G. Bakalinsky. Writers are fighters for peace. Philately of the USSR. 1976. No. 12. P. 5-7

In September 1932, the fortieth anniversary of the creative and social and political activities of Alexei Maksimovich Gorky was widely celebrated. In commemoration of the anniversary, the Ministry of Communications of the USSR issued a series of postage stamps No. 392-393 with a portrait and facsimile of the writer.

Gorky's books are read by all progressive humanity. The proletarian writer boldly invaded various spheres of human activity, denounced lies and injustice, came out with the exposure of the bestial essence of fascism and urged to fight it mercilessly in order to preserve the gains of October. Gorky was not alone in this struggle. Many cultural figures abroad immediately recognized the world's first state of workers and peasants. The outstanding French writer Romain Rolland (stamp No. 3311, marked envelope No. 4070) wrote in 1935 “... that the only real world progress is inseparably linked with the fate of the USSR, that the USSR is a fiery hotbed of proletarian internationalism, which all humanity should become and will be. ".

Gorky and Rolland were actively involved in preparing the anti-war congress held in 1932 in Amsterdam. However, Alexei Maksimovich did not have to be a participant: the government of Holland denied entry visas to a part of the Soviet delegation.

Subsequently, the issues of postage stamps, marked envelopes, postcards not only in the Soviet Union, but also in Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Vietnam and India were devoted to Gorky more than once.

Many postage miniatures are dedicated to writers who fought in the difficult years of the war with Nazi Germany. On the postage stamp No. 4067, issued for the 70th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Fadeev, it is very true to say: "Fighter, writer, communist." During the civil war in the Far East, he fought in a partisan detachment, from the first days of the Great Patriotic War, his correspondence from different sectors of the front was published in the press. The fiery words of the tribune inspired the fighters, instilled in them confidence in victory.

In 1944, Fadeev's book "Leningrad in the days of the siege" was published with front-line essays and articles about the heroic feat of soldiers Leningrad front and the inhabitants of the city who defended the cradle of the revolution from the fascist invaders. Fadeev was the first to talk about the Young Guard Komsomol members of Krasnodon, and later he wrote the wonderful novel "Young Guard". We see the heroes of Krasnodon on stamp number 887. After the war, the writer participates in the peace movement, conferences, congresses and sessions of the World Peace Council, of which he was a member for many years.

The popular children's writer Arkady Gaidar left a bright mark in Soviet literature. The first postage stamp No. 2785, dedicated to him, was issued in 1962, the second (No. 3032) marked the sixtieth anniversary of the writer's birth.

Arkady Gaidar created many interesting works for kids. After the publication of the story "Timur and his team", the Timur movement arose in the country. In the village "Gaidar" of the Atbasar region of the Kazakh SSR, the Timurovites even created a real pioneer post with their own stamp and served the entire population of the village. The marked envelopes No. 6158, 9087 depict the Gaidar Museum-Library in the town of Kanev, Cherkasy region.

The famous Tatar poet Musa Jalil wrote a heroic page in the annals of the Great Patriotic War, whose portrait is depicted on stamp No. 2334. Once in the Nazi prisoner of war camp, he creates an underground group, writes poetry and, with his fiery words, helps his comrades to courageously endure the Nazi captivity.

In 1956, Musa Jalil was posthumously awarded the title of Hero Soviet Union, and for the collection of poems "Moabit Notebook", written in captivity, he was awarded the Lenin Prize. On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the poet's birth, a postage stamp No. 3321 and a marked envelope No. 4107 were issued, which were canceled with a special postmark in Kazan on February 15, 1966.

The writer I. G. Ehrenburg, twice laureate of the USSR State Prize, made a great contribution to the cause of peace. In the most difficult time for our Fatherland - the war years, Soviet people read his fiery articles, essays, pamphlets, which expressed ardent love for the Motherland, confidence in victory and burning hatred of fascism. “Ehrenburg is in hand-to-hand combat with the Germans, he hits right and left. This is a hot attack ... ”This is how MI Kalinin characterized the writer's publicistic speeches. His collection of essays "Enemies", published in late 1941, enjoyed wide popularity. An assessment of the great and fruitful work was the awarding of the Lenin Prize to Ehrenburg in 1952 "For the strengthening of peace among peoples." Two commemorative miniatures published in France are dedicated to him. They capture the friendly conversation between Ilya Grigorievich Ehrenburg and the French writer Jean Richard-Blok, a great friend of the Soviet Union.

Speaking about writers - fighters for peace and friendship between peoples, to whom post miniatures are dedicated, one cannot fail to mention such masters of the pen as A. Tolstoy (No. 2117), A. Serafimovich (No. 2807), F. Gladkov (No. 2812), V. Ivanov (No. 3219), D. Gulia (No. 3034), whose works live among the people, educate people and fight together with them for the brightest on earth - peace.

The Polish aphorist Leszek Kumor once suggested: "Let's learn from the mistakes of others - the repertoire of ours is too monotonous." I will not undertake to judge the mistakes of everyday life and about human nature - let psychologists and others like them do this. But as for mistakes on domestic stamps and other signs of postage, here we, of course, put the wise gentleman to shame! The repertoire of our mistakes is so varied that it would be ... a mistake to refer to the "experience" of other countries. As proof - "vinigret" from a wide variety of home-grown oversights.

One of the famous curiosities of our post office is a postage miniature with a portrait of the pilot Sigismund Levanevsky. This 10-kopeck stamp was issued in the series "Rescue of the Chelyuskinites" and was drawn by the classic of the genre Vasily Zavyalov. Collectors are well aware of the series that presented the heroes of the epic of the rescue of the steamer Chelyuskin, which was crushed by ice on February 13, 1934. It was in connection with the feat of rescuers in the USSR that the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was established on April 16 of the same year. On the stamps of the series, published in 1935, portraits of the first Heroes M. Vodopyanov, I. Doronin, N. Kamanin, S. Levanevsky, A. Lyapidevsky, V. Molokov, M. Slepnev, as well as the head of the polar expedition O. Schmidt and the captain steamer "Chelyuskin" V. Voronin.

Immediately after the stamps entered the postal circulation, philatelists noticed a strange thing: all the portraits of pilots and polar explorers were painted in a frame of laurel branches, from which, as you know, in ancient times, a wreath was made for the winner. And only the portrait of Sigismund Levanevsky is decorated with both laurel and palm branches ... The people, even in the then USSR, were fully educated in the arts. Collectors remembered paintings by old masters, in which an angel presents a palm branch to the Virgin Mary, announcing her imminent death, and the Virgin Mary herself on her deathbed passes this branch to John the Evangelist ... And what then? Only a little over two years have passed since the creation of the brand - and the pilot Levanevsky died.

It was then that they started talking about the mystical nature of the 10-kopeck miniature, they began to torture (fortunately, not literally) its author. But Vasily Zavyalov firmly held the defense, claiming that he drew a palm branch "by accident", remembering that in secular themes of painting, the goddess of Victory is always depicted with a palm branch. There was no trace of mourning, they say. Perhaps now, and not in 1937, when the pilot died, the artist would have told differently. But we will not know this anymore. We also don’t know how, after (for sure!) Dozens of checks and rechecks, absurd typos appeared on Soviet stamps. Even the C-students remember that the name of the great Russian writer Dobrolyubov was Nikolai Alexandrovich. But here's a surprise: on the stamp issued in 1936 to mark the 100th anniversary of the critic, publicist, poet, prose writer in black and white, or rather, given the color of the stamp - brown on gray, it is printed: “A.N. Dobrolyubov ". Maybe the publishers were embarrassed by the presence in Russian literature of yet another Dobrolyubov - the poet Alexander Mikhailovich? But, as the unforgettable comrade Sukhov used to say, “this is unlikely” ... Firstly, the “second” Dobrolyubov has “a lower chimney and a thinner smoke”, and secondly, I generally doubt that in 1936 his (still alive and healthy!), someone would dare to remember, because this poet was “in combination” the founder of the religious sect of “Dobrolyubovites” or “brothers” (not to be confused with the current brothers!).

In those same years, one more blunder - and also at the level of the secondary school curriculum. In 1943, a series of two miniatures of one drawing was published for the 125th anniversary of the birth of I.S. Turgenev. No, no, the initials are fine here. But with the rest of the text ... In general, the artist G. Yecheistov decided to slightly "correct" the classic - and really, why stand on ceremony ?! Remember from school days the famous Turgenev poem in prose about the Russian language: "In the days of doubt, in the days of painful thoughts about the fate of my homeland - you alone support and support me, oh great, mighty, truthful and free Russian language!" However, another text appeared on the stamp: “the great, mighty, fair and free Russian language” ... The stamps were withdrawn from circulation and, presumably, in those harsh war years, the poor artist and editor of the issue got nuts.

I judge by the fact that the name of the artist G. Yecheistov has completely disappeared from the list of authors of subsequent Soviet postal issues. But the stamp dedicated to the Estonian epic Kalevipoeg in 1990 still makes me smile. Remember this time, so to speak, of "pre-independence", when the entire Soviet people learned, watching the weather map on TV or reading the train schedule, to pronounce the impossible for the "great and mighty" - Tallinn ... this is the very "nn", since in the text on her coupon we read with surprise: "the struggle against forces hostile to the people." For quite a long time there was a grammatical error in the impressions of the franking machines of St. Petersburg post offices. As you can see in the illustration, the name of the city sounded unusual there: "S-PETERBCHRG".

I remember the excitement that happened at the Moscow post office in November 1971, when it was discovered that the stamp in honor of the 90th birthday of the leader of the international labor movement, William Foster, had a mistake in the date of death. "1964" was printed instead of the correct "1961". The stamp was very quickly withdrawn from circulation, and those of the regulars of the post office who bought it in large quantities on the first day, as they would say today, “made money”. In general, whoever dared - he ate! .. In December 1971, the stamp came out with the correct date. It is quite common for artists to make airmail stamps. They stubbornly forgot to draw a crutch under the tail of the aircraft, without which a normal landing is almost impossible. There are more than a dozen of such "lame" planes in the domestic philately, and in the releases of other countries of the world there are hundreds. There are errors on the miniatures of 1961 (to the 40th anniversary of the Soviet postage stamp) and 1968 (dedicated to the Day of the postage stamp and collector): they show the 1921 stamp “The Liberated Proletarian” with teeth, although in fact it was sent to the postal circulation only unperforated ...

The printing defect was made on the 1961 miniature by Lieutenant General of the Engineering Troops D.M. Karbyshev Colonel General (extra star on the left in the buttonhole). The "transparent" Moon appeared on the stamp of the Russian Federation in 1993: an asterisk shines through the lunar disk there. And in 1995 the Russian post "got lost" in the fields and meadows. A stamp was issued with the caption "Meadow cornflower (Centaurea jacea)", but a blue cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) was painted. Meadow cornflower has flowers of a distinctly purple color, and it does not grow in fields among crops of rye, like blue cornflower, but in meadows, glades, on roadsides.

Bad luck (and more than once!) On our stamps flags of foreign countries. In 1958, a postage miniature had to be republished in honor of a meeting of ministers in charge of communications in the socialist countries. Offended the flag of Czechoslovakia by turning it over. It is painted on the stamp by Vasily Zavyalov to the left of the stylized shield with the text. The correct location is with a white stripe at the top and a red stripe at the bottom. In 1983, the flag of Romania was damaged, depicted on the block on the occasion of the Day of co-monautics. But I don’t think the artist is to blame. Most likely, the domestic printing industry failed, and instead of the blue stripe, as expected, a green one was printed on the flag in the emblem of the international space flight. The error went almost unnoticed - in any case, they did not begin to correct it.

They also did not correct the mistake on the 1961 stamp drawn by V. Zavyalov. The issue is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the death of T.G. Shevchenko, and the 6-kopeck postage sign represents, among other plot elements, the title page of the first edition of Shevchenko's "Kobzar". On the stamp the title of the book is reproduced without a soft mark. This is how this word is now spelled in Ukrainian - just look at the stamp of Ukraine in 1994 with a portrait of Shevchenko and the cover of an immortal book. But in 1840, when the first edition of "Kobzar" appeared, it was impossible to do without a soft sign. So it is depicted in the illustration of a Soviet envelope in 1990 based on a drawing by artist B. Ilyukhin. But with the stamp of 1933 from the large series "Peoples of the USSR" worth 1 kopeck. - everything is fine. The fact is that Kazakhs are depicted on the miniature. But in recent decades, many young philatelists are surprised to see typical representatives of Central Asia on the stamp and read the signature: "Cossacks". How so? Yes, everything is simple - in the thirties it was written that way .., you, dear readers, of course, will laugh, but painted this stamp ... Well, as they say, guess three times! ..

However, other Soviet artists do not lag behind V. Zavyalov in terms of the number of hits in the curious rating list. Take a look at the artistic marked envelopes with the monument to A.S. Pushkin in the Pushkin Hills. Those integral pieces that were published in 1976 (artist V. Martynov) and in 1986 (artist L. Kuryerova) represent a bronze Pushkin with his right hand held high. But on the envelope of 1981 (artist V. Beilin), the monument lowered his right hand much lower than his left - which is clearly visible when comparing the envelopes.

In the center there is a projectile car taking off from the Earth and heading towards the Moon. In the book "From Earth to the Moon" he is described as follows:

“The shell turned out to be a miracle of metallurgy and did honor to the industrial genius of the Americans. Never before had such a huge amount of aluminum been mined at once, and this alone could be considered an extraordinary achievement of technology. The precious shell gleamed brightly in the sun. The conical top gave it a resemblance to the massive guard towers, which in the old days, medieval architects decorated the corners of the fortress walls; all that was missing was the narrow loopholes and the weather vane on the roof. [...] The shell was nine feet wide and twelve feet high. [...] This metal tower was penetrated through a hatch in its conical top, which resembled a hole in a steam boiler. It was hermetically sealed with an aluminum cover attached from the inside with powerful bolts. [...] ... four porthole windows made of thick lenticular glass were placed under the leather cover - two on the sides of the shell, the third in its bottom, and the fourth in the conical top. "

The Israeli artist moved away from the text of the book: the projectile is made of metal foxes, fastened with rivets (Jules Verne has a completely different manufacturing technology: "The casting was successfully completed on November 2nd" ), three triangular stabilizers and a nozzle appeared.

Monaco, 1955 (Michel # 522)

In passing, I will note that the stabilizers on the 1955 Monaco Julesvern stamp (Michel No. 522) misled many people. For example, the German philatelic catalog "Michel" explains that the stamp depicts a Nike missile (meaning the missile of the US Nike-Ajax anti-aircraft missile system). But this is not so - the spaceship of the future is depicted on the right side of the Monaco stamp. Its shape differs significantly from the shape of the American air defense missile system. The fact that this is a spaceship is confirmed by the surrounding stars and the porthole in the central part of the ship. This is the very first image on a postage stamp of a fantastic spaceship.

The Polish writer Edward Karlovich in his book "500 Philatelic Mysteries" (translated into Russian - 1978) explains the drawing of a spaceship in a completely different way:

"First artificial satellite The Earth entered orbit in October 1957, however ... the spacecraft on the stamp of the Principality of Monaco appeared earlier. The series, released in 1955 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of Jules Verne, reproduced illustrations for his most popular works. The only aviation stamp in this series with a denomination of 200 francs (a great rarity!) Illustrates the famous story of this writer "From Earth to the Moon" and represents a spaceship at the moment of launch on Earth and en route to the Moon against the background of the starry sky. "

But on the right side of the figure, of course, not a Julevern shell car - it is enough to compare the shape of this spaceship with the projectile on the left side of the figure.

France, 1961 (Michel # 1338)

Jules Verne's book had a huge impact on world fiction. For example, the very first science fiction film, Le Voyage dans la Lune (1902) by the Frenchman Georges Méliès, was a parody of the book by J. Verne and H. Wells' novel The First Men on the Moon. Above is a 1961 French stamp dedicated to Milier. On the right, on the screen - a cannon aimed at the moon, people climbing into the lunar shell. Under the screen there is an inscription in French: "Journey to the Moon."

Probably, the artist painted from memory or from the words of people who watched the film - compare the stamp drawing with a frame from the film.

On the left side of the stamp is a man in a chariot of fire.

Most fantasy fans will decide: “This is Phaethon, who asked his father for permission to drive the solar chariot! Due to inept control, the horses approached the ground, it caught fire, and Zeus struck Phaethon. "

Hungary, 1978 (Michel No. 3268 A)

And they will also remember that according to one of the old assumptions, the asteroid belt was formed after the destruction of the hypothetical planet Phaethon. Perhaps the fantastic exploration ships on the 1978 Hungarian stamp test this assumption.

But the Israeli stamp does not depict Phaethon, here the traditions of European fiction give way to Jewish specificity. This is not an inexperienced Phaethon, but the prophet Eiliyau (Elijah) who has seen life. This is how it is described in the Tanakh:

“And it came to pass when they walked and, walking, talking, behold, (appeared) a chariot of fire and horses of fire, and they separated one from the other; and Eiliyau ascended into the sky like a whirlwind "(Tanach, Melachim II, 2:11).

The same event in another translation in the 4th book of Kings:

"As they walked and talked along the way, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared, and separated them both, and Elijah rushed into heaven in a whirlwind."(Fourth Book of Kingdoms, 2:11).

Russia, 2002 (Michel # 1028)

Russia, 2002 (Michel # 1029)

Artist Avi Katz added dramatic detail to the description of Eliyahu's ascension: the prophet turned and stretched out his left hand towards the receding land. There is either anger or disgust on his face - it's hard to tell from the stamp drawings, but you can see that Eiliyahu is not cheerful. And it is not clear whether he is grieving that he has to leave the earth, or he curses the people who remained on it.

On the tab is a portrait of Jules Verne, composed of stars.

Portraits of the writer are not uncommon on postage stamps, but the postage miniature of the Central African Republic (Michel No. 118) is special, depicting Jules Verne pressing the start button. You don't often see a writer on stamps in the world he invented.

This drawing was repeated on the postage block stamp (Michel No. 5).

On the left side of the postage miniature is a lunar lander, one of which delivered American astronauts to the lunar surface.

Yemen, 1965 (Michel No. 191 A)

Ajman, 1972 (Michel No. 1298 A)

On postage stamps, you can find not only real-life landing modules, but also their prototypes. For example, on the 1965 Yemen stamps (Michel # 191) and Ajman 1972 (Michel # 1298).

In philately, space technology and the books of Jules Verne often coexist with each other. For example, on the stamps of Mali 1970 (Michel No. 224-226), dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the birth of the famous writer.

The first stamp depicts the Saturn V launch vehicle with the Apollo spacecraft (left), a portrait of the writer (center), a factory (below) and a projectile heading towards the Moon (right). The figure compares the fantastic and the real - the Julevern shell car and the "Saturn V".

The artist who created the Mali stamps has undoubtedly seen illustrations from the first edition of From Earth to the Moon (1865).

The second stamp shows the undocked command and lunar modules(left), a portrait of the writer (center) and a shell with an accompanying corpse of a dog (left).

The picture on the right side of the stamp refers to the book Around the Moon:

“According to Barbicane's instructions, the entire funeral procedure required extreme agility in order to prevent the loss of air, which, due to its elasticity, could quickly escape into world space. The bolts of the right window, about thirty centimeters wide, were carefully unscrewed, and Michel, lifting the corpse of the Satellite in his arms, prepared to throw it out the window. With the help of a powerful lever, which made it possible to overcome the pressure of internal air on the walls of the projectile, the glass quickly turned on its hinges, and the Satellite was thrown ... he was not afraid to get rid of all the rubbish that cluttered their carriage in the same manner. "

The artist quite boldly juxtaposed the command and lunar modules with a shell car and a dead dog.

The image on the stamp is based on illustrations from the first edition of Around the Moon (above).

The third stamp shows a splashdown of the crew compartment lunar expedition(left), portrait of Jules Verne (center) and rescue of the crew of the Jules Verne shell (right).

After a month and a half, these stamps were overprinted with the text on French: "Apollo XIII - The Space Epic - April 11-17, 1970" (Michel No. 230-231).

And nine years later, the image of one of the Julvern stamps of 1970 (Michel No. 226) appeared on the stamp dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the flight of Apollo 11 (Michel No. 724).

I would like to note that the colorful and memorable stamps of Israel are not the only ones dedicated to the popular type of literature. Two years before their appearance, in 1998, a large series "The Age of Science Fiction" was released in San Marino. Sixteen stamps show a century-old history of science fiction, from Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in 1869 to F. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? 1968 year.

USSR, 1982 Stamped envelope

Science fiction isn't just about postage stamps. For example, in the USSR and its main legal successor, Russia, several complete pieces dedicated to the domestic classics of science fiction were released: I. Efremov (USSR 1982, marked envelope), A. Strugatsky (Russia 2005, card with original stamp), A. Belyaev ( Russia 2009, envelope with original stamp). Each integral piece contains the names of science fiction books (on Efremov's envelope there is a drawing of the nebula M-31, which directly points to the novel "The Andromeda Nebula").

BBK76.106 M18

Malov Yu. G., Malov V. Yu.

М18 Chronicle of the Great Patriotic War in philately. - M .: Radio and communication, 1985. - 88p., Ill. (B-ka young philatelist. Issue 16)

The story is about philatelic materials dedicated to the heroic struggle of the Soviet people against the German fascist invaders in 1941-1945, produced in our country both during the Great Patriotic War and in the post-war period.

Contains tips for collecting and preparing exhibits on this topic.

For young philatelists.

4403020000-YO 046 (01)-85

without advert.

BBK 76.106 379.45

Reviewer A. A. Osyatinsky

Editorial office of literature on economics, postal services and philately

© Publishing House "Radio and Communication", 1985.

INTRODUCTION

On May 9, 1945, salvoes of solemn fireworks in the capital of our Motherland, Moscow, announced to the whole world about the victory of the Soviet people over fascism in the Great Patriotic War.

In a mortal battle with a cruel enemy, Soviet people boldly went through severe trials and performed a feat that has no equal in the history of mankind. At the call of the Communist Party and the Soviet government, our people rose to defend the Motherland. The slogan "Everything for the front, everything for the victory!" became the combat program of every Soviet person.

All means of political propaganda and agitation were mobilized, including postage. Envelopes, stamps, postcards, secrets not only carried greetings from their hearts, but were also sharp political posters calling for battle, instilling confidence in victory over the enemy. Along with works of literature, fine art, cinematography of those years, postal materials with patriotic themes became the chronicle of the Great Patriotic War.

Many Soviet people carefully collect and store documents - evidence of the unprecedented feat of the Soviet people over fascism. From year to year, a movement under the slogan "Nobody is forgotten and nothing is forgotten" is growing in our country. Philatelists, collecting postal materials about the Great Patriotic War, became active participants in the search. It is no coincidence that today it is impossible, perhaps, to name a single philatelic exhibition, which would not have presented exhibits on this topic. Studying and collecting mute witnesses of the feat of Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War makes it possible, as it were, to build a bridge to the heroic past, strengthen the continuity of the glorious traditions of the Soviet people and its Armed Forces, and also contribute to the patriotic education of the working people of our country.

This book contains a description of philatelic issues dedicated to the Great Patriotic War. The catalog numbers of postage issues are not given in the book: in our opinion, their search in the corresponding catalogs is not difficult.

POSTAL MATERIALS,

DEDICATED TO THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR

The heroism of the Soviet people, who defended the honor and independence of the Motherland in 1941-1945, was widely reflected in postage issues. The postage stamps and blocks, postcards and secret letters issued in those years tell about the heroism of our people at the front and in the rear, reproduce portraits of Heroes of the Soviet Union, resurrect scenes from the life of the front and the heroic past of our country. V post-war years this topic found its further development.

Leafing through the pages of albums with stamps and postcards today, sorting through the letters from the front that have turned yellow from time, we seem to be transported again to the years of the heroic past of our people, who defended their country and saved the whole world from the “brown plague”.

The philatelic information necessary for the collector about postage stamps and blocks, special cancellations, marked one-sided cards of the war years, as well as postcards and envelopes of the post-war years, can be found in the corresponding catalogs of the Central Philatelic Agency (CFA) "Soyuzpechat" of the USSR Ministry of Communications. At the same time, an extremely difficult task is to systematize the forms of postal correspondence issued during the war years - postcards and secret letters, since during the war years, the issue of these materials was practically not kept.

The classification of postal materials dedicated to the Great Patriotic War (except for postage stamps and blocks) can be presented in the following form.

POSTAL ENVELOPES

Artistic unmarked envelopes during the war they were issued in small quantities. The drawing was located either on the left or at the top of the envelope.

Artistic stamped envelopes(they are called "mail envelopes" in the book). On the front side, along with the address lines, there is a drawing (for example, a portrait of a Hero of the Soviet Union or a monument) dedicated to the events of the Great Patriotic War.

Artistic first day envelopes. Timed to coincide with the release of a postage stamp. The illustration on the envelope fully or partially coincides with the plot of the postage stamp or is thematically related to it. The stamp is canceled either with a special stamp, the decoration of which is also connected with its plot, or with the usual first day stamp.

Artistic stamped envelopes with original stamp, that is, with a stamp that is not issued for circulation separately from the envelope.

POSTAL CARDS

Labeled picture single-sided postcards(postcards). In 1941-1945, sixteen such cards of nine stories were issued. The plot of three of them repeats the plot of the postage stamps of the series "The Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945", issued in 1942.

Marked and unmarked standard postcards - the most common type of letterhead for postal correspondence between the front and rear and intra-rear.

Of these, the most interesting are the cards issued by the People's Commissariat of Communications at the beginning of the war for dispatches with an "open" address to the active army from the rear and from the active army to the rear. These are, as a rule, unmarked cards (with the inscription "Sent without a stamp"); in the address lines of the cards it is printed: “It is obligatory to indicate: the number of the regiment, company, platoon, the name of the institution. It is forbidden to indicate: the number of the brigade, division, corps, army, the name of the front, region, city, town. " In the future, in order to preserve the secrecy of the deployment of troops, only a place for the field post number was preserved in the address section.

Unmarked illustrated one-sided postcards. They were intended mainly for sending from the active army to the rear. Sometimes on the obverse there was no image of the coat of arms of the USSR; instead of "Postcard" it read "Voinskoe"; at the top of the postcard was the text: "Death to the German occupiers!"

The words "Return address" were followed by the words "Field Mail" and lines to indicate the return address. Half of the front side remained for the drawing, so the drawings were laconic, poster-like, with a short expressive text.

Unmarked double-sided picture postcards. The front side was intended for the address part of the letter and a summary of the plot of the drawing, placed on the back side. During the war years - one of the most popular forms for postal correspondence. Many famous artists took part in their design. The postcards depicted paintings and graphics, poems, slogans, songs, photo sketches, etc.

Pre-stamped, single-sided illustrated postcards with original stamp. Such cards have been in circulation in our country since 1971. The postage stamp shown on the card is not issued separately from it.

Labeled double-sided picture postcards. They became widespread in the post-war period. They often depict monuments dedicated to the events of the Great Patriotic War.

SECRETS AND DIY TRIANGLES

Secret letters was a lined sheet of paper that was folded in half and sealed with a special gummed valve. Address lines were drawn on one of the outer sides and an illustration of a patriotic plot was reproduced. Sometimes the address lines occupied the entire field, and the illustration was placed on the other half of the sheet or on both outer sides, as well as on the inside of the lock. Non-illustrated leaflets were also issued.

Finally, the most common type of writing is homemade triangles. They were folded from any paper at hand, up to newsprint.

A FEW TIPS FOR THE COLLECTOR

When selecting postal materials for exhibition work about the Great Patriotic War, the following should be remembered. Postage stamps and blocks for display can be taken both clean and canceled, but it is better to use one type. Do not mix clean and extinguished stamps and blocks on the same exhibition sheet. It is advisable to show postage stamps of 1941-1945 on envelopes and postcards that have passed the post: they are very rare in this form (the overwhelming part of postal correspondence during the war years was freed from franking).

The letters from the field mail of 1941-1945, especially letters with an "open" address, are of great value for the exposition. Using these addresses, you can restore the time and place of events in which the sender or recipient of the letter participated.

Since the war, a small number of clean (not passed through the mail) postcards and "secrets", including illustrated ones, have survived. For philatelic exposition, only those blank forms are considered suitable, on which it is indicated that they were issued by order of the Office of Military Field Posts (UVPP) or the Central Office of Military Postal Communications (MC UPU), as well as marked postcards.

For the exhibition, you can also use other postal materials from the times of the war: telegrams, postal notices for the delivery of money orders, parcels, parcels, postal receipts.

Postage stamps, blocks, letters from the field mail of the enemy and his satellites should not be included in the exhibit. They can be used in the collection only if there are explanatory texts that reveal the misanthropic, bestial essence of fascism. In this sense, the collections of letters from fascist concentration camps, camps for persons deported to forced labor, letters from heroes of the Resistance, etc. are especially impressive.

A large place in philatelic collections about the Great Patriotic War is occupied by artistic envelopes issued after the war. In our opinion, post-mail envelopes look better on exhibition sheets than clean ones. Such envelopes, franked with a standard postage stamp, sometimes need to be “reinforced” with an additional stamp and an appropriate postmark. For example, an envelope with the image of the monument to A. Matrosov in Dnepropetrovsk can be additionally franked with a postage stamp with a portrait of the hero, canceled with a calendar stamp on February 23, 1983 - on the day of the fortieth anniversary of his feat.

The use of modern double-sided postcards should be limited. Made, as a rule, in an intense color scheme, they violate the integrity of the overall impression of the collection and distract attention.

Postmarks of 1941-1945 play an important role in the exhibit. Often it is the postmark that attracts the collector's attention and determines the place of a whole or a whole thing in an exhibit. There are many interesting works containing in-depth studies of field mail stamps, field postal stations (PPS), field postal bases (PPB), sea mail stamps, military censorship, hospital mail, evacuation points, stamps on labels or directly on letters indicating the impossibility of delivery letters to the addressee in connection with his departure (transfer to another unit, referral to a hospital or death in battle), etc. Stamps with calendar dates corresponding to the most important events in the history of the war are of great philatelic value: June 22, 1941 (the beginning of the war) , December 5-6, 1941 (the beginning of the Soviet counteroffensive near Moscow), February 2, 1943 (the end of the Battle of Stalingrad), May 9, 1945 (Victory Day), etc.

In the post-war years, special cancellation stamps, timed to coincide with the anniversary dates of the significant events of the Great Patriotic War, have become widespread.

Calendar stamps (as well as rectangular stamps of registered letters) contain information useful for the exhibit. settlements, named after prominent military figures (for example, the cities of Chernyakhovsk, Vatutino, Tolbukhin, the village of Rotmistrovka). The same applies equally to the postmarks of settlements in which important events took place during the war years (for example, the city of Lyutezh, the village of Maly Bukrin, where in September 1943, during the crossing of the Dnieper, the Lyutezh and Bukrin bridgeheads were captured).

The basis of the philatelic exhibit is made up of postage stamps and blocks, therefore one should not "overload" the collection with whole and whole things, especially of the post-war period, with the exception of specialized collections of letters or envelopes (for example, letters from the field mail of 1941-1945, postal envelopes depicting monuments of the Great Patriotic War war, etc.).

CHRONICLES

THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR IN PHILATELIUS

THE BEGINNING OF THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR

At dawn on June 22, 1941, without a declaration of war, the troops of Nazi Germany invaded our Motherland. The plans of the Hitlerite command to destroy the Soviet border outposts were given 30 minutes. However, the Nazis miscalculated.

Soviet border guards bravely met the enemy, as a series of labeled envelopes with portraits of Heroes of the Soviet Union and commanders of border outposts recalls.

Among them is a portrait of Lieutenant V.F. Morin. Under his command, the border guards of the 17th frontier post of the Rava-Russky region, with the approach of the enemy, took up a perimeter defense. Under heavy fire, they repulsed five attacks of the advancing fascists. The lieutenant raised ten border guards who survived to attack. “... This is our last! ... "- with the singing of" Internationale "they rushed into the last hand-to-hand combat.

Lieutenant A. V. Lopatin - commander of the 13th frontier post of the 90th Vladimir-Volynsky frontier detachment. He showed courage and heroism, reflecting the onslaught of the enemy in the first days of the Great Patriotic War. He managed to organize a perimeter defense, which allowed a handful of border guards for 11 days to repulse attacks from an enemy many times superior in strength. The heroes died, but did not retreat.

On the bank of the Western Bug there is a monument to the Komsomol border guard, deputy political officer of the 7th outpost of the 91st border detachment V.V.Petrov. For six hours he, with his machine-gun crew, did not give the Nazis the opportunity to cross the river and invade the territory of our country. When the enemies surrounded the wounded border guard, he exclaimed: "Dzerzhintsy do not surrender!" - blew himself up and his enemies with the last grenade.

An outpost is located near Grodno, now bearing the name of V. Usov. The brave lieutenant, the commander of the frontier post with 32 Red Army men for ten hours fought off the continuous attacks of the brutal enemy. A street and a school in his native Nikopol are named after V. Usov.

The defense of the Brest Fortress remained in our memory a symbol of courage and perseverance. For 32 days, the territory of the fortress, protected by a handful of heroes, remained an island of Soviet land in the deep enemy rear. Without ammunition, food, water, exhausted by endless battles, they fought to their last breath. In 1961, in a series dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, a postage stamp was issued about the heroic defense of the Brest Fortress. In the post-war years, a monument to the hero-defenders of the fortress was erected in Brest, which is depicted on a postal envelope and a stamp issued in the series "Hero-cities" (1965). In subsequent years, the USSR Ministry of Communications issued envelopes with images of the fortress walls and fragments of the memorial complex created by the outstanding Soviet sculptor A.P. Kibalnikov. The postcard with the original stamp, issued in 1975 for the 30th anniversary of the Victory, is devoted to the same topic. In the post office of the hero fortress, during the days of the anniversaries of the defense, special cancellations were made with postmarks in Russian and Belarusian.

Despite the heroism of the Soviet border guards, it was not possible to stop the enemy. To manage military operations, by the decision of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command was created, which included I.V. Stalin, S.K. Timoshenko, S.M.Budyonny, K.E. Voroshilov, G K. Zhukov (their portraits are depicted on postage stamps, envelopes and postcards). It is difficult to overestimate the extremely important role played by the Headquarters from the first to the last day of the war. To manage the military units and formations operating at the fronts, three strategic directions were created: North-West (commander-in-chief - Marshal of the Soviet Union K.E. Voroshilov), Western (commander-in-chief - Marshal of the Soviet Union S.K. Timoshenko) and South-West (commander-in-chief - Marshal of the Soviet Union S.M.Budyonny).

From the first days of hostilities, mobilization was announced. Volunteers besieged military enlistment offices, insisted on their sending to the front. People's militias were created in the front line. Selfless devotion to our Fatherland made it possible in a short time to form 12 divisions of the people's militia in the capital of our Motherland alone, later included in the regular units of the Red Army.

The theme of the defense of the Fatherland, courage, stamina and heroism has become the main theme in the work of our artists, writers, poets, journalists, filmmakers. The most acute means of propaganda and agitation is the poster. At the beginning of the war, the poster of the artist VB Koretsky "Be a Hero!" Mother hugs her son before sending him to the front. She does not know whether he will return home victorious or die in battle, but she believes that he will fight like a hero.

No less expressive is the poster of the artist I. Toidze "The Motherland Calls!" anniversary of the people's militia (1966).

From the first hours of the war, the Soviet soldiers put up staunch resistance to the enemy, so the Nazi hordes, despite the surprise factor of the attack, did not fulfill the deadlines for advancing to the east, prescribed by the headquarters of the supreme command of the German armed forces. The fascist plan to conquer the country of the Soviets, codenamed "Barbarossa", worked out to the smallest detail, did not take into account the great moral strength and ardent patriotism of the Soviet people, who could sacrifice everything for the salvation of the Motherland.

On the fourth day of the war, the whole world spread the news about the heroic deed of the squadron commander of the 207th Aviation Regiment of the 42nd Air Division, Captain N.F. Gastello. He directed his burning plane into a cluster of enemy tanks and petrol tanks. The day before, addressing the squadron pilots at a rally, he said: “No matter what awaits us ahead, we will pass everything, we will endure everything. No storm can break us, no force can hold us back! " The feat of NF Gastello formed the basis for the plot of a postage stamp issued in November 1942 in the series "Heroes of the Soviet Union who fell in the Great Patriotic War", as well as several envelopes and postcards. Dozens of Soviet pilots repeated the feat of N. Gastello during the war.

The Hitlerite strategists attached particular importance to air supremacy. The fascists experienced the force of the Soviet air strikes in the skies of Spain, when our pilots came to the aid of the freedom-loving Spanish people in the fight against the rebels of General Franco.

At dawn on June 22, 1941, the Nazis launched bombing strikes on our military airfields. The Nazis boastfully declared that our country would not be able to rebuild the air force. However, one after another red-star machines soared into the sky, boldly engaging in single combat with the enemies.

In August 1941, the inhabitants of the German capital in the middle of the night were awakened by air raid signals and bomb explosions. These powerful bombing strikes on the enemy capital and important targets deep behind enemy lines were carried out by a long-range bomber regiment under the command of the Soviet polar pilot M.V. Vodopyanov, whose portrait is placed on a stamp published in 1935 in the series "Rescue of the Chelyuskinites".

Here is a postcard with a portrait of pilot Nikolai Grachev, who in August 1941 had 11 sorties and 9 shot down enemy aircraft to his account, for which he was awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The author of the portrait is the artist N. A. Yar-Kravchenko - during the war years he was a gunner-radio operator, fought in the skies of besieged Leningrad. During his leisure hours he never parted with a pencil: he painted portraits of his friends-pilots, scenes of everyday life. In 1942, a series of postcards based on his drawings were issued in Sverdlovsk. In the postwar years, People's Artist of the RSFSR, laureate of the State Prize N.A.

On the second day of the war, pilot-severomorets BF Safonov shot down his first plane, in memory of whom a postage stamp was issued in 1944.

The first weeks and months of the war were extremely difficult for our country. The enemy's superiority in manpower and equipment was too great, especially in tanks and aircraft; the advantage of a surprise attack by a mobilized, trained and armed to the teeth armada on a people engaged in peaceful labor was too great.

On June 22, the troops of the aggressor approached Liepaja, hoping to capture the city on the move. But they met stubborn resistance from the garrison, consisting of military units of the 67th rifle division, sailors of the naval base and detachments of armed workers. The garrison fought heroically for four days, holding back the enemy's eastward advance. In 1971, for the 30th anniversary of the defense of Liepaja, the Ministry of Communications of the USSR issued a postage stamp and an envelope depicting a monument to the defenders of the city and the Wall of Glory.

After the fall of the city, the surviving defenders went to the partisans. Among them was the secretary of the Liepaja city committee of the Komsomol I. Ya. Sudmalis, who became one of the organizers of the underground struggle in Latvia. His portrait is placed on a postage stamp issued in 1966 in the series “Partisans of the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945. - Heroes of the Soviet Union.

A threatening situation was created for the capital of Soviet Latvia - Riga, in the port of which the ships of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet were based. The city was not prepared for ground defense, so the warships were urgently relocated to Tallinn. When it became clear that Tallinn could not be held, the command of the North-West direction and the command of the Baltic Fleet made the only correct decision: the fleet to break through to Kronstadt. The cruiser Kirov was the flagship at the crossing, and the battleship October Revolution was among the ships. One of the leaders of the bold transition was Vice-Admiral V.P. Drozd (his portrait is depicted on the postal envelope). The ships moved through the minefields under constant fire. Explosions followed one after another, every now and then it was necessary to rescue sailors from sinking ships. Indeed, death breathed in the face of everyone! The destroyer "Proud" was commanded by EB Efet. At night the ship was blown up by a mine. Refusing to leave the destroyer, EB Efet, together with the team, managed to eliminate the leak and brought the damaged ship to Kronstadt. After the war, the motor ship “E. B. Efet ”, and the USSR Ministry of Communications issued an envelope with his image.

The rescued ships of the Baltic Fleet later played an important role in the defense of Leningrad. In 1973 and 1982, postage stamps were dedicated to the Red Banner ships, and in 1982 - postage envelopes.

On July 10, the Smolensk battle began, which lasted two long months. Hitler's "blitzkrieg" plan was bursting at all seams. Near Smolensk, the Nazis were stopped for the first time and in many areas were forced to go on the defensive. In the fire of the Smolensk battle, the myth of the power of the fascist Wehrmacht was dispelled. The troops under the command of Generals K. K. Rokossovsky and I. S. Konev distinguished themselves in the battles, whose portraits we see on the postal issues of 1976 and 1977.

Here, in the battles of Yelnya, the Soviet guard was born. The people called the First Guards the soldiers of the 100th, 127th, 153th and 161st rifle divisions, which were transformed into the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Guards Divisions by Order of the People's Commissar of Defense No. 308 of September 18, 1941.

And on their tunics, faded from the hot sun, they shone badges"Guard". During the war years, a secret was issued with the image of the guard sign against the background of the red banner, and in 1945 - a postage stamp with the image of the guard sign. On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of these events, a monument to the First Guards was unveiled in the city of Yelnya, depicted on a postal envelope. And near the town of Rudnya, Smolensk region, a “Katyusha” froze on a granite pedestal (during the days of the Smolensk battle, the Nazis first tested the power of the new Soviet weapon). Soviet Katyusha rocket launchers are featured on many postage stamps and envelopes.

In early July began heroic defense the capital of Soviet Ukraine - Kiev. On the outskirts of the city, with the help of the militias and residents of the city, obstacle lines were created. The defense was based on long-term fortifications built in the 1930s on the initiative of the outstanding Soviet military leader I.E. Yakir, then the commander of the Ukrainian Military District. We can see his portrait on a 1966 postage stamp.

The battles for Kiev were extremely fierce. Here the soldiers of the parachute division of General A.M. Rodimtsev, who held the defenses in the Goloseevsky forest, distinguished themselves. Pilots led by Major P.M.Petrov, a participant in the Finnish campaign, Hero of the Soviet Union, fought bravely in the sky. The commander himself (his portrait is depicted on a postal envelope) in the sky of Kiev boldly entered into battle with six "Messerschmidts". Many participants in the battles for Kiev were awarded the medal "For the Defense of Kiev" depicted on the 1963 stamp. A miniature from the “Hero Cities” series (1965) and a postage card with the original stamp issued for the 30th anniversary of the Victory are also dedicated to the Hero City Kiev.

After 72 days of heroic defense Kiev had to be abandoned. The enemies managed to close the ring in the rear of the troops of the Southwestern Front. Many soldiers were surrounded and were forced to fight their way to their own with fierce battles. When leaving the encirclement, the front commander, General M.P. Kirponos, was mortally wounded. After the war, his remains were transported to Kiev, to the Park of Eternal Glory, where now stands a monument to M.P.Kirponos. The Ministry of Communications of the USSR issued postal envelopes with portraits of Heroes of the Soviet Union A.I. Rodimtsev and M.P. Kirponos. Many envelopes feature the spire of the Monument of Eternal Glory.

In mid-August, fierce battles began on the outskirts of Dnepropetrovsk. The Hitlerites hoped to seize Dnepropetrovsk, and then easily seize the coal heart of the country - Donbass. However, here the enemy met extremely stubborn resistance. The 8th Panzer Division under the command of General E.G. Pushkin delivered a crushing blow to the enemy columns. More than 50 tanks and 200 vehicles with infantry were left by the enemy on the battlefield. For this battle, General Ye. G. Pushkin was awarded the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union; in the center of Dnepropetrovsk a monument is erected to him. In the post-war years, it was possible to find letters from the frontline of the brave general.

Enemy columns crossed the Dnieper in several places, but could not drive our troops out of the left-bank part of the city. The offensive of the German fascist troops was drowned out: the formed 6th Army under the command of General R. Ya. Malinovsky became an irresistible force on the way of the enemy.

The cadets of the Dnepropetrovsk Artillery School, staffed with students from the universities of Dnepropetrovsk, fought bravely against the enemy.

For three weeks the enemy unsuccessfully tried to breach the defensive lines of the defenders of the left bank of Dnepropetrovsk. For the courage and perseverance shown during the defense of his native city, the Dnepropetrovsk artillery school was the first of the military educational institutions during the war years to be awarded the Order of the Red Banner, and its chief, brigade commander M.O. Petrov, was awarded the Order of Lenin. Time has saved for us the letters of the fearless brigade commander. On the territory of the Kalinin Dnepropetrovsk Institute of Railway Transport Engineers, a monument to students participating in the city's defense was erected, captured on a marked envelope issued by the USSR Ministry of Communications.

DEFENSE OF ODESSA

On August 8, fascist German and Romanian troops began a siege of Odessa. The city was defended by the soldiers of the Separate Primorsky Army, sailors Black Sea Fleet... Residents of the city actively participated in the construction of defensive lines, helped to repair military equipment. The battleships "Krasny Kavkaz", "Krasny Krym", "Boyky" supported the defenders with fire from their guns, delivered ammunition and food. Detachments of sailors from warships joined the ranks of the city's defenders. The silhouettes of formidable ships, reproduced on postage stamps, remind of these days.

With high accuracy, the shells of the artillerymen of the regiment of N.V. Bogdanov fell on the enemy. With surprising speed, the heavy cannons of this unit appeared in the desired area, in any of the three defense sectors. Pilots of the 69th Aviation Regiment reliably covered our soldiers from the air. In this regiment, the glorious falcons began their combat path - the future Hero of the Soviet Union L.L. Shestakov and the future twice Hero of the Soviet Union, participant of the Battle of Stalingrad A.V. Alelyukhin.

During the war years, a postcard with a portrait of A.V. Alelyukhin was issued, and after the war - envelopes with portraits of N.V. Bogdanov and L.L. Shestakov.

The enemy's attacks became more and more stubborn, new reserves were introduced into the battle. At the walls of Odessa, the fascist and Romanian troops lost about 160 thousand soldiers, but they could not take the city by storm or by a long siege. And only on October 16, by the decision of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, our troops left the city: they were needed in the Crimea, where the Nazis broke through our fortifications at Perekop.

The courage and resilience of the unconquered Odessa became legendary. For the massive heroism shown by the defenders of the city, Odessa was awarded the title of Hero City. Medals "Gold Star" and "For the Defense of Odessa" are depicted on postage stamps issued in 1944, 1961, 1965, and on several envelopes there is a majestic monument to the sailors-heroes of the defense of Odessa. This monument is one of many in the Belt of Glory, erected by the inhabitants of the sunny city in memory of the heroic defense, and on the granite embankment of Odessa in the park named after TG Shevchenko - a monument to the Unknown Sailor. A postcard with the original stamp, issued in the year of the 30th anniversary of the Victory, is also dedicated to the heroic Odessa.

DEFENSE OF SEVASTOPOL

In October 1941, stubborn battles broke out for the Crimea. Without the capture of this peninsula, the Hitlerite command could not launch an offensive in the North Caucasus with the aim of capturing the oil-bearing regions of the Caspian that are extremely necessary for the entire military campaign.

After overcoming the resistance of our troops in the northern part of Crimea, General Manstein's army rushed to the south with a forced march, hoping to capture the main naval base of the Black Sea Fleet - Sevastopol on the move. On October 30, the enemy was stopped at the distant approaches to the city. From the soldiers of the Separate Primorsky Army transferred here from Odessa, coastal defense units, the Sevastopol garrison, specially allocated ships and air units of the Black Sea Fleet, the Sevastopol defensive region was created, which was directly subordinate to the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command.

The fascist German command succeeded in blocking the city from land, mining sea communications from the air and sea. The city was supplied with ammunition and food by sea, so it was urgent to find a way to deal with especially dangerous magnetic mines. A group of scientists from the Leningrad Physics and Technology Institute headed by IV Kurchatov was sent to Sevastopol. After several months of hard work, the task of protecting ships from magnetic mines was successfully solved. In 1963, a postage stamp with a portrait of IV Kurchatov was issued.

In early November, having created a significant superiority in manpower and military equipment, constantly exposing the city to powerful artillery shelling and bombing, Hitler's troops launched an offensive. It took a tremendous strain on the forces of the city's defenders to keep the advancing enemy. Commanders and political workers in the intervals between battles revived in the memory of the soldiers the pictures of the heroic defense of Sevastopol during the Crimean War of 1853-1856, told about the courage of the head of defense Admiral P.S. Nakhimov, the legendary sailor P. Koshka, the heroes of the defense F. Zaika, L. Eliseev and others. A series of postage stamps issued in 1954 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the legendary defense is dedicated to the heroes of the Crimean War. The magnificent panorama "Defense of Sevastopol", the building of which is depicted on postal envelopes, also tells about these glorious days.

November 7, 1941, on the day of the 24th anniversary of the Great October Revolution, near the village. Duvanka, four brave soldiers of the 18th battalion of the marines, led by the communist political instructor ND Filchenkov, stopped the enemy tank column. A fierce unequal battle lasted all day. Enemy vehicles flashed with torches one after another. When the ammunition ran out, Filchenkov and the surviving sailors, having tied themselves with the last grenades, rushed under the tanks. Courageous Black Sea men knocked out 10 enemy tanks. For this feat, all five were posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The postage stamp issued in 1969 in the series "Heroes of the Great Patriotic War, enlisted forever in the lists of military units" has preserved for us the image of the courageous political instructor N. Filchenkov.

On November 10, the Nazis attacked Balaklava in the hope of capturing this stronghold. But the enemies miscalculated. Balaklava was defended by the 456th separate border regiment under the command of Lieutenant Colonel G.A. Rubtsov. Fighting off attacks of enemy troops one after another, often turning into counterattacks, the warriors in green caps created an impregnable defense.

A detachment of Lieutenant Colonel Rubtsov covered the evacuation of Sevastopol. Already surrounded, the border guards fought to the last bullet. Their commander was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (his portrait is captured on the stamped envelope).

The enemy continuously bombed and shelled the port. During one of the artillery attacks, a patrol boat, on which a senior sailor from the Komsomol IN Golubets served, caught fire. On the deck of the boat there were 30 depth charges, the fire was already approaching them. If the bombs begin to detonate, all ships standing nearby will die. Immediately assessing the situation, the brave sailor began to drop bombs one after another overboard. At the cost of his life, he managed to save the ships. Senior sailor I. N. Golubets was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, his portrait was captured on a postal envelope.

The fighting was especially fierce in the area of ​​the Mackenziev mountains, in the valley of the Belbek river. The enemy considered this direction the main one, since only two kilometers remained from here to the city limits. The artillerymen of the artillery regiment under the command of the hero of the defense of Odessa, Colonel NS Bogdanov, fought heroically. An experienced master of artillery fire, Bogdanov managed to organize the defense in such a way that the lines of our troops were reliably covered with dense artillery fire. The regiment was the first among the combat units of the Separate Primorsky Army to be awarded the Order of the Red Banner. And in May 1942, he was the first to receive the rank of Guards. The regiment commander's chest was decorated with the Golden Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union.

At the same line of defense, a fearless girl, sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko, also awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, was destroying enemy soldiers with well-aimed fire. 309 fascists were left lying in Russian soil after its accurate shots! The Ministry of Communications of the USSR dedicated an envelope with a portrait and a postage stamp (1976) to the master of well-aimed fire. In the post-war years, a majestic monument to the soldiers of the Separate Primorsky Army was erected on Sapun-Gora, depicted on a postal envelope.

On December 17, 1941, the enemy began the second assault on Sevastopol, which, like the first, was repelled by the defenders of the city.

In June 1942, having pulled together all the troops in the Crimea to Sevastopol, a large number of artillery, including long-range artillery, and having transferred an additional air corps, the enemy launched a third assault. An uninterrupted artillery preparation of unprecedented power lasted for five days; for five days, 250 enemy aircraft rained down their deadly cargo on the defenders of the city. On the sixth day, enemy lines approached the positions of the Soviet troops. The Hitlerite command was convinced that the completely destroyed city was dead. However, from the smoke-shrouded trenches, the brave people of Sevastopol rose to meet them.

The enemy was thrown back this time! But the forces were unequal, the number of defenders was melting. The air superiority of enemy aviation made it impossible to supply the city. On June 30, the Headquarters decided to evacuate the garrison.

The legendary 250-day heroic defense of Sevastopol was of great importance for containing the enemy in his quest for Soviet oil, to reach the Volga shores. The inaccessible Sevastopol was awarded the title of a hero city. The postage stamps issued in 1944, 1962 and 1965, many envelopes and a postcard with the original stamp dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Victory are dedicated to him. The images of the heroic defenders of Sevastopol inspired the outstanding Soviet artist A. Deineka to create a vivid canvas "Defense of Sevastopol". A fragment of it was reproduced on postage stamps from 1962 and 1968.

DEFENSE OF LENINGRAD

The history of war knows no feat equal to the feat of the defenders of Leningrad, the cradle of the Great October Socialist Revolution. The Nazis planned on July 21, 1941 to capture Leningrad and wipe it off the face of the earth. But the unparalleled courage and unprecedented staunchness of the defenders of Leningrad thwarted the criminal plans of Hitler and his clique. For 900 days the blockaded, cold and hungry city withstood endless assaults, shelling and bombing.

The courage and heroism of the defenders of the city on the Neva were widely reflected in philately. Their unswerving determination is expressively shown on a 1942 postage stamp and a 1943 marked postcard: hand-to-hand, in a single formation, a Red Navy man, a soldier, and militiamen rose up. Above them proudly flies a banner with the appeal: "Death to the German invaders!" Their attack is supported by naval guns; in the background, the spire of the Peter and Paul Fortress is visible. Yes, they are the soldiers of Leningrad and Volkhov fronts, sailors and marines of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet, fighters of the people's militia, residents of the city - did not let the enemy into the sacred streets of Leningrad.

On the distant approaches to the city, while trying to encircle and destroy the Pskov grouping of our troops, enemy tank columns were detained near the Velikaya River.

The bridge across the river, together with enemy tanks, was blown up by junior lieutenant S.G. Baikov, he died at a combat post. He was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and his portrait is captured on a postage stamp issued in 1968 in the series "Heroes of the Great Patriotic War, enlisted forever in the lists of military units." Together with the regular units of the Red Army, detachments of workers from the factories "Kirovsky", "Izhora", "Krasny Vyborzhets" courageously fought against the enemies. Postage stamps of different years are dedicated to these factories.

Smolny became the defense headquarters of the city, as in the days of October. We see his image on many postage stamps. The Military Council of the Leningrad Front gathered here, which was attended by the secretary of the Central Committee and the Leningrad Regional Committee and the City Committee of the CPSU (b) A.A. Zhdanov, Marshal of the Soviet Union K.E. Voroshilov, General G.K. Zhukov, the commander of the Leningrad Front, General L.A. Govorov, commander of the Volkhov front, General K.A. Meretskov, Admiral I.S. Isakov, General N.N. Voronov. All of them are dedicated to postage stamps and envelopes.

The enemy tried to destroy the city with artillery shelling and air raids. Outstanding military leaders N.N. Voronov and L.A. With limited artillery reserves, Govorov managed to organize such a system of counter-battery fire, which did not allow enemy artillery to shell Leningrad and its defensive lines with impunity. The Nazi command's stake on demoralizing the heroic defenders of the cradle of October, the city of Leningrad, was thwarted.

Air defense fighters made a great contribution to the defense. Leningraders, having completed a special short training course, were on duty around the clock, extinguished incendiary bombs, and patrolled the city. Interesting are the forms of postal correspondence from besieged Leningrad, on which, in the form of imprints of special stamps, the rules of behavior of the population during shelling and air raids were given.

The remarkable Soviet composer D.D. Shostakovich, who, in the difficult days of the blockade, created his wonderful Seventh Symphony, dedicated to the all-conquering courage, greatness of our people, and its heroism. The performance of this wonderful piece in winter in the cold hall of the Leningrad Philharmonic in front of the audience in sheepskin coats and coats became a true triumph of good, its victory over evil. In 1976, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the composer, a postage stamp was issued with his portrait, as well as a fragment of the musical notation of the Seventh Symphony against the background of the Peter and Paul Fortress and the disturbing sky of besieged Leningrad, illuminated by beams of searchlights.

The Baltic sky was reliably protected by the pilots of the Leningrad Front Air Force, General G.P. Kravchenko - a participant in air battles in China and on Khalkhin Gol, one of the first twice Hero of the Soviet Union. A postage stamp issued in 1966 is dedicated to him.

In the battles near Leningrad, the wonderful pilot Timur Frunze, the son of the famous Soviet commander, died heroically. On a colorfully decorated postage stamp issued in 1960, there is a portrait of the hero and an episode of aerial combat.

The remarkable Soviet ace Nelson Stepanyan was a masterful master of the "flying tank" (as the IL-2 attack aircraft was called in the days of the war). In the battles for the city of Lenin, he personally destroyed 80 Nazi tanks and was awarded the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union. Nelson Stepanyan was awarded the second Gold Star medal posthumously in March 1945. His portrait is captured on postal envelopes.

On the postage miniature (1972) and a postcard (1942) - portraits of young pilots of the Komsomol S.A. Kosinova, I.S. Chernykha, N.P. Gubima. A low-burning red-star plane crashed into a convoy of fascist troops. The news of the feat of the heroic crew of the dive bomber, which repeated the feat of Nikolai Gastello in the sky of Leningrad, spread around all the defenders of the city.

The blockade ring created unprecedented difficulties for the inhabitants of the city. It was especially difficult with food: the delivery rate was reduced several times. Heating and plumbing did not work. Only at the end of November 1941, 11 thousand people died from diseases. The only thread connecting the city with the "Big Land" was the "road of life", laid on the ice of Lake Ladoga. The situation demanded an extreme exertion of all forces from motorists: ammunition and food were transported there, to the wounded city, and back - the wounded, sick, dystrophic children. On a postage stamp issued in 1967, we see the driver leaning over the steering wheel. The routes of the two routes (Lavrovo-Leningrad and Kabona-Leningrad) are depicted on the postal envelope along with the Broken Ring monument erected in the post-war years.

Working life did not stop for a minute. Factories and factories worked, libraries and educational institutions functioned, scientific research was carried out and dissertations were defended. The military commander A. Fadeev regularly sent his correspondence to Pravda (in 1971 a postage stamp was issued to mark the 70th anniversary of the writer). There was even a meeting of snipers of the Leningrad Front, in which A.A. Zhdanov.

The meeting greeted the founders of the sniper movement, among whom was F. Sgiolyachkov. In just 900 days of the blockade, he killed 125 Nazis. The envelope of the Ministry of Communications of the USSR is dedicated to the master of marksmanship.

On January 12, 1943, the breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad began. The joint operation of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts ended with the defeat of the enemy siege group: in seven days of fighting, more than 13 thousand invaders, 250 guns and 100 aircraft were destroyed. A corridor several kilometers wide was recaptured from the Nazis, along which a railway was laid. On February 7, at the Finlyandsky railway station, the Leningraders met the first echelon with food. But it took another year of stubborn fighting to finally lift the blockade. This joyous event was marked by the release in 1944 of a postal block with the following text: “27 / 1-1944. The city of Leningrad is completely liberated from the enemy blockade. " On the block there are four stamps from the “Hero Cities” series (1944). The stamps bear the medal "For the Defense of Leningrad" and naval guns against the background of the Admiralty building.

Today, in places of fierce fighting, Leningraders have created the Belt of Glory, consisting of monuments and monuments. Some of them, as well as the memorial complex of the Piskarevsky cemetery, are depicted on postage stamps and envelopes. In 1965, in the Hero Cities series, a postage stamp was issued with the image of the Golden Star medal, which Leningrad was awarded for unprecedented courage and perseverance, and in 1975 - a postcard with the original stamp.

GUERRILLA MOVEMENT AND HEROIC LABOR IN THE HOME

The Nazis hoped that in the occupied territory they would be able to easily establish a "new order", that the population would meet them as "liberators", that the industry and agriculture of the occupied regions would work for the German war machine. They were deeply mistaken.

The Communist Party, which educated the Soviet people in the spirit of selfless love for their Motherland, became the organizer of the heroic struggle behind enemy lines. It is no coincidence that the commanders of many partisan detachments were Soviet and party workers. The secretaries of the regional party committee A.F. Fedorov and N.N. Popudrenko, led the partisan struggle in the Chernihiv region; Chairman of the Putivl City Executive Committee S.A. Kovpak, who fought during the Civil War, became the commander of one of the largest partisan formations in Ukraine; secretary of the underground regional party committee N.I. Stashkov led the fight behind enemy lines in the Dnepropetrovsk region; in Belarus, the secretary of the regional committee V.I. Kozlov, and in the Polesie region he organized a partisan detachment T.P. Papers. The secretaries of the regional committees of the Komsomol B.3 became fearless underground fighters. Khoruzhaya and E.I. Chaikin. In the Baltic republics, the secretary of the city committee of the Komsomol I.Ya. Sudmalis. There were many such examples.

Today, portraits of the brave sons of the Communist Party have been reproduced on numerous postage stamps and envelopes.

The Komsomol members became the party's faithful assistants in developing the partisan struggle. The tasks of the party and Komsomol organizations were clearly defined in the directives and resolutions of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR. The names of Z. Kosmodemyanskaya, A. Chekalin, O. Koshevoy and his associates in the underground organization Young Guard, Z. Portnova, L. Ubiyvovk, brave Lithuanian Komsomol members Yu. Aleksonis, G. Boris, A. Cheponis, V. Kurylenko, E. Kolesova and many others. The exploits of the heroes of the Komsomol, partisans and underground fighters served as subjects for many philatelic issues.

Even children helped to smash the hated enemy. During the war years, brave pioneers proved their devotion to the Motherland, the Communist Party, and the bright ideals of our society.

A postage stamp issued in 1962 for the 40th anniversary of the All-Union Pioneer Organization named after V.I. Lenin depicts portraits of pioneer partisans Leni Golikov and Vali Kotik, who were awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union. A young scout of the 67th partisan detachment, operating as part of the 4th Leningrad partisan brigade, Lenya Golikov took part in daring operations along with his senior comrades. In the detachment he was called Eaglet in memory of a partisan boy during the Civil War. Up to a hundred killed Nazis, blown up railway bridges and burned cars on the account of the brave pioneer. He was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for stealing documents of particular importance from the enemy. In January 1943, a fascist bullet ended the life of a brave teenager. We see the portrait of Leni on the mail envelope. Remember, guys, his bright smile. The monument to L. Golikov was installed in his homeland in Novgorod. This monument is also reproduced on a postal envelope. Lenya also took part in a daring operation to deliver a wagonload of food to besieged Leningrad; the operation was headed by the commander of the detachment M. S. Kharchenko. In 1967, a postage stamp was issued with a portrait of the detachment commander.

As a twelve-year-old boy, pioneer Valya Kotik joined the underground struggle. In Shepetivka, the city of Nikolai Ostrovsky's youth, the author of the immortal novel How the Steel Was Tempered, the fascist invaders had no rest day or night. The guys, together with the underground workers, collected weapons, pasted leaflets, participated in acts of sabotage.

In August 1943, Valya was admitted to the partisan detachment. There was no limit to children's joy when the commander attached the medal "Partisan of the Patriotic War" to his shirt. This medal is featured on a postage stamp issued in 1946. Valya died in February 1944 during the liberation of the city of Izyaslav. He was posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree (the image of the order was first shown on a postage stamp issued in 1943 in the series "To the 25th Anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution"). In 1958, Vale was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. His portrait and monument in Shepetivka were displayed on postage envelopes.

In Kerch there is a public garden named after Volodya Dubinin, a brave scout of the Kerch partisans who hid in the quarries during the occupation. A monument rises in the middle of the square. The young partisan froze, preparing to hurl a grenade into the midst of his enemies. Volodya Dubinin did many glorious deeds. He saved the lives of 90 partisans, whom the invaders decided to drown in the quarries. Volodya waited for the bright day of liberation, the meeting of the soldiers of the Red Army, but he died while clearing the streets, helping the sappers. He was posthumously awarded the Order of the Red Banner. The monument to the hero, erected in the city of Kerch, is depicted on a postal envelope. Soviet philately dedicated a number of issues of postal envelopes to the pioneer heroes Marat Kazei, Viktor Novitsky, Larisa Mikheenko, Bore Tsarikov.

The partisans of the Great Patriotic War, with their bold actions behind enemy lines and on communications, inflicted enormous damage on the fascist invaders. And when the Red Army drove the fascists to the west, the partisans rendered great assistance in crossing water barriers, disorganizing defense in the directions of our troops' strikes, and provided valuable information about the deployment of the enemy. Partisans rendered great assistance to the fighting detachments of fraternal countries. In the summer of 1944, several partisan detachments crossed the border of Czechoslovakia and joined the detachments and formations of the Slovak partisans. The names of the partisan commissar S.V. Rudnev, the partisan commanders P.P. Vershigory, F.E. Streltsa, K.S. Zaslonova, M.F. Shmyreva, D.N. Medvedev, K.P. Orlovsky and fearless intelligence officer N.I. Kuznetsov, whose exploits served as subjects for the creation of postage stamps and envelopes. After the war, we managed to find letters from the head of the Dnepropetrovsk underground N.I. Stashkov.

Heroism, courage and steadfastness were shown by those who, deep in the rear, forged the weapon of victory, did everything so that our warriors on the front line did not lack anything: neither ammunition nor food.

A postal envelope issued in 1982 for the 50th anniversary of the Magnitogorsk Metallurgical Combine depicts a sculptural group against the background of factory chimneys: a worker hands over a sword he forged to a soldier. Here is the most expressive symbol of the unity of the rear and the front: "Everything for the front, everything for victory!" This slogan is also inscribed on several stamps issued in 1942 in the series "The Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945." They are consonant with the stamps from the series "To the 25th Anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution" (1943). The slogan "Rear - Front" united the four stamps of the 1945 series.

A great contribution to the Victory was made by our remarkable scientists: academicians A.N. Krylov, E.O. Paton, S.I. Vavilov, A.E. Fersman, A.A. Baikov, V.L. Komarov, N. D. Zelinsky, outstanding Soviet doctors N.N. Burdenko and A.V. Vishnevsky, designers N.N. Polikarpov, A.N. Tupolev, V.A. Degtyarev. Their portraits have been reproduced on postage stamps and envelopes from different years.

Komsomol members and pioneers were actively involved in helping the front. Collecting scrap metal, caring for the wounded in hospitals, helping in harvesting, restoring cities and villages destroyed during the occupation - this is an incomplete list of the glorious deeds of Soviet guys. During the war years, the movement of pioneers-Timurovites to provide assistance to the families of front-line soldiers developed widely. Favorite children's writer of pre-war years A.P. Gaidar (the stamps of the 1962 and 1964 editions and a postal envelope are dedicated to him) suggested to the children this wonderful type of social activity. And how many gifts for the front were collected by children's hands!

The enemy did not pass. Victory over fascism was won by the joint efforts of the entire Soviet people: exploits at the front and heroic labor in the rear. In 1945 and 1946, a series of postage stamps were issued under the title "Soviet aircraft in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945." Various postage stamps and envelopes depict tanks, artillery pieces, Katyushas, ​​mortars, warships and other examples of Soviet military equipment that crushed the enemy in the days of a fierce battle.

BATTLE FOR MOSCOW

By capturing the capital of the Soviet Union, the Nazis hoped to support the greatly shaken reputation of the "invincibility" of the German army, to bring the end of the protracted military campaign closer - after all, all the dates set by the "Barbarossa" robbery plan had long passed!

Having created superiority in manpower and equipment, the Nazis on September 30 launched an offensive on Moscow. This operation was named Typhoon; the Nazi command was so confident in its success that it even scheduled a parade of its troops on Red Square for November 7, 1941. The troops were given ceremonial uniforms in advance, and granite was delivered to the Moscow region for the construction of a monument in honor of the winners in the conquered Moscow.

Thanks to the exceptional courage and resilience of the Soviet soldiers, Operation Typhoon was thwarted.

On the approaches to Moscow, several fortified defensive zones were built, a powerful system was created air defense, the formation of strategic reserves began. Three fronts were created on the main axes: Western (commander - General I.S.Konev), Reserve (commander - Marshal of the Soviet Union S.M.Budyonny) and Bryansk (commander - General A.I. Eremenko). On October 10, General G.K. Zhukov, and from the Western Front, by decision of the Headquarters, an army group was allocated, which formed the Kalinin Front (commander - General I.S.Konev). Later, the troops of the Southwestern Front under the command of Marshal of the Soviet Union S.K. Tymoshenko. Portraits of prominent military leaders have been reproduced on many postage stamps, envelopes and postcards.

The first period of the offensive of the German fascist troops was extremely unfortunate for the Red Army. The enemy, using his superiority, pressed our battle formations. Panzer army Guderian, developing an offensive in the southwestern direction, captured Orel and rushed to Tula. But here the enemy met stubborn resistance from the Red Army and workers' detachments formed at the city's enterprises. Tula was not captured by the enemy. A monument now stands in the center of the city - bronze sculptures of a soldier and a worker who blocked the path of a tank armada (the monument is depicted on postal envelopes and postcards).

In mid-October, fierce fighting broke out near Mozhaisk and Maloyaroslavets. On October 19, the capital was declared a state of siege.

The postage marked card issued during the war years is expressive: against the background of the Kremlin towers, a Soviet warrior crushes the invader and the text: "We will not surrender the conquests of October!" The postage miniatures of 1945 from the series "To the 3rd Anniversary of the Defeat of German Fascist Troops near Moscow" accurately convey the image of military Moscow. One of them shows a dogfight in the night sky. Perhaps it is the Komsomolets member V. Talalikhin who rams the enemy plane? He was the first in the history of aviation to carry out a night ram and for this feat (depicted on a postage stamp issued in 1942) was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Many feats were accomplished in the skies of Moscow these days: Captain A. G. Rogov repeated the feat of N. Gastello; Komsomolets pilot N.G. Leskonozhenko rammed two enemy planes in one battle. Both pilots were posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, their portraits are depicted on postal envelopes.

The glorious deeds of the 150th Bomber Aviation Regiment are reminiscent of a postage miniature issued in 1965 with a portrait of its commander, in the future twice Hero of the Soviet Union I.S. Polbina.

On one of the brands, a militia patrol is walking down the street of hushed and stern Moscow. We see anti-tank hedgehogs. We see the same obstacle (only of a much larger size) today at the memorial complex at the 23rd kilometer of the Leningradskoye Highway. A fragment of the complex is shown on the postal envelope.

To replenish the thinned ranks of the defenders of Moscow, three more divisions of the people's militia, proudly called communist, were formed from volunteers these days. The future brave paratrooper Ts.L. Kunikov, the hero of Malaya Zemlya; brave snipers who gave their lives for the freedom of their native capital, M. Polivanov and N. Kovshova, the future commander of the famous "battalion of glory" B.N. Emelyanov. Their portraits have been reproduced on postage stamps and envelopes. On the same days, the formation of female aviation regiments began in Moscow, the command of which was entrusted to the famous Soviet pilots, Heroes of the Soviet Union V. Grizodubova and M. Raskova. Postage miniatures dedicated to them were issued in 1939 in memory of their non-stop flight from Moscow to the Far East. The main core of the regiments was made up of Komsomol girls. All who could hold arms rose to the defense of the capital.

And the enemy troops were getting closer and closer to Moscow. At the beginning of November, they had only 70 kilometers to reach the city limits. Hitler's propaganda assured the whole world that the days of the Soviet capital were numbered.

The 24th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution was approaching. Earlier that day, troops marched along Red Square, smart columns of demonstrators marched ... And now? On the initiative of the Chairman of the State Defense Committee. Supreme Commander-in-Chief I.V. Stalin, supported by the Central Committee of the CPSU (b), the parade took place. The day before, on November 6, a solemn meeting was held in the hall of the Mayakovskaya metro station (this hall is reproduced on postage stamps). And in the morning of the next day, the battalions of the parade crews froze on the Red Square, powdered with early snow. The parade was hosted by Marshal S.M.Budyonny. JV Stalin addressed the soldiers with a short speech from the rostrum of the Mausoleum. He called on soldiers and commanders to be worthy of the memory of our ancestors, who more than once drove out foreign invaders from our land. The troops went straight from Red Square to the front.

Soon the Supreme Soviet of the USSR established the Orders of Suvorov, Kutuzov, Bogdan Khmelnitsky, Alexander Nevsky, Nakhimov and Ushakov, which were reproduced on postage stamps of 1944. During the war years, cards and "secrets" with portraits of Russian commanders were widely spread. The parade on Red Square on November 7, 1941 served as the subject for many postage miniatures.

As the enemy approached Moscow, the pace of his advance became slower and slower. Everywhere he met the unprecedented stubbornness and staunchness of the soldiers of the Red Army, ready at any moment to go for a heroic deed, for self-sacrifice in the name of saving the Motherland. On November 16, the Hitlerite command undertook a second assault on Moscow. The most formidable days for the capital have come. The enemy, sparing no effort, rushed forward. On the very first day of the assault, he expected to break into the city along the Volokolamsk highway. Here the attack of the tank columns was taken over by the 16th Army of General K. K. Rokossovsky. At the Dubosekovo crossing, 28 soldiers from the 316th rifle division of General I.V. Panfilov. Leading a group of soldiers, political instructor V.G. Klochkov (Diev), being wounded, at a critical moment rushed with a bunch of grenades under an enemy tank. His words: "Russia is great, but there is nowhere to retreat - Moscow is behind!" - flew around the entire front and became the motto of the defenders of the capital. The Panfilovites did not retreat.

10 armored monsters burst into flames, the rest cowardly turned back. Almost none of the Panfilov heroes survived, and the brave political instructor also died. All of them were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Soviet philately, in its own way, marked the immortal feat: in 1942 a postage stamp was issued depicting this battle, later with the same plot - a postcard with a reproduction of a painting by artist V. Yakovlev.

In 1967, a portrait of V.G. Klochkov was reproduced on a postage stamp dedicated to him.

On November 17, by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the 316th division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, on November 18, the Red Banner division was renamed the 8th Guards division, and on November 19, in a battle near the village of Gusenevo I.V. Panfilov was killed. In memory of him during the war years, a postcard with his portrait was issued, and in 1963, on the 70th anniversary of the birth of I.V. Panfilov, a postage stamp and an envelope with his portrait.

Also courageously Soviet soldiers defended the capital in other sectors of the front. The German plan for a "lightning war" was thwarted. The defenders of the capital began to prepare for a counteroffensive.

On December 5, the first blow was dealt to the Nazis by the troops of the Kalinin Front. On December 6, the troops of the Western and Southwestern Fronts dealt the main blow. The Soviet High Command so precisely determined the time of the counteroffensive that the enemy was unable to offer significant resistance anywhere. The retreat of Hitler's troops in some areas turned into a panicky flight. So it was near Tula, where the vaunted Guderian army hastily retreated under the blows of the 1st Guards Cavalry Corps of General P.A. Belov (in the post-war years, an envelope with his portrait was issued). On December 13, soldiers of the 5th Army of General L.A. Govorov broke through the enemy's defenses. Cavalry corps were introduced into the breakthrough, one of which was commanded by General L.M. Dovator. The swift blows of the horsemen sowed terror and panic in the enemy rear, ensuring the offensive of our troops. But on December 19, an enemy bullet overtook the fearless commander. On the postage miniature (1942) and the envelope (1966) we see the courageous face of the Hero of the Soviet Union L.M. Dovator.

In February 1942, the commander of the 33rd Army, a talented Soviet military leader, General M.G. Efremov. In the city of Vyazma, a monument was erected to him, captured on a postal envelope.

During the counteroffensive during December 1941 - January 1942, more than 11 thousand settlements were liberated from the Nazi invaders, including the cities of Kalinin, Klin, Volokolamsk, Kaluga. In a series of postage stamps, issued in 1945, there are such miniatures: "Forward to the assault!" and "Hello liberators!"

Hitler's troops suffered catastrophic losses. 38 divisions were completely defeated, a huge amount of military equipment was destroyed or taken as trophies.

The famous Soviet artist E. Lancere painted the painting "Soldiers at the captured guns." This picture is reproduced on a postage stamp from the series "Soviet Painting" (1975).

Assessing the significance of the defeat of Hitler's troops near Moscow, one can quote the words from the History of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union of 1941-1945: “The Red Army snatched the initiative of offensive actions from the enemy and forced him to go over to strategic defense on the entire Soviet-German front. This marked the beginning of a decisive turn in the course of the war in favor of the Soviet Union. "

Today, where a heated battle was raging, the Belt of Glory was erected by grateful descendants. The T-34 tank - a monument to soldiers-tankers - stood proudly on the Volokolamsk highway. A monument to the heroes of the battle for Moscow stands in Yakhroma - the 71st Naval Rifle Brigade, which arrived from the Pacific Fleet, distinguished itself here. On the monument to the defenders of Moscow, erected at the 41st kilometer of the Leningradskoe highway, it is inscribed: “1941th year. Here the defenders of Moscow, who died in the battles for their Motherland, remained forever immortal. " All these monuments are depicted on postage envelopes.

The Motherland highly appreciated the feat of arms of the defenders of the capital: over 1 million soldiers, commanders, militias, residents of the city were awarded the medal "For the Defense of Moscow", the image of which we see on postage stamps (1946); 36 thousand soldiers were awarded orders and medals, 110 of them were awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and the capital of our Motherland, Moscow, was awarded the title of Hero City.

COMBAT IN THE NORTH

During the Great Patriotic War, a fierce struggle broke out for the northern sea communications. In this struggle, the sailors of the North Sea have shown exceptional courage and fortitude. A brigade of submariners, commanded by Captain I rank I.A. Kolyshkin.

The portrait of I.A.Kolyshkin is reproduced on the postal envelope. Another envelope is dedicated to the legendary submarine S-56, which in 1943 made a military transition from Vladivostok to Polyarny. Hero submariners destroyed 14 enemy ships and transports. After the war, the submarine returned to Vladivostok.

The postage miniature, issued in 1962, captures the only battle of a submarine on the surface with enemy ships in the history of naval battles. Forced to surface, the submarine of captain II rank M.I. Hajiyeva took the fight, sank two enemy ships, and put the third to flight. Portrait of the Hero of the Soviet Union M.I. Gadzhiev is also depicted on this postage stamp.

The Red Navy soldier I.M. Sivko, who, during the landing of the amphibious assault, covering the retreat of his comrades, blew himself up and the enemies with the last grenade. We see his portrait on a postage stamp issued in 1965.

There are many heroic deeds on the account of the pilots of the Northern Fleet. We have already written about twice Hero of the Soviet Union B.F. Safonov, whose name terrified Hitler's pilots. In the name of the Hero of the Soviet Union, fighter pilot I.V. A street in Murmansk is named after Bochkov, and his bust was installed at the Moscow Tool Factory "Kalibr". On the combat account of the hero, whose portrait is captured on a postal envelope, seven enemy planes were shot down, about 50 air battles. The feat of N. Gastello was repeated by the pilot I. Katunin, who brought down a burning torpedo plane on an enemy transport. A postal envelope is also dedicated to the Hero of the Soviet Union I. Katunin.

BATTLE FOR THE CAUCASUS

In July 1942, motorized enemy columns began an operation between the Don and Kuban rivers, where it was planned to encircle and destroy the Soviet troops, which, under the onslaught of superior enemy forces, retreated deep into the Stavropol Territory.

The enemy managed to capture the Taman Peninsula, reach the main Caucasian ridge, and occupy some of the passes. Stubborn battles began at Novorossiysk, which was a strong point on the way to the cities of the Black Sea coast. The headquarters of the Supreme High Command at the very beginning of the battle for the Caucasus took important measures to strengthen our troops. The North Caucasian Front was formed from the formations that were part of the Southern and Transcaucasian Fronts. Marshal S.M. Budyonny, his deputy and at the same time the commander of the Don operational group of forces - General R. Ya. Malinovsky.

Fierce, bloody battles in the North Caucasus lasted from July 1942 to October 1943, when the troops of the Southern Front under the command of General A.I. Eremenko, after the defeat of the fascist troops at Stalingrad, came to the aid of the soldiers of the North Caucasian Front. From the sea, the enemy was attacked by the sailors of the Black Sea Fleet and the Azov Naval Flotilla. Here again the guards ships "Krasny Kavkaz" and "Savvy" distinguished themselves. In memory of the glorious deeds of the Black Sea sailors on the shore of the Tsemesskaya Bay near the Western pier of Novorossiysk, a torpedo boat was installed on a high pedestal (depicted on several postal envelopes).

Fighting in the Novorossiysk area unfolded back in September 1942. Our troops were forced to leave the city, but the eastern coast of the Tsemesskaya Bay was ours. In February 1943, Soviet troops began fighting for the liberation of the city. On the night of February 4, an amphibious assault under the command of Major Ts.L. Kunikova. The Assault Marines captured what they called "Little Land" and held it under heavy fire for 225 days. Their unparalleled feat went down in the history of the Great Patriotic War as evidence of the indomitable will and unparalleled courage of the Soviet people.

Ts. L. Kunikov died in the battles on Malaya Zemlya, he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. On the postal envelope we see the memorial erected by Ts.L. Kunikov on Malaya Zemlya.

On September 16, the strike group of the 18th Army, together with the paratroopers and ships of the Black Sea Fleet, liberated Novorossiysk. On the 30th anniversary of the defeat of the Nazi troops in the North Caucasus, Novorossiysk was awarded the honorary title of "Hero City". The Ministry of Communications of the USSR dedicated several envelopes and a postcard with the image of the monument to the Unknown Sailor and the Fire of Eternal Glory to the soldiers who fell during the liberation of the city to this event. On the days of the anniversary, a special commemorative cancellation was carried out.

The final stage of the battle for the Caucasus was the liberation of the Taman Peninsula. Here, the pilots of the 46th Guards Regiment of Night Bombers distinguished themselves, which was awarded the title of Tamansky for the successful conduct of battles. For the 40th anniversary of this regiment, the first commander of which was Hero of the Soviet Union M. Raskova, a postal envelope was issued. The crew of the night bombers T. Makarova and V. Velik took part in the battles in the North Caucasus, to whom the postal envelope is also dedicated. The battles near Anapa were especially hard. Here the feat of A. Matrosov was repeated by senior sergeant U.M. Avetisyan. During the assault on Dolgaya Hill, he covered the embrasure of the enemy bunker with his chest. He was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In 1963, a postage stamp was issued depicting a portrait of the hero and the feat he accomplished. In the battles near Anapa, the enemy managed to surround a reconnaissance detachment of Black Sea sailors under the command of Captain D.S. Kalinin.

The sailors fought to the last bullet, but their number became less and less. And now the commander was left alone. With the last grenade in his hand, he met the approaching enemies and pulled out the pin ... Even the vicious and cruel fascists were struck by such strength of mind. A German officer ordered to bury the sailor with military honors. In memory of the Hero of the Soviet Union D.S. Kalinin is dedicated to the postal envelope.

Another envelope with a portrait of the Hero of the Soviet Union P. Guzhvin reminds of the courage of the junior lieutenant of the border guard, who repeated the feat of A. Matrosov in the battles for the town of Alagir.

The defeat of the German fascist troops in the Caucasus was of decisive importance for the course of further operations in the southern theater of operations. The participants in the battle were awarded the medal "For the Defense of the Caucasus", the image of which we see on a postage stamp issued in 1946. Monuments to Soviet soldiers in Stavropol, Ordzhonikidze, Sukhumi are reproduced on the postage envelopes.

BATTLE OF STALINGRAD

In July 1942, our troops barely held back the enemy's onslaught on a huge bridgehead in the big bend of the Don and between the Don and Volga rivers. The Nazis considered the exit to the Volga and the capture of Stalingrad, this important strategic point, almost the final victorious operation of the war. It was necessary to block the path of the German troops to the Volga. To help the defending troops, the Stavka created the Stalingrad Front, the command of which was initially entrusted to Marshal of the Soviet Union S.K. Timoshenko, and then to General A.I. Eremenko.

On July 17, the battle began in the Stalingrad direction. Overcoming the stubborn resistance of our troops, the enemy slowly approached Stalingrad. In the battles for the village of Kletskaya, deputy political instructor P.L. Gutchenko accomplished a feat similar to the feat of A. Matrosov - he closed the embrasure of the enemy bunker with his body. However, the enemies managed to throw off the hero's body and continue to fire again. Then fellow soldier Gutchenko Lieutenant A.A. Pokalchuk repeated the feat of his comrade. Both of them were posthumously awarded the Order of Lenin, their names are forever entered in the lists of the military unit; We see portraits of heroes on postage stamps issued in 1968.

On August 23, the enemy reached the Volga, and on September 13, having seized the closest approaches to Stalingrad, he began an assault on the city. The main blow was struck in the direction of Mamayev Kurgan and the railway station. Here the enemy went to the Volga, but was thrown back by a counterattack of the 13th rifle guards division of General A.I. Rodimtseva. The city turned into an arena of bloody battles that lasted for about two months. In the shops of the Stalingrad Tractor Plant, a stubborn struggle with the enemy was going on, almost the entire plant was destroyed. This area was defended by soldiers of the 62nd and 64th armies. During a stubborn assault, which the Nazis undertook on September 14 and 15, the combat formations of the 62nd Army were cut in two. But the enemy was unable to encircle and destroy isolated groups.

The Pavlov House proudly stands today on the high bank of the Volga, depicted on a postage stamp issued in 1950 in the series "Restoring Stalingrad" and on postal envelopes. This house went down in the history of the Battle of Stalingrad as a symbol of the unyielding fortitude and courage of the defenders of Stalingrad. Only 22 soldiers, led by Sergeant Y. Pavlov, held this house for 58 days, destroying hundreds of Nazis who stormed it.

On the postage miniature, issued in 1966, you see Sergeant Major N.Ya. Ilyin. A lot of enemies died from well-aimed sniper fire. In the battles for Stalingrad alone, he destroyed 258 fascists.

The resilience of the defenders largely depended on the uninterrupted supply of troops from the left bank of the Volga, which, under continuous shelling and bombing, was provided by the ships of the Volga Flotilla. For the courage and heroism shown by the personnel, the gunboats "Chapaev" and "Usyskin" were awarded the Orders of the Red Banner. The brave sailors did not lose the glory of the hero of the civil war V.I. Chapaev and the fearless Soviet stratonaut I. D. Usyskin, whose portraits are captured on the stamps of several issues.

For one hundred twenty-five days, the whole world watched with trepidation the outcome of a battle unprecedented in the history of war. The courage of the Soviet soldiers-defenders of the city made it possible to carry out a covert regrouping, to prepare and transfer significant reserves, to carry out a grandiose plan to defeat the Nazi troops at Stalingrad. This plan was developed by the Supreme Command, the General Staff and Headquarters with the direct participation of Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K., Zhukov and General A.M. Vasilevsky, who were entrusted with coordinating the actions of the fronts.

A postage stamp issued in 1944 shows a map of the encirclement and elimination of the enemy group. In terms of the depth of its strategic intent, this plan, called "Uranus", has no analogues in the history of military art.

On November 19, 1942, offensive operations began on three fronts: Stalingrad (commander - General A.I. Eremenko), South-West (commander - General N.F. Vatutin) and the newly created Donskoy (commander - General K.K. Rokossovsky). The counter-offensive was preceded by artillery preparation unprecedented in strength and density of fire. From this day on, on November 19, our country celebrates a holiday - Day of Artillery, and since 1964 - Day of Rocket Forces and Artillery, to which postage stamps of different years are dedicated.

November 23 near the village. Soviet giant "pincers" closed - the troops of the Southwestern and Stalingrad fronts joined together. The third blow - to the rear of the encircled grouping - was delivered by the Don Front. In a huge "bag" there were about 330 thousand Nazis. In order to tighten the "bag" tighter and prevent the unblocking of the encircled troops from the outside, a powerful outer ring was created simultaneously with the inner encirclement ring. This ring was not able to break through the shock group of the armies "Don", urgently thrown by Hitler to the rescue of the 6th army of General Paulus. The tankers of the 55th separate tank regiment under the command of Lieutenant Colonel A.A. Aslanov: in 17 combat vehicles they entered into single combat with 50 enemy tanks, set 20 vehicles on fire and put the enemy to flight. (The portrait of General Aslanov is placed on a postal envelope.)

The ground forces were reliably covered by pilots of the 8th Air Army of General T.T. Khryukin, a participant in air battles in Spain, twice Hero of the Soviet Union. For the battles at Stalingrad, 17 pilots of this army were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In the skies of Stalingrad, the wonderful masters of air combat L.L. A. V. Shestakov Alelyukhin, I.S. Polbin, V.S. Efremov, A.T. Prudnikov, who repeated the feat of N. Gastello, and others. All of them are dedicated to postage envelopes, and twice to the Hero of the Soviet Union I.S. A postage stamp for Polbin.

On January 8, 1943, the Soviet command presented an ultimatum to surrender to the surrounded Paulus army. The ultimatum was rejected, and then the troops of the Don Front of General K.K. Rokossovsky began to liquidate the encircled group. Finally, the senseless resistance was ended. On January 31, Field Marshal Paulus with his headquarters was taken prisoner, on February 2, the remnants of the encircled troops surrendered.

About 200 thousand killed, wounded, 91 thousand prisoners, a huge amount of military equipment was left in the Don and Volga steppes by the Nazis. National mourning was declared throughout Germany! And the Soviet people joyfully greeted the victors who defended the city on the Volga, who won a major victory that radically changed the entire course of the war in favor of the Soviet Union. In December 1942, the medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad" was established, which was awarded to more than 700 thousand soldiers, 112 defenders of the city received the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union, about 180 units and formations were called guards. For the massive heroism of the defenders, the city was awarded the title of a hero city.

For the second anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad, a postage series was issued, consisting of two stamps and a block, and in the post-war years - postage series for the 20th and 30th anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad, miniatures in the series dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Armed Forces of the USSR and the 35th anniversary Victory, as well as in the series "Hero Cities" (1965). Many postage stamps and envelopes are dedicated to the remarkable monument-ensemble erected on the Mamayev Kurgan by the outstanding Soviet sculptor E.V. Vuchetich.

WINTER OFFENSIVE 1943

Thanks to the great success achieved by the Red Army at Stalingrad, the situation on the Soviet-German front changed radically. The German fascist troops suffered heavy losses in manpower and equipment. The Red Army got the opportunity to go over to a general offensive on the entire front - from the Baltic to the Black Seas.

On the North-Western Front, a major operation was carried out to lift the blockade from Leningrad. In February 1943, the troops of the North-Western Front began offensive operations to eliminate the Demyansk bridgehead. Here, in the battles near the village of Chernushki, on February 23, 1943, the Komsomol member Alexander Matrosov performed an immortal feat, covering the embrasure of the enemy bunker with his chest.

The day before, speaking at the Komsomol meeting, Alexander Matrosov said: “I will fight the fascists while my hands are holding weapons, while my heart is beating. I swear that I will fight the fascists as befits a Komsomol member, despising death, in the name of our Motherland! "

He kept his oath. A. Matrosov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The regiment in which he served is named after him. About 300 soldiers of the Red Army repeated this feat during the war, which is reflected in the postage miniatures issued in 1944 and 1963. Monuments to A. Matrosov in Velikiye Luki, the Ivanovo orphanage of the Ulyanovsk region, Leningrad and Dnepropetrovsk, museums of Komsomol glory them. A. Matrosov in Velikiye Luki and Dnepropetrovsk are depicted on postage envelopes and postcards.

A powerful offensive of our troops was also launched on the Southern Front. Fierce fighting ensued on the outskirts of Kharkov. Here, at the railway crossing near the village of Taranovka, 25 soldiers of the 8th company of the 78th Guards regiment under the command of Lieutenant P.N. Shironina. An unequal battle between the guards and the enemy tank columns lasted for five days. 20 soldiers died a heroic death, but the Nazis paid dearly for their death: 30 enemy tanks, armored vehicles and self-propelled guns, mountains of corpses remained on the battlefield. The enemies did not break through the crossing. All 25 soldiers were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and the Taranovka railway station is now called "Station named after 25 heroes-Shironintsy".

The courageous lieutenant, whose portrait we see on the postal envelope, survived severe wounds and met the bright Victory Day.

BATTLE OF KURSK

In the summer of 1943, the German command decided to take revenge for the unheard-of defeat at Stalingrad and turn the course of the war in their favor. Given the advantageous position of their troops, the Nazis chose the Kursk salient for the general battle. Here our troops penetrated deeply into the German defense, which, according to the Nazis, created the possibility of cutting off and destroying the entire grouping of our troops.

They relied heavily on new types of tanks: "Tigers" - heavy tanks with impenetrable (according to German military experts) frontal armor, "Panthers" - light maneuverable tanks and "Ferdinands" - self-propelled guns of large caliber.

Our High Command was able to unravel the enemy's plan, and intelligence reported the approximate time for the start of the offensive - 3 in the morning on 5 July. By this day, the Soviet troops, having organized a deeply echeloned strongly fortified defense in the directions of enemy strikes, were ready to meet the enemy columns with "Russian hospitality."

On the morning of July 5, at 2 hours 20 minutes, ahead of the enemy artillery by 40 minutes, an unprecedented barrage of artillery fire fell on the enemy troops preparing for the offensive. Considering Hitler's stake on tank strikes, our command paid special attention to artillery weapons. The number of artillery regiments in this operation was one and a half times more than rifle regiments. The enemy offensive began with a delay, but he launched powerful tank strikes on the positions of the Central and Voronezh fronts. It took tremendous tenacity and courage to resist. Our soldiers had these qualities!

On July 6, the crew of the tank of the guard of Lieutenant V.S. Shalandin destroyed in battle five enemy tanks (including two "tigers"), three guns, more than 50 soldiers and officers. An episode of this battle and a portrait of the Hero of the Soviet Union V.S. Chalandin, awarded this title posthumously, we see on a postage miniature, issued in 1962.

On the same day, the enemy tried to break through our defenses at the village. Yakovlevo. The path of the tank column was blocked by an artillery regiment under the command of Guards Major M.N. Uglovsky. The enemy did not pass. In this battle, the commander himself stood up to the gun instead of the dead soldier and destroyed three tanks with accurate fire.

Today, at the site of the battles near the village. Yakovlev, there is a memorial in honor of the heroes of the Kursk battle, depicted on a postal envelope. During the days of the Battle of Kursk, the 122nd artillery regiment of Major Uglovsky brought its combat score to 100 burned tanks, 100 vehicles with ammunition and more than 5 thousand destroyed Nazis. Portrait of the Hero of the Soviet Union M.N. Uglovsky is also depicted on a postal envelope.

Baptism of fire during the days of the Battle of Kursk was accepted by a separate anti-tank brigade of the guard of Colonel V.B. Borsoev, who was later awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. We see his portrait in a postage miniature released in 1970.

The postage envelopes are dedicated to brave tankmen, participants in tank battles near Ponyri and Prokhorovka, Heroes of the Soviet Union S.F. Shutov and A.A. Golovachev.

Air armies reliably covered the strikes of our troops. The commander of the 1st Air Army was M.M. Gromov, awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union in 1937. The pilots from the 8th Air Army of General T.T. Khryukina. An unprecedented feat was accomplished these days by the pilot of the 2nd Air Army, Senior Lieutenant A.K. Gorovets :. July 6 in battle over the village. Olkhovatka, having entered into single combat with a detachment of bombers, he shot down nine enemy vehicles! No one has accomplished such a feat. The glorious falcon, whose portrait is captured on the postal envelope, died in this battle, he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Portraits of M.M. Gromova and T.T. Khryukin is also depicted on postage stamps and on the envelope.

Having exhausted the enemy in defensive battles, the troops of the Central, Voronezh and the Steppe fronts, which were in reserve, with the support of the Western and Southwestern fronts, launched a counteroffensive on July 12 and utterly defeated the enemy grouping.

In offensive battles, the 3rd Army of General A.V. Gorbatov, to whom the postal envelope is dedicated. The general coordination of the actions of the fronts was carried out by representatives of the Headquarters, Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov and the Chief of the General Staff, General A.M. Vasilevsky.

The enemy was rapidly rolling back to the west. On August 5, 1943, Oryol and Belgorod were liberated, and in the evening the inhabitants of Moscow saw the bright lights of fireworks in the night sky for the first time - this was the Motherland saluting the liberators of these cities. In honor of the victorious warriors in Orel and Kursk, monuments were erected, depicted on postal envelopes. Postage stamps and envelopes are also dedicated to the Kursk battle.

BATTLE FOR DNEPR AND LIBERATION OF UKRAINE

In order to defeat the German fascist troops in the Kiev region and liberate the capital of Ukraine, the Kiev offensive operation was carried out.

On the high right bank of the Dnieper, the fascist invaders created a powerful defensive zone.

On September 21, 1943, soldiers of the 3rd Guards Tank Army of General P.S. Rybalko (his portrait is captured on a postal envelope). "We drink the water of our native Dnieper, we will drink from the Prut, Neman and Bug!" - we read on the postcard of the war years the words of the Soviet soldier depicted on it, who scooped up the Dnieper water with a helmet. At the same time, the troops of the Voronezh, Steppe and Southwestern fronts, commanded by generals N.F. Vatutin, I.S. Konev and R. Ya. Malinovsky. Under continuous artillery fire and with active action by enemy aircraft, the Dnieper was forced in 23 places at once.

The soldiers of Captain M.A. Samarin, Colonel L.M. Dudka, guard senior lieutenant A.M. Stepanov - the youngest son, the last of the nine sons of a simple Russian woman Epistinia Stepanova, who gave the Motherland the most precious thing - her children. In the battle on the bridgehead in the Verkhnedneprovsky district of the Dnepropetrovsk region, having destroyed five enemy vehicles, the tank commander V.M. Chkhaidze. The portraits of these heroes are captured on postage envelopes. Individual episodes of the crossing of the Dnieper were reflected in a series of "secrets" issued during the war.

A considerable burden fell on the shoulders of the engineering troops, who provided the assault detachments with floating craft, preparing the path of the offensive. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union in the battle for the Dnieper was awarded to the company commander of a separate battalion, Captain S.V. Egorov and the commander of a sapper platoon, junior lieutenant A.A.Krivoshchekov. Their portraits are also featured on postage envelopes.

With great impatience, the entire Soviet people awaited the liberation of the capital of Ukraine. On the morning of November 6, 1943, on the eve of the national holiday - the 25th anniversary of the Great October Revolution - the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front of General N.F. Vatutin was liberated by storm in Kiev. In the center of the Ukrainian capital, a monument to the famous commander was erected, depicted on a postal envelope and a postcard. In the battles on the Lyutezhsky bridgehead and during the liberation of Kiev, a detachment of guards mortars of Guard Lieutenant E.K. Lyutikov, whose portrait is shown on the postal envelope. In the sky near Kiev, I.S. Polbin, future twice Heroes of the Soviet Union A. Sultan-Khan and N.I. Semeiko, whose portraits are also reproduced on postage envelopes.

The offensive operations of tanks and infantry were reliably covered by the 5th Assault Corps under the command of the famous polar pilot, a participant in the rescue of the Chelyuskinites, one of the first Heroes of the Soviet Union, later the mentor of Soviet cosmonauts - N.P. Kamanin. His portrait adorns the stamp in the 1935 edition series. Under his command, a young pilot, the future cosmonaut G.T. Beregovoy, who in 1944 received the first Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union as an award (a postage miniature of the 1968 issue is dedicated to him). And the commander of this division was another illustrious pilot - G.F. Baidukov, Hero of the Soviet Union, participant of the famous Chkalov flight across the North Pole to America (his portrait is depicted on a postage miniature, issued in 1938).

The Hitlerite General Staff was extremely alarmed by the loss of Kiev and, having put together a powerful armored fist in the Zhitomir region, threw it into a counteroffensive. The guardsmen of the 4th Panzer Corps stood in the way of the enemy. A heroic feat was performed in these battles by the crew of the T-34 tank - junior lieutenant V.A. Ermolaev and Sergeant A.A. Timofeev. This was the first battle for the young tankers who had arrived with reinforcements. They destroyed six enemy "tigers", and rammed the seventh with their wrecked, engulfed in fire machine. They were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, their portraits were reproduced on the postal envelope.

Fierce battles unfolded during the crossing of the Dnieper in the region of Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye, Nikopol, Krivoy Rog. In the skies over Zaporozhye, the second air ram was performed by the Hero of the Soviet Union I.N. Sytov, he is depicted on a postal envelope. During the liberation of Zaporozhye, Soviet soldiers managed to save the pride of the first five-year plans - Dneproges from the explosion. Hitler's barbarians filled the dam and the turbine hall building with tens of tons of explosives. But our soldiers were quicker. We see the handsome Dneproges in many postage miniatures.

The people cherish the memory of the heroes of the battle for the Dnieper. The monuments of Kiev, Smolensk, Kherson, Cherkassy and other cities, reproduced on postal envelopes, remind us of this. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the city of Kiev was awarded the title “Hero City”. The Hero's Star is depicted on a 1965 postage miniature and a postcard with the original stamp issued for the 30th anniversary of the Victory.

1944 is the year of the widespread offensive of our troops, the liberation of the Soviet land from the Nazis. At the end of January, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front under the command of General N.F. Vatutin and the 2nd Ukrainian Front under the command of General I.S. Konev near Korsun-Shevchenkovsky "took in ticks" a grouping of enemy troops, which consisted of 10 divisions and one brigade. It took less than a month to liquidate it. On the site of hot battles, the Museum of the History of the Korsun-Shevchenko Battle, depicted on postal envelopes, was erected. Pursuing the retreating enemy, our troops reached the border with Romania on March 26, 1944. It was a great joy for the entire Soviet people.

In the same days, the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front under the command of General R.Ya. Malinovsky, developing an offensive on the right bank of the Southern Bug River, approached the city of Nikolaev. To help the advancing troops on March 28, a landing of 68 Black Sea sailors was landed, led by senior lieutenant K.F. Olshansky. Neither the continuous attacks of the enemy, nor the artillery shelling could break the fortitude of the brave paratroopers. Almost all of them, including the commander, gave their lives in this battle.

On the stern superstructure of the large ship "Soobrazitelny" - the heir and successor of the military glory of the Guards Red Banner destroyer, glorified during the war - a memorial plaque was installed: "Hero-Komsomolets V.V. Khodyrev is forever enlisted in the ship's crew lists. " Senior sailor Khodyrev, a participant in the Olshansky landing, bleeding, rushed with grenades in his hands under an enemy tank. A postage stamp issued in 1967 is dedicated to him.

On the tall beauty of the embankment of Nikolaev, a sculptural group froze, facing the water surface of the estuary. It seems that the heroes-sailors are about to move into the attack ... This monument is depicted on a postage stamp issued for the 25th anniversary of the liberation of Nikolaev from the Nazis, and on a postal envelope. The settlement was named after the commander of the landing. Olshanskoe in the Nikolaev region.

Our Supreme High Command considered the early liberation of Crimea to be extremely important from a strategic point of view. In November 1943, after the liberation of the Taman Peninsula, an assault force was landed in the Kerch region. For many days and nights, at the cost of countless casualties, the paratroopers held their foothold, which they called "Tierra del Fuego". Here, the Ukrainian writer and journalist S.A. Borzenko replaced the deceased commander in battle and raised the paratroopers to attack. For this feat, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. His portrait is reproduced on a postal envelope.

In memory of the heroism of the defenders of "Tierra del Fuego" on Mount Mithridates, towering over Kerch, there is a monument depicted on several marked envelopes and on a postcard with an original stamp dedicated to the hero-city of Kerch.

In April 1944, soldiers of the 51st Army of General Ya.G. Kreiser (we see his portrait on the mail envelope).

In mid-April, the troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front under the command of General F.I. Tolbukhina and the Separate Primorsky Army reached the defensive structures of Sevastopol, the key position of the enemy defense - Sapun-Gora - our troops stormed for nine hours. By the evening of May 7, 1944, the Red Banner was raised on the top of the mountain. This moment is captured on a postcard with an original stamp issued to mark the 30th anniversary of the liberation of Sevastopol. Many envelopes depict the building of the diorama of the assault on Sapun Mountain. Our troops entered Sevastopol on May 9. It took the Soviet troops only five days to break the enemy defenses, while General Manstein in 1942 took 250 days to solve the same problem! Here it is, the strength of the spirit of the Soviet soldier! It is not for nothing that on the pedestal of the monument to the heroes of the Komsomol in Sevastopol (his image is placed on a postal envelope) is inscribed: "Courage, fortitude, loyalty to the Komsomol."

On April 10, our troops liberated sunny Odessa from the enemy. Take a look at the envelope issued for the 20th anniversary of the city's liberation. On it we see a photograph taken on the day of liberation: the joyful faces of the soldiers against the backdrop of the majestic building of the opera house. A postage miniature released in 1964 is dedicated to the same date.

LIBERATION OF BELARUS

Least of all did the Hitlerite strategists expect that Soviet troops would inflict their main blow in the summer campaign of 1944 through the forests, swamps and swamps of Belarus. That is why the Stavka instructed the General Staff to develop a plan for a crushing blow against the grouping of enemy troops in Belarus by the forces of the 1st Baltic and 1st, 2nd and 3rd Belorussian fronts. The plan of this grandiose operation was named "Bagration" in memory of the outstanding commander, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812. A postage stamp with his portrait was issued in 1962 for the 150th anniversary of the Patriotic War of 1812. A schematic plan of the operation is depicted on a miniature postage issued for the 25th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus (in 1969). The general leadership of the front operations was carried out by marshals G.K. Zhukov and A.M. Vasilevsky. Cutting through the enemy grouping with offensive actions, overcoming swamps and impassable roads, Soviet troops stubbornly advanced westward and on August 29, 1944, reached the border of East Prussia.

In the Belarusian operation, the soldiers of the Red Army showed miracles of heroism. The postage miniature, released in 1964, shows a rounded youthful face. Only 19 years old was Yuri Smirnov, a guard private, when wounded he fell into the clutches of fascist monsters. No torture could break the will of the young man - he kept a military secret. He was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Private P.T. Ponomarev, also awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. His portrait is shown on a postal envelope. In the battles near Vitebsk, Private A.E. Uglovsky, awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. At the cost of his life, a brave armor-piercer alone stopped an enemy tank attack. His portrait is on a postage stamp that was hatched in 1966. As part of the Minsk Guards Red Banner Tank Brigade, Hero of the Soviet Union B.N. Dmitrievsky, whose portrait against the background of the Red Banner is depicted on a postal envelope. In the battles for the liberation of Belarus, the Soviet-Polish brotherhood in arms was born. In the battle at the village. Lenino, Mogilev region, on October 25, 1943, the 1st Polish division, formed on Soviet land... This day became a national holiday of the Polish people - the birthday of the Polish Army. The 1955 postage miniature depicts the Brotherhood in Arms monument erected in Warsaw.

In the post-war years, a majestic obelisk was erected on Victory Square in Minsk, the image of which we see on postage stamps dedicated to the anniversary of the liberation of the republic. On another postage stamp and envelope (1969) there is an image of the Mound of Glory, poured by the hands of the inhabitants of Belarus in memory of the expulsion of the hated enemy from their native land. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Minsk was awarded the title of “Hero City”. A postcard with an original stamp issued for the 30th anniversary of the Victory is dedicated to this event.

RED ARMY LIBERATION MISSION

Having completed the liberation of the entire territory of the Soviet Union from the German fascist invaders in 1944, our troops came to the aid of the peoples of Europe, who were still languishing in fascist captivity.

The Soviet soldier extended a hand of fraternal assistance to Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia.

Fierce and bloody battles were fought on the territory of long-suffering Poland, where the enemy created seven fortified defensive lines. In the Vistula-Oder operation, the grouping of German fascist troops was defeated. On Polish soil, battalion commander V.N. Emelyanov, gunners N.I. Grigoriev, V.I. Peshekhonov, whose portraits we find on stamps and envelopes.

The decoration of the Hungarian capital is the proud monument crowning Mount Gellert. This monument to Soviet soldiers who liberated the country from the Nazi invaders is depicted on Soviet and Hungarian postage stamps.

V the last days During the war, the tank armies of the 1st, 2nd and 4th Ukrainian fronts, making a swift rush, came to the aid of the insurgent Prague. "Fraternization" is the name of a symbolic sculptural group erected in Prague in memory of the brotherhood of two peoples born in the battles against fascism. This monument is featured on a Soviet postage stamp issued in 1960. Other postage miniatures from the "Czechoslovak Republic" series (1951) depict monuments to Soviet soldiers in Prague and Ostrava.

Everywhere the Soviet soldier was greeted as a liberator, a welcome guest. The scene of the joyful meeting is depicted on a postage stamp issued in 1951 in the series "People's Republic of Bulgaria"; on another postage miniature of this series - a monument to Soviet soldiers-liberators in Kolarovgrad.

A postage sign issued in 1964 depicts Soviet and Yugoslav soldiers in arms. In the struggle for the liberation of Yugoslavia, a strong friendship was born between the Red Army and the National Liberation Army of Yugoslavia.

Many postage stamps and other philatelic materials have been issued in our country in memory of brotherhood with peoples saved from fascist slavery.

WE WON!

In the spring of 1945, Soviet troops crossed the German border. The final stage of the war has come. Our troops were approaching Berlin.

The former 62nd, now the 8th Guards Army of General V.I. Chuikova, who passed a glorious way from the banks of the Volga to Berlin.

On the morning of April 30, fighting broke out for the Reichstag building, and on the night of May 1, a red flag - the Victory Banner - hoisted over the riddled dome. It was hoisted by scouts of the 756th regiment of the 3rd shock army M.A. Egorov and M.V. Cantaria. This moment is captured on many philatelic issues.

It is difficult to describe the joy and triumph of the victors. Soldiers and officers rushed to leave their autographs on the walls and columns of the smoking building. Such a scene is depicted on a mail envelope issued for the 35th anniversary of the Victory. On May 8, an act of unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany was signed, and on May 9, our entire country, all freedom-loving humanity celebrated the long-awaited holiday - Victory Day. The postage stamp depicting the Order of Victory, decorated with the overprint: “Victory Day. May 9, 1945 ". In the post-war years, many postage stamps, envelopes, postcards and special cancellations were dedicated to this national holiday.

The monument-ensemble to the soldiers of the Soviet Army who fell in battles against fascism, erected in Treptower Park in Berlin by the project of the remarkable Soviet sculptor E. Vuchetich, became the symbol of the Victory of the Soviet people over Nazi Germany. The majestic statue of the Warrior-Liberator, made in the best traditions of classical sculpture, is reflected in many philatelic issues.

The Victory Parade was held on June 24 in Moscow on Red Square, depicted on postage stamps issued in February 1946. The winners marched across the square with a solemn march. To the foot of the mausoleum of V.I. Lenin, the military banners and standards of the defeated Nazi troops were thrown.

In Moscow, a monument to the Unknown Soldier has been erected near the Kremlin wall - to everyone who gave their lives in the struggle for the freedom and independence of their beloved Motherland.

“From the fiery frontiers of the forty-first year, That still rustle with the banners of glory. Loyal to the Motherland, the son of the working people, You have returned to Moscow, Unknown Soldier, ”wrote the Soviet poet Alexei Surkov.

This monument, depicted on a postage stamp, seems to complete the chronicle of the Great Patriotic War in Soviet philately. However, it is impossible to close it like a book read: the philatelic chronicle will be replenished with new materials from year to year. Lovingly preserving its pages is the noble task of young philatelists.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Glorious the path of the Leninist Komsomol. - M .: Young Guard, 1978.

2. Kissin B.M. Pages of history on postage stamps. - M: Education, 1980.

3. Chernyshev A.A. Fireworks, pioneers! - M: Radio and communication, 1982 (BYuF, issue 13).

4. Levitas I. Ya. Philately for schoolchildren. - M .: Radio and communication, 1984.

Yuri Grigorievich Malov, Vitaly Yurievich Malov

CHRONICLES OF THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR

IN PHILATELIA

Special editor N.K.Spivak

Publishing editor E. M. Kucheryavenko

Art editor R. A. Klochkov

Technical editor G. I. Kolosova

Artist L. V. Salnikov

Corrector G. G. Kazakova

Signed for printing 14.02.85Т-01606 Format 70x90 / 32 Office paper. No. 1 Typeface "Press novel" Offset printing print l. 3.217 conv. cr.-Ott. 13.38 Uch.-ed. l. 3.47 Circulation 47,000 copies Ed. No. 20733 Order 1082 Price 30 k.

Publishing house "Radio and communication". 101000, Moscow, Post Office, P.O. Box 693

Printing house of the publishing house "Kaliningradskaya Pravda", 236000, Kaliningrad region, st. Karl Marx, 18

Publications in the Museums section

Small-form graphics, or Postage miniatures

With the most replicated works of art that fly around the world with an envelope. The postage stamp was invented by the British in 1840. A new sign of payment for correspondence in artistic performance entered Russian post offices in 1857 and became a new type of creativity for Russian painters. More about miniaturist artists and their creations - Natalia Letnikova.

Philatelists or art critics?

Inverted Jenny. 1918 U.S. Airmail stamp with an inverted Curtiss JN-4

"Tiflis Unique" ("Tiflis Mark"). A very rare postage stamp issued in the Russian Empire (on the territory of modern Georgia) for the post of Tiflis (Tbilisi) and Kojori in 1857

Fast Jenny. 1918 USA postage stamp depicting Curtiss JN-4 aircraft, offset to the left, overlaid on the frame of the stamp

Artists who create images for stamps balance between the laws of art and the criteria of philately. Initially, the assessment of a postage stamp is a matter for the post itself. Philatelists, on the other hand, value stamps that are rare, small-run and non-standard: with typos and errors, like Inverted Jenny. An upside-down image of an airplane costs about $ 3 million.

"Tiflis Unique", issued in 1857 for the city post of Tiflis, is considered by specialists to be one of the most expensive domestic stamps. Initially, it cost 6 kopecks - at an auction in 2008, one of the three surviving copies was estimated at 700 thousand dollars.

For the good of society

One of the first postage stamps in Russia "For the benefit of the orphans of the soldiers of the active army." 1904 year

Postage stamp from the series dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty. Peter I (from a portrait of Godfrey Kneller, 1698). 1913 year

Postage stamp from the series dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty. Alexander II (after the engraving of Academician Lavrenty Seryakov from the portrait of Georg Botman, 1873). 1913 year

Postage stamp from the series dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty. Nicholas II (from an engraving by Fyodor Lundin, artist Richard Zarinsh). 1913 year

To carry ideas to the masses, to be the mouthpiece of bright and significant events. Almost immediately after their appearance, the brands "took over" in the service of the public interest. In 1904, during Russo-Japanese War by order of the Imperial Women's Patriotic Society, a series of stamps was issued with an additional 3 kopecks for the needs of the orphans of the active army. With the help of stamps, funds were also collected in the First World War - for the wounded and the families of the dead. They depicted recognizable views and monuments of Moscow and St. Petersburg on these stamps.

A special issue marked the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty. The first and only series of commemorative stamps of the Russian Empire was published in 1913. More often than others in this series there is a portrait of the then ruling Nicholas II - on stamps in denominations of 7, 10 kopecks and 5 rubles. Sketches for stamps from famous royal portraits were made by artists Ivan Bilibin, Eugene Lansere and Richard Zarins.

New power - new brands

"A hand with a sword that cuts the chain." The first postage stamp Soviet Russia, made according to the sketch of Rihards Zarins. 1918 year

"Aspidka" ("Slate-blue airship"). A rare postage stamp of the USSR from the "Airship Building" series. 1931 year

USSR stamp from the series "5th Anniversary October revolution". Artist Ivan Dubasov. 1922 year

Four years later, it was the artist Zarinsh who became the first author of stamps in Soviet Russia. A hand with a sword cutting the chain. Such a picture began to be printed almost immediately after the February Revolution. Since then, every event has been a new illustration in philately.

In the Soviet Union, images on stamps became a kind of chronicle of political life in the country. For example, the stamp dedicated to the 5th anniversary of the October Revolution is the work of the famous artist Ivan Dubasov. A worker carves the dates of the first revolutionary five-year plan on a stone slab. Of particular importance is the color scheme, accents, the font is even more catchy and readable than on the poster, because the brand is several times smaller.

Industrialization and airships, portraits of leaders and milestones in the development of statehood - as the adoption of the Constitution of the country. Artists often worked on a common theme with entire creative teams. Particularly popular were the philatelic series: "Airship Building", "Philately for Children", "Nationalities of the USSR" ... During the war years, stamps were dedicated to military units and war heroes, in peacetime - the themes sounded very different: from ski biathlon to the aromatized series "Gifts of Nature" ...

The art of graphic miniature

Postage stamp from the series "History of the Russian Fleet". "Battleship Potemkin". 1972 year

Postage stamp "10 years of MOPR", created according to the sketch by Fyodor Fedorovsky. 1932 year

Postage stamp for the birthday of composer Dmitry Shostakovich. 1976 year

The History of the Russian Fleet is one of the most famous series in miniature postage. The author Vasily Zavyalov made his first drawing for the brand at the age of 19, in 1925. In total, the artist became the author of more than 600 postage stamps. The famous graphic artist believed that creative success requires "a steady hand, a sharp eye and loyalty to nature." The qualities are especially relevant when working on such a small picture.

Fedor Fedorovsky also created postage stamps. One of the miniature works by the chief artist of the Bolshoi Theater and the author of the project of ruby ​​stars on the Kremlin towers is the project of the postage stamp "10 years of the MOPR" (International Organization for Aid to the Fighters of the Revolution).

Brand creation is a kind of professionalism test. Graphic artist Vladislav Koval, while studying at the Moscow Polygraphic Institute, decided to write home in Dhaudjikau and send a letter ... with a self-drawn stamp-self-portrait. The mail missed the envelope, and two years later the enterprising artist was drawing a commemorative stamp for his birthday