 |
Vasiliy KorobitsynParatrooper, hero
Date of Birth: .
|
Content:
- A Hero's Sacrifice
- Unraveling the Mystery
- A Witness's Account
- A Lingering Memory
- Tracing the Hero's Legacy
- Filling in the Blanks
- Remembering the Fallen
Vasily Korobitsyn: The Paratrooper Who Vanished and Returned from Oblivion
A Hero's Sacrifice
In the annals of Soviet history, the tale of Senior Sergeant Vasily Korobitsyn should have unfolded long ago. However, it emerged just in time for the annual Airborne Forces Day, a testament to the enduring spirit of those who serve. Korobitsyn, a valiant paratrooper who perished in the Bukrin Detachment, was not one to bear grudges.
Unraveling the Mystery
Korobitsyn's legacy lay dormant for seven decades in the form of three photographs. One depicted him with a rigid posture and an unconventional Finnish knife at his side. In another, he stood with a young woman, and in the third, she appeared alone. An inscription on the back read, "To my dearest Vanya, 1942."
These precious mementos had been preserved by Mikhail Pariskura, a resident of Myronivka, Ukraine, for 70 years.
A Witness's Account
In the autumn of 1943, the Myronivka commandant, an officer named Ludwig, left in haste with his aide-de-camp. As Mikhail Pariskura recalled, the Germans returned in the evening, their car's windshield shattered and their spirits low. The officer remained silent, while his aide tossed a bag onto the kitchen floor with a wry smile.
"A roasted corn cob fell out, along with a badge torn from a uniform," Pariskura said. "Later, I realized it was a Guards badge. The image of it spinning like a top on the floor is forever etched in my memory."
Photographs also scattered, which Nina Pariskura quickly gathered. "One showed our soldier alone, another with a woman, and the third was a portrait of a single woman," she said. "My mother and Nina wept as they examined them. Then the aide, who spoke Russian fluently, remarked bitterly, 'You cry because I killed him, but if he had killed me, you wouldn't shed a tear.'
A Lingering Memory
As it turned out, the commandant had been alerted to a Soviet paratrooper landing and had investigated. From the bushes, a wounded Red Army soldier had thrown a grenade into their car, shattering the windshield and landing in the cabin of the Opel, though it failed to detonate. This had sealed the paratrooper's fate, as the Germans shot him dead and confiscated his field bag. At the women's tearful request, the aide allowed them to keep the photographs.
Tracing the Hero's Legacy
Fifty-five years after the Victory Day, Mikhail Pariskura approached the editorial team of the "Myronivskyi Kray" newspaper with the photos and his story. His son, Pavel, took up the cause after his father's passing. He studied the history of the detachment, searching for senior sergeants named Vasily, and re-presented the photos to the media and on a search forum.
Within two hours, another Vasily Korobitsyn, the paratrooper's nephew from a town in Russia, responded on social media.
Filling in the Blanks
Over the years, the family had been unaware of the senior sergeant's fate. According to his girlfriend, Lydia Markina, the plane he boarded never returned. Only the family archive held his memory, replete with photographs of Korobitsyn alongside various women.
The nephew's account added that Korobitsyn had completed a "flight school" in Moscow before the war, though its exact nature remained uncertain. Most importantly, the senior sergeant was no longer listed as missing in action.
Remembering the Fallen
"When I read the paratrooper's name, a lump formed in my throat. I thought of my father and the lonely graves of unknown soldiers scattered throughout the Chernihiv forests, where I served in the Soviet Army," said Pavel Pariskura. "I felt as though I were seeing the world through Vasily's eyes, about to step out of a plane into the darkness. It took me a long time to compose myself. I am eternally grateful to Victoria for her efforts. Vasily, even through a mere photograph, has clung to life and memory. We must keep believing! It's a pity my father did not live to see this day. He had always dreamed of finding Vasily's family."
As the 72nd anniversary of the Bukrin Detachment approaches this September, let us remember the sacrifice of Vasily Korobitsyn and his comrades-in-arms, as well as the countless warriors who forged the formidable reputation of the Soviet Airborne Forces.
