Armored train Ilya Muromets history. How the Soviet armored train "Ilya Muromets" fought

During the war, the armored train "Ilya Muromets" passed through battles from the Oka to the Oder. Destroyed 7 aircraft, 14 guns and mortar batteries, 36 enemy firing points. He shot the fascist armored train "Adolf Hitler", winning the only "duel of armored trains" in the history of World War II.

Bogatyr name

The front really needed fortresses on wheels. It was 1942 that became tragic for the armored trains of the USSR - 42 of them were lost, exactly twice as many as in 1941. Armored trains often died while simultaneously repelling fascist attacks from heaven and earth. They were often assigned the role of “suicide bomber” - to single-handedly cover the withdrawal of Soviet units in order to delay the enemy for several hours. A directive from the People's Commissariat of Defense of the USSR was issued under the heading "top secret". It prescribed the creation of 32 divisions of armored trains. By the end of 1942, Soviet home front workers produced not 65, as planned, but 85 armored trains.

The railway workers of the Murom junction were among the first to build “Ilya Muromets” as a gift to the front. All the main platforms for tools and wagons were welded by the workers of the wagon depot in their free time and for free. Foundry workers from the city of Kulebaki, Gorky region, supplied them with especially thick armor, 45 mm, although 10-20 mm steel was usually used in our trains. It is noteworthy that the armor was located at an angle, which sharply increased its resistance. Covered with super armor at the plant named after. Dzerzhinsky in Murom, the locomotive did not receive a single hole during the entire war.

The people of Murom had to fight for the name of the legendary hero-countryman. Colonel Neplyuev, sent to receive the armored train, has already come up with his own - “For the Motherland.” And then - an unprecedented thing - the train builders organized a meeting on February 8, 1942, at which they announced that they would lead the armored train to the front line with their Murom brigade and under their own name. They wrote the words “Ilya Muromets” and the head of a hero in a helmet in advance on board the armored locomotive. Then the inscription and drawing - according to military standards - had to be painted over, and the fortress on wheels received the number 762. However, the heroic name remained and became a front-line legend.

T-34 turrets and Kovrov machine guns

A particularly striking mark in the rail war was left by the 31st separate special Gorky division of armored trains, which included two armored trains of the same type, “Ilya Muromets” and “Kozma Minin”. They were one of the most advanced and powerful armored trains in the world. The artillery armored platform of armored trains of the Kozma Minin and Ilya Muromets type was armed with two F-34 cannons in the turrets of the T-34 tank and six Kovrov Degtyarev machine guns.

The 31st ODBP received the word “special” in its name because for the first time among all Soviet armored trains, “Kozma Minin” and “Ilya Muromets” received armored platforms with the latest and secret weapons at that time - M-8-24 rocket launchers , better known as "Katyusha".

Armored train in ambush

In the spring of 1944, our troops liberated the territory of the Volyn region of Ukraine with stubborn battles. Heavy fighting took place for the city of Kovel, which Soviet troops were unable to capture on the move. The 31st separate special Gorky division of armored trains under the command of Major Vladimir Morozov was sent to help the advancing Soviet infantrymen.

On the morning of June 4, 1944, the only frontal battle of armored trains of the Second World War took place near Kovel. On our side - “Ilya Muromets”, on the German side - “Adolf Hitler”. Divisional reconnaissance spotted an enemy artillery battery, which fired for three minutes. The hills and crowns of tall trees made it difficult to find out its location. This continued - at exactly 9 am - for several days, until it became clear that this was Hitler’s armored train.

Intelligence officer Mikhail Kravchenya shared his assumptions with the division commander, eyewitnesses recalled. - Counting on the pedantry of the Germans, he ordered Kravchena to be at his observation post by nine o’clock tomorrow morning. The enemy has been spotted!

“Ilya Muromets” had to find a suitable place for an ambush, destroy the rails with cannon fire in order to cut off the escape route for the enemy, and then destroy him. The fate of the battle will be decided in seconds. Speed, accuracy, automaticity when shooting - this is what is necessary for success. In order not to frighten off the enemy, we decided to begin operations without shooting.

The morning of June 4 turned out to be cloudy, with occasional light rain. Driver Soldatov brought the Ilya Muromets into position. The gunners, waiting for the signal, prepared to fire.

- On target! Ten shells per gun! - thundered the command. - Rocket launchers in two salvos! Armored trains! Fire!

Finished off the Katyusha

Personal of His Imperial Majesty Kaiser Wilhelm II, the four banners of the kingdoms of Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and Württemberg, the personal armored train “Adler Angriff” fought in the First World War, then it was renamed “Adolf Hitler”. Our “Ilya Muromets” was much better - it even had the ability to replace wheel sets, which allowed it to advance across Europe, where the rail track is narrower than in the USSR.

Shots from both sides rang out almost simultaneously. The gunners of the Ilya Muromets showed the highest skill; the enemy was covered from the very first salvo. “Adolf Hitler” still managed to turn the guns towards ours and fire back. His shells missed. "Katyusha" completed the defeat of the enemy armored train. Clouds of steam rose high up, and one of the shells hit the locomotive boiler.

Later - on July 6, 1944, Kovel was liberated from the Nazis - Soviet soldiers inspected the pile of scrap metal. Then they saw that they had driven “Adolf Hitler” himself into the coffin.

“Ilya Muromets” met his victory fifty kilometers from Berlin - in the city of Frankfurt-on-Oder, the end point of his military journey was the destroyed bridge over the Oder River.

For military merits, the 31st separate special Gorky armored train division, which included the Ilya Muromets and Kozma Minin armored trains, was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky.

In 1971, in honor of the 26th anniversary of the Victory, a life-size model of a steam locomotive, similar to the original, was installed at the entrance to the city of Murom - a monument to the heroic armored train.

Egor ROKOTOV

Our information

Performance characteristics of the steel "Ilya"

The material part of domestic armored trains consisted of an armored locomotive, two to four armored platforms, air defense platforms and four (less often two) control platforms. The armored locomotive was usually located in the middle of the armored train behind the armored platform. In addition to armored platforms and an armored locomotive, there was a so-called “base”. It served for economic and official purposes and consisted of 6-20 freight and class cars.

On the way, the “base” was attached to the combat unit of the armored train, and during combat operations it was located in the rear, on the nearest railway section. Typically, the “base” had a headquarters car, an ammunition car, a car for storing supplies, a workshop car, a kitchen car, and even a club car. In addition, armored tires and armored vehicles were included in the divisions of armored trains for reconnaissance.

^

Found a typo in the text? Select it and press Ctrl + Enter.

Formidable force

The armored train was built in Murom in a short period of time. According to various sources, it took about three to four months to create a formidable combat vehicle. Initially, they decided to give him the name of the hero Ilya Muromets. But Colonel Neplyuev, who came to pick up the train, decided that it was not suitable. Like, not suitable for wartime. And I decided to call it “For the Motherland.” But the builders of the armored train did not agree and staged a rally. In the end, the combat vehicle received number 762, but according to the documents it went as “Ilya Muromets”.

The armored train could be called “For the Motherland”

And in 1942, “Ilya Muromets” began its combat journey from the Bryansk Front. Its armament was impressive in its power: heavy guns, anti-aircraft guns, machine guns... For the first time in the history of armored trains, rocket-propelled mortars were also used (Katyushas were installed on the Muromets). The main task of the vehicle was to destroy enemy fuel depots, weapons, artillery batteries and equipment.

“Ilya” fought its first battle in April 1942 near the Vypolzovo station. Then he made a foray into Mtsensk captured by the Germans. Here an armored train bombed the station to interrupt the loading of enemy trains.

The Germans could not close their eyes to the appearance of an “avenger” in their rear, so a hunt began for the armored train. Moreover, she walked both on the ground and in the air. German aviation turned out to be luckier than the rest. The planes managed to track down the Soviet armored train and attack it. In that battle, the Nazis destroyed the headquarters car, in which the commander of the 31st division of armored trains, Major Grushelevsky, the chief of staff of the division, Pisemsky, as well as the correspondent of the newspaper “Gudok” Bukaev, were killed.

German intelligence buried “Ilya” several times

But those damages did not put Muromets out of action. Soon he went to the front again. The Germans did not believe that the armored train was built in the USSR. Because it was distinguished by powerful weapons, thick armor and high speed. They say that the Soviet Union had neither the time nor the funds to create it. It was believed that the Americans handed over the train to the USSR. And after each battle, Luftwaffe agents reported that Ilya was destroyed. But again and again he went on the warpath.

Main fight

“Muromets” had a chance to take part in one of the few armored train battles in the history of World War II. He had a worthy opponent - a German with the eloquent name “Adolf Hitler”. The battle took place in 1944.

Koval (a large railway junction in the Volyn region) began to be systematically subjected to short artillery shelling. And with pedantic precision - at nine o’clock in the morning. There was no way for Soviet soldiers to detect enemy deployments. But the Germans were let down by their unchanging schedule. Intelligence managed to notice clouds of smoke. It became clear that an enemy armored train was operating. “Ilya Muromets” set off to eliminate him. He was assisted by artillerymen, who were supposed to destroy the railway track with precise strikes so that the enemy would have no options for maneuver. They decided to carry out the operation quickly, without preliminary shooting.

The battle of the armored trains turned out to be fleeting. The guns of "Ilya" and "Adolf" struck almost simultaneously. But Soviet artillerymen turned out to be more accurate. And the Katyusha salvoes finished off the German armored train. The Adolf was covered in clouds of steam - one of the shells hit the steam boiler. The enemy was finished.

Opponents of equal strength met in battle

The Germans were unable to take away the remains of their combat vehicle. Therefore, the Soviet soldiers who fought on the Muromets, after the liberation of Koval, personally looked at the defeated enemy. It was then that they learned that the armored train bore the name of their most important enemy.

Myths and legends

After the war, information kept popping up that there was no battle between “Ilya Muromets” and “Adolf Hitler”. They say that the “duck” was launched to raise the morale of Soviet soldiers. And as irrefutable evidence they cited German documentation, in which there is not a word about an armored train with that name.

The fact that “Ilya” existed and fought is beyond doubt. His glorious military path is not discussed either. But the authenticity of the main battle is almost impossible to prove or disprove. There are references to several places (the dates are also different) in which two armored trains fought. This is, so to speak, the first problem. The second is that “Muromets” allegedly dealt with Hitler’s headquarters train. Then there could be no talk of a full-fledged confrontation. In addition, after the war the allies took it as a trophy.

As mentioned earlier, there is no mention of the Adolf Hitler armored train in German documents. And it was not in the character of Germany to give such loud names. The maximum that the Germans were capable of was to assign some kind of their own name to the technology. For example, "Berlin" or "Werner". But this was also rare. Usually they made do with banal numbers. But in the USSR it was just the opposite. All equipment received beautiful and proud names: “Soviet Siberia”, “People’s Avenger” and so on. Numbers were also used, but they were assigned in a “random” order to confuse the enemy.

In the USSR, technology was given eloquent names

In addition, the Germans thought about the consequences. No matter how perfect the technology was, it could be destroyed. And how would ordinary soldiers react then, having learned about the death of Hitler, even if embodied in metal?

Descriptions of the battle also vary greatly. Some sources speak of a positional duel, while others speak of a frontal confrontation. Somewhere it is stated that “Hitler” put up fierce resistance, managing to destroy the headquarters carriage, somewhere - that it was put out of action almost instantly. In general, you can choose any version you like best.

Most historians agree that the battle at Koval actually took place. And it happened on one of the 127 days while the operation to liberate the railway junction was taking place. And the enemy of “Muromets” was armored train No. 74 with an armored platform BP44. Its main advantage was its turrets from the Tigers. And if such a shell had hit a Soviet armored train, its armor would not have saved it. Therefore, the version of the “first salvo” is most likely closest to the truth.

Now about the name. After the liberation of Koval, when the soldiers came to look at the defeated enemy, they seemed to have discovered a partially intact inscription with the name of the Fuhrer and “something else.” The last part could have been simply damaged by a shell. Considering how the equipment was named in the USSR, the soldiers could have decided that the inscription was the name of the train. Perhaps the Red Star correspondent also picked up this idea. After all, it turned out to be a fantastic headline.

"Ilya Muromets" carried out about 160 military operations

But even the not entirely clear situation with the defeated enemy does not detract from the military merits of “Ilya Muromets”. He has more than 160 fire attacks to his credit. They destroyed 14 guns and mortar batteries, 36 fascist firing points, 7 aircraft and about 875 soldiers and officers. As well as countless liquidated trains and freight trains. For numerous military merits, the 31st separate special Gorky division of armored trains (which included the Muromets) was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky.

In 1971, “Ilya Muromets” went to the parking lot in his native Murom. It remains here to this day.

During the fighting, the “Ilya Muromets” silently crept up on the location of German units and in the blink of an eye, with hurricane fire, destroyed the enemy’s manpower, equipment and logistics warehouses of the enemy. In just one minute, “Ilya Muromets” was capable of burning an area of ​​400 by 400 meters. German aviation was given a decisive order to destroy the armored train that was causing so many problems, but it, like its prototype, remained invincible. Over its history, Ilya Muromets successfully participated in 150 operations. The most famous of them was the duel with the armored train "Adolf Hitler". One day in the spring of 1944, in the Volyn region of Ukraine, not far from Kovel, Soviet intelligence spotted a strange fascist artillery battery. She fired for several minutes and then simply disappeared. There was no way to find her. This continued until the Soviet command realized that an armored train was working. “Ilya Muromets” was sent to hunt for him. The battle took place on June 4, 1944. The armored trains were opposite each other. A volley of guns from the moving “iron fortresses” sounded almost simultaneously. At the same time, by a happy coincidence, the Germans missed, and the German armored train was torn to shreds. It was later established that the enemy of Ilya Muromets was the German armored train Adolf Hitler. So the Russian epic hero won a brilliant victory over the German dictator.

One of the few battles of armored trains in the history of the Great Patriotic War took place on June 4, 1944, when our Ilya Muromets and the German train Adolf Hitler fought in battle. This post will introduce you to the progress of this battle.

Our facilities near Kovel, a major transport hub in the Volyn region in Ukraine, began to be subjected to very short (two to three minutes) morning artillery shelling, and at the same time.

Neither ground reconnaissance nor aviators were able to detect the location of the enemy battery. It was only assumed that an enemy armored train was operating.

Taking advantage of the pedantry of the Germans and the terrain, the headquarters of the armored division developed an operation plan. The artillerymen simultaneously had to disable the railway track in order to cut off the enemy armored train's escape route, and the Ilya Muromets had to have a parking lot closer to the invisible battery. In order not to frighten off the enemy, we decided to begin operations without shooting.

Soon, observers of the Ilya Muromets discovered a German armored train moving to firing positions. They could make out faint streaks of smoke. A report was received in the commander's room, followed by the command: “On target! Ten shells per gun! Rocket launchers in two salvos! Armored trains! Fire!"

Shots from both sides rang out almost simultaneously. The gunners of the Ilya Muromets fired better than the enemy. The German armored train was covered from the very first salvo. He, however, managed to fire back a salvo, but the shells missed the target. "Katyusha" completed the defeat of the enemy armored train. Soon it was all over. Clouds of steam hung above the armored train. Apparently, the shell hit the boiler of the locomotive.

When Kovel was liberated from the Nazis on July 6, 1944, the soldiers of the 31st division visited a broken enemy armored train. He was never removed from the place where he met his end. The soldiers also learned that the enemy armored train bore the name of the Fuhrer of the Third Reich. It turned out to be very symbolic that “Ilya Muromets” destroyed “Adolf Hitler”.

It is known that the only land artillery duel during the Second World War took place between the armored trains “Adolf Hitler” and “Ilya Muromets”, which ended in a convincing victory for the latter. The fact itself is worthy of the Guinness Book of Records, but we know offensively little about this. This was the main motive, in obedience to which I began to dig into this topic several years ago.

The task seemed quite simple to me. Find the performance characteristics of both, find the memories of the participants, try to reconstruct the course of the fight and, in general, everything... However, as I completed this task, I felt that I was stuck in an almost detective story. And if so, then one should answer the questions unambiguously and without hesitation within the framework of Roman law: “Who?” “With whose help?”, “What?”, “Where”? "When?" etc.

So " Who"or rather" What“- although it is believed that a train is the closest land transport to a ship, which for a sailor is clearly an animate creature.

From a personal file :

“Ilya Muromets” armored train of the 1942 model, together with the same type “Kozma Minin”, constituted the 31st separate Gorky (later “Gorky-Warsaw”) division of armored trains. The combat unit of the “Muromites” included: Armored steam locomotive (1 piece), covered armored platforms (2 pieces), open artillery armored platforms (2 pieces), two-axle control platforms (4 pieces).

Armament: 76.2 mm cannons, in turrets from T-34 tanks (4 pcs. - 2 for each covered armored platform, BP), 7.62 mm Maxim machine guns in ball bearings in the sides (8 pcs. - 4 per 1 BP), + 7.62 mm DT machine guns coaxial with cannons (4 pcs).

Open artillery sites: 37-mm anti-aircraft guns (4 pieces - 2 per BP), M-8 missile launcher (2 pieces - 1 per BP).

Reservations: the thickness of the side armor of the armored platforms was 45 mm, the covered armored platforms had top armor 20 mm thick. The armored steam locomotive, protected by armor 30-45 mm thick, was used as traction only in combat conditions. An ordinary steam locomotive was used during the campaign and during maneuvers.

Thanks to the presence of four long-barreled 76.2-mm F-32 cannons, the armored train could provide a high concentration of artillery fire and conduct targeted fire at a range of up to 12 km, and the M-8 launchers allowed it to successfully hit enemy personnel and equipment.

It is reliably known that the train passed from Murom to Frankfurt-on-Oder, destroying 7 aircraft, 14 guns and mortar batteries, 36 enemy firing points, 875 soldiers and officers, and... the enemy armored train "Adolf Hitler"

Beautiful, powerful, bright. Can you imagine the reversal of the towers and a powerful salvo...

And here is the first “Oops!” Let's start with the fact that the date, place and... description of the famous battle differ significantly. call the Kovel region (July 1944), others - the Chernihiv region and generally attribute the destruction of the Adolf Hitler train to the partisans (and this was no later than the autumn of 1943), others - the Poznan region (the exact date is unknown). This is what Novaya Gazeta writes (No. 61, August 23, 2004):

"At the beginning of World War II<How is that? Strange - World War II has been going on for 4 years now> the armored train "Ilya Muromets" left the Murom workshops - in a frontal attack<Were they walking towards each other on the same track?> near Poznan, the train, also known as number 762, emerged victorious from the battle with the Adolf Hitler train...”

And the fourth sources mention Frankfurt an der Oder (February 1945). A bit too much...

Let's take a look at the map. Let's say we make a mistake with the place of the duel on the Poznan/Frankfurt line, no matter what - it's one railway line and it's only 180 km. The French call the Battle of Borodino the “Battle of Moscow” (this is 100 km). That is, if the duel took place somewhere in the middle, it can be considered both “on the approaches to Frankfurt-on-Oder” and “in the vicinity of Poznan.”

According to some sources, it can be assumed that we are talking about “Adolf Hitler’s armored train,” i.e. in fact - a staff structure, yes, with armor, but by and large not an armored train. Wasn’t it the proud hero who rolled him into a thin pancake? But Hitler’s “armored car” survived the war and went to the Allies as trophies.

What about the enemy? After all, the loss of a combat unit named after the native Fuhrer was probably also psychologically significant, and certainly could not have gone unnoticed

As of June 22, 1941, the Red Army had 53 armored trains (of which 34 were light), which included 53 armored locomotives, 106 artillery armored platforms, 28 air defense armored platforms and more than 160 armored vehicles adapted for movement by rail. There were also 9 armored tires and several motor armored cars. In addition to the Red Army, operational troops of the NKVD also had armored trains. They had 25 armored locomotives, 32 artillery armored platforms, 36 armored motor cars and 7 armored cars.

The anti-aircraft defense of Soviet armored trains was usually very powerful. The Germans only had so-called “anti-aircraft” armored trains that had something similar.

The Germans also had an unexpected division of subordination to the BP. So, for example, the so-called “anti-aircraft” armored trains were subordinate to the Luftwaffe. Considering the capabilities of the factories, and the same traditions, that is, there were entire design bureaus that had been working in this direction since the 20s. We can safely say that the Red Army had an overwhelming advantage in armored trains. Which, unfortunately, was very quickly lost in the first months of the war. Many trains went to the enemy as trophies.

German sources, as a rule, are very meticulous, and do not cite a combat unit with this name. Oberstleutnant von Olzewski - (permanent Fuhrer of armored trains) in the book “German Railway Troops 1939-1945” never mentions a train named after Hitler. Another authoritative author, Wolfgang Zawodny, does not mention him (“German Armored trains on the Russian Front 1941-1945” Schiffer Military History Atglen.PA).

But it’s unlikely that the Germans would name some tattered armored tire after Hitler, about which there is nothing to say... “Panzertsugs” were sometimes actually given their own names: “Berlin”, “Max”, “Werner”, “Moritz”, etc. And so Here we need to make one important remark.

In the photo: Communications center in one of the carriages of Hitler's personal train.

Unlike the USSR, in Germany it was not customary to call armored trains loudly. If you compare the Soviet and German lists, you can observe an obvious contrast - most of the “Germans” have numbers and only a few proper names. Ours, like ships, always have the names “Moscow Metro”, “Railroadman of Kuzbass”, “Soviet Siberia”, “People’s Avenger”, “Victory”, “Luninets”, “For the Motherland!” and so on. And only some have numbers, moreover, taken according to the “out of the blue” principle in order to confuse the enemy. So, the same “Ilya Muromets” has No. 762, which does not mean that as of 1942, the Red Army had 762 armored trains!

An armored train in the USSR is a symbol of victories in the Civil War, a symbol of the power of Soviet industry. And undoubtedly, in terms of building armored trains, the USSR was ahead of the rest of the planet, and bypassing it in a circle! But in the mass consciousness, since it is German and mechanical, it must be something grandiose, technically impeccable. However, the majority (and the overwhelming majority) of their armored trains were captured. And not only, by the way, Soviet ones.

At least a dozen Polish-made Panzertsugs fought as part of the Wehrmacht. By the way, Poland in 1939 was not a sheep at all, contrary to popular belief, and, like the USSR, it had certain traditions in the field of armored train construction. These traditions were such that even the USSR did not hesitate to include Polish armored cars in its trains. (The trophies were divided “fraternally” in 1939).

Probable opponents of “Ilya Muromets”. Since 1943, turrets from “Tigers” and “Panthers” have appeared on German armored trains..

The Wehrmacht also included French (there are quite a few photos of armored trains with Somua S-35 tank turrets in the literature), as well as Czech armored trains. And there were enough of them. They carried out their tasks of protecting communication routes, anti-aircraft defense of railway facilities, etc. For the Germans, this was not a symbol or a source of pride, but a purely utilitarian tool. And this is not a reason to give sonorous names. Let us also recall the considerations of the German Ministry of Propaganda regarding the name of the ship after Hitler. It was believed that the sinking of the Hitler would be irreparable damage in an ideological sense. It is all the more doubtful to send an armored train with that name into the partisan hell. (But the fight against partisans is one of the main tasks of armored trains on the Eastern Front. And in the Balkans too).

Descriptions of the battle also vary greatly. Thus, some sources claim that the trains “collided” on the rails almost by accident and were forced to navigate according to the situation, others - that the duel was the result of a deep and thoughtful intelligence operation. Some report that "Adolf Hitler" masterfully maneuvered, escaping from the fire of "Muromets", others - that "Muromets" covered it with the first salvo...

Soviet armored train in position. 76 mm gun with an extended barrel - the main caliber of the Ilya Muromets.

Here is an excerpt from the book “ARMORED TRAINS IN THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR 1941-1945” (AUTHORS: Efimiev A.V., Manzhosov A.N., Sidorov P.F.):

“The morning of June 4 turned out to be cloudy, with occasional light rain. MM. Kravchenya and his assistants arrived at the observation post long before the scheduled time. But an unforeseen circumstance awaited them. The tree from which the surveillance was conducted lay broken on the ground. What is this? Did a random shell fly in or did the Germans get wind of the impending strike? Will all the preparations really go down the drain? The mystery seemed unsolvable. They chose another tree, established contact and reported to the headquarters of the armored division. We decided not to cancel the operation and wait until nine in the morning.

The time has come. Driver A.V. Soldatov brought “Ilya Muromets” into position. The gunners, waiting for the signal, prepared to fire.

Senior Lieutenant M. M. Kravchenya was tormented by doubts. The clock hands moved inexorably across the dial. It’s already two minutes to nine, and still no sign of the expected goal. Will it appear or not? And suddenly his gaze discerned barely noticeable streaks of smoke, and only then he saw the muzzles of guns bristling in our direction and conveyed to the command room:

- The target is in place! Get started!

From the control room of “Ilya Muromets” came:
- On target! Ten shells per gun! Rocket launchers in two salvos! Armored trains! Fire!

Shots from both sides rang out almost simultaneously. The gunners of “Ilya Muromets” showed superb skill. The mysterious enemy was covered from the very first salvo. The stealth battery managed to turn the muzzles of its guns towards the Ilya Muromets and fire a return shot. But the shells missed their target. "Katyusha" completed the defeat of the enemy armored train. Soon it was all over. Clouds of steam hung above the armored train. Apparently, the shell hit the boiler of the locomotive.

When Kovel was liberated from the Nazis on July 6, 1944, the soldiers of the 31st division visited the broken armored train. The Nazis never bothered to remove the remains of the mangled car. The soldiers learned that the enemy armored train was named after Adolf Hitler.”

Very important! The date July 4 and the place Kovel are given. But according to German data, as of July 4, 1944, there were no losses of armored trains. In the period from June to August, Olzhevsky and Zavodny (they do not contradict each other) cite the following losses: Army Group “Center” No. 1 and No. 61 (destroyed on the same day, 06/27/44, No. 28, 06/29/44), No. 74 destroyed 07/29/44 , No. 66 - 30.07. As part of Army Group Northern Ukraine No. 63 on July 17, 1944. And as part of Army Group North No. 67 (07/27/1944) and No. 51 (08/13/1944).

Based on the above passage, we can understand that it was not about a “frontal attack,” as Novaya Gazeta writes, but about a positional duel. Moreover, observers most likely could not, for some reason, reliably confirm the destruction of the German armored train. It was just a matter of “hitting.” OK then. Positional duel. But with whom?

The battle for Kovel lasted 127 days. In this way, it is possible to determine which of the “panzertsugs” were in Kovel at that time.

Photo documents are provided. (Actually, there is only one photographic document - Soviet soldiers looking at the defeated iron “Fuhrer”).

Photo considered canonical: Soviet soldiers inspect the damaged armored train "Adolf Hitler". In fact, there are a lot of questions about the photo..

Based on this photograph, it is clear that the German armored train included an Artillery car “BP 42” with a 76.2 mm Soviet F.K. gun placed on it. 295/L and a 20-mm quad anti-aircraft gun. Normally there were 2 of these cars + a command one + at least 2 more auxiliary ones. That is, it turns out that we met opponents of almost equal strength. “Muromets” also had a “Katyusha”, but this weapon is dubious against an armored train... (Although, it depends on what it covers).

Kovel is a large railway junction and a dozen Panzertsugs could have guarded it or passed through it at different times, retreating. On this section of the front at that time, 2 armored trains No. 74 and No. 63 operated (and were destroyed) (but the latter much later). Some English-language sources report that the 74th included the so-called “BP ​​44 armored platforms.” Quite possible. It has just arrived after a deep modernization in Warsaw. The main feature of these platforms was that they had turrets from the Tigers. Apparently, they really hit him with the first salvo. If 88-mm shells had hit the Muromets, it would not have been able to avoid damage.

What really happened? One can only guess here. Most likely a duel took place. Most likely, it led to damage to the German armored train that was incompatible with further operation, which is why it (or maybe several armored cars) was abandoned at Kovel station.

There is also mysterious evidence: “Near Kovel, the commander of the Ilya-Muromets armored train, N.A., died. Popkov. He was buried at Globa station. The Germans once again informed the command that the armored train had been destroyed. However, only the bathhouse car and the cabin burned down, and the armored train itself emerged from the battle with honor. General I.I. Kretov arrived at the station and personally presented the Red Banner of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR to the personnel of the division.”

That is, the train still received hits and damage? As for the name Adolf Hitler, that was most likely the case. The Red Army soldiers who found a pile of scrap saw a piece of inscription, something like “Adolf Hitler is our helmsman.” In place of “our helmsman” is a hole from a 76.2 mm shell. For a Soviet person living in a world where everything, from a tank factory to a workshop for the production of fittings for water closets, bears the name of Stalin, the name of an enemy armored train named after the leader is completely normal, organic. A Red Star correspondent arrives here. ABOUT! What a great title! On July 8-9, 1944 “Adolf Hitler was destroyed!”

But the Third Reich, for all its similarities, is not a copy of the USSR. didn't exist not a single combat unit , except for the division “Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler”, which bears the name of the leader. And even then, the name of the division can also be translated as “Personal Guard (Guard) of Adolf Hitler” (in fact, the division was formed on the basis of the original personal guard of the Fuhrer). The Luftwaffe division "Hermann Goering" is another exception that proves the rule.

War is also propaganda - information war. And everything that brings victory closer is good in it. This is probably how the myth about the destruction of the armored train “Adolf Hitler”, which never existed, was born. It’s a pity that for so many years he has remained such a myth. Reality is always brighter and more interesting than myth, especially since in reality there are living people with everything that is inherent in living people of flesh and blood, fears, weaknesses and heroism. After all, the personnel of the Soviet armored train “Ilya Muromets” destroyed the German armored train. And this is a fact that does not become any less significant that the destroyed armored train did not bear the name of the Fuhrer.

In the photo above: Adolf Hitler (left) in front of his staff train. Hitler's train consisted of 15 carriages, of which only two were armored platforms with anti-aircraft guns. The remaining carriages were intended for Hitler himself, his guards and headquarters services.