'Akenshi nibaza impamvu nabayeho mu gihe abandi bapfuye' – Uwarwanye intambara ya kabiri y'isi

Muri iyi myaka ibiri ishize, BBC yakusanyije ibyo abantu barwanye mu ntambara ya kabiri y'isi bibuka.

Benshi mu batanze ubuhamya bw'ibyo babayemo, bagize uruhare mu gitero cyahinduye ibintu kizwi nka 'débarquement de Normandie' mu Gifaransa cyangwa 'D-Day operation' mu Cyongereza, cyangwa kugera i Normandie, cyo muri Kamena (6) mu 1944.

Icyo gihe ku itariki ya gatandatu Kamena, uruhande rw'ingabo za 'Puissances Alliées' (abishyize hamwe) zirimo iz'Ubwongereza, iz'Amerika n'Ubumwe bw'Abasoviyeti, zageze ku nkombe ya Normandie mu majyaruguru y'Ubufaransa, mu Burayi bwari bwarigaruriwe n'aba Nazi.

Aba Nazi barwanaga ku ruhande ruzwi nka 'Puissances de l'Axe', rwari rurimo ibihugu nk'Ubudage, Ubutaliyani, n'Ubuyapani.

Icyo gitero cyabaye intangiriro y'iherezo ry'intambara ya kabiri y'isi mu 1945, yatsinzwe n'uruhande rwa 'Puissances Alliées'.

Uyu munsi, imyaka 80 nyuma yaho, BBC yakusanyije inkuru z'abo bantu.

Donald Howkins yari umubazi (kubaga amatungo) ukibyiga i Buckingham mu Bwongereza, ubwo intambara ya kabiri y'isi yatangiraga. Ariko muri Gicurasi (5) mu 1944, yagiye ku rugamba.

Ati: "Twese twari abasore bakiri bato. Twagiye mu barinda ubutaka dushaka icyo twakora – ntitwigeze tumenya ibyari bigiye kuba."

Donald yabaye umurashi mu mutwe witwa Middlesex Regiment wo mu ngabo z'Ubwongereza. Ubwo umunsi wo gutera i Normandie wari wegereje, yategetswe gushyira ku ntwaro no ku modoka ibituma amazi atazinjiramo, aho bari bari mu kigo cya gisirikare cyo mu mujyi wa Weybridge mu Bwongereza, bitegura kwerekeza ku mwaro w'i Normandie.

Muri uku kwezi kwa Kamena mu 2024, ni isabukuru y'imyaka 80 ishize habaye iyo 'D-Day', ubwo abasirikare barenga 100,000 – bari barimo na Donald – bageraga ku myaro y'i Normandie, biba intangiriro y'igitero cya 'Puissances Alliées' cyo kubohora Uburayi bw'amajyaruguru bwari bwarigaruriwe n'aba Nazi.

BBC yakusanyije ubuhamya bw'abasirikare bakiriho barwanye urwo rugamba, kugira ngo ibubungabunge ku bw'ibisekuru by'abantu bazabaho mu bihe biri imbere.

'Tugiye mu Bufaransa'

Eddie Brown yari umusirikare utwara ubutumwa bwihutirwa abutwaye kuri moto, wo mu mutwe wo mu ngabo z'Ubwongereza ushinzwe ibijyanye n'itumanaho ku rugamba, witwa Royal Corps of Signals.

Ati: "Nka saa munani zo mu gicuku [2:00], twese twari dukanuye tutazi aho tugiye kujya."

Yavuze ko yatahuye aho yari agiye koherezwa, ubwo serija (sergeant) wari umukuriye yamuherezaga inoti y'ifaranga rimwe.

Ubwo yaribwiye ati: "Tugomba kuba tugiye mu Bufaransa burimo imivu y'amaraso!"

Hamwe n'abandi basirikare 132,000, bari mu mato manini agera ku 7,000, yagiye mu bwato yambuka umuhora wa Channel (La Manche), kurwana n'ingabo z'Ubudage.

Aba Nazi bari bamaze imyaka itatu bategura ubwirinzi bwabo ku nkengero y'igice kinini cy'Uburayi gikora ku nyanja.

Gordon Prime ati: "Nari nahiye ubwoba.

"Ntiwashoboraga kugaragaza ko ufite ubwoba kuko wari kuba urimo gutenguha bagenzi bawe. Ariko niba hari umuntu n'umwe wari kuvuga ko nta bwoba yari afite, yaba ari igicucu."

Gordon yari ari mu bwato butwaye abasirikare n'ibikoresho bwari bwerekeje kuri umwe mu myaro itanu ya Normandie, wahawe izina riziranyweho rya Juno, hari mu gitondo cyo ku itariki ya gatandatu Kamena mu 1944.

Yari yibwiye ko azatwara moto ye ku muvuduko mwinshi akayimanurira ku mucanga, ariko Serija Majoro (Sergeant Major) wari umukuriye mu mutwe ushinzwe ubwikorezi wo mu ngabo z'Ubwongereza, we yari afite ikindi gitekerezo gitandukanye n'icyo.

Gordon yategetswe gutwara ikamyo ipima toni eshatu ipakiyemo ibisasu biturika cyane bipima ibiro (Kg) 750, na litiro 757 za lisansi (essence). Yategetswe kureba uko moto ye ayiseseka inyuma.

'Nari mfite intambara mu matwi yanjye'

Hirya mu burasirazuba, Percival Chafer yari yamaze kugera ku mwaro wa Sword, ahandi hantu ho kururukira ku nkombe ya Normandie.

Chafer, w'imyaka 104, ni we mukuru cyane mu basirikare bakiriho barwaniye i Normandie mu baganiriye na BBC, mu rukurikirane rw'inkuru rwiswe 'We Were There' cyangwa 'Twari turiyo', ubishyize mu Kinyarwanda.

Ati: "Ushobora kwibaza urusaku rwari ruhari – po, po, po – Imana ni yo ibizi. Urusaku ruteye ubwoba.

"Hari hari abasirikare benshi cyane biruka ahantu hose, rwose.

"Bamwe bafite imbunda, bamwe... bahamagara bagenzi babo. Ukabona umuntu ararashwe aguye hasi arapfuye, [kandi] ugomba kubyirengagiza. Ni kimwe mu bigize intambara."

Marie Scott yashoboraga kubyumva byose. Yakoreraga mu mutwe w'abasirikare b'abagore ukorera i Portsmouth, wo mu ngabo z'Ubwongereza zirwanira mu mazi, aho yatangaga amategeko ku basirikare bari mu Bufaransa, akoresheje icyombo cye cyo mu bwoko bwa 'VHF radio'.

Ati: "Urusaku rw'amasasu, imbunda zirasa amasasu y'urufaya, imbunda za rutura, kuboroga, abagabo bavugira hejuru. Ibintu by'ubwoko bwose. Nuko ako kanya ukibwira uti, 'Iyi ni intambara'. Rwose nari mfite intambara mu matwi yanjye."

George Horner, wari umusore w'imyaka iri munsi ya 20 wo mu mutwe icyo gihe wari uw'abasirikare bo ku butaka barwanisha imbunda zisanzwe, yashoboraga kubona intambara imbere ye neza neza.

Ati: "Abanya-Ireland bari bahawe umwaro wa Sword.

"Amato macye atwaye abasirikare n'ibikoresho yararohamye. Amasasu menshi, urabyumva. Byabaye ngombwa ko tugenda mu mazi dushayura ibirenge cyane nko mu ntera ya metero 100, twerekeza ku mwaro.

"Ndibuka nibwira ngo 'Horner, wageze hano ufite amaguru abiri n'amaboko abiri, kandi ni uko ugomba kuhava umeze.'"

'Abasirikare baguye mu mazi'

Abandi basore benshi bo ntibagize ayo mahirwe. Icyo gitero cyahawe izina rya 'Operation Overlord', nta gushidikanya cyageze ku ntego yacyo.

Ariko abasirikare 5,000 bo ku ruhande rwa 'Puissances Alliées' barakomeretse mu masaha yo ku itariki ya gatandatu Kamena mu 1944, abandi 4,400 baricwa.

Bernard Morgan, wari ushinzwe gutahura icyo ubutumwa butanzwe mu mvugo ihishe bushatse kuvuga, wari mu ngabo zirwanira mu kirere z'Ubwongereza, ati:

"Byari bibabaje kubona abasirikare bapfuye bose barambaraye ku mwaro.

"Ni bwo bwa mbere na mbere nari mbonye umuntu wapfuye...Baguye mu mazi. Hari harehare cyane mu bujyakuzimu. Ibikoresho byose bari batwaye byarabatsikamiye bararohama."

Uwo munsi wo kugera i Normandie wari intangiriro gusa y'igitero.

Mu gihe cy'amezi atatu kuva bahageze, abasirikare b'Ubwongereza n'abandi bafatanyije bo ku ruhande rwa 'Puissances Alliées', barwanye n'uruhande rwa 'Puissances de l'Axe' mu bice bitandukanye by'i Normandie.

Andrew Bruce, wabaye umutware wa 11 w'agace ka Elgin mu Bwongereza, icyo gihe yari komanda w'ibifaru bitatu bizwi nka 'Churchill tanks'.

Nyuma yuko ikibunda (igihu) cyari cyaramutseho mu gitondo cya kare cyo muri Kanama (8) mu 1944 gitamuruye, abasirikare yari ayoboye bafashe inzira berekeza mu kigunda.

Ariko Andrew n'abasirikare be ntibari bazi ko barimo gutwara ibyo bifaru berekeza mu mutego.

Ati: "Umudage w'intwari cyane yagize gutya aravumbuka yohereza [igisasu cya rokete cya Panzerfaust] imbere mu gifaru."

Andrew yumvise umuntu atera hejuru asaba buri wese kuvamo kuko igifaru cyari kirimo gushya.

"Icyo gihe ni bwo nashyize ikirenge cyanjye cy'iburyo hasi nsanga ni nkaho kitagihari – ndetse nta buzima cyari gifite na busa."

Andrew yarambaraye hasi, yakomeretse, iruhande rw'igifaru cye cyari kirimo kugurumana, nuko yumva za moteri ziremereye hafi aho. Yari yiteze ko ari ibifaru by'ingabo z'Ubudage zo mu mutwe uzwi nka Panzer.

Ati: "Nararyamye ntuje. Igifaru kirahagarara nuko numva ngo 'Oh, nimurebe! Ni Andrew disi, yahoze ari mugenzi wacu mwiza cyane.' Rero ndahindukira mvugira hejuru nti: 'Gabanya ibyo kuvuga ko yahoze. [Ahubwo] Ohereza umuntu hano wo kunyitaho.'"

Cyo kimwe na benshi bagize uruhare muri uru rukurikirane rw'inkuru za BBC rwiswe 'We Were There', Andrew yavuze ku byamubayeho ari na ko anyuzamo agatera urwenya rubabaje.

Ariko aba bakambwe n'abakecuru bose bavuganye ubumuntu kandi nta guca ku ruhande. Ibyo bibuka bihishura ubutwari, kureba uburyo bushoboka bwo gucyemura ibibazo, n'ubushishozi.

Yiruhutsa, ari na ko acomekeranya intoki z'ibiganza bye ndetse akubika umutwe, Donald Howkins agira ati:

"Ubu mfite imyaka 103.

"Akenshi njya nibaza impamvu nabayeho iki gihe cyose, mu gihe bagenzi banjye benshi cyane n'inshuti zanjye bishwe."