This poem is one of the main in the work of Tvardovsky. It is dedicated to the fictional character Vasily Turkin, a soldier of the Great Patriotic War. A summary of the poem "Vasily Turkin" by chapters will help the reader understand what the Russian soldier is famous for and why the author treats him with special respect.

Chapter 2. At the halt

Vasily Turkin decided to tell the soldiers about Sabantui. Everyone listens to the stories of the experienced warrior with bated breath.

Chapter 3. Before the fight

Retreat. Tyorkin took over the duties of a political instructor. The commander is sad. On the way home village. The commander's wife fed everyone. The commander did not sleep a wink all night. At dawn the soldiers left. Tyorkin promised himself that he would return to these lands and bow to a simple, Russian woman.

Chapter 4. Ferry

Shelling. Some of the soldiers drowned. The first platoon survived. They managed to get to the other side. Turkin is among them. The soldiers think their comrades are dead. Turkin, at night, dives into icy water and floats to the other side. The platoon turned out to be intact. The soldiers are awaiting orders. Turkin promises to help the others with the crossing.

Chapter 5. About the war

The fight is holy and right.

Mortal combat is not for the glory

For life on earth.

Chapter 6. Turkin is injured

Turkin receives an order to make a connection. While pulling the wires, a shell falls nearby, but miraculously does not explode. Turkin, as always, grins, seeing how scared the soldiers are. Vasily sees the dugout. According to him, the Germans are inside. He goes there, but there is no one in the dugout. Turkin took a wait and see attitude. The Germans are on the way. A German officer wounds him in the shoulder, but dies himself. Turkin stabbed him with a bayonet. A day later, the wounded Turkin was found by tankers.

Chapter 7. About the award

For the wound, Vasily was awarded an order. Turkin already imagines how he will return to his native land, and all the girls will look at the hero with enthusiasm.

Chapter 8. Harmony

Having rested in the hospital, Turkin is trying to catch up with his own. A hitchhiker picks him up. There is a column ahead. The driver is obliged to let her pass. While they waited, he managed to fall asleep. Turkin is bored. He regrets that there is no accordion. The tankman gave him the accordion of the deceased commander. The tankmen recognized the wounded man in the accordion, whom they had recently rescued. As a souvenir, they decided to give Turkin an accordion.

Chapter 9. Two soldiers

I had to stop in one of the huts where my grandfather and grandmother lived. The owner of the former warriors. Turkin repaired a broken watch. Tidied up the saw. The hostess fed the soldiers. In parting, Turkin promises his grandfather that they will definitely beat the Germans and return with victory.

Chapter 10. About loss

Comrade Vasily is in sorrow. He lost his favorite pouch. Turkin reproaches him. In his opinion, these are insignificant losses. Everything in life can be lost, except for Russia. In no case should you lose it.

Chapter 11. Duel

Turkin clashed with the German in hand-to-hand combat. He manages to stun him and tie him up. Turkin is proud of himself. He managed to return from reconnaissance alive and bring the "tongue" behind him.

For any soldier, the main thing is to return home safe and sound, but so far this is far from it. Thoughts about the native land will have to be pushed aside and only think about the war.

Chapter 13. Who Shot?

Death circles nearby in the form of an enemy plane. Turkin manages to knock him out, for which he soon receives an award from the general himself - an order. He encourages his comrades, saying that they can follow his example. After all, this was not the last enemy plane.

Chapter 14. About the hero

Turkin shares his memories of how he was in the hospital. Remembers the native land. He says that she loves him very much and is proud of him.

Chapter 15. General

Turkin took up the defensive position. I took a nap on the shore. In a dream he sees his mother and so he wanted to go home. The general promises to let him go to his mother for a week, but later.

Chapter 17. Fight in the swamp

It was the third day of the battle in the swamp. The weather is disgusting. There is no smoke. The soldiers were frozen. Turkin encourages everyone, which is a thousand times worse.

Chapter 18. About love

The fighters remember their beloved women: mothers, brides, sisters. They miss their warm letters and affectionate words. Turkin alone has no one to receive news from. He has no beloved. Girls do not like infantry, give them pilots.

Chapter 19. Rest of Tyorkin

Sleep off in the war does not work. Always in suspense, and you have to sleep where you have to and on what you have to. Soldiers can only dream of a good dream.

Chapter 20. On the offensive

During the offensive, the regiment takes the village. The most difficult thing for beginners. The main thing for them is that Tyorkin is there. So the soul is calmer. The lieutenant dies in battle. Vasily takes control of the regiment. He himself is badly wounded.

Chapter 21. Death and the Warrior

Death is near, Turkin feels her breath. She chirps in his ear that it's time, but Vasily wants to defeat the old woman, fight for life. He was completely numb. The guys from the funeral team were nearby. They picked up the dying Turkin and carried him to the infirmary.

Chapter 22. Turkin writes

Tyorkin scribbles a letter from the hospital to his fellow soldiers. He was tired of lying on a hospital bed. The soul is eager to fight. He feels that victory is near.

Chapter 23. Turkin - Turkin

Vasily meets his namesake. The guy's name is Ivan. The foreman gives the order that each company will have its own Turkin.

Everyone has heard about Turkin. His fellow soldiers had not received news of him for a long time and decided that he had died. The author knows for sure that Vasily is alive. It really serves now in the west.

Chapter 25. Grandfather and Woman

Three years from the start of the war. Vasily's regiment liberated the village in which he once helped the elderly. Grandfather recognized him. The watch was taken by a German, but Vasily promises to bring new ones from Berlin.

Chapter 26. On the Dnieper

Turkin with a regiment near his native land. The detachment is crossing the Dnieper. Turkin became a real fighter, experienced and wise. He has seen a lot and lost many over the years of service.

Chapter 27. About the orphan soldier

The capture of Berlin is a popular topic among soldiers. In European capitals, winners are welcome, but a soldier is more comfortable with his native village. The compatriot of the author is saddened. He has no family left. The author asks the soldiers to take revenge for his tears and remember him on the day of victory.

Chapter 28. On the way to Berlin

Europe is liberated. The soldiers dream of a home. A Russian woman came across. They were so glad to see her that they surrounded her with care, like a mother.

Chapter 29. In the bath

The soldiers are soaring. For the first time in a long time. There are scars and scars on everyone's body. The gymnasts of the guys in orders and medals.

The writing

The poem by AT Tvardovsky "Vasily Terkin" is a folk, or rather a soldier's, poem. Its main idea is to show the struggle of people for the sake of peace, for the sake of life. It is a whole encyclopedia of the life of a fighter. And according to the writer himself, "this book is about a fighter, without beginning and end." The main character is the people embodied in the image of Vasily Terkin at war in a variety of situations and episodes. Tvardovsky was able to create a typical image of a Russian soldier, with its pros and cons. Before us appears a man who loves his homeland and does not spare his blood for her sake, who can find a way out of a difficult situation and brighten up front difficulties with a joke, who loved to play the accordion and listen to music at a halt. Terkin is a merry fellow, he won't go into his pocket for a word.

In my opinion, the main feature of his character is love for his native country. The hero constantly recalls his native places, which are so sweet and dear to his heart. He cannot but attract in Terkin also mercy, the greatness of the soul: he finds himself in war not because of the military instinct, but "for the sake of life on earth"; the defeated enemy evokes in him only a feeling of pity (Terkin's appeal to the German). He is modest, although he can sometimes boast, telling his friends that he does not need an order, he "agrees to a medal."
But what attracts me most of all in this man is his love of life, everyday ingenuity, mockery of the enemy and of any difficulties.

Just look at how Terkin lives and enjoys life at the front, where every day threatens to be the last, where no one is "bewitched by a fool-like fragment, by any stupid bullet":

After all, he is in the kitchen - from his place,
From place to battle,
Smokes, eats and drinks with gusto
In the position of any ...

But we already see the hero when he swims across the icy river, dragging, straining, "tongue". But we must stop, "and the frost - neither stand nor sit down." And here Terkin does not lose heart, he begins to play the accordion:

And from that old accordion,
That was left an orphan
Somehow suddenly it became warmer
On the front road.

I think you can say that Terkin is the soul of a soldier's company. After all, it is no coincidence that comrades listen to his humorous and even serious stories with great interest. Let us remember how a wet company lay in the swamps and the soldiers dreamed of "even death, but on dry land." They could not even light a cigarette: the matches were soaked. And now all the soldiers think that "there is no worse trouble." But Terkin, as always, does not despair, grins and begins a long argument that as long as the soldier feels the elbow of his comrade, he is strong. And, lying in a wet swamp, he was able to cheer up his friends, they laughed. In my opinion, this is an extraordinary talent to cheer people up in difficult life situations. And Terkin possessed this talent.

And how interesting is the hero's appeal to Death in the chapter "Death and the Warrior", when that wounded man lies and freezes, and it seems to him that the Oblique has come to him:

I will cry, howl in pain
Die in the field without a trace
But of your own free will
I will never give up.

And Terkin does not submit to fate, he conquers death. AT Tvardovsky in his work showed the vitality of man, the strength of the national character, and also led the reader to the realization of the moral greatness of the Russian warrior.

The main character of the poem, embodied in the image of Vasily Terkin. - people at war in a wide variety of situations and episodes. Tvardovsky managed to create a typical image of a Russian soldier, with its pros and cons. He created a living person. Before us appears a warrior who loves his people, his homeland. He spares no blood for her. Terkin can find a way out of the most difficult situation and brighten up the frontline difficulties with a joke. He loves to play the accordion and listen to music himself at a halt. There have always been Terkins, in any war. It was on such soldiers that the spirit of the Russian army was kept.

Terkin is a Russian, recognizable character, workmate, flatmate. Now he is a comrade in war and trench. He shaves with an awl and heats up with smoke. In any situation, he tries to remain human, wants to preserve human, good in himself, and not get embittered, not hardened. In his character, an alloy of life and folklore origin is formed. Working on the image of Terkin, the poet tried to maintain objectivity, not to impose his views and sympathies. The poem is surprisingly not ideologized.

Talking about the destruction of the tank, Terkin fears:
Suddenly he crushes blindly.
After all, he does not see a damn thing.

By the standards of that time, according to the ideas of some writers of that time, Soviet people were just waiting to give their lives for Stalin, for the Motherland. Terkin looks at all this in a simpler, folk way. And you start to trust him. The hero just comes to life before our eyes:

We will not explode, so we will break through.
We will live, we will not die ...

Terkin uses the normal vernacular language spoken by all the soldiers.
There is no single compositional basis in the poem. It is collected from separate chapters. Each chapter is a complete work. And chapters were printed separately in each issue of the front-line newspaper. The unity of the poem is given by the general theme - the life of a warrior, ordinary, earthly, but also a "miracle man" who does not lose faith in himself, in his comrades, in the coming victory:

This path is harsh.
That two hundred years ago
Prokhodich with a flintlock gun
Russian worker-soldier.

Repeatedly in the poem the idea sounds that war is work. Hard work, deadly, but necessary and honorable:

The fight is holy and right,
Mortal combat is not for the glory
For life on earth.

Terkin in the poem is given in various situations. He is at a halt, in battle, in a Russian bathhouse, for food. But he is always a recognizable person, of which there are many around. Thanks to them, ordinary infantry soldiers who did not spare themselves, who gave their lives for their Motherland, Russia defended peace on earth:

The soldier was walking like the others,
To unknown lands:
What is where she is, Russia,
Which line: your own? "

There are no loud phrases in the poem, any out of the ordinary actions. War is blood, pain, loss. To win, you need to treat everything philosophically, patiently. Speaking about the hero of the poem, it is necessary to say about his surname. Terkin is grated, patient. But this is the strength of the Russian man, that he is patient, grated, capable of much. And therefore - the winner. Tvardovsky deliberately reduces the heroism and dedication of Terkin:

In general, broken,
grated, burnt,
Wound marked double
Surrounded in forty-one,
On the ground he walked native.

The poem was a kind of chronicle of the war. It was written for fighters and about fighters. It also includes a chapter where the author tells the reader about death ("Death and the Warrior"). Terkin heroically endures the coming of death in it. He is saved by his extraordinary strength of mind and ingenuity. He conquers death. Tvardovsky showed in his work the moral strength of the Russian soldier, the strength of the national character, led the reader to the realization of the greatness of the Russian soldier. The poem will forever remain one of the best works about the Great Patriotic War.

Other compositions on this work

The most famous work of AT Tvardovsky was the poem "Vasily Terkin", beloved by the Russian people since the Second World War. This is proved by the fact that in 1995 a monument was erected in the writer's homeland, in the center of Smolensk. As if alive, Alexander Trifonovich, cast from bronze, and his famous hero with an accordion in his hands, conduct a conversation. These sculptures are a symbol of memory for the strong Russian character, capable of surviving everything in order to save the Motherland.

Genre features of the work

In literature, it is customary to refer "Vasily Terkin" to poems. However, the writer himself was not so categorical on this issue.

First, you need to pay attention to the subtitle "The Book about the Fighter", made by the author. This already suggests that the work is somewhat unconventional. Indeed, the content lacks, as such, the plot connectedness of the chapters, there is no culmination, and the question of completeness is rather controversial. The main reason is that the work "Vasily Terkin" was written in chapters, which became an instant response to the events taking place at the front.

Secondly, Tvardovsky's records have survived, where he speaks about the genre: "... a chronicle is not a chronicle, a chronicle is not a chronicle ...". This confirms the fact that the basis of the work was made up of real events played out by the author.

Thus, this is a unique book, which is an encyclopedia of the life of the people in the terrible war years for them. And the main thing in it is that the writer managed to skillfully depict a hero who embodied the best features of the Russian character.

Composition and plot

The poem "Vasily Terkin" had a special purpose: it was written in 1942-45 and was addressed, first of all, to an ordinary soldier who fought in the trenches. This determined its composition: independent chapters (in the post-war edition, the author left 29, including 5 "author's" chapters) with a separate plot. “Without a beginning, without an end, without a special plot” - this is how Tvardovsky defined the features of the “Book about the Fighter”. This approach was explained quite simply: in wartime conditions it was not possible to read the poem "Vasily Terkin" in full. The chapters, which were united by the image of the main character, who always found himself in the center of events, told about some important moment of soldier's everyday life. This made the work valuable in terms of its scale and nationality.

Vasily Terkin: image analysis

The first chapters appear in 1942. In them, the image of an ordinary soldier appears, who appears now as a joker and merry fellow, now as a jack of all trades and a skillful accordion player, now as a courageous and devoted fighter to his homeland. Tvardovsky does not give a detailed character: his features are as realistic as possible and are characteristic of most people. There is no clear indication of his place of residence, although it can be understood from the author's digressions that Tvardovsky and Terkin are fellow countrymen. This approach deprives the hero of individuality and gives the image a generalized character. That is why each reader found familiar features in Terkin and took him for his own.

The hero, a former toiler of the land, sees the war as an important job. He is shown now at a halt, now in a peasant hut, now swimming across the river, now talking about a well-deserved reward, now playing the accordion ... It does not matter in what situation Vasily Terkin, who has experienced a lot (the connection of the surname with the word "grated" is obvious) for his life. An analysis of his actions and behavior shows that even in such difficult conditions he retains his love of life and the best faithfully believe in victory and in his comrades. The rhyme "Vasily-Russia" is also interesting, which is used several times in the text and emphasizes the truly national features of the created image.

War image

The author also had a special approach to the description of the scene of the action of the poem "Vasily Terkin". Analysis of the text shows that there are practically no specific geographical names and exact chronology of events. Although the type of troops is indicated quite definitely - the infantry, since it was she who had a chance to experience to a greater extent all the hardships of front-line life.

An important role is played by the description of individual details and objects of a soldier's life, which add up to one living and large-scale picture of the war with the Nazis. At the same time, quite often the image of Terkin is associated with a warrior-hero of all "companies and times".

Author's image

An important person in the poem is not only Vasily Terkin. The analysis of the chapters "From the Author" allows you to imagine the narrator and at the same time the mediator between the hero and the readers.

This is a man who himself fully experienced the hardships of the war (A.T. Tvardovsky from the first days went to the front as a correspondent). In his reflections, the characterization of the hero (in the first place the psychological aspect) and the popular assessment of the terrible events are given. The latter is especially important, especially since the addressee of the poem was both front-line soldiers (L. Ozerov described it as an assistant book in the war) and those who remained in the rear. The appearance of new chapters was eagerly awaited, and some parts of them were memorized.

Language and style of the poem "Vasily Terkin"

The theme of war is usually revealed through the use of sublime vocabulary. Tvardovsky departs from this tradition and writes a poem about an ordinary soldier, a man of the people, in an easy, simple language. This gives the whole narrative and the image of the hero a natural and warmth. The author skillfully combines colloquial, sometimes even vernacular, and literary speech, resorts to phrases and oral creativity, paraphrases small These are numerous sayings and jokes (“your house is on the edge now”), diminutive words (son, falcon), constant epithets ( "Bitter year"), expressions such as "the clear falcon has roused itself", "grab-praise".

Another feature is the abundance of dialogues, in which there are many short ones. They easily recreate the pictures of everyday soldier's life and make the characters simple and close to the reader.

Monumental work about the fate of the people

The poem became a decisive event not only in the work of A.T. Tvardovsky, but also in the entire literature of the war period. The author was able to show in it the heroic path of an ordinary soldier, which was Vasily Terkin. Analysis of combat events by their direct participant makes the narrative believable. Three parts of the poem tell about the decisive stages of the war: the retreat, the turning point and the victorious march to Berlin.

The action of the work ends simultaneously with the victory, since its main task is to tell about the incredible courage of the Soviet people during the war against fascism - A.T. Tvardovsky fully complied with.

The author argues that the most important thing in war is not food, but an unwise joke, a good proverb and a saying, as well as the sheer truth, albeit bitter. The author introduces the reader to Vasily Terkin, his hero, a fighter. He is dear in war, because in difficult times there must be a place for joke and fun. The author defines the form of his story as a book without beginning or end and starts it right from the middle.

At rest

Turkin gets into the first platoon of infantry and immediately becomes his own. On the very first night after that, the platoon does not sleep, listening to the stories of the veteran soldier Vasily Tyorkin. His jokes help his comrades survive the hardships of military life: sleep in wet greatcoats, on bare roots, dirt, hunger and cold.

The author argues that there is such a Turkin in every company. He is unprepossessing himself: of average height, not particularly handsome, fought, but was not awarded, was wounded, was surrounded three times, but survived under any fire and in any position.

Before the fight

Tyorkin tells how he, in a group of 10 people, got out of the environment, was a political instructor, whose only conversation was in the words "do not be discouraged." On the way, the soldiers entered the commander's village.

The commander's wife prepared supper for the soldiers and carefully laid them to rest. The owner was waiting for her in the corner, but she still did not go, clinking dishes, sewing. Turkin could not sleep, he was embarrassed, he went out onto the porch, made a bed out of an overcoat, a faithful friend of a soldier.

The owner did not go to his wife, he chopped wood until light to help her. At dawn, the children woke up and began to cry, as if realizing that their father was leaving. After the war, Tyorkin dreams of visiting that mistress in order to "bow to a kind, simple woman."

Crossing

During the crossing of the river in winter, the soldiers of the first, second and third platoons plunged onto the pontoons. When the first platoon was to reach the opposite right bank, shelling began, which killed many of the soldiers. The crossing fell through, but everyone was worried about the soldiers of the first platoon.

At dawn, the sentinels saw in the distance a small dot on the river. They mistook the swimming man for the dead man who had died yesterday, but the sergeant saw through the binoculars the living swimmer. Someone joked that it was Turkin, but it really turned out to be him. They dressed him, ordered him to run, then put him on the bed and began to rub him with alcohol. Turkin asked to warm up from the inside and reported that the first platoon asked to throw a light. The holy and right battle continued, not for the sake of glory, but for the sake of life on earth.

About war

The life-lover Turkin talks about the war. When war comes, you need to forget about everything, because everyone is "responsible for Russia, for the people and for everything in the world." In war, one must forget oneself, be one with one's people. Everyone must fight, beat the German, be ready to carry out orders at the cost of their lives. One can only hope for the gratitude of the descendants.

Turkin is wounded

On a winter day, Turkin was ordered to make a connection. Vasily followed the rifle company. Suddenly a shell hissed nearby. Everyone fell to the ground in fear. Turkin was the first to rise, noticed that the shell was damp, and relieved him of a small need. Having passed the reel to the fighters, Turkin decided to check if the enemy was hitting from the cellar. There was no one in the cellar, it was made wonderfully well. Turkin decided to protect him with two available grenades.

The soldier saw a German soldier two steps away. When a German officer jumped into the ditch and shot at Turkin, wounding him in the right shoulder, Turkin hit with a bayonet. Then heavy artillery began to hit the moat.

Bleeding Turkin was found by tankers when he was already losing consciousness. He was carried in an embrace by an unfamiliar tanker, warming him with his breath. There is no saintly and purer friendship than in war.

About the award

Terkin argues that he does not need an order, he agrees to a medal, and even then it is needed after the end of the war, when he goes on vacation, goes to the village council and finds a party in one of the collective farms. Turkin dreams that he will tell the girls how he went on the attack. The author laments that Terkin has no road to his native village council, to vechorki, because he is a participant in a terrible, mortal, bloody battle not for the sake of glory, but for the sake of life on earth.

Harmonic

Turkin returned after being wounded and hospitalized in the first company of his rifle regiment. He was picked up by a truck, also going to the front. The column stopped due to a snow jam. Two tankers allowed Turkin to play the accordion of their commander who died in yesterday's battle.

The orphaned accordion makes everyone feel warmer. It seems to the tankers that they know Terkin, they gave him a lift somewhere. The harmony helps people to forget about the fear of death and about the killed loved ones, the soldiers even dance. Tankers give Turkin an accordion in memory of the commander.

Two soldiers

Three miles from the war, Turkin is resting in a hut with old people. Grandfather is a soldier of the last war. Tyorkin helped his grandfather set up the saw, cleaned it from dust and repaired the watch. With jokes, he lures lard and even two eggs from the grandmother. After having lunch and drinking to life from a flask, the two soldiers compare the everyday difficulties of the two wars. Turkin promises his grandfather that the German will be beaten.

About loss

The fighter lost his pouch and is very upset by this, because he lost his family, his native land. In consolation, Tyorkin takes a second hat out of his duffel bag and says that a girl who is doing the dressing gave it to the wounded Vasily. This hat has become very expensive for the fighter. He hopes to meet that girl someday and give her the "headdress." Tyorkin gave his friend his pouch and noticed that it was bitter to lose his family, life and even pouch, but Russia cannot be lost, the old mother, because "you and I are responsible for everything."

Duel

Terkin fights to the death with the German. The German is large, strong, dexterous, "well-fed, shaved, careful." Tyorkin's teeth are already knocked out, the German's left eye is blackened. Tyorkin already has poor control of his wounded right hand, he was exhausted and killed, but the enemy's entire muzzle was also beaten. Finally, the German hit Turkin with a helmet, and he struck the German with an unloaded grenade.

Turkin is enjoying his military fortune as the grisly, bloody battle of death continues.

From the author

The author decided to take a break in the "fairy tale about the war." It is good to hear about war for a person who defeated the enemy and returned home. The author acknowledges the desire of the reader-soldier in war to listen to a peaceful fairy tale. But while the native land is in captivity, the author, "lover of peaceful life", "sings war in war." This explains the form of the book about the soldier: “without beginning or end, without a special plot,” because in war a soldier only obeys orders, his life does not belong to him.

Who shot

After yesterday's battle, the soldiers are sitting in trenches not far from the enemy. A summer evening reminds of peacetime, peasant labor and rest. The sound of an approaching plane torments the soul. No one wants to die at any time of the year, especially in the spring. A guy of twenty incomplete years, lying prone and waiting for shelling, recalls a peaceful life, friends, relatives, home. But one fighter decided to meet death face to face. He got up and hit the plane from his knee with a rifle. "High-speed, military, black, modern, twin-engine aircraft" fell. Turkin became a hero, he was promised an order.

About the hero

Tyorkin tells how he met a hero-order-bearer in the hospital, a boy from near Tambov. Vasily is offended for his Smolensk side, he is not proud, but glad that he will receive the order. But more important to him is the Motherland, the native side, which he values.

General

In the second summer of the war, Turkin "sunbathed on the defensive." He was washing in the river and drying his tunic and trousers when he was summoned to the general to be awarded the order.

In front of General, Turkin was shy, but looked like an eagle. He refused a week's vacation home, then the general promised that he would go with Terkin to the Smolensk side, where the war was going. The general warmly, like a son, said goodbye to Terkin.

About myself

The author tells how, in his youth, he left his father's house, but saved it in his soul. The author recalls a forest not scarred by war, a summer day, “a courtyard, a stitch at the well” and many details of home life. A year ago, the hero could return to his homeland and hug the old mother. But now his land is suffering in captivity, and the author promises to come and return it. The author identifies himself with all people who have a family and everything close to the front. Tyorkin is the author's fellow countryman, both of them are responsible for everything.

Swamp fight

An unknown battle in the swamp for the destroyed settlement of Borki seems pointless. It's damp around, hungry, you can't even smoke - everything is sour. But Turkin encourages, saying that now the fighters are in their swamp and among their fighters, they have weapons, they are protected by artillery and tanks. Each person is the embodiment of Russia itself, a fighter. And a year ago, in the rear, Tyorkin was hiding in a shock from the Germans who had occupied Moscow. Tyorkin's words amused the comrades, and they easily took the village. That long battle is not mentioned anywhere, but Russia will honor all the soldiers who died in the war.

About love

Each soldier was escorted to war by a woman. A wife's love encourages, warns, condemns, and glorifies. Wives do not complain in letters about a hard life. The love of wives survived the war, so the author encourages them to write more often. But nobody saw off Tyorkin on the road. The author asks the girls to take a closer look at the hero, love him and give him a heart.

Turkin's rest

Turkin found himself "straight to heaven", a holiday home with a warm stove, a bedroom, a bed with clean linens. But in this “paradise” there are limitations: you cannot sit in clothes, crunch bread with a bayonet, hold a rifle at your feet, hide a spoon behind your bootleg. Turkin is uncomfortable in such cleanliness, it seems to him that he is again in the hospital. The fighter thinks about those who are now at war and cannot sleep.

At the end of the first day, Turkin thought that the war was not over, therefore, having had a bite and gathered himself, he went to his own front line. In the meantime, you can only rest on the way, "where chance will lead us", before the next fight.

On the offensive

The soldiers got used to the defense, but the order was received to go on the offensive. Young fighters look up to Tyorkin, although he is just as scared to lie in the snow and wait for a break. When the general behind the field of abuse gave the order to attack for the Motherland, the lieutenant running in front was seriously wounded and died on the battlefield. Then Tyorkin led the platoon into the attack and was also seriously wounded.

Death and Warrior

Turkin remained unseated in the snow, and death came to him, began to call him with her, but Turkin refuses to surrender. Death frightens him with a mutilation, and Turkin, freezing, asks Death to see the victory, return home and "take a walk among the living."

The soldier was found by the funeral team. While he was carefully carried to the medical battalion, death was near. When she saw how the living care for each other, she fell behind.

Turkin writes

Turkin writes from his ward that he survived, although he recovered for a long time, that the leg is healing, that he wants to get to his native part, which during the war became his home side, family and hut. Turkin would like to go with his part to the very border, or at least die among his own.

Turkin-Turkin

Having recovered, Tyorkin was again at home, in the war, but after his absence he felt like a stranger. Suddenly, another red-haired fighter responded to someone's question where Vasily Tyorkin was. Old Turkin, holding a grudge, decided to find out who the real one is. It turned out that the new Terkin Ivan, that he is also a hero, that he has two orders, that he knocked out one more car and is sure that the book is about him, and another name for rhyme. The new Turkin turned out to be a skillful accordion player and the same joker, so Vasily Turkin even agreed to cede the championship to him, and he himself decided to be considered a namesake. Their dispute was resolved by the foreman, who announced that, according to the charter, each company would soon "be given its own Turkin."

From the author

The author refutes rumors that Vasily Tyorkin, who was so fond of the readers, died. Tyorkin, like a hero, went through all the land that was given, and now returned with blood. The author turns to mother Russia, whose victory is close, because the “holy and sinful, Russian miracle man” - Tyorkin is going into battle.

Grandfather and woman

In the third spring, our troops came to the village, where once, during the retreat, Tyorkin repaired the watch for his grandfather and the woman, and then took it off the wall like a trophy by a German. The grandfather and the woman were sitting in the cellar when the sound of the shots died down and the old men heard the voices of the scouts, one of whom they recognized as Tyorkin. The old people took Tyorkin as a son, they even fed him lard. Turkin promised that the army would no longer retreat. He undertook to bring from Berlin two watches instead of the ones selected by the German.

On the Dnieper

Throughout the war, Tyorkin felt guilty before his native land, it was not he who liberated his native village. The front was moving towards the Dnieper. At the end of the Indian summer, at dawn, there was a battle on the Dnieper. And now the "rubbish of war" is still at the bottom. Vasily Turkin, like all the infantry, swam to the right bank. A little to the south, the Germans were crossing to the right bank, ready to surrender. They caused only laughter among the people. But Turkin, feeling guilty before the now liberated Motherland, even cried.

About an orphan soldier

Relatives were waiting for all the soldiers liberating the city outside the city, and the orphan soldier had nowhere to write. When they were advancing near Smolensk, this soldier asked for leave to go to his native village, Krasny Most, but the residents said that his wife and son were no longer alive. Returning to the battalion, the soldier cried for his family and himself. His tears are sacred to us, we must exact reckoning and remember the orphan soldier on the bright day of victory.

On the road to Berlin

The road to Berlin is a foreign land, an unwelcoming side, in which red tiles, signs in a foreign language and foreign speech are unusual. For soldiers, a mother earth is desirable, on which it is even better to die. But the soldiers, servants of the people, dream of returning alive from a four-year campaign.

The people flow along the roads to the east, “as from the gates of hell”. The French, British, Poles look at the Russian soldiers friendly. A soldier-liberator, having met a countrywoman, a soldier's mother, who was returning across the Dnieper to her ruined courtyard, gave her equipment, a horse with full harness, a cow, a sheep, and household utensils.

In the bath

At the end of the war, in the depths of Germany, the bathhouse is a father's house in a foreign land. The soldier undresses, and all the healed wounds that he received in different battles become visible. The soldiers are glad that the war is over and the holiday is not far off. After steaming, the soldiers complete the "desired bath work". The fighter puts on clean clothes and a shirt with orders and medals, and his comrades compare his jokes with those of Tyorkin.

From the author

The author says goodbye to Terkin, who was no longer needed after the war, because now is the time for a different song. This book about a fighter is dear to the author, because Turkin is his pain, joy, rest and feat. The author wrote these lines to please the reader. Now the author hopes that the soldiers who have gone through the war will remember Tyorkin. The author devotes this book to all the fallen, to all the "friends of the time of the war."

Sergei Selin as Vasily Tyorkin. Photo by E. Rozhdestvenskaya

The infantry company has a new guy, Vasily Turkin. He is fighting for the second time in his lifetime (the first war is Finnish). Vasily does not go into his pocket for a word, he is a good eater. In general, "a guy wherever."

Tyorkin recalls how he, in a detachment of ten people, during the retreat made his way from the western, "German" side to the east, to the front. On the way, the commander's home village was, and the detachment went to his home. The wife fed the soldiers, put them to bed. The next morning the soldiers left, leaving the village in German captivity. On the way back, Turkin would like to go into this hut to bow to "a kind, simple woman."

There is a crossing of the river. Platoons are loaded onto pontoons. Enemy fire disrupts the crossing, but the first platoon managed to get over to the right bank. Those who stayed on the left, are waiting for dawn, do not know what to do next. From the right bank the Turkin comes (winter water, ice). He reports that the first platoon is able to secure the crossing if supported by fire.

Tyorkin is making a connection. A shell explodes nearby. Seeing the German "cellar", Tyorkin takes it. There, in ambush, awaits the enemy. He kills a German officer, but he manages to wound him. Ours begin to beat on the "cellar". And Turkin is found by tankmen and taken to the medical battalion ...

Tyorkin jokingly discusses that it would be nice to get a medal and come with it after the war to a party in the village council.

Leaving the hospital, Tyorkin is catching up with his company. They pick him up in a truck. Ahead - a stopped convoy of transport. Freezing. And there is only one accordion - for tankers. It belonged to their deceased commander. Tankers give an accordion to Turkin. He plays first a sad melody, then a funny one, and the dance begins. The tankers recall that it was they who brought the wounded Tyorkin to the medical battalion, and give him an accordion.

In the hut there is a grandfather (an old soldier) and a grandmother. Turkin comes to them. He fixes the saw, the watch for the old people. Guesses that the grandmother has hidden bacon ... The grandmother treats Tyorkin. And the grandfather asks: "Will we beat the German?" Tyorkin replies, already leaving, from the doorway: "We'll beat you, father."

The bearded fighter lost his pouch. Turkin recalls that when he was wounded, he lost his hat, and the girl nurse gave him hers. He still keeps this hat. Turkin gives the bearded man his pouch, explains: in a war you can lose anything (even your life and family), but not Russia.

Turkin hand-to-hand fighting the German. Wins. Returns from reconnaissance, carries a "tongue" with him.

Spring is at the front. The buzzing of the May beetle is replaced by the hum of a bomber. The soldiers lie prone. Only Turkin gets up, fires a rifle at the plane and shoots him down. Terkin is given the order.

Turkin recalls how he met a boy in the hospital who had already become a hero. He proudly emphasized that he was from near Tambov. And native Smolensk region seemed to Turkin "an orphan". That's why he wanted to be a hero.

The general lets Tyorkin go home for a week. But the Germans still have his village ... And the general advises to wait with leave: "We are on the way with you."

Fight in the swamp for the small village of Borki, from which nothing remains. Turkin cheers up his comrades.

Tyorkin is sent to rest for a week. This is "paradise" - a hut where you can eat four times a day and sleep as much as you like, on the bed, in bed. At the end of the first day, Turkin thinks ... catches a passing truck and goes to his native company.

Under fire, a platoon is going to take the village. the "dapper" lieutenant is leading all. They kill him. Then Turkin understands that "it is his turn". The village was taken. And Tyorkin himself was seriously wounded. Turkin lies in the snow. Death persuades him to submit to her. But Vasily disagrees. He is found by people from the funeral team, carried to the sanitary battalion.

After the hospital, Turkin returns to his company, and there everything is already different, the people are different. There ... a new Turkin appeared. Only not Vasily, but Ivan. They argue who is the real Turkin? We are already ready to concede this honor to each other. But the foreman announces that each company "will be given its own Turkin."

The village where Tyorkin repaired the saw and the clock was under the Germans. The German took the watch away from his grandfather and grandmother. The front line ran through the village. The old men had to move to the cellar. Our scouts come to them, among them - Tyorkin. He is already an officer. Turkin promises to bring a new watch from Berlin.

With the onset, Tyorkin passes by his native Smolensk village. Others take it. There is a crossing over the Dnieper. Turkin says goodbye to his native side, which remains no longer in captivity, but in the rear.

Vasily tells about an orphan soldier who came on vacation to his native village, and there was nothing left there, the whole family died. The soldier needs to keep fighting. And we need to remember about him, about his grief. Don't forget about it when victory comes.

Road to Berlin. Grandma returns home from captivity. The soldiers give her a horse, a cart, things ... "Say, they say, that Vasily Tyorkin supplied."

Bathhouse in the depths of Germany, in some German house. The soldiers are soaring. Among them there is one - there are many scars from wounds on him, he knows how to bathe well, he does not climb into his pocket for a word, he dresses - on the shirt of the order, medals. The soldiers say about him: "It's like Turkin."

Retold