Convictions for titles do not change, or a little about unrecognized heroes
Peter Denisovich Grishchenko was born in a difficult period for the country. It was July 1908 of the year - a time of uncertainty, turmoil, a terrible crisis of the political and economic system. The biography of the future commander began with studying at a parochial school in the Odessa region, followed by everyday life at a railway secondary school. In his youth, Peter Denisovich worked hard, and worked in various fields. At first, the work was purely physical in nature and was so heavy that one day the boy almost died after losing consciousness in a stuffy cauldron.
In 23, Peter Denisovich graduated from the Naval College of them. Frunze, and graduated with honors. 1931 begins his glorious military career. The first ship on which he boarded as a lieutenant was a destroyer with the proud name "Karl Liebhnet." However, the young lieutenant dreamed of submarines, he was attracted by the blue abyss and the amazing fate of a submariner. Gryshchenko, while still in college, stood out for his dedication, this quality helped him achieve a transfer to the cherished submarine. "Panther" was the first submarine in the life of a young officer. It was an obsolete ship, but the crew was quite experienced sailor Leo Reisner. The first experience of underwater travel can hardly be forgotten, Gryshchenko remembered him.
After work weekdays were drawn, but it was impossible to call them gray. The attentive and tidy lieutenant absorbed everything that was connected with the practical skills of managing the submarine like a sponge. As time has shown, the student Grischenko was very good. The service at the Decembrist allowed Peter Denisovich not only to gain experience, but also to stand out. Already in 1933, he becomes an assistant commander on the D-1.
In 1935, Grishchenko successfully completed training courses for submarine commanders and was appointed first as an assistant, and a little later, as the commander of the D-5. The first months in a long-awaited position fly by instantly, the 27-year-old commander learns to organize a team. The first successes were immediately noticeable, all the knowledge gained in educational institutions, and practical experience was invested in professional development in navy.
However, Gryshchenko does not stop on his laurels and graduates from the Voroshilov Academy. After receiving the diploma, he returns to the fleet, and is assigned to the legendary "L-3". Returning to the fleet after the completion of the Academy was a shocking act for Soviet officials, but Peter Denisovich was not accustomed to look back at someone else’s opinion. Relations with the party leadership at Grishchenko did not develop. The academic commander was very straightforward and firm, which completely did not meet the requirements of the Soviet era. He could not agree with incompetent recommendations and advice, as a result of which he was constantly the object of complaints. During his tenure, L-3 sank 18 of enemy ships, and after his protege added 10 to this number. Surprisingly, Grischenko was never even presented to the title of Hero of the USSR.
The merits of Gryshchenko in the Navy could not be recognized, after his departure many authors even considered his particular style or “handwriting”. Some submarine maneuvers wore a touch of genius. Most researchers agree that the fortunes of Pyotr Denisovich are based on sound leadership, prudence and cold calculation. Caution, which enemies often tried to pass off as cowardice, combined with determination, gave the result that we can consider. During the command of the minelayer, Gryshchenko repeatedly encountered emergency situations requiring decisive and extraordinary actions. For example, in September 1942, Peter G. escaped from the destroyers who discovered him, diving on the L-3 under the spilled oil. The enemy could not attack the submarine, as the hydrocarbons burned with a solid wall. Enemy ships had to leave the Soviet submarine. However, the maneuver required the coordinated work of the entire team of submariners. L-3 at full speed plunged into the raging flames, and then, turning off all the engines, lay on the bottom. The decision was really bold and original, it allowed not only to save the entire crew, but also to take the submarine from pursuit and save it from damage. After the incident, Gryshchenko led the crew and conducted additional exercises contrary to the opinion of administrative workers, which once again earned a stream of complaints and reports.
Grischenko's talent also appeared in a dangerous situation with the production of mines. Once, when the crew laid mines activated after a short period of time in the water, one of them caught on the boat's casing, and only thanks to the skillful and restrained maneuvering of the dangerous satellite did they manage to get rid of.
Were in the practice of Peter Denisovich and serious accidents. Thus, near the island of Bronholm, the submarine lay on the bottom, in order to eliminate the hardest damage inflicted by the enemy. Repair of the submarine took place directly under the enemy ships, but was completed successfully. Submariners had to not only work in the most difficult conditions, fearing to be discovered, they were forced to fight the undercurrent. L-3 remained and without periscopes, but without misfortune came to the port. Over the entire period of service in the submarine fleet, Gryshchenko never made a mistake; his decisions were always the only true ones. The commander's combat luck was based on his ability to combine caution and decisiveness, calculate all possible consequences and prevent undesirable consequences. The only obstacle to his recognition by the USSR was his “absurd,” as many said, character.
However, the exploits of Gryshchenko were not recognized by the official authorities. This man was not presented to the title of Hero of the USSR, nor to the title of Hero of Russia. Moreover, all his life, Peter Denisovich lived in a small communal room with many neighbors, faced with the need to wait for hours in the bathroom, in the kitchen or even in the toilet. He was given a separate comfortable apartment only a few years before his death, but he was not recognized as a hero until today. He wrote all his literary works in this small room, which was partitioned into two halves by a self-made partition.
The same extraordinary and unyielding character, who made Peter Denisovich so authoritative among his subordinates, was to blame. Unfortunately, the officials of such people were not only not appreciated, but also feared. As a result, since March 1, 1943 Grischenko was removed from the command of the L-3. To say that it was a blow for a submariner is to say nothing. He experienced Peter Denisovich very much, but was forced to obey the order. Far from the sea, he was able to engage in intellectual work, since he frankly did not like the position of chief of the antisubmarine defense and did not pay much time to her. Administrative functions were of little interest to Gryshchenko, he was attracted only by the blue abyss, and his heart lacked the usual hum of a motor and a screw cutting through the depths.
In the 1945 year, Peter Denisovich still returns to the fleet, but to the larger submarines it is not allowed. He becomes commander of the "babies" battalion. A short meeting with the sea broke off at 1946 when the submariner was again transferred to headquarters. On this career in the fleet ended. During his service, Grischenko prepared a shift in the person of Konovalov, who justified the hopes assigned to him by the commander. He continued to undermine the power of the enemy on the L-3. After the departure of Peter Denisovich, it was Konovalov who was appointed commander of the legendary minelayer and destroyed the 10 enemy ships before the end of the war.
From 1947, Peter Denisovich moves to a completely different kind of activity: teaching and research. Arriving at the Naval Academy, the unrecognized hero enthusiastically embarks on research at the Tomashevich department. Today, most of the articles are dedicated to the career of Gryshchenko in the fleet, but his scientific activity is completely out of sight. Nevertheless, if you look at the whole life of this person as a whole, you understand that it consisted as if from two different, but interrelated parts. A successful submariner gave the Soviet military science a lot of new and interesting things. His works "Analysis of the use of submarines in the Second World War", "Salt service", "On the mine layer", "My friends submariners" are still being studied and are popular among officers.
Career in the scientific field also failed to make, despite the brilliant knowledge and desire to pass them on to the next generation. The hostility of the officials here was caused by the bold and frank judgments of Gryshchenko. There were even transfers from one place to another only with the aim of getting rid of a straightforward academician.
The story of Peter Denisovich, unfortunately, is not the only one. Many real honored heroes did not receive their awards just because their judgments were not pleasing to those in power. The humiliating situation with the provision of individual housing is unpleasant and even shameful. It is surprising that such a person as Gryshchenko, in the opinion of the Moscow administration, did not deserve the right to a separate living space. His only passion in old age was creativity. He enthusiastically wrote very valuable books, both scientifically and artistically, but he was confronted with a lack of understanding on the part of officials.
In his interviews, Peter Denisovich practically did not complain about everyday problems, he warmly recalled friends and events of wartime. The former commander was particularly proud of his protege Konovalov, who was awarded the title Hero of the USSR. Gryshchenko was a very educated man, so he never allowed himself to show offense for refusing to acknowledge his own merits for the Fatherland. Only today we remember this man and call him an unrecognized hero. We consider it as such, regardless of compliance with the formalities and the availability of consent of the current government. Gryshchenko received something more than the official title, he was recognized as a hero by the people themselves. The memory of Peter Denisovich will not be erased for a long time in the memory of Russian people, which is much more significant than the stroke of a faceless official's pen on paper with the “hero” interpretation.
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