The last of the Soviet soldiers who liberated Auschwitz died: how was his fate

David Dushman, the last surviving soldier who participated in the liberation of the Nazi death camp in Auschwitz, died at 98 years old, writes Air force.

Photo: Shutterstock

Dushman, a Jewish Red Army veteran who later became an Olympic fencer, died in Germany on Saturday 5 June.

At the age of 21, on January 27, 1945, a Red Army soldier demolished the camp's electric fence with his tank to help free the prisoners.

In Auschwitz, about 1,1 million people were killed, most of whom were Jews.

“When we arrived, we saw the fence and these unfortunate people, we broke through the fence with our tanks. We gave food to the prisoners,” Dushman told Reuters last year.

“They stood there, all of them in (prisoners’) uniforms. - Ed.), Only eyes, only eyes, very narrow - it was very scary, very scary,” he said.

Photo: video frame YouTube / Sputnik in Russian

Dushman stated that he did not know about the existence of Auschwitz during the war and learned about the terrible things that happened there only after its end.

On the subject: World Celebrates Holocaust Remembrance Day: The Heartbreaking Stories of Survivors

During World War II, Dushman was a major in the Soviet army, writes DW. He was awarded the Order of the Red Star, Glory, the Patriotic War and twice the medal “For Courage”, as well as the Order of Alexander Nevsky. He took part in the Battles of Stalingrad and Kursk and was seriously wounded three times. Of the 12-strong division, only 69 soldiers survived along with him.

He became one of the best fencers in the Soviet Union, champion of the USSR in epee fencing, and then one of the most famous world fencing trainers. From 1952 to 1988 he coached the women's fencing team of the Soviet Union.

His pupils were the 1956 world champion in the team championship Tamara Yevplova, two-time Olympic champion, multiple winner and medalist of the world championships Umyar Mavlikhanov, an outstanding Soviet foil fencer, Olympic champion, nine-time world champion Valentina Sidorova. At the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Dushman's pupils won two gold, two silver and three bronze medals, notes "Championship".

Since 1996 he lived in Munich, worked as a fencing coach. Until the age of 94, he almost daily went to his fencing club, where he taught, the IOC said.

Photo: video frame YouTube / Sputnik in Russian

Dushman witnessed the fatal terrorist attack against Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

“We heard shots and the drone of helicopters above us. We lived directly opposite the Israeli team. We and all the other athletes were terrified,” he said in an interview with the Abendzeitung newspaper in 2018.

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His friend, IOC Chairman and fellow fencer Thomas Bach, paid tribute to the deceased.

“When we met in 1970, he immediately offered me friendship and advice, despite his personal experiences in World War II and Auschwitz and the fact that he was of Jewish origin,” said Bach, who is German. “It was such a profound human gesture, I will never forget it.”

The head of the Jewish community of Munich and Upper Bavaria, Charlotte Knobloch, wrote on Twitter that she was very upset about the incident.

“It is with great sadness that I learned that David Dushman (peace be upon him) - the last surviving liberator of the Auschwitz concentration camp and an honorary member of the Jewish Religious Community of Munich (IKG) - died on Saturday evening at the age of 98,” she said.

Knobloch called Dushman a hero who saved “countless lives.”

“With his passing, we have lost a brave, honest and sincere man and an honored member of our religious community,” she said.

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