Novgorod-Luga offensive operation. Novgorod-Luga offensive operation Disbandment of the Volkhov front

Novgorod-Luga offensive operation (January 14 - February 15, 1944)- the operation of the Soviet troops of the Volkhov Front against part of the forces of the 18th German army, which was besieging Leningrad, with the tasks of crushing the enemy grouping in the Novgorod region, freeing the October railway and encircling, together with the troops of the Leningrad Front, the main forces of the 18th Army in the Luga area.

The offensive of the Volkhov Front troops, launched simultaneously with the Krasnoselsko-Ropsha operation of the Leningrad Front, was part of the Leningrad-Novgorod strategic offensive operation, as a result of which Soviet troops completely liberated Leningrad from the enemy blockade.

Forces of the parties

the USSR

Volkhov front- com. General of the Army K.A.Meretskov, Chief of Staff Lieutenant General F.P. Ozerov:

• 54th Army - com. Lieutenant General S.V. Roginsky.
• 8th Army - com. Lieutenant General F.N. Starikov.
• 59th Army - com. Lieutenant General I. T. Korovnikov.
• 1st Shock Army (as part of the front from 02/02/1944) - com. Lieutenant General G.P. Korotokov.
• 14th Air Army - com. Lieutenant General of Aviation I.P. Zhuravlev.

Leningrad front- com. General of the Army L.A. Govorov:

• 42nd Army - com. Colonel General I. I. Maslennikov.
• 67th Army - com. Lieutenant General V.P. Sviridov.
• 13th Air Army - com. Aviation Colonel General S. D. Rybalchenko.

Germany

Army Group "North"- com. Field Marshal Georg von Küchler, from 1 February Colonel General Walter Model.

• 18th Army- com. General of the Cavalry Georg Lindemann.
• 16th Army - com. General of Artillery H. Hansen.
• 1st Air Fleet - com. General Kurt Pflugbeil.

The situation in the theater of operations in the fall of 1943

In September 1943, the command of the German Army Group "North", realizing that it would be extremely difficult to repel the next offensive of Soviet troops, began to develop a plan to withdraw its troops from Leningrad to new defensive positions on the line Narva River - Lake Peipsi - Pskov - Ostrov - Idritsa (line "Panther").

The enemy's intentions quickly became known to the Soviet command. Already on September 29, the troops of the Leningrad, Volkhov and North-Western Fronts received an order from the General Staff to strengthen the collection of intelligence, accurately reveal the intentions of the enemy and be ready at any time to start pursuing him.

However, at the end of 1943, German troops did not begin their retreat from Leningrad. A. Hitler, believing that the Soviet troops at that time did not have the opportunity to undertake a major offensive in the northwestern direction, ordered Army Group North to continue to firmly hold its positions and retreat only if the next Soviet offensive forced it to do so.

In September 1943, the military councils of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts presented the Supreme Command Headquarters with a plan for a large-scale joint offensive with the aim of defeating the main forces of the 18th German army and the complete liberation of Leningrad from the enemy blockade.

The general concept of the operation was to first defeat the Peterhof-Strelninskaya (Krasnosel'sko-Ropsha operation) and the Novgorod enemy groupings located on the flanks of the 18th German army with a simultaneous blow from two fronts. Then it was planned, advancing on the Kingisepp and Luga directions, to encircle the main forces of the enemy. In the future, the Soviet troops were to, by striking blows on Narva, Pskov and Idritsa, completely liberate the Leningrad region and create the preconditions for a further offensive in the Baltic.

The military council of the Volkhov Front planned to conduct its part of the offensive in three stages. At the first stage, it was supposed to break through the enemy's defenses and liberate Novgorod, at the second stage - to advance 30 kilometers and reach Luga, at the third stage - having captured Luga, to develop an offensive on Pskov and Ostrov. If the first three phases of the operation were successful, it was planned to carry out another stage, calculated on the direct preparation for the liberation of the Baltic states.

The headquarters of the Supreme Command soon approved the proposed plan. Since at that time the possibility of the retreat of German troops remained, the Soviet command developed two versions of the offensive plan. The first option provided for the immediate transition of the Soviet troops to the pursuit of the enemy in the event of his retreat, and the second - the breakthrough of the enemy's echeloned defense, if the German troops continued to hold their positions.

By the beginning of 1944, the Volkhov Front occupied the line from Gontova Lipka to Lezno and further along the Volkhov River to Lake Ilmen, holding a bridgehead on the left bank of the Volkhov in the Dymno-Zvanka section (captured in 1942 during the Lyuban operation).

From these lines, the Soviet troops had to go on the offensive against units of the 18th German army (3 airfield divisions, 6 infantry divisions and 2 infantry brigades from the 38th, 26th and 28th army corps).

The troops of the Volkhov Front were to crack the well-prepared enemy defenses, which relied on a number of powerful centers of resistance, of which Mga, Tosno, Lyuban, Chudovo and Novgorod stood out. In the direction of the main attack of the front in the area north of Novgorod, the main defensive zone of the German troops was built along the Novgorod-Chudovo highway, and the second along the Kerest River. Three lines of defense covered the immediate approaches to the city. Many stone buildings in settlements have been converted into permanent emplacements.

According to the operation plan, the 59th Army delivered the main blow: the main forces - from the bridgehead on the left bank of the Volkhov, 30 kilometers north of Novgorod, and part of the forces - south of Novgorod in the area of ​​Lake Ilmen. It was planned to bypass the city from two sides and advancing in the general direction of Lyubolyady, to encircle the enemy's Novgorod grouping. Having liberated the city, the troops of the 59th Army were to advance in the north-western direction to Luga and in the south-western direction to Shimsk. A quick capture of Luga would allow Soviet troops to cut off the enemy's retreat routes from the areas of Mga, Tosno, Chudovo and Lyuban, in the direction of which the 8th, 54th armies, as well as the 67th army of the Leningrad Front, were advancing. The main task of these three armies was to restore control over the Kirov and October railways.

By the beginning of the operation, the Volkhov Front consisted of 22 rifle divisions, 6 rifle brigades, 4 tank brigades, 14 tank and self-propelled artillery regiments and battalions, 2 fortified areas, as well as a large number of artillery and mortar formations as part of three combined-arms armies and in the front's reserve. In total, by January 10, 1944, the front troops numbered 297,860 soldiers and officers: 59th Army - 135,040 people, 8th Army - 45328, 54th Army - 67417, 14th Air Army - 16482, as well as 33,593 people in the composition of units of front-line subordination. According to other sources, the total number of the front's troops before the start of the operation was about 260,000 soldiers and officers. In parts of the front, there were 3,633 guns and mortars, about 400 tanks and self-propelled guns, as well as 257 aircraft of the 14th Air Army. The general offensive of the two fronts was supported by long-range aviation formations - a total of about 330 aircraft.

The troops of the 2nd Baltic Front were supposed to facilitate the offensive of the Volkhov and Leningrad fronts, which were tasked with going over to the offensive in the direction of Idritsa and north of the city of Novosokolniki, shackle the forces of the 16th German army and prevent them from being transferred to Leningrad and Novgorod.

In addition, a large role in the upcoming offensive was assigned to the actions of the partisan formations of the Leningrad region (a total of about 35,000 fighters and commanders in 13 partisan brigades), which were tasked with “destroying the local command and control bodies of the occupation authorities”, “saving the population from destruction and export to Germany "And to intensify combat operations on the enemy's highways and railways.

The course of hostilities, January 14 - 31

Liberation of Novgorod

At 10 hours 50 minutes in the morning, after a massive artillery preparation, the defense of the 38th German Army Corps (1st Airfield, 28th Jaeger Division and 2nd Latvian SS Brigade) was attacked by units of the 59th Army. From the bridgehead on Volkhov north of Novgorod, two rifle corps crossed the offensive: the 6th (65th, 239th and 310th rifle divisions) and 14 (191st, 225th and 378th rifle divisions).

On the first day of the offensive, due to snowfall and blizzards, artillery support was ineffective, and aviation operations were completely ruled out. In addition, a significant part of the tanks got stuck in swamps and craters and could not support the infantry offensive. All this did not allow the 6th and 14th Rifle Corps to immediately achieve significant success. Only the 239th and 378th rifle divisions were able to break through the enemy defenses and move forward.

The "southern group" of the 59th Army under the command of Major General T. A. Sviklin operated more successfully, whose task, together with the formations of the 6th Rifle Corps, was to close the encirclement around the enemy's Novgorod grouping. The advance detachment of the group, consisting of the 58th rifle brigade, part of the forces of the 225th rifle division, as well as the 44th and 34th separate aerosol battalions, on the night of January 14 bypassed Novgorod from the south on the ice of Lake Ilmen. At dawn, units of the "southern group" on the northwestern shore of the lake attacked units of the 2nd Latvian SS brigade and by evening captured a bridgehead up to 5 kilometers wide and up to 4 kilometers deep.

Fearing that the group defending Novgorod would be surrounded, the German command threw additional forces into the area. Parts of the 290th Infantry Division and the Nord Cavalry Regiment were tasked with blocking the path of the "southern group" of the 59th Army, and one regiment of the 24th Infantry Division, redeployed from the Mgi area, strengthened the defenses north of Novgorod.

On January 15, the Soviet command brought additional forces from the second echelon of the 59th Army into battle north and south of Novgorod. Parts of the 239th and 65th rifle divisions, as well as the 16th and 29th tank brigades, reinforced the offensive of the 6th rifle corps. As a result of stubborn battles on January 15-16, Soviet troops advanced significantly, threw back the 28th Jaeger Division and units of the enemy's 24th Infantry Division and cut the Chudovo-Novgorod railway. By January 17, the 6th and 14th rifle corps broke into the main enemy line of defense on the 20-kilometer front, moving forward up to 8 kilometers.

In the following days, overcoming impassable roads, swamps and forests, the mobile group of the 6th Rifle Corps on January 20 reached the Novgorod-Batetsky railway, 2 kilometers east of the Nascha junction. Simultaneously with the offensive north of Novgorod, the offensive of the "southern group" developed, which was reinforced by units of the 372nd and 225th rifle divisions and several artillery subunits. Moving forward, on January 18, units of the 372nd division firmly took control of the Novgorod-Shimsk highway and railway and continued their offensive towards Staraya Melnitsa and Gorynev.

The successful advance of Soviet troops north and south of Novgorod endangered the encirclement of the enemy's 38th Army Corps. The command of the 18th German army, trying to save the situation, transferred units of the 21st, 121st infantry and 8th Jaeger divisions and some other formations to this area, but it soon became obvious that it was impossible to save the situation. On January 18, G. Lindemann ordered his troops to leave Novgorod and retreat along the only remaining path in the direction of Batetsky.

On the morning of January 20, units of the 191st and 225th rifle divisions of the 14th rifle corps and the 382nd rifle division of the 7th rifle corps (from the front reserve) occupied Novgorod without a fight. Units of the 28th Jaeger, 1st Airfield Divisions and the SS Nord Cavalry Regiment, abandoning their heavy weapons, left the city on the evening of January 19. However, the German troops did not manage to get out of the encirclement. On January 20, 10 kilometers west of Novgorod, in the Gorynev area, units of the 6th Rifle Corps and the 372nd Rifle Division of the "southern group" of the 59th Army united, cutting the path to the retreat of the German units. Most of the German group was destroyed, and about 3,000 soldiers and officers were captured.

Fights on the line of the October railway

On January 16, the 54th Army went over to the offensive in order to pin down the enemy forces. Then it was planned, in cooperation with the troops of the 8th and 67th armies, to encircle and destroy parts of the 26th and 28th army corps, which were defended in the areas of Mga, Chudov and Lyuban.

In four days of fierce fighting by January 20, the 54th Army managed to advance only 5 kilometers and could not overcome the resistance of the 121st, 21st Infantry, 12th, 13th enemy airfield divisions. It was extremely important for the German command to maintain positions in the Chudovo and Lyuban regions, since an intermediate defense line passed along the October railway and the Leningrad-Moscow highway, to which German troops began to retreat from the Mgi area on January 21.

As soon as reconnaissance discovered the withdrawal of German troops from the "Mginsko-Sinyavinsky salient", the 67th Army of the Leningrad Front and the 8th Army of the Volkhov Front received an order to begin pursuit of the retreating enemy. By the evening of January 21, Mga was liberated, and soon control over the Kirov railway was restored. In the future, the offensive developed not so rapidly. Covering the withdrawal of the 26th Army Corps from the Mga area, the 212nd Infantry Division managed to delay the advance of the Soviet troops, which allowed the main forces to gain a foothold on the line along the Oktyabrskaya Railway.

The retreat of German troops from the Mgi area forced the command of the Leningrad Front to cancel the planned attack by part of the forces of the 42nd Army on Pushkin, Slutsk and Tosno in order to, together with the troops of the 67th Army and the Volkhov Front, encircle units of the 26th and 28th German army corps in the regions Mgi, Tosno and Lyubani. Now the task of liberating the October railway was assigned to the 67th Army and the troops of the Volkhov Front, and the 42nd Army launched an offensive on Krasnogvardeisk.

On January 22, the Military Council of the Volkhov Front presented the Supreme Command Headquarters "a plan for the development of the Novgorod-Luga operation." In the report, the main goal of the front forces "in connection with the beginning of the enemy's withdrawal on the Mginsk and Luban axes and the defeat of the Novgorod grouping" outlined the following tasks: the capture of Luga by the forces of the 59th Army, as well as Tosno and Lyuban by joint actions of the 8th and 54th armies ... On the same day, the Supreme Command Headquarters, after making some adjustments, approved the proposed plan by its directive No. 220013, which, in particular, stated:

In addition, for more effective actions, the Supreme Command Headquarters allowed the commander of the Volkhov Front to transfer most of the forces of the 8th Army to the 54th Army. At the same time, the headquarters of the 8th Army was transferred "to increase the efficiency of command and control of the advancing troops" to the left flank of the front in the area of ​​Lake Ilmen.

By this time, German troops, entrenched on the intermediate defense line along the October railway, continued to offer fierce resistance, but, at the same time, realizing that it was impossible to hold back the Soviet offensive at this line for a long time, they were preparing to retreat to the west.

On January 25, the 54th Army, which received significant reinforcements from the 8th and 67th armies and the front reserves, continued the offensive. On January 26, the forces of the 124th, 364th rifle divisions and the 1st rifle brigade (transferred to the 54th army from the 67th army) took the village of Tosno. On January 28, the forces of the 80th, 281st, 374th and 177th rifle divisions took Lyuban, and on January 29, the forces of the 44th rifle division, as well as the 14th and 53rd rifle brigades - Chudovo. At noon on January 29, the command of the Volkhov Front reported to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief about the complete liberation of the October railway. The report specifically stated:

Pursuing the enemy retreating with battles, the formations of the 54th Army reached the Sluditsy - Eglino - Apraksin Bor - Glushitsa line by January 31st. At the same time, the troops of the 42nd and 67th armies liberated Krasnogvardeysk, Pushkin and Slutsk. By the end of January, the troops of the 2nd Shock and 42nd Armies of the Leningrad Front reached the Luga River in the regions of Kotlov, Kingisepp and Bolshoy Sabsk, and the 67th Army - to Siversky.

The offensive of the Volkhov Front on Luga

After the liberation of Novgorod, the main task of the 59th Army was an immediate attack on Luga. If successful, Soviet troops were able to encircle most of the 18th German army. If about 5 German divisions retreated to the west in the direction of Narva, then to the southwest in the direction of Pskov through Luga - about 14 divisions (about 3/4 of the entire 18th Army). For this reason, the Supreme Command Headquarters set the task for the front "to capture Luga no later than January 29-30".

In the direction of the main attack of the 59th Army, the 6th Rifle Corps was advancing, which was to break the enemy's resistance in the Batetsky area and, together with the 112th Rifle Corps, operating on the right flank of the army, to develop an offensive on Luga. At the same time, the 112th Rifle Corps was supposed to strike with part of its forces in the direction of Finev Lug and cut off the path of withdrawal of German troops from the line of the October railway. On the left flank of the 59th Army, two rifle corps were advancing: the 7th advanced in the direction of the Leningrad-Dno railway, and the 14th - to the south-west in the direction of Shimsk.

The German command, realizing the seriousness of the situation, was forced to reinforce and regroup its troops operating against the 59th Army. Several battle groups were formed, which were tasked with delaying the advance of Soviet troops on Luga and ensuring the withdrawal of units of the 28th Army Corps from the Lyuban and Chudov area. By January 21, battle group "Shulta" (2nd Latvian SS brigade, remnants of the 28th Jaeger, battle groups of the 24th, 121st, 21st infantry divisions) took up defensive positions in the Spasskaya Polist - Tatino sector, covering the direction to Finev Lug. Group "Shpet" (the remnants of the 1st airfield division and the cavalry regiment "Nord"), as well as the 8th Jaeger division took up defenses on both sides of the Novgorod-Batetsky railway, and the "Fergut" group (parts of the cavalry regiment "Nord" and 290th Infantry Division) covered the direction to Shimsk.

Continuing the offensive, the formations of the 6th Rifle Corps and the 29th Tank Brigade, advancing directly on Luga, met stubborn resistance and could not immediately overcome the enemy's defenses. Only by January 26, after several days of fierce battles, units of the corps, moving along the Novgorod-Batetsky railway, managed to push the enemy somewhat, liberated Lyubolyady and reached the Luga River.

The 59th Army's formations operating on the left flank achieved much greater success. Units of the 7th Rifle Corps in five days broke the enemy's resistance and advanced 30-35 kilometers in the western and southwestern directions and reached the Luga River near the village of Trebon. At the same time, the 256th division, with the support of the 7th Guards Tank and 5th Partisan Brigades, by January 27 took the Peredolskaya station on the Leningrad-Dno railway, and the 382nd Infantry Division, having thrown back the enemy's 8th Jaeger Division, occupied the village of Medved and cut the Luga-Shimsk highway. At the same time, the 14th rifle corps and the 16th tank brigade cleared the northwestern coast of Lake Ilmen from the enemy and reached Shimsk by January 26, but they could not capture it. The enemy stubbornly defended the city in order to maintain ties between the 18th and 16th armies.

Since the Shim direction was secondary, the command of the Volkhov Front decided to suspend the offensive in this area and concentrate the main forces on the Luga direction. For this, on January 25, the 7th (256th, 382nd, 372nd rifle divisions) and 14th rifle corps, as well as the 7th Guards, 16th, 122nd tank brigades and some other parts of the 59th Army. The 8th Army's formations were tasked with striking Luga from the south and southeast to facilitate the 59th Army's offensive. Covering the left flank of the 8th Army was supposed to be the 150th fortified area, which took up defenses in the Shimsk region.

On January 27, the 59th Army, which at that time included only the 6th and 112th Rifle Corps and one tank brigade, continued the offensive, delivering the main blow to Luga along the Novgorod-Batetsky railway. For several days of fierce fighting, the 59th Army's formations failed to break the enemy's resistance in this area and achieved only local successes. Units of the 6th Rifle Corps were unable to capture the powerful enemy resistance center Batetsky, and the units of the 112th Rifle Corps failed to capture Oredezh and cut the highway to Luga, which allowed units of the 28th German Army Corps to retreat from the Chudovo area.

The formations of the 8th Army did not achieve significant success either. The German command made every effort to recapture the Peredolskaya station, which was of key importance. Units of the 285th security and 12th tank divisions were thrown into battle. The station changed hands several times. Although in the end Peredolskaya still remained with the Soviet troops, in these battles, units of the 8th Army suffered significant losses and could not continue the attack on Luga.

The troops of the Volkhov Front failed to take Luga no later than January 29-30, as ordered by the Supreme Command Headquarters. The German command, trying to hold the "Luga line" at any cost, concentrated all available forces in this area - in early February, units of the 12th Panzer, 4 infantry divisions, 6 combat groups of infantry divisions and the remnants of 6 more divisions and brigades held their defenses here. Soviet troops could not overcome the resistance of such a grouping, which allowed most of the German troops of the 18th Army to retreat from Leningrad and at the same time maintain their combat potential.

The reasons for the unsuccessful offensive on Luga at the end of January were the insufficient concentration of troops on the axes of the main attack, the difficult terrain, extended supply routes, the lack of air support due to bad weather, and heavy losses in tank units. On January 29, the Supreme Command Headquarters, dissatisfied with such a development of events, ordered the troops of the Volkhov Front, without getting involved in the battle for Shimsk and Soltsy, to direct all efforts to the quickest capture of Luga. To accomplish the assigned task, the front troops received 15,000 marching reinforcements and 130 tanks.

Situation by the beginning of February 1944

By the end of January 1944, the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts, having thrown back the German troops, completely liberated Leningrad from the enemy blockade. However, the 18th German army was not defeated and continued to offer fierce resistance.

In early February, the troops of the two Soviet fronts continued their offensive. The troops of the Leningrad Front were advancing with the forces of the 2nd shock and 42nd armies on Narva, and with the forces of the 67th army on Luga from the north and northeast. The main task of the Volkhov Front was still the capture of Luga by the forces of the 59th, 8th and 54th armies.

Since the troops of the Volkhov Front failed to capture Luga at the end of January, the Supreme Command Headquarters was forced to carry out a number of regroupings and make some changes to the plan for the further offensive. So, at the suggestion of L.A. Govorov, on February 1, the Supreme Command Headquarters decided to slightly change the direction of the main attack of the 42nd Army. Now the army had to, advancing in the direction of Gdov, bypass the "Luga grouping" of the enemy from the north-west, cut off enemy communications on the Luga-Pskov line and help the troops of the 67th Army and the Volkhov Front in the capture of Luga.

In addition, on February 2, the troops of the Volkhov Front were reinforced by the 1st Shock Army of the 2nd Baltic Front.

Realizing that the current situation could lead to the encirclement and defeat of the main forces of the 18th Army, the commander of Army Group North G. von Küchler planned to begin a retreat from the Luga area. However, on January 30, A. Hitler gave the order to hold the "Luga line", restore contact with the 16th Army and stop the Soviet offensive. G. von Küchler considered the order impracticable and was dismissed. In his place, V. Model was appointed, who immediately issued an order to the troops without an order not to take a single step back.

The new commander of Army Group North hoped, through active defense and constant counterattacks, to stop the advance of Soviet troops and restore a common front both between the two armies and the main forces of the 18th Army in the Luga area with two army corps that fought separately in the Narva area ...

To strengthen the German grouping in the Luga area, several formations from the 16th Army were deployed. In addition, to ensure communication between the two armies and restore the common front, on February 6, on the basis of the command of the 6th SS corps, an operational group was formed under the command of General G. Friesner, which included the 38th and 10th army corps.

The course of hostilities, February 1-12

The offensive of the 42nd and 67th armies of the Leningrad front

On January 31, the troops of the 42nd Army crossed the Luga River and continued the offensive, pursuing units of the German 50th Army Corps retreating to Narva. In a few days, Soviet troops, with the support of partisan formations, made significant headway, liberated Lyady, Sara-Gora, Gdov and reached the coast of Lake Peipsi.

In early February, the front command set a new task for the 42nd Army - to bypass the Luga grouping from the west and northwest and assist the 67th Army and the Volkhov Front in capturing Luga. Taking this into account, the army's formations continued the offensive with the forces of the 108th from the Yamma region to Pskov, and the forces of the 123rd and 116th rifle corps from the Lyady region to the southeast with the tasks of taking Plyussa, Struga Krasnye and cutting the Luga-Pskov road.

The offensive of the 42nd Army threatened the encirclement of the main forces of the 18th German Army. Realizing this, V. Model ordered his troops to keep communications between Luga and Pskov at any cost. For this, the 11th, 212nd, 215th infantry divisions were left in the Luga area, and the 13th airfield, 24th, 58th, 21st, 207th infantry divisions in a hurry began to take up defenses from the area west of Luga to Lake Peipsi. At the same time, units of the 12th tank, 12th airfield and 126th infantry divisions were to deliver a counterattack from the eastern coast of Lake Peipsi in the northern direction.

On February 7, German troops preparing to launch a counteroffensive were attacked by units of the 42nd Army. In the Yamma area on the Zhelche River, fierce battles began between units of the 108th Rifle Corps and the German 207th Infantry Division, and between the Luga and the Plyussa River, the 116th and 123rd Rifle Corps, advancing in the direction of Strug Krasnykh, attacked the positions of the 13th 1st Airfield and 58th Infantry Divisions.

On February 10, units of the 12th Panzer Division counterattacked the 196th and 128th Infantry Divisions of the 108th Infantry Corps in the Yamma region, but only slightly delayed the Soviet offensive. By February 12, the formations of the 108th Rifle Corps, pushing the enemy back to the south, occupied Podborovye, and with the forces of one rifle division, a small bridgehead on the western coast of Lake Peipsi.

At the same time, fighting continued on the Plyussa River line, where the defense of the German 58th Infantry Division was reinforced by the 21st and 24th Infantry Divisions, deployed to this area to deliver a counterstrike. Formations of the 116th and 123rd rifle corps in the Zarudenye - Berezitsy - Orekhovno area, as a result of fierce battles on February 8-15, broke through the enemy's defenses and defeated three German divisions. Part of the German 58th Infantry Division was surrounded. The German command threw the 13th airfield division and units of the 12th tank divisions into battle with the task of restoring the situation, but they, having suffered heavy losses, could not fulfill the task. Moreover, the tank-grenadier regiment of the 12th Panzer Division was also surrounded. On February 13, German units, abandoning tanks and artillery, tried to break through in the direction of Strug Krasnykh, crossing Lake Chernoe, but only a few managed to escape the encirclement. By February 15, the divisions of two rifle corps of the 42nd Army, having destroyed the encircled enemy units, continued their offensive in the Strug Krasnykh and Plyussa directions.

Simultaneously with the 42nd Army, formations of the 110th and 117th rifle corps of the 67th Army attacked Luga from the north and north-east. Having met stubborn enemy resistance on the Krasnye Gory - Dolgovka line, the 67th Army's formations advanced with great difficulty, and only by February 11 did they reach the approaches to Luga.

The offensive of the 42nd and 67th armies put the German troops in the Luga area in a critical situation. The command of Army Group North lost the last opportunity to hold the Luga line and stop the Soviet offensive. At the same time, although units of the 123rd and 116th rifle corps of the 42nd army managed to reach the outskirts of Plyussa, they did not succeed in cutting the railway to Pskov. Thus, the units of the 18th German army still had the opportunity to retreat from the Luga area.

Continuation of the offensive of the Volkhov front

In early February, the troops of the three armies of the Volkhov Front, regrouping their forces, continued their offensive on Luga. Units of the 54th Army attacked Luga from the northeast, and units of the 59th Army from the south-east on the Oredezh-Batetsky front sector. The most difficult task was set before the 8th Army, which was to part of its forces, advancing in the direction of the Luga-Pskov railway, to facilitate the offensive of the 59th Army, and with the rest of the forces, in cooperation with the 1st Shock Army, to encircle and destroy the German divisions of the right flank 16th Army southwest of Lake Ilmen. The 1st Shock Army, which became part of the front at the beginning of February, was tasked with breaking through the enemy's defenses south of Staraya Russa and advancing in the direction of the Dno station to join the 8th Army units.

Since the task assigned to the units of the 8th Army was very difficult, the Soviet command was soon forced to carry out an additional regrouping of troops. So, on February 8, after parts of the 54th Army liberated Oredezh, they were transferred to the 67th Army of the Leningrad Front, and the army headquarters was transferred to the left flank of the Volkhov Front. Taking command of the 111th and 119th Rifle Corps, the 54th Army received the task, together with the 8th and 1st Shock Armies, to encircle and destroy the enemy in the Staraya Russa area.

Despite the regrouping and significant reinforcements, the offensive on Luga again developed with great difficulty. The formations of the 59th Army, having met stubborn resistance from the units of the German 38th Army Corps, managed to advance only 25 kilometers in five days. Only after the units of the 54th Army took Oredezh on February 8, the German troops began to retreat, but until February 12 they continued to hold Batetsky, thereby restraining the offensive of the 59th Army.

Initially, units of the 8th Army, advancing in the direction of the Luga-Pskov railway, achieved greater success. So, the 7th Rifle Corps (reinforced by the 256th Rifle Division, the 1st Rifle Brigade and two tank battalions) managed to advance significantly and on February 2 cut the Pskov-Luga highway near the village of Elemtsy. However, the forces of the 59th Army and the main forces of the 14th Rifle Corps of the 8th Army did not advance so rapidly and exposed the flanks of the 7th Rifle Corps.

In this situation, the German command, which needed to regain control of the Pskov-Luga highway at any cost, decided to launch a counterattack. Operational group "Frisner" with the forces of the 285th security division and units of the 12th tank division, advancing from the north of Cheremenets lake, and the 121st infantry division, which was striking from the south of Utorgosh, launched a counteroffensive and closed the encirclement ring on 3 February. in the area of ​​Strashevo. Units of the 256th and 372nd rifle divisions and one regiment of the 5th partisan brigade were surrounded. Finding themselves in a difficult situation, the Soviet units, united under the general leadership of the commander of the 256th rifle division, Colonel A.G. Koziev, were forced to retreat from the Luga-Pskov highway and take up defenses in the area of ​​the Oklyuzhie village. The command of the 8th Army was able to quickly organize the delivery of food and ammunition by air to the encircled units, which allowed the "group of A. G. Koziev" to repel all enemy attacks that were repeatedly undertaken by German troops on February 6-15.

The front command, worried about the current situation, immediately tried to organize an offensive in order to defeat the German troops in the area south-west of Luga, reliably cut off enemy communications and rescue the "A. G. Koziev group" from the encirclement. For this, the 99th rifle corps (229th, 265th, 311th rifle divisions) was allocated from the reserve of the Supreme Command Headquarters, which was to strike at Utorgosh and Strugi Krasnye. At the same time, reinforced by one division, the 14th Rifle Corps received the task of attacking Soltsy.

Having launched an offensive on February 7, the Soviet troops were unable to fully implement the planned plan. Faced with fierce resistance from the German 8th Jaeger Division, which was supported by tanks and aircraft, units of the two Soviet rifle corps fought fierce battles until February 15, but did not achieve success. At the same time, this offensive greatly facilitated the position of the troops encircled in the Oklyuzhie area. On February 15, units of the 59th Army arrived to the aid of the 8th Army, which on February 16 unblocked "A.G. Koziev's group."

Fierce enemy resistance and constant counterattacks did not allow the 8th and 54th armies to adequately facilitate the offensive of the 1st Shock Army, which, having in its composition only 4 rifle divisions and one rifle brigade. The formations of the 1st Shock Army, having launched an offensive in early February on a 100-kilometer sector of the front, could not break the resistance of the 21st Airfield, 30th Infantry and 15th Lettish SS Divisions from the 16th German Army and by mid-February moved forward only a few kilometers.

Liberation of Luga

Despite the fact that the Soviet troops failed to encircle the German troops either in the Luga area or in the area south-west of Lake Ilmen, the 18th German army was put in a critical situation. The commander of Army Group "North" V. Model until the last moment hoped to hold the front line on the line between Lake Ilmen and Lake Peipsi. However, this idea did not find support from A. Hitler and OKH, who believed that it was better to retreat than to put the troops under the threat of encirclement again. Thus, V. Model was forced to give the order to his troops to begin a retreat.

On February 8, the withdrawal of rear and auxiliary units from Luga began, then the main forces of the 18th Army began to retreat in the direction of Pskov. By the evening of February 12, the city of Luga, which continued to be defended by the German rearguard detachments, was taken by the 120th, 123rd, 201st and 46th rifle divisions of the 67th army with the assistance of the 377th rifle division of the 59th army.

Having liberated Luga, the Soviet troops continued their offensive, pursuing the retreating enemy, who began a general retreat to the Panther line on 17 February.

Disbandment of the Volkhov Front

On February 13, 1944, the Volkhov Front was disbanded by directive of the Supreme Command Headquarters No. 220023. The 54th, 59th and 8th armies were transferred to the Leningrad Front, and the 1st Shock Army to the 2nd Baltic. Front management was sent to the reserve of the Supreme Command Headquarters.

The proposal to disband the Volkhov Front came from L.A. Govorov, who believed that in the interests of the unity of command, all troops in the Pskov sector should be transferred to the Leningrad Front. For K. A. Meretskov, who had already outlined a plan for the front's further offensive in Estonia, Latvia and Belarus, such a decision of the Supreme Command Headquarters was a complete surprise.

In his memoirs, General S. M. Shtemenko, a representative of the General Staff on the 2nd Baltic Front, regarded this decision as erroneous:

Back in March, we became convinced that the Leningrad Front, which had absorbed the troops and the entire strip of the former Volkhov Front, had become too cumbersome. It included 7 combined-arms armies operating in four important operational directions - Vyborg, Tallinn, Pskov and Ostrovsky. This had a very negative effect on the command and control of the troops.

Two months later, on April 18, 1944, a new, 3rd Baltic Front was created, which included the 42nd, 54th and 67th Leningrad Front, and then the 1st Shock Army from 2 th Baltic Front.

Results of the operation

The Novgorod-Luga operation ended in a decisive victory for the Soviet troops, which largely predetermined the success of the entire Leningrad-Novgorod strategic offensive operation.

However, the offensive did not develop as rapidly as planned before the start of the operation. It was not possible to seize Luga within the timeframes set by the Supreme Command Headquarters and only by the forces of the Volkhov Front. The Soviet command had to use the main forces of the 42nd and 67th armies of the Leningrad Front to accomplish this task, which significantly weakened the offensive in the Narva region. The German troops of the 18th Army, although they suffered a heavy defeat, were still not defeated and retained a significant part of their combat potential, which did not allow Soviet troops to break through the Panther line in the spring of 1944 and begin the liberation of the Baltic.

One of the reasons for this development of events was the extremely unsuccessful actions of the 2nd Baltic Front, which were not properly coordinated with the offensive of the Volkhov Front, which allowed the German command to transfer significant forces from the 16th Army to the Luga area.

The commander of the Volkhov front, K.A. Meretskov, noted in his memoirs:

As a result, the connections of the Volkhov Front could not break the resistance of the main forces of the 18th German army and take Luga at the end of January. However, the German troops only managed to slow down the offensive of the armies of the Volkhov and Leningrad fronts. The Soviet command made the necessary adjustments to the offensive plan and promptly carried out a number of regroupings. Continuing the offensive, the Soviet troops did not allow the enemy to hold the "Luga line" and establish a new front line between Lake Peipsi and Lake Ilmen. In the second half of February, German troops began a general retreat to the Panther line.

By February 15, the troops of the Volkhov Front, as well as the 42nd and 67th armies of the Leningrad Front, having thrown the enemy back 50-120 kilometers, reached the line of the southern coast of Lake Peipsi - Plyussa - Utorgosh - Shimsk. 779 cities and towns were liberated, including: Novgorod, Luga, Batetsky, Oredezh, Mga, Tosno, Lyuban, Chudovo.

The restoration of control over the strategically important railways, primarily the Kirov and Oktyabrskaya, was of great importance. Soon, traffic on seven railways from Leningrad was fully restored: to Vologda, Rybinsk, Moscow, Novgorod, Batetsky, Luga and Ust-Luga.

Losses

the USSR

According to the statistical study "Russia and the USSR in the wars of the 20th century," the losses of the Volkhov front during the operation amounted to 50,300 people killed, missing and wounded (of which 12011 were irrecoverable losses, 38289 were sanitary losses). In addition, the losses of the 1st Shock Army (from 02.02 to 15.02. As part of the Volkhov Front) for the period from January 14 to February 10 amounted to 5042 people (of which 1283 were irretrievable).

According to the "report on the Novgorod-Luga operation" drawn up by the headquarters of the Volkhov front, the losses of the front troops for the period from January 14 to February 11, 1944 (including the losses of the 1st shock army in the period from February 1 to 10) were more significant - 62,733 people (of which 16542 are irrecoverable losses, 46191 are sanitary). The greatest losses were suffered by units of the 59th Army, which lost 25,155 people killed and wounded (only in the battles for the liberation of Novgorod, losses amounted to 14,473 people) and units of the 8th Army, which lost 22,253 people in battles.

In addition, it should be borne in mind that units of the 42nd and 67th armies of the Leningrad Front, actively assisting the troops of the Volkhov Front in the battles for the October Railway and for Luga, also suffered significant losses. Apparently, these data are included in the total losses of the Leningrad Front in the Leningrad-Novgorod operation.

Germany

Since at the beginning of 1944 the German troops were forced to retreat from Leningrad with battles, the records of losses by the headquarters of the 16th and 18th armies were carried out sporadically and it is difficult to accurately indicate the losses of German troops during the operation. However, it can be argued that the German forces of Army Group North have retained a significant part of their combat potential.

According to Soviet data, as a result of the operation, the troops of the Volkhov Front defeated 8 infantry and 1 tank division, and also inflicted heavy defeat on 4 more enemy infantry divisions, the total losses of which amounted to about 82,000 people.

"Liberation of Novgorod", bas-relief of the stele "City of Military Glory", Veliky Novgorod.

• On January 27, 1944, the Military Council of the Leningrad Front issued an order stating the final lifting of the blockade of Leningrad. The order also expressed gratitude to the troops of the Leningrad Front and the sailors of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet. This order does not say anything about the victories of the troops of the Volkhov Front, which made an invaluable contribution to the liberation of Leningrad from the enemy blockade.
• The Soviet troops, having liberated Novgorod on January 20, 1944, found the city practically destroyed and deserted. Out of 2,500 residential buildings, only 40 survived. All architectural monuments, including St. Sophia Cathedral and the Millennium of Russia monument, were badly damaged. By the time of the liberation, only 30 residents remained in the city - the rest were either driven to Germany or destroyed by the occupation forces.
• In 2008, the cities of Luga and Novgorod were awarded the honorary title "City of Military Glory" with the wording "for courage, fortitude and mass heroism shown by the defenders of the city in the struggle for freedom and independence of the Fatherland."

direction in order to reduce losses and quickly cut off the enemy's Baltic grouping from East Prussia. Regrouping and continuing the offensive, by September 27, Soviet troops reached the strong line of defense of the enemy "Sigulda", 60 kilometers from Riga. The strike of the 1st Baltic Front in the Memel direction (Memel operation), forced the German command to begin the withdrawal of its troops from the Riga area on October 6. The troops of the 2nd and 3rd Baltic Fronts proceeded to pursue the enemy, breaking through a number of defensive lines on the move, liberated Riga on October 13. On October 16, the 3rd Baltic Front was disbanded, its troops were transferred to the 1st and 2nd Baltic Fronts, as well as the Leningrad Front. The troops of the 2nd Baltic Front, continuing the offensive, reached the Tukum defensive line of the enemy by October 22, and together with the troops of the 1st Baltic Front blocked the enemy on the Courland Peninsula. The aviation and submarines of the Baltic Fleet by their actions in the Gulf of Riga made it difficult to supply, regroup and evacuate enemy forces, forming the so-called Courland cauldron.
Results of the operation
As a result of the operation, Soviet troops defeated the forces of Army Group North, and almost completely liberated the territory of the Latvian SSR from German troops.

Before the start of the Riga offensive operation before 42nd Army the task was to attack in the main strike zone in the direction of Nitaure from the area east of Ergli, to overcome the forefront of the enemy's defensive zone, to break the defensive line and, in cooperation with the troops of the 3rd Shock Army, to capture Nitaure. At the same time, the army was required to use the forces of one rifle corps to deliver an auxiliary strike on the right flank, interacting with the troops of the 10th Guards Army. From September 14, 1944, the army went on the offensive, slowly moving forward with heavy battles, by September 25, 1944, reaching the Sigulda defensive line in the area from Lake Kalu on the left flank and then in the direction of Madliena, Ogre. For several days, unsuccessfully storming the line, advancing along the right bank of the Daugava to Riga. On October 6, 1944, under the threat of encirclement, German troops began to withdraw troops from the Sigulda line, and the 42nd Army went on the offensive, pursuing the enemy and preventing him from breaking away, fighting with cover detachments, by the evening of the same day army troops reached the Birzes line, Suntazhi station, on October 7, 1941, half of the day reached the eastern bank of the Maza-Jugla River, crossing it with advance units (48th Infantry Division). This was the end of the army's participation in the Riga operation: from October 8 to October 15, 1944, the army regrouped on the left wing of the front in an area 60 kilometers south-west of Riga and resumed the offensive only on October 16, 1944, but already in the general direction of Libava on Zvarda, Broceni, breaks through the Tukums defensive line advanced slightly. After reaching the Tukum defensive line of the enemy, in cooperation with other armies, the 42nd Army began a blockade (or rather, many unsuccessful attacks) of Army Group North (since January 26, 1945 - Army Group Kurland) on Kurland peninsula.
In the 20th of October 1944, the army transferred its line west of Bone, along the eastern outskirts of Vigeriai, then westward to Kesiai and further along the northern bank of the Venta River almost to Mazeikiai of the 10th Guards Army. On October 27, 1944, it again went over to the offensive in the general direction of Saldus, advancing several kilometers by November 5, 1944. Again resumes the offensive on November 14, 1944, with the aim of forestalling the enemy's counterstrike, advancing somewhat. Again goes on the offensive in the direction of Saldus on December 21, 1944, having managed to advance 1-3 kilometers with the hardest battles, leads unsuccessful battles on further advance until the end of the year, from December 31, 1944, going on the defensive.

67th Army, Formation I It was formed on October 10, 1942 on the basis of the Supreme Command Headquarters directive No. 994233 of October 9, 1942 as part of the Leningrad Front on the basis of the Nevskaya operational group. By the beginning of November, it included the 45th Guards, 46th and 86th Infantry Divisions, the 11th and 55th Infantry Brigades, the 16th fortified area, a number of artillery, tank and other units. During the battle for Leningrad, the army until 1943 defended the right bank of the Neva from Poroga to Lake Ladoga, at the same time held a bridgehead on the left bank of the river near Moscow Dubrovka ("Nevsky Piglet") and covered the Road of Life across Lake Ladoga. In January 1942, she took part in an offensive operation aimed at defeating the main forces of the German 18th Army in the Shlisselburg-Sinyavinsky ledge and restoring land communications linking blockaded Leningrad with the country. In cooperation with other front troops and with the support of artillery and aviation of the Baltic Fleet, it overcame the Neva on the ice, broke through the heavily fortified enemy defenses, and on January 18 united with the troops of the 2nd shock army of the Volkhov Front. In February - December 1943, the army firmly held the occupied lines and periodically conducted private offensive operations in order to improve its operational position.

At the end of December, the 67th Army was merged with the 55th Army, the field administration of the 67th Army was disbanded, and the field administration of the 55th Army was in charge of the field administration of the 55th Army, which was renamed the field administration of the 67th Army. On December 25, 1943, the new field administration of the 67th Army was disbanded.

67th Army II Formation formed on December 25, 1943 on the basis of the field administration of the 55th Army. On January 1, 1944, it included the 116th and 118th rifle corps, the 291st rifle division, the 14th fortified area, the 81st cannon artillery brigade, artillery, engineering and other units.

In the Leningrad-Novgorod operation of 1944, the formations of the 67th Army, in cooperation with the troops of the Volkhov Front, defeated the MGinsk and Luga enemy groupings, liberated the cities of Mga (January 21) and Luga (February 12). Continuing the offensive, by the end of February the army reached the Pskov-Ostrovsky fortified area of ​​the enemy.

On April 24, she was included in the newly formed 3rd Baltic Front.

As part of it, she successfully fought in the Pskov-Ostrovskaya and Tartu operations, liberated the cities of Ostrov (July 21), Vyru (August 13), Tartu (August 25).

In the Riga operation, army forces, in cooperation with other armies of the 3rd and 2nd Baltic fronts, defeated a number of formations and units of the 16th and 18th enemy armies. On October 13, Riga was liberated and went to the coast of the Gulf of Riga. From October 16, the army was part of the Leningrad Front and until the end of the war carried out the task of protecting and defending the coast of the Gulf of Riga.

In early May 1945, its troops were recruited to disarm and capture the surrendered enemy grouping in Courland.

In June - July 1945, the 67th Army was disbanded.

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Anniversary of the 67th Army

At the memorial sign at the site of the headquarters of the 67th Army on the shore of Lake Korkinskoye

October 6 marks the 75th anniversary of the creation of the 67th Army of the Leningrad Front. Veterans-front-line soldiers came to Koltushi to celebrate the birthday of their army, the fate of which is closely connected with the Koltush settlement. Here, on the shores of Lake Korkinskoye, during the war, was the command post of the 67th Army of the Leningrad Front, whose troops fought defensive battles, and in January 1943 they broke through the blockade of Leningrad in Operation Iskra. Here, in the park of the village of Pavlovo, was the headquarters of the 30th Guards Rifle Corps.

Laying flowers at a memorial sign on the shore of Lake Korkinskoye

From right to left: Ivan Nikitich Konev, Mikhail Pavlovich Dukhanov, Nikolai Pavlovich Simonyak

Veterans of the 67th Army and their families visited the Museum of Military Glory of the Koltush School named after I.P. Pavlov, where they were greeted by the school director Tatyana Vladimirovna Zakharova and the head of the museum Nikolai Stepanovich Shum. The renewed exposition of the museum aroused general enthusiasm and approval. It was decided that relics and military rarities kept by the families of veterans and war rarities will be transferred to the museum to replenish the collection, which will make it possible to create a more detailed exposition dedicated to the 67th Army. After the literary and poetic performance of the schoolchildren, the veterans went to Lake Korkinskoye, where they laid flowers at a memorial sign at the site of the army command post. Then all those gathered at the memorial were invited to a tea party, which was organized by the administration of the Koltushskoe rural settlement. Sergey Glebovich Medvedev, head of the local history section of the Koltushskaya TsKS MKU, offered the guests a slide report on the combat path of the 67th Army, after which the veteran of the 67th Army, retired Colonel Pavel Mikhailovich Germanov recited his favorite poems.

In the museum of the Koltush school

“Initially, in the fall of 1941, on the banks of the Neva, the defense was held by the Nevskaya operational group of the first composition (NOG). It was commanded by Major General Ivan Nikitich Konev. A months-long defense began on the Neva River. She was very tough because she was by nature not only defensive. The Neva operational group was engaged in offensive operations. In May-October 1942, the 67th Army was formed - this is the successor to the Nevsky Task Force. Major General Mikhail Pavlovich Dukhanov, a participant in the war with the White Finns, was approved as the commander of the 67th Army, and with the beginning of World War II - the commander of an infantry division, then chief of staff, later - commander of the 2nd Nevskaya Operational Group, and from October 1942 to December 1943 - Commander of the 67th Army. The 67th army held a part of the right bank of the Neva and a bridgehead in the area of ​​Moscow Dubrovka, and also guarded the "Road of Life" across Lake Ladoga.

Veterans of the 67th Army Yu.G. Belov and P.M. Germanov in the school museum

In some periods of time, the 67 army consisted of up to 50 divisions. And they all waged very active hostilities, trying to break through to the left bank of the Neva, to break through the blockade, which finally succeeded in 1943 in January. This is Operation Iskra. Our troops on the ice of the frozen Neva got over to the left bank. A narrow corridor from Shlisselburg to the mainland was pierced. And this subsequently made it possible to start up railway transport, and food, military equipment, manpower and everything necessary for the troops began to flow into the city. But still, the city still remained in the ring of the German encirclement. For the skillful leadership of the troops in Operation Iskra, the commander of the 67th Army MP Dukhanov. was awarded the Order of Kutuzov 1 degree and he was awarded the rank of "Lieutenant General".

In this building in the park of the village of Pavlovo was locatedheadquarters of the 30th Guards Rifle Corps

In December 1943, the breakthrough and the final lifting of the blockade of the city began, which ended successfully on January 27, 1944.

The further path of the 67th Army lay through the Leningrad Region, through the cities: Siverskaya, Gatchina, Vyritsa, it liberated the cities of Pskov and Novgorod from the German invaders. She completed her military career in the battles for the liberation of the city of Riga in May 1945. For courage and heroism shown in battles with the enemy, tens of thousands of soldiers of the 67th Army were awarded orders and medals, more than twenty were awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union. For his participation in breaking the blockade of Leningrad, this high rank was awarded to the commander of the 136th rifle division, Major General Nikolai Pavlovich Simonyak, who became commander of the 67th Army from March 1945 until the end of the war.

Break of the blockade of Leningrad.
Diorama in the Museum on the Road of Life, Kirovsk

I would like to say one more time about the first commander of the 67th Army - General Mikhail Pavlovich Dukhanov. He was a highly cultured, competent officer, an experienced military man who began his service in the Russian imperial army, participated in the civil war, then in the Finnish war. His service to Leningrad is enormous, because he managed not only to save the lives of many residents of the besieged city who were dying of hunger, but also to make a great contribution to the turn of military events: Operation Iskra, like the operations near Moscow and Stalingrad, decided the outcome of the war. And it is very disappointing that the memory of General Dukhanov has not been noted in any way. His associates - General Galstyan, General Simonyak, Major Garkavy and many others remained in the memory in the names of the streets of Leningrad. But there is no street that would bear the name of General Dukhanov. Isn't it time to fix this error? Maybe this is possible today here, in Koltushi, where active construction is underway and new streets are being born today?

WE, VETERANS OF THE 67TH ARMY OF THE LENINGRAD FRONT, APPEAL TO THE BUILDERS, THE PUBLIC, TO THE POWERFUL STRUCTURES WITH A REQUEST TO PERMANENT THE NAME OF MIKHAIL PAVLOVICH DUKHANOV IN THE NAME IN KOLUHATSY NAME!

After the memorial meeting, its participants were taken by buses to convenient metro stations.