The Battle for Dixon

During the years of the Great Patriotic War the Krasnoyarsk region became  the only region behind the Urals, where the military actions took place.

In 1942 the Germans planned the military operation to set control over the Northern Sea Route, which they planned to use for creating sea connection between the Nazi Reich and Japan. The German cruiser Admiral Sheer, acting under the conditions of strict secrecy, went to the fight. It was planned to interrupt the movement of the Soviet ships, delivering military cargo from East to West along the Sea route and destroy the polar ports of the USSR, in particular, in Dixon, where the arctic radio meteorological centre, geophysical observatory and the main pier were situated.

In August the cruiser entered the Kara Sea; bombarded the radio station at Cape Zhelaniya, and then sank the icebreaker Alexander Sibiryakov, which heroically fought in an unequal battle and emerged on its way. 82 people of the 104 members of the icebreaker crew died, 22 persons, including the stunned captain, were captured. Then Sheer went to Dixon. The enemy’s aim was to approach as close as possible to the shore and capture the island, having landed about 180 soldiers.

Luckily, the radio station of the Sibiryakov managed to inform Dixon about the approaching enemy, and the local people together with military sailors could get ppared to the arrival of the enemy’s ships.

Hardly having seen the silhouette of the approaching cruiser, the military alert was announced in Dixon. The ships Dezhnev (SKR-19) and Revolutionist moved towards the Germans. Their task was not to allow the Sheer to get to the bay. As the result of the enemy’s attack, the Dezhnev left the fighting, the ship crew lost 7 members, not less than 20 people were injured. At the same time the coastal battery opened fire, that made the Germans give up the ideas of landing the troops.

But the fight wasn’t still over. The Sheer attacked the port Dixon and radio centre. Then it struck the residential town of Dixon. Due to the evacuation, held in advance, victims were avoided.

Because of the fires, which began at fuel depots, the Germans decided that the enemy was destroyed and started the retreat. They refused of landing force. It’s necessary to say, that the enemy had overestimated the damage made by his weapon: already several days later the locals repaired the guard ships SKR-19 and Revolutionist, restored the port’s radio station, and Dixon started working in its usual mode.

After this fight the captain of the Admiral Sheer could persuade the command that there was nothing to do in Arctic, and on the 29^th of August the ship left the Soviet waters.

Every year on August 27, the residents of the city celebrate the Day of Dixon Defense.