A POCKET GUIDE TO TH E WAR AND NAVY DEPARTMENTS WASHINGTON, D . C. CO T S For use of military personnel only. Not to be Page republished, in whole or in part, without the Introduction 1 consent of the War Department. The Soviet Government 4 The Economic System 7 Nationality 9 Geography and Climate 10 The Soviet Union Counterattacks 13 Men and Machines 16 Wartime Life in Russia 19 Drama-Music-Literature-Sports 23 Rules for Health 30 Check List of Do's 32 Prepared by And Don'ts 33 ARMY INFORMATION BRANCH, A .S .F. Soviet Uniforms and Army Grades 34 UNITED STATES ARMY Soviet Awards and Decorations 37 Financial Guide 39 Weights and Measures 42 Speak Russian 43 Language Guide 14 UNTRODUCIli0 N On duty in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the largest country on the face of the earth, you may be stationed in a sub-tropical climate or within a stone' s throw of the Arctic Circle. You may be in rugged mountains or on the steppe, which is level as far as the eye can see. The people will vary as much as the climate ; the population of the Soviet Union consists of a grea t variety of peoples, each with its own culture, art, musi c and language. However, the predominant language o f the Soviet Union is Russian ; and, if you take the time and effort necessary to learn it, it will serve you well i n any section of the country . The U.S.S.R. is one of the most active theatres of oper- ation of the present war. The Soviet Union has bee n fighting Germany since June 1941 . The Red Army has won great victories, after having withstood many initia l defeats. You should make it a point to remember that , in their march toward victory, the civilian population, as well as the Red Army, has undergone many hardship s and suffered many casualties . The most densely popu- lated and most productive section of the country was over-run by the Germans . In areas recaptured by the cal exertion . The Russians know from first-hand experi- Red Army, Allied military observers have been astonishe d ence what total mobilization means . by the total destruction wrought by the Germans befor e Wherever your duties may take you in the Sovie t their evacuation . In European Russia, it is difficult t o Union, you will find the people extremely conscious o f find a single person who has not lost at Ieast one relative the war . However, Russians do not spend all thei r during the war . time at the serious business of war. You will find enter- It may seem to you that there is a pitiful lack of thing s tainment facilities such as theaters, motion pictures an d to buy, especially food ; but you must realize that all the public sports clubs to which you, as a soldier of on e resources and reserves of the Soviet Union have bee n of the United Nations, will be welcome. mobilized and organized with one purpose in view-TO You will find the Russian people very proud of thei r WIN THE WAR . Some of the people may appea r country and of their efforts to industrialize it during the shabby, or very plainly dressed, but they have been wear - ing past quarter of a century . At the same time, they admire those same clothes for nearly three years with almos t American technical ability and are quick to praise Amer- no opportunity to replace even the most essential items ican craftsmanship . One of the principal ambitions o f of apparel. Soviet Russia is to build an industrial organization Russian men and women have been completely mobil- similar to that of America, but on a different economi c ized to furtherthe war effort. As in all the United basis. Nations, a very great percentage of the ablebodied me n The Russians are a friendly and congenial people . are in the armed forces . However, there is also a grea t They will entertain you as well as they possibly can, but number of women in the Red Army and the Red Navy . the chances are they are much more interested in hearin g In - addition, essential war industries have absorbed a your comments, as an American, about the accomplish- large percentage of the population . In industry, women ments of their country than in hearing you boast about have filled many of the positions requiring heavy physi - your own nation . If you make any comments be sure 2 3 that what you say is well thought-out and based on On this basis, generally speaking, the U .S.S.R. is knowledge of the subject being discussed. For this, i t organized into political units possessing relative influence is necessary to understand the country and the people . in the Soviet of Nationalities as follows : The following pages will serve to give a basis for bette r Union Republics (25 deputies) . These units are the understanding of the Soviet Union, its peoples, its prob- largest, have the most political prestige, and are more lems, and its aims. politically advanced than the lesser units which they . These lesser units, in order of rank, are : T AE aOV@ET GOVERN M may include Autonomous Republics (11 deputies) . Non-Russian The basic law of the Soviet Union is the Constitution . of 1936. people, chiefly, make up the population of these units ( "Autonomous " means self-governing) . The chief law-making body or legislature is called th e . These are racia l Supreme Soviet (Supreme Council) . Autonomous Regions (5 deputies) units less advanced politically, but still self-governing Two chambers with equal legislative rights make up . the Supreme Soviet. These two chambers are the Soviet in local affairs of the Union, and the Soviet of Nationalities . National Areas (1 deputy) . These are the lowes t The Soviet of the Union is elected by the citizens o f ranking groups which are nevertheless represented i n the U.S.S.R. on the basis of one deputy for every 300,000 the Supreme Soviet . of the population . The smallest political unit in the Soviet Union is the The Soviet of Nationalities is also elected by the citi- simple "cell" or "council", for which the Russian word zens of the U.S.S.R., but by a system whose main idea is is soviet . This form of organization is duplicated at to permit representation of all racial, linguistic or other all levels of the Soviet governmental structure to it s unified population groups ; as well as the representatio n highest form in the Supreme Soviet. of groups having common economic interests . Laws may be initiated by either chamber of the 4 5 Supreme Soviet, and a law is considered adopted i f Marshal J . V. Stalin is Secretary-General of the Com- approved by a majority of each house . munist Party. He is also Chairman of the Council of . The Supreme Soviet elects a committee called the People's Commissars Presidium which, in the intervals between sessions of E ECONOMIC SYSTE M the Supreme Soviet, exercises many of its duties an d functions. The economic foundation of the U .S.S.R. is the social- ist system of economy. The Supreme Soviet also elects the Council of People' s Commissars (Sovnarkom), which is the highest adminis- The socialist principle requires public ownership an d trative organ of the U.S.S.R., and is responsible to th e public enterprise rather than private ownership and Supreme Soviet or, between sessions, to the Presidium . private enterprise. n The Council of People's Commissars issues decrees In the U.S.S.R., this system requires the commo and executive orders on the basis of laws in operatio n ownership of the following : and supervises their execution. Each Commissar is. (1) Means of production (mines, factories, farms , responsible for a special field of work : foreign trade , etc.) . banking, defense, heavy machine building, shipbuilding , (2) Means of distribution (railways, etc . ) food supplies, railways, chemical industry, electrical in- (3) Means of exchange (stores, etc . ) dustry, home trade and so forth. Also, this system requires the officially controlled al- The only legal political party in the Soviet Union i s lotment and consumption of all products. the Communist Party . This party guides all important action through instructions from the central organs of There are two forms of socialist property in th e the party to the party members who occupy most of th e U.S.S.R. : important positions in the government . For example, (1) State property (property of the whole people) 7 (2) Collective property (property of co-operating NA HONALRT Y groups, mostly collective farm groups ) Citizens of the Soviet Union are of many races. The State property includes the following : the land, min- population contains representatives of most of the majo r eral deposits, waters, forests, mills, factories, mines, rail - European and Asiatic stocks. Indeed, one area alone, ways, water and air transport, banks, means of com- the Caucasus, with its profusion of nationalities, has bee n munication, large State-organized agricultural enterprises termed an "ethnographical museum" . such as State farms (Sovkoz), machine and tractor sta- In the U.S.S.R. there are Slavic and non-Slavic groups . tions and the like, municipal enterprises, and principa l According to the 1939 census, the Great Russians, dwelling-house properties in the cities and industrial localities. Ukrainians, and White Russians, all basically Slavic i n race and entirely so in language, comprised about 76 pe r Collective property includes the land occupied by the cent of the population.