'Teacher Day' in Beslan

The holiday was cancelled here. Now October 6th is Remembrance Day. At Beslan's school no. 1, there were 62 teachers and other school workers among the hostages. Twenty-two perished.

       Because of the tragedy, Beslan schools cancelled Teacher's Day. Instead, at 11 AM on October 6th, the Beslan cultural center observed a 'Day of Remembrance' for the teachers who died in the storming of school number one. A small delegation came, headed by Northern Ossetia's education minister, Alina Levitskaya, and the new chairman of the government. Relatives of the deceased teachers came. The president of Ossetia did not come, but sent 'feasible pecuniary aid' for their funerals.
       On Remembrance Day, the relatives were told that the president of the republic had introduced a bill to decorate all the deceased teachers with an official award, but precisely what type was not specified.
       Education Minister Alina Levitskaya read the order for each teacher. She read and cried.

       Zlata Sergeyevna Azieyeva. The moment the battle began, she saved children with no regard for her own life. Killed while performing her professional duty.
       Al'bina Viktorovna Alikova. From the first day she helped children as they were being moved into the gymnasium, calming them down, cheering them up, distracting them from terrible thoughts. After the first explosion, Al'bina personally saved 20 children, evacuating them from a window in the gym. When the fire began, she ran barefoot along the burning embers and was heading for the exit when someone called for help. She was never seen again. Al'bina's burnt body was identified 10 days later.
       Darima Batuyevna Alikova. During the terror act she supported the children, giving them aid in spite of the terrorists' orders, and was beaten for this. More than once, according to the hostages, the terrorists threatened to kill her. Darima's burned remains were identified five days later. On her body were 8 bullet wounds.
       Svetlana Akhmedovna Balikoyeva. Supply clerk for the first school. They could not identify her for a long time. She proved to be literally blown to bits.
       Galina Khadzhiyevna Batayeva. Until the last minutes of her life she kept her courage and composure, gathering her little schoolchildren around her. During the battle she saved children.
       Zarema Gavrilovna Bekmurzova. Saved children with no concern for her own life. Perished after succeeding in saving a large number of children who were located next to her.
       Alena Aksarbekovna Dzutseva. In the face of death she performed her professional duty. Until the very last minute she was rescuing children.
       Ivan Konstantinovich Kanidi. Physical education teacher, 74 years old, veteran of the Great Patriotic War. Until the last minute, he was attempting to save children who looked to him for hope. He shielded them with his body. The guerillas had offered to let him leave the school, but he asked that children be released in his place, and remained in the school. He rendered two explosive devices harmless. After the explosions he tried to seize a machinegun from a guerilla and was shot to death.
       Svetlana Kantemirovna Kantemirova. Teacher of the English language. Died while shielding children with her body.
       Emma Khasanovna Karyayeva. Elementary class teacher. Helped children cope with fear. Lost her own daughter in this tragedy while saving other children. Emma was last seen by a friend, English teacher Larisa Sergeevna Tedeyeva, who was dragging her to the exit. Emma could no longer speak, and blood was gushing from a wound on her neck. Emma brought her right hand to her lips and kissed her wedding ring. Later, she wrote in blood on the floor: 'I love you. Karina.' In this manner she did bid her husband and daughter farewell.
       Aleksandr Mikhailovich Mikhailov. Labor teacher. Until the last minute he courageously performed his duty as a teacher, a man, and a protector.
       Nadezhda Ivanovna Nazarova. Biology teacher. Sacrificed herself to save children. Died will performing her dury as a teacher. She died together with her daughter and two grandchildren.
       Natal'ya Aleksandrovna Rudenok. Teacher of art and drawing. Saved children, died while performing her duty as a teacher.
       Ol'ga Nikolayevna Soskiyeva. Elementary class teacher. Tried to protect children from the guerillas' aggression and calm them down. Took upon herself the care of a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, veteran of labor and retired history teacher Zaurbek Kharitonovich Gasiyev, who traditionally came to the school on the first day of class. She literally carried the old man from the gym to the restroom, because he had difficulty moving. Gasiyev survived. When the explosion boomed out, Ol'ga Nikolayevna did not concern herself with saving herself or her own daughter. She pushed children to safety though windows.
       Al'bina Vladimirovna Tuskayeva. Supported children, adults, and parents. Saved her students, lost her son.
       Irina Zakharovna Khanayeva. A teacher worthy of the Russian Federation. Elementary education teacher, seventy-four years old. In the most difficult situation, though suffering from thrombophlebitis, she massed her little students about her and saved her entire class. During the battle, Irina Zakharovna was wounded by a burst of automatic weapons fire to her legs, but she stood up on her knees so that the children could climb her back and jump from the window. Died a true teacher.
       Taisiya Kaurbekovna Khetagurova. Kept her courage. Saved many of her students, and died.
       Roza Timofeyevna Cherdzhiyeva. Until the last minute she remained a teacher. She saved her students and showed rare courage. Remained a teacher of teachers. On the last surviving blackboard in the school her rescued students wrote: 'Roza Timofeyevna! We will never forget you'.
       Tarkan Gabuliyevich Sabanov. Ninty years old, veteran of the Great Patriotic War. Guerillas offered to let him leave the school, but he refused and said: 'I started my life here, and I will end it here!' Died a true teacher and front-line soldier.
       Ivan Il'ich Karlov. Worked for many years in the school boiler room. Seventy-two years old. Hid children and a teacher in the boiler room, saving the lives of 30 people. Shot by the guerillas.
       In the enumeration of those killed and posthumously decorated, for some reason the following names did not appear: Alla Teymurazovna Andiyeva, who led a beginning modeling class, and laboratory assistant Rita Mukhtarovna Nogayeva.

       Elena Milashina, our special correspondent in Beslan
       We would like to thank our colleagues from the Beslan newspaper 'Life on the Right Bank' for their help in preparing this material.

I do read British war histories, the numbers I got were from the Bunds Archive(sp), during the destruction of Army Group Center, Bageration, the German Casualties were around 250,000.

The reference to Russians clearing mine fields by a high didle charge up the middle was from a comment by Zhukov to Ike at Potsdam.

About that moving rain of steel, if the Germans maintained a defense in depth of about 5 KM the Russians wasted a lot of Iron, because of the lack of communications to adjust fire, remember that there was only one radio at Stalingrad and that was used to report out to Stavka, most of the communications up and down the command structure was by Field Phone.

Which brings up another bone of contention, air recon. One of your Limey authors, Liddle-Hart I believe, stated that the over flight of Russian Air recon, never exceeded 25 KM during the entire war.

I have no particular love for either the Germans or the Russians. My father ran convoys into Murmansk and Archangel's and instilled in me a disgust for the Soviets from the stories he told me. I do like history told straight though,

Does the disgust for the Soviets (now gone 13 years) translate into disgust for the Russians?

The reference to Russians clearing mine fields by a high didle charge up the middle was from a comment by Zhukov to Ike at Potsdam.

That was Berlin and that was an order from Stalin who wanted to be sure he got to Berlin first with the mostest.

Though the one radio is true, that was Stalingrad early Oct 1942 to mid Jan 1943. There were 2 more years of war after that.

In most locations, the Germans did not maintain defenses of 5km in depth, Hitler would not allow it. Nor would he allow mobile defense, which the Russians had proven worked very well. Strong points were simply run around, to be finished off by the second or third echelon. Thus formed several roving couldrons.

During the Vestul Offensive allone, the first Ukrainian and Belarussian fronts both not only broke through the German defenses but penetrated up to their maximum phase lines within 2 days. After that Stavka just released the commanders to their ends for the mad dash to the Oder. Many Prussian villages knew they were the front when Soviet tank columns drove through them and kept going. Only in lower Silesia and upper Prussia did the front hold out until concerted efforts were made to destroy it.

During Bageration, many German divisions of fortress infantry were left all over the map, by passed by scores of kilometeres as the front left them behind. Similarly, the recreated 6th Army was again destroyed shortly in eastern Romania. German casualties on the Eastern front far exceeded every other front.

Battle for Berlin

Berlin's fate was sealed, but the resistance continued. Fighting was heavy, with house-to-house and hand-to-hand combat. The Soviets sustained 80,000 dead in the city and 305,000 in eastern Germany as a whole; the Germans sustained as many as 325,000, including civilians. In some areas of the city, vengeful Soviet troops gangraped and often killed many German women and children. Red Army officers were outraged by this behaviour.

As the Soviet forces fought their way into the centre of Berlin, Adolf Hitler appointed Admiral Karl Dönitz as the new President of Germany. On April 30th, Adolf Hitler married Eva Braun and then committed suicide by taking cyanide and shooting himself. Berlin surrendered to the soviets on May 2. Germany surrendered to the Allies on 7 May 1945.

The Battle of Berlin was over, and with it went the Third Reich. The thousand-year Reich had lasted for twelve years, and 40 million people were dead. The German Surrender was signed on May 7 in Rheims, France. Nevertheless some German troops continued resistance for several more days

I like the Russian people, my dear ex was Polish and Russian, with a touch of the tartar, an unstable combination at best but a good deal easier to get along with than my side of the family (Yankees, the real thing). Her Grand Father fought in the Russo Japenese war came to the states and was drafted into the US Army and was in the trenches in WW1, died at 98 great old guy.

Getting back to the Vistula battle. Himmler was in command of the Army group, it was a disaster from the get go, Hitler was looking for loyality rather than competance.

I have never gamed this Battle because of the stupidity on the German side, the Russians had some stupid commanders, Popov for example, but this took the cake.

Hitler had relieved most of his competent Generals, Manstien and Heinricci, example, and replaced them with the second line of dedicated Nazis, a poor crop at best.

The casultie figures I have seen for Berlin were closer to a Million on the Russian side. The charge up the middle thing comes from German soldiers I have talked to who served from 1942 on, lived in a heavily German area when I was a kid and heard a lot of stories from immigrant Ost Kampfers.

Getting back to the Vistula battle. Himmler was in command of the Army group, it was a disaster from the get go, Hitler was looking for loyality rather than competance

Himmler was only in charge of Army Group Vestula, which was formed on the Oder of the remains of the various armies destroyed on the Vestula. He was only in charge for a short time, long enough to screw up Operation SonderWinde. He was never really even in charge, being to "sick" to come to the front away from luxury.

I've never heard of more then 300,000 for Berlin. The charge up the middle was because Stalin didn't want to wait to clear those mines, wanted Berlin ASAP. The actual train up and planning and execution of Bagration, Kursk, Vestula to Oder, Prussian, Upper Silesian, Balkan Swing were all excellent operations. The Soviet generals were on a massive roll from 1944 to 1945 and argueably not to bad in 43. 41 & 42 was when the chafe got seperated out.

Read "The Last 100 Days", not a bad book. About the mine clearing I can on;y go by what I have read and those people that I have talked to.

If you go to the National Achives and request the Morning reports, about a 5 cents a page, for the 1st SS PZ Corps, actually PZ Grenadeer Divisions, you might get a different view of Kursk. Hausser has stated, after the battle, that with 24 hours more he would have completed the circle.

It is true that Army Group Center got the poop beat out of it at Kursk, largely Infantry, Army Group South, Manstein still had 4 uncommitted PZ divisions before Hitler lost his one ball and panicked at the US invasion of Italy.

A lot of the history that you read about Kursk was written before the realese of the records of the the 1st SS Panzer Corps in 1988, later the 2nd SS Panzer Corps after Kursk. I can't remember whether it was the First or Fifith Tank Army that was destroyed at Kursk.

In 1944 and 1945, the kids were left on both sides. A post on FR a few years ago stated that three generations, age groups, 1923, 1924, and 1925 were wiped out on the Russian side, explaining the Broom women in Moscow.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.