The aim today was to drive to Moscow in time to avoid the evening rush hour and book into a hotel. However we noticed a sign advertising a memorial to the Soviet soldiers at the Battle of Rzhev in 1942 which was effectively won by the Germans but they took such a battering that, having subsequently reached Mozhaisk, were too weak to continue to Moscow. The total dead and wounded on both sides was 1,343,000 and the monument includes the names of many of the dead Russians with the inscription “For the Motherland we fell, but it was saved”. The statue is massive and can be seen for miles around; it consists of a soldier standing above flying birds. The entire site is surrounded by large photos of the battle and there is a small museum built above an area of the fiercest fighting where the soil has been cleared to reveal bullets, shell cases, helmets etc under a glass ceiling which you can walk on. The place is very emotionally affecting because it is visited by people whose ancestors died in the fighting and there is a small church where people pray.
We got caught up in the world’s longest roadworks which stretch for about 30 miles with frequent traffic lights, and stopped at a service station with a “Magburger” restaurant selling excellent burgers and wraps with Russian-made coke. There was a huge full moon which meant that the lunatics were out, but they didn’t bother us..
Roadside stall where we bought fur hats
President Putin at the opening of the monument
Yelena Rzhevskaya, war correspondent, killed at the battle
Excavation of the battle area
Some of the names of dead soldiers
“We fell for the Motherland, but it was saved”
Church
Enormous moon