In March 1941, the Soviet government adopted the “Regulations on the personal accounting of losses and the burial of the dead personnel of the Red Army in wartime”. According to this document, after each battle, the unit commander was obliged to check the personnel and report on irretrievable losses.
Upon establishing the death of a serviceman and the place of their burial, the headquarters of the regiment sent an official notice — form number 4 — to the next of kin at the address indicated in the personal data. If there were no contacts, then the notice was sent to the military commissariat, from where the soldier was called. Then the family of the deceased received the same form 4, but on behalf of the district military commissariat.
The missing fighters were listed as temporarily retired for 15 days. On expiration of the period, they were entered onto the list of irretrievable losses. After 45 days, relatives were notified of the missing.
During the war, a number of decrees appeared concerning the provision of assistance to the families of fallen soldiers. In particular, by decree of the Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR, issued in June 1941, pensions were assigned to the families of the Red Army commanders and soldiers who died or went missing in the battles for the Fatherland. The pensions paid varied from 30 to 60% of the maintenance salary, based on the number of children, the elderly and other dependents. Cash payments for military orders, if any, were added to the pensions.
In the first months of the war, notices were often written by hand on plain paper. They looked like ordinary triangular letters from the front-line. Then, printed forms 4 became widespread. They had a standard format indicating the name of the deceased, the military rank, family relationship with the addressee (“Your husband/son/brother”), place of birth, cause of death and place of burial.
The exposition presents a notice issued in the name of Grigory Demyanovich Krapivko. He served in the Black Sea Fleet as a political commissar of the 2nd company of the 18th marine battalion. He died on December 17, 1941 during the defense of Sevastopol. On that day, the forces of the 11th Army of the German Field Marshal Erich von Manstein launched a second assault on the city, which ended in their defeat.
Upon establishing the death of a serviceman and the place of their burial, the headquarters of the regiment sent an official notice — form number 4 — to the next of kin at the address indicated in the personal data. If there were no contacts, then the notice was sent to the military commissariat, from where the soldier was called. Then the family of the deceased received the same form 4, but on behalf of the district military commissariat.
The missing fighters were listed as temporarily retired for 15 days. On expiration of the period, they were entered onto the list of irretrievable losses. After 45 days, relatives were notified of the missing.
During the war, a number of decrees appeared concerning the provision of assistance to the families of fallen soldiers. In particular, by decree of the Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR, issued in June 1941, pensions were assigned to the families of the Red Army commanders and soldiers who died or went missing in the battles for the Fatherland. The pensions paid varied from 30 to 60% of the maintenance salary, based on the number of children, the elderly and other dependents. Cash payments for military orders, if any, were added to the pensions.
In the first months of the war, notices were often written by hand on plain paper. They looked like ordinary triangular letters from the front-line. Then, printed forms 4 became widespread. They had a standard format indicating the name of the deceased, the military rank, family relationship with the addressee (“Your husband/son/brother”), place of birth, cause of death and place of burial.
The exposition presents a notice issued in the name of Grigory Demyanovich Krapivko. He served in the Black Sea Fleet as a political commissar of the 2nd company of the 18th marine battalion. He died on December 17, 1941 during the defense of Sevastopol. On that day, the forces of the 11th Army of the German Field Marshal Erich von Manstein launched a second assault on the city, which ended in their defeat.
