Russian holidays - Day of Partisans and Underground Workers

A unique holiday of its kind, the Day of Partisans and Underground Workers, appeared only a few years ago June 29 became the official date in January 2010 Tens of thousands of people who showed courage and heroism behind enemy lines deserve this memorable date The main festive events take place in regions of the country that were under Nazi occupation The choice of date is based on the directive of the Council of People's Commissars on the creation of partisan detachments, which were called upon to fight the enemy in the occupied lands This directive defined the tasks of the partisans: • Destroy the headquarters and institutions of the invaders; • Destroy communications: bridges, roads, warehouses; • Destroy soldiers and officers; • Capture and destroy the German high command In addition to subversive and sabotage actions, the detachments carried out political work with the population of captured cities, towns, villages, and talked about the real state of affairs at the fronts In addition, they exposed German propaganda, published newspapers, and printed leaflets Guerrilla detachments were formed from local residents, remnants of units that were surrounded In the Bryansk region alone, 27 formations, almost one hundred and forty detachments, and more than sixty thousand people operated The partisans were a nightmare for the Nazis The intensification of sabotage forced the Nazis to create special groups of hunters - yagdkomanda They carried out anti-sabotage work, tracked down partisans, and tried to destroy camps However, despite all the measures, the Nazis suffered losses in manpower, warehouses burned, trains and airfields exploded This forced them to create the Sonder Headquarters “Russia,” which carried out terror against commanders and political workers, conducted reconnaissance, and recruited the population The Germans used the services of policemen from local residents They were the ones who performed punitive functions But all measures were in vain The cooperation of the underground and the partisans made it possible to obtain the most important data about the enemy in a timely manner and to competently plan sabotage actions Thanks to the work of the partisans, the army received the necessary information and support in the form of the destruction of rear facilities and communications Reaching the pre-war borders ended the activities of the detachments Almost everyone joined the regular army The Great Patriotic War brought a lot of pain and tears to the Soviet people, leaving unforgettable marks in the souls of people, and served as a “test of strength” that our ancestors withstood and emerged victorious Everyone took part in this war as best they could, no one was left behind Unknown partisan heroes operated behind enemy lines, every day, exposing themselves to mortal danger, but never giving up These heroic people will forever remain in the memory and history of our country; every year we honor them on June 29 The idea of ​​such a “creation” of the day of partisans belongs to the Bryansk deputies, who proposed amending the law “On the Days of Military Glory” and recognizing this celebration as an official status On April 10, 2009, the President of the Russian Federation approved changes in legislation that came into force in 2010 The date for celebrating Partisan Day is June 29 It was then, in 1941, that the People's Council of Commissars of the USSR issued a directive on the need to form partisan detachments behind enemy lines, “to create unbearable conditions for the enemy army, destroy military equipment and disrupt the enemy’s plans” The Bryansk region is considered the central place for celebrating this day It was this area that was the first to suffer from the attacks of the fascist army; partisan detachments began to operate here for the first time and actively took part in hostilities On June 29, a big celebration takes place in major cities of Russia The program includes a meeting with veterans, holiday concerts, an installation of military events, a parade of cars from the Second World War, and mass celebrations According to tradition, early in the morning everyone goes to the eternal flame to present flowers and pay tribute to the memory of those killed in this terrible war The word partisan comes from the Italian language and denotes an adherent of certain social views Soviet partisans played a big role during the Second World War According to historical information, more than two million underground fighters operated behind enemy lines Thanks to their coordinated work, the following were destroyed: - over four thousand units of heavy military equipment (armored vehicles, tanks); - 66 thousand enemy passenger cars; - more than 1000 aircraft; - more than a million fascists were captured; - over 1,500 railway bridges and 20 thousand meters of railway track, strategically important for the Nazis, were destroyed The partisan detachments did not work thoughtlessly; all operations were carried out in contact with the Soviet Army For courage and courage, as well as assistance provided during military operations, more than 300 thousand Soviet underground fighters were awarded state awards and medals, almost 250 of them received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union The name of the partisan Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya is known throughout the world This young girl died at the age of 18, carrying out orders from a partisan detachment; she took part in mining enemy roads and their camps, but was eventually caught and executed by the Nazis The leader of the underground movement was the poet and actor Oleg Koshevoy He, along with everyone else, participated in anti-war attacks, destroying strategically important enemy targets Another commander of the partisan detachment, Sidor Kovpak, was twice awarded the title of Hero of the USSR In 1943, he was awarded the rank of major general His troops operated on the territory of the Ukrainian SSR and inflicted great damage on the German army, defeating almost 39 fascist garrisons The establishment of Partisan Day is a small part of the tribute we owe to these heroic individuals To this day, the archives of our country contain documents about the exploits of underground heroes, classified as “top secret” We hope that soon all the secrets of guerrilla warfare and the names of these brave men will be revealed to us The war years are getting further away from us There are fewer and fewer eyewitnesses and participants On this memorable day, we congratulate the veterans of the partisan struggle and wish them health and long life!