“Take care of yourself”. Letters from the front of the Great Patriotic War from a 22-year-old Red Army soldier were found Posting in CHAT: Russia The aif.ru correspondent flew from Moscow to visit relatives in Khabarovsk and there, while going through family archives, she accidentally discovered yellowed front-line letters written in 1942 by her great-grandfather on his knees in a trench. There is so much love and pain in them. Vladimir Dobromyslov. Photo: personal archive “Don’t worry about me” I came across the letters by chance when I was looking through old photo albums with my grandmother. “Hello, dear family! Don't worry about my health because it has become completely normal. The food situation couldn't have been better. Soups with herbs began to appear on the menu. I feel good and once again I ask you not to worry, because take care of yourself and your health.” The man who wrote these lines more than eighty years ago was called Vladimir Dobromyslov. He was my great-grandmother's brother. In 1942 he was only 22 years old. Before the war, he studied at secondary school No. 2 and went to enter the university in Saransk. He loved to play football. In his second year, together with the entire faculty, he went to participate in the Soviet-Finnish war (1939-1940). “Many people died” I found two letters from Finland, written in ballpoint pen on sheets of paper torn from a notebook. They can only be read with a magnifying glass in the light. “For two months, our division was transferred at night in the freezing rain to the Finnish border and the coast of the Baltic Sea. The weather was stormy, frosty and heavy rain. February,” wrote Vladimir Dobromyslov. “I really wanted to see Leningrad, but we drove through it at night, the city was dark, not a single lamp or window was on. I walked and absorbed everything into my visual memory in order to remember what we were passing. I got severe frostbite on my fingers. On January 1, 1940, we stopped in the city of Oranienbaum (now a palace and park ensemble near St. Petersburg - editor's note). They equipped dugouts. They built floors, stoves and strengthened the walls. The holes in the walls were the size of fists. But it was good - we did not sleep on the ground, but indoors. Product delivery was of poor quality. Often we were left hungry. But on the territory of the Soviet Union, local residents allowed us to enter their houses and allowed us to dry off, warm up and drink hot tea. On February 25 we crossed the state border. We saw a city completely destroyed by the Finns. There was not a single intact building left, there was no firewood, after which everything was burned. We slept on straw, next to the fire. There are battles in March. Many of our soldiers were wounded by cuckoo snipers sitting on Christmas trees. Many people died under two- and three-meter stones. Our soldiers hid behind them, trying to hide from enemy bullets. The snipers, not seeing the people, shot at the stones, and the bullets, ricocheting, flew behind the stone, and many of our soldiers died. I don’t understand how I remained intact.” Photo: personal archive “Hatred of the enemy is growing” Volodya’s regiment met the beginning of the Great Patriotic War on the Hanko Peninsula, on the northern shore of the Gulf of Finland. a naval base was located there immediately after the start of the war, and on June 25 the Finns joined the hostilities against the Red Army. Soon Volodya’s division was transferred to the defense of Leningrad, which I received on 11/11/1941. letter from you. But this year I completely forgot about this day, as it should be, I am quite healthy and feel great, I just quit smoking and then “involuntarily” I decided to tell you that. I live in my old place, I feel quite healthy and my health is excellent. The days are stormy and fog often causes heavy rain. Yesterday I found out that a transfer had arrived in my name, I don’t know if it’s a transfer. package or money, but when I have a free minute, I will try to go and pick it up. Mom, if you know the address of Valentin Sergeev and Vitaly Yachmenev, please tell me, otherwise their whereabouts are unknown to me and their fate remains unknown to me. I urge you to take care of your health, and Mitya, after the summer holidays, begins her studies with renewed vigor. I would advise him to go to technical school.” 08/10/1942. “Tobacco has become the norm, especially recently it’s light tobacco, a bunch. Every day the hatred for the enemy increases and I am sure that. The hour is not far when our people will breathe deeply, and the army (of the fascists) will ingloriously and finally find its grave on Russian soil.” Photo: personal archive “We will end the war at the first opportunity” Volodya’s last letter arrived at the end of August 1942. His tone changed sharply, he turned to his loved ones. “Write me letters about your life, about your hometown, and don’t worry about me at all.” “As long as my heart beats in my chest, I will do everything until the complete defeat of the jackals, who mercilessly kill children, abuse old people and women, and use the medieval Inquisition. We will not desecrate the honor of the Russian soldier." Soon after this, Volodya Dobromyslov’s parents held a funeral: “Your son, Red Army soldier Vladimir Aleksandrovich Dobromyslov, in the fight for his socialist Motherland, faithful to the military oath, was wounded and died on September 7, 1942. Buried in the village. Leningrad region, Ust-Izhora village." Photo: personal archive Source link Source link
