Heroes of WWII

Georgia is today celebrating the 69th anniversary of the Day of Victory over Fascism and the end of WWII. We are proud to share with you the stories of some Georgian heroes of the war “In Pictures”. All of them are aged 90 or older and their faces will tell you more than the captions pictured alongside the images. Photo by N. Alavidze.

Mose Mdinaradze, 97, was called to serve in WWII when he was 22 years old. Photo by N. Alavidze.

He put on his military uniform for the first time on January 1, 1940 and took this photo to remember that day. Photo by N. Alavidze.

His full dress with awards weights up to 20 kg. He received 35 medals and nine orders. Photo by N. Alavidze.

Mose Mdinaradze was wounded in 1944 when a mine exploded. Seven pieces of the bomb still remain in his body. He jokes he couldn’t stand to bring home a souvenir from the war. He continued to serve after his recovery and was the head of a unit consisting of 3500 soldiers. Photo by N. Alavidze.

“War is a nightmare. It is hard to describe the hell in words. I was not only responsible for myself, I was also responsible for my soldiers too. I still remember every village we passed through, every river, every path we followed, all of my friends, all places where I slept. Now I am 97 and it is hard to deal with this age, and all these memories,” he said. Photo by N. Alavidze.

Mose Mdinaradze lives with his family. His wife Eteri Aroshidze is 90 years old. They have been together for almost 70 years. Photo by N. Alavidze.

The couple have four grandchildren and six great- grandsons. Photo by N. Alavidze.

President, Prime Minister and Patriarch of Georgia congratulate Mose Mdinaradze personally at the celebration of the Victory Day in Vake Park today. Photo by N. Alavidze.

Veterans of WWII traditionally gather at Vake Park in Tbilisi to mark the occasion on May 9. Photo by N. Alavidze.

The President of Georgia also came to the park to commemorate the occasion and lay wreaths at the memorial of the Unknown Soldiers who served in the armed forces. Photo by N. Alavidze.

More than 750, 000 Georgians served in WWII and more than 300, 000 died. Latest Census data revealed almost 2,200 WWII veterans are still alive. Photo by N. Alavidze.

People from all walks of life gathered at Vake Park to remember those who died, and survived, while serving their country. Photo by N. Alavidze.

Ivlita Kuchaidze, 92, served in various hospitals during WWII. She was 20 when she was called to the front line. Photo by N. Alavidze.

When we asked how many medals she has, she laughs, saying she has to try to count…. Photo by N. Alavidze.

Shalva Gobejishvili, 91, went to the frontline when he was 18 despite his father forbidding him to go. The teenager said it was his duty to defend his homeland. Photo by N. Alavidze.

He lost his right hand in battle. He lost consciousness and was found by the military doctors in the battle field in a pool of blood. He was saved by a Georgian military doctor who took special care of him at the hospital. Photo by N. Alavidze.

Now he jokes that his wife Liziko is his right hand. Nevertheless he loves to make things at home by himself, and neighbours even call him a handyman without a hand. Photo by N. Alavidze.

His great-grandchildren love to play with his medals, so he presented them as part of his awards. Photo by N. Alavidze.

Kamo Elizbarashvili, 90, celebrates the end of the war on May 17. After Victory Day on May 9 1945, he continued to fight remaining groups of Nazis in Czechoslovakia. Photo by N. Alavidze.

He went to war at the age of 18. Kamo Elizbarashvili was wounded four times during WWII; three times it happened on his first day on the frontline after his earlier recovery. Photo by N. Alavidze.

He took part in the battle for Berlin in May 1945. Photo by N. Alavidze.