This is a fictional diary from the viewpoint of a Soviet soldier during World War 2 in the Battle of Leningrad. This is not a factual entry so don’t take any of this post as fact.
9th November 1941
Dear diary,
My name is Vladimir Eskotsy and a I am part of the Soviet 23rd army. Currently I am in Leningrad, in west Russia. We have been trapped here for about a month and we are under siege by the German and Finnish forces. We are using up our food and we may run out soon. The Nazis have cut off our food supply and stopping our allies from helping us.
I remember when the siege began. Much of the army were killed or injured after being attacked by the Finnish army. I lost l a lot of friends that day and from then on things got worst. They slowly surrounded us until we were completely under siege. Only yesterday Hitler said “Leningrad must starve to death.” I can only hope help comes soon.
12th November 1941
We did it! A few days ago, we executed our first counter attack. We managed to push back the Germans. We had to do this to stop them from joining with Finland’s army. But it didn’t come without its loses. Yesterday my friend, Boris, was killed by a grenade. He was my friend for years, but now he’s dead. He always wanted to get a family and live in a lodge in Siberia. He wanted to live peacefully and happily. All that he could’ve been and done has been cruelly taken. I must tell his mother about it. If there is one thing to live for it must be to tell her about her son.
It also made me think too. I was only 17 years old when I joined the army in 1940 and I don’t want to die young. There is loads of stuff I want to do, so much to live for. Also, I am a Christian and after Boris died I think about if there is an afterlife. Maybe after we die there’s just nothing. I couldn’t sleep after that. God, I don’t want to die.
6th May 1942
This is a bad day. Operation Lybon Offensive has failed. This was supposed to liberate us from the siege. The 2nd Shock Army were supposed to break through the German lines but they were separated and wiped out. We don’t have food and people are resorting to savage ways to survive. A rat can fetch a high price if sold but no one would give away precious food. All the dogs and cats have been eaten. Some people have started to resort to cannibalism to stay alive. Yesterday, I found that Boris’ grave had been dug and some of his limbs been taken. I found the bag of scum and I shot the filthy rat and threw him onto the street. Please don’t let me die in this hell-hole.
2nd June 1942
The Germans have brought train-mounted artillery and fired at us mercilessly. I was due out on patrol but the truck was destroyed by a shell. I only survived because I was late. Maybe God does not want me to die? That still does not change the fact of the illnesses here though. The rats have spread disease everywhere and people are starving. Every time I go out all you can see are people throwing up, skinny as rope and you can tell they’d rather be dead. Many have nasty growths on their skin and they reek so bad I think the Germans can smell them.
7th February 1943
We managed to break the blockade. The lake froze over and we managed to make a path across. They brought supplies but it still isn’t enough. We still have horrible living standards and we are barely holding back the Germans. We have even had to use dead bodies as shields. Hundreds of thousands of troops died on both sides and we cannot bury them all. The flies and vermin are everywhere, and they and the bodies cause a terrible stench. we are also freezing too, but so are the Germans by the sound of it. I heard they took the bodies of soviet troops and the officers told them to take the boots and clothes. But the boots froze onto the corpses and the Germans cut off the legs and thawed them out later. But I also feel sorrow for my friends, fellow soldiers and innocents. I even feel sorry for the guy who I killed, the Germans and the Finns. If my friends did not deserve to die why did anyone else who simply believed they were doing the right thing. I didn’t want to fight. Not to kill. I’m just a kid.
27th January 1944
The siege has ended! We have pushed the Germans back miles from the city. We have tried very hard for the past year, with several failed operations to break the siege, and finally we have succeeded. Though the cost was huge. There is an estimated one million dead in the siege but there’s probably many more. I have lost many friends and have witnessed many horrors. I honour anyone who tried to stop it.
I will leave one more message. This war was horrible and vile. But we must be strong. We must fight against evil and protect the ones who need it. And to protect them we must not kill and fight over petty arguments. We must salute those who died protecting our freedom and say “Never again”. Then those deaths shall not be in vain.
Vladimir fought until the end of the war and in 1945 was the first man to enter Hitler’s bunker in Berlin. And was the first man to reveal that Hitler, the beast that caused the suffering of millions, was dead.
Recent Comments