The monument was established to commemorate the heroism of Lieutenant Vasily Yarygin’s tank crew. In the summer of 1941, his tank took part in a tank offensive against the 1st Regiment of the 3rd SS Totenkopf Division in the village of Vasilyevshchina. The tanks of LTs Kvashnin and Surin were damaged after hitting mines and rolled back. Lieutenant Yarygin’s tank continued to move towards Vasilyevshchina, where it encountered heavy fire. The lieutenant and his crew were killed.
