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Home / Issues / № 1, 2015

Historical science

The 33-rd Separate Engineering Regiment. The Kazakh People in the Brest Fortress. June, 1941.
Akhmetova L. S.
The Introduction:

Having glorified and raised by many writers and poets, having studied by the researches and scientists, the Brest Fortress defense is, practically, continued to be revealed its mysteries and secrets. So, only in 1969, after 28 years (e.g. 336 months), the feat by G. Derevyanko had been promoted, and they were handed over to his parents in the archives of the Brest Fortress Museum - Hero the letters and documents, and only now they began to say, that Grigory Derevyanko was one of the last (latest?) defender of the Brest Fortress [1].

The Purpose of the Study:

The knowledge is scarce, and by the 33-rd Separate Engineering Regiment (SER), though it, practically, is always present in the enumeration of those regiments, that were in the Brest Fortress. So, the stones are left, the barrack of the 33-rd SER is being stood, having became the museum, is located in the center of the Fortress, in the areas of the heavy fighting. Perhaps, therefore, the stones are being remained, and the people, who had survived, were virtually unity. Those, who could be advocated, who could own and write themselves, - they were hundreds of tenths of those units survivors. So, it is possible, and, therefore, in the archive of the BCS there are folders and names of people, who are also the advocates. However, these people were the second category. They were not encouraged to write and mention. Well, for the third category of people were those, who fought in the area of the Brest town, let even at the Fort Berg, which was at 500 meters from the Fortress. All these surviving soldiers were not included in the rays of the Fortress defenders glory. They were simply and just soldiers, like millions of the others. Thus, the historical justice must be restored. And for each soldier it must be said its word.

The Material and Research Methods:

The methodology of the historical - comparatively research, the methodology and techniques of the sociological research, the systemic and functional - structurally approach, in combination with the historical - comparatively method and statistical data analysis, as well as the official documents study, etc. It was also to be taken the advantages of the interdisciplinary methodology, mathematical and statistical methods and software means for the social information processing, content - analysis and qualitative documents analysis, methods of the comparative research.

Thus, for 40 years (e.g. 480 months) the work in the archives, libraries of Belarus, Germany, Kazakhstan, Poland, Russia has been conducting. The veterans, relatives of the victims record has been carrying out. The analysis and evaluation have been taking their place. The on line Internet study has been realizing. The work with the state and military structures of the different countries has been implementing.

The Research Results and Their Discussion:

So, let us try to collect those materials, which were made available to me, lately. Thus, on February, 10, 2015, 505 men were in my lists, having recruited from Kazakhstan, who were in the Brest Fortress on June, 22, 1941. Certainly, this is far from the incomplete data. But this is, what I have available. From them, 103 people were in the 33-rd SER, and overwhelming majority fighters of the 33-rd SER were from the Dzhambul Region of the Kazakh SSR, having called up for the military service in February 1940.

Besides, there are more data on 12 soldiers - Kazakh people of the 33-rd SER, having situated outside the Fortress limits on 22.06.41. In addition, here is the list of the searcher Bekkula Ali from the Dzhambul Region, having consisted of 26 last names. So, all these the Red Army soldiers are probably the soldiers of the 33-rd SER, but there is no evidence, where they all were on 22.06.41.

The Fighters - Kazakhstan People Destinies of the 33-rd SER in the Brest Fortress in June 1941:

Perished in the Brest Fortress - 63 people;

Captured, perished - 14 people;

Captured, alive - 19 people;

Broke out of the Fortress, perished - 3 people;

Broke out of the Fortress, alive - 4 people.

Great unfortunately, I possess only one Gritzanenko Vitaly Yakovlevich memory, the junior sergeant, the squad leader [2], from all the soldiers - Kazakh people of the 33-rd SER.

There are just the searcher's stories of Bekkul Ali, who, in the Soviet period, was able to record some memories of his countrymen - Dzhambul people in the Brest Fortress.

There are also the memories of Senior Sergeant Dolotov I.I., no citizen of Kazakhstan, but having served in the 33-rd SER. He presented rather the detailed account of the battles, in which he had participated. There are also memories of the other surviving commanding offices and soldiers from the 33-rd SER, 84-th, and 333-rd сп., which were located side by side and together.

Naturally, I cannot assure, that all I could read and analyze on the 33-rd SER. However, I can say, that I could find to the present date, carefully studied, analyzed and can write about it. I want to show the participation of the soldiers in that difficult early days of the Fortress defence. Accordingly, I will be able to keep the story, having based on these memories, references, etc. Moreover, I would like to show the role of Kazakh people in the 33-rd SER. And this is the most difficult part of my work.

The Existing Personal Affairs of the Soldiers - Kazakhstan People of the 33-rd SER in the МК БКГ:

  1. Ashimbekov Kamal - the Private;
  2. Baribaev Zhaylau - the Private of the economic squad, having lied in the medical unit on the night of June, 22;
  3. Gritzanenko Vitaly - the Junior Sergeant, the squad leader;
  4. Dzhanysbaev Behtay - the Private;
  5. Doszhanov Esenaly - the Private;
  6. Eszhanov Serikbay - the Private;
  7. Elubaev Zhanakhmed - the Junior Sergeant;
  8. Zheksembiev Zharkinbek - the Senior Sergeant;
  9. Syrgabaev Zaken - the Private;
  10. Turebekov Seitkazy - the Private.

Unfortunately, I repeat once again, from the Kazakh people, except V. Gritzanenko, in the personal affairs, the others in the Memorial Complex of the Brest Fortress - Hero (МК БКГ) have no any memories.

Once again, I would like to note, that I have got, by no means, the incomplete data, having taken in the МК БКГ. This is just, what were kindly provided by the МК БКГ, by my needs. In addition, as I have already mentioned, I usually use the books, having published, as in the Soviet period, well as in the XXI-st century, the memories of the surviving defenders of the Brest Fortress and the online Internet materials.

Having based on the reference of the Memorial Complex, memories of I.I. Dolotov [3], et. al., we can expand our knowledge on the 33-rd SER battles early in the war on the territory of the Brest Fortress.

- the 33-rd Separate Engineering Regiment (SER) has been deployed in late of January on the basis of the 140-th Separate Engineering Battalion (SEB), behind the shoulders of which were, by then, the difficult combat roads in September of 1939, when it was the part of the 4-th Army, participated in the liberation and reunification of the Western Belorussia, and in summer of 1940, it carried out the other honorable mission - together with the other units and parts of the Red Army, it entered the territory of Lithuania and, finally, helped to be established the Baltic Republic itself.

On October, 3, after the operation finishing in the Western Belorussia, the battalion has been stationed in the central annular barracks of the Brest Fortress [4].

In February of 1940, the completion has been come to the battalion - the 600 new recruits from Leningrad, about 200 of Kazakhstan. Immediately, the Junior Commanders School has been formed.

Thus, the researches (R. Aliev, et. al.) [5] believe, that the soldiers of the 33-rd SER in the Fortress could be about 1,150 people, including the ascribed composition. The MK BKG considers, that, perhaps, about 600 people without the ascribed recruits have been on the list in the whole Regiment, that is, it can be concluded, that the Regiment from January of 1941 has been still in its formation stage, i.e. finally, it has, simply, been the short - staffed one.

So, about the half of the Regiment has taken its part in the defence of the Brest Fortress, that is, that is about 300 people, having not counted the ascribed recruits. And the other 300 people have been in Ur, military camps, business trips, etc., that is, outside the Fortress limits. And, if the Kazakh people were only 103 ones there, then we can conclude, that one third of the 33-rd SER soldiers, having situated in the Fortress town on 22.06.41, were from Kazakhstan.

It should be noted, that the 33-rd SER topic - is, practically, one of the most neglected and small - studied one, since the organizing staff arrangements, the fighters location on the night of June, 22, 1941, the command during the fighting, etc.

The Resume or Conclusion:

Having read and compared the surviving memories of the 33-rd SER soldiers, having taken their part in the defence of the Brest Fortress, one can be made the conclusion, that the most intensive combat fighting in the area of the Regiment's barracks have been conducted from June, 22 to 24, inclusively. From June, 25 the activity of the combat hostilities has already been decreased. So, almost every day, having begun from June, 25, the 33-rd SER soldiers have attempted to break out of the Fortress. The breakthrough groups have been different in the number of inputs in them fighters from: from 30 up to 100 and more. As a rule, al these breakthrough attempts have been unsuccessful: many of those, who has broken, died during the battle, many, due to their lack of the weapons and ammunitions, have been captured by the Nazis. The number of the fighters, having remained in the Fortress, every day has been decreased: only small groups or singles have been remained, who has resisted the Nazis a few days more.

The 33-rd SER surviving warriors, mostly people, who has already passed the Nazi prisons and labor camps. Many of them had been imprisoned before the end of the war, and they were liberated by the Soviet or the Allied troops. Some of them have managed to be escaped from the captivity. Only a few have managed to break out of the Fortress and continue to take part in the combat fighting of the Soviet Army before the war was ended.

Part of the 33-rd SER soldiers in the first days of the war was outside of the Fortress limits: in the summer camps, in the construction of the fortified area along the Western border. The fates of these people have also been formed not easy and in different ways. Many of them have been perished, others - have already passed through the Nazi captivity, and only some of them have managed to reach Berlin, and see the happiest day of the Victory.

And the defenders of the Fortress, and the combatants of the battles in the area of the Brest town in June - July of 1941, and also the 33-rd SER soldiers have contributed to the fight against fascism. Many names and surnames are still unknown. This is again emphasized the difficult conditions under which there were those, who first has met the Nazis on June, 22, 1941. And, finally, this should be known and remembered.



References:
1. Akhmetova L.,”The Last Defender of the Brest Fortress”. -http://www.zonakz.net/view-poslednijj-zashсhitnik-brestskojj-kreposti.html;

2. Gritzanenko V.Yu., – “МК БКГ, оп. 33-rd SER”, л.д. 39;

3. Dolotov I.I.,” Some Pages from the History of the 33-rd Engineering Regiment”. The Homeland Entrusted Us. – Leningrad, 1980. - http://loveread.ws/read_book.php?id=12558&p=49;

4. The Help of МК БКГ on the 33-rd SER;

5. Aliev R., “The Storm of the Brest Fortress”. – М.: ESCМО, 2010. – p. 800, Moshchansky I., “The Tragedy of the Brest Fortress”. – M.: Veche. – 2010. – p. 128.



Bibliographic reference

Akhmetova L. S. The 33-rd Separate Engineering Regiment. The Kazakh People in the Brest Fortress. June, 1941. . International Journal Of Applied And Fundamental Research. – 2015. – № 1 –
URL: www.science-sd.com/460-24753 (28.03.2024).