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When the war broke out, Grigoriy was called up to the army and several years my uncle and my aunt knew nothing about him, the same way as we knew nothing about Ilya for a long time. It happened that Grigoriy was taken prisoner, and when Germans drived a column of captives Grigoriy managed to escape. He rolled down into a ditch imperceptibly for guards and waited until the column passed away. So this is the way he escaped. He was picked up by natives – an old man and an old woman, they took him home and cured him. They also advised him to change his Jewish surname Kipnis – so, he became Kipnichenko. These old people kept him at themselves, fed and protected him, probably, they also had a son who was at war somewhere. Grigoriy started working at the railway station as Kipnichenko Grigoriy (he managed to get registered officially somehow, though Germans played the master everywhere).
Soon partisans got in touch with him. At their request Grigoriy procured some kind of documents while working at this station. These documents were named somehow in German, something like a certificate, used to be given to a person as an evidence of his registration. Thus he saved many people. One day there came some people from partisans and told him, that he had to leave for partisans, because Germans were going to take all people of his age away to Germany. So he was taken away to a partisans group, and after that he went on fighting as a menber of the partisan group.
When partisans came close to Kiev, Grigoriy was sent to patrol, because Kiev was occupied by Germans. And there he decided to visit his apartment. He found out that his apartment was occupied by a German henchman, who informed Germans, in Russian this sort of people are called “third ear”. Grigoriy had a scrap with him, promissed to come back and went to carry out partisans’ mission. Grigoriy’s former home help, Natasha, saw him visiting his apartment, and later she saw that henchman informing police about Grigoriy’s arrival and his promise to return. And as she adored Grigoriy, she hurried to meet him far away from his house to inform about police lying in wait for him. That was the way he was saved once again. Later their partisans’ group joined our front-line forces.
For a long time Grigoriy’s parents knew nothing about him and wrote letters just in case that somebody could respond or see Grigoriy.
Soon partisans got in touch with him. At their request Grigoriy procured some kind of documents while working at this station. These documents were named somehow in German, something like a certificate, used to be given to a person as an evidence of his registration. Thus he saved many people. One day there came some people from partisans and told him, that he had to leave for partisans, because Germans were going to take all people of his age away to Germany. So he was taken away to a partisans group, and after that he went on fighting as a menber of the partisan group.
When partisans came close to Kiev, Grigoriy was sent to patrol, because Kiev was occupied by Germans. And there he decided to visit his apartment. He found out that his apartment was occupied by a German henchman, who informed Germans, in Russian this sort of people are called “third ear”. Grigoriy had a scrap with him, promissed to come back and went to carry out partisans’ mission. Grigoriy’s former home help, Natasha, saw him visiting his apartment, and later she saw that henchman informing police about Grigoriy’s arrival and his promise to return. And as she adored Grigoriy, she hurried to meet him far away from his house to inform about police lying in wait for him. That was the way he was saved once again. Later their partisans’ group joined our front-line forces.
For a long time Grigoriy’s parents knew nothing about him and wrote letters just in case that somebody could respond or see Grigoriy.
Period
Location
Russia
Interview
Alexandra (Shifra) Melenevskaya