Memorial complex "Balka of Death" in Petrushino. Photo and description

This girl you see in the photo is Ghetto Teacher. She was shot by the Germans in Taganrog on October 26, 1941, together with other Jews.

Victor VOLOSHIN, Beer-Sheva

During the occupation of Taganrog from October 1941 to August 1943. more than 6,000 Jews were shot by the invaders and their accomplices in the notorious "Beam of Death", including 1,500 children of different ages. This article is dedicated to their memory.

Before the war, Taganrog was a small flourishing city on the coast Sea of ​​Azov... The homeland of A.P. Chekhov, actress Faina Ranevskaya (Feldman), founder of Russian jazz Valentin Parnakh, poetess of the Silver Age Sophia Parnok, Moscow Art Theater actor A.L. Vishnevetsky, poet Mikhail Tanich (Tankhilevich) and many other celebrities.

According to the 1939 census, the Jewish population of Taganrog was 3140 people, with a total of just over 188 thousand people. But then the Second World War broke out, and the outflow of the Jewish population began from the western regions, mainly from Poland, Moldova and adjacent to them. Western regions Ukraine. Some of them, due to family or country ties, settled in Taganrog. In addition, hospitable Taganrog has become a place where in summer months Jewish children from different parts of the country spent their holidays with their grandfathers and grandmothers. And by the time of the occupation of Taganrog by the Nazi invaders, about seven thousand persons of Jewish nationality had accumulated here.

On October 17, 1941, after many days of fighting, as a result of which the Red Army was forced to retreat to Rostov, the motorized SS division "Leibstandarte" Adolf Hitler entered Taganrog. On the same day, a special SS unit, Sonderkommando SK 10-A, under the command of Obersturmbannführer Heinz Seetzen from Einsatzgroup D of Brigadenführer Otto Ohlendorf, entered Taganrog quietly and unnoticed, amid the roar of armored vehicles and field guns.

The Sonderkommando was housed in the old building of the city gymnasium at 9 Gimnazicheskaya Street and soon took up its duties, for which it was created in the bowels of the Main Directorate of Imperial Security. It all began quietly, with harmless announcements posted all over the city.

The commandant of the city, Captain Alberti, "suggested" that Jews undergo compulsory registration at police stations and wear identification marks in the form of a yellow hexagonal star on their chest and left sleeve. And then a new order. All the Jews of the city were to gather on October 26, 1941 on Vladimirskaya Square, having with them a three-day supply of food, valuables and keys to apartments.

And the gullible Jews, believing that they would be taken somewhere, gathered on the indicated day on Vladimirskaya Square. Many brought small children with them. On the square, people were caught in a tight cordon, consisting of local policemen. Then, taking away their belongings and food, they were all lined up in columns and driven in the direction of the aircraft plant. Having passed through the territory of the plant, the column of people found themselves two steps away from the old clay quarry of the village of Petrushino, which the Germans themselves would later call the Balka of Death.

What happened next is stated in the note of the USSR People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs of August 27, 1942: “After separating about 100 people from the group, they were taken several tens of meters away and shot in front of the rest of the doomed. , children, the elderly. Over 3 thousand civilians were killed by the Nazis on October 27, 1941 in Taganrog. " These "civilians", as you understand, were the Jews of Taganrog.

After the liberation of Taganrog, this Nazi action was reported to the first secretary of the Rostov regional committee of the pariah B.A. Dvinsky by the head of the NKGB department of the Rostov region, the commissioner of state security S.V. Pokotilo:

"On October 28, 1941, it was announced that due to the proximity of the front, the Jews would be evicted from the city, for which on October 29 (the dates in the documents differ and do not converge for 1-2 days - author's note) October they should gather at the designated point, having groceries for three days and well-packed most valuable things, the apartments should be closed, and the keys returned when they arrived at the checkpoint. 1800 people ".

And how many Jews were shot during all 682 days of the occupation of Taganrog? A question to which they still cannot find an answer in Taganrog, or do not want to find it. Although in the funds of the Documentation Center recent history Rostov Regional Archive contains a document that puts a full stop over all i. This is the certificate of the head of the party archive of the Rostov regional committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks M.N. Korchin "Partisan movement against the German occupiers in the Rostov region 1941-1943." Jews "(f. 3 p. 3 files 23 case sheets 32, 43).

Readers may have a logical question: "Why were the Jews of the city unable to evacuate to the East of the country in a timely manner?"

They could, but not all. Only those who worked in factories and enterprises subject to mandatory evacuation left. Many elderly Jews reasoned something like this: "Why do we need to go somewhere. The Germans will not do anything bad to us. After all, this is a cultured nation with good traditions. In the eighteenth year, the Germans also occupied Taganrog, and there were no pogroms, executions, concentration camps and ghettos." On the contrary, they even suppressed attempts to discriminate against the Jewish population. "

So the naive old people who remembered the "other" Germans thought. And how could they know what kind of "new" they were. Since the beginning of World War II, Soviet newspapers did not write a single line about the Jewish genocide, the radio was also silent. Not a single report from the Soviet Information Bureau said that, having occupied the capital of Soviet Ukraine, the city of Kiev, the Nazis took more than 34 thousand Jewish citizens to Babi Yar and shot them all. And that's just in two days. If there were regular information about the atrocities of the fascists from the first days of the war, then many Soviet Jews, overcoming their doubts, would be able to travel inland.

There was one more reason that prevented leaving the city. In this regard, we will tell you real story one Jewish family (close to the author of these lines), typical of many families of that time.

He worked as a foreman at the Taganrog shoe factory Leonid Kharitonovich Uchitel. He had a family: wife Anna (maiden name Pulina) and two children: 5-year-old Geta, and 9-month-old Rudolph. Once, when the Germans were already approaching the city, Leonid came home from work and said to his wife:

- That's it, the factory is being evacuated, we also need to get ready!

The wife said nothing, and then almost crying said:

- Well, where will I go with two crumbs in my arms? And the father, and the mother, and the brothers, you also need to take them with you?

“No, we can't take all of them,” the husband replied. - I was given seats in the carriage only for us and the children.

- So you go, Lenechka, - Anya answered, - and we will stay. Nothing will happen to us, we can hold out somehow.

The situation was not easy, and Leonid Kharitonovich with a heavy heart left alone, without a family.

The Pulins' family, like thousands of their brothers in blood, could not hold out. All of them, including young children, were shot by the Nazis on October 26, 1941 in the Death Balka. Leonid learned about the death of his relatives only when he returned to the liberated Taganrog. The names of the members of this family are forever included in the lists of Holocaust victims in national museum Yad Vashem.

But were all the Jews shot by the Nazis in Taganrog? It turns out not all. Several people miraculously survived. The mother of the urban underground partisans, the Turubarovs, Maria Konstantinovna, under the guise of her nephew, hid the Jewish boy Tolik Fridlyand. In Israel, the name of Anna Mikhailovna Pokrovskaya, a Tagan-born woman, is well known, who hid fifteen-year-old Volodya Kobrin and a Leningrad student girl Tamara Arson during the occupation. For this feat, she was awarded the international title Righteous Among the Nations in 1996.

Some Jews managed to escape across the ice of the frozen Taganrog Bay to the "other side" not occupied by the Germans. There is information about several girls who are incredibly "lucky". They managed to hide their origins, and they were hijacked to work in Germany. But forced labor in a foreign country is still not an execution, and they miraculously survived.

It should be admitted that the number of victims of the Holocaust in Taganrog could have been much less, if not for the double-dealing of compatriots. Unfortunately, there were people infected with anti-Semitism who willingly betrayed Jews, receiving hundreds of marks, a bottle of schnapps or their belongings for this. The Russian auxiliary police also made a "solid" contribution to the solution of the "Jewish question". Thousands of ruined lives are on their conscience.

In this historic building of the former male gymnasium of Taganrog during the war years the Sonderkommando SK 10-A, called by the inhabitants of the "Gestapo" German soldiers on the platform of the Taganrog railway station, was located. Summer 1942 Published for the first time

BRIEFLY ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Viktor Voloshin is a member of the Union of Journalists of Russia, former editor-in-chief of the historical and literary almanac Vekhi Taganrog, since August 2013 - a resident of Beer Sheva. In recent years he has published four books on the history of Taganrog. The scope of his research, among other things, includes the study of the occupation period of Taganrog during the Great Patriotic War(1941-1943), including the Holocaust. A number of articles have been written on this issue, and a separate chapter is devoted to the Holocaust in the book "Yesterday was the war".

Description

Petrushino- a village in the Neklinovsky district of the Rostov region.

It is part of the Novobessergenevsky rural settlement.

The population is 2114 people.

Geography

Located on the seashore, at the base of the Petrushina Spit. In the south-west it borders on the Taganrog Aviation Scientific and Technical Complex named after G.M.Beriev.

sights

There is a memorial complex on the territory of the village "Petrushinskaya gully of death" - a place of mass executions and the resting place of thousands of people tortured and shot by the Nazis during the occupation of Taganrog. So, on October 26, 1941, by order of the commandant, the first 1,800 Jews living in Taganrog occupied by German troops, after a search and seizure of personal belongings, were sent to Petrushina Kosa, where they were all shot. In total, according to official data, 6 thousand 975 people died, including 1.5 thousand children of Jewish nationality (many children were killed by smearing their lips with a potent poison).

In total, during the Second World War, more than 10,000 to 12,000 people were tortured and shot on Petrushina Spit, according to various sources. The names of many of those executed have not been restored. It is known that most of of the executed were residents of Taganrog, mainly of Jewish and Gypsy nationalities, but prisoners of war, hostages, communists and Komsomol members, the sick and the disabled were also killed here. The executions were carried out systematically 3 times a week from 1941 to 1943. People were brought in and driven from almost the entire region. Their resting place was Petrushinskaya Balka, where before the war, clay was mined for a brick factory.In the 1950s, trees were planted here in memory of the victims. The memorial was erected on the initiative of a well-known public figure, a juvenile prisoner of the Nazi prison, Tankhi Oterstein, chairman of the local Jewish community.

On the territory of the village (Instrumentalnaya st., 1) there is also a memorial sign to Hungarian prisoners of war.

On August 2, 1711, near the sea coast, where Petrushino is now located, a young Russian fleet based in the harbor of the Troitsk-on-Taganrog fortress, under the command of Peter's admiral Cornelius Cruis, repulsed an attack on the city by a large Turkish squadron. Attempts to take Taganrog by a roundabout maneuver with the help of a landing of janissaries who landed on Petrushina Spit were repelled by one and a half thousand Cossacks settled by Peter on Mius, and two infantry battalions. On September 11, 1998, on the day of the three hundredth anniversary of Taganrog, on the cliff, near the place where the battle took place, the Taganrog Cossack Union established steel six-meter bow cross.

The village also houses a museum of contemporary art. Rastashansky estate (st.Stakhanovskaya 26).

In summer, the territory of the village operates comfortable beach , which can be reached from Taganrog through the Taganrog Aviation Scientific and Technical Complex named after G.M.Beriev on a bus plying between the checkpoints (interval of movement - 30 minutes). The beach is popular with Taganrozh residents and villagers. There is a rental of ATVs.

Petrushina spit (Taganrog, Russia) - detailed description, location, reviews, photos and videos.

• Tours for the New Year in Russia
• Last Minute Tours in Russia

Previous photo Next photo

Petrushina, she is Petrushinskaya, she is Petrushanskaya spit got its name from the name of the closest settlement- the village of Petrushino. This is a narrow sandy strip in the Taganrog Bay, which is significantly inferior in size to Beglitskaya: its length barely exceeds 200 m.Now they rest here locals and tourists, and earlier the spit was the site of many historical events.

Under Peter I, the Pavlovsky fort was built on the Miussky peninsula to protect against attacks from the water. In 1711, a decisive battle took place on the spit, in which Russian troops defeated the Turks. Here, during the German occupation, Jews and other objectionable local residents were shot, and they were buried nearby, in Petrushinskaya Balka.

Because of a large number burials during the Great Patriotic War Petrushinskaya gully is often called the "gully of death". In the 50s. trees were planted here in memory of the numerous victims of the Nazis, and a memorial complex with a granite plaque and a stele was organized in the village itself.

The scythe is, first of all, beautiful beach with light sand and clean warm water. The depth in the bay is not very deep, so the water warms up quickly, which is ideal for children. In summer, water sports are available to guests; drinks and food can be bought at the kiosks.

Practical information

Address: Rostov region, Neklinovsky district. GPS coordinates: 47.173323; 38.864669.

Kos is located about 5 km from Taganrog, but due to the need to bypass the airport, the journey by car will take about half an hour. Buses run to Petrushino from the city from 6:00 to 19:00 every 15-20 minutes. They depart from the bus station at the Central Market, travel time is 30-40 minutes.

Petrushino is popular resort village on the Sea of ​​Azov, locals willingly rent out accommodation to vacationers. You can combine the trip with a visit to the Beglitskaya Spit, which is located 25 km from Petrushina.

The guys laid flowers at the foot of the grave. Everything was so heartfelt and quivering that many parents had tears.
But the greatest impression on children and adults was made by the memorial dedicated to the Jews - victims of the fascist genocide. The memorial in this place was erected on the initiative of a well-known public figure, a juvenile prisoner of the Nazi prison, Tankha Oterstein, the chairman of the local Jewish community. There is a granite slab in front of the memorial. On one facet is the Star of David, on the other is the symbol of the light of the Torah - the Menorah. And two dates - October 26, 1941 - the day of the most massive execution of Jews, and the day of the liberation of Taganrog. Svetlana Anatolyevna drew our attention to the fact that the names and surnames of the victims, not of adults, but of children, are written on the memorial. The youngest of them was 2 months old. Children's names on the monument, "as if their voices, cry out always to remember the danger of hate prejudices," which can lead to the murder of innocent people!
From the story of the guide, we learned that that terrible day, October 26, 1941, people were promised to transport them to a safer place, but they were brought to be shot. Then this ravine was called simply Petrushin's spit. After October 26 - nothing else but the Death Balk. Among those killed were grown men, women, old people and children. During the two years of German occupation, more than 1,500 Jewish children died here.
Sobolev Gleb read a poem near the memorial to the fallen children and laid flowers.
Descending a little down the steps, you are immediately amazed at the silence, calmness and coolness. We approached and laid flowers at the grave of the executed Soviet prisoners of war, bowed to the grave of the residents of Taganrog and the surrounding villages and honored the memory of the heroes of the Taganrog underground. The executions in Balka on Petrushina Spit were carried out regularly for two years. In total, 10,000 people died in the Balka of Death during the two years of occupation.
The children honored the memory of the victims and recited poems. Glazova Katya read the poem by Galina Kucher "You veterans", Tarasova Anechka "At the obelisk" - S. Pivovarova, Skvortsov Sveta - "We need peace" by T. Volgina, and Tarasov Daniil, student of the 33rd lyceum, the poem by G. Rublev "It was in May , at dawn ... ”The situation was such that goosebumps ran down my skin. The adults could no longer hold back their tears. Svetlana Anatolyevna suggested spending a Minute of Silence. Birds sang in the gully at that time in different voices. And it was hard to believe that you are in the place where so many people died.
Then we all went up the steps together to the wooden cross. Here the guide suggested that we form a Circle of Peace around the cross. “All who want peace join hands and stand in this circle,” said Svetlana Anatolyevna. At first, only the children stood in the circle, but then the parents joined the children. We've got a wonderful Circle of Peace! After that the guys sang the song "Katyusha". Adults happily sang along with the children.
This was the end of our excursion. This place did not leave indifferent either adults or children.
Eternal memory to the victims!

POETRY

You veterans ...
Bright memory to those who are not.
To those who have not met a peaceful dawn,
Through cannonade, through hunger and fear,
He proudly carried the Victory on his shoulders.

God give health to those who are alive
I returned home from this war!
To you veterans, near and far,
My low bow to the ground!
Galina Kucher

At the obelisk
Frozen ate on guard
The blue of the peaceful sky is clear.
Years go by. In an alarming hum
The war is far away.

But here, at the edges of the obelisk,
Bowing his head in silence,
We hear the rumble of tanks close
And bombs tearing apart the soul.

We see them - soldiers of Russia,
That in that distant terrible hour
They paid with their life
For bright happiness for us ...

S. Pivovarov
Need peace
Everyone needs peace and friendship
The world is the most important thing in the world
On a land where there is no war
Children sleep peacefully at night.
Where the guns don't rattle
The sun shines brightly in the sky.
We need peace for all the guys.
We need peace on the whole planet!

T. Volgina

It was dawn in May
The battle intensified at the walls of the Reichstag.
German girl noticed
Our soldier on the dusty pavement.
At the pillar, trembling, she stood,
Fear was frozen in blue eyes
And the pieces of whistling metal
Death and torment were sown around ...
Then he remembered how, saying goodbye in the summer,
He kissed his daughter,
Maybe the father of this girl
He shot his own daughter ...
But now, in Berlin, under fire,
A fighter crawled and, blocking his body,
Baby girl in a short white dress
Gently carried it out of the fire.
How many children have their childhood returned,
Gave joy and spring
Privates Soviet Army,
People who won the war!
And in Berlin on a holiday date
Was erected to stand for centuries
Monument to Soviet Soldier
With a girl saved in her arms.
He stands as a symbol of our glory,
Like a lighthouse glowing in the darkness.
This is he - the soldier of my state-
Protects peace throughout the earth!
G. Rublev

Photo: Memorial complex "Beam of Death" in Petrushino