Monument to Peter Barbashov in Ossetia. Personal feat of Pyotr Porfilovich Barbashev
Pyotr Barbashov, who sacrificed his life, gave his fellow soldiers the opportunity to continue the offensive.
The Novosibirsk region, including Berdsk, is associated with the Hero of the Soviet Union Pyotr Barbashov, who anticipated the feat of Alexander Matrosov. Here lives the younger sister of a fearless front-line soldier who gave his life for the bright future of subsequent generations.
On November 9, 1942, a front-line soldier from the Vengerovsky district, Pyotr Barbashov, near the village of Gizel near Vladikavkaz closed the embrasure of an enemy pillbox with his body. The squad, commanded by junior sergeant Barbashov, was tasked with destroying the pillbox. Since the firing point stopped the advance of the entire division. Barbashov and his squad tried in different ways to destroy the enemy pillbox. The ammunition has run out, but they are still firing from the pillbox. In order to complete the task, junior sergeant Barbashov covered the embrasure with his body. He accomplished this feat six months earlier than Alexander Matrosov.
Pyotr Parfenovich Barbashov was born in 1918 in the village of Bolshoy Syugan in the Vengerovsky district of the Novosibirsk region. After school, he worked on a state farm and was in charge of a reading room. From 1937 to 1939 he lived in Igarka and worked in the port. In 1939 he was drafted into the Red Army by the Igarsk city military registration and enlistment office and served in the internal troops. On the fronts of the Great Patriotic War since July 1941. Junior sergeant, commander of the submachine gunner squad of the 34th motorized rifle regiment (Ordzhonikidze division of the NKVD troops, Northern group, Transcaucasian Front).
One life for the sake of 1000 others
At the beginning of November 1942, our troops defending the North Caucasus went on the offensive. Fierce fighting broke out in the area of the city of Ordzhonikidze. One of the battalions of the 34th motorized rifle regiment was ordered to take the village of Gizel.
Pyotr Barbashev's squad advanced on the left flank of the company. This is what the newspapers wrote about the feat of the Siberian (“Socialist Ossetia”, No. 298, December 16, 1942 (author: Senior Lieutenant G. Kardash) and in the newspaper “Komsomolskaya Pravda”, August 10, 1942 (
“Peter Barbashov joined the Red Army at the age of 19, and at first his comrades and colleagues made fun of him. But he soon showed his discipline, accuracy and precision in carrying out the commander’s orders, and diligence in his studies. In a short time, he was able to rise to the rank of “junior sergeant” and the position of “squad commander.” Then Barbashov was elected secretary of the company Komsomol presidium. Under his leadership, the organization doubled in size in three months. The best fighters, excellent students, began to join the ranks of the Lenin Komsomol. A few days before the 25th anniversary of the Great October Revolution, Barbashov submitted an application to the party organization: “I ask you to accept me into the ranks of the Lenin-Stalin party, since I want to fight as a communist in the upcoming battles with the Nazi occupiers. I give my word that on the approaches to the city of Ordzhonikidze I will exterminate the fascists the same way our glorious guards exterminate them. In the fight for the common cause of our homeland, for the cause of the Bolshevik Party, I will not spare my blood, and, if necessary, my life itself.” The party meeting unanimously accepted Barbashov as a party candidate. He responded only to the strong handshakes of the communists with a smile.
A white morning fog floated through the ravine. Hiding behind him, a group of fighters, among whom was junior sergeant Pyotr Barbashov, paved the way for our advancing units. It was very difficult to move forward. The enemy fired heavily with machine gun and mortar fire. The enemy bunker on the right fired especially fiercely. He literally did not give the opportunity to take a step forward. Several of our fighters fell, struck by fascist zeros. Pressing himself to the ground, Barbashov crawled about twenty meters to the bunker and threw two grenades. There was a dull crackle of explosions. But the enemy bunker continued to fire. Barbashov saw how bullets killed two Komsomol members, Davydov and Mova, 10 meters from him. For a moment, Barbashov clearly imagined these Komsomol members alive. How cheerful and cheerful they were just a few hours ago! For some reason I remembered the wounded Grigory Bobin, to whom I sent greetings to the hospital yesterday. Maybe Grigory is no longer alive? But he promised Barbashov that after the war he would come to his native village to stay. Both of them are fellow countrymen: Hungarian region, Novosibirsk region.
The junior sergeant's heart overflowed with a thirst for revenge for the blood shed by his comrades. He jumped up and rushed forward. The stream of fire burned both legs. Barbashov shuddered, swayed, but did not fall - with his left hand he touched the ground in time. A stream of fire hit the right hand, the hand hung helplessly, dropping the machine gun to the ground...
The vile enemy, hiding under the hood of a bunker, blocked the path of the attackers. The junior sergeant clearly sees the barrel of an enemy machine gun in front of him. He rushes forward and covers the embrasure of the enemy pillbox with his body. The barrel of a fascist machine gun is pressed to the ground. The fire is suppressed. Our soldiers boldly burst into the trenches and mercilessly deal with Hitler’s beast.
The all-crushing force of rage was felt in every blow with the bayonet and butt. The soldiers cruelly avenged the death of their friend, in whose chest the noble Bolshevik heart beat, who gave his life for the glorious city of Sergo Ordzhonikidze.”
The title of Hero of the Soviet Union, junior sergeant Pyotr Parfenovich Barbashov, was awarded posthumously by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on December 13, 1942, with the Order of Lenin.
Pyotr Parfenovich Barbashov was buried in a mass grave near the village of Gizel, North Ossetia.
"Barbashovo Field" in North Ossetia
In 1983, at the site of the feat of Pyotr Barbashov, on the sixth kilometer of the Vladikavkaz-Alagir highway, near the village of Gizel, a monument was erected to him. The monument was a memorial complex consisting of a sculpture of a submachine gunner rushing into an attack, a mass grave of soldiers from Pyotr Barbashov’s unit, as well as a memorial bunker and a birch alley.
At the initiative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, with the support of the head of the region Vyacheslav Bitarov, with the assistance of the Ministry of Construction and Architecture of the Republic, and caring patrons of the arts, it was decided to build an updated and more expanded memorial complex in memory of fallen soldiers, which should become one of the largest museums in the North Ossetia, dedicated to the Great Patriotic War. The Barbashovo Pole memorial complex was inaugurated in May 2018.
At the entrance there is an alley of Heroes of the Soviet Union, natives of North Ossetia. The legendary Victory tank IS-3, which took part in the historical Victory Parade in Berlin, took pride of place in the exhibition of real military equipment from the Great Patriotic War. A special attraction of the military-historical memorial was the legendary bunker, which 23-year-old Siberian Pyotr Barbashov covered with his body, giving his fellow soldiers the opportunity to occupy the coveted height. The previously closed, dilapidated building has turned into a full-fledged museum.
Film "Barbashovo Field"
Since 2016, the House of Friendship has been working fruitfully in Berdsk. It is one of the divisions of the Berd Historical and Art Museum. The House of Friendship is a meeting place for cultural autonomies and communities of different nationalities. Veterans of the Great Patriotic War are frequent guests in their literary and musical living room. Employees of the House of Friendship learned that the Barbashovo Pole memorial complex was opened in North Ossetia this year and that Peter Barbashov’s sister Zinaida Ilyushechkina has lived in Berdsk since 1969. They approached the city administration with the initiative to contact the leadership of North Ossetia and express gratitude for preserving the memory of Hero of the Soviet Union Pyotr Barbashov. The mayor’s office established contact with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of North Ossetia, from where the film “Barbashovo Field” was sent to Berdsk. A documentary film about the memorial complex was shown to the Hero's sister.
Older brother
Pyotr Barbashov’s younger sister Zinaida Ilyushechkina recalls:
— We had a big family. Mom Elena Terentyevna is from Belarus, dad Parfen Alekseevich is a native Siberian. There were five children in the family: three brothers Pavel, Peter and Leonty, sister Sophia and me, Zinaida. We lived in a small house on the edge of the village. Parents worked on the collective farm named after. Kirov. They were very kind and hospitable people, they were not afraid to let a traveler spend the night, they shared simple food, although we lived very poorly. Peter graduated from school and worked on a state farm, managing a reading room. He came home to Bolshoi Syugan infrequently. I was a little girl, but I remember him as a very kind and caring brother and son. He loved books very much. I read a lot. And he even gave me books, not for children, but those that will be useful in the future, for example, “Quiet Don”, “Aelita” and so on. He loved me very much, as the youngest. When he came home, he talked to me and said that I definitely needed to study. From Igarka, where he worked at the call of the Komsomol on the construction of a port, Peter brought me a very beautiful doll. I will remember this gift for the rest of my life. I also remember that he had very beautiful handwriting. He did not play musical instruments, but he sang well. One of my favorite songs is “My beloved city can sleep peacefully.” Petra always helped people, especially the poorest. People often turned to him for advice. I also remember how we waited for letters from the front and read these long-awaited news out loud. Peter was worried about the health of his parents, said hello to us sisters, and wrote to tell me to study well.
Zinaida Parfenovna spoke about the story that happened during the Great Patriotic War. It so happened that Peter’s military unit and Leonty’s military unit ended up in Aktobe. When the commanders found out that they were siblings, they arranged an “unexpected” meeting for them. They put Peter in the office behind a closet and invited Leonty to enter. Leonty entered, and Peter came out from behind the closet. The meeting was very touching.
Leonty, who fought in the tank forces, managed to survive. After serving in the army, Pavel also returned home. Now only Sophia and Zinaida are left alive from the large family.
Zinaida Parfenovna, together with her front-line husband Nikolai Ilyushechkin, went to the opening of the monument to Pyotr Barbashov in Vladikavkaz in 1983 as part of a large delegation from the Novosibirsk region, which included chairmen of veterans’ councils, schoolchildren, and journalists. Zinaida Parfenovna said that her tears knew no bounds when she found herself at the memorial.
Every year the events of the Great Patriotic War become more and more distant. But the connecting thread of times and generations does not allow those tragic and heroic years to be forgotten. The memory of one person unites residents of the Novosibirsk region. The memory of the great feat unites the entire country.
During the Great Patriotic War, junior sergeant Pyotr Barbashov sacrificed himself to save his fellow soldiers in North Ossetia, for which he posthumously received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Pyotr Barbashov was born in the Vengerovsky district of the Novosibirsk region. He is connected with Berdsk by his younger sister, Zinaida Ilyushechkina, who has lived in our city since 1969.
“I was a little girl, but I remember him as a very kind and caring brother and son. He loved books very much and read a lot."
All brothers fought for their homeland. Pavel and Leonty returned from the front alive. Instead of Peter, a funeral came home.
Zinaida Ilyushechkina, sister of Peter Barbashov:
“When we received the funeral, I was studying in Menshikovo. We, of course, roared at the top of our lungs. It is clear that this is very difficult to perceive. Mom received a funeral"
On November 9, 1942, near the village of Gizel near Ordzhonikidze, a squad commanded by junior sergeant Barbashov was tasked with destroying a bunker. For the sake of its execution, Pyotr Barbashov closed the embrasure with his body, as a result of which the enemy was thrown back more than 30 kilometers.
Residents of North Ossetia remember the feat of Pyotr Barbashov. In 1983, a monument was erected to him near the village of Gizel: an eight-meter sculpture of a submachine gunner warrior rushing into the attack. Zinaida Ilyushechkina attended the opening of the monument in Vladikavkaz as part of a delegation from the Novosibirsk region as a close relative. In May 2018, the opening of a memorial complex dedicated to the history of the Great Patriotic War took place. The memorial is located around the monument to Hero of the Soviet Union Pyotr Barbashov.
The memorial complex includes: a photo gallery with unique footage of the battle for the Caucasus, an exhibition of samples of military equipment of those years, including the IS-3 tank that participated in the Victory Parade in Berlin, the Alley of Heroes of the Soviet Union - natives of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, as well as a bunker. with an installation of the feat of Peter Barbashov. Due to health reasons, Zinaida Parfenovna was unable to attend the opening of the memorial complex. But she still sincerely thanks the people who keep the memory of her brother alive.
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Today is Victory Day! Yes, that happy day
When an evil shadow fell from the Motherland of fascism.
Today we congratulate the living who are here with you,
Let us remember that we died in a fire attack,
Who was crushed by a tank, lay down with a bullet in his chest,
I couldn’t reach the shore at the crossing.
Some fought as a hero and died as a hero.
And who gave life to people like you and me.
Their mass graves stand on that land,
That the soldier defended inch by inch of blood.
Not every soldier has an obelisk,
But the memory of them is holy, whose duty to Russia is pure.
Let us thank the living -
And beloved grandmothers and relatives.
It doesn’t matter if the form says private,
A sailor or a nurse is still a Hero!
Love, respect, take them as an example,
Let's honor and glorify their exploits now!
Soviet generals, Soviet privates,
Glory to our soldiers! Both fallen and alive!
Five of my grandfathers fought in our family. My dear grandfather Nikolai Semenovich Ilyushechkin
, his brother Basil, as well as my grandmother's three brothers: Pavel Parfenovich
, Leonid Parfenovich
And Pyotr Parfenovich Barbashov
. I want to talk about some of them.
Petr Parfenovich
was the youngest of the brothers (my grandmother was the youngest in the family). In 1939 he was drafted into the Red Army.
When the war began, Peter served in the border unit in Irkutsk. I wrote a statement asking to be sent to the front. In May he received permission to be sent to the front near Tula. By the fall of 1942, its unit was transferred to the city of Ordzhonikidze, where it entered into battle with the Nazis.
On November 9, 1942, 7 km from Ordzhonikidze, near the village of Gizel, heavy battles broke out with the Germans. The 34th regiment, in which Peter served, began the offensive. However, the advance of the Soviet troops was hampered by enemy bunkers. The regiment commander ordered the capture of the fortifications by tank landing forces. Positioned on wedges, the machine gunners went on the attack. The vehicle on which Pyotr Parfenovich was located destroyed one bunker, but the tankette could not reach another one, which was filling the attackers with lead.
Seeing this, Peter jumped from the car and took the fighters with him. From 25 meters he threw a grenade and the bunker fell silent. The detachment rose, but the Fritz opened fire again. The first burst went through Barbashov’s legs. Having fallen, he continued to crawl, holding a machine gun in his hand. The second burst hit my hand and knocked out my weapon. And then, gathering strength, Peter rose to his height and threw his chest at the embrasure of the bunker, covering it with his body. The soldiers of the 34th regiment rushed forward and threw the enemy back more than 30 kilometers.
To my great uncle, Pyotr Parfenovich Barbashov , December 13, 1942 awarded the rank Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously. He accomplished his heroic feat five months earlier than Alexander Matrosov. On May 9, 1983, in North Ossetia, near the city of Ordzhonikidze (now Vladikavkaz) in the village of Gizel, a monument to Pyotr Parfenovich Barbashov was unveiled.
My dear grandfather, Ilyushechkin Nikolay Semyonovich went to the front at seventeen years old. He served in the 61st Guards Regiment of the 17th Guards Division of the 1st Belorussian Front in a battery of anti-tank guns. At the battery, grandfather was the youngest, he was called “son”.
His military journey began with the liberation of Belarus. All operations were carried out in close cooperation with the partisans. The fighting took place in the swamps, Nikolai Semyonovich drowned twice, but miraculously remained alive.
This was followed by the liberation of Poland. After capturing a number of cities, the 17th Guards Division secured a foothold on the eastern bank of the Vistula River. And on the western side was Warsaw. On January 14, 1945, the crossing of the Vistula began. Under heavy fire, the soldiers crossed the pontoon bridge to the other side. Grandfather's battery lost its gun. Having crossed, the division entered the battle for Warsaw, which lasted three days. On January 17, 1945, Warsaw was cleared of Nazis. The unit where grandfather served moved on and, having completed the liberation of Poland, crossed the border into Germany.
On German territory, his regiment reached the famous Seelow Heights. Fierce fighting ensued. Hitler said that this line of defense was impregnable. At this time, Nikolai Semyonovich became a gunner and destroyed many enemy vehicles. After long battles, the Seelow Heights were taken.
On April 23, 1945, grandfather met with the Americans on the Elbe River. American commanders admired the Siberian warriors. They said that, analyzing information about the battles on the Eastern Front, they came to the conclusion that the entry of Siberian divisions into battle always led to victory.
Grandfather took part in the capture of Berlin. The Germans fired from every basement and window. Berlin was officially taken on May 2, 1945, but the cleansing of the last pockets of resistance ended only on May 5. Nikolai Semyonovich celebrated Victory Day in Berlin.
My grandfather was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, II degree, medals: For Courage, For Military Merit, For the Liberation of Belarus, For the Liberation of Warsaw, For the Capture of Berlin, etc. Now he lives in the city of Berdsk.
Brother of Nikolai Semyonovich, Vasily Semyonovich , was a scout, worked behind German lines, was wounded twice. In Poland, when leaving the encirclement, he was seriously wounded, gangrene developed and there was no time to save him. He is buried in the Polish city of Sandomierz.
I dedicate another poem to my grandfathers and all participants in the Great Patriotic War:
I want to say thank you, grandfathers,
For your feat, for what you
Courage, Honesty, Love
They saved both the world and the Motherland.
You fought at Stalingrad,
Then, near Kursk, the “tigers” burned,
You turned enemy pillboxes
Into patches of scattered earth.
Your torpedoes were coming to sea
To the sides of the fascist cruisers,
And “feathers” under the clouds
You shot down the “chicks” from Goering...
Thank you, grandfathers, for the Victory!
I wish you many years to come.
So that your devotion and courage
They served as an example for us in the future.
I want guns to roar
Do not disturb your peace,
And you listened to the birds singing
Admiring the morning dawn.
We love and are proud of you all!
Your feat will be unforgettable!
Let it be the ninth of May
Happy Victory Day for you!
Vitaly Ilyushechkin,
15 years,
Novosibirsk
