Fomin Efim Moiseevich Brest Fortress. Efim Moiseevich Fomin

Jewish eyes, Soviet upbringing... Commissar Fomin... His favorite song was the song from the film "Children of Captain Grant" And when his heart was heavy, he sang "Captain, Captain, smile..."... A black-haired young man with a slightly sad look - this is how we see Regimental Commissar Fomin in the photo. He took over the leadership of the defense of the Brest Fortress, and defended it to the last ... He was only 32, and the soldiers considered him their father ... But there were always traitors ...

The son of a blacksmith and a seamstress from the small Belarusian town of Pegs near Vitebsk, he grew up as an orphan. He left his relatives who sheltered him after the death of his parents and went to an orphanage. And then, the classic story of the growing up of a Soviet boy of that time ... Work at a shoe factory in Vitebsk, moving to Pskov, promotion along the Komsomol line. And then Efim Fomin became the commander of the Red Army.

By the beginning of the war, he was already married and had a young son, Yura. On June 21, Fomin was going to Latvia to move his family to his place in Brest. I did not have time… Fortunately for his wife and son, who managed to evacuate from Latvia.

And Fomin had to become a combat commissar on June 22. He was not the classic fearless hero. And people who knew him did not notice anything outstanding and fighting in his face. But he was a man who knew how to take responsibility for his actions. And yet, his soldiers were dear to him ...

Efim Fomin is described in an essay on the history of the Brest Fortress:

“He was only thirty-two years old, and he still expected a lot from life. He had a family dear to his heart, a son whom he loved very much, and anxiety for the fate of those close to him always relentlessly lived in his memory next to all the worries, sorrows and dangers that fell heavily on his shoulders from the first day of the defense of the fortress.

Shortly after the shelling began, Fomin, together with Matevosyan, ran down the stairs to the basement under the headquarters of the regiment, where by that time hundreds and a half fighters from headquarters and economic units had already gathered. He barely had time to jump out of the office, where the incendiary projectile had hit, and came downstairs half-dressed, as the war found him in bed, carrying his uniform under his arm. Here, in the basement, there were many of the same half-dressed people, and Fomin's arrival went unnoticed. He was as pale as the others, and he listened just as apprehensively to the rumble of nearby explosions shaking the basement. He was clearly confused, like everyone else, and in an undertone asked Matevosyan if he didn’t think that it was ammunition depots that were being torn up, set on fire by saboteurs. He seemed to be afraid to utter the last fatal word - “war”.

Then he got dressed. And as soon as he was wearing a commissar's tunic with four sleepers on the buttonholes and he tightened his waist belt with a habitual movement, everyone recognized him. A movement passed through the basement, and dozens of pairs of eyes turned to him at once. He read in those eyes a silent question, an ardent desire to obey and an irresistible desire for action. People saw in him a representative of the party, a commissar, a commander, they believed that only he now knew what to do. Let him be the same inexperienced, unfired warrior as they are, the same mortal man who suddenly found himself in the midst of the raging menacing elements of war! Those questioning, demanding eyes immediately reminded him that he was not just a man and not only a warrior, but also a commissar. And with this consciousness, the last traces of confusion and indecision disappeared from his face, and in his usual calm, even voice, the commissar gave his first orders.

From that moment to the end, Fomin never forgot that he was a commissar. If tears of impotent anger, despair and pity for the perishing comrades appeared before his eyes, then it was only in the darkness of the night, when no one could see his face. People invariably saw him as stern, but calm and deeply confident in the successful outcome of this difficult struggle. Only once, in a conversation with Matevosyan, in a moment of brief lull, did Fomin burst out with something that he hid from everyone in the very depths of his soul.

“Still, it’s easier for a lonely person to die,” he said quietly to the Komsomol organizer with a sigh. “It is easier when you know that your death will not be a disaster for others.

He did not say anything more, and Matevosyan remained silent in response, understanding what the commissar was thinking.

He was a commissar in the highest sense of the word, showing in everything an example of courage, selflessness and modesty. Soon he had to put on the tunic of a simple fighter: the Nazi snipers and saboteurs hunted primarily for our commanders, and the entire command staff was ordered to change clothes. But even in this tunic, everyone knew Fomin - he appeared in the most dangerous bridges and sometimes he himself led people into attacks. He almost did not sleep, was languishing from hunger and thirst, like his fighters, but when he managed to get water and food, he received the last, strictly making sure that he did not try to give him any preference over others.

Several times the scouts, who searched the dead Nazis, brought biscuits or buns found in German knapsacks to Fomin. He sent it all to the cellars - to children and women, leaving not a crumb for himself. Once, thirsty fighters dug in the basement where the wounded were, a small hole-well, which gave about a glass of water per hour. The first portion of this water - muddy and dirty - the paramedic Milkevich brought upstairs to the commissar, offering him a drink.

It was a hot day, and for the second day there was not a drop of moisture in Fomin's mouth. His dry lips were cracked and he was breathing heavily. But when Milkevich handed him a glass, the commissar raised his red eyes, inflamed with insomnia, sternly.

- Take it to the wounded! he said hoarsely, and it was said in such a way that Milkevich did not dare to object.

Already at the end of the defense, Fomin was wounded in the hand by a German grenade thrown through the window. He went down to the basement for dressing. But when the orderly, around whom several wounded soldiers crowded, saw the commissar and rushed to him, Fomin stopped him.

“Them first!” he ordered curtly. And, sitting on a box in the corner, he waited for his turn to come.

For a long time the fate of Fomin remained unknown. The most contradictory rumors circulated about him. Some said that the commissar was killed during the fighting in the fortress, others heard that he was captured. One way or another, no one saw with their own eyes either his death or his capture, and all these versions had to be taken into question.

Fomin's fate became clear only after Alexander Sergeevich Rebzuev, a former sergeant of the 84th Infantry Regiment, and now the director of a secondary school, was found in the Belsky district of the Kalinin region.

On June 29 and 30, Sergeant Rebzuev found himself, together with the regimental commissar, in one of the premises of the barracks, when the Nazi saboteurs blew up this part of the building with explosives. The fighters and commanders who were here, for the most part, were destroyed by this explosion, covered and crushed by the rubble of the walls, and those who were still alive were pulled half-dead from under the ruins and taken prisoner. Among them were Commissar Fomin and Sergeant Rebzuev.

The prisoners were brought to their senses and, under a strong escort, were driven to the Kholmsky Gate. There they were met by a Hitlerite officer, who spoke good Russian, who ordered machine gunners to thoroughly search each of them.

All the documents of the Soviet commanders were destroyed long ago by order of Fomin. The commissar himself was dressed in a simple soldier's quilt and a tunic without insignia. Emaciated, overgrown with a beard, in tattered clothes, he was no different from other prisoners, and the soldiers hoped that they would be able to hide from the enemies who this man was and save the life of their commissar.

But among the captives there was a traitor who had not previously defected to the enemy, apparently only because he was afraid to get a bullet in the back from Soviet soldiers. Now his hour has come, and he decided to curry favor with the Nazis.

Smiling flatteringly, he stepped out of the line of prisoners and turned to the officer.

“Mr. officer, this man is not a soldier,” he said ingratiatingly, pointing to Fomin. “This is the commissar, the big commissar. He ordered us to fight to the end and not to surrender.

The officer gave a short order, and the submachine gunners pushed Fomin out of the line. The smile slipped from the face of the traitor - the inflamed, sunken eyes of the prisoners looked at him with mute menace. One of the German soldiers pushed him with the butt, and, immediately taking a back seat, the traitor again became in line.

Several machine gunners, on the orders of the officer, surrounded the commissar in a ring and led him through the Kholmsky Gate to the bank of the Mukhavets. A minute later, bursts of machine guns came from there.

At that time, not far from the gate on the banks of the Mukhavets, there was another group of prisoners - Soviet soldiers. Among them were soldiers of the 84th regiment, who immediately recognized their commissar. They saw how the submachine gunners placed Fomin near the fortress wall, how the commissar raised his hand, shouted something, but his voice was immediately muffled by the shots.

The rest of the prisoners were taken out of the fortress half an hour later under escort. Already at dusk they were driven to a small stone shed on the banks of the Bug and locked up there for the night. And when the next morning the guards opened the doors and the command was given to leave, the German guards missed one of the prisoners.

In a dark corner of the shed, on the straw, lay the corpse of a man who had betrayed Commissar Fomin the day before. He lay with his head thrown back, terribly bulging eyes, and blue fingerprints were clearly visible on his throat. This was retribution for betrayal.

The organizer and leader of the legendary defense of the Brest Fortress was only thirty-two ... And he was scared, like everyone else. But he couldn’t have done otherwise… And I was glad to know that the traitor got what he deserved right away… Although you won’t return this big and bright man with a slightly sad smile, who supported himself with the song “Captain, captain, smile…”

Efim Moiseevich Fomin was posthumously awarded the Order of Lenin. And the main award was received by his son Yuri Fomin

resident of Kiev, candidate of historical sciences, having learned the details of his father's death:

In 1951, as a student, I went to Brest with the hope of learning something about my father. At the military registration and enlistment office they showed me the district newspaper “For the Glory of the Motherland” with materials about the remains of 34 Soviet soldiers found in the ruins of the fortress, their weapons and things. A partially preserved order on the fortress dated June 24, 1941 was found in the commander's bag, where regimental commissar Fomin was named among the leaders of the defense.
From the editorial office of the named newspaper, I was informed of the address of one of the defenders of the Brest Fortress, the former clerk of the headquarters of the 84th Infantry Regiment A.M. Phil, who lived in Yakutia. I sent him a letter and in January 1952 received a reply. A.M. Fil said that he fought in the fortress under the command of Commissar Fomin, he knows that the shell-shocked commissar with several fighters was captured by the Nazis and executed.

No. 70. Letter from an ordinary clerk of the headquarters of the 84th brigade Alexander Mitrofanovich Fil to Yuri Efimovich Fomin - the son of Efim Moiseevich Fomin.

Tov. Fomin Yu.E.

If you are the son of Efim Moiseevich Fomin, I ask you to stand up before reading my letter. May the image of an honest warrior, a courageous defender of the Russian land, a hero of the Patriotic War against the black forces of the enemy, a fearless leader of the heroic defense of the Brest-Litovsk fortress in June 1941, rise in bright memory in your filial heart ...

I know Regimental Commissar Efim Moiseevich Fomin from his service in the 84th joint venture, 6th class. When he arrived to us, I was already serving at the headquarters of the unit. Below average height, dense, freshly shaven, ruddy, from the first days, with his attention to every little thing, to the most insignificant flaw, his responsiveness and simplicity, he acquired the good name of the Red Army milieu - "father". To his help, without timidity in the heart, resorted to all members of a large team. Efim Moiseevich was always among the fighters. I do not remember such a day or evening when he did not visit the units in his spare time from class. I do not remember such a case when the commissioner did not satisfy the request of the applicant. Severity and kindness, exactingness and practical help - were his daily routine for educating the personnel of the unit. Until late (before lights out), Commissar Fomin - "father" - moved from the location of his unit to another, talked on various topics of his personal life, military, was interested in the requests, desires of the soldiers, told stories of past campaigns of the Red Army, explained the policy of enemies, called for study, vigilance and loyalty to the oath. Sometimes, in a close circle of the assembled fighters, he conducted conversations, as they say, "heartfelt" on various intimate topics, amused and joked. Very often he was at the location of staff workers who lived on the same floor with him, along the same corridor with him. When, in conversations about relatives, staff officers (including myself) recalled children and wives, Commissar Fomin (as I remember now), sitting on his bunk, lowered his eyes, but immediately, smiling, supported the conversation with a story about his family, which was in the Latvian SSR. If you are his son, then he talked a lot about you. Then he talked about his funny, good son, whom he loved very much.

Until the last day before the war, he lived in the fortress, in his office, on the second floor. If you were there, in the fortress, you should remember...

21. VI.41, by order of the command of the Zap. OVO units 6 and 42 sd were withdrawn to the training ground for exercises at dawn on June 22, 1941 in selective strength. The commander of the unit, Major Dorodnykh, left the fortress with battalions at 22.30. Commissioner Fomin E.M. went to the station for a family trip. In connection with the departure for the teachings of the head. office work tech. int. 2nd rank Nevzorova P., I remained on the orders of the command to fulfill the position of head. office work. That evening, quiet and warm, the films “4th Periscope”, “Circus”, “Ruslan and Lyudmila”, etc. were shown in the fortress. In the building of the garrison club (near the ruins of the White Palace of the Polish Periscope”, before the start of the session, Commissar Fomin had a short conversation about the content of the film, pointing out the vile machinations of the enemies of the socialist Motherland, after which, surrounded by fighters, he stood near the club, as if continuing the conversation that had begun in front of the audience. Leaving the club, the commissioner said goodbye to the fighters, saying that he would continue the conversation, but his official duty required him to leave for a short time. Peace and happiness emanated on this wonderful evening. The fortress rested.

At about 1:00 a.m., Commissar Fomin returned from the station. This was already the beginning of the fateful 22 June 1941. The composition of the staff workers had not yet slept, and he came in to find out why this was so. We were doing who. That evening I wrote a letter home and didn’t finish it, left it until the morning, many read books. When we asked why they didn’t leave, Commissioner Fomin replied: “A little oddity, even a surprise, the tickets are all sold out.” Then he joked a bit and went to sleep. We also went to bed.

At dawn at 4.00 the first exploding shell hit a small house opposite the hospital gates, and then ... the war began.

In difficult moments of battles, at the climax of attacks, your father always found words for the heart of a Russian, Soviet warrior. As a son, I want to tell you a little more than the usual story. Your father was very fond of human simple life. He was very fond of the fighters, our Soviet ones, and from the bottom of his heart, with all the fibers of his soul, despised the enemies and alarmists. He terribly hated the Fritz and the Hans. When he was informed about the fallen fighters, tears flowed from his courageous eyes. Many times, using all kinds of tactical cunning, he organized a breakthrough and exit from the fortress under his leadership, but ... it was impossible. Our small group, almost unarmed, was surrounded by units (as I learned from correspondence in 1950) of the 12th Army. enemy corps.

28.6.41 was the most decisive day and the most terrible day of the war. The Germans threw everything they could throw at the fortress. On this day, we were at the same entrance, in the same building, where we wrote the first order. I was wounded and was on the defensive at one of the windows of the building. The explosion collapsed the ceiling of the building and I was crushed by a collapse, when I began to remember myself, I was already surrounded by Germans among other fighting friends of the fortress. Your father, regimental commissar E. M. Fomin, was then still with Captain Zubachev in another section of the building. According to eyewitnesses, Commissar Fomin was unconscious when the Germans broke into the building we occupied. On this day, a fate befell that for the rest of the life of the survivors lay a black seal or deprived of life.

Your father, regimental commissar Efim Moiseevich Fomin, was the first organizer of the defense of the fortress and until the last minutes of the struggle he himself believed and inspired the fighters with the victory of Soviet weapons over fascism. In the last minutes of the battle, he was in a simple Red Army sweatshirt, in a tunic with insignia and with a TT pistol, when he ran along the line of defense past me and other comrades, inspiring me to fight to the death. His face was already pale. At that moment I saw him for the last time, then what I wrote about above followed (he was stunned and shell-shocked by the explosion, but soon came to mind).

The custom of fascist monsters to take off their hats and sort by hair cut in one direction, and with hair in the other. From subsequent stories in the camp, it was definitely established that the regimental father was Fomin E.M. was shot by the Nazis at the first fort on the way across the wooden bridge from the fortress to the mountains. Tiraspol. There was a kind of "collection point", and the vile part, the smallest of the "Westerners" who passed the 45-day gathering, who are still 22. VI, threw white sheets out the windows, but were partly destroyed, from the stories of eyewitnesses, pointed to your father and his title. I can't remember exactly, but maybe it will help you...

Eternal and bright memory will be this place, watered with pure blood of the faithful son of the party and the Soviet people.

In order to give you a little idea of ​​how courageous your father was, I will say a few words of secondary importance. From June 21 in the evening until the last day of the defense, the fighters brought down one "press" (as we said then) of raw green peas. Your father also got a portion, but he gave it to the wounded. Scouts also brought other “gifts” to Efim Moiseevich (bread, buns), although it was in grams, but he never ate it, but gave it away with the words: “You are our strength, comrade soldiers, without you I cannot defend the fortress, so share it yourself and eat, there will definitely come a day when we will gather at a large round table, eat and drink. We didn't even have water; they drank what a comrade would release. It was.

Once again, I apologize for the little and poorly written. You must understand me that the memories of what I experienced very ... excites me, and, despite the past 10 years, everything rises before my eyes, exciting, terrible.

19.VII.52

In 1950, under the ruins near the Brest Fortress, the remains of documents were found that testify to fierce battles in the first months of the war. Previously, there was an opinion that the military operations in June-July 1941 were given to the Germans without much loss. However, the discovered papers said otherwise. Soldiers and officers of the Red Army fought to the last drop of blood. Among them was Efim Moiseevich Fomin, the regimental commissar mentioned in the found document. Until 1950, few people knew his name.

22nd of June

Before presenting the biography of Efim Moiseevich Fomin, one must recall the tragic events that occurred in 1945. After all, the name of this man is inextricably linked with, more precisely, with the capture of the ancient citadel by the Germans.

Early in the morning, at four o'clock, new, hitherto unseen stars appeared above the quiet and surprisingly non-military garrison, located in a picturesque area. They dotted the horizon, and their appearance was accompanied by a strange rumble, which, however, could not be heard by either Efim Moiseevich Fomin or other officers. The garrison was asleep. His awakening came only when the predawn haze was lit up by violent flashes of explosions and a monstrous roar rose up, shaking the earth within a radius of several kilometers. Thousands of German mortars opened fire on the border strip. Thus the war began.

ruined fortress

The German army failed to implement the Barbarossa plan, but the first months of the war were successful for it. No one could tell about what happened at the end of June in the Brest Fortress. Witnesses of bloody battles were silent stones. But a miracle happened, and they started talking. In 1944 Brest was liberated. Then on the walls of the ruined fortress they found inscriptions made by Soviet soldiers and officers in the first days of the war. One of them reads: "I'm dying, but I don't give up." Some inscriptions were signed by soldiers.

Last Witnesses

The name of Efim Moiseevich Fomin was not found on the walls of the Brest Fortress. The aforementioned document testifies to his feat, as well as those few witnesses and participants in the battles who, fortunately, survived. Some of them were captured, after the end of the war they were sent to camps. Such was the fate of all Soviet soldiers who found themselves in the occupation. Only a few managed to move first the German concentration camp, and then the domestic one. But those who survived told in the battles for the Brest Fortress, including about the defense of the citadel in the area near the Kholmsky Gate, which was led by Efim Moiseevich Fomin.

Fighting in the early days of the war

Let's go back to the June 21 event. The sudden roar of cannonade, shells, bombs. The people awakened by the explosions are in a panic... Efim Moiseevich Fomin takes command of the unit. He is in the central fortress, instantly gathers fighters, and instructs one of them to lead the counterattack. Thus, the Soviet soldiers destroy machine gunners who broke through to the very center in the citadel. And then there are battles that continue, according to many historical sources, until the end of July. Efim Moiseevich Fomin was an active participant in the defense of the Brest Fortress in the first four days of the war.

Legends of the citadel

How Soviet soldiers defended the citadel became known only at the end of the war. Then those that survived were sent to camps. And only in 1954 began rehabilitation. They started talking about the Brest Fortress. There were many legends and myths.

How did the fighters manage to hold out for so long? Probably, the whole thing is in a powerful stone fortress? Or in superior weaponry? Or, perhaps, in the training of military personnel? The Brest Fortress was indeed defended by military professionals. Only, unfortunately, there were very few of them, because the main part was on the exercises. As for the fortress, yes, this imposing citadel was able to prevent enemy attacks ... in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the twentieth century, and with modern German aviation, the powerful walls of the fortress have lost all meaning.

The defense of the fortress rested solely on the incredible patriotism and courage of Soviet soldiers, such as Commissar Efim Moiseevich Fomin. From June 21 to June 22, there was only one battalion and several units in the position. Three lieutenants lived in a hostel, and Fomin was also here. The day before, he received a vacation, during which he planned to bring his family, who was in Latvia, to Brest. But he was not destined to leave the fortress. A few hours before the start of the war, he went to the station. There were no tickets. I had to return.

One of the shells hit the commissar's office. Fomin almost suffocated from the acrid smoke, but he still managed to get out of the room. Thanks to an experienced command, the fighters took up defense within a few hours. The commanders' wives and children were sent to the basement. Fomin addressed the soldiers, urging them to remember their duty and not to panic. The machine gunners took up positions on the second floor near the windows.

At the Kholmsky gate

Fomin and his fighters took up a position not far from the Kholmsky Gate. A bridge was located here, along which the Germans made many attempts to reach the center of the fortress. The enemy did not manage to reach the gate for several days. Ammunition, the amount of which did not at all correspond to wartime, was spent very sparingly. Once one of the fighters said that the last cartridge should be kept for himself. Commissar Efim Moiseevich Fomin objected, stating that he should be sent to the enemy. And you can die in hand-to-hand combat.

But Fomin failed to die in hand-to-hand combat. On June 26, the enemy captured the Soviet command. The half-dead commissar fell into the hands of the Nazis and was soon shot.

Commissioner's portrait

Efim Moiseevich Fomin did not receive the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. But in 1957 he was posthumously awarded the Order of Lenin. About what this man was, it is known thanks to the memories of a few of his colleagues.

He ended up in the Brest Fortress three months before the start of the war. But already in this short time he managed to gain authority among officers and soldiers. Fomin knew how to listen, was an understanding and sympathetic person. Perhaps he acquired these qualities due to a difficult fate. According to the memoirs of colleagues, he was short, black-haired, with intelligent, slightly sad eyes.

short biography

At the age of six, the future commissar was orphaned. In 1922 he was sent to an orphanage located in Vitebsk. In need, maturity comes very early. By the age of 15, Yefim had already graduated from secondary school and became a completely independent person. For some time he worked at the Vitebsk shoe factory, then moved to the city of Pskov.

The nomadic life of the military began in 1932. Fomin visited Pskov, Crimea, Latvia, Moscow. He rarely saw his wife and son. His short life was spent traveling. The military career was successful, but shortly before the war he was sent to Brest on an unfair charge. Few photos of Fomin Efim Moiseevich have survived to this day. One of them can be seen in this article.

The hero of today's article was not a fearless, experienced warrior. For many years he wore a military tunic, but he had a chance to go to battle only in the last days of his life. The morning of June 22 was a baptism of fire for Commissioner Yefim Fomin.

Many books have been written about the heroes of the Brest Fortress and no less films have been made. The image of Yefim Fomin was embodied by talented actors on the stage and in the cinema. In 2010, the film "Brest Fortress" was released, where the commissioner played

Pegs, Vitebsk district, Vitebsk province, now Liozno district, Vitebsk region

Brest Fortress

regimental commissar

84th Rifle Regiment

The Great Patriotic War,
* Defense of the Brest Fortress

Efim Moiseevich Fomin(January 15, 1909, Pegs of the Liozno district of the Vitebsk province - June 30, 1941, Brest) - Soviet officer, regimental commissar, deputy commander of the 84th Infantry Regiment of the 6th Oryol Red Banner Division. One of the leaders of the defense of the Brest Fortress in June 1941.

• 1 Biography
• 2 Posthumous rehabilitation
• 3 cinematography
• 4 Notes
• 5 Links

Biography

Born in the town of Kolyshki, Vitebsk district (now the village of Kolyshki, Liozno district) in a poor Jewish family (father is a blacksmith, mother is a seamstress). After the death of his parents, he was brought up by his aunt, then by his uncle.

• 1921 - An apprentice hairdresser, then a shoemaker in Vitebsk.
• 1922 - Accepted as a pupil in the Vitebsk orphanage.
• 1924 - Admitted to the Komsomol.
• 1927-1929 - Pskov district communist party-Soviet school of the II stage.
• 1929 - Kolomna Soviet Party School. Upon graduation, he worked as an instructor at the Kolomna District Party Committee.
• 1930 - Joined the ranks of the CPSU (b).
• 1932 - On the basis of party mobilization, he was sent to party political work in the Red Army. Secretary of the Komsomol organization of the anti-aircraft regiment, political instructor of the company, instructor of the political department of the rifle division, military commissar of the rifle regiment.
• 1938 - He graduated from courses at the political department of the Kharkov military district. For excellent studies and active public work, he received gratitude from the command, and from the political department - a nominal watch with the inscription "For special success in mastering Bolshevism."
• August 1938 - Military Commissar of the 23rd Kharkov Order of Lenin Red Banner Rifle Division.
• September 1939 - as part of the division, he participated in a campaign in Western Ukraine.
• Summer 1940 - as part of the division entered the territory of Latvia, was in Daugavpils.
• March 1941 - On an undeserved charge, he was transferred to Brest to the post of deputy commander of the 84th Infantry Regiment of the 6th Oryol Red Banner Rifle Division.
• June 22, 1941 - Headed the defense of the Brest Fortress in the ring barracks in the area near the Kholmsky Gate.
• June 24, 1941 - Deputy commander of the fortress defense headquarters.
• June 30, 1941 - extradited to captivity by a traitor and shot at the Kholmsky gates of the fortress, according to R. Aliyev - he was captured on June 26, on the same day he was shot southeast of Terespol.

Posthumous rehabilitation

• January 3, 1957 - Posthumously awarded the Order of Lenin by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
• May 8, 1991 - At the request of the veterans of the 23rd division, the Minister of Defense of the USSR canceled the clause of the 1941 order on the application of an undeserved penalty to E. M. Fomin and reinstated him in the post of deputy division commander.

In cinema

• In the film "Brest Fortress" (2010), the role of Yefim Fomin was played by Pavel Derevyanko.
• In the film "Battle for Moscow" (1985), the role of Efim Fomin was played by Emmanuil Vitorgan.

Notes

1. Memoirs of Yuri Fomin
2. Svetlana Gladysh. The immortal garrison fights.
3. R. Aliev. Storming of the Brest Fortress. - M.: Yauza; Eksmo, 2008.

Links

• Y. Fomin. Victory will be ours.
• Delisting order 12/24/1942
• Information from the report on irretrievable losses 04/20/1945

A short, thirty-two-year-old black-haired man, already beginning to gain weight,

a man with intelligent and a little sad eyes - this remained the regimental

Commissar Fomin in the memory of those who knew him.

As a musician, it is unthinkable without a sharp ear, just as an artist is impossible without

special subtle perception of colors, so you can’t be a party, political

worker without a close, friendly and sincere interest in people, in their

thoughts and feelings, to their dreams and desires. This quality is fully

Fomin possessed. And people immediately felt it. Already in the way he knew how to listen

people - patiently, without interrupting, carefully peering into the face of the interlocutor

myopically narrowed eyes - in all this there was a deep understanding

human needs, lively and active sympathy, a sincere desire to help. And

although Fomin just three months before the war got here, in the fortress, the fighters of the 84th

regiment already knew that any

his misfortune, sadness or doubt, and the commissioner will always help, advise,

will explain.

No wonder they say that your difficult life helps you understand the difficulties.

others, and a person who has endured a lot himself becomes more responsive to human

I'm burning. The difficult life path of Efim Moiseevich Fomin, no doubt, taught

to many things, and above all to the knowledge and understanding of people.

The son of a blacksmith and a seamstress from a small town in the Vitebsk region, in

Belarus, he has been an orphan for six years and was brought up by his uncle.

It was the hard life of a poor relative in a poor family. And in 1922

thirteen-year-old Efim leaves his relatives for the Vitebsk orphanage.

In trouble and need, maturity comes early. Fifteen years old, graduating from high school

the first stage and becoming a member of the Komsomol, Fomin already feels quite

an independent person. He works at a shoe factory in Vitebsk, and

then moved to Pskov. There he was sent to a Soviet party school, and soon, having entered

into the ranks of the party, he becomes a professional party worker -

propagandist of the Pskov city committee of the CPSU (b).

From those years, a photograph of Komsomol member Efim Fomin, a listener, has come down to us

Soviet party schools. Protective cap with an asterisk, Jungsturmovka with a harness,

direct and stubborn look - a typical photograph of a Komsomol member of the late twenties

Yefim Fomin grew up as a selfless ordinary soldier of his party. When in

In 1932, the party decided to send him to political work in the troops, he

in a soldier's way he said "Yes!" and changed his civilian tunic as a party worker

on the tunic of the commander of the Red Army.

The nomadic life of the military began. Pskov - Crimea - Kharkov - Moscow -

Latvia. The new work required the exertion of all forces, continuous study.

Rarely had to be with his family - his wife and little son. The day passed in

trips to departments, in conversations with people. In the evenings, closing in

office, he read Lenin, studied military literature, learned German

or preparing for the next report, and then until late at night they heard him

measured steps. Putting his hands behind his back and at times ruffling the thick black

hair, he paced from corner to corner, thinking about the upcoming performance and

automatically singing his favorite: "Captain, captain, smile!"

In the Brest Fortress, he lived alone, and he was not left longing for his wife and

son, who was still in the Latvian town, at the place of his former service.

He had been planning to go for them for a long time, but they didn’t let things go, and the situation on

border became more and more menacing, and a dull alarm for loved ones

rose in my heart. Still, it would be easier if the family was together with

from Brest. She said some military sent their families inland

country and asked what she should do.

Fomin did not answer immediately. He understood the danger of the situation, but, as

communist, considered himself not entitled to sow alarm in advance.

Do what everyone will do,” he said shortly and added that

will soon come and take his family to Brest.

ticket, and at dawn the war began. And with her first explosions, the army

political worker Fomin became combat commissar Fomin.

year he became commissioner in deeds. Heroes are not born, and there are no people in the world,

devoid of fear. Heroism is the will that conquers fear in itself, it is

a sense of duty that turned out to be stronger than the fear of danger and death.

Fomin was by no means a seasoned or fearless warrior. On the contrary, it was

in all his appearance there is something indestructibly civilian, deeply

to a peaceful man, far from war, although he had been wearing military clothes for many years

tunic. He did not have to take part in the Finnish campaign, as many

other fighters and commanders from the Brest Fortress, and for him a terrible morning

He was only thirty-two years old, and he still expected a lot from life. At

he had a family dear to his heart, a son whom he loved very much, and anxiety

for the fate of loved ones always relentlessly lived in his memory next to everyone

worries, sorrows and dangers that weighed heavily on his shoulders from the first

day of the defense of the fortress.

Shortly after the shelling began, Fomin, together with Matevosyan

ran down the stairs to the basement under the headquarters of the regiment, where by this time already

a hundred and a half fighters from headquarters and economic units gathered. He

barely had time to jump out of the office, where the incendiary projectile had hit, and came

down half-dressed, as the war found him in bed, carrying his

outfit. Here, in the basement, there were many of the same half-dressed people, and

Fomin's arrival went unnoticed. He was as pale as the others, and so

he cautiously listened to the rumble of nearby explosions that shook the cellar. He

does he think that these are ammunition depots torn, set on fire by saboteurs.

He seemed to be afraid to utter the last fatal word - "war".

Then he got dressed. And as soon as he was wearing a commissar's tunic

with four sleepers on the buttonholes, and with a habitual movement he tightened the waist

belt, everyone recognized it. Some movement passed through the basement, and dozens of couples

eyes turned to him. He read in those eyes a dumb question, hot

a desire to obey and an irresistible desire for action. People saw him

party representative, commissar, commander, they believed that only he now

knows what to do. Let him be as inexperienced, unfired

a warrior like them, a mortal man just as suddenly found himself among

raging formidable elements of war! Those questioning, demanding eyes at once

reminded him that he was not just a man and not only a warrior, but also

commissioner. And with this consciousness the last traces of confusion and

indecision disappeared from his face, and in his usual calm, even voice

the commissar gave his first orders.

From that moment to the end, Fomin never forgot that he -

commissioner. If tears of impotent anger, despair and pity for the perishing

comrades spoke before his eyes, it was only in the darkness of the night,

when no one could see his face. People invariably saw him as stern, but

calm and deeply confident in the successful outcome of this difficult struggle. Only

once, in a conversation with Matevosyan, in a moment of brief lull, a

Fomin what he hid from everyone in the very depths of his soul.

Still, it’s easier for a lonely person to die,” he said quietly, sighing.

Komsomol organizer. - It's easier when you know that your death will not be a disaster for others.

He did not say anything more, and Matevosyan remained silent in response, realizing that

what the commissioner thinks.

He was a commissar in the highest sense of the word, showing in everything

an example of courage, selflessness and modesty. Soon he had to

put on the tunic of a simple fighter: Hitler's snipers and saboteurs

hunted primarily for our commanders, and for the entire command staff

was ordered to change. But even in this tunic everyone knew Fomin - he

appeared in the most dangerous bridges and sometimes he himself led people into attacks. He hardly

slept, languished from hunger and thirst, like his fighters, but water and food, when they

managed to get it, received it last, strictly making sure that he did not take it into his head

give some preference over others.

Several times the scouts, who searched the dead Nazis, brought

Fomin found biscuits or buns found in German knapsacks. He sent it all

to the cellars - to children and women, leaving not a crumb for themselves. Once tormented

thirsty, the fighters dug out in the basement where the wounded were, a small

a hole-well, which gave about a glass of water per hour. The first portion of this water -

muddy and dirty - the paramedic Milkevich brought upstairs to the commissar, offering him

get drunk.

It was a hot day, and for the second day there was not a drop of moisture in Fomin's mouth.

His dry lips were cracked and he was breathing heavily. But when Milkevich

handed him a glass, the commissar sternly raised red, inflamed

sleepless eyes.

Take it to the wounded! he said hoarsely, and it was said in such a way that

Milkevich did not dare to object.

Already at the end of the defense, Fomin was wounded in the arm during the break of the German

grenade thrown through the window. He went down to the basement for dressing. But when

an orderly, around whom several wounded soldiers crowded, seeing

Commissar, rushed to him, Fomin stopped him.

First them! he ordered curtly. And, sitting on a box in the corner, he waited,

until it's his turn.

For a long time the fate of Fomin remained unknown. The most went about him

conflicting rumors. Some said that the commissar was killed during the fighting in

fortress, others heard that he was captured. Somehow no one saw

with my own eyes neither his death nor his captivity, and all these versions had to

take into question.

Fomin's fate became clear only after I managed to find

Belsky district of the Kalinin region of the former sergeant of the 84th infantry

regiment, and now the director of a secondary school, Alexander Sergeevich Rebzuev.

from the premises of the barracks, when the Nazi saboteurs blew up with explosives

this part of the building. The fighters and commanders who were here, for the most part

were destroyed by this explosion, covered and crushed by the rubble of the walls, and those

who was still alive, submachine gunners dragged out half-dead from under the ruins and took

in captivity. Among them were Commissar Fomin and Sergeant Rebzuev.

The prisoners were brought to their senses and, under a strong escort, were driven to the Kholmsky

gate. There they were met by a Nazi officer who spoke Russian well,

who ordered machine gunners to thoroughly search each of them.

All documents of Soviet commanders were destroyed long ago by order

Fomin. The commissar himself was dressed in a simple soldier's quilt and tunic.

no insignia. Emaciated, overgrown with a beard, in tattered clothes, he

was no different from other prisoners, and the fighters hoped that they would succeed

hide from the enemies who this man was and save the life of his commissar.

But among the captives was a traitor who had not defected earlier to

enemy, apparently only because he was afraid to get a bullet in the back from the Soviet

fighters. Now his hour has come, and he decided to curry favor with the Nazis.

Smiling flatteringly, he stepped out of the line of prisoners and turned to the officer.

Mr. officer, this man is not a soldier, - he said ingratiatingly,

pointing to Fomin. - This is the commissioner, the big commissioner. He told us to fight

to the end and not surrender.

The officer gave a short order, and the submachine gunners pushed Fomin out of the

ranks. The smile slipped from the traitor's face - inflamed, sunken eyes

The prisoners looked at him with mute menace. One of the German soldiers pushed

butt, and, immediately fading away and lasciviously running his eyes around,

the traitor stood up again.

Several machine gunners, on the orders of the officer, surrounded the commissar in a ring and

they led him through the Kholmsky gate to the bank of the Mukhavets. A minute later from there

came bursts of machine guns.

At that time, not far from the gate on the banks of Mukhavets, there was another

a group of prisoners - Soviet soldiers. Among them were soldiers of the 84th regiment, immediately

who recognized their commissioner. They saw how machine gunners put Fomin at

fortress wall, as the commissar threw up his hand, shouted something, but his voice

was immediately silenced by gunshots.

The rest of the prisoners were taken out of the fortress half an hour later under escort. Already in

twilight drove them to a small stone shed on the banks of the Bug and here

locked up for the night. And when the next morning the guards opened the doors and

there was a command to leave, the German guards missed one of the prisoners.

In a dark corner of the shed, on the straw, lay the corpse of a man who had betrayed

Commissioner Fomin. He lay with his head thrown back, bulging terribly

his eyes were glassy, ​​and blue fingerprints were clearly visible on his throat.

It was payback for betrayal.

Such is the story of the death of Yefim Fomin, the glorious commissar of the Brest

fortress, warrior and hero, faithful son of the Communist Party, one of the main

organizers and leaders of the legendary defense.

His feat is highly appreciated by the people and the government - by the Decree of the Presidium

of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Efim Moiseevich Fomin was posthumously awarded the Order

Lenin, and an extract from this Decree, like a precious relic, is now kept

in a new apartment in Kyiv, where the wife and son of the deceased commissar live.

And in the Brest Fortress, not far from the Kholmsky Gate, to the bullet-riddled

a marble plaque was nailed to the wall of the barracks, on which it is written that

here the regimental commissar Fomin bravely met death at the hands of the Nazis

executioners. And numerous sightseers visiting the fortress come here,

to lay a wreath at the foot of the wall or just leave it near this board

a bunch of flowers - a modest tribute to people's gratitude and respect for memory

On November 4, the first film project of the Union State of Belarus and Russia "Brest Fortress" is released to the public. So far only in Russian cinemas. In Belarus, the film is shown pointwise. Alexander Lukashenko was one of the first to film in mid-June, on the night of June 22, the official premiere of the film took place in the Brest Fortress, then the film was presented at the Belarusian Film Festival out of competition, and on November 5, the Listapad Film Festival will open at the Brest Fortress. The question of whether Belarusian cinemagoers will see the film remains unanswered.

According to the author of the idea of ​​the film and its general producer Igor Ugolnikov, the film, which tells about the events of the heroic defense of the Brest Fortress, which took the first blow from the Nazi invaders on June 22, 1941, was shot historically accurately and in strict accordance with Sergei Smirnov's documentary book-investigation "Brestskaya fortress" .

During the filming of the film on the territory of the Brest Fortress, scenery unique in complexity and volume was built - the Terespol and Kholmsky gates, a bridge, barracks, a club, fortress walls, etc. As a result, as Vladimir Zametalin, general director of the Belarusfilm film studio, noted, the result was nothing but "Cinema about the truth of war".

Igor Ugolnikov was mistaken in one thing: of the main characters in the picture - Fomina, Kizhevatova and Gavrilova, only two are Heroes of the Soviet Union. The regimental commissar never received the title of Hero of the USSR, and his son Yury hopes that after the release of the film, his father will be given at least the title of Hero of Belarus.

Regimental Commissar Efim Fomin

At the premiere of the film, which took place on June 22 this year, Yuri Fomin came with his son Oleg. At the same time, both relatives of the legendary Fomin are delighted with the film and are grateful to Igor Ugolnikov and director Alexander Kott for creating the film.

"Of all the war films I've seen, this one seems to be the most historically accurate,- says the grandson of the defender of the fortress Oleg Fomin, assistant-consultant to the deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. - A lot of computer effects, but they do not interrupt the main idea. The actors are very well chosen, and in such a way that initially I would not have thought that, for example, Pavel Derevyanko could look like my grandfather. And compared with the photo - the truth is similar! After the premiere, I talked with him and asked: “Was it hard to get used to the role?” To which he replied that hard and long . I know that Derevianko didn’t just read a lot, a researcher from the Brest Fortress also worked with him, devoted him to the history of the 84th regiment, in which my grandfather served.



son and grandson of the regimental commissar Fomin - Yuri and Oleg Fomin

Yuri and Oleg Fomin are unanimous in the fact that there should be more such films, and young people should know about the exploits of their ancestors.

“In Ukraine, history has already been rewritten so many times that, probably, they themselves no longer know where the truth is,- says Oleg Fomin. - I used to know history very well, but now I can hardly answer some school questions. In this regard, the film must be given credit - it is actually historically accurate.

But if the regimental commissar Efim Fomin had not been in Brest in March 1941 - and this could very well be - the film "Brest Fortress" would have lost part of the script. Moreover, Fomin left for Brest, according to his son, humiliated - by order he was demoted and, unexpectedly for everyone, was sent from Lithuania to the Brest Fortress.

But who and why on the eve of the Great Patriotic War slandered the regimental commissar Fomin? How, years later, his son Yuri managed to cancel this order, as well as many other facts from his father’s biography, he tells in an interview for website Yuriy Fomin, now a consultant to the parliamentary commission on legal policy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, author of a book about his father, The Man from the Legend.

- Yuri Efimovich, do you still think that your father's feat is not appreciated enough?

Many participants in the defense of the fortress received high titles of Heroes of the USSR - including, so to speak, the father's heroes-comrades-in-arms in the film Gavrilov and Kizhevatov. But my father is also worthy of the title of Hero! True, many of my father’s friends were perplexed: they remembered that even in the fortress Smirnov himself presented him for this title, but he never received it ... At one time, I applied with veterans to the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR so that he was awarded the title of Hero posthumously, but the title was not given. We also addressed to your president, Lukashenka. Since my father does not have the title of Hero of the USSR, they would at least have been given the title of Hero of Belarus, because he was a native of Belarus and fought on its territory in such incredibly difficult conditions. But in Belarus they also refused, justified by the fact that the events of that time took place when Belarus itself did not yet exist as an independent state. But I am sure that if Alexander Grigoryevich had shown his perseverance, the title of Hero of Belarus could have been given to his father!

In order to restore all the details of your father's life, you searched for his colleagues for a long time, studied archival documents, communicated with relatives ... What did you find out in the course of a long search? What was your father like?

My father grew up as an orphan, loved to study, read a lot, especially about wars, historical events, legendary figures. In 1929, he met his future wife and my mother, Augustina Muravska. A year later, I was born, and two more years later, fascism began to emerge in Germany, a party draft into the army was announced, and my father responded to it. He did not have a special military education, but he was rescued by erudition and erudition, a willingness to take on the most difficult and at the same time real concern for people. According to numerous recollections of his colleagues, in less than 30 years, the soldiers called him "Dad", "father"! And that says a lot...

My father also served in the 23rd Kharkov Rifle Division, which was also called the Red Banner Division, and its fighters at one time smashed the troops of Krasnov, Denikin, Wrangel, etc. During the Great Patriotic War, this division fought near Stalingrad, on the Kursk Bulge, and liberated the father's homeland - the Vitebsk region.

- What do you remember about your father personally?

- Unfortunately, I was only 11 years old when I saw him for the last time. Perhaps it is precisely because I saw my father in fits and starts that I remember every moment of our communication: playing chess, playing music, and checking homework. I even remember the smell of his tunic and sword belt, crispy belts and soap. What a pity that he left my life so early ... He was strict and at the same time attentive, sensitive. I remember one moment very well: I, like all the boys of that time, loved to play "in the war", and my father made me a wooden saber, which I was very proud of. But when playing with the guys, the saber broke. When my father came home from work, I cried in despair. Seeing this, he said, “Don't cry! I'll make you a new one." I could hardly believe it - because he is so busy! I don't know how he found the time, but he made me a sword. And I still regret that then I doubted him, did not believe ...

It is known that your father ended up in Brest because he was slandered. Why do you think, at the peak of a seemingly brilliant career, he is suddenly transferred to Brest with a demotion?

Yes, indeed, in March 1941, the transfer of my father to Brest was unexpected. His colleagues said that at that time Fomin's translation was perceived as an expression of trust in him: since they are being transferred to Brest, it means that they are strengthening the western border. There have already been rumors that there is trouble there. But my mother and I were tormented by the question: why was my father humiliated on the eve of the war by an undeserved demotion - they made him deputy commander for political affairs with the rationale that he allegedly could not cope with the duties of a political officer of the division. By the way, the rank of regimental commissar was still left.

Studying the archives of the Ministry of Defense, I could not figure it out for a long time - almost everywhere there are good characteristics! But in one of the Lithuanian attestations, it was stated that Commissar Fomin had an armchair style of work and, in general, he was engaged in "rotten liberalism." But colleagues argued the opposite: if the father could be found in the office, then very rarely, because he spent all the time with the fighters! By the way, the division itself, one of the best in Kharkov, in this document was called lagging behind in all types of combat and political training, and all the blame was placed on the father. In general, the discrepancy between what I learned about my father from his colleagues and what I read in archival documents was striking. Everyone knew: this is a slander. Probably, he greatly interfered with someone, perhaps by the fact that he often showed disagreement with the higher authorities and was too enterprising and independent.

“But you got that demotion order overturned. Tell me how!

I still managed to get in touch with one of those who signed my father's negative attestation, the former deputy head of the political propaganda department of the 2nd Rifle Corps, which included my father's division in 1940-41. His first answer was unequivocal: “I don’t know, I didn’t sign anything.” Second: "Yes, I signed." They say that the materials were presented by the commission, but he himself had never been in the division, he personally had no complaints against Fomin. And suddenly, unexpectedly, he confessed: “The content of the attestation signed by me for your father shows that authoritative pressure was put on me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have signed it."

The deputy head of the department never said that. But one admission that he was under pressure was enough. I wanted to get the demotion order canceled, so in September 1989 I sent a letter to the USSR Minister of Defense Yazov and asked to reconsider my father's case. After the letter went through various departments and departments, they answered me: there are no grounds for reviewing the case and there will be no cancellation of the order, respectively. But his colleagues stood up for the honor of his father. According to veterans, the Ministry of Defense simply did not want to get to the heart of the matter. They demanded that the minister once again return to the case of the regimental commissar Fomin - they sent a second letter in the 90th year. In a response letter from the ministry, it was about the abolition of false accusations and the restoration of his father in his former position of military commissar posthumously.

- When did you last see your father?

That's when, at the station, when he was escorted on March 29, 1941 to Brest. More - never, neither alive nor dead. But news from him reached two or three times: now a letter, then a phone call. Of the three letters that he wrote from Brest, one is still kept as a relic in my family. He wrote to his mother that the situation around was difficult, there was a lot of work in the regiment, but he would try to pull the regiment into the front lines. Father believed in better times, for which he worked. And early in the morning of June 19, 1941, my mother heard my father's voice in the receiver for the last time. My father took an interest in our life, my studies, the situation in general.

Mom then told him that many commanders send their families to the east, deep into the Union, and asked how we should be. The father replied that in which case, do as everyone else. And he also promised, if possible, to come for us. The next day, he received a warrant for an apartment, and they gave him permission to travel. On Saturday evening, June 21, 1941, he already went to the station. Only none of the trains had tickets! He waited almost until midnight, and then, feeling something was wrong, he returned to the fortress. It turns out that he just went to bed, as soon as at 4 in the morning - the war. By the way, it was the fighters of the 84th regiment, where my father was the eldest, who delivered the first counterattack to the Germans!

- What did you manage to learn about the last minutes of your father's life?

There are inaccuracies in the date of his death. In the Brest Fortress, on a memorial plaque, this is June 30, 1941. But I have information that he died later - in early July. His colleagues also spoke about this, and there is this in one of the messages of the Ministry of Defense. He was shot... But, probably, they could hardly not have been shot, because the fascists knew the role of commissars in the Red Army well. Kirov, and Kuibyshev, and Ordzhonikidze and many other figures of the Soviet state were commissars. The Nazis feared them and hated them.

But your father was considered missing for a long time. How did you manage to find out that he is actually a hero?

Until I arrived in Brest in July 1951, we knew nothing. But they were sure: he could not go missing, he was not such a person! In Brest, I learned that as a result of excavations in the Brest Fortress, carried out in the autumn of 1950, the remains of 34 Soviet soldiers who fought against the Nazis were found in one of the barracks in the central part of the fortress. At the same time they found a commander's bag - a planchette, and in it - half-decayed sheets of Order No. 1 of June 24, 1941, which later became famous, which spoke of uniting the defenders of the fortress into a single consolidated detachment and creating a single command headed by Zubachev and Fomin.

One thing remained unclear - why was the tablet with the order found in the ruins not at the Kholmsky Gate, where my father originally fought? Later, with the help of my father’s living comrades-in-arms, I found out that on the night of June 24, the Nazis pulled up a special battery to the embankment of the South Island and hit the barracks, the defense of which was led by Fomin, with direct fire. The building was dilapidated, and in its basements there were seriously wounded, women and children. That is why the commissioner gives the order to withdraw. In addition, next to, to the right of the Brest Gates, it was easier to unite and thereby strengthen the defense. It is here that he holds a meeting of commanders and from here sends messengers with a message about the formation of a single command.

It was after Order No. 1 was found that the world learned the names of the heroes of the defense of the Brest Fortress. Have you seen any of them?

I sent a letter to Moscow addressed to Voroshilov, then Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, and to the USSR Ministry of Defense with a request to take measures to search for the surviving defenders of the Brest Fortress and excavate its ruins in order to establish the true picture of the defense of the fortress. I did not receive an answer from Voroshilov, and from the Ministry of Defense they informed me that the district in which Brest is located does not have the opportunity to conduct excavations in the fortress. Apparently, the officials of the military department were not very worried about the fate of the heroes of the Brest Fortress. Although, most likely, the most important thing for them was that many of these soldiers were forced to go through fascist captivity, and then any information about the prisoners was taboo.

Only after Stalin's death did the writer and researcher-historian of the defense of the fortress Sergei Smirnov, whose book the film was based on, be able to get to the bottom of the truth. I met him in 1956, when the defenders of the Brest Fortress first got together in Moscow and celebrated the 15th anniversary of the defense. Already in Brest I met with Petya Klypa, Gavrilov, Fil, Matevosyan. I saw Gavrilov several times, asked if he had seen his father. He told me that only a few times he received notes from him through a messenger that it was necessary to join forces. From the film, of course, it is difficult to understand that they were in different parts of the fortress, but in fact it is. The fortress is big. Father and Zubachev were in the central part, and Gavrilov was in the northern part.

- In your opinion, what other characters should be shown in the film, who were not mentioned?

Of course, it’s impossible to show everyone, we simply don’t know many heroes! It is enough to take a walk around the Brest Fortress to see how many “graves” there are for unknown soldiers. In the film, we see the war as if through the eyes of a boy - the prototype of Petya Klypa - a pupil of a musical platoon, which, under fire, penetrated into the most remote corners of the fortress, sought out and brought weapons, ammunition, food, water to the wounded and children to the fighters. But there was also his friend Kolya Novikov, also a pupil of the musical platoon. There was also Valya Zenkina, the daughter of the foreman of the music platoon, who crossed the bridge under fire from both sides in order to convey the message to the defenders of the fortress that they had to surrender or they would be destroyed. There was also the daughter of one of the senior political officers - 12-year-old Lida Sinaeva, who delivered valuable information that helped the Soviet troops prevent the explosions of many buildings and industrial enterprises in Brest, as well as the railway bridge. By the way, it seems to me that Zubachev's feat should also be given attention, because he was the leader of a group of fighters along with his father.

- Do you know anything about the families of your father's associates?

Gavrilov himself did not know anything about the fate of Major Gavrilov's wife and son for a long time and could not find out even after the end of the war. He came to Brest, made inquiries to various authorities, but in vain. Two assumptions were made: either they died in the fortress, or they were shot in Zhabinka along with other families of commanders.

Demobilized, Gavrilov went to the Kuban and eventually got married again. And suddenly, in Brest, when his name was named among the names of other heroes of the defense of the fortress, a local resident came to visit him and said that his first wife was alive, but was in a nursing home, since she had been paralyzed for several years. Gavrilov immediately visited her and found out that her son was also alive, serving in the army. He took his wife with him to Krasnodar, where Gavrilov's second wife met her like a sister. She took care of her until her death...