Despite the emergence of the danger of attack of Nazi Germany, the supreme Soviet leadership chose to ignore any signals, confirming the likelihood of war.Stalin relied on Hitler signed a nonaggression pact and was convinced that the leaders of Germany, who fought with Anlgiey not dare to wage war on two fronts.But his assumption turned fatal for the country's failures.And one of the first who took the brunt of the alleged surprise attack was the Brest Fortress (Belarus).
bloody June morning
Whatever the general line of the Kremlin during the victorious campaign of Hitler in Europe, on the western borders of the Soviet Union, of course, there were the military border fortifications.And they, of course, have seen increased activity across the border.However, in order to bring the military readiness because no one received.Therefore, when the June 22 4.15 am artilleriskie Wehrmacht troops opened heavy fire, it was literally a bolt from the blue.The attack caused serious and irreparable damage to the garrison, destroying stocks of weapons, power, communication, water supply and so on.Brest fortress during the war, took the first battle that turned into monstrous losses and total demoralization.
military readiness
As open source, on the eve of the attack on the fortress were eight batolonov infantry and one reconnaissance, artillery battalions, as well as some units of infantry divisions, border troops, engineering regiments, NKVD troops.The total number of personnel reached nine thousand soldiers and officers, plus about three hundred families.Gen. Leonid Sandalov recalled that the position of the military on the western border of Belarus obuslovlivolos technical capabilities of their placement.This explains the high concentration of part of their reserves on the border.
, in turn, by the invaders in the garrison forces moved a total of twenty thousand men, that is, more than double the size of the Soviet defensive line in Brest.However, you need to do the historical clarification.Brest Fortress took no German troops.The move was carried out the Austrians, who joined the army after Hitler's accession to the Third Reich in 1938.What kept the Brest Fortress in such numerical superiority is not the most important issue.The hardest thing to understand how they managed to do what they did.
Taking fortress
assault began after eight minutes after the first hurricane hit.Offensive attack was carried out initially to fifteen thousand foot.Events unfolded rapidly, unified purposeful resistance garrison have not been able to because of the unexpected blow.As a result, part of defending the fortress, were divided into several isolated from each other islands.Having a balance of power, anyone would wonder how many stayed Brest Fortress.Initially, it seemed that, indeed, the Germans were advancing deep into the defense with ease and confidence, without encountering serious resistance.However, it appeared already in the enemy rear of Soviet troops were concentrated, failed to break the whole attack and destroy enemy units.
group of soldiers managed to leave the fortress and the city, retreating deep into Belarus.But most could not do that, and they continued to defend their last firing line.According to researchers, the fortress could leave six thousand, and the remaining nine thousand fighters.Already five hours a ring around the fortress closed.Resist the time has increased, and the Nazis had to resort to the reserves, bringing the offensive forces of up to two regiments.One of the participants in advance later recalled that much resistance they met, but the Russian did not give up.What kept the Brest Fortress and by what she did, surprised the Nazis.
Hold borders until the last
By the end of the first day of the attack the Germans began shelling the fortress.During the breaks they offered to Soviet soldiers to surrender.They heeded the exhortations of nearly two thousand people.The strongest part of the Soviet divisions were able to meet in the House of officers and plan the operation breakthrough.But to implement it and not have to: the Germans are ahead of them, the Red Army soldiers were killed, some captured.What kept Brest Fortress?The last commander was captured July 23 after the onset.Although on June 30, the Nazis managed to almost completely suppress the organized resistance.However, there remained pockets of solitary men who were united again and ran, someone managed to escape to the partisans in the Bialowieza Forest.
Whatever the planned Wehrmacht, not so simple turned out to be the first line - the Brest Fortress.What lasted defense, ambiguous question.According to various sources, before August 1941 it had a single resistance.Eventually, to eliminate the last Soviet soldiers of the Brest Fortress cellars filled with water.
