By Vestnik Kavkaza
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. Alexei Aksyonov, a veteran of World War II, shared his memories of the war:
When the Germans occupied Velikiye Luki, waylays started here, forced to camps, building common camps. There were 800 of us, gathered from all the villages.
Just before that, I had had an uncle, he had served in Trans-Carpathia, in the town of Peremyshl. It is Polish today. I was supposed to come. But the war started, he had demobilized and was together with Constantine Zaslonov, who, as you remember, was a Hero of the Soviet Union, after matriculating from the railway technical school in Velikiye Luki, the latter was sent to Vorsha, where he stayed and headed guerilla sabotage. What they were doing at the factories, where trains were exploding.
So, my mother and I were asked to steal a map-board from the Germans and lead people out. 18 Jews. They gathered, the smartest ones, the ones who were the authorities, scientists, they were being pursued from the West, from Nevel. There were very many Jews. It was an ethnic Jewish city until the war.
So, I easily stole the map-board from the Germans at night. My mother and I were ordered to return to the vicinity of the guerillas. Squads started forming. We were told, ordered to get there immediately or face execution. I acted as though we had not been there, we had never gone anywhere.
And so the 18 said: 'Lesha, son, get us out, you know the place.' There was this station Zaboyniki, Dubravy, Dubory at Velikie Luki. This time I led them out. But I had to return in the morning. And we were returning with mother, and we were caught. That was it. Mother was beaten up. My jaw was twisted. Mother was shot.
When they were beating me, the blood dried. And the SS doctor game and said: “Don't touch this one, his blood is high, group O, he will go to the concentration camp for our officers.” And so I was a blood incubator at a camp in Sebezh. Sebezh was the Velikie Luki Oblast, now it is the Pskov Region.
In 1943, when I was released, I got into the echelon, to the hospital. I was treated. And a further fate: I entered the 117th Tank Brigade, which made it to Königsberg. We took over Nevel, Novosokolniki, took over Taurage, where I was injured for the first time at the Neman ferry. I received the first order. I took it from the hands of Zhukov personally, for my mother, when I stole the map-board and got the Jews out, I was given the Red Star. I have never parted with the star.
That is how I made it to Königsberg.
