Winged expression: "There is nowhere to retreat - behind Moscow!": Who said this phrase?

Many of us have heard the winged expression: "There is nowhere to retreat - behind Moscow!". Who said this phrase and under what circumstances was it pronounced? We often do not know this. It seems that everyone knows these words, they are known to us, but still we can not name the exact author of this expression.

We will try to shed some light on this problem.

The history of the origin of the winged expression

Today it is impossible to determine exactly where the phrase came from: "There is nowhere to retreat - behind Moscow!", Who said these words and why they were pronounced.

There are several basic versions of the origin of this expression. Let us consider them in more detail.

The first and most popular version attributes this phrase to politician Vasily Grigorievich Klochkov, who said these words, referring to the Panfilov heroes who defended Moscow from the Nazis in the terrible and cold 1941.

The second version is based on the fact that this phrase was uttered during the Crimean War in 1854 by Admiral Kornilov, who defended Sevastopol from the Western allies, although it sounded somewhat different: "We have nowhere to retreat, we have a sea behind us." It was meant that the Russians would still never leave the Crimea and would not give it to the mercy of their enemies.

The third version attributes these words to Field Marshal M.I. Kutuzov, who with this expression tried to cheer up his soldiers and officers during the Battle of Borodino.

In this vein, let us recall the phrase from Lermontov's poem "Guys, Is not Moscow Behind Us ?!". True, in the poem it is spoken not by Kutuzov, but by the hero the colonel, who died in this battle.

And, finally, there is a version that began to be popularized during the years of perestroika. According to her, this phrase was invented by front-line correspondent Alexander (Zinoviy) Krivitsky, who described the exploit of 28 Panfilovites. By the way, supporters of this version believe that there was no heroic battle between the Panfilovites and the Germans, and the journalist completely composed this story in order to support the morale of the retreating Red Army.

Let's consider these versions in more detail.

Panfilov's feat

For the first time the phrase: "Great Russia, and nowhere to retreat - behind Moscow!" Appeared in an article by the correspondent Krivitsky, which was called "About 28 fallen heroes". It described the battle of Soviet soldiers with fascist units, which took place on November 16, 1941. The soldiers from Panfilov's division blew themselves up, rushing under enemy tanks, thereby slowing the course of the German offensive and facilitating the Germans being driven out from under Moscow.

The article was generally pathetic. The phrase "Great is Russia, but nowhere to retreat - behind Moscow!" The political instructor Klochkov said.

This version is firmly included in all Soviet textbooks.

Version of post-perestroika time

Supporters of the falsification of the exploit of Panfilov heroes actively published their works in the late 80-90's. In them they pointed out that Krivtsov's article was merely a propaganda text, the purpose of which was to raise the morale of the Red Army. In fact, it was not Klochkov who uttered the phrase: "Russia is great, but nowhere to retreat - behind Moscow". Its author, in the opinion of these researchers, is journalist Krivitsky himself.

It should be noted that it was disputed, rather, not the authorship of this phrase, but in general the presence of Panfilov's heroism, which was seriously undermined by the idea of the mass heroism of the Soviet people during the Great Patriotic War.

"There is nowhere to retreat - behind Moscow!": Whose words? Is it really Kutuzov?

There are supporters of the version that this phrase was born in the century before last, and it belonged to the famous field-marshal. Supporters of this version do not cite written evidence, but they point to the memories of eyewitnesses and participants of the battle of Borodino, who in their memoirs wrote that something like Kutuzov really said.

The meaning of the expression for Russian history

Today it is no longer accepted in serious historical circles to challenge the true existence of the exploit of the Panfilov heroes, so the question of the origin of the winged expression: "There is nowhere to retreat - behind Moscow!" (Who said these words) is so sharply put.

In fact, this phrase could be pronounced in any of the difficult periods of Russian history: 70 years ago, 200 years ago, and even 700 years ago. These words reflect the essence of the Russian understanding of the struggle against enemies who claim to be native to our compatriots: there is nowhere to retreat to Russian people, because behind their shoulders is their mother-land, which must be protected to the last drop of blood.

Therefore, the question of when the words "There is nowhere to retreat - behind Moscow!" Were uttered, who told them and when, is not the most important. This phrase became winged because it expressed the whole essence of the Russian people's world outlook.

These words are eternal. They will live as long as Russia lives and its mighty and powerful people live. The people, in whose character the great power, and softness, and kindness, and sympathy, and terrible hatred of enemies have merged.