It is no secret that the first days of World War II were extremely dramatic: the German army fell in avalanche into Soviet cities and villages. The command of the Red Army was unable to immediately organize a massive defense, and the only thing that restrained the advancing enemy was the heroic actions of individual military units and units. Probably the most famous example of such heroism is the defense of the Brest Fortress. In difficult conditions, without the hope of victory or reinforcements, the fighters and commanders of its garrison fought. Therefore, the monument “Courage” to the defenders of the Brest Fortress in Belarus fully justifies its name.
Prewar history
Defense structures near the city of Brest have been known since the XIII century, but a full-fledged fortress was erected in the 30s of the XIX century.
Four fortifications were built on four islands: the Citadel, or the central fortification (the Monument in the Brest Fortress monument is now located there), the Kobrin, Tirespol and Volyn fortifications. Together they occupied about four square kilometers.
Until the middle of the twentieth century, the fortress changed its owners several times: the Germans captured it in the First World War, then, at the end of the war, it passed to the Poles and only in 1939 the city of Brest and the fortifications near it became Soviet.
By 1941, such fortifications lost their defense significance (brick walls could not withstand artillery, bombs and tanks), so the Brest Fortress became, in fact, the base of Soviet troops. There were barracks, hospitals, a school for junior command personnel.
Brest Fortress - 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 the opportunity to accept the most difficult battle in the history of its existence.
On the very first day of the war, having fired from cannons and mortars, superior enemy forces launched an assault. They did not manage to establish organized defense: small groups of Red Army soldiers stood to their deaths, protecting the area on which 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 choked, the siege of the Central fortification began. In the blocked fortress there was not enough ammunition, food, but thirst most annoyed the defenders. Trying to draw water in the Bug River, desperate "water carriers" died from German bullets. And it is not in vain that in memory of this aspect of heroic defense the monument “Courage” in the Brest Fortress is adjacent to the sculptural composition “Thirst”.
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 allowed to revive the memory of the feat.
The names of particularly distinguished commanders and fighters became known. Many of them were awarded (unfortunately, most posthumously), including two became Heroes of the Soviet Union.
However, it is not enough to recognize the merits of individual military personnel - everyone and everyone defended the Brest Fortress. Therefore, in 1965, she received the well-deserved title "Hero Fortress." At the same time, a group of architects and sculptors was commissioned to design the 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. Briefly tell about its main attractions.
The main entrance to the fortress has the appearance of a huge five-pointed star cut in concrete. Further along the central avenue, visitors see the sculptural composition "Thirst": an exhausted soldier reaches for a helmet with water.
The monument “Courage” in the Brest Fortress occupies a central place. Next to it, the Eternal Flame burns , around which there are plates with the names of hero cities.
The 100-meter obelisk "Bayonet" is visible from anywhere in the memorial. At its foot 1020 defenders of the fortress are buried. On marble slabs the names of 275 of them are embossed. The names of almost 800 more heroes remained unknown.
On the observation platform you can see samples of weapons of the XIX-XX centuries: guns, machine guns. At different times of its existence, the Brest Fortress was equipped with such weapons.
Monument "Courage"
Separately, it should 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 fortress defense were carved: "Attack", "Feat of Artillerymen", "Machine Gunners" and others. The bas-relief "Courage" in the Brest Fortress, with a variety of plots, seeks to embody the well-known principle: "Nothing is forgotten, nobody is forgotten."
Meaning of feat
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. For several weeks, Soviet soldiers managed to "tie" a relatively small enemy group. Of course, this did not stop or even slow the advance of the German army.
So have the defenders of the Brest Fortress folded their heads in vain? Not! From the very first days of the war, Soviet soldiers and the civilian population made it clear to the invaders that without fierce fighting they would not give up an inch of their native land. The feat of one garrison is not capable of influencing the outcome of the war - the feat of millions threw the fascist armada back to Berlin. The monument “Courage” in the Brest Fortress is a monument to each of these millions.