Coldat calling into battle Bashny.Net

This image known to all, but only recently established the identity of the officer. It Alexey Eremenko Gordeevich. After a few minutes he will die and will be broken down who shot his camera ... Golf battalion commander. Yes, the man with the harsh truth stunning photos where he raised his hand with the gun raises the Red Army to attack towards the disastrous fire of the enemy.
This image made voenkor Max Alpert, it was placed on its pages are many publications around the world. And in the prestigious post-war international photo exhibition, he won the main prize. The officer, embodied in the image became a symbol of unparalleled courage and heroism of the Soviet people, their victory in the bloodiest in human history, war.
Who was this fearless defender of the motherland? More than a quarter century after the war, to answer this question have tried many journalists and chroniclers of the military, who turned to the author of the documentary photo. And Max Vladimirovich told them the following:
- This picture I made about the middle of summer forty-two years under Voroshilovgrad. For the filming took a fancy to a small trench, An open slightly ahead of defense. The Nazis were preparing to attack. I remember that first flew planes. Then I hit the artillery and enemy infantry went on the attack. Fierce battle broke out. I saw not far stood upright officer. But I had to click the camera shutter, as the shrapnel shattered the lens. I thought the film was gone ... Who was that officer? When I was busy with a broken camera, the chain flashed: "Combat killed," I was sure that it was this officer. After he first ran under enemy bullets. That's why I called the photo "Combat».
What if he had not died? It seems it was all clear, and yet ... And journalists appealed to readers. Letters began to come in tens, the authors learned with great conviction in combat father, son, husband, brother. But sometimes enough even a cursory glance at the send photos to come to the conclusion: No, he is not ...
In May 1974, one of the bureaus received a letter from the chairman of the executive committee of the Zaporozhye Ivan Eremenko. He wrote: "On the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany, the whole family gathered around the table. It just so happened: on this day we are going to be sure to honor the memory did not return from the war. Suddenly - call. The postman brought the mail and newspaper. My mother is beginning to peep out of habit stack of newspapers in search of letters. And suddenly cried out: "Vanya! Father! Our father! "My heart sank, breathless. I look at the picture in the paper - and the eyes do not believe it: Dad, Dad found! »
After a while the village Terstyanka Volnyansk district of Zaporozhye region came another letter: "Excuse us, dear friends, but we do not know how to track down war correspondent M. Alpert. The fact that his battalion commander, we learned of his father and the husband AG Eremenko. Please help me ».
To him it was a few pre-war photographs by Alexei Eremenko Gordeevich. And this letter was met with great skepticism, which amplifies applied thereto notifications received his wife Alexei Gordeevich Eremenko Evdokia in 1942: "We inform you that your husband - a junior political officer Alexei Gordeevich Eremenko, 1906 birthday, January 14, 1942 missing ».





And yet, for a thorough check of the version made to take more facial similarities AG Eremenko and the officer shot in profile Alpert. The examination confirmed the identity of a person's identity, recorded in all the photos. On his fate illuminates and former secretary of the district committee of the Komsomol Volnyansk Konstantin Stepanovich Garmanin "I knew Alexei Eremenko Gordeevich. He worked in our district collective farm chairman Krasin. In late June, we were both sent to Zaporozhye, the school of political personnel. Then the school was transferred to Pavlograd. There we found a breakthrough, and the Nazis in the area of ​​Dnepropetrovsk. All of the school beat off the attack. But the forces were too unequal. We were surrounded. I was the eldest in the group. I decided to break. I supported Eremenko. The night was dark, there was a rain. We went deaf forest. When I later checked the people, it turned out that we do not have the cadet Eremenko. When out of the environment, I issued him a report on the missing. The similarity of names and initials, apparently introduced staff officers misleading. Since the error occurred. Along with Alexei Eremenko we were in February 1942. We were awarded the title of junior political instructors and sent to the 285-th division. Morning of February 27, I was seriously wounded and sent to hospital. Since then, with Eremenko never met ».
After that, it became clear that Alexei Eremenko was the army commander and political commissar only, and that the youngest.
To find out when the hero was killed remained one possibility - to appeal to veterans of the 285th Division. Retired lieutenant colonel Vasily Sevastyanovich Berezubchak put an end to this story, "Eight months our division was in defense, covering Voroshilovgrad direction. Then, on the orders of General Grechko has moved to a new line, I took up defensive positions near the village Good. Here and I had a heated battle, during which the political officer was killed Eremenko. I find it hard to believe that the picture was taken in a different place, during another battle. Because Eremenko was killed during the counter-attack. However, in the battle correspondent was not around. Why do I believe that it was Eremenko? And someone else to raise the people in the attack, but the commissioner? I think that the picture Alpert in this sense, is typical ...
It happened in the morning on 12 July. We have hit a barrage artogon. We repulsed the first attack. But during the second cracked the right flank of the division. The soldiers began to retreat. We were deafened, blinded, many blood flowed from the ears - burst eardrums! I was ordered to restore the position of divisional commander, to stop the soldiers, for the critical situation was created. Run dashed toward the retreating. And then I saw Eremenko. He also ran across the path of the soldiers. "Stop! Stop! "- He cried. We took cover. People gathered around him. We had a bit of a handful. But Eremenko decided to counterattack to restore the situation. This can not be forgotten. He rose to his full height and shouted, rushed to attack. We broke into the trench, a melee ensued. They fought with rifle butts, bayonets. The Germans wavered, fled. Soon one of the trenches I saw Eremenko. He slowly fell. I ran to him and saw that help junior political officer does not need ...



Only 32 years commissar corrected his mistake by sending Evdokia Eremenko new notification "to notify you regret that your husband junior political officer Eremenko Aleksey Gordeevich in the battle for our Soviet Homeland loyal military oath, showing heroism and courage, was killed in action 12 July 1942 ».
Perhaps someone will object that such as Eremenko, during the war there were thousands. But he has become the personification of those who raised a company or battalion instead killed the commander, Alexander Matrosov became the symbol of those who shut the enemy embrasure with his body, Nikolai Gastello - those who, sacrificing their lives, sent a burning plane on the cluster of enemies.
Alexei Eremenko peacetime honestly worked on the fertile Ukrainian soil, and when it came the severe war years, went to defend it from enemies and killed. He did not have any combat award and was not even awarded her its last heroic battle. Therefore, when our statesmen during the festivities called heroes, even remember the name of Alexei Eremenko and. Let it be shagnuvshemu immortality former junior political instructor posthumous award, though belated.



Source: nnm.me