Wilor Chekmak

Vilor Chekmak met the war in Sevastopol in 1941, having finished only 8 grades. He studied well, had artistic and musical abilities, and dreamed of becoming an artist. Together with his friend Volodya Snezhinsky actively participated in various creative competitions. Vilor was very fond of the book “The Three Musketeers”.

When the war began, Vilor’s senior comrade, who went to the front, left him a sheepdog named Ralph. In August 1941, with this sheepdog Vilor, despite a congenital heart disease, went to the partisan detachment and became a scout.

Vilor Chekmak died near the village of Alsu near Sevastopol. On November 10, 1941 he was on patrol. Having noticed fascists approaching to the partisan detachment, the teenager warned his detachment about danger with a shot from a rocket launcher, and he alone took the battle with the advancing Nazis. Vilor fought to the last cartridge. When there was nothing left to shoot with, he let the soldiers close to him and blew himself up with a grenade.