Soviet commander Peter Kosilova. 2 part
Fighting at Stalingrad
In October 1942 of the year, the 24-I Guards Rifle Division left the Volkhov Front and entered the order of the Supreme Command Headquarters. Koshevoy's division was sent under the village of Rasskazovo of the Tambov Region, where it became part of the 2 Guards Army, commanded by Major General J. G. Kreiser (then R. Ya. Malinovsky). The division was replenished with cadets of military schools and Pacific sailors. Replenishment was not shot, but was torn into battle. Got a new weapon - automatic rifles, machine guns, mechanical artillery and mortars, replenished ammunition (in the battles in the Sinyavino direction, the Koshevoy division switched to trophy small arms because of the interception of the rear communications by the Germans). Simultaneously, combat training exercises were going on, they were learning mostly offensive combat. As Koshevoy noted, the division was fully restored and ready for battle: "There were over 13 in the compound, thousands, well-armed, well-dressed and shod." The division became part of the 1 Guards Rifle Corps under the command of Major General Ivan Missan.
4 December 1942, the division began to ship into echelons. The division was moved to the south-east. Unloaded at Ilovlya and Log stations. First went on skis. However, the ski course had to be abandoned: the weather was unstable, then a burning frost with the wind, then a thaw with sleet and rain. Therefore, Koshevoy ordered to have besides boots and boots. In the cold, usually at night, they put on felt boots, in the thaw - they walked in boots. In addition, many fighters were unaccustomed to skiing, in sheepskin coats, and worn cotton-padded trousers, it was difficult to walk without training. The hike was exhausting, 65 km passed within 24 hours, as much for the latter.
December 14 division went to Kalach. Koshevoy was given the task of going on a forced march on the Myshkov River and occupying defenses from Nizhne-Kumsky to the south. On the left flank there was the 98-I Infantry Division, on the right - the 300-I Infantry Division. The 33-I Guard Division remained in the corps reserve. The reason for the forced march of troops of the 2 Guards Army with access to the Kotelnik direction was an attempt by the German command to unblock the Stalingrad Paulus group with the help of the newly formed Army Group Don under the command of Field Marshal Manstein.
19 December, after a few more days of forced march, the division reached the set point. Along the way, there were scattered units of the Red Army, which retreated under the powerful onslaught of the enemy. The Guards Division reached the Myshkov River almost simultaneously with the Germans. Petr Koshevoi, noting that the enemy in Nizhne-Kumskoy leads as at home, without taking the necessary precautions, decided to organize a sudden preemptive strike under cover of night, which allowed him to temporarily take the initiative off the enemy, confuse his cards and win time for organizing a strong defense . The troops crossed the river successfully, quietly crept up to the hamlet, helped by the bad weather and calmness of the Germans, who pursued the defeated Soviet units and did not expect to meet with a fresh Soviet division. Captain S.L. Cossack's group occupied the windmill dominating the farm and installed a machine gun.
In the dead of night, the attack began. Shells were torn in the center of the farm, turmoil began, the Germans tried to start Tanks and get them out of the shelling. Soviet troops broke into the farm and mowed Germans rushing around near the houses. Especially fierce battle was at the tanks. The company of Lieutenant V.F. Krechetov and mortar-throwers of Lieutenant N. Orumbekov went to the armored vehicles parking lot and after a fierce battle, they killed the crews of two dozen tanks and damaged the cars themselves. The German commanders, unable to organize the battle, rushed into cars and tried to leave the firing zone. However, they came under the dagger machine-gun fire of the Cossack group, which shot three cars with passengers. This temporarily disorganized the Germans; they retreated to the western and southern parts of the farm.
However, the Germans continued to resist. In the center of the farm a fierce battle was seething. Then Koshevoy threw into the attack two battalions of the second echelon of the regiment. By morning, the situation has stabilized. Koshev's troops drove the Germans out of the eastern part of the farm, but they managed to stay in its western and southern parts. The Germans suffered heavy losses - hundreds of soldiers, dozens of armored vehicles. As a result, the enemy lost the ability to immediately attack, it was necessary to bring the troops in order. A division Koshova won time. As it turned out later, the 24-I Guards Division attacked parts of the 17-Tank Division.
The whole day of December 20 Koshevoy's division was fighting within the Lower Kumsky. The Germans struck the main blow not here, but in the Vasilyevka area. However, despite the power of the strike of the troops of Manstein, the 13 th Guards Rifle Corps of Major General P. G. Chanchibadze stood to death and did not give them a single inch of land and firmly held the line of the Myshkov River. An attempt to unlock Paulus’s army failed.
The Germans launched an offensive in Nizhne-Kumsky in the early morning of December 21. Large masses of tanks and infantry went on the attack. As Koshevoy wrote, the Guards warriors did not disappoint this time either. They fought skillfully and courageously. So, Sergeant Petushkov, consistently changing his position, set fire to four tanks from the PTR. A seventeen-year-old Komsomol member Red Army soldier Kostya Blinov destroyed six German tanks, for which he was subsequently awarded the Order of the Red Banner. The foreman of the 3 th battalion of the 70 regiment M. M. Retz, seeing that the calculation of one of the machine guns had failed, advanced to the machine gun, and when the German tanks passed over the forward positions, fired upon the advancing German machine gunners. For short moments, he hit more than 20 people. When the machine gun failed and the foreman attacked the Germans 5, Retz killed three men in hand-to-hand combat, the rest fled. Lieutenant A.N. Kuldyshev set fire to one enemy tank from the PTR. The projectile debris to the lieutenant tore off his right hand, overcoming the pain, the hero grabbed an anti-tank grenade with his left hand and rushed under the second tank. For this feat, Lieutenant A. N. Kuldyshev was posthumously awarded the Order of Lenin.
Together, the position of the division was retained. The Germans suffered serious losses. At the same time, the main forces of the 24 division were retained. Therefore, Koshevoy decided that until the enemy came to his senses, it was necessary to counterattack. By the end of the day 21 December, the entire Nizhne-Kumsky was cleared of the Nazis. After that, the commander of the corps, Missan, set the task to develop success and take Upper Kumsky. By this, Koshevoy's division provided support to the Soviet troops in the Vasilyevka area, where the Germans delivered the brunt.
The division was advancing in two columns. A full-blooded 72 regiment and the main forces of the 50 artillery regiment were included in the right column. The 70 and 71 regiments, the anti-tank artillery battalion were advancing on the left flank. The Germans launched a flank attack on the right column, but they were waiting for him and the enemy was met with artillery fire. The command of the division supported the attacked flank with all the artillery and mortars of the main forces from the left flank. The battle was stubborn, but the division survived. However, it was impossible to advance further; it was necessary to put in order parts, reconnaissance and comprehensive training. In the event of a new strike by the enemy, the troops were digging up in full.
On the morning of December 23, the Germans attacked the right flank of the division again. The Soviet troops repulsed six enemy attacks, after which the Germans exhausted and retreated to Upper Kumsky. Intelligence reported that the Germans did not equip serious engineering structures on the approaches and on the territory of the farm. The moment was successful, so that on the shoulders of an upset opponent, who suffered serious losses and lost courage, rush into the village. As Pyotr Kirillovich wrote, the battle was stubborn and lasted four hours: “The enemy fought for every house. Many of his tanks were buried in the ground because of a shortage of fuel or damage to the undercarriage and were used as armored firing points. They were dealt with relatively simply: they shot direct-fire guns, threw anti-tank grenades. ” The village took.
December 24 Soviet troops launched an offensive on the entire front. 24-th Guards Rifle Division set a new task - to go to the river Aksai, to take the crossing from the farm Novoaksaysky. The first day of the general offensive was not victorious for the 24 Division. She had to fight with the large forces of the German 17 Panzer Division and the Romanian 6 Army Corps. The Germans constantly counterattacked. However, the position of the Soviet infantry was greatly facilitated by the introduction into the battle of a powerful mobile unit - the 7 tank corps under the command of General P. A. Rotmistrov. With a joint strike from the front and the flanks, arrows and tankmen overturned the enemy and in the second half of the day 25 December liberated the Novoaksai and Hamburg villages. In these battles, the 2-I Romanian Infantry Division and some units of the 17-tank division were defeated.
Guards moved to Kotelnikovo - a major settlement and railway station. The Germans turned the settlement into a base. Here was located a large airfield, with the help of which they organized the supply of the Stalingrad group and the supply base for the troops of Manstein. The Germans resisted stubbornly and decisively, but were defeated. On December 28, Koshevoy’s guards and Rotmistrov tankmen occupied the airfield and began the battle for Kotelnikovo. 29 December Soviet troops broke into Kotelnikovo and liberated the settlement. The Germans, being under the threat of encirclement, fled. Numerous warehouses with ammunition, food and other supplies were seized. Thus, the plans of the German command to unblock the garrison of Stalingrad, finally collapsed.
After the release of Kotelnikov, Koshevoy's guards continued the offensive. 2-I Guards Army became part of the Southern Front (formerly Stalingrad). The 24 Division attacked the Rostov direction, freeing the village behind the village. At the same time fighting was fierce and bloody. The Germans fiercely counterattacked, used any misstep of the Soviet troops. So, 24-th Guards Rifle Division had to endure a tough battle Kostyrochny. The Germans organized a night attack and attacked the 70 regiment of Tkachenko and the 50 artillery regiment. Tkachenko and his deputy for political affairs Elizarov managed to organize subordinates, but they fell in battle. The gunners took the brunt of the attack and kept the enemy in check. After a fierce battle, the German counter-attack was repelled.
The division continued its march. Guardsmen released Semikarakorskaya, Novocherkassk and Matveyev Kurgan on the river Mius. Behind the soldiers of the liberators was 300 miles of difficult journey. On the river Mius, the front stabilized. The first months of the 1943 of the Koshevo division had to crack the Wehrmacht’s fortified defense line on the Mius River (Mius Front).
Source: Kosheva P.K. In the years of the military
Liberation of Crimea
In September, Peter Koshevoy 1943 passed the division and led the 63 Rifle Corps. As part of the Southern and 4 Ukrainian Front, the 63 Corps participated in the liberation of Donbass and the Crimean Peninsula. In early November, the corps freed Kakhovka and occupied a small bridgehead on the Dnieper. Small advanced corps units had to fight hard with superior enemy forces.
In early 1944, the corps was withdrawn to the front reserve. In February, Koshevoy’s corps received the task of concentrating on the northern shore of the Sivash Bay. The corps became part of the 51st Army of J. G. Kreiser, which already had a bridgehead on the southern coast of Sivash. Before the start of the offensive, Soviet troops had to do a lot of work to strengthen the crossing. To do this, they brought in soil and lumber, restored crossings destroyed by the German aviation and artillery. Weather “surprises” brought a lot of trouble. So, in late February, a strong storm broke out, which destroyed the bridges. The multi-day work of the engineer units was destroyed. The matter was complicated by the extremely poor quality of roads. There were no paved roads in the area at all. As Peter Kosheva recalled, it was necessary to form a “pushing machine service” that was not foreseen by any states. Hundreds of soldiers were engaged in rescuing vehicles from mud captivity. This was the only way to deliver materials for the dam, deliver ammunition, fuel, supplies, medicines, and take out the wounded and sick.
Wade through Sivash
Ammunition on the Crimean bridgehead
On March 14, parts of the corps began to be transferred to the other side of the Sivash. In late March, corps units conducted reconnaissance in force. The beginning of the offensive in the Crimea was scheduled for the end of March, but was postponed. Another natural disaster destroyed the crossing and made the offensive impossible. The beginning of the Crimean operation was transferred to 8 on April 1944. The 1-th Guards Rifle Corps of General I. I. Missan, who was on the right flank of Koshiy's 63-Corps, delivered the main attack. In the direction of the main attack of the Koshev Corps, two rifle divisions were advancing - 267-I in the first echelon and 417-I in the second. They were to break the enemy’s resistance in the Karanka, Ass-Naiman and Saman areas, then seize Novo-Alexandrovka and the Kirk-Ishun state farm. In the strip of the 267 division, most of the artillery was concentrated. The 263 Rifle Division was advancing on Chuchak.
On the evening of April 7, the corps conducted reconnaissance in force. Artillery struck at previously identified targets. Sappers prepared passages through which advanced units broke into the enemy's first trench. On the morning of April 8, the main attack began. The battle was hard, the Germans and Romanians relied on a powerful system of fortifications, repeatedly organized counterattacks. Corps artillery was not enough to suppress the main enemy firing points. Most of the aircraft was involved in the offensive zone of the 1 Guards Rifle Corps. However, by the 13 clock, the 844 and 846 rifle regiments broke into the enemy's second trench and knocked out Romanian soldiers from there. Soon, the soldiers of the 844 regiment broke into the third trench, in other areas there was not much success. In the area where there was a success, the 848 th rifle regiment — the second echelon of the 267 th rifle division — was brought into battle.
The 2 th rifle battalion of the 848 th rifle regiment of the 267 th rifle division played a major role in breaking through the enemy’s defenses. They were set to ford the Aigulskoye lake and at the same time attack the enemy’s rear in the height south-west of Karanka. Two sections under the command of Varlamov and Fedorov imperceptibly for the enemy forced a water barrier, removed the platoon of the enemy escort, and captured the bridgehead. As a result, the crossing of the main forces of the battalion went unnoticed by the Germans. While the battalion was unfolding, Fedorov’s soldiers repelled several enemy counterattacks. Senior Sergeant N. D. Fedorov died in this gesture of battle, but his squad laid down to the enemy company, giving the battalion the opportunity to gain a foothold on the bridgehead. Nikolai Fedorov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. The appearance of the Soviet battalion in the German rear disorganized the enemy defenses and helped the main corps forces.
The Germans could not keep the third trench and retreated to the area Karanki. Until the end of the day, both divisions of the first echelon of the corps were slowly advancing, beating off the enemy's land by land, Crimean land. The 2 Battalion of the 848 Regiment, which crossed the Aigulskoye Lake, joined the main forces. The 263 Division occupied the Tyuy-Tube. But the corps did not fulfill the task set on the first day of the attack - did not take Karanka.
Koshevoy decided it was time to launch the second echelon of the corps, the 417 division. In addition, the command of the 4 of the Ukrainian Front, seeing that there was not much success in the direction of the main attack, decided to transfer the main efforts to the Kosovo Corps offensive zone. The offensive of the Koshev Corps was supported by the entire breakthrough artillery division, the main aviation forces of the air army and the 19 tank corps. On April 9, a fresh 417 Division, with the support of a large number of artillery and aircraft, delivered a powerful blow south-west of Karanka. The Germans could not stand it and began to depart. Soviet troops began to develop an offensive to the south.
The Germans were not yet broken, they desperately fought back, organized strong counterattacks. However, in the end, the resistance of the enemy was broken. The Koshevsky Corps occupied the most important center of resistance of the enemy, Karanki, occupied the village of Ass-Naiman and reached the height of 30,3, where the last position of the German defense was held. More than 500 people were captured, many weapons, especially artillery.
Early in the morning of April 10, Koshev's corps launched an assault on the height of 30,3. The enemy’s defenses were soon crushed, and units of the 417 Division began pursuing. The division successfully captured Tomashevka. After that, the 19 tank corps was brought into battle. Tanks went to Dzhankoy. 11 April Soviet troops drove the Nazis out of the railway junction Dzhankoy. By order of the command, a mobile corps detachment was allocated, since Koshevoy did not have tanks, his core was the 845-th Red Banner Artillery Regiment on the auto-thrust, which was reinforced by the SAU regiment, the artillery regiment on the horse-drawn artillery and a company of machine gunners. The mobile detachment on the way broke the enemy’s column and occupied Zuya, blocking a convenient path for the German troops, who were retreating under pressure from the Separate Maritime Army. Soviet gunners "hotly" met the retreating German columns. The Germans suffered heavy losses and, after unsuccessful counterattacks, were forced to throw equipment and heavy weapons, and retreat along an inconvenient road through the woods and mountains. About 800 people were captured, about 150 vehicles were captured, a lot of guns, mortars and other weapons and property were captured. On April 13, parts of the Kosovoi 63 Corps entered Simferopol, April 14 - in Bakhchisarai.
By April 18 the Germans were knocked out from the turn of the river. Black and Fedyukhiny heights. However, attempts on the move to take the Sugar Loaf and Sapun Mountain, the heights along which the last, most powerful line of the German defense near Sevastopol passed, failed. Until the end of April, Soviet troops repeatedly attempted to assault Sevastopol, but each time they achieved only private success. 7 May began a general assault. After a fierce battle, suppressing the fierce resistance of the enemy, the Soviet troops went to the crest of Sapun Mountain. After taking the key position of the enemy, the liberation of Sevastopol itself began. 9 May 1944, the city of Russian glory was liberated. Major General Koshevoy was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. Pyotr Kirillovich also received the rank of lieutenant general.
Then Pyotr Kirillovich was appointed commander of the 71 Infantry Corps (3 Belorussian Front), and at the beginning of 1945, the 36 Infantry Guards Rifle Corps. The troops under the command of Pyotr Koshevoy liberated Belarus, fought in East Prussia and stormed Königsberg. For skilful leadership in the storming of Konigsberg, Peter Koshevoy was awarded the second Gold Star medal.
Post-war service
After the war, Koshevoy continued to command the corps. From 1946, he commanded the 6 of the Guards Army in the Baltic Military District. In 1948, he graduated from the Higher Academic Courses at the Military Academy of the General Staff. He was the First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, commanded the troops of the Siberian and Kiev military districts. From 1965, Commander-in-Chief of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany. In 1954, he was promoted to colonel-general, in 1968, the Marshal of the Soviet Union. In 1968, he participated in the organization of Operation Danube (the deployment of troops to Czechoslovakia).
In 1969, in fact, he was sent to an honorary resignation - he served as the inspector general of the group of general inspectors of the USSR Ministry of Defense. He lived in Moscow. Died 30 August 1976 of the year. There is an opinion that Petr Kirillovich Koshevoi was one of the best commanders of World War II division-corps level. Unfortunately, his activity was poorly covered in the USSR. Although thanks to such an iron and competent commanders of the USSR won the fierce war. Koshevoy's battletrack could become the main one for historical and patriotic films necessary for educating the younger generations and preserving the memory of the great past of our Motherland.
Bronze bust in Alexandria
Sources:
Koshevoy P.K. In the years of the military. M., 1978 // http://militera.lib.ru/memo/russian/koshevoy_pk/index.html.
People are an immortal feat. Essays on twice, thrice and four times Heroes of the Soviet Union. M., 1975 // http://militera.lib.ru/bio/heroes/index.html.
Manstein E. Lost victories. M., 1999 // http://militera.lib.ru/memo/german/manstein/index.html.
In October 1942 of the year, the 24-I Guards Rifle Division left the Volkhov Front and entered the order of the Supreme Command Headquarters. Koshevoy's division was sent under the village of Rasskazovo of the Tambov Region, where it became part of the 2 Guards Army, commanded by Major General J. G. Kreiser (then R. Ya. Malinovsky). The division was replenished with cadets of military schools and Pacific sailors. Replenishment was not shot, but was torn into battle. Got a new weapon - automatic rifles, machine guns, mechanical artillery and mortars, replenished ammunition (in the battles in the Sinyavino direction, the Koshevoy division switched to trophy small arms because of the interception of the rear communications by the Germans). Simultaneously, combat training exercises were going on, they were learning mostly offensive combat. As Koshevoy noted, the division was fully restored and ready for battle: "There were over 13 in the compound, thousands, well-armed, well-dressed and shod." The division became part of the 1 Guards Rifle Corps under the command of Major General Ivan Missan.
4 December 1942, the division began to ship into echelons. The division was moved to the south-east. Unloaded at Ilovlya and Log stations. First went on skis. However, the ski course had to be abandoned: the weather was unstable, then a burning frost with the wind, then a thaw with sleet and rain. Therefore, Koshevoy ordered to have besides boots and boots. In the cold, usually at night, they put on felt boots, in the thaw - they walked in boots. In addition, many fighters were unaccustomed to skiing, in sheepskin coats, and worn cotton-padded trousers, it was difficult to walk without training. The hike was exhausting, 65 km passed within 24 hours, as much for the latter.
December 14 division went to Kalach. Koshevoy was given the task of going on a forced march on the Myshkov River and occupying defenses from Nizhne-Kumsky to the south. On the left flank there was the 98-I Infantry Division, on the right - the 300-I Infantry Division. The 33-I Guard Division remained in the corps reserve. The reason for the forced march of troops of the 2 Guards Army with access to the Kotelnik direction was an attempt by the German command to unblock the Stalingrad Paulus group with the help of the newly formed Army Group Don under the command of Field Marshal Manstein.
19 December, after a few more days of forced march, the division reached the set point. Along the way, there were scattered units of the Red Army, which retreated under the powerful onslaught of the enemy. The Guards Division reached the Myshkov River almost simultaneously with the Germans. Petr Koshevoi, noting that the enemy in Nizhne-Kumskoy leads as at home, without taking the necessary precautions, decided to organize a sudden preemptive strike under cover of night, which allowed him to temporarily take the initiative off the enemy, confuse his cards and win time for organizing a strong defense . The troops crossed the river successfully, quietly crept up to the hamlet, helped by the bad weather and calmness of the Germans, who pursued the defeated Soviet units and did not expect to meet with a fresh Soviet division. Captain S.L. Cossack's group occupied the windmill dominating the farm and installed a machine gun.
In the dead of night, the attack began. Shells were torn in the center of the farm, turmoil began, the Germans tried to start Tanks and get them out of the shelling. Soviet troops broke into the farm and mowed Germans rushing around near the houses. Especially fierce battle was at the tanks. The company of Lieutenant V.F. Krechetov and mortar-throwers of Lieutenant N. Orumbekov went to the armored vehicles parking lot and after a fierce battle, they killed the crews of two dozen tanks and damaged the cars themselves. The German commanders, unable to organize the battle, rushed into cars and tried to leave the firing zone. However, they came under the dagger machine-gun fire of the Cossack group, which shot three cars with passengers. This temporarily disorganized the Germans; they retreated to the western and southern parts of the farm.
However, the Germans continued to resist. In the center of the farm a fierce battle was seething. Then Koshevoy threw into the attack two battalions of the second echelon of the regiment. By morning, the situation has stabilized. Koshev's troops drove the Germans out of the eastern part of the farm, but they managed to stay in its western and southern parts. The Germans suffered heavy losses - hundreds of soldiers, dozens of armored vehicles. As a result, the enemy lost the ability to immediately attack, it was necessary to bring the troops in order. A division Koshova won time. As it turned out later, the 24-I Guards Division attacked parts of the 17-Tank Division.
The whole day of December 20 Koshevoy's division was fighting within the Lower Kumsky. The Germans struck the main blow not here, but in the Vasilyevka area. However, despite the power of the strike of the troops of Manstein, the 13 th Guards Rifle Corps of Major General P. G. Chanchibadze stood to death and did not give them a single inch of land and firmly held the line of the Myshkov River. An attempt to unlock Paulus’s army failed.
The Germans launched an offensive in Nizhne-Kumsky in the early morning of December 21. Large masses of tanks and infantry went on the attack. As Koshevoy wrote, the Guards warriors did not disappoint this time either. They fought skillfully and courageously. So, Sergeant Petushkov, consistently changing his position, set fire to four tanks from the PTR. A seventeen-year-old Komsomol member Red Army soldier Kostya Blinov destroyed six German tanks, for which he was subsequently awarded the Order of the Red Banner. The foreman of the 3 th battalion of the 70 regiment M. M. Retz, seeing that the calculation of one of the machine guns had failed, advanced to the machine gun, and when the German tanks passed over the forward positions, fired upon the advancing German machine gunners. For short moments, he hit more than 20 people. When the machine gun failed and the foreman attacked the Germans 5, Retz killed three men in hand-to-hand combat, the rest fled. Lieutenant A.N. Kuldyshev set fire to one enemy tank from the PTR. The projectile debris to the lieutenant tore off his right hand, overcoming the pain, the hero grabbed an anti-tank grenade with his left hand and rushed under the second tank. For this feat, Lieutenant A. N. Kuldyshev was posthumously awarded the Order of Lenin.
Together, the position of the division was retained. The Germans suffered serious losses. At the same time, the main forces of the 24 division were retained. Therefore, Koshevoy decided that until the enemy came to his senses, it was necessary to counterattack. By the end of the day 21 December, the entire Nizhne-Kumsky was cleared of the Nazis. After that, the commander of the corps, Missan, set the task to develop success and take Upper Kumsky. By this, Koshevoy's division provided support to the Soviet troops in the Vasilyevka area, where the Germans delivered the brunt.
The division was advancing in two columns. A full-blooded 72 regiment and the main forces of the 50 artillery regiment were included in the right column. The 70 and 71 regiments, the anti-tank artillery battalion were advancing on the left flank. The Germans launched a flank attack on the right column, but they were waiting for him and the enemy was met with artillery fire. The command of the division supported the attacked flank with all the artillery and mortars of the main forces from the left flank. The battle was stubborn, but the division survived. However, it was impossible to advance further; it was necessary to put in order parts, reconnaissance and comprehensive training. In the event of a new strike by the enemy, the troops were digging up in full.
On the morning of December 23, the Germans attacked the right flank of the division again. The Soviet troops repulsed six enemy attacks, after which the Germans exhausted and retreated to Upper Kumsky. Intelligence reported that the Germans did not equip serious engineering structures on the approaches and on the territory of the farm. The moment was successful, so that on the shoulders of an upset opponent, who suffered serious losses and lost courage, rush into the village. As Pyotr Kirillovich wrote, the battle was stubborn and lasted four hours: “The enemy fought for every house. Many of his tanks were buried in the ground because of a shortage of fuel or damage to the undercarriage and were used as armored firing points. They were dealt with relatively simply: they shot direct-fire guns, threw anti-tank grenades. ” The village took.
December 24 Soviet troops launched an offensive on the entire front. 24-th Guards Rifle Division set a new task - to go to the river Aksai, to take the crossing from the farm Novoaksaysky. The first day of the general offensive was not victorious for the 24 Division. She had to fight with the large forces of the German 17 Panzer Division and the Romanian 6 Army Corps. The Germans constantly counterattacked. However, the position of the Soviet infantry was greatly facilitated by the introduction into the battle of a powerful mobile unit - the 7 tank corps under the command of General P. A. Rotmistrov. With a joint strike from the front and the flanks, arrows and tankmen overturned the enemy and in the second half of the day 25 December liberated the Novoaksai and Hamburg villages. In these battles, the 2-I Romanian Infantry Division and some units of the 17-tank division were defeated.
Guards moved to Kotelnikovo - a major settlement and railway station. The Germans turned the settlement into a base. Here was located a large airfield, with the help of which they organized the supply of the Stalingrad group and the supply base for the troops of Manstein. The Germans resisted stubbornly and decisively, but were defeated. On December 28, Koshevoy’s guards and Rotmistrov tankmen occupied the airfield and began the battle for Kotelnikovo. 29 December Soviet troops broke into Kotelnikovo and liberated the settlement. The Germans, being under the threat of encirclement, fled. Numerous warehouses with ammunition, food and other supplies were seized. Thus, the plans of the German command to unblock the garrison of Stalingrad, finally collapsed.
After the release of Kotelnikov, Koshevoy's guards continued the offensive. 2-I Guards Army became part of the Southern Front (formerly Stalingrad). The 24 Division attacked the Rostov direction, freeing the village behind the village. At the same time fighting was fierce and bloody. The Germans fiercely counterattacked, used any misstep of the Soviet troops. So, 24-th Guards Rifle Division had to endure a tough battle Kostyrochny. The Germans organized a night attack and attacked the 70 regiment of Tkachenko and the 50 artillery regiment. Tkachenko and his deputy for political affairs Elizarov managed to organize subordinates, but they fell in battle. The gunners took the brunt of the attack and kept the enemy in check. After a fierce battle, the German counter-attack was repelled.
The division continued its march. Guardsmen released Semikarakorskaya, Novocherkassk and Matveyev Kurgan on the river Mius. Behind the soldiers of the liberators was 300 miles of difficult journey. On the river Mius, the front stabilized. The first months of the 1943 of the Koshevo division had to crack the Wehrmacht’s fortified defense line on the Mius River (Mius Front).
Source: Kosheva P.K. In the years of the military
Liberation of Crimea
In September, Peter Koshevoy 1943 passed the division and led the 63 Rifle Corps. As part of the Southern and 4 Ukrainian Front, the 63 Corps participated in the liberation of Donbass and the Crimean Peninsula. In early November, the corps freed Kakhovka and occupied a small bridgehead on the Dnieper. Small advanced corps units had to fight hard with superior enemy forces.
In early 1944, the corps was withdrawn to the front reserve. In February, Koshevoy’s corps received the task of concentrating on the northern shore of the Sivash Bay. The corps became part of the 51st Army of J. G. Kreiser, which already had a bridgehead on the southern coast of Sivash. Before the start of the offensive, Soviet troops had to do a lot of work to strengthen the crossing. To do this, they brought in soil and lumber, restored crossings destroyed by the German aviation and artillery. Weather “surprises” brought a lot of trouble. So, in late February, a strong storm broke out, which destroyed the bridges. The multi-day work of the engineer units was destroyed. The matter was complicated by the extremely poor quality of roads. There were no paved roads in the area at all. As Peter Kosheva recalled, it was necessary to form a “pushing machine service” that was not foreseen by any states. Hundreds of soldiers were engaged in rescuing vehicles from mud captivity. This was the only way to deliver materials for the dam, deliver ammunition, fuel, supplies, medicines, and take out the wounded and sick.
Wade through Sivash
Ammunition on the Crimean bridgehead
On March 14, parts of the corps began to be transferred to the other side of the Sivash. In late March, corps units conducted reconnaissance in force. The beginning of the offensive in the Crimea was scheduled for the end of March, but was postponed. Another natural disaster destroyed the crossing and made the offensive impossible. The beginning of the Crimean operation was transferred to 8 on April 1944. The 1-th Guards Rifle Corps of General I. I. Missan, who was on the right flank of Koshiy's 63-Corps, delivered the main attack. In the direction of the main attack of the Koshev Corps, two rifle divisions were advancing - 267-I in the first echelon and 417-I in the second. They were to break the enemy’s resistance in the Karanka, Ass-Naiman and Saman areas, then seize Novo-Alexandrovka and the Kirk-Ishun state farm. In the strip of the 267 division, most of the artillery was concentrated. The 263 Rifle Division was advancing on Chuchak.
On the evening of April 7, the corps conducted reconnaissance in force. Artillery struck at previously identified targets. Sappers prepared passages through which advanced units broke into the enemy's first trench. On the morning of April 8, the main attack began. The battle was hard, the Germans and Romanians relied on a powerful system of fortifications, repeatedly organized counterattacks. Corps artillery was not enough to suppress the main enemy firing points. Most of the aircraft was involved in the offensive zone of the 1 Guards Rifle Corps. However, by the 13 clock, the 844 and 846 rifle regiments broke into the enemy's second trench and knocked out Romanian soldiers from there. Soon, the soldiers of the 844 regiment broke into the third trench, in other areas there was not much success. In the area where there was a success, the 848 th rifle regiment — the second echelon of the 267 th rifle division — was brought into battle.
The 2 th rifle battalion of the 848 th rifle regiment of the 267 th rifle division played a major role in breaking through the enemy’s defenses. They were set to ford the Aigulskoye lake and at the same time attack the enemy’s rear in the height south-west of Karanka. Two sections under the command of Varlamov and Fedorov imperceptibly for the enemy forced a water barrier, removed the platoon of the enemy escort, and captured the bridgehead. As a result, the crossing of the main forces of the battalion went unnoticed by the Germans. While the battalion was unfolding, Fedorov’s soldiers repelled several enemy counterattacks. Senior Sergeant N. D. Fedorov died in this gesture of battle, but his squad laid down to the enemy company, giving the battalion the opportunity to gain a foothold on the bridgehead. Nikolai Fedorov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. The appearance of the Soviet battalion in the German rear disorganized the enemy defenses and helped the main corps forces.
The Germans could not keep the third trench and retreated to the area Karanki. Until the end of the day, both divisions of the first echelon of the corps were slowly advancing, beating off the enemy's land by land, Crimean land. The 2 Battalion of the 848 Regiment, which crossed the Aigulskoye Lake, joined the main forces. The 263 Division occupied the Tyuy-Tube. But the corps did not fulfill the task set on the first day of the attack - did not take Karanka.
Koshevoy decided it was time to launch the second echelon of the corps, the 417 division. In addition, the command of the 4 of the Ukrainian Front, seeing that there was not much success in the direction of the main attack, decided to transfer the main efforts to the Kosovo Corps offensive zone. The offensive of the Koshev Corps was supported by the entire breakthrough artillery division, the main aviation forces of the air army and the 19 tank corps. On April 9, a fresh 417 Division, with the support of a large number of artillery and aircraft, delivered a powerful blow south-west of Karanka. The Germans could not stand it and began to depart. Soviet troops began to develop an offensive to the south.
The Germans were not yet broken, they desperately fought back, organized strong counterattacks. However, in the end, the resistance of the enemy was broken. The Koshevsky Corps occupied the most important center of resistance of the enemy, Karanki, occupied the village of Ass-Naiman and reached the height of 30,3, where the last position of the German defense was held. More than 500 people were captured, many weapons, especially artillery.
Early in the morning of April 10, Koshev's corps launched an assault on the height of 30,3. The enemy’s defenses were soon crushed, and units of the 417 Division began pursuing. The division successfully captured Tomashevka. After that, the 19 tank corps was brought into battle. Tanks went to Dzhankoy. 11 April Soviet troops drove the Nazis out of the railway junction Dzhankoy. By order of the command, a mobile corps detachment was allocated, since Koshevoy did not have tanks, his core was the 845-th Red Banner Artillery Regiment on the auto-thrust, which was reinforced by the SAU regiment, the artillery regiment on the horse-drawn artillery and a company of machine gunners. The mobile detachment on the way broke the enemy’s column and occupied Zuya, blocking a convenient path for the German troops, who were retreating under pressure from the Separate Maritime Army. Soviet gunners "hotly" met the retreating German columns. The Germans suffered heavy losses and, after unsuccessful counterattacks, were forced to throw equipment and heavy weapons, and retreat along an inconvenient road through the woods and mountains. About 800 people were captured, about 150 vehicles were captured, a lot of guns, mortars and other weapons and property were captured. On April 13, parts of the Kosovoi 63 Corps entered Simferopol, April 14 - in Bakhchisarai.
By April 18 the Germans were knocked out from the turn of the river. Black and Fedyukhiny heights. However, attempts on the move to take the Sugar Loaf and Sapun Mountain, the heights along which the last, most powerful line of the German defense near Sevastopol passed, failed. Until the end of April, Soviet troops repeatedly attempted to assault Sevastopol, but each time they achieved only private success. 7 May began a general assault. After a fierce battle, suppressing the fierce resistance of the enemy, the Soviet troops went to the crest of Sapun Mountain. After taking the key position of the enemy, the liberation of Sevastopol itself began. 9 May 1944, the city of Russian glory was liberated. Major General Koshevoy was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. Pyotr Kirillovich also received the rank of lieutenant general.
Then Pyotr Kirillovich was appointed commander of the 71 Infantry Corps (3 Belorussian Front), and at the beginning of 1945, the 36 Infantry Guards Rifle Corps. The troops under the command of Pyotr Koshevoy liberated Belarus, fought in East Prussia and stormed Königsberg. For skilful leadership in the storming of Konigsberg, Peter Koshevoy was awarded the second Gold Star medal.
Post-war service
After the war, Koshevoy continued to command the corps. From 1946, he commanded the 6 of the Guards Army in the Baltic Military District. In 1948, he graduated from the Higher Academic Courses at the Military Academy of the General Staff. He was the First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, commanded the troops of the Siberian and Kiev military districts. From 1965, Commander-in-Chief of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany. In 1954, he was promoted to colonel-general, in 1968, the Marshal of the Soviet Union. In 1968, he participated in the organization of Operation Danube (the deployment of troops to Czechoslovakia).
In 1969, in fact, he was sent to an honorary resignation - he served as the inspector general of the group of general inspectors of the USSR Ministry of Defense. He lived in Moscow. Died 30 August 1976 of the year. There is an opinion that Petr Kirillovich Koshevoi was one of the best commanders of World War II division-corps level. Unfortunately, his activity was poorly covered in the USSR. Although thanks to such an iron and competent commanders of the USSR won the fierce war. Koshevoy's battletrack could become the main one for historical and patriotic films necessary for educating the younger generations and preserving the memory of the great past of our Motherland.
Bronze bust in Alexandria
Sources:
Koshevoy P.K. In the years of the military. M., 1978 // http://militera.lib.ru/memo/russian/koshevoy_pk/index.html.
People are an immortal feat. Essays on twice, thrice and four times Heroes of the Soviet Union. M., 1975 // http://militera.lib.ru/bio/heroes/index.html.
Manstein E. Lost victories. M., 1999 // http://militera.lib.ru/memo/german/manstein/index.html.
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