History of the liberation of Polotsk
Time inexorably postpones events, but carefully preserves the memory of the feat of the soldiers who liberated Polotsk from the Nazi invaders on July 4, 1944. The history of our city is rich in heroic events. Especially valuable is the information about the last battles for our ancient city, which after 80 years proudly and confidently looks ahead.
Important positions
Initially, a specific operation to liberate Polotsk was not planned, but our city, being a key point on the way to the Baltic States, was of particular interest to the retreating fascist troops. Therefore, the Germans took all possible measures to strengthen the line of defense. Six German divisions, using the communications of the Polotsk fortified area for their own purposes, were preparing for defense. That is why the command of the Soviet troops planned the Polotsk offensive operation, in which the troops of four armies took part: the 6th Guards (commanded by Major General I.M. Chistyakov), the 4th Shock (commanded by Lieutenant General P.F. Malyshev), the 43rd (commanded by Lieutenant General A.P. Beloborodov), the 3rd Air Army (commanded by Lieutenant General N.F. Papivin) and a number of units and formations of front-line subordination. The total number is about 500 thousand people.
For courage
The 6th Guards Army under the command of Colonel-General Ivan Chistyakov marched over 12 thousand kilometers along the roads of war. She participated in the battles of Moscow and Stalingrad, in the battle of the Kursk Bulge. She also distinguished herself near Polotsk.
For their heroic actions during the liberation of our city, six rifle regiments of the 51st and 71st Guards Rifle Divisions were given the name of Polotsk by order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. Polotsk residents also noted the merits of Colonel-General Chistyakov - he was awarded the title of "Honorary Citizen of the City of Polotsk".
To the assault!
The 51st Guards Rifle Division, as part of the 6th Guards Army, attacked Polotsk from the south. The assault on the city began on the night of July 2-3. The fighting was very fierce. For two days, Soviet troops tried to break through the line of German fortifications, but they managed to do this only on the night of July 3-4. Early in the morning of July 4, they approached Polota in the area of the Spaso-Euphrosyne Monastery. The Germans tried to counterattack. The soldiers of the 51st division repulsed it and continued the assault on Polotsk.
Along the right bank of the Western Dvina, the 47th Nevel Rifle Division entered the city. Polotsk was liberated by noon on July 4, 1944.
Feat of the Guards
On July 3, soldiers of the 158th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 51st Guards Rifle Division reached the bank of the Dvina. Of the three bridges, only one survived. The difficult task of preventing the explosion of the bridge was set before Sergeant Dmitry Falin. With a small group of fighters, he swam to the right bank. It was possible to prevent an explosion, but under fierce enemy fire, the daredevils had to retreat. Having taken refuge in the ruins of the monastery (now the regional mental hospital is located there), Falin's group began to shoot back.
And then a group of 23 volunteers led by Lieutenant Grigoriev took up the task. They managed to storm the bridge and gain a foothold on a small piece of land on the right bank of the Dvina. The Germans made fourteen attempts to deal with the guardsmen, however, having met desperate resistance and failed, pulling flamethrowers to the battlefield, only with their help they were able to break the resistance of the daredevils.
For a long time, it was believed that all the guardsmen were killed. However, the seriously wounded Lieutenant Grigoriev and sniper Sergeant Major Kozhevnikov survived. Alexander Grigoriev was subsequently awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, but for other events. A monument was erected at the place where the Grigoriev guardsmen died, and on the opposite bank of the Dvina there is a street named after them. In total, there are more than 30 streets in Polotsk, named after the defenders and liberators of Polotsk.
… 80 years of peace is a lifetime for those who survived. 80 years is a bright memory of those who did not live to see it...
Ancient Polotsk, which has risen from ruins and ashes, looks confidently into the future, preserving the sacred memory of the warriors who defended the world from the brown plague at the cost of their lives. Here, every step echoes the Holy War – for peace, for freedom, for independence.
