The Sverdlovsk Railway in 1941-1945: Transition to Military Rails

The paper analyzes the importance of the USSR railway transport, which managed to maintain its main network despite the difficulties of the Great Patriotic War and provide unprecedented volume of military, industrial and evacuation transportation in the world. The main emphasis in the paper is on the military reorganisation of the Sverdlovsk railway, divided during the war into two routes - one named after L.M. Kaganovich (since 1943 - Sverdlovsk Railway again) and Perm Railway. They provided train traffic to the European part of Russia, covering the territories of the Middle Urals, Kama Region and Western Siberia. The paper shows ideological solidarity and comradely cohesion of the Ural railway workers, manifested at rallies, during mobilization events and in combat operations at the front. The author draws attention to the replacement of men who left for the active army and the introduction of a personnel reserve in the face of women and teenagers into industrial production. The paper notes that women successfully mastered male professions and a significant part of female workers directly ensured the movement of trains, delivering everything necessary to the front. The paper describes involvement of graduates of technical schools, pupils of vocational schools and schoolchildren in the labour activity. The paper also demonstrates the forms and methods of their industrial training and contribution to the development of railway transport. The paper concludes that despite all hardships of the war, the Ural railways continued to operate smoothly, thanks to the mobilization of all organizational resources and dedication of personnel.

Great Patriotic War, the Urals, railway, mobilization, patriotic impulse, front, heroism, mastering the male profession, industrial training, apprenticeship