Today in Russia and the world the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War is being celebrated. The importance of this historical event is increasing every year. The memories of the people of the former Soviet Union about the war is supported by mutual values. The Victory Day was procured by our unity. It is an opportunity to pay tribute to all those who fought and worked in the home front during the wartime. People, who led the country to the Victory, were interviewed by Vestnik Kavkaza. Deych Meyer, a veteran of World War II, shared his memories of the war:
I was born in the city of Daugavpils in Latvia. At the start of the war, I was evacuated to the Kirov Oblast, the city of Urzhum, the village of Tsepochkino. There were twenty of us from Latvia, young, mostly Komsomol members. We immediately filed a form to be enlisted in the army. Just then, the Latvian division was being formed, and our forms were accepted, and we were sent to Gorokhovets, where the Latvian Rifle Division was being formed.
The Latvian Rifle Division started the fight at Moscow, at Yelagin, the offensive on Naro-Fominsk. There, we were marching as the second echelon, when the offensive on Moscow started on December 6, 1941. Then, on December 20, our division joined in, replaced the first echelon. Reinforcements arrived for the first echelon. I was a private, the operator of the second Maksim machine-gun.
At first, I fought at Naro-Fominsk, then I was moved to Borovsk from there. At Borovsk, on December 31, right on the New Year's Eve, I was wounded for the first time. I was in Moscow by January 1, 1942. It was my first visit to Moscow.
After being wounded, I got to a hospital, was treated in Moscow, then in Murom, then I was taken back to the Urals.
We were unaware of what was going on. Teams were made and sent there. Then it turned out to be a mistake, but we were unaware. While working there, I learned they were mostly arrested, and I thought: 'What have I got to do with that?' I went to an enlistment office again, I asked for enlistment again. They asked: 'Who are you?' I say: 'Well the Latvian division was formed, and we are supposed to be there.' Are you Latvian?' 'Yes, I am Latvian.' In reality, I am Jewish, I was afraid to admit it. If you said you are Jewish, you would not be sent.
Generally, I returned to the unit again, I started studies, classes of junior lieutenants, I studied for three or four months there.I was promoted to junior lieutenant, sent back to the frontline, although I studied to become a mortar man, but the commander did not need mortar men there. I was appointed as the commander of a squad of anti-tank guns. I had to learn new equipment again.
There turned out to be an offensive on Simonovo in the Leningrad Oblast too. Three German tanks appeared in the offensive there. I had only one company in my platoon, they were arrested too: hooligans, thieves, swindlers, but they were fighters, combative guys. They shot two tanks, one got away, but since the place was open, we opened fire at them, of course, someone got injured there, someone killed. I was wounded for the second time then and I went to the hospital in Yaroslavl again.
After being treated, I was sent to the division again. After that, it was... It was 1943 then, no, 1942, no, 1943. By 1943, I had taken command of a mortar platoon, the commander of a mortar platoon, then the commander of a mortar company. In general, I fought until the end of the war, before making it to Latvia, then we were finishing the ones left in Latvia, practically surrounded. There was a very strong group, it was holding off practically to Victory Day.
We marked Victory Day at 2pm on May 8, and we learned that the Germans were the ones to capitulate. We were given the order to attack. Because the day was rainy, it was pouring at night, and all the roads got wet, and the carts could not pass, and we basically stopped with ordinary weapons. And when we started the offensive, a white flag was raised. That’s how the war was over for me.
