Great Victory Stories: War Through the Eyes of Veterans

Photo of the Russian Ministry of Defense

We present the first two stories from the cycle “Stories Great Victory "from the creators of the famous game World of Tanks. In these videos, veterans tell the truth about the Great Patriotic War, share their memories and relive the events of the 1940s.

The hero of the first issue is Major General tank troops Alexander Fedorovich Fen. He describes the fighting on the Berezina River. At that time, the 5th Guards Tank Army had only 2 tank corps, which greatly limited its combat capabilities. The veteran recalls how during the battles for Borisov, when crossing the Berezina, his battalion came under fire from the German aviation... Enemy aircraft damaged the pontoons, creating serious difficulties for the Soviet troops to cross.

To get to the other side, the soldiers began to repair the structure. Suddenly, a GAZ-M-1 car drove up to the battalion's location. The soldiers had not yet seen the commanders at the front, so everyone froze in anticipation. Marshal of the Soviet Union Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky got out of the car. Upon learning that the fighters were cut off from the allied forces, he calmly gave the only order: in 5 minutes to be on the other side!

Inspired by the mood of the chief of the General Staff, the battalion completed the work and soon made the crossing. The battles for Minsk began by the end of the next day.



The second plot is based on the story of the former medical instructor Maria Mikhailovna Rokhlina. The woman recalls how, while in Stalingrad at the end of 1942, she rescued a seriously wounded deputy brigade commander. The man needed an urgent operation, but all the hospitals were located on the other side of the Volga. Maria Mikhailovna was one of two girls volunteers who agreed to deliver the commander across the freezing river.

Early in the morning the junior medical instructors were already pulling the sled. Under non-aimed enemy fire, they climbed over the ice floes of the still not frozen Volga, trying to overcome the icy route as soon as possible. At that moment, when it was completely dark on the street, the voices of Soviet boys began to be heard on the other bank. It was they who helped. Having delivered the wounded man to the hospital, the girls found a small house with a stove and collapsed exhausted, having slept for a whole day. Despite the offer to stay to work, after 3 days they returned back - it was necessary to report on the fulfillment of the order. Having learned that two fragile nurses twice overcame the most difficult path across the Volga, the brigade commander immediately took out two medals "For Military Merit" from the safe. These were their well-deserved awards. Blood ...

Comments

[Free wind]

The memory of my grandmother, already tears welled up. Thanks to them.

[WHAT IS]

Low bow to them for the Victory ...

[seregatara1969]

And how many of them, missing, not buried, lie on the ground from the Caucasus to Berlin ... Ours and not ours.

[Vladimir_2U]

Honestly, maybe I'm too sensitive, but even reading such things is hard for me, and I really don't want to listen, so as not to get upset.

[kalibr]

That would still be the case for recording and publishing "The People's History of the Second World War". Memories of privates, not many marshals. They can still be found and it will be a truly valuable monument to the era.

[mat-vey]

A unique project by Artem Drabkin: 20 books of memoirs of front-line soldiers
Artyom Vladimirovich Drabkin (born July 25, 1971) is a Russian public figure and writer. Head of the Internet project "I remember", author of collections of interviews with veterans who participated in the Great Patriotic War. Compiled a series of books of memoirs of veterans "Soldiers' Diaries" and "Trench Truth". Writer of scripts for documentaries and TV series.

[kalibr]

Quote: mat-vey

A unique project by Artem Drabkin: 20 books of memoirs of front-line soldiers
Artyom Vladimirovich Drabkin (born July 25, 1971) is a Russian public figure and writer. Head of the Internet project "I remember", author of collections of interviews with veterans who participated in the Great Patriotic War. Compiled a series of books of memoirs of veterans "Soldiers' Diaries" and "Trench Truth". Writer of scripts for documentaries and TV series.

One can only be glad that this has been done even now.

[mat-vey]

Quote: kalibr

One can only be glad that this has been done even now.

They started to rejoice too late .. already 20 years ago ... But now it’s probably already, most likely, not with anyone ...

[kalibr]

As they say, Matvey, better late than never. It remains only to rejoice at at least a private initiative.

[bubalik]

In Kuibyshev, essays about the SCA were published.

A feat in the name of the Motherland. In 5 books. Books 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.Kuibyshev Book Publishing House 1965, 1968, 1975, 1984, 1990. 408s. + 280s. + 272s. + 272s. + 400s.
,,, there is one book at home.

[mat-vey]

Quote: bubalik

In Kuibyshev, essays about the SCA were published.

A feat in the name of the Motherland. In 5 books. Books 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.Kuibyshev Book Publishing House 1965, 1968, 1975, 1984, 1990. 408s. + 280s. + 272s. + 272s. + 400s.

I wonder if there are digitized ...

[Flooding]

Quote: kalibr

That would still be the case to record and publish "The People's History of the Second World War"

maybe where else in attics and in closets there are triangles from the front

[kalibr]

Quote: Flood

maybe where else in attics and in closets there are triangles from the front

At first there were not even triangles, but squares ... there are several houses.

[jetfors_84]

cut off from the allied forces,

which ones?

[Zug]

Many are on the site I Remember. Artem Drabkina. And a certain contingent will not like much of what is said there. Although after reading hundreds of interviews, you ask yourself the question: How can a person remember every village, direction and height (for example) after 75 years on average? In one of the interviews, a veteran also mentions this, who was amazed at the "clearness of memory" of his opponent. In general, such stories should be treated with faith, but also with a certain amount of skepticism.

[Vladimir Mashkov]

I disagree with you. Yes, there are probably those who wrote it. But the majority - I am sure - correctly and truthfully told what they had experienced, seen and shocked. Much is firmly etched into the memory, and in old age, even those details that I did not pay attention to come to mind (they are not invented!).
I tell you from my own experience: in the middle of my eighties, I sometimes remember very vividly and in detail what happened many years ago. Although, for the sake of justice, shortly before leaving, almost everyone, the majority, fall into insanity (life's sad observation).

[Zug]

Actually, I didn’t try to say that it’s not worth believing at all. Just look at it with a certain amount of skepticism. But what about more specific things. Like stories about everyday life, some momentary events: This is very valuable and as a rule -pravdivo.Although I read an interview with a veteran where, according to his story, I could easily guess the novel by Pokryshkin, The Sky of War. Some veterans, being ordinary infantry during the war, and many with extreme skepticism about such characters as Pavlichenko, etc. There is something to think about. As well as the opinion about the weapons of the belligerents. There is food for thought ... (About insanity, as a manifestation of old age, of course, is true)

[Vladimir Mashkov]

Totally agree with you. Critically, with some degree of skepticism, one must, of course, approach everything! And everyone fought in different ways: some in wet trenches, others in the sky or on ships in relatively tolerable conditions. As for the recollections, many of those who fought in the same types of troops and positions coincide in many things, the difference is only in the details. And what is war? it work... Severe, often deadly, debilitating routine Job.

I will share my own, you must understand. I spent almost fifteen years at sea. But sometimes I caught myself thinking that over the past week never did not look overboard, around. Never! I worked, talked with people, ate, slept, but never looked. And I was also amazed at those authors who wrote about the sea, who had more events in their book in one voyage than I had in a decade and a half of sea work.

If you decide to read about the sea, I recommend Viktor Konetsky. He not only wrote honestly and interestingly, but gave all his life to the sea. True, sometimes he embellished it a little.

[Zug]

It is quite possible that I will read Konetsky somehow. The sea, this is certainly cool ... It is impossible for you and you are truly lucky to see something that I never dreamed of. But I have not finished reading Zweig right now. I have to finish off, and then his second novel, already that what they recommended to me))) I read Pikul, my grandmother praised him. Yes, and my grandfather had him on the shelf. Well, like that .... I read it, I was elected, as a child))) Now while you translate Zweig, he is still a mischievous person))) Evaporated)))

[Aviator_]

then I recommend Viktor Konetsky. He not only wrote honestly and interestingly, but gave all his life to the sea.

His stuff about the sea is really great. Separately, there are things about squabbles in the USSR Writers' Union and the philosophy about the prophet Jonah in the belly of a whale - this is not for a big fan.

[Aviator_]

Upon learning that the fighters were cut off from the allied forces,

A strange turn - well, what other "allied troops" are there in the Belarusian operation?

[Magog_]

The 1st Belorussian Front (the so-called "Second Formation") included the 1st and 2nd armies of the Polish Army. They could have clarified this for themselves, rather than asking such questions ...

[Dkuznecov]

In the photo, the machine gunner piled a pile of grass on the barrel and examines it through the scope.