Liberation of Stavropol. January forty-three

9 May 2023 2

Stavropol was not in the offensive zone of the 347th Infantry Division, and even the 44th Army. But it so happened that the formation, which, according to the plan of the front headquarters, was supposed to liberate the regional center, was delayed for at least a day ...

The originality of the battle for Stavropol was that it took place without a deafening artillery cannonade and had the character of a street battle in small units. Using the Nazis' fear of encirclement, the 347th Infantry Division managed to push the enemy out of the city overnight before he could figure out the actual balance of forces.
State archive of the Stavropol Territory. Chronicle of the 347th Melitopol Rifle Division for 1941-1945

Which unit, according to the plan of the front headquarters, was supposed to liberate the regional center? Why couldn't he do it? Which regiments actually liberated the city? What role did the reconnaissance group led by the senior detective of the special department of the NKVD Ivan Bulkin play in the implementation of the plan for the liberation of the city?

These and many other questions can be answered in the documentary "Liberation of Stavropol". The plot is based on one of the sections of Andrey Kartashev's new book “Fights in the Stavropol Territory: Liberation. January forty-three. It was released recently, in April of this year. This is the third and final book of the cycle about the battles on the territory of the Stavropol (Ordzhonikidzevsky) Territory during the Great Patriotic War. The film was shot from January to March 2023 in Stavropol and its environs. Its first shows were held in late April - early May within the walls of the Museum and Exhibition Complex "Russia - My story”, Stavropol State Medical University and the Stavropol Regional Universal Scientific Library named after M. Yu. Lermontov.

Let's take a few quotes.

The battle plan was simple and boiled down to the following: each rifle company, reinforced with one gun, anti-tank rifles, heavy machine guns, goes out and takes its starting position against the street indicated to it on the outskirts of the city, strictly observing night masking measures. Platoons should advance, clinging to the fences, guns should move along the center of the streets. Readiness for action was established by 2 o'clock on January 21. It was decided to launch the offensive at the same time on my signal on the 333 radio. Attack to carry out without noise and shout "Hurrah!". From each company, allocate one squad, which, through the gardens, secretly makes its way into the depths of the city and, with the start of the offensive, raises fire.
Commander 1179 SP 347 SD Lieutenant Colonel A. N. Gervasiev

Lieutenant Colonel Andrei Nikitich Gervasiev, after the liberation of Stavropol, was appointed deputy commander of the 347th division. Later he commanded the 76th Infantry Division, participated in the liberation of Warsaw and the capture of Berlin. He was introduced to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, but was not awarded. He graduated from military service as a lieutenant general in the position of deputy army commander.

January 21, 1943. Yesterday the brigade went to the Temnolesskaya area. By evening, a fierce battle ensued. The Nazis, apparently, expected that we would climb into their stronghold in Temnolesskaya and run into the main line of its defense. But the brigade commander V. Ya. Gorbachev, having studied the data on the enemy here, decided to strike at Tatarka - this is just between their two defensive nodes: Stavropol and Temnolesskaya. But Tatarka turned out to be a tough nut to crack. Two regiments of the 11th German Infantry Division firmly settled there. First, they were attacked by one battalion of Captain Ivan Merkulov. Nothing succeeded. The enemy repulsed the attack of the battalion. Then, on their own initiative, captains Bloshkin and Merkulov bypassed Tatarka and attacked the village of Novo-Kavkazsky. This maneuver made it possible to hit the Nazis from the rear. The enemy defending Tatarka was destroyed.
Chief of Staff of the 157th Rifle Brigade of the 9th SC, Major M. I. Safonov

Mikhail Ivanovich Safonov began his service in 1927 as a Red Army soldier. He became a personnel commander in 1930. Participated in battles against the White Chinese during the conflict on the Chinese Eastern Railway in 1929, with Japanese samurai near Lake Khasan in 1938. During the Great Patriotic War, he fought on the North Caucasian, Southern, 3rd and 4th Ukrainian and 1st Belorussian fronts. Received the rank of Major General. He was awarded 10 military orders and 12 medals.

When we entered the streets of Temnolesskaya, there were many corpses of Nazi soldiers and officers everywhere, there were knocked out cannons and enemy vehicles. The prisoners testified that there was a panic in the garrison from an unexpected blow and that in such severe frosts they were supposedly unable to fight.
Instructor of the Political Department of the 9th Rifle Corps Captain A. V. Nikulina

Later, during the capture of Berlin, Major Nikulina participated in hoisting the banner of Victory over the Imperial Chancellery. Anna Vladimirovna was the only woman from the territory of Stavropol who took part in the Victory Parade on Red Square on June 24, 1945 as part of the combined regiment of the 1st Belorussian Front.

Here we talked about only a few episodes and the fate of individual participants in the liberation of Stavropol and its environs. For more information, see our documentary: