Digital resources in the Social Sciences and Humanities OpenEdition Our platforms OpenEdition Books OpenEdition Journals Hypotheses Calenda Libraries OpenEdition Freemium Follow us

Saving belt

Written by Maxim Oblitsov

The historian at the front

This officer’s belt belonged to Lev Grigorievich Dyachkov. He was a historian in Voronezh State Pedagogical Institute. During the Great Patriotic War Dyachkov went through a lot of things. He was born in 1921 on the 12 July in the family of the military man. His father came from the village Uspenskoe in Korotoyaksriy uyezd (county) in Voronezh Province and he was a peasant. In 1928 Lev came to study in Voronezh and in 1941 he graduated from Voronezh Pedagogical University with the historian degree. [1].

A special gift

At the end of 1942 when the battle in Stalingrad was still going, but the outcome was almost clear. At that period the Soviet government permitted to sent parcels to the people in the front. As Lev Grigorievich remembered, despite the fact that the soldiers were fully provided with food and clothes, the parcels were send to the front and there were a lot of them. Mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, children wanted to make happy their relatives who were at the front. So, they send them everything they could. At this period of time Lev Grigorievich’s mother send him a parcel. There was a semi-smoked sausage, metal sealed box with pure alcohol and commanding officer’s belt. This was leather belt with brass star buckle. The star was shining with the Soviet Union symbols. This belt very beautiful and many other commanders wanted to have such belt, especially young ones. (in 1942 he was 21). About 2 years later the belt played an important role in his life.

In the summer 1944 during the Vistula–Oder Offensive the Red Army was preparing for an operation. The basic tasks were to come to the river Vistula, to occupy staging ground in the western bank, to make the German soldiers run to the Oder, where the German borders were. During this period of time our hero was on duty in the 3rd guard armoured corps, which was formed in 1943 14 May by the order of Joseph Stalin [2]. The commander of this division was an outstanding Soviet Lieutenant-General [3].

The belt saved his life

In August 1944 the 3rd guard armourded corps came to Vistula, forced it and occupied the staging ground in the region of Sandomierz. They were preparing to cross the river. At the twilight the soldiers were attacked at the temporary bridge by 67 German bombers. The transport was blocked and people could not leave or go back. They were attacked and there was fuel in the cars. Lev Grigorievich’s official car “Dodge” was on fire. There were important documents. Everything was on fire. When Dyachkov understood that there was nothing left in his car and everything burnt down he ran from it and was trying to protect himself from the attack. As Lev Grigorievich remembered he felt pain in the right hand and stomach after the one of the bombs exploded. But there was no blood and the arm was dry. After that he touched the belt presented by his mother, but he could not open it. It was seized up. It turned out that the service shirt was torn above the belt. The thick buckle was damaged and the belt was blocked. The star and the corners were a little bit crushed. A piece of the exploded bomb got into the buckle but did not break through it. It only damaged it and torn the service shirt. At the break of dawn Lev Dyachkov approached to the road. There was a horrible view. All the cars were burnt. After the German attack they decided to go to Tarnobrzeg in 12 km from the temporary bridge.

Lev Grigorievich noticed that everyone was surprised. They looked at his belt and couldn’t believe it. “This belt saved me from the death: And I told that it was my mother who send me this belt. Then I continued wearing this belt till the end of the war. I took it home after the demobilization and my brother Vladimir wore it with the uniform and my great-coat. That was because we could not buy any clothes after the war. It was a hard period of time”.

The time after WWII

During the Great Patriotic War Lev Grigorievich constantly was in South-West, Voronezh, Bryansk, Central, 1st Ukrainian and 1st Belarussian fronts. He was awarded with the Order Red Star and medals “For Battle Merit”, Medal “For the Victory Over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945”, The Medal “For the Liberation of Warsaw”, The Medal “For the Capture of Berlin” for the brilliant accomplishment of commander’s tasks at the front during the battle with the german-fascist invaders. After the Great Patriotic War he contunued to serve in the Military Attorney Department of the 1st Guard armoured corps until the demobilization in 1946. The commanding unit wanted him to stay in the army. They wanted to send him to study in the Academy of Military Law, but he was eager to work as a historian. In Autumn 1946 “historian-soldier” came to Tambov where his parents lived. They were evacuated from Voronezh and he faced the problem which was typical for people in the after war period. He could not find a job. [1]. We would not even get to know about him, if his grandson did not ask to help him with the hometask. Besides, his son and historian Vladimir Lvovich Dyachkov kept the fragments of the war memories and published them in 2010 in the collection of documents about the Great Patriotic War [4]. On the 9 May 2020 a memorial complex was build in honour of lecturers and students who participated in the Great Patriotic War. And the name of Lev Grigorievich Dyachkov who was a lecturer of TSPU is also placed there. (working period 1948-1989) [5].

See related images

[1] Dyachkov V.L. The Dyachkovy Teacher’s Dynasty. // Youth and Society / Publ: Derzhavin Tambov State University. Tambov. 2010. p. 71

[2] 3rd Guard Armoured Corps URL: http://tankfront.ru/ussr/ta/gvta3.html (reference date 30.07.2020)

[3] Rybalko Pavel Semenovich URL:  https://pamyat-naroda.ru/commander/1058/?static_hash=008f6b5159e9c2ba6b93b9e516c79029 (reference date 30.07.2020)

[4] Tambov citizens at the fronts of the World War 2 1939-1945. Collection of Documents – Tambov, 2010. 1490 p.

[5] Tambov Life URL: https://tamlife.ru/informaciya/obshhestvo/2020051414144958193.html/v-tambove-vozveli-derzhavinskij-memorialnyj-kompleks/ (reference date 01.07.2020)

Tank as a gift

Written by Madina Ismagilova

The idea of producing a series of tanks «Tambovskiy kolkhoznik» (“Tambov collective farmer”) with the help of money donated by citizens belongs to the Tambov region dwellers. For this reason, in 1949 a monument was unveiled in Tambov, on the pedestal of which a T-34 battle tank was hoisted.

History of creation

The front line went through 200 kilometers from Tambov in autumn of 1942. However, people of Tambov region made a big contribution to the victory over fascist Germany. Many of them protected their motherland on the battlefield and others worked in the rear. Tambov dwellers were the first in the country who donated a large amount of money for creating the tank column «Tambovskiy kolkhoznik» (“Tambov collective farmer”). People who did not have money, donated products and warm clothes. In total, 214 thousand poods of bread, 4700 pounds of meat, 3000 kilograms of wool were donated to the Red Army Fund, and 100 wagons of gifts were sent to soldiers. Due to this money about 300 tanks of the famous model «T-34», 25 squadrons of combat aircraft, several torpedo boats were produced in a month and sent to the front. All citizens of the USSR supported this idea and then such tank columns appeared in Moscow, Kuibyshev, Gorkov, Ivanovsk, Ryazan, Voronezh and Novosibirsk.

Purpose of creating the monument

A monument with one of the tanks from this column was created in Tambov in 1949. You can see it now on the Moskovskaya street. This tank headed by Philip Antonovich Gokov the Hero of the USSR had taken part in the Battle of Stalingrad, fights on the Kursk Bulge and battles for the liberation of Ukraine. The author of this project is V.G. Samorodov. The chief idea of the monument is to show the meaning of the Victory, in which the feat of arms of warriors was based on labor heroism. Thus, the design of a pedestal imitating masonry made of stones could symbolize the contribution to the national business of each person working in the rear. This was also indicated by the content of the preserved relief inscription on the northern plane of the pedestal: «The successes of the Red Army would not have been possible without the support of the people, without the dedicated work of the Soviet citizens in factories, mines and mines, in transport and agriculture. The selfless work of the Soviet dwellers in the rear will go down in history along with the heroic struggle of the Red Army, as an unprecedented feat of the people in the defense of their homeland». On the south side was the text of a telegram sent to Tambov, in which the Supreme Commander conveyed «my Stalinist greetings and gratitude to the Red Army». The image of the relief banners on the facade and the direction of the line of inscriptions from both sides seemed to “exalt” both feats of battle and labor.

See related images 

Prototype of Treptower Park Monument

The biography of Ivan Stepanovich Odarchenko, who became the prototype of the monument to the Soldier the Liberator in Treptower Park in Berlin, was usual for people of the WWII generation. Before being drafted into the army, Odarchenko lived in Magnitogorsk, where his family moved from the village of Novoaleksandrovka, fleeing starvation. At the age of seventeen, Ivan was already a strong young man, two meters tall, so for his exteriors he was appointed as foreman in kolkhoze, on a suburban collective farm, and in fact as its chairman.

Liberating Europe

Ivan Odarchenko was called to the front in January 1944. He fought in the 114th Guards Division of the 9th Guards Army. Odarchenko participated in liberation of Hungary, Austria and Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Army. He received the medal “For Courage” and continued his military service in Berlin after WWII in Soviet Occupation Zone of Germany (SOZG).

In August 1947, on the Day of the Athlete, sports competitions of Soviet soldiers were held at a stadium in the Weissensee district of Berlin, and Odarchenko also participated in them. After having run a cross, the sculptor Evgeny Vuchetich approached him and asked him to pose for a sculpture. Vuchetich said that he was working on a monument to the Soldier the Liberator.

Being noticed

He posed for the sculptor with a girl in her arms for almost six months. At first it was a real German girl, and then she was replaced by the three-year-old Svetlana Kotikov, the daughter of the commandant of Berlin. The plot for the monument was an event that happened during the storming of Berlin. On 30th of April 1945, sergeant Nikolai Masalov, risking his life, took out a three-year-old German girl from the shelling zone.

Odarchenko also posed for the artist Anatoly Gorpenko, who created a mosaic panel inside the pedestal of the monument. This panel depicts Odarchenko twice – as a soldier with the Golden Star medal and a steel helmet in his hands, as well as a worker in a blue overalls with his head bowed, holding a wreath.

As monument and as human

A twelve-meter bronze monument was made in Leningrad and transported in parts to Berlin. The monument was inaugurated on May 8, 1949. Several times, Ivan Odarchenko had to stand in the guard of honnor at the monument, the prototype of which he was himself.

Odarchenko arrived in Tambov in the same 1949, shortly after the opening of the monument. After the discharge to the reserve, he was going to return to Kazakhstan, but on the way he stopped by to visit his sister in Tambov and decided to stay. He built a house, got married and worked for almost forty years as a turner and milling machine operator at the Tambov enterprise Avtotraktorodetal. Odarchenko didn’t advertise his involvement in the creation of the famous monument until he was found by collector Nikiforov and journalists.

The double fame

Odarchenko became famous in 1965, when the country celebrated the 20th anniversary of victory in the war. On this occasion, a ruble coin depicting the Berlin “Soldier the Liberator” was issued. Nikiforov was one of the first to have this coin. He immediately appeared with her in the regional museum of local lore, where the design of the exposition dedicated to the Great Patriotic War ended, and told employees that the turner of the Tambov plain bearings factory Ivan Stepanovich Odarchenko was minted on a coin.

Soon, a sculptural portrait of Odarchenko appeared in the regional museum of local lore, made by the monument’s author Eugene Vuchetich and donated to Tambov.

Secondly, fame came to Odarchenko 45 years later, when on May 8, 2010 in the Victory Park in Tambov a monument of the veterans was opened. According to the plans of the Tambov sculptors Viktor Kulaev and Valery Paramonov, the same Ivan Odarchenko became the model for the monument.

“Honestly, when they informed me that they would again make a monument to me,” said Odarchenko, “I thought that he would again be like in Berlin — let him do it from Vuchetich’s work.” But when the sculptor explained that he wanted to do me, as a veteran, I agreed …”

So after 65 years, the warrior-liberator “returned” home, sat down on a bench in Victory Park, put his great-granddaughter on his knees and became a symbol of the connection of time and generation. Ivan Stepanovich died on July 2, 2013 at the age of 87.

See related images

Calling Trumpet

War and music

Have you ever wondered about the meaning of music during the war? There have been cases where military songs have saved hundreds of soldiers’ lives. The music was the spiritual weapon of the front and the back. It called to the battle, inspired with memories of peaceful days and instilled in the hearts of the people the belief in victory. It helped people to survive in that hard time and to win the cruel battle, it became a formidable weapon that did not allow to break the spirit of Soviet people. In the photo there is the musical instrument of Ilya Shatrov ­– famous Russian military musician, kapellmeister, composer. This is a truly brilliant musician who became the pride not only of our city but of all our country. This trumpet was bought by him during his studies at the Music Institute of Warsava. It went through more than one war with him and was transferred by his fellow musician Ivan Zalivin to the Tambov Museum of Local History in 1977.

The waltz goes to the front

Ilya Shatrov wrote the waltz «On the Snots of Manchuria» and thanks to it he became known all over the Country. The waltz helps you to plunge into war time, its notes aren’t tragic but they touch the hearts of listeners. This is a truly masterpiece of Russian music of the 20th-century. It was written during the Russian war with Japan and was dedicated to the fallen soldiers of the war. Later, heartwarming words were written for the waltz, it found the lyrics and became a song.

Although it was written in the early 20th century, during the Great Patriotic War its popularity increased. The Shatrov’s Waltz became one of the most performed during the war, the famous Soviet singer of those years Ivan Kozlovsky expressed his appreciation of this waltz and often performed it at his concerts, the earned money of which were donated to the fund of the Soviet Army. When the press published the information that the creator of the famous waltz lived in Tambov, a huge number of letters of gratitude were sent from soldiers, workers, schoolchildren. In one of the letters soldiers described how before the battle they had listened to the record of waltz and then went to the fight and came back from it save and having won. So the waltz became a valuable participant in this terrible war. It provided not only the spiritual assistance to the soviet army but also a material. Ilya Shatrov much desired to be called to the front, but he wasn’t accepted because he was already 64 years old. So instead of the composer his waltz went to the front.

Сentennial witness

During the fierce battle in the 1905, in whose name the waltz was written, I.A. Shatrov with other musicians, surrounded by shells, accompanied the Russian soldiers in the battle with their orchestra. Ilya Shatrov played the trumpet and we have reason to believe that exactly this trumpet you see in the photo was with him in that difficult hour and on this trumpet the famous waltz was first played.

This musical instrument witnessed many events, it was with the composer during the difficult time of the Great Patriotic War, we can only imagine how in those sad moments this trumpet helped to overcome the heavy burden of war time and how it calmed down the composer’s soul and listeners.

See related images

Listen to the trumpet: