A Wartime Reunion: Lt. Col. Mirlin and His Wife Near Lviv
June 30, 2025 - Reading time: 4 minutes
Against all odds, Soviet officer Gilel Mirlin was reunited with his wife Elena near the front in Lviv, 1944. She brought news of his scientific success — and nine months later, a daughter was born.
Amidst the fire and chaos of World War II, there were still moments when love cut through the smoke. This rare photograph, taken in August 1944 near Lviv, captures such a moment: Lieutenant Colonel Gilel A. Mirlin, senior assistant to the head of the artillery reconnaissance department of the 1st Ukrainian Front, embraces his wife Elena in a brief but precious wartime reunion.
The story behind the photo is nothing short of incredible. Elena, separated from her husband and living in evacuation with their eldest son, decided she could no longer bear the distance. With only a document proving she was the wife of an active-duty officer, she traveled by any means she could — mostly by hitching rides on Studebaker trucks — and made her way westward, eventually reaching the vicinity of Lviv, deep in war-torn territory.
There, she found Gilel. Not in the rear, but near the front line, just a few kilometers from danger. She brought him more than just her love — in her hands was the official confirmation of his successful PhD defense, completed in his absence at the Academy of Sciences. He had written the dissertation before the war, but combat had interrupted the academic process. Still, thanks to determined colleagues and Elena’s courage, the recognition came through.
She stayed over two weeks, hiding in relative safety — though she was caught in two air raids during her time. That visit brought not only emotional strength but, quite literally, new life: nine months later, their daughter Marina was born — a “child of the front.”
This photo, from Gilel Mirlin’s personal album, stands as a testament not only to military service, but to resilience, intellect, and love — all carried forward despite the backdrop of war.
📷 Technical photo data:
📅 Date: August 1944
📍 Location: Near Lviv, Western Ukraine, USSR
👥 Subjects: Lt. Col. Gilel Avseyevich Mirlin and his wife Elena
🎖️ Background: Officer of the 1st Ukrainian Front; PhD in Geology awarded during wartime
📚 Source of information: Personal album of G. A. Mirlin