Marking the 75th anniversary of the Great Victory. War posters entered the Presidential Library’s collections

More than 80 posters of the Great Patriotic War from the collections of the Military-Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineer and Signal Corps of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation were digitized and presented in the public domain on the Presidential Library’s portal. They will become part of the large-scale electronic collection Memory of the Great Victory.

Posters were published in Moscow and Leningrad in 1941-1944. Most of them were intended to raise the morale of the military and civilians. Inspirational slogans and quotes, as well as vivid images of fearless Soviet people who embarked on the fight against the enemy are the main features of these campaign materials. Among the new acquisitions are the posters “Red Army Soldier! “Fight boldly and steadfastly with the enemy for the lives of children, for the honor of the wife, for the home, for the Motherland!” by artists Viktor Ivanov and Olga Burova, “Hit like this: whatever shell, or tank!” by artist Victor Koretsky, “Women collective farmers! Replace the harvesters who have gone to the front!” by artist Grigory Likman and others.

The Presidential Library’s portal provides posters that during the war spoke about significant events. Using these visual materials, people learned official information about the state of affairs at the front and about the successes of the army. For example, thanks to the work of artist Solomon Boim in 1943, the population became aware that in the battles for Stalingrad from January 10 to February 2, the Soviet military captured 24 generals, 2,500 officers and 91,000 soldiers. 

Other posters were dedicated to the exploits of heroes who risked their lives for others. The work of the artist Schillingofsky “Glory to the heroes of the Soviet land. The feat of the teammate Claudia Pavlova” reflects the moment when, during a fierce battle, the girl carried and hid the wounded Soviet soldiers on her shoulders on German occupied land. “After the battle, Claudia made her way to them and carried them all a few kilometers to her own, for which she received praise and high approval personally from Marshal Voroshilov”, - we read on the poster.

Among the materials provided by the Military-Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineer and Signal Corps are also posters depicting famous military leaders, political figures, Heroes of the Soviet Union. The Presidential Library’s portal features portraits of Supreme Commander-in-Chief Joseph Stalin, Colonel General Andrei Zhdanov, military pilot Nikolai Gastello and others.

All the materials devoted to the Great Patriotic War are presented in the collection of the Presidential Library Memory of the Great Victory. It includes official documents, photo and newsreels, newspapers, books, propaganda publications, collections of articles, biographies, testimonies of participants in combat battles and rear workers, their personal documents, images of military and labor awards, monuments and memorial complexes. The collection has been formed since 2010 and contains more than 24 thousand storage items and is constantly added.