Commando News December 2016

HITLER'S BOY SOLDIER
VALE George Sodbinow
Just recently we said our farewells to a
much loved, and respected, ex member
of 1 Commando Company.
His life is the stuff that legends are
made of, and many years ago
Michael Nibbs interviewed and
wrote an extensive article for the
newsletter of the day.
Here is an abbreviated version.
Born Mazam Zobinow in a
Cossack village named Ilovskya
on October 24 1930, the young
boy was called George by his
mother after a tenth century
Mongolian warrior hero.
His birthplace was near the
River Don, close to the Caspian Sea,
his father, Uchur was a Cossack
Officer, rich in horses, his mother
Maria was Slovenian.
Uchur Zobinov took George to the
Konstantinovic Kadetski Korpus, a military
academy in early 942 when George was only 12.
Graduates of the academy went to the Russian
Army as junior officers.
Attrition rates were high; of 200 students accepted
each January, only about 30 finally graduated from the
final year with the rank of First Lieutenant when they
were 18 years.
As the invading German army rapidly advanced in
1941, the senior classes and the military officers on the
staff, including the commandant, disappeared.
However, it was thought that the invaders posed no
serious threat to the younger boys, notwithstanding
that they were cadets in the enemy's training structure.
Near the end of 1943, a German unit arrived. At this
time, there were probably about 110 students
remaining in the academy, the oldest were aged 15
years.
By this time George's only brother, two years
younger than him, had joined him at the academy.
The Germans were faced with a manpower
shortages, and as the cadets were young, fit and well
trained, the German commander decided they were to
be sent into Germany to provide mauch need labour.
Within a week they were all loaded onto railway
trucks for the long journey, which finished at Matt -
hausen concentration camp. There was just enough
room in the wagons to enable the cadets to lie down
to sleep in shifts.
The train was attacked by artillery and aircraft
during the journey, and the cadets had to run from it to
seek cover. Two or three were killed. This was their first
close-up view of violent death.
At Matthausen, they were allowed to
shower for the first time since leaving the
academy in huge, tiled rooms for 100
to 150 people, they noticed that this
camp had the entrance doors sealed
by bulkheads. The students did not
suspect at the time that this camp
was to be used for a sinister
purpose but they enjoyed the
showers.
After 5 weeks in this camp,
the students were given a choice
- to fight for the Reich against the
communists or remain in the
camp.
Their eventual fate there had
become all too obvious. It was a
poor choice.
Heil Hitler!
After a few weeks training in German
military procedures, the cadets were
allocated to a .77 anti-aircraft battery
guarding Lintz, placed under German command
and kitted out with German uniforms and equipment.
The uniforms were identical to those worn by the
elite Wehrmacht SS troops, and this was to cause
concern for the cadets in the closing stages of the war.
Later, they were moved to an airfield at Eger, where
the first ME 262 jet fighters were stationed. There they
manned four barrelled machine guns designed to
provide protection against low level air attacks.
None of the cadets were pro German, on the
contrary, they hated the Germans, so much so that
some of the students were sabotaging aircraft.
The unit was moved to Berlin and billeted in
barracks near Alexander Platz, from there, detach -
ments were sent to man anti-aircraft batteries aboard
trains ferrying ammunition and other supplies south to
the Italian front.
Despite being attacked on many occasions these
resupply mission were successful.
When not manning the batteries, they were given
the task of gathering bodies of those killed in the allied
bombing missions.
German resistance was at last crumbling, unable to
return to Berlin the cadets tried to make good their
escape into the Austrian Alps. They had to dodge
Wehr macht officers who from time to time pressed
them into service with one unit or another. Execution as
a deserters was a constant possibility.
Finally, they discarded their uniforms and kit and
tried to pass as civilians, which was not too difficult as
they were still children.
Finally they were met by American scouts who
10 COMMANDO NEWS ~ Edition 9 I December 2016