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Genesis: Historical research
Reference:
Krasnozhenova E.E., Kulik S.V., Prischepa A.S.
Scientific and Production Activity of Leningrad Higher Education Institutions in the Years of the Blockade (on the Example of M.I. Kalinin Leningrad Polytechnical Institute)
// Genesis: Historical research.
2023. ¹ 3.
P. 40-46.
DOI: 10.25136/2409-868X.2023.3.39907 EDN: AYSRKS URL: https://en.nbpublish.com/library_read_article.php?id=39907
Scientific and Production Activity of Leningrad Higher Education Institutions in the Years of the Blockade (on the Example of M.I. Kalinin Leningrad Polytechnical Institute)
Krasnozhenova Elena Evgen'evna
ORCID: 0000-0003-1679-8590
Doctor of History
Professor, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University; Leading Researcher at the Department of the Institute for the History of Defense and Siege of Leningrad, GMMOBL, St. Petersburg
192251, Russia, Saint Petersburg, Politechnicheskaya str., 29
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eleena@inbox.ru
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Kulik Sergei Vladimirovich
ORCID: 0000-0002-4093-5236
Doctor of History
Professor, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University; Researcher at the Department of the Institute for the History of Defense and Siege of Leningrad, GMMOBL, St. Petersburg
192251, Russia, Saint Petersburg, Politechnicheskaya str., 29
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kulik54@mail.ru
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Prischepa Aleksandr Sergeevich
ORCID: 0000-0001-7063-8067
PhD in History
Senior Lecturer, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University; Junior Researcher at the Department of the Institute for the History of Defense and Siege of Leningrad, GMMOBL, St. Petersburg
188662, Russia, Leningrad region, Murino, ul. Aviatorov Baltiki, 3, sq. 241
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a.prischepa@list.ru
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Other publications by this author
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DOI: 10.25136/2409-868X.2023.3.39907
EDN: AYSRKS
Received:
06-03-2023
Published:
31-03-2023
Abstract:
The article is devoted to the analysis of scientific, practical and production activities of employees of the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute named after M.I. Kalinin during blockade. The purpose of the scientific publication is to study examples of real practical assistance of employees of the Polytechnic Institute during years of the blockade through research work. In the course of the research, author used the method of comparative analysis, and presented types, features of technological improvement of performance of production operations are shown using descriptive technique. The principles of historicism and scientific objectivity helped the authors to reveal the objective factors that influenced the assistance of the industrial and labor collective of the city in production. The paper presents cases of participation of the scientific staff of the university in the organization of a number of events related to the conversion of peaceful production for military needs, participation in the development and construction of the ice route "Road of Life". In conclusion, it should be noted that the scientific and pedagogical staff of the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute made a huge contribution to the organization of the work of industrial enterprises during the blockade. Most of the scientific works of the university scientists were of a practical nature. Being in extreme conditions, despite all the difficulties, teaching staff of the university continued to work, publish works, conduct experiments that made it possible to ensure the work of enterprises of the Leningrad industry, thereby making a huge contribution to the Victory over fascism.
Keywords:
Leningrad, blockade, Leningrad Polytechnic Institute, industry, production, development, science, scientists, The Great Patriotic War, technology
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You can find original text of the article here.
The siege of Leningrad occupies one of the key places in the history of the Great Patriotic War and still attracts the attention of researchers. Since the second half of the 1940s, there have been works demonstrating the feat of the defenders of the city, showing the contribution of scientists to overcoming the blockade [1],[2],[3]. The above problems continue to be investigated in the 1950s and 1960s [4]. However, in these works, only individual episodes of scientific activity of employees of universities and scientific institutions are presented. G.L. Sobolev [5] and A.V. Koltsov [6] made a significant contribution to the study of the problem. In the works published in the 1970s and 1990s, as well as in the post-Soviet historiography, the study of the professional activities of city scientists and production personnel is continued, considerable attention is paid to their work on the technical maintenance of the equipment of industrial enterprises [7],[8],[9]. The features of the restructuring of Leningrad's industry in a military manner are considered by A.R. Dzeniskevich [10],[11]. In recent years, publications have been published by N.A. Lomagin [12], A.M. Ryabkov [13], N.V. Zotova [14], and E.E. Krasnozhenova and S.V. Kulik [15] on the work of Leningrad industry enterprises during the blockade. The presented articles are interesting because they describe in some detail the process of functioning of Leningrad industrial enterprises. However, the activities of scientists and scientific and pedagogical personnel in the conditions of the blockade require more detailed consideration. Their work can be shown by the example of the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute named after M.I. Kalinin, since the university scientists have made a huge contribution to the development of defense production at the enterprises of the city. In addition, military production was established in the institute's laboratories and workshops. Research organizations and higher educational institutions of Leningrad were the centers of scientific and industrial activity. The fighting has made adjustments to its content, replacing peaceful research with military and defense developments. The close connection of scientific developments with the needs of industrial production ensured the functioning of the national economic complex of the city during the blockade. Polytechnic scientists took an active part in projects aimed at organizing urban communal infrastructure, military-technical training of industrial equipment, machine tools and mechanisms available at enterprises, adjustment of technological principles of their work. Employees of the Polytechnic Institute took an active part in the re-equipment of workshops of industrial enterprises, the preparation of their own workshops for repair operations and work related to the protection of the material and technical base of the Institute. At the end of 1941-beginning of 1942, work on the manufacture of F-1 hand grenades, trial products of the PD– 45 and PD–46 anti-tank guns was established on the territory of the Institute, the development of heaters for tractors in winter began, new technical alloys were developed, work was carried out on the creation of shock grenades by associate professor M.A. Dementiev, an all-terrain vehicle mines of Professor I.O. Odinga [16, l. 11-14]. During the initial period of the war, a special technical commission for defensive works was established in Leningrad, which provided scientific and technical support to enterprises that repurposed their work for the production of military products. One of the participants of this commission was P.P. Kobeko, Professor, Doctor of Technical Sciences, lecturer at the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute [17, L. 3]. The commission presented above consisted of the chairman, Secretary of the Leningrad City Committee A.A. Kuznetsov, Chairman of the Leningrad City Council P.S. Popkov, Chairman of the Leningrad Executive Committee N.V. Solovyov, Commander of the Leningrad Military District T.I. Shevaldin, academicians B.G. Galerkin and N.N. Semenov and Director of the Kirov Plant I.M. Salzman. But to carry out construction and installation operations, not only engineering and technical personnel, but also scientific staff were involved in the division. For example, employees of Leningrad Polytechnic University were involved in the work of the commission: Professor A.A. Baykov, a specialist in the field of physical chemistry of metallurgical processes and applied inorganic chemistry, Academician A.F. Ioffe, a physicist, academician A.N. Krylov, a mechanic, mathematician, academician A.N. Krylov, an electrical scientist, corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences M.A. Chatel and many others [18, p. 70]. In 1941, Professor of the Polytechnic Institute P.P. Kobeko, together with colleagues from LFTI, was engaged in the research and development of plastic "armor plates" for aircraft, participated in the synthesis to obtain new types of technical liquid against icing of aircraft hulls and conducting experiments on the development and creation of various types of additives for engine operation in winter [19, p. 256]. During the blockade, scientists and specialists from LPI and LFTI under the leadership of P.P. Kobeko developed an escapon-type insulating material for cable winding, the production of which was subsequently adjusted at the Sevkabel plant [19, p. 257]. Employees of the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute were directly involved in laying the Road of Life on Lake Ladoga [20, l. 11]. The author of the calculations of the project was S.S. Golushkevich, professor of the Department of Structural Mechanics and Elasticity Theory of the Polytechnic Institute [21, p. 45]. The Stalin Prize of the first degree was awarded to the work of A.A. Baykov on the mobilization of resources of the Urals for defense needs, he was engaged in the processing of Ural bauxite [6, p. 45],[22, p. 257]. The staff of the laboratory at the Department of Electrometallurgy of LPI under the leadership of Yu.V. Baymakov in April-May 1942 established the production of electrolytic oxygen, which was used in hospitals in the treatment of patients and the wounded [23, p. 43]. In the future, the staff of the Institute conducted a number of studies and obtained an alloy of potassium-sodium and metallic calcium, widely used for military purposes [24, p. 261]. Polytechnics in wartime conditions tried to generalize the data obtained in the process of scientific, theoretical and practical work. So, in 1942, such works as "Ship Theory: a course of higher naval schools" by A.N. Krylov, "Radio interference and the fight against them" by N.D. Papaleksi and "Proceedings of the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute named after M.I. Kalinin" were published. A.N. Krylov researched theoretical aspects of management marine vessels and separately spoke about the technical features of ships [25].
The staff of the Department of Internal Combustion Engines commissioned the bread factory No. 4, located near the railway station Kushelevka, an internal combustion engine, which was removed from the stand. At the enterprise, which was not working due to the lack of electricity, bread production was established [26, pp. 51-52]. In conclusion, it is worth noting that the scientific and pedagogical staff of the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute made a huge contribution to the organization of the work of industrial enterprises during the blockade. Most of the scientific works of the university scientists were of a practical nature. The work took place in extremely difficult conditions, but despite this, defense orders were always fulfilled. Being in extreme conditions, despite all the difficulties, the teaching staff of the university continued to work, publish works, conduct experiments that made it possible to ensure the work of enterprises of the Leningrad industry, thereby making a huge contribution to the Victory over fascism.
References
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2. Leningrad University for the Soviet years 1917-1947: Essays. – L., 1948. – 383 s.
3. Gur'ev V.P. Leningrad Polytechnic Institute in the days of the blockade. – L., 1947. – 87 s.
4. Leningrad Order of the Red Banner of Labor Institute of Civil Engineering for 125 years. 1832-1957. – L., 1958. – 211 s.
5. Sobolev G.L. Scientists of Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War. 1941-1945. – L., 1966. – 172 s.
6. Kol'cov A.V. Scientists of Leningrad during the blockade. (1941-1943). – L., 1962. – 144 s.
7. Cherepanov A.I. My battle field. – M., 1984. – 303 s.
8. Rusakov Z.G. Our sea was Ladoga. Sailors of the Ladoga military flotilla in the Battle for Leningrad. – L., 1989. – 173 s.
9. Manchinskij V. Leningrad Polytechnics – front and rear // Bulletin of the higher school. – 1970. – ¹ 5. – S. 15-19.
10. Dzeniskevich A.R. Factories on the front line: Workers of Leningrad to the front. – Ì.: Politizdat, 1978. – 111 s.
11. Dzeniskevich A.R. The front at the factory walls: little-studied problems of the defense of Leningrad, 1941-1944. – SPb.: Nestor, 1998. – 242 s.
12. Lomagin N.A. Water is all around, but there are no fish: on the issue of providing Leningrad with local resources during the blockade, 1941-1944 gg. // Peterburgskij istoricheskij zhurnal. – 2021. – ¹ 2(30). – S. 101-129.
13. Ryabkov A.M. Features of the work of Leningrad enterprises of the People's Commissariat of Ammunition in 1941 // Tekhnologos. – 2020. – ¹3. – S. 22-46.
14. Zotova A.V. Military industry of Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War // Izvestiya Samarskogo nauchnogo centra Rossijskoj akademii nauk. – 2014. – Ò. 16. – ¹ 3. – S. 103-110.
15. Krasnozhenova E.E., Kulik S.V. Forms and methods of increasing labor productivity at defense enterprises of besieged Leningrad // Sovremennaya nauchnaya mysl'. – 2021. – ¹ 4. – S. 106-111.
16. Central State Archive of Historical and Political Documents of St. Petersburg (CGAIPD SPb). F. 2. Op. 3. D. 569.
17. CGAIPD SPb. F. 24. Op. 76. D. 389.
18. Karasyov A.V. Leningraders during the blockade. 1941–1943. – M., 1959. – 315 s.
19. Kesamanly M.F., Kesamanly F.P. The polytechnics who glorified our country. Corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences Pavel Pavlovich Kobeko // Scientific and Technical Bulletin of St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University. – 2012. – ¹ 4 (159). – S. 255-261.
20. SPbPU Museum. Personal file of S.S. Golushkevich. D. 142.
21. Prishchepa A.S. Sergey Sergeevich Golushkevich and his project "The Road of Life" // Caspian region: politics. economy, culture. – 2022. – ¹ 3(72). – S. 44-47.
22. Rudskoj A.I., Morachevskij A.G. Academician Alexander Aleksandrovich Baykov (to the 140th anniversary of his birth) // Scientific and Technical Bulletin of St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University. – 2010. – ¹ 3(106). – S. 255-258.
23. Bajmakov YU.V. Department of electrometallurgy of non-ferrous metals // Proceedings of the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute named after M.I. Kalinin. – L., 1949. – 127 s.
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Despite the fact that almost 80 years have passed since the end of the Great Patriotic War, the memory of the largest military conflict in the history of mankind is not fading. Indeed, the Great Patriotic War not only proved the viability of our state, but also demonstrated the importance of universal human values, and both front-line soldiers and home front workers fought for a peaceful sky. One of the heroic and at the same time tragic episodes of the war was the siege of Leningrad, which still remains the subject of pain and pride of the inhabitants of our northern capital. But even in the most difficult winter of the siege of 1941/1942, there was a significant industrial complex in the city, including scientists from Leningrad universities. These circumstances determine the relevance of the article submitted for review, the subject of which is the scientific and production activities of Leningrad universities during the years of the blockade. The author sets out to analyze the literature on this issue, to determine the role of higher educational institutions of Leningrad during the years of the blockade. The work is based on the principles of analysis and synthesis, reliability, objectivity, the methodological basis of the research is a systematic approach, which is based on the consideration of the object as an integral complex of interrelated elements. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the very formulation of the topic: the author seeks, using the example of the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute named after M.I. Kalinin, to characterize the scientific and production activities of Leningrad universities during the years of the blockade. Scientific novelty is also determined by the involvement of archival materials. Considering the bibliographic list of the article as a positive point, its scale and versatility should be noted: in total, the list of references includes 26 different sources and studies. The source base of the article is represented by documents from the collections of the Central State Archive of Historical and Political Documents of St. Petersburg and the SPbPU Museum, as well as published collections dedicated to Leningraders during the blockade. From the studies used, we will point to the works of G.L. Sobolev and A.V. Koltsov, whose focus is on Leningrad scientists during the Great Patriotic War, as well as the work of A.A. Mikhailov and R.A. Panov, which show inventive and industrial activities at the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute during the Great Patriotic War. Note that the bibliography is important both from a scientific and educational point of view: after reading the text, readers can turn to other materials on its topic. In general, in our opinion, the integrated use of various sources and research contributed to the solution of the tasks facing the author. The style of writing the article can be attributed to a scientific one, at the same time accessible to understanding not only to specialists, but also to a wide readership, to anyone interested in both the history of Russia in general and the Great Patriotic War in particular. The appeal to the opponents is presented at the level of the collected information received by the author during the work on the topic of the article. The structure of the work is characterized by a certain logic and consistency, it can be distinguished by an introduction, the main part, and conclusion. At the beginning, the author determines the relevance of the topic, shows that "employees of the Polytechnic Institute took an active part in the re-equipment of workshops of industrial enterprises, preparing their own workshops for repair operations and work related to the protection of the material and technical base of the institute." The work shows that employees of the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute were directly involved in laying the Road of Life on Lake Ladoga, and the author of the calculations of the project was Professor S.S. Golushkevich. Using various examples, the author confirms that "most of the scientific works of university scientists were of a practical nature." The main conclusion of the article is that "being in extreme conditions, despite all the difficulties, the teaching staff of the university continued to work, publish works, conduct experiments that made it possible to ensure the work of enterprises of the Leningrad industry, thereby making a huge contribution to the Victory over fascism." The article submitted for review is devoted to an urgent topic, will arouse readers' interest, and its materials can be used both in lecture courses on the history of Russia of the XX century, and in various special courses. At the same time, there are comments on the article: 1) It is necessary to refer to the memoirs of eyewitnesses, materials of the periodical press in order to better reflect the importance of the work of the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute in the eyes of residents of the besieged city. 2) It is necessary to dwell in detail on the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute itself, showing its history, as well as its functioning during the Great Patriotic War. After correcting these comments, the article may be recommended for publication in the journal Genesis: Historical Research.
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