Today in Russia is the Remembrance Day

Today in our country is the Remembrance Day. 69 years have passed since that fatal day when the Great Patriotic War began. More than 20 million of our compatriots died, and material and moral losses cannot be exactly counted till the present time.

Bashkortostan during the days of war was in the deep rear, but became one of the basic regions of the country on reception of the evacuated enterprises and population, supply of the front with arms, fuel, foodstuffs and munitions. In 1941-42, the republic welcomed and located about 100 evacuated plants and factories, ten hospitals, almost 300 thousand refugees.

Besides the general army formations, two Bashkir cavalry divisions (112th and 113th) were created in the republic. In total for years of war, Bashkortostan has sent to the front more than 700 thousand fighters — about 300 thousand from them were killed in battle. Republican formations and units participated in Stalingradsky Battle, Battle of Kursk, in lifting the blockade of Leningrad, liberation of Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Poland, Czechoslovakia, battled in the territory of Germany. 279 our compatriots were awarded the ranks of the Hero of the Soviet Union for courage and heroism. All country knows the names of Alexander Matrosov and Minnigali Gubajdullin. And the glorified pilot Musa Gareyev became twice Hero of the Soviet Union. 37 soldiers became full Cavaliers of the Order of Glory.

From the beginning of the war, the industry was reconstructed on release of military production. The extraction of rare metals for the defensive industry was extended. Well-known "the second Baku" — Bashkiria and Tatariya — became the basic fuel base of the Soviet Army. In total for the years of war it was extracted more than 5 million tons of oil, and its processing grew in 1,5 times. In the end of war the industry of Bashkortostan made production in 2,6 times more than in pre-war 40-s. Rural workers, despite their hardest situation for the years of war handed over to the state 160 million poods of grain, 980 thousand centners of meat and other products.

These figures in their own way define the contribution of our republic to the Victory. And behind them there are thousands of human destinies — our fathers and mothers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers who did not spare themselves in order to make the Victory Day come.