Tanya Savicheva

Tatyana Nikolayevna Savicheva (Russian: Татьяна Николаевна Савичева), commonly referred to as Tanya Savicheva (Таня Савичева) (January 25, 1930 – July 1, 1944) was a Russian child diarist who died during the Siege of Leningrad during World War II.

Early life

Born on January 25, 1930, she was the youngest child in the family of baker Nikolay Rodionovich Savichev and seamstress Mariya Ignatievna Savicheva. Her father died when Tanya was only six, leaving Mariya Savicheva with five children — three girls, Tanya, Zhenya and Nina and two boys, Mikhail and Leka.

The family planned to spend the Summer of 1941 in the countryside but the invasion of the Soviet Union by Germany on June 22 ruined their plans. All of them, except Mikhail, who had already left, decided to stay in Leningrad. Each of them worked to support the army: Mariya Ignatievna sewed uniforms, Leka worked as a planner at the Admiralty Plant, Zhenya worked at the munitions factory, Nina worked at the construction of city defences, and Uncle Vasya and Uncle Lesha served in the anti-aircraft defence. Even Tanya, then only 11 years old, was digging trenches and putting out firebombs.

One day Nina went to work and never came back; she was sent to Lake Ladoga and then urgently evacuated. The family was unaware of this and thought her dead.

Origins of the diary

After a few days in memory of Nina, Mariya Ignatievna gave to Tanya a small notebook that belonged to her sister and that would later become Tanya's diary. Tanya had a real diary once, a thick notebook where she recorded everything important in her life. She burned it when nothing was left to heat the stove in winter, but she spared her sister's notebook.

The first record in it appeared on December 28. Each day Zhenya got up when it was still dark outside. She walked seven kilometers to the plant, where she worked for two shifts every day making mine cases. After the work she would donate blood. Her weakened body could not endure. She died at the plant where she worked. Then grandmother Evdokiya Grigorievna died. Then Tanya's brother Leka. Then, one after another, Uncle Vasya and Uncle Lesha died. Her mother was the last. That time Tanya probably browsed through the pages and added her final remark.

In August 1942, 140 children were rescued from Leningrad and brought to Krasny Bor village. All of them survived, except Tanya. Anastasiya Karpova, a teacher in the Krasny Bor orphanage, wrote to Tanya's brother Mikhail, who was lucky to be outside of Leningrad in 1941: "Tanya is now alive, but she doesn't look healthy. A doctor, who visited her recently, says she is very ill. She needs rest, special care, nutrition, better climate and, most of all, tender motherly care". In May 1944, Tanya was sent to Shatkovsky hospital, where she died only a month later, on July 1, 1944.

During the Nuremberg Trials, one of the documents presented by the Allied prosecutors was the small notebook that once belonged to Tanya.

Nina Savicheva and Mikhail Savichev returned to Leningrad after the war. The diary of Tanya Savicheva is now displayed at the Museum of Leningrad History and a copy is displayed at the Piskarevsky Memorial Cemetery.

Contents of the diary

Zhenya died on Dec. 28th at 12:30 A.M. 1941

Grandma died on Jan. 25th 3:00 P.M. 1942

Leka died on March 5th at 5:00 A.M. 1942

Uncle Vasya died on Apr. 13th at 2:00 after midnight 1942

Uncle Lesha on May 10th at 4:00 P.M. 1942

Mother on May 13th at 7:30 A.M. 1942

Savichevs died.

Everyone died.

Only Tanya is left.

Legacy

A minor planet 2127 Tanya discovered in 1971 by Soviet astronomer Lyudmila Chernykh is named in her honor. [cite book | last = Schmadel | first = Lutz D. | coauthors = | title = Dictionary of Minor Planet Names | pages = p. 172 | edition = 5th | year = 2003 | publisher = Springer Verlag | location = New York | url = http://books.google.com/books?q=2127+Tanya+KB1 | id = ISBN 3540002383]

ee also

*Siege of Leningrad

References