Ida Bugakova
Ida Bugakova was born in 1922 in Leningrad, where she grew up and graduated from high school.
She was not yet 19 when the Soviet – German war began. Ida joined the Red Army and was assigned to the Leningrad Front in the summer of 1941. She took part in the defense of her native city, which was besieged by German forces (from September 8, 1941 to 27 January 27, 1944).
Ida Bugakova mastered the military profession of radio operator and also learned to shoot.
Under the difficult conditions of the frontlines, Ida had to crawl with her radio in the combat zone and pass on information to enable gun crews to adjust their artillery fire. She also had to maintain uninterrupted contact between the field and military headquarters.
In 1942, Ida participated in the Red Army Siniavino offensive that unsuccessfully attempted to relieve the siege of Leningrad. Bugakova repeatedly crossed the very dangerous Siniavino swamps, where many Soviet soldiers drowned, in order to transit information to headquarters.
The Red Army fighters referred to the offensive in this area as "an attack on our stomach" because every meter had to be traversed by crawling. Once the Germans spotted and shot at a group of Red Army intelligence-gatherers with whom Ida was proceeding. Ida miraculously survived, maintaining communication with the headquarters of the Leningrad Front under enemy fire until she was evacuated to receive medical care.
After Ida was wounded, she continued to serve in the Red Army. During the war, she was awarded the Order of Glory, 2nd and 3rd Class, and several medals. She ended the war in Prague.
After her marriage, she took the last name of her husband. Ida died in Rishon Lezion, Israel in 2015.
