Fort No. 5

Video: Fort No. 5

• General Information
• History of Fort #5
• Fort #5 Today
• What to see
• Useful information
• How to get there

General Information

Fort No. 5, which was originally named “King Friedrich Wilhelm III” in honor of the King of Prussia who fought Napoleon, is a military-historical memorial complex and a monument of defensive architecture. It occupies an area of 15.5 hectares. The central structure has the shape of an elongated hexagon (360 by 180 meters) and is surrounded by an earthen rampart, a stone wall and a water moat. The latter is 3-5 meters deep and 20-25 meters wide.

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From the main entrance covered by a powerful pillbox there is a central gallery that leads inside the fort. The central structure has a symmetrical arrangement. It included officers’ and soldiers’ barracks, food store, guardhouse, infirmary, canteen, kitchen, boiler room and ammunition store. The vaulted ceilings, which are up to 5 meters thick, are made of brick, concrete and sand.

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Along the perimeter is an earthen rampart, the height of which reaches 6 meters. In it, trenches were equipped, firing positions were created for mortars, machine guns, artillery pieces and flamethrowers. The trees and shrubs that once lined the fortification were used to camouflage the defensive structure.

History of Fort #5

The first time the Soviet troops tried to take the fort was on April 3-5. The Red Army planned to destroy the structure with the help of artillery fire. But the guns of special power did not cope with the task: the fort withstood the test of fire. Having received about 90 direct hits, the fort lost its “earth cushion”. But the breaches and punctures were isolated and, on the whole, its functioning was practically unaffected.

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Artillery preparation of the site continued until the fort was approached reinforced by tanks, SAU and powerful guns 801st and 806th Rifle Regiments of the 235th Rifle Division. Under enemy fire the men of the second rifle company of the 806th rifle regiment managed to force the moat and seize the casemate, which was located on the right flank. Sergeant Alexei Kondrutsky and Lieutenant Mirza Dzhabiev hoisted the Red Banner of Victory on this casemate.

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Second Attack

But the enemy continued to resist. The 550th Infantry Regiment of the 126th Infantry Division had to join the assault on Fort No. 5. The siege and assault of this defensive structure, alternating with each other, persistently continued the first battalion of the 732nd Infantry Regiment and the second battalion of the 550th Infantry Regiment. Led the assault senior lieutenant R.R. Babushkin.

Fearless sappers, despite the incessant fire from the enemy, blew up the second casemate, which was located already on the left flank. Three sappers – Petty Officer Merenkov, Staff Sergeant Malygin and Private Polupanov – under the cover of night managed to successfully carry out two directional explosions. Thanks to these explosions to the water moat was provided the descent of improvised means for the crossing. Forcing the moat, the sappers managed to organize the explosion of the floor polygonal front (caponier).

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The Red Army had to spend about 24 hours to storm Fort No. 5. Is that a lot or a little? By comparison, it took Soviet assault units only a few hours to capture Fort #6 and Fort #7. In the process of storming Fort No. 5, 200 enemy officers and soldiers were eliminated and more than 100 men were taken prisoner. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the siege and capture of the fifth fort was awarded to 15 officers and soldiers.