KALMYKS IN THE COMBAT FORMATION OF THE RED ARMY (1944-1945)

Abstract

The article is devoted to one of the pages of the history of Kalmykia during the war period based on newly identified historical sources. In historiography, this problem has been covered only in fragments. During the Great Patriotic War, the Kalmyk people were unreasonably accused of aiding the enemy, and not only the Kalmyk civilian population (mostly the elderly, women and children), but also soldiers, sergeants and officers of Kalmyk nationality who fought on the war fronts, were subjected to repression. Despite the order of January 8, 1944 The General Staff of the Red Army announced the complete withdrawal of the Kalmyks from the front, many remained in combat formation and continued to fight against the Nazis. The commanders of the military units, apparently, considering the fighting qualities of their Kalmyks soldiers, deliberately did not report and did not expel. In addition, the General Staff was not very demanding of its order. The column “Kalmyks” was kept in the Red Army General Staff Personnel Book throughout the war years and was filled in in detail for all indicators (nationality, by fronts, districts, branches of the armed forces, specialties, etc.) down to one person. Member of the State Defense Committee of the USSR L. P. Beria left the decision on the removal or abandonment to the command of the military units. The Kalmyk warriors, the builders of the military-economic facility, successfully completed the state task on time. Kalmyks soldiers who fought in 1944-1945 passed the war with honor and dignity, seven of them were awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union for their courage, and some participated in the historic Victory Day Parade on June 24, 1945 on Red Square in Moscow. The main source base of the article consists of documentary materials found in the collections of the Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Russian State Archive of Socio-Political History, the State Archive of the Russian Federation, as well as published periodicals.