Turkmenistan - to the front: here the weapon of Victory was forged
During the war a feasible contribution to was made to defeat the enemy workers of the home front. Turkmenistan those years had turned into one of strong bases which in every possible way provided needs of the army. Many branches of national economy had been reconstructed on a war footing. Some industrial enterprises had passed from the manufacture intending for peace time to release of military production.
In Turkmenistan for years of the war more than 50 new factories and plats were put into operation, part of them - on the basis of the evacuated enterprises. The country’s industry had mastered manufacture of more than 70 kinds of production having defensive and economic value.
In full or in part the task of defensive character the enterprises delivering strategic raw materials for the military industrial enterprises carried out. Tasks of defensive character were carried out by enterprises "Turkmenneft", "Turkmenozokerit", Cheleken chemical factory, Kara Kum and Gaurdak sulphuric mines, Factory № 434 in Krasnovodsk (nowadays Turkmenbashi), delivering strategic raw materials for military industrial enterprises.
The metal-working industry enterprises had mastered manufacture of some kinds of ammunition, and light, textile and local industry – had adjusted production of regimentals and military equipment. It is difficult to list names of all kinds of products which were sent by Turkmenistan to the front - ammunition, sabres for cavalry, military transports, and silk for parachutes, overcoats, soldier's blouses, flasks, thermoses, warm clothes and many other things.
It is necessary to add that personnel of the enterprises of the local industry by 70 per cent were consisted of women, basically housewives. The time for training did not remain for them and it was necessary to study directly in shops.
In difficult military years at Ashgabat factories «Krasnii molot» and «Krasnii metallist», manufacturing before especially civilian production – cauldrons, beds, shovels, window lattices and other simple household goods, had adjusted manufacture of ammunition.
Having installed the equipment brought from Kremenchug and Voroshilovgrad steel plants, artel «Krasnii molot» had turned into a defensive factory. Within only seven days the factory collective had finished adjustment and equipment installation, and from January, 1942 had started manufacturing of military production – grenade RGD-33 and details of fuses to them. So for a short term the collective «Krasnii molot» had mastered manufacture of hand grenades, fuses to grenades, mines and aircraft bombs. In total for years of war the factory had sent to the battle front about five millions combat grenades.
The Ashgabat factory «Krasnii metallist» in April, 1942 adjusted mass production of absolutely new production - cases of mines of mark М-82. It demanded replacement of the equipment, development of new technics and technology. By the end of 1942, in powerful counterattack of the Soviet armies on all battle fields at Stalingrad, the enterprises of Turkmenistan made and sent to the front almost 100 thousand cases of mines and about 200 thousand grenades.
Here is what former master mechanic of the factory «Red metallist» Henry Fabianovich Orlovsky told:
- The factory had the out-of-date equipment, weak mechanical base, and manufacture of mines demanded split-hair accuracy of all operations - from moulding of cases to assemblage. Therefore, there arose a task: to completely change, improve technological processes, to create new installations. With this task the factory collective had coped. Reconstruction concerned almost all shops of the factory. Thanks to the initiative of experts, there was created a device for spot welding of stabilizers of mines of which before had been neither at «Krasnii metallist» nor at other Ashgabat enterprises. Selflessly under trying conditions workers of the enterprise twice-three times fulfilled a daily norm.
Factory innovators had introduced many facilities for machining of details. The big difficulties had arisen with the electric power. It was necessary to make a self-made power station. It generated energy at the critical moments at the most responsible sites which demanded trouble-free work. Very often conversion pig iron, raw material lacked. We extracted it where only we could, pig-iron and steel breakage, every possible recipe for obtaining raw materials were used.
- War aggravated all feelings, - Henry Fabianovich remembered. - But the main feeling there was a responsibility for destiny of the Native land. Never before so brightly labour heroism, was selflessness of people, as in days of the Great Patriotic War not shown. Almost all day and night at factories the most qualified workers-toolmakers worked. For twelve hours at machine tools women and teenagers who replaced their fathers who had left to the front, husbands, brothers, worked. Yesterday's housewives, schoolboys became mechanics, turners and founders. Nursing mothers could feed their children directly at a factory checkpoint. And, no matter how it was difficult, ammunition was produced in time. For four years the factory manufactured over three millions per minute
Mines passed careful control in the factory’s laboratory. Besides production was accepted by the military representative who had his staff and laboratory. Despite so rigid check, there was no case that the military representative rejected products so necessary for the front.
At the dawn of May Day on the window of the apartment which was occupied already by chief engineer of the factory G.Orlovsky, was loudly knocked. Henry Fabianovich had come recently from the shift and had only just fallen asleep. However, the voice behind the window forced him to jump instantly from bed: «Why do you sleep? War has ended! » Together with his wife they had quickly put on their clothes and had run out onto the street. Along the street there were people. It was a lot of people … more and more people joined them and here already people went on, laughing and crying with happiness, having filled the entire street.
People then poured out into a spontaneous demonstration which had no end. G.Orlovsky looked at happy persons of his fellows, workers of other enterprises with whom at the home front he forged a long-awaited Victory, and could not cope with the lump which had risen to his throat in any way.
… Since then there has passed 75 years of peaceful life. In Ashgabat on that place where once there were factories “Krasnii metallist” and “Krasnii molot”, there have emerged residential areas. Here the youth walks, children play. And hardly anyone of them knows that here were shops where a terrible weapon – a weapon of the Victory which had helped to uphold peace, was created.
