For a long time, it was not customary to talk about the amount of material remuneration for Red Army soldiers during the Second World War. The emphasis has always been on receiving moral incentives: medals, orders, award stars. It was not customary to talk about the fact that front-line soldiers received wages. During the Second World War, Soviet soldiers and officers received quite normal money for that time.
Who received the smallest salary
Just a few weeks after the start of the war, in the summer of 1941, I.V. Stalin signed a decree on material rewards for military personnel who completed the task well. Russian pilots began to bomb the German capital. Already in August, the entire crew who fought on German territory received a salary of 2,000 rubles. Such payments have become permanent. Over time, in 1943, remuneration became differentiated: payments to crew members ranged from 500 rubles to 1000, the commander, on-board technician and navigator received 2000.
The smallest amount of material reward was given to ordinary shooters: 17 rubles monthly. Interestingly, the sniper did not receive additional payments for each German he shot. He only had the opportunity to receive the rank of sergeant, which entailed an increase in salary. The salary of a sniper who received this rank and fought for three years could reach up to 200 rubles monthly. This is twice the salary of an ordinary soldier.
The salary increase did not stimulate much, because the sniper profession is very dangerous. Few of its representatives lived this period. Interesting fact: The average life expectancy of a soldier on the front line is one and a half months, a platoon commander is a week. During the offensive, the infantry regiment ceased to exist within a day due to a complete loss of strength.
The size of the salary was directly dependent on both the position and rank. For example, a fighter pilot who is a hero Soviet Union and having the rank of sergeant received up to 2000 rubles. This is twice as much as the allowance of a platoon or battalion commander. The amount of their remuneration ranged from 800 to 1100 rubles. This happened because the pilot received numerous bonuses for the title of Hero, every flight and front-line service.
Partisans also sometimes received money for their activities. This concerned, however, not everyone, but only the leaders of the formations included in the Central Headquarters partisan movement. If the partisans acted without being accounted for, they were not entitled to allowance. Partisan platoon commanders were paid from 500 to 750 rubles. They could also receive bonuses, for example, if they managed to disable a unit of enemy equipment. The more serious the loss for the Germans, the greater the increase the partisans could receive.
During the war, a separate item of expenditure was allocated in the country's budget for additional payments for destroyed equipment: airplanes, ships, and other vehicles.
Ships are the most expensive
The navigator and commander of a ship of the Soviet army who destroyed an enemy destroyer or submarine received a reward of 10,000 rubles. Each crew member was rewarded with 2.5 thousand. Further, in descending order, the destruction of German transport ships (3000 for the commander and 1000 crew members), patrol boats (2000 and 500 rubles, respectively), and tugboats (1000 and 300 rubles additional payment) were rewarded.
A destroyed tank was cheaper for the country. In case of success and the complete destruction of a piece of German equipment, the commander and gunner received 500 rubles each, the rest of the crew - 200 each. It should be noted that many artillerymen never saw this money, having died on the battlefield.
What to spend the money on?
The activities of Voentorg involved the operation of auto shops that traveled to the front line and offered soldiers everyday goods: razors, threads, needles, paper, envelopes, pencils, tooth powder, postcards, combs, brushes and many other small items.
In total, there were about 600 vehicles that delivered essential goods to the front. Each shop had a salesperson on staff, a peddler whose task was to deliver goods directly to the front line. They also sold parcels containing goods that were in high demand. Their price was fixed at 2000 rubles. During the war, auto stores sold more than 5,000 of these kits.
The wartime pricing policy was extremely harsh. If a bottle of vodka bought in Voentorg cost 11 rubles 40 kopecks, then in the rear it already cost 800. Compared to pre-war prices, everything became about 10 times more expensive. So, a loaf of bread in the city could cost 500 rubles. Based on this, many military personnel sent their money certificates to their families because the help was simply necessary.
For the Germans - only rewards
Hitler did not show generosity in terms of rewarding his subjects, even the most distinguished, for their military merits. All that German soldiers could count on was orders for destroyed Soviet equipment. At the end of the war, a serviceman who knocked out a Russian tank could receive additional leave or a food parcel from his wife and children.
After the war
After the end of hostilities, payments to the demobilized continued. Privates received an annual salary for each year of service, sergeants and foremen received fixed amounts - from 300 to 900 rubles. Officers who served for a year received the same amount per month as for two months at the front, and those who served for two years had a post-war allowance in the amount of three monthly salaries.
The families of the dead and those unable to work also paid. Payments depended on the rank and position of the dead or wounded: from 100 rubles for a dead private to 50,000 for a dead general.
During the Great Patriotic War The defenders of the country received monthly allowances for deposit books. But, as it now turns out, most
The money earned with blood in the battle for the Motherland was never given to their owners.
Mikhail CHEREPANOV, head of the Great Patriotic War Museum-Memorial in the Kazan Kremlin:
- Why did I take on this? The fact is that information about the existence of such loose-leaf books was published before me. But for some reason no one paid attention to the fact that we are talking not just about deposits, but about the salaries of soldiers and officers during the war. This salary was not paid in cash, but was transferred to deposit books. There is information that such books began to be opened at the beginning of 1942. And by January 1, 1943, already 70% of the soldiers and officers of the Red Army received their allowance not in cash, but by “bank transfer”. The salary of a private was on average from 10 to 17 rubles. A sergeant received 20 rubles or more, a lieutenant received 200 rubles or more. I saw the documents of one lieutenant to whom 650 rubles were transferred monthly. In addition to wages, each defender of the Motherland was awarded monthly 10 rubles for an order and 5 rubles for each medal on the same deposit books. Thus, considerable money was transferred to the Red Army soldiers, considering that the average salary in the country at that time was 440 rubles.
Historical reference
Secretary of the State Council of the Republic of Tatarstan L.N. Mavrin to deputies:
- In 1942, field institutions of the USSR State Bank were created within the structure of the People's Commissariat of Defense of the USSR. Military personnel were given "deposit books" on which their salaries were calculated. In the event of the death of a soldier or his disappearance, the accrual of wages stopped, and his current account number had to be reported to the military registration and enlistment office at the place of his residence, from where he was drafted. This was done in order to provide the soldier’s family with a pension. However, in practice, most of the amounts remained unclaimed. Deposit books are kept in the funds of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, and deposits are kept in the account of the Krasnoarmeysky field office of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation in Moscow.
If an heir is found, he can receive this amount with interest and annual indexation. According to the letter of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation dated September 22, 1993 No. 55 “On conducting operations with field institutions of the Central Bank Russian Federation for military personnel's deposits, the heirs are the persons to whom the deposits are bequeathed and persons recognized
heirs at law. In the absence of a testamentary disposition, the contribution of the deceased investor passes to the heirs by law, provided that their inheritance rights are confirmed by a certificate of a notarial authority on the right of inheritance.
Missing people are cheaper
A colleague from Arkhangelsk, Igor Ivlev, author of the website Soldat.ru, shared information about soldiers’ deposit books, most of which were never issued to the winners, with Cherepanov. Trying to find a way to transfer millions of people from “missing in action” to “killed at the front,” he discovered that those same deposit books would help do this. After all, it was in them that the place and time of service of the soldier were recorded. And salaries stopped accruing after death or missing warrior.
“Then it’s a matter of technology,” Mikhail Valerievich is sure. - Germany declassified its archives long ago, and our security services have information about those Soviet soldiers who betrayed their homeland and collaborated with the Germans. After all, in comparison with millions, there are only a few of them. The rest should be considered already dead and the relatives should be given at least the moral right to light candles for the repose. Moreover, with the help of loose-leaf books, it is possible to establish the approximate place of death of soldiers considered missing. Look at the time when they stopped transferring wages, and determine where the unit in which the soldier served was located at that time. But they did not and do not do this! Why? We asked ourselves this question and came to conclusions that shocked us.
The fact is that the missing cost the state much less than the dead.
Judge for yourself. If a person went missing, the widow was given a minimum pension - 12 rubles per month. This amount was paid regardless of the number of orphans or the presence of the soldier’s parents, who could be dependent on the same widow. But if a warrior died, then his pension was already in the amount of his salary.
Mikhail Cherepanov gave an example. The widow of the Kazan lieutenant Pyotr Kalashnikov, who went missing, received, like everyone else, 12 rubles a month as a survivor's pension. And in 1949, she learned from bank employees about the existence of his deposit book. She made a request, and they gave her 9,400 rubles from his account. They also recalculated the woman’s pension, which increased to 220 rubles (this is exactly the salary her husband was paid at the front).
“Now imagine,” the historian concludes. - If those who are listed as missing at the front are considered dead, then all widows need to recalculate their pensions for 70 years, not to mention the issuance of deposits. What a lot of money!
Who signed for the front-line soldier?
This question is quite natural, Mikhail Cherepanov is sure and tells an example from his life. Recently, one of his veteran acquaintances tried to find out how much money he had in that same deposit book. The answer was unexpected: he allegedly received the entire amount due in 1952. They showed the front-line soldier a painting that didn’t look like him at all.
“It is not surprising that the Department of Field Institutions, in a letter to the Chairman of the National Bank of the Republic of Tatarstan, Bogachev, assures that after the war, 90% of deposits were received in the prescribed manner,” the interlocutor says. - The Department also writes that there is money, but it’s pennies, which will not compensate for your expenses for lawyers, courts and trips to Moscow (for some reason, keeping silent that if the case is won, not the plaintiff, but the defendant - or rather the bank - will bear all these expenses). I would like to support our Bogachev in his initiative to consider the amounts remaining in the accounts of the Red Army soldiers, not in formal rubles at 1952 prices, but as the amount of SALARY for a private and a commander in combat conditions. If a private has 400 rubles left, this is the same 40 monthly salary. It is necessary to recalculate them to the SALARY of today's military personnel in combat conditions. And plus the same interest.
Yes, don’t forget the moral damage caused to military families who were left without earned money for 70 years. After all, the fact that this money was not paid to the widows is not the fault of the widows themselves, but of specific financiers and military leaders. Now let them return the same salaries with interest and payment for moral damage to the widows and children of military personnel. And not only those who died at the front, but also those who returned from the front, but never received their money from these deposits.
I don’t know what the bankers are hoping for, because the war veterans themselves are still alive and they can completely refute the statement that “after the end of the war, more than 90% of the deposits were received in the prescribed manner.”
Death for the Motherland was valued at three kopecks
The inheritance is already being given out. Mikhail Cherepanov does not advise hoping that it is easy to knock out money belonging to our grandfathers. On the contrary, only the most patient, legally savvy, with the support of good lawyers, or simply those who are closer to the body - various bank employees - achieve success. By the way, residents of Tatarstan turn to the representative office of the republic in Moscow for help, and they are not denied help there.
- There is a fact that a bank employee in Moscow was paid 3 million rubles of her father’s money and moral damages in court (you need to go to the Moscow City Court). He had 1,800 rubles of that same front-line salary in his account. But, having knocked out the inheritance, the heiress gave a receipt for non-disclosure of the method of recounting the money. All other precedents are also classified. Only those who applied to the Krasnoarmeyskoye Field Institution on their own, without going through the courts, speak openly about their success. True, the outcome of the case cannot be called a success. The grandson of one veteran showed me a medallion on a cord - three kopecks from the war years, which he bought with a thousand rubles, given to him from his grandfather’s deposit book as an inheritance without any recalculation. Like this! Our soldiers died for three kopecks!
Who should fight for the front-line inheritance?
Mikhail Cherepanov listed the categories of possible legitimate contenders:
- Firstly, these are the veterans themselves, if they remember well that they did not receive the salary that accumulated in their deposit books during the war years. Surely most did not receive it. I recently spoke with our Hero of the Soviet Union Akhtyamov. He remembered exactly: “My mother received a thousand rubles for two tanks I knocked out. And I knocked out six of them. I didn’t bring any salary from the front.”
And recently an angry 90-year-old pilot came to me. “Why are you slandering us?! Did we ask for money for defending our Motherland? I was a pilot throughout the war, I didn’t receive a ruble!” I explained to him that even in the penal battalion they received 8 rubles, or rather, they transferred this amount to the same deposit books. Then we found out that he had orders and medals, and they didn’t pay anything for them either.
Widows are also entitled to receive money.
Children, if the widows are no longer alive. Then brothers and sisters, grandchildren, nephews, stepsons and stepdaughters.
Now we can talk about the fact that the same “salary” books were not issued to the majority of veterans of subsequent military operations: in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Cherepanov is sure. And all questions to the same Field Institution "Krasnoarmeiskoye".
“In 2003, the military prosecutor’s office of the Russian Federation took up the issue,” says Mikhail Valerievich. “She received such letters from widows and children of those killed in Chechnya, who asked where the salaries of their husbands and the pensions of orphaned children were. It turned out that 118 million rubles were lost completely by accident. True, after the prosecutor's intervention, 200 deposit books with money were given to their legal heirs. “Afghans” and “Chechens” and “Vietnamese” come up to me. They do not remember receiving money after the fighting.
Cheat sheet No. 1
If a soldier returns from the front
1. Find a military ID or a Red Army veteran’s book. Obtain from the military registration and enlistment office that called him up a certificate of his participation in hostilities, indicating the military unit and terms.
2. If to today the veteran has already died - make a copy of his death certificate and have it certified by a notary.
3. Make copies of documents confirming your relationship to the veteran: birth certificates (if married, marriage certificates), passports.
Have them certified by a notary.
4. Write an application:
To the Field Office Manager
"Krasnoarmeyskoe"
from the full name residing at: ____, son
(or other) Red Army soldier Full name
statement.
Please provide me with information about the presence of a deposit (payment) book in the name of my father (grandfather), full name and the amount of the accumulated deposit.
Year of birth of father (grandfather): ..... Place of birth:...
Mobilized to the front by the military registration and enlistment office... of the region. Rank:
Place of service: ... rifle regiment, ... rifle division(or field mail No....) I attach copies of documents on the relationship to (full name).
Thank you in advance for the information provided.
Signature. Number.
Over the years, you understand that any war is not only about guns, tanks, shells and everything else, without which you cannot fight, but also about feeding the soldiers. On the eve of our bright holiday - the Day Great Victory We are trying to figure out how they were fed.
What did calories consist of on the Soviet-German front?
Nutrition standards for soldiers and commanders of the Red Army in wartime were determined by Resolution of the State Defense Committee No. 662 of September 12, 1941 and introduced by order of the People's Commissariat of Defense No. 312 of September 22, 1941. A total of 10 daily allowance standards were established, depending on , where (at the front, in the rear, inside the country, in a hospital, etc.) the serviceman is located and in what branch of the Armed Forces he serves. It must be said that throughout the years of the Great Patriotic War these norms remained virtually unchanged. For the flight and technical personnel of the Air Force, they were adjusted in August 1942, and in 1943 additional food was introduced for military reconnaissance.
For military personnel of active army combat units, the food norm included: rye bread 800 g (from April to September) or 900 g (from October to March); wheat flour 2 grades 20 g; cereal 140 g; pasta 30 g; meat 150 g: fish 100 g; soy flour 15 g: shortening and lard 30 g; vegetable oil 20 g; sugar 35 g; salt 30 g; tea 1 g. Vegetables are described in detail in the order, and to half a kilogram of potatoes were added: fresh or pickled cabbage 170 g; carrots 45 g; beets 40 g; onions 30 g; roots, herbs, cucumbers: 35 g in total. Herbs and spices: tomato paste 6 g; bay leaf 0.2 g; pepper 0.3 g; vinegar 2 g; mustard powder 0.3 g. In addition, 20 g shag. And another 3 boxes of matches, 7 books of smoking paper and 200 g of soap per month. In the cold season, an additional 30 g of salted lard was added. Middle and senior command personnel also received additional rations, but they were small and did not contribute to a significant improvement in nutrition.
The established set of products for the front line did not change so much in comparison with how the Red Army soldiers were fed in peacetime: wheat bread disappeared, the ratio of animal and vegetable fats changed, and even more meat and fish were supplied.
The calorie content of this food norm was 3450 kcal. We will not break down the remaining standards by product; we will report the energy value of some of them: the food standard for the rear units of the active army is 2954 kcal; for units not included in the active army - 2822 kcal; guard units and rear institutions - 2659 kcal; for military schools - 3370 kcal. The most high-calorie food was the flight crew's diet: 4712 kcal. The hospital nutritional norm is 3243 kcal.
The “barracks” (peacetime) norm of the ground forces of the German Wehrmacht was approximately equal in energy to the Soviet peacetime norm, 3600 kcal, but naturally differed in the range of products. But the front-line daily food intake was much higher in calories - 4500 kcal, and was close to the Soviet flight norm. The daily ration (Tagesration) of German soldiers consisted of two parts: cold food (Kaltverpflegung) and hot food (Warmverpflegung). The first part is those products that were given to the soldier immediately and he was free to distribute them during the day at his own discretion. It included: bread 750 g; sausage or cheese or canned fish - all 120 g; jam or artificial honey 200 g; fat (lard, margarine, butter) 60-80 g; 7 cigarettes or 2 cigars. In addition, if possible, chicken eggs, chocolate, and fruits could be given out, but standards for their issuance were not established.
To prepare hot meals it was necessary to use: a kilogram of potatoes or 250 g of other vegetables or 150 g of canned vegetables; pasta or cereal - 125 g; meat 150 g; vegetable fat 70-90 g; seasonings (salt, pepper, spices) 15 g; coffee beans 8 g and surrogate coffee or tea 10 g. Surprisingly, sugar was not included in the diet. Officially there was no alcohol, but alcohol was periodically present in the trenches. But according to the recollections of German front-line soldiers, the delivery of alcohol to the trenches often meant an upcoming offensive, which, of course, was not encouraging.
Catering
There were no detailed instructions on how to organize food in combat conditions; it was proposed to act “according to the situation,” but both warring sides tried to provide hot food after dark, so it would be easier to organize its delivery to the front line. But if in the Red Army bread was issued at once in the entire ration for the day, and with regard to hot food, the order (which they tried to follow) of two meals a day (morning and evening) was adopted, then in the Wehrmacht once a day - in the evening.
At the same time, a set of “cold foods” was given out for the coming day. Both times they tried to prepare a hot meal on the Soviet side of the front from two courses: soup and a second course, usually semi-liquid porridge with meat. The Germans have one dish and coffee. This single dish was often a mixture of vegetables and meat, something like goulash. It is quite possible that because of this front-line dish, the field kitchen in the slang of German soldiers was called Gulaschkanone, if you read it carefully, the translation forms itself: goulash cannon.
In the second echelon of the front, they tried to bring soldiers to the kitchens, so the food gets colder less, and the food can be made more varied.
One-time delivery of food to combat formations German army, I admit, to some extent, a tribute to tradition. And in peacetime there was a very hearty lunch, and breakfast consisted of coffee and bread, dinner was a little richer. I will make a guess regarding a single dish. The Red Army “was in service” with various field kitchens, including those with one boiler. But in most kitchens there were two boilers, this has been the case since the beginning of the twentieth century, with the design most common in tsarist army field kitchen created Anton Fedorovich Turchanovich . And in almost all photographs from the Second World War, German soldiers are depicted next to a kitchen with one boiler and a tank for boiling water. Rare photographs of enemy soldiers against the backdrop of “two-boiler cooking units” show the kitchens of the Austrian army, which the Wehrmacht inherited after the Anschluss, or captured ones (French, Polish, Soviet).
Eating two hot meals a day, consisting of two courses, is undoubtedly more reasonable from a physiological point of view. But having a variety of foods in a cracker bag German soldier made it easier for him to hold out between hot meals. Soviet soldier with rye bread in the duffel bag it was harder in this regard.
Nearest stocks
In the front-line units of the German ground army Each field kitchen was supposed to have a two-day supply of food for each soldier “attached” to it. The full daily emergency (iron - judging by the translation) supply (volle eiserne Portion) for one eater consisted of: 250 g of crackers; 200 g canned meat; 150 g of soup concentrate or canned sausage and 20 g of natural coffee. If it was impossible to deliver the usual ration of food to the kitchen, the commander could give the order to distribute the supply directly to the soldiers or prepare hot meals from it. In addition, each soldier had a personal NZ: 200 g of canned meat and crackers. It could only be used by order of the commander, when supplies in the kitchen were used up, or there was no hot food for more than a day.
On the Soviet side of the front, the food supplies closest to the company field kitchens were, at best, at the battalion food points, and if the companies were cut off from them, problems arose with food. Attempts to introduce NZ (canned food, crackers, lard) into the ground forces following the example of the Germans ended in nothing; the soldiers quickly found excuses to eat them ahead of time.
Packed rations and extra food
Both warring sides had so-called “dry rations” - individual food rations, issued when it was impossible to organize general meals. But in the Red Army, when using them, you definitely can’t do without cooking; just look at the composition of the approved dry rations for a soldier on the front line: 500 g of rye crackers, 200 g of concentrated millet porridge, 75 g of concentrated pea puree soup, 100 g of semi-smoked sausage, replaced by 70 g bacon, 150 g roach or feta cheese, 100 g dry fish, 113 g canned meat, 200 g herring, sugar, salt, tea.
For the rear it was reduced in almost all positions, and there was no canned meat at all. The Wehrmacht's dry rations were richer and could literally be consumed “dry.”
Additional food on the front lines in the Red Army was introduced only from the beginning of 1943 and exclusively for military reconnaissance soldiers: 15 g of sugar; 30 g lard; 100 g of bread and 100 g of vodka (the latter only on days of combat missions).
In the same year, additional food was introduced in the Wehrmacht and it was issued to units leading the offensive. Thus, tank crews were entitled to 200 g of bacon or canned pork and a special product saturated with caffeine. Separately, it is worth mentioning the 30 g of chocolate given to tank crews. “Chocolate for tankers” (Panzerschokolade) contained pervitin (methamphetamine). This is a drug whose effect is manifested in a feeling of happiness and well-being, a surge of confidence, vigor, and hyperactivity. Of course, there was not much of the drug, otherwise the person could have become uncontrollable, which is dangerous in battle, but he maintained the spirit of “rapture” in him.
Canned food and concentrates
The superiority in the use of canned and concentrated foods in the German army is noteworthy. It is impossible to say that such products were not used in the Red Army and Navy, but the basis of the military’s nutrition was natural products. Because of this, by the way, herds grazed in the Soviet front line " strategic purpose" And canned food and concentrates on the front lines were used as a replacement (150 g of meat per 112 g of canned meat; 100 g of fish per 60 g of canned fish) products from the diet. The replacement, it must be said, began to be used more and more as supplies of Lend-Lease products increased.
But for the advanced units of the Japanese army, there were two diet options - from fresh and canned foods, both took into account the characteristics of the national diet, but mixing them or partially replacing them was not allowed.
Daily dietary allowances from natural products: rice or rice with barley - 794 g; fresh meat or fish - 210 g; fresh vegetables (peas, beans; cabbage) - 610 g; salted radish - 30 g; soy sauce or miso - 48 g; salt - 14 g; sugar - 28 g; tea - 6 g. Norms from canned products: boiled dried pressed rice - 567 g; canned meat or fish - 150 g; dried or canned vegetables - 119 g; dried plums - 46 g; miso powder - 46 g; sugar, salt, tea - in the same quantities.
Explanations: miso is a preserved soybean paste traditionally used to season soups; fish meant not only it, but also other seafood of “live” origin.
When analyzing the organization of catering in the active US Army, it becomes clear what T. Hein meant when he called the Second World War a war with a can opener. Almost all Americans' food at the front consisted or was prepared from canned and concentrated foods.
Nutrition standards in the US armed forces were designated by letters. A-ration (A rations, garrison) consisted of fresh, frozen and chilled foods, including semi-finished products, food from it was prepared in stationary canteens military units. The B-ration (field) consisted of canned food and did not require special conditions storage of semi-finished products that were prepared in field kitchens. Rations were prepared for 5, 10 and 50 people. Thus, in the warehouses it was possible to compile and send to the kitchens any set of daily meals, depending on how many fighters it had to serve. Food ration "B" was rarely used directly in the trenches, more often in units near the rear.
In the trenches, soldiers were more often given “dry rations” in the full modern sense: food could be consumed either cold or preheated. It was called the C-ration and consisted of a can of canned meat, two cans of meat and vegetables (total weight of meat 12 ounces - 340 g), a can of ground canned meat, dessert (jam), lemonade concentrate (at the front it was called “battery acid”), cookies , sugar, instant coffee. In addition, the set included: spoons, a can opener, 9 cigarettes, 20 matches, instant coffee, salt, 3 chewing gums, toilet paper, water purification tablets. There were biscuits, but whenever possible they tried to provide bread as well. The composition is very similar to the modern one and is approximately equal in energy - just over 3000 kcal. In 1942, the “K-ration” was introduced; it was also called “assault”. It was a “light” dry ration both in weight and energy: 2830 kcal. Intended for units participating in offensive operations. The lack of calories was planned to be replenished in the evening, when the battle subsided, when the kitchens approached, or a “dry” ration of one meal was issued. If this did not work out, then the soldier could replenish his strength from NZ: concentrated chocolate, including with additives.
There were also food sets for special conditions: a “jungle” diet (4000 kcal) and a “high mountain” diet (4800 kcal).
Birth of a new industry
The lack of food concentrates and shelf-stable products that do not require complex preparation in supplying the army became apparent from the first days of the Great Patriotic War. This is partly due to the repurposing of some food enterprises in the rear for the production of food concentrates. A department for the production of concentrates was created in the department of Glavkonserv of the People's Commissariat for Food Industry. After the end of the war, factories began to be built in our country aimed at producing them. But the food concentrate industry within a single food industry She was born in our country during the Great War.
Proper and regular nutrition in battle is a factor in combat effectiveness. A hungry, emaciated soldier quickly loses his fighting spirit and strength, which leads to defeat. Both fighting sides paid due attention to the food supply of their troops. Let's take a look into the soldiers' bowlers!
Everything according to science
Let's start with the Red Army. Here, the focus is not so much on variety as on the balance of the diet. There was a whole institute - the Academy of Logistics and Supply. The diet of the infantry, tank crews, air force and navy was uniform, but differed in the standard of food and some nuances associated with the peculiarities of combat work. A separate vegetarian diet was offered.
During the war, scientists developed up to 70 topics related to nutrition. Although in reality the plan was fulfilled by no more than 60%.
The calorie content of daily rations in the Red Army was at the level of 2800 - 3600 kilocalories, which is less. Than imperial army to the First World War. But the Red Army soldier’s diet included more various vegetables, fish, and other products. The officers were given additional rations - 40 g of butter, 20 g of cookies, 50 g of canned fish and cigarettes; the pilots also received increased rations. In aviation we ate three times a day, hot meals were a must. We ate in the canteens. The sailors received food from the galleys, the tank crews and infantry received food from the field kitchens. The most common dish was kulesh - tasty and nutritious. Porridge was popular. There is evidence that Soviet troops dumplings were dumped in Stalingrad: meat and dough together, easy to cook in a pot over a fire, takes up little volume during transportation, can be prepared en masse as a semi-finished product and delivered to the site.
The Soviet High Command issued about 100 orders regarding troop rations.
It’s easier to fight on a full stomach
The daily ration of troops in the combat zone in 1941-1945 was unchanged: 800 - 900 g of bread, depending on the season; wheat flour 2nd grade - 20 g; cereal - 140 g and 30 g pasta; meat - 150 g, fish 50 g less; combined fat and lard - 30 g; vegetable oil - 20 g. 1 gram of tea and 35 g of sugar. Salt – 30 g.
They were regularly supplied with vegetables: half a kilo of potatoes, 170 g of cabbage, carrots - 45 g; beets, greens and onions - 5 g less in steps.
Smokers received 30 g of shag per day and 3 boxes of matches per month. Women soldiers who did not smoke could count on 200 g of chocolate or 300 g of sweets monthly.
The flight technical personnel received 1.5-2 times more food than the infantry. In addition - 0.2 liters of fresh and 20 g of condensed milk, 20 g of cottage cheese, 10 g of sour cream, half an egg, 90 g of butter, 5 g of vegetable oil, 20 g of cheese, dried fruits and fruit extract.
Submariners ate plenty of sauerkraut, pickles and onions - to prevent scurvy and replenish the lack of oxygen during a military campaign. Instead of a shot of vodka, the famous “People’s Commissar” submariners received 30 g of red wine. Tankers and pilots drank cognac.
Land bakers worked in factories and bakeries, big ships had special ovens for bread on board. Rusks were popular.
The infantry and pilots had an emergency supply for critical situations. Lend-Lease American stew was produced according to GOST of the USSR.
“Kurka, milk, eggs!”: supplying the Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine
The troops of the Third Reich also ate according to scientifically developed standards. The Wehrmacht's single daily ration amounted to 4,500 kilocalories in wartime and 3,600 kilocalories in peacetime. The food consisted of two parts: 1) daily ration (Tagesration); 2) emergency reserve (Eiserne Portion). NZ was partially carried by soldiers with them, partially transported field kitchens. It was impossible to use NZ without an order from the commander.
The daily norm for Wehrmacht military personnel: 0.75 kg of bread; 120 g sausage or cheese or canned fish; 0.2 kg jam/artificial honey; 7 cigarettes or 2 cigars; 60-80 g fat; 1 kg of potatoes or 0.250 kg of fresh vegetables or 0.150 kg of canned vegetables; 125 g pasta or cereal; a quarter kilo of meat; 70-90 g vegetable fat; 8 g coffee and 10 g tea; 15 g seasonings.
Whenever possible, eggs, chocolate, and fruit were given out at irregular intervals. Requisitions from residents under occupation were encouraged.
The daily ration was received in its entirety once a day, usually in the evening.
Where to eat and how to distribute food, the soldier decided for himself.
The submariners' table was exquisite, but their food sometimes tasted of diesel fuel. The diet included various meat dishes, delicacies, fresh fruits, juices, honey, and chocolate. The entire conquered Europe supplied food to the submarine bases.
Luftwaffe pilots ate 3 times a day, always hot meals. They ate white bread, butter, sausages, eggs, fresh milk, pudding, jam or honey. Upon returning from a combat mission, additional rations were provided: 25 g of chocolate and coffee, 2 packages of sweets, a cupcake and biscuits.
It is clear that all of the above is standard; in each specific case, many factors influenced.
MATERIAL SUPPORT FOR THE COMMAND STAFF OF THE RKKA DURING THE PERIOD
CIVIL WAR.
A.A. Shuvalov
With the formation of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army, the question logically became material support military personnel. This article, based on archival and memoir sources, reveals the problem of material support command staff The Red Army shows the complexity and ambiguity of the situation of the financial situation of command personnel during the Civil War. Salaries were issued intermittently due to the wartime situation. The monetary allowance did not correspond to the realities of the time with the constant increase in inflation.
Keywords: Civil War; material support; allowance; cash support; salary; command staff of the Red Army.
With the formation of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, the question of material support for military personnel became logical. Thus, according to the decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the Council on the period of service in the Red Army of April 22, 1918, every citizen who voluntarily joined the ranks of the Red Army had to serve in it for at least 6 months, counting from the date of signing the obligation. In accordance with the decree, each Red Army soldier received a monthly salary. The difficulty in receiving salaries was the initial lack of salary sheets. Since January 1918, the SNK received a large number of telegrams with a request for an order, for satisfaction with the salary according to the attached timesheets. In February 1918, the 1st revolutionary regiment named after Comrade Lenin asked the Council of People's Commissars to inform the soldiers' salaries and officials.
By order
Government decrees of June 27, September 16 and October 18, 1918 established increased pay rates for military personnel. If the increase in pay for the command staff of military units operating at the front could still be determined by the conditions of military life, this was not applicable to employees in administrative field departments, who were placed in a privileged position in terms of wages. Thus there was a basis
insist on lowering the projected salaries for all military personnel serving in administrative field departments.
Military salaries in 1918
Job title Monthly salary by October Monthly salary by November
Front commander 3500 rub. -
Army commander 2500 rub. -
Chief of Army Staff; division commander 2000 r. -
Assistant Chief of Army Staff; member of the RVSR Army; chief of artillery; head of engineering; commander of a cavalry division 1700 rub. -
Commander of a (cavalry) regiment 1500 rub. -
Battalion Commander; commander of an artillery division 1200 rub. 1500 rub.
Company commander; battery commander; squadron commander 1000 rub. 1200 rub.
Platoon commander 800 rub. 1000 rub.
Separated 600 rub. 800 rub.
Red Army soldier 300 rub. 600 rub.
In the summer of 1918, among the Red Army soldiers there was deep dissatisfaction with the large difference between the salaries of lower ranks and command staff (300 rubles was received by a private, 800 rubles by a platoon commander), which had a bad effect on the condition of military units.
In the summer of 1919, new salaries for command personnel were approved. Salaries were almost doubled for some categories of commanders and staff employees, and from February 1, 1919, the difference was issued. Thus, a member of the Army Revolutionary Military Council until July 1919 received 2,300 rubles. per month, in August, 4000 rubles, by October 1919 the company commander received 2100 rubles. Due to the general rise in food prices, an increase in salaries was necessary. But it was indignant that the salaries were increased only for the command staff, commissars and staff employees, while the Red Army soldiers were kept the same. The distrust of the Red Army soldiers towards the command staff and commissars gave rise to demagoguery and agitation against the Soviet regime.
Salaries also increased in 1920. According to distribution sheets for February to December 1920, a company commander received 3000 rubles, a platoon officer - 2400 rubles, a sergeant major - 1400 rubles, a detachment officer - 1000 rubles,
Red Army soldier - 600 rub.
According to the resolution of the Council of People's Commissars, the command staff and military personnel of the Red Army and Navy were supplied with government food rations and received uniforms at government prices.
Decrees of the Council of People's Commissars of August 7, October 10, 1918 and January 24, 1919 established pension provision with daily allowances for Red Army soldiers and other categories of military personnel. Daily allowance was given to those dismissed from military service for unfitness due to recognition of loss of ability to work associated with service, from the date of dismissal within 2 weeks. The amount of daily money was determined by the size of the minimum, since February 1919, maximum tariff rates of remuneration.
In the context of the Civil War, inflation developed uncontrollably, prices were rapidly creeping up. For example, in the spring of 1918, a pound of bread cost 4-5 rubles in Moscow. In Verkhoturye district, which recently switched from red to white, on May 1, 1919, a pound of rye flour cost 70-75 rubles, wheat - 80-85 rubles, seeded flour - 100-110 rubles, semolina - 115-130 rubles, meat - 250-300 rubles, butter - 480-560 rubles.
The standard of living of the majority of military personnel (junior and middle command personnel) was low, their financial situation aggravated by the fact that in the difficult economic situation in Soviet Republic Salaries for military personnel were paid irregularly. Families of military personnel found themselves in a difficult situation. The officially established minimum wage could be enough to provide bread at reasonable prices for a family of three. For a more varied diet, one breadwinner in the family was not enough; there was nothing to even think about buying clothes and shoes during the service at state prices.
Basic necessities were distributed by ration cards, but only to cities. In times of food crisis Soviet authority
established a rationed supply of consumer goods to the population. Rated supply gave the ability to strictly regulate and economically spend the extremely insignificant food and manufactured goods resources available in the country, to provide the Red Army with the necessary minimum. As already noted, military personnel received Red Army rations, which were divided into front and rear. The first was received by persons who were members of the active Red Army and its reserve units. Second - personnel
rear combat units, all military personnel of the Field Headquarters of the Revolutionary Military Forces, workers of enterprises serving the needs of the Red Army. The Red Army ration was the highest in the country.
Name of products Front ration Rear ration
Bread or 2 lbs. 1 lb.
Rye flour 1 '/2 lbs. 72 spools
Cereal 24 spool 18 z.
Meat or fish / f. % f.
Salt 3 g. 3 z.
Dried vegetables or 4 z. 4 z.
Fresh 60g. 60 z.
Butter or lard 8 g. 5 z.
Ground flour 4 g. 4 z.
Tea 24/100g. 24/100 z.
Sugar 8 g. 6 z.
1 spool = 1/96 f. = 4.266. 1 lb = 0.45 kg.
Speaking about the material well-being of the command staff of the Red Army, it can be noted that salaries and pensions have increased several times compared to 1914. This, of course, was influenced by the economic difficulties caused by the world war and revolution, which caused rising prices and inflation. The commanders of the Red Army were enrolled in clothing and food allowances. The salaries of the command staff of the Red Army in monetary terms were higher than those in the counter-revolutionary formations. When issuing salaries, the warring parties faced the same problems; salaries were issued intermittently due to the wartime situation. The material difficulties of the warring parties pushed the military personnel towards self-enrichment and robbery.
With the formation of workers" and peasants' Red Army the question of the material maintenance of the servicemen became logical. The present article based on archival and memoirs sources, shows the problem of material maintenance of command officers RKKA, the difficulty and ambiguity of the situation with material position of command officers during Civil War. Salaries were given erratically due to the situation of the wartime. Money allowance did not correspond to the actual time in condition of constant runaway inflation.
The key words: The Civil War, material maintenance, money allowance, financial support, salary, command officers of the Red Army.
Bibliography
1. GARF. f. 1235, op. 34, no. 12.
2. GARF. f. 130, op. 2, no. 549.
4. GARF. f. 1235, op. 79, no. 10; History of the Civil War in the USSR: in 5 volumes. - T. 3. / ed. commission: S.F. Naida et al. - M.: Gospolitizdat, 1958. - 656 pp.; Egoriev V.N. From the Life of the Western Veil. / V.N. Egoriev. Stages of a long journey. Memories of the Civil War. / comp. V.D. Polikarpov. - M.: Voenizdat, 1963. - P.137-151; Zhukov G.K. Memories and reflections. - T. 1. / G.K. Zhukov. - M.: Publishing House of the News Press Agency, 1986. - 303 p.; Decree of the Council people's commissars on the organization of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. Collection of documents and materials on the history of the USSR. Soviet period (1917 - 1958). / answer ed. THEM. Volkov. - M.: Publishing house Mosk. Univ., 1966. - 621 pp.; Decree of the Council of People's Commissars on the organization of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. Oryol province during the period of foreign military intervention and civil war. Collection of documents. / comp. IN AND. Fefelov, T.N. Ashikhmina, N.Yu. Drach and others - Orel: Oryol book publishing house, 1963. - 295 p.
5. GARF. f. 952, op. 3, no. 28.
6. GARF. f. 4390, op. 2, no. 23.
7. GARF. f. 4390, op. 2, no. 23; RGVA. f. 5881, op. 1, d. 1; From the report of the North Caucasian Military District command in
Supreme Military Council on the situation in the Terek region and Transcaucasia. Directives of the command of the fronts of the Red Army (1917-1922). Collection of documents in 4 volumes. - T. 1. - M., 1971; minutes
V.N. Under the Bolshevik yoke. / V.N. Minutes. // Star. - 1996. - No. 7.
8. GARF. f. 130, op. 2, no. 549.
9. GARF. f. 130, op. 3, d. 543; f. 1235, op. 55, no. 5.
10. GABO. f. 79, op. spr., no. 4; d. 18, l.
11. GABO. f. 79, op. spr., no. 39.
12. GARF. f. 130, op. 4, no. 110; d. 207.
13. GARF. f. 130, op. 3, d. 124; f.1235, op. 94, d. 73; f. 4390, op. 6, no. 183.
14. Narsky I. Life in disaster. Everyday life of the population of the Urals in 1917 - 1922. / I. Narsky. -M.: LLC “AST Publishing House”, 2001. - 632 p.
15. Narsky I. Decree. op.
16. Civil War And military intervention in USSR. Encyclopedia. - M., 1983. - P. 83,
Shuvalov A.A. - candidate historical sciences, senior police lieutenant, senior lecturer at the Moscow regional branch of the Moscow University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.
THE MATERIAL SECURITY OF COMMANDING OFFICERS RKKA DURING CIVIL
