Monument to cadets of military schools. War memorials of Podolsk: where to honor the memory of participants in the Great Patriotic War. Podolsk Artillery School

In October 1941, three and a half thousand Podolsk cadets held back the advance of an entire tank army for two weeks.

In the early morning of October 5, 1941, the advancing German units of the 57th Corps of the 3rd Tank Group occupied the city of Yukhnov and reached the approaches to Maloyaroslavets, finding themselves in the rear of not only the Western Front, but also the Reserve Front. A gap appeared in the defense of the Soviet troops in the Ilyinsky combat sector of the Mozhaisk defense line of Moscow, which the Germans could use to reach Moscow - 190 kilometers remained from Yukhnov to Moscow. . In the area of the village of Ilinskoye, engineering units managed to build about 30 artillery and infantry pillboxes, but there was no one to defend them - our troops, some surrounded, some semi-encircled, defended the long-broken front near Vyazma.
On October 5, in Podolsk, about two thousand cadets of the artillery and one and a half thousand cadets of the infantry schools were removed from classes, alerted and sent to the defense of Maloyaroslavets. The city mobilized all passenger transport and even both Podolsk taxis, remembering how French taxi drivers saved Paris in 1914. All this transport was used to deliver cadets to positions.
The combined detachment of cadets was tasked with blocking the path of the Germans in the Ilyinsky combat area for 5-7 days, until reserves arrived from the depths of the country.

A cadet from the Podolsk artillery school writes a letter to his family the day before the start of the fighting.

The defense line ran along the eastern bank of the Vypreika River, dividing the village of Ilyinskoye in half.
In order to gain time for the deployment of the main forces of the schools near Maloyaroslavets, an advance detachment consisting of the 6th company of the infantry school under the command of Senior Lieutenant Mamchich and an artillery battalion consisting of two batteries under the command of Captain Rossikov was advanced towards the enemy.
The advance detachment of cadets in cars left Podolsk in the evening of the same day, and in the morning, October 6, they threw back units of the 57th German Corps from the Izverv River to the Ugra River. Over five days of fighting, this detachment destroyed 20 tanks, 10 armored vehicles and about 1,000 enemy soldiers and officers.

Our anti-aircraft gun, which took part in the battles at the Ilyinsky line

On October 10, the remnants of the cadets of the advanced detachment reached the Ilyinsky sector of the Maloyaroslavl combat area and united with the main forces of the Podolsk military schools.
On October 11, at noon, fighting began throughout the entire combat area. From bomb attacks, artillery and mortar fire, it seemed that the entire earth around stood on end and nothing living on it would survive. After 40 minutes of preparation and processing of the front edge of the cadets of the 10th company, the enemy threw five tanks into battle and up to a company of infantry. But the tanks and infantry were destroyed.
On October 12, the enemy tried to break into our defenses, but he managed to advance only 300 meters. By the end of the day, the entire defense area of the 10th company was literally riddled with craters.
On October 13, the Germans decided to use a trick. Having placed red banners on 15 captured tanks, on which they placed paratroopers with our helmets on their heads, they approached the positions of the Podolsk cadets from the direction of Maloyaroslavets, but the red flags on the tanks looked so theatrical that the deception was recognized, and tank column was destroyed.

At eight o'clock on October 13, the Nazis opened hurricane fire from guns and mortars. Enemy bombers attacked.
The Nazis brought equipment and infantry into battle. The battle was cruel and unequal. The enemy managed to take possession of the village of Bolshaya Shubinka.
Late at night, having surrounded the village on both sides, the cadets suddenly attacked the village of Bolshaya Shubinka.
On October 14, early in the morning, the Nazis again began intensive artillery preparation. Then they threw air force at the cadets. By the end of the day, the enemy managed to capture the first and second trenches, but was unable to completely break through the defense area.

Broken forty-five
A platoon of cadets under Lieutenant Timofeev showed miracles of heroism. Taking up defensive positions near the village of Malaya Shubinka, the platoon fought in complete encirclement throughout October 14, repelling numerous enemy attacks.
On the night of October 15, the encirclement ring was broken and the remaining five people went to the battalion's location.
On October 15, the remnants of the battalion, in cooperation with the detachment of Captain Chernysh, carried out seven attacks on enemy positions, each attack ending in hand-to-hand combat. During one of the attacks, Captain Chernysh and political instructor Kurochkin were killed.
The artillery cadets showed miracles of heroism and self-sacrifice. Without leaving their firing positions, they repelled the continuous attacks of the Germans. The cadets of the 4th battery of Lieutenant Afanasy Ivanovich Aleshkin especially distinguished themselves.

Artillery bunker in Ilyinsky

His battery was located in the village of Sergievka on the Warsaw highway and was well camouflaged, and the pillbox with a gun was disguised as a wooden barn. For a long time the Germans could not recognize Aleshkin’s gun and suffered heavy losses, and when they found it, they surrounded the pillbox and threw grenades at it. Lieutenant Aleshkin died along with six cadets.
October 16 German troops captured defensive lines in the Ilyinsky combat area, and almost all the cadets holding the defense in this area died. 17 October command post Podolsk cadets were moved to Lukyanovo. For two days, the cadets defended Lukyanovo and Kudinovo. On October 19, the cadets defending Kudinovo were surrounded, but managed to get out of the encirclement. On the same day they received orders to withdraw.
On October 20, the surviving cadets began to retreat to reunite with the troops occupying the defense on the Nara River. The Germans were delayed for two weeks, which was enough to form a continuous line of defense. On October 25, the surviving cadets marched on foot to Ivanovo to continue their training.

During the Great Patriotic War residents of Podolsk did everything to protect their homeland. Victory Day is approaching, and Podolsk residents will come to honor the memory of those who stopped the fascist invaders at the cost of their lives. The RIAMO in Podolsk columnist has compiled a guide to the city’s war memorials.

Memorial to Talalikhin in Kuznechiki

At the 43rd kilometer of the Warsaw Highway, on a high hill in the Kuznechiki microdistrict, there is a monument to Viktor Talalikhin. On the night of August 6-7, 1941, he took off in his Yastrebka into the sky from an airfield located near Podolsk. He was opposed by a two-seat Heinkel-111 bomber from the Condor Legion air squadron, which had over 1 thousand kilograms of bombs on board. Then Talalikhin recalled that sometimes they were separated by only 10 meters, and he saw the armored belly of a fascist plane. In the battle, the pilot was wounded, but rammed the enemy. For his feat, Talalikhin was awarded the title of hero Soviet Union. At that time he was 23 years old, behind him was the war with the White Finns, 47 combat missions on the Karelian Isthmus and an air battle in which he saved squadron commander Mikhail Korolev, for which he was awarded the Order of the Red Star. Talalikhin died on October 27, 1941, when a group of Soviet fighters flew to the front line of defense and entered into an air battle with 12 enemy aircraft. The pilot was seriously wounded in the head and the plane crashed.

The monument to Viktor Talalikhin was created by the Soviet and Russian monumental sculptor, People's Artist of the Russian Federation Vladimir Glebov, who himself went through the war and has military awards. Next to the monument to the hero, Glebov placed a bas-relief “Battering Ram” so that people could learn about the feat he accomplished. The view from the memorial is stunning.

According to tradition, every year celebrations in honor of Victory Day are held in the Military Glory Park in Kuznechiki. Veterans come to the rally, young people put on wartime costumes and put on performances, and modern defenders of the Motherland - soldiers from special forces - perform. Parades are also held here, during which hundreds of balloons are released in memory of fallen soldiers and flowers are laid at the Eternal Flame.

Monument to Talalikhin at the entrance to the park named after him

In 1959, the main Podolsk park on the banks of the Pakhra River was named after the hero of the Great Patriotic War, Viktor Talalikhin. Opposite the main entrance, on May 9, 1960, a monument to the pilot was erected in the form of a bust on a granite base. On the pedestal there is a metal plate telling about the life of Talalikhin and his military exploits. The authors of the project are sculptor Zair Azgur and architect Leonid Zemskov. The monument was erected with money raised by the residents of Podolsk.

Women's Sniper School

The Central Women's School of Sniper Training is a military educational institution under the main directorate of the Vsevobuch NPO of the USSR, which existed in 1943-1945. Initially, the school was located in the village of Veshnyaki, from June 5, 1943 - in the village of Amerevo, Shchelkovsky district. Then she was transferred to Podolsk, to the village of the Cement Plant on Pleshcheevskaya Street, building 38, where the Pleshcheyevo Palace of Culture is now located. During its existence, the school graduated 7 cadets, trained 1061 snipers and 407 sniper instructors. Two of her students were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

In 1985, based on real events related to the Central Women's Sniper School, director Bolotbek Shamshiev made the film “Snipers.” In 2005, the book “And there is goodness in the sniper’s sight” was published in Podolsk, which collected information about the school, provided memories of its veteran graduates and photographs of the war years. Released in 2013 Feature Film“I See the Goal” is a joint production of Russia and Ukraine.

Memorial plaque to Tatyana Baramzina

On the facade of the house 14/4 on Baramzina Street there is a memorial plaque in her honor. After graduating from the pedagogical school, Tatyana Nikolaevna Baramzina graduated from the Central Women's School of Sniper Training. She wanted to work as a teacher, but the war changed everything. Baramzina fought on the 3rd Belorussian Front as a sniper in one of the companies of the 3rd Rifle Battalion. In July 1944, she took part in an operation to destroy a group of opponents. The Nazis captured her, interrogated and tortured her, but Tatyana did not betray her people. The Nazis gouged out her eyes and then shot her with an anti-tank rifle. By decree of the President of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated March 24, 1945, Baramzina was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense Russian Federation on Kirova Street, building 74 - this is the largest archive in our country. It stores documents of the Soviet and Russian army from 1941 to the present. In addition, documents from the Archive Fund of the Russian Federation are stored here for 75 years, which are then transferred to the state. There are 17 million cases in the collections. Those who want to receive information about their relatives and friends who fought in the Great Patriotic War come here. Much of the information can be found on the institution's website. In addition, the Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation responds to incoming requests of a legal nature regarding military personnel.

Now the archive is located in the barracks of the former Podolsk Artillery School, in Soviet time adapted for storing documents. In the near future, it will begin moving to a new location - into buildings built on the territory of the archive. Modern premises will allow you to reliably preserve historical documentation, monitor its condition, systematize it and effectively work on replenishing funds.

Podolsk Artillery School

In September 1938, the Podolsk Artillery School (PAS) was created, and three years later Colonel Ivan Semenovich Strelbitsky became its head. It was located in the premises where the archive of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation is currently located - on Kirova Street, building 74. The school trained commanders of anti-tank artillery platoons and consisted of four artillery divisions. In total, over 1.5 thousand cadets studied at the school. On the territory of the PAU, artillery units of the reserve of the Supreme High Command were formed, which glorified themselves during the war. In addition to the main activities, a lot of time and effort was devoted to horses. The cadets often went out for combat shooting.

By October 1941, the school had mostly training models of guns, with which the cadets went to the front and fought side by side with the cadets of the Podolsk Infantry School near Maloyaroslavets. They heroically defended the approaches to Moscow, their feat is reflected in the monument to Podolsk cadets on Kirov Street, as well as in the memorial recently installed on the territory of the Klimovsky gymnasium named after Podolsk cadets using public funds.

Podolsk Infantry School

The Podolsk Infantry School (PPU) was founded in January 1940 as a small arms and machine gun school on the basis of one of the battalions of the school named after the Supreme Council of the RSFSR. It was located in the building where the industrial technical school was located at Krasnaya street, building 20. Now there is a Russian State University tourism and service. By October 1941, the school was headed by Major General Vasily Andreevich Smirnov. The feat of the students of the artillery and infantry schools is known as the feat of the Podolsk cadets; it was glorified in monuments, films, music and literary works. There are several memorial plaques on the building.

Monument to Podolsk cadets on Kirov Street

Podolsk cadets are combined detachments of commanders and cadets of military schools in the city of Podolsk, who together with the 43rd Army defended the southwestern approaches to Moscow in October 1941. In the battles in the Ilyinsky sector near Maloyaroslavets, under the command of the head of the infantry school, Major General Smirnov, and his artillery assistant, Colonel Strelbitsky, they destroyed about 5 thousand German soldiers and officers, knocked out or disabled about 100 tanks, losing about 2.5 thousand Human.

The monument to Podolsk cadets was opened on May 7, 1975 at the intersection of Kirova Street (Varshavskoye Highway) and Parkovaya Street leading to the Ivanovskoye estate on the banks of the Pakhra River. The authors of the project are sculptors Y. Rychkov and A. Myamlin, architects L. Zemskov and L. Skorb. The monument is made of stainless steel in the form of figures of cadets, united by a huge waving banner with a star: one figure with a raised hand and two figures holding machine guns with disc magazines at their chests. A diagram of military operations is mounted on the back of the metal monument. To the right of the monument there is a concrete wall with the text: “Dedicated to the courage, perseverance, and immortal feat of Podolsk cadets.” On the left, the complex is bordered by an earthen parapet with a cannon.

Events and holidays are often held near the monument; on memorable dates, children from secondary school No. 18 named after Podolsk cadets stand watch there. There is a museum at the school. Students carry out search work, since the names of many heroes are still unknown.

Monument to Podolsk cadets in Klimovsk

In the Klimovsk microdistrict, on the territory of the gymnasium named after Podolsk cadets at the address 50th Anniversary of October Avenue, building 18, a monument to the heroic cadets was also erected. It was opened in 2015 with public money. It is in this educational institution in 1965, for the first time in the USSR, a museum was opened dedicated to the feat of the cadets of the artillery and infantry schools of Podolsk, who in the fall of 1941 made an invaluable contribution to the defense of Moscow from the fascist invaders.

The monument was made in the most realistic manner so that the younger generation knew that the cadets were their peers when on October 5, 1941 they were alerted and given the order to hold the defense 200 kilometers from the capital, near the village of Ilyinskoye. The cadets, practically boys, survived for three weeks. Of the 3.5 thousand children, only 500 remained alive. The authors of the monument are sculptors, members of the Union of Artists of Russia O. Yu. Slepov and V. M. Mikhailov.

Monument to the fallen workers of the plant named after. Kalinina

In the park of the microdistrict of complex residential development of the Podolsk Mechanical Plant named after. M.I. Kalinin (former Singer plant), its workers in May 1967 erected a monument to colleagues who died in the Great Patriotic War. Machine guns were installed on the buildings of the Kalinin PMZ. In October 1941, Podolsk was often bombed, from which the plant suffered, and it was evacuated to the rear. The few workers remaining in the city provided assistance to the front using the remains of equipment.

In a dilapidated foundry they managed to launch one of the melting furnaces, and, by agreement with the command of the 43rd Army, they began to produce picks, shovels, skis, and trench stoves. Front-line vehicles were repaired in the plant's garage. They mastered the production of shells, mines, bullets, and grenades. Workers did not leave the factory for weeks, fulfilling urgent front-line orders. Women and teenagers came to their aid. Thanks to their dedication and enthusiasm, the plant served as an example of labor valor throughout the war. The main type of product produced by the plant was weapons: self-loading rifles, shells for Katyushas, 82 mm mines. In May 1944, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the plant was awarded the order Red Banner of Labor.

Architectural and sculptural ensemble on Glory Square

The architectural and sculptural ensemble on Glory Square, dedicated to the Great Patriotic War, was installed in November 1971. The authors of the project are Y. Lyubimov and L. Zemskov. Carved on a large granite slab are figures of Soviet soldiers rushing into battle with grenades and machine guns, as well as the words: “To the heroes of Podolsk, who defended their Motherland, honor and freedom with their lives.”

In 2010, the memorial complex was reconstructed: to the right of the stele dedicated to the memory of Soviet soldiers, a monument to the military and labor exploits of Podolsk residents during the Great Patriotic War was unveiled. Eternal flame was placed in front of the reconstructed stele. In addition, the complex included a monument to fellow countrymen who died while fulfilling their international duty in Afghanistan and Chechnya, the authors of the project are sculptor, Honored Artist of Russia A. A. Rozhnikov and architect M. V. Tikhomirov.

The memorial hosts the main city events dedicated to the celebration of Victory Day and other important events for the city.

A monument was erected in honor of the feat of the Podolsk cadets.
In October-November 1941, Podolsk cadets, together with units of the 43rd Army, held back the onslaught of Nazi troops rushing towards Moscow and helped gain time to bring up reserves. For 15 lead-fiery days, they withstood more than a hundred attacks, more than two hundred bombings and shelling, but none of them gave up or ran. This is heroism! They were no different from their peers, but what they had to do and how they did it inspires a feeling of deepest respect. Even when killed, they struck terror into the hearts of their enemies.
Authors: sculptors – Y. Rychkov and A. Myamlin, architects – L. Zemskov and L. Skorb. The monument was opened on May 7, 1975 at the intersection of Kirova Street (Varshavskoe Highway), Parkovaya Street and Archive Proezd.
The monument is made of stainless steel and consists of figures of cadets united by a huge waving banner with a star at the top: one figure with a raised hand and two figures holding machine guns with disc magazines at their chests. On the back of the monument there is a metal diagram of the combat operations of Podolsk cadets. To the right of the monument, a concrete wall is installed, delimiting the memorial area, and a metal text is placed: “Dedicated to the courage, perseverance, and immortal feat of Podolsk cadets.” On the left, the complex is bordered by an earthen parapet with a cannon. The area in front of the monument is paved with concrete slabs.
The history of the great feat began in 1941 on October 5 at nine o'clock in the morning.
At this time, a pilot flew out from the Moscow airfield for reconnaissance and was horrified to discover, 220 km from Moscow along the Warsaw Highway, a column of tanks 25 kilometers long that had broken through. These were the selected elite troops of the 54th Motorized Corps under the command of General von Bock.
Upon returning, the pilot excitedly reported: “The Germans have broken through the defenses of our troops and are rapidly moving towards Moscow.” The command refused to believe it and they sent 2 more pilots to confirm the information. The worst was confirmed. The defensive lines were not ready. It was a disaster!
Hitler developed a diabolical plan to destroy Moscow called Typhoon. The goal of this plan was terribly cruel: to surround Moscow, kill all children, women, old people, raze the city to the ground and flood it with water, so that there would not even be a mention of the great capital of Russia. But a handful of boys stood in the way of this inhuman plan...
In the entire history of the war, this was the most dangerous moment - a moment on which not only the future of Russia, but also the whole world depended. The stakes are very high! The command makes the only possible decision: to throw the last reserve into battle - two military schools: the Podolsk artillery school and the Podolsk infantry school.
However, it was categorically impossible to send children alone, and the 53rd and 312th were given to help the detachment rifle divisions, 17th and 9th tank brigades.
The greatest story of heroism will be further conveyed from the words of one of the few surviving Podolsk cadets - Nikolai Ivanovich Merkulov.
This is how Nikolai Ivanovich recalls the day of October 5, 1941, Sunday: ... “The day was absolutely ordinary. The cadets were resting after continuous 18-hour classes, meeting with relatives, writing letters. But everything instantly changed.
At 12 o'clock in the afternoon, a combat alarm sounded simultaneously in two schools: Podolsk artillery and Podolsk infantry. The cadets put on their greatcoats as they ran and quickly lined up in the courtyard. In the deafening autumn silence the order sounded: “We are moving towards the enemy!”
Three thousand one hundred boys in a combined detachment under the command of General Smirnov, the commander of the infantry school, advanced to meet the fascist armada. The command of the artillery was entrusted to the commander of the artillery school, Colonel Ivan Semenovich Strelbitsky. They walked in silence, it was forbidden to speak.
On this day, it was not just two armies moving towards each other. Good and evil, light and darkness were preparing for battle. On the one hand, there are professionals armed to the teeth, who conquered all of Europe, who never knew defeat, seasoned, cold-blooded killers. On the other hand, there are boys 15-18 years old. The fourth battery was trained for only two weeks; there was absolutely no experience in fighting.
According to the plans of the command, it was necessary to have time to occupy the defensive lines. Near the village of Ilyinskoye, the width of the defense was 10 kilometers. This meant: per kilometer of defense there were only three hundred weakly armed children.
Smirnov and Strelbitsky decided to send an advance detachment of 100 people with the goal of delaying the enemy for at least a few hours, so that the main forces had time to dig in and prepare defensive fortifications. The cadets were joined by a detachment of airborne troops who had previously defended the village of Strekalovo.
The first battle took place in the village of Krasny Stolb. The fascists, dressed in ceremonial uniforms, were already celebrating their victory with might and main. They were the winners then. The Nazis conquered Poland in just 21 days, France in 30 days. They were absolutely sure that they would soon destroy Moscow too. At this moment they had only one problem: where to get marble and granite to urgently erect a monument to the conquerors of Moscow. It never even occurred to them that they would be stopped. They knew for sure that Moscow was defenseless.
The clock of human history struck the hour of immortality: the boys immediately went on the attack - just a few dozen young brave men.
As Ivan Semenovich Strelbitsky recalls: “They went on the attack as if they had been waiting for this very moment all their previous lives. It was their holiday, their celebration. They rushed fast - nothing could stop them - without fear, without looking back. Even if there were few of them, it was a storm, a hurricane capable of sweeping everything out of its path. I think that until then the Nazis had never seen anything like this. The attack on the village of Krasny Stolb stunned them. Throwing away their weapons and backpacks, they ran headlong back.
For five days, the forward detachment held back the advance of superior enemy forces. During this time, 20 tanks, 10 armored vehicles were knocked out and about a thousand enemy soldiers and officers were destroyed.
The fascist command was shocked by the daring attack. It could not even occur to them that they were defeated by only a few dozen young cadets. General Von Bock ordered aircraft and artillery to burn the nearby forest. He was sure that there was a whole army there. Several hours of continuous shelling and bombing turned the dense forest into a scorched field. At this time, the main forces of the boys were preparing for defense. The guys dug trenches and installed guns. At this time, Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov, the bravest commander, tough as steel, drove up to the cadets’ redoubts. A man who began his career as a soldier in the first world war, who received three St. George Crosses for bravery. Zhukov spoke to the cadets, saying only a few words: “Children, hold out for at least five days. Moscow to mortal danger" He called them not soldiers, but “children.” Children stood in front of him.
And now the hour of truth has struck. The Germans immediately launched 60 tanks and five thousand soldiers into the attack. The guys repulsed the first attack. And they didn’t just fight back, but, jumping out of the trenches, went to the bayonet line. The counterattack was so swift that the Germans became cowardly, threw down their weapons and rushed from the battlefield. Invincible warriors, conquerors of Europe, fled from the schoolchildren. The boys won their first victory. This was their first fight in their lives, and they believed in themselves, they believed that they could beat the bastards. But they did not rejoice for long. The Germans brought down the full might of artillery and aviation on the guys’ positions, literally scorching the earth. The guys' positions were not covered from the air. The German planes, knowing that they were in no danger, lined up in a circle of 20 planes - this was called a “Ferris wheel” and took turns diving at the positions of the cadets, dropping bombs, and shooting the children from machine guns and cannons.
Bombs, shells, and mines turned the battlefield into a burning hell. Black smoke, torn bodies of boys, molten metal, people, earth, technology, animals - everything was mixed by devilish power into one bloody, black mass, saturated with horror, the howling of sirens and the continuous explosions of bombs and shells.
The Nazis stood and watched as children died. They were waiting for the white flag to appear. Strange, this didn’t happen... Where are the raised hands, where are the bent backs, where are the eyes of the slaves, filled with horror?! After all, they are so used to seeing this almost every day.
The guys were very poorly armed. There weren't enough weapons. The artillerymen have broken training 45mm guns. They were so worn out that they failed after every 5-6 shots. Gunsmiths had to repair them right under enemy dagger fire. Everything was burning: metal, earth, the boys’ bodies. The cadets died, but did not give up. Not a single boy betrayed his comrades...
It seemed that everything was burned out, nothing alive could remain. But then one gun began to fire, then another. Gun shots were joined by gun shots, and somewhere a machine gun came to life. And once again the Nazi attack turned into flight. It was there, on the Ilyinsky lines, that the phrase was born: “It’s not enough to kill a Russian, he still needs to be brought down.”
Only real heroes can withstand and not break in hell. And only superheroes can joke while looking death in the face. On the seventh day of defense, the fascist landing force tried to capture the cadets' headquarters.
Having lost hope of breaking through the cadets’ defenses, the Germans decided to strike from the rear.
In the afternoon of October 13, the Nazi tank column managed to bypass the 3rd battalion, reach the Warsaw Highway and attack the cadet positions from Moscow. The Germans resorted to a trick; red flags were attached to the tanks. As the few survivors recalled: “When they heard the roar of tanks coming towards them from Moscow, they thought that they were ours - red flags were flying on the tanks. Jumping out of the trenches, the guys laughed, jumped, hugged each other, threw their hats into the air: “Hurray! Hooray! The long-awaited help has arrived!” But when the tanks came closer, they saw ominous black crosses on the gray towers. None of the guys were confused; they deployed their guns and immediately hit the enemy.
Yuri Dobrunov alone knocked out six tanks and three armored personnel carriers in this battle.
There was chaos in Moscow, the government evacuated to Kuibyshev, there was no time for heroic cadets. The cadets of the Infantry School were not inferior in courage to the artillerymen. Sniper cadet Alexander Ivanov killed 93 fascists in three days.
At one of the positions, only 18 cadets remained alive. 200 heavily armed Germans attacked them again. The guys ran out of ammunition. They had nothing to shoot with, but they did not give up: they jumped out of the trenches and loudly shouted “Hurray!” went on a counterattack. The Germans were seized with panic, they ran, throwing away their weapons.
Even the wounded boys did not leave their positions. In the early days, when there was still contact with Moscow, medical battalion vehicles arrived at the front line. The wounded cadets hid in trenches and crawled into the bushes, but none of them left their comrades, the ambulances left empty. This was the only order from the commanders that they did not comply with.
Yakov Gavrilov was wounded in the head and became blind. His comrades persuaded him: “Go to the hospital, how can you help us.” “My hands are intact. Give me the case." The blind, bleeding boy stuffed machine-gun disks until his last breath.
Another boy had his stomach torn open by a large fragment. The dying cadet bandaged his stomach with a footcloth, took an anti-tank grenade and crawled towards the tanks. Before his death, bleeding, he blew up a fascist tank.
These guys really loved their homeland, and gave for it the most precious thing they had - their lives...
The Germans were terrified, fear settled in their hearts forever. The road to the fascist troops, who had never known defeat, was blocked by only a handful of boys. The boys overshadowed Moscow with their children's hearts.
On the morning of October 16, the enemy launched a new powerful fire strike throughout the Ilyinsky combat area. The cadet garrisons in the remaining pillboxes and bunkers were shot by direct fire from tanks and cannons.
The Aleshkinsky pillbox brought particular horror to the Germans. Senior Lieutenant Aleshkin successfully camouflaged his firing position and created a reserve position to the right of it. For a long time the Germans could not discover where the fire was coming from. Their tanks were burning, infantrymen were dying. The well-aimed fire of the artillerymen mercilessly destroyed their ranks, the losses were colossal. Later, the Germans managed to discover the pillbox. The forces were unequal, and everyone understood this. Unable to storm the pillbox from the front, the Nazis attacked it from the rear in the evening and threw grenades through the embrasure. They literally burned the pillbox with fire. They saw how everything was burning inside the pillbox; nothing alive could remain. Nothing. The heroic garrison was almost completely destroyed.
On the night of October 17, the command post of Podolsk schools moved to the location of the 5th PPU company in the village of Lukyanovo.
On October 18, they were subjected to new enemy attacks and by the end of the day the command post and the 5th company were cut off from the cadets defending Kudinovo. The commander of the combined detachment, General Smirnov, gathered the remnants of the 5th and 8th cadet companies and organized the defense of Lukyanovo. By the evening of October 19, an order to withdraw was received. The defenders of Kudinovo, thanks to the decision of the senior group of PAU Lieutenant Smirnov and the assistant platoon commander of PPU cadets Konoplyanik to throw grenades at the Germans, managed to escape from the encirclement. The surviving guys were physically and mentally outside human capabilities. We were freezing, didn’t sleep, didn’t eat for several days. But even against the backdrop of inhuman fatigue, they showed ingenuity.
At night, while planting explosives under another damaged fascist tank, Ivan Kaytmazov noticed that the tank was the least damaged compared to the others. The very next day, the tank's gun opened fire on its former owners.
Machine gunner cadet Boris Timoshenko fought off the onslaught of the Nazis for five hours. The day before, he was seriously wounded and told the commander: “I cannot think about my wounds when my comrades die in battle.” His machine gun was damaged by shrapnel. Having sealed the broken casing of the Maxim machine gun with bread crumbs and filling it with water, he repelled attack after attack, destroying about a hundred Nazis.
The Germans, despite their numerical superiority, despite their superiority in weapons, despite the support of aviation, were morally broken. They lost. They were defeated by the children. Every day they became more and more afraid to attack. Their commanders, on pain of death, forced them to storm the Ilyinsky lines. Even one wounded cadet, Mikhail Kruglov, who survived, terrified the Nazis. All his comrades died. However, while bleeding, he loaded the gun, aimed it and fired accurately.
The attacks on the guys were not only fire - the Germans dropped empty barrels from planes along with bombs. These barrels, falling, emitted a heartbreaking howl. The Germans wanted to morally break the resistance of the cadets, intimidate them, break their will, but nothing worked. Each fascist attack, taking the lives of cadets, was drowned in blood.
Knowing that the guys were starving and freezing in the trenches, the Nazis printed leaflets and scattered them from airplanes over the positions of the cadets:
“Valiant red cadets! - it said. “You fought bravely, but now your resistance has lost its meaning. The Warsaw highway is ours almost all the way to Moscow. In a day or two we will enter it. You are real soldiers. We respect your heroism. Come over to our side. With us you will receive a friendly welcome, delicious food and warm clothes. This leaflet will serve as your pass."
Only on October 20, at night, did the cadets begin to withdraw from the Ilyinsky line to join the army units occupying the defense on the Maare River. And from there, on October 25, the surviving PPU personnel set off on a march to Ivanovo to continue their studies.
Later, when our troops pushed the enemies back from Moscow, a terrible picture opened up before them at the Ilyinsky lines. The entire battlefield was strewn with children's bodies with thin wasp-like waists, tied with wide soldier's belts, the ground was strewn with school notebooks, the guys were preparing to take tests, exams...
They were buried in December 1941 and even in 1942, no longer knowing who was buried. Therefore, most of the dead cadets are considered missing...
Zhukov set an unrealistic task for the cadets: to hold out for at least 5 days. The boys did the impossible - they lasted 15 days. During these 15 lead-fiery days, they withstood more than a hundred attacks, more than two hundred bombings and shelling, but none of them gave up or ran. This is heroism!

The monument to the cadets of Podolsk military schools, who, together with units of the 43rd Army, held back the onslaught of Nazi troops and helped gain time to bring up reserves to Moscow, was opened on May 7, 1975 at the intersection of Kirova Street, Parkovaya Street and Archive Proezd.

A feeling of achievement. This idea, according to artist Yuri Rychkov, was what its creators sought to express in the monument to Podolsk cadets. The feat of the Podolsk cadets is on a par with the military achievements of the defenders of the Brest Fortress, the legendary Panfilov’s men. What they did is what historians call mass heroism, that is, something like an exception, which is also the rule - a feature characteristic of the Russian (Soviet) army. Not the acquisition of laurels for oneself, not self-affirmation for the sake of a military career, but the courageous, selfless performance of military duty, for the sake of the Fatherland, for “one’s friends.” The feat of the cadets, as well as the defenders of the Brest Fortress, was remembered in the mid-60s of the last century. Publications about this “blank spot” of the Moscow Battle began to appear in the press. Veterans were able to meet for the first time, visit battlefields, find their pillboxes and firing positions that had been preserved from those times. Thus, the city of Podolsk strengthened its significance in the history of the battle for Moscow.

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Victory, the city leadership decided to perpetuate the feat of the cadets. By that time, the youth had made organized trips to the places of their battles and erected a monument at the site of the death of the cadets near the village of Vasisovo in the Detchinsky defense sector in the Kaluga region. Now they had to create a monument in Podolsk. The Komsomol City Committee called on the city's youth to hold a cleanup day and earn money for the construction of the monument.

The project was started by a working group: member of the Union of Soviet Artists Yu.L. Rychkov, sculptors A.N. Novikov and A.G. Myamlin, architects L.P. Zemskov and L.A. Skrob. The authors proposed making the monument from stainless steel. On February 18, 1975, the preliminary design and working model were approved by the Art Council for Sculpture of the Art Fund of the RSFSR. The project was approved by the bureau of the CPSU State Committee, the executive committee of the City Council and the Komsomol State Committee. The technical passport of the monument states that the production of the sculptural composition in terms of time, quality and technology has no precedent in Soviet and world practice.

Its production was entrusted to the machine-building plant named after S. Ordzhonikidze. Komsomol members of workshop No. 7, led by the deputy, took up the work. shop manager P.T. Prikhodko. Among them are electric welders Vladimir Loschilin, Ivan Kashevarov, Valery Akhromushkin, fitters Alexander Maloveykin, Anatoly Rebrov and others.

Many years later, the then secretary of the plant’s party committee, V.G. Ovchar recalled what a unique technological work it was. On site, according to the sculpture, it was necessary to express the faces of the cadets by welding 300 meters of seams with a decorative (tank) seam. There were other difficulties. While working on the monument, Ordzhonikidze workers disrupted the supply of equipment. Minister S.V. arrived at the plant. Krutov and asked to be taken to the “lagging” workshop. Arriving at the place, he was amazed: “What is this?” The managers of the enterprise explained what kind of work they were doing. They expected a scolding, but Sergei Vasilyevich allowed the delivery deadline to be delayed for another month with one condition: that the monument be made well.

The place for its installation was chosen to be extremely successful: next to the archives of the Ministry of Defense, where the artillery school was located in 1941 and from where the cadets went to the front. The monument has an all-round view. In the foreground are cadets going on the attack - three heroes who have stood up as an “unbreakable wall” in the path of the enemy. The number is three, according to Yu.L. Rychkov, should also symbolize the three lines of defense of Podolsk cadets. The heraldic part, against which the cadets stand, represents the wall, defensive line, banner, grenade explosion. The figures themselves face the Warsaw Highway, along which the cadets made their way to immortality. On the rear surface is a map of the cadets' combat operations.

The authors’ intention is revealed by the lines of R. Rozhdestvensky: “...Motherland, in that very bitter hour, Having met their death on the battlefield, Your sons for the last time Overshadowed the Motherland with themselves.” The height of the sculpture group was 8.5 meters, the cost of the entire complex was 50 thousand rubles. It includes a dedication wall - monolithic reinforced concrete, with narrow slots symbolizing the embrasures of pillboxes. Opposite is the firing position of a 57 mm gun. Concrete and landscaping work was carried out by Podolsk enterprises.

On May 7, 1975, the grand opening of the monument took place. Kirova Street was temporarily blocked and Podolsk residents walked along it to the sounds of a brass band. The most crowded column was the Ordzhonikidze group. It was led by V.G. Sheepdog. Memorial opened former boss Podolsk artillery school, Lieutenant General I.S. Strelbitsky, cadet of this school N.M. Dikarev, secretary of the Komsomol city committee A.V. Kovalev and a welder from the S. Ordzhonikidze plant, who took part in the construction of the monument, P.D. Suslov.

“I have four wars behind me,” said I.S. Strelbitsky. But when people ask me what I remember most of all from my military biography, I answer without hesitation: those October days of 1941, when Komsomol cadets from two Podolsk military schools stopped the Nazis rushing to Moscow. One of the authors of the composition is L.P. Zemskov recalled that this work was especially dear to him, because in 1942, after graduating from the Arzamas Mortar and Machine Gun School, he went to fight at Stalingrad. Since then, the memorial to Podolsk cadets has become iconic in our city, its calling card. (V. EROKHIN, newspaper "Podolsky Rabochiy", 05/08/2010)

In the terrible autumn of 1941, when the Nazis were rushing to Moscow, everyone who could hold a weapon stood up to defend the capital. Some heroes awaited eternal glory and the memory of their descendants, others - obscurity.

A journalist who happened to be nearby managed to describe someone’s feat, and the whole country learned about it. Most of the heroes remained in the shadows, hiding behind the term “mass heroism of the defenders of Moscow.”

For three and a half thousand almost boys who took part in the main battle of their lives in October 1941, there was only one common name left - “Podolsk cadets”.

On September 30, 1941, the German command launched Operation Typhoon. The Nazis hoped to finally defeat the Soviet forces in the Moscow direction and advance to the Soviet capital, putting an end to the blitzkrieg.

Guderian's tank group closed the encirclement of Soviet troops near Vyazma, simultaneously reaching the highway to Moscow, passing through Yukhnov, Ilyinskoye and Maloyaroslavets.

The 57th German motorized corps, consisting of 200 tanks and 20,000 soldiers and officers, was marching towards the capital.

Ivan Semyonovich Strelbitsky, Guards Major General of Artillery Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Enemy at the gate

Since mid-summer, construction has been underway on the Maloyaroslavets fortified area, which was planned to be completed by the end of November. By the beginning of October, they managed to build about 30 artillery and infantry pillboxes, which were not yet fully equipped. Trenches and communication passages were also dug. However, there were no Soviet troops in the fortification area.

On the morning of October 5, 1941, shocking information arrived in Moscow - the Germans had taken Yukhnov. At first, the General Staff refused to believe this, because just the day before, Wehrmacht units were 150 kilometers away from it!

But everything was confirmed: the advancing enemy troops really ended up in Yukhnov, and they had less than 200 kilometers left to Moscow.

It was a disaster - the Nazis found themselves deep in the rear of the Western and Reserve fronts, where there were no Soviet units.

The most urgent transfer of forces required several days, during which it was necessary to detain the enemy. But by whom?

Boys in greatcoats

In 1939-1940, two military schools were created in Podolsk - artillery and infantry. The training course for junior command officers was designed for three years, but in the summer of 1941 the program was urgently changed to six months.

The 1941 intake consisted of students from civilian universities, as well as boys whose school graduation took place on the very day the war began.

The head of the Podolsk Artillery School, Ivan Strelbitsky, recalled: “There were quite a few among them who had never shaved, never worked, never traveled anywhere without their dad and mom.”

Classes for new cadets began in September. And on the evening of October 5, the “Combat Alert!” signal sounded in the schools.

The junior command staff is the link without which the army cannot exist. It is possible to use cadets, future officers, as simple infantry only out of complete despair and hopelessness. But there was no other way out.

Detain at any cost!

From the cadets of the two schools, they formed a combined regiment of 3,500 people, which was given the order to occupy the Ilyinsky line (the same unfinished Maloyaroslavets fortified area) and at any cost detain the enemy for 5-7 days, until the reserves arrived.

Cartridges, grenades, rations for three days, rifles - that’s all the cadets’ equipment. The artillerymen advanced with their own training guns; even guns from the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878 were used.

The advanced detachment of cadets, who had requisitioned vehicles from enterprises in Podolsk, reached almost Yukhnov, which had already been occupied by the Germans. The cadets took their first battle on the evening of October 6 on the eastern bank of the Ugra, together with a battalion of paratroopers.

After five days of fighting, having spent almost all the ammunition, the advance detachment retreated to the Ilyinsky lines, where the main forces of the cadets were already occupying positions.

No more than a third of the cadets remained from the advance detachment, but together with the paratroopers they destroyed up to 20 tanks, about 10 armored cars, and disabled several hundred Nazis.

Captivity pass

At the Ilyinsky line, the cadets installed guns in pillboxes, although those, as already mentioned, were not only unfinished, but also practically uncamouflaged.

On October 11, the Germans began to storm the Ilyinsky line. The enemy actively used aviation and artillery, after which he went on the attack. However, all attempts to break through on October 11 were repulsed by the cadets. The situation repeated itself the next day.

On October 13, a detachment of 15 German tanks with troops was able to break through to the rear of the cadets. The Nazis relied on cunning by attaching red flags to their tanks. But their ruse was discovered, and the cadet reserve that advanced to meet them in a fierce battle defeated the enemy who had broken through.

A participant from the German side recalled those battles as follows: “These positions were defended by Mongolian and Siberian divisions. These people did not surrender because they were told that the Germans would first cut off their ears and then shoot them.”

However, the Germans knew who they were really fighting. From planes over the positions of the cadets, the Germans scattered leaflets: “Valiant red cadets! You fought bravely, but now your resistance has lost its meaning. The Warsaw highway is ours almost all the way to Moscow. In a day or two we will enter it. You are real soldiers. We respect your heroism. Come over to our side. With us you will receive a friendly welcome, delicious food and warm clothes. This leaflet will serve as your pass."

They fought to the end

But 17-18 year old boys fought to the death. By October 16, after daily fighting, the cadets had only five guns left. The enemy launched a new massive assault.

The name of the battery commander, Lieutenant, has been preserved in history Afanasia Aleshkina. He and the fighters acted cunningly. At that moment, when the Nazis began to shoot at his pillbox with guns, Aleshkin and his subordinates rolled out the gun to a reserve position.

As soon as the fire died down and the German infantry went on the attack, the gun returned to its previous position and again mowed down the enemy’s ranks.

But on the evening of October 16, the Nazis surrounded the pillbox, and as darkness fell, they threw grenades at its defenders.

By the morning of October 17, the main positions of the Ilyinsky lines were captured by the Germans. The surviving cadets retreated to the village of Lukyanovo, where the command post moved. They defended for another two days settlements Lukyanovo and Kudinovo.

The enemy managed to bypass the positions of the cadets, but they continued to shoot the road to Maloyaroslavets, which is why the Germans were deprived of the opportunity to transfer ammunition and reinforcements to their advanced units.

Former cadets at the opening of the monument in Ilyinsky. May 8, 1975. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

“We earned our Victory honestly...”

On October 19, the Germans surrounded the cadets in the Kudinovo area, but they managed to escape. In the evening of the same day, the command received an order for the combined regiment of cadets to retreat to the line of the Nara River to join the main forces.

On October 25, the surviving cadets were taken to the rear. They were given an order to go to the city of Ivanovo to complete their training.

According to some sources, about 2,500 cadets remained forever at the Ilyinsky borders. According to others, only every tenth of the 3,500 soldiers of the combined regiment survived.

But the meeting with the “red cadets” also cost the Germans, who lost about 100 tanks and up to 5,000 soldiers and officers in these battles.

Podolsk cadets, at the cost of their lives, won the time necessary to consolidate units on the new line of defense. The German offensive stalled. The Nazis were unable to enter Moscow.

In 1985 the film was released Yuri Ozerov“Battle for Moscow”, part of which was the history of the feat of Podolsk cadets. For this movie Alexandra Pakhmutov a and Nikolay Dobronravov wrote the song “You are my hope, you are my joy,” which contains the following lines:

We earned our Victory honestly,
Devoted to holy blood kinship.
In every new house, in every new song
Remember those who went to the battle for Moscow!
Gray overcoats. Russian talents.
The blue glow of incorruptible eyes.
On the snowy plains, young cadets...
Immortality has begun. Life ended.