3rd Mechanized Corps
8th Guards Mechanized Corps
1st Mechanized Corps
1st Mechanized Division Battles/wars Awards and prizes

Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein(November 28, 1899, Voronezh - September 16, 1978, Krasnogorsk, Moscow region) - Soviet military leader, lieutenant general of tank forces (1943). Hero of the Soviet Union (May 29, 1945).

Initial biography

He graduated from seven classes of the Voronezh gymnasium.

Military service

Civil war

In November of the same year, Krivoshein was transferred to the 6th Cavalry Division (1st Cavalry Army) to the post of military commissar of the 34th Cavalry Regiment squadron, and then from April 1920 he was successively appointed to the post of military commissar in the 31st, 33rd and the 34th Cavalry Regiments, and in November - to the position of instructor in the political department of the 6th Cavalry Division.

As part of the Southern Front, he took part in hostilities against the troops of General A.I. Denikin, in the summer of 1920 - as part of the South-Western Front in combat operations during the Soviet-Polish War, and then - as part of the Southern Front in combat operations in the Crimea against troops under the command of General P. N. Wrangel.

Interwar time

With the end of the war, Krivoshein continued to serve in the 6th Cavalry Division (1st Cavalry Army, North Caucasus Military District) as head of reconnaissance of the 2nd Cavalry Brigade, assignment officer under the commander of the 1st Brigade, platoon commander and squadron 32 th cavalry regiment.

Soon he took part in the Soviet-Finnish War: on February 27, the 29th Tank Brigade under the command of Krivoshein, consisting of 256 T-26 tanks, was redeployed from Brest, and in March, along with the 34th Rifle Corps, stormed Vyborg.

In June 1937, he wrote a denunciation to the People's Commissar of Defense against the commander of the 6th Cossack Corps, Divisional Commander E.I. Goryachev, in which he accused Goryachev of supporting the repressed Uborevich.

Great Patriotic War

Since July 1941, the corps under the command of Krivoshein conducted offensive and defensive combat operations against enemy troops in the area of ​​​​the cities of Rogachev, Zhlobin and Gomel. Soon he took part in the defense of Mogilev.

In October 1941, he was appointed head of the Combat Training Directorate of the Main Armored Directorate of the Red Army, and in February 1943, he was appointed commander of the 3rd Mechanized Corps, which took part in the Battle of Kursk, and then in the Belgorod-Kharkov offensive operation.

Post-war career

After the end of the war, Krivoshein continued to command the 1st Mechanized Corps as part of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, soon reorganized into the 1st Mechanized Division.

An excerpt characterizing Krivoshein, Semyon Moiseevich

He told him, pointing to the fields, about his economic improvements.
Pierre was gloomily silent, answering in monosyllables, and seemed lost in his thoughts.
Pierre thought that Prince Andrei was unhappy, that he was mistaken, that he did not know the true light, and that Pierre should come to his aid, enlighten him and lift him up. But as soon as Pierre figured out how and what he would say, he had a presentiment that Prince Andrei with one word, one argument would destroy everything in his teaching, and he was afraid to start, afraid to expose his beloved shrine to the possibility of ridicule.
“No, why do you think,” Pierre suddenly began, lowering his head and taking on the appearance of a butting bull, why do you think so? You shouldn't think like that.
- What am I thinking about? – Prince Andrei asked in surprise.
– About life, about the purpose of a person. It can't be. I thought the same thing and it saved me, you know what? Freemasonry No, don't smile. Freemasonry is not a religious, not a ritual sect, as I thought, but Freemasonry is the best, the only expression of the best, eternal sides of humanity. - And he began to explain Freemasonry to Prince Andrey, as he understood it.
He said that Freemasonry is the teaching of Christianity, freed from state and religious shackles; teachings of equality, brotherhood and love.
– Only our holy brotherhood has real meaning in life; “everything else is a dream,” said Pierre. - You understand, my friend, that outside of this union everything is full of lies and untruths, and I agree with you that an intelligent and kind person has no choice but to live out his life, like you, trying only not to interfere with others. But assimilate our basic beliefs, join our brotherhood, give yourself to us, let us guide you, and now you will feel, as I did, part of this huge, invisible chain, the beginning of which is hidden in the heavens, said Pierre.
Prince Andrey, silently, looking ahead, listened to Pierre's speech. Several times, unable to hear from the noise of the stroller, he asked Pierre the unheard words. By the special sparkle that lit up in the eyes of Prince Andrei, and by his silence, Pierre saw that his words were not in vain, that Prince Andrei would not interrupt him and would not laugh at his words.
They arrived at a flooded river, which they had to cross by ferry. While the carriage and horses were being installed, they went to the ferry.
Prince Andrei, leaning on the railing, silently looked along the flood glittering from the setting sun.
- Well, what do you think about this? - asked Pierre, - why are you silent?
– What do I think? I listened to you. “It’s all true,” said Prince Andrei. “But you say: join our brotherhood, and we will show you the purpose of life and the purpose of man, and the laws that govern the world.” Who are we, people? Why do you know everything? Why am I the only one who doesn’t see what you see? You see the kingdom of goodness and truth on earth, but I don’t see it.
Pierre interrupted him. – Do you believe in a future life? – he asked.
- To the future life? – Prince Andrei repeated, but Pierre did not give him time to answer and took this repetition as a denial, especially since he knew Prince Andrei’s previous atheistic beliefs.
– You say that you cannot see the kingdom of goodness and truth on earth. And I have not seen him and he cannot be seen if we look at our life as the end of everything. On earth, precisely on this earth (Pierre pointed in the field), there is no truth - everything is lies and evil; but in the world, in the whole world, there is a kingdom of truth, and we are now children of the earth, and forever children of the whole world. Don't I feel in my soul that I am part of this huge, harmonious whole. Don’t I feel that I am in this huge countless number of beings in which the Divinity is manifested - the highest power, as you like - that I constitute one link, one step from lower beings to higher ones. If I see, clearly see this staircase that leads from a plant to a person, then why should I assume that this staircase breaks with me, and does not lead further and further. I feel that not only can I not disappear, just as nothing disappears in the world, but that I will always be and always have been. I feel that besides me there are spirits living above me and that there is truth in this world.
“Yes, this is Herder’s teaching,” said Prince Andrei, “but that, my soul, is not what convinces me, but life and death, that’s what convinces me.” What is convincing is that you see a being dear to you, who is connected with you, before whom you were guilty and hoped to justify yourself (Prince Andrei’s voice trembled and turned away) and suddenly this being suffers, is tormented and ceases to be... Why? It cannot be that there is no answer! And I believe that he is... That’s what convinces, that’s what convinced me,” said Prince Andrei.
“Well, yes, well,” said Pierre, “isn’t that what I’m saying!”
- No. I’m only saying that it’s not arguments that convince you of the need for a future life, but when you walk in life hand in hand with a person, and suddenly this person disappears out there into nowhere, and you yourself stop in front of this abyss and look into it. And, I looked...
- Well then! Do you know what is there and that there is someone? There is a future life there. Someone is God.
Prince Andrei did not answer. The carriage and horses had long been taken to the other side and had already been laid down, and the sun had already disappeared halfway, and the evening frost covered the puddles near the ferry with stars, and Pierre and Andrey, to the surprise of the footmen, coachmen and carriers, were still standing on the ferry and talking.
– If there is God and there is a future life, then there is truth, there is virtue; and man's highest happiness consists in striving to achieve them. We must live, we must love, we must believe, said Pierre, that we do not live now only on this piece of land, but have lived and will live forever there in everything (he pointed to the sky). Prince Andrey stood with his elbows on the railing of the ferry and, listening to Pierre, without taking his eyes off, looked at the red reflection of the sun on the blue flood. Pierre fell silent. It was completely silent. The ferry had landed long ago, and only the waves of the current hit the bottom of the ferry with a faint sound. It seemed to Prince Andrei that this rinsing of the waves was saying to Pierre’s words: “true, believe it.”
Prince Andrei sighed and with a radiant, childish, tender gaze looked into Pierre’s flushed, enthusiastic, but increasingly timid face in front of his superior friend.
- Yes, if only it were so! - he said. “However, let’s go sit down,” added Prince Andrei, and as he got off the ferry, he looked at the sky that Pierre pointed out to him, and for the first time, after Austerlitz, he saw that high, eternal sky that he had seen while lying on the Field of Austerlitz, and something that had long fallen asleep, something that was best in him, suddenly woke up joyfully and youthfully in his soul. This feeling disappeared as soon as Prince Andrei returned to the usual conditions of life, but he knew that this feeling, which he did not know how to develop, lived in him. The meeting with Pierre was for Prince Andrei the era from which, although in appearance the same, but in the inner world, his new life began.

It was already dark when Prince Andrei and Pierre arrived at the main entrance of the Lysogorsk house. While they were approaching, Prince Andrei with a smile drew Pierre's attention to the commotion that had occurred at the back porch. A bent old woman with a knapsack on her back, and a short man in a black robe and with long hair, seeing the carriage driving in, rushed to run back through the gate. Two women ran out after them, and all four, looking back at the stroller, ran into the back porch in fear.
“These are the Machines of God,” said Prince Andrei. “They took us for their father.” And this is the only thing in which she does not obey him: he orders these wanderers to be driven away, and she accepts them.
- What are God's people? asked Pierre.
Prince Andrei did not have time to answer him. The servants came out to meet him, and he asked about where the old prince was and whether they were expecting him soon.
The old prince was still in the city, and they were waiting for him every minute.
Prince Andrei led Pierre to his half, which was always waiting for him in perfect order in his father’s house, and he himself went to the nursery.
“Let’s go to my sister,” said Prince Andrei, returning to Pierre; - I haven’t seen her yet, she’s now hiding and sitting with her God’s people. Serves her right, she will be embarrassed, and you will see God's people. C "est curieux, ma parole. [This is curious, honestly.]
– Qu"est ce que c"est que [What are] God's people? - asked Pierre
- But you'll see.
Princess Marya was really embarrassed and turned red in spots when they came to her. In her cozy room with lamps in front of icon cases, on the sofa, at the samovar, sat next to her a young boy with a long nose and long hair, and in a monastic robe.
On a chair nearby sat a wrinkled, thin old woman with a meek expression on her childish face.
“Andre, pourquoi ne pas m"avoir prevenu? [Andrei, why didn’t you warn me?],” she said with meek reproach, standing in front of her wanderers, like a hen in front of her chickens.
– Charmee de vous voir. Je suis tres contente de vous voir, [Very glad to see you. I’m so pleased that I see you,” she said to Pierre, while he kissed her hand. She knew him as a child, and now his friendship with Andrei, his misfortune with his wife, and most importantly, his kind, simple face endeared her to him. She looked at him with her beautiful, radiant eyes and seemed to say: “I love you very much, but please don’t laugh at mine.” After exchanging the first phrases of greeting, they sat down.
“Oh, and Ivanushka is here,” said Prince Andrei, pointing with a smile at the young wanderer.
– Andre! - Princess Marya said pleadingly.
“Il faut que vous sachiez que c"est une femme, [Know that this is a woman," Andrei said to Pierre.
– Andre, au nom de Dieu! [Andrey, for God’s sake!] – repeated Princess Marya.
It was clear that Prince Andrei’s mocking attitude towards the wanderers and Princess Mary’s useless intercession on their behalf were familiar, established relationships between them.
“Mais, ma bonne amie,” said Prince Andrei, “vous devriez au contraire m"etre reconaissante de ce que j"explique a Pierre votre intimate avec ce jeune homme... [But, my friend, you should be grateful to me that I explain to Pierre your closeness to this young man.]
- Vraiment? [Really?] - Pierre said curiously and seriously (for which Princess Marya was especially grateful to him) peering through his glasses into the face of Ivanushka, who, realizing that they were talking about him, looked at everyone with cunning eyes.
Princess Marya was completely in vain to be embarrassed for her own people. They were not at all timid. The old woman, with her eyes downcast but looking sideways at those who entered, had turned the cup upside down onto a saucer and placed a bitten piece of sugar next to it, sat calmly and motionless in her chair, waiting to be offered more tea. Ivanushka, drinking from a saucer, looked at the young people from under his brows with sly, feminine eyes.
– Where, in Kyiv, were you? – Prince Andrey asked the old woman.
“There was, father,” the old woman answered loquaciously, “on Christmas itself, she was honored with the saints to communicate the holy, heavenly secrets.” And now from Kolyazin, father, great grace has opened...
- Well, Ivanushka is with you?
“I’m going on my own, breadwinner,” Ivanushka said, trying to speak in a deep voice. - Only in Yukhnov did Pelageyushka and I get along...
Pelagia interrupted her comrade; She obviously wanted to tell what she saw.
- In Kolyazin, father, great grace was revealed.
- Well, are the relics new? - asked Prince Andrei.
“That’s enough, Andrey,” said Princess Marya. - Don’t tell me, Pelageyushka.
“No...what are you saying, mother, why not tell me?” I love him. He is kind, favored by God, he, a benefactor, gave me rubles, I remember. How I was in Kyiv and the holy fool Kiryusha told me - a truly man of God, he walks barefoot winter and summer. Why are you walking, he says, not in your place, go to Kolyazin, there is a miraculous icon, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos has been revealed. From those words I said goodbye to the saints and went...
Everyone was silent, one wanderer spoke in a measured voice, drawing in air.
“My father, the people came and said to me: great grace has been revealed, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos is dripping myrrh from her cheek...
“Okay, okay, you’ll tell me later,” said Princess Marya, blushing.
“Let me ask her,” said Pierre. -Have you seen it yourself? – he asked.
- Why, father, you yourself have been honored. There is such a radiance on the face, like heavenly light, and from my mother’s cheek it keeps dripping and dripping...
“But this is a deception,” said Pierre naively, who listened attentively to the wanderer.
- Oh, father, what are you saying! - Pelageyushka said with horror, turning to Princess Marya for protection.
“They are deceiving the people,” he repeated.
- Lord Jesus Christ! – the wanderer said, crossing herself. - Oh, don't tell me, father. So one anaral did not believe it, he said: “the monks are deceiving,” and as he said, he became blind. And he dreamed that Mother of Pechersk came to him and said: “Trust me, I will heal you.” So he began to ask: take me and take me to her. I’m telling you the real truth, I saw it myself. They brought him blind straight to her, he came up, fell, and said: “Heal! “I will give you,” he says, “what the king gave you.” I saw it myself, father, the star was embedded in it. Well, I have received my sight! It's a sin to say that. “God will punish,” she instructively addressed Pierre.
- How did the star end up in the image? asked Pierre.
- Did you make your mother a general? - said Prince Andrei, smiling.
Pelagia suddenly turned pale and clasped her hands.
- Father, father, it’s a sin for you, you have a son! - she spoke, suddenly turning from pallor to bright color.
- Father, what did you say? God forgive you. - She crossed herself. - Lord, forgive him. Mother, what is this?...” she turned to Princess Marya. She stood up and, almost crying, began to pack her purse. She was obviously both scared and ashamed that she had enjoyed benefits in a house where they could say this, and it was a pity that she now had to be deprived of the benefits of this house.
- Well, what kind of hunting are you doing? - said Princess Marya. -Why did you come to me?...
“No, I’m joking, Pelageyushka,” said Pierre. – Princesse, ma parole, je n"ai pas voulu l"offenser, [Princess, I'm right, I didn't want to offend her,] I just did that. Don’t think I was joking,” he said, smiling timidly and wanting to make amends. - After all, it’s me, and he was only joking.
Pelageyushka stopped incredulously, but there was such sincerity of repentance in Pierre’s face, and Prince Andrei looked so meekly first at Pelageyushka, then at Pierre, that she gradually calmed down.

The wanderer calmed down and, brought back into conversation, talked for a long time about Father Amphilochius, who was such a saint of life that his hand smelled like palm, and about how the monks she knew on her last journey to Kyiv gave her the keys to the caves, and how she, taking crackers with her, spent two days in the caves with the saints. “I’ll pray to one, read, go to another. I’ll take a pine tree, I’ll go and take a kiss again; and such silence, mother, such grace that you don’t even want to go out into the light of God.”
Pierre listened to her carefully and seriously. Prince Andrei left the room. And after him, leaving God’s people to finish their tea, Princess Marya led Pierre into the living room.
“You are very kind,” she told him.
- Oh, I really didn’t think of offending her, I understand and highly value these feelings!
Princess Marya silently looked at him and smiled tenderly. “After all, I have known you for a long time and love you like a brother,” she said. – How did you find Andrey? - she asked hastily, not giving him time to say anything in response to her kind words. - He worries me very much. His health is better in winter, but last spring the wound opened, and the doctor said that he should go for treatment. And morally I am very afraid for him. He is not the type of character we women are to suffer and cry out our grief. He carries it inside himself. Today he is cheerful and lively; but it was your arrival that had such an effect on him: he is rarely like this. If only you could persuade him to go abroad! He needs activity, and this smooth, quiet life is ruining him. Others don't notice, but I see.

Born on November 28, 1899 in the city of Voronezh (Russia) in the family of a handicraftsman. Jew. He graduated from the 7th grade of the gymnasium.
In the Red Army since July 1918.
He took part in the Civil War, was a Red Army soldier of the 107th Infantry Regiment in the Voronezh province, and from May 1919 - a Red Army soldier of the 12th Cavalry Regiment of the 12th Infantry Division of the Southern Front in Lugansk. From November 1919 - military commissar of the squadron of the 34th cavalry regiment of the 6th cavalry division of the First Cavalry Army, from April 1920 - military commissar of the 31st, 33rd and 34th cavalry regiments, from November 1920 - instructor of the political department of the 6th th cavalry division. He fought on the Southern Front against the armies of Denikin and Wrangel, and on the Southwestern Front against Polish troops. Since 1921 - head of reconnaissance of the 2nd Cavalry Brigade, assignment officer under the commander of the 1st Brigade, platoon and squadron commander of the 32nd Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Cavalry Army of the North Caucasus Military District. From November 1923 to November 1925 - squadron commander of the 27th Cavalry Regiment of the 5th Cavalry Division in the same district.
In 1926, he graduated from the command courses of the Red Army cavalry in Novocherkassk, then again served in the 5th Cavalry Division. Since September 1928 - again at school.
In 1931 he graduated from the Military Academy of the Red Army named after. M. V. Frunze.
Since May 1931 - Chief of Staff of the 7th Mechanized Regiment of the 7th Cavalry Division of the Leningrad Military District. Since February 1933 - assistant to the head of the 1st department of the Department of Motorization and Mechanization of the Red Army.
In 1934, he was awarded the military rank of colonel.
Since May 1934 - commander of the 6th mechanized regiment of the 6th cavalry division of the Belarusian Military District. In 1935-1936 he was on long business trips in Czechoslovakia and France.
From September (October) 1936 to February (March) 1937, he participated in the national revolutionary war in Spain, was an adviser to the head of the training base, and a senior tank group.
He had the pseudonym "Colonel Melle".
In 1937, he was awarded the military rank of brigade commander.
From June 1937 to May 1940, he commanded the 8th separate mechanized brigade (29th light tank brigade) of the Belarusian Military District.
Participated in battles with Japanese militarists near Lake Khasan in 1938.
Participated in the campaign in Western Belarus in September-October 1939.
He took part in the Soviet-Finnish War in February-March 1940, commanding the 8th Tank Brigade.
Participated in the campaign to the Baltic states in June 1940.
On June 4, 1940, he was awarded the military rank of “Major General of Tank Forces.”
From May 1940, he commanded the 15th Mechanized Division, and from June 1940, the 2nd Tank Division in the 3rd Mechanized Corps. Since December 1940 - head of the armored department of the Baltic Special Military District. Since March 1941 - commander of the 25th Mechanized Corps in the Kharkov Military District.
He participated in the Great Patriotic War from June 24, 1941. The 25th Corps under his command fought against the Nazi invaders as part of the 21st Army on the Western, Central and Bryansk fronts, and participated in the Smolensk defensive battle near the cities of Rogachev, Zhlobin, Gomel. Since October 1941 - chief
Combat Training Directorate of the Main Armored Directorate of the Red Army.
From February 7, 1943 to February 9, 1944, he commanded the 3rd Mechanized Corps (later became the 8th Guards Corps) of the 1st Tank Army. He fought on the Voronezh and 1st Ukrainian fronts. Participated in the Battle of Kursk, Belgorod-Kharkov, Zhitomir-Berdichev offensive operations.
In one of the battles he was wounded.
On August 21, 1943, he was awarded the military rank of “Lieutenant General of Tank Forces.”
From February 10, 1944 until the end of the war, he commanded the 1st Mechanized Corps of the 2nd Guards Tank Army. He fought on the 1st Ukrainian and 1st Belorussian fronts, participated in the Proskurov-Chernivtsi, Belarusian, Vistula-Oder, and Berlin offensive operations.
After the war, he continued to command the 1st Mechanized Corps (soon reorganized into the 1st Mechanized Division) in the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany.
From June 1946 to October 1949 - head of the department of armored and mechanized forces at the M. V. Frunze Military Academy. From March 1950 to January 1952 - commander of armored and mechanized forces of the Odessa Military District.
In November 1952 he graduated from the Higher Academic Courses at the Higher Military Academy named after K. E. Voroshilov.
In May 1953, he retired with the rank of lieutenant general of tank forces.
He was engaged in writing and wrote books: “Through the Storms” (Moscow, 1959), “Between Storms” (Voronezh, 1968), “Chongartsy” (Moscow, 1975).
Lived in Moscow (Russia).
Died September 16, 1978. He was buried at the Kuntsevo cemetery in Moscow.

By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated May 29, 1945, for skillful command of the corps and personal courage, Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (Gold Star medal No. 5869).
Awarded three Orders of Lenin (01/02/1937, 02/27/1945, * 05/29/1945), three Orders of the Red Banner (1928, 11/03/1944, 0000), Orders of Suvorov 2nd degree (08/27/1943), Orders of Kutuzov 1st degree (04/06/1945), Red Star (08/16/1936), medals “XX years of the Red Army” (01/24/1938), “For the capture of Berlin” (06/09/1945), “For victory over Germany” (05/09/1945) and others , foreign awards - the Order of the Cross of Grunwald (Poland) and two Polish medals.

Note:
* The order had serial number 19497.

If you ask who this is, most people will think for a long time. The rest will remember: this is the one who marched with Guderian in Brest...

Yes, this is probably the most famous page in the biography of Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein. But it didn’t all start with her and it didn’t end with her.

The son of a Voronezh Jewish artisan, Shimon Krivoshein, joined the Red Army as a volunteer in 1918. By 1920 he was already commissar of a cavalry regiment.

After graduating from the Academy. Frunze went on the technical side: in May 1931 he was appointed chief of staff of the 7th mechanized regiment (7th cavalry division), in February 1933 he served in the Department of Motorization and Mechanization of the Red Army, and in May 1934 he became commander 6th mechanized regiment of the Cossack division. Later appointed commander of the 8th Mechanized Brigade.

Spain

In September 1936, two groups of Soviet volunteer tank crews under the leadership of Brigade Commander Pavlov and Colonel Krivoshein arrived in Spain. The total number is about 80 people, 50 T-26 tanks. The main task is to train Spanish tank crews at the Archena training center (90 km from Cartagena). But the situation, as always, required the immediate introduction of tanks into battle.

The first battle took place on October 29, 1936 near Sesenya, southwest of Madrid. A tank company (15 T-26s) under the command of P.M. Arman, consisting of 34 Soviet (tank commanders and driver mechanics) and 11 Spanish (turret gunners) tankers, took part. Of the 15 T-26s that entered the battle, by 11/17/36 5 vehicles remained in service.

On November 1, in the same place, near Valdemoro (5 km south of Sesinha), the entire tank group of S. Krivoshein (pseudonym - “Colonel Melle”), consisting of 23 T-26s, six BAI armored cars and three FAI, struck the Francoists.

The largest attempts at counterattacks by the Republicans include the raid on November 28-29 from the Valdemoro area to the town of Talavera de la Reina to the rear of the Francoist forces. Krivoshein’s tank group took the most active part in it. This offensive reached the city of Talavera. For a couple of days it pulled several divisions away from Madrid, but it ended in nothing.

After returning to the USSR in July 1937, Krivoshein was appointed back to the post of commander of the 8th separate mechanized brigade. In 1938, he was sent to the battle area near Lake Khasan as a representative of the commission to investigate the causes of unsuccessful military operations.

Brest Parade

In the fall of 1939, Brigade Commander Krivoshein commanded the 29th Tank Brigade in Belarus. During the “liberation campaign” he received a non-trivial task - not only to advance to the city of Brest, but also to force the German units that had “slipped” the demarcation line and were now in the “Soviet” part of former Poland to leave there.

Arriving in Brest ahead of his units, Krivoshein met with the commander of the XIX Motorized Corps, General Guderian. The meeting was held in a friendly tone: two professional military men discussed mainly technical issues and tried to touch on slippery politics as little as possible. Krivoshein had heard a lot about Guderian as a theorist and practitioner of modern tank combat. It quickly became clear that both were fluent in French.

Of course, Mr. Brigade Commander, German troops will leave Brest. In fact, they are already leaving. Even trophies - warehouses in the Brest Fortress - are left red. Why did you cross the boundary line? They became so carried away by the persecution, they drove the Poles away. Doesn't happen to anyone...

What, Mister General? The ceremonial handover of the city? Joint parade?! (This was just not enough. We in GlavPUR will go crazy!!!) But my troops are still only on the way, after a long march. They clearly don't look smart. No, I'm afraid that a joint parade will not work.

Okay, let's get the German troops out together first. And then we will meet yours.

That's kind of how we came to a deal. They set up a podium. They waved their hand at the departing German units. The German flag was ceremoniously lowered. And a few hours later, the Red Army units entering the city were greeted from the same rostrum. And then the German newsreels, don’t be fools, edited the fragments together. And a joint parade came out. Either ours are coming, or the Germans. And Krivoshein and Guderian, under the same flagpole, smile and wave, smile and wave (tm).

We screwed up on little things: the frame captured a couple of cars standing by the side of the road during the German parade - and, naturally, disappeared by the time the Russians arrived.

There is also a photograph where both our tank and German motorcyclists are clearly present. So maybe there was a joint parade?

Let's take a closer look. The place - yes, the same as in the chronicle. The street is jammed with German cars. The flag is on the mast (and it was solemnly removed immediately after the German parade). But the podium hasn’t been installed yet (a low platform next to the flagpole). Apparently the photo was taken BEFORE the parade, and the T-26 was from a reconnaissance group or an advance detachment, possibly arriving with Krivoshein himself.

Perhaps it was this parade that ruined Semyon Moiseevich’s entire career. It seems that he himself is not guilty of anything, but the memory remains: “Krivoshein, the one who got involved with Guderian!” Looking ahead, we note that during the four years of the Great Patriotic War, he rose in rank by only one step (from major general to lieutenant general), and in his position at all - he started as a corps commander and ended up. He received the title of Hero only after the end of the war, according to Zhukov’s personal opinion - for the fact that his corps was the first to enter Berlin. It was really hard to refuse.

On the other hand, more stars means more cones. D. T. Pavlov, with whom they started on equal terms in Spain, was already a colonel general in 1940, and then an army general... however, everyone knows how it ended.

Whether Guderian was scolded for hosting the parade together with a Jew - history is silent. He himself, apparently, was not particularly worried about this topic.

Finland

In February 1940, the 29th Tank Brigade of Krivoshein (256 T-26 tanks) was redeployed from Brest to the Karelian Isthmus, and in March, together with the 34th Rifle Corps, they stormed the city of Vyborg. Some of the tanks, together with Kirponos’ infantrymen, bypassed enemy fortifications on the ice of the Gulf of Finland. One of the tanks that took part in this attack now stands in Vyborg as a monument. In 1940 it fell through the ice, and in 2005 it was raised from the bottom and restored.

After the Finnish War, a great tank restructuring broke out, which actually caused our defeat in 1941. At first, 9 tank corps were formed. There were already not enough tanks, personnel, or auxiliary equipment for them. But this shortage was not yet fatal: after all, a corps that was 80% complete was quite a serious force.

But appetite comes with eating, and in the spring of 1941 it was decided to create 20 more buildings! Not clear. The three most informed people at that time gathered - Stalin, Meretskov (the rotating chief of the general staff) and Zhukov (the new chief of the general staff). And they approved a decision that actually meant: “in 1941 we don’t need tank units, and we won’t have them.” How else can we understand the disbandment of ALL existing tank brigades, and the formation of 60 new divisions from scratch, not counting the old 27? By the summer, it was not even possible to staff these monsters: in the “second wave” corps, even the headquarters were often only half staffed.

Again, among those people who were “herded” into the new corps, tankers were in the minority. There simply weren’t that many of them in the whole country. The remaining positions were filled by cavalry and infantry. Existing specialists inevitably made lightning-fast careers, growing from battalion commanders to division commanders within a year. This, and not the notorious long-forgotten repressions, is the reason for the appalling incompetence of the command staff in 1941.

Our hero in May 1940 became the commander of the 15th mechanized division, in June - the commander of the 2nd tank division, in December - the head of the Armored Directorate of the Baltic Special Military District, and in March 1941 - the commander of the 25th mechanized corps (Kharkov military district). How much did he manage to do at each of the posts - think for yourself.

The war found Krivoshein in Kharkov, commander of the 25th mechanized corps. On the one hand, he was lucky: the corps was deep in the rear and did not come under a sudden attack. On the other hand, being a corps of the “second stage of the second wave,” it has only just begun recruiting. There were about 300 tanks, all of them T-26s from the combat training fleet (read, worn out to the limit). The trucks were just starting to arrive. In fact, they did not start training sessions.

Propoisk

It was possible, taking advantage of the moment, to try to somehow complete the formation. But this is not interesting, and the underformed corps instead makes useless marches, first from Kharkov to Kyiv, and then back to Novozybkov, eventually coming to the disposal of the Western Front.

By this time, the corps had been replenished with another 32 T-34 tanks, vehicles, and personnel. But the tanks still had to be mastered (driver mechanics had several hours of training on old T-26s), and reinforcements (from broken units of the 4th Army) were partially subject to panic and did more harm than good.

In July 1941, the corps entered battle near the city with the symbolic name Propoisk. Before the corps had time to arrive at the site, orders fell one after another:

Transfer two battalions - 50 tanks - to the rifle corps (they did not return back).

Advance simultaneously on Propoisk and Bykhov, i.e. in opposite directions

At the same time, not a single day was allocated for equipment maintenance (and emergency development of new tanks). The terrain for the offensive was often swampy and impassable for tanks. And so on...

By the way, General Petrovsky’s “Black Corps” was advancing next to them. But, of course, in a different direction. Our command failed to coordinate the actions of the strike groups.

It is not surprising that Guderian, already familiar to Krivoshein, pretty much pinched his tank crews. Although, to be honest, they started “pinching” their own people. However, the case performed well. While most “double-digit” corps were capable of only one attack, in which they lost not only all their equipment, but also control, the 25th, after a week of heavy fighting, retained its structure, was able to restore some of its tanks and escape from the planned encirclement. For 41 years old, not the worst result.

Katukov's right hand

After a year of service in the Combat Training Directorate, our hero in February 1943 became commander of the 3rd Mechanized Corps. Before that, it was commanded by M.E. Katukov. And this corps included the 1st Guards Tank Brigade, which worked miracles together with Katukov near Mtsensk. So the corps is “twice Katukov’s,” and commanding it after such a commander is a double responsibility. Krivoshein managed it.

In the Battle of Kursk in July 1943, the 3rd Mechanized Corps as part of Katukov’s 1st Tank Army stood to the death on the outskirts of Oboyan against the selected 2nd SS Panzer Corps (Das Reich, Adolf Hitler and Death’s Head divisions) ). During July 6, eight times large forces of the Nazis, with the support of aviation, tried to break through his battle formations.

The day of July 8th was decisive. From morning until late at night, the German command threw more and more new groups of tanks at the positions of the 3rd Mechanized Corps. On this day, 12 attacks were launched. Hundreds of planes hung in the sky. Despite colossal efforts, the Germans were unable to break through the defenses in this area. We had to turn away from the pre-planned direction and strike further east, towards Prokhorovka. But three days of such a meat grinder greatly weakened the Germans; the 2nd SS Corps lost up to a third of its tanks.

For services in the Battle of Kursk, the 3rd Mechanized Corps became the 8th Guards Corps, and Major General Krivoshein became a lieutenant general.

Foreign Legion

At the beginning of 1944, Krivoshein received the 1st Mechanized Corps. Not a guardsman. It seems like even a reduction? Maybe so - someone in the Personnel Department inappropriately remembered the old story with the Brest Parade. Or maybe they have read Stanyukovich a lot - and in one of his stories it is written in Russian in plain English: “a Jew - he knows all languages.” And they gave Semyon Moiseevich a special task: to equip the designated building exclusively with bourgeois equipment.

Lend-Lease equipment has been used in the Red Army since the Battle of Moscow. And unfortunately, there were always technical problems with it. And not because she was all that bad - she was just unfamiliar, and the cat made competent specialists cry. There were incidents when tanks broke down en masse at the most inopportune moments. This was especially the case in 1941-42. Then we gained experience. They opened special “training” courses on overseas technology. They formed homogeneous units: breakthrough regiments on the Churchills. Infantry support battalions with Matildas, Valentines and Stuarts. Tank brigades on Shermans. But at a higher level everything was still mixed up. So they decided to create a special mechanized corps using foreign equipment.

The 1st Mechanized lost almost all of its tanks in the operation to completely lift the siege of Leningrad (January 1944). Was taken away for reorganization. I received a new commander (Krivoshein) and new equipment (136 M4A2 Sherman tanks, 44 Valentine IX tanks, five Valentine X tanks, 47 M3 Scout Cars, plus our 21 SU-76 self-propelled guns, 21 SU-85 self-propelled guns, 43 armored vehicles BA-64.

The corps participated in the Proskurov-Chernivtsi, Belarusian, Vistula-Oder and Berlin offensive operations. Parts of this corps were the first to invade Germany. In the battles for Berlin, the 1st Mechanized Corps bypassed the city from the west and closed the encirclement ring. For his latest success, Krivoshein received the title of Hero - it must be said, almost the last of the commanders of his rank.

After the war

What was there? He continued to command the mechanized corps, as part of a group of troops in Germany. He taught at the Frunze Academy. He was the chief of armored forces in the Odessa Military District. Retired. Didn't have a career. But he was also not involved in scandals (and there were so many of them after the war!), which is already an achievement. Wrote memoirs, which are quite interesting in places. He had exclusively military awards; the rain of post-war awards “for length of service” poured past him.

This man has a lot to respect.

Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein- Soviet military leader and military leader, hero of the Soviet Union, originally from Voronezh. Semyon Krivoshein was born in the capital of the Black Earth Region in 1899. Being the son of the Jewish people, the future military leader from childhood experienced all the hardships of life for this group of the population of the Russian Empire. Despite this, Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein entered the Voronezh gymnasium, where he studied for 7 years.

The revolution changed the fate of the young man. Already in 1918, he went to fight against her opponents as part of the Red Army. Semyon Krivoshein had to fight in the Civil War, both in the infantry and in the cavalry. In 1919, he moved up the ranks somewhat - he took the position of squadron commissar. A year later, the successful political worker becomes regimental commissar.

After the final suppression of internal opponents of Soviet power, former Voronezh high school student Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein decides to remain in the army. At first he commanded a reconnaissance detachment, then a platoon, and then a squadron.

In 1926, Semyon Krivoshein, realizing the inadequacy of his military education, decided to enroll in command personnel courses that were operating at that time in the city of Novocherkassk. Then he studied at the Frunze Academy.

After graduation, the promising commander was appointed chief of staff of a mechanized regiment. The problem of equipping the Red Army with the latest equipment and mechanizing its formations became more and more urgent in the 30s. Having a good professional education compared to many other Soviet officers, our hero was sent to carry out this important work. He ended up in one of the departments of the Army Mechanization Directorate.

Since 1934, Semyon Krivoshein has commanded a mechanized regiment, putting into practice the innovations developed in the Directorate.

In 1936, the Civil War began in distant Spain. From the very beginning, the Soviet Union began to provide assistance to local republicans. Money and weapons flowed to the homeland of Cervantes and Velazquez, and Soviet volunteers went. Among the latter was Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein, and the native of Voronezh had to take a Spanish name and surname. He had the privilege of leading the few tank formations of the Spanish Republic and participating in a number of important battles, including the defense of Madrid.

Returning to his homeland, Semyon Krivoshein began to command a mechanized brigade stationed in the Far East. During the conflict with Japan at Lake Khasan, the brigade commander took part in battles against the troops of the Land of the Rising Sun.

In 1939, already commanding a tank brigade, Semyon Krivoshein participated in the occupation of Polish territory by Soviet troops, together with the Germans. Moreover, the red commander even attended a joint military parade with the troops of Nazi Germany in the city of Brest. There is a photograph in which the Jew (!) Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein stands next to one of the most promising military figures of the Nazi regime at that time, General Guderian.

Semyon Krivoshein also fought against Finland in 1940. His 29th brigade of two and a half hundred T-26 tanks entered Vyborg on March 13, which has since become Soviet territory. In the same year, after the war, the brigade commander again received a promotion - he was appointed commander of a motorized division. And in the summer of the same year, the government of the Soviet Union adopted a resolution on the introduction of general ranks in the army. Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein becomes major general.

At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the officer takes part in it on the Central Front. Since the fall of 1941, Semyon Krivoshein has been in the rear - he is responsible for the combat training of armored forces. In 1943, the general returned to the front again, leading the third mechanized corps. After some time, due to its successful actions, this formation will become a guards unit. In August 1943, Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein received the rank of lieutenant general. However, already in the fall he is overtaken by a serious wound and knocks the military leader out of action until the next year.

The general continued the war as commander of the 1st Mechanized Corps. The troops of Semyon Krivoshein especially distinguished themselves during the assault on the capital of Nazi Germany, Berlin, as well as in urban battles on its territory. For personal courage and qualified command of the corps during this operation, the military leader became a Hero of the Soviet Union. The decree conferring this rank on the general was issued on May 29, 1945.

After the Victory, Semyon Krivoshein held a number of important positions in the Soviet army, taught at the Frunze Academy, and in 1953 he was transferred to the reserve.
The general died in 1976 in Moscow, where he was buried.

In the homeland of Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein, in Voronezh, they remember their outstanding fellow countryman. One of the city streets bears his name.

Since the time of the so-called perestroika, our people, at the instigation of the authorities, have been mercilessly formatting their memory, trying to erase from it everything connected with the achievements of the Soviet system. And now domestic and foreign anti-Soviet scum of all stripes has reached the point of openly accusing the USSR of starting the Second World War, while Stalin is equated with Hitler. They are strenuously trying to instill in us a complex of non-existent guilt for our heroic past and demand that we repent, repent, repent...
 On the eve of the 70th anniversary of the Victory over Nazi Germany, one of these crudely put together anti-Soviet fakes will be discussed.

On the way to Brest-Litovsk.

The hysteria about the joint parade of Wehrmacht and Red Army troops, which allegedly took place in Brest-Litovsk on September 22, 1939, has not subsided for a long time. The statement about the participation of Soviet troops in such an event is one of the main arguments of those who are trying to identify the USSR with the Nazi Reich. Photographs taken in Brest-Litovsk during the ceremony of transferring the city to the jurisdiction of Soviet troops are cited as “irrefutable evidence” of military cooperation between the USSR and Nazi Germany. Particularly successful are the photographs depicting the main characters of that performance: Wehrmacht Lieutenant General, commander of the XIX Motorized Corps, Heinz Wilhelm Guderian, and the brigade commander of the Red Army, commander of the 29th light tank brigade, Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein. It should be noted that both G. Guderian and S. M. Krivoshein left their memories, including about the ceremony in Brest-Litovsk. We will return to their memoirs later, but for now, get acquainted:

Such “sensational” photographs clearly demonstrate how easy it is to manipulate the consciousness of people who do not want (or cannot) think. Sometimes you marvel at how easily these people, without the slightest doubt, quickly pick up any ideological carrion thrown at them and thoughtlessly smear it on the history of their country and the memory of their ancestors who died for this country. I would like to understand why the smiles of Krivoshein and Guderian evoke a storm of “righteous anger” in them, but such touching manifestations of “disinterested male friendship” on the part of the Nazi military attaché and the Polish commander-in-chief leave them indifferent. However, the devil will judge them!

An unbiased study of the available facts completely refutes any fabrications about the events of September 22, 1939 and allows us to conclude: there was no joint parade of the Red Army and Wehrmacht troops in Brest-Litovsk! But what really happened? Let's talk about everything in order.

The XIX Motorized Corps of G. Guderian, consisting of 3 tank, 2 and 20 motorized divisions (later the 10th Panzer Division was transferred to it) was subordinate to the 4th Army of Army Group North and entered the war with Poland on September 1, 1939. And just two years later weeks - September 14 - Guderian's tanks reached Brest (it was not for nothing that the general received the nickname "fast Heinz"). In the afternoon Brest was busy. True, the detachment of General K. Plisovsky still held the defense in the Brest Fortress. It was not possible to take the fortress on the move. Although German troops managed to capture part of the fortifications on September 16, attempts to break into the citadel were unsuccessful. But on the night of September 17, the remnants of the garrison secretly left the fortress; German intelligence discovered this only on the morning of September 17, although in G. Guderian’s account this episode looks different.

The corps command post remained in Kamenets. On the morning of September 17, the giant citadel was taken by the 76th Infantry Regiment of Colonel Gollnik, who crossed at night to the western bank of the Bug just at the moment when the Polish garrison was trying to break out of Brest to the west along the intact bridge over the Bug. This was the end of the campaign. The corps headquarters moved to Brest and was located in Voyvodschaft. Here we learned that the Russians from the east were making an offensive march.

On the same day, the fighting of the Red Army began. The 29th Light Tank Brigade of Brigade Commander S.M. Krivoshein, which was part of the 4th Army of Divisional Commander V.I. Chuikov (Belarusian Front), was tasked with attacking Baranovichi with access to the Snov-Zhilichi line by the end of the first day of the operation. The offensive began at five o'clock in the morning on September 17, and at 22.00 the 29th light tank brigade occupied Baranovichi and the fortified area located here, free of Polish troops. The tank battalion of I. D. Chernyakhovsky was the first to enter the city. 1 In the Baranovichi area, about 5 thousand (although S. M. Krivoshein himself mentioned only 2 thousand in his memoirs) Polish soldiers were captured, 4 anti-tank guns and 2 trains with food were captured. Then, by the end of the next day, the 29th tank brigade reached the river along the Baranovichi-Kobrin highway. Shchara, and by the end of September 19 entered Pruzhany. In the morning, an order from the army commander was received regulating the meeting with German troops.

It is appropriate to recall here that at 00.50 on September 18, the People's Commissar of Defense conveyed order No. 3373 to the commander of the Belorussian Front via direct wire.

From the order of the NGO of the USSR No. 3373 of September 18, 1939.

Quickly convey to all military units of our groups that the German command has given an order to German military units to have commanders who know Russian, and when meeting our troops, delegations will be allocated from German units to greet our units. Such German delegations must be politely greeted by our troops, for which purpose commanders and political officers must be appointed as part of all our divisions and regiments, tank brigades, who negotiate with the delegations of German units.
In these negotiations, it must be determined on our part and on the German side which points are abandoned by German troops and occupied by our troops, and the procedure for the withdrawal of German units and the advance of our units must also be established.
Immediately report all meetings and decisions made to the top.

At 6.20 on September 19, Army Commander V.I. Chuikov issued combat order No. 03/op, setting tasks for that day. This order, in particular, stated the following.

From the combat order of the commander of the 4th Army V.I. Chuikov No. 03/op dated September 19, 1939.

Do not engage in battle with planes and troops of the German army. When meeting with German troops, allocate a commander and a political worker for negotiations. Ask representatives of the German army in a polite manner when and in what order they will retreat deeper ( our task: to go as far west as possible and get the Germans out as soon as possible).

Very soon the meeting with German troops took place and S. M. Krivoshein describes it in some detail in his memoirs. But before proceeding to the quotation, it is necessary to make an explanation. These memoirs (as, indeed, any others) must be treated very critically, since they are replete with a number of inconsistencies (for example, the mention of battalion commander I. D. Chernyakhovsky - Semyon Moiseevich’s memory failed). This is not surprising: he first published his book only in 1964. Therefore, minor inconsistencies that are not particularly important in the context of the subject under discussion will be noted in footnotes and supplemented by brief explanations in the notes. The most important places will be discussed in detail directly in the text of this material.

So, on the evening of September 19, S. M. Krivoshein’s brigade occupied Pruzhany. At 23.55, Army Commander V.I. Chuikov ordered the “29th Light Brigade, reinforced by the 8th Infantry Division battalion, to hold Pruzhany, abandoning reconnaissance to observe Kupichi, Poddubno. Organize the rear and repair of material parts.” According to the same order, on the evening of the next day, the neighboring 32nd Tank Brigade occupied Kobrin, abandoned by the Germans, and units of the 8th and 143rd Infantry Divisions occupied Ruzhany and Ivatsevichi, respectively. The 29th Tank Brigade remained in Pruzhany. At 15.30 on September 20, a report was received at army headquarters.

From the report of brigade commander S. M. Krivoshein:

The reconnaissance I sent established contact with units of the German army moving from Brest-Litovsk to S[e]myatichi. A motorized convoy of 400 vehicles was discovered. The troops of the German units greeted my scouts with great delight and greetings. Battalion Commissar T. Borovensky, who was part of the intelligence service, was invited to headquarters, where he was familiarized with the situation and given a map. Together with comrade Borovensky A delegation of 2 officers and 6 soldiers arrived to me. I met them with the orchestra and fed them lunch. They are asking to send a permanent delegate to their headquarters. The brigade is ready to move, the equipment has been reviewed, the personnel have rested, the mood is fighting, everyone is asking to move forward. He sent a platoon of tanks and a rifle company to eliminate a gang operating in the Bakuna region. I'm waiting for your orders. There is no infantry from the 8th Infantry Division, the existing battalion of Pimenova is leaving.

However, a quarter of a century later, in his book of memoirs, S. M. Krivoshein describes this episode completely differently.

Reconnaissance sent forward under the command of Vladimir Yulianovich Borovitsky, secretary of the brigade party commission, soon returned with a dozen soldiers and officers of the German motorized corps of General Guderian, who managed to occupy the city of Brest.
Not having exact instructions on how to deal with the Germans, I asked the chief of staff to contact the army commander, and I and the commissar engaged in a non-binding conversation with them. The conversation took place in Lenin's tent, where on folding portable stands, along with indicators of combat training and the growth of the country's industrial power, hung posters calling for the destruction of fascism. Many Germans had cameras. After looking around, they asked permission to photograph the tent and those present in it. One of them filmed the commissar and me in a group of German officers against the background of an anti-fascist poster.

German photographs depicting this meeting have been preserved, so let’s try to correlate them with the memories of the brigade commander.

First of all, there is no “Leninist tent” in the photographs - all the visual propaganda is placed in the fresh air. But these are precisely the small errors that can be neglected. Another thing is more important: Krivoshein says that the commissar took part in communicating with the Germans. We can conclude that the battalion commissar in the photographs is none other than the commissar of the brigade, Alexey Alekseevich Illarionov. It was not possible to find any other images of him, and he himself did not leave any memories. In March 1941, regimental commissar A. A. Illarionov was appointed commissar of the 22nd tank division stationed in Brest and died in the first hours of the war on June 22, 1941.

But what kind of battalion commissar was part of the reconnaissance detachment that met the Germans: Borovensky or Borovitsky? The database of awardees contains information about Major Vladimir Yulianovich Borovitsky, born in 1909, who fought in the 1st tank brigade of M.E. Katukov as assistant to the head of the brigade’s political department for the Komsomol. However, in December 1941, according to award documents, he was in the rank of senior political instructor. The joint Memorial data bank provides some information about the battalion commissar Filipp Filippovich Borovensky, born in 1905, a senior instructor for work in the motorized mechanized troops of the Political Propaganda Directorate of the Western Front, who went missing in October 1941. We will have to return to this issue.

In the meantime, meet on the highway. According to the data of the Polish researcher E. Izdebski, at about 9.00 on September 20, a Soviet armored car drove into the town of Turno, 18 km north of Brest, where the headquarters of the 10th Panzer Division of the XIX Motorized Corps was located. The commander of the Red Army who arrived on it informed the German officers that large forces of Soviet cavalry and infantry were moving behind his patrol vehicle at a distance of approximately 40 km. At about 10.30 this commander was received at corps headquarters in Brest, where he was warmly welcomed and treated to lunch. During the meeting, photographs were taken and later published in Berlin and Munich newspapers. The memories of G. Guderian himself about this visit are interesting.

From the memoirs of G. Guderian:

As a herald of the Russian approach, a young Russian officer arrived in an armored car and informed us of the approach of their tank brigade. Then we received news of the demarcation line established by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which, passing along the Bug, left the Brest fortress to the Russians; We considered such a decision by the ministry unprofitable. Then it was established that the area of ​​the eastern demarcation line should be left by us by September 22. This period was so short that we could not even evacuate our wounded and pick up damaged tanks. Apparently, not a single military man was involved in the negotiations on establishing a demarcation line and ending hostilities.

On September 18, G. Guderian received from the commander of Army Group North, Field Marshal F. von Bock, an order to withdraw during September 19-21 to the northwest to the Lomza area - beyond the demarcation line established in accordance with the Fuhrer's order. Some German generals, like Guderian, were unhappy with Berlin's decision. To be fair, it must be said that the German troops unquestioningly, although with obvious displeasure, left the territories they occupied contrary to the agreements. But in this passage another point is more interesting, namely the “young Russian officer in an armored car” who arrived in Brest at Guderian’s headquarters. Many photographs of this event have been preserved. Here is this BA-20 armored car and its crew.

And this is the same “young Russian officer” who arrived in Brest in an armored car. In a series of photographs, G. Guderian and the officers of his headquarters are animatedly discussing the situation of the Soviet and German troops with the battalion commissar of the Red Army. Still, it seems that this is Philip Filippovich Borovensky, whose name was indicated by S. M. Krivoshein in a report of the same day, and not V. Yu. Borovitsky, whom he mentioned in his memoirs a quarter of a century later. I can’t believe that the brigade commander was so careless about drawing up combat documents that he confused the names of senior command personnel in them. However, for now these are just assumptions.

The departure of the Soviet commander was also recorded. In the first photo, Borovensky (we will assume that it is he) hides in his field bag the very card that, according to S. M. Krivoshein, the Germans handed him. As the head of the operational department of the headquarters of the Belorussian Front, Colonel L.M. Sandalov, later reported to the General Staff, on the map with the situation the Germans marked a line with the inscription “demarcation”. Then the German delegation, together with Borovensky, went on a return visit to Pruzhany to the location of the 29th Light Tank Brigade.

On the night of September 21, the commander of the 4th Army, V.I. Chuikov, issued combat order No. 05/op, according to which the 29th light tank brigade was to “remain in the occupied area, send a tank battalion with a rifle company by vehicle along the Pruzhany, Vidomlya highway until restoration connections with the German army." The same task was assigned to the 32nd light tank brigade of Colonel I. I. Gryzunov located in Kobrin in the direction of Kobrin, Brest.

By this time, the procedure for the transfer of territory was well worked out at the level of the chiefs of the General Staff of both countries and was enshrined in the Soviet-German protocol signed in Moscow on the night of September 21. This document prescribed that the movement of Soviet and German troops should be organized in such a way that an interval of about 25 km would be maintained between the advanced units of the Red Army and the rearguard of the German columns. All issues that arose during the transfer and reception of districts, points, cities had to be resolved by representatives of both sides on the spot, for which purpose the command allocated special delegates on each main route of movement of both armies.

Since controversial issues did arise, meetings in Brest continued. Thus, according to the combat log of the XIX Motorized Corps, on September 21 at 12.00 representatives of S. M. Krivoshein’s brigade, battalion commissar Panov and captain Gubanov (that’s how they introduced themselves), arrived at the corps headquarters. As a result of the negotiations, at about 16.00, a document was signed at corps headquarters called “Agreement on the transfer of the city of Brest-Litovsk and the further advance of Russian troops.”

Brest-Litovsk, 21.9.1939.

Agreement on the transfer of the city of Brest-Litovsk
and the further advance of Russian troops.

1.) German troops leave Brest-Litovsk on September 22 at 14.00.

In particular:

8.00 Approach of the Russian battalion to take the fortress and property of the city of Brest.

10.00 Meeting of the mixed commission consisting of:

from the Russian side: captain Gubanov

battalion commissar Panov

from the German side: Lieutenant Colonel Holm (commandant)

Lieutenant Colonel Sommer (translator)

14.00 The solemn march of Russian and German troops begins in front of the commanders on both sides with a change of flag at the conclusion. During the changing of the flag, the national anthems are played.

2.) Untransportable German wounded are transferred to the supervision of the Russian army and sent when the possibility of transportation becomes available.

3.) At present, non-transportable German technical equipment, weapons and ammunition are temporarily abandoned by the German logistics teams and are evacuated as soon as delivery is possible.

4.) All remaining after 21.9. 24.00 hours supplies are transferred to Russian troops.

5.) Vehicles stopped on the march due to a breakdown follow repairs to German military units. Retrieval teams must send written notification to the liaison officer at Russian military headquarters in Brest.

6.) The transfer of all prisoners and trophies is carried out upon presentation of a certificate of receipt.

7.) The collapse of the field telephone network is carried out by 24.9 rear teams, only during the day.

8.) To resolve all still unresolved issues, the above-mentioned mixed commission remains.

9.) The agreement is valid only for army units located in the territory northeast and west of the Bug.

10.) The further offensive of the Russian troops is agreed upon by a mixed commission based on directives from the command on both sides.

Correct copy: [inaudible, handwritten]

Captain

Unfortunately, no information about Captain Gubanov (as well as battalion commissar Panov, who was part of the commission) has yet been found. It is only known that in the neighboring 32nd light tank brigade the forward detachment, acting on the orders of the army commander in the direction of Kobrin-Brest, was commanded by Captain B.S. Gubanov. Whether he had anything to do with the above document can only be guessed at.

On the German side, the signatory was the chief of staff of the XIX Motorized Corps of the General Staff, Colonel Walter Nehring.

A copy of this document has the archival code BA-MA RH21-2/21 and is stored in the Bundesarchiv fund: 2nd Panzer Army, section: command department, subsection: supplements to the combat log.

The Germans took the preparations for the transfer of the city seriously. The plan for the ceremony was approved on September 21 by the commander of the 20th motorized division located in Brest, Lieutenant General M. von Wiktorin. The text of this document, partially damaged in 1942 by a fire as a result of the bombing of the Berlin Military Archive, was published by the Polish researcher E. Izdebski.

According to this order, the procedure for the transfer of Brest-Litovsk to the Red Army units should take place on September 22 between 15.00 and 16.00 at the building where the corps headquarters is located, in the form of a ceremonial passage of the units in front of the commander of the XIX Motorized Corps and a representative of the Red Army command. The following units of the 20th Motorized Division were allocated to participate in the ceremony: the 90th Motorized Regiment, the headquarters and first division of the 56th Artillery Regiment, the second division of the 20th Artillery Regiment. In addition, the 90th Regiment exhibited its own orchestra, and it was specially stipulated that transport for it should be nearby so that the orchestra could leave immediately behind the column of the first division of the 56th Regiment. The units were to pass in the following order: the 90th motorized regiment, followed by the headquarters of the 56th artillery regiment, the second division of the 20th artillery regiment and the first division of the 56th artillery regiment. At the end of the passage in front of the headquarters building, the flag is changed, during which the orchestra plays the German anthem. Since it was unknown whether the Soviet side had its own orchestra, it was assumed that “to the extent possible” German musicians would also perform the Soviet anthem.

Honestly, you need to have a rich imagination to imagine this amazing spectacle: the Aryan Guderian and the Jew Krivoshein, who recently beat the Germans in Spain, salute the Soviet flag to the sounds of the “Internationale” performed by the Wehrmacht orchestra! However, the 29th Light Tank Brigade had its own orchestra - eight people from a platoon of traffic controllers who knew how to play wind instruments. Therefore, the German musicians did not have to learn the Internationale. And the scene of the raising of the Soviet flag is not recorded in any photograph.

After the flag was changed, the order provided for the passage of a certain consolidated detachment, but in this place (end of paragraph 3 of the order) the document is damaged and the text is unreadable. It is likely that we are talking about a combined detachment of the Red Army, since further paragraph 4 of the order states:

4) Together with Russian units, the 20th reconnaissance battalion takes part in the ceremonial passage, the head of the column of which then stops at the level of the persons accepting the passage. After the corps commander says goodbye to the Russian commander, the corps commander and the commander of the 20th motorized division march at the head of the 20th reconnaissance battalion, which is the last German unit.

The last, fifth paragraph of the order states that the 90th Motorized Regiment is responsible for organizing the ceremonial passage. The paragraph contains organizational instructions and is partially unreadable.

But, as the classic said, “it was smooth on paper, but they forgot about the ravines and walked along them.” German dreams of a joint parade were not destined to come true. On the night of September 22, by order of Army Commander V.I. Chuikov No. 06/op, the 32nd Light Tank Brigade was ordered to remain on the Kobrin-Gorodets line, securing the left flank of the 29th Light Tank Brigade (despite the fact that the leading battalion of the 32nd Light Tank Brigade was located only 15 km along the Minsk highway). However, significant forces of the Polish separate operational group “Polesie” of Brigadier General F. Kleeberg operated south of Kobrin (due to which Soviet troops took reliable control of Kobrin only by 14.00 on September 22). In addition, the infantry supporting the tankers was far behind. The leading 172nd battalion of the 29th light tank brigade was located 25 km from Brest along the Slonim highway, and the main forces were even further - 80 km in Pruzhany. But the enemy was absent in front of the front of the 29th Ltbr, and at 2.00 S. M. Krivoshein received an oral order from V. I. Chuikov to occupy Brest by 14.00 on September 22. At 5.00 the brigade of S. M. Krivoshein set out from the Pruzhany area.

What happened in Brest on the morning of September 22? The already mentioned Polish researcher E. Izdebski published entries from the combat log of the XIX Motorized Corps for that day. The withdrawal of corps troops took place according to the accepted plan. At 8.30 the corps headquarters left Brest. G. Guderian, Chief of Staff V. Nehring, adjutant, head of the intelligence department and deputy head of the operations department remained to transfer the city. At the same time, the journal noted that “the Russian battalion, which was supposed to arrive at 8.00 to occupy the city and the citadel, has not yet arrived.” Apparently, here we are talking about the advanced 172 tank battalion of the 29 light tank brigade, which was located only two hours from Brest and, in accordance with the “Transfer Agreement...” was supposed to arrive at 8.00 to take over the fortress. However, this did not happen: S. M. Krivoshein decided to pull all the forces of the brigade to Brest, which took him about eight hours.

According to the combat log of the XIX Motorized Corps, at 9.00 the last units of the 3rd Panzer Division left Brest, followed by units of the 20th Motorized Division. At 11.00 the log noted that “there are still no Russians.” Thus, the first two points of the “Agreement on the Transfer...” were thwarted by the Soviet side.

Finally, at about 11.00, Captain Gubanov, expected from 10.00 from the Russian side, arrived. He said the reason for his lateness was that last night Kobrin was again occupied by the Poles and the advanced units of his brigade had to break through while passing through this city.

However, as you know, Kobrin was in the area of ​​responsibility not of the 29th but of the 32nd brigade. Was it “the same” captain G.S. Gubanov from the 32nd light tank brigade of I.I. Gryzunov, or was it still a subordinate of S.M. Krivoshein, who tried to use force majeure to justify the failure to meet the deadlines established in the “Agreement on the transfer ... ", one can only guess. Soon after Gubanov, brigade commander S. M. Krivoshein himself arrived in Brest. Both Guderian and Krivoshein remembered this meeting well and reflected it in their memoirs.

From the memoirs of G. Guderian:

On the day of the transfer of Brest to the Russians, brigade commander Krivoshein, a tankman who spoke French, arrived in the city; so I was able to easily explain myself to him. All issues remaining unresolved in the regulations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were resolved satisfactorily for both parties directly with the Russians. We were able to take everything except the supplies captured from the Poles, 3 which remained with the Russians, since they could not be evacuated in such a short time.

From the memoirs of S. M. Krivoshein:

Before I had even gone around two battalions, an officer came running and reported the arrival of the city commandant. I returned to my tank, which was at the head of the column. From a distance I saw a group of German officers who had arrived with the commandant. They were standing next to a military-type passenger car.
The commandant [...] offered to go to the city in his car. Having ordered the chief of staff to begin the movement of tanks into the city from 14.00, I went to the commandant’s car, signaling for my driver to follow me.
We stopped in front of a large, beautiful house where Guderian and his headquarters were located. On the square in front of the building stood several groups of polished, ironed, clean-shaven officers, they were happily talking about something. Everyone politely greeted the commandant and looked at me carefully, wearing a dusty leather coat and a tank helmet.
Having gone up to the second floor, the commandant asked me to wait in one of the rooms while he reported to Guderian. I decided to take off my leather jacket and talk to Guderian not as a guest who came in for a minute, but as a host, the commander of the garrison of the city of Brest.

The arrival of brigade commander S. M. Krivoshein in Brest is also noted in German documents.

From the combat log of the XIX Motorized Corps:

11.15 – The commander of the Russian tank brigade on the march to Brest, brigade commander Krivoshein, arrived. He was accepted by the corps commander and chief of staff. Gives the impression of a well-mannered, reserved and self-confident person. The agreement adopted the day before regarding the transfer of the city was discussed in detail for the second time. During a conversation regarding the scenario for a public event, the Russian general expressed the wish that his tanks would not take part in the ceremonial parade, since because of this their crews would not be able to see the march of German units. This wish caused corresponding changes in the entire course of the ceremony; It was decided that there would be no passage of Russian tank units, but the orchestra and tank crews would take places next to the orchestra of the 20th motorized division, opposite the generals hosting the parade. At the conclusion of the negotiations, the corps commander invited the Russian commander to a modest meal, during which both pronounced appropriate toasts to the successes of both armies.

And once again let’s return to the memoirs of S. M. Krivoshein. The following passage gives some understanding of why the rules of the ceremony were changed, so I would like to quote it in full

From the memoirs of S. M. Krivoshein:

“Let me return to the analysis of such interesting historical issues at our next meeting,” Guderian interrupted me, seeing that his aplomb and categorical judgment did not affect me. – Now I would like, with your permission, to clarify questions about the parade on the streets of Brest in honor of the German troops leaving the city, in honor of the great friendship of the Soviet and German peoples.
– The friendship of our peoples, dear general, is beyond any doubt. As for the parade that you just deigned to talk about, not everything is clear to me. What parade do you mean? – I asked.
And then a picture flashed before my eyes: General Guderian was leading the regiments, which had been resting in Brest for two weeks, into parade. 4 The soldiers and officers are polished to a shine, the equipment sparkles, and I lead the tired tankmen through the city who have not had time to get themselves in order. City dwellers will say: “The Germans are a real Western culture, they have order, discipline...” No, old hypocrite, you won’t invite me to the parade! – I decided.
- What parade? “Parade of German troops and your glorious tank crews,” Guderian replied.
“Forgive me, Mister General, but I still don’t understand you.” In my opinion, a parade of troops is an examination of their formation, smartness and brilliance of uniform. But judge for yourself, General, how can I take my tank brigade to the parade after a 120-kilometer night march? 5 The dress uniform is in the rear, and you know from your own experience that the rear units are always far behind the tankers. “Alya ger kom a la ger!” - “In war it’s like in war!” - say the French. I can't get people and tanks out without putting them in proper shape.
– If I understand you correctly, you, general, want to violate the agreement between your command and the command of the German troops? – Guderian asked me sarcastically. “Look where you’re going, you bastard!” – I thought to myself, but, smiling politely, answered:
– No, the agreement concluded by my command is an immutable law for me. I'm not going to break it. Having concluded an agreement, my and your command did not intend to organize such a parade in which one part of the troops would parade after a long rest, and the other after a long campaign.
“The clause on parades is written in the agreement, and it must be fulfilled,” Guderian insisted.
“You and I must fulfill this point of the agreement this way,” I suggested categorically, “at 4 p.m., parts of your corps in a marching column, with standards in front, leave the city, my units, also in a marching column, enter the city, stop at streets where German regiments pass and greet the passing units with their banners. Bands perform military marches.
Guderian objected at length and verbosely, insisting on a parade with troops lining up in the square. Seeing that I was adamant, he finally agreed with the option I proposed, stipulating, however, that he would stand on the podium with me and greet the passing units.

It still remains a mystery whether, on his own initiative, brigade commander S.M. Krivoshein did everything possible to disrupt the joint ceremonial passage of German and Soviet troops, or had clear instructions from army headquarters in this regard. The Germans, judging by the records in the ZhBD, saw the reason for the failure of the joint march in the eternal Russian carelessness.

From the combat log of the XIX Motorized Corps:

The start of the ceremonial march, scheduled for 14.00, was delayed by half an hour due to the delay of the Russians, who did not replace the battalion of the 20th Motorized Division located in Wlodawa on time. In addition, due to the lack of organization on their part, the roads to Brest were clogged with standing companies of Russian tanks.

However, the roads clogged with “companies of Russian tanks” could be a consequence of an acute shortage of fuel and lubricants, which S. M. Krivoshein repeatedly reported to army headquarters.

One way or another, on September 22, the joint passage of Wehrmacht and Red Army troops in Brest-Litovsk, which the German command so dreamed of, and about which anti-Sovietists of all calibers would hysteria as a fait accompli, did not take place.

Notes to the text:

• 1 The future Army General I.D. Chernyakhovsky was the battalion commander until 1938, and then until 1940 he commanded the 9th separate light tank regiment and had nothing to do with the 29th brigade.
• 2 Chief of Staff of the 13th Mechanized Corps of the 10th Army of the Western Front. Shot by verdict of the Military Tribunal of the Military District on November 4, 1941.
• 3 The next day, in his report, S. M. Krivoshein reported: “The Germans plundered all the shops and institutions, even the barracks and the fortress.”
• 4 G. Guderian’s troops could not rest for two weeks in Brest, since they finally suppressed the resistance of the Polish troops only on August 17.
• 5 In the report, S. M. Krivoshein indicated that the brigade made a 90-km march, which corresponds to the approximate distance from Pruzhany to Brest.

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