Zoya Kosmodeyanskaya

One of the most enduring tales of heroism from the days of World War II is the story of the Soviet partisan Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya (1923-1941) she was one of the Soviet partisan and a Hero of the of the Soviet Union. Zoya was born in small viliga Osino-Guy in Russia.

Her father, Anatoly Kosmodemyansky, studied in a theological seminary. He later worked as a librarian. Her mother, Lyubov Kosmodemyanskaya, was a school teacher. In 1925 Zoya's brother Alexander was born. Like his sister, he was destined to become Hero of Soviet Union. In 1930 family moved to Moscow.

Zoya belonged toYuong Pioneers when she was 11. And after four years she graduated to Komsomol (Young Communist League).

June 22 in 1941, when German Army came to Russian land. She heard about attack and volunteered at the “labour front,” working at a state farm to harvest crops to feed Soviet citizens and soldiers.But this work wasn't good enough for her, responsibility about her country motivated her to seach every opportunuty to make a personal contributionto the war effect.

Zoya’s first missions as a partisan fighter were secret and she did not share any details of her work with her family. By mid-November 1941the German army had driven deep into the USSR. On November 16, 1941, the Germans came ot Moscow. A battalion of the 332nd Regiment, 197th Division, made a camp at the village of Petrishchevo. Zoya’s partisan group had to burn all houses in this villige, cut phone lines, destroy bridges and take all food from there. In Her groups were 3 people. Her missian was to set fire in village for other people it was as cutting phones lines and take all food. The guy from Zoya's group already done the missian and was waiting the others, but Germans found him and he aws tortured, he gave the information about another partisans Zoya and Tanya, who still were in village. The Germans found just Zoya, but Tanay could run from them.

After long night of tortured, she didn't say them anything. She was silent all terrible night . in the morning Germans finally took her outside just wearing bluse and trouses. She walked though snow in freezing temperature to the village square where a a newly constructed gallows awaited.

Zoya was led to the gallows with a placard around her neck which read “incendiary of homes”. Before she was executed, she spoke bravely to the townspeople who had been rounded up to witness the execution:

“Comrades! Why are you looking so downcast? Be brave, fight, smash, burn the fascists!...I am not afraid of dying, Comrades! It is a great thing to die for one's people!”

“She died with brave in her face with smile, even after death a fire of fighting for her country, did't disapeare. She would always in Russian people's hearts.