Yes, there is language gap. As well as due to understandable historical reasons the personal stories did not cross that much to/from West-East line.
I recently translated to Russian and put on my blog memoirs of an American GI - there was a great interest among the Russian audience.
As I get time and find something remarkable I will post more snippets here.
a fresh one… just from the blogging stream…
Dmitry I. Rotar
Communication, later in tank crew. link.
Question: Dmitry Ivanovitch, what did you get the order of “Red Star” for?
Answer: «That happened near Kharkov. I started my service near Kursk, but in August 1943 our rifle regiment was moved for attack in Kharkov direction. When we approached the city, the regiment got order to take control over a suburban area. The air recognizance reported that the Germans already left that area and that we should move in. But our battalion commander decided not to take chances and sent forward a scout unit. I and my mate assisted them operated a radio station and accompanied the scout team. The radio we had was good one. It was a Soviet made with range of up to 50km.
So we entered the suburb and it indeed was quiet. Nobody is around. So we entered a two storey house and settled in. Suddenly out of nowhere a local woman rushed in: “Sons! Why have you come here!? The Germans in here are everywhere!” We looked to back yard and - oh, Dear Mother of God! - it was flooded with Germans, a whole convoy had arrived. And the Germans are already running all over the place - all the escape routes were cut off! What to do? We quickly sniked into the loft and called the artillery fire on our own coordinates. We bid farewell to each other. In few minutes the volley of shells came down on us. The whole area was hacked into pieces, all Germans were killed, and nobody survived. But we were lucky. No one of us got killed, even though we had no chances.
Basically, after that the whole platoon was awarded.»
I stumbled a couple of times in memoirs on incidents as described here.
Are there any reports on this in German sources???
Mephodij I. Zhezhel
Tank driver. link
Here (on Don river in 1941) such an episode ocured. German armour forces attmpted to force the river Don supported by their air forces. Out 58th tank Brigade left a KV tank on the midle of the crossing. The tank was manned by the crew but with engine turned off. The tank driver in the crew was seargant Kapustin. A first German tank entered the crossing and approached the KV. The Germans desided that the tank was abandoned by the crew. Germans hooked on to KV and tried to pull away the booty. But Kapustin depressed the clutch and and the KV was unmoveable. The second German tank came to help. As soon as they also attached their tank, Kapustin started the engine and started pulling both German tanks to our side.
As soon aas KV rolled to the river bank it stopped leaving the German tank on the crossing blocking it completely. Those of the Germans who jumped out of the tanks were downed by the smal arms fire and the remained were captured. Kapustin was awarded “Order of the Red Banner” for this.
I met with Kapustin after the war. He lived in the neighboring town.
Not that I know of. To quote friend Chevan here: “Surely propaganda!”:lol:
As I understand, the author didn’t witness this episode himself. I guess he describes it as it was told him by Kapustin himself after the war. So it could be exageration.
the other “similar” incident I reqad about (can’t remember where) was about a KV in 1941. It was stuck in the middle of a field (engine would not start). The story has it that after some failing attrempts to destroy it with artillery, the Germans tried to pull it away. As soon as they actually moved it the KV driver managed to start the engine and then pulled the panzer away.
Just for general understanding…are we talking of KV-1 or 2?
Considering what a KV has for a gun, surely at 7 yard range (to the Panzer) it would vaporize it instead of trying to pull it away.
And I dunno about pulling TWO Panzers unless they are Mark IIs or just half tracks.
Deaf
In the quoted here story it sais just “KV”. Without model number.
In the other story that I mentioned it was KV-2, AFAIR.
Germans hooked on to KV and tried to pull away the booty. But Kapustin depressed the clutch and and the KV was unmoveable. The second German tank came to help. As soon as they also attached their tank, Kapustin started the engine and started pulling both German tanks to our side…
Aha ha ha ha ha …:)That’s nice Igor.
Never heard anything simular…I think this is exageration and boasting of Kapustin though.
However technically it is possible for KV-1 ( KV-2 was too weak even to pull it’s own heavy body at hill more then 10 degrees hight).
The propogand is usially cretaed by newpapers, books or newsreels my friend.It’s for widespread public purposes.The propogand is usially looks so real, that you can’t discern it.
The propogand us used for the certain military or psihological aims.I don’t seen there any military propogand or else.We know all that heavy tank migh to pull couple of light ones.
me personaly, hear this story for the first time in my life.
i think the Kapustin was too greed to vaporoze his potential booty.The situation is quite fun - germans , instaed to finaly liquidate the KV , wanted to steal it, but the Kapustin himself was the swindler:)
He hoped to steal the two germans booty , while germans were busy , robbering the russian KV’s :).
The russian cheater meet the germans ones:)
And I dunno about pulling TWO Panzers unless they are Mark IIs or just half tracks.
Deaf
Well this has happend about 1941-42 when all the german had - Bergepanzer ARV on PzIII chassis. It was too weak to pull the any KV in mud.
Well technicaly it is not impossible.
Germans saw a seemingly abandoned KV on the middle of the river crossing. In order to cross they had to move KV, not blow it up. Plus capturing operable enemy tank is a sure award. Soviet small arm fire could easily prevent searching the tank before attempt of towing it.
IMHO the core of the story can be true.
Hello Igor;
The “I remember” site now has computer translations of all accounts. You have only to click on the English flag icon and the computer will translate from the Russian into English.
http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&langpair=ru|en&u=http://www.iremember.ru/&rurl=translate.google.com&client=tmpg&usg=ALkJrhhwvMMiNFxmJzy7KANTlfeHctKBwg
The translations are sometimes clumsy but understandable. I find the Partisan accounts the most interesting because I have been interested in the Partisan wars ever since reading Grenkevich several years back.
Grenkevich ebook; http://books.google.com/books?id=YsBgvxYVVPMC&pg=PA28&lpg=PA28&dq=guerrilla+warfare+wwii+USSR+grenkevich&source=bl&ots=JP0jnGbApu&sig=M00TOCj_WgtBwpe6oOaGsfYjLgQ&hl=en&ei=r6kwS869E4fdnAeE8fjuCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=&f=false
JeffinMNUSA
Freyir;
I think the “I remember site” also offers computer translation into Danish. You have only to draw up the desired page in Russian and then click on the flag that applies in the header to get a translated page. The wording is sometimes clumsy but so what? The stories are fantastic and thank God the vets of the former USSR are having their say. What they are saying must rewrite the history books.
JeffinMNUSA
Here is a small, but relevant note on the subject raised in another thread on an other forum (see the last part othe quote).
Aleksey M. Batievsky
Hero of Soviet Union, Pilot (IL-2). link
It was difficult get to my home town - no public transport. My mother wellcomed me back. Our neighbour, the grandfather Ivan, showed up to greet me ( authors relative ). A good man - he adopted 2 orphans. They did not have children of their own and adopted orphans. We talked while having tea and then I went to bed.
In the morning the grandfather puls my leg: “Get up! Victory!”
I got up and went to the market square of the town. … When I came there an inprovised platform had already been risen. Everyone was there - crowded. Everyone was crying… The war is over, but people were crying… A large crowd. My granddad was there too. Out of 6 brothers 5 KIA and the on 6th one no information for long time. And also no info about my uncle. Back then we did not know where and how he perished.
Later we learned that he escaped from the German captivity and ended in the American army. There he was immediatly given a rifle and sent to fight… He was KIA…
][/INDENT]
Some people were wondering… So here it is…
Gregory D. Vodiansky
Airborn Brigade link
Q: When were the concentration camp inmates liberated?
A: On the 7th of May 1945 Americans entered the camp. We immediately rushed to chase the guards. They were killed on the spot, but some of them were saved by the Amricans. They locked the German camp guards in one of our barraks and did not let the former POW to kill all of them.
Now we were free and there weren’t a single household in the area that would not had invited a former POW into their house. I together with three mates was invited by Elsa Erijen, where we were warmly welcomed, fed, given clothes and shoes and game more gifts to take with us home. But all these gifts were confiscated by the NKVD upon arrival to the Leningrad sea port, the very same day when POW returned to the Motherland.
Q: Were there any POW that decided not to return to USSR?
A: Yes, quite a few. Norwegians proposed us to stay, and then American agitated not to return to Russia. They promised anyone to send any place he wanted – America or Western Europe. Americans said right away that because of our captivity no one would be pardoned, ad if not shot, then sent to Siberia as we were still considered to be “Motherland’s traitors unfaithful to one’s military oath”.
Among our POW camp in Bergen no one became a traitor. We didn’t even have any POW in the camp police unit. And when Vlasov army deputies visited us no one left with them! But no one of us was expecting that back in Russia we would be just sent to our homes either. Because we all knew that Stalin considered all ex-POWs as traitors. Some gave it a serious thought and took the Americans offer. But to me personally my Motherland was above everything else. The Soviet officers arrived to Bergen in the beginning of June. They commenced assembling a list of all who was to be repatriated. I also signed in under the second name Gurin (note - alias assumed by the veteran in order to hide his Jewish identity while in the German captivity).
Soon a large group of POW was transported to Oslo where they joined another several thousands people group expecting repatriation. There were many who were sure that upon arrival we woild either be shot or given a 15 years labour camp sentence. Soon I was inclined to think the same, but did not see any other way forward for my self.
The ship docked in Leningrad. Groups of 100 people were taken to the dock, lined up behind the port buildings away from the stranger eyes. There all our possessions were taken from us including the gifts we received earlier. We given old used uniform to wear and shoes and escorted by the guards to the railway station, where we boarded goods cars and rolled to the filtration camp in town of Murom in the Valdimir Region.
From the first second of return to the Motherland we were treated like traitors.
Q: How was the filtration conducted in the Murom filtration camp?
A: We were lodged in the barracks on the empty wooden plank beds.
There was no physical punishments or such applied to us. But all the time we could hear threats from the guards and the investigators. During the first days the “suspicious” individuals were separated, as well as the officers from the ranks.
The investigators were calling in people one by one for a thorough interrogation. After about a week my turn came. The first thing I heard from the investigator was: “Are you Grigory D. Gurin? Take a sit, traitor! Tell us where and when and how you surrendered to the enemy?”
I replied: “Well, I am OK standing. And my surname isn’t Gurin but Vodiansky”. His reaction was promt. He jumped up and said right into my face: “Are you implying that you are a Jew? Then tell me how you, a Jew, managed to survive in a German concentration camp?” Then I presented my detailed account naming all the units I was serving in RKKA, objectives our Airborn Brigade, the circumstances of my surrender (I was injured) and that there are two alive witnesses to it.
When I ended my narration, the investigator was silent for a while and then said: “Well, you dismissed for now… For now… Expect the next interrogation session.” After two weeks the guards called me in again. Unlike the first session he was friendly. He offered me a chair. Then he asked me strictly: “Why did not you let your parents know that you are back and healthy?” I said that I did not know their whereabouts. They were evacuated to Cheliabinsk, but it was two years ago. The investigator replied: “We pulled some strings and found out that your parents live now in Ukraine in the town of Herson.” He gave me the address and told me to get in touch with them. At the end of our talk he said: “Expect to be called in again, but next time it will by other people.” Yes, next time I was called in by people who arranged the job placement fro the ex-POWs in the civilian sector. I received the temporary ID card, whish stated that I passed the filtration and is cleared, that I am a Soviet Union’s citizen and have right to vote.
I was sent to town Rostov to work on the limbering enterprise. On the 10th of June 1946 I left that work place and headed to town of Herson as a free man. But after arriving and as soon as I registered I was again called for a talk to the local State Security Department office. These continued for several months. The common civil passport I received only after 6 months.
Can’t say I understand how you Russians put up with that for so long. Amazing.
