GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR: 80 YEARS SINCE THE BEGINNING - 134/06 (5005) June 2021
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№134/06 (5005) Russkaya Mysl Founded in 1880
June 2021 Russian/English www.RussianMind.com
GREAT
PATRIOTIC WAR:
80 YEARS
SINCE THE BEGINNING
Not for sale
Russian Mind
No134/06(5005),
EDITOR’S LETTER JUNE 2021
FACE OF WAR HEAD OF THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Victor Loupan
EDITORIAL BOARD
Anatoly Adamishin
Metropolitan Anthony
Rene Guerra
Dmitry Shakhovskoy
Peter Sheremetev
Alexander Troubetskoy
Sergey Yastrzhembsky
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
Alexander Mashkin
am@russianmind.com
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Karina Enfenjyan
karina@russianmind.com
POLITICAL EDITOR:
Vyacheslav Katamidze
CREATIVE PRODUCER:
Vasily Grigoriev
cp@russianmind.com
nature, with arms, legs, a semblance of DESIGN
a brain, with eyes and a mouth. Yet this Yuri Nor
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F or the second month in a row, the
main theme of our issue is war! Or
rather, the memory of the war. Every
creature: an unnamed need to destroy,
the most primitive desires and undis-
guised meanness”.
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year on May 9 we celebrate Victory 62 countries with a total population COVER:
Day, the greatest of our great victories. of 1.7 billion people participated in RIA Novosti
Usually we miss to recall the beginning World War II. The total losses in World
of the Great Patriotic War. But this year, War II ranged from 50 to 80 million
the date of June 22 is marking the 80th people, of which 26.6 million were So-
year since the beginning of the worst viet citizens. 6.8 million of our military
tragedy in our history. order were killed in battles, and 1.8 mil-
The Great Patriotic War which began lion were tortured in captivity. The rest
on June 22, 1941, was a war of extermi- of the victims – in fact, two thirds of
nation and enslavement. The physical the deaths – were civilians: 7.4 million
destruction of the Jewish population of people were exterminated deliberately,
Europe by the Nazis is widely known. 2.2 million people died in slave labor in Editors are not responsible for the accuracy
of the information published in news reports,
But a terrible fate was prepared for the Germany and 4.1 million people died promotional materials and advertisements.
Slavic population, especially Russians. from hunger and disease. This is what Editors do not have the ability to enter into
The Nazis called the Slavs “Unter- the war that began 80 years ago brought correspondence and do not return manuscripts
and illustrations. Editors do not provide
mensch” which is translated as “sub- to the Soviet people. background information. Reproduction of any
human”. According to Himmler, “Sub- Everlasting memory! materials from the magazine “Russian Mind” is
impossible without the permission
human is a biological being created by Victor Loupan of the editorial board.
Cases of the absence of sale of the magazine
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the Special Issue, to mark the 80 years since the beginning of the
Great Patriotic War. CIRCULATION: 30 000 COPIES
RUSSIAN MIND – JUNE 2021 3
HIGHLIGHTS
France and England, although they USSR, the German army perceived nia, after the victory in the Rus-
declared war on Germany, did noth- World War II as a kind of “walk” so-Turkish War of 1806–1812. In
GREAT WAR ing. Therefore, having not received
any support from the West, the Pol-
ish armed forces practically ceased
Right here we should recall anoth-
er important event of the year 1940 –
the annexation of the Baltic states,
1918, taking advantage of the col-
lapse of the Russian Empire and
the outbreak of the Civil War in
Before the attack against the USSR, to exist by mid-September. On the Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina its former territory, Romania in-
the German army perceived World War II as a kind of “walk” evening of September 17, the Pol- to the USSR. troduced its troops to the territory
ish government and high command Back in the fall of 1939, Estonia, of Bessarabia and then included it
VICTOR LOUPAN, simply fled to Romania. On the same Latvia and Lithuania signed the into the kingdom – motivating this
Head of the Editorial Board day, a note issued by the Soviet gov- agreements with the USSR, accord- by the fact that Bessarabia was part
ernment and served to the Polish ing to which Soviet military bases of the medieval Moldavian princi-
ambassador to the USSR, stated that were located in their territories. pality, and the population spoke
I n the May issue of the magazine
“Russian Mind” dedicated to the
celebration of Victory Day, your
became the main impetus for the
outbreak of World War II. This is, of
course, extremely tendentious! Be-
the parties undertook to refrain from
aggressive actions and attacks against
each other. In the event of an attack
“since the Polish state and its gov-
ernment ceased to exist, the Soviet
Union is obliged to take the lives and
But on June 17, 1940, the Soviet
Union issued an ultimatum to the
Baltic states, accusing them of vio-
the Romanian dialect, that is, the
“Moldavian language”. Northern
Bukovina, also annexed by Roma-
humble servant wrote that a great cause everything looked completely against one of the parties by a third property of the population of West- lation of an earlier agreement and nia in 1918, was not part of the
victory was preceded by a great war. different from the point of view of power, they pledged to not provide ern Ukraine and Western Belarus demanding the resignation of their Russian, but the Austro-Hungarian
Because the other side of greatness the Soviet government. support to the aggressor state and under its protection”. These former- governments, dissolution of parlia- Empire, while it was mainly inhab-
is negative. Victory is a holiday! Vic- The treaty between Germany and avoid participating in allied groups ly Polish territories are still part of ments, appointment of early elec- ited by Ukrainians.
tory is joy! But war is horror! War is the USSR was signed on August 23, directed against one of the parties, Ukraine and Belarus. tions and consent to the introduction Although Romania was an ally of
woe! Moreover, a single recollection 1939. But before that, in the same resolving disputes and conflicts be- of an additional contingent of Soviet Germany, it agreed to meet these
of war pushes a person to a meta- 1939, Soviet-Anglo-French negoti- tween themselves peacefully. troops. The Baltic governments ac- requirements. On June 28, 1940, it
physical comparison with the infer- ations were held in Moscow, which The agreement signed on August Fall of Western Europe cepted these demands. Immediately withdrew its troops and administra-
nal principle. When something went convinced the Soviet leaders of the 23, 1939 in Moscow by the chair- thereafter, coups d’état took place tion from Bessarabia and Northern
wrong, my grandmother often said: unwillingness of Western countries man of the Council of People’s Com- On April 9, 1940, after almost a in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, Bukovina, after which Soviet troops
“If only there was no missars of the USSR, year of inactivity on the western bringing communist-friendly gov- entered their territories without a
war!” And these words, Foreign Minister Vy- front, Germany invaded Denmark ernments to power. single shot. On August 2, the Mol-
spoken almost swiftly, acheslav Molotov and and Norway and occupied them in After the introduction of addi- davian SSR was formed on part of
immediately down- German Foreign Min- two days. On May 10, Germany in- tional units of the Red Army, un- the Bessarabian territory and part
played the importance ister Joachim von Rib- vaded Belgium, the Netherlands and contested elections to the supreme of the territory of the former Mol-
of the seemingly seri- bentrop for a period of Luxembourg. The Dutch govern- authorities were held in Estonia, davian Autonomous Soviet Socialist
ous issue. 10 years, also contained ment surrendered on May 15, and Latvia and Lithuania: only commu- Republic (present-day Transnistria).
a “secret protocol” di- the Belgian on the 28th of May. The nist-minded parties were allowed The south of Bessarabia and North-
viding the spheres of invasion of France began on June 5, to participate in the elections. On ern Bukovina were included in the
The beginning influence “in the case and on the 14th of June the German July 21, 1940, the newly elected Ukrainian SSR.
of the fascist of a territorial-political army entered Paris without a fight. parliaments proclaimed establish- So, literally before the beginning
aggression reorganisation of the And on June 22, in the same carriage ment of the Soviet socialist repub- of the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet
regions that are part of where Germany’s surrender was lics and sent petitions to join the Union significantly increased its ter-
The war that we call the Polish State”. signed in 1918, the disgraceful Fran- Soviet Union. Lithuanian SSR was ritory in the western direction.
the “Great Patriotic It should not be for- co-German armistice was signed, included into the USSR on August
War” began at dawn on gotten that the above- under which France tolerated the oc- 3, followed by Latvian SSR (August
June 22, 1941. The German army, to cooperate with the USSR in organ- mentioned took place before the cupation of most of its territory, the 5) and Estonian SSR (August 6). June 22, 1941
which had long been pulling troops ising a joint rebuff to the then emerg- outbreak of World War II. In June demobilisation of almost the entire As for Bessarabia, which exists now
to the western border of the USSR, ing fascist aggression. Under the fear 1941, the war was going on for two land army and the internment of the as Moldova, on June 27, 1940, the So- The Great Patriotic War began ear-
unexpectedly went on the offensive. of creation of a united anti-Soviet years, although this, perhaps, cannot navy and aviation. In the so-called viet government sent two ultimatum ly in the morning, actually at night,
I say “suddenly”, but not because the front, the Soviet government was be called a war. “free zone”, the dictatorial regime of notes to the Romanian government, on June 22, 1941, with the invasion
war was unexpected – it was expect- forced to look for an alternative way The hostilities began on Septem- Marshal Pétain set a course for close demanding the return of Bessarabia of the Soviet territory by the troops
ed, it was written about, it was talked to ensure the national security. That ber 1, 1939, when German troops cooperation with Germany – the so- and the transfer of Northern Bukovi- of Hitler’s Germany and its European
about, – but because the non-aggres- is why both Stalin and Molotov ac- crossed the Polish border, which called “collaborationism”. The mil- na to the USSR as a “compensation allies: Hungary, Italy, Romania, Slo-
sion pact signed in 1939 was still ef- cepted the German proposal to con- provoked a declaration of war on itary power of France was so great for the enormous damage inflicted vakia, Finland, Croatia, with the ac-
fective between Nazi Germany and clude a non-aggression pact. Germany by France, Britain and a that its sudden and complete defeat on the Soviet Union and the popula- tive support of the Waffen-SS motor-
the Soviet Union. There was already a neutrality and number of other European coun- defied any rational explanation. tion of Bessarabia by the 22-year rule ised divisions from France, Belgium,
It has been written a lot about this non-aggression pact between Ger- tries maintaining allied obligations This is in a nutshell what happened of Romania in Bessarabia”. the Netherlands and other West-
treaty both before and after 1991. many and the USSR signed back in with Poland. The United States de- in Europe on the eve of the Great Patri- Bessarabia was annexed by Rus- ern European countries. They were
In the West, it is still argued that it 1926. Based on its main provisions, clared its neutrality. otic War. Before the attack against the sia before establishment of Roma- joined by the Baltic and Ukrainian
4 RUSSIAN MIND – JUNE 2021 RUSSIAN MIND – JUNE 2021 5
paramilitary nationalist formations such phrases as “holy people’s war”, expelled the British army from the half manned): 3.3 million soldiers ern Front was completely defeated. Red Army were much worse. By incorporated into the Waffen-SS, “holy patriotic people’s war”, “vic- continent. Thus, there was simply no and officers, 60 thousand guns and This fatality opened the way for the the end of 1941, they amounted to which took an active part in the ex- torious patriotic war”. According to power in Europe to oppose the Third mortars, 11 thousand mostly out- Germans to the south. And already 3,138,000 people. termination of Soviet people. the generally accepted statement of Reich. All this happened in just a few dated aircrafts, 13 thousand also in October 1941, German troops In the early days of the war, the Red The forces of the Third Reich also historians, the name “Great Patriot- weeks, during the year of 1940. And mostly outdated tanks. Border units captured the entire Crimea except Army lost a huge amount of military used national formations consisting ic War” appeared by analogy with in the spring of 1941, Germany also numbering about 100 thousand Sevastopol. The defeat of the Red equipment, including about 8,000 of the natives of the North Caucasus the Patriotic War of 1812. Later, the invaded Yugoslavia and Greece. people, carried out physical defense Army in the south opened the way aircrafts that did not even have time and Transcaucasia: the Bergmann term “Patriotic War” was officially On December 18, 1940, Hitler of the state border. to take off – they were Battalion, the Georgian Legion, the documented in the introduction of signed Directive No. 21 of the Su- If we compare the mostly destroyed at air- Azerbaijani Legion, the North Cau- the military Order of the Patriotic preme High Command of the Wehr- balance of forces as of fields. But the Luftwaffe casian SS detachment, etc. The XV War, established by the Decree of the macht, which became the main guid- June 22, 1941, we can- also suffered significant SS Cossack Cavalry Corps led by Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of ing document in the war against the not say that Germany losses: during the first General von Panwitz and other Cos- the USSR on May 20, 1942. Howev- USSR. The directive bore a strange had an advantage over month of fighting Ger- sack units also fought in the Nazi er, to this day it is not recognised by code name: “Operation Barbarossa”. the USSR. With the man troops lost about army. To justify the use of the Cos- the Western world. In English-speak- It assumed the defeat of Soviet Rus- exception of person- 1,200 aircrafts. sacks, Hitler’s propaganda developed ing countries, the term Eastern Front sia in one short campaign. To achieve nel, where the Wehr- With the loss of Don- a delusional “theory” based on which World War II is used, and in German this goal, it was planned to use all the macht outnumbered bass and the Krivoy the Russian Cossacks were “descend- historiography it corresponds to ground forces of the Third Reich, the Red Army by one Rog iron-ore basin, ants of the Ostrogoths”. The Russian Deutsch-Sowjetischer Krieg (Ger- with the exception of small forma- million people, in all the Soviet Union lost corps of General Steifon, the corps man-Soviet War), Russlandfeldzug tions performing occupation func- other parameters the its most important of Lieutenant General of the Tsarist (“Russian campaign”), Ostfeldzug tions in Europe. It was also supposed German troops were raw materials and in- army Peter Krasnov, and a number of (“Eastern campaign”). to use two-thirds of the Air Force and quantitatively inferi- dustrial centers. The separate units formed from citizens The development of a plan for Ger- a small part of the Navy. Immediate or to the Soviet ones. USSR also lost such of the USSR and White emigrants many’s attack against the USSR be- operations with a deep and rapid ad- The latter had one and The term “Great Patriotic War” went down in history immediately cities as Minsk, Kiev, also fought on the side of Germany. gan under the strictest confidence a vance of tank spear heads, the Ger- a half times more guns after the message broadcasted on radio by the newsreader Kharkov, Smolensk, The term “Great Patriotic War” year before the invasion, back in July man army had to destroy most of the and mortars, three Yuri Levitan Odessa, Dnepropet- went down in history immediately 1940. By that time, Germany had al- Soviet troops in order to prevent the and a half times more rovsk. Leningrad was after the message broadcasted on ra- ready captured Denmark, Norway, withdrawal of combat-ready units tanks and assault guns, and twice as for the Germans to Donbass and in the blockade. The most impor- dio by the newsreader Yuri Levitan, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxem- deep into the country. After that, big as aircrafts number. Rostov-on-Don. By the end of Oc- tant sources of food in Ukraine and whose voice was known throughout quickly pursuing the enemy, the Ger- But, despite that, the beginning of tober, Kharkov fell and the main cit- southern Russia fell into the hands the country: “Attention! Moscow is man troops had to reach the Arkhan- the Great Patriotic War turned out to ies of Donbass were occupied. On of the enemy. Millions of Soviet citi- speaking! We are transmitting an gelsk – Volga – Astrakhan line, creat- be catastrophic. November 21, the 1st German Pan- zens ended up in the occupied terri- important announcement from the ing there, if necessary, conditions for “The tragic beginning of the war zer Army entered Rostov-on-Don, tories – hundreds of thousands died government. Citizens of the Soviet the German Air Force to “affect the for the Red Army was one of the thereby achieving the goals of the or were driven into slavery. Union! Today at four o’clock in the Soviet industrial centers in the Urals”. most encrypted pages in our histo- Barbarossa plan in the south of the By the end of 1941, the fascist morning, without declaring war, By June 22, 1941, fascist Germa- ry. We can already talk about gen- USSR. But exactly a week later, the hordes were already in the suburbs of the German armed forces attacked ny concentrated three army groups erations of historians trying to find Soviet troops unexpectedly drove Moscow. The Germans encompassed the borders of the Soviet Union. near the borders of the USSR. The out the true reasons for our failures the Germans out of Rostov. Leningrad and starved its citizens to The Great Patriotic War of the So- first strategic echelon contained 157 at the beginning of the war, but this death. Hitler dreamed of a parade of viet people against the German divisions (of which 17 were tank problem has not yet been resolved,” German troops in Red Square. One fascist invaders began. Our cause and 13 motorised) and 18 brigades, P. N. Bobylev, a researcher at the The failure of Operation of those responsible for the capture is just! The enemy will be defeated! including allied troops. Air support Institute of Military History of the Barbarossa of Moscow was the famous German Victory will be ours!” was provided by three air fleets. Ad- Ministry of Defense of the Russian General Guderian. He has already The very next day this unusual ditionally, there were 24 divisions in Federation, wrote. Shortly before the battle for Mos- approached Kashira in the south- phrase was used in the editorial ar- reserve. In total, 181 divisions (19 After 1991, much was written in cow, German troops completely west direction which was very close ticles of “Pravda” newspaper in rela- tank, 14 motorised, 18 brigades) Russia that the Red Army was re- occupied Lithuania, Latvia, Bela- to Moscow. However, due to the in- tion to the war that has just begun. The first days of the war – numbering 5.5 million people, 3712 treating ingloriously, that millions rus, Moldova, Estonia, a significant human efforts of the troops of the However, in a very belated Stalin’s the advance of the Nazis deep tanks, 47,260 field guns and mortars, of Soviet soldiers and officers sur- part of the RSFSR, Ukraine, and Western Front under the command radio address to the Soviet people, into the USSR 4950 combat aircrafts, took part in rendered without a fight. In fact, this advanced up to 1200 km deep into of General G. K. Zhukov, the offen- which was declared on July 3, 1941, the attack against the USSR. was not true. The heroic defense of the USSR, while losing 740 thou- sive of the German army was stopped the words “great” and “patriotic” bourg and defeated France. With On the Soviet side, the border the Brest Fortress, the battles for sand people, of which 230 thousand in all directions. The attempt to occu- were used separately. It means that his flash-like victories, Hitler radi- districts and fleets of the USSR Kiev, Odessa, Sevastopol are glori- were killed. These were unprece- py Moscow failed. The counteroffen- at first the name was perceived not cally changed the strategic balance numbered 15 armies consisting of ous pages of our history. They are. dented losses for the German army sive began. It did not last long, but as an official term, but as one of the of power in Europe. He did not only 172 divisions (including 40 tank However, as a result of the battle since the beginning of World War due to it the threat to Moscow was emotional expressions, along with bring France out of the war, but also divisions which were approximately for Kiev, the Soviet South-West- II. But irrecoverable losses of the eliminated. 6 RUSSIAN MIND – JUNE 2021 RUSSIAN MIND – JUNE 2021 7
The enemy was stopped near Mos- troops, sometimes all men in general According to Ivan Semushkin, a get, with great difficul-
cow, Leningrad and Rostov-on-Don, between the ages of 16 and 55, parti- participant of the battle, “I am deep- ty, as less as one or two
which meant the failure of Operation sans and underground fighters, hos- ly convinced, that the Vyazemsky tablespoons of water a
Barbarossa. tages taken in areas covered by the pocket in the fall of 1941 was a mil- day only for the serious-
It is generally accepted that the partisan movement, – as prisoners. itary tragedy that was unprecedent- ly wounded. Parched
Battle of Stalingrad was a turning The harshest conditions of deten- ed in history. Misjudgement of the lips cracked, tongues
point that foreshadowed the collapse tion of Soviet prisoners of war were command and the general situation swollen from thirst.
of the Third Reich. But here is what caused by Hitler’s ideological rejec- at the front led to this. According to There was no medical
the German historian K. Reinhardt tion of the idea of Communism, ag- the data published in the press, 37 di- service, no medicines
writes: “Hitler’s strategy aimed at gravated by the Nazi theory of the visions, 9 tank brigades, 31 artillery and no wound textile. A
conquering world domination failed racial inferiority of the Slavs, in par- regiments of the High Command ward with 160 wound-
near Moscow. In December 1941 – ticular Russians. reserve and 4 field directorates of ed is given two band-
January 1942 many German generals At a meeting of the highest com- the armies were surrounded in the ages a day. Bandages are
have already come to the conclusion mand personnel of the Wehrmacht Vyazma area (the million-people not done a month long.
that the war was lost”. held on March 30, 1941, Hitler said: group of Red Army troops ceased to When the bandage is
“The Communist has never been exist within a short period of time). removed, the wounds
and will never become our comrade. Soviet troops lost about 6 thousand appear filled with
Why were there so many It’s about the fight to destroy. If we guns and over 1200 tanks. However, worms that are picked
prisoners? do not treat them like that, then, al- since we have always liked to distort out by handfuls. Fro-
though we will defeat the enemy, in unpleasant facts and gloss over the zen limbs looked like
One of the most heartbreaking 30 years the communist danger will truth, I am sure that there were much black stumps, meat and
pages of the beginning of the war arise again. Commissars and persons more losses…” bones fell off in black
is the fate of our prisoners of war. belonging to the GPU are criminals There were many similar pockets at pieces. Many wounded
Based on Western sources, the total and should be treated like criminals. the beginning of the war. prisoners froze their
number of our captives reached 5.5 Political commissars are the basis of “The Germans had a task to destroy limbs right there in the
million people. The Commission of Bolshevism in the Red Army, bearers the manpower of the USSR in gen- wards. There was no
the Ministry of Defense of the USSR of an ideology being hostile to Na- eral and prisoners in particular,” the iodine for the operated
announced an approximate figure tional Socialism, who cannot be rec- participant of the battle, writer Boris patients; it was replaced
of 4 million. 1.8 million people re- ognised as soldiers. Therefore, after Runin says. “Unbearable conditions with glizol. The wound-
turned from captivity, of which ap- being captured, they must be shot”. were established for the prisoners. ed rotted alive and died
proximately 340 thousand ended up There were many party and Kom- On the way to the camp, they were in terrible agony. Many
in the NKVD camps as having com- somol workers in the Red Army, not fed at all. They ate cabbage leaves, begged to be shot and
promised themselves in captivity. roots, rye heads from unharvested thus relieved of their
Why were there so many prison- roadside fields that they found along suffering. The smell of
ers? There is no simple answer to the way. They drank water from road rotting meat, the cadav-
this question. Some historians be- puddles. It was strictly forbidden to erous stench from un-
lieve that overwhelming majority stop at the wells or ask the peasants deleted corpses fill the
of them was captured at the begin- for water. So, five days long – from chambers. The death
ning of the war, as a result of capture October 9 to 13, 1941 – they drove rate from hunger, cold,
in the so-called “big pockets”. The a column of prisoners to the Doro- disease and executions
tragic beginning of the war gener- gobuzh camp. The convoy was ac- in the camp reached
ated many situations when large companied by a car, on which four 3–4 percent a day. It
groupings of the Red Army, having coaxial machine guns were installed. means that the entire
exhausted all possibilities for resist- On the way in one of the villages, number of the prison-
ance, were captured. under the stove of a burnt house, ers died out in a month.
Thinking about the number of the prisoners saw a half-burnt po- During two and a half Due to the inhuman efforts of the troops of the Western Front under the command of
prisoners, one should also take into who were considered by the Nazis as tato. About 200 people rushed after months of autumn General G. K. Zhukov, the enemy was stopped near Moscow, Leningrad and Rostov-on-Don,
account the fact that the German “commissars”. They were not recog- it. Four machine guns fired directly (October, November which meant the failure of Operation Barbarossa
command, in violation of the Hague nised as soldiers and were killed after into the crowd. Several dozen prison- and part of December)
and Geneva Conventions, consid- being captured. Regarding this, the ers died. On their way the prisoners when counted together with the ci- every day. Every day 30–40 long dray feet moving among these piles, eyes
ered not only soldiers and officers of German command even issued the rushed into the fields with unhar- vilian prisoners who constituted the carts were loaded with the dead and opened, lips whispered: “I am still
the Red Army, but also all employ- “Order on Commissars”. vested potatoes, and machine guns majority, 8,500 people died in the frozen corpses. In the piles of corps- alive”. The dying were buried togeth-
ees of party and Soviet authorities, In 2006, the newspaper Argumenty immediately opened fire. camp, that is more than 100 people es, which were piled up like firewood er with the dead people…”
men (regardless of their age) who i Fakty published a long article about The wounded prisoners suffered on average per day. During the win- near the barracks, there were also Such a terrible war preceded the
departed together with the retreating the tragedy of the Vyazemsky pocket. severely from thirst. It was possible to ter months, 400 to 600 people died alive ones. We often saw hands and Great Victory.
8 RUSSIAN MIND – JUNE 2021 RUSSIAN MIND – JUNE 2021 9
RUSSIA
to Victory. Our people fought to the
bitter end at every frontline, in the
VICTORY PARADE fiercest battles on the ground, at sea
and in the air.
People of all ethnicities and faiths
ON RED SQUARE fought for every inch of our soil.
For the fields on the approaches to
Moscow, for the Karelian rocks and
Vladimir Putin attended the military parade marking the 76th anniversary Caucasus passages, for Vyazma and
of the Victory in the 1941–1945 Great Patriotic War Novgorod forests, for the shores of
the Baltic Sea and the Dnieper, for
the Volga and Don steppes.
T hirty-seven infantry units took
part in the parade on Red Square:
officers, sergeants and soldiers of mil-
and Mi-28 Night Hunt-
er assault helicopter. A
group of three Ilyushin
The heroism of Soviet troops and
the unfaltering spirit of civilians are
perpetuated in the glorious titles of
itary formations and units, students Il-76 transport planes, Hero Cities, awarded to Moscow and
and cadets of military academies, Su- Tupolev Tu-160 and Leningrad, Minsk and Kiev, Stalin-
vorov and Nakhimov schools and ca- Tu-95MS strategic grad and Sevastopol, Murmansk and
det corps, Young Army members, as bombers capable of Odessa, Kerch and Tula, Novorossi-
well as units of the Emergencies Min- carrying cruise missiles ysk and Smolensk.
istry, National Guard Troops and the flew over Red Square, The unbreakable bond between
Border Troops of the Russian Federal accompanied by two Il- frontline fighters and those at the
Security Service. Servicewomen were yushin Il-78 refuelling tanker planes Happy Victory Day! The Victory home front ensured that our troops
represented by parade units from the and followed by Sukhoi SU-35S jet had a colossal historic significance were provided with everything they
Military University, Military Academy fighters, SU-24 bombers, Mikoyan for the fate of the entire world. It is a needed for the Victory, thanks to
of the Signal Corps, a branch of the MiG-31 supersonic interceptors, holiday that has always been and will the efforts of plants in the Volga
Military Logistics Academy, the Mili- Sukhoi Su-57 fighter jets and a Li- remain a sacred day for Russia, for region and the Urals, Siberia and
tary-Space Academy, and the Air and petsk Aviation Centre mixed group our nation. the Russian Far East, the cities of
Space Defence Academy. Overall, al- of ten Sukhoi Su-30SM, SU-35 It is our holiday by right, for we Kazakhstan and Central Asian re-
most 12,000 personnel were engaged. fighter jets and SU-34 fighter bomb- are blood relatives of those who de- publics. We remember those who
Over 190 units of military hard- ers. The Russkiye Vityazi (Russian feated, crushed, destroyed Nazism. offered shelter and support to the
ware were on show, including the Knights) and Strizhi (Swifts) aero- It is ours because we descend from evacuees who were forced to leave
legendary T-34 tanks of the Great batic teams were penultimate to fly the generation of victors, a gener- their homes.
Patriotic War and the cutting-edge their Sukhoi Su-30SM and Mikoyan ation we are proud of and hold in Today we gratefully celebrate the
T-90M Proryv and T-14 Armata MiG-29 fighter jets in the famous great honour. memory of an entire generation of
tanks, Kurganets infantry fighting Kubinsky Diamond formation. To Our dear veterans, we bow before great heroes and dedicated workers,
vehicles, and Koalitsiya-SV artillery conclude the airborne part, a group your courage and strong spirit and and remember our frontline fighters,
systems. Engaged in the parade were of six Su-25 assault jets flew in the thank you for this immortal example brave partisans and members of the
also Iskander-M mobile short-range Moscow sky spraying aerosols that of unity and love for our Motherland. underground resistance.
ballistic missile systems, Buk-M3 matched the colours of the Russian You proved that only together it is We can feel the never-ending pain
and Tor-M2 surface-to-air missile national flag. possible to achieve what seems im- of the people of Leningrad who suf-
systems, Pantsir-S mobile air de- The President watched the parade possible. You defeated a merciless fered through the siege; the con-
fence systems and S-400 Triumf with President of Tajikistan Emomali enemy, defended your home, your centration camp prisoners, and the
system. Yars mobile intercontinen- Rahmon. children, and your country. You came countless tragedies of the people
tal ballistic missile launchers also out an absolute victor in the battle who lived in the occupied territories.
crossed the square as part of the against Nazism and eternalised the We bow to the blessed memory of
hardware column. The President Vladimir memory of May 9, 1945. those whose lives were taken away by
The parade concluded with an air Putin’s address at the We will always remember that it that war; the memory of sons, daugh-
show with 76 aircraft and helicopters military parade was the Soviet people who demon- ters, fathers, mothers, grandfathers,
in the sky, including Mi-26 heavy strated the ultimate heroism. During husbands, wives, brothers, sisters,
transport helicopters and Mi-8 mul- Citizens of Russia, Dear veterans, the harshest times of war, during the fellow soldiers, family members and
tipurpose helicopters, Mi-35 attack Comrades soldiers and sailors, ser- crucial battles that determined the friends. We mourn the veterans who
helicopters of the Berkut aerobatic geants and warrant officers, midship- course of the fight against Nazism, have passed.
team, as well as a Kamov Ka-52 as- men and sergeant majors, Comrades our nation was alone on the toil- I ask for a minute of silence.
sault helicopter and a Ka-52 Alligator officers, generals and admirals, some, heroic and self-sacrificing road (A minute of silence begins.)
10 RUSSIAN MIND – JUNE 2021 RUSSIAN MIND – JUNE 2021 11
RUSSIA
made to deploy a large part of Nazi
ideology and the ideas of those who
were obsessed with the delusional
theory of their own supremacy.
This ideology is not only supported
DAY OF REMEMBRANCE
by radicals and international terror-
ist groups of all kinds. Today we are
witnessing the surviving members of
AND SORROW
those killing squads and their follow- The Day of Remembrance and Sorrow (The Day of National Remembrance
ers trying to rewrite history and jus- of the Victims of the Great Patriotic War) is observed annually on June 22
tify the traitors and criminals whose
hands are smeared with the blood of
hundreds of thousands of civilians.
Our people know too well how
this can end. Every single family in
J une 22, 1941 is one
of the saddest dates
in the history of Rus-
our country cherishes the sacred sia – it is the day the
memory of those who fought for Great Patriotic War be-
our Victory and we will always be gan, when the troops of
Friends, kindness and charity that has been proud of their feats. Germany and its allies
This year, we celebrate 80 years inherent to our national character Russia is consistently defending invaded the territory of
since the beginning of the Great Pa- since the earliest times. international law while continuing to the USSR.
triotic War. This power was manifested in the protect our national interests and the On June 8, 1998, ac-
June 22, 1941, is one of the most heroism of doctors and nurses who security of our people. cording to the decree of
tragic dates in our history. An en- saved the wounded and fought for Our guarantees are the glorious the President of Russia,
emy attacked our country and in- every life in the trenches, in the heat Russian Armed Forces, descend- the day of June 22 was
vaded our land to kill and to spread of battle, and in hospitals on the ants of the victorious troops, and, of declared the “Day of
death and pain, horror and immeas- frontline and on the home front. course, our joint efforts for the sake Remembrance and Sor-
urable suffering. Back then, in 1941there were still of our country’s development and row”.
This enemy not only wanted to four years of the most violent war the wellbeing of Russian families. This day reminds of
overthrow the Soviet political system ahead. That war was a strike at our fu- Our veterans, their fates and loyal- all those who died in
but also to destroy us as a state, as a ture, our youth, our youngest gener- ty to the Motherland is the example battles, were tortured
nation and wipe our peoples off the ation and, therefore, those who were we follow. It is the summit that we to death in Nazi cap-
face of the earth. never to be born. must strive for while reaffirming the tivity, who died in the
We responded to the invasion by The war brought upon us so many significance and the value of the great rear from hunger and
the Nazi hordes with a united, for- unbearable ordeals, grief and tears Victory in our thoughts and deeds, hardship. We mourn all
midable and unstoppable determi- that it is impossible to forget. Those in our present and future endeavours those victims who, at the expense of Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as in ships of the Russian Navy, flags with
nation to repel that invasion, to do who are plotting new aggressions for the sake of our Fatherland. their lives, fulfilled their sacred duty, a vast ocean. crape bands are displayed on residen-
everything in our power for the ene- cannot be forgiven or justified. Glory to the victorious nation! defending their Fatherland during In a severe bloody war, the Soviet tial buildings. Entertainment events
my to be defeated and for the crimi- It has been almost 100 years since Happy Victory Day! the iron years of war. people made a decisive contribution and programs are canceled in cultur-
nals and murderers to receive inevita- the time when the abominable Nazi Hurrah! In the early morning of June 22, to the liberation of the peoples of al institutions, on the television and
ble and just punishment. beast was gaining insolence and en.kremlin.ru 1941, without declaring war, the Europe from fascist domination and radio, throughout the day.
The Soviet people fulfilled their predatory strength in Nazi German armed forces attacked to the defeat of Hitler’s troops. On Commemorative events are held
sacred oath, defended their Mother- Central Europe. The the borders of the Soviet Union, car- May 8, 1945, the final Instrument all over the country, flowers and flow-
land and liberated Europe from the slogans of racial and rying out a massive blow on military of unconditional surrender of Nazi er tributes are laid at the monuments
‘brown plague’. ethnic supremacy, an- and strategic targets and multiple cit- Germany and its armed forces was of the Great Patriotic War, the Can-
The Soviet people issued a histor- ti-Semitism and Russo- ies. So the Great Patriotic War began, signed. dle of Memory action is held. This
ic verdict to Nazism with the power phobia were becoming which lasted 1418 days and nights, The Great Patriotic War ended in day is especially remembered in the
of their weapons on battlefields and more and more cynical. where the USSR lost about 27 mil- victory for the USSR, but at what military units of the Armed Forces of
with their moral strength and right- Agreements designed lion people, but was able to hold out cost?! At the cost of human suffering the Russian Federation.
eousness, the self-sacrificing bravery to stop the landslide to- against the fire of the enemy. and huge losses that fell to the lot of In the post-Soviet states, on June
of soldiers’ mothers and the faith- wards a world war were The Great Patriotic War was part – the Soviet people. 22, national flags are also lowered
fulness of those who waited, every easily broken off. and the main content – of the entire On this day, national flags are low- and various solemn and memorable
day, for a message from the frontline History demands that Second World War involving more ered on public buildings in the ter- events are held with the lighting of
from their loved ones. The Soviet we learn from it. Unfor- than 60 states. The hostilities were ritory of the Russian Federation, St. candles, laying of flowers at monu-
people won thanks to the power of tunately, attempts are conducted over extensive areas of Andrew’s flags are lowered on the ments and memorials.
12 RUSSIAN MIND – JUNE 2021 RUSSIAN MIND – JUNE 2021 13
HISTORY
Square were prohibited to be heard – ing. The opposite side of the platform and blizzard, the air part had to be
no marches, no drumming or fanfare had already had a 10-carriage train, cancelled.
THE MILITARY PARADE allowed. The country’s leadership
feared that those sounds could alert
Muscovites and cause panic. So re-
which housed the orchestra, cloak
and refreshment rooms, and a re-
cording studio.
People were ready for any turn of
events. In case of the Red Square
bombing, 35 medical points were on
OF 7 NOVEMBER 1941 hearsals were held in Khamovniki, in
the arena to hold horse race. Deputy
People’s Commissar of Defence of
‘Our cause is just, so we will win!’,
the slogan was announced all over
the country from Mayakovskaya
duty, including ambulances, five emer-
gency relief crews, 15 firefighters and
other special machinery to eliminate
the USSR Marshal Semyon Budyon- metro station. the consequences of fires, buildings,
ny came there, too. He tamed his Only after the formal meeting, gas and electric networks destruction.
horse to the sounds of marches and around 11:00 pm, the parade com- The parade was opened by cadets
even gave instructions about the or- mander Pavel Artemyev told the of the 1st Moscow Krasin Red Ban-
chestra’s repertoire. He was supposed unit commanders about their par- ner Artillery School to Chernetsky’s
to review troops. ticipation in the military parade on march ‘Parade’. The cavalry paraded
Lieutenant General Pavel Arte- the Red Square. There were only 10 to the sounds of ‘Cavalry Trot’.
myev, a commander of the Moscow hours left. The whole world heard the radio
military district and the Moscow The parade was supposed to last 1 broadcast from the Red Square, with
defense zone was entrusted to com- hour 1 minute and 20 seconds, ac- famous Soviet radio commentator and
mand the parade. cording to preliminary calculation. journalist Vadim Sinyavsky reporting.
Formal meeting of the Moscow By 08:00 am (for security reasons, The fearlessness and courage of the
City Council, dedicated to the 24th it was decided to shift the start an Russian people were highly appreci-
anniversary of October Revolution, hour back), the entire territory from ated in the world. The UK newspaper
was scheduled for 6 November. It the Moskvoretsky Bridge to the His- The News Chronicle wrote: ‘The ar-
took place not in the Bolshoi Theatre, torical Museum was occupied with rangement of a traditional parade in
which by that time had already been troops. 28,467 people (infantry, Moscow at a time when there were hot
mined, but at Mayakovskaya metro cavalry, riflemen, machine gunners, battles on the outskirts of the city is a
station. Its lobby held 2,000 people. tankers and militia) took part in the great example of courage and bravery.’
Increased security was arranged, event. It featured 296 machine guns, And the Daily Mail praised the mil-
A column of tanks runs along the Red Square during the military parade dedicated to the celebration of the 24th with a loudspeaker radio system in- 18 mortars, 12 anti-aircraft machine itary parade on 7 November 1941 as
anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution. Photo by V. Malyshev. 7 November 1941. Main Archive Department stalled. guns, 12 small-caliber and 128 me- ‘one of the most brilliant displays of
of Moscow. On 6 November, a special 10-car- dium and high power guns, and 160 courage and confidence that has ever
riage train was formed at Beloruss- tanks (70 BT-7, 48 T-60, 40 T-34, taken place during the war’.
80 years ago, at the height of
fighting for Moscow, the
legendary military parade of 1941
On 28 October, the decision to The main condition of preparation
hold the parade was made at a meet- for the parade was strict confidence:
ing with the members of the Politbu- the brass band rehearsals on the Red
kaya metro station, which arrived
with the USSR’s leaders at Mayak-
ovskaya five minutes before the meet-
two KV).
300 aircraft were supposed to par-
ticipate, but due to a heavy snowfall
The official portal of the Moscow Mayor
and Moscow Government
was held on the Red Square. On 7 reau and military commanders. At
November, some 3,000 soldiers, Su- first, when it was proposed to hold a
vorov Military College students and military parade, everyone fell silent,
cadet detachments marched on the but after a pause there was a unani-
Red Square. mous ‘Yes, sure, it will raise the spirits
The military parade on the Red of the troops and the rear!’. Prepara-
Square on 7 November was a tradi- tions for the solemn march began.
tion and the chief event of the Revo- On 2 November, the author of the
lution anniversary’s celebration. But famous march ‘Farewell of Slavianka’,
in 1941, when the Nazi troops were bandmaster of Dzerzhinsky division
rapidly advancing through the terri- Vasily Agapkin, was announced to
tory of the Soviet Union, the country be appointed chief conductor of the
was not up to it. parade and given the task to collect
Late October and early November a combined orchestra. By the time,
of 1941 were, perhaps, the hardest most of the musicians from the full-
days for Moscow. An evacuation of time combined orchestra went to
industrial enterprises was underway, the military units of the garrison, the
with bridges and factories mined, others joined the front. An orchestra
and the enemy located in 70–100 km from Gorky (now Nizhny Novgo- Party and Government leaders on the Lenin Mausoleum’s podium during the military parade Photo by V. Malyshev.
from the Moscow centre. rod) came to the rescue. 7 November 1941. Main Archive Department of Moscow.
14 RUSSIAN MIND – JUNE 2021 RUSSIAN MIND – JUNE 2021 15
HISTORY
THE BATTLE
FOR STALINGRAD
HARIS GAZDAR
T he Battle for Stalingrad became
a symbol for heroism, sacrifice,
bloodletting, tenacity, ruthless-
his generals, why would they choose but of the people of the occupied
to extend their supply lines even fur- land. What seems, with the benefit
ther to the east? of hindsight, like an ill-thought and
ness and tragedy all in good meas- To the extent that Hitler’s politics, suicidal lunge to the east was no
ure. There is much in the story that as laid out by him in Mein Kampf, “mission creep”. It was a primary aim
continues to fascinate students of were in the driving seat, we have an of Nazi Germany’s war.
warfare: one of the largest tank bat- answer. Race was the predominant In his book, Hitler set out his po-
tles ever fought, strategic blunders theme. Two groups were singled out sition in favour of Lebensraum com-
and masterstrokes, a personal duel as inexorable enemies of the noble pared with the policy of seeking col-
between Hitler and Stalin, the bril- Aryan: the “cunning parasitic Jew” onies in Africa and Asia. He argued
liance of General Zhukov, but above and the “subhuman Slav”. A central against an overseas colonial policy,
all, “a psychological turning point” of tenet of foreign policy was to create not because he thought it was out-
the Second World War. living space or Lebensraum for Ger- moded and collapsing, but because
After a series of spectacular suc- mans by annexing Poland, Ukraine he believed that it was firmly en-
cesses against ill-prepared Soviet and Russia for settler colonisation. trenched. A racial empire was there to
defenders, Nazi German forces at- The inhabitants of these lands would stay, it would be difficult for anyone,
tempted to take Moscow in Novem- either be deported or turned into let alone the natives themselves, to
ber 1941. Their progress ground slave labour for German settlers. dislodge England from its colonies: Center of Stalingrad after liberation
down, however, and by December With expanded territory and resourc- “England will never lose India un-
they were forced to abandon the at- es, Germany could truly become a less she admits racial disruption in land. And, apart from all this, I as a afford the strongest confirmation of Hitler’s shrill and frantic articulation
tack. In the meanwhile, things had “World Power” so that the Aryan the machinery of her administration German would far rather see India the nationalist theory of race.” of these ideas had closed off the pos-
gone well for them in the south, and race could takes its “rightful place as (which at present is entirely out of under British domination than under While Hitler admired England’s ra- sibility of a more cold-headed assess-
having captured the main grain pro- the builder of civilisation”. the question in India) or unless she that of any other nation. cially-ordered colonial system, it was ment of ground realities.
ducing areas of the Ukraine and Rus- Some wartime commentators is overcome by the sword of some “The hopes of an epic rising in the other contemporary landgrab Hitler’s forces were not just trapped
sia, Hitler decided to make a lunge in the west argued that Hitler had powerful enemy. But Indian risings Egypt were just as chimerical. The which was seen as the more appro- by the Soviet strategy of retreating
for Caspian Sea oil. Stalingrad was abandoned his plans of Mein Kampf, will never bring this about. We Ger- ‘Holy War’ may bring the pleasing priate model for German expansion- before the Nazi German advance,
the gateway to Baku. This decision which was published in 1925, in fa- mans have had sufficient experience illusion to our German nincom- ism. America’s Manifest Destiny had while keeping the bulk of their mili-
more or less sealed the fate of the war vour of a more ‘conventional’ aim of to know how hard it is to coerce Eng- poops that others are now ready to come to final fruition in 1890 with tary strength in secret reserve. They
in Russia. From the military point of replacing the Bolshe- shed their blood for them. Indeed, the end of armed resistance by the were also trapped on the wrong side
view, there would be a turning point, vik government with this cowardly speculation is almost native peoples at Wounded Knee. of history.
if not in Stalingrad, then somewhere a collaborationist re- always the father of such hopes. But The moral and strategic arguments The Battle of Stalingrad was a turn-
else along this route. Stalin appears gime, like the Vichy in in reality the illusion would soon for the landgrab to the east were ing point in the practice of empire.
to have understood this, decided that France. The conduct be brought to an end under the one and the same. A superior race Racially-ordered settler colonialism,
the stand will be made at the city of the war in the east fusillade from a few companies of deserved resources it could fight to which was at its apogee when Hitler’s
named after him, and gave General formalised under new British machine-guns and a hail of take. Just as Indians and Egyptians ideas were formed, and which had
Zhukov the task of laying a trap and rules of engagement British bombs.” could not overthrow the English, and seemed feasible enough at the start
then closing it. such as the notorious The Soviet Union, however, was a the native peoples could not resist of Nazi Germany’s war in the east,
But how did Hitler’s forces allow Commissar and Juris- different proposition altogether: the United States, so the ‘Jewish-Bol- went into unstoppable retreat, with
themselves to get ‘trapped’ so deep diction Orders, how- “This colossal Empire in the East is shevik cabal’, by violently removing perhaps one or two notable excep-
into Russia, at the far end of Europe? ever, made it clear that ripe for dissolution. And the end of the German blood line of the Tsars, tions remaining. The British Empire
If the fate of Napoleon’s armies in Hitler saw this as a the Jewish domination in Russia will had left the lands of the Slavs ready ended, India and Egypt became in-
the winter of 1812 at the hands of “war of annihilation”, also be the end of Russia as a State. for the picking. While racial suprem- dependent, and Germany emerged
the Russian expanse and winter had not just of the “Jew- The German Advance on Stalingrad September We are chosen by Destiny to be the acy and territorial hunger were not as a world power without any further
preyed upon the minds of Hitler and ish-Bolshevik” regime, 1942 witnesses of a catastrophe which will the sole preserves of Nazi Germany, need for Lebensraum.
16 RUSSIAN MIND – JUNE 2021 RUSSIAN MIND – JUNE 2021 17
HISTORY SOCIETY
FIELD KITCHENS VIRTUAL EXHIBITION
MARIA AFONINA
“WRITER’S COMPANY”
YULIA KA ZAKOVA
F rontline cooks demon-
strated incredible creativ-
ity to give soldiers a high-cal-
orie and varied diet. Here is
a look at the clever culinary
tricks they employed, ac-
cording to Russia Beyond.
Meals for soldiers were
prepared using field kitchens.
Just like the field bakeries that
were used for baking bread,
these kitchens first appeared
at the end of the 19th cen-
tury. They were placed on
a wheeled trailer or on the
back of a flatbed lorry, and
consisted of several cauldrons
(between one and four) and
a compartment to store food
and kitchen utensils.
Field kitchens used firewood, and The daily rations for Red Army onions. These foods were supposed
in order to conceal the smoke from soldiers and unit commanders was to prevent scurvy and compensated
the enemy the food had to be pre-
pared early in the morning before
sunrise and in the evening after dark.
adopted on Sept. 12, 1941, and
consisted of a specific list of food-
stuffs: bread (800–900g), second
for the shortage of oxygen on board.
Sailors received rusks.
Small vessels could bake bread on
I n May on the occasion of the 80th
anniversary of the beginning of the
Great Patriotic War and the 76th anni-
22nd regiment of the Krasnopresn-
enskaya people’s militia.
Members of the movement took
ed, and the writers shifted to the
editorial committees of central and
front-line newspapers.
It took 40 minutes to boil water in a grade wheat flour (20g), groats shore, and large ships had special versary of the Great Victory, the Rus- part in the battles near Smolensk. “Writers’ Company” occupies a sep-
cauldron, three hours to prepare a (140g), macaroni (30g), meat stoves. sian House in Brussels presents a virtu- After leaving Yelnya’s entourage, the arate place at the military exhibition at
two-course lunch, and an hour and (150g), fish (100g), combined fats Towards the end of the war the al exhibition “Writers’ Company”. “writers’ companies” were disband- the State Literary Museum. The expo-
a half to prepare dinner. At night the and lard (30g), as well as vegetable food situation worsened, so rations The exposition is dedicated to the sition conveys the life path of writers
kitchen was very busy: potatoes were oil, sugar, tea, salt and vegetables were cut. participation of Soviet writers in the and war correspondents who captured
peeled and cauldrons were washed. (potatoes, cabbage, carrots, beet- Cooks did what they could to vary Second World War. It was based on ma- the history on the pages. Basically, for-
At the start of World War II most root, onion and herbs). the rations, which became increasing- terials from the collection of the State mer journalists become writers, but
cooks were women. Oddly enough, there were also to- ly meagre towards the end of the war. Museum of the History of Russian Lit- the path of the “writers’ company” was
Delivering the food was another bacco rations (20g daily) and rations For instance, they made carrot tea by erature named after V. I. Dal. Photos, different – the war forced writers to be-
challenge, and soldiers had to carry for matches (three boxes a month). grating carrots, and then boiled it with autographs, documents convey the dai- come journalists.
the heavy cauldrons with food from Non-smoking women received but- Laetiporus sulphureus tree fungus. The ly routine of writers in wartime. The editor-in-chief of Krasnaya Zvez-
the field kitchen to the frontlines via ter, biscuits and chocolate. carrot gave the infusion a sweetish taste The Writers’ Company joined the da D. Ortenberg began the practice of
trenches, risking their lives. The main The menu for pilots was more and the fungus a pleasant dark hue. main forces in the first weeks of the recruiting writers to work in the news-
dish served was kulesh – soup made varied and higher in calories. In ad- Closer to the end of the war in war. In the Krasnopresnensky dis- paper. Among the war correspond-
of millet to which other ingredients, dition to basic daily rations they re- the spring of 1944 the Soviet army trict of Moscow, a detachment of ents of those years were A. Platonov,
for example lard or vegetables, could ceived fresh or condensed milk, cot- received cornmeal from the allies. the people’s militia gathered to join K. Simonov, V. Grossman, A. Beck,
be added. Also, field kitchens also tage cheese, sour cream, eggs, butter Some cooks did not know what to do the hostilities. The Union of Soviet E. Petrov, M. Sholokhov, O. Berggolts,
served popular Russian soups such and cheese, as well as fruit extract with it and added it to bread, causing Writers, the Literary Fund and the V. Vishnevsky, I. Ehrenburg, V. Ka-
as borsch and shchi (cabbage soup), and dried fruit. it to become crumbly and quickly Literary Institute were located not verin, L. Slavin, A. Gaidar, Y. Krymov,
as well as stewed potatoes and buck- Submariners also had special ad- stale. This naturally angered the men. far from each other. Writers felt their S. Gudzenko, Y. Levitansky, P. Blyakhin,
wheat with boiled or stewed beef or ditions to their diet: red wine, sau- Other cooks, however, realized that calling and could not stand aside. So, A. Stein, A. Kron, N. Tikhonov, A. Tark-
canned food. erkraut, salted cucumbers and raw they could make flatbread out of it. two “writers’ companies” joined the ovsky, M. Svetlov and others.
18 RUSSIAN MIND – JUNE 2021 RUSSIAN MIND – JUNE 2021 19You can also read
