In May 2018, the premiere of the military drama Sobibor about great feat and courage took place. Konstantin Khabensky acted not only as a director of the picture, but also the lead actor. The Soviet lieutenant, who fell into the Polish concentration camp, managed to organize an international uprising, as a result of which hundreds of prisoners gained the long-awaited freedom. The name of the hero is Alexander Pechersky.
Childhood and youth
Alexander Aronovich was born in the Ukrainian city of Kremenchug in 1909. His father, a Jew by nationality, was a lawyer. A few years later, the family moved to Rostov-on-Don, which became a hometown for the boy. Sasha graduated from two schools at once: general education and music. After serving in the army, he worked as an electrician in a factory, repairing steam locomotives. The young man received higher education at Rostov State University and in 1936 he joined the Rostov Institute of Economics and Economics as an inspector of the economic unit. He devoted all his free time to amateur performances.
Start of war
Already on the first day of the war, Alexander Pechersky was called to the front. Three months later, he passed certification for the title of quartermaster and continued his service in the 19th Army. In the fall of 1941, the lieutenant, like thousands of Soviet soldiers, was surrounded by Vyazma. Without waiting for support, then nearly half a million people died. Alexander tried to bear the wounded commander, but at the end there were forces and cartridges. The wounded Pechersky was captured. A few months later, he and his comrades made the first attempt to escape, but the body that had just suffered from typhoid was weakened and the result was unsuccessful. The punishment for disobedience was sending to the Belarusian penal camp, then to the SS working camp. The appearance of the lieutenant did not betray his national roots. The truth became known in the Minsk camp and soon Alexander was sent to Poland, in the infamous Sobibor.
Uprising organizer
No one came back alive from this death camp. The Nazis deliberately went towards their goal - the complete destruction of the Jewish population. Every day, hundreds of people replenished the number of prisoners. The weak were immediately sent to the gas chamber, the stronger left at various jobs.
Alexander immediately realized that the only chance to survive would be the uprising, which he organized in record time - about 3 weeks. The idea was to lure the guards one at a time in the sewing workshops where the officers' uniforms were sewn. Then kill them one by one and grab a weapon. On October 14, 1943, a boldly planned operation began. Twelve SS men were killed, but the survivors opened fire on the prisoners; they could not capture the weapons warehouse. People who felt freedom escaped from the gates of hated captivity and fell into a minefield. Of the 550 camp prisoners, some refused to participate in the uprising because of fear or weakness, many died during the escape. But those who survived, together with Pechersky left for Belarus and joined the ranks of partisan detachments.
The Nazis could not survive the shame. This was the first time in history when camp prisoners broke free, destroying the guards. The Nazis destroyed Sobibor, erasing it from the face of the earth, immediately after the sad events. He was remembered only at the Nuremberg trials, where Pechersky was to act as a witness.
Post-war years
Everyone who was captured was subjected to a thorough verification of counterintelligence. At the end of the war, Alexander was sent to a penal battalion. After a severe shrapnel wound, the fighter spent four months in the hospital. With disability, the war ended for him. He returned home not alone. Olga Kotova, whom Pechersky met during treatment, soon became his wife. The couple lived in Rostov-on-Don for the remaining years. They had a daughter, later a granddaughter appeared.
