p There was a dozen of us sent down the Minsk Highway to bar the enemy’s way, to stop the tanks. And we held out for all we could. Now only three of us are left: Kolya, Volodya and I, Alexander. But the enemy keeps coming on. There goes another-Volodya from Moscow. The tanks are coming at us But 19 are already in flames along the road. Only two of us now. But we shall hold out as long as we can, we shan’t let them by until our lads arrive.

p Now there’s only me, wounded in the head and arm But we’ve knocked out more tanks. That makes 23 of them. Perhaps I’ll die But, maybe someone will someday find my note and remember us. I’m from Frunze, a Russian. No relatives Farewell, friends.

p Yours,
Alexander Vinogradov

22/2-1942

p This note only came to light sixteen yeais later, in 1958 discovered by a carpenter from the Nekrasov State Farm in Uvarovsky District, Moscow Region The carpentei, I Smirnov, found it as he was squar ing a birch log The note had been scrawled m pencil on both sides of a narrow, thin strip of tracing paper

p In January and February 1942, the nazi High Command brought up another 40 divisions up from Germany and the occupied coun tries to the Soviet front to help stem the advance of the Soviet troops near Moscow These reinforcements put Soviet troops fighting in the enemy rear in the region of Vya7ma in a tight spot

p In the latter part of February, dogged battles flared up along the front of the 5th Army advancing on Gzhatsk In mid-February, an order came thiough foi the 612th Infantry Regiment of the 144th 45 Infantiy Division of this aimy to push on into the enemy real and cut off the nazi communications The legiment advanced towards Gzhatsk and cut off the Minsk Highway almost 16 miles to the east of the town

On February 20, 1942, the 612th Infantry Regiment was ordered to stiaddle the Minsk Highway 95 miles west of Moscow and block the v,ay to the enemy tanks The soldiers dug in along the highway. Alexander Vinogradov s group took up position on the right flank The column of enemy tanks appeared all of a sudden speeding towards Moscow The battalion put up a desperate resistance against the naa tanks trying to blast their way through For three days the infantrymen held out Their ranks were thinning visibly, but no one gave way Twice wounded Alexander Vinogradov wrote a last lettei to his countrymen, squeezed it into a rifle cartndge and drove it into a tree trunk When, on the fourth day of the encounter, the 612th Regiment men were relieved by units from the 108th Infantry Division only a handful of survivors remained.