Part 2: The Occupation of the Northern part of Bukovina by the Soviet Army
Willi Kosiul
Translation by Google, Needs Editing
From the Website of Willi Kosiul
Posted with permission of the author’s son, February 21, 2021
Part 1: The Beginning of the Second World War
On June 23, 1940, the Soviet government from Moscow informed the German government in Berlin that it now intended to occupy the remaining territories that were assigned to them in the secret German-Soviet treaty of August 1939 – as their sphere of interest . Moscow explained the imminent military occupation of Bessarabia and that they would also demand that Romania cede the territory of northern Bukovina. Thus, the Soviet government from Moscow informed the German government in Berlin – through an exchange of notes – about the imminent military occupation of the Romanian areas of Bessarabia and northern Bukovina.
On June 26, 1940, in a further Soviet note to Berlin, the German Reich was assured that the Soviets would take into account and respect the German spheres of interest that had been promised and established according to the secret protocol of August 23, 1939. Therefore, only the northern part of Bukovina is to be occupied by Soviet troops. Since the German Reich had still not objected to the occupation of northern Bukovina, the intended Soviet occupation remained the same and the Soviet army could take action unhindered, go on the offensive and these areas occupy militarily. On June 26, 1940, the Soviet government issued an ultimatum, through the Romanian ambassador in Moscow, demanding that the Romanian royal government in Bucharest: the cession of Bessarabia and the northern part of Bukovina, up to the line of the river and the city of Sereth and the town of Seletin. The new Soviet-Romanian border was fixed in an enclosed long map. Since this former Moldovan area of Bessarabia belonged to Russia from 1812 until after the First World War in 1918, the Soviet Union wanted it back now -1940-.
As early as May 1st, 1919, the young Soviet Russia had made these same demands on Romania, which, however, had been rejected by Romania at the time. Since the Soviet Union was militarily too weak at that time to recapture its Bessarabia landscape by force and it had enough internal unrest as well as revolutionary problems and fighting in its own country, it had refrained from doing so afterwards. But in 1940 the Soviet Union – as a consolidated world power – saw the time had come, with the approval of its “friend” (= the German Empire) to bring back its former country of Bessarabia since 1812.
When occupying northern Bukovina, the Soviet Union assumed that predominantly Ukrainians lived in this northern part of Bukovina and that they therefore claimed to connect and unite their compatriots with their original homeland of Ukraine. Moscow justified its occupation of northern Bukovina, also with the historical fact that this historical landscape once belonged to the Principality of Kiev and later was also under the state administration of Lviv = Galicia, which had also belonged to the Soviet Union since 1939. Therefore, on June 26, 1940, the Soviet government issued this ultimatum, calling on the Romanian government to cede these areas – Bessarabia and northern Bukovina – peacefully and functionally on June 28, 1940. June 1940 not only to be left to the Soviet Union but also to be properly handed over. The Romanian government had to withdraw its troops from these areas within 3 days, to evacuate them and to hand them over to the Soviet Army forever without a fight. By June 27, 1940, Romania was to decide to submit to this Soviet ultimatum, to agree to the cession of Bessarabia and northern Bukovina and to inform the Soviet government of what had happened then. As a result, the resettlement of the Germans there from Bessarabia and northern Bucovina has now become relevant. In June 1940 Romania should decide to submit to this Soviet ultimatum, to agree to the cession of Bessarabia and northern Bukovina and to inform the Soviet government of what had happened. As a result, the resettlement of the Germans there from Bessarabia and northern Bucovina has now become relevant. In June 1940 Romania should decide to submit to this Soviet ultimatum, to agree to the cession of Bessarabia and northern Bukovina and to inform the Soviet government of what had happened. As a result, the resettlement of the Germans there from Bessarabia and northern Bucovina has now become relevant.
Greater Romania was too weak to face the demands of this great power, the Soviet Union, alone. The Romanian government had nothing effective to oppose to this great military superiority of the Soviet Union and its western allies had abandoned Romania. This Soviet ultimatum gave the Romanian government only two days to make a decision. Therefore there was no time for deliberations and no time for diplomatic negotiations; it was absolutely decisive and absolutely required by the Soviet Union. Greater Romania had no chance in a war against the Soviet Union. Their army was absolutely numerically inferior to the Soviet Army. The Romanian army was inadequately trained, poorly equipped and out of date and also had a very poor morale.
The Romanian government initially unsuccessfully asked Great Britain for support. The Romanian hope for the support of the German Reich did not come true either because the German Reich had a friendship and non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union at that time. When the Romanian government turned to Berlin for help in the hope of receiving support from there, Berlin only advised it to meet the Soviet demands, because the German Reich did not want a war between Russia and Romania. The German Empire recommended that the Romanian government cede the country of Bessarabia and northern Bukovina peacefully to the Soviet Union and that the ultimatum given by the Soviet Union be adhered to, thereby preventing a war. After that, the Romanian government had no choice but to bow down and peacefully evacuate the areas claimed by the Soviet Union and leave them to the Soviet Union. Since the division of the spheres of interest of the two countries, the German Reich and the Soviet Union, had already been agreed and had already been initiated, the German Reich could neither stand by nor help Romania. Berlin therefore urgently recommended the Romanian government to bow to this Soviet ultimatum, to accept the conditions of the Soviet Union of June 26, 1940, to vacate the Bessarabia and northern Bukovina area on time, to cede it to the Soviet Union and thereby avoid war. than to bend over and peacefully evacuate the areas claimed by the Soviet Union and leave them to the Soviet Union. Since the division of the spheres of interest of the two countries, the German Reich and the Soviet Union, had already been agreed and had already been initiated, the German Reich could neither stand by nor help Romania. Berlin therefore urgently recommended the Romanian government to bow to this Soviet ultimatum, to accept the conditions of the Soviet Union of June 26, 1940, to vacate the Bessarabia and northern Bukovina area on time, to cede it to the Soviet Union and thereby avoid war. than to bend over and peacefully evacuate the areas claimed by the Soviet Union and leave them to the Soviet Union. Since the division of the spheres of interest of the two countries, the German Reich and the Soviet Union, had already been agreed and had already been initiated, the German Reich could neither stand by nor help Romania. Berlin therefore urgently recommended the Romanian government to bow to this Soviet ultimatum, to accept the conditions of the Soviet Union of June 26, 1940, to vacate the Bessarabia and northern Bukovina area on time, to cede it to the Soviet Union and thereby avoid war. the German Reich could neither stand by nor help Romania. Berlin therefore urgently recommended the Romanian government to bow to this Soviet ultimatum, to accept the conditions of the Soviet Union of June 26, 1940, to vacate the Bessarabia and northern Bukovina area on time, to cede it to the Soviet Union and thereby avoid war. the German Reich could neither stand by nor help Romania. Berlin therefore urgently recommended the Romanian government to bow to this Soviet ultimatum, to accept the conditions of the Soviet Union of June 26, 1940, to vacate the Bessarabia and northern Bukovina area on time, to cede it to the Soviet Union and thereby avoid war.
On June 25, 1940, the German diplomat in Moscow Schulenburg received instructions from the German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop to inform the Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov in Moscow that the German Reich stood by the German-Soviet treaties. It is not interested in this Soviet-interested area, but only in the Germans living there. The German Reich therefore expected the Soviet Union to treat the Germans with care during this Soviet military occupation and ensure their future. The German Reich government reserves the right to enter into negotiations with the Soviet government about the resettlement of these Germans to the German Reich. The Soviet government took note of this German embassy in Moscow and acted accordingly. After this short ultimatum from the Soviet government of June 26, 1940 to the Romanian government to evacuate northern Bukovina and Bessarabia within 3 days and leave it to the Soviet Union forever, the Romanian government, after an unsuccessful search for military aid, was forced to choose this Soviet one Ultimatum to follow. So the Romanian government had no choice but to meet these Soviet demands and withdraw the Romanian troops from these required areas as quickly as possible. All Romanian troops stationed in these areas received orders from Bucharest not to face the invading Soviet troops, but to be loyal to them or to evacuate this territory beforehand without a fight. All movable military property was to be taken and transferred to Romanian territory. The Romanian state government as well as state officials from other administrative bodies and also many wealthy Romanians fled the state capital Chernivtsi and other places in northern Bukovina by rail or horse-drawn carriages south to Romanian territory. The active members of the nationalist “Iron Guard” fled from the Russians. The majority of the Romanian residents of northern Bukovina, however, remained calm, reserved and fearful in their residential areas. The Romanian state government as well as state officials from other administrative bodies and also many wealthy Romanians fled the state capital Chernivtsi and other places in northern Bukovina by rail or horse-drawn carriages south to Romanian territory. The active members of the nationalist “Iron Guard” fled from the Russians. The majority of the Romanian residents of northern Bukovina, however, remained calm, reserved and fearful in their residential areas. The Romanian state government as well as state officials from other administrative bodies and also many wealthy Romanians fled the state capital Chernivtsi and other places in northern Bukovina by rail or horse-drawn carriages south to Romanian territory. The active members of the nationalist “Iron Guard” fled from the Russians. The majority of the Romanian residents of northern Bukovina, however, remained calm, reserved and fearful in their residential areas.
The German residents there remained calm and relaxed during this time and waited to see what would happen to them. They hopefully assumed that after the Soviet occupation of northern Bukovina they would be resettled from there to the German Empire, as had already happened in 1939 with the Wolhynia Germans and also the Galician Germans. So the Romanian troops withdrew from northern Bukovina without a fight and handed this area over to the Soviet Army. Then the Romanian government asked the German Reich to send a German military mission to Romania, so that any further intentions of the Soviet Union in further Romanian areas could be put to a halt and thus to help Romania protect its borders. Since the Anglo-French contractually guaranteed guarantee of April 1939, Romania’s security had now become ineffective and senseless, angrily, Romania immediately withdrew from the League of Nations. In the days of June 27th and 28th, 1940 – between the escape of the Romanian administration and the takeover of the Soviet military administration – there was also some looting by the local residents in the cities and market communities, at public facilities. In the cities and other larger towns, all shops were closed these days for security reasons. At the train stations – also out of the wagons – as well as from large warehouses, mainly food, but also other useful and transportable goods, were plundered = looted and carried home by the residents there. Even Romanian military forces, which could no longer be evacuated by the Romanian military were released for the residents to take away. Anyone who was in these places at such suitable times could take what they wanted and could wear. Nothing should be left behind and nothing should fall into the hands of the Russians.
So z. B. On June 27, 1940 my brother, who was then 21 years old, was in the center of our market town Czudyn and suddenly found out that something was to be fetched or looted from the local train station. My brother immediately went to the train station and saw how many people were stealing sacks of flour and other things from the wagons parked there. My brother also packed a full sack of wheat flour on his back and brought this heavy sack – with a lot of rest breaks – the three kilometers to our home. When he then went back to the train station to steal more, everything had already been removed and nothing left there. My mother praised my brother for this and also regretted him for the heavy burden. But in the end she was also happy about all the wheat flour, because my mother had never had so much wheat flour at home at once. That was enough for us until our resettlement in October 1940.
But the abandoned apartments of wealthy Romanians who had fled were also completely looted, especially in the cities, and everything that could be removed from the people in the area was taken away. The Jewish citizens of the state capital Chernivtsi had prepared for their takeover of power there in the meantime, and they wanted to be armed against their Ukrainian communist rivals. Up until now, the wealthy and wealthy Jews of Bukovina had most of the legally registered civilian weapons in their possession. The poor people had neither the money nor the interest in it. But in the meantime of the change of power, when other people plundered for food, the Jews concentrated on the Romanian arsenal, They also captured many small arms and ammunition and then occupied some public buildings as a sign of their claim to power in Chernivtsi and northern Bukovina. With their previous legal private civilian weapons, as well as with the now captured military handguns, some groups of Jewish youth also harassed the withdrawing Romanian army. They should leave this area faster, which often resulted in hateful scenes and also shootings between these armed Jews and the retreating Romanian soldiers. As well as with the military handguns that had now been captured, some groups of Jewish youth also harassed the withdrawing Romanian army. They should leave this area faster, which often resulted in hateful scenes and also shootings between these armed Jews and the retreating Romanian soldiers. As well as with the military handguns that had now been captured, some groups of Jewish youth also harassed the withdrawing Romanian army. They should leave this area faster, which often resulted in hateful scenes and also shootings between these armed Jews and the retreating Romanian soldiers.
On June 28, 1940, the Soviet Army marched into Bessarabia and the Hertza area, as well as into northern Bukovina and its state capital Chernivtsi, without fighting and occupied it forever. On June 28th, the Soviet troops occupied the cities of Kishinew and Akkerman in Bessarabia and Chernivtsi in northern Bukovina in a flash. On June 29th until noon, this entire area of northern Bukovina as far as the city and the Sereth river, as well as north of Oberwikow as well as Karlsberg and Seletin and the municipality of Berhomed, was already occupied by Soviet troops. After that, the Soviet troops stood directly in front of the city of Sereth. Only 20 km from Radautz and not too far from the city of Suczawa. There they set up their Soviet border with Romania, which is still there today. The Soviet troops advanced so quickly with their tanks and other motor vehicles to the west and south-west that the Romanian soldiers often did not have time to leave this area so quickly and to retreat to the south-west in good time. Often Soviet units had overtaken them as they advanced and Romanian units as they withdrew and left them behind. They also let the Romanian troops withdraw. The Romanian troops remained “peaceful” and acted on their withdrawal orders. The advancing Soviet units let these armed military units withdraw from this area to Romania and so there were no incidents. The withdrawing Romanian units were so poorly armed and inadequately equipped that they could not have offered any effective resistance. All of them would inevitably have been destroyed by the mass advancing Soviet troops and armored units, or would have been taken prisoner by the Soviet Union.
So even after that, the Romanian units withdrew to Romania unhindered and left this area of Bessarabia and northern Bukovina to the Red Army without a fight. Romanian politicians and wealthy Romania, as well as those who belonged to the Romanian nationalist party or were anti-Soviet, had hurried to flee Bukovina before the arrival of the Red Army. The German population, on the other hand, did not join this refugee movement, but remained there in their homes and communities quietly and cautiously and waited for what would follow for them afterwards. The German political leaders of the German ethnic group, as well as the “Gauleiter of the Germans in Bukowina” Professor Lohmer, stayed in Chernivtsi,
The previous structures of the German ethnic group of Bukovina were retained everywhere. Only because of the division of Bukovina, Professor Lohmer had appointed and installed the German engineer Johann Krotky in Gurahumora as his deputy for the area of responsibility of the Romanian southern Bukovina. The withdrawing Romanian soldiers were insulted, harassed and involved in conflicts, especially in cities like Chernivtsi and others, by civil groups, especially by young Jewish men. These Jewish civilian groups even tried to disarm the Romanian soldiers, but they did not succeed and often led to shootings. The state capital Chernivtsi had a total of about 140,000 inhabitants at that time. In June 1940, the whole of Bukovina had a total of 926 localities (towns, market communities, rural communities and villages), of which 490 were in the northern Soviet part and 436 remained in the southern Romanian part after the Soviet occupation. Even then, fear prevailed in southern Bukovina and there the question was whether the Soviet Army would not also occupy southern Bukovina. Leading politicians of the Czernowitz magistrate – according to the demands of the operational Soviet commanders of the army – had to receive the Soviet military leadership at the river bridge on the Prut near Chernivtsi, escort them to the Chernivtsi magistrate and give them the city of Chernivtsi with all its facilities and utilities. Functional and trouble-free handed over. So it happened.
Only when everything was handed over in this way – from the leadership apparatus to the property security of the magistrate, only then could these remaining Romanian politicians with their guard and rear guard leave the Bukovina unhindered and go to Romania. When these remaining leading politicians of the Chernivtsi magistrate drove their car to the Pruth Bridge, on the instructions of the Soviet general, to receive the head of the advancing Soviet army, they were able to see how the Soviet army marched into Chernivtsi, from young Jewish people and students received with great joy, flowers and red flags and cheered as their deliverer. Crowds, predominantly Jewish citizens, had gathered in the squares and streets of Chernivtsi, some of them armed, and cheered the Red Army. The garrison of the 8th Romanian Division in Chernivtsi was besieged by groups of people and armed Romanian soldiers were stopped on the street and prevented from walking, so that they had to use their rifles to force their way through or continue. When a group of people wanted to storm the barracks of the 8th Romanian Division, fire was opened on them by the Romanian military, thus preventing the barracks from being stormed. However, two civilians who were Jewish citizens were shot dead. Even in this Soviet-friendly, angry and aggressive crowd, there were predominantly young Jews who demonstrated against the previous rule of the Romanians and risked their lives in the process. The leading Romanian politicians of the previous Czernowitz magistrate were surprised, disappointed and angry or even hateful by this friendly attitude towards the Soviet Union, especially of the Jewish citizens. Such Soviet sympathy and hatred of the Romanians they had not expected from the Jewish citizens of Chernivtsi. This joyful sympathy of the Jewish citizens of Chernivtsi and also in other parts of northern Bukovina, which was shown to the Soviet Army when they marched in in June 1940, was already then viewed by Romanian politicians as a betrayal of the Jews against Romania. they had not expected from the Jewish citizens of Chernivtsi. This joyful sympathy of the Jewish citizens of Chernivtsi and also in other parts of northern Bukovina, which was shown to the Soviet Army when they marched in in June 1940, was already then viewed by Romanian politicians as a betrayal of the Jews against Romania. they had not expected from the Jewish citizens of Chernivtsi. This joyful sympathy of the Jewish citizens of Chernivtsi and also in other parts of northern Bukovina, which was shown to the Soviet Army when they marched in in June 1940, was already then viewed by Romanian politicians as a betrayal of the Jews against Romania.
Ms. Bornemann and Dr. Wagner from Chernivtsi, analogously as follows: On June 28, 1940, the Romanian cities of Kishinew, Akkermann and Chernivtsi were occupied by the Soviet Army, and then these areas were Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina. On June 28, 1940 at 2 p.m. the mayor of the state capital of Bukovina – Chernivtsi – was to await and receive the Soviet occupiers at the Pruth Bridge – in front of the gates of Chernivtsi – and then hand over the city of Chernivtsi to them. Since the Romanian mayor of Chernivtsi had already left Chernivtsi on the morning of June 28, 1940 and fled to Bucharest, he instructed his Romanian vice mayor to do this task = handing over the city of Chernivtsi to the Soviet Army. This Romanian Vice Mayor asked the beech country German who stayed here and also the Vice Mayor of Czernowitz, Dr. Franz Kopecki to accompany him, which he did.
In an article in the “Kaindl Archive” No. 3/1982 pp. 29 – 33, under “My memories of the invasion of the USSR troops in Chernivtsi in June 1940”, Dr. Franz Kopecki, at that time a German from Buchenland and also Vice Mayor of Czernowitz, explained the following in detail: “The Romanian Mayor of Czernowitz drove in his company car, accompanied by the Buchenland German and also Vice Mayor of Czernowitz Dr. Kopecki, together with a Russian interpreter, at 2 p.m. to the Pruth Bridge at the northeast exit of Chernivtsi to receive the leading Soviet officer. He should then bring this Soviet officer to the city and to the magistrate and hand over the city to him in a functional manner – as requested by the Soviet side. Dr. Kopecki writes about it: (reproduced in abbreviated form by me) “When we drove by car across the Rathausplatz and the main street to the Pruthbrücke, the Rathausplatz was overcrowded with young, hooting people with red cockades in their buttonholes… As the Jewish population predominated in the city center it was mainly Jewish youth. The next few yelled at us with threatening gestures. Somewhere on the edge of this crowd some shots were fired … The Romanian Vice Mayor turned to me pale with anger or fright and crunched: “And I nourished this brood on my bosom for years!” – Because he was always weighed against the Jewish population friendly minded. Then a Soviet general with an armored spear advanced across the Pruth Bridge into the state capital Chernivtsi and occupied it.
The capital had to be handed over intact by the mayor of the city personally, with all functioning supply systems such as electricity, waterworks, etc. Until the city was handed over, the magistrate was secured by a Romanian military guard, under the command of a Romanian lieutenant of the gendarmerie . The young Romanian lieutenant and leader of the guard appeared in front of the two deputy mayors and other Romanian officials from the Romanian handover staff in the magistrate’s hall and declared: “He must shoot himself, he had no other choice. Because he was threatened and spat at by young civilians, residents of the city, who cheered on the moving Russian tanks. But he couldn’t defend himself without challenging the Russian soldiers of the tank crews, which he was strictly forbidden. Therefore he has no choice but to take his own life with honor. ”The Romanian Vice Mayor and another senior officer of the Romanian gendarmerie had great difficulty calming the desperate young Romanian lieutenant. They asked him to endure the grave injury to his honor that had been inflicted on him as a sacrifice for his fatherland. They had great difficulty reassuring the young Romanian officer and persuading him to persevere in the task assigned to him. “The Romanian deputy mayor and another senior officer in the Romanian gendarmerie had great difficulty reassuring the desperate young Romanian lieutenant. They asked him to endure the grave injury to his honor that had been inflicted on him as a sacrifice for his fatherland. They had great difficulty reassuring the young Romanian officer and persuading him to persevere in the task assigned to him. “The Romanian deputy mayor and another senior officer in the Romanian gendarmerie had great difficulty reassuring the desperate young Romanian lieutenant. They asked him to endure the grave injury to his honor that had been inflicted on him as a sacrifice for his fatherland. They had great difficulty reassuring the young Romanian officer and persuading him to persevere in the task assigned to him.
After the handover of the magistrate of the capital Chernivtsi to the Soviet military, the remaining Romanian officials of the magistrate of Chernivtsi and also this Romanian gendarmerie guard left Chernivtsi for Romania on the next morning of June 29, 1940 Memories of the then Vice Mayor of Chernivtsi, the Buchenland German Dr. Franz Kopecki on his personal experiences when the Soviet Army marched into Chernivtsi on June 28, 1940. In this book by Mrs. Bornemann and Dr. Wagner, another experience report from this time (end of June 1940) by the Buchenland German Bogdan Federowitsch from Kotzman is given again. Here, too, I have only shortened a few thoughts. Mr. Bogdan Federowitsch reported among others: “In Chernivtsi there were crowds of people in the squares and streets, some of them armed, also near the garrison of the 8th Romanian Division. The Romanian armed soldiers there were hindered and stopped walking on the street by crowds of people. They had to use the rifle to get through and on. A crowd wanted to storm the barracks of the Romanian 8th Division. The Romanian military fired, did not let them through and forced them back. Two men = civilians were shot and the attacking crowd was deterred. The two dead were Jews. In the crowd there (against the Romanian military) there were mostly angry young Jews. “Many men and women (in Chernivtsi) looked out the windows and waved to the Soviet occupiers. Young people climbed onto the Soviet tanks for joy and greeted them as their liberators. These people were mostly Jews and also some Soviet-minded Ukrainians. In the days that followed, there were demonstrations and rallies in the streets and squares in Chernivtsi with thousands of people wearing red carnations in their buttonholes. They laughed and cheered with joy that the Romanians had left and the Russians were there. They were Jews. However, after a few weeks, the Jews became enlightened when, as capitalists, their shops, their department stores, inns and factories were taken away from them and these were nationalized. Young people climbed onto the Soviet tanks for joy and greeted them as their liberators. These people were mostly Jews and also some Soviet-minded Ukrainians. In the days that followed, there were demonstrations and rallies in the streets and squares in Chernivtsi with thousands of people wearing red carnations in their buttonholes. They laughed and cheered with joy that the Romanians had left and the Russians were there. They were Jews. However, after a few weeks, the Jews became enlightened when, as capitalists, their shops, their department stores, inns and factories were taken away from them and these were nationalized. Young people climbed onto the Soviet tanks for joy and greeted them as their liberators. These people were mostly Jews and also some Soviet-minded Ukrainians. In the days that followed, there were demonstrations and rallies in the streets and squares in Chernivtsi with thousands of people wearing red carnations in their buttonholes. They laughed and cheered with joy that the Romanians had left and the Russians were there. They were Jews. However, after a few weeks, the Jews became enlightened when, as capitalists, their shops, their department stores, inns and factories were taken away from them and these were nationalized. In the days that followed, there were demonstrations and rallies in the streets and squares in Chernivtsi with thousands of people wearing red carnations in their buttonholes. They laughed and cheered with joy that the Romanians had left and the Russians were there. They were Jews. However, after a few weeks, the Jews became enlightened when, as capitalists, their shops, their department stores, inns and factories were taken away from them and these were nationalized. In the days that followed, there were demonstrations and rallies in the streets and squares in Chernivtsi with thousands of people wearing red carnations in their buttonholes. They laughed and cheered with joy that the Romanians had left and the Russians were there. They were Jews. However, after a few weeks, the Jews became enlightened when, as capitalists, their shops, their department stores, inns and factories were taken away from them and these were nationalized.
The entry of the Soviet Army was calm, orderly and without incident. Later the opponents of the Soviet Union were tracked down, reported by neighbors, arrested and also deported to the Soviet Union. ”These are some of the thoughts of this Buchenland-German contemporary witness about the Soviet Army march into Czernowitz at the end of June 1940 by Bogdan Federowitsch from Kotzman. The Germans, as well as the Romanians, Poles and other national ethnic groups, behaved calmly and cautiously during the Soviet occupation of northern Bukovina. Even many Ukrainians were not pleased with this Soviet occupation. Only the Jews saw their liberators in the advancing Soviet army and welcomed them with joy with flowers and cheers. But in a few days this Jewish enthusiasm was gone, because they were struck and disappointed by Soviet measures against their people, businesses and property. This Soviet friendly attitude of many Chernivtsi Jews when the Soviet Army marched into Chernivtsi at the end of June 1940 was bitterly right by the Romanians against the Jews when they returned or the Romanian reoccupation of northern Bukovina at the beginning of July 1941. Many Jews from northern Bukovina had to At the beginning of July 1941 – when the Romanian army returned – they paid with their lives for this pro-Soviet jubilation when they were murdered for it by the Romanian military in Czernowitz, Storozynetz, Czudyn, etc.
After the proper handover of the Magistrate of Chernivtsi – as requested by the Soviet side – to the Soviet military, the last Romanian state officials and the Romanian military guards from Chernivtsi and northern Bukovina moved to Romania.
Part 3: The Life of the Residents of Northern Bukovina under Soviet Occupation