The search expedition "Ludchitska Height" started in the Bykhov region.
This year, the work brought together search engines from Mogilev, Minsk, Zhlobin, the Russian Federation and servicemen of the 52nd specialized battalion of the Ministry of Defense of Belarus. Students of secondary schools from Bykhov and Mogilev actively help experienced search engines.
Today, search engines are working near the village of Priberezhye. The first finds are two medallions. “Since 1999, every year we return to this area with search work. During this time, we raised the remains of about 100 fighters here. As the information that we were able to obtain by studying this area shows, the 148th Rifle Division of General Morgan's 45th Corps was on the defensive here. In mid-July 1941, one of the divisions of this division with the headquarters of the 45th Corps was surrounded, ”says Nikolai Borisenko, head of the Mogilev regional historical and patriotic search club “Vikkru” .
For three days, fierce battles were going on near the settlement of the Bykhov district - the soldiers of the Red Army tried to break through the encirclement and withdraw the corps headquarters. “But until the tanks of General Bakharov from the 50th Panzer Division approached them, they could not break through from here. And only with the help of tankers the division was able to go towards the Sozh River and further towards the Klimovichi region, - Nikolai Borisenko noted. - As the established names of the fighters show, the Red Army soldiers from the territory of the Volga Germans lie here. Now this territory is part of the modern Saratov region.
A few hours after the start of the excavations, searchers discovered the remains of a Soviet soldier with a metal medallion, which was well preserved. Nikolai Borisenko noted that such medallions in good condition are a rarity. Information from such medallions is rarely read, but there is always hope to find the name of a soldier. “This time, there is a high probability of establishing his identity. God forbid that the paper inside is as well preserved as the case itself,” the head of the search club emphasized.
One of the searchers who discovered the medallion is Alexander Yurchin . He has been with Vikkra for three years. “Initially, I was engaged in military reconstruction. There were many search engines among the guys, they explained everything and told. I have always been interested in history - I studied at the Faculty of History and Philology of Moscow State University. A.A. Kuleshova. So I got to the search engines, - the young man shared. - But it is one thing to recreate the images and ammunition of the Red Army, and quite another to participate in the search for soldiers who died during the Great Patriotic War. Here we have living history in our hands. And it seems to me that with our work we are doing a noble deed, helping relatives to learn the history of loved ones.
The most important thing in search work is not to miss a single detail, says Alexander Yurchin. Personal belongings, documents and, of course, medallions - this is what always has the greatest value. “Often, the Red Army did not wear medallions at all or did not put an insert inside. But when you still find such a medallion, you always hope for the best. And our best award is the established name,” he said.
Among the searchers is Vera Glazkova , a mathematics teacher from secondary school No. 181 in Minsk. She went to her first excavations while still a 6th grade student. Since that time, the girl has been trying not to miss a single watch. “I studied at secondary school No. 34 in Mogilev. There we were taught history by Galina Nikolaevna Belyaeva, who is also here today with other guys. And in the 6th grade, I went to the first excavations - then we worked on the mounds of the Mesolithic era. And since then I have been with them. A little later, they began to study the history of the Great Patriotic War. They began to go on shifts already with search engines, - the girl says. - This work is our direct connection with our ancestors, our attempt to preserve history, restore the names of heroes. It's great that schoolchildren are also actively joining the search work. This, in my opinion, is the best format for patriotic education. Here, the guys do not just listen to stories or read books. Here they probe every millimeter of the earth, trying not to miss a single detail. After all, any little thing can help restore the fate of one of our defenders during the Great Patriotic War.”
The search watch in the Bykhov region will last until July 13. Its participants will be about 50 people.
