1st brigade of river ships of the Danube naval flotilla

The red banner of the Azov (since April 1944 Danube) military flotilla, formed on October 22, 1943 as a brigade of armored boats. Initially, it consisted of the 3rd, 4th and 1st Guards divisions of armored boats (a total of 28 ships), whose personnel at the time of the formation of the brigade had great combat experience gained in the Battle of Stalingrad in the battles during the liberation of Novorossiysk , the Taman Peninsula, ports and bases Sea of ​​Azov .

The brigade began fighting in the Kerch-Eltigen landing operation of 1943, during which armored boats were covered by landing troops with units of the 56th army at the passage by sea, suppressed enemy firing points at landing sites, delivered reinforcements, weapons and ammunition to paratroopers, evacuated the wounded and carried out other tasks. In January 1944, the ships of the compound participated in the landing of landings on Cape Tarkhan and directly to the Kerch port , then, together with other flotilla units, in the transportation of troops, military equipment, equipment, food and other cargo to the Kerch peninsula for the formations and units of the Separate Primorye Army .

For active and skillful fighting during the liberation of the Kerch Peninsula, the brigade was awarded the honorary name "Kerch" (4.5.1944); many sailors of the formation were awarded orders and medals, and the brigade commander, captain of the 3rd rank, P. I. Derzhavin, and 7 soldiers were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union .

In August 1944, during the Iasi-Chisinau operation , the brigade provided fire support to the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front during the liberation of the cities. Ackerman ( Belgorod-Dniester ), Brailov , Tulcha , as well as a number of islands and coastal settlements. At the same time, armored boats conducted reconnaissance in the Danube’s rows, guarded the crossings of the ground forces, and searched for ships and boats of the enemy. From August 20 to 27, 1944, the crew’s boats destroyed 1 monitor, 6 barges, 2 tugboats, captured the destroyer, monitor, 3 landing and 72 transport barges with military cargo, about 30 tugboats and various vessels.

For the difference in these battles, the brigade was awarded the Order of the Red Banner (09.25.1944), and its 4th division was named "Tulchinsky" (07.9.1944).

In September 1944, the brigade, in collaboration with units of the 113th Infantry Division, participated in the liberation of the Yugoslav city of Negotin , in mid-October overcame the thresholds of the Iron Gate and began hostilities on the Middle Danube, in the Smederevo area, on the outskirts of Belgrade . On the night of October 17, 1944, the ships of the brigade secretly passed enemy coastal batteries and reached the embankments of Belgrade, where the flanks of the formations of the 3rd Ukrainian Front and the People’s Liberation Army of Yugoslavia (NOAU), which liberated the capital of Yugoslavia, were covered with fire of jet artillery and machine guns.

For the selfless fighting and heroism of the sailors, the 1st Guards Division of Armored Carriers of the brigade was awarded the honorary name Belgrade (11/14/1944), and the 4th Division of Armored Carriers was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky .

At the end of October 1944, the compound replenished with captured ships was reorganized by the 1st Kerch Red Banner Brigade of River Ships (consisting of 35 armored boats and 3 monitors) ^[2] .

Until the end of 1944, the brigade continued to advance up the Danube, participating in the liberation of many Yugoslav and Hungarian cities and transporting parts of the ground forces across the Danube . In the Batina , Mohach and Bahia districts alone, the brigade transported about 15 thousand soldiers and officers, over 750 tanks and self-propelled guns, 106 armored vehicles and more than 31 thousand tons of various cargoes; evacuated over 14,700 wounded and prisoners of war to the left bank of the river. After the liquidation of the enemy’s Budapest group, the brigade, along with other units of the Danube Flotilla, conducted military operations in the Bratislava-Vienna direction. She landed many landings ( Esztergomsky landing , landing in the region of Opatovac - Sotin ), participated in the capture of Komarno . Sailors were especially distinguished when landing in the center of Vienna , preventing the explosion of the Imperial Bridge.

For the exemplary performance of the combat missions of the command during the liberation of the capital of Austria and the valor and courage shown by the personnel, the brigade was given the honorary name "Vienna" (05.17.1945).

The structure included the 1st Guards (17 ships) 3rd (18 ships) battalion armored divisions and the 1st monitors division (ships "Kerch", "Azov", "Izmail").

As a part of: the Azov military flotilla from 10.22.1943; Danube military flotilla since April 1944.

• During World War II, the brigade was commanded by a captain of the 3rd rank, from December 1944 captain of the 2nd rank P. I. Derzhavin .

For the heroism, courage and courage shown by the personnel of the brigade in battles with the Nazi invaders, hundreds of its soldiers were awarded orders and medals, and 7 of them were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union to elders and navy men.

•   Derzhavin, Pavel Ivanovich
•   Polyakov Vasily Vasilievich

• Danube Flotilla
• 1st brigade of river ships of the Dnieper military flotilla

• N.V. Ogarkov. The Kerch-Vienna brigade of river ships // Soviet Military Encyclopedia. - Moscow: Military Publishing House, 1977. - T. 4. - S. 144-145. - 656 p. - 105,000 copies.
• Danube Flotilla // Civil War in the USA - Yokota / [under the general. ed. N.V. Ogarkova ]. - M .: Military Publishing House of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR , 1979. - ( Soviet Military Encyclopedia : [in 8 vols.]; 1976-1980, vol. 3).
• Pyshkin A. Ya. At the behest of duty. M., 1967.
  (The author of the book is the participant in the fighting, the former head of the political department of the brigade, Rear Admiral of the reserve A. Ya. Pyshkin. The book is illustrated with photo documents)
• Loktionov I.I. Danube Flotilla in the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945). M., 1962.
• Danube Flotilla // Soviet Historical Encyclopedia

• Team // Naval Dictionary / Chernavin V.N. - M .: Military Publishing House, 1990 .-- 511 p. - ISBN 5-203-00174-X .

• Governing bodies, formations, ships, parts and institutions of the Amur, Volga, Dnieper, Danube ... flotillas
• Pyshkin, A. Ya. At the behest of duty. Combat path of the 1st Kerch-Vienna Red Banner brigade of armored boats
• Boats on the podium of the exploits of the Great Patriotic War
• Brief information on the crews of individual river ships