Vasily Korzh: biography of the Hero of the Soviet Union

Vasily Korzh - Hero of the Soviet Union. During the Second World War, he was a commander of "Mosquitoes" - a detachment of partisans, taking up the post of Major-General. In 1950 he became chairman of the collective farm. Vasily Zakharovich Korzh, whose exploits will not forget the country, participated in the war, was awarded orders and medals.

Biography of the Hero of the Soviet Union

Korzh Vasily Zakharovich, whose biography is full of many events, was born on January 1, 1899 in Belarus, in the village of Horostovo.

In 1921, Basil took part in battles with the White Guard detachments, which opposed the Soviet Union. The partisan detachment, in which Korzh was a member, fought against the anti-Soviet party of the Socialist-Revolutionaries.

In 1931 he graduated from special courses at the Orenburg State Pedagogical University. After receiving his education, Vasiliy Korzh received the honorary title of leader of the partisan movement.

To preserve the conspiracy Basil was considered an instructor of the Society for Defense Assistance, Aviation and Chemical Construction, but in fact he was responsible for guerrilla activities in six border areas.

The beginning of military career

In November 1936, Vasily Korzh was called to Spain, where at that time military operations began with the Francoists. At this time Vasily was the commander of a detachment of partisans. In December 1937, Basil returned to his homeland, where he received awards for his courage and courage.

Dark time

Vasily Korzh was suspected of espionage. It was assumed that he collected all the information he had collected from Poland, so that she could conduct active military operations against the USSR.

As a result, Korzh was arrested and sent to Minsk prison, where he stayed for more than a month. The prison conditions were very hard, they mocked the prisoners, but Vasily Korzh, even for his release, did not sign a confession of espionage against the Soviet Union.

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Coming out of prison, Basil went to Pinsk. It was there that he created his partisan detachment. Vasily Korzh changed his name to Komarov, which later became his pseudonym in order to avoid another arrest.

June 22, 1941, Germany invaded the territory of the USSR, attacking the country from the side of Belarus. It was here that the largest guerrilla movement in Europe was formed, in the forefront of which was Korzh.

First successes

For the Soviet Union, Belarus was an important element that could not be conceded to the German troops. It was on this territory that there were impassable forest debris and deep bogs, which was the main advantage for the development of guerrilla movements here.

Already on June 28, 1941, Korzh and his partisan detachment were able to ambush Pinsk-Logishin, where an enemy convoy of military equipment was passing. Already after the first well-aimed throws of the grenades in the tanks, the head car was smashed. It was this ambush that went down in history as the first guerrilla attack. In this battle, the "Mosquitoes" did not lose a single fighter.

Success in further action

Already in the first months of the war the territories of Belarus were occupied. In the winter of 1942, the partisan detachment led by Korzh made a sleigh ride to the German rear. During this raid, several dozen enemy garrisons were routed. "Komarovtsy" attacked not only enemy garrisons, but also railway stations, German echelons with soldiers and military supplies, destroyed telephone lines. The guerrilla group was lucky in everything, but none of the partisans could think that the walk would last for such a long time - the detachment had been in this raid for more than three years.

Family relationships

During the war, both Vasili's daughters also participated in military operations and attacks on the fascists. Vasily Korzh, whose family was also inevitably dragged into the war, was very worried about the daughters - the women taken prisoner suffered terrible torture from enemy soldiers. However, the youngest daughter Zinaida, inheriting the character of her father, went to battle with confidence in victory over the enemy. At the end of the war, Zinaida Korzh was awarded many medals and orders for her courage and steadfastness. Zinaida received the Order of the Red Star, the Order of the Patriotic War of the second degree.

Olga, Vasylia's eldest daughter, was a sanitary instructor in a cavalry squadron. As Olga herself recalled, during the war she thought that everything she saw could possibly be left behind, but she could not forget the pain-distorted faces and mutilated bodies.

Despite the fact that men who were comrades-in-arms during the war, laughed at women, did not believe that young girls could really benefit, Olga and Zinaida had long been involved in military operations. However, Vasily Zakharovich persuaded the girls to go to the Cossacks in the collective farm, where they would be safe.

Only in 1941 Zinaida and Olga succumbed to the persuasion of his father to leave the war. They left for the village of Tbilisi, where they began to live and work on the collective farm, among the Cossacks.

Zinaida, having entered the society of women participating in the war, became the chairman of this society.

Life of Korzh in the postwar period

In 1946 Vasily Zakharovich graduated from the Military Academy of the Military Staff. In the same year, Korzh resigned, being in the rank of Major-General.

Already at the end of the war, Korzh was awarded two Lenin orders, an Order of the Patriotic War of the first degree.

In the same year, Vasily began work as Deputy Minister of Forestry. After working on the site for four years, Korzh was able to get the chairman of the collective farm "Partizansky Krai" in his native land - in the village of Horostovo. In this post Vasily Zakharovich worked until his death.

In the postwar years, Vasily Zakharovich was in close friendship with Marshal Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov. Having met in Slutsk, the commanders largely agreed and for the rest of their lives kept in touch. While spending time, they hunted swamps for ducks, Zhukov often stayed overnight at Korzh's parents' house. Already in the post-war peacetime, Korzh often visited his disgraced friend in the capital.

Creative way

Vasili Korzh had a desire to write and publish an autobiographical book that could tell about all the terrible events that met on the way with the Hero of the Soviet Union. For a long time working on memoirs that were based on the events of guerrilla warfare, Korzh was able to convey the whole atmosphere reigning in the terrible days that spilled over into months and years.

In the postwar period, the book was banned by censors, because much of what Vasiliy Korzh wrote about was too harsh, it could show the actions of the authorities of the Soviet Union not in the best light. Everyone knows the fact that even in times of war, power in the USSR was too cruel. Joseph Stalin, who had already missed the moment when the German troops attacked the territory of the Soviet Union, was too biased about Korzh, which influenced the general's attitude to the whole war. Censors believed that most of what Korzh described in his works did not coincide with reality, but Vasily Zakharovich described all the events truthfully. To date, the reliability of the book can be verified by relying on historical facts.

The book was published only in 2008, which helped the younger daughter of Basil, Zinaida. It was she who transferred her father's works to the National Archives of Belarus.

Family Commander Relationships

According to some sources, it is believed that Vasily Korzh and Max Korzh are relatives. The entertainer himself says that Vasily Zakharovich is his great-great-uncle. Much of what is known about the life of Basil, he told Max Korzh. Vasily Zakharovich Korzh, whose photographs can be seen in this article, really has an external resemblance to a young singer.

A few words about the life of Korzh

Vasily Korzh - a great military leader, thanks to which the guerrilla movement gained such significant speed. It was with his help that the USSR managed to preserve such strategically important lands of Belarus that were necessary not only for the Soviet Union, but also for the German invaders. Having trained their daughters worthy fighters who inherited their fatherly character, Vasily Zakharovich was proud of them all the post-war years. He maintained friendly relations with Marshal Zhukov for many years, it was clear to everyone that they were connected - the constant opal on the part of the authorities. Both of them, having been in disgrace, understood each other perfectly. Having earned the respect of his comrades-in-arms, Vasili Korzh forever remained in the memory of all who honor the great victory of the Soviet Union.