World War II 70th Victory Anniversary Celebrations Haunt Veterans, Survivors With Gruesome Memories
Even as Russia gears up to celebrate the 70th anniversary of allied victory over World War II, on May 9, representatives from many anti-Hitler coalition countries have been invited, according to Tass.
There are war stories, memories and also tales retold by grandchildren, who thank their heroes, according to rt. One of the men with fond memories is Stepan Karnaukhov, 90, was part of Operation Bagration in 1944. It was a terrible war---hard work "until utter exhaustion."
"We didn't know the sweet excitement or a tenderness of the first love. Instead we had wounds and bandages soaked in blood," he said. "The war stole our youth. That's not listed among the losses of war."
For Tatyana Korsakova,78, who was under the blockade for two years during the Siege of Leningrad, for almost two-and-a-half years by Nazi Germany, starvation had become common. She recollects that she had just 125 grams of bread in a day, while soup was made from wood glue.
She recalls that death floated everywhere: "As spring came we went to the bridge over Fontanka river. And from there we saw corpses floating down the river. And for some reason the kids including me were neither scared of the corpses nor disgusted. It was just a fact of the reality we were living in."
Arkady Krupennikov had joined the First Ukrainian Front in 1943, at the age of 18, and recalls a vivid memory of being shot in the face. "There was a lot of blood. I thought I was severely injured although I didn't faint. And when I got to the military hospital...dear God, I realized my wound was nothing compared to what I saw there."
