Alexander Matrosov

Copyright © 2000 by Hugo S. Cunningham
Except original Soviet text was not copyrighted

File added 001130
Last minor change 001130

The following story appears as an English-language reading lesson in
E. Belova and L. Todd,English: A Textbook of the English Language for the 7th Grade in 7-year and Secondary Schools (third edition)State Textbook and Pedagogical Publishers of the Ministry of Education of the RSFSR, Moscow, 1952; p. 45.


ALEXANDER MATROSOV

The Young Communist Alexander Matrosov gave his life for his country. His name is on the roll of his regiment for ever -- Guards Private Alexander Matrosov, Hero of the Soviet Union.

In 1942, on Soviet Army Day, Alexander Matrosov's regiment was attacking a German strong-point near the Russian village of Chernushki. The Germans were defending it with all their strength, and their machine-guns were firing hard. The Soviet men could not move forward. Bullets were flying all round them. They weere firing and throwing hand-grenades at the German machine-guns.

Soon only one machine-gun continued to fire. Then Alexander Matrosov moved forward and threw a hand-grenade at the embrasure through which it was firing. There was a loud explosion and then a sudden silence.

With a shout our men rose to their feet and ran forward. But the enemy machine-gun came to life again! Our men, who were already quite near the strong-point, fell to the ground once more -- and many of them were killed and wounded.

Suddenly Alexander Matrosov rose to his feet and ran towards the enemy strong-point. The whole regiment could see everything he did. He turned, fell on his left side and with all his strength threw his whole body against the embrasure.

The machine-gun stopped.

In a second our men were on their feet. "For our Motherland! For Comrade Stalin! For Sasha Matrosov!" the Soviet soldiers shouted.

The Germans could do nothing to keep them back. In a minute the enemy strong-point was in the hands of the regiment. Ten minutes later, hot fighting was going on in the village, and soon the victorious regiment raised over Chernushki the red flag of the country for whose freedom the Young Communist Alexander Matrosov gave his life.


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