GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR

GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR of 1941–45, the liberation war of the USSR against Germany and its European allies, culminating in their defeat; the most important part of the Second World War. Between 1941–45, more than 700 thous. people from the BASSR served in the Armed Forces of the USSR. Among them, 575 thous. people were mobilized and called up for military service during the war. Unrecoverable losses amounted to more than 322 thous. people; more than 50 thous. people (by 1946) were demobilized due to permanent disability. The 170th, 186th, 219th, 214th, 21st Guard, 87th Guard Rifle divisions and 124th Rifle Brigade, 76th and 16th Guard (ref. Hundred and Twelfth Bashkir Cavalry Division) Cavalry Divisions, 120–123rd, 134th, 144th, 467th, 469th Mortar Regiments, 1097th and 1098th Cannon, 587th Howitzer, 1292nd Salavat Yulayev’ Fighter and Anti­Tank Art. regiments, 25th (Alexander Nevsky and Commander Suvorov) and 60th (Salavat Yulayev and Ufa) Separate divisions of Armored Trains were formed on the BASSR territory and participated in the fighting. Tank columns (International Workers Aid Society, Society for the Promotion of Aviation and Chemical Defense, Bashkir Pioneer, Teacher       of Bashkiria)and squadrons     (Bashkir Fighter, Bashkir Oilman, Beloretsk Metallurgist, Member of Bashkir Komsomol), which had been created at the expense of the BASSR residents, were directed onto the front. More than 200 thous. servicemen from the BASSR were awarded orders and medals, about 300 people became Heroes of the Soviet Union and Holders of the Order of Glory of the Three Classes; and 3 people were awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation. The gallant deeds of M.Kh.Gubaydullin and A.M. Matrosov acquired the All­Union fame.

Training of military personnel for the army was conducted at the Vystryel Red Army Advanced Infantry Commanders’ Courses, Voroshilov’ Higher Military Academy, Sevastopol Anti­Aircraft Artillery School (all – in Ufa), Ufa Military Infantry School, Military Aviation School of Scouts (Davlekanovo), Military School of Aerial Monitoring, Alert and Communication (Birsk), Lenin’ Military Political Academy (Belebey), 2nd Leningrad Artillery School (Beloretsk), Riga Military Infantry School (Sterlitamak), South Ural Machine Gun School (Blagoveshchensk), etc, as well as in the 12th Reserve and 49th rifle divisions (both – in Ufa), 134th Rifle Brigade (Kandry Station of Kandrinsky Raion and Buzdyak Station of Buzdyaksky Raion of the BASSR), 74th (Selo Blagovar of Blagovarsky Raion of the BASSR), 113th (Blagoveshchensky Raion of the BASSR) cavalry divisions, 2nd Reserve Cavalry Brigade (Rabochy Posyolok Tuymazy of Tuymazinsky Raion of the BASSR, now Tuymazy), 23rd Separate Reserve Communications Regiment, and other reserve and trained armed formations. Since September 1941, a significant part of the population of the BASSR (16–50 year old men, students and schoolgirls of 8–10 years of studies) were trained based on the systems of Vseobuch (universal military training at work and in school; approx. 200 thous. people) and Osoaviakhim (Society for the Promotion of Aviation and Chemical Defense of the USSR; more than 196 thous. people).

During the war, 278 thous. people, 172 industrial enterprises, separate workshops and installations, and more than 100 organizations and institutions were evacuated from the European part of the USSR into the Republic by 1942. There were more than 40 evacuation hospitals that provided medical care to more than 250 thous. sick and injured people. From the beginning of the war, the BASSR increased the production of products for defense purpose. In 1945, the Republic had 364 new industrial enterprises, excluding evacuated ones. There was an increase in production of gold (between 1941–45, it was at the level of 8.8 t), cobalt, manganese, bauxite, nickel ores, etc; the oil production industry supplied 5 million t of oil, which comprised 1/3 of oil production of the USSR during the G.P.w. The volume of production in the BASSR increased by more than 2.5 times. Between 1941–45, the following products were produced for general state needs: grain – approx. 3 million t, potatoes – 0.8, other vegetables – 0.05, meat – 0.1 million tons, milk – 382 million l, etc; more than 72 thous. horses were sent to the front­line. More than 30 thous. people were involved in the agricultural works in 1942; 45 thous. people – in 1943; 200 thous. children – in 1942 and 228 thous. children – in 1944. More than 416 thous. inhabitants of the BASSR were awarded the Medal for Valiant Work during the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945. By 1950, more than 20 people became Heroes of Socialist Labour.

Famous scientists, such as A.A.Blokhin, G.V.Vakhrushev, A.Ya.Vissarionova, I.­G.G.Kadyrov, M.A.Lavrentyev, D.V. Nalivkin, S.S.Namyotkin, Kh.R. Sultanayev, Ye.I.Sukhankin, A.A.Trofimuk, Yu.A.Us­ manov et al., worked in the RB during the war. In 1943, the AS of the Ukr. SSR and 14 of its academicians who worked in Ufa (A.A.Bogomolets, P.P.Budnikov, A.V.Pal­ ladin, P.Tychina, etc) at the time were awarded honorary certificates of the BASSR for Scientific Achievements. The valour of people who fought on the front­line and provided unconditioned support in the rear was reflected in the works of the Bashkir writers (B.Bikbay, M.Karim, S.Kudash, K.Mergen, R.Nigmati, etc), painters, and sculptors. Gallant deeds of the people were glorified in the songs of Kh.F.Akhmetov, Z.G.Ismagilov and others.

Residents of Bashkortostan contributed 355 million rubles to the defense funds and weapons production; 362 railway cars with food products and 470 thous. items of warm clothes were sent to the front. The Russian Orthodox Church and the Central Muslim Spiritual Board of the Interior Russia and Siberia (ref. Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia) played an active role in the charity organization. After the liberation of the Western territory of the USSR from occupation and despite the difficult financial situation of the local population of the BASSR, the Republic and its people helped the USSR in the restoration of Voronezh, Kursk, Leningrad, Rostov and Smolensk oblasts of the RSFSR, as well as Voroshilovgrad and Kharkiv oblasts of the Ukr. SSR.

During the G.P.w., prisoners and persons subjected to political purges were expelled to the BASSR (ref. Political Repressions): by the Spring of 1946 there were about 7 thous. prisoners of war, up to 2 thous. Vlasov Soldiers (soldiers of the Russian Liberation Army, who fought on the side of Germany for the liberation of Russia from the Bolshevism).

In Ufa, there are the Museum of Military Glory (includes the Museum of the 112th Bashkir Cavalry Division) and the Park of Victory. Almost every settlement in the RB has a street, a walk of glory, a house­museum, a monument or a commemorative tablet associated with the events or participants of this war.