The Love Story in Letters from the Front

The country's history is made up of family histories. You begin to feel this particularly acute on the eve of important historical dates, as the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Whoever of parliamentarians you will ask be sure to hear: "My grandfather fought", "I have an uncle - a war veteran", "My grandmother was a member of underground". And how many these families exist, carefully keeping and transmitting from one generation the memory of the "bloodiest".

The Tyuryaevs - Nikolai  Yurevich and Ilona Petrovna - often jokingly referred to as "deputy." Husband - Tiraspol city council deputy, wife - Member of the Supreme Council. Their grandfather - Nikolai Tyuryaev, Konstantin Fedorovich Bukanov, Nikolai Yakovlevich Hantil and grandmothers - Alexandra Tyuryaeva and Militsa Konstantinovna Bukanova - veterans, defenders of the winners. Although they died, except M.K. Bukanova the memory of them lives and will live because there are people who keep it.

Extensive family archive evidences it, which is carefully collected by the Tyuryaevs. It's a real family tree with deep family tree roots. It keeps priceless family heirlooms, worthy of any museum - yellowed photographs, documents, award lists, newspaper clippings, letters from Nikolai Alexandrovich Tyuryaev to his wife Alexandra Ivanovna Konstantinova-Polyanskaya, they have lived together for 60 years ... The very latter that caused journalists parliamentary press service of particular interest in preparing for publication 70th anniversary of Victory, sank into the heart. It seems that the tangible front letters still keep human warmth, of which even decades later, despite severe time trials and inhuman suffering, sprout goodness and love. They are full of confidence in victory, hope for soon meeting.

"Hello, dear Shura!

I'm sorry for being so long to write. We reached the destination well. We arrived regiment on November 27 and with even greater force began to beat German reptiles, which are now bursting at the seams. The day of final victory is not far.

I am in charge of battery. December 19, I was given another title - First Lieutenant.

We are taken on fine so we are not afraid of cold weather. There has never been a single case of frostbite, and the Germans are frozen to death at every turn. It is funny to look at these dolls, wrapped in blankets stolen on their heads - towels and scarves for women. There are a lot of captured. A lot of those who are dead and frozen. They doom! Now they retreat, throwing everything ...

New Year was fine celebrated. We have completed a very great damage to the enemy.

My address is: Operating Red Army, 43th Field Postal Station, 274 Corps Heavy Artillery Regiment, BZR (for me).

I miss you already. I want to see you... We'll be together, and live together. Now we have to wait. Tightly kiss you! Your Nikolai ".

01.01.42

"Hello, dear Mikhail and Claudia!

Today I received a letter sent 5. III. For the man at the front, the letter from his native land and family - is a very big deal ...

It is the tenth month of bloody war against the German occupiers. First, we walked away with bitterness in the hearts, leaving close to us native towns and villages. The time has come when we stopped, gathered our forces and launched decisive offensive. Rusty nazi war machine faltered and began to back away, leaving thousand corpses of soldiers and a large number of appliances at our desecrated land. Departing, Germans brutally cracked down civilians. Their path was hung by corpses of innocent Soviet citizens. History does not know such atrocities. Honorable task is for our share - to clean, free Soviet Donbass from the yoke of Germans. There are brutal battles. Germans cling to every home, for each locality, creating centers of resistance. But their attempts failed...

The enemy is still strong. But the initiative is in our hands. The day when we will again see the water of the mighty Dnieper is not far. I am writing a letter, and the fight is two kilometers from here. Our planes bombed enemy positions five minutes ago. The cannonade does not stop. It is daily.

What to write about myself? Like millions of Soviet people I am forging the victory over the German occupiers. Things are going well. The personal account increases with each passing day...

I will talk after the war, when we meet about details. I hope to meet you again ... After all they can not kill all of us. Maybe I'll be among those lucky guys who are able to see the victory of the Red Army after the final defeat of Nazi of plunder army...

Waiting for your answer! Nikolai ".

23.03. 1942

This is a letter from Stalingrad.

"Dear Shura!

... Wait for me! I'll be back! The fate, I think, will not be so cruel to me ... There is no one more dear for me but you. Life for me is unthinkable without you...

Goodbye, sweetheart. If I do not come back, remember that I love you madly. I never for a moment forget and will not forget about you. If the issue regarding your shipment to front will be raised, insist on sending in the 9th Guards reconnaissance battalion. Tell me about it.

Tightly kiss!"

25.12.42

"Hello, dear Shura!

Now we have a rest after fighting for the fortress on the Volga. Soon we will beat the Germans on another front. The task of the liberation of the native land from the fascist scum will soon be completed. Then I come back again and we live peacefully and quietly.

Your Nikolai ".

7.02.43

"Hello, dear Shura!

... I hope that we will still live with you. I do not believe that I will not reach the end of the war.

I wish only one thing now: if only one day to be with you. You can not imagine how much I miss you ... Spring is in full swing. The nature is charming. I can not reconcile with the fact that there is a war now.

Say hello to all relatives and friends. Let all of them write to me. What are they silent?

Tightly kiss you! Your Nikolai . Waiting for your answer".

20.05.43

 "Hello, dear Shura!

Lately I've been almost every day began to see you in my dreams ... I remind now time before the war, cinema, theater ... Now – dug, rumble and roar for days. However, this is already used to, but still ...

To live, how we lived before the war ... This is now the only dream. But time will come. That's when we will live.

Will have a son - our dream, happiness and joy!

Wait for me! Believe that the time will come when we will be together..."

24.06.1943

 "Hello, dear Shura!

The long-awaited moment came. Germans are retreating. I am 30 km from Kharkov. Fights are already far to the west. I work now as chief operations officer of the artillery division. The work is very interesting, but causes a lot of stress.

Well, good-bye, my dear! I wish all the best to you and son!"

  09.05.43

In 1943, Nikolai  and Shura born son Valery. Later he became a soldier, and then a poet, has published many books, poetic content that organically echoes the tone of letters from the front of his father to his mother.

Oh, I'm waiting for the coveted envelope,

But there is still no letter day after day.

And the postman with a strange smile

Throws: "They are writing an answer to you "

Valery Tyuryaev is writing in his own collection of poems about himself: "I was born in Russia in the center of the old Russian city of Penza in the heavy war 1943. The family of his father, professional military, was not in one place for a long, changing towns, schools, friends".

Alexandra, the Sister of Nikolai  Alexandrovich Tyuryaev – is the graduate of the Kuibyshev Military Medical Academy. From the very beginning of the war until its end - a field surgeon who saved the lives of thousands and thousands of compatriots, lieutenant colonel of medical service, was awarded two Orders of the Red Star, Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, medals "For Military Merit", "For the defense of the Caucasus". She fought on the Western, Kalinin, the South, the Caucasus, the 1st Ukrainian Front. Member of the fighting in Malaya land liberated Czechoslovakia.

She was honored high state awards for saving the lives of the wounded. The hospital received so many wounded after fierce fighting, three medical battalion surgeon performed the operation without stopping, as much as could stand ... Sasha Tyuryaeva could stand longer than others at the operating table.

After the war, Nikolai Tyuryaev graduated from the Military Academy named after M.V. Frunze and continued to serve in the Armed Forces. He served one time in Tiraspol as chief of artillery of the 59th Motorized Rifle Division. He fathered another son - Yuri in peacetime, who also became a professional soldier. Grandson, named after his grandfather Nikolai , continued military dynasty of the Tyuryaevs. He served in the legendary 286th Guards Artillery Prague Red Banner Order of Kutuzov and B. Khmelnitsky team, which first opened fire on the Nazi Berlin, in the same military unit commanded by his grandfather.

 Descendants of veteran-winner with a special feeling tell today about one of the thousands and thousands of combat episodes of military biography N.A. Tyuryaev. Nikolai as chief of staff of artillery 93rd Infantry Division Kharkov participated in the liberation of Hungary. In the course of one of the battles of Debrecen the reconnaissance officers had found an enemy observation post. The Nazis have positioned it in the bell tower of ancient basilica. The gunners were ordered to destroy it. Realizing that the cathedral is of historical and cultural value, Nikolai  Tyuryaev canceled that order and with a group of soldiers broke into the cathedral, where the enemies were killed with small arms. Historical monument was reserved for Hungary. During this Tyuryaev was marked by the highest Hungarian award - the Order of the Banner of the Hungarian People's Republic of 1st degree.

Nikolai Tyuryaev gave total almost 36 years of his life to military duty, profession "to defend the homeland" and was discharged in 1974. The first thing that made war veteran upon returning to the place of permanent residence in Tiraspol, so it's been the Memorial of Glory, where he laid flowers at the mass grave ...

Relatives of deputy of the Supreme Council Ilona Tyuryaeva contributed to the defeat of Nazi Germany. Grandpa - Bukanov Konstantin Fedorovich at the ending - in 1941 Medical Institute in Stalino (now Donetsk), in the early 1942 was drafted into the Soviet Army, where he served until May 8, 1947 Stalingrad - Warsaw - Berlin. Such support geographical point winning ways of the soldier WWII Bukanov. Throughout the war, he saved the lives of his colleagues. This dirty work is akin to heroism on the battlefield, when they became operational and dressing. He awarded government awards for participation in hostilities: the Order of the Red Star, World War 2nd degree, medals "For Military Merit", "For the Defense of Stalingrad", "For the capture of Berlin". In peacetime, the K.F. Bukanov was the head of the city department of health Tiraspol executive committee.

Senior Lieutenant of Medical Service Milica Konstantinovna Bukanova – grandmother of I.P. Tyuryaeva. In Militarily 1941, she graduated from medical school named after Molotov. At the end of 1942 she was mobilized to the Soviet Army as commander of the sanitary-chemical defense, fought a staff intern at the hospital platoon 88th individual medical sanitary battalion of the 8th Guards Army 3rd Ukrainian and 1st Byelorussian Fronts. The Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd degree, as well as a medal of Marshal Zhukov was award for the feat of self-sacrifice and nobility.

Another grandfather of Ilona Petrovna – is the Colonel Nikolai Yakovlevich Hantil - gunner, graduated from the Kiev Artillery School. From the first to the last day of the Great Patriotic War, he fought on ships Onega Flotilla. He was awarded two Orders of the Red Star, Order of the Red Banner and Patriotic War, 2nd degree, medals "For Military Merit" and "For Victory over Germany" for military work.

They, along with millions of Soviet people, forged a "one for all" victory. We are immensely grateful to them for this.