*** World War II -- Soviet soldiers age












World War II: Soviet Soldiers--Age


Figure 1.-- We do not know the name of this Red Armny boy soldier. The award he wears is the Order of Glory. It was a ribbon often awarded to enlisted men for heroic acts. This boy may have been part of a reconnaisance unit.

There was a long history of conspription in Tsarist Russia. This and the War were attacked by the Bolsheviks. After seizing power the Bolsheviks at first made do ith voluntary forces. Trotsky reintroduced conscription at the onset of the Russian Civil War (June 1918). We note many images of Soviet boys and engaged in the struggle against the NAZI invaders. Some are clearly in the Red Army. Others are with the Partisans. In some cases it is difficult to determine. Marshal Klemenly Voroshiloff, Commisar of War, just before the outbreak of War announced the proposed Military Training Law which lowered the conscription age from 19 to 17, abolished most exemptions to service, and established two reserves, including women (August 31, 1939). There have in recent years been considerable press treatment of child soldiers. Many horrific accounts describe the damage done to society and the children themselves. we note images of boys in the Red Army. Clearly young people below the age of conscription joined the Red Army. Given the fact that the NAZIs committed wide spread atrocities against civilians, including women and children, the idea of keeping children out of the War becomes a rather unrealistic concept. Many children worked with the partisans in the occupied areas, but we also notice boys in Red Army uniforms. Thus the Soviets clearly accepted volunteers below the age of conscription. We are not sure how common this practice was or how important. We suspect that many of the boys that fought with the Red Army were children who had become separated from their parents or whose parents had been killed.

Conscription

There was aong history of conspription in Tsarist Russia. Men could be conscripted forv 30 years. This and the War were attacked by the Bolsheviks. After seizing power the Bolsheviks at first made do with voluntary forces. Trotsky reintroduced conscription at the onset of the Russian Civil War (June 1918). We are not sure about conscription after the Civil War. The Soviet Union approved a new constitution after Stalin was in full control (1936). It is sometims called the Stalin Contitution. It emphasized the liability of every citizen for military service ['The Red Army Infantrymn'] Article 133 of the Constitution stated that "the defense of the fatherland is the sacred duty of every citizen of the U.S.S.R." The Universal Military Service law of 1939 provided details onconscription. All male citizens "regardless of race, nationality, religious belief, educational qualifications, social origin, and position" were subject to military service. The age of conscription was set at 19 years. One source suggests tht The recruits were called early if they finished middle school. Deferments were granted to those not physically fit and to individuals needed for a range ofmostly economic and social reason reasons, including scientists, rural school teachers, and certain essential industrial workers. ['The Red Army Infantrymn'] The proforma Soviet Parliament unanimously ratified Stalin's and Hitler's NAZI-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact which made World War II possible (August 31, 1939). Anticipating the war to come, Marshal Klemenly Voroshiloff, Soviet Commisar of War, on the same day just before the outbreak of War announced details of the new Military Training Law. It lowered the conscription age from 19 to 17 years, abolished most exemptions to service, and established two reserves, including women (August 31, 1939).

Education

We note this assessment of the basic education of Red Army soldiers from a period America source, "The average Red Army soldier has completed 10 years of schooling if he is from one of the major cities. If he is from a rural district, he will probably have had at least 7 years of schooling. All during these school years, he has been indoctrinated with the thought that military service is an honor and a patriotic obligation. He has been given military drill, and has had his body built up through exercise all through the first 7 years of school. From the eight through the tenth grades, he has been given preconscription training that is similar to our C.M.T.C. program, but more intensive. The program includes some small-arm range training, 2 weeks of summer military camps, and some company tactics. In short, the Red Army soldier gets a large share of what we call 'basic training' before he enters the army." ['The Red Army Infantrymn']

Children

We note many images of Soviet boys and engaged in the struggle against the NAZI invaders. Some are clearly in the Red Army. Others are with the Partisans. Ohers may have been Sons of the Regiment. In some cases it is difficult to determine. There have in recent years been considerable press treatment of child soldiers. Many horrific accounts describe the damage done to society and the children themselves. we note images of boys in the Red Army. Clearly young people below the age of conscription joined the Red Army. Given the fact that the NAZIs committed wide spread attrocities against civilians, including women and children, the idea of keeping children out of the War becomes a rather unrealistic concept. Although unknown to the Russians at te time, the German Generalplan Ost was genocidal. It is of course absurd to use the modern concerns over child soldiers given the Germnan war aims and brutal conduct of the Wehrmacht.

Youth

The children we see in Red Army units were in many ways excerptions. Notice that they are usually a single child soldier surrounded by adults. Often boys whose parents had been killed by the NAZIs and adopted by units encountering them. Children of course do not make the best soldiers. Thy are not only too small to handle many weapons weapons, but there psychological and physical constitution simply do not qualify them for military service. Nor are children able to tolerate the rigor of military service. Youth meaning teenagers are another matter. They may not be as capable as adults, but they can make effective soldiers. This is especially the case for older teens by 16--17 years o age. We note many youth in Red Army units, boys that are younger that the 17 year conscript regulation. We see this in group photographs of Red Army units by the end of the War. There were several factors at play here. First and perhaps more important, the Soviet Union was running out of men and older teens to conscript. We often hear the Soviet Union as having a bottomless reservoir of bodies to conscript. There is not such thing as a bottomless reservoir, and the Soviets were reaching the limits of the their manpower possibilities. Military losses had been enormous, often placed at about 11 million men. (This includes the 3.5 million Soviet POWs murdered by the Germans.) The Germans were very good at war. And Soviet commanders were willing to throw manpower at difficult objectives. The Germans were bring driven west, but at enormous cost. Second, there was a evasive burst of patriotic outrage at both the German invasion and the barbarity of the German forces. This was fueled as in Germany with state propaganda. Thus a lot of youth wanted to join. And the recruiting personnel were not all that discerning about ages. Children were rejected, but teenagers were often accepted, especially if they had begun the growth spurt that come with the teens. Third was food. The Germans had occupied much of the rhe Soviet Union's most productive agricultural areas. Thus food became a real problem for the Sovits, only partially relieved by American Lend Lease. It is notable given the military needs, how much of Lend Lease was food shipments. Children were afforded special rations, but after 12 years of age, rations were reduced unless children had jobs. (Remember at the time, many Soviet children ended their education with primary school.) Thus youth were motivated to either get a job in war industries or join the forces. Otherwise they faced starvation.

Sources

"The Red Army Infantryman, "Intelligence Bulletin (June 1946).






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Created: 5:49 AM 3/20/2005
Last updated: 11:15 PM 9/8/2012