Fortress of War

On June 21, 1941, Sasha Akimov, a 15-year-old musician, and his older brother Andrey join the Red Army's 333rd Rifle Regiment at Brest Fortress. They prepare to defend the fortress as war erupts around them. Their family becomes bound to the grim fight unfolding at the frontier.

That evening, the fortress loses power as German Brandenburgers sabotage the electrical supply. The darkness heightens confusion while the defenders brace for the looming assault. The blackout becomes a grim prelude to the brutal fighting ahead.

At 3:58 a.m. on June 22, 1941, Operation Barbarossa begins and Brest Fortress is subjected to relentless artillery and Stuka dive-bombing. German infantry presses the assault as the defenders scramble to mount a formidable resistance. The siege has begun in earnest.

By 6:30 a.m., hospital staff and patients are overwhelmed and captured, with many killed in the onslaught. The medical wards become a grim battlefield within the fortress. The hospital's suffering mirrors the wider catastrophe unfolding around the defenders.

Commissar Yefim Fomin takes command around the Kholm Gate while Lt. Gavrilov rallies troops at the Eastern Fort. Their leadership forms the backbone of the fortress's early resistance despite the overwhelming odds. The defenders begin organizing into coordinated sectors.

NKVD border guards under Lt. Kizhevatov repel a German sortie attempting to penetrate the fortress lines. Their defense buys precious time for the defenders and strengthens the resolve of those holding the perimeter. The frontline stubbornly holds despite relentless pressure.

Lt. Vainshtein and his men thwart a German commando aiming to undermine the 132nd NKVD Battalion barracks. The counterattack slows the enemy and preserves a critical bastion. The sabotage attempt underscores the siege's tight confines and the defenders' resolve.

As the siege tightens, Sasha finds himself stranded in one of the barracks. He endures smoke, shrapnel, and fear while struggling to stay alive alongside civilians and fellow soldiers. His personal fight echoes the fortress-wide struggle to endure the onslaught.

Andrey Akimov is killed while destroying two Panzer IIIs with a 45 mm anti-tank gun. His sacrifice slows the German advance and becomes a beacon of courage for the remaining defenders. Sasha's sense of loss deepens as the siege continues.

An I-16 fighter from the 123rd Fighter Aviation Regiment is shot down over the fortress, and its pilot is rescued by Fomin’s men. The pilot reveals that the Red Army is retreating toward Minsk, intensifying the defenders' urgency to break out or die. The moment crystallizes the strategic stakes of the siege.

On June 24, Sasha leaves the Kholm Gate to warn the other pockets about Fomin’s breakout plan. He discovers the 132nd NKVD Battalion has been overrun and that Vainshtein is dead, but he succeeds in delivering the message to Kizhevatov and Gavrilov. The warning becomes pivotal for the defenders' next moves.

That night, a breakout is attempted by all three pockets but German forces halt it, resulting in heavy losses. The plan to escape encirclement falters as the fortress's defenses crumble under the continued onslaught. The defenders' hope for a coordinated breakout dims dramatically.

The following morning, civilians along with the remaining defenders evacuate during a cease-fire. Kizhevatov orders the evacuation to save lives where possible as the fortress's final holds falter. The cease-fire offers a brief, fragile window of escape amid the collapsing defenses.

On June 26, a two-ton bomb devastates the fortress and German forces move to extinguish the remaining pockets. The Kholm Gate surrenders and Fomin is executed on the spot under the Commissar order. Kizhevatov covers his comrades with a machine gun to enable a last breakout, which fails and costs him his life while Sasha escapes.

Years later, an elderly Sasha visits a Brest Fortress memorial with his grandson to remember the days when life, family, and homeland were all bound up in a single brave stand. The memory of those events is carried forward to new generations. The scene links past sacrifice with present remembrance and national identity.