p December 20, 1941

p My dear country! Dear Russian land! I, a son and pupil of Leninist Y.C.L., have fought as my heart directed me, I killed those bastards as long as my heart beat in my chest. I am dying, but I know we shall win. The enemy won’t get into Sevastopol.

p Black Sea sailors! Destroy the fascist mad dogs. I have kept my sailor’s vow.

p Kaluzhny

p By mid-November 1941, the nazi forces had taken all Crimea with the exception of Sevastopol. The defence of this famous naval town lasted more than eight months. The enemy bore tremendous losses in men and weapons. Many brave sailors and naval officers of the redoubtable Black Sea Fleet met their death during those heroic and tragic days.

p Naval machine-gunner Alexei Kaluzhny fought together with his comrades-in-arms in pill-box No. 11 located at a crucial point near the village of Dalny. For three days and nights the bold sailors fought off fierce enemy attacks. Nazi planes constantly, bombed the pill-box and it was heavily shelled. Petty Officer S. S. Rayenko, A. V. Kaluzhny, D. I. Pogorelov, T. Dolya, I. Chetvertakov and others swore not to budge an inch. Their supplies were running out, smoke was blinding and choking them. Many sailors lay wounded. On the third night, November 19, they received some reinforcements-M. N. Potapenko, K. I. Korol and P. Korzh, bringing with them ammunition, food and some water. Thanks to this help the brave sailors held out for another 24 hours. But the odds were too great. On December 20, when all that was left were three gravely wounded sailors, the nazis stormed the height and overran the pill-box.

A few days later Soviet troops again beat back the enemy. In what was left of the dug-out they found nine of the fallen heroes. In the gas-mask bag of the dead gunner Alexei Kaluzhny, they found a scrap of paper-the sailor’s last letter addressed to his fellow countrymen.