Efforts to prevent the blowing up of Ķegums HPP
During the Second World War, when the armies retreated, a large part of the militarily and logistically important objects in Latvia were blown up, so that these resources would not remain with the current opponents. Such objects were also in the vicinity of Ķegums, where one of the most important objects is the Ķegums HPP, which, however, was not completely destroyed due to the efforts and efforts of its employees.
I will recount that day as I have heard and found out while collecting documents for the Kegums History Museum. There are some facts known, but also more unknown ones, which are also unlikely to be fully clarified.
Knowing how the Germans are blowing everything up, this perspective was also clear to the people of Kegumi. Moreover, when the guard unit located in Ķegums, the zonder team, started mining the bridge, Pāvels Krasovskis, the director of Ķegums HPP, and probably also his like-minded people and associates, whose names we do not know, thought and actively worked to save the power plant as much as possible. Krasovsky ordered the entrance to the galleries under the dam to prevent explosives. As a hunter, he went on a hunt to Sunāksti, although already in 1942 the German self-government refused to extend the permit to keep hunting weapons (fact). But in fact he met there with the men of the guerrilla unit led by Oshkalns, Samson. They seem to have agreed that in September Samson and his men will occupy Kegums, prevent the bombing and hold it until the Russians arrive. This plan has also been known to the Russian army command. This is evidenced by the fact that Kegums has never been harmed by the bombing of all strategically important hubs by Russian aviation. And the fact that a landing with the codename "Red Arrow" was dropped on Tom's side on July 28, who may have had to cooperate with Samson in the operation. But the German spy machine was also working, and in mid-September the landing was completely destroyed. Krasovsky told his wife that Samson had not arrived on time. Samsons says that due to his betrayal, he was not able to go to Ķegums. On the same day, Osmanis, the father of the poet and writer Jāzeps Osmanis, Bērziņš and Giruckis, and HPP workers were also arrested in Ķegums. Krasovsky was transferred from Riga Central Prison to the Stutthof camp, then to the Sachsenhausen camp, where he died on February 12, 1945 (International Red Cross certificate). Osman apparently died on the way from Stuthof to Saxhausen. But Bērziņš was in the infirmary at that time, then sent to Sachsenhausen, but on his way the Americans released him, and when he got home, he worked at the power plant and died in 1978. Following these arrests, the zonder team was immediately replaced. On the second day, September 17, there was the first Russian aviation flight to Kegums, and then many of Kegums had already left. Bētiņš, a Baltic German, has been appointed director.
A few days before the Russian army entered (on October 7), the Germans released their mines. Both long spans of the bridge have been blown up, one segment shutter (but the concrete dam and the dams are then intact!). All three generators were blown up in the engine room and then burned out, an explosive was fired into the fourth turbine, and two shovels were torn down (this turbine can be seen in the Kegums History Museum), and the control room was burned out. But the open air distribution equipment is completely destroyed, no whole transformer, switch, measuring transformer, support. Scrap pile! And the same Germans had to remove all this damage and rebuild the equipment, now as prisoners. Their bones are still lying in the territory of Ķegums school stadium. The power plant was renovated in three years.
Haunzems, H. 1996. "Daugava and We", pp. 57-58
Related timeline
Related objects
The German army's concrete fire point in the Kegum HPP reservoir near the Nega inlet
It is located in the Ķegum HPP reservoir at the Nega inlet (in front of the Nega houses), on its left bank. One of the most visually and scenically impressive and also the best-preserved concrete fireplaces, washed by the waves of the Daugava. It can be seen from a larger piece. A footbridge has been built from the shore to the top of the fire point (overgrown with grass). Narrow-gauge railway (?) tracks embedded in the concrete walls of the fire station. You can get inside from the side of the footbridge. This is one of the fire points of the defense line of the German army during the First World War on the left bank of the Daugava, which can more or less be traced along the entire length of the left bank of the Daugava. The aforementioned line of defense is a large-scale military system that has not really been evaluated as a whole until now. The remains of the fire point can be seen by boat on the Ķegum HPP.
Concrete fire point of the German army at the top of the bank of the Ķegum HPP in front of Andulii
It is located about 1.2 km east of a small extension of the stream (the stream flows near Lejasgrantiniņi) at the top of the steep bank slope of the Ķegum HPP in front of Andulii. The shore in this place is overgrown with forest and undergrowth, so only a keen observer will notice this fire point from the side of the reservoir. The fire point is well preserved as it has not been damaged by coastal erosion. This is one of the fire points of the defense line of the German army during the First World War on the left bank of the Daugava, which can more or less be traced along the entire length of the left bank of the Daugava. The aforementioned line of defense is a large-scale military system that has not really been evaluated as a whole until now. The fire point can be seen by boat on the Ķegum HPP, as it is located in a private area.
The remains of the German army's concrete fire point in the Ķegums HPP reservoir in front of Sidrabini
It is located about 0.25 km east of the Ķegum HPP reservoir bay near Silapūpēži, in the direction of Jaunjelgava, opposite the Sidrabiņi farm. The point of fire has slipped partially into the water and split into several parts, resembling a pile of construction debris. The coast is overgrown. This is one of the fire points of the defense line of the German army during the First World War on the left bank of the Daugava, which can more or less be traced along the entire length of the left bank of the Daugava. The aforementioned line of defense is a large-scale military system that has not really been evaluated as a whole until now. The remains of the fire point can be seen by boat on the Ķegum HPP. About 150 m west of the Daugava bank, the remains of another fire point have slipped into the water.
The remains of the German army's concrete fire point in the Ķegums HPP reservoir in front of Jaundauglii
It is located on the shore of the Ķegum HPP water reservoir about 0.6 km east of the Nega inlet, in front of Jaundauglii. The point of fire has slipped from the shore into the water and broken into several parts. Two larger birches have grown in it, a thicket has grown. One part of it is connected to the shore by a footbridge. This is one of the fire points of the defense line of the German army during the First World War on the left bank of the Daugava, which can more or less be traced along the entire length of the left bank of the Daugava. The aforementioned line of defense is a large-scale military system that has not really been evaluated as a whole until now. The remains of the fire point can be seen by boat on the Ķegum HPP.
German army concrete fire point on the shore of Ķegum HPP, east of Lejasgrantini
It is located about 0.25 km east of the extension of a small stream (the stream flows near Lejasgrantinin) on the slope of the shore of the Ķegums HPP. From the Jaunjelgava - Ķeguma road (P85), you can look for it by walking along the bank of the Daugava (overgrown, before that - a forest clearing). A careful observer will also notice it from the river, as lush vegetation has grown here during the summer. The concrete parts of the fire point are covered with green moss, metal and wooden structures are visible in the opening. As a result of the action of the waves of the Ķegums HPP, the fire point is located on the edge of a washed-up shore, so it can be dangerous to visit. Nearby is a deep pit (bomb pit?). This is the eighth (from Ķegum HPP, in the direction of Jaunjelgava) of the fire points of the defense line of the German army during World War 1 on the left bank of the Daugava, which can more or less be traced along the entire length of the left bank of the Daugava. The aforementioned line of defense is a large-scale military system that has not really been evaluated as a whole until now.
Concrete fire point of the German army on the shore of the Ķegum HPP near Pudurie
It is located on the peninsula at the mouth of Konupīte (currently a flooded extension of the river) in the Daugava, in the territory of the "Puduri" recreation complex. As a result of wave erosion, the fire point has tilted towards the river. To prevent bank erosion, the banks of the reservoir here have been reinforced with a concrete protective wall. The fire points of the defense line of the German army during the First World War can more or less be traced along the entire length of the left bank of the Daugava. The aforementioned line of defense is a large-scale military system that has not really been evaluated as a whole until now. The fire point can be seen well by taking a boat along the Ķegum HPP.
The remains of the concrete fire point of the German army on the shore of the Ķegum HPP reservoir in front of Silapūpēži
It is located about 0.1 km east of the Ķegum HPP reservoir bay near Silapūpēži, in the direction of Jaunjelgava. The fire point has slipped partially into the water, overgrown with trees, bushes and other vegetation, and to the uninitiated, a larger piece from the water side may resemble a larger stone. One of the landmarks is a birch tree growing on it. This is one of the fire points of the defense line of the German army during the First World War on the left bank of the Daugava, which can more or less be traced along the entire length of the left bank of the Daugava. The aforementioned line of defense is a large-scale military system that has not really been evaluated as a whole until now. The remains of the fire point can be seen by boat on the Ķegum HPP. About 150 m east of the Daugava bank, the remains of another fire point have slipped into the water.
Concrete fire point of the German army on the shore of the Ķegums HPP near Pludinatātii
It is located on the peninsula between Pludinātijai and the village of Latgali. As a result of wave erosion, the object has slid down the bank slope to the current water level of the river. When the water level in the Ķegum HPP reservoir is higher, it is washed by the Daugava waters. When the water level is lower, it is completely dry. This is one of the fire points of the defense line of the German army during the First World War on the left bank of the Daugava, which can more or less be traced along the entire length of the left bank of the Daugava. The aforementioned line of defense is a large-scale military system that has not really been evaluated as a whole until now. The fire point can be seen well by taking a boat along the Ķegum HPP. The second option is to go on foot along a small path along the bank of the Daugava, which leads from the well-maintained beach "Spārītes".
The remains of the German army's concrete fire point in the Ķegum HPP reservoir near Podnieki
It is located in the reservoir of the Ķegum HPP, in a small bay, about 20-30 m from the Daugava bank in front of the houses of the Potters. The outline of the fire point appears only when the water level in the Ķegum HPP reservoir is lowered. The rest of the time they are under water and not visible. This is the third (from Ķegum HPP, in the direction of Jaunjelgava) of the fire points of the defense line of the German army during the First World War on the left bank of the Daugava, which can more or less be traced along the entire length of the left bank of the Daugava. The aforementioned line of defense is a large-scale military system that has not really been evaluated as a whole until now. The remains of the fire point can be viewed at a lowered water level, by boat on the Ķegum HES.
Concrete fire point of the German army at the Ķegum HPP (in the Energy Museum on the territory)
It is located 300 m northwest of the Ķegums HPP dam (Ķegums prospect), in the territory of the Energy Museum. Relatively well preserved, visually impressive. It can be viewed only when visiting the Energy Museum, or from the north side, on the other side of the fence of the Ķegum HPP territory. This is one of the fire points of the defense line of the German army during the First World War on the left bank of the Daugava, which can more or less be traced along the entire length of the left bank of the Daugava. The aforementioned line of defense is a large-scale military system that has not really been evaluated as a whole until now.
