Remembering the heroes of the war, from the day of victory in which it has already gone the eighth decade, one cannot go past the names of submariners, among which one of the most striking figures is Admiral Vladimir Konovalov, Hero of the Soviet Union. According to historians, on the account of the submarine, which he commanded, the largest number sent to the bottom and damaged enemy ships.
Peasant son - cadet of the Academy M.V. Frunze
Admiral Konovalov was born on December 5, 1911 in the family of a peasant in the village of Nadezhnoye, Zaporizhzhya region. His childhood fell on the difficult years of the Civil War, which was swept by Ukraine. In Donetsk, where his family soon moved, Volodya graduated from high school and entered the rabfak Mining Institute, preparing, like most residents of the city, to devote himself to mining. But his life was completely different.
In those years, it was decided to promote the most energetic and active Komsomol members to the responsible sectors of the construction of the Soviet state, where they were especially urgent. The turn came to a young rabfakist - a native of the poorest peasants. In 1932, the future Admiral Konovalov went to Leningrad on a Komsomol trip and became a cadet at the naval school named after M.V. Frunze.
Service on the Black Sea
After four years of study, the young lieutenant Konovalov goes to the Black Sea Fleet, where he continues to serve on the M-51 submarine. From the first days he manages to establish himself as an executive and competent specialist, in connection with which the fleet command entrusts him with the fulfillment of many important tasks. For some time Vladimir Konstantinovich occupied various positions in the naval aviation of the fleet, and then was appointed to the submarine, which was called the “Revolutionary”.
Having started serving on this submarine warship as a navigator, he soon becomes an assistant commander and holds this position until 1939, when by order of the command he is sent to the Higher Special Courses of the Naval Command. Rear Admiral V.K. Konovalov has always been distinguished by a desire to study and comprehensively improve his professional level, so the prospect that opened then fully corresponded to his plans.
First battles and first victories
After a year of study, the young sailor is again in the Baltic Fleet. Here he assumes the post of assistant commander of the submarine "L-3", bore the name "Frunzenec", which was destined to go down in the history of the coming war. From the first days of the German attack on our country and until 1942, Admiral Konovalov, then still a lieutenant commander, took part in five military campaigns.
The task assigned to the crew of the submarine was to carry out the tasks of guard duty, to cover the flank units of our ground forces and to establish minefields that disrupted the Nazi naval communications. The result of these actions was the destruction of four large enemy ships sunk as a result of torpedo attacks or undermined by mines placed by submariners.
Study in the Pacific
And even during intense fighting, Vladimir Konstantinovich does not stop learning. To improve his professional level, he is sent to the Far East, where he undergoes annual training on one of the submarines of the Pacific Fleet. Returning to the Baltic in 1943, the future Admiral Konovalov, and at that time - the captain of the third rank, takes command of the very submarine on which he previously served as an assistant commander.
On the eve of victory
The last two years of the war were especially intense for the L-3 crew. The fascists, feeling their doom, fiercely resisted the Soviet units that pressed them on all fronts. In this situation, a lot depended on the actions of the fleet, and especially the Baltic sailors, who were at the epicenter of the developing events.
In the period 1944-1945. the submarine under the command of V.K. Konovalov, operating mainly in the southern waters of the Baltic Sea, was engaged in the installation of sea mines on approaches to enemy bases and blocked the routes of enemy communications by them. It was a difficult and dangerous task, and the situation at the front often depended on its successful implementation. And the submariners successfully coped with it. Many enemy ships went to the bottom, pushing against their minefields.
Small depth torpedo attack
In February 1945, when our troops developed a victorious offensive, their advance in the Zemland Peninsula area was stopped by artillery fire opened by German ships near the coast. Konovalov received an order to urgently attack the enemy and force him to cease fire. Stealthily approaching the enemy, the submariners launched a torpedo attack, as a result of which one German ship was sunk, while the rest, not wishing to tempt fate, left the fighting position.
The sailors carried out the order, but it was fraught with great risk. After, having fired a torpedo, the submarine found its presence, the Nazis dropped twenty-eight depth charges to destroy it. It was only by a fluke that none of them reached their goal. Describing this episode, the participants in the events noted that it was very difficult to leave the area of attack. German ships settled in shallow water, and the submarine was supposed to move under them literally a few meters from their keels.
Destruction of the Goya
Telling about the hero’s life and noting her most vivid moments, Admiral Konovalov’s biographers always mention a torpedo attack that sent the German transport ship Goya to the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Subsequently, German historians of the Second World War called this episode "the largest tragedy in the history of navigation." This is not surprising, because of the seven thousand passengers on board, among whom were about one thousand three hundred submariners and one and a half thousand tank crews, only one hundred and ninety-five people managed to escape.
This operation was a demonstration of the high skill of the crew of the submarine and its commander. Catching up with enemy vehicles and yielding to him in speed, Konovalov decides to pursue the enemy, while being in the water position. This was an extremely risky measure, but it was she who allowed the Germans to overtake and inflict a crushing blow. When the enemy patrol ships arrived at the scene of the attack, brilliantly performing a complex maneuver, the submariners were able to safely break away from the pursuit.
Honored Awards
Rear Admiral Konovalov Vladimir Kharitonovich met the end of the war, still with the rank of captain of the third rank, the golden admiral epaulettes were still ahead. The homeland noted his merits in battles with the Nazis with the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, as well as many orders and medals. But the main reward was, of course, the victory, which the people received at an incredibly high price.
Postwar veteran
Having served some more time on the legendary L-3, he parted with his ship. During this period, the crew of a captured submarine captured from the Germans in the last days of the war was manned. By decision of the commander in chief, Vladimir Konovalov was appointed its commander.
Admiral Konovalov, as already mentioned, all his life sought to improve his knowledge. In 1947 he entered the academy, and three years later he successfully graduated from it. Since then, for five years, Vladimir Konstantinovich has been at the teaching job, and then occupies a number of prominent command posts, using his combat experience and knowledge gained in the course of study.
The legendary submariner died of heart disease on November 29, 1967 in Leningrad. The funeral was held at the Red Cemetery, where on his grave was installed a slab of dark granite with the inscription: "Hero of the Soviet Union Rear Admiral Vladimir Konstantinovich Konovalov, 1911-1967."