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The Germans entered Libivne in 1939, but left it
soon after. The town was defenseless. There was
great fear among the Jews. From time to time,
Ukrainian gangs came to town, carrying big sacks
in which to put the loot they took from the Jewish
homes and businesses. Both Jews and gentiles
then formed a defense militia that managed to
chase away the unwanted guests. This was during
the Ten Days of Penitence between Rosh Hashana
and Yom Kippur.
Also, the remnants of the destroyed Polish
army, men hiding from the Germans in
the woods between Chelm and Libivne,
would shoot at any Jew, yelling, "You Jews,
Communists!"
For two whole days, the bandits went on a
rampage in our shtetl. There were victims of
their bullets; one was R. Yidl Raychers, who was
shot on Chelm Street, and another was R. Dovid
Palaper, shot on Masheve Street as he tried to
close the shutters of his house.
On the same night that the Germans disappeared
toward the nearby Bug River, the Red
Army entered the town. This was on the eve of
Yom Kippur.
The next morning, the people went out into
the street as life appeared to become more normal;
but it could not be said that all Jews were too
pleased with the new rulers.
In our home, for instance, there was great
joy, for we hoped our brother Leybl now would
be able to visit us. But our hopes soon vanished
when we received word that he had been killed
by the Soviets.
WITH THE RED ARMY
By Dovid Melamed
343
In the Red Army
Some time passed, after which I was drafted into
the Red Army. This was in 1940, when I was sent
to the Far East.
On June 22, 1941, we heard over the radio
that the Germans had crossed the Soviet border.
The commissars and political officers harangued
us about the necessity of protecting the fatherland.
The Germans were already at the gates of
Leningrad, and in 1942 my division, which had
an excellent war record, was ordered to the front
in that city.
I took part in the fighting and was wounded.
I was sent to a hospital in Sverdlovsk (in the Ural
Mountains), where I spent four months. After
that I was discharged and was certified unfit for
duty for a whole year.
I and other wounded soldiers were sent to a
labor camp. If I still labored then under the illusion
that I was in a labor battalion, which is what
they called it, I see now that the great forest, with
its filthy barracks, could only really have been a
prison camp.
Back to the Front
After resting a while and regaining my health, I
was sent to another place. In this voyenkomat
[military recruiting office] they gave me a military
uniform and ordered me to join the artillery
unit. We engaged in various war exercises.
After six weeks of basic training, we were sent
to the front again. It was February, 1944, when
we reached the White Russian front, near Lutsk-