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Fortress in Brest, Belarus

The fortress in the 1830s

Brest Fortress (Belarusian: Брэсцкая крэпасць, Bresckaja krepasć ; Polish: Twierdza brzeska), formerly known equally Brest-Litoŭsk Fortress, is a 19th-century fortress in Brest, Republic of belarus. In 1965, the title "Hero Fortress" was given to the fortress to commemorate the defence of the borderland stronghold during the get-go week of the Operation Barbarossa when Axis forces invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. The championship "Hero Fortress" corresponds to the championship "Hero City" that the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union awarded to twelve Soviet cities.

Description [edit]

The Brest fortress has sustained its original outline of a star shaped fortification since its construction in the early 19th century. The Citadel, the core of the fortress, was on the central island formed by the Bug River and the two branches of the Mukhavets River. The island was skirted by a ring of a 2-storied banter with 4 semi-towers. The 1.8 km long barrack comprised 500 rooms to accommodate 12,000 soldiers within thick walls congenital from super stiff red bricks. Originally at that place were four gates to enter the Citadel. Today but Kholm Gate and Terespol Gate can be seen, most role of the barrack lies in ruins.

The Citadel was surrounded by iii fortifications as bridgeheads, that were made up by branches of the Mukhavets River and moats (ditches), fortified by earthworks ten g high with redbrick casemates inside. The three fortifications were named subsequently two towns: Russian name for the metropolis of Kobryn in Belarus, Terespol in Poland and Volyn, a historic region of Volhynia majorly located in Ukraine. The Kobrin Fortification was the biggest in the fortress, located in the northeastern part, shaped similar a horseshoe, featured 4 fortification defunction, 3 discrete ravelins and a lunette in the western part, Eastward Fort and West Fort. The Terespol Fortification was the western bridgehead, featuring 4 detached lunettes. The Volyn Fortification was the southeastern bridgehead, featuring 2 fortification curtains with 2 discrete ravelins.^[1]

History [edit]

Construction [edit]

The structure of the Purple Russian fortress, in place of the old Ducal Lithuanian Brest Castle, started in 1833 based on a draft of the Russian armed forces engineer Karl Opperman.

WWI [edit]

After the autumn of the forts at Kovno and Novogeorgievsk, the Russians abandoned Brest fortress, carrying away most of their stockpiled munitions. The Germans entered the fort on August 26, 1915. In 1918, the fort was the location of the signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which made peace between USSR and the Central Powers.

During WWII [edit]

Polish Defense of Brest Fortress [edit]

The Battle of Brześć Litewski (also known equally the Siege of Brześć, Boxing of Brest-Litovsk or simply Battle of Brześć) was a Earth State of war 2 battle involving German language and Polish forces that took place between fourteen and 17 September 1939, about the boondocks of Brześć Litewski (at present Brest, Belarus). Afterwards three days of heavy fights for the stronghold in the boondocks of Brześć, the Germans captured the fortress and the Poles withdrew.

On 14 September 77 High german tanks of the 2nd Battalion of the eighth Panzer Regiment, function of 10th Panzer Segmentation, reached the surface area of Brześć and attempted to capture the fortress on the run. The probe assault was repelled by Polish infantry and the 113th company of low-cal tanks, consisting of 12 obsolete Renault FT tanks. All the Smooth tanks were destroyed, but the German forces were forced to retreat towards their initial positions. Polish armoured train number 53 (PP53), which made a reconnaissance advance to Wysokie Litewskie, was attacked by a scout patrol from the 10th Panzer Sectionalisation. The crew from the train opened burn with artillery. Several other skirmishes were fought, but were largely inconclusive.

Afterward that twenty-four hours the German language artillery arrived and started bombardment of both the fortress and the boondocks. Heavy street fighting ensued. At dawn approximately half of the town was in German hands, the other half being defended by Polish infantry. Polish anti-tank weapons, artillery and AA guns were very deficient and were unable provide enough support for the infantry.^{[ citation needed ]} The post-obit day Polish defenders withdrew from the town, but heavy casualties on both sides prevented the German units from continuing the attacks on the fortress. Instead, it was constantly shelled with artillery and bombed by the Luftwaffe.

The primary assail finally started in the early morn of sixteen September. The defenders had plenty of small arms ammunition and calorie-free arms thanks to the munitions depot in the fortress, but had about no anti-tank weapons and insufficient artillery embrace.

Although the German infantry was repelled and the assault of German language tanks was stopped by two FT tanks sealing the northern gate of the fortress, by nightfall it became apparent that the German pressure made the situation very grave. Despite heavy losses, the German 20th Motorized Sectionalisation and 10th Armored Partition captured the northern part of the citadel. Meanwhile, the combined 3rd Armored Division and 2nd Armored Division comprising the XXIInd Armored Corps entered the expanse. The Poles were unable to resupply and the casualties rose to near 40%.

At dawn Full general Plisowski ordered office of the Smoothen forces to retreat from the easternmost fortifications and regroup to the other side of the river and southwards. The evacuation was completed by early morning time, 17 September when the terminal unit crossing the bridge blew it upwards to hinder the Germans.

Soviet Defence of Brest Fortress [edit]

Copy of the inscription plant inside the citadel: "I'm dying, but I won't give up! Bye Motherland. 20.Seven.41" exhibited in the Museum of the defense force of the Brest fortress

At 04:15 (Moscow time) June 22, 1941, the German Wehrmacht attacked the Brest fortress with no alert. The attack started with an artillery avalanche, including 600 mm mortars of the 2d battery of the Heavy Artillery Battalion 833 Nr. III ("Thor") and Nr. IV ("Odin").^[ii] The defenders were taken by surprise and initially failed to class a solid front. Past 09:00 that day, the fortress was completely surrounded. The ensuing battle of Brest Fortress lasted for viii days, during which about 2000 soldiers and officers defending the castle died; German casulties amounted to 430 soldiers and officers.^{[iii] [iv]}

The last defended object in the fortress was taken past June 29. All in all about vi,800 Soviet soldiers and commanders were captured.

According to Soviet propaganda, the battle lasted until 20 July, with no ane surrendering to the Germans. This narrative became a testament to the resilience and backbone of Red Army and Soviet people.^[5] A few Soviet soldiers did indeed hold out inside pockets of the fortress until every bit belatedly as 23 July.^[vi]

Final platoon led by Pyotr Gavrilov a Soviet officeholder known as the hero of the Defense of Brest Fortress who at the time was major in command of the 44th Motor Rifle Regiment of the 42nd Burglarize Sectionalization surrendered with his remaining survivors on 23 July, 1941 later on holding out for 31 days and was held captive in Hammelburg and Ravensbrück concentration camps until his release subsequently the cease of the war in May 1945. He was awarded the Order of Lenin and title Hero of the Soviet Union in 1957.^{[vii] [eight]}

Baronial 1941 [edit]

During a journey to different parts of the Eastern front, Hitler and Mussolini visited the fortress on August 26, 1941. Potent security measures were in place.

Legacy [edit]

War Memorial Circuitous [edit]

In the late 1960s, the construction of the state of war memorial complex "Brest Hero Fortress" was started. The circuitous was opened on September 25, 1971.^[9] The memorial circuitous is a national place of grief and pride, a popular tourist attraction. Information technology comprises the barracks, gunpowder bunkers, forts and other fortifications, the museum of the defence, located on the site of the sometime fortress, along with the new awe-inspiring structures: the Principal Entrance, the Obelisk, the Main Monument, the sculpture "Thirst".

World Heritage status [edit]

This site was added to the UNESCO Earth Heritage Tentative List on January thirty, 2004, in the Cultural category.^[10] Preservation and evolution is being carried out by the Brest Fortress Development Foundation.^{[11] [12]}

Symbol of Brest city [edit]

The Brest Fortress is used equally a symbol of the Belarussian city of Brest.

Brest in literature and popular culture [edit]

• Fortress of War (Russian: Брестская крепость), a 2010 Russian-Belarusian moving picture
• Weary Sun Triumph Brest Fortress (Russian: Утомленное солнце Триумф Брестской крепости), a 2010 alternative history by Valeriy Belousov
• I, a Russian soldier (Russian: Я — русский солдат), a 1995 motion-picture show based on the novel His Proper name is Non in the List
• His Proper noun is Not in the Listing (Russian: В списках не значился) novel by Boris Vasilyev)
• 1941: Brest Fortress. Kazakhstan. (Russian: 1941: Брестская крепость: Казахстан) book by Kazakh professor Akhmetova, Laila nigh the defenders of Brest Fortress from Kazakhstan (2016)

Run across also [edit]

• Defence force of Brest Fortress (1941)
• Battle of Brześć Litewski (1939)
• Listing of Jesuit sites

References [edit]

1. ^ Суворов А.М. "Брестская крепость на ветрах истории", Brest, 2004 (text in Russian) ISBN 985-90040-ane-3
2. ^ "Мортира КАРЛ". Archived from the original on 2017-07-06. Retrieved 2017-05-eleven .
3. ^ Christian Ganzer: German and Soviet Losses every bit an Indicator of the Length and Intensity of the Boxing for the Brest Fortress (1941). In: The Journal of Slavic Military Studies, Volume 27, Issue iii, pp. 449–466, here: p. 463.
4. ^ Christian Ganzer: High german and Soviet Losses every bit an Indicator of the Length and Intensity of the Battle for the Brest Fortress (1941). In: The Periodical of Slavic Military Studies, Volume 27, Issue 3, pp. 449–466, here: p. 458.
5. ^ Christian Ganzer: Soviet Prisoners of war in Soviet and post-Soviet commemorative culture. The Brest fortress: a case study. In: Frédéric Bonnesoeur et al. (eds.): Occupation - Annihilation - Forced Labour. Papers from the 20th Workshop on the History and Memory of National Socialist Concentration Camps. Berlin 2017, pp. 193-209.
6. ^ "Брестская крепость. — М.: Раритет, 2000. — 406 с. (text in Russian)". Archived from the original on 2021-09-09. Retrieved 2021-09-09 . ISBN v-85735-119-vii
7. ^ "Heroes of Soviet Union, Гаврилов Пётр Михайлович (text in Russian)". Archived from the original on 2021-09-09. Retrieved 2021-09-09 .
8. ^ Henry Sakaida, Heroes of the Soviet Union 1941–45, Osprey Publishing, 2004, ISBN 1-84176-769-7, Google Print, p.48
9. ^ "the official website of the war memorial". Archived from the original on 2017-07-03. Retrieved 2016-05-xv .
10. ^ UNESCO Tentative List for Belarus
11. ^ Brest Heritage
12. ^ Brest Fortress Development Foundation to receive US Grant

External links [edit]

• Official homepage of the Brest Hero-Fortress Memorial
• Brest Fortress on official website of the Republic of Belarus
• UNESCO publication most the Brest Fortress
• Aerial photograph from June, 1940
• Jurkau kutoczak — Юркаў куточак — Yury's Corner. Фартэцыя ў Берасьці 1836-1842 гг.
• Photo 1024x768
• Principal fortress 52°04′59″North 23°39′15″E  /  52.082961°N 23.654251°Eastward  / 52.082961; 23.654251  (Master fortress)
• External forts
  • 52°02′51″N 23°twoscore′25″Eastward  /  52.047516°N 23.673477°E  / 52.047516; 23.673477
  • 52°02′46″Northward 23°37′07″Eastward  /  52.046090°Due north 23.618588°East  / 52.046090; 23.618588
  • 52°04′49″N 23°35′45″E  /  52.080172°Due north 23.595747°E  / 52.080172; 23.595747
  • 52°03′52″Due north 23°32′58″Eastward  /  52.064457°N 23.549516°E  / 52.064457; 23.549516
  • 52°02′36″North 23°33′15″E  /  52.043306°N 23.554097°Due east  / 52.043306; 23.554097
  • 52°01′10″N 23°36′fourteen″E  /  52.019365°North 23.603868°Eastward  / 52.019365; 23.603868

Coordinates: 52°04′55″Northward 23°39′29″E  /  52.082°North 23.658°Due east  / 52.082; 23.658

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Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brest_Fortress

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