How the Brest Fortress defended

The most important monument of the Great Patriotic War is the Brest Fortress. This unique fortification is a symbol of heroic resistance and the courage of its defenders. During the week, the garrison of the fortress in the amount of 3,5 thousand people restrained the 45th German infantry division, supported by artillery and aviation. The defense of this fortress was the first eloquent lesson for the Germans, showing them what lies ahead.

A major role in perpetuating the memory of the heroes of the Brest Fortress and in covering this topic during the Soviet period was played by the writer, military documentary, participant of the Great Patriotic War Sergey Smirnov. In modern times, his work was already continued at a new serious level by the historian Rostislav Aliyev, a researcher of the defense of the Brest Fortress.

In the studio of the Archival Revolution program, Rostislav Aliyev will answer many questions regarding the defense of the Brest Fortress:
- Why were Aliyev’s notes by Major Gavrilov a discovery?
-What was the real balance of power in the battles for the Brest Fortress?
- What were the strength of the defenders of the fortress?
- How did the events of the first day of the battle for the Brest Fortress unfold?
- What did the Germans do to quickly capture the fortress?
- How was the assault?
“How long did the resistance last in the fortress?”
- When did the Germans manage to destroy the last centers of resistance?

All details of the defense of the Brest Fortress:

Comments

[Alexga]

Aliyev's books devoted to the defense of the Fortress really contain a lot of information from the German side, photos, orders ... Smirnov did not have access to such questions at all, they were classified as "secret". But without Smirnov, even the citizens of the USSR for the most part did not know about the events. There is still no information about those who managed to escape from the Fortress. The rest died or were captured. You can say a lot, but I advise you to read Aliyev.

[tihonmarine]

Quote: AlexGa

Reliably there is still no information about those who managed to break out of the Fortress.

I knew one such thing, the younger political instructor Afanasyev (I don’t remember his name), he was captured in the first hour of the siege of the fortress. He and my father started the war at 4 a.m. 22.06.1941/XNUMX/XNUMX.

[Alexga]

I meant those who were able to break out of the Fortress on being captured. There was mention of a group that was able to break through, but probably mentioned a group from the Brest station. After a few days, they were able to quietly leave through the cargo station. Something about this was in the memoirs of V. Korzh. But I could be wrong, I would like to hear from those who know.

[tihonmarine]

Quote: AlexGa

I meant those who were able to break out of the Fortress on being captured. There was mention of a group that was able to break through, but probably mentioned a group from the Brest station.

Who was in Brest, those few managed. I can’t say exactly where, but my father managed to get out and walked away to Kobrin.

[Operator]

Most of the soldiers of the Red Army (several thousand people), who were in the Brest Fortress on the night of June 21 to 22, 1941, were able to leave it within an hour from the attack of the Wehrmacht units, as provided for in the defense plan of the Brest fortified area.

Those who remained in the fortress could not leave it because of the quick exit of the Germans to the evacuation routes.

[tihonmarine]

Quote: Operator

Those who remained in the fortress could not leave it because of the quick exit of the Germans to the evacuation routes.

Branderburg-800 managed to distinguish itself there. They dressed in Soviet uniform before 4 in the morning and occupied the approaches to the Brest Fortress.

[Operator]

These in this case have nothing to do with - the approaches were occupied by them from the west, and the escape routes were in the east.

The problem was in the command of the Belarusian military district, which for some reason identified the Brest Fortress as the location of many units of the Red Army and the NKVD, without calculating the time for the units to leave the fortress.

[Alexga]

Andrei, Sandalov explained this by the fact that there was simply no way to equip the places of deployment. Therefore, the troops were stationed where there were barracks.

[Operator]

This is an excuse: the best place in the summer is a field camp.

[Zeev Zeev]

Yeah, a field camp, which will be fired upon by Polish partisans a couple of times a day. Better to keep soldiers behind the walls.

[tihonmarine]

Quote: Operator

These in this case have nothing to do with - the approaches were occupied by them from the west, and the escape routes were in the east.

And from the east, too, they controlled all the gates of the fortress. All commanders who lived in private apartments, who ran into the fortress on alarm, were trapped.

[Alexga]

At the beginning of the war, there are very interesting memoirs of the Chief of Staff of the 4th Army, General Sandalov, "The First Days of the War." Not much has been written about the Fortress, but the assessment of the pre-war position of the troops, their combat training and the conduct of hostilities in the first week is given extremely complete. And curiously, I have already retired for almost 20 years, analyzing the state of both the BVO and the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus, I come to the conclusion that no one has made any special conclusions. Warehouses and arsenals in the same places, BP is conditional, at first all lines on foot and so on. Mess. Although, my father, he was ending the war in Courland, while hospitals after two wounds, a school and so on, having got to Ezel in the coastal artillery, he said that in those days (1950) everything was very strict and military. Even posts at the wells where they took water.

[WHAT IS]

Brest Fortress Hero !!!

[The leader of the Redskins]

As a schoolboy, I was in the Brest Fortress. Well, how many of us. But even then, as a child, I was struck by how small she is. Of course, not everything was shown, not everything was open then, but these yards, sites, shot from all sides! How? How could you withstand the onslaught of the enemy there so much time ?! There is no limit to the feat! He always admired the courage of those people, defenders.

[Alexga]

As a schoolboy, I was in the Brest Fortress.

If you would be interested if you include street panoramas on Yandex maps, then you can walk around the Fortress quite informatively. Panoramic photos in most of 2016. This is not advertising, quite useful information.

[Zeev Zeev]

The organized defense of the fortress lasted eight days, and by the unsuccessful attempt to break through on June 26 (on the fourth day) most of the defenders surrendered, and on June 30 the last group of border guards laid down their arms, blocked in the basement of the 333rd regiment. Further there was already a cleansing of the ruins from individual fighters, which ended a month after the German attack on the USSR by the capture of Major Gavrilov.

[icant007]

Quote: Leader of the Redskins

I was amazed how small she is

Not all territory is accessible for visiting.

[knn54]

The Poles had time (there was no surprise), but lasted only three days. Rostislav - thanks. ALWAYS it is interesting to listen to all the parties.

[xomaNN]

In 2015, I specifically drove around Zap. Belarus, including Brest The Brest Fortress, as a monument to the Second World War, is maintained in good condition. And when I wandered around the ruins, specially left and the wall, all in chips and holes - strong feelings took soul. And on the gravestones there are inscriptions: Lieutenant Shumkov, wife, daughter ...

[tihonmarine]

Quote: xomaNN

And on the gravestones there are inscriptions: Lieutenant Shumkov, wife, daughter ...

All of Europe should see this, and not shout that the USSR unleashed WWII.

[Zeev Zeev]

After one of the forts of the Brest Fortress three days unsuccessfully stormed the Germans, the Red Army approached. AND...
"By the evening of September 22, 1939, after artillery preparation, Red Army units went to assault the Graf Berg fort with the support of armored cars. The defenders of the fort repulsed three attacks and even knocked out one armored car from the only available gun. The second armored car fell into the ditch. The following attempts to suppress the center of resistance Soviet troops were undertaken on September 24 and 25. They, like the previous ones, were unsuccessful. On the 26th they took up the fort seriously. After shelling from heavy artillery guns, fierce attacks resumed. The remnants of the garrison again repelled the attacks and, despite heavy losses, again withstood and once again rejected the offer to surrender.

On the night of September 26-27, the surviving defenders decided a difficult issue, to fight further and die, or to stop resistance. By this time they had already learned that Poland as a state was defeated and divided, the government went abroad. Captain Radzishevsky gave his subordinates the last order: to disperse and independently make their way to their homes and families. The captain himself did the same. Despite the blockade of the fort, the attempt to break out of the encirclement was successful. Radzishevsky made his way to his family in Kobrin, but the NKVD authorities found him and arrested him. Further traces of the captain were lost in the GULAG. "

[Ros 56]

Yes, even as a defense, because they did not give up. Eternal memory to heroes !!!
This must be experienced with great courage.

[Zeev Zeev]

In fact, most of the defenders of the Brest Fortress surrendered by the evening of June 26. Until the last few fought. A group under the command of Commissioner Fomin, border guards of Kizhevatov and soldiers of the Eastern fortification under the command of Gavrilov

[Ros 56]

It is a pity you were not there, you would have shown how to.

[Zeev Zeev]

I would hardly show anything to anyone. I don't know how to shoot from a three-line, I don't understand "Maxim" or DP, the revolver is a dark forest for me. And even if they took me prisoner, my colleagues would most likely give me up in a couple of minutes. As commissar Fomin was given.

[Lamata]

there is no ammunition, full of the wounded, no medicine, no water, no food. What to do?

[Zeev Zeev]

I’m not in any way going to give an assessment of the surrender of Soviet soldiers who defended the fortress. I just pointed out historical facts.

[Lamata]

Eternal glory to our soldiers. Regardless of nationality !!!! They were Soviet soldiers and did their duty !!!

[Operator]

Quote: Zeev Zeev

Polish partisans

If only with Irgun Zwai Leumi

[tank64rus]

The historian Aliyev worked through German documents and received the conclusions that the Germans had drawn before him. When he speaks I think, I guess, etc. In such things, the coverage of historical events must be reliable, otherwise they become an instrument of ideological warfare. As far as I understand from the historian’s interview, he operated on the following data in the Brest Fortress, according to his data, 11 thousand people were concentrated, wondering what they did there in June, when, according to the directives of the district command, they were sent to field camps. As S.S. writes Smirnov in the fortress were various units remaining from the withdrawn units of about two thousand people: headquarters, duty units remaining from regiments to protect the warehouses located on the territory of the fortress. The first that there were already two divisions on the territory of the fortress was expressed by the notorious Rezun-Suvorov, then it was a matter of technology and already the figure of about two thousand turned into 11. Then there will be even more. My late father, a front-line officer, a scout, was lucky enough to meet with Major Gavrilov in the 60s. He came to the school and talked with cadets. Then they laid the table and during the conversation, the father asked to listen and how did you get the regiment commander to be in the fortress, because the regiment was in the camps, Gavrilov answered you know after the TASS report dated 14.06/XNUMX. 1941 year. both leave and dismissal were allowed, and I came home to wash myself and relax, and in the evening to the regiment. Did you see Hitler. Saw. they dragged me to him. Short in stature, black, ran up and asked something, I said nothing, he sharply waved his hand and they took me away. There were breakthroughs from the Brest Fortress, I know about one in the evening of June 22.06, 1941. My uncle gunner escaped from the fortress. He was lucky to stay alive, went out to his own and rose to the rank of lieutenant general. Now, why did the Germans need just an assault, and the fortress should have been taken precisely by parts of the 45th infantry division of Hitler's fellow countrymen who first entered Paris. Interestingly, the Germans already took the fortress in 1939 when the Poles were there. No storm, they blocked the fortress and a week later the Poles surrendered. Therefore, they knew all the location of fortifications and fortresses. But they needed an assault and certainly a 45 division. It was not difficult to leave the Brest Fortress surrounded. Separately, about bridges. The bridges were captured by saboteurs from Brandenburg-800 and the fact that the Abwehr did not know what was there and how many garrisons were there would be left to the conscience of the one who claims this. But the fact that they put machine guns on bridges at night and began to shoot officers who fled to the fortress and thereby left the garrison without commanders is a fact. Now the assault, pay attention to the selected composition of the assault squads there were ready-made heroes for the Fuhrer. How Come. I think that this is how they prepared "a gift for the Fuhrer and the German people from the Brest Fortress." Imagine the first hours of the war, and then the message of the Fuehrer's fellow countrymen took the most impregnable fortress of the Bolsheviks, etc. Dr. Goebbels. You can continue on by yourself. But everything went wrong. Therefore, I had to review everything. Hard battles went and the 400 dead can be left to naive strangers with a squabble in the Wehrmacht for access to the Fuhrer. Imagine yourself in the role of Guderian reporting to von Bock with a fortress there is nothing to lose ... Von Bock did not favor the upstart of Guderian, and I think that the Führer report on the failures and losses of his countrymen under the guidance of the upstart Guderian would be appropriate. Therefore, the scene of the mass surrender of prisoners against the backdrop of the ruins was organized. Prisoners drove to the fortress about this there are memories of the defenders. Look at the foreground photographs of necessarily captured with a Mongolian type of face. Hitler, and not only him, was seen reporting failure. Therefore, since the propaganda machine was launched by Hitler in August, Mussolini was brought in and Hitler examined the ruins with him. How long was the fortress held. There is an iron military rule, the fortress is taken when the last defender fell. Think for yourself. I would like to end with the words read in one book.

[wow]

He was in the Brest Fortress twice. Both times - goosebumps !!! Eternal Glory and Memory to Heroes!