Documentary wartime footage

Based on materials provided by the Television and Radio Complex under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Section I

The published materials cover only certain aspects of Kazakh participation in the Great Patriotic War.

Kazakhstan at the Outbreak of the War

How the People of Kazakhstan Responded to the Outbreak of the War

Speech by Deputy Chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR and People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs V. Molotov on the treacherous attack of Nazi Germany on the Soviet Union
Moscow, June 22, 1941.

Speech of the Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Kazakhstan, Zh. Shayakhmetov, at a rally in Gorky Park of Culture and Recreation,
Alma-Ata, June 22, 1941.

Response of Medical institute employees to the speech V. Molotov on the attack of Nazi Germany on the Soviet Union

Excerpt from the speech by Zhumabay Shayakhmetov, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Kazakhstan, delivered at a rally of workers in Gorky Park of Culture and Recreation, Alma-Ata, on June 22, 1941.
More than 25,000 residents of Kazakhstan’s capital gathered for the rally.

The Kazakh Republic played a significant role in strengthening the country’s defense capability. All enterprises—factories, mines, plants, quarries, fisheries, railway transport, and aviation—were required, more than ever, to restructure their operations. Each of them was to become a stronghold of national defense. This was not to be forgotten by the leaders of Party and economic organizations, nor by the workforces of those enterprises.
The people were urged to firmly oppose any attempts to hoard food and other essential goods. Every citizen was called upon to embody a profound sense of responsibility to the Motherland—demonstrating awareness, vigilance, self-sacrifice, heroism, determination, and strict discipline.
More than ever, precision, efficiency, unwavering revolutionary discipline, and absolute fulfillment of the Party’s and government’s directives were deemed essential.
At any moment, and upon the call of the Soviet government, the Kazakh people would rise as one to defend their great Motherland.

Formation of Military Units and Subunits, Including National Units

R.I. Petrov, Secretary of the Party Organization of the Stalin Kolkhoz, Kulagin District, Alma-Ata Region
July 18, 1943

In the first days of the war, more than 200 people were conscripted from the kolkhoz.
All of them joined the 316th Rifle Division, which was being formed in the city of Alma-Ata.
A farewell rally was held at the kolkhoz. Villagers came on horseback, in carts, straight from the fields and pastures — the war had begun in the midst of the agricultural season.
Those departing addressed the crowd, swore to fight the enemy bravely, and left behind one request: to preserve the kolkhoz and keep it running.
The elders and women gave their word: “We will not fail. We will preserve it.”
We saw them off as one — with music and songs. We accompanied them for nearly ten kilometers.
Later, as they boarded the train at Sary-Ozek station, we sent two trucks filled with fruit, vegetables, and honey — the kolkhoz’s final gesture of warmth.

1.2 million people were drafted into the ranks of the Red Army — nearly 20% of the population of Kazakhstan at the time.

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A group of soldiers and commanders listen to the letter from the Kazakh people to Kazakh frontline soldiers.

Baiken Ashimov (1917–2010)

Soldiers of the 106th Kazakh National Cavalry Division [?-?]

Soldiers of the 106th Kazakh National Cavalry Division [?-?]

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Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Kazakhstan on the selection and training of deputy political officers for national military units
Alma-Ata, November 26, 1941.

Commendation from Supreme Commander-in-Chief I. Stalin to Captain B. Ashimovfor Combat Actions During the Breakthrough of German Defenses West of Kovel
Active Army, 1944

List of commanders and commissars of military units formed in Kazakhstan
Alma-Ata, 1942

Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Kazakhstan "On the Formation of National Military Units in the Kazakh SSR"
Alma-Ata, November 14, 1941

Statement by the chairman of the industrial cooperative Berkeev requesting the mobilization of collective members into the ranks of the Red Army, Akmolinsk, June 27, 1941.

Resolution of the Council of People’s Commissars of the Kazakh SSR and the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Kazakhstan on the selection of trained conscripted Kazakhs for deployment to the 8th Red Banner Guards Division named after I.V. Panfilov
Alma-Ata, December 20, 1941

Letter from Kazakh Soldiers of the First Shock Army to the Kazakh People
June 21, 1944.

Participation of Kazakh Soldiers in the Battle of Moscow, September–December 1941

The 316th Rifle Division, commanded by General Ivan Vasilyevich Panfilov, was formed in July–August 1941 in Alma-Ata from conscripts and volunteers from the Kazakh and Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republics.
On November 17, 1941, the division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
The next day, November 18, it was re-designated as the 8th Guards Rifle Division.
On November 23, 1941, in recognition of its successful actions in combat, the division was given the honorary title “named after Major General I.V. Panfilov.”
From that point on, it became widely known as the Panfilov Division, and its soldiers — as the Panfilovites.

Units That Distinguished Themselves in the Battle of Moscow

The 312th Rifle Division was formed in July 1941 in the city of Aktobe. It was composed of conscripts from the Aktobe and South Kazakhstan regions, as well as the cities of Uralsk, Guryev, and Kyzyl-Orda.
Out of approximately 11,000 personnel, nearly 9,500 were lost in the fierce battles near Moscow.
The division was officially disbanded on December 27, 1941.

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Colonel of the 8th Guards Rifle Division,
Baurzhan Momyshuly, receives the banner of the Mongolian People’s Republic from the head of the delegation – Chairman of the Presidium of the Small Khural of the MPR, Gonchigiin Bumtsend
Kalinin Front, December 1942.

Tuleugali Abdybekov (1916–1944)

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Letter from T. Abdybekov to A.S. Orlov, Director of the Pakhta-Aral State Farm, South Kazakhstan Region, about his achievements as a sniper
active army, November 25, 1942.

Letter from [?] to the Military Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Kazakhstan about sniper
T. Abdybekov
active army, November 1942.

Article by M. Panfilova about the feat of her husband – General I. Panfilov,
Alma-Ata, November 26, 1941.

About the heroes defending the approaches to Moscow
November 25, 1941.

Page from the newspaper «For the Motherland,» dedicated to the Panfilov Guardsmen
November 20, 1941.

Autobiography of Baurzhan Momyshuly

Military formations from Kazakhstan in the battles for Leningrad.
September 8, 1941 – January 27, 1944.

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Anti-tank rifle squad: in the foreground – anti-tank riflemen Sh. Kumyzbaev and
T. Akhmetov.
Leningrad Front, November 1942.

A Subunit of Submachine Gunners on Nevsky Prospekt
Leningrad, December 1942

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The Contribution of Kazakh Warriors to the Defense of Leningrad «Otan Qorgauda»
February 21, 1943.

Kazakh batyrs, participants in the defense of Leningrad, Leningrad Front,
February 2, 1943.

Article about 17-Year-Old Red Army SoldierB. Itkereyev — Defender of Leningrad
Leningrad Front, April 2, 1943

About Pilot S. Zhilkyshiyev, Defender of Leningrad
Leningrad Front, February 5, 1943

Kazakh soldiers in the Battle of Stalingrad.
July 17 – November 18, 1942 (defensive phase)
November 19, 1942 – February 2, 1943 (offensive phase)

Formed in the winter of 1941–1942 in the city of Alma-Ata as the 460th Rifle Division

On March 31, 1942, it was renamed the 38th Rifle Division (2nd formation)

On March 1, 1943, it was renamed the 73rd Guards Rifle Division

On March 16, 1943, it was awarded the honorary title "Stalingrad" for its merits in the liberation of Stalingrad and the Stalingrad region.

August–september 1943

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Nurken Abdirov (1919–1942)

Karsybay Spataev (1918–1942)

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Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR"On Conferring the Title of Hero of the Soviet Union to Officers and Enlisted Personnel of the Red Army"
Moscow, April 17, 1943

Award Citation for Nomination of
K. Dzhamangarayev for the Title of Hero of the Soviet Union
Moscow, October 12, 1943

The Berlin Strategic Operation:
Assault on Berlin, 1945

— From the recommendation submitted by Hero of the Soviet Union Lieutenant Colonel A. Peshkov, Commander of the 1052nd Rifle Regiment, and Colonel A. Antonov, Commander of the 301st Stalin Rifle Division, Order of Suvorov, 2nd Class, to the higher command.

The award citation includes the following lines:
“On April 23, 1945, the rifle battalion of Major S. Nurmagambetov was the first to cross the River Spree in the area of the Treptow suburb. Having secured a foothold on the western bank, the battalion successfully repelled four fierce enemy counterattacks aimed at eliminating the bridgehead seized by our forces.
Pushing forward and building on the success of the assault, the battalion engaged in intense street fighting in Treptow against enemy troops armed with Panzerfausts and submachine guns. As a result, over 80 enemy soldiers were killed, 145 were taken prisoner, significantly contributing to the capture of the Treptow suburb.
On April 24, 1945, after breaking through the enemy’s stubborn resistance, Major S. Nurmagambetov’s battalion stormed into the city of Berlin. Skillfully commanding his unit in difficult urban combat against large groups of Panzerfaust operators and submachine gunners, he destroyed more than 450 enemy soldiers, captured 1,560, and eliminated nine strongpoints.
Major S. Nurmagambetov was wounded during this battle. He is deserving of a second Gold Star Medal.”

The battles for the government buildings in the German capital — including Hitler’s Reich Chancellery — were among the fiercest and bloodiest.
Only SS troops were entrenched there. They fought desperately, defending every block and alley. But as the saying goes, "Even fortresses fall to the brave," and my soldiers took the Gestapo buildings meter by meter.
Many of my battalion's men distinguished themselves in the assault on that fascist stronghold. Let me share just one example.
Sergeant Ivan Antipenko, under relentless enemy fire, maintained uninterrupted communication between the regimental commander and unit leaders for several hours. He was gravely wounded in that battle, yet despite severe blood loss, he continued to fight the Nazis to the very end.
My heart bled as I lost comrades while storming the very heart of fascism — these were the final moments before victory.
And what joy that victory brought when we finally received the message: the enemy had surrendered.
My heart stopped from sheer emotion; I was speechless. Tears welled up on their own — for the first time in the entire war.
I will never forget the triumph of our soldiers in Germany, when — after the surrender — they marched through Berlin with parade steps, regimental banners proudly unfurled, as victors.

Hero of the Soviet Union, Khalyk Kakharmany (People’s Hero),First Minister of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Army General Sagadat Nurmagambetov

From the memoirs of Major I. Zenkin, 1948

On April 30, during the assault on the Reichstag, a party commission meeting was underway at the command post of the rifle regiment.
Lieutenant Rakhimzhan Koshkarbayev, already renowned for his bravery in street battles, arrived and submitted a handwritten note:
“I wish to storm the Reichstag as a member of the Party.”
By the time his admission was being reviewed, he had already launched the assault.
He and his platoon broke into the Reichstag, eliminating numerous enemy soldiers inside.
He was admitted to the Party — and just minutes later, he was back in the heart of the fighting within the Reichstag.
At the very height of the commission meeting, the Soviet banner was raised over the Reichstag dome.
We saw it through the basement window — and an overwhelming wave of emotion swept through the room.
The very men we had just admitted into the Party were now performing acts of historic heroism.

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Reception of the Berlin garrison’s surrender proposal by the radio operators of the 86th Guards Mortar Regiment.
Berlin, May 2, 1945.

S. Nurmagambetov with Fellow Villagers and Countrymen.
Trudovoye, Akmola Region, 1945.

Presentation of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star Medal to Captain
S.K. Nurmagambetov by Lieutenant General N.E. Berzarin in connection with the awarding of the title Hero of the Soviet Union.
Berlin, March 1945.

Rakhimzhan Koshkarbayev (1924–1988)

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Decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan on conferring the title
«Halyk Kaharmany» to R. Koshkarbayev, May 7, 1999.

Award Citation for the Nomination of R. Koshkarbayev for the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st Class
Moscow, April 17, 1945

Letter from the Chief of Staff of the 86th Guards Mortar Uman-Warsaw Red Banner Regiment, decorated with the Orders of Suvorov, Kutuzov, and Alexander Nevsky, Guards Major Chervyatsov, regarding the provision of photographs documenting the reception of the Berlin garrison’s surrender proposal by radio station on May 2, 1945, Berlin, April 21, 1946.

Decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan N.A. Nazarbayev On awarding the title “Halyk Kaharmany” to General of the Army Sagadat Nurmagambetov for his heroism during the Great Patriotic War and contribution to strengthening the country’s defense capability.
Almaty, Мay 23, 1994.

Recommendation by Colonel A.E. Tokov, Commander of the 301st Rifle Stalin Division, Order of Suvorov 2nd Class, for awarding Sagadat Nurmagambetov a second Golden Star medal
Berlin, 1945

Women on the Road to Victory

-From the report of the Organizational and Instruction Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Kazakhstan on the restructuring of party and economic organizations of the Kazakh SSR for wartime needs
Alma-Ata, 1941

…The women of Kazakhstan demonstrated a strong desire to receive medical training and serve at the front.
As of July 20 of this year, nursing courses had been established at 133 institutions across the republic, with a total enrollment of 4,180 women.Prior to June 22, only 609 women had been undergoing such training throughout Kazakhstan.

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Snipers. Trainees of the Ili District Komsomol Committee.

Khiuaz Dospanova (1922–2008)

Manshuk Mametova (1922–1943)

Portrait of A. Moldagulova, active army, 1944.Artist of the front-line Red Army newspaper, Senior Lieutenant N. Dmitriev.

Women – signal operators, cadets – radio telegraphists. Among them are 6 Komsomol members
Alma-Ata region, November 1941.

Valentina Ivanovna Panfilova

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Decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan on conferring the title of «People’s Hero» to Kh. Dospanova
December 7, 2004.

Article «Among Panfilov Doctors»
active army, January 13, 1942.

Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSRon Conferring the Title of Hero of the Soviet Union to Senior Sergeant M. Mametova
Moscow, March 1, 1944

Article about the heroic deed of А. Moldagulova, «Defending the Homeland» March 8, 1944.

Letter from the political department of a military unit to the party and Komsomol leadership of Kazakhstan about the heroic deeds of Aliya Moldagulova,
active army, February 17, 1944.

Kazakhstan — Arsenal of the Front

Section II

Kazakhstan’s Military-Industrial Complex

Kanysh I. Satpayev, Chairman of the Presidium of the Kazakh Branch of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR
Alma-Ata, August 2, 1943

In early autumn of 1941, following the temporary loss of the Nikopol manganese basin, the urgent need arose to accelerate manganese ore extraction from deposits in the Zhezkazgan District. This was essential to supply the Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works with ferromanganese.
The proposal to launch mining operations in Central Kazakhstan received strong backing from the republic’s leadership, particularly Comrades Skvortsov and Undasynov, who promptly brought the matter to the attention of central Soviet authorities.
By the end of 1941, a special team from the USSR People’s Commissariat of Ferrous Metallurgy had arrived in Alma-Ata. Their task was to organize and oversee manganese extraction at new deposits. After months of surveying and preparation, mining operations began in the spring of 1942 at the Zhezdy deposit. Ore was initially transported by truck to Zhezkazgan and then shipped by rail to Magnitogorsk.
Simultaneously, construction of a dedicated railway line to the deposit began and was largely completed by the end of 1942. As a result, trains with manganese ore began departing directly from the Zhezdy site to Magnitogorsk, fully meeting the metallurgical plant’s wartime demand for ferromanganese.
In the process of addressing various national economic challenges during the war, it became evident that the work of all scientific research institutions in Kazakhstan needed to be coordinated under a unified center to effectively support the country's defense needs.
Such an organization, established at our initiative, was created by the Kazakh government in the form of the Scientific and Technical Council (STC) under the State Planning Committee (Gosplan).
From the moment of its founding in the fall of 1941 and continuing to this day, the Council has carried out — and continues to carry out — significant and creative work in support of the national defense effort.
Kazakhstan’s experience in coordinating the efforts of scientists and scientific institutions through the establishment of the STC was later adopted in other Soviet republics.
At the very beginning of 1942, we proposed the urgent construction of a blast furnace plant in Karaganda — the first phase in developing a large-scale metallurgical complex in Kazakhstan.
The idea of establishing a ferrous metallurgy industry in the region had initially been proposed as early as 1937, but the temporary Nazi occupation of Ukraine — which had previously produced 60% of the USSR’s pig iron and steel — gave the proposal new urgency.
This situation further underscored the foresight of Comrade Stalin, who had consistently emphasized the strategic importance of creating ferrous metallurgy centers in the eastern part of the Soviet Union.
The Karaganda project was officially approved by a resolution of the Union Council of People’s Commissars on April 25, 1942.
Today, the Karaganda blast furnace plant is in the full-scale construction phase, with the first stage scheduled for commissioning in 1943.
The technical design for the Karaganda Metallurgical Plant, with a projected annual output of one million tons of pig iron and steel, has been completed and is undergoing final review by the USSR People’s Commissariat for Construction.
The site is already largely supplied with ore reserves, fuel, water, and all essential raw materials required for full-scale operation.

In the first months of the Great Patriotic War, the urgent need for the military-technical modernization of weapons and support for the defense industry became apparent. Hundreds of volunteer inventors responded to the call of the Party and the government. These inventors were not only weapons engineers but also ordinary citizens determined to make a meaningful contribution to victory.
This effort was coordinated by the Republican Commission for Military Inventions, operating under the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Kazakhstan.
In Alma-Ata, the laboratory of Academician N.V. Tsitsin successfully tested gasoline-thermite incendiary mixtures developed by engineer A.G. Sokolov.
On August 28 of that year, the first field trials of the new thermite bottles were conducted at the infantry school training grounds. Based on the tests, the Commission issued the following conclusions:
The laboratory’s direction of work was deemed correct.
The mixture did not burn through tank armor completely but was effective against vulnerable components (such as engine compartments and fuel tanks).
Upon ignition, the mixture produced streams of molten iron that adhered to tank surfaces and, with a direct hit, could jam the turret mechanism.
The burning mixture could be scraped off using a shovel, but this would require crew members to exit the vehicle under fire.
It could not be extinguished using sand or soil.
The ignition system required improvement. The Commission recommended using standard Red Army igniters and equipping the bottles with cotton fuses that could be lit with a match if zone tubes were unavailable. At the directive of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Kazakhstan, a second round of testing—incorporating the recommended modifications—was held on November 9, 1942.
The Commission’s final statement declared:
“The Commission considers the effectiveness of gasoline-thermite bottles to be incomparably higher than that of conventional gasoline bottles... They are of particular value for anti-tank defense and deserve immediate implementation.”

The Rise of Technical Innovation in the Early Months of the Great Patriotic War

During the war, the region’s defense enterprises produced a wide range of military goods for the Soviet Army, contributing significantly to the success of front-line operations.Key Production Outputs Included:
Mobile battalion radio stations
Insulation materials for tank, aviation, and electrical industries
Naval mines, Model 1908
Squadron submarine mines
Large naval ship mines and deep-water antenna mines
Geyer-type aerial mines
Protective gear for slow-speed vessels
Depth charges
Mine-sweeping boundary markers
Net-based devices
Casings for 45 mm anti-tank shells
Small-displacement engines for mobile field radio stations and charging units for tank battalions
Main Production Facilities:
Factory No. 233, People's Commissariat of Electrical Industry
— Produced acoustic detectors
Factory No. 641, People's Commissariat of Electrical Industry
— Produced RB and RBK-type military radio stations
Factory No. 239, People's Commissariat of Shipbuilding Industry
— Produced depth charges and incendiary bombs
Factory No. 347, People's Commissariat of Shipbuilding Industry
— Produced GB and AGB-type naval mines
Artillery Arsenal No. 4, People's Commissariat of Defense of the USSR
This facility conducted repair and manufacturing of artillery and small arms, including:
Artillery Systems:
76 mm anti-aircraft guns (Model 1931)
Firearms:
Maxim machine guns
Mosin rifles (Models 1891 and 1891/1930)
Degtyaryov light machine guns
Nagant revolvers
Military Equipment and Tools:
Rifle cleaning rods
Barrel covers
Andrianov military compasses
Simplified military compasses (bussols)
Spare parts, tools, and accessories (ZIP kits) for artillery and small arms
Protective covers for 76 mm anti-aircraft guns and Maxim machine guns

Petropavl

Factory No. 460, USSR People’s Commissariat of Ammunition
Primary wartime production:
Aviation fragmentation mines
Incendiary bombs
Mine warheads and stabilizers
Hand grenades
Sewing machines for army needs

Kokchetav

The Melitopol Machine Tool Plant named after the OGPU, operating under the USSR People’s Commissariat of Ammunition, specialized in the production of 45 mm fragmentation grenades during the war.

Akmolinsk

Factory No. 175
USSR People’s Commissariat of Shipbuilding
Produced:
Small arms
Mechanical processing of mine casings
Factory No. 182
USSR People’s Commissariat of Shipbuilding Industry
Produced:
Torpedoes T53-38 and T53-39
Ammunition sections AUZO and UPZO for torpedoes
Company and battalion-level mortars
Casings for mines, grenades, and shells
PPSh submachine guns (Shpagin submachine guns)
Naval bomb launchers
Casings for naval bottom mines
Additional operations:
Repair, inspection, and testing of captured German Q7-A torpedoes
Alma-Ata Machine-Building Plant
Under the USSR People’s Commissariat of Heavy Machine Building
Formed on the basis of three ammunition workshops evacuated from the Voroshilov Locomotive Plant “October Revolution”
Produced:
203 mm concrete-piercing shells
203 mm concrete-piercing aerial bombs
82 mm mortar shells
ZAB-2.5, FAB-50, and FAB-90 – including incendiary, concrete-piercing, and high-explosive aerial bombs and artillery shells
Factory No. 242
Main Directorate of the Civil Air Fleet
Function:
Aircraft engine repair
MAI Mechanical Plant
Under the USSR People’s Commissariat of Aviation Industry
Produced:
Casings for 76 mm fragmentation shells
Karacharovo Mechanical Plant
Produced:
Casings for 76 mm fragmentation shells

Alma-Ata

Factory No. 324 USSR People’s Commissariat of Tank Industry
Primary wartime production:
Spare parts for tanks
Ammunition
Processed metals
Lead components
Optical instruments

Shymkent

Kolchugino Strip Rolling Plant of the USSR People’s Commissariat of Non-Ferrous Metallurgy

Balkhash

Factory No. 231 of the USSR People’s Commissariat of Shipbuilding Industry
Produced: Torpedo instruments

Uralsk

Armored Vehicle Repair Base No. 2 of the USSR People’s Commissariat of Armaments

Aktyubinsk

Factory No. 222 of the USSR People’s Commissariat of Tank Industry
Produced:

• ATO-42 automatic tank flamethrowers
• TPO-1 trench powder flamethrowers
• “Mine parts”: components for M-41, M-50, and M-10 mines

Factory No. 507 of the State Defense Committee
Produced:

• Gunpowder
• Ammunition
• Artificial silk

Aircraft Workshops No. 278
Function: Aircraft repair

Kostanay

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Information from the Department of Defense Industry of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan on the implementation of the production plan (gross output) for the factories of the defense industry of Kazakhstan
Alma-Ata, 1944.

Information from the Department of Defense Industry of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan on the implementation of the production plan for the defense industry plants of Kazakhstan (commodity output)
Alma-Ata, 1944.

Resolution of the Council of People’s Commissars of the Kazakh SSR and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan
«On the supervision by the Council of People’s Commissars of the Kazakh SSR over the production of military orders and the commissioning of evacuated enterprise»
Alma-Ata, December 8, 1941.

Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan «On collecting the roots of natural thickets Tau-sagyz »
Alma-Ata, July 14, 1941.

Diagram for the report of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan on «Defense Industry», Alma-Ata, October 1943.

Diagram for the report of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan «Oil Industry»,
Alma-Ata, October 1943.

Information from the Department of Defense Industry of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan on the production of the main types of ammunition and weapons by enterprises of the defense industry of Kazakhstan
for 1943 and 1944

Diagram for the report of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan on «Military Defense Activities», Alma-Ata, October 1943.

Resolution of the Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan on on-the-job training for aviation personnel,
July 14, 1941.

Application of 10th-grade student A. Savchenko to the Almaty branch of Osoaviakhim requesting admission to the Alma-Ata Flight School,
May 1943

Order of the Main Artillery Directorate of the Red Army on awarding Senior Sergeant M. Kalashnikov
Moscow, January 19, 1943.

Minutes of the meeting of the Republican Commission under the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan on military inventions regarding the development by Sergeant M. Kalashnikov of a submachine gun for the command and political staff of the Red Army
Alma-Ata, June 26, 1942

Drawing diagram: General view of the mortar, January 7, 1941.

- F.K. Danenova, Party official of Karaganda region.

By September 1941, more than 2,000 women of various ages across the Kazakh SSR had completed training courses to become tractor drivers, combine operators, and transport drivers.
In the regional center and Nurinsky District, training courses were organized at the Chernigov and Kyzyl-Kazakh Machine and Tractor Stations (MTS), enrolling a total of 148 trainees.
The local movement "Women — to the tractor, to the combine’s helm!" was initiated by Raihan Aubakirova, a collective farmer from the agricultural artel named after Voroshilov.
Soon after, in the area served by the Kyzyl-Kazakh MTS alone, 40 young women completed training and began working as tractor and combine operators.
They worked in two shifts, operating XTZ, ChTZ, and Universal tractors, as well as Stalinets-6 and Kommunar towed combines. Due to severe equipment shortages, they often had to plow and cut hay using oxen or cows, and in many cases, sow seeds by hand.
The young women lived in dormitories at the MTS, often sharing minimal accommodations. Their earnings were modest, often paid in kind, and many donated their entire wages to the Defense Fund.
These women not only kept agricultural production going during one of the darkest periods of the 20th century but also became symbols of perseverance, solidarity, and patriotic dedication on the home front.

The Daily Realities of Wartime

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A pupil of the orphanage, a worker of the Two Hundred movement, B. Majanova.

*Z. Batakova, Tractor Driver
Stalin Collective Farm, [?-?]

First Field Operation of a Young Female Tractor Driver [?-?]

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Article about Women Taking On the Jobs of Men Mobilized to the FrontLeninsky District, Semipalatinsk Region
November 27, 1941

Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan
«On measures for training qualified female workers for employment in industrial enterprises, institutions, and organizations of the Republic»,
Alma-Ata, July 17, 1941.

Resolution of the Council of People’s Commissars of the Kazakh SSR and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan «On the training of women to work on tractors, combines, and motor vehicles», Alma-Ata, July 7, 1941.

The Establishment of Evacuation Hospitals

During the war years, more than 5.5 million people across the Soviet Union became blood donors — 90% of them were women.
One such woman was V.I. Kiryushkina, an honorary donor of the USSR. The following is an excerpt from her correspondence with a wounded soldier recovering in a Pavlodar evacuation hospital:
“Dear Comrade Valya,
Thank you so much for the blood you donated for me.
Your blood brought me back to life. I feel strong again and will soon return to the ranks of our soldiers.
I wish you good health.
Just like us, by saving lives with your blood, you are defending our Motherland.”
The patriotic donor movement led to the rapid creation of a nationwide system of blood transfusion institutes and stations, which helped save hundreds of thousands of soldiers’ lives.
Women not only filled factories and hospitals—they gave of themselves, literally, to sustain the lives of those fighting on the front lines.

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Donors of Evacuation Hospital No. 1279(August 13, 1941 – September 4, 1943, 250 beds)
Alma-Ata, [?-?]

A Group of Staff Members and Recovering War Veteransof the Evacuation Hospital for Disabled Veterans of the Great Patriotic War
Alma-Ata, Second Half of the 1940s
Electronic Collection of the Presidential Archive of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Evacuation Hospital No. 4151
Medeu, 1942–1945

Evacuation Hospital No. 4151
Medeu, 1942–1945

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The plan for the deployment of evacuation hospitals using hospitals, sanatoriums, rest homes, and other facilities, July 20, 1941

Collection of Poems by Wounded Soldiersof Evacuation Hospital
No. 3582

Medical Certificate on the Wounding of Senior Lieutenant M.A. Zhikharev99th Rifle Division, 206th Regiment
April 25, 1945

Report of the Administrative Department of the Council of People’s Commissars of the Kazakh SSR"On Expenses for the Equipment and Adaptation of Evacuation Hospital Facilities"
Alma-Ata, July 20, 1941

List of Hospitals Located in the City of Alma-Ata

Monetary Contributions to the USSR Defense Fund

Document Archive

Document Archive

Information on the contributions of funds and products by Kazakhstanis to the USSR Defense Fund, August 19, 1942.

Information from the Secretary of the Regional Committee of the Komsomol of Kazakhstan, Nugmanov, to the Secretary of the Central Committee of the Komsomol of Kazakhstan, Baimishev, on raising funds for the construction of fighter aircraft, December 19, 1942

Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan «On the establishment of the National Defense Fund and the procedure for donating agricultural products to this fund», Alma-Ata, August 2, 1941.

Letter from the Secretary of the Komsomol Central Committee of Kazakhstan, V. Yakupov, to the Secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party , I. Stalin, regarding the funds collected for the construction of the Komsomol of Kazakhstan tank column and the Bread for the Red Army Fund, Alma-Ata, 1943.

In 2025, we mark 80 years since the Victory in the Great Patriotic War (1941–1945) — a defining moment of the 20th century that reshaped global history and left a lasting impact on millions of lives.
For the people of the former Soviet Union, the war became a true test of unity, strength, and endurance.

From the early days of the conflict, Kazakhstan began forming major military units and independent detachments.
By the summer and fall of 1941, 1,500 square kilometers of western Soviet territory, home to over 74 million people, had fallen under enemy occupation.
In this critical period, the support of rear regions became vital, with eastern areas, including Kazakhstan, bearing the brunt of supplying manpower and resources.

Kazakhstan rose to the challenge:
• 1.2 million people were drafted into the army
• Over 700,000 were mobilized into labor armies and construction units
• More than 70% of the male population aged 18–50 served in the armed forces
• During the war, every fourth resident of the republic wore a military uniform

The toll was immense: over 600,000 Kazakhstani soldiers perished, with half of those drafted never returning home.

Kazakhstanis fought on all fronts of the Great Patriotic War.
More than 500 Kazakhstani soldiers were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union, including four double recipients.
113 individuals became full Cavaliers of the Order of Glory, having received all three classes of the award.
While victory was secured on the battlefield, it was forged in the rear.
The outcome of the war heavily depended on the wartime economy and the massive, unprecedented evacuation of productive capacities.
Between June and December 1941, 1,530 major industrial plants and workshops were relocated to the Soviet rear — over 200 of them to Kazakhstan.
The republic quickly became a key arsenal of the front.
From the first months of the war, Kazakhstan’s industrial base was converted to military production.
Its raw material resources played a critical role in replacing the lost reserves from the occupied western territories.
The war effort was supported by:
The Karaganda coal basin (“the third coal furnace of the USSR”)
The Tekeli polymetallic and Akchatau molybdenum-tungsten plants
The East Kounrad molybdenum, Zhezdy manganese, and Donskoy chromium mines
The Balkhash metallurgists, Zhezkazgan copper smelters, and lead producers of Shymkent and Leninogorsk
During the war years, Kazakhstan provided:
85% of all Soviet lead production
70% of polymetallic ore
65% of metallic bismuth
50% of copper ore
30% of refined copper
20% of tungsten
60% of molybdenum
The Zhezdy manganese mine alone supplied 50–60% of the manganese ore needed by the Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works, a key component for armor-grade alloy steel.
Out of every 100 tons of molybdenum mined in the country during the war, 60 tons came from Balkhash.
Enterprises of light and local industries were also redirected to military needs.
For example, Kazakhstan produced enough summer military uniforms to equip 487 divisions, and gear and equipment sufficient for 245 divisions.

As the war progressed, the eastern regions of the USSR, including Kazakhstan, became the primary base for supplying food to both the army and civilian population.
In the first autumn of the war alone, Kazakhstani agricultural workers delivered 100 million poods of grain, which was 24 million more than in 1940.
In 1942, grain contributions to the state exceeded those of 1941, and in 1944, they were 20.6 million poods higher than in 1943.
Despite enormous strain, the livestock sector met and exceeded production goals.
Between 1941 and 1943, compared to the prewar average (1938–1940), deliveries increased by:
66.5% for meat
18.7% for milk
38.1% for wool
Over the course of the war, rural workers provided more agricultural output than in the previous five peacetime years, including:
30.8 million additional poods of grain
15,800 additional centners of meat
14,400 centners of potatoes and vegetables
176,000 centners of wool
Victory in the Great Patriotic War was a world-historic event. Humanity was saved from the threat of fascism.
The memory of this victory lives on in the hearts of people.
Grateful generations will always remember and honor the heroic contribution of the Kazakh people, who played a vital role in the defeat of fascism.
The exhibition presented here features both well-known and previously unpublished documents and photographs that illuminate Kazakhstan’s wartime story — from the participation of its military units in major battles, to the mobilization of the economy for war, the creation of a powerful defense-industrial complex, and the transformation of the republic into a strategic arsenal of the front.

Among the materials presented are both official documents—such as the Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Kazakhstan on the Formation of National Military Units in the Kazakh SSR dated November 14, 1941, and the Resolution of the Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Kazakhstan on the Presentation of Banners of the Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh SSR to the 100th and 101st National Rifle Brigades and the 105th National Cavalry Division dated May 21, 1942—and personal records, including letters from Kazakh soldiers to their families.
The exhibition also features photographs taken by journalists and amateur photographers, including images of Kazakh divisions departing for the front, notably the 316th Rifle Division, letters of gratitude to Kazakh soldiers signed by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, and frontline bulletin posters.
Among the rare exhibits are documents such as voluntary enlistment applications, the autobiography of Baurzhan Momyshuly, a letter from Talgat Abdybekov, and many others.
A special section is devoted to wartime periodicals. Newspapers during the war not only informed—they motivated and served as a vital bridge between the front and the home front.
Of particular note is “Otandy qorğauda” (“In Defense of the Homeland”), a Kazakh-language supplement to the Leningrad Front newspaper “On Guard of the Motherland”, published from 1942 to 1945. Through this paper, soldiers received news, learned military strategy, and became familiar with new military terminology.
In 2019, the family of T. Ashimbaev donated a preserved archive of this newspaper to the Presidential Archive of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Part of the exhibition is dedicated to Kazakh women—those who served in combat, labored on the home front, or performed for troops as part of concert brigades. It also pays tribute to teenagers who replaced men at industrial plants after they were drafted to war.
Numerous documents and photographs bear witness to the fundraising efforts of the Kazakh people in support of the USSR’s Defense Fund.
Efforts to document wartime events began as early as December 1941, with the creation of the Commission on the History of the Great Patriotic War under the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, also known as the Mints Commission, after its founder.
This initiative launched a systematic collection of materials from both the front and rear, thanks to which countless valuable testimonies have survived—priceless to the preservation of history.