VIEDRYCH BATTLE OF 1943

ˈViedrych ˈBattle of 1943

Battle between the 99th Kalinkavichy Partisan Brigade, 101st Damanavichy Partisan Brigade and P. K. Ponomarenko Vasilievichy Partisan Brigade from one side against Nazi invaders from the other side in Viedrych urochyshcha (isolated terrain feature) of Vasilievichy Rajon, Paliessie Voblasc, in August 1943 during the Great Patriotic War.

Partisan reconnaissance established that at the Lugas livestock base, the Hitlerites had prepared 2 thousand heads of cattle looted from the local population for shipment to Germany. The command of the Paliessie Partisan Formation decided to thwart the plans of the invaders and destroy the garrison that guarded the base. The partisans blocked the garrison on August 23, 1943, from the south in order to prevent reinforcements from the Vasilievichy railway station, silenced enemy’s earth-and-timber emplacements with machine-gun fire, shot down the machine gunners from the tower and gained the base.

Most of the garrison was destroyed, and over 500 heads of livestock were captured. The partisans lost 12 persons killed and wounded.