Tag #148317 - Interview #95114 (Lazar Sherishevskiy)

In autumn 1943 was recruited to the army. There were 2 recruitment periods in 1943: in summer boys, born in 1925, and in autumn – the ones, born in 1926, were recruited. I stayed in a reserve unit and then was sent to the frontline forces for 3 months. Our 1st Guard Mine Brigade fought near  Nevel near Pskov. [About 450 km west of Moscow]. Later this front was named the 1st Pribaltiyskiy front. Our ‘Katyusha’ units [The 82mm BM-8 and 132mm BM-13 Katyusha rocket launchers were built and fielded by the Soviet Union in World War II. The launcher got this unofficial, but immediately recognized in the Red Army, name from the title of a Russian wartime song, Katyusha.]  were moving along the front line relocating continuously to avoid aircraft targeting. We incurred minor losses. Our unit consisted of 8 firing platoons and one intelligence. I served in the intelligence platoon. I was responsible for identifying the enemy location. I had a stereo telescope. We crawled to the spot dragging a wooden box with a telescope, then install and fix it and do the survey. Once a mine exploded nearby. The splinters broke my box and one splinter injured me in the shoulder. I stayed in hospital 2 weeks.