Nikolay erastovich berzarin 1904 1945. Nikolay erastovich berzarin. The Great Patriotic War

Soviet military leader, Hero of the Soviet Union (April 6, 1945), the first commandant of Berlin taken by Soviet troops, Colonel General (April 20, 1945). Born April 1, 1904 in the city of St. Petersburg in a working class family.

His brother and 4 sisters were left without parents early: his father died in 1917, his mother in 1918. In 1913 he entered evening courses at the Petrograd elementary school, finished his education with a specialty "bookbinder". On October 14, 1918, he voluntarily joined the Red Army and fought on the Northern Front against the White Guards and British troops. In 1921 he took part in the suppression of the Kronstadt uprising, and as an assistant to the head of the machine-gun team and platoon commander - in the defeat of rebel detachments in the Amur Region (1924). In 1923 he graduated from the command staff courses.

Since 1922, a member of the Komsomol. Since 1926, after completing training courses for infantry officers in Moscow, he was a member of the CPSU (b). In 1925, he married a savings bank employee, Natalya Prosinyuk, with whom they had two daughters: Larisa (1926) and Irina (1938). In 1925 he graduated from the machine-gun courses at the Comintern's Shooting-tactical courses of improvement of the command personnel of the Red Army "Shot" and in 1927 - re-graduated from the courses of the command personnel of the Siberian Military District. In 1927 he returned to Siberia, where he was appointed commander of the training unit of the school of commanders in Irkutsk. He actively participates in battles at the Chinese Eastern Railway, after which he continues to serve in the Far East for many years. From 1931 he commanded a company, then from 1933 he served at the OKDVA headquarters in Khabarovsk as an assistant to the chief of the combat training department and as a commander for special assignments. Since 1934, at the headquarters of the Primorsky Group of Forces. Since 1935 - commander and military commissar (since 1936) of a rifle regiment of the 26th rifle division. In August 1937 he was appointed chief of the 2nd department of the headquarters of the Primorsky group of forces.

From June 1938 he commanded the 32nd Infantry Division. In this position, he took part in the battles at Lake Khasan. In February 1939, he was appointed commander of the 59th rifle corps of the OKDVA, and in July 1940, deputy commander of the 1st Red Banner Army of the Far Eastern Front. On June 4, 1940, he was promoted to major general. Since May 1941 - Commander of the 27th Army of the Baltic Special Military District. He entered the Great Patriotic War as the commander of this army, participated in the Baltic defensive operation, then defended in the area of ​​Lake Seliger as part of the North-Western Front. From December 1941 he commanded the 34th Army of the North-Western Front; participated in the Demyansk operation in 1942. From October 1942 he was deputy commander of the 61st Army, and later the 20th Army. In March 1943, he was seriously wounded near Vyazma, after which he was in a military hospital until August 1943. Lieutenant General (April 28, 1943). From September 1943 - Commander of the 39th Army on the Western, Kalinin and 1st Baltic Fronts. Participated in the winter offensive battles of 1943-1944 in the Vitebsk direction (Vitebsk offensive operation).

From May 1944 he commanded the 5th Shock Army on the 3rd Ukrainian Front and on the 1st Belorussian Front from October 1944. He distinguished himself in the offensive operations of the Soviet Armed Forces: Yassko-Chisinau (his army liberated Chisinau), in the Vistula-Oder (Berzarin's army broke through the German defenses and ensured the entry into the breakthrough of the front shock grouping - the 2nd Guards Tank Army), in the Berlin operations. On the approaches to Berlin, the army advanced as part of the main strike grouping of the front, and in the storming of Berlin, the 5th Shock Army under command was entrusted with a combat mission of particular importance - to seize the area of ​​government quarters located in the city center, including the imperial office where the headquarters was located Hitler. The shock army entered Berlin's Marzahn district on 21 April.

Considering the most successful advancement of the 5th Shock Army during the storming of Berlin and the outstanding personal qualities of its commander, who was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on the eve of the Berlin operation, Marshal Zhukov appoints April 24, 1945 the first Soviet commandant and head of the Soviet garrison in Berlin. On April 28, 1945, signed order No. 1 "On the transfer of all power in Berlin to the hands of the Soviet military commandant's office" was published. The city commandant's office was located in the Lichtenberg area (German: Lichtenberg), while the headquarters of the Soviet garrison, which was also subordinate to him, was located in the Karlshorst area. As city commander, he advocates for the restoration of order, creates the city police and provides orders for the supply of the population. In addition, he invites the first post-war magistrate and is concerned about the revitalization of cultural life in the city.

On June 16, 1945, he died in a car accident at the intersection of Schlossstrasse and Wilhelmstrasse (now Am Tirpark and Alfred Kowalke Strasse) in the Berlin district of Friedrichsfelde (German Friedrichsfelde). His death gave rise to several versions of death, rumors and legends.

According to the first version, the cause of the accident was the fact that the general had previously ridden around Berlin on a two-wheeled American Harley motorcycle. That morning, for the first time, he sat behind the wheel of a trophy German "Zündapp KS 750" with a sidecar, which was given to him the day before, which was called the "green elephant" for its size and weight. At the intersection of Schlossstrasse-Wilhelmstrasse, a convoy of Soviet trucks with construction materials was crossing the line. The general's motorcycle at a speed of 70 km / h approached the intersection, and the general, deciding to slip through the column, pressed the gas. However, the lack of skills to ride a motorcycle with a sidecar affected, lost control, and hitting the left side of the truck, received multiple severe injuries to the head and chest, and died on the spot. His orderly, who was sitting in a motorcycle sidecar, perished with him. This version, as "official", was submitted to Stalin in Moscow. According to the testimony of the German historian-researcher, author of the biographical book, director of the German-Russian Museum in Karlshorst, Dr. Peter Jan, traces of alcohol were also found in the blood during autopsy. The truck driver also had a serious intoxication stage.

According to another version, which was also voiced by Dr. Peter Jan, according to the testimony of one witness of the accident, there was no convoy of trucks. The motorcycle at full speed ran into a high stone curb with its front wheel and the motorcyclist, flying out of the saddle, flew a large arc in the air.

The third version comes from Fritz Kovirschke, the driver of the large Berlin semi-underground entrepreneur F. Aschinger, with whom he had to deal in connection with the supply of food to the city. Once the general took an expensive sports "Horch" with license plates IA-7001 from Aschinger's company. Soon, his "Horch" was involved in a fatal accident on the AFUS race track near Berlin.

This year of the 70th anniversary of the Victory is filled with many memorable dates. Here is one of them.

Two weeks before the surrender of Germany, Marshal Zhukov appointed Colonel-General, Hero of the Soviet Union, as Soviet military commandant of Berlin Nikolay Erastovich Berzarin, commander of the 5th Shock Army. She was the first of the Red Army formations to enter Berlin in the Marzahn area and on April 29 took the Reich Chancellery, stormed the buildings of the Gestapo and the Reich Ministry of Aviation.

Nikolay Erastovich Berzarin. Painting by A. I. Plotnov

Nikolay Erastovichdid a lot to restore a peaceful life in the German capital. FFederal Minister of Germany Ernst Lemmer in 1968 in his book “Something was different after all. Memories of a German Democrat " talked about the activities of the first commandant : "Berzarin took his assignment so seriously and took it so naturally, as if he had to carry it out in his country."

Resolution of the Military Council of the 1st Belorussian Front on the supply of food to the population of Berlin No. 063 11 May 1945 (excerpt)
In pursuance of the GKOK decree No. 8450s of May 8, 1945, the Military Council of the 1st Belorussian Front decides:
1. Based on the standards of food supply established by the GOCO for the city of Berlin on average per person per day: bread 400-450 g, cereals 50 g, meat 60 g, fat 15 g, sugar 20 g, natural coffee 50 g, tea 20 g , potatoes and vegetables, dairy products, salt and other foodstuffs at local rates, depending on the availability of resources.

The general worked as a commandant for only 54 days, but managed to do a lot. Already on May 13, the daily ration for the distribution of bread to the population was practically the same as in the USSR: 400 - 500 g.

The city has partially resumed electricity and traffic on some bus lines and in metro, the first post-war concerts and performances took place Berlin Chamber Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, Opera House, Deutsche Theater, hosted the first football match, Berlin radio went on, the police came out again, classes in Berlin schools resumed, the first Jewish religious service took place, and people in festive clothes appeared.

At the beginning of June, several varieties of beer were sold in the city, including the strongest nine-degree, on June 15, Berzarin gave an international press conference, where he spoke about the success in the restoration of Berlin, spoke about plans for the future. But the next day he died tragically in a car accident:

"Moscow Kremlin. To Comrade Stalin

Today, June 16, at 8:15 am in Berlin, the Hero of the Soviet Union, the commander of the 5th Shock Army and the commandant of the city of Berlin, Berzarin Nikolai Erastovich, died from a motorcycle accident in Berlin.

Death occurred under the following circumstances.

At 8. 00 Com. Berzarin on a motorcycle with a sidecar went to the location of the army headquarters. Driving along Schlossstrasse streets at a speed of 60-70 km, at the intersection with Wilhelmstrasse (the current corner of the streets of Am Tirpark ( Am tierpark ) and Alfred-Kovalkestraße ( Alfred - Kowalker Strasse, - approx. ed.),

where a convoy of trucks was passed by a traffic controller, Berzarin, without slowing down and, apparently, having lost control, crashed into the left side of a Ford-6 truck.

As a result of the disaster, Berzarin received a fractured skull, fractures of his right arm and right leg, destruction of the chest with instant death. Together with him, his orderly, the Red Army soldier Polyakov, who was in the wheelchair, died.

Considering the special services to the Motherland, as well as the undesirability of leaving the grave in the future on the territory of Germany, I ask your permission for the funeral of Comrade Berzarin in Moscow, delivered by plane. Family comrade Berzarina, consisting of a wife and two children, lives in Moscow.

Commander of the 1st White Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union Zhukov.

Member of the Military Council of the 1st Baltic Fleet, Lieutenant General Telegin.

16.6.1945 ".

There is a version that it was a terrorist attack of the Nazi underground "Werewolf".More than 10 thousand townspeople saw off the general on his last journey. In 1946, one of the squares of Berlin ( Baltenplatz ) and the Peterburgershtrasse street ( Peterburgerstarsse ) were named after the Soviet general, and in 1975 the magistrate of East Berlin conferred on the general the title of honorary citizen of the city.

After the unification of Germany, the first commandant was stripped of his honorary citizenship in 1992. There were "historians" who accused the general of taking part in the deportation of 47 thousand Latvians in 1941. Only in 1999, with the active participation of the historian Peter Jan, director of the German-Russian Museum in Berlin's Karlshorst district, it was proved that Berzarin was transferred to the Baltic states in May 1941, when the deportations had already ended. The accusations that Berzarin were “ governor of the bloody dictator Stalin". The expert opinion drawn up in 2000 emphasized that Nikolay Berzarin : “Showed amazing tolerance and mercy, was engaged in charity work, personally contributed to the revival of the spiritual and cultural life of the city. Thanks to this man, thousands of hungry Germans received food and water in destroyed Berlin. " " Nikolai Berzarin, - said the Chairman of the Berlin Parliament, Social Democrat Walter Momper / SPD /, was a fierce and merciless fighter against fascism, ... not just a Soviet general, but also a sincere person who provided real help to Berliners in the difficult post-war period. "

In general, it took 12 years to return the honorary title to the general. This was supported by all parties represented in the city parliament, with the exception of the Christian Democrats. The final decision was made in February 2003, after which portraits of honorary citizens Marlene Dietrich and Nikolai Berzarin appeared in the Berlin Chamber of Deputies. In total, the list includes about 40 people. Among Russian citizens, except for Berzarin, Emperor Nikolai is included in it. I , pilot-cosmonaut Valery Bykovsky and Mikhail Gorbachev.

Berzarin Square ( Bersarinplatz ) remained on the city map, but Berzarin street ( Bersarinstrasse ), which went to her from the metro station "Franfurter Tor" ( Frankfurter tor ) that at the end of Karl Marx Alley ( Karl marx allee ), returned the old name Peterburgerstrasse.

A bronze bas-relief of the general was installed on the building where the commandant's office was located in 1945. Moreover, the German musical group "Berzarin-Quartet" released the hit "In Memory of the Soviet Commandant."

At the post of military commandant and commander of the 5th Shock Army, Berzarin was replaced by Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel-General A.V. Gorbatov, one of the best officers of the Red Army. He is an extremely honest, straightforward, courageous man, very competent in military affairs. In 1938 he was arrested. Despite the cruel torture, he pleaded not guilty and did not incriminate anyone. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison, but after a review of the case in March 1941 he was reinstated in the army.
In 1992, Gorbatov was filmed

The name of the Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel-General Nikolai Erastovich Berzarin, is now known to few people. Maybe someone will remember that he was the commandant of Berlin in May-June 1945, but that's all. Even fewer will say that he is an honorary citizen of Berlin.

But the combination itself - the commandant of the occupied city, who is also its honorary citizen - arouses a legitimate interest.

And within the framework of continuous attempts to "de-Sovietize" our entire history as a period of absolute evil and inhumanity, this episode is of particular interest.

On April 24, 1945, Marshal Zhukov appointed the commander of the 5th Shock Army N.E. Berzarin as the first Soviet commandant and head of the Soviet garrison in Berlin. And on April 28 was published Order No. 1 "On the transfer of all power in Berlin into the hands of the Soviet military commandant's office."

In Internet sources, this period is described very sparingly: “As the city commandant, he advocates the restoration of order, creates the city police and provides orders for the supply of the population. In addition, he invites the first post-war magistrate and is concerned about the revitalization of cultural life in the city.
N.E. Berzarin was in the position of commandant of Berlin for 54 days. "

Let's consider these "54 days" in more detail.

Source - Journal "Russia - XXI", No. 5, 2014, article by Igor Maksimychev "The place of the GDR in the history of the XX century." The article deals with the issues of post-war relations between the USSR, East and West Germany, and the West as a whole. The full article can be read, pp. 22-41.

“The process of post-war reconciliation between Russians and Germans began in East Germany. Its foundation was laid by the Soviet soldiers who entered the German soil, on whose shoulders lay the mission not only to win the bloodiest war in the history of mankind, but also to help the defeated Germans survive among the ruins that ended the military adventure they themselves had begun. A short, but perhaps the most important episode in the biography of Colonel-General N.E. Berzarin, associated with Berlin, clearly tells about this side of the feat of arms of the Red Army.

The commander of the 5th Shock Army that stormed the capital of the Reich, Berzarin was on April 24, 1945, even before the end of hostilities within the city, was appointed head of the Berlin garrison. On May 2, after the end of the fighting in the capital of the Reich, he became the first military commandant of Berlin. A career soldier who took part in the battles near Lake Khasan in the Far East and went through the entire Great Patriotic War "from bell to bell", he immediately devoted all his energetic energy and organizational talent to saving Berliners from the consequences of the many-day and bloody final battle of the war. After the surrender, the city was a heap of ruins with a volume of more than 75 million cubic meters. More than 600 thousand apartments were destroyed, all vital arteries - electricity, water, gas and sewerage - were disabled. In Berlin, practically wiped out from the face of the earth, Berzarin had to rebuild the city's infrastructure, establish medical services for the population, supply people with water, gas and electricity, take care of the rescue of cultural figures and children, and ensure the supply of food and basic necessities. It is thanks to the feat of saving the city, which has essentially ceased to exist, that the Soviet general has forever remained in the grateful memory of Berliners, who began a new peaceful life unexpectedly soon and without additional shocks. By the way, the Act of Germany's unconditional surrender was signed in the building of the former Wehrmacht engineering school in the Berlin suburb of Karlshorst, which originally housed the headquarters of the 5th Shock Army. It was Berzarin who proposed to G.M. Zhukov to hold a surrender ceremony there: all other buildings suitable for this purpose in Berlin were destroyed.

On May 4, Berlin radio started working again. On May 13, the first bus lines became operational; on the same day the first concert of the Berlin Chamber Orchestra took place. On May 14, the first metro lines were put into operation. On May 15, the first Berlin newspaper was published - the organ of the Soviet occupation authorities in German "Taglihe Rundschau" ("Daily Review"). The next day, the first 30 cinemas opened in the city. On May 19, Berlin's first democratic magistrate, headed by the liberal politician Arthur Werner, began to work. On the same day, the Berlin police began to form. The first post-war football match took place on 20 May. A day later, the first German newspaper, the Berliner Zeitung, began to appear.
On May 26, the first concert of the Berlin Philharmonic took place; the next day - the first theatrical performance at the Renaissance Theater.
May 30 was a watershed moment in the city's electricity supply, with electricity being supplied to 11 of Berlin's 21 districts on a permanent basis. Classes in Berlin schools resumed on June 1. On June 7, Berzarin gave an order to increase the baking of bread for the population by 50%. On June 10, the German Theater on Schumann Strasse opened. June 15th
the central committee of the Berlin branch of the SPD was formed. On the same day, the first performance of the Berlin Opera took place.
On June 18, the Berlin School of Fine Arts opened its doors. In the city, epidemics were not allowed, its population increased (due to the return of people who fled from hostilities) in a month from one million at the end of the fighting to three million at the time of issuing new food ration cards. Nowhere in Germany has the return to normal, peaceful life been more rapid than in Berlin.

In 1946, in the still unified Berlin, in memory of its first military commandant, who had died a year earlier in an absurd road accident, Berzarin Square (formerly Balten Platz) and Berzarin Street (former Petersburger Highway) appeared.

In 1975, on the 30th anniversary of the Victory, the first military commander of the city was awarded the title of an honorary citizen of Berlin (the capital of the GDR).

Both times, the city authorities took appropriate decisions on the initiative of the Berliners themselves. After the annexation of the GDR to the FRG, the new city leadership with the predominant influence of the West Berlin CDU began to eradicate the memory of the USSR from the history of Berlin. The population of the Berlin district of Friedrichshain managed to defend the preservation of the name of Berzarin Square, but Berzarin Street began to be called Petersburger Strasse. In 1992, Berzarin's name was not included in the revised list of honorary citizens of the unified Berlin, which sparked vigorous protests in both parts of the German capital. While the CDU was in power in the city, this protest, reflected in the corresponding resolution of the city parliament, was not taken into account. Only when the Berlin Senate passed into the hands of the SPD and PDS, the decision to exclude Berzarin's name from the number of honorary citizens of Berlin was canceled. It happened in February 2003 as part of a ceremony in the city parliament. The portrait of Berzarin took its place in the official gallery of honorary citizens of the city. "

As we can see, attempts to destroy the historical memory regarding the Soviet period of history are going on everywhere. This is happening especially furiously now in Ukraine.

Our home-grown "human rights defenders", although lagging behind their Ukrainian "colleagues", are working very actively in this direction. They are distinguished by assertiveness, arrogance, a sense of complete impunity and - the ability to wait. They skillfully "probe" the society for "how far is it possible" and - they act.

From the latter:

1. Kiselev's demarche on the state TV channel regarding the renaming of the Voykovskaya metro station, where he, with a disgusting grimace, “painted the crimes” of the Bolsheviks and attacked Lenin. You can read the reaction to it,

As we can see, they hid for the time being, and now they crawled out of the cracks again. And they went on the attack. But the society, which they so despise and hate, will not allow de-Sovietization now, as it did almost 5 years ago. And he will answer even more consolidated. The Germans defended Soviet history, and neither our ancestors, nor our conscience, nor History will allow us to do otherwise.

Let's return to General Berzarin and his activities as commandant of Berlin. And let us comprehend what he and our soldiers did in May-June 1945. Having shown true humanism towards the inhabitants of the defeated city, they once again demonstrated to the world that the Russian Soldier is a mission.

The mission of a defender, not a punisher. And this is the strength of Russian weapons, Russian heroism and the Russian Spirit.

On June 16, 1945, Soviet General Berzarin died in a car accident in Berlin's Friedrichsfelde district. His death gave rise to many rumors and legends.

Road to Berlin

Before the general offensive against Germany, a careful selection of the commanders of operations began. The candidacies of the marshals were not in doubt - Zhukov, Rokosovsky, Chernyakhovsky, Konev. From the commanders of a lower rank, Nikolai Erastovich Berzarin, who commanded a special 5th Army, was chosen.

Berzarin managed to fight under the command of Marshals Tolbukhin and Rokossovsky. In the summer of 1944, the 5th Shock Army, as part of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, successfully liberated part of Moldova from Chisinau and also successfully participated in the operations of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts to eliminate the Yassko-Chisinau grouping, initially being in the direction of the main attack.

After breaking through the front, units and formations of the 5th Army rushed to Berlin. Leading the offensive in the vanguard of the 1st Belorussian Front, units and formations of Berzarin's army on the evening of April 22 were the first to reach the eastern outskirts of the fascist capital.

Six days before the celebration in Moscow of the victory over Nazi Germany, Berzarin was seen off on his last journey.

The version taught to Stalin

Berzarin served in the army since 1918. All his life he invariably woke up at dawn, did exercises, doused himself with cold water, and from the time of the Iassy-Kishinev operation he sat behind the wheel of a motorcycle. Even then, the front commander Fyodor Tolbukhin made a remark to him: “What are you risking for? You don't even use a helmet. ”Berzarin replied:“ I am saving time. ”Tolbukhin retorted:“ We do not need this economy, but your life is needed. The general driving is nonsense. "

After that, Berzarin gave the motorcycle to the communications battalion, but then he saddled his favorite car again. According to the official version, the cause of the accident on June 16 was the following. The general, accustomed to driving around Berlin in a two-wheeled American Harley, got behind the wheel of the German Zündapp KS 750 with a sidecar, which was given to him the day before, and was called the “green elephant” for its size and weight. A convoy of trucks with construction materials was crossing the line. Berzarin at a speed of 70 km decided to slip through the convoy, but lost control, and, hitting the side of the truck, died on the spot.

However, accidents are described differently in different sources. Was there a convoy of trucks or was there one truck? And what did the motorcycle hit - a truck or a high stone curb?

What prompted the Soviet leadership to hide so carefully the data on an ordinary road accident? Perhaps it was not ordinary?

First Commandant of Berlin

The building where the surrender was signed in 1945 is now a German-Russian museum with an exhibition dedicated to the first commandant of Berlin after the surrender of the Reich. Berzarin headed the Soviet military administration for only 54 days, but managed to earn the gratitude of the Berliners, whom he saved from starvation. Already in the first order, the commandant ordered to give milk to sick children and newborns, to resume the work of radio and theaters, and to open schools. Soon the metro started working ... More than 10 thousand Berliners accompanied the general on his last journey. 15 thousand roses were cut in horticultures.

In 1946, the name of Berzarin was given to one of the squares of Berlin, and in 1975, the magistrate of East Berlin conferred the title of honorary citizen of the city on the general. After the unification of Germany, Berzarinplatz remained, but the honorary citizenship of the first commandant was deprived in 1992. For the return of this title to the general for 12 years, all factions in the mayor's office, except for the Christian Democrats, spoke out. As a result, Berzarin again became an honorary Berliner. His grandchildren visit Berlin almost every year at the invitation of the authorities, including the Berzarin Rally.

A bronze bas-relief on the building where Berzarin worked in 1945 and a five-pointed star with the inscription "To Berlin!" on the house that was first recaptured by his army. In 2005, in honor of the general, one of the bridges in Berlin was renamed and a birch tree was planted at the place of death. And the youth hit of many years - mystical music performed by the Berzarin Quartet - is called “In Memory of the Soviet Commandant”. True, the question of erecting a monument in front of the Brandenburg Gate is pending. The famous sculptor Anna Franziska Schwarzbach depicted the general hovering on a motorcycle at the time of his death.

But Berzarin Street in the center of Chisinau was renamed irrevocably.

"Berlin idolized him"

Passions around the death of Berzarin among historians do not subside. Here is what Peter Jan, the former director of the Museum of Capitulation, author of the book “Nikolaj Bersarin. Generaloberst. Stadtkommandant ".

Post-war Berlin idolized Berzarin. And when this second person after Zhukov died so absurdly, having spent only seven weeks in his post, rumors spread about the "hand of the NKVD." My dream is to get to the papers from the scene of the accident. The investigation was conducted by the military prosecutor of the 1st Belorussian Front, Kotlyar. The Moscow archives refused us.

Berzarin was considered a cool driver. It was not the brakes that could fail, but the heart, perhaps, something was added: the day before, on June 14, there was a reception. The situation was difficult: sabotage became more frequent, signals appeared that the Allies were preparing an invasion of the Soviet zone. Churchill ordered the storage of captured weapons so that, on occasion, they would be quickly distributed to prisoners, of whom there were up to 700,000 in the western zones.

Stalin was shocked by the death of Berzarin. On June 16, the coffin with the general's body stood in the hall, where five weeks ago he was present at the signing of the act of surrender, and then celebrated the Victory until the morning. In practice, surgeons performed plastic surgery, as the head was flattened.

Life for Bormann?

The most incredible version of Berzarin's death - the version about the party's fund - is put forward in the pseudo-documentary book "The Leader's Privy Counselor." Allegedly, Berzarin is personally behind the disappearance of Bormann - a Soviet resident - with the entire Nazi party treasury. The author relies on the fact that it was the 5th Shock Army, which was commanded by Berzarin, who stormed the Reich Chancellery, where Bormann was hiding, and it was the general who got his diary. Allegedly, Bormann was transported to Russia, and Berzarin was eliminated as an extra witness.

Death Parade: On the Condemned List

There are other versions as well. In the post-war years, mysterious events took place that led to the disgrace or death of the best commanders of the Soviet Army. The list is depressing.

On March 26, 1945, Marshal of the USSR Shaposhnikov, the chief of the USSR General Staff during the most difficult months of the war, died in the Kremlin hospital. His death seems inexplicable: he felt good and was ready to be discharged from the Kremlin hospital ...

On February 18, 1945, General Chernyakhovsky died under unclear circumstances.

In December 1945, Marshal Khudyakov, close to Malenkov and Beria, was arrested. In May 1946 - Marshal Novikov, they beat him to testify against Zhukov and Malenkov.

In June 1946, Marshal Zhukov was accused of high treason, heard, acquitted, but exiled to the Odessa military district.

In March 1947, suddenly, at the age of 51, Marshal Fedorkin dies - also in the Kremlin hospital.

At the end of 1947, the health of Marshal Rybalko suddenly and sharply deteriorated. He was taken to the Kremlin hospital.

In June 1948, Marshal Zhukov was summoned to the capital, where he suddenly had a heart attack. He is placed in a ward next to Marshal Rybalko's ward. On August 28, under unclear circumstances, Rybalko, who was undergoing an amendment, dies ...

Have so many generals died a natural death? Or were they killed as a result of the actions of the Soviet special services?

A number of historians believe that Malenkov, Beria and Zhukov were the targets of the MGB's military actions. Beria was compromised, Malenkov and Zhukov were on the verge of death, Zhukov was saved from death by the expulsion to the Urals. Marshals Fedorenko and Rybalko were Zhukov's loyal allies, and Berzarin was his closest assistant. There is a version that the customer of all these killings was a group of leaders of the fifth column, who seized control of the Soviet special services. The strange deaths were very similar to the planned action of the destruction of the best command staff of the Soviet Army in 1938.

Fifth Column Trail

And the arrests and mysterious deaths of commanders began with the rise of the head of SMERSH Abakumov. M minister GB was a key figure in fabricating cases, he had every opportunity to organize murders.

In the list of leaders of the fifth column for 1946 - Zhdanov, secretary of the Central Committee and the second most influential person in the USSR; Kuznetsov - Secretary of the Central Committee, the third most influential; Khrushchev, Secretary of the Central Committee; Voznesensky, head of the State Planning Commission; Suslov, secretary of the Central Committee, as well as the party leadership of Leningrad and the region.

We can add to them two marshals - Tymoshenko and Malinovsky. Let us note in passing that the relatives of Bessarabets Tymoshenko collaborated with the Romanian administration of Transnistria throughout the war, which was well known, but this did not have any consequences for the marshal.

The victims of the traitors were those who did the most for victory: Marshal Shaposhnikov, a well-known opponent of Timoshenko, Marshals Fedorkin and Rybalko, Zhukov's closest allies, General Berzarin, a promoted candidate of Blucher and Zhukov, air marshals Khudyakov and Novikov, close to Malenkov, Malenkov himself, Zhukov and Beria is Abakumov's personal enemy.

All these people were compromised, convicted, killed. The hunt went on until the removal of Abakumov.

The myth of German saboteurs

In the strange circumstances of the death of the commandant of Berlin, the following accents can be distinguished.

Berzarin was going to fly to Moscow for the Victory Parade, where he would meet with Stalin. He died under unclear circumstances. After the death of the general, SMERSH seized all his documentation.

Later, a version appeared about some German avengers - the organizers of the murder of Berzarin. But what sense did they have to deal with the commandant of Berlin? And there are no facts. In addition, the hidden action, which did not call for resistance, did not make any sense.

Remain their own.

Berzarin's visit to Moscow was dangerous

The motives of “insiders” could be as follows.

The first version. The action was ordered by Stalin, who envied Zhukov and Berzarin.

Second version. Berzarin was killed by traitors in the army, Abakumov, on Stalin's orders, seized the documentation and sent it to Moscow.

Third version. Berzarin was killed on the orders of Abakumov in order to prevent a meeting with Stalin and destroy all the documents that Berzarin was preparing for transfer to Stalin.

The first version can be discarded right away. But the second also has very weak points. If Stalin knew that Berzarin was killed in order to prevent the transmission of important information to him, why did he not do anything? No one was arrested or interrogated ...

The third version is most likely: Abakumov, as a representative of the fifth column, organizes the murder of Berzarin and destroys documents that are dangerous for the traitors.

So, Berzarin's death is limited to two circumstances: the upcoming visit to Moscow and the missing documents. Someone really did not want the general's visit to the capital and prevented it with extreme measures.

But what could the commandant of Berlin know? A lot of things.

Victim of the conflict between Zhukov and Abakumov

Marshal Zhukov and General Abakumov were on good terms until early 1945, but gradually the relationship came to naught.

On June 14, two days before the death of Berzarin, Abakumov arrives at the front headquarters. He did not report the purpose of the visit to the command of the front and immediately made arrests of the commanding staff. Zhukov arrived at the front headquarters, on the evening of June 14, met with Abakumov and expressed indignation, ordered all those arrested to be released. a guest departed on his way.

So, Abakumov just came and without any reason arrested the officers of the front headquarters, without Stalin's approval. Berzarin, as a close associate of Zhukov, undoubtedly fell under the hand.

So, on June 13, Zhukov and Berzarin attended a press conference on the post-war reconstruction of Berlin.

On June 14, the head of SMERSHA Abakumov arrives at the headquarters of the 1st Belorussian Front and makes arrests.

On June 14, in the evening, Zhukov comes into conflict with Abakumov and releases the arrested subordinates.

On June 16, in the morning, SMERSH employees confiscate all documentation from the office of the deceased commandant.

The parade of disgrace and deaths of those who led the USSR to victory looks like revenge on the losing side. Zhukov, Rybalko, Fedorenko, Berzarin, Shaposhnikov were the winners. The diaries of Goebbels say that Hitler and Goebbels himself put Marshal Zhukov and his associates above their generals.

But in the USSR there were those who hoped for the defeat of the USSR in the war and planned it. This was the revenge of the fifth column, although it cannot be ruled out that the motives for the murders were much more serious.

... After the war, General Berzarin was covered for some time in military publications. But since 1957, his name is mentioned less and less. In Chisinau, which he was liberating, few people knew whose name Berzarin Street was named after.

Elena GERGELASH

The future Colonel General, Hero of the Soviet Union, the first commandant of post-war Berlin served in Irkutsk as the head of the training unit of the commanders' school

Ending. Start at no. 18

Siberian tiger

The decade from the late 1920s to the late 1930s was a period for Berzarin when the relatively calm army-staff work was interspersed with participation in military conflicts. One of these conflicts was the events in Manchuria. A small section of the Trans-Siberian Railway passed through its territory, which was the property of Russia. Manchuria systematically violated the rules of joint use of this site with Russia. Robbery opening of trains, mass arrests of Russian road employees - all this chaos had to be stopped. It took military intervention, and rifle units were sent to the scene of the riots. Another successfully resolved conflict was the clash with the Japanese, who were claiming the Far Eastern borderlands of Russia.

The military units under the command of Berzarin in the battles near Lake Khasan defeated and drove the invaders from Russian territories. And after the events related to the defense of the railway, Berzarin, at the suggestion of the Manchus, got the nickname Ussuri Tiger. This nickname was so firmly and for a long time entrenched for Nikolai Erastovich in military circles that later it was even indicated in brackets near his name in Nazi files on Russian military leaders.

When the war with Nazi Germany began, Berzarin was the commander of the 27th Army. As a result of special operations, various intelligence data fell into the hands of the army commander. And one day he had to familiarize himself with the enemy material, which reminded of Siberia and described his fellow Siberians in a peculiar way. The material belonged to Lieutenant Colonel Lickfeld, a historiographer who accompanied Nazi military units at the front.

Generally calling all Russians the inhabitants of the East, this is what, in particular, Likfeld wrote about the Siberians: “The inhabitant of the East differs in many ways from the inhabitant of the West, he endures hardship better. A Russian living beyond the Urals calls himself a Siberian. The peculiarity of the Siberian is that he is not afraid of the cold - he is not a wonder in winter when the temperature drops to minus 45 Celsius. A person living beyond the Urals is even more resilient, even stronger and has much greater resistance than his European compatriot. For us, accustomed to small territories, the distances in the East seem endless, and the landscape and relief are difficult to build. But Siberians skillfully and very quickly build fortifications and defensive positions. Women work the same way as men. In battle, the Siberian prefers hand-to-hand combat. His physical needs are small, but his ability to endure hardship without complaining is truly surprising. "

Mysticism in Demyansk

In March 1943, Berzarin was seriously wounded. Bypassing his command and observation posts during the battle, he came under aerial bombardment and in the explosion zone received shrapnel fragmentation of his thigh. From hellish pain and blood loss, he lost consciousness, unconscious and was carried out of the firing line. It took five whole months to recover, and then for some time the commander walked with a cane. After the hospital, he was taken to the rear on the mend - namely, to Uzbekistan, where his loved ones were evacuated. When, after resting with his family, Nikolai Erastovich was going to the front again, the eldest daughter Larisa presented him with a surprise, which he did not expect at all: “Dad, I will go with you to the front. If you feel bad, I will come to the rescue. "

And so it happened: the daughter of the army commander, who graduated from the tenth year, went with her father and served as a nurse in the field surgical corps No. 4166. When Berzarin returned to the front, he was appointed commander of the 5th Shock Army. The word "shock" meant responsibility for large-scale offensive operations. The Fifth Army carried out several such operations: Jassy-Chisinau, during which Chisinau was liberated; Vistula-Oder, when, having displaced the fascists, the Russians established themselves on the territory extremely important for the subsequent offensive; and the Berlin operation, which the Russians put an end to the war. It is quite clear that during hostilities, various unpredictable and extreme incidents can periodically occur. But what happened in the battles near the city of Demyansk, many considered a miracle. They say that in their house and walls help. Are these just words? No, it seemed that nature itself helped to squeeze the enemy out of their native land.

The German military leader Walter von Seydlitz, who survived the war, wrote in his memoirs after it: “In the POW camp I often dreamed about Demyansk, where we were mainly opposed by Berzarin's military units. He is, of course, a great master of attack on a broad front. How did he do it? But it is strange that this is not what I would ask him if we met. Near Demyansk I had all the data for victory, but for some reason everything fell apart in the last hours before the battle. I do not believe in otherworldly forces, but in this cursed place something resolutely rebelled against me. On marches, the officers lost their memory, they lost orientation and led their units in a circle. Officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers complained of auditory and visual hallucinations. Returning from Russia to Germany, I found research on the so-called geopathogenic zones in the scientific literature. Perhaps there is such a zone? "

Master of Defeated Berlin

In the storming of Berlin, the 5th Shock Army under the command of Berzarin was entrusted with a combat mission of particular importance: to seize the area of ​​government quarters located in the city center, including the imperial chancellery, where Hitler's headquarters was located. On April 24, 1945, Marshal Zhukov appointed General Berzarin as commandant of Berlin and head of the Berlin garrison of Soviet troops. Berzarin found Berlin in ruins. The civilian population was starving and sick. Despite the fact that the Germans committed incredible crimes in his country, the Soviet army commander never thought about revenge and began to act differently than many expected.

During the period when Berzarin was commandant, he literally saved the lives of many Berliners. In the center of Berlin, fierce battles were still going on, and he had already organized the supply of food on the outskirts of the city. On April 27, Berzarin issued Order No. 1 to assume all administrative and political power. Soon the remaining centers of fascist resistance were eliminated. On May 9, 1945, the surrender of the fascist military machine took place. Now it was necessary to create a political situation in Germany that would exclude the re-emergence of fascism. And for Berzarin, the time has come for intense administrative work to rebuild the destroyed Berlin. By May 30, 11 out of 21 Berlin districts were provided with electricity, which they lost due to the destruction of power plants; classes resumed in Berlin schools from June 1; On June 7, the implementation of Berzarin's order to increase bread baking by 50 percent began. The Berlin metro, almost completely destroyed during the capture of the city, had 57 stations. During the reign of Berzarin, 52 stations had already been restored by the end of May!

Berzarin sometimes personally inspected the restoration work, and at the same time he admirably remarked more than once: "Yes, the ability to work distinguishes the Germans from all other nations." The successfully progressing work gave Commandant Berzarin the opportunity to hold an international press conference on the restoration process on June 15, 1945.

Glory and memory

On June 16, 1945, Nikolai Erastovich Berzarin died in a car accident in Berlin. Was his death an action planned by the enemies, or was it an accident? Evidence in favor of the first version was not found, although such opinions, of course, did arise. The body of the army commander was transported home. He was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow.

General N.E.Berzarin - Hero of the Soviet Union, among the awards he received - 8 orders and many medals. In 1975, the GDR government, taking into account Berzarin's merits in restoring his capital, posthumously awarded him the title of honorary citizen of the city of Berlin. When the two German republics, the FRG and the GDR were unified in 1992, Berzarin was excluded from the lists of honorary citizens, along with a number of other Soviet military leaders. It is characteristic that when the name of the army commander was excluded from the list, the burgomaster of one of the Berlin districts, protesting, declared: "It does not bother us that Berzarin was a Soviet officer, his humanity and help to Berliners associate him with us." Marshal Zhukov, in his memoirs, noted with regret that the deeds and merits of the commander of the army Berzarin were unforgivably little covered in our country. And this despite the fact that even in foreign media, especially in the coming years, more and more attention is paid to Berzarin's personality.

Years later, justice was restored: on the basis of additional study of the materials in 2002, the Berlin Senate nevertheless returned the title of honorary citizen to Berzarin; in addition, there is a square named after General Berzarin in the German capital. And in Moscow, one of the streets is named in honor of the commander. Irkutsk, which for many years was the hometown for the commander, also does not forget its wonderful inhabitant. Along the 5th Army Street, on the facade of house No. 65, where Berzarin worked, a memorial plate perpetuates the memory of the outstanding Russian military leader.