Partisans German Ivan and Savely 1940. Forgotten heroes. Alexander Viktorovich German. An extraordinary commander of a partisan detachment

01.05.2020

A short introduction. All Novgorodians know German Street - but not everyone knows in honor of which outstanding person this street is named. This material was prepared by Dmitry Cherkasov and we think it will be very interesting to everyone.

Re-reading Zoshchenko, I came across in the now little-known "Stories about Partisans" a story about the "Elusive detachment of Comrade Herman", which was very strong in the dense Pskov forests, and almost opened village councils and executive committees in the villages and hamlets opposite the German commandant's offices, and so on firmly defended the Soviet government, that punitive forces and other evil spirits preferred to move along “their side”, without trying to cross the road.

Very funny.

We all know Zoshchenko as an outstanding master of the grotesque, hyperbole and sarcasm. But I don’t consider him an inventor and a visionary at all, especially since the topic in those years (and the story of 1947) was more than serious.
Out of the blue, I decided to do a little research. In the memoirs of famous figures partisan movement I didn’t find anything intelligible on this score, which only provoked me.

And this is what we managed to establish.

I warn you in advance that although the stories look completely fantastic, everything stated is based on historical facts. I am not going to convince anyone and give a voluminous list of primary sources; any Doubting Thomas can easily take his own journey into history.

Let's start with the fact that there was no mysterious “Comrade Herman”. And there was a very real career officer, captain of the Red Army German Alexander Viktorovich. Born in 1915 in Leningrad. Russian. Member of the CPSU since 1942. Before the war, he lived and studied in Moscow for several years. Orlovsky graduate tank school, graduated Military Academy them. M.V. Frunze. From July 1941 - on the North-Western Front, an intelligence department officer, responsible for communications and coordination of partisan detachments. In September 1941, he was sent to the German rear, the main task was reconnaissance, destruction of Germans and sabotage of communications. The initial strength of the detachment was about 100-150 fighters.
The detachment not only fought successfully, but also settled down in a completely unconventional way for partisans - in the depths of the forests, far from well-trodden roads, a stationary base arose, which over time turned into a real fortified area - with permanent buildings, barracks, kitchens, baths, an infirmary, headquarters, warehouses, etc. .P.

By the summer of 1942, the successes of the detachment, the commanding talent and economic abilities of Herman led to the formation of a personnel partisan brigade, its number increased to 2,500 people, the combat zone spread to most of the territory of Porkhovsky, Pozherevitsky, Slavkovichsky, Novorzhevsky, Ostrovsky and other districts of the Pskov region.

But let's stop. About the activities of A.V. Herman, you can talk about his military innovations and non-standard solutions for as long as you like, give hundreds of examples, and everything will be small and will not give a complete impression of this talented person.
And now - a few facts.

For the first time in partisan practice, Herman created a stationary airfield near the base, cut a clearing in the forest, equipped a runway and infrastructure for receiving heavy transport aircraft, and set up warning posts and anti-aircraft crews. The problem of supply and communication with the “mainland” was solved. Several attempts to raise fighter aircraft to intercept partisan aircraft ended in attacks (capturing the airfield, of course, was an unrealistic task) on the oil base in the city of Porkhov and aircraft warehouses in the village of Pushkinskie Gory, as a result of which all consumable supplies of fuel, ammunition and other things were destroyed. The regiment turned out to be incapable of combat and was unable to carry out combat missions at the front. They could get scolded for being partisans, but for such consequences you can actually get punished. The commander of the Luftwaffe regiment clearly understood this. And planes flew into the “forest” regularly.

However, this seemed to Herman not enough. During one of the forays, a “peat” narrow-gauge railway was discovered running not far from the base. Railway with rolling stock abandoned on it in a hurry during the retreat - locomotives, wagons and platforms. The road led to the front line, and through the most remote swamps and swamps (in fact, peat is mined there). There was one problem - a section of the narrow-gauge railway passed along the outskirts of the Podseva junction station, which served as a transit point for the German army and had a strong garrison. When transportation was necessary, crushing blows were dealt to the station each time, and “on the quiet” the partisan trains successfully passed through the bad place. In the end (I want to live), the garrison command simply stopped paying attention to the small locomotives and carriages scurrying back and forth across the outskirts of the station, especially since they did not create any special problems, behaved decently and preferred to travel at night. All this time, partisan transport was carried out from the front line (!) to the enemy's rear (!) by rail (!). This has never happened before or since.

After the planned replacement of the previous garrison, a new commandant, Major Paulwitz, arrived at the station from the headquarters. Despite the “subtle” hints from his replacement, the situation with enemy trains constantly passing through his station amazed him so much that that same evening the path was cut and another transport was ambushed. The next morning the station was captured in a swift attack and held for several days, the garrison was destroyed, the cargo was blown up or taken as trophies. Along the way, five bridges were “completely” blown up, including the strategic one across the Keb River. The road stopped for exactly 12 days. It is not known exactly who shot Paulwitz, at least in the brigade’s reports this feat is not credited to any of the partisans.
According to the recollections of the railway workers, the Germans soon pulled the barbed wire from the tracks to the narrow gauge and no longer noticed it at point-blank range.

Lovers of “befel und ordnung” began to worry about such disgrace. A special group arrived from the Abwernebenstelle of Smolensk under the command of an authoritative specialist in the fight against partisans (the name has not been preserved, and it doesn’t matter). This “craftsman” was responsible for about a dozen destroyed partisan detachments in the Smolensk region. Using his intelligence channels, Herman revealed the secret of his success: when capturing or destroying partisans, they took off their clothes and shoes, gave them a sniff to ordinary police bloodhounds - after which a squad of punitive forces followed the tracks exactly to the partisan base, bypassing all the swamps, ambushes and mines. The use of well-known methods - sprinkling traces with shag, pouring urine on them did not help, because this fact only confirmed the correctness of the route. The groups began to leave one way and return another. Immediately after passing “there” the path was carefully mined. Just like after the “back” passage. The “craftsman” himself (after the death of several punitive detachments, he quickly realized what was going on and did not “fall for” this trick) was dealt with even more elegantly: by mining in front of the captive “tongue” according to the standard “return path” scheme, Then they led him along a secret sunken road. It is not known exactly how, but he still escaped and returned to his people along this road. Alive. That means the dirt is clean. The Abwehr man, rubbing his hands contentedly, asked for a large detachment, and, smiling impudently, led him around the mines this way. He himself did not return and “demobilized” two SS companies. The gate nevertheless exploded, without much noise. From both ends at the same time. There was no need to shoot; the swamp handled it 100%. The command was alarmed - how could an ENTIRE SS detachment disappear without a trace, and even without any signs of battle? But they didn’t try to find the base again until the fall of 1943.

Herman’s brigade had more than friendly relations with the local population. Thanks to the airport and railway station (!) operating on the base, a reasonable supply was established, so the villagers did not see the partisan food detachments, and the Germans preferred, for well-known reasons, not to get hold of grub in the villages near the detachment and not to disturb the population with their presence again.

Gradually, Herman began to change tactics in the territory under his control - from purely military to military-political. A military tribunal was organized, which held open field sessions in villages and hamlets (the institution of policemen and other elders and accomplices instantly disappeared as a biological species, and the Germans caught were transferred to the status of prisoners of war, and sent by rail to camps on the mainland... yes -yes... past that same Podseva station).

An infirmary was opened, where local residents could go and get what they could medical care. In severe cases, doctors made house calls (!). Soviet "ambulance" in the German rear. Yeah...
In order to resolve current issues, temporary village councils and executive committees were formed, which traveled to places, carried out propaganda work and received the population. Of course, they did not occupy the building opposite the German commandant’s office, as Zoshchenko ironically, they came for a short time and to a pre-selected place, but, nevertheless...
Then the irreparable happened. No, no, no executive committee was captured, and there were no sick German spies.

At the next reception of the underground executive committee, a deputation of the station garrison showed up, sort of wiser heirs of Paulwitz, with the humblest request - they should be replaced, I really want to go back to Vaterland, to their families. And since the roads and bridges in the area have all been blown up, and the roads are mined and in general they cannot be passed on anyway, then... is it possible for them to get a pass? Or get out using the partisan railway (after all, only one is operational), but in the opposite direction. And they, in general, are nothing. With all understanding. The trains pass through regularly and they even monitor the tracks so that no one causes damage.

A few days later, an officer from the local field commandant’s office showed up with a complaint about a detachment of foragers from some neighboring unit who were roaming the villages and procuring food and oats for themselves, which the villagers were not at all happy about. And since he personally and his warriors are not going to answer with their own skin for this outrage, then isn’t it possible... this detachment... well... in general, be kicked out?
It is not known how these surreal claims ended for the petitioners (the consequences are not mentioned in the primary sources, although these facts themselves are noted), but somehow they became known to the high command, including in Berlin.

To say that the command was furious is to say nothing. A whole bunch of local commanders and officers were arrested, convicted, demoted or sent to the front. Despite the tense situation, an ENTIRE combat-ready division, along with tanks, artillery and aircraft, and two SS units with a total strength of about 4,500 people were removed from the front.
The brigade was surrounded, stubborn fighting ensued, Herman personally commanded the withdrawal and planned another brilliant combination, and, although with losses, the brigade successfully broke through to the regular troops, destroying more than half of the attacking troops. During the battle, the commander of the 3rd partisan brigade, Colonel Alexander Viktorovich German, was wounded three times, the last wound to the head was fatal. He died on September 6, 1943 near the village of Zhitnitsy. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero Soviet Union.

Reading the dry official report (... the brigade under the command of Herman from June 1942 to September 1943 killed 9,652 Nazis, wrecked 44 railway trains with enemy personnel and equipment, blew up 31 railway bridges, destroyed 17 enemy garrisons, up to 70 volost administrations etc...), I don’t understand why we know almost nothing about this man, how could the name of one of the most talented and successful military leaders, who had non-trivial strategic thinking, melt away in the fog of hoary antiquity?
Detailed description combat operations of Alexander German's brigade completely baffles - could a person act like that, achieve such amazing results in defeating the enemy in the most difficult conditions, operating behind enemy lines, when the regular army was rapidly retreating, when the outcome of the war was still completely unknown...

Read this document, give credit: http://www.ainros.ru/materPP/404PobPrib.htm

My story turned out to be tragic. But. It's funny after all. He knew how to do that.
D. Cherkasov, 2008 - [email protected]

Square of Heroes

In the very center of Valdai, next to the Trinity Cathedral, there is the Square of Heroes. This is the place where the burials of war heroes and the monument with the Eternal Flame are located.
Trinity Church.

View of the Heroes' Square from the Trinity Church.

Few people know that until 1772, in this place, on the square near the Trinity Cathedral and the Church of the Presentation, there was the largest and oldest cemetery in Valdai. All generations of Valdash were buried here.
In 1770, Empress Catherine II, by her decree, declared Valdai a city and ordered improvements to be made, including moving the cemetery outside the city beyond Pyatnitskaya Street (now Lunacharsky Street). The story about the cemetery on Lunacharsky Street (burial periods - 1770-1917) will be in one of the next parts of Valdai stories.

In the 1930s of the twentieth century, services in the Trinity Cathedral were stopped and the temple was closed. In 1941, an evacuation hospital operated in the building, and in 1942-43. - House of the Red Army Political Directorate of the Northwestern Front.
Valdai was the center of the front, here were the Headquarters of the NWF, the PU of the NWF, the Operations Department of the Headquarters of the Partisan Movement, the Logistics Headquarters, the Medical Directorate, etc. Near the building of the former cathedral, where the ancient Valdai cemetery was located, soldiers who distinguished themselves in the battles for Valdai were buried elevation.

Currently there are 5 individual monuments on the square:

To pilot Nikolai Terekhin
Hero of the Soviet Union Nikolai Vasiliev.
Hero of the Soviet Union Alexander German.
Lieutenant General of Artillery Pavel Mironovich Belov
Food Commissar Nikolaev I. (participant in the civil war).

What are these warriors famous for?

Nikolay Vasilievich Terekhin
(1916-1942)

"Nikolai Terekhin was one of these guys,
It is easier for them to die than to retreat back.
If such a person is friends, then until death, until the end,
If he fights, he won’t lower his face.
If he gets into trouble, he still moves forward.
If he dies and takes the enemy to the grave."

Konstantin Simonov "The Secret of Victory"

Terekhin - Soviet fighter pilot, participant of the Great Patriotic War. One of two Soviet pilots who carried out aerial ramming three times, two of them in one battle:
On July 10, 1941, having used up all the ammunition, he shot down a Junkers 88 with a ram and, with his already damaged vehicle, shot down another Junkers 88 with a second ram.
18.07. 1941, at the end of an air battle, having no ammunition, with a skillful ramming maneuver he drove an enemy Dornier-17 aircraft into the ground.

He served in the Red Army since 1934. Member of the CPSU (b) since 1939.
From August 1941 he commanded the 10th Fighter Aviation Regiment.
On May 30, 1942, he personally shot down 15 enemy aircraft.

Died under unclear circumstances in an air battle on December 30, 1942. in the area of Vershinskoye Lake (Novogorod region). By the time of his death, Major N.V. Teryokhin had about 250 combat missions and 17 downed enemy aircraft.

Initially he was buried in the village of Dobyvalovo, Valdai region, and after the war his ashes were reburied in Heroes Square.

Awarded the Order of Lenin (1941) and the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree (1942). He was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, but was not awarded.

According to the recollections of Terekhin’s colleagues, while still at military pilot school, referring to the profession of a fighter pilot, Nikolai liked to refer to Eastern wisdom: “He who goes to the mountains should not be afraid of cliffs.”

Years passed, and everyone seemed to have forgotten about the bravest, selfless hero. There remains only scant information about his unprecedented battle on the 7th day of the war in the volumes of “History of the Great Patriotic War” and short biography in the reference book “Heroes of Air Rams” by Aviation General A.D. Zaitsev, in which the place of the historical battle - near Mogilev - was moved to the Leningrad Front and its date was incorrectly indicated.

These inaccuracies are easily explained - the circumstances of the death of ace Terekhin are still shrouded in mystery. Talking about the death of their fearless commander, fellow soldiers uttered a mysterious phrase: “The group, led by regimental commander Terekhin, on the orders of someone on the ground, changed course and left without warning the commander. And after a few minutes of flight, his Kittyhawk was attacked 6.” Messerov "... They don’t know exactly where the regiment commander’s plane fell.”
The documents of his personal file are not complete; for many years, when researchers asked the Ministry of Defense archive why Terekhin was not awarded the Golden Star, they received the same answer: “There is no nomination for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.”

Only much later, in post-Andropov times, through the efforts of Terekhin’s friend Vasily Khovanov and involved researchers and journalists, a copy of the award sheet for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, signed six months before the death of the pilot, was found in Terekhin’s personal file.

Burial of Heroes of the Soviet Union N.G. Vasiliev and A.V. Herman

Nikolay Grigorievich Vasiliev
(1908-1943)

Commander of the 2nd Leningrad Partisan Brigade. Hero of the Soviet Union (1944).

In July 1941, during a meeting of the task force on the formation of partisan detachments, Vasiliev was offered to join the partisans. He agreed without hesitation. In Staraya Russa, the formation of the 2nd partisan brigade began from the residents of the Novgorod and Pskov lands. Vasilyev was appointed commander.
In the spring of 1942, the brigade carried out a daring operation. A food convoy was transported across the front line to besieged Leningrad(223 carts).

Nikolai Grigorievich Vasiliev died on March 25, 1943 in a hospital in the city of Vyshny Volochek from tuberculosis.

Awarded the Order of Lenin (1942), Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree (1943, posthumously), Medal "Partisan of the Patriotic War" 1st degree (1943, posthumously), Hero of the Soviet Union, Order of Lenin, medal " Golden Star"(1944, posthumously).

Alexander Viktorovich German
(1915-1943)

Commander of the 3rd Leningrad Partisan Brigade. Hero of the Soviet Union (1944)

Alexander German was born on May 23, 1915 in Petrograd into the family of an employee. In November 1933 he joined the Red Army. The beginning of the Great Patriotic War found him a 2nd year student at the M.V. Frunze Military Academy.

From July 1941, Herman served in the intelligence department of the headquarters Northwestern Front, and then acted as deputy commander of the 2nd special partisan reconnaissance brigade.

Since the summer of 1942, Major Alexander German was the commander of the 3rd Leningrad Partisan Brigade. Under his command, the brigade destroyed several thousand enemy soldiers and officers, derailed over three hundred railway trains, blew up hundreds of cars and saved thirty-five thousand Soviet citizens from being stolen into slavery.

Major German died a heroic death on September 6, 1943, leaving enemy encirclement near the village of Zhitnitsy, Novorzhevsky district, Pskov region.

Awarded: Gold Star Medal, Order of Lenin, Order of the Red Banner, Order of the Patriotic War 1st degree.

A monument-stele was erected in St. Petersburg in honor of A. Herman.
An obelisk was built in the village of Zhitnitsy, where Herman died.

Food Commissioner Nikolaev Ivan Nikolaevich
(died in 1918)

We could not find any information about this character. Perhaps he was a participant in the requisition of food supplies from the Iversky Monastery. These events were described in the first part of the review of Valdai cemeteries (see Bishop Joseph of Valdai).

Belov Pavel Mironovich
(1898- 1942)

Native of Saratov. Chief of Artillery of the North-Western Front. Lieutenant General.
Non-partisan; military education- higher education courses commanding staff(KUVNAS) in 1931.
Participated in Civil War on the Denikin, Polish, Wrangel and Antonov fronts.
Awarded the Order of the Red Star and anniversary medal"XX years of the Red Army".
He died on February 6, 1942 in hospital from a short illness (presumably pneumonia).

Unfortunately, it was not possible to find information about how many people were supposedly buried at the site of the Heroes' Square and whether reburials were carried out in the future. When and in what year were traces of burials destroyed and the Eternal Flame memorial was erected at this location.
Eternal flame in the Square of Heroes

At the end of the review of the Square of Heroes, I want to tell you a little about the mystical story that happened to me. As was already mentioned at the beginning, next to the Square of Heroes stands the Valdai Church of the Presentation Holy Mother of God to the Temple.

This temple was built in 1776. Closed in 1930. Currently considered conserved. The vaults of the main temple have collapsed.

In 2008, under the federal program “Revival of Small Towns of Russia”, 7,000,000 rubles were allocated for design and survey work on the restoration of the Church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary into the Temple of the Lord in the city of Valdai.

The Valdai City Hall informed the press that specialists together with archaeologists were examining the condition of the church’s foundation. To do this, they made pits up to 1.5-2 meters deep near the walls of the building. Workers have already discovered fragments of ceramics, ancient coins, and burial remains in the soil layer. Based on the data obtained, documents will be drawn up for further reconstruction and restoration of the Church of the Presentation.
6 years have passed. It seems that 7 million was only enough to cover the temple with lime and cover the facade with a fabric banner.

Walking around the temple, the architecture of which did not interest me, I found a small gap in the boards above the side door, at a height slightly higher than my height. Having switched the camera to shooting mode with display through the display (I couldn’t reach the viewfinder), I put my hands with the camera into the gap. On the display I saw absolutely wonderful views of collapsed walls made of ancient brick, some fantastic roots, plants and arches crawling along the walls. As I took photo after photo, I was glad that there was enough light coming through the roof gap to not have to use a flash. I saw how the pictures “appeared” on the display. They were to become the “pearl” of my filming of this place.

Upon arrival, it turned out that there was not a single interior photograph of the temple! But I took about 10 frames! A timer that marks the time of each frame every second (and I shoot like a photo maniac at 2-3 frames per second) shows a two-minute absence of shooting, and the frames, without losing their numbering, are completely intact until the moment when I stepped on the cherished threshold, to reach the gap, and then, after a 2-minute pause, they resume from the place when I had already left this threshold-ledge.

When people told me such things before, I didn’t believe them. Now I believe. For three evenings I went through 2,500 frames on the map several times, hoping to find THE SAME pictures. In vain. The Vvedenskaya Church, which had seen so much evil from people, chose to die closed from the eyes and lenses of idle observers. In fact, the church was destroyed. It will be possible to “restore” it only with a “new building” and it is not a fact that this will happen.

The next part contains a story about the “new” Valdai Civil Cemetery.

A short introduction. All Novgorodians know German Street, but not everyone knows what outstanding person this street was named after. This material was prepared by Dmitry Cherkasov and we think it will be very interesting to everyone.

Very funny.

We all know Zoshchenko as an outstanding master of the grotesque, hyperbole and sarcasm. But I don’t consider him an inventor and a visionary at all, especially since the topic in those years (and the story of 1947) was more than serious.
Out of the blue, I decided to do a little research. In the memoirs of famous figures of the partisan movement, I did not find anything intelligible on this score, which only provoked me.

And this is what we managed to establish.

Let's start with the fact that there was no mysterious “Comrade Herman”. And there was a very real career officer, captain of the Red Army German Alexander Viktorovich. Born in 1915 in Leningrad. Russian. Member of the CPSU since 1942. Before the war, he lived and studied in Moscow for several years. A graduate of the Oryol Tank School, graduated from the Military Academy named after. M.V. Frunze. From July 1941 - on the North-Western Front, an intelligence department officer, responsible for communications and coordination of partisan detachments. In September 1941, he was sent to the German rear, the main task was reconnaissance, destruction of Germans and sabotage of communications. The initial strength of the detachment was about 100-150 fighters.
The detachment not only fought successfully, but also settled down in a completely unconventional way for partisans - in the depths of the forests, far from well-trodden roads, a stationary base arose, which over time turned into a real fortified area - with permanent buildings, barracks, kitchens, baths, an infirmary, headquarters, warehouses, etc. .P.

By the summer of 1942, the successes of the detachment, the commanding talent and economic abilities of Herman led to the formation of a professional partisan brigade on its base, its number increased to 2,500 people, the combat zone spread to most of the territory of Porkhovsky, Pozherevitsky, Slavkovichsky, Novorzhevsky, Ostrovsky and other districts of the Pskov region.

However, this seemed to Herman not enough. During one of the forays, a “peat” narrow-gauge railway was discovered running near the base with rolling stock abandoned on it in a hurry during the retreat - steam locomotives, wagons and platforms. The road led to the front line, and through the most remote swamps and swamps (in fact, peat is mined there). There was one problem - a section of the narrow-gauge railway passed along the outskirts of the Podseva junction station, which served as a transit point for the German army and had a strong garrison. When transportation was necessary, crushing blows were dealt to the station each time, and “on the quiet” the partisan trains successfully passed through the bad place. In the end (I want to live), the garrison command simply stopped paying attention to the small locomotives and carriages scurrying back and forth across the outskirts of the station, especially since they did not create any special problems, behaved decently and preferred to travel at night. All this time, partisan transport was carried out from the front line (!) to the enemy's rear (!) by rail (!). This has never happened before or since.

An infirmary was opened where surrounding residents could go and receive all possible medical care. In severe cases, doctors made house calls (!). Soviet "ambulance" in the German rear. Yeah...
In order to resolve current issues, temporary village councils and executive committees were formed, which traveled to places, carried out propaganda work and received the population. Of course, they did not occupy the building opposite the German commandant’s office, as Zoshchenko ironically, they came for a short time and to a pre-selected place, but, nevertheless...
Then the irreparable happened. No, no, no executive committee was captured, and there were no sick German spies.

Reading the dry official report (... the brigade under the command of Herman from June 1942 to September 1943 killed 9,652 Nazis, wrecked 44 railway trains with enemy personnel and equipment, blew up 31 railway bridges, destroyed 17 enemy garrisons, up to 70 volost administrations etc...), I don’t understand why we know almost nothing about this man, how could the name of one of the most talented and successful military leaders, who had non-trivial strategic thinking, melt away in the fog of hoary antiquity?
The detailed description of the combat operations of the Alexander German brigade is completely baffling - could a person act like that, achieve such amazing results in defeating the enemy in the most difficult conditions, operating behind enemy lines, when the regular army was rapidly retreating, when the outcome of the war was still completely unknown...

Read this document, give it credit.

German Alexander Viktorovich

Alexander Viktorovich German was born on May 24, 1915 in St. Petersburg into the family of an employee. Russian.

After graduating from seven years of school, he worked as a mechanic and studied at an automotive technical school.
In November 1933 he joined the Red Army.
In 1937 he graduated from the Oryol Armored School and served in a mechanized brigade.
The beginning of the Great Patriotic War found him a 2nd year student at the M.V. Frunze Military Academy.
From July 1941, German served in the intelligence department of the headquarters of the North-Western Front, and then acted as deputy commander of the 2nd Special Partisan Brigade for reconnaissance.
Since the summer of 1942, Major Alexander German has been the commander of the 3rd Leningrad Partisan Brigade. Under his command, the brigade destroyed several thousand enemy soldiers and officers, derailed over three hundred railway trains, blew up hundreds of cars and saved thirty-five thousand Soviet citizens from being stolen into slavery.
From June 1942 to September 1943, the brigade under the command of Herman destroyed 9,652 Nazis, crashed 44 railway trains with enemy personnel and equipment, blew up 31 railway bridges, destroyed 17 enemy garrisons, and up to 70 volost administrations.
Major German died a heroic death on September 6, 1943, leaving enemy encirclement near the village of Zhitnitsy, Novorzhevsky district, Pskov region. He was buried in the square of the city of Valdai, Novgorod region.

By Decree of the Presidium Supreme Council USSR on April 2, 1944, for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command on the front of the fight against the Nazi invaders and the courage and heroism shown, Major German Alexander Viktorovich was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

State awards:

Gold Star Medal
The order of Lenin
Order of the Red Banner
Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class

Memory

By order of the head of the Leningrad partisan movement headquarters dated September 7, 1943, the 3rd Leningrad Partisan Brigade was named after its heroically deceased commander.
An obelisk was built in the village of Zhitnitsy, where Herman died. Streets are named after Herman and memorial plaques are installed in the cities of St. Petersburg, Veliky Novgorod, Novorzhev, Valdai, Ostrov, Porkhov

D. Cherkasov about Herman’s partisans (2008):

Very funny.

Out of the blue, I decided to do a little research. In the memoirs of famous figures of the partisan movement, I did not find anything intelligible on this score, which only provoked me.

And this is what we managed to establish.

So.

The detachment not only fought successfully, but also settled down in a completely unconventional way for partisans - in the depths of the forests, far from well-trodden roads, a stationary base arose, which over time turned into a real fortified area - with permanent buildings, barracks, kitchens, baths, an infirmary, headquarters, warehouses, etc. .P.

And now - a few facts.

For the first time in partisan practice, Herman created a stationary airfield near the base, cut a clearing in the forest, equipped a runway and infrastructure for receiving heavy transport aircraft, and set up warning posts and anti-aircraft crews. The problem of supply and communication with the “mainland” was solved. Several attempts to raise fighter aircraft to intercept partisan aircraft ended in attacks (capturing the airfield, of course, was an unrealistic task) on an oil base in the city of Porkhov and aircraft warehouses in the village of Pushkinskie Gory, as a result of which all consumable supplies of fuel, ammunition and other things were destroyed. The regiment turned out to be incapable of combat and was unable to carry out combat missions at the front. They could get scolded for being partisans, but for such consequences you can actually get punished. The commander of the Luftwaffe regiment clearly understood this. And planes flew into the “forest” regularly.

According to the recollections of the railway workers, the Germans soon pulled the barbed wire from the tracks to the narrow gauge and no longer noticed it at point-blank range.

An infirmary was opened where surrounding residents could go and receive all possible medical care. In severe cases, doctors made house calls (!). Soviet "ambulance" in the German rear. Yeah...

In order to resolve current issues, temporary village councils and executive committees were formed, which traveled to places, carried out propaganda work and received the population. Of course, they did not occupy the building opposite the German commandant’s office, as Zoshchenko ironically, they came for a short time and to a pre-selected place, but, nevertheless...

It is not known how these surreal claims ended for the petitioners (the consequences are not mentioned in the primary sources, although these facts themselves are noted), but somehow they became known to the high command, including in Berlin.

The brigade was surrounded, stubborn fighting ensued, Herman personally commanded the withdrawal and planned another brilliant combination, and, although with losses, the brigade successfully broke through to the regular troops, destroying more than half of the attacking troops. During the battle, the commander of the 3rd partisan brigade, Colonel Alexander Viktorovich German, was wounded three times, the last wound to the head was fatal. He died on September 6, 1943 near the village of Zhitnitsy. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

The detailed description of the combat operations of the Alexander German brigade is completely baffling - could a person act like that, achieve such amazing results in defeating the enemy in the most difficult conditions, operating behind enemy lines, when the regular army was rapidly retreating, when the outcome of the war was still completely unknown...

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German Alexander Viktorovich. Born in 1915 in Leningrad. Russian. Member of the CPSU since 1942. Before the war, he lived and studied in Moscow for several years. In the capital he graduated from the Military Academy. M.V. Frunze. From July 1941 - on the North-Western Front. Since August 1941 - in partisan detachments Leningrad region. Since June 1942 - commander of the 3rd partisan brigade. On September 6, 1943 he was killed in action. He was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously on April 2, 1944.

Senior Lieutenant Alexander Viktorovich German with his wife and son lived for several years in Moscow on Bolshaya Dorogomilovskaya Street in a communal apartment before the war. He studied at the Military Academy named after M. V. Frunze. IN free time loved to wander the streets of Moscow and go to museums. At such hours, he seemed to come into contact with the history of the capital, felt its breath.

Alexander German received good training for work in the army. This was the case when the desire of the student coincided with the plans of the authorities. In the second month of the Great Patriotic War, he left Moscow to join the troops of the North-Western Front. Soon he distinguished himself. Was awarded the order The Red Banner, which was handed to him by the commander.

There were fierce battles at the front. The partisan movement flared up and expanded in the territory occupied by the enemy. The blows of the partisans would have been even more noticeable if at that time their units had had sufficient trained military personnel. Herman was quite suitable for this job. He maintained contact with the partisans, received intelligence information through them for the front headquarters, and was aware of many of their operations.

One day, the head of the department, an elderly colonel, called Herman to his place and announced:

There is an opinion to send you, Major, to work in the partisan detachments of the Leningrad region. The headquarters of the partisan movement is asking us about this. How do you feel about this proposal?

I have no objections, Comrade Colonel. “I’ve been dreaming about this kind of work for a long time,” answered Herman.

Thus began a new, complex, dangerous life for Herman deep behind enemy lines. The military talent of the young commander was especially clearly revealed when in June 1942 he was appointed commander of the 3rd Partisan Brigade. Actually, the brigade had yet to be created, but for now there was a detachment of 150 people. This will serve as the core for the formation of the connection.

Ivan Vasilyevich Krylov was appointed chief of staff, who became a comrade and closest assistant to the brigade commander in the development of operational sabotage measures. German and Krylov quickly worked together, and this greatly contributed to the successful actions of the partisans.

The 3rd partisan brigade operated in many occupied areas of the Leningrad, Kalinin and Pskov regions. Before the arrival of the partisans, there was complete dominance of the fascists here. Feeling their impunity, the occupiers mocked Soviet people, took away livestock and poultry from local residents, and drove people into slavery. And those who did not obey the new order were destroyed.

Vasily Ivanovich, it’s time to hit the fascists, show the working peasants who is the real boss here, that the Soviet government remembers them. What are your thoughts? - Herman insisted.

I propose that at first we take advantage of the carelessness of the Nazis and, while they are not expecting us, attack the garrison in the village.

Operation was successfully completed. The victory inspired the partisans and added moral strength to the local residents. In a short time, the partisans of the brigade defeated nine Nazi garrisons and 50 volost administrations, and derailed several enemy trains.

Large forested areas, rugged terrain with many lakes and swamps allowed the partisans to launch surprise attacks on the Nazis and reliably protected them from punitive forces who could not use heavy equipment - tanks, artillery - against the partisans. As Herman expected, active fighting The brigades raised the workers of a number of districts of the Leningrad, Kalinin and Pskov regions in an armed struggle against the invaders and their henchmen. Many of those whom the partisans saved from being hijacked to Germany joined the brigade. The partisans accumulated combat experience, and the size of the brigade grew. In the first three months, the number of fighters in it tripled. And by the fall of 1943, due to the admission of local residents to the brigade, it already numbered 2,500 people and turned into a formidable force.

Lively and sociable, firm when it came to following orders and discipline, the tactically competent brigade commander became a favorite of the soldiers. And his authority was high among the local population. “With our brigade commander, we won’t be lost! We will follow him through fire and water!” - the partisans said about Herman. And they had a reason for this. The punishers tried many times to destroy the brigade, but German guessed their plans in time and took the partisans away from the attack.

The brigade commander's military glory flew ahead of the partisan formation. His name struck fear into the invaders. And there were good reasons for this. In February 1943, partisans led by Herman captured railway station Overseeding and holding it for several days. At the same time, bombers blew up a bridge across the Uza River. Enemy military trains did not run on this section of the road for nine days.

Fulfilling the order of the Leningrad headquarters of the partisan movement, the 3rd brigade carried out several attacks on the Staraya Russa-Pskov railway, the most important for the Nazis, putting it out of action for a long time. Having carefully developed the operation, Herman led the brigade in a raid behind enemy lines. Local residents remember well how in August 1943 the partisans dealt a severe blow along the Pskov-Porkhov line. In one night they blew up five railway bridges. One of them is across the Keb River near Pskov. After this, the railway did not work for twelve days. People's avengers burned German fuel depots in Porkhov, Pushkinskiye Gory, blew up the Porkhov German commandant's office.

As was reported to the headquarters of the partisan movement, every month the demolitionists of the 3rd brigade derailed 10-12 enemy echelons with manpower and military equipment.

One of the documents of those years says: “The brigade under the command of Herman from June 1942 to September 1943 killed 9,652 Nazis, wrecked 44 railway trains with enemy manpower and equipment, blew up 31 railway bridges, destroyed 17 enemy garrisons, up to 70 volosts departments."

Behind each of the given figures is the fearlessness of the partisans, the courage and experience of their commander. For his skillful leadership of combat operations, dedicated work in growing partisan detachments, and personal courage, Alexander German was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree.

In early September, having prepared a special airfield, the partisans began to accept transports with ammunition, weapons, and medicines from the mainland. And the wounded and sick were sent from the rear areas.

One day, urgent matters delayed the brigade; one place for several days. The Nazis took advantage of this. Having pulled together SS units, they surrounded the brigade, after which they dropped leaflets from the plane, promising to save the lives of the partisans if they laid down their arms. The leaflets were addressed directly to the soldiers of the 3rd Brigade. Apparently, the Nazis had been tracking the connection for a long time.

The brigade commander was informed about the leaflets. However, Herman saw no reason for hasty action. He reasoned soberly: the partisans had enough ammunition and strength to break out of the encirclement.

On the outskirts of the village, in an empty barn, on September 5, Herman assembled a military council. In addition to Chief of Staff Krylov and Chief of Intelligence Panchezhny, commanders of regiments and individual units arrived. Herman established an order: before making a decision, consult with commanders. So it was this time. Sucking on his extinguished pipe, which was the habit of the brigade commander, Herman slowly approached the chief of staff, in front of whom lay an unfolded map. Addressing the intelligence chief, he asked:

Comrade Panchezhny, report information about the enemy.

Panchezhny said:

The situation, comrade commanders, is, frankly speaking, unimportant. All settlements to the north we are occupied by punitive forces. Western and east directions also blocked by the enemy. They surrounded us like a bear in a den. The south side remains. Here the scouts have not yet discovered the enemy. It is not found in the Rugodevo forests either. This is the situation at the moment.

The brigade has one path - to the south! - Looking at the map, German summed up. He has already made up his mind. “We will make our way into the Rugodev forests through the village of Zhitnitsa.” What is your opinion, comrade commanders?

Everyone agreed with the brigade commander.

The partisans, who had just returned from reconnaissance, informed Herman that there were no Nazis in Zhitnitsa... It was very tempting to take advantage of this: to break out of the enemy ring without a fight. However, the brigade commander immediately dismissed this faint hope: by the time the scouts got to headquarters, at least three hours had passed. This was quite enough for the enemy to find a free area in his battle formations and hasten to occupy the Zhitnitsa.

Let's fight our way! - Herman repeated.

To give the commanders time to organize the battle and cooperate, he scheduled a brigade gathering near the village of Zanegi at exactly midnight.

Khudyakov's third regiment strikes first! - German gave the order. - Behind him, building on the success, Efimov’s fourth regiment attacks. Next comes the brigade headquarters, Yaroslavtsev’s second regiment. The headquarters detachment is in my reserve.

Having received combat missions, the commanders dispersed.

The brigade commander watched as the partisans expertly packed their things, loaded their horses, prepared their weapons for battle, and no one had a shadow; anxiety. They did everything calmly and habitually. Judging by their faces, they had no doubts about the correctness of the decision made by the commander.

At the appointed time, at dusk, the partisan regiments quietly descended from the forest into the lowland leading to the Zhitnitsa. They sent out reconnaissance. As Hermann expected, a battalion of SS troops was already stationed in the village.

The brigade commander thanked the scouts and called Khudyakov to headquarters:

“Come as close to the Zhitnitsa as possible, deploy the regiment and attack the Nazis on the move,” he ordered.

The partisans walked quietly, did not rattle with bowler hats or weapons. Silence is their assistant. And suddenly the field came to life: the partisans were discovered. The night battle broke out. Automatic and machine gun fire crackled. Every now and then rockets took off over the village, illuminating the fields and vegetable gardens with a flickering light. The enemy side bristled with hurricane fire. However, even after this, the third regiment continued to confidently approach the enemy.

Wooden buildings in Zhitnitsa caught fire from incendiary bullets. In the alarming light of the fire, figures of fascists flashed. They tried to stop the attackers. However, the regiment intensified the onslaught, destroying the enemy, and broke through the defenses. It seemed that the most difficult thing was left behind - the path was open. But the fourth regiment, which was advancing behind the Khudyakovites, consisting mainly of young fighters, slowed down the pace of advance and then stopped. And this was enough for the punitive forces to close the gap made by Khudyakov’s regiment.

Herman, quickly assessing the situation, ordered the second regiment to launch a diversionary attack to the right of Zhitnitsa.

Later, brigade commissar M. Voskresensky would write about it this way: “Herman, in a flowing cloak, with his Mauser raised high, walked in the thick of the attackers. Everyone was running, but he walked firmly and, it seemed, calmly, as if he was walking not towards a thick stream of bullets, but towards the wind. I was next to Herman, looked back at him and admired him.”

Partisans German Ivan and Savely 1940. Forgotten heroes. Alexander Viktorovich German. An extraordinary commander of a partisan detachment

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