The article is dedicated to the question of the contribution of the children of Stary Oskol to the victory in the Great Patriotic War. The living conditions of children from Starooskol were analyzed on the basis of their memories, since the suffering and death of children is the worst price paid by the Soviet people for their victory over the enemy.
Keywords: Great Patriotic War, children residents of Stary Oskol, young miners, Victory price.
The events of the Great Patriotic War are moving further into history from us. We, as the younger generation, realize that the victory in this war is one of the greatest historical events of Russia's past, our triumph, our pride and glory.
However, in many European countries and in the United States, not only young people, but also the adult population have a very vague idea of the military battles of World War II, and more than 60 % consider the US army to be the winner of Nazism. In addition, more and more often in our time, the opinion is expressed that it is not necessary to overshadow the childhood of children with stories about those terrible events.
Therefore, a comprehensive study of the events of the Great Patriotic War remains very relevant today and makes it possible to realize the price of victory, including the contribution of children to its approach.
The topic is relevant and interesting also because witnesses of those events, people who can tell about what they experienced and felt at that time, are passing away. We must definitely know this in order to remember and pass on the sacred memory to the next generations.
The present time is characterized by increased attention to regional history, as events that took place in their city or village are closer and clearer for people to perceive.
Belgorod region also made a huge contribution to the victory. The main battles of the famous Battle of Kursk were fought here, and the Prokhorov field stand in one line with two other legendary fields of Russia — Kulikov and Borodinsky.
The purpose of the study is to consider the regional aspect of the issue of children's contribution to the Great Patriotic War.
Our hometown of Stary Oskol, like thousands of other cities and villages in the country, was involved in the whirlpool of events of that terrible war. The city survived enemy air raids, difficult months of occupation, and executions of civilians. There were heavy defensive battles in the summer of 1942, thousands of soldiers died during the liberation of the city, near Stary Oskol.
The purpose of the study is to consider the regional aspect of the issue of the contribution of children from Stary Oskol to the victory in the Great Patriotic War.
The death and suffering of children is the most terrible price that the people pay for the victory with the enemy. During the Second World War, thirteen million children died in the world.
The children, that had seen the war with their eyes. Their stories are striking in their simplicity and sincerity.
There was a war, and they were children. They ate tortillas made of frozen potatoes, walked in bast shoes, studied with the whole class in one book, ran away to the front, hated the Germans, waited for letters from the front, dreamed of peace.
According to the Stary Oskol Museum of Local Lore, 56 children died in our region during the occupation.
Older children had to work equally with adults. Valentina Pavlovna Stepanova says: “Everyone worked: both old and young, this is the order in the village. We children had our own responsibilities, which we performed without reminders, unquestioningly. There was no thought of disobeying the elders. A bag of grass in the evening is a mandatory norm for everyone. I, as the eldest daughter, brought the cattle from the pasture and cultivated the garden.
Little Valya remembered this episode for the rest of her life: «The Germans went through all the houses of the village and took away livestock and food. They came into our house with the words: «Chickens, eggs, milk». They took everything, but they couldn’t take the hive. Mom ran to the hives and released the bees. Maybe she did this because her father, who was at the front, valued the apiary very much. The German, observing this daring act, raised his pistol, indicating that he would fire. But suddenly the grandmother ran up and threw herself at his feet. Behind her stood we — frightened children. This must have touched him and he lowered his weapon.
War and children are incompatible concepts. War is something cruel, heartless, evil, but children are something pure, innocent! But the war knew no boundaries between adults and children. Here everyone was equal!
Children and teenagers continued to die even after the Germans were expelled from the territory of our region.
It is impossible not to mention the contribution to the overall victory over the enemy of the young miners who operated in our region.
The sapper makes a mistake once in his life. Unfortunately, our guys were also mistaken. And then a notice came to the house: «He died in the performance of military duty».
In 1990, in the village of Terebreno, Krasnoyaruzhsky district of our region, the first and only monument in the country was opened, perpetuating the memory of the boys of the Great Patriotic War who went out into the deadly fields, those who gave their lives in these fields. The words are inscribed on the monument: «1943–1944. They were 16... They bequeathed their lives to us,” below — “To the dead sappers who cleared mines in their native fields».
There are fewer and fewer participants in the war every year. We must honor their contribution to the victory, remember the sixteen-year-old boys who paid for the victory with the most precious thing they had — their own lives!
«Whoever tells you that it’s time to forget the past war, call him a traitor. Constantly remind you how terrible and inexorably cruel she was. For the ancients teach: «When a war is forgotten, then a new one begins».
These words belong to the famous front-line writer Konstantin Simonov. They sound surprisingly modern.
We, as the young generation of Stary Oskol residents, can be proud that our grandfathers and great-grandfathers walked their path to the end, sparing no effort and life. Passed so that we could live in a free and unconquered country.
We are all indebted to those who, despite difficulties at the front and in the rear, did everything to save their Motherland. We must not forget the horror of war, devastation, hunger, suffering and death of innocent people. This would be a crime against the fallen, a crime against the future.
We paid a high price for victory and once again reminded the whole world of the age-old wisdom of Russia: «whoever comes to us with a sword will die by the sword. This is where the Russian land stands and will stand».
References:
- Vasilyeva, T. G. Occupation of Stary Oskol: some aspects // War in the destinies of generations: the social and humanitarian aspect of the problem: Collection of materials from the regional scientific and practical conference. — Stary Oskol, 2005. — 264 p.
- Nikulov, A. P. Stary Oskol (Historical research of the Oskol region) // Kursk: GUIPP «Kursk», 1997. — 576 p.
- Interview with Stepanova V. P. — 2008. — December 14.
- Zarubin, D. E. Verified. There are no mines! // Dawn. — 2008. — August
- 1941–1945: In the Name of Life: an art-publicistic collection / D. Zarubin, T. Zolotykh, A. Bogdanovich et al. — Stary Oskol: Corporate Communications Department of OJSC OEMK, 2010. — 432 p.
- Andreeva, R.V., Popova, L. F. Ratniye Polei Rossii // Center of Artistic Revival of the Black Earth Region. — Voronezh, 2003. — 376 p.
