I committed a few truly Bogatyr feats. He could become twice and even three times the hero, enter the Pantheon of the Great National Warriors.
During the Great Patriotic War, the tank reconnaissance company Guard Captain V.N. Podgorbunsky especially distinguished in a number of operations.
To cross the Soviet troops across the River, the Dniester took away the Pontoon Park from the German River. Well, the Guard himself, Colonel Tank Troops, Mikhail Efimovich Katukov preferred not to order the Guard to the senior lieutenant Podgorbunsky, but to ask him - Dotola a unheard of the case in the history of the Red Army. Let us turn to the memoirs of Katukov "On the edge of the main strike": "I met with him on the shore of the Dniester. I briefly explained, what is the essence of the case, and in a friendly, not in order of the order, namely, in a friendly, I asked: - Be kind, Comrade Podgorbinsky, committed a pontoon park. Selubs service, eyelids will remember. - And, joking, added: - To take into account, the work piecework, they will not disappear.
In the city of Kazatina, captured the German Gaulayra von Hab and delivered him to the headquarters M.E. Katukov; The Ferdinandovka station (near Vinnitsa) captured a whole railway composition of German soldiers and officers. Podgorbinsky was injured 11 times. In the 19th Guards Motionstroke Brigade of the 1st Tank Army, he was called "Genius of Intelligence".
Born on April 25, 1916 in the city of Chita. Russian. Education initial. Early left orproot, his father died in the partisan detachment to the civil war, the mother married and left for Moscow, leaving the boy with uncle. Wandered around the country, then brought up in the Chita children's home.
After the orphanage started an independent life. Looking at the path of violation of the law, by 19 years had several convictions for theft and theft.
Several times fled from the camps. Once again, hitting the camp, he fell under the influence of a political prisoner, former military, and wrote a letter M.I. Kalinina, exploring the desire to break with the past and "to become an honest way."
In 1936 he was released from prison and aimed to pass the service to the Red Army. Received a specialty mechanic-driver tank. In 1939, demobilized. He lived in the city of Ivanovo, he worked at one of the city's enterprises.
In January 1942, he was again called up to the army of the Frunzen Railogenomat of the city of Ivanov. On the fronts of the Great Patriotic War passed the way from the ordinary Red Army to the captain. He was the commander of the branch of armorboos, the mechanic-driver of the tank. He fought on the Kalininsky and Bryansky fronts. Member of the WCP (b) since 1942.
On the Kursk Dug Junita Lieutenant V.N. Podgorbunsky has already commanded the reconnaissance platoon. Although the platoon was tank, his fighters often acted in walking the ranks, without a car made his way into the rear of the enemy and acted quite effectively. By the end of 1943, his account included a large number of successful reconnaissance raids in the enemy rear. In the brigade it was called "Genius of Intelligence".
According to the colleague, "Volodya always went into battle with all regals." That is, going to the task, never removed from myself epaulets, awards and guards icon, although, according to the charter, it was all relied. So in that vehicle battle, the Nazis had the opportunity to see the magazine "for courage" at his gymnaster. Troy Germans Senior Lieutenant shot as a result of firing contact. Then, as was said in the view to the award, "he moved to a hand-to-hand fight, where the Nagan's handle began to tash the Germans and destroyed three, and four of the Junior Sergeant Nikiforov, 2 Fritz, not to withstand resistance, were launched."
The commander of the brigade Colonel Fedor Petrovich Lipatenkov, who signed the order for awarding the senior lieutenant of the Podgorbunsky Order of the Red Star, so talked about his extraordinary subordinate military journalist Yuri Alexandrovich Zhukov:
"Yes, an original person. Amazing affairs makes ... Sometimes, of course, it is not easy with him: the past presses it. ... But at times it becomes difficult. It does not always keep discipline, so sometimes it has trouble with the command. But in battle - a day of the devil. This will sometimes create, which is not directly believed. And you will check - everything is accurate. Such people have some kind of aggravated, I would say, scrupulous honesty. He seems like it: I suppose you can't believe me, so look at yourself!
We look, wonder, look again - all for sure! "
And the older lieutenant flashed unprecedented artistry with which the most complex tasks of the command was performed. Another quotation from the MEMOURS of Lieutenant General N. Popel:
"The only prisoner in the night before the offensive was dragged by Podgorbunsky's scouts. They sneak into the blonde, in which three Germans listened to the records. Two finished off, and one jungle the napkin and swallowed.
Podgorbunsky rushed back to the pattephone, neatly put the membrane on the most rim plate. From the dugout, like five minutes ago, carried the cheerful Tyrolean Waltzok ... "
Genius exploration
Very soon senior lieutenant Podgorbinsky became an extremely popular figure. He knew about the command of the Brigade, Corps and even the 1st Guards Tank Army. Intelligence genius - so with a light hand of the Combridge called Volodya. Even the member of the Military Council of the Front and the secretary of the Central Committee of the Central Committee of the Military Council of the Front and the secretary of the Central Committee of the Central Committee of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Military Council of the Front and the secretary of the Central Committee of the CSP (B) of Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev, wisely wisely recalling the intelligence manner of the behavior of the genius of intelligence: "Bloomy scale will gradually come down, trifles ... And the person seems to be outstanding ... "
At the end of December 1943, in battles for the liberation of the Right Bank of Ukraine, with their intelligence raids, raided the enemy's rear, mined valuable information. Only from 24 to 30 December, his platoon destroyed 4 tanks, 2 self-propelled artillery installations, 12 armored transporters, 62 cars and over 120 soldiers and opponent officers. The required number of "control" prisoners, one gun, up to fifty cars and a food warehouse was captured.
On December 28, in battles for the city of Kazatin, Podgorbunsky's interpretation on two T-34 with a landing on armor, only 29 people, bypassing German defense, the first broke into the city from the rear. Scouts were rushed through the streets, destroying the firepoints of the enemy on the way, leaving the caterpillars and shooting the live power of the enemy from the machine guns. After breaking the eight guns and destroying up to hundreds of German soldiers and officers, they reached the Priminal Square. Here, the tank workers shot the echelon approached for loading, in one of the wagons of which were pile officers of the Tank Division. The sappers have undermined the outlet arrows and cut off the path of waste. In addition, several echelons remained at the station, one of which with prisoners of war and civil sent to Germany. While the advanced squad unit acted in the city, the main forces approached its surroundings - Tank Regiment of Lieutenant Colonel I. N. Boyko.
"Incredibly? .. - asked the rhetorical question of the commander of the brigade Colonel Lipatenkov, telling about this feat of the Podgorbun journalist Yuri Zhukov. - I agree with you. From the point of view of elementary tactical calculations - the task for two tanks and twenty nine machine gunners is not alone. Still, this is a reality. Currently and certified ... "
The calculations made and the head of the headquarters of the Tank Army headquarters, Colonel Alexey Mikhailovich Sobolev. "We find out that in Kazakin to the time of the appearance of the Podgulbunsky, there were about three and a half thousand soldiers and officers of the enemy. In the success of the Podgorbunsky, the sudden role was played by the suddenness of the strike and the "mental shock", in which the nicknames hit, losing the ability to organized resistance. "
Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated January 10, 1944 for courage and courage, shown in the capture of Kazatin, the guard of the senior lieutenant Podgorbunsky Vladimir Nikolayevich was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union with the presentation of the Order of Lenin and the Golden Star Medal (No. 2076).
11 stripes for injuries
From now on, even Guard himself, Colonel Military Tank Trica, Mikhail Efimovich Katukov preferred not to order the Guard to the senior lieutenant Podgorbunsky, but to ask him - Dotola a unheard of the case in the history of the Red Army. Let us turn to the memoirs of Katukov "On the edge of the main strike": "I met with him on the shore of the Dniester. I briefly explained, what is the essence of the case, and in a friendly, not in order of the order, namely, in a friendly, I asked: - Be kind, Comrade Podgorbinsky, committed a pontoon park. Selubs service, eyelids will remember. - And, joking, added: - To take into account, the work piecework, they will not disappear.
I see, Podgorbunsky eye tanned. I know: extraordinary cases for him any joys are more expensive. The senior lieutenant visor: "Will performed" - and went to his intelligence.
... deep at night with deaf paths Podgorbunsky with his intelligence officers through the combat enemy's fighting, from the rear broke into the village, where the German pontoon park was located, and how the snow fell on the little fascist garrison. In the village, except for the pontonera, there was no one. Under the cracks of machine guns and automata, the Nazis fused, and our intelligence officers, without losing a minute, took German pontoons into a tug and led them to the shore of the Dniester ...
And then the army sappers quickly built pontoon ferries and began to move to the right bank of the Dniester machine with flammable and ammunition. "
The commander of the communion presented Podgorbunsky to the Order of the Red Banner and the secondary assignment of the title of the hero. One can only guess why Katukov refused to support the second idea and did not send a premium sheet for the title twice hero to Moscow. After all, the scout not only honestly deserved this high difference, but also generously paid blood for him. In some photos, we see in the breast of the genius of intelligence six stripes for injuries: three golden - for heavy, three red - for the lungs.
However, General Popel argued that Podgorbinsky was injured 11 times: "If he wore all stripes for injuries, there would be no place for his chest."
On March 29, the localization of Podgorbunsky on two tanks made a raid in the rear of the enemy to the city district of Stanislav (now Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine). As a result, four T-IV tanks were destroyed, one "Tiger", eight armored personnel carriers, two self-propelled guns, many cars with different loads and wagons, captured 19,105-mm guns, 3 zenith guns, taken 6 warehouses, of which 4 foods were taken.
At the end of July 1944, Podgorbinsky distinguished himself in battles for the Polish city of Yaroslav. Having missed with his intelligence to the river, he burned a few checkers and climbed two boats with automatants under the opposite shore. Parts of the Wehrmacht tried to knock out fighters from a small bridgehead, but the fire of tanks from the shore occupied by Soviet troops, threw these attempts. Scouts lasted before the onset of the darkness and approach of the main forces.
Developing the offensive part of the 1st tank army came out in the river Vistula, among the first there were an intelligence dosor guard of the Captain Podgorbunsky. The guards captured a small ferry and straightened the platoon of automatic workers on the opposite shore on the night of July 29. By evening, the Pontoon Bridge was posted and the Tanks of Podgorbunsky went first. Later, this bridgehead on the banks of the Vistula will be called Sandomira.
On August 19, 1944, the Podgorbunsky group had fallen during the opponent's rear of the opponent. The commander was wounded twice, but continued to lead the battle. He died when she took the bands to their own. He jumped out of the burning armored car, but he was already injured, he could no longer be saved, died from burns. I was able to identify it only on the Golden Star, which he pressed against the ground.
He was buried in the town of Dambino (Poland), later reburied on the cemetery of the fraternal graves of the city of Sandomira (Poland), the fraternal grave number 218.
Awards and titles:
Hero of the Soviet Union (January 10, 1944); Order of Lenin (January 10, 1944); Order of the Red Banner; Two Orders of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree; two orders of the Red Star; Medal "For Cook".