largely thanks to the feats of labor of workers of Lepse factory, Soviet pilots in the shortest period of time received one of the best military aircrafts of the Second world war – PE-2.
Among the aircraft on which the Soviet pilots attacked the enemy, in a special account stood the famous dive bomber PE-2. It was the first domestic aircraft, operated by using electric mechanisms.
Releasing them was the Moscow factories Lepse (No. 266) and Dzerzhinsky (No. 476). But due to the rapid advance of German troops to the capital in the beginning of the war both companies it was decided to evacuate to Kirov, where the local plant training-technical equipment (KUTSO) up to that time was the largest enterprise in its profile not only in the USSR but also in Europe. Here were five thousand men and producing laboratory instruments, writing materials, machines and tools for school workshops. In October 1940 KUTSO was transferred to the people’s Commissariat of the aircraft industry for production of electric aircraft.
Now the Kirov and the two capital firms, merged in one, had to produce electrical equipment for PE-2, magneto for aircraft engines and hull to hand grenades.
the First echelon with equipment the Moscow factories came to Kirov a month after the outbreak of war – July 21, last November 14. Total received more than 1,500 machines. It all had to be accommodated to the shops by December 15. 40-degree frosts multi-ton machines were pulled through the Windows by means of winches.
with the Kirov came to more than thousands of workers, engineering-technical workers and members of their families. As recalled by the Deputy Director of factory No. 266 Alexander Zenin, kirovchane to meet evacuees approached very seriously: “the Commissariat I said, you have to be prepared for the fact that some people will have to settle in the dugout. But the plant’s management managed to arrange things so that all who had come from Moscow were settled at first, although crowded, but in the houses and barracks, in the heat”.
It was due to the fact that kirovchane condensed to the limit, taking evacuated. The rooms in unimaginable distress lived by three families. In addition, nine barracks were built on the street of Solidarity, where after a hard 12-hour shift, the workers went to help the builders. The building was the clock, the night even had a brass band to lift the spirit, worked the buffet. And house passed in time.
at that time was the complete reorganization of the plant. According to the schedule you had set daily and to put into operation 50 machines, and it was done within a month. In these months in Kirov was evacuated and other defense companies from Moscow, but in the city only for��od imeni Lepse had no unidentified hardware in the warehouse.
In connection with sharp increase of the plan of 1942 (compared with 1941) had for a short time to recruit and train machine and winding operations many workers. They were mostly young people (most girls) from the region.
Department Heads were attached to every qualified worker for the two students. And those who have a little could work, translated work. Newly minted experts tried as quickly as possible to begin to implement the standards. The result is less than six months the bulk of the newcomers began to overtake the skilled workers of Moscow. And in 1944 there was the possibility of resettlement of the liberated people in Moscow.
Suddenly there was a new big problem with the supply of electrical insulating materials. Plant engineers found out that at the Kirov railway junction, after unloading one of the cars was discovered mica lump ore and another piece of equipment for capacitor production.
Under the guidance of a specialist insulation materials (candidate of Sciences, by the way) was designed and manufactured the necessary equipment. A few dozen workers at a special section of split mica pieces to a size of 15-20 microns, glued, dried and polished.
Difficulties were experienced with the fuel. Although in suburbs of Kirov it was a lot, but had a factory vehicle could not get to him due to terrain. Again rescued resourcefulness. At the train station in the dead end down the slope was evacuated piled a lot of scrap, and factory craftsmen saw that it is possible to collect a few tractors. After a month I was ready the first, and six months of tractor Park of the plant increased by five cars on tracks and wheels. And fuel went to the factory.
When they began to encounter shortages of fuel for the foundry, designed and built a gas station. Its employees, using wood blocks and waste, fully met the needs of liteyki. And the waste in resin form chief power was to allow for heating in the boiler as a Supplement.
But even so, winter in the frozen factory shops women labored in harsh conditions. When Alevtina Maltsev came to the factory in December 1941, she was 14 years old. The first week these teenagers, like her, worked for six hours, the second eight, and the third – for 12 hours. With 16 years left of overtime, the working day could reach up to 18 hours.
“In 1942-1943 was a severe frost, and the room was bad heated. In a machine shop is heated from the engines. But in our set up four iron stove, and we say: run, look for on-site firewood. The plant went, tore up the snow. And the cold-tabout what! Go-go, come – we have everything shaking, words can’t say. Hands umerzai scary – we’re always with iron pliers and metal. Gloves because the work will not, but gloves were not. Here’s hand and “perekoverkali,” recalled a veteran.
the Machinery in the factory was not. How to carry from the base of the wire? Coil weighed 50-70 pounds. Fragile girls sent them on a cart pulled by a bull. Then the four of us dragged the coil to the Elevator. But often the electricity was turned off, and then had to carry them up the stairs to the 3rd floor.
help “RG”
For 1941-1945 years, the company produced 60 thousand magneto, 20 generators, 500 thousand umformer (motors generators). 770 factory workers went to the front, 130 did not return from the battlefields. Their names are inscribed on the granite memorial factory. Five lipsense awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, one became a full cavalier of the order of Glory. In the shops where they worked, a memorial plaque. Kirova street bear the names of lipsense Altsybeeva, Melnikov and Krutikova. In September 1945, the Lepse factory, was awarded the order of Lenin. 6010 workers received the medal “For valiant labor in the great Patriotic war of 1941-1945.”
