War Interview

WORLD WAR II VETERAN INTERVIEW

'AMERICA WAS TOO LATE.'

 

Interview by Oksana Chebotareva from Kishinev

 

              

I became acquainted with the war veteran Alexander Dmitrivich Levin last year. Then I interviewed him for Second City Teacher. He promised to tell more about his life in a further interview. This time it was not an easy task to interview Alexander Levin. We were interrupted by three telephone calls from Journalists who eagerly sought an interview with him. But his daughter in law tried to explain to some television journalists that he was in not in a fit state to give interview. The journalist had been told that she had to get an interview with him for at least 20 minutes. But he could hardly speak for more than a minute and was at a loss for words. Unfortunately Alexander suffers from dementia and the increased impact of a stroke he suffered 3 years ago. He told me that he thinks the stroke may have arisen from the excitement of being summoned by the Russian Embassy in Kishinev and awarded a long sought medal 'For the Defense of Stalingrad' which which he described as one of toughest battles he had participated in. Since he and officials had lost his wartime records of this period, he had been applying for this medal for forty years. Then suddenly some researcher found the documents. He received a phone call from the Embassy, where he was ceremoniously congratulated and handed the medal. Unfortunately the excitement may have brought on a stroke he had a few days later.

              

Although Levin can recall many of the events of the Great Patriot War distinctly, although his short term memory is poor and he can forget what he did yesterday or an hour ago.

              

Alexander Levin is now 97 and claims, "I love life and look forward to becoming 100." He considers himself one of the happiest men on the earth. He went to war almost from the beginning when he was only 17. This was when he was in the 9th class. He was accepted for the Infantry and trained in a rifle division based in Moscow. Afterwards, he fought in the Battle of Moscow, Stalingrad, Donbass, took part in the Yassov- Kishinev operation {August 1st to 22nd which liberated Rumania and Moldova} He also took part in the liberation of Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and the Battle of Budapest. {Editor's note The Battle of Budapest is often overshadowed by the Battle of Stalingrad, Kursk and Berlin. Yet Levin regards this as one of the most difficult battles and stated the Hungarian soldiers fought very well. While Stalin ordered Budapest to be taken in 5 days, it actually took over 100 days with the loss of 80,000 Russian soldiers. It was an intense, painful and prolonged battle}.

              

Levin, in a previous text published by N. Choban, spoke about his role in finding some spies, detaining them and interrogating them to obtain information and then executing them. But some fascists were so fanatical in their beliefs that they would give him no information at all. He stopped his men killing an Italian soldier whom he clearly understood was no fascist, but just a young man caught up in the war {see the interview of last August 2018}

              

Alexander Levin first started his service as a rifleman in an infantry division and then was enlisted in the counter Intelligence organisation Smersh whose task was to hunt down spies, collaborators and traitors. He was lucky enough to receive only two or three light bullet wounds. His two friends were less lucky. One went missing and another lost both his arms and became an invalid. Although many times he was unable to give an answer, he became very passionate when I mentioned the role of America which provoked an anti-American harangue.

              

I sincerely hope that Alexander reaches the age of 100. I am grateful to him for allowing two interviews. I would like to mention another discovery which I believe is just as relevant to this interview.

 

              

During my stay in Kishinev I also met my cousin who told me a lot of unknown facts about my grandfather who fought in the war, Gregory Bulat. He was a very talented musician who was invited to play at weddings and composed some music. But during the war he caught pneumonia and tuberculosis brought on by swimming over an icy old river during the war {the River Nemen}. He was so ill he could not enter a conservatory in Moscow and his family suffered very badly from the post war famine in Ukraine. There was such a lack of medicine that he had to be treated with dog fat. Food was so scarce one of his sons died from hunger. My mother lived through this time. Now I understand why she is always making a fuss about whether people have eaten or not when they turn up as guests.

             

              

Second City Teacher

 

Can you remember the day the war broke out?

 

              

Alexander Levin

               

I can remember it vividly. I was visiting Moscow at the time where two of my uncles were living. As soon as they heard the news on the 22nd of June, 1941, they sent me home on a train. But since all the seats were full I had to lie on the roof of the train. I later returned to Moscow to enlist in the army in the company of two friends. I was taken to a military base where I received training as an infantryman in a rifleman division. Although the training was intensive, the food was very meager and bad. I remember when a famous commander called Voroshilov visiting us and trying the food in the canteen cursing it in an amusing way. He said, "The soup was shit" and rudely used his finger when he came to the buckwheat. After that, they fed us much better.

 

              

Second City Teacher

 

              

Did soldiers take anything into battle to protect themselves?  

 

              

Alexander Levin

 

              

Before I went to the Front my grandmother gave me an icon of the Mother of God which I kept under my overcoat all the way through the war. After the war I came home and gave it back to her.

 

              

Second City Teacher

 

Were there any superstitions concerning whether it was taboo to take the clothes of a dead soldier from the battlefield?

 

               

Alexander Levin

                

I followed a rule that you must never wear anything from the dead lying on the battlefield. There was a saying that 'Everything that is on a battlefield is sacred {Все, что споля боя взятоб то свято} In any case there was no need to take their clothes. We were better dressed than the Germans for the winter war. It was the Germans who needed clothes, not us. Of course, almost everybody took watches from the Germans, but I never did this {Levin expresses another proverb in a previous interview, 'If You take some one from the dead on a battlefield you yourself will die ' {У мертвых ничего брать нельзяб а иначе сам рогибнешь}

 

               

Second City Teacher

 

                

Which side had the better tanks?

 

                

Alexander Levin

 

                

They had the bigger tanks, but our tanks were lighter and faster. They could maneuver better. The best tank of the war was the T-34. The Germans were surprised at how good our tanks were and did not expect this.

 

                

Second City Teacher

 

                

Did any soldiers meet women?

 

                

Alexander Levin

 

                

There were many women who came to the trenches to console us.

 

                

Second City teacher  

 

                

Can you recall any moments where you had a really close shave with death?

 

                

Alexander Levin

 

                

During the Battle of Budapest the Germans were strongly attacking us and we had to retreat over a river. I jumped on a horse so I could cross over the river. But the horse refused to cross. It stalled. An old man told me to cover the horses eyes with a coat so that it could not see the water as it was scared of it. So I did this and held on firmly to the mane and managed to cross the river to the other bank. Another time at the Battle of White Kolodez, i remember how we came under a lot of fire and my commander of the squad I was in was badly wounded. It upset me. When we went without food for three days he told us that the first thing he would do after the war would be to return to the bakery in Tula where he had worked as a director and eat this tasty bread again. But he could not do this because he was so badly wounded he died. He told me, "Listen, when you return home become a boss of a bakery that bakes food for people. Promise me". Well, after the war I think I at least kept the promise as I got a job checking a mill and so did work of some kind in the food processing industry.

 

                

Second City Teacher

 

                

What did you do after the war?

 

                

Alexander Levin

 

                

After the war all the doors opened up to me. I studied law, but before this I continued to serve in the army until 1947. After graduating from Law I served as a bodyguard at a mill where I met my future wife. I also worked as a consultant to help other war veterans with problems. {editor: Many were worried that other people were trying to steal their apartments and there were disputes about property} I made friends with the future President of Moldova {President Voronin served from 2001 to 2009 } He described me as 'My Teacher'. Every time on 'The Day of Victory ' his driver comes to my apartment and gives me an envelope filled with money.

 

               

Pause in the interview

                

I tried again to interview Levin the following day. My arrival startled him.

 

                

Alexander Levin

 

                

Listen who are you and what newspaper do you represent?  

 

                

Second City Teacher

 

                

I am working for an American newspaper in Chicago that fights for the rights of teachers and the poor in America.

 

                

Alexander Levin

 

                

I don't have any contacts with Chicago or have relations with Americans. They did nothing to help us in the war.

 

                

Second City Teacher

 

                 

Well, did they not send some food, tanks and supplies?

 

                 

Alexander Levin

 

                 

That was not real help. They only came into the war at the end when it was by then too late.The Americans did not really give us real help.