Participation of Natives of the Belarus in the Battle of Stalingrad

Abstract

Introduction. The main information about our compatriots who distinguished themselves in the Battle of Stalingrad is contained in the award documents, which have not yet become the subject of study by Belarusian researchers. Separate facts had been appearing in the press already during the hostilities. For example, the feat of the Red Army soldier Alexey Vashchenko, who closed the embrasure of the enemy’s gates with his breast on September 5, 1942, was the subject of a publication in the division newspaper and a leaflet issued by the political department. However, the main information on the topic emerged only in the post-war time. Methods and Materials. The article is based on the information from scientific and educational literature, encyclopedias and reference books, from the memories of Soviet military leaders who took part in the Battle of Stalingrad, publications in the regional historical collections “Memory”, from the Belarusian central and local periodicals. The goal is to identify information about the participation of natives of Belarus in the Battle of Stalingrad. Results. The study showed that the Belarusians were represented both among the privates and command staff, in almost all types and branches of the military. Many of them were awarded high state decorations for military distinctions during the Battle of Stalingrad.