July 22–28, 1944. 1 week before Liberation

A new project of the National Library of Belarus is dedicated to the Great Patriotic War – "Reading newspaper lines with your heart. On the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus from the Nazi invaders."
Every week from January to July 2024, the portal of the National Library publishes materials from newspapers of Soviet Belarus in 1944, reflecting the chronicle of news and events of that time.

July 24th. "Soviet troops liberated the surviving prisoners of Majdanek, one of the largest nazi concentration camps near Lublin (Poland), through which more than 1.5 million prisoners of war and citizens of occupied European countries passed."

July 28th. "Soviet troops liberated ... the city of Brest, the High Brest region."

Brest fortress on the day of liberation. July 28, 1944. Photo from the "Images of War" resource.

"Sword of Victory" is a unique sword made by Russian gunsmiths, a gift to the Brest fortress hero.

"The authors of the idea and project of the sword are Hero of the Soviet Union, Honoured Pilot of the Russian Federation Colonel V. N. Turenko and Hero of Russia Lieutenant Colonel S. V. Zyablov. The design was developed by E. M. Kremneva. The sword was made by the craftsmen of Zlatoust Arms Company LLC from high-alloy steel. The length of the blade is 1.2 meters, the weight is 5.08 kilograms. <...> The Sword of Victory symbolizes the indomitable spirit, unity and heroism of the Soviet people." June 22, 2011 President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko presented the Sword of Victory to the Memorial complex "Brest Fortress-Hero" [Gift weapon "Sword of Victory"].

[1418 days of the Great Patriotic War..., pp. 328-330].

On July 28, 1944, the territory of modern Belarus was liberated from the Nazi invaders!

The Sovinformburo reports reported on the further advance of the Red Army: "Operational summary for July 21" [Soviet Belarus, No. 136, p. 1]; "From the operational summary of the Sovinformburo for July 22" [Gomel prayda, No. 110, p. 1]; "From the operational summary for July 23" [Gomel Prayda, No. 111, p. 1]; "From the operational summary for July 24 and 25" [Chyrvonaya zvyazda, No. 59, p. 2]; "From the operational summary for July 26" [Vicebsky Rabochy, No. 52, p. 1] "From the operational summary for July 27" [Soviet Belarus, No. 137, pp. 3-4].

The liberation of Brest was mentioned in the newspaper Sovetskaya Belorussia for July 30 [Sovetskaya Belorussia, No. 138, pp. 1-2].

"From the operational summary for July 28" [Soviet Belarus, No. 138, p. 2]:

From the "Order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief to Marshal of the Soviet Union Rokossovsky" [Soviet Belarus, No. 138, p. 1]

In the article "This is how Brest was taken", the author said that in 1944, the defenders of the fortress successfully repelled the overwhelming onslaught of the enemy for over 2 weeks (today we know that the resistance lasted about a month - author's note) [Soviet Belarus, No. 138, p. 2]

"Now our soldiers are back in Brest," the author continued, our troops managed to disorient the German generals, and the Red Army began a breakthrough not where it was expected. The reserves thrown here did not help the enemy either: on July 28, the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front launched a decisive assault on Brest and captured it." Motorized infantry and cavalry of General I. A. Pliev participated in the liberation of the city.

In the ancient Slonim of the Grodno region, liberated on July 10, 1944, a funeral rally and funerals of the dead residents who were shot by the Nazis before their retreat took place; water supply, polyclinics, bakeries have already been restored in the city, schools were repaired ("The first steps of restoration"); "Two sawmills and a power plant were put into operation"; in the villages of the Slonim district "Harvesting has begun"and its delivery to the Red Army Fund ["Our Slonim is being restored." Chyrvonaya zvyazda, No. 58, p. 2].

As the liberation progressed, tragic events were revealed in full measure. The fate of prisoners of war in Baranovichi is described in the article "Death Camp" [Chyrvonaya zvyazda, No. 58, p. 2]:

One of the residents of Vitebsk wrote words of gratitude for the release from the death camp and for the government's care for mothers and children ["Two Joys". Vicebsky rabochy, No. 51, p. 3]:

In Vitebsk, on July 23, a rally was held on Sennaya Square in honour of the liberation of the Vitebsk region [Vitebsk Workers, No. 52, p. 2]

It was attended by partisans and partisans, Red Army soldiers, workers and employees of restored enterprises and institutions, residents of the city. After the welcoming speeches, Red Army units and partisan formations paraded past the stands. The event ended with a demonstration of workers.

News of the restoration was flying from the liberated cities and districts – from Orsha and Bogushevsk ("Life was in full swing." "The first steps"); Chashniksky district ("The sun of freedom, joy and happiness is shining again"), from Sirotinsky district and Tolochin ("Beyond restoration", "In Tolochin") [Vicebsky Rabochy, No. 51, p. 3; 4], from Vetrinsky ("According to Vetrinshchina") and Beshenkovichsky districts ("3 tractors repaired")[Vicebsky rabochy, No. 52, p. 3; 4].

Health care in the Baranovichi region was discussed in the article "Let's restore the medical institutions of the region" [Chirvonaya Zvyazda, No. 59, p. 2].

Medical institutions began to work in Vitebsk and the Vitebsk region ("Hospitals are working") [Vicebsk workers, No. 51, p. 4; No. 52, p. 4]:

The author of the article "Expand trade, develop industrial cooperation" noted the first steps in this direction taken in the recently liberated districts of the Vitebsk region: more than 100 tons of salt, 200 boxes of matches, as well as soap, sickles, scythes and other goods have already been delivered to the newly created points of the retail network; artels for fishing and sausage production have been organized, cranberry kvass [Vicebsky rabochy, No. 52, p. 3]

People in the liberated territories needed information about what was happening, it was delivered in different ways. The very next day after the liberation of Vitebsk, "Kiosks for the sale of newspapers and literature" opened here [Vicebsky Rabochy, No. 51, p. 4]:

A lot of information work (conversations and newspaper readings) they held reading huts on collective farms ["Political mass work among collective farmers." Vicebsky rabochy, No. 51, p. 4]:

Haymaking was coming to an end in the Mogilev region ["In the coming days, complete the haymaking."Za Radzimy, No. 91, p. 2].

In all collective farms of the Gomel region, "Harvesting has begun" – the first hectares have been compressed [Soviet Belarus, No. 136, p. 1].

A lot of material is devoted to this topic [Soviet Belarus, No. 136, pp. 2-6]

In it, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) set tasks for collective farms, Machine and tractor stations (MTS) and state farms: to prepare equipment and inventory; to mobilize available human resources, including the population of cities, and properly organize their work, attract and correctly use the available live draft force for cleaning and transportation, to organize the strictest accounting and protection of crops and others. Measures for the preparation and harvesting of various types of agricultural products, organization and remuneration of labor and others were prescribed in more detail.

They were also preparing to "Start grain acceptance in a timely manner" [Soviet Belarus, No. 136, pp. 2-6]: premises were being built and repaired at procurement points in the Gomel region, however, in some areas preparations for the harvest were unsatisfactory.

The newspapers published summary data on the progress of field work in the Gomel region on July 20 – on haymaking, grain harvesting and others [Gomel Prayda, No. 110, p. 4]:

The first brood of chickens was received at an incubator station in the Gomel region, a total of 12 thousand chickens are expected to be bred this season [Gomel Prayda, No. 110, p. 4]:

Concerts of the Belarusian State Song and Dance Ensemble took place in Minsk, with great success the artists performed in front of partisans, Red Army soldiers, residents of the city [Soviet Belarus, No. 137, p. 4]:

The amateur officer's song and dance ensemble in Mogilev gave 8 concerts [Za Radzimy, No. 91, p. 2]:

And – brief news and announcements.

Gomel office for harvesting fruits and vegetables announced the acceptance of berries and fruits – apples, pears, cherries, plums [Gomel prayda, No. 111, p. 4]:

Markets have resumed their work in Vitebsk [Vitebsk Workers, No. 51, p. 4]:

Regional organizations of Vitebsk – procurement offices and the consumer union – were looking for various specialists for vacancies [Vitebsk Workers, No. 51, p. 4; 52, p. 4]:

The Baranovichi communications office resumed its work, and also offered institutions and residents to hand over their existing equipment and communication wires or notify them of their location [Chyrvonaya Zvyazda, No. 58, p. 2]:

In a short time, the Baranovichi post sent about 3 thousand letters from residents of the city to their relatives and friends in different regions of the USSR [Chyrvonaya Zvyazda, No. 59, p. 1]:

Vitebsk Veterinary Institute announced the recruitment of students for the first and senior courses [Vitebsk Workers, No. 52, p. 4]:

Gomel Financial and Economic College has resumed its work - the recruitment of students has been announced [Gomel Prayda, No. 111, p. 4]:

A teachers' institute started working in Orsha, which recruited students for 2 faculties – historical and geographical, language and literature, and also registered students who had previously studied here [Vicebsky Rabochy, No. 51, p. 4]:

Vacancy announcements were posted by regional newspapers – Gomel Prayda and Chyrvonaya Zvyazda [Gomel Prayda, No. 110, p. 4; Chyrvonaya Zvyazda, No. 59, p. 1]:

The complete Liberation of Belarus has been completed.

And there were still many months left before the complete Victory…

The material was prepared by L. G. Tupchienko-Kadyrova,
Candidate of Historical Sciences, Chief Bibliographer
of the Information and Analytical department.

Sources

Newspapers*

*The full news papers issues are available on links

1. Віцебскі рабочы : орган Віцебскага Абласнога і Гарадскога Камітэтаў КП(б)Б, Абласнога і Гарадскога Саветаў Дэпутатаў Працоўных, 1944, № 51.
2. Віцебскі рабочы, 1944, № 52.
3. Гомельская праўда : орган Гомельского областного и городского комитетов КПБ, областного и городского Советов депутатов трудящихся, 1944, № 110.
4. Гомельская праўда, 1944, № 111.
5. За Радзіму : орган Магілёўскага абласнога і гарадскога КП Беларусі і абласнога і гарадскога Савета дэпутатаў працоўных, 1944, № 88.
6. За Радзіму, 1944, № 89.
7. За Радзіму, 1944, № 90.
8. За Радзіму, 1944, № 91.
9. Калгаснік : орган Мазырскага РК КП Беларусі і РВК, 1944, № 18.
10. Советская Белоруссия : орган ЦК КП(б) Беларусі, Саўнаркома і Прэзідыума Вярхоўнага Савета БССР, 1944, № 136.
11. Советская Белоруссия, 1944, № 137.
12. Советская Белоруссия, 1944, № 138.
13. Чырвоная звязда : орган Баранавіцкага гаркома КПБ, гарадскога і раённага Саветаў дэпутатаў працоўных, 1944, № 58.
14. Чырвоная звязда : орган Баранавіцкага гаркома КПБ, гарадскога і раённага Саветаў дэпутатаў працоўных, 1944, № 59.

*Newspaper titles are given according to modern spelling.

Books, materials

1. Brest fortress on the day of liberation. July 28, 1944 // Images of war. – Access mode: https://api.ov.histrf.ru/media/filer_public_thumbnails/filer_public/3a/68/3a68ee09-97ae-48f5-bdbd-96... . – Access date 07/04/2024.
2. Presentation of awards for the liberation of Brest // Images of war. – Access mode: https://xn--80abetlybeo6ie.xn--p1ai/themes/osvobozhdenie-belarusi/10835 ?index=4. – Date of access 04.07.2024. – From the funds of the State Institution "Brest Fortress Hero Memorial Complex".

   Presentation of awards for the liberation of Brest to the personnel of the 96th Red Banner Rifle Corps of the 70th Army of the 1st Belorussian Front. 1944. far right – commander of the 96th Red Banner Rifle Corps, Lieutenant General Chanyshev Ya. D.

3. Defenders of the Brest fortress in 1941 [The struggle of the Belarusian people against the Nazi invaders] [Izomaterial] : [Set of photos]. - B. M. : B. I., B. G. – 17 ed.l. : photo.b.-b. – [No. 4]. – From the NLB Foundation.
4. Ivanov, V. S. You have given us back our lives! [Material] : [poster] / artist V. Ivanov. – Moscow ; Leningrad : Iskusstvo, 1944 (Moscow : 3rd printing house "Red Proletarian"). – 1 l. : [color lithography]. – 50,000 copies – From the NLB fund.
5. The weapon is a gift "Sword of Victory". 06/22/2011 // Rarities of military historical museums of Belarus and Russia : [album : dedicated to the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War / authors of the text: A. Vavra et al. ; ed . council: O. V. Vanina (Chief editor), etc. ; photo: I. Rudenko, etc.]. – Minsk ; Moscow : Byelorus. Encycl., 2020. – pp. 176-177.
6. The leadership of the 946 assault regiment of the 1st Air Army before the offensive of the 1st Belorussian Front // Images of War. – Access mode: https://xn--80abetlybeo6ie.xn--p1ai/themes/osvobozhdenie-belarusi/10844 ?index=4. – Date of access 04.07.2024. – From the funds of the State Institution "Brest Fortress Hero Memorial Complex".

   The leadership of the 946 assault regiment of the 1st Air Army before the offensive of the 1st Belorussian Front in the operation to liberate Belarus. 1944. 9th Major General, regimental commander, participant in the liberation of Brest Slyunkin V.S. The regiment was awarded the name "Brest" for its participation in the liberation of Brest.

7. 1418 days of the Great Patriotic War : chronology of events : [dedicated to the soldier of the Great Patriotic War / comp. E. V. Malashevich ; scientific ed.: E. I. Baranovsky, G. I. Barkun ; photo: V. V. Kharchenko]. – Minsk : Mastats. lit., 2014. – 421, [1] S.
8. Shibnev, A. D. The year 1944. Liberation, 1977-1979 / A. D. Shibnev // 70 years of the Great Victory! [Isomaterial] : 2015 : [wall-mounted flip calendar] / Belneftestrakh. – [Belarus : B. I., 2014] (Minsk : Altiora – Living colors). - 8 l., including the cover. – [№ 11].