General Ivan Panfilov - Hero of the Soviet Union, participant in the defense of Moscow. He died defending the capital from superior numbers of Wehrmacht tank units moving along the Volokolamsk Highway. The feat of the 316th Rifle Division, which would later be renamed the Panfilov Division, is an unconditional example of mass heroism and perseverance of Soviet soldiers. However, the activities of the legendary general are now being revised in some post-Soviet states. Who was Panfilov, if you look at him from a modern perspective?
Poor boy
Ivan Vasilyevich Panfilov (1893-1941) was born in the city of Petrovsk, Saratov region. His father was a small office worker with a small salary. The boy lost his mother early and was unable to receive even a minimum, 4-year education at a city school. From an early age, Vanya was forced to work for a piece of bread.
As Nikolai Vlasov, who worked as a teacher in Petrovsk at the beginning of the 20th century, recalled, Panfilov studied well. All disciplines were easy for him: Russian language, history, geography and arithmetic. But the family could not pay for their studies. Therefore, the Society for Aid to Poor Students, created in 1902 on the initiative of the city intelligentsia, took on some of the costs.
In 1905, Russia was swept by a wave of strikes, which also affected the Volga region. Railway workers and employees of Petrovsk also stopped going to work, demanding higher wages. Panfilov’s father, Vasily Zakharovich, supported the strike, for which he was fired. Soon he became seriously ill and lost the ability to support his family. Vanya was sent to Saratov, where he got a job as an assistant in a local merchant’s store.
The poor boy was forced to change several jobs because the owners did not want to pay the child a salary. They believed that he should work for them for shelter and food. Needless to say, how many hardships did the future general endure as a child, wandering around strange corners?
Chapaevsky scout
In 1915, Panfilov was drafted into the army of the Russian Empire during the First World War. The young man received the revolution that followed with enthusiasm; he decided that he had finally had a chance to take the road to a decent life. Moreover, by the will of fate, in 1918 he was enlisted in the 25th Infantry Division, led by the legendary Vasily Ivanovich Chapaev.
Ivan Panfilov quickly made a military career, taking the position of commander of a reconnaissance squadron. Daring raids behind enemy lines, extraction of secret information, unexpected attacks - all this was part of the military’s duties. Then the future general for the first time showed his main quality, for which he earned the respect and devotion of the soldiers: the commander took care of the lives of the scouts and carried out the most dangerous operations personally. Panfilov took a direct part in the battles, as a result of which the White Guard troops were forced to leave the territory of the Urals and Western Kazakhstan.
Red Commander
Then military fate brought Panfilov to Ukraine, where the Red Army fought a war with Polish military interventionists and numerous anarchist armed groups. The fighting was difficult, but the reconnaissance squadron was lucky.
Once, the red commander managed to identify the positions of the Polish units, disguised as a simple peasant. This brave operation was remembered by many. And in the battles near the East Prussian city of Tannenberg (Soldau), hitting the enemy rear, Panfilov’s squadron decided the outcome of the battle. For such a maneuver, the commander received an award - the Order of the Red Banner.
In the Ukrainian city of Ovidiopol (Odessa region), Panfilov met his future wife, Maria Ivanovna. She became his faithful companion, and the couple raised five children together.
In 1923, Panfilov received a military education. He graduated from the United Infantry School, located in Kyiv. In essence, these were two-year courses for Red commanders who had practical skills, but who lacked theoretical knowledge of tactics and strategy of warfare. Now many historians and politicians in Ukraine call the activities of the Red Army during the Civil War the occupation of an independent state. Therefore, the attitude towards Panfilov’s personality in the neighboring country is being revised.
Enemy of the Basmachi
The formation of the USSR was not easy. In Central Asia, the so-called Basmachi actively prevented the spread of Soviet power. In 1924, Panfilov personally asked the command to send him to the east to fight opponents of communist ideology. The red commander's family, which already had small children, often moved from city to city. Panfilov and his comrades fought with the Basmachi in the vicinity of Ashgabat, Tashkent, Fergana, Frunze (Bishkek), Kokand, Chardzhou, Uchkurgan and other cities of Central Asia. Opponents put up fierce resistance, not wanting to become citizens of the Soviet country.
Some historians believe that Panfilov and his associates practically prevented the creation of an Islamic state in Central Asia, and see this as a positive thing. Others consider the Basmachi to be representatives of the national liberation movement and irreconcilable fighters against the communist infection. A reassessment of the activities of the Red commanders is now taking place in many republics of the post-Soviet space. For example, in April 2016, Panfilov Street in Dushanbe was renamed. Now it officially bears the name of another participant in the Great Patriotic War - Bobo Jobirov. This is what the authorities of the Tajik capital decided.
However, Panfilov’s undoubted merit is the fact that his unit defended the territory of the USSR in the Pamirs. The fact is that, according to the agreement concluded by Russia and Britain, the border between the states of Central Asia controlled by the two empires ran along the Pyanj River. After the revolution, there was no one to guard it, and Basmachi detachments moved freely from the territory of neighboring Afghanistan, trying to spread their influence to Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. It was on their path that Panfilov and his fighters stood. It is noteworthy that his family arrived with the Soviet commander in the high mountain town of Khorog, where the border post was located.
After a successful mission in the Pamirs, Panfilov graduated from higher military courses in Moscow, receiving the rank of colonel. They wanted to leave him in the capital, but the military man himself asked to return to Central Asia. He was accustomed to life in the East and wanted to be away from the repression that had intensified among the military elite of the USSR. In 1938, Ivan Vasilievich was appointed military commissar of the Kyrgyz Republic.
Good Father
After the start of the Great Patriotic War, Panfilov, who by that time was already a general, personally formed the 316th Infantry Division, which included Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and representatives of other peoples of Central Asia. Hasty preparation of conscripts for participation in hostilities began. For his ease of communication and concern for his subordinates, the general soon received the nickname “Dad.” By the way, the military commander’s daughter, Valentina Ivanovna, also served in her father’s division. She was an employee of the medical unit.
The heroism and steadfastness of Panfilov’s soldiers, who stopped the enemy on the outskirts of Moscow, are immortalized in many works. Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky believed that one of the foundations of their feat was the personality of Panfilov himself. He wrote about this military leader: “Happy is the general who has earned among the mass of fighters love and faith so simply expressed, but indelible in their hearts.”
“Batya” died on November 18, 1941 near the village of Gusenevo, Moscow Region, as a result of German mortar fire. Shortly before Panfilov’s death, the 316th Division was renamed the 8th Guards Division for the heroism and courage shown in the battles on the Volokolamsk Highway. After the death of the general, it began to be called Panfilovskaya. This was the first military unit of the Soviet army to be named after a commander.
In 1945, soldiers will leave the following inscription on the wall of the Reichstag: “We are Panfilov’s men. Thanks to Bata for the felt boots.”
This is what General Ivan Panfilov was like.
Alexis writes:
I'll try now... I don't have a video at all, either on the first or second link.
It’s strange, the first link opens the Military Chronicle portal, and on it is a film (43.30 min.) dedicated to Panfilov, from the GENERALS series. From the abstract:
...The fate of General Ivan Vasilyevich Panfilov, who died in November 1941 during the defense of Moscow, is told by the guests of the program: the general’s daughter Maya Ivanovna, director of the museum. I.Panfilova in Zelenograd T.Melekhina, veterans of the battle of Moscow
Ivan Panfilov became famous as an excellent commander of the Red Guard rifle division, as well as a major general. However There is a lot of inaccurate information in this film; it was filmed with the participation of Mlechin.
In battles, Panfilov could skillfully use mobile units, thanks to which he saved his division. It was also the first time he was able to use layered artillery anti-tank defense. This helped the troops gain resilience, and they did not allow the enemy to break through the defenses. All seven days the division and cadet regiment S.I. Mladentsev successfully repelled all attacks of the German enemy.
Ivan Panfilov, even in the most difficult battles, remained calm and cool, thanks to which he excellently led the division and made correct and rational decisions. The division, for its exemplary performance of combat missions of any complexity, was transformed into the Eighth Guards Rifle Division. General Panfilov's division always firmly held its position; it was impossible to defeat it, since it always skillfully repulsed all enemy attacks. ...
I liked the film. I still don’t understand whether the inaccurate information (what is this?) appeared due to Mlechin’s participation in the trial, or is it something else.
(Addendum)
Alexis writes:
I'm more interested in books.
Vicky advises:
Baurzhan Momysh-uly. General Panfilov. - Alma-Ata, 1965.
Valentina Panfilova. My father: memories. - Alma-Ata: Zhazushi, 1971. - 96 p.
The texts of the books themselves are unknown to me, but there is an article dedicated to the 75th anniversary of his birth (I just didn’t understand what it means makala), with a description of the track record:
BAUYRZHAN MOMYSHULY
(makala)
December 31, 1967
“Kazakhstanskaya Pravda”, No. 302
General Panfilov
(On the 75th birthday anniversary)
The following people thanked for this post: Alexis
75 years ago, on November 18, 1941, Major General Ivan Vasilyevich Panfilov, commander of the 316th Infantry Division, died in a battle near the village of Gusenevo. The day after Panfilov’s death, his division “for the exemplary performance of command tasks” will become the 8th Guards. Ivan Vasilyevich himself, unfortunately, left neither memoirs nor instructions. However, the documents he signed remained - orders and reports. The soldiers and commanders who were trained by Panfilov were also able to tell something about the division commander.
"Inexperienced" general
Panfilov himself, according to the description of his assistant and friend Markov, spoke about himself like this:
“I, Vitaly Ivanovich, am an inexperienced general. I am fighting with the rank of general for the first time, but I am an experienced private, corporal, junior non-commissioned officer, sergeant major of the first imperialist war, I am an experienced platoon and company commander of the civil war. No matter who I fought against! Belopolak, Denikin, Wrangel, Kolchak, Basmachi.”
“The general turned around. There was no gray visible in his mustache, trimmed in two squares. The cheekbones stood out noticeably. The narrowed, narrow eyes were slit in a Mongolian style, slightly askew. I thought: Tatar.”
Portrait of Ivan Vasilievich Panfilov
And indeed, Panfilov, born on January 1, 1893 (new style), had been fighting since 1915. First - against the Germans on the Southwestern Front of the First World War. He became a junior non-commissioned officer, then a sergeant major. During the civil war, in Chapaev's division, Panfilov rose through the ranks from platoon commander to battalion commander. During his service in the Red Army before the start of the Great Patriotic War, he earned two Orders of the Red Banner, which was the country's highest military award before the introduction of the Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union.
Panfilov's division did not have the chance to participate in the first battles of the Great Patriotic War. It was formed only on July 14, 1941 in Kazakhstan and trained in the Alma-Ata area until August 15. The fighters who died thousands of kilometers to the west paid with their blood for the opportunity to train those who would replace them - and win. But victory was still very far away. The division loaded into echelons and departed for the North-Western Front. By August 31, after completing a hundred-kilometer march, the division crossed the Msta River in the Novgorod region and concentrated in the original area.
Victory is forged before the battle
Even before the start of the fighting, Panfilov pays special attention to the work of the rear of his formation. They identified the railway stations from which supplies will be made. The boundaries of the rear area are clearly indicated, both for the division itself and for its regiments. Supply routes for each regiment are prescribed. If necessary, the units will easily understand where they can get bread from, where they can get livestock, and where they can get other supplies. Panfilov also takes care in advance of the evacuation of wounded people, as well as sick and wounded horses. It would seem that all of this is quite ordinary organizational measures that are included in the responsibilities of any division commander. However, alas, the precise work of the divisional rear organized by Panfilov presented a striking contrast with many other formations of the Red Army in the first period of the war.
It should be noted that the 316th Rifle Division was not particularly rich in vehicles, which can be easily seen from the story “Volokolamsk Highway” by Alexander Bek.
The training of the formation's personnel continued, fortunately, the division was still 30–40 km from the front edge of the North-Western Front. Training firings were also carried out. An unusual move - to train sergeants, Panfilov ordered the creation of a special training battalion, not provided for by any states. In his opinion (as his words were later reported),
“Red Army soldiers, junior commanders, platoon and company commanders are, I would say, real “production workers”, workers on the battlefield. After all, it is they who create victory in close combat in a worker’s, peasant’s way.”
In October 1941, after the collapse of the front at Vyazma, Panfilov’s division fell to defend the Volokolamsk-Moscow highway, the only highway to Moscow in this direction. There was no more important sector on the entire front of Rokossovsky’s 16th Army. The division, stretched out in companies in one line, had to defend a sector with a front width of more than 40 km - from the Moscow Sea to the Bolychevo state farm. As a result, regimental commanders themselves could do almost nothing to strengthen the defense, and in a crisis situation they had to immediately use the division's reserves. However, even those were very small, so the army commander allocated to the 316th division most of the forces and reinforcements he had.
According to the state, three rifle regiments and the 857th artillery regiment of the 316th division had a total of 54 guns. This is not so much (a little more than one gun per kilometer of front), and more than half of these guns are anti-tank “forty-five” (16 guns) and 76-mm “regimental guns” (14 guns). There were only eight 122 mm howitzers.
But the peculiarities of the organizational structure of the Red Army made it possible to “pump up” the troops located in the most important directions with attached units. The division received four artillery regiments of the Reserve of the Supreme High Command (RVGK) and three anti-tank regiments. In addition, artillery from other units operated in the division’s defense zone. As a result, the advancing Germans were to be met by over two hundred guns, 30 of which were 152 mm guns, 32–122 mm guns and howitzers. Also in the division's defense zone there were 16 85-mm anti-aircraft guns.
On October 12, the entire division was concentrated in the Volokolamsk area. It should be noted that Panfilov prudently sent a task force, which arrived at the site on October 5 and managed to get acquainted with the state of defense and the terrain in advance. The division commander himself arrived the next day. As soon as the next regiment or battalion of the formation arrived at Volokolamsk, its commander received personally from Panfilov a map with the indicated defense area, neighbors and time of occupation of positions. Panfilov also managed to think about the eviction of the local population from the area of the upcoming battles.
When organizing the defense, Panfilov’s subordinates skillfully used the nature of the terrain. To hinder the actions of German tanks, the division managed to dig 16 km of anti-tank ditches and lay more than 12,000 anti-tank mines. But the main emphasis in the fight against tanks was on artillery. She reported not to the infantry, as was often the case, but to the artillery commanders, and they reported directly to the division artillery commander. “And in this particular situation this was the only correct decision” - this will be said in the press in November 1941. The infantry only covered the artillery positions from possible enemy infiltration.
Areas of massive fire were identified in advance. Special attention was paid to organizing air defense. The division's positions had to be protected from air strikes by everything that was at hand - from light machine guns to two regiments of anti-aircraft guns.
One of the division's regiments, the 1077th Infantry, received a company of tanks from the 21st Tank Brigade. In addition, since October 19, the 22nd Tank Brigade, subordinate to him, has been interacting with Panfilov’s formation.
Baptism by fire
Readers of the Volokolamsk Highway will remember that the division did not passively wait for the Germans, but itself sent special detachments that attacked the enemy even on the approaches to its battle formations. Judging by the documents, the idea of creating such detachments belongs to Senior Lieutenant Momyshuly (and not Panfilov, as in the story).
On the night of October 15-16, a hundred soldiers under the command of Lieutenant Rakhimov and political instructor Bozzhanov attacked Germans resting in the village of Sereda, blew up five cars, captured trophies and an ordinary soldier. The prisoner indicated that the enemy attack would begin in the morning.
Commander of the 316th Infantry Division, Major General I.V. Panfilov (left), chief of staff I.I. Serebryakov and senior battalion commissar S.A. Egorov discuss the plan for combat operations on the front line
waralbum.ru
Panfilov’s troops met the advancing German tanks and infantry over and over again with cannon fire, rifle volleys at close range, and machine gun fire. The Germans were not discouraged by the first setbacks; they continued to rush to such close Moscow. But first they had to take Volokolamsk.
Even when surrounded, the Soviet infantry continued to defend itself staunchly and skillfully. Only when there were literally 3-5 rounds of ammunition left per soldier did the Red Army soldiers break through to their own. In a similar situation, Lieutenant Momyshuly’s battalion even managed to remove five guns left by a neighboring unit.
On October 18, to transport tiny reserves (allocated to company regiments), Panfilov uses an unexpected “bonus” - the trucks of the barrier detachment. The division commander creates new anti-tank areas, personally assigns tasks to the Katyusha MLRS divisions - M-8 and M-13. The importance of the fighting in this direction can be judged at least by the fact that Stalin personally demands that Volokolamsk be held. On October 20, Katukov’s 4th Tank Brigade was deployed to help Panfilov’s division, occupying the front section between it and its neighbors.
Veterans of the Panfilov Division with soldiers and junior commanders of the Soviet Army. Alma-Ata, August 1981. http://www.foto.kg/
On October 20, the 316th Infantry Division reported five destroyed tanks, and another one was blown up by sappers. Communication with the neighbor on the left, the 133rd Division, had by this time been broken. On October 25, the 1077th regiment of Panfilov’s formation consisted of up to 2,000 people, the 1073rd - 800 people, and the 1075th - only 700 soldiers. The assigned artillery regiments had 6–8 guns left. The anti-tankers fought, retreating from line to line.
On October 26, the 1077th regiment withdrew; the counterattacking 1073rd regiment suffered heavy losses. On October 27, Volokolamsk fell. However, the Soviet troops were not defeated, but continued to resist on the eastern bank of the Lama River.
Despite the difficult situation, on October 27, Panfilov demanded efficient operation of the headquarters and reports from them every two hours. A division commander cannot fight without knowing what is happening on the battlefield. Therefore, on October 31, Panfilov recalled the personal responsibility of the chiefs of staff and battalion adjutants for providing reports on time. Otherwise, there may be a tribunal. It is curious that the division commander separately requires information about the work of anti-tank rifle platoons - a new product that was just then undergoing its baptism of fire (the anti-tank rifles of early and foreign models themselves had been used before).
Over 12 days of fighting, the 1073rd Regiment lost 198 people killed, 175 wounded and 1068 missing. In the 1075th regiment the situation was even more difficult: it lost 535 killed, 275 wounded and 1,730 missing. It was for these battles that the division would receive the title of Guards.
Hot on the heels, the documents specifically noted the actions of the anti-tank artillery, which were called brilliant. Although there was not enough infantry even to cover the anti-tank forces, the artillery regiments fought literally to the last, turning out to be the “backbone” of the defense.
Already on November 7, seven soldiers and commanders of the 316th division, as well as two battery commanders of the 289th anti-tank artillery regiment were awarded the Order of Lenin.
Soon the turn of new battles came. Panfilov's men are fighting alongside Katukov's tank brigade, renamed the 1st Guards brigade on November 11, and Dovator's cavalrymen. To the south, in the sector of the 18th Infantry Division, the tankers managed to eliminate the dangerous bridgehead at Skirmanovo, from which the Germans could threaten to encircle several Soviet units at once. After this success, on November 15, Panfilov, in accordance with Rokossovsky’s instructions, is preparing to recapture Volokolamsk with a blow from the south. But on November 16, the Germans went on the offensive again.
On November 18, Ivan Vasilyevich’s life was cut short. The posthumous award sheet noted that General Panfilov’s division, during a month of continuous fierce fighting on the outskirts of Moscow, destroyed “9,000 German soldiers and officers, more than 80 tanks and many guns, mortars and other weapons.”
Before his death, Panfilov managed to thank the deputy chief of artillery of the division, Markov, who “himself was the last to leave the battle and withdraw the material unit,” for which he was nominated for the Order of the Red Banner.
Panfilov's men
When talking about General Panfilov, it would not be amiss to recall at least a few words about some of his comrades-in-arms.
Desperate times sometimes called for desperate measures. One of the most powerful parts of the book “Volokolamsk Highway” is the shooting of a coward:
Bauyrzhan Momyshuly was a sniper, a career officer with pre-war experience, who fought as a battery commander at Lake Khasan. He honestly spoke about his actions not only to the visiting writer, but also to his superiors. On November 28, in the battle for the village of Sokolovo, Momyshuly shot platoon commander Lieutenant Bychkov and deputy political instructor Yubishev (Yutishev?) in front of the battalion formation for showing cowardice, removing himself from the leadership of the unit, threatening Commissar Shirokov with a weapon, and failing to provide assistance to the wounded commander. Moreover, formally Momyshuly, not being a division commander, did not have the right to be shot and took a great risk. However, he took a risk.
The same honesty was characteristic of Momyshuly when describing other episodes. Thus, in a report dated November 20, he admits that “the battle was fierce, both sides suffered heavy losses.” Trophies after a successful counterattack: a passenger car with documents, a tractor and a 75 mm gun with 70 shells. In another battle, according to his report, three tanks were knocked out. There were no dozens of burned tanks or downed planes, which one would expect from a unit commander when describing a stubborn defense. It is not surprising that Bek was so impressed by Momyshuly when writing “Volokolamsk Highway”.
Beck's short story about Panfilov's defenders of Moscow became popular not only in the USSR, but also in many other countries of the world. Perhaps, Beck’s other stories about Panfilov’s men who continued the traditions of the deceased commander now deserve no less attention and respect. For example, “Get started!” - display of almost standard work of the regiment commander. During the entire battle, which lasted about two and a half hours, the hero of the Volokolamsk Highway, now the commander of the Momyshuly regiment, uttered... only one word. Why?
“Victory is forged before the battle. Guard Captain Momysh-Uly loves this aphorism.”
And this was not just a nice phrase. The soldiers of his regiment, despite the “pushing” from their superiors over the phone, did not advance until the reconnaissance of the enemy’s firing points was completed. There was no artillery preparation. But the guns were sighted in advance before the battle - and at the beginning of the battle they opened fire on precisely identified dugouts and proven firing points. Moreover, forty-six shells were enough to break through the German defense. Few other works of art can compete in detailed accuracy with documents, while colorfully showing all the complex “kitchen” of the work of the regimental headquarters.
It would seem that you never know what a writer can invent, paper will endure anything. However, the battle on February 6, 1942 (coinciding in time with that described in the story) remained recorded in documents. In one day, the 1075th regiment under the command of Momyshuly was able to first defeat the Germans in the most fortified village of Troshkovo, and then liberate twelve more (!) villages. Since these villages were located near important roads, the Germans desperately tried to recapture them. But three enemy attacks, one after another, remained unsuccessful. The regiment's trophies included three tanks, 65 vehicles, 7 motorcycles, two long-range and three field guns, ammunition and food.
It should be added that he commanded Momyshuly’s regiment due to the sudden illness of the former commander, Kaprov, which occurred just before the offensive. Despite the suddenness of the promotion and the most difficult task, the results of the battle spoke for themselves. The new regiment commander was presented with the Order of the Red Banner. Panfilov managed to prepare worthy commanders.
Commanders of the Panfilov division. From left to right: guard senior lieutenant, commander of the artillery division Dmitry Potseluev (Snegin), guard senior lieutenant, assistant chief of the division's operational department Evgeniy Kolokolnikov, guard captain commander of the Talgar regiment Bauyrzhan Momysh-uly, as well as serviceman Sukhov. Kalinin Front, 1942. np.kz
Assistant Chief of the Operations Department of the 316th Division in 1941, Evgeniy Mikhailovich Kolokolnikov was one of the best Soviet climbers of the pre-war years. In 1936, he conquered the Khan Tengri peak, over 7 km high. In 1942, Kolokolnikov trained mountain riflemen in the Caucasus. According to the award sheet, Evgeniy Mikhailovich “carried out exceptionally great work in the troops on technology and tactics of operations in the mountains, on the creation and practical use of various mountain equipment.” As a topographer, he taught military personnel how to use maps and navigate in the mountains. Kolokolnikov wrote over 20 articles in the front-line newspaper. And in 1982, he took part in the preparation of the first Soviet expedition to Everest.
In 1941, Dmitry Fedorovich Potseluev was the commander of an artillery division. In 1944, he already commanded the 27th artillery regiment of the Panfilov Division, and in this position “showed examples of skillful leadership of the regiment in battle and fire control.” Its guns relentlessly followed in the battle formations of the advancing infantry, paving the way for them, and destroyed German firing points and convoys. And after the war, Dmitry Fedorovich, under the pseudonym Snegin, wrote several stories about the battles of his native division. These instructive tales and stories are one of the best monuments to General Panfilov and his soldiers.
Sources and literature:
- Materials from the site “Memory of the People”
- Materials from the site “Feat of the People”
- Combat operations of the rifle division. - M.: Military Publishing House, 1958.
- Beck A. Collected Works. In 4 volumes. Volume 2. Volokolamsk highway. War stories and essays. - Moscow: Publishing House “Khudozhestvennaya Literatura”, 1974.
- Galkina Galya. Bauyrzhan. New generation, 2010 http://www.np.kz/
- Momysh-uly B. Moscow is behind us. Notes from an officer. - Alma-Ata: Kazgoslitizdat, 1962.
- Radzievsky A.I. Tactics in combat examples - M.: Voenizdat, 1974.
- Stavsky Vl. Military medal-bearing. True, November 19, 1941.
| Tombstone | ||
| Heroes of the Moscow Battle (general view) | ||
| Bust in Volokolamsk | ||
| Memorial plaque in Kyiv | ||
| Monument at the site of death | ||
| Annotation board in Sumy | ||
| Annotation board in Zaporozhye |
P Anfilov Ivan Vasilievich - commander of the 8th Guards Red Banner Rifle Division of the 16th Army of the Western Front, Guard Major General.
Born on January 1 (13), 1893 in the city of Petrovsk, now Saratov region, in the family of a small office worker. Russian. Due to the early death of his mother, he was unable to graduate from the four-year city school of the city of Petrovsk, and from 1905 he worked for hire in a shop.
In 1915 he was drafted into the Russian Imperial Army. Served in the 168th reserve battalion (Inzara, Penza province). A participant in the First World War: in March 1917, after graduating from the training team with the rank of non-commissioned officer, he was sent to the active army on the Southwestern Front in the 638th Olpinsky Infantry Regiment. Later he rose to the rank of sergeant major. After the February Revolution of 1917, he was elected a member of the regimental committee.
He joined the Red Army voluntarily in October 1918. He was enlisted in the 1st Saratov Infantry Regiment, which later became part of the 25th Chapaev Division. He took part in the Civil War, in 1918-1921 he fought as part of the 25th Chapaev Rifle Division, commanding a platoon and a company, fought against formations of the Czechoslovak corps, the White Guards under the command of generals Dutov, Kolchak, Denikin and the White Poles. From September 1920 he took part in battles against banditry in Ukraine, and in 1921 he became a platoon commander of the 183rd border battalion. Member of the RCP(b)/VKP(b) since 1920.
After the end of the Civil War, he continued to serve in the Red Army. In 1923 he graduated from the two-year Kyiv Higher United School of Red Army Commanders named after S.S. Kamenev. Since October 1923 - platoon and company commander of the 52nd Yaroslavl Rifle Regiment.
He volunteered for the Turkestan Front. From April 1924 - commander of a rifle company, from October 1924 - head of the regimental school of the 1st Turkestan Rifle Regiment on the Turkestan Front. From August 1925 - commander of a rifle company, from August 1927 - head of the regimental school of the 4th Turkestan Rifle Regiment (Pamir). Since April 1928 - commander of the rifle battalion of the 6th Turkestan Rifle Regiment of the Central Asian Military District. He took part in the fight against the Basmachi until 1929 inclusive.
Since June 1931 - commander and commissar of the 8th separate rifle battalion of local troops of the Central Asian Military District. Since December 1932 - commander of the 9th Red Banner Mountain Rifle Regiment in the same district. Since August 1937 - head of the quartermaster department of the headquarters of the Central Asian Military District. Since October 1938 - military commissar of the Kirghiz SSR. Brigade commander (01/26/1939).
With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War from July to August 1941, Panfilov I.V. was personally involved in the formation of the 316th Infantry Division in the Central Asian Military District in the city of Alma-Ata at the base of the district's reserve personnel. Major General Panfilov I.V. served as commander of the 316th Infantry Division from July 12, 1941. In October 1941, the division arrived as part of the active army on the Western Front and in the following months immortalized its banners with heroic participation in the defensive battles of the Battle of Moscow in October-November 1941. For more than two months, Panfilov’s men repulsed attacks by enemy tank and infantry units in the Volokolamsk direction, showing massive heroism and tenacity in the battle of their personnel.
Major General Panfilov I.V. died on the battlefield on November 19, 1941 near the city of Volokolamsk near the village of Gusenevo (Volokolamsk district of the Moscow region), receiving mortal wounds from fragments of a nearby German mortar mine. He was buried with military honors at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow (section 5). A monument was erected at the Hero's grave.
U Kazakh Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated April 12, 1942 for skillful leadership of division units in battles on the outskirts of the city of Moscow and the personal courage and heroism shown to Major General Panfilov Ivan Vasilievich awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously).
Major General (06/04/1940). Awarded the Order of Lenin (04/12/1942; posthumously), 3 Orders of the Red Banner (1921; 1929; 11/11/1941), and the medal “XX Years of the Red Army” (1938).
Monuments were erected in the cities of Alma-Ata (now Almaty, Kazakhstan), Frunze (now Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan), and at the site of death in the village of Gusenevo. The city of Dzharkent (now the city of Panfilov) and one of the villages in Kazakhstan, the village of Staro-Nikolaevka in Kyrgyzstan, the streets of many cities and villages of the former USSR, steamships, factories, factories, and collective farms are named after him. His name was given to many schools in Central Asia. In the city of Moscow, an avenue and a street bear the name of the Hero.
For exemplary performance of combat missions of the command, mass heroism of personnel, the 316th Rifle Division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on November 17, 1941, and the next day (November 18, 1941) was transformed into the 8th Guards Rifle Division division. Name of Hero of the Soviet Union, Major General I.V. Panfilov. was assigned to the division after the death of the general himself, later the division was awarded the honorary name Rezhitskaya (August 1944), and awarded the Orders of Lenin and Suvorov, 2nd degree. During the Great Patriotic War, over 14 thousand soldiers of the division were awarded orders and medals, 33 officers and soldiers were awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In the post-war period, regiments of the 8th Guards Panfilov Rifle Division were stationed in Estonia (the city of Klooga).
The biography has been redone and significantly expanded
moderator of the site about the Tashkent VOKU Andrey Murylev
In the first half of October 1941, the 316th Rifle Division arrived as part of the 16th Army and took up defensive positions on a broad front on the outskirts of Volokolamsk. General Panfilov was the first to widely use a system of deeply layered artillery anti-tank defense, created and skillfully used mobile barrage detachments in battle. Thanks to this, the resilience of our troops increased significantly, and all attempts of the 5th German Army Corps to break through the defenses were unsuccessful. For seven days, the division, together with the cadet regiment S.I. Mladentseva and the attached anti-tank artillery units successfully repelled enemy attacks.
Attaching great importance to the capture of Volokolamsk, the Nazi command sent another motorized corps to this area. Only under pressure from superior enemy forces were units of the division forced to leave Volokolamsk at the end of October and take up defense east of the city.
On November 16, fascist troops launched a second “general” attack on Moscow. A fierce battle began again near Volokolamsk. On this day, at the Dubosekovo crossing, 28 Panfilov soldiers under the command of a political instructor repelled an attack by enemy tanks and held the line they occupied. Enemy tanks were also unable to penetrate in the direction of the villages of Mykanino and Strokovo. General Panfilov's division firmly held its positions, its soldiers fought to the death.
“Under the most difficult conditions of the combat situation,” Army General G.K. Zhukov, commander of the Western Front, wrote to the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, “Comrade Panfilov always retained leadership and control of the units. In continuous month-long battles on the approaches to Moscow, units of the division not only retained their positions, but also with rapid counterattacks they defeated the 2nd Tank, 29th Motorized, 11th and 110th Infantry Divisions, destroying 9,000 enemy soldiers and officers, more than 80 tanks, many guns, mortars and other weapons."
For the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command, the massive heroism of its personnel, the 316th Division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner on November 17, 1941, and the next day, November 18, it was reorganized into the 8th Guards Rifle Division. On this day, its heroic commander died...
IMMORTAL FEAT
November 16, 1941 During the defense of Moscow from the fascist invaders in the battle at the Dubosekovo crossing, 28 soldiers from General Panfilov’s division performed their immortal feat, destroying about two dozen German tanks and stopping the German advance.
The Battle of Moscow became one of the decisive battles and the most important event of the first year of the Great Patriotic War.
Ivan Vasilievich Panfilov - outstanding Soviet military leader, hero of the Soviet Union. Born January 1, 1893 (NS) inthe city of Petrovsk, Saratov province.
In 1915, Panfilov was drafted into the tsarist army and almost immediately sent to the German front.
By 1917, Panfilov became a company commander; after the February events, the soldiers elected him as a member of the regiment committee. His voluntary choice is to fight on the side of the Red Army during the civil confrontation, I.V. Panfilov made it in 1918.
After the civil war, he was sent to Central Asia, where he fought the Basmachi.
By 1938, Ivan Vasilyevich became the military commissar of Kyrgyzstan, the next year he received the rank of brigade commander, and a year later - major general.
With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Ivan Vasilyevich Panfilov was instructed to create the 316th Infantry Division in Alma-Ata.
By the end of August, the division under the command of Ivan Vasilyevich Panfilov joined the army of the North-Western Front.
At the beginning of October 1941, Panfilov's division near Moscow was entrusted with the defense of a wide strip more than forty kilometers long in the Volokolamsk direction. The fierce battles in these positions glorified the division forever, the name of the major general himself became a household name, and his soldiers began to be called Panfilov’s men.
Despite the fact that the division's fighters had not previously been tested in battle, their stamina and heroism amazed everyone - both our military leaders and the Germans.
Ivan Vasilyevich raised the morale of the soldiers by constantly being in those parts of the division that experienced the most fierce pressure from the enemy. By personal example, Panfilov was able to demonstrate in his untrained and barely trained soldiers that mass heroism that made a decisive contribution to the victory of the Soviet people over fascism. Then Ivan Vasilyevich received the respectful and affectionate nickname “Dad” from his soldiers. In response, he always said to everyone before the battle: “I don’t need you to die, I need you to stay alive!”
Feat of 28 Panfilov men at the Dubosekovo crossing
Panfilov's division was attacked on November 16, 1941 by two German tank divisions. At the same time, one division attacked the central part of the defense, and the other in the Dubosekovo area, where the defense was held by the 1075th Infantry Regiment. It was near Dubosekovo that the events that were later called the “feat of 28 Panfilov men” unfolded.
Over the course of several November days, Panfilov's division accomplished the almost impossible. Having opposed significantly superior enemy forces, Panfilov’s troops stopped the attacks of 2 enemy tank and infantry divisions.
For unparalleled heroism, the division becomes Guards and Red Banner. And on November 23 she receives the honorary title of Panfilovskaya.
Ivan Vasilyevich Panfilov himself, by that time, had already died. It happened November 18, 1941 near the village of Gusenevo. During the aimless shelling of the village by the Germans, the smallest fragment of a mine hit the head of the outstanding commander, who at that time, accompanied by Moscow correspondents, was inspecting the surroundings.
Major General Ivan Vasilyevich Panfilov was buried with honors at the Novodevichy cemetery. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to him posthumously - in April 1942.
