It was spring 1975. Ukraine, together with the entire Soviet Union, was preparing to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Preparations were under way for the celebrations in the small regional center of Ovruch in the Zhytomyr region. A delegation from Czechoslovakia was expected here. With special diligence they cleaned up the city park. Hero of the Soviet Union Yan Nalepka (Repkin), where his monument, made in Czechoslovakia and erected back in 1963, was also located. At the same time, a street and a school named after Yan Nalepka appeared. But in 1975, apart from the officials, the Hero's relatives and friends came for the first time.
On May 9 they were greeted by the whole city as the most dear guests. And this is not an exaggeration. The townspeople learned about the feat of the captain of the Slovak army and the commander of the Soviet partisan detachment already in the first grade. Although, perhaps even earlier. Children from different kindergartens were taken to the park, which was the only one in the city. I happened to see how often the teachers stopped groups of kids at the bronze bust of Nalepka and told who "this military uncle" was.
In all schools of the city, each academic year on September 1 began with a lesson dedicated to the Hero.
Jan Nalepka is one of those freedom-loving sons of Czechoslovakia who did not submit to the invaders and turned their weapons against the German fascist invaders and traitors of the Slovak people.
Yes, he had to serve in the army of Slovakia, whose puppet government sided with Nazi Germany against the USSR. In the summer of 1941, the 2nd Infantry Division, in which Captain Nalepka (pictured) was the chief of staff of the 101st Regiment, was sent to the Eastern Front. Here, in Belarus, a former school teacher created an underground anti-fascist group, choosing for himself the pseudonym Repkin.
Slovak anti-fascists were looking for contacts with Soviet partisans. And they conducted clandestine activities. They tried to establish relations with local residents in order to convey to them information about the situation on the fronts, the plans of the Germans. It even happened that, having invited local residents to a conversation, Nalepka left the radio turned on, through which messages from the Soviet Information Bureau were transmitted, the listening of which was strictly prohibited by the Germans. At the same time, he himself pretended not to understand the content of the program.
This was a big risk, since the Slovak units did not enjoy the trust of the Nazis and were under the strict control of the Gestapo. There were also other deadly attempts to engage the partisans. At the same time, the Slovaks did not comply or sabotaged the orders of the German authorities to fight the partisans. Several times the railway was destroyed, and once, while participating in an operation against the partisans, they gave false target designation to the German aviation, which dropped bombs on a deserted area of the forest.
In the end, the partisans became aware of the attempts of the Slovak officer to establish contact with them. They sent their scouts, and at the beginning of 1942 a channel was established to transmit operational information "into the forest". Communication with Yan Nalepka was carried out by scout Ivan Skaloban, and the exchange of information was carried out through messengers: teacher Lydia Yanovich from the village of Ogolichi and Fyodor Sakadynsky from the village of Koptsevichi (Gomel region of Belarus, where the Slovak division was located).
Let us remember what a difficult time it was for the Soviet Union. Germany continued its offensive on all fronts. The victory at the end of 1941 near Moscow had not yet sobered the invaders, intoxicated by easy successes in the countries of Western Europe and Poland. She only made them wonder at the stubbornness of the "barbarians". And to strengthen the onslaught by transferring numerous military units from the Western Front to the Eastern. Such transfers, as you know, were practiced by the fascist German command until 1944, when the Allied troops finally landed in Normandy.
One had to have great courage in order to convince the soldiers of the regiment to go over to the side of the partisans in such a situation. And soon, during one of the operations, a whole Slovak platoon went over to the partisans.
Then, on December 8, 1942, Jan Nalepka and two more Slovaks-anti-fascists met with the partisan commanders R. Machulsky, K. Mazurov, I. Belsky. Nalepka said that the soldiers were ready to go over to the side of the partisans if they spread a rumor that the Slovaks had been captured. Otherwise, their families may suffer in Slovakia.
During the meeting, it was also agreed that the Slovak soldiers guarding the Zhitkovichi-Kalinkovichi railway would leave the patrol area when the partisans began an operation to blow up the bridge over the Bobrik River. And the shooting will be raised only after the explosion. As a result of that operation, a group of demolition men from the N. F. Gastello blew up a 50-meter railway bridge. The movement of German military trains was stopped for a week. And twenty Slovaks soldiers under the command of Sergeant Jan Mikula immediately went over to the side of the partisans. These soldiers were assigned to the Slovak platoon of A. Zhigar's partisan brigade.
After one of the anti-fascist soldiers was arrested by the Gestapo and under severe torture named several members of his group, there was a threat of exposure of the entire underground organization. And on May 15, 1943, Captain Nalepka with several officers and soldiers of the regiment went over to the side of the Soviet partisans. On May 18, 1943, in the partisan unit of General A. Saburov, a detachment of former Slovak servicemen was created, the commander of which was appointed Y. Nalepka.
In the summer and autumn of 1943, the Slovaks took part in battles with the Germans on several occasions. So, on June 26, the Nalepka detachment and the Soviet partisan detachment named after S. M. Budyonny organized an ambush on the road and defeated a German convoy. 75 Germans and 5 trucks were destroyed. By the way, Nalepka from the detachment conveyed his appeals to the Slovak servicemen, urging them to go over to the side of the Soviet partisans. On June 8, 1943, a Slovak soldier Martin Korbela arrived in a tank to the partisans. He brought a serviceable combat vehicle with full ammunition. After this incident, the Germans disarmed the Slovak regiment and sent it to the deep rear, where it was disbanded.
Yan Nalepka's detachment continued to fight. On November 7, 1943, he took part in the defeat of the German garrison in one of the Belarusian villages. On November 16, 1943, the Slovak detachment, in cooperation with Soviet partisans and the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front, took part in the battles for the liberation of Ovruch. Jan Nalepka's partisans attacked the city, captured and held (despite strong enemy counterattacks) the bridge over the Norin River, assisted in battles in the airfield area and for the railway station.
During the fierce battle for the station building, where the Germans created several long-term firing points, Jan Nalepka was killed. But he was buried in the mass grave of the soldiers of the Czechoslovak corps in the city of Chernivtsi.
A memorial to Soviet-Czech soldiers was erected here, where 58 soldiers were buried. The street leading to the memorial was named after a partisan warrior. The nearby secondary school is also named after him. In 1970, a museum named after the hero was opened in it, which was visited by Czech and Slovak consuls, relatives of Jan Nalepka, comrades-in-arms.
Today, here, in the "homeland of Prime Minister Yatsenyuk," everything is covered with dust, is being destroyed … The new Ukrainian authorities are trying in every possible way to consign to oblivion the heroic deeds of soldiers in the Great Patriotic War, waging a war with the monuments of the "Soviet era". In Ovruch, the memory could not be erased. There they do not forget to this day that the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously) was awarded to Yan Nalepka on May 2, 1945 "for the skillful command of a partisan detachment and for displaying courage and heroism in battles against the Nazi invaders." And on May 5 of the same year in Czechoslovakia, he was also posthumously awarded the title "Hero of the Slovak National Uprising." In October 1948 he was awarded (posthumously) the Order of the White Lion, 1st degree, his native village was renamed Nalepkovo.
He is not forgotten in the new Slovakia, which separated from the Czech Republic and became a sovereign state. On August 31, 1996, by decision of the government, he was awarded (posthumously) the Order of Ludovit Stuhr, II degree with swords. And on May 7, 2004, the decree of the President of the Slovak Republic was published on conferring the title of "Brigadier General" to Jan Nalepka (posthumously).
In general, out of 16 citizens of European states who were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for their exploits during the Great Patriotic War, six are from Czechoslovakia.
Among the Heroes are Joseph Burshik, Antonin Sokhor, Richard Tesarzhik, Stepan Wajda. And lieutenant Otakar Yarosh from the First Separate Czechoslovak Battalion became the first foreigner to be awarded the highest degree of distinction of the USSR.
In early March 1943, the battalion in which he fought was baptized by fire as part of the 25th Guards Rifle Division (Chapaevskaya) of the Voronezh Front. The 1st company under the command of Otakar Yarosh took part in fierce battles that unfolded on March 8, 1943 near the village of Sokolovo, Zmievsky district, Kharkov region. At 13.00 about 60 German tanks and several armored personnel carriers attacked the village. The soldiers of the company of Otakar Yarosh knocked out 19 tanks and 6 armored personnel carriers, destroyed about 300 enemy soldiers and officers.
Yarosh was twice wounded, but continued to command the company. During the battle, when the Nazi tank broke through into the position, a courageous officer with a bunch of grenades in his hands rushed to the armored vehicle. But he was struck by a burst from a tank machine gun. And the tank, having run over the body of Yarosh, still blew up on his grenades. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of April 17, 1943, for the skillful management of the unit and the shown heroism and selflessness, the citizen of Czechoslovakia Otakar Yarosh was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously).
On October 12, 1943, the 1st Polish Division named after Tadeusz Kosciuszko entered the battle with the Nazi troops for the first time near the village of Lenino, Mogilev Region. The division withstood its baptism of fire with honor. 239 Polish soldiers were awarded with Soviet orders and medals.
Captains Vladislav Vysotsky, Juliusz Gübner and Private Anela Kzhivon were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. By the way, Polish woman Anela Kzhivon is the only foreign woman to be awarded this title.
The combat activities of the French pilots of the famous Normandie-Niemen fighter regiment are also well known. The regiment was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and the Order of Alexander Nevsky for exemplary performance of the command's assignments. The French government awarded the regiment the Order of the Legion of Honor, the Palm Tree Combat Cross, the Liberation Cross and the Medal of War. 96 French pilots were awarded Soviet military orders, and four of the most courageous became Heroes of the Soviet Union: senior lieutenants Marcel Albert, Rolland de la Poip, Marcel Lefebvre (posthumously) and junior lieutenant Jacques Andre.
The Commander of the machine-gun company of the 35th Guards Rifle Division, the Spaniard of the Guard, Captain Ruben Ruiz Ibarruri, the son of the frantic Passionary, as she was called in Spain, Dolores Ibarrri, also became the Cavalier of the Golden Star. At the end of August 1942, in the battle of Stalingrad, Ruben replaced the wounded battalion commander and led the fighters into the attack. He was seriously wounded and died on September 3rd. He was only 22 years old.
Courage and fearlessness were also shown by the German patriot Fritz Schmenkel, who fought in the partisan detachment "Death to Fascism". Here is just one episode from his combat biography. Once, dressed in the uniform of a Wehrmacht general, he stopped a German convoy on the road, which contained weapons and food that the partisans needed so much. On the night of December 29-30, 1943, while crossing the front line, Shmenkel and two other partisans went missing. Only many years after the war did it become clear that he and his comrades had been taken prisoner. He was tortured and executed by the verdict of a German military court in occupied Minsk. On October 6, 1964, he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
The last soldier in 1972 was awarded the title of Hero (posthumously), General of Artillery Vladimir Zaimov, who was shot in 1942 by the verdict of the court of Tsarist Bulgaria. Discharged from the army for his anti-monarchist beliefs, he secretly worked for the Soviet Union since 1935.
The Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of the General Staff characterized its activities as follows: “… during the work of the Zaimov organization (1939-1942), it systematically received military and military-political information on Bulgaria, Germany, Turkey, Greece and other countries. After the entry of the German units into the territory of Bulgaria, Zaimov provided information about their numbers and armament. In July 1941, Zaimov transmitted information, highly appreciated by the Center, about the policy of the Bulgarian government towards the USSR and other countries. After the German attack on the Soviet Union, he gave information about the advancement and numbering of the Romanian and Hungarian units going to the Eastern Front … Zaimov is a large illegal intelligence officer, serious, reasonable and truthful … His work is highly valued by the Soviet command."
Each of the foreign heroes can be told and told. In one article, this, of course, cannot be done.
Let us also recall that in total 11,626 soldiers were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for military exploits during the Great Patriotic War.
At the same time, for the liberation of Czechoslovakia this title was awarded 88 times, for the liberation of Poland - 1667 times, for the Berlin operation - more than 600 times.
And I think it would be quite justified to end these notes with the words from the song "Muscovites" on the verses of Evgeny Vinokurov (music by Andrey Eshpai), which in the distant 1950s was heartfeltly performed by Mark Bernes: "In the fields beyond the Vistula sleepy // They lie in the damp ground // Earring with Malaya Bronnaya // And Vitka with Mokhovaya. // But he remembers the saved world, // Eternal world, living world // Earring with Malaya Bronnaya // And Vitka with Mokhovaya."
And to ask a burning question for us today: does this world really remember who saved it from fascism?
