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

Chapter 5. October 1941

1/X/1941

1/X. Got up at 6 o’clock morning, I immediately went into the shower, I’m thinking about washing myself, while there is no «air alert».

I managed to wash myself thoroughly.

The weather in the morning is cloudy, real autumn.

The radio does not work, but they say that they have reported that our troops have left Poltava.

The weather became clear by lunchtime, the eksgauster (*An obsolete name for a fan) in «Katushka» is humming, and it seems to you that planes are buzzing, and if a vagonetka will hit at the turn round, it seems to you that anti-aircraft guns are hitting.

That’s how nervous my nerves are.

Before the bombing of the workshop, I was not afraid of anything, but now, for some reason, I began to be afraid.

You’re sitting in a crevice at night, the weather is cloudy, the clouds are low, and suddenly some damned Messerschmitt (*Messerschmitt) begins to howl in the air, like an unoiled cart.

As he howls, so will my soul whining.

Or, you think, it’s about to hit you on the dome.

Life.

At 16 o’clock the sun is shining so pleasantly, but my soul is very heavy, artillery cannonade does not stop.

We only rested for a few days, and now they are beating and beating, sometimes it feels like shells are exploding.

Really, another shelling of the city, how tired of all this.

I don’t really despair for myself, I’m alone, if they will strike me to death, means they will strike me to death, maybe this is a road for me.

I just feel sorry for the city and the victims.

Today I’m going home, I’ll climb into my basement, what will happen.

They didn’t let me go home, I spent the night at the Factory.

There were two air alarms during the day.

Night «air alert» lasted 3 hours, and was very restless, somewhere they dropped two pieces again, the night was semi-clear, the moon was shining, but there were clouds.

In the Dubrovka area there was a beating like a drum – continuously.

In the evening we laughed at Agafonov, he brought me a book.

In general, the guy fell in love, but if not at this time, I would have twisted his little head.

2/X/1941

2/X. I’m sitting writing this diary, and there’s shooting everywhere, artillery, and anti-aircraft guns.

The weather is cloudy.

I want to go home, I don’t know how I’ll get there.

The day passed calmly, there was not a single «air alert».

During the day I took a nap for an hour, and then sat, embroidered.

«My horse» (*Lenka) ran around in lines all the time, well, and the «horse» will really get everything.

I’m visiting on the Borovaya street now, yesterday even the «my horse» treated me to sour cream and jelly.

Artillery shooting continued all day.

Our area was shelled yesterday.

One shell fell on Borovoy, not far from us, and, they say, killed the seller of a kerosene store.

This is where the destiny of death lies.

For the day I listened to the radio with pleasure, since the Factory is still not working after the bombing.

In the evening, several new songs were broadcast, which was something of a surprise for us, since songs had not been broadcast for a long time.

I remembered previous years, peacetime, student years, going to the movies, theaters, shopping, yes, everything is gone…

Yes, everything has passed, those years will not return, but we hope that we will still live, go to the movies and theaters.

I look forward to joyful life ahead, and to those who will survive.

They don’t write anything from home, I don’t know why, they probably write something excess, and the military censorship doesn’t let it through.

I know my nieces.

Well, I don’t write anything to them either.

There are no letters from my friend either, but judging by his neatness, I wonder if he is alive.

After all, he was in combat positions all the time.

How I scold myself for not going to see him when he invited me.

After all, this may have been our last meeting.

And he wanted this meeting.

Yes, friend, friend, you can’t get out of my head.

Just now I was driving along Staronevsky avenue, and I remembered how we rode together on the tram for the last time.

We drove in silence, but both had the same feeling: he wants to stay with me, and so do I.

But fate turned out to be such that we soon parted ways.

When he got off the tram, tears welled up in my eyes.

While I was visible, he kept looking around.

Yes, my friend, I would like to meet with you, and talk, and read at least part of this diary, and share my impressions.

Also, I have a second person at the front – this is «M.K. Russkih».

This is my the «named (*betrothed) it brother» (*A term that was used to designate a close friend, comrade, or ally), it’s a pity that I didn’t meet him before going to the front, after the Hospital.

Petya Bizelev is also a good guy, but for some reason he doesn’t write anything.

I never think about Chaim.

3/X/1941

3/X. I came from home, with Borovaya.

I stood up together with the Information Bureau: battles along the entire front.

In every direction the Germans were given a great beating.

Last night they broadcast a very interesting episode of the struggle for Leningrad.

I don’t have a watch, but it’s probably already 9 o’clock.

As I write this diary, the artillery cannonade begins again outside the Kirov district.

It is unknown who is hitting where, we need to go out into the street and find out.

My cat sits and purrs after a good breakfast.

So he will probably live near me, I’ll feed him somehow.

The weather is pockmarked, a real autumn day.

In general, given the current weather, only just walk and walk.

The year is fruitful, but nothing reaches Leningrad.

We get 400 grams already the second month bread, but you can’t complain yet.

Especially yesterday.

Okay, Shurochka, it’s time to go to the territory, I know that you don’t like to sit in your office.

You need restore the workshop.

Today I started raising funds to buy warm clothes for the fighters – things are going well.

At 14:10 they gave «air alert», but before that the air battle could still be heard.

There was such a barrage of barrage fire, they beat like a drum.

The weather is terrible.

By evening the weather became clear, and there was a strong wind, all the clouds dispersed.

I have a feeling that it will be a restless night, and indeed, yes.

I barely had to sleep a wink the entire night.

«Air alert» at 17:45 passed calmly, but «air alert» at 19:40, it was something terrible.

It lasted 3:45, and so, the whole time we sat in the gap (*hideout).

High-explosive bombs were exploding everywhere, M.Z. anti-aircraft guns were firing. (*The M3 3-inch anti-aircraft gun was an American anti-aircraft gun that served throughout the 1930s and early World War II. Its predecessor was the M1918 3-inch gun).

What was happening, I don’t know what.

Okhta in particular suffered.

After lights out, «air alert», we went to have some tea, again «air alert», it was the sweetest dream, but there was nothing to be done, I had to go into the hole (*a gap in the wall, hideout).

I wanted to sleep like crazy.

«Air alert» lasted 30 minutes and went smoothly.

As soon as we arrived at our place, I lay down in bed, again «air alert», lasted 4:15.

It was something terrible, lighters were falling everywhere.

Little was heard of the anti-aircraft guns, and neither did the hawks.

But nothing, I had to sit in the crack (*hideout).

As soon as we arrived at our place, I didn’t have time to warm up, after 10 minutes «air alert» again, lasted up to 5 hours.

Having come to warm up, we heard the rumble of the plane, Romanova and I decided to go outside.

Indeed, the plane was enemy, because After a while, half a hundred lighters were dropped, flying to the ground with a squeal, after which several more land mines were splashed.

We ran into the gap (*hideout), and only then did we hear «air alert», the alarm ended at 5:55.

Arriving at my place, I decided to still get some sleep, but the sleep was dispersed during the night.

I heard the hum of enemy planes, but it turns out that it was a machine from searchlight that was working.

I didn’t want to get up anymore and fell asleep.

At 7:30 they wake me up and say, «air alert», I immediately went into the gap (*hideout).

There are not many preparations: put on a coat, and take a gas mask, and you often forget the latter.

So, during the day and night, there were 7 «air alert».

In total, 186 air alarms.

True, the first «air alert» they were very calm, now you can’t stick your nose out, no matter how curious you are.

Either I wasn’t curious, but now you can’t stick your nose out of the crack (*hideout).

It was an amazing night by nature.

The sunset of the moon gave way to the rising of the sun; one could say that it was not dark.

During one alarm, I chatted for a long time with Agafonov, the guy got a crush on me, well, to hell with him.

In the evening I told half a dozen anecdotes of Romanova when they were sitting in the crack (*hideout), and I thought about continuing in the evening, but I didn’t have to.

I’m sitting, writing a diary, and by God, I’m afraid, that I won’t have time to comb my hair, «air alert» will start.

4/X/1941

4/X. I got up at 7:30 in the morning, at the signal «air alert», or rather, did not sleep all night.

After breakfast, I decided to bypass the territory and I took it upon myself to write down yesterday.

The radio does not work.

The weather is amazing – sun, clear sky, but planes are constantly buzzing in the air.

During the day there were 2 «air alerts», they passed quietly.

According to the weather, there should be a good mood, but so far it’s very bad.

In general, perhaps I’m not a very despondent person, but there’s also little comfort.

Artillery firing we haven’t heard any shooting today, which is also a kind of consolation.

At 15 o’clock Zoya Kuznetsova came and said that Zaretsky was seriously wounded and was in the hospital.

A bullet wounded his leg and a shrapnel wounded his head.

He told Zoya how he struggled after being wounded, but still got out and, perhaps, will recover completely.

Wounded in the battle for Pulkovo Heights.

One day before 12 noon. there were 10 «air alert».

As soon as you come to your place, «air alert» again.

We didn’t have to sleep a wink all night; we sat in the crack (*hideout).

It was very cold, the night was moonlit, without wind.

The alarms lasted endlessly, there were breaks only for keep warm, oh, and it was cold.

Today I brought a warm scarf from home, I’ll try to finish knitting my socks, and then I can sit in the gap (*hideout).

I made laugh all evening with jokes.

Anya Romanova also made me laugh, she said:

As the chief engineer drew a diagram of the crack (*hideout) with his military boot heel, whoever saw it, it’s hilarious.

To be effective you will have to demonstrate it.

Agafonov pestered me all the time, he really wanted to spend time with me.

The main thing today, he says, is that I will never stay late to talk to him, I’m always in a hurry.

Our spotlight worked at night, and how they have discipline.

5/X/1941

5/X. Continuation of a sleepless night, just went to bed, at 1:30 «air alert».

It lasted 2:20, we sat in the crack (*hideout) and froze.

If you have to sit like this for a long time and not sleep, you will get rheumatism.

The time was 9 am, there were already 3 «air alert», with a total duration of 4 hours.

In general, I was pretty cold tonight.

Today is a gray, autumn, and cold day, Sunday, only my workshop is working.

Today’s task: finish knitting socks.

At 2 o’clock in the afternoon they studied bayonet fighting.

During this training, an air battle was heard and seen, and then they gave «air alert».

During the battle, a plane was shot down, but I don’t know whose.

After dinner, I went to bed and fell asleep, sweetly, sweetly, slept until one in the morning, suddenly «air alert».

And so, from one in the morning, the sleepless night began again.

The night was clear – moonlit.

The enemy planes were met by our hawks, so the night passed more or less calmly.

Somehow it makes your soul happier when our aviation is in the air, you seem to be safe.

6/X/1941

6/X. Today was the first day I slept like a boss during the entire period of the war.

I got up at 7:20, it was like taking a nap after the morning anxiety.

After drinking tea and eating porridge, I went to the workers, signed the orders, and decided to write down this diary.

Suddenly, Sokolov calls me and says that I was included in the list of responsible duty officers at Headquarters.

I’m on duty together with Popov, that’s okay, I really don’t want to be with «Iv. Anakin».

It was much better for me to sit in the gap (*hideout) than in the Headquarters or on the tower.

There I knew more what was going on in the city, since we had a military telephone.

Today is a cloudy day, windy, and cold.

There was only one air alarm during the day.

Today I received compensation just to have a drink in company.

Well, for lack of company, at least a glass of beer, but he’s gone now.

After work I went to see Romanova and we laughed until she cried.

She said:

How my workers broke down the destroyed wall near the workshop.

As the rope broke, they all fell, including Tamarov, dangling their arms and legs.

How it helped them to drop the pillar, I just can’t understand.

Then we went to the Partcom (*Party committee is a committee elected by the party organization to conduct current work), we talked something with Sokolov, he said, I wanted to appoint you as an observer on duty at Headquarters with «Iv. Anakin», I immediately answered that I wouldn’t go with him, they immediately started laughing.

Of course, I will be on duty with Sokolov and Popov, but never with Anakin.

I brought up the «air alert» count today, there are already 199 in total.

I can’t hand over my manuscript to Agafonov.

It’s quiet in the air today, but at the training ground pristrel is going on all the time (*Sighting targets, targeting of guns, or shooting guns).

I’ll end here because it’s dark, cold, and boring.

I’ll go to the dryer, we’ll laugh again and maybe sleep peacefully, well, I’ll write what happens in the morning.

All the best, Shurochka, go, «suschi sukhari» (*phraseologism: «We dry breadcrumbs» – they have been saying for a long time. That’s what they said when difficult hungry times were coming – they dried them in reserve. There were no dry concentrates. And a breadcrumbs is both light and does not take up much space, and nutritious. You can chew it and throw it into the soup, and brew it with boiling water), and sleep well.

But the sleep peacefully is failed.

After drinking tea and eating porridge, at 19:25, «air alert»

Having dressed immediately, we went into the gap (*hideout).

As soon as I left, I suddenly saw a flash in the direction of the Moskovsky railway station.

It turns out that the enemy was throwing flares, and suddenly, a high-explosive bomb exploded (they say at Mill of the Lenin’s).

I immediately into the gap (*hideout).

The sound of an airplane nearby.

Suddenly, some kind of ringing and air movement, our soldiers instantly entered the gap (*hideout).

At first I thought he was throwing lighters, but it turns out he was throwing small land mines weighing 5 – 10 kg on Martynovskaya street.

In total, 24 bombs were thrown onto this wooden street, causing destruction and casualties.

I was worried about «Katushka» and the tower.

During «air alert» I went and called Headquarters, they replied that they have calm.

When at 12:15 p.m. the «air alert» lights out, Nyurka and I went to see what happened there.

Walking past the dryer, I wanted to jump over the vagonietka (*An open car of small capacity (0.5—6 m3), designed for transporting goods, which moves along narrow-gauge railway tracks), and I really hurt my leg, as soon as I stood up, it hit me to the bone.

Then I went to the overpass.

The trams were running, but nothing was visible because the night was dark.

I walked back past the forest workshop.

Anya Romanova, she begin – let’s demonstrate how the workers broke down the wall: «one, two, they took it!»

We laughed until cried.

Suddenly, «air alert», we immediately ran into the gap (*hideout) and started telling jokes.

After lights out «air alert» we went to our place.

Romanova fell asleep sitting by the stove.

Out of old habit (I like to pamper), I tied a file to she, etc.

We laughed until they cried as she woke up and freed herself from the burden.

At 12 o’clock went to bed.

7/X/1941

7/X. I woke up at 5 am, took a shower, and went back to sleep.

My leg hurts all the time after yesterday.

After drinking tea, I went to my dovecote and decided to write it down.

The weather today is cloudy, and our aircraft are already in the air.

It’s 2 p.m., the sun is shining clearly and it’s very warm, but today it’s very difficult for me to walk, my leg hurts.

I have a gas mask over my right shoulder and binoculars over my left, because today I am on duty at Headquarters.

In the first hour there was «air alert», I already went to the tower, the alarm passed calmly.

I didn’t like it on the tower, because it’s very noisy from the avenue; you can hear it better on the territory.

There is a humming eksgauster, a hoist, trams, etc., a continuous noise.

Today my old company will sit without me.

We had a great laugh with Nyura Romanova.

Yes, today there is something to add.

As I already mentioned, I am on duty at the tower.

The day was clear and sunny, the weather was very pleasant, but I was in some kind of tense state, for some reason I was worried about how I would stand on the tower and ensure my duty, especially at night.

Indeed, according to schedule, at 7:30, «air alert», and I took up my post on the tower.

First Titov came to me, then he frozen, and left.

Magin came and I went to get warm.

«Air alert» lasted 6.05.

This «air alert», in terms of duration, is the first «air alert» for the entire time of the war, out of all 204 experienced, during the war.

Enemy planes made 7 approaches, almost all along the same route.

Enemy planes entered from the Kirovsky district, then to the Leninsky district, then to the «Lenin Mill», «Lenin Plant», Finlyandsky Station, the right bank of the Neva, Malaya Okhta.

Once a plane passed over our Factory.

At first I thought it was very creepy to stand on the tower – nothing like that.

A lot of lighters were dropped on the city.

The fire in the Moscow district was extinguished quickly.

To the left of «Krasny Neftyanik» the fire continued for 2—3 hours.

In the Smolny area the entire horizon was on fire – a kind of blue, so-called mouse fire in childhood.

A fire broke out, lasted 2—3 hours, and was extinguished.

Then, in the port area there was a strong glow in 4 places, and it burned for a long time.

And the bastards, the rocket men, were firing rockets like candles all the time, especially in Sortirovochnaya, in Shchemilovka, and at the Volodarsky House of Soviets, in Rybatskoye, at the «Red Weaver», etc.

All missiles were dropped from the territory of Kartontol.

Here you go, bastards.

There were also rockets in the city.

I covered myself with a warm scarf and stood the watch without freezing.

At 1:30 the «air alert» lights out, I went to spend the night, ate the soup that Motya sent, and wanted to go to bed, met with Adam, and chatted until 4 o’clock nights.

In general, the guy got carried away head over heels.

I just went to bed, at 4:30 again, «air alert», I’m back on the tower.

The weather became cloudy and drizzling rain, but from 4 o’clock a strong artillery cannonade began.

In all likelihood, they shot at Kronstadt and Rybatskoye, after lights out she went to bed.

8/X/1941

8/X. I got up at 10:10 in the morning, this is slept after being on duty.

And Shura Koltsova woke me up.

I jumped out of my bed, splashed some water in my eyes, and with swollen eyes ran to the dispatch meeting.

Today is a cloudy day, it is drizzling rain at times, and there is an assumption that «air alert» must not be.

It’s already 13 o’clock, and I haven’t seen all my workers yet.

Tomorrow is a day off, but I probably won’t go home.

The day passed calmly, but I really wanted to sleep.

Artillery cannonade is heard all the time.

Again, the bastard, he broke through, the anti-aircraft guns are hitting, but now there’s nothing to worry about.