Positioned near the Dubosekovo railway station, these men were hopelessly outmatched. Armed only with standard bolt-action rifles, Molotov cocktails, and highly inadequate anti-tank rifles, they faced a force of over 50 German tanks.

In the freezing winter of November 1941, the German Wehrmacht was launching a massive, desperate offensive aimed at capturing Moscow. According to the traditional Soviet narrative, a small group of 28 soldiers from the Red Army's —under the command of Major General Ivan Panfilov—found themselves directly in the path of the advancing German armor.

Their extreme sacrifice halted the German advance long enough for reinforcements to save the capital. Fighting On Film Podcast: Panfilov's 28 Men (2016)

The story goes that their political instructor, Vasiliy Klochkov, uttered the immortalized battle cry: The 28 men allegedly fought until their last breaths. They successfully destroyed 18 German tanks.