To be honest, in Grandfather’s lifetime I never once asked about his decorations. And quite recently, a few years ago, I managed to obtain from the military archive a copy of the award sheet: two medals For Valour and the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd class.

I quote the extract: “25 January 1945, in the battle for the town of Els/Germany/, under strong enemy rifle and machine-gun fire, advanced his crew forward and with accurate fire from his mortar destroyed an enemy machine gun located in a trench in front of a separate house; transferring fire onto the trenches, silenced a second enemy machine gun that was hindering the advance of our infantry.

In this battle Comrade Dorofeev with his crew destroyed up to 20 enemy soldiers and officers. For skilful direction of the fire of his mortar and for courage, Junior Sergeant Dorofeev is worthy of a government award — the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd class.

Commander of the Red Banner rifle regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Tverdokhlebov. 5 February 1945.”

Unfortunately the photocopy is not clear and it is very hard to make out the details. It is written that he was lightly wounded twice. I know that headaches tormented him after the war. He took tablets called “Troichatka,” that is the composition included 3 preparations. I think they were painkillers, vasodilators and sedatives.

It is easy to write… “lightly wounded,” but the consequences in peacetime were heavy: deafness in one ear, periodontitis and, as I already mentioned, headaches. Of trophies I remember only two German very sharp, “dangerous,” as they said then, razors.

He was wounded by a splinter in the head, and apparently hair did not grow, or grew unevenly, but he shaved his head himself, without help from others, and said that I should not peek. And I so wanted to peek! I remember clearly the fragment of a mirror that he set on an old nightstand, and another mirror he held with one hand so as to see the back of his head, shave and not cut himself. Before shaving he “stropped” the razors on a soldier’s leather belt. And of course he used boiling water in an aluminium mug.

Today I asked Mama about letters from the front. “Yes,” she says, “he wrote, but Mother never once answered…” (I have given my mama’s words word for word). Grandfather’s letters have not been preserved…