Restructuring of the industrial production of Leningrad under the blockade (1941-1944)

Gribacheva Anastasiya Pavlovna ORCID: 0009-0005-3594-0881 Postgraduate student; Higher School of Social Sciences of the Humanitarian Institute; Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University 195251, Russia, Saint Petersburg, Politechnicheskaya str., 29 gap.418@yandex.ru

At the time of the outbreak of the war, there were large factories and factories in the city and region, which had different directions. There were about 1000 enterprises operating: the Kirovsky Plant, the Izhorsky Plant, the Electrosila plant, the Bolshevik plant, the plant named after him. Voroshilov, the plant named after Lenin , etc . They produced a wide range of goods: wooden toys and furniture, civilian clothes and uniforms, as well as weapons: shells, ammunition, machine guns, sights, armored vehicles, tanks, etc. The enterprises were engaged in the repair of machinery, machine tools and their parts.

The organization of the industry of besieged Leningrad has gone the way of reorganizing the entire production for the production of military products. The relevance of the research of this article is due to the scientific interest in the organization of the industrial production process of besieged Leningrad. Currently, there are little studied aspects in this field that require special attention, due to the demand in the scientific community.

The purpose of the article is to study the restructuring of industrial production of enterprises under blockade. To achieve this goal, the following research methods are used in the article: 1. Historical, which made it possible to explore the industrial production of besieged Leningrad; 2. Historical and chronological, which made it possible to consistently consider the events taking place at the enterprises of the city. 3. Historical and structural, through which it is possible to trace the general trend of the development of industrial production in besieged Leningrad.

In the course of the study, an analysis of scientific literature and sources was carried out. The main sources are documents from the Central State Archive of St. Petersburg ^[17], the Central State Archive of Historical and Political Documents of St. Petersburg ^[18] and the Central State Archive of Scientific and Technical Documentation of St. Petersburg ^[19]. The documents contained information about the transition of the city's enterprises to the production of military equipment, parts, and uniforms.

The issues of industrial production of besieged Leningrad are considered in his monographs by A. R. Dzeniskevich. ^[4],[5],[6]. He explores different aspects of the life of the besieged Leningrad in 1941-1944. The work of industrial enterprises is of particular interest. The author writes that with the beginning of the blockade days, the restructuring of industry began to take place in a military manner. In his writings, he provides data on the production of military products, affecting enterprises of heavy and light industry. The monographs of A. R. Dzeniskevich reflect the difficult situation in which Leningraders had to live and work. He emphasizes the contribution of workers to the production business. The author also considers the following industries separately: shipbuilding, tank building, and the aviation industry, as a result of which he analyzes and summarizes their work as a whole. Researcher Ryabkov A.M. in his articles ^[13],[14] pays attention to how the process of labor restructuring of Leningrad factories took place in wartime conditions. The author examines the activities of enterprises, the difficult situation in the city, provides information about the problems caused by the blockade and provides information about building new production links. The scientific works of Bystrova I. V. ^[1], Burov A.V. ^[2], Kovalchuk V. M., Chistyakova A. N. ^[9] provide information about the Great Patriotic War and the siege of Leningrad. In scientific articles by M. V. Khodyakova ^[15], E. E. Krasnozhenova, S. V. Kulika ^[10],[11], A.V. Zotova ^[7], A. N. Shcherba and A.V. Losika ^[20], B. P. Belozerova ^[3], N. D. Khudyakova ^[16], the following are considered issues of industrial production of besieged Leningrad. In the works, information is given on the manufacture of military equipment at enterprises, data on product output and its application in the life of the city are given. The authors emphasize the importance of the transition to military rails of all remaining factories in Leningrad, as the future fate of the city depended on them. The article by A.V. Zotova ^[8] examines the process of functioning of the local industry during the years of the blockade. The author examines the activities of enterprises and their contribution to the victory of the Great Patriotic War.

A review of sources and literature showed that they contain a fairly detailed description of the industrial restructuring of besieged Leningrad. Archival materials have had the status of "confidential" for a long time and are now becoming available for review. Based on them, it is possible to study in more depth the features of industrial restructuring from peacetime to wartime. Research on this topic is of interest to modern authors, since it is possible to expand existing knowledge.

On September 8, 1941, Leningrad found itself in the most difficult conditions, in a blockade ring, surrounded by the enemy. All enterprises began to rebuild their production for the needs of the front. The reorganization of the production process has begun. Plans for the production and manufacture of military equipment have changed.

Military actions are pushing the government to evacuate factories deep into the state. In the rear, active activity began to unfold in the backup factories. Equipment, machinery and people began to be sent there. In total, from July to October 1941, the city was evacuated: 70 industrial enterprises, 22 design, 11 design and 7 construction organizations, as well as their equipment and boiler units ^{[12, p. 428.]}. At the same time, some factories remain operating in besieged Leningrad and already in the new realities, it was necessary to continue producing military equipment to ensure the front line.

The production of military products began to be carried out by all factories in Leningrad. They produced: armored vehicles, boats, armored trains, naval artillery towers, hulls and towers for KV tanks, armored towers for pillboxes, armored cabins, armored shields for naval guns, hand pumps, minelayers, shells for cannons, mines, parts of Maxim machine guns, etc. The production process required special attention. The city was repeatedly bombed, which was inevitably followed by massive destruction. The enterprises were in a difficult situation, some had to be mothballed, as it was impossible to restore work. It took a lot of time to set up production. The leadership of the bureau and the secretariat of the city committee of the CPSU(b), instructions were given on the transfer of some of the equipment from one plant to another. Also, the work could be divided into stages and several factories could be used at once to assemble equipment.

From the first days of the war, it was decided to extend the working day at Leningrad factories to eleven and a half hours. Measures were taken to complete work at the aircraft factories under construction as soon as possible. To help, workers from other enterprises were sent there, but this decision did not change the situation in many ways and the deadlines for the completion of work were shifted to the autumn of 1941 ^{[12, pp. 426-427]}.

Military orders began to increase in the city, which led to a shortage of raw materials in production. The Bureau of the City Committee of the party adopted a document on the dismantling of non-ferrous metals, which contributed to a lesser extent to solving this issue. ^{[12, p. 427]}.

During the war, in the difficult situation of the siege of Leningrad, the enterprises of local industry were repurposed. They focused on the production of military equipment and parts for the front. Such plants as Krasny Khimik, Krasnoe Znamya, the MOPR plant, etc. worked in this direction. They were engaged in the manufacture of: aircraft bombs, mines, hulls for tanks and cars, heavy anti-tank guns. The most common military products of local production were hand grenade shells, fire-fighting equipment and temporary stoves. They also produced bombs, frames, assemblies for Katyusha rocket mortars, special fittings for gas shelters, aviation gasoline tankers and chemical heaters ^[8].

The first and main type of military production was the grenade of the 1933 model. Its release was launched in the shortest possible time at a number of enterprises, increasing the number monthly ^{[18, L. 1]}.Later, the following weapons were put into production: hand grenades, various mines, shells, shell casings, aviation bombs, shell casings (restored), barbed wire, anti-chemical agents, etc. The State Mechanical Plant is moving away from the production of nickel-plated beds and is engaged in the production of rolled sleeves, while organizing production for the restoration of spent artillery shells for guns of various calibers ^{[18, l. 3]}.The next enterprise, the Metallokombinat plant, began to produce gasoline tankers and design a simplified type of fuel tanker adopted for equipping the Red Army. The plant began to manufacture defensive covers for grenades and cases for the M-13 stabilizer ^{[18, l. 3]}. The sheet rolling plant has established the production of FPUM-200 filters, KP-5 fans for gas shelters, frame boxes for a regimental cannon, iron helmets, rolled armor steel, deep-drawn sheet material, etc. ^{[18, l. 3]}. At the Novy Stroitel plant, the production of mines and RGD-33 parts was established. Chemical Plant No. 1 began to produce titanium tetrachloride for smoke screens. ^{[18, l. 3]}.Industrial plants were engaged in various repairs, manufacture of household items, haberdashery and served the economic needs of the districts ^{[18, l. 4]}.Companies producing furniture and wooden toys were busy making mines, fire escapes, etc. Metalworking enterprises have organized the production of blackout fittings for ABTU, fire-fighting equipment, shell cups, aerial bomb parts, hand grenades. The Sverdlovsk industrial plant and the Moskovsky industrial plant began to manufacture hand grenades. Sewing enterprises, in turn, engaged in tailoring uniforms, the production of transport stretchers, marine type "Stille", the creation of camouflage suits and various hospital equipment. Leather and shoe enterprises were engaged in sewing waist and rifle belts and field bags, making army boots and hospital shoes ^{[18, l. 5]}. At the Proletarian Victory shoe factory No. 2, workers manually sewed soldiers' underwear, camouflage robes and gas mask bags ^{[5, p. 180]}. By 1942, the output of military products was increasing.

Table 1

Data on the output of defense products of the local industry for 1941 (II half-year)

Compiled by: TSGAIPD St. Petersburg. F. 24. Op. 2b. D. 5793. L.21.

The order of the People's Commissar of the Electrical Industry of the USSR dated July 24, 1942 provides information on the restoration and most effective use of gas-powered tractors and trucks available in the national economy. By Resolution No. 1221 of July 18, 1942 "On the repair and improvement of the use of gas-generating tractors and cars in the third quarter of 1942", the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR obliged: the Union and republican People's Commissariats and departments to repair gas-generating tractors and trucks using a simplified design of fuel tanks with their own funds in July-September 1942. People's Commissariats and departments should ensure at their enterprises the manufacture of spare parts for the repair of gas generator tractors and cars, and the restoration of other parts of gas generator sets that have become unusable ^{[19, l. 119]}.

The factory life of heavy industry enterprises has also changed with the onset of the blockade. Izhorsky Plant transfers its work to a barrack position, sends the directorate to Leningrad and transports some of the equipment to other Leningrad plants. The workers of the enterprise were obliged to comply with the curfew, on Sunday they must return to work no later than 8 pm. In September, a problem arises at the plant, it is disconnected from electricity. In the current conditions, Izhora power engineers found a way out of the situation, they repaired the non-working hydroelectric power plant, which was able to meet the minimum needs of the enterprise. Most of the equipment was evacuated inland and production work was optimized. Izhorsky plant began to take an active part in the defense of the city. At its base, work was carried out on the repair of armored vehicles, mortars and small artillery systems. Izhora armor began to be used for the manufacture of defensive structures on defensive lines. 363 artillery pieces were manufactured and transferred to the front for guns from 45 to 152 mm, 1184 pillboxes for machine gunners, 588 pillboxes for calculations of anti-tank guns, 2300 frontal armor plates with flaps for bunkers ^{[12, p. 452]}.

Izhora armor was also used for boats, minelayers, the Baltic Fleet armored train, and armored train No. 30. They produced B-13 and B-34 naval artillery turrets, hulls and turrets for KV tanks, BA-10 armored cars, produced M-30 mines, pipes for barrels.

In the spring of 1942, 600 tons of Izhora pumping pipes were sent from Kolpino to the shore of Lake Ladoga, from which a pipeline was laid. With the help of it, fuel will be supplied to Leningrad. By the middle of 1942, the Izhora plant began to produce shells for 152 mm guns, armored turrets for pillboxes, hand pumps for pumping water from trenches and trenches. At the end of 1942, at the site of plant No. 174 named after Voroshilov, the plant has organized its main production. In the winter of 1943, an order was received to produce a series of small fleet vessels: sea hunters, minesweepers, skerry monitors. In addition, the plant continued to produce M-13, M-20 and M-31 shells, B-13-Ns armor shields for naval guns, armored cabins, turrets, and parts of Maxim machine guns ^{[12, p. 458]}.

The work of the Bolshevik plant also changed with the advent of the war. A large number of its employees volunteered for the front and the People's militia army. From among them, a second regiment of the people's militia was formed, which included more than 1,000 people. Some of the workers went to volunteer resistance units and to the construction of defensive structures. The blockade took away many men, which caused a shortage of personnel at the plant. The issue that arose was resolved due to the fact that they began to hire women, children and the elderly.

In the autumn of 1941, the enterprise was subjected to numerous bombings. Problems with fuel and electricity began, the water supply and sewerage did not work, but the work did not stop. In November, the factory began to repair artillery installations, made machine guns and railway batteries. The most difficult period was in the winter of 1941-1942, due to the existence of the same problems ^{[12, pp. 466-468]}.

At the beginning of April, the production of mines, metal melting, and projectile production began to unfold. During the entire period of the blockade, more than 30 new artillery batteries were created at the Bolshevik plant on railway platforms equipped with guns of different calibers. Artillery pieces were produced: 130-mm, 152-mm, 180-mm. The plant was engaged in the repair of artillery batteries and artillery pieces. During all this time, 3,000 individual barrels with valves of naval guns in caliber from 76 to 152 mm were fired. Armor-piercing and high-explosive shells of 130, 305, 356, 406 mm caliber were manufactured, reactive mines of the MTV-280 type with 280 mm caliber were assembled, parts for the Maxim machine gun were produced and adapter bushings for RTM fuses were manufactured ^{[12, p. 472]}.

In addition to the main work, orders were sent to the plant from the headquarters of the Leningrad Front. According to them, the company carried out the creation of armored pillboxes and bunkers, landing sleds, pumps for pumping water, protective armor bibs for pilots and soldiers, sapper accessories and trench tools ^{[12, p. 473]}.

By the beginning of 1944, about a third of the pre-war equipment remained at the industrial enterprises of Leningrad. 840 industrial buildings were destroyed, and more than 3,000 jobs were damaged. The working factories of the city were in a difficult situation, as planned major repairs were not carried out. However, factory workers tried their best to restore production workshops and equipment destroyed by frequent shelling ^{[4, p. 92]}. After the blockade was broken, due to the growing needs of the population and the front, the GKO adopted a number of resolutions on restoration work at the largest factories in Leningrad ^{[4, p. 94]}. Also during 1941, a number of decisions were made on the restoration of enterprises and branches of the Leningrad urban economy ^[10].

Thus, despite the difficult wartime situation and the long period of the siege of Leningrad, all types of production were involved to meet the needs of the front. The most difficult time for Leningrad was the winter of 1941-1942. The lack of communications, fuel, energy, and water supply forced factories to stop their work, and some were completely mothballed. The workers of the enterprises have done an incredibly great job. As mentioned earlier, factories were transferred to the barracks position and workers could stay at their jobs all the time. They tried their best to fulfill the newly emerging orders for the front. Despite the fact that there was a constant threat of shelling, bombing and destruction, the work of the enterprises continued. The production process was difficult, but all efforts were directed at building work and producing the necessary military products.

Table 2

Data on the production of military products by industrial enterprises of besieged Leningrad

Compiled by: Dzeniskevich A.R. The front at the factory walls. Little–studied problems of the defense of Leningrad (1941-1944). - St. Petersburg: Nestor, 1998. pp. 212-230