My grandmother's memories about the Second World war.

We got to Moscow and I understood why all the war we were thinking about being strong for our capital.

Feeling of happiness was flowing everywhere, it was in the air.

We went to his house. The room was golden, the brightest, the sunshine.

“My grandfather and uncles are Priests. My mother like this style and we keep it like this.

And they had piano. Here, in this house, the war was over for me. I felt we won and we will have happy life and good future for our country. We will rebuilt and built again everything.

My grandmother's memories about the Second World war.

It was 1949, after the war. I was studying in medical university and at summer, as usual, back home, helping my parents.

We were on the farm working with other girls.

My aunt ran to me, sweating from the long run.

“Where's is your mother?! A man from Moscow is looking for her. Go, met him, he is in my house. Wear this."

She said, breathing heavily and pushing me her the best blouse.

My grandmother's memories about the Second World war.

In February 1942 my brother got a note that he has to go for medical exam to join the army. He was in the last year of school. He was leaving in about one week. I made him a small towel and stitched it with roses.

“Bring it back" – I told him when he was leaving to the military centre.

“I will" – he said.

And he brought the towel back in 1946.

My grandmother's memories about the Second World war.

Two men, father and son, were sitting at the our table. My mother poured little bit vodka in tiny grass. The father and her drank together.

The son was leaving to the war. A bag was near his feet.

“To the recruiting center” – the father said.

“Too far", - my mother replied.

“We walk" – the father replied.

And they started to talk about the old days, before the revolution in 1917.

My grandmother's memories about the Second World war.

At the end of simmer we stayed somewhere on the fields near forests preparing grass for winter. It was very warm and women were wearing open tops. Some women had scars on their shoulders. They were pulling metal pieces to dig up the soil and prepare it for the planting, on the farm and were they had own land. My mother had the same scars. She always worried about our cow more then she cared about herself. “Our feeder “ – she would say petting the cow.

My grandmother's memories about the Second World war.

The room was full of people. Simple food on the table, potatoes and vodka in long glass bottle. It was some dinner together.  May be twenty people. First everyone was talking about the war, and our army. A man in military uniform gave a speech. And then we wished everyone come back home. Its was long talk, everyone wanted to say something, to wish and promise.

My grandmother's memories about the Second World war.

The war changed everything. Women and children replaced men.

We had harvest in August and September 1941, two months before the war had started and women were everywhere. Even driving trucks for pickups were women. In my school, post office, the farm, almost everywhere. Only men who couldn't be replaced and old men, they stayed. And young boys, teenagers who were too young to join the army. Every day when I looked or we looked at each other, we knew there is war.

My grandmother's memories about the Second World war.

We went to the train station. There were trains, many trains. One were going to the war, on the west from us. With soldiers and military equipment. I have never seen so many trains before, at the same time. Rocket launchers were going on and on, on the trains, in front of my eyes. I was looking up, military trucks, tanks.

My grandmother's memories about the Second World war.

Every few day my mother would ask me: "Go see if there's fire.”
She would mean, go to the hill from where you can see the other side of the river.  She was waiting for someone on the different side of the village, in the forest.

We had small house in the forest. It wasn't very far, I knew how to get there, hidden tiny road, and my mother was waiting for someone to start fire place near the house. It was autumn already, started to get cold, we wearing boots and jackets.

My grandmother's memories about the Second World war.

In few days, very short from the time the Second World war had started, my uncle stopped by our house.
The though of war was known, people thought about it, it was in the air, because Western Europe was already attacked and occupied. Only thing, we didn't believe the German would attack us too, and it will be very fast and massive on the amount of land they quickly invade.