The siege of Leningrad is one of the most terrible and piercing pages of the Great Patriotic War. Even today it is impossible to read the testimonies of survivors calmly, and the documents left by those who could not survive the war evoke very special feelings. The diary of little Tanya Savicheva is an everyday statement of what the girl had to face during the blockade. Several pages contain the most important thing - the death of those closest to you, the horror of loneliness and an ineradicable desire to live.
Tanya Savicheva: the beginning of the biography
Tanya was born into a friendly large family, she had 2 older brothers and 2 sisters. The girl was the youngest and most beloved. In pre-revolutionary times, Tanya's father was a well-to-do man, the owner of his own bakery. However, after the revolution, he was deprived of his fortune and included in the class of disenfranchised - people who do not have electoral and other rights. Together with Nikolai Rodionovich Savichev, the whole family suffered: the older children could not receive higher education and were forced to go to work at the plant.
Despite the difficulties, the Savichevs lived amicably and cheerfully, their relatives were tied by love and common interests. Children were fond of music, evenings and concerts were held in the house. Little Tanya studied well and dreamed of being accepted into the pioneers. In the summer of 1941, the family planned to relax in the village of Dvorishchi near Leningrad, where close relatives lived. The war changed everything. One of the sons, Mikhail, went to the front, after the capture of Pskov by the Germans, he fought in a partisan detachment. Sister Nina dug trenches on the outskirts of Leningrad, the second sister, Zhenya, donated blood in the hospital, helping the front as much as possible. Brother Leonid continued to work at the plant, often staying overnight in the shop so as not to waste time and energy on the way home. At the end of autumn, trams stopped running in besieged Leningrad, food rations decreased every week.
Blockade diary: war through the eyes of a child
Tanya Savicheva's diary - several pages at the end of the notebook of the girl's sister, Nina. Tanya did not describe the war, her dreams and hopes. Each leaflet is dedicated to the terrible death of loved ones. The first to die was Zhenya, whose strength was undermined by the donation of blood, endless factory shifts and hunger, which overtook the city in the fall. Zhenya held out until December 28, 1941, died in the morning, in the arms of her older sister.
In January, Tanya's grandmother died of dystrophy, and his brother Leonid died on March 17. In April, his beloved uncle Vasya passed away; in May, Uncle Lesha and Tanya's mother died. By this time, the blockade ration was increased, but the terrible winter famine hopelessly undermined the health of many Leningraders. After the death of her mother, the sick and exhausted girl leaves piercing notes: “The Savichevs are all dead. There is only Tanya left. The girl did not know that her older sister Nina survived, evacuated together with the plant and did not manage to warn her relatives. Brother Mikhail was also alive, unaware of the terrible end of his loved ones.
Life after death
Left alone, Tanya lived with her neighbors, and in the summer of 1942, together with other children suffering from dystrophy, she was sent to an orphanage. Emaciated little Leningraders received a reinforced ration, but this did not save many kids. Tanya also did not survive - she suffered from tuberculosis, scurvy, a severe nervous breakdown. The girl died on July 1, 1942. Her diary was found by her older sister after the war. The book, covered with a simple pencil, was sent to an exhibition dedicated to the besieged Leningrad. Soon the whole world will know about her - Tanya's diary is still considered one of the most terrible and truthful documents of the era.
