War does not spare anyone, as it is inhuman in its essence. And although more than half a century has passed after the terrible events of 1941-1945, one cannot indifferently read about the heroes who gave their lives to save the homeland. Especially if it is still a child. He knew sorrow early and matured before the deadline ... He passionately loved his family and country ... He swore to take revenge on the enemy even at the cost of his own life ... Brave, reasonable, ready for the most inhuman trials ... But still a child. This was dedicated to him by his former war veteran Vladimir Bogomolov. "Ivan" (a brief summary can be read in this article) once again proves how these two words are incompatible: "war" and "children."
Setting: night visitor
The case took place in October on the banks of the Dnieper. The acting commander of the battalion of senior lieutenant of twenty years Galtsev in the middle of the night was awakened 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 spotted at the entrance a boy of about eleven. He was all wet and turned blue from the cold. And "in his gaze ... there was some kind of internal tension and ... distrust and dislike." The lieutenant tried to find out from the boy who he was and how he ended up in the river. So begins the story of Bogomolov “Ivan”.
A summary of the conversation of the heroes can be summarized as follows. Ignoring the questions, the boy gave only his surname and kept demanding that he be reported to the headquarters. Galtsev for a long time refused to do this and called only when the guest named Lieutenant Colonel Gryaznov and Captain Kholin. Hearing the name of Bondarev, on the other end of the wire fussed. They ordered to give the boy paper and ink, and immediately send the notes to the headquarters. And to convey that they are already leaving for him, astonishes the reader Bogomolov.
Ivan (a brief summary allows you to find out the boy’s name before you read the book yourself) carefully counted the grains and needles taken out of your pocket, then wrote for a long time. Finally he put everything in an envelope, carefully sealed it and ordered it sent to the headquarters. Galtsev, who did not believe the boy, now felt uneasy and in every way wanted to please him. He prepared warm water and warmed up the remaining dinner. Having eaten a little, the boy lay down, and Galtsev went to check the posts. He kept trying to figure out what had happened. Who is this Bondarev and why are the headquarters so worried about him? How could he cross the Dnieper in such a cold? Not every adult can do it. We omit the scene of a conversation with the soldiers who discovered the boy, this allows a brief summary of the story "Ivan". Bogomolov in the first part in every possible way emphasizes the unusual nature of what happened for the lieutenant who was preparing the battalion for crossing the Dnieper.
Captain Choline's Arrival
Returning, Galtsev saw that Bondarev was no longer sleeping. Soon the captain arrived. He rushed to the boy, and only now the lieutenant knew the name of his guest. Ivan immediately perked up and smiled for the first time. Kholin said that Katasononych was waiting for him. To this the boy replied: there were Germans, therefore it was impossible to get to Dikovka. He also added that he was swimming in a log and nearly drowned. So gradually reveals the image of the protagonist Mantis. Ivan (the 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 secretly drive the car. Ten minutes later, a boy dressed in a tunic and trousers, 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 time. And when Kholin poured vodka, the boy said a toast: "... so that I always come back" - and took a sip from the mug. Soon, Ivan got up and demanded: “Let's go!” Choline was confused, but did not contradict.
Before leaving, Galtsev shook the boy’s hand and said: “... Vanyusha, goodbye!” However, Bondarev corrected: "Do not forgive, but goodbye!" - and glanced sneakily. This scene makes it clear that the heroes are destined to meet. And it’s also becoming more mysterious.
Bondarev, “Ivan”: a summary of the events that happened in the following days
Katasonov unexpectedly arrived at the battalion, who led the platoon in the reconnaissance division. He went around observation points, studied the situation on the other side. From Katasonov, Galtsev heard a phrase about Vanyushka (the elder so affectionately called him): "Hatred burns his soul with hatred."
Three days later, Choline arrived. He also examined the troops and peered for a long time at the scheme and map of defense, on the opposite bank of the Dnieper. Something serious is being prepared, makes Bogomolov understand.
Ivan (the summary does not include details describing all the actions of Katasonov and Kholin) appeared one evening as mysteriously as he left.
“He had so much experience that we never dreamed of”
From the conversation of his guests, Galtsev realized that at night Bondarev should be transported to the other side, directly to the Germans to the rear. The lieutenant asked to take him with him, but was refused. Ivan behaved kindly, and when he saw a makeshift knife on Galtsev’s belt, the memory of his best friend, he asked him to give it to him. Having been refused, he began to act up, just like a child.
On the way to the shore - it was necessary to make the final preparations - Kholin told how Ivan had died in her arms. Mother disappeared, and father was killed on the first day of the war. He went through the death camps, was at the partisans. Now he is burning with desire to take revenge, and no one can stop him. They sent to study, but he escaped and in the darkness from his own got a bullet in the shoulder: Galtsev saw the scar at the first meeting. Now he served in reconnaissance, and there were no equal to him. Pretending to be a tramp, he could get to the very rear of the Nazis and get valuable information.
When all the preparations were made, Galtsev returned to the dugout, where he found the boy at the usual children's game. But after a few hours he had to go on a mission, emphasizes Vladimir Bogomolov. Ivan (a brief summary allows only mentioning this) behaved at this moment like any other of his peers.
Crossing
Kholin, who later came in, suddenly announced that Katasonov was urgently summoned to the division - it was a ruse not to tell Ivan that the foreman had been killed. Instead, Galtsev went to that shore.
After crossing the Dnieper, the men waited a long time until the twelve-year-old Ivan (real name - Buslov) passed the patrol. He had to walk about twenty kilometers during the night, and then at least thirty more. Choline for a long time hesitated to go back, and later, in the dugout, he noted in his hearts that they had been fighting for the third year, “and in the eyes of death - like Ivan! “... and they didn’t drop in.”
Died like a hero
Galtsev could not forget about the boy. And when I ended up in Berlin, I saw secret police credentials. A familiar face was looking from one of the photographs. A sheet pinned to the card indicated that a teenager had been detained in the forbidden territory: one of the local residents identified Ivan in him. He was interrogated for four days, but he kept defiantly and did not give any information. In the early morning of December 25, 1943 he was shot. And the policeman who caught the teenager got a hundred marks. Thus ends the work of the Bogomolov ("Ivan").
Reading the summary of the book in order to fully comprehend the tragedy of what happened is not enough. Only the full text will help to understand how quickly the children matured during the terrible war years.