Leonov is twice a hero of the Soviet Union. Viktor Leonov - Marine reconnaissance officer. Marine intelligence elite: always and everywhere
November 2016 marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of twice Hero of the Soviet Union, a true patriot of the Motherland, Captain First Rank Viktor Nikolaevich Leonov. In my youth, I was lucky to meet Viktor Nikolaevich, this amazing man. A legend of Navy intelligence, commander of the 181st reconnaissance and sabotage detachment of the Northern and then the Pacific fleets.
Viktor Nikolaevich Leonov was born on November 21, 1916 in the city of Zaraysk, Ryazan province, now the Moscow region. Since 1937, he served in the Northern Fleet, where he completed a training course in the underwater diving training squad named after S. M. Kirov in the city of Polyarny and was sent for further service to the submarine "Shch-402". With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, senior Red Navy man V.N. Leonov more than once turned to the command with a report on his enrollment in the reconnaissance detachment of the Northern Fleet, where he could meet the enemy face to face. The request of the senior Red Navy man was granted, and in July 1941 the young soldier was enrolled in the 181st reconnaissance and sabotage detachment. This significant moment marks the birth of the intelligence officer, who conducted more than 50 combat missions behind enemy lines. For exceptional endurance, courage and composure in the fight against the fascist invaders in December 1942, Viktor Nikolaevich was awarded the first officer rank, and a year later, in December 1943, he held the position of commander of the 181st special reconnaissance detachment of the Northern Fleet.
Viktor Nikolaevich Leonov is a true patriot of the Motherland, a man-legend of intelligence, one of those few heroes who went through the entire war from bell to bell, not even at the front line, but rather behind the front line of defense.
Captain First Rank Viktor Nikolaevich Leonov repeatedly came to our unit, where in a warm and friendly atmosphere he met with sailors, midshipmen and officers, talked not only about exploits at the front, but, above all, instilled in us courage and bravery, love for the Motherland. For us, young people, the stories of the front-line soldier were extremely interesting and instructive. We remembered these lessons of courage for the rest of our lives, as well as the intelligence officer’s commandment - to always think with your head and not make hasty decisions.
The exploits of intelligence officers have always attracted the attention of writers, screenwriters and directors. A lot of adventure books have been written about them, hundreds of fascinating films have been made. And, of course, in these films or books, brave heroes always defeat their enemies, skillfully getting out of the most dangerous and incredible situations. Only in life the enemy was not so “stupid”. On the contrary, our enemy was smart, cunning and cruel. He was well trained and excellently equipped for the war in the Arctic, where it was sometimes simply impossible to hide among the bare hills and rocks. And defeating such a strong and worthy enemy is real valor!
It so happened that the name of the legendary intelligence officer, Viktor Nikolaevich Leonov, is mentioned as often as we would like. Apparently, this is the fate of all intelligence officers. However, it should be noted that none of the most eminent military leaders carried out such daring military operations as this courageous man, who returned from the war with the modest rank of lieutenant commander, but with two gold stars of the Hero of the Soviet Union on his chest.
Real front-line reconnaissance soldiers left behind very few memories or memoirs. The more valuable are the meager lines they wrote. And not so many of them, the scouts, survived either. Like the infantry, reconnaissance suffered significant losses. However, there are scout books. Including books written by Viktor Nikolaevich Leonov. For example, the most famous “Face to Face; Get ready for a feat today." To some extent, these are not even memories, but rather a real manual for special forces soldiers.
In the harsh conditions of the Arctic, Leonov’s reconnaissance detachment not only provided reconnaissance activities behind Nazi lines, but also solved an equally important task of protecting the main transport artery - the polar port of Murmansk. It should be noted that the detachment under the command of a young officer lost only a few soldiers during combat operations and directly in battles with the enemy! And this is in intelligence! In fact, Viktor Nikolaevich developed a whole system of how to defeat a strong and superior enemy! His unique experience of preserving people during combat operations, people with excellent combat training, who skillfully acted in close hand-to-hand combat, certainly deserves research and study. Just look at the operation of Leonov's 181st reconnaissance detachment on Cape Krestovy, when after an assault on a strategically important fortified area and a two-day defensive battle, the detachment's fighters still managed to win the unequal battle. In those battles on Krestovoy, ten scouts were killed, and this was the largest numerical loss of the detachment during the entire period of hostilities. Viktor Nikolaevich himself recalls this with sorrow in one of his books: “Prisoned rangers are walking past. The enemies see ten killed Soviet intelligence officers, and they remember how many of their own they buried... The huntsmen rip the caps from their heads, press their hands to their hips and walk past the grave in a formation step.” The scout’s stories are simple, truthful and uncomplicated: “Our detachment, operating behind enemy lines, was always inferior to him in numbers and technical equipment, but we always won in hand-to-hand combat. Neither the Germans nor the Japanese have ever acted as decisively as we have... The psychological law is this: in a fight between two opponents, one will definitely give up. In close combat, you should first of all rivet his gaze to yours - firm and imperious...” And then he continued: “Admiral Golovko gave the order - “the right to select the detachment’s scouts rests with the detachment commander.” So they couldn’t assign anyone to us. I had contact with the personnel department, they sent me those who seemed to be suitable. I talked with the man and watched how he reacted to my questions. The most important thing for me was his eyes and hands. The position of the hands determines the psychological state of a person, his character. I needed my hands not to grab anything, so that they were ready for action, but remained calm..."
In his wonderful book “Lessons of Courage,” which became a “start to life” for many reconnaissance sailors, V.N. Leonov writes: “For old soldiers who have fought in their lifetime, military camaraderie is a sacred and indestructible concept. And many could use Gogol’s line, inspired as a song, “there is no bond holier than comradeship,” as an epigraph to their military biographies.”
During his meetings with sailors, Viktor Nikolaevich repeatedly mentioned that in his youth he dreamed of becoming a poet and entering a literary institute. He wrote poetry and was published. But I had to become a sailor. At first as a submariner, and then as a marine.
V.N. Leonov devoted most of his life to special forces. As a boy, he dreamed that every Russian Fleet would have detachments like the 181st. Even when, as a result of Khrushchev’s reforms, Viktor Nikolayevich did not find a place in the Navy, he continued to actively participate in the creation of Soviet special forces.
In 1956, with the rank of captain of the 2nd rank, he retired, but continued to engage in social work, traveled a lot with speeches around the country... I especially remember the story of a front-line intelligence officer about a smile. As Viktor Nikolaevich recalled, a smile is also a weapon. “When I suddenly came face to face with the enemy, I smiled sweetly at him. He hesitated for a few seconds, and this gave me the opportunity to stay alive and do something.”
Today's boys, like us once upon a time, dream of accomplishing a feat, but they think little about what a feat is? Of course, every courageous act, including in days of peace, is necessarily associated with courage and bravery. Nowadays, young people everywhere are addicted to selfies, for which they sometimes perform dizzying, risky stunts. They think this is real courage and bravery. Thus, they try to assert themselves and arouse the admiration of others with their extreme photography. Sometimes such “heroism” ends in death.
But can every brave act be considered a feat? The famous Czech writer Julius Fucik said wonderfully about this: “A hero is a person who, at a decisive moment, does what needs to be done in the interests of human society.” And this means that a feat is not only a brave act, but, above all, an act that benefits the Motherland! But today’s boys forget about this... So real heroes are replaced by “fictional” ones, imposed on us all from the outside, through colorful American films.
Why are we today somehow embarrassed to talk about mass heroism during the war? In my youth, I sincerely believed that the most ordinary person, like me, like you, cannot become a hero. I believed that heroism is a kind of special gift, and heroes are people with special abilities, such as talented artists, poets, scientists, sports champions.
However, when I had a chance to read wartime archival documents, read award sheets and simply - reports, reports, orders - all this instantly destroyed my harmful delusion. In fact, the message from our grandfathers and great-grandfathers sounds like this: “We did it - and you can too!” We survived - and you will survive! We overcame - and you can overcome!”
Agree, well, there cannot be such a coincidence that 28, 40, 100 or 1000 heroes accidentally gathered in one place and at one time. These are ordinary people who, due to life circumstances, were really able to overcome their fear and accomplish a feat!
What is a feat? Here's how Viktor Nikolaevich talked about it: - Many, very many people see the meaning of their lives in it. I think I won’t be wrong when I say that almost every honest young man dreams of heroism. Even if he does not always think about some special courageous act, fate itself foresaw for him, but at least he passionately dreams of becoming known to the Motherland, the people in work, art, sports and especially in military affairs. Known for the fact that through his work he left people with a memory of himself. When I hear the phrase: “This is a real man,” I remember my peers, twenty- and thirty-year-old guys. All these people are absolutely not outstanding, surprisingly simple, accessible, unperturbed, temperamental in their lively and direct perception of life. But there was nothing in them and there is nothing so special, unaccounted for, or something... All these are people who are family, close to you, perhaps even strangers, with whom fate brought you together for the first time. But these are real men. Because they see, understand the meaning of life and subordinate themselves to it completely, because they stubbornly expose their chests to the headwind and go for themselves, go, no matter how difficult it is for them, towards the great goal of life, without wasting time on trifles, without succumbing to dubious temptations, clouding the great prospect of serving people, serving the Motherland. It was with these people that I went into severe battle. And I was never wrong about them. Where you can rely on a person, where he will not let you down, even if you have to sacrifice your well-being, or even your life itself, in the name of the Motherland, in the name of high goals, that’s where a man begins. A man and a feat are, in my opinion, inseparable concepts. Only a real man, strong and courageous, strong in spirit and body, armed with knowledge and skill, inspired by love for the Motherland, for people, is capable of feats. The path of achievement, I emphasize once again, is steep, winding, difficult and rocky. It requires not only knowledge and physical strength, it requires that a person be psychologically determined to fight victoriously against any difficulties and dangers. And our youth are attracted to this trail! She is eager for her, eager to test her strength. During the Great Patriotic War, I served in the reconnaissance detachment of the Northern Fleet....
Is it possible today in Soyuzpechat kiosks to find sets of postcards with portraits of cosmonauts, with portraits of Heroes of the Soviet Union? What do we see among the huge number of books in stores? You can find memoirs of German generals and soldiers who colorfully talk about how they valiantly killed our fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers. But finding books about our heroes, oh, is not so easy.
After retiring, Viktor Nikolaevich tried to teach young people courage, perseverance, and endurance. He, like no one else, knew the cost of losing comrades in battle, understood the cost of confusion and cowardice in a combat situation... He spoke without embellishment about the war, about how to fight. Viktor Nikolaevich received his first Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union for the participation of 181 reconnaissance detachment in November 1944 in the Petsamo-Kirkenes offensive operation of the Northern Fleet. But before starting the operation, the scouts received an order to defeat the strategically important powerful German stronghold at Cape Krestovy...
In a summer as hot as this one, only in 1970, the painting “The Feat of Sergeant Major Lysenko” by artists Alexander Tikhomirov and Joseph Ilyin was exhibited in the Exhibition Hall on Kuznetsky Most in Moscow. In this picture, the hero - scout Ivan Lysenko holds a metal cross with wire spirals on his shoulders, and under the wire our scouts are rushing towards the enemy battery. Of course, there were also skeptics who doubted, believing that if such a thing happened, it was only in a fit of battle. Here’s what Viktor Nikolaevich himself said about this painting: “I want to answer the skeptics: everything was as the artist depicted it. After all, this happened in our detachment, in the operation to liberate the city of Pechenga. We then received the task of going to Cape Krestovy and destroying German defensive structures. We made our way to Krestovy the hard way, through the tundra and hills, and only got there on the third day. On the morning of October 12, we suddenly attacked an enemy 88-mm battery at Cape Krestovoy. The night was very dark, and one of the scouts ran into a signal wire. The rocket took off. In front of us was a fascist battery protected by a powerful wire fence. The enemies opened fire. A decisive move is needed. I give the command: “Whoever can, but everyone should be on the battery.” Komsomol member Volodya Fatkin threw his jacket onto the barbed spiral and, rolling over it, found himself in front of the enemy machine gunners. The secretary of our Komsomol organization Sasha Manin did the same. Volodya died from the fire of a coaxial machine gun mount, and Sasha, jumping over the deadly jet, jumped into a concrete machine gun cell and blew himself up along with the German machine gunners.
Next to me was the communist Ivan Lysenko. Noticing my intentions, he shouted: “Commander, you can’t go through the wire, you’ll die, I’ll pick you up now!”
I jumped over the wire and didn’t see what Lysenko was doing. The scouts later said that Ivan threw a jacket over his head, crawled under the crosspiece, tore it out of the ground and, throwing it on his shoulders, stood up to his full height, allowing his comrades to enter the battery. The bullets, one after another, dug into the body of the hero, and, weakening, Ivan whispered:
Faster, there is no more strength.
Be patient a little, Ivan, there’s not much left,” one of the scouts asked.
- Then help me, otherwise I’ll fall.
Next to Ivan Lysenko stood the communist senior lieutenant Alexey Lupov. They let all the scouts through to the enemy battery and fell nearby. Alexey Lupov died immediately, and Ivan Lysenko, having received 21 bullet wounds, still lived.
When the battle at the battery ended, I approached Ivan, and the first question he asked me was:
How's the task?
Done, Ivan, thank you,” I replied.
How many guys died?
Quite a few, a few people,” I reassured Ivan.
Then that's right. If through a wire, there would be more...
These were his last words. Dying, the hero warrior thought about the task that had to be completed, about the comrades who had to live to continue the fight against the Nazis. Of course, this is not combat passion, but a conscious sacrifice in the name of the Motherland, in the name of the happiness of future generations, and this is precisely the greatness of the feat of the communists Ivan Lysenko, Alexei Lupov and other heroes.
This operation of reconnaissance sailors ensured the success of our landing in Linahamari and the capture of the seaport and city. Leonov's detachment, through its active military operations, neutralized the coastal battery and created favorable conditions for landing troops in the ice-free port of Linahamari, as well as the subsequent liberation of Petsamo (Pechenga) and Kirkenes.
By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated November 5, 1944, Lieutenant V.N. Leonov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 5058). Several years ago, a documentary film was made about this legendary reconnaissance landing. But they only show it extremely rarely. As they say now - “not a format”. And when you ask a direct question, why don’t we show films about our heroes, you hear in response - no one is interested in this, there will be no rating. Excuse me, what kind of rating do we need if we talk about the exploits of OUR fathers and grandfathers? Love for the Motherland cannot be cultivated from case to case, from one significant date to another.
One of the most significant operations of the Leonovsky reconnaissance detachment was the capture of 3.5 thousand Japanese soldiers and officers in the Korean port of Wonsan. As Viktor Nikolaevich recalled, “There were 140 of us fighters. We unexpectedly landed on a Japanese airfield for the enemy and entered into negotiations. After that, ten of us representatives were taken to the headquarters of the colonel, the commander of the aviation unit, who wanted to make hostages out of us.
I joined the conversation. Looking the Japanese in the eyes, I said that we had fought the entire war in the west and had enough experience to assess the situation, that we would not be hostages, but rather, we would die, but we would die along with everyone who was at headquarters. The difference is, I added, that you will die like rats, and we will try to escape from here... The colonel, forgetting about his handkerchief, began wiping the sweat from his forehead with his hand and after some time signed the act of surrender of the entire garrison. We lined up three and a half thousand prisoners in a column of eight people. They carried out all my commands at a run. We had no one to escort such a convoy, so I put the commander and chief of staff in the car with me. If even one, I say, runs away, blame yourself... While they were leading the team, there were already up to five thousand Japanese in it...”
During a bold operation by scouts in the port of Genzan, the sailors disarmed and captured about two thousand soldiers and two hundred officers, while capturing 3 artillery batteries, 5 aircraft, and several ammunition depots. For this operation, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated September 14, 1945, senior lieutenant Viktor Nikolaevich Leonov was again awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and awarded the second Gold Star medal.
Viktor Nikolaevich Leonov died in Moscow on October 7, 2003, on that same memorable day of the 59th anniversary of the start of the Petsamo-Kirkenes offensive operation. He was buried at the Leonovskoye cemetery in Moscow. You won’t find it right away, you have to look. But in a prominent place at the entrance lie some unknown individuals, either swindlers, or “successful entrepreneurs.” Even after death, the good gentlemen from the “Ritual” divided our Memory into those who are “dear” to them and those who simply defended the Motherland, becoming twice Heroes.
We celebrate the 100th anniversary of this courageous Man. He deserves to be remembered ...
He deserved to have a worthy gravestone placed over his grave.twice Hero of the Soviet Union monument!
I appeal to numerous veteran organizations, to the Union of Officers of Russia, to all patriotic forces with a huge request - let's send our petitions to the President of Russia with a request to perpetuate the memory of this Man in an appropriate and worthy manner! Let's together organize an anniversary worthy of the memory of a courageous and brave man, a true patriot of our Motherland!
Northern Fleet
I know that today is not November 5, but wanting to preserve information about the legendary naval reconnaissance officer, twice Hero of the Soviet Union Viktor Nikolaevich Leonov, I am publishing the text found here - http://www.b-port.com/info/smi/nsz/?issue =3385&article=63667..
And then there will be more information. His death was not reported anywhere, no stories were shown, no stories were told in lessons about his and his friends’ exploits... Only by trying to pass on to our children what can still be preserved will we perpetuate their memory! Eternal Glory to the Heroes!!!
Marine intelligence elite: always and everywhere
Publication “On Guard of the Arctic”
Issue N 88 dated November 3, 2007
It is no coincidence that the bat has become the unofficial emblem of special intelligence units of the Russian Armed Forces. After all, special forces perform the specific tasks assigned to them mainly under the cover of darkness, remaining invisible and inaudible to prying eyes and ears. Little is known about their work to the general public, and the special forces themselves do not really advertise their belonging to the elite of the army and navy.
Nevertheless, the concept of “special forces” leaves few people indifferent. It combines the longed-for dream of many guys preparing for military service and confident that it was their lot to perform a heroic deed, and the object of good envy of those who did not end up in such a unit. And also - the enemy’s awe and fear of people who silently, like shadows, appear out of nowhere.
When the conversation turns to them, the imagination of the uninitiated depicts almost epic knights or sort of “tough” superman guys, armed to the teeth. Although outwardly special forces do not stand out much from ordinary military personnel, in fact there are differences. The main one is excellent professional and physical training, the ability to think outside the box, predict the actions of the enemy, and do many things that ordinary mortals simply cannot do. And also - loyalty to military duty and military brotherhood, high moral spirit, selfless courage and confidence in victory.
Every step they take is clearly measured and planned in advance. And before doing it in a real combat situation, they have to shed a lot of sweat in training, so as not to lose a single drop of their blood.
Polar Fox Squad
The formation of such units was dictated by the real situation that developed in a specific combat situation. The need to covertly, with small forces, with minimal losses, solve important tasks in the territory occupied by the enemy, in his deep rear, obtaining valuable information for the command, destroying manpower and destroying the enemy’s communications. In the Northern Fleet, the ancestor and prototype of the current special forces was the reconnaissance and sabotage detachment of the Northern Fleet headquarters, which was formed in the first months of the Great Patriotic War, famous for its daring raids.
The training of his fighters grew from campaign to campaign. With each new raid, sometimes at the cost of the lives of comrades, invaluable experience was gained and accumulated. And also intense training, colossal physical exertion, which not everyone could endure. But those who passed this tough selection could feel confident in the enemy rear.
In 2005, the Moscow publishing house "Tsentrizdat" published the book "Face to Face (Military chronicles of the special forces detachment of the Northern Fleet. 1941-1945)." Its author and, in fact, the main character is the legendary naval reconnaissance officer, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Viktor Nikolaevich Leonov. During the Great Patriotic War, the reconnaissance and sabotage detachment of the Northern Fleet headquarters under his command carried out daring raids deep behind enemy lines, terrifying the mountain rangers - selected Hitlerite thugs, who called Leonov's scouts "black devils" and their commander - the Polar Fox.
In his memoirs “Face to Face” and “Lessons of Courage from Viktor Leonov” he talks about the formation of a detachment of naval reconnaissance officers, its combat path, the fortitude of his fighting brothers-in-arms, their dedication and ability to emerge victorious in a battle with the enemy.
Who is he, this man who became a legend during his lifetime?
Viktor Leonov was drafted into the Navy in 1937. After graduating from the Northern Fleet's diving training squad, he served as a mechanic on a submarine.
At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he was transferred to the newly formed reconnaissance and sabotage detachment of the Northern Fleet headquarters, where in two years he rose from an ordinary intelligence officer to a commander.
In 1944, for the courage and heroism shown in battles against well-trained Nazi mountain rangers, for the actions of the detachment during the operation to liberate Petsamo (Pechenga) and the north-eastern regions of Norway from the Nazi invaders, Viktor Leonov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union .
Senior Lieutenant Leonov was awarded the second Gold Star medal on September 14, 1945 for the successful actions of a separate reconnaissance detachment of the Pacific Fleet under his command during the landing on the east coast of North Korea.
Leonov School
Abroad, Leonov is called “the luminary of the Soviet naval commandos.” There, military professionals passionately study the experience of the Polar Fox detachment and try to use it for their special forces. And these are not empty words. The textbooks of military academies around the world included the daring operation of 1945 in Korea, where his detachment, numbering only 140 people, captured several thousand Japanese soldiers and officers.
In the Arctic, during all the campaigns and battles in which Leonov’s scouts took part, the detachment lost only nine people. And this is also a unique experience in preserving people. People of the highest combat training, invincible in hand-to-hand combat. He was a creative warrior, a brilliant commander-organizer, and skillfully used the strong qualities of each of his intelligence officers.
It is appropriate to note that Viktor Nikolaevich and his associates created their own hand-to-hand combat complex, which, in comparison with the currently fashionable martial arts systems, according to some experts, remains unsurpassed.
It was a complex of training, both combat and physical, as well as psychological. And moreover, it was a way of educating the spirit.
Viktor Nikolaevich describes his work in rather modest tones. But it is enough to refer to examples of the combat activities of naval reconnaissance officers of the Northern Fleet to be convinced of how highly they were prepared to carry out their missions.
A reconnaissance group of the Leonov detachment of three soldiers, parachuted onto the Norwegian Varanger Peninsula behind the Germans, for nine months, constantly evading pursuit, not entering populated areas, spending the night under the snow, successfully reported reliable information about all observed flights of enemy aircraft and the movements of ships. . This feat, as well as the feat of fighter Ivan Lysenko, accomplished during the operation at Cape Krestovy, undoubtedly ranks among the most striking episodes of the Great Patriotic War in the Arctic. Why not an example for today's special forces?..
Here is what Viktor Leonov writes about this in his memoirs: “The Laplanders” had great hopes for their strongholds, among which the powerful stronghold at Cape Krestovy, equipped with artillery installations, especially stood out.
And at this time we moved to the Rybachy Peninsula and had already chosen a hill, whose contours resembled a stronghold on Cape Krestovy.
For about two weeks we “stormed” this hill at night, interacting with three groups commanded by me, lieutenants Zmeev and Guzenkov. In conditions as close as possible to combat reality, we trained scouts in camouflage, observation and warning. They trained people in hand-to-hand combat, rock climbing, and azimuth walking. All training was conducted at night, practicing surprise ambushes and checking each scout on patrol."
Viktor Leonov can rightfully be called the ideologist and inspirer of the creation of modern naval special forces. After the war, he studied and generalized the combat experience of reconnaissance and sabotage detachments, similar to those he commanded during the war. He did a lot to ensure that such units, disbanded after the end of hostilities, reappeared in the fleets and in the districts. After all, scouts also need to be trained. During combat operations, people without experience will die, as happened in the first months of the Great Patriotic War in the reconnaissance and sabotage detachment of the Northern Fleet headquarters.
Know your maneuver
Thanks to Leonov and his associates, our Armed Forces include special-purpose reconnaissance units, the personnel of which, while remaining unknown to others, showed themselves to be excellent warriors in the Afghan War, during “conducting counter-terrorism operations in the North Caucasus.
And now the special forces are doing their almost always invisible, but very necessary work, ridding society of all kinds of scumbags, terrorist militants and the like.
The Northern Fleet sacredly honors and enhances the traditions of its predecessors, the famous naval reconnaissance officers. Their experience is the basis of today's combat training for North Sea soldiers.
One of those commanders who devoted many years of his service to training naval special forces, now Rear Admiral of the Reserve Gennady Zakharov, recalls how the training of his subordinates was carried out. One of its main elements is training in leading a reconnaissance group behind enemy lines.
Much attention was paid to the ability of reconnaissance divers to secretly enter enemy-occupied territory through the torpedo tubes of submarines. It is clear that combat training in the Far North is associated primarily with difficult climatic conditions. Various exercises were aimed at studying the physical capabilities of personnel in a difficult environment. Groups learned to survive in low temperatures, and the condition of a person exposed to severe frost for a long time was studied. Long hikes across the snow-covered tundra were made on skis. The skills of accessing rocky areas of the Arctic coast were practiced.
Often, during exercises, without any mountain equipment, using only sapper blades to cut out steps, special forces had to overcome icy, almost vertical climbs, the height of which sometimes exceeded a hundred meters.
“I sought from my subordinates,” recalls Gennady Zakharov, “a thorough knowledge of “my maneuver” and the ability to act in the most difficult conditions, which subsequently saved human lives more than once...
All this has become the fundamental principle of combat training for today's North Sea reconnaissance officers. They confirmed their loyalty to special forces traditions once again last summer at competitions between special forces groups of districts and fleets in tactical and special training, which are held once every two years.
Test of strength
Despite the rather formal name, nothing more interesting and exciting can be found in everyday army life. Competitions are held according to a program that includes all stages of the actions of a reconnaissance and sabotage group deployed behind enemy lines.
The war in Chechnya made some adjustments to the organization of these competitions. For example, if in previous years special forces were looking for command posts of enemy forces or launch sites for enemy missile systems in an area of 260 square kilometers, now the target of the intelligence officers is the bases of terrorist militants.
In addition, standards for mining training have been introduced. It should be noted that winning such “Olympic games” for special forces is no easier than completing the task in a real reconnaissance raid.
Looking ahead, I would like to say that the Severomorsk team passed the test of strength and won overall second place in these competitions among the special forces units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. And such a high result was achieved by our comrades in arms for the first time, although they had participated in these competitions many times before.
A certain difficulty for naval reconnaissance officers was that their training was largely dominated by the naval component, and competitions were held according to a program closer to that of “land” reconnaissance groups. To the credit of the North Sea residents, it should be noted that the Northern Fleet was not represented by a combined command of special forces, but by a regular group commanded by a 2006 graduate of the military institute, senior lieutenant Evgeniy Malyavin. During the winter training period, she achieved the best results in combat training. Therefore, it was decided to take this particular unit as the basis of the team.
The team included real professionals - midshipmen and foremen serving under contract. The average age of its members is 29 years. The competition program is very serious, and its development requires high physical, moral and psychological preparation of both the entire group and each soldier individually.
The first stage of preparation for the competition was carried out, as usual, at their base, then the naval reconnaissance officers went to the training ground, where all the action was supposed to unfold. Here the northerners were in for an unpleasant surprise - very hot weather. Acclimatization and adaptation to local conditions had to be done during training. But no negative factors could any longer interfere with the Severomorsk team’s mood for a worthy performance.
The eve of the main stage of the competition was a test of the readiness of the special-purpose reconnaissance group to carry out the assigned task. The scouts demonstrated their theoretical knowledge, the ability to properly fit equipment, organize and maintain radio communications, adjust artillery fire, and much more. Here, midshipman Oleg Arbuzov and petty officer 1st article Dmitry Mikhailovsky showed off their training better than others. After the “theory” the real “jumps” began. It was here that the intensity of passions reached its climax.
A very important element is the parachute drop of reconnaissance groups behind enemy lines. After all, you can land on a bare field, in a forest or in a swampy meadow, and after that you need to gather at the point indicated on the map and find the cargo. A scout jumps with equipment that is sometimes equal to his own weight. And this weight, incredible for ordinary people, must be borne along a thirty-kilometer route.
Thirty is ideal according to the map, but in fact sometimes you have to stomp all fifty with a heavy backpack on your back and full weapons on your shoulders. At the same time, during the course of the action, one has to constantly solve quite complex intelligence tasks and transmit encryption to the “center”.
Then a few more kilometers through unfamiliar terrain without a map, only along the indicated azimuths, and then a water obstacle, which again you have to overcome with all your equipment, observing complete secrecy. Immediately after this, you need to go out in search of an object hidden in a huge area. After such torment, you still need to be able to competently “comb” hundreds of square kilometers. The entire group has only a few hours, and this is akin to finding a needle in a haystack.
And that's not all. It is necessary to carry out a fire raid on an enemy object, organize an ambush, take a prisoner and interrogate him in his native language, equip and camouflage a hidden place for the day, overcome a minefield and mine the object yourself. And, perhaps, the hardest thing is a ten-kilometer forced march with combat equipment. This is after the scouts have more than a hundred kilometers behind them, having walked (note, not for a walk) through the forest and swamp hummocks, more than once getting caught in the rain, after their back and legs, one might say, have turned into one big scuff.
But the naval scouts showed all their abilities on land as well. The North Sea troops carried out the landing, as they say, without any comments. Good preparation had an effect. Among their colleagues, senior lieutenant Evgeniy Malyavin and midshipman Andrei Kazakevich most distinguished themselves in this.
Of course, the naval special forces had no equal in overcoming water obstacles. All members of the group do this with high professionalism; and once again senior midshipmen Denis Sobolevsky and Vladimir Nikolaev confirmed their skills with clear and confident actions. Representatives of the Northern Fleet also successfully completed the tasks of searching and moving in azimuths. At these stages, midshipmen Maxim Merkuchev and Ilya Simonenko rightfully became the leaders.
It was no less difficult to overcome the minefield, that is, to make a passage in the mine-explosive barrier for the entire group, to demonstrate their engineering training. Here, too, everything went without a hitch. And first of all, thanks to the skill of senior midshipman Denis Sobolevsky and midshipman Maxim Polukhin. The latter deserves special mention.
He began his service in the special forces of the Airborne Forces, went through a combat school in the Chechen Republic, performing tasks to destroy gangs. After being discharged from the reserves, he returned home and was drafted under a contract into a special forces unit of the Northern Fleet. Awarded the Order of Courage. Recognized as the best grenade launcher in the group. His shooting leaves no targets unhit.
The naval reconnaissance officers also carried out the ambush and capture of the prisoner “without noise and dust.” Here senior midshipman Vladimir Nikolaev and midshipman Andrei Kazakevich demonstrated their training. The organization of the day, in turn, was held at a high level. The Severomorsk campers located themselves secretly, skillfully camouflaging their location. And this is a considerable merit of senior midshipman Denis Sobolevsky and midshipman Oleg Arbuzov. Midshipman Denis Sultanov proved himself to be an excellent sniper.
The North Sea residents demonstrated their high endurance and fortitude during the forced march. The group commander, senior lieutenant Evgeny Malyavin, as expected, was a leader and inspired his subordinates by his example. Midshipman Denis Sultanov demonstrated the will to win. He did everything in his power not to let his comrades down.
The Severomorsk people confirmed with their work that, as during the campaigns of Viktor Leonov’s detachment, the naval reconnaissance officers of the Northern Fleet of our day always and everywhere remain true to their motto: “One for all, and all for one.” This became the key to their victories. This helped to win a prize in serious and prestigious competitions for special forces.
Alexander BONDAR.
Viktor Nikolaevich Leonov - participant in the Great Patriotic War, commander of the 181st separate reconnaissance detachment of the Northern Fleet and the 140th special purpose detachment of the Pacific Fleet. Viktor Leonov is a true legend of Soviet naval intelligence. For his exploits during the war, he was twice nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Viktor Leonov was born on November 21, 1916 in the small town of Zaraysk, Ryazan province, into a simple working-class family, Russian by nationality. After graduating from the seven-year school, Leonov from 1931 to 1933. studied at the factory apprenticeship school at the Moscow Kalibr plant. After completing his studies, he worked as a metalworker, combining work at a factory with social activities. In particular, he was the chairman of the workshop committee of inventors, a member of the Komsomol factory committee and the leader of the youth brigade.
In 1937, Viktor Leonov was called up for military service. Viktor Nikolaevich ended up in the navy. In the Northern Fleet, he completed a training course in the underwater diving training detachment named after S. M. Kirov, the detachment was based in the city of Polyarny in the Murmansk region. For further military service, he was sent to the submarine Shch-402. This boat belongs to a large family of well-known Soviet submarines of the Shch (Pike) project.
With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, senior Red Navy man Viktor Leonov turns to the command with a report on his enrollment in the 181st separate reconnaissance detachment of the Northern Fleet. Two weeks later his wish was fulfilled. He joined the Marine Corps along with his friend Alexander Senchuk. Unfortunately, his friend died in the first battle with German rangers, which was a shock for the newly minted marine Leonov, but did not convince him of the correctness of his choice.
Subsequently, as part of a reconnaissance detachment, starting from July 18, 1941, Leonov conducted more than 50 combat operations behind enemy lines. From December 1942, after he was awarded the officer rank, he was deputy detachment commander for political affairs, and a year later, in December 1943, he became commander of the 181st special reconnaissance detachment of the Northern Fleet. In April 1944 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. In September 1945, Viktor Leonov defeated the Japanese already with the rank of senior lieutenant.
In the summer of 1941, his glorious military journey was just beginning; there were many difficult battles and awards ahead. Just a few days after the first battle, Viktor Leonov heads straight to the enemy’s rear, the scouts go to the western bank of the Bolshaya Zapadnaya Litsa River (the valley of this river was called the “valley of death” during the war because of the bloody and fierce battles taking place here). Senior sailor Leonov fought bravely with the enemy and already in the summer of 1941 he was awarded one of the most honorable “soldier’s” medals “For Courage”. In the battle at Cape Pikshuev he was seriously wounded by a mine fragment. After treatment in the hospital, having received a certificate stating that he was no longer fit for military service, he nevertheless returned to his reconnaissance detachment. Viktor Leonov did not want to sit in the rear while his friends were fighting the Nazi invaders. Again, very difficult forays behind enemy lines in winter conditions awaited him. In the snow, in the terrible cold, in camouflage suits, Soviet scouts made their way behind enemy lines with no room for error; any mistake could lead to the death of not only one scout, but the entire detachment.
At the beginning of May 1942, Viktor Leonov, already with the rank of foreman of the 2nd article, commanded a control group consisting of 10 reconnaissance officers. It was at this time that he took part in an operation that was later described in his 1957 book entitled “Facing the Enemy,” in the book the intelligence officer called the operation the “May Raid.” As part of this operation, with incredible efforts, a detachment of marines managed to break through to a given height of 415 in the area of \u200b\u200bCape Pikshuev. A detachment of marines pinned down large enemy forces and for 7 days helped the main landing forces carry out their operation behind enemy lines. Seven days behind enemy lines, in continuous battles, it would seem that nothing could be more difficult. Many scouts were wounded and suffered frostbite (May in the Arctic turned out to be quite harsh), including Sergeant Major Leonov. However, the most difficult battles and trials lay ahead of him.
One of these battles actually happened quite soon. This was an operation at Cape Mogilny, where the scouts had to destroy the German radar base, which detected our ships and aircraft. The operation was led by Senior Lieutenant Frolov, Leonov's new commander. Inexperience, inability to predict enemy actions, or, more simply, the negligence of the newly appointed commander, led to the fact that surprise was lost; the soldiers had to go on the attack under heavy German fire, practically advancing head-on into enemy guns. Having captured the enemy stronghold, the scouts saw that reinforcements had arrived to the Germans, after which the detachment was surrounded by a dense ring of rangers. At the cost of their lives, the Marines broke the blockade, but at some point it became clear that 15 people were cut off from the main forces on a small spot - on all sides either the sea or German soldiers, the widest part of the cape on which the scouts were surrounded, did not exceed 100 meters. This rocky area was shelled by German mortars; even stone boulders burst from mine explosions.
At the cost of incredible efforts, the scouts managed to get out of the trap, wait for the sea hunters and evacuate. True, only 8 out of 15 people came out alive, while many survivors were wounded. Zinoviy Ryzhechkin, who until the last covered his comrades with machine gun fire, and Yuri Mikheev, who destroyed an entire group of German rangers with a bunch of grenades, died heroically. For this feat, Viktor Leonov and his comrades (Agafonov, Babikov, Baryshev, Barinov, Kashtanov, Kurnosenko), some of them posthumously (Abramov, Kashutin, Mikheev, Ryzhechkin, Florinsky) were awarded the Order of the Red Banner. In addition, in the recent past, an ordinary sailor, Viktor Leonov, was awarded the rank of officer and became a junior lieutenant.
With the awarding of the officer rank, a new stage began in his life, and raids behind enemy lines continued. After one of them (the scouts needed to deliver a “tongue”) near the Varanger Peninsula, the detachment commander was dismissed, as the operation was considered unsuccessful. Leonov is appointed as the new commander and given three days to prepare. It was a kind of test, and the newly minted junior lieutenant coped with it perfectly. The soldiers under the command of Leonov captured a lighthouse employee on the very first day of the operation, learning a lot of useful information from him. The next day, in just two hours, they not only made their way through the mountains behind enemy lines, but also captured two rangers without firing a shot. The composure and amazing calculation demonstrated in this case could only be characteristic of true professionals in their field.
Viktor Nikolaevich Leonov received the first star of the Hero of the Soviet Union at the final stage of the Great Patriotic War. He was awarded for an operation at Cape Krestovy that was unique in its complexity. Even he himself noted after the war that the landing on Cape Krestovy was several times more complex than all previous raids by naval reconnaissance officers.
In October 1944, when Soviet troops carried out the Petsamo-Kirkenes offensive operation, reconnaissance officers of the 181st separate detachment under the command of Viktor Leonov landed on the German-occupied shore and spent two days making their way to their destination in off-road conditions. On the morning of October 12, they surprised the enemy by attacking an 88-mm battery located on Cape Krestovy, captured a fortified position and captured a large number of German soldiers. When a boat with Nazi troops came to the rescue, the scouts, together with the detachment of Captain I.P. Barechenko-Emelyanov, repelled the enemy attack, capturing about 60 more enemy soldiers. This battle ensured the success of the landing in Linahamari and the capture of the city and port.
Thanks to their actions, Viktor Leonov’s detachment created favorable conditions for the landing of Soviet troops in the ice-free port of Linahamari and the subsequent liberation of Petsamo (Pechenga) and Kirkenes from the Nazis. On November 5, 1944, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union, Lieutenant Leonov was awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 5058) with the wording: “for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command behind enemy lines and the courage and heroism."
The operation of Leonov’s detachment was indeed carried out brilliantly: the Nazis, possessing many times more forces and surrounded by impenetrable rocks, being in their rear, were defeated. For about two days, the scouts reached their target through completely impassable places, which allowed them to suddenly attack the enemy. Their bold and effective actions opened the way for Soviet paratroopers. Each fighter from Leonov’s detachment committed an act that was beyond human strength, bringing victory in the war closer. 20 scouts remained forever at Cape Krestovy. After the war, a monument to the fallen Soviet sailors was erected here; the names of all the intelligence officers buried here were indicated on the pedestal.
After the end of the Great Patriotic War and the defeat of Germany, the war did not end for Viktor Nikolaevich Leonov; he was sent to the Far East. Here the brave polar explorer led a separate reconnaissance detachment of the Pacific Fleet. Under his direct command, the detachment's fighters were the first to land in the ports of Racine, Seishin and Genzan. These operations were covered in the glory of Soviet weapons. In the port of Genzan, Leonov's scouts disarmed and captured about two thousand enemy soldiers and officers, capturing several ammunition depots, 3 artillery batteries and 5 aircraft. An even more “high-profile” case of Leonov’s detachment was the capture of 3.5 thousand Japanese soldiers and officers in the Korean port of Wonsan. They surrendered to a detachment of 140 Soviet sailors. By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union dated September 14, 1945, senior lieutenant Viktor Nikolaevich Leonov was again awarded the Gold Star medal, becoming twice a Hero of the Soviet Union.
After the end of hostilities, Viktor Leonov continued his military service in the Northern Fleet and in the Central Office of the USSR Navy. In 1950, he successfully graduated from the Higher Naval School. In 1952 he was awarded the rank of captain 2nd rank. He studied at the Naval Academy, managed to complete two courses, and since June 1956 he was in the reserve (his last rank was captain 1st rank). Having retired as a result of the reduction of the armed forces as part of the Khrushchev reform, Leonov was actively involved in educational activities through the Knowledge Society. In those years, he did a lot to pass on his rich life and combat experience to the younger generation. Viktor Nikolaevich traveled a lot around the country, met with students and schoolchildren, gave lectures and wrote books. Like no one else, he knew the cost of losing comrades in battle, he understood how cowardice and confusion could result in battle. That is why he considered it his duty to teach the younger generation perseverance, endurance, and courage. He spoke without embellishment about the past war and how to fight.
In addition to two Gold Star medals, he was a holder of the Order of Alexander Nevsky, the Red Banner, the Red Star, the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, as well as numerous medals, including the Order of the DPRK. He was an Honorary Citizen of the city of Polyarny.
The legendary Soviet naval intelligence officer died in the Russian capital on October 7, 2003 at the age of 86. Viktor Nikolaevich Leonov was buried at the Leonovskoye cemetery in Moscow. The memory of the twice Hero of the Soviet Union was immortalized during his lifetime. So in the hero’s hometown of Zaraysk in 1950, his memorial bust was erected, and in 1998 a children’s and youth sports school in the city of Polyarny was named after Leonov. In 2004, after the death of the hero, the Project 864 medium reconnaissance ship SSV-175 from the Russian Northern Fleet was named after him.
Based on materials from open sources
Leonov Viktor Nikolaevich
Marine Scout
First tests
We met the war beyond the sixty-ninth parallel, in one of the naval bases of the Northern Fleet.
The first day of the war... Almost instantly the white caps and visors, so familiar to the eyes of residents of the port city, disappeared. Summer is in full swing, the sun that northerners desire is shining, it shines around the clock, as it should in these latitudes, and a light southern breeze promises stable weather. We are not happy with this weather now. The meteorological reports say: “visibility is clear,” and enemy air reconnaissance aircraft are flying over the base, towards Murmansk and back. White hat covers against the dark granite background of piers and pavements can unmask us sailors. Therefore, it was ordered to remove them.
Quite a bit of time has passed, and the tedious howl of sirens and the endless clatter of hammers in the workshop where we work seem familiar. Sasha Senchuk and I were transferred there from a submarine. They told us: “You know plumbing and turning, we are sending you to a combat post.” So we changed our sailor robes for dark blue work overalls and stood at the workbenches.
An order is an order. We obey him, although he in no way fits with our idea of what a combat post is, especially now, during the days of war. I am silent, Sasha Senchuk cannot remain silent, and besides me, he has no one to express his grievances to. After a long, tiring day at work, we go to bed right here in the workshop. Sasha can't sleep.
No, tell me anyway! - he shakes me by the shoulders. - Tell me, Victor, why is the working class taking weapons, and we are assigned to workbenches? A special task, you say? Order? Yes?..
I remain silent, and he shouts angrily in my ear:
You're going to sleep, damn it!
Sasha walks from corner to corner, and I know that he will stir me up more than once and will offer various plans for returning to the submarine or, at worst, joining the Marine Corps.
As soon as I thought about it, Sasha ran up to me and pulled me off the workbench with a sharp jerk.
In Sasha's eyes there is a joyful sparkle and the unyielding determination of a person challenging fate. At such moments, Senchuk seems handsome and strong, although he is unprepossessing in appearance: he is thin, not wide and bony at the shoulders, and his dark, elongated face under a shock of resin-black hair is densely covered with acne dots.
Idea! - Sasha shouts again and immediately sets out his plan, which, as far as I, half asleep, am still able to understand, consists of escaping from the “combat post” to the front, to the marine brigade.
Let's say that we are volunteers! We will be forgiven...
I agree to everything, if only he would leave me alone and let me sleep for at least an hour.
Morning comes, and Sasha, engrossed in his work, furiously hits the polished head of the chisel with a hammer, sawing, drilling, amazing everyone with his energy. He must have forgotten about yesterday’s “idea,” because he convinces me to quickly finish repairing the submarine - then we will be immediately returned to the crew. It’s impossible to argue with Sasha, but I want to believe him, although the work in the workshop is increasing every day.
The head of the workshop dryly promised: “You will be relieved in due time.” We would probably have endured and waited if the news had not excited us: friends from the submarine, three Nikolai and Alexey, came running to the workshop and told us that a special detachment of naval reconnaissance officers was being created to operate behind enemy lines. They, as excellent athletes, have already been enrolled in the reconnaissance squad.
We missed it! - Sasha reproached me angrily, as if I was guilty of something. “You’re a top skier and a famous yacht racing champion,” he advanced on me, but then turned abruptly and bombarded his friends with questions: “Where is the squad?” Who to contact? Who should I submit the report to?
Sasha winced in annoyance when electrician Kolya Damanov, Kolya-one, as we called him, stepped forward. He stuttered and nevertheless was talkative:
S-sasha-sha! Don't boil! The headquarters knows that Victor and you are good s-athletes. And we will tell senior lieutenant Lebedev from the intelligence department about you. The only bad thing is that you have to change your naval uniform to an infantry uniform. Lebedev s-said: under the infantryman’s tunic there must be a sailor’s soul. And the soul of a spy. Here! - Kolya-one finished meaningfully.
I can’t say anything about the soul of a scout; I must admit, I was surprised that three Nikolaevs - Damanov, Losev and Ryabov, whom I taught to ski and throw grenades, were enrolled in the reconnaissance detachment, but they forgot about me. I looked questioningly at the foreman of the first article, Alexey Radyshevtsev, with whom I often disputed the championship in various competitions. Alexey smiled reassuringly:
The squad is just being formed... Everything will be fine. It turned out that a representative of the fleet headquarters went to Murmansk to select a group of Komsomol members for the detachment. Another group will be sent by the Leningrad Institute of Physical Education named after Lesgaft, and the main part of the scouts will be made up of sailors.
The people will match one to one, which is n-necessary! - the future naval intelligence officer Kolya Damanov put on airs. “Hitler’s elite units are acting against us here.” Mountain rangers. D-let's give the huntsmen some heat...
Our friends once again promised to take care of us and left. We were looking forward to the evening when we could write a report to a member of the Military Council of the Northern Fleet.
If only you could convey the feelings overwhelming you on a piece of paper! Write in such a way that, after reading this piece of paper, the rear admiral says: “Send senior sailor Viktor Leonov, third year of service, to the naval reconnaissance detachment!” I can’t write like that...
“Please send me to the reconnaissance detachment of the fleet headquarters”... That’s all? Should I sign for this? How does the rear admiral know about my desire and calling to serve in intelligence? I wrote about this too, but then I crossed out the last lines, tore up the report and began writing a new one. It’s not for me to judge the calling, and it sounds immodest. Sasha and I are obsessed with a burning desire to become naval scouts. But desire is not a calling!
Then I remembered how, while still a schoolboy, I got it into my head that I was called to become a poet. After reading a seventh-grader’s poem about snipe hunting in the school wall newspaper, I decided that I could write better. I came home, sat down at the table and composed a poem for so long that my father, who was not used to seeing me diligently doing my homework, asked:
Vitya, what are you so passionate about?
I showed my father the beginning of the poem. The father smiled patronizingly, but, having understood what was written, began to frown. Finally, slowly and very expressionlessly, I read the first lines aloud:
I was once a praying mantis,
I believed in God and the king.
Now I have become a pioneer,
A fighter for the labor society!
What are you?! - he asked me sternly. - When were you a praying mantis for your communist father? And you have a book king in your head... What kind of verse is this if there is no truth in it? You read a lot, but write clumsily...
In one of the museums in Murmansk, the exhibition begins with a stand on which are the names of the most famous people of the Kola Peninsula. There is the name of twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Captain 1st Rank Viktor Nikolaevich Leonov.
Fighting in the Far North
After being called up for military service in the Northern Fleet and undergoing “training” in a submarine detachment, Red Navy man Viktor Leonov was sent to a submarine. In the fall of 1941, after serving, he was supposed to go into civilian life, but the war made adjustments. A few months later, Victor already commanded a squad in a naval reconnaissance detachment, where he asked for it. And in May 1944, when he was awarded the first officer rank, he became a detachment commander. By that time, the 181st separate reconnaissance detachment of the Northern Fleet already had a whole baggage of glorious deeds.
Naval reconnaissance officers carried out only special missions: they obtained secret documents behind enemy lines, brought back “tongues” from behind the front line, cleared bridgeheads for landings... The effectiveness of combat work was fantastic: it never happened that the sailors returned to base with nothing. Leonov, on the personal instructions of the commander of the Northern Fleet, was nominated for the Hero’s Star back in 1943, but the leadership “at the top” turned out to know better. The scout then received the Order of the Red Banner of Battle.
The soldiers respectfully called him Batya, even though he was not yet twenty-seven. A little later, Leonov became “Beard” for everyone in the Northern Fleet when he grew a beard, which he did not part with until the last days of his life. Legends were made about the exploits of the scout in the Arctic.
This is probably why many reference books still erroneously indicate his military rank, and for which he was awarded his first Hero Star.
“This is not for the Petsamo-Kirkenes operation, which lasted almost a month,” Viktor Nikolaevich told me at our meeting, “this is for the capture of Cape Krestovy in the area of the port of Liinakhamari, for which we spent several hours. The Nazis turned the cape into a powerful defensive area from the land side, and never imagined that we could attack them from the sea. I made exactly this decision. It’s just a pity that many of our guys were killed during that assault - they ran into booby traps, but we completed the task.”
Love
The scout commander was dashing not only on the battlefield. Somehow, between battles, Leonov escaped to a theater in the city of Polyarny and... fell in love. At first sight. He then told his friend: “She will be my wife.” When after the performance it turned out that the beauty was the wife of a military pilot and had two little sons, Victor seemed to snap: “I’ll marry her anyway.”
And he got married. Six months later they were together. True, they were unable to adopt the boys (their father did not allow it), but the Leonovs lived happily and for a long time for almost forty years, giving birth to and raising two more children - a son and a daughter...
One against a thousand
The legendary “Beard” ended up in the Far East by order of the command when the war in the West was already coming to an end. The Pacific Fleet had its own naval reconnaissance detachment, but its fighters had no combat experience. People's Commissar of the USSR Navy, Admiral Nikolai Kuznetsov, personally instructed Senior Lieutenant Leonov to lead this detachment.
Just two combat operations in the war with the Japanese were enough for naval reconnaissance officers to immediately receive the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for several people from Leonov’s detachment, and “Beard” himself became a Hero for the second time.
The most striking episode happened in North Korea: 110 reconnaissance officers and 40 marines reinforced by them blew up a bridge across the river and blocked a group of troops located in the port of the city of Seishin. 16,000 enemy soldiers were held by Leonov’s detachment for two days, until our main forces arrived.
The Japanese, as it turned out later, thought that they were opposed by a group of troops equal in number.
Character
The war for Lieutenant Commander Leonov ended in September 1945. He was about to go into civilian life, but the Deputy People's Commissar of the Navy, Admiral Ivan Isakov, invited him to graduate from the Higher Naval School in Baku. After the war, special classes were created there for officers without higher education. It was at the school that Captain 3rd Rank Leonov had to give up his beard for some time.
The cadets and officers who studied in Baku were so eager to be like the legendary intelligence officer that they began to grow beards, and the head of the political department literally begged the gallant hero to shave...
After graduating from college, Leonov served for some time in the intelligence department of the General Staff of the Navy. Then he was sent to study at the Naval Academy in Leningrad, but before graduation (he only had to write his thesis) with the rank of captain 2nd rank, Viktor Nikolaevich unexpectedly retired to the reserve. Why? There is no explanation for this in any encyclopedia, but he told me that after Nikolai Gerasimovich Kuznetsov, a real sailor, Hero of the Soviet Union, was removed from his post as Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, he did not want to serve under his successor...
Such is the character.
Stars of Viktor Leonov
We met with Viktor Nikolaevich on the eve of Victory Day in 2002 in his Moscow apartment. He was then already 86 years old, and he practically never left the house. His daughter, who lived in a neighboring apartment, helped solve all everyday issues. I was then an active officer in the press service of the Ministry of Defense and volunteered to go to Hero with a specific mission. Not his own - he was “too small” for this both in rank and position, but he understood perfectly well: if no one had yet come to the veteran, then they would never come again.
The fact is that about six months earlier, on the occasion of the 85th anniversary of the legendary intelligence officer, the then Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Ivanov, by his order, awarded Viktor Leonov another military rank - caperang. Along with an extract from the order, the officer is given shoulder straps and only after that is it customary to put them on.
Naturally, Viktor Nikolaevich knew about all these traditions and that the title had been awarded to him, so he did not brush it aside. He silently listened to my solemn words, which are usually said in such cases, and shook my outstretched hand.
Thank you!
How about washing the stars? - I took out the bottle of vodka I brought with me.
This is without me, I already drank mine.
But “for life” then we still talked to him...
About five years ago I had the opportunity to visit the Murmansk museum, and my gaze involuntarily caught my eye on the metal letters with which the name of Viktor Leonov was embossed. His military rank on the stand was indicated one step lower. I asked the director of the museum to correct the mistake by telling the story of my meeting with the veteran.
The director took my word for it. The stand now says: Captain 1st Rank Viktor Leonov.
Today he would have turned 102 years old. He passed away in 2003.
Back in exploration
On January 3, 2018, CNN broadcast breaking news: the Russian Northern Fleet reconnaissance ship SSV-175 “Viktor Leonov” was discovered in international waters 160 km southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina.
“This Russian ship can carry out radio interception of communication channels, relay closed communication channels, conduct telemetric and radio reconnaissance,” the announcers of CNN news programs read out “terrible” information about the Russian reconnaissance ship all day long. “To monitor the actions of the Viktor Leonov, the US Navy command sent the destroyer USS Cole.”
How can you track him, such a dashing...
