75 years ago the concentration camp Auschwitz was liberated by the units of the 59th and 60th armies of the 1st Ukrainian front. Among those who first entered the death camp that operated in Poland since 1940, was the company commander 1087 th infantry regiment Ivan Stepanovich Martynushkin. In an interview with RT, he shared his memories about what he saw on January 27, 1945, and spoke about the transformation of historical memory in Poland.
- © Narsky, V. V. / Wikipedia / RIA Novosti
— Auschwitz was liberated in the midst of the battle of the Vistula-Oder operation. Please tell us how this happened?
We moved with the fighting, the Germans defended fiercely. We thought outside the wire military base. Requested artillery — we refused. Said that behind the barbed wire of the camp prisoners. Ordered to do without the shootings. During the promotion we saw people — groups, in groups outside the fence.
We came, saw people exhausted, exhausted. They wrapped themselves against the cold. Who Rob was, who just covered himself with rags. They were terrible. But I felt that they all understand what the hell they were all this time for them is over.
Looked into the hut. It was dark, the smell is very unpleasant like that. We felt that the benches are people. But it was these prisoners who, as his could not come out to meet us and to see what was happening outside the barracks.
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— What has particularly impressed you?
— Even when we didn’t know that we were going to camp, I smelled the smoke. Although during the fighting in our territory, we come accustomed to, because of the burnt villages, where some houses were burned, all the time this smell accompanied us. But there was a peculiar, acrid, heavy smoke.
My teammates from a different regiment and later told that they saw stacks… a week before our arrival, the Germans blew up the crematory… Apparently, the situation is such that they blew up the crematorium, and the bodies hadn’t been cleaned in camp. And these corpses were collected, put logs, firewood. Later doused with gasoline and set on fire. And apparently, when we approached the camp, this smell of burning, we did.
— You’ve seen described in books and films, storage of clothes, bales of hair?
Morning runs my soldier: “Comrade Lieutenant, there’s some huge warehouses. And there are some things, some stuff”. Went there to see. Then we didn’t understand what it is. And now, when all this show, we already knew what was happening.
We saw the bales. Then we learned that the bales of women’s hair. Then we somehow overlooked. Well, bales of something. Maybe it was a tow, maybe something else. There were shelves with new children’s shoes. Still some different things.
When it started to show the film documents, then we all understand. So the Germans so neatly, meticulously folded, were collected. Then I realized that it was women’s hair, this was the shoes of dead children.
- Bags with hair destroyed prisoners of concentration camp Auschwitz
- RIA Novosti
- © Vladimir Yudin
— Who took care of the remaining prisoners in the camp?
— Camp approached our medical battalion. He began to give first aid to the prisoners. Came our food. We took over the organization of the food of these prisoners.
— You, probably, had never faced? As comrades described his emotions?
We were all the time in such a situation, in a combat situation that is over us all the time hanging death. So indulge in some emotions, feelings we could not force the situation. It was our way of life, we lived from one horror to another. But, of course, we have been experiencing.
There was a feeling that each of us could be in the same situation faced by these people. Of course, this suggests some sort of horror.
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— Today the Polish and Ukrainian politicians say that Auschwitz was released Ukrainians…
— When we chased the Germans out of the village, we saw the camp, I died there machine-gun platoon commander — Armenian Grigorian, Gregory, we called him. So anything like that. My company was international. I had a foreman Kazakh. So, at the age of. He was already old enough to be my dad. With a mustache walked in. The Ukrainians were Russian. And the Georgians were. So it’s certainly not a bug, but some kind of intent, politicking.
On the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz was attended by about 40 heads of state. We flew there with Putin. Celebrated the anniversary of the very solemnly. Tribute gave the liberators the soldiers of the red army. Stressed that the Red army really made a decisive contribution. Putin recalled that the crematoria ovens of Auschwitz, Treblinka, Majdanek and other camps, extinguished forever by the Soviet soldiers. While we were in group four. Polish President awarded us the order for merit to Poland. For the liberation of Auschwitz. Very warm, very good it was.
And the next anniversaries have already passed in a completely different way. On the 65th anniversary already played the main head of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek. He was asked, so to speak, the tone. He said that for the European Parliament Auschwitz is a symbol of the struggle for human rights. I thought then, if we talk about the symbol, it is above all the symbol of shame of European culture, of Europe, which made such a phenomenon. And on the other hand, is a symbol of the triumph of the Soviet army. The celebration army-liberator, which carried out the liberation mission in Poland and in Europe. Here we hear in the address reproaches. We were called liberators. Such notes may sound, that we are the aggressors. We did not bring freedom to Poland. What the release did not give poles freedom. Then we felt a very sudden change in attitude.
- The prisoners of Auschwitz in the first minutes after the camp’s liberation by the Soviet army
- RIA Novosti
- © B. Fishman
— You did not hurt?
— No, you see, such resentment is not. Well, that offended people? Well, here they are. They already raised. In their head to put this information.
— In your opinion, the Western media care about such distortion of history?
— On the 65th anniversary of our group was approached by a journalist from Euronews and said eagerly: “But you know, Mr. Martynushkin that students in Krakow, they say that they were liberated by the Americans. And not the Red army, not Russian.” We were surprised. During the events the fathers of the city of Krakow was asked how it happened. They tried to justify.
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In fact, they have waged, and still this propaganda is that the liberation didn’t give freedom. So we had to give them some freedom of American, British type. We gave them the freedom that we had in the country. What is most important? We saved their country, language, culture. Poland remained Poland and not become some kind of colony, a space for colonization by Germans. Hitler attacking Poland, said that the Nazis needed Lebensraum, Poland should disappear, and the Polish people must be exterminated.
And as was configured in the attitude of poles to the Soviet soldiers?
— When we entered Poland, we received that kind of guidance from our government, from our political leadership to behave in relation to Poland as an ally as the friendly people. But with that mindset we were in Poland.
— Why in Poland today has changed the attitude to these events?
— I asked this question to the fathers of the city of Krakow, asked the Vice-Marshal of Polish Sejm: how could it happen during this period of time? We have been associated for many years with friendship and suddenly find out that such changes have occurred. I said, “are You now so bring your young people? You conduct such propaganda? Where did they get such knowledge? Why they began to say that they were liberated by the Americans? Who inspired them?”.
One thing the students and the other adults. And they also have such information, such information. But with those they live now that they are liberated by the Americans and the Red army is the invaders, it invaders. So, apparently, in Poland, a policy and a promotion, a powerful promotion.