During World War II, this commander of a large partisan unit in Italy was known as Capitano Russo. He was twice awarded the prestigious Garibaldi medal and later became an honorary citizen of the city of Sassuolo. Under this name was Vladimir Yakovlevich Pereladov, a soldier who escaped from German captivity. He was captured during the battles for Moscow and in 1943 was sent to work in Northern Italy. There, he managed to escape and join the local Resistance. Pereladov proved himself to be a brave warrior and soon formed his own partisan group, which grew significantly. Since many of the fighters were Russian soldiers who had escaped captivity, the unit was named the Russian Assault Battalion.

Vladimir Yakovlevich was distinguished by his extraordinary ingenuity and organized daring sabotage operations. Under his leadership, more than 300 vehicles with ammunition were destroyed, several fascist garrisons were defeated, 121 bridges were blown up, and nearly 4,000 soldiers and officers were captured. The Germans were so enraged that they placed a bounty of 300,000 lira on his head. The toughest battles for Pereladov took place in the summer of 1944, when he managed to take control of several transport arteries near Montefiorino. The Germans launched a counteroffensive, and the fighters of the Russian Battalion occupied a gap in the defense.

A fierce battle erupted for a local village, where the SS troops needed to be driven out. "This battle could have been my last," recalled Pereladov. "I saw bullets hitting the ground almost at my feet. Another burst from an SS soldier hiding in the bushes went over my head." After the village was liberated, the Italians joyfully embraced the Russian partisans. It is worth noting that after the victory over Germany, not everyone wanted to return to the USSR. Vladimir Yakovlevich returned to his homeland, underwent a check in camps for some time, and then lived in Moscow.