Amur flotilla ships poppies. Amur military flotilla. Amur military flotilla during the years of the Revolution, Civil War and intervention

In 1941, in view of the danger of imperialist Japan entering the war against the Soviet Union, personnel and equipment were transferred from the West of the USSR to the East. The Amur flotilla, despite the high combat readiness, was completed by 80 percent, which caused Stalin's concern.

It so happened that fate threw my father, a native of the Kuban, in the very first months of the war to the Far East, to the Red Banner Amur Flotilla. In his rare stories about the war, dad recalled distant Khabarovsk and Harbin.

Old photo. 1926 Art. Medvedovskaya, Krasnodar Territory.
Father with mother, Marfa Emelyanovna Shakun.

My grandfather, Ivan Alekseevich Shakun, died in the Kuban in the mid-20s of the last century.
In this regard, my father addressed all his letters from the front to my mother, my grandmother.

1918. Grandfather is 22 years old.

Summer 1941. My father and mother (my grandmother) made a memory card
before being sent to the front.

Signature on the card:
Spring 1942, AKF. "Mother in memory from her son and his friend."
Unfortunately, the friend's last name is not listed.

Ivan Ivanovich Shakun at the age of twenty. AKF, 04/01/1942.

AKF, 14 April 1943.

Reverse side of the previous card.
AKF, 14 April 1943.

On the left is Ivan Ivanovich Shakun.
I do not know the name of the second sailor.
17.12. 1944.

military council :)
1944
The father is third from the left.

End of 1945.
Top row - Alexey Shakun and Ivan Shakun.
There were no grandfathers left in our family after the 20s,
in this regard, those who came from the front were met by wives, mothers and aunts.
Family photo.
My grandmother, bottom row in the center, after the death of her husband during the period of collectivization,
never married.
Let me tell you, the woman was kind but tough. Kingdom of Heaven to her.

I buried my father on August 22, 2002. He lived a little over 80 years. He was very strong in spirit.

1964
Mom, older brother Igor, aunt Lucy (mother's sister, participant in the defense of Leningrad, anti-aircraft gunner) and father.
I didn't exist at that time. I was born in 1968. I don't know.... Respect to Bate.
My father lived several lives.

Dry facts:

Navy sailors in the liberation of Northeast China

Sailors of the Pacific Fleet and the Red Banner Amur Flotilla took an active part in the defeat of the Kwantung Army and the liberation of Northeast China from the Japanese invaders, along with the Soviet troops in the Far East. The success of the Manchurian operation in 1945 was largely facilitated by successful fighting of the Pacific Fleet and the troops of the 1st Far Eastern Front to capture in a short time the main ports and naval bases of the enemy on the Liaodong Peninsula (Port Arthur and Dalniy) and in North Korea, which led the main forces of the Kwantung Army to complete isolation from their own mother country, deprived them of the possibility of transferring reserves and evacuation.

The main command of the Soviet troops in the Far East entrusted the Red Banner Amur Flotilla with a very difficult and responsible task - to ensure the crossing of the river. Amur troops of the 2nd Far Eastern Front and assist their offensive in the Sungaria and Sakhalyan operations.

It should be noted that r. Amur is the largest water communication in the Far East, navigable almost along its entire length (more than 2800 km). Full-flowing and its tributaries - the Sungari and the Ussuri. In the most important directions along the state border of the USSR with Northeast China, which runs mainly along the Amur and Ussuri, the enemy created strong fortified areas. The main ones were: Sakhalyan (opposite Blagoveshchensk), Sungari (covering the entrance to the Sungari River) and Fujin (70 km from the mouth of the Sungari, protecting the approaches to Harbin). The fortified areas consisted of nodes of resistance and strong points connected by communications, the basis of which were pillboxes, bunkers, and reinforced concrete structures. The Red Banner Amur Flotilla (commanded by Rear Admiral N.V. Antonov) by the beginning of hostilities had up to 150 warships and boats in its composition and significantly outnumbered the Japanese Sungaria River Flotilla in terms of combat strength and armament.

In the Sungaria operation, which was led by the commander of the 15th army, Lieutenant-General K.S. rank L. B. Tankevich and captain of the 2nd rank A. V. Fadeev).

On August 9 and 10, 1945, troops of the 15th Army and the 5th Separate Rifle Corps successfully crossed the Amur and Ussuri rivers, captured all the islands on the Amur and cleared the opposite banks of these rivers from the enemy in a 120-kilometer strip from the mouth of the river. Sungari to the mouth of the river. Khor and captured the cities of Lubei, Tongjiang, Fuyuan, as well as the centers of resistance of the Sungari fortified region. As a result, an opportunity was created for our troops to rapidly advance in the Harbin direction.

The personnel and warships of the Red Banner Amur Flotilla played an important role.

In a short time, tens of thousands of people, a huge amount of military equipment and various military equipment were transported across the Amur. Together with the soldiers of the armies, the Amur sailors bravely fought the enemy. They were at the forefront of the advancing troops, with well-aimed artillery and machine-gun fire from the ships, they suppressed enemy firing points on the coast and paved the way for the paratroopers.

In the battle for the city of Fuyuan, the personnel of the gunboat "Proletary" (commander senior lieutenant I. A. Sornev) and armored boats - under the command of senior lieutenant K. S. Shnyanin, lieutenant P. S. Semenyak and junior lieutenant S. F. Yakushenko. Under enemy fire, they quickly landed troops ashore and, with accurate shooting from ships, ensured the successful completion of the capture of the city by paratroopers.

In this battle, the foreman of the 1st article, communist Nikolai Golubkov, performed a heroic feat. Participating in the landing, together with the soldiers of the 630th Infantry Regiment, when attacking one of the enemy's objects, he destroyed an enemy firing point with grenades. This created the possibility of a rapid advance by our paratroopers. However, he was mortally wounded. By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, N. N. Golubkov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

The people of Fuyuan warmly welcomed their liberators. Crowds of them went to the embankment, where our ships stood, their faces shone with joy. They warmly welcomed and thanked the Soviet soldiers and sailors for their liberation from the Japanese colonialists.

On the monument erected in Fuyuan by local residents in memory of the dead Soviet sailors, a deeply symbolic inscription was made: "Soviet liberator soldiers will forever remain in the hearts of the Chinese people."

Every Soviet soldier, having set foot on Chinese soil, knew very well that he was fulfilling a lofty internationalist duty, fighting for the liberation of the Chinese people from Japanese oppressors, and this found a grateful response in the hearts of Chinese workers.

Stubborn battles unfolded for the capture of the Funjin fortified area and the city of Funjin. On the morning of August 11, under the cover of naval artillery fire, armored boats of the 1st brigade of river ships approached the berths at full speed, quickly moored and landed an assault company. Following them, the 3rd Battalion of the 364th Infantry Regiment was landed from the Sun Yatsen monitor (commander 3rd-Class Captain V.D. Korner). At the same time, naval assault forces were sent from the monitors to cover the rear of the advancing troops.

The fight was intense. The Japanese met the landing with powerful artillery fire, mortars and machine guns. The enemy fiercely resisted, repeatedly launched counterattacks, but could not withstand the onslaught of the Soviet troops. The heroism of the Soviet soldiers was massive. Everyone tried his best to fulfill the combat mission assigned to him.

Our warships-monitors, armed with 130-mm cannons and rocket artillery, had an advantage over Japanese artillery, the caliber of which did not exceed 75 mm. None of the enemy firing points could resist their fire. For example, the Sun Yatsen monitor destroyed and suppressed 5 bunkers, 12 bunkers, 6 mortar batteries, destroyed an ammunition depot and a large number of Japanese soldiers and officers.

The paratroopers were also greatly assisted by armored boats, which came close to the shores and fired at point-blank firing points and enemy manpower.

Our ships did not give respite to the retreating enemy troops. On August 16, with their active support, our troops captured the city of Jiamusi, for which they received gratitude from the Military Council of the 2nd Far Eastern Front. Eliminating pockets of enemy resistance, the ships of the flotilla continued to successfully move up the Sungari to connect with the airborne assault force that landed on August 18 in Harbin.

On the way from Sanxing to Harbin, the population of villages and villages, seeing our ships, gathered in crowds on the shore with red flags and warmly welcomed the Soviet sailors. On the morning of August 20, the ships of the Red Banner Amur Flotilla arrived in Harbin. The Harbin embankment was filled with people for many kilometers. Thousands of Chinese with flowers, banners and flags greeted their liberators. Soon a parade of Soviet sailors took place on the central square. Detachments of the Amur people with a clear step passed through the streets of the city to the stormy applause of the inhabitants. The day the Soviet sailors entered Harbin turned into a great national holiday.

Military sailors were also active in the Sakhalin offensive operation. During August 10 and 11, troops of the 2nd Red Banner Army (commander Lieutenant General of Tank Forces M.F. Terekhin) were successfully landed from the ships of the Zee-Bureinsky brigade (brigade commander 1st-rank captain M. G. Voronkov) in area of ​​the cities of Sakhalyan, Aigun and Tsike. Thus, three large bridgeheads were created on the right bank of the Amur, and the further development of the operation depended on how quickly the main forces of the army would be transferred here. This task was entrusted to the sailors of the Red Banner Amur Flotilla, and they fulfilled it with honor.

From August 10 to September 1, ships of the flotilla and ships of the Upper Amur Shipping Company transported 22,845 people, 1,459 vehicles, 161 tanks, 116 armored vehicles and tractors, 429 guns and mortars, over 4 thousand tons of various cargoes from Blagoveshchensk to Sakhalin.

During the same time, 64,861 people, 460 guns and mortars, 3,800 cars and tractors, 14,330 tons of various cargoes were transported through another crossing from the village of Konstantinovka to Khadagan (110 km below Blagoveshchensk).

All this contributed to the rapid advance of the army into the central regions of Manchuria.

The population of the liberated cities cordially greeted the Soviet soldiers. In Sakhalin, when our ships approached the pier, thousands of Chinese rushed to them. Many of them carried red flags and flags in their hands. A rally arose spontaneously. Captain 1st rank M. G. Voronkov, who spoke at the rally, said that the Soviet troops came to them not as conquerors, but as friends to help them free themselves from Japanese domination. The speech was listened to with great attention. The rally was accompanied by stormy jubilation and cheers in honor of the Soviet soldiers-liberators.

In battles with the Japanese invaders, the soldiers and officers of the Red Banner Amur Flotilla showed high combat skills, discipline, courage, and a high understanding of the liberation mission.

During the operation, the ships were the only means of ensuring a high rate of advance of the ground forces. They were constantly in the forefront of the advancing units and in 12 days they fought from Fuyuan to Harbin 930 km, of which over 700 km along the Sungari.

The fighting of the flotilla was highly appreciated by the Soviet command. The commander of the 2nd Far Eastern Front, General of the Army M.A. Purkaev, in an order noted: "The Red Banner Amur Flotilla, following the order of the Supreme High Command, in close cooperation with the troops of the 2nd Far Eastern Front, contributed to a decisive victory over imperialist Japan. The ships of the flotilla, being the vanguard of the troops 2nd Far Eastern Front, crossed such water barriers as the Amur, Ussuri and Sungari rivers, and thereby accelerated the capture of strong strongholds of the Japanese and the cities of Manchuria.

For military merit in the war against imperialist Japan, 3315 sailors, foremen and officers of the flotilla were awarded orders and medals. Rear Admiral N. V. Antonov, Captain 1st Rank M. G. Voronkov, Captain 3rd Rank V. D. Korner, Lieutenant Commander I. A. Sornev and I. A. Khvorostyanov, Captain S. M Kuznetsov and foreman of the 1st article N. N. Golubkov were awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union. All four brigades of river ships of the flotilla were awarded orders and received honorary titles: 1st Harbin Red Banner, 2nd Amur Red Banner, 3rd Ussuri Order of Nakhimov and 4th Amur Order of Ushakov.

At the final stage of the Manchurian operation, following the airborne landing of army units in Dalniy and Port Arthur under the command of Lieutenant General of Aviation E.N.

The Chinese population of Dalny and Port Arthur met the Soviet soldiers and sailors very friendly. These days, the streets of cities were filled with thousands of lively and joyful people. The Chinese tried to provide all possible assistance to our units. So, for example, when landing the first planes on the water in the ports of Dalniy and Port Arthur, the Chinese quickly sent boats and schooners to land on the shore. Cheers were heard everywhere in honor of the Soviet Army and Navy. And when our warships soon arrived in Port Arthur, the city literally changed. The news of the arrival of Soviet warships spread around the city with lightning speed. Crowds of Chinese with flags and banners began to flock to the port. They enthusiastically greeted the Soviet soldiers, sailors and officers - their liberators from the Japanese colonialists.

In the very first days of our stay in Port Arthur, the command of the naval base established in the city (base commander Rear Admiral V. A. Tsipanovich) established the most friendly relations with the local administration and the Chinese population. Given the need of the population for food and consumer goods, the base command met the requests of local authorities and donated a significant amount of food, fabrics and various materials.

In the city and in the clubs of the base, joint concerts of amateur performances, performances by Soviet and Chinese artists, and viewing of Soviet films were constantly organized. Sports games and competitions were systematically held.

I remember well how the population of Port Arthur, full of feelings of gratitude and gratitude to the Soviet Army and Navy for their liberation, took an ardent part in the celebration of the 28th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution.

During these days, the Chinese did not work, a festive mood was felt everywhere. November 7 on the squares of the city gathered a large number of people in festive clothes, with red armbands on their sleeves. Soviet and Chinese flags were hung everywhere. The mass procession did not stop but the streets of the city. There were continuous shouts of welcome in honor of the Soviet people, their army and navy.

In Dalny and Port Arthur, a significant number of Chinese workers worked at ship repair enterprises and in various workshops and institutions of the army and naval base. For their work, they received the same pay as the Soviet workers. When talking to us, the Chinese workers thanked Soviet people for the work given to them, for the brotherly attitude towards them. You should have seen what joyful, friendly smiles shone on their faces.

The Manchurian operation, carried out in the period August 9 - September 2, 1945 by Soviet and Mongolian troops against the Japanese Kwantung Army and the armed forces of the puppet states created by Japan on the territory of Manchuria and North Korea. The result of this operation, which is sometimes called the "Soviet-style blitzkrieg", was the complete elimination of Japan's military presence on the Asian continent.

BATTLE COMPOSITION AND TASKS OF THE AMUR FLOTILE

Red Banner Amur military flotilla , operationally subordinated to the commander of the 2nd Far Eastern Front, in the Manchurian operation was to ensure the crossing of the Amur and Ussuri land forces, to facilitate the offensive of the front troops in the Sungarian direction. In addition, she had to prevent the enemy from forcing these rivers and ensure her communications; as we move along the Songhua, to carry out the crossing of personnel and equipment; destroy enemy crossings and nodes of resistance in coastal areas, as well as his ships.

The Amur military flotilla included four brigades and the Sretensky separate division of river ships, the Ussuri and Khanka separate detachments of armored boats. In total, the Amur flotilla consisted of 126 ships, 68 aircraft and 12.5 thousand personnel.

The Sungarian military flotilla of the enemy, which was part of the Kwantung Army, consisted of 26 ships, three regiments of marines with 50 landing motor boats and 60 landing motor boats. The balance of forces on the rivers was clearly in favor of the Amur flotilla.

GEOGRAPHICAL CONDITIONS OF THE THEATER AND PREPARATION FOR OPERATION

Geographical conditions allowed the ships to operate in three operational directions: Sungari, Sakhalyan-Tsitsikar and Khankai. The Sungari was the main one, as it led the troops of the Red Army to the central regions of Manchuria. The enemy created a powerful defense system along the Soviet borders. Of the 17 fortified regions on the territory of Manchuria, 8 were in the areas of action of the Amur flotilla. In the lower reaches of the Sungari, they included about 950 structures.

The interaction of the flotilla with the ground forces was subordinated to the achievement of the main goal: to ensure a high rate of advance of the troops along the river. The artillery of the flotilla was planned to be used in conjunction with the front. She carried out artillery preparation, ensured the crossing of the river, the capture and expansion of bridgeheads, supported rifle formations and units in repelling enemy counterattacks.

The sailors studied the experience of conducting combat operations of river fleets in the war with Nazi Germany. In preparation, landing, forcing rivers, landing troops, joint actions with ground forces in capturing enemy resistance centers were practiced. Much attention was paid to the refurbishment of the theatre. In addition, points of supply and repair of equipment were built. Together with the army units, the rapid building of bridges, fascines, etc. was practiced for the approach of troops to crossings and landing points, rafts and ferries were prepared. Issues of interaction of landing forces with naval artillery and aviation were coordinated. The personnel of the ships were trained for landing operations. Sailors trained in blowing up pillboxes and bunkers, competitions were held for tank destroyers and snipers.

In February - March 1945, during the bilateral operational game "Assistance to ground forces in an offensive operation along the water line with the fortification of a fortified water line and the destruction of the "enemy flotilla", the organization of force control was worked out, for the mobility of which a command post was created on the ship.

ACTIONS OF THE AMUR FLEET DURING THE OPERATION

On the night of August 9, 1945, the troops of the 2nd Far Eastern Front crossed large water barriers, the opposite bank of which was heavily fortified. Pre-ship and field artillery conducted artillery preparation. The offensive in the zone of the 15th Army began with the actions of advanced and reconnaissance detachments to seize the islands on the Amur. So, the advanced battalion of the 361st rifle division, intended to capture about. Tatarsky (from here the enemy controlled the entrance to Sungari), boarded the ships of the 1st brigade, using the dark night and heavy rain, landed on the island and took it by morning. Thus, the exit of the Sungarian flotilla to the Amur at the very beginning of hostilities was cut off.

On August 10, the crossing of the Amur was carried out simultaneously along its entire length from the mouth of the Ussuri to its upper reaches. The ships of the flotilla, by landing assault groups and by fire, assisted the troops in capturing enemy strongholds on the opposite bank.

On August 9, the 2nd brigade of ships landed troops on the outskirts of the Fuyuan resistance center (the mouth of the Ussuri) and supported it with artillery fire. The command of the 2nd Ship Brigade and the 630th Infantry Regiment from the monitor "Far East Komsomolets" carried out the control of the battle for the landing and on the shore. The landing area was covered by fighters. By 4 p.m. the troops had captured the city.

A new task was set before the ships of the flotilla - in the shortest possible time to transfer the forces of the second echelons to the captured bridgeheads. For this, three large (Leninskaya, Sakhalyanskaya, Konstantinovskaya) and several small crossings were equipped. Their successful work was achieved through the coordinated actions of the military communications agencies of the front, the flotilla and the military transport service of the Lower Amur basin. At each crossing, a military commandant's office was created to deal with organizational issues. In a short time, tens of thousands of people, a huge amount of military equipment and various military equipment were transported across the Amur.

During the Sakhalyan operation, the troops of the 2nd Red Banner Army, the 101st fortified area and the Zeya-Bureya brigade of river ships, crossing the Amur, in two days in stubborn battles captured three bridgeheads on its right bank (Sakhalyan, Aigun and Tsike). Developing the offensive in the Qiqihar direction, the troops captured the positions of the Zhalantun resistance center and destroyed the enemy's armored formations. On August 18, Sunyu was cleared of the enemy.

The sailors of the Sretensky separate division successfully operated in the upper reaches of the Amur. Together with infantry units and border guards, they captured a large enemy resistance center - Mohe. The crews of the armored boats of the Khanka separate detachment defeated the border garrisons, commandant's offices, outposts and destroyed important firing points on the northern coast of Lake Khanko.

As a result of the coordinated actions of the troops of the 2nd Far Eastern Front, the ships of the Amur Flotilla and the border units, the entire coast of the Amur was liberated from the Japanese within three days. Taken by surprise, the enemy was unable to use the river flotilla in an organized manner to counter the forcing of the rivers and the development of an offensive along the Sungari.

After mastering the mouth of the river, the troops and ships rushed forward. Marshal of the Soviet Union K. A. Meretskov wrote: “The Amur flotilla rose along the Sungari, which became, as it were, the axis of the front’s actions, and ground strike formations advanced along both banks of the river.”

From the beginning of the first "Muraviev rafting" along the Shilka and Amur rivers in the mid-1950s and until the end of the century, the situation in the Far East region of Russia was relatively calm. In 1900, it escalated in connection with the Yihetuan uprising that swept China, or, as it was called then, the Boxer Rebellion. In principle, it was the struggle of the Chinese people against the dominance of foreigners, and Russia in Northeast China at that time also had its own economic and political interests. As early as the beginning of 1897, the Amur-Ussuri Cossack flotilla was created to ensure the safety of Russian settlements located along the banks of the Argun, Shilka, Ussuri and Amur. It consisted of steamships "Cossack Ussuriysky" (former "Shilka") and "Ataman", steam boat "Patrol" and two barges. In 1900, the civilian steamships of the Office waterways in a hurry they began to be converted into original gunboats with guns and machine guns, equipped with teams of riflemen and artillerymen. The crews, as a rule, consisted of Transbaikal, Amur and Ussuri Cossacks, who were familiar with river business. Naturally, these were not quite combat-ready ships and they could not cope with the tasks of that time. In this regard, in 1903 the Council of State Defense Russian Empire decides to create a permanent military flotilla on the Amur. Thus, the approved plan was based on the idea of ​​creating a mobile defense of the Amur by the forces of river ships. Organizationally and technically, this project was extremely difficult to implement, primarily due to the remoteness of this territory from the European part of Russia. Nevertheless, it was implemented in full and quite original, without significant financial costs.

The ancestor of the Amur River Flotilla was Kokuy, at that time an unremarkable village of three streets with a railway siding. He picked up a kind of baton at the Shilkinsky Zavod, where in the middle of the 19th century ships for "Muravyov's alloys" were built, including the first steamships "Argun" (1854) and "Shilka" (1855). The choice fell on Kokui not by chance. It is from Kokuya that the deep, and, consequently, the least dangerous for navigation, Shilka fairway begins. Plus, the Trans-Siberian Railway (Chelyabinsk - Sretensk) had already been built, and the terrain in the Kokuya area was perfect for it. Kokuy, moreover, had two piers, Upper and Lower, and was already known as a certain center of shipbuilding on Shilka - in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, barges and steamships of small tonnage were assembled here.

A typical design of a steam gunboat for the needs of the Russian fleet was developed back in 1887, but only 15 years later, they finally began to implement it. The gunboats were intended specifically for sailing along the Amur. According to the decision of the Council of State Defense of the Russian Empire, the military department signed a contract with the Sormovo plant for the construction of ten steam gunboats. The first ship was launched on September 7, 1905. Others followed.

By order of the Naval Department of November 14, 1905, they were given the names: “Buryat”, “Vogul”, “Vostyak”, “Zyryanin”, “Kalmyk”, “Kyrgyz”, “Korel”, “Mongol”, “Orochanin” and “ Siberian". The project was a vessel 54 meters long and 8.2 meters wide, with a displacement of 193 tons. It carried two 75-mm guns and 4 machine guns. The draft, as it should be for a river steamer, was small - 60 cm. It should be noted that the first gunboat was tested on the Volga, while the rest were supposed to be sent disassembled by rail for further assembly to Kokuy.

In the summer of 1906, work was already in full swing in Kokuya: assembly, painting, testing of ship hulls with water, installation and testing of boilers for steam engines, rudders, installation of pipes, drainage systems. All work was carried out by hand in the open air. The shipyard of the Sormovsky plant was located in the area of ​​​​the Upper pier.

On May 10, 1907, in the presence of the commander of the Amur River Flotilla, Captain 1st Rank A.A. Kononov, Andreevsky flags and pennants flew over the Buryat, Mongol and Orochanin. Then the ships made their first trip along the Shilka and Amur, and in the fall they returned to the Muravyevsky backwater of the city of Sretensk (after the revolution it became the backwater named after Samarin). The crews of the gunboats were completed mainly by Baltic sailors, and future ship radio telegraph operators were also trained in St. Petersburg. In the album of the industrialist P.E. Shustov, stored in the Sretensky Museum of Local Lore, there is a unique photograph of the three lead gunboats of this series from the time of their first campaign. It has been reproduced by us in this edition.

Seven other boats were being completed at this time. Taking into account the perfect campaign of the first three ships, they were modernized. For example, deck superstructures were removed, the engine room was protected by armor, two 120-mm guns, a howitzer and 4 machine guns were already installed on each ship. The ships became 51 tons heavier, but received more powerful weapons and began to be called armored.

Acceptance of gunboats of this class took place from May to July 1908. For the winter, eight of them went down to Blagoveshchensk, one of the main bases of the flotilla, while the Buryat and Zyryanin, with the commander of the flotilla, remained in the Muravyovskiy backwater, laying the foundation for the Sretensky detachment. The backwater was built in 1861 for the wintering of merchant ships. By 1907, a workshop with a lathe was built in it. In 1911, the ice-protecting dam was overhauled, and in the same year up to 68 units of various ships wintered in Zaton. In the spring of 1909, combat ships were radio-equipped, and the coastal station in Zaton received the first radiogram from Chita from the district commander.

So in July 1906, the Amur military flotilla was born, which in 1917 went over to the side of Soviet power, and in September 1918 was captured by the invaders. Then only the Orochanin and the messenger ship Pika, also assembled in Kokuy, managed to leave Blagoveshchensk for the upper reaches of the Zeya. Together with them, 20 ships and 16 barges with troops and evacuated personnel of the Soviet institutions of the Amur region left. In one of the battles, the "Orochanin" fought back to the last shell, and then the crew blew up the gunboat, repeating the feat of the legendary "Korean" of the times Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905. Having captured the "Buryat" and "Mongol", the Japanese took them to Sakhalin Island, and returned only in 1925. "Buryat" was reactivated, put into operation and in October-November 1929 participated in hostilities during the well-known conflict on the CER. In 1932, the Mongol also went into service. In 1936 - 1937, both gunboats were overhauled, and then participated in the 1945 war with Japan as part of the Amur River Flotilla under the command of Rear Admiral N.V. Antonov. The Mongol was withdrawn from the active flotilla on February 28, 1948, and the Buryat on March 13, 1958.

The experience of the Russian-Japanese war of 1904-1905 forced the Russian government to take up the construction of more modern ships for the Amur military flotilla. In addition, it became clear that ten gunboats were clearly not enough to protect the vast river area. The designers were put under extremely tough conditions: the draft of the ship should not exceed 1.2 - 1.4 m, the fuel supply should be enough to go from Khabarovsk to Blagoveshchensk and back. The ships needed to install long-range naval guns, reliable armor and provide a speed of at least 10 knots. Baltiysky won in the fierce competition between factories, having received an impressive order worth 10,920,000 rubles from the Coastal Defense Committee.

These new generation gunboats with diesel engines later became known as monitors. Their length was 70.9 m, width - 12.8, draft - 1.5 m, speed 11 knots, displacement - 950 tons. The hull of the ship was divided into 11 compartments with watertight bulkheads. In the middle part, the hull had a double bottom. The ship did not have any superstructures, except for the conning tower and gun turrets on the deck. Four diesel engines with a capacity of 250 hp each. at 350 rpm each provided sufficient speed for that time. The thickness of the turret and side armor was 114 mm, the armor deck - 19 mm. With its two 152 mm turret guns and four 120 mm guns in two turrets, the monitor represented a formidable fighting force with seven machine guns.

The lead gunboat called "Shkval" was assembled and tested in the Gulf of Finland. Ships of this class were planned to be delivered disassembled to Kokuy by rail for subsequent assembly and combat service on the Amur.

On July 5, 1907, an agreement was concluded with a large Sretensky entrepreneur Ya.S.

The first batch of St. Petersburg masters left for Kokuy at the end of September 1907, and on October 22 they already started work. Since a branch of the Sormovsky plant (later Votkinsky) already operated in the area of ​​the Upper pier, the Amur branch of the Baltic Shipbuilding and mechanical factory located in the area of ​​the Lower pier (on the site of the territory of the modern Sretensky shipbuilding plant).

In St. Petersburg, ships were assembled using temporary bolts. Blocks and sections were carefully adjusted, assembled, then disassembled into parts, marked, loaded into trains and followed in Transbaikalia. Each echelon was accompanied by two artisans who knew the ship assembly technology well.

By this time, wooden ship workshops and barracks for workers had already been built in Kokuy. A floating workshop was also built to provide outfitting work. The stocks were arranged parallel to the shore in two rows, and the ships were launched sideways.

On March 12, 1908, the first echelon of 19 wagons and platforms with dismantled warships arrived from the Baltic. At the beginning of April, three parties of workers of 100 people each and about 300 poods of cargo departed from St. Petersburg. On April 24 they arrived in Kokui.

In five large steam heating And electric lighting 650 workers were housed in barracks with common bunks, although, heading here, the St. Petersburg residents demanded housing for no more than 10 people with iron beds and mattresses, and put forward other requirements. The factory in Kokuya did not even have a canteen. And, nevertheless, in comparison with the factories that existed here before, it was a fairly solid enterprise. Its territory was surrounded by a fence, there was a bathhouse, a first-aid post and even a cinema.

The lead Shkval was launched on June 28, 1908. The assembly of all, as they were then called, turret gunboats was completed in November 1908. In 1909 they were launched, and the "Mongol" and "Zyryanin", which, as we already know, remained in Sretensk, took them to the right bank.

In the late autumn of 1910, the Amur military flotilla was replenished with monitors with the formidable name "Whirlwind", "Blizzard", "Thunderstorm", "Smerch", "Typhoon", "Hurricane", "Squall", "Storm". Already the first tests of turret gunboats showed their high reliability and it was no coincidence that they were recognized as the most powerful military river boats in the world of that time. The latest artillery systems installed on them made it possible to fire on both sides, which at that time was a new and important advantage of such a ship. At the same time, a large dock was built in Kokuy to serve the ships of the Amur military flotilla, which, with high water, was towed to Khabarovsk.

At the beginning of the First World War, weapons were removed from most of the monitors and sent to the operating fleets. In 1920, the Japanese captured and took away with them all the remaining ships, leaving the Storm as unarmed. In 1925-1926, the Japanese returned part of the monitors, and together with the gunboats they formed the backbone of the Soviet Amur River Flotilla. "Storm" was repaired and renamed "Lenin". In 1929, he took an active part in the battles during the conflict on the CER. Fire from it, as well as from the Sun-Yatsen (formerly Shkval), Sverdlov, and Krasny Vostok monitors, destroyed the Chinese Sungarian flotilla, and ensured the landing and movement of the landing force. For military operations, the Amur military flotilla in 1930 received the Order of the Red Banner.

And, finally, in 1909, in Kokuya, the Putilov plant completed ten messenger ships (armored boats) of the Pika type. These were small ships compared to gunboats. Their length was 22 m, width - three, displacement - 23.5 tons, draft - 51 cm. Two engines with a capacity of 200 hp. provided a speed of 15 knots. The wheelhouse, sides, deck and cellars were protected by bulletproof armor 7.9 mm thick. The armament of the vessel consisted of a 76-mm mountain gun and two machine guns. The boats also became part of the Amur River Flotilla under the names "Dagger", "Spear", "Broadsword", "Pika", "Pistol", "Bullet", "Rapier", "Saber", "Saber", and "Bayonet" .

By the beginning of the First World War (1910-1914), the Amur military flotilla was quite combat-ready and fully carried out the tasks assigned to it to protect the Amur and Far Eastern borders of Russia. It consisted of 28 warships, which included monitors (8), gunboats (10) and armored boats (10). The given data testify that it is Kokuy that is the birthplace of the Amur military flotilla, since all warships without exception were assembled by factories on its territory.

It can also be added that at the end of 1914, 8 armored boats were transferred to the west in connection with the outbreak of the First World War. Four - to the Baltic, where their 76-mm guns replaced 47-mm, and throughout the war they carried guard duty in the Baltic skerries. In April 1918, the Finns captured them, but the Russian crews managed to bring the ships into complete disrepair.

The other four boats were captured by the Germans on May 1, 1918 in Sevastopol. One was handed over to Turkey, the rest in 1919 operated in the Caspian Sea as part of the White Guard flotilla. The "Pika" and "Spear" remaining in the Far East participated in the civil war and were taken away by the Japanese to Sakhalin, and then returned Soviet Union. After overhaul they entered service, participated in all hostilities in the Far East. And only in 1954 they were excluded from the fleet.

A new period in the construction of warships for the Red Banner Amur Military Flotilla (KAF) and the Pacific Fleet (Pacific Fleet) began at the end of the 30s of the last century in connection with another aggravation of the situation in the Far East. The choice again fell on Kokui - it was historically predetermined. But it was necessary to start work in the area of ​​the Lower Pier from scratch, since with the outbreak of the First World War, everything industrial production stopped in Kokuya. By 1917-1918, the equipment of the shipbuilding branches of the St. Petersburg plants was dismantled and removed, and the buildings were sold.

In 1934-1935, the construction of a shipyard began in Kokuya, and in 1938, the new enterprise was already receiving technical documentation for the construction of special-purpose ships under the code names "Liter A", "Liter G" and others. These were landing ships for the transport and landing of military equipment. The shipyard acquires a special department, a secret part, armed guards, and in 1939 it receives a new status - the plant of mailbox 22 with the telegraph index "Anchor", later "Sopka". And in May 1940, the plant under number 369 is included in the list of special regime enterprises of the shipbuilding industry of the USSR. Thus, by the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the enterprise already produces military products, has a specific structure, which greatly facilitates its transition to a military footing literally from the very first days of the war. The construction and development of the Sretensky shipbuilding plant is the subject of a separate study, in this part we will only touch on the issue of the production of military ships by this enterprise.

The development of new products took place with great tension. The "letter" ships (A and G) were ships of a completely new type. They had continuous elongated superstructures with protective armor plates, equipped with special descending gangways, armed with rapid-fire cannons and machine guns. It was planned to release 4 units of each type, which was done. Later, these ships took part in the fighting against Japan in 1945.

The plant receives an order for another 5 ships, now "Litera M" - sea barges for transporting mines and, finally, "Litera T" - for transporting torpedoes. By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, 5 units of letter ships were commissioned. And the plant introduces the institution of military representatives (military representatives) or representatives of the customer. Products of defensive significance during the war years are called "front-line orders." The deadlines for the delivery of facilities are set by the State Defense Committee of the USSR.

The plant is gaining momentum and already in 1942 it was commissioning 28 units of various ships, including 12 type-built ships, 2 mother ships, 2 tugboats equipped with armored tubes and mounts for turrets. During the work, many difficulties had to be overcome, especially in the processing of the edges of the armor plates, their fitting, riveting. There was a lack of special tools, experience in performing these works. It was not easy to install and adjust the installations of machine guns and cannons. Their fine-tuning and testing was carried out with the participation of the personnel of the receiving teams. Trial firing was carried out at night in the direction of the hill on the right bank of the Shilka.

In 1944, the plant included in the plan a fairly large amount of ship repair work for the Amur military flotilla.

In 1945, the plant was given the task of building a large series of offshore semi-icebreaking tugs of the 719 project for the Pacific Navy. Their draft - 1.5 meters did not allow rafting along the shallow Shilka, so they were delivered to the Khabarovsk plant named after S.M. Kirov on specially made pontoons. In Khabarovsk, the final refinement and delivery of the ships was carried out.

In total, during the years of the Great Patriotic War, the plant built 56 ships for the Amur Military Flotilla and the Pacific Navy. Among them: 5 landing barges, 4 floating batteries, 2 floating bases of armored boats and other ships. He carried out medium and current repairs of ships in the amount of 1,240,000 rubles, with a plan of 845 thousand. In addition to the main products, the range of wartime production included the manufacture of floating bridges, buoys for installing barrier nets in the sea, spare parts for tractors and water-filled rollers, sleds for heavy machine guns and ski mounts for ski battalions of the Red Army, and much more.

Speaking about the ships of the Amur military flotilla, which were repaired at the plant in certain years, perhaps it should be said that armored boats were based in Sretensky backwater until 1952. They were armed with a cannon in a tank turret. A rocket launcher for 16 shells was located at the stern, there was also a coaxial heavy machine gun. The 1000-horsepower Packard boat engine ran on the highest octane gasoline. The ship could move upstream at a speed of 30 km / h. Light armor protected only from small arms. The team consisted of 16 people. The living conditions for the crew were harsh: the boat had neither heating nor a toilet.

The Sretensky detachment was part of the Zeya-Bureinsky brigade, stationed in the village of Malaya Sazanka, in a channel, 20 kilometers from the Zeya bridge, or 160 km from Blagoveshchensk. This also included the slow-moving gunboat Krasnaya Zvezda and the Aktivist monitor. In addition to six armored boats of a separate Sretensky division, the RCHB-24 tugboat Yakov Dmitrievich Butakov from the department of military courts of the harbor was in Zaton. In the summer, this tugboat led the armored boats, side-by-side with "wads" three by one, but led back in the wake one at a time, since it is easier to overcome the resistance of the current "on crumpled water".

The maneuvering base of the division was located on the Amur in Davan, a place above the village of Utesnoye, 40 km from the mouth of the Shilka. The general naval base for combat training was located on the Zeya River.

This begs the question, why was the detachment stationed so far from the central base? There is only one answer: from Sretensk it is faster and easier to get to the border Argun. This was well shown and proved by the fighting against the Japanese in the summer of 1945.

For selfless work on front-line orders, the director of the plant I.M. Sidorenko and the head of the technical department I.S. Gudim were awarded the Order of the Red Star, the chief engineer E.N. war II degree. I.S. Gudim and E.N. Shaposhnikov subsequently worked as directors of the Sretensky shipbuilding plant, and the latter eventually became the Deputy Minister of the USSR shipbuilding industry and a laureate of the State Prize. The medal "For Military Merit" was awarded to advanced workers, "guards of labor": V.P. Zuev, Z. Ibragimov, P.A. Mironov, N.G. Perelomov, S.I. Shipitsyn, I.S. . 435 shipbuilders were awarded medals "For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945".

With the end of the war, the construction of warships does not stop. Moreover, the production plan in the summer of 1950 includes the construction of ships of the 450th project.

Project 450 is a small tank landing ship. Its length is 52.5 m, width - 8.2 m, side height - 3.3 m. The ship is single-deck, with a twin-shaft diesel engine, capable of receiving three medium tanks. The total displacement of the vessel was 877 tons. Average draft when empty, it did not exceed 1.5 meters (bow - 0.6 m, stern - 2.38 m). Full stocks: diesel fuel - 33 tons, lubricating oil - 1.3 tons, boiler water - 5.1 tons, drinking water- 1.8 tons, washing - 2.7 tons. Autonomy in terms of provisions and fresh water - 10 days.

Behind the scenes, these ships were called "disposable ships." That is, the construction was considered justified if the ship died before it had time to land the tanks. But since the deadline for the “one-time throw” never came, the crews had to operate these simple ships for years with a large number of design flaws, they were conscious and explained by the desire to make the ships as cheap as possible. The ship was intensively used to supply garrisons and frontier posts on the eastern coast of the USSR. It did not have sufficient seaworthiness, especially when going against the wave, it splashed and flooded excessively. The tank hold could be flooded with minor damage to the gangway or side. There was no special winch for self-pulling the ship from the beach after the equipment was disembarked; maintenance of the stern anchor device was inconvenient. The engine room is unbearably cramped. Special vehicles (vans) did not pass into the hold, the transportation of which was a vital necessity.

Before starting the engines of the landing tanks, it was necessary to remove the hatches (wooden covers of the cargo hatches of the tank hold), since the hold did not have forced ventilation, it was gassed immediately and to an unbearable level. The operation of opening the hold was very laborious, and the means of self-defense were minimal - only 2 coaxial machine guns. There was no talk of any measures of anti-aircraft protection. And more than fifty such ships were built.

Ships of this type were not built in the country before, so many problems immediately arose, noted A.P. Laid, who was then the senior builder of the lead ship. The summer of 1951, when the head order was to be launched, turned out to be dry, Shilka was shallow, and the ship was quite large. There were many fears, they were afraid of a possible accident. The ceremony was attended by all the district leadership, including from the district department of the MGB. But everything went well, and in the future, the descent of the ships of this series did without trouble.

The program of mooring tests included the loading and unloading of tanks. This part of the test, for reasons of secrecy, was carried out on the second shift with the involvement of a limited number of participants.

Ships were delivered to Khabarovsk on pontoons. On the sides of the ship, 12 powerful butts were welded on the slipway, to which, after launching, welded brackets were hung. Under them, three submerged pontoons were brought on board, the entire system was leveled, the pontoons were properly fastened to the brackets, the pontoons were blown through, and the ship floated as required. Towing to Khabarovsk lasted about two weeks. There, a dispontoinization took place, then the ship made a control exit on the Amur, after which it went under its own power to the sea base. The pontoons were returned to the plant by rail.

Shipbuilders were particularly difficult to ensure the tightness and watertightness of the ramp, pressed in the closed state along the perimeter and contour of the frame with a rubber seal of a special shape. When raised and closed, the ramp was, as it were, a bow watertight bulkhead; when lowered, tanks entered the hold along it.

In the first year, two ships were commissioned, and in 1952 already seven units. Moreover, the last ship was sent on October 5 unfinished, the completion was carried out en route by a team of 49 people, headed by the builder G.M. Sintsov. All the work was done, the ship was handed over to the customer in Khabarovsk, but it remained to winter there, since it was already risky to take it through the estuary to Vladivostok. In the future, this method of completing the ships was used on other orders.

In 1953, 11 ships were already handed over. But due to severe drought and, accordingly, low water level in Shilka, four objects remained to spend the winter in Sretensky backwater.

The head of the department of the control and receiving apparatus of the Main Directorate of Personnel of the Navy at the plant at that time was an engineer-captain of the 1st rank E.M. Rovensky. An order bearer, he served throughout the war on ships in Kronstadt, and after the war he became the flagship mechanic of the Tallinn Naval Brigade. From 1955 to 1958, A.F. Nikolsky was subordinate to him, later also captain of the 1st rank - engineer, laureate of the State Prize "For work in the field of shipbuilding", awarded the medal "For Military Merit".

In 1962, orders for the Navy resumed, the production plan included the construction of the lead ship of the sea transport project 1823, which is very complex in terms of equipment and installation of special device systems. There are three options for the construction of this ship, two of them are export for operation in the tropics. The customer is the mine and torpedo department of the Pacific Fleet. In connection with the construction of ships of a new order in 1963, welding of polyethylene pipes was mastered at the plant.

The place of completion and delivery of the ships of project 1823 was determined at the plant No. 175 of the Pacific Fleet in Vladivostok. And again, considerable difficulties had to be overcome, since the plant had no experience, especially in processing and testing the special systems of the ship. In 1964, the plant was unable to hand over the ships to the customer, handing them over only in the second half of 1965, already on the basis of the Khabarovsk shipbuilding plant in Vladivostok.

When sending ships from Kokuy, a difficult situation arose due to the shallow waters of Shilka and the Upper Amur. Having run aground a large motor ship, the Amur Shipping Company refused to tow ships of a military order. Then the factory decided to manage on their own. Sretenskaya pier handed over to Kokuy the decommissioned passenger steamer Murom, built here before the revolution. In just a few days, shipbuilders converted it into a tugboat, recruited a team of machinists, stokers, helmsmen and sailors, invited two retired pilots, and in September 1965, the old wheeled Murom led two warships downstream. For insurance to the Amur, he was accompanied by the factory boat "Sputnik" and the tugboat "Baley" rented from the Sretenskaya pier. The ships safely reached Khabarovsk, and the tugboat returned to Kokuy, where it was re-equipped now as a delivery base and served the plant in Khabarovsk for another 20 years, until it sank in the 80s from an accidental hole.

The first two sea transports were named "Lot" and "Lag". A total of four units were built. The length of the ships of this series was 51.5 m, width - 8.4 m, height - overall 11.2 m, empty draft - 1.87 m, empty displacement - 456 tons, carrying capacity - 220 tons, power - 600 l .With.

10 years later, in 1976, the plant's production plan includes the construction of the head order of project 1481, a river tanker for the Amur military flotilla, and preparatory work begins for the production of an artillery boat of project 1248 ("Mosquito") for border troops. By 1978, oil tankers managed to build 4 units.

In the same year, the lead artillery boat of the Mosquito class was laid down. Its length is 38.9 m, width - 6.1 m, displacement 210 tons. The boat has three engines of 1,100 hp each. each and two generators of 50 kW. A tank turret with a 100-mm cannon, a Utes mount, an AK-306 six-barrel mount (a 30-mm ship assault rifle), a ZIF double-barreled 140-mm rocket launcher and a 30-mm grenade launcher are installed on its nose. The armament of the boat includes a portable air defense system of the "Needle" type. The crew is 19 people. During the construction of artillery boats, the most advanced technologies of that time were used at the plant. Their production took place in a regime of heightened secrecy. Ships of this class are rightfully considered the pride of Kokuy shipbuilders in terms of military production.

For the first time in the same years, repairs were provided at the plant for patrol boats and dry-cargo motor ships of the marine units of the KGB border troops of the USSR.

The construction of 8 units of tankers was completed in 1981. Construction of Mosquito-class artillery boats was discontinued in 1992. A total of 23 units were built at the plant. Well-armed and equipped, these ships are still adequately serving to protect the country's water borders. And the small border boat of project 1298 "Aist", mastered by Kokuy shipbuilders, fell in love with the border guards of the Sretensky patrol boat division. Its crew consists of only two people. "Sretenets", as the border guards call them, provide a reliable connection between the outposts on the Argun and the Amur.

In our article on military shipbuilding in Kokuy, it would be unfair to keep silent about the fact that in different years at various shipyards of the country, the envoys of the Sretensky shipyard participated in the construction of warships various types both surface and underwater.

For example, in March 1948 large group employees of the ship-assembly shop were sent to Kerch by order of the ministry in order to ensure the delivery of the head order intended for minesweeping and laying mines, as well as landing operations, within the deadline set by the government. And the shipbuilders did not disappoint. Soon the first "ploughman" - that's how the minesweeper was affectionately called by military sailors, left the stocks of the plant and got involved in the difficult and dangerous work of clearing the Black and Azov Seas from mines.

In the future, Kokuy shipbuilders more than once showed examples of selfless labor at other plants, thereby making a significant contribution to strengthening the country's defense capability. No wonder the day of the Navy here has long been considered a professional and national holiday, and in last years it also became the Day of the village.

At present, despite the catastrophic upheavals of the 1990s, the shipyard has retained its production capacities. Shipbuilders are ready to produce both civil and military vessels. Unfortunately, under the current system, without state support, the plant cannot compete in a clearly unequal struggle with other large shipyards. It is a pity if the history of Russian shipbuilding on Shilka remains only a bright flash in time, full of labor prowess and heroism.

About border boats of project 12130 from the Amur division of border ships of the Russian Coast Guard. An interesting story and a chic photo selection illustrating the construction of boats and subsequent service on the Ussuri and Amur. I’ll just add that the Red Banner Amur Flotilla was disbanded in 1953. the past, after numerous reorganizations and scrapping of most of the ships and boats of the flotilla. The lights themselves (according to the reviews of sailors who served on other types of river military vessels) are an unsuccessful project for the Amur and Ussuri. Designed for service on the rivers Central Asia, with high superstructures, unstable and slow-moving. With uncomfortable living conditions for the crew. But the most modern boats serving on the river border.

Original taken from evshukin V

13:10 08.01.2016 Combat "Lights" of the Amur Flotilla

Winter. The Amur is ice-bound, but I would like to recall its water surface and huge river spaces stretching to neighboring China. It is precisely because of the close location of the neighboring state that the mighty river is the border for the Far East, and the country's borders must be protected, well, or to show foreigners that we have power and poking around without permission is categorically contraindicated. To protect the state border, the Amur division of border ships of the Coast Guard of Russia has ships various models. One of them is project 12130 Ogonyok artillery boats. Khabarovsk residents and guests of the city could see these ships standing at their combat post on the roadstead opposite the central embankment closer to the left bank of the river. Boats of the "Spark" series are designed for the protection and defense of the state border on rivers and lakes and perform the following tasks: - destruction of combat boats, firing points, military equipment and manpower of the enemy; - fire preparation for landing and fire support for landing operations on the coast; - protection of vehicles at the crossing and parking lot, etc. in case of waves up to 3 points.

The history of the creation of ships began in the late 80s of the last century. It was then that the design of the combat vehicle was created in the Zelenodolsk Design Bureau. But the onset of the collapse of the USSR forced to put the drawings on the shelf, and only after 1991 they saw the light again. Later, the papers were transferred to the Khabarovsk shipbuilding plant, where the production of boats of this series began.

In total, 4 ships were launched into the water. All of them remained in the Far East and became part of the Amur River Flotilla. PSKR-200 (serial number 301) entered service in 1998. In 2003, the ship received given name- "Admiral Kazakevich". PSKR-201 (serial number 302) was commissioned on August 8, 2001.

PSKR-202 (serial number 303) was launched on May 3, 2006, but was officially commissioned only on February 2, 2007 under tail number 030.

The last in the series was the PSKR-203 (serial number 304). The commissioning of the ship took place on September 10, 2010. MAIN CHARACTERISTICS Displacement, t ............................ 91 Length, m ........................................ 33.4 Width, m ....................................... 4.2 Board height, m. ............................. 2.1 Draft, m ....................................... 0.81 Travel speed, km / h. ................... 37.5 Navigation range, km. ............... 500 Autonomy, days ........................ 6 Seaworthiness, points ........................ 3 Crew, pers. ...................................... 17 (2 officers) A warship is designed in such a way that, with its rather large weight, it has a very small draft and is able to sail where the water will reach a person’s waist, and also come close to the shore. High speed is achieved by the work of two thousand-horsepower engines.

The main armament of the boats of the "Spark" series are two 30-mm six-barreled automatic ship installations AK-306. They are capable of hitting air targets at ranges of up to 4,000 meters, and light surface vessels at ranges of up to 5,000 meters. In addition, the Igla portable anti-aircraft missile system is on board.

On the PSKR-201 and PSKR-202, the AK-306 in the bow was replaced with a coaxial 12.7mm Utyos-M heavy machine gun, considering that this modification was better designed to destroy enemy manpower.

We are used to seeing high-tech military systems from TV screens with a mass of monitors, electronic systems and huge rows of blinking buttons. In real combat conditions, the most simple systems are the most reliable. On the ship, they are controlled by a mass of toggle switches and switches. Information is displayed not on computer monitors, but on time-tested devices with arrows and scales.

Amur Red Banner Flotilla at the beginning of the war with Japan

By the beginning of hostilities with Japan, the Amur Flotilla had five Lenin-type monitors and one Active monitor in service; gunboats of special construction "Mongol", "Proletary" (former "Votyak") and "Red Star" (former "Vogul"); gunboats converted from mobilized river steamers, KL-30, KL-31, KL-32, KL-33, KL-34, KL-35, KL-36 and KL-37; 52 armored boats, of which 10 were of old construction, and the rest - of projects 1124 and 1125; 12 minesweepers, 36 minesweepers and a number of auxiliary vessels.

Two monitors, "Kirov" and "Dzerzhinsky", two gunboats, "Red Banner" and "Buryat", were under repair. In addition, 26 new armored boats, most of which were project 1125, were being accepted by the Amur Flotilla. They did not participate in hostilities.

In addition to ships, the Amur Flotilla included the 45th Separate Fighter Aviation Regiment and the 10th Separate Air Squadron of aircraft - spotters of artillery fire.

By the beginning of the war, the Amur flotilla was divided into three brigades of river ships (1st, 2nd and 3rd), the Zee-Bureya brigade of river ships and the Sretensky separate division of river ships, as well as into the Ussuri and Khanka separate detachments of armored boats. Since these formations were located hundreds of kilometers apart, their combat operations are considered in separate chapters.

Actions of the 1st brigade of river ships at the mouth of the Sungari

By the beginning of the war, the 1st brigade of river ships was based in Khabarovsk. It included:

Monitor "Lenin" (full displacement 1000 tons, maximum travel speed 27/16 km/h (downstream/against current), armament: 8 - 120/50 mm guns, 2 - 85 mm 90K guns, 2 - 37 -mm machine gun 70K, 6 - 20 mm guns Oerlikon), "Krasny Vostok" (armament: 8 - 120 / 50 mm guns, 2 - 85 mm guns 90K, 2 - 37 mm guns 70K, 6 - 20- mm Oerlikon guns) and Sun-Yatsen (armament: 6 - 120/50 mm guns, 2 - 85 mm 90K guns, 2 - 37 mm 70K machine guns, 6 - 20 mm Oerlikon guns);

1st detachment of armored boats, consisting of four boats of project 1124, armed with two 76-mm guns mod. 1927/32 (BK-11, BK-12, BK-14 and BK-23);

The 2nd detachment of armored boats, consisting of four boats, of which BK-20 and BK-47 of project 1124, armed with two 76-mm F-34 guns, entered service in the summer and autumn of 1944. Two more boats - BK-91 (former "Alarm") and BK-92 (former "Partizan") - were commissioned in 1932. Their displacement was 55.6 tons, speed 41/23 km / h, armament: one 76-mm Lender cannon and two 7.62 mm machine gun;

The 1st detachment of mine boats consisted of seven mine boats of the Ya-5 type MK-41, MK-42, MK-43, MK-44, MK-45, MK-46 and MK-47 (displacement 23 tons, speed at still water 18 km / h, armament: one M-8-M rocket launcher with 82-mm M-8 rockets, two 12.7-mm machine guns);

1st division of river minesweepers RTSC-2, RTSC-54, RTSC-55 and RTSC-56;

1st and 2nd detachments of minesweepers, 12 boats in total;

Two anti-aircraft floating batteries: No. 1234 "Zenith" (former tugboat, armament: 4 - 45-mm cannons 21 KM, 3 - 37-mm machine guns 70K and 4 - 12.7-mm machine guns) and No. 1231 (landing barge).

Monitor of the Amur flotilla "Lenin"

By the morning of August 8, the ships of the 1st brigade of river ships advanced to the area of ​​​​the village of Leninskoye. The crossing of the Amur and Ussuri began early in the morning on August 9th. The 1st brigade of river ships landed the 2nd battalion of the 394th rifle regiment 10 km below the mouth of the Sungari, on Tatarsky Island, which controlled the entrance to the river. There was no resistance from the Japanese, and by 8 o'clock in the morning the island was occupied by Soviet units, so that the exit of the Japanese Sungarian flotilla to the Amur was cut off in the very first hours of hostilities.

Before landing, the BK-11 armored boat from the 1st brigade was allocated for personal use by the commander of the 2nd Far Eastern Front, General of the Army M.A. Purkaev. Especially for him, 10-mm armor shields were additionally installed on the BK-11 in the first cockpit. But, apparently, the general did not dare to board the armored boat.

According to intelligence reports, the Japanese command began to withdraw its troops to the city of Tongjiang (Laxacycy). In this regard, the command of the flotilla ordered the 1st brigade of river ships to land the 361st rifle division on the site of Tatarsky Island - the mouth of the Sungari and provide it with artillery support in the assault on Tongjiang.

On August 10, armored boats of the 1st brigade in the Kukelevo canal took on board the 361st rifle division and reached Tongjiang late at night. After prolonged rains, the Songhua River overflowed its banks and overflowed 20–25 km wide. In conditions of zero visibility, in the dark, in heavy rain, in the absence of data on the navigation situation and the mine danger, armored boats with paratroopers, having covered 70 km overnight, broke into the Fujin roadstead at dawn. Having called fire on themselves, the armored boats identified the Japanese firing points and suppressed most of them. Then, on the occupied section of the coast, a tactical landing force was landed from armored boats and the Sun Yatsen monitor - an assault landing company, up to a battalion of paratroopers and four tanks of the 171st tank brigade. Later, the monitors "Lenin" and "Krasny Vostok" made a landing in this area, and then other ships of the flotilla approached with the landing.

Having completed the landing, the armored boats and monitors began to support the landing force with the fire of their artillery, maneuvering in closed firing positions. Tanks, due to the Sungari flood and impassability, could only be used in the evening.

Actions of the 2nd brigade of river ships at the mouth of the Sungari

By the beginning of hostilities, the 2nd brigade of river ships was based in Khabarovsk. It included:

monitors "Sverdlov" (4 - 130 / 55-mm guns mod. 1913; 2 - 85-mm installations 90K; 4 - 37-mm automatic 70K; 6 - 20-mm Oerlikon guns) and "Far Eastern Komsomolets" (4 - 152/50 mm guns; 2 - 37 mm 70K machine guns; 4 - 20 mm Oerlikon guns).

2nd detachment of armored boats of four project 1124 boats armed with 16-M-13 rocket launchers (BK-13, BK-21, BK-22 and BK-24).

3rd detachment of armored boats from four boats of project 1124 (BK-51, BK-52, BK-53 and BK-54).

2nd division of river minesweepers (RTSC-50, RTSC-51, RTSC-52 and RTSC-53).

3rd detachment of minesweepers (KTShch-18.19, 24, 25, 26, 27).

In addition, the brigade included two floating anti-aircraft batteries,

No. 1232 (self-propelled landing barge) and No. 1230 (non-self-propelled landing barge). Each battery was armed with four 85 mm 90K universal mounts and sixteen 37 mm 70K anti-aircraft guns.

Mine boat A-5 (Drawing by A.E. Lyutov)

By the morning of August 8, the 2nd brigade of river ships arrived from Khabarovsk to the area of ​​​​the village of Nizhne-Spasskoye, located on the left bank of the Amur, opposite the village of Fuyuan. In the middle of the Amur there was a rather large Malaykin Island, which reliably covered our ships from enemy observers.

On the night of August 9, a company of machine gunners (200 people) was planted on the armored boats of the 2nd detachment BK-13, BK-21, BK-22 and BK-24. In addition to machine guns, the company had light machine guns and mortars. For each armored boat, 50 submachine gunners, one machine gun and one mortar were accepted.

Before the detachment of armored boats, the task was to cross the Amur at full speed, land the first assault, seize the bridgehead and hold it until the second echelon of the landing, and then ensure its landing.

At 4:30 a.m. On August 9, the boats with the landing force moved away from the coast and in wake formation moved along the Malaykina channel.

The landing was planned at two points. In the southern part of Fuyuan, near the rocky shore, the narrow but deep river Nungdyan flows into the Amur, at the mouth of this river there is a small but convenient gully for the passage of armored boats. There was supposed to land troops from boats BK-13 and BK-21. Armored boats BK-22 and BK-24 were supposed to land troops in the northern part of Fuyuan, near a small pier.

As soon as the armored boats with the landing force left the island, the BK-13 fired several shots from the bow gun at the Japanese fortifications. The received shooting data were transmitted by radio to all armored boats of the detachment. Then all four boats at the same time, at the command of the detachment commander, launched 16-M-13 rocket launchers. In a salvo, 60 132 mm caliber rockets were simultaneously fired. Then the boats turned 90 degrees to the left and rushed to the landing sites at full speed.

Initially, the Japanese offered almost no resistance - the factor of surprise affected. But as the landing force advanced, pillboxes located on hills a few hundred meters from the coast opened fire.

Two hours after the landing of the first landing, the Proletary cannonboat with the second echelon of the landing force consisting of 274 people approached the Fuyuan pier, and another half an hour later, anti-aircraft floating battery No. The personnel of the armored boats accepted the mooring lines of these ships, helped to unmoor and adjust the gangway for disembarking fighters and unloading equipment. The landing of the second echelon was successful. But, having gone ashore, the paratroopers entered into battle with the Japanese dug in on the hills and began to push them.

By 4 p.m. on August 9, Fuyuan was occupied by Soviet troops. The losses of the paratroopers were: killed - 21 people, wounded - 51 people. Japanese losses: up to 70 killed and 150 captured. Leaving a small group of fighters in Fuyuan, the landing force embarked on ships that went up the Amur. It was necessary to seize three more centers of resistance adjacent to the river in the areas of Tsingdel, Etu and Gaizi.

On the morning of August 10, the ships approached Tsindel, but by this time the resistance center had already been taken by the Soviet ground forces. Therefore, the landing was not carried out and the ships moved on. Near the village of Pokrovskoye, the 2nd brigade of river ships took on board the 3rd battalion of the 630th rifle regiment and headed for Etu. But even this knot of resistance was already occupied by Soviet troops. The squad moved on.

At 19:25 On August 10, the Sverdlov monitor and three armored boats landed an airborne detachment at the mouth of the Gaizi River, and the Far Eastern Komsomolets monitor landed a rifle company north of the village of Gaizi. Since the main Japanese forces left the resistance center the day before, on August 9, a few volleys from Soviet monitors were enough to put the remnants of the Japanese garrison to flight.

Actions of the 3rd brigade of river ships

By the beginning of the war, the 3rd brigade of river ships was based in Khabarovsk. The brigade included:

1st division of gunboats: "Proletary" (displacement 383 tons; maximum travel speed 22/10 km/h; armament: 2 - 100/56-mm B-24-BM installations, 1 - 37-mm machine 70K) and "Mongol" (displacement 320 tons, maximum travel speed 23.5 / 10.5 km / h; armament: 2 - 76 / 40-mm gun TUS-KKZ, 2 - 45-mm guns 21 K).

3rd division of gunboats: KL-30 "Kuznetsk", KL-31 "Yakutsk" (both had a displacement of 410 tons, a maximum speed of 21.2 / 11.0 km / h; armament: 2 - 100 / 56-mm installations B-24-BM, 2 - 37-mm machine 70K), KL-36 "Novorossiysk" and KL-37 "Baku" (both have a displacement of 376 tons, a maximum speed of 25/14 km / h, armament: 2 - 76 / 55-mm guns 34K, 3 - 37-mm machine 70K).

4th detachment of armored boats, which included boats BK-31, BK-32, BK-33 and BK-34. All project 1124, armed with 76-mm cannon mod. 1927/32

4th and 7th detachments of minesweepers (12 boats).

Mine layer "Strong" (displacement 300 tons, armament: 3 - 45-mm guns 21 K, 150 mines type "P").

Anti-aircraft floating battery No. 1233 (self-propelled landing barge, armed with 4 - 85 mm 90K universal mounts and 16 - 37 mm 70K machine guns).

Immediately before the start of hostilities, the 3rd detachment of armored boats was tasked with forcing the Ussuri by the 5th separate rifle corps.

During the first four days of hostilities, the 3rd brigade transported about 6 thousand people, 50 guns and mortars, 150 vehicles, a large amount of ammunition and military equipment through the Ussuri from the village of Vasilyevskoye to the village of Zhaohe. At the same time, the crew of the KL-30 "Kuznetsk" especially distinguished itself. Sailors around the clock without rest, loaded on board military equipment and delivered it to the opposite shore. Standing waist-deep in the water, the crew members ensured the loading and unloading of heavy cargo along the gangway.

Having completed the transfer of the 5th Rifle Corps, the 3rd brigade of river ships was sent to help the ships of the 1st and 2nd brigades, which ensured the crossing of troops across the Amur in the Leninskoye-Longjiang section.

Gunboat KL-30

Actions of the See-Bureya brigade of river ships

Zee-Bureya brigade of river ships before the war was based in the Blagoveshchensk region, in the villages of Sazanka, Astrakhanovka and Malinovka. The brigade included:

"Active" monitor (total displacement 314 tons; maximum travel speed 23.7/13.3 km/h; armament: two 102/45-mm mounts in the MB-2-4-45 turret; two twin 45-mm turret mounts 41K; one 37mm mount 70K);

gunboat "Krasnaya Zvezda" (total displacement 338 tons; maximum speed 28.1 / 13.4 km / h; armament: two 100 / 56-mm / klb installations B-24-BM; three 37-mm installations 70K) ;

2nd separate division of gunboats as part of the KL-32 "Grodekovo" (total displacement 252 tons, maximum speed 21/12 km / h; armament: two 76/40-mm installations TUS-KKZ; two 37-mm installations 70K ), KL-33 "Khabarovsk" (full displacement 274 tons; maximum speed 21/12 km / h; armament: two 76/40-mm installations TUS-KKZ; two 37-mm installations 70K), KL-34 "Novosibirsk "(full displacement 274 tons; maximum speed 21/12 km / h; armament: two 76/40-mm installations TUS-KKZ; two 37-mm installations 70K) and KL-35 "Komsomolsk" (full displacement 274 tons; maximum travel speed 21/12 km/h; armament: two 76/40 mm TUS-KKZ mounts; two 37 mm 70K mounts);

The 1st separate division of armored boats, which included two detachments of armored boats. The 1st detachment of armored boats included boats of project 1124 BK-41, BK-42, BK-43 and BK-44 (full displacement 41.7 tons; maximum speed 42/24 km / h, armament: two 76-mm cannons model 1927/32 in the turrets of the T-28 tank); the 2nd detachment of armored boats included the same boats BK-45, BK-46, BK-55 and BK-56;

The 2nd separate division of armored boats as part of the 1st detachment of armored boats, which included boats of project 1124 BK-61, BK-62, BK-63 and BK-64, armed with two 76-mm guns mod. 1927/32 in T-28 tank turrets; and the 2nd detachment of armored boats, which included armored boats of the “K” type (former gunboats of the Military Department): BK-71, BK-73, BK-74 and BK-75 (full displacement 31 tons; maximum speed 33/21 .5 km/h, armament: two 76/16.5 mm short guns M1913);

3rd separate division of river minesweepers consisting of RTSC-56, RTSC-57, RTSC-58 and RTSC-59;

5th detachment of minesweepers consisting of KTShch-20, KTShch-21, KTShch-22, KT3-23, KTShch-40 and KTShch-41;

2nd detachment of gliders (10 units).

Gunboat KL-36

The crossing of the Amur near Blagoveshchensk began on the second day of hostilities, after a major success in the Manchurian offensive operation was indicated. The 2nd Red Banner Army, units of the 101st fortified area, the See-Bureya brigade of river ships and fighter aircraft of the 10th air army operated here.

According to the plan, crossing the water line near Blagoveshchensk was the first stage of the Sakhalyan offensive operation, which was to be completed by the assault on the enemy’s Sakhalyan and Sunus fortified areas and the capture of a bridgehead on the right bank of the Amur.

But the Soviet troops met almost no resistance at Sakhalyan. The Japanese began to withdraw troops almost throughout the Upper and Middle Amur. Intelligence established that by the end of the first day of hostilities, Japanese troops began to withdraw from both the Sakhalyan and Sunus fortified areas. All this made it possible to start the Sakhalyan offensive without waiting for the main forces of the 2nd Red Banner Army to be drawn to Blagoveshchensk.

The operation began on the night of August 9-10. It was overcast with occasional drizzle, visibility was less than 100 meters. The fires that broke out on the territory of the enemy illuminated the entire Sakhalyan raid, casting a thick shadow on the coastline and the Japanese ships concentrated under the coast. By three o'clock in the morning, the 1st and 2nd rows of gliders (three gliders and three semi-gliders) and a division of smoke-screen boats took their starting positions near Zatonsky Island. For the purpose of secrecy, gliders approached here by self-alloying. At 3:30 a.m. The 2nd detachment of the 1st separate division and the 2nd detachment of the 2nd separate division of armored boats reached the Zeya River and at 0405 hours. covertly, with an exhaust under the water, they entered the Sakhalyan raid. At 4:30 a.m. at the signal of the brigade commander, who was on the flagship armored boat, the 2nd detachment of the 1st division, and after 5 minutes the 2nd detachment of the 2nd division, without changing course, opened fire on the coast. The first volley of armored boats served as a signal for the opening of fire by the artillery of the 101st fortified area. Fire missions were distributed in such a way that the ships hit only directly observable targets, mainly enemy watercraft, and the artillery of the 101st fortified area fired at invisible targets, including enemy 280-mm installations.

Gunboat KL-35

After 10 minutes, the Japanese four-gun battery returned fire, the armored boats were also subjected to machine-gun fire. As a result of the concentration of fire from the 101st fortified area and armored boats, enemy firing points were suppressed.

Having completed the task, the armored boats turned back. They destroyed six enemy ships, a fuel depot and other facilities in the river port. As a result of the raid, it was found that the enemy began to withdraw to the second line of defense, destroying the military-industrial and economic facilities of the city. In this regard, it was decided to speed up the start of the second stage in order to prevent the Japanese units from gaining a foothold on new lines and to prevent the destruction of objects and the city.

At 11:45 a.m. On August 10, the 2nd detachment of the 1st separate division of armored boats and the 2nd detachment of the 2nd separate division of armored boats landed troops on the embankment of the city of Sakhalyan. After 20 minutes, border guards landed here from the boats of the 56th border river division. The enemy began to retreat quickly. The paratroopers began to liquidate pockets of resistance in the city and on its outskirts.

Having received a report from the commander of the brigade of river ships about the capture of the city of Sakhalyan, the commander of the 2nd Army at 12.30 pm. ordered the brigade to concentrate all ships in Blagoveshchensk for the transfer to Sakhalyan of the motorized rifle battalion of the tank brigade and its other units. The transfer began at 14:20.

Japanese machine gun in position. 1945

The Sakhalyan crossing operated until the surrender of the Kwantung Army. From August 10 to September 1, 22,845 soldiers and officers, 425 guns and mortars, 277 tanks and armored vehicles, 1,459 vehicles, 1,574 horses, 118 tons of ammunition and many other cargoes were transported. The personnel were transported on various watercraft, including warships.

At 13:55 On August 10, the commander of the 2nd Army ordered the commander of the brigade of river ships to urgently prepare forces and capture the city of Argun. This made it possible to create an auxiliary bridgehead for the offensive of the 2nd Army units on the fortified sector of Liangjiatun and to provide support for the advancing units with naval artillery fire.

The landing in the fortified Aigun sector began immediately after the capture of the bridgehead in Sakhalyan. This task was solved by the 2nd detachment of the 1st separate division, the 2nd detachment of the 2nd separate division of armored boats and the 56th river division, which landed troops - the 256th separate rifle battalion. The landing was commanded by the commander of the 1st separate division of armored boats, Lieutenant Commander Filimonov.

Half an hour after receiving the order, at 14:50. On August 10, the boats went on a mission. By 5 p.m., the landing of the rifle battalion was over. Having captured the Aigun railway station, the battalion crossed the Gunbelakhe River. On the other side of the river, our fighters met fierce resistance from the enemy, who had settled in the long-term defensive structures of the fortified sector. There were 42 bunkers and bunkers with 105 mm guns. The commander of the 2nd Army sent ships to Aigun for artillery support of our troops. At 4:10 p.m. On August 12, the Active monitor, the Krasnaya Zvezda gunboat and armored boats of the 1st detachment of the 1st separate division arrived in the designated area, took up firing positions and established contact with the command post of the commander of the 256th separate rifle battalion.

Initially, it was planned that the monitor and the gunboat would fire from the Amur reach, and the armored boats would break through at the mouth of the Gunbelakhe River, rise upstream and suppress enemy firing points in the 12-18 km area with rocket fire. But according to the results of hydrographic reconnaissance, this plan had to be abandoned, since the depth of the mouth of the Gunbelakhe did not allow armored boats to pass there. Therefore, armored boats took up firing positions near the left bank of the Amur with the task of guarding the raid and covering large ships.

Loading Japanese regimental artillery on the railway platform. 1945

"Active" and "Red Star" opened fire, from the command post of the battalion commander they reported the explosion of shells in the target area. At 4:35 p.m. The enemy battery began firing back. The shells of her first volley fell 200 meters behind the stern of the gunboat, the gaps gradually approached the ship. Krasnaya Zvezda stopped firing, weighed anchor, and 20 minutes later took up a reserve firing position.

For 33 hours, the ships of the brigade fired on the batteries and defensive structures of the Japanese. During this time, nine enemy batteries were suppressed, one battery was destroyed, and Japanese infantry units were dispersed. This allowed the tank units and the landing force to bypass the fortified sector and at 1 am on August 14 suddenly capture the city of Aigun from the rear.

While part of the brigade's ships were operating in the area of ​​the city of Aigun, the other part was establishing the Konstantinovskaya crossing for the transfer of troops of the 2nd Army in this area. By the evening of August 10, on the right bank of the Amur, opposite the village of Konstantinovo, the infantry battalion captured the village of Khadayan and a section of the coast between the cities of Aigun and Tsike. For the crossing of troops to Konstantinovo, on the orders of the brigade commander, the 1st maneuver detachment was formed. It included two gunboats, the 2nd detachment of the 1st separate division of armored boats, two armored boats from another detachment, two river minesweepers, one steamer, tugboats and barges of the Upper Amur River Shipping Company. The crossing was commanded by the brigade commander, who had direct and telephone communication with the command post of the 2nd Army. A sapper battalion was allocated to him to expand and equip the landing and disembarkation front.

On August 11, at 06:40, the 1st mobile detachment arrived in the Konstantinovo area, where the troops of the 2nd Army were concentrating. The movement of troops began. The Konstantinovskaya crossing operated throughout the entire period of the offensive. From August 11 to September 1, 64,891 soldiers and officers, 747 tanks and armored vehicles, 406 guns, 3,545 vehicles, 4,933 horses and about 15,000 tons of other cargo were transported through it.

By the evening of August 10, the capture of the city of Tsike began. For this, the 2nd maneuver detachment was formed, which included the 1st detachment of the 2nd separate division of armored boats, the 5th detachment of minesweepers and the 75th river division operationally subordinate to the brigade. The detachment was supposed to transport the 214th Infantry Regiment to the embankment of the city of Tsike.

August 11 at 2:40 a.m. armored boats, after a short-term fire attack from a distance of 1500 m, landed troops at the designated place. The Japanese met the boats with artillery and machine-gun fire, but the resistance was short-lived, soon the Japanese firing points were suppressed and the paratroopers entrenched themselves in positions in Tsike. Up to 6 hours 25 minutes boats transferred parts of the reinforcement, and by evening the city was taken.

A distinctive feature of the Sakhalyan operation was its scope and pace. The coastline with a length of one and a half thousand kilometers was cleared of the enemy within two days. However, under the current conditions, the pace could be even higher. So, if more thorough reconnaissance had been carried out during the night raid on August 10, it would have become clear that the bridgehead could be occupied by naval landing forces. This would shorten the operation time by at least six to eight hours.

After the completion of operations in the Sakhaly direction, a detachment of ships of the Zee-Bureya brigade, consisting of the Active monitor, the gunboat Krasnaya Zvezda and the 1st division of armored boats, left Blagoveshchensk on the Sungari River on August 15 to assist the troops of the 15th Army advancing on Khabarovsk .

Actions of the Sretensky separate division of river ships

The Sretensky separate division of river ships (SODRK) before the start of hostilities was based at Sretensk and Pad-Davan on the Shilka River. It consisted of the 1st and 2nd detachments of armored boats and the floating base PB-1. In the 1st detachment there were armored boats BK-16, BK-17, BK-18 and BK-19 of project 1125 (full displacement 26.8 tons, maximum speed 45.8 / 33.9 km / h, armament: one 76 -mm gun model 1927/32 in the turret of the T-28 tank). The 2nd detachment included armored boats BK-93 and BK-94 (former "Spear" and "Peak"; displacement 25 tons, full speed in still water 16 km / h; armament: one 76-mm mountain gun model 1909 g.), BK-81 and BK-84 (both types "N"; full displacement 18 tons, full speed 19/7 km / h; armament: one 76-mm short gun model 1913).

SODRK was supposed to support the 74th border detachment in protecting the border along the Aigun and Amur rivers, from the beginning of the Amur to the village of Dzhalinda, located on the meridian of the Skovorodino station, where the railway line from the main highway comes to the banks of the Amur. Also, the detachment's task was to interact with the neighboring border detachment, located below the Dzhalinda along the Amur River. In case of hostilities in the upper reaches of the Amur, the interaction of the SODRK with the 368th mountain rifle regiment of the 2nd army, which was stationed in the city of Yerofei Pavlovich, was practiced.

The main direction of joint actions of the SORK and the border guards was the Manchurian county town of Mohe, where there was a strong Japanese garrison.

The order to start hostilities was received on the evening of 8 August. The boats of the 2nd detachment, put on alert, went out at night along the Amur to the village of Pokrovka.

At dawn on August 10, boats of the 2nd detachment boarded the border guards and entered the mouth of the Argun River, firing machine guns at Japanese posts and observation posts there. The landing force landed from the boats captured the main stronghold of the Japanese in the village of Elekhekhada, destroying ambushes and a group of suicide bombers there.

The boats of the 2nd detachment went up the Arugny only 10–15 km, the depths did not allow them to go further, and small border boats began to operate there.

At the same time, the 1st detachment of armored boats headed down the Amur, destroying Japanese observation posts and outposts on the right bank of the Amur with artillery and machine-gun fire. The paratroopers landed from the armored boats captured the Japanese outposts in Loguhe, Natsinkhda and others.

The main task was to capture the city of Mohe, located opposite the village of Ignashino. The main garrison and command of the Japanese troops operating in the upper reaches of the Amur and on the Argun River were located in Mohe. The 368th Mountain Rifle Regiment crossed overnight from the town of Erofey Pavlovich to Ignashino in order to cross the Amur and capture Mohe.

At dawn on August 10, the armored boats of the 2nd detachment landed troops two to three kilometers above Mohe, and the armored boats of the 1st detachment fired at firing points and other targets in Mohe at the water's edge with direct fire and took up firing positions to provide fire support for the landing of the main assault force 368- th mountain rifle regiment. Under the cover of armored boats, units of the 368th Mountain Rifle Regiment were planted on the floating base PB-4 and small border boats and began landing directly on the shore in the city of Mohe.

The armored boats of the 1st detachment fired two or three volleys at the Japanese headquarters and barracks. Parts of the mountain rifle regiment and border guards entered the city and began to move into the depths. In less than an hour, white flags appeared on the buildings of the city, and civilians headed for the port also with white flags in their hands. Artillery fire from armored boats was stopped. Meanwhile, the Japanese garrison, together with their families, went along the taiga paths to the mountains, after setting fire to the warehouses with weapons and food.

Parts of the 368th regiment advanced into the city for a kilometer and a half. The border guards began pursuing the retreating enemy and checking the outskirts of the city for ambushes and suicide groups.

After the capture of Mohe, the 368th Mountain Rifle Regiment was withdrawn to another direction. The ships of the Sretensky division ferried him back to the left bank of the Amur, from where the troops headed for the railway station Yerofei Pavlovich. Units of the 74th border detachment remained in Mohe and other captured strongholds of the Japanese.

As a result of the fighting on the ships, there were no personnel losses; several people were injured among the border guards.

For the next few days, the division's armored boats were in Mohe on high alert in case of Japanese sorties. Only when the entire coast of the mouth of the Argun River to the village of Dzhalinda, all roads and paths to the depth of the coast for three to five kilometers were checked by border guards and ambushes were not found there, the ships of the division withdrew to the left bank of the Amur, to the Pokrovka region and switched to everyday mode.

Actions of the Ussuri and Khanka detachments

The Ussuriysk separate detachment of armored boats was based in the village of Lesozavodsk, on the Ussuri River. The detachment included four armored boats of project 1125 with 76-mm guns mod. 1927/32 (BK-26, BK-27, BK-28 and BK-29).

On August 9 and 10, the Ussuriysk detachment of armored boats supported the advancing units of the 35th Army with fire during the occupation of the Khutous fortified area and Japanese resistance centers on the left bank of the Sungach River. Then the boats went up the Ussuri River. On August 13-15, armored boats ensured the crossing of the troops of the 35th Army to the left bank of the Ussuri in the Iman region.

Before the war, the Khanka separate detachment of armored boats was based in the village of Kamen-Rybolov, on the eastern shore of Lake Khanka. The detachment had four armored boats of project 1124 with 76-mm guns mod. 1927/32 (BK-15, BK-25, BK-65 and BK-66).

From 9 to 11 August inclusive, a detachment of armored boats on Lake Khanka supported the offensive of the ground forces with artillery fire, suppressing enemy firing points, destroying its defenses in Danbizhen, Longwangmiao and other border settlements.

It should be noted that the detachment fought on August 9 and 10 in heavy rain and a strong northeast wind, when armored boats were literally flooded in a stormy lake.

Armored boat fire destroyed 8 observation towers, a radio station, 3 patrol boats and 2 pillboxes.