Pavlov's House without Legends and Myths
It just so happened that over the course of the year, a private (by the standards of the war) defense object and its defenders became the object of attention of two creative teams at once. Director Sergei Ursulyak directed the wonderful multi-part television movie Life and Fate based on the novel by Vasily Grossman of the same name. Its premiere took place in October 2012. And in February of the current television movie show on the channel "Culture". As for Fyodor Bondarchuk, the blockbuster “Stalingrad” that was released last fall, this is a completely different creation, with a different concept and approach. About his artistic merits and fidelity historical the truth (or rather, the lack thereof) is hardly worth spreading. This has been spoken about abundantly, including in the very sensible publication “Stalingrad without Stalingrad” (NVO No. 37, 11.10.13/XNUMX/XNUMX).
And in Grossman’s novel, and in his television version, and in Bondarchuk’s film, events that took place in one of the strongholds of the city’s defense are shown - albeit in different volumes, albeit not directly. But one thing is literature and cinema, and another is life. Or rather - the story.
FORTRESS TO THE ENEMY DON'T GIVE
In September, 42-th on the streets and squares of the central and northern parts of Stalingrad, fierce fighting broke out. “Fighting in the city is a special fight. Here it is not strength that decides the question, but skill, skill, resourcefulness and suddenness. Urban buildings, like breakwaters, cut the battle formations of the advancing enemy and directed its forces along the streets. Therefore, we firmly held on to very strong buildings, created in them a few garrisons, capable in the case of the environment to conduct a circular defense. Particularly strong buildings helped us to create strong points, of which the defenders of the city mowed down the advancing fascists with machine-guns and machine guns, ”commented General Vasily Chuikov, commander of the legendary 62 army.
The battle of Stalingrad, unprecedented in world history in scale and bitterness, which became a turning point in the course of the entire Second World War, 2 of February 1943 of the year was victoriously ended. But street fighting went on in Stalingrad until the end of the battle on the banks of the Volga.
One of the strongholds, about the importance of which spoke commander-62, became the legendary House of Pavlov. Its end wall faced the square named after 9 in January (later Lenin Square). The 42-th regiment of the 13-th Guards Rifle Division, which joined the 62-th army in September 1942 (division commander General Alexander Rodimtsev), acted on this line. The house occupied an important place in the defense system of Rodimtsev's guards on the approaches to the Volga. It was a four-story brick building. However, he had a very important tactical advantage: the whole surrounding area was controlled from there. It was possible to observe and bombard the part of the city occupied by that time by the enemy: to the west to 1 km, and to the north and south - and even more. But the main thing is that the ways of a possible German breakthrough to the Volga were viewed from here: it was within reach of her. Intense fighting here lasted more than two months.
The tactical value of the house was rightly appreciated by the commander of the 42 Guards Rifle Regiment Colonel Ivan Yelin. He ordered the commander of the 3 Infantry Battalion, Captain Alexei Zhukov, to seize the house and turn it into a strong point. 20 September 1942 fighters of the squadron made their way there led by Sergeant Yakov Pavlov. And on the third day, reinforcements arrived: machine-gun platoon of Lieutenant Ivan Afanasyev (seven people with one heavy machine gun), a group of senior sergeant Andrei Sobgaydy’s armored rifles (six people with three anti-tank guns), four mortar gunners with two mortars commanded by Lieutenant Alexei Chernyshsenko and commanded by Lieutenant Alexei Chernyshshenko and four mortar gunners with two mortars under the command of Lieutenant Alexei Chernyshenko, and under the command of lieutenant Alexei Chernyshenko. Commander of this group was appointed lieutenant Ivan Afanasyev.
The Nazis almost all the time were carrying out massive artillery and mortar shelling at the house, attacked it from the air, continuously attacked. But the garrison of the "fortress" - this was how Pavlov's house was marked on the staff map of the commander of 6 of the German army of Paulus - skillfully prepared him for a circular defense. The fighters fired from different places through the embrasures, pierced in the windows with brick and holes in the walls. When the enemy tried to get closer to the building, he was met by dense machine-gun fire from all firing points. The garrison steadfastly repelled enemy attacks and inflicted heavy losses on the Nazis. And most importantly - in the operational-tactical plan, the defenders of the house did not allow the enemy to break through to the Volga in this sector.
At the same time, lieutenants Afanasyev, Chernyshenko and sergeant Pavlov established fire interaction with the strongholds in the neighboring buildings - in the house that was defended by lieutenant Nikolai Zabolotny, and in the mill building where the command post of the 42 rifle regiment was located. The interaction was facilitated by the fact that an observation post was equipped on the third floor of Pavlov's house, which the Nazis were not able to suppress. “A small group, defending one house, destroyed the enemy soldiers more than the Nazis lost when they took Paris,” said Vasily Chuikov, 62 commander.
INTERNATIONAL ORDER OF DEFENDERS
Pavlov’s house was defended by fighters of different nationalities — the Russians Pavlov, Aleksandrov and Afanasyev, the Ukrainians Sobgayd and Glushchenko, the Georgians Mosiashvili and Stepanoshvili, the Uzbek Turgans, the Kazakh Murzaev, the Abkhaz Sukhba, the Tajik Turdyev, the Tatar Romazanov. According to official figures - 24 fighter. But really - to 30. Someone was eliminated by injury, someone died, but they received a replacement. Anyway, Sergeant Pavlov (he was born on October 25 in Valdai, in the Novgorod region) met his 17 anniversary in the “his” home with his military friends. True, nothing has been written about this anywhere, and Yakov Fedotovich and his battle friends preferred to keep silent about this.
As a result of continuous shelling, the building was seriously damaged. One end wall was almost completely destroyed. In order to avoid losses from blockages, part of the firing equipment was ordered outside the building by order of the regiment commander. But the defenders of the House of Sergeant Pavlov, the House of Lieutenant Zabolotny and the mills, turned into strong points, continued to stand firmly in defense, despite the fierce attacks of the enemy.
It is impossible not to ask: how did sergeant Pavlov's fellow soldiers not only manage to survive in a fiery hell, but also to defend themselves effectively? First, not only Lieutenant Afanasyev, but also Sergeant Pavlov were experienced fighters. In the Red Army, Yakov Pavlov is from 1938, and this is a solid period. Before Stalingrad, he was the commander of the machine-gun department, the gunner of the gun. So experience it does not hold. Secondly, the reserve positions equipped by them were very helpful to the fighters. In front of the house was a cemented fuel depot, an underground passage was dug to it. And in 30 meters from the house there was a hatch of a water tunnel, to which an underground passage was also made. On it to the defenders of the house received ammunition and meager stocks of food.
During shelling, everything except the observers and military escort went down to the shelters. Including the civilians who were in the basements, who for various reasons could not immediately evacuate. The shelling stopped, and the entire small garrison was again at its positions in the house, firing again at the enemy.
The days and nights of 58 defended the garrison at home. The fighters left his 24 on November, when the regiment, along with other units, launched a counter-offensive. All were awarded government awards. And Sergeant Pavlov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. However, after the war - by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR from 27 June 1945 of the year - after he had joined the party by that time.
For historical sake, we note that most of the time, Lieutenant Afanasyev led the defense of the outpost home. But he was not awarded the title Hero. In addition, Ivan Filippovich was a man of exceptional modesty and never overemphasized his merits. And "above" they decided to submit to the high rank of junior commander, who, together with his fighters, broke through to the house first and occupied the defense there. Already after the fighting, someone made the appropriate inscription on the wall of the building. She saw the warlords, war correspondents. Under the name “Pavlov's House”, the object was originally listed in combat reports. Anyway, the building on January 9 Square went down in history as Pavlov’s House. Yakov Fedotovich himself, despite the injury, and after Stalingrad he fought with dignity - already as an artilleryman. The war ended on the Oder in shoulder straps. Later he was given an officer rank.
ON THE WAKE OF THE STALINGRAD DEFENSE PARTICIPANTS
Now there are about 8 thousand participants of the Great Patriotic War left in the hero-city, of which 1200 are direct participants of the Battle of Stalingrad, as well as 3420 combat veterans. Jacob Pavlov could rightfully be on this list - he could have stayed in the restored city that he defended. He was very sociable in nature, met many times with residents who survived the war and restored it from the ruins. Yakov Fedotovich lived by the concerns and interests of the city on the Volga, and participated in patriotic education events.
The legendary Pavlov House in the city became the first restored building. And the first was telephonized. And some of the apartments there were received by those who came to rebuild Stalingrad from all over the country. Not only Yakov Pavlov, but also other surviving defenders of the house, which went down in history under his name, were always among the townspeople the most expensive guests. In 1980, Yakov Fedotovich was awarded the title "Honorary Citizen of the Hero-City of Volgograd." But...
After demobilization in August 1946, he returned to his native Novgorodchin. He was at work in the party organs in the city of Valdai. Received a higher education. Three times elected deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR from the Novgorod region. Peaceful awards were added to his military decorations: the Order of Lenin, the Order of the October Revolution, and medals.
Yakov Fedotovich Pavlov died in 1981 year - the consequences of front-line injuries affected. But it just so happened that there were many legends and myths around the “House of Sergeant Pavlov” that went down in history and himself. Sometimes their echoes can be heard now. So, for many years, rumor said that Yakov Pavlov did not die at all, but took monastic tonsure and became Archimandrite Cyril. But at the same time, they say, he asked me to convey that he is not alive.
Is it so? The situation was found out by the staff of the Volgograd State Museum-Panorama of the Battle of Stalingrad. And what? Father Cyril in the world really was ... Pavlov. And really participated in the battle of Stalingrad. That's just the name of the problem out - Ivan. And Jacob and Ivan Pavlov during the battle on the Volga were sergeants, both finished the war as junior lieutenants. In the initial period of the war, Ivan Pavlov served in the Far East, and in October 1941, as part of his unit, arrived on the Volkhov front. And then - Stalingrad. In the year 1942 was wounded twice. But survived. When the battles in Stalingrad subsided, Ivan accidentally found the Gospel burned by fire among the rubble. He considered this to be a sign from above, and Ivan’s heartburned by the war prompted him: leave the volume with you!
In the ranks of the tank corps Ivan Pavlov fought with Romania, Hungary and Austria. And everywhere with him in the knapsack was a burnt Stalingrad church book. Demobilized in 1946 year, he went to Moscow. In Yelokhovsky Cathedral I asked: how to become a priest? And as he was, in military uniform, he went to enroll in a theological seminary. It is said that many years later, Archimandrite Cyril was summoned to the military registration and enlistment office of the Moscow city of Sergiyev Posad and asked what to report "upstairs" about Sergeant Pavlov, the defender of Stalingrad. Cyril asked to say that he is not alive.
But this is not the end of our story. During the search, the staff of the museum-panorama (it is located just opposite Pavlov’s House, across Sovetskaya Street, and I have been a student many times since I studied at a nearby university) managed to establish the following. Among the participants in the Battle of Stalingrad were the three Pavlovs, who became Heroes of the Soviet Union. In addition to Yakov Fedotovich, this is tanker captain Sergey Mikhailovich Pavlov and a guard infantryman, senior sergeant Dmitry Ivanovich Pavlov. On the Pavlovs and Afanasyevs, as well as on the Ivanovs, Petrovs Russia holds.
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