What did soldiers from the front write to their relatives in Vitebsk? Letters from the war years from the museum's collections
Letters from the war years are perceived today as messages to descendants, testaments to the courage of our fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers, and their unwavering confidence in victory.
The collections of the regional museum of local lore and the museum of Hero of the Soviet Union M. Shmyrev house letters from natives and liberators of the Vitebsk region. Some were brought by veterans themselves, others by relatives. There are not many of them, a few dozen sheets. Today, the authors are no longer alive; some perished on the fronts of the war, others did not live to see the current Victory anniversary. But their words from the fiery forties will forever remain in memory.
These personal messages, folded into a triangle, were sent from the front to Vitebsk to his wife, Nadezhda Samuilova, by Captain Anatoly Belanovich. They got married on May 8, 1941. A couple of months later, her husband went to the active army, and his young wife, being the secretary of the Vitebsk underground Komsomol city committee, a member of the bureau of the regional committee and the Central Committee of the Komsomol of Belarus, fought against the enemy in the occupied city. Anatoly Belanovich returned with victory and then lived happily with his Nadezhda for a long time.
October 13, 1942
«
Dear Nadya! …I thank you again for the newspaper. All the countrymen I managed to find here have read it and ask you to send more if it's not too much trouble… Artillery and mortar shelling is quite frequent. But don't worry, everything is as usual. Ours respond in kind. Such exchanges go on for many days and nights…»12
November 1943«
I am in Kuybyshev, I was assigned to party work from the Birsk school, I am working as the party organizer of the division… How long I will be here is unknown. In any case, I hope to be back at the front in the near future…»23
March 1944«
The front is far away, and I have to recall Rzhev, Matveev Kurgan, and other places… To recall true combat comrades and days. Will I not have to be there again, even for a short time, where I want to be now? In peacetime, it's good in such a unit, but if you want to fight, then fight…»April 10, 1944
«
Nadya! Happy birthday!!! My dear, it's been almost 2 years since we parted, time flies quickly, but this period seems very long to me. And who knows when I will see you? But sooner or later, I will see you! I live in hope! Hugs and kisses. Tolya».May 8, 1944
«
Nadya!!! Allow me to congratulate you on our significant date, the day from which we became life friends, dreaming and wishing to be so for many, many years. And now it's been 3 years, during which we have seen each other so little, during which we have experienced so much, and the death of our beloved and long-awaited being, and we ourselves have seen this death many, many times before our eyes, and how many difficulties and deprivations. Memories of you have brightened many difficult moments for me…»Bucharest, January 1, 1945
«
We had to celebrate another New Year far from each other. I kiss you as many times as there are days in the year…»The museum folder contains two letters from Igor Potemin, a participant in the liberation of Vitebsk and Polotsk. Major Potemin died on July 4, 1944.
June 13, 1944
«
Hello, dear Mother!The work is very large-scale, corresponding in position to my last one. There is a lot of work, we don't see nights, we rest a little in the morning. But it's nothing – as here I will gain a lot that will be useful to me in the future. We gladly learned about the advance of the Red Army on the Karelian Isthmus. I am healthy. Kisses. Igor
».23
June 1944 1:00 AM«
Hello, dear relatives! Yesterday marked 3 years of war, you look back, and even you can't believe that you could endure so many trials! Yesterday we celebrated the 3rd anniversary with the powerful voice of hundreds of Stalin's throats. The success was even greater than we expected. In a few hours, we will multiply our strike. I am healthy. Strong kisses. Igor».Andrey Porfiryev from Chuvashia participated in the liberation of Vitebsk and Orsha. He fought in the active army since February 1942. He returned from the war, as promised, alive and well.
August 1942
«
We are fighting under the slogan «Not a step back!». The whole country is counting on its native Red Army, and we must justify this with honor…»Undated
«
Hello, my dear Lyuba and our children. I am writing to inform you that yesterday, August 5th, our company was sent to the front. We saw them off from the camps to the city of Slobodskoy with a brass band. Music was also playing at the station, so the soldiers were pleased. The regiment and battalion command participated in the send-off. In addition, residents of the city also took part... Lyuba, you know that decisive battles with the German-fascist troops are currently taking place on the southern front. The fate of our Motherland and us will depend on the outcome of these battles in the south. Do not doubt. Our Red Army will be able to halt the enemy's further advance to the east, and then push them back to the west. We must not forget that our country is fighting a strong and treacherous enemy. The enemy is now exerting all its strength and wants to achieve success. We have sent reinforcements to the front who will fight to the last...» The letter breaks off.July 5, 1944.
«…On June 26th, as the advancing units of the Red Army entered Vitebsk, we were filmed. If you manage to watch the newsreel, pay attention to this... A few words about myself: I am currently very overloaded with work. I live as before. I remain alive and well, which I wish for you too. With fiery greetings, Andrey Porfiryev».
Tatyana Pasternak, "Vitebskie Vesti"