The contribution of the workers of Kalmykia to the construction of the railway Astrakhan - Kizlyar (October 1941 - August 1942)

The article reveals the contribution of the inhabitants of Kalmykia to the construction of the Astrakhan - Kizlyar railroad, which played an important role in the supply of Soviet troops during the Stalingrad battle. According to the author, this was truly a people’s building. About 20 thousand people were sent from the Kalmyk ASSR to the construction site. The construction of the highway was carried out in very difficult circumstances: unfavorable natural and climatic conditions (the boundless uninhabited steppe, the constantly falling sandy and saline soil, summer heat, autumn heavy rains, strong winds, passing into storms, sweeping everything in its path, the same excavation work was often performed several times), almost complete absence of machinery and mechanisms, shortage of food and drinking water, systematic bombing by enemy aircraft. But even in these circumstances, builders, perfectly aware of the significance of their mission, managed to carry out assignments for 180-200%, and for individual brigades - by 250 %. Thanks to the heroic labor of the builders, among them a considerable part were represented by women, old people and teenagers, a railway with a length of 356 kilometers was erected within the shortest possible time: for 10 months. Using the example of this construction, the author shows that the railways during the Great Patriotic War turned into a military factor of primary importance.