Schmenkel Fritz Paul - German soldier and hero of the USSR.

We wrote in detail about the traitors of the USSR and the Soviet supporters of the Third Reich. But the opposite situation - traitors to the Wehrmacht, German soldiers who fought on the side of the USSR - we did not cover. But there were Soviet heroes among the Germans! So, Fritz Paul Schmenkel was posthumously awarded the medal "Hero Soviet Union».

antifascist

Fritz Paul Schmenkel was born in 1916. His father, Paul Krause, was a communist and worked in a brick factory in Warzow, near Stettin. The views of Schmenkel Sr. went against the policy of the NSDAP, and at one of the anti-fascist demonstrations in 1923 he was shot dead. Fritz took over Political Views father and also began to oppose the Nazis. At first, he met with friends of his father and carried out small assignments, and later, in the 30s, he joined the Union of Communist Youth of Germany, where he strengthened his anti-fascist views. In 1938, Fritz Schmenkel was mobilized into the German army, but in 1939 he was expelled from the unit. The reason is the constant anti-fascist propaganda during the hostilities in Poland, unauthorized excommunication. The military court ruled - two years in prison. During this time, Germany captured almost all of Europe, and entered the war with the USSR.

To the aid of the Red Army

In prison, Schmenkel pondered how to help the Red Army. Two years later, he "repented" of his misdeeds before the Wehrmacht. Schmenkel wrote to the commander ground forces“Prison taught me a lot and re-educated me. I am deeply aware of my mistakes and I am ready to serve in the army again in order to fight against Bolshevism. Please believe me and send me to the front ... ". He was restored ahead of schedule and sent to serve on Eastern front, to the 186th Infantry Division, in the Vyazma region. By that time, Schmenkel had a plan to help the Red Army in the fight against the Nazis.
Before being sent, he was given the opportunity to see his wife, Erne. In a conversation with his wife, Fritz shared his thoughts: “Now I know what I need to do”
But at the front, Fritz realized that it would not be easy to implement the plan to join the Red Army. In the Vyazma region Soviet units was not, they retreated to Moscow. There was also no guarantee that Schmenkel would be believed.
But soon information reached Fritz that in the forests near Vyazma there was a Soviet partisan detachment. He arbitrarily left the artillery battery, where he served, and went to look for partisans. At first he came across dilapidated settlements, where with the help of three words - Lenin, Stalin, Telman - he could get a place to sleep and food. In gratitude, he showed help to local residents.
On February 17, 1942, he was caught by an army patrol, he was captured and sent to the police, "until the circumstances were clarified." At that time, partisans of the "Death to the Nazis" detachment turned out to be in the village. They wanted to shoot him, but locals stood up for Fritz. So he got into the partisan detachment.

Service in a partisan detachment

At first, they did not trust Schmenkel, they did not give weapons, they looked closely and waited for him to prove himself. In one of the battles with the Nazis, the partisans could not neutralize the well-aimed shooter german army, and then Schmenkel, asking for a rifle, killed him with the first shot. After this incident, Fritz earned confidence, received a weapon and the nickname "Ivan Ivanovich". He taught his squadmates how to fire the German MG-42 machine gun. Thanks to the origin of "Ivan Ivanovich", he managed to capture a detachment of German policemen. In October 1942, Schmenkel simply took away a convoy of weapons and food from the Germans, because they did not suspect that Fritz was on the side of the Red Army.
The partisans "worked" on the territory of the Kalinin and Smolensk regions. Schmenkel initiated many sorties and participated in all partisan operations. 14 months in the "Death to the Nazis" detachment - Schmenkel killed about 150 Nazis, captured three German prisoners. The command of the Wehrmacht appointed a large reward for the capture of the defector - 25 thousand marks (to understand the amount - one car at that time in Germany cost a thousand marks).
March 1943. The Red Army liberated the territory of Vyazma, the surviving partisans were sent to Moscow for training. In Moscow for their courage and participation in major operations partisan detachment Fritz Schmenkel was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. After graduation, he was appointed to the position of deputy commander of the "Field", intelligence department Western Front.
December 1943. Together with scouts Rozhkov and Vinogradov, Shmenkel was sent to the front, after which contact with Fritz was lost. Later it turned out that Schmenkel was detained by the Nazis in early 1944, he ended up in the Gestapo. On February 15, 1944, the Nazi military field court sentenced him to death, a week later he was shot in Minsk.

After the war

The committee state security The USSR in 1961 found information about a gang of policemen, which was destroyed by partisans. The detachment is led by Fritz Schmenkel. The KGB officers were surprised that at the head Soviet detachment there was a German, they tracked down and interrogated the living members of the "Death to Fascism" detachment. The case of Fritz Schmenkel was handled by Major Ryabov, head of the investigation department of the KGB. After three years of persistent collection of materials, a KGB officer filed a petition for the posthumous awarding of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. German soldier October 6, 1964 posthumously became a hero of the USSR.
Fritz Schmenkel's last letter to his wife Erna: “Forgive me for the trouble I caused you by following the chosen path to the end. But I do not give up my business and in last hours of my life. I go boldly towards my execution, as I die for a good deed.

Fritz Hans Werner Schmenkel(German: Fritz Hans Werner Schmenkel), in Soviet historiography also known as Fritz Paul Schmenkel(German Fritz Paul Schmenkel; February 14, 1916 - February 22, 1944) - German and soviet soldier, partisan of the Great Patriotic War, The hero of the USSR.

Biography

He was born on February 14, 1916 in the town of Varzovo near the city of Stettin, now Szczecin (Poland) in a working class family. German. In 1932, Fritz's father Paul Krause, who was a communist, died during a demonstration at the hands of the Nazis. Fritz joined the Communist Youth International of Germany.

He worked at the Varzovsky brick factory. Since October 1936 - on mobilization he worked at a factory in the city of Beiten.

In December 1938 he was drafted into the Wehrmacht, but refused service, citing illness. He was convicted for draft evasion and until 1941 was imprisoned in the city of Torgau. Only after the start of the Great Patriotic War, he agreed to serve in the army, in October 1941 he was released and sent to the school of junior artillery commanders and then, with the rank of corporal, was sent to the Eastern Front as part of the 186th Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht.

In November 1941, Fritz Schmenkel deserted from the unit and hid in the village of Podmoshye, Yartsevo District. Smolensk region. February 17, 1942 he was arrested German officer and two soldiers in the village of Kurganovo and was handed over to the headman under guard, but on the same day the partisan detachment "Death to fascism" entered the village, and the detachment commander, having learned about the German, took him away. At first, the partisans did not trust Fritz Schmenkel and even wanted to shoot him. In one of the battles with the Nazis, Fritz Schmenkel, having received a weapon, killed a German soldier who fired accurately at the house in which the partisans were hiding. After that, the detachment began to trust him and he received a weapon. The partisans gave him the name "Ivan Ivanovich".

The detachment operated on the territory of the Nelidovsky and Belsky districts of the Kalinin (now Tver) region and in the Smolensk region.

May 6, 1942 in battle with German tanks Schmenkel suggested to the detachment commander that it was necessary to shoot at the barrels of fuel installed on the tanks. Fritz's advice turned out to be useful: thanks to this, the partisans set fire to 5 enemy tanks. In August 1942, Fritz Schmenkel, with a group of partisans dressed in German uniform, captured 11 police officers without a fight and handed them over to the partisan court. The Nazis managed to find out about a German soldier who fought in a partisan detachment, and a large reward was announced for Schmenkel's head.

Before the anniversary October revolution Schmenkel, dressed in a general's uniform, stopped a German convoy on the road and sent it into the forest. There was a lot of ammunition and food in the convoy.

In early 1943, the Germans began to carry out punitive operations against the partisans. The detachment was forced to break up into small groups and fight out of the encirclement. In March 1943, the territory where the detachment operated was liberated. Soviet troops, and the partisans were taken to Moscow. Fritz Schmenkel in June 1943 was seconded to the intelligence department of the Western Front. There he was trained and was appointed deputy commander of the sabotage and reconnaissance group "Field", prepared to perform special tasks in the area north of Orsha.

In December 1943, he, along with intelligence officers I. A. Rozhkov and V. D. Vinogradov, was transferred to the front line, but at the beginning of 1944 he was captured by German occupation authorities. On February 15, 1944, he was sentenced by a court-martial to death penalty, and on February 22, 1944 he was shot in Minsk.

From the last letter to his wife: “Forgive me for the trouble that I caused you by following the chosen path to the end. But I do not give up my affairs in the last hours of my life. I go boldly towards my execution, as I die for a good deed.

In 1961, the KGB discovered information about a police gang that was destroyed by partisans led by Fritz Schmenkel. Information about Fritz was collected during three years.

Decree of the Presidium Supreme Council USSR dated October 6, 1964 "for Active participation in the partisan movement, the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command during the Great Patriotic War and the heroism and courage shown at the same time, German citizen Schmenkel Fritz Paul was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Personal life

He was married to Erna Schhafer. Three children were born in the marriage: son Hans, daughters Ursula and Krista.

Awards and titles

Hero of the Soviet Union (October 6, 1964, posthumously);
Order of Lenin (October 6, 1964, posthumously);
Order of the Red Banner (1943).

Memory

In 1965, a street in the town of Nelidovo in the Kalinin (now Tver) region was named after F. Schmenkel. Between 1976 and 1992, Fritz-Schmenkel-Strae (later renamed Rheinsteinstrae) existed in East Berlin.

In the city of Minsk on Freedom Square, house number 4, where during the Great Patriotic War the security service (SD) and counterintelligence were located, in memory of the partisan-internationalist Memorial plaque.

In the Air Force of the GDR, the 1st Fighter Squadron (Jagdfliegergeschwader 1 (JG-1)) was named after him, created on September 25, 1952 and disbanded on October 2, 1990.

In art

In 1977, the film “I Want to See You” (German: Ich will euch sehen) was shot in the DEFA studio (GDR), where the German actor Walter Plathe played the role of Fritz Schmenkel.

Among the Germans in the Great Patriotic War were Soviet heroes. Thus, Fritz Paul Schmenkel was posthumously awarded the Order of the Hero of the Soviet Union.

antifascist

Fritz Paul Schmenkel was born in 1916. His father, Paul Krause, was a communist and worked in a brick factory in Warzow, near Stettin. The views of Schmenkel Sr. went against the policy of the NSDAP, and at one of the anti-fascist demonstrations in 1923 he was shot dead. Fritz adopted his father's political views and also began to oppose the Nazis. At first, he met with friends of his father and carried out small assignments, and later, in the 30s, he joined the Union of Communist Youth of Germany, where he strengthened his anti-fascist views. In 1938, Fritz Schmenkel was mobilized into the German army, but in 1939 he was expelled from the unit. The reason is the constant anti-fascist propaganda during the hostilities in Poland, unauthorized excommunication. The military court ruled - two years in prison. During this time, Germany captured almost all of Europe, and entered the war with the USSR.

To the aid of the Red Army

In prison, Schmenkel pondered how to help the Red Army. Two years later, he "repented" of his misdeeds before the Wehrmacht. Schmenkel wrote to the commander of the ground forces: “Prison taught me a lot and re-educated me. I am deeply aware of my mistakes and I am ready to serve in the army again in order to fight against Bolshevism. Please believe me and send me to the front ... ". He was restored ahead of schedule and sent to serve on the Eastern Front, in the 186th Infantry Division, in the Vyazma region. By that time, Schmenkel had a plan to help the Red Army in the fight against the Nazis.

Before being sent, he was given the opportunity to see his wife, Erne. In a conversation with his wife, Fritz shared his thoughts: “Now I know what I need to do”
But at the front, Fritz realized that it would not be easy to implement the plan to join the Red Army. There were no Soviet units in the Vyazma region, they retreated to Moscow. There was also no guarantee that Schmenkel would be believed.
But soon information reached Fritz that there was a Soviet partisan detachment in the forests near Vyazma. He arbitrarily left the artillery battery, where he served, and went to look for partisans. At first, he came across dilapidated settlements, where with the help of three words - Lenin, Stalin, Telman - he could get a place to sleep and food. In gratitude, he showed help to local residents.
On February 17, 1942, he was caught by an army patrol, he was captured and sent to the police, "until the circumstances were clarified." At that time, partisans of the "Death to the Nazis" detachment turned out to be in the village. They wanted to shoot him, but the locals stood up for Fritz. So he got into the partisan detachment.

Service in a partisan detachment

The partisans "worked" on the territory of the Kalinin and Smolensk regions. Schmenkel initiated many sorties and participated in all partisan operations. 14 months in the "Death to the Nazis" detachment - Schmenkel killed about 150 Nazis, captured three German prisoners. The command of the Wehrmacht appointed a large reward for the capture of the defector - 25 thousand marks (to understand the amount - one car at that time in Germany cost a thousand marks).
March 1943. The Red Army liberated the territory of Vyazma, the surviving partisans were sent to Moscow for training. In Moscow, Fritz Schmenkel was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for his courage and participation in major operations of the partisan detachment. After graduation, he was appointed to the post of deputy commander of the "Field", the intelligence department of the Western Front.

December 1943. Together with scouts Rozhkov and Vinogradov, Shmenkel was sent to the front, after which contact with Fritz was lost. Later it turned out that Schmenkel was detained by the Nazis in early 1944, he ended up in the Gestapo. On February 15, 1944, the Nazi military field court sentenced him to death, a week later he was shot in Minsk.

After the war

The State Security Committee of the USSR in 1961 found information about a gang of policemen, which was destroyed by partisans. The detachment is led by Fritz Schmenkel. The KGB officers were surprised that a German was at the head of the Soviet detachment, they tracked down and interrogated the living members of the Death to Fascism detachment. The case of Fritz Schmenkel was handled by Major Ryabov, head of the investigation department of the KGB. After three years of persistent collection of materials, a KGB officer filed a petition for the posthumous awarding of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. German soldier October 6, 1964 posthumously became a hero of the USSR.
Fritz Schmenkel's last letter to his wife Erna: “Forgive me for the trouble I caused you by following the chosen path to the end. But I do not give up my affairs in the last hours of my life. I go boldly towards my execution, as I die for a good deed.

During the Second World War, the Germans also fought on the side of the USSR. It is misleading to consider the Germans and the Nazis synonymous, for example, Schmenkel Fritz Paul - the hero of the USSR.

Schmenkel Fritz Paul (Fritz Paulevich - as the partisans called him, along with the pseudonym "Ivan Ivanovich") - was a fighter of the partisan detachment "Death to fascism" of the Kalinin region of the RSFSR; deputy commander of the reconnaissance and sabotage group "Field", which operated on the territory of Northern Orsha of the Byelorussian SSR.

He was born on February 14, 1916 in the town of Warzow, not far from the city of Stettin (Germany), in a simple family of working-class parents. German. Member of the Communist Youth International of Germany. AT Peaceful time worked at the Varzovsky factory for the production of bricks. After mobilization in October 1936, he worked at the Beiten brick factory. In December 1938, pretending to be ill, F. Schmenkel, who did not recognize fascism, evaded being drafted into the Wehrmacht, for which he was convicted and imprisoned in the city of Torgau. In October 1941, his sentence was replaced by sending him to the Eastern Front.

In November 1941, F. Schmenkel, not far from the city of Bely, Kalinin Region, escaped from the ranks of the Wehrmacht troops and, by some miracle, joined the Russian partisans. It is not clear who and how checked, and most importantly believed in his good intentions, but the fact remains - from February 7, 1942 he was considered a member of the partisan detachment "Death to fascism". Until March 1942, as part of the detachment, Schmenkel served as a scout, machine gunner, participant and sometimes leader of military operations. "Death to fascism" acted on the territory of the Kalinin and Smolensk regions. Taking part in operations, F. Schmenkel showed exceptional courage, courage, fearlessness and heroism.

On May 6, 1942, in a battle with German tanks, Schmenkel suggested to the detachment commander that it was necessary to shoot at the fuel barrels installed on the tanks. Fritz's advice turned out to be useful: thanks to this, the partisans set fire to 5 enemy tanks.

Memorial plaque to Fritz Schmenkel on house number 4 on Freedom Square in Minsk

In August 1942, Fritz Schmenkel, with a group of partisans dressed in German uniforms, captured 11 policemen without a fight and handed them over to the partisan court.

Once, having changed into a general's uniform, he stopped a German convoy on the road and sent it into the forest. There was a lot of ammunition and food in the convoy.

The Nazis managed to find out about a German soldier who fought in a partisan detachment, and a large reward was announced for Schmenkel's head.

In September 1943, "Ivan Ivanovich" was sent to the intelligence department of the Western Front, where he underwent special training, and then was appointed deputy commander of the "Field" group, which was engaged in reconnaissance and sabotage on enemy territory.

In December 1943, F. Schmenkel and intelligence officers Rozhkov I.A. and Vinogradov V.D. sent to the rear of the Nazis. However, in early 1944, Schmenkel was captured by Hitler's soldiers. On February 15, 1944, he was sentenced to the estimated execution, and on February 22, 1944, he was shot in Minsk, which was then captured by the Wehrmacht.

From a recent letter to his wife:

Forgive me for the trouble that I caused you by following the chosen path to the end. But I do not give up my affairs in the last hours of my life. I go boldly towards my execution, because I die for a good deed.

Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of October 6, 1964 for courage, valor and courage in the war against Nazi Germany Schmenkel Fritz Paul posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. He was also awarded the Order of Lenin (10/6/1964, posthumously), the Order of the Red Banner (1943).

Here is such a Russian German fought for Soviet people, shedding the blood of his compatriots, whose views were alien to him.

February 14, 1916 was born the famous partisan Fritz Paul Schmenkel (Fritz Paulevich, partisan pseudonym - "Ivan Ivanovich") Hero of the Soviet Union.
"Whoever catches Schmenkel will receive a reward: for a Russian 8 hectares of land, a house, a cow, for a German soldier - 2,000 marks and 2 months of vacation."
(from a German leaflet)

His father, Paul Krause, worked in a brick factory and was a committed communist. Because of his views, he died in 1923 at the hands of a Nazi. In the early 1930s, young Fritz decided to follow in his father's footsteps by joining the Communist Youth International of Germany. In 1938, Fritz Schmenkel was drafted into the army of the Third Reich. But Fritz did not stay long in the ranks of the Wehrmacht. Taking part in the hostilities in Poland in 1939, he constantly conducted anti-fascist propaganda, for which he was expelled from the unit and imprisoned. After a long two years, after the so-called "repentance" for his deed, he was early reinstated in the ranks of the army Nazi Germany and ended up on the Eastern Front, where he rushed with all his might. Even then, Fritz Schmenkel decided to radically change his fate!

Fritz deserted from the Wehrmacht at the end of November 1941 with one goal - to get into the ranks of the Red Army. For several weeks he hid in the Smolensk region, knocked on the houses of local residents and spoke only three words that he knew in Russian: "Lenin, Stalin, Telman." And the doors opened... For food and lodging, Fritz helped the villagers in the household. One day, a fugitive anti-fascist was captured by the SS. However, partisans from the Kalinin detachment "Death to fascism" came to the village and destroyed the Nazi garrison. Fritz was threatened with an ambulance and imminent execution. However, the partisans, after listening to the local residents, decided to take the prisoner with them.
One of the partisans recalls: “For a long time we did not trust Schmenkel, we were even ready to shoot him if the situation was difficult. He had only binoculars from the “weapon”. Once in one of the villages we were surrounded by punishers, we had to shoot back. in our favor, and Fritz asked for a rifle. They gave him. It turned out that he shoots very accurately. (he killed a sniper and several enemy soldiers, and also gave valuable advice to the detachment commander, as a result of which the partisans, having taken a military trick, destroyed up to five armored vehicles) When we managed to get out, Fritz had already officially received a weapon and became a full-fledged fighter in our squad."
In general, Ivan Ivanovich (as he was now called) passed the combat test with honor and joined the partisan detachment "Death to fascism", which operated on German communications in the present Tver region. It soon became clear. that Ivan Ivanovich is not only an excellent shooter, but also an excellent instructor - who knew all the intricacies of German small arms, an organizer and a daring saboteur.

Some of his operations were carried out in this spirit: The commander of the convoy, a middle-aged lieutenant, waved his hand, the column stopped, and several guards, weapons at the ready, went to the car standing on the side of the road. One of the submachine gunners shone a flashlight into the saloon and immediately pulled himself to attention. Slowly, without looking at the soldiers, an SS man in a black uniform, sparkling with silver, climbed out of the car. general's shoulder straps. Carelessly squealing through his teeth, the general called for the senior in the column. The lieutenant who ran up listened attentively to the imposing SS man for several minutes, then ran back to the convoy and ordered everyone to follow the general's car. Ten minutes later, the column turned onto another road and plunged into the forest. For some time the car moved at the speed of the convoy, but gradually moved forward more and more. The lieutenant already wanted to order one of his motorcyclists to catch up with the general and ask him to drive slower, but he did not have time - the forest was lit up with flashes of shots. A few seconds later, the convoy with German ammunition ceased to exist.
The partisans were famous for their raids on the territory of the Smolensk region, Belsky and Nelidovsky districts of the Kalinin region. Fritz Schmenkel was the initiator of many desperate sorties, participated in many of the most dangerous partisan operations. During the 14 months of stay in partisan brigade Schmenkel destroyed about 150 Nazis, brought three prisoners. German command announced for his head a fantastic reward for those times - 25 thousand marks (a car in Germany cost about a thousand marks). A punitive operation called "Shooting Star" began against the "Death to Fascism" detachment. The operation ended with limited success. The detachment was dispersed, suffered big losses, but a month later the partisans unite again. Fritz Paul joins them, despite his severe frostbite, he continues to fight.

In 1943, Schmenkel met with his comrades-in-arms in the liberated Bely the soldiers of the Kalinin Front. Later that year, he was seconded to the intelligence department of the Western Front, where he underwent special training and was appointed deputy commander of the Pole sabotage and reconnaissance group. For the feats accomplished in his ranks, he was presented with the Order of the Red Banner. Once Fritz was thrown deep behind enemy lines in Belarus in the Orsha region, from where he transmitted valuable information. At the end of 1943, Fritz, along with two scouts, went missing for a long 20 years ...

The search for scouts began quite by accident - in 1961, when the case of a traitor who led a punitive detachment operating near Bely was investigated. As it turned out, this detachment was defeated by the Death to Fascism brigade and Fritz Schmenkel personally led this operation. The investigation was conducted by the head of the investigation department of the KGB in the Kalinin region, Major Ryabov. The partisans who fought together with Shmenkel in the Belsk and Nelidov forests, as well as local residents, were interviewed. More than a hundred requests have been made various organizations, studied foreign archival materials. After three years of searching, it was possible to find out that Fritz Schmenkel was captured by the Nazis in Belarus and shot on February 22, 1944 near Minsk. Based on these data and everything that was already known by that time about Fritz Schmenkel's personal struggle against fascism, he was posthumously awarded for services to the Soviet Union by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. awarded the Order Lenin with the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
And a few more additions:
1. In Minsk, on Freedom Square, building 4, where during the war the Nazis placed the Abwehr, a memorial plaque was erected in memory of the courageous internationalist partisan with the inscription: “In this building in February 1944, an active participant was sentenced to death by fascist executioners anti-fascist struggle and the Great Patriotic War German citizen Hero of the Soviet Union Fritz Schmenkel.
2. There is a corresponding exposition in the Minsk Museum of the Great Patriotic War.
3. In 1978, the German film studio DEFA filmed the film “I want to see you” (German: Ich will euch sehen), in which the famous actors of that time Petr Velyaminov and Yugoslav Gojko Mitic played the supporting roles.
4. Some are interested in how partisans light weapons were able to destroy five tanks (armored vehicles?) of the enemy, and what kind of military trick was this, proposed by Fritz Paul. Everything ingenious is simple: he noticed barrels of fuel. On the march, German tanks often carried a supply of fuel in barrels on a trailer. Schmenkel suggested firing at these barrels with incendiary cartridges.