The 81st anniversary of liberation from the Nazi invaders was celebrated in the Liozno district
The Liozno region marked the 81st anniversary of the district's liberation from Nazi invaders. One of the largest memorial complexes in the region, "Tikhmanovskaya Vysota," located near the village of Osipenki, where fierce battles with the occupiers took place, became the venue for the solemn rally. Senior Lieutenant Leonid Tikhmanov's battery showed exceptional bravery and courage in the battle. The height, for which Red Army soldiers shed blood, is named after him.
– Today we turn to the events of the Great Patriotic War and remember the defenders of the Fatherland, many of whom were 18-20 years old. They did not spare their lives so that we could live under a peaceful sky. There are 98 military burial sites in the district, where over 33,000 soldiers who died during the liberation of the Liozno region rest. These are sacred places for us, – noted Sergey Shlyadnev, Chairman of the Liozno District Council of Deputies.
After the occupiers were driven out of Liozno on October 10, 1943, the front line passed through the district for another nine months. Our troops recaptured inch by inch from the enemy. The battle near the village of Osipenki, in which 38 Soviet mortar crews repelled enemy attacks for 14 hours, entered the chronicle of liberation. Fulfilling the order to hold the bridgehead, cut off from their own forces and with no cover, they found themselves face to face with an enemy many times their superior. With 4 mortars, 31 carbines, 5 submachine guns, and 2 anti-tank rifles, the battery became a barrier in the path of 800 heavily armed Hitlerites. When reinforcements arrived, all the defenders of the height were wounded. Eight of them died. For this feat, the Komsomol organizer of the mortar battery, 18-year-old Sergey Bogomolov, and its commander, 24-year-old Leonid Tikhmanov, were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. And in 1967, the height was named Tikhmanovskaya by a decision of the Liozno Soviet of People's Deputies.
In 1972, on the Day of Missile Forces and Artillery, a memorial monument was unveiled, made of concrete according to the design of Vitebsk sculptor Azat Torosyan and architect Zinaida Ozerova. Six bayonets – obelisks, soaring upwards, rise on a semicircular stele two meters high. The monument is adorned with bas-relief images of six soldiers and partisans with machine guns. A mortar is installed on the platform.
This year, employees of Vitebsk Electric Networks, a branch of RUP "Vitebskenergo," carried out large-scale improvement works on the memorial complex. This is not the only example of the energy workers' assistance in a noble cause. Last year, they worked at the military burial site in Krynki. At that time, a request was made by the local authorities to help restore the "Tikhmanovskaya Height" memorial.
– Such memorials are a connecting link between the past, present, and future. They embody the courage and heroism of the Soviet people who endured the bloody struggle with the enemy. It is difficult for our peaceful generation to understand how they withstood the ordeal that befell them. Very young people went into battle and passed into immortality. It is our duty to immortalize and preserve the memory of them. To do everything so that our grandchildren can proudly tell their descendants about the feat of the Soviet soldier, – emphasized Vadim Kornilovich, Director of Vitebsk Electric Networks.
For their significant contribution to the preservation of historical memory, the collective of the branch was solemnly thanked by the Liozno District Executive Committee and the District Council.