Crimean partisans. Partisan and underground movement. Memoirs of participants in the partisan movement

The unbending courage of the Soviet people was manifested in the fight against fascism during the Great Patriotic War in Crimea. The Crimean partisans fought heroically against the Nazi invaders, showing selfless devotion to their socialist Motherland.
The organizers of the partisan and underground struggle were the Crimean regional committee, city and district party committees, which, following the instructions of the Central Committee, did a great job of forming partisan detachments and underground groups. By the beginning of November 1941, 29 partisan detachments had been created on the peninsula. The Bureau of the Crimean Regional Party Committee appointed a civil war participant as commander of the partisan movement A. V. Mokrousova, Commissioner - Secretary of the Simferopol City Party Committee S. V. Martynova. The partisan detachments were headed by secretaries of city and district party committees, party, Soviet and Komsomol workers 3. F. Amelinov, V. A. Bolotova, V. G. Eremenko, I. N. Kazakov, E. D. Kiselev, A. A. Litvinenko , N. D. Lugovoi, V. I. Nikanorov, V. I. Filippov, V. I. Cherny; economic managers M. A. Makedonsky, M. I. Chub; Red Army commanders D.I. Averkin, B.B. Gorodovikov, G.L. Seversky, F.I. Fedorenko and others.

The Biyuk-Onlarsky, Zuysky, Ichkinsky, Karasubazarsky, and Starokrymsky district party committees remained almost entirely behind enemy lines.
In November 1941, soldiers, commanders and political workers of those units who, covering the withdrawal of Soviet troops to Sevastopol, found themselves in the fascist rear, joined the ranks of the partisans. These were mainly soldiers and officers of the 184th Infantry and 48th Separate Cavalry Divisions and Marine Corps units.
The territory of deployment of partisan detachments was divided into five districts. Their leaders were A. A. Satsyuk (1st region - Old Crimean forests), I. G. Genov (2nd region - Zuysky and Belogorsk forests), G. L. Seversky (3rd region - forests of the state reserve), I.M. Bortnikov (4th district - outskirts of Yalta), V.V. Krasnikov (5th district - outskirts of Sevastopol). Partisan detachments were also based in the Kerch region, in the Adzhimushkay and Starokarantinsky quarries. This was essentially the 6th district, which was headed by I. I. Pakhomov. The general leadership of the detachments was carried out by the headquarters of the partisan movement in Crimea, headed by A.V. Mokrousov.
From the first days of the occupation, the Crimean partisans launched active military operations. When the battles took place near Sevastopol and on the Kerch Peninsula, they provided all possible assistance to units of the Red Army. By committing sabotage on highways and railways, attacking enemy garrisons, and collecting intelligence data, they brought victory closer.
During the first period of the partisan struggle, which ended with the end of the heroic defense of Sevastopol, detachments of people's avengers destroyed over 12 thousand enemy soldiers and officers.
In the summer of 1942, when the Nazis completely occupied Crimea, the situation for the partisans became significantly more complicated. Given the important strategic importance of the peninsula, the Nazi command concentrated large military forces here. Enemy garrisons were stationed in almost every settlement. Actively collaborated with the occupiers in their repeated attempts
destroy the partisan detachments, local nationalist elements and other renegades. But even when the peninsula became a deep rear, the fascists failed to extinguish the flame of the people's war. Some of the partisans, by decision of the regional party committee, were transferred to cities and villages to help the underground. Those who remained in the forests continued to carry out subversive work on enemy communications.
By the fall of 1943, the number of fighters in partisan detachments had increased significantly. Villagers, underground fighters, prisoners of war liberated by patriots from concentration camps went into the forest. During this, the third, period of the partisan movement in the Crimean forests, there were 33 detachments, united in 7 brigades. On January 15, 1944, the number of Crimean partisans was 3,733 people: Russians - 1944 (52%), Crimean Tatars - 598 (16%), Ukrainians - 348 (9%), Georgians - 134 (3.6%), Armenians - 69 (1.8%).
At the new stage of the struggle against the occupiers, which was becoming increasingly widespread, a decision was made in Moscow to create the Crimean headquarters of the partisan movement.
General management of the activities of partisans and underground fighters was carried out by the regional underground center, which since August 1943 was headed by the secretary of the Crimean regional party committee P. R. Yampolsky. In November, he informed the chief of staff of the partisan movement, the first secretary of the regional party committee, V. S. Bulatov: “The enemy evaluates the partisan movement in Crimea at this time as a third front on the Crimean peninsula... Infantry without tanks, guns, artillery and mortars is not against us now coming..."
During this period, the partisans defeated large enemy garrisons in Zuya, in the villages of Sorokino, Tsvetochny, Generalskoye, Monetny, Golubinka. Combat operations were constantly carried out on the railways. On the night of September 9-10, 1943, sabotage groups simultaneously blew up rails in several areas and derailed an enemy train. As a result, traffic on the Crimean railways stopped for five days.
The Military Council of the North Caucasus Front and the command of the Separate Primorsky Army provided great assistance to the Crimean partisans. Ammunition, food, and medicine were regularly delivered to the forest. A group of Red Army combat commanders was sent to command positions in the detachments.
At the beginning of 1944, three partisan formations were formed in Crimea; The Northern was headed by P.R. Yampolsky, the Southern - M.A. Makedonsky, the Eastern - V.S. Kuznetsov.
Winter and spring of 1944 were the period of the most active military operations of the Crimean partisans. In total, during the war, the patriots destroyed and captured over 33,000 enemy soldiers and officers, destroyed 79 military trains, 2 armored trains, dozens of fuel and ammunition depots, blew up 3 railway bridges, and captured many trophies.
During the preparation of the Crimean offensive operation, detachments of the Northern Union controlled the enemy’s advance along the Simferopol - Alushta and Simferopol - Belogorsk roads. The southern unit operated in the Yalta area, on the Simferopol - Bakhchisarai - Sevastopol highway. And in the April days of 1944, partisans, together with Soviet troops, took part in the liberation of Simferopol, Yalta, Bakhchisarai, Belogorsk, Zuya and other settlements of the peninsula.
From the very beginning of the German occupation of Crimea, in the fall of 1941, many residents of Simeiz went to the mountains and became members of the Yalta partisan detachment. In the fall of 1942, sailors of the Black Sea Fleet made several landings on the shore. Many residents of the village died at the hands of the invaders, who practiced reprisals against civilians in response to partisan attacks. The Red Army liberated Simeiz on April 16, 1944. In May 1943 in Simeiz An underground patriotic group was organized led by G. S. Leonenko. It included V. M. Devisheva, L. A. Ermakov and others (Crimean Regional Partarchive, f. 1, op. 24, d. 375, pp. 61, 62.). They delivered the newspaper “Red Crimea” and partisan leaflets and distributed them among the population. Having obtained a radio receiver, the patriots received reports from the Sovinformburo and rewrote them. From underground workers, village residents learned about the situation on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. Participants in the underground maintained close ties with the partisans and carried out their tasks until the arrival of the Red Army.
Liberation from fascist slavery brought to the working people of Crimea spring 1944. On April 16, troops of the 16th Rifle Corps of the Separate Primorsky Army under the command of Major General K.I. Provalov and the 26th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 19th Tank Corps under the command of Colonel A.P. Khrapovitsky entered Simeiz. The rapid advance of Soviet troops and the coordinated actions of the partisans deprived the enemy of the opportunity to completely destroy the village. On the main avenue of Simeiz, where the population greeted the liberating soldiers, red banners were hung, saved by the pioneer L. Ermakov (now L. A. Ermakov works as a doctor in Simeiz). Among the many residents of Simeiz who bravely fought the hated enemy at the front, an artilleryman Guard Sergeant N.T. Vasilchenko was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The scientist-astronomer Simeiz I.G. Moiseev went through the military path. He courageously fought against the enemy in partisan detachments of Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, participated in the Slovak uprising of 1944, and fought for the liberation of Czechoslovakia. In November 1967, a monument to 15 Simeiz residents who died in the Great Patriotic War was erected in the center of the village. The underground fighters made a significant contribution to the fight against the Nazi occupiers. They carried out political and propaganda work among the population. They committed sabotage and transmitted intelligence data about the location and actions of enemy troops to the partisans and the command of the Red Army.
From October to December 1941, the activities of underground patriotic groups were led by an underground center created by decision of the Bureau of the Crimean Regional Committee, headed by I. A. Kozlov, an experienced conspirator, party member since 1905.
The underground center was located in Kerch; after the liberation of the city by airborne units in early 1942, it was legalized. In April 1942, I. G. Genov was appointed commissioner for underground affairs of the Crimean regional party committee, and in October 1942, a regional underground party center was created, which included I. G. Genov and N. D. Lugovoy. Since August 1943, the work of underground patriotic groups was organized and directed by the underground party center headed by P.R. Yampolsky. Its members included E. P. Stepanov, E. P. Kolodyazhny, N. D. Lugovoy and others. A total of 220 underground organizations operated in Crimea during the period of temporary occupation. There were over 2,500 people in their ranks.
The Motherland highly appreciated the exploits of the Crimean partisans and underground fighters. Simferopol was liberated on April 13. After the liberation of the entire Crimea, the representative of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Headquarters, Marshal Vasilevsky, signed a proposal to award the title of Hero of the Soviet Union to the most famous partisan commanders: A. Vakhtin, N. Dementyev, G. Gruzinov, V. Kuznetsov, M. Makedonsky, F. Fedorenko. Over 3,000 patriots received government awards. The Order of Lenin was awarded to A. A. Voloshinova, N. M. Listovnichaya, A. F. Zyabrev, V. K. Efremov, P. D. Silnikov, N. I. Tereshchenko (all posthumously), V. I. Babiy, A. N. Kosukhim, V. I. Nikanorov, G. L. Seversky, M. I. Chub and others. The head of the Sevastopol underground organization V.D. Revyakin was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Bedin Ivan Stepanovich, For participation in the partisan movement in Crimea, he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, medals “Partisan of the Patriotic War”, “For the Defense of Sevastopol” ». Motyakhin Ivan Ermolaevich. For participation in the partisan movement in Crimea he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. Order of the Red Star: Barybkina Feodora Evdokimovna, Grishko Mikhail Davidovich, Leonova Galina Ivanovna, Leonov Fedor Konstantinovich, Pshenichny Dmitry Mikhailovich, Podtochilina Lidiya Andreevna, Zhigarev Vladimir Semenovich, Yarmola Evgeniy Petrovich, Tyuterev Kuzma Romanovich.
Chub Mikhail Ilyich, commander of a partisan detachment. For participation in the partisan movement in Crimea he was awarded the Order of Lenin . Tyuterev Kuzma Romanovich. For participation in the partisan movement in Crimea, he was awarded the medal “Partisan of the Patriotic War”, II degree, the Order of the Badge of Honor in September 1943 and the Order of the Red Star in July 1944.
The last award was made by order of the chief of the Belarusian headquarters of the partisan movement No. 435 on 07/25/46. In accordance with this order, the medal “Partisan of the Patriotic War” was awarded to another one hundred and forty-five former Crimean partisans
Working with archival documents, the author identified a kind of “partisan guard”: thirty-seven people who each had four government awards. Even with a quick study of the list, it is striking that it does not include such legendary personalities as Fedorenko, Sermul, Kadyev, Muratov...
This is explained by the fact that the first two went to the front, the other two ended up in deportation and therefore subsequent awards did not affect them.
Considering the fact that the medal “For the Defense of Sevastopol”, by its status, is not awarded for
a manifestation of personal courage, and to the entire composition of the army, air force and navy units that took part in the defense of the city. The medal “Partisan of the Patriotic War” de facto also acquired a similar status; one can draw the sad conclusion that fifty-six of the best Crimean partisans, those who went through the entire epic from November 1941 to April 1944, were awarded only one or two combat awards for everyone. Of this glorious cohort, only one of them is alive today - the former commander of the 6th partisan detachment of the Southern Union, Nikolai Dementyev, who was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and undeservedly did not receive it. I would like to believe that the awards will still find their heroes.

Monument to Yalta partisans installed on Ai-Petri
Mass grave of partisans of the Yalta detachment who died in battle with the Germans on December 13, 1941.
The inscription on the monument reads: “To the people's avengers-partisans of Crimea who gave their lives in the fight against the fascist invaders in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.”
Monument to partisans and underground fighters of Crimea
On May 9, 1978, in Simferopol on Kievskaya Street, in front of the Mir cinema building, a monument to the partisans and underground fighters of the Crimea was unveiled (authors: sculptor N.D. Soloshchenko, architect E.V. Popov). On a high pedestal there is a sculptural composition depicting two patriots. One of them is wounded, but, supported by a comrade in arms, remains in the ranks. The monument symbolizes the unbending courage of the Soviet people, shown by them in the fight against fascism, and their devotion to their socialist Motherland.

The monument to partisans in Old Crimea was built in 1961.

On the edges there are memorial plaques made of white marble in the form of shields, the inscription: “April 1944. Your names will live forever in the hearts of Soviet people!” Old Crimean underground fighters and partisans who died on the eve of the liberation of Old Crimea are buried in the park, and those who died on Mount Burus are reburied .
The names of the commander of the partisan group, the former mathematics teacher of the Old Crimean high school, the communist N.I. Kholod, young patriots, yesterday’s schoolchildren live in people’s memories. The Starokrymsky detachment opened its combat account in the fall of 1941. At the end of October 1943, almost the entire youth underground group left for the partisan forest. It was headed by Georgy (Yuri) Stoyanov. Young underground fighters - fearless, daring, elusive - made their way to the locations of enemy units; they did not miss a single transport convoy, they looked, counted, and remembered. And then valuable intelligence data was delivered to the partisan forest. In the partisan forest, young underground fighters formed the combat core of the Komsomol youth detachment named after the Lenin Komsomol. Its commander was a young Red Army officer A. A. Vakhtin. In January 1944, the detachment's favorite, Yura Stoyanov, died a hero's death in battle on Mount Burus; in March - April, the Nazis captured and killed in dungeons I. I. Davydov, brothers Mitya and Tolya Stoyanov.
Day of Partisans and Underground Workers- a memorable date in Russia, which is celebrated on June 29, starting in 2010. The Day of Partisans and Underground Workers will be celebrated with commemorative events.
Established by the State Duma of Russia in March 2009, on the initiative of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks), party, Soviet, trade union and Komsomol organizations create partisan detachments and sabotage groups to fight German troops.
Medal "Partisan of the Great Patriotic War" established. The author of the medal drawing is the artist N.I. Moskalev, the drawing is taken from the unrealized project of the medal “25 Years of the Soviet Army”.
As is known from historical documents, the actions of the partisans and the work of the underground played a huge role in the successful outcome of the Great Patriotic War. In total, more than one million partisans - men, women and children - operated behind enemy lines. Currently, many documents telling about the true feat of partisans and underground fighters during the war are still stored in state archives under the heading “Top Secret”. Perhaps the introduction of this “military” memorial date will serve as a reason for research and the discovery of unknown pages of partisan glory. And there is no doubt that the establishment of the Day of Partisans and Underground Workers was a tribute to deep respect for the lives and heroism of the people, thanks to whom the Motherland was liberated in 1945. On this Day, many commemorative events are held throughout the country with the laying of flowers at the monuments of those killed during the Great Patriotic War and other memorials. Living veterans, partisans and underground fighters who operated behind enemy lines are also honored.

Greater Yalta was liberated from the fascist invaders on April 16, 1944. Partisans and underground fighters, all of them - young and adults, doctors and workers, fragile girls and strong men - covered each of us with themselves, gave us peace and a bright sky above our heads.

Sources
1. Broshevan V.M. Crimean headquarters of the partisan movement, 2001. - 101 p. 2. GAARC. - F.151, op.1, d.197, L. 28. 3. Lugovoy N.D. Partisan suffering: 900 days behind enemy lines. Simferopol: Elinyu, 2004. 4. Arunyan L.E. - teacher of history and law at Simeiz UVK.

To directly manage underground activities in the territory of Crimea, the Crimean Regional Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) at the beginning of October 1941 formed an underground party center in Kerch (the leaders of the center were I. A. Kozlov, V. S. Kolesnichenko and E. V. Efimova). In addition, the organizers of the underground struggle were left in cities and regional centers (in Simferopol - F.I. Belenkov, in Sevastopol - P.S. Korotkova, in Belogorsk - M.G. Rybakov, in Yalta - V.F. Smolentseva, in the Krasnogvardeisky district - N. G. Myazgov and N. I. Yudin). On the basis of the destroyer battalions, 24 partisan detachments were formed; in the first days after the occupation, their numbers increased due to the influx of military personnel.

As of November 10, 1941, there were already 27 partisan detachments in Crimea; as of November 20, 1941 - 28 partisan detachments, which consisted of 3,734 people (of which 1,316 were military personnel), about a thousand of them were Komsomol members.

On October 23, 1941, the Headquarters of the Crimean Partisan Movement was created, Colonel A.V. Mokrousov became the head of the headquarters, and S.V. Martynov became the commissar.

The entire territory of Crimea was conditionally divided into six partisan regions:

1st region (Old Crimean forests, environs of Sudak and Old Crimea): Feodosia, Staro-Krymsky, Sudak and Kirov partisan detachments operated here;

2nd region (Zuysky and Karasubazarsky forests): Karasubazarsky, Dzhankoysky, Ichkinsky, Kolaysky, Seytlersky, Zuysky, Biyuk-Onlarsky detachments, as well as Krasnoarmeysky detachment No. 1 and Red Army detachment No. 2 operated here.

3rd district (state reserve): Alushta, Evpatoria, Simferopol detachment No. 2, Simferopol detachment No. 3 operated here.

4th region (area of Bakhchisarai and Yalta): Bakhchisarai, Yalta, Ak-Mechetsky, Ak-Sheikh detachments and Red Army detachment No. 5 operated here.

5th district (outskirts of Sevastopol): Sevastopol and Balaklava detachments operated here;

6th region (Kerch Peninsula): three detachments operated here under the overall command of I. I. Pakhomov.

detachment named after V.I. Lenin (commander M.N. Mayorov, commissar S.I. Cherkez) - in the Adzhimushkai quarries.

detachment named after V.I. Stalin (commander A.F. Zyabrev, commissar I.Z. Kotko) - in the Staro-Karantinsky quarries.

detachment of the Mayak-Salynsky district (commander I. G. Shulga, commissioner D. K. Tkachenko).
Commanders and commissars of partisan regions and detachments: V. I. Nikanorov, V. I. Cherny, A. A. Omerov, E. D. Kiselyov, N. D. Lurova, 3. F. Alimenov, I. M. Bortnikov, V. V. Krasnikov, I. G. Genov.

Communists, Komsomol members, pioneers and schoolchildren took an active part in the partisan movement. In total, during the war, 1,974 communists and 2,416 Komsomol members fought as part of partisan detachments on the territory of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. The Sevastopol detachment included 15-year-old Vilor Chekmak. On November 10, 1941, while on patrol near the village of Alsou, he noticed approaching punitive forces and warned the squad with a shot from a flare gun, after which he took the battle alone. When the cartridges ran out, Vilor allowed the Nazis to approach him and blew himself up along with the enemies with a grenade.

On November 28, 1941, the commander of the 11th Wehrmacht Army, General E. von Manstein, announced that the partisans operating in Crimea “have become a real threat.” The next day, November 29, 1941, he issued an order to the army “On the organization and methods of fighting partisans,” in accordance with which a special headquarters was created for organizing anti-partisan actions. The chief of staff received broad powers, as well as a significant number of troops to solve the tasks assigned to the headquarters.

In December 1941, German-Romanian troops launched the first large-scale anti-partisan operation.

After the Red Army landing units landed on the Kerch Peninsula on December 26, 1941, the Crimean partisans assisted the army units by attacking enemy garrisons, ambushing communications, and occupying and holding defensive positions near landing sites.

On January 5, 1942, troops from the Black Sea Fleet landed in Yevpatoria, and at the same time an uprising began in the city, which was joined by partisans. The paratroopers and rebels managed to occupy most of the city, but the outbreak of a storm did not allow reinforcements to land. The German command was forced to divert an infantry regiment and two battalions that took part in the siege of Sevastopol to fight the landing, but the fighting in Yevpatoria continued until January 8, 1942.

At the beginning of 1942, 33 underground organizations and groups (about 400 people) operated in the occupied territories.

The growth of the network of underground organizations revealed the need to coordinate their activities; as a result, in April 1942, the Crimean Regional Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) approved I. G. Genov as the authorized representative for the leadership of the underground struggle in Crimea. In order to expand underground activities, in April 1942, 34 organizers were selected, approved and sent to cities and regions from among the fighters and commanders of partisan detachments, who created 37 underground organizations and groups in 72 settlements (126 people). Additional underground organizations were created in Simferopol, Feodosia and Karasubazar.

The commander of the central headquarters of the Crimean partisans, Colonel M. T. Lobov and the commissioner of the Northern partisan unit N. D. Lugovoy with members of the headquarters debriefing the combat operation. August 1942

By the summer of 1942, 63 underground organizations and groups (about 600 people) were operating in Crimea.

From mid-1942, stable radio contact was established with the Crimean partisans and air transportation began. The supply of the Crimean partisans was carried out by aircraft of the 1st Air Transport Division of the Civil Air Fleet of the USSR.

By the end of the summer of 1942, the German military-political leadership decided on the need to create a propaganda headquarters in Crimea to increase influence on the population of the peninsula. On September 5, 1942, the 2nd separate platoon was allocated from the “Ukraine” propaganda battalion, which became the basis for the “Crimea” propaganda headquarters created on September 15, 1942 in Simferopol (later, propaganda points subordinate to the headquarters began to operate in Evpatoria, Dzhankoy, Feodosia, Yalta and Sevastopol).

On October 2, 1942, by the decision of the Crimean Regional Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, an underground party center was created consisting of R. Mustafaev, I. G. Genov and N. D. Lugovoi, which was entrusted with the leadership of underground party organizations and the partisan movement in Crimea, as well as carrying out agitation and organizational work with the population.

In order to improve the leadership of partisan detachments, by order of the TsShPD of July 8, 1942, the ShPD of Crimea was disbanded.

The leadership of the partisan movement in the North Caucasus and Crimea was entrusted to the Southern Broadband Division created on August 3, 1942 under the Military Council of the North Caucasus Front (Krasnodar). In August - September 1942, the partisan command sent about 400 partisans from the detachments to work underground in cities and villages.

By the beginning of 1943, 106 underground organizations and groups (over 1,300 people) were working in Crimea.

In June 1943, the Crimean headquarters of the partisan movement was created, and V. S. Bulatov was appointed head of it.

In August 1943, the Crimean Regional Committee adopted a resolution “On the work of the regional underground center in Crimea,” which positively assessed the activities of partisans and underground fighters and set new tasks. The resolution played an important role in expanding the fight against the occupiers.

During October - December 1943, over 5,600 people joined the partisan detachments. 7 partisan brigades were created, then united into 3 formations:
Northern (com. P. R. Yampolsky)
South (com. M. A. Makedonsky)
Eastern (com. V. S. Kuznetsov).

In the fall of 1943, partisans committed sabotage on railways and destroyed a number of large garrisons.

With the start of the Crimean offensive operation, the Crimean partisans intensified their actions:

The northern partisan formation operated on the roads Simferopol - Alushta and Simferopol - Karasubazar, and from April 8 to 13 alone carried out over 50 battles.

The southern unit fought on the roads Simferopol - Bakhchisaray - Sevastopol, on the southern coast of Crimea, and together with Soviet troops participated in the liberation of Yalta and Bakhchisaray.

The Eastern Unit operated on the Simferopol-Feodosia and Feodosia-Sudak highways, and together with units of the Soviet Army participated in the liberation of Old Crimea and other populated areas.

On April 13, 1944, military personnel of the 279th Infantry Division, parts of the 19th Tank Corps, partisans (17th and 19th partisan detachments of the 1st Partisan Brigade) and underground fighters liberated Simferopol.

On the same day, April 13, 1944, military personnel of the 227th Infantry Division, 257th Separate Tank Regiment and partisans of the 3rd Brigade of the Eastern Partisan Formation liberated Stary Crimea.

Also, on April 13, 1944, partisans of the 2nd brigade of the Northern Partisan Unit occupied the city of Karasubazar and held it until the approach of Soviet troops.

On April 15, 1944, units of the 16th Rifle Corps and the 7th Brigade of the Southern Partisan Unit (1st, 8th, 9th, 10th, 12th partisan detachments) liberated Yalta.

On the same day, April 15, 1944, units of the 26th Motorized Rifle Brigade, the 19th Tank Corps and the 4th Brigade of the Southern Partisan Unit liberated Alushta.
Number.

In total, in 1941-1944, 62 partisan detachments (over 12,500 fighters), 220 underground organizations and groups (over 2,500 people) operated on the Crimean Peninsula.

At the end of 1943, a group of Slovak soldiers commanded by I. Belko went over to the side of the Soviet partisans from Lukyanov’s detachment.
In addition, participants in the partisan movement in Crimea were Romanian anti-fascists - soldiers of the Romanian army who went over to the side of the partisans:
At the beginning of April 1942, five Romanian soldiers of the 2nd Romanian Mountain Division deserted and joined the Bakhchisarai detachment.

On November 9, 1943, in the Zuya area (22 km east of Simferopol), 10 Romanian soldiers led by an officer voluntarily surrendered to the partisans; later they remained in the detachment.

On November 14, 1943, two Romanian soldiers joined the partisans of the 4th Partisan Brigade and were enlisted in the 5th detachment of the brigade.

On November 21, 1943, another Romanian soldier defected to the 8th detachment of the 3rd partisan brigade.
At the beginning of January 1944, the Romanian military driver Marinescu Georgi arrived at the 4th Partisan Brigade in a car with cargo.

On April 13, 1944, a group of Romanian soldiers retreating along the Feodosia Highway joined the Soroka partisan detachment, and later, together with the partisans, they attacked other retreating units.

Supply.

The partisans received aid, which was delivered by plane.

On October 18, 1942, pilots Yakov Fadeev and Nikolai Kalmykov on U-2 planes delivered several bags of crackers and a bag of leaflets to the Crimean partisans.

In 1943, the 8th separate aviation regiment of the Civil Air Fleet made 71 flights to the area of operation of the Crimean partisans and transported 29 people and 3.1 tons of cargo.

The 9th separate aviation regiment of the Civil Air Fleet, providing support for the Crimean partisans, in 1943 made 100 sorties into the area of operations of the Crimean partisans.
In addition, the 1st Air Transport Division carried out sorties.

Results.

During the Crimean offensive operation, the Crimean partisans provided significant assistance to the advancing Soviet troops.

In the period from November 1, 1941 to April 16, 1944, Crimean Soviet partisans and underground fighters carried out 3226 actions against enemy troops, communications and facilities (including 252 battles, 1632 sabotage and operations on communications, 349 ambushes and attacks, 163 sabotage and operations on railways, 824 attacks on vehicles and convoys; 79 trains and 2 armored trains were blown up, derailed and burned (in total, 48 locomotives and 947 wagons and platforms were destroyed and 29,383 soldiers and police were destroyed); 3872 captured); three railway stations, three power plants, two radio stations, 25 military warehouses, three railway and 52 highway bridges, 112.8 km of telephone cable and 6.6 km of power lines; 13 tanks, 3 armored vehicles, 211 guns, 1940 cars, 83 carts.

In addition, they captured 201 cars, 40 tractors, 2,627 horses, 542 carts, 17 guns, 250 machine guns, 254 machine guns, 5,415 rifles, ammunition and other military property. They also captured 1,019 head of cattle, 6,661 sheep and 609 tons of food.
Also, Crimean partisans and underground fighters were engaged in political work with the population: they published 4 newspapers (“Crimean Partisan”, “For Soviet Crimea”, “Crimean Truth”, “For the Motherland”), as well as leaflets, appeals and appeals. In total, during the period of occupation, the partisans and underground fighters of Crimea published 213 titles of newspapers and leaflets with a total circulation of more than 3 million copies.

Over 3 thousand partisans and underground fighters (including 1,500 participants in the partisan movement) were awarded orders and medals of the USSR; the leader of the Sevastopol underground, V. D. Revyakin, was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously).

"Based on Wikipedia"

The monument to partisans in Old Crimea was built in 1961.

The partisan movement in Crimea unfolded in the most difficult conditions of general unpreparedness for war and the first defeats in the fall of 1941 on the “Crimean sector of the front.”

The program for fighting behind enemy lines was formulated in the joint directive of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Council of People's Commissars of June 29, 1941, “To Party and Soviet organizations in front-line zones”: “Create partisan detachments and sabotage groups to fight units of the enemy army, to incite guerrilla warfare everywhere and everywhere, to blow up bridges, roads, damage telephone and telegraph communications, and set fire to warehouses.” Guerrilla detachments and sabotage groups were instructed to “create unbearable conditions for the enemy and his accomplices in occupied areas.” On July 18, 1941, the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks adopted a resolution “On the organization of struggle behind enemy lines,” which spoke of the need for the immediate creation of combat squads and sabotage groups.

On October 23, 1941, in accordance with the decision of the State Defense Committee, the Crimean Regional Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks decided to create city defense committees in Simferopol, Sevastopol, and Kerch. The command of the partisan movement was approved (commander Alexey Mokrousov, commissioner Serafim Martynov).

At the beginning of partisan actions in Crimea there were 5 districts. But from the very beginning the work did not go well. Many of those who were enrolled in the detachments did not join them - this was due to the formal approach to determining the composition of the partisan detachments, in which people were enrolled, most of whom were not trained in military affairs.

The struggle of the Crimean partisans took place in extremely difficult conditions. Only a relatively small mountainous region, cut by numerous roads and trails, was suitable for the development of the partisan movement; the main forces of the partisans were stationed here. It was a weak cover for the partisans, limited their maneuverability, gave the enemy the opportunity to encircle and comb certain areas and thereby blockade some areas, disrupting the connection of the forest avengers with the population and depriving them of the opportunity to receive food.

Serious mistakes were made when creating partisan bases. Food bases of individual detachments were created at the sites of future military operations; during their establishment, the principle of secrecy was violated; vehicles arrived at the base sites and were unloaded in front of strangers. Therefore, in the very first weeks, the bases were opened, their contents were taken out by the occupiers, and the rest was dismantled by local residents. Whatever the assessment of such actions by the civilian population, it is obvious that the people themselves did not see anything reprehensible in their behavior - the bases were exposed, therefore, they would either have ended up with the Germans anyway, or would have been damaged.

Thus, some units already at the very beginning of hostilities lost bases with food and medicine. The situation was critical; there was nothing to feed the people.

While many bases were lost, the main headquarters of the Crimea did not even take the trouble to preserve the remaining food, nor to spend it wisely. As the deputy head of the Special Department of the headquarters of the main leadership, state security lieutenant Popov, reported in his report, “when large meals were prepared at the headquarters, the soldiers in the detachments were given two flatbreads per person.” The partisans began to starve.

Moreover, from October 31, 1941 to February 12, 1942, neither the commander of the partisan movement Mokrousov nor the commissar Martynov visited any of the detachments of the 3rd, 4th, 5th districts...

As Popov reported: “The partisans did not carry out active operations in November-December 1941, many senior officials sat out in the forest and drank... Even at the headquarters of the main leadership at that time, all combat issues of an operational nature were decided on a drunken head.”

In December 1941, when a massive combing of the forest by German-Romanian troops began, all food fell into the hands of the occupiers, and the main headquarters of the partisans was left without food.

The Chairman of the Crimean Government in April 1942 - May 1944, Ismail Seyfulaev, recalls: “At this very time, the commander of the partisan movement Mokrousov, instead of organizing explanatory work and attracting the population to partisan detachments, establishing good relations with the population, gave instructions to the detachment commanders: “Get food locally.” , i.e. in the surrounding Tatar villages. Some of the partisan walkers did not ask for food from the peasants, but took away bread, vegetables, livestock, even poultry. By their actions, the leadership of the partisan movement (Mokrousov, Martynov) turned a significant part of the local population against the partisans... The detachment commander Mokrousov and Commissar Martynov, in order to justify themselves by protecting themselves from inevitable punishment for the robbery caused in Tatar villages, for unsatisfactory leadership of the partisan movement in the Crimea, they began to send radiograms to Moscow that the Crimean Tatars were traitors and traitors.”

Such an unfriendly attitude of the partisans towards local residents was effectively used by the Nazis. While the partisans had a rather consumerist attitude towards the civilian population, the Germans, on the contrary, declared completely different principles, hoping to win the trust of the indigenous population of the peninsula in the places where the partisan struggle was unfolding. Thus, according to the order of the commander of the 11th Army, Erich Manstein, dated November 29, 1941: “It is necessary to prevent any unjustified actions against civilians. Correct treatment towards women is especially required. It is necessary to constantly respect the family traditions of Tatars and Muslims and their religion. I also demand strict respect for personal property, the safety of livestock, and food supplies of rural residents.” Thanks to this attitude, in a number of Tatar villages the Nazis managed to form self-defense units - to protect against “visits” of partisans, which often ended in looting.

The question of the relationship between the population of the occupied territories and the partisans for many years remained one of the “slippery” subjects of Soviet historiography. Meanwhile, these relationships, as shown not only by the memories of eyewitnesses, but also by the official documentation of the headquarters of the partisan movements, were far from cloudless. To a large extent, this was due to the attitude towards the occupied population that existed at the top. The former adjutant for special assignments to the head of the Ukrainian headquarters of the partisan movement, Rusanov, during interrogation at the headquarters of the ROA, formulated it this way: “On this score, there is such an opinion: since the population did not leave when the Red Army retreated, it means they were not in a Soviet mood. In any case, it is an oscillating element. And he is not particularly to be reckoned with. They stop communicating with him even when, during the retreat, according to Stalin’s well-known order, everything must be destroyed - factories, crops, livestock.”

According to eyewitness Yusuf Gafarov: “In 1942 there was a drought in Crimea, the crops did not produce any harvest. Many began to go hungry. When the Soviets retreated, the grain was collected from the elevators - so that the Germans would not get it, they doused it with gasoline and burned it. It didn’t burn completely; the Germans certainly didn’t take it with a burning smell. We carried it in hand-carts, washed it and baked bread - this is how many were saved from hunger.”

For Crimea, which in peacetime imported food from other regions, and during the occupation found itself completely cut off from the mainland, such a practice - destroying everything so as not to get it to the enemy - was suicidal. And if you take into account that the population in many villages, from the very first days, was pretty much plundered by the invaders - especially. For example, in December 1941, TASS special correspondents reported from Crimea (12/26/1941): “In the villages of Shuli, Uppa, Kuchki, Izimbash, Kokkozakh and others, Hitler’s monsters confiscated all food products, warm clothes, livestock, poultry from the population and drove them out home. Having robbed the population, the German command also ordered a tax in kind for each capita: flour - 16 kg, cereals - 12 kg, potatoes - 5 kg).

One can imagine the feelings of people who not only found themselves face to face with the enemy and were constantly forced to worry about survival, but to top it off they were faced with the brazen robberies and extortions of “their own” - the partisans, many of whom, as can be seen even from the information The Central Headquarters of the partisan movement were by no means distinguished by their humane behavior.

As a result, in many villages where the partisan movement unfolded, the partisans were perceived as nothing less than bandits and perhaps a greater evil than the German occupiers. This attitude of the population towards the partisans was not news to the leadership of the partisan movement; The following evidence was also preserved in official documentation: “Attitudes towards the partisan movement are varied. Where partisans often visit and forcibly take food for their food, the village leaders (elders) call them thieves. The population is given the impression that the Germans are robbing and the partisans are robbing.”

The representative of the main headquarters, Popov, in his report to the center, stated that the fighting of the Crimean partisans began only in February 1942, and they continued in March-May 1942. However, due to the famine, there was mass desertion from the units. According to Popov, in the detachments of the 3rd and 4th districts: “All the fallen horses are eaten, the partisans feed on stray dogs... They feed exclusively on the help that is provided from Sevastopol and the Caucasus, they eat sorrel, grass, tree leaves... some the fighters started eating frogs.” The situation was so grave that cases of cannibalism were reported. In April 1942, 59 people died of starvation in the detachments of the 3rd region, and 55 people in the 4th region, “due to hunger, 3 group commanders and 2 soldiers deserted from the 2nd Simferopol detachment.”

The conclusions made by special officer Popov about the first stage of the partisan movement in Crimea were serious:

– unsystematic provision of food assistance causes anti-Soviet sentiment among soldiers;

- the combat activities of partisan detachments now depend solely on the food aid that should be provided from Sevastopol and the Caucasus; if this help is not provided, then the partisan movement in Crimea is under the threat of complete liquidation and death of the partisans from starvation;

– for successful military operations of partisan detachments, it is necessary to destroy “the main nest of the Tatar counter-revolution - the village. Koush, Beshui and Corbeck."

Popov’s message also named the main reason for the actual failure of the movement at the first stage - the unsuccessful leadership of Mokrousov and Martynov.

On June 17, 1942, the commander of the North Caucasus Front, Marshal Budyonny, and a member of the Military Council of the North Caucasus Front, Admiral Isakov, petitioned Stalin for the immediate removal of Mokrousov and Martynov, who could not cope with the work, and also that “from the remnants of military units located in partisan detachments, create a partisan division, which included in its composition insignificant remnants of civilian partisan detachments.”

The SCF leadership also asked to sanction the appointment of Colonel Lobov, a “good combat commander,” as commander of the partisan movement in Crimea, and regimental commissar Popov as military commissar. A month later, on July 19, 1942, the Front Headquarters radioed to Crimea that “Mokrousov and Martynov will not return again,” and Colonel Mikhail Lobov was appointed commander of the partisan movement in Crimea.

On July 24, 1942, under new military conditions - the complete occupation of Crimea - the “Plan for leading the partisan movement, strengthening combat activities, and deploying new partisan detachments in Crimea” was approved.

It said that “the abandonment of the Kerch Peninsula and Sevastopol by units of the Red Army and Navy gives the enemy the opportunity to regroup the liberated troops to other sectors of the front.” It was stated that there is “the Germans flirting with the feelings of the local population - the Crimean Tatars, but the majority of the population is hostile to the Germans.” According to the document, in July 1942, 22 partisan detachments were operating in Crimea (mainly in the regions of southern and eastern Crimea), it was necessary to develop the partisan movement in the northern regions (Dzhankoysky, Krasnoperekopsky, Leninsky).

The general tasks were named: strengthening the combat activities of partisan detachments on communications and disorganizing the enemy rear, especially on the Sevastopol-Simferopol-Dzhankoy railway; expansion of the network of partisan detachments and sabotage groups; strengthening the connection between underground partisan organizations and partisan detachments, ensuring their joint work among the local population.

The basic principle of the partisans’ work was formulated - “to do everything that violates the rear of the invaders and draws maximum German forces from the front.”

But, despite the measures taken, the situation with the partisan movement has not changed much. The situation of the Crimean partisans remained extremely difficult...

(To be continued)

Gulnara Bekirova, Crimean historian, member of the Ukrainian PEN Club

In the very first months of the occupation in Simferopol, Zuisky, Bakhchisarai and other regions of Crimea, the underground fighters launched extensive organizational and mass political work among the population, rousing them to fight against the Nazi occupiers. They distributed reports from the Sovinformburo, appeals from the Crimean Regional Party Committee, leaflets, anti-fascist slogans, conducted intelligence work, collected medicines, and obtained weapons for their combat groups. According to incomplete data, in the first months of enemy occupation, 33 underground organizations and groups, uniting about 400 people, were active in Crimea.

However, it was not yet possible to organize the necessary leadership of the underground movement in Crimea at that time. The underground party center, located in Kerch, was unable to establish connections with underground groups: the lack of experience in conspiracy affected it.

The defeat of the Nazis near Moscow intensified the people's struggle behind enemy lines. In April 1942, the Crimean Regional Party Committee approved I. G. Genov, a participant in the civil war in Crimea and an experienced Bolshevik underground fighter, as the commissioner for underground affairs at the Crimean headquarters of the partisan movement. The leadership of the underground struggle became more specific and operational. In August-September 1942, the regional party committee sent about 400 people from the partisan detachments of the Crimea to cities and villages to carry out underground work.

In October 1942, a new composition of the regional underground party center was approved. Since August 1943, it was headed by the secretary of the regional committee of the CPSU (b) P. R. Yampolsky.

In total, during the period of fascist occupation, more than 200 underground organizations and groups operated in Crimea, numbering up to 2,500 people, including 179 communists and 154 Komsomol members. Underground fighters and partisans distributed 213 leaflets with a total circulation of more than 3 million copies in the cities and villages of Crimea. Leaflets in German, Romanian, Slovak and other languages were also distributed among the occupying forces. Under the influence of this agitation, a group of Slovak soldiers went over to the side of the partisans. Anti-fascist sentiments also intensified among Romanians. Clandestine organizations regularly provided valuable intelligence information to the Soviet command.

Under the leadership of the regional party organization, at the end of 1941, 28 partisan detachments operated in Crimea, in which 3,734 people fought, including about 1,700 communists and 500 Komsomol members. 1,315 soldiers, sailors and officers who were unable to break through to Sevastopol joined the partisan detachments. Crimean partisans fought the enemy in extremely difficult conditions. The German command maintained large military units on the peninsula, which often carried out punitive operations against partisans and underground fighters. The partisan detachments had to operate mainly in the mountainous and forested part of the peninsula. In addition, in many settlements, Tatar bourgeois nationalists, former kulaks and criminals who went over to serve the fascists in the first months of the war, using their knowledge of the area, together with the invaders, plundered most of the partisan bases and thereby put the partisans and underground fighters in a difficult situation. Nationalist traitors only during the first eight months of the occupation took part in 112 punitive operations of fascist troops against partisans. But even in these difficult conditions, the partisans inflicted significant blows on the fascist invaders. During the heroic defense of Sevastopol and the Kerch-Feodosia landing operation, they carried out tasks of the Soviet command, provided significant assistance to our troops, carrying out sabotage operations, disrupting enemy communications.

After the capture of Kerch and Sevastopol, the fascists and their accomplices - Tatar nationalists - launched a large punitive expedition against the Crimean partisans. In the difficult July and August battles of 1942 with superior enemy forces, the people's avengers showed exceptional courage and bravery. The situation for the partisans at that time was very difficult: the last food supplies had dried up, and communications with the mainland had been disrupted. But the partisans survived. Since the summer of 1942, Colonel M. G. Lobov became the acting commander of the partisan movement, N. D. Lugovoi, the former secretary of the Zuysky district party committee, was appointed commissar. On September 13, the first plane with food arrived from the mainland. For a week, planes dropped food, uniforms, weapons, and ammunition every night. Then the evacuation of the wounded and sick began.

In the winter of 1942-1943. The partisans again found themselves surrounded by an enemy blockade. But this time they survived, maintaining a guerrilla war base on the peninsula. In March 1943, the partisans managed to break out of the blockade and move on to active hostilities.

In July 1943, on the initiative of the Crimean Regional Party Committee, the Central Headquarters of the partisan movement restructured the leadership of the partisan movement in Crimea. The Crimean headquarters was created, which was headed by the first secretary of the Crimean regional committee of the CPSU (b) V. S. Bulatov. Thanks to the help of the Soviet command, the Crimean regional party committee and the Crimean headquarters of the partisan movement organized a regular supply of partisans with weapons, ammunition, demolition equipment, uniforms, medicines and food. The partisan movement took on a wide scope. Only on the night of September 10, 1943, sabotage was carried out on many sections of the railway - from Feodosia to Dzhankoy and from Dzhankoy to Sevastopol. The railway line connecting the Donbass and Kuban enemy groups was out of order for 5 days. The partisans attacked enemy garrisons in Bakhchisarai, Zuya, Old Crimea, etc. The Nazis sought to destroy the partisans at all costs. At the end of November 1943, following the orders of General Jeneke, the Nazis, with the participation of the 152nd Tatar volunteer battalion, conducted an expedition against the civilian population. The punitive forces burst into the foothill villages - Sably (Partisans), Beshui, etc., grabbed everyone - women, children, old people, killed many, threw others into concentration camps. But the invaders’ plan to defeat the partisans failed. At the beginning of 1944, seven partisan brigades were already operating on the peninsula. Later they were united into three formations: Northern (commander P.R. Yampolsky), Southern (commander M.A. Makedonsky) and Eastern (commander V.S. Kuznetsov). During the decisive battles of the Red Army for the liberation of Crimea, partisans descended from the mountains and contributed to the rapid advance of Soviet units.

In total, from November 1941 to April 1944, partisan detachments fought 252 battles with the Nazis and carried out 1,632 military operations and sabotage. They exterminated about 30 thousand fascists, blew up 79 military trains, destroyed 3 railway stations, 52 highway and 3 railway bridges, destroyed and damaged 13 tanks, 3 armored vehicles, 211 guns, 1940 cars. Over 11,700 people took part in the partisan movement. More than 3 thousand Crimean partisans were awarded government awards for their heroism in the fight against the enemy. Many participants in the Crimean underground were also awarded orders and medals. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded posthumously to V.D. Revyakin, the Order of Lenin was awarded to V.I. Babiy, A.A. Voloshinova (posthumously), V.K. Efremov (posthumously), A.N. Kosukhin, N.M. Listovnicaya (posthumously), P.D. Silnikov (posthumously), N.I. Tereshchenko (posthumously).

The massive resistance of the inhabitants of Crimea to the Nazi occupiers was an integral part of the nationwide struggle against the fascists, which unfolded under the leadership of the Communist Party in the temporarily occupied territory.