In the fall of 1940, I arrived for further service in the 54th Aviation Bomber Regiment, which was stationed at an airfield four kilometers from Vilno. Great was my amazement when the next day, among the fighter pilots heading to the dining room, I saw my brother Ivan. He was no less happy. In the evening, after dinner, we met. There was no end to the stories and questions. After all, we haven’t seen each other for two years. After graduating from the Vyaznikovsky flying club in 1938, Ivan was sent to the Chkalovsky military pilot school. He graduated from it, became a fighter pilot and served for some time in Velikiye Luki, and from there their regiment flew here. The city of Vilna was liberated from Polish occupation by the Red Army in September 1939 and was soon transferred to Lithuania. In October of the same year, the USSR concluded mutual assistance agreements with the Baltic republics, including Lithuania, under which a number of Red Army garrisons were stationed in these republics. However, various provocations were carried out against our garrisons and military personnel, including the kidnapping and killing of our military personnel. Ivan told how in June 1940 the airfield was blocked by Lithuanian troops. Machine guns and cannons were aimed at airplanes and airfield structures. The personnel slept under the planes, ready to fight back at any moment. Ivan and his flight were ordered to take off and conduct reconnaissance. With great difficulty we managed to suppress the desire to storm the enemy. Three days later the blockade was lifted. In June 1940, elections were held that brought representatives of the people to power. Here, at the airfield, was the regiment in which my brother served. They flew on Chaika fighters. I will tell about myself. After graduating from pedagogical school, I, like many of my peers, asked to be sent to work in Siberia, although I was left to work in the city, and was even almost sent to study at the Leningrad Military Medical Academy. After a year and a half of working as a teacher, I was drafted into the army. To my greatest pride, which I immediately wrote home, I became machine gunner No. 1 on a cart. A dream came true - in childhood, everyone after the movie “Chapaev” wanted to become machine gunners. But I didn’t remain a “Chapaevite” for long. Soon, six of us from the regiment who had secondary education were sent to the ShMAS aviation school in Kalachinsk near Omsk. After graduation, he became an air gunner-radio operator, rank - sergeant major. Sent to serve in Kaunas at the air division headquarters. Everything here seemed new, interesting, and sometimes wild to us. The provocations that I have already written about drove us to live in a monastery. We lived there for two months. It was fenced with a high (eight meters) thick brick wall. One of the buildings was freed from the monks and handed over to us. Monastic cells were allocated for housing - quite comfortable rooms. Bed, table, bedside table, separate toilet, bathroom, prayer corner. A spiral staircase connected the library rooms (approximately 100 square meters each) from the first to the fourth floor. There was a lot of literature, different, including foreign, not to mention Catholic. In one wing of the building, part of the first floor was occupied by a huge hall, and here I saw an organ for the first time and played it. On the second floor there is a physical office. On the third - chemical, the floor above - biological. All well equipped. Our technical schools are squalor in comparison. That's it, monks! How far this is from what we were told about them at school. We were not really allowed to walk around the territory of the monastery. And there was no time, since we were leaving for the airfield in the morning. But they still watched. The monks have a strict daily routine. Usually from 6 to 7 pm they walked in pairs and alone through the large park. In the middle there was a covered veranda with ping pong (table tennis). I saw him for the first time. One Saturday my friend and I invited the girls over. We sat on the veranda, laughed and played. And it was just an hour of an evening walk and pious reflections of the servants of God - and suddenly such a temptation. From the next day, the hour of the walk was moved to another time, and we were forbidden to invite girls. On November 6th, a funny thing happened. The building was decorated for the October holiday. Slogans, flags. One of the flags was attached to the railing on the 4th floor balcony. In the evening we see the monks looking at our visual propaganda with some displeasure. About twenty minutes later the abbot of the monastery walked leisurely with two servants. I stood there for a while. I looked. Headed to division headquarters. They left after about five minutes. The division commissar jumps out after them. Staring at the flag on the fourth floor. We are interested. It turns out that if you look at the flag directly, it is just shamelessly projected between the legs of Matka Bozka Częstochowa, whose human-sized image was located on the wall. It is funny and sad at the same time. It was ordered to immediately move the flag to the corner of the balcony. The monks calmed down. This is how we became acquainted with monastic reality. And soon I was transferred to serve in Vilna in the crew of the squadron commissar in the 54th regiment, where I met Ivan. Now my brother and I served in the same place. In mid-June 1941 six crews of our regiment were tasked with transporting SB aircraft to an aviation school located in the Totsky camps near Chkalov (we began to receive new AR-2 aircraft and were already flying them). I was flying in the crew of Lieutenant Vasya Kibalko, to whom I was transferred for this flight. It turns out that the school's cadets had completed a course of theoretical training, but had not yet flown combat aircraft, since the school did not have them (only training "sparks"). It is not difficult to imagine the joy of the cadets when we landed at their airfield. They rocked us and carried us in their arms. And I got a special treat, because among those who met me (or rather, they noticed me earlier) Rasskazov and other guys with whom I studied together at the Gorky school in Vyazniki. After graduating from high school and the flying club in their hometown, they went to a flying school here and “swelled up” here waiting for planes. The meeting remained in my memory, although I never met these guys at the front (they said in the city that they all died). To celebrate the evening, the kind hosts offered us a barrel of beer, which they had prepared with great difficulty in advance. We expected to walk here for two or three days, and from here I had to go to Tomsk to the Pedagogical Institute to enroll in correspondence studies. However, at night a telegram unexpectedly arrived from the regiment, in which the commander categorically ordered an urgent return to Vilna. Nothing to do. Go. Already on the trains we met many military men, summoned by telegrams to their units. There were many guesses, the most fantastic. We arrived in Vilna on the evening of June 21. We reached the airfield on foot. To our great surprise, there were no planes of ours (apart from a few faulty ones). The duty officer met us at the entrance. He said that our regiment and Ivan’s regiment flew to alternate field airfields during the day, the barracks were sealed, and we could sleep until the morning in the camp. If there is a car heading to the airfield at night, they will wake you up. We came to the hangar, collected airplane covers, and seemed to have settled down appropriately for the night - how much does a military man need? Since the next day was Sunday, everyone began to ask the group commander not to rush to the airfield tomorrow, but to rest for a day in the city. We went to bed around midnight. Suddenly the duty officer came running and said that a car was on its way to the regiment. The command “Get up, get in the car” followed. Alas, our plans to go for a walk in Vilna dissipated like a mirage. The field airfield was located 15-18 kilometers from Vilna in Kivishki. We got there at about two in the morning. The fog was so thick that literally nothing could be seen three steps away. We were taken to tents, but we couldn’t sleep because the alarm horn sounded. It was about three in the morning. We jumped up. Get dressed. You can't see anything in the fog. It was difficult to find our plane and technicians. We run up to the aircraft parking lot. Work is already in full swing there. We got involved too. The gunsmith was busy at the bomb bay, hanging up live bombs. The mechanic helped him. Since I was in the crew of squadron commissar Verkhovsky, I asked Kibalko how I could decide. He advised me to work on his plane for now (then she left me with him). I started setting up the machine gun and testing out the radio. The pilot and navigator fled to the checkpoint. Little by little the fog began to clear. We, who came from Chkalov, were noticed. Questions began. Suddenly, in the distance, at an altitude of about a thousand meters, a group of planes appeared in the direction of Vilna. The configuration is unfamiliar. They began to ask us if we had seen such people in the rear. Although we didn’t see it, we began to “bend” (and all aviators are masters at this) that it was obviously And L -2 (we saw them under covers in Saratov). In fact, these were German Ju-87 aircraft, a little similar to our attack aircraft. The strangers were simply flying in a group, almost out of formation. With our heads raised, we admired the decent speed of the planes. And since large exercises were expected in June, they believed that they had begun, and the flight of unfamiliar planes, our flight here, and the alarm are confirmation of this. The planes flew right above us. Why they didn’t bomb us still remains a mystery to me. Either the remnants of the fog interfered, or their attention was focused on the city of Vilna and our stationary airfield. In a word, after a few minutes they were above us. They separated into a circle and began to dive. Smoke appeared. An interesting (so to speak) detail: the first bombs, as we were later told, destroyed the hangar in which we were camping for the night. We admired this picture, thinking: practice bombs are falling, but why so much smoke? From further bewildered thoughts about what was happening, I was distracted by a rocket from the command post, indicating the command: “Taxi for departure.” I remember that the field airfield was not very important, the crews had not yet flown from it, and Vasya Kibalko barely managed to tear the plane off on takeoff, hitting the tops of the spruce trees. So we flew on our first combat mission. It was around 5 am. Believing that it was a training flight, I did not put on a parachute. It was attached to the straps in front and was very in the way. Let him lie in the cabin. And I didn’t load the machine gun - there was a lot of fuss with it later. Before the war, our regiment was given main and backup targets in case of war. And the route was worked out in accordance with this. The main target was the railway junction of Königsberg. Considering the flight a training flight, we gain altitude above the airfield. But we had to gain 6 thousand meters. We scored 2 thousand. Using a radio code, we ask the ground to confirm the task. They confirm. We scored 4 thousand. We ask again. They confirm. You must wear oxygen masks. We collected 6 thousand and went on the route. Before reaching the border we saw fires on the ground, and in some places gunfire. It became clear that this was a real combat mission. I urgently put on a parachute and load the machine guns. We are approaching Königsberg. We've bombed, we're heading back. We did not encounter any enemy fighters or anti-aircraft fire. The Germans, apparently, did not count on such “impudence” on our part. But then German fighters appeared, already in the border area. They immediately shot down several of our planes. The German managed to set our plane on fire with a long burst. Having flown 20-30 meters towards us, he made a bank and his smiling face became visible. Without much aiming, I manage to fire a burst from a machine gun. To my greatest joy, the fascist caught fire and began to fall. We burned and fell. What to do? We must jump. That's when the parachute came in handy. I tear off the cap over the cabin. I pull myself up to jump out. But the plane fell randomly, tumbled, and all attempts turned out to be fruitless; it was thrown from one side to the other. I look at the altimeter. Its arrow stubbornly shows a decrease in altitude, 5000-4000 meters. But I just can’t get out of the burning plane. This continued until about 1000 meters. This arrow is still before my eyes, stubbornly creeping towards zero. I even thought that I was done. And suddenly I was in the air. Apparently, I was thrown out of the cockpit when the plane turned over. I didn’t immediately figure out what to do. And quite instinctively he pulled out the parachute ring. He opened up. After 7-10 seconds I found myself hanging from a tree. It turns out that all this happened over a forest area. He unfastened the parachute straps, pulled himself up to the tree trunk and jumped to the ground. I look around. There was a forest road nearby. Since I lost my bearings during the battle, I decided to go east. I walked about 300 meters. Suddenly a man with a pistol in his hand jumps out from behind a tree and asks me to raise my hands. It turned out to be Captain Karabutov from our regiment, who was also shot down. The misunderstanding has been cleared up. Let's go together. Several more people from our regiment joined us. Then the infantrymen. They reported that the Germans were already somewhere ahead of us. They began to walk more carefully, looking for a working car from among those abandoned on the road. Found. I get behind the wheel. Karabutov is nearby. This is where the ability to drive the cars that we drove around the airfield in our free time came in handy. There wasn't enough gasoline in the tank, so we decided to refuel. It was not found in abandoned cars. But then we see an arrow on the tree indicating MTS. Turned around. A fence and an open gate appeared ahead. We're moving in. To our horror, there are German tanks about 50 meters away. The tankers stand in a group to the side. I turn the steering wheel in panic, turn the car around and out of the corner of my eye I see the tankers rushing towards the tanks. We jumped out of the gate and meandered along the forest road. Shells fired from tanks explode above the car. But they did not harm us, and the tanks along the forest road could not catch up with us. It blew by. After 8-10 km of travel we caught up with the retreating infantry unit. We learned that there was a highway to the north, and German troops were moving along it; from there their tanks were turned into MTS. That's why we didn't meet any Germans on this road. A day later we reached the Dvinsk airfield, where we were supposed to land after a combat mission.
By February 1943, we completed retraining, received new aircraft and flew to the front, to the Kursk Bulge. By this time I had already become the flagship gunner-radio operator of the first squadron. In March-May, the regiment occasionally made reconnaissance flights and bombed individual targets. They helped the partisans. Flights to help the partisans were associated with great difficulties. We had to fly far behind enemy lines through enemy airfields and fortified points. One day it was ordered to fly down and burn several villages where there were German garrisons. The partisans were surrounded here and broke through to the southwest through these villages. It was necessary to clear the way for them. Taking nine American Airacobras as cover, they flew along the front line for a long time and brought them to Fatezh, where they were going to take Yakovs in return. The Airacobras were supposed to land here and meet us on the way back. However, a tragic event occurred here, which sometimes occurs. In the nine of us from another regiment flying in front of us, two planes crashed into each other while turning, caught fire and fell. The anti-aircraft gunners, who had overslept, concluded that they had been shot down by fighters and opened fire on the Airacobras, mistaking them for Germans. The “Yaks” who were waiting for us to the side saw the anti-aircraft fire, the burning planes on the ground and also mistook the “Aircobras” for the “Messerschmidts” (they really look alike), supposedly blocking the airfield, and rushed to attack them. Thus began a fight between friends and family. Meanwhile, we were making one... two... circles to the side, not understanding what was happening. Despite my radio calls, the covering fighters are not approaching us. We had to ask the regiment commander by radio code what we should do. The command followed to go to the target without cover. A little later, two of our fighters caught up with us, but they also fell behind somewhere. We approached the target under the clouds at an altitude of 700-800 meters. I had to go through many anxious moments. Over the 90 kilometers that we flew to the target behind the front line, several enemy airfields and fortified points passed below us. But neither fighters nor anti-aircraft guns stopped us, apparently afraid to unmask themselves. About five kilometers away we saw long fiery arrows among the forest, pointing to the villages that we were supposed to bomb. We formed a bearing, in sections, and dropped bombs. We turned around. A sea of fire raged at the site of enemy strongholds. The way back to my airfield was just as calm. We sat down immediately, as some of us were already running out of gas. During the flights, we saw how much the Germans concentrated aviation and anti-aircraft guns here. And it was very surprising to us when, under these conditions, wanting to give some veterans of the regiment a rest, the six of us were sent to rest for two weeks in an aviation sanatorium located in the Smirnovsky Gorge near Saratov. We got there not without some oddities. About 8-10 kilometers from Kursk there was an airfield from which we were supposed to fly to Saratov on the Douglas at 10 am. And we got to Kursk by train. We arrived at Lev Tolstoy station in the middle of the day. I want to tell you about this not to amuse anyone, but so that you can at least get a little idea of what the situation was like near the front, in the rear. The train stopped. We stand for an hour or two. No movement. The commander went to the station chief. He didn't promise anything comforting. Trains with military cargo kept passing through, and they did not stop here. And it’s already evening. Then the commander sent a telegram to the division commander. He indicated where they were staying and that there was no hope of leaving before the morning. We're late for the Douglas. Is it possible to transfer us there on a U-2? The plane can land on a field about 600 meters north of the station. There was no answer, but soon the U-2 began circling over the station over the place that we indicated in the telegram, and began to land. At this time our train showed a desire to move. Having decided that the plane would not have time to transport the six of us before nightfall, in a hurry the commander told me: “Jump (and we were traveling on an open area), fly to Kursk on a U-2.” He jumped while the train was moving. I hurry to the U-2 landing site. There were about two hundred meters left. To my surprise, I notice that they are turning the propeller to start the engine. For what? And why are there two people there? I grab the pistol and shoot to attract attention. Converted. I run up to them. They ask who I am. I say that they came for us. Those eyes are wide open. They explained that they were with the mail and had nothing to do with us. Horror! I explained the situation to them and asked them to be transferred to Kursk. They answer that they can’t take off themselves, since the spring soil has become soggy and they have to wait until the morning, maybe it will freeze. What to do? I'm running to the station. The boss was no less discouraged than I was. I asked him to find out by phone where the train our people were traveling on was. Found out. It turns out that he has traveled about fifteen kilometers and is standing at the railway station in front of Kursk. They asked to invite the commander to the phone. After 10-15 minutes a conversation took place. Having explained the unpleasant news to the commander, I asked what to do. I learned that their train would remain idle for another two hours. I was ordered to catch up with them on foot along the sleepers. Without further ado, I decided not to waste time and jogged on my way. Various philosophical thoughts came to mind, but were distracted from them by a terrible desire to smoke. I smoked a lot then (and I started on the first day of the war). To my horror, I remembered that I not only had no tobacco, but also no documents. All this remained with the commander. Having trotted about ten kilometers (it was already dark), I saw a guard’s booth. I went there and asked for a smoke. Looking at me suspiciously - and I looked inflamed - the handler gave me terry for a goat leg. Having lit a cigarette, I seemed to move on with renewed vigor. Meanwhile, the inspector immediately reported on the phone that a saboteur had run in, threatened him with a pistol, took away the cigarette and disappeared in the direction of Kursk. But they had already determined what kind of saboteur he was and did not attach any importance to the “patriotic message.” I ran to the station, having completed the entire journey in record time - an hour and a half. And the train, it turns out, left about five minutes ago. Exhausted, he lay down on the sofa in the duty officer’s room. And only in the morning, having lost all hope, I arrived in Kursk. But there you still have to get to the airfield 8-10 kilometers. I got there, or rather, I ran. "Douglas" was already preparing to taxi for takeoff. The guys saw me and dragged me, barely alive, into the cabin. First of all: “Give me a smoke.” We had a good rest near Saratov.
Carrying out individual tasks, the regiment prepared for major battles. The famous Battle of Kursk was preparing. 3-4 days before the start of the battle, a messenger came running to our plane and gave the order to urgently report to the regiment headquarters. A representative of a fighter regiment has just arrived at the airfield to agree on the order of escort, cover, fire interaction, and communications. And I, as I already wrote, had to do this. I ran to headquarters. He was housed in a dugout. I looked around. And now the ways of the Lord are inscrutable. My brother was at headquarters, as a representative of the fighter regiment. We explained. He was already deputy regiment commander. We didn't have to talk much then. After the meeting, Ivan hurried to his airfield. It was late in the evening. While flying away, at the request of our regiment commander, he performed several complex aerobatics over the airfield and disappeared with a sharp descent. A rumor quickly spread among the flight personnel that we would be covered by the 157th Fighter Regiment, that there were quite a few Heroes in it, that one of them had arrived and that it was my brother. And I walked with my nose up. From the first combat mission we felt the difference in the organization of cover. Previously, fighters somehow huddled closer to us, although in a number of exceptional situations this should be the case. But not always. Previously, we were usually given 6-8 fighters to accompany us. Now there are four of them, and very rarely six. Usually Ivan on the radio and on the ground during meetings with our regiment told us not to worry about our tail, or rather, to bomb. Indeed, during our joint flights with their regiment, we did not lose a single aircraft from enemy fighters. During the Battle of Kursk, on some days, especially the first, it was possible to make two or three sorties. And all this in the face of fierce opposition from enemy fighters and anti-aircraft guns. There were so many anti-aircraft guns that people on the ground marveled at how they managed to get away and hit the target. After almost every flight, the plane had a lot of holes from anti-aircraft shells. One day, while checking my parachute, the sergeant major discovered a fragment in it that had pierced up to ten layers of silk and was stuck. So the parachute saved my life. There was such a case. I lie next to the lower machine gun, hold on to its handles and look for the target. Suddenly I feel a blow to my chest. It turns out that an anti-aircraft shell exploded next to the plane, a fragment pierced the side, flew under the right arm (they were both extended), hit the parachute carabiner, broke it, hit the chest and, hitting the order, pierced the left side with it and flew out. That's how powerful the impact was! And then the orders were never returned to me. It was not easy for me as a flagship gunner-radio operator. We must keep in touch with fighters, with the ground, inside the formation with gunners of other aircraft, and organize fire resistance to enemy fighters. And shoot yourself. You spin like a squirrel in a wheel. These days, cases of Germans using airwaves for disinformation began to be observed. I usually received the main and backup radio waves in the morning. Their use on the first flight was strictly limited. But the Germans managed to install them by 9-10 o’clock and use them for their own purposes. On August 12, we flew to bomb the Khutor Mikhailovsky railway station. Suddenly I received an open command on the radio to go back with bombs. Reported to the commander. He ordered to request confirmation with a password, but there was no confirmation. Then they decided to bomb the target. More than once there were cases when on the radio, in a pleasant voice, we were invited to land at a German airfield, promising a heavenly life. We usually answered with words that are inconvenient to write here. We started flying on July 7th. The tension of the fighting and the loss of comrades was depressing. These days we were accommodated at the school. Bunks were built in the classrooms and the crew slept on them. On the seventh, one of our crews was shot down. Then the second, third. They were all lying on the bunks in a row, one after another (this, of course, was an accident). But when the third was shot down, the crew of the fourth moved to the floor. In fact, there are many signs in aviation, and people usually believe in them. In the first days of the battles near Kursk, a certain balance in aviation was observed in the air. However, after 15-20 days of fighting, the situation changed in our favor. I remember one of the flights. They started giving us free flight assignments. The specific target was not indicated, the flight area was given and you had to look for the target yourself. One day at the end of July we were given a rectangle, the sides of which were two highways and a railway. This is where we had to look for purpose. We see a train with gasoline tanks moving west from the direction of Orel. What a success! We go in as he moves and fire at him. First the pilots from the bow machine guns, then the gunners from the tail ones. We came in once, twice. The bullets hit the train, but there is no point. The driver will either slow down or pick up speed. We decided to start shooting early on the third approach. And in a machine gun cartridge, bullets alternate: regular, tracer, explosive, incendiary, armor-piercing. And as soon as the bullets reached the ground, a fiery tail flared up, instantly caught up with the train and it exploded in front of us. We barely managed to turn to the side. Apparently the bullets in the first passes, hitting the tanks, went out, since they were also running out of gas. But we pierced the tanks, gasoline leaked onto the ground, and quite by accident we managed to light it on the ground on the third approach. Why didn't we realize it right away?
In the area of the city of Loev, our units immediately crossed the Dnieper. A fierce battle ensued on the bridgehead. German planes frantically bombed the crossings to disrupt the replenishment, and enemy artillery fired at those who had broken through the Dnieper. We were ordered to suppress this artillery. Before one of the flights, we agreed on the ground that after dropping the bombs we would move away from the target into our territory by making a left turn. The fighters were informed. However, everything has changed. No wonder they say it was smooth on paper, but they forgot about the ravines. Before us, German positions on the right bank of the Dnieper were bombed by several more groups. And they all left the target with a left turn. The Germans realized this, the anti-aircraft guns took aim, and the groups ahead of us suffered losses from the anti-aircraft guns. The fire density was very high. We saw all this while approaching the target. Then the commander of our squadron decided to leave with a right turn, about which I radioed a message to the fighters. They threw bombs, made a right turn and, to their horror, saw that our fighters were going to the left. We were left alone. While we were making a turn towards the front line, we were intercepted by enemy fighters - and in large numbers. We prepared for battle, closed tighter. Seeing that we were unescorted, the Germans decided to use their huge advantage and land us at their airfield without shooting us down. Take him alive, so to speak. As soon as we made a turn to the right, towards the front line, shells and bullets from their fighters flew in front of our course. They cut us off to the left in every possible way. It smelled like kerosene. What should I do? On this flight we were accompanied by fighters from another regiment. But when we were still approaching the front line, I heard on the radio the voice of Ivan, who commanded a cover group over our crossings of the Dnieper (cover groups are not associated with escorting specific attack aircraft or bombers). After being wounded, Ivan lost part of his hearing and now in the air with his formation he was most often called not with a password, but with the nickname “deaf.” I knew this, as did many front-line pilots (and perhaps the Germans too). And when approaching the Dnieper, I realized that Ivan was leading the cover group. By the way, I told the commander about this. At the tragic moment, when we were surrounded by the Germans, our commander, before making a decision to fight, asked me if it was possible to call Ivan on the radio. Not knowing their password, I started calling out in plain text: “Deaf, deaf, I’m Gregory, how can you hear?” Fortunately, Ivan answered immediately. I reported to the commander and switched the receiver and transmitter to him. With my help, the commander briefly explained the situation in open text (for which we were later reprimanded - well, what should we do?). Having learned where we were, Ivan advised that we continue, reducing speed, fly to the German rear and wait for him. Having a significant advantage in altitude, he led the group in pursuit of us and five minutes later radioed that he saw us and was starting a battle with the Krauts. We took advantage of this, sharply increased the speed and made a turn towards our territory. The Germans were no longer interested in us.
During the liberation of the city of Dmitrovsk-Orlovsky by our troops, they bombed a Nazi convoy on the highway. They took small fragmentation bombs from the ground and now dropped them on the column. The fascists were blown away from the road like the wind. The cars were also abandoned. Then we formed a bearing along the links, made a second approach over the scattered column and stormed the enemy with machine gun fire. They got so carried away that many shot all the ammunition. Then a couple of German fighters turned up. They are coming at our tail, but there is nothing to shoot back with. In desperation, I grab a rocket launcher and shoot at the fascist. The German fighter apparently recognized the missile as a new type of weapon and rolled aside. No wonder they say: live forever, learn forever. Although I did not invent this method, it was also used in other parts.
There were days like these at the front. We flew on a combat mission from one of the airfields in Poland. In the morning, as usual, we did not have breakfast. We fortified ourselves with chocolate and that was it. Breakfast was brought to the airfield, but the rocket from the command post (“for takeoff”) “spoiled” our appetite. They flew off. The goal was far away and there was little gasoline left. Some sat down right away. Izvekov lands, and he has two external bombs hanging on him. You can't sit with them. From the start they give him a red rocket: “Go to the second round.” Gone. They call on the radio to decide what to do. And the radio operator of his plane had already turned off. Landing again, he gets another red rocket. We are all worried about how this story will end. Finally, the pilot figured out to turn on the radio and ask what was the matter, why they were chasing him, because there was barely any gasoline left, and he uttered other angry words. They explained to him and ordered him to emergency drop the bombs into a large lake about three kilometers from the airfield. Izvekov dropped, the bombs exploded there. He had to sit down across the starting line - he had run out of gas. They warned us that, obviously, there would be no second flight; we could go for lunch. Go. We had just settled down in the dining room when suddenly rockets came from the airfield: “Urgently take off.” We threw away the spoons, jumped into the lorry and drove to the airfield. Unfortunately, at a sharp turn, the tailgate opens and eight people find themselves on the ground. It was so unfortunate that many were sent to the medical battalion. Almost all of them turned out to be from different crews. The commander had to urgently redesign the crews, and time is ticking. From the division headquarters they ask why we don’t take off? We took off. The flight went well. But the events of that day did not end there. We arrive at the dining room in the evening hungry. The cooks serve us fish soup and fried fish. Where does such wealth come from, we ask. It turns out that the technicians managed to scout out the lake where Izvekov threw two bombs, and there turned out to be a lot of caught pike perch and other fish. They picked up two barrels. After the fish soup, we were served cutlets. They were also eaten. At night, some people, including me, began to experience terrible stomach cramps. We are urgently sent to the medical battalion. Poisoning. We did a wash. It turned out that the cook made these cutlets in the morning, brought them to the airfield, offered them to us for lunch, but we couldn’t eat them. Then he slipped them in the evening. I had to lie there for two days. Since then, not only in the army, but also at home, I couldn’t eat cutlets for ten years. How the regiment commander and the commissar took the rap for that day, one can only guess.
There was a pause before the Warsaw operation. Only reconnaissance flights were made. Once the regiment commander told me that he could give me leave for seven days to travel home. And even earlier, I found out that Ivan was supposed to go on vacation. They were then standing about twenty kilometers from our airfield. We called each other. It was decided that I would arrive at their airfield on a U-2 in the evening. I'll spend the night. And in the morning we will go by train to Vyazniki. A comrade transferred me to Ivan’s airfield. We arrived at about five in the evening, it was cloudy, continuous clouds hung over the airfield at an altitude of 700-800 meters. We sat down. I jumped out of the plane and went to the parking lot (my friend flew back). I asked the pilots where Ivan was (they knew me well there). They said that he gave transportation flights to young pilots and was at the landing gate. Ivan at that time held the position of deputy regiment commander for the flight department. At this time the Yak landed. He landed poorly, missed, and on top of that, he “got off.” When he turned to the T, Ivan jumped onto the wing. The propeller is spinning little by little, and the brother, waving his arms, apparently with indignation, tells something to the young pilot about the unsuccessful landing. Tom had to make another flight in a circle. And at that time, to the horror of all of us who observed this suggestion, a German Ju-88 plane fell out of the clouds directly above T at an angle of 30 degrees. Since he dived (or rather planned) directly at our fighter, it seemed that he was about to shoot. But the situation, as we later learned, was completely different. The German reconnaissance aircraft, after completing the mission, was returning to its airfield. Since the ground was covered with clouds, the navigator and pilot, deciding that they had already flown over the front line (in fact, it was 20-25 km away), began to break through the clouds. Having broken through, to their surprise they saw our airfield and began to gain altitude again to hide behind the clouds, from which they descended about three hundred meters. At first, Ivan and the pilot did not hear the noise of the German car behind the noise of the engine of their plane, and only after noticing the desperate gesticulation of the starter, they looked up and saw the Yu-88. Snatching the pilot from the cockpit by the collar (and his brother was physically strong), he jumped up and gave the gas for takeoff. Seeing the scattering fighter, the German decided that he would not have time to hide behind the clouds and began to run away with humiliation. This turned out to be a fatal mistake. About eight kilometers away, Ivan overtook him and we heard the cannon and machine guns start working. The German also fired back. Immediately on the radio, Ivan reported that the German had been hit and sat on his stomach in a forest clearing. He asks to urgently send machine gunners from the BAO there to capture an enemy plane and pilots. He himself circled over the enemy’s landing site. Many of us, curious people, went there. I also settled on one car. About 15 minutes later we reached that clearing. But as soon as we jumped out to the edge of the forest, we were hit with a machine gun from a sitting plane. This immediately reduced our belligerence. Immediately jumping out of the car, we took cover behind tree trunks and began firing pistols at the plane, which was a hundred meters away. It is clear that our shooting is of no use. It was starting to get dark. It's time to take more drastic measures. Then the machine gunners arrived. Having opened fire on the plane, they crawled towards it. And we, emboldened, moved after them. Here I experienced for the first and only time how to crawl on my bellies under machine gun fire. At first they also responded from the plane with a machine gun, but soon it fell silent. The machine gunners approached the plane, we followed them. What happened? The plane's crew consisted of four people. Several shells and machine-gun bursts from Ivan hit the target. The pilot was wounded, which forced him to land the plane. The navigator was killed. The radio operator shot himself. The shooter was shooting back - a girl, she had no legs up to her knees. And only when the machine gunners wounded her did she stop shooting. I remember when they pulled her out of the cabin, she regained consciousness: she was biting and scratching. She was loaded into an ambulance and taken away. The pilot, who remained conscious, was also taken away. This example, to a certain extent, gives some idea of our opponents. Ivan had long since flown to the airfield; they reported to the army commander about the landing of an enemy reconnaissance aircraft. By the time we returned to the airfield, the commander had already arrived there. The pilot was taken to the regimental headquarters, which was located in a small hut. Everyone wanted to listen to the interrogation of the captured pilot, but practically the size of the hut did not allow us to satisfy our curiosity. The most impudent ones pressed themselves outside to the open windows, I was among them. At the headquarters there were commander Rudenko, the regiment commander, the chief of staff, Ivan and an interpreter. From the interrogation it turned out that the crew of the plane consisted of a father, his two sons and a daughter. They have been fighting since 1940, with France. The pilot is a colonel and was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves for his services. Now they were making a reconnaissance flight along our railway junctions. After developing the film and deciphering it, German aircraft were supposed to strike in the morning. The wounded pilot grew weaker and asked to tell who shot him, the German ace, down. Rudenko ordered Ivan to unbutton his jacket and show him his awards. At the same time, he said that it was not a bast shoe that knocked him down, but a Hero of the Soviet Union. The German was taken away. Rudenko asked what Ivan would do tomorrow. He replied that he was leaving for a short-term vacation home. Rudenko wished him a happy meeting with his family, asked how much leave he was given, and upon learning that it was seven days, he added seven more with his authority. Hearing this, I was dejected. Ivan noticed me at the window a long time ago. Seeing my gestures, he guessed what was going on and asked permission from Rudenko, who had already gotten up, to make a request to him. He frowned and allowed it. Ivan said that he was not going on vacation alone, but with his brother (that is, with me). The commander was surprised that two brothers were flying in the regiment. He had known Ivan for a long time; Having received an explanation that I was flying in the bomber regiment, which they were covering, I asked what Ivan wanted. He explained that my brother, that is, me, has only seven days of vacation, and what happens now? Rudenko said: “You are cunning, Ivan. But I added leave for you for the feat, but for what for my brother?” However, after thinking, he instructed the regiment commander to contact my commander, explain the situation to him, and if he doesn’t object, let him add days for me too. Our commander Khlebnikov did not object to this turn of events, which was very pleasant for me.
Combat work continued. On April 16, the Berlin operation began. It was a dark day for our regiment. Perhaps during the entire war our regiment did not fight such heavy battles. We made two sorties against German tanks and artillery positions in the Seelow Heights area and shot down six enemy fighters. The regiment flew in three groups, we were in the second. And so, on a collision course, about twenty Focke-Wulfs attacked the first group, and then ours. We could not fire from the bow machine guns, since we were on target with the first group and could hit our own. But when the Germans began to make a U-turn under our formation, I managed to catch one in my sights and light it with a long burst. We ourselves lost three crews that day to anti-aircraft guns and fighters. Two people from the planes shot down on April 16 jumped out with a parachute and then returned to the regiment. Very successful flights were made to Frankfurt an der Oder and Potsdam. In Potsdam, the railway junction was destroyed, and on the second flight, the headquarters of the German division was destroyed. On this day, perhaps, we inflicted the most significant damage on the enemy: we destroyed the division headquarters, killed more than 200 soldiers and officers, blew up 37 carriages, 29 buildings, and a large amount of various equipment. All this was confirmed by photographs, and then by ground units. On April 25 we flew to Berlin for the first time. Berlin was burning. The smoke rose to a height of up to three kilometers and it was impossible to see anything on the ground. Our target turned out to be obscured by smoke and we hit a secondary target (for each flight we were given a primary and secondary target) - the Potsdam railway junction. On April 28-30 we flew to Berlin again. They hit the enemy airfield and the Reichstag. The wind intensified and, as I remember, the smoke, like a huge fox’s tail, deviated sharply to the north, and our targets became visible. The Reichstag was hit from a dive with two 250 kg bombs. The most experienced crews flew with them. Photographs recorded a direct hit on the Reichstag building. Then I and my comrades visited the Reichstag and signed it. But for the sake of fairness, I always say that the first time we signed it with a bomb was on April 30th. In addition to Government awards, all of us received personalized watches for this flight. On May 3, a solemn meeting was held on the occasion of the capture of Berlin, and on May 8, on the occasion of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
Wilhelm Jonen
Luftwaffe night squadrons. Notes of a German pilot
First night victory
On April 9, 1940, at 5.15 am, German troops invaded Denmark and Norway. Hitler decided to get ahead of the British and secure his northern flank, so Luftwaffe squadrons stationed in Denmark were ordered to cover the movement of troops intended to invade Norway. The British tried to disrupt this operation with continuous round-the-clock air raids.
Major Falk commanded a wing of the famous Messerschmitt 110 fighters based in Aalborg. These high-speed maneuverable fighters, equipped with two Daimler-Benz engines, dominated the airspace of Europe right up to the English coast. In daytime battles, Me-110 fighters successfully fought over the English Channel with high-speed British Wellington and Bristol-Blenheim bombers; however, the British attacked important military installations in Denmark not only during the day, but also at night. In night raids over the North Sea, they demonstrated such skill that Luftwaffe leaders could not help but take them seriously. What could be opposed to these night raids? As often happened in World War II, the pilots themselves took the initiative. Major Falk selected the best ace pilots and invited them to shoot down British bombers caught in the beams of searchlights on bright moonlit nights. Until then, fighters had never flown at night, but the energetic Major Falk eagerly set about implementing his idea: transferring the best pilots to night flights.
One bright night, after a short period of training, when Oberleutnant Streib and Lieutenant Mölders were already ready to take the planes into the air, Fluco reported several bombers approaching unescorted from the North Sea. The pilots of the entire fighter wing were anxiously awaiting the results of the flight of the two Me-110s. Oberleutnant Streib was the first to taxi to the green starting light, turn into the wind and begin to warm up the engines. The engines roared, and the lead vehicle streaked down the runway, lifted off in front of the red lights marking the airfield, and disappeared into the darkness. Mölders took off within seconds. The planes gained altitude and flew towards the searchlight coverage area.
Everything seemed to be going great and the task didn't take long to complete. The British turned towards home, and Major Falk gave the order to turn on the airfield lights so that the pilots could more easily find the runway. Finally, the peaceful monotonous hum of engines was heard in the distance. They're coming back! Both planes carefully went out of glide into level flight and landed perfectly near the green light.
Streib and Mölders gave a brief report on the flight; the night's feat did not make much of an impression on them. Streib, later recognized as the “father” of night flights, considered that due to poor visibility there was too little chance of night victories. The crews also seemed disappointed.
However, Mölders was not so pessimistic. “I confirm Streib's report of poor visibility,” he said. - I experienced the same thing, but then it occurred to me to climb higher: to 7500–9000, then to 11,000 feet. Above 10,000 feet the dark veil dissipated. Only starry skies and fantastic visibility. I found my bearings without difficulty, since the horizon was absolutely clear.” Major Falk's face brightened. He patted the officers on the back and led them into his office to write a report on the first night flight.
The Falk wing crews began intensive training in blind flight - instrument flight. At first there was not much enthusiasm. The pilots did not like being removed from daytime flights; they asked to be excused from training because they believed that they did not meet the requirements for night piloting. Just at that moment, an order from the High Command arrived, which played a decisive role:
"Taking into account the prospect of night flights, Major Falk's wing is heading to Gütersloh for training." The die was cast. Within a few weeks, Messerschmitt pilots mastered the technique of blind flight in machines equipped specifically for this purpose. Since we did not yet have radars, the detection of enemy aircraft remained a matter of chance: lucky or unlucky.
This new Luftwaffe unit soon received a powerful boost. On July 20, a squadron of British bombers appeared over the Ruhr. Previously, anti-aircraft artillery was able to shoot down individual enemy bombers; now, for the first time, night fighters have joined the combat mission of defending their native land. Moonlight streamed through the loose clouds hanging at an altitude of 6,000 feet, and Oberleutnant Streib, raising the plane above the cloud bank, headed towards the anti-aircraft fire sector. In the intersection of the searchlight beams, rushing in search of the enemy, he noticed his prey - an Armstrong-Whitley bomber, rapidly sweeping across the night sky. Streib rushed at the enemy at full speed and, making a turn, aimed at the tail. The dark shadow in the sight increased, and Streib fired a long burst at the gas tank. There was an explosion, the bomber burst into flames and went into a tailspin. This first aircraft in World War II, shot down by a night fighter on July 20, 1940 at 2:15 a.m., marked the beginning of brutal night air battles between England and Germany.
Two days later, on July 22, Streib shot down a second enemy aircraft, a Whitley V. On August 30, he chalked up his third victory, and the next night his fourth; both aircraft shot down were Vickers Wellingtons. The name of Chief Lieutenant Streib appeared in the official reports of the Wehrmacht, at which time the crews of Hauptmann Radusch's squadron - Chief Lieutenant Ele-Griese, Vandam-Fenzke and Sergeant-major Gildner-Kollack won their first night victories.
On September 30, 1940, it was decided to give night flights a wider scope. That night, Streib shot down three Wellingtons in forty minutes, for which he was awarded the Knight's Cross. Major Falk was assigned to create a night fighter group and was appointed its first commander. This time he decided to carry out a recruitment campaign for night fighter pilots and for this purpose came to the fighter pilot school in Munich-Schleissheim. Major Falk had the gift of persuasion. I, a newly minted lieutenant, believed him and, after thinking about it, decided to become a night fighter pilot.
On May 10, 1941, we, candidate night fighter pilots, arrived in Stuttgart-Echterdingen. An amazing May night spread over Swabia. The airfield was brightly lit; all obstacles are marked with red lanterns, runways and landing strips are bordered by boundary lights. The red, green and white navigation lights of the training aircraft flashed like fireflies in the night sky. There was silence in the barracks, apparently all the crews were in the air. We were enjoying the warm spring night and thinking about our new profession, when suddenly a piercing whistle cut through the air. Something like a comet fell to the ground from a height of 6,000 feet. I held my breath. There was a terrible roar and a bright flash, shells exploded, thousands of gallons of fuel ignited, it became as bright as day. Good start, I thought. If this continues, then when our turn comes, we will have to cross our fingers for luck. In a somewhat depressed state, we fledgling youths went to bed.
The rapid advance of the Nazis deep into the USSR was largely facilitated by an effective operational intelligence service
To enlarge - click on the picture
German aviation seized air supremacy in the first days of the war. Preemptive strikes on Soviet airfields disabled thousands of Soviet fighters, bombers, and attack aircraft. Communications were disrupted and ammunition depots were burned. Troop control was disorganized. Parts of the Red Army fighting desperately, finding themselves without air cover, suffered huge losses.
During the first week of the war, about 6,000 Soviet aircraft were destroyed on the ground and in the air. On the second day of the war, the losses of the Red Army Air Force amounted to 600 aircraft, the losses of the Luftwaffe - 12 aircraft. One of the leaders of the Red Army Air Force, Lieutenant General Kopec, shot himself because of such statistics.
The rapid advance of the Nazis deep into the USSR was largely facilitated by an effective operational intelligence service. Including aviation, the key element of which was the reconnaissance aircraft Hs 126 and Fw-189 - the famous “frames”. Tracking the movements of Soviet troops, they guided bomber squadrons to targets, conducted aerial photography, provided communications, and adjusted artillery fire.
"Focke-Wulf" series 189 began to be developed in February 1937. They were supposed to replace the short-range reconnaissance aircraft Hs 126 (Henschel). The reconnaissance aircraft had an asymmetrical cockpit location: on the right wing. The engine was located in the bow of the center section.
The first aircraft of the lead series was ready at the beginning of 1940. The aircraft was armed with two MG17 machine guns in the wing root and a portable MG15 machine gun to protect the rear hemisphere. The aircraft was equipped with 4 bomb racks of 50 kg each. The reconnaissance equipment consisted of one camera. Military trials began in the fall of 1940, and vehicles began to arrive at the front after the attack on the USSR. The first unit to receive the FW 189A was the 2nd detachment of the 11th reconnaissance group.
Subsequently, the aircraft was in service with almost all short-range reconnaissance groups. Excellent visibility from the cockpit and good maneuverability suited its purpose perfectly. True, on the Eastern Front, FW 189 mastered another specialty. Several vehicles were transferred to the 1st detachment of the 100th night fighter squadron. The detachment was called the “Railway Night Hunter” and was intended to fight the Soviet PO-2s, which were harassing German rail transport.
The winter offensive of the Red Army in 1941 led to heavy losses in personnel, the Luftwaffe began to feel a shortage of trained crews and aircraft, for this reason a number of reconnaissance units were disbanded. The newly created Nahauflklarungs-gruppen consisted of three squadrons (in practice, very few groups actually had three staffels in their composition).
In December 1941, the 9th German Army left Kalinin under attacks from General Konev's formations. In harsh winter conditions, preparing aircraft for flight caused many difficulties. There was a shortage of spare parts, fuel, and people in the Luftwaffe reconnaissance units. These problems caused another reorganization, during which the number of individual squadrons again decreased, now the Fw-189A-l (later Fw-189A-2) aircraft dominated the combat units.
As German military historians write, short-range reconnaissance flights on the Eastern Front became more and more dangerous. In some units, reconnaissance crews were cut to one person, and many observers had to be sent to short-term pilot courses. The flight training of yesterday's observers was clearly insufficient - losses continued to rise. For this reason, the newcomers only managed to fly one or two combat missions before they were shot down.
The Wehrmacht offensive in the Kharkov region, launched in May 1942, temporarily stopped the onslaught of the Red Army on the southern sector of the Eastern Front. The Germans received a respite, during which they were able to make up for losses in people and equipment. Fw-189 reconnaissance aircraft demonstrated high combat survivability in some cases.
On May 19, 1942, two MiG-3 fighters attacked a German reconnaissance aircraft over the Taman Peninsula. Soviet fighters damaged the left engine of the “frame” and disabled all defensive weapons, however, the reconnaissance aircraft managed to land at the forward airfield. During landing, the left main landing gear broke and the left wing plane was crushed, but the plane was repaired in a short time, replacing the engine, landing gear and wing plane.
In September 1942, there were 174 Fw-189 reconnaissance aircraft on the Eastern Front.
The fierce battles for Stalingrad at the end of the summer of 1942 again put on the agenda the issue of exceptionally high losses in the German armed forces. The Luftwaffe reconnaissance units suffered greatly. On September 18, the “frame,” under the cover of four Bf.109 fighters, was engaged in adjusting artillery fire when a group of German aircraft was attacked by Soviet fighters. Ivan Balyuk was the first to damage the “frame”; the commander of the group of Soviet fighters, Mikhailik, finished off the scout. The Fw-189 fell onto the left wing, after which it crashed to the ground. The crew of the aircraft was killed.
Soviet pilots shot down another two-boom reconnaissance aircraft the next day, September 19. In the Battle of Stalingrad, Luftwaffe reconnaissance units lost an average of 25% in men and equipment. The Luftwaffe command once again had to reorganize.
During the counter-offensive of the Red Army at the forward airfields, the Germans abandoned the uncombat-ready "frames", but the surviving aircraft continued to help the encircled 6th Army of General Paulus.
On December 17, fighter pilot Mikhailik once again distinguished himself in a difficult fight, shooting down a “frame” (“P2+BV”). On the same day, in the Davydovka area, an Fw-189 reconnaissance aircraft from NAG-16 was correcting artillery fire. The reconnaissance aircraft were accompanied by Bf fighters. 109. German planes were attacked by a Soviet pair: commander Ivan Maksimenko, wingman Chumbarev. Chumbarev wasted all the ammunition, after which he rammed the frame, cutting off one tail boom of the Fw-189 with the propeller of his fighter. The reconnaissance crew - Chief Sergeant Major Mayer, Non-Commissioned Officer Schmidt and Corporal Sova - were unable to leave the falling plane.
By the beginning of February 1943, the Luftwaffe had lost almost five hundred aircraft and almost a thousand flight personnel on the Eastern Front. Close-in reconnaissance units lost approximately 150 aircraft, mostly Fw-189s.
The defeat at Stalingrad marked the beginning of the Wehrmacht's retreat along the entire Soviet-German front. The retreat caused another reorganization of short-range aviation reconnaissance units, which were armed with Fw-189 aircraft.
The activity of the Luftwaffe's short-range reconnaissance units was declining, while the activity of Soviet fighters was growing, and the accuracy and density of anti-aircraft artillery fire was increasing. Increasingly, German reconnaissance crews had to engage in air battles; in 1943, on average, for every 90 Fw-189 combat sorties, there was one frame shot down by fire from the ground.
Since May 1943, Fw-189 aircraft began to be used to fight partisans. In early July, German troops launched the last strategic offensive of the war on the Eastern Front - Operation Citadel. The intelligence officers tried to track the movements of Soviet troops. In the battles over the Kursk Bulge, pilots of the Normandy squadron armed with Yak-1 fighters of the Free French armed forces distinguished themselves. Pilots Lefebvre and La Poype attacked and shot down one Fw-189, the second reconnaissance aircraft was attributed to the squadron by Litolf and Castelen, the third by Marcel Albert and Albert Preziosi.
On July 12, Red Army troops launched a counteroffensive from the Kursk region. Fw-189 reconnaissance aircraft revealed the location of Soviet formations, but the Germans did not have the reserves to plug all the holes in their defense. Two days after the start of the counteroffensive, the Red Army liberated the cities of Orel and Belgorod from the Nazi invaders.
The newest Soviet La-5 fighters, whose silhouette is very similar to the Fw-190, became a big problem for reconnaissance crews. Now the “frames” tried to cross the front line at an extremely low altitude, but still the numerical superiority of Soviet fighters, along with the strengthening of air defense systems of the ground forces, put an end to the successful activities of the reconnaissance officers. It was especially difficult for the German fighters accompanying the Fw-189 after the appearance of Yak-3 aircraft at the front, which at low altitudes had absolute superiority over any Luftwaffe fighter. Soviet pilots treated the Fw-189 with respect. Fighter pilot A. Semenov wrote in his memoirs:
- “Rama”, adjusting artillery fire, greatly annoyed our ground troops. This type of aircraft presented a difficult target for fighter pilots. Shooting down a “frame” is not an easy task, even more difficult than shooting down a Bf.109 fighter or a Ju-88 bomber.
It seems that the famous ace Alexander Pokryshkin also spoke about the German Fw-189, considering the downed “frame” the most objective indicator of the skill of a fighter pilot.
Towards the end of the war, Fw-189 aircraft began to be involved in night reconnaissance flights, for which special equipment was installed on some aircraft. Most often, the “frames” conducted visual reconnaissance.
Since the summer of 1944, it was no longer possible to use Fw-189 aircraft to solve tactical air support tasks, since the “frames” became the highest priority target for Red Army Air Force fighters. In some cases, Fw-189s were involved in psychological warfare - scattering leaflets. There is a legend that allegedly during one of these sorties the crew of the “frame” shot down a Soviet fighter... with leaflets. “Rama” dumped a paper load in front of the nose of the Soviet plane, the pilot lost spatial orientation and lost control; the fighter crashed.
Pavlenko P. P. Martin Bormann: the “gray eminence” of the Third Reich. - M.: Olimp; Smolensk: Rusich, 1998. - 480 p.
Martin Bormann is one of the most mysterious and terrible personalities in the history of the Third Reich. The main office killer committed his crimes without leaving his desk. His influence was felt everywhere: even Hitler seemed to fear him. And not without reason: in the very citadel of the Third Reich, the plan of the “Fourth Reich” was brewing. The fate of Martin Bormann, the eminence grise of the 20th century, is at the center of this documentary narrative.
Pavlichenko L. M. I'm a sniper. In the battles for Sevastopol and Odessa. – M.: Veche, 2015. – 400 p.
The book of memoirs of the famous sniper of the Great Patriotic War tells in detail about the defense of Odessa and Sevastopol in 1941–1942, about the front-line service of super-sharp marksmen, as well as about the trip of the Soviet delegation to the USA for the World Student Assembly in the fall of 1942.
Pavlichenko L. M. Heroic story: Defense of Sevastopol. - M.: Gospolitizdat, 1958. - 72 p.
About the military deeds of the defender of Sevastopol, machine gunner Nina Onilova, about the heroes of bunker No. 11, who defended their position at the cost of their lives, about the fearless and courageous residents of Sevastopol. About the feat of five young sailors: Filchenkov, Odintsov, Krasnoselsky, Tsibulko, Parshin, who stopped the advance of twenty-two enemy tanks.
Pavlov G. R. Fellow Soldiers: A Tale. - M.: DOSAAF, 1985. - 159 p.
The author fought throughout the war as part of the 42nd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, rising from an ordinary pilot to a squadron commander. With extraordinary warmth, using vivid examples, he talks about the courage, perseverance, and bravery of his fellow soldiers.
Pajev M. G. Through the whole war. — 3rd ed., add. - M.: Politizdat, 1983.-319 p.
This is a story about the combat path of one of the border detachments guarding the state border in the Carpathians. Its soldiers and commanders carried out a wide variety of command assignments during the war and met victory far beyond the borders of their homeland. The author of the book is the head of the outpost, then the commander of the border battalion.
Pavlov Ya. F. In Stalingrad. - Stalingrad: Regional Book Publishing House, 1951. - 32 p.
In the harsh, menacing days of 1942, when the eyes of the whole world were riveted on Stalingrad, the military glory of the Russian warrior Sergeant Yakov Fedotovich Pavlov, a pupil of the glorious guards family of the legendary 62nd Guards Army of General Chuikov, who defended Stalingrad, was born. In those days, guardsman Pavlov, fulfilling the military order of the Motherland - to defend Stalingrad from the enemy - for 58 days and nights he defended the house that he and a handful of his guardsmen friends had recaptured from the Nazis.
Palmov V.V. Stormtroopers over the Dnieper. - K.: Politizdat, 1984
The book of memoirs of an attack pilot is dedicated to the heroic everyday life of aviators during the Great Patriotic War.
Panteleev Yu. A. Sea front. - M.: Voenizdat, 1965.
During the Great Patriotic War, the author of the book was the chief of staff of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet, and then the commander of the naval defense of Leningrad. He talks in detail about the feat of the garrison of Libau, who fought fiercely in the surrounded city. A very interesting episode was the rescue of Soviet ships that the enemy tried to lock in the Gulf of Riga.
Papin F. Vice-Chancellor of the Third Reich.- M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2005. - 320 p.
Franz von Papen, General Staff officer, politician and diplomat, talks about his activities in the United States before and during the First World War. He paints a detailed picture of the decline of the Weimar Republic and outlines the reasons that led him to collaborate with Hitler, especially emphasizing his openly critical attitude towards the Nazi regime.
Papulovsky I. P. And there is only one life...- Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1988. - 208 p.
About the Great Patriotic War and its consequences in the hearts and destinies of people in the post-war period. The author talks about the fate of war veterans, about loyalty to the front-line brotherhood, hallowed by the memory of fallen fellow soldiers.
Patton J. War as I knew it.— M.: ACT; Astrel, 2002. - 352 p.
J. S. Patton is one of the most prominent figures in the history of World War II. Since 1942, he has been an active participant in the fighting in North Africa, where he commanded the Western Operational Group of the US Army, and then in Sicily, having taken command of the US Third Army in Normandy in July 1944, J. S. Patton meets the end of the war already in Czechoslovakia.
Peregudin A. I. Scouts go searching. - M.: Voenizdat, 1986. - 157 p.
The author, a full holder of the Order of Glory, talks about his front-line activities as an assistant commander of a foot reconnaissance platoon of the 44th separate reconnaissance company of the rifle division, about the courage of the scouts in the battles for the liberation of Ukraine and Moldova. Romania, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, as well as about their participation in the Victory Parade.
Peresypkin I. T. ...And in battle it’s even more important.- M.: Soviet Russia, 1970. - 254 p.
This book of memoirs by Marshal of Communications I. T. Peresypkin covers the period from 1939 to 1945. The author had the opportunity to be a participant in major events that shaped the history of our country and strengthened the characters of our people. Due to his duty, he had to visit many fronts of the Patriotic War, take direct part in serious military operations, and meet with our major military leaders: Zhukov, Vasilevsky, Rokossovsky.
Pershanin V.N. "Death Field"- M.: Yauza; Eksmo, 2008. - 320 p.
“Death Field” - this is what the front-line soldiers called the neutral zone between their own and the German trenches, where for every piece of land, plowed up by tanks, dug up by mines and shells, abundantly watered with blood, they had to pay with hundreds, if not thousands of lives. This book is a confession of survivors of the most terrible war since the beginning of time: a tanker who miraculously survived the meat grinder of 1941, an infantryman and an armor-piercer, an artilleryman and anti-aircraft gunner, a reconnaissance officer and a paratrooper.
Pershanin Vladimir. I went through two wars!— Eksmo. 2017. - 352 p.
About the fate of the young Red Army commander Vasily Gladkov. Having first arrived at the front in December 1939, Vasily, with a short break, continued to fight the enemies of our Motherland until the Victory. First, the bloody Winter War, where Gladkov and his platoon, drowning in the snow, broke through the infamous Mannerheim Line. Then the terrible Great Patriotic War: the Battle of Smolensk, the Battle of Moscow, Stalingrad.
Pershanin Vladimir. Self-propelled gun nicknamed "Bitch". Direct fire at the enemy!- Yauza, Eksmo. 2014. - 320 p.
About the heroic crews of the most popular Soviet self-propelled guns SU-76, which the troops nicknamed “Bitch”, “Mass Grave” and “Naked-Ass Ferdinand”: weak armor and an open conning tower made this vehicle very vulnerable on the battlefield. However, the combat effectiveness of the maneuverable, unpretentious “sushkas” with their advanced 76-mm gun was very high, putting them on a par with the legendary “thirty-fours”: operating in the advanced infantry formations, firing direct fire, these self-propelled guns hit fortifications with sniper accuracy, enemy firing points and manpower were indispensable in assault groups and urban battles, and with competent command they successfully fought even against tanks. But the self-propelled gunners had to pay a terrible price for their victories: out of 14 thousand “sushkas”, less than five percent survived to the end of the war - it was not for nothing that their desperate crews were called “suicide bombers” behind their backs.
Pershanin Vladimir. Lethal fire awaits us!- Yauza. 2014.
Extremely frank, truthful and bitter testimonies of veterans about the bloodiest war in our history. Scouts and penalty soldiers, tank crews and paratroopers, machine gunners, armor-piercing soldiers, artillerymen, anti-aircraft gunners, infantrymen - their artless stories send chills down your spine and a lump in your throat.
Pershanin Vladimir. “We plowed half of Europe on our bellies...”. - Eksmo, Yauza. 2010. 640 p.
Confessions of veterans who survived the most brutal battles of the most terrible war since the beginning of time - reconnaissance officers and tank crews, penalty soldiers and paratroopers, machine gunners, armor-piercing soldiers, artillerymen, anti-aircraft gunners, infantrymen... Their artless stories give chills to the skin and a lump in the throat. This is the whole truth about what our grandfathers and great-grandfathers had to go through, what blood they paid for the Great Victory.
Petrov V.S. The past is with us: Book. 1. - K.: Politizdat of Ukraine, 1989. - 525 p.
In his memoirs, Lieutenant General of Artillery V.S. Petrov talks about the events of the first and subsequent days of the last war in certain sections of the Vladimir-Volyn fortified region in the zone of the 5th Army of the Southwestern Front.
Pigarev D.T. On torpedo boats. - M.: Voenizdat, 1963
This book is about sailors of torpedo boats - a special class of surface ships - about how they defended their Soviet Fatherland during the Great Patriotic War.
Pilyushin I. I. At the walls of Leningrad. - M.: Voenizdat, 1965. - 304 p.
Pichugin V.S. Parachutes opened beyond the Dnieper. - Sverdlovsk: Central Ural Book Publishing House, 1978.
Vadim Sergeevich Pichugin served as a radio operator in the airborne troops. In September 1943, a group of paratroopers was given the task of landing behind enemy lines on the western bank of the Dnieper and, together with other groups, diverting enemy forces and thereby facilitating the position of our advancing units - helping them cross the Dnieper. The author talks about the military actions of his group.
Plaskov G. D. Under the roar of cannonade. - M.: Voenizdat, 1969. - 352 p.
Bogged chest-deep in the salty slurry of Sivash, the Red Army soldiers manually roll their guns through the fiery whirlwind. They are commanded by a young platoon commander, Grigory Plaskov. His destiny as a commander began during the civil war. Afterwards he went through many fights. He stormed Berlin already as commander of the artillery of the tank army.
Platonov V.I. Notes from the Admiral. - M.: Voenizdat, 1991. - 319 p.
The author, who went from a cadet of the first Komsomol recruitment to the commander of the Northern Fleet, talks in the book about the events associated with the formation of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Fleet, about the selfless struggle of the sailors of the Northern Fleet during the Great Patriotic War.
Platonov N. E. Squadron of Heroes.- M., Military Publishing House, 1962.
The 2nd squadron of the 951st Lower Dniester Red Banner Order of Suvorov assault aviation regiment began its combat journey in the Battle of Kursk. The squadron took part in battles with the Nazi invaders in the Donbass, Right Bank Ukraine and Moldova, and in the liberation of Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, and Austria. For heroism, courage and bravery, the entire squadron personnel received high government awards, and six of its pilots received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Pliev I. A. In the battles for the liberation of Romania, Hungary, Czechoslovakia. - Ordzhonikidze: Ir, 1971. - 161 p.
The author, who commanded a cavalry-mechanized group during the Great Patriotic War, describes the battles for the cities of New Bug, Razdelnaya, Odessa, talks about the participation of Soviet troops in the liberation of Hungary, Romania, Czechoslovakia, talks about the defeat of the main Japanese ground forces in August - September 1945 - Kwantung Army.
Pliev I. A. Under the guards banner. — Ordzhonikidze: Ir, 1976. - 327 p.
The book will tell readers about the heroic raids of a cavalry corps, then a cavalry-mechanized group of troops behind enemy lines during the world-famous operations of the Soviet Army near Moscow, on the Don, near Stalingrad and in Belarus.
Pliev I. A. The defeat of the "army of avengers".- Ordzhonikidze: North Ossetian Book Publishing House, 1967. - 236 p.
As you know, after the stunning defeat of the Nazi 6th Army at Stalingrad, unprecedented in history, and the capture of its commander Field Marshal Paulus, Hitler declared that the “immortal” 6th Army would “live and fight.” The Fuhrer assigned its number to the operational group of troops of Colonel General Hollidt. This newly created 6th Army was pathetically called the “army of avengers” and at the beginning of 1943 it took up defensive positions along the Mius River, near Taganrog. I.A. In these battles, the 6th “Avenger Army” “revived” by Hitler was defeated by Soviet troops, and its remnants fled to the west.
Pliev I. A. Through Gobi and Khingan. - M.: Voenizdat, 1965. - 160 p.
During the hostilities that unfolded in Manchuria at the end of the summer of 1945, Colonel General I. A. Pliev commanded the Cavalry Mechanized Group of Soviet-Mongolian troops. The troops led by him not only defeated the enemy. Finding themselves in incredibly difficult natural conditions, they defeated “enemy number two” - the Gobi Desert, the Greater Khingan Mountains, and heavy rains, during which the mountain paths become completely inaccessible.
Pogozhev A. A., Stenkin P. A. Escape from Auschwitz.- M.: Yauza, Eksmo, 2005. - 288 p.
At the beginning of October 1941, trains containing approximately twenty thousand Soviet prisoners of war arrived in Auschwitz. A year later, only two hundred people remained alive. The rest died, unable to withstand the monstrous living conditions in the camp. On November 6, seventy of our compatriots, breaking through the cordon while searching for a missing prisoner, made the only mass escape in the history of Auschwitz. Unfortunately, only a few were able to reach their homeland, and among them were Andrei Pogozhev and Pavel Stenkin. The memoirs of these people who survived the horror of Auschwitz describe in detail in German a clear system aimed, first of all, at suppressing the human psyche, turning him into a half-animal, and then his physical destruction. Only people with a fantastic supply of spiritual and physical strength could survive in these conditions.
Podchivalov E. F. Fire curtain. - Sverdlovsk: Central Ural Book Publishing House, 1984. - 176 p.
The author fought the Nazis as part of the 86th separate tank brigade, created on Ural soil. In his book, he shows not only individual battles, but also his fellow soldiers, including the Urals, the high spiritual impulses of our soldiers, as well as the life of a soldier.
Pokryshkin A. I. Fighter Wings. - M.: Military Publishing House MVS USSR, 1948. - 140 p.
During the years of the Great Patriotic War, the pilots of the decorated Guards air unit in which I served destroyed more than a thousand German aircraft. My contribution is also included in the combat log: fifty-nine enemy vehicles shot down in the air, about six hundred sorties. We fought with German air squadrons over Chisinau and the North Caucasus, over Rostov and Crimea, over the Dnieper and Vistula, over the Oder and over Berlin. For a number of years I wrote down what I experienced and observed. Among these short, cursory lines, sometimes scribbled between two combat missions, I have now chosen what, it seems to me, may be of some interest to our reader.
Polevoy B. N. To Berlin - 896 kilometers. - M.: Voenizdat, 1978. - 296 p.
The book is dedicated to the final battles of the Great Patriotic War - the offensive of the troops of the First Ukrainian Front from Lvov to Berlin and Prague. The writer created vivid portraits of Marshal I. Konev and other participants in the great battle.
Polevoy B. N. Commander.- M.: Children's literature, 1982. - 110 p.
The story resurrects pages of the life of Marshal of the Soviet Union Ivan Stepanovich Konev.
Poltorak A.I. Nuremberg epilogue.- M., Voenizdat, 1965. - 552 p.
The author of the book is the former secretary of the Soviet delegation to the International Military Tribunal, which tried the main Nazi war criminals in Nuremberg. He writes about what he saw and heard with his own eyes during this process. The reader will learn from the book why Nuremberg became the seat of the International Tribunal, how the dock was “formed”, the history of the capture and placement on this dock of persons guilty of the most serious crimes against humanity. Together with the author, he will visit the streets of Nuremberg, in the building of the Palace of Justice, where the trial took place, in the hall where the tribunal met for almost a whole year. Get acquainted with the judges and prosecutors of the International Tribunal, with the “last line of Nazi defense” in the person of German lawyers. Before the reader’s eyes will pass not only the defendants - Goering, Ribbentrop, Keitel, Jodl, Kaltenbrunner, Schacht, but also numerous witnesses, including Field Marshals Brauchitsch, Manstein, Rundstedt and others.
Polynin F.P. Combat routes. - M.: Military Publishing House, 1972.
The author of the book received his baptism of fire in the skies of China, when, together with our other volunteers, he helped the Chinese people fight against the Japanese invaders. During the Great Patriotic War F.P. Polynin commanded an aviation division, aviation of the Bryansk Front, and the air army. The crews of the aircraft that he flew into battle wrote more than one heroic page in the combat chronicle of our Air Force.
Pohlman H. 900 days of fighting for Leningrad. - M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2005. - 206 p.
The battles for Leningrad in the forests and on the banks of the Volkhov were desperate and fierce. The Danes, Estonians, Dutch, Latvians, Spaniards and Norwegians fought on the side of the Germans. Hartwig Pohlmann commanded a regiment at that time and was an eyewitness to the events, but after the war he became a historian, and this book is a synthesis of the knowledge and feelings of a soldier and a scientist.
Polyakov V. E. Air reconnaissance aircraft - eyes of the front. - M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2014. - 285 p.
Using the example of the fate of a specific person, whose entire front-line service was spent in one regiment, the book shows the specifics of the combat activities of representatives of a rare but very necessary military specialty - aerial reconnaissance officers.
Polyakov G. G. In the harsh Barents. - Murmansk: Murmansk Book Publishing House, 1978.
The publication consists of notes from a naval officer about how Soviet sailors received ships from the allies during the war, under what conditions they ferried them, and how they fought on these ships, which were not suitable for sailing in high latitudes.
Popov A. Yu. God of sabotage.- M.: Mol. Guard, 2004. – 286 p.
The book is dedicated to the life and work of Ilya Grigorievich Starinov, the unsurpassed genius of the secret war - saboteur, partisan, intelligence officer. Starikov was a participant in the Civil, Finnish, and Great Patriotic Wars, and fought in Spain. He led operations that were included in the training manuals of many intelligence services around the world. He stood at the origins of the creation of partisan detachments, preparing carefully hidden networks of saboteurs capable of operating outside the country.
Popov I. G. The battalions go west. - M.: Moscow University Publishing House, 1985.
The author devotes the first chapters of his memoirs to the battle for Leningrad, to those difficult days and nights of the summer and autumn of 1941, when the heroic efforts of the city’s defenders stopped the Nazis at the immediate approaches to it. Particularly interesting are the pages of the book that describe intense battles on the Oranienbaum bridgehead and on the famous Nevsky “patch” near Nevskaya Dubrovka. Commanding the battalion, then being the chief of staff of the regiment, the regiment commander and, finally, the chief of staff of the Guards Rifle Division, I. G. Popov participated in the liberation of Ukraine and the defeat of the enemy in Hungary, Austria, and Czechoslovakia. The author talks about these heroic pages in the second part of the memoirs.
Portuguese R. M., Domank A. S., Kovalenko A. P. Marshal S.K. Timoshenko. - M.: “Victory -1945”, 1994.
At twenty-four, the peasant son Semyon Timoshenko became the commander of a cavalry division. Many victories of the Red Army in the Civil War are associated with his name. After its completion, he occupies high positions in the troops - and ends up on Yezhov’s “black list”... Commander of the fronts during the liberation campaign in Western Ukraine and in the war with Finland, People's Commissar of Defense in the last pre-war year, active participant in the Great Patriotic War - commander of strategic directions and fronts, representative of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. This book tells about the life and activities of this major military leader, highlighting many previously little-known pages of his biography.
Prachik I. A. Frontal sky.- M.: Voenizdat, 1984. - 125 p.
The author of the book is an aeronautical engineer. He vividly and captivatingly talks about the courage and heroism of Soviet volunteer aviators in the skies of Spain, and about the military operations of our aviation in the area of the Khalkhin Gol River. With great warmth, I. A. Prachik also remembers his comrades in arms who wrote more than one heroic page in the military chronicle of the Great Patriotic War.
Presnyakov A.V. Above the waves of the Baltic. - M.: Voenizdat, 1979. - 299 p.
Lieutenant A.V. Presnyakov met the war near Riga. Together with his fellow Baltic pilots, he took part in heavy battles in the Baltic states. The squadron in which the lieutenant fought defended Leningrad and covered the Road of Life. Then he served in the 1st Guards Mine and Torpedo Regiment, famous in the Baltic. The diary entries of the Baltic ace, supplemented by his own memories, tell about the courage of his fighting friends and their perseverance.
Prin G. Submarine commander. Steel wolves of the Wehrmacht. — M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2004. - 208 p.
German submarine officer Gunther Prien talks about the combat operations of German submarines in the Atlantic, of which he was a direct participant. You will follow the fate of one of the most successful captains, who achieved recognition in his homeland and caused irreparable damage to the enemy. And also get acquainted with the details of the battle in the Bay of Scapa Flow, for which Prien was awarded the highest award - the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves.
Provalov K. I. In the fire of the front lines. - M.: Voenizdat, 1981. - 351 p.
During the Great Patriotic War, the author commanded a division and corps; earlier, in 1938, he fought at Lake Khasan. In the book, he talks about the participation of the 383rd Rifle Division and the 16th Rifle Corps in the liberation of the North Caucasus, Crimea, and Sevastopol from the Nazi invaders, about the courage and heroism of Soviet soldiers, about meetings with prominent Soviet military leaders and political workers.
Protsenko V. T. A moment is everything. - M.: Voenizdat, 1973. - 240 p.
These small ships are designed for fast and daring raids. Fast, maneuverable, they suddenly overtake the enemy and rain down powerful blows on him. For torpedo boat sailors, a moment really makes all the difference. Rear Admiral Viktor Trofimovich Protsenko, who commanded a brigade of torpedo boats of the Black Sea Fleet during the Great Patriotic War, writes in his memoirs about the courage and bravery of these people. The narrative centers on the battles for Novorossiysk, the liberation of Crimea, and the fighting on the Danube.
Prudnikov M. S. Elusive.- M.: Voenizdat, 1961. - 208 p.
The author of the book Hero of the Soviet Union M. S. Prudnikov during the Great Patriotic War commanded a partisan brigade operating on the territory of Belarus. In his memoirs, he talks about how the Soviet people, who found themselves behind enemy lines, rose up to fight against the invaders, how they destroyed fascist garrisons, made daring raids on the Nazis’ communications, destroyed military trains, and obtained important information about the enemy.
Pstygo I.I. On a combat course.- M.: Voenizdat, 1989.
On June 22, 1941, Lieutenant Pstygo made his first combat mission. As part of the 504th Assault Aviation Regiment, he fights in the skies of Stalingrad. Then there were battles near Kursk, in the Baltic states, Belarus, Poland, and in the skies of Berlin. With great warmth, the author recalls front-line friends, fearless and courageous people with whom front-line fate brought him together.
Pudich M.P. Air labor wars.- M.: Military Publishing House, 1990.
Memoirs of a bomber pilot (who fought on the Pe-2), who began his combat career in the 122nd Gomel Bomber Aviation Regiment of the 3rd Guards Smolensk Badge of the 1st Air Army and ended the war on May 8, 1945 in Courland.
Pusep E.K. On long air roads. - M.: Voenizdat, 1975. - 184 p.
The memoirs of a polar pilot tell the story of the combat everyday life of long-range aviation pilots during the Great Patriotic War. The author was a participant in one of the first Soviet air raids on the capital of Hitler's Reich, carried out many important government tasks and was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his courage.
Pfech K. SS men near Prokhorovka.- M.: Yauza-press, 2010. - 320 p.
Memoirs of a veteran of the 1st SS Division “Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler”, who participated in the famous battle of Prokhorovka. The greatest tank battle through the eyes of a simple SS man, from the battle formations of German grenadiers and tank crews. "Thirty-fours" against the "tigers", speed and maneuverability against powerful armor and Zeiss optics, Russian courage against German stamina, Soviet guard against SS troops.
Pchelintsev V.N. Special mission.- M.: Mol. Guard, 1991. – 218 p.
This happened in 1942. The author of the memoirs, a young Leningrad student, and during the war - a famous sniper, from front-line darkened Moscow ended up in noisy, light-filled America. The contrast was stunning. But even more amazing were the meetings with ordinary Americans and with annoying newspapermen, with military and political figures up to President Roosevelt, who enthusiastically received the envoys of Soviet youth who arrived at the International Student Assembly.
Pshenyanik G.A. Let's fly to the Oder. - M.: Military Publishing House, 1985.
Pyltsyn A.V. The main book about penal battalions. — M.: Yauza.: Eksmo, 2009. - 512 p.
Memoirs of a Soviet officer who fought in the 8th Separate Penal Battalion from December 1943 to May 1945, who walked with him from Belarus to Berlin and spoke in detail, thoroughly and honestly about this military journey - without embellishing the “trench truth”, but without denigrating past.
Pyltsyn A.V. Free kick, or how an officer's penal battalion reached Berlin. - St. Petersburg: Knowledge, IVESEP, 2003. - 295 p.
The book tells about what the author saw and experienced, who went through the Great Patriotic War in an officer’s penal battalion, which was created according to Stalin’s famous order “Not a step back!” There is not a single fictitious event or fictitious participant in it. The fates of penal officers and their commanders are extremely truthfully covered.
Pruller V. Book Soldiers at War. M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2016. – 224 p.
Wehrmacht soldier Wilhelm Prüller carefully wrote down in his diary his impressions of the events taking place at the front from the moment he crossed the Polish border until the end of the war. He describes how he fought in Poland, France, the Balkan Peninsula, Russia, and then walked through Europe in the opposite direction. Reporting the details of the fighting, the author paid great attention to the soldier’s life, describing with German thoroughness what he and his soldiers ate, where they slept, and how they spent their leisure time. With particular rapture and delight, Prüller talks about how he listened to the speeches of Nazi leaders on the radio and until the very end of the war believed in the “fair” victory of German weapons.
Prüller's Chronicles are a striking testimony to how effectively the Third Reich's propaganda campaign worked, how successfully it captured the minds and hearts of ordinary people, turning the best in people to the service of the worst.
Pyatnitsky V.I. Intelligence School No. 005. - M.: AST; Mn.: Harvest, 2005. - 304 p.
The author of the book talks about the actions of reconnaissance and sabotage groups of the Central Headquarters of the partisan movement on the southern flank of the Stalingrad Front in 1942. At the same time, he did not limit himself to memories of the raid of only one of his groups, but analyzed the practice of this kind of action as a whole.
Rado S. Under the pseudonym Dora.- M.: Voenizdat, 1973. - 320 p.
Long before the Second World War, a group of intelligence officers began operating in Switzerland. She supplied the General Staff of our Armed Forces with information about the aggressive plans of Hitler Germany and fascist Italy. When Hitler attacked the USSR, the number of anti-fascist intelligence officers increased. The life destinies of honest progressive people in France, Germany, Hungary, Switzerland and other countries inevitably led them to the camp of fighters against fascism, to joint actions with the Soviet Union and its glorious army. The data obtained by the group on the composition and deployment of Wehrmacht troops, reserves, weapons and enemy losses turned out to be useful for the Soviet command during the battles of Moscow, Stalingrad, and the Kursk Bulge! The group was led by the Hungarian cartographer Sándor Rado. This book tells how he became a Soviet intelligence officer, how the group was formed and worked, and the group’s complex and dramatic struggle against Nazi agents.
Radzinsky E.S. Stalin. - M.: Vagrius, 1999.
Hundreds of books, millions of pages, have been written about Stalin. But there is one strange thing: in all literary works, Stalin the man was overshadowed by Stalin the politician (memoirs of his comrades, relatives and even his daughter are no exception). We know almost nothing about what he thought and felt while standing at the top of the giant pyramid of power that he created. Edward Radzinsky approaches the “Stalin phenomenon” by analyzing the personal qualities of the “Red Tsar”, creating a three-dimensional figure of a person with all his advantages and disadvantages.
Radzivanovich V. A. Under the Polish eagle. - M.: Voenizdat, 1959. - 88 p.
The book tells about the combat path of the 1st Cavalry Brigade of the revived Polish Army. The author, a former commander of this brigade, well conveys the situation in which the formation of the 1st Polish Army took place.
Raigorodetsky E. Ya. To the Alps. - M.: Voenizdat, 1969. - 144 p.
The 5th Guards Don Cossack Cavalry Corps fought from the Caucasus to the Eastern Alps. Artillery and mortar batteries invariably operated in the combat formations of the squadrons. One of them was commanded by the author. In his memoirs, he convincingly and vividly shows the heroism of his fellow soldiers, revealing the origins of their perseverance and boundless courage.
Rainer D. Battle of the Atlantic. - M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2004. - 351 p.
This book is the memoirs of British Navy Commander D. A. Rayner, who commanded various escort ships for five years, going from the commander of a tiny trawler to the commander of a group of modern escort ships. It tells the story of men who served in the British Navy on small ships and the naval battles of World War II in the Atlantic.
Rakobolskaya I., Kravtsova N. We were called night witches. - M.: Moscow State University Publishing House, 2005. - 336 p.
A unique women's night bomber regiment was created in 1942 and ended its combat career near Berlin. Irina Rakobolskaya, chief of staff of the regiment, and Natalya Kravtsova, pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union, remember their fellow soldiers, night flights under anti-aircraft fire, and how women lived during the war.
Rakov V.I. Wings over the sea. - L.: Lenizdat, 1974. - 504 p.
A book about the life of a naval pilot who participated in the development of our aviation and fought in the skies of the Motherland during two wars. The Fatherland marked his military exploits with two Gold Stars.
Reder E. Grand Admiral. — M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2004. - 489 p.
The author of the book is Grand Admiral Erich Raeder, who headed the German Navy from January 1935 to January 1943. Describing your life path, he pays special attention to the period of the First and Second World Wars. The book tells about the political situation in Germany on the eve of the Nazis coming to power, about the relationship between the military leadership of the fleet and the Nazi party and the politicians of this regime.
Remy M. F. Rommel's myth. Legend of the Afrika Korps.- M.: ACT:, 2008. - 270 p.
Based on numerous materials from archives, private collections and funds, the author created a portrait of the “Desert Fox”, who achieved brilliant victories over British troops in North Africa. The text is accompanied by a large number of photographs, maps, diagrams and appendices.
Repin V.I. No room for error. - M.: Voenizdat, 1978. - 125 p.
The author started the war as an ordinary sapper. The young fighter had to endure many trials. He took part in the fighting near Nevel, Vitebsk, on the banks of the Western Dvina, near Siauliai and in Courland. The author witnessed many heroic deeds performed by his comrades.
Russell A. On the roads of war. — M.: Voenizdat, 1978. - 352 p.
The book resurrects the glorious pages of the struggle of Czechoslovak patriots against Hitler's Wehrmacht during the Second World War. The author tells about the everyday life of combat and the heroism of the soldiers of the Czechoslovak Army Corps, formed in the USSR and operating as part of the Soviet troops on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War.
Rzhevskaya E. M. Berlin, May 1945.- M.: Moscow. worker, 1986. - 320 p.
The book tells about the storming of Berlin, about the courage and dedication of Soviet soldiers in the battles for the capture of the imperial chancellery - the last refuge of the fascist leaders. The memoirs of the writer (during the war years, a translator at the headquarters of one of our armies), in combination with published acts, testimonies, pages of diaries and other documents, reliably recreate the events of the last days of the Great Patriotic War.
Rzhevskaya E. M. Goebbels. Portrait against the background of a diary. - M.: ACT-Press book, 2004. - 400 p.
The famous writer Elena Rzhevskaya was a military translator at army headquarters during World War II. In Berlin, she participated in the identification of the bodies of Hitler and Goebbels and in the dismantling of documents found in the bunker. In the book, the author explores the phenomenon of fascism coming to power and shows readers what type of political figure fascist ideology brings to the forefront of history and how it affects the psychology and soul of a person who succumbs to it.
Rzheshevsky A. A. Invasion. The fate of General Pavlov. - M.: Veche, 2011. - 336 p.
Dmitry Grigorievich Pavlov is one of the most tragic figures of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. An army general, Hero of the Soviet Union, who deservedly gained military glory on the battlefields of the Spanish Civil War, Pavlov, being the head of the Special Western Military District, took the most terrible and cruel blow of the Nazi troops - in the direction of their main attack. Yes, his troops were defeated, but they did everything in their power and delayed the enemy’s advance for several weeks, giving the General Staff the opportunity to regroup their forces and prepare for defense. General Pavlov was shot on July 22, 1941 by the verdict of the Military Tribunal, but the true reasons for the harsh reprisal against the talented commander were buried in the depths of the archives of the NKVD - GPU...
Rzheshevsky O. A. Stalin and Churchill. Meetings. Conversations. Discussions. Documents, comments. - M.: Nauka, 2004 - 564 p.
Based on official records of meetings, conversations and discussions between Stalin and Churchill, in connection with the events of the Second World War and the Great Patriotic War, Soviet-British relations are examined, the search for compromise by two “irreconcilable allies”, its possibilities and limits, the importance of the art of negotiation and personal relationships in this. The documents are accompanied by commentaries, maps and illustrations.
Ridevsky N. F. Parachutes in the trees. - Minsk: “Belarus”, 1969. - 240 p.
The book tells about the actions of the Soviet special intelligence group on the territory of Nazi Germany, in East Prussia. One of the scouts of this group was the author N.F. Ridevsky.
Rhys L. The dark charisma of Adolf Hitler. Leading millions into the abyss.– M.: KoLibri, 2014. – 464 p.
Lawrence Rees conducted a thorough study of the personality of Adolf Hitler with the help of a huge amount of documentary materials, allowing us to better understand the origins of the greatest tragedy, whose name is the Third Reich. The publication contains documentary materials and unique photographs.
Robertson T. Submarine ace of the Third Reich. Military victories of Otto Kretschmer. — M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2009. - 224 p.
The narrative of the military campaigns of one of the most experienced submarine commanders, Captain Otto Kretschmer, reveals the devastating tactics of German submarines that attacked from the surface and penetrated into the convoy formation. This tactic allowed the German fleet to gain a significant advantage at sea in the early years of the war.
Rogge B. Rader "Atlantis". The most productive ship of the German Navy. — M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2006. - 226 p.
The memoirs of the commander of the German raider Atlantis are dedicated to two years of continuous voyage, during which the ship carried out independent combat operations on enemy sea lanes, destroying and capturing merchant ships. The book details the conversion of a civilian ship into a well-camouflaged warship, the selection of a crew, and provides the smallest details of all Atlantis operations and information about its trophies.
Rodimtsev A.I. The guardsmen fought to the death.- M.: DOSAAF, 1969. - 192 p.
On a dead September night in 1942, when the fate of Stalingrad was decided not by hours, but by minutes, at this place, from armored boats, soldiers and commanders of the 13th Guards Rifle Division, commanded by Hero of the Soviet Union, General A. I. Rodimtsev, rushed into the water and walked hand-to-hand on the enemy. For one hundred and forty days, Rodimtsev’s guards fought tooth and nail in an unprecedented brutal battle with the Nazis; they were the first to drive them from the shore of the great Volga, the first to unite with units of the Don Front, which cut the encircled troops of Field Marshal von Paulus in two.
Rodimtsev A.I. Yours, Fatherland, sons. - Kyiv: Politizdat of Ukraine, 1982. - 360 p.
The book reflects the events that took place on the Southwestern Front during the first 11 months of the war, when, under the pressure of superior enemy forces, our troops with fierce battles retreated into the interior of the country, inflicting huge, irreparable losses on the Nazi invaders and at the same time preparing reserves for crushing retaliatory attacks. blows.
Rokossovsky K.K. Soldier's duty.- M.: Voenizdat, 1988, - 367 p.
Marshal Rokossovsky begins his memoirs with the pre-war years and ends with chapters about the defeat of Nazi Germany. The book tells how operations of enormous scale were planned and carried out, how the relationship between Headquarters and the front developed.
Romanov M. Ya. Stormtroopers over the Carpathians. - M.: Military Publishing House, 1989.
During the war years, attack pilot Mikhail Romanov made 129 successful combat missions to reconnaissance and destroy enemy personnel and equipment. He always provided the command with valuable intelligence information about the enemy.
Romensky A.P. Through the eyes and heart of a soldier. - M.: Voenizdat, 1979. - 176 p.
Anton Petrovich Romensky, a full holder of the Order of Glory, as a seventeen-year-old youth, voluntarily went to the front and as a mortarman, crew commander, fought until the victorious May 1945 as part of the 176th Guards Rifle Izmail Red Banner Regiment. This unit took part in the liberation of Zaporozhye, Odessa, Belgrade, Budapest, Vienna and other cities.
Rosly I. P. Last stop - in Berlin. - M.: Voenizdat, 1983. - 303 p.
The author of the book is a participant in two wars. He had the opportunity, which happens rarely, to command a regiment twice: in 1940 - a rifle regiment that broke through the Mannerheim Line, and in 1945 - a combined regiment of the 1st Belorussian Front at the Victory Parade in Moscow.
Rotmistrov P. A. Steel Guard. - M.: Voenizdat, 1984. - 272 p.
The author talks about the beginning of his service in the Red Army, about his formation as a commander. The chapters dedicated to the Great Patriotic War tell of the courage and heroism, the exploits of the soldiers of the 8th (later 3rd Guards) Tank Brigade and the 5th Guards Tank Army, the first new type of armored formation in the Red Army, which was formed under leadership of P. A. Rotmistrov. The book shows the actions of tankers on the approaches to Moscow, near Stalingrad, on the Kursk Bulge and the Dnieper.
Rubakin A.N. In the whirlpool of events. - M.: Publishing House of Socio-Economic Literature, 1960.
The author of the memoirs lived and worked in France for a long time. Caught up in the Second World War in this country, he personally observed the “strange war” in Western Europe, the advance of Hitler’s troops against France and its fall as a result of betrayal on the part of the ruling circles. Together with the ordinary people of France, the author experienced all the difficulties of the occupation regime. After Hitler's Germany attacked the USSR, A. N. Rubakin fled from Paris to the unoccupied zone of France, where the Vichy authorities detained him and imprisoned him in a concentration camp, first in France and then in Algeria.
Rudenko S.I. Wings of Victory. - M.: International Relations, 1985, - 400 p.
Roosevelt E. Through his eyes.- M.: State Publishing House of Foreign Literature, 1947.
The book outlines the views of the late US President Franklin Roosevelt on some US foreign policy issues that arose during the Second World War. Ellipse. Roosevelt was with his father at the most important international meetings of the leaders of the great powers.
Russin Yu. S. Throughout the war on “babies”.- M.: Voenizdat, 1988. - 224 p..
During the war, M-type submarines performed complex combat missions. They carried out marine patrols, conducted reconnaissance, broke through minefields and launched torpedo strikes on the enemy. The crew of the boat, commanded by the author of the memoirs, went to sea from besieged Leningrad.
Rybas S. Yu. Stalin.- M.: Young Guard, 2009. - 902.
Stalin is called a dictator, which accurately reflects the nature of his total power, but does not explain the scale of his personality and the patterns of his appearance in Russian history. In this biography, the author highlights these problems based on the principle he affirms of the organic relationship between different periods of the national historical process. The everyday practice of public administration, the struggle for leadership in the Soviet elite, the nature of victories and defeats of the USSR, the influence of international rivalry on domestic politics, and Stalin’s personal life are shown.
Ryule O. Healing in Yelabuga. - M.: Voenizdat, 1969. - 328 p.
The memoirs of the famous German anti-fascist Otto Rühle are a truthful and interesting eyewitness account of the defeat of the Nazi invaders at Stalingrad and the captivity of Paulus's army of thousands, this is a frank confession about the healing of thousands of German prisoners of war from the “brown plague” and their acquisition of common sense, human dignity and homeland
Ryabyshev D. I. First year of the war. - M.: Voenizdat, 1990. - 255 p.
In the most difficult year for our Motherland - the first year of the Great Patriotic War, Lieutenant General D.I. Ryabyshev commanded the mechanized corps, the 38th, 57th, 28th armies, and the Southern Front. These troops steadfastly fought fierce defensive battles. The book tells about many little-known, but important and interesting, sometimes dramatic and even tragic events of that difficult time.
Saburov A.N. Countless forces. - M.: Voenizdat, 1967.
The partisan commanders crossed the front line and gathered in Moscow. The leaders of the party and government, together with them, outline ways to further develop the struggle of Soviet patriots behind enemy lines. A decision is made to conduct large raids on enemy rear lines. About two thousand partisans leave their permanent base in late autumn, taking guns and mortars with them. They travel hundreds of kilometers across Ukraine, smashing fascist garrisons and destroying enemy communications. There are no losses. But the ranks of the partisans are constantly growing. They are supported, they are helped by the people, and the strength of the people is incalculable.
Saburov A. N. Friends have the same roads. Memories. - M.: Voenizdat, 1975. - 252 p.
About fellow partisans and their dangerous combat life. The story of the search for Captain Repkin is fascinating, about the difficult roads that led some Slovaks to the family of Soviet partisans, and about the birth of international friendship.
Saburov S. P. Always a soldier. - M.: Voenizdat, 1963. - 144 p.
In his memoirs, S.P. Saburov talks about those Soviet soldiers who steadfastly went through all the torments of captivity, but remained faithful sons of the Fatherland and returned to duty again.
Savelyev V. P. Combat daily life of the headquarters. - M.: Voenizdat, 1986. - 224 p.
In August 1942, the author was appointed assistant chief of the operational department of the headquarters of the 11th Guards Rifle Corps. He talks about the everyday life of the headquarters in combat and about his colleagues in the book. A significant place is occupied by the story of serving as chief of staff of the 10th Guards Rifle Brigade and then the 108th Guards Rifle Division, about participation in the liberation of Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary and Austria.
Savitsky E.Ya. Heaven is for the brave. - M.: DOSAAF, 1985. - 87 p.
Savitsky E. Ya. I am "Dragon". I'm attacking!- M.: Mol. Guard, 1988. - 333 p.
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Savitsky commanded the 3rd Fighter Air Corps of the RVGK during the war. He flew 216 combat missions and shot down 22 enemy aircraft personally and 2 in a group. In his book, the author talks about the intense life of a fighter pilot, full of truly heroic achievements and romance.
Sayer G.I.. The last soldier of the Third Reich.- M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2002. - 496 p.
A German soldier talks about the battles on the Soviet-German front in Russia in 1943-1945. The reader is presented with a picture of the terrible trials of a soldier who was always on the verge of death. He had to endure many shameful retreats, continuous bombings, the death of his comrades, and the destruction of German cities.
Salyganov I. Naval Arsenal in defense of Leningrad. – St. Petersburg: Vesti, 1997.
The book tells about the feat of the Arsenal workers during the Great Patriotic War. It was written based on the personal memories of engineer-colonel I.F. Salyganov.
Saltykov N. D. I report to the General Staff. - M.: Voenizdat, 1983. - 252 p.
In the first months of the Great Patriotic War, a service of officers was organized - representatives of the General Staff in the active army. These officers checked the implementation of orders from the high military command, informed the General Staff about the state of affairs at the front, and helped commanders directly on the ground. Former General Staff officer in the active army, Major General N.D. Saltykov, talks in his book about the people of this difficult service, their courage and hard work.
Sandalov L.M. Experienced.- M.: Voenizdat, 1961.
The memoirs of Colonel General Leonid Mikhailovich Sandalov cover a relatively short period of time - from 1936 to 1941. The author talks about the creation of the Academy of the General Staff in 1936, about its first students - future major Soviet commanders, about his service at the headquarters of the Belarusian military district in the years preceding World War II.
Sandalov L. M. After the fracture. - M.: Voenizdat, 1983. - 240 p.
At the final stage of the Great Patriotic War, the author was the chief of staff of the 2nd Baltic and then the 4th Ukrainian Front. He talks about the battles for the liberation of the Soviet Baltic states and fraternal Czechoslovakia, the courage and heroism of the soldiers, the activities of the headquarters, their role in achieving victory over the enemy.
Safonov S. A. On the minefield of war. — K.: Politizdat of Ukraine, 1983. - 239 p.
The author of the book, who commanded a sapper battalion during the war, recreates harsh scenes of battles, talks about the selfless work of sappers - those who, under heavy enemy fire, built crossings and bridges over stormy rivers, paved roads day and night for the advancing troops, and cleared the killing fields.
Safronov I. V. Behind the front is also a front. - M.: Voenizdat, 1986. - 174 p.
The author talks about his work as quartermaster of the 18th Army, deputy commander - chief of logistics of the 9th, 43rd armies and the 2nd Belorussian Front. Extensive factual material reveals the features of the logistics of units and formations during the battles in Ukraine in 1941, during the Battle of the Caucasus, in Operation Bagration, as well as in the East Prussian Operation.
Sverdlov A.V. Implementation of the plan
The Azov and then recreated Danube river military flotillas successfully acted in the interests of the ground forces. The author of the book headed the headquarters of the flotillas. In his memoirs, he reveals the role of the headquarters in the planning and implementation of military operations, talks about the commanders who implemented the command’s plan, and about the mass heroism of the Azov and Danube residents.
Sverdlov A. G. On the Sea of Azov. - M.: Voenizdat, 1966.
The book tells about the stubborn battles that unfolded on the Sea of Azov in 1941-1944. The reader will learn about the intense bloody battles of our troops and the Azov people for Rostov-on-Don, Taganrog, Mariupol and Osipenko, for the Kerch and Taman Peninsulas, for Novorossiysk, about the stubborn battles of Soviet ships with the enemy’s naval forces in the Sea of Azov.
Svoboda L. From Buzuluk to Prague.- M.: Voenizdat, 1963. - 408 p.
Army General Ludwik Svoboda, the former commander of the 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps, talks in his memoirs about the formation of Czechoslovak units on Soviet soil during the Second World War and their participation in battles with the fascist invaders on the Soviet-German front. The battles of the Czechoslovak troops near the village of Sokolova, south of Kharkov, near Kyiv and Bila Tserkva, the participation of the 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps in the Carpathian-Dukla operation and in the fighting for the liberation of Czechoslovakia are described in detail.
Sever A. Beria and the NKVD on the eve and during the Great Patriotic War.– M.: Rodina, 2018. – 240 p.
Disputes about the personality of Lavrentiy Beria have not subsided to this day: who was he - an “enemy of the people” and a bloody dictator or one of those who strengthened the power of the Soviet state? How did his appointment in the fall of 1938 to the post of People's Commissar of Internal Affairs affect the combat effectiveness of the NKVD? What did his subordinates do during the war and why did many of the security officers receive military orders? Why did the Red Army command entrust reconnaissance and sabotage groups and special detachments of the NKVD, and not military intelligence or partisan detachments, with the most difficult tasks?
S. N. Sevryugov So it was... Notes of a cavalryman. — M.: Voenizdat, 1957. - 352 p.
Among the many military formations of our army, whose exploits in the Great Patriotic War became known throughout the country, the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps enjoys well-deserved fame. The corps went through a long and difficult war. Having entered the battle in July of the forty-first year in the ancient forests of the Smolensk region, the Horse Guards victoriously ended the war on the banks of the Elbe River, taking an active part in the Berlin operation.
Semenov G.G. The shock comes. - M.: Voenizdat, 1986. - 286 p.
The 3rd Shock Army fought its way from the source of the Volga to Berlin. Its formations stormed the central quarters of the enemy capital and hoisted the Victory Banner over the Reichstag. The author, who worked operationally at the headquarters of this army, knows well how plans for some major operations were hatched, how these operations were developed and carried out.
Semerdzhiev A. In the name of life.- M.: Voenizdat, 1975. - 397 p.
The memoirs of the Chief of the General Staff of the Bulgarian People's Army tell the story of the armed struggle of the Bulgarian people against the monarcho-fascist dictatorship during the Second World War. The author of the book shows the significance of the victorious offensive of the Soviet troops for the development of the partisan movement and the defeat of Hitler's hordes on the territory of Bulgaria.
Serykh S.P. Immortal Battalion. - M.: Voenizdat, 1988. - 204 p.
Hero of the Soviet Union Semyon tells in his memoirs about what he had to endure on difficult roads at the front, about his comrades who performed feats in the fight against fascism, about his comrades in the trenches and in the attack, about the battalion that gave the Motherland fifteen Heroes of the Soviet Union. Prokofievich Serykh.
Sivkov G.F. Readiness number one
The book is the author's memoirs about his life. The central places are occupied by chapters devoted to the war, the combat path of the 210th assault Sevastopol air regiment, which passed from the Caucasus to Vienna. Sivkov speaks warmly and cordially about his friends, pilots, navigators, engine mechanics, and girl gunsmiths.
Silantiev V.I. Air reconnaissance aircraft. — M.: Young Guard, 1983. - 159 p.
The documentary-fiction story tells about the military work of air reconnaissance pilots and mechanics of a long-range reconnaissance air regiment, with whom during the Great Patriotic War, after graduating from an aviation technical school, he went from Moscow to Berlin.
Sinitsky A. G. Scouts can't make mistakes. - M.: Voenizdat, 1987. - 190 p.
During the Great Patriotic War, the author was an officer in the intelligence department of the Kalinin, then the 1st Baltic fronts. In his memoirs, he talks about how military reconnaissance was organized and carried out during the battles near Moscow, Rzhev and Velikiye Luki, Dukhovshchina and Smolensk, Vitebsk, on the land of the Baltic republics, in East Prussia.
Simkin L. He was hanged on Victory Square. – M.: AST, 2018. – 352 p.
When did the Holocaust start? Who lit the fire of the Burnt Offering? The author of the book gives very definite answers to these questions: the mass extermination of Jews because they were born Jews began in the summer of 1941 after the invasion of Nazi Germany into the Soviet Union, at the origins of the genocide was the SS Obergruppenführer, the general of the SS troops and police, the highest Fuhrer of the SS and police in the south, and later in the north of Russia, Friedrich Eckeln, who became the executioner of Babyn Yar and the Riga ghetto. This is one of the greatest villains of the great war, about whom little is still known. Materials from American and German documentary repositories were added to the declassified materials of the Riga trial of 1946, according to the verdict of which Jeckeln was hanged. As the story progresses, the author introduces dramatic stories, sometimes indirectly related to the central character of the book. So it contained stories about the fate of the metropolitan, the creator of the Pskov Orthodox mission, of whose murder Jeckeln was accused, about a girl from the Riga ghetto saved by one of his comrades, about the illegitimate daughter of an executioner, about the monstrous Nazi project “Lebensborn”. Before us is an “archival drama” that amazingly reveals the unretouched horror of what happened.
Simkin L . Sobibor / Afterword. – M.: Corpus, 2019. – 304 p.
This edition is based on the expanded and revised book “An Hour and a Half of Retribution,” which caused a wide resonance. It told the biography of Alexander Pechersky, a Soviet officer who led the uprising in the Nazi death camp Sobibor, intended for the “final solution to the Jewish question.” The hero's story is based on documents collected by the author and memories of friends and family. However, much required clarification: over the past five years, new materials from the Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense have been made public, and new myths have arisen about Pechersky. The feat of the organizer of the uprising in Sobibor is now well known. The book complements his story with stories based on declassified trial materials about “ordinary soldiers of the genocide” - former Soviet citizens who served as guards at the death camp. In addition, a broad context of Soviet reality was developed, in which the post-war life of Pechersky took place and the official attitude towards the feat of the Sobibor prisoners changed.
Simonov K. M. One Hundred Days of War. – M.: Veche, 2016. – 480 p.
The book of memoirs of the famous Soviet writer is written on the basis of his front-line diaries. The author talks about the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, about its first tragic days and nights, about the people who took the first, most terrible, blow of Hitler's war machine.
Skorobogatov V. E. Berzarin. - M.: Young Guard, 2012. - 364.
Colonel General Nikolai Erastovich Berzarin at the final stage of World War II commanded the troops of the 5th Shock Army, was the first Soviet commandant of defeated Berlin and saved the German capital from a humanitarian catastrophe..
Skorobogatov D. I. Fellow soldiers.- M.: Voenizdat, 1976. - 239 p.
During the war, the author of the book commanded an artillery brigade that fought against the Nazi invaders at the walls of Leningrad, in the Baltic states, participated in the liberation of Poland and completed its campaign in Berlin.
Skorzeny O. Kings of sabotage.- M.: Priboy, 1997, - 416 p.
Otto Skorzeny is the founder of the Germans. First of all, it is very difficult to find both real life, and in fiction there are more incredible adventures than those that befell this SS officer - a personality who, fortunately for his allies, the British and Americans, was never able to fully realize himself. The liberation of Mussolini and the occupation of the Castle on the Hill in Budapest would have done honor to the heroes of Dumas and the gangster novels of the thirties. A rare action movie contains as many adventures as Skorzeny experienced while carrying out secret missions in different European countries.
Skorzeny Otto. Secret team. Memoirs of the head of a special unit of German intelligence. 1939-1945.– M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2019. – 544.
Otto Skorzeny, SS Obersturmbannführer, a professional intelligence officer who carried out secret missions for Hitler in different countries, is one of the most famous and mysterious personalities of the Second World War. In his memoirs, he talks about his participation in battles on the Eastern Front, about how he became the leader of a special purpose formation and, in this capacity, carried out the operation to free Mussolini, which brought him world fame and the Knight's Cross. The action cost a lot of sacrifice, but who can count the losses when the goal is achieved! Skorzeny talentedly, vividly and in detail describes the operations he developed, which he himself led, although some of them failed miserably, which, however, did not affect his self-esteem. At the end of the war in May 1945, he surrendered to the Americans, and in July 1948 he carried out another operation - he organized his own escape from a prisoner of war camp.
Slyusarenko Z. K. The last shoot. - M.: Voenizdat, 1974. - 222 p.
Zakhar Karpovich Slyusarenko began the Great Patriotic War as the commander of a tank battalion, and ended as the commander of the famous 56th Guards Tank Brigade. For courageous military actions, the brigade was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, Suvorov, Kutuzov, and for participation in the capture of the capital of Nazi Germany - the Order of Lenin. The author writes warmly about the people with whom he had the opportunity to fight near Radzekhov, Lvov, on the Sandomierz bridgehead, near the walls of Berlin.
Smirnov E.I. Frontline mercy. - M.: Voenizdat, 1991. - 430 p.
War is cruel, merciless and bloody, it requires countless sacrifices, including crippled, wounded soldiers who need urgent help, treatment, support, and the good nature of people. Front... Mercy... This is the hard work of military doctors and civilian health workers to rescue, treat and return to combat formations soldiers and commanders who were wounded in battle.
Smyslov O. S. Vlasov as a “monument to betrayal.”- M.: Veche, 2015. - 352 p.
The personality of General Vlasov still causes heated controversy in society. The author talks about the fate of the captured general and explains why his personality became a “monument to betrayal.” The book extensively quotes documents from the personal and court files of Andrei Vlasov, some of which are published for the first time.
Smyslov O. S. General Abakumov. The all-powerful master of SMERSH. - M.: Veche, 2005. - 448 p.
The book is dedicated to one of the mysterious figures of the NKVD-MGB of the USSR, Viktor Semenovich Abakumov. Despite the fact that the KGB of the USSR ceased to exist, Abakumov’s case remains classified. His ascent through the highest ranks of the GPU-NKVD began during the Stalinist purges of the 1930s, when he served as one of L. Beria’s deputies. During the Great Patriotic War, Abakumov was the head of the Main Counterintelligence Directorate of the Red Army SMERSH. He controlled virtually the entire Soviet intelligence network. In October 1946, Abakumov was appointed to the post of Minister of State Security. In 1951, he was unexpectedly removed from his post as minister, and in the same year he was arrested on the orders of Stalin. In Lefortovo prison he was kept in shackles and handcuffs. Despite severe torture, he did not sign anything and denied all accusations. After a short trial in 1954, B.S. Abakumov was shot.
Sobesyak Yu., Egorov R . The earth is burning. — M.: Voenizdat, 1965. - 403 p.
The book tells about the heroic struggle of the partisans against the Nazi invaders, about the military partnership of the Polish and Soviet peoples, who fought shoulder to shoulder against a common enemy.
Sobolev A.M. Reconnaissance in force. Notes of a military intelligence officer. - M.: Moscow worker, 1975. - 240 p.
The book is built on a strictly documentary basis. It tells about people of the heroic army specialty - military intelligence officers. The heroes of the book are soldiers, sergeants and officers of the 1st Guards Tank Army, which went through a glorious battle path from the Moscow region to Berlin during the Great Patriotic War.
Sokolov B.V. Unknown Zhukov: portrait without retouching in the mirror of the era. - Mn.: Rhodiola-plus, 2000 - 608 p.
The name of the Soviet commander T.K. Zhukov is known to everyone in our country. An exceptionally strong and strong-willed personality. Using many new documents, the author paints a portrait of the famous commander without the usual retouching and textbook gloss.
Sokolov B.V. Budyonny: Red Murat. - M.: Young Guard, 2007. - 335.
Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny is a hero of the Civil War, commander of the legendary First Cavalry, one of the most popular Soviet military leaders. Many poems, songs, and novels portrayed him as a straightforward and unsophisticated horseman-slasher, but in fact he was smart and careful enough to survive the years of Stalin’s repressions and impose his line on the Red Army to strengthen the cavalry at the expense of motorized units. The Great Patriotic War proved the destructiveness of such a course and ended the military career of Budyonny, who for many years played the role of a living legend, a link between modernity and the heroism of the first Soviet years.
Sokolov B.N. In captivity. - St. Petersburg: Galeya-print, 2000.
For Boris Nikolaevich Sokolov, the Great Patriotic War was three and a half years of wandering through prisoner of war camps. He was both a farm laborer in the Baltic states and worked in a German mine. His truthful and sometimes harsh memories are about this.
Sokolov V.F. On the right flank of the front. - M.: Voenizdat, 1985. - 93 p.
This book is about artillery soldiers who entered the war in the Soviet Arctic, on the Rybachy Peninsula. Its author, first a battery commander and then a division chief of staff, writes warmly and soulfully about his colleagues, about the exploits that artillerymen performed on the very right flank of the Soviet-German front - in the Arctic.
Soloviev B., Sukhodeev V. Commander Stalin. - M.: Eksmo, 2003. - 320 p.
The book talks about I.V. Stalin as a commander. His activities were inseparable from the feat of the Soviet people and the Red Army, which ensured victory over Nazi Germany. At the same time, attempts to belittle the role of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and the importance of Soviet military art were criticized.
Sorokin Z. A. Winged Guards. - M.: Voenizdat, 1966. - 168 p.
The author of this book is a fighter pilot - during the war he fought in the skies of the Arctic. In the fall of 1941, in an air battle, he rammed a fascist plane. The seriously wounded and severely frostbitten pilot found the strength to overcome several tens of kilometers of deserted tundra and reach his own people. Doctors amputated both of his feet. But Sorokin passionately wanted to be in the ranks of the defenders of the Motherland and achieved his goal - he began to fly. Sorokin has 16 enemy aircraft on his combat account. His fellow soldiers rightfully called him “Maresyev of the Arctic”.
Stadnyuk I. F. Confession of a Stalinist. - M.: Patriot, 1993. - 415 p.
The basis of the new book of the famous writer is, in addition to his amazing biography, sensational facts related to the events of the Second World War, hidden for half a century under a strict veil of secrecy.
Starinov I.G. Notes of a saboteur. - M.: Almanac “Vympel”, 1997.
It is impossible to imagine the military history of the 20th century without secret wars, consisting of subversive operations, reconnaissance, sabotage, and guerrilla warfare. One of the representatives of this secret war is Ilya Grigorievich Starinov, a legendary saboteur, intelligence officer, and partisan. Participant in the Civil War, revolutionary events in Spain, Finnish and Great Patriotic Wars. Theorist and practitioner of guerrilla warfare. In the 30-40s of the last century, he personally developed and carried out a number of special operations, which were later included in the annals of training manuals for the world's intelligence services.
Starchak I. G. From the sky - into battle. - M.: Voenizdat, 1965. 184 p.
During the Great Patriotic War, short reports appeared in the press about the actions of an airborne detachment under the command of the famous parachute master Ivan Georgievich Starchak. At that time, it was impossible to write openly about the place where the paratroopers fought, or about the details of the battles.
Stettinius E. Lend-Lease - a weapon of victory. - M.: Veche, 2000. - 400 p.
More than half a century has passed since the end of World War II, but many topics related to this war are shrouded in mystery. Among them is the history of Lend-Lease, the assistance that the United States provided to the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition. The book publishes the work of Edward Stettinius, who was responsible for organizing Lend-Lease, as well as the opinions of modern historians on the role of Lend-Lease in the Great Patriotic War.
Strelbitsky I. S. Storm.- M.: Voenizdat, 1965. - 250 p.
The book tells about the battles for the liberation of Donbass and Crimea. The author tells about Soviet soldiers, officers and generals who selflessly fought the enemy, showing how their characters were revealed and strengthened in the difficult conditions of war.
Strekhnin Yu. F. In the scorched steppe. - M.: Sov. Russia, 1984. - 272 p.
Notes of a front-line writer, participant in the Battle of Kursk. The author's personal impressions are combined with stories from his friends and associates. Historicism and living concreteness, their inextricable connection - these are the features that distinguish this book.
Strokach T. A. Our call sign is Freedom.- K.: Soviet writer, 1966. - 494 p.
The head of the Ukrainian headquarters of the partisan movement, Lieutenant General Timofey Amvrosievich Strokach, tells in his book about the heroic struggle of the glorious Ukrainian partisans and underground fighters, about the unfolding of the great people's war against the Nazi invaders.
Strutinsky N.V. On the banks of Goryn and Sluch. - Lvov: Kamenyar, 1966.
A former farm laborer, a modest guy from a remote Polissya village in the Rivne region, Nikolai Strutinsky at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War organized and led a partisan group that included his father, brothers and several other patriots. About the glorious military deeds of this group, which in September 1942 joined the partisan detachment of the Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel D.N. Medvedev.
Sudoplatov P. A. Different days of secret war and diplomacy. 1941. - M.: Olma-Press, 2001. - 382 p.
Unknown episodes of Soviet intelligence and diplomacy operations in the 30-40s of the 20th century in the memoirs of the head of the intelligence and sabotage service of the Soviet state security agencies in the rear of the Nazi troops P. A. Sudoplatov.
Sudoplatov P.A. Special operations. Lubyanka and the Kremlin 1930–1950. - M.: Olma-Press, 1997.
The memoirs of Pavel Sudoplatov tell about the entire period of his long and productive life. We are interested, of course, in the period 1935–1955, in particular, the “military-Trotskyist conspiracy”, intelligence activities in pre-war Europe, the war years, incl. organization of sabotage struggle against the Germans, as well as the acquisition of nuclear weapons by the Soviet Union.
Sudoplatov P. Victory in the secret war. 1941-1945.– M.: Algorithm. – 2018 p.
Book by Lieutenant General of the NKVD P.A. Sudoplatov, one of the leaders of the intelligence and sabotage service, who, with the coming to power of N.S. Khrushchev was slandered as an unwanted witness and was erased from the history of the security agencies for many years, talks about previously unknown episodes and secret operations of Soviet intelligence officers during the Great Patriotic War, about counteraction to the German intelligence services, about nuclear espionage, about the difficult relations between intelligence and counterintelligence of former allies in the anti-Hitler war. coalition.
Suknev M. I. Notes from the penal battalion commander.- M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2007. - 253 p.
For more than three years, Suknev commanded a penal battalion on the front line, and was wounded several times. Among the few, he was twice awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky, as well as a number of other military orders and medals.
Sukhov K.V. The squadron is fighting. - M.: DOSAAF, 1983
Hero of the Soviet Union K.V. Sukhov first went on a combat mission as a private in 1942. On May 30, 1943, he was transferred to the 16th GIAP. In total, during the war he conducted 297 combat missions, and in 68 air battles he personally shot down 22 enemy aircraft.
Sukhodeev V.V. Stalin. Military genius. - M.: Olma-press, 2005. - 415 p.
The book shows how I.V. Stalin, comprehending the fundamentals of military art, became a creative and courageous military-political leader and became an outstanding commander of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union of 1941–1945.
Sukhotin Ya. L. Son of Stalin. The life and death of Yakov Dzhugashvili. - L.: Lenizdat, 1990. - 128 p.
The author of the book, as a result of many years of searching, collected a lot of material about the life of Yakov Dzhugashvili - the commander of the Red Army, a communist who was not broken by captivity and courageously accepted death at the hands of Hitler’s executioners.
Schensnovich N.I. Notes of an actor and partisan.- Mn.: Belarus, 1976. -152 p.
In his memoirs, the author writes about the Nazi occupation regime in Minsk, about the resistance of the unarmed population to the invaders and about his work as a director, actor and playwright in the theater of the partisan unit based in Nalibokskaya Pushcha.
Syutkus Bruno. Iron cross for a sniper. Assassin with a sniper rifle. - Yauza-Press. 2011. – 224 p.
The sniper accounted for 209 lives of Soviet soldiers. In addition to the Iron Cross 1st class, Bruno Sytkus was also awarded the rare “Sniper” sleeve badge of the highest degree, the owners of which preferred not to surrender - they were usually shot on the spot. The incredible story of his life reads like an adventure novel, which had everything - a merciless war on the Eastern Front, sniper duels, injuries, participation in the atrocities of the Lithuanian “forest brothers”, exile to Siberia, many years of work in coal mines, the threat of a tribunal for war crimes, amnesty and, finally, return to Germany after the collapse of the USSR.
Tucker R. Stalin. — M.: Ves Mir, 1996. - 878 p.
This publication combines two of the most famous books by Princeton University professor Robert Tucker: “Stalin. The path to power. 1879–1929" and "Stalin in power. 1928–1941." The formation of a regime of unlimited power is considered against the broad background of events in the history of Soviet society, taking into account the peculiarities of the development of the political culture of Russia, which gave the world the “Bolshevik Tsar” with his Great Terror, “revolution from above” and disastrous decisions that led to the conclusion of a pact with Hitler and the tragedy of 22 June 1941.
Tamman V.F. In the black mouth of the fjord. - M.: Voenizdat, 1979. - 143 p.
This is the story and thoughts of the commander of the submarine "L-20" of the Northern Fleet about the combat campaigns of the submarine, its torpedo attacks and mine laying, about the actions of the crew in difficult situations. The author of the memoirs tells with warmth about the courage, perseverance and heroism of submariners.
Tanner W.. Winter War. - M.: "Tsentrpoligraf", 2003. - 349 p.
The book covers the history of one of the “small wars” of the last century and talks about the reasons that led Finland and the Soviet Union to confrontation in 1939–1940. The author, from an unexpected point of view, shows the methods of Soviet diplomatic procedure and the behind-the-scenes of the international political kitchen, based on knowledge of historical realities and his own records of that time.
Tarasov Dmitry. Big game of SMERSH. - Yauza, Eksmo. 2010. - 320 p.
About the “finest hour” of the legendary SMERSH, about the heroes of the secret war and the victories that virtually paralyzed the activities of Hitler’s intelligence services. The specifics of the work of the intelligence services and the habit of secrecy are incompatible with complete publicity - it is not surprising that SMERSH veterans are reluctant to give interviews and only in exceptional cases write memoirs: their memoirs - a great rarity.
Taubman W. Khrushchev. - M.: Young Guard, 2008. - 850.
Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev is a man who left a noticeable mark not only in Soviet but also in world history. The secret report, which marked the beginning of the exposure of Stalin's personality cult, split the country, in the eyes of some making him a hero, in the eyes of others - a traitor and upstart. What was his actual role in the mass repressions in Moscow and Ukraine, in the restoration of the national economy of the USSR after the Great Patriotic War, in everything that his era is remembered for? The author, a famous American historian, carefully and scrupulously reconstructed the entire life path of this extraordinary person, collecting enormous, largely unique material, including archival documents, as well as recordings of conversations with people who knew Khrushchev well at different periods of his life.
Tveritinova A. M. Fort Romainville. - L.: Soviet writer, 1960. - 358 p.
An autobiographical story by USSR citizen A. Tveritinova, who found herself in Paris in June 1941, was arrested by the French police in the fall and handed over to the Germans, who placed her in Fort de Romainville, a Nazi women's concentration camp not far from Paris.
Tenenbaum B. The genius of evil Hitler. – M.: Eksmo, 2013. – 512 p.
“If you have chosen your path, follow it to the end,” “For the sake of a great goal, no sacrifice will seem too great,” “Conscience is a Jewish invention, something like circumcision,” “The future belongs to us!” – this is what Adolf Hitler said, the greatest villain and main mystery of the 20th century. And it can only be solved by abandoning the propaganda myths that still present the Fuhrer of the Third Reich not just as a fiend of hell, but as a possessed nonentity. However, if he had been an incompetent screamer, would he have been able to revive the German economy in the shortest possible time and fight for more than five years against the Allies, who were four times larger than Germany? If he had been a stupid corporal, would the best generals of the Wehrmacht have believed in his military gift? If he had been a shrill paranoid, would the Germans have fought for him to the last drop of blood and died with the name of the Fuhrer on their lips even after his suicide?.. Honestly answering the most “inconvenient” questions, the author proves that Hitler was by no means a hysterical nonentity and a coward paranoid, but a real genius of evil, whose titanic figure casts a thick shadow over the entire history of the 20th century.
Tereshchatov V. I. 900 days behind enemy lines. - Kalinin: Kalinin Book Publishing House, 1962. - 217 p.
The book “900 days behind enemy lines” is a documentary. Its author, V.I. Tereshchatov, was the commander of a youth partisan detachment during the terrible days of the war. For almost three years, until the complete liberation of the Kalinin region from the German occupiers, the fighters of this detachment waged an unequal struggle against a strong and treacherous enemy. The people's avengers blew up enemy trains and bridges, distributed Soviet leaflets, and destroyed the Nazis and their henchmen.
Timofeev A.V. Pokryshkin. - M.: Young Guard, 2005. - 524 p.
A documentary story about the life and exploits, happiness and adversity of three times Hero of the Soviet Union A. I. Pokryshkin.
Timofeeva-Egorova A.A. " I am Birch, as you hear me.”- M.: MBOF Pobeda, 1999.
These are memories of the war years of attack pilot A.A. Timofeeva-Egorova. A female attack pilot is a rare phenomenon in our military history. Here is the combat work of a pilot, and a German concentration camp, and twenty years of waiting for the well-deserved title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Timofeeva-Egorova A.A. Hold on, little sister!- M.: Military Publishing House, 1983, - 176 p.
Hero of the Soviet Union Anna Aleksandrovna Timofeeva Egorova is one of the few women who flew during the war on formidable combat vehicles - attack aircraft. Fascinatingly tells about the fate of a simple village girl who became a builder of the Moscow metro and an instructor at Osoaviakhim. With great warmth A.A. Timofeeva Egorova remembers her fellow soldiers with whom she flew wing to wing on combat missions.
Thyssen F. I paid Hitler. Confession of a German tycoon. — M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2008. - 288 p.
The memoirs reveal the main mechanisms of one of the most paradoxical world crises, shocking details of the anti-Jewish campaign and the introduction of the concentration camp system, as well as the reasons for Germany's defeat in World War II. The confession of the disappointed and persecuted Thyssen made an invaluable contribution to the exposure of the National Socialist regime and summed up the results of the cruel ideological experiment against the German people.
Tishchenko A. T. Slaves of the "Dragon".- M.: Voenizdat, 1966. - 200 p.
An unusual procession was approaching the airfield. Two Soviet "yaks", returning from a combat mission, were driven at gunpoint by a Messerschmitt. Before landing, the Messer tried for the last time to escape from the pincers, but the cannon bursts immediately cut off its path. He was forced to land at our airfield. There are many similar episodes in the book of Hero of the Soviet Union A.T. Tishchenko. The author has gone through a long and glorious battle path. He fought with the fascists in the skies of Kuban, Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, and stormed Berlin. The fearless air fighter, one of the wingmen of the “Dragon” (this was the call sign then for the commander of the aviation corps, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, now Air Marshal E. Ya. Savitsky), shot down twenty-one enemy aircraft personally and three in group battles.
Tereshchenko A. Warrior of the era of Smersh.– M.: Arguments of the week, 2017. – 352 p.
Having set out to resurrect the glorious deeds of his senior colleagues who went through the terrible roads of war, the author decided to create a gallery of undeservedly forgotten names. Talking about the fate of one person - military counterintelligence officer, participant in the Great Patriotic War, Major General Smersh and the KGB of the USSR A.A. Shurepov and his family, he reveals in detail and deeply the history of an entire era. Having gone through difficult trials with their country, finding themselves at the forefront, it was precisely such people - strong personalities, professionals in their field, true patriots - who created this history.
Tereshchenko A. From Lubyanka to the front
This book is dedicated to the memory of a participant in the fight against the Nazi invaders who heroically died in September 1941 - the 30-year-old head of Soviet military counterintelligence, State Security Commissioner of the 3rd rank A. N. Mikheev, who voluntarily left his high position for the front. Having become the head of the Special Department of the Southwestern Front, he had to participate in invisible battles with Abwehr agents in Ukraine and fiery battles during the retreat of the Red Army in the first months of the war. Pictures of mistakes, misconceptions and crimes of the authorities in preparation for war are also shown against the background of mass heroism of soldiers of the invisible front and soldiers of the Red Army after June 22, 1941.
Tereshchenko A. S. Shield and sword of "Major Zorich".– M.: Algorithm, 2017. – 397.
Alexander Belov (Johann Weiss), the main character of the film “Shield and Sword” and the novel of the same name, had a prototype - the legendary Soviet intelligence officer Colonel Alexander Svyatogorov, aka “Major Zorich”. But the feats accomplished by Johann Weiss were fictitious. In 1941, Alexander Svyatogorov ensured the evacuation of strategic facilities to the East and cleared the rear of the Red Army from enemy agents and saboteurs; working on the instructions of the legendary Pavel Sudoplatov, together with the “god of rail war” Ilya Starinov, he participated in the liquidation of the German commandant of Kharkov and the capture of the personal representative of Admiral Canaris; at the head of reconnaissance and sabotage groups, he was twice thrown into the deep German rear, playing a decisive role in the defeat of the Abwehr “hornet’s nest” - a special school and the “Special SS Unit” near Lublin... And he completed his intelligence service in 1961 in Germany.
Tereshchenko A. Dedicated to Smersh and the GRU. – M.: Arguments of the week, 2017. – 320 p.
In 2018, Russia celebrates the 100th anniversary of two important units in the state security system - military intelligence (MI) - the GRU of the General Staff of the Armed Forces and the Military Counterintelligence Department (MCD) of the FSB of the Russian Federation. It has always been believed that military intelligence is the eyes and ears of the army, and military counterintelligence is its guardian angel. If the VR is an information-producing body, then the VKR protects the army from intelligence penetration into the environment of its personnel. The book is dedicated to some aspects in the history of the joint struggle of military intelligence officers and counterintelligence officers during the Great Patriotic War and during the years of the cold expansion of the US countries and the NATO bloc - in the war after the war.
Tereshchenko A. He saved Stalin. – M.: Arguments of the week, 2018. – 384 p.
The book is dedicated to Major General Nikolai Grigorievich Kravchenko, an employee of the Smersh NPO of the USSR, forgotten for half a century, an active participant in counterintelligence support for the 1943 international conference in Tehran - the so-called. "Big Three". The brilliantly organized operation by the Soviet state security agencies together with the Allied intelligence services to neutralize the impending terrorist attack by the Nazis made such a strong impression on Roosevelt and Churchill that they wanted to see the man who saved their lives. Stalin complied with the request. They were surprised by such a low rank - lieutenant colonel and asked to assign I.G. Kravchenko was given the rank of general, which was done.
Tereshchenko A. Apostles of the frontline Smersh. – M.: Arguments of the week, 2018. – 320 p.
This book is dedicated to the memory of the leaders of the GUKR Smersh fronts and, in particular, the head of the GUKR Smersh NPO USSR V.S. Abakumov is one of the most mysterious and tragic figures in Soviet history. His investigation is still classified. The book, along with the biographical data of the apostles of the front-line Smersh, shows a cross-section of the rough work that made it possible to outmaneuver the experienced and insidious intelligence services of Nazi Germany on the fields of invisible battles - the Abwehr and the Main Directorate of Imperial Security (RSHA). Soviet military counterintelligence officers, under the leadership of the heroes of this book, managed to bring to life the slogan “Death to spies!” Therefore, during the Great Patriotic War, the legendary Smersh won the right to be considered the best and most effective army counterintelligence in history.
Toliver R.F., Constable T.J. Erich Hartmann - blond knight of the Reich. - Ekaterinburg: Mirror, 1998. - 311 p.
This book, which became a kind of legend even before it appeared in Russian. She was anathematized in Soviet times as an inveterate anti-Soviet and a falsification of the history of the Great Patriotic War. Until the mid-1980s, for the storage of such literature and its popularization, a history buff was guaranteed a way to the correctional labor institutions of our vast Motherland or to the appropriate medical institution. But times are changing...
Tolkach M. Ya. Paratroopers of the Great Patriotic War. - M.: Yauza: Eksmo, 2010. - 544 p.
The Soviet airborne troops received their baptism of fire at Khalkhin Gol, but it was the experience of World War II that proved that relatively small but superbly trained elite units are capable of solving strategic problems. German paratroopers distinguished themselves in Crete and during the assault on Fort Eben-Emael, American paratroopers in Normandy and near Arnhem, and Soviet paratroopers not only during the Vyazemsk and Dnieper airborne operations, but also in the Demyansk cauldron. And although these operations were not crowned with complete victory, our paratroopers, fighting in the most difficult conditions, created a serious threat to the enemy rear, drew off significant enemy forces and inflicted heavy losses on the Germans: SS men from the “Totenkopf” division, operating near Demyansk against the 1st maneuverable airborne brigade, lost two-thirds of its personnel.
Tolkonyuk I.A. Wounds heal slowly: Notes of a staff officer. – M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2017. – 543 p.
These memoirs, written back in Soviet times, between 1971 and 1991, are absolutely different from the memoirs of Soviet front-line soldiers that were published in large numbers at that time. There are so many facts and judgments that are inconvenient for the official Soviet version of the history of the war that, based on them alone, it is possible to build another version that has nothing in common with the official one.
Travkin I. V. In the waters of the gray Baltic. - M.: Voenizdat, 1959.
The crews of the submarines Shch-303 and K-52, commanded by Travkin, had to operate in incredibly difficult conditions. But they always came out of the most dangerous, sometimes catastrophic situations with honor. These elusive boats terrified Hitler's sailors. As soon as enemy observers discovered them on sea communications, a radiogram was broadcast: “Attention! Travkin - to the sea!..” A monetary reward of 50 thousand marks was assigned for the head of the Soviet submarine ace. More than once, the Nazi press and radio reported the sinking of the submarine Shch-303.
Travkin I. V. To spite all the deaths. - M.: Voenizdat, 1987. - 160 p.
The author is a submarine commander. Hero of the Soviet Union - talks about the difficult conditions under which submariners operated in the Baltic. In spite of all the deaths, they broke through into the open sea and sank enemy ships and vessels.
Trainin P. A. Soldier's Field.- M.: Voenizdat, 1981. - 171 p.
Pyotr Afanasyevich Trainin was a tank driver during the war. He fought from the walls of Moscow to Prague. For the courage and courage shown on the battlefields, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Trepper L. Big game. - M.: Politizdat, 1990.
This book is the memoirs of the Soviet intelligence officer Leopold Trepper, who led the activities of the intelligence organization “Red Orchestra” (another name for the “Red Chapel”), which operated in European countries before and during the Second World War. His name can rightfully be placed on a par with the names of the most prominent Soviet intelligence officers.
Tretyak I. M. Brave hearts of fellow soldiers. - M.: Voenizdat, 1977. - 251 p.
The author of the book Hero of the Soviet Union, Army General Ivan Moiseevich Tretyak, commanded a battalion and regiment during the war. His regiment fought its way from Moscow through Gzhatsk, Vyazma, Riga, and actively participated in the defeat of large groups of Nazi troops.
Tributs V.F. Baltic people fight. - M.: Voenizdat, 1985. - 463 p.
The memoirs of the author, who commanded the Baltic Fleet during the Great Patriotic War, tell about the courage and courage of the sailors during the defense of Tallinn and Hanko, Leningrad and Kronstadt, and their exploits on Ladoga. The author writes warmly about submariners and pilots, sailors of surface ships, artillerymen and marines, and home front workers...
Tributs V.F. Baltic submariners attack. – L.: Lenizdat, 1963.
Tripp M. Air war in the skies of Western Europe. — M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2008. - 240 p.
The memoirs of Flight Sergeant Miles Tripp, sometimes ironic and sometimes instructive and dramatic, betray a deep knowledge of flying, and the colorful jargon of British pilots brings extraordinary vividness to the story. Central to the book is the attitude of Tripp's comrades and himself to the mass murder of women and children as a result of the bombing of Dresden. The same actions in relation to Essen and Cologne, where military installations were located, did not give rise to such dilemmas.
Trukhanovsky V. G. Winston Churchill. — M.: International Relations, 1982. - 464 p.
Political biography of Churchill. The life and work of Churchill, a militant imperialist, an apostle of anti-communism, an ideologist of the Cold War, is shown in close connection with the domestic and foreign policy life of England, as well as with the most important events taking place on the world stage.
Trynsky S. Not so long ago. — M.: Voenizdat, 1982. - 526 p.
In his book, Deputy Minister of Defense of the Bulgarian People's Army Slavcho Trunsky talks about the partisan movement in Bulgaria during the Second World War. The former legendary partisan commander paints bright images of the partisans, the best sons of the Bulgarian people, who showed massive heroism in the fight against the monarcho-fascist enslavers.
Tumanov Yu. V. Landing.- Tula: Priokskoye Book Publishing House, 1988. - 151 p.
About the heroism of the soldiers who fought for the liberation of Yukhnov. The documentary story of a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, a former artilleryman of the 1154th Infantry Regiment, who commanded an anti-tank artillery battery for two years, takes us to the first terrible war winter, to the endless brutal battle for the small town of Yukhnov, one of the first cities recaptured from the Nazis, the last a city liberated in the Moscow counteroffensive on March 4, 1942. The 1154th regiment fought for this city without sparing its life. Of the 600 people who took part in the landing on the Warsaw Highway, only 12 survived.
Tychkov N. S. Little prisoners of Buchenwald. - Yaroslavl: Upper Volga book. publishing house, 1966. - 120 p.
During the Great Patriotic War, I was captured and imprisoned in the fascist concentration camp Buchenwald. Thousands of prisoners died there from hunger, bullying, and bullets from the Gestapo and SS. There were many children among them. Freedom returned to us in April 1945. Many years have passed since then, but I will never forget my camp comrades, courageous people. I won’t forget the little prisoners. I knew many of them well. These were very brave guys. When the underground anti-fascist organization was preparing an uprising, we needed to get weapons, ammunition, and medicine. The little prisoners helped to complete this most difficult task. Some of them went with us to storm the camp fortifications.
Uvarov P.V. On the navigation bridge. - K.: Politizdat of Ukraine, 1987. - 266 p.
The author of the book went through the military career from a junior officer to a vice admiral. The narrative is based on the heroic episodes of the combat operations of the destroyer "Nezamozhnik" and the leader of "Kharkov", who took an active part in the defense of Odessa and Sevastopol during the Great Patriotic War.
Ouzoulyas A. (Colonel Andre). Sons of the night. - M.: Voenizdat, 1978. - 400 p.
The book by a participant in the Resistance movement in France during the Second World War reveals the armed struggle of French patriots against the Nazi occupiers. The author emphasizes the decisive role of the Soviet Union in the defeat of fascism and the liberation of the peoples of Europe from Hitler's tyranny. Readers' attention will be drawn to everyday sketches of the life of the French people during the difficult years of occupation.
Urazov A.P. The fate of the penalty box. “War will write off everything”?- M.: Eksmo, 2012. - 352 p.
They say about people like the author of this book: “Born in a shirt.” Having gone to the front as a volunteer, Alexander Urazov served in the 8th Guards Airborne Division, and was put on trial and in a penal company “for the loss of secret documents.” “Washed away the guilt with blood” during the crossing of the Dnieper, neutralizing an enemy machine gunner and being wounded. After the conviction was cleared, he remained in the same company - but no longer in the “variable”, but in the “permanent composition”. Nominated for the Order of the Red Star for reconnaissance in force, completing a dangerous mission without loss. One of the few survived the fierce battles on the Dniester, where his entire penal company was killed, and received the Order of Glory for the storming of Vienna. I saw the war in all its guises - not only the front side, but also the bloody underside: victories, and exploits, and self-sacrifice, and looting, and theft of rear officials, and negligence of command, ruined destinies, crippled souls, and speaking extremely frankly about what he saw and experiences in his book.
Usov M.V. One hundred days, one hundred nights.– Stavropol: Stavropol Book Publishing House, 1974. – 184 p.
About what he saw and experienced during the Great Patriotic War. The characters traveled with the writer from the Caucasus to Berlin.
Uspensky V.D. Through the eyes of a sailor. - M.: Voenizdat, 1964. - 168 p.
In August 1945, a landing force of Pacific sailors was landed behind Japanese lines. The author of this book, who then served as a radio operator on the patrol ship Vyuga, was also part of the landing force. With a machine gun in his hands and a radio station behind his back, he participated in the liberation of the Korean port cities of Seishin and Genzan from the occupiers. The book tells about the experiences of an ordinary sailor, about his battle friends, and about naval service.
Ustinov D.F. In the name of Victory. - M.: Military Publishing House, 1988.
Ustinov's notes are devoted to the work on creating weapons and providing them to the front during the Great Patriotic War. Through personal memories and reflections, the author shows a wide panorama of pre-war life, talks with great warmth about workers and engineers, scientists in designers, production commanders and party workers - about people who selflessly worked at the enterprises of the People's Commissariat of Armaments in the name of Victory.
Ushakov S. F. In the interests of all fronts. - M.: Voenizdat, 1982. - 176 p.
Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel General of Aviation S. F. Ushakov served in bomber aviation during the Great Patriotic War, then was deputy chief navigator of long-range aviation.
Fedorov A. G. There are dive bombers in the sky! - M.: DOSAAF, 1986.- 192 p.
The author, commander of the 241st dive bomber aviation division, talks about the heroism of aviators in the battles near Moscow, for the liberation of Donbass and Belarus, the Vistula-Oder offensive operation, and the battle for Berlin.
Fedorov A. F. The underground regional committee is active. Books 1–3. - M.: Voenizdat, 1955. - 684 p.
During the war, many changes happened to me: the secretary of the Chernigov regional committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Ukraine, in enemy-occupied territory I became the secretary of the same Chernigov, but already underground regional committee, and subsequently the Volyn regional committee; I also became the commander of one of the largest partisan formations in Ukraine. The Chernigov and Volyn regional committees united several thousand communists and Komsomol members who remained behind enemy lines for one reason or another, hundreds of communist and Komsomol cells, dozens of partisan detachments and resistance groups. This was a very serious force. It may not be very harmonious, not very colorful, but with Bolshevik sincerity I will try to tell how the underground fighters and partisans of the Chernihiv region and Volyn fought for the freedom and independence of our Motherland.
Fedorov A. F. Last winter. - M.: Soviet writer, 1981. - 368 p.
The book continues his book “The Underground Regional Committee is Acting.” The author reflects on the tactics and forms of partisan struggle, reveals the organizational activities of the party during the Great Patriotic War, talks about the struggle, life and way of life of the people during the last partisan war winter.
Fedorov P.I. General Dovator.- M.: Voenizdat, 1979. - 453 p.
About the heroic actions of Soviet cavalrymen in defensive and offensive battles against the Nazi invaders near Moscow in 1941. In the center of the story is the image of the legendary commander of the cavalry group, and then the cavalry corps, General L. M. Dovator.
Fedotov F. S. The regiment continues to fight. - M.: Voenizdat, 1978. - 198 p.
In May 1943, the former battalion commissar, a participant in the battles of Vyazma, Yelnya, Moscow and Sukhinichi, a graduate of the Shot course, Major F. S. Fedotov, was appointed to the post of commander of the 557th Infantry Regiment of the 153rd Infantry Division. Under the command of F. S. Fedotov, the 557th Infantry Regiment fought in the Smolensk region and in Belarus, on the Dnieper and Neman, broke through the fortified region of the Masurian Lakes, and stormed Koenigsberg. In fierce battles, the soldiers and officers of the regiment covered themselves with unfading glory.
Fedyuninsky I.I. In the East. - M.: Voenizdat, 1985. - 224 p.
This book is about the courage and valor of the Far Eastern warriors, in whose ranks the author, later an army general, participated in hostilities with the White Chinese during the military conflict they provoked on the Chinese Eastern Railway, and then against the Japanese militarists at Khalkhin Gol.
Fedyuninsky I.I. Alarmed. - M.: Voenizdat, 1961.
The Great Patriotic War found I.I. Fedyuninsky in Kovel, near the western border, as a corps commander. In the book, he talks about the situation on the border in the pre-war months, about the beginning of the war, and about the border battles of the corps. Subsequent chapters take the reader to Leningrad, where, during the days of heavy defensive battles, General Fedyuninsky commanded the 42nd Army, and then, at the head of the 54th Army, defended Volkhov. In the summer of 1942, the author commanded the 5th Army on the Western Front and participated in operations near Moscow. And then Leningrad again. Beginning in December 1943, I. I. Fedyuninsky was the commander of the 2nd Shock Army. With her, after breaking the blockade of Leningrad, he fought a difficult path to the cradle of German militarism - East Prussia.
Felisova V. M. They fought to the death. - L.: Lenizdat, 1984. - 238 p.
This book is about the war, about the first weeks of the Great Patriotic War. About bloody battles with the enemy on the outskirts of Leningrad. About the nice guys - cadets of the Novo-Peterhof Border School named after K. E. Voroshilov, their courage and perseverance. About the hard work of a sanitary worker that fell to the lot of the author of the documentary story Vera Mikhailovna Felisova (during the years of Tsareva’s war).
Ferster V. Opposition to the Fuhrer. The tragedy of the head of the German General Staff. - M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2008. - 256 p.
Ludwig Beck was never a pacifist, but he perfectly understood the terrible consequences of war for both the losers and the victors. One of the organizers of the Wehrmacht, Beck openly criticized the concentration of all power in the hands of Hitler. The opposition to Hitler considered Beck as a possible head of state if the Fuhrer was removed from the political arena. Beck took part in the July Plot, after the failure of the assassination attempt on Hitler, he was arrested and committed suicide.
Philby K. My secret war. — M.: Voenizdat, 1989.
The author of the book, the outstanding Soviet intelligence officer and internationalist Kim Philby, devoted his entire adult life to the cause of communism, to the cause of defending the gains of the Great October Socialist Revolution, to exposing the aggressive plans of the imperialist powers and the subversive activities of their intelligence services directed against the Soviet state, against peace and social progress. The name of Kim Philby rightfully stands on a par with the glorious names of such Soviet intelligence officers as Rudolf Ivanovich Abel, Konon Trofimovich Molody, Nikolai Ivanovich Kuznetsov, Lev Efimovich Manevich, Richard Sorge, whose highest courage, ideological conviction, heightened responsibility for the assigned work are legendary.
Filippenkov M. N. Vyazemsk Calvary of General Konev. - M.: Veche, 2012. - 272 p.
One of the tragic pages of the Second World War is the events in the Vyazemsky cauldron of 1941. On the pages of the book, the author talks in detail about the bloody battles for the city of Sychovka and the formation of the Vyazemsky cauldron. He mapped out the course of hostilities not by day, but by hour. Behind the dry lines of documents lie human destinies. By analyzing a significant number of documents, the author tries to give a truthful and accurate description of a forgotten battle of World War II.
Filichkin A. T. Scout, penalty man, suicide bomber. Soldier of the Great Patriotic War. – M.: Eksmo, 2015. – 320 p.
On the eve of the war, he graduated from the Army Intelligence School, where the best of the best were selected. Received baptism of fire on June 22, 1941 under the attacks of German dive bombers. He was captured when Sevastopol fell, and went through all the circles of hell, miraculously surviving in a concentration camp and a secret special school, where Russian prisoners were used as sparring partners for training German shepherds. And after his release, the condemned man must “atone for his guilt with blood” in a penal battalion transferred to the Far East. In August 1945, he would have to destroy the Kwantung Army, beat the “samurai,” storm impregnable Japanese fortified areas and again face death even after the Victory!
Fest I. Adolf Gitler. In 3 volumes. - Perm: Aletheia, 1993.
“Now Hitler’s life has really been solved,” stated one of the popular West German newspapers in connection with the publication of I. Fest’s book. The leaders must correspond to the messianic expectations of the masses; a certain sacrament of appearance is necessary. Therefore, it is best for the newly-minted messiah to emerge from the nebula, sparkling like a comet. It is no coincidence that sources connected with the origin of dictators, with the entire period of their life before the “appearance to the people” were so carefully protected from prying eyes or simply eliminated, people who knew too much were physically destroyed. Hitler pursued this “scorched earth” strategy especially zealously around himself. Thus there is a temptation for two types of interpretation, which are in principle related, despite the external opposition. The first of them is extremely simplified, based on an elementary rationalization of the motives of a largely anomalous personality; the second is transferring the search to the area of the subconscious or even the occult. The author of this biography of Hitler managed to happily avoid both extremes.
Flankin V.M. Guards volleys. - M.: Soviet Russia, 1974.
The author describes the combat path of the guards mortar regiment, starting from the first days of training, formation until the victorious offensive across the land of Poland and Czechoslovakia liberated from the Nazis. Front-line life, pictures of battles, images of soldiers and commanders who, in the most difficult moments, did not lose their presence of mind, optimism, and faith in victory - all this was written by the hand of a direct participant in the battles, an observant person with a sense of humor and willpower.
Fokin E.I. Chronicle of an ordinary intelligence officer. - M.: ZAO Tsentrpoligraf, 2006. - 285 p.
Evgeniy Ivanovich Fokin fought in a reconnaissance company from May 1943. Repeatedly participated in the capture of “tongues” on the front line and near the enemy’s rear. A special page in the author’s combat biography is his participation in the daring operation of a special squad to save the most important objects in Krivoy Rog in February 1944.
Fomin A.I. On seven fronts. - M.: Voenizdat, 1989. - 368 p.
The memoirs tell about the actions of the assault engineer brigade, about the first combat operations of the “armored infantry,” about successes and failures. Of interest are the memories of participation in the defeat of the Kwantung Army and post-war service in Harbin.
Fomichev M. G. The path began from the Urals.- M., Voenizdat, 1976. - 224 p.
During the Great Patriotic War, the workers of the Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk and Perm regions created, armed and equipped the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps, which was then transformed into the 10th Guards. The author of the book commanded the 63rd Guards Chelyabinsk Tank Brigade of this corps. She fought in the Battle of Kursk, participated in the liberation of Ukraine and Poland, in the storming of Berlin and was one of the first to break into Prague. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Lieutenant General of Tank Forces Mikhail Georgievich Fomichev, talks about the military affairs of the brigade and the heroism of its soldiers.
Voss Johann. "Black Edelweiss" SS. Mountain riflemen in battle.- Yauza-Press. 2009. - 320 p.
Although the mountain rifle units of the Wehrmacht and the SS, better known in our country under the nickname “black edelweiss,” were used infrequently for their intended purpose, first-class training, fighting spirit and readiness to fight in any, even the most difficult conditions, made them an extremely dangerous enemy. The author of this book, a veteran of the SS Nord mountain division, knew firsthand what war was like on the Eastern Front: severe frosts in winter, dirt and mosquitoes in summer, endless battles, severe losses. This is the bitter confession of a mountain rifleman who voluntarily joined the SS troops as a young romantic-idealist who believed in the “great mission of the Reich,” but very soon felt in his own skin that there is no “romance” in war - only hard combat work, pain, blood and death.
Foffman I. Vlasov against Stalin. - M.: AST, Astrel, 2006. - 544 p.
The book is dedicated to one of the most complex and controversial subjects in the modern history of our Fatherland: the participation of hundreds of thousands of Soviet citizens in the war of 1941-1945. on the side of Nazi Germany. Among them were representatives of all the peoples of the USSR, but in the mass consciousness the problem of collaboration in our country is associated, first of all, with the name of the former Soviet general Andrei Vlasov and the Russian Liberation Army led by him.
Froelich S. B. General Vlasov. — Cologne, 1990. - 403 p.
Memoirs of a former communications officer under A. A. Vlasov. They were published after the author's death by his daughter.
Frisner G. Lost battles. - M.; Military Publishing House, 1966.
The book is the memoirs of a former Colonel General of the Nazi Wehrmacht, who commanded the Army Groups “North” and “Southern Ukraine” on the Soviet-German front in 1944. The author talks in detail about the events associated with the defeat of the Nazi troops near Pskov (June 1944), in Romania (August - September) and in Hungary (September - December 1944).
Fritzsche Klaus. Air gunner. - Yauza-Press. 2009. - 480 p.
The author of this book lived two lives. In the first, he was a devout Nazi, a graduate of the Hitler Youth and the privileged National Political Academy (Napola), which trained the future elite of the Third Reich; served in the Luftwaffe, fought on the He-111 bomber as an air gunner and flight radio operator. Everything changed on June 22, 1943, when his Heinkel was shot down during a raid on Astrakhan and fell into the Volga, and Fritzsche himself was captured by the Soviets. Here, in his own words, another, “real life” began.
Khametov M. I. In the sky of the Arctic.- M.: Politizdat, 1987. - 110 p.
About the hero of this book, the former commander of the Northern Fleet, Admiral A.G. Golovko, wrote during the war years: “Safonov is the hero of the day. And, I think, not just one day. He is a common favorite, this typical Russian from near Tula. An excellent, strong-willed pilot... With his exploits, he glorified not only the aviation of the Northern Fleet, but also all our naval pilots.” The author of the book talks about the short military journey of B. F. Safonov, the first during the Great Patriotic War to be twice awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Hara T. Odyssey of a Samurai. Japanese destroyer commander.- St. Petersburg: Oblik, 1997.
Memoirs of a Japanese officer who served on destroyers throughout the war (most of the war as captain of the Shiguri). Of greatest interest are the descriptions of the battles in Indonesia and the Solomon Islands in 1942-1943, as well as the last campaign of the Yamato (Hara was the captain of the cruiser Yahaji, which accompanied the Yamato to the next world).
Kharazia Kh. L. The roads of courage. - M.: Military Publishing House, 1984, - 176 p.
Kharlamov N.M. Difficult mission. - M.: Voenizdat, 1983. - 224 p.
During the Great Patriotic War, the author headed the Soviet military mission in England. The mission maintained contacts with the command of the armed forces of the allied country, resolved many issues related, first of all, to the opening of a second front in Europe with the supply of weapons and military materials to the Soviet Union. The author talks about how he became a military diplomat and what difficulties the mission members had to face , about meetings with prominent political figures and military leaders.
Hartfeld V. Lonely warriors. — M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2012. – 189.
The book tells about one of the units of hunter-jaegers, created by the Wehrmacht to fight partisans and abandoned in the region of the Belarusian forests. In the long and merciless struggle, each member of the group had his own combat mission; as a result, the unfolding anti-partisan war became a fight between man and man. V. Hartfeld, who commanded a Jaeger unit at the age of twenty-six, is one of the few survivors of these incredible battles.
Kharchenko V.K. ...Special purpose.- M.: Military Publishing House, 1973. - 264 p..
The book by Marshal of the Engineering Troops V.K. Kharchenko truthfully and vividly tells about the soldiers-miners of the 1st Guards Special Forces Engineering Brigade, who went through a glorious battle path from Stalingrad to Berlin. They neutralized fascist mines, insidious explosive “traps”, various land mines, mined the combat routes of enemy tanks, and when the situation required, they picked up machine guns. The reader will learn about intense fights between guardsmen and fascist miners from the Sonderkommandos, and will become acquainted with little-known details of the use by our troops of electrified barriers and mines controlled by radio.
Hashimoto M. Sunk. Japanese submarine fleet in the war. - M.: ACT", 2001. - 637 p.
Motitsura Hashimoto commanded the Japanese submarine I-58, which sank the American cruiser Indianapolis. In this way he gained fame as one of the most successful and experienced sailors of the Japanese submarine fleet.
Hafner S. The story of one German: a private man against the thousand-year Reich: [memoirs] / lane with him. N. Eliseeva; edited by G. Snezhinskaya. – St. Petersburg: Ivan Limbach Publishing House, 2017. – 442 p.
The memoirs of the German journalist and historian Sebastian Hafner (1907-1999), written in exile in 1939, cover the period from 1914 to 1933. The author tries to answer the question of how the events of this decade prepared the Germans to accept the power of the Nazis, how the multi-layered socio-political soil on which the Third Reich was built was created and fertilized.
Heilman V. Last battles of the Luftwaffe. - M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2006. - 264 p.
Luftwaffe pilot, commander of the 7th and then 9th squadron, participant in the battles in the vicinity of Paris Willy Heilman talks about the combat everyday life of German pilots. About how few veterans of air battles took on the brunt of the war, participating in endless assault attacks under anti-aircraft fire and “dog fights” with the enemy, because inexperienced pilots were sent to the front, trained in just a few weeks and almost immediately died in battle. Heilman analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of the system for recording aerial victories and scoring awards for awards. The author concludes his memoirs with a story about the last days of World War II.
Henn P. The last battle. — M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2006. - 287 p.
Peter Henn, a fighter pilot with the 51st Mölders Fighter Squadron and later a squadron commander with the 4th Close Battle Support Squadron, talks about the air battles of the last years of World War II. He was thrown into battle in 1943, just as Hitler's failures were beginning to become more serious. Henn fought in Italy, took part in air battles in France after the Allied landings and ended the war in Czechoslovakia, being captured by the Russians.
Höttl V. Secret front.- M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2003. - 400 p.
Wilhelm Höttl, an intelligence analyst, organizer and participant in many special operations, reveals the history of the creation of the powerful imperial security department of the Third Reich, gives vivid psychological portraits of Himmler, Heydrich, Schellenberg, Müller, Eichmann and others. The book contains unique materials about the methods of work of the German secret services in Central, South-Eastern and Southern Europe.
Hibbert K. Benito Mussolini. - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 1998.
Biography of the largest political figure in Italian history of the 20th century, Benito Mussolini. Written by the English journalist K. Hibbert, a participant in the battles for the liberation of Italy. In the relaxed manner traditional for Western biographers, the author reveals many unknown pages of Mussolini’s personal life, the ambiguity and contradictory personality of the Italian dictator, his ideological evolution and the vicissitudes of his life’s path. Prepared on the basis of a huge number of documents, memoirs, and materials from the author’s personal meetings with many Italian politicians of this period, the book recreates the realities and very atmosphere of the historical era with which the formation of totalitarian regimes in Italy and other European countries is associated.
Hilger G. I was present at this. — M.: International relations, 1990. - 512 p.
Hilger was present at Ribbentrop's first meeting with Stalin and Molotov in the Kremlin on August 23, 1939, and at Schulenburg's subsequent night visits to the Kremlin. And it is thanks to his published memoirs that we know what was happening in the offices of Stalin and Molotov, about the reaction of Soviet leaders, their behavior, the general situation and atmosphere of these surreal rendezvous.
Kholin A. T. Front radio operators. - M.: Voenizdat, 1985. - 199 p.
During the Great Patriotic War, the author was the head of the radio center at the headquarters of the Southwestern, Stalingrad, Don, and Central. 1st Belorussian Front, provided radio communication from Nuremberg with Moscow and Berlin during the trial of the main German war criminals.
Holmes W. Victory underwater.- Smolensk: Rusich, 1999. - 464 p.
The book by American submarine officer W. Holmes is a fascinating story about the combat operations of submarines of the USA, England, Japan and other countries in the Pacific Ocean during the Second World War.
Hall Edelbert. Infantryman in Stalingrad. War diary of a Wehrmacht company commander. 1942-1943. – M.:
Tsentrpoligraf, 2017. - 192 p.
Edelbert Holl, lieutenant of the German army, commander of an infantry company, talks in detail about the combat operations of his unit near Stalingrad and then within the city. Here, the soldiers of his company, as part of an infantry and then a tank division, fought for every street and every house, noting that in these conditions they had to master a completely different, previously unfamiliar type of combat. The Red Army soldiers offered fierce and stubborn resistance, firing from “any hole or breach in the wall and even appearing from underground.” Based solely on personal memories, Hall meticulously describes the course of the fighting, talks about heavy losses, harsh life at the front and the sad end of his Stalingrad epic.
Holmston-Smyslovsky B. A. First Russian National Army against the USSR. - M.: Veche, 2011. - 416 p.
Wehrmacht Major General B.A. Holmston-Smyslovsky is one of the most famous Russian collaborators. Coming from a noble family, an artillery officer and intelligence officer, he fought during the Civil War on the side of the White Army, and then emigrated to Europe. In a foreign land, he did not give up the idea of fighting Bolshevism by any means in the early 1930s. became an employee of the German military intelligence - Abwehr. During World War II, Smyslovsky headed a special reconnaissance and sabotage body - the Special Headquarters "Russia", on the basis of which the so-called First Russian National Army was formed in 1945. Its personnel were interned in the neutral Principality of Liechtenstein and avoided extradition to the Soviet Union.
Holtitz D. Soldier's duty. Memoirs of a Wehrmacht general about the war in Western and Eastern Europe. – M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2015. – 286 p.
In his memoirs, Wehrmacht General Dietrich von Choltitz describes the battles and operations in which he personally took part: the capture of Rotterdam in 1940, the siege and assault of Sevastopol in 1942, the battles in Normandy in the summer of 1944, where he commanded an army corps. Choltitz pays much attention to the organization of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich, the combat training of troops, and the relationship between the military elite and the political leadership. The author's last place of service was Paris, where the general was appointed commandant in early August 1944.
Khomich I.F. We have returned. - M.: Voenizdat, 1959.
Memoirs of a Red Army officer about the last days of the defense of Sevastopol, about how, seriously wounded, he was captured by the Nazi invaders, escaped from captivity, organized a partisan detachment and subsequently became a brigade commander.
Khorobrikh A. M. Air Chief Marshal A. A. Novikov. - M.: Voenizdat, 1989. – 286.
The bright, eventful life of twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Air Chief Marshal A. A. Novikov, provided a lot of material for an interesting and fascinating narrative. The reader will see the hero of the book during the Civil, Soviet-Finnish and Great Patriotic Wars. Of particular interest are the stories about his participation as a representative of the Supreme High Command in many strategic operations of the Great Patriotic War.
Khokhlov P.I. Over three seas. - L.: Lenizdat, 1988. - 240 p.
The book of memoirs is dedicated to the heroic everyday life of the 1st mine-torpedo aviation regiment in the Baltic during the Great Patriotic War. The author, naval pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union, who personally flew 192 combat missions, talks about his comrades, about the first bombing attacks on Berlin in 1941, about participation in the defeat of fascist troops near Tikhvin and in other operations.
Hohof K. Russian diary of a Wehrmacht soldier. From Vistula to Volga. – M.: Tsentrpoligraf. – 2017. -416 p.
During the years of World War II, Kurt Hohof, serving in the German armed forces, went from an ordinary soldier to an officer. He took part in the actions of Hitler's army in the territories of Poland, France and the Soviet Union. The duties of liaison Kurt Hohoff included keeping a log of his regiment's combat operations, which helped him reconstruct the events in which he was a participant and witness. Possessing undoubted literary talent, the well-educated German describes in detail the brutal battles on the Dnieper, on the approaches to the Don and near Stalingrad, and the stubborn resistance of the Red Army.
Khudalov Kh. A. At the edge of the continent.- M.: Voenizdat, 1974. - 264 p.
During the Great Patriotic War, Kh. A. Khudalov commanded a reconnaissance battalion, a rifle regiment, and then a division that defended the Soviet Arctic and liberated Petsamo and Northern Norway. And when the enemy was destroyed in the North, the 10th Guards Pechenga Red Banner Rifle Division joined the troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front and participated in the liberation of the coastal regions of Poland.
Cizer B. Road to Stalingrad. - M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2006. - 238 p.
The memoirs of Benno Zieser are a unique testimony of a German infantryman who managed to survive the Battle of Stalingrad. He talks about the road to Stalingrad, which ended in a grandiose defeat for the Germans. All the horror, all the meaninglessness and hopelessness of the war appeared before Cizer. The battle, without any prospects for the Germans, was drowned in a sea of blood. On the last day of January 1943, the German 6th Army surrendered to the Russians at Stalingrad.
Tsupko P.I. Dive bombers. - M.: Politizdat, 1987.
The book tells about the glorious combat deeds of the first dive-bomber pilots during the Great Patriotic War. The author writes with great warmth about his comrades in arms.
Tskhovrebov I. N. Army General Issa Pliev.- Tbilisi: Metsniereba, 1976. - 152.
This book talks about the Soviet commander, Army General Issa Aleksandrovich Pliev - twice Hero of the Soviet Union. During the years of the struggle against the Nazi invaders and Japanese militarists, I. A. Pliev commanded guards corps and cavalry-mechanized groups; under his command, many military operations and raids behind enemy lines were brilliantly carried out. He walked a difficult military path from Stalingrad to Prague, then from the Mongolian border to the city of Zhehe. The book reveals the features of Pliev’s military leadership and the combat path of his cavalry-mechanized group.
Chadaev Ya., Rybin A., Vlasik N. Next to Stalin. In the service of the leader. – M.: Algorithm, 2018. – 240 p.
They did not hold high party, military or government positions, but only conscientiously carried out their work, being close to Stalin. N.S. Vlasik was the head of the 1st department of the GUGB NKVD (security and support for Stalin) and since 1932 he raised the leader’s son, Vasily. A.T. Rybin also served in the 1st Department of the GUGB and since 1931 was Stalin’s personal guard. Ya.E. Chadayev from 1940 to 1949 was the Administrator of the Council of People's Commissars (Council of Ministers) of the USSR. They remember how Stalin worked and rested, about his “doubles” and “secret advisers”, they talk about attempts on the life of the leader; touch on the topic of repressions of the 30s, talk about Stalin's friends and enemies, about his meetings with Churchill and Roosevelt, about the war.
Chalbash E.U. Fight!- M.: Yauza Eksmo, 2010. - 380.
A classmate of Vasily Stalin, Timur Frunze and Amet-Khan Sultan at the legendary Kachin aviation school, who personally knew Ivan Kozhedub and Alexei Maresyev, Hero of the Soviet Union Emir-Usein Chalbash during the Great Patriotic War made 360 combat missions and shot down 17 enemy aircraft, and during the Parade Pobedy led an air group over Red Square.
Chekunov S.L. I am writing solely from memory... Commanders of the Red Army about the disaster of the first days of the Great Patriotic War. In 2 volumes – Dmitry Pozharsky University. 2017, - 560 p.
Attempts to understand the reasons for the catastrophic defeat of the Red Army in the summer of 1941 were repeatedly made by Soviet and Russian historiographers. However, the research was complicated by the fact that most of the documents of the border divisions, armies and military districts were lost during the fighting. In 1949–1957 The Military Scientific Directorate of the General Staff of the Soviet Army addressed questions about the beginning of the war to the commanders who took part in the first battle on the border. Participants in the events answered the questions posed based solely on memory, without using documentary sources. These materials, published in this publication, remained secret for a long time.
Chennault K.L. The Fighter's Path: American Airpower in the Pacific War. — M: ACT; Transitbook, 2006. - 555 p.
US Air Force Major General Claire Lee Chennault was one of the most prominent and controversial figures of World War II. Chennault led the XIV Air Force and became famous not only for his military exploits, but also for his constant conflicts with the command, earning a reputation as a brawler.
Chernatkina A.E. From the Caucasus to Berlin. - M., 2004
I, Chernatkina (Usova) Alexandra Efimovna, am writing about the exploits of my fellow soldiers of the 43rd Red Banner Order of Kutuzov, II degree, Sevastopol Fighter Aviation Regiment, with whom I marched from the Caucasus to Berlin. The regiment fought from the first days of the war near Kiev, Leningrad, Stalingrad, the North Caucasus, Ukraine, Crimea, Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, and participated in the capture of many cities in Germany. We reached Berlin.
Cherny I. N. The data is reliable. - M.: Voenizdat, 1968. - 320 p.
In August 1942, on instructions from the General Staff, Captain I.N. Cherny landed with a parachute in the Zhitkovichi region on the Boolean swamp. He had to collect information about the enemy in Brest, Baranovichi, Pinsk, Rovno, Kovel, take control of the Nazis' railway transportation, determine the location of their largest air bases, and monitor the movement of military units. The Soviet officer successfully completed the task. Its fighters committed daring acts of sabotage and obtained valuable information. They discovered and described enemy tanks and self-propelled guns “Tiger”, “Panther” and “Ferdinand”, and in the spring of forty-four they penetrated beyond the Bug and, with the help of Polish patriots, began reconnaissance of Warsaw, Lublin, Demblin.
Cherokov V.S. For you, Leningrad!- M., Voenizdat, 1978. - 205 p.
Ladoga... During the harsh times of the Great Patriotic War, the Road of Life ran along it, along which the Leningraders were supplied with the most necessary things to fight the Nazi invaders - food, weapons, reserves. On the way back, the ships of the flotilla evacuated the wounded, sick, women and children. In winter, when Ladoga was frozen, the ice track operated uninterruptedly here. The author of the book, Vice Admiral V.S. Cherokov, commanded the Ladoga military flotilla during the war.
Chertsov A.E. In the fire of torpedo attacks. - M.: Voenizdat, 1959.
The author of the book fought against the fascist invaders on the Black Sea during the Great Patriotic War. In his memoirs, he talks about the difficult trials of wartime and the heroic exploits of the Black Sea sailors from a detachment of torpedo boats who carried out daring raids on enemy ships, both on the high seas and in their moorings; about participation in the battles for the liberation of Novorossiysk and the hero city of Sevastopol.
Cherchesov G. E. Under the pseudonym Xanthi.- Vladikavkaz: Alania, 1995. - 224 p.
About the outstanding intelligence officer, Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel General Kh. D. Mamsurov.
Churchill P. Duel of wits.- M.: Voenizdat, 1961. - 256 p.
P. Churchill was a major British intelligence agent during World War II. He was repeatedly sent to French territory to perform various tasks. In the book, the author talks about some episodes of his illegal activities in France in 1942–1943, about the methods of training British intelligence agents and sending them to enemy territory. Considerable space is given to the description of the heroic, selfless struggle of French patriots against the fascist invaders.
Chechneva M. P. "Swallows" over the front. — M.: DOSAAF, 1984. – 270 p.
The book of essays is dedicated to the female pilots of the Taman air regiment, twenty-three of whom were awarded the highest title - Hero of the Soviet Union. The author also talks about women technicians and armed forces, about their heroic service to the Motherland during the Great Patriotic War, post-war studies, work and life.
Chikov V. Stalin's super agent. Thirteen Lives of an Illegal Scout. – M.: Algorithm, 2018. – 544 p.
In the 1950s, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Costa Rica to Italy, the Vatican and Yugoslavia was the illegal Soviet intelligence officer Joseph Grigulevich. In Mexico, under the leadership of the legendary Pavel Sudoplatov, he participated in organizing the assassination attempt on Trotsky. Over twenty years of work, he managed to become a citizen of ten states and worked under thirteen names, recruiting more than 200 agents around the world. And after his resignation, he became a doctor of historical sciences and wrote one of the best biographies of Che Guevara. “Grigulevich,” KGB Chairman Yuri Andropov said about him, “is the pinnacle of Soviet intelligence, which only those who are marked and chosen by God can achieve.” The book by professional counterintelligence officer, journalist and writer Vladimir Chikov is based on Grigulevich’s dossier from the SVR archive, memories of this phenomenal man’s associates and personal meetings with him.
Chistyakov I. M. Serving the Fatherland. - M.: Voenizdat, 1985. - 288 p.
The author began his military service as a Red Army soldier and took part in the battles of the Civil War. In the harsh December days of 1941, he fought near Moscow. Having become the commander of the 21st Army, transformed into the 6th Guards Army, he marched with it from Stalingrad to the Baltic states. But for General Chistyakov, the war did not end on May 9, 1945. It receives the 25th Army of the 1st Far Eastern Front and participates in the defeat of militaristic Japan and the liberation of North Korea.
Chudakova V.V. How I was afraid of the generals.- L.: Children's literature, 1980. - 110 p.
Autobiographical story and stories about the events of the Great Patriotic War.
Chuev F. I . Ilyushin.- M.: Mol. Guard, 1998.
The book is dedicated to the great Russian aircraft designer Sergei Vladimirovich Ilyushin, the creator of internationally recognized aircraft - from the Il-2, Il-4 to the magnificent Il-62. Three times Hero of Socialist Labor, he wrote one of the brightest pages in the aircraft industry of the 20th century.
Chuikov V.I. . End of the Third Reich. - M.: Soviet Russia, 1973.
Memories of the battles in Stalingrad, oh heroic defense cities by soldiers of the 62nd Army, which was then commanded by V.I. Chuikov. After the Battle of Stalingrad, the army as part of the Southwestern Front was sent to the area of Kupyansk and Svatov. She liberated Donbass, crossed the Seversky Donets, and participated in the liberation of Ukraine.
Chuikov V.I. Mission to China. - M.: Voenizdat, 1983. - 252 p.
A prominent Soviet military leader, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Marshal of the Soviet Union V.I. Chuikov in 1941 worked as a military attaché and chief military adviser to the Chinese army. In his memoirs, he talks about the situation on the Chinese front during the Second World War, about the assistance of Soviet military specialists to the fighting people of China, reveals the positions of various political forces in China, shows how the aggression of Japanese militarism was prepared in the Pacific Ocean and in Southeast Asia .
Chuikov V.I. Battle of the Century. - M.: Soviet Russia, 1975
Memoirs of Marshal of the Soviet Union, twice Hero of the Soviet Union V.I. Chuikov about the heroic defense of Stalingrad. The 62nd and 64th armies were entrusted with the task of defending the city and preventing the Nazis from reaching the right bank. Commander of the 62nd Army V.I. Chuikov talks about the battles on the outskirts of the city and on its streets, about the heroism of our soldiers.
Shapkin N. I. They fought in intelligence. - Petrozavodsk: Karelia, 1991. - 128 p.
The author of the book commanded a company, battalion, regiment, and was wounded. The book tells about military work, about the everyday life of combat of reconnaissance groups, platoons, and ordinary reconnaissance officers who fought on the Karelian Front. The author himself went behind enemy lines more than once. Together with the scouts, he obtained information about the deployment of enemy troops and provided information. He had to make difficult and dangerous forays into enemy positions in the very first months of the war. On instructions from the headquarters of the 14th Army, he created a reconnaissance and sabotage detachment in the Loukh-Kesteng direction and together with it carried out a multi-day raid behind enemy lines. A ski reconnaissance detachment operated behind enemy lines for eleven days in difficult winter conditions and successfully completed the task of the army command.
Sharipov A. A. Chernyakhovsky. – M.: – 304 p.
A book about the youngest front commander in the Great Patriotic War, who died on the battlefield, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Army General I. D. Chernyakhovsky.
Shatilov V.M. And it was so far from Berlin... - M.: Military Publishing House. 1987.
Shatilov V. M. Banner over the Reichstag. - M.: Voenizdat, 1975. - 350 p.
The book tells about the events of the last year of the Great Patriotic War. The author then commanded the 150th Infantry Division, which took part in the defeat of Nazi troops on the approaches to the Baltic States and in the Baltic States, in the liberation of fraternal Poland, and in the battle on the territory of Nazi Germany. In particular detail, he reproduces pictures of the battles in Berlin, the storming of the last stronghold of the Nazis in the city - the Reichstag and the hoisting of the Victory Banner over it.
Shafarenko P. M. On different fronts. — M.: Voenizdat, 1978. - 285 p.
During the Great Patriotic War, Pavel Mendeleevich Shafarenko commanded an airborne brigade, and then a number of combined arms formations, including the legendary 25th Guards Rifle Division. The author talks about the battles in which he had the opportunity to participate, about the exploits of Soviet soldiers, their courage and heroism, about meetings with prominent commanders. Of particular interest are the testimonies of P. M. Shafarenko about the outstanding feat of the guardsmen of the platoon of Lieutenant P. Shironin and the actions of the internationalist fighters of the separate Czechoslovak battalion of Ludwik Svoboda.
Shaffer X. U-Boat 977. Memoirs of the captain of a German submarine, the last refuge of Adolf Hitler. - M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2002. - 254 p.
Heinz Schaffer, commander of the German submarine U-977, talks about the events of World War II, about service in the submarine fleet, without concealing its hardships, dangers and living conditions; about the Battle of the Atlantic and the amazing rescue of the submarine, which made a long autonomous journey to Argentina, where the crew faced imprisonment and accusations of saving Hitler.
Shakht Ya. Chief financier of the Third Reich.- M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2011. - 511 p.
Hjalmar Schacht was one of the largest financiers of the Third Reich, a man with whose name many in Germany pinned their hopes for a stable life, and the one who provided the Nazis with the support of powerful financial and industrial circles on their way to power. Disillusioned with Hitler's policies, Schacht became involved in the July Plot against the Fuhrer, was arrested and kept in a concentration camp until the end of World War II. Shakht's memoirs are not only a description of the author's life, they are the thoughts of a brilliant financier about the features of his era. An excellent journalist and well-educated person, Schacht vividly and vividly describes the events in which he took part and the people with whom fate brought him together. Among them are Bismarck, Millerand, Poincaré, Hitler, Goering, Roosevelt and other major political and military figures.
Shakhurin A.I. Wings of victory.- M.: Politizdat, 1990.
Alexey Ivanovich Shakhurin - People's Commissar of the Aviation Industry of the USSR during the Great Patriotic War. His recollections of both his activities in this post and the work of the country's aviation industry as a whole can clarify some issues of the air war on the eastern front.
Shebunin A.I. How much have we come...- M.: Voenizdat, 1971. - 176 p.
Colonel General Alexander Ivanovich Shebunin went through the ranks of the Soviet Army from the commander of an artillery battery to the Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. During the Great Patriotic War, A.I. Shebunin, as the chief of logistics for a number of fronts, was involved in supporting major operations in the defense of the Caucasus, during the Battle of Stalingrad, during the offensive in Ukraine and the liberation of the peoples of Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary and Austria by the Soviet Army.
Shevelev V. N. N. S. Khrushchev. - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 1999. - 352 p.
Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev, the third leader of the Soviet state after Lenin and Stalin, went down in history in a “black and white” image. Good and evil were balanced in him, which is what the tombstone reflected. He was a man of great passions and great delusions. The book examines Khrushchev's life path, his relationship with Stalin and other leaders included in the “inner circle”. The author seeks to comprehend the period of Khrushchev’s “thaw”, which contributed to the formation of a new social and spiritual climate in society.
Schellenberg V. In the web of SD. - M.: Veche, 2016. - 448 p.
The notes of Walter Schellenberg, the last head of the VI Directorate of the Main Reich Security Directorate, immerse us in the atmosphere of espionage during the Second World War. The author was one of the most knowledgeable people of the Third Reich, but, being true to his profession, on the pages of his memoirs he sometimes dissembles or is silent about his participation in the events described.
Schellenberg tells us about the secrets and intrigues of German intelligence, vividly and accurately paints images of the leaders of Nazi Germany and the intricacies of European politics of 1939-1945. The contribution of German foreign intelligence to the preparation and conduct of a number of military operations is consistently revealed to the reader.
Shepelev A. L. In the sky and on the ground. - M.: Military Publishing House, 1974.
The book tells about the heroic and selfless work of the engineering and technical personnel of many aviation formations, as well as the 17th Air Force. During the Great Patriotic War, the author served there as chief engineer. He and his subordinates ensured the uninterrupted combat work of pilots on the Leningrad, Kalinin, Volkhov, North-Western, Voronezh and 3rd Ukrainian fronts.
Sherwood R. Roosevelt and Hopkins through the eyes of an eyewitness. In 2 volumes - M.: Foreign Literature Publishing House, 1958. - 678 p.
The book covers a large and eventful period in the history of the United States of America and international relations. The author begins his presentation from the 30s of the 20th century and brings it to the end of the Second World War. It covers a very wide range of problems: internal and foreign policy ruling circles of the USA and England, military and diplomatic history of 1939-1945, the creation of the anti-Hitler coalition and the relationship between its main participants, issues of the post-war world order.
Sherman F. War in the Pacific. Aircraft carriers V battle. - M.: ACT.: St. Petersburg: Terra Fantastica, 1999. - 560 p.
The author of this book, a commander of an aircraft carrier and then a carrier task force, lived through the hell of the largest battles in the Pacific. The Coral Sea, the Gilbert and Marshall Islands, Leyte Gulf and, as the crowning achievement of his career, the sinking of the super-battleship Yamato - these were the stages of Frederick Sherman's combat journey.
Shirokorad A. B. The genius of Soviet artillery. - M.: “AST”, 2003.
A book dedicated to the life and work of the designer, Colonel General of the Technical Troops Vasily Gavrilovich Grabin. Grabin created hundreds of unique weapons. The famous ZIS-Z cannon became the same symbol of victory as the IL-2 attack aircraft and the Katyusha. His post-war works are less known, although among them were the most modern models, for example, a 100-mm aviation automatic cannon, mobile heavy-duty guns S-72 and S-73, a 420-mm recoilless atomic gun, etc. Most of them, however, were not adopted for service, but their development made a great contribution to the development of domestic artillery.
Schmidt P. Hitler's translator. - Smolensk: Rusich, 2001. - 400 p.
This book was written by a man who was personally involved in the key events of the pre-war and military history of Nazi Germany, having been Hitler's personal translator since 1935. The negotiations in Munich and the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the meetings of Hitler and Mussolini and the situation in the Reich Chancellery are described by the author as reliably as possible. P. Schmidt made an attempt to evaluate the entire policy of Germany and objectively answer the question whether it was possible to prevent the bloodiest and most inhumane war of the 20th century.
Speer A. Memories.— Smolensk: Rusich; Moscow: Progress, 1997.
For many years, Speer was an eyewitness and direct participant in the events that took place behind the scenes of the Nazi state. Since September 1930, he has been the head of military development, and since February 1942, the Reich Minister of Armaments. Hitler appreciated his abilities, and for nine years Speer was among those close to him who enjoyed the Fuhrer's special confidence. Sentenced to twenty years in prison in Spandau, the famous architect tried to comprehend what had happened to him and his homeland during this time.
Speer A. Third Reich from the inside. - M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2005. - 656 p.
For many years, Speer was an eyewitness and direct participant in the events that took place behind the scenes of the Nazi state. Since September 1930 he has been the head of military development, and since February 1942 he has been the Reich Minister of Armaments.
Schröter H. Stalingrad. The Great Battle Through the Eyes of a War Correspondent. - M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2008. - 320 p.
The book by a German war correspondent about the Battle of Stalingrad figuratively and accurately reproduces the dramatic situation of the great battle, which was the turning point of the Second World War.
Shteenberg S. General Vlasov. — M.: Eksmo, 2005. - 320 p.
The book by the German writer is the life story of one of the most mysterious and tragic figures in the history of World War II - Lieutenant General Andrei Vlasov. Based on a wide range of archival documents and eyewitness accounts, as well as personal experience, the author, a former Wehrmacht officer, talks about how a successful and promising Soviet military leader, who showed himself excellently in the battles for Kiev and Moscow, found himself, due to a combination of circumstances, in German captivity, became the leader of the Russian Liberation Army, created with the support of the Germans to fight against the Stalinist dictatorship.
Steidle L. From the Volga to Weimar.b - M.: Progress, 1975.
On the Soviet-German front, Wehrmacht Colonel Steidle was from the first day of the war until the capitulation at Stalingrad, where he commanded the 767th Grenadier Regiment of the 376th Infantry Division.
Steinhof J. Messerschmitts over Sicily. - M.: ZAO Tsentrpoligraf, 2005. - 302 p.
Johannes Steinhoff, the famous German fighter pilot, talks about Operation Husky, when British and American air forces continuously bombed German and Italian airfields in Sicily. Under pressure from superior Allied forces, Luftwaffe losses became irreparable. For experienced pilots, veterans of battles in Western Europe and Russia, death was almost inevitable; young pilots had even less chance of survival, but there was no order to retreat. Steinhof in his memoirs conveys the entire tragedy of the current situation, when Goering, who did not understand what was happening, accused the famous aces of cowardice and threatened them with a tribunal. Despising him for his incompetence, they still went to certain death.
Shtemenko S.M. General Staff during the war. - 2nd edition. - M.: Voenizdat, 1989.
The book gives a vivid picture of the work of the General Staff in wartime. The role of the Headquarters, the General Staff and the front command in the development of plans for the most important operations of the Great Patriotic War and their implementation is revealed to the reader. The people are well depicted, including prominent military leaders. The second book of memoirs is dedicated to the liberation mission of the Red Army outside the borders of the USSR, the joint struggle of the liberated countries against Nazi Germany.
Shtykov N. G. The regiment accepts the battle.- M.: Voenizdat, 1979. - 159 p.
During the war, Nikolai Grigorievich Shtykov alternately commanded three regiments - mountain rifle, rifle and airborne. He took part in battles on the Kerch Peninsula, on the Seversky Donets, in Germany and Czechoslovakia.
Shchedrin G.I. On board the C-56.- M.: Voenizdat, 1959.
In this book, the author, who commanded the S-56 submarine during the Great Patriotic War, shares his experience as a commander and talks about his comrades in arms - sailors, petty officers and officers who shared with him the difficulties of military campaigns and the joy of victories over the enemy.
Eggers R. Colditz. Notes from the captain of the guard. - M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2006. - 272 pages.
Colditz is an ancient castle that housed one of the first prisoner of war camps in Germany. It contained officers who were opponents of the Hitler regime: British, Dutch, Poles and French. The camp was famous for the fact that more than three hundred escape attempts were made here; the prisoners constantly used various tricks and schemes, but their plans were defeated every time. The author of the book, a guard captain, talks about the daily grueling confrontation between the administration and the prisoners.
Eitingon L. Letters from Vladimir prison. – M.: Algorithm, 2018. – 288 p.
Much is known and written about General N.I. Eitingon, the “ace” of foreign intelligence. In this book, he appears in a new, unusual image for readers - a loving husband, a caring father and grandfather. It is based on letters he wrote to his family during his 11-year imprisonment, with minor explanations. The fate of his stepdaughter, Zoya Zarubina, is also unusual; interesting facts from her biography are given here. The book is supplemented with documents and a large number of photographs from the family archive, many of them published for the first time.
Erfurt V. Finnish War 1941–1944- M.: Olma-Press, 2005.
The author, being a direct participant in the Finnish aggression against the Soviet Union in 1941-1944, reveals from the inside the mechanism of interaction between the German and Finnish commands and touches on some usually hushed up problems.
Uberscher Gerd R. Colonel General Franz Halder. - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 1998. - 304 p.
Franz Halder is one of a cohort of names closely associated with the dramatic events of the Second World War. From the pages of the book emerges an extraordinary and tragic figure of a major military leader who was in opposition to Hitler, who did not share his plans, but at the same time contributed to their implementation. “Guilt and tragedy” are two factors that determined the life and fate of this man. Card Doenitz went from midshipman to president of the already dying Reich, signing the act of surrender of Germany. All his adult life he faced a difficult dilemma - service to the fatherland or service to the political regime.
Yudenkov A. F. Beyond the fiery line. - M.: Voenizdat, 1966. - 272 p.
Eight communists from Yelnya and nearby villages went into the forests in the first months of the Great Patriotic War. More than four thousand patriots soon rallied around them, forming the partisan regiment named after Sergei Lazo. As a result of daring raids on the invaders, the partisans of this regiment liberated and for a long time held in their hands about three hundred settlements, captured from the enemy more than one hundred machine guns, heavy mortars, cannons and even several tanks.
Yurkin I. Ya. We have a special task.- M.: Soviet Russia, 1973. - 205 p.
Memoirs of I. Ya. Yurkin, deputy (then chief) of the operational group, assistant. commander of the reconnaissance unit as part of the partisan unit S. A. Kovpak. Yurkin took part in a raid on the occupied territory of Poland. After the formation was transformed into the First Ukrainian Partisan Division named after S. A. Kovpak, I. Ya. Yurkin became the head of the Special Department of this division.
Yakimenko A. Cover, I'm attacking!- M.: Yauza, Eksmo, 2005. - 384 p.
The author of this book is Hero of the Soviet Union Anton Dmitrievich Yakimenko - one of the few pilots who had the opportunity to go through the entire war “from bell to bell” and even more: having received a baptism of fire back in 1939 at Khalkhin Gol, he met Victory in Austria. Hundreds of combat missions, dozens of downed enemy aircraft, three wounds, victories and losses, the unvarnished truth about the war and fascinating descriptions of air battles shown “from the inside”, from the cockpit of a fighter.
Yakovenko V.K. Partisans.- M.: Military Publishing House, 1980. - 304 p.
During the Great Patriotic War, the author commanded the 99th Belarusian Partisan Brigade named after D. Gulyaev. It tells about the heroic struggle of Soviet women against the Nazi invaders on the territory of temporarily occupied Belarus, about the courage and heroism of the underground women and partisans of the republic, and tells about a whole galaxy of Soviet patriots who, with their dedication and labor, made an immeasurably great contribution to the victory over the enemy.
Yakovlev N.D. About artillery and a little about myself. - M.: Higher School, 1984.
The author in June 1941 became the head of the Main Artillery Directorate of the Red Army and throughout the years of the Great Patriotic War he led this important body that connected the Supreme Command Headquarters and the General Staff with the People's Commissariats and factories, which provided the fronts with weapons and ammunition. In his book, N.D. Yakovlev makes it possible to assess the full scale and significance of the GAU in solving the most important problem - providing the active army with the basic means for conducting a successful armed struggle.
Yakovlev N. N. Zhukov.- M.; Young Guard, 1992. - 459 p.
This is a biography of Marshal G.K. Zhukov written at the level of modern knowledge about the Great Patriotic War. The book introduces the hero, the great commander, the savior of the Fatherland, into the inner world.
Yakushin I. A. Checkers out!- M.: Yauza, Eksmo, 2008. - 320 p.
Are cavalry better than tanks? Absurd! Nevertheless, this “archaic” branch of the military survived the entire war. Did mounted attacks happen in 1944 and 1945? Did the cavalry win? In this book you will find answers to all these questions. The author of these unique memoirs had the opportunity to fight as part of the legendary 5th Guards Cavalry Division, with which he fought from the Dnieper to the Elbe.
Jalovic-Simon M. Illegal. How a young girl survived Berlin 1940–1945. – M.: AST, Corpus, 2018. – 432 p.
Maria Yalovich (1922–1998), the daughter of a Jewish lawyer, managed to survive under National Socialism by hiding from the authorities in Berlin. After liberation in 1945, she remained in the city and became a professor of ancient literature and cultural studies at the University. Humboldt. Her son Herman Simon, founder and long-term leader of the New Synagogue - Centrum Judaicum foundation, begged his mother, shortly before her death, to dictate the story of her salvation on tape. Based on 77 tapes, he and writer Irena Stratenwerth prepared this book.
Young E. Lurkers in the Deep. - M.: ZAO Tsentrpoligraf, 2003. - 383 p.
The Naval Submariner tells the story of British submarine warfare in World War II. Young went through a difficult journey from a novice to one of the best and most experienced captains in the Royal Navy. He served in the Far East, the Red Sea, the Far North and the Mediterranean, and for the last three years he commanded the submarine "Storm". You will learn about combat patrols and the participation of submarines in special operations, about the heroism, victories and defeats of submariners.
Yarovoy A.F. Wolf's Lairs: Adolf Hitler in War, in Politics, in Everyday Life. - M.: Detective-Press, 2002. - 252 p.
Adolf Hitler... Thousands of pages have been written about him; historians and political scientists, philosophers and writers turn to his personality, trying to understand the phenomenon of the Fuhrer. The author in his book talks about the features of military-strategic activities, military and personal life, environment, and Hitler’s principles of communication. The author uses little-known documentary materials from the Freiburg Military Archives of Germany, the London Military Archives of Great Britain, etc. The book tells about 16 Hitler’s headquarters, built to control troops in East Prussia - “Wolfschanze” (“Wolf’s Lair”), in Belgium and France - “Wolfschrucht” "I, II and III, ("Gorge of the Wolf" I, II, III), in the USSR near Vinnitsa - "Werewolf" ("Wolf's Shelter"), and several temporary headquarters, which certainly also bore for the most part "wolf names" - " Wolfstrum", "Wolfsberg", etc.
Yatsovskis E. Ya. Not subject to oblivion. - M.: Voenizdat, 1985. - 207 p.
The author recalls his work during the Great Patriotic War as an investigator of the Special Department of the NKVD (later the Smersh counterintelligence department) in the Lithuanian formations - the 179th Rifle Division and the 16th Red Banner Klaipeda Rifle Division. He talks about the boundless devotion to the Motherland, the courage and high military skill of fighters and commanders, and the struggle of military security officers against enemy agents.
See also Books | Memoirs and biographies. ,
L83 The sky remains clear. Notes of a military pilot. Alma-Ata, “Zhazushy”, 1970. 344 pp. 100,000 copies. 72 kopecks There are events that are never erased from memory. And now, a quarter of a century later, Soviet people remember that joyful day when the radio brought the long-awaited news of the complete defeat of Nazi Germany. The author of this book went through the war from the first day until the battle at the gates of Hitler's capital. As a fighter pilot, he has shot down about forty German planes. The publishing house hopes that the memoirs of the twice Hero of the Soviet Union, General...
Military pilot Antuan Exupery
“Military Pilot” is a book about defeat and about the people who endured it in the name of future victory. In it, Saint-Exupéry takes the reader back to the initial period of the war, to the days of May 1940, when “the retreat of the French troops was in full swing.” In its form, “Military Pilot” is a report on the events of one day. He talks about the flight of a French reconnaissance plane to the city of Arras, which found itself behind German lines. The book is reminiscent of Saint-Exupery's newspaper reports about events in Spain, but it is written on a different, higher level.…
We are children of war. Memoirs of military test pilot Stepan Mikoyan
Stepan Anastasovich Mikoyan, Lieutenant General of Aviation, Hero of the Soviet Union, Honored Test Pilot of the USSR, is widely known in aviation circles in our country and abroad. Having entered aviation in the late thirties, he went through the crucible of war, and after that he had the opportunity to test or pilot all types of domestic aircraft of the second half of the 20th century: from light sports cars to heavy missile carriers. The memoirs of Stepan Mikoyan are not just a vivid historical essay about Soviet fighter aviation, but also a sincere story about the life of a family...
Military pilot: Memoirs of Alvaro Prendes
The author of the book is now an officer in the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba. talks about his military service, about participation in the revolutionary movement on Liberty Island against the reactionary regime of dictator Batista and the American imperialists for the establishment of people's power in the country.
Akarat a Ra (or Confession of a military pilot) Sergei Krupenin
Akarakt a Ra literally means awareness of evil. In the fantasy genre, a new sense of the universe arises, based on data from modern branches of science and the ancient science of Kabbalah, which not only do not contradict, but also complement each other. All data given in the story can be checked independently.
Pilots M. Barabanshchikov
The collection “Pilots” is dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the Komsomol. The book includes essays about outstanding military pilots, students of the Lenin Komsomol, who fearlessly defended their native skies during the Great Patriotic War. Among them are twice Heroes of the Soviet Union V. Safonov, L. Beda, Hero of the Soviet Union A. Horovets, who shot down nine enemy aircraft in only one battle. The preface to the book was written by the famous Soviet pilot three times Hero of the Soviet Union I. Kozhedub.
Big show. World War II through the eyes of the French... Pierre Closterman
The author of the book, a military pilot and participant in World War II, describes the battles in the sky as he saw and assessed them himself. Pierre Closterman's impressions, recorded during breaks between hostilities and operations, paint the reader an accurate and reliable picture of military events and convey the vivid feelings experienced by the French pilot.
Speed, maneuver, fire Anatoly Ivanov
The heroes of the documentary story by Colonel A.L. Ivanov, Honored Military Pilot of the USSR, are Soviet pilots who, at the first call of the Motherland, stood up to defend it during the Great Patriotic War. The author resurrects the immortal exploits of fighter pilots in battles against fascist invaders in the skies of Kuban, Ukraine, Belarus and at the final stage of the war.
Soldier's Award William Faulkner
Faulkner wrote his first novel, A Soldier's Award (originally titled The Distress Signal), in New Orleans in 1925. The plot of the novel concerns Faulkner's desire to become a military pilot during the First World War. As is known, he entered military pilot school in Canada, but the war ended before he graduated from school. The novel was published in 1926 and was not successful, although it was noticed by many outstanding writers of America. After the Second World War, the novel was republished and sold in large quantities.
Revenge Jim Garrison
The story is a classic of modern American literature, based on which Tony Scott made the famous film starring Kevin Costner and Anthony Quinn. Garrison can write about a bloody love triangle involving a powerful drug lord and a former military pilot or masterfully pack a lyrical family saga into a hundred pages, but his heroes are always looking for justice in an irreparably changed world and can hardly withstand the pressure of passions to which all ages are submissive.
Black shark Ivan Serbin
The lightning-fast reaction of an air ace helps military pilot Alexei Semenov avoid a bullet after completing a combat mission. The fighter on which he makes a night flight over battle-torn Chechnya disappears along with... the airfield, and he, like a hunted animal, escapes from the pursuit of special forces, disrupting the criminal operation of a corrupt army general. But not everything is bought and sold. There is a fighting brotherhood of soldiers, there are people who know how to look death in the eye and respond to blows with blows. With such allies, Alexey is not alone - the fight...
Flight at dawn Sergei Kashirin
At first glance, much in this book may seem exaggerated for the sake of entertainment: the military pilots described in it often find themselves in extremely dangerous situations, but emerge victorious from any situation. At the same time, all the episodes are reliable and most of the characters are named by their real names. They still serve in the army today, sacredly preserving the military traditions of their fathers and grandfathers. In the recent past, the author of the book himself was a military pilot and flew on many modern aircraft. He talks about the people with whom he flew and made...
Wing to wing Vasily Barsukov
A book by a former military pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union about the exploits of the remarkable aces of the 303rd Fighter Air Division under the command of the Hero of the Soviet Union, General G.N. Zakharov, as well as about the pilots of the famous Normandy-Niemen regiment, which was part of the 303rd Division, - Marcela Albert, Jacques Andre, Rolland Puapa, Marcela Lefebvre, awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The book is illustrated with drawings by the author. He drew and took notes between fights, trying to capture what he saw with his own eyes.
Right next to the Black Sea. Book II Mikhail Avdeev
The author of this book is Mikhail Vasilyevich Avdeev, a famous naval pilot. He entered aviation in 1932. He met the Great Patriotic War in the Crimea as a deputy squadron commander, a year later he became a regiment commander: talented officers always quickly rose through the ranks. In fierce air battles he shot down 17 enemy aircraft. I learned the bitterness of retreat and the joy of victory. He fought for Sevastopol, Perekop, participated in the liberation of the Caucasus, and ended the war in Bulgaria. The pilots of the regiment, commanded by M.V. Avdeev, shot down 300 enemy aircraft,...
Fellow soldiers Alexander Chuksin
The story “Fellow Soldiers” tells about the combat path of an aviation regiment during the Great Patriotic War. The author of the story, himself a former military pilot, knows well the life of the glorious falcons, their difficult military work, full of heroism and romance. Many pages of the story, devoted to the description of air battles and bombing strikes behind enemy lines, are full of drama and intense struggle and are read with great interest. The heroes of the book - Soviet patriots - fulfill their duty to the Motherland to the end, display fearlessness and high flying skill. Patriotism,…
Beauty and the Generals Svyatoslav Rybas
Publisher's abstract: A novel about the white movement in the South of Russia. The main characters are military pilots, industrialists, officers, and generals of the Volunteer Army. The main storyline is based on the depiction of the tragic and at the same time full of adventures destinies of the young widow of a Cossack officer Nina Grigorova and two brothers, aviator Makariy Ignatenkov and Vitaly, first a high school student, then a participant in the white struggle. Nina loses everything in the civil war, but fights to the end, becomes a sister of mercy in the famous Ice March, which later became...
U-3 Härtan Flögstad
Härtan Flögstad is one of Norway's modern writers and an excellent stylist. His action-packed political novel “U-3” is based on the actual events of the recent past, when US reactionary circles disrupted negotiations between the leaders of the two great powers by sending a spy plane into Soviet airspace, which was shot down by a Soviet missile. The hero of the novel is a young military pilot who trained in the United States, who became a spokesman for the protest of his compatriots against the adventurous actions of the American military. The author subtly shows...
The Secret of the Master Nikolai Kalifulov
According to the author, the novel “The Secret of the Master” shows the confrontation between two systems - good and evil. On the side of the forces of light, the main character is Heinrich Steiner, a native of a German colony. In the early thirties of the twentieth century, while serving in a Soviet air squadron near a secret German flight school, military pilot Heinrich Steiner was recruited by local security officers to work to expose German agents. Then events will occur as a result of which he will illegally leave the Soviet Union and end up in the lair of Nazi Germany. A…
