War spares no one, because it is inhumanat its core. And although more than half a century has passed since the terrible events of 1941-1945, it is impossible to be indifferent to read about the heroes who gave their lives to save the motherland. Especially if it is still a child. He knew the grief early and matured before the deadline ... Hotly loved his family and country ... Sworn to avenge the enemy even at the cost of his own life ... Brave, prudent, ready for the most inhuman tests ... But still a child. The former front-line soldier Vladimir Bogomolov dedicated his work to him. “Ivan” (you can read the summary in this article) once again proves how incompatible these two words are: “war” and “children”.
Outset: night guest
Дело происходило в октябре на берегу Днепра.The acting commander of the battalion, senior lieutenant of twenty, Galtsev, was awakened in the middle of the night by the duty officer. He said that someone was detained on the shore. He floundered in the water, refused to answer questions and demanded to take him to the authorities. Galtsev saw at the entrance a boy of eleven. He was all wet and turned blue from the cold. And "in his view ... there was some kind of internal tension and ... mistrust and dislike." The lieutenant tried to find out from the kid who he was and how he ended up in the river. So begins the story of Bogomolov "Ivan."
Summary of conversation heroes can be reducedto the next. Ignoring the questions, the boy called only the surname and demanded that he report it to headquarters. Galtsev for a long time refused to do this and called only when the guest called Lieutenant Colonel Gryaznov and Captain Holin. Hearing the name of Bondarev, on the other end of the wire began to fuss. They ordered me to give the boy paper, ink, and immediately send the records to headquarters. And to convey that they already leave him, surprising the reader Bogomolov.
Ivan (a summary allows you to find out the namethe boy before you read the book yourself) carefully counted the grain and needles taken out of his pocket, then he wrote something for a long time. Finally he folded everything in an envelope, sealed it carefully and ordered it to be sent to headquarters. Galtsev, who did not believe the boy, now felt uncomfortable and in every way wanted to please him. He cooked warm water and heated up the remaining dinner. After eating a little, the boy lay down, and Galtsev went to check the posts. He kept trying to understand what had happened. Who is this Bondarev and why in the headquarters about him so worried? How could he cross the Dnieper in such a cold? Not every adult can do it. Omit the scene of a conversation with the soldiers who discovered the boy, this allows a summary of the story "Ivan." Bogomolov in the first part in every possible way emphasizes the unusual nature of what happened to the lieutenant who was preparing the battalion to force the Dnieper.
The arrival of captain holin
When he returned, Galtsev saw that Bondarev was no longerasleep Soon the captain arrived. He rushed to the boy, and only now the lieutenant found out the name of his guest. Ivan immediately perked up and smiled for the first time. Choline said that he was waiting for Katasonych. To this the boy replied: there were Germans there, because it was impossible to get to Dikovka. He also added that he was swimming in a log and almost drowned. So gradually reveals the image of the main character Bogomolov. Ivan (a summary, unfortunately, can only superficially tell about the hero) still seemed to the lieutenant small and weak.
Choline ordered to remove people from the dugout and secretlyfit the car. About ten minutes later the boy, dressed in a tunic and harem pants, with a medal and an order on his chest, was unrecognizable. At the table they talked, and the lieutenant found out that Bondarev was sent to Suvorov, but he refused: not the time. And when Choline poured vodka, the boy made a toast: "... so that I always come back," and sipped from the mug. Soon, Ivan got up and demanded: “Let's go!” Choline was taken aback, but did not contradict.
Before leaving, Galtsev shook the boy’s hand andsaid: "... Vanyusha, goodbye!" However, Bondarev corrected: "Do not forgive, but goodbye!" - and looked frowningly. This scene makes it clear that the characters are destined to meet. And it becomes more mysterious.
Bondarev, "Ivan": a summary of the events that occurred in the following days
Suddenly Katasonov arrived in the battalion,led a platoon in the reconnaissance division. He avoided observation points, studied the situation on the other side. From Katasonov, Galtsev heard a phrase about Vanyushka (the foreman so affectionately called him): “He hates his soul to hate.”
Three days later Choline arrived. He also examined the troops and for a long time looked at the scheme and map of the defense, on the opposite bank of the Dnieper. Preparing something serious, makes it clear Bogomol.
Ivan (the summary does not include details describing all the actions of Katasonov and Kholin) appeared on one of the evenings as mysteriously as he had left.
"He had so much experience that we never dreamed of"
From the conversation of his guests, Galtsev understood thatat night, Bondarev should be transported to that bank, directly to the Germans in the rear. The lieutenant asked to take him with him, but was refused. Ivan behaved benevolently, and seeing a self-made knife on Galtsev’s belt — the memory of his best friend — asked to give it to him. Having been refused, he began to be capricious, just like a child.
По дороге к берегу – нужно было сделать последние preparations - Choline told how Ivan’s sister died in her arms. Mother disappeared, and father was killed on the first day of the war. He passed the death camp, he was at the partisans. Now he is eager for revenge, and no one can stop him. Sent to study, but he escaped and in the dark from his own got a bullet in the shoulder: Galtsev saw the scar even at the first meeting. Now he served in the reconnaissance, and he had no equal. Pretending to be a vagabond, he could get to the very rear of the fascists and get valuable information.
When all the preparations were made, Galtsevreturned to the dugout, where he found the boy in the usual children's game. But after a few hours he had to go on a mission, emphasizes Vladimir Bogomolov. Ivan (the summary allows only to mention this) behaved at this moment like any other of his peers.
Crossing
Kholin, who entered later, suddenly announced that Katasonov had been urgently summoned to the division — it was a trick not to tell Ivan that the head officer had been killed. Instead, Galtsev went to the other side of the river.
After crossing the Dnieper, the men waited a long time,while twelve-year-old Ivan (real name - Buslov) passes the watch. He had to walk about twenty kilometers in a night and then at least thirty more. Choline did not dare to go back for a long time, and later, in a dugout, he noted in their hearts that they were fighting for the third year, “and in the eyes of death, like Ivan! - ... and did not look.
Killed like a hero
Гальцев все не мог забыть о мальчике.And when I was in Berlin, I saw the secret police records. From one of the photos looked familiar face. On a sheet pinned to a card, it was stated that a teenager was detained in the forbidden territory: one of the local residents recognized him as Ivan. He was interrogated for four days, but he held himself defiantly and did not provide any information. In the early morning of December 25, 1943, he was shot. A policeman who caught a teenager, received a hundred marks. So ends the work of Bogomolov ("Ivan").
Reading the summary of the book to fully comprehend the tragedy of what happened is not enough. Only the full text will help to understand how quickly children grew up in terrible war years.
