Moldova in World War II

Resolving the "Bessarabian Question"

At the end of the 1930s , the political situation in Europe worsened. The formation of the Third Reich , the Anschluss of Austria , the entry of German troops into the Czech Republic , the establishment of pro-German regimes in several countries of Central Europe and the ineffectiveness of the “appeasement” policy of the League of Nations led to the fact that a pre-war situation developed in Europe. A similar situation developed in the Far East - the Japanese empire occupied Manchuria and Korea , forming puppet states of Manzhou-Guo and Mengjiang in these territories ^[1] .

Under such conditions, on August 23, 1939, a non-aggression pact (the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact) was signed between the USSR and Hitler’s Germany, which actually defined the “spheres of influence” of the parties in Eastern Europe . The Soviet Union had territorial claims against Romania , which in 1918 annexed Bessarabia . The later formed Soviet Union considered Bessarabia its territory, since before the collapse of the Russian Empire, the Bessarabian province was located there, and the Romanian authorities refused the demands of the Soviet side to hold a plebiscite in the region. For 22 years, the USSR unsuccessfully challenged Romania’s diplomatic affiliation of the region. In 1924, the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was formed as part of the Soviet Union - a “springboard” for the creation of the Moldavian Republic as part of the Soviet Union. ^[2]

The signing in 1939 of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and military defeats in the spring-summer of 1940 of France and Great Britain - the strategic allies of Romania - deprived the latter of external support.

In May 1940, the situation escalated on the Soviet-Romanian border. There was a series of border incidents involving weapons. In the Soviet Union, preparations began for the invasion of Romanian territory. In June of the same year, military maps of the Romanian border territory were developed and exercises were conducted. The Soviet troops approached the border with Romania, and on June 13 at a meeting in the Kremlin it was decided to form an operational unit of the Black Sea Fleet - the Danube Flotilla (given that at that time the Danube Delta was far from the Soviet borders). Two days later, the entire Black Sea Fleet was brought to combat readiness. To conduct the land operation, the Southern Front was created under the command of Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov . Romania, realizing that the USSR was preparing to invade Bessarabia, turned to Germany for political help. In turn, the German government either ignored the requests of the Romanian diplomats, or responded that the Romanians had nothing to fear. ^[2]

On June 26, at 10:00 pm, Molotov handed a note to the Romanian ambassador in Moscow, Gheorghe Davidescu , in which the Soviet Union demanded in an ultimatum to withdraw the Romanian troops and administration from the territory of Bessarabia and the northern part of Bukovina within two days.

On June 27, the situation around Bessarabia tended to the limit. In Romania, a general mobilization was announced. Soviet troops were ready at any time to cross the border and begin military operations. Late that evening, the Romanian government decided to voluntarily surrender Bessarabia to the Soviet Union. On the morning of June 28, Romanian troops began to withdraw from the entire territory of Bessarabia, and at noon, Soviet troops crossed the border and began to occupy the region . On July 3, the operation was completed, and Bessarabia became a part of the USSR. On 2 August 1940, the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic was formed. It consisted of the majority of the MASSR and two thirds of Bessarabia. The southern part of Bessarabia ( Budjak ) and the rest of the territory of the former MASSR were ceded to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ^[2] .

The rapprochement of Romania with the Axis and Great Romania countries

At the same time there was a rapprochement between Romania and the Third Reich. One of the reasons for the rapprochement of the Romanian government with Hitler was the possible aggression of the USSR ^[3] . In the spring of 1940, Romania often turned to Germany for help. In Romania in Ploiesti was the only explored by 1940 oil field, which was transferred to the Germans in exchange for political protection. In turn, from Germany to Romania on the principle of "oil for weapons," captured Polish weapons were supplied, which contributed to the militarization of the country. ^[2]

Karol II became an unpopular king after significant territorial concessions to the USSR, Hungary and Bulgaria . The opposition, represented by the Fascist organization “ Iron Guard ” and Ion Antonescu , took advantage of this. During a political dispute under pressure from the ruling circles on September 5, 1940, Karol was forced to abdicate in favor of his nineteen-year-old son, Mihai I. Under King Michael I, a new government was formed, headed by Antonescu. The government included members of the Iron Guard. In fact, Mihai became a puppet king subordinate to the fascist government.

In the autumn of the same year, the new government began to converge with the Axis countries. On November 23, Romania joined the Berlin Pact . Negotiations were conducted with fascist Italy and the Third Reich. Romania was declared a " national legionary state ."

"Iron Guard", came to power, led a policy of terror . Political and ideological opponents of the existing regime were destroyed, and soon the terror became nationwide. Antonescu did not approve of such a policy and tried to dissolve the government, a political crisis began in the country. In early 1941, the Iron Guard revolted , but it was crushed. As a result, Antonescu became the sole dictator, proclaiming himself the conductor (analogue of the Fuhrer ) of Romania. In his foreign policy, Antonescu sought to be in solidarity with Hitler.

Bessarabia was uninteresting to the Third Reich, and Romania could include it in its membership. The plans to broaden the Romanian borders in Bucharest were supported by Berlin . On the eve of World War II, historical works began to appear in Romania, according to which Transnistria is a historical Romanian territory and its population is Russified Romanians . ^[4] It was planned to hold a new Romanian border on the Southern Bug , but sometimes there were proposals to install it along the Dnieper or even east. ^[5] Already during the Great Patriotic War, it reached the point of absurdity - for example, the newspaper Kurentul wrote that a new Romanian border should be drawn across the Urals and thus the creation of a “Romanian empire to the gates of Asia ”. ^[6]

Entry of the Axis forces into the territory of the Moldavian SSR

Start of War

On June 22, the Third Reich attacked the USSR, fighting began on the western borders of the Soviet Union. Began defensive operation in Moldova . At the same time, the Romanian leadership, without concluding any agreements on joint military actions with Germany, ordered its troops to force the Prut river near Kukoneshti Vechi , Skulen , Leushen , Chora and in the direction of Kahula , as well as the Dniester at Kartal. On June 22, 5 Soviet divisions were alerted and occupied positions on the border ^[7] . The attackers were rejected by the Soviet troops to their original positions. Romanian aviation began to raid the territory of the Moldavian SSR. The first air strikes were inflicted on Balti , Bolgrad and Chisinau . Bombardment also suffered Kagul, crossing the Dniester and a number of railway stations. The offensive in Bessarabia was carried out by the 11th German , 3rd Romanian and 4th Romanian armies, totaling more than 600,000 men ^[8] . They were opposed by the 9th and 18th Soviet armies ^[9] .

On June 27, the Romanian-German troops still tried to cross the USSR state border along Prut , but all their attempts were stopped. The Soviet armies took up defenses along the river, preventing the enemy from forcing it. German-Romanian troops lost 8,000 people killed in battles on the border ^[7] . For the courage and bravery shown in the battles on the territory of the MSSR to the border guards I. D. Buzytskov, K. F. Vetchinkin, A. K. Konstantinov, V. F. Mikhalkov, A. V. Ryzhikov, to the soldiers of the Red Army V. V. Anisimov, M. P. Galkin, A. G. Karmanov , N. L. Kudryavtsev, Kurban Durdy, A. V. Lapshov, A. A. Morozov, D. R. Ovcharenko were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union ^[8] . In the north of Bessarabia and in the adjacent Bukovina, the situation was in favor of Romania, because there her troops managed to break through the border of the Soviet Union. In this regard, from Moldova to the north were allocated separate parts for the defense of Kamenetz-Podolsk . By order of the command, the Soviet soldiers in Bessarabia, in their free time, strengthened their positions. The command of the Southern Front assumed that the Romanian army would develop a particularly active offensive in the area of Budjak , so the order was given to vigorously defend the Soviet border from the southern Prut to the Black Sea along the Danube ^[9] .

On the territory of the Moldavian SSR began mobilization of military service. The Kishinev Communist Fighter Regiment (commander — P. A. Orlov, commissar — ​​Ya. A. Mukhin) were created, over 60 urban and rural fighter battalions. Also in many cities organized militia units , which assisted in the protection of military facilities and communications, participated in the construction of fortifications, repair of roads, brought ammunition, food and equipment to the front line ^[8] . 27 000 Moldovans took part in the construction of defensive lines ^[7] .

Soviet troop retreat

Despite the fact that the situation in Bessarabia was generally in favor of the USSR and the Moldovan border was not crossed by the Romanians, and on this section of the front the USSR had more forces than Romania, on June 29 the Soviet armies began to prepare to leave the Moldavian SSR ^{[ 9]} . This was due to the rapid advance of the German troops in the west of the Soviet Union - in Belarus and in Western Ukraine. The danger of encircling the entire Southern Front was created if the rapidly advancing forces of the Third Reich reached the northern Black Sea coast .

Began the evacuation of people and property from the front line. 4076 wagons with industrial and agricultural equipment, grain, food and about 180 thousand head of cattle were sent from Moldova to the eastern regions of the Soviet Union. Managed to leave 23% of industrial workers and employees with their families, 60% of railway workers, 80% of doctors and most of the teachers. Many traveled east on foot ^[7] . On June 29, a directive of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR on the organization of the underground and the partisan movement in the republic was issued, but by the time Romanian troops entered Moldova, it was not fully implemented.

In order not to violate the order of the withdrawal of troops and not to create crowds, the command of the Southern Front pre-assigned each part a separate road. The withdrawal of troops began on June 30 ; on July 1, all Soviet troops in Moldova began a general retreat to the Dniester . Some of them went to Kamenetz-Podolsky and Mogilyov-Podolsky , since large-scale battles were expected in the areas of these cities ^[9] .

By that time, an increasing number of German-Romanian troops were reaching the Romanian borders. A large group was enlarged in the north-west of Romania, which created a serious threat to the left flank of the troops of the Southern Front. On July 3, Romanian troops crossed the Prut, as Soviet troops left the defensive lines near the river. German-Romanian armies entered Moldavia, going to the line of Stolnichny ↔ Zaikani ↔ Chuchul ↔ Kulugar-Soch ↔ Busila , which created a threat to the Balti ^[9] . In other places, the front line remained unchanged. To suppress enemy artillery on the left bank of the Prut River, destroy its crossings over the same river and restore the front along the former line (along the Prut), the command of the Southern Front decided to give battle. Romanian artillery should have been suppressed by the 9th Army aviation ^[9] . July 7, Romanian troops forced the Prut near the settlements of Lopatnik and Chora. Romanian troops launched an active attack on the Magpies , Stefaneshty , Skuleni and Balti ^[9] .

Meanwhile, in the Akkerman region , the offensive of the Rumanian forces also began, and the Soviet troops began to retreat to the Dniester liman . They were assigned a new task: to ensure the defense of Odessa . The 9th Soviet Army in the center of Bessarabia, located south of Balti, led a maneuverable defense. This made it possible to immediately deter enemy troops advancing from the Danube Delta in the south and from Prut in the west. The 9th Army retreated to Tiraspol and Ribnita . There were fortified areas, which allowed to keep the crossing through the Dniester. On July 11, all Soviet troops withdrew to the Dniester, occupying defenses in order to prevent the enemy from breaking through the front and forcing the river. If this had happened, then a significant part of the troops of the Southern Front would have been surrounded in Bessarabia. The 18th Army was to move north-east to Mogilyov-Podolsky. On July 8, the 95th Moldavian Rifle Division defeated the 67th infantry and 63rd artillery regiments of the Romanian army near the village of Dolna . July 9, the German troops occupied Balti. On July 10, the Romanian unit was struck in the village of Lapushna and the advance of the 72nd German division was delayed at Bykovets station ^[7] . July 16, Romanian troops occupied Chisinau. July 21, Soviet troops left Bender. Shortly before, the bridge across the Dniester was blown up. On July 23, Romanian troops entered Bender ^[10] . In total, during the fighting in Moldova, the Romanian army lost 31,600 people killed ^[7] . By July 26, Soviet troops finally left the territory of the Moldavian SSR and the defensive operation in Moldova was completed.

Moldavia under the Romanian administration

Administrative divisions

Occupied by the Romanian troops of the territory of the USSR in the war - Northern Bukovina, Bessarabia, Budjak and the interfluve of the Southern Bug and the Dniester - became part of Greater Romania . The territory was divided into counties (counties). The structure of Great Romania included the territories that became part of the USSR in 1940 - Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina, which became the Bessarabian governorship with the capital in Chisinau. The border of Transnistria , which was not previously part of Romania, passed along the Dniester River in the west and along the Southern Bug in the east. In the south, the formation was washed by the Black Sea . In the north, the border ran along the Lyadov and Dov rivers. The capital of Transnistria was first Tiraspol , and later - Odessa ^[11] .

In Moldova and Bukovina such counsels as Akkerman (center in Chetatya-Albe , modern Belgorod-Dniester ), Balti (center in Balti), Kagul (center - Cahul), Orhei (center - Orhei ), Khotinsky (center - Hotin ), Soroka (center — Soroki), Izmail (center - Izmail ), Storozhinets (center in the eponymous city ), Tigina (center - Bender ), Lapushna (center in Chisinau ) and Chernovetsky (center - Chernivtsi ) ^[11] .

Transnistria was also divided into counties. These were the Mogilev district (center - Mogilev-Podolsky ), the district Zugastru (center in Zugastra (Yampol) ), Tulchinsky (center - Tulchin ), Rybnitsky (center - Rybnitsa), Baltsky (center - Balta ), Dubossarsky (center - Dubossary ) , Ananyevsky (center - Ananyev ), Goltsky (center - Golta ), Tiraspolsky (center - Tiraspol), Ovidiopolsky (center - Ovidiopol ), Odessa (center - Odessa ), Berezovsky (center - Berezovka ), Ochakovsky (center - Ochakov ). Each county was divided into smaller administrative-territorial units - plase . At the head of each resident was the prefect . In his subordination were all the services of the county, including some security agencies and gendarmerie. The assistant and deputy prefect was the sub-prefect. Below the prefect was a prim- pretor , who headed the plaza . His duties included leadership of the police of the plaza, control over the execution of decrees, custody of local communes . The lower ranks were occupied by the mayors , who headed the local mayors of each settlement. If the mayor violated any rules, then the prim pretor could reconsider his decision. Such a control system in this area was temporary ^[11] .

Socio-economic policy

The governorates of Bessarabia and Bukovina were given to Romania by mutual agreement with the Third Reich. The Romanian government used the regions as sources of raw materials. All local trade and industrial enterprises were transferred to the use of Romanian entrepreneurs or cooperatives ^[12] . Despite this, the Romanian authorities were not ready to make major changes in the economy of the Bessarabian governorship, the Bukovinian governorate and Transnistria ^[13] . First of all it concerned money. During the seizure of Soviet rubles there was confusion, since the Romanians did not know which currency to enter in these regions. The Germans suggested introducing occupational Reichsmarks used by them in all the occupied regions. In turn, the Romanians, without completing the withdrawal of Soviet rubles, introduced Romanian Lei in Bessarabia and Transnistria. The ratio of currencies was established 1 occupation Reichsmark = 60 Romanian lei = 10 Soviet rubles. Romanians considered it unworthy that foreign money was flowing in the territory of Great Romania ^[14] .

In September 1941, a mass exchange of Soviet rubles for occupation marks began. An exchange of more than 10,000 marks was made, but Antonescu gave the order to stop exchanging money. After short-term negotiations, the Romanians and the Germans decided to leave the occupation Reichmark as the only official currency in the regions. The Romanian leu was completely banned in Transnistria, and its importation from Romania was punished. Despite this, the lei were smuggled in and sold in the shadow market. In 1942, Romania again attempted to move closer to Transnistria, lifting the ban on the importation of lei into the region. This led to disagreements with the Third Reich, and by the end of the same year, the trade in lei was again banned ^[14] .

At the end of 1943, the rate of the occupation mark fell to 10-12 lei for 1 mark. Market speculations began, the course of money largely began to depend on the situation at the front. Prices reacted to the rise of the Soviet troops. The situation was aggravated by the fact that luxury goods — perfumes, costumes, etc. — were mostly imported into the regions occupied by the Romanians, but there was a catastrophic lack of essential goods. Officially, bread cost 12 pfennigs per kilogram, but its price on the free market reached 3 marks (1 mark = 100 pfennig). In March 1944, when Soviet troops crossed the Southern Bug, prices rose sharply, and the supply of goods to Transnistria and Bessarabia completely stopped. Soviet rubles began to circulate again on the market ^[14] .

In the occupied territories, the local Romanian authorities did not liquidate the collective and state farms . On the contrary, the Romanian government patronized them, and in March 1942 transformed it into “labor communities”. Each such community consisted of 20-30 families and had at the disposal of 200 to 400 hectares of land ^[12] . Also, part of the population of Moldova as Ostarbeiters was exported from Bessarabia to the Third Reich. A total of 47,247 people were taken to Germany ^[15] . In Moldova itself, the population was also driven by the occupation authorities to forced labor without payment.

By Decree Law No. 521 of August 17, 1943, corporal punishment of workers in Bessarabia was legalized. During the occupation, every tenth resident of Moldova, or 207,000 people, 22,700 of whom died, was subjected to torture. The Romanian authorities besieged the Bessarabian peasants with almost 40 types of taxes. 80 kg of grain per adult and 40 kg per child per year were allowed for food. The cattle was blocked for the needs of the Romanian army. For workers and their families, a bread purchase system was introduced. They received 150-200 grams of bread per person. The inaccessibility of medical care led to the spread of typhus, tuberculosis , pellagra and dysentery in Moldova. The mortality rate increased by 3-4 times compared with pre-war. About 200,000 people died from hunger and disease in the first two years of the Romanian government in Moldova ^[16] .

Cultural Policy

Against the non-Romanian population of the region, there were repressions, including cultural ones. The Romanian government ordered the removal of all printed publications in Russian in Bessarabia and Transnistria. 1,200,000 books were withdrawn from the libraries of Chisinau, including in European foreign languages ​​and books published before the October Revolution . Books were burned on the spot or exported over Prut, to Romania. In Tiraspol, 250,000 volumes were burned, in Balti district - 15 cars. In addition, the government required the local population to pass gramophone records with songs in foreign languages. The list of compulsory for withdrawal included plates with songs from the films “ Circus ”, “ Jolly Fellows ” and “ Children of Captain Grant ” ^[17] .

Despite this, periodicals in Russian and Ukrainian were still published in Transnistria. This was due to the demographic situation in the region and the small number of people who speak the Romanian language. The schools of Bessarabia and Transnistria also studied in Russian and Ukrainian, but the government planned to gradually switch to the Romanian language of instruction. For this, one Moldovan teacher was additionally assigned to each non-Romanian class who taught the children the Romanian language ^[17] .

In the capital of the Bessarabian governorship, Chisinau, it was strictly forbidden to speak Russian, including in everyday life. However, this prohibition was often violated. Among its violators, there were also anti-communist-minded members of the provincial government. Already six months later, in 1942, the governor of Chisinau reported that “the old system of excluding the Romanian language from circulation by civil servants born in Bessarabia was resumed, the use of the Russian language is becoming a custom again ... In the halls and offices of institutions, Russian is constantly heard ... In the streets, shops, public places, the Russian language prevails. What is especially regrettable, there have been cases when priests yield to the insistence of believers and conduct services in Russian. ” To suppress this, on June 22, 1942, a stricter law “on conversations in a public place in the languages ​​of the enemy” was introduced. Now, for the violation, a fine of 100,000 lei and three years in prison were imposed ^[17] .

Along with language policy was carried out cultural. Despite tough laws, the Russian community was supported by Moldovans , Ukrainians and Bulgarians . Formed underground cultural societies that were persecuted by the police. Romanization has touched the names of their own. Thus, according to the new rules, instead of Russian, Ukrainian and other names, their Romanian equivalents were to be used: Ivan - Ion, Dmitry - Dumitru, Mikhail - Mihai ^[17] .

After the start of the counteroffensive of the Soviet troops in 1943, mass disobedience to the laws on the use of languages ​​began in Bessarabia. In connection with this, repression has become more frequent. In the district of Tigina, a law was introduced, according to which everyone who violated the ban on the use of non-Romanian languages, had to go on foot to the provincial court in Chisinau. By the end of the year, on the eve of the forcing of the Southern Bug by the Soviet troops, a massive partisan movement began, and the Romanian administration was becoming harder to control the territories of Bessarabia, Bukovina and Transnistria. In August 1944, Bessarabia re-entered the USSR ^[17] .

Guerrilla movement and propaganda

According to the directive of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR issued on June 29, 1941, thirteen clandestine party organizations and 8 partisan detachments were established in 6 left-bank districts of Moldova, and 139 partisan detachments and several clandestine organizations in the right-bank districts. However, due to the rapid advance of the enemy troops, it was not possible to fully organize the activities of the underground and prepare it for a long struggle in the enemy's rear ^[8] . When the German-Romanian troops entered the territory of Bessarabia, they faced less problems than the same troops, but in other territories of the USSR. This was explained by the fact that Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina became part of the Soviet Union just a year ago, so part of the local population was not as radical towards the Romanians as in the rest of the country.

The part of the population that was pro-Soviet, formed the resistance movement or helped the partisans. On the territory of the Moldavian SSR, occupied by the Romanian-German troops, from 1941 to 1944 there were approximately 3,500 partisans ^[18] , united in 80 underground organizations ^[13] . They were mainly engaged in sabotage and reconnaissance activities and conducted political work. Guerrilla detachments, which, in the opinion of the Soviet command, were the most experienced, were secretly transferred from Ukraine to Moldova and the Akkerman region . In this way, 48 more detachments numbering 400 people arose in Bessarabia.

Workers, peasants, as well as underground organizations and partisans actively used sabotage and sabotage. On October 6, 1941, a collision of trains at the Sipotena station was arranged , on February 27, 1942, a car of lubricants was burned in Bendery, and the next day a fuel depot. In the fall of 1941, sabotage was carried out in the Ungheni railway workshops and at the power stations in Soroca and Balti. In 1943, an oil factory in Ataki , a smoke factory in Chisinau, which worked for the Romanian army, and a Balti and Rybnitsa smoke factory were burned down. The underground workers constantly organized train derailments on the railroad ^[16] .

In Bender there were 14 underground anti-fascist groups, each of which included from 8 to 20 people. They were headed by M. M. Chernolutsky, D. A. Ivanchenko, I. D. Litvinov, A. I. Neutov, M. V. Ratushny, N. F. Kalashnikov, N. P. Marandich, and others. They created a network of conspirators apartments, distributed leaflets around the city, carried out sabotage on the railway, attacked German and Romanian soldiers, freed and covered prisoners of war ^[10] .

Lack of experience led to the failure of guerrilla groups. Thus, in 1942-1943, more than 600 underground workers were captured, most of whom were executed after torture. More than 800 prisoners died in the Tiraspol prison. An underground committee was set up there that organized several group shoots. On April 5, 1944, 270 prisoners revolted and, having killed the guards, fled ^[16] .

On the basis of the detachments formed in the Lelchitsy district of the Gomel region , on June 6, 1943, the First Moldavian partisan unit was created, and from the units operating in the Chernihiv region , the Second Moldavian unit. During 1943, they moved along the enemy’s rear to the Moldavian border and conducted 39 major battles along the way, destroying a large number of enemy personnel and equipment, derailed 227 German trains, blew up 185 cars, tanks and armored vehicles. Dozens of partisans were awarded government awards. At the end of 1943 and the beginning of 1944, on the orders of the Partisan Command, 4 reconnaissance and sabotage groups headed for Moldova. The group of M. Udanov reached the Khotyn forests, and from the group of A. Ya. Mukhin a detachment “Sovetskaya Moldavia” was formed, which reached Kamensky district ^[8] .

At the beginning of 1944, groups of organizers of the partisan movement were transferred to Bessarabia by means of aviation. From the group of S. D. Aventyev, who landed 18 km north of Tiraspol, a Kotovsky detachment was formed, which conducted a number of successful operations. Groups under the command of A. Strogov, A. I. Makarenko, I. F. Chechetkina, A. I. Lisitsyna , T. F. Prokin, abandoned in the Cherhen and Orgeev coders , fought long and hard fights with the Romanian punitive detachments. From the groups abandoned in the right-bank areas, formed the partisan groups "Journalist", to them. F.E. Dzerzhinsky, them. N. A. Shchorsa, them. M. V. Frunze. Local guerrilla groups arose in the villages of Ivancha , Peresechino , Kondritsa, and others. ^[8]

In addition to the partisans, underground cultural propaganda societies operated in Moldova. Members of these societies were unhappy with Romanian language and cultural policies. Cultural societies usually promoted Russian and Ukrainian languages. Most of these organizations were liquidated as early as 1943 ^[17] .

On the border of Moldavia and the Ukrainian SSR, near the city of Khotyn , an underground organization was created, headed by a tankman V. Petrovich, also known as Stepan Bagno . Underground workers operated in Khotyn and neighboring villages, including Moldovan ones. A partisan detachment called Sovetskaya Moldavia, headed by Ya. A. Mukhsht, appeared in Kamenka, and included part of the members of a local underground Komsomol organization . This detachment lasted until 1944, when Soviet troops entered the Kamenka . Members of the organization assisted the Soviet army, taking control of the Kamenka and defending it before the arrival of the Red Army ^[19] .

In December 1941, an underground partisan group called “Partisan Spark” appeared in Transnistria in the village of Krymka . It was organized by the secondary school director V. S. Morgulenko and the pupil of the same school P. K. Grechanym. The organization set itself the goal of conducting propaganda and collecting weapons and ammunition that were used by other guerrilla groups to fight the German-Romanian troops. In February 1943, the Guerrilla Spark ceased to exist ^[19] . By the end of the beginning of 1944, almost all the organizations of the underground workers were liquidated, others did not act as actively as before, but with the start of the Yassko-Kishinev operation, the partisan activity resumed. This time, members of underground cultural societies and dissatisfied with Romanian national policies joined the partisans ^[17] . By March 1944, 28 underground organizations of more than 500 people continued to operate. The armed struggle was conducted by 8 detachments and 23 groups of about 900 partisans. The detachment "Soviet Moldavia" prevented the enemy from burning 10,000 tons of grain in Kamenka . A detachment of M. M. Strukachev saved 14,000 tons of bread, 7,000 horses and 15,000 cows in Soroki, Rybnik’s underground workers cleared 38 wagons with ammunition and gasoline. The guerrillas dismantled the railway at the Marandeny station, disrupting the export of equipment from the Balti enterprises to Romania. The underground fighters participated in the overthrow of the Romanian authorities in a number of Moldovan settlements ^[16] .

Church

In the years 1940-44, the Romanian Church sought to extend its influence to the territories included in Great Romania. So, a special mission was sent to Transnistria, the believing population of which was never subordinate to the Romanian Orthodox Church, which operated there until the end of the war ^[12] . The Romanian authorities used the influence of the church to strengthen pro-Romanian and anti-Soviet sentiments among the peaceful population of Bessarabia, but there was a split among believers and clergy: some Orthodox hierarchs and leaders of religious sects supported Romania, while others remained neutral or "sympathized" with the USSR. On the eve of the Yassy-Kishinev operation, a significant part of the clergy fled to Romania, many churches were closed due to the lack of clergy ^[20] .

Despite the fact that the Romanian Orthodox Church sought to consolidate its influence in the region, the churches were still destroyed by German troops. Thus, the Extraordinary State Commission convened in the USSR, whose duties included the calculation of damage from military operations against Germany, in Moldova counted 66 churches and 2 chapels destroyed and damaged ^[21] .

Jews and Gypsies

Antonescu said ^[22] : “ I can give us back Bessarabia and Transylvania, but I will not achieve anything if I do not clear the Romanian nation. Not borders, but homogeneity and purity of a race give strength to a nation: this is my highest goal . ” He did not agree with Hitler about the joint liquidation of Jews throughout Europe, but he still pursued a tough policy towards them. A plan was drawn up for the elimination of Jews throughout Romania. According to him, the Jews of Bessarabia should be the first to be destroyed or deported, after them, but already in 5-10 years, it was planned to start repressions against Jews in central Romania. To carry out the repression, special detachments of German soldiers were formed, and Romanian soldiers helped them ^[22] .

On July 17, 1941, Antonescu, who was in Balti that day, ordered the establishment of concentration camps and ghettos throughout Bessarabia ^[22] . In August of the same year, 49 camps and ghettos were established on the territory of Bessarabia. The largest of them were the camp in Vertyuzhany - 23,000 people, the camp in Sekureny - 20,000 people and the camp in Edinet - 13,000 people. Together with the Jews, Roma were referred to these camps, a total of 36,000 people. Of all these gypsies, only 6,100 were from Bessarabia, the rest were from the annexed regions of Ukraine and Romania. Near Tiraspol, on the orders of the Romanian authorities, 300,000 Gypsies were concentrated not only from Moldova, but also from Ukraine and Romania ^[23] . There they were subjected to mass executions.

In Chisinau, a ghetto was formed, adjacent to the Visternichen . Its borders passed through the streets of Kharlampievskaya, Kozhukharskaya, Voznesenskaya and Pavlovskaya. Up to 11,000 Jews could be in the ghetto. Romanian soldiers shot some of them in Visternichen, in Gidigich , on Orhei highway. Also, mass executions of the Jewish population were carried out throughout Moldova. 6,000 people were killed in Kosoutsk forest , 7,560 Jews died in the Vertyuzhen concentration camp, 12,000 people were shot dead by the Romanians in Dubossary ^[22] . After the formation of Transnistria, the Romanian government decided to deport all Bessarabian Jews to the Dniester. On September 7, instructions were sent to the camp chiefs on how to carry out the deportations. According to her, the Jews needed to be assembled into convoys under the control of Romanian soldiers and sent on foot to Zadnestrovie along predetermined routes. Every 10 kilometers a hole was dug for approximately 100 people each. Those Jews who could not walk were to be shot. The bodies of the dead had to be dumped into these pits ^[22] .

On December 9, the second phase of the liquidation of the Bessarabian Jews was completed. In total, 200,000 people from Bessarabia and Bukovina got into Transnistria. After the battles for Odessa, Odessa Jews also went to Transnistria, and because of the Southern Bug, Ukrainian Jews also got to the Transnistria concentration camps. Local camps were not designed for such a number of people, so the convoys constantly made transitions from one camp to another. Those Jews who fell into the camps were to be destroyed. In the camps often there were no livable buildings and food. Since it was the winter of 1941-1942, many of the Jews died from the cold. Worst of all, the situation was in the county of Gault. Such concentration camps as Bogdanovka and Domanevka were located there ^[22] .

By order of the Romanian leadership, Jews from all over Moldova and from Odessa were brought to Bogdanovka. All Jews who got there were subject to liquidation ^[22] . Many of them did not live to death, as they died from thirty degrees of frost, malnutrition, typhoid and other diseases. The dead were not buried, but put in the pyramids along with firewood and burned. On December 21, 1941, 5,000 Jews were burned alive in Bogdanovka. From that day until January 9, 1942, the Jews were driven daily to the Southern Bug, where they were massively shot. German-Romanian troops took breaks on New Year's holidays, in just a few days 40,000 people were killed in the camp. In Domanevka, the killing of Jews began later, and by March 18 all the prisoners were destroyed. Also especially large-scale executions took place in Akmachetka and Mostovoy . All of these camps were concentrated in the county of Gault, for which he was named the "kingdom of death" ^[22] . The ghettos of Transnistria had a clear management structure led by a “community president.” They had well-developed social services and handicrafts. From the beginning of 1942, prisoners of the ghetto of Transnistria, deported from Bessarabia and Bukovina, began to receive regular financial and food assistance from the Romanian Jewish community, and from 1943 - to international Jewish organizations. This was one of the main features of these ghettos, which helped many prisoners to escape. It is in Transnistria that about 70% of all survivors of the Soviet Jews who survived the occupation survived ^[24] . According to inaccurate data, in the winter of 1941-1942, 250,000 Jews died in Transnistria. The Romanian side claims that 270,000 people died in concentration camps. When the Soviet troops entered the area between the Southern Bug and the Dniester, 50,000 Jews remained there. They were not only from Moldova, but also from Ukraine and even from Romania ^[22] .

Residents of the Moldavian SSR at the front and in the rear

In 1941, with the start of hostilities, 300,000 people were taken out of Moldova into the depths of the Soviet Union ^[25] , although the deportation of “anti-Soviet elements” to Kazakhstan and Siberia took place in May-June of the same year ^[26] . The evacuees were located in the regions remote from the front at that time, in particular in the Caucasus and the RSFSR . The remaining indigenous population in Moldova fought on both sides.

The German government among the local population was looking for opponents of Bolshevism , from which special national units were formed. Similar formations also appeared in Moldova. Residents of Bessarabia who emigrated to Romania in 1940 joined these detachments ^[27] . The duties of these units were to defend the German rear from the partisans and the enemy assault force. More than 20,000 Moldovans were drafted into the Romanian army and fought against the Soviet Union, 5,000 of them died, and another 14,129 fell into Soviet captivity ^[28] . In addition to national detachments and partisans, gangs appeared in Moldavia that acted against both sides. The number of such units in Moldova was 5209 people ^[29] .

During the defense of Moscow, a newcomer from the village of New Krigana, General N. F. Lebedenko, a native of Ataq, commander of the aviation regiment DL Kalarash, natives of Tiraspol officers P. A. Scherbinko, S. I. Poletsky distinguished themselves. In the battles near Odessa, machine gunner M. Motynga destroyed 300 enemy soldiers, and sniper L. Pavlichenko (Belova) a native of Chisinau — more than 200. Colonel M. Pavlotsky from Tiraspol and sergeant I. N. Koval from Kamenka distinguished themselves in the Battle of the Dnieper . During the crossing of the Kerch Strait , a platoon of marines distinguished itself under the command of a senior sergeant M. M. Plugarov, born in the village of Bardar ^[7] .

A number of MSSR institutions continued to work in the Soviet rear. For example, in Moscow, the Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of M, the MSSR Government and the Moldavian radio editorial office functioned. Employees of the Moldavian Research Institute of History, Economics, Language and Literature, as well as the Pedagogical Institute worked in Buguruslan , the Kishinev Conservatory in Saratov , and the professors and students of the Chisinau Agricultural Institute continued the educational process in the city of Frunze . Moldavian writers collaborated in front-line newspapers. Since 1942, the newspaper “Moldova Sochialist” (Socialist Moldova) has been published in Moscow, the performances of the Doina Chapel, and the Moldavia variety orchestra have continued. With the funds collected by refugees, a tank column “For Soviet Moldavia” was built ^[7] .

After the Yassy-Kishinev operation in Moldova, 256,800 people left for the front, of which 40,592 people died in 1944-1945 ^[30] . During the war and the Romanian-German command in the Moldavian SSR, 64,246 people died, of whom 3,000 were children ^[29] . During the battles of 1944-45 in Moldova, the Soviet army suffered irrecoverable losses, estimated at 18,700 soldiers ^[31] .

Soviet counteroffensive

The offensive between the Dniester and Southern Bug rivers and in the north of Bessarabia

The Soviet offensive, which began at the end of 1942, lasted for several years. The troops of Nazi Germany retreated, and in the summer of 1944, part of southern Ukraine came under Soviet control. The 2nd Ukrainian Front on March 13 of the same year crossed the Southern Bug, the western border of Transnistria. The German command tried to strengthen the troops along the river and take up defense, it was believed that "the Bug is a dam about which all Russian attacks are broken" ^[19] . The breakthrough in the northern Black Sea coast was part of a large-scale operation to defeat the German troops in Ukraine. In the northern part of the Odessa region, then Romanian Transnistria, an offensive was carried out towards the Dniester. The aim of the offensive was a deep coverage of the left flank of the 1st German Tank Army . The offensive on this site was conducted by the 40th Soviet army . After forcing the Southern Bug, the Red Army command set a goal for the soldiers to reach Prut ^[19] .

March 17 , after the fighting for Odessa , the Soviet troops approached the mouth of the Dniester, entering the territory of Moldova. On the same day, the 16th Tank Corps under the leadership of I. V. Dubovoy entered Yampol , and the 29th Tank Corps approached the Forty. There were no bridges over the river near the city, and the local ferry was not suitable for the transport of heavy armored vehicles. I. F. Kirichenko, the corps commander, gave the order to the motor-infantry to independently cross the Dniester and seize the city. With the support of the Moldovan partisans, the Magpies were occupied by Soviet troops that evening ^[19] .

In the remaining areas near the Dniester partisans also assisted the Soviet troops. Thus, the partisan detachment "Soviet Moldavia" a few days before the onset of the Soviet troops knocked out the Romanian-German soldiers from Kamenka and held the city for several days. When Soviet troops approached the locality, he was surrendered to them. Near Belochi, the partisans helped the Red Army in forcing the Dniester, and later another detachment of partisans assisted in the capture of Orhei. On March 24 of the same year, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union to the partisans V. I. Tymoschuk and N. M. Frolov ^[19] .

On March 19, the offensive of the USSR troops in Volyn began , during which Northern Bessarabia and Mogilyov-Podolsky were occupied. On March 20, the main Soviet forces approached the Dniester, which began the crossing to the right bank. It began at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, boats, rafts, empty barrels were used as floating craft for infantry crossing. As a result, a small bridgehead was conquered on the right bank of the river, to which the main forces, including armored vehicles , crossed on March 21 . The entire interfluve of the Dniester and the Southern Bug is now controlled by the Soviet government ^[19] .

In the north of Bessarabia, Soviet troops "wedged" in the center of the German Army Group South . South Bessarabia and Budjak were controlled by two Romanian and one German army from this army group. The northern part of the group was surrounded by Soviet troops in Volyn. Later, she broke through to the Carpathians . Between the parts of the divided army group there was a big gap with the center in Mogilyov-Podolsky. Thus, the territory in Bessarabia from the mouth of the river Reut to Bukovina fell under the control of the USSR. The exit of the Soviet troops to Prut was marked by the supreme command of the Soviet army. The troops that were the first to reach the Dniester and Prut by the decree of the Supreme Commander received the names "Dniester" and "Prut" ^[19] . Thus, the left flank of the Ukrainian front entered the territory of Romania. While in the north of Bessarabia the Soviet troops made a breakthrough and entered Romania, in the south there were still battles for the Dniester. On March 20, the Romanians and Germans fortified themselves in Balta, and from March 25 they repulsed all enemy attacks. However, on March 29 the city ​​was taken by Soviet troops. Due to the difficult situation on the front, German troops began to leave Ukraine, retreating beyond the Dniester near the Dniester Estuary. In early April, the front in Bessarabia stabilized along the Radeuci э Pascani ↔ Orhei ↔ Dubasari line ^[19] . By that time, the entire northern Bessarabia, the interfluve of the Southern Bug and the Dniester, and part of northeastern Romania fell under the control of the USSR. The Germans and Romanians belonged to southern Bessarabia. During the offensive, the Soviet troops exhausted and could no longer continue it. In turn, the Germans and Romanians were pushing reserves to the front, which allowed them to stabilize the front for five months until August ^[19] .

Jassy-Chisinau operation

The south of Bessarabia was still controlled by the Romanians and Germans. By that time, the German command had transferred 12 divisions from the Northern Black Sea Coast to Western Ukraine and Belarus , weakening the Army Group “Southern Ukraine”. At the same time, a difficult political situation developed in Romania. Dissatisfaction with the Antonescu regime grew ever stronger and fears related to failures at the front and possible occupation of the country by Soviet troops grew. In addition, Hitler made demands to the Romanian leadership that Romania, in any case, regardless of the situation, must remain an ally of the Third Reich, and all German forces in the country must be maintained at the expense of the Romanian side.

However, the Romanian command, despite all the problems and contradictions, was preparing to repel the attack of the USSR forces on Bessarabia. For this purpose, a defense in depth of 3-4 lanes was created. It was connected with difficult terrain, water obstacles and heights. Romanian troops settled on the flanks, and on the most important - Chisinau - direction, the defenses were taken by German troops. They were opposed by the Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front in the north and the 3rd Ukrainian Front in the south. The Soviet command believed that the Romanian troops were much weaker than the Germans, and therefore decided to deliver the main attack on the enemy’s flanks. At the same time, it wanted to convince the Germans that the main blow would be inflicted on the German formations in the Chisinau area. The Black Sea Fleet and the Danube Military Flotilla were to provide support to the attackers from the sea and destroy the enemy ships ^[32] .

August 20 began the offensive of the Soviet armies. First, a powerful artillery preparation was carried out, as a result of which the first line of defense of the German-Romanian troops was completely destroyed. When conducting an artillery offensive, the Soviet military command set itself the goal of destroying the enemy’s armored vehicles (primarily tanks ). By the middle of the day, Soviet troops fully occupied the first and partially broke through the second line of defense. The 6th Soviet Tank Army entered the battle, and the German command sent three infantry and one tank divisions to the Yassy direction to contain it. Despite this, the city was taken the next day - August 21 . On the same day, Soviet troops captured another important fortified point - the city of Targu Frumos .

The 3rd Ukrainian Front advanced between the 3rd Romanian and 6th German armies, which allowed them to be isolated and surrounded. The 6th German army was taken to the ring, locked up near the village of Leuseny . G. Frisner , commander of Army Group South Ukraine, without agreement with the General Staff, gave the order to retreat beyond Prut. On August 22, the same order was given by the General Staff, but it was too late. Soviet troops cut off all the ways of retreat. At the same time, the Soviet armies launched an offensive in the south of Bessarabia, forcing the Dniester Liman and occupying Akkerman .

On August 23, the Soviet units continued to encircle the German troops. The 3rd Romanian army that day was pushed aside to the Black Sea, and the next day it ceased resistance. On August 24, the first stage of the operation was completed - the encirclement of the enemy troops. The destruction of the German-Romanian forces continued for two days, and on August 26, the whole of Moldova was brought under the control of the Soviet Union ^[32] .

Situation in the republic after liberation

In 1944-1945, the industry and agriculture of the MSSR provided active support to the front. Balti enterprises supplied the Red Army with vegetable oil and repaired military equipment. Workers and peasants participated in the construction of strategic roads and bridges. The troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts supplied meat, vegetables, and bread ^[30] .

For the restoration of the economy of the Moldavian SSR, 448,000,000 rubles were allocated from the USSR state budget ^[8] . First of all, communications and bridges across the Dniester, blown up by the retreating Romanian troops, were restored. For the restoration of infrastructure were allocated parts of the Red Army, which was helped by local residents. On September 19, all the crossings across the Dniester were restored, and the import of equipment and equipment became possible in the republic. In the winter of 1944-1945, equipment for 22 large enterprises was imported into Moldova. 20 000 tons of ferrous metals, 226 000 tons of coal, 51 000 tons of oil products were transferred to Moldova. In 1945, production amounted to 48% for electricity, 36% for knitwear, 84% for vegetable oil, 16% for sugar, 46% for leather shoes and 42% for bricks from the 1940 level ^[30] . 226 collective farms and 60 state farms were restored. From the other republics of the USSR, Moldova, 17.4 tons of seeds, about 17 300 horses, 47 700 sheep, 10 800 head of cattle ^[30] , field processing equipment, etc. were imported into Moldova, mainly from the RSFSR ^[30] . on this, in Moldova, as in other regions of the USSR, famine began in 1946.