Military river fleet. River flotillas and sea armored trains in the South of Russia

September 3rd, 3:08

1. Residents of Manchuria greet Soviet troops disembarking from the ships of the Red Banner Amur Flotilla.
On the right you can see one of the KAF monitors. Unlike the mass-produced photographs (staged and taken after combat operations) with the landing of troops from the Sverdlov monitor, this one clearly shows the combat appearance of the ship - camouflage painting, camouflage nets on the superstructures and numerous branches.

Thanks to the extensive program of digitization of archives and funds of museums of the Russian Federation, various historical photographs and materials have become available, incl. photographs on the history of the KAF, from the funds of the Central Naval Museum in St. Petersburg.
I present a selection of such photographs from August-September 1945 to the attention of blog readers.
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August 9th, 2011

The Red Banner Amur Flotilla in battles against Japan in 1945. Sungari trek.
Part one.
KAF during the Great Patriotic War. Preparation for the war with Japan.

After the defeat of Nazi Germany, Japan remained the only Axis state that continued military operations. Despite the sharp deterioration of the international situation, she firmly stood for the continuation of the war, counting on stubborn defense to achieve a peace beneficial to herself. Japan had sufficiently large forces to wage a protracted war. And the calculations of the Japanese command were justified. The operations of the American-British armed forces on the approaches to Japan developed extremely slowly. This development of operations did not foreshadow the imminent end of the war with Japan, and this forced the Allies to turn to the Soviet Union for help.
The Soviet Union entered the war with Japan in accordance with the decision of the Crimean Conference of the Heads of Government of the USSR, USA and Great Britain, held in February 1945. At the Potsdam Conference of Heads of State, held in July 1945, the governments of the United States and England confirmed their interest in our country's entry into the war with Japan.
The Soviet Armed Forces had to conduct combat operations mainly on the territory of Manchuria and Korea, as well as on Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, i.e. at a front exceeding 6 thousand km. Along the USSR border the enemy had 21 fortified areas
Despite the fact that Japan was drawn into a protracted war against China and waged military operations against the American armed forces on a wide front, it constantly strengthened the Kwantung Army. If in June 1941 its number did not exceed 300 thousand people, then on January 1, 1942. it amounted to 1,100 thousand people (approximately 35% of the entire Japanese army), i.e. increased 4 times in six months. During the Great Patriotic War, border rivers repeatedly became places of provocations.
During the war years, the Amur Flotilla sent 9,542 sailors to the front, who fought in various fleets and fronts. In the period from February 25 to March 2, 1945. The Military Council of the Red Banner Amur Flotilla held a bilateral operational game on the topic “Assisting ground forces in an offensive operation along the water line with crossing the fortified water line and destroying the enemy flotilla,” which was preparation for the Soviet-Japanese War.


KAF ships in Osipovsky backwater (mid 40s)
By the beginning of the war with Japan, the Amur flotilla included four brigades of river ships, the Sretensky separate division of river ships, and the Khanka and Ussuriysk separate detachments of armored boats. On July 1, 1945, the flotilla included: eight monitors, 11 gunboats (three specially built, and eight wheeled from among the mobilized ships), 52 armored boats, 12 wheeled river minesweepers, 36 cutter minesweepers, seven mine boats of the I-5 type with NURS, one minelayer, one network minelayer, five floating anti-aircraft batteries (including three self-propelled), 15 semi-gliders, three patrol boats, three floating bases and one headquarters ship. However, some of the ships mentioned above were under major repairs. For example, out of eight monitors - two ("Kirov" and "Dzerzhinsky"), out of five specially built gunboats - two ("Red Banner" and "Buryat"). With the outbreak of hostilities, all border guard patrol boats on the Amur and Ussuri rivers came under the operational control of the flotilla. The flotilla also included about 70 aircraft.


mine boat type I-5 with NURS on Zeya


Gunboat "Red Star" after modernization. 1945.


Border boat on the Amur. Late 30s

The first brigade included monitors Lenin, Krasny Vostok and Sunn Yat Sen; 1st Tsh Division (four wheeled river minesweepers), 1st BK detachment (boats project 1124 N- 11, 12, 14, 23), 5th BK detachment (boats project 1124 No. 20 and 47, boats of the type Alert No. 91 and 92), 1st and 2nd detachments of cutter boats (six boat minesweepers each), 1st MKA detachment (seven mine boats), self-propelled floating battery N-1234 and non-self-propelled floating battery N "1231.
The second brigade included monitors Sverdlov and Far Eastern Komsomolets, the 2nd division of trucks (four wheeled river minesweepers), the 2nd detachment of the bka (boats pr. 1124 N "-" 13, 21, 22, 24), the 3rd BKA detachment (boats pr. 1124 No. 51-54), 3rd detachment of cutters (six boat minesweepers), self-propelled floating battery No. 1232, non-self-propelled floating battery No. 1230.


Monitor "Serdlov" 1945

The third brigade included the 1st division of gunboats (Proletary and Mongol), the 3rd division of gunboats (wheeled gunboats No. 30, 31, 36 and 37), the 4th armored detachment (boats pr. 1125 No. 31 -34), 4th and 7th detachments of cutters (six boat minesweepers each), self-propelled floating battery No. 1233, wheeled minelayer Strong.


Armored boat Pr.1125 on the Amur. Early 40s.
The Zee-Bureyskaya brigade of ships included the 2nd division of gunboats (monitor Active and the gunboat Krasnaya Zvezda, wheeled gunboats N "32-35), the 3rd division of tsch (three river minesweepers), the 1st division of the bka (boats pr. 1124 No. 41-46, 55 and 56), 2nd battalion division (boats pr. 1124 no. 61-64 and K-type boats no. 71, 73, 74, 74), 5th detachment of boats (six boat minesweepers), 2nd detachment of gliders (5 units), 3rd detachment of gliders (4 units).

Monitor "Active"
The Sretensky separate detachment of river ships included the 1st detachment of the armored vessel (boats pr. 1124 No. 16-19), the 2nd detachment of the armored vessel (boats of the N type "N" 81 and 84, boats of the Pika type No. 93 and 94), a detachment of gliders (AR 41 and 42).
The Ussuri separate detachment of armored boats included boats pr. 1125 N "26-29.
The Khanka separate detachment of armored boats included boats pr. 1124 No. 15, 25, 65 and 66.
The security of the Main Base raids included three patrol boats and the boom net minelayer ZBS-1.
The Amur River Flotilla had nine separate anti-aircraft artillery divisions, armed with 76-mm guns - 28, 40-mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns - 18 and 20-mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns - 24. In addition, the flotilla had its own air force in composition of a fighter regiment, individual squadrons and detachments. In total there were LaGG-3 - 27, Yak-3 - 10, Il-2 - 8, I-153-bis - 13, I-16 - 7, SB - 1, Po-2 - 3, MBR-2 - 3, Yak-7u - 2, S-2 - 1.
At the same time, despite advance preparations for the war with Japan and the presence of a prepared reserve in the form of two European flotillas, the Amur flotilla was staffed by only 91.6% of officers, and 88.7% of petty officers and enlisted men. The situation was leveled by the fact that four relatively large ships were under repair, as well as good special training of the personnel. The latter is partly explained by the fact that during the Great Patriotic War, even in comparison with the Pacific Fleet, the Amur Flotilla was in constant readiness to repel aggression, and therefore they tried not to take away its personnel. Starshinsky and most of the rank and file had served for 6-8 years by that time, and most of the officers joined the flotilla 10-15 years ago.
The main command of the Soviet troops in the Far East entrusted the Red Banner Amur Flotilla with a very difficult and responsible task - to ensure the crossing of the river. Amur with troops of the 2nd Far Eastern Front and assist their offensive in the Sungari and Sakhalyan operations.
It should be noted that R. The Amur is the largest waterway of the Far East, navigable along almost its entire length (more than 2800 km). Its tributaries, the Sungari and the Ussuri, are also full of water. In the most important directions along the state border of the USSR with North-Eastern China, which runs mainly along the Amur and Ussuri, the enemy created strong fortified areas. The main ones were: Sakhalyansky (opposite Blagoveshchensk), Sungarisky (covering the entrance to the Sungari River) and Fujinsky (70 km from the mouth of the Sungari, protecting the approaches to Harbin). The fortified areas consisted of resistance nodes and strongholds connected by communication passages, the basis of which were pillboxes, bunkers, and reinforced concrete structures. At the beginning of hostilities, the Red Banner Amur Flotilla (commanded by Rear Admiral N.V. Antonov) consisted of up to 150 warships and boats and was significantly superior in combat strength and armament to the Sungari River Military Flotilla of the Japanese.

Small ships of Project 21630 with artillery weapons were created specifically to strengthen the Caspian flotilla. The ships have a small displacement and therefore can be used in river and sea flotillas. In 2002, from spring to autumn, large-scale exercises were held in the Caspian Sea, involving the forces of many departments and ministries. Almost all the heads of Russian security forces attended the exercises, and Russian President V. Putin also attended the Caspian exercises. One of the results of the exercises was the first Russian ship program, which included the creation of modern small warships for the Caspian flotilla.

MAK "Astrakhan" pr.21630, 2006 (http://militaryphotos.net)

The developer of the newest river-sea ship is JSC Zelenodolsk Design Bureau. The ship project is named “Buyan” and numbered 21630. The work on creating the ship was supervised by the head of the design department Y. Kushnira, and the chief observer from the fleet, captain 1st rank V. Denisov, helped the designers in scientific and technical support of the project. The MAC of the new project 21630 “river-sea”, developed for use in the Caspian Sea, is intended to perform tasks in the near sea zone, river deltas and river sections. The small displacement and draft are specially selected for the shallow depths of the Caspian and Volga. The designers also provided a sufficient cruising range - the ships can travel the entire Volga or Caspian Sea on one refueling.

Design of MAK project 21630
The ship's hull is made using stealth technologies, which significantly reduces radar signature - the planes of the superstructure are made at an angle, protruding parts of the equipment and hull are kept to a minimum, many doors, hatches and superstructures are hidden in the planes, and the equipment is in fairings, radar-absorbing coatings and materials are used . In addition, modern domestic achievements in shipbuilding were used in the creation of the Buyan MAK. All materials, equipment and weapons are produced by Russian enterprises. Electronic equipment is built on Russian element base. The ship is significantly superior in armament to similar projects of Western and domestic production.

Armament MAK "Buyan"
Project 21630 ships for combat duty to protect and guard Russia's 200-mile economic zone in the Caspian Sea are equipped with the following weapons:
- universal 100 mm gun mount “A-190-01”, installed in the bow of the ship. Controls the fire of the Laska fire control system;
- two units of a six-barreled 30 mm AK-630 assault rifle, installed on the left and right sides;
- retractable MLRS 122 mm "Grad-M", installed in the stern of the ship;
- launcher for the 3M-47 “Gibka” air defense missile system using the “Igla/Igla-1M” missile defense system, installed in the stern of the ship. PU control is remote;
- 2 machine gun mounts 14.5 mm MTPU;
- additional weapons - anti-sabotage grenade launcher of hand-held depth charges and mines dropped from 2 points.

Equipment of MAC "Buyan"
- BIUS type “Sigma” with an integrated bridge system;
- radar station MR-123 for the Laska fire control system;
- optical-electronic type observation device;
- navigation radar station MR-231;
- four PK-10 jamming systems;
- GAS "Anapa-M" of lowered type.

The competition for the construction of project 21630 was won by Almaz OJSC in 2003. The construction of 10 new ships is planned. The first (lead) ship of the series was laid down at the St. Petersburg shipyard at the end of January 2004. The ship received serial number 701 and began to be called “Astrakhan”. The name of the ship was given on the initiative of the commander of the Caspian flotilla and the governor of the region. The launch took place in early October 2005. In 2006, Project 21630 MAK, under the name “Astrakhan” and tail number 012, joined the ranks of the Caspian Flotilla.

The first serial and second in the series ship "Volgodonsk", laid down at the end of February 2005, was launched in May last year, and at the end of 2011 with the number 161 (serial number 702) it was put into operation. It is currently undergoing various tests and will be relocated to the Caspian Sea in the summer.

The second serial, third (last) in the series ship “Makhachkala”, laid down at the end of March 2006, is currently preparing to leave the slipways for water, it is expected that this will happen at the end of this month. The Caspian flotilla is expected to be replenished at the end of 2012.

Known modifications:
- project 21630 – basic MAK project;
- project 21631 - a corvette or small missile ship, also intended to strengthen the Caspian flotilla. Apart from the overall weight characteristics and missile weapons, the rest of the weapons and equipment are almost identical to the basic design;

Project 21632 is an export version of Project 21631. Armament on ships of the project is of export standard or according to customer requirements. 6 such ships will be built for the Kazakh Navy.

Key Features:
- length 62 meters;
- draft 204 centimeters;
- width 9.6 meters;
- displacement about 500 tons;
- speed 28 knots;
- range 1.5 thousand miles;
- autonomous operation 10 days;
- team of 29-34 people.

Sources of information:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n190OQb6DGU
http://militaryrussia.ru/blog/topic-394.html
http://www.warships.ru/Russia/Fighting_Ships/Patrol_Craft/21630.html
http://vpk.name/news/50884_proekt_21630_buyan__malyii_artilleriiskii_korabl.html

Formation of the Soviet Pinsk river military flotilla in 1940

After September 17, 1939, the state border of the USSR advanced significantly in the west. Due to the fact that Kyiv found itself deep in the rear, the strategic role of the Dnieper flotilla was significantly reduced, and according to the pre-war operational plans, no military operations were supposed to be carried out in the Dnieper area. Since, in the event of hostilities, Kyiv was considered as a city in the distant rear, river ships and the command of the Dnieper flotilla had to be relocated closer to the new western border, that is, to Pinsk. The People's Commissar of the USSR Navy, Admiral of the Fleet N.G. Kuznetsov, discussed this issue with the Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army B.M. Shaposhnikov, and later reported on it to I.V. Stalin. In the end, the proposal of the People's Commissar of the Navy to transfer the command of the Dnieper flotilla to Pinsk, where some ships of the flotilla were based since the fall of 1939, was accepted. The flotilla headquarters remained in Kyiv until the summer of 1940.

After the annexation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina to the Moldavian SSR in June 1940, which changed the southern border of the USSR, it was decided to transfer the main ships of the Dnieper flotilla to the Danube. In June 1940, without completing state exams and with the consent of the People's Commissariat of the Navy, a graduate of the command department of the Naval Academy in Leningrad, captain 2nd rank V. V. Grigoriev, was sent to the position of chief of staff of the flotilla in June 1940. In the same month, the flotilla was disbanded and 2 new ones were created on its basis - Danube and Pinsk.

The Pinsk River Military Flotilla began to be created according to the order of the People's Commissar of the USSR Navy, Admiral N. G. Kuznetsov, No. 00184 dated June 17, 1940, with the main base in Pinsk and a rear base in Kyiv under the command of Captain 1st Rank (later Rear Admiral) D. D. Rogacheva. The meeting of the commander, who arrived on the glider, took place in full form at the flotilla. The ships were built in two columns with crews on the upper decks. V.V. Grigoriev gave the order to D.D. Rogachev to report from another glider. Then the commander and chief of staff of the flotilla sat until midnight discussing upcoming matters. A telegram received by D. D. Rogachev in the morning reported that V. V. Grigoriev was appointed chief of staff of the Danube military flotilla. Captain 2nd rank G.I. Brakhtman was appointed chief of staff of the Pinsk flotilla, military commissar was regimental commissar G.V. Tatarchenko (until July 15, 1941), then brigade commissar I.I. Kuznetsov, and chief of logistics was captain 1st rank – P. A. Smirnov.

The Soviet Pinsk military flotilla included a significant part of the ships of the former Polish river flotilla. It is no coincidence that Pinsk was chosen as the main base of the newly created flotilla. After all, it was in this city that the river port, ship repair shops and fortifications of its predecessor, the former Polish Pinsk flotilla, could be used. Moreover, the Dnieper-Bug Canal was hastily reconstructed, which connected the basin of the Dnieper and Vistula rivers, connecting Pripyat through Pina (near Pinsk) with the Bug (near Brest), which was of no small importance for the Soviet Pinsk flotilla. The Soviet Pinsk flotilla was directly subordinate to the People's Commissar of the USSR Navy N. G. Kuznetsov, and operationally to the commander of the troops of the Western Special Military District, Army General D. G. Pavlov.

By the beginning of the war with Germany, the Pinsk flotilla numbered 2,300 Red Navy men, petty officers and officers in its ranks. It consisted of command and headquarters (the ships Bug and Pripyat were assigned to the flotilla headquarters), river forces, maneuver formations, ground and rear units.

River forces included a division of monitors (monitors “Bobruisk”, “Smolensk”, “Vitebsk”, “Zhitomir”, “Vinnitsa”), a group of gunboats (gunboats “Trudovoy” and “Belorus”), a division of armored boats (BKA No. 41 - 45, 51 - 54 and 11 without numbers, as well as the floating self-propelled base "Berezina", a division of minesweepers (Nos. 1 - 5), the minelayer "Pina" and the Training detachment (monitors "Levachev", "Flyagin", gunboats " Forward", "Verny", floating bases "Udarnik", "Belorussia", a detachment of armored boats Nos. D1-D5, N-15, Nos. 201-203 and 205).

Thus, by the beginning of the war, the river forces of the Pinsk flotilla, in addition to auxiliary ships and two headquarters ships, consisted of seven monitors, four gunboats, thirty armored boats, the minelayer "Pina" and seven minesweepers - a total of 49 warships.

What tasks did the flotilla face in 1941? Order No. 00300 dated December 29, 1940, discovered in the archives, by the People's Commissar of the USSR Navy, Admiral Kuznetsov, formulated the main task for the Pinsk flotilla for 1941: “Achieving coordinated interaction of all forces of the flotilla to defeat the enemy, when solving rear operations, at any time of the year and day " In turn, Commander Rogachev, in order No. 002 dated January 14, 1941, aimed the flotilla at the immediate task: “The combat training of all formations of the Pinsk flotilla should be aimed at practicing the topics of operational and rear games, detachment exercises of the flotilla and joint exercises with the Red Army. Unsatisfactorily conducted exercises should be repeated after analysis and instructions.” In the order, Dmitry Dmitrievich Rogachev noted the successes of the flotilla:

1) discipline has significantly increased and strengthened;

2) the demands of commanders have increased;

3) the first steps have been taken to raise the level of operational-tactical training of command personnel;

4) communication with the Red Army has improved regarding the organization of interaction between the flotilla and field troops;

5) a lot of work has been done to study and describe the river theater.

As we can see, the monitors, gunboats, armored boats and minesweepers of the Pinsk flotilla, according to their tactical purpose, were organizationally reduced into divisions, detachments and groups of similar ships. It was believed that this form of organization of the flotilla’s river forces ensured its flexible control, individual training of ships and their combat use as part of homogeneous tactical groups and formations.

Combat activity of the Pinsk flotilla in June - September 1941

A terrible disaster not only for the Pinsk flotilla, but also for the entire country, broke out on June 22, when at 4 a.m. Moscow time, Nazi Germany attacked the USSR. According to the Barbarossa plan, approved by Hitler in December 1940, the main forces of Army Groups Center and South were to join forces east of the floodplain of the Pripyat River, leaving aside the almost hundred-kilometer Pripyat Polesie Corridor.

The Soviet government had information about the attack. At about 11 o'clock in the evening on June 21, 1941, the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR, Marshal S. K. Timoshenko, summoned the People's Commissar of the USSR Navy, Admiral N. G. Kuznetsov, who, a few minutes later, together with the Deputy Chief of the Main Naval Staff, Rear Admiral V. A. Alafuzov arrived at the Marshal's office, where in addition to him there was the Chief of the General Staff, Army General G.K. Zhukov. S.K. Timoshenko, without naming sources, warned about a possible German attack on the USSR, and G.K. Zhukov showed N.G. Kuznetsov and V.A. Alafuzov a telegram detailing what the troops should do in the event of an attack Germany. But it did not directly affect the fleets. Having skimmed through its text, N.G. Kuznetsov asked whether it was allowed to use weapons in the event of an attack, and, having received an affirmative refusal, ordered Rear Admiral Alafuzov: “Run to headquarters and immediately give instructions to the fleets about full actual readiness, that is, about readiness No. 1. Run!” .

This order concerned not only fleets, but also flotillas, since all sea, lake and river flotillas were directly subordinate to the People's Commissar of the USSR Navy, Admiral N.G. Kuznetsov.

At 0 hours 10 minutes on June 22, the People's Commissar of the USSR Navy, Admiral N. G. Kuznetsov, signed a directive with the following content:

"Urgently

Military councils

1) Red Banner Baltic Fleet,

2) Northern Fleet,

3) Black Sea Fleet

To the commander of the Pinsk flotilla

Commander of the Danube Flotilla

During 22.6 - 23.6 a surprise attack by the Germans is possible. An attack may begin with provocative actions.

Our task is not to succumb to any provocative actions that could cause major complications. At the same time, the fleets and flotillas must be in full combat readiness to meet a possible surprise attack from the Germans or their allies.

I order you to switch to operational readiness No. 1 and carefully disguise the increase in combat readiness. I categorically prohibit reconnaissance in foreign territorial waters.

Do not carry out any other activities without special orders.

Kuznetsov."

They started talking about Soviet monitors at the highest levels of the Nazi Wehrmacht already in the second month of the war. At the very beginning of August 1941, the following entry appeared in the military diary of the Chief of the German General Staff F. Halder: “The offensive is influenced by monitors...” It was about the ships of the Pinsk military flotilla.

The Pinsk river military flotilla, like the entire Soviet Navy, was not taken by surprise by this attack. The commander of the Bobruisk monitor, senior lieutenant Fyodor Kornilovich Semenov, testifies differently: “The 1941 war found the monitor in the Pinsk Military Port. The monitor quickly mobilized and at 10.00 on June 22, 1941, the entire flotilla, including the Bobruisk monitor, disembarked and went up the Pina River...”

At that fatal moment for the Soviet Union, the advance detachment (one monitor, 4 armored boats) and the main forces of the Pinsk flotilla (4 monitors, 6 armored boats, minelayer “Pina”) were in Pinsk, and the rest of its ships were at that moment in Kyiv. In connection with the German attack on the USSR, on the orders of the flotilla commander, they began to concentrate in the Mozyr-Doroshevichi area on the Pripyat River.

On the morning of June 23, 1941, the ships of the advance detachment under the command of the chief of staff of the flotilla, captain 2nd rank G.I. Brakhtman, arrived at Kobrin, and the main forces of the flotilla under the flag of its commander, Rear Admiral D.D. Rogachev, were at that time in the Dnieper-Bug Canal , 16 – 18 km from Kobrin.

The flotilla performed a wide variety of tasks:

June 24... The ships of the Pinsk military flotilla concentrated on the Pina River and took up positions on the western approaches to Pinsk.

June 25... Ships and units of the Pinsk flotilla, together with army units, fought on the western approaches to Pinsk.

June 26... The ships and coastal units of the Pinsk flotilla, together with the rifle battalion formed from the retreating units of the 3rd Army, covered Pinsk from the west.

June 28... The Pinsk flotilla, defending Pinsk, began to transfer the main base to Narovlya, and the ships of the flotilla to the Luninets - Lakhve area.

July 2... Intelligence of the Pinsk flotilla established that Pinsk, abandoned by the enemy, was not occupied by the enemy. The Chief of the General Staff ordered the commander of the 75th Infantry Division to enter the city and organize its defense together with the ships of the Pinsk military flotilla.

July 3... Units of the 75th Infantry Division and ships of the Pinsk Flotilla entered Pinsk and occupied the defense lines, but at 23.00 the commander of the 21st Army ordered the city to be abandoned.

July 4... At dawn Pinsk was abandoned, and at 12.30 the Germans entered it. Thus, Rogachev carried out the order of the commander of the 21st Army, and did not leave the city without permission.

On July 5, 1941, by order of the People's Commissar of the USSR Navy N.G. Kuznetsov, the Pinsk flotilla came under operational subordination to the commander of the 21st Army, and on July 6 it and the troops of the 75th Rifle Division defended on the Luninets - Turov line. The next day, the ships of the flotilla helped the partisan detachment under the command of V.Z. Korzh cross the Pripyat. On July 9, the commander of the Red Army battalion and the head of the defense of the city of Turov, Major Dmitrakov, agreed with the commander of the Pinsk military flotilla to conduct artillery preparations before the offensive and drive the enemy out of the village of Olshany, Stolinsky district. The major later reported on July 10 that the flotilla began shelling and drove the enemy out of that village.

As a result of poor organization of the offensive and lack of communication with the flotilla, the German troops stationed in Olshany launched hurricane fire from automatic rifles, machine guns, mortars and artillery. Ultimately, the detachment under the leadership of Dmitrakov was forced to retreat with heavy losses. The losses of the Pinsk flotilla in this battle are unknown to us.

After the battle near the village of Olshany, the next day the Pinsk flotilla was divided into three detachments: Berezinsky (commander - captain 2nd rank G.I. Brakhtman; commissioner - N.D. Lysyak. On July 20, 1941, G.I. Brakhtman left for Kiev to fulfill his direct duties as the chief of staff of the flotilla, and captain 3rd rank Z.I. Bast was appointed to his position), Dneprovsky (commander - captain 1st rank I.L. Kravets; commissioner - A.N. Shokhin) and Pripyatsky (commander - Lieutenant Commander K.V. Maksimenko; Commissioner - K.D. Dyukov).

Each detachment had its own combat mission, different from other detachments. Thus, the Berezinsky detachment was given the task of assisting the troops of the 21st Army of the Western Front in the Bobruisk direction.

The Pripyat detachment was tasked with covering, together with the troops of the 75th Infantry Division and the Mozyr fortified area, the junction of the Western (from the end of July - Central) and Southwestern fronts on Pripyat.

The Dnieper detachment, which found itself in the path of the advance of the enemy army group “South,” had to interact with units of the 26th and 38th armies, which were trying to create a stable defense on the Dnieper line south of Kyiv. In addition, the detachment provided artillery support for ground forces in the defense of bridgehead positions, covered the crossings of retreating troops and the destruction of enemy crossings across the Dnieper.

The Pripyat detachment of the Pinsk flotilla, consisting of the Bobruisk monitor, the Pina minelayer, two armored boats, 4 patrol ships, a floating base, a floating anti-aircraft battery and the Kamanin hospital ship, was the first to begin hostilities. At the beginning of July 1941, the German command, concerned about the offensive of the 21st Army in the Bobruisk area, intensified offensive operations in the Turov area. The Nazis transferred their troops from Luninets to David-Gorodok for a further attack on Mozyr along the right bank of Pripyat. Therefore, the commander of the 75th Infantry Division set the Pripyat detachment the task of breaking into the enemy’s location for reconnaissance and firing at his troops in David-Gorodok. The detachment commander, Lieutenant-Commander K.V. Maksimenko, allocated the Bobruisk monitor, commanded by Senior Lieutenant F.K. Semenov, to solve this problem.

With the onset of darkness on July 11, "Bobruisk" left Turov and at dawn on July 12, it took up a firing position on the right bank of the Pripyat opposite the mouth of the Goryn, carefully camouflaged itself as the coastline, and set up observation posts in the direction of David-Gorodok and Lakhva. The Bobruisk gunners fired 4 salvos from 3 guns. Fires broke out in the city, the enemy lost 4 guns, more than 50 vehicles with cargo and ammunition, and up to 200 soldiers and officers killed. Only at the end of the shelling did the Germans open scattered fire at the monitor’s firing position from the area of ​​Lakhva and David-Gorodok. But the Germans opened fire too late. This is explained by the fact that they had no idea where Soviet artillery suddenly appeared on the opposite bank, 30 km from the front line? Enemy fire did not cause any harm to the ship. Having completed the task, the Bobruisk monitor withdrew from the firing position and headed down Pripyat to Turov, where it safely arrived at dawn on July 13.

From July 13 to July 26, fierce fighting broke out in the Turov area. Supported by the ships of the Pripyat detachment, units of the 75th Infantry Division exhausted the enemy in battles for each strong point, inflicting heavy losses on them. From July 26, they continued to cover the junction of the Southwestern and Central fronts along the Pripyat River in the Petrikov-Narovlya section. On August 21, in connection with the regrouping of Soviet troops, the Pripyat detachment was given the task of ensuring crossings for the 3rd and 5th armies. To complete the task, the ships were divided into 2 groups. The first group of ships, having entered the Rojava-Novi Shepilichy area, began to transport Soviet troops retreating to the eastern bank of the Dnieper. The second group in the Mozyr-Yurovichi area covered the withdrawal of units of the 3rd Army to new defensive lines. On August 28, the Pripyat detachment linked up with Berezinsky. According to I. I. Loktionov, the Pripyat detachment of the Pinsk flotilla completely fulfilled the tasks assigned to it, without suffering losses in the ship’s composition.

The Berezinsky detachment, consisting of monitors “Vinnitsa”, “Vitebsk”, “Zhitomir”, “Smolensk” and 5 armored boats, began their military operations with a tragic incident. On July 13, a garrison meeting of representatives of the command of the Pinsk flotilla, the 487th Infantry Regiment and the partisan detachment under the command of Miklashevich was held in the town of Parichi. It was decided to conduct a joint operation in order to eliminate the German group operating in the Parichi area, and also agreed on mutual support, conditional signaling about who should conduct the offensive in which direction. The commander of the 487th Infantry Regiment, Major Goncharik, in the presence of the regiment commissar Pelyushenyuk, his combat assistant Major Sokolov and other commanders, ordered the battalion commander Ryabikov to notify all personnel and command personnel taking part in the operation that it would take place jointly with the partisan Miklashevich's detachment and ships of the Pinsk flotilla. But Ryabikov, for a reason unknown to us, did not carry out the order, which led to the tragedy.

In the area of ​​the village of Novaya Belitsa, a battery was sent under the command of junior lieutenant Lomakin, who, noticing the camouflaged turrets of the flotilla ships, mistook them for enemy tanks and opened fire on them. The ships returned fire. In this skirmish, the flotilla lost 5 people killed and the same number wounded. Losses of ground forces are not indicated in the documents. It is only known that this incident was reported to the command of the 21st Army, to which the Berezinsky detachment was directly subordinate, and an investigation was carried out by a special department of the NKVD of this army. It established that the main culprit of the incident was the battalion commander Ryabikov.

On July 23, the monitor “Smolensk” (commander - senior lieutenant N.F. Petsukh) fired at enemy firing points located in the area of ​​​​the village of Prudok. As a result, two guns were disabled, four vehicles with troops and cargo, as well as a large number of infantry, were destroyed. According to local residents, the Germans only took out the corpses of 13 cars.

On July 22, 1941, the monitors “Zhemchuzhin” (commander – senior lieutenant P.D. Vizalmirsky) and “Rostovtsev” (commander – senior lieutenant V.M. Orlov) from Odessa headed to the Kyiv region, where they were included in the Dnieper detachment of Pinsk flotilla. Starting from July 31, “Zhemchuzhin” and “Rostovtsev” took part in battles on the southern approaches to the capital of Soviet Ukraine, since all the ships of the Dnieper detachment in the period from July 13 to July 30 had no combat contact with enemy ground forces, but only repelled enemy air raids . But from July 31, when on the southern approaches to Kyiv, they took direct part in the battles for the crossings. The Dnieper detachment, in addition to monitors and gunboats, was assigned patrol ships, patrol ships, mother ships, minesweepers, and armored boats. It is interesting that if the Berezinsky and Pripyatsky detachments consisted of five former Polish monitors, then the Dnieper detachment included Soviet-built monitors: “Levachev”, “Flyagin”, as well as “Zhemchuzhin” and “Rostovtsev” transferred from the Danube flotilla. All of them were built at the Kiev plant "Leninskaya Kuznitsa" in 1936 - 1937. Now, in the summer of 1941, they defended the city in which they were built from the enemy. The commander of the Dnieper detachment, Captain 1st Rank I. L. Kravets, divided the detachment’s ships into 3 battle groups, which took positions near Tripolye, Rzhishchev and Kanev. Later, he allocated a group of ships to cover crossings near Cherkassy and Kremenchug.

For the immediate defense of the bridge across the Desna near the city of Oster, the command of the Pinsk flotilla formed on the night of August 23-24 a detachment of Red Navy men, foremen and commanders of the naval semi-crew of the flotilla consisting of 82 people, which were assigned anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns on mechanical traction. Major Vsevolod Nikolaevich Dobrzhinsky was appointed commander of this detachment, taking into account his considerable combat experience.

The detachment arrived in the Ostra area at dawn on August 24, where at that time there was only a small division of sailors guarding the maneuver base, and there were no Red Army units near Ostra. During the day, the sailors repulsed 4 enemy attacks (the Germans threw 3 companies, 6 tanks and 4 armored vehicles into the last attack). Assessing the actions of the enemy, V.N. Dobrzhinsky came to the conclusion that their daytime attacks were just reconnaissance in force in order to find out the composition of his detachment and the defense system of the place, which must be kept in his hands at all costs for about another day. Information delivered by intelligence officers at the end of the day confirmed these conclusions.

Later, scouts established that on the edge of the forest, 5 - 8 km west of the Desna, by the evening of August 24, 1941, up to two regiments of Yirazh infantry, three companies of machine gunners, up to twenty tanks and armored vehicles, several platoons of motorcyclists, up to thirty guns of various calibers had accumulated .

At this moment, Vsevolod Nikolaevich ordered the sailors to counterattack the enemy. Unexpectedly for them, sailors rushed at the Germans from both flanks. Their commander was the first on the right flank to rise to his full height and rush towards the enemy, setting a worthy example to his subordinates and drawing them along with him. The Nazis could not withstand the friendly onslaught of the sailors and, believing that a large group of Soviet troops was advancing, they began to gradually retreat, leaving the dead and wounded on the battlefield. They even left a battery of serviceable 37-millimeter anti-tank guns, which the sailors immediately deployed and opened flanking fire on the enemy column. The detachment's fighters pursued the enemy all the way to the forest. Then Vsevolod Nikolaevich, realizing that the enemy could regroup and counterattack, ordered everyone to return to their original positions. An unsuccessful attempt by German troops to capture the bridge over the Desna cost them heavy losses. The major's detachment fulfilled the task assigned to it with honor.

On August 25, 1941, the Germans tried to organize another crossing of the Dnieper - in the Sukholuchye area (10 - 12 km below Okuninovo). The ships of the Pinsk flotilla, which included the gunboat "Verny", destroyed a significant part of the enemy's ferry fleet with their well-aimed artillery fire, but this day was the last for the crew of the "Verny", as well as for the veteran ship of the Pinsk river flotilla itself.

Embittered by the failure to transport troops to the Okuninovsky bridgehead, the German command on August 25, 1941 sent a large number of aircraft to attack Soviet ships. Nine enemy bombers flew to attack one gunboat "Verny" and were convinced of success, but they were soon disappointed. The courageous crew of the ship successfully repelled this raid. Then, half an hour later, another 18 bombers attacked the gunboat Verny. They began to dive-bomb her, coming from different directions, dropping high-explosive and incendiary bombs, fragments of which littered the deck and also crashed loudly into the side of the ship. Huge columns of water rose up around the boat from the endless explosions of bombs. But commander A.F. Terekhin was always on the open bridge and controlled the maneuvers of the gunboat. For thirty minutes, the crews of the ship's anti-aircraft guns steadfastly repelled the enemy air raid, but the forces were far from equal. After a half-hour battle, German bombers managed to score two direct hits on the gunboat. Senior Lieutenant Alexey Fedorovich Terekhin and other officers who were on the conning tower and on the bridge were killed. The chief boatswain of the ship, foreman of the second article, Leonid Silych Shcherbina, a selfless and devoted man to maritime affairs, who was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, but never had time to put on his gold Star, since he died in the hospital on August 25, 1941, was mortally wounded. As a result of the explosion of an artillery magazine, the gunboat "Verny" sank near Sukholuchye, taking with it the surviving crew members under the water of the Dnieper.

After successfully ensuring the crossings of the retreating Soviet troops, the flotilla concentrated its efforts on the defense of Kyiv, where on September 1, 1941, the Berezinsky and Pripyatsky detachments of ships arrived with battle and losses. The ships of the flotilla carried out fire strikes on the enemy, destroying manpower and equipment. However, by mid-September 1941, the Soviet troops failed to change the situation on the fronts in their favor. The advantage remained on the enemy's side.

Colonel General F. Halder happily wrote in his diary dated September 19, 1941: “Report: from 12.00 the German flag is flying over Kiev. All bridges have been blown up. Three of our divisions burst into the city: one from the northeast, and two from the south. All three division commanders are old general staff officers (Sixtus von Arnim, Chewallern and Stemmermann).

Indeed, on this day, due to the difficult situation that developed on the Southwestern Front after the encirclement of its main forces, Soviet troops, by order of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, left the city of Kyiv. The defense of the capital of Soviet Ukraine by units of the Red Army and sailors of the Pinsk flotilla (especially ships of the Dnieper detachment) lasted 71 days, during which the enemy was unable to capture either a direct attack from the west or multiple attacks from the southwest and south along the Dnieper.

In connection with the abandonment of Kyiv by Soviet troops, the surviving ships were given the task of covering the withdrawal of the Red Army units, preventing the enemy from crossing the Dnieper near Kyiv and along the Desna from the mouth of the river to the Letki pier. In connection with the withdrawal of Soviet troops from the borders of the rivers of the Dnieper basin, the ships of the flotilla remaining in combat formation were blown up by their crews on the Dnieper on September 18, 1941. The Pinsk flotilla in the battles for Belarus and Ukraine in 1941 lost killed, died from wounds, and went missing and 707 personnel were wounded.

Disbandment of the Pinsk river military flotilla and its importance in the defense of Soviet Belarus in the summer - autumn of 1941

On October 5, 1941, in connection with the withdrawal of Soviet troops from the borders of the Dnieper basin, the People's Commissar of the USSR Navy, Admiral N. G. Kuznetsov, signed an order to disband the Pinsk river military flotilla. After disbandment, one link of the Pinsk flotilla continued to exist. And it was a joint school. It is known that she arrived from Kyiv to Stalingrad on August 11, 1941. Since September, she began to be called the “United School of the Training Detachment of Ships on the Volga River,” and after some time she was included in the troops of the North Caucasus Military District.

In some military and even post-war publications, the Pinsk flotilla is simply ignored as an independent combat naval formation, since Soviet historiography identified the Pinsk flotilla with the Dnieper. This is recorded in the book of Fleet Admiral I. S. Isakov, published in 1944, and then republished in 1946 in collaboration with Colonel A. Garanin, where the authors claim that “the Dnieper flotilla, into which Pinsk ships joined at the beginning of the war The flotilla, helping the Red Army, waged a stubborn and lengthy struggle against the advancing Nazi troops on Pina, Pripyat and the Dnieper."

In an article by Captain 1st Rank B. Sheremetyev, according to whom, in the terrible year of 1941, on the Berezina, Pripyat, Dnieper, and Desna rivers, the advancing German troops, along with units of the Red Army, were opposed by ships not of the Pinsk, but of the Dnieper flotilla.

The People's Commissar of the USSR Navy was well aware of how the Pinsk flotilla was treated: its very existence was ignored, and its combat activities in the summer and fall were attributed to the then non-existent Dnieper flotilla.

The Pinsk flotilla should not be identified with the Dnieper flotilla, much less should they be united, as I. Sarapin did in his article: “From the first days of severe military trials, sailors and foremen, commanders and political workers of the Pinsk-Dnieper flotilla of the military flotilla, like all warriors The Red Army courageously entered into battle with the Nazi troops, showing massive heroism on the rivers of the Dnieper basin.”

The above evidence does not give anyone the right to ignore the very existence of the Pinsk flotilla from June 17, 1940 to September 18, 1941, since it was on this tragic day for it that the last ships were destroyed by their crews. A warship without people is not a warship, and a flotilla without ships is not a flotilla. Therefore, September 18, 1941 should be considered the end of the military activities of the Pinsk River Military Flotilla, and its official disbandment on October 5, 1941 should be considered a fixation of this fact.

The command of the Southwestern Front highly appreciated the skill and courage of the sailors of the Pinsk flotilla. After ensuring the crossing of Red Army units north of Kyiv, the Military Council of this front sent a telegram on September 2, 1941 to the commander of the flotilla with the following content: “To the commander of the Pinsk flotilla, Rear Admiral D. D. Rogachev. You completed your tasks in the spirit of the traditions of Soviet sailors. Nominate worthy comrades for awards.” On September 10, the Council noted that “The Pinsk flotilla, in the fight against the German fascists, showed and continues to show examples of courage and bravery, sparing neither blood nor life itself for the Motherland. Dozens of commanders and Red Navy men of the flotilla have been nominated for state awards.” And in 1941, it was not easy to earn an award: they were given sparingly. Moreover, it was quite rare to be nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. And yet, four sailors from the personnel of the Pinsk river military flotilla were presented to this high and honorable title in 1941. This is the commander of the gunboat “Verny”, senior lieutenant Terekhin Alexey Fedorovich (awarded only the Order of Lenin posthumously); the chief boatswain of this gunboat, foreman 1st article Shcherbina Leonid Silych (awarded only the Order of Lenin posthumously); the commander of the naval half-crew of the flotilla, then the marine detachment, Major Vsevolod Nikolaevich Dobrzhinsky and the commander of the squad as part of Dobrzhinsky’s detachment, foreman of the 2nd article Shafransky Ivan Maksimovich. Two ships of the Pinsk flotilla - the gunboat "Verny" and the monitor "Vitebsk" - in the summer of 1941 were nominated by the Military Council of the Southwestern Front for awarding the Order of the USSR.

The existence of the Pinsk river military flotilla was short, but remarkable. Her military activity was striking. The flotilla did not have an enemy similar to itself - river, floating - in front of it. The enemy was on land and in the air. Rivers often remained accessible to ships even behind the front line. The ships of the flotilla quietly transported Red Army troops where the crossing would have been immediately detected by enemy aerial reconnaissance. It was they who came to the rescue of units pinned to the swamps, landed tactical troops, although from June to September 1941 there were only two of them, but all on the territory of Belarus, and provided assistance to the partisan movement in the difficult months of its formation. But most importantly, the ships supported the infantry with their artillery fire from positions where no one could move field artillery. Moreover, ships often occupied and left these positions so quickly that they remained invulnerable. In the incredibly difficult conditions that developed between the Dnieper, Desna and Pripyat rivers in the initial period of the war, the Pinsk flotilla successfully completed the task set by the command of the Southwestern Front to cover the crossings of ground forces through the Pripyat, Dnieper, Desna north of Kyiv.



Amur river flotilla

operational formation of the Russian fleet, intended for the Far Eastern theater of military operations in the river basin. Amur and Ussuri. The need to have naval combat forces on the Amur became apparent already with the beginning of the development of the Far Eastern Territory in the middle of the 19th century. In 1854, the first large caravan of barges and rafts passed along the river. Then the first warship, the steamship "Argun" (commander Lieutenant A.S. Sgibnev), had already appeared. Since 1855, ships that had moved from Kamchatka began to be based in Nikolaevsk-on-Amur, but the area of ​​their activity was limited mainly to the mouth and lower reaches of the river. After the opening of the main military port in Vladivostok in 1871. On the Amur, only 5 small armed steamships of the Siberian flotilla remained to support the work of expeditions and patrol services.

Since the end of the 19th century. Attempts were made to create special military river formations on the Amur, which was due to the tense situation in the region. In 1897, the Amur-Ussuri Cossack flotilla was formed from two steamships "Ataman" and "Cossack Ussuriysky", a boat and two barges. Its first commander was long-distance navigator D.A. Lukhmanov. The command of the Amur Military District during the war in China of 1900-1901. A flotilla of armed river steamers "Khilok", "Tretiy", "Gazimur", "Amazar", "Selenga" and "Sungari" was created.

The decision to form a special military river flotilla on the Amur was made in 1903; orders were placed at the Sormovo plant for the construction of 10 gunboats. During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. To protect the rear area, 6 barges were armed with 152-mm guns and were sent to Sofiysk, and a patrol of 3 destroyers was established in Nikolaevsk-on-Amur.

War experience showed the need for specially built ships with large-caliber artillery on the river. The project of a four-turret armored gunboat presented by the engineers of the Baltic Shipyard was recognized as the best. The work on the construction, armament and staffing of the new operational formation was headed by the “Special Committee for the Organization of the Amur Flotilla” formed in St. Petersburg.

On April 2, 1905, by order of the fleet and maritime department, a separate detachment of ships of the Siberian flotilla was created (commander captain 1st rank A.A. Kononov). It included the Sormovo gunboats “Buryat”, “Mongol”, “Orochanin”, “Vogul”, “Votyak”, “Zyryanin”, “Kalmyk”, “Kirgiz”, “Korel” and “Sibiryak”. The disassembled ships were delivered to the Shilka River, from where they were put into operation in 1907-1908. moved to Blagoveshchensk. On April 28, 1908, the turret gunboats Vikhr, Vyuga, Groza, Smerch, Typhoon, Hurricane, Shkval, Storm and 10 motor messengers built at the Baltic Shipyard were included in the Separate Detachment ships (22.5 tons, speed 13.1 knots, one 47-mm gun and 2 machine guns, 13 people). Tower gunboats with diesel engines with a capacity of 1 thousand hp. and a range of up to 3 thousand miles, modern large-caliber artillery systems, have proven themselves to be the best river ships in the world. Transported disassembled to the Shilka River in the village of Kokuy, they were put into operation in June 1909.

The official date of birth of the flotilla was November 28, 1908. By order of the fleet and maritime department, all ships of the Separate Detachment were united into the Amur River Flotilla, operationally subordinate to the commander of the troops of the Amur Military District. The main base of the Amur River Flotilla (ARF) was the Osipovsky backwater near Khabarovsk. Later, the flotilla was replenished with auxiliary vessels and watercraft. The base housed repair, mechanical, boiler and woodworking shops, the Osipovsky Zaton road in the city of Khabarovsk, a protective dam, residential and service buildings were built.

The flotilla conducted intense combat training, the ships sailed along the Amur from the mouth to Blagoveshchensk and along the Ussuri, carried out artillery firing and mine laying. In the area of ​​the border with China on the Ussuri and at the mouth of the Songhua River, near Nikolaevsk-on-Amur, guard duty was carried out by gunboats and messenger ships. In 1912, the first bilateral maneuvers took place together with the troops of the military district, where issues of interaction, provision of fire support, transportation and landing of ground units were worked out. In 1913, the “Rules of Artillery Firing for River Vessels” were adopted. Much attention was paid to the study of the theater of operations, the characteristics of navigation and combat use on the river. Since November 1913, the “Circle of Officers of the Amur River Flotilla” worked to “study and mutually familiarize officials on issues of military river knowledge related to the life and activities of the Amur Flotilla.” The circle was led by flag artilleryman P.A. Panaev, the famous traveler V.K. spoke here. Arsenyev, officers and officials prepared and discussed reports on various military, military-geographical, military-historical, technical and political issues.

By the summer of 1914, the ARF included 8 river gunboats of the 2nd rank (tower), 10 river gunboats of the 3rd rank, 10 messenger ships, 3 steamships, a floating dock, several port craft and barges. The main forces were based in the Osipovsky backwater, 4 gunboats of the 3rd rank and 2 messenger ships in Blagoveshchensk. The personnel included: 19 combat officers, 2 mechanical engineers, 10 doctors, 4 officials, 36 conductors, 69 conscripts, 1,480 non-commissioned officers and sailors. For flotilla officers, from August 1912, service advantages were established: appointment to the Amur only for a period of three years, with extension at will and with mandatory monetary reward, it was allowed to assign a military rank to a category higher than the regular one (gunboat commanders of the 2nd rank captain 1st rank, commander vice admiral).

With the outbreak of the First World War, the flotilla was put on combat readiness, 4 gunboats were sent to defend the mouth of the Amur. But taking into account the calm military-political situation in the Far East and the need to strengthen the existing fleets in the European Theater of Operations, the Naval General Staff ordered the withdrawal of some ships to reserve. The artillery and some of the ship's engines and mechanisms were removed from them. Since August 1914, only the tower gunboats “Smerch”, “Shkval”, gunboats “Mongol”, “Orochanin”, messenger ships “Pika” and “Spear”, and auxiliary vessels remained in service. In 1915, 8 messenger ships were sent to the Black Sea and Baltic fleets.

Commanders: Captain 1st Rank A A. Kononov (1905-1910), Rear Admiral K.V. Bergel (1910-1913), rear admiral, vice admiral A.A. Bazhenov (1913-1917), captain 1st rank G.G. Ogilvy (1917).