Watch Battle for Moscow

In the fall of 1941, German units stationed outside Volokolamsk were a mere two hours from Moscow. In their way, however, was the 316th Rifle Division, under the command of General Ivan Panfilov.
The Division guarded the road to the capital so resolutely that it was granted the status of a Guards formation, becoming the 8th Guards Panfilov Division on November 17, 1941. Though General Panfilov was killed by mortar fire the very next day, the division was still permitted to keep his name in its title. Only one other Soviet division – the 25th Guards Rifle Division – was ever granted a similar honor, when it was conferred the name of Chapayev.
And so, on 16 November, the 4th Company, 2nd Battalion of the Panfilov Division’s 1075th Regiment faced the enemy, on a day that would go down in history.
Having dug themselves in at a crossroads in Dubosekovo, 28 of Panfilov’s men halted the advance of a German tank battalion.
This heroic feat came to encapsulate the heroism shown during the Battle of Moscow.
Yet there are still those who have attempted to debunk the story, denying it ever happened.
Purported “facts” as to how and why the supposed “myth” of the 28 soldiers was fabricated still come up today in a simple Google search.
In the 21st century, the spurious quest for historical “truth” has trampled over history’s heroes. But the past remains unchanged. From that distant year of 1941, the 28 remaining soldiers of 4th Company will rise, shake off the dirty snow, take one last drag on their cigarettes, pick up their grenades and bravely meet the onslaught.