Evacuation of Industry to the Territory of Kyrgyzstan

Placement and Restoration of Relocated Factories and Plants in Kyrgyzstan

In the summer of 1942, due to the breakthrough of German-fascist troops in the southeast direction, it became necessary to evacuate the population, part of the industrial enterprises, collective farm property, and cultural values from the war zone to the East once again. From June to December 1942, equipment from the vegetable-canning plant in the city of Kharabali, Astrakhan region, the alcohol plant (city of Ertil) and the sugar plant (city of Romanye) in the Voronezh region, and the "Red Metalworker" plant in the city of Ordzhonikidze, North Ossetian ASSR, was transported to Kyrgyzstan. In total, from July 1941 to December 1942, 38 large industrial enterprises were evacuated to our republic. A significant amount of work was required to place and restore the relocated facilities, ensuring their workforce, raw materials, energy, and transportation means.

During the First World War, Tsarist Russia did not evacuate enterprises from the front-line zone to colonial Kyrgyzstan. However, even if this had happened, such a task would have been beyond the capabilities of the backward patriarchal-feudal region. Socialist Kyrgyzstan, with the material and technical potential developed during the pre-war five-year plans, successfully and in the shortest possible time addressed completely new and difficult military-economic tasks of placement and restoration of relocated factories and plants.

The first large metalworking enterprises arrived in our republic from July to September 1941. The Council of People's Commissars and the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Kyrgyzstan developed and implemented a series of organizational and economic measures.

Issues regarding the placement of the May Day agricultural machinery plant, the hemp-jute factory, and the Kharkov chemical-pharmaceutical plant were considered; discussions were held on the acceptance and placement of evacuated light industry enterprises, locations were determined, measures were planned for organizing the unloading and delivery of equipment to the designated areas, and deadlines for their installation and commissioning were established. Throughout this process, priority was given to enterprises producing military products, non-ferrous metallurgy, and the chemical industry. They were the first to be provided with production areas, labor, raw materials, energy resources, and transportation.

Among all the evacuated, the largest industrial facilities retained their independence, including metalworking plants, shoe factory No. 2, hemp-jute, alcohol, and chemical-pharmaceutical plants. The equipment of others was merged with existing and related enterprises to expand their capacities. Finally, new plants were created on the basis of the combined incomplete equipment of several related enterprises.

The foundation of all these activities was the Leninist principle of rational placement of productive forces, which ensured the creation of a coordinated and rapidly growing military production. About 90% of the evacuated enterprises were located in the Chui Valley, and 10% in the Osh, Jalal-Abad, and Issyk-Kul regions.

The restoration of relocated facilities was carried out on a broad front and at an accelerated pace. The equipment and personnel of the Berdyansk Agricultural Engineering Plant arrived in Frunze in mid-October 1941.

On its basis and the workshops merged with it from the Frunze Mechanical Plant, a new enterprise was created—the Agricultural Engineering Plant. On October 20, the installation of machines began in the buildings of the former artels "Intergelpo" and "Furniture Maker." At the same time, the construction of new premises was underway.

People worked hard and selflessly, in any weather for eleven hours, sometimes even around the clock, lacking sleep and food. By November 3, 140 machines had been installed and prepared for launch; by the end of December, this number reached 305.

Already in November-December 1941, the plant began to master the production of new types of products for the front. In 1942-1943, all remaining equipment was restored.

A large light industry enterprise—the Kharkov Sewing Factory named after Osoaviakhim—was relocated to Frunze in December 1941. By February 1942, it already had 308 machines and 27 workers, although it should be noted that the factory was located in a completely unsuitable building. In harsh winter conditions, the equipment for sewing conveyor No. 1 was being installed. In March, the factory produced its first batch of products—uniforms for soldiers.

In April, the second conveyor became operational. By the end of the year, the factory produced goods for the front worth 1,577.5 thousand rubles.

In peacetime, the Osh Silk Reeling Factory served as a raw material base for the country's textile industry. With the arrival in January 1942 of equipment from the silk-weaving and finishing factory evacuated from Pavlovsky Posad in the Moscow region, it was reconstructed, resulting in a new large enterprise—the Osh Silk Combine, with a capacity of over 1 million meters of fabric per year. The twisting-weaving factory of the combine, located in the former cocoon warehouses and auxiliary workshop buildings, produced 17.6 thousand meters of parachute silk from August to December 1942, despite difficulties in fuel, steam, and electricity supply, and while operating in three shifts.

The National Economy of the Kyrgyz Republic on Military Rails