The Crimean peninsula has a long and interesting history. Sevastopol, a primordially Russian city, has experienced many heroic pages during its existence. Not far from the city is Sapun Gora, with which the glorious events of the Great Patriotic War are associated, a 28-meter obelisk of Glory rises on it with a museum and a diorama of the battles of the spring of 1944. This location offers stunning views of the area.
Hill near Sevastopol
The mountains of the Crimean peninsula stretch from northeast to southwest, forming three ridges. The outermost of them begins with a hill near Sevastopol and is called Sapun-Gora, in Tatar - "soapy". From it, the hill stretches to the city of Stary Krym and is a natural rampart that encloses the coast of the peninsula. It was these geographical features that contributed to the fact that good conditions were created for the defense of naval bases from land.
This height was key in the battles for the city of Sevastopol in the Crimean War and World War II. Just a few minutes of climbing by car - height231 meters above sea level, but this elevation provides dominance over the southern side of the city and view of the road from Y alta to Sevastopol.
Today this place is actively visited by tourists. For them, a special advantage is that the Crimea, Sapun Gora and other attractions provide an opportunity to combine outdoor activities in beautiful nature, aesthetic enjoyment of stunning views with educational excursions and a touch of history.
The Great Patriotic War
In 1941-1942, with heavy losses, German troops managed to capture Sevastopol after a 250-day siege. The main battles took place on Sapun Gora, where many German soldiers were killed. The soldiers of the Fifty-First and Primorsky armies retreated to Chersonese, but they knew that they would return to these places. I had to wait almost two years. In 1944, Soviet troops drove the Nazis out of their native land, and they were to liberate the Crimea. And again, the peak in front of Sevastopol was used, but already by the enemy, as a natural basis for creating a three-echelon line of fortifications. The fiercest battles unfolded here, which determined the success of the entire offensive operation and the complete liberation of the peninsula.
Enemy hopes
After 1943, the strategic initiative in the great war passed to the side of the Soviet Union. In March 1944, Soviet troops appeared on some sections of the border. All this meant that the liberation of the native land was approaching. But the resistance of the enemy became even more fierce. German bases in the Crimea wereblocked, but continued to fight. Hitler believed that their abandonment would entail the exit from the war of the Balkan allies, which could not be allowed. The Germans in the Crimea, in fact, were doomed to defeat, but their task was, as far as possible, to tie down the forces of the Soviet armies. For this, Sapun Gora was fortified with three lines of defense. They were equipped with a long strip of trenches, long-term firing points of various types, both earthen and reinforced concrete. Taking the height by storm was incredibly difficult. But the domestic troops gained rich experience in fighting, took more than one height, the command prepared the penultimate battle of the offensive operation for the Crimea.
Preparing for the assault
On the move, the Soviet troops failed to take the natural barrier with the enemy fortified on it. Therefore, almost a month-long preparation for the assault began. The command planned to launch an offensive on May 5 with secondary forces through the Mikenzeev Upland and reach the city from the north. This maneuver was supposed to be primarily a distraction.
A day later, the main forces will begin an offensive from the left flank. Their goal will be Sapun Gora, Sevastopol from the south side. Several weeks remained to prepare the troops. Recruits were dispersed among experienced soldiers and trained to take the fortifications created here for training. Suvorov's science of winning came in handy in full measure: ingenuity, good eye, detours and careful actions without unnecessary risk. The soldiers were especially taught to see the battlefield, to distinguish between the enemy's fortifications and to take them purposefully. These days I had towork and exploration. Thanks to her efforts, even before the main offensive, several enemy firing points revealed themselves, and the captured "tongues" gave a complete alignment in terms of equipment and the number of troops.
Battle for Sapun Mountain
At 9 o'clock in the morning on May 7, 1944, powerful artillery preparation began, which was supposed to precede the offensive of the Soviet troops. Aviation and Katyushas blew up the ground with their volleys, covering enemy firing points. For an hour the noise of the fire did not stop, everything that could be done to facilitate the advance was done. At 10:30 a.m., a red rocket signaled the advance of the infantry on the front line of the enemy fortifications. And, although the fighters acted exceptionally well-coordinated, the six-tier enemy defense with minefields, barbed wire and hidden firing points did not allow them to immediately capture the front fortifications.
An hour later, the movement stopped, the sappers, under enemy fire, still managed to make several passes through the wire and minefields of the Germans. Soviet soldiers moved into the enemy's trenches, but were rebuffed. For another hour and a half, the trenches changed hands several times, until, finally, on one of the flanks, our soldiers captured the front line of the Nazi defense.
There was a steep climb ahead. Sapun Gora groaned from the explosions of mines and grenades, machine-gun fire. And in this mess, step by step, clinging to every stone, the Russian soldier advanced. By 2 pm, the first position of the German defense was captured along the perimeter of the entire height. This promotion amounted to a formalin terms of only 50-100 meters. But less than an hour later, the second line of defense was broken.
Sapun Mountain taken
There was so little left to reach the top, but it meant very little. If we stop the advance, then with a high degree of probability all our troops will simply slide down. You can't stop. Overcoming enemy fire, using the skill acquired in training, the soldiers moved forward. At the very top, a sacrament took place, which was no longer seen by observers from the command post. Only explosions of grenades and bursts of machine guns. Soon a hand-to-hand fight began. The artillery ran out of shells, the aviation had a supply of bombs. By 20:00, the long-awaited red flags turned red on the ridge, the battle on Sapun Gora was coming to an end along with such a difficult, intense and long day.
Enemy counterattack
Having lost their positions on the top of the mountain, the Germans were not ready to surrender the city. Hoping that the Soviet troops, exhausted over the past day, would not be able to repel new attacks, they prepared a counteroffensive for the next morning. But our command during the night managed to strengthen and replenish the advanced lines with new units and, accordingly, prepare to repel the attack. During the day, our soldiers endured eleven new enemy offensives, withstood and held the defense of an important height. How many soldiers died on this peak during these two days! The capture of Sapun Gora cost our troops the lives of 80 thousand Soviet soldiers. The Germans lost 30 thousand. Well, those who go on the assault always lose more. May 9, 1944 (isn't it true,interesting date?) Sevastopol was liberated from Nazi invaders.
Memory
These sacred places - Sapun Gora, Sevastopol - will remain so forever by the right of the sacrifice that was made by thousands of soldiers who laid down their lives for freedom from the Nazi yoke. For ten years, except for scarlet fiery poppies, nothing grew on the top. The battles for the liberation of Europe were still going on, the hydra of fascism had not yet been destroyed, and two obelisks had already been erected on the slope of Sapun Gora in honor of the fighters of the Primorsky Army and the 51st Army, who stormed the height. In May 1945, the museum began to operate, in which the first exhibits appeared - witnesses of the great battles in these places. After 15 years, the museum was reconstructed, a new building was built in its place, in which there was a diorama of the battle on May 7, 1944. 20 years after the battles, the obelisk of the Primorsky Army was modernized and a modern memorial complex was laid.
Diorama "Sapun Mountain"
The years of the terrible war are farther away from us. It is getting harder and harder to imagine what happened on the battlefields in those distant times. Diorama, as a form of modern art, helps to plunge into the atmosphere of battle and feel, at least in part, the smell of gunpowder, fear and pain at the sight of dying comrades, the cruelty of what is happening. The diorama "Sapun Mountain, assault on May 7" is one of the largest of its kind in the world. Its size is twenty-five and a half meters by five and a half. With the help of technical means, pictorial techniques and subject frontplan achieved the effect of the presence of the viewer during the battle, he becomes a witness to the exploits captured by the painters. The creators of the diorama - the artists of the studio of M. B. Grekov Petr M altsev, Georgy Marchenko, Nikolai Prisekin - carried out a great search and research work. Their work is not just fiction, it is a depiction of real events according to the words and descriptions of eyewitnesses.
Park near the memorial of glory
After viewing the diorama, visitors go to the balcony and see the real place of the battle, guess the places shown by the artists. This further enhances the impressions received from the image of the battle. There is a park near the museum. His landing was an incredibly difficult job, because rocky soil prevailed there. It has an exhibition of military equipment from the times of the Great Patriotic War. Self-propelled guns, tanks, glorious combat Katyushas. Nearby are captured German guns that have even retained their own color. Closer to the road, ship guns and other military equipment are displayed. On some tourist sites of Crimea, the Sapun Gora map shows all the memorable places and the route of movement for tourists who prefer to see all the sights on their own.
Temple-chapel
It so happened that each generation has contributed to preserving and honoring the memory of the dead. Sapun Gora - photos taken before and after 1995 have changed due to the construction of a small chapel. Within a few months, this religious building was erected. Angel witha cross on the top of a truncated cone, a mosaic icon at the entrance, the image of St. George the Victorious inside - this is a continuation of the traditions of Russian architecture, combined with new modern trends. The chapel is an active temple, where services are performed in memory of the deceased soldiers - defenders of the Fatherland.
Celebrations at the Memorial of Remembrance
For the last fifteen years there have been solemn events dedicated to the Day of the Great Victory and the liberation of the city of Sevastopol at the Sapun Gora memorial. How to get there these days?
Veterans brought in special vehicles, reconstruction of military vehicles and motorcycles of the 40s. Others who want to see these places can take routes No. 107 and 71. In addition to the usual holiday regulations, the "Banners of Glory" action is held at the memorial, near the obelisk of the Primorsky Army. The banners of those military units and ships that defended Sevastopol in 1942 and liberated the city in the spring of 1944 are solemnly brought to the monument. Veterans lay flowers at the foot of the obelisk in memory of their comrades who did not return from battle. In the afternoon, motocross competitions are held on the slope of Sapun Gora.
Historical reconstruction
It is gratifying that young people also pay tribute to the heroic past. The reconstruction of the assault on Sapun Gora, carried out by youth public organizations and historical clubs of Sevastopol, has already become traditional. On the Sunday closest to the date of May 7, grenades explode again on the mountainside, scribblemachine guns and Soviet soldiers are going hand-to-hand against the "fritzes" who have settled in the trenches. History comes alive. Every year, thousands of spectators gather here, who experience these memorable events and can see with their own eyes the heroism and courage of soldiers capturing the height in the memorable spring of 1944. And, although the battle lasts only half an hour, this is enough to plunge into history and remember forever that our freedom and peaceful sky are fully paid for by the blood of our great-grandfathers, who stained this land with it. Everyone can take part in the reconstruction. An important condition is early registration and independent provision of the form and attributes.
