Diorama "Assault on Sapun Mountain on May 7, 1944"
The theme of the liberation of Sevastopol from the German fascist invaders was reflected in the works of many Soviet artists, painters and graphic artists. The most comprehensively studied this topic was the military artist of the Grekov studio, Honored Art Worker of the RSFSR Pyotr Tarasovich Maltsev. Most of all, he was interested in the hostilities during the assault on enemy positions on Sapun Mountain.
Soon after the end of the Great Patriotic War, P. T. Maltsev visited Sevastopol. Here he examined the places of battles, got acquainted with the peculiarities of the terrain. At the top of Sapun Mountain, the artist made landscape sketches, painted sketches of sections of a rocky mountain slope that preserved traces of battles, the remains of enemy defensive structures. At the same time, the artist had a plot of a large battle picture, revealing the feat of the heroes of the storming of Sapun Mountain. This idea deeply captured the artist.
After creating a number of large battle paintings, Maltsev proceeded to painterly resolution of the long-conceived picture of the storming of Sapun Mountain. On the basis of historical materials and memoirs of the participants of the battles, the artist painted in 1957 the painting "Storming the Sapun Mountain". This work was highly appreciated at the All-Union Art Exhibition dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the Soviet Armed Forces. But the artist himself dreamed of an even wider reproduction of the battles for the liberation of Sevastopol.
At this time, the public organizations of Sevastopol decided to create a diorama of the storming of Sapun Mountain and install it in a special building at the site of the battles. The order for the creation of such a work was given to the studio of military artists named after M. B. Grekov. Petr Tarasovich Maltsev was offered to become the author of the diorama, as he had experience in the art of panoramic painting and created the painting "Storming Sapun Mountain". With great joy and excitement, P. T. Maltsev began this work.
A diorama is a special, very expressive form of fine art, revealing complex genre plots with a broad display of the place of action and the mass of people. It consists of two elements: a painting and a full-scale plan. If in a panorama a painting canvas is located in a closed circle around the observation deck, which allows the viewer to consistently carry out a full circular view of everything reproduced, then in a diorama the canvas occupies only a part of the circle, usually half of it. But the diorama also allows you to depict events taking place simultaneously over a large area of the terrain. All the main content of the diorama is revealed on the canvas. Between the picturesque canvas and the observation deck, a full-scale (subject) plan is established, on which a section of the terrain with volumetric characteristic objects is reproduced for certain. Composing in content and color one whole with the painting, the full-scale plan creates the impression of a diorama embracing a great depth of space and greatly enhances the feeling of the full reality of everything depicted.
All previously created dioramas, such as "The Capture of Rostov", "Suvorov's Alpine Campaign" (in the writing of the latter, P. T. Maltsev took a major part), "The Battle of Poltava", "The Battle on the Oder Bridgehead", "Forcing the Dnieper by the Soviet Army "," Volochaevsky battle "and many others are relatively small in size. In them, in the foreground of the canvas, figures and objects are painted less than their actual size, and the objects of the full-scale plan are also represented by models in reduced sizes. At the same time, a convention is felt, which reduces the illusion of the complete reality of the depicted. Such dioramas do not require special buildings; they are housed in museums in the country.
Starting to create the diorama "Storming Sapun Mountain on May 7, 1944", the author set himself the goal of achieving the maximum reality of the image. The size of the painting was significantly increased in order to cover in one painting the entire area of the decisive offensive of the Soviet troops and to depict figures in their full size in the foreground. This was the first time such a diorama was created in Soviet art.
By April 1958, P. T. Maltsev completed a pencil sketch in one tenth the size of the painting. The plot of the future diorama found its first compositional solution. The author took his painting "The Storming of Sapun Mountain" as the basis for the diorama and significantly developed it in accordance with the wide coverage of the events being reproduced.
The public of the city of Sevastopol at an open viewing discussed the sketch of the diorama. The artist once again directly on the ground checked the correctness of the choice in the future diorama of the most convenient point of view of all the events of the decisive moment of the assault. The author of the diorama studied the course of hostilities in all details and details in the most thorough way, based on the study of archival data.
At the end of July 1958, P.T.Maltsev completed an oil sketch of 3.5 x 0.9 meters. In it, the composition of the painting and its color scheme were finally determined.
This sketch of the painting of the future diorama was put up for viewing at the Academy of the General Staff and received a good response from specialists. After viewing and positive feedback from Moscow artists, the sketch was exhibited for a long time in the Sevastopol art gallery. Here he also met with approval and was approved as the basis for the future diorama.
G.V. Ternovsky. Diorama "Assault on Sapun Mountain on May 7, 1944". Crimeizdat. Simferopol. 1969
By the end of the day on May 9, Sevastopol was completely liberated. On May 12, in the area of Cape Chersonesos, the remnants of the German fascist group surrendered. The Crimean operation ended in a brilliant victory for the Soviet troops.
Creation
In 1956-1957, Honored Art Worker of the RSFSR, later People's Artist of the USSR P.T. This work later served as the basis for the creation of the current diorama - "The storming of Sapun Mountain on May 7, 1944".
Composition
Upon entering the observation deck, the viewer is transferred to May 7, 1944. A panorama of the area from the Sugar Loaf height to Balaklava opens before the viewer. As conceived by the artists, the viewer is on the slope of Sapun Mountain.
Afternoon on May 7, 1944. Infantrymen, sappers, tankmen, artillerymen are storming the enemy fortifications in a single impulse. A battle of fighters began in the air. At sea, in the Balaklava area, Soviet boats, supported by naval aviation, destroy enemy ships.
The assault on Sapun Mountain has been going on for more than seven hours. The summit is close, but the most difficult steps to it are the last ones. The battle goes on for every trench, for every ledge of the rock. In the foreground of the picture are the assault groups of the 11th Guards and 63rd Rifle Corps, overcoming the last enemy fortifications in front of the ridge of Sapun Mountain.
Genre scenes
One after another, the viewers see the immortal exploits of the liberators of Sevastopol. On the left, with a pistol in his outstretched hand, is the battalion Komsomol organizer Vitaly Komissarov. Despite being wounded, he replaced the company commander who was killed in battle and raised the soldiers to storm the fascist battery.
To the right, at the easel machine gun, is the brave warrior Kuzma Moskalenko. On that day, Moskalenko suppressed the fire of four enemy machine guns and was one of the first to reach the ridge of Sapun Mountain. In front of him, in a crater from an exploded shell, sniper foreman Nikolai Moryatov took a position. He killed over two dozen Nazis during the assault.
In the battles for Sevastopol, brave Soviet women also took an active part - nurses, signalmen, nurses. The painting in naval uniform depicts the medical instructor Evgenia Deryugina, a former student of the shipbuilding technical school. In the period from May 3 to May 7, Zhenya carried out 80 wounded soldiers from the battlefield. She died from a bullet from a Nazi sniper.
The canvas of the diorama depicts the Uzbek Dadash Babazhanov, who takes an oath to his dying comrade, sailor Semyon Mashkevich, that he will take revenge on the enemy for his death. And he kept his word: in the battles for Sevastopol, Babazhanov personally destroyed 17 Nazis.
In the center of the picture is a group of soldiers on a dilapidated enemy pillbox. Ahead, holding up a machine gun high above his head, Lieutenant Mikhail Golovnya is leading the soldiers. The famous scout senior sergeant Nikolai Gunko clears the path to the top with accurate machine-gun fire.
To the right, in the foreground of the painting, the immortal feat of the sapper Fyodor Skoryatin, who at the cost of his life laid the last passage to the enemy dugout, is captured. Soldiers headed by Lieutenant Sakharov rushed here. He is fascinated by the battle and does not see how the enemy submachine gunner aims at him from behind cover. Private Ashot Markaryan of the guard shields the commander and dies.
Nearby, Private Ilya Polikakhin throws a grenade into the enemy dugout. He was seriously wounded in the head, but continued to fight and was one of the first to break through to the ridge of Sapun Mountain. With a group of scouts I. Polikakhin also took part in street battles, together with N. Gun'ko and M. Golovnya he hoisted a red flag on the building of the Sevastopol meteorological station.
Ahead of the attackers are the standard bearers. Mortally wounded company party organizer Yevgeny Smelovich falls, but Private Ivan Yatsunenko picks up the banner and climbs with him to the ridge of Sapun Mountain. Almost at the same time, privates V. Evlevsky, V. Drobyazko, sergeants A. Kurbanov, N. Sosnin, A. Timofeev and other soldiers hoisted the scarlet cloths at the subdued height.
In the depths of the picture, on the right, where Soviet flamethrowers are operating, Lieutenant Mikhail Dzigunsky covers the embrasure of the enemy bunker with his body. The last strong point is taken. One by one, the units of Captain N. Zhilov, Senior Lieutenant P. Kalinichenko, Guards Lieutenant A. Zabolotsky, Junior Lieutenant V. Gromakov and others come to the top of the mountain.
With a pistol in his hand, Senior Lieutenant Vasily Zhukov is depicted - he is raising the soldiers of his company to meet the counterattacking enemy. The brave commander died in one of the hand-to-hand battles on the outskirts of Sevastopol.
Subject plan
The general impression of the battle picture is reinforced by the subject plan, which fills the eight-meter distance from the observation deck to the picturesque canvas. The original relief of the area, pitted with shells and bomb craters, was reproduced here, life-size enemy dugouts, trenches were built, real trophy weapons, fragments, and cartridges lay. Two mounted picturesque inserts depict Sergeant Sergei Elagin (he takes a German soldier prisoner) and Sergeant Major Nikolai Supryagin, who, in hand-to-hand combat, forces the Nazis to lay down their arms.
Sapun Mountain is about 8 km long and 250 m above sea level and is a natural barrier on the outskirts of the city. 70 years ago, fierce battles took place here, and now a memorial complex has been created, which includes: a branch of the Museum of Heroic Defense and Liberation - Diorama "Storming Sapun Mountain on May 7, 1944", an obelisk of Glory, an exhibition of military equipment, a chapel temple in the name of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious
Sapun Mountain - tragic events
In 1941-42. one of the defense lines of Sevastopol passed along Sapun Mountain. At this height was the last command post of the 7th Marine Brigade. During the liberation of Sevastopol in May 1944, decisive battles for the city unfolded in the Sapun-Gora region.
In memory of the soldiers who fought for Sevastopol, on May 1, 1945, a small military field museum was opened on Sapun Mountain. A year before this event, in 1944, monuments to the soldiers of the Primorsk and 51st Armies were erected on Sapun-Gora.
51 The army took part in the liberation of the Crimea and Sevastopol from the Nazis and stormed Sapun Mountain on May 7, 1944. The monument was built by the hands of the soldiers of this army in memory of their fallen comrades. Army commander General Kreiser received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union in the first month of the war, delaying the enemy offensive near Orsha. This is the first infantry commander to receive the rank of GSS.
The song "Kreiser Division" was written about him. Since 1943, Kreizer commanded the 51st Army, which liberated Donbass, Nikopol, Melitopol, Crimea, Sevastopol, and then Latvia. A street in Sevastopol is named after Kreizer.
The soldiers of the 51st Army were the first to reach the ridge of Sapun Mountain on the evening of May 7, 1944. Private I.K. During the assault, Yatsunenko, having received an assault red flag, was one of the first to hoist it and then repelled the enemy's attempts to capture or destroy the flag.
For this feat Yatsunenko was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In further battles for Sevastopol, Yatsunenko was seriously wounded, after his recovery he served in the reserve regiments. Received the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal in 1954. Yatsunenko died in 1983, was buried in Sevastopol, captured on the canvas of the Diorama.
But feats during the war years were performed not only by the soldiers on the front line, but also by the people in the rear. Indeed, without bread, coal, metal, there would be no victory. The Black Sea Fleet played an important role in the battles for Sevastopol, but it was only an assistant to those who fought on the land lines.
On Sapun Mountain, a picturesque panorama of the area opens up in front of us. The Balaklava Valley is clearly visible, where the vineyards of the Zolotaya Balka agricultural company are located. Two roads cross the Balaklava Valley.
On October 30, 1941, the second heroic defense of Sevastopol began. The Nazis approached Sevastopol from the land side, moving from Evpatoria, Simferopol, Yalta. They hoped to immediately seize the main base of the Black Sea Fleet, counting on the fact that Sevastopol, as a naval base, did not have any strong fortifications on the land side.
However, they miscalculated: the Military Council of the Black Sea Fleet in July 1941 issued a decree on the construction of land defensive lines. Two defensive lines were erected; the third (front line) was not completed in time and separate strong points were created in the tank-hazardous directions.
Sapun Mountain was the front edge of the rear line. The main defensive line began at, then went along the Balaklava heights, crossed the Yalta highway, passed along the Gasfort mountain, along the slopes of the Fedyukhin heights, then went to the Inkerman heights,
Mekenzievy mountains and to the Lyubimovka area, to the sea itself. Immediately beyond the main line, strongholds were erected on the front line of defense. The Balaklava Valley was covered by the Chorgun stronghold.
On November 9, 1941, the entire Sevastopol front was divided into 4 defense sectors. Before us are two defense sectors - the southern half of the front. The border between the sectors was the Yalta highway. To the right of it to the sea coast was the 1st defense sector, commanded by Colonel P.G. Novikov. To the left of the highway to the Inkerman Heights was the 2nd defense sector, the commandant of which was Colonel I.A. Laskin.
It was here, at the junction of the 1st and 2nd sectors, that the enemy struck the main blow in the November 1941 offensive, hoping to dismember our defenses, go to the rear, encircle and destroy the troops of these sectors separately, and open the shortest path to Sevastopol. The fighting in this area was fierce.
They began on November 11, 1941 and lasted until November 24. Sailors from ships, military schools, training detachments came to the forefront. From the enterprises of the city, workers and employees came with weapons in their hands. All who could bear arms rose to the defense of Sevastopol. Women, adolescents, and the elderly have been replaced in production by men who have gone to the front. They worked in hospitals, donated their blood to the wounded.
The city has turned into an armed camp. The writer Leonid Sobolev wrote about the Sevastopol residents: "And when sailors die in battle, they die so that the enemy becomes afraid: the sailor takes with him into death as many enemies as he sees in front of him." In November 1941, the frontier guards of Major Gerasim Rubtsov and the cavalrymen of Colonel Kudyurov courageously fought near Balaklava. To the left of the Yalta highway, the marines of Colonel Gorpishchenko, Major Taran, and the soldiers of Colonel Laskin held the defense.
Pilots from the Black Sea region also distinguished themselves. Thanks to the massive heroism of the defenders of Sevastopol, the enemy was stopped at the main defensive line in November 1941.
The first enemy assault was repulsed. In the December offensive of 1941 (December 17-31) and in the June (June 7 - July 3) 1942, the enemy delivered an auxiliary strike here, which was not weaker than the main one, delivered from the north.
Particularly heavy battles went on for Sapun-Gora on June 25, 1942, and on June 29, Soviet troops left it and retreated to Sevastopol. By this time, the Nazis completely blockaded the city.
The defenders of Sevastopol stopped receiving reinforcements, their number became less and less. But they continued to fight, fulfilling the order of their homeland "to destroy as much manpower and equipment of the enemy as possible." On July 3, 1942, the Soviet Information Bureau announced the abandonment of Sevastopol.
The stubborn defense of Sevastopol, which lasted more than 8 months, dispelled the legend about the ability of the fascist army to take any fortress in the shortest possible time. The political and military significance of the defense of Sevastopol is enormous. Shackling one of the best armies of Hitler, the defenders of Sevastopol thwarted the plans of the German command in the south, in many ways contributed to the disruption of the offensive in the Caucasus.
Ilya Ehrenburg, in his article “Sevastopol” in 1942, wrote: “History will remain in the battle of a small garrison with 15 enemy divisions. From now on, two words are intertwined in the consciousness of mankind: Sevastopol and courage. "
On the defensive lines of Sevastopol, as many enemy soldiers and officers were destroyed as the Nazi army lost in all theaters of military operations before the attack on the USSR. However, even after they occupied Sevastopol, the Nazis did not feel themselves masters. The underground and partisans continued to oppose them.
The Nazis stayed on this land for 22 months, almost 2 years, turning Sevastopol into an impregnable fortress. Around the city by land, they created several fortified lines. The most powerful of them was the main line, which included Sapun Mountain. Remains of enemy fortifications are still visible on the steep slopes of this mountain.
The enemy used the fortifications built by the defenders of Sevastopol in 1941, strengthened them even more in engineering terms, saturating them to the limit with fire weapons. About 100 bunkers and bunkers were dug into these slopes. We see the restored bunker on the left. Up here, Hitler's soldiers also installed an SPG. All approaches to Sapun Mountain were solid minefields.
On the right, behind Sapun-Gora, the Gornaya Hill was the stronghold of the Nazis. Left - Sugar Loaf. In the north - the Mekenziev mountains. They were as inaccessible as Sapun Mountain. We can say that the stone itself defended the enemy here: it is not taken by an armor-piercing bullet and not even every artillery shell. Powerful fortifications were created by the Nazis in the north of the Crimean Peninsula: in the area of Perekop, Sivash, as well as on the Kerch Peninsula.
On April 8, 1944, the troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front, General of the Army F.I. Tolbukhin and on April 11, the Separate Primorsky Army of General Eremenko inflicted crushing blows on the fortifications of the fascists and, breaking through them, moved deep into the peninsula.
10 days later - on April 18 - Balaklava was released. Soviet troops came close to Sevastopol. Preparations began for the operation to liberate the main base of the Black Sea Fleet. Representatives of the Supreme Command Headquarters, Marshals of the USSR K.E. Voroshilov and A.M. Vasilevsky. According to the plan, it was decided to deliver the main blow in the direction of Sapun-Gora - Gornaya Hill.
Sapun Mountain is like a gateway to Sevastopol from the south. From here to the city center, to the Sevastopol bays - only 6 km. In the bays there were fascists' floating craft, on the coast were their airfields, which they could use for evacuation.
Under Sapun-Gora there is the only convenient tank-passable road leading to Cape Chersonesus, from where the Nazis planned to start evacuating. To weaken the enemy's defenses on Sapun Mountain, a deceptive maneuver was conceived. On May 5, the 2nd Guards Army of General Zakharov launched an offensive on the Mekenzivy mountains. Thinking that the main blow would be delivered here, the Nazis transferred part of the troops to the northern direction.
Capture of Sapun Mountain and liberation of Sevastopol
The assault on Sapun Mountain began on May 7, 1944 at 10 o'clock. 30 minutes. After an hour and a half of artillery and aviation training, Soviet troops went to the assault on Sapun Mountain, and on the same day, in the evening, at 19.30 hours, Sapun Mountain was in the hands of Soviet soldiers. It took our soldiers only 9 hours to capture Sapun Gora.
While the troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front smashed the Nazi troops on land, the torpedo boats and submarines of the Black Sea Fleet struck from the sea. They watched the enemy on the sea routes of his retreat in the Black Sea.
The swift attack on Sevastopol was carried out on land, in the air and at sea. From a clear, well-coordinated and powerful blow of the Soviet troops, the enemy fortifications collapsed in a short time. On May 7, Sapun Mountain was completely taken by the Soviet army.
On the evening of May 9, 1944, exactly one year before the Victory, Sevastopol was liberated. A fireworks of 324 guns in Moscow announced to the whole world about the victory won and about the return of the city of Russian glory to the Motherland. On May 12, the remnants of the 17th German fascist army were destroyed at Cape Chersonesos. 24 thousand Hitlerites were taken prisoner, among them two generals, more than 40 thousand were sunk in the Black Sea.
The Crimean peninsula was completely liberated. The liberation of the Crimea and Sevastopol was of great importance, it introduced strategic changes to the situation on the Soviet-German front in the western part of the Black Sea basin. Soviet ships and aircraft were able to operate on enemy lines of communication along the western coast of the Black Sea. Germany's prestige was undermined in the face of its allies - Romania and Turkey. And also suffered heavy losses one of Hitler's battle-worthy armies.
The victorious salute on May 9, 1944 was crowned not only by the feat of the Soviet soldier, it also thundered in honor of those who forged weapons. Field artillery, which was called "the god of war", is presented at the exhibition of Soviet technology. It was the main combat and strike force of the ground forces and inflicted huge losses on the enemy. You see examples of different-caliber cannons and howitzers.
Walking along Sapun Mountain, one cannot fail to notice the Obelisk of Glory (height 28 m). This is a monument to the soldiers of the Primorsky Army. Opened in the fall of 1944. In the 1960s, the obelisk was faced with granite and marble.
The names of the military units and formations that liberated Sevastopol in May 1944 are carved on the granite slabs. Behind these numbers are thousands of heroes, their names sound like history. About them these verses by an unknown poet, carved on the monument:
Glory to you, brave, glory, fearless,
The people are singing eternal glory to you.
Those who lived valiantly, crushed death,
Your memory will never die!
By the 30th anniversary of the liberation of the city, in 1974, additional boards were installed here. On the right, on the red granite polished boards, there are 118 parts and compounds awarded the honorary title "Sevastopol". On the left, on granite plaques, there is an image of the Orders of the Red Banner and the Red Star and Suvorov. 51 units were awarded with these orders for the liberation of Sevastopol.
In front of the monument to the right and to the left, on red granite plaques, are the names of 240 liberators awarded the high title of the GSS. More than 100 nationalities of Soviet soldiers took part in the liberation of Sevastopol.
In the battle for Sevastopol, Georgians, Armenians, Ukrainians, Turkmen, Belarusians and Azerbaijanis marched alongside the Russians. Many of them ended their military path far beyond the borders of their homeland, having fulfilled their duty and liberated not only their country, but also the peoples of Asia and Europe from fascist enslavement.
In memory of those who at the cost of their lives conquered the world, the Eternal Flame burns near the obelisk. It was lit on May 9, 1970 (to the 25th anniversary of the Victory) from the fire of Glory that burned on the Malakhov Kurgan.
The honorary right to light the Eternal Flame on Sapun Mountain was given to the participant in the defense of Sevastopol, the famous woman sniper, the SCA Lyudmila Pavlyuchenko, and the participant in the liberation of Sevastopol, the SCC, Lieutenant Colonel Fedor Matveyev.
Every fifth minute the song "Sapun Mountain" by composer Boris Bogolepov is played by the Eternal Flame.
A park is growing as a symbol of peace and life on the long-suffering land of Sapun Mountain. In 1995, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Victory, a chapel was built in the park in the name of St. Great Martyr George the Victorious (the chief architect of the chapel project is Grigoryants G.S.). On January 19, 1995, the first stone was consecrated and laid. The ceremony at the laying of the first stone was attended by the command, soldiers and sailors of the then both fleets (the Black Sea and the Navy), officers, secular authorities, businessmen.
The temple - the chapel was built in 77 days (from January 20 to April 7, 1995). The dome was covered with gold smalt, made in Italy at the Arsoni workshop. It is crowned with an angel with a 3 m high cross. The inauguration of the chapel took place on May 9, 1995, on Victory Day.
In continuation of my stories about my trip to Sevastopol, I will tell you about another cult place that is definitely worth visiting. Six kilometers east of Sevastopol, on the top of Sapun Mountain, near the majestic monument of Glory, a semicircular building of a strict form rises. This is the world's largest diorama - "The storming of Sapun Mountain on May 7, 1944".
If you are planning your route to Sevastopol, then visiting the sights should start from Balaklava, which I did first of all. After thoroughly familiarizing ourselves with all its attractions, such as the Cembalo fortress and the secret "Object 825", we went further. It is most convenient to visit the Diorama complex on the way from Balaklava to Sevastopol, so as not to return later and continue your acquaintance with the city itself. First of all, it is worth telling what a Diorama is. It is a ribbon-like, semicircular-shaped canvas with a foreground object plane. Thanks to this arrangement, a sense of the presence of the viewer is achieved, allowing, as it were, to relive all these moments, plunging into history. Of the currently operating dioramas in the world, Sevastopol is the largest.
The point of location - Sapun Mountain - is a natural and most important mountain barrier on the outskirts of the city. The most fierce battles took place here, both during the entire period of the heroic defense of Sevastopol in 1941-1942, and during its liberation in 1944. At the very top of Sapun Mountain, a memorial complex is located in honor of the soldiers who heroically defended them, and then liberated the hero city of Sevastopol
From the bus stop to the diorama building, about 200 meters up the alley
On the sides of the alley there are many exhibits, military equipment of the times of the war: tanks, cannons, self-propelled guns, mines
The blonde girl thoughtfully examines the combat weapon :)
Closer to the diorama building is the Komsomolets torpedo boat, next to it is a torpedo
A wonderful view opens up from above, it was here that some of the fiercest battles in the entire history of the Great Patriotic War took place. Now children frolic here and tourists wander with admiration, examining the complex dioramas
Fragments of the trenches of those times, as well as part of the equipment, have survived to this day.
I was very surprised by the brand of rubber on the guns, which is in the photo above. Unfortunately, there was no information about these guns, I can only guess that these are German guns (by brand of rubber :)). And in terms of quality, too, all sighting guiding mechanisms rotate freely on all guns. These cannons are not included in the main composition of the diorama, but are located below, on the slope
After seeing all the exhibits on the street, we went to the indoor exhibition halls Dioramas... Strict women were vigilant and forbidden to take pictures, nevertheless, we took several pictures inside. The expositions inside tell about the events of city life in a difficult military situation: the repulse of air raids, the construction of defensive lines, the formation of the people's militia. Here are documents, photographs, personal belongings, awards and weapons of the defenders of Sevastopol.
The Hitlerite command viewed the Crimea and the main base of the Black Sea Fleet - Sevastopol - as the main obstacle on the way to the Caucasian oil. Its elimination was considered one of the most important tasks of the Germans. The soldiers of the 11th German army under the command of Colonel-General Erich von Manstein made their first step across the Crimean land on October 25, 1941. And on October 30, the Nazis approached Sevastopol. The 250-day heroic defense of the city began. From the first battles sailor jackets and ribbons on peakless caps became a symbol of fearlessness and courage of the city's defenders. It was the Black Sea sailors who thwarted the plans for the quick capture of Sevastopol.
To unite the land and sea forces, the Sevastopol defensive region was created under the command of Vice Admiral FS Oktyabrsky. The attempts of the enemy to break through the defenses by storm in November and December 1941 failed thanks to the organized interaction in the defense of various types of troops, the immense courage and heroism of the defenders. The most important role in the defense was played by the ships of the Black Sea Fleet, which supported the defenders with naval artillery fire, delivered replenishment, food and ammunition, and evacuated wounded soldiers and residents of the city to the Caucasus. There was no rear in the fighting Sevastopol: the city and the front lived one life, one destiny. Industrial enterprises, being under continuous attacks of enemy aviation, went into adits, “buried themselves” in the ground. Every day, dozens of vehicles with military products: shells, mines, grenades, mortars went to the front from the workshops of underground special plants. The besieged city continued to live and fight. To destroy the defensive fortifications of Sevastopol, the Nazis used heavy super-powerful artillery, and even the largest weapon of World War II - the giant Dora cannon. In the photo below, the cannon itself and the projectile with which it fired (against the background of the T-34 tank)
The commander of the 11th Army, which was besieging Sevastopol, E. von Manstein, wrote about Dora:
“And the famous 800 mm Dora cannon. It was designed to destroy the most powerful structures of the Maginot Line, but it was not necessary to use it there. It was a miracle of artillery technology. The barrel had a length of about 30 m, and the carriage reached the height of a three-story building. It took about 60 trains to deliver this monster to a firing position along specially laid tracks. To cover it, two anti-aircraft artillery battalions were constantly at the ready. On the whole, these costs undoubtedly did not correspond to the achieved effect. Nevertheless, this gun destroyed in one shot a large ammunition depot on the northern coast of Severnaya Bay, hidden in rocks at a depth of 30 m. "
Since May 1942, shelling and air raids have become continuous. The enemy destroyed the impregnable city and did everything to cut off the communication of Sevastopol with the ports of the Caucasus by sea. On June 7, 1942, the third fascist attack on the city began. The enemy outnumbered the defenders by 2 times - in number, 5 times - in the number of aircraft, and tanks - 12 times! But the city, almost completely deprived of supplies, ended its organized resistance only a month later. The area of the 35th coastal battery at Cape Chersonesos became the site of the heroic tragedy of the last battles for Sevastopol. It was here, on the western coast, that the remnants of the troops of the Sevastopol defensive region retreated, most of which suffered the fate of prisoners. In the photo below, the soldier's letter to his relatives, dated June 24, 1942
White-stone Sevastopol - the red-banner city-hero, the battle guard of the Russian Black Sea coast - rises majestically over the bays.
Soviet soldiers showed unprecedented courage, courage and resilience during the heroic defense of Sevastopol and its liberation from the fascist invaders. The city's immortal military glory has been immortalized in numerous monuments. Here is the world famous panorama "Defense of Sevastopol in 1854-1855" - a unique work of battle painting.
Six kilometers to the east of the center of Sevastopol, on the top of Sapun Mountain, next to the majestic monument of Glory, a strict semicircular building rises. Here is the world's largest diorama - " The assault on Sapun Mountain on May 7, 1944"This largest work of modern battle painting can rightfully be called a monument to the feat of arms of the Soviet soldiers who liberated Sevastopol from the Nazi invaders.
Diorama is a special kind of visual art. The diorama makes it possible to reveal complex genre themes, to widely show the scene of the action. Usually, a diorama consists of two elements: a painting and a subject plan. The main element of the diorama, a picturesque canvas, is located in a semicircle. An observation deck is located in front of the diorama. Between the painting and the observation deck, there is a subject plan, the plot of which is one whole with the painting. This technique creates the illusion of the depth of space, enhances the feeling of reality, the reliability of the events depicted.
Other dioramas created by Russian artists (for example, "Suvorov's Alpine Campaign", "Battle of Poltava", "Battle on the Oder Bridgehead", "Forcing the Dnieper by the Soviet Army", "Volochaevsky Battle") are small in size. In them, the figures of people and objects are smaller than their natural size, which leads to some distortion of reality.
In the diorama "Storming the Sapun Mountain", for the first time in the visual arts, the figures of people in the foreground of a painting are painted in their natural dimensions. Natural objects are the remains of genuine German defensive structures, weapons and equipment. For the first time, the harmonious composition of one diorama covers the enormous operational scale of joint actions of the advancing Soviet armies, aviation and navy.
I must say that absolutely reliable events are reproduced in the diorama. For its creation, original documents, reports and reports of unit commanders, award documents of the heroes of the assault were used. Many interesting and valuable details were told to the creators of the diorama by the direct participants in the liberation of Sevastopol.
Assault on Sapun Mountain
Deploying a simultaneous offensive from the north of Perekop and east of Kerch, the Soviet troops drove the Nazis from the Crimean land. The enemy was trying at all costs to keep the Crimea in his hands. The 17th German army and the Romanian divisions located in the Crimea, retreating, entrenched in the Sevastopol region. The fascist troops needed time to ensure the evacuation by sea. In addition, the Crimean grouping of the Wehrmacht pulled back part of the forces of the Red Army, hindering the development of an offensive in the southern Black Sea region.
On the approaches to Sevastopol, our troops, having approached the main defensive line of the enemy, prepared for a decisive assault.
In the offensive zone, in the direction of the main attack, Sapun Gora towered. The steep eastern slope, sheer cliffs up to three meters or more served not only as a natural obstacle. They made it possible for the enemy to create several tiers of defensive structures, powerful long-term fortifications and strongholds. By the beginning of May 1944, four lines of trenches had been built here, ranging from the base to the ridge of the mountain.
In addition to a dense network of trenches and wire fences, a significant number of bunkers, bunkers and dugouts were equipped on the slope of Sapun Mountain. The valley at the foot of the mountain was mined.
On the morning of May 7, 1944, the forces of the 51st and Primorskaya armies began a joint assault on the enemy's fortified positions. Parts of the Red Army went on the offensive at once along the entire 15-kilometer section of the front - from the Black Sea coast near Balaklava to the eastern slope of Sugar Golovka Mountain, not far from Inkerman.
The most intense battles took place on the slope of Sapun Mountain, as well as on the slopes of the Bezymyannaya and Gornaya heights, north of Balaklava. The enemy fiercely resisted.
But the offensive impulse of our infantrymen and artillerymen, sailors and pilots, tankmen and sappers was unstoppable. Our units made their way through the fiery barrage to the top of the mountain. At the cost of their lives, soldiers and sailors reclaimed trench after trench. Each step of a soldier going to storm was a feat.
After the capture of Sapun Mountain and the heights located along the coast north of Balaklava, the way to Sevastopol from the eastern and southeastern directions was opened. On May 9, Sevastopol was completely liberated from the fascist invaders. On May 12, the last German troops retreating to Cape Chersonesos were destroyed. The complete rout of the enemy troops in the Crimea was completed. Moscow saluted in honor of the gallant liberators of Sevastopol with volleys of 324 guns.
Diorama
In 1958, the Honored Art Worker of the RSFSR, a member of the Studio of Military Artists named after M. B. Grekov, Pyotr Tarasovich Maltsev wrote the battle painting "Storming the Sapun Mountain". The painting was highly appreciated at the All-Union Art Exhibition dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the Soviet Armed Forces.
In 1959, on the basis of this picture, the artist created the largest modern diorama - "Storming Sapun Mountain on May 7, 1944", in which he skillfully solved the theme of the victorious offensive near Sevastopol. Together with P.T. The artists G. Marchenko and N. Prisekin also worked with Maltsev. According to the project of the architect V. Petropavlovsky, the diorama building was erected and its technical equipment was made.
The diorama on Sapun Mountain was opened on November 4, 1959. By the way, over the past years, the diorama has been seen by almost 30 million visitors.
On a picturesque canvas 25 meters long and 5.5 meters high, the moment of the greatest combat tension during the breakthrough by the forces of the 51st and Primorsky armies of the main defensive line of the fascist fortifications is reproduced. It was on the evening of May 7, 1944.
Along the entire plain to the seashore, under the cover of strong artillery fire and air assault strikes, a tank stream rushed to the front line of the enemy defense through the forest of ruptures.
The infantry attacked behind the tanks. Fighter battles flared up in the air. Squadrons of our bombers fly to bomb fortifications in the depths of the enemy defense. At sea, our boats and naval aviation inflict devastating blows on enemy ships.
The viewer sees the legendary heroes of the liberation of Sevastopol, in whose images the artist strove not only to preserve the portrait resemblance, but also to convey a state of exceptional psychological tension during this decisive period of the battle.
On the left you can see the battalion's Komsomol organizer Fedor Komissarov, who leads the soldiers to storm the enemy battery. He led the company after the death of the commander.
Closer to the viewer, there is a 45-mm anti-tank gun, which hits the embrasure of the enemy pillbox disguised at the ridge of Sapun Mountain with direct fire. This cannon, drawn in the hands of the soldiers to the very top of Sapun Mountain, passed victorious battles from Stalingrad to Sevastopol. The gun commander, Komsomol member N. Galitsyn, despite being seriously wounded, remained at his post. A veteran warrior, Tajik A. Sanonov, is aiming the weapon.
The brave soldier Kuzma Moskalenko is striking the Nazis with accurate fire from a heavy machine gun. A young soldier - Komsomol member Petukhov brings him boxes with machine-gun belts. Immediately the brave sniper N. Moryatov takes aim at the Hitlerite officer who was trying to rouse the Nazis in a counterattack.
In the first ranks of the assault groups, the nurse of the Komsomol member Yevgeny Deryugin climbed to Sapun Gora. Under hurricane fire, she provided first aid to the wounded. The artist retained the portrait likeness of Nurse Deryugina and at the same time was able to generalize in her image the features of the fearless medical instructors of the Red Army.
Our scouts broke through to the roof of the enemy pillbox destroyed by artillery. Ahead with a machine gun is the commander of the reconnaissance company, Lieutenant Mikhail Golovnya. Next to the machine gun is the fearless scout Nikolai Gunko.
Fragment of the Diorama. Machine gunner Moskalenko, nurse Deryugin, lieutenant Golovnya.
A brave Soviet warrior, private guard Ashot Markaryan, covered his combat commander from the enemy bullet with his body.
The painting also captures the immortal feat of a sapper senior sergeant Fyodor Skoryatin. He blew up the barbed wire and, at the cost of his life, enabled our soldiers to move forward.
Private Ilya Polikakhin attacks the enemy dugout with a grenade in hand. The seriously wounded soldier did not leave the battlefield and was one of the first to break through to the top of Sapun Mountain. He was with those who raised the Soviet flag over the liberated Sevastopol. For courage shown in battles, Ilya Polikakhin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
To the right, Private Ivan Yatsunenko grabbed the regiment's banner from the hands of the mortally wounded company party organizer Senior Sergeant Yevgeny Smelkovich. Under enemy fire, Yatsunenko carried the victorious assault banner and was one of the first to hoist it on the ridge of Sapun Mountain, for which he was also awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Fragment of the Diorama. Ilya Polikakhin with a grenade, standard bearer Ivan Yatsunenko.
In the forefront, together with the infantry, sailors, the brave defenders of Sevastopol in 1941-1942, storm the enemy. Before entering the dugout, they boldly engage in hand-to-hand combat, clearing the way for our army units.
In the depths of the canvas, one can see how Lieutenant M. Dzigunsky rushes to the embrasure of the enemy pillbox located on the crest of the height on which our flamethrowers operate. He covered the embrasure with his body and helped his platoon take the last strong point.
Closer to the viewer, Senior Lieutenant V. Zhukov, pistol in hand, leads his company to storm the last fascist fortifications in front of the ridge of Sapun Mountain. For courage and courage shown in this battle V. Zhukov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Here you can see how submachine gunners from the regiment of K. Yakovlev, with friendly fire and grenades, eliminate the enemy's attempt at counterattack.
The eight-meter distance from the canvas to the observation deck fills in the subject plan. It enhances the impression of the reality of the events depicted. Here the rocky surface of the Sapun Mountain slope, dug by shells and bomb craters, was reproduced, enemy trenches and communication trenches of life size, and a wire fence were built.
The natural plan captures the true episodes of hand-to-hand combat in an enemy dugout, it is shown how fascist soldiers captured in a shelter surrender. The Sapun Mountain stones, watered with the blood of Soviet soldiers, are embedded in the subject plan and are preserved as a sacred relic.
In the monumental diorama "Storming Sapun Mountain on May 7, 1944" the feats of our glorious soldiers are immortalized, and their names are written on the white-stone monument of Glory that rises on the mountain. And everyone who comes here bows his head in reverence before the memory of the heroes who defended the freedom and independence of our Motherland in a severe battle.
The diorama on Sapun Mountain is not only one of the largest works of art in panoramic painting. This is a powerful source of high patriotic feelings - a magnificent artistic monument to heroic events that will forever remain in the memory of the people.
Sapun Mountain. What to see
After visiting the diorama and the exposition of the Museum of the Heroic Defense and Liberation of Sevastopol (documents, maps, weapons, personal belongings of the defenders and liberators of Sevastopol are collected here) viewers can see today's peaceful panorama from the outdoor observation deck - a blooming valley with gardens and vineyards in the places of former hot battles. Various military equipment from the times of the Great Patriotic War are displayed on the grounds around the diorama building.
Diorama building and exhibition of armored vehicles.
So, what else can (and should) be seen on Sapun Mountain?
- Memorial of Glory and Eternal Flame;
- Monument to the soldiers of the 51st Army;
- An exposition dedicated to the USSR Navy: naval guns, coastal defense guns, various marine equipment;
- Komsomolets-type torpedo boat of the Black Sea Fleet;
- Artillery exposition of the Red Army;
- Exposition of armored vehicles - tanks and self-propelled guns;
- Fragment of the German defense line (below the observation deck): captured cannons, remnants of trenches, pillboxes and dugouts, some of them have been reconstructed;
- Temple-chapel in memory of the soldiers who died during the Second Defense of Sevastopol in 1941-1942 and during the liberation of the city in 1944.
Diorama "Storming Sapun Mountain" on the map.
The article uses information from the essay by G.V. Ternovsky
Georgy Vladimirovich Ternovsky - a prominent military leader, a participant in the Great Patriotic War, a veteran of the Soviet Navy.
In the navy since 1934. In 1938 he graduated from the Sevastopol Naval School. From the first wars at the front. He was one of the leaders of the Odessa naval defense.
Member of the Soviet-Japanese War in 1945. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, for the exemplary performance of the combat missions of the command on the front of the struggle against the Japanese militarists and the courage and heroism shown at the same time, Captain of the 3rd rank Georgy Vladimirovich Ternovsky was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
As a famous military historian, Georgy Vladimirovich Ternovsky participated in the restoration of Franz Roubaud's panorama "Defense of Sevastopol". When creating the diorama "Storming Sapun Mountain" Georgy Vladimirovich was one of the main military consultants.
G.V. Ternovsky was awarded the Order of Lenin, 3 Orders of the Red Banner, 2 Orders of the Red Star, and various medals. Buried at the Preobrazhensky military cemetery in Moscow.
Photos of Diorama - Sevastopol information portal.
The title photo is F.M. Kogan.
