Yakut warriors as part of the 19th separate ski brigade (To the 80th anniversary of the tragedy on Lake Ilmen in 1943)

The years of the Great Patriotic War of 1941 – 1945 are a special page in the history of our Motherland. Old and young, all as one stood up to defend the honor and freedom won by the people from fascist encroachments. The people, enduring an incredibly heavy burden, overcame a hostile enemy, eradicated fascism at the root. The Yakut warriors, unlike other peoples of the USSR, did not form separate formations, fought in almost all military formations and formations. However, as the archival documents found by the researchers showed, there were individual cases when a large group of Sakha fought in one military unit. Thus, it was as part of the 19th separate ski brigade in the battles on Lake Ilmen. About 600 Yakut warriors fought in this ski brigade. In the history of the Great Patriotic War, there were not only victorious pages, but also those battles and operations that, due to the fault of the military command, did not bring positive results and entailed great human sacrifice. Operation Polar Star is a large-scale idea of the Soviet command. Yet for a number of reasons, it was not crowned with the victory of the Soviet troops. The young men, knowing that they were dying, none of them flinched, did not take a step back. All of them remained forever lying at the bottom of Lake Ilmen. They kept their oath and fulfilled their military and civil duty to their people. Eternal Memory and Glory to them. Nothing is forgotten, no one is forgotten! In memory of this tragedy, a large memorial complex was created on Lake Ilmen by the joint efforts of Novgorod Oblast and the Sakha Republic (Yakutia). The youth of Yakutia reverently honors this place and annually pays tribute to the fallen soldiers. A complex dedicated to this battle has been built on Lake Ilmen. The memory of the dead sons of Yakutia for the honor and freedom of their Homeland is in safe hands. The memory relay continues.

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