Partisan detachments formed during World War II in the Yaroslavl region

Yaroslavl region in the Great Patriotic War . Partisans

In 1941, there was a real threat of invasion of enemy troops into the territory of the Yaroslavl region of the RSFSR of the USSR . The regional committee of the CPSU (b) issued decree No. 141/5 of 11/14/1941 "On the organization of partisan detachments and hidden food bases for them." In case the Red Army retreated from the territory of the region in November 1941, 35 partisan detachments were formed with a strength of 25 to 35 people each. In the forests of the region, hidden bases of weapons and ammunition, food and clothing were created, dugouts were built for the winter. The organizing role in this was played by the district departments of the NKVD . ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]} Under the administration of the NKVD of the Yaroslavl Region, special ten-day courses (60 hours) were organized to train guerrilla unit leaders. In connection with the beginning of the counterattack of the Soviet troops on December 19 , 1941, preparations for the partisan war were suspended, and on February 3 , 1942 they were phased out, weapons and ammunition were removed from the bases. However, work with potential partisans continued until mid-1943. ^{[3] [5]}

To carry out reconnaissance and sabotage missions, 5 special forces partisan detachments were created behind enemy lines: Yaroslavets, Suvorovtsy, Kutuzovtsy, Susaninets, Pugachevtsy. The place of their formation was a special base of the NKVD - the rest house " Red Hill " near Yaroslavl , where future saboteurs learned to parachute, use a walkie-talkie, conduct mining, etc. ^{[1] [2]}

The partisan detachment "Yaroslavets" was formed in February 1942 with 65 volunteers: 45 people from the former commanders of the Red Army and the NKVD, in connection with this prematurely released from the Volgolag ; 4 teenagers, 16-17 years old, from pupils of the children's colony of the NKVD; 7 people prepared for leadership of partisan detachments from a party asset; 6 employees of the NKVD and 3 female nurses. The commander is senior state security lieutenant B. L. Sokolov, the commissar is M. I. Snetkov, and the chief of staff is A. F. Chaplin. Weapons: 5 assault rifles, 50 foreign rifles, 3 Russian three-line rifles, 6 special devices for silent shooting, each has a gun, a Finnish knife , grenades. Clothing: each short fur coat , earflaps , padded jacket and trousers. On February 3-13, the detachment completed practical and theoretical studies. ^[3]

Initially, Yaroslavets operated in the Smolensk region on the site of the 179th Infantry Division of the 22nd Army in the areas of the settlements: Prechistoye , Bily , Dukhovshchina , Yartsevo , as well as on the Smolensk-Bily railway and the Moscow-Minsk motorway. Among the awards of fighters are 3 medals " For Courage ", 6 medals " For Military Merit ". On March 31 , 1942, the detachment, which suffered heavy losses, entered the liberated territory and was sent to rest and reorganize. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

On May 3 , 1942, the Yaroslavets detachment of 40 people again behind the front line. Acted mainly along the highway Moscow - Minsk, also committed sabotage on the railway Smolensk - Vyazma. During the second raid, 11 officers, 99 soldiers, 40 police officers, 6 spies, 11 traitors, 8 elders were destroyed; 5 bridges, about 4 km of communication lines; 4 trains were derailed, resulting in the elimination of about 700 people, 42 cars, 2 steam locomotives, 42 tanks, 85 cars, 12 armored vehicles, 2 tanks, 12 tractors, 150 enemy horses. 85 people, introduced into German organizations, helped to conduct intelligence activities. In August 1942, the squad returned to the Red Hill base. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

In just 6 months of fighting, the detachment (according to the sources differ) destroyed 1,137 German soldiers and officers, 147 police officers, disabled about 20 kilometers of the communication line, participated in the bombing of 4 railway levels, 42 tanks, 17 bridges, 12 armored vehicles, 37 vehicles, 12 tractors, 2 artillery depots, formed another 3 partisan detachments. 11 people were awarded orders and medals, and the majority - medals " Partisan of the Patriotic War ." ^{[1] [2] [3]}

In August - September 1942, a partisan detachment "Suvorovtsy" was formed on the basis of Yaroslavts, consisting of 16 men under the command of Ye. S. Lemeshevsky. November 11 , 1942 began to operate in the western regions of the Kalinin region . With the battles he passed the Smolensk , Leningrad and Pskov regions. Having appeared in the Pskov region on the 20th of December 1942, he began his main activity: an intelligence network was created from more than 30 local residents, including 11 collaborating with the Nazis; 23 of them were in Pskov and 4 in Porkhov and Ostrov . The detonation detonated 3 echelons of the enemy with manpower and equipment, destroyed 6 traitors. On August 8 , 1943, the detachment, moving away from the pursuit of punishers, entered the partisan region in the Rossonsky district of the Vitebsk region . In total, partisans traveled about 8 thousand km. A year after the start of operations, he joined the advancing Red Army and returned to base. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

In September - November 1942, the Kutuzovtsi and Pugachevtsi detachments were formed, which later united as the Kutuzovtsi consisting of 27 people under the command of M. G. Shatov. Since December 1942, he acted on the Kalinin Front at the disposal of the Yaroslavl 234th Communist Rifle Division . Upon completion of the assignment, the detachment returned to Yaroslavl, and the personnel went to replenish units of the Red Army. ^{[1] [2]}

In September 1942, a partisan detachment "Susaninets" was formed in the amount of 11 people, but it was not thrown into the German rear. ^[one]

Residents of the region also participated in partisan detachments created in other regions. For example, Elena Kolesova, a native of the Yaroslavl region who fought in Belarus, was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union . In the partisan detachment in which Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya , who became a symbol, fought, there were several Yaroslavl residents, including the commander, a native of the Yaroslavl region, Boris Krainov, and his deputy, Pavel Prokhorov. ^{[1] [2]}