Lend-Lease for "Truth"
Correspondence of the Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers with the Presidents of the USA and the Prime Ministers of Great Britain during the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945 In 2's volumes. M .: Gospolitizdat, 1958
Lend-Lease Numbers. The subject of Lend-Lease deliveries on the pages of "VO" seems to have received quite a worthy reflection, but no-no, yes, among the comments, there are references to "payment in gold", Mongolian meat (more significant than the American stew) and all sorts of other mythological statements , testifying only about one thing - lack of information. That is, people write nonsense not from evil and not because of their intellectual inferiority, but out of ignorance. Well, they used the wrong sources ... But what sources are "those"?
It should be noted here that everyone wrote about Lend-Lease in the USSR era - from Marshal Zhukov to Yakovlev, an aircraft designer. I wrote about him and TSB, and eight-NEED BOO (Soviet Military Encyclopedia). However, if you look at which documents which of them referred to, you will not find any mention, and no one (!) About the most probably important source of information on this topic, namely, the message of the Soviet government “On the supply of weapons, strategic weapons to the Soviet Union raw materials, industrial equipment and foodstuffs of the United States, Britain and Canada ”, published by the press organ of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) Pravda newspaper on 11 June 1944. And then the question immediately arises: why didn't all these people refer to this official document? Why did not refer the same Zhukov? Did not know about him (funny even to think this) or afraid? But then what was the famed commander afraid of: an official source? True, in conversations with the same writer K.M. Simonov, he said something quite different. But words, even if recorded on a tape, are words, nothing more.
Interestingly, in N. Voznesensky’s book, The Military Economy of the USSR during the Patriotic War, the Western allies said that they were only 4% of Soviet production. But a recent ally in the anti-Hitler coalition was called: "The monopoly capitalism of the United States that was overweight on people's blood during the Second World War", which "now stands at the head of the imperialist and anti-democratic camp and became the imperialist pioneer in all parts of the world." Voznesensky himself, it is true, was later shot and his book was withdrawn from the libraries, but this figure remained in our historiography!
Well then - ignorance is always treated with what? Knowledge! And since most of the readers of “VO” did not have much time to turn to the newspaper “Pravda” (as well as to the magazines “Rodina”, “Military history magazine”, the journal “Questions stories"," History of the Russian state and law "and the magazine" USA and Canada "), that is, the meaning of this information to give.
So get ready: we have an interesting document in front of us!
Deliveries from the USA
To begin with, the message “On Supply ...” mentions three countries separately: these are the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. It is emphasized that deliveries from the USA and Great Britain were carried out on the basis of the “Agreement on mutual deliveries, credit and payment arrangements” from August 16 1941 of the year, as well as on the basis of the “Agreement on the financing of military supplies and other military aid” from 27 June 1942, they came from Canada on the basis of the Canadian Mutual Assistance Act of Canada.
The first part of the message was taken away, of course, by the United States and it was stated that for the period from October 1 1941 and April 30 to 1944 in the USSR, under lend-lease (then “Lend-Lease” was written with a capital letter) 8,5 million tons of weapons, as well as strategic raw materials, food and industrial equipment worth 5.357 million dollars. But it was immediately clarified that out of all this quantity only 7,4 mln. Tons actually arrived in the USSR, and the sum itself turned out to be less — 4 612 mln. Dollars. Cited and the dynamics of supply: 1941 - 42. - 1.2 mln. Tons, 1943 g. - 4.1 mln. Tons and for 4 month 1944 g. - 2.1 mln. Tons. It was even reported the number of shipped cargo in transit on 1 in May 1944 g. - "by ship in the 68,4 route thousand t Moreover, it must be remembered that deliveries did not stop on 11 June 1945 of the year, and that they and 8 May 1945 of the year still continued and ended only after the end of the war with Japan ...
At the time of publication of this message in Pravda, 6 430 aircraft were received from the USA and, moreover, on account of the obligations of the UK, 2 442 aircraft; tanks - 3 734; minesweepers - 10; large submarine hunters - 12; and cars - 206 771. Here, in the text of the “Message ...”, the following note should be inserted: “during the war years, Soviet industry gave 265,6 vehicles thousands of cars to the front, and about 340 thousands were assembled from the Lend-lease kits. Well, all lend-lease supplies amounted to 427,5 thousand auto. After all, everything is relative, isn't it? However, other means of military mechanized transport were also supplied (the text of the “Message ...” does not specify what it was, but there were excellent articles by Roman Skomorokhov on the “VO”) - 5 397 units; motorcycles - 17 017; anti-aircraft guns - 3 168; guns "Oerlikon" - 1 111 (and again we recall that the "Oerlikon" went to the air defense of ships, that it became modern with their supply); shells - 22,4 million; cartridges - 991,4 million; gunpowder - 87.9 thousand; toluene, trinitrotoluene and ammonite - 130 ths. tons; field telephone wire - 1229 thou. km; telephone sets - 245 thousand; army boots - 5.5 million pairs; Army cloth - 22,8 million yards; tire covers - 2 073 thousand pcs. That is, we even received army cloth from the USA, and we certainly needed it. And the shoes? A total of USSR Lend Lease got their 15 417 000 pairs. Ponder this figure and remember the number of the Red Army ... You barely move your bare feet ...
Among the necessary strategic raw materials were supplied: high-octane aviation fuel (aviation gasoline and isooctane) - 476 thousand tons: aluminum and duralumin - 99 thousand tons: copper and its products - 184 thousand tons: zinc - 42 thousand tons .; nickel - 6.5 thousand tons; steel and steel products - 1 thousand tons: of which rails with fastenings - 160 thousand tons. Here again, it should be noted that the oil industry of the USSR in 246 worked unsatisfactorily and for the year of the war could satisfy the need of the People's Commissariat of Defense for aviation only 1941% for gasoline, 26,6% for diesel fuel; aviation oils - only 11,1%
However, perhaps the most important value had the machines, without which we ourselves could not have started the production of perfect military equipment. The “Message ...” indicates how many of them were delivered: - 20 380 pcs. machine tools; various industrial equipment - in the amount of 257. 2 million dollars, including power equipment with a total capacity of 288 thousand kW., Including also 263 mobile power plants with a total capacity of 39 thousand kW; equipment for 4-x refineries and for the aluminum rolling plant; 4 138 marine engines with a total capacity of 1 768,7 thousand l / s; 2 718 presses and mechanical hammers; 524 Crane. 209 excavator and for the needs of railway transport - 241 steam engines, cargo platforms - 1 154., Tanks for acid transport - 80 pcs. It should be added here that the equipment for the USSR refineries was extremely necessary, because we had oil, but there was always a shortage of production capacity for its distillation. The same was true of aluminum. The only plant for its production, although it continuously increased its output, never for the entire war on 100% did its production plan meet and aluminum was not enough for the aircraft factories. Lacked and rolled aluminum. So the supply of equipment for the production of all this was very important.
Food was supplied in quantities of 2 119 thousand tons. By the way, what was the food benefit? Yes, the fact that it was ... the easiest to write off! The fact is that everything that was lost during the war as a result of hostilities was not subject to payment under the contract. But ... it was necessary to document how “it” was lost. And with food was very simple - “eaten” and that was it!
Supplies from the UK
Then came the second part, which gave details of shipments from the UK. And it was stated that deliveries of Great Britain to the USSR began from 22 June 1941. And starting from this date and until 30 April 1944, Great Britain sent 1 150 thousand tons of weapons to the USSR, as well as strategic raw materials, industrial equipment and food. It is emphasized that this number of 319 thous. Tons of weapons went in the order of military assistance, that is, it was not subject to payment; 815 thous. Tons of raw materials, industrial equipment and food in the amount of 83,7 million f. cr. was sent on the basis of the "Agreement between the USSR and the UK on mutual deliveries, credit and payment procedure from 16 August 1941 g." (part on credit, part in cash); and a small consignment of cargo (2 thousand tons on 0.5 million f. p.) was acquired at the very beginning of the war for cash. Of this total, the USSR received 1 044 thousand tons, including 1941 y. - 158 thousand tons. In 1942 year - 375 thousand tons. 1943 year - 364 thousand tons. And for 4 months 1944 - 144 thousand tons. On the 1 of May 1944, on the way to the USSR there were 44 thousand tons of cargo. So people are not right who say that the main volume of supplies came at the end of the war, but “at first there was nothing”. It was! Although, of course, volumes increased over time.
The specific delivery figures given in the “Message ...” are as follows: 3 384 of the aircraft and, moreover, another 2 of the 442 of the aircraft was delivered from the United States against the obligations of the United Kingdom; 4 292 tank; 12 minesweepers; 5 239 vehicles and armored personnel carriers; 562 anti-aircraft guns; 548 anti-tank guns; 17 million shells, 290 ammo million units, 17,3 powder tonnes; 214 artillery control radio; 116 submarine detection instruments.
The following strategic raw materials were supplied: rubber - 103,5 thousand tons, aluminum - 35,4 thousand tons, copper - 33,4 thousand tons, tin - 29,4 thousand tons, lead - 47,7 thousand tons, zinc - 7,4 ths tons, nickel - 2,7 ths tons, cobalt - 245 tons; jute, sisal and products made from them - 93 thousand tons. (Here I would like clarifications, which, however, are not - products made from jute and sisal is what? Ropes, twine, bags ... It would be interesting to find out, because 93 thousand. tons - this is a huge number, however, what is behind it?)
For the Soviet industry from England was delivered: machine tools - 6491, various industrial equipment in the amount of 14,4 million f. pages, including: power equipment with a total capacity of 374 thousand kW., 15 084 electric motors, 104 press and hammer, 24 portal cranes, industrial diamonds on 1 206 thousand f. p. Foodstuffs delivered in quantities of 138, 2 thousand tons. It should be emphasized that the USSR did not produce technical diamonds at all and had no own deposits either, they had not yet been discovered!
Deliveries from Canada
The third section "Messages ..." Deliveries to the USSR from Canada. It was reported that from the beginning of the war until 1 in July 1943, deliveries of the USSR from Canada were made in the account of the obligations of Great Britain and under a loan agreement between the USSR and Canada from 8 of September 1942. From 1 July 1943, Canada began to supply the USSR independently, in accordance with the Canadian Mutual Assistance Act of Canada.
From the beginning of deliveries on 30 on April 1944, Canada sent 450 thousand tons to the Soviet Union, including weapons, strategic materials and foodstuffs (wheat and flour) in the amount of Canadian dollars 187,6 million. On account of the English obligations (up to 1 July 1943 of the year) 93 thousand tons of cargo were sent for the amount of Canadian dollars 116,6 million; under the Loan Agreement between the USSR and Canada - 182 thous. tons of wheat and flour worth 10 million Canadian dollars and in accordance with the United Nations Mutual Assistance Act - from July 1 1943 of April to 30 April 1944 of the Year - 175 thousand tons of cargo in the amount of 61 million Canadian dollars. Of the goods shipped by Canada to the USSR arrived: 355 thousand tons. In 1942 year - 125 thousand tons., In 1943 year - 124 thousand tons. For 4 of the month 1944 of the year - 106 thousand tons.
Total delivered: 1 188 tanks; 842 armored personnel carrier; 2 568 trucks; 827 thousand shells; 34,8 million ammo; 5 thousand tons of gunpowder; 36,3 thousand aluminum; 9,1 kt lead; 23,5 thousand tons of copper; 6,7 thousand tons of zinc; 1 324 tons of nickel; 13,3 thousand tons of rails, 208,6 thousand tons of wheat and flour. On 1 in May 1944, from the route from Canada to the Soviet Union is still 60 thousand tons of cargo.
Source - the press organ of the Communist Party of the USSR
Now let's think a bit: today there are other numbers on the Internet and printed sources that give an idea of the volume of supplies as a whole, and not just for the May 1944 of the year. But ... in the USSR, this information was classified. But the newspaper "Pravda" no one has canceled. It was the official organ of the press of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b), and then the Central Committee of the CPSU. Suppose that before 1953 of the year, that is, until Stalin’s death, historians did not use this source for reasons of personal safety. But then the “thaw” came, “Ivan Denisovich’s One Day” was published ... But for some reason and then there were no references to this source, neither in the same Zhukov, nor in other memoirs. And historians also wrote about 4%, but for some reason they didn’t look at Pravda, which was freely available. Or they were recommended not to look into it. And if this is so, then this means only one thing: that there was a deliberate deception of the country's population, who was simply lied about important points in its history. It is clear that this information would be kept in secret departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense. Then, as they say, to no and no trial. Everything is secret. But in this case, everything was in plain sight, but ... it was impossible to use it. That is, the truth about the war in the USSR fell victim to the political ambitions of its leadership, which ultimately undermined the confidence of the people in the existing system in the country and in the leadership itself, which led to the 1991 events of the year. People don’t like being deceived by their bosses, and they never loved them ...
But Belarus and Ukraine helped out for free ...
By the way, here it is worth making another interesting addition. The fact is that back in August 1945, the UN adopted a program of assistance to such Soviet republics as Ukraine and Belarus. The amount of assistance in monetary terms amounted to 250 million dollars. Provided for the supply of food, clothing, footwear, medicines, seeds, industrial and agricultural equipment. First, the supplies were to be paid for, that is, in essence, it was a loan. However, after representatives of the BSSR declared that, in accordance with the USSR Constitution, the republic does not have foreign currency and that only the government of the USSR controls all the currency in the country, all payments under this program for these two republics were canceled, and all deliveries that ended by May 1947 years, implemented completely free of charge.
Interesting isn't it? We will now have to go and see again the “Truth” during this time: what did she write about this foreign aid? And did she write at all?
Information