The talent of the famous military leader L. A. Govorov was clearly manifested

April 1942. Besieged, half-broken, but unconquered Leningrad... In that early springtime, the Champ de Mars looked unusually harsh. Pitted with trenches and trenches, and riddled with passages of messages, it resembled a battlefield. This gloomy picture in the very center of the city was complemented by the barrels of guns and anti-aircraft machine-gun installations. Nearby in the dugouts were soldiers-numbers of gun crews. Staccato commands rang out, gunfire thundered. It smelled like gunpowder smoke...

Lieutenant-General of Artillery Leonid Aleksandrovich Govorov stood in thought. Just three hours ago, he had flown to Leningrad from the capital, having been appointed to the post of deputy front commander, head of the group of troops directly defending the hungry, cold-stricken besieged city on the Neva. Leonid Alexandrovich decided, without wasting time, to inspect the fighting Leningrad. He felt with all his being the supreme responsibility that had fallen on his shoulders.

The new deputy commander of the front, Lieutenant-General Govorov, showed himself brilliantly in the battle of Moscow. He was in a crucial position - he was the chief of artillery of the Western Front, whose troops held back the onslaught of the enemy. G. K. Zhukov, usually stingy with praise, gave him a high rating.

In a conversation with Govorov, after his appointment to a new position, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief set a clear task: to prevent the destruction of Leningrad by German siege artillery; to turn the city into an impregnable fortress; to accumulate forces for future offensive operations.

Yes, it was extremely important to establish an active fight against the enemy's siege artillery. Leonid Alexandrovich went to centralize the control of all firepower, including the guns of the Baltic Fleet. He concentrated at the front artillery headquarters all the planning for the methodical destruction of Fascist batteries. Assigned two aviation correction squadrons to the artillery headquarters. This made it possible to significantly increase the accuracy of shooting, successfully fight enemy batteries. The combined strikes of bomber and assault aircraft were striking.

The general managed to implement the plan of advancing the positions of heavy artillery far ahead. Some of the guns were transferred across the Gulf of Finland to the Oranienbaum bridgehead. The firing range increased, which made it possible to fire at the flank and rear of the enemy group. The attacks on command and staff posts were massive.

In June 1942, L. A. Govorov was appointed commander of the Leningrad Front. He immediately demanded: first, to develop in every possible way a rigid and stable positional defense of the besieged Leningrad, to give it the most active forms and, secondly, to fulfill this task, to create a strike group from the internal forces for a major operation. This general formula of the plan provided for the parallel solution of three major tasks assigned to it by the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command.

According to the decision of the front commander, 110 powerful defense units were created in sectors, thousands of different engineering structures were built. The city was turning into a giant fortified area, similar to the impregnable old Russian fortresses with forts. In the south and southwest - the Oranienbaum bridgehead, Kronstadt and Pulkovo Heights, in the north - the reinforced concrete belt of the Karelian fortified area, in the east-the Neva fortified position.

Leonid Alexandrovich had his own view on the ways of conducting military operations. The main thing, Govorov believed, is that the command and troops should never, under any circumstances, face the fact of a sudden concentration of enemy groups in any area. Therefore, there were significant changes in the organization of the defense of the Leningrad Front. It has become more stable, deeply echeloned, multi-band, anti-tank, anti-artillery and anti-aircraft. A system of continuous trenches was widely developed, which connected individual defensive areas and lines into one whole.

All this made it possible to carry out a broader maneuver with manpower and firepower both at the front and from the depth, improved the supply of ammunition to the troops, and reliably sheltered personnel from the impact of ground and air enemy attacks.

Govorov's busiest working day ended well after midnight with scouting maps and operational reports. He analyzed data, considered decisions.

Left alone with the map, Leonid Alexandrovich long and painfully chose the option of breaking the blockade from the inside. A direct strike across the Neva River near the village of Nevskaya Dubrovka seemed optimal. In this case, the Leningrad and neighboring Volkhov fronts had to overcome some 12 kilometers before the meeting. So on the map... But in a real situation, everything is much more complicated. Crossing the half-kilometer Neva River, where the Fascist gunners had long since shot down every meter, threatened to disrupt the operation. In response to such a proposal from the operational department, Leonid Alexandrovich said thoughtfully::

"Nothing but a bloodbath for us can be expected.

As a result of deep reflection, endless calculations and a long exchange of views with members of the military Council, Govorov decided to conduct the operation not through the Neva, but along its left bank, starting from the section of General V. P. Sviridov's 55th army, east of the village of Kolpino.

The commander's plan was clear. It was approved by members of the military Council of the front and the commander of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet, Vice Admiral V. F. Tributs. A strike along the left bank opened up the possibility of using tanks already when attacking the front edge, and the wide floodplain of the Neva River made it possible to use small boats with paratroopers to capture bridges over the small river Tosna. And in addition, in this case, the support of infantry with artillery could be effective.

But in reality, this plan turned out to be unrealistic due to the large concentration of German-Fascist troops. General Field Marshal Erich von Manstein was able to take advantage of this circumstance. The fascists, having pinned down the offensive of our troops, concentrated on the flanks of the breakthrough fresh units transferred from other fronts. The intense fighting that unfolded on the entire front did not stop day or night. Fierce battles were fought in trenches, dugouts, bunkers.

Thus, the offensive operation did not solve the tasks of breaking the siege of Leningrad. The Soviet Supreme Command understood that a further offensive along the left bank of the Neva River would only lead to unpromising grueling battles and unnecessary losses.

Therefore, the order was received: to withdraw the troops to their original positions, firmly entrench themselves and prepare a more decisive offensive.

So, we must advance. But where exactly? What is the best option to choose?

Leonid Alexandrovich dwells on the plan to strike across the Neva River in the area of Nevskaya Dubrovka by forces of three or four divisions. The Supreme Command Headquarters approved this decision.

As a result, what Govorov wanted to avoid a month ago - crossing the Neva River in the old, battered and shot area-did not pass him. But the situation has changed. It required assistance to the troops of the Volkhov front, against which selected fascist divisions were thrown. They threatened to localize the emerging breakthrough in the Sinyavino area.

Three days were set aside for the preparation of military operations in the new direction. In such a short time, it was necessary to complete all the preparations for the complex operation of breaking through the water barrier.

Govorov, together with his staff, was busy preparing the troops for battle. Of course, taking into account the lessons of autumn fights. In winter conditions, boats and pontoons are not needed, but at the same time there were many other problems. The opposite bank of the Neva is high, steep, and covered with ice. You will need a lot of assault ladders, ropes with hooks, spikes for shoes. But the most important thing is the crossing of heavy tanks on the ice.

Commanders and soldiers daily learned how to overcome ice crossings, conducted live firing. Leonid Alexandrovich himself found time to study with division commanders and chiefs of military branches.

Before the start of hostilities, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command replenished the front troops with infantry, tank formations, rocket artillery, and new aircraft. If earlier a breakout of the blockade was provided only from the outer side of the ring, now the internal forces of the fortress city had significant resources and they could be used. In fact, this was the main idea of the planned operation: to strike simultaneously from both sides.

The main task was assigned to the 67th army of General M. P. Dukhanov, in which a strike group was created. The breakthrough area was chosen slightly higher than the area of the September battles, closer to Shlisselburg. The terrain is even more difficult to pass than at Nevskaya Dubrovka. The coast on this site is very steep. Here, of course, you can not do without sappers with explosives-otherwise the combat vehicles can get stuck and lag behind the attacking infantry.

On January 12, 1943, a historic battle began, which became one of the brightest pages of the Battle for Leningrad.

The storming of the enemy-occupied bank of the Neva can be compared to the famous storming of the Izmail fortress by Russian troops under the command of Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov. Shortly before the battle, the soldiers and commanders visited the grave of the great commander and swore an oath to beat the enemy, as Suvorov bequeathed.

The fighting began with a simultaneous roll across the Neva River on the ice of four divisions after a hurricane of fire from all the artillery concentrated by Govorov. With direct fire, she destroyed the enemy's coastal firing points. In the center was General N. P. Simonyak's 136th Division. Leonid Alexandrovich especially carefully prepared it as a lead, on the actions of which the success of the entire battle largely depended.

Moving forward, the division drove a wedge into the enemy's position. The troops penetrated deeper and deeper, despite the fire and continuous counterattacks of the fascists. For two days, fighting raged in the Neva River area. Fierce and fleeting were the air battles of fighters in the air, long assaults on buildings, pillboxes and dugouts, where the fascists fought furiously resisting. At the cost of incredible efforts, it was possible to smoke them out.

Of course, not everything turned out smoothly, as according to a pre-planned scenario. There were annoying disruptions and inconsistencies: either one of the divisions fell behind, or the other suddenly found itself with unprotected flanks. But the fate of the top of the wedge driven into the enemy's battle formations largely depended on each of them. Sometimes Leonid Alexandrovich could hardly restrain himself, trying not to betray his anxiety and excitement in those moments when a well-launched attack suddenly choked and he had to repeat everything from the beginning for the umpteenth time...

The troops of the Volkhov front were already very close. They are just 8 kilometers away. But what an incredible effort it cost to walk these kilometers!

The enemy tried to save the situation by throwing more and more reserves into counterattacks. Govorov contrasted this with a continuous increase in the force of air strikes and artillery.

For seven days, Soviet troops advanced with relentless tenacity both from the Neva River and from beyond Ladoga. The intensity of the fighting can be judged by the rate of advance - 1-2 kilometers per day. Moreover, the fighting never stopped for a minute and at night. On January 14, the distance between parts of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts was 4 kilometers, and two days later it was reduced to 1 kilometer.

Finally, the day of January 18 arrived. He entered the history of the legendary Leningrad epic with a bright and unforgettable page. The Leningrad blockade ring is broken! The military-political resonance of this victory of the Soviet troops was huge.

People spilled out into the street. Smiles, tears, the city is decorated with flags. In the area of work settlements ?5 and ?1 the soldiers of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts embraced each other in a brotherly way. On the same day, Govorov's face broke into a smile for the first time in months. He was truly happy with the knowledge of what he had accomplished.

After fierce fighting at the front, there was a short lull. Offensive operations were conducted only in certain areas, with limited forces for the purpose of reconnaissance and improving the position of the troops. Commanders and fighters used this time to learn from the combat experience gained in previous battles.

In the following months, the most active preparation of the command, staff and troops of the Leningrad Front for the decisive battles for the complete defeat of the fascists under the walls of the Neva fortress began. In those days, Leonid Alexandrovich was to complete the Sinyavino operation to capture the key enemy position - the main heights in the vast swampy area of Sinyavino. For three days, Guards divisions stormed a powerful enemy node, completely clearing it. The troops began a gradual and covert transfer of the main forces to the center, and then to the right wing.

At the heart of the general plan of L. A. Govorov, presented to the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, was the desire to deprive the enemy of the possibility of maneuvering and create a double encirclement of the main forces of Army Group North.

In the midst of preparations for the operation, good news came: Leonid Alexandrovich Govorov was awarded the rank of General of the Army by the decree of the Council of People's Commissars. This meant recognition of him as a general.

The operation to completely defeat the German - Fascist troops began, in fact, on the night of January 14, 1944, with a sudden air strike on the most important targets in the depth of the enemy's defense. Govorov was particularly concerned about a group of heavy long-range artillery in the area of Bezzezdny farm, south of Strelna. Enemy batteries there were sheltered in strong long-term structures and could maneuver fire in both directions of the planned Soviet offensive.

On the first day of the operation, the troops of the 30th Guards Corps of General Simonyak rammed the positions of the main line of defense of the Nazis to a depth of 1.5 to 4.5 kilometers. On the right and left, units of the 109th and 110th corps of Generals Alferov and Khazov continued to break into the first position with ferocity. The troops of the 2nd Shock Army of General I. Fedyuninsky fought for key junctions in the Gostilitsa area.

Despite the fierce resistance of the enemy, who was relying on a powerful defensive line, the force of our troops ' attacks increased. Leonid Alexandrovich became more and more convinced that all his suggestions and calculations were confirmed. And when the mobile groups of the 42nd and 2nd shock armies closed the ring around the Krasnoselsko-Ropshinsky group, he could not hide his satisfaction.

On January 19, the capital of our Motherland, Moscow, saluted the troops of the Leningrad Front with twenty artillery volleys from two hundred and twenty-four guns. Radio transmitted across the country the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief to Army General Govorov with a declaration of gratitude to the troops and assigning the names of Krasnoselsky and Ropshinsky to the formations and units that distinguished themselves in these battles...

The Battle for Leningrad rightfully took its place among other outstanding victories of the Soviet Army during the Great Patriotic War. And the feat of General Govorov, the soldiers and commanders who participated in it, will always be remembered by the city on the Neva.

At the final stage of one of the final operations carried out by the troops of the Leningrad Front to defeat the Finnish army on the Karelian Isthmus, on the state border with Finland, good news came: By Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of June 18, 1944, Leonid Govorov was awarded the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union.

The post-war activity of L. A. Govorov was equally fruitful and versatile.

His merits are appreciated by the Motherland. He was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. He was awarded five Orders of Lenin, three Orders of the Red Banner, two Orders of Suvorov I degree, Orders of Kutuzov I degree, the Red Star, medals and foreign orders, and the highest Soviet military order "Victory".

Постоянный адрес данной публикации: