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Hi All,
Today (9th of May) Russia celebrates the Victory day in WW2. I remember stories which were told me by my grandfathers. My both grandfathers unfortunately are died many years ago...
That is one story - Luftwaffe were bombing time to time one train station (in Kuban) after short period of coming train enemy bombers arrived... there were many trains from front with wounded soldiers - actually most of them were young (18-20 yo) mens without any military expirience. Of course it was naturally disaster - there were many killed persons on the station after bombers attacks. Nobody know how Luftwaffe coordinate their effectively actions. But once my grandfather Fedor saw a men in public call-box who talking with radio! My grandfather immidiately said about it to a leutenant. After it leutenant and my granfather captured that men with a radio. You may not believe - it was head of this trainstation! He reported to germans forces when a tran will have arrived or just arrived. After his capturing effectiving of Luftwaffe very decreased. It was 1941 and germans were in the offensive, so leutenant recieved order to leave the train station. The head of train station was locked in police station (special room at train station). According military law leutenant can't took a betraytor with him so - must not save life for betraytor in others words leutenant must executed him... But the eutenant was youth too and he gave gun to my grandfather and tell him to kill the betraytor. My grandfather went to police station and executed the betraytor after short speech of accusation. But real live very differ from films especially actions films... My grandfather suffer from that event to his end of life. He had a feeling of blame all time and even sometimes cried. I asked him why he has such feeling? For example mothers of these youths who were killed at that train station by bombing with betraytor help. But my grandfather anyway answered me that it is not correct to kill someone who hasn't weapon.

Hi Alex!

Did you go to the parade on the Red Square? I watched it live on TV. In my hometown we have a small monument to the fallen soldiers of the Red Army and every 9th of May we go there, together with russian officers from the embassy in Zagreb to pay our respect, and later we go to a big monument on the bank of Danube river where great battle of Batina took place in late 1944 where central celebration takes place.

Too bad I had not the chance to ask my grandpa about the war.
He died when I was seven and that topic didn't interest me much.

And my grandma didn't want to talk about it. And I didn't want to force her thoughts back into her memory and let her take
her experiences to grave when she died some years ago.

Sorry for late answer.

:FI:Ghost wrote:Hi Alex!
Did you go to the parade on the Red Square?

No I didn't. I didn't watch it on TV only short fragments in the news. Frankly speaking I not connect modern military parades with WW2... It is very good that in your country people respect and remember that time.

:FI:Airway wrote:Too bad I had not the chance to ask my grandpa about the war.
He died when I was seven and that topic didn't interest me much.

Yes. I understand you. I wanted to record talking my grandfather on video of but at that time I tought "... it's good idea but I can do it later..."

Thanks for sharing, Alex!

I respect your grandfather for his feelings about performing the execution. He was a real man, after all.