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V. Penjakov
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The Great Britain also tasted the ordeals of the World War II. It underwent to bombardment. The English armies participated in land and sea operations. The Great Britain drought its contribution to a victory over fascism.
“On September 1, 1939 the German armies have entered Poland. On September 3 the British government has declared war on Germany.” (Liddel Hart; The World War II; Translation from English B.G. Liddel Hart, made, S. Pereslegin, P. Ismailov. – M. LRO Saint-Petersburg: Terra Fantastica 2002 – p. 944 (military – historical library p. 35))
“Hitler considered that England had to recognize” its hopeless martial law. And only on July 2, 1940 he ordered to study a question about the invasion of England (Liddel Heart B.G. The World War II; Translation from English B.G. Liddel Hart, made, S. Pereslegin, P. Ismailov. – M. LRO Saint-Petersburg: Terra Fantastica 2002 – p. 944 (military – historical library p.111))
The operation received the name “Sea Lion”. The English cities, such as Birmingham, Bristol, Plymouth, and London were undergone to bombardment. Thousand tons of bombs were dropped for a night. The German aviation attack, eld since July to offer 1940 caused the great damage. Hitler wanted to (annihilate) destroy English aircraft and to break spirit of English people, however the main aim of the attack has not been achieved. Germans have lost 1733 planes, the English aircraft has lost 915 ones. (Liddel Hart; The World War II; Translation from English B.G. Liddel Hart, made, S. Pereslegin, P. Ismailov. – M. LRO Saint-Petersburg: Terra Fantastica 2002 – p. 944 (military – historical library p.135))
The Great Britain took part in many military operations in Africa in 1941- 42s and in the Sicilian operation of Anglo- American armies in 1943.The Great Britain has taken part in the struggle against fascist Italy, in the opening of the second front in June, in 1944 and others.
It took part in the conference of the heads of Governements in Tegeran, in 1943 and in the Crimean conference in 1945. We know little of military feats of Englishmen. But in the Great Britain there were the heroes of the World War II too. One of them was Vladimir Penjakov.
“V. Penjakov was an unordinary person as well as his soldiers. In the middle of XX century he organized his private group in her Majesty’s service. He was born in the family of rich Russian natives in Brussels in 1897. In 1941 he is sent to be educated in Cambridge. When the World I began, he gave up his studies and entered as a volunteer the French army. After the war Penjakov left for Egypt, where he worked in a sugar industry. All his free time he devoted to studying the ways of a survival and navigation. When the World War II began, he entered the English army and when he was directed as the junior officer to the Libyan Arabian legion. Later he passes in “long reaction desert groups.” But these undisciplined motorized gangs are not his ideal. At last, in October 1942 he received the order to create the new diversive group under the command of himself. He changes his surname on Popsky.
The Penjakov’s diversive groupe had to carry on reconnaissance, to perform acts of sabotage on the rear depots, oil pipelines and others. There were only 23 persons in his group (5 sergeants, 18 soldiers and corporals.It increased to the end of war to 80 military men. They all were volunteers.They were the great experts in driving vehicles, in means of communication and blasting. The group accepted the baptism of fire on Janury 13 1943 in fight against the German motorized patrol. After that there were a lot of other spot-checks in which Penjakov proved to be talented and brave officer.
He had a great freedom in planning and carrying out of operations, and the most of them were terminated successfully .For example, during the night attack of the Great air – field near Tobruk Penjakov’s soldiers destroyed and damaged about 20 planes and military warehouses. After a while Popsky’s private army, PPA and soon it became the official name of the division .In September 1943 PPA and the 1-st British air-landing division were relocated to Italy. The difficult political situation in the country and also the absence of heavy arms in the 1-st British air-landing division demanded the most precise information about the German’s attack on Italy. Major Penjakov and his soldiers received the order to collect the detailed information about armies and objects of the enemy.
On September 9, 1943, jeeps from Taranto are sent in the rear of the 1-st German air –landing division. In the rear of the German army PPA established contacts with the Italians, who sympathized with allies. With their help Penjakov, given himself out to the Italian staff sergeant in telephone conversation, agreed with the German major from a staff of a division about sale of 8 boxes of selected cognac. He let him know beforehand that he was coming a “trophy” American jeep. The German major ordered that the Penjakov and his corporal came in the staff. Penjakov passed to a major’s cabinet and after mutual greetings he deafened him. Quickly searched a cabinet they found the detailed documentation on supply and a position of units of the 1-st German air-landing division. In some days Penjakov’s group returned to friendly troops. After that Penjakov still carried on some successful operations.
In 1943-1944s a lot of actions were carried out in close contact with the Italian guerrillas, in particular with the 28th “Garibaldi’s” guerilla brigade. Since June 1944 Penjakov’s groupe operated on the sector of the 12th and 27th mechanized regiments of the British army. On December 9, 1944 PPA’s patrol on 5 jeeps came to the aid of the small surrounded group of English soldiers. In the fight Penjakov was hardly wounded and in hospital his left hand was amputated. After some months of treatment in England he returned to his unit. After the ending of the military action in Italy, PPA was transferred to Austria and only on August 14, 1945 the “Popsky’s private army” was disbanded.”
The ordinary British soldiers and officer approached by their lives the victory over fascism. One of the heroes of the World War II was Vladimir Penjakov.
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