Where did the soldiers sleep in the winter of WWII? The feat of Soviet soldiers and officers during the Great Patriotic War

When people talk about the Great Patriotic War, they remember heroism first. Soviet soldiers, dead soldiers on the fronts and in the rear. What happened between battles, how did our soldiers rest? Interesting information about the life and everyday life of soldiers is contained in such sources of information as memoirs, front-line diaries and letters, which are least susceptible to ideological influence. For example, it was traditionally believed that soldiers lived in dugouts and pillboxes. This is not entirely true, most of the soldiers were located in trenches, trenches or simply in the nearest forest without regretting it at all. It was always very cold in the bunkers, because at that time there were no autonomous heating systems or autonomous gas supply. Therefore, the soldiers preferred to spend the night in the trenches, throwing branches at the bottom and stretching a raincoat on top. The soldiers' food was simple: "Shchi and porridge is our food" - this proverb accurately characterizes the rations of soldiers' kettles in the first months of the war and, of course, best friend a soldier's cracker, a favorite delicacy especially in field conditions, for example on a battle march.

In a number of studies on the history of the Great Patriotic War, the organization of food supplies to Soviet soldiers in 1941 - 1945. is considered mainly from the point of view of more general problems of development of the rear of the Armed Forces. From these studies, it is not clear what and how a Soviet soldier happened to eat. Personally, I got the impression that Soviet soldiers are something like disembodied spirits who do not drink, do not eat, and do not walk in the wind.

In the Red Army, in combat conditions, hot food was provided twice a day - in the morning before dawn and in the evening after sunset. Moreover, everything except bread was served hot. Soup (cabbage soup, borscht) was served both times, the second dish most often had a semi-liquid consistency (mushy porridge). After the next meal, the soldier had no food left with him, which freed him from unnecessary problems, dangers of food poisoning and severity. However, this nutritional scheme also had its drawbacks. In case of interruptions in the delivery of hot food to the trenches, the Red Army soldier remained completely hungry. In reality, the approved nutritional standards could not always be met.

“There is a law of war that is not new:
In retreat - you eat to your heart's content,
On defense - this way and that,
On the offensive - on an empty stomach.”

This rule, derived by the hero of A. Tvardovsky’s poem “Vasily Terkin,” is basically confirmed by the front-line soldiers, although there is no need to talk about food supply in the initial period of the Great Patriotic War. It was during the retreat that the practice of asking for direct food assistance from the residents of the settlements through which they passed became firmly established among Soviet military personnel. On the roads of war, soldiers often had to eat according to the so-called “grandmother’s certificate,” that is, rely on the kindness and goodwill of the local population. Sometimes the owners themselves took the initiative and shared their supplies with the soldiers.

During the offensive, there were objective difficulties for organizing food: on marches, camp kitchens and convoys could not keep up with the troops moving forward. It was difficult to cook food on the go, and it was not allowed to light a fire at night. There is a common cliche: they say, war is war, and lunch is on schedule. In fact, there was no such routine, much less any menu.

As a rule, on the front line, under constant enemy fire, hot meals were delivered in thermoses, most often once, at night. As a result, the soldiers were given dry rations, which was sometimes preferable to hot food. If before the attack the fighters received an “emergency reserve,” then the simple hungry soldier’s wisdom taught: you must eat all the supplies before the battle - otherwise you will kill, and you won’t even try! But experienced front-line soldiers, knowing that in case of an abdominal wound, there is a greater chance of survival with an empty stomach, before the battle they tried not to eat or drink.

From the memoirs of Great Patriotic War veteran Mikhail Fedorovich Zavarotny: “Usually once a day the foreman brought a thermos with gruel, which was simply called “food.” If this happened in the evening, then there was dinner, and in the afternoon, which happened extremely rarely, it was lunch. They cooked what they had enough food for, somewhere nearby, so that the enemy could not see the kitchen smoke. And they measured each soldier a ladle into a pot. A loaf of bread was cut with a two-handed saw, because in the cold it turned into ice. The soldiers hid their “rations” under their overcoats to keep them warm at least a little. Every soldier at that time had a spoon behind the top of his boot, as we called it, an “entrenching tool” - an aluminum stamping.”

The aluminum spoon was not only a cutlery, but also a kind of " business card”, since the fighters scratched out all their data on it. There was a belief among soldiers that if you carry a soldier’s medallion in your trouser pocket, you will definitely be killed. A soldier's medallion is a small black plastic pencil case, which should contain a note with data indicating the last name, first name, patronymic, year of birth, where he was called up from. Most fighters simply did not fill out this sheet, and some even threw away the medallion itself. Nowadays, when search engines find the remains of soldiers who died during the Great Patriotic War, their names are often determined by spoons.

In the first years of the war, Soviet soldiers had glass water flasks, which were very inconvenient. They often broke, so it was considered lucky to get a captured aluminum flask, which was conveniently attached to the belt. Only since 1943 did our soldiers begin to receive Soviet-style aluminum flasks. Then, the soldiers received personal aluminum bowler hats and mugs.

In defense or in the second echelon of soldiers, the energy expenditure of the body decreased, since there were no grueling attacks, marches and dashes. The kitchens were nearby, so the servicemen got used to regular and even full portions. The daily allowance standards for Red Army soldiers and commanding personnel of combat units of the active army included: 800 g of rye wallpaper bread (in the cold season, from October to March - 900 g), 500 g of potatoes, 320 g of other vegetables (fresh or sauerkraut, carrots, beets , onions, herbs), 170 g of cereals and pasta, 150 g of meat, 100 g of fish, 50 g of fat (30 g of combined fat and lard, 20 g vegetable oil), 35 g sugar.

Military personnel who smoked were entitled to 20 g of shag daily, 7 smoking books as paper and three boxes of matches monthly. Compared to pre-war norms, only wheat bread disappeared from the main diet, replaced by rye bread. The established allowance standards were not revised during the war, but were supplemented: non-smoking female military personnel were given 200 g of chocolate or 300 g of candy per month in exchange for tobacco allowance (order dated August 12, 1942); then a similar rule was extended to all non-smoking military personnel (order of November 13, 1942).

From letters from front-line soldiers, one gets the impression that food was better at the front than in the rear. In fact, this was not always the case. For the most part, servicemen from the active army reported home about good and even excellent nutrition, dense, satisfying food, in order to reassure their relatives about their situation. An inspection of the food organization in units and formations of the North Caucasus Front at the end of June 1942 showed that “the food is prepared monotonously, mainly from food concentrates. There are no vegetables in the units, although they are available in the front warehouse.” In the 102nd separate engineering and construction battalion, food was given directly to the soldiers, and everyone cooked for themselves “in pots, cans and even in steel helmets.”

From time to time, the diet of front-line soldiers was replenished with battle trophies, when they managed to capture enemy camp kitchens or supplies in warehouses. Many front-line soldiers recall captured pea soup in packets found in warehouses or food vans abandoned by the Germans. Some products surprised Soviet soldiers. For example, a hybrid of ersatz honey with butter in large briquettes, as well as trophy bread sealed in transparent film with the indicated date of manufacture: 1937 – 1938.

The life of a soldier can be divided into several categories related to where this or that unit was located. The greatest hardships befell the people on the front line - there was no usual washing, shaving, breakfast, lunch or dinner. At the entrance to populated areas there was a bathhouse with a hair breaker, and in the forest there was a dugout. In order to eliminate the disease, commanders of regimental units were instructed to carry out daily inspection of soldiers for lice. The discovery of lice was considered an emergency. Patients were ordered to undergo thorough sanitary treatment. It consisted of washing in a bathhouse, with the obligatory frying of all uniforms, and cutting hair.

Of course, washing in the bathhouse took place when the soldiers were in the second echelon and did not directly participate in the battles. Moreover, washing in the bathhouse was most often timed to coincide with the cold season. In the summer, fighters had the opportunity to swim in rivers, streams, and collect rainwater. In winter, it was not always possible not only to find ready-made sauna, built by the local population, but also to build it yourself - temporary. Redeployments of units were sometimes so frequent that not only military fortifications, but also domestic premises were often abandoned soon after their construction. For example, Germans washed in the bathhouse in the morning, and Soviet soldiers washed in the bathhouse in the evening. The sanitary service was obliged, together with the senior regiment doctor, to provide the soldiers with a change of linen at least once every 10 days, providing them with linen and soap.

On initial stage during the war, soldiers wore a tunic without shoulder straps with a fold-down collar, with special pads at the elbows. Usually these covers were made of tarpaulin. The gymnast was worn with riding-breeches, which had the same canvas lining around the knees. Outerwear was worn over underwear, consisting of a shirt and wide trousers made of cotton fabric.

In 1943, the Red Army adopted a new uniform, which was radically different from that used until then. The system of insignia has also changed. The new tunic was very similar to the one used in the tsarist army and had a stand-up collar fastened with two buttons. The main distinguishing feature of the new uniform was the shoulder straps. There were two types of shoulder straps: field and everyday. Field shoulder straps were made of khaki-colored fabric. On the shoulder straps near the button they wore a small gold or silver badge indicating the type of military service.

It is documented that the name “gymnastyorka” was introduced into official circulation only in March 1942 by personal order of the chief quartermaster of the Red Army, Major General of the Quartermaster Service P.I. Dracheva. Before this decision, the term “shirt” was used in official documentation, and even earlier, “gymnastic shirt”. The term “gymnastic shirt” itself first appears in the order of the Minister of War dated June 18, 1860, which introduced a white linen jacket for generals and officers based on the model that already existed in the cavalry. The order mentions that infantry officers must wear these tunics “on duty only in cases where the lower ranks are wearing the shirts prescribed for gymnastic exercises.” However, a specific order for its establishment has not yet been discovered.

To date, not a single researcher can name with certainty the date that can be considered the starting point of the existence of the tunic as an item of military uniform. Most authors agree that the gymnastic shirt was introduced in the late 50s and early 60s of the 19th century for gymnastic exercises and household work. Apparently, the reason is that the gymnastic shirt was in fact a soldier's undershirt, and it, in turn, was a modified peasant underwear.

The soldiers had boots and bandages on their feet. It was they who were the main grief of the soldiers, especially the infantry, since it was this branch of the army that served in them. They were uncomfortable, flimsy and heavy. This type of shoe was driven by cost savings. After the publication of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in 1939, the USSR army increased to 5.5 million people in two years. It was impossible to put boots on everyone. They saved on leather and made boots from the same tarpaulin.

Until 1943, an indispensable attribute of an infantryman was a roll over the left shoulder. This is an overcoat that was rolled up for mobility and put on so that the soldier did not experience any discomfort when shooting. In other cases, the roll-up caused a lot of trouble. If in the summer, during the transition, the infantry was attacked by German aircraft, then because of the slope, the soldiers were visible on the ground. Because of it, it was impossible to quickly escape to a field or shelter. And in the trench they simply threw it under their feet - it would have been impossible to turn around with it.

But the rest of the time, the overcoat saved the soldier from cold, fire and rain. The fabric from which the overcoat was made did not get wet and did not ignite, but smoldered even if an open fire came into contact with it. On soldiers' overcoats and on everyday officer's overcoats, on the edge of the lower hem with inside there were steel hooks. When running, crawling, and during field training, the coat tails could be folded up and hooked onto the waist belt.

In short moments of rest, Soviet soldiers rested, slept with a reserve for the future, and many were engaged in creativity. Our museum has several such items in its collections. This is a beautiful flower vase made from a shell casing, a soap dish made of aluminum, wooden spoons, containers for salt and spices made from bast, and a lamp made from a cartridge for lighting a dugout.

It is also impossible to imagine a soldier’s life during short periods of rest without the music of songs and books that gave birth to good mood and lifting spirits. But still, the most important role in the victory over fascism was played by the psychology of the Russian soldier, who was able to cope with any everyday difficulties, overcome fear, survive and win.

Introduction

History does not know a more large-scale, fierce, destructive and bloody confrontation than the one that our people had to wage against the fascist aggressors. In the war of 1941-1945. The fate of not only the Fatherland, but also many other peoples and countries - essentially all of humanity - was being decided. Military personnel of the internal troops fought shoulder to shoulder with the Red Army against the invaders. The feat of our compatriots who defeated fascism and won the Great Victory is eternal and holy.

The Great Patriotic War will forever remain in the memory of the descendants and successors of the great people great country. About thirty million of our compatriots died heroically for the freedom of our Motherland. At times it seemed to the enemy that the collapse of the USSR was inevitable: the Germans were near Moscow and Leningrad, breaking through near Stalingrad. But the fascists simply forgot that for centuries Genghis Khan, Batu, Mamai, Napoleon and others tried unsuccessfully to conquer our country. The Russian people were always ready to defend their Motherland and fight until their last breath. There was no limit to the patriotism of our soldiers. Only a Russian soldier saved a wounded comrade from under heavy fire from enemy machine guns. Only the Russian soldier mercilessly beat the enemies, but spared the prisoners. Only the Russian soldier died, but did not give up.

At times, German commanders were horrified by the rage and tenacity, courage and heroism of ordinary Russian soldiers. One of the German officers said: “When my tanks go on the attack, the earth trembles under their weight. When the Russians go into battle, the earth trembles from fear of them.” One of the captured German officers looked into the faces of the Russian soldiers for a long time and, in the end, sighed and said: “Now I see that Russian spirit that we were told about many times.” Our soldiers performed many feats during the Great Patriotic War. The young guys sacrificed themselves for this long-awaited Victory. Many of them did not return home, disappeared or were killed on the battlefields. And each of them can be considered a hero. After all, it was they who, at the cost of their lives, led our Motherland to the Great Victory. The soldiers died, knowing full well that they were giving their lives in the name of happiness, in the name of freedom, in the name of clear skies and clear suns, in the name of future happy generations.

Yes, they accomplished a feat, they died, but did not give up. The consciousness of his duty to the Motherland drowned out the feeling of fear, pain, and thoughts of death. This means that this action is not an unconscious action - a feat, but a conviction in the rightness and greatness of the cause for which a person consciously gives his life.

Victory in the Great Patriotic War is a feat and glory of our people. No matter how the assessments and facts of our history have changed in recent years, May 9, Victory Day, remains a sacred holiday for our people. Eternal glory to the soldiers of war! Their feat will forever remain in the hearts of millions of people who value peace, happiness, and freedom.

feat hero soldier war

1. The exploits of Soviet soldiers and officers during the Great Patriotic War Patriotic War

The war between the USSR and Nazi Germany was not an ordinary war between two states, between two armies. It was the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet people against the Nazi invaders. From the very first days of the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet people had to deal with a very serious enemy who knew how to wage great modern war. Hitler's mechanized hordes, regardless of losses, rushed forward and put to fire and sword everything that came along the way. Thanks to iron discipline, military skill and dedication, millions of Soviet people, who looked death in the face, won and remained alive. The exploits of Soviet heroes became a beacon to which other heroic warriors looked up.

Viktor Vasilievich Talalikhin

Born on September 18, 1918 in the village. Teplovka, Volsky district, Saratov region. Graduated from the Borisoglebok Military Aviation School for Pilots. Participated in Soviet-Finnish war 1939 - 1940. He made 47 combat missions, shot down 4 Finnish aircraft, for which he was awarded the Order of the Red Star (1940).

In the battles of the Great Patriotic War from June 1941. Made more than 60 combat missions. In the summer and autumn of 1941, he fought near Moscow<#"justify">. Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub

(1920-1991), Air Marshal (1985), Hero of the Soviet Union (1944 - twice; 1945). During the Great Patriotic War in fighter aviation, squadron commander, deputy regiment commander, conducted 120 air battles; shot down 62 planes.

Three times Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub shot down 17 enemy aircraft on the La-7 (including jet fighter Me-262<#"justify">. Alexey Petrovich Maresyev

Maresyev Alexey Petrovich fighter pilot, deputy squadron commander of the 63rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, guard senior lieutenant.

Born on May 20, 1916 in the city of Kamyshin, Volgograd Region, into a working-class family. He was drafted into the Soviet army in 1937. Served in the 12th aviation border detachment. He made his first combat mission on August 23, 1941 in the Krivoo Rog area. Lieutenant Maresyev opened his combat account at the beginning of 1942 - he shot down a Ju-52. By the end of March 1942, he brought the count of downed fascist planes to four

In June 1943, Maresyev returned to duty. He fought on the Kursk Bulge as part of the 63rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment and was deputy squadron commander. In August 1943, during one battle, Alexey Maresyev shot down three enemy FW-190 fighters at once.

On August 1943, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Guard Senior Lieutenant Maresyev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Later he fought in the Baltic states and became a regiment navigator. In 1944 he joined the CPSU. In total, he made 86 combat missions, shot down 11 enemy aircraft: 4 before being wounded and seven with amputated legs. In June 1944, Guard Major Maresyev became an inspector-pilot of the Directorate of Higher educational institutions Air Force. Boris Polevoy's book "The Tale of a Real Man" is dedicated to the legendary fate of Alexei Petrovich Maresyev.

Retired Colonel A.P. Maresyev was awarded two Orders of Lenin, the Order of the October Revolution, the Red Banner, the Patriotic War, 1st degree, two Orders of the Red Banner of Labor, the Order of People's Friendship, the Red Star, the Badge of Honor, "For Services to the Fatherland" 3rd degree, medals, and foreign orders. He was an honorary soldier of a military unit, an honorary citizen of the cities of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Kamyshin, and Orel. A minor planet of the solar system, a public foundation, and youth patriotic clubs are named after him. He was elected as a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Author of the book "On the Kursk Bulge" (M., 1960).

Even during the war, Boris Polevoy’s book “The Tale of a Real Man” was published, the prototype of the main character of which was Maresyev.

Krasnoperov Sergey Leonidovich

Krasnoperov Sergei Leonidovich was born on July 23, 1923 in the village of Pokrovka, Chernushinsky district. In May 1941, he volunteered to join the ranks Soviet army. I studied at the Balashov Aviation Pilot School for a year. In November 1942, attack pilot Sergei Krasnoperov arrived at the 765th attack air regiment, and in January 1943 he was appointed deputy squadron commander of the 502nd attack air regiment of the 214th attack air division of the North Caucasus Front. For military distinctions he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, the Red Star, and the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd degree.

The regiment commander, Lieutenant Colonel Smirnov, wrote about Sergei Krasnoperov: “Such heroic exploits of Comrade Krasnoperov are repeated in every combat mission. The pilots of his flight have become masters of assault. The flight is united and occupies a leading position. The command always entrusts him with the most difficult and responsible tasks. heroic deeds he created for himself military glory, enjoys well-deserved military authority among personnel regiment." And indeed. Sergei was only 19 years old, and for his exploits he had already been awarded the Order of the Red Star. He was only 20, and his chest was decorated with the Golden Star of the Hero.

Sergei Krasnoperov made seventy-four combat missions during the days of fighting on the Taman Peninsula. As one of the best, he was trusted to lead groups of “silts” on assault 20 times, and he always carried out a combat mission. He personally destroyed 6 tanks, 70 vehicles, 35 carts with cargo, 10 guns, 3 mortars, 5 anti-aircraft artillery points, 7 machine guns, 3 tractors, 5 bunkers, an ammunition depot, sunk a boat, a self-propelled barge, and destroyed two crossings across the Kuban.

Matrosov Alexander Matveevich

Matrosov Alexander Matveevich - rifleman of the 2nd battalion of the 91st separate rifle brigade (22nd Army, Kalinin Front), private. Born on February 5, 1924 in the city of Yekaterinoslav (now Dnepropetrovsk). In October 1942 he entered the Krasnokholmsky Infantry School, but soon most The cadets were sent to the Kalinin Front. In the active army since November 1942. On February 27, 1943, the 2nd battalion received the task of attacking a strong point in the area of ​​the village of Chernushki (Loknyansky district of the Pskov region). As soon as our soldiers passed through the forest and reached the edge, they came under heavy enemy machine-gun fire. Two machine guns were destroyed, but the machine gun from the third bunker continued to fire at the entire ravine in front of the village. Then Matrosov stood up, rushed to the bunker and closed the embrasure with his body. At the cost of his life, he contributed to the accomplishment of the unit’s combat mission.

A few days later, the name of Matrosov became known throughout the country. Matrosov’s feat was used by a journalist who happened to be with the unit for a patriotic article. Despite the fact that Matrosov was not the first to commit such an act of self-sacrifice, it was his name that was used to glorify the heroism of Soviet soldiers. Subsequently, over 200 people accomplished the same feat, but this was no longer widely publicized. His feat became a symbol of courage and military valor, fearlessness and love for the Motherland.

“It is known that Alexander Matrosov was far from the first in the history of the Great Patriotic War to accomplish such a feat. More precisely, he had 44 predecessors (5 in 1941, 31 in 1942 and 8 before February 27, 1943). And the very first to cover the enemy machine gun with his body was political instructor A.V. Pankratov. Subsequently, many more commanders and soldiers of the Red Army performed the self-sacrificing feat. Until the end of 1943, 38 soldiers followed Matrosov’s example, in 1944 - 87, in Last year war - 46. The last one in the Great Patriotic War to close the machine gun embrasure with his body was Guard Sergeant Arkhip Manita. This happened in Berlin 17 days before the Victory...

Of the 215 who accomplished the “feat of Matrosov,” the heroes were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Some exploits were appreciated only many years after the war. For example, Red Army soldier of the 679th Infantry Regiment Abram Levin, who covered the bunker embrasure with his body in the battle for the village of Kholmets on February 22, 1942, was posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, only in 1967. There are also documented cases where brave men who performed the “sailor’s” feat remained alive. This is Udodov A.A., Rise R.Kh., Maiborsky V.P. and Kondratyev L.V.” (V. Bondarenko “One Hundred Great Feats of Russia”, M., “Veche”, 2011, p. 283).

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was posthumously awarded to Alexander Matveevich Matrosov on June 19, 1943. He was buried in the city of Velikiye Luki. September 8, 1943 by order people's commissar Defense of the USSR, the name of Matrosov was assigned to the 254th Guards Rifle Regiment, and he himself was forever enlisted (one of the first in the Soviet Army) on the lists of the 1st company of this unit. Monuments to the Hero were erected in St. Petersburg, Tolyatti, Velikiye Luki, Ulyanovsk, Krasnoyarsk, Ufa, Dnepropetrovsk, Kharkov, and streets and squares of Alexander Matrosov in cities and villages former USSR there are at least several hundred.

Ivan Vasilievich Panfilov

In the battles near Volokolamsk, the 316th Infantry Division of General I.V. especially distinguished itself. Panfilova. Reflecting continuous enemy attacks for 6 days, they knocked out 80 tanks and killed several hundred soldiers and officers. Enemy attempts to capture the Volokolamsk area and open the way to Moscow<#"justify">. Nikolai Frantsevich Gastello

Nikolai Frantsevich was born on May 6, 1908 in Moscow, into a working-class family. Graduated from 5th grade. He worked as a mechanic at the Murom Steam Locomotive Construction Machinery Plant. In the Soviet Army in May 1932. In 1933 he graduated from the Lugansk military pilot school in bomber units. In 1939 he took part in the battles on the river. Khalkhin - Gol and the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940. In the active army since June 1941, the squadron commander of the 207th Long-Range Bomber Aviation Regiment (42nd Bomber Aviation Division, 3rd Bomber Aviation Corps DBA), Captain Gastello, carried out another mission flight on June 26, 1941. His bomber was hit and caught fire. He flew the burning plane into a concentration of enemy troops. The enemy suffered heavy losses from the explosion of the bomber. For the accomplished feat, on July 26, 1941, he was posthumously awarded the Title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Gastello's name is forever included in the lists of military units. At the site of the feat on the Minsk-Vilnius highway, a memorial monument was erected in Moscow.

9. Zoya Anatolyevna Kosmodemyanskaya (“Tanya”)

Zoya Anatolyevna Kosmodemyanskaya was born on September 8, 1923 in the village of Osino-Gai (now Tambov region). On October 31, 1941, Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya voluntarily became a fighter in the reconnaissance and sabotage unit No. 9903 of the headquarters of the Western Front. The training was very short - already on November 4, Zoya was transferred to Volokolamsk, where she successfully completed the task of mining the road. On November 17, 1941, Order No. 0428 of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command appeared, ordering “to destroy and burn to the ground all populated areas in the rear of German troops at a distance of 40-60 km in depth from the front line and 20-30 km to the right and left of the roads. To destroy populated areas within the specified radius of action, immediately deploy aviation, make extensive use of artillery and mortar fire, reconnaissance teams, skiers and partisan sabotage groups equipped with Molotov cocktails, grenades and demolition means.”

And the very next day, the leadership of unit No. 9903 received a combat mission - to destroy 10 settlements, including the village of Petrishchevo, Ruza district, Moscow region. Zoya also went on a mission as part of one of the groups. She was armed with three Molotov cocktails and a revolver. Near the village of Golovkovo, the group with which Zoya was walking came under fire, suffered losses and disbanded. On the night of November 27, Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya reached Petrishchev and managed to set fire to three houses there. After that, she spent the night in the forest and returned to Petrishchevo again in order to fully carry out the combat order - to destroy this settlement.

But within a day the situation in the village changed. The occupiers gathered local residents for a meeting and ordered them to guard their houses. It was a local resident named Sviridov who noticed Zoya at the moment when she tried to set fire to his barn with hay. Sviridov ran after the Germans, and Kosmodemyanskaya was captured. They bullied Zoya terribly. They flogged me with belts, held a burning kerosene lamp to my lips, walked me barefoot through the snow, and tore out my fingernails. Kosmodemyanskaya was beaten not only by the Germans, but also by local residents, whose houses she burned. But Zoya held on with amazing courage. She never gave her real name during the interrogation, she said that her name was Tanya.

November 1941 Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya was hanged by the occupiers. Before her death, she uttered a proud phrase, which later became famous: “There are 170 million of us, you can’t outweigh them all!” On January 27, 1942, the first publication in the press appeared about the feat of Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya - an article by P. Lidov “Tanya” (it was published by Pravda.) Soon it was possible to establish the identity of the heroine, and on February 18 a second article appeared - “Who was Tanya.” Two days before this, a decree was issued on awarding Kosmodemyanskaya the title of Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously. She became the first woman awarded this title during the Great Patriotic War. The heroine was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow.

About the feat of Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, a feature film was made about it already in 1944, monuments to the heroine decorated the streets of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kiev, Kharkov, Tambov, Saratov, Volgograd, Chelyabinsk, Rybinsk, poems and stories were written about Zoya, and the streets named in her honor, there are several hundred in the cities and villages of the former USSR.

Aliya Moldagulova

Aliya Moldagulova was born on April 20, 1924 in the village of Bulak, Khobdinsky district, Aktobe region. After the death of her parents, she was raised by her uncle Aubakir Moldagulov. I moved with his family from city to city. She studied in the 9th high school Leningrad. In the fall of 1942, Aliya Moldagulova joined the army and was sent to sniper school. In May 1943, Aliya submitted a report to the school command with a request to send her to the front. Aliya ended up in the 3rd company of the 4th battalion of the 54th Rifle Brigade under the command of Major Moiseev. By the beginning of October, Aliya Moldagulova had 32 killed fascists.

In December 1943, Moiseev’s battalion received an order to drive the enemy out of the village of Kazachikha. By capturing this settlement, the Soviet command hoped to cut the railway line along which the Nazis were transporting reinforcements. The Nazis resisted fiercely, skillfully taking advantage of the terrain. The slightest advance of our companies came at a high price, and yet slowly but steadily our fighters approached the enemy’s fortifications. Suddenly a lone figure appeared ahead of the advancing chains.

Suddenly a lone figure appeared ahead of the advancing chains. The Nazis noticed the brave warrior and opened fire with machine guns. Seizing the moment when the fire weakened, the fighter rose to his full height and carried the entire battalion with him.

After a fierce battle, our fighters took possession of the heights. The daredevil lingered in the trench for some time. Traces of pain appeared on his pale face, and strands of black hair came out from under his earflap hat. It was Aliya Moldagulova. She destroyed 10 fascists in this battle. The wound turned out to be minor, and the girl remained in service.

In an effort to restore the situation, the enemy launched counterattacks. January 14, 1944 to the group enemy soldiers managed to break into our trenches. Hand-to-hand combat ensued. Aliya mowed down the fascists with well-aimed bursts from her machine gun. Suddenly she instinctively sensed danger behind her. She turned sharply, but it was too late: the German officer fired first. Gathering her last strength, Aliya raised her machine gun and the Nazi officer fell to the cold ground...

The wounded Aliya was carried out by her comrades from the battlefield. The fighters wanted to believe in a miracle, and vying with each other to save the girl, they offered blood. But the wound was fatal.

June 1944, Corporal Aliya Moldagulova was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Conclusion

From the very first days of the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet people had to deal with a very serious enemy. The Soviet people spared neither strength nor life in order to hasten the hour of victory over the enemy. Women also forged victory over the enemy shoulder to shoulder with men. They bravely endured the incredible hardships of wartime, they were unparalleled workers in factories, on collective farms, in hospitals and schools.

Win or die - this was the question in the war against German fascism, and our soldiers understood this. They consciously gave their lives for their Motherland when the situation demanded it.

What strength of spirit was demonstrated by those who did not hesitate to cover with their bodies the embrasure of the enemy bunker that was spewing deadly fire!

The soldiers and officers of Nazi Germany did not perform such feats, and could not have accomplished them. The spiritual motives for their actions were reactionary ideas of racial superiority and motives, and later - fear of fair retribution for crimes committed and automatic, blind discipline.

The people glorify those who fought bravely and died, with the death of a hero, having brought closer the hour of our victory, glorify the survivors who managed to defeat the enemy. Heroes do not die, their glory is immortal, their names are forever included not only in the lists of personnel Armed Forces, but also in people's memory. People make up legends about heroes, erect beautiful monuments to them, and call them by their names. best streets their cities and villages. More than 100 thousand soldiers, sergeants and military officers were awarded orders and medals of the Soviet Union, and almost 200 military graduates were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. More than 50 monuments and obelisks were built in honor of the soldiers of the internal troops, about 60 streets and more than 200 schools were named. The exploits of those who defended the life and independence of our Motherland will forever remain in the people's memory.

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Heroes of the Great Patriotic War

Submachine gunner of the 2nd separate battalion of the 91st separate Siberian volunteer brigade named after Stalin.

Sasha Matrosov did not know his parents. He was brought up in orphanage and a labor colony. When the war began, he was not even 20. Matrosov was drafted into the army in September 1942 and sent to the infantry school, and then to the front.

In February 1943, his battalion attacked a Nazi stronghold, but fell into a trap, coming under heavy fire, cutting off the path to the trenches. They fired from three bunkers. Two soon fell silent, but the third continued to shoot the Red Army soldiers lying in the snow.

Seeing that the only chance to get out of the fire was to suppress the enemy’s fire, Sailors and a fellow soldier crawled to the bunker and threw two grenades in his direction. The machine gun fell silent. The Red Army soldiers went on the attack, but the deadly weapon began to chatter again. Alexander’s partner was killed, and Sailors was left alone in front of the bunker. Something had to be done.

He didn't have even a few seconds to make a decision. Not wanting to let his comrades down, Alexander closed the bunker embrasure with his body. The attack was a success. And Matrosov posthumously received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Military pilot, commander of the 2nd squadron of the 207th long-range bomber aviation regiment, captain.

He worked as a mechanic, then in 1932 he was drafted into the Red Army. He ended up in an air regiment, where he became a pilot. Nikolai Gastello participated in three wars. A year before the Great Patriotic War, he received the rank of captain.

On June 26, 1941, the crew under the command of Captain Gastello took off to strike a German mechanized column. It happened on the road between the Belarusian cities of Molodechno and Radoshkovichi. But the column was well guarded by enemy artillery. A fight ensued. Gastello's plane was hit by anti-aircraft guns. The shell damaged the fuel tank and the car caught fire. The pilot could have ejected, but he decided to fulfill his military duty to the end. Nikolai Gastello directed the burning car directly at the enemy column. This was the first fire ram in the Great Patriotic War.

The name of the brave pilot became a household name. Until the end of the war, all aces who decided to ram were called Gastellites. If you follow official statistics, then during the entire war there were almost six hundred ramming attacks on the enemy.

Brigade reconnaissance officer of the 67th detachment of the 4th Leningrad partisan brigade.

Lena was 15 years old when the war began. He was already working at a factory, having completed seven years of school. When the Nazis captured his native Novgorod region, Lenya joined the partisans.

He was brave and decisive, the command valued him. Over the several years spent in the partisan detachment, he participated in 27 operations. He was responsible for several destroyed bridges behind enemy lines, 78 Germans killed, and 10 trains with ammunition.

It was he who in the summer of 1942, near the village of Varnitsa, blew up a car in which there was a German major general engineering troops Richard von Wirtz. Golikov managed to obtain important documents about the German offensive. The enemy attack was thwarted, and the young hero was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for this feat.

In the winter of 1943, a significantly superior enemy detachment unexpectedly attacked the partisans near the village of Ostray Luka. Lenya Golikov died like a real hero - in battle.

Pioneer. Scout of the Voroshilov partisan detachment in the territory occupied by the Nazis.

Zina was born and went to school in Leningrad. However, the war found her on the territory of Belarus, where she came on vacation.

In 1942, 16-year-old Zina joined the underground organization “Young Avengers”. She distributed anti-fascist leaflets in the occupied territories. Then, undercover, she got a job in a canteen for German officers, where she committed several acts of sabotage and was only miraculously not captured by the enemy. Many experienced military men were surprised at her courage.

In 1943, Zina Portnova joined the partisans and continued to engage in sabotage behind enemy lines. Due to the efforts of defectors who surrendered Zina to the Nazis, she was captured. She was interrogated and tortured in the dungeons. But Zina remained silent, not betraying her own. During one of these interrogations, she grabbed a pistol from the table and shot three Nazis. After that she was shot in prison.

Underground anti-fascist organization, operating in the area of ​​modern Lugansk region. There were more than a hundred people. The youngest participant was 14 years old.

This underground youth organization was formed immediately after the occupation of the Lugansk region. It included both regular military personnel who found themselves cut off from the main units, and local youth. Among the most famous participants: Oleg Koshevoy, Ulyana Gromova, Lyubov Shevtsova, Vasily Levashov, Sergey Tyulenin and many other young people.

The Young Guard issued leaflets and committed sabotage against the Nazis. Once they managed to disable an entire tank repair workshop, burn down the stock exchange, from where the Nazis stole people for forced labor to Germany. Members of the organization planned to stage an uprising, but were discovered due to traitors. The Nazis captured, tortured and shot more than seventy people. Their feat is immortalized in one of the most famous military books by Alexander Fadeev and the film adaptation of the same name.

28 people from the personnel of the 4th company of the 2nd battalion of the 1075th rifle regiment.

In November 1941, a counter-offensive against Moscow began. The enemy stopped at nothing, making a decisive forced march before the onset of a harsh winter.

At this time, fighters under the command of Ivan Panfilov took up a position on the highway seven kilometers from Volokolamsk, a small town near Moscow. There they gave battle to the advancing tank units. The battle lasted four hours. During this time, they destroyed 18 armored vehicles, delaying the enemy's attack and thwarting his plans. All 28 people (or almost all, historians’ opinions differ here) died.

According to legend, the company political instructor Vasily Klochkov, before the decisive stage of the battle, addressed the soldiers with a phrase that became known throughout the country: “Russia is great, but there is nowhere to retreat - Moscow is behind us!”

The Nazi counteroffensive ultimately failed. The Battle of Moscow, which was assigned the most important role during the war, was lost by the occupiers.

As a child, the future hero suffered from rheumatism, and doctors doubted that Maresyev would be able to fly. However, he stubbornly applied to the flight school until he was finally enrolled. Maresyev was drafted into the army in 1937.

He met the Great Patriotic War at a flight school, but soon found himself at the front. During a combat mission, his plane was shot down, and Maresyev himself was able to eject. Eighteen days later, seriously wounded in both legs, he got out of the encirclement. However, he still managed to overcome the front line and ended up in the hospital. But gangrene had already set in, and doctors amputated both of his legs.

For many, this would have meant the end of their service, but the pilot did not give up and returned to aviation. Until the end of the war he flew with prosthetics. Over the years, he made 86 combat missions and shot down 11 enemy aircraft. Moreover, 7 - after amputation. In 1944, Alexey Maresyev went to work as an inspector and lived to be 84 years old.

His fate inspired the writer Boris Polevoy to write “The Tale of a Real Man.”

Deputy squadron commander of the 177th Air Defense Fighter Aviation Regiment.

Viktor Talalikhin began to fight already in the Soviet-Finnish war. He shot down 4 enemy planes in a biplane. Then he served at an aviation school.

In August 1941, he was one of the first Soviet pilots to ram, shooting down a German bomber in a night air battle. Moreover, the wounded pilot was able to get out of the cockpit and parachute down to the rear to his own.

Talalikhin then shot down five more German aircraft. He died during another air battle near Podolsk in October 1941.

73 years later, in 2014, search engines found Talalikhin’s plane, which remained in the swamps near Moscow.

Artilleryman of the 3rd counter-battery artillery corps of the Leningrad Front.

Soldier Andrei Korzun was drafted into the army at the very beginning of the Great Patriotic War. He served on the Leningrad Front, where there were fierce and bloody battles.

On November 5, 1943, during another battle, his battery came under fierce enemy fire. Korzun was seriously injured. Despite the terrible pain, he saw that the powder charges were set on fire and the ammunition depot could fly into the air. Gathering his last strength, Andrei crawled to the blazing fire. But he could no longer take off his overcoat to cover the fire. Losing consciousness, he made a final effort and covered the fire with his body. The explosion was avoided at the cost of the life of the brave artilleryman.

Commander of the 3rd Leningrad Partisan Brigade.

A native of Petrograd, Alexander German, according to some sources, was a native of Germany. He served in the army since 1933. When the war started, I joined the scouts. He worked behind enemy lines, commanded a partisan detachment that terrified enemy soldiers. His brigade destroyed several thousand fascist soldiers and officers, derailed hundreds of trains and blew up hundreds of cars.

The Nazis staged a real hunt for Herman. In 1943, his partisan detachment was surrounded in the Pskov region. Making his way to his own, the brave commander died from an enemy bullet.

Commander of the 30th Separate Guards Tank Brigade of the Leningrad Front

Vladislav Khrustitsky was drafted into the Red Army back in the 20s. At the end of the 30s he completed armored courses. Since the fall of 1942, he commanded the 61st separate light tank brigade.

He distinguished himself during Operation Iskra, which marked the beginning of the defeat of the Germans on the Leningrad Front.

Killed in the battle near Volosovo. In 1944, the enemy retreated from Leningrad, but from time to time they attempted to counterattack. During one of these counterattacks, Khrustitsky's tank brigade fell into a trap.

Despite heavy fire, the commander ordered the offensive to continue. He radioed to his crews with the words: “Fight to the death!” - and went forward first. Unfortunately, the brave tanker died in this battle. And yet the village of Volosovo was liberated from the enemy.

Commander of a partisan detachment and brigade.

Before the war he worked on the railway. In October 1941, when the Germans were already near Moscow, he himself volunteered for a complex operation in which his railway experience was needed. Was thrown behind enemy lines. There he came up with the so-called “coal mines” (in fact, these are just mines disguised as coal). With the help of this simple but effective weapon, hundreds of enemy trains were blown up in three months.

Zaslonov actively agitated the local population to go over to the side of the partisans. The Nazis, realizing this, dressed their soldiers in Soviet uniforms. Zaslonov mistook them for defectors and ordered them to join the partisan detachment. The way was open for the insidious enemy. A battle ensued, during which Zaslonov died. A reward was announced for Zaslonov, alive or dead, but the peasants hid his body, and the Germans did not get it.

Commander of a small partisan detachment.

Efim Osipenko fought back in Civil War. Therefore, when the enemy captured his land, without thinking twice, he joined the partisans. Together with five other comrades, he organized a small partisan detachment that committed sabotage against the Nazis.

During one of the operations, it was decided to undermine the enemy personnel. But the detachment had little ammunition. The bomb was made from an ordinary grenade. Osipenko himself had to install the explosives. He crawled to the railway bridge and, seeing the train approaching, threw it in front of the train. There was no explosion. Then the partisan himself hit the grenade with a pole from a railway sign. It worked! A long train with food and tanks went downhill. The detachment commander survived, but completely lost his sight.

For this feat, he was the first in the country to be awarded the “Partisan of the Patriotic War” medal.

Peasant Matvey Kuzmin was born three years before the abolition of serfdom. And he died, becoming the oldest holder of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

His story contains many references to the story of another famous peasant - Ivan Susanin. Matvey also had to lead the invaders through the forest and swamps. And, like legendary hero, decided to stop the enemy at the cost of his life. He sent his grandson ahead to warn a detachment of partisans who had stopped nearby. The Nazis were ambushed. A fight ensued. Matvey Kuzmin died at the hands of a German officer. But he did his job. He was 84 years old.

A partisan who was part of a sabotage and reconnaissance group at the headquarters of the Western Front.

While studying at school, Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya wanted to enter a literary institute. But these plans were not destined to come true - the war interfered. In October 1941, Zoya came to the recruiting station as a volunteer and, after a short training at a school for saboteurs, was transferred to Volokolamsk. There, an 18-year-old partisan fighter, along with adult men, performed dangerous tasks: mined roads and destroyed communication centers.

During one of the sabotage operations, Kosmodemyanskaya was caught by the Germans. She was tortured, forcing her to give up her own people. Zoya heroically endured all the trials without saying a word to her enemies. Seeing that it was impossible to achieve anything from the young partisan, they decided to hang her.

Kosmodemyanskaya bravely accepted the tests. Moments before her death, she shouted to the assembled locals: “Comrades, victory will be ours. German soldiers, before it’s too late, surrender!” The girl’s courage shocked the peasants so much that they later retold this story to front-line correspondents. And after publication in the newspaper Pravda, the whole country learned about Kosmodemyanskaya’s feat. She became the first woman to be awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War.

Indeed, both books and films very rarely showed what was happening “behind the scenes” of military life. And, if we analyze it this way, then in the same films that part is not shown soldier's life, which would generally be uninteresting for the viewer, but for the soldier it was probably the most significant.

This is everyday life.

It seems to be not such an interesting thing, but, nevertheless, significant. The film “Only Old Men Go to Battle” was most similar to the truth, but the living conditions of the pilots were somewhat different from those of the infantry or tank crews. The latter, according to the directors, have nothing special to show.

Meanwhile, even in war conditions, attention was paid to the organization of everyday life. How good? Well, I wish it were better, but what happened was what it was. And I would like to talk specifically about what happened during that war exactly when the fighting died down.

Food, sleep, warmth and a bath - that’s what the fighter needed. But, despite the difficult conditions, people read books and newspapers, went to the cinema, engaged in amateur performances, sang, danced to the accordion, listened to the radio and relaxed. True, mainly in the second echelon and on holidays. Five to ten times a year.

Let's leave food for later, let's talk about things that are even more rare in description, but very significant. About sanitation.

“Feeding lice at the front” - probably everyone has heard this common phrase. Judging by archival documents, the scale of the spread of lice in the troops during the Great Patriotic War reached catastrophic proportions, and an entire sanitary armada was even created to combat lice, which included over a hundred special trains and disinfection units.

96 out of 100 fighters had lice.

So, for example, by September 1941, in parts of the Western Front, the “infestation” of personnel exceeded 85%, and on the Kalinin Front - 96%. There was a shortage of soap, baths and laundries. There was no time for everyday life at that difficult time. Plus, even during the war years, the quality of soap produced in the country sharply decreased and the supply of washing soda almost completely stopped.

At Headquarters, the flow of reports caused concern, and personnel from the Scientific Research Testing Institute of the Red Army (NIISI KA) were sent into battle.

Scientific research brought the first practical results by the end of 1941: special bath-laundry and disinfection trains (BPDT) began to enter service with the Red Army, in which up to a hundred soldiers could be treated in an hour. Such trains consisted of 14-18 cars: changing rooms, formaldehyde chambers, showers, laundries and dryers. The locomotive provided ferry and hot water this whole bath and laundry plant.

Special trains were disinfected at the rate of 100 soldiers per hour.

By the end of 1942, the Red Army already had more than a hundred such trains. Naturally, the special trains could not squeeze out all the lice and nits at the front. They operated far from the front line and processed mainly reinforcements arriving in the active army, or fighters from units withdrawn for replenishment or reorganization.

Washing uniforms was carried out by field laundry teams (FLO) and laundry-disinfection teams (DLT), which killed lice with a whole range of chemicals.

Insects were poisoned with turpentine, DDT and burned with fire.

The main means of combating insects were “synthetic insecticides”, which were used to treat the soldiers and their uniforms. At first, these were bisethylxanthogen, on the basis of which “soap K” and “preparation K-3” were made, chlorinated turpentine (SK) and its soap version SK-9, pyretol, anabasine sulfate and other products.

It is clear that for many reasons the orderlies could not treat every soldier of the Red Army.

And then the soldiers used traditional methods fight against lice. For example, frying. In general terms, the action looked like this: lice-infested tunics and padded jackets were folded into metal barrel, closed the top with a lid and roasted over a fire. But often the uniform perished along with the lice.

Frequent scallops, which came to the front mainly through humanitarian aid from the population, were very popular in the trenches. The lice were simply combed out. As the front-line soldiers say, almost everyone had their hair cut to zero and even shaved their eyebrows, and tried not to wear sheepskin coats or other “lint-ins.”

And one more detail. Again, according to stories, as soon as the nutrition became better at the end of 1942 - beginning of 1943, the lice somehow calmed down. “Lice, she is an infection, she loves the hungry and the weak,” my grandfather often used to say.

By the end of the war, the problem of head lice in the army began to disappear. One of the reasons was the normalization of bath and laundry services for troops. So, if in 1942 soldiers washed in the bathhouse 106,636,000 times, then in 1944 it was almost 3 times more - 272,556,000 times. In 1942, rear units disinfected 73,244,000 sets of uniforms, and in 1944 - already 167.6 million sets.

“They had very rich woolen blankets,” recalled my grandfather Nikolai. Considering that he often found himself in the Germans' positions earlier than other soldiers, and even when the Germans were not going to retreat, he could well have acted out. But... The woolen blankets of the Germans were simply breeding grounds for insects.

During the war, the treatment of patients consisted of the use of various ointments; the Demyanovich method was also widespread, according to which naked patients rubbed a solution of hyposulfite into the body from top to bottom, and then hydrochloric acid. In this case, pressure is felt on the skin, similar to rubbing with wet sand. After treatment, the patient may feel itching for another 3-5 days as a reaction to the killed mites. At the same time, many fighters during the war managed to get sick with these diseases dozens of times...

In general, washing in the bathhouse and undergoing sanitary treatment took place mainly while in the second echelon, that is, without directly participating in the battles.

In the summer, soldiers had the opportunity to swim in rivers, streams, and collect rainwater. In winter, it was not always possible not only to find a ready-made bathhouse built by the local population, but also to build a temporary one ourselves.

Here, especially in places where building a bathhouse is problematic (the same Rostov steppes, for example), another invention of NIISI KA came to the rescue - the autobath.

Actually, a truck with a sealed body in which a stove and a water tank are mounted. But where there is no firewood, a diesel stove was fine.

Front-line life was clearly one of the factors in the combat effectiveness of personnel; it created conditions when the presence of the most necessary phenomena in the lives of soldiers became vital.

Soldiers and officers lived in conditions where the most necessary things to ensure life, such as food, bathing and sanitization, monetary allowance and free time from service became practically the only pleasures available. And since they were often absent, their presence turned into a self-sufficient complex of “joys of life.”

But we still had to fight...

And yet, lice were eliminated, shoes and uniforms were repaired, pots were soldered, razors were sharpened. It was a whole army of those who helped the soldiers overcome hardships and hardships.

We can talk for a long time about how bad or not entirely bad the front-line life of Soviet soldiers was. It is also worth saying that, unlike the German army, leave in the Red Army was a rarity, one of the highest awards. So to be far from the front line, after a bath, in a clean place - that was already not bad. It helped.

Just a series of photographs telling that they tried to improve life at the front, if not properly, then at least simply to improve it.

Probably it turned out better than the Germans. Judging by the result, isn't it?

It is an indisputable fact that you cannot work productively on an empty stomach. It is not for nothing that satisfaction of hunger is one of the first places in Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. And it is impossible to win a war without properly refreshing yourself (during the war, we note, about a hundred orders were issued that concerned only the nutrition of the military). How, the cooks at the front were very taken care of. We decided to remember how field kitchens worked during the Great Patriotic War, what the soldiers ate, and what “military” dishes they especially loved.

Eating during the war was important for soldiers: not only because it allowed them to get enough, but it was also a short rest and an opportunity to talk with fellow soldiers. If you like, these short minutes were, so to speak, a fleeting return to peaceful life. Therefore, the field kitchens were actually the center of life of the combat unit (however, the civilian population also flocked there from time to time, especially children, who were willingly fed in the field kitchens). “The soldier’s commandment: away from the authorities, closer to the kitchen,” Lieutenant Alexandrov (aka Grasshopper) thoughtfully remarked in the film “Only “old men” go into battle,” and he told the absolute truth.

A field kitchen was needed to prepare food and organize meals for soldiers on the field, at remote sites, and in military units. It often consisted of several boilers (up to four, but there could be only one). The kitchens were heated, of course, with wood, the water in the boiler boiled in about 40 minutes, a two-course lunch for a company of soldiers took about three hours to prepare, and dinner took an hour and a half. Favorite dishes that were prepared in the field kitchen were kulesh (millet soup, with the addition of other ingredients, millet cereals and lard), borscht, cabbage soup, stewed potatoes, buckwheat with meat (the meat was mainly beef, it was eaten boiled or stewed form). These dishes were perfect for hiking conditions(in terms of, for example, caloric content), and they were quite simple to prepare in a field kitchen.

According to the appendix to the GKO resolution No. 662 of September 12, 1941, the norm? 1 daily allowance for Red Army soldiers and commanding personnel of combat units of the active army was as follows:

Bread: from October to March - 900 g, from April to September - 800 g. 2nd grade wheat flour - 20 g. Various cereals - 140 g. Pasta - 30 g.
Meat - 150 g. Fish - 100 g. Combined fat and lard - 30 g.
Vegetable oil - 20 g. Sugar - 35 g. Tea - 1 g. Salt - 30 g.
Potatoes - 500 g. Cabbage - 170 g. Carrots - 45 g. Beets - 40 g. Onions - 30 g. Greens - 35 g.
Shag - 20 g. Matches - 3 boxes (per month). Soap - 200 g (per month).

The daily allowance for Air Force flight personnel was increased: 800 g of bread, 190 g of cereals and pasta, 500 g of potatoes, 385 g of other vegetables, 390 g of meat and poultry, 90 g of fish, 80 g of sugar, as well as 200 g of fresh and 20 g condensed milk, 20 g cottage cheese, 10 g sour cream, 0.5 eggs, 90 g butter, 5 g vegetable oil, 20 g cheese, fruit extract and dried fruits. Non-smoking female military personnel were given an additional 200 g of chocolate or 300 g of sweets per month.

The diet of submariners necessarily included 30 g of red wine, sauerkraut(30% of the total diet), pickles and raw onions, as this prevented scurvy and compensated for the lack of oxygen. Bread on small ships was baked on land, and on big ships there were special ovens. Crackers were also common, and condensed milk and butter were given as a snack.

Memories of soldiers

“The assistant battalion commander for food supply got the food. He brought it from somewhere on a truck. He distributed it among the companies, and I had a horse-drawn field kitchen with three boilers. At the front near Iasi, we sat on the defensive for several months, and the kitchen stood covered in the hollow. Also three boilers: the first, second and third hot water. But no one took boiling water. We dug three-kilometer trenches from the front line to this kitchen. We walked through these trenches. We couldn’t stick our heads out; as soon as the Germans saw the helmet, they immediately hit us with shells and mines. They didn't give me a chance to get out. I never went to that kitchen, but only sent soldiers,” says infantryman Pavel Avksentievich Gnatkov.

“They fed us just fine. Of course, there were no chops in our diet, but there were always porridges and soups. There was meat here and there. I’ll tell you more, we also received money for each flight. And I know that the tankers , and the infantry was also fed excellently. Yes, sometimes there were interruptions in the supply of food, but they were constantly on the move. Sometimes the field kitchen could not keep up with them, and during the battle there was no time for feeding. We were better in this regard "- recalls bomber pilot Alexei Nikiforovich Rapota.

“There could have been interruptions in food. True, only when we really had a long lead. We broke through far ahead, the kitchen lagged behind or didn’t have time to cook, or the territory was such that it was impossible to pass through. We managed anyway. When the dry rations were given, when the sergeant major , who is responsible for feeding, will suggest something. I didn’t have to go completely hungry. Dry rations were given when it was not possible to feed, as expected, hot food, or if you were going on a hike somewhere. Dry rations were different - either a piece of lard or a piece of bread. And the additional ration was given to the officers. There was tobacco, cookies, all kinds of canned food. I once ate too much of canned food, it was “pink salmon in its own juice”. I overate so much that I got poisoned. After that I couldn’t eat it for a long time afterwards,” says infantryman Igor Pavlovich Vorovsky.

“Food was delivered to us by the field kitchen. In the spring it was very difficult to supply food, especially when we were advancing in the Kalinin region, in swampy places. Then food was dropped on “corn trucks” using parachutes. Mostly there were crackers and canned food, but we didn’t even need them always got it: sometimes the boxes were carried away to no man's land or to the Germans, or into an impassable swamp. Then we sat for several days without a crumb in our mouths. It was easier in the summer. Despite the fact that sometimes there were no entire houses left in the villages, many managed hide the grain from the Germans. We looked for it this way: we walked through the gardens and poked bayonets into the ground. Sometimes the bayonet fell into the hole in which the residents stored cereals. We cooked porridge from them," says Yuri Ilyich Komov.

“Sometimes we were hungry. But that’s when the kitchen lags behind! And so, each battery has a field kitchen assigned to it. So they fed normally. But sometimes the rear lagged behind. We pushed forward. We’ll stop at a halt. The battalion commander calls the platoon commander and says: “ Come to the kitchen." You come. If the cook had time to cook something for lunch - good, if he didn’t have time - then eat dry rations. It happened that we shot chickens and other animals. And if you find a German warehouse, it was not forbidden to take canned food or anything else what. on this special attention They didn’t convert, they didn’t consider it looting. The soldier needs to be fed,” notes artilleryman Apollo Grigorievich Zarubin.

“If we were standing somewhere in the second line, the food was bad. To the point that I personally unloaded frozen potatoes from the cars. And not only potatoes: there were also carrots and frozen beetroot. At the front they tried to feed better. I won’t say, that there was always bad food, even if it was little, they brought it in. And in the tank corps it became easier, dry rations were given for three days, or even five during a breakthrough. It helped a lot, because not everywhere the field kitchen could keep up with the tanks, because where The T-34 will pass, the truck will get stuck. I also want to add: in 1942, we in the tank forces lived on Lend-Lease dry rations. So American help came to the rescue. Lend-Lease became a big help to the front," says tanker Nikolai Petrovich Vershinin.

From the memoirs of veterans of the Great Patriotic War: “Our cook made various soups, and sometimes second courses, which he called “vegetable confusion” - it was unusually tasty. At the end of the war in the spring of 1944, maize (corn) grits arrived, which were sent by the allies. Nobody knew what to do with it. They began to add it to bread, which made it brittle, quickly stale and caused complaints from the soldiers. The soldiers grumbled at the cooks, the cooks scolded the allies for giving us maize, which the devil himself couldn’t figure out. Only our cook didn’t pushed - he took the half-month's quota, sent an outfit to the steppe, asking him to collect almost everything - quinoa, alfalfa, shepherd's purse, sorrel, wild garlic, and prepared corn pies that were delicious in taste and beautiful in appearance - cakes with herbs, bright, yellow on the outside and burning green inside. They were soft, fragrant, fresh, like spring itself, and better than any other means they reminded the soldiers of home, the imminent end of the war and peaceful life. And two weeks later the cook made mamalyga (steeply brewed porridge from corn flour, For consumption instead of bread, hominy is made thicker and can be cut into pieces). Almost the entire battalion became acquainted with this national Moldavian dish. The soldiers regretted that they sent too little maize, and would not mind exchanging wheat flour for it. Our chef tried to make even simple acorn coffee tastier and more aromatic by adding various herbs.”

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