While Julia Grechukhina and I were interviewing Aleksei Yakovlevich und Yevdokia Ivanovna Khaluyev(a), Marina Schwab did not pass up her chance either: she talked to Jakob Jakovlevich und Elisabeth(a) Genrichovna Gomer (Homer?). I had been knowing this remarkable couple already for a long time; however, as it often happens, we had postponed this conversation again and again for lack of time. But now, finally, due to Marina Schwab’s presence, the conversation was to take place. Afterwards Marina dropped in, in order to report on her talking with the Gomers and, at the same time, ask us to call on her on next occasion to define sime items a little bit more precisely. I was deeply appalled about the courage and human dignity, which both respondents had preserved in their hearts, although they had been forced to go through a number of difficulties, mortification and humiliation in the course of their life. This report does not merely represent written-down memoirs – it is, in fact, a confirmed document made by mouth. And this is the story:
Till the beginning of the Great Patriotic War they lived, like many Russian Germans, in the Saratov Region, in the village of Dönhof (nowadays Vysokoe), in the Polevsk (today Krasnoarmeisk) District. In September 1941 they were deported to Siberia.
In January 1942 Jakob Jakovlevich was mobilized into the trudarmy; he got to Reshoty – to the Kraslag. He worked there as an unskilled worker in various workplaces: he took part in the construction of the winter road, which was needed to tear all the felled trunks to their place of destination; in the spring he planted crops an potatoes, harvested hay for the cows and horses which were kept in the camp and fell trees. All this had not been that bad, unless …. One night Jakob had a dream – he sees a pride of wolves which obviously intend to tear him limb from limb. He manages ro run away, climb the roof of some old barn. The next morning he told the brigade leader, who was quited versed in the interpretation of dreams, about this strange nightmare. The brigade leader gave him the advice to be yet more cautious then usual, explaining to him that it had not been a good dream: maybe, something bad will happen to you today. By these words the matter was done for – at least for the time being.
When they went to the felling area or returned from work in the evening they went on some open waggon. They got ready to depart. When connecting the waggon platfoem to the locomotive, there was a wrench.By the sudden jerk Jakov and two of his comerades, who were sitting at the edge of the platform, were catapulted to the ground. Jakob, traumatized by the incident, jumped up: he believed that his coat had torn into pieces. He instantly lost consciousness. He came around in the camp hospital. He had suffered a compound fracture.
He was fed badly: 500 grms of bread, some watery soup with a few potatoe flakes in it, and when, every now and then, he found even half a potato in the soup, this meant a great amount of luck to him. He had to stay in hospital for three months. During this time he got weaker and weaker. Afterwards he was transferred to a barracks, where nobody set out to help this poor trudarmist, who was hardly able to move forward; in 1943 they sent him back home, where he spent another two months in a hospital in the town of Zaozerny; then he got to Kansk. Since he was a kolkhoz worker, he received a brad ration of 400 grms a day. Having restored him to health at least to some extent, he returend from Kansk to Stakhanovo, where he began to work again as best he could – as un unskilled work in different workplaces, for he had to live on something.
Elisabeth(a) Genrichovna was sent to the trudarmy on the 1st of September 1943; she came to the Ural Mountains, to the town of Nizhniy Tagil, where she had to work for a brickworks. It was hard work: sometimes she would almost die from the blazing heat of the furnaces, which were in use for the kilning of bricks, and the next day she had to cope with iciness when preparing and delivering the unforme, raw bricks. Having returned to the barracks from work. there was no place to have a wash: there was no bath tub, no facility to take a shower. They had a bath-house, indeed, but it was only run once a week, which was by far not enough, for they had to perform their work in mud and wet every day. The situation went on until the 27th of September 1947; this date is mentioned in the attestation, as well: „... construction unit 1874, gang N° 2, for the „administration of the Tagil constructiion projects“ (NKVD), brickworks N° 1, from 14.11.1943 till 27.11.1947...“.
They got married in 1951; however, they were forced to regularly go and get registered with the commandant’s office in the town of Zaozerny. This fact is mentioned by the couple with a certain bitter undertone, while they are showing us quite a number of awards and honours they received for having done a good job. Jakob Jakovlevich is in possession of 11 honorary diplomas, 10 government awards, two medals about his participation in the Exhibition of National Economic Achievement, although he has never been to Moscow at all; moreover, he was warded the titel of the “best cattle-breeder of the Krasnoyarsk Region” in 1975 and 1983, as well as many thank-you letters eveidencing the contribution they made to the country’s victory on Fascist Germany, the restoration of national economy and the subsequent stabilization of the Soviet-Union.
Jakob Jakovlevich recalls, that, after he had been summoned to the military commissariate in January, they sent him to Reshoty; there he was put in some barracks. Within just a few hours after his arrival, the barracks was surrounded by a barbed-wire fence, guards were arranged, and within 24 hours all trudarmists had turned into common prisoners. Having experienced such a methamorphosis, the souls of the poor inmates were in a terrible state.
Against great odds, Jakob Jakovlevich and Elisabeth(a) Genrichovna insinuate during the conversation that they do not appreciate the present reformations carried out in the country and that they are not at all angry with the Communists. At that time there was much more law and order then nowadays. And they stressed out that they did not receive all those awards for inactivity, but for having done hard work, for having shown diligence – and this is soemthing they could be very proud of.
Well, this is what was recorded by Marina Schwab during the interview – with some slight corrections and specifications later done by us.
Recorded by Marina Schwab
The material was revised by G. Chuprikov in the presence of Julia Grechukhina, who made a few circumstancial corrections, as well.
On the 25 January 2002 Elisabeth(a) Genrichovna is going to accomplish the 80th year of her life. Our team would like to congratulate this remarkable woman on this great day and wish ger health and all the best for a long, active life. Be happy!
G. Chuprikov, village of Stakhanovo – hamlet of Rybinskoe
„Voice of time“, N° 11, 25.01.2002