Alexander Matrosov
Alexander Matveyevich Matrosov (Александр Матвеевич Матросов) (1924-1943) was a famous Soviet infantry soldier during World War II.
According to Soviet propaganda, on 22 February 1943, in the battle for the village of Chernushki near Pskov, Matrosov threw himself onto a German pill-box, blocking the machine-gun with his own body, to allow his unit to advance. For his self-sacrifice in battle, Matrosov was posthumously awarded the distinction Hero of the Soviet Union. In fact, Matrosov had been dragged in front of the post by the Germans when he tried to push down the barrel of the gun after having crawled up above hole; his death was moved from February 27 to 22 to match the day of the creation of the Red Army.[1]
References
- ^ M. J. Broekmeyer, Stalin, the Russians, and Their War: 1941-1945, Univ of Wisconsin Press, 2004, ISBN 0299195945, Google Print, p.206
External links
- Template:Ru icon Biography
- Image
- A monument to Alexander Matrosov, Moskovsky park of Victory, St. Petersberg
