Siege of Leningrad: Diary of the Second World War: by Alexandra Nikiforovna Borovikova

At this time the night was already starry, I immediately ran to Schtab (*Headquarters).

Having reached the dryer, I hear the «air alert» signal, and the plane is already above us.

«Air alert» lasted 47 minutes, after taking a nap for an hour, I went to my room and fell soundly asleep.

Two points need to be noted:

1) At night, to the right of the airfield, flares were fired.

A bright flash of flame (instantaneous), and then the light spread far across the horizon.

This happened 3—4 times, just at that time Adam and I were standing on the street.

2) During the last air alarm, I really wanted to sleep, my eyes were literally drooping.

So, throwing my head back, without taking my ear off the phone, I closed my eyes and involuntarily fell asleep.

Suddenly, I hear Popov’s voice from the tower: «Headquarters, Headquarters, Headquarters!»

I am silent, and I think where and where from this voice is coming from, then I immediately came to my senses, because they are shouting to me, because I am on duty.

That, it turns out, is how exhausted you get during the day, and sleepless nights.

17/X/1941

I7/X. I got up at 7:30 in the morning, I probably would have slept some more, since I went to bed at 4 o’clock, but suddenly I heard the «air alert» signal, I had to run to Headquarters, since my duty at Headquarters had not ended.

Of course, I slept in full harness, one foot was frozen, it turns out that when turning from side to side, one of my felt boots came off (since they are very small).

So every day, episode after episode.

Of course, I don’t write down everything, but according to my mood and time.

Something awaits me ahead.

After all, sometimes you think, because the workshop is not working, I don’t have people in the workshop, what kind of boss are you the over 28 people?

All that remains is to knit your socks and gloves and go to where they are beating the fascist reptile point-blank.

I put notes in every pair of socks or gloves.

It’s already dark, but we need to write down about today.

The day passed frantically, despite the fact that there were 10 people working, I didn’t even have time to have lunch, I was again busy cutting sewing and knitting socks.

Then I was engaged in the delivery of coal to the Factory, because now coal is king.

The day was cloudy, but warm, the artillery cannonade did not stop all day, the shells landed close behind Palevsky.

Morning message: fighting along the entire front, especially fierce on the Western front.

The bastard is heading towards Moscow.

Big losses on both sides.

What a night it will be.

Yes, the night was clear, starry, and warm, but at 19:15 the «air alert» signal was heard.

In total they disturbed me 4 times during the night.

Frankly speaking, we are now accustomed to this, and we think, it doesn’t matter, if you live, that live, if you die, that you die.

There weren’t many people sitting in the crack (*hideout) yesterday.

We couldn’t hear any planes above us; they love the Moscow, Leninsky, and other areas of the city, where again many high-explosive and incendiary bombs were dropped.

But the worst thing is now, artillery cannonade is heard like drums.

Yes, something has become very close, illegal languages are spoken, the German is rushing in a straight line, only a kilometer from Leningrad, but I think that I will survive, and will survive everything.

How it all ends is interesting.

After all, 236 «air alert» have already been experienced.

And of these, how many nights are «air alert», therefore, how many sleepless nights, but how many are still ahead.

Yes, frankly speaking, you don’t even consider sleep yourself.

If you sleep, it’s good, if you don’t sleep, what, what can you do, war and the front.

Sometimes you walk around in a kind of fog during the day.

Is Leningrad really expecting even more troubles and worries?

To conclude today, I will give you a clipping from the Leningradskaya Pravda newspaper:

Insert №30. Article «On the island of Ezel».

18/X/1941

18/X. It’s 10 o’clock in the morning, I’m sitting and writing this diary, and artillery cannonade is heard very close, as if on Palevsky.

I got up at 8:45 today, drank some tea, went to my room, and one thing, then another, and so the day passed.

Information Bureau: fighting along the entire front.

In the western direction, our troops pushed back the enemy.

And they talked a lot about the evacuation of troops from Odessa.

For us, Leningraders, who have experienced so much, this message is a great sadness.

Amazingly, the night passed peacefully.

The sky was dim – there were clouds hanging over.

In the evening it snowed, the night was dark, you couldn’t see anything.

Not very far away, artillery cannonade could be heard, shots rang out so loudly that the walls shook.

Sometimes with breaks, and sometimes continuously, like a drumbeat.

But we got used to all the knocking.

Our room is warm and light.

After the shower I worked on knitting socks and stockings.

During the evening I knitted mittens for an unknown warrior, I think it’s getting cold, we need to warm up the soldiers and commanders as soon as possible so that their feet would not freeze, and their hands would warm in mittens, so that they would beat the hated enemy harder.

19/X/1941

19/X. I got up at 8 o’clock in the morning, at night it blew out in our cabinet, since the windows were plywood without glass, and the wind was moving around the room.

Dressed warmer, I continued to sleep.

Information Bureau: fighting along the entire front, especially fierce in the Western direction.

The weather is cloudy, but not very cold, or because I am dressed warmly, in felt boots and a winter coat.

Today from 9 am until tomorrow 9 am I am on duty at Headquarters, on the tower.

Somehow it will pass – I don’t know.

Although the weather is not good for flying, when I’m on duty, the damned Adolf likes to bother me how it starts up – intermittently for 6 hours, almost all night, and buzzes in the air, getting on my nerves.

By evening the weather began to clear up.

A military exercise was scheduled at 2:30, but did not take place because few people had gathered.

Yes, the weather is confusing, we are lucky when Popov and I are on duty.

But our fears were in vain.

By evening, the entire sky was clouded, and at night it was dark, dark, but very cold in our cabinet, and we sat at the electric stove for up to 12 hours.

Yesterday I knitted 5 gloves.

The artillery fire does not stop.

20/X/1941

20/X. The nesting dolls got enough sleep today and got up at 7 o’clock in the morning.

The weather today is cloudy, nature itself is protecting Leningrad, it’s high time.

Today the day also passed calmly, but frantically, there was not even time to write down a diary.

I knitted hard, and then I washed all the socks and mittens, how cute they became.

A kilogram of such wool, enough for a blouse, would be enough.

But I’ll try, maybe something will come of it.

At 5 o’clock they gave the «air alert» signal, which lasted more than an hour.

Although the weather was cloudy, the bastards did something bad again; they say they dropped several incendiary bombs on Okhta again.

During «air alert» We were sitting in a gap (*hideout), fragments from anti-aircraft guns were constantly buzzing in the air, falling down, very close to us.

The night passed calmly – it was warm and cloudy, but the artillery cannonade did not stop at all ends of the horizon.

Going out to check the weather, I chatted with Adam again.

The night passed peacefully, and our Sasha slept again.

Insert №31. Article «Address of the central committee of the Communist Party of Germany to the German people and to the German army».

21/X/1941

21/X. I got up at 7 o’clock in the morning, I didn’t listen to the Information Bureau, there was no radio.

I took a shower in the morning and went to the dovecote to prepare our mittens for the soldiers.

It was already 10 o’clock in the morning, I was still collecting mittens and socks, because put a paper with a note in each pair about who knitted them.

In particular, the large socks turned out very well, I don’t know who they will get to, I send them with this feeling – I don’t know who they will get to.

And if they get to a friend, that would be a good thing.

The day passed calmly, the weather was cloudy and drizzling rain.

By nightfall there was even fog.

This is all for the better for us – rest and sleep will be normal.

Today Golubev promised me wool for a blouse.

I knitted mittens the evening before and went to bed at 11 o’clock.

22/X/1941

22/X. Today marks 4 months since the treacherous enemy vilely, thievely attacked our country, disrupting our peaceful and happy life.

How good it was to live, I remember now, before wartime, it seems only a dream sleep.

But let’s hope for the future that we will live well again.

I got up at 7 o’clock in the morning and slept well.

The weather is cloudy, drizzling rain, I don’t know how the day will go.

Today I am on duty at the Headquarters.

I was knitting until 9 o’clock, and now I need to go to the territory and prepare for the «dispatch meeting».

Tomorrow is a day off, and I haven’t been home for a long time, and I’m unaccustomed to it, and I don’t want to ride, except to change my underwear, that’s all.

There was nothing left to cook at home (no desire).

The day passed, evening came.

The weather is still cloudy, which will happen at night.

Only at 16 o’clock there was a strong artillery cannonade, the whistling of shells could be heard.

Today I prepared two couple socks and mittens.

I gave one couple of the socks to Popov, he was very pleased, but they were real ones, down ones, and they turned out the best, I tried them on for myself, but they came out too big, so I gave them to him.

Tomorrow is a day off, but given that I am on duty until 9 am, I was knitting socks.

I probably won’t go home.

I slept well – there were no air alert.

I fell asleep at 0:30, knitting everything.

23/X/1941

23/X. Thursday, got up at 7 am.

The weather is cloudy.

I sat in my office all day, not showing myself, otherwise I wouldn’t have been allowed to rest.

I knitted two pairs of socks and a mitten in one day.

I took another 3 kg wool

The evening and night passed peacefully.

Petya came and sat with me for a long time, oh, and he is a narrow-minded person, has he really not seen life yet?

24/X/1941

24/X. Got up at 7 am.

The weather is cloudy, which is good.

But by lunchtime the weather cleared up and the sun was shining.

In the evening it became cloudy again, but at about 12 o’clock stars began to appear in the sky, but I went to bed.

I think it’s too late, and there won’t be any more raids.

The artillery hit hard, especially from the Finland Bridge, probably from an armored car.

In the afternoon I received a letter from the «M.K. Russkih» and an acquaintance – two of my favorites, and immediately gave them an answer.

25/X/1941

25/X. Got up at 6 am.

The battles in the Taganrog and Makeevsky directions, and in the Mozhaisk and Maloyaroslavsky directions, German attacks were repulsed, with heavy losses for them.

The day and night passed peacefully, I even washed myself in the shower and went to bed at 2 am.

Artillery cannonade was heard, and I thought it was a bombing.

I chatted with Adam for a long time, he handed me a magnifying glass.

He’s an eccentric guy, and you can chat with him.

He reported that V.V. Slesarev was killed, 04/X.

26/X/1941

26/X. I got up at 7 am and started cutting clothes on gifts for the Red Army soldiers.

Then I knitted, then I washed, etc., and so the day passed.

Oh, how tired I am today, my back hurts so much.

I’m sitting, writing a diary, and at 17:30 songs are broadcast on the radio.

The song of the Bohunsky Regiment (*Performed by the song and dance ensemble of A.V. Alexandrov), and the cats are scratching at my soul, something is so boring, even if Adam came to me, from have nothing to do to chat, but I’d rather go there.

The evening and night passed quietly, I sat and knitted for a long time.

27/X/1941

27/X. I got up at 7 o’clock in the morning and immediately went to my room.

Our troops left the city of Stalin (*Now: Donetsk).

I’m sitting here, writing, and I’m very nervous, I don’t know why, but I’m in a bad mood.

Or for the city of Stalin, or for anything else.

The weather is damp, snow has fallen in my cabinet, so I’m nervous about everything taken together.

Yes, if I were still in a good mood, God knows how life turns out, it’s empty there and empty elsewhere.

From what have fun?

28/X/1941

28/X. 6 pm, dark, but the day was so busy that there was no time to write a diary.

I knitted, ironed, etc. all day, in general, there was no time.

The weather is snowy, so I wore felt boots.

I think the night will pass peacefully.

In the evening there was a snowstorm, I had just come to the drying room and sat down to knit, suddenly there was a signal «air alert».

Somehow I can’t even believe it – in this weather.

The alarm lasted 1 hour 17, it was very restless, many high-explosive and incendiary bombs were dropped.

Bomb explosions were heard somewhere nearby, it turns out, on Smolensky Avenue 24 and 26.

Then there was a strong fire at the Woodworking Factory, on the right bank.

The glow was huge, so that our entire territory was illuminated, but it was quickly extinguished.

After lights out, I went to my room and started knitting.

At about 10 pm we heard shell explosions, when we went out into the street, we could see flashes from guns, it turns out our artillery was working.

In the evening, Sokolov informed me that I had been appointed to the delegation to the front.

Oh, how happy I am, I’ve been dreaming about this for a long time, let’s see what fate offers.

29/X/1941

29/X. I slept peacefully that night.

I listened to the Information Bureau, but didn’t understand anything; they didn’t say anything about the Leningrad Front.

To get to a friend when I go to the front.

Today we could hear shooting on the front lines, small guns, including machine guns.

At 17:55 ET, several incendiary bombs were dropped.

At 20:15 «air alert», lighters were also dropped, the land mines were not heard, but the barrage of fire from the anti-aircraft guns on the planes beat like a drum.

After all this there was strong artillery fire, but we went to sleep, which we, Leningraders, are accustomed to everything.

At Popov still managed beg for it two packs of «Northern Palmyra» cigarettes (*The packages depicted the silhouettes of the Spit of Vasilievsky Island of Leningrad, a fragment of the Rostral Column, and the Exchange building, as well as the Neva River, and a steamship).

30/X/1941

30/X. It’s a day off, but I’m at the Factory and don’t have time to go home.

I haven’t heard the information bureau, but they say that our troops have left the city of Kharkov.

The weather is cold, snow has fallen, but the sky is gray, I don’t know how the day will go.

Today I am again busy preparing gifts for the soldiers.

I sewed 9 kiset (*a pouches) and embroidered several pieces.

I gave Popov gloves.

The evening and day passed quietly.

31/X/1941

3I/X. Back at work early in the morning.

I continue with the kiset (*a pouches).

Things are going well, I have cut out 25 kiset (*a pouches).

I didn’t listen to the Information Bureau attentively, I just listened to the Tula direction.

Bastard it, it’s rushing along the southern sector of the front.

The day passed again in work, all day I sewed, knitted, washed, etc.

I sewed 52 kiset (*a pouches) and sat there for up to 3 hours. nights.

In addition to this, at 23:00 they gave «air alert», which lasted up to 24 hours, I had to sit in the gap (*hideout).

Well, it should be noted that Adam, the guy is going crazy, and even dared to propose yesterday, and not in some roundabout way, but directly, reasonably, what an eccentric guy.