Soviet Labour Camp release papers - Help with handwriting
I'd be really grateful if somebody could help me decipher and translate one handwritten section of the Soviet Labour Camp release papers linked below, belonging to my grandfather, who was Hungarian. I don't speak Russian at all but I have managed to decipher all of the typed text and most of the handwritten. However, I'm not clear on which camp (or camps) he was taken to and I'd love to know.
To help you get a lock on the handwriting, my grandad's name was Laszlo Nemeth and his father was Daniel. He was a lieutenant and he was from Gonc, Hungary. But the only section I'd love to get help with is on page 2, where it talks (I think) about where he was taken. This is section 18.
With heartfelt thanks, Karen
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Hi Karen!
What an interesting document and a great find! You are correct - section 18 does list notes about where he was sent.
Here's a translation. My add ins to help with reading are in [brackets] and italicized:
27 May 1947 departed from Lager [camp] 14 in the city of Szieget to Lager 36 (Romania)
12 June 1947 passed [transferred] Lager 36
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Hello,
Camp no: 147
Nationality: Hungarian
Enemy army: Hungarian
1. Last name: Nemet
2. Name: Laslo
3. Father's name: Daniel
4. Year and place of birth: 1916 village? Gönc? of Abaúj? area (googled this as more likely fitting, it says something like Gentz, Aboy area)
5. Address before serving the army: Hungary; Kolozsvár, Mugeasz? street, 145, Hungary.
6. Citizenship: Hungarian
7. Political party membership: none
8. Faith: Protestant
9. Education: 5 year beginner school, 4 years middle school, 5 years high school
10. Profession: Agrarian
file numbers, archive number, document number
11. joined the army voluntarily or mobilized, when: mobilized in 1944
12. type of forces: artillery
13. part of the army last served: 1 artillery battalion
14. military rank: junior lieutenant
15. military duty: platoon commander
16. captured or willfully surrendered (underline the necessary): none
17. Date and place of capture: 6th of Feb 1945, Budapest
18. Movement (between prison camps):
??? (not sure even if it says 309-something or something like Zodny). Arrived from camp 95
27.5.47 left from camp 147 to the city of Sighet camp 36 (Romania)
12.6.47 handed over to camp 36
date and signature or person who filled the document
thanks,
Igor.
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regarding the movements
Camp 36 refers to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sighet_Prison
ДИРЕКТИВА НКВД СССР - 157
О ПОРЯДКЕ ОТПРАВКИ НА РОДИНУ ВОЕННОПЛЕННЫХ, ОСВОБОЖДАЕМЫХ ПО ПРИКАЗУ НКВД СССР - 00955 1945 г. И ДИРЕКТИВЕ НКВД СССР - 2222 1945 г.
Москва
13 сентября 1945 г.
....
б) венгры, румыны, австрийцы, чехословаки и югославы следуют до станции Сигет (Румыния) в лагерь - 36.
from the same link I can see that camp 36 in 1947 was the last point before the POWs were returned to their countries, so if your granddad made it there, then he should have reach Hungary (hope he did)
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References to other camp numbers in archives that I found:
Camp 147 (the paper is from) was in south Russia Krasnodar area
Учреждения по делам военнопленных и интернированных УМВД Краснодарского края (лагеря NN 147, 148, 205, спецгоспиталь N 5459)
Camp 95 was in south Russia, Voronezh area
Учреждения по делам военнопленных и интернированных УМВД Воронежской области (лагеря NN 81, 82, 95)
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Thank you so much for your kind help, Ellie and Igor. Sorry for my slight delay in replying - my Covid vaccine hit me slightly harder than I expected but very grateful to have had it so no complaints.
Fascinating to have the detail of his movements that I was after. Thankfully my grandad did make it home, apparently like an utter skeleton, much to the horror of his long-suffering mother when she saw him again but of course she was above all relieved he was alive.
He did tell me he was one of only two out of 100 men in his platoon/battalion (not sure of the right term) to survive the experience. He says this was because he was lucky to have been sent to a farm, whereas lots of his fellow Hungarians were sent to factories. On the farm, he was able to find stinging nettles, from which he made soup, and was also given the occasional bit of food from the locals, who no doubt had very little themselves and who he said were so very kind to him.
As I said, I never knew where exactly he had been sent because ultimately he didn't like talking about it all, so I'm grateful to have been able to fill in those gaps now.
Best wishes, Karen
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@KarenKovacs you are very welcome! I'm glad you were able to uncover some additional details. It sounds like a miracle that he made it out alive!
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