Adolescents in salted vests, with a gait of a youngster and the habits of experienced men ... Jung - a kind of symbol of eternity and the inviolability of naval traditions. If there is a boy who is ready not to leave the flaming deck, then there must be a fleet!
The article will focus on the Solovetsky Jung school, the history of this institution, its creation, graduates and memory.
Pupils of Petrova
Young people in Russia appeared almost simultaneously with the fleet - in 1707 Peter the Great created the first school in the country where young people were trained as sailors. This school operated in Kronstadt, but not for long. Then there was a similar school at the Sturm College, and in 1912 an attempt was made to restore the Kronstadt institution.
The reason for the establishment of such schools (by the way, for a long time the name was written in violation of the rules of Russian grammar - “school of youngs”, since the term “young” of Dutch origin) is the need to provide future sailors with professional training. The sailor needed to know and be able to do much more than the soldier, and preparing good sailors from recruits or conscripts was not easy - it took a lot of time.
The Soviet government also understood this, and in 1940 created its own Jung school on the island of Valaam. But her students did not have time to get good training - the war did not wait for them. What is the role of the Solovetsky Jung School? We will talk about this later.
Comrade Shift
Valaamian young people died almost all (out of 200 people survived no more than a dozen), fighting for the so-called "Nevsky Piglet". They proved themselves to be patriots and heroes, but did not fulfill their main appointment - they could not become a personnel reserve for the fleet. But the problem was growing rapidly - in the first war years, experienced sailors died en masse, and it was impossible to replace them with conscripts from remote areas where the sea had never been seen. The poorly educated candidates were not suitable either - they were not able to cope with rather complicated naval equipment.
Reservists, who had previously served, were sent to the ships, but they also managed to forget a lot, and the equipment did not stand still. Draftees, many of whom were already well over thirty, could not be considered full-fledged professional sailors. The need has ripened for the creation of a new school for the training of sailors, which could serve in war and cope with naval equipment.
Admiral's decree on the establishment of a school
The corresponding decision was made by the People's Commissar of the Navy of the USSR Admiral N. G. Kuznetsov. It is in his honor that the very famous Russian aircraft carrier, who recently carried out a campaign to the Syrian coast, was named. On May 25, 1942, the admiral signed a decree on the creation of a Jung school in the Solovetsky Islands.
The institution was supposed to train sailors of the most important wartime specialties: radio operators, signalmen, helmsmen, electricians, mechanics, minders, as well as naval boatswaines.
Solovki was convenient for several reasons - and close to the war zone, and relatively safe, and there was some technical base, and the former monastery premises were easily adapted for classes and barracks. The academic year was planned to begin on September 1 - thus, there was time to conduct an introductory campaign and draw up training programs. Only volunteers should be recruited through the Komsomol organization. However, Admiral N.G. Kuznetsov specifically indicated in his order that not Komsomol members could become cadets.
Violators of the Geneva Convention
I must say that many young candidates took this admiral's clarification in a peculiar way. Although officially teenagers of 15-16 years old were recruited to school, cadets who frankly did not reach the Komsomol age appeared there almost by hook or by crook. During the war there were many cases of loss or damage to documents, and it was not always possible to verify the data. The youngest Solovetsky Jung at the time of enrollment was only ... 11 years old!
Yes, the recruitment of 15-year-old boys in their youths (and in a year they should have gone to serve!) Was clearly contrary to the norms of the humanitarian Geneva Convention, which prohibited the use of persons under the age of 18 in regular military service. But on the other hand, these actions were fully consistent with moral standards and the patriotic moods of Soviet youth in wartime.
Soviet boys knew for sure: the fascist must be beaten before his complete extermination! But the existence of the Geneva Convention, most of them had no idea and did not want to have. Those children of the USSR who changed the year of birth of 1925 to 1923 in the new passports in order to get to the front faster or at the age of 11 swore that they were 15 were distinguished by the main quality of a well-bred child - their desire to become adults as soon as possible. And they understood growing up correctly - as responsibility, work and duty.
Fierce competition
And there were a lot of such youth in the USSR! Former youths themselves said that, for example, in Moscow, with an order of 500 seats for the first set, 3,500 applications were submitted in a few days.
However, they chose strictly. It is a mistake to believe that only street children were sent to Suvorov schools or Jung schools during the war. This was also done, but only with those vagabond children who did not exactly stain themselves with crimes. More often, young workers, former small partisans and sons of the regiments, as well as the children of dead servicemen, became candidates.
They should have had education of at least 6 classes (some tricks managed to circumvent this norm) and good health (it was more difficult here - medical commissions “wrapped” many). They taught them from 9 to 11 months, very intensively, and the program included not only the discipline of the specialty, but also the Russian language, mathematics, and natural sciences. They even arranged a dance school in the best traditions of the Russian Navy (with a hint that captains would still grow out of the Jung - the ability to dance was considered mandatory for the "right" naval officer). Trained youths became a truly valuable talent pool.
Unrecognized Jung Veterans
The Solovetsky school of the Jung navy produced 5 issues (3 during the war, and 2 after its completion - these graduates mainly went to minesweepers to clear the sea of mines). Later, the school was transferred to Kronstadt, and the Solovetsky youths ended - Kronstadt appeared.
During the war years, the Solovetsky Jung school graduated 4111 people, who then served in all fleets (they were distributed strictly, due to necessity). Almost 1,000 young people did not return home, giving their lives to defend their homeland. Most of them were radio operators, but there were many motorists and artillery electricians. There were helmsmen, signalmen and representatives of other marine specialties.
Often on ships, graduates of the Solovetsky Jung school were almost the most educated and trained members of the team (tension with personnel remained until the end of the war). In these cases, a paradoxical situation developed - 16-17-year-old boys were in the role of mentors and leaders of 40-year-old uncles. Of course, they did not forget to remind the Jungs of subordination, but still studied in good faith. However, senior conscripts still remembered well the campaign to eradicate adult illiteracy, when 10-year-old pioneers also acted as teachers of grandparents. So the Soviet sailors understood well: young did not mean little knowledge.
They were awarded not very willingly, but awarded. Solovetsky graduate V. Moiseenko in 1945 received the title Hero of the Soviet Union. Sasha Kovalev (he was not even Alexander yet - Sasha!) Had the Order of the Red Star and World War II; many were awarded medals. But with the post-war recognition, things did not work out. Until 1985, the Solovetsky youths were not even considered participants in the Great Patriotic War! There was a deliberate concealment of the fact that they took the military oath (perhaps the same Geneva Convention was to blame, from which it was necessary to hide the fifteen-year-old captains). And only the persistence of Marshal Akhromeev allowed to correct the injustice.
But the memory was preserved without regard to bureaucratic red tape. As early as 1972 (the 30th anniversary of the school), the first monuments to the boys from Solovki began to appear, and the congress of former Jungs became traditional.
Versatile fraternity
It is noteworthy that among the young people who survived the war, there were a lot of versatile talented people who achieved a lot in a wide variety of specialties.
V. Korobov, Yu. Pandorin, and N. Usenko all their lives associated with the fleet, rising to the rank of admiral, rear admiral, and captain of rank 2, respectively. These three sailors after the war under different circumstances received the title of Heroes of the Soviet Union. Four more former graduates were awarded the stars of Heroes of Socialist Labor.
I.K. Peretrukhin chose military service in another area - he became an officer of counterintelligence. Those youngsters who decided to change their uniform with a peakless cap to a civilian suit also showed themselves perfectly. B.T. Shtokolov earned the title of People's Artist of the USSR - he was a famous opera singer, performer of bass parts. V.V. Leonov starred in several dozen films; in addition, he was a bard, an amateur performer of his own songs. G.N. Matyushin fought for the preservation of the history of his native country as decisively as he defended it from the enemy - the archaeological scientist received the title of academician. V. G. Guzanov wrote scripts for films and books; He also did a lot to establish cultural Russian-Japanese relations, was a recognized specialist in Japanese studies. Some of his books are written in Japanese.
But the most widely known is one of the most malicious violators of the Geneva Convention. Valentin Savich Pikul attributed a year to entering the Solovetsky school. He had a chance to carry out military service, but fate was supportive - the young sailor survived. And later V.S. Pikul became famous as perhaps the most famous Soviet and Russian writer specializing in historical novels. Soviet readers (generally spoiled by good literature) stood in line for his books and reprinted them for themselves on typewriters. At the same time, almost half of Pikul’s novels are anyway, but connected with the marine theme.
Book about the Solovetsky Jung School "Boys with Bows"
The writer did not forget his stormy youth on Solovki. He dedicated the novel “Boys with Bows” to his comrades in the Jung school and their difficult fate. He described the life of the Solovetsky school and the fate of its graduates in his works and V. G. Guzanov.
If these works of former Jungs are essentially autobiographical literature, then there is a popular one, designed to convey to today's youth the memory of the feat of peers. The collection “The Sea Calls the Bold” is an example. It is noteworthy that it was published in Yaroslavl - where Yaroslavl, and where Solovki!
The history of the Solovetsky Jung school was also reflected in Soviet cinema - on its basis the film “Young of the Northern Fleet” was shot.
The memory in stone about the famous school
This reliable material also adequately stores the feat of young heroes in vests. The very first monument appeared on Solovki in honor of the 30th anniversary of the school. It was built by the former youths, on their own and at their own expense.
Later, after the Solovetsky Jungs were officially recognized as veterans of the Great Patriotic War, both the authorities and the general public were involved in perpetuating their memory. In Moscow in 1995, the Solovetsky Jung Square appeared. In 1993, a monument to young sailors was erected on the embankment of the Northern Dvina, and in 2005, on the square named after them (in both cases, the sculptor F. Sogayan was the author).
But the most interesting monument stands in the courtyard of one of the Moscow schools (now - the gymnasium "Vertical"). He appeared in 1988, and the author of the project was also the Solovetsky graduate - artist E. N. Goryachev. The Moscow school was also famous for having created the country's first museum of the Solovetsky Jung - with the help of veterans themselves and teacher and student enthusiasm. It should be noted that the Komsomol also played a significant role in its organization - the communist youth union was engaged not only in propaganda, but also (to a greater extent) moral and patriotic education. The museum appeared in 1983, and until 2012 it was led by captain 1st rank (retired) N.V. Osokin, a former Solovetsky young man.
“I never thought, comrades, that they would open a museum about the Jungs,” wrote bard V.V. Leonov on this occasion. His poems became the motto of this unique institution.
Happy anniversary, comrades!
In 2017, the 75th anniversary of the Solovetsky Jung school was celebrated. Celebrations on this occasion were held in Moscow, Arkhangelsk and, of course, on Solovki. In recent years, the fate of former cadets (13 of them now live in the Arkhangelsk region) and the Solovetsky Jung school of Arkhangelsk itself and its leadership have become very interested. In a festive atmosphere, the traditional anniversary meeting of the few remaining graduates took place. The regional leadership spoke of the need to create a museum and memorial on Solovki.
Indeed, the Solovetsky Islands, where the Jung school lived, should be ashamed that in this regard they lost the championship to Moscow. Moreover, the leadership of the current Solovetsky monastery refers to the initiative to create a Jung museum with understanding and support. For the sake of such a good cause, the monks agree to "move" a bit and provide any assistance in scientific and organizational work.
And the school itself may also be reborn. A proposal has been sent to the President of Russia to transfer some structures of the naval cadet corps to Solovki so that the heroic Solovetsky youths serve again on Russian courts. Who knows. Perhaps the story of the famous Solovetsky Jung school has not yet ended ...