İKİNCİ DÜNYA SAVAŞI YILLARINDA KIRGIZ HALKININ CEPHEYE GÖNDERDİĞİ YARDIMLARA BİR BAKIŞ

PhD Candidate Gulkayır OROZBAYEVA , Assoc. Prof. Leyla DERVİŞ

The Second World War stands as one of the most devastating events in human history, inflicting extensive damage and destruction globally. This epoch was characterized by the loss of millions of lives, the obliteration of numerous cities, the upheaval of economies, and a radical transformation in political balances. While this war has been comprehensively studied in a general context, the impact of the Second World War on Turkic peoples and their active participation remains a relatively understudied facet. In recent years, the gradual unveiling of Russian archives has garnered increased scholarly attention toward investigating the role and contributions of Turkic peoples during the Second World War. Turkic peoples played an active role in the conflict, engaging in significant military operations on various fronts and enduring substantial casualties. Simultaneously, they operated both during and post-war behind the front lines, furnishing essential sustenance and material assistance to the war fronts. Despite contending with economic difficulties and famine within their borders, the Turkic regions of the Soviet Union extended diverse forms of aid and gifts to bolster the military endeavors throughout the wartime period. These regions predominantly encompassed the Central Asian Republics of the Soviet Union and Turkic ethnic groups in the Caucasus. Throughout this era, the Turkic regions of the Soviet Union, notwithstanding the economic adversities of war, dispatched relief supplies, food, and other resources to the front lines to address the exigencies of the civilian populace. This support not only buttressed the war effort but also augmented the resilience of the Soviet war economy.
This study specifically delves into the contributions of the Kyrgyz people, a Turkic ethnic group, during the Second World War. The primary objective is to scrutinize archival documents detailing the aid sent by the Kyrgyz to the front lines and underscore the significance of these contributions. Within this framework, the endeavors of the Kyrgyz people behind the front lines will be elucidated through the examination of pertinent documents.

Keywords: Second World War, Eastern Front, Red Army, Kyrgyz people, Aid.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.58642/kutbilim
Publication date: 29.12.2023

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