Shch-303 submarine
Submarine defections were also rare in World War II, but in May 1943, when the defeat of Nazi Germany was revealed, such an extremely rare event occurred in the Soviet Navy!
Incredibly, this Soviet submarine with 41 sailors was hijacked by just one person! What's even more dramatic is that when the submarine is heavily surrounded by German ships, the incident has reversed again!
Shch-303
The failure of Soviet submarines to break through the blockade line
In early May 1943, the Soviet Baltic Fleet Shchuka-class submarine Shch-303 set sail from Kronstadt for a long-distance combat voyage under the command of Ivan Trafkin (1908-1985). The main task of the submarine was to break through the German anti-submarine defense network at the entrance of the Gulf of Finland, and the ship was prepared for 78 days of feeding.
Shch-303 is an old submarine commissioned in 1933 with an underwater displacement of 706 tons, a maximum velocity of 12.5 knots on water, an underwater velocity of 8.5 knots, a maximum diving depth of 75 meters, six 533 mm torpedo tubes and a crew of 41 people. Four of the Shchuka class were built, the remaining three (Shch-301, 302, 304) sank in World War II, with only the meritorious Shch-303 persisting until the end of the war and finally retiring in 1954.
Shch-303 submarine
In the spring of 1943, the Germans built a tight anti-submarine blockade line in the Gulf of Finland in order to blockade the activities of Soviet submarines in the Baltic Sea. Germany deployed two rows of "Valros" heavy steel mesh stretching for tens of kilometers in the bay between Nysel, Polacara Reef and Mijaquilotto Island, while adding 9,000 mines to the sea and deploying sonar stations in Gotland.
The Shch-303 submarine's attempt to break through the blockade was unsuccessful. On the first day of the voyage, the submarine encountered a German mine, the hull was scratched, fortunately the mine did not explode. On the third day after the voyage, the submarine encountered a mooring cable, and the sonar also captured the metal anti-submarine net that swayed with the waves underwater. Shch-303 made several attempts to cross the anti-submarine network, but failed.
German blockade line in the Gulf of Finland
To make matters worse, the submarine's underwater listeners found themselves surrounded by German and Finnish ships that could not float up to recharge. Meanwhile, German anti-submarine ships had spotted traces of the submarine and begun a hunting operation, forcing the Shch-303 to stop at the bottom of the sea and wait for an escape.
Under the constant anti-submarine search of the German warships, shch-303 remained hidden underwater for a whole week. The submarine's battery quickly ran out, the crew saved as much electricity as possible, oxygen shortages, and many people were in a semi-comatose and semi-awake state for a long time. In a serious survival dilemma, many people can't eat anything but barely drink a bowl of fresh water. Just then, one of the crew finally collapsed.
The Soviet non-commissioned officers who had made meritorious contributions many times actually defected
The mentally devastated crew member, Boris Galkin, was a sergeant who was a technical sergeant in the Shch-303 submarine. From previous records, Boris Galgin did not appear to be a coward, having excelled in several battles, participating in the sinking of several German transport ships and having been awarded the Order of the Red Banner and the Patriotic War Medal.
However, Sergeant Galkin also has character flaws. His colleague later said of him: "He was rude, didn't know how to make friends, and was prone to losing his mind in times of danger. ”
It should be known that fighting in the confined space of the submarine for a long time is a great challenge to the psychological quality and endurance of the crew, and it is not something that can be overcome by simple bravery. It is clear that Boris Galgin may have had the "courage of a puppet", but definitely lacked the conviction to endure difficulties for a long time. In a week-long environment of extreme difficulty and despair, the former "warrior" quickly turned to the other extreme, using courage in the direction of evil.
Commander shch-303
On 21 May, Sergeant Boris Gorking and another officer on duty took over the duty in the central command module. There is also a radio room nearby where several radio operators and acoustic experts work.
Three hours later, an acoustic expert on board suddenly heard the noise of the propellers of several surface vessels, and the officer on duty immediately reported to the submarine commander Ivan Trafkin. Then something shocking happened!
Boris Gorking acted decisively and quickly, immediately locking the radio room from the outside and shutting the radio and sonar personnel inside. At that time, the command module, which was isolated by the watertight door, was left with only Golkin. He turned off the lights and injected high-pressure air into the water tank, and the submarine soon began to float and burrowed out of the water. Without a minute's delay, Boris Gorking rushed to the upper hatch alone.
Command module of the Shch-303 submarine
The incident happened so suddenly that all the people on board were caught off guard! Most people don't even realize what's going on.
Captain Ivan Vasilyevich Trafkin later recalled: "I hurried to the central command module... But the watertight wall door that led there from the fourth compartment was locked. In the darkness, I pushed it hard and slammed it with my fists, but it didn't work at all! ”
Soon, the radio operator managed to pry open the door lock, walked out of the radio room, opened the watertight door, and let the captain and others enter the command module. Captain Trafkin ordered everyone to quickly prepare for the dive. However, these self-help measures were too late, Andkin had already climbed out of the submarine, and the surrounding German and Finnish ships swarmed to surround the floating submarines!
The Great Reversal in Desperate Circumstances
In this case, Captain Trafkin was also forced to drill out of the submarine and climb up the bridge.
"The bright sunlight hurts my eyes and the sea is dazzling," he recalled. I looked around and there were many boats surrounding the submarine at different distances. The nearest ship was only 30 meters away, and their gun barrels were aimed at us. ”
At this point, the traitor Golkin stood on the bridge and waved a white pillowcase at the Germans. When the captain asked him what had happened, had there been an accident? The traitor Golkin cursed, "I can't stand it anymore!" We're all going to die anyway! ”
Captain Trafkin of Shch-303
Captain Trafkin was furious and regretted that he did not carry a pistol with him. But he had no time to waste on the traitors— because he had to save himself and the submarine.
The captain deduced at the time that if the submarine immediately dived into the water, it would soon be sunk by the German ship with depth charges. So Captain Ivan Telfkin decided to deceive the Germans into believing that the Soviet crew was ready to give in. This will weaken the enemy's vigilance and give the crew some time to recover from the shock and prepare for escape.
Trafkin began shouting at the nearest German ship, which the Nazis thought Soviet submarines were inviting them to negotiate. Then, the German warship put down a small boat and drove towards the submarine.
Shch-303
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Trafkin sneaked back into the submarine and decisively issued a submarine order. The "Shichuka" quickly dived underwater, and the traitor Boris Gorking was not noticed for a moment and was thrown into the sea. On the other side, the German warship that let down its guard did not react for a while, and was blocked by its own boat, and it took a while before firing at the submarine.
Although Shch-303 was wounded several times by German artillery fire, it managed to escape the round-up. After more than a dozen days of hiding and attempts, Shch-303 abandoned efforts to break through the German submarine blockade and returned to Kronstadt on 8 June.
Shch-303
The fate of the traitor
Boris Golkin, a traitor who fell into the sea, was fished up by the Germans. Gorking, who once boasted of being "brave", eventually shamelessly became a Dog's Leg of the Germans.
At the behest of the Germans, Gorking tried to plot against the captured Soviet submarine captain Sergei Lisin. Sergey Lissing was the captain of the S-7 submarine, which had sunk several German ships. In October 1942, the S-7 submarine was torpedoed by the Finnish submarine Vichysy, and the captain and four others were captured by the Finnish army. But under the coercion and inducement of the Germans and traitors Gorkyn, Captain Sergei Lissing was unyielding and refused to surrender.
Shch-303
In the autumn of 1944, Finland, which had broken away from the Axis camp, sent Captain Sergei Lising and others back to the Soviet Union. A few years later, Sergei Lisin was awarded the title of "Hero of the Soviet Union" and lived until 1992. The captain of shch-303, Trafkin, sank two German troop carriers in March 1945, dealing a major blow to the Germans and earning the title of "Hero of the Soviet Union", which later survived to 1985.
As for the traitor Boris Gorking, he did not escape the punishment he deserved. In his memoirs, Trafkin wrote: "At the end of the war, when our army entered Germany, Gorking, who was held hostage by the Nazis, fell into the hands of the Soviet judicial system. He got the punishment he deserved, which was the fate of all traitors. (Author: Tao Mujian)