Rifle Training in the Yakut ASSR during the Great Patriotic War

In historical scholarship, the mechanisms of adapting the system of pre-conscription rifle training in rear regions of the USSR with extreme climatic conditions during the initial period of the Great Patriotic War remain insufficiently studied. The aim of this article is to examine, using the case of the Yakut ASSR, the specific features of restructuring the Osoaviakhim training process, to determine the role of ski training as a substitute for the standard sixth point of the curriculum, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the resulting training model. The study draws on unpublished archival documents from the Central Council of Osoaviakhim of the USSR (Fond R624 of the National Archive of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)), including orders, directives, and progress reports for 1941–1944, as well as statistical data on the fulfillment of quotas under the «Voroshilov Sharpshooter» program. The methodological framework is based on historical-systematic analysis with elements of comparative method. The results show that, despite an acute shortage of training weapons and ski equipment, as well as weak local initiative at the beginning of the war, the supply crisis was overcome by the winter of 1942–1943: by January 1, 1944, the training plan for Voroshilov Sharpshooters (1st class) was fulfilled at 109%, for mortar operators – 258%, and for light machine gunners – 183%. During the winter of 1941–1942, 9,000 ski troopers were trained and sent to separate ski brigades on the Northwestern Front. The practical significance of the work lies in reconstructing the regional model of defense mass training, while future research prospects are associated with a comparative analysis of similar systems in other northern and Siberian regions of the RSFSR.

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