My grandfather

[ollar]

My grandfather, the driver of the besieged Leningrad, 2 world war 1944

[ollar]

I talked a lot with my grandfather about the war. If you noticed in the photo......Belt buckle German, but the emblem is removed! And boots of an officer of the Wehrmacht.. I know that story.

[Marcel Banziger]

These drivers were very brave men when seeing them driving on the ice with some 40 cm of water on top. The ice could crack any minute I guess. True heroes!

[ollar]

I want to tell the story of my grandparents ' life.
.Their way on the roads of war!
So in a small provincial town on the Volga-in the city of Volsk, Saratov region lived a family: Vasily and Pelageya (1908 and 1910),
,and they had two sons Vladimir and Igor (my father) (1933 and 1935.P)
It was time before the war, and my grandfather decided to move to his mother and sister in Leningrad for permanent residence!!1938!All was well!!
My grandfather was a chauffeur...
Then the war with Finland and grandfather was transferred to the 4th special brigade of the Baltic fleet is a driver and 7 months he is involved .
.from September 1939 to March 1940..
.not long rested..
1941..War!!!
And since June 1941 as a driver in avtobatalion, art.regiments, field surgical hospitals, taken out of the besieged Leningrad on the "road of life", children, wounded...And ammunition!!! A lot of things he said, but it was so long ago, in 1975, I was 13 years old when he died.
But much remember!! The grandmother with two sons remained in besieged Leningrad and was pregnant with the girl!Leave the city failed,
My grandfather's sister, her husband was a high-ranking officer and he took his wife out of town, forgetting his wife's mother (mother-in-law) and her daughter is pregnant and has two children (6 and 8 years old)!
Famine!,baby was born,, nothing to feed..dead!!! Then died of starvation the mother of the grandfather!!!Scurvy and hunger..Grandpa, no information about the breakup of the family in the city!!After learning that the mother died, the newborn daughter died, and the sister left!!Decides to take his wife and two sons in the back of a truck, hiding under a tarp! Could for this under arrest
and take out through lake Ladoga (Road of life) to the "mainland"!!!His wife (my grandmother) at that time could not walk and she was carried on a sled!!!
So, back home to the city of Volsk!!So my father Igor and uncle Vladimir were saved!!Grandfather continued to fight on the fronts of the Second world war, and graduated in Prague!!
From my grandfather, I learned that there is no door in the "trucks" that would jump out of the cab if You were on ice!!!That there were cases of cannibalism in the blockade!!!This made a strong impression on me in the 1970s(he asked me not to tell anyone)!Scurvy companion hunger made itself felt (completely without teeth)!
In June 1945, my grandfather was demobilized then they moved to Saratov!!!
To my question: "why didn't you return to Leningrad ??where's your sister???"...the grandfather spoke: "after that we endured in Leningrad, I have no forces there to come back!!!And I did not forgive my sister that she left her mother !!- Such history!!
As a child I played with awards, he drew me tanks and planes, and my grandmother sewed clothes at home.
Here is an overview of front-line photos and documents.
One of the photographs grandfather was sitting on the bumper of the car !!On his feet boots of a German officer!! His words: "that transported prisoners, the officer sits fat!!Stopped,,, I offered him an exchange he couldn't refuse!! Their lives are worth nothing!

[ollar]

Returning home all the soldiers passed through the filter!!! It was forbidden to take spoils of war!All trophy Was given to the warehouse!! ! He only brought a spoon .

[PapaStalin1943]

Amazing history of your grandfather! These men were very brave to have been fighting on the front, especially your grandfather! One of the most dangerous jobs during the siege was the truck drivers who drove across the frozen lake to transport supplies. An amazing story as well.

[Martin C]

Thank you for taking the time to share this bit of history with us.


Martin

[christek]

Very interesting history.

Thanks for sharing your story.

[FALLSCHIRMJAGER]

Superb family history and a brave man, you must be rightly proud. Leon.

[ollar]

Thank you for viewing this topic. In Russia, almost every family has relatives who fought or died in this war. My mother's brother Peter is missing...... My wife's grandfather and his two sons went missing in the war.We found one who died in a concentration camp...