It's no secret that the first days of the Great Patriotic War were extremely dramatic: the German army fell like an avalanche on Soviet cities and villages. The command of the Red Army was unable to immediately organize a massive defense, and the only thing that held back the advancing enemy was the heroic actions of individual military units and subunits. Probably the most famous example of such heroism is the defense of the Brest Fortress. The fighters and commanders of its garrison fought in the most difficult conditions, without hope of victory or reinforcements. Therefore, the monument "Courage" to the defenders of the Brest Fortress in Belarus fully justifies its name.
Pre-war history
Fortifications near the city of Brest have been known since the 13th century, but a full-fledged fortress was built in the 30s of the 19th century.
The four islands were builtfour fortifications: the Citadel, or the central fortification (it is there that the Courage monument in the Brest Fortress is now located), Kobrin, Tirespol and Volyn fortifications. Together they covered about four square kilometers.
Until the middle of the 20th century, the fortress changed owners several times: during the First World War, it was captured by the Germans, then, at the end of the war, it passed to the Poles, and only in 1939 the city of Brest and the fortifications around it became Soviet.
By 1941, such fortifications had lost their defensive value (brick walls could not withstand artillery, bombs and tanks), so the Brest Fortress became, in fact, the base of the Soviet troops. There were barracks, hospitals, a school for junior officers.
Brest Fortress is a symbol of courage
However, it was in June 1941, after the German invasion of the Soviet Union, that the fortress and its defenders had to face the most difficult battle in the history of its existence.
On the very first day of the war, having fired from cannons and mortars, the superior enemy forces launched an assault. They did not have time to establish an organized defense: small groups of Red Army soldiers fought to the death, defending the sector where they managed to gain a foothold.
The defense of the Citadel lasted the longest, where the commanders managed to concentrate the largest number of fighters and use the available weapons. The first assault bogged down, the siege of the Central Fortification began. There was not enough ammunition in the besieged fortress,food, but the defenders were most vexed by thirst. Trying to draw water in the Bug River, desperate "water carriers" died from German bullets. And not in vain, in memory of this aspect of the heroic defense, the Courage monument in the Brest Fortress is adjacent to the Thirst sculptural composition.
Perpetuation of memory
For a long time it was believed that the Brest Fortress fell on the first day. However, painstaking work with archives, including German ones, and the enthusiasm of researchers made it possible to revive the memory of the feat.
The names of particularly distinguished commanders and fighters have become known. Many of them were awarded (unfortunately, most of them posthumously), including two became Heroes of the Soviet Union.
However, it is not enough to recognize the merits of individual servicemen - the Brest Fortress was defended by everyone. Therefore, in 1965 she received the well-deserved title of "Hero-Fortress". At the same time, a group of architects and sculptors were commissioned to design a memorial to the defenders of the Brest Fortress in Belarus who showed unparalleled courage.
Architectural and sculptural ensemble
The memorial complex in Brest was opened in 1971. Let's briefly talk about its main attractions.
The main entrance to the territory of the fortress looks like a huge five-pointed star cut into the concrete. Further along the central alley, visitors see the sculptural composition "Thirst": an exhausted soldier reaches for the water with his helmet.
Monument"Courage" in the Brest Fortress occupies a central place. The Eternal Flame burns next to it, around which there are plates with the names of hero cities.
The hundred-meter obelisk "Bayonet" is visible from any point of the memorial. 1020 defenders of the fortress are buried at its foot. The names of 275 of them are engraved on marble slabs. The names of almost 800 more heroes remained unknown.
On the observation deck you can see examples of weapons of the 19th-20th centuries: cannons, machine guns. The Brest Fortress was equipped with such weapons at different times of its existence.
Monument "Courage"
Separately, it must be said about the central sculpture in the composition of the memorial. It is a 33 meter chest image of a soldier. The fighter stares sternly and thoughtfully in front of him.
On the back side of the sculpture, several scenes of the defense of the Fortress are carved: "Attack", "The feat of artillerymen", "Machine gunners" and others. The bas-relief "Courage" in the Brest Fortress, with a variety of subjects, seeks to embody the well-known principle: "Nothing is forgotten, no one is forgotten."
Meaning of achievement
From the point of view of military tactics, the defense of the fortress did not significantly affect the course of hostilities, not only at the global, but even at the local level. Within a few weeks, Soviet soldiers managed to "tie up" a relatively small enemy grouping. Of course, this did not stop or even slow down the advance of the German army.
Sodid the defenders of the Brest Fortress lay down their lives in vain? Not! From the very first days of the war, Soviet soldiers and the civilian population made it clear to the occupiers that they would not give up an inch of their native land without fierce fighting. The feat of one garrison is not able to influence the outcome of the war - the feat of millions threw back the fascist armada to Berlin. The "Courage" monument in the Brest Fortress is a monument to each of these millions.
