Foreword
Our history consists of many events that add up to a historical mosaic. This mosaic is our heritage, our honor, our future.
I am sincerely sorry that some pieces are gradually lost from this mosaic over time. The rhythm of today's life is such that it is not surprising if all that will remain after another 10-20 years is two dates: 1941-22-06 and 05/9/1945. And a few surnames. It's a shame to state, but the past is gradually forgotten. On May 7 of this year, I conducted an excursion to the places of the military past of the city of Voronezh and encountered an interesting phenomenon. Not one of 52 participants knew about this place. Meanwhile, the age of the participants ranged from 14 to 60 years.
And I decided to the best of my ability to at least slightly correct the existing state of affairs. And tell about the events of seventy years ago, virtually forgotten in our time. Simply because I consider myself a debtor to those who remained in those places.
Part 1. Shilovsky bridgehead
This site has posted a great article by Andrey Lebedev dedicated to the events of the Battle of Voronezh (https://topwar.ru/17711-maloizvestnye-stranicy-iz-istorii-voyny-bitva-za-voronezh.html). But even it doesn't say anything about the place I chose for my first story.
Many people know about the Chizhovsky bridgehead. But there is a historical place, no less glorious and bloody. This is the so-called Shilovsky bridgehead.
Chizhovsky bridgehead in the center, Shilovsky - near the city outskirts. It goes without saying that it is easier to get to Chizhovsky, here and on holidays, and on weekdays excursion people stretch out; the bridgehead is not deprived of attention, it is described, photographed. But for some reason I am drawn to the distant, suburban, where sightseeing buses almost never come.
The chronology of those events is extremely simple.
The enemy of the 57th and 168th infantry divisions, the 3rd and 29th motorized divisions, having broken through the defenses of the Red Army units in the Kastornoye area by July 3, 1942 and crowding out the 40th Army units, advanced units approached the western bank of the river … Don. Intending to enter Voronezh from the south, the enemy on July 4, 1942 partially infiltrated the eastern bank of the river. Don on the Petino - Malyshevo sector and started fighting for the Shilovsky bridgehead.
The hostilities immediately took on a fierce character, since none of the opposing sides wanted to lose an advantageous bridgehead in all respects. The shortest road from the Don ferry at Malyshev to the southern outskirts of the right-bank part of Voronezh passed through the bridgehead. The Shilovsky forest provided good opportunities for the inconspicuous concentration of reserves, camouflage of warehouses, and the deployment of rear services and subunits. And Shilovo, located on a high mountain, ensured a dominant position over the left bank. From the village, especially from the bell tower of the church, even without binoculars, the Soviet defensive positions at Maslovka, Tavrovo, Berezovka were clearly visible. Dirt roads and railroad tracks were freely visible.
By this time, only units of the 232nd Rifle Division of Lieutenant Colonel I. I. Ulitin and the 3rd Air Defense Division of Colonel N. S. Sitnikov, since the rest of the Red Army was on the way to Voronezh.
For four days, the battle raged on the Ostrogozh road and the adjacent plain, in the Shilovsky forest, in Trushkino and in Shilovo. Only a large numerical and technical superiority on the ground and in the air allowed the enemy to break through to the southern outskirts of the right-bank part of Voronezh.
On July 7, the shootout in Shilovo ceased. Of the defenders of the village, who fought the enemy to the last opportunity, there were no survivors. Once in Shilovo, the enemy immediately rushed to the Voronezh River, where he forced it on the site of the old ferry crossing. A battalion of German machine gunners moved towards Maslovka. But during the counterattack of the Soviet units of the 41st NKVD regiment and the 737th rifle regiment of the 206th rifle division, the fascists were almost completely exterminated.
July 11, 206th rifle division, carrying out the task of capturing Shilovo, Trushkino on the western bank of the river. Voronezh, began crossing the river with 748 and 737 rifle regiments. The enemy put up stubborn resistance and halted the offensive with heavy fire from machine guns, machine guns and mortars.
Despite the unsuccessful actions, the division nevertheless achieved its goal. The enemy was forced to build up the grouping in this area, somewhat weakening the onslaught in Voronezh. Reconnaissance established the presence of up to a motorized infantry regiment in the Shilovo area; tanks, the number of which was not established, approached Malyshevo.
July 17, the first voyage on pontoon and other ferry facilities departed to the western bank of the river. Voronezh. However, as before, the crossing was disrupted by organized enemy fire. In addition, 6 A-3 boats were disabled by the enemy. The second forcing was also unsuccessful. During the night, the division demonstrated false crossings in the Tavrovo areas and further north. The division's losses on July 17 were killed and wounded: middle command personnel - 24 people, junior command personnel - 42 people. and the rank and file - 422 people.
Until the end of the month, units of the division were still able to transport the main forces, but their advance was insignificant.
When capturing and holding the bridgehead, our units suffered significant losses. For example, 791 people were killed and wounded in the regiments of the 100th division. Given the current situation, the commander of the 40th Army, Lieutenant General M. M. Popov on the night of August 2 took the 100th rifle division from the bridgehead. Its section was transferred to units of the 206th Infantry Division.
In August, the position of the Soviet units changed slightly. The center of the main struggle moved to the Stalingrad area and the Germans near Voronezh went over to a tough defense. By this time, our aviation began to gradually gain air supremacy.
ON. Chaikin recalled one of the offensives of the 737th regiment of the 206th rifle division in August 1942: “August 10, 1942. Early this morning, the entire battalion was raised to attack. Before the signal was given to the battalion companies to attack with rockets, powerful Katyusha volleys were fired at the enemy. The mines fired by our "Katyushas" whistled like a fiery tornado over our heads, and then rumbled, gurgled in explosions over the trenches of the fascists. From the side of Maslovka, at a low altitude, our attack aircraft approached, bombed, stormed the enemy's positions. From the side of Maslovsky forest our artillery struck at the positions of the fascists. Ahead of our advancing lines, a hurricane of bursting fire raged. A series of red missiles in the direction of the enemy raised our units to attack. And again, as it was many times, the enemies came to their senses, used their defense in depth, and our attacking chains from behind the settlements of Shilovo, Trushkino were hit by large-caliber mortars, artillery, and then furious machine-gun fire. All this knocked down our forward attacking lines of fighters. Our attack has already drowned out for the umpteenth time, we withdrew with huge losses to our former positions, taking with us the wounded."
By the end of August, the Soviet troops, just as in July, were unable to break through the German defenses and completely occupy the Shilovsky bridgehead.
The 206th Rifle Division fought here until mid-September, and then transferred its positions to the 141st Infantry Division. Division losses from July to September were enormous. In particular, the 3rd rifle battalion of the 737th rifle division of the 206th rifle division, numbering about 700 people at the beginning of July. and received during the battles 300 people. replenishment, at the time of transfer of positions to other units totaled only 47 people.
Thus, the active actions of the Soviet units in the Shilov area fettered large enemy forces and diverted their attention from the Chizhovsky bridgehead, where favorable conditions were created for the offensive of the 40th Army. In addition, he lost an important tactical line and could no longer use the Don ferry at Malyshev and the highway leading to Voronezh with impunity. Shilovsky bridgehead is one of the most important memorial sites of the battles for Voronezh. Stubborn battles for the villages of Shilovo and Trushkino, for the forest area are associated with heavy losses of our units. About one hundred thousand of our soldiers and officers remained here.
It was a meat grinder where our and German units were ground. These hills remember the waves of attacking Soviet fighters and the choking barking of German machine guns. Who will appreciate the height of these hills? Who knows how to go towards the machine guns shooting from the tops of these hills? Every day there are fewer and fewer of them.
And the monument erected in the memorial complex "Shilovsky Bridgehead" is unique. It is the only one in Europe. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it was manually minted from aviation duralumin by the workers of the Voronezh aircraft plant. The one who released the Eli, who ironed these hills. And the staff of the unfinished nuclear power plant maintains the memorial in proper condition. In the spring of this year, the station's security detained four ignoramuses from 14 to 18 years old, who set as their goal to tear off and sell the duralumin … Times and customs leave much to be desired, despite calls for the revival of patriotism.
And the last thing. A small photo tour of the Shilovsky bridgehead.
All that remains to us from the battles of 1942 is a small mass grave not far from the memorial.
The bell tower of the Assumption Cathedral bears the traces of Soviet bullets and shrapnel with which our soldiers tried to destroy the German artillery spotters.
Memorial and monument to Soviet soldiers.
Hills of the Shilovsky bridgehead. View of the German positions.
Materials used:
Shendrikov E. A. "Fighting on the Shilovsky bridgehead in July - September 1942" scientific journal "Bereginya - 777 - Owl", 2010, No. 2 (4)
