Literature on the events of the Great Patriotic War is produced very, very much - from the revisionists - “I was all lied to and I will lie” to serious research. Detail signs of the battle tracks not only of armies, but almost platoons. But it is often incomprehensible that the “battles for the forester’s house” lasted so long and how entire divisions lay down in the battle for individual villages.
There are a lot of reasons for high losses and unexpected defeats - first of all, an extremely low level of education and military training. But this article is not about that. We propose only to look at the places of the highest losses - and imagine yourself in the place of a fighter who needs to take IT.
So - there is such a river - Mius.
River frankly not Volga and the Yenisei
The height of the trees allows us to estimate the width of the “river”. Wade can most likely go. And to fix the crossing is not a big problem.
But the Mius-Front is 15 months of fighting from 1941 to 1943. 833 thousand soldiers and commanders of the Red Army. Everyone probably heard about the Maginot and Mannerheim lines. Compare?
Mannernheim is resting. But the density of defense is not all. Take a look at the terrain:
52 meters! 18 storey house. Weak storm skyscraper in the forehead? Even breaking into the summit, the fighters found themselves in a difficult position — the supply routes for ammunition and the replenishment approach were sweeping to the horizon from neighboring sites.
How do you climb up let's say in a jeep on such a steeper? Yes, first overcoming the swamp?
Well, or try yourself in the role of a climber with a rifle in your hands at night?
Eternal memory to everyone who could.
The source of the photos is the book “Matishov G.G. Afanasienko V.I. Krinko E.F. Mius-front in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-42, 1943. "