Galina Romanova
Encyclopedia
Galina Romanova was a Ukrainian doctor who was deported to Germany during World War II
to provide medical care for forced laborers. She became involved with the German resistance
against Nazism
and was executed at Berlin-Plötzensee prison.
, Dnipropetrovsk
, Ukraine
. Her father was a blacksmith
. She attended medical school for three years and became a member of the Komsomol
. In 1937, her parents were arrested by the domestic secret police, the NKVD
and she was expelled from the Komsomol. She studied medicine at the Dnipropetrovsk Medical Institute for five years, but was not able to graduate because of the war. In 1942, she was allowed to graduate and on July 1, 1942, she and other graduates were deported to Nazi Germany
and forced to treat forced laborers. She worked as a doctor in several concentration and labor camps, first in Wildau
and then beginning in December 1942, in and around Oranienburg
, at Sachsenhausen concentration camp
and satellite camps.
She and her assistant made friends and sought to aid Jews and others persecuted by the Third Reich. She organized resistance groups among the Soviet
forced laborers and worked to supply them with food and information. One friend connected her with French and Belgian prisoners and in 1943, she met Georg Groscurth
, a doctor whose patients included Rudolph Hess and who was one of the founders of the German resistance group, the European Union
. Groscurth gave her medicines and advice and supported her organizing efforts. She became a member of the European Union. In September, as the European Union was attempting to make contact with the Allies
, Groscurth and other key members of the group were arrested.
Romanova and her friends pressed on with their work and prepared a message to send to the Allies. They were just about to send their message to Sweden when they were discovered and arrested. One friend, Alexei Kalinitchenko, died under interrogation. Romanova was arrested on October 6, 1943 and sentenced to death on April 27, 1944. She was executed on November 3, 1944 at Berlin-Plötzensee prison.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
to provide medical care for forced laborers. She became involved with the German resistance
German Resistance
The German resistance was the opposition by individuals and groups in Germany to Adolf Hitler or the National Socialist regime between 1933 and 1945. Some of these engaged in active plans to remove Adolf Hitler from power and overthrow his regime...
against Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
and was executed at Berlin-Plötzensee prison.
Biography
Romanova was born in RomankowoRomankowo
Romankowo is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Sępopol, within Bartoszyce County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland, close to the border with the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia...
, Dnipropetrovsk
Dnipropetrovsk
Dnipropetrovsk or Dnepropetrovsk formerly Yekaterinoslav is Ukraine's third largest city with one million inhabitants. It is located southeast of Ukraine's capital Kiev on the Dnieper River, in the south-central region of the country...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. Her father was a blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
. She attended medical school for three years and became a member of the Komsomol
Komsomol
The Communist Union of Youth , usually known as Komsomol , was the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The Komsomol in its earliest form was established in urban centers in 1918. During the early years, it was a Russian organization, known as the Russian Communist Union of...
. In 1937, her parents were arrested by the domestic secret police, the NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
and she was expelled from the Komsomol. She studied medicine at the Dnipropetrovsk Medical Institute for five years, but was not able to graduate because of the war. In 1942, she was allowed to graduate and on July 1, 1942, she and other graduates were deported to Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and forced to treat forced laborers. She worked as a doctor in several concentration and labor camps, first in Wildau
Wildau
Wildau is a German municipality of the state of Brandenburg, located in the district of Dahme-Spreewald. It is located close to Berlin and easily reached by the S-Bahn...
and then beginning in December 1942, in and around Oranienburg
Oranienburg
Oranienburg is a town in Brandenburg, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Oberhavel.- Geography :Oranienburg is a town located on the banks of the Havel river, 35 km north of the centre of Berlin.- Division of the town :...
, at Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used primarily for political prisoners from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May, 1945. After World War II, when Oranienburg was in the Soviet Occupation Zone, the structure was used as an NKVD...
and satellite camps.
She and her assistant made friends and sought to aid Jews and others persecuted by the Third Reich. She organized resistance groups among the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
forced laborers and worked to supply them with food and information. One friend connected her with French and Belgian prisoners and in 1943, she met Georg Groscurth
Georg Groscurth
Georg Groscurth , was a German doctor and Nazi resistance fighter in the time of the Third Reich.-Life:Georg Groscurth was born a farmer's son in the village of Unterhaun in the Province of Hesse-Nassau, now part of Hauneck in the Bundesland of Hesse...
, a doctor whose patients included Rudolph Hess and who was one of the founders of the German resistance group, the European Union
European Union (resistance group)
The original European Union was an antifascist resistance group during Germany's Nazi era, which formed around Anneliese and Georg Groscurth and Robert Havemann. Other important members were Herbert Richter and Paul Rentsch....
. Groscurth gave her medicines and advice and supported her organizing efforts. She became a member of the European Union. In September, as the European Union was attempting to make contact with the Allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
, Groscurth and other key members of the group were arrested.
Romanova and her friends pressed on with their work and prepared a message to send to the Allies. They were just about to send their message to Sweden when they were discovered and arrested. One friend, Alexei Kalinitchenko, died under interrogation. Romanova was arrested on October 6, 1943 and sentenced to death on April 27, 1944. She was executed on November 3, 1944 at Berlin-Plötzensee prison.
External links
- Gestapo photograph of Galina Romanova German Resistance Memorial Center. Retrieved May 12, 2011