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Lubov PahomovaVeteran, participant of the Great Patriotic War.
Country:
 Russia |
Content:
- Lyubov Kuzminichna Pakhomova: A Frontline Nurse in World War II
- Service as a Frontline Nurse
- Tragic Battle and Near-Death Experience
- Operation and Injury
- Aftermath and Disability
Lyubov Kuzminichna Pakhomova: A Frontline Nurse in World War II
Early Life and the Outbreak of WarOn June 1941, Lyubov Kuzminichna Pakhomova was a budding university student when the Great Patriotic War broke out. Her dreams and aspirations were abruptly cut short by the invasion. She immediately reported to the district military commissariat and was assigned to the evacuation hospital 332 in Saraktash, Orenburg Oblast.
Service as a Frontline Nurse
In March 1943, Pakhomova was sent to the 1st Guards Army on the 1st Ukrainian Front. She served as a frontline nurse, tending to wounded soldiers, applying tourniquets, and carrying them to safety. She witnessed countless acts of bravery and sacrifice, as her comrades fought for liberation, including in the battle for the Donbas.
Tragic Battle and Near-Death Experience
During an intense battle, all Soviet tanks were destroyed. Pakhomova was so desperate to help that she nearly threw herself from her trench to assist them. Fortunately, her fellow soldiers restrained her. She watched in horror as her high school friend and fiancé, Yevgeny Domeratsky, perished in one of the tanks. The trauma left her unable to look at tanks or attend veterans' gatherings.
Operation and Injury
Pakhomova participated in an operation to cut off the Proskurov highway, where German forces were trying to retreat. While crawling towards a wounded regimental commander with medical supplies, she was injured. She woke up with her arm bandaged and was moved to a dugout.
Aftermath and Disability
The end of the fighting revealed the horrors of war. Pakhomova witnessed severed limbs, mutilated bodies, and other atrocities. She was evacuated to Shepetovka and then to a hospital in Kyiv. Although her injuries were less severe than those of others who had lost limbs, she was deemed unfit for service and was discharged in July 1944. At the age of 22, she became an invalid due to her wartime experiences.
