How a Russian soldier survived 9 years underground and preserved a warehouse: the permanent sentry of the Osovets fortress

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The defense of the Osovets fortress is a sad page in Russian history, which, however, our country can be proud of. It was here in 1915 that the so-called "attack of the dead" took place, which plunged the enemies of the Russian army into horror, and here, as the legend says, a little later the sentry, who guarded the underground warehouse, was "forgotten". They discovered this person, allegedly, only after many years.

The Osovets Fortress is an old Russian fortification, erected at the end of the 18th century not far from Bialystok, then these territories belonged to Russia. By the beginning of the First World War, the fortress was an important defensive line, therefore, it was defended desperately. The besieged stronghold withstood German attacks for more than six months and surrendered only on orders from “above”, when the command decided that it was inexpedient to continue the defense. It was at this moment, in August 1915, that the events took place that became the basis of an amazing legend.

The evacuation of the defenders of the fortress went according to plan. The Russian garrison took out everything that it could take, and even helped organize the departure of civilians. The surviving fortifications and the remaining supplies were blown up. As the newspapers wrote then, "Osovets died, but did not surrender!" After the last defender left the destroyed ancient walls, the fortress was empty for several days, the Germans did not dare to enter it for another three days.

When the First World War died down, the fortress was on the territory of independent Poland. Beginning in the 1920s, the new owners began to restore the ancient stronghold. The Poles rebuilt the barracks, repaired the walls and dismantled the rubble left by the explosions - German and Russian, made before the withdrawal of our troops. Legend has it that in 1924, while clearing one of the forts, soldiers stumbled upon a well-preserved underground tunnel.

The soldiers decided to examine the opened passage on their own, but after walking quite a bit, they heard a shout in Russian from the darkness: “Stop! Who goes?". Of course, after such an incident, the "researchers" in a panic got out into the light and told their officer that a ghost had settled in the tunnel. He, of course, gave his subordinates a thrashing for inventions, but he nevertheless went down into the dungeon. At the same place, he also heard the shout of a Russian sentry and heard the clang of a rifle bolt. Fortunately, the Polish officer spoke Russian, so he was able to convince the unknown defender of the tunnel not to shoot. To a reasonable question, who is he and what is doing here, the man from the dungeon replied:

- I am a sentry, assigned here to guard the warehouse.

When the stunned officer asked if the Russian soldier knew how long he had been sitting here, he replied:

- Yes I know. I took office nine years ago, in August one thousand nine hundred and fifteen.

Most of all, the Polish soldiers were struck by the fact that the man, locked underground for so long, did not rush to his rescuers, but conscientiously carried out an order that had long since become meaningless. Continuing to obey the military regulations of a non-existent country, the Russian sentry did not agree to leave his post and responded to all persuasions that he could only be removed by the divorcing or "sovereign emperor."

Even when the poor fellow was explained that the war had ended long ago and even the "sovereign emperor" himself was no longer alive, and this territory now belongs to Poland, the confidence of the "permanent sentry" did not shake. After thinking a little and clarifying who is now in charge in Poland, the soldier announced that the president of this country could remove him from his post. Further, the legend tells that Józef Pilsudski himself sent a telegram to Osovets and thus freed the Russian hero from his too long service.

Having finally come to the surface, the "permanent sentry" immediately became blind, as his eyes had become unaccustomed to the sunlight. The Poles, upset that they had not guessed about this trouble in advance, promised the underground prisoner treatment and provided the first necessary aid. It turned out that the soldier was overgrown with hair and very pale, but he was not dressed in rags. He was wearing a pretty decent tunic and clean linen, and his weapons and ammunition were kept in exemplary order. The Russian hero told in detail how he found himself in this position and, most importantly, how he survived all these years.

It turned out that the Russian sentry was really simply forgotten in the bustle of the evacuation. He was on duty in an underground tunnel, guarding a food and clothing warehouse, when he heard the rumble of an explosion. Convinced that his way out was cut off, the soldier realized that he was stuck here for a long time, but did not despair. He expected to be remembered sooner or later. Having examined his new dwelling, the underground Robinson was convinced that everything was not so bad: the guarded object could also feed a small detachment of soldiers, since the stocks of stewed meat, condensed milk and rusks in it were huge. In addition, in some places of the tunnel, water seeped through the vaults, which was quite enough for one person. And, most importantly, it turned out that small narrow adits provided ventilation for the warehouse. Through one such gap, through an array of stone and earth, a meager light of the sun even made its way to the prisoner, which allowed him not to confuse night and day.

Gradually, the forgotten defender of the fortress managed to arrange his life. There was enough food for him, there were in the warehouse and such things as a makhorka and matches necessary for a soldier, and stearin candles were also found. In order not to get confused in time, the soldier followed the beam of light and made a notch on the wall when it faded away. The Sunday notch was longer, and on Saturdays, as a self-respecting Russian, he arranged a “bath day”. True, there was not enough water from small puddles for full washing and washing, but the soldier changed the linen worn out in a week for a new one, since shirts, underpants and footcloths were kept in the warehouse. Used kits "Robinson" piled in one place in the tunnel in neat piles, thus counting the weeks. Fifty-two pairs of dirty linen were added in the year of imprisonment.

The reclusive hero also had adventures. In the fourth year, he had to put out a fire, which he himself, inadvertently, allowed. As a result, the poor fellow was left in complete darkness, as the supply of candles burned out. Another constant trouble was the rats. With these aggressors, the sentry conducted a systematic struggle, exterminating them in the hundreds.

Having finally come out to the people, the Russian soldier did not want to stay in Poland, although he was offered, and returned to his homeland. However, the renewed Russia did not need the heroes of the First World War, and then the traces of the "permanent sentry" were lost. It is only known that he was never able to restore his vision.

This story became widely known from the essay of the Soviet writer Sergei Smirnov. The author searched the archives for information about the heroes of the Brest Fortress, and several people told him about an amazing incident during the First World War. All eyewitnesses assured that this was the true truth, although they differed in details. The writer retold this story in his own words, the essay "Permanent sentry" was published in the magazine "Ogonyok" in 1960 and translated into several languages. Surprisingly, the article received a huge response. Letters began to come to the writer from all over the world. It turned out that in 1925 the story of a Russian soldier who had been guarding a warehouse for nine years was published in many Polish and some Soviet publications. Even some of these notes were found, but, unfortunately, none of the newspapermen even reported the name of the sentry.

Today this story seems fantastic to many. For a hundred years, it has not found documentary evidence, but many "white spots" and inconsistencies are found in it. For example, the telegram from Piłsudski looks like a very "weak link", since in 1924 he just for a while moved away from active politics. In addition, it is doubtful that a person is able to preserve his mind in such conditions, although the capabilities of our psyche are precisely the question from which any miracles can be expected.

During the siege, a terrible event took place in the fortress of Osovets, known as Attack of the "Dead": How Poisoned Russian Warriors Fought Back the Germans and Retained the Fortress