Vilis Petrovich Samsons ( Latvian. Vilis Samsons , in wartime was known as Dadzis (“Burr”); December 3, 1920 , Liepna , Alūksne region - September 17, 2011 , Latvia ) - Latvian partisan , one of the organizers and participants of the Soviet partisan movement in the territories of Latvia and Belarus , occupied by the German army, Hero of the Soviet Union [1] .
| Vilis Petrovich Samsons | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||||
| Date of Birth | December 3, 1920 | ||||||||||
| Place of Birth | |||||||||||
| Date of death | September 17, 2011 (90 years) | ||||||||||
| Place of death | |||||||||||
| Affiliation |  USSR →  Latvia | ||||||||||
| Rank | the colonel | ||||||||||
| Battles / Wars | The Great Patriotic War | ||||||||||
| Awards and prizes |
| ||||||||||
Content
Biography
Vilis Samsons was born in the family of a rural tailor in Liepna , after graduating from school he entered the Rezekne Teachers' Institute. The choice of profession was dictated by the fact that you had to pay half the cost of your studies and the graduates were provided with work [2] .
In 1940 he graduated from the Rezekne Teachers' Institute, worked as an inspector of the Ludza district department of public education of the Latvian SSR [3] .
Since the beginning of World War II was evacuated to the Altai Territory . Having learned about the formation of the 201st Latvian Rifle Division , he signed up as a volunteer [2] . In the Red Army since August 1941. He served in the chemical platoon, received a baptism of fire in the Battle of Moscow .
In the guerrilla movement
In 1942 he graduated from the courses of junior lieutenants. In February 1942, Otomars Oshkalns , a colleague of Samsons, a teacher, and an experienced party worker, who recruited strong and proven people to organize the partisan movement in the territory of occupied Latvia, appeared in the division that stood under Staraya Russa.
As part of a group of 80 people, Vilis Samsons set off across the front line to his homeland, behind enemy lines. He led the Latvian Partisan Partisan Detachment, where Oshkalns was a commissar. Samson got the nickname "Dadzis" (burdock).
The guerrillas operated in the territory of the eastern counties of Latvia. The resistance to the fascists was organized by forces of 30-150 people, scattered from Zilupe to Valka . Samsons was the commander of the 3rd detachment of the partisan regiment "For Soviet Latvia" [4] . They blew up the railway, trains (61), heading towards the front in the direction of Pskov, garrisons and headquarters, punished traitors by the decision of the tribunal.
In 1943, in the partisan detachment, Vilis Samsons met his future wife Rasmo - she was a medical orderly and cured him after injuries sustained in a fight with punitive men [2] . In the same year he joined the VKP (b) .
In March-July 1944, 3 partisan brigades operated in Latvia. Samson in March 1944 he was appointed commander of the First Latvian Partisan Brigade, which consisted of 3,000 people. Many local residents joined the partisans, deserting villagers from the police and the German army. Some of the people from the locals who wanted to fight were left on the legal position - they were guides, suppliers, collected food, organized bread baking.
After the liberation of Soviet Latvia, V. P. Samsons and his fighters joined the 130th Latvian Rifle Corps . Colonel (since 1945).
For the successful organization of the partisan movement, shown courage and heroism, on June 28, 1945, by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, V. P. Samsons was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. In the same year he retired and returned to a peaceful life.
Post-war activities
In 1946, Samsons graduated from the Higher Party School , and in 1949 - the Academy of Social Sciences under the Central Committee of the CPSU [5] . In 1949–1950 he headed the philosophy department of the republican party school, and taught at the Latvian State University .
In 1950-1960 - Minister of Education of the Latvian SSR [5] .
Chief Scientific Secretary of the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR from 1960 to 1992. Since 1968 - Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR .
From 1958 to 1977, Vilis Samsons traveled to Latvia to collect materials on the history of the republic with an expedition of scientists and teachers. Extensive information - documents, photographs, about 100 memoirs of contemporaries - is stored in the Samsons Academic Foundation [2] . On these materials, V.P. Samsons prepared many scientific papers.
Since 1969, he has been Chairman of the Scientific Council on Encyclopedias and Dictionaries of the Latvian SSR.
Vilis Petrovich was elected deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian SSR, a member of the Presidium of the Soviet Committee of War Veterans, and Chairman of the Society of Veterans of the 130th Latvian Rifle Corps [3] .
Honored Scientist of the Latvian SSR [5] .
Author of 13 books. Chief editor of the Minor Encyclopedia of the Latvian SSR.
He died on September 17, 2011 at the age of 90. Buried in the cemetery in Carnikava .
Awards
- Gold Star Medal (No. 7465 of June 28, 1945) [3] [6] ;
- the Order of Lenin [3] [6] ;
- Order of the Red Banner [3] ;
- two orders of World War I degree [3] ;
- two orders of the Red Banner of Labor ;
- Order of Friendship of Peoples (1980);
- Order "Badge of Honor" [3] ;
- medals [3] .
Works
- V. Samson. Guerrilla movement in Northern Latvia during the Great Patriotic War. Riga, Latgosizdat, 1951.
- V. Samsons. Kurzemes partizāni. Riga, 1959.
- Kurzemes katlā: partizānu un frontes izlūku cīņas: 1944-1945. Riga: Liesma, 1969.
- V. Samsons. Kurzemes meži šalc. Riga, Liesma, 1974. - 561 p.
- Naida un maldu slīkšņā. Riga, “Zinātne”, 1983 [7] .
- V.P. Samson. The friendship of the peoples won: joint actions of the red partisans and Soviet intelligence officers in the "Courland Cauldron" in 1944-1945. Riga, Avots, 1980. - 274 p.
- V. Samsons. In captivity of hatred and delusions: the evolution of the views of the Latvian nationalists. Riga, Zinatne, 1983. - 238 p.
- V.P. Samsons. Through blizzards: memories. Riga, "Liesma", 1985.
- Dzejas Olimpā un uz barikādēm. Rainiānas metodoloģiskie aspekti. Riga, Zinātne, 1985. - 277 p. [8]
- V.P. Samsons. By spring: memories. Riga, "Liesma", 1988.
- Latvijas suverenitātes ideja likteņgriežos: vācu okupācijas laika dokumenti 1941–1945 (1990) [9] .
Notes
- ↑ Ir.lv - Miris akadēmiķis un sarkano partizānu komandieris Samsons
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Tatyana Andrianova. Vilis Samsons: “Victory saved us all” (rus.) // Hour: newspaper. - 2004. - December 24th.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Samsons Vilis Petrovich // Heroes of the Soviet Union: a brief biographical dictionary in 2 vols. / ed. I. N. Shkadov. volume 2. M. , Voenizdat, 1988. p. 414.
- ↑ Samsons Vilis Petrovich . www.warheroes.ru. The appeal date is October 31, 2018.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Samsons, Vilis Petrovich // Great Patriotic War 1941-1945. Developments. People. Documents. Brief historical reference / comp. EK Zhigunov, under total. ed. O. A. Rzheshevsky. M. , Politizdat, 1990. p. 381.
- ↑ 1 2 Pravda Newspaper, June 29, 1945 .
- Ida Naida un maldu slīkšņā - Vilis Samsons - iBook.lv .
- ↑ Dzejas Olimpā un- uz barikādēm (Open Library) .
- ↑ Books by Vilis Samsons - Complete Bibliography of Vilis Samsons Books .
Literature
- Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR V.P. Samsons. Bibliographical index. - Riga, 1980.
- Latvijas Zinātņu akadēmijas akadēmiķis Vilis Samsons: bibliogr. rād., 1980–1990. - [Riga, 1992]. - 16 lpp.
- Samsons, Vilis Petrovich // Riga: Encyclopedia = Enciklopēdija "Rīga" / ch. ed. P. P. Eran. - Riga: Main edition of encyclopedias , 1989. - p. 651. - 880 p. - 60 000 copies - ISBN 5-89960-002-0 .
- Nina Khrabrova. Ballad of Zhigursky Forest // People of Legends. issue 2. - M. , Politizdat.
Links
Samsons, Vilis Petrovich . The site " Heroes of the country ."
- Vilis Samsons: “Victory saved us all” (interview of December 24, 2004).
- Dmitry Sokolov-Mitrich, Sergey Kaptilkin. Two veterans // Izvestia, dated May 12, 2005