Sasha Fillipov
Encyclopedia
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Sasha Filippov was a spy for the Red Army
during the Battle of Stalingrad
.
), Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
. At the time of the Battle of Stalingrad, Filippov lived in the Stalingrad suburb
of Dar Gora with his father, mother, and a younger brother who was born in 1932. Physically, Sasha was frail and short statured.
assault on Stalingrad resulted in battalions of the German 6th Army quickly overrunning suburbs of the city, many Russian families were caught unaware and found themselves unable to flee in time. One such family was the Filippovs.
While his family stayed indoors, Filippov went out and began talking with the German soldiers. He found out where the headquarters for the German staff was and proceeded to offer his services as a cobbler to the officers of the invading forces. He was informed that his services would be useful and soon he was a regular sight behind the German lines, repairing and polishing shoes and boots for the officers and soldiers. Unbeknownst to the Germans, however, he had also gone to Red Army
headquarters to offer his services as a spy.
Working under the conspiratorial name of 'schoolboy', Filippov would remove documents from the desks of German officers, report German conversations and enemy troop movements, and describe what German military activity he could see to Russian officers, all while mending footwear for the German Army. From this information, more precise attacks could be made on troop concentrations and the Wehrmacht headquarters located in the Dar Gora area was even shelled one night by Russian artillery
, thanks to Filippov providing the exact firing coordinates.
Filippov's parents never knew the details of his work as a double agent at the time. They knew only that their son was working for the Red Army in some fashion, though not exactly how.
.
His mother rushed out of their house to see her son being led barefoot by a German platoon
through the falling snow, accompanied by two other teenagers, one a girl. Sasha's mother passed him some food, apparently with the thought that her son was being led off into captivity. However, he and rest of the procession was marched to a grove of acacia
trees on Bryanskaya Street, where they were hung
in view of neighbors and Filippov's parents. Mr. Filippov was unable to witness the actual execution of his son and left before this order was given, while his wife remained alone with the body of her son after the soldiers had marched off.
Sasha was awarded the Order of the Red Banner
posthumously in 1944.
In Volgograd
, the former Bryanskaya Street where he lived now bears his name, as does the public school (No. 14) on that street. There is also a park named after him, where his grave and a memorial are situated.
.
Sasha Filippov was a spy for the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
during the Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
.
Early life
Sasha Filippov was born in 1925 in Stalingrad (modern-day VolgogradVolgograd
Volgograd , formerly called Tsaritsyn and Stalingrad is an important industrial city and the administrative center of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. It is long, north to south, situated on the western bank of the Volga River...
), Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. At the time of the Battle of Stalingrad, Filippov lived in the Stalingrad suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Dar Gora with his father, mother, and a younger brother who was born in 1932. Physically, Sasha was frail and short statured.
Espionage activities
When the initial WehrmachtWehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
assault on Stalingrad resulted in battalions of the German 6th Army quickly overrunning suburbs of the city, many Russian families were caught unaware and found themselves unable to flee in time. One such family was the Filippovs.
While his family stayed indoors, Filippov went out and began talking with the German soldiers. He found out where the headquarters for the German staff was and proceeded to offer his services as a cobbler to the officers of the invading forces. He was informed that his services would be useful and soon he was a regular sight behind the German lines, repairing and polishing shoes and boots for the officers and soldiers. Unbeknownst to the Germans, however, he had also gone to Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
headquarters to offer his services as a spy.
Working under the conspiratorial name of 'schoolboy', Filippov would remove documents from the desks of German officers, report German conversations and enemy troop movements, and describe what German military activity he could see to Russian officers, all while mending footwear for the German Army. From this information, more precise attacks could be made on troop concentrations and the Wehrmacht headquarters located in the Dar Gora area was even shelled one night by Russian artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
, thanks to Filippov providing the exact firing coordinates.
Filippov's parents never knew the details of his work as a double agent at the time. They knew only that their son was working for the Red Army in some fashion, though not exactly how.
Death
On the evening of December 23, 1942, Filippov's parents were told by their neighbors that their son had been arrested by the Germans; Mr. and Mrs. Filippov had apparently been anticipating this event for several weeks. The Germans had discovered his spying activities and had sentenced him to death for espionageEspionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
.
His mother rushed out of their house to see her son being led barefoot by a German platoon
Platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
through the falling snow, accompanied by two other teenagers, one a girl. Sasha's mother passed him some food, apparently with the thought that her son was being led off into captivity. However, he and rest of the procession was marched to a grove of acacia
Acacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
trees on Bryanskaya Street, where they were hung
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
in view of neighbors and Filippov's parents. Mr. Filippov was unable to witness the actual execution of his son and left before this order was given, while his wife remained alone with the body of her son after the soldiers had marched off.
Posthumous honors
Order of the Red Banner
The Soviet government of Russia established the Order of the Red Banner , a military decoration, on September 16, 1918 during the Russian Civil War...
posthumously in 1944.
In Volgograd
Volgograd
Volgograd , formerly called Tsaritsyn and Stalingrad is an important industrial city and the administrative center of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. It is long, north to south, situated on the western bank of the Volga River...
, the former Bryanskaya Street where he lived now bears his name, as does the public school (No. 14) on that street. There is also a park named after him, where his grave and a memorial are situated.
Portrayals in fiction
Filippov's spy role and death are dramatized, with some historical inaccuracies, in the film Enemy at the GatesEnemy at the Gates
Enemy at the Gates is a 2001 war film directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, starring Joseph Fiennes, Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, Bob Hoskins and Ed Harris set during the Battle of Stalingrad in World War II....
.
Further reading
- Chuikov, V.I. Heroism Without Precedent. Moscow: 1965.
- Chuyanov, A.S. Stalingrad is Reviving. Moscow: 1944.
- Druzhinin, D.V. Two Hundred Fiery Days. Moscow: 1968.
- Filiminov, B.V. The Immortals. Volgograd: 1965.
- Grossman, V.I. Stalingrad Hits Back. Moscow: 1942.
- Menshikov, M.P. The Stalingrad Battle. Stalingrad: 1953.
- Semin, I.A. Stalingrad Tales. Moscow: 1961.
- Wieder, Joachim. Stalingrad: How It Really Was. Munich: 1962.
- Zamyatin, N.M., et al. The Fight for Stalingrad. Moscow: 1943.