I’m dying but I won’t surrender! Brest Fortress held out the onslaught of the enemy for almost a month

Exactly 79 years ago, on the 22nd of June of 1941, the heroic defense of Brest Fortress was started. It became one of the most tragic pages in the history of the Great Patriotic War.

The Hitlerite command planned to completely capture the fortress in one day - the 22nd of June of 1941. As a result of a sudden attack the garrison of Brest Fortress was cut off from the main units of the Red Army. However, the fascists faced the fierce rebuff from defenders of the fortress.

Units of the 6th and 42nd rifle divisions, the 17th border detachment, and the 132nd separate battalion of the NKVD troops - in total 3500 people - held out the onslaught of the enemy until the end. Majority of the defenders were killed. When Brest Fortress was liberated by the Soviet troops on the 28th of July of 1944, the inscription of its last defender was found on the molten bricks of one of the casemates: “I’m dying but I won’t surrender! Goodbye, Motherland”. The inscription was made on the 20th of July of 1941.

Many participants in the defense of Brest Fortress were posthumously awarded with orders and medals. On the 8th of May of 1965 by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Brest Fortress was awarded with the honorary title “Hero Fortress” and the Gold Star Medal.

In 1971 the memorial appeared here: giant sculptures “Courage” and “Thirst”, the pantheon of glory, the Ceremonial Square, as well as preserved ruins and restored barracks of Brest Fortress. Today the memorial is open to everyone. According to “Parlamentskaya Gazeta”, it is possible also to visit the fortress on a virtual tour.