The weekly “Argumenty i Fakty” # 47. Why there are fewer fish, birds and animals 11/24/2021 The war plot of the Great Patriotic War
< img src = "/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/cena-podviga-zhizn-v-chjom-byla-zadacha-zoi-kosmodemjanskoj-9ae67fe.jpg" style = "visualization block;" />
There are 80 & nbsp; years, the 29 & nbsp; November 1941 & nbsp; g., in & nbsp; the village of Petrishchevo uttered the words: “ No matter how much & nbsp; hang on us, don't hang everyone, we are 200 & nbsp; millions. But & nbsp; for & nbsp; our comrades will take revenge on you. & # 39; & # 39;
These were the last words of Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya … She said them & nbsp; already with a & nbsp; noose on & nbsp; the neck. & Nbsp; the next second, a box was kicked out from under his feet, and & nbsp; the noose has tightened. It was this version of Zoya's death that prevailed at the end of the USSR & nbsp; & mdash; without too much detail. Which then did a disservice, giving unscrupulous people a reason to stage quite a parade of 'revelations'. Say, “ the most kept Soviet secret was & nbsp; the fact that many villagers reacted to the death of & nbsp; Zoya without sympathy. & # 39; & # 39; & Nbsp;
Painting of the execution of Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, painted by the Kukryniksy in 1947. Photo: Public domain
Indeed, when Kosmodemyanskaya was brought to the & nbsp; gallows, one of the & nbsp; inhabitants of the village of Petrishchevo, Agrafen Smirnov , hit him & nbsp; feet with a stick shouting, “Who is it that you hurt?” They burned down my house and & nbsp; did nothing to the Germans … & raquo; & nbsp;
Direct counterfeiting
However, it was no secret in & nbsp; during the war and & nbsp; in the post-war years. About & nbsp; the act of Smirnova and & nbsp; about & nbsp; his trial in & nbsp; September 1942 & nbsp; writer Pavel Nilin prepared a test with & nbsp; feature title 'Wickedness'. Where, by the way, it was mentioned that Kosmodemyanskaya also burned the huts of the Karelovs and & nbsp; Solntsevs: “ Hit her, & nbsp; & mdash; said German officer Ivan Solntsev … & mdash; & nbsp; She burned your hut … Ivan Yegorovich Solntsev, an old collective farmer, a Russian man, looked at the tortured Russian girl and said nothing. Then the Germans called Agrafena Smirnova, and & nbsp; the old woman, in & nbsp; with rage, hit the girl. Press once and & nbsp; another one. And & nbsp; swung & nbsp; the third time, spitting foul curses. But & nbsp; then a Russian woman Praskovya Petrouchina appeared and & nbsp; blocked the girl with her body. Agrafena Smirnova and & nbsp; his & nbsp; accomplice Fedosya Solina , who incited the villagers to & nbsp; beat Zoya, were tried and & nbsp; slaughtered. As well as the & nbsp; leader Semyon Sviridov , who gave Zoya to the Germans.
Then this episode of Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya's story was dropped. About & nbsp; the fact that there weren't any 'many villagers' condemning Kosmodemyanskaya was forgotten. But the words “ she set the house on fire, but & nbsp; did nothing to the Germans & nbsp; & # 39; & # 39; have become a little & nbsp; is not & nbsp; the banner of those who question him & nbsp; feat. This can impress the gullible, especially when it comes to & nbsp; “ suffering of civilians who, as a result of Zoe's actions, found themselves homeless in winter. & # 39; & # 39;
In & nbsp; these words and & nbsp; lies a fake which distorts the idea of & nbsp; what happened in & nbsp; these & nbsp; days. Civilians found themselves homeless in winter. But & nbsp; not & nbsp; in & nbsp; as a result of the actions of Zoe and & nbsp; other fighters from sabotage groups. Better than others, the witnesses and witnesses of & nbsp; and & nbsp; of & nbsp; can talk about it.
Legitimate objectives
“ It was on the & nbsp; Russian front in & nbsp; November 1941 & nbsp; g. Our battalion fell back on the & nbsp; village of Petrishchevo, & nbsp; a few kilometers from the & nbsp; forehead. We were happy to rest and occupied the cabin. The Russian family has been put on the streets. As soon as we took a nap the alarm went off: four cabins were on fire … & # 39; & # 39; This is the testimony of a non-commissioned officer of the 10th company of the 332nd regiment of the 197th division of the Wehrmacht Karl Beyerlein captured.
“ The Germans chased us from the houses with rifle butts. In & nbsp; each hut theirs & nbsp; was packed. & # 39; & # 39; “ Mom took us with & nbsp; sister on a & nbsp; sleigh at & nbsp; Zlatustovo. And & nbsp; when we & nbsp; returned home, the Germans of & nbsp; have already made us bunk beds for sleeping, & nbsp; & mdash; there was no more room for us. “ When they set fire to the Karelov house next to & nbsp; and & nbsp; to a shed with & nbsp; horses alongside, the Germans jumped up half-dressed. & # 39; & # 39; These are the memories of the inhabitants of the village of Petrishchevo. It is clear that they could not & nbsp; and & nbsp; and that means the picture is real. It was the Germans who drove out the inhabitants of the & nbsp; houses in the & nbsp; frost, leaving them homeless. It was the Germans who saw themselves as the owners of the houses & nbsp; & mdash; just by & nbsp; right of conquest. It turns out that Zoe was destroying homes that actually belonged to the enemy.
So the group of fighters, which Zoya entered, by the first entry into the village of Petrishchevo, managed to set fire to three residential buildings, crowded to capacity by the Nazis, and a barn. Is it a lot or a little? Someone, maybe, won't seem enough. But & nbsp; let's compare the result of this raid of several men of the Red Army of the military reconnaissance and sabotage unit 9903 & nbsp; with the results of their & nbsp; colleagues. For example, with the & nbsp; results of the Western Front Special Forces raid, which was trained by Georgy Zhukov on the & nbsp; base of the Airborne Reserve Battalion of the Military Council in & nbsp; October 1941 & nbsp; city & nbsp; and & nbsp; totaled 600 & nbsp; people. This is what the senior political instructor of this unit, Ignatiy Strigunov said.: “ Arrived at & nbsp; destination on November 26 & nbsp;, the fighters & nbsp; have immediately & nbsp; received a task for & nbsp; two days & mdash; destroy several villages where the Germans settled … In only & nbsp; during the march, the detachment set fire to 62 & nbsp; houses where the Germans settled, destroyed the headquarters of the German division in the & nbsp; Petrovskoe village … & raquo; & nbsp;
By & nbsp; everything turns out that the group of Zoya and & nbsp; she herself hardly acted & nbsp; was not & nbsp; more effective than experienced saboteurs armed with machine guns, machine guns, grenades, automatic rifles and & nbsp; even rifles, “ silent ''; with & nbsp; silent flameless firing devices. At the disposal of & nbsp; Zoya was only a revolver and & nbsp; bottles with & nbsp; Molotov cocktails …
But & nbsp; it was only Zoya's first visit to & nbsp; Petrishchevo. Group leader Boris Krainov considered that the task was complete. In the & nbsp; principle, it & nbsp; had reason to believe it. Remember & nbsp; & mdash; on the group's account there are three houses and a barn, where there were 20 & nbsp; horses. However, Zoe returned to continue the sabotage. Why? Is it by & nbsp; love of & nbsp; arson or misunderstood heroism?
A few lines from the document of examination of witnesses to the execution of Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, written on January 25, 1942 at & nbsp; d. Petrishchevo, Gribtsovsky Village Council, Vereisky District, Moscow Region & # 39; & # 39; : & # 39; & # 39; German soldiers caught her & nbsp; to & nbsp; to this & nbsp; when she was on a combat mission & nbsp; & mdash; set fire to the stable, in which there were more than 300 & nbsp; horses. The German sentry grabbed her from behind, and she didn't have time to shoot.
The calm before the storm
In the sample of the Wehrmacht 1941 & nbsp; g. there was 1 & nbsp; million horses. & nbsp; 90% & nbsp; they were assigned to & nbsp; infantry divisions. In terms of horsepower, the Standard German Division was twice the size of the Red Army Rifle Division. This explains the speed of movement of the Germans. The mobility of the Wehrmacht in the & nbsp; Battle for & nbsp; Moscow was run by horses. It is no coincidence that Zoya chose the stable, where there were over 300 & nbsp; horses & # 39; as the next target. This suggests & nbsp; the fact that she fully understood the meaning of the sabotage operation & nbsp; & mdash; strike at & nbsp; including & nbsp; on & nbsp; mobility of Germans. Apparently commander of military unit 9903 Artur Sprogis acted in & nbsp; in strict accordance with & nbsp; order of headquarters n ° & nbsp; 0428 of & nbsp; 17 & nbsp; November 1941 & nbsp; g .: “ To destroy the settlements, select the bravest and & nbsp; strong in & nbsp; politico-moral terms of soldiers, commanders and & nbsp; them & nbsp; tasks and & nbsp; the importance of this event for the defeat of the German army. Zoya's persistence in achieving this goal is also explained by the fact that the headquarters of the regiment was located in Petrishchev and & nbsp; also a communication center, whose tasks were to follow the radio exchanges of Soviet troops. & Nbsp;
And & nbsp; now remember the date. Zoya was captured on the evening of November 28 & nbsp; They tortured all night. And & nbsp; hung on the morning of November 29 & nbsp ;. These were the days of calm before the storm, before the infamous Soviet counteroffensive, which begins on December 5 & nbsp; In & nbsp; preparation conditions for a major operation, communications and & nbsp; enemy mobility & nbsp; & mdash; targets on which & nbsp; must strike. At all costs. Zoya decided that the prize would be his life.
