The lifelong search Ishchenko Egor Class 7

«The lifelong search» Ishchenko Egor Class 7 “B” Gymnasia 7 Podolsk

The Great Patriotic War was one of the greatest ordeal in Russian history. It broke out on the 22 nd of June, 1941, and the life of our country changed greatly. 2

That was such a hard time for those who fought on the front, protecting and saving our country, and for those who stayed in the rear, in the besieged Leningrad. They truly believed that they were definitely gonna defeat the enemy, Nazi Germany, and liberate the Homeland. 3

During the first days of the war thousands of citizens went to the front. 26 millions soviet people was killed, a lot of them lost their home. And our family has gone through this trial. My great grandfather wasn’t back from the front. 4

In my big family, our authority and source of pride for us was and will always be my great grandfather. His name is Andrey Ovchinnikov 1915 – 1942 5

Andrey was born in 1915 in a peasant family in the village Slobodskoy (Rostov Region). He was one of the 6 children in the large family. In 1929 he graduated secondary school then he worked in a local collective farm. Four years later he became a head of a local shop. 6

Soon Andrey met his future wife Vera Stroganova. She was a teacher. In 1936 they got married. In 1937 Andrey and Vera moved to Semikarakorsk. They had 3 children: Anatoliy, Evgeniy and Taisia. They were very happy. 7

Andrey was 24 years when the Great Patriotic War began. He had been trained in an officer career course and started his way along the War roads in Voronezh. He was a commander of the battery. 8

On July 7, 1942 our family received the notice. Since then Andrey was considered as ‘lost without trace’. 9

Andrey’s son and my granddad Evgeniy didn’t lose hope to find his father. It was the lifelong search . . . 10

We have sent a lot of official enquiries about Andrey Ovchinnikov, but we have always received only one notice: «Got missed without trace» . 11

By the efforts of our friends we have known that Andrey fought in the 498 th infantry regiment. It was a part of the 233 rd infantry division, which defended Voronezh. After hard fighting the division incured serious losses. Andrey Ovchinnikov lost without trace. There wasn’t his name in the list of them who lost their lives. 12

My grandfather retrived information from the archive of the military medical documents and we knew facts. Andrey died in the hospital № 4317 12 in August, 1942. It was near Ramon, Voronezh region. 13

Registration card of military burials № 38. 14

Our family decided to find my great grandfather’s burial place. In September, 2009 we visited Ramon military cemetery, burial № 38. 204 soldiers and my great grand father were buried there. 15

A cross , covered with marble, was installed in honour of soldiers who died in the hospital. «Fallen soldiers in the battle for liberation of our country» . It means, my great grandfather Andrey died to defend his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, to defend our peaceful life. 16

September, 2009. Ramon, Voronezh region. 17

13 th October, 2009 the newspaper «Semikarakorskie vesti» was published an article by Evgeniy Ovchinnikov. He is Andrey Ovchinnikov’s son and my grandfather. On 18

These are always with us – the dreadful war and the Great Victory. They are always here, next to us: our granddads, grandmas, our parents. They keep looking into our eyes, our fallen warriors. They are crying out to us today; as loud as they have never done before: Remember! Do not forger – forgetfulness would turn harm for you. Do not sell yourself to those, on whose walls we had written our names. Do not go begging from those, whose cities we had been liberating. Do not believe those who had been trying to destroy us for several centuries. They will fail. And we, we’ll manage for sure! 19

Resources • The newspaper “Semikarakorskie vesti” (13. 10. 2009); • My grandfather’s stories. • Orbitnetwork. Ru (photo) 20