Pacific Fleet in the war with Japan. Pacific Fleet in the war with Japan USSR Navy on the eve of the Great Patriotic War
At the first session Supreme Council USSR in January 1938. Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars V.M. Molotov said: “The mighty Soviet power must have a sea and ocean fleet that corresponds to its interests and is worthy of our great cause.” The words of the Soviet prime minister reflected the changed views of the leadership of the USSR, and, above all, I.V. Stalin, on the priorities of the further construction of the Navy. It was at this time that the 10-year “Great Shipbuilding Program” was born, which provided, first of all, for the construction of battleships and heavy cruisers that would personify the oceanic power of the state.
According to the original version of the 10-year program, by 1946 the Soviet fleet was supposed to have 15 battleships, 15 heavy and 28 light cruisers, 144 destroyers, 336 submarines, dozens of ships of other classes and hundreds of combat boats.
Thus, in contrast to the first and second five-year plans, when the main attention was paid to the means of “small war” at sea, and, above all, to submarines, the “Great Shipbuilding Program” clearly defined the priority of battleships and cruisers.
The emphasis placed on large surface shipbuilding did not quite meet the requirements military science, emerging views about the war at sea. Due to the rapid development of aviation and submarines, the age of the power of battleships was coming to an end.
Of course, the experience of the leading naval powers, which continued the intensive construction of battleships, had a certain influence on the direction of Soviet shipbuilding. In the mid-30s, only 20 battleships were under construction at the shipyards of six states, although in general the proportion of large surface ships in the fleets was falling. True, aircraft carriers were also built abroad.
It was quite obvious that the USSR economy could not support the creation of such a fleet. The cost of building only the first four laid down battleships of the “Soviet Union” class reached almost a quarter of the country’s annual budget. Now it is no secret that the implementation of the plans of the first and second five-year plans was systematically disrupted. At their core, both five-year plans remained unfulfilled. The system of financing ongoing construction through advances for future plans flourished. The percentage of “unfinished projects” increased.
The creation of a large fleet required a number of organizational measures to improve the management of the fleet and the shipbuilding industry. In December 1937, the People's Commissariat of the Navy was formed, and in January 1939, the People's Commissariat of the Shipbuilding Industry.
Five main groups of shipbuilding plants and shipyards began to form: Leningrad, southern, Far Eastern, northern and central (river). Of these, the first two produced up to two-thirds of all shipbuilding products.
The first new battleship “Soviet Union” of Project 23 was laid down in Leningrad at the Baltic Shipyard on July 15, 1938. The chief designer of the ship was B.G. Chilikin. He was advised by prominent naval scientists: A.N. Krylov, Yu.A. Shimansky, P.F. Papkovich, V.G. Vlasov.
The lead ship was followed within two years by the laying of three more battleships: “Soviet Ukraine” in Nikolaev, “Soviet Russia” and “Soviet Belarus” in Molotovsk (since 1957 - Severodvinsk). It was believed that domestic battleships would be the largest warships in the world. Their standard displacement was 59,150 tons, length was 260 m, width - 38 m, draft - 9.27 m. With a rated power of the main engines of 201 thousand hp. the battleship could reach speeds of up to 28 knots. The main caliber artillery included nine 406 mm guns in three turrets. The thickness of the main armor belt reached 402 mm. Construction of the laid down battleships proceeded slowly. The planned deadlines for advancing technical readiness were disrupted mainly due to delays in the supply of materials and equipment. By the end of 1940 readiness “ Soviet Union” amounted to 19.44%, “Soviet Ukraine” - only 7%.
In November 1939, the heavy cruisers “Kronstadt” (Leningrad) and “Sevastopol” (Nikolaev) of Project 69 were laid down. Their displacement was about 35,000 tons. The main caliber artillery consisted of nine 305-mm guns in three-gun turrets. Full speed -32 knots. By the beginning of the war, the readiness of cruisers reached 12%.
In September 1938, the lead light cruiser “Kirov” of Project 26 entered service (see photo on p. 58), laid down in Leningrad in October 1935. The chief designer of the ship was A.I. Maslov. Two years later, the Baltic Fleet was replenished with another light cruiser, the Maxim Gorky of Project 26 bis, and the Black Sea Fleet, just before the start of the Great Patriotic War, received the cruisers Voroshilov and Molotov. All four cruisers took Active participation during the war, they received combat damage, but remained in service. The light cruisers Kalinin and Lazar Kaganovich of Project 26 bis were built in Komsomolsk-on-Amur. They joined the Pacific Fleet during the war.
On October 19, 1940, the country's leadership decided to stop laying down battleships and heavy cruisers, and to dismantle one of the battleships under construction. It is ordered to concentrate industry efforts on the construction of small and medium-sized warships and on the completion of large ships with a high degree of readiness. In general, shipbuilding was again reoriented towards the construction of submarines and light surface ships. Nevertheless, the construction of previously laid down ships of various classes continued.
The next stage of Soviet cruiser construction was the design and laying of light cruisers of Project 68. Seven cruisers of this project were laid down in Leningrad and Nikolaev in 1939-1940. Before the start of the war, 5 of them managed to be launched.
The lead cruiser Chapaev had 35% readiness at the beginning of the war. It will go into operation in 1950 according to the revised Project 68K, taking into account the experience of the war (chief designer N.A. Kiselev). A large series of cruisers were built according to the 68-bis project (chief designer A.S. Savichev). The lead ship, the cruiser Sverdlov, was accepted into the Baltic Fleet in 1952.
In 1938-1941, as well as during the war, the fleet continued to be replenished with destroyers of projects 7 and 7U.
The new Project 30 destroyer was designed by a group of designers led by A.M. Yunovidov. The lead ship of this series, Ognevoy, was laid down in Nikolaev in August 1939. It was planned to launch it for acceptance tests in December 1941. The outbreak of war delayed the construction of Ognevoy. It was completed and surrendered to the fleet in Poti in 1944-1945. Before the war, 10 Project 30 destroyer hulls were manufactured.
Mass construction of new destroyers began only in the first post-war decade, however, already according to the improved 30-bis project. The welded-hulled destroyers were armed with four 130 mm guns in two turrets and equipped with radar and sonar equipment.
After a noticeable break, the design and construction of patrol ships resumed. A group of designers led by Ya.A. Koperzynski in 1937-1939. The project of the patrol ship “Yastreb” (Project 29) was developed. Before the start of the war, six ships of this series were launched. During the war years (1944), the lead ship “Yastreb” was delivered to the fleet according to the revised project 29. The patrol ship’s displacement is 998 tons, speed is 33.5 knots. The artillery armament included three 100 mm cannons and four 37 mm anti-aircraft guns. There was a three-tube 450-mm torpedo tube. Up to 24 minutes were taken on board. Two bomb releasers with a set of depth charges were installed at the stern. The five remaining ships launched were completed according to Project 29K after the war.
In 1938, by order of the NKVD, a naval border guard ship, Project 122, was developed. The Navy used this project in a slightly modified form as a large submarine hunter. According to project 122A (chief designer N.G. Loschinsky), a series of large hunters was laid. The first two - “Artillerist” and “Miner” - became part of the Caspian flotilla in November 1941. Three years later, they, along with other ships of this project, were transferred to the Black Sea Fleet.
On the eve and during the war, small submarine hunters of the MO-2 and MO-4 type (chief designer L.L. Ermash), with a displacement of 56 tons, with a full speed of 25.5 knots, were built in large numbers. The hull of these ships was wooden. The armament included two 45-mm cannons, and there were two bomb releasers with depth charges. 4 mines were taken on board the boat. The hunter was equipped with a portable noise direction-finding station.
Since 1943, the fleet began to receive small submarine hunters of the OD-200 type, with a displacement of 47 tons, and a speed of 28 knots. Their weapons consisted of 37 mm and 25 mm machine guns. A total of 334 small hunters of the MO-2, MO-4 and OD-200 types were built. Small hunters became the most versatile ships of the Great Patriotic War. They landed troops, performed patrol duty, escorted transports, escorted submarines, and suppressed fire points on the shore.
Armored small submarine hunters of Project 194 (chief designer A.N. Tyushkevich) were built in besieged Leningrad and entered the Baltic Fleet from June 1943. Their displacement was 61 tons, speed reached 23 knots, and they were armed with 45-mm a cannon and a 37-mm machine gun, two bomb releasers with depth charges, and a sonar station. A total of 66 armored hunters were built. They were intended for operations in skerry areas, provided fire support for ground forces, and participated in landing operations.
In the pre-war years, mine-resistant ships were further developed. The project of a squadron high-speed minesweeper (project 59) was developed by the end of 1938 under the leadership of chief designer L.M. Nogida. In addition to contact trawls, it was also equipped with an electromagnetic trawl. Artillery weapons included two 100 mm and one 45 mm guns, three 37 mm machine guns. The lead minesweeper “Vladimir Polukhin” and the second ship “Vasily Gromov”, laid down in 1939, underwent acceptance tests and were handed over to the fleet in Leningrad in 1942-1943. The displacement of the minesweeper was 879 tons. The steam turbine unit allowed the speed to reach 22.4 knots without a trawl, and up to 19 knots with a trawl. There were bomb releasers and bomb throwers with depth charges, and a hydroacoustic station.
The minesweeper forces of the Baltic Fleet, which especially needed mine-resistant ships, received large reinforcements during the war years from the Project 253L “hundred-ton” minesweepers, built at two Leningrad factories during the blockade. The first ship entered service in January 1944. The minesweepers were built in two series - MT-1 and MT-2. Their displacement was about 100 tons, the full speed when operating three diesel engines reached 12.5 knots. (without trawl). The mine sweeping set included acoustic, electromagnetic and paravane trawls, 24 mines. The artillery included two 45-mm cannons.
Back in 1938, the construction of underwater minelayers of the “L” type, XIII-bis series, began. The new diesel engine “1D” made it possible to increase the surface speed. The ammunition load of torpedoes and mines was also increased, and habitability was improved. Beginning in 1940, the new “Leninists” began to be equipped with “Mars” noise direction-finding stations and “Sirius” sound-underwater communication devices.
By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the USSR Navy had 19 Leninets-type underwater minelayers of four series.
On the eve of the war, in 1938-1941, 13 submarines of the Shch type X-bis series were laid down. Of these, 9 were completed during the war, two - after the war, construction of two was stopped.
The number of medium boats accepted into the fleet during the last three pre-war years, in addition to the pikes, included 15 submarines of the C type 1X-bis series.
Small submarines of the KhP series were designed by the design team of P.I. Serdyuk. They represented single-hull, all-welded and single-shaft submarines. Unlike the VI series, their durable body was divided into six compartments. Displacement - 209/258 tons, speed on the surface - 14 knots, under water - 7.8 knots. The small submarine of the XII series had two bow torpedo tubes with a total ammunition load of 4 torpedoes. Artillery included one 45 mm cannon. Before the war, the fleet received 28 such ships from industry. There were 17 in the building, which were completed during the war.
The project of a more advanced small submarine of the XV series was developed by a group of engineers led by F.F. Polushkin in 1939. The submarine was equipped with a two-shaft power plant, and the torpedo armament was increased to four vehicles. Until 1947, the fleet received 10 boats of this series.
Under the leadership of the chief designer, naval officer, employee of the Scientific and Technical Committee of the Red Army Naval Forces M.A. Rudnitsky in 1934-1936. A cruising squadron submarine of the K type XIV series was designed, of which sailors and shipbuilders were deservedly proud. In the acceptance certificate of the lead submarine “K,” the State Commission noted that it “in its tactical elements is significantly superior to foreign boats of this type, especially in armament and speed. The largest, the fastest, the most powerful.”
The double-hull K-type submarine had a displacement of 1500/2100 tons, two diesel engines with a total power of 8400 hp, which made it possible to reach speeds of up to 22 knots on the surface. In a submerged position under electric motors, the speed reached 10 knots. Working depth of immersion -100m. Maximum cruising range up to 15,000 miles. The artillery armament includes two 100 mm and two 45 mm cannons. There were six torpedo tubes in the bow of the seven-compartment boat, and two torpedo tubes in the stern and superstructure. The total ammunition load was 24 torpedoes. Up to 20 mines were taken onto the boat into the mine-ballast tank, which were dropped through hatches under the keel. The lightweight hull, pressure hull bulkheads and tanks were welded. Noted by the State Commission and weak spots"K" type boats. These included high noise, unreliable design of mine equipment, and an imperfect torpedo loading system.
Before the start of the war, the fleet included six K-class cruising submarines. The same number were under construction. They were completed and handed over to the navy during the war.
By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the ship composition of the USSR Navy consisted of 3 battleships, 7 cruisers, 59 leaders and destroyers, 218 submarines, 269 torpedo boats, 22 patrol ship, 88 minesweepers, 77 submarine hunters and a number of other ships and boats, as well as auxiliary vessels. There were 219 ships under construction, including 3 battleships, 2 heavy and 7 light cruisers, 45 destroyers, 91 submarines. In terms of combat and operational qualities, the built domestic surface ships were at the level of similar ships of foreign fleets. They had sufficient speed, adequate protection, high survivability and unsinkability. The cruisers and destroyers were armed with reliable long-range artillery systems of 180 mm and 130 mm calibers.
Large and medium-sized submarines, as well as patrol ships and minesweepers, were armed with single-gun 100-mm B-24 deck gun mounts.
Unfortunately, medium-caliber artillery (130 mm, 100 mm) was not universal and could not fire at air targets. Before the war, 37-mm 70K anti-aircraft guns were developed and put into service, but they began to enter the fleet in large quantities only in the second half of the war, which had a negative impact on the air defense of ships.
To control the fire of main caliber artillery mounts, the Molniya ATs and Mina-7 fire control systems were created, which had high accuracy in solving problems. The first domestic systems of naval anti-aircraft artillery fire control devices (MPUAZO) “Horizon” (for cruisers) and “Soyuz” (for destroyers) were put into service in 1940 and 1941. However, their serial production was delayed and by the beginning of the war many ships did not have these systems. The automated MPUAZO system was tested on the Baku leader in 1943. In it, the full gun aiming and tube installation angles, taking into account the ship’s pitching, were determined by the target’s flight altitude and its velocity vector.
During the war years, a power gyroazimuth horizon appeared in the Navy, which became the main device for ship artillery gyroscopy. It was installed on cruisers, destroyers, and patrol ships.
The production of fire control devices (FCU) increased sharply at the end of the war and especially in the early post-war years. If in 1944 21 systems were manufactured, in 1945 -54, then in 1946 the fleet received 99 systems. The ships began to be equipped with the Molniya AC-68 and Zenit-68 cruising systems.
Naval gunners had good training in firing at naval targets, which was devoted to a lot of time in naval schools. Little attention was paid to shooting at coastal targets. Meanwhile, it was coastal firing that became predominant during the naval operations.
Submarines had fairly high tactical and technical characteristics, powerful weapons, and survivability, but until the last period of the war they did not receive high-speed and traceless torpedoes. During the war, the boats were equipped with bubble-free torpedo firing devices.
The main types of torpedoes in service with ships are 53-38 torpedoes, and in service with aircraft - 45-36 (high-altitude and low-altitude torpedo-throwing). The torpedo firing control devices required radical improvement.
The shortcomings of the combat strength of the fleets of the pre-war period include the lack of landing ships and a small number of minesweepers. Warships and vessels were unprotected from non-contact weapons. The first domestic non-contact trawls appeared in our fleet at the end of 1942 as a result of the work of a group of scientists and engineers led by N.N. Andreeva and L.M. Brekhovskikh (they began to enter service with the navy only in 1943-1944 (AMD-500 and AMD-1000 aircraft mines)).
The importance of the Northern Fleet for the defense of the country was understood by the leadership of the Navy, but before the war it had a small naval complement, including only 8 destroyers, 2 torpedo boats, 7 patrol ships, 15 submarine hunters and 15 submarines. Coastal defenses were under construction. It consisted of only 70 guns with a caliber ranging from 45 to 180 mm. Air defense included several anti-aircraft divisions. The fleet aviation had 116 aircraft (49 fighters, 11 bombers and 56 reconnaissance aircraft), which could be based at one land and two naval airfields.
The Baltic and Black Sea fleets each consisted of 200 ships of various classes and more than 600 aircraft, including new MIG-3 fighters and torpedo bombers. These fleets had a developed network of bases and airfields. The coastal defense of each fleet included: 424 large (up to 305 mm) and medium caliber guns, anti-aircraft divisions, and railway artillery.
The Pacific Fleet had the largest number of submarines (91), torpedo boats (135) and aircraft (1,183) of all fleets. However, here, as in the Northern Sea Theater, the largest ships were destroyers. Two cruisers were under construction.
In addition to the fleets, the USSR Navy had five river and lake flotillas.
In general, despite the noted shortcomings in the development of the fleet and military shipbuilding, naval weapons and ship technology, by the beginning of the Great Patriotic War a Navy had been created, capable of conducting combat operations both jointly with ground forces and independently in the adjacent seas for the purpose of coastal defense and disruption of enemy maritime transport. The Navy and fleets were led by talented admirals.
On June 22, 1941, at 4 a.m., Germany treacherously attacked the Soviet Union. The Great Patriotic War began. Nazi aviation carried out raids on the naval bases of Kronstadt, Riga, Libau, Sevastopol, and Izmail. The anti-aircraft forces of the fleets, transferred a few hours before the start of the war by order of the People's Commissar of the Navy N.G. Kuznetsov on operational readiness No. 1, repelled attacks by enemy aircraft. Not a single ship in the fleet was lost on the first day of the war.
The initial period of the war took place in extremely difficult conditions for the Soviet Army and Navy.
By the end of November 1941, the Baltic states, Belarus, most of Ukraine and part of the territory of the RSFSR were occupied by the enemy.
The first, most difficult period of the Great Patriotic War for the USSR lasted from June 22, 1941 to November 18, 1942.
During these months, the main task of the Navy was to assist ground forces in coastal areas, as well as protect its own and disrupt enemy sea communications. Ships and fleet units took an active part in the heroic defense of the naval bases of Hanko, Libau, Odessa and Sevastopol, in the difficult battle for Leningrad, in which naval artillery played a significant role. It was used mainly to combat enemy heavy artillery shelling the city, as well as to fire at targets furthest from the front.
The sailors also fought on land fronts. From the crews of ships, cadets of naval schools, brigades were formed and separate battalions Marine Corps. In 1941 alone, almost 150 thousand sailors were sent to the land front, of which a third fought near Moscow.
In the first two weeks of the war, the central mine and artillery position in the Gulf of Finland functioned effectively in the Baltic Fleet. During this time, more than 3,000 mines and about 500 mine defenders were deployed. On August 8, 1941, fleet aviation carried out the first bomb attack on Berlin. The operation of the forced relocation of ships of the Baltic Fleet from Tallinn to Kronstadt, which was carried out on August 28-30, became exceptionally difficult. During the transition, in conditions when both shores of the Gulf of Finland were in enemy hands, out of 153 units, one third of warships, transport vessels and floating craft were killed by mines and enemy aircraft. And yet, the main ship composition of the fleet arrived safely in Kronstadt. 17 thousand people were evacuated from Tallinn on ships and vessels. Despite the blockade of the fleet in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland, Baltic submariners, showing courage, crossed anti-submarine lines and went out to the open sea to operate on enemy communications. In 1942 they sank 29 enemy ships.
On the Black Sea, defensive minefields were placed near Sevastopol and Odessa, Novorossiysk and Tuapse, in the Kerch Strait and near Batumi. At the end of June 1941, a strike group of ships of the Black Sea Fleet, consisting of the leaders “Moscow” and “Kharkov”, launched an artillery strike on the Romanian naval base of Constanta. On New Year's Eve 1942, the Black Sea Fleet conducted the largest Kerch-Feodosia landing operation of the war. The operation involved two armies of the Caucasian Front, naval units, over 250 ships and vessels, including the cruisers “Red Caucasus” and “Red Crimea”, about 600 aircraft. By the end of January 2 landing troops cleared the Kerch Peninsula of the enemy, which significantly improved the position of besieged Sevastopol. Unfortunately, the enemy subsequently drove the Soviet troops out of the peninsula.
Submarines of the Black Sea Fleet operated on the enemy’s communication routes, together with surface ships, they carried out sea transportation to Sevastopol and evacuated people and especially valuable property from the city.
The heroic defense of Sevastopol for 250 days was possible largely thanks to the actions of the Black Sea Fleet. Along with direct participation in the defense of the base, the fleet ensured regular communication between the garrison and rear areas on the coast of the North Caucasus.
The Northern Fleet played an important role in stabilizing the front in the Murmansk direction - while protecting its communications, it actively disrupted enemy communications along the coast of Northern Norway. With the creation of the anti-Hitler coalition and the spread of the American Lend-Lease law, regular supplies began to the USSR military equipment, weapons and food from the allies. There were three routes for transporting military cargo for the USSR: northern, Pacific and Iranian.
Only along the northern route in the first period of the war, 20 convoys, consisting of 288 ships, proceeded from the ports of Great Britain and Iceland to Arkhangelsk and Murmansk. Transport ships went from the USSR to the West in convoys with traditional Soviet export goods, primarily strategic raw materials. Along the route, Allied convoys were guarded by British naval forces. The Northern Fleet was included in the protection of the convoy vessels starting from the 20° meridian, to the east and southeast. Ensuring sea transportation of cargo under Lend-Lease has become one of the most important tasks of the fleet.
The second period of the Great Patriotic War (November 1942 - end of 1943) began with the counter-offensive of Soviet troops and the defeat of the 330,000-strong German group at Stalingrad. As a result of the growth in military production and the expansion of military reserves, the economic and military superiority of the USSR over Nazi Germany was achieved.
During this period, the Navy continued to assist ground forces on the coastal flanks and more actively fight on sea lanes. River flotillas provided direct fire support to the troops. Fleets and flotillas landed operational and tactical landings, transported troops and equipment along sea and river routes. Important role The Volga military flotilla played, providing strategic oil communication along the Volga. The Black Sea Fleet conducted a number of landing operations in the areas of Novorossiysk, Taganrog and Mariupol. Kerch-Eltigenskaya landing operation ended with the capture of the Kerch bridgehead, which later made it possible to conduct successful battles for the liberation of Crimea.
Unlike the first period of the war, when mainly submarines operated on sea communications, since 1943 aviation began to be involved on a large scale. About half of the total tonnage of enemy transports sunk was the result of air strikes. The naval air forces were replenished with aircraft armed with mine and torpedo weapons. Aviation took a leading place in actions to disrupt enemy maritime transport. The combat activity of submarines was noticeably hampered by the weakness of the repair base, and in the Baltic by the enemy’s powerful anti-submarine lines. The conquest of air supremacy by aviation and the equipping of ships with effective anti-aircraft weapons made it possible to strengthen the air defense in the fleet. The most valuable sea shipments began to be covered by fighters. Losses of ships during sea crossings have decreased.
The third period of the Great Patriotic War (January 1944 - May 1945) was characterized by offensive operations of the Soviet Army on all fronts. The Navy took part in many of them.
The troops of Leningrad and Volkhov fronts With the assistance of the Baltic Fleet, the blockade of Leningrad was lifted. The artillery and aviation of the fleet assisted the advancing troops in breaking through the enemy's defenses. The fleet transported troops of the 2nd Shock Army to the Oranienbaum bridgehead. Together with the troops Leningrad Front in September-October
1944 The fleet successfully carried out an operation to liberate the Moonsund Islands. During the offensive on the right bank of Ukraine, Soviet troops reached the state border and entered the territory of Romania.
Forces of the 4th Ukrainian Front. Crimea was liberated by the Separate Primorsky Army and the Black Sea Fleet.
In the third period of the war, the main content of the combat activities of fleets and flotillas remained: landing of sea and river landings, artillery support of army flanks, transportation of troops and equipment. The fleet has proven itself to be a powerful striking force, capable of dramatically changing the situation in the coastal zone of ground forces operations. Independent operations of the fleet included, first of all, the actions of submarines, light forces of the fleet and naval aviation in the North, Black and Baltic seas. Aviation achieved the highest results in these operations. In the war against Japan in August-September
1945 The Pacific Fleet successfully landed a number of operational and tactical landings. Together with units of the Soviet Army, the fleet liberated South Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, ports on the east coast of Korea, and Port Arthur.
The Amur flotilla assisted the ground forces in the defeat of the Japanese Kwantung Army in Manchuria. It ensured the crossing of rivers and assisted the advance of troops along the river. Sungari, supporting them with artillery fire and tactical landings.
During the Great Patriotic War, the Navy sunk 708 warships and auxiliary ships of Germany and its allies, as well as 791 transport ships with a total capacity of 1.84 million tons. The reliability of these figures is confirmed by bilateral data. Almost half of the sunken ships and vessels were the result of air strikes. Submarines account for 5% of warships sunk and 20% of transports. About 15% of all those sunk died from the effects of mine weapons. German ships and ships. Surface ships of the USSR Navy sunk 53 warships and auxiliary vessels and 24 enemy transports. In general, during the Great Patriotic War, the Navy inflicted significant losses on the enemy. “He fulfilled his duty to the Motherland to the end,” noted the final order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.
Northern Fleet of the USSR Navy (SF) in the Great Patriotic War.
Unlike other fleets, the Northern Fleet increased its forces during the war. So, by the beginning of the Great Patriotic War he had:
★15 submarines combined into one brigade.
★8 destroyers,
★7 patrol ships (almost all patrol ships were civilian ships mobilized during the war).
★Aviation consisted of only 116 combat aircraft, mostly outdated types.
Creation of the Marine Corps in the Northern Fleet in 1941.
The difficult situation on the land front forced the command of the Northern Fleet to urgently create new units and formations of the Marine Corps. During 1941, he formed a separate brigade, several regiments and battalions with a total number of 10 thousand people.
Active hostilities began in the Kola North June 29, 1941. The enemy delivered the main blow in the Murmansk direction. During the first half of July, the troops of the 14th Army, fighting heavy battles, stopped the enemy 20-30 kilometers from the border. Marine units of the Northern Fleet provided great assistance to the soldiers of the 14th Army. The amphibious assaults on the enemy's flank on July 7 and 14 played a significant role in thwarting the plans of the fascist command.
One of the first North Sea residents to go to the land front was Komsomol senior sergeant V.P. Kislyakov. In one of the battles in July 1941, he replaced a killed platoon commander, and the soldiers under his command successfully repelled fierce attacks from superior enemy forces for several hours. In this fight soviet soldiers led by Kislyakov, destroyed dozens of enemy soldiers. For the heroism shown in the fight against the Nazi invaders, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR awarded Vasily Pavlovich Kislyakov the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
The legendary feat of Severomorsk resident I.M. Sivko will forever remain in the memory of Soviet people. 02 August 1941, covering the retreat of his comrades, fearless warrior staunchly defended an important height. When Sivko ran out of ammunition, the Nazis tried to take him prisoner. Having let them get very close, the Red Navy man stood up to his full height and, with the exclamation “Russians do not surrender,” blew up the last grenade. Having destroyed the enemies, the Severomorets himself died. Ivan Mikhailovich Sivko was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
During the Great Patriotic War, the most important external and internal communications of our Motherland ran through the seas of the Arctic Ocean. Ensuring the protection of convoys coming from England and the USA was entrusted to the Northern Fleet. The first allied convoy PQ-0, consisting of six transports, arrived in Arkhangelsk August 31, 1941. In total, in 1941, seven allied convoys arrived from England and Iceland to the ports of the White Sea. In 1941, Allied ships encountered virtually no opposition from the Germans.
The Nazis also failed to capture the Rybachy Peninsula, a strategic point from which they controlled the entrance to the Kola, Motovsky and Pechenga bays. In the summer of 1941, Soviet troops, with the support of ships of the Northern Fleet, stopped the enemy on the Musta-Tunturi ridge. 08 September 1941 The Nazis resumed their offensive in the Murmansk direction, but the troops of the 14th Army forced the enemy to go on the defensive.
September 12, 1941 the large submarine K-2 (commanded by Captain 3rd Rank V.P. Utkin) was the first in the North to successfully use artillery weapons for an attack. On board the K-2 was the commander of the submarine division, Captain 2nd Rank M.I. Gadzhiev is an experienced submariner, an initiative and brave officer. Having placed a minefield at the entrance to one of the fjords, K-2 remained in position to detect and destroy enemy transports. September 12, 1941 the submarine discovered a transport with a displacement of 5-6 thousand tons. Convinced that it was impossible to attack with torpedoes, Gadzhiev suggested that the commander attack the ship with artillery. Having surfaced, the boat from a distance of 45 kb. opened fire on the ship from a 100-mm gun. The attack was launched in the immediate vicinity of the enemy shore (50-60 cab.) in the visibility of his observation posts. But the risk was justified - no coastal batteries were seen in the area, and there were no warships nearby. Having received several direct hits, the transport lost control and, plunging its stern into the water, sharply turned towards the shore. At the same time, a seaplane appeared, heading towards the submarine. A minute later, when she was already at periscope depth, an explosion of bombs was heard near her, apparently dropped by an airplane, but the boat did not receive any damage. When K-2 entered the base, Captain 2nd Rank Gadzhiev approved the proposal of the commander of the mine-artillery warhead of the boat, Lieutenant Z.M. Arvanov fire a blank shot from a gun - a salute in honor of this victory. This was the beginning of the tradition of submariners of the Northern Fleet, when entering the base, to notify with the number of gun shots about the number of sunk transports and ships.
September 23, 1941 launched a counterattack and drove the enemy across the Bolshaya Zapadnaya Litsa River. In these battles, the Polar Division formed in Murmansk received a baptism of fire. When the enemy managed to move forward and create a direct threat to capture Murmansk, the regiments of the Polar Division immediately entered into battle with the group that had broken through and drove the enemy back to their previous positions.
The formations and units of the fleet operating on the land front exterminated tens of thousands of fascist soldiers and officers.
In battles, the Northern Fleet lost:
★3 destroyers - “Swift”, “Crushing”, “Active”.
★23 submarines.
★16 patrol ships.
★13 minesweepers.
★12 torpedo boats.
★3 boats of the “big sea hunter” type.
★7 “small sea hunter” boats.
★9 patrol boats.
★Personnel losses - 10,905 people.
Results Patriotic War for the Northern Fleet:
The forces of the Northern Fleet destroyed over:
★214 warships and auxiliary vessels.
★More than 413 transports with a total tonnage of over 1 million tons.
★About 1300 enemy aircraft.
Wiring has been provided:
★76 allied convoys with 1463 transports.
★1152 security ships.
★1548 convoys were carried out along the internal communications of the Arctic Ocean.
The following were restored and repaired:
★About 1,500 artillery installations were repaired,
★3000 torpedoes and many other combat and technical means;
★Ship repair enterprises of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk repaired 2,653 warships and vessels;
★Fleet medics achieved high results in treating the wounded and sick, returning 68.5% of the wounded and 92.9% of the sick to duty;
★Auxiliary vessels transported 1.7 million tons of various cargoes and performed many other tasks;
★Courageous rescuers promptly came to the aid of 59 emergency warships and transport vessels, raised 196 ships and transports from the bottom of the sea, recovered 22 thousand tons of valuable cargo from sunken ships;
★The volume of military transportation amounted to more than 1 million people and more than 1.6 million tons of cargo, the transport fleet transported about 2 million tons of economic cargo;
The exploits of the North Sea residents in the Great Patriotic War entered the heroic history of the Armed Forces as bright pages.
Command staff of the Northern Fleet of the USSR Navy (1941-1945)
— , from September 1941 vice admiral, from March 1944 admiral A.G. (June 1941 - until the end war).
| Commanding | ||
| Full Name | Position/Rank | Leadership period |
| Golovko A. G. | Admiral | 1941 — 1945 |
| Members of the Military Council | ||
| Nikolaev A. A. | Vice Admiral | 1941 — 1945 |
| Starostin M. I. | Secretary of the Murmansk Regional Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks/Major General | June 1941 - September 1944 |
| Chiefs of Staff | ||
| Kucherov S. G. | Rear Admiral | June 1941 - March 1943 |
| Fedorov M. I. | Rear Admiral | March 1943 - May 1944 |
| Platonov V.I. | Vice Admiral | 1944 — 1945 |
The Murmansk port became a gateway through which tanks, planes, cars, locomotives and other materials needed by the country to fight fascism continuously arrived. The first allied caravan arrived in Murmansk January 11, 1942, and in total during the war, about 300 ships were unloaded in the Murmansk port, and over 1.2 million tons of imported cargo were processed. A huge burden fell on the Murmansk railway junction, because the cargo that arrived at the port had to be sent to its destination inland.
At the insistence of the Soviet government April 26, 1942 Convoy PQ-15, consisting of 25 transports, left Iceland. Three of them were sunk by enemy aircraft. Of the oncoming convoy QP-11, which consisted of 13 transports, enemy surface ships sank one transport. The cruiser Edinburgh, which had a significant amount of gold on board, was hit by two torpedoes. 02 May 1942 English minesweepers removed the crew, and the cruiser was sunk. Commander of the Northern Fleet, Rear Admiral A.G. Golovko believed that the cruiser needed to be towed to the Kola Bay.
May 30, 1942, while covering the convoy, one of the famous pilots of the Great Patriotic War, Hero of the Soviet Union B.F., died in an air battle. Safonov. On this day, Safonov personally shot down three enemy bombers. He had 33 fascist planes shot down in his combat account.
Having failed to capture Murmansk and block the sea communications through which strategic cargo arrived in the USSR, the Nazis intensified bombing attacks on the port and the regional center. The city was subjected to particularly severe bombing in the summer of 1942. Only June 18, 1942 12 thousand bombs were dropped on Murmansk, over 600 wooden buildings burned down in the city. In total, from 1941 to 1944, 792 fascist German aviation raids were carried out on Murmansk, about 7 thousand high-explosive and 200 thousand incendiary bombs were dropped.
January 14, 1943 An enemy convoy consisting of five transports and several escort ships was discovered in the Vardø area. The planes, led by captains V.N., took off into the air. Kiselev and A.A. Bashtyrkov. This was Bashtyrkov’s 106th flight. Having discovered the convoy, the planes took a combat course. When 400-500 m remained before the transports, the torpedoes separated from the aircraft and rushed towards the target. At that moment, Bashtyrkov’s car caught fire. Anticipating his inevitable death, he radioed: “The plane is on fire, I’m diving into the transport.” As a result of the attack, the Nazis lost two vehicles. Captain A.A. Bashtyrkov and gunner-radio operator Sergeant V.N. Gavrilov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
At the end of 1943, the air force of the Northern Fleet finally gained air supremacy. This made it possible for the fleet command, while protecting its own sea communications, to allocate significant aviation forces for constant operations on the enemy’s sea communications. In certain periods (polar day), aviation operations on enemy communications took a leading place.
In 1943, Northern Fleet aircraft sank and damaged:
★61 vehicles with a total tonnage of 186 thousand tons,
★2 auxiliary vessels
★5 warships (2 patrol ships, a minesweeper, a minelayer and a patrol boat).
July 15, 1944 An enemy convoy consisting of transports was discovered on the approaches to the port of Varde. The convoy included destroyers, escort and patrol boats. Due to difficult weather conditions, bomber aircraft could not take part in the operation.
Eight boats under the command of Captain 2nd Rank Alekseev (now Hero of the Soviet Union), covered by four fighters, went out to meet the enemy convoy. Lieutenant Yurchenko, walking on his boat separately from the detachment, discovered a large driftboat and attacked it. The torpedoes missed their target. Then the brave commander boarded the transport, loaded explosive cartridges and retreated. The driftboat exploded.
Having discovered the enemy, Alekseev’s boats began to attack one after another; skillfully using a smoke screen and maneuvering, the boats quickly hit various targets simultaneously.
By the fall of 1944, the Red Army firmly held the strategic initiative on the Soviet-German front. At the beginning of September, in the Kandalaksha direction, the troops of the 19th Army went on the offensive and by the end of the month reached the Soviet-Finnish border. September 19, 1944 Finland left the war.
In the morning 07 October 1944 The troops of the Karelian Front went on the offensive. During the offensive, units of the 2nd German Mountain Rifle Division were defeated. At the same time, our troops made a deep bypass of the open right flank of the enemy’s defense through difficult terrain and reached the area south of Luostari. On the evening of October 9, a landing was carried out from the Motovsky Bay. The landing party captured the intended section of the coast and began to quickly move south. On the morning of October 10, units of the brigade reached the flank and rear of the enemy defense. After the success of the landing in Malaya Volokovaya Bay was determined, the breakthrough of the enemy defenses on the isthmus of the Sredny Peninsula began. Fearing encirclement, the Germans on the night of October 11, 1944 began their retreat from the isthmus of the Sredny Peninsula. To slow down the advance of our units, the enemy placed stone blockages (placers) on the roads, mined them, and destroyed bridges. During the day, in order to complicate orientation and observation, the enemy placed smoke screens on certain lines.
A detachment of naval reconnaissance officers under the command of Senior Lieutenant Leonov landed on Cape Krestozy in the rear of the enemy batteries covering the entrance to Pechenga Bay.
They had to be captured or destroyed. On the night of October 12, 1944 The detachment successfully attacked an SS-millimeter anti-aircraft battery and captured materiel and prisoners.
After this, Leonov’s detachment had to repel the German attack. who came to the rescue from Lnnnahamarn.
Using the guns of the captured battery, the brave scouts defeated the enemy.
Next in line was the second battery. Acting together with Captain Barchenko's detachment, overcoming wire and other defensive structures, under heavy artillery and machine-gun fire, the Lson scouts broke through to the enemy battery, captured it and took prisoners.
In the evening October 12, 1944 two torpedo boats under the command of Hero of the Soviet Union, Captain 3rd Rank A.O. Shabalin and Lieutenant E.A. Uspensky went to sea. Behind them, with an interval of 7 minutes, two more groups of boats with troops on board came out under the command of Captain 2nd Rank S.G. Korshunovich and captain 3rd rank S.D. Zyuzina. When approaching Petsamskaya Bay at a distance of 20-30 cab. the boats were discovered by the enemy. Searchlights and flares flashed, and coastal batteries opened intense fire. Having increased their speed, the boats broke through the fire curtain and entered the bay, clinging to the western high bank and trying to use the space that was not under fire, despite strong rifle and machine-gun fire, they landed 52 paratroopers on the piers. To capture Linahamari, a landing force of sailors consisting of 660 people was formed under the overall command of Major I.A. Timofeeva. The troops landed in the port, without waiting for dawn, went on the offensive. The main forces of the detachment under the command of Major I.A. Timofeev attacked a heavily fortified stronghold. At dawn October 13, 1944 the enemy counterattacked Timofeev's group with two infantry companies. The battle turned into hand-to-hand combat, as a result of which the Nazis were thrown back. By 12 o'clock the strong point and the battery were occupied.
October 15, 1944 troops of the Karelian Front and parts of the Northern Fleet stormed the city of Petsamo. Subsequently, the offensive of the ground forces developed in the direction of Nikel, Nautsi and along the Petsamo - Kirkenes road.
October 18, 1944 the Germans were thrown across the state border with Norway. They suffered colossal losses in manpower and equipment in the north. During the period of offensive battles to liberate Pechenga, about 130 of their ships were sunk.
During the Petsamo-Kirkenes operation, the territory of the Soviet Arctic was completely cleared of Nazi invaders. In order to complete the defeat of the enemy, Soviet troops October 22, 1944 crossed the Norwegian border and began the liberation of Northern Norway.
TO October 24, 1944 The 14th Army reached the approaches to Kirkenes. To assist the ground forces in capturing the city, it was decided to land troops in the Holmengrofjord Bay.
On the morning of October 25, 1944, the landing detachment consisting of:
★12 torpedo boats.
★2 small.
★1 large submarine hunter under the command of the commander of the torpedo boat brigade, Captain 1st Rank A.V. Kuzmina landed 2 battalions of marines. Moving along the Bekfjord to Jacobsnes, the landing force helped the army troops capture the city of Kirkenes. The coast from Linahamari to Bekfjord was cleared of the enemy.
01 November 1944, completed the complete liberation of the Pechenga region from the German invaders.
Praising the merits personnel Northern Fleet, Air Force, units of the Red Army, sailors of the merchant and fishing fleets, workers of the Northern sea route and Arctic stations, all workers of the northern regions of our country in defense of the Fatherland from the Nazi invaders, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR by Decree of 05 December 1944 established a medal "For the defense of the Soviet Arctic", which was awarded to all Northern Fleet personnel who took part in hostilities.
By 1945, the Northern Fleet included:
★Battleship "Arkhangelsk",
★Cruiser "Murmansk",
★17 destroyers
★9 destroyers were supplied by the Allies as part of the division Italian fleet after Italy left the war, later returned to the USA and Great Britain),
★51 patrol boats (some supplied under Lend-Lease),
★45 submarine hunters (Lend-Lease),
★43 minesweepers (20 British-built minesweepers type MMS),
★56 torpedo boats (G-5, D-3, Higgis, Vosper (torpedo tubes replaced),
★42 submarines (3 were transferred to account for the division of the Italian fleet, one was lost during the transition),
★718 aircraft of various classes (Airacobra and Spitfire fighters, Catalina seaplanes, Boston bombers and torpedo bombers transferred under Lend-Lease),
★256 coastal artillery guns.
★More than twenty-five thousand Marines.
Feats
Well-known examples of courage and bravery shown by sailors of the Northern Fleet are:
★Feat of the crew of the patrol ship "Tuman" (SKR-12) (former trawler), which took 1 August 0, 1941 an unequal battle with three Kriegsmarine destroyers, covering the entrance to the Kola Bay.
★The feat of the crew of the icebreaking steamship "Alexander Sibiryakov", who took on an unequal battle August 25, 1942 with the “pocket battleship” Admiral Scheer, this battle saved the convoy and the port of Dikson, Operation Wunderland was actually disrupted
★Sinking of a submarine by the patrol ship "Breeze" (former trawler "Murmanryba").
★Feat of the Rybachy Peninsula garrison, defense 1273 days
★The feat of the sailors of the 1st and 2nd volunteer detachments of the Northern Fleet on the Musta-Tunturi ridge
★Feats and combat service of the crew of the Project 7 Guards destroyer "Gremyashchiy"
For exemplary performance of command assignments during the war, dozens of formations, ships and naval units were awarded:
★Order of the Red Banner, ] [
MILITARY THOUGHT No. 11/2006
Naval aviation of the Russian Navy: 1938-1945.
Colonel V.L. GERASIMOV,
Candidate of Historical Sciences
The FINAL separation of naval aviation from the Air Force (Air Force) of the Red Army occurred at the turn of 1937-1938 with the formation of the People's Commissariat of the Navy of the USSR and the inclusion of fleet aviation in the Navy. It was not possible to completely eliminate the negative consequences of the many years of naval aviation being part of the Red Army Air Force (1920-1935, 1937) by the beginning of the war, but positive changes were obvious.
The first test of naval aviation as part of the Navy took place during the Soviet-Finnish War (1939-1940), in which aviators from the Baltic and Northern fleets took part. By the beginning of the war, the Baltic Fleet air force alone had 469 combat aircraft: 246 fighters, 111 bombers, 102 reconnaissance aircraft and 10 spotter aircraft. This significantly exceeded the number of all Finnish Air Force aircraft. In terms of theater capabilities, the use of Finnish ground aviation was very limited, so the majority of the enemy air force was made up of hydroaviation, which was part of the Finnish naval air force.
As a result, the aviation of the USSR Navy acquired the necessary combat experience during the “winter” war. “During the period of hostilities, Baltic aviators made 16,663 combat sorties, 881 of them at night, and dropped 2,600 bombs on enemy targets. In air battles and at airfields, 65 aircraft were destroyed, 35 enemy transports and warships were sunk and damaged.” The meeting of the senior leadership of the USSR Navy, held at the end of 1940, was of great importance for the further construction and development of naval aviation. Quite a lot of attention was paid to naval aviation. With reports and communications on the topic “Experience in the use of aviation in modern warfare» delivered by the Deputy Head of Scientific and educational work Naval Academy (VMA) named after. K.E. Voroshilov Captain 1st Rank V.A. Petrovsky, Chief of the Navy Air Force, Aviation Lieutenant General S.F. Zhavoronkov, head of the command and aviation faculty, Colonel A.M. Shuginin, Head of the Operations Department of the Navy Air Force Directorate, Colonel N.G. Kolesnikov, teachers of the Naval Academy, Navy aviation officials, as well as the acting deputy chief of the Main Naval Staff, Rear Admiral V.A. Alafuzov.
The state of the air forces of the fleets at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War can be examined using the example of the air forces of the Baltic Fleet. Compared to the air forces of the European fleets, the Baltic Fleet Air Force had the most combat aircraft - 659 (table).
But the Baltic Fleet Air Force was not only characterized by a large number of aircraft at the beginning of the war. First of all, it is necessary to consider the organizational formations of Baltic naval aviation at that time. The Baltic Fleet Air Force consisted of command and control, combat formations and naval aviation units, and logistics structures. The formations were aviation brigades, and the units were a separate aviation regiment; aviation regiments and a separate Red Banner aviation squadron as part of aviation brigades; separate aviation squadrons. The aviation rear included air bases, which were also military units.
The KBF Air Force control included headquarters, logistics, engineering and aviation service and a political department. The main working control body was the headquarters, organizationally consisting of operational, organizational-mobilization, intelligence departments and a number of services. The core of the Baltic Air Force was three aviation formations - aviation brigades: 8, 61 and 10. The 8th Bomber Aviation Brigade included the 1st Mine-Torpedo and 57th Bomber Aviation Regiments. The 61st Fighter Aviation Brigade consisted of two fighter aviation regiments - the 5th and 13th and the 13th Separate Red Banner Aviation Squadron. The 10th mixed aviation brigade consisted of the 13th and 71st fighter aviation regiments and the 73rd bomber aviation regiment.
The 8th Bomber Aviation Brigade was based at the airfields of the Leningrad region - Bezabotnoye, Kotly, Koporye, Klopitsy. The 61st Fighter Aviation Brigade was based at airfields in the Leningrad region - Nizino, Lipovo, Kummolovo and Kuplya. The 10th mixed aviation brigade was based at the airfields of Tallinn, Hanko, Pernov and Kerstovo. The 15th Separate Naval Reconnaissance Regiment based its units at the airfields: Vyborg, Oranienbaum, Veino and the Valdai Mountains. The 71st separate bomber aviation squadron was located at the Koporye airfield. The 15th, 41st, 43rd, 44th, 58th and 81st naval separate reconnaissance aviation squadrons were based at Baltic airfields.
The combat units of naval aviation were sufficiently equipped with flight and engineering personnel. For example, at the beginning of the war, the 8th Bomber Aviation Brigade had 115 pilots, of whom 19 flew at night. There were great difficulties in managing formations and units of the Red Ban Baltic Fleet Air Force. The Fleet Air Force control had an electrical line connection only with the 10th Mixed Aviation Brigade, based on the territory of Estonia. There was no wire communication with the rest of the organizational structures of Baltic aviation. Control from Tallinn of two other aviation brigades and the 15th separate regiment, which were located in the area of Leningrad and the Leningrad region, had to be carried out by radio or through special communications aircraft.
By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the rear of the Baltic Fleet Air Force included five air bases, two aviation depots and four ammunition depots. Logistics and technical support for flight units was carried out through air bases. The positive aspects of the state of the Baltic Fleet Air Force at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War include the following: the presence of its own aviation, which three and a half years ago was not part of the Baltic Baltic Fleet; the presence in the Red Banner Baltic Fleet Air Force of all naval aviation branches existing at that time; combat experience of most of the flight personnel; high percentage of serviceability of the military aircraft fleet (87.5%); 100% staffing of naval aviation units with engineering and technical personnel; experience of interaction with the Air Force of the Leningrad Military District; a fairly developed airfield network; carrying out additional training of flight and technical personnel in the organizational structures of the Fleet Air Force.
Along with the positive aspects in the state of Baltic aviation at the beginning of the war, there were also a number of shortcomings: a large number of the Baltic Air Force includes fighters (50.2%) and an insufficient percentage of bomber and mine-morped aircraft (27.3%); a large number of outdated aviation equipment; the remoteness of the location of the naval air force control from the main strike forces; difficulties in exercising control; insufficient number of rear structures; a small number of flight personnel trained to operate in night conditions; incomplete construction of the airfield network on the territory of the Republic of Estonia; weak theater equipment in terms of radio navigation.
Despite all the difficulties and shortcomings, the Baltic naval aviation by the summer of 1941 was a combat-ready aviation formation within the Red Banner Baltic Fleet. Later, already during the war years, there was an active elimination of these shortcomings, characteristic of all domestic naval aviation of that time.
In the pre-war years, further development of Navy aviation continued. At the same time, there were also miscalculations in the construction of naval aviation. In an article by Fleet Admiral V.I. Kuroyedov “War experience and prospects for the development and use of the Navy in future wars and conflicts” noted: “Thus, the statutory documents in force at that time put in first place the tasks that the fleet solved independently. In accordance with these guidelines, forces were trained and plans for their use were developed. Independent actions of the fleet forces were placed in first place in the directive of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR dated October 14, 1940, developed by the General Staff of the Red Army, on the basis of which the operational plans of the fleets for 1941 were prepared. These principles were enshrined in the Manual on the Conduct of Naval Operations (NMO-40), but in general, as the experience of the war showed, they turned out to be insufficiently substantiated... It should be noted that many tasks had strategic dimensions and were impossible to achieve. Options for unfavorable developments in coastal areas were not considered at all, so no defensive tasks were assigned to the fleet.”
The insufficient justification for a number of pre-war documents also fully applied to naval aviation, in particular to the use of aircraft-carrying ships in naval warfare. The command of the Navy showed rare shortsightedness in this matter. “While recognizing the right of aircraft-carrying ships to exist, it was unable to correctly assess their rapidly growing influence on the course and outcome of military operations at sea. The worst thing is that this was reflected not only in the practice of naval construction, but also in theory. In matters relating to the combat use of naval aviation, our theorists have been marking time for many years.” In 1937, the fleet received the Temporary Combat Manual of the Naval Forces of the Red Army (BU MS 37), where the purpose and role of naval aviation in operations at sea were assessed basically correctly, but, as before, not a word of attention was paid to the ship, not to mention the deck, aviation.
The said charter, while actually recognizing naval aviation as one of the branches of the fleet, still assigned it a supporting role. “Naval aviation is capable of delivering powerful bombing and mine-torpedo strikes against ships of the fleet, against sea communications (communications) of the enemy and his sea and air bases, carried out both independently and in cooperation with ships, coastal defense assets and with assigned land aviation ... Naval aviation is the main reconnaissance weapon at sea, capable of performing security and patrol services, adjusting the fire of ships, targeting submarines and surface ships at the enemy and using mines and chemical warfare agents.” The war refuted the provisions of many governing documents, and naval aviation eventually turned into the main striking force of the fleet.
By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, a clear structure of naval aviation had been created, which included the control of the Navy Air Force, units of central subordination and the air forces of fleets and flotillas; the main types of naval aviation were determined - bomber and mine-torpedo aircraft, fighter aircraft, and reconnaissance aircraft. Bomber and mine-torpedo aircraft were represented by SB, DB-3f (IL-4), DB-3, AR-2 aircraft; fighter aircraft were armed with MiG-1, MiG-3, I-153, I-15, I -16, reconnaissance aircraft - Che-2, KOR-1, R-5, MBR-2.
By June 22, 1941, the naval air forces organizationally included brigades, separate air regiments and air squadrons. There were 2,580 aircraft in the fleet aviation, while 1,183 winged aircraft were part of the Far Eastern naval aviation. In addition, naval aircraft were part of separate military flotillas - Amur, Caspian and Pinsk. In total, the three independent flotillas consisted of 23 reconnaissance aircraft. Fighters accounted for 51.32%, reconnaissance aircraft - 25.34%, and bombers and torpedo bombers - 23.34% of the aircraft fleet of the active fleets, respectively.
Naval aviation entered the war while being at the stage of improving its organizational structure and technical re-equipment. Attack aircraft, dive bombers, and anti-submarine aircraft were completely absent from its composition, and the number of torpedo bombers was also insufficient.
In the initial period of the war, the mine-torpedo and bomber aircraft of the Baltic Fleet were used by the army command, which suffered heavy losses of its aircraft, mainly in the land theater. June 30, 1941 turned out to be a very difficult day for the Baltic Air Force. The 1st Mine-Torpedo Aviation Regiment alone lost 13 combat vehicles and 10 aircrews in the battle near Dvinsk. On that day, the crew of the bomber, junior lieutenant P.S. Igashev, for the first time in the history of aviation, made a double ram: first he rammed a Messerschmitt in the air, and then sent the damaged winged vehicle into a column of German tanks. Only 54 years later the crew’s feat was appreciated. By Decree of the President of Russia of July 6, 1995 No. 679, the title of Hero of Russia was awarded to junior lieutenant P.S. Igashev, Lieutenant D.G. Parfenov, junior lieutenant A.M. Khokhlachev, Red Navy man V.L. Novikov.
The number of sorties for missions performed by naval aviation in 1941 was distributed as follows: actions against ground forces and ground targets - 45%, covering naval bases (naval bases), ships and vessels at sea - 38%, conducting aerial reconnaissance - 13 %, strikes on ships and vessels at sea and bases - 4% of sorties.
Solving unusual tasks and the presence of an outdated aircraft fleet, which was inferior in its tactical and technical characteristics to enemy aircraft, were the main reasons for the significant losses of naval aviation at the beginning of the war, despite the fairly good training of its flight personnel. However, it was the experience of the first, most difficult months of the war that showed that it was necessary to adjust some theoretical provisions on the use of operational-tactical capabilities of naval aviation in war and eliminate a number of organizational shortcomings in the general structure of fleet aviation.
Speaking about the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, it is necessary to remember one thing historical fact, which had enormous, including international, significance. At the end of July 1941, Admiral N.G. Kuznetsov and Aviation Lieutenant General S.F. Zhavoronkov came up with the idea of bombing Berlin with naval aviation. As a result of a detailed study of the issue, the choice fell on the 1st mine-torpedo aviation regiment of the Baltic Fleet Air Force. At this time, the regiment was taken over by an experienced pilot and commander, Colonel E.N. Preobrazhensky. It was he who led a special group assembled from all five aviation squadrons of the regiment, which in early August 1941 relocated to one of the largest islands of the Moonsund archipelago - the island of Saaremu (Ezel). It was from the Cahul airfield on Ezel Island that the tactical radius of the DB-3f aircraft provided the possibility of launching air strikes on Berlin.
After the first test reconnaissance flight along the route of a group of five DB-3f under the command of Captain A.Ya. Efremov, the final decision was made to bomb the capital of the Third Reich. On the evening of August 7, thirteen maximally loaded winged vehicles took off one after another. The flagship was Sh. Preobrazhensky, the second group was led by V.A. Grechishnikov, the third was headed by A.Ya. Efremov. Five aircraft of the regiment took part in that historic flight over Berlin; the remaining crews bombed reserve targets. The surprise of the actions of the naval aviators is evidenced by the fact that the next morning German radio stations broadcast an attempt by 150 British aircraft to break through to Berlin. The British responded as follows: “The German message about the bombing of Berlin is mysterious, since on the night of August 7-8, British aircraft did not rise from their airfields due to unfavorable weather conditions.”
After the first raid on Berlin, an order appeared from the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR I.V. Stalin dated August 8, 1941 No. 0265: “On the night of August 7–8, a group of Baltic Fleet aircraft made a reconnaissance flight to Germany and bombed the city of Berlin. 5 planes dropped bombs over the center of Berlin, and the rest on the outskirts of the city. As a result of the bombing, fires occurred and explosions were observed.”
Then came the second flight, the third... On August 13, 1941, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to Colonel E.I. Preobrazhensky, captains V.A. Grechishnikov, A.Ya. Efremov, M.N. Plotkin and P.I. Khokhlov. Their names became known throughout the country. The regiment commander was especially popular. It was written about him later on the pages of the Baltic Fleet Air Force daily newspaper “Baltic Pilot”: “Since then, the capital of Germany no longer dared to turn on the lights on its streets in the evenings. Preobrazhensky's bombs were the first harbingers of inexorable defeat. He was the first to put out the lights of Berlin." In total, Baltic pilots carried out eight raids on the German capital, the last of which took place on September 4, 1941. The aviation group carried out 86 sorties, with 33 aircraft (which amounted to 38 %) reached the target and bombed Berlin. The rest, for various reasons, bombed Stettin, Kolberg, Memel, Windam, Danzig, and Libau. As a result of the raids, 32 fires were reported in Berlin. During the period of bombing attacks on Berlin, our losses amounted to 18 aircraft and 7 crews.
Official recognition of the merits of naval aviation in the difficult year of 1941 was the assignment of guards rank to four regiments. The Soviet Naval Guard was born on January 18, 1942. It was on that day that the order of the People's Commissar of the Navy N.G. was published in the newspaper "Red Fleet" - the organ of the People's Commissariat of the Navy. Kuznetsov No. 10, which stated: “For the courage shown in air battles with the German invaders, for steadfastness, courage, discipline and organization, for the heroism of the personnel, the indicated regiments will be transformed into guards regiments, namely: the 1st Mine-Torpedo Aviation Regiment - to the 1st Guards Mine and Torpedo Aviation Regiment, regiment commander Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel E.N. Preobrazhensky; 72nd Mixed Aviation Regiment - to the 2nd Guards Mixed Aviation Regiment, regiment commander Captain Tumanov I.K.; 5th Fighter Aviation Regiment - to the 3rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, regiment commander Hero of the Soviet Union, Major P.V. Kondratyev; 13th Fighter Aviation Regiment - to the 4th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, regiment commander Major Mikhailov B.I.”
Qualitative and quantitative changes in the naval aviation fleet during the war years occurred due to the arrival of new aircraft to the fleets. In 1942, 80% of the aircraft industry enterprises, which relocated to the eastern regions of the country at the beginning of the war, managed to establish the technological cycle of aircraft production and began delivering them to active units at an accelerated pace. In total, by the end of the Great Patriotic War, naval aviation received 14 new types of combat aircraft, which in a number of performance characteristics were superior to foreign aircraft of that time. “In addition, starting in 1942, Hurricane, Kittyhawk, Airacobra and Spitfire fighter planes and Boston-A-20 bombers began to arrive in the fleets from the USA and Great Britain under Lend-Lease.” and Catalina amphibious aircraft.
The main drawback in the organization of naval aviation at the beginning of the war was that the structure of flying units - regiments - turned out to be unviable in wartime. Due to their bulkiness (the aviation regiment consisted of five squadrons and numbered 60-80 aircraft), they were insufficiently maneuverable and difficult to control. By the end of 1941, the air regiments included three aviation squadrons, each with 10-13 aircraft. Individual squadrons were reduced and reorganized accordingly. In addition, in the future, the organization of the fleet air forces was improved in the direction of separating rear agencies (air bases, repair shops, etc.) from combat units and formations, with their subordination to the deputy commander of the fleet air force for logistics. As a result of this organizational restructuring, the maneuverability of flight units and the quality of management of all organizational structures of the naval air forces increased. To protect convoys in the area of responsibility of the Northern Fleet and the general strengthening of the Northern Fleet Air Force, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command sent a Special Naval Aviation Group (OMAG) from its reserve to the operational subordination of the commander of North Sea aviation. “Five aviation regiments of this group arrived at the Northern Fleet at the end of June - beginning of July 1942 (the 35th aviation regiment of long-range bombers on DB-3f aircraft; the 28th and 29th aviation regiments of dive bombers - Pe-2 aircraft; 20 1st and 255th fighter aviation regiments, which were armed with Yak-1 and LaGG-3 aircraft). All of them had previously participated in battles in other fleets.” OMAG existed until November 1942. There, in the north, structural changes also took place in the organization of fighter aviation, which was practically divided into point-based aircraft, intended for air defense (air defense) of the naval base and communications, and into escort aviation for strike aircraft.
During the fierce battles, the tactics of air assault operations were born and developed. At the beginning of the war, torpedo bombers, bombers and fighters were used as attack aircraft. The first attack aviation units began to be created in the naval aviation in the Baltic and Black Sea fleets in August 1941. In the spring of 1943, attack aircraft also appeared in the Northern Fleet. As a result, assault aviation organizational structures were formed in all fleets.
In the first period of the Great Patriotic War, Navy aviation contributed to the long and stubborn defense of Tallinn, Leningrad, Kronstadt, Sevastopol and Odessa, the Arctic and the Caucasus, Hanko and the Moonsund archipelago, the Kerch Peninsula and Crimea.
The second period of the Great Patriotic War (November 19, 1942 - end of 1943) is characterized primarily by the fact that naval aviation took first place in terms of damage inflicted on the enemy by the forces of the Soviet Navy and subsequently maintained a leading position among the military branches until the end of the war. Marine Fleet. Since the beginning of 1943, the effectiveness of the combat use of naval aviation against enemy communications has continuously increased. In 1943, a significant step was taken in the construction of naval aviation - the transfer of the naval air forces from a brigade to a divisional organization took place. The creation of aviation divisions instead of air brigades was more consistent with the dictates of the times and increased the controllability of the naval air force according to the scheme: division - regiment - squadron.
In 1943, naval aviation took part in three major operations. The Baltic Fleet Air Force, together with the 13th and 14th Air Armies, took part in breaking the siege of Leningrad from January 12 to January 30, 1943. In two offensive operations - the North Caucasus (from January 1 to February 4, 1943) and Novorossiysk-Taman (September 10 - October 9, 1943) - Black Sea aviators made a significant contribution to success. Among the first formations and units in the Navy to receive honorary names was the 11th Attack Air Division of the Black Sea Fleet, which became Novorossiysk.
During the third period of the Great Patriotic War (January 1, 1944 - May 9, 1945), naval aviation as part of the Navy took part in nine strategic offensive operations. By the end of the war, only 3.3% of aircraft in naval aviation were in service since 1941, and 78.7% were new domestic aircraft, while at the beginning of the war, about 87% of aircraft were obsolete aircraft.
In the third period of the Great Patriotic War, the main targets of naval aviation were enemy ships and vessels at sea and ports. At the same time, the number of sorties to carry out attacks on them amounted to 35% of the total number of sorties versus 4% in 1941. In 1944, 3.3 times more sorties were made against enemy transports and ships than in 1941-1943, and 4 times less against enemy ground forces.
There have also been changes in the quantitative ratio between the branches of naval aviation. By the beginning of 1945, the Navy Air Force consisted of 35% strike aircraft (10% torpedo bombers, 8% bombers, 17% attack aircraft), 50% fighters and 15% reconnaissance aircraft. And if, compared to the beginning of the war, fighter aviation almost retained its component in the fleets, then the reconnaissance aviation fleet decreased by 10%, and attack aviation, on the contrary, increased by more than 11%. Depending on the location of action, there were some specific features in the distribution of naval aviation branches among fleets. Thus, in the North, torpedo bombers and reconnaissance aircraft predominated and there were no bombers, the effectiveness of which in the conditions of the Arctic was low. The Baltic Fleet had more attack aircraft, and the Black Sea Aviation had more bombers.
It was at the final stage of the Great Patriotic War that the complex and diverse nature of the tasks facing the naval aviation led to further development tactics of combat use, strengthening specialization and its most appropriate and effective use for its intended purpose. Reconnaissance aircraft were used to conduct aerial reconnaissance of ships and convoys directly at sea, as well as naval bases, ports, airfields, and to search for and destroy submarines. Mine-torpedo and bomber aircraft were used to strike ships and convoys at sea, industrial centers, bases, ports and ground targets. Attack aircraft operated against ships, transports and convoys, vital facilities and anti-aircraft weapons in bases and ports, against ground targets and airfields. Fighter aircraft supported the operations of strike and reconnaissance aircraft, covered their surface forces at sea, naval bases, ports and front troops. The main efforts of naval aviation in 1944-1945 were focused on operations along sea communications and on securing the flank in offensive operations of troops on the coastal fronts.
Based on the results of combat operations during the Great Patriotic War, naval aviation became the main striking force of the fleet. Naval pilots flew more than 350 thousand sorties, sank 792 and damaged about 700 enemy ships and transports, and destroyed more than 5,500 enemy aircraft in air battles and at airfields.
In February 1945, at the Yalta Conference of the leaders of the USSR, USA and Great Britain, the issue of the Soviet Union's entry into the war with Japan two or three months after the completion of the defeat of Nazi Germany was resolved. On August 8, 1945, the USSR declared war on Japan, and on August 9, Soviet troops began military operations in the Far East. Aviation from the Pacific Fleet also took part in the war against militaristic Japan. Two large aviation operational units of the Navy took part in the Soviet-Japanese War (1945) - the air force of the Pacific Fleet and the air force of the Northern Pacific Flotilla (STF). The air force of the flotilla was in a special relationship with the commander of the Pacific Fleet Air Force, and in operational terms it was subordinate to the commander of the Northern Pacific Flotilla.
By the beginning of hostilities, fleet aviation numbered 1,495 aircraft. The Pacific Fleet Air Force and the Stop Fleet Air Force consisted of a total of 29 aviation regiments, some of which were organizationally part of air divisions, the rest were separate military units. In addition, there were 9 separate aviation squadrons. Already during the war, the Pacific aviation fleet continued to be replenished with air regiments from other fleets. So the 36th mine-torpedo and 27th fighter aviation regiments arrived from the North, and the 43rd fighter regiment arrived from the Black Sea Fleet.
Enemy aviation in the coastal direction had 469 aircraft. The advantage of naval aviation, in addition to numerical and qualitative superiority, also lay in high level moral state of personnel due to victory in the Great Patriotic War. The overall strength of the Pacific aviation units was also high, which at the beginning of the war with Japan amounted to 96%. Fighting naval aviation were integral part operations carried out by the Pacific Fleet, flotilla and troops of the 1st and 2nd Far Eastern Fronts, operating in the coastal direction, in North Korea and on Sakhalin Island.
The combat activities of naval aviation in August 1945 were carried out in the following main areas: conducting aerial reconnaissance; massive air strikes on enemy ports; combat activities on maritime communications; supporting amphibious operations carried out by the fleet; air defense of naval bases and convoys during sea crossings.
A special feature of aerial reconnaissance was that during the war, the reconnaissance aircraft of the fleet did not encounter strong opposition from the enemy. This feature, of course, contributed to the successful completion of combat missions by reconnaissance aircraft. The fleet's bomber and attack aircraft carried out the longest massive attacks on major commercial ports and naval bases: Racine, Seisin, Yukki. As a result of air strikes by naval aviators in the ports of Yucca and Racine, eight transports, a tanker and a passenger steamer were sunk and damaged.
The active actions of the Pacific Fleet aviation to support landing operations contributed to the rapid capture of the ports of Yucca, Racine, Seisin, Odentzin and Genzan. Aerial bombing attacks on railway junctions, bridges and stages were widely used during the Seishin landing operation. During air strikes on railway tracks in the Tumyn-Seisin section, the 12th Attack Air Division especially distinguished itself. When providing air support for landings on west coast On Sakhalin, units of the STOF Air Force operated effectively. Air defense of naval bases was carried out in close cooperation between naval aviation and air defense units. The positive thing was that the Pacific Fleet air defense was headed by Aviation Major General V.V. Suvorov, subordinate to the commander of the Fleet Air Force.
In total, during the war with Japan, “the air force of the Pacific Fleet made 4,724 sorties, sank over thirty transports, two destroyers, and four tankers. In total - 55 ships and about 70 small vessels. The aviators destroyed from the air dozens of railway trains, weapons depots, firing points, piers and other objects.”
For courage and heroism, 15 Pacific aviators were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and eight aviation regiments were awarded people's commissar The Navy on August 23, 26 and 28, 1945 were transformed into guards. By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated September 14, 1945, three air divisions and four air regiments of the Fleet Air Force were awarded the Order of the Red Banner for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command. The next day, Order No. 0501 of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief was signed, according to which the honorary names “Sakhalinsky”, “Yukinsky”, “Port Arthur” were assigned to five aviation regiments, and the Rasinskaya, Seisinskaya and Rananskaya became, respectively, the 12th assault, 10th dive and 2nd mine-torpedo aviation divisions.
“The fighting in the Far East was short-lived in duration, but in terms of the scope and force of the blow delivered to the enemy, they played a decisive role in the final defeat of imperialist Japan. The personnel of the Fleet Air Force showed persistence and heroism in this war, solving assigned tasks in close cooperation with ships and units of the Pacific Fleet.” The successful actions of the Pacific Fleet aviation in the war with Japan were a logical confirmation of the significant role of naval aviation in supporting all fleet operations and providing assistance to ground forces in 1941-1945.
The effective implementation of construction experience on the eve of the war and the combat experience of the Great Patriotic War and the Soviet-Japanese War in the daily activities of the USSR Navy aviation allowed us to go from the concept of construction to practical creation in a relatively short historical period - from the mid-50s to the mid-70s. domestic naval aviation, meeting all the requirements of one of the main branches of the ocean-going Navy.
Aviation of the Russian Fleet / Edited by V.G. Deineki. St. Petersburg: Shipbuilding, 1996. P. 53.
Tirkeltaub S.V., Stepakov V.N. Against Finland. Soviet naval aviation in the Baltic in the war of 1939-1940. St. Petersburg: BSK, 2000. P. 17.
Soviet-Finnish War 1939-1940 on the sea. In 2 parts. Part 1. In 3 books. M-L.: Voenmorizdat, 1945. Part 1. Book. 1. P. 26.
Aviation of the Russian Fleet. P. 54.
Russian archive: The Great Patriotic War: On the eve of the war: Materials of meetings of the senior leadership of the USSR Navy at the end of 1940. M.: TERRA, 1997. P. 88-151.
The Black Sea Fleet at that time had 625 aircraft, and the Northern Fleet Air Force had 116 aircraft. See: Zhumatiy V.I. Collection didactic materials course on the history of naval art. M.: Humanitarian Academy of the Armed Forces, 1992. P. 49.
By the beginning of the war, the air force control of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet was located in Tallinn.
Combat activity of naval aviation in the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union 1941-1945. Part II. Air Force of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet in the Great Patriotic War. M.: Military Publishing House, 1963. P. 8.
Right there. P. 19.
Kuroyedov V.I. Experience of wars and prospects for the development and use of the Navy in future wars and conflicts // Military Thought. 2005. No. 5. P. 33
Rodionov B.I., Monakov M.S. Aircraft carriers: History and prospects. M.: Voenizdat, 2004. P. 41.
Right there. pp. 41-42.
Temporary Combat Regulations of the Naval Forces of the Red Army (BU MS 37). M.-L. State Military Publishing House of the People's Commissariat of Defense of the USSR, 1937. pp. 15-16.
Zhumatiy V.I. Collection of didactic materials for the course on the history of naval art. C. 49.
Zamchalov A.N. History of naval art: Soviet naval art in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. L.: Naval Academy, 1987. P. 306.
Heroes of the Russian Federation, awarded the title for courage and heroism shown in the fight against the Nazi invaders in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. // Cavalier. 2002. No. 6. P. 114.
Kuznetsov G.A. Naval aviation in the war at sea // Naval collection. 1988. No. 8. P. 23.
Aleksin V.I. We bombed the capital of the “Third Reich” in 1941 // Independent Military Review. 1998. August 28 - September 3.
Gerasimov V.L. Soviet naval pilots were the first to extinguish the lights of Berlin // Military History Journal. 2001. No. 8. P. 26.
Combat activities of Navy aviation in the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union 1941-1945: Part 2. Air Force of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet in the Great Patriotic War. M.: Voenizdat, 1963. P. 120.
Deineka V.G. Our naval aviation / Naval collection. 1996. No. 7. P. 10.
Boyko V.S. Wings of the Northern Fleet. Murmansk: Murmansk Book Publishing House, 1976. P. 127.
Pavlovich N.B. Development of Navy tactics. M.: Voenizdat, 1990. P. 212.
Basov A.V. Fleet in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945: Experience of operational-strategic use. M.: Nauka, 1980. P. 186.
Kapitanets I.M. A strong fleet means a strong Russia. M.: Veche, 2006. P. 258.
Chevychelov M.E. Pacific Falcons. Vladivostok: Far Eastern Book Publishing House, 1984. P. 107.
Combat activities of Navy aviation in the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union 1941-1945: Part 4. Air Force of the Pacific Fleet in the Great Patriotic War. M.: Voenizdat, 1963. P. 126.
The submarine forces of the Soviet Navy during the Second World War held a clear, unique, sad “record” - during this period, 15 commanders of Soviet submarines died without their ships. It is this topic that is devoted to the material prepared for the collection “Secrets of Underwater Warfare” by Andrei Smagin, a member of the Moscow Fleet History Club.
A. Smagin. "When a commander dies..."
During the years of the Great Patriotic War, in the three operating Soviet fleets - the Northern, Red Banner Baltic and Black Sea, 78, 92 and 97 submarine commanders, respectively, took part in hostilities. The degree of their participation in the war was very different: some went through the entire war, as they say, “from bell to bell,” having made a large number of military campaigns, while others did not have time to make a single trip to sea. During the war years, 102 Soviet submarines were lost, most of them on enemy communications with the entire crew, however, alas, there were often cases of deaths of individual members of their crews, including the commanders themselves, which will be discussed below.
Northern Fleet
On July 11, 1941, the subsequently famous unit left Polyarny on its first military campaign under the command of Senior Lieutenant Dmitry Yakovlevich Lysenko.The boat was sent on patrol to a position northeast of Kildin Island. The commander felt insecure during the campaign and often changed course; on July 20, when the location of the boat had not been determined for several days, it, being in a submerged position, hit its nose on the coastal rocks in Teriberskaya Bay. The commander commanded “Full speed ahead!” and the boat was rocked by another blow. There was panic on board, and the commander finally lost the ability to control the ship. The situation was saved by his assistant, who gave the command to ascend. The entire bow end of the submarine was mutilated, the breakwaters of the torpedo tubes were bent and torn from their places. Upon returning to base, Senior Lieutenant D.Ya. Lysenko was tried by a military tribunal and, according to its verdict, executed.
On February 12, 1942, a submarine under the command of Lieutenant Commander Semyon Ivanovich Kovalenko left Polyarny for a military campaign in the area of Cape Nordkin - Lakee Fjord. On the night of February 19, 5 miles from Honningsvåg Bay, in poor visibility conditions, she met a detachment of German ships consisting of the minelayer Brummer (formerly Norwegian Olav Tryggvasson) and minesweepers M-1502 and M-1503. Knowing that the enemy was in front of him, the commander of the minzag. Having ordered to give full speed, from a distance of 400-500 meters he went to ram the boat, which began to move and, having bypassed the Brummer in a large arc, passed in front of his bow. Standing on the deck of the Pike, its watch officer, navigator and boatswain, mistaking the Brummer for... an escort ship of an allied convoy, waved their hands at the German sailors and shouted about themselves “Russians, Russians!” Since the boat avoided being rammed, the enemy opened fire on it with all guns, achieving a direct hit on the durable hull. At the same time M-1503. having bypassed from the left side the one continuing to move towards high speed minzag, a few minutes later he came out to the boat and struck it at an angle of 45° with a glancing ramming blow behind the conning tower. Lieutenant Commander Kovalenko, jumping onto the bridge and assessing the situation, gave the command to stop the diesel engines in order to carry out an urgent dive, but was seriously wounded and fell. while his assistant, navigator and boatswain had already gone down. However, the next minute the navigator jumped up again and shouted: “Is there anyone on the bridge?” Having received no response, he commanded “Everyone down!” urgent dive!” and, standing on the ladder, managed to slam the conning tower hatch just before the bow of the German minesweeper, which again went on the attack. Then a new, powerful ramming blow shook the boat. At some point, one of the German non-commissioned officers, without an order, jumped with the help of a throwing end onto the deck of a Soviet boat and threw a noose around the legs of its seriously wounded commander, who was lying there unconscious. When the “pike” sank, the Soviet submariner found himself on board a German minesweeper. So Lieutenant Commander S.I. Kovalenko was captured. where his wounded leg was amputated. The Germans soon learned that he was the commander of a submarine and interrogations began, but he either remained silent or gave incorrect testimony. The Soviet sailor was thrown into a camp for prisoners of war submariners near Paris, where in 1944 Lieutenant Commander S.I. Kovalenko was shot by the Germans.
On May 20, 1942, a submarine under the command of Captain 3rd Rank Alexei Kiryanovich Malyshev set out on its eighth military campaign of the war - in the area of Fuley Island. He began the war as the commander of this boat with the rank of lieutenant commander, and in the third combat campaign he opened the account for the submariners of the Northern Fleet, sinking the transport “Ottar Jarl” with a tonnage of 1459 GRT on September 12, 1941 in Tanafjord. During his fourth campaign, in which a motorboat was sunk by artillery fire in the area of Cape Nordkin, and its crew was taken prisoner. Malyshev was awarded the Order of Lenin. Until the summer of 1942, Shch-422 under his command made two more combat missions. On the eighth campaign, disagreements arose between the commander and his new commissar, senior political instructor Abram Efimovich Tabenkin. In addition, the gyrocompass on the boat broke down, and the commander, a former divisional navigator, undertook to repair it, but after the repair the device fell into a completely hopeless state. As a result of all this, the military commissar sent a radiogram to the base with a request to recall the boat from the position due to the obvious cowardice of the commander. Upon returning to base, Lieutenant Commander A.K. Malyshev, following the denunciation of the commissar, was tried by a military tribunal and, according to its verdict, was shot. (There is evidence that Malyshev died even before the execution of the sentence - in prison during a German air raid).
On August 11, 1942, a submarine under the command of Captain 3rd Rank Nikolai Guryevich Stolbov, who met the war in this position with the rank of lieutenant commander, entered the position in the area of Cape Nordkin - port Berlevåg on its next, tenth combat campaign during the war. During two years of hostilities, the boat, which became the Red Banner on April 3, 1942, carried out 15 torpedo attacks on enemy ships and vessels, sank two of them - on October 17, 1941, in the Sereysund Strait, the transport “Westerolen” with a tonnage of 682 gross tons, and on February 27, 1942 in Lakfjord, at the cape Superhold-Clubben German patrol ship NM-01. August 14 in the Tanafjord area at 1 hour 58 minutes At night, while charging the batteries on the boat, a gas explosion occurred - the electricians missed the ventilation deadline by 25 minutes and left their posts. The resulting fire engulfed the 2nd and 10th compartments of the boat, killing 18 ship crew members and its commander, Captain 3rd Rank N.G. Stolbov. Upon returning to the base, the bodies of the dead were removed from the compartments and buried in a mass grave in the cemetery of the city of Polyarny.
On February 24, 1944, for an unknown reason, the commander of the submarine, Captain 3rd Rank Alexander Ivanovich Madisson, committed suicide. He met the war as a captain-lieutenant in the position of commander of the former Latvian submarine “Ronis”. which was undergoing repairs in Liepaja by June 22, 1941. The next day, due to the impossibility of taking it to sea and in order to avoid capture by the enemy, this boat, along with other ships being repaired, was blown up by Soviet sailors, and Madisson himself was lucky to survive during the defense of Liepaja. On April 22, 1943, he received under his command the submarine C-15 of the Caspian military flotilla, which he then transferred to the North. Having left for its second combat campaign on February 19, 1944, the “eska” returned to base the very next day due to the illness of the commander, and four days later captain 3rd rank A.I. Madison committed suicide.
Red Banner Baltic Fleet
When the Great Patriotic War began on June 22, 1941, at the forward base of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet in Liepaja, in addition to the already mentioned Ronis, there were 5 more ships of the 1st submarine brigade under repair - S-1, S-3, M-71, M-80 and Speedola. Of these, only the S-3 managed to go to sea, and even then it could only go on the surface. In addition to the “native” crew, some of the sailors from the Red Banner who remained in Liepaja, led by its commander, Captain 3rd Rank Ivan Tikhonovich Morsky, were on the boat. During the transition in the area of Cape Uzhava, S-3 was sunk by German torpedo boats S-35 and S-60. Almost everyone on board the “eska” died, including captain 3rd rank I.P. Nautical.
Director: D. Andreev
Documentary series dedicated to the history of the victories of the USSR Navy. The series covers the events of naval battles during the Great Patriotic War from 1941 to 1945. The most powerful and significant ships of that time are described in detail.
An interesting and high-quality documentary series, using chronicles, stories by a veteran and computer graphics for better clarity.
By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the naval composition of the RKKF consisted of 3 battleships, 7 cruisers, 59 leaders and destroyers, 218 submarines, 269 torpedo boats, 22 patrol ships, 88 minesweepers, 77 submarine hunters and a number of other ships and boats, and also auxiliary vessels. There were 219 ships under construction, including 3 battleships, 2 heavy and 7 light cruisers, 45 destroyers, 91 submarines.
In addition to the fleets, the USSR Navy had five river and lake flotillas.
In general, by the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, a navy had been created capable of performing the most important tactical and strategic tasks, both together with ground forces and independently in the adjacent seas for the purpose of defending the coast and disrupting maritime transport. However, there were also some shortcomings in the operational and tactical preparation of the Fleet.
01. Battleship "Marat"
At 4 o'clock on June 22, 1941, the sound of loud bells woke up the ship's crew. Unidentified planes were approaching Kronstadt from the sea. This is how the war against German fascism began for Marat. On the morning of September 23, more than seventy fascist bombers simultaneously attacked Kronstadt. Their main target was the Marat, which was standing at the pier. Bomb explosions followed one after another. Cascades of fragments and rubble continually rained down on the ship. With a piercing clang and roar, the entire bow superstructure separated and collapsed into the water, the multi-ton first turret flew overboard, the bow end of the battleship broke off and disappeared into the waves. But “Marat” did not die. The battleship, to which its former name “Petropavlovsk” was restored on May 31, 1943, courageously defended the hero city on the Neva throughout the nine hundred days of the siege.
02. Cruiser "Red Crimea"
In the ranks of the legendary ships of the Black Sea Fleet squadron, a cruiser with a name on board – “Red Crimea” – occupied a worthy place. His name is stamped on Memorial sign ships of the squadron. "Red Crimea", like many other ships of the fleet, appeared in the Great Sevastopol Bay at the most critical moments, delivering manpower and equipment. The ship's artillery rained down a barrage of fire on the enemy, while repelling numerous attacks by bombers and torpedo bombers. The cruiser was commanded by permanent captain of the first rank A. Zubkov. For the courage shown in the battles for the Fatherland with the German invaders, for the heroism of the personnel, the crew of the cruiser "Red Crimea" was awarded the Guards title.
03. Battleship "Paris Commune"
Battleships are the most powerful artillery armored ships. The battleship "Paris Commune" fought three wars - the First World War, the Civil War, and in the Great Patriotic War - she not only fought - she fought! During the war, the battleship made 15 military campaigns, covering 7,700 miles, and fired 10 artillery fires at enemy positions near Sevastopol and on the Kerch Peninsula. The ship's anti-aircraft artillery repelled 21 air attacks and shot down 3 aircraft. Subsequently, the Battleship was returned to the name “Sevastopol” with the awarding of the Order of the Red Banner.
04. "Cruiser "Maxim Gorky""
The cruiser "Maxim Gorky" took part in the naval parade on the Neva in honor of Navy Day. On the very first day of the Great Patriotic War, the cruiser headed out to sea to cover mine laying at the mouth of the Gulf of Finland, but the next morning it was blown up by an enemy mine. The explosion tore off the bow of the ship. However, the team managed to reach the port in Talin, and then to Kronstadt, where a new bow was welded in a short time. It was relocated from Kronstadt to Leningrad and was included in the city’s artillery defense system. During the war years, the ship conducted 126 artillery firings and fired 2,311 main-caliber shells at enemy personnel, military equipment, transport and engineering structures.
05. "White Sea Flotilla"
The White Sea military flotilla was formed in August 1941 as part of the Northern Fleet to protect communications in the White Sea, the eastern part of the Barents Sea and the Arctic. The main base is Arkhangelsk. The city turned out to be the only northern port that could accept caravans of ships delivering military cargo under Lend-Lease for unloading. Therefore, at a conference of representatives of the three powers, held from September 27 to October 1, 1941 in Moscow, England and the United States pledged from October 1941 to June 30, 1942 to supply monthly four hundred aircraft, three hundred tanks, anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns and strategic raw materials . The flotilla included transport and passenger ships, tugs and fishing trawlers, which were armed with cannons, machine guns, trawling equipment and depth charges. During the war, the White Sea military flotilla provided escort for more than 2,500 transport ships.
06. "Kerch-Feodosia landing operation"
The Kerch-Feodosia landing operation was the largest naval operation the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. In mid-November 1941, German troops, together with Romanian formations, captured the Kerch Peninsula. Vice Admiral F. S. Oktyabrsky, commander of the Black Sea Fleet, developed an operation plan, according to which on December 26 it was necessary to land troops north and south of Kerch, capture the city and port, then advance on the Turkish Wall and Vladislavovka and thus pull back part of the German troops from the besieged Sevastopol. The landing of army troops was carried out by the Black Sea Fleet and the Azov Military Flotilla. The landing plan worked in full. As a result of the Kerch-Feodosia operation, a new front was created in Crimea, the enemy lost the opportunity to invade the Caucasus through the Kerch Peninsula and was forced to stop the offensive near Sevastopol, the defense of which continued for another six months.
07. "Ladoga Flotilla"
The Road of Life occupies a special place in the history of the Great Patriotic War - the only connection between besieged Leningrad and lands free from fascist invaders. But it was exactly the road for only 150 days out of 900 blockade days. The rest of the time, Leningrad was helped by the Ladoga Flotilla. Admiral Cherokov, having headed the flotilla in October 1941, insisted on strengthening it, but during the difficult war years they could only help with cargo and passenger ships, minesweepers and tugs. During the night they were equipped with weapons, and in the morning they went into battle. People and equipment were taken out of Leningrad, entire factories were evacuated. Food and ammunition were delivered to the city. Awarded the Order of the Red Banner. November 4, 1944 disbanded.
08. "Dnieper flotilla"
During the war with the Red Army reaching the Dnieper River in September 1943, the Dnieper military flotilla was formed. It was created on the basis of the ships of the Volga military flotilla. It consisted of sixteen armored boats, ten patrol boats, forty river minesweepers, thirty-two half-gliders, a floating artillery battery and two anti-aircraft divisions. The Dnieper military flotilla operated on the Dnieper, Berezina, Pripyat, Western Bug, Vistula, Oder, and Spree rivers. She assisted the advancing Soviet troops in Ukraine, Belarus, and Poland.
For military merits, the flotilla was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, Ushakov, 1st degree.
09. "Project 7 Destroyers"
Naval cavalry - this is what the destroyers were called for their speed and maneuverability. Everything about the design of these ships was about speed. That is why they were not equipped with heavy armor protection, as on cruisers. Project 7 destroyers were created for artillery combat and torpedo attacks. The ships had sonorous names - “Cheerful”, “Ruthless”, “Decisive”, “Furious”, “Crushing”. The lead ship of the series was the Wrathful. It also turned out to be the first major loss of the Soviet fleet. The destroyer hit a German anchor mine. But there were also first victories. The gunners of the destroyer "Gremyashchiy" shot down a German bomber. Destroyers have become the “universal soldiers” of the sea. They defended fleet bases, performed patrol duty, escorted transport convoys, and transported troops and equipment. For combat distinctions during the Great Patriotic War, four Project 7 destroyers were awarded the Order of the Red Banner, and Gremyashchiy received the title of “Guards.”
10. "Monitors"
Monitors are armored low-draft artillery ships with a shallow draft, designed to fire at coastal targets and enemy troops, and destroy enemy ships in coastal areas and on rivers. The operation involving the monitor “Flyagin” under the command of Senior Lieutenant Didenko at the end of July 1941 in the area of the village of Tripolye was very successful. The monitors took on a significant part of the combat work during the defeat of the Kwantung Army in the Far East. Maneuverable, well-protected and armed armored boats became a real headache for Japanese generals. Even kamikazes could not destroy the Soviet “armored punts”. The work of the crews and gunners was so coordinated that a certain rhythm could even be discerned behind the artillery fire. Is this why, in the professional slang of river boaters, the well-coordinated work of the crew is still called the “Viennese Waltz”.
11. "Baby Submarines"
"Malyutki" are the smallest submarines in the Soviet Union during World War II. “Baby” was able to demonstrate all its best qualities during Valentin Starikov’s campaign in Petsamo in September 1941. In May 1942, another boat made an equally daring maneuver in the waters of the Arctic. Thanks to its design, “Malyutka” managed to go under water faster than the Germans recovered from the torpedo explosions. The submariners managed to retreat to the shores where the Soviet batteries were located. On the Malyutka, Alexander Marinesko set a fantastic dive record. The famous submariner hid the boat under water in just nineteen and a half seconds, when according to the standards, thirty-five were allotted for this. His boat M-95 was recognized several times as the best in the Baltic Fleet. The officer was awarded the order Lenin. Submariners of the M-171st won the challenge Red Banner, established for the best submarine in the country. In almost a year, this submarine destroyed twelve enemy ships - more than any other submarine in the entire Soviet fleet. The commander of the submarine, Valentin Starikov, was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
12. "Series Submarines"
The Eskis achieved their greatest success in the Baltic: during the war years they sank eleven ships and damaged five. Of the ten ships, only the C-13 survived the war under the command of captain third rank Marinesko, which sank two German transports, Wilhelm Gustloff and General Steuben. The death of these ships was among the ten largest maritime disasters. The submarine S-56 under the command of Lieutenant Commander Shchedrin sank the tanker Oirstadt and the transport Warterland. This was the only time during the entire war when a Soviet submarine hit two ships at once in one salvo. Today the S-56 is installed as a museum boat in Vladivostok.
13. "Leader of Destroyers"
The destroyers did not operate alone, but in entire groups. It soon became clear that such detachments required a special command ship. Thus a leader appeared. The combat purpose of these ships was clearly offensive in nature. But during the entire war, the Soviet leaders never met a worthy enemy at sea. They did not have to fight against battleships and cruisers. The main enemies of the ships were mines, aircraft and coastal batteries. The film tells about the fate of the first ship of this series “Leningrad”, about the difficult service of the leader “Minsk”, about the tragic death of the best ships of the Black Sea Fleet - the leaders “Moscow” and “Kharkov”. Naval combat did not become the main type of combat operations in Soviet waters. The leaders remained a symbol of a strong maritime power.
14. "D-series submarines"
A silver plate with the inscription “Decembrist”, attached by the Baltic to the rapid submersion tank at a meeting in honor of the keeling of the ships, served as the name of the entire series of submarines of this type. The D series boats had a strong double-hull design. For the first time in Soviet submarine shipbuilding, the hull was divided into waterproof compartments. The strength of the structure made it possible to dive to a depth of 90 meters - one of the best indicators in the world. The film will tell about the creation of the first boat of the D-1 series - "Decembrist", about the difficult fate of the boat D-4 - "Revolutionary", which earned the reputation of being unsinkable in the Black Sea Fleet, about the core of the Northern Fleet, formed from the boats D-1, D-2, D-3. Of all the “Decembrists,” only the boat D-2, “Narodovolets,” was destined to plow the seas until the end of the war, which today is installed on the banks of the Neva in St. Petersburg.
15. "Defense of Odessa"
The film will tell about the first major offensive operation - the landing of tactical troops on September 22, 1941 in the area of the village of Grigoryevka in the rear of the Romanian troops besieging Odessa. The Marines jumped into the sea, and with their weapons raised above their heads, chest-deep in the cold autumn water, they walked to the shore. As a result of this operation, two Romanian divisions were defeated, long-range guns and other trophies were captured. The Black Sea Fleet, together with units of the Red Army, could continue to hold Odessa. However, the situation was such that further retention of the naval base became less and less feasible. When the order from Headquarters came to leave Odessa, the sailors did not believe it. “Do not surrender Odessa and defend until the last opportunity” - they carried these lines of the directive with them, and whenever the enemy attacked, the sailors fought desperately - at sea, in the air and on land.
Episode 16: Pacific Fleet
The film will tell about the end of World War II, which ended with the Pacific Fleet. On August 8, the USSR declared war on Japan. The theater of operations moved to the East. The troops of the 1st and 2nd Far Eastern and Transbaikal fronts were concentrated near the hills of Manchuria under the overall command of Marshal Vasilevsky. The main striking force in the Sea of Japan was the Pacific Fleet. The fleet commander, Admiral Yumashev, decided to strike not at Seisin, but at Yukki and Racine, where they were least expected. There was a risk. Both ports had powerful coastal artillery. The admiral relied on the massive use of aviation and small fast ships in the operation. Such a decision was so unexpected for the headquarters of Marshal Vasilevsky that the plan was approved only after the intervention of the People's Commissar of the Navy, Admiral Kuznetsov.
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