In 1950, under the ruins near the Brest Fortress, the remains of documents were discovered, indicating fierce battles in the first months of the war. Previously, it was believed that the Germans in June-July 1941 were given without special losses. However, the discovered papers said the opposite. Soldiers and officers of the Red Army fought to the last drop of blood. Among them was Fomin Efim Moiseevich - the regimental commissar mentioned in the document found. Until 1950, few people knew his name.
22nd of June
Before setting out the biography of Efim Moiseevich Fomin, one must recall the tragic events that occurred in 1945. After all, the name of this man is inextricably linked with the history of the Brest Fortress, more precisely, with the capture by the Germans of the ancient citadel.
Early in the morning, at four o’clock, over the quiet and surprisingly non-military garrison, located in a picturesque area, new, hitherto unseen stars appeared. They dotted the horizon, and their appearance was accompanied by a strange rumble, which, however, could not be heard either by Efim Moiseevich Fomin or other officers. The garrison was asleep. His awakening came only when the predawn darkness was lit up by violent flashes of explosions and a monstrous roar rose, shaking the earth within a radius of several kilometers. Thousands of German mortars opened fire on the border strip. So the war began.
Ruined fortress
The German army failed to implement the Barbaross plan, but the first months of the war were successful for her. Nobody could tell what happened at the end of June in the Brest Fortress. Witnesses of bloody battles were silent stones. But a miracle happened, and they spoke. In 1944, Brest was liberated. Then on the walls of the ruined fortress were found inscriptions made by Soviet soldiers and officers in the early days of the war. One of them says: "I am dying, but I do not give up." Some inscriptions were signed by soldiers.
Last witnesses
The name of Fomin Efim Moiseevich was not found on the walls of the Brest Fortress. His deed is evidenced by the aforementioned document, as well as those few witnesses and participants in the battles who, fortunately, survived. Some of them were captured, after the war they were sent to camps. Such was the fate of all Soviet soldiers who found themselves in occupation. First, a few managed to transfer the German concentration camp, and then the domestic one. But those who survived told in the battles for the Brest Fortress, including the defense of the citadel on the site near the Kholm Gate, which was headed by Efim Moiseevich Fomin.
Fights in the early days of the war
Let's get back to the event on June 21. Sudden rumble of cannonade, shells, bombs. People who woke up from the explosions were in a panic ... Efim Moiseevich Fomin assumes command of the unit. He is in the central fortress, instantly collects fighters, and instructs one of them to lead a counterattack. Thus, Soviet soldiers destroy machine gunners, who broke into the very center in the citadel. And then battles follow, which continue, according to many historical sources, until the end of July. Efim Moiseevich Fomin was an active participant in the defense of the Brest Fortress in the first four days of the war.
Legends of the Citadel
About how Soviet soldiers defended the citadel, it became known only at the end of the war. Then those who survived were sent to camps. And only in 1954 did rehabilitation begin. They talked about the Brest Fortress. Many legends and myths arose.
How did the soldiers manage to hold out for so long? Probably the whole thing is a powerful stone fortress? Or in superior weapons? Or maybe in the training of military personnel? The Brest fortress was really defended by military professionals. Only, unfortunately, there were very few of them, because the main part was on the exercises. As for the fortress, yes, this impressive citadel was able to prevent enemy attacks ... in the 18-19 centuries. In the twentieth century, and with modern German aviation, the powerful walls of the fortress lost all meaning.
The defense of the fortress rested solely on incredible patriotism, the courage of Soviet soldiers, such as Commissioner Efim Moiseevich Fomin. From June 21 to 22, there was only one battalion and several units in the arrangement. Three lieutenants lived in a hostel, Fomin was also here. The day before, he received a vacation during which he planned to bring his family to Latvia to Brest. But he was not destined to leave the fortress. A few hours before the start of the war, he went to the station. There were no tickets. I had to go back.
One of the shells hit the office with the commissioner. Fomin nearly suffocated from the caustic smoke, but he still managed to get out of the room. Thanks to the experienced command, the soldiers took up defense for several hours. Wives, children of commanders were sent to the basement. Fomin turned to the fighters, urging to remember the duty and not give in to panic. Machine gunners took up positions on the second floor near the windows.
At the Kholm Gate
Fomin and his fighters took up a position near the Kholm Gate. There was a bridge over which the Germans made many attempts to reach the center of the fortress. The enemy could not reach the gate for several days. Ammunition, the amount of which did not at all correspond to wartime, was spent very economically. One day, one of the fighters said that the last cartridge should be left for himself. Commissar Efim Moiseevich Fomin objected, saying that he should be sent to the enemy. And you can die in hand-to-hand combat.
But in hand-to-hand combat, Fomin failed to die. On June 26, the Soviet command still captured the opponents. The half-dead commissar fell into the hands of the Nazis and was soon shot.
Portrait of the Commissioner
The title of Hero of the Soviet Union Efim Moiseevich Fomin did not receive. But in 1957 he was posthumously awarded the Order of Lenin. About what this man was, it is known thanks to the recollections of his few colleagues.
He ended up in the Brest Fortress three months before the start of the war. But already in this short period he managed to gain authority among officers and soldiers. Fomin was able to listen, was an understanding and responsive person. Perhaps he acquired these qualities thanks to a difficult fate. According to the memoirs of his colleagues, he was short in stature, black-haired, with clever, slightly sad eyes.
short biography
At six, the future commissar was orphaned. In 1922 he was sent to an orphanage located in Vitebsk. In need, maturity comes very early. By the age of 15, Yefim had already graduated from the second-level school and became a completely independent person. For some time he worked at the Vitebsk shoe factory, then moved to the city of Pskov.
The nomadic military life began in 1932. Fomin visited Pskov, Crimea, Latvia, Moscow. He rarely saw his wife and son. His short life was spent on trips. A military career was successful, but shortly before the war he was sent to Brest on an unfair charge. A photo of Fomin Efim Moiseevich has survived to this day. One of them can be seen in this article.
The hero of today's article was not a fearless, experienced warrior. He wore a military tunic for many years, but he only happened to be in battle in the last days of his life. The morning of June 22 was a baptism of fire for Commissioner Yefim Fomin.
Many books have been written about the heroes of the Brest Fortress and no less films have been created. The image of Yefim Fomin was embodied by talented actors on the theater stage and in the cinema. In 2010, the film "Brest Fortress" was released, where the commissioner played Pavel Derevyanko.