In the flame of World War
The First World War came to the Belarusian land in the autumn of 1915 , and the region was divided by the frontier border for the long 3 years. There was a fierce confrontation between the warring armies. Smorgon was the only town on the Eastern Front from the Baltic to the Black Sea that the Russian army heroically defended throughout the war. Then a saying appeared: “The one who did not fight at Smorgon did not see real war."
The tetrahedral needle bayonet of the Russian 3-line (7.62-mm) Mosin rifle, model 1891 (KP 34).
The bayonet served to defeat the enemy in hand-to-hand combat (his wounds were dangerous and incurable); has a four-edged blade with notches, a tube with a stepped slot and a spring latch for attaching the bayonet to the barrel.
A bayonet was found near the village of Khodoki in the Smorgon region at the site of the battles of the First World War.
The bayonet is corroded; there is no spring latch.
Donated to the Gymnasium museum by Alexander Gvozdov, a gymnasium student, on December 1,1996.
Helmets of soldiers of the German army (KP 244, KP 245).
Infantry helmets - stahlhelm - (German Stahlhelm, steel helmet) - began to be massively used to protect the heads of the soldiers of the German army since the end of 1915, when the war acquired a positional (trench) character.
Found near the village of Svetlyany, Smorgon district, where the front line passed during the First World War.
The helmets are damaged, there are dents and breakdowns; there is no comforter and chin strap.
Donated to the museum by T.K.Muskaya, a teacher of Smorgon Gymnasium, on April 20, 1998.
Flask of the Russian Imperial Army (KP 1183).
A one-piece stamped aquifer individual flask with a rubber stopper; there are marks on both sides of the neck.
The flask with a capacity of 0, 75 l is corroded, there are dents; one stamp reads: “... A.O. Warsaw ”, the other - figures -“… 19 ”.
Found in the village of Mikhnevichi, Smorgon district.
Donated to the museum by L.N. Rogach, head of the Museum of Smorgon Gymnasium, on November 2, 2007.
German glass bottles (KP 991, KP 1203).
Bottles of dark thick glass, with an inscription and a porcelain stopper.
Found in the woods near the village of Ukropenka, Smorgon district.
Donated to the museum by Eugene Mikhalkevich, a student of Smorgon Gymnasium on September 16, 2004 and April 16, 2008.
Ice drifts of a German soldier (KP 1340).
Ice drifts were attached to winter shoes during the ice.
Found in the village of Perehody, Smorgon district.
Donated to the museum by Igor Herman , a graduate from the Gymnasium, on October 7, 2015.
Scissors for cutting barbed wire (KP 1240).
Found in the village of Kunava, Smargon district; heavily corroded.
Length 36 cm
Barbed wire marked the front line that divided the Smorgon district for almost three years; it stretched across the battlefield for nearly 400 kilometers.
Donated to the museum by S.B. Smeltsov, a resident of the village of Mikhnevichi, on December 18,2009.
The barbed wire was found by local historians of the Gymnasium during the actions held in the places of hostilities of the First World War.
Certificate of residence on the occupied territories (KP 1160).
The certificate was issued to Antonina Rogach by the German authorities on August 15, 1917.
The certificate consists of four fastened sheets measuring 15 cm by 9 cm; the text in German reads well. The picture and one paper clip are missing.
Donated to the museum by M.V. Gudtsova, a teacher of Smorgon Gymnasium, on January 28, 2007.
Large sapper shovel (KP 1337).
A large sapper shovel was used by soldiers during the fighting for self-digging and other earthworks. It has standard dimensions - the width of the steel tray is 20 cm, the height is 25 cm, the length to the end of the handle is 110 cm, so it can be used as a measuring tool.
The shovel is rusty, without a handle, three rivets are missing.
In the post-war period, it was used on the farm by F.S. Yushkevich in the village of Koreni, Smorgon District.
Cylinder for storing chemical weapons (KP 654).
A gas cylinder with special "gas fittings" was filled with poisonous substances. It was used during the hostilities in Smorgon District by the belligerent parties.
Found not far from the village of Perekhody, Smorgon District.
Donated to the museum by V.V. Prikhach, principal of Smorgon Gymnasium, on May 13, 2002.
Fragment of World War I aerial bomb (KP 1062)
The ‘Ilya Muromets’ serial multi-engine bombers took part in the hostilities on the Western Front in 1916. Air battles and bombing took place in Smorgon District.
The 43 cm wide and 150 cm long fragment of an aerial bomb is highly corroded; found near the village of Sutkovo.
Donated to the museum by V.N. Liguto, a local historian, a retired colonel, on October 11, 2005.
German harmonica (KP 1405).
The harmonica consists of a body and metal plates.
The body with holes on the side is badly damaged, corroded, the wood is crumbling; the inscription on the metal plate in German is poorly readable.
Dimensions: length - 19 cm, width - 4 cm, thickness - 1.8 cm.
Found in Smorgon.
Donated to the museum byV.V. Prikhach, an ethnographer, a Gymnasium teacher.