Khabarovsk
Since the European part of the USSR was occupied, providing the front with military equipment and food fell on the shoulders of the people living in Siberia and the Far East. Urgent reformation of the industry towards military production was needed. Khabarovsk was also involved in these processes. The Khabarovsk “Dalenergomach” factory can serve as an example; by the end of the year it already produced military equipment – spikes for mines, and in the next year successfully mastered production of tanks.
After radical reformation the pace of production had to be increased because more and more arms, equipment and food were required for the front. “In labor is like in a battle!” – this was the slogan of that time, and it was carried out impeccably. During the war vacations and days-off were abolished, working day was 12-14 hours, but many people even after this time remained at work. There were individuals and teams of workers who exceeded even without that enormous plan by 200, 300, 500 and sometimes even 1000 %. But it was done not for one’s own personal glory; it was just prompted by a great desire to help soldiers fighting on the front-line.
Except for the high-powered work in factories the people of Khabarovsk gave their own savings as aid to the front. As early as in November of 1941 in the regional office of the National Bank a special account was opened, to which voluntary contributions came to the Defense fund. The first donation was made by members of the Komsomol of the Gorky factory and was over 20 thousand rubles. This money was used to buy military equipment which after that was sent to the front. But apart from that some organizations gathered additional means. For example, with the help of Khabarovsk’s pioneers money was gathered for building a war airplane “Khabarovsk’s Pioneer.” This effort was kept up by pioneers of other Far Eastern cities. In this way at different fronts military equipment fought that was bought for personal money of Khabarovsk-dwellers: two bomber squadrons “Khabarovsk’s Komsomol,” a tank column “Khabarovsk’s Osaviakhimovets” and a ship “Sea Hunter.”
Every year special trains with gifts for soldiers gathered by people throughout the whole Far East were sent. Special commissions on gathering warm clothing for soldiers of the Red Army were formed. The first such train was sent from Khabarovsk to defenders of Moscow in December of 1941. Then trains like this became a tradition.
But soldiers of the Far-Eastern front were not far behind the workers on the home front. Altogether from the Far East to the Soviet German front more than one million people were sent. Among them from Khabarovsk the 78th Far Eastern division headed by colonel А.P. Beloborodov was sent. For the whole month they defended Volokolamskoye Shosse shoulder by shoulder with soldiers of Panfilov. For valor shown on the battlefield in November of 1941 it was one of the first to receive the name “Guard Division.”