Re-evacuation of children and children institutions form West-Siberian region (1942-1945)

In conditions of the current process of critical understanding of all periods of Soviet state, the necessity of further studying the history of the Great Patriotic War in whole and its components, in particular, evacuation and re-evacuation processes caused by the war, is obvious. Evacuation and following re-evacuation of the productive powers were not only prominent unique operations conducted in the USSR. Fates of millions of people, terrible destitution, and heavy losses were connected with them. In history of the Drama and Heroism, which characterized the war, the problem of re-evacuation of the population, including re-evacuation of children from eastern regions of the country to its liberated areas, remains understudied. Russian historiography does not contain any works on children re-evacuation. In this connection, the article can be considered to be the first attempt in solving the children re-evacuation problem. Thousands of children, hundreds of children’s institutions were evacuated to West Siberia because of the war. Among them there were especially many of children from Leningrad. According to figures from the statistical department at the Council of People’s Commissars of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, on the 1st April 1943 there were 934,6 thousand evacuees in West Siberia, among them there were 359,9 thousand children, which is 38,5 % of all evacuees who had arrived at the region. Together with the children’s institution all their personnel with their children and dependants amounted 13,8 thousand people. It was on the 31st May 1945 that the Executive Committees of Altai Territory, on June, 20 - of the Novosibirsk Region and on June, 2 - of the Tomsk Region took an extensive resolution on fulfillment of the task set by the government, endorsed plans, developed by the Executive Committees, and estimates expenses, appointed persons responsible for the work. The representatives of the Executive Committees of Siberian regions and territories and Leningrad Municipal Executive Committee came to the regions. Evacuated children did not put up with roles of the war victims. The strategy of survival in the hard conditions of war required patience, unbelievable labor efforts, mutual supportiveness from children and adults, taught them to be satisfied with little. Throughout the years of evacuation in the Siberian rear area, in spite of all the hardships and troubles and thanks to the help and attention of the local authorities and community, the personnel of the children’s institutions had successfully performed the mission of preserving the evacuated children’s lives and health. The children had grown and quite improved their strength and health when they came back to their native land.