Anatoly Shapiro
| Cyrillic ( Ukrainian ) | |
|---|---|
| Анатолій Павлович Шапіро | |
| Transcr. : | Anatoly Pavlovych Shapiro |
| Cyrillic ( Russian ) | |
| Анатолий Павлович Шапиро | |
| Transl .: | Anatolij Pavlovič Šapiro |
| Transcr .: | Anatoly Pavlovich Shapiro |
Anatoly Shapiro (born January 18, 1913 as Anatoli Pavlovich Shapiro in Constantinograd , Poltava Governorate , Russian Empire ; † October 8, 2005 in New York City , USA ) was a Jewish soldier in the Red Army . He was the commander of the battalion of the 1st Ukrainian Front , which was the first to reach Auschwitz .
Life
Shapiro graduated from the Engineering Pedagogical Institute in Zaporizhia . In 1935 he began his military service as a sub-lieutenant . From 1937 to 1939 he worked at the technical center of the Metallurgical Combine Zaporozhstal.
From 1939 he was a member of the Zaporozhye City Council and then chairman of the Planning Commission of the City Council's Executive Committee.
After the attack on the Soviet Union , he fought in the German-Soviet War from October 1941 . He served in the 100th Rifle Division of the 106th Infantry Corps. At first he was a platoon leader and later became the commander of a special rifle battalion of the marine infantry.
He took part in the defensive battles on the Kuban and was involved in the liberation of the cities of Tuapse and Rostov-on-Don . In 1942 he fought in the Taganrog area on the Mius River . In July 1943 he fought at Kursk , where he was wounded near Prokhorovka . After his recovery, he participated in the Dnieper-Carpathian operation .
On January 27, 1945, Major Anatoly Schapiro was one of the first to reach Auschwitz as the commander of a special unit of the 106th Infantry Corps . His unit fought its way to the camp, demined the entrances and Schapiro opened the gate to the Auschwitz I concentration camp .
As a participant in the struggles for the liberation of Czechoslovakia, he arrived in Prague on May 9, 1945.
After the war he was adjutant to the Chief of Staff of the 65th Army . In 1947 he was demobilized. He worked in various companies in Zaporizhia, was involved in the reconstruction of the DniproHES hydropower plant , the construction of the Kuibyshev power plant and power plants in Siberia and Kaliningrad .
In 1992 Shapiro emigrated to the USA. There he lived in New York City on Coney Island . He was buried in the Beth Moses Jewish cemetery in Long Island .
Awards
- twice Order of the Red Star
- twice Order of the Patriotic War 1st class, Order of the Patriotic War 2nd class
- Cross of Merit of the Republic of Poland (2006)
- On September 21, 2006 Shapiro received the title Hero of Ukraine by decree of the President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko
"For personal bravery and heroic sacrifice, indestructible courage in the fight against the fascist conquerors in the Great Patriotic War "
souvenir
- On May 9, 2008, a plaque in honor of Shapiro was placed on the building of the former Zaporizhia City Executive Committee, where Shapiro was employed from 1939 to 1941.
- In New York City, there is a plaque commemorating Shapiro in the Brooklyn Holocaust Survivors' Club .
Web links
- Ernst Piper: January 27, 1945: The Red Army liberates Auschwitz
- 60 Years After Liberation 'it Was Skin and Bones': Soldiers Remember Auschwitz Jewish Telegraphic Agency , January 18, 2005
- Battalion Commander Anatoly Shapiro (Russian)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ernst Piper: January 27, 1945: The Red Army liberates Auschwitz ( Memento of the original from February 2, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b Auschwitz liberator honored by Poland. 1st Soviet to lead troops into death camp
- ↑ Decree of the President (Ukrainian)
- ↑ Battalion Commander Anatoly Shapiro (Russian)
- ↑ The Jew who liberated Jews ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. The industrial Zaporizhia , May 8, 2008 (Russian)
- ↑ Photo of the plaque inscription: "Our fellow citizen, the hero of Ukraine Anatoly Pavlovich Schapiro, who was involved in the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, worked in this house (Lenin Prospect 191)."
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Shapiro, Anatoly |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Schapiro, Anatoli Pavlovich (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Ukrainian-Jewish soldier in the Red Army, involved in the liberation of Auschwitz |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 18, 1913 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Constantinograd , Poltava Governorate , Russian Empire |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 8, 2005 |
| Place of death | New York City |