Last Entry in the WWII Diary of Dying 12-Year Old Russian Girl

© Sputnik / Alexandr Demyanchuk / Go to the mediabankThe diary of Tanya Savicheva at the museum in the Piskaryovo Memorial Cemetery where about 500,000 victims of the siege of Leningrad and soldiers of the Leningrad Front are buried
The diary of Tanya Savicheva at the museum in the Piskaryovo Memorial Cemetery where about 500,000 victims of the siege of Leningrad and soldiers of the Leningrad Front are buried - Sputnik International
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On May 13, 1942 Tanya Savicheva made the final entry in her diary – a short collection of notes that eventually became one of the most heart-wrenching accounts of the Siege of Leningrad.

At first glance the diary of Tatyana Nikolayevna Savicheva, often referred to as Tanya Savicheva, looks like an ordinary small notebook. It is also a fairly short read, containing only several notes.

Its contents however are anything but ordinary: it is a chronicle of the demise of a Russian family trapped in the city of Leningrad by the besieging Nazi German and Finnish troops, written by the family’s youngest member, a 12-year old girl.

© Photo : MramoebaPart of the 'Flower of Life' memorial complex dedicated to children of the Leningrad Siege, showing stone tablets representing pages from Tanya Savicheva's diary. Near St. Petersburg
Part of the 'Flower of Life' memorial complex dedicated to children of the Leningrad Siege, showing stone tablets representing pages from Tanya Savicheva's diary. Near St. Petersburg - Sputnik International
Part of the 'Flower of Life' memorial complex dedicated to children of the Leningrad Siege, showing stone tablets representing pages from Tanya Savicheva's diary. Near St. Petersburg

Zhenya died on December 28th at 12 noon, 1941

Yevgeniya Savicheva was the first to perish. The eldest child of the Savichev family, born in 1909, she was working at a factory and, in spite of the severe workload, even insisted on donating blood for army hospitals. She failed to report to work only once – on the day of her death.

Grandmother died on the 25th of January at 3 o'clock, 1942

Even though she was well aware of the fact that her dystrophy was progressing and only immediate hospitalization could save her, Yevdokiya Savicheva chose to remain at home, insisting that the hospitals are already full. Feeling her impending doom, she asked others not to bury her until the end of the month so that the family could make good use of her monthly ration card.

Leka died March 17th, 1942, at 5 o'clock in the morning, 1942

Leonid Savichev, also known as Leka, was Tanya’s older brother. A talented worker and a gifted amateur musician, he wasn’t drafted due to his myopia but like many other Leningrad residents kept working in a factory in spite of his worsening condition, until severe exhaustion and malnutrition finally claimed his life.

Uncle Vasya died on April 13th at 2 o'clock in the morning, 1942

Vasily Savichev, Tanya’s paternal uncle, turned 56 in 1941 and wasn’t drafted due to his age. A consummate bibliophile, he used his sizeable library as fuel to help keep the family warm – every book but one, a collection of ancient Greek myths, which he presented as a gift to Tanya.

Uncle Lesha (died on) May 10th, at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, 1942

Alexei Savichev was 71 when the war began – way too old to be drafted. However, just like countless other city residents, he helped construct fortifications, dug trenches and kept watch for enemy aircraft. And just like many other city residents, he died at the final stage of dystrophy.

Mama (died) May 13th at 7:30 in the morning, 1942

By Spring 1942 Maria Savicheva, Tanya’s mother, was already suffering from severe scurvy. And unfortunately, even her daughter’s efforts (Tanya tried to obtain fresh vegetables to reverse her mother’s condition) weren’t enough to prevent her demise.

© Photo : GAlexandrovaSt. Petersburg, Vasilevsky Island, Line 2, 13. The apartment building where Savichev family lived.
St. Petersburg, Vasilevsky Island, Line 2, 13. The apartment building where Savichev family lived. - Sputnik International
St. Petersburg, Vasilevsky Island, Line 2, 13. The apartment building where Savichev family lived.

The Savichevs are dead. Everyone is dead. Only Tanya is left.

Tanya wrote the final entry on May 13, 1942, and never found out how wrong she actually was. Her brother Mikhail was away from the city during the beginning of the war. Trapped on a territory occupied by the Nazi forces, he joined a local guerilla squad to fight the invaders. Meanwhile, Tanya’s sister Nina, whom the rest of the family believed dead, was on fact evacuated along with the rest of the personnel at the plant she was working at – the surprise evacuation was so swift that she failed to send word to her relatives.

© Sputnik / Sputnik / Go to the mediabankOne of the few remaining photos of Tania Savicheva (1933-1944) held by Tania's survivors -sister Nina Savicheva (right) and brother Mikhail (left). During the Great Patriotic war (1941-1945) Tania Savicheva kept a diary about the life in besieged Leningrad. The diary was subsequently used as an indictment of fascism at the Nuremberg process in 1945
One of the few remaining photos of Tania Savicheva (1933-1944) held by Tania's survivors -sister Nina Savicheva (right) and brother Mikhail (left). During the Great Patriotic war (1941-1945) Tania Savicheva kept a diary about the life in besieged Leningrad. The diary was subsequently used as an indictment of fascism at the Nuremberg process in 1945 - Sputnik International
One of the few remaining photos of Tania Savicheva (1933-1944) held by Tania's survivors -sister Nina Savicheva (right) and brother Mikhail (left). During the Great Patriotic war (1941-1945) Tania Savicheva kept a diary about the life in besieged Leningrad. The diary was subsequently used as an indictment of fascism at the Nuremberg process in 1945

Both Nina and Mikhail survived the war and later returned to Leningrad, to discover the fate of their kin.

In August 1942 Tanya was evacuated along with over a hundred other children and sent to the Gorky Region (now Nizhegorodsky Region) for recuperation. But with her health already severely weakened by months of malnutrition, on July 1, 1944 Tanya died of intestinal tuberculosis.

© Photo : Arzy ArzamasTanya Savicheva's grave at Krasny Bor Cemetery, Russia
Tanya Savicheva's grave at Krasny Bor Cemetery, Russia - Sputnik International
Tanya Savicheva's grave at Krasny Bor Cemetery, Russia

Her diary was eventually put on display at the State Memorial Museum of Leningrad Defense and Siege, and in 1968 a memorial complex, known as the Flower of Life, was erected in her honor – a tribute to the thousands of Soviet children whose lives were cut short by that terrible war.

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