The year of Memory and Glory in Russia
учебно-методический материал по английскому языку (11 класс)

The year of Memory and Glory in Russia

2020 is announced as the year of Memory and Glory in Russia. And this is no accident.

  The famous soviet battlefront poet Tvardovskiy wrote, “… there are such dates that full of imperishable essence”. Precisely to such dates we can put down the 9th of May 1945. Our country is going to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Victory over fascism in the Great Patriotic war, which brought lots of troubles and misfortune to our nation. Fascists burned and ruined 1,710 towns and cities, more than 70,000 villages, they annihilated more than 27,000,000 people. The Nazi orphaned, deprived of childhood, sun, joy and love thousands of children.

It is claimed by the historians that during the Great Patriotic war our country fought against the most powerful army that had ever existed in the world. That’s why the Victory of our nation over fascist Germany seemed to be unbelievable to many other people, moreover, modern art and culture figures observe something mystical, the dispensation, in it.

But we (grandchildren and great grandchildren of those who fought against fascists) know that words “Our cause is just. Victory will be ours”, were not just slogans. The solemn truth of the soldier stood up for those words. Love for great Motherland, love to their wives and babies got the deserved punishment to the enemy. All the people, young and old, made a stand for their homeland. 590 people went off to war only from our village Kruchyonaya Balka. 341 soldier stayed behind the battlefields for ever. There is a sorrowful obelisk in the centre of our village where all the names of fallen compatriots were carved.

 My grandfather, Litvinov Pyotr Yakovlevich, fought from the first days of war, and finished it only in April 1946 (he carried out different tasks on road mine lifting and had been recovering for a long time in hospitals). Granddad was born on the 22nd of June 1915. He was recalled to the battle front from his native village Kruchyonaya Balka where he left his wife Vera and little son Viktor. He was private soldier at first, but then he graduated accelerated programme in Michurinsk military-engineering school, obtained a rank of junior lieutenant and next became the engineer platoon^[1] commander. Granddad’s military history sheet is quite long. He fought at the West, Stalingrad and Byelorussian fronts, reached Berlin where he signed an autograph on the walls of prostrate Reichstag. He also took a commemorative photo with his friends.  His war decorations are the evidences of his heroic struggle in that War. He has three honours – Order of the Red Banner, Order of the Patriotic War, 1st and 2nd classes and numerous medals among which “Medal for Warsaw Liberation”, “Medal for conquest of Berlin”, “Medal for Victory over Germany”. He was in the service primarily of the engineer battalion of the 49th rifle division at the 33rd Army of the 1st Byelorussian front. Combat engineer platoon under grandpa’s command carried military tasks such as laying mines and wires, bridging the slushy roads, sealing up the ruined dams. During the major drive on Berlin my grandfather and his soldiers made lanes in the minefields, also they made mine clearing on primitive forest roads. They moved to Berlin first by tanks and self-propelled artillery vehicle. P.Y. Litvinov won a great honour in the Oder forced crossing where his platoon had provided caution of Soviet troops and military equipment. Soldiers made wooden skidding and mats for wheels of the main guns. German troops plugged shells on caution to stop them. Rounds and bombs bursted in water raising the water plums mixed with broken ice. Mine pickers slumped into iced water. They didn’t stop working days and nights. All the same time soldiers built a temporary bridge for heavy weapons crossing under fire of the enemy. My grandfather was awarded with the Order of Red Banner for the Oder crossing support.

The austerities of life in wartime had bad consequences for his health. My grandpa often got sick. On the 12th of April 2005 the heart of an old soldier stopped.

Fewer and fewer participants and eyewitnesses of the Great Patriotic War stay alive these days. Our debt is to keep the memory of those events and heroes of that war as there are lots of those who wish to rewrite, sophisticate the results of that war and take our Victory away.

Read the article. Discuss with your group/classmates, then answer the following questions:

1. What dates in the history of the country did Tvardovskiy call most memorable? Why?
2. What is your understanding of a slogan “Our cause is just. Victory will be ours”. Do you remember who said these words?
3. Where did Pyotr Litvinov fight? In what kind of forces?
4. In what battle did he win a great honour during the Great Patriotic war?
5. Why is our debt as the soldiers’ descendants to keep the memory about those ardent years?

Activity: Write a real-life story of a soldier who won a great honour in your region/district.