, no large-caliber machine guns in the newly formed 150th tank brigade, the personnel were mostly armed with rifles.

September 16, according to the directive of the headquarters of the Bryansk Front on the left flank of the 13th Army from among the divisions of the 13th Army (21st and 55th cavalry divisions) and units of the front reserve (283rd Infantry Division, 121st and 150th tank brigades), an operational group of Major General Ermakov was formed, designed to close the resulting gap in the front line at the junction of the Bryansk and Southwestern fronts. At 15.00, the headquarters of the 150th tank brigade received an order from Major General Ermakov to subordinate the tank brigade to him, probably at the same time the brigade received an order: on September 18 to concentrate in the area of \u200b\u200bthe village of Dobrovodye (east of Sevsk) and in the forest north of this village , from where from 18.00 on September 18 to be ready to launch an offensive against the city of Glukhov.

On the same day, September 16, reconnaissance from a 17-man motorized rifle battalion was sent in the southwest direction by truck GAZ-AA, which reached the village of Berezovo by 24.00 on September 16, establishing from the words of the local population that the enemy was located 80-90 kilometers south of Berezovo. Sent in the direction of Bardakovka by truck GAZ-AA another reconnaissance group of 10 Red Army men led by Lieutenants Usov and Kadyrov went missing. The motorized rifle battalion itself, on a night march by 8:00 am on September 17, moved to the western outskirts of Dmitriev-Lgovsky.

On September 17, the 150th tank brigade received 20 tanks (12 T-34, 8 T-50) and in this composition, by the morning of September 18, by a 30-kilometer night march, the main forces crossed from the forest north of Deryugino into the forest 12 km east of the city of Sevsk, where it joined up with the 121st tank brigade. The 150th motorized rifle battalion, sent forward as a forward detachment to cover the location of the main forces of the brigade from the direction of Glukhov, apparently, on September 18, part of the forces concentrated in the village of Yasnoye Solntse (37 km north-east of the city of Glukhov), where due to lack of gasoline was forced to stop.

By the morning of September 19, the 150th tank brigade was marching in a night march near the village of Kruglaya Polyana (south of the village of Yasnoye Solntse), by 12.00 in the village of Yasnoye Solntse, a motorized rifle battalion had completed its concentration. After the 283rd Infantry Division approached the same place at 23.00 on September 19, Major General Ermakov, with his combat order No. 02, reinforced the division with the 150th Tank Brigade, setting the division with the task: “ with reinforced forward detachments to destroy the pr-ka at the Khokhlovka, Esman line, to ref. day with the main forces to leave: a) 856 joint venture with 5 tanks and 2 artillery batteries in the district elevation. 192.4, Vozdvizhensk, Govorunov - an advanced detachment to capture Gremyachka; b) 858 joint venture with tanks to capture the Molchanov district, elev. 217.0, Gorny, Otradnoe, with a vanguard in the Yurchenko, Lysogo districts; c) 860th joint venture with tanks to go to the Zapolye - Esman, st. Esman, from which to have a forward detachment in the region of Khotminovka - Godunovka» .

The 150th motorized rifle battalion, according to the same order, was supposed to form a reserve of the Ermakov group and " by 12.00 concentrate in the district of Stepanovka, Smokarevka, Sagaidachny in readiness for action in the directions of Marchikhina Buda, Nikitovka, Esman» .

At 18:00 on September 18, the 283rd Infantry Division began to advance to the Stepanovka - Pustogorod line, where, together with the 150th Tank Brigade, it left by 5:00 on September 20. At 18.00 on September 20, the division continued to move to the previously assigned line Vozdvizhensk - Godunovka. By the end of the day, the 150th tank brigade was in the area of \u200b\u200bthe villages of Stepanovka, Novina, Vesely Gai. On the same day, September 20, Major General Yermakov issued combat order No. 03, according to which the 283rd Infantry Division was to attack by a reinforced battalion with 1 battery and 3 tanks of the 150th Tank Brigade along the Zelena Dubrava - Vozdvizhensk - Gremyachka route, and with the main forces to strike in the general direction on the village of Bereza, bypassing Glukhov from the north, so that, in cooperation with the 2nd Guards Rifle Division attacking south of Glukhov, take this city in ticks and take it. According to this order, the 150th Tank Brigade attacked Slote (northwest of the village of Bereza). From the east and northeast to Glukhov, together with the 858th rifle regiment, the 121st tank brigade attacked.

In total, during the transition to the Stepanovka area from Deryugino on September 17-20, the 150th tank brigade, without coming into contact with the enemy and, probably, only being subjected to air strikes, lost 1 tank knocked out, 15 vehicles and 4 people killed and wounded... After these first relatively small losses on September 20, the 150th tank brigade had the same 20 tanks (12 T-34 and 8 T-50), 2351 personnel, 10 37-mm anti-aircraft guns, 22 machine guns (4 easel and 18 light), 1713 rifles.

The offensive on Glukhov

By the end of the day on September 21, 1941, throwing back small enemy groups, the 283rd Infantry Division, with the support of the 150th Tank Brigade, captured the settlements of Govorunov, Yurchenko, Shlykov, Godunovka, but the attacks on the city of Glukhov itself were successfully repelled by the defenders of the city 17- m motorcycle battalion of the 17th Panzer Division (XXXXVI.Pz.Korp, Panzergruppe.2) and the 5th separate machine gun battalion.

On September 22, with the support of tanks from the 150th Tank Brigade, the 858th Rifle Regiment captured the village of Bereza (3.5 km north of Glukhov), however, a counterattack of the enemy by force up to an infantry battalion was thrown back to the edge of the forest southeast of Hill 214.6 (farm area Belovsky). By a repeated attack in cooperation with the tanks of the 150th Tank Brigade, the regiment again occupied height 214.6 and with its left flank reached the northern outskirts of Glukhov south of the 186.2 mark. The 860th Rifle Regiment, adjacent to the left, reached the eastern outskirts of Rodionovka and the 201.2 mark, reaching the near approaches to the northeastern outskirts of Glukhov. On September 22, the 150th motorized rifle battalion was located in the rear of the 283rd division, in the village of Mesendzovka (now Masenzovka), and by this time, without participation in hostilities, it had already lost 13 people missing, incl. Since September 16, a reconnaissance group of 12 people sent to Bardakovka has not made itself felt, and during the transition from Lemeshovka to Mesendzovka, the Red Army soldier Matvienko from the 3rd platoon of the 2nd rifle company remained without a trace.

After the first 2 days of fighting, by September 23, according to the headquarters of the ABTU front, the 150th tank brigade consisted of 16 tanks (12 T-34and 4 T-50) in service, 3 tanks T-50requiring maintenance and 1 tank T-50entrenched in a swamp.

By 8.00 on September 23, the 856th Rifle Regiment with the 150th Tank Brigade occupied the Vozdvizhensk - Shlykov line - height 183.3 (north of Bereza). By 14.00, the regiment, with its left flank, supported by a battery of the 848th artillery regiment and tanks of the 150th TBR, captured the eastern part of the village of Slout (west of Bereza), breaking through to the west of the Glukhov - Yampol highway. By the morning of September 24 and then the whole day, 2 battalions of the 856th joint venture, together with the tanks of the 150th Tank Brigade, fought on the line northern outskirts of Slout - heights 199.0 and 210.3 - southern outskirts of Birch.

On the night of September 25, Major General Yermakov gave his troops order No. 07, according to which the 3rd battalion of the 860th joint venture and the 1st battalion of the 856th joint venture, together with 7 tanks of the 150th TBR, should have " by active actions in the Vozdvizhensk - Gremyachka area, prevent the avenue from moving east in the direction of Chervonny and Esman», well, 2 other battalions of the 856th Infantry Regiment with the rest of the tanks of the 150th Tank Brigade were to go over to the defensive at the turn of Lysogo farmstead - heights of 199.0 and 210.3 (north, east and southeast of the village of Slout). The main attack on Glukhov was now delivered by the 121st Tank Brigade. Still serving as Ermakov's reserve, the 150th motorized rifle battalion was tasked with concentrating 2 of its companies in the forest area 4 km north-west of the village of Studenok (12.5 km east of Glukhov station) by 10:00 on September 25 and organize anti-tank defense in this area. ... The 3rd company of the 150th MRB was to remain at the crossroads of railways and dirt roads, 2 km east of Nikitovka (24.5 km north of Glukhov).

In total, on September 25, according to the front headquarters, the 150th tank brigade now numbered 21 tanks (12 T-34, 8 T-50 and 1 T-26, it is not known when and under what circumstances appeared in the 150th Tank Brigade), 2,436 personnel, 2 armored vehicles, 4 tractors, 223 vehicles (13 cars, 159 trucks, 51 special), 3 motorcycles, 10 37-mm anti-aircraft guns, 30 machine guns (2 anti-aircraft, 2 easel, 26 light), 4 PPD, 1682 simple and 112 automatic rifles, 15 walkie-talkies ( 5-AK / RB) .

On the morning of September 25, the 121st Tank Brigade, together with the 860th Infantry Regiment, resumed the offensive on Glukhov, but by mid-day the situation in the Glukhov area had changed dramatically. From 12.00 from the MTS area, which is near the northeastern outskirts of Glukhov, along the road to Esman, up to 50 German enemy tanks, accompanied by up to 2 infantry battalions, launched a counteroffensive at once. These were the 40th motorized rifle and 39th tank regiments of the 17th tank division, which were hastily transferred by the headquarters of the 17th TD to Glukhov to hold the city. Having defeated the 860th Infantry Regiment, which opposed them, on the move, German tanks occupied Moskalenkov and Freigoltovo. Tanks of the 121st Tank Brigade and 2 companies of the 150th MRB, transferred to Esman from the reserve of Ermakov's group, were thrown into battle, through whose efforts the enemy's advance was first halted, and later German tanks retreated back to Glukhov. At the end of the German counterattack, Major General Ermakov decided to temporarily go over to the defensive with all his forces.

On September 27, the front line ran as follows. On the right flank of the 283rd Infantry Division in the Vozdvizhensk area, the 1st Battalion of the 856th Regiment and the 3rd Battalion of the 860th Regiment were defending. Behind them, in the forest north of the village of Pervoe Maya, was located a tank group of the 150th Tank Brigade, and even further - at the intersection of the railway and dirt roads 2 km southeast of Nikitovka - 2 companies of the 150th MRB. On the Govorunov - Gorely sector, the 2nd and 3rd battalions of the 856th joint venture, supported by the 1st division of the 848th artillery regiment, were defending. On the sector (claim) Gorely - height 211.8 (southeast of Khotminovka), the 858th rifle regiment supported by the 2nd battalion of the 848th artillery regiment was located. Behind the junction of the 856th and 858th rifle regiments in the forest near the village of Otradnoye, the 2nd tank group of the 150th tank brigade was located. Behind the junction of the 858th rifle regiment with the neighboring 121st tank brigade, 2 companies of the 150th MRB were located, which, after their change in the village of Esman by the 858th rifle regiment (September 26), were withdrawn to Ermakov's reserve in the forest northeast of Krekotnevo (16 , 5 km northeast of the city of Glukhov; now the northeastern part of the Esman settlement). The headquarters of the 150th brigade was in the village of Chervonnoe.

On that day, September 27, 1 of 2 armored cars in the 150th tank brigade was blown up in a Soviet minefield - all known losses of the 150th tank brigade in equipment in recent days. On September 28, the 858th Rifle Regiment extended its defensive line until the Zarutsky crossing (8.3 km east of Glukhov station), after which tanks of the 121st Tank Brigade moved to support this regiment, which were located in separate groups at the line: Grekovshchina - mark 211, 5 - 225.3 - forest east of the 203.6 mark. The companies of the 150th MRB, previously located in the forest northeast of Krekotnevo, took up a new line of defense: height 200.4 - Gusakovschina - height 206.5 to the east of the Esman village.

At 8.30 on 28 September, the enemy, in about 15 vehicles with 1 37-mm gun, accompanied by motorcyclists, drove up to Gorely to the positions of the 856th Infantry Regiment. From the reports of the headquarters of the 10th motorized division (note - arrived in the Glukhov area on September 27-28) it follows that this was reconnaissance from the 17th Panzer Division. In the area of \u200b\u200bGorely, the enemy turned into battle formation, but was fired upon by tanks, apparently from the 150th Tank Brigade, threw 1 motorcycle, a 37-mm cannon and 25 rounds towards it and retreated beyond the height 205.3. Both the motorcycle and the 37-mm cannon with shells went to the 150th Tank Brigade as trophies.

Private operation September 29, 1941

Meanwhile, on September 27, 1941, the headquarters of the Ermakov task force drew up a plan for a private operation on September 29 with the aim of “ to master the most advantageous lines for the capture of Glukhov". According to this plan, the 283rd Rifle Division operated in 3 groups: the 1st group, with a force of at least 1 infantry battalion with 4 tanks of the 150th Tank Brigade, was to capture the height of 200.6, Khotminovka and Godunovka; The 2nd group, with a force of at least an infantry battalion with 4 tanks of the 121st Tank Brigade, was to capture the grove south of Godunovka and height 217.2, and the 3rd group, consisting of a rifle battalion with 3 tanks of the 121st Tank Brigade, was to capture Freigoltovo and the height 198.4. The operation was supposed to begin without artillery preparation at 4:00 on September 29. Due to their small number, tanks were supposed to be used only during daylight hours to repel possible counterattacks and suppress individual firing points.

Opposing the shock group of the 858th Infantry Regiment, which included the tanks of the 150th Tank Brigade, the 1st Battalion of the 41st Motorized Regiment (10th MD) defended by September 29 to the west and southwest of Godunovka, from the Belovsky farm and further south-east. Both Godunovka and Khotminovka were free from the enemy. At 5.00 on September 29, Soviet artillery opened fire on the positions of the 1st battalion of the 41st Marine Corps, and at 7.20, according to German data, up to an infantry company and 3 Soviet tanks (i.e. 150th Tank Brigade) attacked Godunovka. Not meeting the enemy in front of them, the strike group successfully occupied Hotminovka, Godunovka, heights 205.3, 200, 192.5. Attacking on the grove south of Godunovka and on Freigoltovo 2 other strike groups of the 858th Regiment with tanks of the 121st Tank Brigade, meeting strong resistance from the 5th Machine Gun Battalion defending here, did not succeed. At 14.00, a German armored vehicle blew up on Soviet mines, after which the tanks that made a sortie T-50 The 150th Tank Brigade, without any losses of its own, captured this armored vehicle and towed it to the location of the tank brigade.

In total, during the hostilities from September 20 to September 29, the 150th tank brigade, according to its own data, destroyed 9 tanks, 3 armored vehicles, 13 mortars, 37 vehicles, 7 motorcycles, 700 Germans, but lost 4 tanks damaged, 41 vehicles, 49 people killed and wounded.

The beginning of the German offensive. September 30, 1941

On the morning of September 29, 1941, Major General Yermakov gave the troops another combat order No. 08 to resume at 12.10 on September 30 after a 130-minute artillery preparation for the offensive on Glukhov. The main attack in the direction of heights 205.3 and 204.9 and further to the northeastern outskirts of Glukhov was delivered with the support of 10 tanks of the 121st Tank Brigade of the 858th Infantry Regiment. The 856th Rifle Regiment, defending itself on the right flank on the Vozdvizhensk - Ivaschenkov line, was supposed to reach the Lysogo farm line (north of the village of Bereza) with its left flank - mark 199.0. At the junction of the 856th and 858th regiments from the Levshin-Gorely section to Bereza and further from the north-west to Glukhov, the 150th Tank Brigade attacked on its own. Because The 150th Tank Brigade had no irrecoverable losses in tanks during the past battles, then its combat strength by September 30, probably, was still 21 tanks (12 T-34, 8 T-50 and 1 T-26).

At 7:30 on September 30, after a 30-minute artillery barrage, the German 24th Motorized Corps (10th Motorized, 3rd and 4th Panzer Divisions) with all its forces went over to the offensive against the 283rd Infantry Division, thereby forestalling the start of the operational Ermakov's group. In the zone of the 150th tank brigade, the 2nd and 3rd battalions of the 41st motorized regiment of the 10th motorized division, reinforced by units of the 1st company of the 10th anti-tank battalion and the 2nd battery of the 91st anti-aircraft regiment, attacked. The left column, consisting of the 3rd battalion of the 41st Marine Regiment, 1 anti-aircraft platoon and an anti-tank company, supported by 2 heavy batteries of the 3rd battalion of the 10th artillery regiment, at 7.30 struck from the village of Slout to the northeast and at 8.05 reached the village of Shakutovshchina (5 km west of the Gorely Kh.). At 8.00 from Bereza, with the support of the 5th heavy battery of the 10th AP, the 2nd battalion of the 41st Marine Regiment, reinforced by an anti-aircraft platoon, tank destroyers and sappers, acted as the right column. Meeting only weak resistance from the 856th Rifle Regiment, this battalion soon occupied Hill 204.0 (west of Hill 205.3).

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Judging by the award list for the deputy commander of the 150th MRB Captain Fyodor Isakov, the battalion on September 30 defended itself for some time near the Golovachev farm (now it does not exist, 1 km west of Gorely), where it repulsed several attacks of the 3rd battalion of the 41st MR, but then he was forced to retreat. Isakov organized the rescue of the wounded from the battlefield and brought 27 vehicles out of the blow. At 13.10, repelling the counterattacks of the 150th Tank Brigade covering the withdrawal of motorized riflemen, the 3rd battalion of the 41st Marine Infantry Brigade reached the Gorely farm, on the southern outskirts of which at 15:00 it connected with the 2nd battalion of the 41st Infantry Brigade, after which both battalions struck in the northern direction to Khokhlovka. By 14:00, according to the headquarters of the Bryansk Front, the 150th tank brigade was fighting the breakthrough German tanks and motorized infantry in the area of \u200b\u200bits concentration near Zhovkivshchyna, but there were no tanks in the 10th motorized division, and it could have been armored personnel carriers.

During the defense of Khokhlovka, the commander of the 150th MRB squad, the Red Army soldier Vasily Chesalov, particularly distinguished himself by defeating the German intelligence that entered the village with anti-tank and hand grenades, destroying the truck and 12 people in it; the surviving German armored car moved back (note - in the award list for Chesalov, the date of the battle is October 15, but this is incorrect).

Having occupied Khokhlovka, the 2nd battalion of the 41st Marine Corps attacked now in the southeast direction, to Chervonnoe, where the headquarters of the 150th Tank Brigade was previously located. While moving to Chervonnoe, the battalion at 18.50 was attacked by 4 tanks disguised in haystacks T-34150th Tank Brigade (in the text - 26-ton tanks), lost 1 truck burned, but knocked out 1 tank T-34, after which the remaining 3 tanks fled from the battlefield. In the evening, 1 more tank of the 150th Tank Brigade at a great distance accompanied the advancing column of the 2nd Battalion of the 41st MP, but did not dare to attack.

In fact, this is all that is known today about the combat operations of the 150th Tank Brigade on September 30 against the 10th Motorized Division. According to the front headquarters, by the evening of September 30, in connection with a deep breakthrough into the rear of the Ermakov's task force to the village of Kruglaya Polyana, the German 4th Panzer Division (neighbor of the 10th MD on the right), the 150th Tank Brigade began to retreat into the woods east of the village of Lemeshovka. According to the reports of the headquarters of the 150th Tank Brigade drawn up after the end of the fighting, on the night of October 1, the 150th Tank Brigade covered the withdrawal of the 283rd Infantry Division to the Marchikhina Buda - Lemeshovka line, i.e. departed last.

In just a day on September 30, the 150th tank brigade, according to its own data, knocked out 4 tanks (note - which raises great doubts) having lost 4 of their tanks. The reinforced 41st Motorized Regiment (10th MD), which opposed it, captured 2 25-ton tanks (i.e. T-34), 400 prisoners, 7 different guns, 14 machine guns, over 70 automatic rifles.

Departure to the Khinel forests

From 8.00 on October 1, 1941, Eberbach's combat group from the 4th tank division, with a blow from the 1st tank and 34th motorcycle battalions to the right and the 3rd motorcycle battalion to the left of the Glukhov - Sevsk highway, completed the clearing of the forest northeast of Kruglaya Polyana, while shooting the retreating Soviet column, knocking out 2 tanks of the 150th Tank Brigade, of which at least 1 tank T-50burned down, which is captured in numerous German photographs. After that, no longer meeting resistance, Eberbach's group made a dash along the highway and at 12.05 rushed into Sevsk, reaching the rear not only of Ermakov's group, but also of the neighboring 13th Army.

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The main forces of the 150th Tank Brigade, according to the reports of its headquarters, on October 1, fought defensive battles on the Marchikhina Buda - Lemeshovka line. In reality, the advancing units of the 10th Motorized Division on October 1 did not reach this line. Until the evening, the 41st motorized regiment occupied Girin, the 10th reconnaissance battalion - Orlovka. Both points are 6-10 km from Marchikhina Buda.

At 9.00 on October 2, the 10th reconnaissance battalion occupied Marchikhina Buda, and at 9.30 the 41st motorized regiment went there, after which the regiment took Baranovka with a blow in the southeast direction at 11.15. At 12.15 the Germans observed that 10 Soviet tanks previously located in the Barankovsky forest 1 km south of the Koshlov farm began to retreat to the northeast, to Khinel - this was the first mention in German sources that day of the tanks of the 150th TBR.

At 15.10 the left-flank 1st battalion of the 41st MP took Khinel, and the right-flank 2nd battalion of the 41st MP, having occupied Khvoshchevka without a fight, advanced another 8 kilometers northeast of Khvoshchevka. The Germans noted that the Soviet troops had retreated into the forest to the north-east of the village of Khinel.

«… The units, under the influence of the superior forces of the enemy, began an unorganized retreat into the Khinelsky forest, on the way to which there was only one bridge, everything else was a swampy area. In order to save the situation, it was required to hold back the enemy for at least 3-4 hours, the brigade, on its own initiative, got involved in battle with the enemy and, using maneuvers and ambushes, kept it 6 km away from the bridge until 16.00. During this time, artillery, carts and vehicles crossed the bridge. At 16.00 a group of tanks with machine gunners, the enemy broke through on the left flank and destroyed the bridge. A situation was created in which the tanks were cut off from the infantry stationed in the Khinel forests. Continuing to conduct a stubborn battle on their own until 21.00, the tank regiment of the brigade in difficult conditions paved a way through the swamps and by 23.00 joined the infantry» .

The headquarters of the 150th Tank Brigade specially allocated the commander of the 1st Battalion of the 150th Tank Regiment, Captain Fedor Kaplyuchenko (under his command of 10 tanks T-344 hours restrained the attack on the bridge of 60 tanks, while destroying 7 tanks and 5 armored vehicles), deputy. early the headquarters of the brigade for operas. the work of captain Sergei Maryakhin (under his command 3 tanks T-34repulsed the attack on the bridge of 17 armored vehicles and an enemy infantry battalion) and the commander of a tank company Lieutenant Klyuev (having organized a group of foot tankers and armed them with weapons picked up on the battlefield, counterattacked the enemy who approached the crossing and covered the withdrawal of units), but none of them was presented to the award was. In general, described by the headquarters of the 150th TBR fighting October 2 inspires some doubts. For example, there were no tanks in the 10th motorized division, and nothing is known about the participation of the tanks of the approaching 3rd tank division in the hostilities on October 2.

It is also unclear which of the bridges is generally meant by the brigade headquarters. The most likely bridge is across the Sychevka River north of the village of Khinel. Between 16.00 and 18.00, the 1st and 3rd battalions of the 41st Marine Corps, which had advanced to the north of the village of Khinel, collided with the Soviet troops that had retreated here, counting 15 Soviet tanks here at once (approx. - 150th Tank Brigade). After that, the battalions repulsed a strong counterattack by Soviet cavalry and motorized infantry with tanks, while the Germans captured 2 guns, 20 trucks and 150-200 prisoners by 20.35. This is all that is known about the battles for this bridge from German documents. No clashes with Soviet tanks on October 3 are mentioned in the documents of the 10th MD units at all.

In total, in battles from September 30 to October 3, the 150th tank brigade, according to its own data, destroyed 4 tanks, 2 armored vehicles, 9 motorcycles, 170 Germans, but lost 7 of its tanks, 38 vehicles and 51 people killed and wounded. The 10th Motorized Division, which opposed it, captured 3 tanks among other trophies during the same days. . 2 more tanks were knocked out on October 1 and captured by the 4th Panzer Division. .