The history of the best known photo from the war years discovered in Tuva

The history of one of the most famous photographs from the war years, which has been a part of the exhibition dedicated to the Great patriotic War in Kyzyl, and which has become the main symbol of the Moscow exhibition “Tuvinian People’s Republic – everything for common victory!” was finally revealed today.

The photo was often exhibited without any captions at all. The caption in Tuvan museum was brief: Boris lama and Usov. And even though there was a lot written about Boris Shombulovich Lama, the orderly of the commander of Tuvan cavalry squadron, Adyg-Tulush Kechil-ool, there was nothing at all known about the other hero of the photograph.

Today, on the Day of Elderly people, the premier of Tuva, Sholban Kara-ool visited the widow of the front fighter Boris Lama, Yekaterina Andreyevna. As a present, beside the new plasma TV (Yekaterina Andreyevna’s eyesight has been deteriorating, and TV has become her main source of information) the premier gave her the legendary photo of her husband. “That is wonderful! I regretted very much that we do not have this photo in the family archive, Boris took it away long ago, and gave it either to the television or to the museum. It is remarkable. And they both look so handsome – Sasha and Boris.” And the whole history of this famous photo came out. When the volunteer squadron was fighting in the Ukraine, the command of the 31^st regiment decided to deploy two emissaries to Tuva to tell the people of this remote foreign country about their compatriots’ bravery in battle. They selected Boris Lama and Alexander Usov.

“When they arrived, there was a real uproar among the beautiful half of the population. They drove them around in cars, but they preferred to walk so that the girls could look at them. They wore their astrakhan hats and capes. They were tall and handsome, reminisces Yekaterina Andreyevna with emotion. –They gave presentations to collectives, describing the daily life at the front, and incited the “rearguard” to even greater efforts in support of the front. Sasha, as Boris later told us, perished in the war. Boris came back.”

They met through a common friend. They welcomed the Day of Victory already as a man and wife. She remembers how they were shouting with joy, when they heard the news about the victory on the radio, how they ran to the square, and how many people gathered there.

The military biography of Boris (Tulush) lama, a native of Chaa-Khol kozhuun, included several dangerous episodes on the brink of life and death. One time Kechil-ool sent his aide with a message to politruk Baiysklan, who was located in another place. When Boris rode out, the fascists pushed our soldiers to retreat, and took up their position. Lama was riding back to his side, to Kechil-ool, and fell right into the fascists’ hands. But just as they were figuring out who the soldier was who rode into their position, he sharply turned his horse and raced away.

Yekaterina Andreyevna was born in Saryg-Sep in the family of Akulina Tarasovna Bukhtuyeva, who at one time worked as a domestic servant for merchants Starodumovs, and for Andrei Ivanovich Chan, a Korean cook. The family moved to Kyzyl from Saryg-Sep, where the father worked in the renowned Korean restaurant, located at today’s Arat square.

Her work book shows only one work place – Respotrebsoyuz. She worked there as an accountant. They treat us well as veterans, she told the Premier. They assembled us for the Day of Elderly people, and laid out the table. There was a very warm feeling.

She is 85 years old, eight of those years she has been living alone. In 2002, after three heart attacks, Boris Shombulovich left this life. Their daughter, grandson and grandchildren live outside of the republic. They phone every day, asking how she is. She has friends, acquaintances – the telephone never stops ringing.  “But my friends keep leaving one after another”, she complains.

She has not become indifferent. And everything that upsets her or pleases her, she shared with Sholban Kara-ool.

It has been said before that nobody paid any attention to the front-line veterans. The Lama family, for example, could not get an apartment for a long time, and they lived in various makeshift places. Now the veterans get a lot of attention. It is good that a memorial was built with the names of all of those who went to the front. I would like to definitely get to the town center and take a look, to see if all my classmates are there. They all went to the front. And they all perished there, all to the last one. Thank you for doing so much to keep the memory of the brave deeds of our compatriots for their descendants.