10 Badass War Heroes You've Never Heard Of
6. Matvey Kuzmin
A big old grizzly bear helping to defeat the Nazis is an amazing image, partly because it's just so darn believable. It's an animal that can tear men apart without even trying, so of course it would be awesome in warfare! What is less likely and therefore twice as awesome is an elderly man taking down a whole platoon of German soldiers single-handedly, and never expecting any credit for it. Because he was an 80-year-old peasant who didn't have much else going for him. Behold, the epic and unremembered Matvey Kuzmin, who is all those things and more! Well, mainly just all those things, but all those things add up to a complete badass.
A farmer who denied the offer to join a collective at the behest of the burgeoning Soviet Union, Kuzmin lost his land but continued to be self-sufficient, hunting and fishing with his grandson but still earning the nickname "Biriuk" (lone wolf). When his home region of Russia was occupied by German forces in World War II he helped house Nazi soldiers and was hired to guide them in return for money, flour, kerosene, and a rifle. Biriuk agreed, but he wasn't selling out his countrymen.
Upon learning the planned route of the soldiers he sent his grandson to warn the Soviet troops, proposing an ambush he would orchestrate by leading them on a wild goose chase through the woods whilst the Russians got in place. They realised they were being tricked but Kuzmin still managed to lure them to a stagnant bog where the Red Army had set up a trap. Kuzmin was shot dead by a German officer, whilst 50 Germans were killed and 20 captured. He was named a Hero of the Soviet Union, but isn't known much outside of his home country. Despite being awesome.