"Black Death"
It seems that there are no more white spots in stories World War II. But some pages still remain in the shadows. How seldom they recall such an ally of the Soviet Union as the Tuvan People's Republic! It is worth recalling that from 1921 to 1944. Tuva had the status of an independent state, and then voluntarily became part of our country.
How much they talk about the help of the USSR from the "Western" allies, while forgetting the help of two "Eastern": Tuva and Mongolia! But, according to experts, the cumulative deliveries of these two states to our country during the war years were only a third less than the total amount of aid - from the USA, Canada, England, Australia and the South African Union, Australia and New Zealand combined.
During the war years, the Tuvan people sent the Soviet Army 40 thousands of war horses, 50 thousands of pairs of skis, 10 thousands of short fur coats, tens of thousands of pairs of felt boots, 67 tons of wool, a huge amount of food and wood. The front-line soldiers received 389 carriages with gifts from Tuvinians. In addition, 25 June 1941 of the Year Tuva transferred to the Soviet Union all its gold reserves in 30 million rubles. and the mining of Tuvan gold (about 11 million rubles per year). And those rubles, whose purchasing power is ten times higher than the current one. In 1944, the arats of the republic, taking patronage over the liberated districts of the Kiev region, transferred more than 26 thousand head of livestock to the Ukrainian collective farms. It was this livestock that became the basis of the post-war revival of animal husbandry in Ukraine. In total, during the war, Tuva sent about 750 thousands of livestock to our country. There was not a single Tuvan family that did not donate their livestock to the needs of the front, from 10 to 100 heads. The total amount of material assistance rendered by Tuvans reached 70 million rubles.
But this does not exhaust the participation of Tuva in the fight against the fascists. A memorable event for Tuvans was the departure of 1942 in January to the front of a large group of Soviet citizens, who previously worked hand in hand and lived with Tuvan workers and arat. In the 1943 year, the crews of Tuvan volunteers began their combat mission as part of the 25 Tank Regiment. They participated in the liberation of Ukraine and Moldova, continued to beat the fascists in Romania, Hungary, Czechoslovakia. The youngest lieutenant X. Churgui-ool, who showed courage and military skill during the battles for Uman, was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. The military merits of the Tuva tank crews T. Nürsat, X, Unuk-ool, K. Idama B. Bieche-oola, S. Portoi-oola, T. Kyzyl-Tasa, O. Dyrtyk were also highly appreciated. They were awarded orders and medals.
Otherwise, you can’t call as heroic the military way of the Tuvan volunteer cavalrymen who entered the battle on the days when the Soviet Army launched broad offensive operations in Ukraine. We will dwell on the participation of the cavalry squadron of Tuvan volunteers in the liberation of the Rivne region of Ukraine in January-March, 1944.
During the Rivne-Lutsk offensive operation, which was held from 27 January to 11 February 1944, the 8-I Guards Cavalry Division of the 6 Guards Cavalry Corps of the 13-th Army, fulfilling the task, 1 February went into the rear of the 33-th Army, followed by the march for the task, 31 February went to the rear of the 200-th army, and the march for the task, 29 February went to the rear of the rear of the XNUMX-th army, the march Headquarters, February 2014 attack on Rivne. In the first echelon there were guards cavalry regiments; The XNUMX th and XNUMX th Kuban-Black Sea, which included XNUMX Tuvan volunteers, The second echelon was - XNUMX th Guards Cavalry Regiment (GKP).
On the approaches to Rivne, the Germans fought stubbornly. The Kuban-Black Sea people, together with the 33 GKP, were given the task of mastering the enemy stronghold in the northwestern part of the city next to the brick factory, and subsequently to advance in the direction of Klevan-Rovno. Having specified in the course of personal reconnaissance data on enemy defense, the regiment commander E.A. Popov decided to attack the stronghold of 1, 3 and 4 (Tuvan) squadrons in the first echelon. 2-th squadron was the second echelon. Their attack was supported by several batteries of an artillery regiment of the division. Squadrons of the first echelon had to seize the territory of a brick factory and reach the northeast edge of the city. The Tuvinian squadron had the task of attacking on the left flank of the regiment north of Oburow-Rovno highway at the front of the 300 m.
The Tuvin squadron commander, Captain T. Kechil-ool, established a two-echelon combat unit. The first consisted of 2, 3 and 4 th saber platoons (commanders senior lieutenant K. Tongut, lieutenants M. Dorzhu and M. Sat), in the second echelon - 1 th saber platoon of senior lieutenant O. Oolak. A platoon of machine-gunners of Senior Lieutenant S. Burzekei followed in the intervals between saber platoons, supporting their attack by fire from short distances.
After entering the area at a distance of 500 meters from the base, the riders dismounted. Horse owners sheltered horses in a safe place. When it got dark, the cavalrymen secretly stole a distance of about 100 m to the enemy position. Then, at the signal of the squadron commander, they rushed to the attack. The enemy opened heavy rifle-and-machine-gun fire on our soldiers. But the Tuvans quickly broke into enemy positions and drove the Germans out of the factory.
At dawn 2 February, the fight resumed. The 33 th Guards Cavalry Regiment drove the Germans to the Obaruv-Rovno Highway, and the 31 th moved to the northern edge of the city. However, in the area of the experimental station, the units of the Kuban-Black Sea Regiment were stopped by the stubborn resistance of the Nazis.
Having strengthened on the reached turn, the units of 1, 3 and 4-th squadrons opened heavy rifle and machine-gun fire, diverting the enemy to themselves. At the same time, Captain Kechil-ool assigned the task to 3's saber platoon of Lieutenant M. Dorzhu, imperceptibly bypassing the enemy from the right and hitting him from the rear. Leaving the position of the machine-gunners and the 2 th saber platoon, Kechil-ool led the 1 and 4 th platoon of cavalrymen to the territory of the brick factory and ordered the horse breeders to move the horses.
Using the terrain, the platoon of Lieutenant Dorzhu walked around the enemy from the right flank and attacked him on foot. The appearance of cavalrymen in the rear of the defense stunned the Nazis and caused confusion in their ranks. This took advantage of the commander of the 4-th squadron. He led a squadron in the equestrian system, like the Nazis did not expect. They did not have time to recover, as the Tuvans, overcoming their defenses, broke into the railway junction. A platoon of senior lieutenant O. Oolak escaped ahead. Ahead was the commander. He chopped the Nazis with a saber and fired from the PCA. 12 fascists destroyed the commander personally, and his platoon destroyed the enemy infantry to 60. The Germans could not stand the rapid onslaught of cavalry and began to depart.
The memories of the German officer are well known, in which he said that the sight of Tuvan cavalrymen riding on little shaggy horses had a demoralizing effect on his soldiers. According to the officer, this was due to the fact that at the subconscious level the Germans perceived “these barbarians” as the hordes of Attila. After this battle, the fascists gave the name Tu Schwanze Tod - “Black Death” to the Tuva cavalrymen. In addition, the Germans were terrified by the fact that Tuvans had their own centuries-old ideas about the military rules, and, based on them, they did not take enemy soldiers and officers prisoner in principle.
As we moved deeper into the city, the resistance of the enemy grew. Having recovered from the strike and pulling up reserves, the fascists began to counterattack, trying to bypass the flanks and surround the units of the 31 Guards Cavalry Regiment. Repeatedly repulsed the 1 th and 3 th squadron counterattacks. Twice he was surrounded by a Tuvin squadron, but both times he tore up the enemy ring and fought his way forward. It was not easy for a neighbor, the 33 Guards Cavalry Regiment. By one o'clock, more companies of enemy marines had broken into the gap between the 33 and 31 cavalry regiments. As soon as the warriors fought off this counterattack, the enemy struck the flank of the 31 cavalry regiment up to the battalion. The regiment commander brought into reserve a reserve - the 2 squadron. At the same time, two platoons attacked the enemy bound in battle by cavalry. Having lost more than 100 people killed and wounded, the Nazis retreated. The cavalrymen again moved to the city center.
By the end of the day Rivne was released. The next day the division moved to Dubno. The fighting for this city was the brightest page in the history of the Tuvan squadron. Here the volunteers showed not only swiftness and audacity in the offensive, but also iron resistance in the defense.
Trying to prevent the advance of the Soviet units to the south and enable their battered battles to take up defenses along the Ikva River, the German command hastily transferred infantry and tank units. The enemy began to counterattack continuously. Parts of the 8th Guards Cavalry Division were ordered to defend west of the village of Pogoreltsy. The 31st Guards Cavalry Regiment operated on the left flank of the division, occupying about two kilometers. The Tuva squadron defended the area near the village of Sur-michi, with a length of about 800 m and a depth of 600 m, with the task of influencing the enemy with rifle fire weapons and prevent its divisions from reaching our leading edge.
By organizing the defense, the squadron commander built the combat order of the subunit in two echelons. The first consisted of 1, 3 and 4 th saber platoons, the second - 2 th platoon. Captain Kechil-ool paid special attention to the organization of fire at the front edge. The machine guns and light machine guns were positioned so that they could hit the enemy from long distances, conduct flanking and indirect fire at the approaches to the defense area, and also support counter-attacks of the second echelon platoon. The commander chose positions for the calculation of anti-tank guns especially carefully and personally determined each task.
From the very beginning, defensive battles took on an extremely stubborn character. Creating in some areas a significant superiority of forces, the enemy sought to break through the defenses of our units and discard Dubno. In these battles, the commander of the machine-gun platoon, Senior Lieutenant S. Burzekey and 10 machine-gunners with him, as well as the calculation of sergeant-officer’s anti-tank rifle M. Serena, died firing at the enemy to the last bullet. The machine gunner Sergeant Mon-Gush Choat covered the actions of his squadron. It was necessary to detain the Nazis and give the horsemen the opportunity to take a favorable position. The machine gunner fired until the fragment shattered the machine gun. Then he took the gun. When the ammunition ended, three German soldiers rushed to the sergeant. They wanted to take the fighter into captivity, realizing that he was unarmed. And the Tuvinian himself did not try to escape, he even went to meet them. And suddenly something happened that the Nazis did not expect. A swift shot - and the butt of an automatic rifle fell on the head of the enemy who did not have time to take up arms of the enemy. The last bullet Sergeant killed the second fascist. The third one pulled out a machine gun from a cavalryman, but at the same instant Tuvan’s fingers tightly tightened the throat of an enemy soldier. Grabbing his weapon, Chot jumped off in the course of the message and left in front of the startled Nazis.
Defensive battles continued at the frontiers of the Ikva and Styr rivers until the spring of the 1944 of the Tuva squadron, along with other units of the regiment, completed the tasks assigned to it. The division commander and the head of the political department noted that Tuvan fighters prefer death on the battlefield to surrender, and the guard Captain Kechil-oola knows the entire personnel of the division as a brave and brave commander who always appears where there is the greatest danger.
26 May 1944 The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR awarded the most distinguished Tuvans with orders and medals. The orders of the Red Banner were awarded to Captain T. Kechil-ool, Senior Lieutenant M. Bayskylan, Private O. Senchy. Order of World War I degree was awarded 21 warrior, Red Star - 3, Glory - 17, medal. In all, during the war years, up to 8 thousands of Tuvan residents served in the Soviet Army, almost 5 thousands were awarded various awards.
Sources:
Kuznetsov. I. Volunteers from Tuva // Year 1944. Zarnitsy winning salute. Lviv: Kamenyar. 1979. C. 181-194.
Chichkin A. Tuva: Unknown War. Forgotten ally of the USSR in World War II // Russian newspaper. 6 May 2009.
Domank A. Tuvinsky volunteer // Military-Historical Journal. 1974. No.4. C. 51-54.
Baliev A. Mal is an ally, yes roads. Why did the contribution of Tuva to the defeat of fascism be hushed up? Century. 12 May 2010.
Pivovarov V. Volunteers. Kyzyl: Tuvin. Prince publishing house, 1990. C. 142-149.
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