[烛光生存狂]-【卫国战争老兵回忆】帕维尔·温尼克(Pavel Vinnik)

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In Odessa

I was born in the city of Vinnitsa in 1926. In 1932 our family moved to the city of Odessa where my father had been shifted to work. In the early 1900s my father was a student of the Emperor Alexander the Second, Highest Technical School, the Mechanical Faculty, bridge-building specialty. (By the way, at the same time Boris Rossinskii, the future “Russian Aviation’s Grandfather,” studied at that Highest Technical School).

In 1905, Nkolai Bauman, a famous Russian professional Bolshevik-revolutionary, was killed and a civil funeral for him was conducted in the Highest Technical School’s assembly hall. Since my father was an excellent elocutionist, it was suggested that he deliver the great Russian poet Mikhail Lermontov’s poem which contains accusatory lines “You, the haughty descendants…” near the Bauman’s coffin. Although my father wasn’t a member of any political party, he accepted the suggestion – to declaim was a pleasure to him. The School’s deputy rector summoned him and said: “You are a junior but if you deliver this poem, you’d be thrown out of Moscow within 24 hours and be blacklisted. And no educational institution of the Empire would accept you.” In spite of this threat my father delivered the poem during the ceremony and … “flew out.” Initially he worked at some light industry works, and then he became a mathematics teacher in Odessa. Much later my father stopped teaching and worked at a study aids store.

All of my mother’s relatives were connected to the Odessa Opera in different ways. My grandfather was a watchman there and my mother’s older sister, aunt Polia, was a doorkeeper. My mother became a dressmaker at the same theater. In that way I became attached to the theater since my early childhood. And I had no doubt that I would be an actor. Being a sixth-grader, I became a member of the school puppet show and had played the part of the old man in the Pushkin’s “The Tale about a Fisherman and a Fish.”

It is hard for me to remember the relationship between my father and me when the war started. He wanted to have a talk with me but I was too busy with my own matters and refuse. My father became upset. Then, when I needed fatherly advice, it was too late – my father was killed in action…

Despite his age and poor health, my father was one of those who left for the front shortly after 22 June. He knew field-engineering and was mobilized. On 13 September 1941 we received the pokhoronka (an official notice about his death).

A member of the Fighter Battalion

In 1941 I was 15 years old and moved up to the 9th grade of the high school. Since the first days of the war I along with several teens joined the local Fighter Battalion. (Fighter battalions were organized in the western regions of USSR just after the war began. They were militarized volunteer formations of civil citizens and were initially intended for fighting against the enemy’s saboteurs. Most members of the fighter battalions were armed with rifles). As the Fighter Battalion’s youngest members we had a special mission: as soon as the air-raid alarm sounded we had to be on alert on the roof of a particular building. When a firebomb fell, we had to grab and to throw it down. Then we covered the bomb with sand.

German and Romanian troops attacking toward Odessa were very strong but the city defense went on for quite a long time. Soon our Fighter Battalion was ordered to retreat. Initially our way lay along the Black Sea coast. Then we were ferried over to the city of Nikolaev. Our final destination was the city of Mozdok, North Ossetia. Only there an order came in to shift all of our battalion’s personnel to the frontline forces. I was too young to be drafted. Nevertheless, at my request some well-wishers made a distortion of a couple of years upward on my papers, and finally, I found myself in the “mother infantry”: the 1374th Rifle Regiment of the 416th Azerbaijan Rifle Division that belonged at that time to the Transcaucasian Front. With this division I came through up to the end of the war.

At the time of our arrival to Mozdok the division was re-forming and I received a uniform and a rifle.

Meanwhile, the German troops managed to occupy a substantial part of the Soviet land including my hometown Odessa. (My mom had left the city and already stayed in Vinnitsa with her uncle and aunt).

The Hungarian, Italian and Romanian troops supported the Hitler's forces. It was a very hard period for the Red Army, and scores of our warriors had been taken prisoners. Their fate was terrible.

On the occupied Soviet territory the Germans conducted themselves as victors. They were taught that we are muck, rags, Russian swines. People who came through the occupation told how terrible their life was at that time. The occupiers raped local young women. Also the Germans formed a police consisting of local men, and these policemen were espesially cruel.

At the Third Ukrainian Front

After its reinforcements our division started fighting in the fall of 1943. This time it was a unit of the 5th Assault Army that belonged to the 3rd Ukrainian Front. The division commander was Major-General Syzranov, the deputy division commander was Major-General Ziuvanov. Both were very wise and attentive commanders. They personally took part in our hard battles. Assault armies were specially trained and armed for breakthroughs and for forced wide river crossings.

Soon we began driving the enemy out. After crossing the Dnieper River we liberated Nikolaev, Odessa… In was an unbearably hot summer of 1944 when we crossed the South Boog River and continued our attack. There were a lot of grapes and plenty of food on the whole.

It was clear that the German troops would retreat while our offensive went on. Nevertheless they used a terrible weapon – the flamethrowers. I had a friend who came from Siberia, a wonderful fellow. He was the deputy platoon commander, a sergeant-major. He helped me a lot! Being a townsman, I wasn’t fitted to long marches. My footwear was a pair of soldier’s shoes with the leg-wrappings, and when our column had a halt for dinner after my first 30-kilometer-long march, I realized that I couldn’t take a single step. My feet were covered with red blisters. A medic washed my feet, lanced the blisters with a blade and applied the ichthammol. During the procedure my Siberian friend was looking at me and when everybody moved off, he told me: “I see that actually you aren’t so afflicted by these wounds. Do you want to live? I’d advise you: are you comfortable right now?” – “Yes,” was my response. – “Enjoy your temporary status. Don’t think ahead – and you will live longer. If you start thinking of your fate, your attentiveness declines, and you can get under a bullet.”

So, we were already rushing into the city of Kishinev, and somewhere from the side a German triggered his flamethrower at my dear friend. I still can’t forget the dying man’s scream. We began covering him with loamy soil but in vein. I lost my friend in such a terrible way…

We lost many combat comrades during the Yassy-Kishinev operation. At the same time I will remember the terrible images of those days for the rest of my life. The German tanks retreated down the Tiraspol’ route and they caught up with a big group of their collaborators, even from Odessa, who were running away from the advancing Soviet troops. The tanks crushed a lot of those civilians along with their wagons and horses. That was a deserved punishment for the traitors.

I should also remind you that before our offensive started, the Germans attacked us a few times. The enemy had many tanks at that time and in one strong attack they managed to “iron” our foxholes.

As a total result of the hard battles in the Yassy-Kishinev area the rest of our company counted no more than forty men. The command decided to disband us. The battalion commander shifted all of the aged soldiers to the supply platoon and we reinforced the submachine gunners company. So, instead of a rifle I received a submachine gun (SMG) for the first time. I think that being with the SMG-company saved me during the war. The matter is that the SMG-company was a somewhat privileged detachment in an infantry unit. Its duties were HQ guarding, connection with the division’s HQ etc. Besides, in the night we had our combat post about 10 – 15 meters behind the trenches and so we guarded the sleeping infantrymen as well as we supported the reconnaissance missions. Actually, we experienced many risky situations as well. The company’s full strength was up to 100 men but only 29 of us reached Berlin. The last reinforcements were just 17-18-year-old. True children!

Lieutenant Salkin, our wonderful SMG-company commander’s contribution also helped me to come through the war. He was given the rank of a captain in the battle for Berlin. Salkin was a former sailor. Recently he had served his sentence in a penal company. The famous penal companies always fought at the most dangerous sections of battles. Those who came through such a battle were to be released.

Salkin was a marvelous man! Usually he asked us: “Hey, boys, how should we perform this mission with few casualties?” And all of us sought over the mission together…

You asked me what type of SMG we used in our company. Our best arm was the PPS-43 (Sudaev’s submachine gun). It was much lighter and not so unstable as the PPSh-41. We also often managed to use the German machinenpistol MP40 (“Shmaisser”). First, you shouldn’t clean it regularly; second, we had a lot of its cartridges.

Our company traveled the same way as any rifle detachment did – only on foot. We had just two wagons, two wagon-drivers (both were Azerbaijanis) and four horses with them. Usually they were in rear and didn’t take part in fighting. There was in our unit the deputy regiment commander for rear services some Colonel Gadjiev, a fat man. Once, during our offensive, he went, while sitting scrawled in his personal spacious carriage very far behind the troops. Suddenly a German air raid occurred. Gadjiev instantly jumped into a nearby ditch. Bombing destroyed the carriage and horses. He became horror-stricken and shouted: “They could kill me!” – a great surprise to him!

In Poland

After the liberation of Kishinev we went toward Bucharest but unexpectedly another order came in, and we boarded a troop train that brought us to Poland, into area of the city of Kovel’. Since then on our division became a unit of the First Belorussian Front. A new offensive started. German defensive positions in Poland were well prepared and their troops resisted hard, therefore we experienced severe battles there.

Almost all of Polish civilians didn’t abandon their homes. Soon after coming in Poland from Moldavia we noticed a big difference in the quality of local people’s life. There were in Moldavia plenty of fruits, food and wine, while in Poland – potatoes and milk, at best, and the only drink – their nasty vodka.

Initially the Poles’ receptions were friendly, and we placed our share on the table. Our food was better: the famous canned bacon (of officer’s ration) and canned stew (of soldier’s one). Soon a conversation started.

- Will you, Pan (Sir), go to beat the German?

- We’ll go, Pan, we’ll go.

- Will you organize collective farms?

- Nitz nie rozumie (we don’t understand anything.)

Most Polish rural population consisted of farmers, they lived in hamlets. After hearing from Soviet soldiers what a collective farm means, they hated that method of management in the country.

While staying in Polish villages and hamlets, we noticed not only the miserable living conditions of the residents but also their suspicious attitude toward us. Soon our units were prohibited from settling in any populated locality. Particularly, in the re-forming period we encamped in a forest. The reasons for these precautions were the armed detachments of the Armiya Krayova (the Military Organization of the Polish Overseas Regime). They fought against us and, besides, they killed some Poles who had given a shelter to Soviet soldiers.

Once we met a Polish doctor, who spoke fluently both Polish and Russian. He advised our commander not to discuss with locals such topics as the collective farms, they say, the climate was too complicated, although the German rule was very bitter for them. They hated Germans…

There was one more very serious reason for the contradictory attitude of the Polish people toward the Red Army – the defeat of the two-month-long Warsaw armed uprising, which started on 1st August 1944. The Warsaw uprising against the German garrison in the Polish capital was organized by the Polish Overseas government in London. The Armiya Krayova detachments and numerous local Poles realized the uprising. The main goal of the uprising was to seize the city before the Red Army troops could reach Warsaw and bring there a Communist regime. So the Soviets didn’t support the insurgents when the uprising was being put down by German forces…

By early January 1945 the Red Army held two bridgeheads in the Warsaw direction – the Radom and the Sandomir ones. Our division was at the Radom bridgehead for four days running. It was freezing but the campfires were forbidden. We suffered from the frost very much because we had just three military overcoats and three waterproof capes for six of us.

The main powerful attack against Warsaw went from the frozen Visla River. It was a surprise for the Germans, and it came to the end with their crushing defeat. According to the Marshal Zhukov’s tactics, the attacking troops bypassed the city and continued to advance westward. And other units dealt with the encircled enemy.

Our division attacked from the bridgehead toward the main German line of defense. The no-man’s-land was densely set with land mines. Therefore our SMG-company was divided into three groups that boarded three attacking echelons of tanks correspondingly. The tanks drove us through the minefield, then we dismounted and went on the attack along with the tanks. I was in the second echelon.

As soon as the first echelon burst ahead, it came under a strong direct fire, both the tanks and infantrymen were beaten. Our echelon entered such a zone where only the shells’ hisses were heard and the explosions took place far behind us. However, one shell fell to our share: I heard the hiss and… lost consciousness. I lay like a log: didn’t budge, didn’t hear, and didn’t speak…

When a unit is attacking its wounded men initially should be collected in its medical battalion and only then they would be directed to hospitals. I had luck: our company’s wagon loaded with loafs of bread bumped into me. Comrades lay me over the bread and delivered me to our medical battalion. I had been treated there for two and a half weeks (massages and a bit of alcohol) before I resumed walking. They had an idea to direct me in a rear hospital but I would not go – not for anything! For me to lose your unit was the most terrible thing at the front…

Our division continued its advancing westward. After several warm days running the dirty roads became impassable for any kind of heavy vehicle like guns, trucks and loaded wagons. Nevertheless we, the footmen, kept our advance on. I’ll never forget how after getting over a railroad embankment we entered a spacious field and… we found ourselves just across the famous German “Tigers”! It could have been a direct skirmish but we had nothing to defend ourselves with! And we rushed to make off. I remember how our regiment commander Colonel Kalashnikov, while speeding a horse drawn cart, shouted: “Stop! Don’t run at your full height, lie down!” But we ran and the Germans fired at our backs with tracer bullets… Thank God, in contrast to us, the tanks couldn’t get over the embankment, so they opened up with cannon fire. We managed to reach a spacious barn and at that very moment a shell exploded nearby. A door of the barn fell on me but in one stroke I was released by my comrades without injury. Colonel Kalashnikov was wounded and some long ammunition box fell down out of the cart. I opened it – wow, our regimental banner was there! If a unit’s banner is lost, the command of the unit would undergo a military tribunal and the unit itself would be disbanded. As soon as we reached our HQ I put the banner on the table. That was the reason of receiving my first award, the Order of the Red Star…

While in Poland, we had an occasion to fight against a detachment of vlasovtsy (the General Vlasov’s Russian anti-Soviet fighters). Knowing that a death penalty was waiting for all of traitors, they never gave themselves up.

Coincidentally, at that period we often saw now here, now there the German faustpatrons (a faustpatron is a handheld recoilless German anti-tank weapon), but we passed them because none of us knew how to handle those arms. To avoid the inevitable death two vlasovtsy came to our trench like “truce envoys” and instructed us detailedly in the use of faustpatrons. It was a great armament when you fight among buildings in a town. After the lesson we didn’t pass such finds as the faustpatrons anymore. And our “instructors” had been delivered alive to a special camp.

In Germany. Berlin

After the liberation of Warsaw we advanced westward and reached the Oder River. We forcedly crossed the frozen river forming the famous Küstrin bridgehead. The Germans launched there two extremely strong attacks but we repulsed both of them. Just at the bridgehead my first hand-to-hand fight took place (not a bayonet-to-bayonet one).

By the spring of 1945 we had a good experience in seizing cities (Kishinev, Warsaw etc.) and got to know that each city had its own features. However, Berlin was a special and surprising city. First of all, it was very big. Moreover, despite the famous German neatness, its lengthy approaches and outskirts looked incoherent.

We advanced toward the center of the city from the airport. The Germans retreated in disorderly fashion and it seemed that our victory was already just round the corner. Nevertheless, when we approached the central part of the city where mostly large houses with granite ground floors stood, our problems arose. For example, a long street lies, and such a house stands by an intersection. There are several embrasures in its ground floor – the entire street could be shot through. Try to direct tanks there! None is able to enter there. (It was an idiotic Grachev’s order to direct Federal tanks in the center of the Chechen capital city of Grozny in 1991). Actually a tank is unable to take part in street fighting! You throw a bottle filled with an incendiary blend – and the explosion destroys the tank, lock, stock, and barrel…

Well, it was decided to take Berlin by infantry. Six armies or so outflanked the city. The German troops resisted very hard but some soldiers gave up. In general, there was not an easy battle and our infantry played the key part in it. We had plenty of tanks but they didn’t enter the central area of the city. The heavy artillery guns also were located on the outskirts of Berlin. And the infantry entered the center of Berlin! Field engineers followed us. In the street fights we used not only SMGs and hand grenades, in case of need we made use of anti-tank grenades equipped with an external armored coat. Such a grenade had a terrible destructive power.

Most buildings seemed deserted when we entered them (all front doors of houses and apartments weren’t locked – there was such an order of the German Commandant). However, you could see in an empty house a warm pot on the oven. All women, children and aged people were sitting in basements. They feared us like the plague, they thought that we’ll take revenge. Of course, there was a lot what for! The Germans annihilated scores of our people! However, we acted according to Zhukov’s order: “If a German soldier gives himself up – don’t kill him!” A lot of leaflets were spread: “Give yourself up – the Soviet Command guarantees your life!” In general, we followed Zhukov’s order, although there were some sadists among us, too.

Our company received an order: to oust the enemy from a central street. Salkin, our company commander, gathered several of his most experienced subordinates and asked: “How should we realize our mission? Share your ideas with me.” I offered: “Every building here has two entrances – the main and the back ones. If you enter the house through the back entrance, you have an opportunity to reach the porch of an adjoining house and enter any apartment – you know that they aren’t locked.”

Salkin approved my plan and appointed the house we should start with. My fellow soldier and I entered the house and examined from the upper floor what was going on in the backyard. We saw several field kitchens and a pile of ammunition boxes with mortar shells there. A group of German soldiers were sitting all around the backyard. I directed my fellow soldier to bring the company and remained alone for about 50 minutes. Then the company joined me. We went downstairs to the third floor, opened all windows there and threw hand and anti-tank grenades at the Germans. Only a jumble remained of them, and the street became passable, while we had no casualties.

That was a perfect example of how it comes about when the commander thinks on the fate of each of his subordinates! Unfortunately, there were commanders of another sort. Some of them were able to send rashly their detachments toward a certain death without hesitation…

Each of the attacking regiments, battalions and companies were given a red banner to deliver to the roof of the Reichstag for raising the banner there. However, everything depended on the actual direction of your unit’s attack. Our division reached the Alexanderplatz (not far from there the future Soviet commandant of Berlin Colonel-General Nikolai Berzarin perished in a motorcycle accident that happened in June 1945).

There was a horrifying fire along the streets. You could see a jumble of corpses and torn parts of human bodies underfoot. During these street fights my second hand-to-hand fight came about. Both the German soldier and myself could be killed. However, I came through! I’ll never forget the battle for Berlin…

The closer we approached the Berlin’s center, the greater was the danger to everyone’s life. But everyone wants to live! One more block, one more house, one more attack – and that’s all! It smells of Victory! At the same time, if you make a single wrong step – that’s the end. So many pals were lost!

Our division reached the Friedrich’s Palace, just across the Reichstag. There the banner we were keeping had been raised. The Friedrich’s Palace was a work of architecture of a unique beauty, a true museum. The narrow Spree River flowed behind the palace. We also managed to reach the famous Brandenburg Gates (Brandenburger Tor in German). Most of buildings in the center of the city were burnt. (When I visited Berlin after the war the Soviet Embassy was not far from the Brandenburg Gates).

After we found ourselves at the very main points of the Third Reich's capital a feeling of a foretaste of Victory came to us. That day everyone impatiently tried to picture to himself – what would the victory look like?

Suddenly by the morning a complete silence came. What happened? Were our shells all over with? We couldn’t understand. All of a sudden our HQ’s portable radio delivered: “The Germans troops in Berlin capitulated. Don’t fire! Wait for instructions!” It was May 2, 1945, when the complete victory in the battle for Berlin had been announced. We saluted this event with cries of joy and firing in the air.

Long single files of German soldiers stepped down several appointed streets to the outskirts of the city. At the intersections Soviet armed submachine gunners stood, and the Germans piled up their arms there. Then, several column formations of unarmed Germans continued the stated way.

Despite our high mood, some sad occurrences took place these days, too. The first one happened in Berlin just on the day of its capitulation. Our comrade came running to us with interesting news: “In two blocks from here there is a clothing store. I saw there fantastic boxcalf boots!” (Our footwear were just boots made of the ersatz leather). The guy told us that five of our soldiers already went there. We were waiting for them for an hour or longer, and then the guy guided us. Two soldiers weren’t found but the three others were lying with their heads shot through. There was an ambush there…

As soon as the battle for Berlin came to the end, you could see many Soviet field-kitchens in the streets, where Red Army detachments were located. Free bread and hot meals were distributed there among German civilians.

After the Victory

The first two weeks after the Victory Day (May 9, 1945) our company stayed in the Wassergasse side street, then we were shifted to the Treptov Polizeikasernes in the Treptov Park. Actually, our company was under direct control of the regimental HQ. On these days it was not so easy to serve in Berlin, especially, “to go into the street.” Sometimes our political deputy regiment commander gave a commission to buy several bottles of beer (the beer was marvelous there!) Once, while standing in line for the beer, I was arrested by the commandant’s patrol. I was brought to the commandant’s office, they tore off my shoulder straps and put me in the guardhouse – I didn’t have the authorization to leave the casern. I was released only in the evening…

Even after the Victory Day bad events befell, and some Soviet soldiers had been killed in ambushes, sometimes because of their own carelessness or improvidence. Shortly after the stringent occupation regime was implemented.

Our unit had been transferred from the Treptov Park to the town of Zossen area. (Later the famous Jointed Headquarter of Occupation Troops lodged there, and the garrison’s HQ was at the Waißen See – a wonderful elite area). Nevertheless, even in the time of the stringent regime, twelve soldiers of our regiment disappeared for almost a week. It turned out that there was a deep dugout bunker on the territory of a former military camp outside the town. Some Soviet soldiers often entered it and went down. Once a group of them discovered an underground passage. It was 30-kilometers-long and led to munition factories. The soldiers examined everything there. That was the astonishing reason of their temporary disappearance!

Berlin was divided into four sectors: English, American, French, and Soviet. Ours was in the very center of the city. Our company acted as a guard detachment. The objects under our guarding were changed weekly. I remember in details how we guarded the Reichkanzlei, which remained undamaged. There was there an audience hall, where Hitler handed awards to well-deserved recipients. In the wall of the hall were built-in safes where the Reich’s awards were kept. We took a lot of them to exchange the awards later for cigarettes with Americans. In the USSR we had no cigarettes, only strong papirosses and poor tobacco. By the way, you could find everywhere a lot of German cigarettes, even cartons of them. We smoked these, too, but they were too light – instead of tobacco, they were stuffed with thin paper that was sodden with nicotine. (When I got to the front, I was a non-smoker and an abstainer. However, while smoking a cigarette, you can somewhat warm up your hands – and I began smoking).

While guarding the Reichkanzlei, I accidentally owned a famous Zeiss-camera. I was going to write a letter to my mother, and in order to take a sheet of paper I entered a room, where recently some aide-de-camps had worked. At random, I opened a drawer and saw the camera. Some German civilians explained to me that such a camera costed 300 reichsmarks before the war while the price of a cow was only 30 reichsmarks. Later, during the first devaluation of Soviet rouble, I managed to sell that camera for 17 000 roubles to help my mother.

For one week we guarded the former German Reichsbank’s building. Scandalous occurrences took place there shortly before, when another detachment guarded the building. At that time there was plenty of Soviet money there that the former President of the Reichsbank submitted to Soviet representatives. All of it was officially conveyed to the Soviet government. The next day absolutely by chance a lot of “extra money” was found.

An officer and a soldier of the guarding detachment, while idling away their time, fired a faustpatron at the external wall of the bank’s building. The hole in the wall had been formed and it was big enough. The soldier got into it and exclaimed gaily: “Comrade Lieutenant! Money! Roubles!” It turned out that the bank’s president didn’t submit to the Soviet officials his personal safe. There were in it metal boxes (filled with piasters, lire, and shillings) and cardboard boxes with Soviet money taken from the Smolensk, Pskov, and Novgorod provinces. Every one of guards stuffed their knapsacks with roubles. The guarding battalion commander sent 200 thousand roubles to the Army’s HQ in order to excel. However, this “present” triggered just searches and arrests. The investigators found as many as 300 thousand concealed Soviet roubles in the boxes where the Reichsbank’s files had been kept. The same night our company was awaked by alarm and delivered to the commandant of the city. He stood before our formation and asked some soldier: “How long ago did you depart from your home?” Soldier answered: “Two years…” Then the commandant addressed the formation: “Now you’ll receive the explanation of your unusual mission. Remember, if you discredit yourselves, you will no sooner see your home as your own ears!”

We were directed to replace the acting battalion in the Reichsbank. Our commander Salkin warned: “Don’t take anybody’s order! Don’t let anybody in! You must obey my personal orders only!” Several big brass representatives had visited us. And we worked hard – 13 bags of coin and scores of paper money were packed in three nights running. The Studebaker trucks had driven the riches away. After completing this special mission we returned to our unit. However, a mishap took place with our commander Salkin on the first day there. He liked cameras and had found one in a camera-case when we were working in the bank’s building. After our return, as soon as Salkin tried to open the case, several coins spilled out. He was arrested but very soon released, although they returned neither the camera nor the camera-case…

The most “profitable” object under our guarding was the so-called “17th guard” – alcohol base. It was a depot, where the alcohol from all points of Berlin had been delivered and collected. Two sorts of spirits, technical (ethyl) and refined, were kept separately. If you’d see our guards’ chances! Everybody had its own “output” of alcohol – a flask, a carboy or some can… Aviators visited us: “Guys, we brought presents for you – the leather pilot’s jackets. Please exchange them for spirits.”

Initially, for our own consumption of spirits we made it with fifty-fifty water dilution. However, the diluted alcohol proved to be warm and disgusting to taste. Fellows improved the taste by adding salt in the glass. And finally we came with the best procedure: you pour refined spirits up to a third of a glass and take it in one gulp. Immediately after that you take two gulps of water – and you are in perfect bliss! You get up in the morning – no hangover! A drink of water – you are in bliss again!

These days in Germany the unified occupation mark was in use and we were able to drive without restriction around all Berlin’s sectors. There were military trade stores in the Soviet sector but only officers could enter them. In allies’ sectors everyone could purchase anywhere. So we used to exchange with the Americans or the English some Reich’s awards for the marks. Moreover, after the deal they drove us to their stores by the Willys jeep. (In general, as members of the guard detachment, we took quite many liberties).

You had asked me also about the sexual contacts and rapes in Germany. I can say that if during a fighting some Soviet soldier accidentally bumped into a German woman, at that very moment she started preparing herself to make love with him. Foolish girls, it’s off the point! They were ready for anything so as not being killed.

We, the young Russians, were clean; we weren’t cynics, we weren’t rapists. Beyond question, we felt drawn for women; we flirted with our nurses and signalwomen. However, our generation was chaste and shamefaced. For example, it was very interesting to look at a bare woman but, on the other hand, you could feel ashamed at the same time (I’ll never forget the movie “Pyshka” after the Guy de Mopassan’s novelette).

After the stringent occupation regime was implemented neither the Germans nor we could commit anything unlawful. Nevertheless, some soldiers of our guarding detachment ventured to make love with young German women. Usually the consequences were sad: such a philanderer caught at least gonorrhea. It was said that the Nazis had formed some “female detachments” of young German women with venereal diseases. Supposedly, their mission was to infect as many Soviet soldiers as possible.

We were warned not to have contacts with German girls. Once our wise Colonel Kalashnikov shouted at the soldiers’ audience: “You, the ‘victors`! Your mothers and sisters are waiting for you, but you are going to bring home the Berlin’s gonorrhea on the tip of your penis, aren’t you?” Everybody roared with laughter…

In conclusion, I would say that the slogan “If a German gives up on his own – don’t kill him!” smoothed the mutual relations between Germans and us quite soon. Then you could see among the German population a full respect for us. No sabotage, no malevolence…

I was a senior sergeant when the war ended. The ordinary military life began in the garrison. It was unbearable for the recent frontline soldiers. Before taking dinner your detachment was assembled in a column starting its way to the regimental canteen. The sergeant-major orders: “Lead the singing!” But nobody wants to. As the column silently reached the canteen, a new sergeant-major’s command sounds: “To the rear double-quick march!” Not far from the caserne you hear the next command: “Halt! Right face! Lead the singing!” And again nobody sings…

The General HQ decided to get rid of the frontline soldiers as soon as possible, and the demobilization started. In the first category were the aged soldiers. Because of being shell-shocked, I found myself in the second category. Nevertheless, they suggested that I become a cadet of an infantry military college. My instant response was a firm no. You may remember that I always dreamed of becoming an actor!

Interviewed by A. Drabkin.

Recorded and initially edited the Russian text by S. Anisimov.

Finally edited the Russian text and translated it

into English by I. Kobylyanskiy.

Edited the English text by T. Marvin.

In Odessa

在敖德萨

我与1926年出生于文尼察。1932年由于父亲工作的关系我们家搬迁到了敖德萨。在20世纪的头十年里我父亲是亚历山大二世高等技术学校（有可能是莫斯科高等技术学校-译者注）机械系桥梁建筑专业的学生。（顺便说一句，同一时期，鲍里斯罗辛斯基，未来的“俄罗斯航空工业的祖父”也就读于高等技术学校。）

1905年，尼古拉鲍曼，著名的俄国布尔什维克职业革命家，在被杀害后在高级技术学院市民们为他举行了葬礼。因为我的父亲是一位很好的演说家，所以他在鲍曼的棺椁旁，朗诵了伟大的俄罗斯诗人米哈伊尔莱蒙托夫所写的充满着控诉的诗句“你们，傲慢的子孙们…..”尽管我父亲并不是任何政党的成员，他仍然接受了这个建议——演讲对他来说正是一件愉快的事情。该校的副校长召见了他并告诉他“你虽然是个小角色，但如果你在葬礼上朗诵了这篇诗歌，就会在24小时内被从莫斯科流放出去同时被计入黑名单。在帝国内没有一个教育机构会接受你。”我父亲并没有理会这一威胁仍然在葬礼上进行了朗诵并且……”远走高飞”。最初他在轻工业行业中工作，之后在敖德萨成为了一名数学老师。在那之后很久我父亲才不再当老师转而成为一家研究机构的成员。

我母亲的大多数亲戚都和敖德萨的歌剧界有着不同程度的联系。我外祖父是个巡夜人，而我母亲的姐姐，波利亚姨妈则是个看门人。而我妈妈则是在同一个剧场里的裁缝。由于这个缘故我从很小的时候开始就很迷恋剧场。那时候我肯定以后要成为一个演员。在六年级的时候，我成为学校木偶剧团的成员，并且在普希金的“渔夫和鱼”的故事中扮演那个老者（渔夫？）。

在战争爆发的时候我已经很难想起我跟我父亲之间的一些事情了。他想跟我谈谈，但是我却因为忙于自己的事情而回绝了他。我父亲因此而感到不安。此后，当我需要父亲的关怀时，却已经太迟了——他已经在战斗中阵亡了。

尽管他的年龄和健康状况都不适合服役，但我的父亲仍然在6月22日以后很快就奔赴前线。他熟悉野战工程兵的业务并应征入伍。1941年9月13日我们收到了他的阵亡通知书。

A member of the Fighter Battalion

成为歼击营的一员

1941年我15岁，升学进入九年级就读。在战争爆发的第一天我就和几个十几岁的孩子加入了当地的歼击营。（歼击营是在战争爆发后不久苏联在西部地区的一个组织。是由平民中的志愿者动员组建的，最初计划是在当地和入侵者作战。大多数歼击营都由步兵武器进行装备。）作为歼击营中最小的成员我们有一项特殊的任务：在空袭警报响起的时候我们要爬到屋顶上特别建造的建筑物里去警戒，当燃烧弹扔下来的时候，我们把炸弹移走并且运到下边，然后用沙子把炸弹埋住。

德军和罗马尼亚军队向敖德萨发起了猛烈进攻但是这座城市仍然进行了长时间的顽强抵抗。很快我们的民兵营受命撤退，最初我们撤向黑海沿岸，之后乘船撤到了尼古拉耶夫。我们最终的目的地是位于北奥赛梯的莫兹多克。到那里我们所有的民兵成员都得到命令升级改编成野战军。我的年纪太小所以没有参军的资格。然而，在我一再的央求下一些好心人帮我在年龄履历上往大虚报了几岁。我发现自己是在“步兵部队之母”的团中服役：当时隶属于外高加索方面军第416阿塞拜疆步兵师的第1374步兵团。我在这个师服役一直到战争结束。

At the time of our arrival to Mozdok the division was re-forming and I received a uniform and a rifle.

Meanwhile, the German troops managed to occupy a substantial part of the Soviet land including my hometown Odessa. (My mom had left the city and already stayed in Vinnitsa with her uncle and aunt).

当时我们转移到了莫兹多克，我们师进行了整编，同时我也领到了军服和步枪。

当时，德国军队占领了包括我的家乡敖德萨在内的大量苏联领土（我妈妈逃离了该城，转往文尼察她的叔叔婶婶家里。）

The Hungarian, Italian and Romanian troops supported the Hitler's forces. It was a very hard period for the Red Army, and scores of our warriors had been taken prisoners. Their fate was terrible.

匈牙利、意大利和罗马尼亚军队当时都站在希特勒匪帮一边参战。对于红军来说这是一段艰苦的时期，我军的许多士兵都在战争中被俘，他们的命运很悲惨。

在苏联沦陷区德国人以胜利者自居。他们被告知我们是肮脏、卑贱的俄国猪。那些从占领区逃离的平民都在倾诉占领区的生活是多么的可怕。占领军强奸当地年轻妇女。德国人也征召当地人组成警察部队，而且这些警察都格外的残暴。

At the Third Ukrainian Front

在乌克兰第三方面军

在得到了加强之后我们师在1943年秋天开始参战。当时我们隶属于乌克兰第三方面军第5突击集团军。师长是苏兹里亚诺夫少将，副师长是吉乌瓦诺夫少将。他们都是很机智且细致的指挥员。他们在激烈的战斗中都能身先士卒。突击集团军是为了进行突破和跨越河流而特别进行训练与装备的部队。

很快我们开始将敌军撵跑。在渡过第聂伯河后我们解放了尼古拉耶夫、敖德萨……在1944年夏天难耐的酷暑中我们渡过了南布格河并一直向前挺进。那是一个有着许多葡萄和到处都有食物的地方。

现在德军在我们的进攻下节节败退是再清楚不过的形势了。不过他们在战斗中投入了一种可怕的武器—火焰喷射器。我有个朋友是西伯利亚人，一个很好的伙伴。他是一名副排长，军衔是大士。他经常帮助我！作为一个城里人，我很不适应长途行军。我的靴子是一双士兵制式的要缠裹绑腿的靴子。在第一次我经过了30公里的长距离行军以后，我们的连队停下来准备晚餐，我记得我当时已经没法走路了。我的脚上满是血泡。卫生院帮我清洁了双脚，用小刀刺破了血泡并敷上了]鱼石脂（一种药）。我的西伯利亚朋友在这一过程中一直在照料我，在只有我们俩在的时候，他悄悄对我说“我看你太受罪了，你想不想离开部队？我建议你好好想想：你是不是真的能忍受艰苦的军旅生涯？”“是的”我回答他“既来之则安之，别胡思乱想，说不定还能活得长点。如果总是想着命运之类的东西，不集中精神的话，你可能就会吃枪子。”

在接下来我们进攻基什尼奥夫的战斗中，我的好朋友被隐藏在角落里的德军用火焰喷射器烧死。我现在仍然记得他垂死时的尖叫。我们徒劳的往他身上盖粘土试图灭火但最终无用。我以如此可怕的方式失去了一位好朋友……

我们在雅西—基什尼奥夫战役中失去了很多战友。直到现在我都记得在那段痛苦的日子里给我的余生带来的伤害。德军坦克部队撤向了通往蒂拉斯波尔的道路，同时他们也惩处了一大堆通敌者，甚至是那些为了躲避苏军的前进而从敖德萨逃离的人。这些坦克碾碎了这些平民以及和他们一起上路的马车和牲口。对这些叛国者来说这是应有的下场

我应该提醒你在我们的进攻开始以前，德军向我们发动了数次进攻。敌军当时拥有不少坦克，在一次猛烈的进攻中他们企图“熨平”我们的散兵坑。

在整个雅西—基什尼奥夫地区的激战结束后，我所在的连队总共只剩下不超过50个人。上级决定解散这个连。营长把所有的上了岁数的年老士兵都调到了补给排，我们被加强到了冲锋枪连。所以，在这里我第一次领到了冲锋枪代替了以前的步枪。我想可能是在冲锋枪连服役的缘故我才在战争中幸存了下来。我想可能是冲锋枪连是步兵单位中有点特权的单位。这种连队的职责一般是保卫指挥部，联络师部之类的任务。除此之外，在夜间我们把自己的战斗位置至于战壕之后的10-15米左右，这样我们就可以为休息的步兵提供警戒同时还能为侦察任务提供支援。实战中，我们经常能遇到危险的情况。连队满编的时候超过100人但是到柏林的时候我的战友只剩下29个。最后一批补充进部队的士兵也就17、8岁，还都是孩子呢！

Salkin was a marvelous man! Usually he asked us: “Hey, boys, how should we perform this mission with few casualties?” And all of us sought over the mission together…

萨尔金中尉，我们冲锋枪连可敬的连长也在战争中非常照顾我。他是在柏林的战斗中被任命为连长的。萨尔金以前是个水手。不久以前他被派到惩戒连服役。众所周知的惩戒连总是在战斗中被投入到最危险的地段。

萨尔金真是非凡的男子汉！他总是问我们“嗨，小伙子们，我们怎么怎么干能用最少的伤亡完成这个任务？”而我们会一起来讨论执行任务的方案……

你问我在连队里我们用什么型号的冲锋枪。我们最好的冲锋枪是PPS-43（苏达耶夫式冲锋枪）。这种枪比PPsh41更轻而且更稳定。我们也经常使用德国的MP40冲锋枪（施迈瑟式）。首先，你没法把连队的武器都统一成一种，其次，我们手里也有很多缴获的该枪弹药。

我们的连队和所有步兵部队的行军方式一样——就是用两条腿。我们只有两辆马车，两名驭手（都是阿塞拜疆人）以及四匹马。他们通常在队列的后边而且不参加战斗。在我们的部队里有一个主管后勤的副团长加德杰夫上校，他是个胖子。一次在进攻的战斗中，他坐在他自己宽敞的马车上远远的跟着部队。突然德军的一架飞机临空，加德杰夫立刻从马车上跳到了路边的一个沟里。炸弹炸碎了马车和马。他完全吓坏了而且大喊“他们要杀了我”—对他来说这确实是太突然了。

In Poland

在波兰

在解放了基什尼奥夫之后我们向布加勒斯特挺进，出乎意料的是我们接到了另外一项命令，我们被送上了军列运到了波兰，科韦利城地区。从那时开始我们师隶属于白俄罗斯第一方面军。我军发起了新的进攻战役，德军在波兰的防线准备充分而且部队抵抗的很顽强，我们在这一地区经历了多次战斗。

几乎所有的波兰平民都没有从家乡逃离。在从摩尔多瓦进入波兰的时候我们很快发现了两个地区的居民在生活上的巨大差异。

摩尔多瓦有丰富的水果、食品和酒，而在波兰—只有土豆和牛奶，而他们最好的也是唯一的饮品就是劣等的伏特加。

- Will you, Pan (Sir), go to beat the German?

- We’ll go, Pan, we’ll go.

- Will you organize collective farms?

- Nitz nie rozumie (we don’t understand anything.)

Most Polish rural population consisted of farmers, they lived in hamlets. After hearing from Soviet soldiers what a collective farm means, they hated that method of management in the country.

最开始的时候波兰人很友善的招待我们，和我们一张桌子上分享食物。我们带来的食品更好：有名的罐头咸肉（这是军官的配给）和罐头焖肉（士兵配给）。我们很快就开始聊天。

-你，长官，去打德国佬？

-我们也会去，长官，我们也去

-你们那种地的都在集体农庄里？

- Nitz nie rozumie（我们听不懂）

大多数波兰的农村人口都是农民，聚居于村落中。在从苏联士兵那里听到了集体农庄的含义后，他们开始讨厌波兰的制度。

在波兰的村庄和居民点居住的时候，我们注意到只有当地只有生活贫苦的居民而且他们对我们也抱怀疑的态度。很快部队就严令不得进入当地人的家中居住。在这段时间内我们在森林中扎营。这么做的原因是为了防备Armiya Krayova（似应为波兰国家军—译者注）的武装部队（忠于波兰流亡政府的军事组织）。他们不但袭击我军士兵，而且还屠杀那些为苏军士兵提供居住条件的波兰人。

一次我们遇到了一个波兰医生，他的波兰语和俄语都很流利。他建议我们的连长不要和当地人讨论关于类似于集体农庄的话题，他们的思想都非常复杂，尽管当地人都很痛恨德国统治，他们恨德国人……

造成波兰人对红军所持的这种矛盾态度的一个更加重要的原因—就是两个月以前的，华沙起义的失败，这次起义是在1944年8月1日开始的。这次在华沙的首都进行的攻击德军卫戍部队的起义是位于伦敦的波兰流亡政府组织的。波兰国家军（The Armiya Krayova）部队和许多当地的波兰武装都加入了这次起义。这次起义的主要目标就是在红军到达华沙并带来共产主义政权之前抢占这座城市。所以当德国军队镇压起义者的时候苏联并未没有支援他们……

到1945年1月初，红军在华沙附近夺取了拉多姆和桑多梅日两个方向的桥头堡。我们师经过四天行军抵达拉多姆桥头堡。虽然气温很低但是禁止点燃篝火取暖。我们非常的冷，因为我们六个人只有三件军用大衣和三件防水披肩。

对华沙的进攻主要是通过冰冻的维斯瓦河展开的。这个方向实在是出乎德军的意料之外，最终他们也遭到了惨败。根据朱可夫元帅的部署，攻击部队从城市旁边进行迂回并一直向西进攻。而其他部队则消灭被围的敌人。

我们师通过桥头堡向德军的主阵地发起进攻。那里的无人地带布满了地雷。因此我们连队分成了三个战斗群，分别跟随三个梯队的坦克前进。坦克载着我们通过了雷区，之后我们跳下坦克并伴随它们展开进攻。我处在第二梯队。

第一梯队展开进攻后，很快就遭到了敌人的直射火力射击，所有坦克和步兵都遭到了损失。我们的梯队进入了一个只能听得到炮弹嘶嘶作响的地带，而炸点都在我们后边很远。然而仍然有一枚炮弹打中了我们：我听到了炮弹来袭的声音然后……就失去了知觉。我像一节木头一样：不能动，不能听也不能说…..

当一支部队在进攻的时候，其卫生营要在第一时间就收容该部的伤员只有这样他们才能得到及时的救治。我是幸运的：我们连运送面包的车发现了我。军官把我抬到了面包上并将我移交给了卫生营。我在那里花了两个半星期处理伤口（用一点酒精来擦洗）之后我又能下地走路了。他们想把我转送到后方医院但是我不同意—无论如何也不同意！在前线对我来说最糟糕的事情莫过于离开自己的部队……

我们师继续向西进攻。在天气变暖以后泥泞不堪的道路已经无法通行任何诸如火炮、卡车和满载货物的马车之类的重型车辆。而我们则是步兵，所以要继续向前进。让我十分难忘的是当我们越过一段铁路路基进入一片开阔地的时候…….突然发现我们居然在著名的德国坦克组成的队伍中间“老虎！”一场小规模战斗一触即发但是我们手中没有任何可以对付这些大家伙的武器！我们匆匆的撤退了。我记得当时我们的团长卡拉什尼科夫上校，冲着一辆疾驰的马车大喊“停下！别直起身子，趴下！”但是在我们撤退的时候德国人开始用曳光弹从背后向我们射击……谢天谢地，德国坦克不能像我们一样越过铁路的路基，所以他们用坦克炮进行轰击。我们设法撤到了一个宽敞的谷仓中就在这时一枚炮弹在附近爆炸。谷仓的一个门被打飞并向我飞来，但就在那一刻我被军官拉开幸免于受伤。卡拉什尼科夫上校受伤了，同时一些长的弹药箱从马车上掉了出来。我打开了其中一个—wow，这是我们团的团旗！如果一个部队的队旗丢失了，那么指挥官就得上军事法庭，而且这个单位会被才撤掉。当我们到达指挥部的时候我把这面团旗放在了桌子上。由于这个原因我获得了我的第一枚勋章，红星勋章……

Coincidentally, at that period we often saw now here, now there the German faustpatrons {该处应为faustpatrone——} (a faustpatron is a handheld recoilless German anti-tank weapon), but we passed them because none of us knew how to handle those arms. To avoid the inevitable death two vlasovtsy came to our trench like “truce envoys” and instructed us detailedly in the use of faustpatrons. It was a great armament when you fight among buildings in a town. After the lesson we didn’t pass such finds as the faustpatrons anymore. And our “instructors” had been delivered alive to a special camp.

在波兰期间，我们和弗拉索夫分子（苏联的弗拉索夫将军组织的反苏武装）交过手。我们知道等着这些叛国者的是死刑，他们从不在战斗中投降。

巧合的是，在这段时间里我们经常不是在这就是在那缴获到德军的铁拳（铁拳是一种德军的单兵无后座力反坦克武器）；但是我们由于不知道怎么使用这种武器，所以并不留用。为了避免注定的死亡命运，两名弗拉索夫分子以“停战谈判使者”的身份到我们的战壕中向我们详细的介绍如何使用铁拳。当你在城镇中作战的时候这是一种很不错的武器。在学会了之后我们就从不放弃在任何地方找到的铁拳。而我们的“教官”们则被安全的送到特别营地集中。

In Germany. Berlin

在德国柏林

在解放了华沙以后我们继续向西进攻抵达了奥德河。我们在著名的屈斯特林桥头堡附近通过冰冻的河面强渡过河。德军发动了两次极其凶猛的进攻但是都被我们挡住了。就是在这个桥头堡上我第一次面对面的和敌人战斗（并不是白刃战）

在1945年春天我们已经有了很好的城市作战经验（基什尼奥夫，华沙）而且总结出每个城市都有自己的特色。然而，柏林确实是个很特别而且充满着惊奇的城市。首先，这座城很巨大，其次，尽管大家都知道德国城市很整洁，但是柏林的远郊和近郊的许多居民点看上去很杂乱无章。

我们从飞机场向市中心进攻。德国人混乱的向后溃退，形势看上去我们的胜利已经是唾手可得了。但是当我们进攻到市区中心地带的时候，那里布满了花岗岩地基的高大建筑，这时候我们的麻烦就来了。比如说，在一条长街上，这样的建筑位于十字路口，在一层会有许多射击口，这样的话整个街道就被火力控制了。我们试过使用坦克作战，但没法通过街道。（1991年在车臣首都格罗兹尼市中心的战斗中格拉乔夫——时任俄罗斯国防部长，译者注——直接使用坦克部队的命令简直就是白痴！）事实上坦克根本就没法在巷战中作战！你只要扔出燃烧瓶—爆炸就会摧毁坦克，这时候坦克就是个封口的、装满了各种东西的铁皮罐子。

所以，上边决定用步兵占领柏林。大约六个集团军包围了这座城市。德军的抵抗非常顽强但是仍有不少士兵投降。总的来说，这不是一次轻松的战役，我们这些步兵在这次战役中扮演了关键角色。我军有许多坦克但是他们并不进入市中心地带。那些重炮也被部署在柏林的市郊。步兵杀进了柏林的中心！战斗工兵跟着我们。在巷战中我们使用冲锋枪和手榴弹作战，在有些情况下我们会用加装了预置破片套的反坦克手雷来对付敌人。这种手榴弹有着可怕的威力。

当我们进入大多数建筑物的时候看上去都是废弃的建筑物（所有的大楼正门和公寓的门都没有锁上——这是德国指挥部门的命令）。然后你就会看到在一间空屋子的炉灶上放着空空的暖壶。所有的妇女、儿童和老人都躲到了地下室。他们看待我们就像灾难来临一样，他们认为我们是来复仇的。当然，我们很有理由这么干！德国人杀了多少我们的人民！尽管如此，朱可夫仍然下令：“如果德国军人投降，就要保全其生命！”许多传单上都这样写着“如果你投降——苏联指挥部门会承诺保证你的生命。”总的来说，我们遵守了这一命令，尽管我军士兵中也有一些人施加了暴行。

我们连接到了命令：把中央大街的敌人肃清。我们的连长萨尔金，把我们这些经验丰富的下级聚集在一起并且问到“我们应该怎么完成这个任务？大家都给我出出主意。”我建议道“这里的每一栋建筑都有两个门—正门和后门，如果我们从后门进入建筑，就可以从那里进入紧邻的走廊并进而能通向每一间房屋—你知道他们并不是在每个地方都设防”萨尔金批准了我的方案并指定了开始行动的建筑。我和跟随我的一队士兵进入了建筑并且从上层侦查了后院的情况。我们看到那有野战厨房，还有一大堆迫击炮炮弹和弹药箱。一群德国士兵坐满了院子。我让我手下的士兵去把连队带到这里来，而我独自在那大约50分钟。之后整个连队都来了，我们向下到了三层，突然打开所有窗户向外扔手雷和反坦克手雷。德军顿时大乱，而我们没有付出任何伤亡就扫清了街道。这是一个指挥官避免部下伤亡取得胜利的完美战例！不幸的是，这样的指挥官在部队中是少数。许多军官都会在战斗中草率的把他们的部队打发到绝境中去……

每一个参加战斗的团、营和连都拥有一面红旗为的是把这面旗帜插到国会大厦的顶端去，尽管如此，每支部队还是有自己的攻击方向。我们师抵达了亚历山大广场（后来的苏联驻柏林卫戍司令别尔扎林中将在1945年6月死于车祸的地点就离这不远）。

街道上的战火令人胆颤心惊。你能在脚底下看到杂乱的尸体和血腥的人体残肢。在这次巷战中我经历了第二次面对面的战斗。德国人和我之间的战斗你死我活。不管怎么说，我还是活了下来！我永远也忘不了柏林之战……

我们越是接近柏林市中心，每个士兵就越是要冒着更大的危险。但每个人都希望能活下来！到处都是人，到处都是建筑，到处都是激战—这就是全部！胜利已经触手可及了！在这个时候，如果你走错了一步，那么一切都结束了。许多好兄弟就是这么牺牲了。

在我们发现自己已经是处在第三帝国首都的核心地带时就感觉到胜利已经向我们在招手了。这一天所有人都迫不及待的想知道—胜利到底是什么！

突然在一天早上四周完全沉寂了，到底发生了什么？我们的炮弹打完了？我们百思不得其解。突然所有指挥部里的收音机都响了“柏林的德国军队已经停止抵抗。现在停火！等待下一步命令！”这一天是1945年5月2日，这宣告着柏林战役已经以红军的胜利而告结束。我们流着喜悦的泪水互相敬礼，向天鸣枪庆祝。

长长的德军士兵队列从许多街道中向城市的郊区走去。十字路口站着全副武装的苏军冲锋枪手，德国人走到跟前把他们的武器堆放在那里。这时候有许多解除了武装的德国士兵沿着规定的道路行进。

Despite our high mood, some sad occurrences took place these days, too. The first one happened in Berlin just on the day of its capitulation. Our comrade came running to us with interesting news: “In two blocks from here there is a clothing store. I saw there fantastic box calf boots!” (Our footwear were just boots made of the ersatz leather). The guy told us that five of our soldiers already went there. We were waiting for them for an hour or longer, and then the guy guided us. Two soldiers weren’t found but the three others were lying with their heads shot through. There was an ambush there…

尽管我们士气高涨，但这些天也发生了一些悲剧性事件。第一件正好是在柏林德军停止抵抗的那天发生的。我们的同志给我们带来了一个大家都感兴趣的消息：“从这走过去两个街区有一间服装店。我看到那看到了不少漂亮的小牛皮靴子”

（我们穿的只是人造革的靴子）。这个家伙告诉我们可以让五个人跟着他去。我们等了差不多一个小时时间或者更长，然后那个家伙又把我们带了过去。两个兄弟失踪了，另外三人个人则头部中弹躺在那。这个地方有埋伏……

在柏林战役结束的时候，你就能看到街道上哪里有苏军部队，哪里就有野战炊事车。向德国平民发放免费的面包和热汤。

After the Victory

胜利之后

在胜利日（1945年5月9日）之后的最初两周我们连在柏林的阿列曼尼亚（Wassergasse——字面意思为德语水煤气）街区驻扎，然后我们到转移到了特雷普托公园（Treptov Park，似应为Treptower Park，可能是不同语言转译的问题，现在这个公园中有苏军烈士墓——译者注）的特雷普托警察局中。事实上我们连现在直接受到团部的指挥。那些天在柏林服役可不怎么容易，特别是“上街去”的时候。有时候我们团的政治副团长会让我们去买一些啤酒（那些啤酒真是太不错了！）有一次，在成排的啤酒旁边我被司令部的巡逻队扣住了。结果我被带到了司令部办公室，他们拆掉了我的肩章把我押进了禁闭室——原因是无命令离开营区。在那呆了一晚上我就被释放了……

甚至在胜利日后也有悲剧发生，有些苏军士兵被德国的残兵杀害了，有些时候是因为他们自己的粗心大意所致。很快苏军开始贯彻严格的占领制度。

我们部队从特雷普托公园移防到了措森地区。（此后著名的联合占领军司令部就位于这个地方，而卫戍司令部则在瓦伊斯湖畔——一个很漂亮的地方）然而，即使有如此严格的占领制度，我们团还是有12名士兵失踪了一个多星期。在镇外有的一个前军营里有一条很深的掩蔽壕，一些苏联士兵经常会进去然后下到里边。一次有一队苏联士兵发现下边有一条地道。大约30公里长而且通向一个军需品工厂。这些士兵详细的勘察了所有的地方。这就是为什么他们会短暂的失踪了。

柏林被分成了四个地区：英国、美国、法国和苏联占领区。我们在这个城市的最中心。我们连作为警卫部队，保卫的目标每周都会更换。我清楚的记得在总理府警戒的时候，这座建筑还没有被毁坏。那里有一个大厅，希特勒在那里为获奖者授勋。在大厅的墙上的内置保险柜中有留存的德意志帝国的勋章、我们把这些东西拿出来，后来和美国人换香烟。在苏联的时候我们没有香烟，只有自制的呛人的纸烟卷和劣质烟草。顺便说一句，在那也能找到不少德国香烟，甚至是成箱的。我们也抽这些德国烟，但是抽起来没劲儿—除了烟草之外，把这它们用浸满了烟碱的薄纸卷起来抽。（我刚到前线去的时候，既不抽烟也不喝酒。但是在抽烟的时候，多少能暖暖手—所以我也开始抽烟了）。

在保卫总理府其间，我偶然弄到了一个著名的蔡司照相机。当时我正在给我妈妈写信，我走进一间最近有一些副官曾经办公过的屋子，想找张纸。我随便拉开了一个抽屉就看到了那个相机。曾经有德国平民跟我说过在战前这么一台相机值300马克，那时候一头母牛也就30马克。之后，在苏联卢布第一次贬值的时候，我把这台相机卖了17000卢布以贴补我母亲。

我们在前德国总理府执行了一周的警备任务。不久以前在另外一支部队警备这个建筑物的时候发生了一件丑闻。当时前德国国家银行行长上缴给苏联代表一批苏联货币。所有这些都会正式的移交给苏联政府。结果恰好在第二天就有一批“未在移交清单中的钱”偶然被找到了。

该警备部队的一名军官和一名士兵，当时因为无聊，用铁拳把银行的外墙给炸坏了。发现在墙壁里有很大的密室。这名士兵钻进去然后大叫“中尉同志！钱！卢布！”他们找到了银行行长私藏起来没有交给苏联官方的那批货币。那里边有一批金属箱子（装满了比索、里拉和先令）还有从斯摩棱斯克、普斯科夫和诺夫哥罗德省运来的装着苏联货币的纸箱子。这支部队的每一个人都用卢布塞满了背包。这个营的营长为了炫耀还给集团军司令部送去了20万卢布。结果，这个“大礼”带来的则是调查和拘捕。调查者在德国国家银行的档案中发现这些箱子中装了大约30万卢布。当天晚上我们连就被紧急集合的警报给惊醒了，然后就到了城防卫戍司令那。他站在队列前，问一些士兵“离家多长时间了”士兵回答“两年了”之后司令在队列前讲话“现在你们将去执行一项不同寻常的任务。你们要牢记，如果你们有什么不够检点的行为的话，那你们就再也看不见家乡了。”

我们直接取代了之前那支部队的防务。萨尔金连长警告我们“不要听从任何别人的命令！不许任何人进入！你们只能执行我本人的命令！”很多高级官员都到我们这来参观。而我们干的活非常累—用了三个晚上把13个塞满了硬币的大包和打包的大量纸币运走。用斯图贝克卡车把这些财产都运走了。在完成了这一特殊任务之后我们归建了。然而回来的第一天我们连长萨尔金就闯祸了。他很喜欢照相机然后他在我们执行任务的银行里找到了一个相机匣子。在我们回来之后萨尔金就试着打开这个匣子，结果一大堆硬币掉了出来。他因此被捕不过很快就被释放，尽管回来的时候既没有相机也没有相机匣子……

我们执行过的最“有利可图”的任务是被称为“第17号警备”—酒厂。那是一个仓库，里头装着从柏林全程搜集和收缴的酒。两种白酒，精制的那种，被单独分了出来。你看看我们的运气！每个人都有自己的“产量”—用小玻璃瓶、大瓶子或者是罐头…..飞行员会来找我们“兄弟们，我们给你们带来了礼物—飞行员皮夹克。用它们换酒喝吧。”

最开始的时候，我们拿出来的酒都要往里兑水，达到各占一半的比例。但是这种兑了水的酒不够劲而且不好喝。接下来为了改进口味会往玻璃杯放盐。最后我们找到了一种最好的工序：往玻璃杯里倒上大约三分之一的精酿白酒，一口喝下去，然后马上喝上两口水—那时你就会觉得身在仙境！你第二天早上起来的时候—不会宿醉！喝水的时候你还能喝出酒味！

那些天里在德国统一的占领区市场已经开始开放，我们可以在柏林周边的所有地区不受约束的开车。在苏联占领区有只对军官开放的军需商店。在盟军占领区则是所有人都可以在任何地方买东西。我们经常会用德国勋章和美国或者英国人换东西。而且在交易以后他们会开着威利斯吉普带着我们去他们店铺。（总的来说，作为警备队的成员，我们有不少特权）。

-我们，年轻的俄罗斯小伙子们，是清清白白的：我们并不愤世嫉俗，我们也不是强奸犯。除了这些问题，我们希望亲近女人；我们跟护士和女报务员打情骂俏。尽管如此，我们这一代人是朴素且羞涩的。比如说，我们会对女人的裸体很感兴趣，但是从另一方面来说，同时我们也会感到害羞。（我一直记得根据莫泊桑{ 应为Guy de Maupassant，原文可能是转译的问题—译者注 }的中篇小说拍摄的电影“羊脂球”）

在严格的占领制度确立之后无论是德国人还是我们都不得私下接触。但是，我们警备队的一些士兵们仍然冒险去和年轻的德国姑娘做爱。通常结果都是悲剧性的：这些浪子们最少会患淋病。据说纳粹曾经用那些有性病的年轻女人组成“女子特遣队”，她们的任务应该是尽可能的把性病传染给苏联军人。

上边警告我们不要和德国女孩接触。有一次我们的团长，足智多谋的卡拉什尼科夫上校对士兵训话“你们是胜利者！你们的母亲和姐妹们等着你们回家。但是你们回家的时候阴茎上却带着柏林的淋病！啊？！”所有在场的人都哄堂大笑……

战争结束的时候我是一名上士。开始了在卫戍区服役的平凡的军队生活。对于那些曾在前线参战的士兵来说这种生活太无法忍受了。在晚饭前要把部队结合成纵队向团的食堂行进。大士会喊“预备起”但是没谁愿意唱。等队列沉默着走向食堂的时候，另外一个大士会命令“向后转！跑步走！”跑了不远你就会听到‘立定！向右转！预备起！“然后还是没人唱……

Interviewed by A. Drabkin.

Recorded and initially edited the Russian text by S. Anisimov.

Finally edited the Russian text and translated it

into English by I. Kobylyanskiy.

Edited the English text by T. Marvin.

采访：德尔布坎

记录和初次俄语校对：阿尼西莫夫

二次俄语校对和俄译英：Kobylyanskiy.

英语校对；马尔文

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此贴已由管理员在 2010-1-11 10:42:18 执行 +380分 操作

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