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Show Family WeeJcIyjune 20, 1965 6 "ABANDON A ship P ship! Abandon As the skipper of our landing craft shouted thi order and the lurching deck of the' exploding ship shuddered, I could only think: that fool Brezhnev got us into this terrible mess! It was February, 1943. I was a Poland servfrom Jewish refugee a with as the Red sergeant ing The tide of medical corps. Army's the war in Russia had turned with the Soviet victory at Stalingrad, and the German armies along the Black Sea were in danger of being trapped and destroyed by Soviet troops. The key to victory was the port in Novorossiysk. Whoever held Novorossiysk could supply their troops along the battle-froThe Soviet high command therefore decided to capture this strategic position by a landing-cra- ft invasion from the sea. I had been sitting on the wet deck of our landing craft, a converted fishing trawler, when Col. Leonid Brezhnev and a group of senior officers from army headquarters came aboard. He stood on the - bridge, looking with evident displeasure at the motley collection of vessels in our flotilla, and ordered our commander to cast off. Night was falling as our small fleet of trawlers, minesweepers, and tugs motored out through the choppy swells. The time was past midnight when our commander signaled to the boats to halt two miles offshore. Ahead, the shallow waters were being swept for' mines. "What are you doing?" Brezhnev's voice roared from the bridge. ' The skipper explained he had received a report warning him to look out for parachute mines dropped by German aircraft "If s nothing. Get going," Brezh- -' nev growled. Our commander shrugged and'ordered full speed ahead. We were about 800 yards offshore when the landing craft lurched out of the water, and a curtain of flames erupted in front of my eyes! The last thing I saw was our commander leaning over the bridge shouting, "Abandon ship!" and deep-wat- er nt , then I was swept off .the deck by the blast of exploding boilers. Things were happening with incredible speed. German planes were sweeping hTover the water with guns rattling. Ships were burning. The sky was ablaze with red tracer bullets from the German guns on the beach. I paddled furiously, trying to swim against the tide. It would be better to drown than to be taken prisoner by the Nazis. When I jumped overboard, the first thing I had done was to strip d off my jacket and d boots, which were dragging me down like a dead weight. But now I wondered whether I bad made a mistake. The icy water was numbing and it was all I could do to flail my arms and keep my head above water. cotton-padde- felt-line- had just about accepted death a large crate near I when I With last floated me. my strength, fought the water for Again and again, it was almost within the grasp of my outstretched fingers and then the waves would seize it from me. Finally, with one great effort I grabbed the crate, clung to it and exhaustedly lifted my head to peer around me. In the ghostly glare of burning ships, I could see the body of a senior officer .floating on his back, the sleeves of his waterproof leather coat flapping like the wings of an sea gull. Here was a chance to survive! I reached out clutched the body, and began tearing off the precious coat Then the "corpse" moaned! and I was so startled I almost dropped him back into the sea. But another shell exploded overhead, and I saw it was Colonel Brezhnev, still breathing but unconscious from shock and exposure. ' Keeping his head just above the water, I searched for the brass buckle of his leather-belsnapped it open, passed the belt under his arms, and secured him to the crate. I then took off my own belt, and strapped myself to the crate's other end to keep it balanced.' I lost all sense of passing hours. But " sometime during the long it t night the -- - body of a Russian sailor thudded against our crate, and his distorted face grinned up at me with stainless-steteeth. From the of pocket hispeajacketprotruded the stubby neck of a canteen. I tore it out and pushed the corpse away. Unscrewing the cap with my teeth, I tilted the canteen back and drank. It was vodka! The fiery liquid brought back warmth to my body. I was about to drain the canteen when I heard another moan from Colonel Brezhnev. I lifted him by his curly black hair and pushed the canteen's neck between his clenched teeth. He gagged as the vodka hit his throat but woke up fast and drained the last drop of the alcohol. Then he opened his eyes, blinked, and managed to whisper : "That was good. Is there a voyentorg (commissary) nearby?" I was amazed at his ability to joke under such circumstances. I knew then that he was as tough as concrete. We drifted on for hours, trying to stay awake by telling each other stories and jokes. As the crate floated near the beach where the German guns were concealed, we agreed to untie the belts and drown in the sea the moment we came within 60 yards of the shore. Death was a better fate than falling into the hands of the Nazis. el were about 300 yards when we heard the throb of engines. Suddenly, a squadron of Russian torpedo boats raced out of the misty darkness, all guns firing at the German positions ashore. Brezhnev felt in the pockets of - his leather eoat for a flashlight. He directed the beam toward the sea and pressed the button five times, then twice, and then five times again. It was the prearranged recognition signal of our amphibious landing forces. There was an answering flash, and minutes later the dark hull of a torpedo boat loomed over our heads. Rough hands lifted us out of the water. Vodka flasks were pushed into our hands, and we were propped up against a bulkhead. At base hospital, the medics insisted we stay in bed at least three WE days. I did not mind, but Brezhnev . roared that he had to get back to headquarters right away. He then turned and shook my - handr'Thanks rforsavingmy life! Do you want to serve with the political section, Sergeant? We could use a medic there." For the next three years 1 was Brezhnev's personal medical orderly, and I can testify to his tireless activity. He was promoted to major-gene- ral while we were in Czechoslovakia, fighting to' wrest industrial areas from the Nazis. ... Vn he should have been BY abights, general in 1942. But his promotion had been long delayed because .of his love of intrigue and his outspokenness. He never hesitated to criticize his superiors for what he considered faulty planning and poor execution of military operations. It was only toward the end of the war that his promotion to general came through. I was demobilized from the Red Army in April, 1946. Brezhnev was then chief of the political administration of the Carpathian military district I was looking for a way to get out of Russia and asked Brezhnev about it. He muttered something about a "Jewish exodus" but signed the necessary travel orders. "You saved my life," he said, "and you were a good soldier to boot If I can help' you in the future, don't hesitate to write." , I traveled to Austria and boarded a transport which was illegally carrying Jewish immigrants to Palestine. I did not hear of Brezhnev again until his appointment as President of the. Supreme Soviet by Nikitat Khrushchev. Later he deposed Khrushchev and stepped into Nikita's shoes as Communist Party chief and Russia's No. 1 boss.. I, of course, cannot claim even to have dreamed that the man I saved' would ever reach the very top of the Soviet hierarchy. But in retrospect, I'm, not completely surprised. That February night on the crate in the icy sea proved to me that Leonid Brezhnev was an intelligent and resourceful man and in the Soviet Union, it takes a tough guy to get ahead. . - Family Wekly,Ju4 tO, 1865 a |