April 29–30 – May 1–5, 1944. 18 weeks before Liberation

A new project of the National Library of Belarus is dedicated to the Great Patriotic War – "Reading newspaper lines with your heart. On the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus from the Nazi invaders."
Every week from January to August 2024, the portal of the National Library publishes materials from newspapers of Soviet Belarus in 1944, reflecting the chronicle of news and events of that time.

April 30th. "The newspaper Pravda published a message from the Extraordinary State Commission on the extermination of Soviet people by the Nazis by infecting them with typhus."

[1418 days of the Great Patriotic War ..., p. 309].

The main theme of the week is the celebration of May Day.

The First of May is celebrated in many countries under different names – Labor Day, Labor Day, Spring and Labor Day, International Workers' Solidarity Day.

Newspapers published congratulations and the Order of the Supreme Commander.

In previous years, in the partisan detachments of the Gomel region, which was still under Nazi occupation, the May Day holiday was held in a special way – fighting with the invaders; this is described in the article "Partisan May Day" [Gomel Prayda, No. 55, p. 2].

And in 1944, the people's avengers prepared stunning strikes for the Germans during the week before the holiday ["Combat May Day of the Belarusian partisans". Savetskaya Belarus, No. 77, p. 2].

Work was in full swing in the fields. Collective farms have already begun to report on the completion of grain sowing [Savetskaya Belarus, No. 78, p. 4].

Newspapers published articles from various authors – from a worker who talked about his workplace and winning the title of "frontline" brigade ("Youth Frontline Brigade"), to the chairman of the collective farm, who talked about the collective farm in general ("We will conquer the transitional Red Banner" [Gomel Prayda, No. 55, p. 2]), from the electrician of the fleet [Gomel prayda, No. 55, p. 2]) to the head of the department of savings banks and state credit of the BSSR, who gave generalizing data in the article "Soviet state loans enjoy the active support of the working masses" LINK [Savetskaya Belarus, No. 78, p. 4].

The Main Directorate of State Labor Savings Banks (state labor savings banks) and the state credit (state loan) of the BSSR was formed in 1930-1931; "as part of the credit reform, savings banks turned into a single credit institution for accepting deposits from the population and placing government loans" [Suslova, N. May 23. The first savings bank].

The socialist competition unfolded between collectives both at the grassroots levels and at the level of the entire USSR, according to the results of the latter, the winners were waiting for transitional Red Banners and cash prizes [Savetskaya Belarus, No. 78, p. 3].

Press Day was celebrated in the USSR on May 5 (and this tradition has continued in modern Belarus). Newspapers, of course, did not ignore such a significant professional holiday for them [Savetskaya Belarus, No. 79, p. 3].

Another important event, to which several materials are devoted, was also noted in the newspaper Savetskaya Belarus for May 5 [No. 79, pp. 1-2] – the announcement of the third state military loan.

The system of state loans in the USSR was important for the budget, the most widespread and effective form of mobilizing public funds, especially in the conditions of the Great Patriotic War. During the war years, "subscription and implementation of five state loans was carried out: one pre-war loan of the third five-year plan and four military loans, which were announced on April 14, 1942, June 5, 1943, May 5, 1944, May 4, 1945" [Ivlev, N. N. State military loans..., p. 34].

However, "preparations for the subscription campaign began in April 1944" [Ivlev, N. N. State military loans..., p. 37], therefore, the first results of the loan for Belarus were published in the same issue of the newspaper [Savetskaya Belarus, No. 79, p. 1]: on the very first day in the Gomel region the subscription took place for 500 thousand rubles, in the Polessky region – for 2 million 600 thousand rubles.

The investigation of the atrocities of the Nazi invaders continued, in particular the newspaper "Savetskaya Belarus" [No. 78, pp. 2-3] published a Notification of the Emergency Commission with the conclusion of the ship's medical examination on the death camps near Ozarichi and other settlements. (Dert, Podosinnik)

A lot of big and small events took place in the territory of liberated Belarus during the week. The newspaper "Riverman of Belarus" has started to be published (see the collection of the National Library of Belarus) [Savetskaya Belarus, No. 75, p. 4]. The legendary grandfather-partisan Talash, walking the streets of Gomel with his comrade, aroused great interest among passers-by who approached him and began a conversation, and Komsomol members invited him to a meeting [Savetskaya Belarus, No. 75, p. 4]. Musical education was restored in Gomel: a music school and a music college were reopened [Savetskaya Belarus, No. 75, p. 4]. Even in winter, in the liberated territories of Belarus, the authorities carried out measures to provide vegetable gardens for workers and employees of the townspeople. In the next issue of the newspaper, under the heading "To help gardeners", the material "How to cultivate the soil for a vegetable garden" with practical advice was published [Savetskaya Belarus, No. 76, p. 4]. A screening of the Soviet feature film Kutuzov (1943), shot at the Mosfilm film studio by director Vladimir Petrov, is planned in Gomel [Savetskaya Belarus, No. 76, p. 4].

A Belarusian language lesson in one of the restored schools was captured by photographer I. Dynin [Savetskaya Belarus, No. 77, p. 2]:

In the TASS photo chronicle there are portraits of soldiers – glorious sons of the Belarusian land, their peaceful professions: a collective farmer, a railway worker, a teacher, a stud farm director, a student – they are presented on the page of the newspaper "Savetskaya Belarus" [Savetskaya Belarus No. 77, p. 4]:

"May, the blooming festive May, they met together in Belarus" – with these words, the author of the article concluded his article "They fought in Belarus" about the participation in the partisan movement on Belarusian soil of representatives of other republics – Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan [Gomel Prayda, No. 56, p. 2].

There were 17 weeks left before the Liberation…

The material was prepared by L. G. Tupchienko-Kadyrova,
Candidate of Historical Sciences, chief bibliographer
of the information and analytical department.

Sources
Newspapers*

*The full newspapers issues are available on links.

1. Віцебскі рабочы : орган Віцебскага Абласнога і Гарадскога Камітэтаў КП(б)Б, Абласнога і Гарадскога Саветаў Дэпутатаў Працоўных, 1944, № 35.
2. Віцебскі рабочы, 1944, № 36.
3. Гомельская праўда : орган Гомельского областного и городского комитетов КПБ, областного и городского Советов депутатов трудящихся, 1944, № 55.
4. Гомельская праўда, 1944, № 56.
5. За Радзіму : орган Магілёўскага абласнога і гарадскога КП Беларусі і абласнога і гарадскога Савета дэпутатаў працоўных, 1944, № 52.
6. Калгаснік Капыльшчыны : орган Капыльскага райкома КП Беларусі і раённага Савета дэпутатаў працоўных, 1944, № 19.
7. Калгаснік Капыльшчыны, 1944, № 20.
8. Раздавім фашысцкую гадзіну : газета-плакат : выданне ЦК КП(б) Беларусі. – 1944, № 129 (май).
9. Речник Белоруссии : газета Главного управления речного флота и Белорусского республиканского комитета профсоюза рабочих морского и речного флота. – 1944–1988. – Минск : [б.и.], 1944–1988.
10. Савецкая Беларусь : орган ЦК КП(б) Беларусі, Саўнаркома і Прэзідыума Вярхоўнага Савета БССР, 1944, № 75.
11. Савецкая Беларусь, 1944, № 76.
12. Савецкая Беларусь, 1944, № 77.
13. Савецкая Беларусь, 1944, № 78.
14. Савецкая Беларусь, 1944, № 79.
15. Сталінец : орган Грэскага райкома КП Беларусі і раённага Савета дэпутатаў працоўных, 1944, № 24–25.
16. Сталінец, 1944, № 26.

*The titles of newsapapers are given according to modern spelling.

Books, postcards, article, source

1. 1418 дней Великой Отечественной войны : хронология событий : [солдату Великой Отечественной посвящается / сост. Е. В. Малашевич ; науч. ред.: Е. И. Барановский, Г. И. Баркун ; фото: В. В. Харченко]. – Минск : Мастацкая літаратура, 2014. – 421, [1] с.
2. Говоров, В. Н. Да здравствует 1 Мая! Все для фронта, все для победы над врагом! [Изоматериал] : [плакат] / художник  В. Н. Говоров ; редактор  В. П. Федоров. – Иваново : ОГИЗ, Ивановское областное государственное издательство, 1942 (Типография изд-ва Ивановского облсовета депутатов трудящихся). – 1 л. : хромолитография. – На изображении справа внизу факсимиле монограммы художника «В. Г. 42.». – 5000 экз.
3. Да здравствует 1 Мая – день смотра боевых сил трудящихся! Трудящиеся всех стран, объединяйтесь для борьбы за полный разгром немецко-фашистских захватчиков! [Изоматериал] : [лозунг]. ― Москва ; Ленинград : Искусство, 1944 (Хромолитография изд-ва «Искусство»). – 1 л. : цв. литография. – 5000 экз.
4. Ивлев, Н. Н. Государственные военные займы как способ мобилизации средств населения в годы Великой Отечественной войны (на материалах Челябинской области) / Н. Н. Ивлев // Человек. Общество. Государство. – 2018. – № 1 (4). – С. 32–39.
5. Мытников, А. А.Да здравствует 1 Мая – международный праздник трудящихся![Изоматериал] : [открытка] / художник Мытников А. А. ; редактор Иваненко Т. С. – [Ростов] : Ростизо, [1946] (Хромолитография им. Ильича Рособлполиграфиздата). – 1 л. : хромолитография. – 100000 экз.
6. Приказ Верховного Главнокомандующего № 70.1 мая 1944 года, гор. Москва [Изоматериал] : [плакат] / Главное политическое управление ВМФ СССР. – [Москва] : Военмориздат, 1944 (1-я типо-литография УВМИ). – 1 л. (3 стб. текста) : автотипия, штриховая цинкография.
7. Суслова, Н. 23 мая. Первая сберкасса/ Н. Суслова // Planetabelarus.by/. Статьи. Дата в истории. – 2023. – 23 мая. – Режим доступа: https://planetabelarus.by/publications/23-maya-pervaya-sberkassa/. – Access date 19.04.2024.