Hero of the Soviet Union Dmitry Ivanovich Panfilov
Dmitry Ivanovich Panfilov was born in 1912 in the village of Burlin, Burlin District, West Kazakhstan Region. Before the war, he lived and worked as a driver in the city of Jalal-Abad. He was Russian. A member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. He was drafted into the Soviet Army in July 1941. He held the rank of junior lieutenant and was the commander of a tank platoon.
He participated in the Great Patriotic War on the Western, Kalinin, and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts. He received his first baptism of fire on the outskirts of Moscow. He took part in battles on the Dniester. In March 1944, for his bravery displayed in combat against enemy tanks near the Shpola station, he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
From the suburbs of Moscow to the Elbe — this is the combat path of tank driver D. I. Panfilov. On March 24, 1945, for his courage and heroism on the fronts against the German-fascist invaders, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
After the war, the Hero returned to peaceful labor. Currently, D. I. Panfilov lives in the city of Jalal-Abad, Kyrgyz SSR, and works at a plug connector factory.
COMMANDER OF THE HAPPY THIRTY-FOUR
Nature generously endowed Dmitry Panfilov. Slim, fit, with the appearance of a movie actor, he also had a straightforward, cheerful, and sociable character. By nature, he chose the profession of a driver, to be constantly on the move, always among people.
Now, the profession of a driver is the most common on earth. But in those pre-war thirties in the small town of Jalal-Abad, in southern Kyrgyzstan, drivers could be counted on one hand. When boys saw a cloud of dust raised by the wheels of a "one-and-a-half" or ZIS-5 from afar, they would rush out onto the road and run after the car for a long time.
The dream of many boys in pre-war Jalal-Abad was to become a driver like Panfilov.
Dmitry would have continued to be a hero to the boys of Jalal-Abad, but life had other plans. The war began.
Upon hearing about the treacherous attack by Nazi Germany, Panfilov did not hesitate long. He took his "half-ton" out of the garage, as he himself called the one-and-a-half-ton truck, and headed straight to the military enlistment office.
A few days later, in July 1941, Dmitry Ivanovich Panfilov set off to defend Moscow. At that time, he was twenty-nine years old.
On the outskirts of Moscow, the warrior from Kyrgyzstan received his baptism of fire. There, in the most difficult days of the war for the country, he first tasted the bitterness of military hardship. For a year and a half, under enemy artillery fire and bombing, sometimes crossing minefields, Panfilov traveled thousands of kilometers along the difficult front roads, participating in the defeat of the hated invader near Moscow.
— Once, I was transporting a combat general. Well, we were spotted on the enemy side.
They opened furious fire. I had to show everything I was capable of. I maneuvered with my vehicle like a snake on a hot frying pan. We were lucky that day. We managed to get through the fire zone safely. I delivered the general to his destination alive and unharmed.
— Well done, soldier, daring driver! — praised the general Panfilov. — You would have made a splendid tank driver.
This memorable trip predetermined the further combat fate of the Kyrgyzstani. Soon he was sent to the First Tank School in Saratov. The training was conducted at an accelerated pace. Instead of three years of study, it was one year.
The main focus was on teaching the cadet to drive a tank, shoot, and handle a radio.
Panfilov understood how needed tank drivers were at the front, so he did not waste time. He set himself the task of mastering the vehicle with "excellent" marks in a short time and also learning to shoot "excellent." This skill, or rather, the lack of it, would become a matter of life and death at the front. To confidently defeat the enemy in battle, one needed not only to be braver than him but also faster, more precise, and smarter. In a short time, Dmitry mastered the tank and demonstrated his best abilities during the final exam, both on the tank range and at the shooting range.
By the end of 1943, tank commander, junior lieutenant Dmitry Panfilov was already fighting as part of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. His combat family became the second battalion of the 170th Tank Kirovograd Red Banner Brigade, which was engaged in heavy battles for the liberation of Vinnytsia on the approaches to the Dniester.
The first battles showed that the junior lieutenant successfully combined courage and bravery with calmness and calculation. These qualities helped him come out of any battle with an undamaged vehicle, ready for new fights.
The battalion command quickly noticed the resourcefulness of tank commander Panfilov. Soon he was entrusted with commanding a tank platoon.
To destroy as many enemy personnel and equipment as possible without losing his own — this was the rule that Panfilov followed in battle. With understandable pride, the 72-year-old veteran tells today that during all the years of the war, he personally lost only one tank, and that was not in battle, but due to a technical malfunction.
Not many combat vehicles were lost in total by his platoon, and later by the tank company which Lieutenant Dmitry Panfilov was entrusted to command.
— We had few losses,— recalls Dmitry Ivanovich,— because my guys followed three unbreakable rules. From the very beginning, I forbade my tankers to go into battle in a group. Whether my platoon had three vehicles or my company had ten, I always ordered the guys to spread out in a fan. I always went in the center of the attack.
The second condition — before battle, no alcohol whatsoever. The last thing to do is to borrow courage from vodka. It is unlikely to save you, but it can certainly ruin you.
And the third — always go into battle with a cheerful mood and your head held high, with a smile on your face. Go with the single thought: to smash the enemy, to defeat him, not to perish.
After all, the battle is won by those who have firmly decided to win it. And the fate of the battle is primarily determined by that elusive force called the spirit of the troops, the spirit of the army.
Once, at the end of March 1944, Lieutenant Panfilov's platoon was tasked with conducting reconnaissance by combat in the area of the Shpola station. As they approached the station, the Germans organized a fairly powerful fire barrier. Three Soviet tanks faced two self-propelled guns, two armored personnel carriers, and three enemy tanks. Spreading out in a wide front, the three red-star armored vehicles rushed at the enemy at full speed.
An unequal battle ensued. Speed, maneuverability, and momentum determined the outcome of the battle in favor of Panfilov and his comrades. Destroying an enemy tank and two guns, the Soviet tankers put the enemy to flight. The command's task was accomplished. The platoon returned from this raid not only with valuable reconnaissance data but also with rich trophies.
Soon after this battle, Panfilov was called to the headquarters and ordered to take command, as Dmitry Ivanovich himself says today, of a company of "Valentines." This is what Soviet tankers called the British tank "Valentine." And here Panfilov showed his straightforward and fiery character. He stated bluntly: "Send me to a penal battalion or to execution, but I will not accept the company of 'Valentines'."
— Are these even machines? — Panfilov wonders even today,— Tall, narrow. A little ravine or ditch, and they tip over. And in battle, this slow-moving, non-maneuverable tank is a good target for the enemy.
The lieutenant left the headquarters, but he was uneasy: what if he really ended up in a penal battalion for disobeying an order?
But whether it was because the command appreciated the straightforwardness and fervor of the tank driver or because Dmitry Panfilov had already earned a good reputation in battles, they met him halfway. They gave him a company of T-34s.
Panfilov can talk endlessly with admiration about the legendary thirty-four. Well, the machine truly deserves it. The famous T-34 was unanimously recognized as the best tank of World War II. Fast and maneuverable, covered with thick, all-welded armor set at a specific angle, easy to operate, reliable, and faultless in operation, this tank played an important role in achieving our Victory.
As Dmitry Ivanovich says, neither the praised "Tiger," nor the "Panther," nor the "Ferdinand" could withstand the T-34.
Nazi General Guderian was forced to admit: "...the 18th Tank Division received a fairly complete idea of the strength of the Russians, as they first used their T-34 tanks, against which our guns at that time were too weak."
The geography of victories is remembered by the veteran-tanker through his combat awards. The Order of the Red Banner, for example, was awarded for the operation in the area of the city of Khushi in Romania. The company was tasked with cutting off the retreat routes of enemy units.
Having stealthily infiltrated the enemy's rear, the tankers chose a natural cover near the highway. They did not have to wait long. In August 1944, the enemy retreated much faster than they had advanced in 1941. After letting the enemy infantry pass, Panfilov and his combat friends struck from cover at the enemy tanks. Having disabled them, the column of thirty-fours rushed down like an unstoppable avalanche onto the enemy's infantry and artillery.
— We managed to trample a bit while the enemy was in a panic,— recalls Panfilov.— We crushed several guns into the ground and inflicted damage on the enemy's personnel. I can't say exactly how much we destroyed in that battle.
While Panfilov's company was causing panic among the retreating enemy units, the main forces of the 170th Kirovograd Tank Brigade occupied the crossing on the Bârlad River and closed the encirclement, blocking the enemy's path to the city of Khushi.
Realizing they were trapped, the fascists decided to break through the encirclement at the most vulnerable point — at the section of Panfilov's company.
Time and again, the Germans and their Romanian accomplices launched attacks, but each time they were pushed back under the relentless fire of Soviet tanks. For more than a day, the tank company held the encirclement against significantly superior enemy forces. And when Panfilov and his comrades were running low on ammunition, when it became increasingly difficult to repel the desperate assault of the Germans, help arrived from comrades. Realizing that resistance was futile, the fascists surrendered.
And similar operations stand behind each combat award. The Order of the Patriotic War was awarded for Bucharest, and the medals "For the Capture of Budapest" and "For the Capture of Vienna" speak for themselves.
Dmitry Ivanovich Panfilov finished the war as part of the separate 18th Tank Division. Wherever a difficult situation arose, where fresh forces or reinforcements were needed, the separate 18th was sent to help.
One of the last combat operations that Panfilov remembered was on the approach to the capital of Hungary near Lake Balaton.
It was necessary not to let enemy reinforcements through, rushing to help the agonizing units in Budapest.
After 12 days of maneuvering march with battles, through forests and swamps, the 18th Division penetrated 180 kilometers into the enemy's rear and occupied the approaches to the banks of the Danube, controlling the highway to Budapest. The position was occupied with precise calculation. The German grouping attempting to break through to Budapest was completely defeated.
Here, as in other battles, Panfilov's company distinguished itself, destroying several tanks, a lot of other equipment, and personnel.
In less than a year and a half of military service, the tanker from Kyrgyzstan traveled a glorious path from the sacred expanses of Russia to Vienna. For his combat feats, personal courage, and heroism, the command nominated Panfilov for the highest award of the Motherland — the Order of Lenin and the "Golden Star" of the Hero of the Soviet Union. All the tankers of his company were nominated for awards of orders and medals.
But the front-line path of the Hero is marked not only by victories, daring raids and attacks, combat orders and medals.
There were irreparable losses on this long and arduous path, there was grief and blood. Panfilov himself was wounded three times, but each time, after healing his wounds, he returned to the ranks, catching up with his tank brigade. That is why, although forty years have passed since the Great Victory, the memory of the war lives in the heart of the veteran. The harsh trials that befell our people are not forgotten, neither day nor night, nor in dreams.
Dmitry Ivanovich received the highest award of the Motherland at the very end of the war, on the battlefield near Vienna, just before the Victory Parade, in which he had the fortune to participate. And when, on Red Square, marching in step, Soviet soldiers headed towards the Mausoleum of V. I. Lenin, and with a dull thud, the captured fascist banners and standards fell onto the granite slabs, an immense feeling of joy and pride overwhelmed Dmitry Panfilov. Joy from the realization that the heavy war was won, and pride from the knowledge of a duty fulfilled honestly and to the end.
V. TIMIRBAEV