The Voice of Russia ( THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR IN PHOTOS )

THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR IN PHOTOS

We, descendants of that war generation, see it through the eyes of cameramen and photographers. During four years of the war hundreds upon hundreds of photos were made and three and a half million meters of film were shot. 33 of 257 cameramen died performing their duty at the front. An hour and a half of every day of the war had been filmed. Stills and photographs are unbiased evidence of the horrors of the war. They tell the story of what happened in the towns left by the Soviet army, troop movements, guerrilla raids, day-to-day heroism of Soviet people at the front and in the rear, the liberation of this country and Europe. Photos appeared in national, front and army newspapers. Two documentaries shot by Soviet cameramen were the evidence of persecution at the Nuremberg trial. They tell the story of ruined historic monuments and massacres of PWOs and the local population.These are rare photos. By an accident a cameraman himself was photographed.

At 12 o'clock on the 22nd of June the Soviet Foreign Minister B.M.Molotov made a radio address to the nation. "Nationals of the Soviet Union! At four o'clock in the morning the Nazi troops attacked our country,they violated the border in many places and bombed the cities of Zhitomir, Kiev, Sebastopol, Kaunas and some others without declaring a war". Concentrated an d strict were faces of the people listening to broadcasts from the front. First rallies were held. Trains carrying new recruits to the west. On the second day after the war was declared correspondents were at the front. The first months of the war. Disheartening news of the Soviet army's retreat. The first losses. Photos of those days are not numerous. Correspondents recall that they were tortured by the thought if they had moral right to film scenes of people's grief. You cannot explain to those who lost their dear ones that generations to come will benefit by the picture of their suffering.

The first months of the war. Disheartening news of the Soviet army's retreat. The first losses. Photos of those days are not numerous. Correspondents recall that they were tortured by the thought if they had moral right to film scenes of people's grief. You cannot explain to those who lost their dear ones that generations to come will benefit by the picture of their suffering

War correspondents went to the frontline. They made photos from trenches, from the tank that was the first to enter the battle, on board the aircraft, through the firing hole of a concrete bunker, or from a window of the building caught with fire. Their photos and documentaries are the proof of their high professional skills. They thought more of the right exposition and quality of their work than of their personal security. Photographers risked their lives in a strive to make a telling photo and cameramen--to make a close-up of a battle. They had to take pictures and film quickly. In addition, they had to promptly send their material and accompany it with the relevant description .

Photographers and cameramen were witnesses to the first major victory of the Soviet army, the defeat of the Nazi troops near Moscow in the end of 1941 and early 1942.Over 3 million men and officers were involved in the battle on both sides. Correspondents had to film in heavy frosts when temperature reached -35 degree centigrade. Before filming cameras were warmed under sheepskin jackets. Thousands meters of film shot by cameramen have become part of the documentary "The Defeat of the Nazi Troops near Moscow". The film appeared on the screens on the 18th of February 1942.It was awarded with the State Prize of the Soviet Union and OSCAR of the US Academy of Cinematography as the best film of the year. These are stills from the documentary "The Defeat of the Nazi Troops near Moscow":

During the battle for the city of Stalingrad which lasted 200 days and ended in the defeat of the 330-thousand-strong group of Nazi and Romanian troops front correspondents had to film street battles. That was something that was new to them. Though what had remained in the completely ruined city could hardly be described as streets. There was a battle for every house. Soviet soldiers held defense of the Pavlov house for 59 days. There is a film telling about this heroic deed. A special tunnel was made under the neutral zone shelled by the Nazis so that a cameraman could get into the encircled Pavlov house.

In July and August of 1943 reporters were witnesses to major tank battles of the Second World war. Over 4 million men and officers on both sides were involved in the Kursk Battle.13,000 tanks and self-propelled heavy guns were introduced to the battlefield. Cameramen and photographers are absolutely unprotected in any tank battle. To shoot a close-up cameramen had to wait for enemy tanks to approach Soviet trenches. They usually filmed through the observation opening of tanks.

Cameramen filmed not only at the front but also in the enemy's rear, in guerrilla units. Guerrillas were most active in occupied Belorussia. Belorussian guerrillas liquidated, injured and took prisoner some 1.5 million Nazi soldiers. Guerrillas forced to derail thousands upon thousands of Nazi trains. Cameramen and photographers took part in guerrilla raids together with guerrillas, they were in ambush with them and blew up bridges.

During the war pictures were taken of thousands upon thousands of people. Many of them died in the war. On those photos you see heroes whose names are known to the whole of the Soviet Union and ordinary soldiers.

Often reporters had no time to write down names of men and officers. The face of a soldier pressed to a mortar appeared to be familiar to many people. After the photo was published the editorial staff received dozens of letters saying that a husband, son or brother was depicted on it. Experts in crime detection drew a conclusion that the right guess was that of Yevdokiya Polikarpova who recognized her husband Nikolai on the photo. Nikolai Polikarpov, a villager of the Tambov region fell on the battlefield in 1944.

Cameramen and photographers took pictures of Leningrad during the blockade which continued for 900 days. 641,000 people starved to death. Another 67,000 residents of the city died from bombing and artillery shelling. Cameramen and photographers continued working even in the most severe period of the blockade--the autumn and winter of 1941 and 1942.They filmed the bombing of food storehouses which left the city's population without food. They remind that piles of margarine were boiling and melting, floods of melted sugar were running on the ground, flour was burning. Later they themselves had to search for pieces of hardened suger, pits of prunes and other food residues in the ashes. Cameraman A.Bogorov reminds that his feet were swelled up from hunger, he felt giddy and he had to strain every nerve to make another move. "What saved my life is work", he says.

Food stockhouses are burning

In the streets of Leningrad		Children from an ophanage during a walk
At the baker's shop		Leningrade's resident

Funerals

These photos tell about everyday life in the rear. Plants and factories were adjusted for the production of war output. Men who left for the front were replaced by women, old men and children. They worked for 12-18 hours a day without days off and holidays.

They showed staunchness in their hardship, all were waiting for good news from the front.

Lessons in a ruined school

News from the front

May 1945.Those photos portray historic events. The seizure of Berlin. The Banner of Victory is hoisted over the Reikhstag. The Nazi command is signing the Act of Capitulation. And finally, the end of the war and people's joy. Soldiers return home. Happy meetings. The Victory Parade on Red Square on the 24th of June 1945 .

The Banner of Victory is hoisted		Nazi Germany signs the Act of Capitulation


Participants in the Victory Parade

Photos are borrowed from the following books: "The Great Patriotic War in photos and stills". Moscow 1985 ("Velikaya Otechestvennaya v fotografiyah i kinodokumentah". Moskva. 1985.) "Documentary films about the Great Patriotic War". Moscow. 1984. ("Iz kinoletopisi Velikoi Otechestvennoi voiny". Moskva. 1985). "Their arms were camera: Cameramen's stories". Moscow. 1984. ("Ih oruzhie - kinokamera". Moskva. 1984). "The Second World War. Photo project". Moscow 2000. ("Vtoraya mirovaya voina. Fotoproekt". Moskva. 2000). "Blocade - day after day". Leningrade. 1974. ("Blokada - den' za dnem". Leningrad. 1974.