Dubosekovo junction: a memorial to the Panfilov heroes as a symbol of the steadfastness of the defenders of Moscow

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:47

There are many places in the Moscow region covered with the glory of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War who fell on the outskirts of the capital. The most famous is a field in the Volokolamsk region near the village of Nelidovo, where bloody battles took place at the Dubosekovo railway siding in the fall of 1941. The memorial to the Panfilov heroes, erected on a hill to mark the 30th anniversary of the Victory, is the largest monument to the feat of the defenders of Moscow, attracting tourists from all over the world.

Immortal feat

It's hard to imagine, but the offensive operation of the Nazis on Moscow called "Typhoon" in September-October 1941 brought them real success. Parts of the three fronts of the Soviet troops were defeated near Vyazma, and the army fought heavy defensive battles, retreating with huge losses. The enemy came so close that on October 15, the Defense Committee announced the evacuation of the capital. This iscaused some real panic.

The unfired 316th division of General Panfilov was one of the four that held the defense in the Volokolamsk direction with a length of 20 km. The legendary 4th company of the 1075th regiment held a stronghold on a hill near the railway near the village of Nelidovo, one and a half kilometers from the Dubosekovo station (the memorial was created here). Its location was so successful that the enemy could only advance along the railroad, which was completely visible from the fortified positions of the company.

On November 16, in this direction, the Nazis launched a tank attack, throwing more than fifty units of military equipment against Soviet soldiers armed with combustible mixtures. The battle continued for four hours, during which the German 2nd Panzer Division failed to gain a positional advantage. Having no artillery support, the fourth company, inspired by political instructor Vasily Klochkov, did not give up an inch of land, leaving 15 enemy tanks burning at the battlefield (according to another version - 18). It was a massive feat not only of the fourth company. In the Volokolamsk direction, the entire division of I. Panfilov heroically showed itself, and only 120 people survived from the personnel of the 1075th regiment. A nearby village witnessed the events.

Dubosekovo: memorial to the anniversary of the Victory

After the article about twenty-eight heroes of the 4th company appeared in the Red Star, their feat became a symbol of the steadfastness of the defenders of Moscow. On the example of the Panfilovites, the spirit was formedan invincible army that launched a counteroffensive on December 5, despite the fact that the enemy managed to approach the capital at a distance of 20–25 km. The post-war generation, brought up on the standards of patriotism, honors the feat of the soldiers presented in 1942 to the Star of the Hero. This was the only case when the award was awarded posthumously to a whole list compiled by the company commander. In 1967, a museum in memory of the Panfilov heroes was created in Nelidovo, and a memorial was created for the 30th anniversary of the Victory at Dubosekovo station, including:

• A sculptural group of six monumental figures of fighters 10 meters high, personifying representatives of various nationalities, because the 316th division was created in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. It includes the entire multinational Soviet Union.
• Concrete slabs, symbolizing the cordon that the Nazis failed to overcome.
• A granite slab with a description of a historical event.
• Ritual square with a star where flowers are laid.
• Museum-dot with an observation deck.

A whole team of architects, sculptors and engineers took part in the construction of the memorial complex: F. Fedorov, A. Postol, N. Lyubimov, I. Stepanov, Yu. Krivushchenko, V. Datyuk, S. Khadzhibaranov. The placement of stone heroes on a hill causes a feeling of spiritual awe for all visitors to the memorial. The sculptural group is divided into three parts. Ahead is the figure of political instructor Klochkov, peering into the distance from under his arm. Behind him are two fighters clutching grenades in their hands. They are internally ready for battle. The center of the composition is a figure of threewarriors with determined faces. One of them is a commander calling soldiers to battle.

Literary fiction or reality?

On the eve of the 70th anniversary of the Victory, archival documents on the investigation of the military prosecutor's office (1948) were made public, the results of which refute the reality of the feat of 28 soldiers of the fourth company of General Panfilov. The investigation was carried out in connection with the revealed fact that six fighters remained alive: two were captured, and four were seriously wounded. Subsequently, one of the soldiers tarnished his name by going to the service of the Nazis. The historical episode was attributed to the literary fiction of the journalist A. Krivitsky. Despite this, the most common question in the Volokolamsk region is the question of where Dubosekovo (memorial) is located, how to get to it in order to pay tribute to the memory of the heroes.

For the conclusions of the commission are tendentious in nature and are associated with a desire to spoil the reputation of the outstanding military leader G. K. Zhukov, who is in disgrace with I. Stalin. All the testimonies of the participants, the memoirs of Zhukov himself, as well as the burial of more than a hundred fighters in a mass grave (the village of Nelidovo) testify to a historical fact. You can specify the personal composition of Panfilov's heroes, the number of destroyed tanks, but this does not detract from the massive feat of the defenders of Moscow.

Today

Dubosekovo, the memorial near which is of federal importance, in 2015 became the venue for the grand festival "Battlefield". For three days of historicalclubs recreated the reconstruction of events with immersion in the heroic era of the Great Patriotic War. More than 20 thousand spectators witnessed a unique spectacle designed to tell the younger generation about the feats of arms of their fathers and grandfathers. A similar event was planned for 2016 to mark the 75th anniversary of the feat of the Panfilovites. It was canceled due to large-scale works to improve the territory of the memorial complex, which will last until October.

What is the name of the memorial (Dubosekovo)? How to get to the place of the feat of the fourth company? Until 2015, the federal monument was actually not on the balance sheet of any official organization, so you can find many names for the memorial. The Moscow region took responsibility for the maintenance of the memorial site. Its official name is the Memorial Complex "Feat 28".

Dubosekovo station is now part of the rural settlement of Chismenskoye, which can be reached by train from the Rizhsky railway station (route: to Volokolamsk or Shakhovskaya). Travel time is just over 2 hours. By car, follow the Novorizhskoye highway to Volokolamsk. The city is located 9 km from the memorial. Moving to the first crossroads, you need to turn left, passing the villages of Zhdanovo and Nelidovo. Wedding corteges often pass along this route. On the happiest day, the newlyweds want to visit the sacred places of their historical homeland.