There are many envious people who are haunted by other people's love relationships....
The white-stone Sevastopol, the Red Banner hero city, the military guard of the Russian Black Sea coast, rises majestically above the bays.
Soviet soldiers showed unprecedented courage, courage and perseverance during the heroic defense of Sevastopol and its liberation from the fascist invaders. The immortal military glory of the city is immortalized in numerous monuments. Here is the world-famous panorama "Defense of Sevastopol 1854-1855" - a unique work of battle painting.
Six kilometers east of the center of Sevastopol, on the top of Sapun Mountain, next to the majestic monument of Glory, a strict semicircular building rises. The world's largest diorama is located here - " Assault on Sapun Mountain on May 7, 1944"This largest work of modern battle painting can rightfully be called a monument to the military feat of Soviet soldiers who liberated Sevastopol from the Nazi invaders.
Diorama is a special type of fine art. Diorama makes it possible to reveal complex genre themes and widely show the scene of action. Typically, a diorama consists of two elements: a painting and a subject plan. The main element of the diorama, the painting, is located in a semicircle. There is an observation deck in front of the diorama. Between the painting and the observation deck there is a subject plan, the plot of which forms one whole with the painting. This technique creates the illusion of depth in space and enhances the sense of reality and authenticity of the events depicted.
Other dioramas created by Russian artists (for example, “Suvorov’s Alpine March”, “Battle of Poltava”, “Battle on the Oder Bridgehead”, “Crossing the Dnieper by Soviet Army Troops”, “Volochaevsky Battle”) are small in size. In them, figures of people and objects are smaller than their natural size, which leads to some distortion of reality.
In the diorama “Storm of Sapun Mountain”, for the first time in fine art, human figures in the foreground of the painting are painted in their natural sizes. And natural objects are the remains of authentic German defensive structures, weapons and equipment. For the first time, the harmonious composition of one diorama covers the enormous operational scale of the joint actions of the advancing Soviet armies, aviation and navy.
It must be said that absolutely reliable events are reproduced in the diorama. To create it, authentic documents, reports and unit commanders, and award documents of the heroes of the assault were used. Many interesting and valuable details were told to the creators of the diorama by direct participants in the liberation of Sevastopol.
Assault on Sapun Mountain
Having launched a simultaneous offensive from the north of Perekop and from the east of Kerch, Soviet troops drove the Nazis out of the Crimean land. The enemy tried at all costs to keep Crimea in his hands. The 17th German Army and Romanian divisions located in the Crimea, retreating, gained a foothold in the Sevastopol area. The fascist troops needed time to ensure evacuation by sea. In addition, the Crimean group of the Wehrmacht drew part of the forces of the Red Army onto itself, preventing the development of an offensive in the southern Black Sea region.
On the approaches to Sevastopol, our troops, having approached the enemy’s main defensive line, prepared for the decisive assault.
In the offensive zone, in the direction of the main attack, Sapun Mountain rose. The steep eastern slope and sheer cliffs up to three meters or more served not only as a natural obstacle. They enabled the enemy to create several tiers of defensive structures, powerful long-term fortifications and strongholds. By the beginning of May 1944, four lines of trenches had been built here, located from the base to the ridge of the mountain.
In addition to a dense network of trenches and wire fences, a significant number of bunkers, bunkers and dugouts were equipped on the slope of Sapun Mountain. The valley at the foot of the mountain was mined.
On the morning of May 7, 1944, troops of the 51st and Primorsky armies began a joint assault on the enemy’s fortified positions. Units of the Red Army went on the offensive immediately along the entire 15-kilometer section of the front - from the Black Sea coast near Balaklava to the eastern slope of Mount Sugarloaf, not far from Inkerman.
The most intense battles took place on the slope of Sapun Mountain, as well as on the slopes of the Bezymyannaya and Gornaya heights, north of Balaklava. The enemy resisted fiercely.
But the offensive impulse of our infantrymen and artillerymen, sailors and pilots, tank crews and sappers was unstoppable. Our units made their way to the top of the mountain through the firestorm. At the cost of their lives, soldiers and sailors fought back trench after trench. Every step of a soldier going on an assault was a feat.
After taking Sapun Mountain and the heights located along the coast north of Balaklava, the path to Sevastopol from the eastern and southeastern directions was open. On May 9, Sevastopol was completely liberated from the fascist invaders. On May 12, the last German troops retreating to Cape Chersonesos were destroyed. The complete defeat of enemy troops in Crimea was completed. Moscow saluted in honor of the valiant liberators of Sevastopol with salvos from 324 guns.
Diorama
In 1958, Honored Artist of the RSFSR, member of the Studio of Military Artists named after M. B. Grekov, Pyotr Tarasovich Maltsev painted the battle painting “Storm of Sapun Mountain.” The painting was highly praised at the All-Union art exhibition dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the Soviet Armed Forces.
In 1959, based on this painting, the artist created the largest modern diorama - “The Assault of Sapun Mountain on May 7, 1944”, in which he masterfully resolved the theme of the victorious offensive near Sevastopol. Together with P.T. Artists G. Marchenko and N. Prisekin also worked with Maltsev. According to the design of the architect V. Petropavlovsky, the diorama building was constructed and its technical equipment was made.
The diorama on Sapun Mountain was opened on November 4, 1959. By the way, over the past years, the diorama has been seen by almost 30 million visitors.
The painting, 25 meters long and 5.5 meters high, depicts the moment of greatest combat tension during the breakthrough of the main defensive line of the fascist fortifications by the troops of the 51st and Primorsky armies. It was on the evening of May 7, 1944.
Across the entire plain to the seashore, under the cover of strong artillery fire and air bombing strikes, a tank stream rushed through the forest of explosions to the front line of enemy defense.
The infantry attacks behind the tanks. Fighter battles broke out in the air. Squadrons of our bombers are flying to bomb fortifications deep in enemy defenses. At sea, our boats and naval aviation deliver destructive strikes against enemy ships.
The viewer sees the legendary heroes of the liberation of Sevastopol, in whose images the artist sought not only to preserve portrait resemblance, but also to convey a state of exceptional psychological stress during this decisive period of the battle.
On the left you can see the battalion's Komsomol organizer Fyodor Komissarov, who leads the soldiers to storm the enemy battery. He led the company after the death of the commander.
Closer to the viewer is a 45-mm anti-tank gun, which directly fires at the embrasure of an enemy pillbox camouflaged at the ridge of Sapun Mountain. This cannon, pulled in the hands of soldiers to the very top of Sapun Mountain, marched in victorious battles from Stalingrad to Sevastopol. The commander of the gun, Komsomol member N. Galitsyn, despite being seriously wounded, remained at his post. The gun is aimed by an experienced warrior, Tajik A. Sanonov.
The brave soldier Kuzma Moskalenko defeats the Nazis with well-aimed fire from a heavy machine gun. A young Komsomol fighter Petukhov brings him boxes with machine gun belts. Immediately the brave sniper N. Moryatov takes aim at a Nazi officer who was trying to raise the Nazis in a counterattack.
In the first ranks of the assault groups, Komsomol nurse Evgenia Deryugina climbed Sapun Mountain. Under heavy fire, she provided first aid to the wounded. The artist preserved the portrait likeness of nurse Deryugina and at the same time managed to generalize in her image the features of the fearless medical instructors of the Red Army.
Our scouts broke through to the roof of the enemy pillbox destroyed by artillery. In front with a machine gun is the reconnaissance company commander, Lieutenant Mikhail Golovnya. Next to the machine gun is the fearless scout Nikolai Gunko.
Fragment of the Diorama. Machine gunner Moskalenko, nurse Deryugina, lieutenant Golovnya.
A brave Soviet warrior, guard private Ashot Markaryan shielded his combat commander from an enemy bullet with his body.
The painting also depicts the immortal feat of sapper senior sergeant Fyodor Skoryatin. He blew up the wire fence and, at the cost of his life, gave our soldiers the opportunity to move forward.
Private Ilya Polikakhin attacks the enemy guard dugout with a grenade in his hands. The seriously wounded soldier did not leave the battlefield and was one of the first to break through to the top of Sapun Mountain. He was with those who raised the Soviet flag over the liberated Sevastopol. For the courage shown in battles, Ilya Polikakhin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
To the right, Private Ivan Yatsunenko picked up the regiment's banner from the hands of the mortally wounded party organizer of the company, Senior Sergeant Evgeniy Smelkovich. Under enemy fire, Yatsunenko carried the victorious assault banner and was one of the first to hoist it on the ridge of Sapun Mountain, for which he was also awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Fragment of the Diorama. Ilya Polikakhin with a grenade, standard bearer Ivan Yatsunenko.
In the front ranks, together with the infantrymen, the sailors - the brave defenders of Sevastopol in 1941-1942 - storm the enemy. Before entering the dugout, they boldly enter into hand-to-hand combat, clearing the way for our army units.
In the depths of the canvas you can see how Lieutenant M. Dzigunsky rushes to the embrasure of the enemy pillbox, located on the crest of the height at which our flamethrowers operate. He covered the embrasure with his body and helped his platoon take the last strong point.
Closer to the viewer, senior lieutenant V. Zhukov, with a pistol in his hand, leads his company to storm the last fascist fortifications before the ridge of Sapun Mountain. For the courage and courage shown in this battle, V. Zhukov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Here you can see how machine gunners from K. Yakovlev’s regiment liquidate an attempt at an enemy counterattack with friendly fire and grenades.
The eight-meter distance from the canvas to the observation deck fills the subject plan. It enhances the impression of reality of the events depicted. Here the rocky surface of the slope of Sapun Mountain, pitted by shells and bomb craters, is reproduced, life-size enemy trenches and communication passages, and a wire fence are built.
The realistic scenes of hand-to-hand combat in the enemy dugout are depicted on a natural plan; it is shown how fascist soldiers captured in a shelter surrender. The stones of Sapun Mountain, drenched in the blood of Soviet soldiers, are mounted in the subject plan and preserved as a sacred relic.
The monumental diorama “Storm of Sapun Mountain on May 7, 1944” immortalizes the exploits of our glorious warriors, and their names are written on the white stone monument of Glory that rises on the mountain. And everyone who comes here bows their head in reverence to the memory of the heroes who defended the freedom and independence of our Motherland in severe battle.
The diorama on Sapun Mountain is not only one of the largest works of art of panoramic painting. This is a powerful source of high patriotic feelings - a magnificent artistic monument to heroic events that will forever remain in the memory of the people.
Sapun Mountain. What to see
After viewing the diorama and exhibition of the museum of the heroic defense and liberation of Sevastopol (documents, maps, weapons, personal belongings of the defenders and liberators of Sevastopol are collected here), viewers can see today’s peaceful panorama from the external observation deck - a flowering valley with gardens and vineyards on the sites of former hot battles. The areas around the diorama building display various military equipment from the Great Patriotic War.
Dioramas building and exhibition of armored vehicles.
So, what else can (and should) be seen on Sapun Mountain.
- Memorial of Glory and Eternal Flame;
- Monument to the soldiers of the 51st Army;
- An exhibition dedicated to the USSR Navy: naval guns, coastal defense guns, various naval equipment;
- Komsomolets-class torpedo boat of the Black Sea Fleet;
- Exhibition of artillery of the Red Army;
- Exhibition of armored vehicles - tanks and self-propelled guns;
- Fragment of the German defense line (below the observation deck): captured cannons, remains of trenches, pillboxes and dugouts, some of them reconstructed;
- Temple-chapel in memory of the soldiers who died during the Second Defense of Sevastopol in 1941–1942 and during the liberation of the city in 1944.
Diorama "Assault on Sapun Mountain" on the map.
The article uses information from an essay by G. V. Ternovsky
Georgy Vladimirovich Ternovsky is a prominent military leader, a participant in the Great Patriotic War, and a veteran of the Soviet Navy.
In the Navy since 1934. In 1938 he graduated from the Sevastopol Naval School. From the first war at the front. He was one of the leaders of the naval defense of Odessa.
Participant in the Soviet-Japanese War of 1945. By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command on the front of the fight against Japanese militarists and the courage and heroism shown, Captain 3rd Rank Georgy Vladimirovich Ternovsky was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
As a famous military historian, Georgy Vladimirovich Ternovsky participated in the restoration of the panorama of Franz Roubaud “Defense of Sevastopol”. When creating the diorama “Assault on Sapun Mountain,” Georgy Vladimirovich was one of the main military consultants.
G.V. Ternovsky was awarded the Order of Lenin, 3 Orders of the Red Banner, 2 Orders of the Red Star, and various medals. He was buried at the Preobrazhenskoye Military Cemetery in Moscow.
Photos of Dioramas - Sevastopol information portal.
Header photo - F. M. Kogan.
On May 7, at 10:30 a.m., after an hour and a half of artillery and air preparation, our troops went on the offensive in the main direction. On the right, located in two echelons east of Inkerman and Fedyukhin Heights, units of the 51st Army struck the enemy.
In the first echelon, the 1st Guards Rifle Corps of the Guard, Lieutenant General I.I., advanced. Missana, who was moving towards Sugarloaf Mountain, and the 63rd Rifle Corps under Major General P.K. Koshevoy, who had the goal of reaching the northern part Sapun Mountains.
In the second echelon, the 10th Rifle Corps of Major General K.P. was advancing. Neverov, who was tasked with increasing the attack force on the left flank of the 63rd Rifle Corps, reaching the first echelon, building on the success, storming Sapun Mountain and approaching the southeastern outskirts Sevastopol.
The Primorsky Army, consisting of three rifle corps, occupied the front from the southern part of Sapun Mountain to the seashore. It delivered its main blow in the direction of the Gornaya and Bezymyannaya heights (the 3rd Mountain Rifle Corps of Major General A.A. Luchinsky operated here). 11th Guards Rifle Corps of Guard Major General S.E. Rozhdestvensky, being on the right flank of the army, advanced in the southern part of Sapun Mountain - to the heights of Karagach - the Bolshevik collective farm. Units of the 16th Rifle Corps of Major General K.I. moved along the seashore. Provalova.
From the first minutes of the offensive, bloody battles broke out on all sectors of the front. They were especially fierce in the area of Sapun Mountain, which was stormed together with soldiers of the 63rd and 11th Guards Rifle Corps by soldiers of the 77th Rifle Division (on display are photographs and awards of its commander, Colonel A.P. Rodionov) and the 32nd Guards Rifle Division (personal belongings and a photograph of its guard commander, Colonel N.K. Zakurenkov, are on display).
Ahead of the infantry were assault groups and special detachments, which made passages through wire fences and minefields, blocked and destroyed enemy firing points. These fighters were supported by our artillery, which fired directly at the fascist fortifications. The battle for each trench lasted for hours.
During the battle, the unknown warrior managed to photograph the most interesting moment - assault on Sapun Mountain May 7, 1944. You can see this valuable photograph in the exhibition hall of the museum.
In the battles for Sapun Mountain, our soldiers showed examples of courage and mass heroism. The platoon commander, Lieutenant P.A., acted boldly and decisively. Elisov from the 77th Infantry Division. With two men under heavy enemy machine-gun fire, he broke into enemy positions and destroyed the crews of several gun emplacements, allowing the infantry to advance. The enemy launched several counterattacks, but all of them were repulsed. 60 enemy corpses remained on the battlefield. For courage and courage to Lieutenant P.A. Elisov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
The infantry was greatly assisted by a battery of 45-mm cannons, commanded by Lieutenant G.V. Lykov (also from the 77th Infantry Division). During the battle, Lykov promptly moved his guns forward and hit enemy firing points. During the assault on Sapun Mountain, this battery destroyed 3 cannons, 10 heavy machine guns, two observation posts, up to 100 soldiers and officers, and suppressed a platoon of battalion mortars.
Guard senior lieutenant V.F. fought heroically. Zhukov (32nd Guards Rifle Division). He was the first to raise his company to attack the Bezymyannaya heights. The fighters burst into the enemy trench and destroyed several dozen fascists in hand-to-hand combat. V.F. Zhukov was wounded, but did not leave the battlefield. He and his subordinates continued to pursue the enemy. The fearless commander died on the outskirts of Sevastopol.
On the stand is a portrait of the platoon commander, Lieutenant M.Ya. Dzigunsky (417th Rifle Division) and a photocopy of his letter.
Thousands of other soldiers and commanders showed unprecedented heroism that day. And although the enemy fiercely resisted, in some areas launching a counterattack several times, nothing could stop the powerful breakthrough of the Soviet troops. They persistently moved along the steep slopes of Sapun Mountain to its top.
The pilots of the 8th Air Army provided great assistance to the attacking infantry. On May 7, they carried out 1,460 sorties, destroyed and burned 5 fascist tanks, 32 vehicles, 10 ammunition depots, 14 batteries and shot down 32 enemy aircraft.
Among the aviators, warriors of the most diverse nationalities of our Motherland fought fearlessly against the enemy. The best crew of the 76th Guards Attack Aviation Regiment included the Bashkir M.G. Gareev and Russian A.I. Kiryanov. In the battles for Sevastopol, they flew 15 times to storm enemy airfields and 14 times to destroy enemy watercraft. And just during the war years M.G. Gareev made 250 combat missions and destroyed a lot of enemy manpower and equipment. The brave pilot was twice awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. A rare incident happened to him - on May 1, 1945 in East Prussia, the commander of the 1st Air Army T.T. Khryukin pinned two Gold Star medals to his chest at once, and the formation commander presented two orders - Alexander Nevsky and the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree.
Air gunner A.I. Kiryanov, who flew with M.G. Gareev, was also awarded high government awards for his courage and bravery. He became a Knight of the Order of Glory of three degrees. Photographs of members of this illustrious crew are presented in the exhibition. There are also photographs of other remarkable pilots, heroes of air battles - K.A. Averyanova, V.A. Chkheidze, V.D. Lavrenenkova, Amet-Khan Sultan, V.M. Tyukova, I.I. Kindyusheva, E.Ya. Savitsky, O.A. Sanfirova, M.V. Smirnova, the crew of the plane M.E. Malushchenko... This list can be continued.
At 19:30, units of the 77th and 32nd Guards Rifle Divisions almost simultaneously reached the ridge of Sapun Mountain. The first to capture enemy fortifications were the soldiers of the 85th regiment, commanded by Guard Lieutenant Colonel K.K. Yakovlev, and the 105th regiment, Major I.S. Slizhevsky.
Red flags flashed one after another on the top of Sapun Mountain. They were planted by Private S.P. Evglevsky, Corporal V.I. Drobyazko, Sergeant A.A. Kurbanov and others.
One should also mention junior lieutenant V.F. Gromakova. His platoon was among the first to reach the ridge of Sapun Mountain. The fighters entered into hand-to-hand combat with the Nazis. During the battle V.F. Gromakov picked up the red banner that had fallen from the hands of the deceased warrior and hoisted it on a height. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union recognizes the feat of a courageous officer.
Soldiers of engineering units made a worthy contribution to the victorious assault on Sapun Mountain. In the exhibition you will see a photograph of Colonel P.Kh. Priceless, his guards badge and shoulder straps, portrait and badge “Excellent Miner” of Private A.N. Fomin, as well as a portrait of the commander of the sapper company D.S. Zagorulko.
Guard Colonel P.Kh. Priceless commanded the 7th Engineer Brigade, which ensured the successful combat operations of the 51st Army during the assault on the enemy’s defensive fortifications. This brigade also performed the most difficult and responsible task of demining the city after its liberation.
Private of the 275th engineer battalion A.N. Fomin, a resident of Sevastopol, participated in many battles. During the war, he went through its entire combat path as part of the 51st Army.
Senior Lieutenant D.S. Zagorulko earned the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union through his selfless military work. He commanded a sapper company, which ensured the advancement of the 105th Infantry Regiment. Working under enemy fire, the company's soldiers destroyed all engineering obstacles in the infantry's path, cleared 480 mines, made 15 passes through wire barriers, blew up two pillboxes and repaired the road for escort artillery.
After this, Zagorulko, on his personal initiative, covered the regiment’s assault troops with fire from his company, destroying many soldiers and officers and 10 enemy machine guns. Then he took part in street fighting. When blocking the last enemy stronghold, D.S. Zagorulko died.
The advance of our troops at the decisive moment of the assault on Sapun Mountain was supported by the 7, 12, 13, 63rd engineer brigades and separate engineer battalions.
Among the participants in the operation to liberate the city there were many women. The exhibition presents photographs, documents and personal belongings of Lydia Polonskaya, Evgenia Deryugina and Nadezhda Sivko-Razumovskaya, who distinguished themselves in these battles.
In the Sevastopol sky, the pilots of the 46th Guards Taman Red Banner Order of Suvorov, 3rd Class Aviation Regiment of Night Bombers under the command of Guard Lieutenant Colonel E.D. showed fearlessness and heroism. Bershanskaya (her photo is on the stand). Some of them traveled a glorious path from the Caucasus to Berlin. 23 female pilots of the regiment were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Dozens of soldiers and commanders were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the bravery shown during the assault on Sapun Mountain. Among them is Major General P.K. Koshevoy, Colonel A.P. Rodionov, Lieutenant Colonel N.V. Baranov, Major G.K. Mucha, captain A.Kh. Chakryan, Major S.L. Karas, Lieutenant V.V. Chebotarev, junior lieutenant V.A. Mironov, senior sergeant A.Ya. Abdulaev, private G.M. Ivashkevich and many, many others.
By the end of May 7, Soviet troops captured Sapun Mountain. At dawn on May 8, the front troops resumed their offensive. The 2nd Guards Army captured the Mycenzius Mountains and reached the Northern Bay. Units of the 1st Guards Rifle Corps of the 51st Army, having made a roundabout maneuver, captured Sugarloaf and Inkerman. Here the G.I. officers fought valiantly. Biryukov, G.I. Gabriadze, Sergeant G.M. Dub, I.E. Kochiev, N.I. Kuznetsov, F.I. Matveev, private M.I. Buryak. All of them were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. By the way, Colonel Fyodor Ivanovis Matveev still serves in Sevastopol.
The enemy put up stubborn resistance in the offensive zone of the 216th Infantry Division (commander Colonel G.F. Malyukov). Company commander Senior Lieutenant P.P. acted heroically in this battle. Shirokov. When the Nazis launched a counterattack, he allowed them to come within 50 meters and then ordered them to open fire. The Nazis could not withstand the barrage of fire and lay down. At this moment P.P. Shirokov raised his company to attack: “Forward! Give me Sevastopol!” The enemy resistance center was captured. For courage and military skill P.P. Shirokov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. His photograph is presented in the exhibition.
On the approaches to the city, a tank platoon of the 22nd Guards Tank Regiment under the command of Guard Lieutenant I.I. distinguished itself. Revkova. In the battle on Green Hill, Revkov personally destroyed 3 tanks, 4 guns, 6 firing points and 150 enemy soldiers and officers. He was one of the first to break into Sevastopol with his tank. I.I. Revkov and the mechanic-driver of this guard tank, the great sergeant N.S. Vodolazkin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
On this day, the Primorsky Army, with troops from the 3rd Mountain Rifle Corps and the 16th Rifle Corps, broke through the main line of enemy defense and captured the Gornaya heights, the village of Karan and reached Mount Kaya-Bash.
The exhibition features a painting by artist A.L. Lubenko “Assault on the Gornaya Heights”, photographs of the heroes of the assault on enemy fortifications V.I. are exhibited. Papidze, M.A. Gakkel, I.E. Barge haulers.
On May 9, our troops broke through the enemy’s internal defensive line and reached the southeastern part of the city in the afternoon. Units of the 1st Guards Rifle Corps, together with troops of the 2nd Guards Army, liberated the Ship Side. On the approaches to it, during the assault on the height dominating the area, the feat of Alexander Matrosov was repeated by senior sergeant S.B. Pogadaev (263rd Rifle Division). On the stand is a photograph of a heroic warrior.
On May 9, at 19:00, troops of the 10th Rifle Corps (216th and 257th Rifle Divisions) broke into the city and, in cooperation with units of the 2nd Guards Army, began street battles.
The troops of the Primorsky Army, with their main forces, together with the 19th Tank Corps, which was brought into battle on the morning of May 9, developed an offensive in the direction of Cape Chersonese. By 19:00, formations of the 11th Guards Rifle Corps occupied the southwestern outskirts of the city and, together with the 51st and 2nd Guards armies, participated in the liberation of Sevastopol.
The stand presents photographs of the battles in the panorama area, on the Grafskaya pier, and captures the moment of hoisting the banner on the building of the Water Station.
On May 10, the Pravda newspaper wrote: “Hello, dear Sevastopol! Beloved city of the Soviet people, hero city, hero city! The whole country joyfully greets you!”
After the liberation of Sevastopol, the remnants of the 17th German Army, pressed to the sea, continued to offer stubborn resistance. The task of defeating them was assigned to the Primorsky Army, the 10th Rifle Corps of the 51st Army, the 19th Tank Corps and the 63rd Tank Brigade.
All enemy attempts to evacuate the remnants of the army were thwarted by active actions of aviation and ships of the Black Sea Fleet. In May alone, Black Sea pilots fired 4,506 aircraft shots, sank 68 and damaged 55 enemy ships, transports and boats. Pilots A.I. became famous in air battles. Zhestkov, V.S. Snesarev, V.I. Minakov, V.A. Narzhimsky, N.A. Kislyak, I.I. Kitsenko, I.P. Belozerov, M.V. Avdeev, M.I. Mushroom and others. Much credit for organizing these battles belongs to the division commanders, Lieutenant Colonels I.E. Korzunov and V.P. Kanarev.
The stand displays a photograph in which the plane of Hero of the Soviet Union M.I. is captured in an air attack over Sevastopol. Mushroom. The display case contains the flight helmet of the commander of the 2nd Guards Mine-Torpedo Aviation Division V.P. Kanareva.
The personnel of the submarine brigade under the command of Rear Admiral P.I. acted boldly. Boltunova. From the beginning of April to May 12, submariners sank 26 enemy ships with a total displacement of 53,500 tons. Great masters of torpedo strikes were boat commanders M.V. Greshilov, B.A. Alekseev, A.N. Kesaev, M.I. Khomyakov and others. The exhibition includes a photograph in which the commander of the submarine Shch-215 M.V. Greshilov was photographed at the central post at the periscope.
The Black Sea boatmen showed high military skill and perseverance. They sank 9 transports and many other enemy vessels with a total displacement of 28 thousand tons. Officers A.G. were awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Kananadze, S.N. Kotov, K.G. Kochiev, B.M. Pershin, V.S. Pilipenko, M.P. Podymakhin, A.E. Chertsov, I.P. Shengur, G.A. Rogachevsky and others.
The latest battles in the area of Cape Chersonesus were especially fierce. Soviet soldiers performed many feats in those days, showing examples of courage and bravery. Trying to break out of the iron ring, the Nazis threw a large number of infantry and 13 self-propelled guns into the attack. Deputy commander of the tank battalion of the 63rd tank brigade, senior lieutenant M.I. Myasnikov, replacing the wounded commander, led the tanks into the attack and began to push the Nazis towards the sea. Myasnikov's tank was hit and the crew members were seriously wounded. Having left the car, M.I. Myasnikov continued to lead the unit until the battle ended. The brave officer was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
On May 12, by 10 o'clock, the remnants of the Nazi troops stopped resisting. In the area of Cape Chersonesos, about 24,000 soldiers and officers, 3 generals and a large amount of equipment and weapons were captured.
The Crimean operation ended in a brilliant victory for the Soviet troops. Over 60,000 prisoners, a lot of equipment and weapons, and a large number of ships with military cargo were captured.
Enemy losses at sea from air strikes and ships of the Black Sea Fleet amounted to about 42,000 soldiers and officers.
For excellent military operations, one hundred and eighteen formations and units of the 4th Ukrainian Front and the Black Sea Fleet were given the honorary name "Sevastopol". The banners of two such units are displayed in the hall.
Thousands of Soviet soldiers distinguished themselves during the liberation of Sevastopol. The Motherland highly appreciated the courage and bravery of the soldiers and commanders. Many of them were awarded orders and medals, and 213 people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 8, 1965, the city of Sevastopol was awarded the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal, and the Black Sea Fleet was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
The ceremonial moments of presenting awards to Sevastopol are captured in the photograph that you see in the exhibition.
Before leaving the exhibition hall, let's return to the relief map of Crimea. 1941 Blue arrows are reaching for Sevastopol. For more than eight months the city was defended under difficult blockade conditions, when every cartridge, every shell counted, when ammunition, people and equipment had to be delivered here by sea. 1944 Red arrows rushed from Perekop and Kerch to the capital of the Black Sea people. The assault began on May 7. Two days later, the victory banner hoisted over the city.
You see this banner in the hands of a Soviet soldier in the picture located to the left of the map. Our soldiers who liberated Sevastopol salute the victory. Columns of captured Nazi soldiers wander dejectedly. Their inglorious journey is over.
Pay attention to the display case in the center of the hall. As a symbol of the power and invincibility of the Soviet Armed Forces, two 305-mm artillery shells rise, and a defeated fascist banner and orders lie on the floor.
From the exhibition hall we go up the stairs to the lobby of the diorama “The Assault on Sapun Mountain on May 7, 1944.”
Entering the observation deck, you will be transported to the now distant, but never forgotten days associated with the liberation of Sevastopol. Diorama is a special type of fine art. It allows you to reveal complex topics well, create in the viewer a complete sense of the reality of the events that took place, and convey the depth of space. And now you have the impression that you found yourself on the slope of Sapun Mountain in the midst of a battle.
In front of you is a section of terrain from the Sugar Loaf heights to Balaklava, where a fierce battle is taking place.
The artists reproduced the moment of the highest tension of the battle, when the soldiers of the Primorsky and 51st armies reach the ridge of Sapun Mountain. You see how infantrymen, tank crews, sappers, and artillerymen storm enemy fortifications in a single offensive impulse.
From the air, with bombing strikes and assault actions, pilots of the 8th Air Army under the command of Hero of the Soviet Union, Lieutenant General of Aviation T.T., destroy the enemy’s defenses. Khryukin. A flight of Yak-7 aircraft from the 3rd Fighter Corps of Hero of the Soviet Union E.Ya. started a battle with the Messerschmitts. Savitsky.
Far out to sea are the torpedo boats of the brigade of Captain 2nd Rank G.D. Dyachenko, together with aircraft of the naval air force, destroy enemy transports and escort ships with bombs and torpedoes.
But the main events are unfolding on land. Powerful Soviet artillery was concentrated at the foot of the Crimean Mountains. The batteries conduct continuous fire along the ridge of Sapun Mountain. In the Zolotaya Balka valley, and especially in the offensive zone of the 3rd Mountain Rifle Corps of Major General A.A. Luchinsky, Guards Katyusha mortars are in action.
Tanks of the 63rd separate tank brigade of Colonel A.I. are attacking along the Zolotaya Balka valley. Rudakov, 85th and 22nd Guards Separate Tank Regiments, Colonel S.N. Tarasov and Guard Colonel A.S. Barabasha.
And Sapun Mountain is stormed by soldiers of the 11th Guards and 63rd Rifle Corps.
The 77th Infantry Division of Colonel A.P. operates in the very center. Rodionov and the 32nd Guards Rifle Division of Colonel N.K. Zakurenkova. Individual assault groups of these divisions are depicted in the foreground of the painting.
The assault on Sapun Mountain has been going on for more than six hours. The sun is setting. There were only tens of meters left to the top. The Sevastopol soil is drenched in blood. Every stone, every ledge is taken with battle.
On the left side of the picture, a group of soldiers under the command of the battalion’s Komsomol organizer Vitaly Komissarov, who replaced the commander wounded in battle, attacks an enemy battery.
Artillerymen move along with the infantrymen: they roll out 45-mm anti-tank guns, firing at the Nazis with direct fire. The commander of one of the guns, senior sergeant Ivan Golitsyn, was wounded in the head, but he did not leave the battlefield.
At the heavy machine gun is the brave warrior Kuzma Moskalenko, who destroyed more than forty Nazis during the assault. He suppressed the fire of four enemy machine guns with his Maxim and is now clearing the way to the top for his fellow infantrymen.
In front of him, in the crater from an exploding shell, sniper foreman Nikolai Moryatov took a position. He killed over two dozen fascists with well-aimed fire that day, and now he has taken aim at an enemy officer who is trying to rally his soldiers to a counterattack.
Along with men, women heroically fulfill their duty to the Motherland. Here, medical instructor Evgenia Deryugina covered the wounded soldier. A Sevastopol girl, a former student, voluntarily went to the front in the first days of the war and participated in the defense and liberation of her hometown. Between May 3 and May 7, Zhenya carried dozens of wounded Soviet soldiers from the battlefield. But an enemy bullet ended the patriot’s life.
During the harsh years of the war, warriors of all nationalities of our vast country stood shoulder to shoulder in defense of the Motherland. In the flames of battle, their friendship grew stronger, tempered and sealed with blood.
The canvas depicts the mortally wounded petty officer of the 1st article Semyon Mashkevich. He walked a glorious path from Odessa to Stalingrad and dreamed of participating in the liberation of heroic Sevastopol from the enemy. Semyon’s comrade, squad leader Dadash Babazhanov, tries to lift him up to show the dying man the top of Sapun Mountain. Babazhanov vows to his friend to take revenge for him. And he kept his word: in the battles, Sevastopol destroyed fifteen German soldiers and captured two officers. Babazhanov returned to his native Uzbekistan as a Hero of the Soviet Union.
The tension of the battle is growing. On a dilapidated enemy pillbox there is a group of Soviet intelligence officers led by Lieutenant Mikhail Golovnya. The lieutenant was wounded in the arm, but, overcoming the pain, rushed forward, raising his machine gun high above his head and calling on his comrades to follow him. His friend Senior Sergeant Nikolai Gunko fires at the enemy from a light machine gun.
To the right, the telephone operator pressed herself against the ledge of the rock. This is Nadezhda Sivko. Despite the heavy enemy fire, she and her comrades ensured uninterrupted communication between the command and the advancing units. In the battles for Sevastopol, the girl showed courage and was awarded the medal "For Courage".
In the foreground of the diorama painting is sapper Fyodor Skoryatin. His hand hung lifelessly on the wire fence. Being mortally wounded, he bombarded the enemy pillbox with grenades and silenced it. Skoryatin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously.
Lieutenant Sakharov’s unit rushed into the passage in the barbed wire that cost Skoryatin’s life. He leads the fighters behind him and does not see how the enemy is aiming at him from behind cover. Guard private Ashot Markaryan shields the commander from a fascist bullet with his body and dies, saving his life.
Nearby, Private Ilya Polikakhin throws a grenade into an enemy dugout. Despite being seriously wounded, he did not leave the battlefield and was one of the first to break through to the ridge of Sapun Mountain. His feat was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Standard bearers go ahead of the attackers. You see one of them fall, mortally wounded. This is the company party organizer Evgeny Smelovich.
But immediately the banner was picked up by Private Ivan Yatsunenko and one of the first to hoist it on the crest of Sapun Mountain. For this feat he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Almost simultaneously, the standard bearers reached the ridge of Sapun Mountain: Private V.I. Evglevsky, soldiers from the battalion of captain N.V. Shilova, Sergeant N.S. Sosnin, private V.I. Drobyazko, Sergeant A.V. Timofeev and others.
The top of the mountain is already close. The enemy is resisting fiercely. Nazi tanks dug into the ground and surviving pillboxes fire from the top of the advancing Soviet soldiers.
In the depths of the picture you see how Lieutenant Mikhail Dzigunsky rushes towards the machine gun of the enemy pillbox. The officer religiously fulfilled the first commandment of the Soviet soldier - perish yourself and help your comrade. Mikhail Yakovlevich Dzigunsky was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Victory is not easy. Soviet flamethrowers burn out the Nazis from shelters and trenches. The fight is going on for every meter of Sevastopol land.
The units of senior lieutenant Georgy Stepanovich Kalinichenko and junior lieutenant Vasily Gromakov are approaching the top of the mountain. Lieutenant Vasily Zhukov leads the company with a pistol in his hand. His fighters were among the first to reach the ridge of Sapun Mountain. Vasily Zhukov died in the battles for Sevastopol. By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Despite all the difficulties, the enemy's resistance was broken. By the end of May 7, Soviet troops captured Sapun Mountain.
The artists did not depict that moment on the canvas, but when examining the diorama, you are convinced that victory is close. The foreboding of liberation is enhanced by the episodes captured in the picturesque inserts mounted into the subject plan of the diorama. On one of them the artist N.S. Prisekin portrayed a Soviet soldier taking a Nazi prisoner. This is the company party organizer, junior sergeant Sergei Elagin. He was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his bravery and courage shown in the battles for Sapun Mountain. In another insert, artist G.I. Marchenko wrote Chief Petty Officer Nikolai Supryagin, who in hand-to-hand combat, like a sailor, forces the fascist to lay down his arms.
The diorama gives viewers a feeling of pride for their homeland, gratitude to the liberators, and respect for the feat of the heroes of Sevastopol.
Written on a scientific basis, historically truthful and executed at a high artistic level, the diorama “Storm of Sapun Mountain on May 7, 1944” plays a huge role in the communist and military-patriotic education of workers and soldiers of the Soviet Army and Navy.
The importance of a diorama is great. Many visitors leave warm and heartfelt lines in the guest book (there are already nine volumes). So, for example, space brothers Andriyan Nikolaev and Pavel Popovich wrote in it: “We looked with admiration at the diorama of the assault on Sapun Mountain. The courage and heroism of the Soviet people was very well shown. Glory to the heroes of the assault on Sapun Mountain!” And here is the review of the author of the monument P.S. Nakhimov in Sevastopol, Academician N.V. Tomsky: “Thanks to Maltsev, Prisekin and Marchenko for a work filled with life’s truth. I’m happy for you, friends!”
The General Secretary of the French Communist Party, Maurice Thorez, left the following note: “This diorama tells more than two books about Sevastopol.”
The diorama made a strong impression on the employees of the Central State Archive of Film Documents of the USSR. They wrote in the guest book: “The emotional impact of the diorama is enormous. It looks with great excitement. The hearts of the audience are filled with a feeling of greatest gratitude to those who, despising death, fearlessly looked it in the face, and performed immortal feats in the name of the lives of future generations.”
Exhibition of military equipment and weapons
Leaving the building where the diorama is located, you go down the granite stairs, go to the left and see an open exhibition of military equipment from the period of the Great Patriotic War, created in 1960. Here are engineering weapons, field and anti-aircraft artillery, armored vehicles, samples of Guards mortars - "Katyushas" and some combat equipment of the Navy.
During the Great Patriotic War, field artillery was the main fire and striking force of the Soviet ground forces. In battles with the Nazi invaders, she inflicted huge losses on the enemy in manpower and equipment and was rightfully called the “god of war.”
The first two guns belong to anti-tank artillery, the main task of which was to fight enemy armored vehicles. Created in 1942, the 45-mm anti-tank gun could fire armor-piercing tracer and sub-caliber shells at ranges of up to 4.5 km. During the war, more powerful tanks appeared in the Nazi army. Therefore, Soviet designers created a 57-mm anti-tank gun; it was put into service in 1943 and in the Battle of Kursk showed very high effectiveness in the fight against enemy Tiger and Panther tanks. Therefore, our soldiers often called this gun “St. John’s wort.” Firing from a 57-mm cannon was carried out at distances of up to 8 km with fragmentation, armor-piercing and sub-caliber shells. The latter penetrated tank armor 100 mm thick at a distance of up to 1000 m, and at a distance of 500 m up to 140 mm.
The 76-mm ZIS-3 cannon, adopted for service in 1942, was the best weapon of this caliber in World War II. It could fire at ranges of over 13 km with high-explosive fragmentation, cumulative (armor-piercing) and armor-piercing shells with the aim of destroying tanks, fire weapons and manpower of the enemy, destroying light shelters and wire barriers. The 122-mm howitzer was put into service in 1938 and, according to its tactical and technical characteristics, was the best in the world among guns of this type. It was intended to destroy enemy fire weapons and manpower, minefields, the destruction of bunkers and other field-type structures, as well as wire barriers. Thanks to the projectile's hinged flight path, it could hit the enemy in shelters (behind a mountain, in ravines and hollows). The howitzer had separate loading - first the projectile was loaded, and then the cartridge with the charge.
The 152 mm howitzer of the 1938 model performed the same tasks as the 122 mm howitzer. In addition, it was intended to destroy powerful defensive structures (pillboxes, etc.)
The 122 mm gun was put into service in 1931 and modernized in 1937. This is one of the first examples of Soviet field artillery and the best in the world among guns of this type. The gun could fire at ranges of up to 21 km and was intended to destroy enemy artillery, suppress long-range targets, destroy pillboxes and other powerful defensive structures, as well as to fight tanks.
The 37-mm anti-aircraft automatic cannon of the 1939 model was used to destroy enemy aircraft at low and medium altitudes (up to 4 km), as well as to fire at ground targets - enemy personnel, light tanks and armored vehicles.
The 85-mm anti-aircraft gun of the 1939 model was intended to combat enemy aircraft at high altitudes (up to 10 km). Firing from this cannon at ground targets and especially tanks was very effective.
The 152-mm cannon of the 1935 model was the first model of domestic artillery of the Reserve of the High Command. During the Great Patriotic War, it showed high combat qualities, hitting enemy troops, artillery, command posts, powerful defensive structures and accumulations of enemy equipment at long ranges (up to 27 km). To move the gun, two tractors were required (for the barrel and the carriage).
The maneuverable nature of the war and the widespread use by the Soviet command of large tank and mechanized formations in battles with the enemy required an increase in the speed of movement of field artillery. In this regard, self-propelled artillery began to be created in our army.
Armored vehicles are represented in the exhibition by some examples of self-propelled guns and tanks.
The SU-76 self-propelled artillery mount was mounted on a light tank chassis and was used to destroy enemy fire weapons and manpower, as well as to directly support infantry during battle. The weight of the installation is 10.5 tons, the speed is up to 30 km/h, the crew is 4 people, the armament is a 76-mm cannon and two machine guns.
The SU-100 self-propelled artillery mount was created on the chassis of the T-34 medium tank and was intended to combat enemy armored vehicles, as well as to destroy enemy fire weapons and manpower. Weight - 31.5 tons, speed - up to 50 km/h, armament - 100 mm cannon and machine gun, crew - 4 people.
But here in front of you is the world’s best tank, the T-34, which was created before the war by Soviet designers led by M.I. Koshkin. The exceptionally high combat qualities of this tank in one of Hitler's documents were characterized as follows: “Firing the T-34 tank with anti-tank shells gave varying success. When firing from the flank, it was observed that the shells even at a distance of 100 meters bounced off the armor. An ordinary grenade from a light field howitzer when firing "Invalid from very close distances. A high-explosive grenade against a chassis is also ineffective."
By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the armored forces of the Red Army already had T-34 tanks. In 1943, they began to be equipped with an 85 mm cannon, while the enemy medium tank T-V (Panther) had a 75 mm cannon (the tank first appeared at the front in 1943).
Heavy tank IS-2, created by a group of designers under the leadership of Zh.Ya. Kotin, entered service with the armored forces in 1944. It was one of the most powerful tanks of the Second World War. It successfully fought against enemy tanks and self-propelled artillery units, and was also used to destroy fire weapons and manpower and destroy defensive structures.
It should be noted that the Soviet IS-2 heavy tank was significantly superior to enemy heavy tanks in its combat qualities.
Thus, with a weight of 46 tons, the IS-2 tank was armed with a 122-mm cannon, and the enemy T-VI tank ("tiger", first appeared at the front in 1943) with a weight of 55 tons and even a "royal tiger" (first appeared at the front in August 1944) with a weight of 70 tons were armed with guns of a much smaller caliber - only 88 mm.
Heavy self-propelled artillery units ISU-152 and ISU-122 were mounted on the chassis of the IS-2 tank and were intended to destroy heavy enemy tanks and self-propelled guns, fire weapons and manpower and the destruction of powerful defensive structures. The installations were used to break through heavily fortified enemy defenses.
Both Soviet heavy self-propelled guns were even more noticeably superior in combat qualities to the enemy. Thus, the German heavy self-propelled artillery unit "Ferdinand" (first appeared at the front in 1943), weighing 68 tons, was armed with only an 88-mm cannon and a speed of only 20 km/h. Ours were armed with 152-mm (ISU-152) and 122-mm (ISU-122) guns and a speed of 35 km/h with a weight of 46 tons.
Rocket artillery and mortars are represented in the exhibition by two samples of Guards Katyusha mortars, 120 mm and 160 mm mortars.
With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Soviet rocket artillery began to develop rapidly.
The leading designers of guards mortars were N.I. Tikhomirov, V.A. Artemyev, B.S. Petropavlovsky, I.T. Kleimenov, G.E. Langemak and I.I. Guai. The first Katyusha rocket salvo was fired on July 14, 1941 at 15:15 at enemy troops at the Orsha railway station. Seven installations, equipped with 16 missiles each, entered the battle.
This is what Marshal of the Soviet Union A.I., a participant in this event, said. Eremenko: “The effect of a one-time explosion of 112 missiles within 10-15 seconds exceeded all expectations.” And here are the lines from the report of the Nazi command: “The Russians used a battery with an unprecedented number of guns. The shells were high-explosive incendiary shells, but had an unusual effect. The troops fired at by the Russians testify: the fire raid is like a hurricane, the losses in people are significant.”
The BM-13 combat vehicle was the first example of rocket artillery and was used to destroy concentrations of manpower and firepower, tanks, as well as to suppress enemy artillery and mortar batteries at ranges of up to 8 km. Rocket caliber - 132 mm, weight 42 kg.
The BM-31-12 combat vehicle performed the same tasks as the BM-13 combat vehicle, but fired 12 heavy missiles, which were put into service in June 1942. The metal frames from which they were launched were first installed on the ground (in ditches).
At the end of 1943, the frame was improved and mounted on the vehicle. The missile's flight range is up to 4 km, caliber - 130 mm, weight - 94.6 kg. When such a rocket exploded, a crater with a diameter of 5-8 m and a depth of up to 1.5 m was formed.
Barrel mortars, which are represented in the exhibition by two systems, played a major role in battles with the enemy:
The 120-mm mortar was adopted for service in 1938 and was used to destroy manpower and fire weapons, as well as to destroy light defensive structures and barbed wire barriers. Loaded from the muzzle.
The 160 mm mortar was designed and used in combat in 1943 and performed the same tasks as the 120 mm mortar, but was loaded from the breech.
The suspended flight path of mines made it possible to destroy the enemy on the reverse slopes of heights, in ravines and in the mountains.
There is also an anti-aircraft vehicle searchlight station at the exhibition of military equipment. It was intended to detect and illuminate enemy aircraft at night with the aim of destroying them with anti-aircraft artillery and fighter aircraft. The station could detect and illuminate a bomber aircraft at a distance of up to 20 km when it was flying at an altitude of 4 km.
The military assets of the Navy are presented in the exhibition with various types of weapons and a Komsomolets-class torpedo boat, which was transferred to the museum in 1968. The boat was designed in 1943 and was used to destroy enemy warships and transports. Its main weapon was two torpedoes, and a coaxial machine gun could fight enemy aircraft. The speed of the torpedo boat is about 55 knots (up to 100 km/h).
The DM-6 stereoscopic marine rangefinder was installed on warships and coastal artillery batteries as one of the artillery fire control devices. It was used to measure distances to sea targets; the distance measurement limit was 42 km.
Moving further, you will see samples of artillery pieces that were installed on warships of various classes - sea hunters, patrol ships, destroyers, submarines, as well as on coastal artillery batteries.
Compared to field artillery, naval guns have higher tactical and technical characteristics - firing range, rate of fire and the ability to fire at sea, ground and air targets.
The exhibition also includes sea mines - a spherical contact-anchor mine, model 1908, and a non-contact aircraft magnetic bottom mine (AMD-1000).
In 1840, the Russian scientist B.S. Jacobi developed a spherical mine that exploded with a special device when it hit the side of the ship. This principle has been preserved in the mine on display. Its total weight is 600 kg, the weight of the explosive (TNT) is 115 kg. It was placed in water to a depth of 25 m and held in place with an anchor.
The AMD-1000 non-contact mine (weight 1000 kg) entered service at the end Great Patriotic War and could be dropped onto the water from an airplane (using a special parachute). It exploded due to the impact of the ship’s magnetic field on the device when it hit the first pulse. It was placed at a depth of up to 30 m. The weight of the explosive was 700 kg.
A torpedo (from the Latin “torpedo” - fish, electric stingray) is a self-propelled and self-controlled mine, which was intended to destroy the most vulnerable underwater part of a ship. The first torpedo project was developed in Russia in 1865 by Russian engineer I.F. Alexandrovsky, but the tsarist government did not accept the project. And two years later, a sample torpedo was designed in England by the Englishman R. Whitehead and the Austrian M. Luppius.
The exhibited steam-gas torpedo with a diameter of 450 mm consists of a charging compartment, tanks for kerosene and air, an engine room (engine) and two propellers. The internal combustion engine runs on a steam-gas mixture of kerosene and air heated in a special device. The torpedo exploded when it hit the side of the ship. Travel range from 6 to 15 km at a speed of 40 to 70 km/h (the higher the speed, the shorter the distance traveled, and vice versa). A torpedo tube was used to throw a torpedo into the water using compressed air or a powder charge. The length of the device is 6 m, weight is 300 kg.
The depth charge, mounted on a bomb release cart, was used to destroy enemy submarines. The range of throwing a bomb from a bomb launcher is 40, 80 and 110 m. Weight is about 130 kg.
The last items on display are an armor-piercing 305-mm caliber shell from the 30th coastal battery (in the center), designed to destroy large warships with powerful armor protection, and practical (training) shells from the battleship Sevastopol. The weight of the shells is about 470 kg.
When getting to know the area, you, of course, noticed defensive structures on the slope of Sapun Mountain - pillboxes, trenches and shelters. During the period of the heroic defense of Sevastopol in 1941-1942, a defensive line of Soviet troops passed on Sapun Mountain, which was almost completely destroyed during the fighting.
In the fall of 1943, when our troops approached the Crimea from the north and captured a bridgehead in the Kerch region, the Nazi command began creating the main line of defense here, equipped with three or four tiers of trenches with machine-gun platforms, firing positions for artillery and mortars, and cells for riflemen. In addition, numerous concrete shelters and shelters, pillboxes and bunkers were built, wire barriers in 4-6 rows were installed, and dozens of enemy tanks were buried in the ground on the ridge of Sapun Mountain.
German trenches, shelters and pillboxes have been restored on the slope of Sapun Mountain. They can be inspected.
Captured Nazi artillery equipment is also on display on Sapun Mountain: a 50-mm anti-tank gun with a firing range of 2.4 km; 105 mm light field howitzer with a firing range of 10.6 km; 150 mm heavy howitzers with a firing range of 15.5 km; A 211-mm mortar with a firing range of 16.7 km (its carriage and barrel were transported separately).
The tour of the reserve ends with a visit to the Obelisk of Glory. In 1944, soldiers of the Primorsky Army, according to the project of military engineer A.D. Kiselev, a monument was erected to those who fell in battle during the liberation of Sevastopol. An obelisk made of white Inkerman stone rose 28 m above the top of Sapun Mountain. Nearby are tall, kneeling figures of mourning warriors made of dark stone.
Later the monument was restored. It was lined with granite. In 1969, not far from the obelisk, two red granite walls were built, on which were carved the names of 213 Heroes of the Soviet Union, awarded this high title for courage and courage shown during the liberation of Sevastopol. Eight red granite slabs are mounted into the pedestal of the monument, which list all the associations, formations and units of the Soviet Army and Navy that took part in the liberation of Sevastopol in 1944.
The Eternal Flame burns at the monument. It was lit on May 9, 1970 - on the day of the 25th anniversary of the Victory over Nazi Germany. This ceremony was solemn.
A torch was lit from the Eternal Flame burning on the Malakhov Mound, which was transported to Sapun Mountain on an armored personnel carrier. The honorary right to light the Eternal Flame was given to the participant in the assault on Sapun Mountain, the former commander of the 263rd Infantry Division, Hero of the Soviet Union, Lieutenant Colonel F.I. Matveev and a participant in the defense of the city in 1941-1942, a sniper of the 25th Order of Lenin Red Banner Rifle Division named after V.I. Chapaev to Hero of the Soviet Union L.M. Pavlichenko.
Since then the fire has not gone out. It's always quiet here. Only from time to time the guide’s voice is heard, and every five minutes music sounds, and the melody of a song written by the Sevastopol composer B. Bogolepov flows over Sapun Mountain. Those who have heard it and know the poems of the poet A. Salnikov involuntarily repeat:
A tall monument stands
The path leading to it is steep,
Here the people of Sevastopol fought,
Defeating enemies in battles.
A menacing "Hurray!" thundered
The sea was noisy during the surf.
Sapun-mountain, Sapun-mountain!
How much is connected with you!
People stand in mournful silence. The majestic obelisk evokes different memories for each of them - about the war, about relatives, friends, and comrades who died at the front. The faces of the veterans become stern from these memories. A feeling of gratitude for the brave who died flares up in the hearts of those who have not experienced the horrors of bloody battles. And they take an oath never to forget the heroes of the Great Patriotic War.
Remembering the past, people think about the present and the future. They are united by one innermost desire: “May war never happen again!”
There are days when the silence at the Obelisk of Glory is broken and loud voices of boys and girls are heard. It was the pioneers who came to hold a ceremonial assembly. Sometimes here Sevastopol girls and boys are awarded Komsomol tickets, and young sailors of the Red Banner Black Sea Fleet take the Military Oath.
The western coast of Crimea delights guests with a huge number of quaint bays, large bays and estuaries. Comfortable sandy beaches and healing mud await them in the northern part of the peninsula, and dozens of naval glory memorials in southern Taurida. Speaking about the latter, it is worth pointing out that almost all of them are located in Sevastopol. These include a majestic example of painting in the battle genre - the diorama “Assault on Sapun Mountain on May 7, 1944.” She captured the main feat of the long-suffering city during the Second World War.
Where is the cultural and historical complex located?
MK "Sapun Mountain", an integral part of which is the diorama, was erected on the hill of the same name - this is the eastern outskirts of the hero city. At the foot of the hill runs 2nd Defense Street, which turns into the Yalta highway.
Diorama on the map of Crimea
History of the museum
In Sevastopol, the diorama “Storm of Sapun Mountain” was conceived by the Association named after. Grekov, a significant studio of battle painters in the USSR. Three of them took the canvas of the same name by P. Maltsev, one of the “Greeks,” as the basis for the giant canvas.
The Honored Artist of the Soviet Union depicted a key moment in the defense of the most strategic section of Height 240. Painters Prisekin and Marchenko, while working on a global canvas, helped him increase his overview of what was happening. Work on the masterpiece “started” in 1957.
As if in a puzzle, the finished pieces came together two years later - in the current premises of the diorama. It is located in the building of the memorial complex “Storm of Sapun Mountain”, or rather, on its western side. The structure was specially made semicircular. Already in 1999, the complex’s staff registered its 24 millionth visitor.
"Assault on Sapun Mountain on May 7, 1944" - eternal memory of fallen heroes
According to tourists, a stay at the memorial complex “Storm of Sapun Mountain” leaves behind a lot of amazing impressions, and the prices for entrance tickets are extremely joyful memories for every visitor. Here people embark at the military port.
In addition to the canvas itself, a unique photo is exhibited on the museum grounds. 
- valuable footage taken by a direct participant in the Sevastopol events of May 7, 1944. The photograph is on display in the main hall, having long ago become the “calling card” of the diorama.
Diorama “Assault on Sapun Mountain on May 7, 1944” is not only painting, but also the exhibition of objects related to the defense of a strategic point of the city, deeply echeloned and carefully thought out. The conversation is about fragments of warheads and bombs, Soviet and enemy machine guns found here, as well as other types of firearms.
The local areas of pillboxes and trenches are masterfully modeled. The last thing on display in a kind of “exhibition”, “fitted” into the overall composition, is an armor-piercing projectile of 305 mm caliber - this is a find from the location of the thirtieth coastal battery. You can find the rarity in the center of the diorama.
Training shells flown from the battleship Sevastopol are also presented here. Their weight is 450-470 kg. The described subject plan enhances the viewer’s sense of space and “presence”. Its width (the distance from the canvas to the edge of the observation deck) is as much as 8 m, and its area is 83 square meters. m. The real terrain of those years was reproduced in every possible detail.
As for the canvas itself, it has a size of 5.5 by 25.5 m. The plot of the designated work of art is a battle in the area where Sergei Elagin managed to capture a Nazi soldier, 
and foreman Nikolai Supryagin - to force another German to surrender his weapons.
The front line of attack is also depicted - with standard bearers and figures of Lieutenant M. Golovnya and V. Komissarov. These commanders, waving their weapons, call for the offensive of the soldiers of the 63rd Rifle Corps and the 11th Guards Corps, part of one of the units of the 4th Ukrainian Front. Emotional people are usually struck by the scene with the Uzbek Dadash Babazhanov giving an “oath of revenge” to the dying sailor Semyon Mashkevich.
The painting also immortalizes the feat of signalmen and nurses. For example, the hard efforts of the young medical instructor Zhenya Deryugina are visible (a technical school student who carried 80 Soviet soldiers and sailors from the battlefield was killed by a fascist sniper’s bullet). Smoke is clearly depicted in the sky.
How to get to the museum?
You can get to this unique memorial by public transport, passing through the stop “” - minibus No. 107 or bus No. 1. For those who have their own car: this stop is located right on the Yalta highway - 6th kilometer.
You can get to the diorama “Storm of Sapun Mountain” from the Sevastopol bus station by car, or you can do this.
On May 6, our troops knocked out and destroyed 14 German tanks. In air battles and anti-aircraft artillery fire, 41 enemy aircraft were shot down.
Our aviation strikes on enemy troops and equipment in the Sevastopol area
On the day of May 6 and on the night of May 7, large formations of our aviation carried out bombing and assault attacks on enemy troops and equipment in the Sevastopol area. Concentrations of German-Romanian troops, fire weapons, defensive structures, warehouses, an airfield and enemy ships located in the port of Sevastopol were bombed . As a result of our air raids, the enemy suffered heavy losses. The fire of many artillery batteries was suppressed, 4 ammunition depots were blown up and several ships were damaged. 22 German aircraft were destroyed in air battles and at the airfield.
Southeast of the city of Stanislav, enemy actions were limited to reconnaissance operations. In one area, the Germans tried to get closer to the location of the Soviet troops. The Nazis were scattered by mortar and rifle-machine-gun fire. In another sector, two platoons of Germans that came close to our front line were surrounded and eliminated.
To the west of the city of Iasi, the enemy repeatedly attacked our positions with infantry and tanks. The Germans tried to take control of the height, which was of great importance. The fighters of the N-formation successfully repulsed all enemy attacks and inflicted a great defeat on him. There were 11 destroyed German tanks and 6 self-propelled guns left on the approaches to the height.
South of the city of Tiraspol, early in the morning, a battalion of Germans launched an attack and penetrated the front line of our defense. In the afternoon, our units pushed back the enemy with a counterattack and restored the situation. There are up to 200 enemy corpses left on the battlefield. Trophies and prisoners were captured.
A Ukrainian partisan detachment operating in the Volyn region derailed the German military echelon. As a result of the crash, many Nazis died. Train traffic on this section of the railway was interrupted for two days. The German command sent a punitive detachment of SS men against the partisans. Soviet patriots, skillfully maneuvering, repelled several enemy attacks and destroyed 70 Nazis. Having failed to achieve success, the Germans retreated. Three days later, the partisans blew up another enemy train heading towards the front line.
On the 1st Ukrainian Front, several groups of Hungarian soldiers and officers went over to the side of the Red Army. Voluntarily surrendered in full force 3 platoon 6 company 24 regiment 24 Hungarian infantry division. At the same time, 18 Hungarians from other units of the same regiment surrendered and surrendered.
Defector Bela N. said: “Lieutenant Tekzo gathered 40 soldiers and invited us to surrender in an organized manner. When we were already approaching the Russian positions, the Germans opened fire on us with machine guns. We lay down. After waiting until the shooting died down a little, we safely reached the Russian trenches and surrendered.”
Istvan H., a corporal of the 12th battalion of the 2nd Hungarian mountain rifle brigade who surrendered, said: “Germany occupied Hungary and trampled on its independence. Hitler turned Hungary into a German colony. Now he wants to block the Soviet troops’ path to Germany with mountains of corpses of Hungarian soldiers. The Hungarian government betrayed our country. Instead of driving the occupying Germans out of Hungary, the government orders us to fight against the Russians. Yane wanted to serve the government of traitors and traitors, and at the first opportunity he surrendered.”
Below is an act about the atrocities of the Nazi scoundrels in the village of Kitai-gorod, Vinnitsa region: “For more than two years we languished under the German yoke. During their rule, the Germans drove over 200 residents of our village to hard labor. Many collective farmers avoided going to Germany in every possible way, hid and went into hiding. On January 18, 1944, fascist bandits captured Sergei Todorovsky, Khariton Sudom and Daniil Todorovsky and burned them alive only because they refused to go to Germany. A few days later, German monsters shot collective farmers Ksenia Orel, Anastasia Pereverteni and many others because their relatives were hiding from being taken into German slavery.”
The act was signed by: Pyotr Pereverten, Ivan Simchuk, Grigory Lazarchuk, Fedor Timoshenko, Pyotr Yurchenko.
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May 1, 1944. 1045th day of the war
On the same day, the Sugar Loaf height, covering the entrance to the Inkerman Valley, was occupied. The troops of the 2nd Guards Army, having captured the Mekenzievy Gory station after a four-hour battle, advanced towards the Northern Bay.
On May 18, the Soviet government sent a Note to the Bulgarian government regarding Bulgaria's ongoing cooperation with Germany.
Sovinformburo. During May 31, in the area north of YASSY, our troops successfully repulsed all attacks by large enemy infantry and tank forces and inflicted heavy losses in manpower and equipment.
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Excerpt characterizing Chronicle of the Great Patriotic War/May 1944
Christmastide came, and besides the ceremonial mass, except for the solemn and boring congratulations of neighbors and courtyards, except for everyone wearing new dresses, there was nothing special to commemorate Christmastide, and in the windless 20-degree frost, in the bright blinding sun during the day and in the starry winter light at night, I felt the need for some kind of commemoration of this time.On the third day of the holiday, after lunch, all the household went to their rooms. It was the most boring time of the day. Nikolai, who went to see his neighbors in the morning, fell asleep in the sofa. The old count was resting in his office. Sonya was sitting at the round table in the living room, sketching a pattern. The Countess was laying out the cards. Nastasya Ivanovna the jester with a sad face was sitting at the window with two old women. Natasha entered the room, walked up to Sonya, looked at what she was doing, then walked up to her mother and stopped silently.
- Why are you walking around like a homeless person? - her mother told her. - What do you want?
“I need it... now, this very minute, I need it,” said Natasha, her eyes sparkling and not smiling. – The Countess raised her head and looked intently at her daughter.
- Don't look at me. Mom, don't look, I'm going to cry now.
“Sit down, sit with me,” said the countess.
- Mom, I need it. Why am I disappearing like this, mom?...” Her voice broke off, tears flowed from her eyes, and in order to hide them, she quickly turned and left the room. She went into the sofa room, stood there, thought, and went to the girls' room. There, the old maid was grumbling at a young girl who had come running out of breath from the cold from the yard.
“He will play something,” said the old woman. - For all the time.
“Let her in, Kondratievna,” said Natasha. - Go, Mavrusha, go.
And letting go of Mavrusha, Natasha went through the hall to the hallway. An old man and two young footmen were playing cards. They interrupted the game and stood up as the young lady entered. “What should I do with them?” thought Natasha. - Yes, Nikita, please go... where should I send him? - Yes, go to the yard and please bring the rooster; yes, and you, Misha, bring some oats.
- Would you like some oats? – Misha said cheerfully and willingly.
“Go, go quickly,” the old man confirmed.
- Fyodor, get me some chalk.
Passing by the buffet, she ordered the samovar to be served, although it was not the right time.
The barman Fok was the most angry person in the whole house. Natasha loved to try her power over him. He didn't believe her and went to ask if it was true?
- This young lady! - said Foka, feigning a frown at Natasha.
No one in the house sent away as many people and gave them as much work as Natasha. She could not see people indifferently, so as not to send them somewhere. She seemed to be trying to see if one of them would get angry or pout with her, but people didn’t like to carry out anyone’s orders as much as Natasha’s. “What should I do? Where should I go? Natasha thought, walking slowly down the corridor.
- Nastasya Ivanovna, what will be born from me? - she asked the jester, who was walking towards her in his short coat.
“You give rise to fleas, dragonflies, and blacksmiths,” answered the jester.
- My God, my God, it’s all the same. Oh, where should I go? What should I do with myself? “And she quickly, stamping her feet, ran up the stairs to Vogel, who lived with his wife on the top floor. Vogel had two governesses sitting at his place, and there were plates of raisins, walnuts and almonds on the table. The governesses were talking about where it was cheaper to live, in Moscow or Odessa. Natasha sat down, listened to their conversation with a serious, thoughtful face, and stood up. “The island of Madagascar,” she said. “Ma da gas kar,” she repeated each syllable clearly and, without answering m me Schoss’s questions about what she was saying, left the room. Petya, her brother, was also upstairs: he and his uncle were arranging fireworks, which they intended to set off at night. - Peter! Petka! - she shouted to him, - take me down. s - Petya ran up to her and offered her his back. She jumped on him, clasping his neck with her arms, and he jumped and ran with her. “No, no, it’s the island of Madagascar,” she said and, jumping off, went down.
As if having walked around her kingdom, tested her power and made sure that everyone was submissive, but that it was still boring, Natasha went into the hall, took the guitar, sat down in a dark corner behind the cabinet and began plucking the strings in the bass, making a phrase that she remembered from one opera heard in St. Petersburg together with Prince Andrei. For outside listeners, something came out of her guitar that had no meaning, but in her imagination, because of these sounds, a whole series of memories were resurrected. She sat behind the cupboard, her eyes fixed on the strip of light falling from the pantry door, listened to herself and remembered. She was in a state of memory.
Sonya walked across the hall to the buffet with a glass. Natasha looked at her, at the crack in the pantry door, and it seemed to her that she remembered that light was falling through the crack from the pantry door and that Sonya walked through with a glass. “Yes, and it was exactly the same,” thought Natasha. - Sonya, what is this? – Natasha shouted, fingering the thick string.
- Oh, you’re here! - Sonya said, shuddering, and came up and listened. - Don't know. Storm? – she said timidly, afraid of making a mistake.
“Well, in exactly the same way she shuddered, in the same way she came up and smiled timidly then, when it was already happening,” Natasha thought, “and in the same way... I thought that something was missing in her.”
- No, this is the choir from the Water-bearer, do you hear! – And Natasha finished singing the choir’s tune to make it clear to Sonya.
-Where did you go? – Natasha asked.
- Change the water in the glass. I'll finish the pattern now.
“You’re always busy, but I can’t do it,” said Natasha. -Where is Nikolai?
- He seems to be sleeping.
“Sonya, go wake him up,” said Natasha. - Tell him that I call him to sing. “She sat and thought about what it meant, that it all happened, and, without resolving this question and not at all regretting it, again in her imagination she was transported to the time when she was with him, and he looked with loving eyes looked at her.
“Oh, I wish he would come soon. I'm so afraid that this won't happen! And most importantly: I'm getting old, that's what! What is now in me will no longer exist. Or maybe he’ll come today, he’ll come now. Maybe he came and is sitting there in the living room. Maybe he arrived yesterday and I forgot.” She stood up, put down the guitar and went into the living room. All the household, teachers, governesses and guests were already sitting at the tea table. People stood around the table, but Prince Andrei was not there, and life was still the same.
“Oh, here she is,” said Ilya Andreich, seeing Natasha enter. - Well, sit down with me. “But Natasha stopped next to her mother, looking around, as if she was looking for something.
- Mother! - she said. “Give it to me, give it to me, mom, quickly, quickly,” and again she could hardly hold back her sobs.
She sat down at the table and listened to the conversations of the elders and Nikolai, who also came to the table. “My God, my God, the same faces, the same conversations, dad holding the cup in the same way and blowing in the same way!” thought Natasha, feeling with horror the disgust rising in her against everyone at home because they were still the same.
After tea, Nikolai, Sonya and Natasha went to the sofa, to their favorite corner, where their most intimate conversations always began.
“It happens to you,” Natasha said to her brother when they sat down in the sofa, “it happens to you that it seems to you that nothing will happen - nothing; what was all that was good? And not just boring, but sad?
- And how! - he said. “It happened to me that everything was fine, everyone was cheerful, but it would come to my mind that I was already tired of all this and that everyone needed to die.” Once I didn’t go to the regiment for a walk, but there was music playing there... and so I suddenly became bored...
- Oh, I know that. I know, I know,” Natasha picked up. – I was still little, this happened to me. Do you remember, once I was punished for plums and you all danced, and I sat in the classroom and sobbed, I will never forget: I was sad and I felt sorry for everyone, and myself, and I felt sorry for everyone. And, most importantly, it wasn’t my fault,” Natasha said, “do you remember?
“I remember,” said Nikolai. “I remember that I came to you later and I wanted to console you and, you know, I was ashamed. We were terribly funny. I had a bobblehead toy then and I wanted to give it to you. Do you remember?
“Do you remember,” Natasha said with a thoughtful smile, how long ago, long ago, we were still very little, an uncle called us into the office, back in the old house, and it was dark - we came and suddenly there was standing there...
“Arap,” Nikolai finished with a joyful smile, “how can I not remember?” Even now I don’t know that it was a blackamoor, or we saw it in a dream, or we were told.
- He was gray, remember, and had white teeth - he stood and looked at us...
– Do you remember, Sonya? - Nikolai asked...
“Yes, yes, I remember something too,” Sonya answered timidly...
“I asked my father and mother about this blackamoor,” said Natasha. - They say that there was no blackamoor. But you remember!
- Oh, how I remember his teeth now.
- How strange it is, it was like a dream. I like it.
“Do you remember how we were rolling eggs in the hall and suddenly two old women began to spin around on the carpet?” Was it or not? Do you remember how good it was?
- Yes. Do you remember how dad in a blue fur coat fired a gun on the porch? “They turned over, smiling with pleasure, memories, not sad old ones, but poetic youthful memories, those impressions from the most distant past, where dreams merge with reality, and laughed quietly, rejoicing at something.
Sonya, as always, lagged behind them, although their memories were common.
Sonya did not remember much of what they remembered, and what she did remember did not arouse in her the poetic feeling that they experienced. She only enjoyed their joy, trying to imitate it.
She took part only when they remembered Sonya's first visit. Sonya told how she was afraid of Nikolai, because he had strings on his jacket, and the nanny told her that they would sew her into strings too.
“And I remember: they told me that you were born under cabbage,” said Natasha, “and I remember that I didn’t dare not believe it then, but I knew that it wasn’t true, and I was so embarrassed.”
During this conversation, the maid's head poked out of the back door of the sofa room. “Miss, they brought the rooster,” the girl said in a whisper.
“No need, Polya, tell me to carry it,” said Natasha.
In the middle of the conversations going on in the sofa, Dimmler entered the room and approached the harp that stood in the corner. He took off the cloth and the harp made a false sound.
“Eduard Karlych, please play my beloved Nocturiene by Monsieur Field,” said the voice of the old countess from the living room.
Dimmler struck a chord and, turning to Natasha, Nikolai and Sonya, said: “Young people, how quietly they sit!”
“Yes, we are philosophizing,” Natasha said, looking around for a minute and continuing the conversation. The conversation was now about dreams.
Dimmer started to play. Natasha silently, on tiptoe, walked up to the table, took the candle, took it out and, returning, quietly sat down in her place. It was dark in the room, especially on the sofa on which they were sitting, but through the large windows the silver light of the full moon fell onto the floor.
“You know, I think,” Natasha said in a whisper, moving closer to Nikolai and Sonya, when Dimmler had already finished and was still sitting, weakly plucking the strings, apparently indecisive to leave or start something new, “that when you remember like that, you remember, you remember everything.” , you remember so much that you remember what happened before I was in the world...
“This is Metampsic,” said Sonya, who always studied well and remembered everything. – The Egyptians believed that our souls were in animals and would go back to animals.
“No, you know, I don’t believe it, that we were animals,” Natasha said in the same whisper, although the music had ended, “but I know for sure that we were angels here and there somewhere, and that’s why we remember everything.” ...
-Can I join you? - said Dimmler, who approached quietly and sat down next to them.
- If we were angels, then why did we fall lower? - said Nikolai. - No, this cannot be!
“Not lower, who told you that lower?... Why do I know what I was before,” Natasha objected with conviction. - After all, the soul is immortal... therefore, if I live forever, that’s how I lived before, lived for all eternity.
“Yes, but it’s hard for us to imagine eternity,” said Dimmler, who approached the young people with a meek, contemptuous smile, but now spoke as quietly and seriously as they did.
– Why is it difficult to imagine eternity? – Natasha said. - Today it will be, tomorrow it will be, it will always be and yesterday it was and yesterday it was...
- Natasha! now it's your turn. “Sing me something,” the countess’s voice was heard. - That you sat down like conspirators.
- Mother! “I don’t want to do that,” Natasha said, but at the same time she stood up.
All of them, even the middle-aged Dimmler, did not want to interrupt the conversation and leave the corner of the sofa, but Natasha stood up, and Nikolai sat down at the clavichord. As always, standing in the middle of the hall and choosing the most advantageous place for resonance, Natasha began to sing her mother’s favorite piece.
She said that she did not want to sing, but she had not sung for a long time before, and for a long time since, the way she sang that evening. Count Ilya Andreich, from the office where he was talking with Mitinka, heard her singing, and like a student, in a hurry to go play, finishing the lesson, he got confused in his words, giving orders to the manager and finally fell silent, and Mitinka, also listening, silently with a smile, stood in front of count. Nikolai did not take his eyes off his sister, and took a breath with her. Sonya, listening, thought about what a huge difference there was between her and her friend and how impossible it was for her to be even remotely as charming as her cousin. The old countess sat with a happily sad smile and tears in her eyes, occasionally shaking her head. She thought about Natasha, and about her youth, and about how there was something unnatural and terrible in this upcoming marriage of Natasha with Prince Andrei.
Dimmler sat down next to the countess and closed his eyes, listening.
“No, Countess,” he said finally, “this is a European talent, she has nothing to learn, this softness, tenderness, strength...”
- Ah! “how I’m afraid for her, how afraid I am,” said the countess, not remembering who she was talking to. Her maternal instinct told her that there was too much of something in Natasha, and that this would not make her happy. Natasha had not yet finished singing when an enthusiastic fourteen-year-old Petya ran into the room with the news that the mummers had arrived.
Natasha suddenly stopped.
- Fool! - she screamed at her brother, ran up to the chair, fell on it and sobbed so much that she could not stop for a long time.
“Nothing, Mama, really nothing, just like this: Petya scared me,” she said, trying to smile, but the tears kept flowing and sobs were choking her throat.
Dressed up servants, bears, Turks, innkeepers, ladies, scary and funny, bringing with them coldness and fun, at first timidly huddled in the hallway; then, hiding one behind the other, they were forced into the hall; and at first shyly, and then more and more cheerfully and amicably, songs, dances, choral and Christmas games began. The Countess, recognizing the faces and laughing at those dressed up, went into the living room. Count Ilya Andreich sat in the hall with a radiant smile, approving of the players. The youth disappeared somewhere.
Half an hour later, an old lady in hoops appeared in the hall between the other mummers - it was Nikolai. Petya was Turkish. Payas was Dimmler, hussar was Natasha and Circassian was Sonya, with a painted cork mustache and eyebrows.
After condescending surprise, lack of recognition and praise from those not dressed up, the young people found that the costumes were so good that they had to show them to someone else.
Nikolai, who wanted to take everyone along an excellent road in his troika, proposed, taking ten dressed up servants with him, to go to his uncle.
- No, why are you upsetting him, the old man! - said the countess, - and he has nowhere to turn. Let's go to the Melyukovs.
Melyukova was a widow with children of various ages, also with governesses and tutors, who lived four miles from Rostov.
“That’s clever, ma chère,” the old count picked up, getting excited. - Let me get dressed now and go with you. I'll stir up Pashetta.
But the countess did not agree to let the count go: his leg hurt all these days. They decided that Ilya Andreevich could not go, but that if Luisa Ivanovna (m me Schoss) went, then the young ladies could go to Melyukova. Sonya, always timid and shy, began to beg Luisa Ivanovna more urgently than anyone not to refuse them.
Sonya's outfit was the best. Her mustache and eyebrows suited her unusually. Everyone told her that she was very good, and she was in an unusually energetic mood. Some inner voice told her that now or never her fate would be decided, and she, in her man’s dress, seemed like a completely different person. Luiza Ivanovna agreed, and half an hour later four troikas with bells and bells, squealing and whistling through the frosty snow, drove up to the porch.
Natasha was the first to give the tone of Christmas joy, and this joy, reflected from one to another, intensified more and more and reached its highest degree at the time when everyone went out into the cold, and, talking, calling to each other, laughing and shouting, sat in the sleigh.
Two of the troikas were accelerating, the third was the old count’s troika with an Oryol trotter at the root; the fourth is Nikolai's own with his short, black, shaggy root. Nikolai, in his old woman's outfit, on which he put on a hussar's belted cloak, stood in the middle of his sleigh, picking up the reins.
It was so light that he saw the plaques and eyes of the horses glinting in the monthly light, looking back in fear at the riders rustling under the dark awning of the entrance.
Natasha, Sonya, m me Schoss and two girls got into Nikolai’s sleigh. Dimmler and his wife and Petya sat in the old count’s sleigh; Dressed up servants sat in the rest.
- Go ahead, Zakhar! - Nikolai shouted to his father’s coachman in order to have a chance to overtake him on the road.
The old count's troika, in which Dimmler and the other mummers sat, squealed with their runners, as if frozen to the snow, and rattled a thick bell, moved forward. The ones attached to them pressed against the shafts and got stuck, turning out the strong and shiny snow like sugar.
Nikolai set off after the first three; The others made noise and screamed from behind. At first we rode at a small trot along a narrow road. While driving past the garden, shadows from bare trees often lay across the road and hid the bright light of the moon, but as soon as we left the fence, a diamond-shiny snowy plain with a bluish sheen, all bathed in a monthly glow and motionless, opened up on all sides. Once, once, a bump hit the front sleigh; in the same way, the next sleigh and the next were pushed and, boldly breaking the chained silence, one after another the sleighs began to stretch out.
- A hare's trail, a lot of tracks! – Natasha’s voice sounded in the frozen, frozen air.
– Apparently, Nicholas! - said Sonya's voice. – Nikolai looked back at Sonya and bent down to take a closer look at her face. Some completely new, sweet face, with black eyebrows and mustache, looked out from the sables in the moonlight, close and far.
“It was Sonya before,” thought Nikolai. He looked at her closer and smiled.
– What are you, Nicholas?
“Nothing,” he said and turned back to the horses.
Having arrived on a rough, large road, oiled with runners and all covered with traces of thorns, visible in the light of the moon, the horses themselves began to tighten the reins and speed up. The left one, bending its head, twitched its lines in jumps. The root swayed, moving its ears, as if asking: “should we start or is it too early?” – Ahead, already far away and ringing like a thick bell receding, Zakhar’s black troika was clearly visible on the white snow. Shouting and laughter and the voices of those dressed up were heard from his sleigh.
“Well, you dear ones,” Nikolai shouted, tugging on the reins on one side and withdrawing his hand with the whip. And only by the wind that had become stronger, as if to meet it, and by the twitching of the fasteners, which were tightening and increasing their speed, was it noticeable how fast the troika flew. Nikolai looked back. Screaming and screaming, waving whips and forcing the indigenous people to jump, the other troikas kept pace. The root steadfastly swayed under the arc, not thinking of knocking it down and promising to push it again and again when necessary.
Nikolai caught up with the top three. They drove down some mountain and onto a widely traveled road through a meadow near a river.
“Where are we going?” thought Nikolai. - “It should be along a slanting meadow. But no, this is something new that I have never seen. This is not a slanting meadow or Demkina Mountain, but God knows what it is! This is something new and magical. Well, whatever it is!” And he, shouting at the horses, began to go around the first three.
Zakhar reined in the horses and turned around his face, which was already frozen to the eyebrows.
Nikolai started his horses; Zakhar, stretching his arms forward, smacked his lips and let his people go.
“Well, hold on, master,” he said. “The troikas flew even faster nearby, and the legs of the galloping horses quickly changed. Nikolai began to take the lead. Zakhar, without changing the position of his outstretched arms, raised one hand with the reins.
“You’re lying, master,” he shouted to Nikolai. Nikolai galloped all the horses and overtook Zakhar. The horses covered the faces of their riders with fine, dry snow, and near them there was the sound of frequent rumblings and the tangling of fast-moving legs and the shadows of the overtaking troika. The whistling of runners through the snow and women's squeals were heard from different directions.
