Alisa H asked Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch:

Just finished an advanced copy of Making Bombs for Hitler--absolutely remarkable story! Have you been able to uncover any hidden stories from your own ancestors through researching for this novel?

Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch Hi Alisa,

Thanks for your lovely feedback about Making Bombs for Hitler. My grandparents came to Canada from Ukraine before WWI. One of their children, my Uncle Steve, was old enough to fight in WWII so he enlisted in the Canadian army.

My grandfather's mother and sister did live through WWII and came from the exact area where Lida was captured from. During Soviet times it was near impossible get letters or information out, but my grandfather heard through other villagers who escaped the area that his sister was a sniper for the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, fighting both the Soviets and the Nazis with the goal of Ukrainian independence. She was executed by the Soviets and is buried in a mass grave. My great-grandmother was exiled to Siberia, where she died.

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