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Not later than March 28, 1942

LETTER FROM ALEXEI ZHILTSOV TO HIS FATHER

p My dear Dad,

Don’t cry. Don’t worry. Your son will never let anyone down. If you keep alive let others know about us. I don’t want to die—so little we’ve done.

INSCRIPTION MADE BY ALEXANDER BELYAKOV ON THE WALL OF HIS CELL

I shall endure all their inhuman torture. I give you my word as a Komsomol member, dear comrades, they will never make me talk. And don’t you talk either. The great things we have begun will be carried through by our comrades.

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p An underground Y.C.L. was formed in the city o£ Rzhev in the first months of nazi occupation. It was led by Alexei Teleshov. There were ten in the group in October 1941.

p The youngsters were not long in establishing contact with the partisans in the Panin woods. Numbers quickly multiplied. In order to get their hands on weapons, the young fighters would dispose of the German sentries. They also made a raid on the ammunition dump. Their exploits began to get around among the soldiers fighting on the Kalinin Front. In November 1941, Vladimir Novozhenov, a scout from one of the army units, established contact with them. They now began to indicate targets for Soviet bombers, made raids on enemy transports and blew up railway tracks.

p Their activities were cut short by a betrayal. Fifteen underground members were rounded up.

p After excruciating torture, there was a public hanging of Teleshov, Novozhenov and Belyakov on March 28, 1942. The rest were shot.

Before he died Alexei Zhiltsov managed to get a letter through to his father. On the wall of the town dungeon was later found the inscription made by Alexander Belyakov.

Alexei Zhiltsov