The 83rd separate air assault brigade, or military unit 71289, is located in the city of Ussuriysk, Primorsky Territory. Its slogan is “Honor is more valuable than life!” reflects the history of the unit and the opinion of the paratroopers themselves that “true men are raised here.”

Emblem of the 83rd Special Airborne Brigade

Story

The formation of the unit began during the Great Patriotic War, in 1939. Then it was the 119th Infantry Division, located in Krasnoyarsk. Soldiers of the brigade (as it was called in the 1940s) defended the city of Bely (1942) and participated in the Battle of Kursk (1943). Then the division was reorganized into the 17th Guards Rifle Division and until 1955 its location was China. After 1955, today's military unit 71289 was part of the 5th Combined Arms Army of the Far Eastern Military District, whose headquarters were located in the village of Barabash. In 1957, it was reorganized into the 123rd Guards Division (motorized rifle), which in 1985 became the 65th separate air assault battalion.

Anniversary of the creation of the part

The 83rd Airborne Assault Brigade (today one of the best in the Airborne Forces of the Russian Federation) was formed in Poland (Bialograd) in 1986. After the collapse of the USSR, in 1990, it was included in the Airborne Forces and transferred to a strategically important Russian region - the Far East (Ussuriysk).
Since 1996, it was withdrawn from the Airborne Forces of the Russian Federation and was subordinate to the commander of the Red Banner Far Eastern Military District. Since August 2013, the unit has been re-incorporated into the Airborne Forces.
Members of military unit 72189 as part of the combined units were participants in combat operations in “hot spots” (Chechnya and Abkhazia).

At a skydiving training session

The soldiers took part in all large-scale exercises held in the Far East. Thus, at the exercises in 2002, they distinguished themselves together with the infantrymen of the Pacific Fleet, and at the Mobility-2004 exercises they showed the same high results as the soldiers of the 76-1 Pskov Division; a year later, military unit 72189 stood out at the exercises in the Amur region and on Sakhalin.
In 2005, two battalions of the unit were transferred to the contract recruitment method.
In 2006, the unit was awarded the challenge banner “To the Best Unit of the Red Banner Far Eastern Military District”

Buildings of the barracks of the 83rd Special Airborne Brigade

Eyewitness impressions

The buildings of the military camp in Ussuriysk, as locals recall, appeared during the time of Marshal Blucher. Since 1990, improvements have been made to material and living conditions - funds were allocated from the federal budget, and now on the territory of military unit 72189 there are 2 bathhouses, 2 canteens, a teahouse, a club, a library and 2 medical stations. The service center, hairdressing salons and workshops are located within the city limits. Currently there are plans to improve the housing stock.
Paratroopers often hold demonstration performances for city schools and, of course, at Airborne Forces Day.
The latest event brings together residents of the taiga city in the central square, because for many it is an opportunity to see their loved ones.

Stowing parachutes before training sessions

The rest of the time, contact with employees of military unit 72189 is maintained by mobile phone - calls are allowed only on weekends. The rest of the time the communication device is with the company commander. In case of emergency, relatives can call the duty officer.
As for the daily routine of military unit 72189, it is regulated in the same way as in other military units - military and physical training, outfits and guard duty.
The assignments are given both for the kitchen (cooking) and for the housekeeping department (cleaning up the territory of the unit). Monday is “commander’s day,” when a full check is carried out: the soldiers’ appearance, their bedside tables are checked, and on this day parcels, mobile phones and accounts on social networks can be viewed.

Training parachute tower

Leave for employees is given upon prior application, even during the oath, so it is better to plan your visit on Friday (then the soldiers are released for the weekend). The rest of the time, meetings with relatives and friends take place at the checkpoint. It is noteworthy that soldiers and paratroopers who have completed 4 parachute jumps while undergoing combat training are given an additional 15 days of leave.
Those wishing to serve under a contract in military unit 72189 are subject to the following requirements:

• Age from 18 to 40 years and Russian citizenship;
• Relevant education (not lower than incomplete secondary education);
• Health certificate;
• Mental stability is not lower than “satisfactory” (according to the result of professional mental selection);

Sports ground part

As for money transfers, it is better to send money to a bank card of the Asia-Pacific Bank, Alfa Bank or Sberbank of Russia.
On the territory of the unit there is only a Sberbank ATM (Baranovsky garrison), the rest are located within the city.
Asia-Pacific Bank ATM addresses:

• st. Nekrasova, 94 (Mon.-Fri. - from 9.00 to 19.00, Sat. - until 16.00, Sun. - closed);
• st. Vladivostok highway, 24 (weekdays - from 9.00 to 19.00, Sat., Sun. - weekends);
• st. Komsomolskaya, 28 (Mon.-Fri. - from 9.00 to 19.00, Sat. - from 10.00 to 16.00, Sun. - closed).

Living conditions in the unit barracks

Introduction

The 83rd Separate Marine Brigade was formed in the fall of 1941 from sailors of the Black Sea Fleet, cadets of naval schools, reserve sailors and others. From the first day of its existence until the complete defeat of the enemy, it was never withdrawn from the active army. Alternately being part of the Black Sea Fleet, the Azov and Danube Military Flotillas, operating in the ground armies - the 7th Guards, 18th Airborne, in the 46th, 47th, 51st, 56th, in the Primorsky Army, in the 6th Guards Tank armies, brigade battalions fought on seven fronts; Transcaucasian, Caucasian, Crimean, North Caucasian, 2nd, 3rd, 4th Ukrainian, in the Separate Primorsky Army and in several groups of troops.

Fighting for the Crimea and the Caucasus, the 83rd Marine Brigade took part in the battles for Kerch, Novorossiysk and Sevastopol, went on a liberation campaign through the lands of Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Austria and ended the war in Czechoslovakia. The brigade of sailors traveled more than five thousand kilometers along military roads. Twice she was awarded honorary titles - Novorossiysk and Danube, and was awarded orders three times. The Marine Corps battalion was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. Thousands of brigade students were awarded state awards for military exploits and merits, four became full holders of the Order of Glory, and 26 people became Heroes of the Soviet Union.

The heroism of the Marines, their selfless courage, dedication, ability to endure any difficulties, their combat skill growing during the war are of considerable value not only for history, but also for the continuation of the combat traditions of the Marine Infantry, which has now become a special branch of the Navy USSR Navy.

The combat path of the brigade of sailors is interesting and instructive. Fighting for the liberation of the peoples of the Danube countries from fascism, the naval brigade interacted with Bulgarian, Romanian, Yugoslav and Hungarian units and units, and met with Czechoslovak partisans. An objective account of these events is especially necessary at the present time in order to contrast it with attempts to slander the liberation mission of the Red Army in the Great Patriotic War and to belittle the pride of the Soviet people in our historical Victory over Nazi Germany.

The history of the 83rd Marine Brigade was written by decision of the Brigade Veterans Council in connection with the 50th anniversary of its formation. The work is based on archival materials, military historical research, memoirs and memories of direct participants in military events, that is, those people who experienced, felt, suffered and retained in their memory much of what is contained in this study.

Of course, "Battle Path" needs further development. It must be remembered that in the first months of the war no one kept any records or diaries, and the exploits of many heroes, especially private soldiers, were undeservedly forgotten. Therefore, the team of authors of this book will be grateful to those fellow soldiers who remember individual episodes, exploits and mass heroism of the brigade soldiers and will send their memories to the Council of Fellow Soldiers Veterans at the address: 335045, Sevastopol-45, st. Dmitry Ulyanov, 16, apt. 139, Rogalsky I.O.

To remember all our fellow soldiers, to leave a trace about them is our duty to them, especially those who fell in battle.

Formation of the 83rd Brigade

It was the fourth month of the Great Patriotic War. The troops of the Red Army, ships and formations of the Navy in heavy battles and battles held back the advance of the Nazi armies to the east. Leningrad was already blockaded, the Nazis captured Donbass, threatened Moscow, and cut off Crimea. There was a threat of enemy troops breaking through to the Caucasus. In this difficult situation, the State Defense Committee decided to form twenty-five naval rifle brigades. All of them were assigned numbers from 61 to 85. To staff them, the Navy allocated 38 thousand sailors and command personnel. Of the 25 brigades, 12 were formed at the expense of the Black Sea Fleet.

The selection of volunteers for the Marine Corps from the fleet personnel took place in a solemn atmosphere. At rallies on ships and in naval bases, sailors leaving for the land front assured their comrades remaining on the ships that they would beat the enemy without sparing their lives. The mourners gave instructions to sacredly preserve the military traditions of the fleet on the shore.

The place of formation of the 83rd brigade was determined to be the Uspensky district of the Krasnodar Territory with the Konakovo railway station. The first commander of the brigade was appointed senior teacher of air defense tactics at the Naval Air Defense School in the village of Strelna near Leningrad, who had by that time been evacuated to the city of Engels, Colonel Ivan Pavlovich Leontyev, who had previously worked at the Naval School. "Leninist Komsomol" of Ukraine in Sevastopol. With a group of cadets from his school, he arrived in the village of Uspenskaya and on November 7 reported to the fleet commander: “...by order of the People's Commissar of the Navy, the formation of the 83rd brigade entrusted to me began.”

One of the best naval political workers, a member of the CPSU(b) since 1924, became the commissioner of the brigade. regimental commissar Vasily Ivanovich Navoznov, who distinguished himself in battles during the defense of Odessa. Battalion Commissar P.S. Kaban, a former senior party worker, who completed retraining courses for political personnel in Moscow, arrived to the post of head of the political department. The brigade headquarters was headed by Major Shevchenko, a career commander of the Red Army. The newly formed battalions were taken over by experienced people: the 1st separate battalion - Captain A.I. Kapran, who commanded a training company of border guards before the war; 2nd separate battalion - captain V. Vdovin; 3rd separate battalion - senior lieutenant A.P. Panov, who began the war near Odessa as a company commander in the 25th Chapaev division, was wounded there and returned from the hospital.

Experienced Red Army commanders arrived to command the artillery units of the naval brigade. A separate artillery division was taken over by senior lieutenant Nizyuk, a separate anti-tank fighter division was taken over by lieutenant A.D. Kholodny, awarded the Order of Lenin; A separate mortar battery was taken over by Senior Lieutenant I. Belbrut, and his deputy was the commander of the Naval School company, Lieutenant Ya.S. Borisenko. The reconnaissance of the brigade was headed by Major G. Perednya, the artillery workshops were headed by Lieutenant V.I. Zhuravel and other newcomers were military engineer 3rd rank E.A. Baranovsky, who headed the engineering and technical service of the artillery division, political instructor V.F. Komsomol, platoon commander of the auto company A.F. Grinchenko, rifle platoon commander A.A. Prussakov. From the graduates of the Black Sea Naval School, lieutenants arrived in the brigade; V. Demichev, A. Shcherbinin, G. P. Bondar, V. P. Bychkov, V. I. Ivanov, G. F. Kovalev, A. A. Kononov, N. A. Kuyumchan, L V. Mizin, A S. Nizhnyak, Yu. L. Rossi, A. Ya. Vasilchenko, V. Kotov, V. Vashchenko, I. Yaroshko, Khoroshenkov, appointed platoon and company commanders. All of them proved themselves to be excellent in battle, and many distinguished themselves in post-war service. Lieutenant A.P. Kazmirchuk arrived from the Ordzhonikidze School of Communications, who later distinguished himself in the defense of the Adzhimushkai quarries. Junior Lieutenant I.L. Varfolomeev, later known as a sapper specialist in the Black Sea Marine Infantry, arrived from a short-term course for fleet mechanics.

To fill the positions of the junior command staff, foremen of the fleet and first-year cadets of naval educational institutions arrived, among whom were: S.A. Voronov - squad commander of the PTR company, O.V. Dykov - squad commander of the 1st battalion, I.N. Rozanov is the foreman of the company of the 3rd battalion, F.S. Etinov is the reconnaissance company of the brigade, G.F. Kovalev and N. Matveev are scouts of the 1st battalion.

The rank and file of the brigade being formed consisted mainly of volunteer sailors who expressed a desire to fight on land. Among them were the sailors of the battleship "Paris Commune", renamed "Sevastopol", the cruisers "Red Caucasus", "Red Crimea", "Chervona Ukraine", the destroyers "Boikiy", "Soobrazitelny", "Besposhchadny", Red Navy semi-crews of Novorossiysk and Kerch naval bases. A large group of volunteer sailors arrived from the Batumi fortified sector to the brigade, which included Petty Officer 2nd Article A.V. Raikunov, the future Hero of the Soviet Union; from the battleship - senior Red Navy man M.3. Alkanovich, appointed commissar of the PTR company, and sailor A.P. Bukreev, from other ships and coastal batteries - Red Navy men L.E. Belonozhko, S.M. Zinchenko, N.I. Nesterenko, I. Merzlyakov, I. Yabloshv, O. Ya. Konstantinov, N. Dolganov, A. Orlov, Vladimir Shishko and others.

During the days of the formation of the brigade in the village of Uspenskaya, a large group of participants in the defense of Odessa and Sevastopol, people who had already been in battles at sea and on the land front, arrived at the disposal of Colonel I.P. Leontyev. Among them are V.A. Bogdanov, appointed assistant platoon commander, A.S. Donetsky, who became an artillery division reconnaissance officer, political instructor A.D. Matveev, appointed battery commissar, political instructor F.A. Kornelyuk - instructor of the political department, G.A. Polier - squad leader in the squadron.

Representatives of the intelligentsia who arrived in various positions had a noticeable impact on strengthening the morale of the Marines. Among them were: sculptor G.L. Pivovarov, junior lieutenant, appointed chief of staff of the artillery division, school director Krainyukov, appointed political instructor, diplomatic courier Mikhailov, artist of the Stalingrad Theater N.A. Artemyev, secretaries of the district committees of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks (Bolsheviks) Semenov and Vakulenko, former party organizer of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks of the Armavir plant Ivashchenko, teacher V.A. Gamayunov and others.

The Krasnodar military registration and enlistment office replenished the brigade with reserve servicemen: L.G. Karatsupa, I.A. Kononenko, D.A. Savonenko, A.T. Sazonov, I.A. Usatov, S.A. Alekseenko, I.I. Blokhintseo, I. S.Vishnyakov, G.T.Gerashchenko, I.F.Dergachev, G.I.Zhidkov, M.M.Imizyan, P.V.Karachentsev, A.I.Lysenko, P.A.Lychkunov, V.F .Nazarko, G.A.Popov, K.I.Savchenko, A.I.Trofimenko.

In mid-November 1941, a group of graduates of the Krasnodar Medical Institute arrived at the brigade. It included military doctors G. Golovatskaya, V.V. Maksimenko, A.N. Osintseva, L. Cherednichenko, M.M. Sharmina, Z.M. Levitskaya, O.S. Krasovskaya.

And in subsequent years, the 83rd Marine Brigade was staffed primarily by young people. For example, on January 1, 1943, when the Marines were preparing for a landing in the Novorossiysk area, there were more than 4,500 people in the brigade units. 29% of them were under 20 years of age, 23% were under 25 years of age, 24% were under 30 years of age, 19% were under 35 years of age, and only 5% of military personnel were older than this age.

The basis of the brigade consisted of three separate battalions of 715 people. In addition to these units, the brigade included: a separate communications battalion, a separate artillery division - eight 76-mm guns, a separate anti-tank artillery division - twelve 45-mm guns, a separate mortar battery - 82- and 120-mm mortars. The brigade also included separate companies - machine gunners, reconnaissance, anti-tank rifles, engineer, motor transport and medical, an air defense platoon and one tank company, which never received tanks. In total, the brigade was supposed to have: 4,334 personnel, 20 guns, 24 mortars, 149 light and 48 heavy machine guns, 48 ​​anti-tank rifles, 612 machine guns (for the rest of the personnel there were rifles), 178 vehicles and 818 horses.

It should be noted that by the beginning of hostilities, it was not possible to obtain all the weapons required by the report card. Some of the guns and mortars arrived at the brigade on the way to the front, and the machine guns were fully received only in the spring of 1942. Subsequently, the level of armament of the brigade steadily increased. In 1943, there were already 713 machine guns, 118 anti-tank rifles, 62 mortars and 24 guns. In the anti-tank artillery division, 45 mm guns were replaced by 76 mm guns. In August 1944 All personnel had their rifles replaced with new carbines of the 1944 model.

All Red Navy men who arrived in the formation area in naval uniform changed into new army-style winter uniforms. It was allowed to leave only vests, naval belts and caps as souvenirs, since everyone was given a winter hat.

Meanwhile, the situation at the front continued to deteriorate. On November 16, 1941, our troops left Kerch and evacuated to the Taman Peninsula. The sailors had to study the tactics of land combat according to a very shortened program, but the morale of the personnel invariably remained high, everyone unanimously strived to quickly fight the enemy who was mercilessly trampling our Motherland.

In December 1941, the 83rd brigade left in full force for the front. Its route lay by rail from Konakovo station, through the Caucasus and Krasnodar, to Slavyanskaya and further along the Kuban River on steamships and barges. The marines arrived at the naval base of the Azov military flotilla in the city of Temryuk, where they were placed at the disposal of the commander of the 51st army of the Transcaucasian Front, Lieutenant General V.N. Lvov.

83rd brigade in the Kerch-Feodosia landing operation

On December 17, 1941, fascist German troops began the second assault on Sevastopol, and on December 18, the 83rd brigade received its first combat mission - to land on the Kerch Peninsula and, as part of the front units, advance in the direction of Sevastopol.

The leadership of the operation, which went down in history under the name Kerch-Feodosia, was entrusted to the commander of the Transcaucasian (from December 30 - Caucasian) Front, Lieutenant General D. T. Kozlov, to whom the Black Sea Fleet and the Azov Flotilla were subordinate for the duration of the operation. According to the plan, the landing units landed on the Kerch Peninsula three days before the main front forces aimed at Feodosia. In the landing area, the defense was occupied by the 46th German Infantry Division with artillery and tanks, numbering 25 thousand people.

The 51st Army, which included the 83rd Marine Brigade, was given the task of, together with the Azov military flotilla and the Kerch naval base, to force the Kerch Strait and, with a simultaneous strike from the north and east, destroy the Kerch enemy group, capture the city of Kerch, reach the line: mark 177 - Aleksandrovaka - Ortazli - Kiz-Aul, capture the Turkish Wall and advance in the direction of Ak-Monay station with the goal of occupying the northern part of the Ak-Monay positions. According to the decision of the army commander, the 83rd brigade was supposed to act in fact battalion-by-battalion - two battalions with the 224th Infantry Division, one battalion, acting completely independently, was supposed to land at Ak-Monai, capture the Arabatka area, intercept, as stated in the army order , the Arabat Strelka in the narrowest place northwest of the Krsh-Eli salt mine and prevent the enemy from approaching the Arbat Strelka from Genichesk, as well as his withdrawal in the northwest direction.

The Azov military flotilla was faced with an extremely difficult task - to transport 16 thousand soldiers with weapons by sea over a distance of more than 65 miles on a cold December night. To transport people, in addition to warships, civilian ships that were at hand were also brought in. Among them were steamships, fishing seiners, tugboats, self-propelled scows, open fishing boats, and even a dredger, although slow-moving, but capable of taking a large number of people on board. Together with warships - gunboats, minesweepers and boats, 162 floating units were assembled.

The landing of the paratroopers began on the night of December 24, 1941. The first echelon of the landing force consisted of battalions of the 83rd Brigade and units of the 224th Infantry Division. On the night of December 25, when loading onto the ships was already completed, the weather worsened sharply. A cold north wind blew and a high wave rose in the sea, especially dangerous for overloaded ships. But the commander did not cancel the decision, and, despite the bad weather, all the ships went to sea.

The overloaded ships were flooded with water, and the paratroopers were thoroughly wet even before approaching the enemy-occupied shore. The roughness of the sea increased, the speed did not correspond to the calculated one, individual ships were torn away from the tugs by the waves, and they drifted helplessly in the stormy sea. It was impossible to reach the Arabatskaya Strelka, as previously planned, and the commander of the Azov flotilla, Rear Admiral S.G. Gorshkov, decided to land paratroopers only at two points - at Cape Zyuk and Cape Khrani.

We arrived at the landing site at Cape Zyuk at 6 a.m. on December 26. At dawn, the ships saw snow-covered heights on the shore, descending to the sea like rocky cliffs. This group of ships contained the 1st separate battalion of the 83rd brigade, which was previously intended for landing at Ak-Monai. However, the minesweeper, on which the battalion commander, Captain A.I. Kapran, was located, could not land the paratroopers and returned to Temryuk. Therefore, everyone who landed ashore from other ships was united by the military commissar of the 1st battalion, senior political instructor I.A. Teslenko.

With a combined detachment, he moved deep into the peninsula and for three days fought heavy battles while surrounded. One night, with a group of sailors, Teslenko came across a German artillery battery. Having crept up to the guns, Petty Officer 1st Article Nikolai Dolganov and Red Navy man Vladimir Shishko blew up the guns with grenades and put the battery out of action. But the Germans discovered the brave men and threw grenades at them and covered them with mortar fire. I.A. Teslenko was wounded a second time, and Vladimir Shishko’s legs were beaten and he died from his wounds. Only N. Dolganov remained intact. He first carried the commissar from the battlefield, and then the body of V. Shishko. For this feat, he was presented with the Order of Lenin and fought for a long time in the reconnaissance of the 1st battalion.

When leaving the encirclement in battle on December 28, the platoon commander, junior lieutenant Mikhail Maksimovich Fedotov, saved the life of senior political instructor I.A. Teslenko, covering him with his body from the machine gun fire in battle.

In total, at Cape Zyuk and at the fishing village of Mama Russkaya, not far from the cape, the ships managed to land 1,378 people, unload three tanks, four guns and nine mortars. The landing took place in a strong storm, which did not allow the ships to get close to the shore due to the swell and waves. The paratroopers jumped into the icy water and swam to their destination. Some went to Mama Russian. The Germans celebrated Christmas and did not expect an attack, but quickly recovered and organized a strong defense at a number of points, including Mama Tatarskaya, Bolshoi Babchik, Tarkhan and at height 98.7.

The landing at Cape Chroni at the same time also took place under heavy enemy fire. True, the paratroopers here were supported by the gunboats “Dniester” and No. 4 with their fire. Here they managed to disembark 1,452 people from the ships, unload three tanks and four guns. From the 83rd Naval Infantry Brigade, the 3rd battalion landed here under the command of Senior Lieutenant A.P. Panov, the headquarters and control of the brigade led by Colonel I.P. Leontyev, who in the first battle showed himself to be a brave and decisive commander. However, he also had no experience and, having gone on the offensive, left no forces to cover the coast. As a result, the second echelons, delivered to Crimea on December 27 and 28, 1941, had to fight again for the landing and take the same bridgehead with a fight.

In the battle for the landing at Cape Khroni, the commander of the machine gun company, Lieutenant Aleksandrov, distinguished himself; he was the first in the enemy’s artillery battery. In one of the landing groups was the secretary of the party commission of the political department of the brigade, political instructor Kavlyuchenko. With a rifle at the ready, he rushed towards the enemy position, dragging people with him. He was an elderly man, he wore glasses, had poor vision, but acted boldly. He managed to unite the paratroopers into a strong, cohesive assault group. But the brave political instructor did not fight for long; a sniper disguised in the bushes killed him with a bullet in the chest.

Among the few documentary evidence of the first amphibious battle of the brigade, there is one that is exceptional in its military fate. He was found in the Adzhimushkay catacombs among the remains of the last defenders of the legendary underground fortress. The entry reads: “December 26. What's the weather like? Cold wind is blowing. Frost 20 degrees. The artillery cannonade grows and grows. "Behind me! For the Motherland! Ahead, clutching a machine gun, ran the battalion commander, Comrade Panov!..”

The battalion of senior lieutenant A.P. Panov became the backbone of the landing group, which was united by the commander of the 83rd brigade, Colonel I.P. Leontyev. There were about two thousand people in it, and the brigade commander tried to attack directly on Kerch. But when approaching Adzhimushkai, parts of the paratroopers encountered strong resistance and were forced to retreat to Cape Tarkhan. In these battles, the military commissar of the brigade, regimental commissar V.I. Navoznov, distinguished himself. In a naval overcoat and a naval cap, he walked with a rifle ahead of the sailors. The onslaught of his group was swift, and the sailors threw the enemy out of their path.

However, the position of the group of paratroopers united by Colonel I.P. Leontyev remained very difficult. The brigade commander had no connection with the mainland, ammunition was running out, food had dried up. At this time, our communications plane, a U-2 night bomber, appeared over the bridgehead. He made a circle and sat down near our positions. The plane was picked up and hidden in a ravine. The pilot talked with Colonel Leontyev, then returned to the plane. The paratroopers rolled it out in their arms and, with the engine running, turned it towards the sea. The brave pilot took off under enemy fire and headed for Temryuk. Soon our planes arrived from there, dropped bags of food, ammunition and newspapers, from which the Marines learned about the defeat of enemy troops near Moscow and the successful repulsion of the enemy’s attack on Sevastopol. This especially inspired the sailors who were ready to make their way through the Kerch Peninsula to the rescue of the main fleet base.

Meanwhile, the storm in the Sea of ​​Azov continued, but the ships of the flotilla still went to sea. In Bulganak Bay they landed paratroopers, among whom were many marines of the 83rd brigade who remained on the ships that had failed to land them earlier. They were led by the commander of the 1st battalion, Captain A.I. Katran, an enterprising and courageous man. The Yeisk transport, approaching the shore, received severe damage and caught fire. But the paratroopers and the ship's crew managed to reach the shore and ensure the landing of 1,354 people in the area.

At dawn on December 29, a snowstorm began, the air temperature dropped even more, and the Kerch Strait was frozen in ice. The delivery of reinforcements to the paratroopers by sea ceased. For three days and three nights, the brigade's marines fought on the Kerch Peninsula, drawing off significant enemy forces, and meanwhile, on December 29, the main forces of the 44th Army landed in Feodosia. The first boats to break into the Feodosia port and land assault groups on the piers. These were marines from the 9th Marine Brigade specially allocated for this purpose to the “special purpose” detachment under the command of Senior Lieutenant A.F. Aidinov and Military Commissar D.F. Ponomarev. They captured part of the port and provided access to the berths of ships with the main landing forces.

As a result of the successful completion of the landing of two landings north of Kerch and in Feodosia, the enemy was completely knocked out of the Kerch Peninsula, and things became easier for a while near Sevastopol.

The People's Commissar of the USSR Navy, Admiral N.G. Kuznetsov, highly appreciated the actions of the Marines in this operation. In the book “Combat Alert in the Fleets,” he writes: “The 83rd Naval Rifle Brigade deserves special admiration. Its battalions were the vanguard during the landing of the 51st Army in the Kerch region, at Cape Khroni and other places.” In addition to Cape Khroni and Cape Zyuk, part of the brigade had a landing near the village of Chelochik - one or two houses of local shepherds. Part of the 2nd battalion of the brigade under the command of Senior Lieutenant A. Tarasyan landed there.

Most of the brigade's artillery was delivered to the Kerch Peninsula along the ice road through the Kerch Strait, but they tried to land the 45-mm guns of a separate anti-tank artillery division with the first echelon. During the battle for the landing, the commander of this division, Lieutenant A.D. Kholodny, a holder of the Order of Lenin, received before serving in the brigade, acted heroically and died in battle.

For the brigade personnel, this was the first battle, the first baptism of fire. The sailors, fighting on land, showed examples of courage, heroism, and devotion to the Motherland. Among those who especially distinguished themselves was the commissar of the 1st battalion, senior political instructor I.A. Teslenko, who was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The award report, signed by Colonel I.P. Leontiev and Regimental Commissar V.I. Navoznov, states: “Personally led the landing detachment and led it on the offensive, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy. He inspired the fighters with his personal example of fearlessness and for 3 days led the battle against superior enemy forces. Captured two enemy batteries, mortars and weapons. During the battle, the enemy brought in new units and surrounded the landing force. Comrade Teslenko I.A. was wounded three times and did not leave the battlefield, he continued to lead the way out of the encirclement. Under his leadership, the detachment broke through the encirclement... Only after the fourth injury was Teslenko taken out of the battlefield by the soldiers and, despite being seriously wounded, continued to be interested in the progress of the battle.” The brigade command concluded that I.A. Teslenko was worthy of being awarded the Order of Lenin. However, the commander of the 51st Army, Lieutenant General Lvov, and a member of the Military Council, Corps Commissar Nikolaev, added a note: “We consider it necessary and petition to award him the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.” So the brave political instructor became the first Hero of the glorious 83rd Marine Brigade.

It should be noted here that on January 3, 1942, by order of the People's Commissar of the Navy, the 83rd Brigade, formed as a “marine rifle” brigade, was renamed the 83rd Marine Brigade.

Among those who particularly distinguished themselves, we know the names: chief of staff of the battalion I.V. Zhernovoy, assistant chief of staff of the battalion Lieutenant A.A. Onezhko, lieutenants V.D. Vishnevsky, N.A. Kuyumchan, foreman 1st article A.V. Raikunov, Komsomol organizer battalion Ya.S. Grinberg, reconnaissance company commander A. Martynov, reconnaissance officer F.S. Eginov. Marines of various combat specialties also distinguished themselves: L.E. Belonozhko, E.A. Baranovsky, Y.S. Borisenko, I.S. Vishnyakov, G.S. Volkov, S.A. Voronov, G.T. Gerashchenko, Y.M. Gorobets, O.V. Dykov, I.F. Dergachev, I.D. Dubodelov, A.A. Zhmur, V.A. Zakharov, S.M. Zinchenko, V.A. Zinoviev. N.S.Ilyukhin, P.V.Karachentsev, S.T.Kolesnikov, O.Ya.Konstantinov, F.A.Kornelyuk; G.F.Kovalev, P.I.Kuprianenko, Y.M.Levitskaya, V.V.Maksimenko, A.D.Matveev, L.V.Mizin, A.S.Nizhnik, N.I.Nesterenko, L. V. Obrezkova, M. K. Oboenko, A. N. Osintseva, M. G. Povazhny, G. A. Potov, V. A. Priselkov, N. L. Semenov, N. V. Sbrodov, D. D. Glushko, Yu.L.Rossi, Ya.P.Tereshchenko, P.P.Fomin, M.M.Sharmina.

During the days of fighting on the Kerch Peninsula, military correspondents for the front-line newspaper of the 51st Army “Son of the Fatherland” - Boris Serman and Nikolai Poltorak - were often seen in the battle formations of the brigade. Their essays, articles and photographs, which told about the exploits of the Marines, were remembered for a long time by all participants in those events. Boris Evgenievich Serman, the author of many books and poetry collections, is rightfully considered a full-fledged fellow soldier to all Marines of the 83rd Brigade. He dedicated, in particular, the following poems to the heroic landing of sailors on the Kerch Peninsula in the stormy winter of 1941-1942:

On me from a gifted photo
The sailor infantry looks again
In full uniform, with full display
I had a chance to see her
From the ships bursting in at midnight,
In silence, shot through and through.
The rockets cut into the darkness,
Bullet trails, snowy winds,
And the naval eighty-third
The brigade occupied the height...
At dusk the steppe was already brightening.
The sailors went to bed at dawn,
And the editor was waiting for news
From the eighty-third brigade.

To this we can add that B.E. Serman published the collection “In the Catacombs of Adzhimushkaya” in four editions and for many years sought awards for the participants in the legendary defense of the quarries near Kerch, among whom were many of our fellow soldiers.

Reconstruction of the 83rd Marine Brigade
under the command of Colonel V.A. Vrutsky

On May 27, 1942, the commander of the 143rd cadet brigade, Colonel V.A. Vrutsky, who had distinguished himself in the battles near Odessa and the Crimea, was appointed commander of the 83rd Marine Brigade. Regimental Commissar V.G. Kazachek, an experienced political worker, former commissar of the 143rd cadet brigade, was appointed commissar of the brigade. Of the experienced, fired soldiers who fought on the Kerch Peninsula, the following continued to serve in the brigade: Major M.M. Yanchuk, a staff worker who united all those transported across the strait in May 1942, chief of staff of the battalion, senior lieutenant I.V. Zhernovoy, commander of machine gunner company B D. Vishnevsky, PTR company commander Ya. S. Borisenko, communications company commander N. I. Aleksandrov, commanders of other units: E. G. Larikov, F. P. Pilitenko, I. Kopytnenko, L. Varfolomeev, V. A .Botylev; artillerymen; E.A. Baranovsky, V.X. Kuzmenko, A.P. Kustov, A.T. Sazonov, K.I. Sushchy, K.I. Shumara, I.A. Kononenko, mortarmen: I. Katargin, I. A. Usatov; Red Navy men: I.I. Blokhinov, N.V. Obrodov, M.K. Oboenko, I.G. Gorbenok, A.I. Subbotin, N.S. Serikov, A.S. Markitanyuk; physician L.V. Obrezkova.

They were joined almost daily by marines returning from hospitals from among those wounded in the February and March battles on the Kerch Peninsula, as well as marines who were sent from the 64, 68, 76 and 81st separate naval rifle brigades, who had distinguished themselves in battle on the Mius Front, as well as sailors from the commands of ships of the Black Sea Fleet who voluntarily expressed a desire to fight on the land front. All of them were concentrated in the Chapaevsky camp near Novorossiysk, where, through the efforts of the newly appointed commander and commissar, as well as the chief of staff of the brigade, Major M.V. Orchedny, the 83rd Marine Brigade, which had actually managed to gain popularity at the front, was created anew.

Its combat strength was built according to the previous staff: three battalions of 715 people each, a communications battalion, two artillery battalions, a mortar battalion, reconnaissance companies, machine gunners, engineer, automobile, medical and other units. The total number of brigade personnel is 4,392 people.

The 1st battalion was received by senior lieutenant I. Elkin, his chief of staff was senior lieutenant I.V. Zhernovoy, the commissar was senior political instructor S. Serdyukov, the 2nd battalion was headed by senior lieutenant N.M. Senior Lieutenant Rybalko was appointed. After the death of Major Nizyuk, the artillery division of the brigade was taken over by Captain Klimatov, the separate anti-tank fighter division continued to be commanded by Captain V.A. Stogov, Commissar Rykunov, the mortar division was commanded by Major K.M. Dzazamiya, and political instructor S.I. Romanovsky was appointed commissar of the mine division.

The brigade's management was also formed - Captain Ya. Beknev became the head of the operational unit, Captain Zagrebelny became the head of reconnaissance, and Major M.M. Yanchuk became the head of the combat unit.

The whole of June and July 1942 was spent rebuilding the brigade. The battalions were engaged in combat training, receiving weapons, artillerymen received guns, mortarmen received mortars. The brigade was tasked with the coastal defense of the Caucasian coast north of Novorossiysk - the front passed along the strait between Kerch and Taman.

83rd Marine Brigade
in the defense of Novorossiysk in the summer of 1942

The real threat of an enemy breakthrough into the Caucasus emerged after July 25, 1942, when fascist German troops broke through the Southern Front and enemy tank and motorized formations rushed to the Zadonsk and Salsk steppes. On July 28, the Headquarters united the Southern and North Caucasian fronts into one North Caucasian front, appointing Marshal of the Soviet Union S. M. Budyonny as commander. This decision changed little: the enemy was rapidly advancing across the flat terrain, overtaking our rifle divisions, which were retreating on foot and did not have time to occupy their designated defense lines.

It was relatively calm on the Caucasian coast in August, and the command decides to remove the 83rd Marine Brigade from the coastal defense lines and send it towards the advancing enemy. Colonel V.A. Vrutsky received an order to take up defense at the line of the villages of Slavyanskaya, Kievskaya, Gladkovskaya and Moldavanskaya - this line clearly exceeded the combat capabilities of the brigade, an entire army was needed to defend it, but the brigade of sailors moved to the designated lines. When the foot columns of the Marines approached them, it turned out that the Germans had already captured Krymskaya and entrenched themselves on the dominant heights. The brigade commander ordered the 1st battalion to capture the Pervomaisky farm, but the enemy was already outflanking the brigade with tank wedges, and it was forced to retreat with heavy fighting through a wooded mountainous area.

The first line of organized defense was created at the village of Natukhaevskaya and Semigorye on August 28. But the enemy tanks bypassed the brigade here too. Colonel V.A. Vrutsky had to withdraw the battalions to the village of Raevskaya. But even here the enemy did not go to the defense of the sailors, but went around it with tank wedges, and on August 31 captured Anapa. After this, the brigade received the task of withdrawing from the defense and through Abrau-Durso to reach Borisovka, Vladimirovka, Glebovka and cover Novorossiysk from the enemy group concentrating on the coast. Here all three battalions of the brigade were still under the firm control of the brigade commander. He built the defense competently and tactically expediently: the 1st and 2nd battalions were in the first echelon, the 3rd battalion was in the second, near Fedotovka. Some of the units and the artillery of the brigade simultaneously fought in the area of ​​​​Verkhnebakanskaya and the Wolf Gate pass. Here they held the defense together with the 16th separate marine battalion of Major D.V. Krasnikov until September 4.

At the Glebovka-Borisovka line, the brigade, acting in close cooperation with the 144th separate battalion of Captain-Lieutenant A.I. Vostrikov, which had moved here from Temryuk, fought until September 4. In these battles, the brigade commander, Colonel V.A. Vrutsky, the brigade commissar, regimental commissar V.G. Kazachek, and the commander of the 2nd battalion, Captain N.M. Dmitryak, were wounded. His battalion suffered particularly heavy losses as it was surrounded by a German unit dressed in Red Army uniform. The battalion commander of the 1st battalion, I. Elkin, was also wounded. He was replaced by the chief of staff of the battalion, senior lieutenant I.V. Zhernovoy. He managed to gather part of his battalion, bring out people who found themselves in one environment or another, and reach Novorossiysk in a fairly united group. There, under the leadership of I.V. Zhernov, these fighters organized the defense of cement plants, which went down in history, because at this point the enemy’s offensive was finally stopped. At the same time, the 1st company of the battalion, under the command of Lieutenant A.V. Taranovsky, who replaced Lieutenant G. Gorev, who died in Raevskaya, found himself cut off from Zhernovy’s group at the refrigerator, defended the city center for almost a day, and then, pressed against the bay, was evacuated by boat and came to the disposal of Zhernovy in the area of ​​cement plants.

Here it was possible to stabilize the defense on September 7, 1942. The backbone of the barrier created on the Sukhumi highway was the 1st battalion of the 83rd Marine Brigade under the command of Senior Lieutenant I.V. Zhernovoy, who accepted into its ranks many marines from the brigade units and other units. The remnants of the 15th separate marine battalion, which suffered heavy losses in the battles for the Wolf Gate, also fought here. The barrier was replenished with soldiers and officers, and soon a separate battalion of four hundred personnel was created from it directly during the battles. Command passed to senior lieutenant N. Frolov, senior lieutenant I.V. Zhernova became chief of staff, commissar - A. Oleinikov, companies were commanded by A.V. Taranovsky, M. Yaroslavsky, A. Ruslantsev and N. Voronkin. On the night of September 19, 1942, when the front on the Sukhumi Highway had finally stabilized, the Marines handed over the line of defense to the 318th Infantry Division, and they themselves went to replenish a number of naval units that were being formed at that time near Novorossiysk.

During the defense of Novorossiysk in August-September 1942, the artillerymen of the 83rd brigade operated in the same directions in which the battalions fought, their firing positions were under the Kievskaya, Gladkovskaya, Natukhaevskaya stations, batteries of artillery battalions and mortarmen supported the battalions in the battle near Glebovna and Abrau-Durso. The artillerymen suffered losses, constantly lacked ammunition, and were often diverted from direct support of the brigade battalions to perform other tasks. However, in the memories of both the brigade’s artillerymen and the mortarmen, there is always an episode of supporting the sailors in the battle near the cement plants on the Sukhumi highway. This was reported by the former commander of the correction post V.O. Vlasenko and the commander of the mortar platoon of the military division I.A. Pshuk. Recalling these events, the participants cite specific examples of the unprecedented resilience of people and the consistently high fighting spirit of our fellow soldiers. Red Navy man M.P. Popov from a company of machine gunners, talking about his platoon commander, Lieutenant G.A. Naumov, writes: “He had such faith, such a desire to tell people something... “I’ll stay alive,” he said , - I’ll write such a book...” Gennady Alekseevich Naumov died in the battle near Glebovka.

The seriously wounded commander of the machine gun company, Lieutenant P. Khoroshilov, left good memories; he was evacuated from the elevator pier with a crushed leg. Among the officers and Red Navy men who distinguished themselves in battle during the period of command of the brigade by Colonel V. A. Vrutsky are: V. Borzik, V. P. Bychkov, A. F. Grinchenko, I. G. Gorbenko, I. F. Grebenshchikov, D. Gaponov , N. Gorbatenko, V. G. Dmitrieva, I. Zherdeva, S. M. Zinchenko, N. I. Isachenko, A. S. Kolodka, V. M. Kleshnina, A. S. Kumpanenko, F. P. Lisogorsky , V.L.Lvovsky, I.S.Parnyuk, I.Pismenny, S.I.Romanovsky, M.K.Strug, A.Ya.Tarasenko, V.F.Shapovalov.

The instructor of the Political Directorate of the Black Sea Fleet, Captain 1st Rank L.I. Bondarenko, kept records of the exploits of the marines. For the 83rd brigade they include: the commander of the machine gun crew, Sergeant Kotov, who destroyed three enemy machine gun points; Red Navy men of Senior Sergeant Pozdnyakov’s platoon, who destroyed two tanks and a group of machine gunners; junior sergeant Tsarev, who emerged victorious from hand-to-hand combat; political instructor Morozov, who emerged from encirclement along with a mortar battery; Red Navy reconnaissance officer Trufanov, who returned from reconnaissance with captured weapons; Red Navy soldiers Ponomarev and Safonov, who destroyed one tank each; the Red Navy man Zaitsev, who noticed an abandoned cannon on one of the streets of Novorossiysk and opened fire on the German infantry from it, and many other facts of the unparalleled fortitude of the sailors.

Finding themselves surrounded, they fought until the last bullet. Captured sailors terrified their enemies. Our fellow Red Navy soldier Alexander Mikhailovich Kats, finding himself in a hopeless situation, was captured and placed in a prisoner of war camp. Having gone through all the horrors of fascist captivity, A.M. Katz retained the unshakable steadfastness of a fighter, eventually escaped from captivity and returned to duty.

As a result of a whole month of fighting for Novorossiysk, the 83rd Brigade was so drained of blood that it required another restoration.

Second formation of the 83rd Brigade in September 1942

In early September 1942, when the Marines of the 83rd Brigade fought for Novorossiysk in the area of ​​cement factories, Adamovich Balka and Mefodievka, the 305th Separate Marine Battalion, withdrawn from the Taman Peninsula under the command of Major Ts., fought next to them. L. Kunikova. Fought in the area of ​​Glebovka, Borisovka, at the Tunnel and at the Volchi Gate, the battalions of the brigade closely interacted with the 16th separate battalion of the marines, Major D.V. Krasnikov, and the 144th separate battalion of the marines, captain-lieutenant A.I. Vostrikov. These three battalions emerged from heavy battles quite combat-ready, while the battalions of the 83rd brigade, having lost their commanders and most of the command staff, having lost the brigade commander and commissar in battles and were actually no longer controlled by headquarters, fought in the form of scattered units. In the book “Battle for the Caucasus” they were given the following assessment: “...the 305th, 14th Marine Battalions and units of the 83rd Marine Rifle Brigade fought to the death. They finally stopped the enemy by holding the Oktyabr plant. ...In the area of ​​the Novorossiysk factories, the Germans could not take another step.”

From these heroic units and units, it was decided to form the 2nd Marine Brigade. Its main units, instead of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd battalions that existed in the past, became the 16th, 144th and 305th separate battalions of the Marine Corps, hardened in the battles for Novorossiysk. The commander of the 1st Marine Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel M.P. Kravchenko, was appointed commander of the recreated brigade; the duties of the commissar were temporarily assigned to senior political instructor Ya.L. Kornilov. On September 12, the military commissar of the brigade, regimental commissar F.V. Monastyrsky, appointed by the Military Council of the Black Sea Fleet, arrived.

By this time, communications units, personnel of an engineer company, a motor transport company, part of a mortar battalion, and rear units of artillery battalions, the main batteries of which were still on the front line, had already concentrated in the Kabardinka area. From Kabardinka, the 83rd brigade was transferred to the area of ​​False Gelendzhik (Divnomorskoye), where all other work was carried out to organize the management of the brigade, its units and subunits.

Regimental Commissar A.I. Ryzhov was appointed head of the political department of the 83rd brigade, senior political instructor Ya.L. Kornilov was appointed his deputy, captain 3rd rank A.Ya. Chirkov was appointed chief of staff, Colonel N.N. Demyanenko was appointed head of the engineering service, the commander of the communications battalion is captain 3rd rank A.Ya. Ishchenko, the commander of the artillery division is captain Petrushechkin. Major V.A. Stogov continued to remain the commander of the anti-tank fighter division, Major A.I. Biryuk took over the mortar division, and Captain I.M. Pisarenko was appointed commander of a separate medical unit.

Each of the battalions included in the brigade already had experience in combat operations as separate units of the Marine Corps and managed to prove themselves in battle. The 16th separate battalion of the Marine Corps was headed by the former flagship inspector of physical training and sports of the Black Sea Fleet, naval champion in freestyle wrestling, master of sports D.V. Krasnikov, his deputy for political affairs was senior political instructor D.F. Ponomarev, participant in the landing in Feodosia . The battalion arrived in Novorossiysk on the destroyer Soobrazitelny on the night of August 26, 1942, in the morning of the same day it moved to the front lines and acted so successfully that the battalion’s capture of an important line was reported in the Sovinformburo report.

The 144th separate battalion of the Marine Corps was headed by Lieutenant-Commander A.I. Vostrikov, a participant in the defense of Leningrad in the fall of 1941. He was ordered to form his unit in Moscow in the winter of 1942. The basis of the battalion was personnel returning from hospitals, officers were military graduates -marine educational institutions. In the spring, the battalion arrived at the disposal of the commander of the Azov military flotilla, Rear Admiral S.G. Gorshkov, and participated in the defense of Yeisk, then Temryuk, where the marines held back the advance of superior enemy forces for more than two weeks. Residents of Temryuk highly appreciated the feat of the Marines in defending the city, awarding Lieutenant Commander A.I. Vostrikov the title of honorary citizen. In perfect order, fully combat-ready, the commander of his battalion brought his battalion to the fiery lines of Novorossiysk and, fighting south of the city, next to the units of the 83rd brigade, stopped the enemy’s advance.

The 305th separate battalion of marines was formed in the Yaroslavl half-crew and in the spring of 1942 arrived at the Azov military flotilla, where it was received by Major Ts.L. Kunikov. The battalion under his command participated in the defense of Temryuk, and after the evacuation of the naval base, by order of the command, it moved to the village of Starotitarovskaya and further to Taman, where it was removed by ships of the Azov Flotilla and the Black Sea Fleet and taken to Novorossiysk. Here Major Ts.L. Kunikov was sent to the hospital after a car accident, and the battalion under the command of Senior Lieutenant V.S. Bogoslovsky was sent to the front line near the cement factories. By the time the battalion arrived in False Gelendzhik, it was commanded by Lieutenant Commander A.M. Sherman.

To replenish the brigade, the fleet sent those who had recovered from injuries in the defense of Odessa, Sevastopol, Kerch, Red Navy men and foremen from cruisers and battleships of the Black Sea Fleet, from submarines, boats, from the legendary leader “Tashkent” that sank in Novorossiysk Bay, from coastal defense units and from the army regiments and divisions. The units and units of the brigade assembled in the area of ​​False Gelendzhik had only a few days to put together units, obtain weapons and prepare for battle. The enemy near Novorossiysk was still trying to break through further into the Caucasus, and there was turbulence at the front.

Participation of the 83rd Brigade in the battles in the North Caucasus in 1942.

On September 21, 1942, the brigade commander, Lieutenant Colonel M.P. Kravchenko, received an order from the commander of the Novorossiysk defensive region to go to the disposal of the commander of the 47th Army of the Black Sea Group of Forces, which was fighting heavy defensive battles, holding back the group of enemy troops advancing from Abinsk. When the tip of the German wedge crawled to Shapsugskaya, army commander A.A. Grechko ordered two marine brigades - the 2nd and 1st - to launch a counterattack. The 2nd brigade was forced to set out on a campaign not yet fully formed; there were not enough guns in the artillery divisions, and there were not enough means of communication and transport. To the starting line, the battalions of the brigade marched in a forced march through mountains and forests. At dawn on September 25, the battalion commanders gave commands and were the first to go forward. In the attacking chains there were commissars, political department officers and staff commanders. The mood in the brigade is high: for the first time after several months of defensive battles and failures, the full brigade went on the offensive!

Next to the commander of the 305th battalion, Lieutenant Commander A.M. Sherman, brigade commissar F.V. Monastyrsky went on the attack. The 144th battalion was advancing to the right. The sailors walked at full height, without making dashes. At this time, the enemy tried to attack the flank of the attacking battalions, but brigade commander Lieutenant Colonel M.P. Kravchenko brought his second echelon into battle - the 16th battalion.

The German infantry lay down, trying to fire back, and then ran. The battalion commander, Major D.V. Krasnikov, ordered the company of Junior Lieutenant P.K. Yabrov to pursue the enemy, and the sailors coped with this task perfectly. The company returned from the battle with prisoners and trophies.

The fighting took place on forested heights. The enemy counterattacked several times a day, but each time rolled back with heavy losses. The commander of the 144th battalion, captain-lieutenant A.I. Vostrikov, was wounded, but did not leave the battalion. He was an experienced commander. Having encountered particularly strong resistance near the village of Skazhennaya Baba, he did not lead the people in a frontal attack, but went around the enemy stronghold from the rear. The enemy noticed the sailors when they were already a few meters from the village. In the first rows were the battalion commissar, senior political instructor V.A. Illarionov and party organizer G.V. Masterov. The Nazis retreated, but the battery continued to fire from the direction of the orchard. Komsomol organizer of the battalion K.A. Kharlamov with a group of machine gunners walked around it. The brave Komsomol member was wounded by a pistol shot, but he, like the battalion commander, remained in service. As a result of the battle for this small village, the entire brigade was able to advance in the direction of Uzun and Kuaffo. Near the village of Abinskaya, the sailors captured a small high-rise and raised the 3rd battery of the artillery division, armed with 76-mm regimental guns, onto it. The guns camouflaged at the height opened aimed fire at the enemy. The Germans tried for a long time to expel the daring battery from the heights, covered it with fire, and attacked with machine gunners. The battery had losses, but instructor Anna Kumpanenko fearlessly fulfilled her duty; she managed to save gunner Zuev and many other wounded sailors. Among those who distinguished themselves were company commanders: D. V. Kunitsyn, A. T. Pilipenko, G. M. Kisin, P. Ya. Murashkevich, political instructor N. I. Stupka, reconnaissance platoon commander F. F. Hamburg, platoon commanders: A A. Vorobyov, I. K. Kuznetsov, Red Navy men: N. K. Bogaty, I. F. Zharikov, V. N. Manilkin, S. N. Korzh, P. P. Pomerantsev; medical workers E.P. Kharlamova, paramedic V. Velsky who died in battle, staff commander V.M. Likhachev, deputy commander of the 16th battalion, senior lieutenant I.O. Rogalsky and many other marines.

In a three-day battle near Abinsk, the 2nd Marine Brigade, acting in cooperation with its brother the 1st Marine Brigade, cut off the wedge driven into our defenses and moved forward 15 km. After the battles, the 2nd Brigade transferred its sector to the 216th Infantry Division and entered the reserve of the 47th Army. On October 1, the 2nd Brigade was redesignated as the 83rd and the 1st Brigade as the 255th Marine Brigade. However, the respite was short-lived. On October 1, 1942, the brigade received the task of advancing northeast of Shapsugskaya. After marching along forest roads, the Marines reached the deployment line and attacked the enemy on October 3, occupying the village of Lindarovo. Here again the 16th battalion of Major D.V. Krasnikov distinguished himself, capturing height 181.4. Next, the brigade had to advance on the village of Erivansky. There was a stubborn battle for several days. The deputy commander of the 16th battalion, senior lieutenant I.O. Rogalsky, was always in the battle formations of the forward units. Erivan was taken, the remnants of the enemy units retreated and no further attempts were made to advance in this direction.

On October 12, the brigade was again transferred to the reserve of the 47th Army. In mid-October, the enemy tries to break through to the sea along the road to Tuapse. The new commander of the Black Sea Group of Forces, General I.E. Petrov, who heroically showed himself in the battles near Odessa and Sevastopol, on October 17 transferred the 83rd Marine Brigade to the 56th Army; in the pouring rain, the battalions set out along the route Gelendzhik, Dzhubga, Novo- Mikhailovskoye, Psebs, where we arrived on the night of October 18. Fighting was already going on at the Elizabeth Pass. Fascist mountain rangers captured Mount Lantern and Fanagoriyskoe. Acting at the forefront of the created strike group, the sailors of the 83rd brigade knocked out the Germans from Phanagoriysky, and immediately the commander transferred them to another area - to Mount Kochkanovo. This mountain dominated the area in the valley of the village of Sadovoe. Again there was a difficult trek through the rain along mountain paths, but exactly at the indicated time, by the morning of October 24, the brigade’s battalions reached the line designated for the offensive. After a short artillery preparation, the sailors saw a smoking height in front of them. The 305th battalion attacked from the west, the 16th from the north-west, and the 144th attacked from the south-east with just one company. The heated battle for the heights of Kochkanovo lasted until midnight. Leaving about two hundred corpses on the mountain, the enemy retreated in a northeast direction. In the battle for the heights of Kochkanovo, the 16th battalion of Major D.V. Krasnikov especially distinguished himself, performing a deep outflanking maneuver and stunning the enemy with a surprise attack. The enemy did not come to terms with the loss of height; the sailors withstood artillery fire and fierce assaults, but they no longer gave up the height to the enemy. There are many books, articles, songs, and poems about their selfless courage in the battle near Kochkanovo.

On October 30, 1942, by order of the commander of the 56th Army, the 83rd Brigade was thrown into a new battle in the direction of Kirkorovo, here the marines threw back the advanced units of the enemy rushing to Tuapse, captured trophies and valuable documents, among which was an order from the German command for a breakthrough in Tuapse at any cost. Throughout November there were battles in the mountains. The enemy groups that broke through to the side of the brigade's defense sector were only liquidated by the sailors on November 17, after which the enemy in this sector went on the defensive.

On November 19, the 83rd Brigade was transferred to the reserve of the commander of the Black Sea Group of Forces and concentrated in Tuapse. The commander of the 56th Army, Major General A.I. Ryzhov, expressed gratitude to the entire brigade personnel, and about two hundred marines were awarded. Among the most distinguished were Lieutenant Commander A.I. Vostrikov, awarded the Order of Lenin, commanders of the 16th and 305th battalions D.V. Krasnikov and A.M. Sherman, awarded the Order of the Red Banner, company commander G.E. Unterschlyag , deputy commander of the 144th battalion, captain A.M. Fisher, chief of staff of the 144th battalion, N.M. Gerasimenko, unit commanders: A.I. Bogachenko, G.G. Tsuprov, A.I. Vereshchak, political instructors: N F. Golovanev, G. F. Gutnik, I. G. Fomenko, G. M. Romashkovsky, as well as A. P. Allakhverdov, A. E. Bedarev, B. A. Bely, K. T. Boyko, K I. Butvin, D. I. Gapon, T. A. Gappoev, V. I. Gorbacheva, S. I. Golovakho I. N. Goncharov, S. P. Golovachenko, G. S. Grachev, V. E. Turin, V.S.Dovbnya, M.M.Zhukov, A.I.Kirillov, A.A.Kunjulov, A.V.Krugov, I.T.Kulibaba, I.E.Konik, A.Ya.Malygin, D.N.Mirgorodsky, V.Ya.Myakishev, N.S.Nikitin D.P.Nazarenko, N.N.Orlov, S.I.Savotchenko, P.I.Sych, S.E.Tkachenko, F.M Kharkovsky, S.G. Khorenin, A.Ya. Chirkov, V.I. Chernenko, P.I. Shcherbakov, I.V. Yaichkin, headquarters commanders G.E. Shulgin T.I. Sergienok, S.B. Gorelik, medical workers R.S. Bogdanova, M.T. Dreychuk, E.G. Zharikova, machine gunner Yu.M. Bondarenko, K.A. Kharlamov, political department officers G.I. Tsviliy, N.I. Litvinov, V. S. Egorov.

The military merits of the 83rd Marine Brigade were highly appreciated. By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of December 13, 1942, she was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

After the fighting in the North Caucasus, in connection with the departure of Lieutenant Colonel M.P. Kravchenko to the hospital, the brigade commander (Lieutenant Colonel D.V. Krasnikov was appointed, the commander of the 16th Marine Battalion was I.O. Rogalsky, who commanded a gunboat before arriving at the brigade "Rostov-Don" on the Azov military flotilla. Instead of A.I. Vostrikov, who left to study at the military academy, the commander of the 144th battalion became his deputy, Captain A.M. Fisher. Instead of Lieutenant Commander A.M. Sherman, who left for the fleet, the commander The 305th battalion became Major M.M. Yanchuk, instead of Captain 3rd Rank A.Ya. Chirkov - the brigade headquarters was headed by Major L.F. Buryachenko.

While on vacation, the Marines received reinforcements. They told the newly arrived sailors and army men about the exploits of the submachine gunner platoon commander Panna Kozlova, the fearless marines Vasily Yashin and Oleg Minin, company commanders I.N. Fedorenko and M.E. Popkov, squad commander Sergeant Major 1st Article V.N. Manilkin, gunner M.G. Degtyarev, Red Navy men O.M. Boytsov, S. Mkrtumov, V. Tovstonogov and many other heroes of the Red Banner Brigade.

Yuri Dementyev retired captain They carried out the order as best they could in the most difficult conditions. But without external control, proper intelligence and supply. This could happen again today.
2. The authors’ remark about the presence of tanks in the 46th division of the 42nd Army Corps of the Wehrmacht raises doubts. M.b., the authors mistake assault guns for tanks, but this is not the same thing. Perhaps there were Romanian tanks, but they could be treated as such very, very conditionally.
3. The stage of evacuation from the Kerch Peninsula after the breakthrough of the defense of the Crimean Front is not described at all. But this is a tragic episode of a failed operation that ended in the defeat of the Crimean Front.
There is not a word about what was happening in Kerch and on the approaches to it, the role of L. Mekhlis, General Kozlov, etc. I am convinced that the issues of describing a retreat with complete tactical superiority and air supremacy of the enemy are very important both tactically and ethically and emotionally. Certain instructive conclusions should and can be drawn from specific examples. It is important not to hide the truth and to cover this tragic stage as impartially as possible. I have photos of the guys from the Marine Corps in the spring of 42. Perhaps from 83 obm. Beautiful faces, a spirit of mutual assistance, contempt for death and something corporate: pride in being Marines. I see.
This should be written about not in the dry language of a historian, but, for example, as artistic essays, stories, and memoirs of eyewitnesses. At least from the words of those who heard this from the participants themselves. My father Nikolai Egorovich Kryuchkov fought in the 83rd Specialized Brigade of the 305th Separate Marine Battalion since 1942. I would like to know about the combat path of the battalion and walk through the places of military glory. Who can tell me where to go . Although officially listed as missing since December 1942. According to the grandmother’s stories, the grandfather either served or died on a submarine. Hope you can help! Thank you very much!

83rd Separate Guards air assault brigade- a military unit within the Airborne Forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The brigade is stationed in Ussuriysk. The number of personnel is about 3,500 people.

Brigade history

In December 1995 - January 1996, the brigade, in accordance with the order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation No. 070 of December 26, 1995 “On improving the leadership of troops (forces),” was withdrawn from the Airborne Forces and reassigned to the command of the Red Banner Far Eastern Military District. Since February 1, 1996, the direct leadership and control of the brigade has been carried out by the commander of the CDVO troops.

In 1996, the brigade's battalions received separate numbers.

After transfer to the Ground Forces, the 111th separate tank battalion (31 T-80B tanks, of which 3 operational combat training groups) was formed in the 83rd separate airborne brigade in the village of Lyalichi. Also in Lyalichi there was a separate brigade infantry battalion.

In 1996, the brigade battalions received separate numbers. The 83rd Special Airborne Brigade included:

• 593rd (or 598th) separate parachute battalion;
• 635th separate parachute battalion;
• 654th separate parachute battalion.

In accordance with Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 776 of October 11, 2013 and the directive of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the 83rd separate air assault brigade became part of the Airborne Forces.

The admission to the airborne troops of the 83rd separate air assault brigade of the Eastern Military District officially took place in Ussuriysk on November 6, 2013.

Composition of the brigade for 2010

• management (military unit 71289);
• 635th separate parachute battalion (the village of Baranovsky, Ussuriysk region, Primorsky Krai);
• 654th separate parachute battalion (Ussuriysk);
• 598th (or 593rd) separate parachute battalion (Ussuriysk);
• 9th Separate Guards Howitzer Artillery Division of the Order of the Red Star;
• reconnaissance company;
• communications company;
• engineering company;
• repair company
• medical company.

Brigade commanders

The brigade was commanded by:

• Major General Vladimir Borodavkin,
• Colonel Valery Skobkin,
• Colonel Vladimir Kazantsev,
• Colonel Alexander Tolmachev,
• Colonel Alexander Ivanov,
• Colonel Yuri Volyaninov,
• Colonel Evgeny Nikiforov
• Colonel Sergei Gusev
• Colonel Harutyun Darbinyan
• Guard Colonel Dembitsky Alexander Vyacheslavovich

Team composition for 2014

• management (military unit 71289);
• 1st Air Assault Battalion;
• 2nd Air Assault Battalion;
• 3rd Air Assault Battalion;
• howitzer artillery battalion;
• anti-aircraft missile and artillery battery (ZU-23, GAZ-66);
• anti-tank battery;
• reconnaissance company;
• a company of unmanned aerial vehicles;
• rifle company of snipers;
• communications company;
• engineering company;
• radiation chemical biological protection company;
• repair company;
• logistics company;
• medical company;
• airborne support platoon;
• commandant's platoon.

Achievements of the 83rd Special Airborne Brigade

In 1988, according to the results of an inspection by the Ministry of Defense, the brigade became the best unit of the State Guard Forces, demonstrating high combat training and strong discipline, carrying out any tasks assigned to it.

In 1989, in a forced march of 10 kilometers with shooting for the prize of the newspaper “Red Star”, the brigade personnel took 1st place in the Armed Forces of the USSR.

Servicemen of the brigade, as part of combined units, took part in the fighting in Chechnya. The brigade participates in almost all major exercises conducted in the Far East. In 2002, the two companies operated side-by-side with Pacific Fleet Marines at Cape Clerk for the first time and earned high praise from the Secretary of Defense.

In June 2004, during the operational-strategic exercises “Mobility-2004”, the Far Eastern paratroopers were in no way inferior to their brothers-in-arms from the famous Pskov division. The course of the exercises was observed by the President of Russia and the Minister of Defense of Russia.

In 2005, one of the companies participated in exercises on Sakhalin, and the other in the Amur region. In 2005, two separate parachute battalions of the brigade were transferred to the contract recruitment method. In August 2006, a reinforced parachute company under the command of Captain Vladimir Shevtsov parachuted from an An-12 near Khabarovsk, captured an advantageous position and held off the advance of the “enemy” until the main forces arrived.

In the fall of 2006, the brigade was presented with a challenge banner of the Military Council of the Far Eastern Military District with the inscription: “The best unit of the Red Banner Far Eastern Military District.”

During a “sudden” check of the combat readiness of the Air Defense Forces troops in 2013, the brigade was raised on combat alert and marched to airfields to board BTA aircraft, with the help of which it was transferred to Sakhalin Island, where it was disembarked by landing and parachute. Started to carry out combat missions. The personnel of the 2nd Air Assault Platoon of the 1st Air Assault Company distinguished themselves in these exercises. 2nd platoon together with platoon commander Art. Lieutenant D. Ivchenko. Composition: 2nd platoon Baranov A; Ivanov V; Efremov M; Bunakov E; Kolomeets E; Nikolaev M; Kruglov A; Mikhailov N; Volochai S; Nikolaev A; and others were awarded the title of best platoon of 2012-2013.

During a similar check in 2014, the brigade's paratroopers were landed battalion-by-battalion in Kamchatka and Chukotka, where they were given the task of anti-landing defense of the coast.

The brigade's battalions are regular participants in victory parades in Ussuriysk, Khabarovsk and Vladivostok.

On March 25, 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree conferring the rank of guards on the brigade.

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An excerpt characterizing the 83rd separate air assault brigade

Pierre, a month and a half after Anna Pavlovna's evening and the sleepless, excited night that followed, in which he decided that marrying Helen would be a misfortune, and that he needed to avoid her and leave, Pierre, after this decision, did not move from Prince Vasily and was horrified felt that every day he was more and more connected with her in the eyes of people, that he could not in any way return to his previous view of her, that he could not tear himself away from her, that it would be terrible, but that he would have to connect with her destiny. Perhaps he could have abstained, but not a day passed when Prince Vasily (who rarely had a reception) did not have an evening at which Pierre should have been, if he did not want to upset the general pleasure and deceive everyone’s expectations. Prince Vasily, in those rare moments when he was at home, passing by Pierre, pulled him down by the hand, absentmindedly offered him a shaved, wrinkled cheek for a kiss and said either “see you tomorrow” or “by dinner, otherwise I won’t see you.” , or “I’m staying for you,” etc. But despite the fact that when Prince Vasily stayed for Pierre (as he said), he did not say two words to him, Pierre did not feel able to deceive his expectations . Every day he kept telling himself the same thing: “We must finally understand her and give ourselves an account: who is she? Have I been wrong before or am I wrong now? No, she's not stupid; no, she's a wonderful girl! - he said to himself sometimes. “She’s never wrong about anything, she’s never said anything stupid.” She doesn't say much, but what she says is always simple and clear. So she's not stupid. She has never been embarrassed and is not embarrassed. So she’s not a bad woman!” Often he happened to start reasoning with her, thinking out loud, and every time she answered him with either a short, but appropriately spoken remark, showing that she was not interested in this, or with a silent smile and glance, which most palpably showed Pierre her superiority. She was right in recognizing all reasoning as nonsense compared to that smile.
She always turned to him with a joyful, trusting smile that was directed towards him alone, in which there was something more significant than what was in the general smile that always adorned her face. Pierre knew that everyone was only waiting for him to finally say one word, to step over a certain line, and he knew that sooner or later he would step over it; but some kind of incomprehensible horror seized him at the mere thought of this terrible step. A thousand times during this month and a half, during which he felt himself drawn further and further into that abyss that frightened him, Pierre said to himself: “What is this? It takes determination! Don’t I have it?”
He wanted to make up his mind, but he felt with horror that in this case he did not have the determination that he knew in himself and that really was in him. Pierre was one of those people who are strong only when they feel completely pure. And from the day he was possessed by that feeling of desire that he experienced over Anna Pavlovna’s snuffbox, an unconscious feeling of guilt in this desire paralyzed his determination.
On Helen’s name day, Prince Vasily had dinner with a small company of people closest to her, as the princess said, relatives and friends. All these relatives and friends were given the feeling that on this day the fate of the birthday girl should be decided.
The guests were sitting at dinner. Princess Kuragina, a massive, once beautiful, representative woman, sat in the master's seat. On both sides of her sat the most honored guests - the old general, his wife, Anna Pavlovna Scherer; at the end of the table sat the less elderly and honored guests, and the family, Pierre and Hélène, were sitting there, side by side. Prince Vasily did not have dinner: he walked around the table in a cheerful mood, sitting down with one or another of the guests. He spoke a casual and pleasant word to everyone, with the exception of Pierre and Helene, whose presence he did not seem to notice. Prince Vasily revived everyone. The wax candles burned brightly, the silver and crystal dishes, the ladies’ outfits and the gold and silver epaulettes shone; servants in red caftans scurried around the table; the sounds of knives, glasses, plates and the sounds of the animated chatter of several conversations around this table were heard. The old chamberlain at one end could be heard assuring the old baroness of his ardent love for her and her laughter; on the other hand, a story about the failure of some Marya Viktorovna. At the middle of the table, Prince Vasily gathered his audience around him. He told the ladies, with a playful smile on his lips, the last - on Wednesday - meeting of the State Council, at which the then famous rescript of Emperor Alexander Pavlovich from the army was received and read by Sergei Kuzmich Vyazmitinov, the new St. Petersburg military governor-general, in which the Emperor, addressing Sergei Kuzmich, said that from all sides he receives statements about the devotion of the people, and that the statement from St. Petersburg is especially pleasant to him, that he is proud of the honor of being the head of such a nation and will try to be worthy of it. This rescript began with the words: Sergey Kuzmich! Rumors reach me from all sides, etc.
– So it didn’t go any further than “Sergei Kuzmich”? – asked one lady.
“Yes, yes, not by a hair,” answered Prince Vasily, laughing. – Sergey Kuzmich... from all sides. From all sides, Sergei Kuzmich... Poor Vyazmitinov could not go further. Several times he started writing again, but as soon as Sergei said... sobbing... Ku...zmi...ch - tears... and were drowned out by sobs on all sides, and he could not go on. And again the scarf, and again “Sergei Kuzmich, from all sides,” and tears... so they already asked someone else to read it.
“Kuzmich... from all sides... and tears...” someone repeated, laughing.
“Don’t be angry,” Anna Pavlovna said, wagging her finger from the other end of the table, “est un si brave et excellent homme notre bon Viasmitinoff... [This is such a wonderful person, our good Vyazmitinov...]
Everyone laughed a lot. At the upper, honorable end of the table, everyone seemed to be cheerful and under the influence of a variety of lively moods; only Pierre and Helen sat silently next to each other almost at the lower end of the table; on the faces of both was restrained a radiant smile, independent of Sergei Kuzmich - a smile of shyness in front of their feelings. No matter what they said and no matter how others laughed and joked, no matter how appetizingly they ate Rhine wine, sauté, and ice cream, no matter how they avoided this couple with their eyes, no matter how indifferent and inattentive they seemed to be to her, for some reason one felt from time to time glances thrown at them, that the anecdote about Sergei Kuzmich, and the laughter, and the food - everything was feigned, and all the attention of this entire society was directed only to this couple - Pierre and Helen. Prince Vasily imagined Sergei Kuzmich's sobs and at this time looked around his daughter; and while he laughed, the expression on his face said: “Well, well, everything is going well; “Today everything will be decided.” Anna Pavlovna threatened him for notre bon Viasmitinoff, and in her eyes, which flashed briefly at Pierre at that moment, Prince Vasily read congratulations on his future son-in-law and his daughter’s happiness. The old princess, offering wine to her neighbor with a sad sigh and looking angrily at her daughter, seemed to say with this sigh: “Yes, now you and I have nothing left to do but drink sweet wine, my dear; now is the time for these youth to be so boldly defiantly happy.” “And what nonsense is all this that I tell, as if it interests me,” the diplomat thought, looking at the happy faces of the lovers – this is happiness!
Among those insignificantly small, artificial interests that bound this society together was the simple feeling of the desire of beautiful and healthy young men and women for each other. And this human feeling suppressed everything and hovered above all their artificial babble. The jokes were sad, the news uninteresting, the excitement was obviously fake. Not only they, but the footmen serving at the table seemed to feel the same and forgot the order of service, looking at the beautiful Helen with her radiant face and at the red, fat, happy and restless face of Pierre. It seemed that the candlelight was focused only on these two happy faces.
Pierre felt that he was the center of everything, and this position both pleased and embarrassed him. He was in the state of a man deep in some activity. He did not see anything clearly, did not understand or hear anything. Only occasionally, unexpectedly, fragmentary thoughts and impressions from reality flashed through his soul.

The Airborne Forces say: “They become real paratroopers after jumping from an Il-76.”

How this happens - a correspondent for the Novaya newspaper observed with his own eyes during training and practical exercises in the 83rd separate air assault brigade.

I'll get up before dawn today

On February 17, it began at four in the morning for the brigade’s military personnel. After getting up - early breakfast, loading into cars, leaving for the airfield... Officers and conscripts are not used to this, they look forward to days like this. It is then that moments occur when you can test your strength, and for those who participate in such exercises for the first time, consider yourself a real paratrooper warrior, and not a simple paratrooper.

I am accompanied by senior lieutenant of the Airborne Forces R. Abdrakhimov and freelance assistant commander for information support E. Filatova. When we arrive at the Vozdvizhensk military airfield, more than 500 personnel of the unit are already equipped with parachute systems. With backpacks on their backs, cargo containers and weapons, the guys look militantly beautiful.

According to Ratmir, the weight of the paratrooper’s cargo is more than 50 kg.

Do the math for yourself,” says the senior lieutenant, “the parachute system is 18 kg, the weapon with ammunition is about 5.5 kg, and the machine gunners are even heavier. Plus a cargo container weighing about 30 kilograms. It is usually used to transport radios. If a paratrooper will carry out a combat mission for several days, then he will need additional rations, a sleeping bag, etc.

We pass by the ranks standing on the concrete. Unit commanders once again check the readiness of paratroopers. In the sky there will be no time to correct the shortcomings, and any unfastened strap or unhidden knot can cost your life.

The sky is overcast, and the guys are worried that the jumps may not take place. At the same time, a snow-white Il-76 leaves the runway to scout the weather.

Some time later, the officers who will release the paratroopers head to the second airship for instructions. It is carried out constantly and without fail, despite the fact that each of the graduates has at least a hundred jumps on their account.

The entire ongoing process is led by the deputy brigade commander - the head of the airborne service, Lieutenant Colonel R. Samokhin. He waves away my questions with a smile. What can I tell you here? It’s just normal studying. And asks not to distract from work. This is understandable; organizing paratrooper exercises is not an easy task.

The day of the jumps must be coordinated with aviation, the command of military air defense units must be notified about it, the equipment of the runway, the transportation of soldiers, communications with the landing aircraft and the landing site must be monitored. Immediately before the departure of the groups, all briefings, checks, and registration of boarding lists when paratroopers board the plane also take place under the control of Lieutenant Colonel Samokhin.

Thanks to the efforts and perseverance of Roman Viktorovich, the parachute jump program has been noticeably increased since last year. During the academic year, 14,500 of them were carried out. The brigade was the first in the army to complete the airborne training program. We have mastered new types of parachute systems,” says E. Filatova. – Since the beginning of this year, landings have been carried out more than 10 times. And during military service, a paratrooper can make up to 20 jumps.

While we wait for the reconnaissance plane to return, I am introduced to the intricacies of airborne operations.

- What training does a soldier undergo before he is allowed to jump?

Ratmir Abdrakhimov:

– First, the new recruit gets acquainted with the material part of the parachute, studies its structure, principle of operation, and stowage. Moreover, each fighter must lay the canopy at least three times with his own hands. Then the guys learn to put on a parachute system and attach weapons to it. After this, practical training begins on the shells of the airborne complex. Boarding and exit procedures are practiced on aircraft mock-ups. On the slipways for suspended systems, paratroopers train to exit the aircraft, act in case of emergency situations in the air, and learn to land correctly. During classes, we also pay attention to the physical training of the personnel; we strengthen the ankle muscles on a special track so that there are no injuries during landing.

- Why is the paratrooper who jumped from the Il-76 considered real?

And you are well prepared! Jumping from an IL-76 is an indicator of some skill of a paratrooper. After all, young fighters make their first jump only from a helicopter. Its speed at the moment the parachutists exit is a little more than 140 km/h, and 8-10 people are dropped in one ascent. After two or three jumps, when the guys get used to the parachute equipment and act more confidently in the air, they are allowed to jump from this plane. Here the speed during landing is 360 km/h, there are 84 people on board at once, however, 42 come out at a time. You yourself understand that the landing conditions are different, and you cannot do without certain skills.

Heavenly dandelions

While we are talking, an airship approaches the landing site of the paratroopers, its engines humming. The commanders walk between the ranks and once again remind them how to act on the plane and in the air.

We count: 501, 502, 503, ring, 504, 505, dome, failure... - comes from the nearest unit. – We looked up, made sure that the parachute had opened, and we moved away from the axis of the plane...

At this time, pilots approach the deputy brigade commander for airborne training to receive “cargo,” or rather, landing sheets. This is something like a general ticket, in which all “passenger seats” are distributed by name. And now the first ship group climbs aboard through the open ramp. Landing is also carried out according to certain rules: heavy parachutists take places along the right side of the ship, and those who are lighter are seated along the left. The last to board the plane is a team of military personnel, not wearing conventional harnesses: the parachute packs are much smaller, there is no reserve parachute in front, and the altimeter is located on the sleeve of the jacket.

These are “crossbowmen,” explains Ratmir. - This is the name of the special reconnaissance unit because they use the Arbalet-2 parachute system for landing. It is more familiar to ordinary people as a “wing parachute”. And the special forces perform training jumps not from 800 meters, like everyone else, but from 2000.

Following the team, we board the plane to wish everyone good luck. The guys became quiet, listening to the last instructions of the commanders before takeoff. The stowaway journalist was not allowed on the flight, but the ship's commander allowed him to photograph the soldiers in the plane's cabin.

While the winged vehicle takes off and gains altitude, we reach the landing site, lost among the fields beyond Korsakovka. The clearing for collecting and testing parachutes, covered with tarpaulin, was located on a small hillock. Nearby is a pole with a “sorcerer”. This is the name given to a fabric cone used to determine the strength and direction of the wind.

Not far away, a cross is laid out on the ground with red ribbons; crossbowmen are guided by it during landing. All other paratroopers land in a spacious clearing. Their D-10 parachute systems are controlled differently from a flying wing, and the scattering strip of paratroopers after leaving the board stretches for almost a kilometer.

There it is, the first Il-76, - the servicemen point beyond the horizon.

The winged car, like an albatross, flies over the plain and goes for a second circle. Following her, dandelion domes open in the expanse of heaven. Literally a minute and a half later, the first group of paratroopers was already at the ground. The weather is calm, and there is no need to extinguish the parachute being filled by the wind. White airy matter falls on the tall feather grass, covering them like a snowdrift. The landing guys energetically weave the lines and put them in bags along with a light nylon. A multi-colored flag appeared among the ravine. This is how the commander designated the gathering place of his unit. Each has its own flag color.

Men's work

A paratrooper is not just a paratrooper, he is a soldier. And he makes the jump not for the sake of a spectacular landing, but in order to carry out a combat mission far from the area where the military unit is deployed, without regard to the terrain and weather. This time, after landing, the fighters had to work hard. Having gathered together, the warriors take up a perimeter defense. The father-commanders clarify the plan of action. The military personnel form a chain and advance by number to the location of the mock enemy. First, the first line moves in a short dash, then the second, and again the first, the second... Combat groups from different sides approach the established point. The soldiers have to roll around in the snow and in the roadside dust. I am beginning to understand the meaning of the airborne proverb: “For three seconds you are an angel, for two minutes you are an eagle, and the rest of the time you are a horse.”

At the same time, the remaining 42 people on the plane land, and the second board appears in the sky.

It feels like you are in a war zone. Some units, shouting “Hurray,” storm the lines of the imaginary enemy. New forces are being pulled up behind them, and the last landing force is folding the domes.

At the landing point, all these actions were observed by the deputy commander of the 83rd brigade, Lieutenant Colonel S. Shukhovtsev.

According to him, during a year of military service, a soldier manages to jump from an Il 76 plane five or six times. Moreover, a certain educational and training program is always carried out. During these exercises, the paratroopers were tasked with gathering unit by unit after landing, entering the specified area, and conducting practical combat training. The set goal has been largely achieved, although shortcomings are noticeable. This means there is something to work on.

In the evening, after exercises and training, the units gather at the assembly point. “Well, with the next one!” - congratulations are heard. And the boys are heatedly discussing the lesson...

Tomorrow the paratroopers will sort out mistakes and shortcomings and again pack parachutes, preparing for new exercises. But the guys’ eyes, despite their fatigue, glow with enthusiasm. It is not for nothing that Senior Lieutenant R. Abdrakhimov said that in the 83rd Brigade, as in other similar military units, people who are in love with the Airborne Forces serve. Others cannot stand the hard life of military life. After all, romance is only in the movies, but in everyday life, serving in the airborne troops is not an easy job.

Airborne Aces

The soldiers, engrossed in conversation, glance every now and then at the horizon, from where the next plane should appear. Crossbowmen will jump from it. And here he is. The plane goes much higher than the previous ones. Behind him, black dots of parachutists appear in the shrouded sky. A moment later, white wings spread over them. The special reconnaissance unit performs other tasks than a simple jump. They must reach the landing site from a height of two kilometers.

Not even a couple of minutes have passed before the winged reconnaissance aircraft are already circling over the site, taking turns landing. Young fighters watch with envy as the aces, one after another, land at the designated point.

I approach the paratrooper assembling the “wing”.

- Well, how is it up there in the sky?

Today it’s quiet, the wind doesn’t blow it to the side,” he smiles in response. - In this weather, I would just jump.

- How far can you cover with such a parachute?

If you leave the plane at an altitude of 8,000 meters with the Arbalet-2 parachute system, you can fly up to 40 kilometers. These characteristics of the parachute make it easier to carry out the combat mission, because the secrecy of the landing force and the ship is maintained. After all, the plane is moving at a distance from the destination, and the scouts themselves fly up to it as close as possible.

- Are there foreign analogues?

There are both foreign and domestic ones, but they are a little more difficult to manage. "Crossbow-2" is just for landing. It is reliable and forgiving of many mistakes.

And the city thought...

When our car left Korsakovka on the way home, a column of Ural trucks was moving towards us, driving behind the fighters. The thought flashed: “But nothing is over yet. But other fighters take on another task. They have their own task - to deliver military personnel and airborne cargo to the airfield, and then to the place of deployment. And the drivers must also show their skills so that everything goes without a hitch.”

Already at home, my first acquaintance told me that today planes had been circling over the city all day. I admit, it was nice to feel that I was involved in these flights, communicated with courageous people and lived the same life all day together with the paratroopers of the 83rd separate air assault brigade.

Andrey TKACHEV

Reserve Lieutenant Colonel V.N. Drokin is a veteran of the 83rd Separate Guards Airborne Brigade, which will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2016.

And in 1983, Viktor Nikolaevich was sent to the Polish city of Bialogard even before her birth. A group of officers, which included Afghan captain Viktor Drokin, formed the predecessor of the 83rd Airborne Brigade - a separate airborne battalion.

Viktor Nikolaevich served in the brigade for 20 years, and since May 2001, he served as deputy brigade commander and head of the airborne service of this unit for exactly four years.

Remembering the mid-80s, the experienced paratrooper spoke about himself and about interesting incidents from his military life:

FOLLOWING THE EMAILS - HOMELAND

“I gave two-thirds of the entire period of my army service to the 83rd Brigade. This is a very significant part of my life as an officer, like many of my colleagues in the brigade.

In the fall of 1985, having been sent abroad, I came to Bialogard to continue serving as part of the Northern Group of Forces of the USSR, part of the Armed Forces of the Warsaw Pact countries.

In the military town, I was surprised by the different colors of shoulder straps worn by military personnel. At that time it was not yet known what uniform the personnel of the yet unborn military unit would wear.

The reconnaissance and landing company, on the basis of which the airborne battalion was formed before the brigade, wore the uniform of motorized riflemen. And the officers arrived from anywhere. Only the sailors were missing.

Not even a third of the total strength of the new battalion was recruited as pure paratroopers. There were no appropriate uniforms for them in military warehouses at that time. Battalion commander Lieutenant Colonel V. M. Sinitsin solved the problem simply: he ordered all officers and warrant officers leaving on leave to return with paratroopers' shoulder straps, which was done with special diligence. In a couple of months, the battalion acquired a decent appearance as an airborne unit. And later the form appeared.

INTO TURNOVER IMMEDIATELY

The brigade command had a very difficult time during its formation. There were few officers who had previously served in the Airborne Forces.

The difficulties were mainly of a domestic nature. There were not enough barracks facilities; the soldiers were housed in cramped cubicles with bunk beds. The officers lived in different parts of the city, and even on the territory of other parts. A dormitory for lieutenants was organized in the attic of the barracks.

The artillerymen generally lived in tents at the training ground for a year and did not complain. All problems were resolved according to plan. Well, no one had to relax at all. Discipline was maintained very strictly. “Demobilizations” were only such in our infantry, but in our country they immediately came into use.

By September, after leave, about two hundred freshly made lieutenants arrived immediately. But they also needed parachute training, since they graduated primarily from either combined arms universities or schools of other branches of the military.

At such a turning point, from the entire motley mass of military personnel, the commanders had to not only organize, but also train a real “winged infantry”!

This is what the combat commander of the future brigade, Colonel V. I. Borodavkin, did with his small team of experienced officers who, like Vladimir Illarionovich himself, arrived from active units: the brigade commander and his deputy for weapons, Colonel Skryl, from the 106th Guards Airborne Division , the rest of the people are from everywhere.

The guardsmen brought to their future creation a special inexhaustible optimism and victorious spirit of the airborne troops, a readiness to complete the most difficult tasks, regardless of any difficulties.

FIRST EXHIBITION JUMP

Having graduated from the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School in 1981, I immediately became an instructor of parachute training. He served for two years as a platoon commander in the 137th airborne division, in the “capital of the Airborne Forces” - Ryazan. Then there was Afghanistan. And in 1983, he was one of three officers who were sent to Poland, where a battalion was being formed, to serve as deputy company commander and airborne training instructor. The service captivated me. And when the brigade was born, at the same time there were people who wanted to join its sports team in parachute jumping. I also agreed to join it.

The first demonstration jumps took place on Airborne Forces Day - August 2, 1986 - at the stadium, opposite the brigade checkpoint. By that time we had just begun to receive material. There were no sports parachutes at all. We decided to make do with conventional landing craft, which are controlled more in theory than in practice. The head of the airborne service, Major D.F. Yakimenko, assembled a group of officers who had sufficient experience for the jumps. It included two captains - V. Volokhov and me, as well as lieutenants D. Brylev, A. Morozov, Z. Latypov and V. Zalepaenkov.

It was quiet in the morning on a holiday. At eight o'clock we performed a training jump and landed successfully: everyone ended up right at the stadium, although the 50 by 150 m area for jumping from six hundred meters was too small for six brave guys.

As soon as the time for the celebration arrived, and at 10 o’clock the people arrived, as luck would have it, the wind picked up. As we expected, he scattered us a little. And although everyone stretched with all their might to land in the “designated square,” only two of us ended up on the football field, the rest were outside the stadium.

It didn't turn out as well as on the first jump. But the people liked it, and everyone began to wait impatiently for the mass jumps to begin. Nobody knew when such a day would come. The bulk of the personnel had yet to learn how to descend under the dome from under the clouds.

AT THE TOWER – CONVEYOR CONVEYOR OF STUDENTS

Typically, in airborne units, parachute training and familiarization jumps are included in the course of a young soldier. We had to teach the science of landing to recruits, replacement sergeants, and even young officers who had not studied airborne operations, and all at the same time.

The problems started with the parachute tower. Each of the trainees had to perform their first five jumps here.

From the very morning rise until the end of the day, the four of us, in two shifts, carried the parachute from bottom to top to prepare it for a new approach. Even a group of broad-shouldered guys managed to lift the canopy onto the tower after each jump in a moderate wind with great difficulty.

The next paratrooper from the whole “conveyor” didn’t even have time to get scared before he gave the command “Let’s go!” the releaser released the straps, and the “student” was literally blown off the diving board of the tower. In general, although with great difficulty, we prepared everyone on time.

From this “pedagogical poem” I remember one episode that took place in 1987.

WITH HEAVEN'S HELP

At that time, in exchange for the young people who arrived, a group of old-timers from other military units was transferred to our brigade to “dilute” it. This is how the number of rank and file personnel was equalized based on conscription. Naturally, the “cream of society”, determined to return home as soon as possible, pushed us. There were also those who had difficulty understanding Russian. It was me who got to prepare this “gop team” for jumping.

Two weeks of exclusively airborne training flew by like one day! Before the next takeoff, I presented my new group to the graduate for inspection. Major Yu. V. Agapov is an experienced officer. On his personal account there were more than 400 jumps. He, as expected, examined the guys, gave additional instructions, and with my gaze I followed my “eagles” to the helicopter.

I observe the approach to the combat course. It seems like everyone jumped. True, there is a small interval between the descending domes. So, someone was resisting. Happens.

The helicopter lands. I'm going to the issuer to find out the details.

The major is an experienced officer, and for a long time he could not stop his verbal “burst”, similar to a machine gun. It was clear from everything that he was outraged. And that's putting it mildly.

It was an active volcano! A two-by-two “cabinet” with a shovel palm could not be thrown off balance. Those who suddenly became confused before the jump or, God forbid, began to resist, the major did not persuade, but simply carried them out the door by the collar. But even at the same time he made sure that the parachutist held the ring with one hand and pressed the other to his body. With your arms outstretched, you could catch on.

And then, as it turned out, one of my charges first slowed everyone down, afraid of heights. Then the “eagle” grabbed his head with both hands and with all his might rushed through the door of the helicopter, shouting “Alla...!” Well, at least with God’s help, I still jumped with a parachute myself, and most importantly, I landed safely. Well done! And thank heavens!

...A year later we already had a big sports team. Although we were not chasing achievements, the team achieved the main goal - to interest the personnel in jumping and lead the guys into the sky! And on August 2, 1987, a long chain of paratroopers already flaunted over the festive military town. Our football field was not enough for them!”

Recorded by Tatiana ROMANOVA