Nobody’s Soldier
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“It’s hard to believe that any one person could have endured so much trauma and survived, but survive he did, long enough for one of his sons to tell his amazing story.”
Nobody’s Soldier follows the extraordinary life of Andrii Antonenko. Born in Ukraine in 1922, shortly before the Communist purge of the Kulaks, he and his family were forced from their farm land and transported to a labour camp in the Arctic Circle. Andrii escaped the camp at a tender age and what ensued was a tale of extraordinary resilience and survival.
Andrii bore witness to his father being arrested by the Communists and beaten mercilessly by political police, upon his refusal to relinquish his land. This injustice spurred Andrii into becoming adept at extricating himself from incarceration and capture by the Russians, Germans and the British on many occasions throughout his life.
Andrii was conscripted to the Red Army in 1941 immediately prior to the German invasion of Russia in World War II and was wounded in battle. Following his recovery, he was forced to join the German Army where he suffered before escaping and joining the Italian Partisans.
Constantly in fear and on the edge of starvation, Andrii survives freezing weather; being shot, beaten and attacked; a torpedo; and finally, tuberculosis. Hiding from covert and overt enemies was a priority as he travelled vast distances on foot. One journey taking six weeks to walk 1800 kilometres across Russia and Ukraine to be united with his family.
Through luck and deception, Andrii joined the Polish Division of the British Army to escape being repatriated by the Soviets and exterminated as part of their cleansing program. It was in Britain that Andrii met his wife and in 1959, emigrated to Australia with their two sons.
Nobody’s Soldier provides a glimpse into the geopolitical and social environment during one of the most poignant moments in world history, told through the lense of a strong willed, gentle man with an unquenchable love for his family and his country.
About the Author
Peter Antonenko
“Survival thanks to inner strength, ingenuity and luck.”
Andrii’s fascinating life story was told to his son Peter, spoken through his mother and transcribed from audio tape to the written word.
“The idea of putting the story into some form of a memoir was as a result of many fishing trips where Dad would tell me snippets of his life and philosophies born out of his life experiences,” said Peter Antonenko
“I found the stories fascinating and wondered how anyone could be so kind, insightful, gentle and thoughtful after the many horrific events, trials and tribulations born out of his life experiences.”
Reviews
Praise for Nobody’s Soldier
“Andrii had a great sense of story that engages a reader, an impressive achievement for a man who had been prevented from completing his formal education. Caught between the great pulverizing ideologies of the twentieth century, his struggle is a triumph.”
“Andrii’s story fills me with hope and amazement at the hardship people will endure to find and live a peaceful and full life.”
“This book is a must for anyone interested in the human impact of Stalinism and the Second World War in Ukraine and its aftermath.”
“A fascinating page-turning account of resilience and the will to live. Andrii displays the nobility of the human spirit in his struggle to survive against almost overwhelming forces.”
“The first-hand account about Andrii Antonenko is an amazing and incredible story that I will never forget. The book is one of those that is hard to put down as the accounts of hardship to himself, his family and the Ukraine community over those tough years, helped me understand a little of what life was like for these amazing people in those years of hell. Nobody’s Soldier is a must read.”
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