Зал «Дорогами Победы»
Начало Великой Отечественной войны
Великая Отечественная война была самой тяжёлой из всех войн, когда-либо пережитых нашей Родиной. По масштабам ведения боевых действий, участию людских масс, применению огромного количества техники, напряжению и ожесточённости она превосходила все войны прошлого. Чрезвычайно тяжёлым был путь советских воинов по дорогам войны. Четыре долгих года, почти полторы тысячи дней и ночей, героически боролись советский народ и его доблестные Вооружённые Силы за победу.
В конце 1930-х гг. В Городокском районе (в современных границах) жили 90 тысяч человек, в Городке – 7200. Люди мирно трудились, учились, отдыхали, отмечали праздники. Шесть машинно-тракторных станций обслуживали 206 колхозов. В коллективных хозяйствах развивалось животноводство, выращивались зерновые и технические культуры, из числа последних, например, лён в колхозе имени Крупской
Работали 4 больницы, 20 фельдшерско-акушерских пунктов. А также 151 школа: 45 являлись семилетними и средними, остальные начальными.
Жители г. Городка спешили на работу, в магазины, в учебные заведения. Их путь пролегал по улицам Советской, имени Карла Маркса и другим. На реке Горожанке, которая широко разливалась в половодье, действовала электростанция с водяной турбиной и нефтедвигателем. Здание электростанции находилось на берегу реки, на ровном месте. К нему можно было подойти, спустившись к реке по ул. Садовой. Напротив здания электростанции была построена плотина высотой 8-10 метров, по которой можно было перейти на противоположный берег. Электрический свет горожанам подавался до 24 часов. Из-за небольшой мощности электростанции в каждом доме могла гореть лишь одна лампочка.
В районе Взгорья стоял Свято-Николаевский собор, но в конце 1930-х гг.он уже не действовал.
Так было до 22 июня 1941 года. В мирную жизнь нашей страны ворвалась война, перечеркнувшая все мечты и надежды миллионов людей.
В соответствии с директивой № 21 или планом Барбаросса фашистская Германия начала войну против Советского Союза. 190 дивизий Германии и её союзников были подтянуты к западной границе СССР в три ударные группы: «Север», «Центр», «Юг». Они должны были наступать на Ленинград, Москву, Киев соответственно. Немецко-фашистские войска группы армий «Центр» вели наступательные действия на территории Беларуси. За четверть часа до начала наступления командующий 2-й танковой группой генерал Гудериан со своим штабом наблюдал за белорусской стороной с западного берега реки Буг. Этот момент был запечатлён на трофейном фотоснимке. Первый удар приняла на себя Бресткая крепость.
Оккупация
9 июля немцы были в Городке, а 17 июля 1941 г. вражеские войска заняли посёлок Езерище. Началась оккупация. В течении двух с половиной лет действовал немецкий «новый порядок», основанный на плане «Ост». Это план поэтапной колонизации и германизации Восточной Европы, массового уничтожения народов восточных государств, которые подлежали захвату.
В период оккупации в районе действовали районная управа, районное земельное управление, военная комендатура, полицейское управление. Структура районной полиции была следующая: политотдел – 11 человек, криминальный отдел – 10 человек, спецкомендатура – 40 человек.
В районе были созданы 12 полицейских отрядов по 30-40 человек в каждом. Всего по спискам в полицейском управлении насчитывалось около 400 человек.
Германский «новый порядок» основывался на насилии, грабежах, расправлялись беспощадно с партизанскими семьями, теми кто оказывал помощь народным мстителям. Более 8 тысяч мирных жителей нашего района были расстреляны, сожжены, повешены захватчиками.
Местом массовых расстрелов людей стали Воробьёвы горы. В середине октября 1941 года здесь были убиты евреи из городского гетто. Приведенных под конвоем стариков, женщин с детьми расстреляли фашисты вместе с полицейскими.
После освобождения Городка в конце декабря 1943 года это место преступления германских фашистов обследовалось комиссией, состоявшей из представителей районной власти, 11-й гвардейской армии и жителей города. Было установлено, что расстрелянные закапывались в больших могилах. Одна из них длиной 12 метров, шириной и глубиной 4 метра была вскрыта и проведена эксгумация 28 трупов. Это дало основание утверждать, что большинство похороненных были убиты выстрелами в затылок, у отдельных были раструшены тупыми предметами кости черепа, что привело к смерти. Скелет и череп девочки 5-8 лет не имел никаких повреждений. Значит она попала в яму живой. Вокруг могилы валялось много гильз от немецкого автомата, русских и немецких винтовок. В яме трупы располагались в два ряда в длину преимущественно лицом вниз. Были обнаружены отдельно лежащие сумочки, детские галоши, мелкие монеты, чулки, носовые латки. О трагедии в Воробьёвых горах рассказывала газета «Боевая тревога» за 30 декабря 1943 г.
Партизанское движение на территории Городокщины
Немецко-фашистские захватчики не чувствовали себя безопасно на оккупированных территориях. В Городокском районе 18 июля 1941 года был создан Меховский партизанский отряд на базе истребительного батальона, существовавшего с первых дней войны. Отряд насчитывал 65 человек. Командовал им Волков Кузьма Фёдорович, председатель Меховского райисполкома, комиссаром был утвержден Гуцев Иван Тарасович, первый секретарь Меховского райкома партии. Партизаны нарушали связь, уничтожали мосты, распространяли среди населения сводки Совинформбюро, собирали оружие и боеприпасы. В д. Меховое они захватили склад с имуществом, награбленным у населения, ликвидировали небольшой немецкий гарнизон в д. Холомерье, совершили налёт в д. Оболь на маслозавод, работу которого наладили оккупанты.
Весной 1942 года активизируется партизанская борьба на оккупированных территориях. Формируются партизанские бригады. На Городокщине действовали 9 партизанских бригад.
Освобождение Городокщины
Освобождение на городокскую землю пришло в декабре 1943 года. В ходе Городокской наступательной операции (13 – 31 декабря) воины 1 Прибалтийского фронта под командованием генерала Баграмяна И. Х. в жесточайших боях, проявляя мужество и стойкость, освободили наш край от фашистских захватчиков.
В боях за освобождение Городокщины погибло более 28 тысяч советских воинов.
Зала " Дарогамі Перамогі»
Пачатак Вялікай Айчыннай вайны
Вялікая Айчынная вайна была самай цяжкай з усіх войнаў, калі-небудзь перажытых нашай Радзімай. Па маштабах вядзення баявых дзеянняў, удзелу людскіх мас, прымяненню велізарнай колькасці тэхнікі, напрузе і жорсткасці яна пераўзыходзіла ўсе войны мінулага. Надзвычай цяжкім быў шлях савецкіх воінаў па дарогах вайны. Чатыры доўгіх гады, амаль паўтары тысячы дзён і начэй, гераічна змагаліся савецкі народ і яго доблесныя Ўзброеныя Сілы за перамогу.
У канцы 1930-х гг. у Гарадоцкім раёне (у сучасных межах) жылі 90 тысяч чалавек, у мястэчку-7200. Людзі мірна працавалі, вучыліся, адпачывалі, адзначалі святы. Шэсць машынна-трактарных станцый абслугоўвалі 206 калгасаў. У калектыўных гаспадарках развівалася жывёлагадоўля, вырошчваліся збожжавыя і тэхнічныя культуры, з ліку апошніх, напрыклад, лён у калгасе імя Крупскай
Працавалі 4 бальніцы, 20 фельчарска-акушэрскіх пунктаў. А таксама 151 школа: 45 з'яўляліся сямігадовымі і сярэднімі, астатнія пачатковымі.
Жыхары г. Гарадка спяшаліся на працу, у крамы, у навучальныя ўстановы. Іх шлях пралягаў па вуліцах Савецкай, імя Карла Маркса і іншым. На рацэ Гараджанцы, якая шырока разлівалася ў разводдзе, дзейнічала электрастанцыя з вадзяной турбінай і нафтарухавіком. Будынак электрастанцыі знаходзілася на беразе ракі, на роўным месцы. Да яго можна было падысці, спусціўшыся да ракі па вул. Насупраць будынка электрастанцыі была пабудавана плаціна вышынёй 8-10 метраў, па якой можна было перайсці на супрацьлеглы бераг. Электрычны святло гараджанам падаваўся да 24 гадзін. З-за невялікай магутнасці электрастанцыі ў кожным доме магла гарэць толькі адна лямпачка.
У раёне Ўзгор'і стаяў Свята-Мікалаеўскі сабор, але ў канцы 1930-х гг. ён ужо не дзейнічаў.
Так было да 22 чэрвеня 1941 года. У мірнае жыццё нашай краіны ўварвалася вайна, якая перакрэсліла ўсе мары і надзеі мільёнаў людзей.
У адпаведнасці з дырэктывай № 21 або планам Барбароса фашысцкая Германія пачала вайну супраць Савецкага Саюза. 190 дывізій Германіі і яе саюзнікаў былі падцягнуты да заходняй мяжы СССР у тры ўдарныя групы: «Поўнач», «Цэнтр», «Поўдзень». Яны павінны былі наступаць на Ленінград, Маскву, Кіеў адпаведна. Нямецка-фашысцкія войскі групы армій "Цэнтр" вялі наступальныя дзеянні на тэрыторыі Беларусі. За чвэрць гадзіны да пачатку наступу камандуючы 2-й танкавай групай генерал Гудэрыян са сваім штабам назіраў за беларускім бокам з заходняга берага ракі Буг. Гэты момант быў зняты на трафейным фотаздымку. Першы ўдар прыняла на сябе Брэсцкая крэпасць.
Акупацыя
9 ліпеня немцы былі ў мястэчку, а 17 ліпеня 1941 г. варожыя войскі занялі пасёлак Езярышча. Пачалася акупацыя. На працягу двух з паловай гадоў дзейнічаў нямецкі "новы парадак«, заснаваны на плане»Ост". Гэта план паэтапнай каланізацыі і германізацыі Усходняй Еўропы, масавага знішчэння народаў усходніх дзяржаў, якія падлягалі захопу.
У перыяд акупацыі ў раёне дзейнічалі раённая ўправа, раённае зямельнае кіраванне, ваенная камендатура, паліцэйская ўправа. Структура раённай паліцыі была наступная: палітаддзел-11 чалавек, крымінальны аддзел-10 чалавек, спецкамендатура-40 чалавек.
У раёне былі створаны 12 паліцэйскіх атрадаў па 30-40 чалавек у кожным. Усяго па спісах у паліцэйскім упраўленні налічвалася каля 400 чалавек.
Германскі «новы парадак» грунтаваўся на гвалце, рабаваннях, бязлітасна распраўляліся з партызанскімі сем'ямі, тымі, хто аказваў дапамогу народным мсціўцам. Больш за 8 тысяч мірных жыхароў нашага раёна былі расстраляныя, спаленыя, павешаныя захопнікамі.
Месцам масавых расстрэлаў людзей сталі Вераб'ёвы горы. У сярэдзіне кастрычніка 1941 года тут былі забітыя габрэі з гарадскога гета. Прыведзеных пад канвоем старых, жанчын з дзецьмі расстралялі фашысты разам з паліцэйскімі.
Пасля вызвалення гарадка ў канцы снежня 1943 года гэта месца злачынства германскіх фашыстаў абследавалася камісіяй, якая складалася з прадстаўнікоў раённай улады, 11-й гвардзейскай арміі і жыхароў горада. Было ўстаноўлена, што расстраляныя закопваліся ў вялікіх магілах. Адна з іх даўжынёй 12 метраў, шырынёй і глыбінёй 4 метра была выкрытая і праведзена эксгумацыя 28 трупаў. Гэта дало падставу сцвярджаць, што большасць пахаваных былі забітыя стрэламі ў патыліцу, у асобных былі раструшчаны тупымі прадметамі косткі чэрапа, што прывяло да смерці. Шкілет і чэрап дзяўчынкі 5-8 гадоў не меў ніякіх пашкоджанняў. Значыць яна трапіла ў яму жывы. Вакол магілы валялася шмат гільзаў ад нямецкага аўтамата, рускіх і нямецкіх вінтовак. У яме трупы размяшчаліся ў два рады ў даўжыню пераважна тварам уніз. Былі выяўленыя асобна якія ляжаць сумачкі, дзіцячыя галёшы, дробныя манеты, Панчохі, Насавыя латкі. Аб трагедыі ў Вараб'ёвых гарах распавядала газета "баявая трывога" за 30 снежня 1943 г.
Партызанскі рух на тэрыторыі Гарадоччыны
Нямецка-фашысцкія захопнікі не адчувалі сябе бяспечна на акупаваных тэрыторыях. У Гарадоцкім раёне 18 ліпеня 1941 года быў створаны Мяхоўскі партызанскі атрад на базе знішчальнага батальёна, які існаваў з першых дзён вайны. Атрад налічваў 65 чалавек. Камандаваў ім ваўкоў Кузьма Фёдаравіч, старшыня Мяхоўскага райвыканкама, камісарам быў зацверджаны Гуцаў Іван Тарасавіч, першы сакратар Футраўскага райкама партыі. Партызаны парушалі сувязь, знішчалі масты, распаўсюджвалі сярод насельніцтва зводкі Саўінфармбюро, збіралі зброю і боепрыпасы. У В. Футравае яны захапілі склад з маёмасцю, нарабаваным у насельніцтва, ліквідавалі невялікі нямецкі гарнізон у В. Халамер'е, здзейснілі налёт у В. Обаль на маслазавод, працу якога наладзілі акупанты.
Вызваленне Гарадоччыны
Вызваленне на гарадоцкую зямлю прыйшло ў снежні 1943 года. У ходзе Гарадоцкай наступальнай аперацыі (13 – 31 снежня) воіны 1 Прыбалтыйскага фронту пад камандаваннем генерала Баграмяна і. Х. у самых жорсткіх баях, выяўляючы мужнасць і стойкасць, вызвалілі наш край ад фашысцкіх захопнікаў.
У баях за вызваленне Гарадоччыны загінула больш за 28 тысяч савецкіх воінаў.
Hall "Roads of Victory"
The beginning of the Great Patriotic War
The Great Patriotic War was the heaviest of all the wars ever experienced by our Motherland. In terms of the scale of warfare, the participation of the masses of people, the use of a huge amount of equipment, tension and bitterness, it surpassed all the wars of the past. The path of Soviet soldiers along the roads of war was extremely difficult. For four long years, almost fifteen hundred days and nights, the Soviet people and their valiant Armed Forces fought heroically for victory.
In the late 1930s. 90 thousand people lived in the Gorodok district (within the modern borders), 7200 in the Town. People worked peacefully, studied, rested, celebrated holidays. Six machine and tractor stations served 206 collective farms. Animal husbandry developed in collective farms, grain and industrial crops were grown, among the latter, for example, flax in the Krupskaya collective farm
There were 4 hospitals, 20 paramedic and obstetric stations. As well as 151 schools: 45 were seven-year and secondary, the rest were elementary.
Residents of the town were in a hurry to work, to shops, to educational institutions. Their path ran through the streets of Sovetskaya, Karl Marx and others. A power plant with a water turbine and an oil engine operated on the Gorozhanka River, which was widely overflowed in high water. The power plant building was located on the river bank, on a flat spot. It was possible to approach it by going down to the river on Sadovaya Street. A dam 8-10 meters high was built opposite the power plant building, along which it was possible to cross to the opposite shore. Electric light was supplied to the citizens for up to 24 hours. Due to the small capacity of the power plant, only one light bulb could be lit in each house.
St. Nicholas Cathedral stood in the area of the Hill, but at the end of the 1930s it was no longer in operation.
So it was until June 22, 1941. A war has broken into the peaceful life of our country, destroying all the dreams and hopes of millions of people.
In accordance with Directive No. 21 or the Barbarossa plan, fascist Germany launched a war against the Soviet Union. 190 divisions of Germany and its allies were pulled up to the western border of the USSR in three shock groups: "North", "Center", "South". They had to attack Leningrad, Moscow, Kiev, respectively. The German-fascist troops of the army group "Center" conducted offensive operations on the territory of Belarus. A quarter of an hour before the start of the offensive, the commander of the 2nd Tank Group, General Guderian, with his staff, watched the Belarusian side from the western bank of the Bug River. This moment was captured on a trophy photograph. The Brest Fortress took the first blow.
Occupation
On July 9, the Germans were in the Town, and on July 17, 1941, enemy troops occupied the village of Yezerishche. The occupation began. For two and a half years, the German "new order", based on the "Ost" plan, operated. This is a plan for the gradual colonization and Germanization of Eastern Europe, the mass destruction of the peoples of the eastern states that were subject to seizure.
During the occupation, the district council, the district land administration, the military commandant's office, and the police department operated in the area. The structure of the district police was as follows: the political department – 11 people, the criminal department - 10 people, the special commissariat - 40 people.
12 police detachments of 30-40 people each were created in the district. In total, according to the lists in the police department, there were about 400 people.
The German "new order" was based on violence, looting, ruthlessly dealt with partisan families, those who provided assistance to the people's avengers. More than 8 thousand civilians of our district were shot, burned, hanged by the invaders.
After the liberation of the Town at the end of December 1943, this crime scene of the German fascists was examined by a commission consisting of representatives of the district government, the 11th Guards Army and residents of the city. It was found that the executed were buried in large graves. One of them, 12 meters long, 4 meters wide and 4 meters deep, was opened and exhumed 28 corpses. This gave rise to the claim that most of the buried were killed by shots to the back of the head, some had their skull bones crushed with blunt objects, which led to death. The skeleton and skull of a 5-8-year-old girl had no injuries. So she got into the pit alive. Russian graves were littered with a lot of casings from a German machine gun, Russian and German rifles. In the pit, the corpses were arranged in two rows in length, mostly face down. Handbags, baby galoshes, small coins, stockings, and nasal patches were found lying separately. The newspaper "Combat Alert" for December 30, 1943 told about the tragedy in Vorobyovy Gory.
Partisan movement on the territory of Gorodok region.
The Nazi invaders did not feel safe in the occupied territories. On July 18, 1941, a Mekhovsky partisan detachment was created in the Gorodok district on the basis of a fighter battalion that had existed since the first days of the war. The squad numbered 65 people. It was commanded by Kuzma Fedorovich Volkov, chairman of the Mekhovsky district executive Committee, and Ivan Tarasovich Gutsev, first secretary of the Mekhovsky district party committee, was approved as a commissar. The partisans disrupted communications, destroyed bridges, distributed Sovinformburo reports among the population, collected weapons and ammunition. In d . They seized a warehouse with property looted from the population, liquidated a small German garrison in the village of Kholomerye, raided the village. Look at the creamery, the work of which was established by the occupiers.
Liberation of Gorodok region.
Liberation on Gorodok land came in December 1943. During the Gorodok offensive operation (December 13 – 31), the soldiers of the 1st Baltic Front under the command of General Bagramyan I. H. in the fiercest battles, showing courage and fortitude, liberated our region from the fascist invaders.
More than 28 thousand Soviet soldiers died in the battles for the liberation of Gorodok region. Among them, the commander of the 26th Guards East Siberian Rifle Division, Major General Korzhenevsky N. N., Heroes of the Soviet Union Dydyshko A. I., Tolkachev V. A., Zyubin P. P., Rudyk N. M., Antonov I. N., Tyurin A.V., Malyshev B. G., Fedotov A. A., Nedogovorov V. L.
The names of the victims are immortalized on monuments and memorial plates, in the names of streets. There are 89 military graves on the territory of the Gorodok district, 137 monuments and obelisks have been installed. A memorial complex "Immortality" has been erected in Gorodok near the central square.
The Gorodok offensive operation began in the vicinity of the town of Yezerishche on December 13, 1943. Its beginning was difficult and complicated.
In mid-November 1943, the 4th Shock Army of the 1st Baltic Front, in cooperation with the 3rd Shock Army of the 2nd Baltic Front, broke through enemy defenses in a narrow area west of Nevel and, destroying individual enemy resistance nodes, began to successfully advance to the west and southwest. However, with the withdrawal of the troops of the 4th shock army to the Dretuni area, to the distant approaches to Polotsk, and the 3rd shock to the Wasteland, the enemy, having brought fresh reserves, resisted stubbornly, and their offensive was stopped. Despite the success, both armies, numbering up to 15 divisions, themselves found themselves in a very difficult situation. The fact is that the neck of the breakthrough with a width of 10-11 km, through which the troops passed, was not expanded in a timely manner. The armies were trapped in a huge sack stretched 100 km from north to south and 55 km from west to east. The enemy repeatedly tried to cut the neck, but he only managed to narrow it by two kilometers. The intelligence of the army and the front reported that the enemy was intensely preparing for the offensive. There is a threat of encirclement of our two armies.
The command of the 1st Baltic Front, headed by General Bagramyan I. H., after a thorough assessment of the situation, decided to conduct an offensive operation to encircle and defeat the enemy south of Nevel and in the area of the Town and thereby eliminate the threat of encirclement of our troops. The Stavka supported the idea of the Military Council of the Front and transferred the 11th Guards Army to its composition, the commander of which was appointed Lieutenant General K. N. Galitsky. According to the plan of the front commander , this army was to strike the main blow in the direction of D. Kudiny, Bychikha station, Gorodok, and towards her from the "bag" — the 4th shock army in the direction of Bychikha station. As a result of these strikes, it was supposed to surround six enemy divisions defending in a salient north of the Town and destroy them. Subsequently, the 11th Guards Army was tasked with capturing the Town and advancing on Vitebsk, bypassing it from the northwest, and the 4th Shock Army was to assist it by advancing towards Shumilino from the north. An offensive of the 43rd Army was planned from the east to Vitebsk.
The 11th Guards Army consists of four rifle corps (eleven rifle divisions), the 1st Tank Corps, the 10th Guards Tank Brigade, the 2nd Guards Heavy Tank Regiment, as well as artillery, engineering and other formations and units. The 4th Shock Army, defending itself on a wide front, could attract only two rifle corps (five rifle divisions), the 5th Tank Corps, the 34th Guards Tank Brigade and the 3rd Guards Cavalry Corps to strike, although significantly weakened in previous battles and numbering about 12 thousand people.
The timing of the operation was postponed several times due to the November thaw. Since dirt roads became impassable, we had to go to the extreme measure: deliver shells and mines to firing positions manually, and where possible - by horse-drawn transport. Every day in the 11th Guards Army, up to 2 thousand soldiers were allocated from each division to carry ammunition and other cargo. This made it possible to accumulate about one and a half ammunition sets of shells and mines by the beginning of the offensive. By the beginning of the operation, the 4th Shock Army had only 0.6 ammunition shells and mines.
The offensive began on the morning of December 13. At 7 a.m., the 159th Tank Brigade, reinforced by the 388th division of anti-tank guns and the 1st anti-aircraft battery, in cooperation with units of the 84th Guards Rifle Division, took up initial positions to attack the front edge of the enemy's defense in the area of the village of Zhukovo-2. Behind them in the area of D. Avdeikovo occupied the starting positions of the 44th Motorized Rifle Brigade, reinforced by the 2nd division of the 108th mortar Regiment.
The 117th Tank Brigade, with twelve SU-122 and the 2nd anti-aircraft battery attached, took up its starting position in the area of D. Vodniki.
The enemy was on the defensive on the western bank of the Dubrovka River at the turn of the Maloe Yezerishche, Sergeykovo and further south, riding all the commanding heights and conducting strong artillery and mortar cut-off fire on the ferry near the village of Bulina.
Two sapper battalions - the 183rd separate sapper battalion of the 1st Tank Corps and the sapper battalion of the 11th Guards Army - were given a difficult task by the army commander: to build two bridges across the Dubrovka River. One of them, the high-water one, existed before, but was destroyed. The second, low-water, for the crossing of tanks, had to be built anew. These two bridges were planned to provide a simultaneous attack of tanks and infantry. The idea was that the bridges were planned to be built during the period of artillery preparation in the neutral zone.
At 9 o'clock on December 13, the artillery preparation began. Unfortunately, the fog shackled aviation operations on this day. Sappers immediately started bringing materials and parts to the river and assembling bridges. And here an extremely unpleasant surprise came to light. At 9:15 on the enemy shore, 400-500 meters along the front edge in a solid pine forest, hidden firing positions of enemy artillery came to life. In the floodplain of the river itself, numerous pillboxes and bunkers were equipped along the front edge. Despite the intensity of our artillery preparation, many enemy firing points could not be suppressed, and they were able to conduct targeted fire on our sappers.
This led to large losses when building bridges. Losses were especially high on the restoration of the high-water bridge, which was approached by two bulk dams, and the bridge itself was about 5 meters high. In two hours of operation, the bridge was destroyed four times by enemy artillery. Despite the continuous fire, the work did not stop for a minute.
In order to avoid unjustified losses, the commander of the 1st tank Corps, General Butkov, contrary to the instructions of the commander, ordered the construction of a high-water bridge to be postponed for a while, and to build a low-water bridge with two battalions. The bridge under the tanks with the efforts of two battalions was only able to be built by the end of the day. The delay in time occurred due to the fact that both banks of the river were swamped 100-120 meters from the water, and it was necessary to build a gat. In addition, the entire floodplain of the river was mined with a two-tiered minefield. At 18 o'clock, in the area of the village of Bulina, parts of the corps were put into a breakthrough. Tankers of the 159th Tank Brigade, having crossed the Dubrovka River, rushed to the attack.
During the construction of the crossing, the crossing of the river and during the subsequent offensive, only 1 tank corps lost 220 tankmen and sappers killed and wounded.
I had to organize artillery preparation again, and then repeat the attack. It took a long time. In addition, the enemy pulled up reserves and offered stubborn resistance. By the end of the day, most of the divisions and regiments had advanced a short distance. Only the 84th Guards Rifle Division under the command of Major General G. B. Peters overcame 2 km in a 1.5 km wide strip, i.e. it broke through the first position, and then was delayed by strong enemy counterattacks.
The offensive of the 4th Shock Army on the first day of the operation was more successful. After 1.5 hours of artillery preparation at 11 o'clock, a smoke screen was placed on the breakthrough area and under its cover tanks and infantry of the 2nd Guards Rifle Corps successfully attacked the enemy and quickly broke through the first position. The commander of the 47th Infantry Division, Colonel G. I. Chernov, brought his second echelon into battle, thereby increasing the impact force of the first echelon. The division with the 24th Tank Brigade (commander Colonel V. K. Borodavkin) advanced up to 5 km by the end of the day, breaking through the main defense line. Its success was due to the well-organized interaction of infantry, tanks and artillery. The 90th Guards Rifle Division advancing in the center (commander Colonel V. E. Vlasov) advanced up to 3 km and reached the second position.
On the night of December 14, the necessary regroupings were made, and changes were made to the plan. In the morning, after a powerful artillery preparation, the 84th Guards Rifle Division, in cooperation with the 159th Tank Brigade (commander Colonel S. P. Khaydukov), went on the offensive and began to move forward. Soon, the commander of the 1st Tank Corps brought the 117th Tank and 44th motorized Rifle brigades into battle. As a result of the increased efforts in the first half of the day, the 1st Tank Corps and the 84th Guards Rifle Division, having overcome 4 km, reached the Nevel - Gorodok highway.
During the Gorodok offensive operation, the urban settlement of Yezerishche was liberated from the enemy on December 15, 1943 in the afternoon by soldiers of the 5th Guards Rifle Division and the 29th Rifle Division (commanders N. L. Soldatov and Ya. L. Shteiman).
