Memorial complex Katyusha

A military machine with an affectionate name was included in all textbooks telling about the Great Patriotic War. This weapon, which has powerful destructive power, played a decisive role in the liberation of many cities. A dozen monuments dedicated to the Katyushas have been installed on the territory of the CIS. However, the Orsha memorial complex is special, because it was created in memory of the heroic deed of the soldiers and their commander, who died in the selfless performance of a combat mission.

During the capture of the city, the Germans tried to consolidate their positions by building the so-called "eastern rampart" here. Orsha already then was one of the most important railway junctions of the country, so this location provided full control over all echelons with military equipment. An attack on Smolensk was being prepared. To prevent further advancement of the Nazis, an order was given for the one-time use of the Katyusha. It was here, in Orsha, on the banks of the Dnieper, that the first salvo of the BM-13 experimental rocket artillery battery took place. Captain Ivan Andreevich Flerov opened fire on the station. The effect exceeded all expectations. In 8 seconds (this is how long the salvo lasted), the enemy was completely defeated, and all fascist military equipment was destroyed. The offensive along the Moscow-Smolensk direction was stopped for a week, which allowed the Soviet troops to regroup their forces and strengthen their positions.

Unfortunately, a little later, Flerov's battery was ambushed. Almost the entire personnel, led by the commander, died defending the secret of the rocket launcher. The Katyusha itself was blown up.

In honor of this feat, in 1966, the Katyusha memorial complex was built in Orsha. Its authors were well-known Belarusian masters Leonid Levin, Yuri Gradov, Valentin Zankovich. By the way, this was not the last creative union of architects. It was they who developed the world-famous Khatyn complex, for which they later received the Lenin Prize.

The monument is a model of a rocket-propelled mortar; in its manufacture, all the proportions and details of the original were observed. Nearby are 8-meter rails, reminiscent of rocket launchers, and a black marble cube with an information plate. The Orsha complex "Katyusha" is included in the State List of Historical and Cultural Values of the Republic of Belarus.