Executioner. The real story of Tonka the machine gunner. The True Story of Anka Machine Gunner Was Anka Machine Gunner

Despite the fact that there was no machine gunner Anka in the legendary Chapaevsk division, this character cannot be called completely fictional. Life was given to this image by the nurse Maria Popova, who once in battle really had to shoot from a machine gun instead of a wounded soldier. It was this woman who became the prototype for Anka from the film "Chapayev", included in the hundred best films in the world. Her fate deserves no less attention than the exploits of the movie heroine.

In 1934, directors Georgy and Sergei Vasiliev were tasked by the party to make a film about the victories of the Red Army. There was no Anka in the first version. Stalin was dissatisfied with the viewing and recommended adding a romantic line and a female image, which would be the embodiment of the fate of a Russian woman during the Civil War. The directors accidentally saw a publication about the nurse Maria Popova, who was forced by a wounded machine gunner on pain of death to shoot from the "Maxim". This is how Anka the machine gunner appeared. The story of her love with Petka was also invented - in fact, there was no romance between Chapaev's assistant Pyotr Isaev and Maria Popova. In the first two years after the film was released, Stalin watched it 38 times. Chapaev had no less success among the audience - huge queues lined up at the cinemas.

As part of the 25th rifle division of Chapaev, not only Maria Popova fought - there were enough women there. But the story of the nurse impressed the filmmakers the most. In the same division was also the wife of the red commissar and writer Furmanov Anna, in whose honor the main character of the film was named. By the way, there was no such character in Furmanov's story, based on which the film was shot.

Maria Popova was born into a peasant family in 1896. She lost her father at the age of 4, and her mother at the age of 8. From this age, she had to work for wealthy fellow villagers, including the Novikovs, which is why she was subsequently accused of not being who she claims to be. In 1959, the fighters of the same Chapayev division wrote a denunciation to Maria Popova that she was allegedly the daughter of Novikov's kulak, fought on the side of the White Guards, and when the Reds prevailed in the Civil War, she went over to their side. All this turned out to be untrue, but it cost her health.

In fact, Maria Popova at the age of 16 married a poor fellow villager, but her husband soon died. In 1917 she joined the Red Guard and took part in the battles for Samara. In 1918 she became a member of the party, in the same year she was included in the Chapaevsk division. She was not only a nurse - she served in cavalry reconnaissance, performed the duties of a military doctor. This is connected with one curious incident, told by Maria Popova herself. One day she brought two bags of soda to the division from a destroyed pharmacy - there was nothing else there. She cut strips of paper, sprinkled powder in them and signed "from the head", "from the stomach", etc. Some fighters claimed that they were helped.

After the Civil War, Maria graduated from the Faculty of Soviet Law at Moscow State University, then was engaged in intelligence activities in Germany. She was sent there as an assistant in the legal department of the Soviet trade mission. Then her daughter was born, whose father's name Mary hid until the end of her days. During the Great Patriotic War, she was again at the front as part of a propaganda brigade. In 1981, Maria Popova died at the age of 85.

To save her own life, she began to serve as an executioner for the German occupiers. For one execution, she received real money. She shot nearly 1,500 people. And all this took a year and a half. During the war, she was nicknamed Tonka-machine gunner. For the next three decades, she was an exemplary Soviet woman. She is Antonina Makarova-Ginzburg, Tonka the machine gunner, a biography, the real story of which will be told in the article.

Makarova's ideal was Anka the machine gunner

Antonina Makarova was born in 1920 in a village in the Smolensk province. However, according to some other information, she was born in the capital in 1923.

In the metric, her surname was indicated as Parfenova. The fact is that when she began to study at school, by mistake, the teacher confused not only her middle name, but also her last name. In the class journal, she wrote it down as Makarov. It is because of this that in all subsequent official documents, Tonya was listed under this name. This ridiculous accident later helped her escape from justice for three decades.

Tonka the machine gunner, a biography, whose family did not differ in anything remarkable, did not have a happy childhood. The family of the future punitive woman lived rather poorly. Her mother had to work hard to raise the children. His small vegetable garden helped in this regard. But they also needed to be constantly engaged. Accordingly, it was very difficult to combine household chores with raising a daughter. She didn't have time for everything. And young Tonya in her dreams, like any girl, hoped that her mother would buy her a beautiful dress, new shoes in order to appear on the local dance floor in this dress ...

In addition to such hobbies, she also had her own ideal - Anka the machine gunner. As you know, this character also had a prototype. We are talking about Maria Popova. During the civil war, in one of the battles, she replaced the deceased machine gunner. Ahead of events, let's say one thing: inspired by the image of M. Popova, Antonina also received a machine gun. Only now the character and the prototype of the book and the film "Chapaev" fought with the enemies, and Makarova shot the condemned ...

At school, young Tonya studied very diligently. True, she did not show much zeal for the exact sciences. She preferred subjects such as geography and history.

For eight years, Tonka the machine gunner, a biography whose childhood was not rosy, studied at a village school. In high school, she already studied at a Moscow school. The whole family moved there.

Having received a certificate of maturity, she entered a school, then - to a technical school. She planned to become a doctor.

"Vyazemsky boiler" and retreat

When the war began, she went to the front, becoming a medical instructor. The German army then advanced on the Soviet capital.

As a result, Makarova with her units was completely surrounded, in the so-called. "Vyazemsky boiler". At some point, retreating, she fell into the hands of the Germans. After a while, she managed to escape. Moreover, she ran away not alone, but together with the soldier Nikolai Fedchuk.

Together they roamed the woods, sometimes stealing to feed themselves. At the same time, they did not look for an opportunity to find partisans or to break through to the units of the Red Army.

In the process of this wandering Fedchuk ceased to stand on ceremony with the fairer sex and made her his "field wife." True, the involuntary "wife", in fact, did not really resist.

In early 1942, the encircled people ended up in the village where Fedchuk lived before the war. It was there that he confessed to Tone that he was married and his family lived nearby. In a word, Makarova was left all alone.

For several days, Antonina begged home. At first, the villagers did not drive her out, but since they had enough of their own to worry about without her, they did not dare to keep the unknown woman for a long time. She tried to have an affair with one of the villagers. But in the end, she was able to turn almost all local residents against herself. She had to leave the village.

They say that Fedchuk's betrayal and the lack of physical and moral strength at that time finished her off. They say she was really moved by her mind. But this was only temporary. She wanted to survive. And at any cost.

Executioner's rate

Antonina's wanderings ended in the vicinity of the Bryansk village of Lokot. Let us remind that during the war the so-called. Lokot Republic, which was founded by Russian collaborators, that is, henchmen of the Nazis.

The unfortunate nurse was detained by the police, who liked her. They took me to them, gave me food, offered alcohol and raped. True, the fact of this violence was very controversial. For at that moment, Tonya agreed to absolutely everything.

Thus, for some time, the former medical instructor worked under the police as a prostitute.

Once she, very drunk, was taken out into the street and given a “Maxim” machine gun - exactly the same as that of Anka the machine gunner.

There were people in front of her who were to be executed now. Tonya was ordered to shoot. The massacre was not a big deal for her. And she did not feel any remorse. Of course, Makarova had a choice. She could have been among those shot. She could also become an executioner, which actually happened. She chose the second option, hoping that the war would later write off everything. Well, in the end, in some way her old dream came true - she became a machine gunner, like her favorite character. Her life also began to improve.

For the next day, her superiors decided that for her working as a prostitute was not a suitable occupation. It does other work much better. In short, she was offered to participate in the executions on an ongoing basis. According to Makarova herself, the invaders did not want to get their hands dirty. They believed that it would be more convenient if the sentenced were shot by a Soviet woman.

As a result, when she agreed to the German proposal, she was given a machine gun for personal storage. From now on, she was an official person - an executioner. The management offered her a salary of thirty marks. Also, after many months, she was finally given a bed. And Tonka the machine-gunner lived (biography, photo - in the article) in a separate room at a local factory.

"Nettle"

Antonina's daily routine as an executioner was overly monotonous. She woke up, had breakfast, and then prepared her machine gun for reprisal. Meanwhile, the condemned were in the barn. In fact, he served as a kind of prison. This "cell" accommodated exactly twenty-seven people. According to eyewitnesses, there was a constant eerie groan in the dungeon. The prisoners were stuffed into the room, which was even impossible to sit down. And since the prison was never empty, the convicts were quickly dealt with. And immediately new unfortunates arrived on this death row.

When Antonina's machine gun was already ready for execution, the sentenced were taken to the execution pit and the sentence itself was executed. The survivors Tonka the machine gunner finished off with a pistol in the head. By the way, a story to be shot in Makarova's jargon is like "putting in a nettle."

According to her testimony, she was just doing her job in good faith. Moreover, for this "work", as mentioned above, she received real German money.

Sometimes she executed not only Soviet partisans, but also members of their families. True, she did not want to remember this at all and tried to forget about those whom she had shot. And the doomed themselves did not know her. Therefore, she never felt any remorse. However, I remembered the circumstances of one punishment to the last. An unknown young guy, who was sentenced to death, managed to shout to her: "I won't see you now! Farewell, sister!"

Sometimes Antonina Makarova (Tonka the machine gunner, whose biography is described in the article) also allowed a "marriage" in work. So, several children were able to survive in this meat grinder. There was only one reason: because of their small stature, the bullets passed over their heads ...

The villagers who buried the executed were able to take out the unfortunate teenagers and hand them over to the Soviet partisans.

The rumor about the bloody punitive Tonka the machine-gunner spread throughout the Bryansk region. The partisans even decided to declare a hunt for her. Unfortunately, this search seemed futile.

When Tonya was finishing her massacre, she was cleaning her favorite machine gun. In the evenings, she came to a German club, danced, drank with representatives of the Aryan nation, after which she relaxed in the arms of officers and policemen.

Also, often at night, Tonka the machine-gunner, whose biography and life history are described in many historical documents, came to the death row and carefully examined the sentenced. Either she was mentally preparing for the morning execution, or she looked after the things of the doomed in advance. In any case, as an encouragement, she was given the opportunity to take the clothes of the dead. Over time, she had a huge number of outfits.

Although there were serious griefs in her work. Sometimes she complained that not only large blood stains, but also bullet holes remained on the clothes of the executed ...

The executioner's metamorphosis

In the summer of 1943, Makarova's life took another turn. Soviet troops began to liberate the Bryansk region. Accordingly, in the light of the latest reports from the front, this did not bode well for her. But that summer, she was sent to the rear hospital to receive treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. In a word, she managed to escape retribution at that time. Let's notice right away that the Red Army and the partisans liberated Lokot in early September.

It was more than uncomfortable in the hospital walls of Makarova. After all, the Soviet troops were approaching very quickly. The Nazis began to evacuate, but they only ferried the Aryans.

Meanwhile, in the rear, Antonina managed to have another love story. A German chef became his beloved. He secretly was able to take her to Ukraine, and then to Poland.

But here she was very unlucky. Her lover was killed, and the Nazis sent her to the death camp in Konigsberg.

In 1945, the Red Army also captured this city. Then Makarova used a stolen Soviet military ID. In this document, it was written that from 1941 to 1944 she served in one of the sanitary battalions. Thus, Tonka managed to pass herself off as a Russian nurse, and she began to work in a mobile hospital.

In the same period, the executioner Tonka the machine-gunner, whose biography makes even the most cold-blooded people horrified, met one of the wounded soldiers. His name was Victor Ginzburg. In just one week, the lovers signed. Of course, the bride decided to take the name of her groom. And when the war finally ended, the young couple went to Lepel, the homeland of Ginzburg.

So, Antonina Makarova, Tonka the machine gunner, whose biography aroused everyone's contempt and which the partisans hunted for a long time, disappeared. Honored veteran, front-line soldier Antonina Ginzburg appeared. Only three decades later, Tonka the machine gunner, her biography and her victims in wartime suddenly surfaced ...

Double life

When Soviet troops liberated not only Bryansk, but also Lokot, investigators found the remains of 1.5 thousand victims of executions. Unfortunately, the investigation was able to identify only 200 executed. In addition, witnesses were summoned for questioning. The information was constantly updated and rechecked. But Tonka the machine-gunner sank into the water. They couldn't get on her trail.

And Tonka the machine-gunner herself, whose biography and life after the war was getting better, became an ordinary, simple Soviet woman. She raised two of her daughters, she was invited to a meeting with schoolchildren, where she talked about her heroic past. She worked. She managed to find a job at the Lepel sewing factory. Antonina was responsible for the quality of products at the enterprise.

By and large, she was considered not only a very responsible, but also a conscientious worker. Her photograph was repeatedly posted on the honor board.

According to her former colleagues, Antonina always seemed withdrawn. She spoke little in conversation. And when corporate holidays took place at the enterprise, she almost did not drink alcohol (most likely, so as not to let slip).

In general, the Ginzburgs were respected people. And since they were front-line soldiers, they received all the benefits that veterans were entitled to. And, of course, neither the spouse, nor the acquaintances of the family, nor the neighbors were at all aware that the honored man Antonina Ginzburg is the notorious Tonka the machine gunner ...

Unexpected turn

Only in 1976 did the case of the Lokot punitive woman get off the ground. And the following happened. On one of the squares of Bryansk, an unknown man suddenly attacked a certain Nikolai Ivanin with his fists. The fact is that he was able to recognize the head of the German prison Lokot during the war. Ivanin, who had been hiding all this time, like Antonina, did not open up and gave his testimony to the investigation. At the same time, he mentioned Tonka the machine-gunner (he had a short love affair with her). Of course, the suspect told the investigators her last name.

It was this clue that made it possible to develop a complete list of USSR citizens who bear such a name. Alas, the law enforcement officers did not find the Makarova they needed in this list. They did not yet know that there were representatives of the fairer sex who were registered under this surname at birth. Well, Tonka the machine gunner, as mentioned above, was originally recorded as Parfenova.

Nevertheless, at first, the investigators mistakenly managed to get on the trail of another Makarova, who lived in the city of Serpukhov. Ivanin had to agree to conduct an identification in this city. He was accommodated in one of the hotels, and the next day in his room he took his own life. The reasons for this suicide are still unclear.

After these events, investigators began to look for all surviving witnesses who can remember Makarov in person. However, they did not identify her either.

But the search continued. Found the real Antonina almost by accident.

A certain Soviet citizen Parfenov was going abroad. In order to obtain permission to leave, he sent a corresponding questionnaire, which contained information about his relatives. Parfenov's sister, Antonina Makarova, was also listed in this profile. Then it turned out about the mistake of the school teacher of young Tonka ...

Operative Jewelery Work

Investigators had to work very hard to find the Lokot executioner. They could not blame an innocent person for such atrocities. Therefore, the honored veteran Antonina Ginzburg began to be carefully checked. Secretly, the operatives brought witnesses to Lepel.

So, in 1978, law enforcement officers conducted an experiment. One of the direct witnesses came to the city. At the same time, Makarova was asked to go outside under an invented pretext. And an eyewitness to the crimes watched Antonina from the window. She confirmed that the employee of the garment factory was Tonka the machine gunner. However, this fact was still not enough for the arrest.

Then the investigation decided to conduct another experiment. Two more witnesses came to Lepel. One woman pretended to be a social security worker. Makarova was called in to allegedly recalculate her pension. Tonka-machine gunner was immediately recognized. Another eyewitness was on the street next to the building. She also identified Antonina. And only after that did they decide to detain her. On this day, Makarova-Ginzburg went to the head of the personnel department. The operatives stopped her and presented an arrest warrant. According to the memoirs of investigators, when she was arrested, she immediately understood everything and behaved absolutely calmly.

Renunciation

When Makarova was in the cell, she was transported to Bryansk. At first, law enforcement officers were strongly afraid that the suspect would commit suicide. To prevent a possible suicide, a woman-"whisperer" was planted with her. According to her, Makarova did not intend to commit suicide at all. She was absolutely sure that because of her retirement age, the court would give her a minimum sentence of three years. At the same time, she volunteered for questioning to the investigator herself. Demonstrated enviable composure when answering direct questions Tonka the machine gunner. Biography (documentary filmed in 2010) is told in the tape "Retribution. Two lives of Tonka the machine gunner. The presenter said that Makarova believed that there was simply nothing to punish her for. And, accordingly, all the sad events that occurred were attributed exclusively to the war Tonka the machine gunner.

Biography (the film tells the details about this woman) said that when she was brought to Lokot, she also behaved very calmly. She herself admitted that during the war she was called Tonka-machine gunner. Then the investigators took her to the execution ditch, near which she carried out sentences. And the inhabitants of Lokots, seeing and recognizing her, spat after her.

Investigators asked her if she was tormented by nightmares after the mass shootings. Makarova said that this had never happened. By the way, the psychic examination confirmed that Tonka the machine gunner is absolutely sane.

The investigators invited her to talk to her husband and children. She refused. And even decided not to transmit the news.

Meanwhile, the unfortunate husband of Makarova was running around in all instances. He was ready to write a complaint to Brezhnev himself and to the UN. He demanded the immediate release of his beloved wife and the mother of his children. Investigators were forced to report what his wife was accused of. They say that the brave veteran, having learned the truth, turned gray overnight. The whole family disowned Antonina and left Lepel forever.

Inevitable retribution

In the fall of 1978, the trial of Antonina Makarova-Ginzburg began in Bryansk, which turned out to be not only the last major trial in the Soviet Union over traitors to the Motherland, but also the only one when the punitive woman was tried.

The guilt of Tonka the machine gunner in the execution of 168 people was documented. In addition, almost 1,300 civilians remained unknown victims of Makarova.

Tonka the machine-gunner herself, a biography whose photo appeared in many investigative protocols, was sure that the punishment a priori could not be severe for years ago. She only worried that because of the shame she would have to move to another city and, accordingly, look for a new job. To be honest, the investigators themselves believed that the court would show leniency to her. Moreover, her post-war biography turned out to be exemplary.

But the court decided to pass a harsh sentence. On November 20, 1978, Tonka the machine-gunner was sentenced to death. Judge Makarova listened to the words of the judge absolutely calmly, but at the same time did not understand why this measure was so cruel. Then she still explained: “After all, there was a war. Life is like that. And now I have sore eyes. I need an operation. Will they not have mercy? "

After the trial, Tonka the Machine Gunner, a biography whose history does not cause any regret, scribbled appeals. She hoped for forgiveness, because the upcoming 1979 was supposed to be the Year of the Woman.

Alas, the court decided to reject these applications. And on August 11, 1979, in the morning, at 6.00, the sentence was carried out ... This is the life Tonka the machine gunner lived. Biography, documentary should be of interest to everyone who studies history. But the fate of this woman will not cause regret in anyone.

Anka's "birth"

Categories:

Movie Characters
Fictional women
Fictional military
Fictional Russians
Characters of anecdotes
Vasily Chapaev in popular culture
Women in wars

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Anka, Paul
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Few people know that the legendary machine-gunner Anka from the movie “Chapaev” had a real prototype - the Red Army woman Maria Popova. True, she was a nurse, and fired from a machine gun only once. But it was this one that went down in history thanks to the legendary film of the Vasiliev brothers ...

Maria Andreevna Golovina was born in 1896 in the village of Vyazov Gai, in the Samara province. At the age of 16, she was married to Ivan Popov, so now she has become Maria Popova. But they did not live with her husband for long - Ivan died shortly after the wedding. After the death of her husband, Popova got a job as a nurse in a hospital. When the Civil War broke out, Maria enrolled in the 25th Chapayev Division.

"The next bullet is for you ..."

Maria has never been a machine gunner. In the division, she initially served in her main profile - a nurse. She turned out to be a smart, mischievous girl. Maria Andreevna herself told such a case from her sanitary practice.

In the smashed pharmacy of a small town, where the Chapayevites entered, there were two bags of soda. Popov's nurse loaded them onto a cart and brought them to the division. She cut the paper into strips, poured the powder, rolled it up and wrote: "from the head", "from the belly" and distributed it to the soldiers. It helped some.

After that, the popularity of the nurse Maria Popova overshadowed the authority of the division's chief physician, who did not give such "miraculous" medicines. The Chapayev soldiers complained about the doctor to the division commander - they say, he does not heal well. Whether it's Mashka Popova ...

True, there was one case when a nurse had to shoot from a machine gun.

During one of the battles, Maria, as usual, brought machine-gun belts to the Maxim crew. The machine gun was hopelessly silent - the second number was killed by a direct hit from an enemy shell, and the machine gunner was seriously wounded. Having regained consciousness, the Red Army soldier ordered Maria:

Lie down next to me and press this button, and I will drive the machine gun with my good hand.

Are you crazy? I'm afraid, - Maria refused and tried to leave.

Firing a revolver, the machine gunner warned the girl:

The next bullet is for you.

Nothing to do - I had to obey. Maria lay down, closed her eyes and began pouring fire on the White Guards. So Maria Popova temporarily became a machine gunner.

For this fight, Chapaev awarded her with hours. At the same time, the division commander decided that the dashing girl now has a place in horse reconnaissance.

Stalin's favorite film

But it just so happened that this very fight with the participation of Maria Popova was used when creating the script for the film "Chapaev". Here is how it was. The directors, the Vasiliev brothers (in fact, as you know, they are not brothers, but namesakes) have asked the former fighters of the Chapayev division to send them memories of some interesting combat episodes that happened during their service "at Chapay's".

Maria Popova also sent her memoirs. And it turned out that this is what the directors lacked so much - the image of a simple Russian woman fighting for the power of the Soviets. Anka the machine gunner was hastily introduced into the script of the film (there is no such character at all in Furmanov's story, based on which the film was made).

The name Anka was given to the new character in honor of Anna Steshenko, Furmanov's widow and film consultant. Because of this, sometimes you can find statements that it was Anna Steshenko who served as the prototype for Anka the machine gunner. This is not true. Only the name of the character was taken from the writer's widow, and the whole "texture" was borrowed from the memoirs of Maria Popova.

So, the episode with the shooting from a machine gun, told by Maria Popova, was creatively processed and entered the film in the famous scene of the psychic attack of the Kappelites.

In this form, the finished film was shown to Stalin. The leader was delighted and decided to immediately express his delight to the filmmakers (the directors were waiting for a verdict at the reception all the time they were watching). Excited directors were invited to the audience. Satisfied, Stalin thanked them for their excellent work. Among other things, the leader noted the well-found image of Anka the machine gunner and the talented play of the performer - the actress Varvara Myasnikova. The film was released and was a resounding success. And Chapaev, Petka, Anka the machine gunner became the heroes of numerous anecdotes, which, as you know, is also an indicator of success.

By the way, about Petka. There is a lyrical line in the film - the love of Anka the machine-gunner and Chapaev's orderly Petka. In fact, Maria Popova and Pyotr Isaev (that was the name of Chapaev's assistant) did not even have any romance. This is creative fiction.

In general, the real Peter Isaev was completely different from the on-screen Petka. He was an educated junior commander, and in no way was the division commander's orderly, as shown in the film. Pyotr Isaev was a delegate for especially important matters, and later - the head of the communications brigade.

And Maria Popova herself was not as simple as her cinematic incarnation. After the end of the Civil War, Maria Popova studied at Moscow State University at the Faculty of Soviet Law, and in 1931 she was sent to Berlin, being appointed an assistant in the legal department of the trade mission. From May 1936 to May 1937 she was on a business trip in Stockholm. She stubbornly mastered the Swedish language. With the USSR ambassador to Sweden, Alexandra Kollontai, Maria developed almost friendly relations.

"She is unworthy ..."

In May 1937, Popova was informed that her trip to Stockholm was over. With a heavy heart, Maria Andreevna returned to Moscow - times were difficult. Many of her former acquaintances in the Chapaevsk division were arrested by the NKVD. But Maria herself was not touched, apparently, they did not want to cast a shadow on the film, which had already become a legend. Many knew that Maria Popova served as the prototype for Anka the machine gunner. The NKVD was also in the know. Moreover, the film "Chapaev" was Stalin's favorite film - he watched it several dozen times! The image of Chapaevskaya Anka the machine-gunner became a saving shield for Maria Popova. They did not dare to swing at her.

But, having survived the icy days of Stalin, Maria Popova was unexpectedly attacked during the Khrushchev thaw. In 1959, Popova was summoned to the Central Committee of the party. It turned out that several old Chapayevites wrote a letter to the Party Control Committee under the Central Committee of the CPSU, in which they informed that Maria Popova was in fact the daughter of kulaks, that at first she fought on the side of the Whites. And only when the Reds began to take the advantage, she came to the Chapaevsk division. The main thing that Popova was accused of: "She is unworthy to be considered the prototype of Anka the machine-gunner." It is not clear what caused this unworthy libel. Either the usual envy, or some kind of personal accounts. Clouds thickened over Mary's head.

But the Chapaevskaya nurse was not scared. In all instances, she said that she had never been the prototype of Anka the machine gunner, that this is a collective image. Maria Andreevna listed the names of her fighting friends who were worthy of no less glory. And in general, the fact that from all the memories of women fighters of the Chapaevsk division, the Vasilyev brothers chose her story and based on it they created the image of Anka - this is not her fault, especially since this choice was approved by Stalin. Then ask them - as if a witty woman was hinting. Opponents were confused.

And then the results of the party check, undertaken after receiving the denunciation, just arrived in time. The certificate submitted to the Central Committee read:

“Popova Maria Andreevna, a native of the village of Vyazov Gai, Samara province. Nee - Golovin. Popova's father, a poor peasant Andrei Romanovich Golovin, died when his daughter Maria Popova was 4 years old. Maria Popova's mother died when the girl was 8 years old. From this age, Maria Andreevna worked for wealthy fellow villagers. In 1917 she joined the Red Guard, took part in the battles on the Dutovo front. As part of the Chapaevsk division since June 1918. She served in cavalry reconnaissance and at the same time performed the duties of a medicinal assistant. She was wounded, shell-shocked. She was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of the Battle.

It was a complete victory. The honest name of Maria Popova was completely restored.

Maria Andreevna died in the winter of 1981. She was buried in Moscow at the Kuntsevo cemetery ...

Nurse Maria Popova and her film double - Anka the machine gunner.

Many famous film images have real prototypes. Despite the fact that there was no machine gunner Anka in the legendary Chapaevsk division, this character cannot be called completely fictional. Life was given to this image by the nurse Maria Popova, who once in battle really had to shoot from a machine gun instead of a wounded soldier.

It was this woman who became the prototype for Anka from the film "Chapaev", included in the hundred best films in the world. Her fate deserves no less attention than the exploits of the movie heroine.

Maria Popova

In 1934, the directors Georgy and Sergei Vasiliev were tasked by the party to make a film about the victories of the Red Army. In the first version, Anka was not. Stalin was dissatisfied with the viewing and recommended adding a romantic line and a female image, which would be the embodiment of the fate of a Russian woman during the Civil War. The directors accidentally saw a publication about the nurse Maria Popova, who was forced by a wounded machine-gunner on pain of death to shoot from the Maxim. This is how Anka the machine gunner appeared.

The story of her love with Petka was also invented - in fact, there was no romance between Chapaev's assistant Pyotr Isaev and Maria Popova. In the first two years after the film was released, Stalin watched it 38 times. Chapaev had no less success among the audience - huge queues lined up at the cinemas.

Maria Andreevna Popova with her daughter

Maria Popova with her husband

In 1959, the fighters of the same Chapayev division wrote a denunciation to Maria Popova that she was allegedly the daughter of Novikov's kulak, fought on the side of the White Guards, and when the Reds prevailed in the Civil War, she went over to their side. It all turned out to be untrue, but it cost her health.

Still from the movie * Chapaev *, 1934