Исторические
науки/ 1. Отечественная история
Pashkin A.G.
Ulyanovsk State
University
State Archive of
Contemporary History of the Ulyanovsk region
Social organizations in the
fight against crime during the Great Patriotic War (1941 – 1945) (In Ulyanovsk
region)
At the present stage of development of Russia, its government, political
and social organizations are trying to find alternative sources of public order.
There was such a period in the history of the country when the police was able
to rely on the support of organized public in the form of social organizations
that stood against crime. It happened in the grim years of the Great Patriotic
War (1941 – 1945), when the number of police and the NKVD officers was
significantly reduced.
On the basis of documentary evidence, there were two types of non-governmental
organizations to counter crime in Ulyanovsk region in July 1941 - June 1945:
temporary and regular. A distinctive feature of temporary non-governmental
organizations was a short term of existence and absence of any official name.
One of the earliest forms of such an organization was a social control that
opposed petty theft. For example, during the harvest the representatives of public
organizations checked farmers and agricultural workers for petty theft of state
property at the end of working days. [20, 190] In August - September 1941, the
paramilitary infantry guard of rail stations had been replaced with the guard
of farmers and locals. The leadership of this guard was entrusted to the
railway police. The nights’ patrol of railways and bridges was organized by the
communists; and an intensified armed guard was placed around warehouses and
factories. Each collective farm supplied the guard with one person in order to
protect the railway within the boundaries of the district. All volunteers were
in position from 7 pm; the hours spent in guard were equated to working day hours
of an average earning. [22, 27] Protection was carried out both on foot and
horses, and often combined with the guard of crop fields. [24, 39], [17, 102]
For example, in the summer of 1944, when
the grain has reached its ripeness, The Astradamovsky District Party Committee ordered
the party organizations, chairmen of village councils and collective farms to organize
the day-and-night guard of crop fields
and storages by the most appropriate in moral terms farmers. [16, 19]
In this way temporary social organizations represented formations of
wide variety. The main focus of their activities was the protection and patrol of
the surrounding areas.
Regular non-governmental organizations operated throughout the period
from 1941 to 1945. These included groups of public order in their various
forms, destruction battalions and popular regimentation. The public order
groups (support groups for police and teams of public order) were originally
aimed at curbing crime.
To form such groups of public order was requested by the NKVD and became
a task for territorial and primary party organizations, regional executive
councils of workers' deputies. They were to carry out advocacy activities and
recruitment. [7, 137] Every police
officer had to work with 25 participants of groups of public order. Such groups
had been formed in cities and villages during the first weeks of the war to
help to identify criminals and spies. In the Melekessky district of
Ulyanovsk region the groups of public order were organized due to the
relocation of the civilian population from the frontline areas to Melekessky
district, so that there was a danger for spies and saboteurs. The groups were
to tighten control over the protection of socialist property, as well as
exposed as "barriers" on the roads. [17, 66] There was created a
group of 30 people in Kuzovatovsky district in
April 1942, which guarded a district center and train station at night. [4, 64] There
were 30 primary organizations with 768 members in Astradamovsky district in 1941.
[15, l. 126] 77 groups with 1533 members were established in Ulyanovsk.
[5, 80 ob.], [6, 12], [12, 64], [9, 33], [13, 91] There were 5653 members of
public order groups in the Ulyanovsk region in 1944. [2, 15] According to D.
Vyrin, groups of public order existed in almost every district of the Ulyanovsk
region in the period of 1941-1945 [1, 39] Recruiting new members of the groups in rural areas was the task of executive organs of these areas, and in the
city – superintendents of houses. [12, 64]
Group of public order had fulfilled its main function, namely reduced an
influence of such a negative factor as a lack of personnel on efficiency in the
fight against crime. The personnel of these groups worked there where a large
number of participants were required: patrolling settlements, forests and
fields. [1, s. 40] In 1944 groups of
public order had arrested 698 people who committed property crimes, 79
hooligans, 127 deserters from the Red Army and 793 deserters from industrial
enterprises. [2, 15]
In some cases members of groups of public order delayed criminals independently,
"Two strangers came in Narimanov farm’s apiary and asked for bread in
July 3, 1942. An apiary watchman, who was the member of the public order, fed
the unknowns and put them to bed, and then he let the chairman of the village
council know about the strangers. Organized group of farmers arrested unknowns
asleep; the revolver "Nagan" and ammunition were seized during the
search. Investigation revealed that the detainees had deserted from the weapon-producing
enterprise of Chelyabinsk, and on the way to the Ulyanovsk region a police
officer in Tartary was attacked by them." [1, 40]
To combat the deserters and those evading military service in towns and
villages in the region special groups of public order had been set up. They
consisted exclusively of communists and Komsomol members. At night these groups
were on duty on the streets, at the entrances to settlements and around
warehouses. They also observed the terrain where the refuge of criminals
could be placed. [12, 64, 72]
Destruction battalions also carried out against crime. They were
organized according to the SNK’s resolution of 24 June 1941: "On protection
of enterprises, institutions and the establishment of destruction
battalions." [21, 19] In comparison to groups of public order, destruction
battalions had cars, horse-drawn transport and means of communication.
Battalions subordinated territorial department of the NKVD. Weapons were issued
to battalion soldiers at alert. The battalion soldiers were trained on a 60-hour
program, which included marching, physical and weapons training and a 19-hour
tactical training. [10, 72, 74] It should be noted that the destruction battalions
in the Ulyanovsk region were irregular because the area was not frontline. Soldiers
guarded the most important objects in free time. There was a destruction
battalion in each administrative district of Ulyanovsk region containing of
from 90 to 200 people. [15, 114, 114
ob., 116, 117, 122], [11, 19-21, 90-92,
96-101 ob.], [13, 2], [8, 195, 195 ob.]
Part of the popular regimentation also carried out against crime. On the
territory of the Ulyanovsk region the popular regimentation was created in the period
from July 8 to August 10. According to the estimate, the number of the popular
regimentation was to be a battalion (600 men) in one administrative district.
However, by the end of July, the average number of volunteers in each administrative
region of the Ulyanovsk region had reached the regiment, consisting of three
battalions. Protection of objects was carried out by the popular regimentation only in free time. However,
even the night shift did not release a member of the popular regimentation from
the main job in daytime. All this points out at the enormous patriotic rise among
citizens of the Ulyanovsk region, who were ready to sacrifice their rest for
the safety of citizens. [14, 73]
For example, there was established the popular regimentation numbering
1600 people in the Kuzovatovsky administrative district in August 12, 1941.
Soldiers of the regiment took custody of the oil depot, railroad, administrative
buildings, collective farm fields, warehouses and farms. [3, 12] In the Melekessky
administrative region the popular regimentation soldiers guarded the crop fields.
[19, l. 2] By the spring of 1942 in connection with this circumstance the
number of the popular regimentation was reduced to one battalion in the area.
[23, 54]
Notes
1. Вырин, Д.Д. Из истории
Ульяновской (Симбирской) милиции. Люди. События. Факты. / Д.Д.
Вырин. - Ульяновск, 1978. – 68 с.
2. State Archive of Contemporary History of the Ulyanovsk region (SACHUR)
F. 8. In. 3. St. un. 279.
3. SACHUR F. 12. In. 1. St. un. 401.
4. SACHUR F. 12. In. 1. St. un. 408.
5. SACHUR F. 13. In. 1. St. un. 1843.
6. SACHUR F. 13. In. 1. St. un. 1884.
7. SACHUR F. 13. In. 1. St. un. 1888.
8. SACHUR F. 13. In. 1. St. un. 1891.
9. SACHUR F. 13. In. 1. St. un. 1893.
10. SACHUR F. 13. In. 1. St. un. 1928.
11. SACHUR F. 13. In. 1. St. un. 1929.
12. SACHUR F. 13. In. 1. St. un. 1937.
13. SACHUR F. 13. In. 1. St. un. 2017.
14. SACHUR F. 24. In. 1. St. un. 101.
15. SACHUR F. 24. In. 1. St. un. 102.
16. SACHUR F. 24. In. 1. St. un. 164.
17. SACHUR F. 25. In. 2. St. un. 1.
18. SACHUR F. 31. In. 1. St. un. 542.
19. SACHUR F. 31. In. 1. St. un. 591.
20. SACHUR F. 31. In. 1. St. un. 636.
21. SACHUR F. 295. In. 1. St. un.
98.
22. SACHUR F. 1507. In. 1. St.
un. 540.
23. SACHUR F. 1507. In. 1. St.
un. 546.
24. SACHUR F. 1507. In. 1. St. un. 552.