Island andurup position of the vessel. Landing on the Kuril Islands

Since the 2000s, Russia has “returned” to the Kuril Islands and began to systematically develop them. At first it’s spotty, but in comparison with the complete paralysis and devastation of the 90s, this is “heaven and earth” - the pace increases from year to year. A comprehensive Federal Target Program for the Development of the Islands until 2015 was adopted, providing for the systematic construction of large infrastructure. In general, for the first time in their history, the Kuril Islands were personally visited by the head of state, then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, and federal ministers. In the current year 2013, investments will be made in the Kuril Islandsrecord funding — almost 7 billion rubles. Of these, within the framework of the federal target program "Kuril Islands"— more than 5.2 billion rubles, of which 3.9 billion rubles. These are funds from the federal budget. Funds from the regional budget within the framework of the federal targeted program and the non-program part will amount to more than 2.3 billion rubles, and another almost 450 million rubles will come from extra-budgetary sources. In addition, the government of the Sakhalin region signed agreements with four government customers to open federal funding in record time. Documents were signed with Rosavtodor, the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Regional Development, and Rosrybolovstvo. “The development of the Far East is one of the priorities, of course, and Sakhalin is one of the important regions. Since funding has not been carried out for a long time, its volume is now very large.”

But a lot has already been done on the Kuril Islands. We present a wonderful photo report from a user about the current appearance of the Russian Kuril Islandstumanova , published in May 2011 on the “Made with Us” resource. Since that time, the Kuril Islands have probably changed even more positively, because they, like the entire East of Russia as a strategic region, have received special attention from the top officials of the state.

We, from the editorial office of RN, will be glad to receive reports or observations, reflections from you, our readers, perhaps residents of the Kuril Islands or who have now visited the Kuril Islands. Write, share.

DETAILS ABOUT THE NEW INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE KURIL ISLANDS

The Kuril Islands include 30 large and many small islands. The population lives permanently only in Paramushir, Iturup, Kunashir and Shikotan. The population of the Kuril Islands is 18,735 people.

The volume of the federal target program "Socio-economic development of the Kuril Islands for 2007-2015" valid until 2015 is 21 billion rubles. The bulk of this amount is allocated from the federal budget. The Sakhalin Region also plans to attract funds from private investors for the development of the Kuril Islands. Private investment in the islands' economy now amounts to a billion rubles a year, and by 2015 it will increase to 6 billion.

KUNASHIR ISLAND

Kunashir Island is the southernmost island of the Great Kuril Islands. The population is about 8,000 people. Yuzhno-Kurilsk is the administrative center of the Yuzhno-Kurilsky District.

Social housing:

In August 2012, a ceremony for presenting warrants and keys to new apartments took place in Yuzhno-Kurilsk. The 10-apartment building was built with funds from the regional and local budgets according to one of the regional programs:

House of Culture (medical and educational expedition "Borders of Russia", August 2010):

New kindergarten:

Port of Yuzhno-Kurilsk:

New deep-water berth:

The commissioning of modern deep-sea berthing complexes in Kunashir and Iturup will bring the transport infrastructure in the Kuril Islands to a qualitatively new level and improve the quality of life on the islands.

The motor ship "Igor Farkhutdinov" moored for the first time at the new pier (February 2011):

With funds from the federal program for the socio-economic development of the Kuril Islands and the budget of the Sakhalin region, the construction of a marine terminal is underway on the territory of the constructed berth complex in South Kuril Bay.

In addition to passengers, this building will house various services - a border checkpoint, a customs post, port supervision, administration and a seaport control room. Completion of construction is planned for 2012:

Airport "Mendeleevo". The airfield was built by the Japanese when Kunashir Island was still under Japanese control and has hardly been rebuilt since then. In 2006 it was closed due to complete deterioration of the infrastructure and destruction of the runway. During the reconstruction, within the framework of the Federal Target Program for the socio-economic development of the Kuril Islands, a new passenger terminal, taxiways, a new apron, a runway (runway), a landing system and lighting equipment were put into operation:

There is a Mendeleevskaya GeoTPP (geothermal power plant) on the island, which provides the island with heat and electricity. Volcano energy as a source of heat and light for humans is the operating principle of this station. Commissioning of the second stage of the station in 2007 provided 100% of the heat demand in Yuzhno-Kurilsk. The planned modernization of the Mendeleevskaya Geothermal Power Plant will increase its capacity from 3.6 MW to 7.4 MW:

On about. Kunashir has two fish processing plants - LLC PKF "South Kuril Fish Processing Plant" and LLC "Delta".

The Yuzhno-Kurilsky Fish Processing Plant has modernized its production processing lines. All fish and seafood caught by our own trawl fleet are delivered to shore without loss of quality. A complex shift of 25 people successfully copes with large volumes of incoming raw materials:

In 2011 on the island. Kunashir the first kilometers of asphalt were laid:

ITURUP ISLAND

Iturup Island is an island in the southern group of the Great Kuril Islands, the largest island of the archipelago. Population - 6387 people. Kurilsk is the administrative center of the island.

In recent years, a modern microdistrict "Severny" has been built in the village of Kurilsk. Within its boundaries it is planned to build a large palace of culture and sports, under the roof of which there will be a sports complex, a swimming pool, a house of culture and other institutions:

In 2006, the modern fish processing complex "Reidovo" was launched on the island:

Six air freezing chambers ensure the production of 74 tons of finished frozen fish products per day:

On about. Iturup also houses the Yasny fish processing plant, equipped with a one-of-a-kind freezing tunnel for air freezing of fish, which allows the continuous freezing of 210 tons of finished fish products per day. There is a caviar workshop where 3 tons of caviar are produced per day. In addition, a salting shop with a capacity of 25 tons per day and a refrigerator with a capacity of 2300 tons of simultaneous storage:

There are several other fishing enterprises, the largest of which are Skit, Bug, and Continent.

The buildings of the Kuril Secondary School for 250 students have already been built on the island, as well as a modern central regional hospital with 50 beds and a clinic for 100 visits per shift.

New hospital:

Sports complex:

Improvement works:

In February 2012, two 8-apartment buildings were put into operation:

The new airport "Iturup" is located on the sunny side of the island, which will allow easy access to the island even in bad weather. The enlarged 2.2 km long runway will accommodate all types of aircraft operating in the region:

Near Kurilsk there is a geothermal spring with radon waters:

A few years ago, the springs consisted of two concrete vats for salting fish, in which vacationers took baths, not forgetting to litter the surrounding area with broken bottle glass. The geothermal springs were improved by the company "Gidrostoroy":

SHIKOTAN ISLAND

Shikotan Island is the largest island of the Malaya ridge of the Kuril Islands. Malokurilskoye is the administrative center of the island. Population: about 2100 people.

Using funds from the federal program, a deep-water pier has already been built and is being operated in Malokurilskaya Bay on Shikotan, and in the neighboring Krabozavodskaya Bay on the same Shikotan, the construction of a pier is nearing completion on co-financing terms - the own funds of Gidrostroy JSC and the regional budget.

The Krabozavodsk fish processing complex is equipped with the most modern equipment.

The workshop's capacity allows it to receive and process up to 300 tons of raw fish daily:

New kindergarten for 70 places (2010):

New School (2006):

Construction of fuel supply systems is underway on all islands - Iturup, Kunashir and Shikotan:

PARAMUSHIRE ISLAND

Paramushir Island is one of the islands of the Northern group of the Great Kuril Islands. Population - about 2500 people. Severo-Kurilsk is the administrative center and the only populated area of ​​the island:

The fishing port and fish processing plant are the main production facilities of Severo-Kurilsk:

New houses (prior to this housing had not been built in Severo-Kurilsk for 20 years):

The diesel power plant providing electricity to Severo-Kurilsk is now located in a new building:

A farm that supplies fresh vegetables to the local market. Over 30 people work here:

Fisherman's Day is one of the main holidays on the Kuril Islands:

Transportation of goods and passengers to the islands is carried out by the motor ships "Igor Farkhutdinov" and "Marina Tsvetaeva":

P.S. Of course, on the Kuril Islands, not everything is as rosy and positive as it looks in these photographs. I have collected here only new or renovated objects. In addition to large settlements by the standards of the Kuril Islands, there are also very small settlements, where, nevertheless, people also live. But since the island development program was adopted until 2015 and the positive trend is obvious, there is every reason to believe that in all settlements of all 4 inhabited Kuril Islands there will be decent living conditions.

P.S.: Kuril Islands and Japan. Complex topic. Famous traveler and blogger Ilya Buyanovsky, who visited the Kuril Islands, writes in his wonderful post about the southernmost point of the islands of the Habomai archipelago: “I answer in advance: the local residents are categorically against the transfer of the islands to Japan. And there is no need to make such astonished eyes: there are many thousands of kilometers from us to Japan , from them - several dozen. It’s certainly better for them to know where they would prefer to live.”

Our two-week trip to the Kuril Islands has come to an end. We visited the island of Iturup and while passing we saw the islands of Kunashir and Shikotan.

To say that this trip left a lot of impressions is to say nothing. There are so many emotions from what we saw and learned that their number cannot be counted. The memory card stores hundreds of photos, and the mind wants to shout with joy: “We did it!”

Why Kuril Islands? I have wanted to go to these islands for a very long time. I was attracted here by the beauty of nature I saw from photographs and video reports, as well as the opportunity to walk a lot, enjoying the clean air. Yes, and some internal inconsistency undermined the fact that I had visited many places in Russia, but I had never seen in person what was nearby and where hundreds of tourists flock every year. In addition, my husband served in the army on Iturup, and after several years he worked on a geological research expedition on the famous Baransky volcano. Therefore, in our family we heard stories about how beautiful and unique this island is quite often.

We had been planning to go for three years, but the birth of our second child stopped us, and then the desire to take our little children out to the bright sun, which was missing in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk for a year, and in the Kuril Islands the weather is just as unstable as ours. But this year we firmly decided that if we postpone the trip again, we will never do it. And let's go. Four of us, with two children. Few people knew about our plans, but not because we are superstitious, but because those to whom we told about our plans for this summer began to twist their fingers at their temples and all as one wailed: “With children? Crazy! You will be eaten by bears! You’ll freeze and get sick! You’ll get bored there quickly! What’s there to see!” In response to all these exclamations, today I want to answer that we are alive and well, we had a great rest and even got a tan, and there is something to see in the Kuril Islands and this list is endless, since their main attraction is nature, and it is different every day.

Although the Kuril Islands are islands in the Sakhalin region, a significant part of the journey to them is occupied by the road. Unless, of course, you choose a motor ship as your means of transportation. We chose the second one. Today I want to talk about the features of this part of the trip.

Why a motor ship? Firstly, because the price of ferry tickets is much cheaper than plane tickets. So for June, the price of a plane ticket from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Kurilsk was 7,300 rubles per person for residents of the Sakhalin region and 15,000 for residents of other regions of Russia and foreigners. Tickets are purchased for everyone, including children over 2 years old (as on standard Russian flights). Ticket prices for the motor ship "Igor Farkhutdinov" Korsakov-Kurilsk-Yuzhno-Kurilsk-Malokurilsk-Korsakov for June-July 2017:

• 4-bed cabins without amenities (shower, toilet in a common corridor) - 3,727 rubles per person.
• 2-4 seater cabins with amenities - 5587 rubles per person.
• Double suite (shower, toilet, sofa, TV in the cabin) - 9307 rubles.

In addition, children under five years old travel for free without being provided with a separate seat; from five to seven years old, children buy a ticket at half the price of an adult. Attention! Those who are going to travel with a small child under five years old in this way, take with you a printout of the rules from the website or from the tour operator stating that the child must travel for free. On the way back, they started demanding money from us for the child, it was the possession of this information that helped put everything in its place, and my daughter traveled for free (I will indicate the website and city address below).

Additional fees are paid: Korsakov - 550 rubles, Kunashir - 150 rubles, Iturup - 150 rubles.

Bed linen is also paid - 180 rubles per set.

There are also no restrictions on the weight of luggage on the ship. There is no need to pay for luggage. Therefore, tourists with huge backpacks, as a rule, choose the route by sea.

Where to buy tickets? The most convenient way is to use the website of the Federal System of Bus Ticket Offices rfbus.ru, where to purchase you just need to enter the departure date and your passport details, select a cabin and pay for the ticket by card. The second way is to purchase from a manager. The sales office is located at: Kommunistichesky Prospekt 21, 3rd floor, Opera restaurant building.

Features of the purchase. Tickets can only be purchased one month before departure or later, subject to availability. That is, if you, for example, are going to travel on July 18, then you can buy a ticket from June 18. Previously it was impossible. The same system applies to return tickets. For Sakhalin residents, return tickets can only be purchased on Sakhalin or on the website; in the Kuril Islands, they cannot be purchased at the port ticket office.

Border zone. The Kuril Islands are a border zone. Therefore, for everyone who does not have a Kuril registration, and also does not go there for conscription service or work on call from an enterprise, it is necessary to obtain an entry permit. Without it, you will even be allowed to approach the gangway. Without permission, you can simply ride along the sea on a boat without going onto land. Permission must be obtained in Kholmsk from the border service, since the ship’s home port is the city of Kholmsk. Be sure to print out your e-tickets; they require mandatory stamps. An entry permit can be obtained by one person for others with their passports. But for children, permission must only be obtained by a parent or legal representative. It will not be given to grandparents, aunts, uncles and other relatives and friends.

Departure . The ship departs from the port of Korsakov, boarding begins at 10 am. According to the rules, passengers need to arrive at the port in advance. But here the phrase “from 10 am” plays an important role. No one can guarantee that due to bad weather and other circumstances you will not board the ship much later. Experienced tourists told us that they lived in Korsakov for five days waiting for boarding. But this usually happens in the fall and at the very beginning of winter, when storms are frequent.

We were lucky: we only waited at the port for an hour and went to check-in at 11 am. Passengers are now transported to the ship by bus, which is free.

Travel time. Travel time from Korsakov to the port of the village of Kitovy (Iturup Island) is 19 hours, you have to spend the night in a cabin. If the weather is good, arrive the next morning.

Nutrition. I recommend taking food with you, because on this ship the ticket price does not include meals (unlike ferries running from Kholmsk to Vanino). On board, of course, there is a restaurant, but the prices there are hellish, and the choice of food is meager: only set breakfasts, lunches and dinners from the Sanes company from Kholmsk are offered. There is no cook on the ship. So a plate of semolina porridge with tea (breakfast) cost 260 rubles, pasta with sausage and seaweed soup and dried fruit compote (dinner) - 460 rubles. There is also a bar. There prices are even higher. The cheapest kuksa cost 100 rubles. Fortunately, boiling water is available in unlimited quantities and is free.

You can go out onto the open decks, which is what we actually did most of the time until it started to get dark.

The photo shows the port of Korsakov.

Going out into the open sea, we looked for jellyfish and looked at the waves.

Well, in the evening we read, chatted, and the children drew.

On this journey we were very lucky with our fellow travelers. On the way to Iturup, Ivan lived with us in the cabin - a very interesting man, whose mother was Russian and whose father was Chinese; he spent part of his childhood in Beijing. And when I grew up, I decided that choosing one profession was for weaklings. Every two or three years he changes his field of activity and place of residence. He worked as a freelance artist for two years in Crimea, he tamed wild mustangs in the Russian steppes, worked as an au pair in remote villages and even lived with monks in Tibet. This time he went to work in Kurilsk, wanting to see this nature with his own eyes. It was very interesting to communicate with him.

Our ship arrived at the port of the village of Kitovy on Iturup the next morning. It’s simply amazing when, woken up by the flight attendant, you look out the window and see the island in the morning fog.

Here you can see the Chirip volcano.

The happy ones went ashore. The weather that day was better than Sakhalin these days. The degree was approaching thirty, and it was as if we had just arrived from winter quarters.

Have you ever been greeted with bread and salt?

We lived here in a village that is located about two kilometers from the administrative center - the city of Kurilsk.

Enthusiasm, supported by a thirst for impressions, forced us to throw off our backpacks, change clothes and go in search of adventure...

If your route lies to the Kuril Islands, Iturup Island should undoubtedly be part of your trip. After all, this is a very beautiful and original place. No wonder many consider it a real pearl of the Kuril Islands. Today we invite you to find out what the island of Iturup is, find out where it is located, what the climate is like here and what the characteristics of the flora and fauna are. We’ll also figure out how you can get to this interesting place.

Iturup Island: photos, description

Iturup is the largest Great Kuril Ridge, part of the Kuril Islands, located in the Pacific Ocean. Iturup belongs to the Russian Federation, but Japan has been claiming its rights to it for a long time. The authorities of this country consider it as Hokkaido Prefecture. As for the name of the island, it is believed that it comes from the word “etorop”, which can be translated from the Ainu language as “jellyfish”.

Geography and map of Iturup Island

As already mentioned, this island is located in the Pacific Ocean. On the northern side it is washed by the waters. Iturup Island on the map of Russia can be found in the southeast of our large country. The map clearly shows how close Iturup is to Japan.

The length of the island from northeast to southwest is 200 kilometers, and its width in different parts varies from seven to twenty-seven kilometers. The area of ​​Iturup is 3200 square kilometers. The island consists of mountain ranges and volcanic massifs. There are about twenty volcanoes here, nine of which are active (Kudryaviy, Lesser Brother, Chirip, and others). In addition, the seemingly small island of Iturup boasts many picturesque waterfalls, including Russia’s Ilya Muromets (141 meters). In addition, there are lakes, as well as hot and mineral springs.

Flora

Iturup Island is rich not only in volcanoes, waterfalls and geysers, but also in a number of representatives of the plant world. Thus, most of its territory is covered by coniferous forests, consisting of small-seeded spruce and Sakhalin fir. In the central region of the island you can see Kuril larch. Broad-leaved species also grow in the southern part of Iturup: thin oak, calopanax, maple. Also on the island there are very developed thickets of bamboo - Kuril saza, which makes the mountain slopes and forests almost impassable.

Climate

Iturup Island has temperate summers here, which are humid and quite cool. The warmest month is August, when the average daily temperature reaches +14 degrees Celsius. Therefore, when going to Iturup, even in summer, be sure to bring warm clothes. As for winter, it is much milder here than on the continent, and is characterized by frequent snowfalls followed by thaws. The average temperature in the coldest month, February, is -3 degrees Celsius.

Island inhabitants and settlements

About six and a half thousand people live on Iturup today. In the central region of the island on the shores of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk is the only city and administrative center here - Kurilsk. Its population is about 1800 people. The rest of the islanders live in the rural settlements of Kitovoe, Reydovo, Rybaki, Goryachiye Klyuchi and a number of others.

Minerals

The only economically viable rhenium deposit in the world was discovered on Iturup Island in 1992. It is located on the Kudryavy volcano. According to scientists' research, about twenty tons of rhenium are released from the depths of the volcano to the surface every year. It is interesting that the world production of this metal per year does not exceed forty tons. One kilogram of rhenium costs about 10 thousand US dollars. This metal is strategically valuable, as it is used by enterprises of the military-industrial complex (primarily in the aerospace field). In addition to rhenium, the subsoil of Iturup is rich in bismuth, indium, germanium, gold, silver, and selenium. There is also a large deposit of native sulfur here.

How to get to Iturup

Air traffic to the island is carried out through the Burevestnik airfield located here, which belongs to the Russian Ministry of Defense. Passenger and cargo sea traffic is carried out using two motor ships: Polaris and Igor Farkhutdinov.

I would like to note that if you decide to visit Iturup Island, then most likely you will have to go by plane. Canadian aircraft Bombardier DHC-8 fly here. For example, a ticket from the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk will cost you four and a half thousand rubles. Travel time is about an hour. Moreover, keep in mind that the plane does not always depart on schedule. This is due to the variability of weather conditions on Iturup. It even happens that people who want to get to the island wait two or even three days for good weather.

Arriving at Burevestnik, you will most likely be very surprised. After all, luggage here (without tags) will be unloaded from the plane directly onto the ground, where each passenger must pick up his things. As for the airfield itself, it is located approximately 60 kilometers from Kurilsk. Moreover, you will drive 50 kilometers along a dirt road, and another 10 along the shore of Kasatka Bay (which can only be done at low tide). This is due to the fact that the airfield was built by the Japanese. It was from here that their fighters were sent to bomb Pearl Harbor. Construction of a new airport is currently underway near Kurilsk.

The Kuril Islands range extends 640 miles from the southern tip of Kamchatka to the island of Hokkaido. It consists of 30 large and many small islands and rocks. The largest islands are Iturup, Urup, _ Kunashir (in the south) and Paramushir (in the north).

Most of them are mountainous, covered with dense thickets of bamboo and reeds, which are occasionally cut by dirt and country roads. Communication between the islands, separated by deep-sea straits, was maintained by fishing vessels. Frequent fogs, numerous reefs and rocks, a limited number of anchorages, strong currents in the straits, reaching 5-7 knots, make navigation in the coastal waters of the Kuril ridge difficult.

The shores of the islands are predominantly rocky, steep, often turning into sheer walls of great height. There are few harbors and bays convenient for basing and mooring ships.

The favorable geographical position of the Kuril Islands allowed the Japanese imperialists to control the entry of Soviet ships into the ocean and create a springboard here for aggression against the USSR. By August 1945, 9 airfields were equipped on the Kuril ridge, 6 of them on the islands of Shumshu and Paramushir - in close proximity to Kamchatka. Up to 600 aircraft could be based at these airfields.

Shumshu Island

The most fortified island in the Kuril ridge was Shumshu Island, separated from Kamchatka by the First Kuril Strait, 6.5 miles wide. This island measuring 20 by 13 kilometers was considered by the Japanese as a springboard for the conquest of Soviet Kamchatka. In its southeastern part there was a well-equipped naval base at Kataoka, and 3 miles away on the island of Paramushir there was a naval base at Kashiwabara. Before the war, light forces were based here. Two airfields on Shumshu Island could host up to two air regiments. In addition, a hydroaviation base was equipped on Lake Bettobu.

All areas of the coast available for landing were covered by pillboxes and bunkers.

They were connected to each other by underground passages and trenches, which were used not only for maneuvering forces and means, but also as shelter for various warehouses, power plants, communications centers, hospitals and other facilities. The depth of the underground structures, reaching 50 meters, ensured their invulnerability from artillery shells and aerial bombs. The main line of defense of Shumshu Island was in its northeastern part, in the area of ​​heights 171 and 165.

In the event that parts of the coast were captured by landing forces, the Japanese could secretly withdraw from this line into the interior of the island. The Shumshu garrison consisted of the 73rd Brigade of the 92nd Infantry Division, the 31st Air Defense Regiment, the Kuril Fortress Artillery Regiment, and a unit of the 11th Tank Regiment (60 tanks) - a total of 8,500 people. By transferring troops from the island of Paramushir, it could be increased to 23 thousand people. The total length of roads on Shumshu Island reached 120 kilometers, which provided the enemy with the opportunity to widely maneuver troops inside the island.

Thus, Shumshu Island and the northeastern part of Paramushir Island constituted a strong anti-landing fortified area.

The troops of the Kamchatka defensive region consisted of the 101st Rifle Division, individual units and subunits scattered along the entire coast of the peninsula. They were covered by the 128th mixed air division, numbering 42 aircraft. There were about 30 ships in Petropavlovsk, mostly small ones.

On August 15, the Kamchatka defensive region (commanded by Major General A.R. Gnechko) and the Petropavlovsk naval base (commanded by captain 1st rank D.G. Ponomarev) was tasked with capturing the islands of Shumshu and Paramushir and subsequently the island of Onekotan. Major General A. R. Gnechko was appointed commander of the landing operation, captain 1st rank D. G. Ponomarev was appointed commander of the landing, and commander of the 101st Infantry Division, Major General P. I. Dyakov, was appointed commander of the landing operation.

A.R. Gniechko

D.G. Ponomarev P.I. Dyakov

Major General Gnechko decided to land troops in the northeastern part of Shumshu Island (Cape Kokutan, Cape Kotomari), deliver the main blow in the direction of the Kataoka naval base, capture the island and, using it as a springboard, subsequently capture the islands of Paramushir and Onekotan. In order to mislead the enemy about the landing site of the main forces, it was planned to land a demonstrative landing in Nanagawa-wan Bay. To implement this plan, units of the 101st Infantry Division and a Marine battalion formed from units of the naval base were consolidated into an advance detachment, two echelons of the main forces and a demonstrative landing detachment.

The landing force consisted of 64 units, including 2 patrol ships, a minelayer, 4 minesweepers, 17 transport and 16 special landing ships.

To deliver troops to the island of Shumshu and ensure their actions, detachments of ships were formed.

The detachment of transports and landing craft, commanded by Captain 2nd Rank G.V. Bogorodsky, included the floating base “Sever”, hydrographic vessels “Polyarny” and “Swan”, transports “Pugachev”, “Chapaev”, “Kokkinaki”, “Uritsky” ", "Menzhinsky", "Turkmen", "Petrel", "Far East", "Red Banner", "Moskalvo", refrigerator No. 2, "General Panfilov", "Maxim Gorky" and "Volkhov", 16 landing craft, two self-propelled barges and four Kawasaki boats.

The security detachment, led by Captain 3rd Rank Skiba, consisted of eight patrol boats of the MO-4 type.

The trawling detachment (commander-lieutenant commander P.P. Oleinik) included the minesweepers “Vekha”, “TShch-155”, “TShch-156” and “TShch-525”.

patrol ship “Kirov”

The patrol ships "Kirov" and "Dzerzhinsky" and the minelayer "Okhotsk" formed an artillery support detachment (commanded by Captain 3rd Rank I. D. Sizov). In addition to this detachment, the landing force was to be supported by a battery at Cape Lopatka, the 128th mixed air division and six basic MBR-2 aircraft.

An extremely limited time was allotted for preparing the operation - about a day. Nevertheless, the headquarters of the Kamchatka defensive region and the Petropavlovsk naval garrison were able not only to ensure the regrouping and concentration of troops scattered along the coast, but also to develop, reproduce and communicate to the executors the most important combat documents - combat and organizational orders, a planned interaction table, a ship transfer order by sea, instructions to ship commanders and transport captains on the passage by sea, on the disposition in the landing area, on the battle for the landing, the use of communications and naval artillery.

Due to lack of time, special training for landing units and ship personnel was excluded. Under these conditions, the command paid special attention to organizing firm and continuous control of forces, coordinating the actions of troops, ships and aircraft, as well as ensuring combat operations. The fact that the commander of the Kamchatka defensive region controlled the forces allocated to participate in the Kuril landing operation through the operational headquarters, created from representatives of the headquarters of the defensive region, the naval base and the 128th air division, made it possible to purposefully and quickly resolve all issues related to preparation and conduct of combat operations.

To organize party-political work among the landing personnel during the sea crossing and during the battle for the landing, an operational group was created headed by the head of the political department of the Petropavlovsk naval base, Colonel P. I. Smirnov.

The command and political department of the base paid special attention to the preparation of the marine battalion, which was to be the first to land on the unequipped coast of the Kuril Islands. The battalion was led by an experienced officer, a participant in the Great Patriotic War, Major T. A. Pochtarev. The senior instructor of the political department of the base, Major A.P. Perm, was appointed his deputy for political affairs, and senior lieutenant V.N. Bykasov was appointed party organizer. Of the 783 people who made up the battalion, 493 were communists and Komsomol members.

During the sea crossing, in order to conceal the landing, it was planned to use only visual communications and VHF radio, and during the landing battle and actions on the shore - radio.

At the direction of Major General A.R. Gnechko, two command posts were prepared - at Cape Lopatka and on the minesweeper "TSCH-334".

Our troops, ships and aircraft did not lack material and technical means; their reserves significantly exceeded the probable needs associated with military operations. Given the lack of time and transport, the delivery of military equipment to the bases and deployment sites of ships, aircraft and ground units turned out to be more difficult. However, this difficulty was overcome thanks to the coordinated and dedicated work of the rear authorities, which received great assistance from the party and public organizations of Petropavlovsk, which mobilized all their vehicles for military transport.

Navigation and hydrographic support for the landing was entrusted to the navigating combat units of the ships and specially formed hydrographic groups. Military pilots who had experience in guiding ships through the First Kuril Strait were also involved in the operation. Ship commanders and ship captains received a description of the approaches from the sea to Shumshu Island and a diagram of the routes from the deployment area to the landing sites of the landing units. The advanced landing detachment included hydrographic parties, which were supposed to make reconnaissance measurements of the coastal landing front, install fencing on the water and on the shore, and thereby ensure the safe approach of the ships to the shore.

The landing on the ships ended by the end of August 16. In total, 8,363 people, 95 guns, 123 mortars and other military equipment and equipment were taken on board. At 5 o'clock on August 17, the ships weighed anchor, formed a marching order and left Avacha Bay into the ocean with the expectation of approaching Shumshu Island the next morning. They had to travel most of the way in the fog. Poor visibility caused significant difficulties in controlling a large number of ships, but favored the secrecy of the operation.

During the transition, commanders and political workers told the paratroopers about the situation on the Soviet-Japanese front and explained the features of the upcoming landing.

Late at night in the fog, the ships approached the First Kuril Strait. Only occasionally the silence of the night was broken by the firing of an artillery battery from Cape Lopatka. For the fourth day already, this battery (commander senior lieutenant S.I. Sokolyuk) periodically fired at the Japanese fortifications on Shumshu Island, so it could not prevent the surprise landing.

The commander of the operation, due to difficult meteorological conditions, moved his command post to the minesweeper "TShch-334". He canceled a demonstrative landing in Nanagawa-wan Bay, fearing that in the continuous fog the ships might run into the coastal cliffs.

In difficult conditions of a long passage, the crews of the Pacific Fleet ships demonstrated high seamanship and excellent navigational training, ensuring the precise exit of the landing force to the deployment area. The success of the transition was also facilitated by the generally favorable situation that developed on the eve of Japan's surrender. In addition, the Japanese command of the Kuril Group, as it turned out later from a survey of prisoners, knowing that we had limited forces in Kamchatka, considered it impossible for Soviet troops to land on the islands in the near future.

At 4:20 a.m. On August 18, the ships approached Shumshu and in the area Cape Kokutai - Cape Kotomari, under cover of fog (visibility did not exceed 100 m), they began landing the first landing force, consisting of a battalion of marines (minus one company), a company of machine gunners and a mortar company, platoons of chemists and scouts of the 302nd Infantry Regiment and one company of the 119th Separate Engineer Battalion. Due to overload and heavy draft, the ships stopped 100-150 meters from the shore, and the paratroopers rushed along the ladders and over the side into the water and, with a heavy burden on their shoulders, rushed to the enemy shore.

Among the first to land ashore were the commander of a platoon of machine gunners, communist sergeant major A.P. Belov, Komsomol battalion communist, communist senior sergeant G.P. Pankratov, squad leader, communist sergeant G.V. Kulemin, Komsomol members junior sergeant I.G. Gulo, Red Navy man M. Ya. Nesterov and other sailors.

Stunned by the sudden appearance of paratroopers on the shore, the Japanese opened indiscriminate rifle and machine-gun fire. By 5 o'clock the advance detachment of the landing force, in full force and without losses, landed on the shore. His main forces, under the command of Major P.I. Shutov, began to advance deeper into the island, and one company of marines, led by Major T.A. Pochtarev, launched an offensive in the area of ​​Cape Kotomari with the aim of destroying the artillery batteries located here. Hydrographers and spotters who landed with the advance detachment ensured that ships approached the landing sites and ensured accurate firing of naval artillery.

The enemy, having come to his senses, began to actively resist. At 5 o'clock. 30 minutes, when the ships with the main landing forces headed towards the shore, Japanese pillboxes and bunkers met them with heavy fire. The batteries fired especially effectively from Capes Kokutan and Kotomari and from the tanker Mariupol, which targeted the entire coastal landing area. Our ships of the artillery support detachment and the coastal battery from Cape Lopatka concentrated all the fire on them. With their first salvos they destroyed the battery on the Mariupol tanker, which was clearly visible from the sea. Firing at the batteries on Capes Kokutan and Kotomari turned out to be ineffective: they were hidden in deep caponiers.

The Japanese had large stocks of shells. As soon as the main landing force approached the shore, a barrage of artillery fire fell on them.

Two landing craft caught fire from a direct hit from enemy shells, and three others received from 5 to 10 holes. Several ships, due to damage to the control mechanisms, became a stationary target for Japanese gunners. Ammunition on the damaged ships began to explode. The paratroopers got to the shore by swimming through water boiling from shells. The crews of the ships, without weakening fire on the enemy, extinguished fires and sealed holes.

Having landed the unit of the first throw, the crew of landing ship No. 1 received the next group of fighters from the transport and again headed to the shore. This time the ship had to overcome a zone of dense artillery fire. Almost simultaneously, four enemy shells exploded on it. There was a fire and there were wounded. The crew calmly fought for the survivability of the ship. Lieutenant I. I. Permyakov, who was in charge of extinguishing the fire, discovered that the fire was approaching the shells, rushed to the fire hose, but it was interrupted. Then the lieutenant, without hesitation, shielded the shells with his body and, despite the burns, rolled them out of the dangerous place.

On landing ship No. 2, a direct hit from enemy shells also caused a severe fire. Part of the team died, and the survivors were unable to cope with the fire. The minelayer Okhotsk, commanded by Lieutenant Commander V.K. Moiseenko, hurried to the aid of the ship. Thanks to the selfless actions of the commander of the electromechanical combat unit, senior engineer-lieutenant V.A. Mandor, the chief boatswain, midshipman Vasilyev, Red Navy men Kolesnikov, Korobin and other crew members, the fire was extinguished.

Landing craft No. 43 washed ashore, was heavily damaged and caught fire. The Japanese, noticing that they were continuing to put out the fire on the ship, opened fire on it from a bunker. Sailor Androshchuk returned fire with tracer bullets, thereby marking the target location for the artillery support ships. Soon the Japanese bunker was destroyed. The surviving crew members desperately fought the fire, the danger from which became threatening. It was difficult to act in the caustic and hot air; clothes caught fire, but the sailors persistently fought off the flames with water, fire extinguishers and asbestos mats. With incredible difficulty the fire was extinguished.

On landing ship No. 8, commanded by Senior Lieutenant I.D. Yastrub, the main engine was damaged by enemy shells and a fire broke out. Many crew members were injured, but remained in the ranks in order to land the paratroopers as quickly as possible.

At the same time as the units of the first rush, hydrographers and spotters were landed. Their task was to ensure a precise approach to the shore of ships and vessels with the main landing forces and organize the adjustment of artillery fire on coastal targets.

Hydrographers were able to establish two light landmarks, which provided great assistance to the ships. The spotters failed. They landed directly into the water with their equipment. Therefore, all their radios were out of order. Of the 22 radio stations delivered by the paratroopers to the shore, only the equipment of the outpost of the patrol ship “Dzerzhinsky” turned out to be serviceable, which the senior sailor Musorin managed to protect from the water.

The crews of the ships did everything possible to speed up the landing of troops and the unloading of military equipment. The ships tried to get as close to the shore as possible.

The crew of the self-propelled barge under the command of Petty Officer 1st Article V.I. Sigov acted promptly and selflessly. Under enemy fire, the barge made several trips from ships to the shore, delivering paratroopers, weapons, ammunition and evacuating the wounded. The foreman himself was wounded in the head and arm, but remained at his combat post until the end of the operation. For skillful and courageous actions, Petty Officer 1st Article Vasily Ivanovich Sigov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and the remaining crew members were awarded orders and medals.

Despite the great efforts of the paratroopers, the pace of landing was slow due to strong Japanese opposition and the limited number of landing craft.

The first echelon, consisting of the 138th Infantry Regiment (minus two companies), the 1st Division of the 428th Howitzer Artillery Regiment, and the 169th Separate Anti-Tank Fighter Division (minus one PTR company), landed in about two and a half hours. At the same time, the paratroopers took only small arms with them, leaving field artillery on the ships. The commander of the 138th Infantry Regiment with his headquarters remained on the damaged ship for a long time, so the first echelon of the landing force was virtually uncontrollable. The regiment's units, instead of blocking and destroying enemy batteries on Capes Kokutan and Kotomari, rushed into the interior of the island following the advance detachment of the landing party.

Due to the loss of communications, control of the landing forces was disrupted. This significantly complicated the effective use of naval artillery - the only real means of supporting the landing force (bad weather did not allow air strikes against the enemy). The first contact between the shore and the ships was established only 35 minutes after the start of the landing through the surviving radio station of senior sailor Musorin.

In this exceptionally difficult situation, the unstoppable offensive impulse and high moral and combat qualities of the paratroopers clearly manifested themselves. The fighters of the first echelon continued to land directly into the water and rushed to the shore. The crews of the ships fired intensely at the enemy and at the same time put out fires and sealed holes.

At 9 o'clock the landing of the second echelon of troops began (373rd Infantry Regiment, Marine Corps Company, 279th Artillery Regiment without a division). It also took place under strong artillery opposition from the Japanese. In the battle for the landing, the landing party lost a patrol boat and four landing craft; eight landing craft were seriously damaged.

Our aviation, in the afternoon of August 18, in groups of 8-16 aircraft, carried out bombing and assault attacks on the naval bases of Kataoka and Kashiwabara to prevent the transfer of Japanese troops from Paramushir Island to Shumshu Island. However, due to bad weather, she could not help the landing directly in the battle area, where the situation still remained tense.

The Japanese also used their planes based at Kataoka airfield to attack our ships. However, they were not successful. Around noon on August 18, seven enemy aircraft attacked the Soviet minesweeper TSH-525, which was conducting reconnaissance off the western coast of Shumshu Island. The attack did not last long. In the very first minutes of the battle, the Japanese lost two vehicles from naval artillery fire. The remaining enemy aircraft withdrew from the area. Subsequently, they acted primarily against our unarmed ships and watercraft.

Thus, the battle for the landing, which began so successfully for the landing due to the surprise achieved in the actions, subsequently took place under fierce opposition from the Japanese garrison.

The fighting on the shore began at about 5 o'clock. The attack into the interior of the island without consolidating the coastal area was a tactical mistake of the advanced detachment. A Marine company on the approaches to heavily fortified Japanese artillery positions at Cape Kotomari was stopped and went on the defensive.

At about 6 o'clock the advance detachment approached the dominant heights 165 and 171 in the northeastern part of the island. Here it met the first strong opposition from the Japanese with artillery, mortar and machine-gun fire. Stubborn battles for the heights ensued and continued throughout the day. In the fight against paratroopers armed only with machine guns and grenades, the enemy relied on a large number of pillboxes and bunkers. Communication with the ships had not yet been established, and therefore they could not support the forward detachment with artillery. Attempts by our soldiers to suppress enemy firing points with bunches of hand grenades failed. The blocking groups created during the battle, which included sappers, acted more successfully. They managed to blow up several Japanese firing points, but this could not decide the outcome of the battle for the heights.

The Japanese command, convinced that the detachment's strength was small, soon launched an infantry battalion supported by 20 tanks into a counterattack. By this time, the paratroopers, despite heavy enemy fire, had almost reached the tops of both heights. The unequal battle lasted about two hours. At the cost of heavy losses, the Japanese managed to push back the advance detachment to the foot of the heights, but they themselves, having lost up to 15 tanks and up to 100 soldiers, were forced to dig in.

Soviet soldiers showed amazing courage in this battle. When the company of senior lieutenant I.V. Kashchei was blocked by an enemy pillbox, the communist foreman of the 1st article Nikolai Vilkov, without hesitation, closed his embrasure with his body. As a result, the unit was able to block and then destroy the enemy firing point. It was he, Nikolai Vilkov, a glorious patriot of the socialist Motherland, who wrote the wonderful words spoken at the rally before the landing of the troops on the ships: The Motherland and the command have entrusted us with a great, honorable task. We are going into battle to finish off the fascist beast in the East. Every person has a feeling of fear, but everyone is able to overcome it, because above all human feelings is military duty, love for the Motherland, and the desire for military success. In the name of victory over the enemy, we will not hesitate to give our lives.

Red Navy soldier Pyotr Ilyichev also gave his life in the name of victory over the enemy. He, like Nikolai Vilkov, in a difficult moment of the battle covered the embrasure of the enemy pillbox with his body.

The boatswain from the floating base "Sever", petty officer 1st class Nikolai Aleksandrovich Vilkov, and the helmsman from the boat "MO-253", Red Navy man Pyotr Ivanovich Ilyichev, were posthumously awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union. They are forever included in the lists of the crews of the ships on which they served.

At 9 o'clock 10 min. After establishing contact between the advance detachment and the ships through the radio station of the senior Red Navy man Musorin, the artillery support ships and the battery at Cape Lopatka launched a fire raid on heights 165 and 171. Inspired by the support from the sea, the paratroopers again went on the attack. Their actions were so quick and decisive that within 10 minutes the dominant heights were taken. However, it was not possible to hold them back: a few minutes later the Japanese launched another counterattack with superior forces and again drove the landing units back to the foot of the heights. From that time on, the enemy counterattacked continuously, but the advanced detachment managed to hold back the enemy's onslaught with heroic efforts.

The Japanese hastily brought forces up to heights 165 and 171 from the depths of the island and from the island of Paramushir, and due to the low rate of landing of the main landing forces, their build-up in the area of ​​the heights was slow. Only at 11 o'clock the units of the first echelon approached the forward detachment and at 13 o'clock - the second. Their actions were led by Colonel P. A. Artyushin.

The Japanese command was carefully preparing the next attack on the landing force. At 2 p.m., it launched a counterattack from the area of ​​the southwestern slopes of Height 171 with up to two battalions supported by 18 tanks. The enemy hoped to cut up the landing forces and then destroy them piece by piece. But he failed. By the start of the counterattack, Colonel P. A. Artyushin already had sufficient intelligence data about the enemy and figured out his plan. He concentrated up to 100 anti-tank rifles and four 45-mm guns on the direction of the enemy counterattack - all he had. Having suffered heavy losses in men and tanks, the enemy retreated. Only one enemy tank managed to hide behind the eastern slope of Height 171.

In this battle, senior lieutenant S.A. Savushkin skillfully supervised the actions of his subordinates, who personally blew up an enemy tank with an anti-tank grenade.

Party organizer of the anti-tank rifle company, senior sergeant Cherepanov, destroyed two tanks and damaged one. Seeing that the damaged tank continued to fire, Cherepanov rushed under it with grenades and blew it up at the cost of his life. Junior Sergeant Georgy Balandin burned two Japanese tanks, and when his anti-tank rifle failed, he rushed towards the third tank and blew it up along with himself. Junior Sergeant Sultanov jumped onto the armor of an enemy tank and through the viewing slot shot its crew at point-blank range. The machine gunners under the command of Sergeant Major A.P. Belov acted bravely in battle. Petty Officer 2nd Article Petr Babich and Red Navy soldier Ivan Kobzar steadfastly repelled the attack of enemy tanks.

In this difficult battle, the Pacific heroes, technician-lieutenant A. M. Vodynin, Red Navy soldier Vlasenko and sergeant Rynda repeated the remarkable feat of five Black Sea soldiers: with bunches of grenades they rushed under enemy tanks, and each destroyed a vehicle at the cost of his own life. The commander of the advanced landing detachment, Major P.I. Shutov, also acted heroically in battle, whose name now bears one of the settlements on Shumshu Island. Having been wounded twice, he masterfully controlled the paratroopers and only after a serious third wound was he carried away from the battlefield. The commander of the Marine Corps battalion, Major T. A. Pochtarev, set a personal example of heroism to the sailors. He was wounded, but he continued to command the unit. For heroism and skillful leadership of the battle, P. I. Shutov and T. A. Pochtarev were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

While repelling the enemy counterattack, the wounded communists remained in the ranks. All the landing soldiers followed their example. Everyone tried to help their friend. When an enemy mine fell near the platoon commander, the wounded Red Navy soldier I. I. Volchenko covered it with his body without hesitation. Sailor V.I. Tyurikov did the same, shielding the deputy commander of the Marine battalion for political affairs, Major A.P. Perm, from the fire of the Japanese sniper.

At 6 p.m., supported by artillery from ships and batteries from Cape Lopatka, the landing force went on the offensive. A fierce battle broke out. By the end of the day, the landing force had reached the western slopes of heights 165 and 171. It held a bridgehead on the island along a front of up to 4 kilometers and a depth of 5-6 kilometers.

In the rear of the landing force and on the flanks of the landing site, there were still two unsuppressed strong strongholds, which made it extremely difficult to unload artillery and other military equipment.

At 20 o'clock on August 18, Major General A. R. Gnechko set the task of capturing the entire island. Specially created reinforced assault groups had to storm enemy strongholds on Capes Kokutan and Kotomari within 24 hours and thereby eliminate the threat to the landing force from the rear and ensure the unhindered unloading of military equipment ashore. The main landing force was to attack on the morning of August 19 in the general direction of the Kataoka naval base and capture it by the end of the day. This offensive, according to the commander of the operation, was to involve field artillery unloaded during the night. Artillery and air support for the offensive was provided by ships and the 128th Air Division. Aviation was preparing to bomb the Kataoka naval base at night, and at dawn - on the enemy’s battle formations.

Only by the morning of August 19 did the assault groups defeat the strongholds on Cape Kokutan and Kotomari. The enemy offered them strong resistance. Meanwhile, the Japanese command continued to strengthen the garrison of the island, transferring troops here from the island of Paramushir. By the morning of August 19, more than five infantry battalions, up to 60 tanks and 70 guns were concentrated in front of our landing. The enemy was preparing for a stubborn battle. But at this time, a message from the Japanese government was broadcast on the radio about unconditional surrender to the Allied armed forces. Following this, a Japanese envoy arrived at the landing site on Shumshu Island and handed the Soviet command a written statement that units of the 91st Infantry Division “based on an order from above, by 16:00 on August 19, will cease all hostilities.”

Negotiations began. The Japanese command was clearly dragging their feet. Only at 18:00 was the act of unconditional surrender of the 91st Infantry Division, which defended the northern group of the Kuril Islands - Shumshu, Paramushir, Onekotan, signed. Based on this document, a plan was developed for the surrender of Japanese garrisons. Our aviation was preparing on the morning of August 20 to transfer one regiment to the Kataoka airfield, and the ships of the Peter and Paul Naval Base were supposed to occupy the Kataoka naval base and transfer part of the landing forces to the islands of Paramushir and Onekotan.

By 6 o'clock on August 20, the minelayer "Okhotsk", the patrol ships "Kirov" and "Dzerzhinsky", the minesweeper "TShch-525", the military transport "Pugachev" and the hydrographic vessel "Polyarny" headed for the Second Kuril Strait. By preliminary agreement with the Japanese command, on the approach to the strait they were to be met by a Japanese pilot for further escort to Kataoka Bay. However, the pilot was not at the appointed place, and our ships followed there on their own.

Naval Base Kataoka

At 8 o'clock. 10 min. The ships entered the Second Kuril Strait, where they came under fire from many guns installed on the coast. Under heavy Japanese fire, the ships began to retreat, hiding behind smoke screens.

The enemy managed to cause serious damage to the Okhotsk minelayer. The minzag, which covered the retreat of other ships, took the brunt of the attack from the shore. For the first time in minutes of battle, the minelayer's gunners suppressed one of the enemy batteries. Soon the Okhotsk was attacked by a suddenly appearing torpedo bomber. Only a timely and skillful maneuver allowed the ship to evade the dropped torpedo, which passed three meters from the side.

The steering, central lighting and electrical telegraph were damaged due to direct hits from shells. In this difficult situation, the Okhotsk personnel acted coherently, quickly and clearly, showing exceptional restraint and courage. Just a few seconds later the ship switched to manual control, and emergency teams began to fight for its survivability.

Skillfully and decisively led the personnel in battle, the commander of the Okhotsk, Lieutenant Commander V.K. Moiseenko. His assistant captain-lieutenant Yu. G. Thessaloniki, the commander of the artillery combat unit, captain-lieutenant P. P. Trofimov, the foreman of the electromechanical combat unit, foreman of the 1st article N. V. Shorstkin, and the navigator electrician, foreman of the 1st article, acted clearly and boldly N. N. Artamonov, commander of the helmsman's department, foreman of the 1st article Onipchenko, Red Navy driver P. N. Pecherskikh and many other sailors.

Red Navy man Kolchin, wounded in the legs, arms and back by fragments of an exploding enemy shell, did not move away from his gun and continued to control the fire until the battle was over. He found the strength to repair the damaged gun and the Red Navy man Kurganov, who was wounded in both legs. Until the end of the battle, gunner Detkin, wounded in the arm, did not leave his place at the gun.

This battle fully reflected the daily painstaking work of the ship’s party organization, which raised a friendly and well-coordinated team, instilling in every sailor a sense of military duty to the Motherland. A few days before this battle, she accepted commanders Kolchin, Kurganov and Detkin as candidates for membership in the Communist Party. At the party meeting, they assured the communists that they would selflessly fight the enemy. And the sailors honorably kept their word.

Thanks to the quick and skillful actions of the crews, all ships came out from under enemy fire and at 11 o'clock. 15 min. anchored in the First Kuril Strait.

Meanwhile, the landing troops remained in their positions awaiting the surrender of the Japanese garrison. When it became known about the enemy’s insidious actions in the Second Kuril Strait, the paratroopers were overcome with a feeling of indignation. In response to the treachery of the Japanese, the landing force went on the offensive at 13:00. The battle impulse of the Pacific was so great that even powerful defensive structures could not save the enemy. He was thrown 5-6 kilometers into the interior of the island. This had a sobering effect on the Japanese, and they hastened to assure our command that they would immediately stop hostilities.

The commander of the Kamchatka defensive region, Major General A. R. Gnechko, highly praised the actions of the sailors of the Pacific Fleet in the battle for Shumshu Island. In a telegram addressed to the commander of the Petropavlovsk naval base, he noted: “With such glorious sailors you can beat any enemy.”

By the end of the day on August 23, over 12 thousand Japanese soldiers and officers were captured on Shumshu. Following them, they laid down their weapons and units at Paramushir. The islands located to the south were occupied by amphibious assaults. On the northern islands, up to and including the island of Urup, ships of the Peter and Paul Naval Base landed troops of the Kamchatka defensive region, and Soviet units were transferred to the remaining islands from Sakhalin by ships of the Northern Pacific Flotilla and the main base of the Pacific Fleet.

The occupation of the islands south of Shumshu was carried out in conditions of incessant storms and thick fogs. Our navigators were not familiar with the peculiarities of navigation in the coastal waters of the Kuril Islands, which are replete with a large number of reefs, and the Japanese officers taken on board the ships as guides stated that they did not know these areas of the sea and did not provide practical assistance. But, despite all these difficulties, the sailors of the Pacific Fleet successfully completed the task assigned to them - in an extremely short time, from August 24 to September 1, 1945, they occupied the entire chain of the Kuril Islands, stretching more than 600 miles.

For the Japanese command, such rapid actions of the Soviet fleet were unexpected. All his plans to evacuate his garrisons and material assets to the islands of the metropolis were violated. It did not have time to evacuate its troops even from the island of Kunashir, separated from the island of Hokkaido by a narrow strait. At 6 o'clock on September 1, the Soviet landing force landed on this island and completed the liberation of the Kuril Islands.

Among the landing groups that landed in Furuka-mappu Bay was a detachment of sailors from the frigate “EK-4” (commander of the frigate, Lieutenant Commander M.L. Zvyagin). The sailors, led by engineer-captain-lieutenant Seleznev, having reached the shore, immediately rushed to the center of the military town. On the highest building (it turned out to be a cavalry school), the commander of the helmsman squad Sukhoivanov and the Red Navy man Koshkin hoisted the Soviet Naval flag. Meanwhile, sailors Butakov, Urmanov, Gurov, Sedyshev, Demyanov and others were already in the barracks closest to the school. The Kunashir garrison laid down its arms. In total, 2,250 soldiers and officers were captured on Kunashir Island.

And six hours after the start of the landing, the EK-4 sailors, together with the whole country, listened to the voice of their native Moscow: the Sovinformburo reported on the occupation of Kunashir Island by our troops and ships of the fleet and the liberation of all the Kuril Islands from Japanese troops. Our Motherland has regained its original Russian lands, which now serve as a reliable outpost of its Far Eastern borders on the Pacific Ocean.

The Soviet people sacredly honor the memory of their sons who gave their lives in the struggle for the liberation of the Kuril Islands. A majestic monument was erected in their honor in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. One of the inscriptions on it reads: “Eternal glory to the heroes who fell in battles for the honor and victory of our Motherland. The memory of you, who returned the Kuril Islands to the Motherland, will survive centuries. August 1945."

Along with the landing of amphibious assault forces, the Pacific Fleet attacked enemy sea communications. This task was solved by submarines and aircraft. It must be said that the results of the submariners’ actions were insignificant. This was explained mainly by the fact that the zone of combat activity of the Soviet fleet excluded the possibility of using our submarines in the southern part of the Sea of ​​​​Japan and off the coast of Japan, where enemy shipping was the busiest. Soviet boats deployed in the central part of the Sea of ​​Japan and off the coast of North Korea almost never encountered Japanese ships, since navigation of Japanese ships in these areas had virtually ceased. Pacific submariners were more active in the northern part of the Sea of ​​Japan. They coped well with the tasks of conducting reconnaissance on the approaches to Southern Sakhalin and the island of Hokkaido, and the L-12, under the command of Lieutenant Commander P.Z. Shcheglantsev, sank a Japanese armed transport weighing 5,950 tons on August 22.

Naval aviation fought quite successfully against enemy shipping. In the first two days of hostilities alone, she made 551 sorties, destroyed and damaged over 30 ships with a total tonnage of 130 thousand tons.

The Pacific Fleet also protected its sea routes of communication. During the war with Japan, its warships and aircraft provided escort for 28 convoys, numbering 69 transports. At the same time, military transportation occupied a significant place: three rifle divisions and one artillery regiment were transferred from Vladivostok to the port of Maoka, and one artillery regiment was transferred from De-Kastri to Aleksandrovsk-on-Sakhalin.

The Pacific Fleet successfully completed all the tasks assigned to it. In battles with the enemy, its personnel showed excellent combat training, high moral and combat qualities, and selfless devotion to their people and the Communist Party.

The Motherland highly appreciated the feat of the Pacific people. More than 30 thousand sailors received government military awards. The medal “For Victory over Japan” was awarded to 170 thousand people. Fifty-two sailors were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for special distinctions in battle. Among them are Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union N.G. Kuznetsov, Admiral I.S. Yumashev, Major General V.P. Trushin, Captain 1st Rank D.G. Ponomarev, Colonel M.V. Bartashov, Captains 3rd Rank M.G. Bespalov, K.V. Kazachinsky, G.V. Terpovsky, Major M.P. Barabolko, Lieutenant Commander M.G. Malik, senior lieutenants V.N. Leonov (was awarded the second Gold Star of the Hero), I.M. Yarotsky, Sergeant K.P. Biryulya, Red Navy men V.G. Moisesnko, P.I. Ilyichev and others.

19 ships, units and formations of the fleet were converted into guards ships, 16 were awarded the Order of the Red Banner, 13 received honorary titles.

With their heroic exploits in the battles for the Soviet Motherland, the Pacific Islanders wrote bright pages in the chronicle of the military glory of our valiant Armed Forces.

Admiral of the USSR Fleet N.G. Kuznetsov Admiral I.S. Yumashev

memorial in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky

According to the most common version, the name of the island of Iturup goes back to the word “etorop”, which translated from the Ainu language means “jellyfish”.

Iturup
ain. Etorop, Japanese. 択捉島
Satellite image of the island
Characteristics
Square	3174.71 km²
Population	6485 people (2019)
Population density	2.04 people/km²
Location
45°00′ N. w. 147°53′ E. d. HGIOL
Archipelago	Great Kuril Ridge
Country
Media files on Wikimedia Commons

Geography

The island stretches from northeast to southwest for 200 km, the width ranges from 7 to 27 km. Area - 3174.71 km². The length of the coastline reaches 581.9 km. Consists of volcanic massifs and mountain ranges. There are 20 volcanoes on the island, nine of which are active: Kudryavy (986 m), Lesser Brother (562 m), Chirip (1589 m), Bogdan Khmelnitsky (1585 m), Baransky (1134 m), Ivan the Terrible (1159 m) , Stokap (1634 m), Atsonupuri (1205 m), Berutarube (1223 m). There are many waterfalls on the island, including one of the highest in Russia - the Ilya Muromets waterfall (141 m), located on the Medvezhy Peninsula; lakes, hot and mineral springs. At the entrance to the Lion's Mouth Bay there is the island of Stone Lion with a height of 162.4 meters. On the Pacific side there is an island. Lonely .

Flora

872 species of vascular plants have been recorded on the island. Most of the island's territory is covered with coniferous forests of Ayan spruce and Sakhalin fir; Cajander larch grows in the central part. In the south of the island there are broad-leaved species: curly oak, maples, calopanax, as well as bird cherry sciori, Kuril cherry and several types of woody vines: Kaempffer grapes, wood pliers, oriental toxicodendron, Chinese lemongrass, actinidia kolomikta. There are developed thickets of bamboo - Kuril saza, due to which forests and mountain slopes are often impassable. In the north of the island, which has a more severe climate, dwarf cedar, bush alder, and various types of shrubby willows and birches grow.

Endemics of the island are Kavakamian astragalus, island wormwood, and Kuril edelweiss. Among the rare plants of Iturup, the following can be distinguished: the endangered Asian pommel, continental and cordate aralia, seven-lobed calopanax, Japanese candyk, Wright's viburnum, Glen's cardiocrinum, obovate peony, Fori's rhododendron, Sugeroki holly, Gray's bifolia, pearl marshwort, low wolfwort , mountain peony, Sargent juniper, pointed yew, lichens Glossodium japonica and Stereocaulon naked, moss-like Bryoxyphium savatier and Atractycarpus alpine, growing near the Baransky volcano.

In the extreme south of the island there is the Ostrovnoy state nature reserve.

Fauna

In the northern part of Iturup, between the Slavnaya and Glush rivers, many brown bears live. A feature of the fauna of Iturup is the disharmony of the theriofauna, i.e., a pronounced predominance of predatory mammals. The ratio of predators (fox, mink, sable, bear) to potential land victims (rat, red-gray vole, house mouse, mountain hare) here reaches 1:1. As a result, predators are forced to diversify their diet with seafood and seabirds, which is one of the features of their diet in the Kuril Islands in general.

Transport

Air traffic is carried out through the Burevestnik airfield, owned by the Russian Ministry of Defense. Sea communication (passenger and cargo) is carried out through the motor ship “Igor Farkhutdinov”. On September 22, 2014, the civil airport “Iturup” was opened on the island. On the morning of September 22, the first flight of Aurora Airlines from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk took place there. The Governor of the Sakhalin Region, Alexander Khoroshavin, took part in the opening of the airport. In the near future, the airport will only accept flights from Primorye, Khabarovsk Territory and the Magadan Region, but international flights are also planned in the future.

Population

The indigenous population of the island is the Ainu. Currently, some have been completely assimilated, while others were repatriated to Japan as subjects of the former Japanese Empire along with ethnic Japanese in the period from 1947 to 1949.

The current population is 6387 people. (2007) - formed as a result of migration exchange with the continent in the second half of the 20th century.

Settlements

In the central part of the island, on the shores of the Kuril Bay of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, the city of Kurilsk is located - the administrative center of the region and the only urban settlement of the island. Rural settlements: Reidovo, Kitovoe, Rybaki, Goryachiye Klyuchi (2025 people), Burevestnik, Shumi-Gorodok, Gornoe (1757 people). Non-residential settlements: Active, Slavnoe, September, Vetrovoe, Zharkie Vody, Pioneer, Yodnaya, Lesozavodskoe, Berezovka.

Economy

In 2007, within the framework of the federal target program “Socio-economic development of the Kuril Islands for 2006-2015,” plans were announced to build an international airport on the island. The administration of the municipal formation “Urban District “Kurilsky”” planned to allocate 1.2 billion rubles for the construction of the airport. The head of the Federal Air Transport Agency, Alexander Yurchik, stated that the new airport will be the main airport in the Kuril Islands. On September 22, 2014, the airport received its first regular flight of the Aurora company from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk with 50 passengers on board.

Minerals

There is a rhenium deposit on Iturup. Discovered in 1992 on the Kudryavy volcano. The deposit is represented by a fumarole field with permanent sources of high-temperature deep fluids - fumaroles. Rhenium is found in the form of the mineral rhenium ReS2, with a structure similar to molybdenite.

According to the Institute of Volcanology and Geodynamics of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, the Kudryavy volcano releases 20 tons of rhenium every year (by the way, the world production of rhenium in 2006 was about 40 tons; the price of 1 kg of rhenium is up to 3.5 thousand dollars). In 2003, Russian scientists successfully carried out experimental work on the extraction of rhenium from disulfide emitted by a volcano. Commenting on the success of Russian specialists, Rossiyskaya Gazeta noted that rhenium is a strategically valuable metal that is used in the military-industrial complex (primarily in the aerospace sector). E. M. Savitsky, a leading expert in the field of rare refractory metals, wrote: “Many rare elements are still little used in industry due to insufficient knowledge of their properties. Rhenium has discovered so many positive qualities that it has become an acutely scarce metal. Any amount of it will be absorbed by industry. Rhenium is reliability, strength, quality.” The high-temperature rare-metal vapor-gas system of the Kudryavy volcano on Iturup Island has been attracting the attention of researchers for a quarter of a century, since the discovery of rare-metal mineralization in fumarole products.

Deputy Director of the Institute of Mineralogy, Geochemistry and Crystal Chemistry of Rare Elements (IMGRE) of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences A. Kremenetsky noted that extracting rhenium on the island is economically feasible. According to the scientist, in addition to rhenium, there is also the possibility of extracting bismuth, indium, germanium, silver, gold and selenium. Kremenetsky emphasized: “If only the unique volcanic deposit on the island of Iturup did not also end up abroad.”

Previously, the USSR mined rhenium in Kazakhstan and Central Asia. Emphasizing the importance of rhenium mining, Nezavisimaya Gazeta wrote: “God sent Russia the Kudryavy volcano on Iturup Island, where this rhenium is a real storehouse!” .

On Iturup there is a large deposit of native sulfur (more than 4 million tons), clearly visible from the sea when approaching Kurilsk between the Chirip and Bogdan Khmelnitsky volcanoes.

Climate

The island's climate is generally classified as temperate maritime. However, it is complicated by the monsoon component, as well as a significant difference in the microclimate between the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Pacific part. The latter is explained by the fact that the Sea of ​​Okhotsk coast is warmed by the warm waters of the Soya Current, while the Pacific coast is noticeably colder. On the Sea of ​​Okhotsk coast of the island there is less fog, so the number of clear and warm days per year is noticeably higher than on the Pacific coast, due to which the flora and fauna here are richer and more diverse. In general, summers on the island are humid and quite cool. Due to high humidity, the warmest month of the year is August, when average daily temperatures reach +14°C. This is higher than on Urup, but a little cooler than on Kunashir. The sum of active temperatures on Iturup is 1350°C compared to 1700°C on Kunashir, 1650°C on Shikotan and 700°C on Urup. Winters on the island are much milder than on the continent, characterized by frequent snowfalls and thaws [ ] . Thanks to the huge reserves of snow, many southern plants successfully survive during the cold period, and in the summer, melting snowfields maintain optimal water supply for moisture-loving species. Forester N.A. Popov called these climatic conditions “snowy subtropics”. This definition is not widely accepted by researchers in the region, but some sources use it.

• The average annual air temperature is 4.9 °C.
• Relative air humidity - 74.7%.
• Average wind speed is 6.9 m/s.

Average daily air temperature according to NASA
Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
−2.0 °C	−3.7 °C	−2.3 °C	1.4 °C	4.2 °C	7.7 °C	11.2 °C	13.6 °C	12.8 °C	10.0 °C	5.2 °C	0.5 °C	4.9 °C

Hydrography

Story

In a controversial status

In 1643, between the islands of Iturup and Urup, the Dutch navigator De Vries discovered a strait, which was later named after him. Frieze gave the name to the island Iturup Land of the States- in honor of the States General, the then unofficial name of Holland.

As part of the Russian Empire

From 1947 to 1949, subjects of the former Japanese Empire (including the native Ainu) were repatriated to Japan.

Since 1991, it has been part of Russia as the successor country of the USSR. Currently, the Japanese side constantly returns to the problem of the “Northern Territories” (Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan islands, the Habomai group of islands), insisting on their transfer to its jurisdiction. The lack of visible progress on this issue is preventing the conclusion of a peace treaty between the countries.

See also

Notes

1. Iturup Island is the subject of a territorial dispute between Russia, which rules the island, and Japan. In accordance with the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the island is part of the territory of the Russian Federation, according to the administrative-territorial division of Japan - it is part of the Nemuro district of Hokkaido Prefecture of Japan.
2. Autumn on Urup, sakhalin.info. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
3. Russian National Library. Atlas of the Russian Empire of 1745. Atlas maps. (undefined) . exhibitions.nlr.ru. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
4. 税務署所在地・案内(北海道) (Japanese)
5. Map of Nemuro Subprefecture(Japanese) .
6. Administrative map of Japan (As of April 1, 2009)(English) .