Photo credit: Alexey Efimov / youtube.com
World War II veteran David Dushman has passed away, the Pravda newspaper reports. He was the last survivor of those who liberated the prisoners of Auschwitz in 1945. The veteran died on June 5. He was 99.
David Dushman was born in Minsk, while studying at school he began to practice fencing. When the war began, he was sent to the tank troops. He took part in the Battle of Stalingrad, in the battles on the Kursk Bulge, liberated the inhabitants of Poland from the Nazi occupation.
David Dushman in his T-34 was one of the first to break into Auschwitz, the largest Nazi death camp.
After the Victory, he went back to sports. Six years later, Dushman won a gold medal at the fencing championship of the Soviet Union. After completing his sports career, he continued to work in sports as a coach, he was appointed the chief mentor of the USSR national team. Among his students are four Olympic champions and 14 world champions.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Dushman went to Austria, and then to Germany, where he continued his coaching work.
The head of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach expressed condolences to the family and friends of the veteran.
Russkiy Mir
