General Karbyshev: a feat (briefly about the main thing)

The biography of Dmitry Karbyshev is atypical for the Soviet military: he was a nobleman, a hereditary soldier. This is a vivid example of a man who turned out to be in his place and made a brilliant career due to his own talent, purposefulness, exceptional strength of mind.

Childhood and youth

A 12-year-old boy, General Karbyshev, whose feat was yet to come, was left without a father. Six children were brought up alone by their mother. Financial difficulties were common, but the sons took mind.

The elder, Vladimir, entered Kazan University, but was expelled: he sympathized with the revolutionaries. His fate was tragic: he died in prison quite young.

The youngest entered the Siberian Cadet School, and had to pay for his studies, since family history did not have privileges. Nevertheless, Karbyshev did not stumble. He studied brilliantly, he discovered great abilities for engineering. All his further career is connected with military construction.

Commencement of military service

After graduation, he was in Manchuria (1900). Here he was caught by the first of the military campaigns, in which the future general Dmitry Karbyshev took part. The feat of this brilliant military man, which is most often written in the relevant publications, would not have been possible without previous experience.

The Russian-Japanese war Karbyshev met in the rank of second lieutenant (received in 1903). In the course of military operations, I was engaged in what I had to do in my specialty: I crossed the river, built fortifications, and provided communications. For the valor he was awarded and received promotion in service: he finished the war in the rank of lieutenant.

The character of the future general Karbyshev was uncompromising, even then he did not consider it necessary to conceal his worldview. In 1906, he was sent into retirement: the officer interpreted with the soldiers on provocative topics.

To serve was glad ...

The free bread did not last long: the authorities quickly realized that the trustworthy around - a dime a dozen, and specialists at the level of Karbyshev - a cat wept. A year later Dmitry Mikhailovich returned to the service, and in 1908 he went to St. Petersburg, conquered new heights: he entered the engineering academy, which he graduated with brilliance three years later.

In 1911 Karbyshev, already in the post of captain-captain, went to Brest-Litovsk. The famous fortress, which so desperately resisted the fascists in the year 41, was built with his direct participation.

Soon the war began. I must say that the wars for the share of Dmitry Mikhailovich fell abundantly: both Russian-Japanese, and Soviet-Finnish, and both world. Practically in each of them from the very beginning took part the future general Karbyshev. The feat that he accomplished subsequently was not the first and not the only one. During the Peremyshl operation, he was awarded the Order of St. Anne and promoted to colonel.

Soviet officer

When the revolution took place in Russia, Karbyshev's reaction was quite predictable. Already in December 1917, not doubting his own choice, he enrolled in the Red Guard, as part of the Red Army participated in the Civil War. His undoubted abilities were applied: Karbyshev participated in the creation of many defense facilities.

In 1920, he already held the post of Deputy Chief of Engineers of the Southern Front, and in 1923 - Chief of Engineers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Crimea.

Science is also attractive to a talented person: for many years Karbyshev taught at the Military Academy. Frunze, wrote more than a hundred special scientific works on fortifications, bridges, etc.

On the eve of the Great Patriotic War he was promoted to lieutenant-general (1940). In the same year he joined the party. Still, the country of the Soviets was sometimes a paradoxical state: on the one hand, many members of the CPSU disappeared in Stalin's camps, including brilliant military ones, and General Karbyshev, whose feat gave us an example of an unbending spirit, made a brilliant career without being an official communist.

Participation in the Second World War

The attack of the Hitlerite army found an elderly (Dmitry Mikhailovich born in 1880) general on the western border: he participated in the construction of fortifications. Evacuate it did not have time: the first onslaught of the Germans stunned the Soviet army. The crumpled Red Army retreated swiftly, leaving behind thousands of dead and wounded. Many Soviet soldiers and officers were captured. Among them was General Karbyshev. The feat of an unbending Russian officer began in early August 1941 and lasted almost four years.

The Germans were well aware of the rank of specialist they got. They really counted on his knowledge, experience and talent. There is evidence that he was going to be involved in the service of the Wehrmacht after the victory, and then such luck! But the surprise was a very unpleasant surprise for the Hitlerites: the exploit of General Karbyshev might not have been spectacular, but he demonstrated an impressive example of courage, strength of spirit and patriotism. From cooperation, he consistently refused, he spent a lot of strength and patience, in the end this decided his fate.

Gingerbread

At first, Karbyshev got into a concentration camp of the usual regime, where he took a full lunch. But in 1942 he was transferred to the concentration camp of Hammelburg. The conditions in it were the most privileged: the feat of General Karbyshev demanded from him not only patience, but also resistance to temptations. Many of those who survived the horrors of the usual Hitler "sanatoriums" broke here, not wanting to return to the experience.

For the "appeal to truth" Karbyshev answered Colonel Pelit - the Hitlerites were counting on him, because once they worked with Dmitry Mikhailovich. The German officer worked diligently on the red general, painting him numerous blessings-material and other, which he would gain by betraying his Motherland. There was no positive result. General Karbyshev, whose feat to this day compels to respect him, refused to cooperate categorically, and even more: he was confident in the victory of Soviet weapons. By conviction, he generously shared with others, instilling in them an absolutely superfluous, according to the fascists, optimism.

The decision to take up the whip

It was decided to stop using the carrot and take up the whip - and in the solitary cell of the Berlin prison General Karbyshev appeared. Feat, briefly tell about which will not work, demanded from the Russian engineer of reinforced concrete self-righteousness.

Having "defrauded" his prisoner for almost a month, the Germans decided that this would be enough. Appearing for another interrogation, the general found in the office of the investigator the famous professor Raubengeimer, a major specialist in the field of fortification. Of course, they were familiar. To the work of the German, Karbyshev was treated with great respect.

The general made the last sentence, the generosity of which could not fail to impress. Karbyshev was offered to leave camps and prisons in exchange for generous content and the opportunity to do what he liked. Under the terms of the agreement, he was to organize a scientific laboratory for design tests. The staff could recruit what it takes, the financing was the most extensive. To his services could be the best minds and libraries of the Third Reich.

The military engineer could not fail to understand that the next sentence would not follow. Nevertheless, his answer was brief: having placed his military honor above life itself, he renounced the enemy's bounty, showing an example of real heroism. The feat of General Karbyshev can be briefly depicted by his own phrase: "I am a soldier and I remain true to my duty."

The jokes ended

Fascists immediately put on a dream of cooperation a fat cross, and Karbyshev found himself in Flossenbürg. The work was very difficult, but, according to the testimony of the co-workers, the general did not even give up his despondency. Conviction in the coming victory did not diminish. He inspired this belief in others, being a kind of leader of resistance.

Perhaps because of this, and perhaps for other reasons, he was constantly transferred from the camp to the camp. In early 1945, when only a few weeks remained until victory, he was imprisoned in the death camp of Mauthausen.

Death of the hero

With their victims, the Nazis did not particularly stand on ceremony. The outcome of the war was already obvious to many, there were no illusions. Hitler's chain dogs sought to crack down on those who were in their power.

On February 18, the Gestapo brought their wards into the courtyard and began pouring cold water on hoses. There was a severe frost - exhausted, hungry people died one after another: someone could not stand the heart, someone just froze. For the attempt to dodge, they were awarded a blow to the head. Among the most persistent was General Karbyshev: even turning into an ice column, he found the strength to support his comrades.

This story is known thanks to the general's soloist, the Canadian officer Seddon de Saint Clair. In 1946, when he was in a London hospital, he suddenly demanded a meeting with a representative of the Soviet mission on repatriation. This was the first news of Dmitri Mikhailovich: since 1941 he was listed among the missing.

After confirming the information received, the heroic deed of General Karbyshev in hostile captivity was highly appreciated by the Soviet leadership. Almost exactly five years after he was taken prisoner, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

The national memory

Every year people come to Mauthausen to commemorate the 300,000 people who were tortured here once. On the territory there is a monument to General Karbyshev: he unperturbed towers over the square, folding his arms over his chest. The figure of the hero protrudes from the stone only half - the monolith depicts an ice column into which General Karbyshev turned before the death. The feat in verse was sung by the famous Soviet poet Sergey Vasiliev. In 1975 he wrote a poem "Dignity", for which he was awarded a state prize.

In Russia, in recent years, it has become more common to recall the heroic past. At all levels, the desire to know and be proud of its history is supported and encouraged. Numerous articles about Dmitri Mikhailovich also appeared. Many resources on the Internet publish the creations of their users, impressed by the courage of the officer. Let some poems about the heroism of General Karbyshev naive and not always friendly with the rhyme, but they are written from the heart.