Pavlov's house history message. Volgograd

Every year the number of veterans and witnesses of the Second World War becomes less and less. And in just a dozen years they will no longer be alive. Therefore, it is now so important to find out the truth about these distant events in order to avoid misunderstandings and misinterpretations in the future.

State archives are gradually being declassified, and military historians have access to secret documents, and therefore accurate facts, which make it possible to find out the truth and dispel all speculation that concerns some aspects of the military. The Battle of Stalingrad also has a number of episodes that cause mixed assessments by both the veterans themselves and historians. One of these controversial episodes is the defense of one of the many dilapidated houses in the center of Stalingrad, which became known throughout the world as “Pavlov’s house.”

During the defense of Stalingrad in September 1942, a group of Soviet intelligence officers captured a four-story building in the very center of the city and established a foothold there. The group was led by Sergeant Yakov Pavlov. A little later, machine guns, ammunition and anti-tank rifles were delivered there, and the house turned into an important stronghold of the division's defense.

The history of the defense of this house is as follows: during the bombing of the city, all the buildings turned into ruins, only one four-story house survived. Its upper floors made it possible to observe and keep under fire the part of the city that was occupied by the enemy, so the house itself played an important strategic role in the plans of the Soviet command.

The house was adapted for all-round defense. Firing points were moved outside the building, and underground passages were made to communicate with them. The approaches to the house were mined with anti-personnel and anti-tank mines. It was thanks to the skillful organization of defense that the warriors were able to repel enemy attacks for such a long period of time.

Representatives of 9 nationalities fought a staunch defense until Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive in the Battle of Stalingrad. It would seem, what is unclear here? However, Yuri Beledin, one of the oldest and most experienced journalists in Volgograd, is sure that this house should bear the name of the “house of soldier’s glory”, and not at all “Pavlov’s house”.

The journalist writes about this in his book, which is called “A Shard in the Heart.” According to him, battalion commander A. Zhukov was responsible for the seizure of this house. It was on his orders that company commander I. Naumov sent four soldiers, one of whom was Pavlov. Within 24 hours they repulsed German attacks. The rest of the time, while the defense of the house was being carried out, Lieutenant I. Afanasyev was responsible for everything, who came there along with reinforcements in the form of a machine-gun platoon and a group of armor-piercing men. The total composition of the garrison located there consisted of 29 soldiers.

In addition, on one of the walls of the house, someone made an inscription that P. Demchenko, I. Voronov, A. Anikin and P. Dovzhenko heroically fought in this place. And below it was written that Ya. Pavlov’s house was defended. In the end - five people. Why then, of all those who defended the house, and who were in absolutely equal conditions, only Sergeant Ya. Pavlov was awarded the star of the Hero of the USSR? And besides, most records in military literature indicate that it was under the leadership of Pavlov that the Soviet garrison held the defense for 58 days.

Then another question arises: if it is true that it was not Pavlov who led the defense, why were the other defenders silent? At the same time, the facts indicate that they were not silent at all. This is also evidenced by the correspondence between I. Afanasyev and fellow soldiers. According to the author of the book, there was a certain “political situation” that did not make it possible to change the established idea of the defenders of this house. In addition, I. Afanasyev himself was a man of exceptional decency and modesty. He served in the army until 1951, when he was discharged for health reasons - he was almost completely blind from wounds received during the war. He was awarded several front-line awards, including the medal “For the Defense of Stalingrad.” In the book “House of Soldier's Glory,” he described in detail the time his garrison stayed in the house. But the censor did not let it through, so the author was forced to make some amendments. Thus, Afanasyev cited Pavlov’s words that by the time the reconnaissance group arrived there were Germans in the house. Some time later, evidence was collected that there was in fact no one in the house. Overall, his book is a true story about a difficult time when Soviet soldiers heroically defended their home. Among these fighters was Ya. Pavlov, who was even wounded at that time. No one is trying to belittle his merits in defense, but the authorities were very selective in identifying the defenders of this building - after all, it was not only Pavlov’s house, but first of all the home of a large number of Soviet soldiers - the defenders of Stalingrad.

Breaking through the defense of the house was the main task of the Germans at that time, because this house was like a bone in the throat. German troops tried to break the defense with the help of mortar and artillery shelling, and air bombing, but the Nazis failed to break the defenders. These events went down in the history of the war as a symbol of the perseverance and courage of the soldiers of the Soviet army.

In addition, this house became a symbol of the labor valor of the Soviet people. It was the restoration of Pavlov's house that marked the beginning of the Cherkasovsky movement to restore buildings. Immediately after the end of the Battle of Stalingrad, A.M. Cherkasova’s women’s brigades began restoring the house, and by the end of 1943, more than 820 brigades were working in the city, in 1944 – already 1192, and in 1945 – 1227 brigades.

The battle for Pavlov's house is one of the brightest pages not only in the history of the defense of Stalingrad, but also of the entire Great Patriotic War. A handful of fighters repelled the fierce attacks of the German army, preventing the Nazis from reaching the Volga. There are still questions in this episode that researchers cannot yet give definitive answers to.

Who led the defense?

At the end of September 1942, a group of soldiers of the 13th Guards Division, led by Sergeant Yakov Pavlov, captured a four-story house on January 9th Square. A few days later, reinforcements arrived there - a machine-gun platoon under the command of Senior Lieutenant Ivan Afanasyev. The defenders of the house repelled the enemy's onslaught for 58 days and nights and left there only with the beginning of the counter-offensive of the Red Army.

There is an opinion that almost all these days the defense of the house was led not by Pavlov, but by Afanasyev. The first led the defense for the first few days until Afanasyev’s unit arrived at the house as reinforcements. After this, the officer, as a senior in rank, took command.

This is confirmed by military reports, letters and memoirs of participants in the events. For example, Kamalzhan Tursunov - until recently the last surviving defender of the house. In one of his interviews, he stated that it was not Pavlov who led the defense. Afanasyev, due to his modesty, after the war deliberately relegated himself to the background.

With a fight or not?

It is also not completely clear whether Pavlov’s group knocked the Germans out of the house in battle or whether the scouts entered an empty building. In his memoirs, Yakov Pavlov recalled that his fighters were combing the entrances and noticed the enemy in one of the apartments. As a result of the fleeting battle, the enemy detachment was destroyed.

However, in post-war memoirs, battalion commander Alexey Zhukov, who followed the operation to seize the house, refuted Pavlov’s words. According to him, the scouts entered an empty building. The head of the public organization “Children of Wartime Stalingrad” Zinaida Selezneva adheres to the same version.

There is an opinion that Ivan Afanasyev also mentioned the empty building in the original version of his memoirs. However, at the request of the censors, who forbade the destruction of an already established legend, the senior lieutenant was forced to confirm Pavlov’s words that there were Germans in the building.

How many defenders?

Also, there is still no exact answer to the question of how many people defended the fortress house. Various sources mention a figure from 24 to 31. Volgograd journalist, poet and publicist Yuri Besedin in his book “A Shard in the Heart” said that the garrison totaled 29 people.

Other figures were given by Ivan Afanasyev. In his memoirs, he claimed that in just almost two months, 24 Red Army soldiers took part in the battle for the house.

However, the lieutenant himself in his memoirs mentions two cowards who wanted to desert, but were caught and shot by the defenders of the house. Afanasyev did not include the faint-hearted fighters among the defenders of the house on January 9 Square.

In addition, among the defenders, Afanasyev did not mention those who were not constantly in the house, but were periodically there during the battle. There were two of them: sniper Anatoly Chekhov and sanitary instructor Maria Ulyanova, who, if necessary, also took up arms.

"Lost" nationalities?

The defense of the house was held by people of many nationalities - Russians, Ukrainians, Georgians, Kazakhs and others. In Soviet historiography, the figure of nine nationalities was fixed. However, it is now being questioned.

Modern researchers claim that Pavlov's house was defended by representatives of 11 nations. Among others, Kalmyk Garya Khokholov and Abkhazian Alexey Sugba were in the house. It is believed that Soviet censorship removed the names of these fighters from the list of defenders of the house. Khokholov fell out of favor as a representative of the deported Kalmyk people. And Sukba, according to some information, was captured after Stalingrad and went over to the side of the Vlasovites.

Why did Pavlov become a hero?

Yakov Pavlov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union for the defense of the house named after him. Why Pavlov, and not Yakov Afanasyev, who, as many claim, was the real leader of the defense?

In his book “A Shard of the Heart,” Volgograd journalist and publicist Yuri Besedin noted that Pavlov was chosen for the role of the hero because propaganda preferred the image of a soldier rather than an officer. The political situation allegedly also intervened: the sergeant was a party member, while the senior lieutenant was non-party.

After the end of World War II, the building was not restored.
And now it is located on the territory of the Battle of Stalingrad Panorama Museum.

The mill was built at the beginning of the 20th century, or to be precise, in 1903 by the German Gerhardt. After the revolution of 1917, the building took the name of the secretary of the Communist Party and became known as the Grudinin Mill. Until the start of the war, a steam mill operated in the building. On September 14, 1942, the mill suffered significant losses: two high-explosive bombs completely broke the roof of the mill, killing several people. Some of the workers were evacuated from Stalingrad, while others remained to defend the access to the river from the enemy.

It is worth noting that the old mill in Volgograd is as close as possible to the river - it was this fact that forced Soviet soldiers to defend the building to the last. Subsequently, when German troops came close to the river, the mill was transformed into a defense point for the 42nd Guards Rifle Regiment of the 13th Guards Rifle Division.

Having become an impregnable fortress for the enemy, the mill allowed the soldiers to recapture Pavlov’s house.
The house is located across the street from the mill. Pavlov's house was restored after the war.
And at the end of the war he looked like this.

It looks like an ordinary four-story house in the central part of Volgograd.

In pre-war times, when Lenin Square was called January 9th Square, and Volgograd was Stalingrad, Pavlov’s house was considered one of the most prestigious residential buildings in the city. Surrounded by the houses of Signalmen and NKVD workers, Pavlov’s house was located almost next to the Volga - there was even an asphalt road laid from the building to the river. The inhabitants of Pavlov's house were representatives of prestigious professions at that time - specialists from industrial enterprises and party leaders.

During the Battle of Stalingrad, Pavlov's house became the subject of fierce fighting. In mid-September 1942, it was decided to turn Pavlov’s house into a stronghold: the favorable location of the building made it possible to observe and shell the enemy-occupied city territory 1 km to the west and more than 2 km to the north and south. Sergeant Pavlov, together with a group of soldiers, entrenched himself in the house - since then, Pavlov’s house in Volgograd has taken his name. On the third day, reinforcements arrived at Pavlov’s house, delivering weapons, ammunition and machine guns to the soldiers. The defense of the house was improved by mining the approaches to the building: that is why the German assault groups could not capture the building for a long time. A trench was dug between Pavlov’s house in Stalingrad and the Mill building: from the basement of the house, the garrison kept in touch with the command located in the Mill.

For 58 days, 25 people repelled the fierce attacks of the Nazis, holding enemy resistance to the last. What the German losses were is still unknown. But Chuikov at one time noted that The German army suffered several times more losses during the capture of Pavlov's house in Stalingrad than during the capture of Paris.

After the restoration of the house, a colonnade and a memorial plaque appeared on the end of the building, depicting a soldier who became a collective image of the participants in the defense. The words “58 days on fire” are also inscribed on the board.

There is military equipment on the square in front of the museum. German and ours.

Here is an unrestored wrecked T-34 that took part in the battle.

After being hit by a German shell, the ammunition inside the tank was detonated. The explosion was monstrous. The thick armor was torn apart like an eggshell.

Monument to railway workers, representing a fragment of a military train.

BM-13 rocket launcher on the platform.

Pavlov's house became one of the historical sites of the Battle of Stalingrad, which still causes controversy among modern historians.

During fierce fighting, the house withstood a considerable number of counterattacks from the Germans. For 58 days, a group of Soviet soldiers bravely held the defense, destroying more than a thousand enemy soldiers during this period. In the post-war years, historians carefully tried to restore all the details, and the composition of the commanders who carried out the operation led to the first disagreements.

Who held the line

According to the official version, the operation was led by Ya.F. Pavlov, in principle, is associated with this fact and the name of the house, which he subsequently received. But there is another version, according to which Pavlov directly led the assault, and I. F. Afanasyev was then responsible for the defense. And this fact is confirmed by military reports, which became the source for reconstructing all the events of that period. According to his soldiers, Ivan Afanasyevich was a rather modest person, perhaps this pushed him into the background a little. After the war, Pavlov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Unlike him, Afanasiev was not awarded such an award.

Strategic importance of the house

An interesting fact for historians was that the Germans designated this house on the map as a fortress. And indeed the strategic importance of the house was very important - from here there was a wide view of the territory from where the Germans could break through to the Volga. Despite daily attacks from the enemy, our soldiers defended their positions, reliably closing the approaches from enemies. The Germans who took part in the assault could not understand how the people in Pavlov’s house could withstand their attacks without food or ammunition reinforcements. Subsequently, it turned out that all provisions and weapons were delivered through a special trench dug underground.

Is Tolik Kuryshov a fictional character or a hero?

Also a little-known fact that was discovered during the research was the heroism of an 11-year-old boy who fought with Pavlovians. Tolik Kuryshov helped the soldiers in every possible way, who, in turn, tried to protect him from danger. Despite the commander's ban, Tolik still managed to accomplish a real feat. Having penetrated one of the neighboring houses, he was able to obtain important documents for the army - the capture plan. After the war, Kuryshov did not advertise his feat in any way. We learned about this event from surviving documents. After a series of investigations, Anatoly Kuryshov was awarded the Order of the Red Star.

Where were the civilians?

Whether there was an evacuation or not - this issue also caused a lot of controversy. According to one version, there were civilians in the basement of the Pavlovsk house for all 58 days. Although there is theory that people were evacuated through dug trenches. Yet modern historians adhere to the official version. Many documents indicate that people were indeed in the basement all this time. Thanks to the heroism of our soldiers, no civilians were harmed during these 58 days.

Today Pavlov's house has been completely restored and immortalized with a memorial wall. Based on the events related to the heroic defense of the legendary house, books have been written and even a film has been made, which has won many world awards.

Pavlov's house became one of the historical sites of the Battle of Stalingrad, which still causes controversy among modern historians.