Source: Warrior of the Local Anti-Aircraft Organization, No. 8 (151);
Date: 1 November 1944;
Translated by: Grover Furr;
Transciption/HTML Markup: Mike Bessler for gammacloud.org, April-May 2012;
Public Domain: 2012. You may freely copy, distribute, display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and commercial works. Please credit “gammacloud.org” as your source.
After reviewing and discussing the film Zoya, we wanted to get to know the life of the heroine more closely, to better understand her. Therefore on October 23 (1944), we invited Zoya's mother, Lyubov Timofeyevna Kosmodemyanskaya, now living in Leningrad, to visit us.
For her arrival we decorated the barracks with slogans and arranged a window with a portrait of the heroine. We all waited impatiently for our guest. When Lyubov Timofeyevna entered the "Lenin" room we all stood and warmly applauded her. Lyubov Timofeyevna spoke warmly with us. She told about Zoya's life and about how she perished heroically.
Zoya, she said was honest and upright. She never refused any work. She did everything accurately finished what ever she began. Lyubov Timofeyevna has a son two years younger than Zoya. now a commander in a tank unit, awarded for brave actions 3 times.
Lyubov Timofeyevna went where Zoya's body was found, in the village of Petrishchevo. On the body the marks of the German killers were evident. On the still visible face of the heroine was her contempt for her killers. Her lips were firmly shut.
Zoya's body was taken to Moscow and buried in Novodevichy cemetery.
"No mother's tenderness around my daughter in the last moments of her life, but the revolting, lousy Fritzes, cursing her," Lyubov Timofeyevna said with hatred.
Zoya's mother asked us to avenge her daughter through devoted work in the reconstruction of Leningrad.
Many fighters wept when they heard Lyubov Timofeyevna's story; they had too great an indignation and contempt for the German monsters. The grief of a Soviet mother deeply touched all who heard her.
When he spoke, Junior Sgt. Comrade Bogdanovich expressed the feelings and thoughts of the warriors of the local antiaircraft organization. He said:
"Dear Lyubov Timofeyevna : Your grief is great; we understand that. You said that the word "Zoya" in Greek means "life." Yes, Zoya wanted to live and love life. But the fascist beast cut it short."
"Zoya did a lot for our homeland. Zoya is no more but Zoya's contemporaries and comrades in arms are many. And we swear to you, Lyubov Timofeyevna, that through our labors we will avenge your daughter and hundreds of other heroines who have died the death of the brave."
The warriors of our unit presented Lyubov Timofeyevna with a bouquet of flowers and thanked her for visiting us.
The heroine's mother departed, having great anger and hatred for the fascist beast in our hearts, and also love for them who bravely defend our fatherland. The personnel staff of our unit set to the fulfillment of our oath with new energy.
E. Bulkina, Komsorg (Young Communist Organizer)
K. Kuznetsova, Member of the Bureau (Unit of Comrade Chernishev)