I was born in the village of Morgentau, Chmelnitsk District, Saratov Region, in 1927. There were two kolkhoz farms. E.G. lived with her mother and sister. Her father died in 1932 during a typhus epidemic. Until 1932 everything went well within the family. They owned sheep, piglets, cows. Their house was smallish: a porch, a room and a kitchen. Starting with the year 1932 a series of mishaps shocked the family: the father died, and there was crop failure for several years in succession.
One day, in the summer of 1941, the village was surrounded by soldiers. The inhabitants were informed that they were to leave the village. However, they did not state any reason for this action. The villagers kept calm. The first German airplanes appeared in the sky, although they were flying in great height yet.
On the 2 September all local residents were loaded on carts, drawn by horses and camels. The people took along bedding and clothes.
They spent a whole month on the train, penned up in freight cars. They slept on pallets and were provided with food during the trip. From Krasnoyarsk they were taken to the Nazarovo District, to the settlement of Vyerkhniy Adadym, where they were accomodated in occupied apartments. Later they were assigned one little house for five families. The mother was working for the kolkhoz farm, she knew how to handle the winnowing fan. The children used to help her.
Later they were taken to Tonkovo by paddlesteamer (on the 19 July 1942). There they were assigned little apartments for five families each. Mother was again working for the kolkhoz farm, the children were bundling sheaves. In 1942 they were sent to Yartsevo to work for the fish cannery, and in 1945 they were mobilized to fell trees and pile up wood. That very year they were transferred to Krivliak, were they were assigned to live in barracks. Their job was the rafting of timber.
Starting with their arrival in Krivliak they had to get checked and registered with the commandant’s office once a month. In 1956 they were finally permitted to leave the place. E. G. decided to stay.
Received her rehabilitation on the 22.02.1990. She was on friendly terms with the local residents.
Interviewed by V. Moiseev.
Third expedition of history and human rights, Krivliak 2006