Bonfire of the NKVD

A Soviet forward CP belonging to the retreating 133rd infantry Regiment is to be abandoned by noon, but not before all communications equipment is smashed and documents burned, including detailed plans of much of the frontier fortifications in and around …

1941-06-24

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A Soviet forward CP belonging to the retreating 133rd infantry Regiment is to be abandoned by noon, but not before all communications equipment is smashed and documents burned, including detailed plans of much of the frontier fortifications in and around Brest-Litovsk several miles to the east. A battered company of Russian militia must halt the German juggernaut long enough to affect a withdrawal to the relative safety of the Brest-Litovsk citadel.

Outside Brest Litovsk, Russia

The defense of Brest Fortress was the first major battle of Operation Barbarossa, the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union launched on 22 June 1941, lasting from 22 to 29 June. The defenders had received no warning of the attack, and the German Heer (army) expected to take Brest on the first day using only infantry and artillery. The defense of the fortress by the Red Army lasted for several days; the defenders lost many men killed and captured and German ground forces took the fortress only after two bombardments by the Luftwaffe.

Wikipedia: Defense of Brest Fortress

German

Russians