And the dawns here are quiet (story). And the dawns here are quiet Author and the dawns here are quiet summary

“And the Dawns Here Are Quiet” is a work by Boris Vasiliev dedicated to the Great Patriotic War and the role of women in it. Even summary“And the dawns here are quiet” allows us to convey all the tragedy of the situation described in the full version of the work. The action takes place in May 1942 at one of the railway sidings. Thirty-two-year-old Fedot Evgrafych Vaskov commands the anti-aircraft gunners here.

In general, there is a calm atmosphere at the crossing, which is sometimes disturbed by airplanes. All soldiers arriving at such an important post are first looked around, and then begin to lead a riotous lifestyle. Vaskov wrote reports on careless soldiers quite often, and the command decided to assign him a platoon of female anti-aircraft gunners. At first, Fedot and the anti-aircraft gunners find themselves in awkward situations; this is shown in more detail in the full version of “And the Dawns Here Are Quiet”; the summary of the story does not provide such detailed details.

One of the platoon commanders is Margarita Osyanina, who became a widow on the second day of the war. She is driven by an uncontrollable thirst for revenge and hatred of all Germans, which is why she behaves quite strictly towards girls. After one of the fascist raids, the carrier dies, and Zhenya Komelkova arrives in her place, having her own motives for revenge: the fascists shot her entire family before her eyes.

As soon as Zhenya was at the front, she was caught having an affair with the married Colonel Luzhin, which is how she ended up on the 171st patrol. The wife manages to get along with the cold Rita, and she begins to soften. Komelkova also managed to transform Galya Chetvertak, who was an ordinary gray mouse in the company, and she decided to stick with her. The summary of “And the Dawns Here Are Quiet,” unfortunately, does not make it possible to colorfully describe the details of the transformation of Chetvertak.

Not far from the junction there is a town where Rita’s son and her mother live. At night, Osyanina delivered food to them, and one day, while moving through the forest, she noticed the Germans. Soon the command demanded that Vaskov and his platoon catch the Nazis. Fedot believes that the enemies are moving towards the railway to disable it. To intercept a couple of Germans, Vaskov takes with him Osyanina, Komelkova, Chetvertak, as well as Elizaveta Brichkina, the daughter of a forester, and Sofya Gurvich, a girl from an intelligent family.

No one from the detachment even imagined that there would be not two Germans, but sixteen. Fedot sends Lisa for help, but she stumbles on a swamp path and dies. At the same time, the remaining members of the detachment are trying to deceive the invaders by posing as lumberjacks, and this maneuver is partly successful. The summary of “And the Dawns Here Are Quiet,” unfortunately, is not able to demonstrate the complex path shown in the book and its film adaptation.

Vaskov leaves his pouch at the old location, and Gurvich decides to return it. Indiscretion costs her life - she is killed by two Germans. Zhenya and Fedot take revenge for Sonya, after which they bury her. Seeing the Germans, the survivors open fire on them, and they hide, trying to figure out who attacked them.

Fedot ambushes the Germans, but all plans are foiled by Galya, whose nerves could not stand it. She ran out of cover right under the Nazis' bullets. The girl dies, and Fedot takes the Nazis as far as possible from Rita and Zhenya; during the maneuver, he finds Brichkina’s skirt and realizes that there will be no help. The tragedy of this situation cannot be felt using only a summary of “The Dawns Here Are Quiet.”

Fedot, Rita and Zhenya take the last stand. Rita receives a mortal wound in the stomach, and while Fedot drags her to cover, Zhenya, distracting the Germans, dies. Osyanina asks Vaskov to take care of her son and kills herself with a shot to the temple. Fedot buries both.

Vaskov finds the Germans’ hiding place, breaks into their house and captures them, after which he leads them to the platoon’s location. The book ends with the fact that every year Fedot Vaskov and Captain Albert Fedotich, the son of Margarita Osyanina, arrive at the place of death of the girls. The story that Boris Vasiliev created, “And the Dawns Here Are Quiet,” is part of a series of works dedicated to the fate of women during the Great Patriotic War. Patriotic War.

The story “The Dawns Here Are Quiet,” a brief summary of which is given later in the article, tells about the events taking place during the Great Patriotic War.

The work is dedicated to the heroic feat of anti-aircraft gunners who unexpectedly found themselves surrounded by Germans.

About the story “The Dawns Here Are Quiet”

The story was first published in 1969, it was approved by the editor of the magazine “Youth”.

The reason for writing the work was a real wartime episode.

A small group of 7 soldiers recovering from wounds prevented the Germans from blowing up the Kirovskaya railway.

As a result of the operation, only one commander survived, who subsequently received the medal “For Military Merit” at the end of the war.

The episode is tragic, however, in the realities of wartime this event is lost among the horrors terrible war. Then the author remembered the 300 thousand women who bore the hardships of the front along with male soldiers.

And the plot of the story was built on the tragic fates of female anti-aircraft gunners who die during a reconnaissance operation.

Who is the author of the book “The Dawns Here Are Quiet”

The work was written by Boris Vasiliev in the narrative genre.

When the Great Patriotic War began, he had barely finished 9th grade.

Boris Lvovich fought near Smolensk, received a shell shock, and therefore knew first-hand about front-line life.

He became interested in literary work in the 50s, writing plays and scripts. The writer took up prose stories only 10 years later.

The main characters of the story “The Dawns Here Are Quiet”

Vaskov Fedot Evgrafych

The sergeant-major, whose command the anti-aircraft gunners were placed in, occupied the commandant’s position at the 171st railway siding.

He is 32 years old, but the girls gave him the nickname “old man” for his intractable character.

Before the war, he was an ordinary man from the village, had a 4th grade education, and at the age of 14 he was forced to become the sole breadwinner in the family.

Vaskov's son, whom he sued from his ex-wife after the divorce, died before the start of the war.

Gurvich Sonya

A simple, shy girl from a large family, born and raised in Minsk. Her father worked as a local doctor.

Before the war, she managed to study for a year at Moscow State University as a translator and spoke German fluently. Sonya's first love was a bespectacled student studying in the library at the next table, with whom they timidly communicated.

When the war began, due to the excess of translators at the front, Sonya ended up in a school for anti-aircraft gunners, and then in Fedot Vaskov’s detachment.

The girl loved poetry very much, her cherished dream was to see her many household members again. During a reconnaissance operation, Sonya was killed by a German with two knife blows to the chest.

Brichkina Elizaveta

Country girl, daughter of a forester. From the age of 14 she was forced to leave school and take care of her terminally ill mother.

I dreamed of entering a technical school, so after my mother’s death, following the advice of one of my father’s friends, I was going to move to the capital. But her plans were not destined to come true; they were adjusted by the war - Lisa went to the front.

The gloomy Sergeant Vaskov immediately aroused great sympathy in the girl. During a reconnaissance mission, Lisa was sent through the swamp for help, but was in too much of a hurry and drowned. After some time, Vaskov will find her skirt in the swamp, then he will understand that he is left without help.

Komelkova Evgenia

Cheerful and beautiful red-haired girl. The Germans shot all members of her family; the merciless reprisal took place right before Zhenya’s eyes.

Her neighbor saved the girl from death. Burning with the desire to avenge the death of her relatives, Zhenya became an anti-aircraft gunner.

The girl’s attractive appearance and perky character made her the object of Colonel Luzhin’s advances, so the authorities, in order to interrupt the romance, redirected Zhenya to the women’s detachment, so she came under the command of Vaskov.

In reconnaissance, Zhenya twice showed fearlessness and heroism. She saved her commander when he was fighting a German. And then, exposing herself to bullets, she led the Germans away from the place where the foreman and her wounded friend Rita hid.

Chetvertak Galina

A very young and sensitive girl, she was short in stature and had a habit of making up stories and fables.

Grew up in orphanage and didn’t even have her own last name. Because of her small stature, the elderly caretaker, who treated Gala in a friendly manner, came up with her surname Chetvertak.

Before being called up, the girl almost managed to complete 3 years of library college. During a reconnaissance operation, Galya was unable to cope with fear and jumped out of cover, falling under German bullets.

Osyanina Margarita

The senior person in the platoon, Rita was distinguished by her seriousness, was very reserved and rarely smiled. As a girl, she bore the surname Mushtakov.

At the very beginning of the war, her husband, Lieutenant Osyanin, died. Wanting to avenge the death of her loved one, Rita went to the front.

She gave her only son, Albert, to be raised by her mother. Rita's death was the last of five girls in intelligence. She shot herself, realizing that she was mortally wounded and was an unbearable burden for her commander Vaskov.

Before her death, she asked the foreman to take care of Albert. And he kept his promise.

Other characters in “The Dawns Here Are Quiet”

Kiryanova

She was Rita's senior comrade in the industrial platoon. Before serving on the border, she took part in the Finnish War. Kiryanova, along with Rita, Zhenya Komelkova and Galya Chetvertak, were redirected to the 171st crossing.

Knowing about Rita’s secret attacks on her son and mother during her service with Vaskov, she did not betray her long-time colleague, interceding for her that morning when the girl met the Germans in the forest.

A brief retelling of the story “The Dawns Here Are Quiet”

The events of the story are greatly abbreviated. Dialogue and descriptive moments are omitted.

Chapter 1

The action took place in the rear. At the inactive railway siding at number 171, there are only a few surviving houses. There were no more bombings, but as a precaution, the command left anti-aircraft installations here.

Compared to other parts of the front, there was a resort at the junction, the soldiers abused alcohol and flirted with local residents.

Weekly reports from the commandant of the patrol, Sergeant Major Vaskov Fedot Evgrafych, on the anti-aircraft gunners led to regular changes in personnel, but the picture was repeated again and again. Finally, after analyzing the current situation, the command sent a team of female anti-aircraft gunners under the leadership of the foreman.

The new squad had no problems with drinking and revelry, but for Fedot Evgrafych it was unusual for Fedot Evgrafych to command a female, cocky and trained squad, since he himself had only 4 years of education.

Chapter 2

The death of her husband made Margarita Osyanina a stern and withdrawn person. From the moment of the loss of her beloved, the desire for revenge burned in her heart, so she remained to serve on the border near the places where Osyanin died.

To replace the deceased carrier, they sent Komelkova Evgenia, a mischievous red-haired beauty. She also suffered from the Nazis - she had to see with her own eyes the execution of all family members by the Germans. Two dissimilar girls became friends and Rita’s heart began to thaw from the grief she had experienced, thanks to Zhenya’s cheerful and open disposition.

Two girls accepted the shy Galya Chetvertak into their circle. When Rita finds out that she can transfer to the 171st crossing, she immediately agrees, since her son and mother live very close by.

All three anti-aircraft gunners come under the command of Vaskov and Rita, with the help of her friends, makes regular night trips to her relatives.

Chapter 3

Returning in the morning after one of her secret forays, Rita encountered two German soldiers in the forest. They were armed and carried something heavy in bags.

Rita immediately reported this to Vaskov, who guessed that these were saboteurs whose goal was to undermine a strategically important railway junction.

The sergeant major conveyed important information to the command over the phone and received orders to comb the forest. He decided to go to Lake Vop a short way across the Germans.

Fedot Evgrafych took five girls with him, led by Rita, on reconnaissance. These were Elizaveta Brichkina, Evgenia Komelkova, Galina Chetvertak and Sonya Gurvich as a translator.

Before sending, the soldiers had to be taught how to put on proper shoes so as not to wear out their feet, and also forced to clean their rifles. The conditioned danger signal was the quack of a drake.

Chapter 4

The shortest path to the forest lake was through a marshy swamp. For almost half a day the team had to walk waist-deep in cold swamp slush. Galya Chetvertak lost her boot and footcloth, and part of the way through the swamp she had to walk barefoot.

Having reached the shore, the whole team was able to rest, wash dirty clothes and have a snack. To continue the campaign, Vaskov made a birch bark chunya for Gali. We reached the desired point only in the evening; here it was necessary to set up an ambush.

Chapter 5

When planning a meeting with two fascist soldiers, Vaskov was not very worried and hoped that he would be able to capture them from the forward position, which he placed among the stones. However, in case of an unforeseen event, the foreman provided for the possibility of retreat.

The night passed peacefully, only the fighter Chetvertak became very ill, walking barefoot through the swamp. In the morning, the Germans reached the Sinyukhin ridge between the lakes; the enemy detachment consisted of sixteen people.

Chapter 6

Realizing that he had miscalculated and that he could not stop the large German detachment, Vaskov sent Elizaveta Brichkina for help. He chose Lisa because she grew up in nature and knew her way around the forest very well.

To detain the Nazis, the team decided to depict the noisy activity of lumberjacks. They lit fires, Vaskov cut down trees, the girls shouted and called to each other merrily. When the German detachment was 10 meters away from them, Zhenya ran straight to the river in order to distract the attention of enemy scouts by swimming.

Their plan worked, the Germans took a detour, and the team managed to gain a whole day of time.

Chapter 7

Lisa was in a hurry for help. Having not followed the foreman’s instructions about a pass on an island in the middle of the swamp, she, tired and cold, continued on her way.

Having almost reached the end of the swamp, Lisa became thoughtful and was very frightened by a large bubble that swelled right in front of her in the dead silence of the swamp.

Instinctively, the girl rushed to the side and lost support under her feet. The pole that Lisa was trying to lean on broke. The last thing she saw before her death was the rays of the rising sun.

Chapter 8

The foreman did not know exactly about the trajectory of the Germans, so he decided to go on reconnaissance with Rita. They found a halt, 12 fascists were resting near a fire and drying clothes. It was not possible to establish where the other four were.

Vaskov decides to change his location, and therefore sends Rita to fetch the girls and at the same time asks to bring his personalized pouch. But in the confusion, the pouch was forgotten in the old place, and Sonya Gurvich, without waiting for the commander’s permission, ran for the expensive item.

After a short time, the sergeant major heard a barely audible scream. As a seasoned fighter, he guessed what this cry meant. Together with Zhenya, they went in the direction of the sound and found the body of Sonya, killed by two stabs in the chest.

Chapter 9

Leaving Sonya, the foreman and Zhenya set off in pursuit of the fascists so that they would not have time to report the incident to their own. Rage helps the sergeant major clearly think through a plan of action.

Vaskov quickly killed one of the Germans; Zhenya helped him deal with the second, stunning the Fritz in the head with a rifle butt. This was the first hand-to-hand combat for the girl, which she endured very hard.

Vaskov found his pouch in the pocket of one of the Fritzes. The entire team of anti-aircraft gunners, led by the foreman, gathered near Sonya. The body of a colleague was buried with dignity.

Chapter 10

Making their way through the forest, Vaskov’s team unexpectedly ran into the Germans. In a split second, the sergeant-major threw a grenade forward, and machine-gun bursts began to crackle. Not knowing the enemy's strength, the Nazis decided to retreat.

During the short battle, Galya Chetvertak was unable to overcome her fear and did not participate in the shooting. For this behavior, the girls wanted to condemn her at a Komsomol meeting, however, the commander stood up for the confused anti-aircraft gunner.

Despite extreme fatigue, perplexed about the reasons for the delay in help, the foreman goes on reconnaissance, taking Galina with him for educational purposes.

Chapter 11

Galya was very frightened by the real events that were taking place. A dreamer and writer, she often immersed herself in a fictional world, and therefore the picture real war threw her off track.

Vaskov and Chetvertak soon discovered two bodies German soldiers. By all indications, the soldiers wounded in the firefight were finished off by their own comrades. Not far from this place, the remaining 12 Fritz continued reconnaissance, two of whom had already come very close to Fedot and Gala.

The sergeant-major reliably hid Galina behind the bushes and hid himself in the rocks, but the girl could not cope with her feelings and jumped out of the shelter screaming right into the machine-gun fire of the Germans. Vaskov began to lead the Germans away from his remaining fighters and ran to the swamp, where he took refuge.

During the chase, he was wounded in the arm. When dawn broke, the sergeant-major saw Liza’s skirt in the distance, then he realized that now he could not count on help.

Chapter 12

Being under the yoke of heavy thoughts, the foreman went in search of the Germans. Trying to understand the enemy’s train of thought and examining traces, he came across the Legonta monastery. From a hiding place, he watched as a group of 12 fascists hid explosives in an old hut.

The saboteurs left two soldiers for security, one of whom was wounded. Vaskov managed to neutralize the healthy guard and take possession of his weapon.

The foreman with Rita and Zhenya met on the river bank, in the place where they pretended to be lumberjacks. Having gone through terrible trials, they began to treat each other like brothers. After a halt, they began to prepare for the last battle.

Chapter 13

Vaskov’s team held the defense of the shore as if the entire Motherland was behind them. But the forces were unequal, and the Germans still managed to cross to their shore. Rita was seriously wounded by a grenade explosion.

To save the foreman and her wounded friend, Zhenya, firing back, ran further into the forest, taking the saboteurs with her. The girl was wounded in the side by a blind shot from the enemy, but she didn’t even think about hiding and waiting out.

Already lying in the grass, Zhenya fired until the Germans shot her at point-blank range.

Chapter 14

Fedot Evgrafych, having bandaged Rita and covered her with spruce paws, wanted to go in search of Zhenya and her things. For peace of mind, he decided to leave her a revolver with two cartridges.

Rita understood that she was mortally wounded; she was only afraid that her son would remain an orphan. Therefore, she asked the foreman to take care of Albert, saying that it was from him and from her mother that she was returning that morning when she encountered German soldiers.

Vaskov made such a promise, but did not have time to move a few steps away from Rita when the girl shot herself in the temple.

The foreman buried Rita, and then found and buried Zhenya. The wounded arm ached greatly, the whole body burned from pain and tension, but Vaskov decided to go to the monastery to kill at least one more German. He managed to neutralize the sentry; five Fritz were sleeping in the monastery, one of whom he shot immediately.

Having forced them to tie each other up, barely alive, he led them into captivity. Only when Vaskov saw the Russian soldiers did he allow himself to lose consciousness.

Epilogue

Some time after the war, in a letter to his comrade, one tourist describes amazing quiet places in the area of ​​two lakes. In the text, he also mentions an old man without an arm, who came here with his son Albert Fedotich, a rocket captain.

Subsequently, this tourist, together with his new comrades, installed a marble slab with the names on the grave of the female anti-aircraft gunners.

Conclusion

A poignant story about female heroism during the Great Patriotic War leaves an indelible mark on hearts. The author repeatedly emphasizes in his narrative the unnatural nature of women's participation in hostilities, and the blame for this lies with the one who started the war.

In 1972, director Stanislav Rostotsky made a film based on the story. He dedicated it to the nurse who carried him away from the battlefield, saving him from certain death.

Year of writing:

1969

Reading time:

Description of the work:

The story “The Dawns Here Are Quiet” was written by Boris Vasiliev in 1969. The work tells about the events of the Great Patriotic War, and shows the life of six soldiers. The plot centers on five desperate female anti-aircraft gunners and their commander. The story was first published in the magazine "Youth" in 1969.

Boris Vasiliev explained that the plot of the story “The Dawns Here Are Quiet” was based on a real military incident. Only in that story the soldiers were men. Having started to write the work, the author stalled, afraid of a banal description of a particular case in the war. However, by changing the heroes to young girls, things moved forward. Read the summary of “The Dawns Here Are Quiet.”

Summary of the story
And the dawns here are quiet

May 1942 Countryside in Russia. There is a war with Nazi Germany. The 171st railway siding is commanded by foreman Fedot Evgrafych Vaskov. He is thirty-two years old. He has only four years of education. Vaskov was married, but his wife ran away with the regimental veterinarian, and his son soon died.

It's calm at the crossing. The soldiers arrive here, look around and then start “drinking and hanging out.” Vaskov persistently writes reports, and, in the end, they send him a platoon of “teetotal” fighters - girl anti-aircraft gunners. At first, the girls laugh at Vaskov, but he doesn’t know how to deal with them. The commander of the first section of the platoon is Rita Osyanina. Rita's husband died on the second day of the war. She sent her son Albert to his parents. Soon Rita ended up in the regimental anti-aircraft school. With the death of her husband, she learned to hate the Germans “quietly and mercilessly” and was harsh with the girls in her unit.

The Germans kill the carrier and send Zhenya Komelkova, a slender red-haired beauty, in her place. A year ago, before Zhenya’s eyes, the Germans shot her loved ones. After their death, Zhenya crossed the front. He picked her up, protected her, “and not just took advantage of her defenselessness - Colonel Luzhin stuck her to himself.” He was a family man, and the military authorities, having found out about this, “recruited” the colonel, and sent Zhenya “to a good team.” Despite everything, Zhenya is “outgoing and mischievous.” Her fate immediately “crosses out Rita’s exclusivity.” Zhenya and Rita get together, and the latter “thaws out”.

When it comes to transferring from the front line to the patrol, Rita is inspired and asks to send her squad. The crossing is located near the city where her mother and son live. At night, Rita secretly runs into the city, carrying groceries for her family. One day, returning at dawn, Rita sees two Germans in the forest. She wakes up Vaskov. He receives orders from his superiors to “catch” the Germans. Vaskov calculates that the Germans’ route lies on the Kirov Railway. The foreman decides to take a shortcut through the swamps to the Sinyukhina ridge, stretching between two lakes, along which is the only way to get to the railway, and wait for the Germans there - they will probably take a roundabout route. Vaskov takes Rita, Zhenya, Lisa Brichkina, Sonya Gurvich and Galya Chetvertak with him.

Lisa is from the Bryansk region, she is the daughter of a forester. For five years I cared for my terminally ill mother, but because of this I was unable to finish school. A visiting hunter, who awakened Lisa’s first love, promised to help her enter a technical school. But the war began, Lisa ended up in an anti-aircraft unit. Lisa likes Sergeant Major Vaskov.

Sonya Gurvich from Minsk. Her father was a local doctor, they had a large and friendly family. She herself studied for a year at Moscow University and knows German. A neighbor at lectures, Sonya’s first love, with whom they spent only one unforgettable evening in a cultural park, volunteered for the front.

Galya Chetvertak grew up in an orphanage. There she was “overtaken” by her first love. After the orphanage, Galya ended up in a library technical school. The war found her in her third year.

The path to Lake Vop lies through the swamps. Vaskov leads the girls along a path well known to him, on both sides of which there is a quagmire. The soldiers safely reach the lake and, hiding on the Sinyukhina Ridge, wait for the Germans. They appear on the lake shore only the next morning. It turns out there are not two of them, but sixteen. While the Germans have about three hours left to reach Vaskov and the girls, the foreman sends Lisa Brichkina back to the patrol to report on the change in the situation. But Lisa, crossing the swamp, stumbles and drowns. Nobody knows about this, and everyone is waiting for help. Until then, the girls decide to mislead the Germans. They pretend to be lumberjacks, shout loudly, Vaskov cuts down trees.

The Germans retreat to Lake Legontov, not daring to walk along the Sinyukhin ridge, on which, as they think, someone is cutting down the forest. Vaskov and the girls are moving to a new place. He left his pouch in the same place, and Sonya Gurvich volunteers to bring it. While in a hurry, she stumbles upon two Germans who kill her. Vaskov and Zhenya kill these Germans. Sonya is buried.

Soon the soldiers see the rest of the Germans approaching them. Hiding behind bushes and boulders, they shoot first; the Germans retreat, fearing an invisible enemy. Zhenya and Rita accuse Galya of cowardice, but Vaskov defends her and takes her with him on reconnaissance missions for “educational purposes.” But Vaskov does not suspect what mark Sonin’s death left on Gali’s soul. She is terrified and at the most crucial moment she gives herself away, and the Germans kill her.

Fedot Evgrafych takes on the Germans to lead them away from Zhenya and Rita. He is wounded in the arm. But he manages to escape and reach an island in the swamp. In the water, he notices Lisa's skirt and realizes that help will not come. Vaskov finds the place where the Germans stopped to rest, kills one of them and goes to look for the girls. They are preparing to make their final battle. The Germans appear. In an unequal battle, Vaskov and the girls kill several Germans. Rita is mortally wounded, and while Vaskov drags her to a safe place, the Germans kill Zhenya. Rita asks Vaskov to take care of her son and shoots herself in the temple. Vaskov buries Zhenya and Rita. After this, he goes to the forest hut where the five surviving Germans are sleeping. Vaskov kills one of them on the spot, and takes four prisoner. They themselves tie each other with belts, because they do not believe that Vaskov is “alone for many miles.” He loses consciousness from pain only when his own Russians are already coming towards him.

Many years later, a gray-haired, stocky old man without an arm and a rocket captain, whose name is Albert Fedotich, will bring a marble slab to Rita’s grave.

Please note that the summary of “The Dawns Here Are Quiet” does not reflect the full picture of events and characteristics of the characters. We recommend you read it full version works.

It’s interesting why, after Boris Vasiliev changed the main characters from men to girls in the work he started (where about seven pages were written), things went well and the story turned out to be very successful. The author noted that about 300 thousand women fought in the war, but no one really wrote about them, although it was most difficult for them at the front.

Even if you have read the summary of “And the Dawns Here Are Quiet,” be sure to read the story in its entirety.

(1103 words) The story takes place in May 1942 at the 171st railway siding. The place turned out to be a “safe haven” amid the ongoing military operations throughout Russia. A couple of courtyards remained here, and the command, in case of bombing, left two anti-aircraft installations. The Germans stopped shelling the junction, and the lives of the soldiers sent here flowed steadily and peacefully. The young soldiers drank a lot and often stayed with local girls, which upset Sergeant Major Vaskov. He tirelessly wrote reports to headquarters about the new guys and asked to send a non-drinking platoon. And so, the non-drinking anti-aircraft gunners arrived at the location. Young girls. The drinking and partying really stopped, but other characteristic disadvantages of such a “proper platoon” appeared - the girls made fun of the foreman (only 4 years of education), it was impossible to enter the platoon without knocking (there was a squeal), once they went out to sunbathe naked, they did everything wrong according to the charter.

Rita Osyanina is the squad leader. The war took the life of her husband, after which she decided to go to the front, leaving her son to her mother. Only Zhenka Komelkova, who was sent in place of the murdered caterpillar (all her relatives were shot before her eyes), could melt the heart of the stern Rita. She was not at all like the squad commander, despite the horrors she had experienced, Zhenya was cheerful and beautiful; washes and combs the unsightly Galya Chetvertak, and the three of the girls begin to become friends.

The news about a possible transfer to a patrol from the front line gives Rita the opportunity to see her son, and she runs to him in the city at night. On one of these night raids, Osyanina stumbles upon two German intelligence officers who unwisely approached the crossing with weapons and some kind of packages in their hands. Rita informs Vaskov about what she saw, concealing the reasons for her being in that place at such an early hour. Vaskov notices Osyanina’s bare and wet feet, but says nothing - now there is a more important problem. The foreman, having carefully considered the words of the anti-aircraft gunner, concludes that she encountered German saboteurs and determines their route – the railway. Vaskov decides to intercept the Germans and takes 5 girls with him. Since his soldiers are not battle-hardened, he talks and prepares his “squad” for a clash with the enemy, encouraging them with jokes. Ritka Osyanina, Lizka Brichkina, Galka Chetvertak, Zhenya Komelkova and Sonya Gurvich with the foreman set off to intercept the saboteurs at Vol-Ozero. The main task is to get to the lake before the Germans, in order to have time to settle down and prepare, for this it is necessary to take a shortcut through the swamp. Fedot Evgrafych safely transports his “platoon” through the swamp, only little Chetvertak leaves her boot in the swamp. On the shore they build her a new one from a warm sock. There is a mesmerizing silence over the swamp, as if war had never visited these lands. They gained a lot of time from the Germans, so the foreman allowed the girls to wash off the swamp mud and have lunch. Having reached the planned location, Vaskov orders to take the enemy immediately and not stick out anywhere from his positions. The lost boot of the quarter does not pass without a trace, and the girl falls ill. The next morning, German machine guns begin to appear from the forest, and it turns out that there are not 2, but 16 of them. The foreman understands the deplorability of the situation: with him is a detachment of 5 girls, and on the other side are 16 soldiers with a clearly defined task. Fedot Evgafych sends the forester’s daughter, Liza Brichikna, on a patrol for help, to inform them that they need reinforcements. The remaining forces put on a performance for the saboteurs in order to scare them off and force them to take a detour: Zhenya runs out to swim naked, Fedot Evgrafych picks him up and also runs out to the shore unarmed and plays with Komelkova, everyone loudly shouts to each other, burns and chops down trees. The Germans are leaving, and the whole platoon is laughing with tears in their eyes, they still don’t know that the worst is ahead...

Lisa liked the foreman, and she flew with a message to headquarters, introducing them future life. She has not yet known love; one day her father invited a young forester to their house, Lisa felt attracted, but only on the last day she decided to come to his hayloft, but he drove her away, and the next morning he left a note in which he invited her to study. She blossomed in anticipation, and then the war came. So now, all in her thoughts, Liza forgets about her pain near a noticeable pine tree and makes her way through the slimy swamp by touch, stumbles, loses the path and dies.

Vaskov and Rita go on reconnaissance and decide to change their location. Osyanina leads the girls to a new place, forgetting the foreman’s pouch. Gurvich runs after him. You can hear it in the distance faint sound, and the foreman already understands what this silent cry means. With Komelkova he returns to his previous position and finds Sonya dead. The foreman furiously takes revenge on his enemies, he pounces on the walking “Krauts,” kills one himself, and finishes off the second with a rifle butt, saving the commander. Fedot is having a hard time with the death of the anti-aircraft gunner, but the emotions on Zhenya’s face after the first murder are even worse. He explains to the girl that the enemies are not people or animals, but fascists. A small detachment buries Gurvich. Having reconnoitered the situation from behind a stone, Vaskov sees the Krauts coming towards them; a counter battle begins, which again leads the enemy astray. Pebble Quarter cannot stand the tension, throws his weapon and falls to the ground. After the battle, the girls will condemn her for cowardice, but the foreman will justify this by her lack of training and it will be she who will be taken on the next reconnaissance mission for training, although she understands in advance that it is in vain. Galya Chetvertak is an orphan and lives in a fantasy world; her ideas about war are very romantic. Sonya's death reveals the reality of what is happening. The scouts see the bodies of the dead: there are 12 “Krauts” left. They hide in an ambush, but Chetvertak again succumbs to fear and runs across the Germans. Automatic queue. Vaskov’s squad was left with 2 anti-aircraft gunners, and he is ready to do everything to protect the remaining girls from death. He fires back and tries to drag the saboteurs with him away from his fighters. He gets wounded and hides in the swamp. There he finds all 5 beds near a pine tree and bitterly realizes that Lizka Brichkina climbed into the swamp without help, and the skirt visible on the surface of the swamp confirms his fears - she died. Now you only need to rely on yourself.

Vaskov accidentally goes out to the hut with the saboteurs, they leave the explosives and leave. The foreman kills one and takes away the weapon. In the same place where Zhenya Komelkova recently bathed naked in front of the Germans, the foreman and the remaining girls collide. He reports the death of Chetvertak and Lisa, everyone understands that the next battle will be the last.

A battle begins on the shore: Rita is wounded in the stomach by a fragment of a grenade (before her death, she tells the foreman about her son, his name is Albert, and asks not to forget about him after the war), Komelkova shoots back to the last bullet and is taken deeper into the thicket of the Germans, getting wounded and dies the same way. Vaskov doubts whether the canal was worth the lives of the dead anti-aircraft gunners. Osyanina assures that behind this canal there was an entire homeland, that it was for it that they went into battle. Later, a shot is heard - Rita has finished her torment.

Embittered, Vaskov breaks into the sleeping Germans, kills one, ties up the remaining four and leads them to a patrol point. Exhausted, with a wound in his hand, he transports all the prisoners through the swamp and, realizing that he has driven the saboteurs to the point of departure, he falls exhausted.

Later, from a letter from one tourist, we learn about the arrival on the quiet lakes of a gray-haired man without an arm and a certain rocket captain named Albert. They were looking for anti-aircraft gunners who had once given their lives for their homeland here and wanted to bury them. The author of the letter notices how quiet the dawns are here...

“And the dawns here are quiet...”- a work written by Boris Vasiliev about the fate of five female anti-aircraft gunners and their commander during the Great Patriotic War.

Chapter 1 “And the dawns here are quiet...”

May 1942. At 171 railway sidings that were caught up in the hostilities, several households survived. The Germans stopped bombing. In case of a raid, the command left two anti-aircraft installations. Life on the patrol was quiet and calm, the anti-aircraft gunners could not stand the temptation of female attention and moonshine, and according to the report of the commandant of the patrol, foreman Baskov began only drinking and partying... Vaskov asked to send non-drinkers.

The “non-drinking” anti-aircraft gunners arrived - young girls.

It became calm at the crossing. The girls made fun of the foreman, Vaskov felt awkward in the presence of “learned” soldiers: he only had a 4th grade education. The main concern was the internal “disorder” of the heroines - they did everything not according to the regulations.

Chapter 2 “And the dawns here are quiet...”

Having lost her husband, Rita Osyanina, the commander of a squad of anti-aircraft gunners, became stern and withdrawn. Once they killed a serving girl, and instead of her they sent the beautiful Zhenya Komelkova, in front of whose eyes the Germans shot her loved ones. Despite the tragedy experienced. Zhenya is open and mischievous. Rita and Zhenya became friends, and Rita came to her senses.

Their friend becomes the runt Galya Chetvertak.

Hearing about the possibility of transferring from the front line to a patrol, Rita perks up - it turns out that she has a son next to the patrol in the city. At night, Rita runs to visit her son.

Chapter 3 “And the dawns here are quiet...”

Returning from an unauthorized absence through the forest, Osyanina discovers two strangers in camouflage robes, with weapons and packages in their hands. She tells the patrol commandant about this. The sergeant major realizes that she has encountered German saboteurs moving towards the railway and decides to go to intercept the enemy. 5 female anti-aircraft gunners have been allocated to Vaskov. Worried about them, the foreman tries to prepare his “guard” for the meeting with the Germans and cheer them up.

Rita Osyanina, Zhenya Komelkova, Lisa Brichkina, Galya Chetvertak and Sonya Gurvich with the senior group Vaskov take a short route to Vop-lake, where they expect to meet and detain the saboteurs.

Chapter 4 “And the dawns here are quiet...”

Fedot Evgrafych safely leads his soldiers through the swamps, bypassing the swamps (only Galya Chetvertak loses her boot in the swamp), to the lake. It's quiet here, like a dream.

Chapter 5 “And the dawns here are quiet...”

Expecting to quickly deal with the two saboteurs, Vaskov still chose the path of retreat “to be on the safe side.” While waiting for the Germans, the girls had lunch, the foreman gave a combat order to detain the Germans when they appeared, and everyone took up positions.

Galya Chetvertak, wet in the swamp, fell ill.

The Germans appeared in the morning: but there were not two of them, but sixteen.

Chapter 6 “And the dawns here are quiet...”

Realizing that five girls cannot cope with the Nazis, Vaskov sends “forest” resident Lisa Brichkina on a patrol to get reinforcements.

Trying to scare off the Germans and force them to go around, Vaskov and the girls pretend that lumberjacks are working in the forest. They call to each other loudly, fires are lit, the foreman is cutting down trees, and the desperate Zhenya even bathes in the river in full view of the saboteurs.

The Germans left, and everyone thought that the worst was over...

Chapter 7 “And the dawns here are quiet...”

Lisa was in a hurry, thinking about Vaskov, and missed a noticeable pine tree, near which she needed to turn. Moving with difficulty in the swamp slurry, I stumbled and lost the path. She got stuck in a swamp and drowned.

Chapter 8 “And the dawns here are quiet...”

Vaskov, realizing that the enemy, although he has disappeared, can attack the detachment at any moment, goes with Rita on reconnaissance. Having found out that the Germans had settled at a halt, the foreman decides to change the location of the group and sends Osyanina to fetch the girls. Vaskov is upset when he discovers that he forgot his pouch. Seeing this, Sonya Gurvich runs to pick up the pouch.

Vaskov does not have time to stop the girl. After a while he hears a scream. Guessing what this sound could mean, Fedot calls Zhenya Komelkova with him and goes to his previous position. Together they find Sonya, killed by her enemies.

Chapter 9 “And the dawns here are quiet...”

Vaskov furiously pursued the saboteurs to avenge Sonya's death. Having quietly approached the “Krauts” walking without fear, the foreman kills the first, but does not have enough strength for the second. Zhenya saves Vaskov from death by killing the German with a rifle butt. Fedot Evgrafych suffered due to the death of Sonya. But, understanding the state of Zhenya, who is painfully enduring the murder she committed, she explains that the enemies themselves violated human laws and therefore she needs to understand: “these are not people, not people, not even animals - fascists.”

Chapter 10 “And the dawns here are quiet...”

I buried Sonya and moved on. Looking out from behind another boulder, Vaskov saw the Germans - they were walking straight at them. Having started a counter battle, the girls and the commander forced the saboteurs to retreat, only Galya Chetvertak threw her rifle away out of fear and fell to the ground.

After the battle, the foreman canceled the meeting where the girls wanted to judge Galya for cowardice; he explained her behavior as inexperience and confusion.

Vaskov goes on reconnaissance and takes Galya with him for educational purposes.

Chapter 11 “And the dawns here are quiet...”

Galya Chetvertak followed Vaskov. She, who always lived in her own fantasy world, was broken by the horror of a real war at the sight of the murdered Sonya.

The scouts saw the corpses: the wounded were finished off by their own people. There were 12 saboteurs left.

Hiding in ambush with Galya, Vaskov is ready to shoot the Germans who appear. Suddenly, the clueless Galya Chetvertak rushed across the enemies and was hit by a machine gun fire.

The foreman decided to take the saboteurs as far as possible from Rita and Zhenya. Until nightfall, he rushed between the trees, made noise, briefly shot at the flickering figures of the enemy, shouted, dragging the Germans with him closer and closer to the swamps. Wounded in the arm, he hid in the swamp.

At dawn, having emerged from the swamp, the sergeant-major saw Brichkina’s army skirt, blackened on the surface of the swamp, tied to a pole, and realized that Liza had died in the swamp.

There was no hope of help now...

Chapter 12 “And the dawns here are quiet...”

With heavy thoughts that “he lost his entire war yesterday,” but with the hope that Rita and Zhenya are alive, Vaskov sets off in search of saboteurs. He comes across an abandoned hut, which turns out to be a German shelter. He watches them hide explosives and go on reconnaissance. Vaskov kills one of the enemies remaining in the monastery and takes the weapon.

On the bank of the river, where yesterday “they staged a show for the Fritz,” the foreman and the girls meet - with joy, like sisters and brother. The foreman says that Galya and Lisa died the death of the brave, and that all of them will have to take on their last, apparently, battle.

Chapter 13 “And the dawns here are quiet...”

The Germans came ashore and the battle began. Vaskov knew one thing in this battle: not to retreat. Don’t give the Germans a single piece of land on this shore. No matter how hard it is, no matter how hopeless it is, to hold on. It seemed to Vaskov that he was the last son of his Motherland and its last defender. The detachment did not allow the Germans to cross to the other side.

Rita was seriously wounded in the stomach by a grenade fragment.

Firing back, Komelkova tried to lead the Germans with her. Cheerful, smiling and cheerful Zhenya did not even immediately realize that she had been wounded - after all, it was stupid and impossible to die at the age of nineteen! She shot while she had ammo and strength. “The Germans finished her off point-blank, and then looked at her proud and beautiful face for a long time...”

Chapter 14 “And the dawns here are quiet...”

Realizing that she is dying, Rita tells Vaskov about her son Albert and asks him to take care of him. The foreman shares with Osyanina his first doubt: was it worth protecting the canal and the road at the cost of the death of the girls, who had their whole lives ahead of them? But Rita believes that the Motherland does not begin with canals. Not from there at all. And we protected her. First her, and only then the channel.

Vaskov headed towards the enemies. Hearing the faint sound of a shot, he returned. Rita shot herself, not wanting to suffer and be a burden.

Having buried Zhenya and Rita, exhausted, Vaskov wandered forward to the abandoned monastery. Having broken into the saboteurs, he killed one of them and captured four. In delirium, the wounded Vaskov leads the saboteurs to his own, and only realizing that he has arrived, he loses consciousness.

Epilogue

From a letter from a tourist (written many years after the end of the war), relaxing on quiet lakes, we learn that a gray-haired old man without an arm and rocket captain Albert Fedotich who arrived there brought a marble slab. Together with the visitors, the tourist is looking for the grave of the anti-aircraft gunners who once died here. He notices how quiet the dawns are here...