Luteg beachhead

It is picnic of veterans who celebrating town liberation day.

Each year their picnics less crowded and soon it will be no one who can tell a true story of war and who can show us the places to dig.

The major crossing over Dnepr began on November 4th, 1943. The name Luteg beachhead comes from name of a village where Soviet Army first broke through German defence. Battle spread on area of 70 kms along the bank of river North from Kiev.

Troops start coming from everywhere. In Bukrin they left dummies of planes, tanks and cannons and in one night secretly re-deployed army. There were partisans from Belorusia, there were troops and people from all part of Russia and central Asia, civilians from towns and villages of left-bank Ukraine or just anyone who could hold weapon and whom Red Army picked on their way.

Luteg beachhead was a scene that town haven't seen since Mongols invaded it, thousands of people were crossing river on boats, horses and bags of straw. People were coming and coming and soon Germans no longer able to hold this avalanche stood back. (photo from painting in museum)

This was a bloody battle for both sides, more then 180.000 people died in a short period of time.