For Zoya | Pages of History | April

Aleksandr was the younger brother of saboteur Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, the first women awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union during World War II

Aleksandr went to the front at the age of 18 with the goal of avenging the death of his sister. He participated in the expulsion of German troops from Belarus and the Baltic states, but became famous during the assault on Königsberg.

On April 6th 1945, Aleksandr’s vehicle was the first from his unit to cross the Landgraben Canal. Then near Königsberg, his battery captured the Queen Louise fort, forcing more than 500 enemy soldiers to surrender. He died on April 13th 1945 in the battle for East Prussia. He was posthumously awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union. More information here.