There was nothing unusual about this match but for the fact that Dynamo stadium in Kharkiv was the arena where on June 16 1941 Kyivans played their last game before the Second World War…
Continuation in four years…
As far as the new stadium was being built in Kyiv, Dynamo played all games away. The match against the Red Army team from Moscow was to take place on June 22 at the newly opened arena in the capital of Ukraine.
The opening ceremony was to start at 17:00.
At that time the population of Kyiv reached about one million citizens, but Khreshchatyk street was overcrowded with people going to the stadium.
But unfortunately that match didn’t take place as on June 22 war came to Kyiv. Luftwaffe fighter planes attacked our city.
According to official data 25 people were killed in Kyiv that day.
When Dynamo players came to the stadium their coach Mykhailo Butusov informed them that the match wouldn’t take place. People who came to see the game were promised that they would be able to attend it as soon as enemies would leave our country.
At that time no one could suspect that only Makhynia and Balakin would be the only Dynamo players of 1941 squad to take the field four years later on May 13 1945 against Lokomotiv Moscow.
Fatebreaking handwheel
The Second World War destroyed lives of millions of people including Dynamo players. Left winger Joseph Kachkin, defender Mykhailo Volin and halfback Borys Afanasiev died defending their Motherland.
Goalkeeper Mykola Trusevych, defender Olexiy Klymenko, halfback Ivan Kuzmenko and striker Pavlo Komarov were enlisted to Kyiv mopping-up detachment.
Executions and balloons…
Before the war life was completely different for joker Mykhailo Trusevych and his teammates.
On May 24 1936 Dynamo played their first Soviet Top League game.
A lot of government representatives were present at the stadium, such as the General Secretary of the Ukrainian Communist Party Stanislav Kosior, Red Army commander Iona Yakir and Minister of the Interior of Ukraine Vsevolod Balitskyi. All of them were executed by Soviet regime later.
But let’s get back to Dynamo stadium in Kyiv. On May 24 1936 Kyivans left the arena in a bad mood as their team lost 1:5 against Dynamo Moscow. At that time the number of goals scored by teams was presented by balloons of different colors.
Despite such bad start the White-Blues finished second that season. One year later they won bronze. That team seemed to have great future. But war didn’t let that happen.
Glory to heroes, shame to traitors
As Kyiv was invaded by fascists Trusevych and other Dynamo players joined Start team who played several games against occupants. The most well-known one is the match against Flakelf team which took place on August 9 1942. Kyivans won that game 5:3.
Later Soviet propaganda called that game “death match”. On August 18 Dynamo representatives were arrested.
The first one to die of Gestapo tortures was Mykola Korotkykh as he was a secret police officer.
Mykola Trusevych, Olexiy Klymenko and Ivan Kuzmenko were executed on February 24 1943.
The halfback Fedir Tiutchev escaped from the death camp on October 5 1943, swam across Dnipro and joined Red Army. He died in 1959 because of cardiac decomposition.
Pavlo Komarov was taken to Germany where he worked at Messerschmitt factories. After the war he moved to Canada.
Still there were people who didn’t manage to demonstrate their courage. Heorhiy Tymofeev worked for Gestapo. After the war he was imprisoned.
Let’s forget this rascal forever as other Dynamo representatives did what they could to defeat enemy forces. There is a monument at Dynamo stadium, dedicated to these heroes.
They are still with us, following Kyiv football masters.
Oleh Zadernovskyi
Photos by V. Rasner
