Page 36 - Excerpts from the diary

closer in the forest, 35 kilometers from Minsk Mazowiecki. At heart, it became easier.
I remained 'Pshenochavt' (Polish: to spend the night) and again, as well as everywhere earlier, long and almost
hopeless search of the apartment, innocent gestures of inhabitants «No places here», «you should go to
commandant's office» and, at last, in the form of the fairy godmother, the favorable hostess old woman who
unconditionally sheltered and warmed and to eat given.

01.19.1945

During a march the company commander together with the lieutenant Shitikov, without having told anything, left
on the certain apartment where orderlies made them a dinner and a breakfast and where they have well a rest,
having come to arrangement only before dawn. And when in other platoons there were disorders, the captain
began to accuse and abuse abusively me though he did not leave for himself before leaving and did not inform me
even of it.
When my orderly corporal Nakonechny got the gold watch, he presented them to the company commander and
since then became sycophant (turns, looking for cigarettes, [...] near him), for all the time of a march having never
asked me permissions to leave and when I made him remarks, he referred to permission of the company
commander and that repeatedly stood up for him. As a result he absolutely ceased to reckon with me and from the
disciplined fighter turned into the furious and malicious violator of discipline.
More than once from him it was possible to hear that my order does not play a role as it will be easily and
undoubtedly cancelled by the company commander. And the other day, when I temporarily
transferred Nakonechny to 1 platoon and demanded after need for him there back, the
lieutenant Kanonenko refused to return me him, and Nakonechny said to me that «Kanoneko's time told that it
and will be, and your word an empty phrase».
Once, when fighters Beresnev and Nakonechny began to touch the fighters passing by and to call them unjustly
abusive words, I forbade them to repeat similar pieces, having explained all platitude and bad manners of their
acts. However, Nakonechny, and then and Beresnev, scoffing at my remarks, began to offend in eager rivalry the
first comers by him Red Army men. Then I declared it to the company commander, but that only laughed in the
presence of Nakonechny and Beresnev, etc. After that to this day these fighters do not stop the trite shouts and
especially persistently use them at my presence.
I will give an example:
Beresnev! Nakonechny shouts.
And?
Di*k... take!
Nakonechny! Beresnev calls.
Well?
Di*k... I will bend!, etc.
So the company commander took care of decomposition of discipline in a platoon, and in particular of
undermining my authority.
Reached that in the presence of fighters he, the captain Rysev, became in any occasion and for no reason at all to
call me 'rasp....m', 'h....m', (Russian swear words) 'fool', began to say that any fighter better me will be able to
order a platoon (at fighters) that I am not an officer, and shit that in the first fight he will shoot me, etc.
After him the lieutenant Kanonenko began to threaten me with execution. In the presence of fighters he called me
by not less obscene words, then began to claim that earlier I «worked as the chief of OVS and x... was not at
war». Further it is more. Once the pots and jugs thrown by Kanonenko in a state of intoxication departed to me.
Another time Kanonenko took out a revolver and began to twist them before my person. For the third time
of Kanonenko organized firing indoors, more to the left of that place where I sat. And always, as soon
as Kanonenko was drunk, and, apparently, a favourite subject of its attacks I was only.
However, to the company commander, not a secret, too repeatedly got from Kanonenko. But he [...]