The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-06-29
RUSSIAN WOMEN
TAKE WAR JOBS
Wives Pinch-Hit for Lenin=
grad Husbands Called
to Front
BY HENRY SHAPIRO
United Press Staff Correspondent
DOWNRIGHT 1919 Rv limited Press


grad nearly two years ago, the
workmen of a big tank plant
handed over their jobs to their
wives, yanked their own tanks from
the assembly belt, and raced to the
front.
They were part of the peoples
army Of workers who, was told re-
peatedly today, saved Leningrad
in August, 1941, when a NaZi force
of 100000 men, 1000 planes and
1000 tanks Stormed its rampartS.
And now Leningrad, city vir-
tually resurrected from the dead,
still holds fast and fights and works
with zest and determination I
have not seen in any other city of
the Soviet Union.
The army of workers speeding out
from their plants manned the bar
ricades athwart the suburban streets
of Russia's second city and checked
the assault.
without our workers Leningrad
would doubtless have fallen" the
youthful mayor of the old Czarist
capital, Peter Popkov told me. THE
Red Army had not yet been fully
modified and the bulk of avail
able troops had been thrown into
the critical central front where they
we're needed worse
Veterans of former wars and
revolutions, the workers formed
whole divisions, trained others and
supervised the construction of de-
lenses.
Today hundreds of girls and
housewives were building still more
defenses, manning air raid appara-
tus, and cultivating vegetables. The
daily artillery fire, the fire alarms,
the continued emergency rations-
nothing but death itself appears to
divert the average citizen of Len
ingrad from his designated task.
When the days work is over and
the brilliant sunshine fades into
the pale northern night, you can
see these same citizens promenade
under the once golden spires domes
and cupolas of the battered his
toric edif1ces, fishing in the blood
stained waters of the Neva, or flirt-
ing on the silvery quays.
Uniformed or civilian women with
permanent waves and manicured
nails, but no cosmetics, sailors from
the Baltic fleet naval officers and
airmen - these throng the theaterS
each night.
The women wear bright and gay
cu,ors. There are no black dresses
or armbands to indicate mourning
though every living person in the
city is said to have lost someone
near and dear since the war reach
ed Leningrad.
During those critical August days
of 1941 two appeals were addressed
to The workers of Leningrad. The
Germans dropped leaflets asking
them what they were fighting for
and asking them to lay down their
arms. The other was signed by
Marshal Klementi E. Voroshilow,
Andrei zhadnov, Communist party
district chief, and Mayor Popkov.
1--WE will rise like one man to
defend our city, our homes, our
family, honor and freedom" it said.
In response the peoples Army did
rush out "like one man" and
robbed Adolf Hitler of a victory that
seemed within his grasp.
Today as group of representa-
tive citizens of Leningrad reminisced
over those August days in my room
in the Hotel Astoria, one of them
pointed toward banquet hall near
by and said:
THAT is where the Germans plan
ned to hold their victory dinner.
I saw printed tickets issued by the
German commanders.
The victory dinner never was held
because the workers army closed a
gap at the southern approaches to
Leningrad, the Baltic feet based at
nearby Kronstadt threw curtain of
fire before the attackers, and the
raks of civilian defenders kept
swelling until every person includ-
ing children was under arms.
The school children proved par
ticularly adept at hunting down
parachutists and exposing spies and
Nazi agents. Writers, artists, mu-
scum curators, bearded old Academ-
icians, even priests learned to toss
hand grenades and operate machine
guns.
But the worst was yet to come
the long siege which appears to
have been one of the most ex-
cruciating ordeals any city ever en-
dured.
The enormous civilian toll cannot
be told. 1t may number anywhere
between five and six figures. They
persisted from fire, bombing, shell
ing, hunger, cold all the human
foes except pestilence.