At the beginning of the Soviet-German war, the German blitzkriegs once caught the Soviet Union off guard. In just 18 days, 28 Soviet divisions were surrounded by the Germans, 70 divisions were severely damaged, and 3,000 aircraft were destroyed. Immediately afterwards, its capital, Moscow, and the strategically important city of Stalingrad were threatened by the Germans. Fortunately, the bravery and tenacity of the Red Army soldiers, coupled with the military assistance of the Allies, finally stabilized the front. However, at that time, the tactical quality of the German army was higher than that of the Soviet army, and although the Red Army launched a counter-offensive and won a gradual victory soon after, it also suffered great casualties. The picture shows women chatting in Soviet villages during naps.
Scholars have calculated that by the time of Germany's surrender, the Soviet army had lost 37.5 million people, of whom 6 million to 8 million were killed by the German army; plus citizens who died "indirectly" due to food losses and support for frontline work, "a total of 20 million to 25 million from 1941 to 1945." It should be known that these casualties are mainly men, which will undoubtedly destroy the country's demographic structure and cause a sharp decline in the birth rate. The picture shows Soviet women working.
In addition to the loss of personnel, the German plunder of the Soviet occupied areas was also very alarming. There is a document that records the German plundering of the European part of the Soviet Union, namely Ukraine and Belarus. "Of the 11.6 million horses in the occupied territories, 7 million were slaughtered and plundered, 20 million were taken of the 23 million pigs, 123,000 tractors, 49,000 grain combines and a large number of cattle sheds were destroyed, and other farm buildings were destroyed." The photographer takes a photo of a Soviet woman.
In addition to the looting of livestock and the destruction of agricultural machinery, the Destruction of the Industrial Infrastructure of Ukraine and Belarus by the Germans was also extremely severe: "The damage to the transport network was: 65,000 kilometers of railway lines were destroyed; 15,800 locomotives, 428,000 wagons, 4,280 river boats and half of the railway bridges in the occupied areas were lost." Fortunately, Soviet women were industrious and capable, and after the end of the Great Patriotic War, they resolutely shouldered the heavy responsibility of restoring construction. The picture shows a Soviet woman resting from work, and there are several elderly people in the photo.
In a Soviet village after World War II, women and children sitting and resting became the main force in resuming production.
After overcoming its initial difficulties, the Soviet Union created a "small economic miracle" in heavy industry, with its heavy industrial production nearly doubling by 1950. By 1950, in some parts of the Soviet Union, such as Ukraine, its metallurgical and power industries had returned to pre-war levels. All these achievements are inseparable from the silent efforts of Soviet women. The picture shows Soviet women reclaiming arable land.
The picture shows Soviet women and children working.
The picture shows a Soviet woman resting at her leisure, and the photographer captured this moment.
In the Soviet Union after the end of World War II, war devastation was everywhere. The picture shows a Soviet family photographed by a photographer.