Torben.
Denmark.
Volgograd July 2003.
We arrived to the heat of southern Russia, to be met by Vladimir at the airport.
We went to his home for a "welcome dinner" consisting of beer and local
cured by drying salty fish from the Don river also.
We of course saw all the touristy things in the city, but also went digging for
debris from the Stalingrad battle. Vladimir and his friends Yuri and Sergei were
very friendly and helpful in showing us good places to dig. They use old
battle-field aerial photos,old and modern maps to guide them.
Yuri and his wife Tatiana also invited us into their home. Thanks for your
hospitality!!!
It is absolutely amazing how much there is to find in the ground around
Volgograd. Ammunition, weaponry and helmets ect.
We went with Vladimir to the Don river about 100 km west, where we visited a
Russian family which owns a house on the west bank in Golubinskaya Village. This
was where general Paulus lived for a couple of weeks, on his and the 6th Army`s
way to Stalingrad. The house has historic importance of course, but the family
gets absolute nothing from the russian state to help maintain this historic
place.
On the way back from Golubinskaya we also saw the Sovietsky Memorial. It stands
where two huge Soviet armies met to encircle and trap the German 6th army on
November 23rd 1942.
In the city of Stalingrad not far from Mamayev Hill there stands a T34 tank, on
the spot where the German pocket in the city was split in two in early january
1943.
Our visit to the Red October museum was something special too. The museum has a
comprehensive display of all things to do with the battle, in and around the
steel works. Thanks very much to Mrs ---- for her friendly reception of us
there.
Most impressive was our meeting with the old veteran
Vladimir Nikofirovich.
He
welcomed us in his home, and told unbelievable stories about his wartime
experiences.
First about how he had to leave his village near the Don river in the summer of
1942, to retreat east with the Red Army and tens of thousands of refugees to
Stalingrad.
There he was drafted into the Red Army as a 16 year-old, and brought supplies by
boat across the Volga. He carried ammo to frontline soldiers in the Red October
steel works. At one point he managed to steal a horse from the Germans. The
horse was really helpful when large amounts of ammo had to be moved.
He later fought with the Red Army via Warsaw all the way to Berlin. He was
wounded three times. The horse followed Vladimir all the way to Berlin.
We hope one day his life-story will be published in a book or on video.
We had a good boat-trip on the Volga river. There are lots of ferries and the
like, but a privately owned boat with a pilot who knows his history and can take
you close to specific spots, is of course much better.
We also had the priviledge of seeing Joachim and Thomas at Rossoschka village.
The work done there by young Germans and young Russians (Arbeit fÝr den Frieden/
Rabota sa Mir) is very impressive. Thanks Joachim for showing us around the
killing fields, and telling us about the difficult and important work taking
place there.
Finally thanks to Vladimir for his help and assistance in the
planning and seeing through of our visit.
News from Torben .
2005
The strong and personal account of
the Stalingrad battle, by 22 year-old german artillery Leutenant Wigand Wüster,
will now soon also be published in the russian language. It has previously been
published in both German and Danish language. Next spring (2006)
www.leapinghorseman.com will publish the same story in english.
The enclosed russian newspaper article is from a local paper in Elabuga, where
Mr Wüster spent 7 years as a POW.
