Children оf War

On that distant summer day on 22 June 1941, people were doing their usual business. The students were preparing for the prom evening.

Girls were building huts and playing "daughters-mothers", the restless boys were riding wooden horses, presenting themselves as soldiers.

And no one suspected that pleasant chores and provocative games, and many lives will negate one terrible word - war. Generation born from 1928 to 1945 lost the childhood.

"Children of the Great Patriotic war"- so are called today's 59-76 years people. They were brought up by the war.

The war taught those children to cry. Valentina Ivanovna recalls : "When our train was bombed for the second time, we were in the hands of the Germans.

The Nazis lined up the children separately, adults separately. Because of horror no one cried, looking at all with the glass eyes. We clearly learned the lesson: who cries will be shot.

So we saw how they killed a little girl who cried without stopping. The German led her out of the line so that we all could see and shot. All understood without an interpreter – do not weep".

So simply faded out the life. Nazi men were shooting at children for fun, to see how the children ran in fear, or chose a live target to practise in accuracy.

In the German camps children were working, too. For example, they took human ashes from the crematorium and sewed them into bags, then those ashes fertilized the ground.

As prisoners in the camps, the children were blood donors for German soldiers. And how cynical they "sorted" fit and unfit to work.

On the walls of the barracks it was written: ‘Who will not serve Germany will be down in the oven’.

Children Of War

On that distant summer day on 22 June 1941, people were doing their usual business. The students were preparing for the prom evening. Girls were building huts and playing "daughters-mothers", the restless boys were riding wooden horses, presenting themselves as soldiers. And no one suspected that pleasant chores and provocative games, and many lives will negate one terrible word - war. Generation born from 1928 to 1945 lost the childhood. "Children of the Great Patriotic war"- so are called today's 59-76 years people. They were brought up by the war.

The war taught those children to cry. Valentina Ivanovna recalls : "When our train was bombed for the second time, we were in the hands of the Germans. The Nazis lined up the children separately, adults separately. Because of horror no one cried, looking at all with the glass eyes. We clearly learned the lesson: who cries will be shot. So we saw how they killed a little girl who cried without stopping. The German led her out of the line so that we all could see and shot. All understood without an interpreter – do not weep". So simply faded out the life. Nazi men were shooting at children for fun, to see how the children ran in fear, or chose a live target to practise in accuracy.

In the German camps children were working, too. For example, they took human ashes from the crematorium and sewed them into bags, then those ashes fertilized the ground. As prisoners in the camps, the children were blood donors for German soldiers. And how cynical they "sorted" fit and unfit to work. On the walls of the barracks it was written: ‘Who will not serve Germany will be down in the oven’.

Many fought against fascism with arms in their hands, becoming sons and daughters of the regiments. Boys and girls at the call of their young hearts were underground, came to the guerrilla groups to take revenge on the enemy for the death of fathers and brothers, burned dwellings - for all the atrocities committed by the Nazis in the occupied areas. In guerrilla family grew up and covered themselves with undying glory pioneer Heroes of the Soviet Union: Leonid Golikov, Valentine Cat, Marat Kazei etc.

These children during the war rebuilt their shattered economy, in 12 years, becoming the machines in the factories, working on construction sites. Educated with labor and valor, they matured early, replacing dead parents, their brothers and sisters. We salute our brave young soldiers!