The Great Patriotic War
Military Life
(1941-1945)

 
This section will feature pictures, history, stories, and other facets of Red Army military life during the period between 1941 and 1945. Currently we have very few things here, but more will be added as time permits.

   

  

Soviet Military Statistics

The Great Patriotic war saw the Red Army grow from a small self defense force into the largest army on Earth.

After the German invasion all able bodied men who were not employed in critical defense industries found themselves eligible for conscription.  Many young men and women volunteered for service.  The war would prove difficult.  At first units were forbidden to surrender or even withdraw to regroup.  This led to tremendous loss of life. Despite this, there were many heroic defensive actions.

By 1943 new tactics that emphasized large envelopments were used.  Marshal Zhukov executed many such attacks.  This change in doctrine enabled the Red Army to capture large numbers of German forces with fewer losses.  Still, the soldiers, sailors, and airmen of the Red Army would sustain casualties that no other army could endure before victory would be theirs.

Year

Strength of Armed Forces

1941

_,___,___

1942

_,___,___

1943

_,___,___
1944 _,___,___

1945

_,___,___

   

An NKVD Identification Document

Here we have an identification document for _____ ______.  She was issued it in 1941.  To the right you can see a faint impression of the Soviet state seal, and at the bottom you can make out the numbers 1941g.

The picture below shows more details about the identification book, including a photograph of the recipient.

 

    

Red Army Document for a Soldier Killed in Action

Here we have a document that states that Regimental Commander Major Mikhail Moissevitch Svinariov was killed in action.  It is dated 1942.  Sadly notices like these would become all too common..

  

The Propaganda War

The war against the forces of Nazi Germany was not fought only with bullets, bayonets, and shells.  It was just as important to break the will of the German solider.  The propaganda flyer below was one way of doing this.  The flyer tells the Germans of failed Nazi offensives and the futility of continuing to fight.  It also encourages them to surrender by using this leaflet as a safe pass that will allow them to reach the safety of Russian lines unharmed.

 

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Great Patriotic War