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We heard about the war on 22nd June 1941 at noon, when Molotov [15] spoke on the radio. On the following day my father received a call- up from the military office. He joined the army on 26th June. There was panic in town. People were buying off food, matches, salt and soap. My mother was at a loss, not knowing whether we should stay in Chernigov or leave. In late July Boris, our Jewish neighbor, came to see us. He tried to convince my grandmother to evacuate. He told her to go with her grandchildren since my mother, being a party official, had to stay in town as long as possible. He told my grandmother to pack everything we needed since we were leaving for good. I remember how scared I felt listening to him because my mother and grandmother repeated what they had heard on the radio or read in the newspapers: that the war was to be over soon. My grandmother packed two bags with clothes, cereals, books, toys and crockery.
My mother came from work and said there was a truck leaving from the party committee and we had to catch it. She was in such a hurry that she even forgot the only valuable thing that we had at home. That was my father's watch, which we left in the wardrobe. We also had leftover food that we packed: we only found a loaf of bread and some marmalade in one bag. The truck drove to our house. There was grandfather Ghil, my father's sister Basia and her children Betia and Felix, my mother's sister Genia and her daughter Svetlana. Genia's husband was at the front while Basia's husband stayed in town. He had to evacuate with his plant. He perished during an air raid on his way to evacuation. The mental hospital, in which my father's sister Fania was staying, failed to evacuate. The fascists shot its patients and personnel on the first days of the occupation of Chernigov. Fania's children Inna and Evgeni and my father's third sister, Sarra, were also with us.
We left in late August 1941 when Chernigov was bombed and many houses were on fire. The driver was in a hurry and actually threw us onto the truck. On the way to the railway station the truck stopped several times to pick up women with children. At the railway station we boarded a train for cattle transportation. Our trip lasted about ten days. We were hungry. My mother gave us a marmalade candy and a small piece of bread. At bigger stations the train stopped and my mother and her sisters went to get some hot water. Sometimes they brought some soup or warm cereals that were provided to passengers of the train. We finally arrived at a kolkhoz [16] in Stalingrad region, 1,000 kilometers from home. I don't remember its name, but I remember how friendly the collective farmers were. We were accommodated in the house of a very hospitable woman. My mother and her sisters went to work at the kolkhoz. This was the harvest season and there were big crops. We, children, went to the bank of the Volga where we played with local children. The adults came from work late and were exhausted after a hard working day. We slept on mattresses on the floor. However, we could have plenty of vegetables, fruit, bread and cereals that the kolkhoz provided. We stayed there for two or three months. When it became clear that the war was going to last longer we decided to go farther east. We were afraid that fascist troops would soon arrive where we were staying.
My mother came from work and said there was a truck leaving from the party committee and we had to catch it. She was in such a hurry that she even forgot the only valuable thing that we had at home. That was my father's watch, which we left in the wardrobe. We also had leftover food that we packed: we only found a loaf of bread and some marmalade in one bag. The truck drove to our house. There was grandfather Ghil, my father's sister Basia and her children Betia and Felix, my mother's sister Genia and her daughter Svetlana. Genia's husband was at the front while Basia's husband stayed in town. He had to evacuate with his plant. He perished during an air raid on his way to evacuation. The mental hospital, in which my father's sister Fania was staying, failed to evacuate. The fascists shot its patients and personnel on the first days of the occupation of Chernigov. Fania's children Inna and Evgeni and my father's third sister, Sarra, were also with us.
We left in late August 1941 when Chernigov was bombed and many houses were on fire. The driver was in a hurry and actually threw us onto the truck. On the way to the railway station the truck stopped several times to pick up women with children. At the railway station we boarded a train for cattle transportation. Our trip lasted about ten days. We were hungry. My mother gave us a marmalade candy and a small piece of bread. At bigger stations the train stopped and my mother and her sisters went to get some hot water. Sometimes they brought some soup or warm cereals that were provided to passengers of the train. We finally arrived at a kolkhoz [16] in Stalingrad region, 1,000 kilometers from home. I don't remember its name, but I remember how friendly the collective farmers were. We were accommodated in the house of a very hospitable woman. My mother and her sisters went to work at the kolkhoz. This was the harvest season and there were big crops. We, children, went to the bank of the Volga where we played with local children. The adults came from work late and were exhausted after a hard working day. We slept on mattresses on the floor. However, we could have plenty of vegetables, fruit, bread and cereals that the kolkhoz provided. We stayed there for two or three months. When it became clear that the war was going to last longer we decided to go farther east. We were afraid that fascist troops would soon arrive where we were staying.
Location
Ukraine
Interview
lina mukhamedjanova