What Soviet Periodicals Can Tell Us About the Propaganda on the Women’s Service in the USSR’s Armed Forces (1941-1945)

Abstract

The materials of Soviet newspapers are an important source for studying the policy of the regime regarding the service of women in the armed forces of the USSR. Based on the frequency of publication of these materials, the date of their publication, and the content, it is possible to make assumptions about the need for female personnel in the armed forces during a particular period of war, as well as to highlight and evaluate the government’s propaganda concerning female soldiers in general. However, the thematic articles contained almost no specifics about the service of women in the armed forces of the USSR as a mass phenomenon – they did not provide data on the establishment of women’s military units, general statistics on the presence of women in the Army, conscription data, etc. The totalitarian regime kept this information secret, unlike other members of the anti-Hitler coalition.

Keywords

• periodicals
• ussr
• women
• armed forces
• soviet-german war