Searching for Herta Trunov

[veramiller]

I am looking for the sister of my grandmother. Her name is Herta Trunov (or Trunova or Trunow). She also used the name Vera. She was unmarried when she disappeared.

Herta was born on August 12, 1925 in the village of Budoivka, district of Kiev, Ukraine.

She is the daughter of Tichon Trunov and Lina Hoffmann. Herta has a brother, Edward, and a sister, Ella. They live in the United States.

Herta Trunova was last seen in 1945 in Berlin, Germany. Her family was living in Berlin, Germany when she disappeared. It is believed she ran off with a Russian solider for a new life in Russia. But she had German citizenship. I don't know if she was able to travel to Russia.

It is my lifelong dream to find her or her family.

[Hannia]

Luckily Germans kept excellent records during WW2. Submit an inquiry to BAD AROLSEN ARCHIVES.

Actually I would think you could obtain Herta's whole history in Germany thru Records in Bad Arolsen. If she indeed left the country, records should confirm that.

Svce is free to immediate family. Turn around time is up to three months.

Click on to HUMANITARIAN REQUESTS, then click APPLICATION FORMS. All you need is to fill out her name and birth birth. Don't forget to include that it is sister looking for her. Include sister's address.

ITS-AROLSEN.ORG |*Startseiteit
ITS-AROLSEN.ORG |*Homepage
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Did Herta's sister try contacting the Int'l Red Cross in Kyiv ?

Has there been any contact w/village in Ukraine? Maybe someone there heard from her???
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Was family evacuated in late 30's or were they OSTARBEITER?

[Hannia]

Luckily Germans kept excellent records during WW2. Submit an inquiry to BAD AROLSEN ARCHIVES.

Actually I would think you could obtain Herta's whole history in Germany thru Records in Bad Arolsen. If she indeed left the country, records should confirm that.

Svce is free to immediate family. Turn around time is up to three months.

Click on to HUMANITARIAN REQUESTS, then click APPLICATION FORMS. All you need is to fill out her name and birth birth. Don't forget to include that it is sister looking for her. Include sister's address.

ITS-AROLSEN.ORG |*Startseiteit
___________________________________________________________________________

Did Herta's sister try contacting the Int'l Red Cross?

Has there been any contact w/village in Ukraine? Maybe someone there heard from her???
___________________________________________________________________________

[Hannia]

These WW2 Documents are currently in State Archives of Kiev oblast.
Once you get confirmation that Herta returned to the Soviet Union,
consider hiring someone locally to research these WW2 Documents.
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The Long Road Home: Documents of Ukrainian Forced Labor Workers Detained in Soviet Filtration Camps in Germany.

The spring of 1945 brought long-awaited victory and freedom for Ostarbeiters as the Soviet Army and Western allies stormed into Germany. After the Soviet government had decided to return Soviet citizens from Germany, a number of organizational measures were taken. From August to December 1945, the Soviets interrogated thousands of repatriates, most of whom were civilians. In the eyes of the Soviets, however, these individual had not shown sufficient resistance to their recent German "masters," and so were treated as possible enemies in disguise--foreign spies or saboteurs. The NKVD had traditionally screened (i.e., "filtered") those who presumably threatened the Soviet system before the war. After the war, Soviet authorities created a "filtration file" (a dossier by individual) for the returning Ostarbeiters. In 1955, these filtration files became part of the special record at KGB archives. This change added new obstacles to those once interrogated: new impediments were placed before repatriated citizens' ability to leave; posed obstacles to landing jobs with various institutions and enterprises; hindered access to classified materials. In fact, the country distrusted its citizens for decades "just in case."

The "filtration files" had long been kept in the archives of KGB and considered a state secret. In June 1993 the Directorate of Security Service of Ukraine in Kiev moved the filtration files--115,940 items in total--to the State archive of Kiev oblast, finally making these documents accessible to researchers.

The wealth of information contained within this collection is incomparable. All documents are originals, their authenticity (a significant issue in research of secret dossier collections of this nature), assured by the use of letterhead, official stamps, seals, impresses and certified signatures, as well as registration numbers, in/out markings, personal identification information, passport and identity card photographs, and fingerprintings. Some filtration files even include documents from various Soviet organizations and institutions, as well as materials in German or from allied armies (i.e., English, American and French).

[veramiller]

Thanks for all the information. How would I submit a request to search for my aunt? What address would I send my request in Kiev?

[Hannia]

Does Arolsen Archives have any records for Herta?

[tea76]

Hi there good luck tracking her down. i was wondering how you got the picture on there! As im looking to find some family and have a few pictures

Tina