Young Guard (Soviet resistance)
Encyclopedia
The Young Guard was an underground anti-fascist Komsomol
organization, in the German
-occupied Soviet
city of Krasnodon
(Ukrainian SSR
, now Luhansk Oblast
of Ukraine
). They were active during the Great Patriotic War until January 1943. They carried out several acts of sabotage and protest before being betrayed to the Germans. Most members of the Young Guard, about 80 people, were tortured and then executed by the Germans.
The organization was led by the local Communist Party
underground of Krasnodon, headed by Philipp Lyutikov. Lyutikov was the former head of the parents' committee of the 4th secondary school
of Krasnodon, where many members of the organization had studied. There is some controversy concerning the leadership of the Young Guard. It is widely accepted that the commander
was Ivan Turkenich
and the commissar
was Oleg Koshevoy
, but recent sources claim that the leaders were other members of the Staff of the Young Guard, namely Viktor Tretyakevich, Sergei Tyulenin and Ivan Zemnukhov.
There were about 100 members of the Young Guard, all young boys and girls - workers, 8th-10th form schoolboys and schoolgirls from Krasnodon and surrounding villages and settlements. Due to the secret nature of the Young Guard, only people well-known to other organization members, and who took the special oath of faithfulness
, could become members. Most of them either belonged to the Komsomol
or were accepted into Komsomol
upon joining the Young Guard. 15 were members of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
. The most active members and founders of the organization made up the Staff of the Young Guard: Ulyana Gromova, Oleg Koshevoy
, Vasily Levashov, Lyubov Shevtsova
, Viktor Tretyakevich, Ivan Turkenich, Sergei Tyulenin, and Ivan Zemnukhov.
Members of the organization also destroyed motor vehicles, ammunition and enemy fuel supplies.
Jointly with the Communist Party
underground of Krasnodon the Young Guard prepared for an anti-fascist armed rebellion
, but treachery within the organization and the betrayal to the Germans stopped these preparations.
Number 5 (53 meters in depth), on 15 January, 16 January, and 31 January, 1943. Oleg Koshevoy
, Lyubov Shevtsova
, Viktor Subbotin, Dmitry Ogurtsov, Sergei Ostapenkov were shot on 9 February 1943 in the town park of the town Rovenki
. Just five days later, on 14 February 1943 Krasnodon was liberated by the Red Army
.
, Lyubov Shevtsova
, Sergei Tyulenin and Ivan Zemnukhov were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union
posthumously, many other members were awarded various orders and medals.
Soviet writer Alexander Fadeyev wrote the book Molodaya Gvardiya (The Young Guard), in which he depicted the activities of the Young Guard.
In Krasnodon the Monument to the Members of the Young Guard was erected in 1951-1954, the memorial
complex Young Guard with the museum was built in 1970 and the monument
Nepokoryonnye (Unsubdued in English) was erected near the Coal Mine Number 5 in 1982. The new town Molodogvardeysk in Luhansk Oblast
of the Ukrainian SSR
was named after the Young Guard in 1961. Many towns, settlements, streets of Soviet
cities were also named after the organization and its members.
Russia
n inter-regional public organization the Young Guard was established in Voronezh
in 1999.
Several alternative versions emerged in late 1990s, the most exotic among them being the story of a Young Guard as Ukrainian nationalist
(not Komsomol) organization.
The full true story of the Young Guard remains a mystery. For example, as of 2004 it is not known for certain who betrayed the Young Guard. The leadership of the organization, as mentioned above, has also been called into question.
A stamp was issued in 1944 honoring the leadership of the Young Guard, and featuring Ulyana Gromova, Ivan Zemnukhov, Oleg Koshevoy
, Sergei Tyulenin, and Lyubov Shevtsova
, all of whom were awarded Hero of the Soviet Union
. The Pravda article referenced below, written in 2003, names the leadership as Koshevoy, Shevtsov, Ostapenko, Ogurtsov, and Subbotin. Only two of these names (Koshevoy and Shevstov, presumably Shevstova) correspond with the people named on the stamp.
Komsomol
The Communist Union of Youth , usually known as Komsomol , was the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The Komsomol in its earliest form was established in urban centers in 1918. During the early years, it was a Russian organization, known as the Russian Communist Union of...
organization, in the German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
-occupied Soviet
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....
city of Krasnodon
Krasnodon
Krasnodon is a city in the Luhansk Oblast of south-eastern Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Krasnodonskyi Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast....
(Ukrainian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
, now Luhansk Oblast
Luhansk Oblast
Luhansk Oblast ) is the easternmost oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Luhansk. The oblast was established in 1938 and bore the name Voroshilovgrad Oblast in honor of Kliment Voroshilov....
of Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
). They were active during the Great Patriotic War until January 1943. They carried out several acts of sabotage and protest before being betrayed to the Germans. Most members of the Young Guard, about 80 people, were tortured and then executed by the Germans.
History
The Young Guard was established soon after Krasnodon was occupied by Nazi Germany on 20 July 1942. Several youth groups amalgamated, calling themselves the Young Guard. One of the first meetings of the organization was held on October 2 of the same year.The organization was led by the local Communist Party
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
underground of Krasnodon, headed by Philipp Lyutikov. Lyutikov was the former head of the parents' committee of the 4th secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
of Krasnodon, where many members of the organization had studied. There is some controversy concerning the leadership of the Young Guard. It is widely accepted that the commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
was Ivan Turkenich
Ivan Turkenich
Ivan Vasilyevich Turkenich was a Ukrainian partisan, one of the leaders of the underground anti-Nazi organization the Young Guard, which operated in Krasnodon district during the German-Soviet War between 1941 and 1944.-Background:Turkenich was born on January 15, 1920 in the New Liman settlement...
and the commissar
Commissar
Commissar is the English transliteration of an official title used in Russia from the time of Peter the Great.The title was used during the Provisional Government for regional heads of administration, but it is mostly associated with a number of Cheka and military functions in Bolshevik and Soviet...
was Oleg Koshevoy
Oleg Koshevoy
Oleg Vasilyevich Koshevoy was a Ukrainian partisan and one of the founders of the clandestine organization Young Guard, which fought the Nazi forces in Krasnodon during World War II between 1941 and 1945....
, but recent sources claim that the leaders were other members of the Staff of the Young Guard, namely Viktor Tretyakevich, Sergei Tyulenin and Ivan Zemnukhov.
There were about 100 members of the Young Guard, all young boys and girls - workers, 8th-10th form schoolboys and schoolgirls from Krasnodon and surrounding villages and settlements. Due to the secret nature of the Young Guard, only people well-known to other organization members, and who took the special oath of faithfulness
Oath of the Young Guard (Soviet resistance)
Oath of the Young Guard was written in October 1942, when the organization had just 17 members. It was written on a piece of paper by Ivan Zemnukhov...
, could become members. Most of them either belonged to the Komsomol
Komsomol
The Communist Union of Youth , usually known as Komsomol , was the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The Komsomol in its earliest form was established in urban centers in 1918. During the early years, it was a Russian organization, known as the Russian Communist Union of...
or were accepted into Komsomol
Komsomol
The Communist Union of Youth , usually known as Komsomol , was the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The Komsomol in its earliest form was established in urban centers in 1918. During the early years, it was a Russian organization, known as the Russian Communist Union of...
upon joining the Young Guard. 15 were members of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
. The most active members and founders of the organization made up the Staff of the Young Guard: Ulyana Gromova, Oleg Koshevoy
Oleg Koshevoy
Oleg Vasilyevich Koshevoy was a Ukrainian partisan and one of the founders of the clandestine organization Young Guard, which fought the Nazi forces in Krasnodon during World War II between 1941 and 1945....
, Vasily Levashov, Lyubov Shevtsova
Lyubov Shevtsova
Lyubov Shevtsova was a Soviet partisan and a member of the Young Guard, an underground anti-Nazi organization in Krasnodon during World War II....
, Viktor Tretyakevich, Ivan Turkenich, Sergei Tyulenin, and Ivan Zemnukhov.
Activities
Among the main activities of the organization were- the release of 70 prisoners from the German concentration camp on 15 November 1942 (20 more people were released from the hospital of the camp)
- the burning of the German Labour Exchange of Krasnodon on 6 December 1942. A list of about 2,000 citizens of Krasnodon, who were intended for the deportation into Germany was burnt, thus saving them from deportation
- eight flags of the Soviet UnionFlag of the Soviet UnionThe flag of the Soviet Union consisted of a plain red flag, with a setting or cross-peen hammer crossed with a sickle and a red star in the upper canton...
were hung out on highest buildings of Krasnodon on 6 and 7 November 1942 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution - about 5,000 anti-fascist leaflets were issued and spread in Krasnodon during the existence of the organization
Members of the organization also destroyed motor vehicles, ammunition and enemy fuel supplies.
Jointly with the Communist Party
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
underground of Krasnodon the Young Guard prepared for an anti-fascist armed rebellion
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
, but treachery within the organization and the betrayal to the Germans stopped these preparations.
Treachery and execution
The Germans knew about the existence of the underground and tried to discover its membership. Finally they succeeded in this, helped by treachery within the organization. Massive arrests began on 5 January 1943 and lasted until 11 January. Just 11 members managed to evade their pursuers. All the arrested people were tortured. 71 of them, along with members of the Communist Party underground (including its head Philipp Lyutikov), many alive, were thrown into the pit of Coal MineCoal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
Number 5 (53 meters in depth), on 15 January, 16 January, and 31 January, 1943. Oleg Koshevoy
Oleg Koshevoy
Oleg Vasilyevich Koshevoy was a Ukrainian partisan and one of the founders of the clandestine organization Young Guard, which fought the Nazi forces in Krasnodon during World War II between 1941 and 1945....
, Lyubov Shevtsova
Lyubov Shevtsova
Lyubov Shevtsova was a Soviet partisan and a member of the Young Guard, an underground anti-Nazi organization in Krasnodon during World War II....
, Viktor Subbotin, Dmitry Ogurtsov, Sergei Ostapenkov were shot on 9 February 1943 in the town park of the town Rovenki
Rovenki
Rovenki may refer to:*Rovenky, a city in Ukraine*Rovenki, Russia, an urban-type settlement in Belgorod Oblast, Russia...
. Just five days later, on 14 February 1943 Krasnodon was liberated by 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...
.
Tributes
On 13 September 1943 five members of the Young Guard: Ulyana Gromova, Oleg KoshevoyOleg Koshevoy
Oleg Vasilyevich Koshevoy was a Ukrainian partisan and one of the founders of the clandestine organization Young Guard, which fought the Nazi forces in Krasnodon during World War II between 1941 and 1945....
, Lyubov Shevtsova
Lyubov Shevtsova
Lyubov Shevtsova was a Soviet partisan and a member of the Young Guard, an underground anti-Nazi organization in Krasnodon during World War II....
, Sergei Tyulenin and Ivan Zemnukhov were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
posthumously, many other members were awarded various orders and medals.
Soviet writer Alexander Fadeyev wrote the book Molodaya Gvardiya (The Young Guard), in which he depicted the activities of the Young Guard.
In Krasnodon the Monument to the Members of the Young Guard was erected in 1951-1954, the memorial
Memorial
A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for memory of something, usually a person or an event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or art objects such as sculptures, statues or fountains, and even entire parks....
complex Young Guard with the museum was built in 1970 and the monument
Monument
A monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, or simply as an example of historic architecture...
Nepokoryonnye (Unsubdued in English) was erected near the Coal Mine Number 5 in 1982. The new town Molodogvardeysk in Luhansk Oblast
Luhansk Oblast
Luhansk Oblast ) is the easternmost oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Luhansk. The oblast was established in 1938 and bore the name Voroshilovgrad Oblast in honor of Kliment Voroshilov....
of the Ukrainian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
was named after the Young Guard in 1961. Many towns, settlements, streets of Soviet
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....
cities were also named after the organization and its members.
Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n inter-regional public organization the Young Guard was established in Voronezh
Voronezh
Voronezh is a city in southwestern Russia, the administrative center of Voronezh Oblast. It is located on both sides of the Voronezh River, away from where it flows into the Don. It is an operating center of the Southeastern Railway , as well as the center of the Don Highway...
in 1999.
Skepticism
The official story of the group, including Fadeyev's book, has been questioned almost from the day that Krasnodon was liberated. Several researchers (both officially-sanctioned and independent) revealed ambiguities and anomalies in the versions of the story promoted by Fadeyev, the groups survivors, and the Communist Party. Some survivors and witnesses declared they were pressed to follow the official version of events until the end of Soviet era.Several alternative versions emerged in late 1990s, the most exotic among them being the story of a Young Guard as Ukrainian nationalist
Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists
The Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists is a Ukrainian political organization which as a movement originally was created in 1929 in Western Ukraine . The OUN accepted violence as an acceptable tool in the fight against foreign and domestic enemies particularly Poland and Russia...
(not Komsomol) organization.
The full true story of the Young Guard remains a mystery. For example, as of 2004 it is not known for certain who betrayed the Young Guard. The leadership of the organization, as mentioned above, has also been called into question.
A stamp was issued in 1944 honoring the leadership of the Young Guard, and featuring Ulyana Gromova, Ivan Zemnukhov, Oleg Koshevoy
Oleg Koshevoy
Oleg Vasilyevich Koshevoy was a Ukrainian partisan and one of the founders of the clandestine organization Young Guard, which fought the Nazi forces in Krasnodon during World War II between 1941 and 1945....
, Sergei Tyulenin, and Lyubov Shevtsova
Lyubov Shevtsova
Lyubov Shevtsova was a Soviet partisan and a member of the Young Guard, an underground anti-Nazi organization in Krasnodon during World War II....
, all of whom were awarded Hero of the Soviet Union
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
. The Pravda article referenced below, written in 2003, names the leadership as Koshevoy, Shevtsov, Ostapenko, Ogurtsov, and Subbotin. Only two of these names (Koshevoy and Shevstov, presumably Shevstova) correspond with the people named on the stamp.
See also
- Oath of the Young GuardOath of the Young Guard (Soviet resistance)Oath of the Young Guard was written in October 1942, when the organization had just 17 members. It was written on a piece of paper by Ivan Zemnukhov...
- Soviet partisan
External links
Website dedicated to the Young Guard (in Russian) many photos, books and articles about the organization and its members- Overview of Fadeyev's book in English
- Young Soviet Heroes Will Always Remain in People’s Memory (in English) article of February 6, 2003 on the official website of the RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n newspaper PravdaPravdaPravda was a leading newspaper of the Soviet Union and an official organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party between 1912 and 1991....
Materials about "Young Guard" Evgenie Shafransky. Secret of two commissars. Grigory Nabojshchikov. File of "Young Guard" Olga Musafirova. Lubov Shevtsova was "pianist" of NKVD