Diorama “Korsun-Shevchenkivska battle. 1944” was created by Kharkiv artists Vsevolod Parchevsky, Ilya Efroimson, Willy Mokrozhytskiy in 1969.
For two years, the artists collected materials to create diorama: met with participants, studied the fond collections of the Museum of the History of the Korsun-Shevchenkivska Battle, reviewed archival films and photo materials, went to battlefields, listened to advice provided by military advisers – Candidate of military sciences Marshal of the Artillery Yuriy Bazhanov and Colonel-General Volodymyr Chyzh.
In December 1968 the diorama, created in Kharkiv, was moved to Korsun-Shevchenkivskiy and mounted in the Museum of the History of the Korsun-Shevchenkivska Battle for celebration the 25th anniversary of the completion of the Korsun-Shevchenkivskiy offensive (February 17, 1969). At that time the diorama was one of the largest in the Soviet Union: height – 4.4 m, length – 14.8 m.
On the diorama the artists recreated the events of the last day of the Korsun-Shevchenkivska offensive operation. On the canvas there is a panorama of Boykove Field, located between the villages of Shenderivka, Khilky, Zhurzhyntsy, Pochapyntsy and Komarivka. It was there that the last battle between the Wehrmacht and the SS forces and the Red Army took place, during which Nazi troops tried to break out of the encirclement, and the Red Army units and formations tried to prevent it.
Under the Soviet totalitarian regime it was impossible to reflect objectively the course of events, which left its mark on the diorama. Thus, the canvas depicts many corpses of Nazi soldiers and at the same time there are no casualties among the Red Army soldiers. Although, according to modern research, 10,000 Nazi soldiers and officers were killed in and around the encirclement, and the Red Army lost more than 24,000 soldiers in the Korsun-Shevchenkivska operation.
The fact that Nazi soldiers and officers left the encirclement is not reflected in the diorama. According to Soviet data, the Nazi troops failed to escape the encirclement. According to the German archives, 35,203 people left the encirclement, 27,103 people remained combat-ready after the breakthrough.
However, despite the shortcomings, the diorama is a highly artistic and interesting work. On it the authors were able to place successfully a large mass of troops and equipment, to choose the right place from which the audience can see the picture of the battle. The diorama skillfully combines a painting canvas and a subject plan. They form a single whole, which creates the illusion of depth of space, a sense of reality of events. Being on the observation deck, you involuntarily feel like a participant in events. Due to this, the diorama, as a work of art, is interesting for visitors for today.