The feat of Alexander Matrosov became one of the symbols of heroism and went down in the history of the Great Patriotic War. But now the data on the feat are presented in a distorted version. Everyone who considers himself a professional in military affairs is trying to find facts that refute the very existence of the heroic act of Alexander Matrosov.
I was struck by a post on one of the forums: "I have a version that the last words of Matrosov were:" Fucking ice … !!! "". Isn't this the limit of blasphemy? Today everyone is trying to prove that the structure of the bunker could not allow the body to close the embrasure, others paint the data of German assault rifles and machine guns, for which the human body is not an obstacle, and much more that should not have allowed the hero to do what he did. Another striking thing is that we are taught not to believe our heroes, and at the same time, any nonsense from the West is presented as a real and irrefutable reality. Where is the logic?
I agree that there are many inaccuracies in how the feat was accomplished, and perhaps some details became known not in full accordance with real events, but the feat was. No matter how much the seekers of dubious glory would like against the background of the exposure of the exploits of Soviet soldiers during the Second World War, there are still living witnesses of what happened at the front, and I trust them much more than "modern experts in military history."
It was 1941. Soviet youth strove to the front in order to fight the enemy. The future hero, Alexander Matrosov, was enrolled as a volunteer as a cadet in an infantry military school. Young cadets learned military science, lived in dugouts, made long marches at 40 degrees below zero. Given the extremely difficult situation at the front and, especially, at the Stalingrad frontier, the cadets were released from the school ahead of schedule and sent to the front.
February 27, 1943 (later in some sources the date will be indicated on February 23, this is due to propaganda activities, and the feat of the Sailors, allegedly, was performed on Army Day). There was a fierce battle near the small village of Chernushki, Pskov region. Soviet soldiers came under powerful machine-gun fire from the Nazis. Enemy machine-gun fire, which was conducted from the bunker (field defensive structure), became an obstacle to the advance of our troops. One enemy machine gun was destroyed by an assault group of armor-piercing and machine gunners, the second machine gun was destroyed by another group of Soviet soldiers. And the machine gun, under the cover of the third bunker, continued to fire densely throughout the ravine in front of the village.
Several desperate attempts were made to destroy the enemy firing point. But they all failed. It was not possible to take the bunker. Three submachine gunners tried to crawl closer to the bunker in order to strike back at close range. All three died a heroic death. And then the guard, Private Alexander Matrosov, the company commander's liaison, rose up. Alexander with grenades and a machine gun began to make his way to the enemy bunker.
The enemy, hiding in the bunker, did not allow his comrades to go forward. He knew that in battle every minute counts, and tried to get to the bunker as quickly as possible. But the machine gunner noticed him. Machine-gun fire cleared the snow behind and in front of him. It was extremely dangerous to move. But, as soon as the enemy shifted the machine-gun fire a little to the side, Alexander rushed forward. The firing point is already close, the enemy is nearby. One after another, grenades thrown by the guardsman flew towards the bunker. They exploded literally at the very bunker. For a second there was a lull, Matrosov got to his feet and made a long leap forward. Bursts of shots appeared again from the embrasure. Alexander lay down again. The cartridges were running out, there were no grenades at all. There were seconds left to think and make a decision.
Sailors raised the machine gun and fired at the embrasure. An explosion occurred in the bunker, and the enemy's machine gun fell silent. Alexander got to his feet again, raised his submachine gun over his head and shouted loudly to his comrades in arms: "Forward!" The soldiers got up and rushed to the attack. But again the enemy's machine gun came to life, and a deadly leaden rain poured from the enemy bunker again. I had to lie down again. Rushing forward, with his heart and chest Sailors fell on the enemy's firing point and drowned out the bunker. The way for the advancement of his comrades-in-arms was open.
An hour later, the village of Chernushki was taken. The Soviet flag was hoisted over this small village, a part of our Motherland. Alexander Matrosov, like many of his comrades in arms, gave their lives for the freedom of our Motherland. This feat became a real symbol of courage, heroism and military valor, love for the Motherland and fearlessness. Alexander Matrosov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his feat. More than 400 people performed similar feats during the Great Patriotic War, and they are all heroes.
