Former German soldier wrote from Mogilev

Mogilev Oleg Lisowski translates in the German-language German soldier Hubert Grivelya's book Wir träumten von Brot von Frieden ("We dream of bread and peace," 1983). TUT.BY manuscript to read and learn about the last battle before the surrender of the city and the attitude of the Belarussians to the invaders when they were captured.

Mogilev Oleg Lisowski on the profession of pros, lives in Bavaria, and in his free time looking for pictures of his hometown, buys them and puts free public access. total electronic collection Oleg Lisowski – over 2.7 thousand photos, of which about 800 – are proprietary. You can also find aerial photos, maps, maps, documents and other materials in these albums. To buy them a collector spent about 9.8 thousand euros.

Another hobby Oleg – translated from German, which he has to perfection. First of all, this book, fragments of these, as well as the publication of periodicals that are devoted to the history of Mogilev. With one of these translations, and we want to introduce to readers TUT.BY.

"In the face of death, I repented of my sins, even so young a life"

He is on the German soldier book Hubert Grivelya Wir träumten von und Brot von Frieden ("We dream of bread and peace", 1983). It tells the story of a young German man since I urge the Wehrmacht in the autumn of 1942 until his return to his homeland after captivity to Mogilev (Mogilev Hubert was in the prisoner of war camp from 1944 to 1949). Back in Germany, Hubert married, worked as a carpenter. In 1988, he died, his health was undermined captivity.

Most of the book – a description of it is life in Mogilev. Grivel arrived there during a retreat in 1944.

– Our badociation has been banned from hitting the lane to the west. Mogilev, so to speak, was declared the Fuhrer as "stronghold", and our group was badigned to defend the city, we were told, to the last man.

But on June 28 the city was released by the Red Army.

– In this desperate situation our doctor attached to his white fist flag.
Lieutenant Rykert's observation shot him in the shoulder and disarmed him. News spread by word of mouth in the trenches. Once again, the soldiers jumped from our ranks on the Russian side. Lieutenant Rykert convinced National Socialist, probably one of the few among us even now, at this critical moment, he was still standing firmly on the side of his beloved Fuhrer. He shouted at us and asked to kill defectors aiming for shots in the back, that is, our own comrades, but he was too much.

I am not going to fight for Hitler and author.

– I went to the aid station by the soldiers who are dying. An interior had been torn from the body, and he firmly clutched them, while others were crying and called his mother. They prayed, even those who for many years as unlearned. No one thought of the Fuhrer, that so little led us to sacrifice their goals. … Faced with death, in these hours of gathering a rich harvest, I repented of my sins, even though young life and went back to the prayer imploring heaven that is said in case of danger.

And now, we present the story of Hubert Grivelya about life in Mogilev released.

"The soldiers did not understand why the agents received better conditions, although communism advocated" total equality "

"Nose Hook", the chair of our workshop, all the time was nice for me, and maintain the quality of my stool. One morning, it was the last week of May, I was ordered to go up to the tools. I was made to work outside the camp for one person – the dream of all prisoners. "Little Carpenter" (as always called me "nose hook"), you have to make repairs in my house, "- he said. On the road that led to the station's territory, he tried to explain to me what is waiting for me in his house. I realized that my poor language skills with difficulty, but enough to understand. Soon we arrived at the house, which was very close to the train station.

Here we were warmly welcomed by his wife. The next conversation, as far as I could understand, it appeared that I promised lunch. Overwhelmed with joy, I started my job, which consisted of various repairs as well as a house and equipment were made of wood here, the most common material in the villages. Under a small shed near the house was hiding some pine planks that hit here with a freight train.

These tips, which served as beds in cars were stolen from most people, an act that in this country has a status different from ours. Now when the material was available, I am able to perform all the desired performance.

But I was called to the table. Vegetable soup and meat, cooked to the point that he could stand a spoon, was incredibly delicious. A piece of bread, which in these pieces is provided to the soup, has contributed to the fact, to eliminate the feeling of hunger. And as dessert, which consisted of a bowl of milk, I gratefully accepted. (…).

Our sergeant-major brought me to his house every morning, so that later in the evening to bring me back.

pleasant moment in this house, which extends over several days, has come to an end. After a week, when I had a good meal every day, restored the power. Full of optimism, I was walking towards next summer. (…)

Sergeant of friends, as I learned later, we asked for his help. Because their apartments, too, suffered from the war.

So began a new job for me in one of these gray, four-story houses in Pervomaiskaya Street, which stood in front of the Town Hall (blown up in 1957, restored in 2008. – Note TUT.BY.). A woman whose apartment in I work, widowed during the war, she was about thirty-five years old. Here too, I had to replace broken windows and ventilated doors. Looking for materials that I find in the ruins of neighboring houses. After the woman is convinced of the success of my work, it is touching to take care of me.

Before lunch, I could now hope for a nourishing bean soup, not to mention because of its bread. But that's not all. In the evening, before I did the "nose hook", she slipped me a piece of bread with a note: "Your evening bread. "

I learned that the woman's mother lived in a nearby village, and for this reason, there was so severe food shortage. Through this work I could for two weeks to resist the fierce hunger. (…)

In collaboration with the "defeatism" in Mogilev camp came as a number of officers of the Wehrmacht. These people are marked by Russian as the intellectuals were placed separately. From a certain military rank, they were given the right to decide for themselves whether to work or not. Among them were uniformed personnel officers, with medals. Ordinary soldiers could not understand why these officers were isolated and got better conditions, although communism advocated "total equality".

"The black swastika on a light background has caused outrage among the population"

The equal distribution of all products are the Soviets difficult. So, in those days, no tree has been impossible to obtain for carpentry. On this occasion, all craftsmen attached to the outside of the team who was engaged in the harvest of debris. This brigade led by a big city, which went further for a distance of two meters, putting on a display all the medals and decorations, even the German cross of gold.

In the central part of the value of five marks black swastika was depicted on a light background. Needless to say that this trick has acted provocatively on the population, as the emblem reminds here of difficult times.

Then, after several big spat once, all the "toys", as we said then disappeared.

And now, instead of working in ruins.

For several weeks, the sky was hot sun, too, there was now an exception. It was not felt even a weak wind. Our job was to drag the garbage on the small wooden stretcher to put next to the truck. Annoying event, if you remember, in which the physical condition of the majority of soldiers. On this job we kept the girls who served in the Red Army. This feeling was really unusual – being under the supervision of female soldiers, as my age would like to look at women with different eyes.

From the conversation, that the girls were together, we learned their names. Katya, as they call our guards, slender blonde, was well built. Her young bads, acting under the summer uniforms of light, were the focus, which is a young prisoner, I could not resist.

Monotonous work pushed Kate's sunbaths into a wall niche, behind a loaded rifle two meters away. And it was not long, she is asleep.

For me, this kind of constant little fascinated, I am the first to notice that she was lying with her eyes closed.

What could I do?

Without hesitation, I took the rifle and handed him the words: "Na, Katja, poschalujssta", in our opinion, "please". Twenty-two years old, she blushed a little, she was a little embarrbaded at first to thank politely. In fact, for a few moments, I was armed, but what is the point?

Among the building debris were constantly pieces of wood that the prisoners enthusiastically collected and then connecting them. Then we tried to exchange these bundles of firewood in nearby houses on a piece of bread or some potatoes.

Kate went to us and did not stop, did not notice everything.

In one of these days, on the way back to camp on the road, I noticed the widow, whose apartment in I was not there so long ago to make repairs.

She also recognized me from the big column, suddenly ran towards me and blessed me with a big piece of bread and tomato.

Before I can say a word of thanks, as the guards pushed the woman.

"Among the dead civilians this winter a large number of elderly people who are not enough to eat"

This winter (the author writes about 1947 – TUT.BY. Note) Again was very cold, but we, the masters who worked in the camp, no complaints. Another problem beset however equally and Russian, and hunger in captivity. If every day we received our modest rations, in Russian, he looked more sad.

Bread for Soviet citizens, which was delivered to emission points at hand, quickly tense. At the same time that people were standing in the line, a common thing, not an hour or two, but often all night, cold nevzirayuchy.

The prisoners returning to the camp, saw the waiting line, but the next morning, people were still standing, and as expected, the bread has not yet arrived in the hand.

Some slept on the ramp in front of the store wrapped in thick coats. Familiar observer tells the camp that an old woman froze while waiting. Among the dead civilians this winter a large number of elderly people who did not have enough food. We are pleased that the carpenter had a chance to get in some places an extra piece of bread. (…)

The picture is very different from socialism, however, was seen not only in the camp, but, especially among the Russians. When people see that a new ruling clbad had separate stores with a varied badortment of the Soviet Union, where ordinary citizens are not included, it was question, for what was actually fought in October 1917 .