the Colonel Moosie August 12 – 100 years. The participant of fights for Moscow, Bryansk, Tula and Mogilev. He was awarded medals “For victory over Germany in the great Patriotic war 1941-1945” and “For military merit”.
He still writes about the war literary essays. He has a story to tell.
Born Paul A. 12 August 1920 in the Belarusian village near Minsk Grass. I never thought to become military. But the war decided otherwise. In 1938 he graduated from high school, while studying passed the test, got the icon “Voroshilov sharpshooter”. Arrived in Mogilev state pedagogical Institute imeni Papanina. Worked at the Institute of military Department, where he studied military science and weapons. Shot from a manual machine gun of Degtyarev and rifle, learned to drive a motorcycle and a car.
a Volunteer went to the front directly after the exam in the Institute of history. Didn’t have time to get in shape – only rifle without ammunition. And the Germans were coming to Mogilev.
of Course, the worst part was the first days of the war. Pavel Andreevich remembers his first fight.
“From the German side came two tanks. Several soldiers with our front line got up and ran to the rear. Scared! Actually it’s scary when a tank rushing at you, the fear to overcome is not given to everyone… we Tried to stop the fugitives – don’t listen. I ran past a soldier with a machine gun. I said, “where are you?” – and racked the slide, scare to take decided. But to shoot her, I did not, even if ammo was available. Fighter the fright fell in front of me, the gun is dropped, it pushes me. “Take it,” said, “being so bold”. I shout: “Spare disks where? Cartridges where?”. And he said: “In the trenches left”. I’m the rifle in his side took: “take him!”. He ran back, though he was terrible, brought CDs, and ammunition. So I became a gunner. German tanks and then to our trenches did not reach”.
One day by volunteers, handed out two bottles with “Molotov cocktail” and sent to the front line trench. And all hell broke loose. Several times in the trenches came the German tanks. When they were repulsed, started to work the enemy aircraft and artillery. And so until dark. Eighty-five Mogilev student volunteers that day, survived only five.
They retreated to Bryansk, where the headquarters of the Western front. There, branching from the remnants hammered parts of new battalions.
And then there was the salvation banner of the 73rd regiment of the 24th division of the NKVD. The division defended the railroad construction and almost all were killed under the tracks of German tanks had broken through. The regimental flag and saved a former student of the pedagogical Institute. And not just the flag – honor of the regiment. After all, if the banner has not got to the enemy – a military unit is considered valid, even if survived at least a fighter. Deven if left…
the Objective was to fight not to join, but living not to give up. It’s that simple. Moosie with twenty companions made a banner, passing in the rear of the enemy, passing from one guerrilla group to another. This story could be the plot of an action movie. And, true, not Hollywood.
Then there was a lot more then – study at the military school, the training of snipers, the battles, return to the same the 73rd regiment, whose flag he saved and turns out, saved from disgrace and the disbandment of the regiment. And yet, the liberation of Mogilev, under the walls of which he took his first fight.
