During the war years, the legend that Siberians saved Moscow in 1941 began to spread deliberately. The military secret did not allow then to tell the truth that they were in fact the Far East. It is not known for certain who the idea of calling Primorye and Khabarovsk residents "Siberians" originated. But it cannot be ruled out that this legend about the Siberians was generated by the military mind of General of the Army Joseph Rodionovich Apanasenko, a participant in three wars. And secrecy and conspiracy were then dictated by the situation at the fronts.
In the previous article “Stalin forgave him mate. Who is he: a rebel general and a soldier of the Russian people? it was told that even before the start of the war, in January 1941, Stalin appointed the legendary Colonel General Joseph Rodionovich Apanasenko as the commander of the Far Eastern Front.
The name of this commander is practically forgotten today.
However, it was his activity as a military leader that led to the fact that the well-trained, fearless and courageous Apanasenkovskaya Far Easterners stopped the Nazis near Moscow at a moment fatal for the country.
For special and outstanding services to the Motherland, this man was especially appreciated by Stalin.
Running a little ahead, we note that, according to the assurances of museum workers in Stavropol, during the Great Patriotic War, only one monument was erected - a monument of federal significance. Moreover, it was built on the personal order of Stalin. This monument-mausoleum was erected in three days in 1943 on the grave of General of the Army Joseph Rodionovich Apanasenko. So why did this general deserve such special honors?
A secret operation under the code "Siberians"?
However, everything is in order.
It was 1941.
When it became clear from the reports of Soviet intelligence that Japan would attack the USSR only after the defeat of Moscow, it was decided to urgently transfer troops from the Far Eastern Front to the center of the country to save the capital.
Recall that the first military echelon with troops from the Far Eastern Front left for the West on June 29, 1941.
And in total, from June 22 to December 5, 1941, 12 rifle, 5 tank and one motorized divisions were urgently transferred to the western regions of the USSR from the Trans-Baikal and Far Eastern fronts. Their average staffing reached almost 92% of the regular number: about 123 thousand soldiers and officers, almost 2200 guns and mortars, more than 2200 light tanks, 12 thousand cars and 1.5 thousand tractors and tractors.
The Japanese General Staff was well aware of the extremely limited capacity of the Trans-Siberian Railway. That is why there they did not really believe the reports about the alleged displacement of the Russian troops. From the outside it looked absolutely impossible.
Indeed, no one at that time could even imagine how rapid the pace of the transfer of Soviet troops from east to west could be. In fact, the Russians were counting on this implausibility: in the eyes of the enemy, all this should have looked like unrealizable. And the point.
It is generally accepted that the grandiose maneuver began on October 10, 1941, when the first secretary of the Khabarovsk regional committee of the CPSU (b) G. A. Borkov sent I. V. A letter to Stalin with a proposal to use at least 10 divisions from the Far East for the defense of Moscow.
However, records in declassified military combat logs (which we will give below) indicate that on October 14, 1941, the Far Eastern divisions were already loaded onto railway echelons. And 10-11 days later, in desperate battles, they began to save our Mother Moscow.
Of course, everything was strictly secret and it took more than one day to prepare.
On October 12, a meeting of I. V. Stalin with the commander of the Far Eastern Fleet, General I. R. Apanasenko, commander-in-chief of the Pacific Fleet (Pacific Fleet), Admiral I. S. Yumashev and the first secretary of the Primorsky regional committee of the CPSU (b) N. M. Pegov. It was about the redeployment of troops and artillery from the region to Moscow.
The transfer of troops began in those days under the personal control of Apanasenko.
Ten Far Eastern divisions, along with a thousand tanks and aircraft, were to be sent along the Transsib near Moscow.
Calculations showed that due to limited throughput, as well as technical capabilities and all kinds of instructions from the People's Commissariat of Railways (NKPS), such a transfer of troops could take several months in general.
Especially when you consider that at the same time, along the same Transsib, in the opposite direction to the East, industrial equipment and civilians were evacuated from the western regions.
It is clear that it was impossible to extend the transfer of formations for any months.
And it should be admitted that the domestic railway workers have accomplished a real feat here. And with this, they, in fact, saved Moscow then.
During that period, violating all kinds of technical regulations and all sorts of restrictions, the real period of transportation of military formations was reduced by at least half, or even more. And as a result, our Far Eastern divisions traveled across the entire country (that is, through many time zones from east to west) in just 10–20 days.
Trains were then driven in full blackout. They rushed without any light signals. And they raced without stopping and at the speed of couriers. Running 800 km a day. Top secret. This is how they transferred reinforcements and fresh forces to Moscow from the Far East, not in months, but in just weeks.
Later, even opponents spoke admiringly about this maneuver. For example, the famous German tank commander Heinz Guderian wrote in his book "Memories of a Soldier" (1999):
"These troops are sent to our front with an unprecedented speed (echelon after echelon)."
The strategy of Joseph Rodionovich Apanasenko led to the fact that in those very difficult first years of the war, when the fate of the country was literally in the balance, the military forces of aggressive Japan did not dare to invade the Far East.
So, if we take into account the situation in those pre-war and first months of the Great Patriotic War, then General Apanasenko can be safely called one of the most productive commanders of the Far Eastern Front.
Moreover, despite the fact that it was in the very first months of the war from the Far East that a massive movement of Far Eastern troops near Moscow was carried out. But Apanasenko's front was not at all naked. Just the opposite.
At the places of deployment of departing people and equipment, by the efforts of General Apanasenko, new units were immediately created under the same numbers. A program of arming newly created units was deployed on the basis of available resources without the help of the center.
Exercises of troops and (most importantly) controlled leaks of information to the adjacent side were carried out constantly with one goal - to show that the troops in the Far East remained in place. And they did not move anywhere and did not move at all.
Many experts note that this controlled publicity, as an obligatory part of the plan for the conspiratorial movement of troops from the Far East to Moscow, was necessary.
That is why it seems to us quite reasonable also the version that in that situation it was in no way allowed that information leaked to the people that it was the Far East who came to save Moscow. Therefore, we believe, then this very legend about Siberians and fearless Siberian divisions moving to the east was thrown in to camouflage a real march-maneuver.
And I must say that just this controlled leak about purely Siberian divisions was so successful that it took root then, both in human rumor and among enemies. And it still remains in our people's memory.
Although, in fact, this feat to save the heart of Russia (of course, together with the whole country) was then performed by the Far East, trained and transported to the Moscow region by the brave general Joseph Apanasenko.
And all because he then managed to deceive not only Japanese, but also German intelligence.
Recall that throughout 1941 there was a serious skirmish between the Japanese and the Germans on this score.
German intelligence insisted that the Soviet Union was removing divisions from under the noses of the Japanese and transferring them directly to the West.
However, Japanese intelligence, for its part, firmly insisted that not a single Soviet division left their places of deployment.
The fact is that the main task of Apanasenko then was to create the illusion of complete peace and the absence of any movement, both equipment and manpower, among the Japanese. And I must say that Iosif Rodionovich managed to accomplish this skillfully. All his ideas and innovations in this area to mislead the Japanese are worthy of a separate detailed story.
To be honest, it is very difficult to imagine exactly how the events in the Far East would have developed if the Far East Fleet had been commanded by any other person at that time. Receive an order to deliver troops to Moscow - and send everything without forming anything in return? After all, unauthorized formations were strictly prohibited in those years?
It is clear that the one remaining division with three headquarters of the armies and one headquarters of the front, together with the Border Troops of the NKVD of the USSR, would not be able to defend, but even elementary to observe such an extremely long Far Eastern border then in no way.
That is why experts note that I. R. Apanasenko in this case is a deep statesman, military foresight, and most importantly - great courage.
The legend of the Siberians
The controversy about who exactly saved Moscow is still ongoing.
A popular point of view on historical forums is that the Battle of Moscow was won by the so-called “Siberian divisions”.
They argue with those who, recognizing the contribution of Siberians to the defeat of the Nazis, recall that at the defensive stage of the Battle of Moscow (September 30 - December 4, 1941), the Germans were exhausted by militias and divisions formed in various parts of the country. And the "Siberian" and other fresh divisions beat in December 1941 - April 1942, the allegedly already completely bled enemy.
Which historian is right?
Let's look at the alignment of ideas offered by the historians of the Great Patriotic War Kirill Alexandrov and Alexey Isaev.
Historian Kirill Alexandrov notes the following:
“In principle, I am ready to agree with those who believe that Siberian divisions saved Moscow.
However, it is necessary to clarify what we are talking about when we talk about "Siberian divisions".
These are units redeployed mainly from the Asian part of the Soviet Union, from the inner districts, mainly because of the Urals, from the Far East.
They began to be actively thrown around Moscow after it became clear that Japan would not oppose the USSR."
And here is the opinion of the historian Alexei Isaev:
"Siberian divisions" are an invention of the Germans, for whom any person in warm clothes is already a Siberian.
Of course, units from Siberia made their considerable contribution to the defeat of the Germans near Moscow.
Divisions distinguished themselves on the Mozhaisk line of defense from Kazakhstan and Of the Far East.
Throughout 1941, their front was stretched, and there were almost no reinforcements, as well as there were no resources for conducting a long campaign - while in place of one defeated Soviet division, in fact, two came. Including those "Siberian" ones.
Of course, a significant role in this defeat was also played by the fact that the German army at that time was not supplied with the necessary insulated uniforms, and in cold weather weapons with summer lubrication refused. Whereas the Soviet troops were all right with this, including the "Siberians".
Many experts agree that it was the fresh "Siberian" units that drove the German troops away from the capital.
That is, according to the author of many popular science books about the war, cited above, Alexei Isaev, the very term “Siberian divisions” was in general coined by the Germans. It was the Germans who always believed that the turning point in the battle for Moscow was achieved precisely by the transfer of a large number of fresh divisions from the Far East. In addition, for the Fritzes, then every person in a sheepskin coat was a Siberian.
But even among our people, the glory of the Siberians who won the battle for Moscow is great. So, today, in almost every city that was affected by the war, there are streets named after Siberian divisions. The older generation was simply convinced that it was the Siberians and the militias who defended Moscow from the Nazis.
However, it is difficult to find out something specific about the Siberian divisions in the Central Archives of the Ministry of Defense or in the memoirs of our military leaders. The word "Siberian" is almost never found there. The documents in the Central Archives are classified. And indefinitely. Presumably, by personal order of Stalin.
Even in the award department, information about the affiliation of servicemen to the Siberian divisions is not indicated.
According to our version, this was done just to mislead the enemy. In order not to reveal the secret of the movement of the Far Easterners. And not to put our Far East under the blow of Japan.
Take a look at one declassified document from that time.
This is the combat log of the 9th Guards Rifle Division. It describes the period from 1939-06-06 to 1942-27-11. (Archive: TsAMO, Fund: 1066, Inventory: 1, Case: 4, List of the beginning of the document in the case: 1. Authors of the document: 9 Guards. SD).
The first page of this magazine states:
"On June 6, 1939 in the city of Novosibirsk … the 78th rifle division was organized."
That is, Siberians?
Further on the same page:
"By order of the NKO in October 1939, the division by rail goes to the city of Khabarovsk and became part of the 2nd OKA."
In other words, are they from the Far East?
On July 11, 1941, Colonel Afanasy Pavlantievich Beloborodov, head of the combat training department of the Far Eastern Front (then), was appointed the commander of this division. (This twice Hero of the Soviet Union (1944, 1945) was born in the village of Akinino-Baklashi, Irkutsk district, Irkutsk province, that is, Siberian by origin. But since 1936 he served in the Far East and defended Moscow with his Far Easterners. In addition, this army general (1963) personally wished to be buried with his soldiers from the Far East where they fell - near Moscow). In spirit and in service, Beloborodov is a Far Easterner.
On September 13 (reported further in the same military journal), the following order was received from the Far Eastern Front:
"78th rifle division to prepare calculations for railway transportation."
On September 14, the division began loading into the railway trains. In total, according to the military journal, this division was loaded into 36 echelons.
The maneuver was implemented due to the fact that on the same day the 78th Rifle Division received a combat order from the Far Eastern Front:
"Redeploy in the direction of Moscow at the disposal of the headquarters of the Supreme Command of the USSR."
“On October 15-17, divisional units were dispatched from the Burlit, Gubarevo and Iman stations. Departure took place at a rate of 12.
Driving through the mountains. Khabarovsk, where the division was stationed until June 13, 1941, there were partial farewell meetings between the commanders and their families.
After a 20-minute stay, military echelons with divisional units rushed westward at courier speed.
Familiar cities and villages of the Far East are behind. Every day to the Red capital of the city of Moscow."
And on October 27 (that is, just twelve days later) the Far East were already near Moscow.
Here are some more lines from the same military diary:
“On 27-30.10 the division concentrated in the area of the mountains. Istra of the Moscow Region in the frontline zone of the Western Front”.
On November 4–5, the Far East received an order to attack.
On the next page of the same military journal it is indicated that these
"Fighters like lions attack the enemy."
Since that day, with heavy battles, now advancing, now slightly retreating, our glorious Far Easterners drove the filthy fascists from Moscow.
It is further reported that on November 27, 1941, an order was received from the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR to transform the 78th rifle division into the 9th Guards rifle division.
“The soldiers and commanders of our division, having received such a large award - the rank of Guardsman, even more and more persistently leaned on the enemy, even more beat the fascist dogs.
They vowed to take revenge on the Nazis for the robbery, abuse and violence of our Russian people.
The soldiers and commanders vowed not to give up our native capital of Moscow, with malice and hatred in their hearts they smashed the fascists, their tanks and fascist vultures."
And on November 29, as it is written in the same magazine on the same 9th page, General of the Army Apanasenko congratulated soldiers and commanders.
All declassified military journals of these "Siberians" -Far East (including the journals of the 9th Guards Rifle Division) are posted today on the site "Memory of the People" in the public domain in the card of the Far Eastern Front General Joseph Rodionovich Apanasenko.
Moscow was only 17 km away
By mid-November 1941, the enemy was at a distance of 17 kilometers from the capital.
The well-known German saboteur, SS Obersturmbannfuehrer Otto Skorzeny rightly noted the role of our glorious "Far Easterners":
“In November and December, our aviation, which even then did not have a sufficient number of aircraft, could not effectively attack the Trans-Siberian railway, thanks to which Siberian divisions came to the rescue of the capital - and Moscow was considered doomed already in October."
“I think that, despite the mud, frost and impassable roads, despite the betrayal and mediocrity of some bosses, the confusion in our logistics and the heroism of Russian soldiers, we would have captured Moscow at the beginning of December 1941, if new Siberian units had not been introduced into battle ».
This is how the Germans very quickly learned about the arrival of Siberians on the outskirts of the capital. Rather, the Fritzes felt the iron Far Eastern grip on themselves at once. And soon a counter-offensive by Soviet troops began near Moscow.
In his book The Unknown War, the same German mentions the Far East as the very Siberians. This confirms the fact that the Fritzes did not or did not see the difference between the Far East and the Siberians. Everything beyond the Urals was for our enemies - our Siberia:
“And one more unpleasant surprise - near Borodino we had to fight the Siberians for the first time.
They are tall, excellent soldiers, well-armed; they were dressed in wide fur sheepskin coats and hats, and fur boots on their feet.
The 32nd Infantry division from Vladivostok with the support of two new tank brigades consisting of T-34 and KV tanks."
“What we had to constantly fight with new Siberian units, did not bode well."
At the cost of the incredible efforts of the Red Army, the militia and partisans, the Wehrmacht offensive near Moscow was thwarted.
All this time, at the disposal of the Headquarters of the Supreme Command, human and material and technical resources were accumulated for a large-scale counteroffensive.
Every day from the territories of the Far East, combat replenishment went, which sometimes rushed straight from the wheels into battle.
The commander of the 78th rifle division (then still a colonel) A. P. Beloborodova in the book of memoirs "Always in battle" (1988) about the situation that was observed on the Trans-Siberian Railway and resembled the work of a well-oiled mechanism, and also struck with the timing of transportation, wrote this:
“The transfer was controlled by the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. We felt this all the way.
The railroad workers opened a green street for us. At the nodal stations, the echelons stood no more than five to seven minutes. They will unhook one steam locomotive, attach another, filled with water and coal - and again forward!
Accurate schedule, tight control.
As a result, all thirty-six echelons of the division crossed the country from east to west at the speed of courier trains.
The last echelon left Vladivostok on October 17, and on October 28 our units were already disembarking in the Moscow region, in the city of Istra and at the stations closest to it.
Those one and a half weeks that the division spent on the road were densely saturated with combat and political training. Commanders and political workers worked with soldiers right in the carriages according to a special curriculum. Party political work was actively carried out in the carriages: meetings, conversations, discussion of newspaper materials."
But most of the troops redeployed along the Trans-Siberian Railway near Moscow were then redirected from the Far East and from Primorye, some experts note.
Here's an example: out of 40 divisions of the Far Eastern Front, 23 were sent to Moscow, and this is not counting 17 separate brigades.
Take a look at an incomplete list of the military formations of the Far Eastern Front that participated in the Moscow battle: divisions - 107th motorized rifle; 32nd Red Banner; 78th, 239th, 413th rifle; 58th, 112th tank, as well as naval rifle brigades - 62nd, 64th, 71st Pacific sailors and 82nd Amur sailors.
Apanasenko's guard goes to the rescue
The 78th Infantry Division was rightfully recognized as the best of the Far Eastern ones. She, one of the first to receive the title of the Guards, entered the battle near Istra on November 1, 1941.
The opponents of the Primorye were selected German troops, participants in the battles in Poland and France, who had already sniffed Russian gunpowder near Minsk and Smolensk: the 10th Panzer Division, the SS Das Reich motorized division and the 252nd Infantry Division.
By the way, according to the assurances of experts, it was in the carts of these German units that there was the very uniform that the Nazis had already prepared for their solemn parade on the allegedly imminent capture of Moscow. And the German servicemen in their documents already kept the invitation cards issued to them for the celebrations being prepared in honor of their allegedly upcoming capture of the capital of Russia / USSR.
But these Napoleonic plans of the fascists failed.
At the line occupied by the Far East, the Nazis did not advance one iota further than 42 kilometers.
The Far East from the 78th rifle division received the title of guardsmen, among other things, for the fact that, in the number of 14 thousand, they were able to defeat the 21, 5-thousandth army of the fascists, leaving only about 3 thousand Fritz alive from this crowd of enemies.
Guardsmen of the commander of the Far East A. P. Beloborodov, who was awarded the rank of Guard Major General for the defense of Moscow, threw the enemy back 100 kilometers from the capital of our Motherland.
On December 11, units of this division occupied Istra. And on December 21, they entered into clashes with fresh German units that arrived as reinforcements in the Moscow direction. Then, near Vyazma, saving General M. G. Efremov, the Far East withdrew parts of the encircled army from the Vyazemsky cauldron. Moreover, often all these feats of the Far Eastern guards performed with the numerical superiority of the enemy.
But we talked about only one Far Eastern division. But there were more than two dozen of them. Plus Amur sailors and Pacific sailors. All of them were listed among the Germans then in "Siberians" and brought incredible fear and wild horror to the soldiers of the Wehrmacht.
Long before the defense of Sevastopol, the Fritzes were shivering from meetings with the Far Eastern marines from units of the 64th and 71st separate brigades of the Pacific Fleet marines.
They were called "black death" in the camp of the enemy. And they performed their feats near Moscow. The Marines then entered the battle directly from the echelons. They did not even have time to provide them with camouflage gowns.
Of course, nothing prevented the Pacific Far Easterners from mercilessly destroying the hated Hitlerites in terrible hand-to-hand combat and bayonet attacks. The Nazis had never seen such a thing before and remembered it forever.
Unfortunately, the losses of the Soviet Red Navy men were also very great.
Like the Red Navy men, the 32nd division of Colonel V. I. Polosukhina, who arrived from Primorye, from the village of Razdolny. Far Eastern fighters from the 211st and 212nd airborne brigades beat the enemy no less bravely.
And the fighters from the Far East did not let the country down then. They saved Moscow from the fascist scum.
And when you hear about the Siberian divisions that defended Moscow again, remember that there were also a lot of Far Easterners in these ranks of Soviet soldiers then.
Secondary formations for the Far East
But back to the Far East.
So, an order came to the Far Eastern Front to immediately send eight fully equipped and armed divisions to Moscow.
The pace of dispatch was so high that the troops from the camps left for the loading station on alert. At the same time, some of the people who were outside the unit did not keep pace with the loading.
And in some units there was a shortage of weapons and transport.
Moscow, on the other hand, demanded full staffing.
Joseph Rodionovich Apanasenko could not afford to violate such an order. Therefore, a testing and exhaust station was organized - Kuibyshevka-Vostochnaya as the residence of the headquarters of the 2nd Army.
At this station, a reserve of all weapons, transport, means of propulsion, soldiers and officers was created. The commanders of the departing divisions and regiments, through the chiefs of the echelons and specially appointed officers, checked the presence of shortages in each echelon.
This was telegraphed to the 2nd Army. There, everything that was missing was submitted to the appropriate echelons. Each echelon from the checkout station had to leave (and leave) in full.
Without asking anyone, I. R. Apanasenko in place of the departing divisions immediately began to form new ones.
A general mobilization of all ages up to and including 55 years old was announced.
But that was still not enough.
And Apanasenko ordered the prosecutor's office to check the cases of the prisoners. And also to identify everyone who can be released and sent to the troops.
There was a bullet dispatch of eight divisions to rescue Moscow.
Then they ordered to send four more. Then six more were sent by 1-2.
A total of 18 divisions, out of a total of 19 that were part of the front.
Instead of each sent to the front I. R. Apanasenko ordered the formation of a second division. For these secondary formations I. R. Apanasenko also deserves a separate monument in the Far East.
After all, he organized all this on his own initiative and under his personal responsibility. Moreover, with the disapproving attitude of a number of his closest assistants. And with complete indifference and even irony of the center.
The center, of course, knew about the secondary Far Eastern formations. But everyone (except Apanasenko) was convinced that it was impossible to form anything in the Far East without the help of the center: there were no people, no weapons, no transport, and nothing at all.
But I. R. Apanasenko found everything, formed everything and built everything.
In short, despite unimaginable difficulties, second-order divisions were formed to replace those who left. Moreover, they were created even more than the previous ones.
When the new formations became a reality, the General Staff easily approved them. And, by the way, he took four more divisions into the army. Already from among the secondary Far Eastern.
Thus, during the period from July 1941 to June 1942, the Far East sent 22 rifle divisions and several dozen marching reinforcements to the active army.
Soldier of three wars
Recall that Joseph Rodionovich Apanasenko was drafted into the army back in 1911. He was the first in the world to be awarded three St. George's crosses and two St. George medals at once. During the Civil War, he commanded a brigade and a division.
And from the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, we repeat, he was the commander of the Far Eastern Front with the rank of army general.
In June 1943, Apanasenko was able to get into the Army in the field as deputy commander of the Voronezh Front.
And that's what the participant of three wars (the First World War, the Civil and the Great Patriotic War), the Deputy Commander of the Voronezh Front, I. R. Apanasenko told his soldiers, speaking before the troops on the eve of the battle:
“Hitler set the task of defeating the Soviet troops on the Kursk Bulge, and then taking Moscow from the east.
Our troops are ready for battle.
The enemy will be defeated.
It all depends on the resilience of all types of troops.
Sons, believe me, a soldier of three wars, that Hitler will drown in his blood here, his troops will be defeated, as well as at Stalingrad.
General of the Army Joseph Rodionovich Apanasenko died near Belgorod.
This happened during the fighting in the Belgorod direction, not far from the village of Tomarovka on August 5, 1943. He was mortally wounded. And less than an hour later he died.
For parting and burial he was taken to Belgorod. On August 7, he was buried in a separate grave in the park on Revolution Square.
Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov (pictured) considered it his duty to say goodbye to the prominent military commander.
A few days later (after the funeral), the contents of the suicide note of Joseph Rodionovich (with a request - even burn, but bury in the Stavropol Territory) was transferred to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. Stalin without hesitation allowed the will to be fulfilled at the earliest opportunity. That, together with the need to equip the monuments, was enshrined in the resolution of the Council of People's Commissars No. 898.
Thus, according to the will of Joseph Rodionovich and by order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Stalin, Apanasenko's body was taken by plane from Belgorod to Stavropol. On August 16, 1943, he was buried at the highest place in the city - on the Komsomolskaya (Cathedral) hill with a huge crowd of citizens.
Very quickly (within three days) the tombstone was erected. It received the status of a monument of federal significance.
By the way, either the testament note was taken literally, or for sanitary reasons, but the general's body was still burned. Therefore, a separate element of the grave-mausoleum of General of the Army I. R. Apanasenko in Stavropol is an urn with ashes at the bottom of the mausoleum.
What is important, this mausoleum in the Stavropol Territory was also unique in that it became the only monument in our country that was erected during the Great Patriotic War. This is reported in the materials of the local museum.
To commemorate the merits of General I. R. Apanasenko named after him the Divensky district of the Stavropol Territory and the village where he was born.
Another little-known fact.
It turns out that six days after the death of General of the Army Joseph Apanasenko on the battlefield, an article was published in the American central newspaper The New York Times entitled “Two Soviet generals died in the offensive: Apanasenko died near Belgorod, Gurtiev fell under Eagle” (Two Soviet Generals Killed In Offensives; Apanasenko Dies at Belgorod, Gurtyeff Falls at Orel).
And at the end of our story I would like to summarize what has been said in two articles.
The birth of the legend that the capital was saved by Siberian divisions was recorded in the memoirs of Marshal K. K. Rokossovsky.
Of course, no one is going to belittle the feat of our native Siberians in the Great Patriotic War and in the defense of Moscow in particular. However, the huge heroic contribution of the Far East to the defense of Moscow is usually not mentioned.
With this material, we just wanted to remind once again that it was the fresh forces from the Far East in the defense of Moscow that became the straw that turned the tide of the battle and broke the back of fascism.
In addition, it is now clear why Stalin valued this general so highly. After all, it was the military genius of I. R. Apanasenko prevented a war on two fronts, catastrophic for the USSR: with Germany and Japan.
Apanasenko street in Khabarovsk will be?
We believe that the feat of the Far East, who defended the heart of Russia / USSR - Moscow, is also worthy of both monuments and national memory.
Likewise, grateful descendants should keep the memory of General Joseph Apanasenko. It is reported that the name of I. R. Apanasenko has already named streets in the cities of Belgorod, Mikhailovsk (Stavropol Territory) and Raichikhinsk (Amur Region).
It is gratifying that on March 13, 2020, Khabarovsk residents publicly came up with an initiative in honor of this Soviet military leader and former commander of the Far Eastern Front to name a street in the new microdistrict of the capital of their region. The popular initiative has already been supported by historians.
Ivan Kryukov, General Director of the Grodekov Museum, put it this way:
“As a historian, it seems to me that this person deserves to be on the map of our city.
Until now, the name of General Apanasenko remained undeservedly forgotten
Meanwhile, he led the Far Eastern Front in the most difficult times, from 1941 to 1943, when the situation was very acute and dangerous.
During this period, General Apanasenko built roads and sought to justify the officers so that competent qualified military personnel would be released from the camps."
The Khabarovsk regional branch of the Russian Military Historical Society (together with the museum) has already addressed the mayor of the city with a request that one of the new streets in the Orekhovaya Sopka microdistrict under construction be named after Iosif Apanasenko.
Also, Khabarovsk social activists and historians are striving for a memorial plaque to Iosif Apanasenko to appear in the regional capital.
I must say that in the Far Eastern Amur Region they still remember this hero-general of the Great Patriotic War.
According to the documents of the Amur Regional Archive, back on March 20, 1944, when the issue of renaming it was discussed in the workers' collectives of the Raichikha settlement (in connection with the formation of the city), a proposal was made to change the name of this settlement to the city of Apanasensk. However, the majority of the voters, unfortunately, then spoke out against "Apanasensk" and supported the new name "Raichikhinsk". And only in one document at that time the word initiated by the majority was crossed out and a handwritten inscription was made in ink over it:
Apanasensk.
I must say that whole working collectives voted there then.
Thus, there was a proposal to create the city of Apanasensk in the Amur Region.
This idea was born in 1944 among the Raichikhins - participants in the Great Patriotic War. And this was directly related to the tribute to the memory of General of the Army Apanasenko Iosif Rodionovich, who did a lot to strengthen the defense capability of the Soviet Far East. In addition, this village (now a city) was located not far from the Transsib highway, which was built by Joseph Rodionovich during the war years, and for the Amur residents as well.
And so it happened that the name "Apanasensk" was then the only alternative to Raichikhinsk on the Amur. But officially it was not approved there, alas, then. But the residents of Raichikhins could well live in the city of Apanasensk today?
But there is no such city in the Far East to this day.
True, although the name of this Amur town was not given then, but thanks to these debates in the Amur Region, it was still possible to immortalize the name of this legendary Soviet military leader in the name of the street.
So, today in the city of Raichikhinsk, in the Severny microdistrict, there is a legendary name in the plaques on the houses:
"Apanasenko street".
But the monument to Joseph Rodionovich Apanasenko in the Far East, for some reason, has not yet been, and still is not.
