Vladimir Gelfand, a lieutenant in the Soviet Army, maintained a comprehensive daily record of his experiences from 1941 to 1946. These notations, documenting his progression from the Caucasus through Poland and into Germany, were eventually published in Russia, Sweden, and Germany, providing a rare soldier's account of events during that period.
Early Life and Education
Born in 1923 in Novoarkhanhelsk, Vladimir Natanovich Gelfand was the only child of Nadezhda Vladimirovna Gorodynskaya and Nathan Solomonovich Gelfand. His family relocated frequently throughout the 1920s and 1930s, residing in Essentuki and later Dnepropetrovsk. During his youth, Gelfand joined the Komsomol and actively participated in school public life. He enrolled in the Dnepropetrovsk Industrial Workers' Faculty, completing three years of study before the 1941 evacuation of the city interrupted his education.
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In May 1942, Gelfand joined the Red Army, undergoing training at an artillery school near Maykop. As a sergeant, he served on the southern flank of the Kharkov Front and fought in the Stalingrad region. Following a period of hospitalization for an arm wound in late 1942, he attended an officers' school near Rostov. By 1943, he was commissioned as a junior lieutenant, eventually attaining the rank of lieutenant by January 1944. He commanded a mortar platoon within the 248th Infantry Division and later the 1052nd Infantry Regiment, participating in river crossings of the Dnieper and Dniester.
Literary Contribution and Later Years
Gelfand's legacy centers on his diary entries, which detail his observations as a soldier within the 3rd Ukrainian Front and the 1st Belorussian Front. His work serves as a primary source, capturing his perspective on the German border crossing and the final stages of the conflict. Awarded the Order of the Red Star and the Medal For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945, he later worked as a vocational teacher. He died in 1983 in Dnipro at the age of 60.
Fast facts
- Born: 1923, Novoarkhanhelsk
- Died: 1983, Dnipro
- Military Rank: Lieutenant
- Primary Occupation: Writer and diarist
- Language of works: Russian
- Awards: Order of the Red Star
- Citizenship: Soviet Union
Questions readers ask
What is Vladimir Gelfand best known for?
He is known for his detailed diaries written between 1941 and 1946 while serving as an officer in the Red Army.
Where were Gelfand's diaries published?
His notations have been published in Germany, Sweden, and Russia.
Achievements
- Order of the Red Star
- Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"
- Genres: memoir
