Lieutenant Viktor Leonov was one of many highly qualified Soviet naval officers trained for reconnaissance and sabotage operations. They blew up German warships, captured enemy positions on the shore, captured soldiers and officers, from whom they received valuable information about the movements of the naval forces of Nazi Germany.
But even in the list of those who daily committed heroic deeds, the name of Viktor Leonov occupies a special place. During the Japanese war, he managed to capture 5 thousand enemy soldiers.
Western front
In the early days of the Great Patriotic War, Leonov began serving in the Northern Fleet and fought against the Germans in the Arctic Ocean until the last day. For one of his operations, he was awarded the highest state award - the star of the Hero of the Soviet Union.
In October 1944, his group secretly landed in German-occupied territory near the village of Petsamo in northern Finland (currently Pechenga, an urban-type settlement in the Murmansk region). After a two-day march through enemy territory, the unit suddenly attacked a German anti-aircraft battery and held it, repelling several enemy attacks. This was of great importance for the Red Army, which soon took the settlement.
One of the soldiers who served with Leonov, Pavel Kolosov, recalls his commander: “What is the commander of a naval landing group? You must act quickly and decisively, and then disappear in time. You must make decisions without shifting responsibility onto others' shoulders. Leonov had all these qualities. He was absolutely trusted and had many friends in the unit. Leonov never worried about trifles, never engaged in the education of personnel. He just didn't have time for that."
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Eastern (South Asian) Front
After the Soviet Union entered the war against the Japanese Empire, Leonov continued his sabotage activities, this time in the coastal waters of Korea. His name is still remembered in connection with the liberation of one of the Korean ports, Wonsan.
A Soviet Marine Corps unit of 140 soldiers led by Leonov landed at Wonsan airfield to capture the city. However, an unpleasant surprise awaited the landing group. They were surrounded by several thousand soldiers from the enemy garrison. Ten soldiers and officers, including Leonov, were taken to the Japanese colonel at the garrison headquarters for interrogation.
After the defeat of the Kwantung Army in Manchuria and the successful Allied offensive on all fronts, the Japanese garrisons faced a difficult decision - to continue fighting, retreat, or surrender.
The Japanese colonel was considering taking the paratroopers hostage to use them as a tool of blackmail during negotiations when the Red Army arrived. Seeing the confusion of the enemy commander, Leonov seized the initiative.
Iron onslaught
Leonov looked the Japanese colonel directly in the eyes and said: “We have fought on the western front for several years, and we have enough experience to assess our situation. We will not allow us to be taken hostage! You will all die like rats when we get out of here!
At the same time, his experienced and trained soldiers acted in concert as one person. One of them stood behind the back of the Japanese colonel, the other immediately locked the door, and the third glanced out the window, assessing the height in case it was necessary to leave in this way. The latter found an anti-tank grenade and began tossing it in his hands, demonstrating to the Japanese that he was serious about his intentions.
Sweating desperately, the colonel pondered for several minutes before signing the decision to surrender the entire garrison. 3,500 Japanese troops, three artillery batteries, five aircraft and a large amount of ammunition fell into the hands of the Red Army.
It is simply incredible, but while the column of prisoners of war moved in the direction of the Soviet positions, surrendering Japanese soldiers and entire units were constantly joining it. When Leonov and his group finally reached their own, it turned out that the number of prisoners had reached five thousand.