Curls in a pine forest on the slopes
Borderline stingy outlook.
Take us, Suomi, beauty, In a necklace of transparent lakes!
Tanks break wide glades, Airplanes circling in the clouds
Low sun of autumn
Lights lights on bayonets.
We used to fraternize with victories
And again we carry in battle
On the roads walked by grandfathers, Your red-star glory.
Many lies have been made in these years, To confuse the Finnish people.
Now reveal to us trustingly
Halves of wide gates!
Neither fools nor fools scribblers
Don't confuse your hearts anymore.
They took away your homeland more than once -
We have come to return it to you.
We come to help you straighten out, Pay more for the shame.
Take us, Suomi, beauty, In a necklace of transparent lakes!
Lyrics: Anatoly D'Aktil (Frenkel), music: Daniil and Dmitry Pokrass
A fictionalized story. Have you noticed that the song, cited as an epigraph, is about early autumn? Because in Finland after November 7 in those years it was already deep winter. And the war started on November 30th, didn't it? But the song still had to be written, approved by the relevant authorities, which required more than one or two days. So the "liberation" was in the snow! There was no global warming then. But the songwriters have … autumn. Funny, isn't it? But this is so, an introduction to the topic of the Finnish war. Because recently there were several "imperial" articles about this war on "VO", and I would like to supplement them. Moreover, there is something … Except for this song.
And my story in this material will be somewhat unusual this time. Usually I always know where I come from what I get in my lyrics. And here the story is this: when I was writing my novel in the genre of alternative history "If Hitler took Moscow …" (second edition "Let's Die Near Moscow, or the Swastika over the Kremlin"), I naturally needed information about the war. Interesting, unusual, "romantic". Where to get? Information on setting up production of "Katyusha" in Penza, not trolley running at the plant. Frunze was found in the archive. A book about the combat path of the Penza division is in the library of the local history museum. Its employees publish such books on a regular basis. Well, I began to look through the regional newspaper "Young Leninist", in which the journalist Vladimir Verzhbovsky regularly published local history materials, including the memoirs of our fellow countrymen from the regional state archive. And it was there that I came across material about the "Soviet Finns". It is clear that it was impossible to use it "one to one". Therefore, it was literary processed, that is, somewhat "fictionalized." Not much, so that historicism is not lost, but by some percentage. That is, the numbers are all correct, the events are one to one, but the form has changed very significantly.
And now I read articles about the Finnish war on "VO" and thought: I have very interesting material about the events of that war. Of course, many have read my novel "Let's Die …", but why not rewrite this passage from it again and publish it with a high level of novelty? I am sure that many will be very interested in this. First, not everyone has read this novel. Secondly, human memory is imperfect. After 90 days + 1 day, 80% of people forget 90% of what they have written. And what remains in their memory after 365 days? But this is not 100% documented material. That is, the name of the main participant is undeniable, the very fact of the presence of "Soviet Finns" is unquestionable. But did Murukin hear the words of Mehlis? In the newspaper "Young Leninist" it could well have been. But where can I now look for newspapers for 2002, when this novel was written, and is it worth it? So, there may be something and slightly changed. But, I repeat, slightly, within the electronic system "Advego-Plagiatus", and nothing more!
Private Boris Murukin was drafted into the ranks of the Red Army in 1939. Moreover, in the fall, and immediately sent to the 106th Infantry Division, which was near Leningrad. At first he ended up in an artillery regiment, but here the regimental special officer, apparently digging through his papers and focusing on his surname, changed his fate in the most decisive way. “We are sending you to the front, comrade fighter, to the Finnish army,” he said sternly looking into his eyes, and pursed his lips significantly. - This is not a joke, so do not dissolve your tongue. And here, sign about non-disclosure. " Murukin only had time to read the words: "I undertake not to divulge state and military secrets …", as he immediately signed it. And already on November 23, 1939, he found himself in a completely different part, although also, standing near Leningrad.
And all this happened so only because Comrade Stalin at that time came up with a brilliant idea, namely: to create in the USSR another 16th Karelo-Finnish Soviet Republic! For which it was required to take a piece of territory from Finland and unite it with the lands of our Karelians. Finnish communists, ready to do anything in order to get into power, were at his fingertips. It remained only to create a liberation Finnish army, which will become the striking force of the new government of the "lake country".
Another civil comrade, People's Commissar Voroshilov, immediately gave the appropriate order, after which the whole country began to gather people with Scandinavian roots. And when it became clear that there were no such people, the "remnants" were picked up by Russians, Ukrainians, and even Kazakhs and Uzbeks. Thus, Boris Murukin, a native of the village of Telegin, Penza Region, and in common parlance the most ordinary Penzyak, who became a Finn by the will of his superiors, got into the "special legion" in this way! Although, in the 106th division there was also such a dialogue: "Are you a Finn?" - the fighters asked a question to the newly arrived, as they really wanted to see the Finns. - “That neither! How am I Khvin, I am Ukrainian!"
All Finns were gathered in a military town isolated from the rest of the units and dressed in strange and unusual uniforms. The boys from the villages and steppes looked at her in amazement. Orphaned Soviet tunics did not even stand next to the Finnish uniforms. Frenchies with large pockets of English cloth, the same pants, boots made of good leather and hats with earflaps - looked just gorgeous. But the most amazing thing was the shoulder straps. After all, there were no shoulder straps in the Red Army. True, the soldiers of the 106th several times got into trouble because of this form. The fact is that for some reason they were released on dismissal in the same form, and the locals not only "looked askance" at them, but, out of their mental simplicity, took them for spies and handed them over to the police.
In addition to the new uniform, everyone was given Russian-Finnish phrasebooks and ordered to study them. Then the “people's” army had its own hymn: “Neither liars, nor foolish scribblers will confuse Finnish hearts anymore. They have taken away your homeland more than once. We come to return it! All soldiers were ordered to know it by heart.
Despite all efforts, on November 20, 1939, divisional commissar Vashugin nevertheless reported to the "top" that, "although we tried very hard, there were only 60 percent of the Finns directly …" And what could Voroshilov do? It is clear that he resigned himself and reported to Stalin that the "army" was fully staffed by the Finns. Well, this has been a tradition in Russia for centuries, to do a part, but to report upstairs that the work has been completed in full. He was not the first on this path, he was not the last …
In December, the future liberators of the Finnish people were placed in the city of Terijoki. “Boredom there was simply mortal,” Boris Timofeevich later recalled. - It seems like everyone has forgotten about us. For a long time, they were not thrown into battle at all. We became timidly interested in why this is so. And we answered: your task is not to fight, but to enter Helsinki with a solemn march! And the soldiers of the 106th languished from idleness. And it led to what is known: drunkenness and drunken fights began. As a result, two soldiers were even put under a tribunal."
Then came December 21 - a big holiday, the 60th anniversary of Comrade Stalin, and soldiers were assigned to each unit, who had to write him a letter of congratulation. Boris was among these chosen ones - he was sent on a mission from the regiment. However, he did not need to write anything himself. The text was ready and began with the words: "To the great friend of the Finnish people, Comrade Stalin …" Murukin had to sign the letter. And only 5775 people signed up!
At the beginning of the winter of 1940, Boris was transferred by a sound engineer to a special loudspeaker installation mounted on a wheeled van. There was a control panel with a microphone, a turntable, and a set of records. There were various patriotic songs, but there were also very special discs on which the sounds of passing cars, the hum of tanks were recorded … And when this was turned on on quiet frosty nights, the sound from the speakers was heard seven kilometers away. Thus, the Finns were misled: they say, the Russians are transferring military equipment to the front.
Once Murukin was sent to reconnaissance. It was necessary at night to "rummage" in the rear of the enemy and take the "tongue". And the "language" was taken, and in the presence of the scouts they began to interrogate. But he did not answer any of the questions asked to him. Just when asked about the available weapons in his unit, he first spat on the floor, and then said: "Enough to shoot you dogs!"
Then the platoon in which Boris served had to go to the Finnish side at night with duffel bags stuffed with leaflets, where it was written in Finnish and Russian: "Surrender, kill your commanders!" It was necessary to prick them on the branches of the trees. There was a severe frost, and many soldiers froze both their legs and arms.
Several times Lev Mekhlis came to Murukin's unit. It so happened that in one of the sectors of the front, the attack drowned, and Mekhlis then personally shot the battalion commander and three company commanders in front of the formation "for cowardice." And then Murukin was also "lucky": he became an unwitting witness to the conversation between Lev Zakharovich and Commissar Vashugin. Mekhlis nervously paced the room and shouted: “Your Finns and Karelians are such a rabble that it would be better if they were all killed! You can only rely on the Russians! " Our Penzyak cold sweat broke out from fear. But he was lucky to leave the dugout unnoticed, otherwise you never know what could be attributed to him under the hot hand!
Unfortunately, but rather, rather, fortunately, Murukin was wounded by a mine fragment and sent to a hospital for treatment, and from there to his native Penza - to complete treatment. There he met on June 22, 1941 and immediately ran to the military registration and enlistment office. But he was not sent to the front immediately, but as an experienced soldier he was sent to the 354th Infantry Division, formed from natives of the Penza region, to train recruits.
P. S. It would be interesting to look at the documents on this "Soviet-Finnish part" in the archives of the Ministry of Defense. They should be there. But this will already be the business of young researchers, who, perhaps, will read this material on "VO".
