Sinaida Iwanowna B., "Ostarbeiter" in Berlin and Hesse

Sinaida B. from Ukraine was taken to Germany as an “Ostarbeiter”. She was forced to work in a household and in the armament industry.

Born in 1914 in Belgorod (Russia); father railway official, mother housewife, two siblings
1916: The family moves to Kharkiv
1922: School
1932: Studies at the Chemical Technical University in Kharkiv
1938: Works as an engineer at “Giprokoks”, Kharkiv
October 1941: Occupation of Kharkiv
1942: Deportation to Berlin, works at the cosmetic company “Schwarzkopf” and then as a maid for a Baltic-German family
1943: After the air raids, she goes to Hesse with the family, works in a bakery
Summer of 1944: Works in WASAG munitions factory near Allendorf/Hesse; detained in a “Russian camp”
April 1945: Escapes to the forest, liberated by US troops
June 1945: Transport to the Soviet occupied zone; “Filtrierlager” near Magdeburg
October 1945: Returns to the Soviet Union, reemployment at “Giprokoks”
Retires 1978
Marries 1984
2004: Death of her husband
Member of the Kharkiv Association of Victims of National Socialism

Interview za465 »
Video interview in Russian
Recorded in Kharkiv on December 19, 2005 by Gelinada Grinchenko and Irina Rebrova
Interview duration: 3 hours
Transcript and translation by Lina Majewskaja
Subset: Ukraine – Kharkiv University

A biographical short film (duration 25 minutes) from the interview with Helena B.-Sz. has been produced for the German-language educational material "Video Testimonies for School Education". Together with a biographical map, a glossary and additional documents, it is available in the learning software.