Brest. Monument 'Thirst'.

The main problem of the defense of the Brest fortress in June 1941 was an acute shortage of water. On June 22, the Nazi invaders deprived the residents of the city and the fortress of access to water supply. This summer seemed endless, as did the next four years. The soldiers' faces, blackened by dirt and heat, and their dry, cracked lips testified to the unbearable torment they were going through. Water was needed not only for drinking, but also for cooling machine guns, conducting operations and other vital needs.

A completely natural question arises: "Why couldn't they just take water from the rivers, because the Brest fortress is surrounded by rivers?" However, it was much more complicated. Access to water was under constant enemy control. At night, the shores were illuminated by floodlights, and those who tried heroically to get water were killed on the spot. Many soldiers and commanders died trying to get precious drops of water.

One day, without saying a word to anyone, Petty Officer Meyer grabbed a bowler hat and rushed to the window opening, unable to see the suffering of people anymore. The fighters froze in anticipation, because quite recently there was a temporary lull at the front. The foreman ran down the slope to the water. No one will ever know whether the German machine gunners simply did not notice him, or did not have time to react. Meyer scooped up water from the river and, trying not to spill it, returned back. He managed to hand the pot to his colleagues when a shot rang out. Dying, the foreman managed to say only: "Water for the wounded."

Later, helmets, mugs, pots, flasks and bodies of brave people who fell in the struggle for water were found on the banks of rivers pierced by bullets. The creators of the sculptural composition tried to convey through it all the courage, pain, suffering and fearlessness of these people who shed their blood for us. The memorial is a figure of a soldier sneaking towards the water with a helmet in his hand. Today, flowers are laid in the outstretched helmet. The length of the memorial is 13 meters. It is made of decorative reinforced concrete and weighs 720 tons.