80th anniversary of Victory: Feat of Rakhimzhan Koshkarbayev long kept silent

On April 30, 1945, lieutenant Rakhimzhan Koshkarbayev, along with his comrade Grigory Bulatov, mounted the Soviet flag over the Reichstag in Berlin, El.kz reports with reference to Wikipedia.

Origin and youth

Rakhimzhan Koshkarbayev was born on October 19, 1924 in the village of Taytobe, located on the territory of the current Akmola region of Kazakhstan. He belonged to Kazakh tribe of Argyn, one of the tribal associations in the steppe regions.

The childhood of the hero turned out to be difficult. At the age of four, he lost his mother, and in 1937 his father was repressed and imprisoned, like many representatives of the Kazakh intelligentsia during the years of Stalin's purges. Left an orphan, Rakhimzhan was brought up in an orphanage.

Despite the deprivations, he strove for education and independence. After graduating from seven classes of school, he entered the Balkhash Factory School, where he received a working profession.

The way to the front

With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, young Rakhimzhan tried with all his might to get to the front. At that time, he was only 16 years old, and he cannot be conscripted. However in August 1942 he was enrolled in a rifle regiment formed in the city of Kokshetau. Military training of soldiers from Kazakhstan and the republics of Central Asia took place here.

After almost a year of training, Koshkarbayev was sent to the Tambov Combined Arms Infantry School, evacuated to the city of Frunze (now Bishkek) where he showed the outstanding abilities and graduated with honors.

Only in October 1944, more than two years after entering the army, lieutenant Rakhimzhan Koshkarbayev was sent to the front line. His combat path began in the heart of fierce battles, as part of the 674th Rifle Regiment of the 150th Rifle Division, a formation that would later storm Berlin.

First battles and awards

Lieutenant Rakhimzhan Koshkarbayev received his first baptism of fire during the Warsaw offensive operation. On January 18, 1945, he along with the soldiers of his unit managed to surround and disarm the retreating group of German soldiers and officers.

In April, 1945, when units of the Red Army broke through the German defences on the west bank of the Oder River, Koshkarbayev crossed the Friedlanderstrom Canal, take a bridgehead and ensure the crossing for the main forces of the regiment. Under intense enemy fire, his assault platoon successfully overcame the water barrier, broke into the German trenches and destroyed over 40 enemy soldiers.

During the battles for Berlin, on April 29, Lieutenant Koshkarbayev's platoon was one of the first to cross the Spree River. In a few days, from the Oder to the center of the capital of the Third Reich, the unit under his command eliminated more than 200 German soldiers and officers, captured 184 people, 14 artillery pieces and 27 large-caliber machine guns.

For his courage and professionalism, he was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War of the First Degree.

Storming of the Reichstag and the feat of April 30

April 30, 1945 was a turning point not only in the biography of Lieutenant Rakhimzhan Koshkarbayev, but also in the history of the entire war. On this day, the decisive assault on the Reichstag, the main symbol of Nazi Germany, began. Koshkarbayev was commanded to plant the victory banner on the Reichstag.

Having received an assault flag wrapped in black paper, he, together with the Red Army soldier Grigory Bulatov, moved from the so-called "Himmler House" towards the Reichstag. It took seven hours to cross 300 meters to the Reichstag building.

In his memoirs, Koshkarbayev writes that he began moving at 11:00 am and only after seven hours, around at 6:30 p.m., they managed to reach the main entrance. Bulatov, climbing on the shoulders of the commander, installed the flag on the column above the stairs.

Before that, under the bridge, they signed the cloth with a chemical pencil: "674th regiment, 1st battalion", as well as their names: "Lieutenant Koshkarbayev, Bulatov".

This feat was a turning point not only for him, but also for the entire division storming the German capital. Nevertheless, it did not receive wide recognition.

Nomination for the title of Hero

A few days after the storming of the Reichstag, the command of the 674th Rifle Regiment nominated Lieutenant Koshkarbayev and Red Army soldier Bulatov for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. On May 6, 1945, award lists were drawn up, which described in detail the circumstances of the installation of the banner at the main entrance of the Reichstag.

These documents were approved at all levels - signed by both the commander of the 150th Rifle Division, Major General Vasily Shatilov, and the commander of the 79th Rifle Corps, Major General Sergei Perevertkin. However, the initiative did not reach the high command and political leadership of the country or was ignored.

Instead of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, Koshkarbayev and Bulatov received the Order of the Red Banner. This fact caused bewilderment among many contemporaries.

The hero of the defense of Moscow, Bauyrzhan Momyshuly, as well as well-known Kazakh writers and public figures - Gabit Musrepov, Abdilda Tazhibayev, Kakimzhan Kazybayev - have repeatedly petitioned for the restoration of historical justice. Even Dinmukhamed Kunayev, the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan, personally raised the issue with the leadership of the Central Committee of the CPSU and Leonid Brezhnev. However, there was no response to official requests.

The feat of the Kazakh citizen remained outside wide public recognition for a long time, and the official history focused only on other participants in the hoisting of the Victory Banner.

Press publications and the struggle for memory

Despite the official silence, the feat of Rakhimzhan Koshkarbayev was not completely forgotten. His name continued to live in memory of front-line soldiers, as well as on the pages of the press.

One of the first to publicly talk about the hoisting of the flag by Koshkarbayev and Bulatov was the famous writer and front-line correspondent Boris Gorbatov. In December 1948, he published an article where he wrote:

"What kind of golden eagle can be compared with the Kazakh Koshkarbayev, who, in front of my eyes, together with other comrades, hoisted the Banner of Victory over the Reichstag... To show such a hero, you need a completely different poetic structure, a different poetry."

The hero was also mentioned in the memoirs of officers of the 150th Rifle Division. However, in the official version of the hoisting of the Victory Banner, formed in Soviet historiography, the names of Koshkarbayev and Bulatov were in the shadows.

Many years later, journalist Vasily Subbotin, correspondent of the divisional newspaper "Warrior of the Motherland", admitted:

"I was just tormented that the feat  performed by the young Rakhimzhan and Bulatov was forgotten. No one's name, no matter how it is raised, should not overshadow others who have shown the high courage."

The struggle for historical justice continued for decades and ended in independent Kazakhstan.

Life after the war

After the end of the Great Patriotic War, Rakhimzhan Koshkarbayev returned to civilian life, but his active civic position and sense of responsibility have not disappeared. He did not become a high-ranking party functionary, but continued to serve people in a different form - as a leader and public figure.

For many years, Koshkarbayev worked as the director of one of the largest hotels in the republic, Alma-Ata. Under his leadership, the hotel became not only a place of accommodation for guests of the capital of the Kazakh SSR, but also one of the cultural centers of the city. The team respected and appreciated him for his discipline, justice and modesty.

Koshkarbayev was elected three times to the Council of People’s Deputies of Alma-Ata. He was a member of the Presidium of the Kazakh branch of the Soviet War Veterans Committee and of the Soviet-German Friendship Society. 

Koshkarbayev also left behind a literary legacy. He became the author of two books: "The Banner of Victory" and the documentary story "Storm. Day 1410", in which he spoke about military events from personal experience.

For his merits in peacetime, he was awarded the title of "Honorary Citizen" of several Kazakh cities at once: Tselinograd, Balkhash and Arkalyk. In 1975, on the 30th anniversary of the Victory, he was awarded the Certificate of Honor of the Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh SSR.

Rakhimzhan Koshkarbayev died on August 10, 1988.

Memory of the hero and national recognition

Historical justice in relation to Rakhimzhan Koshkarbayev triumphed only after Kazakhstan gained independence. By the Decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated May 7, 1999, he was awarded the title of Halyk Kakharmany - the highest degree of distinction in the country, equivalent to the title of "People's Hero".

The name of Rakhimzhan Koshkarbayev is forever inscribed in the national memory. In Astana, one of the central avenues was named after him, in the Almaty district of the Akmola region, the village of Romanovka was renamed the village of Rakhymzhan Koshkarbayev. Streets in Almaty and other cities of Kazakhstan are named after him.

Memorial plaques are installed on house No 42 on Dostyk Avenue in Almaty, where the veteran lived, and at the entrance to the Almaty Hotel, where he worked for almost 20 years. In the lobby of the hotel, a multimedia memorial zone dedicated to his life and feat has been created.

In 2020, a monument to the hero was erected in the capital of Kazakhstan, at the intersection of Bauyrzhan Momyshuly and Rakhimzhan Koshkarbayev avenues. Also, his sculptural image was included in the diorama of Museum of Military Glory on Poklonnaya Gora, Moscow city - next to other participants in that historical event.

Filmmakers have repeatedly turned to Koshkarbayev's feat. Several films and documentaries have been made about him, including:

- "Soldier of Victory. Rakhimzhan Koshkarbayev" (1980, Kazakhfilm studio)

- "Rakhimzhan Koshkarbayev. Storming the Reichstag (2005, Adil Medetbaev)

- Heroes of the Great Patriotic War (2022, Konstantin Charalampidis).

The memory of him lives on in the families of Kazakhstanis, in school textbooks, and in official history. His name today is a symbol of courage, modesty and devotion to the Motherland.

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