Dear researchers,

thanks to Alex Volkov who provided that reference below on Ukraine SIG
mailing list.

The address is http://www.obd-memorial.ru/

That is an invaluable source of data on Russian (USSR) soldiers died or
disappeared during WW II compiled by Russian Defense Department.
Search is VERY slow now, their server is overloaded since they just recently
announced that database on TV.

I already checked it and found what I have been looking for.
Search by name works well. Also they show original documents as well.
Search in Russian but transliteration of names is not so difficult.
If someone has a problem with Russian search I could help.

Vladimir Salita
Bowie, MD
vlasal@...

As Vladimir Salita has pointed out, there is an incredible, new
online resource:

<< The address is http://www.obd-memorial.ru/

That is an invaluable source of data on Russian (USSR) soldiers
died or disappeared during WW II compiled by Russian Defense
Department. I already checked it and found what I have been looking
for. Search by name works well. Also they show original documents as
well.>>

The original documents are incredible! Some have photographs or
fingerprints. The language is Cyrillic, German and others possibly.
If you don't have a Cyrillic keyboard option on your computer, there
is a website where you can enter the Latin characters to
transliterate the text into Cyrllic (and vice-versa) and then cut
and paste them in to the search box on the website.

The site is:

http://2cyr.com/

On the website, if your entry/surname brings up several selections,
click on each one for a separate "details" page. Highlighted in
crimson at the bottom of the page is the link that will bring up
the actual file.

Pamela Weisberger
Santa Monica, CA
pweisberger@...

Dear Vladimir,

Many thanks for introducing us to the Russian site. All three records for
Nikolay KRON I was able to see and research on the only 30 item page I was
able to open for KRON. Interesting have been the additional data for Nikolay
KRON including an announcement of his death to be sent to his father Tobias
KRON to be used for getting support for his fallen son.

Nikolays family did not stay in Riga. His mother fled to Preili (!) a little
town at the eastern Latgale province of Latvia, his since summer 1940
unemployed father, found work as pharmacist. Both parents were shot
on August 8, 1941. Their 3 sons managed to flee >from Riga and participated
at the war.

Two of the brothers Miron and Nikolay managed to mount the last train
leaving Riga. Both brothers were drafted to become Red army soldiers
participating in 1942 at the bloodiest battles at Staraya Russa. The in
1920 born Nikolay died. His in 1916 born brother Miron was there severely
wounded but nevertheless to stay in the army as non-combatant. He was the
only Latvian cousin of my mother who survived the war.

I did not expect finding Miron's name on the site but I am missing
their eldest brother Solomon / Zalman KRON, born 1914, who left Riga
independently and reached the northern Latvian border town Valk. We met him
there on July 2nd. Like many other young Jewish boys he volunteered and was
already uniformed. Like many others he lost his life in July 1941
participating during heavy fights at Tiiru.

I am also missing another cousin Martin KRON (b. 1913), a son of Louis
Wulf, who also fled >from Riga. Martin reached a middle republic,
has been drafted and also lost his life in 1942 at Staraya Russa.

Please let me know whether Solomon /Zalman and Martin KRON are missing on
this particular data base or I just do not know how to expand the list in
order to find all KRON war participant who lost their life in battles.

Not every drafted person participated at active battles. Many non-combatant
participants were used for other purposes and lost their lives at work
battalions or other non-combatant regiments? What about them? Are such
Russian WW II participants included into this site or not?

With many thanks, Evelyn Waldstein.
evewa@...