Sergi Tabagua

* 1926

  • It was December 1942, we were wearing galoshes, only rich were wearing shoes. They took us as students with backpacks, Germans were bombing Sokhumi, after arrival in Sokhumi we walked 200 km. till Lazarevskaia. We were with the guys from the division that died on the pass, my fighting started right from here

  • I did not know anything, had never seen cannons or shot ever. They were short in cannon men so we were sent to help, projectiles that were placed in huge boxes in the pits were quite heavy weighting 15 kg and 100 gr. I stood near the cannon. They started to shout “Tabagua” “Tabagua” I had to pass projectiles. We were 3 people instead of 6, I passed the first two, but then bombs fell down and I could not hear anything, my both eardrums cracked, there was blood over my face. They took me to the hospital to heal, later we were given clothing and shoes. It was terribly cold, for me the war started from this moment, then we walked to Krasnodar trough the Caucasus, we stopped only at Kerch, this was the last landing point

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    Tbilisi, 29.06.2013

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I did not know anything, had never seen cannons or shot ever

Born in Abasha region, village Kvishanchala in an agricultural family with four children. After finishing school, in 1942 Sergi continued studies in Tbilisi, at The Railway Technical Institute. The same year was called up for military service, first in Sokhumi then to Lazarevskaya. Later, was sent to Ukraine, he was fighting in Kerch and Sevastopol, Poland and finally in Germany.   After finishing the war he was kept in the army as his military service period was not terminated. He returned to Georgia in 1948 and for many years has been working in Batumi as a director of regional archive. He married and got 2 sons, regretfully both passed away. He has grandchildren. Currently he teaches at several institutions in Batumi. Sergi is a teacher of history and art. Wrote several books on war and the history of Batumi