I got the papers. There is a page about the event in the days just after the exlosion. But I have to disapoint you, it was not my grand-dad who blew the building…
There’s no problem Egorka! Now I have to dissapoint you because I only wanted to know his thoughts on that!
My grand dad by my mothers line, Yrie Klimov, wrote 3 volumes (each app. 350 pages) of memouars and genelogical reseach. He was born in in Ural mountans area in very small town called Petuhovo. He went Odessa right after he finished school. His plan was to study at Radiothechnical Institute of Odessa. He also had “white ticket” - i.e. he was free of military duty because of the comlete loss of the left eye function, he got an arrow in his eye in a childhood acident.
I consider this books one of my most precious posetions.
Ok. Here it goes about the events around the explosion day.
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The next day, 23 of October, I was planning together with Olga to visit aunt Sonya, but the night went very unrestfull. Shots were heared around the town. That was the Romanian guards firing being suspetful of the dark. Especially loud were the shots fired right under our windows. Just in the house next door a Romanian unit was settled. It is task was to patrol the area. Suddenly a sharp noise of а butt-stock on the front door and shout in Romainian language. I was already dressed and thefore went to open the door. Opened the door and suddenly see a pointed at me handgun held by a young Romanian officer. Behind him were 5-6 soldiers armed with rifles with attached bayonets.“Jidan esti?” (Any Jews in here?) - The gun barrel almost pressed into my forehead. I could not speak Romanian, but understood the meaning of the words. The officer and 2 soldiers entered the house and breifly looked around and then left to Orlovsky’s house. Only by a pure acident Fira and Josef were not home. They were already pretty scared by the latest events and left to their acquaintances. They spend nights there in a small shed located in the back side of the yard. They felt more secure in there as the shed was not visible from the street and also did not look inhabited… A bit later, new shots and Romanian shouts sound in the yard. Apparently it has been a round-up. To my horror I see 4 guys under the Romanian guard. These guys were dressed as civilians but with uniform breeches and boots. They were the very same ones I got acquainted lately - the 4 tankers. They were going silently, heads down…
During the day I found that the shelter, that was dug out between “Konservschikov” house and the sea, were laying sevaral corpses of women and elders. I guess they were hiding in the shelter during the round-up and were shot on the spot.
Much later it got known that on 22nd of October the former NKVD headquarters were blown up.
(here goes a bit of the NKVD building description)
That is why the Romanians commited bloody reprisals over the citezens, shot on the spot, hang on the light poles and balсonies. I saw the hanged corpses near the hippodrome. 3 bodies were across the train station, on the balcony of 2 story house. The same picture was told by the neighbours, who visited other parts of the town. On the 24 of October in Alekseev garden (Stenovaya street, corner of Melnichnaya street) 250 men were shot by the Romanian militarists. These men were arrested on the streets and in the houses for no reason. The exacution was conducted with machinguns i the broad day light as revenge for the explosion. People say that the wounded were finished with the guns. These people were arrested during the round-up and were held as hostages. It was promised to free them if traitors would be found who whould tell where the persons responsible for the explosion were hiding.
It became dangerous to wonder around the town. Obviously in this situation I got rid of my motorcycle that was hiden in the basement (My grand dad picked up and repared one of the motorcycles left by the retreating Red Army. There were a lot of equpment left because they could not evacuate it by ships.) If Romanians would had found about it - that would mean death to all the inhabitants of the house. There is no doubt about it, after what all saw happening during first week of their activity in Odessa.
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Thanks Egorka for sharing your grandfather’s memories. All described above were true in those days. Marshal Antonescu (who later was convicted and executed for war crimes) ordered that for each officer dead in the blast to be shot 100 Jews and for each dead soldier to be shot 50 Jews.
One single correction: 'Jidan esti?’ means not ‘Any Jews in here?’ but ‘Are you Jew?’ You grandfather was lucky at that time.
Once again thanks!
You are welcome, Dani.
Regarding the translation, I did it my self. In the papars it is writen with russaon alphabet but with Romanian sounds. So I just assumed the translation, as “ESTI” in Russian can mean “to be present” as well as “to be”.
Here als omentions about many Jews who were ordered to come to a collection point with 5 day provision on them and that their tragic destiny. It was in November 1941. I did not mentioned it before because it was not immidiatly after the explosion.
Probably the least contributor was Argentina which the US pressured to declare war against Germany and Hitler. They didn’t want to.
[QUOTE]The most important features of the Polish contribution to the defeat of Germany are determination and perseverance. Despite the severe defeat in 1939, the Poles formed five more armies,[QUOTE]
I think the greatest contribution of the doomed Polish was that they transferred a working copy of the Enigma machine to the French who subsequently gave it to English before France fell. It ended up at BVeltchley Park and the rest is history, literally.