“VYAZOVKA KURILOVSKY DISTRICT of the SARATOV REGION, the collective FARM collective FARM named after the 7th CONGRESS of SOVIETS ANNA SERGEEVNA SELIVANOVA. Accept my greetings and gratitude to the red Army, Anna, for Your concern about the air force of the red Army. Your wish will be fulfilled. I. STALIN.”
It was the answer of the Supreme Commander to the letter of the Saratov farmers, who conducted her husband to the front, and she left with four children, put on women’s shoulders and my husband’s work. One, with the participation of older daughters, the war was managed from the farm’s apiary. All the honey is handed over to the state, and the part that is owed to her as payment was sent to the front. How? Here is her letter to Stalin.
“Dear Joseph Vissarionovich! I, the ordinary farmers, like all Soviet people, the burning desire to help our red Army to quickly destroy the fascist beast. And I, following the example of others, at the end of 1942, made from personal savings to build combat aircraft 100 000. Your greeting and gratitude sparked in me a desire to render greater assistance to the front. Together with her husband-a soldier bought a second plane and personally delivered it to the pilot Vasily Kuzmich Chibiskova, which on our plane mercilessly smashing the fascists.
I Recently received from the front letter from her husband. Indicating that Ferapont Holovaty bought a second plane, the husband advises me to follow the example of the glorious Saratov farmers. I make from personal funds of 100 000 rubles for the construction of the third combat vehicle and ask You, dear Iosif Vissarionovich, to let me with her husband to hand it to the pilots, where is the tov. Chibeskov. Let the flight of aircraft, built on our labor savings, sowing death among the German-fascist bandits, let my contribution will help our valiant Stalin’s falcons to finish off the enemy. I sincerely wish You, dear Joseph Vissarionovich, health and many more years of life for happiness of our great country. SELIVANOVA ANNA, collective farm collective farm named after the 7th Congress of Soviets, Kurilovskiy district, Saratov oblast”.
Vyazovka is a village in the Saratov region, in the war years – center Kurilovsky district. Therefore here and addressed the telegram to Stalin. And the collective farm named after the 7th Congress of Soviets is a village Strigi, that lived here before the war, during the war and after a friendly and hard-working family Selivanova. In 1958 Kurilovskiy district was eliminated, and Strigi and Vyazovka became part of Bazarno-Karabulak district of Saratov in the same region.
the stories of loved ones, a beekeeper Andrey Selivanov was the case. Neighbour in the same Strike, the family of village teachers gave him two hives with bees. Andrei Romanovich did not hesitate to tips, read, look to the experience of other beekeepers to him matter. In 1937, took its roots all the collective-farm apiary, and an assistant was his wife.
What happened next, and how turned around the lives of the village families with the beginning of the war, was restored by the stories of relatives and documents, the grandson of Andrew and Anna Selivanova – Colonel in the reserve Alexander Krasilnikov. According to him, the summer 41 in Strike been generous with heat and moisture. The crop was excellent, and to remove anyone in the villages were women, children and the elderly. So Anna Selivanova, seeing her husband to the front, took care of all the bee farm.
the autumn was removed from each hive for 54 kg of honey and the apiary increased from 32 to 49 families. For shock work was awarded 18 pounds of honey, it also included the payment for their labor. In 1942, he was a record honey-gathering – Anna S. received 80 kilograms of honey from each colony.
And lead from the front, no joy: the enemy was advancing to the Volga and Stalingrad, her husband was wounded, wrote to his wife and children out of hospital. There he learned that the eldest daughter went to work in a munitions factory. At the beginning of the 43rd Andrey Selivanov received from home a letter.
“Hello, dear Andrey! – wrote Anna. – Read the news of the initiative of F. Holovaty, and could not stay away. On our personal funds, bought a plane for 100 thousand rubles and gave it as a gift to the defenders of Stalingrad”.
the money for the plane Anna Selivanova was rescued from the sale of honey. For this she had to take him to the market in Saratov, and a few days in the cold stiffening hands, to sell at a reasonable price to residents, was evacuated, and the cadets and officers of military schools. There, in Saratov, the wife of a veteran and mother of four daughters was invited on the aircraft, and she chose the plane. It was a Yak-1 fuselage was the inscription: “the Gift of the Stalingrad front from the collective farmers of collective farm. VII Congress of Soviets of Kurilovsky district of the Saratov region A. S. Selivanova”.
Andrey Selivanov served in this time in the battalion airfield services (BAO) 832-th fighter wing. And when in part learned of the deed of his wife, the officers organized a meeting. Pilots, mechanics, arrows were made, and swore even stronger to beat the enemy. As a result of this meeting was born the letter, which is now stored in the Museum.
“Dear Anna!
We are fighters, commanders of the red Army, learned from Your husband Selivanov Andrei Romanovich, that You are on your labor savings bought for our heroic red Army combat aircraft.
We are proud of Anna, you, you, along with all the workers of our great country, as a true patriot, a student of the party of Lenin, the gift enhance the power of our glorious red Army. Your noble act further encourages us to fight the Nazi invaders.
Assure you, Anna Sergeyevna, and toloznikov your farm that the confidence placed in us, we will meet with the honor. Again your combat helmet you the greetings and gratitude of red Army.
On behalf of the meeting of the XYZ part of the major – shlyonsky, major Pryakhin, Lieutenant Presnyakov, senior Lieutenant of Umarov, captain Shumilov, Lieutenant Rogachev, mechanic Kordyukov”.
And who was present at the meeting Andrey Selivanov when he gave the word, said before the troops in the military briefly: “my Wife writes that our farm is in order. I calculated and decided to buy our unit for another plane.”
claims to have studied the documents, Alexander Krasilnikov, the next day after the rally Selivanov with the squadron commander Lieutenant Chibiskova Basil left on the plant for the acquisition of the aircraft. This time on the fuselage of the Yak-1 did such an inscription: “fighter Pilots from Andrei Romanovich and Anna Sergeyevna Selivanova”. According to fellow soldiers, the commander 832 IAP major Viktor Sokolov, accepting the gift, said the corporal Selivanova: “You have Great wife. A real Russian woman!”
And the commander of the 198 battalion airfield services major shlyonsky in may 1943 he presented the red army Rifleman Selivanov Andrei Romanovich to the order of the Patriotic war II degree “for excellent execution of command and has an extremely high Patriotic feelings.” And for being on the front, in August 41, was wounded, and in February 1942 in the post of red army Rifleman 198 BAO, “having the profession of Builder and carpenter, not considering the time, day and night, produced a work on the dining room, dormitories and workers ‘huts for the accommodation of the regiments and personnel of BAO”.
the Higher staff command 15 Air army, the fact the submission was supported, but with the order decided to wait. Felt that for the first awards to fighter Selivanovo will be enough and the medal “For military merit”. The war is still in full swing – need a new dugout for crews and new aircraft for them.
In September, the 44-year nominal Yak-1, donated the front of the spouses Selivanove, together with other machines 832 IAP was referred to the formation of the 11th fighter aviation regiment of the Polish army and served until the end of the war.
And a month before that, in mid-August, the new and improved Yak-3 with a dedicatory inscription landed on the airfield near the village Strigi. Sitting at the helm of Lieutenant P. N. Parshin described the brief meeting: “Together with A. R. Selivanov we arrived in the village Strigi. Anna and Andrew showed me his beehives and gave sweet honey.”
And here is a news report about a war correspondent.
“SARATOV, August 26. On the green airfield is ready to fly combat vehicle with lettering on the sides: “fighter Pilots from farmers toaljosa behalf of the VII Congress of Soviets of Kurilovsky district Selivanova A. S. 3rd plane.”
At the celebration of the transfer of aircraft to representatives of the red Army gathered at workers H-sky aircraft factory built aircraft, where he was taken to the local airfield, heads of regional and city public organizations, owner Anna Selivanova, her family: husband, senior Sergeant Andrei Romanovich Selivanov, arrived from the front with the pilot Lieutenant comrade. Parsinen, daughter of Alexander and Nina. The rally starts. First floor to the collective farm Selivanova. Just telling it like together with her husband decided to buy as a gift the red Army a third plane.
– glad to know, says Anna, that two of our combat vehicles of our glorious falcons already beat the Nazis. I hope that our third plane conscientiously serve the Motherland.
On the podium of a fighter pilot, a decorated Lieutenant Parshin, on combat which account for 4 downed Nazi plane. The command of a military unit instructed him to accept the gift of a farm Selivanova.
– the Pilots of our part – says comrade. Parshin, instructed me to tell you Anna that the second your plane they shot down 7 enemy machines. We promise you that fighting through your third plane will be more. This aircraft will now fly over the cities of Nazi Germany and smash the den of the fascist beast.
After the rally, the pilots took the plane, immediately rose into the air and after a few minutes had disappeared from sight, taking the West”.
upon arrival At the part of the name Yak-3 was adopted by one of the best fighter pilots of 431 IAP major Alexei Surovikina. Until the end of the war, Alexei Semenovich made 150 sorties: escorted bombers went on the attack, participated in air battles. On account of his 16 aerial victories: 10 aircraft shot down personally, and 6 in the group.
According to the soldiers, Arabesken not just remember the good word of Anna Sergeyevna Selivanovo: soul from her generous hand light is brought good luck in battle. The pilot wanted to see this woman and personally thank them for the plane. But during the war and immediately after to see they had not.
Only 25 years after the victory of the cadets of aviation school, which taught flying Colonel A. S. Arabesken, found Anna Sergeyevna Selivanova and invited her in school. When 67-year-old woman crossed in confusion threshold, the garrison club, the hall welcomed it standing, as a real hero.
“the war had no concept of “rest” – then said the famous wartime pilot. – After one flight, we were preparing for the new. And in the rear, we knew, too, no sleep, no respite. Joint efforts of the front and rear we have won a great victory.”
In the Saratov region from the laste war the names of fellow beekeepers Ferapont Petrovich Golovatyi and Anna Sergeyevna Selivanova was at the hearing. In 1945 on the initiative of the regional newspaper “Communist” held their private meeting. To talk and remember about what it was.
This is because of their initiative throughout the Soviet Union has started a broad national-Patriotic movement “All for the front, everything for victory”. Only in the Saratov region on February 23, 1943 gathered for the construction of aircraft 210 million rubles. How this was reflected in the mood of soldiers, says the letter to the pilots, published in the Saratov newspaper: “the Consciousness that our planes are built on the labor of farmers, forces us to fight as well.”
In 1947, when he was Chairman of the kolkhoz, F. P. Holovaty became a Hero of socialist labor. Anna Sergeyevna Selivanovo in his farm was elected a member of the Board, then twice elected Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR.
But the main thing – it returned from the war her husband were the farm’s apiary. In the postwar years, the honey flow they had a record up to 150 kg of honey from each bee colony.
But worries because demanded and own family to raise youngest daughters, to teach, to help determine in the life of a senior. Time to rest, breathing room almost was not. And themselves forgotten the big words, once spoken from high tribunes and leaders, published in Central and local Newspapers.
But something, for history, preserved in the Museum collections and archives. For example, this publication in the Saratov regional newspaper “Communist” from 2 July, 1944.
“the war is Over, there will come a time in the monuments and paintings, poetry and prose to immortalize the exploits that worked the Soviet people during the war… a Magnificent monument was erected to be a Russian woman. And among the names of the heroines of the rear and front will be true, and the name of Anna Selivanova – a humble Russian woman who managed in difficult wartime not only to educate his four daughters, but also to give more than one hundred thousand rubles total artisanal farm and purchase three aircraft for the front.”
Alas! Labor feat of the Saratov peasant who bought his own three combat fighter, and even State bonds purchased for 70 thousand rubles, was the feat of “regional scale”. Today, outside of the Saratov region it hardly anyone remembers. The name Ferapont Holovaty, who bought for the front two aircraft, in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia mentioned yet, but about Anna Selivanova is not a word.
Modest bust in the village Strigi she recently put. There, in the village cemetery, with her husband grave.
a certificate to the medal “For defense of Stalingrad”, which Saratov the collective farm was awarded in June 1946, the family was transferred to the Museum.
The natives of the Saratov land, military historians, historians, even the surviving veterans and veterans who worked in the rear, not without reason, believe that Anna Selivanova on the 75th anniversary of the Victory deserves the honor of being awarded the title of Hero of Labor. In the same way as is done in respect of major-General Minigali Shaymuratova – decree of the President of Russia of March 30, 2020, he was posthumously awarded the title Hero of Russia.
the authors of the project “Stars of Victory” and many of our readers support this initiative. And with permission from A. V. Krasilnikova posted a link to a video made in the family for the anniversary of the Victory.
When preparing for printing this publication, it was discovered archival documents that the soldier-shooter 198 battalion airfield services Sergeant Selivanov Andrei Romanovich, born in 1903, was to be awarded the medal “For the capture of Berlin”, but didn’t get it. If the Central archive of the defense Ministry will confirm it, A. V. Krasilnikov as the grandson of R. A. Selivanova may apply for transfer to the family ID this medal.
