home Cosmetics Hero of the USSR Dmitry Romanovich Ovcharenko. “23 Germans were killed, the rest fled in panic”: how a Soviet soldier was able to single-handedly deal with a detachment of fascists

Hero of the USSR Dmitry Romanovich Ovcharenko. “23 Germans were killed, the rest fled in panic”: how a Soviet soldier was able to single-handedly deal with a detachment of fascists

Dmitry Romanovich Ovcharenko (1919 - January 28, 1945) - hero Soviet Union, private, riding machine gun company.

Dmitry Romanovich Ovcharenko was born in the village of Ovcharovo, Kharkov province (now in the Troitsky district of the Lugansk region) into a peasant family. Dmitry's father was a rural carpenter.

Primary education - 5 classes. He worked on a collective farm. In 1939 he was drafted into the Red Army. Non-partisan.

On the fronts of the Great Patriotic War from the very first days. In the very first days of the war, Dmitry was slightly wounded, and he was transferred from a combat unit as a sled driver to an ammunition depot.

July 13, 1941, in battles near the city of Balti, when delivering ammunition to his company near the town of Arctic fox of the riding machine gun company of the 389th rifle regiment 176th Infantry Division of the 9th Army of the Southern Front, Red Army soldier Dmitry Ovcharenko was surrounded by a detachment of enemy soldiers and officers numbering 50 people. At the same time, the enemy managed to take possession of his rifle. However, D.R. Ovcharenko was not taken aback and, grabbing an ax from the cart, cut off the head of the officer who was interrogating him, threw 3 grenades at the enemy soldiers, destroying 21 soldiers. The rest fled in panic. He then caught up with the second officer and also cut off his head. The third officer managed to escape. After which he collected documents and maps from the dead and, along with the cargo, arrived at the company on time.

Submission of Dmitry Ovcharenko for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, signed by the commander of the Southern Front, Lieutenant General D.I. Ryabyshev and member of the Military Council L.R. Cornish

By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated November 9, 1941, “for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command on the front of the fight against the Nazi invaders and the courage and heroism shown,” Red Army soldier Dmitry Romanovich Ovcharenko was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold medal Star".

Dmitry was reinstated as a machine gunner and continued to fulfill his military duty. Dmitry’s commander noted the high morale of the fighter, who on July 27, at an altitude of 239.8, set an example to his comrades with his hurricane machine-gun fire.

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In the battles for the liberation of Hungary in the area of Sheregeyesh station, machine gunner of the 3rd Tank Brigade, Private D.R. Ovcharenko was seriously wounded. He died in hospital from his wounds on January 28, 1945.

From book:

Vyacheslav Bondarenko. 100 great feats of Russia.

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Heroes of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945):

How three Cossacks chopped up a German convoy- Heroes of the country
Letter from 1941(feat of the crew of the BT-7 tank) - Ivan Kolosov
Non-cinema Rambaud. The feat of Red Army soldier Dmitry Ovcharenko- Vyacheslav Bondarenko
How cook Ivan Sereda killed a fascist tank with an ax- Heroes of the country
How Kolya Sirotinin stopped Guderian's tank division- Vadim Tabakov, Victor Malishevsky
The feat of the crew of the KV-1 tank. One tank against the German battle group Rous - Military History Magazine
"But dogs suddenly rushed at the enemy..."- Andrey Kulish
Feat of 33 heroes Legendary duel- Municipal educational institution secondary school No. 36
Defense of Adzhimushka in 1942- Mikhail Bersenev
The last battle of the prisoners of the 20th block- Military Review
Long whistle at Belukha Island about the feat of the crew of the icebreaking steamer "Alexander Sibiryakov") - Vladimir Roshchupkin
History of the "Dunka" regiment- Elena Gordeeva
How Paulus was captured: eyewitness accounts of the last days of the great battle- Lyudmila Ovchinnikova
Real Stalingrad(Stalingrad in photographs of Soviet, German and American reporters) - Historical truth

Dmitry Romanovich Ovcharenko. Born in 1919 - died of wounds on January 28, 1945 at the Sheregeyes station (Hungary). Soviet soldier, Hero of the Soviet Union (1941). On July 13, 1941, he single-handedly entered the battle against 50 Nazis and, using grenades and an ax, destroyed 21 enemies.

Dmitry Ovcharenko was born in 1919 in the village of Ovcharovo, Kharkov province (now Troitsky district, Lugansk region) in the family of a rural carpenter.

By nationality - Ukrainian.

Mother - Vasilisa Ignatievna Ovcharenko, lived in the village of Ovcharovo.

Graduated from 5 classes primary school. He worked on a collective farm.

In 1939 he was drafted into the Red Army. From the first days of the Great Patriotic War he was at the front. In the very first days of the war, Dmitry was slightly wounded, and he was transferred from a combat unit as a sled driver to an ammunition depot.

On July 13, 1941, in battles near the city of Balti (Moldova), while delivering ammunition to his company near the town of Pesets, Khmelnytsky region, the riding machine gun company of the 389th Infantry Regiment of the 176th Infantry Division of the 9th Army of the Southern Front, Red Army soldier Dmitry Ovcharenko suddenly collided with a detachment of enemy soldiers and officers numbering 50 people. At the same time, the enemy managed to take possession of his rifle. However, Ovcharenko was not taken aback and, grabbing an ax from the cart, cut off the head of the officer who was interrogating him, threw 3 grenades at the enemy soldiers, killing 21 soldiers. The rest fled in panic. Then he caught up with the second officer in the garden of the town of Arctic fox and also cut off his head. The third officer managed to escape. After which he collected documents and maps from the dead and arrived at the company along with the cargo.

Soon Dmitry was reinstated as a machine gunner and continued to fulfill his military duty.

The command noted the high morale of the soldier, who on July 27, at an altitude of 239.8, set an example to his comrades with his hurricane machine-gun fire.

On August 3, having assessed the scale of the accomplished feat, the commander of the 389th Infantry Regiment, Major S.V. Kramskoy and the military commissar, senior political instructor Zekin, sent a nomination to D.R. Ovcharenko for the highest award - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

In the battles for the liberation of Hungary in the area of the Sheregeyesh station, Dmitry Ovcharenko, at that time a machine gunner of the 3rd Tank Brigade, was seriously wounded. He died in hospital from his wounds on January 28, 1945. There is also a version that he died in battle and was not buried because he remained in territory occupied by the enemy.

Dmitry Romanovich Ovcharenko. Born in the village of Ovcharovo, Kharkov province (now in the Troitsky district of the Lugansk region) into a peasant family. Dmitry's father was a rural carpenter. Primary education, 5 classes. He worked on a collective farm. In 1939 he was drafted into the Red Army. Non-partisan.

Prologue

When he was born, he announced himself with such a cheerful cry that his mother was frightened: there were German occupiers. Kaiser Wilhelm captured Ukraine in 1918 and brought Hetman Skoropadsky to power. The newborn did not know about this, did not understand that in an occupied area a peasant son should behave quietly. The woman in labor was surprised when, following the first cry of her baby, the enthusiastic voices of men, women, and children were heard from the street. Someone opened the window, and the sounds of a song burst into the room. The man with the saber over his shoulder took off his star helmet, shook his forelock and, carefully pressing the tiny creature to his chest, exclaimed:

Rejoice, lad! You were born free!

Tears came to the mother's throat. Her heart sank. She cried and smiled. Her Mitya was born under a lucky red star.

When he grew up, his father taught him to wield an axe. On the long autumn evenings and in the winter cold, Dimka heard so many stories about the axe.

Once the whole village took up axes: the Kaiser’s warriors were very annoying...

For the rest of his life, Dima remembered this story about how the people’s anger flared.

It was such a grind that just hold on! - concluded the father, and his eyes sparkled mischievously.

Oil painting: it happened on the 13th, near the village of Arctic fox...

On the fronts of the Great Patriotic War - from the first days. In the very first days of the war, Dmitry was slightly wounded, and he was transferred from a combat unit as a sled driver to an ammunition depot. On July 13, 1941, in battles near the city of Balti (Moldova), while delivering ammunition to his company near the town of Arctic Fox, the riding machine gun company of the 389th Infantry Regiment of the 176th Infantry Division of the 9th Army of the Southern Front suddenly collided with Red Army soldier D. R. Ovcharenko with a detachment of enemy soldiers and officers numbering 50 people. At the same time, the enemy managed to take possession of his rifle.

However, D. R. Ovcharenko was not at a loss. Snatching an ax from the cart, he cut off the head of the officer who was interrogating him, threw 3 grenades at the enemy, killing 21 soldiers. The rest fled in panic. Then he caught up with the second officer and cut off his head too. The third officer managed to escape. Ovcharenko collected documents and maps from the dead and arrived at the company along with the cargo.

Submission of Dmitry Ovcharenko for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, signed by the commander of the Southern Front, Lieutenant General D. I. Ryabyshev and member of the Military Council L. R. Korniets.

In the battles for the liberation of Hungary in the area of the Sheregeyesh station, the machine gunner of the 3rd Tank Brigade, Private D. R. Ovcharenko, was seriously wounded. He died in hospital from his wounds on January 28, 1945.

I should make nails out of these people -
There couldn't be any stronger nails in the world!

Eternal memory to you!

Forgive us, Dmitry Romanovich, for the fact that we are not like that...

Information from the report on irreparable losses. Scan of a document from the Memorial OBD. Please note that there is a typo in the document: the draft year is 1944

The investigation is being conducted by wits.
How this could have happened: a modern interpretation of the event

Despite its apparent improbability and the strange name of the settlement, this is most likely real. A place called Arctic fox (Ukrainian Pesets) exists: this village is located in the Novoushytsky district of the Khmelnytsky region. And from the Moldovan city of Balti it’s not just a stone’s throw, but, in principle, not so far. It’s just that in the rush of the offensive, the Aryan-Jubermans lost their vigilance and really got what they deserved.

Fifty Nazis is a clear exaggeration: the capacity of the Hanomag (Sd Kfz 251) is 12 people, including the crew. If it’s a truck, then more: 15 people in one. In reality there were 27-30 fascists. They see a cart with one “subhuman” coming. We stopped. Ain the officer went to interrogate the Russian Mongol, or most likely, he just decided to make fun of him. What did he want to know from him? How do I get to the library? The rest got out, some to relieve themselves, some to drink, and some to clear their heads. And, it seems, they barked a moment of Dostoevshchina when their too talkative officer was planted with a tomahawk between the eyes.

It is clear that Ovcharenko did not blow off the officer’s head. Most likely, he simply hacked to death: like Raskolnikov’s grandmother. An ax is not a rifle, you can’t hear a shot, and if Ovcharenko also successfully planted it, then the fascist didn’t even have time to gasp. The fussing near the cart by the comrades of the murdered man could be regarded as giving a portion of slaps to the sluggish Red Army soldier.

Or maybe they didn’t look in their direction at all, because they didn’t meet a cavalry division, but one rumpled and mortally tired Sancho Panza.
If anyone watched it, they were 100% dumbfounded by what they saw, because at that time the film “Rambaud” had not yet been made, and such 3D effects were new:

What kind of chaos is this!? He didn’t say a word, but immediately hit the scoreboard with an ax!

Our fighter, having eliminated the obstacle on the right, grabs three grenades from the cart and throws them towards the German picnic on the side of the road. Imagine: you are sitting on a July day in the company of normal guys from the right area, your friend has gone to wince as a nerd and then... a GRENADE falls next to you! It is unknown what flashed through the heads of the stunned Nazis at that moment, one can only assume:

1) Donnerweter! ("Damn it!!!").
2) Ahhh! Ambush! There are a lot of them there!
3) However, lemons look strange in this barbaric country...

Whatever they were thinking, it exploded in a big way. The Germans, some completely and some in parts, fell to the ground. Surely none of the fascists could have imagined that some “downtrodden child of the East” (the definition of the Slavic brothers according to Goebbels) would be SO offended by a simple question:

Anything? What if I find it?

The ending is logical: some of the Krauts were killed, some escaped. Except for one officer who was not impressed enough and decided to see if he could run fast with his ass half torn off. Our hero caught up with the German Paralympian and made him like Papa Carlo Pinocchio. I did everything right: why run around the gardens of the village of Arctic fox? After all, you didn’t plant rutabaga; it’s not yours to trample it down.

Then the laws of drama come into play: only one is left alive. After the bloodbath that had been committed, the Red Army soldier Ovcharenko collected his trophies and went on about his business, of which he had a lot, unlike the German goons who wandered around with unclear goals in places where they were not welcome.

Stories on topic

Such a case is also known. Red Army soldier Vataman killed ten Germans with a Panzerfaust, wielding it like a mace. The fighter either ran out of ammunition, or it was more convenient to kill the bastards.

An enraged special forces soldier single-handedly crushes dozens of armed opponents, causing them to flee in disarray - a similar plot is familiar to most from Hollywood action films like “Commando” or “Rambo”.

It’s hard to believe in the reality of what’s happening on the screen. And yet, something similar actually happened. Moreover, reality exceeds the fiction of Hollywood scriptwriters.

True, the main character of the story that happened in July 1941 was not a Navy SEAL or a Green Beret, but a simple Ukrainian peasant.

Native of the village of Ovcharovo, Kharkov region Dmitry Ovcharenko drafted into the army before the war, conscript service. The recruit was a very ordinary peasant guy, not offended by the power and the article, but with only five years of education.

The son of a rural carpenter, born in 1919, Mitya Ovcharenko from a young age learned more about peasant science than school science - he learned to care for livestock, make hay, chop wood, and, of course, mastered his father’s carpentry science.

21-year-old Dmitry expected to serve in the army, return to his native collective farm, get married - in a word, the usual dreams of a simple rural guy.

Submission for awarding Dmitry Ovcharenko the title of Hero of the Soviet Union:

Unlucky number

But in June 1941, war broke out, and the Red Army soldier of the 3rd machine gun company of the 389th Infantry Regiment of the 176th Infantry Division had no time for dreams of returning to civilian life.

The commanders considered that most of all the peasant son Ovcharenko would be useful to the Motherland as a driver. The duties of the Red Army soldier included transporting food and ammunition on a cart to the company’s positions. The task in war is not the most dangerous, and Dmitry traveled alone, armed only with a three-line rifle.

In mid-July 1941, Ovcharenko’s unit fought in the area of the Moldavian city of Balti. On July 13, as usual, the driver was carrying ammunition and food to his colleagues.

But it’s not for nothing that the number “13” is considered unlucky. Suddenly, on the road, two cars in which there were Nazis - three officers and 50 soldiers - jumped out directly onto Ovcharenko’s cart.

For the confusion of the beginning of the war, such enemy breakthroughs to the rear Soviet troops were business as usual. This, however, did not make it any easier for the Red Army soldier. They pointed a machine gun at him, took away his rifle, after which a German officer approached and began interrogating the prisoner.

Believe it or not, but the documents testify that this happened near a place called... Arctic Fox.

It is not known whether the Red Army soldier Ovcharenko pronounced the name of this settlement to himself, but his position was indeed unenviable.

Ax of War

The Nazis, on the other hand, felt confident and even relaxed - in the first days of the war they often took Soviet soldiers prisoner, so this frightened Russian, taken by surprise (Ovcharenko was Ukrainian, but the Germans did not delve into such subtleties) was another proof of the superiority of Aryan soldiers over Slavic ones "subhumans".

The officer interrogated Dmitry right there, at the cart. The rifle was taken away from him, so no trick was expected from him.

Meanwhile, in the hay next to Dmitry standing there lay an ax, which the Germans either did not notice or did not consider posing a threat.

For a city dweller, an ax is rather something exotic. But for a peasant, and especially for a carpenter’s son, this is one of the main tools of labor. Both to chop firewood and to build a house - there are many places where a villager cannot do without an axe. And sometimes the ax was used in order, for example, to ward off a bear that had stuck in the forest.

What Ovcharenko was thinking about while standing in front of the German officer is unknown, but it is unlikely that he was calculating the chances in a fight in the “one versus fifty-three” format. It’s just that at some point the soldier decided that, as the Red Army soldier Sukhov used to say, “it would be advisable, of course, to suffer.”

Suddenly he grabbed an ax and with one swing cut off the head of the commander of the German detachment. The headless body sank to the ground.

The Germans expected anything, but not such a turn. For a few seconds they fell into stupor from shock.

These seconds were enough for Ovcharenko to dive into the underwater, pull out three grenades, and send them into the midst of standing enemies.

23:0 in our favor

When the smoke cleared, those Germans who were not hit by shrapnel saw a terrifying picture before their eyes - their dead and wounded comrades were lying everywhere, and an angry Russian soldier with an ax was flying right at them.

In the books of the ideologists of the Third Reich, much was written about the superiority of the Aryans over other races. But Mein Kampf didn't say anything about how to deal with an angry Slavic carpenter in an army uniform.

And more than two dozen Germans fled in horror from Dmitry Ovcharenko, forgetting about their own weapons, and in general about everything in the world.

Not everyone managed to escape - for example, one of the two remaining officers, who was trying to escape through the gardens, was overtaken by a Red Army soldier and again used an ax, depriving him of his head too.

When only the corpses of the Germans and the Red Army soldier Ovcharenko remained on the improvised battlefield, the winner collected the documents of the dead, officer tablets, and went to his native company.

The Red Army soldier innocently told about what happened to him on the road, and was immediately subjected to ridicule from his colleagues:

“Come on, you’re good at making things up!”

However, the political instructor of the company, having looked at the documents brought, whistled in amazement, and, taking several soldiers, went to the scene.

When the dead were counted, it turned out that Dmitry Ovcharenko in this battle destroyed two German officers and 21 enemy soldiers.

Thank you for your help in finding the award sheet for the hero Ovcharenko

Feat of Dmitry Ovcharenko

Dmitry Romanovich Ovcharenko (1919 - January 28, 1945) - Hero of the Soviet Union, private, riding a machine gun company.

On July 13, 1941, in battles near the city of Chisinau, while delivering ammunition to his company near the town of Arctic Fox, the riding machine gun company of the 389th Infantry Regiment of the 176th Infantry Division of the 9th Army of the Southern Front, Red Army soldier D. R. Ovcharenko was surrounded by a detachment of soldiers and enemy officers numbering 50 people. At the same time, the enemy managed to take possession of his rifle.

However, D. R. Ovcharenko was not taken aback and, grabbing an ax from the cart, cut off the head of the officer who was interrogating him, threw 3 grenades at the enemy soldiers, destroying 21 soldiers. The rest fled in panic. He then caught up with the second officer and also cut off his head. The third officer managed to escape. After which he collected documents and maps from the dead and arrived at the company along with the cargo.

By Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of November 9, 1941« for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command on the front of the fight against the Nazi invaders and the courage and heroism shown at the same time» Red Army soldier Dmitry Romanovich Ovcharenko was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and medal" Golden Star ".

In the battles for the liberation of Hungary, the machine gunner of the 3rd Tank Brigade, Private D. R. Ovcharenko, was seriously wounded. He died in hospital from his wounds on January 28, 1945.

Description of the feat from a book published in 1959.

Mark Kolosov. “People and Feats”, 1959 Poem about an ax

Red Army soldier Ovcharenko was carrying cartridges. An ordinary guy from a Ukrainian village. When he was born, he announced himself with such a cheerful cry that his mother was frightened. There were German occupiers in the village. Kaiser Wilhelm captured Ukraine in 1918 and brought Hetman Skoropadsky to power.

The newborn did not know about this, did not understand that in an occupied area a peasant son should behave quietly. “The mother in labor was surprised when, following the first cry of her baby, the enthusiastic voices of men, women, and children were heard from the street. Someone opened the window, and the sounds of a song burst into the room. The man with the saber over his shoulder took off his star helmet, shook his forelock and, carefully pressing the tiny creature to his chest, exclaimed:

Rejoice, lad, you were born free!

Tears came to the mother's throat. Her heart sank. She cried and smiled.

Her Mitya was born under a lucky red star. When he grew up, his father taught him to wield an axe. On the long autumn evenings and in the winter cold, Dimka heard so many stories about the axe. One time the whole village took up axes. The Kaiser's warriors were very annoying. For the rest of his life, Dima remembered this story about how the people’s anger flared.

It was such a grind that just hold on! - concluded the father, and his eyes

sparkled mischievously.

When Dmitry Ovcharenko became a Red Army soldier, his Motherland armed him with the most advanced weapons. He mastered it, but after being wounded he was temporarily transferred by cart to an ammunition depot. Then he remembered the axe. The Red Army soldier always took it with him. There were grenades next to the axe. And one day the ax helped out the cart driver. It was a hot summer day. The southern sun was high in the sky. The Red Army soldier was carrying cartridges. There, beyond the edge of the forest, far from the regimental rear, is the front line. There his comrades fire at the enemy. The Red Army soldier knew what power was contained in the boxes that lay under the tarpaulin in his wagon. He was completely imbued with the feeling

the importance of your business.

The dusty road led to the outskirts of the village. As soon as the carriage reached the outer hut, a car appeared around a bend in the road. Enemy soldiers were sitting in the back. The car braked sharply. An officer jumped out of the cab.

Ruzki soldiers, halt! - he barked. - You are surrounded. Hands up!

Ovcharenko raised his hands.

“So this is what they are...” flashed through his head, and there was no fear in his soul. He pretended that he could not recover from confusion, and it came out so naturally to him that the fascists laughed. The officer walked towards the cart, lifted the tarpaulin and, bending his head, began

look at boxes of ammunition. Apparently, he was impatient to find out what weapons this Russian bumpkin was bringing to the front line. Quickly dodging, Ovcharenko took an ax from the front of the cart and, swinging it, plunged it into the fascist. The laughter in the car stopped immediately. Before the Nazis had time to jump off and rush towards him, Ovcharenko threw three grenades at them, one after another.

Then he busily counted the corpses, removed the tablet with the map from the dead officer, pulled out a wallet from the inside pocket of the officer's jacket, and a pistol from the holster. It took him a little time to collect captured machine guns and soldiers' books. He carefully put all this in his cart and delivered it to the battalion commander. He said:

Thank you, Comrade Ovcharenko! Do you have a request for me?

Yes, comrade captain! - answered the carriage driver. - Please return me to the machine gun platoon. I’ve been wanting to ask for this for a long time, but I didn’t dare: what if you think that I’m ashamed of my work as a cart driver!

If you, reader, now want to see Ovcharenko, then when you arrive at the unit where he serves, ask not the wagon driver, but the machine gunner Dmitry Romanovich Ovcharenko. By the way, know that he has been nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

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