Secrets of June 22. The last fight of frontier guards and dogs with fascists. Chapter XVI

In the Cherkassk area in Ukraine there is a unique monument to 150 boundary dogs “tore” the whole regiment of fascists in hand-to-hand fight. This is only mass fight of people and dogs for all modern history of world wars and the conflicts occurred in the centre of Ukraine in 1941.

There was the third month of war, more precisely, it only began when at the end of July there were the events which for the first time have changed a course of the Great Patriotic War, or all course of “East company” as called the war in Hitler's rate. The little know that according to his order, Kiev had to fall by August 3 and Hitler was going to arrive to the capital of Ukraine on 8th on “victory parade” and not alone, but with the leader of Italy Mussolini and the dictator of Slovakia Tisso.

It wasn't succeeded to take Kiev directly and there was the order to bypass it from the South … So there was a scary word “Green Brahma” in gossip, the district which hasn't been specified on maps of great battles of Great War.

This woody and hilly massif on a right bank of the river Sinyukha, near Podvysokoe village in the Novoarkhangelsk area of Kirovograd and Legezino village of the Talnovsk area of Cherkassk oblast only today it is known as one of the most tragic events of the first months of the Great Patriotic War. And thanks to that known poet-song writer Evgeniy Aronovich Dolmatovsky was the participant of heavy fighting during Umansk defensive operation.

With a publication of his book "Green Brahma" (a full format) in 1985, the secret of “Green Brahma” was opened … 6th and 12th armies of the South Western front of generals Muzychenko and Ponedelin were almost completely destroyed in these parts got to an environment and departing from western border. By the beginning of August they numbered 130 thousand people, 11 thousand soldiers and officers left Brahma, mainly from rear parts. The others whether were taken prisoner, or forever remained in the natural boundary of Green Brahma …

There were guard dogs in a separate battalion of boundary group of protection of the back of the South Western front which was created on the basis of Separate Kolomiysk boundary commandant's office and the boundary group of the same name, with difficult fights receding from border.

They together with fighters of boundary group went through all burdens of severe time with firmness. The commander of a battalion, he is the deputy chief of a staff of Kolomiysk frontier group major Lopatin (according to other data, major Filippov was in command of combined group), despite the worst conditions of the contents, lack of an appropriate forage ordered and on offers of command to release dogs, he didn't make it. Near Legedzino village the battalion, covering withdrawal of staff parts of command of Umansky army group, on July 30 accepted the last battle …

Forces were too unequal: a regiment of fascists with heavy arms against five hundred frontier guards. And at the critical moment when the Germans went to the next attack, major Lopatin gave the order to send to hand-to-hand fight with fascists of frontier guards and guard dogs. It was the last reserve.

The show was terrible: 150 (data is various – from 115 to 150 boundary dogs, including the Lvov frontier school of office dog breeding) trained, half-starved sheep-dogs were against fascists watering with their automatic fire.

Sheep-dogs stuck to fascists into drinks even in dying spasms. The opponent who was literally bitten and has been grubbed up by bayonets, receded, but tanks approached on help. The bitten German infantrymen, with lacerations, with horror cries, jumped on armour of tanks and shot the poor dogs.



All 500 frontier guards died in this fight, any of them didn't give up in captivity. And the escaped dogs, according to eyewitnesses, the inhabitants of Legedzino village, remained devoted to the conductors up to the end. The few dogs which have escaped in fight remained near the dead owners and admitted nobody to them. The Germans shot the sheep-dogs, and those from them who escaped, refused the food and died of hunger in the field …

Even it fell to rural dogs share – the Germans shot big dogs of peasants, even those who were on a leash. Only one sheep-dog could crawl to a hut and fell at a door.

The devoted canine friend was sheltered and the peasants got to know on a collar that it were the boundary dogs not only of Kolomiysk frontier commandant's office, but also of special school of office dog breeding of captain M.E.Kozlov.

After that fight when the Germans brought together the victims, on memoirs of inhabitants of the village (unfortunately already a little remained in this world) it was authorized to bury the Soviet frontier guards. All who were found brought together in a midfield and buried, together with the faithful four-footed assistants, and secret of burial hid for long years … The researcher of that memorable fight Alexander Fuka says that memory of heroism of frontier guards and their assistants was so great among inhabitants of the village that, despite presence of the German occupational administration and group of policemen, the half of village boys was rejoiced by green peak-caps of victims.

The And locals burying frontier guards, hiding from fascists, tore out from the Red Army books and officer certificates the photo of victims then to send them for an identification (to store such documents was death danger therefore it wasn't possible to establish the surnames of heroes). And the planned triumphal meeting of Hitler and Mussolini took place on August 18, but, certainly, not in Kiev, but there, in Legedzino, on that highway which conducted to Talnogo and which the Soviet frontier guards held as own border.

Only in the 1955, the inhabitants of Legedzino could collect the remains of nearly all 500 frontier guards and transfer them to rural school near which there is a mass grave. And on the suburb, where the only world hand-to-hand fight of people and dogs with fascists passed, on May 9, 2003 the monument to the person with a gun and to its loyal friend – a dog was established only in the world on donations of veterans of the Great Patriotic War, border troops and cynologists of Ukraine.

There is no more such monument somewhere.

“Stop and bow. Here in July, 1941 the fighters of separate Kolomiysk boundary commandant's office rose in the last attack to the enemy. 500 frontier guards and their 150 guard dogs fell death brave in that fight. They remained forever true to the oath, the native earth”.

Today only the faces of two lost frontier guards are known...

It would be very interesting to hear opinion on this case from apologists of falsification of history of the Great Patriotic War, so liking to argue on “atrocities” of SMERSH, People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs and blocking detachments... Аs there was nobody behind the back of frontier guards. Moreover, it is unlikely someone from them thought in general that their great feat becomes known...

Eternal Glory the victim for freedom and independence of our great Homeland!