The defense of Osovets is one of the important pages in Russian military history. Russian soldiers began defending the place on September 21 of the 14th year. Almost any modern person knows about the heroism of the defenders of the Brest Fortress, but for some reason Osovets is much less known, although his defenders laid down their lives and showed no less heroism, trying to defend their freedom and defend their homeland. However, the history of Osovets was very much shocked by his contemporaries, so from the memoirs and memoirs, the works of historians who worked on those days, it is possible to reconstruct in sufficient detail the events of a significant military moment.
What is it about?
The defense of Osovets is a stage of the First World War. Thanks to the strength, fidelity, and the inflexibility of the defenders, the fortress was glorious throughout the empire. It was erected in order to protect the corridor of the Vistula, Neman. The significance of this site cannot be underestimated, it was here that one could go with minimal time into the depths of the Russian Empire, moving from the east of Prussia. It was not possible to circumvent this security point. He was placed on the river banks of the Beaver, in order to keep the district under strict vigilant control. The fortress was surrounded by insurmountable swamps. The only weakness, as it turned out later, was the ill-conceived garrison strength. To protect Osovets, sent several regiments.
Later, when the attack began, recorded in the annals of our history, the defenders composed a song in which they briefly but very vividly described their habitat. A special emphasis in this folk creation was made on the terrible surrounding swamps, into which no enemy dared to poke. Osovets himself, his defenders called the fortress "on the edge of the world."
Heroes and more
Nowadays, few people remember the ups and downs of Osovets’s defense, but even fewer people can remember how the Novogeorgievskaya fortress was known . For some time it was the true pride of our state - a huge, impeccably fortified building, truly grand for its days. This fortress was considered perhaps the most powerful in European territories. It seemed that the enemy would not be able to take it, no matter what efforts were applied. The garrison was almost 100 thousand soldiers, which accounted for a thousand guns. Such a fortress was truly impregnable. The Germans besieged this site, as it were, beyond their control, and only ten days later they were celebrating the victory. The general responsible for the guard, went over to the side of the enemy and already from his camp sent an order to surrender. More than two thousand officers surrendered at the mercy of the enemy. There were 23 generals who participated in this shameful event in Russian military history. The enemy received an incredibly strong, fortified, luxurious fortress at his complete disposal in perfect condition, and at the same time - an abundance of artillery and ammunition.
As historians say, of all the moments of military history, this is one of the most shameful. A few months before the siege, the garrison decomposed. The only topic of discussion was the discussion of the moment when the general would betray his subordinates. What is surprising: the bid of the Grand Duke ignored what was happening. However, the Osovovets defense subsequently did not quite develop at all.
Unique and important
From the above it is clear that the importance of other fortifications in a similar section of the front has grown immeasurably. Osovets became especially significant morally. The first month the fortress was defended under the control of Shulman. At the very beginning of 1915, Brzhozovsky came to replace him. Subsequent studies of the events of that time show: both of these military men flawlessly fulfilled the obligations assigned to them by rank and chance. Among the officers, the name best known to historians is Khmelkov. In combat, he showed his courage, courage and intelligence, reflecting the attack of the enemy. Khmelkov was responsible for the defense of the fortress. Twice received a concussion, became a victim of poisonous gas. According to many, it is thanks to Khmelkov that the fortress in which he served will be remembered for many centuries. During the Soviet period, he happened to prove himself as a military engineer. In the 39th, the People’s Commissariat decided to publish a book on the defense of the Osovets fortress.
It is worth recognizing that at that time many young military personnel either did not know about this event in the history of their country, or had a vague idea of what was happening earlier. The book allowed to convey to the masses the truth about the courage of the defenders of the Fatherland. It is believed that the folk song, composed by the defenders of the fortifications, survived to this day only thanks to this book and to Khmelkov himself.
How it all started
From Osovec to the Prussian border, there were 23.5 km. As soon as it became known about the war, the garrison realized: the enemy would soon be near. Already in September, 40 battalions appeared within sight. The number of the advancing army was comparable to that which the inhabitants of Novogeorgievsk saw on the approaches to the house.
The defense of the Osowiec fortress began with a clear awareness of the incredible numerical superiority of the attackers. The companies of the defenders of the patronymic were soon pushed to a sufficient distance so that artillery shelling could begin. The enemy authorities sent from Kenigsberg six dozen guns with a caliber of up to 203 mm.
Two days of continuous shelling allowed the attackers to decide that the defenders were in shock, and therefore could not resist. A new assault began, culminating in a retreat under the artillery fire of the defenders. The next day, the Germans were again surprised: the infantry, which was supposed to demoralize the initial attack and numerical domination, launched a counterattack from the flank. The attackers retreated, took away artillery. The commanders of the operation, the German officials realized: just like that, the fortress will not give up.
The people and the king
The defense of the Osovets fortress during the First World War was not easy for defenders, and it was clear from the outside: the risks were great. This did not prevent the reigning person from personally heading into the fortifications in order to maintain the morale of the army. The military greeted him with enthusiastic cries. The commandant, as is known from extant sources, was confused, too afraid for the life of a regal person who showed herself at the forefront. The king went to the fort, then to the church, previously damaged by shelling, crossed himself at the icon, which he himself presented to the temple in the 97th. The priest, with whom the emperor talked, said that there was nothing terrible, only had to get bored when the shells began to fall near the church - then the holy father moved to the temple.
The defense of the Osowiec fortress during the First World War, as it seemed to the king, will be successful. Satisfied with the picture, the monarch departed. As contemporaries recall, the tsar had the habit of personally visiting points important for Russian military history on the eve of especially significant events. A similar situation developed when the enemies attacked Sarakamysh: the king appeared before the fighters, gave them moral strength, and the area, previously unknown to anyone, wrote down its name in legend. Osovets survived similar ups and downs of fate.
Attempt number two
The initial attack on the Russian fortress did not give the desired result, so the enemy withdrew for thought and for the construction of plans corresponding to the state of affairs. It was necessary to wait until the frost seized the swamps, the river. However, the attackers simply did not have a choice: the road to Minsk and Grodno began behind the fortifications. There were no alternatives. The main defense of the Osovets fortress during World War I began in the first month of the 15th year. The first assault took place on February 3. For five days, having only small trenches, valiant defenders did not allow the enemy to pass, although the fortifications did not provide absolutely no protection from the large-caliber guns used by the enemy.
The last reserve, which went to the heroic defense of the fortress Osovec, was the commandant who commanded the fortification. Brzhozovsky brought with him all the staff ranks. By this moment, the rank and file were exhausted, exhausted by conditions incompatible with life. The serf infantry decided to withdraw to the second line of defense. The responsibility for the event was assumed by the commander of the serf garrison.
The movement of forces
In short, the defense of the Osovets fortress both in the first and second attempt of the Germans had a similar plot: the infantry retreated, the enemy transferred the guns to the firing zone, the shelling began.
When analyzing the actions that took place then, it is worth mentioning: the fortress was erected at a time when aviation, especially combat, was not in principle. Accordingly, there was no disguise for looking from above; all forts could be examined and their features and positions recorded.
Moats filled with water sparkled in the sun, parapets were created with perfectly regular surfaces, barracks walls were covered with oily paint. The enemy could restore in detail what the fortress was from the inside. It was not difficult to determine where its weak points were in order to strike precisely here.
Another weakness that played a fatal role in the year of the defense of the Osovets fortress was the condition of the guns and the position of the equipment. In total, the garrison had 18 batteries, of which only four had shelter. The accompanying flash shots allowed the attackers to easily determine where the shooting was from.
Is there any chance?
According to many, the Russian troops always had poor training, had poor weapons, ammunition. If this were an absolute truth, probably the chronicle of the defense of the Osovets fortress in World War I would be radically different. Subsequently, analysts, restoring the events of the era, considered: the enemy had artillery prepared much worse than Russian. Incidentally, in those days it was believed that we had the best infantrymen, but everything else lags behind foreigners. As practice has shown, in Osovets, domestic artillerymen showed better training and preparation in comparison with enemy ones. In many respects, according to researchers, traditions and education played a role.
New days - new opportunities
In February 14th, it seemed to the Germans that before a personal acquaintance with the results of the defense of the Osovets fortress, there was a stone's throw. The authorities sent special superheavy guns and 420 mm cannons to support the advancing. All over the world, such a technique had no analogues in power and quality. Compared to the previous 203 mm, the new ones seemed real giants. One shell of such a gun weighed 800 kg. After his explosion, a funnel five meters deep remained, the diameter of which reached 15 m. Together with them, 305 mm caliber guns came to the aid of the attackers, giving a volley of 360 units. Technical resources made it possible to repeat such volleys every four minutes. The Germans attracted airplanes, from which the defenders of the fortifications were also bombed.
Initially, it was believed that an intense daily bombardment would be enough for the defenders to lay down their arms. The maximum calculation included two days of resistance. The General Staff asked the defenders to withstand 48 hours, however, not allowing it to be feasible. Nobody could believe that the fortifications would stand for another six months. Only retrospectively, after counting all the days and hours, the researchers realized that the defense of the Osovets fortress ended 190 days after the start of the siege.
Scary days
Later Khmelkov will tell in his memoirs what the first days of the intense shelling that started on February 25 looked like. On the 27-28th, the shelling became a hurricane. The attempt to defeat did not stop until the third of March. In total, as Khmelkov later estimated, the enemy fired up to 250,000 heavy shells. The total explosive power of all this ammunition was the one that the entire army of the Empire spent on the front for several months. The center of all this horror was a small fortress, lost in swamps and guarded by a small garrison.
From the memoirs you can learn that the brick parts of the internal fortifications easily scattered, and all the wooden ones were engaged in fire. Concrete was weak, cracked, spalls appeared in the walls. Funnels ruined the highway, the trenches were erased, the connection was broken. The density of hits was so great that the site as if someone had blown up. The forts collapsed, nothing alive could be preserved in these places. At least, the Germans decided so, until suddenly in response they received a salvo of a pair of guns brought earlier from Kronstadt. Enemy scouts did not notice these guns, for which the attackers paid well. The first shot destroyed one of the largest attacking guns, the second hit another gun. The third shot deprived the Germans of ammunition.
Reason and Feelings
Such a turn, as one can learn from the history of the defense of the Osovets fortress, stunned the enemy. It would be most reasonable to send the remaining expensive equipment to safe disposal, from where to continue shelling, but instead the guns were moved to the rear. At that moment, the defenders of the fortress did not have objects that would not have collapsed when shells hit with which the Germans fired. Just a dozen or two successful shots - and the fortress would be destroyed. Instead, the attackers diverted their most promising power and no longer used it in an attempt to take Osovets.
The second defense fortress line was outside of Osovts. Here the infantry held fast, the attackers could not win. From the memories of those survivors of those terrible times, you can find out that people are so accustomed to the explosions that they could sleep to their sounds. The fatigue of the warriors was immeasurable; they put too much power on strengthening the protected object and directly fighting.
As is known from the chronicles of the defense of the Osovets fortress in World War I, hussars, artillerymen and infantry made a considerable contribution to the defense of this place. Later it was estimated that 30,000 funnels from enemy shells remained on the territory of the fortress. Hundreds of thousands fell into the rivers surrounding the fortifications of the swamp. It seemed that if the defenders did not die from a shell, the shell shock would surely put the survivors out of action, and if not her, then a state of shock. It is known that at that time many reports were written devoted to the hopelessness of defending the fortress - only ordinary people did not know about them, therefore they stood not for life but for death.
"Attack of the Dead"
In the defense of Osovets, this page is probably justly considered the most famous. In the spring of the 15th, a large-scale offensive started, the front was broken through at the Baltic states, then a similar one occurred in Galicia. For the army as a whole, the situation was assessed as catastrophic. The Osovets, however, resisted. Defenders believed in themselves, were angry with the attackers. The third assault began in the last summer month, on the 6th. He glorified these fortifications most of all that had happened before. From the archives it is known that the Germans waited for ten days for suitable weather. At their disposal were several thousand tanks filled with poisonous gas. Early in the morning a green fog began to spread in the direction of the Russian fortress, filled with bromine suspensions and chlorine compounds. About ten minutes was enough for the poisonous gas to reach the fortifications. The wave height reached 15 meters, width - 8 km. There were no gas masks in the fortress.
From the memoirs of Khmelkov, you can find out that everything that was in the open air died instantly. The defense commander himself also suffered from poison. The greenery in the fortress and around it died, the grass turned black, copper objects oxidized. Food that was not hermetically sealed absorbed poison and became unusable.
Scary stories in the military annals
Bunyakovsky later wrote in his works about the attack of the dead during the defense of the Osovets fortress, starting with a description of that sinister morning of a gas attack. It was cold, fog reigned, the wind blew from the north, medium in strength. About half of the defenders died instantly. Half-poisoned tried to get out of the dangerous area, but thirst forced them to lean towards the water, where the gases accumulated, and the second poisoning caused a painful death. By the time the attackers approached the position, there were no more than two hundred surviving Russians. Three companies were sent for help from Zarechny Fort, but one in three died on the way to their destination. Some time later we lied, and the attackers fired red rockets, began shelling the positions of Russian soldiers.
9, 10, 11 companies died instantly, completely. Out of 12, only four dozen people survived with one machine gun. Bialogrond was formerly protected by three companies; Of these, about 60 survived. In total - no more than two hundred. These people had an imminent battle with the eighth army of the advancing. About seven thousand attackers followed the gas wave. The attack was not planned: it was assumed that there would be no survivors. The task of the army was to clear the territory.
How did it look
The attack of the dead during the defense of the Osowiec fortress was unexpected for the German military. Half-dead Russian soldiers came out of the poisonous fog towards the attackers, panting, wrapped in rags, spitting out their lungs with air when coughing. They were so frightened by their appearance that they had gone to cleanup that they did not even try to enter the battle, but only turned and rushed to run away, trampling their comrades to death. After them, artillery started firing from the batteries. Several dozens of dying people survived against three regiments of infantry and put them to flight - a military history of the whole world at that time did not know such an example.
Today it’s not possible to find out who called it the “attack of the dead”, but the phrase has become known to the whole world. Newspapers of all countries wrote about the unparalleled courage and fortitude of warriors. Forwards began to understand: Osovets not to take.
How it all ended
No matter how great the heroism of the soldiers, the authorities clearly realized: there was no point in defending the fortress. Survivors were evacuated. Events began on August 18. Militiamen, artillerymen were withdrawing guns on themselves - there were too few horses. To hide the lack of infantry, two companies, serving four guns, constantly fired at the enemy. By seven in the evening, sappers started fuses and blew up the fortress, into which the attackers dared to enter only two days later.