''On The Nameless Height'' (, ''Na bezymyannoy vysote''), also known as ''Nearby an Unfamilial Settlement'' (, ''U neznakomogo posyolka'') is a
Soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
World War II song. The text was written by Mikhail Matusovsky in 1963, with music by Veniamin Basner, and is one of the themes of the war-based movie "Silence" (, ''Tishina''), released in 1964. The song is based on true historical events and glorifies three lucky soldiers, surviving out of an eighteen-soldier infantry squad. The height concerned the one located near the Rubezhenka settlement in the Kuybyshevsky District, Kaluga Oblast while the soldiers, mentioned in song, were a part of Soviet 139th infantry division.
Background
In August 1943 the
139th Rifle Division
The 139th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, formed three times during World War II, in 1939 and twice in 1941.
First Formation
Its First Formation was established at Kozelsk in September 1939, on the basis of a regiment o ...
was reinforced with newly arrived draftees-volunteers. Eighteen newly arrived factory workers from
Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and the Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the 2021 Russian census, 2021 census, it had a population of 1,633,595, making it the most populous city in Siber ...
were given a task to stealthily occupy a height behind enemy lines in the vicinity of today's settlement ''Rubezhonka'' in
Kaluga Oblast
Kaluga Oblast () is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Kaluga. The Russian Census (2021), 2021 Russian Census found a population o ...
. Headed by the Second
Lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
Yevgeniy Proshin, they were given the deadline to accomplish their mission by September 14. Their call sign was ''Luna''. Upon completion of the task ''Luna'' gave a positive SITREP for a successful mission. However, they were spotted soon by a German patrol, which led to their encirclement and elimination. No real evaluation of the mission was recorded. Despite the lyrics which mention three survivors, there were in fact only two: Sergeant Konstantin Vlasov and Private Gerasim Lapin. Their lives were miraculously spared when they were knocked unconscious. Sergeant Vlasov was captured as a prisoner, but was later able to escape to
partisans
Partisan(s) or The Partisan(s) may refer to:
Military
* Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line
** Francs-tireurs et partisans, communist-led French anti-fascist resistance against Nazi Germany during WWII
** Itali ...
; Private Lapin was found among the dead by the advancing elements of Soviet Armed Forces.
Nikolai Danilenko, Dmitriy Yaruta, Yemelyan Belokonov, Petr Panin, Dmitriy Shliakhov, Roman Zakomoldin, Nikolai Galenkin, Timofei Kasabiyev, Gavriil Vorobyov, Aleksandr Artamonov, Dmitriy Lipovitser, Boris Kigel, Daniil Denisov, Petr Romanov, and Ivan Kulikov were among the soldiers who died while carrying out the mission.