History of the Great Patriotic War, unfortunately, is rich in tragic events connected with the ruthless killing of civilians.The village of Khatyn, the story of its destruction still remain in the memory of the Belarusian people as an incredible act of crime against humanity.Scary ... Very scary ... It could live Khatyn tragedy ... History will be presented briefly in this article.
Khatyn: who burned?
history, particularly its controversial moments after the collapse of the Soviet Union very often becomes the subject of various political speculations.For example, recently there was a version that the Belarusian village of Khatyn was burned by Ukrainian nationalists who fought against the Red Army.Of course, each version has the right to exist, but the historical facts show the groundlessness of this version.The fact that certain groups of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (battalions "Nachtigall", "SS-Galicia") actually fought on the side of the Nazis, but it is known that groups of Ukrainian nationalists in this area was not.
means that no other options but to claim that the village of Khatyn was burned by the Germans and policemen.
causes of the tragedy of Khatyn
The night before the tragic ill-fated day of March 22, 1943 in the village slept partisan detachment.Even by itself, this fact might annoy fascists and policemen.After spending the night, the guerrillas moved in early in the morning towards the village Pleskovic.Here and there was an event that caused the extinction of the village to the ground and maps.On the way our guerrillas clashed with a group of policemen, with whom traveled German officers, including the Olympic champion in 1936, Hans Velke.Gunfire, while her partisans and killed many Germans, including officers.Among the dead was also the Olympic champion said.
course, the guerrillas did the right thing that got into a fight with this detachment, because in direct clash with the enemy in a different way to behave is not possible.The Germans saw them, that is the command of the Nazis received information that in this area there is a large detachment of partisans.Such reports usually led to an aggravation of the situation in the area of land where the guerrillas have been seen.
What came up with the Germans?
Such courage guerrilla groups often ended with grief for the surrounding space of the collision settlements.Recovering himself from the fight happened and quickly pomyanuv dead, the Germans immediately started thinking about revenge.In this German squad happened to be one of the most brutal punitive German - Sturmbannführer SS was averted.Therefore, the soft-decision is not expected.The Germans decided to act for them the traditional method: burn closest to the recent fight town.They turned out to be the village of Khatyn, the story of the tragedy that is known throughout the civilized world and serves as a vivid example of the terrible crimes of German fascism against humanity in general and in particular the Belarusian people.
How was the massacre of civilians?
Khatyn - a relatively small town in Belarus.The Germans destroyed his March 22, 1943.Civilians in the morning of that day stood up and began to do his own farm, suspecting nothing that for the vast majority of them this will be the last day in the life.German detachment in the village suddenly appeared.That was going to happen, people became clear when they began to drive in the area for ordinary meeting, and in the barn of the former collective farm (by the way, some sources have information that the barn was not at the farm, and of the inhabitants of KhatynJoseph Kaminski).Mercy did not get one because they persecuted even sick people who could barely get out of bed.Over such people traitors abused even before the burning, because sick people all the way to the barn was accompanied by blows gun butts on the back.Young children also become victims.For example, a resident of Khatyn Faith Yaskevich resulted in a barn with her son in her arms.He was only 7 weeks old!How many year-olds were killed by the fire of the fascist ...
So, the Germans rounded up all the villagers in this barn, barn door shut and bolted.Then, around the perimeter of the shed put mountains of straw and set fire to it.Shed certainly was wooden and caught fire almost immediately.Chances of survival of people in the fire were minimal because the barn had three compartments separated by wooden partitions of thick logs.Such is the sad fate of a village called Khatyn.Who burned the town now we hope everything is clear ... to analyze all possible sources, including German military documents and Soviet newspapers of the time, so the German trail just obvious.
How many people died?
It is known that before the war, the village had 26 houses.Based on the fact that a lot of families in modern terms were many children, it is possible to calculate that the population of the village could be about 200 people or more.Just say the number of victims, even today, is impossible, because different sources provide information that contradicts one another.For example, the Germans argued that killed 90 people.Some Soviet newspapers wrote that the village Khatyn, which became the story of the tragedy immediately known throughout the Soviet Union, lost 150 people.Most likely, the last digit of the most untrue.But in any case, we in the near future are unlikely to know exactly how many people died in the village: history, perhaps once to dot the i in this tragedy.We fully understand that bring us closer to the truth may be just the excavations on the site of the conflagration.
What does it mean to survive the Katyn?
Everyone loves life and strive to live as long as possible and to bring up their children.People that burned in the barn, fought for themselves.They knew that even if they manage to escape, the probability of survival is low, but everyone wanted to escape and run away into the forest from the Nazi bullets guns.Residents of the village was able to disrupt the barn door, and some of them have been able to rush out into the wild.The picture was terrible: the people in the burning clothes they looked like fire running across the field.Punishers have seen that these poor hatyntsy doomed to death from burns, but still shot them with rifles.
Fortunately, some residents of Khatyn survived.Three children in general managed to avoid falling into the barn and hide in the woods.These are children from families Yaskevich (Vladimir and Sophia, both a child born 1930) and Alexander Zhelobkovich their peers.Desperate briskness and quickness saved their lives that day.
of whom are in the barn also survived even 3 people: the owner "shed blood" Joseph Kaminsky, Baranovsky Anton (11 years) and Zhelobkovich Victor (8 years).Stories of their rescue is similar, but slightly different.Kaminsky was able to get out of the barn, where the villagers tore down the door.It was almost all burned, immediately lost consciousness and came around too late at night, when punitive expedition had already left the village.Vitya Zhelobkovich his mother saved him, because when they ran out of the barn, she held it before him.They shot her in the back.Was fatally wounded, the woman fell on her son, who was wounded in the arm at the same time.Victor with a wound could hold out until the Germans will leave to them the inhabitants of the neighboring villages come.Anton Baranovsky was wounded in the leg, he fell down and pretended to be dead.
Khatyn history destroyed punitive
No matter how many official victims should be considered and even unborn babies.Explain this detail.According to official data, in the barn was burned 75 children.Each of them, if they were still alive, would have been children.Since migration between settlements at that time was not very active, then most likely, the family would be created between them.Soviet homeland has lost approximately 30-35 cell of society.Each family could have several children.It is also necessary to consider that probably burned in the barn and young girls (the boys have all been sent to the army), that is, the potential loss of population might be much larger.
Conclusion
memory of many Ukrainian and Belarusian villages, including the village of such as Khatyn, whose history ended March 22, 1943, should always live in the community.Some political forces, including the former Soviet Union, trying to justify the crimes of the Nazis.We should not go in the wake of the neo-fascist forces, because Nazism and his ideas will never lead to the tolerant coexistence of nations around the world.
