The scouts are first to fight

November 3, 2010 // "Uriadovyi kurier №205"

  During the Great Patriotic War Oleksii Levchenko from Poltava personally captured six prisoners for interrogation.

Poltava citizen Oleksii Levchenko, who is the only full Cavalier of the Medal for Bravery in the region, is a well-known man in the city. As soon as I needed to find his “brick” house, several people at once showed me where to go. Despite his great popularity among the citizens, the 86-year-old retired general lives in a usual one-room flat with cheap wallpaper. My first impression was that all his wealth is in the uniform coat at conspicuity radiant from numerous decorations and his photos. 

“On June 22, at four o’clock sharp…”

While I watched photos, Oleksii Yakovych told me that he had been native Kyivan, and the war had begun for him as in a famous song: “On June 22, at the four o’clock sharp, Kyiv was bombed, and the war had begun…”. When it happened, he slept at the balcony, because it was stuffy in the flat. Swelling incomprehensible rumble in the sky woke the young man. He raised his head and counted 50 planes with crosses on their wings. Around them, one by one, anti-aircraft shell explosions “bloomed”. At that time, 17-year-old Oleksii has already finished his studies in the secondary medical school, visited trainings in OSOVIAHIM clubs, and knew how to fire several types of arms, that’s why he easily guessed that the war with Germany had begun. Meanwhile, Hitlerite aviation has already bombed “Zhuliany” airport, “Bolshevik”, 43d aircraft works, 215th factory etc…In the street, there were first trucks with wounded soldiers and doctors around them. Their smocks were all in blood.

That very day, general mobilization was announced, and all the men in Kyiv in the age of 18 to 50 were sent to the front. The juvenile Oleksii spoiled for the fight with his friends, but in the enlistment office he was rejected: “Your time is still to come!”

Oleksii managed to fulfil his plans through the Komsomol organization. He was enrolled to the separate 220th machinegun battalion.

Baptism of fire

- In order to protect Kievans from the enemy’s airstrikes, we patrolled the city in HAZ – AA car equipped with anti-aircraft installation, – tells the veteran. I shot down my first German Messerschmitt, which unexpectedly appeared in the sky and dived down on us, on August 25, 1941. It was my baptism of fire. And I still remember the brought down young German pilot…
When the enemy captured Kyiv, the machinegun troop, where Levchenko served, along with the infantrymen group breached the Nazi’s defensive line and managed to reach Moscow through a number of battles. There, in Moscow, they first joined the 5th reserve regiment, but then he happened to serve in the 252nd rifle division, 924th rifle regiment. Oleksii became submachine gunner. He took part in the defence of Moscow, where was wounded. After the hospital, the young soldier continued his service.

Once, when the Soviet troops repulsed the Hitlerites for far then 200 kilometres from Moscow, the strategically important “Sidlo” height was urgent to occupy. The task was assigned to the soldiers of their troop and about twenty scouts, who got off late at night to fulfil the operation. “First, everything was fine, - Oleksii Yakovych tells, - but Germans must have suspected that something was wrong, and several missiles at once lit up the sky. We were at the centre of the stubble corn field, it was nowhere to hide. Having assessed the situation in a jiffy, I shouted to my fellows: “Go ahead!” We killed several Fritz and took two prisoners. The height was captured.

After the battle, reconnaissance troop commander, junior lieutenant Mykhailo Mykhalov, came to our group and asked whether we wanted to become scouts. The next day I was enrolled to the 332nd separate reconnaissance company, subordinate to the General Staff. With that company I met the end of the war.

The one who can fight wins the war

Oleksii Levchenko remembers well how he took his first prisoner for interrogation – the railroad station commandant assistant – during the warfare on the Orlovsk-Kursk bulge. Oleksii then was reconnaissance platoon sergeant. All the war through, he managed to capture six such “prisoners”. And how radiant the veteran’s eyes were when he told about the daring seizure of Hitlerite general near Budapest by his reconnaissance men! During the mission, his fellows showed extraordinary courage and ingenuity, especially taking into consideration that the staffer was in the well-guarded camouflaged underground bin. Despite all that, the red hat was captured and along with important documents delivered to the command post of the Soviet Union front Marshal Commanding Rodion Malynovskii.

Oleksii Levchenko was awarded with his first Medal for Bravery for Kharkiv occupation on August 23, 1943. Besides, after that very operation their unit was called Kharkiv division. The scouts were the first to break into the city end and raise panic in the adversary’s trenches.

The second Medal for Bravery decorated his uniform coat after Korsun-Shevchekivskii battle, where reconnaissance men neutralized Commanding Officer of the large German group on the territory of Shenderivka village. The courageous workman and war hero received his third and fourth Medals for Bravery for Yasso-Kyshyniv operation (1943) and Bucharest occupation (1944). About the Romanian mission the veteran tells such a story:

“We made our way to the town and took all the German Embassy prisoners along with their Ambassador”.

Our countryman has also participated in Yugoslavia and Austria liberation.

- There is a town of Komarom in Austria, - he tells. It is situated on the Danube bank. On the far bank of the river, there is a Cheque town of Komarno with very picturesque nature and woods. Near the forest, the fascists built their aircraft factory, well protected by intricate and powerful engineer installations. In case we started to win, the Germans could have opened the locks and flooded the factory with Danube water. But they didn’t have enough time for that.

In the morning of March 30, 1945, we were called to the regiment's commanding officer, colonel Chernyshevych. He ordered us to capture a strategic target at night by forced crossing of the Danube. We had waterborne platforms prepared – pontons, boats etc… At 2 o’clock at night all of us were ready: two reconnaissance platoons, two submachine gunners’ platoons, machine gunners, and field engineers. We started to force crossing over the Danube. The night was cloudy, our units acted carefully. Germans exposed us only as we reached the riverbank. With aggressive assault we stepped off on the German trenches and had a severe hand-to-hand combat, during which my knee and hand was injured. Despite all the casualties, the springboard was captured. But neither we, nor our command knew that Komarno was full of well-armed Germans, with tanks and cannons. They fiercely attacked us! And in a short period of time we managed to repulse 11 attacks! All around us – swamps, mud… There was no way to retreat. If our paratroopers hadn’t supported us then, I wouldn’t have spoken to you today. For Komarno I was awarded with Order Red Star.

About those years Oleksii Levchenko is once more reminded by the other Order Red Star, Order of Glory, 3rd class, and Medal for Merit. For him all the war episodes are unforgettable, because it relates to his wounds and loss of comrade-in-arms. But, still, the most precious and dear for the veteran is his first medal – “Kharkiv” Medal for Bravery. Since that time he was not afraid of death.

The war is over, but he still needs to “fight”

The Great Patriotic War was not the last war in Levchenko’s fate. Their Kharkiv-Bratyslav division was transferred to the Far East, where he fought against Japanese and received Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd class. He smoked the peace-pipe only on September 3, 1945, after Kwantung army surrendered.

He vainly dreamed of ordinary civil life. The Soviet Army needed such skilled officers as he was. He has served as an officer at the Far East for a long time yet, but then, after having received higher medical education, he has worked as a surgeon in the military hospital in Chukotka for 27 years. In 1973, he moved from there to Poltava, where he “specialized” on treatment of long-range air force pilots, until his wife died and he lost health.

Today, Oleksii Levchenko is in retirement. But he hasn’t lost his pep and still communicates with Poltava Cossacks and law-enforcement officials. In short, he still continues to “fight”.

Oleksandr Danylets

Source: "Uriadovyi kurier"