The battle on the small earth briefly. Malaya Zemlya

Malaya Zemlya is a section of terrain on the western shore of Novorossiysk (Tsemes) Bay in the area of ​​the southern outskirts of Novorossiysk (Cape Myskhako), where during the Great Patriotic War There were battles for the liberation of Novorossiysk and the Taman Peninsula.

At the beginning of 1943, Novorossiysk was occupied by German and Romanian troops. In February 1943, in a fierce battle, a landing force of soldiers and sailors recaptured an area of ​​about 30 square meters from a greatly outnumbered enemy. km. This small piece of land, which our troops defended for 225 days, was called “Little Land”. The landing operation was preceded by intense combat training.

A landing force was formed in Gelendzhik. It was attended by great forces and even tanks. The main landing force was planned to land in the area of ​​South Ozereyka, the auxiliary one - on the western shore of Tsemes Bay on the outskirts of Novorossiysk - Stanichka.

The landing was carried out by ships of the Black Sea Fleet, and they were supported from the air by the naval air force. However bad weather and lack of coordination of actions did not allow assistance to the landing, and it ended in failure. The operation began on the night of February 4, but due to strong storm land the main troops in in full force in the South Ozereyka area it was not possible.

The auxiliary landing was carried out more successfully, the actions of which were unexpected for the enemy.

(Military Encyclopedia. Military Publishing House. Moscow. in 8 volumes, 2004)

Under the command of Major Caesar Kunikov, using a smoke screen, 275 soldiers with light weapons landed in the Stanichka area. Initially it was supposed to be a false landing, but it became the main one. With a swift attack on the move, Kunikov’s detachment occupied a small bridgehead. Two groups landed behind him in succession. The bridgehead was expanded to 4 km along the front and 2.5 km in depth. Later, the remaining forces of the main landing force made their way to this bridgehead. Over the course of a few nights, the 255th and 83rd were landed here. separate brigades Marine Corps, 165th Rifle Brigade, 31st Separate Parachute Regiment, 29th Anti-Tank Fighter Regiment and other units - a total of up to 17 thousand people, which expanded the bridgehead to 30 square meters. km, released by February 10 settlements Aleksina, Myskhako, 14 southern quarters of Novorossiysk.

On February 12, the command united the 83rd, 255th separate marine brigades and the 31st parachute landing regiment into the 20th Rifle Corps. Subsequently, the command of the 16th Rifle Corps, 4 rifle brigades and 5 partisan detachments landed on the bridgehead.

Since February 19, the troops operating on the bridgehead were controlled by the task force of the 18th Army, led by Major General Alexei Grechkin. Was held big job on engineering equipment of the bridgehead.

Within 7 months Soviet troops heroically defended Malaya Zemlya, repelling attacks by large forces of infantry and tanks German army and defended the bridgehead. The bridgehead remained until September 1943 and played a role in the liberation of Novorossiysk. On September 16, 1943, together with the advancing Soviet troops, the defenders of the bridgehead completely liberated Novorossiysk.

For perseverance, courage and heroism, 21 soldiers were awarded the title of Hero Soviet Union, thousands of defenders of Malaya Zemlya were awarded orders and medals of the USSR.

Malaya Zemlya became widely known thanks to Secretary General Central Committee of the CPSU Leonid Brezhnev, who published his war memoirs in 1978. In the book “Malaya Zemlya,” published in millions of copies, he spoke about his stay in Novorossiysk during the fighting on Malaya Zemlya as the head of the political department of the 18th Army.

After the book was published, this heroic, but insignificant episode in the overall scale of the war began to increase immensely, more was written and talked about about it than about other, truly great battles of the war.

Historian Roy Medvedev once spoke about a number of moments embellished in the book with reference to the opinions of direct participants in the battles on Malaya Zemlya.

By 1985, the book had gone through several dozen editions in the USSR, with a total circulation exceeding 5 million copies. After 1985, the book was not published until February 2003, when the administration published “Little Land” at its own expense Krasnodar region to be presented to local veterans. The circulation of the publication was 1 thousand copies.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources.

After winning Battle of Stalingrad The headquarters of the Supreme High Command decided to build on their success in the southwest of the USSR. Soviet troops launched an offensive in the direction of Donbass and the Caucasus. At the beginning of February, the Red Army reached Sea of ​​Azov and liberated Maikop.

On the Black Sea coast, the key defensive area of ​​the Nazis was Novorossiysk. One of the main blows to the Nazis was supposed to be delivered from the sea by landing troops. Also, the Soviet command hoped to divert significant enemy forces by threatening to create a bridgehead on the coast for a further attack on Novorossiysk.

For this purpose, Operation Sea was developed, the commander of which was appointed Vice Admiral Philip Oktyabrsky. Two groups of troops of the 18th Airborne Army were to land on the coast southwest of Novorossiysk. The first is in the area of ​​Yuzhnaya Ozereyka (Yuzhnaya Ozereevka), the second is not far from the village of Stanichki and Cape Myskhako.

The group in the South Ozereyka area was the main one, and the group in the Stanichka area was a distraction. However, the storm disrupted the original plans. On the night of February 4, 1943, 262 Soviet soldiers under the command of Major Caesar Kunikov made a successful landing just near Myskhako. This piece of coastline was named Malaya Zemlya, and Kunikov’s detachment became the main landing force.

Writer Georgy Sokolov, in his collection of short stories “Malaya Zemlya,” published in 1949, reports that this name was invented by the Marines themselves. In support, the author cites the text of their letter to the Military Council of the 18th Airborne Army.

“We named the piece of land near the city of Novorossiysk that we reclaimed from the enemy as Malaya Zemlya. Although it is small, this is our land, Soviet... and we will never give it up to any enemy... We swear by our battle flags... to withstand the upcoming battles with the enemy, grind their forces and cleanse Taman of fascist scoundrels. Let’s turn Small Land into a big grave for the Nazis,” said the letter from the “Little Landers.”

“Complete confusion reigned”

Historians have differing opinions about how the landing took place. Most domestic authors claim that the Soviet troops did not carry out the necessary artillery preparation and the Germans met the Soviet paratroopers with heavy fire.

In addition, the enemy rushed into a foot attack, trying to destroy the Red Army landing force. However, Kunikov’s detachment, consisting of well-trained fighters, was able to provide worthy resistance and push back the superior enemy forces, also taking up advantageous defensive positions.

At the same time, the German historian Paul Karel, a former translator of Adolf Hitler, in his book “Eastern Front. Scorched Earth" presents a different picture of events. According to Karel, at the time of the landing “not a single shot was fired from the German side.”

Referring to eyewitnesses from Nazi troops, Karel reports that for a long time the Germans could not understand whose ships were sailing to the shore. Then the Soviet ships opened fire and destroyed the communications center between the Nazi artillery crews. Confusion in the ranks of the Wehrmacht allowed the Marines to disembark unhindered.

“There was complete confusion. No one knew what happened... Kunikov’s fighters dug in alone or in small groups and fired so wildly from everywhere that the uninitiated got the impression that an entire division had landed. Absolute ignorance of the situation deprived the German command of firmness,” Karel describes the situation.

Another source telling about the landing south of Novorossiysk is the book “Malaya Zemlya” by the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, Colonel Leonid Brezhnev. At that time, the future leader of the Soviet state held the position of head of the political department of the 18th Army. Brezhnev is one of the eyewitnesses of Operation Sea.

According to him, the actions of the Soviet artillery and fleet before the landing at Novorossiysk were coordinated. In addition, for the first time, Soviet sailors used jet systems volley fire. At least one rocket launcher, as Brezhnev writes, was mounted on the minesweeper "Skumbria".

"Two torpedo boats on high speed crossed the path of the landing craft, leaving a smoke screen to hide them from fire from the shore. The patrol boat struck the area of ​​the fish factory, suppressing enemy firing points remaining after the artillery attack. At the moment when the Kunikovites (fighters of Kunikov’s detachment) rushed to the shore, our batteries carried the fire into the depths,” says the book of the Secretary General of the CPSU Central Committee.

"Very important area"

In a conversation with RT, military historian Yuri Melkonov noted that a professionally conducted landing operation is the highest manifestation of military art. Landing behind enemy lines on an unprepared bridgehead is an extremely risky undertaking. But Kunikov’s detachment coped with this task brilliantly.

“I must say frankly, the Soviet Union had modest experience in conducting landing operations. There were few successful landings. What the Soviet marines did near Novorossiysk was not only a feat, but also an example of professional work. If we talk about command, then, probably, the personality of Major Kunikov, who received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, played a big role in the success,” Melkonov said.

According to the expert, a handful of Soviet soldiers were entrenched on virtually bare ground. A section of the territory in the Myskhako area was devoid of natural fortifications, and the Germans fired such fire from commanding heights that “stones and earth burned.” Despite this, the Marines were able to drive the Nazis out of the most dangerous positions and received powerful reinforcements in the following days.

“I’ll try not to overuse numbers, but I’ll give one now. When we occupied the bridgehead, the Nazis attacked continuously, raining down a huge amount of shells and bombs, not to mention machine-gun fire. And it is estimated that there were 1,250 kg of this deadly metal for each defender of Malaya Zemlya,” writes Brezhnev.

In his book, the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee says that in the first minutes the assault detachment of marines “managed to occupy a very small, but very important section of the coast.” A small group of paratroopers immediately went on the offensive, destroying about a thousand enemy soldiers and repulsing four artillery pieces. An hour and a half after the landing, a second group of paratroopers arrived to help Kunikov’s detachment, then another. On February 4, the total number of defenders of Malaya Zemlya reached 800 people.

• Malaya Zemlya
• voennoe-delo.com

If you believe the data in Brezhnev’s book, within a few nights two marine brigades, an infantry brigade, an anti-tank fighter regiment and other units landed on the bridgehead. Hundreds of tons of ammunition and food were unloaded from the landing ships. By February 10, the Soviet group reached 17 thousand people. The soldiers were armed with machine guns, mortars, artillery pieces and anti-tank guns.

Soviet troops, not having the necessary shelters on the shore, short time created an extensive underground infrastructure. The tunnels contained firing points, ammunition depots, rooms for the wounded, command post and a power plant.

“In essence, the entire Malaya Zemlya has turned into an underground fortress. 230 securely hidden observation points became her eyes, 500 fire shelters became her armored fists, tens of kilometers of communication passages, thousands of rifle cells, trenches, and crevices were opened. Necessity forced us to dig adits in the rocky ground, build underground ammunition depots, underground hospitals, and an underground power plant,” recalls Brezhnev.

"The Nazis were afraid of them"

The main goal of Operation Sea was the liberation of Novorossiysk. The paratroopers needed to recapture strategically important heights from the enemy, ensuring the unhindered passage of Soviet warships. The Marines would then link up with ground forces, completely blocking the Nazi garrison.

However, these plans were not destined to come true. In the second half of February 1943, the Red Army received a powerful counterattack on the southern flank and was forced to leave the previously liberated Donbass. The assault on Novorossiysk was postponed until September. The troops that landed on Malaya Zemlya began serious problems with supplies.

“The Soviet marines found themselves in a difficult situation, but did not leave this piece of territory to the enemy. The Nazis launched their most violent attacks on them in mid-April. It is estimated that the heroic defense of Malaya Zemlya lasted 225 days. Only on September 9, the Marines went on the offensive against Novorossiysk, but all this time they were carrying out an important mission - they were distracting significant enemy forces,” Melkonov noted.

• Reproduction of a drawing by artist Pavel Yakovlevich Kirpichev “Landing”
• RIA News

RT's interlocutor believes that the landing on Malaya Zemlya was not in vain, despite the risks and trials to which the Marines were subjected. The paratroopers completed their task of creating a bridgehead for the attack on Novorossiysk and in the first half of September 1943 they became one of the main strike groups.

“The Soviet naval infantry during the war did not have special ships, equipment and weapons. However, the black berets were one of the most trained units. They were taught to land on unprepared territory and fight in rocky terrain. They were masters of close combat and hand-to-hand combat. The Nazis were afraid of them. This indisputable fact“- emphasized Melkonov.

The Germans threw all their forces against the paratroop detachment - tanks, aircraft, infantry. 260 fighters fought like a whole regiment. On February 4, 1943, Caesar Kunikov’s landing force landed on the fortified coast of Myskhako, the so-called Malaya Zemlya. The heroic defense lasted 225 days and ended complete liberation Novorossiysk.

At the beginning of 1943, the Soviet command planned an operation to liberate Novorossiysk. To create a bridgehead in the southwestern part of the city, two landings will have to land: the main one in the area of ​​the village of Yuzhnaya Ozereevka and the auxiliary one near the suburban village of Stanichka (Cape Myskhako).

The main task of the auxiliary group was to disorient the Nazi command and distract the enemy from the main theater of action, and then either break through to the main forces or evacuate.

Squad special purpose Major Caesar Kunikov was assigned to lead the landing in the area of ​​Cape Myskhako.

Behind Kunikov were the battles near Rostov, the defense of Kerch and Temryuk. Brave and purposeful, he was able to solve the most complex problems with minimal losses. The major was given 25 days to prepare for the operation, scheduled for February 4, 1943. He also received the right to form the detachment itself.

The group included the best volunteer fighters who had impressive combat experience. Anticipating the difficulties of the upcoming operation, Kunikov conducted intensive, many-hour training every day.

The defenders learned not only how to land on the shore at night in winter conditions, but also how to shoot from various types weapons, including captured weapons, throwing grenades and knives from different positions, identification of minefields, techniques hand-to-hand combat, rock climbing and medical care.

And so, on the night of February 4, a detachment of 260 marines approached Cape Myskhako. With a swift blow, the fighters knocked the Nazis out of the coast and gained a foothold on the captured bridgehead.

Major Kunikov sent a report to the command: “The regiment landed successfully, I am acting according to plan. I’m waiting for subsequent trains.” The radiogram was deliberately sent openly - the paratrooper was sure that the Germans would intercept it.

A message about the landing of an entire regiment of Soviet soldiers on the outskirts of Novorossiysk will confuse the enemy and distract the main forces from striking.

By the morning, when the Nazis went on the offensive, Kunikov’s detachment had already taken control of about 3 kilometers of the railway and several blocks of the village of Stanichka. Tanks, aircraft, infantry - the enemy threw all his forces into the attack. But, despite their multiple superiority, the Germans failed to cut off the paratroopers from the coast or penetrate their defenses.

The enemy, counting the huge losses, had no doubt that a whole regiment was opposing him...

In the first 24 hours alone, the defenders repulsed 18 powerful attacks. All this time, Major Kunikov not only led the battle - he led the fighters forward, inspiring by his example.

Ammunition was dwindling every minute. The situation was getting worse. Then Caesar Kunikov did what the enemy least expected - he led the detachment directly to the Nazi artillery battery.

The surprise attack was a success, and the fighters, having taken possession of German ammunition and cannons, turned their guns against the attackers.

This was the case until the main forces arrived. Due to the failure of the main landing detachment at South Ozereevka, the auxiliary bridgehead captured by the Kunikovites became the main one. Every day they repulsed the enemy’s fierce attacks, cleared multi-story buildings and advanced a lot.

The bridgehead, recaptured from the Germans on Myskhako, was called Malaya Zemlya by the paratroopers. The Soviet command appointed Major Kunikov as senior bridgehead commander. Now his duties included security sea ​​coast, reception and unloading of ships, evacuation of the wounded.

While performing these duties, on the night of February 12, Kunikov was wounded by a mine fragment. The commander was taken to a hospital in Gelendzhik, where doctors fought for his life for two days. But to no avail - on February 14, Caesar Kunikov died.

In April 1943, he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

The bridgehead conquered by Kunikov and his paratroopers saw many more battles. The heroic defense of Malaya Zemlya lasted 225 days and ended on the morning of September 16, 1943 with the complete liberation of Novorossiysk.

For most people, when they hear the phrase “Black Sea,” a certain set of images immediately appears in their minds: warm pebble and sandy beaches, hotels and boarding houses, tea and honey, bright Sun rays, walks along the embankment, souvenir shops. Yes, of course, all this is an integral part Black Sea coast, without which it is impossible to imagine more than one resort city. But there is a city on the same shore that is significantly different from other cities. He is quiet and sedate, he is rich military history. This is the hero city of Novorossiysk.

It is impossible to imagine modern life without its main attraction - memorial complex Malaya Zemlya. It is located in the area of ​​​​Cape Myskhako and is a small bridgehead formed during the landing operation in the winter of 1943.

In November 1942, during the operation to liberate Krasnodar, the “Sea” plan was developed, according to which one amphibious assault should land to attack the enemy slightly south of what is now Novaya Zemlya. The second landing was supposed to play a distracting role and create the impression of an operation being prepared on the water right in the area of ​​​​the modern bridgehead. This landing should distract the enemy's attention. But it turned out that the first main landing party was ambushed and almost all the paratroopers were killed or captured; the second diversionary landing party had to take all the enemy’s blows upon itself. Continuous fire was fired at the soldiers, bombs were thrown at them, and attempts were made several times to throw the defenders into the water. But for the first 24 hours the bridgehead was retained by the Russians. On the second day, help arrived. Russian soldiers were in a disadvantageous strategic position: the bridgehead was under fire from all sides and was clearly visible from the mountains. The defenders could only carry out huge-scale sapper work. At the same time, they were actually deprived of strength, as they experienced constant shortage food. In general, the fighting on Malaya Zemlya lasted a little more than 225 days. It was from this place that the victorious offensive against the enemy began, which made it possible to liberate Novorossiysk.

In 1982, a memorial complex was opened at this site. The monument looks like the bow of a warship, which burst out of the sea at full speed onto land. It is made of two supports: one installed in the sea, the second on the shore, at a height of more than twenty-two meters. Both intersect and end up creating what looks like a angled arch with a slope.

On one side of the ship there is a relief with soldiers ready to rush into battle. On the other are bronze sculptures of a sailor, an infantryman, a nurse and a commander. It seems that they are preparing to land on the ground, stretching out to their full height and looking into the distance. Their faces are full of determination.

Inside the monument - Gallery of military glory. This is a staircase that goes first up and then down. On both sides of the stairs there are portraits made of stone of all the heroes of Malaya Zemlya, all the names and numbers of the units that took part in the war are listed. Visitors rise to the dramatic sounds of music. The sound of the music is calculated so that it intensifies, becomes louder, with each step passed. On the middle platform between the ascent and descent there is a huge heart, hanging as if in a hole punched by a shell. At the end of the music, the heart begins to blink, and then stops and freezes. Inside the heart there is a capsule in which a list of all those who died during the liberation of Novorossiysk is stored. Every year, on the day before Victory Day, this capsule is solemnly opened and the list is supplemented with the names of the heroes found.

, army) under the command of General Petrov.

On January 11, 1943, the plan was approved. By order of the Headquarters, its implementation had to begin immediately, so the implementation of the “Mountains” plan began the very next day. The offensive was difficult, but in this part it was crowned with success: by January 23, the German defenses south of Krasnodar were broken through, and the path for the withdrawal of German troops from North Caucasus was cut off. During the fighting, which lasted until early February, Soviet troops reached the Sea of ​​Azov and took Maikop. The time has come to begin the naval phase of the operation.

Preparation

Since November 1942, without connection with the “Sea” plan, a plan for a landing operation in the Novorossiysk area was developed. The locations and order of the operation were determined: the main landing force landed from ships in the South Ozereyka area, and the diversionary landing force landed in the Stanichka area. The second landing was supposed to disorient the enemy, creating the impression of an amphibious operation on a wide front.

Since November 1942, the troops were being trained: regular training was carried out, during which they practiced landing with equipment on an unequipped shore and the interaction of the landing force with fire support ships.

The main landing group under the command of Colonel Gordeev consisted of the 83rd and 255th Marine Brigades, the 165th Infantry Brigade, a separate front-line airborne regiment, a separate machine gun battalion, the 563rd Tank Battalion, and the 29th Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment. The auxiliary landing force under the command of Major Kunikov consisted of 275 marines without heavy weapons.

The plan provided for a landing immediately after the front had been broken through near Novorossiysk by the forces of the 47th Army of the Black Sea Group. The landing force had to land under the cover of fire from support ships and air bombardment, suppress enemy resistance on the shore, connect with the landing airborne troops, and then break through to Novorossiysk, connect with the main forces, ensure blocking and subsequent capture of the city.

It can be noted that the preliminary training of personnel and the actual landing operations were carried out quite efficiently. However, as subsequent tragic events showed, organizing the delivery of troops and coordinating the actions of the various formations participating in the operation turned out to be insufficiently developed. So, for example, the landing groups were in three different ports, which could not but create additional difficulties with their synchronous delivery to the landing points. The landing craft moved to the landing point under their own power; accordingly, the group of landing ships was forced to match the slowest of them in their movement.

Start of operation

Defense of Malaya Zemlya

Meanwhile, from the enemy’s point of view, they did not look like that at all. Paul Karel described the Soviet landing this way: “everything was going wrong... Complete confusion reigned. Nobody knew what happened... Kunikov’s fighters dug in alone or in small groups and fired so wildly from everywhere that the uninitiated got the impression that an entire division had landed. Absolute ignorance of the situation deprived the German command of firmness.”

Malaya Zemlya in culture and art

Very often, Malaya Zemlya was mentioned in some domestic films.

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Notes

Literature and sources

• Leselidze, K. N.. "Fighter of the Red Army." Daily Red Army newspaper of the Transcaucasian Front (October 26, 1943). “The heroic garrison of Malaya Zemlya fought stubborn battles all the days of the assault and continuously attacked German positions. Thus, he drew large forces onto himself and contributed to the breakthrough of the German defense in the area of ​​the cement plant.” Retrieved February 9, 2014.
• Team of authors: M. I. Povaliy (leader), Yu. V. Plotnikov (deputy director), I. M. Ananyev, A. V. Basov, V. A. Golikov, E. P. Eliseev, A. N. Kopenkin, V. A. Maramzin, A. P. Marfin, S. S. Pakhomov, V. B. Seoev, P. F. Shkorubsky, N. I. Yakovlev. M.Kh. Kalashnik took part in the preparation of the book. Eighteenth in the battles for the Motherland: The combat path of the 18th Army. - M.: Voenizdat, 1982. - 528 p., ill.
• David Ortenberg. Frontline trips. - M., 1983.

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Excerpt characterizing Malaya Zemlya

The Boston tables were moved apart, the parties were drawn up, and the Count's guests settled in two living rooms, a sofa room and a library.
The Count, fanning out his cards, could hardly resist the habit of an afternoon nap and laughed at everything. The youth, incited by the countess, gathered around the clavichord and harp. Julie was the first, at the request of everyone, to play a piece with variations on the harp and, together with other girls, began to ask Natasha and Nikolai, known for their musicality, to sing something. Natasha, who was addressed as a big girl, was apparently very proud of this, but at the same time she was timid.
- What are we going to sing? – she asked.
“The key,” answered Nikolai.
- Well, let's hurry up. Boris, come here,” Natasha said. - Where is Sonya?
She looked around and, seeing that her friend was not in the room, ran after her.
Running into Sonya's room and not finding her friend there, Natasha ran into the nursery - and Sonya was not there. Natasha realized that Sonya was in the corridor on the chest. The chest in the corridor was the place of sorrows of the younger female generation of the Rostov house. Indeed, Sonya in her airy pink dress, crushing it, lay face down on her nanny’s dirty striped feather bed, on the chest and, covering her face with her fingers, cried bitterly, shaking her bare shoulders. Natasha's face, animated, with a birthday all day, suddenly changed: her eyes stopped, then her wide neck shuddered, the corners of her lips drooped.
- Sonya! what are you?... What, what's wrong with you? Wow wow!…
And Natasha, having dismissed her big mouth and having become completely bad, she began to roar like a child, not knowing the reason and only because Sonya was crying. Sonya wanted to raise her head, wanted to answer, but she couldn’t and hid even more. Natasha cried, sitting down on the blue feather bed and hugging her friend. Having gathered her strength, Sonya stood up, began to wipe away her tears and tell the story.
- Nikolenka is leaving in a week, his... paper... came out... he told me himself... Yes, I still wouldn’t cry... (she showed the piece of paper she was holding in her hand: it was poetry written by Nikolai) I still wouldn’t cry, but you didn’t you can... no one can understand... what kind of soul he has.
And she again began to cry because his soul was so good.
“You feel good... I don’t envy you... I love you, and Boris too,” she said, gathering a little strength, “he’s cute... there are no obstacles for you.” And Nikolai is my cousin... I need... the metropolitan himself... and that’s impossible. And then, if mamma... (Sonya considered the countess and called her mother), she will say that I am ruining Nikolai’s career, I have no heart, that I am ungrateful, but really... for God’s sake... (she crossed herself) I love her so much too , and all of you, only Vera... For what? What did I do to her? I am so grateful to you that I would be glad to sacrifice everything, but I have nothing...
Sonya could no longer speak and again hid her head in her hands and the feather bed. Natasha began to calm down, but her face showed that she understood the importance of her friend’s grief.
- Sonya! - she said suddenly, as if she had guessed the real reason cousin's grief. – That’s right, Vera talked to you after dinner? Yes?
– Yes, Nikolai himself wrote these poems, and I copied others; She found them on my table and said that she would show them to mamma, and also said that I was ungrateful, that mamma would never allow him to marry me, and he would marry Julie. You see how he is with her all day... Natasha! For what?…
And again she cried more bitterly than before. Natasha lifted her up, hugged her and, smiling through her tears, began to calm her down.
- Sonya, don’t believe her, darling, don’t believe her. Do you remember how all three of us talked with Nikolenka in the sofa room; remember after dinner? After all, we decided everything how it would be. I don’t remember how, but you remember how everything was good and everything was possible. Here's uncle Shinshin's brother, he's married to cousin, and we are second cousins. And Boris said that this is very possible. You know, I told him everything. And he is so smart and so good,” Natasha said... “You, Sonya, don’t cry, my dear darling, Sonya.” - And she kissed her, laughing. - Faith is evil, God bless her! But everything will be fine, and she won’t tell mamma; Nikolenka will say it himself, and he didn’t even think about Julie.
And she kissed her on the head. Sonya stood up, and the kitten perked up, his eyes sparkled, and he seemed ready to wave his tail, jump on his soft paws and play with the ball again, as was proper for him.
- You think? Right? By God? – she said, quickly straightening her dress and hair.
- Really, by God! – Natasha answered, straightening a stray strand of coarse hair under her friend’s braid.
And they both laughed.
- Well, let's go sing "The Key."
- Let's go to.
“You know, this fat Pierre who was sitting opposite me is so funny!” – Natasha suddenly said, stopping. - I'm having a lot of fun!
And Natasha ran down the corridor.
Sonya, shaking off the fluff and hiding the poems in her bosom, to her neck with protruding chest bones, with light, cheerful steps, with a flushed face, ran after Natasha along the corridor to the sofa. At the request of the guests, the young people sang the “Key” quartet, which everyone really liked; then Nikolai sang the song he had learned again.
On a pleasant night, in the moonlight,
Imagine yourself happily
That there is still someone in the world,
Who thinks about you too!
As she, with her beautiful hand,
Walking along the golden harp,
With its passionate harmony
Calling to itself, calling you!
Another day or two, and heaven will come...
But ah! your friend won't live!
And he hasn't finished singing yet last words, when the youth in the hall prepared to dance and the musicians began to knock their feet and cough in the choir.

Pierre was sitting in the living room, where Shinshin, as if with a visitor from abroad, began a political conversation with him that was boring for Pierre, to which others joined. When the music started playing, Natasha entered the living room and, going straight to Pierre, laughing and blushing, said:
- Mom told me to ask you to dance.
“I’m afraid of confusing the figures,” said Pierre, “but if you want to be my teacher...”
And he offered his thick hand, lowering it low, to the thin girl.
While the couples were settling down and the musicians were setting up, Pierre sat down with his little lady. Natasha was completely happy; she danced with a big one, with someone who came from abroad. She sat in front of everyone and talked to him like a big girl. She had a fan in her hand, which one young lady had given her to hold. And, assuming the most secular pose (God knows where and when she learned this), she, fanning herself and smiling through the fan, spoke to her gentleman.
- What is it, what is it? Look, look,” said the old countess, passing through the hall and pointing at Natasha.
Natasha blushed and laughed.
- Well, what about you, mom? Well, what kind of hunt are you looking for? What's surprising here?

In the middle of the third eco-session, the chairs in the living room, where the count and Marya Dmitrievna were playing, began to move, and most of the honored guests and old people, stretching after a long sitting and putting wallets and purses in their pockets, walked out the doors of the hall. Marya Dmitrievna walked ahead with the count - both with cheerful faces. The Count, with playful politeness, like a ballet, offered his rounded hand to Marya Dmitrievna. He straightened up, and his face lit up with a particularly brave, sly smile, and as soon as the last figure of the ecosaise was danced, he clapped his hands to the musicians and shouted to the choir, addressing the first violin:
- Semyon! Do you know Danila Kupor?
This was the count's favorite dance, danced by him in his youth. (Danilo Kupor was actually one figure of the Angles.)
“Look at dad,” Natasha shouted to the whole hall (completely forgetting that she was dancing with a big one), bending her curly head to her knees and bursting into her ringing laughter throughout the hall.
Indeed, everyone in the hall looked with a smile of joy at the cheerful old man, who, next to his dignified lady, Marya Dmitrievna, who was taller than him, rounded his arms, shaking them in time, straightened his shoulders, twisted his legs, slightly stamping his feet, and a more and more blossoming smile on his round face prepared the audience for what was to come. As soon as the cheerful, defiant sounds of Danila Kupor, similar to a cheerful chatterbox, were heard, all the doors of the hall were suddenly filled with men's faces on one side and women's smiling faces of servants on the other, who came out to look at the merry master.
- Father is ours! Eagle! – the nanny said loudly from one door.
The count danced well and knew it, but his lady did not know how and did not want to dance well. Her huge body stood upright with her powerful arms hanging down (she handed the reticule to the Countess); only one strict thing, but Beautiful face she was dancing. What was expressed in the count's entire round figure, in Marya Dmitrievna was expressed only in an increasingly smiling face and a twitching nose. But if the count, becoming more and more dissatisfied, captivated the audience with the surprise of deft twists and light jumps of his soft legs, Marya Dmitrievna, with the slightest zeal in moving her shoulders or rounding her arms in turns and stamping, made no less an impression on merit, which everyone appreciated her obesity and ever-present severity. The dance became more and more animated. The counterparts could not attract attention to themselves for a minute and did not even try to do so. Everything was occupied by the count and Marya Dmitrievna. Natasha pulled the sleeves and dresses of all those present, who were already keeping their eyes on the dancers, and demanded that they look at daddy. During the intervals of the dance, the Count took a deep breath, waved and shouted to the musicians to play quickly. Quicker, quicker and quicker, faster and faster and faster, the count unfolded, now on tiptoes, now on heels, rushing around Marya Dmitrievna and, finally, turning his lady to her place, made the last step, raising his soft leg up from behind, bending his sweaty head with a smiling face and roundly waving his right hand amid the roar of applause and laughter, especially from Natasha. Both dancers stopped, taking a deep breath and wiping themselves with cambric handkerchiefs.
“This is how they danced in our time, ma chere,” said the count.
- Oh yes Danila Kupor! – Marya Dmitrievna said, letting out the spirit heavily and for a long time, rolling up her sleeves.

While the Rostovs were dancing the sixth anglaise in the hall to the sounds of tired musicians out of tune, and tired waiters and cooks were preparing dinner, the sixth blow struck Count Bezukhy. The doctors declared that there was no hope of recovery; the patient was given silent confession and communion; they were making preparations for the unction, and in the house there was the bustle and anxiety of expectation, common at such moments. Outside the house, behind the gates, undertakers crowded, hiding from the approaching carriages, awaiting a rich order for the count's funeral. The Commander-in-Chief of Moscow, who constantly sent adjutants to inquire about the Count’s position, that evening himself came to say goodbye to the famous Catherine’s nobleman, Count Bezukhim.
The magnificent reception room was full. Everyone stood up respectfully when the commander-in-chief, having been alone with the patient for about half an hour, came out of there, slightly returning the bows and trying as quickly as possible to pass by the gazes of doctors, clergy and relatives fixed on him. Prince Vasily, who had lost weight and turned pale during these days, saw off the commander-in-chief and quietly repeated something to him several times.
Having seen off the commander-in-chief, Prince Vasily sat down alone on a chair in the hall, crossing his legs high, resting his elbow on his knee and closing his eyes with his hand. After sitting like this for some time, he stood up and with unusually hasty steps, looking around with frightened eyes, walked through the long corridor to the back half of the house, to the eldest princess.
Those in the dimly lit room spoke in an uneven whisper to each other and fell silent each time and, with eyes full of question and expectation, looked back at the door that led to the dying man’s chambers and made a faint sound when someone came out of it or entered it.
“The human limit,” said the old man, a clergyman, to the lady who sat down next to him and naively listened to him, “the limit has been set, but you cannot pass it.”
“I’m wondering if it’s too late to perform unction?” - adding the spiritual title, the lady asked, as if she had no opinion of her own on this matter.
“It’s a great sacrament, mother,” answered the clergyman, running his hand over his bald spot, along which ran several strands of combed, half-gray hair.
-Who is this? was the commander in chief himself? - they asked at the other end of the room. - How youthful!...
- And the seventh decade! What, they say, the count won’t find out? Did you want to perform unction?
“I knew one thing: I had taken unction seven times.”
The second princess just left the patient’s room with tear-stained eyes and sat down next to Doctor Lorrain, who was sitting in a graceful pose under the portrait of Catherine, leaning his elbows on the table.
“Tres beau,” said the doctor, answering a question about the weather, “tres beau, princesse, et puis, a Moscou on se croit a la campagne.” [beautiful weather, princess, and then Moscow looks so much like a village.]
“N"est ce pas? [Isn’t that right?],” said the princess, sighing. “So can he drink?”
Lorren thought about it.
– Did he take the medicine?
- Yes.
The doctor looked at the breget.
– Take a glass of boiled water and put une pincee (it with your thin fingers showed what une pincee) de cremortartari… [a pinch of cremortartari…]
“Listen, I didn’t drink,” the German doctor said to the adjutant, “so that after the third blow there was nothing left.”
– What a fresh man he was! - said the adjutant. – And who will this wealth go to? – he added in a whisper.
“There will be a okotnik,” the German answered, smiling.
Everyone looked back at the door: it creaked, and the second princess, having made the drink shown by Lorren, took it to the sick man. The German doctor approached Lorren.
- Maybe it will last until tomorrow morning? - asked the German, speaking bad French.
Lorren, pursing his lips, sternly and negatively waved his finger in front of his nose.
“Tonight, not later,” he said quietly, with a decent smile of self-satisfaction in the fact that he clearly knew how to understand and express the patient’s situation, and walked away.

Meanwhile, Prince Vasily opened the door to the princess’s room.
The room was dim; only two lamps were burning in front of the images, and there was a good smell of incense and flowers. The entire room was furnished with small furniture: wardrobes, cupboards, and tables. The white covers of a high down bed could be seen from behind the screens. The dog barked.
- Oh, is it you, mon cousin?
She stood up and straightened her hair, which had always, even now, been so unusually smooth, as if it had been made from one piece with her head and covered with varnish.
- What, did something happen? – she asked. “I’m already so scared.”
- Nothing, everything is the same; “I just came to talk to you, Katish, about business,” said the prince, wearily sitting down on the chair from which she had risen. “How did you warm it up, however,” he said, “well, sit here, causons.” [let's talk.]
“I was wondering if something had happened?” - said the princess and with her unchanged, stone-stern expression on her face, she sat down opposite the prince, preparing to listen.
“I wanted to sleep, mon cousin, but I can’t.”
- Well, what, my dear? - said Prince Vasily, taking the princess’s hand and bending it downwards according to his habit.
It was clear that this “well, what” referred to many things that, without naming them, they both understood.
The princess, with her incongruously long legs, lean and straight waist, looked directly and dispassionately at the prince with her bulging gray eyes. She shook her head and sighed as she looked at the images. Her gesture could be explained both as an expression of sadness and devotion, and as an expression of fatigue and hope for a quick rest. Prince Vasily explained this gesture as an expression of fatigue.
“But for me,” he said, “do you think it’s easier?” Je suis ereinte, comme un cheval de poste; [I'm as tired as a post horse;] but still I need to talk to you, Katish, and very seriously.
Prince Vasily fell silent, and his cheeks began to twitch nervously, first on one side, then on the other, giving his face an unpleasant expression that had never appeared on Prince Vasily’s face when he was in the living rooms. His eyes, too, were not the same as always: sometimes they looked brazenly joking, sometimes they looked around in fear.
The princess, holding the dog on her knees with her dry, thin hands, looked carefully into the eyes of Prince Vasily; but it was clear that she would not break the silence with a question, even if she had to remain silent until the morning.
“You see, my dear princess and cousin, Katerina Semyonovna,” continued Prince Vasily, apparently not without an internal struggle as he began to continue his speech, “in moments like now, you need to think about everything.” We need to think about the future, about you... I love you all like my children, you know that.
The princess looked at him just as dimly and motionlessly.
“Finally, we need to think about my family,” Prince Vasily continued, angrily pushing the table away from him and not looking at her, “you know, Katisha, that you, the three Mamontov sisters, and also my wife, we are the only direct heirs of the count.” I know, I know how hard it is for you to talk and think about such things. And it’s not easier for me; but, my friend, I’m in my sixties, I need to be prepared for anything. Do you know that I sent for Pierre, and that the count, directly pointing to his portrait, demanded him to come to him?
Prince Vasily looked questioningly at the princess, but could not understand whether she was understanding what he told her or was just looking at him...
“I never cease to pray to God for one thing, mon cousin,” she answered, “that he would have mercy on him and allow his beautiful soul to leave this world in peace...
“Yes, that’s so,” Prince Vasily continued impatiently, rubbing his bald head and again angrily pulling the table pushed aside towards him, “but finally... finally the thing is, you yourself know that last winter the count wrote a will, according to which he owned the entire estate.” , in addition to the direct heirs and us, he gave it to Pierre.
“You never know how many wills he wrote!” – the princess said calmly. “But he couldn’t bequeath to Pierre.” Pierre is illegal.
“Ma chere,” said Prince Vasily suddenly, pressing the table to himself, perking up and starting to speak quickly, “but what if the letter is written to the sovereign, and the count asks to adopt Pierre?” You see, according to the Count’s merits, his request will be respected...
The princess smiled the way people smile who think they know the matter more than those they are talking to.
“I’ll tell you more,” Prince Vasily continued, grabbing her hand, “the letter was written, although not sent, and the sovereign knew about it.” The only question is whether it is destroyed or not. If not, then how soon will it all be over,” Prince Vasily sighed, making it clear that he meant by the words everything will end, “and the count’s papers will be opened, the will with the letter will be handed over to the sovereign, and his request will probably be respected. Pierre, as a legitimate son, will receive everything.
– What about our unit? - asked the princess, smiling ironically, as if anything but this could happen.
- Mais, ma pauvre Catiche, c "est clair, comme le jour. [But, my dear Catiche, it is clear as day.] He alone is the rightful heir of everything, and you will not get any of this. You should know, my dear, were the will and the letter written, and were they destroyed? And if for some reason they were forgotten, then you should know where they are and find them, because...
- This was all that was missing! – the princess interrupted him, smiling sardonically and without changing the expression of her eyes. - I am a woman; according to you, we are all stupid; but I know so well that an illegitimate son cannot inherit... Un batard, [Illegitimate,] - she added, hoping with this translation to finally show the prince his groundlessness.
- Don’t you understand, finally, Katish! You are so smart: how do you not understand - if the count wrote a letter to the sovereign in which he asks him to recognize his son as legitimate, it means that Pierre will no longer be Pierre, but Count Bezukhoy, and then he will receive everything in his will? And if the will and the letter are not destroyed, then you will have nothing left except the consolation that you were virtuous et tout ce qui s"en suit [and everything that follows from here]. This is true.
– I know that the will has been written; but I also know that it is invalid, and you seem to consider me a complete fool, mon cousin,” said the princess with the expression with which women speak when they believe that they have said something witty and insulting.