September 19 - Gunsmith Day
Their presidential decree:
1. Set a professional holiday - Gunsmith Day and celebrate it on September 19.
2. This Decree comes into force from the date of its signing.
It is believed that the date of September 19 for the celebration of the Day of the armorer was chosen due to the fact that the Russian Orthodox Church considers this day to be the day of reverence for Archangel Michael, the patron saint of the heavenly host. The name Mikhail is also the name of an outstanding Russian gunsmith, Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov, who in 2010 year during a meeting with Vladimir Putin (then the chairman of the Russian government) discussed the possibility of adding to the calendar a new holiday - a holiday for all employees of the defense industry of the state. Designer talk weapons Mikhail Kalashnikov and Vladimir Putin took place in one of the centers of the Russian defense industry - the city of Izhevsk. And the proposal of Mikhail Kalashnikov has found a response.
But not only the personal conversation of Mikhail Kalashnikov with the Russian prime minister served to ensure that a new holiday appeared in the Russian calendar. The conversation was preceded by a long and painstaking work of the Union of Russian gunsmiths, whose members petitioned to establish a holiday for all those who put their work and talent to the creation of Russian weapons, known for their reliability and quality throughout the world. By the way, at that moment Mikhail Kalashnikov was the chairman of the Union of Russian gunsmiths.
Holiday appeared. And it has become a new milestone for people whose work at machine tools, drawing stands, in front of computer monitors with running design and modeling programs, strengthens Russia's defense capability. It would be strange if the people who forged and continue to forge the security of the Fatherland still did not have their own holiday.
Holiday is! It is significant! He holds an invisible connecting line between many generations of outstanding Russian (Soviet) gunsmiths, whose hard work and bold ideas allowed the Russian (in the broadest sense of the word) people to achieve victories in battles with the enemy, forced the enemies of Russia to abandon their plans to turn the Russian State into his colony.
Russian gunsmiths are a whole galaxy of talents who knew their business and did it with real professionalism and self-sacrifice.
One of the outstanding gunsmiths, whose name was given to the most famous small arms of the era of the Great Patriotic War, was George Shpagin - a native of Vladimir province.
A man who, due to circumstances, managed to finish only three classes of school, managed to become one of the best gunsmiths of his era. Georgy Shpagin showed an interest in making small arms at a time when he was a 18-year-old boy (1916 year) in the weapons workshop of the regiment he was called to. It was there that young George carefully studied samples of domestic and foreign weapons, which allowed him to find in himself a vein of technical creativity. Since 1922, George Shpagin begins work on new models of small arms. But his name perpetuates the 1941 year - it is in 1941 that the release of the machine gun created by Swordsman begins, with which the fighters fought on all fronts of the Great Patriotic War. PPSH is the most widespread small arms of the Great Patriotic War, which was at the disposal of the Red Army. During the war years, several million PCs were released. The total number of Shpagin submachine guns launched in the USSR during the period from 1941 to 1947 amounted to more than 6 million units.
In 1941, George Shpagin received the Stalin Prize, in 1945, the title of Hero of Socialist Labor. The outstanding Soviet designer was a knight of three orders of Lenin.
For the first time, Russia will celebrate the Day of the gunsmith without Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov, whose contribution to the security of the state and its people is known to millions of people. His name has become a true symbol of the art of arms, synonymous with simplicity and efficiency. In December last year, Mikhail Timofeevich was no more, but the weapon created by his talent continues to improve and helps to stand guard over the borders of the Fatherland. The famous Kalashnikov assault rifle - small arms, whose name even for foreigners does not require additional representation. The name Kalash is called children in the countries of Asia and Africa, the image of the automaton is present on the state symbols of East Timor, Mozambique, Zimbabwe.
Russian gunsmiths today make a truly invaluable contribution to state security. The creation of new small arms, “smart” missile systems, powerful anti-ship, anti-tank and other systems continues as part of the implementation of the state defense order. The Russian defense industry acts as a locomotive for many other industries - metallurgy, precision engineering, development of communication systems.
"Military Review" congratulates all domestic gunsmiths on their professional holiday! Wishes creative success, inexhaustible production orders, and of course, good health! Your work makes Russia strong and independent!
- http://www.российский-союз-инженеров.рф
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