Big war of small caliber
40 mm Bofors L60 automatic anti-aircraft guns on the guard of the "Road of Life".
In 1941–1945 small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery (MZA) played a large role in protecting the sky of the army and rear areas. On her account - a lot of downed enemy aircraft. At the front, the calculations of the MZA often - especially in the first years of the war - also had to engage in battles with enemy armored vehicles. These heroic episodes are described both in memoirs and in fiction. Covering the rear received quantitatively less attention, but it entered the storyline of the well-known film “The Dawns Here Are Quiet” - classics of Soviet cinema.
603th anti-aircraft artillery regiment
One of the parts of the MZA was the 603rd anti-aircraft artillery regiment.
In the General Staff reference book "The Combat Composition of the Soviet Army" he is mentioned from October 1, 1942 (date of formation) in the Moscow Military District, and from November 1 of the same year - on the Stalingrad Front. Then the mention of him disappears for a long time; perhaps the regiment was disbanded.
The next reference is found in stories regiment, published on the website "Memory of the People", and is dated January 22, 1944, when:
“According to the directive of the headquarters of the Western Front of the Air Defense Forces, in accordance with the directive of the GLAVUPROFORM of the KA (Main Directorate for the Formation and Manning of the Red Army Troops - Author's note), the formation of the 603rd small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery regiment began on the basis of parts of the Bologovsky Air Defense Divisional District in the city of Velikie Luke. Regiment Commander Major Brodovsky [Froim Borisovich], Head of the Political Department Lieutenant Colonel Feld [Semyon Naumovich], Chief of Staff Captain Khailuk [Pyotr Yakovlevich], Head of the Counterintelligence Department Captain Popov. The regiment received 40-mm American guns of the Bofors system in the amount of 52 pieces. and 8 pcs. 25-mm cannons "Domestic production" (as in the text - Approx. Aut.)".
In total, the regiment had 60 guns - an impressive force comparable to a set of 37-mm guns in the state of the units tank army or anti-aircraft artillery division of the RVGK of four regiments!
Although in reality all 60 guns rarely covered a more or less compact area. Judging by the history of the regiment, they served for object air defense, being distributed by division or even by battery along some railway at stations, near bridges, etc.
It is worth noting that, according to Appendix No. 1 to the Decree of the GOKO No. 3660ss of June 29, 1943, the Bologoevsky air defense divisional area had 98 medium-caliber guns, 71 MZA guns and 143 anti-aircraft machine guns. It is unlikely that their number increased greatly over the next six months and, thus, most of the MZA guns that were available in the “mother” air defense divisional area were most likely transferred to the newly formed 603rd mzenap.
It is not clear what special role, along with the main armament of imported 40-mm machine guns, the Bofors L60 played in the new regiment of “makeweight” of several domestic 25-mm automatic guns of the 1940 model, creating unnecessary complexity for the supply and repairmen. Perhaps they just gave what they had.
37-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun 61-K.
The regiment consisted of a headquarters, service units and 5 line divisions of 3 batteries each. The batteries, obviously, were 4-gun composition. The number of the regiment in its history is omitted; it is only mentioned that it was formed according to state number 050/74.
Combat work
The regiment began combat work gradually, as divisions were formed:
“The first to form and, having received a combat mission, became the defense of the object of Art. Zhizhitsa 3rd division, February 23, 1944, then the 1st division - art. Velikiye Luki, 2nd division - Serdtse station, 4th division - Loknya station. The regimental headquarters and service units were located in the mountains. Great Bows.
Who was the enemy of the regiment? Of course the German aviation. But what exactly?
The time of large-scale air raids - like the bombing of Moscow, Leningrad and Gorky - has already passed, and small-caliber ones are not for "Uralbombers". By 1944, air supremacy had passed to Soviet aviation. And the Germans were forced to adopt the Soviet tactics of the first half of the war - harassing strikes at night.
Sometimes this brought success to the enemy, and for the reason that Sergeant Fedot Vaskov complained about in the film “The Dawns Here Are Quiet”. This reason is relaxation from the rear life. The history of the regiment says this:
“In April and March, enemy aircraft conducted active combat operations along the Nevel - Velikie Luki - Toropets - Bologoe railway. In the area of deployment of the units of the regiment, frequent cases of single flights of enemy aircraft, as well as in small groups for the purpose of reconnaissance and bombardment of objects, were registered.
Enemy aircraft were met by FORA fire and were not allowed to approach the objects. Particularly frequent and strong raids were observed in the areas of deployment of 1, 3, 4, 5 divisions.
On April 7, at 2:17, the enemy aircraft was allowed to approach the object of Art. Zhizhitsa, on the defense of which was the 3rd division (division commander Captain Fotin). As a result of the bombing, 24 wagons with food and ammunition going to the front were broken.
A preliminary investigation established that the bombing of the station with impunity occurred as a result of a criminal attitude to their official duties on the part of the division commander, Captain Fotin, and his battery commanders. At the time of the raid, the division did not fire. The officers on duty in the batteries sat out in dugouts. Most of the staff were asleep. No one was monitoring the air. The division commander himself, being an operational duty officer, slept at home, and instead of himself he put the artillery equipment of the division.
Enemy aircraft were met by FORA fire and were not allowed to approach the objects. Particularly frequent and strong raids were observed in the areas of deployment of 1, 3, 4, 5 divisions.
On April 7, at 2:17, the enemy aircraft was allowed to approach the object of Art. Zhizhitsa, on the defense of which was the 3rd division (division commander Captain Fotin). As a result of the bombing, 24 wagons with food and ammunition going to the front were broken.
A preliminary investigation established that the bombing of the station with impunity occurred as a result of a criminal attitude to their official duties on the part of the division commander, Captain Fotin, and his battery commanders. At the time of the raid, the division did not fire. The officers on duty in the batteries sat out in dugouts. Most of the staff were asleep. No one was monitoring the air. The division commander himself, being an operational duty officer, slept at home, and instead of himself he put the artillery equipment of the division.
What happens next is very different from the movie. Probably no one even thought to replace the l / s with “non-drinking and non-smoking” anti-aircraft gunners. Instead of this:
“By order 0102 of the commander of the Bologovsky Air Defense Division, the commander of the 3rd division, Captain Fotin, was removed from his post and brought to trial by the Military Tribunal. Battery commanders Lieutenant Piskovets and Jr. Lieutenant Antonov was removed from command of the batteries and appointed platoon commanders.
Judging by the absence of an aircraft type in the description of the battle, the division not only did not have time to open fire, but could not even identify the attacking enemy!
In mid-April, the regiment changed positions.
The headquarters of the regiment moved to Staraya Russa, where the 1st division defended the bridge and the railway station. The 2nd division stood at the station. Views, 3rd and 4th divisions - at st. Bottom, 5th division - at the station. Myakovo. The 4th division was almost immediately redeployed to the railway bridges near the Parfino and Pola stations. And in early June, the 5th division was transferred to the railway stations Soltsy and Lemenka, and in its place - the battery of the 2nd division. As you can see, the positions of the regiment were again scattered at a considerable distance from each other.
During this period, episodes of the successful combat work of anti-aircraft gunners are interesting:
“12.06.1944/1/215 13 Do-14 tried several times to break through to the object of st. Soltsy, but each time it was reflected by the fire of the 761th and XNUMXth batteries. He dropped incendiary bombs in the field and on the outskirts of the mountains. Soltsy. The object was not damaged. Consumption - XNUMX shots.
18.06.1944/1/215 5 Do-4 appeared at station. Myakovo. He was met with fire FOR the 01th battery, after which he retired and appeared at the station. Myakovo. 05th battery guarding st. Myakovo, fired. The enemy aircraft changed course and at 6:6 appeared at the station. Morino, guarded by the 352th battery. The XNUMXth battery fired. Total consumption - XNUMX shells. The aircraft failed to bomb.
18.06.1944/1/215 5 Do-4 appeared at station. Myakovo. He was met with fire FOR the 01th battery, after which he retired and appeared at the station. Myakovo. 05th battery guarding st. Myakovo, fired. The enemy aircraft changed course and at 6:6 appeared at the station. Morino, guarded by the 352th battery. The XNUMXth battery fired. Total consumption - XNUMX shells. The aircraft failed to bomb.
June 18 is also marked by such a curious entry:
“As a result of the verification of divisions and the management of the regiment by a group of officers of the Directorate of the North. front in the period from May 17 to June 1, a number of shortcomings were revealed that did not ensure high combat readiness ... the same tasks are set in the training instructions from month to month ... the officers, for the most part, know the rules of shooting poorly.
In July there was only one combat episode, with much more persistent and risky behavior of the German pilots:
“23.07.1944/1/215 4 Do-14 made 13 calls to the object - st. Soltsy. The 950th and 5th batteries fired. Consumption - 13 shells. The enemy aircraft dropped 14 fragmentation bombs into the location of the command post of the division, into the location of 7 and 13 batteries and near the railroad tracks - XNUMX bombs. The object was not damaged. During the bombing, the kr-ts XNUMX of the Ozhik battery was seriously wounded. After a day, kr-ts Ozhik died.
In the registration book of the dead of the evacuation hospital No. 1853, the time of his injury is 00:30, and the time of death is 22:20.
Looking ahead, it is worth saying that Alexei Vasilyevich Ozhik, a very young fighter born in 1926, became the only combat loss of the regiment until the end of the war. Moreover, he was not listed as a calculation number, but as a shoemaker. Fate!..
A week later, the enemy again drew attention to Soltsy:
“From August 1 to August 6, enemy aircraft appeared singly and in small groups over the objects of Art. Art. Soltsy, Lemenka. Several bombs were dropped. The order of battle and the object were not damaged.
And on August 6th:
“The enemy, with single aircraft of the Do-215 type, carried out reconnaissance and bombing raids on st. Old Russa. Dropped FAB and ZAB. The object was not damaged. ZA fired.
At the end of July, the regiment began to relocate to the west, closer to the front. The 2nd Division was the first to withdraw from the stations of Vzglya and Morino, leaving to defend the crossing across the Velikaya River and a certain railway junction (probably Pskov). Moreover, he left not by rail, but “under his own power”, that is, in vehicles that were on the staff of the regiment or temporarily attached to it.
On August 11, the headquarters of the regiment also left for Pskov. Combat work in the new place began almost immediately, and not only at night:
“On August 14, 16 enemy aircraft were recorded during the day. Enemy aircraft dropped a large number of bombs, but were not allowed to approach the object. ZA fired. Consumption - 1 shells. The object was not damaged. Until the end of August, enemy aircraft singly and in groups carried out reconnaissance and bombing raids on the station and the city of Pskov, anti-aircraft artillery was not allowed to the objects.
In September, the front went even further, and the divisions began to redeploy to Estonia.
In general, combat work has changed little, the batteries still from time to time repulsed harassing raids by single enemy aircraft.
The exception was September 16, when the enemy carried out a massive - relative to the forces of just one battery - attack on one of the objects:
"In the area of St. Petseri and st. Cherskaya in groups of 3 enemy aircraft made 21 raids. About 300 incendiary and fragmentation bombs were dropped. A water pumping station, a warehouse burned down, the railway track at the station was destroyed. Petseri. The 10th battery fired, shot down 8 SAB.
Judging by the mention of "luminous aerial bombs", this large series of air raids took place at night, which indicates the competent coordination of actions and the good training of the German pilots.
There are no further recollections of combat episodes.
It seems that until the end of the war the regiment remained in the Baltic states, and the front line went further and further. There was a training of replenishment born in 1927, combat and political training, acceptance and delivery of materiel and other calm routine of rear service, to which the rest of the history of the regiment is devoted. The last mention of the regiment is found with reference to the Riga UR.
Сonclusion
Formally, the successes of the regiment were modest: not a single German aircraft was shot down or obviously damaged. Judging by the critical references in the railway department itself, with a better organization of the service and training of personnel, it would probably be possible to achieve better results in combat work.
On the other hand, in most combat episodes, anti-aircraft gunners prevented the enemy from reaching protected objects and prevented targeted bombing. So the regiment completely fulfilled its minimum program.
Information