Luga defensive line. Luga Frontier, which saved Leningrad Luga Frontier July August 1941
One of the important episodes of the sad year 1941, namely the battles in the North-Western direction, was the defense on the Luga line. Among competent historians, there is quite a fair opinion that the battles on this defensive line are among the underestimated and unfairly forgotten.
We must start with the fact that in many historical books and in the minds of the majority of those who read something about the defense of Leningrad, there was an opinion that the city was saved by G.K. Zhukov, and K.E. Voroshilov, who commanded the front in front of him, turned out to be very mediocre commander. In principle, some of the opinions regarding his abilities are correct. But we should not forget that the fairly successful actions of the Soviet troops during the retention of the Luga line occurred precisely at the time when Voroshilov was commander.
In addition, when starting to write unpleasant things about Voroshilov, one should not forget that he, without a doubt, was a courageous man and never hid behind the backs of others. While he was commander, Voroshilov constantly wandered around the front line and personally raised the soldiers into battle.
Now about the line itself. It passed from the Gulf of Finland to Lake Ilmen along the Luga River. Its length, according to various sources, ranged from 250 to 300 km. And the defense on Luga became one of the first truly successful defensive operations of 1941, one of the cogs that thwarted the blitzkrieg plans. It was not only the battle of Moscow that tore the backbone of the Germans.
150 thousand people were engaged in preparing fortifications on the Luga line every day. Now you can often see in movies or read that no one wanted to defend the USSR, and the entire defense was built and maintained only at gunpoint by the bloody NKVD officers. So - on the Luga line, for the first time during the war, the people's militia divisions took over the battle. And they were formed, for your information, on a voluntary basis. And they included mostly Leningraders, ready to defend their city to the end. And I also want to disappoint you - “shovel cuttings” were not given to the militias. The divisions were armed like regular combat units. This is not the film “Stalingrad” - this is a real war.
The fighting on the Luga line began on July 10, 1941. The Germans hoped to simply pass the positions of the Soviet troops as if at a parade, moving in the direction of Pskov-Luga. But they ran into fierce resistance. Some defensive nodes and settlements changed hands several times.
By July 13, the Germans had chewed through the defenses of the Red Army, but on the morning of July 14, with the support of tanks and artillery, the defensive formations were restored. General Reinhardt tried to outflank the Soviet troops and hit them in the rear, but his equipment encountered an excellent anti-tank barrier called a “country road through a swampy area.”
However, in terms of tactics, the Germans were still much stronger in 1941, and on July 14 they were still able to capture bridgeheads on the eastern bank of the Luga. There were stubborn battles for these bridgeheads for three days. And on the other flank, Soviet troops were able to successfully counterattack and push the Germans back several tens of kilometers. As a result, both sides exhausted their resources and active hostilities ceased, the sides stopped to lick their wounds and bring up new troops.
By August 8, the Germans had accumulated forces and tried to break through in the Kingisepp sector. Several days of stubborn fighting led to the fact that by the evening of August 14, the Luga line in this sector of defense was broken through. On the other flank of the defense, a breakthrough took place on August 13, the Germans advanced in the Novgorod direction. On August 24, the city of Luga was taken, and on the 25th, Lyuban. After 4 days, Soviet troops fell into the cauldron. The fact is that the Soviet command once again made a mistake typical for the beginning of a war - the command to retreat was given too late.
But even after finding themselves in the cauldron, the defenders of the Luga line continued to defend themselves. An attempt was made to organize air supply. Attempts to break through the cauldron were made until mid-September, which further constrained the Germans and was one of the reasons that the Germans were unable to cut off Leningrad from Lake Ladoga and completely close the blockade ring.
In total, according to German data, about 20 thousand people were captured, about 10 thousand died during attempts to break through the encirclement, about 13 thousand soldiers were able to break through. And they broke through until October. Moreover, they came out with banners, swimming across the icy Volkhov under the falling snow. Somehow it does not fit with the stories that surrounded Soviet troops in 1941 en masse threw down their weapons and surrendered in crowds of thousands.
In short, the Luga line was defended from July 10 to August 24. This is a month and a half, which was very good for the start of the war. The people's militia, recruited in Leningrad, showed itself with the best side. For example, the 277th separate machine-gun artillery battalion was formed from residents of Vasilyevsky Island. It included students and graduate students of Leningrad State University, as well as young workers of the Baltic Plant. Almost the entire battalion died while holding the positions allocated to it near the village of Razbegaevo.
The Germans broke through the Luga line and won the battle, but lost a lot of time and energy. Although there was a blockade ahead.
To protect the distant approaches to Leningrad it was necessary to build a defensive line from the Gulf of Finland along the Luga River to Lake Ilmen, occupy it along the entire 250-km front with troops and create continuous anti-tank and anti-personnel barriers in front of the defense.
Commander of the Northern Front, Lieutenant General Popov M.M., fulfilling the decision of the Headquarters, on July 6 created Luga operational group under the command of Deputy Front Commander Lieutenant General Pyadysheva K.P. The group was to include: 4 rifle divisions (70, 111, 177 and 191); 1st, 2nd and 3rd militia divisions; Leningrad Rifle and Machine Gun School; Leningrad Red Banner named after S.M. Kirov Infantry School; 1st Mountain Rifle Brigade; artillery group from units of the Luga camp gathering under the command of Colonel G.F. Odintsov To cover the group's troops from the air, aviation from the entire Northern Front was brought in under the command of Aviation Major General A.A. Novikov.
By July 9, the Luga operational group occupied the eastern and central defense sector from the city of Luga to Lake Ilmen. The area on the lower reaches of the Luga River remained unoccupied, to which the troops had just begun to move.
During the 18-day offensive, enemy armored and motorized units crossed the line along the Western Dvina and occupied the Pskov fortified area. It became clear that Army Group North intended to strike with its main forces through Lugu to Krasnogvardeysk, in order to then immediately capture Leningrad and unite with Finnish troops.
The Luga fortified position was not yet ready. The Narva and Kingisepp directions were covered by the 191st Infantry Division. The 70th, 111th and 177th rifle divisions were just moving into the combat area, and the people's militia divisions were generally at the stage of formation. In this situation, the Military Council of the Northern Front decided to transfer the reserve 237th Infantry Division from the Petrozavodsk direction, and 2 divisions of the 10th Mechanized Corps from the Karelian Isthmus to strengthen the Luga direction. This was risky, since the northern section of the defense was weakened, but there was no other way out.
Tank and motorized formations of German troops after the capture of Pskov did not wait for the main forces of the 16th and 18th armies to approach, but resumed the offensive: with the 41st motorized corps on Luga, and with the 56th motorized corps on Novgorod.
The 90th and 111th Soviet rifle divisions, under pressure from superior enemy forces, fought back to the foothills of the Luga defensive zone and on July 12, together with the 177th rifle division, stopped the enemy’s advance. An attempt by two tank and one infantry German divisions to break through to the city of Luga in this direction was unsuccessful.
On July 10, two tank, motorized and infantry divisions of the 41st Motorized Corps of the 4th Panzer Group of German troops, with air support, attacked units of the 118th Infantry Division north of Pskov. Having forced her to retreat to Gdov, they rushed to Luga from another front. A day later, the Germans reached the Plyussa River and began a battle with the covering troops of the Luga operational group.
The Luga position was defended by the 191st and 177th rifle divisions, the 1st militia division, the 1st mountain rifle brigade, and cadets of the Leningrad Red Banner Infantry School named after S.M. Kirov and Leningrad Rifle and Machine Gun School. The 24th Tank Division was in reserve, and the 2nd People's Militia Division was advancing to the front line.
Fight until the last grenade, until the last cartridge...
Formations and units defended on a broad front. Between them there were gaps of 20-25 km, not occupied by troops. Some important directions, for example Kingisepp, turned out to be open. The 106th Engineer and 42nd Pontoon Battalions laid anti-tank minefields in the forefield zone. Intensive work was still underway at the Luga position. Tens of thousands of Leningraders and the local population took part in them.
The German divisions approaching the forefield of the Luga defensive position encountered stubborn resistance. Hot battles continued day and night. Important settlements and centers of resistance changed hands several times. On July 13, the enemy managed to wedge into the supply line, but on the morning of the next day, the forward detachments of the 177th Infantry Division and parts of the 24th Tank Division, supported by powerful artillery fire, knocked it out of the forefield and again took up positions along the Plyussa River. Big role the colonel's artillery group played a role in repelling the onslaught of enemy tanks Odintsova. One senior lieutenant's howitzer battery Yakovleva A.V. destroyed 10 enemy tanks.
The German command decided to change the direction of the main attack. The main forces of the 41st Motorized Corps received orders to move to Kingisepp. Secretly, along country and forest roads, German tank and motorized units quickly began to bypass the group of troops of the Northern Front located in the area of the city of Luga. Soon they reached the Luga River, 20-25 km southeast of Kingisepp. On July 14, the advance detachment of the Germans crossed the river and created a bridgehead on its northern bank near the village of Ivanovskoye.
The maneuver of the main forces of the 4th Panzer Group from the Luga to the Kingisepp direction was promptly discovered by front reconnaissance. At the same time, the reconnaissance group especially distinguished itself Lebedeva V.D., operating behind enemy lines. She reported on the intensive movement of German tanks and motorized columns from Struga Krasny and Plyussa to Lyady and further to the Luga River. Our aerial reconnaissance monitored the regrouping of German troops. The front command took urgent measures to cover the Kingisepp sector. The dispatch to this direction of the 2nd division of the people's militia, formed from volunteers from the Moscow region of Leningrad and the tank battalion of the Leningrad Red Banner Armored Command Improvement Courses, which began to hastily form on July 15, 1941, was accelerated.
Front aviation began to strike at enemy crossings and at their approaching columns. For this purpose, the Air Force of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet and the 7th Air Defense Fighter Aviation Corps were also used, operationally subordinate to the commander of the Front Air Force, Major General A.A. Novikov.
July 14, Commander-in-Chief of the North-Western direction Voroshilov K.E. together with the commander of the Northern Front, Lieutenant General Popov M.M. arrived in the Kingisepp area, where units of the 2nd People's Militia Division tried to “knock down” German troops from the captured bridgehead on the Luga River. The militia was supported by a combined tank regiment and a separate tank battalion of KV tanks.
From July 16 to July 21, tank units were used in battles in the Kingisepp area. The tanks were thrown into battle on the move, attacked the enemy head-on, without reconnaissance, without the support of infantry and artillery, and suffered a complete fiasco - the elimination of the enemy's bridgehead was not achieved. On the Luga line, the fighting was fierce and bloody, especially on July 17, when for 15 hours our units held back the enemy’s onslaught and counterattacked themselves.
However, in general, in mid-July, German troops were detained at the Luga line, which allowed the Soviet command to continue building fortifications on the immediate approaches to Leningrad. To support the actions of the Luga operational group, from mid-July, tank units of the 1st and 10th mechanized corps, as well as armored trains and handcars, began to be involved.
Having carried out a counterattack under Salts, The Red Army pushed the enemy back from Shimsk to the west by more than 40 km, eliminating the danger of the Nazis capturing Novgorod. On July 25, the Germans resumed attacks in the area of Serebryanka station. The battles for Serebryanka lasted 5 days, the station changed hands several times. This was one of the most difficult and responsible periods during the first 15 days of defense. Fierce battles reached hand-to-hand combat. Our troops left the area up to 9 km deep. Soviet units suffered heavy losses...
On July 23, 1941, in order to improve the command and control of the troops of the Luga operational group, the Military Council of the front divided it into 3 independent sectors - Kingisepp, Luga and Eastern, subordinating them directly to the front.
Troops of the Kingisepp sector under the command of Major General Semashko V.V. received the task of preventing the enemy from breaking through from the south along the Gdov highway to Narva and through Kingisepp to Leningrad. Formations of the Luga sector (they were headed by Major General Astanin A.N.) blocked all the roads that led to Leningrad from the southwest. The Novgorod direction was defended by troops of the eastern sector, commanded by Major General F.N. Starikov. By order of Headquarters, from July 29, 1941, sectors began to be called sections.
On July 29, German units occupied the villages Volosovichi, Nikolskoye, Ryuten and launched an offensive along the Luga Highway. By evening, the German column “headed” reached the village of Bunny. Soviet 24th Panzer Division, like other tank units, in the Luga direction was used in small groups, in different areas, to contain the advancing enemy, and not to go to the rear and destroy him. At the same time, there were favorable conditions and opportunities for this, since the enemy moved only in certain areas where there were good roads.
Each combined arms commander wanted to use tanks in his sector to “push out” the enemy and provide moral support to his infantry. As a result, the division was torn apart. In fact, it acted in five directions.
Units of the division did not have unified control, supply and restoration. The division headquarters was divided into parts, as were the division's units. Orders were given by higher commanders, as a rule, verbally with a personal visit to the troops or through the chief of staff. There were no written confirmations of verbal orders. The time for preparing and executing orders was always limited, which made them practically impossible to carry out, not to mention the time reserve. Often orders were canceled.
The tasks of the tank division were set as for a rifle formation - to attack, take possession (frontal attack), and only one task was set to reach the enemy’s rear (to the Velikoye Selo area). Despite the fragmentation of the division's units, all tasks were completed. The maneuver group of Colonel Rodin fought the battle in a deep wedge forward, having exposed flanks, since on its flanks parts of the 3rd and 483rd motorized regiments were retreating, and the enemy, sensing their instability, pressed harder on them. Major Lukashik's group, having virtually no support on the flanks, held back the enemy until the last opportunity.
The task of encircling the enemy in the area Velikoye Selo was also carried out, but due to the fact that only 11 tanks reached the rear of the German troops without infantry and artillery support, the enemy broke through the ambush, set fire to the village with a strong artillery attack and broke out of the encirclement.
In early August, the 177th Division received reinforcements from volunteers from the Baltic Shipyard. This battalion took up defensive positions on the southern outskirts of the city of Luga, on Langina Gora to a military town about 5 km long. Many of those young militia remained lying in the Luga land. And today in these places you can see pillboxes, bunkers, trenches... After powerful artillery preparation, the 56th motorized corps of the 4th tank group attacked the troops of the Luga defense sector on August 10, trying to capture Luga and move to Leningrad. But the 177th Rifle Division, commanded by Colonel A.F. Mashoshin, in cooperation with the 24th Tank Division, with artillery support, operating under the overall command of Major General A.N. Astanin. (commander of the Luga defense sector), held back the onslaught of enemy troops and inflicted heavy losses on them.
In the area of Novaya and Staraya Seredka, the enemy even launched a psychic attack, but the Soviet soldiers did not flinch. The guns of five artillery battalions destroyed and scattered the Germans marching in close formation with intense fire. The enemy's attack failed. Despite the heroic resistance of the Soviet troops, the situation in the Luga region continued to deteriorate. This was due to the events that took place on the flanks. On the right, parts of the Kingisepp defense sector continued to retreat, and on the far left flank, under with strong blows Two German corps of the 16th German Army retreated the 48th Army of the North-Western Front.
The enemy intensified the onslaught and launched a decisive offensive in the Kingisepp, Novgorod and Luga directions. On August 16, the Germans captured Novgorod and the Batetskaya station. The enemy broke through to the Oredezh River, and in the western direction approached the Kingisepp-Leningrad road. Thus, by mid-August an emergency moment had arrived for the Northern Front. Army Group North was approaching Leningrad from the south, breaking through the Luga fortified position on the flanks, and from the north - Finnish army, which developed the offensive on the Karelian Isthmus. At the same time, the balance of forces was still in favor of the enemy. Most of the divisions on the Northern Front suffered heavy losses. “The difficulty in the current situation is that,” it was reported to the chief General Staff Marshal B.M. Shaposhnikov, “that neither the division commanders, nor the army commanders, nor the front commanders have any reserves.”
On August 24, our troops, in accordance with the order of the command, left the city after the enemy broke through in the Kingisepp direction and reached Krasnogvardeysk (Gatchina) and Tosn. Units of the Luga operational group fought courageously for several more days near the village of Tolmachevo and Mshinskaya station. Our soldiers held back the enemy’s advance until August 27, and two days later, Major General A.N. Astanin. began to withdraw troops to the north.
In mid-September, the Luga Task Force, renamed the Southern Group, divided into several detachments and joined forces with the front forces near Leningrad in the Kirishi and Pogostye areas. Each of the detachments was led by experienced commanders - General A.N. Astanin, Colonels A.F. Mashoshin, A.G. Rodin, S.V. Roginsky. and Odintsov G.F. In the most dangerous places, invariably with the fighters was Brigade Commissar L.V. Gaev, who died heroically. The detachments, having destroyed many Germans in battle, broke out of the enemy ring and joined the ranks of the defenders of Leningrad.
However, many defenders of the Luga defensive line died during the retreat: drowned in swamps, shot by fascist planes at low level. In the second half of September, the surviving troops reached the Slutsk area and the Volkhov River. A month and a half of fighting on the Luga line slowed down the enemy’s advance and slowed down the pace of his advance towards Leningrad. The Germans were never able to take Luga by storm.
The experience of fighting maneuverable and mobile groups in the Luga direction in the first weeks of the war showed that the enemy’s motorized mechanized units included a large number of wheeled 8-ton vehicles for transporting infantry. In addition, the enemy had a significant number of large-caliber mortars, a small number of medium tanks and several heavy ones. The majority of transporters were armored and had a combined speed (front wheels on a “load belt”, steered). The transporters towed 75 mm or 37 mm guns. The presence of artillery with a caliber higher than 105 mm was not observed.
The enemy had a significant number of motorcycles with BMW sidecars. The crew consisted of three people armed with a machine gun and machine guns. Each formation or detachment had an HS-126 spotter aircraft as support for correcting mortar and artillery fire and for conducting close-out aerial reconnaissance.
While on the march, German units conducted active ground reconnaissance, mainly on motorcycles. Sometimes enemy reconnaissance groups included an anti-tank gun and tankettes. The side security service was carried out mainly by motorcyclists.
The enemy's motorized mechanized units operated only on roads, boldly went deeper into the rear and were located mainly in populated areas. Cars at rest stops were camouflaged in barns, barnyards, under sheds, or located next to the house, masquerading as buildings. Some of the German soldiers were in the houses, the rest immediately began tearing off cracks, making ditches or digging shelters near the walls of barns and houses. To camouflage, German soldiers even dressed in civilian clothes of the local population.
In general, German units were tied to roads, the quality of which determined the speed of their advance. There was no continuous front, and the space between the roads was completely free from the actions of the advancing German troops. Motorized mechanical units, moving in separate directions, did not secure their rear. Only motorcyclists performed patrol duty on the roads. At night, German mechanized units did not conduct active combat operations; they took on battle only during the day in open areas, and then, based on similar practice, they designated populated areas for location at night.
In fire combat, German units used, as a rule, large-caliber mortars and artillery, firing direct fire, sometimes using anti-aircraft artillery as anti-tank artillery. Rifle and machine gun fire was used very rarely by the Germans. Long-range artillery fire was corrected by spotter planes, and the same planes conducted constant reconnaissance of the location of Soviet units. During the offensive, the Germans positioned their artillery from the front, attacking with tanks from the flanks.
When forced to withdraw, German units began to look for the weakest flanks of the counterattackers. If the attack on the move was unsuccessful for the Germans, they immediately switched to artillery preparation, and when the KB tanks appeared, the fire of all firepower was concentrated against them. Such tactics allowed German troops, with a minimum of expended forces and means, to achieve the desired result, to push back and encircle Soviet troops along the entire front, inflicting heavy losses on the defending Soviet units.
On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany treacherously attacked the Soviet Union without declaring war. The implementation of the Barbarossa plan began - aggressive war against the USSR. Its goal was to liquidate the Soviet state, exterminate millions of people, and turn the survivors into servants of the Reichskommissariat - the German province. Documents that have long become known testify to the barbaric, merciless nature of Germany’s war against the USSR, the essence of which can be described in two words: conquer and destroy.
Plans to wage war against Soviet Union The German command gave special attention to the capture of Leningrad. Already in the first drafts of the operational plans of the General Staff of the Wehrmacht and the ground forces, the capture of Leningrad and the capture of the Baltic Sea coast were considered as the primary goal of the offensive. It was enshrined in the Barbarossa plan.
In accordance with the plan, the German army troops were concentrated in three groupings: Army Group North, Army Group Center and Army Group South. Army Group North was supposed to, advancing from East Prussia, in cooperation with Army Group Center, destroy the Soviet troops fighting in the Baltic states. “Only after achieving this urgent task, which should end with the capture of Leningrad and Kronstadt,” the directive says, “should offensive operations to capture the most important center communications and defense industry - Moscow".
We draw the readers' attention to three circumstances. Firstly, the directive is not talking about coercion to surrender, not about encirclement, not about a blockade, but I clearly and unequivocally speak about the capture of Leningrad. Secondly, the capture of Leningrad is defined as an urgent, that is, the primary task, on the solution of which the course and outcome of the war against the USSR largely depends. And thirdly, the Nazis intended to take Moscow only after Leningrad fell.
Based on the assigned task and assessment of the strength of the Soviet troops in the Baltic states, their troops, the German command concentrated in the grouping of its forces aimed at capturing Leningrad, forces that significantly exceeded the number and armament of the Soviet troops in the Baltic states. This was one of the main reasons, along with other objective and subjective factors, for the defeat of the Red Army in the North-Western direction and the approach of Army Group North to Leningrad.
Taking into account the dangerous situation developing in the Leningrad direction, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command on July 4 decided to attract troops from the Northern Front to defend the southwestern approaches to Leningrad. The next day, July 5, signed by the Chief of the General Staff G.K. Zhukov addressed the Military Council with a new directive from the Supreme High Command Headquarters on the construction of defensive lines “to cover the city of Leningrad and the most important directions from the southwest and south: Gdov-Kingisepp-Leningrad, Luga-Leningrad, Novgorod-Leningrad, Vyshny Volochek-Leningrad.” The construction of the defensive line was ordered to be completed by July 15.
But in fact, the command of the Northern Front began preparing defensive lines already in the first days of the war.
On June 24, it was decided to build three defensive lines. The main one is along the Luga River to the lake. Ilmen (Luga border). The second is along the line Peterhof - Krasnogvardeysk (Gatchina) - Kolpino. Tritium line along the line Avtovo - ring railway - station. Predportovaya - Srednyaya Rogatka - st. Rybatskoye. The Directorate for the Construction of Rear Defensive Lines was created.
On June 27, 1941, the Executive Committee of the Leningrad City Council of Workers' Deputies adopted a resolution on involving city residents in labor service. It was decided to stop the construction of a number of facilities in the city, and to direct the released labor, machinery and vehicles to defensive work. In total, about 500 thousand people took part in the work in July-August 1941. Over 133 thousand people were employed daily.
Workers did a lot of work on the construction of defensive structures Leningrad region. Every day in July-August, 150 thousand people worked on the construction of these structures, and in certain periods, 250 thousand people were not employed at defense industry enterprises. On July 12, 1941, the Leningrad Regional Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks (Bolsheviks) and the regional executive committee sent a telegram to the district party committees and district executive committees of the districts on the territory of which the Luga defensive line was being built, in which they obliged the district committees and executive committees to “raise the entire population of collective farms and other organizations for defensive structures.” .
The work went on continuously. In the depths of the defense, machine operators dug deep ditches and “created forest debris. In the forefield and in front of the main strip, sappers installed minefields and wire barriers. At the Izhora, Kirov, Baltiysky, Metallic and other plants, long-term firing points were manufactured - armored and reinforced concrete, as well as various anti-tank bosses.
The most difficult was the construction of the Luga defensive line, which was about 250 km long. It was created from the Narva Bay, passed along the banks of the Luga, Mshaga, Shelon rivers and ended at Lake Ilmen. Ditches and scarps, trenches, anti-tank ditches were built, command and observation posts were equipped. Special teams prepared a double frame of logs, filled the space between the walls with stones, and laid thick logs on top in three layers. The entire structure was covered with stones, earth and carefully banked with turf. Bunkers were built in this way. They did not stand out in any way against the background of the surrounding terrain and withstood a direct hit from a large-caliber projectile.
The work went on day and night. The machine operators set up tank traps in the depths. From the beginning of the delivery of concrete blocks, gun bunkers began to be built from them.
A significant number of engineering structures were built at the Luga line, including 517 anti-tank obstacles (201 km of anti-tank ditches, 241 km of scarps, 15 km of gouges, etc.), 826 fire structures.
In the German three-volume collection of documents and materials “Second World War“It is said how Army Group North came across a defensive line that was erected at the Luga line by the workers of Leningrad.
To defend the borders, the Military Council of the Northern Front decided on July 5 to create the Luga operational group under the command of deputy front commander, Lieutenant General K.P. Pyadyshev, an experienced military leader who commanded a division back in the 1920s. At the beginning of hostilities, the group included two rifle divisions, two divisions of the people's militia, the Leningrad Red Banner Infantry School named after S.M. Kirov in full force, the rifle and machine gun school, the 41st rifle corps of the 11th army, the formations and units of which were significantly weakened in previous battles. In addition, the group included a regiment of artillery advanced training courses for command personnel, a division of the 28th corps artillery regiment and batteries of the 1st and 3rd Leningrad artillery schools and the anti-aircraft division of the Leningrad School of Instrumental Reconnaissance of Anti-Aircraft Artillery. These artillery units and units were united into a special artillery group under the command of Colonel G.F. Odintsova. Before the enemy approached, the group managed to occupy the eastern sector in the Luga area with the forces of rifle divisions. By June 10, troops had just begun to move to the lower reaches of the river.
At the beginning of July 1941, fascist German troops crossed the Velikaya River, captured the city of Ostrov, and on July 9 captured Pskov and invaded the Leningrad region. So, on July 10, the Battle of Leningrad began, military operations on the territory of the Leningrad region.
An alarming time has come for Leningrad. The Luga defensive line was not yet completely ready. The people's militia divisions intended for its defense were completing their formation.
The fighting on the Luga line began on July 12, 1941, when formations of the 41st motorized corps of Army Group North, pushing back the Red Army units retreating from Pskov, reached the front edge of the forefield of the Luga strip on the Plyussa River and entered into battle with the advanced units of the Luga task force. On July 13, the enemy managed to wedge into the supply line and occupy the village and the Plyussa railway station. But the advanced detachments of the 177th rifle division Colonel A.F. Mashonin and units of the 24th Tank Division Colonel A.G. Rodina, after two days of fighting, knocked the enemy out of the field and restored positions along the Plyussa River. The artillery group of Colonel G.F. played a major role in repelling the attacks of the 1st and 6th German tank divisions. Odintsova.
Already on the second day of the offensive, the commander of the 4th Panzer Group, General Hoepner, realized that at Luzhskoye, i.e. the shortest direction to Leningrad, due to the stubborn resistance of the Soviet troops, it will not be possible to advance without significant losses and in a short time. On July 12, he turned his 41st Mechanized Corps to the northwest to reach Leningrad across the Koporye Plateau. The 6th and 1st tank divisions are transferred secretly, along country and forest roads, to the Kingisepp area. On July 14, the forward detachments of the 6th Panzer Division crossed the Luga River and captured a bridgehead near the village of Ivanovskoye, 20-25 km southeast of Kingisepp. The 2nd militia division of the hero of the Soviet-Finnish war, Colonel N.S., arrived here in time. Ugriumova heroically attacked the enemy, whose advance was stopped, but failed to knock him off the bridgehead and throw him across the river.
The fierce battle of the cadets of the Leningrad Infantry School named after S.M. continued for several days. Kirov with units of the 1st Tank Division, which crossed the Luga River and captured a bridgehead in the area of the village of Bolshoi Sabsk on July 15. The cadets steadfastly held onto every piece of land, every trench, not allowing the enemy to expand the breakthrough. On July 17, the German command sent the main forces of the division to the positions of the cadets. As a result of a fierce battle, the Nazis lost at least 800 soldiers, but did not advance a single step. For the courage and perseverance shown by the cadets in the battles near Greater Sabsk, the school was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
By July 19, the stubborn defense of the Soviet troops stopped the enemy's advance at the Luga River line. The command of Army Group North ordered a halt to the offensive on Leningrad. The plan of the German command to break through to Leningrad on the move through Luga and the Koporye Plateau was thwarted. For the first time during World War II, the Wehrmacht was forced, albeit temporarily, to go on the defensive.
The time gained thanks to the resilience of the troops on the Luga defense line was used to intensify the construction of defensive lines around Leningrad. The military councils of the Northwestern and Northern Front took measures to speed up defensive work in the immediate vicinity of Leningrad, to increase the combat effectiveness of units and formations, and to intensively prepare to repel an attack on Leningrad.
On July 23, the Military Council of the Northern Front, to improve command and control, divided the Luga operational group into three independent sectors (later sections) - Kingisepsky, Luga and Eastern, subordinating them directly to the front. Troops of the Kingisep sector under the command of Major General V.V. Semashko was given the task of preventing the enemy from breaking through from the south along the Gdov highway to Narva and through Kingisepp to Leningrad.
Formations of the Luga sector under the command of Major General A.N. Astana was covered by roads to Leningrad from the southwest.
The troops of the Eastern Sector, commanded by Major General Starikov, defended the Novgorod direction.
All measures to strengthen the defense of Leningrad were carried out at a time when military operations were taking place in various directions in the second half of July - early August. Before the start of the general offensive on Leningrad, the German command sought to break through to Luga, defeat Soviet troops in the Baltic states, and capture Estonia and the islands in the Baltic Sea.
On August 10, German troops launched an offensive in the Luga and Novgorod-Chudivo directions. After powerful artillery preparation, the 56th Motorized Corps attacked the troops of the Luga defense sector. But Soviet troops operating under the overall command of General A.N. Astanina (commander of the Luga defense sector), staunch defense prevented the enemy from breaking through to Leningrad through Luga. However, in the Novgorod direction, German troops broke through in the Shimsk area and began to develop an offensive towards Novgorod. On August 16, our troops left Kingisepp on the right flank of the Luga line. On the same day the enemy occupied Narva.
All available reserves were used to protect the approaches to Leningrad. At the Luga line, the 2nd and 3rd divisions of the people's militia, cadets of the Leningrad military schools, and students of junior political instructors courses fought with the enemy. But these forces could not ensure the stability of the defense to hold back the superior enemy forces. On August 23, Soviet troops began to withdraw from the positions of the Luga defensive line due to the threat of encirclement by those who had broken through by German troops. On August 24, our defending units left the city of Luga. However, this decision came too late. Troops of the 4th Tank Group cut off the Vitebsk railway south of Vyritsa and on August 28 united near the Sluditsy station with the troops of the 16th Army, advancing on Leningrad from the southeast.
The fight of our troops in the encirclement was led by Major General A.N. Astanin, Colonels A.F. Mashonin, G.F. Odintsov, S.V. Roginsky, A.G. Rodin. However, a significant part of the defending troops were unable to connect with the main forces of the Leningrad Front.
At the same time, the Luga line became one of the first lines where a serious failure of the “blitzkrieg” occurred. Later, the commander of the 4th Panzer Group, General Erich Hoepner, wrote: “How difficult the battle was against a strongly fortified enemy can be seen from the fact that we had to take 1,263 field fortifications and remove 26,588 mines.” German troops paid in great blood for every captured inch of Leningrad land. One of the German tank staff officers then called the path of the German offensive through the Luga line “the road of death.”
G.K. Zhukov, noting the significance of the heroic battles of the Soviet troops on the Luga defensive line, emphasized that here, as well as in the Dno area, on the Staraya Russa - Kholm line, in the Kingisepp - Siverskaya area, Army Group North met stubborn resistance, suffering heavy losses and “ without additional reinforcement she could no longer advance on Leningrad.”
The feat of the defenders of the Luga border was noted in 1977 by awarding the city of Luga the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, and in 2009 by awarding it the title of “City of Military Glory.” The defensive positions of our troops on the Luga line truly became boundaries of heroism and glory.
Mikhail Ivanovich Frolov , Head of the Scientific and Educational Center for Historical Research and Analysis of Leningrad State University named after A.S. Pushkin,
Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences
The defeat of German imperialism in World War II. Articles and documents. - M., 1961. P.201.
The Northern Front was formed on June 24, 1941 on the basis of the command and control of the Leningrad Military District.
Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (CAMO RF). F.48-A, Op.1554. D.9. L.77.
Kovalchuk V.M. 900 days of the siege of Leningrad 1941-1944. - St. Petersburg, 2005. P.19-20.
History of the Order of Lenin of the Leningrad Military District. - M., 1974. - P.206.
History of the Order of Lenin of the Leningrad Military District. P.207.
Ibid S.215-216.
On the defense of the Neva Stronghold. Leningrad party organization during the Great Patriotic War. - L., 1965. - P.130.
On these hot summer days, July 10 - August 24, 1941, fierce battles between Soviet soldiers and the Nazi army took place at the Luga line. Hitler's troops of the North group were detained for 45 days. The defense was held by Leningrad volunteers. The Luga fortified position began to be hastily constructed at the end of June 1941. The length of the fortification was 300 kilometers.
Remembering the tragic pages of history, I visited the memorials of the Luga border, where “the earth used to stand on its hind legs.” Imagine what it was like in these quiet lands 10 years ago.
Thanks to the delay of the enemy at the Luga line, our soldiers managed to build the necessary fortifications on the approaches to Leningrad and evacuate about 500 thousand residents. If not for the brave defenders of the Luga line, Leningrad would have been captured and destroyed by the Nazis. "The fate of Leningrad is being decided at the Luga line"- said the fighters.
Letters and memories of the soldiers who fought on the Luga line, defending Leningrad, have been preserved. I suggest reading these chronicles of the war...
At the Luga line, the Nazis met a worthy rebuff.
From a message from the Sovinformburo on July 15: “In the Pskov-Porkhov direction, in the morning, during the fighting, our troops surrounded a group of enemy motorized mechanized units and destroyed it piece by piece, capturing a significant number of tanks, vehicles and various types of weapons. The remnants of the enemy are thrown back to the west."
From a letter from the commander of the 237th Infantry Division, Colonel V. Ya. Tishinsky, to his family: “Dear children! All this time I was in hot work. Today they finally broke the bastards and they are running. Everything is fine with me.
Today I was appointed commander of the rifle division and now I’m going back to work...”
One of the bunkers at the Luga border. It can be seen that the fortifications were erected hastily from scrap materials.
There were trenches here. Now they are covered with tiles so as not to fall asleep
Alexander Sinev, senior political instructor, battalion military commissar:
“The fighting in Sabek continued on July 16. Advantageous positions changed hands several times. About
At eleven o'clock in the afternoon we again launched a counterattack.
The head of the school reinforced our battalion with the tenth company and supported it with artillery fire. The enemy could not withstand the blow of the cadets and retreated beyond Luga. But after some time, real hell began in our positions. The Nazis fired guns and mortars of all calibers. German bombers dived into the cadets' trenches.
And we were forced to leave the northern bank of the Luga. The fight did not stop for half a day. It’s scary to look at the cadets: sweaty, tired, covered in dust. They forgot about food, and hardly anyone wanted to eat. I was thirsty.
By midnight the tension of the battle had subsided. Company commanders came to the battalion command post. Let's sum it up and share our impressions. Comrades criticize the quartermasters: they do not think about how to provide people with water and food in battle.
Poor evacuation of the wounded. Lieutenant Karetnikov, seriously wounded, lay in the trench for about three hours.
They talk about those who distinguished themselves in battle. Cadet Fedorov destroyed up to a dozen fascists with grenades and rifle fire. Two days ago we accepted him into the party. Biography - a few words: studied, worked, joined the Komsomol. When asked about the duties of a communist, Fedorov replied: “To beat the fascists without sparing your life.”
Cadet Savchenko fought in the Finnish. In battle, he saved the life of Lieutenant Karetnikov: with a well-aimed shot he killed a German non-commissioned officer who was aiming at the lieutenant. The company commanders unanimously praise the mortarmen: with dense and well-aimed fire they scattered an enemy group of up to thirty people who broke through to our rear near the collective farm yard.”
Kingisepp area. Headquarters of the 235th separate reconnaissance battalion of the 191st rifle division.
Ilya Orlov, senior lieutenant, chief of staff.
“We conducted reconnaissance almost continuously. We sent out reconnaissance groups in vehicles and on foot. In different directions, ten, fifteen, or even twenty kilometers. The roads to Leningrad are straight. If we miss the enemy, the matter could turn into an irreparable disaster.
The left flank, when the militia took positions there, became less of a concern. But they were worried about the highway to Gdov. The 118th Infantry Division, which was withdrawing fighting, pulled the enemy along with it.
However, danger still came from the left flank, from Ivanovsky, after the enemy captured a bridgehead on Luga. The enemy brought up fresh forces, and the regiment of Major V.P. Yakutovich could not withstand the onslaught.
To restore the situation, the division commander sent his reserve to Yakutovich. He took a horn of armored vehicles from us. On the night of July 16, we sent armored cars. I ordered the company commander, Junior Lieutenant Korkin (he came to us from courses before the war) to act cautiously, under the cover of infantry and artillery.
During the day there was no news from Korkin. Judging by the artillery cannonade, Yakutovich was in a hot mood.
Late in the evening Korkin returned to the battalion. The former smart junior lieutenant was unrecognizable: he looked broken and confused. I ask him:
- What happened, Comrade Junior Lieutenant?
- They burned the company... That is, the cars...
Korkin came to his senses a little and began to tell how the first fight in his life went. The battalion commander decided to use armored cars as tanks, ahead of the infantry. Korkin tried to object, but the battalion commander threatened him with a weapon.
The rifle companies, pinned down by enemy machine-gun fire, lay down, and the vehicles found themselves without cover. The Nazis opened fire on them from anti-tank guns. Naturally, wheeled vehicles could not maneuver through craters and pits among the bushes and burned like candles. Only one crew of Sergeant Khrustalev managed to take the vehicle out of the battle. It’s a pity, of course, for the cars, but it’s even more a pity for the people. Almost all the crews were killed. What kind of guys were..."
Anatoly Krasnov, Hero of the Soviet Union, captain, regiment commander
“We began to count the possibilities with the artillery commanders. We collected about fifty guns.
each gun is one and a half fascist tanks. Not bad!
All night the artillerymen set up firing positions and delivered shells. At dawn, the Nazis launched the first echelon of tanks into the attack. They were met by anti-tank gun fire. Having lost several vehicles, the Nazis decided to take a detour. And again they came under cannon fire. Colonel Chizhik’s artillerymen allowed the fascist tanks to come within three to four hundred meters and hit them at point-blank range. And this enemy attack was repelled.
The Nazis undertook a new one. But now they sent machine gunners forward to clear the way for the tankers. We foresaw this course of action and managed to withdraw almost all the guns to reserve positions, and moved rifle companies forward. Individual enemy tanks managed to wedge themselves into the battle formations of the battalions. They were destroyed with flammable mixture bottles.
On that day, the entire regiment learned about the feat of the soldier Semeikin. A Nazi tank was rushing towards his trench. Semeikin
didn't flinch. As soon as the tank passed next to the trench, Semeikin threw a bottle of flammable mixture at it.
The tank, engulfed in flames, stopped. The Nazis began to jump out of it, but immediately fell under the bullets of our fighters.
Our regiment repulsed several enemy attacks that day. Those who have distinguished themselves, perhaps, cannot be counted enough. The batteries of Lieutenant Nikolai Khovanov fought hand-to-hand with the fascists who broke through to the firing positions.
Red Army soldier Korovin strangled the Nazi with his hands.
Battalion commander Senior Lieutenant Kudryashev fought courageously with the enemy.
Many soldiers and commanders fell on the battlefield in Soltsy. And among them is the favorite of the regiment, the section of the Komsomol bureau, junior political instructor Pyotr Gusev. Together with the soldiers of Lukichev’s company, he was one of the first to break into the city and captivated the rest with his example..."
Fedor Yezersky, Red Army soldier, medical instructor:
“Our regimental medical center was located not far from the regimental headquarters. We deployed one dressing tent and dug several slits in case of bombing. There was no energy or time for more. The wounded were arriving endlessly.
They told different things. But there was only one thought: they gave the fascists a light. If there were more artillery and tanks, we would drive them all the way to the border.
From the 1st battalion, orderlies brought a seriously wounded machine gunner. The right hand was crushed.
The guy told how he fought with the Nazis:
- I mowed down a lot of them. Then I feel that I can’t press the trigger, my hand doesn’t obey. I looked, and it wasn’t my hand, but a bloody mess. I even felt nauseous at first. But then the German stopped again. I threw the butt of the “tar” to my left shoulder and began to fire with my left. And then I don’t remember. The Nazis seemed to have disappeared somewhere, it became quiet. I woke up when two orderlies were dragging me in my overcoat. By dragging. The devils were jumping in my eyes...
Sometimes we received wounded from neighboring regiments. They also talked about a successful offensive."
It was especially hard for local residents; the villagers did not expect an enemy attack.
Irina Dmitrieva, collective farmer:
“I couldn’t believe that a German would come to us. Our place is remote, away from the highway. And rumors spread among the people that
as if he were aiming through the city of Luga towards Leningrad. We recently asked the military about this (they were digging trenches along the banks of the Luga). They answered that if the enemy didn’t come here, they wouldn’t let them in. And in general, they will soon drive him back.
The days were fine, and all the villagers were in the fields, some in their gardens. My son and I were weeding potatoes in the garden. He straightened up, listened and said:
- Mom, something is buzzing on the other side. Either cars or tractors.
I listened too. And it’s true: there is some noise on the other side of Luga. Suddenly it goes boom! And it seemed like the earth shook...
- Mom! - the son shouted. - The bridge must have been blown up!
It was a good bridge. Two years ago the entire collective farm celebrated it and paved the road to it.
Then, from the other side, the evil spirit began firing at the village from cannons. The huts were set on fire. The people saw the fires and rushed to the huts. Just don’t approach them: the bullets are whistling. Those who were braver took their things and headed into the forest. We also went into the forest.
On the third day we returned. The village was no longer there. Some firebrands are smoking. And the German is in charge. Our hut miraculously survived. The officers settled in it, and we were allowed to live in the barn.
The order came out: collect all the killed Russians and take them to the threshing floor. We asked to bury the soldiers in a Christian manner, as it should be, and the Nazis set fire to the threshing floor. Together with the soldiers. We seized the moment and left with the kids into the forest to escape the trouble.”
Construction of fortifications
Unexpected strengthening and resistance Soviet army caused surprise and concern among the Nazis. Justifying themselves, the Nazis sent reports to the Fuhrer, in which they talked about engineering miracles that slowed down their advance.
Ivan Semenovich Pavlov, lieutenant colonel, division chief of staff:
“In the evening, Mashoshin returned from corps headquarters. He reported the situation to him and handed him a folder with documents.
Andrei Fedorovich remarked grumpily:
- The headquarters have started working. Now they will start shooting at each other with pieces of paper.
Mashoshin hated paperwork. However, the division commander became interested in one document. I read it once, then again. It was an enemy intelligence report. In the morning they sent it from the headquarters of the 41st Rifle Corps. It vividly and with exaggeration described the engineering equipment of our defense.
Andrei Fedorovich put the piece of paper aside and said:
- You know, the Nazis are not fools! It’s like they drew up a supporting document. Look, they say, Fuhrer, what miracles the Bolsheviks have performed, and so the offensive has slowed down. - Mashoshin took the report in his hands again. - Every hillock is fortified... You know, Ivan Semenovich, talk to our engineer. We need to think about further development engineering barriers."
Konstantin Shpankin, lieutenant, minor company commander:
“We are fighting day and night. The enemy clings to every house. He throws tanks, armored cars, and machine gunners against us. He especially tries to hold key positions. By the morning we threw him behind the railway, which runs two or three kilometers from the city. Our 1st The battalion reached the western outskirts of Soltsy. It is a pity that ammunition was not delivered in time. We certainly would have been able to capture Bolshaya and Maly Zaborovye - two villages behind the railway.
Today they have to fight for them. The enemy is spraying machine-gun fire on the railway embankment, firing from
mortars, heavy guns. Don't go near the embankment. But we cannot answer: there are no shells or mines. There is only a minimum left for that last resort if the enemy goes on the attack.
We talked with local residents. They told how the Nazis committed outrages in Soltsy. One's cow was stolen, another's chests were turned upside down. And don't you dare complain. The officers and soldiers behaved the same way - like thieves. I remember an old lady of about seventy. She kept begging to find the adversary, tall with a gold tooth, a Nazi, who took the samovar from her grandmother, her only value and delight. “Here are the “cultured” Europeans for you. The bandits are real!” - I thought, listening to the residents.
By mid-day, ammunition arrived. The regiment commissar, senior political instructor Onkov, personally dealt with them. According to the combat order, the regiment resumed the offensive on July 17 at 19.00."
Monument to the Partisans of the Luga Frontier
From a letter from the company commander of the 532nd Infantry Regiment of the 111th Infantry Division, Lieutenant M.T. Vorozheikina to his wife:
“Appointed company commander. There are still two times fewer fighters than I had in Yaroslavl. I'm about to
receive reinforcements from Leningrad. Then, probably, they will let us get into business. In the meantime, we live in the forest, like a camp.
The food is fine. How did you get there, how did the Urals greet you? I'm worried about the kids. Take care of yourself and them, and I will beat the fascists so that I can return home sooner. Yours, Mikhail"
Trofim Kuznetsov, senior lieutenant, commander of a sapper company:
“Intelligence reported that the enemy is concentrating motorized infantry and tanks west of Lake Vrevo. A battalion from the 24th Tank Division was assigned to this direction.
Our company was ordered to help the tankers. The commander of the tank battalion called me.
- Listen, engineer! My boys discovered a forest road. It's not on the map. She goes out onto the highway.
Look! - The captain unfolded a map in front of me. “It is possible that the enemy will use it to covertly reach our flank.” I decided to set up an ambush here. The road should be mined.
What a conversation! Having loaded the mines into the car, we set off along with the tank crews.
Senior Sergeant Trusov and Red Army soldier Veldimaiov, a former explosivesman from Mednogorsk, are the most experienced miners. They laid anti-tank mines. And Senshin and Ashpetov covered them. The soldiers were in a hurry: summer night short. It was beginning to get light when Trusov reported on the completion of the task.
The enemy did not break through our barrier that day."
Markian Mikhailovich Popov, lieutenant general, commander of the front troops:
We did not yet know the enemy’s plans in detail, but we had a general idea of what the Nazi command was trying to achieve and what its plan of action was. It became clear to us that on the Luga line private battles were developing into a major defensive operation. As the battle progressed over the past ten days, it could be assumed that we managed to win the first stage of the operation - the fighting in the foreground. The enemy failed to break through to Leningrad on the move.
His attempt to reach the Narvskoe highway to Krasnogvardeysk, to the rear of the Luga group, was also liquidated. We forced the enemy to move from acting in advance detachments to deploying main forces and bringing reserves into battle.
On the most intense days, I saw militias fighting in the Kingisepp sector... And I was shocked. People with grenades rushed at enemy tanks, with bayonets at the ready they went at his machine guns. As a commander, I felt guilty that I could not reliably support them with artillery fire, protect them with tank armor, or pin down the enemy with air bombing strikes. The front did not even have an artillery division in reserve. There was nowhere to remove at least one tank company. Our pilots knew no rest.
Mainly due to the unusually high morale, perseverance and courage of the soldiers and commanders, we managed to neutralize the enemy’s advantage in technology and weapons, slow down the pace of his offensive, and force the enemy to go on the defensive with decisive and daring counterattacks...
But the main task for us remained the defense of Leningrad from the southwest. The importance of this direction can hardly be overestimated. Almost every day I had to answer the same question from Headquarters: “How are things in Luga?” In the alarmingly tense intonation with which he asked, I felt a connection between the events at the Luga line and the development of the Smolensk defensive operation, concern for the fate of Leningrad and Moscow.
Gaining time by day and hour, we understood: we must make the most of it. They continued to improve the defensive lines on Luga, near Krasnogvardeysk, near the walls of Leningrad and in the city itself. Before our eyes, Leningrad was turning into a fortress city..."
Sergei Orlovsky, sergeant, squad commander:
“For some reason, the enemy stopped attacks. There was an eerie, unusual silence all day. The battalion commander decided to send reconnaissance from our company. I was appointed senior reconnaissance group. The company commander, Senior Lieutenant Turkin, ordered to cross the Luga, go to Losoekino, where, according to unverified information, the enemy is concentrating, and clarify this information.
The senior lieutenant allowed me to choose the composition of the group at my discretion. I sculpted Stepanov, Simakov, Nikitin and Alexandrov. I studied with them in the same platoon for two years and knew them as well as myself.
At midnight we passed the front line. We crossed the river and along the edge of a mossy swamp, densely overgrown with pine trees, went deeper into the enemy's rear. The night is warm, moonlit. Although we would prefer bad weather.
After some time, we unexpectedly met three cadets from the group previously sent on reconnaissance from
1st battalion. It turned out that they had gotten lost in the forest and were now returning to the battalion. I sent the first report with them.
Before dawn, a thick fog fell on the ground. By time we should be near Lososkino. Blurry silhouettes of some buildings appeared in the haze. We decided to wait for a signal from our sentinels Nikitin and Simakov.
Soon we heard footsteps and the quiet croaking of a frog - it was Nikitin. The watchmen reported that they saw two people on the edge of the village. They couldn’t tell who they were: maybe local residents, or maybe Nazis. To more fully clarify the situation, Nikitin suggested going to the village. Together with Simakov they set off.
There were about thirty meters left to the last hut when the patrolmen approached it. There was a shout: “Halt!”
Nikitin and Simakov jumped to the side. The Germans rushed to cut them off and opened fire with machine guns.
In response to the shots, about five people jumped out of the hut, talked about something with the patrolmen, and then returned to the house.
It became quiet again. Being careful, we walked around the village. Armored cars and cars stood under the linden trees and near them. We counted about thirty. Three tanks and two anti-tank guns were spotted near the barns. It would be good to capture the “language” or documents. But how? The chance came to the rescue.
We reached the outskirts again. Enemy patrols walked back and forth. One of the soldiers suddenly stopped and walked along the fence in our direction. Turned the corner. He looked around and hung the machine gun on a stake. I managed to whisper to Nikitin, our school’s boxing champion: “Let’s take it!” He nodded his head: I understood.
And as soon as the German sat down out of natural necessity, we rushed at him. He didn't even have time to utter a word. They put two handkerchiefs in his mouth, tied him with trouser belts and dragged him to the forest. To keep him from kicking, Nikitin lightly hit him with the butt of his gun, but miscalculated - blood began to flow.
Soon his partner came to his senses and opened fire. A noise began in the village. To divert the attention of the Nazis, Aleksandrov, Simakov and Stepanov ran to the side, firing their rifles. And the prisoner and I began to go deeper into the forest.
While the shooting was heard, we were guided by the shots. Then the Nazis stopped the pursuit.
We returned from reconnaissance late in the evening."
Opposite the monument is one of the bunkers
From Directive No. 33 of the German Army High Command: “The advance in the direction of Leningrad will be resumed only after the 18th Army comes into contact with the 4th Panzer Group, and its eastern flank is secured by the forces of the 16th Army. At the same time, Army Group North should strive to prevent the withdrawal of Soviet units that continue to operate in Estonia to Leningrad.”
Yakov Vasilievich Zavalishin, battalion commissar, military commissar of the school:
The situation in our area continued to remain extremely tense. After stubborn fighting, the enemy managed to capture the Saba bridgehead. The enemy did not get it cheaply. The Nazis left hundreds of corpses, burned tanks and armored vehicles here and were forced to go on the defensive..."
Mikhail Georgievich Kustov, chairman of the executive committee of the city Council of Workers' Deputies:
"..During two or three weeks of July, up to 50 thousand Luzhans - workers, collective farmers, employees, housewives, vocational school students and high school students, together with Leningraders, erected defensive structures on the approaches to their city. Their hands dug trenches and anti-tank ditches , pillboxes and bunkers were built, the eastern bank of the river was cleared of thickets, and forest debris was created.
A participant in the construction, foreman of the teachers’ labor team, E.P. Dubrovina, told me: “Our team of fifteen people dug a ditch in the area of the Kalganovka state farm.” We worked together, conscientiously. At first there was sandy soil, it was easy to work. Then it became more difficult - the ground was hard, and we only had shovels in our hands. We were very tired, but no one complained about it.”
The enemy fired from guns, and there were enemy air raids almost every day. But people worked regardless of danger and difficulties. Everyone understood what needed to be done. This determined the rhythm of life in front-line Luga.
From a letter from Leningrader M. Karelina: “I am 57 years old, of which 40 I worked continuously at a tobacco factory. It’s not easy, you know, at my age, without dexterity, to take up a pick and shovel... We work 18 days, seven days a week, 12 hours a day. The soil was heavy, and I had to do a lot of digging with a pick... At the third site, we, five elderly women, did more than the seven guys working next to us.”
Pillbox opposite the memorial
Ivan Serpokryl, junior sergeant, tank driver from the Armored Courses battalion:
“Our tank battalion was assigned to the militia. After half a month of fighting, there were few vehicles left. Our KV also received a lot of marks, but the armor endures, and we are fighting for the entire company.
In the morning, as soon as we had time to cook the concentrate, a lieutenant from the militia came running to us. And immediately to the commander, Sergeant Major Sharapov:
- The enemy has broken through! The major ordered immediate help.
Our foreman is leisurely, but knowledgeable: he passed the Finnish test and was a driving instructor at the courses. Is he something-
I found out from the lieutenant, then he shouted to the guys:
- Start the engine!
My tank started with half a turn. I pressed the starter button - and the engine was already chugging, chugging... The sergeant major took his place, the lieutenant settled down on the tower, and we moved forward.
A kilometer before the regimental checkpoint we were stopped. They said we can’t get any closer, we’ll unmask the checkpoint. The commander of the vehicle had to go on foot to receive the mission. Sharapov returned about fifteen minutes later. You can see from his face that he is boiling inside. At such moments it is better not to ask him anything - he will tell you himself. It turns out that we will knock out the enemy together with the infantry.
By evening the battle began. We accompanied a rifle battalion, and the Germans immediately began to hunt for us.
The sergeant-major either changed course, then stopped and shot, or ordered to turn back. And he kept shouting: “Come on, Ivan! Let's press!" Of course, I myself kept my eyes open so as not to expose the side to attack. And our HF was spinning like a top. The infantrymen, seeing how we worked, perked up and knocked out the enemy."
Nikolai Kochubey, foreman 1st class:
“At the Luga line, we, sailors, were sent to the most difficult areas. The Nazis were afraid of the Baltic people like fire. We went into attacks in vests and peakless caps, and even belted with machine gun belts, as if in civilian clothes. The Nazis, seeing us, began to yell: “Rus Matrozen !”
Our brigade scouts were especially brave. They were commanded by Captain Stepan Bokovnya, a man of exceptional courage. Back in Finland, he was awarded the Order of Lenin. The scouts, having penetrated behind enemy lines, attacked headquarters, seized valuable documents, and took prisoners.
The brigade was ordered to defeat the enemy garrison in the village of Opole with a surprise attack. The scouts went there first. Before dawn they approached the village. Captain Bokovnya said that now is the time to attack - the Nazis are dreaming about their tenth dream.
The shooting alarmed the Nazis. They started jumping out into the street in their underwear. Then the captain shouted: “Polundra! Go ahead, brothers! We rushed after him. They shouted “Hurray!”, “Polundra!”, whistled, and shot.
In a word, they instilled fear in the fascists. We overtook the reptiles wherever possible: in barns, in bathhouses, even in latrines
places. In half an hour, no more, Opole was ours. The remaining battalions of the brigade entered the village. Then
moved on. They drove the Nazis out of several more villages and captured several guns, carts, and motorcycles.
In Alekseevka we were ordered to change infantry and gain a foothold. On time: two days later the Nazis launched strong counterattacks against us. They sent at least a regiment of infantry with tanks, and they were supported from the air by aviation. We had to retreat to a new frontier. I didn’t want to leave the conquered land. The Commissioner reassured:
“It’s okay, guys, we will return, and then we will free our native land from the fascist evil spirits forever.”
DOT in the city of Luga
The Luga line was broken through by the Nazis on August 13, 1941. A secret defense plan with schematic maps fell into the hands of the enemy. Retreating, Soviet troops continued fierce fighting.
From the records of German Colonel General F. Halder:
July 15, 1941: “...The Russians are fighting, as before, with the greatest ferocity.”
July 25: " The offensive of our troops in the area of Lake Ilmen is unfolding very slowly.”
August 1941: “The enemy divisions, of course, are not armed and not equipped in our understanding... And even if we defeat a dozen of these divisions, the Russians will form another dozen.”
