Re: [Cz-L] Retreat 1944

From: frieda tabak <frieda_tabak_at_yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 2009 22:05:39 -0500
To: Czernowitz-L_at_cornell.edu
Reply-to: frieda tabak <frieda_tabak_at_yahoo.com>

Thist post brought back a memory.

My parents, my brother and were sharing an apartment with my uncle,
Dr Salo Koffler, in an apartment building that had an entrance on
Liliengasse as well as on Hauptstrasse. It was anarchy. The Nazis
were retreating, the Soviets had no arrived yet.

Suddenly there was a noise at our door. The door was kicked in, and
five or six Vlassovtzy walked in. "Oh, a nest of Jews", they said in
Ukrainian. "No, we are not Jews" my uncle said, "look at the books,
they are in german" as my aunt handed them her handbag.

My family was pretty fair skinned, my 4 year old brother (Stanley
Wishner) had blonde hair. I, however, at thirteen had dark long
braids. "OK, the Vlassovtzy said, you may not be Jewish but she
(pointing at me ) definitely is". My mother somehow managed to push
me out the door; and to this day I cannot remember where I went or
when I came back. I do remember spending the rest of the anarchic
days at my mother's cousin, Mia Hassner, who lived on the
Herrengasse, I think, and I remeber seeing fires all over Czernowitz
as we were walking there.

I would like to wish everyone a happy, healthy and peaceful Secular New Year

Frieda

--- On Mon, 12/28/09, HARDY BREIER <HARDY3_at_BEZEQINT.NET> wrote:

From: HARDY BREIER <HARDY3_at_BEZEQINT.NET>
Subject: [Cz-L] Retreat 1944
To: "CZERNOWITZ-L" <Czernowitz-L_at_cornell.edu>
Date: Monday, December 28, 2009, 12:55 AM

The Tiger tank on the Russischegass.

1944 promised to be a good year.
The newspapers wrote about shortening of front lines. This meant retreat.
   Marshal Konew troops were coming closer and drove the Wehrmacht to the
West.
    In January ,the Russischegasse the main road from the East , trafic was
not as usual.
     More and more army trucks came up the road.
      In February the trickle became a stream.
      The Feldgendarmerie (military police) called chain dogs ( Kettenhunde)
because of their steel collar gorgets suspended by a collar chain were
everywhere.
<http://is.gd/5DYyd>http://is.gd/5DYyd
On motorcycles ,directing trafic putting up road signs.
    In February the trickle became a stream : Germans , Rumanians ,
Hungarians,
   Italians , Russian Vlassov troops in horse driven carriages with families
and small
   children , all moving to the West.
    In this retreat the Germans would stop stop and hold the front for a
time.
     In Iassy thy put up a fight for some months and the Russians shelled
the town to bits.
     Fortunately Czernowitz was not chosen to be a fortress and go down in
history
    as a token of german bravery , among the remaining debris.
   German soldiers in rags were everywhere.
    They were looking for food , cigarettes and women.
    "Wir verkaufen euch den Hitler " was often heard meaning they sell us
Hitler.
      In '44 nobody would buy.
   Then came the tank columns, ruining the pavement. Everytime the big
     tanks made a turn the cobblestones came out leaving mud puddles.
      Then one morning , in front of our house , stood a tank. Abandoned.
    A 40 ton Tiger tank with a long cannon. The turret was as high as the
first floor balcony.
<http://is.gd/5DYEZ>http://is.gd/5DYEZ
      I immediately ran down to Berti our " Bande" leader suggesting we take
the tank
      and hide it in our cellar. Berti didnt think this a very good idea.
      Then one morning the tank was gone.
         Beginning March the flow of retreating troops stopped and silence
came to our street.
         Then came the Russians.
        Hardy
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Received on 2009-12-28 20:07:18

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