Pyotr Bograd

This photograph was taken in April 1945 on the border of Austria and Yugoslavia. I, as acting regiment commander.

I have three orders on my chest: two Orders of the Red Star and an Order of the Red Banner.

I took part in the Great Patriotic War from its very beginning. I was at the southern border of Austria at the time, when the war ended.

On 12th April, Urgen in Tyrol was captured by the Americans. We felt the situation was changing, and the victory was close.

Since our regiment commander was wounded I was appointed commanding officer of the regiment.

The regiment was under my command from 20th April till 7th May, when a new commanding officer was appointed.

On 8th May we were preparing for relocation, but our corps commander ordered everyone to switch on their radios.

The regiments were on their way, when the radio announced that the war was over. The corps commander ordered the regiments to stop and prepare for a parade.

We had the Victory parade on the border of Yugoslavia and Austria. Later we relocated to the vicinity of Baden near Vienna.

Our units were engaged in the construction of training camps, guarded a palace in the Alps, hunted for German deserters in the mountains and we also hunted for our bastards involved in marauding.

In June the famous walking tour home began. We rested during daytime and walked barefoot across Europe at night.

I left the division after we crossed the Austro-Hungarian division. I was ordered to go to the commission of admission to a military higher educational institution.

I was admitted to the academy named after Frunze. I went to study in Moscow.

There were 5 parallel courses with 200 cadets on each of them and that admission was called Stalin’s admission. Among its students there were 83 Heroes of the Soviet Union, lieutenant colonels, colonels, majors and rarely captains.

They were veterans of the war. I finished the war in the rank of lieutenant colonel, I was promoted to this rank at the age of 23, in early 1944.

Our Academy took part in 6 parades during my studies. Its students had various levels of education: from secondary to higher.

The admission criteria were what one contributed into the victory during the war. I was head student in my group. I graduated from the academy in 1948.