On August 25, 1941, German troops occupied VelIkiye LUki. The Nazis created a system of camps and prisons and carried out a mass extermination of the civilian population. Many residents of Velikiye Luki were driven into German slavery.
Under the ‘new order’, active resistance to the enemy began. Underground groups were formed in the city, and among them were anti-fascist organizations in a printing house, a steam locomotive repair plant, a locomotive depot and a power plant.
The underground members committed many acts of sabotage. At the power plant, they disabled the AC generator and the pumping station. At the steam locomotive and car repair plant, the shops and the ammunition depot were set on fire, and leaflets were printed and distributed.
The underground group in the city printing house was headed by its director VasIly TsvetkOv. The organization included RodiOn BogdAnov, AntonIna GusEva, EgOr KolpakOv, NadEzhda NechAyeva, and the old watchman BonifAtiy Kork. To print anti-Nazi leaflets, the members of the underground organization used fonts hidden before the enemy attack. The leaflets said: ‘Let’s join our forces and help our valiant Red Army.’
The head of the underground organization of the steam locomotive and car repair plant Fokin established contact with Tsvetkov to coordinate the anti-Nazi activities of both underground organizations. At the same time, they agreed that Tsvetkov would write and print the leaflets, and the members of the other organizations would distribute them.
Even the children helped the underground organizations: they secretly transported leaflets hidden between rugs.
Under the ‘new order’, active resistance to the enemy began. Underground groups were formed in the city, and among them were anti-fascist organizations in a printing house, a steam locomotive repair plant, a locomotive depot and a power plant.
The underground members committed many acts of sabotage. At the power plant, they disabled the AC generator and the pumping station. At the steam locomotive and car repair plant, the shops and the ammunition depot were set on fire, and leaflets were printed and distributed.
The underground group in the city printing house was headed by its director VasIly TsvetkOv. The organization included RodiOn BogdAnov, AntonIna GusEva, EgOr KolpakOv, NadEzhda NechAyeva, and the old watchman BonifAtiy Kork. To print anti-Nazi leaflets, the members of the underground organization used fonts hidden before the enemy attack. The leaflets said: ‘Let’s join our forces and help our valiant Red Army.’
The head of the underground organization of the steam locomotive and car repair plant Fokin established contact with Tsvetkov to coordinate the anti-Nazi activities of both underground organizations. At the same time, they agreed that Tsvetkov would write and print the leaflets, and the members of the other organizations would distribute them.
Even the children helped the underground organizations: they secretly transported leaflets hidden between rugs.
These events are recounted in the memoirs of the city resident:
