Melnykova Maria

Interviewed by Kassandra (Germany), Jakob (Germany), Agnese (Italy) and Khrystyna (Ukraine) . Text in square brackets serves as explanation and commentary added by the interviewers.

Life before the war

I was born on the 18^th of August 1926 in Poltava region. During the Famine time

[Soviet famine of 1932–1933] we came here, to Konstantinovka. I am a motherless child. My mother died when I was 10. I was raised by my father. When we came here, firstly we lived in a park. I studied at school №16 and finished 7 grades.

The Famine started in 1932. The soldiers came and took everything. Father was also taken and I stayed with my grandmother.  When she died my father was set free. Then he suggested going to Donbas. My father was 32 and I was 6 when we came here. He worked at the Frunze factory. When he was at work, I had to go to scrap yards in order to find some food. We were given a small room. From one side there was a TIR [shooting gallery], and from the other- we lived. He died here, in Konstantinovka. In 1946 I got a job and after I bought a house.

I heard about the beginning of war on the radio. The bombing started and my father dug a cellar for us to stay there. He and my stepmother were in the garden when Russian soldier came to the house. He said if I didn’t want to go to work in Germany I should sleep with him. If not he would write a note to a Labor exchange and I would be taken to Germany. Or in the other case if I hide somewhere he would kill my parents. I didn’t have any choice and went to Germany. On the next morning soldiers came and took me to the Labor exchange. After we all went to Donetsk and stayed there for 2 weeks in order to gather everyone. Father stayed at home. He worked at the military guard.

Life during the war

In May, 1942 we were taken to Germany.  We went in cargo wagons. There was straw inside on the ground. I don’t remember exactly how many we were, but for sure a lot. One break we had in Zhytomyr. And we wanted to run away. We were 12, but someone revealed our plans. After that we were beaten by German soldiers. We came to Eisenach city to the plane factory, where was a production of details for planes. We lived in wooden barracks. Our work was cleaning. The first year we were cleaning at the factory, on the camp territory, on the cemetery. Also there were lathes. I remember there was one German woman and she taught me everything there. Everything was ok if there were no defects. In other way we were punished. Also there was one girl form Konstantinovka and we were friends in the camp.

Our meal consisted only of spinach and turnip. We hadn’t seen bread at all. We didn’t want to eat that food. There was one German woman and when she saw that we rejected to eat, she turned over our plates and ordered to eat from the ground. We were forced to eat. But with a time we got used to it, because any way you want to eat something. Because of the climate change we had problems with health; we had wounds on our hands, legs.

On the 9^th of May we were liberated by Americans. Stalin issued an order that we were treated as enemies of the country, and we should be taken not homes but to “Kolkhoz” [ was a form of collective farms in the Soviet Union]. I don’t remember the name of the village that we were taken to gather the harvest and collect the hay. But when was the time to go home, we were not allowed to come inside the wagon, only to the corridor of the carriage. We worked hard, suffered and at the end became the enemies of the country. It was not our fault that we were taken to Germany.

Before the departure we had a medical examination in Germany and after were sent to that village. Only in November I reached home.

Life after the war

After the Stalin’s order we were treated badly. When I came from Germany my father helped me to get a job. I worked as a student on the factory for half a year, then as a worker. After the factory I worked in the garage, in the school as a guard. I have 64 years of service. I finished working when I was 76.

My daughter and younger son died. I live with my older son and his family now. My husband drank and was paralyzed and died. We lived with him together for 46 years. We went through a lot.

He beat me because of the fact that I worked in Germany. I tried to hide from him this information, but my stepmother didn’t like me and didn’t want me to marry him, and told him everything. But my children knew about my work in Germany.

Also we received the compensation from Germany. I don’t remember the sums but at first it was in Deutsche mark, and then in euro. I received the notification from bank about the money.

During those times the attitude to Germany was bad. But now time has changed and people as well. There are good and bad people everywhere. Even there was one German woman who brought me time to time some sandwiches.

  It’s good that you all came today and remember about us. Everyone should know about those times.