The voluntary impulse of tens of thousands of people to join the army was the best sign of a healthy society.
In connection with the announcement in the Russian Federation with 21 September from. g. partial mobilization, legitimate interest in it, how the mobilization of conscripts was organized with the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.
The Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on it was issued on the very first day of the war, and the mobilization itself began with 23 June 1941 g. She embraced the conscripts 14 ages (1905–1918 years of birth) at 14 military districts from 17. In Zabaikalsky, In the Central Asian and Far Eastern military districts, mobilization was announced a month later and was carried out covertly under the guise of training camps..
By the beginning of the war, the actual strength of the USSR Armed Forces had increased from nearly 1,6 million person as of 1 January 1938 g. to almost 5,1 million. Such growth was achieved, among other things, through covert mobilization under the guise of large training camps in May-June 1941 g. (about 805 thousand. human) and an extraordinary call in the spring 1941 g. persons, born in the 1st half of the year 1922 g.
To bring the armed forces to the size, provided by the wartime states, with the outbreak of war, it was required to additionally call 4,887 million people. In fact, even more were mobilized - 5,35 million people (in t. no. in the NKVD).
It is very important to note, that the Soviet Union had the necessary manpower for this. The latter was almost 23,7 million people. At the same time, the specified number did not include any personnel army, nor a resource of pre-conscription youth 1922 g. g., called up a few weeks before the start of the war, nor the resource of subsequent young ages 1922–1927. g., nor a resource of officially unconscripted 1886–1889. g., but also in the course of the war partially called up. Looking ahead, let us say, what During the war years almost 29,6 million people, but only in 1941–1945. overcoats put on about 34,5 million of our compatriots.
However, back to 23 June 1941 g. From the second day of the war, mobilization continued for 7 day. Famous historian V.N.. Zemskov, who made an invaluable contribution to the coverage of this most important and scientific, and socially significant problem, successfully proposed "for clarity" to define this stage as the first wave of mobilization. Within its framework, trained conscripts born in 1905–1918 were called up.. stock of the 1st category of the 1st stage, previously active military service. They, usually, were sent to military units to deploy the latter to wartime state, stationed in the same or another military district, or in paragraphs, where, with the announcement of mobilization, new units began to form, according to the mobilization plan MP-41, approved in February 1941 g. As a result, to 1 July was called over 5,35 million conscripts, including more than half a million commanding officers.
Attention is drawn to the huge patriotic upsurge of the Soviet people. Explicit evaders from mobilization amounted to a few percent. In general, throughout the country, the turnout of conscripts liable for military service at the recruiting stations after the announcement of mobilization amounted to 99% and higher! Such a picture was observed even in Belarus and Ukraine, which in the first hours of the war became the scene of hostilities.
Contrary to popular belief, that mobilization due to the surprise attack of Nazi Germany was crumpled and people were put under arms almost chaotically, the process was planned and organized. of course, enemy attack significantly complicated the conscription in the western regions of the USSR. Here, conscripts sometimes did not have time to receive summons, as they were already in the territory occupied by the enemy. In the central regions of Belarus and Ukraine, conscripts often came under the bombing of enemy aircraft, ended up in boilers, hosted by the enemy. However, in the eastern regions of these republics and on the territory of the RSFSR as a whole, in the central and eastern regions of the country, mobilization took place in an organized manner.
If the connection, for the staffing of which the military reserves were assigned back in the spring 1941 g. left the respective county before 22 June, then these soldiers, being called up with the start of mobilization, sent in echelons following their formation to predetermined points, which were defined in the pre-war plan of operational transportation. This plan, as well as the mobplane MP-41, was an integral part of the general strategic operational plan of the USSR, developed in March-May 1941 g.
Another part of the mobilized personnel was sent to reserve rifle brigades., created in military districts for the accumulation of military reserves as a replenishment of those units and formations, which already existed for 22 June. And those new parts and connections, which only deployed with the outbreak of war, were staffed by the third part of the mobilized personnel.
What is very important, "excess" military personnel, who did not have mobilization orders in their hands, was not called up from the reserve. Every warrior has, sent to a military unit being deployed to the state of war or a newly formed military unit, in the mobilization order, a unique command number for each military district and unit was affixed in accordance with the deployment scheme approved in advance by the General Staff.
The whole process was planned from August 1940 g. to the beginning of June 1941 g. characteristically, that in those annexed to the USSR in 1939 g. western regions of Ukraine and Belarus, mobilization was not planned from the very beginning. Not a single person here was assigned to any military unit: there was reason to doubt the pro-Soviet views of the local population and the top leadership of the USSR was not going to litter the cadres of the army with a dubious element. Young people, who managed to call before the war from those areas, sent east to internal military districts and Central Asia. Persons of other military ages, if they did not have time to mobilize in July 1941 city, drafted into the active army only after the liberation of the corresponding territory of the republics from fascist occupation.
Mobilization somewhat complicated -here, probably, still not so upset, how much to rejoice - a huge patriotic upsurge, engulfed those Soviet people, who for various reasons (age, health, availability of reservation) not subject to mobilization. Their influx to the military registration and enlistment offices seriously hampered the work on the implementation of the planned draft..
But one cannot but agree with the conclusion of the historian mentioned above.: such the voluntary impulse of tens of thousands of people to join the army was the best sign of a healthy society, when a single member of it, in case of danger, tries not to hide behind "objective" reasons, but stand in line and defend your country with arms in hand!
Due to the huge losses at the front, the State Defense Committee of the USSR was forced to start with 12 July 1941 g. second wave of mobilization, not provided for by the MP-41 mobplane. It will be discussed in the next article..
To be continued
Yuri RUBTSOV
