Ekaterina Mateychuk Veteran - participant of the Great Patriotic War Date of Birth: 21.09.1927 Country: Ukraine

1. Life in the City and the Approach of War
2. The Occupation: Horror and Resistance
3. Concentration Camp and Survival
4. Liberation and Hope
5. Post-War Life: Education and Family

From Childhood to Occupation: The Early Years of Ekaterina Ivanovna Mateychuk (Gaiduk)

Ekaterina Ivanovna Mateychuk (Gaiduk), a war veteran of the Great Patriotic War, was born on September 21, 1927, in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. As the second child of four, she grew up in a humble peasant family. However, during the collectivization of the late 1920s, her parents were forced to surrender their livestock and join a collective farm. Facing starvation, the family decided to relocate to the city of Krasnoarmeysk.

Life in the City and the Approach of War

In Krasnoarmeysk, Ekaterina's father worked at the post office, while her mother became a seamstress and took on sewing orders from home. The family built a house on a plot of land they were granted on a new street. Just before the outbreak of the war, her older brother, Nikolai, was conscripted into the army.

The Occupation: Horror and Resistance

On October 21, 1941, Krasnoarmeysk was occupied by Italian forces, who were soon replaced by German troops. A prison camp for prisoners of war was established in the city. The authorities conducted a census of the population and imposed forced labor on the inhabitants, sending young people to Germany. Public executions were carried out, with signs reading "communist" hung on the bodies of the hanged. Jews were marched out of the city and shot.

Concentration Camp and Survival

Ekaterina spent six months in a concentration camp for civilians after refusing forced labor. The teenagers in the camp were forced to work hard, digging trenches, and were subjected to beatings and humiliation. The guards were particularly cruel. To avoid being sent to Germany, Ekaterina and her mother deliberately infected sores on her leg, leading to a near-amputation but ultimately saving her from being deported.

Liberation and Hope

On September 8, 1943, Krasnoarmeysk was finally liberated. German soldiers fled, leaving behind their weapons and pleading for help, but the locals turned them away. After the liberation, schools were reopened and rebuilt by the children themselves. The joy of victory was celebrated with jubilation, and Ekaterina's missing brother returned home.

Post-War Life: Education and Family

After the war, Ekaterina pursued her education and became a Ukrainian language and literature teacher. She was assigned to work in a Moldovan village, where she married and had a son. Since 1961, she has lived in Chisinau, Moldova.