And the dawns here are quiet, a short story. And the dawns here are quiet (story)

Boris Lvovich Vasiliev

“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 partying.” 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 instead send Zhenya Komelkova, a slender red-haired beauty. 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 only took advantage of her defenselessness, but stuck her to himself by Colonel Luzhin.” 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 not far from 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 Sinyukhin 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 orphanage. There she was “overtaken” by her first love. After 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 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.

In May 1942, the 171st railway siding was commanded by foreman Fedot Evgrafych Vaskov. He had a wife and son, but the wife preferred the regimental veterinarian, and the son died. The travel was quiet, so all the sent fighters, after a while, began to drink tirelessly. Vaskov wrote an incredible number of reports when they finally sent him girls from the anti-aircraft regiment. He found it difficult to control them. The platoon commander was Rita Osyanina. On the second day she lost her husband and decided to go to anti-aircraft school. Son Albert went to be raised by Rita's parents. She turned out to be a very stern commander. After the death of the carrier, a new girl joined the platoon.

Zhenya Komelkova was a beauty with red curls. The whole family died before her eyes. Because of her relationship with the married Colonel Luzhin, the command sent Zhenya to Rita in order to isolate them from each other. Having met, the girls became friends. Having learned about the transfer to the patrol, Rita was delighted. It was close to the city where her relatives lived. Every night, secretly, she ran to her son and mother, bringing them food. But, returning one morning, she noticed two Germans and told Vaskov about it. The military command orders to catch them. Vaskov decides to shorten the path by passing through the swamps to the Sinyukhin ridge. They will walk along the ridge, between two lakes and will wait for the enemy, who will most likely come around. Zhenya, Rita, Lisa Brichkina, Sonya Gurvich and Galya Chetvertak went on the journey with him. Lisa was the daughter of a forester, she was forced to leave school because of her sick mother, whom she looked after for five years. She fell in love with a guest who happened to drop by, and he promised to help her get into college. The plans were disrupted by the war. Belarusian girl Sonya Gurvich was born into a large friendly family of a local doctor. Galya Chetvertak grew up in an orphanage, where she found her first love.

The girls and the commander walked along a path, surrounded on both sides by a quagmire. Having reached the lake, they became silent, waiting for the enemy. Instead of two, sixteen people showed up the next morning. Vaskov sends Lisa with a report to the command. But Lisa, walking along the path, stumbled and drowned. Vaskov does not know about this and is waiting for help to come. Posing as lumberjacks, the girls forced the enemy to retreat, thinking that they were cutting down a forest. Vaskov sent Sonya to get his pouch, which he had forgotten in the old place. Sonya gives herself away and is killed. Sonya's death greatly hurt Galya, and at a crucial moment, she gave herself away, for which she paid with her life. Fedot takes on the Germans to save Zhenya and Rita. He is wounded, but reaches the swamp and notices Lisa's skirt.

He understands that they cannot expect help. Arriving at the place where the Germans were standing, he kills one and goes in search of the girls. In another unequal battle, Zhenya is killed. Rita asked Fedot to take care of her son and shot herself. Having buried the girls, he goes to the hut where the Germans are holy. One was killed, four were captured by Vaskov. Seeing that the Russians were coming, he lost consciousness. Many years later, captain of the missile forces Albert Fedotich and the armless old man will place a marble monument on Rita’s grave.

The story “The Dawns Here Are Quiet” by Boris Vasiliev is one of the most heartfelt and tragic works about the Great Patriotic War. First published in 1969.
The story of five female anti-aircraft gunners and a sergeant major who entered into battle with sixteen German saboteurs. The heroes speak to us from the pages of the story about the unnaturalness of war, about personality in war, about the strength of the human spirit.

IN main topic The story - a woman in war - reflects all the “ruthlessness of war”, but the topic itself had not been raised in literature about the war before the appearance of Vasiliev’s story. To understand the sequence of events in the story, you can read summary“And the dawns here are quiet” by chapter on our website.

Main characters

Vaskov Fedot Evgrafych– 32 years old, sergeant major, commandant of the patrol where the female anti-aircraft gunners are assigned to serve.

Brichkina Elizaveta-19 years old, the daughter of a forester, who lived before the war on one of the cordons in the forests of the Bryansk region in “premonition of dazzling happiness.”

Gurvich Sonya- a girl from an intelligent “very large and very friendly family” of a Minsk doctor. After studying for a year at Moscow University, she went to the front. Loves theater and poetry.

Komelkova Evgeniya- 19 years. Zhenya has her own score to settle with the Germans: her family was shot. Despite the grief, “her character was cheerful and smiling.”

Osyanina Margarita- the first of the class to get married, a year later she gave birth to a son. The husband, a border guard, died on the second day of the war. Leaving the child with her mother, Rita went to the front.

Chetvertak Galina- an orphanage student, a dreamer. She lived in a world of her own fantasies, and went to the front with the conviction that war is romance.

Other characters

Kiryanova- Sergeant, deputy platoon commander of female anti-aircraft gunners.

Summary

Chapter 1

In May 1942, at 171 railway sidings, which found themselves in the midst of military operations going on around them, several yards 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, Sergeant Major Vaskov, one half-platoon, “swollen with fun” and drunkenness, was replaced by the next... Vaskov asked to send non-drinkers.

The “teetotal” anti-aircraft gunners arrived. The fighters turned out to be very young, and they were... 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 rules.”

Chapter 2

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 “thawed out.”

Their friend becomes the “runaway” 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

Returning from an unauthorized absence through the forest, Osyanina discovers two strangers in camouflage robes, with weapons and packages in their hands. She hurries to tell the patrol commandant about this. After listening carefully to Rita, the sergeant major understands 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, jokes, “so that they laugh, so that cheerfulness appears.”

Rita Osyanina, Zhenya Komelkova, Lisa Brichkina, Galya Chetvertak and Sonya Gurvich with the senior group Vaskov are leaving shortcut to Vop Lake, where they hope to meet and detain the saboteurs.

Chapter 4

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 in a dream.” “Before the war, these regions were not very populated, but now they have become completely wild, as if lumberjacks, hunters, and fishermen had gone to the front.”

Chapter 5

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 only the next morning: “gray-green figures with machine guns at the ready kept coming out of the depths,” and it turned out there were not two of them, but sixteen.

Chapter 6

Realizing that “five funny girls and five clips for a rifle” cannot cope with the Nazis, Vaskov sends “forest” resident Lisa Brichkina to the patrol to report that reinforcements are needed.

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 laughed “to the point of tears, to the point of exhaustion,” thinking that the worst was over...

Chapter 7

Lisa “flew through the forest as if on wings,” 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. Feeling the quagmire swallow her up, she saw her for the last time sunlight.

Chapter 8

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 some time, he hears “a distant, weak voice, like a sigh, an almost silent cry.” Guessing what this sound could mean, Fedot Evgrafych calls Zhenya Komelkova with him and goes to his previous position. Together they find Sonya, killed by her enemies.

Chapter 9

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 “was full of sadness, full to the very throat” because of 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

The detachment 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

Galya Chetvertak followed Vaskov. She, who had 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 climbed out of the swamp onto the ground, 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 quagmire.

There was no hope of help now...

Chapter 12

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

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 Fedot 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 nineteen years old! 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

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, almost 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), vacationing on quiet lakes, where there is “complete carlessness and desolation,” 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...

Conclusion

For many years, the tragic fate of the heroines has not left readers of any age indifferent, making them realize the price peaceful life, the greatness and beauty of true patriotism.

The retelling of “And the dawns here are quiet” gives an idea of storyline works, introduces its heroes. It will be possible to penetrate into the essence, to feel the charm of the lyrical narrative and the psychological subtlety of the author's story by reading the full text of the story.

(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 Zhenya 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 leader, 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.

News about possible translation to leave the front line gives Rita the opportunity to see her son, and she runs away 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 - 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- 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. A faint sound is heard in the distance, and the sergeant major already understands what this silent scream 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 butt of Komelkov, 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...

Events take place in 1942. District No. 171, due to damage to the railway track, ceased to be the center of military operations - German attack aircraft flew here from time to time, but in general the service was quiet. Because of this, all the soldiers gradually began to drink moonshine, which was successfully encouraged by the local women and went “to visit” the female soldiers. Fedot Evgrafovich Vaskov, who was the commandant here, could not cope with drunkenness and debauchery, so he constantly wrote requests for replacement soldiers. The soldiers were regularly changed, but the drinking continued. One day, the command found a way out of this situation and sent female soldiers to Vaskov, solving both problems in one fell swoop. Vaskov was very embarrassed by such subordinates.

He noted that they were much more educated than him - they completed 7-9 grades, while he was only 4 (because his father was “broken” by a bear). Before the Finnish War, Vaskov got married and had a son, Igor. However, the wife did not wait for her husband - Vaskov, through the court, deprived his wife of parental rights and sent his son to be raised by his mother, the son did not live long - only a year, and then died. After that, Vaskov smiled only three times - to the general who presented the order, to the doctor who got the fragment, and to the landlady - for her insight.

Chapter 2

Rita Mushtakova met her future husband at a school ball - it was love at first sight. Her lover was a lieutenant of the Red Army, a border guard. After this evening, the young people corresponded for a long time, and then got married.

So Rita became Osyanina. Soon Rita gave birth to a son, Albert. A year later, when the war began, the girl sent her son to her parents, and she began to save the lives of other people’s children. Her husband was killed early, but Rita found out about it almost a month later. In the evenings, Rita goes somewhere at night. Only Kiryanova and Chetvertak know about these campaigns, but they remain silent - they think that Rita has a man who can melt her heart.

Chapter 3

Rita liked to return from her nightly adventures. After the last patrol point you could walk without fear of being discovered - that was the most pleasant thing. The dawns here were quiet. Rita was walking barefoot and enjoying the morning, suddenly she saw a man on the road. Rita hid in the bushes, and at that time another one approached the stranger - it was German intelligence.

The girl waited until the Germans left, and then ran to the unit. Rita woke up Vaskov and told him about the Germans. The command allowed Vaskov to conduct reconnaissance of the area with a group of 5 people. They were Rita Osyanina, Zhenya Komelkova, Lisa Brichkina, Galya Chetvertak and Sonya Gurvich.

Chapter 4

The group’s path was very difficult - the girls were very tired and could barely drag their feet. Along the way, Vaskov notices other people's marks and this worries him very much - he worries whether the Germans know the way straight through the swamp, which he recognized back in the Finnish one, but then his fears dissipate - the tracks go around the swamp. The path through the swamp became more difficult - Galya lost her boot in the quagmire. In the evening the group reached the lake, which allowed them to rest a little.

Chapter 5

Vaskov and the soldiers take an observation position. Fedot Evgrafych teaches girls how to make a fire without smoke. After lunch everyone takes their positions. In the morning they saw 16 Germans who passed by without noticing Vaskov and his group.

Chapter 6

Vaskov realizes that with the forces at his disposal, he is unable to repel the Germans. Fedot Evgrafych is at a loss, he becomes scared. Vaskov decides to send Lisa Brichkina back for reinforcements. He once again reminds her of the road and tells her about landmarks. Fedot Evgrafych understands that he needs to somehow detain the Germans, but does not know how to do this - the girls offer to pretend to be lumberjacks. The plan to transform into lumberjacks turns out to be successful - the Germans retreat, and Vaskov’s group gains some time.

Chapter 7

Liza Brichkina's life has always been difficult. Her mother fell ill early - she stopped getting up, coughing fits completely tormented her. However, death was in no hurry to alleviate the woman’s fate - all this time Lisa patiently looked after her mother and helped with the housework.

One day, a young hunter from the city temporarily settled with them. Lisa imperceptibly fell in love and expected that this feeling would be mutual, but this did not happen.

All Lisa had left from the hunter was a note with a promise to help her get into college. After her mother's death, her father became a heavy drinker, and Lisa looked forward to August. However, it was not possible to go for training - the war made its own adjustments, and Lisa had to dig trenches.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with what Boris Vasiliev wrote.

Lisa was in a hurry to return to the separation - she bravely covered the road and when she had almost passed its most difficult section, she was frightened by a bubble jumping out of the swamp and stumbled. Lisa drowned - at that moment the sun seemed unusually bright to her.

Chapter 8

Vaskov’s squad sang cheerfully, although there was nothing particularly to rejoice at - Vaskov knew that such a trick would scare off the Germans for a short time and therefore decided to go on reconnaissance, he took Rita as his assistant.

Vaskov decides to change the detachment’s location and sends Rita to fetch the others. Upon arrival, the girls notice that they forgot to pick up Vaskov’s tobacco, which was drying on a stone. Sonya goes for tobacco, ignoring Vaskov's ban. Soon Fedot Evgrafych heard a strange cry - Sonya was found mortally wounded.

Chapter 9

Vaskov and Zhenya are pursuing the Germans. Fedot Evgrafych determines that there were two attackers. Without effort they find the Germans. Vaskov kills the first without any problems, but with the second it didn’t work out that way - Vaskov was confused and found himself in a disadvantageous position - Zhenya comes to his aid and breaks the German’s head with a rifle butt. After this, the girl cries and feels sick. Vaskov notes to himself that this is a natural reaction to killing a person. Sonya dies, the girl is buried. Vaskov takes off her shoes and orders Gala to put them on.

Chapter 10

Galya Chetvertak was a foundling - she knew nothing about her parents. From a very young age, the girl had a rich imagination - she often made up all sorts of fairy tales, but she did not do it out of malice - Galya really believed in them. So, for example, she came up with the idea that her mother was a doctor and firmly believed in it.

They didn’t want to take Chetvertak into the army - she didn’t fit in height and age - the girl starved out the military commissar and ended up at the front.

Vaskov and the group continue the pursuit. When they discover the Germans, Vaskov decides to attack - he throws a grenade, and the girls maintain fire. Only Galya was scared.

Chapter 11

Vaskov and Chetvertak continue to pursue the Germans. This time Vaskov was unlucky - they discovered a whole group of Germans. Galya got very scared and jumped out of hiding, ruining all of Vaskov’s plans. Galya is killed, and Vaskov tries to divert the Germans from the rest of the group. In the morning, he sees Brichkina’s clothes in the swamp and realizes that Liza has drowned - “only her skirt remains.”

Chapter 12

Vaskov was very puzzled - he lost half of the group and lost ammunition. Vaskov with a revolver goes out to an abandoned monastery. He sees that the door of one of the huts has been opened. The Germans made a transshipment base there. Vaskov kills one of the Germans and takes his weapon. Afterwards he finds Zhenya and Rita. The girls cry when they see him. Everyone remembers the dead girls.

Chapter 13

Vaskov and the girls continue to detain the Germans. Vaskov's reserves are running out and this makes the task much more difficult. He and the group take a new position. Soon a shootout begins and Rita is wounded in the stomach by a grenade fragment. Zhenya decides that she must take the Germans aside, but she doesn’t quite succeed. As a result, she is injured. The girl shoots to the last. When she runs out of ammunition, the Germans finish her off and take a long look at her beautiful but proud face.

Chapter 14

Rita realizes that her wound is fatal. When the shooting died down, the girl realized that Zhenya had also died. She began to cry silently. Vaskov tried to support Rita. The girl said that at night she ran into the city to see her three-year-old son, in the hope that Vaskov would not leave her son and would help raise him.

The girl asks to kiss her, and Vaskov kisses her on the forehead. He then covers Rita with branches and leaves. A few minutes later, Rita shoots herself in the temple. Vaskov buries her and Zhenya, and leaves to look for the Germans. He still has a revolver with one cartridge and a grenade without a fuse. Vaskov finds the Germans - kills the sentry with a knife, and then breaks into the hut - they were all asleep, except one - Vaskov kills him with a revolver. The rest surrender to Vaskov out of surprise. Vaskov leads the associated Germans into distribution. When his strength is completely exhausted, he sees the approaching Red Army.

Epilogue

After the war, Fedot Evgrafych and Rita’s son Albert come to the site of Rita’s death, find her grave and erect a monument there.

The story “And 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 Kirov 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 of a 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 based on tragic destinies 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 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 Evgeniya

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.

She grew up in an 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 passages 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 called around and cheerfully called to each other. When the German detachment was 10 meters away from them, Zhenya ran straight to the river in order to divert 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 to get 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 what was happening real events. A dreamer and writer, she often immersed herself in a fictional world, and therefore the picture of a real war unsettled her.

Vaskov and Chetvertak soon discovered two bodies of 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 foreman saw Liza’s skirt in the distance, then he realized that now he could not count on help.

Chapter 12

Being under the weight 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 a healthy guard and take possession of his weapon.

The foreman, 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.