Tag #148502 - Interview #78035 (marina sineokaya)

I joined the intelligence. I was to take part in reconnoitering and cross-examining of captives on the spot. When we had defense positions the work of reconnoitering was very hard. We were supposed to make stakeouts. It wasn’t an easy job to take a captive to the headquarters. We tried not to capture privates, but the officers. But when there was a need we captured privates as well. We used different methods - sometimes stakeouts, but there were times when we had to go to battle. It was easier when we were attacking. We didn’t have to seek captives. In the siege the Germans surrendered themselves. We had a tough directive not to be captured by the Germans alive. It was not the case with our adversary. They were willing to do anything to remain alive. One or two captives were brought to the interrogation department of the division.

I talked to the prisoner face to face; otherwise there wouldn’t have been an atmosphere of confiding talk. I had a lot of work to do. I was to cross-examine the captives and process the documents, too.