Northern River Shipping Company during the Great Patriotic War (1941–1945)

Abstract

The article focuses on the activities of the Northern River Shipping Company during the Great Patriotic War. The author analyzes the problems which the river transport workers of the Northern Dvina Basin faced after the outbreak of war and in subsequent years, as well as various ways to solve those problems year by year. Based on the analysis of the archival documents, which for the most part served as the main historical sources for this article, the author concludes that due to the ruthless exploitation during the war, the fleet fell into decline and was literally kept afloat mostly by the heroic effort of its workers, 70 percent of whom were women, elderly men, and children.

Keywords

• great patriotic war
• inland waterway transport
• northern river shipping company