Battery of five heroes
The Soviet soldiers bravely met the offensive of the fascist troops near Kursk in July 1943. Thanks to their heroism, stamina and military skills the enemy was stopped. The 167 Guards Light Artillery Regiment under the command of Colonel A.A. On the eve of the German offensive, Budko held firing positions in the area of the settlements of Muravl, Obydenki-Buzova (about 70 km north-west of Kursk).
On the morning of July 5, units of the German infantry division supported by tanks и aviation after increased aerial bombardment and artillery preparation, they went on the offensive. A fierce battle ensued. At the cost of enormous losses, the enemy managed to break into our defenses at the junction of the 280th and 132nd rifle divisions of the 70th army. By the end of the day, the Nazis reached the border of Tureyka, Awakening, Gnilets, Bobrik. They failed to advance further - they were stopped by the stubborn resistance of the Soviet troops.
In these battles, the warriors of the 6 battery, commanded by Lieutenant S.I. Rodionov, and 167-th Guards Artillery Regiment. They, in close cooperation with rifle units, steadfastly repelled the attacks of the advancing enemy. Around noon, the Nazis surrounded the firing position of the battery, located south-west of the village of Bolotniy. Soviet artillerymen quickly took all-round defense and continued to hold their positions until the enemy ring was broken by rifle subunits. In this case, the gunners destroyed several tanks and to the company of machine gunners.
July 6 in the area of the infantry regiment, which supported the 167-th Guards Artillery Regiment, continued fierce battles. The fascists repeatedly went on the attack, but each time they were met by small-arms fire weapons and artillery, rolled back. By the end of July 6, the 167 Guards Light Artillery Regiment was ordered to regroup in the Nikolsky area, where the threat of a defensive breakthrough of the 132 Rifle Division had been created. In cooperation with the rifle regiment, the artillery regiment was to repel the onslaught of tanks and enemy manpower.
The 6-I battery, which had divisional 76-millimeter guns ZIS-3, was armed with direct aiming at the tank-hazard direction along the road north of the village of Molyotchi. Until dawn, without straightening their backs, warriors-artillerymen worked. They dug gun trenches. Constructed shelters for guns and personnel, cellars for shells and cartridges. All carefully masked. The soldiers understood that their invulnerability in defense and life itself depended on it. It was morning. Rodionov once again went around the battery, checked the readiness of calculations for the battle. I looked around the area: the black ruins of the village of Teploe were a good guide. From there, according to intelligence, enemy tanks should have seemed.
Lieutenant S.I. Rodionov arrived in the regiment after the end of the 1-th Sumy Artillery School. Mv Frunze, shortly before the Battle of Kursk. The young commander already had combat experience. In August, 1941, he, like other cadets of the school, took part in the battles for Putivl, Babakovka farm, settlements of Mikhailovka, Safonovka, Volokitino and Burven. For his courage he was awarded the medal "For Courage". Arriving at the regiment, from the very first steps he began to intensively train his fighters in the speed of data preparation and shooting accuracy. The soldiers very soon saw him as a knowledgeable commander who knew how to understand the combat situation. These qualities were especially evident in the 23-year-old officer, when his battery was subjected to severe trials.
6 hours 30 min. in the sky there was a rumble of motors. The lieutenant ordered the guns to be removed to the shelters, and the people to hide in the cracks. More than a dozen enemy aircraft were at low altitude. It was clearly visible how the bombs were separated. Everything was shaking from explosions. Smoke and flame enveloped the earth. But the night work of the gunners was not in vain. Shelters reliably protected warriors and military equipment.
As soon as the raid was over, the first projectile flew over the battery with a howl - the Nazis began artillery preparation. Shells began to go to bed more and more. Soon after the ruins of the village appeared enemy tanks. There were twelve of them. They went to the battle line. "Battery, to battle!" - Rodionov commanded. The fighters quickly rolled out the guns, brought the shells. Tanks with a roar approaching. It was already possible to consider the figures of machine gunners, huddled to the armor of cars. For infantry tanks moving.
The battalion commanded the “Fire!” Command only when there was no more than 400 meters left to the enemy tanks to beat for sure. One of the guns hit the infantry with fragmentation shells, the rest fired armor-piercing at the tanks. The batteries acted without turmoil, clearly and confidently. Soon the calculation of senior sergeant M.I. Abdulina set fire to the first tank. The second hit a calculation by senior sergeant F. G. Reznik. The third gun from the very first shot hit the tank of the unfolded tank. Above him rose a column of flame and smoke. Soon, the 6 armored vehicles flamed in front of the battery position. Enemy marines clung to the ground. And because of the knoll there was another 10 tank. They walked an angle ahead, firing on the move. At the position of the battery shells were torn. The connection was interrupted several times, but it was quickly restored by the liaison office soldiers. Among the gunners appeared wounded. When the fascist tanks passed through the battle formation of our rifle subunits, the enemy infantry rushed to the attack. Rodionov ordered the first platoon to hit her with fragmentation. Simultaneously, the gun platoon V.K. Lovcheva continued to hit tanks.
The first attack was repelled. But it was clear to everyone that others would follow, that by regrouping their forces, the enemy would again attempt to break through our defenses. Gunners were preparing to continue the battle.
After 2 hours, the planes again appeared. Pieces of rails, sheets of iron, drilled barrels flew to the ground with a piercing shriek and roar, so the pilots of the German bombers tried to exert psychological influence on the defenders. The soldiers hid in shelters, as they already knew that after the usual iron real bombs would fly to the ground. And for sure. Less than two minutes later, as a powerful force, an explosion shook the air. The high explosive bomb formed a huge crater next to the dugout, covered it with earth. After the air raid on the position of the unit moved the tanks. This time from the side of Samodurovka. They were followed by more infantry battalions.
A fierce battle flared up again. The rifle subunits of the 498 Infantry Regiment opened fire on the Nazis with machine guns, machine guns, rifles, and anti-tank guns. Artillery direct fire hit the tanks. A good shot from a gun Junior Lieutenant V.K. Lovchev destroyed the lead tank. The same fate befell a few more cars. One of them was hit by the calculation of Fyodor Reznik, two by Mansur Abdulin.
Fascist tanks opened fire on the battery. From frequent breaks the earth shook. An explosion was heard at Resnick's gun - a gunner was killed by a splinter. The crew commander took his place and continued to fire on the enemy. No less than a platoon of enemy machine gunners fell on the battlefield from the shots of his gun. After some time, 10 armored vehicles appeared to the left of the battery. At the command of Junior Lieutenant V.K. Lovchev fighters rolled out their guns to open firing positions and hit them at close range. In this battle, a platoon of Lovchev destroyed 6 tanks. Until the end of the day, the gunners Rodionov, in cooperation with the infantry, under continuous mortar and artillery fire and aerial bombardments, repelled several more attacks. The enemy failed to break through the defenses.
In the evening, the regiment received an order to take up firing positions on the southeastern outskirts of the village of Molotychi and, together with the 101 tank tank brigade of the 19 tank corps, repel attacks of German tanks and infantry. The night has come. Replacing the firing positions, the gunners set to work: to repair the damage, replenish the ammunition, dug trenches, built shelters.
During 9 July, the enemy attacked our units several times in the area of Molotech. But the hottest fights flared up the next day, July 10. In the morning, enemy bombers struck the position of the 6 battery. Then the tanks appeared. They came from three sides: on the right, from the front and on the left. Letting them go on the 300-400 m, the battery opened fire. From direct hits, the enemy combat vehicles caught fire. Once again, the calculation of Mansur Abdulin fought with courage and skill. When the head German tank appeared from behind the crest of the nearest hill, the gun opened fire. The first 3 projectile did not cover the target. After the fourth "Tiger" caught fire. Soon the second and third tanks caught fire. Suddenly, enemy machine gunners appeared on the left flank. The gunners fired several rounds of fragmentation shells. The fascists first lay down, but then began to make their way forward in short dashes. The calculation hit them several times with fragmentation shells. Submachine retreated. But soon, due to the light morning clouds, four enemy aircraft swooped on the battery. Screaming bombs. The gap followed the gap. One bomb fell next to a gun trench. From the calculation, only the commander of the gun, MI, survived. Abdulin and gunner I.V. Ryabykin. Both were contused, but, fortunately, not much.
The tanks appeared again, and Abdulin opened fire with armor-piercing. With well-aimed shots, he hit another 3 armored vehicle. They continued to hit the enemy, while a direct hit by a shell their gun was not disabled, and the soldiers themselves were seriously injured. 8 Nazi tanks and a lot of infantry destroyed in this battle, the calculation of Mansur Idiatovich Abdulin.
Despite the losses, enemy tanks and infantry continue to rush forward. Wounded soldiers remain in their positions. Nurse Asya Kekedzhan is there to assist them. Rows of battery defenders thin out. The position on the battery was getting harder. Only two guns could fire. In the ranks left less than half of the personnel. But the gunners continued to fight.
Junior Lieutenant Lovchev commanded one serviceable weapon remaining in the platoon. He was also injured, but continued to fight. Gunners from guns shoot tanks, and from rifles and machine guns - infantry. But the officer was seriously wounded. It was fatal. Commander Viktor Konstantinovich Lovchev, who was an ordinary Moscow turner before the war, has completely fulfilled his military duty.
Gunner Private I.T. Pimenov took command of the instrument. A considerable military way was behind this 19-year-old soldier. Commander of the Order of the Patriotic War, II degree, a participant in the great battle on the Volga, he fought bravely here. Two tanks and dozens of infantrymen had already destroyed his gun. But he was left alone in the firing position.
Drenched in sweat and blood, Pimenov has time to bring shells, and charge, and shoot. During the battle, Pimenov noticed that several enemy tanks began to break through to the bush: the fascists wanted to disguise themselves in it and from there hit our firing points. Pimenov set fire to the lead tank. The second car went to the burning. The enemy tried to hide behind him in order to fire from there. But the maneuver to the Germans failed. It took two shots of Pimenov to destroy this tank.
Regardless of the losses, the Nazis continue to attack. It seemed that the steel avalanche could not be stopped by anything. But here, from the depth of the defense, our heavy weapons struck, a group of "silt" that appeared over the battlefield brought down a barrage of fire on the enemy, and from the right flank of the Nazis attacked the tank crews of the 101 tank brigade. The remaining guns 6-th battery at close range beat German tanks. Those of them who managed to break through to our positions were destroyed by infantrymen of the 498 Infantry Regiment with fire from PTR and incendiary bottles. Soon, on the approaches to the village of Molotychi, about twenty armored vehicles blazed.
The enemy could not stand it and went away. But several dozens of machine gunners managed to infiltrate the height 244,9 next to the position. Having mastered it, the Nazis were able to view and fire on a significant part of the position of our units, including the 6-th battery. Lieutenant Rodionov decided to support the infantry counterattack on mastering the height. The battery opened a quick fire fragmentation shells. Unable to withstand artillery fire and a decisive counterattack of infantry, the enemy machine guns retreated.
Bloody persistent battles in the area Molotychi continued until dark. On this day, the guardsmen of the 6 battery destroyed the 24 tank, including the Tigers 10, and destroyed a lot of infantry. The battery of Guard Lieutenant Rodionov became the battery of five Heroes of the Soviet Union. This high rank was conferred on the guard by junior lieutenant Viktor Konstantinovich Lovchev (posthumously), guard by senior sergeant Fedor Grigorievich Reznik (dead 19 on July 1943 near Novye Turyi), private guard Ivan Timofeevich Pimenov (dead from the village of Turyi), the guard, Ivano T.Femenevich Pimenov (dead from the village of Turyi), a man, Ivano T. Lyonchev (named after the death of Novyi Turi) 22 g.), Guard senior sergeant Mansur Idiatovich Abdulin and guard lieutenant Sergey Ivanovich Rodionov.
Sources:
Zhagala V. Clearing the way for the infantry. M .: Voenizdat, 1985. C. 138-152.
Valishin R., Irgalin G. Their exploits are immortal. Ufa: Kitap, 2000. C. 243-245.
Grinko A., Ulaev G. Bogatyrs of Voronezh Land. Voronezh: Center-Chernozem. Prince publishing house, 1965. C. 388-390.
Loskutov Yu. Tanks did not pass // Militaryhistorical magazine. 1974. No. 1. S. 43-47.
Suldin A. The Battle of Kursk. Full Chronicle - 50 days and nights. M .: AST, 2014. C.10-11.
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