Russia at war 1941-1945

Their introduction was like a collective reward to the whole officer class of the Soviet Union. The gold braid also emphasized the professionalism of the Red Army. It was no longer a revolutionary army of sans-culottes; the time was drawing close when the Red Army would have its word to say as the greatest national army in Europe; it was only right that its officers should be as smartly dressed as the British and American officers—

not to mention the German officers. It was psychologically very sound that the gold braid should have made its appearance during Stalingrad, and not before; fine uniforms would have looked all wrong in retreat. Nevertheless, the process of smartening up the Soviet officer, both inwardly and outwardly, was begun in the "psychological operation" that followed the Rostov disaster.

Since the Russian people had no sources of information except the Soviet radio and the press, the news and propaganda that these produced were, of course, of the utmost

importance. Everybody, especially during those anxious days, waited frantically for the nightly communiqué, and most people had learned to read between the lines, and to

decipher the adjectives. Propaganda articles were read with enormous interest by tens of millions of people. Ehrenburg, Sholo-khov and Alexei Tolstoy (probably in this order) were immensely popular, as we have seen. So were some of the war correspondents'

articles which, without necessarily telling all the truth, were known to tell at least some of the truth. Russia is probably also the only country where poetry is read by millions of people, and during the war, poets like Simonov and Surkov were read by everybody.

It is therefore interesting to see how the press handled the grim situation both before and after Rostov.

During the first week of July, the emphasis was on the heroic struggle of the men and women of Sebastopol which had just ended. Then, with the German offensive developing all over the south, the emphasis was, more and more, on "Holy Russia" and on hatred of the enemy. "Hatred of the Enemy" was the title of the Pravda editorial of July 11. The tone was still appealing, rather than threatening, as it was to become after Rostov: Our country is living through serious days. The Nazi dogs are frantically trying to break through to the vital centres of our country...The wide steppes of the Don are spreading before their greedy eyes. Dear comrades at the Front! Your country

believes in you. It knows that the same blood flows in your veins as in those of the heroes of Sebastopol... May holy hatred become our chief, our only feeling. This

hatred combines a burning love of your country, anxiety for your family and

children, and an unshakable will for victory... We have every chance to win. The

enemy is in a hurry; he wants to achieve results which would forestall the Second Front. But he will not escape this danger. The stubbornness of the Soviet people has destroyed more than one enemy plan before now...

Here was a warning not to expect too much from the Allies, and to depend on Russia's own will to save herself. A higher pitch of emotional patriotism, combined with the

hatred motif, was reached by Simonov's poem, "Kill Him!" published in Pravda the day Voroshilovgrad fell—

If your home is dear to you where your Russian mother nursed you;

If your mother is dear to you, and you cannot bear the thought of the German

slapping her wrinkled face;

If you do not want the German to tear down and trample on your father's picture,

with the Crosses he earned in the last war;

If you do not want your old teacher to be hanged outside the old school-house;

If you do not want her, whom for so long you did not dare even kiss,