ZARIF ALIMBEKOVICH TURGUMBEKOV

The story is provided by the Alykul Osmonov National Library of the Kyrgyz Republic

For the Motherland!

31 years have passed since the victory in the Great Patriotic War, but those years of hardships that our people endured will never be forgotten. These days comrades-in-arms meet to take their combat memories and share about their present-day life.
I have read the article „Story of a Frontline Soldier” (the Vecherniy Frunze newspaper, 23 March 1978) by Z. Turgumbekov and decided to find out whether the author was my comrade-in-arms, who in 1942 – 1943 fought in the battle of Stalingrad and then on the Kalininskiy Front. I was eager to see my comrade-in-arms and fellow-countryman again on the eve of the 31 anniversary of our victory. I wrote a letter to the Editors of the Vecherniy Frunze newspaper to get in touch with the author. Finally we met. It turned out that it was the brother of my comrade-in-arms, Zarif Turgumbekov. He, too, was an active participant in the Great Patriotic War. Zarif bravely fought to defend the Motherland from fascist invaders. In the Turgumbekov family four brothers were called into the army. Not all of them returned home.

Dzhamalbek’s mother waited for her elderly son in vain. I remember him standing in line in August 1942 ready to join the 1051 artillery regiment of the 300 artillery division organized at Tuymaza in Bashkiria. He was tall, slim, neat, with the bearing of an experienced soldier. He drew my attention and I appointed him commander of a mortar squad. (At that time I substituted for the platoon commander.) Dzhamalbek lived up to my expectations. In the battle of Stalingrad, Dzhamalbek participated in the combat operations of the 3d separate artillery battalion of the 124th separate artillery brigade, which took place near the tractor plant. He showed himself as a brave and well-trained commander, self-rigorous and demanding to those under his command. In combat, he always set an example of bravery, perseverance and resilience to the soldiers. During severe fighting Dzhamalbek told his soldiers to pass to each other in chain order: „Not a step back! There is no land for us past the Volga River!” And his soldiers held out. The city on the Volga River was upheld and the fascist troops were surrounded and destroyed.
For heroism and perseverance in the defense, for bravery and courage in the defeat of the encircled fascist forces the Soviet government awarded our 124th separate artillery brigade with the Order of the Combat Red Banner. Dzhamalbek Turgumbekov made his contribution to that great victory on the Volga.

Having completed its mission on the Stalingradskiy Front, our brigade was reinforced and sent to the Kalininskiy Front to breach the sustained fascist defenses. We were set an objective to breach the 8-kilometer section of the frontline, to advance 16 km into the depths and to capture the town of Dukhovshchina. In August 1943, Dzhamalbek was appointed commander of a mortar platoon and transferred to a different company. That’s when we parted. Soon after, there was a rumour that Dzhamalbek died a hero’s death. Still, I could not believe it because sometimes the badly wounded were mistaken for the dead. But it turned out to be true. Dzhamalbek’s parents received the „killed in action” notice in 1943.
He told me about himself in his spare time. He was born in the village of Kara-Balta, Kaliniskiy District. He worked as a teacher before the war. He was fond of children and liked his profession. We often remembered our native Kirgizia. We agreed to go home together once the war was over. We invited each other to celebrate the victory in the homes of our relatives. I was the first to accept the invitation because on the way home we would first pass through Kara-Balta and then Tokmak, where I was called into the Army. But our dreams did not come true. Dzhamalbek was killed in combat during the breakthrough operation on the front near the town of Dukhovshchina in Smolensk Oblast. He perished for his Motherland, for freedom and happiness of his people. We will remember the heroic soldier forever in loving memory. Touched with emotion, I told that much to Dzhamalbek’s brother, Zarif Turgumbekov.

Years have elapsed. The wounds of the war have been healed by the labour of the Soviet people. New towns have been built. In September 1975, I visited the city of Volgograd by train as a tourist. I came to see the sites of the battles. I saw nine-storied blocks of flats where shell holes and ruined houses of the Spartanovka settlement were. And the dugout shelters on the banks of the Volga went underwater when the dam was built for the Volgograd Hydro-electric Power Station.

Member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union — Yeremin