The remains of 15 Red Army soldiers found this summer thanks to the help of Dobrosh search engines

Once it all began with the indifference of one retired military, and today as part of the Gomel regional search association “Nikoli not forgetze” under a hundred participants in different parts of the region. They do not allow the memory of heroes to disappear: they work in archives, go to field excavations – memory watches. This summer, thanks to their help, the remains of 15 fighters were found in Dobrush and Vetkov districts, the names of two were established.

The target is one for all Shields from Maxim's machine gun, Medsanbatov's tires, a disc from PPSh, spoons and mugs, a crumpled pot, a scatter of ammunition ... The regional search association “Nikoli will not forget” the museum is quite small in size, but the number of exhibits will give a head start to many expositions. By the way, the lion’s share of the exhibits collected over the years was transferred to the Museum of the Specialized Lyceum at the University of Civil Protection of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, whose cadets also help in the search work. Photos from the excavations are hung on the walls. Under them signatures: 2020 - 81 soldiers of the Red Army, 2021 - 421 soldiers of the Red Army, four pilots. These are the ones whose remains were recovered decades later. Chairman of the Board of the Gomel regional search association “Nikoli is not a forget” Nikolai Basenkov comes from Dobrush district. He served in different parts of the continent. After his dismissal, he returned home. He worked in security, then on the railway, but at the same time worked with children - led a circle of radio electronics.

- In the classroom, the boys suggested: “Let’s make a metal detector,” recalls Nikolai Vasilyevich. - We got the chart, we got it. First, they collected nails in the yard, then went to the forest - they began to find cartridges.

With this began the fascination, which very quickly grew into the awareness of the memory of the great Patriotic war keeps the earth under his feet. It's not just about helmets and flasks. There are people here. The next generations should know about them. Know and remember! For Nikolai Vasilyevich, this topic is very personal:

- My maternal grandfather was called up in the early days of the war. He went missing in 1941. Presumably somewhere in the area of the Eagle, but the exact circumstances have not yet been established.

Gradually around Nikolai Basenkov gathered different people who do not care. Among them are government officials, entrepreneurs, teachers, students, workers... They drew information from everywhere about what was happening in a particular location in the Great Patriotic War: from historical books, archival documents, eyewitness memoirs. Rare footage of German aerial photography was purchased at their own expense, hundreds and thousands of kilometers were flown and traveled for reconnaissance. Information from the association “Nikoli does not forget” allows you to organize excavations, which are annually conducted by the 52nd separate specialized search battalion. The search engines themselves are also active participants.

This summer, the first excavations (this work is called the memory watch) began in the vicinity of the village of Maryino Dobrush district, where in 1941 there were severe battles. Searchers, lyceumists and representatives of the 52nd Specialized Search Battalion began with a single grave lost in the forest. On the wooden cross there is a sign with the inscription: “Petrov Alexander Alexandrovich”. 1924-1943”. It was discovered during reconnaissance on the ground. The members of the association for several months tried in vain to find out the history of the burial, but in the lists of losses the fighter with such data does not appear. While the remains were decided to be raised and reburied in Maryino.

The next section helped to study more German aerial photography. Overlay on a modern satellite image showed where the craters from bombs and artillery shells were located. These places worked in the first place.

The first thing that the metal detector noticed was the shells and ammunition. And then at a depth of only half a meter excavated the remains of the fighter. And unprecedented luck: near found the pencil of the death medallion. On the spot, they did not even try to open - the thing from time to time became fragile, a specialist should study.

Under this fighter found the remains of another, nearby found a third – and again with a medallion. Already in the first days of work on the Maryin Heights, the remains of six soldiers were discovered.

The watch managed to move to the Vetkovo district when the news came: two medallions were opened, the fighters were identified. Now heroes have names.

Konstantin Timofeevich Rodzanovskiy was born in 1921 in the city of Korop, Chernihiv region. There in 1941 he was called. In open funds, a document has been preserved, where the hand of the district commissar recorded that Private Rodzanovskiy is wanted by his father. Written communication with his son ceased on August 8, 1941

The second fighter was a peer of Konstantin Timofeevich. Nikolai Ivanovich Kishkar was born in the village of Velika Pavlovka of Poltava region of the Ukrainian SSR. His parents received his last letter in September 1941. The boys were long reported missing. And now it is established that they laid their heads in the same field, protecting our land.

- There are still many promising places to find. But I am sure that our children and grandchildren will be looking for fighters. We can't forget heroes. Now the situation is that people need to tell the truth. Any information is reflected in the views, in what our young people think and then do. If you and I are not talking about the right things, who are we?

valchenko@sb.by

Photo by the author and the newspaper Dobrushsky Krai.