Major General of ITS N. E. Nosovsky

1. About our factory

In August 1936, I arrived at the Kalinin Artillery Factory with a referral from the Leningrad Military Mechanical Institute. The sixth workshop, where I was sent to work as a foreman, was located on the second site, which was actually the second factory territory. Shortly before that, the facility was attached to the plant. Previously, it was completely independent (as part of a design bureau and a pilot plant under the leadership of the designer-inventor L. V. Kurchevsky, who carried out work on recoilless dynamo-jet guns. In 1936, the work of this design bureau and the pilot plant was discontinued, and the facility with all its facilities, buildings and a significant part of the staff was transferred to our plant). In shop No. 6, the nomenclature of parts and assemblies was still unstable, and the technology was imperfect. The workshop areas were not filled with equipment and were partially empty.

So, I ended up in a workshop where the work had only to be adjusted and brought closer to the level of other, advanced workshops of the plant. At first, working as a master was not easy for me. I had an industrial internship only during my studies at the institute. But here, at the milling site, it was necessary to master the work without a pre-developed technology. I had to set standards and prices myself, assign tools for processing and checking parts, set the cutting mode, and determine the machines for manufacturing parts. Of course, there is nothing unusual here. A master, especially one with an engineering degree, is required to do all this, and such a school was very useful for me.

The team of workers at my site was heterogeneous in their qualifications, from the 7th to the 2nd category. However, I didn't hesitate to learn from skilled workers. I am especially grateful to the milling machine operator Pyotr Yegorovich Erokhin, my true friend and good adviser. He was a cultured, intelligent and very knowledgeable worker. His workplace has always been exemplary, and his machine is in immaculate condition. He was creative in his work. There was no part that was so complex that he couldn't work it out. He did not know his marriage, and he always exceeded production tasks. Realizing that I was an engineer, but I sometimes "swim" in practical techniques, he always helped me without a shadow of ridicule and without hurting my ego, advised me correctly and at the same time recognized my authority as a master. Then I managed to find a common language with the entire staff of the site, and the work gradually began to improve. I was getting more confident in my role every day. However, the site and the entire shop as a whole, admittedly, have not yet been able to cope with the program. Since shop No. 6 was not at first one of the most important workshops in the factory, the management visited it less often than other workshops, where the fate of the program was mainly decided. Later, the management began to increase attention to our shop. His tasks expanded, and as a result of the great work carried out by the party organization and the directorate, he began to work much better, starting to implement the program. The rhythm of work has improved. Equipment was gradually added, the number of employees increased, and the workload for manufacturing new parts and assemblies grew. The shop is no longer lagging behind.

During the period in question (1936-1937), that is, in the last years of the second five-year plan, our factory was considered one of the largest artillery enterprises in the country, producing a fair number of guns that met the latest technology for the Red Army and Navy. A friend worked at the factory-

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a collective of many thousands of workers, IT specialists and employees, and the workers were mostly highly qualified. The technology and organization of production met the requirements of the day and were at a high level. The team as a whole successfully fulfilled the annual program and tasks of the government. But the plant went through a long history and went through a rather difficult path of development before it became a large and organized enterprise.

It was founded in St. Petersburg in 1866 on the territory of the old Arsenal near the Liteyny Bridge. At first, these were gun workshops, where 200 craftsmen worked. Gradually, the plant grew, and by the beginning of the First World War, it had grown into a large enterprise. In 1914, the plant employed 4 thousand people. The main types of its production were field guns of the 1902 model, 48-line howitzers, mountain guns of the 1909 model. The plant also mastered the production of 42-line guns of the 1910 model. It was already considered an important enterprise. The factory staff was very proud of the fact that in 1911-1912 Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin, who led the revolutionary movement there, worked here. The grinding machine on which M. I. Kalinin worked is still kept at the factory today as a dear memory of the beloved "All-Union Starost". The Bolshevik group at the factory in 1911-1912, in addition to M. I. Kalinin, included cadre proletarians Bednyakov, Gusev, Rozhkov, Yemelyanov, Fateev, Elizarov, and Medvedev. The shift worker at the machine where Mikhail Ivanovich worked was master Sergey Sergeevich Ulyanov, who died in 1966. During the First World War, Vlas Yakovlevich Chubar also began working at this plant. He then headed the Bolshevik revolutionary activities at the plant. Workers took an active part in the October Revolution, and in March 1918, due to the threat of a German invasion, the plant was evacuated to the interior of the country. First, trains with people and equipment were sent to Perm; then the route changed, and the trains arrived in Nizhny Novgorod; finally, the final decision was made to establish the plant in another place. The evacuation took place in difficult and difficult conditions. The company really settled in its new location in 1919: several hundred skilled workers and craftsmen, equipment, technical documentation and various property arrived.

Located in three small buildings, the plant in the same 1919 began to produce artillery products for the Red Army. Gradually, it began to be built on a new site; the housing settlement also grew; the nomenclature of artillery production expanded; production and auxiliary workshops appeared. By the beginning of the first five-year plan, the plant had recovered, having developed approximately to the level of the plant as it was in Petrograd. From 1927 to 1930, the plant mastered new production and produced battalion guns, three-inch mountain guns, 37-mm Hotchkiss guns, spare parts for guns, and repaired artillery systems. During the first five-year plan, a mass shock movement developed at the plant. The plant's staff completed the first five-year plan ahead of schedule 1 .

Since January 1, 1923, this factory has been proudly named after M. I. Kalinin. The "All-Union Starosta" has repeatedly been there, spoke at meetings, met in workshops and in the club with his old comrades. He sometimes came to the factory together with K. E. Voroshilov and V. Ya. Chubar. The factory staff always maintained close contact with M. I. Kalinin, reported to him about their work, life and affairs. Mikhail Ivanovich took the closest part in everything, watched the growth of the enterprise and helped it. Old personnel officers still annually come to Moscow on Red Square to worship the grave of M. I. Kalinin, who for decades was the closest friend of the entire factory team.

Although the plant grew during the first five-year plan, it remained a relatively small enterprise. The range of products produced was diverse, but not stable; the technology and organization of production were not at a very high level at the beginning of the five-year plan. This was a period when our artillery equipment was not yet perfect and relied mainly on old models. It is known that until 1931 our artillery industry produced mainly guns of pre-revolutionary designs. Only in 1929 - 1930. old articles-

1 Materials on the history of the plant stored in its archive.

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Roman systems underwent modernization. In 1929, the Red Army had only 7,000 guns of various calibers, mostly old models . Anti-aircraft guns were available in very small numbers, as, indeed, in all countries of the world. Anti-tank guns were also few and far between, and they had little power. And as the capitalist countries began to develop heavily armored forces and aircraft, it became obvious that it would be impossible to successfully fight a dangerous enemy with the old means of military equipment.

The XVI Congress of the Communist Party (June 26 - July 13, 1930) set the task of dramatically strengthening the defense capability of our country. He wrote in his resolution: "The task of primary importance is the accelerated development of industries that increase the defense capability of the Soviet Union." 3 The party demanded to create new designs of military equipment with higher tactical and technical data, significantly increase the production of this equipment, and in the near future train a significant number of qualified personnel of engineers, technicians and workers capable of creating new types of weapons and mastering their production. To solve these problems, it was necessary to expand, reconstruct and build new factories with the maximum specialization and create a network of military universities for the defense industry. This program has been implemented at a rapid pace. In accordance with them, our factory was designated by the government for expansion, reconstruction and production of a large number of new types of weapons-tank, anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns, both for the land and naval forces.

In April 1931, Illarion Avetovich Mirzakhanov was appointed director of the plant. He was a Bolshevik since 1905, an engineer who graduated from the St. Petersburg Institute of Technology (Faculty of Mechanics) in 1912, and an experienced business executive who, before joining the plant, worked in leading economic posts (in Tula, Moscow, etc.). Everyone immediately felt that the leader was a qualified engineer with extensive experience and experience. strong-willed qualities of the production commander. The secretary of the party committee at that time was Nikifor Ivanovich Ozhekhinsky. The party organization headed the collective, which was mobilized for a radical restructuring of the plant. The role of unity of command has been raised high. The style of work has changed dramatically. Discipline, efficiency, and responsibility for carrying out tasks, from the highest commander in the factory to the foreman and ordinary worker, increased dramatically, which was achieved by a lot of educational work on the part of the party organization and the skillful leadership of I. A. Mirzakhanov, who belonged to the remarkable galaxy of business managers of the Sergo Ordzhonikidze school.

Construction at the plant unfolded on a broad front. Two large mechanical assembly buildings were built around the clock. At the same time, new tool and repair shops, power facilities, plumbing facilities were built, blacksmith and foundry shops were expanded, as well as other production facilities. At the same time, a large number of buildings were equipped with new imported equipment. The domestic machine-tool industry was still poorly developed and could not yet meet the needs of the growing machine-building industry and all defense plants. Backgammon with industrial buildings were also built housing and communal services. Within 3 to 4 years, our living space has grown 6.5 times in comparison with 1931. 26 brick four-story houses and many other residential buildings were built. Zavodskoy poselok has become a real city with a polyclinic, hospital, schools, factory-kitchen, bathhouse and many other cultural and communal institutions. Much attention was paid to the improvement of territories, their landscaping, and the construction of paved roads. Within a few years, the plant became unrecognizable. Gardens, flowers, decorative greenery decorated the entire area of the enterprise and the city. It was pleasant to walk to and from work along the green paths and alleys, and during the lunch break to relax near the workshops near fresh blooming greenery. Mirzakhanov paid exceptional attention to the improvement of the plant. Everywhere he managed to go, after-

2 " History of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union. 1941-1945". Vol. 1. Moscow, 1960, p. 90.

3 See "The CPSU in resolutions and decisions of Congresses, Conferences and Plenums of the Central Committee", Part III, 7th Ed., p. 42.

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dil, how roads are built, how trees are planted. From the heads of shops, he demanded to pay attention to landscaping, cleanliness and order. Shop managers themselves tried to act in this direction. Once the head of shop No. 1 Petrov decided to surprise everyone and surpass many with his diligence. On his instructions, a fountain of the same type as they are made in squares, but only slightly smaller, was erected in an emergency order in the largest span where finished products were displayed. When Mirzakhanov appeared in the shop, Petrov, wanting to impress the director, led him to the fountain and said:

- Here, Illarion Avetovich, we have done it!

"Done what?" Mirzakhanov asked, looking at the fountain in disbelief.

"The fountain! Petrov said with pathos.

Mirzakhanov looked at Petrov, and his look said more than any other words, and then said to the head of the shop, pointing to the fountain:

"Don't let him be here by morning!"..

By morning, the fountain was gone, and its place was laid with a wooden block. The fact is that Petrov did not get along with the execution of the program, and the fountain was, according to his plan, to "patch up" the background of the work. Soon this boss left the factory, but he was often remembered, and called - "our fountain".

Due to the growth and expansion of the plant and the sharp increase in the program, the problem of personnel has become acute. The People's Commissar of Heavy Industry G. K. Ordzhonikidze, who paid great attention to the plant and assisted it in everything, helped to replenish the enterprise with new personnel. On his orders, some workers and engineers were sent to our factory from other factories and institutes. The Moscow Party Committee also provided direct assistance. Many young specialists came from the Leningrad Military Mechanical Institute. Experienced specialists who had previously graduated from Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Kyiv Polytechnic University and other institutes were also involved. Among them are such prominent later workers as Pyotr Nikolaevich Goremykin, who was appointed head of the technical bureau of shop No. 1, where the production of 45-mm tank and anti-tank guns was mastered (then he became the head of this shop); Boris Abramovich Fratkin, who became the head of shop No. 2 and deputy chief engineer of the plant; Valentin Petrovich Strigushchenko, who later became the chief technologist of the plant; Mikhail Mikhailovich Berman (now director of the Ordzhonikidze machine tool plant) and others. Vladimir Ivanovich Dikushin, a highly qualified engineer (now an academician, Hero of Socialist Labor), played an important role at the plant.Since 1930, he headed the experimental department, which included a design bureau, an experimental workshop, and a mechanical laboratory. And soon a new technical director, Boris Ivanovich Kanevsky, who was considered the largest specialist in the arms industry, arrived. Previously, he was the technical director of two large small arms factories. Mirzakhanov and Kanevsky worked together in Tula and other places. Great friends, THEY perfectly coped with the affairs of the plant, and Kanevsky managed only the equipment and never interfered in administrative matters. Being an old specialist, although non-partisan, he was a true innovator, a conductor of technological progress. Mirzakhanov always relied on him in all events. Very often they went around the factory together and checked the situation in the workshops.

I. A. Mirzakhanov attached great importance to the placement and promotion of cadres. He personally knew many workers, all masters and specialists, and especially appreciated personnel officers, former residents of St. Petersburg. Illarion Avetovich also treated young talents well. That is why everywhere in our country, personnel officers and young people who had just graduated from the Federal Law School, technical schools, and institutes worked in the positions of adjusters, foremen, heads of spans and workshops, as well as in command positions and departments. The party committee and the directorate, by arranging the cadres in just such a combination, did, as it seems to me, the decisive thing that ensured the successful growth of the plant and the implementation of the production program.

But we can't say that everything went smoothly and was mastered easily. The equipment could not be straddled immediately. We didn't have enough experience in creating and developing it yet

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production of new artillery systems. Only gradually did the design and technological personnel grow, and even more qualified craftsmen and workers appeared who successfully mastered the production of guns. The plant began to put into production tank, anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns, developed and tested by the factory's own designers. These guns were then advanced artillery equipment, quite capable of conducting an effective fight against enemy aircraft and armored forces. The plant initially produced new artillery systems in small batches, and then started mass production. The success of the business depends, first of all, on the quality of working drawings. Their production was carried out by designers in contact with the plant's technologists and employees of the Main Artillery Directorate, its Artillery Committee and military representatives, who played a significant role in restoring order in the technical documentation.

The created models of guns were very technologically advanced, the unification and normalization of parts and assemblies were widely used, and the interchangeability of parts within strict tolerances was ensured. In 1936-1938, advanced methods of processing parts were mastered: multi-cutter turning, processing complex profiles and configurations by stretching (in particular, stretching was used for processing the wedge grooves of breeches and the surfaces of barrel channels, which was considered an achievement in the practice of artillery production), honing instead of polishing barrel channels, and simultaneous processing of several dozen holes in parts on the on aggregate machines, multi-cutter heads were used for cutting barrel channels. B. I. Kanevsky was the soul of all these events. He established a close relationship with the Experimental Research Institute of Metal-Cutting Machines, which provided great assistance to the plant, designed and manufactured aggregate, broaching and honing machines for us. The plant had a powerful tool base, which made it possible to sharply increase the coefficient of equipment of production technology with devices, cutting, measuring and auxiliary tools.

For some time, the plant also produced gear-cutting machines of the "Fellow" type for the automotive and tractor industries. A workshop for the production of these machines was organized, headed by a qualified engineer Z. G. Tsyrinsky. I. A. Likhachev, director of the Moscow Automobile Plant, visited us several times and asked Mirzakhanov and the shop managers to produce more such machines. Previously, they had to be paid for by foreign firms in gold currency, and so far they were not enough. Mirzakhanov often visited Sergo Ordzhonikidze and reported both for the production of guns and for the production of machine tools. Only in 1936, the plant was released from the production of the latter due to the growth of the gun production program, and the corresponding machines began to be mastered by enterprises of the machine tool industry.

The technology of manufacturing blanks for cannon parts has been significantly improved. In the blacksmith shop (it was headed by one of the most advanced managers, a qualified engineer who had previously been trained in Germany at Krupp factories, Vasily Maximovich Mitko), blacksmith blanks were produced mainly in the form of stampings. This significantly saved metal and freed the machine shops from excessive processing of parts. The stampings were so high-quality that some of them went directly to assembly without processing.

Engineers P. N. Goremykin, I. V. Manenok, V. P. Strigushchenko, E. M. Livertovsky, V. A. Trubetskoy, B. P. Kireev and others played a major role in creating advanced technology. B. A. Lyubimov (chief metallurgist), A. P. Gurevich, V. N. Iordansky, and V. A. Medvedev (Head of the laboratory) particularly distinguished themselves in the field of factory metallurgy. A lot of work was done by F. G. Sukhomlinov, who was for some time the chief engineer. A significant contribution to the development of production and advanced technology was made by innovative workers, craftsmen, innovators and inventors. One of the turners that Mirzakhanov nominated as a senior master, I. S. Kireev, an old cadre officer, solved a big technical problem. In shop No. 1, the processing of the barrel casing of a 45-mm gun was poorly mastered. Then he invented a boring head with one chisel fixed and the other floating. One operation was reduced, and the casing was processed accurately and cleanly. Many proposals were made by I. S. Kireev to improve the design and technology of barrel processing, which made the production of 45-mm guns faster. He was such a talented craftsman that with his-

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It was also used to debug the processing of barrels at other artillery factories. Master V. S. Luzhin became a prominent expert on the method of stretching many parts of guns of all calibers. Vasily Stepanovich provided the plant with hundreds of thousands of rubles of savings and increased labor productivity in a number of operations by 6-12 times. He, like Kireev, also provided assistance to other artillery enterprises. Soon the Stakhanov movement was widely developed in our factory. One of the best Stakhanovites was Nikolai Timofeevich Malyushin, who invented a new device and gave 600% of the norm on a milling machine. The directorate, the party committee and the head committee intensively promoted his achievements.

2. New stage

Artillery production at the plant was organized according to a closed technological cycle. A number of large mechanical assembly shops were, as it were, independent factories. For example, in shop No. 1, where 45-mm guns were produced, they organized mechanical and assembly departments and their own testing ground, which was new in the practice of producing guns. For mechanical assembly shops, only normals, small parts and blanks were supplied from other shops. Although our plant had a large mechanical assembly plant and the production of small (only) billets, it did not have its own metallurgy in the sense that it did not pour steel, did not roll rolled products, did not make large forgings and large castings, but received them from other plants. As a result, we sometimes experienced great difficulties due to the late delivery of blanks and could not establish a rhythmic work. Nevertheless, in 1935-1937 the entire plant was transferred to economic accounting. In workshops, on sites, and even in teams, indicators were set by nomenclature, volume, cost price, and product output (both in quantity and in monetary terms). The plan was implemented annually. Many employees of the plant received from the People's Commissar G. K. Ordzhonikidze awards. Technical Director Kanevsky, shop managers Goremykin, Fratkin, Mitko, Zernov, Nedoshivin, Solovyov, Deputy shop manager Manenok and others were awarded with cars; personnel workers and craftsmen Barabanov, Shamshurin, Lomako, Oparin, Seletsky, Kharitonov, Tananin, Kobzev, Seleznev and many others were awarded with valuable gifts. The plant director, in agreement with the head committee, in turn, awarded employees for completing and exceeding the program with gifts and cash bonuses, and tried to do it in such a way that each gift was to the taste of the person to whom it was intended. Here is one example that many people will remember for a long time. One day when the director came to shop No. 2 and approached the team of scopes headed by a qualified personnel officer Koshelev, he noticed that the foreman was upset about something. Mirzakhanov asked the master;

- Why is Koshelev so boring?

The master replied:

- It's nothing special, Illarion Avetovich, he was a little upset that he wanted to raise a wild boar at home, but he lost it.

Some time later, at a meeting in the club, when the director's order on awarding advanced workers was being read out, suddenly everyone heard that Koshelev was being awarded a piglet, and immediately they saw how the bag in which a small boar was screeching was handed to the brigadier to the merry laughter and applause of those present in the hall.

The last year of the second five-year plan has begun. In March - April 1937, the factory club hosted the reporting and election party meeting of the factory. It took place after the February-March Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b). I particularly remember this meeting as somewhat unusual. It lasted more than two weeks. Every day, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., almost all the communists of the factory attended the meeting and actively participated in it, either reacting vividly to the speeches of speakers, or themselves, speaking in the debate on the report of the party committee. The same faces often spoke several times. We performed without any time limit. The audience responded violently, there were no indifferent people. During the breaks, the Communists vividly discussed the content of the speeches, expressing various points of view, and shared their impressions. All the speakers sharply and sometimes mercilessly criticized the leadership of the party committee, especially its secretary Zubov, plant director Mirzakhanov and other plant managers. After all, the annual program you-

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it has risen, but monthly and quarterly-not always. We were often let down by subcontractors and suppliers of blanks. But there were also our shortcomings. Many speakers were not shy in their expressions, and one shouted that Director Mirzakhanov was "an impressive person." However, no one (probably even he himself) understood what it is. And so, in the midst of the meeting on April 10, 1937, in all the workshops and departments of the plant, the plant employees got acquainted with the morning newspapers. There was published a resolution of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR of April 9, 1937 stating that 27 employees of the plant named after M. I. Kalinin, including the plant's director I. A. Mirzakhanov, technical Director B. I. Kanevsky, former chief Engineer F. G. Sukhomlinov, were awarded orders for skilful production of new weapons and their exemplary development in production. Deputy Chief Designer V. I. Abramov, Design Engineers G. D. Dorokhin and M. N. Loginov, Design consultants B. G. Shpitalny, I. A. Komaritsky and E. V. Charnko, Acting Chief Engineer B. A. Fratkin, Shop Supervisors P. N. Goremykin, V. M. Mitko and V. A. Nedoshivin, Head of Planning and Construction Department production department S. N. Zernov, head of the flight G. A. Kholin, master N. A. Kholin, head of the production department S. N. Zernov. A. Melnikov, milling cutters N. T. Malyushin and N. M. Matveeva, turners E. F. Bernigoro, G. F. Melnikov, A. I. Artemov and F. M. Ashmarin, blacksmith N. A. Piskarev, locksmiths S. P. Berinov, V. N. Igoshin, K. Z. Klochkov and I. F. Konovalov.

There was a lot of excitement in the factory. The awardees were warmly congratulated and rejoiced at the recognition of the merits of our team, as everyone understood that this award recognized the useful work of all workers, engineering and technical workers and employees of the plant. However, at the meeting, which continued, there were some people who said that this decision was wrong, that the director and the acting chief engineer were not trustworthy, and that it was necessary to make a decision with a request to review the CEC decision. But the party assembly did not make such a decision and rebuffed several angry individuals. Meanwhile, at the plant, the pace of work dropped sharply during the meeting. The management of the 2nd and 3rd shifts in the workshops was weakened, as the heads of workshops and departments, many of their deputies and foremen were at a meeting, and in the morning shift everyone worked under the impression of yesterday's events. Discipline has also fallen. This cost the plant dearly. Order was restored only after a new party committee was elected, headed by com. Matveev and the deputy party committee secretaries, Comrades Kuranov and Mukhin. The party organization thoroughly undertook to eliminate all the shortcomings in its work and strongly supported the administration. Soon, the atmosphere of efficiency was established again, and a sense of responsibility for the implementation of the" program " appeared again. And in February 1938, M. I. Kalinin presented orders to the awarded comrades in the Moscow Kremlin.

I had to work as a foreman in shop No. 6 for about a year, and in July 1937 I was appointed head of the Bureau of operation of artillery systems. This five-person bureau was organized to conduct research mainly on the quality of manufactured guns, to analyze and develop measures in connection with complaints received, to study the results of the operation of artillery materiel in the troops, as well as the conclusions and conclusions of the Artillery Committee of the Main Artillery Directorate of the People's Commissariat of Defense after field tests of our guns. This bureau worked in close contact with the design bureau and the technical control department, and was subordinate to the chief engineer. It was then that I had to meet for the first time, and then be in constant communication with the chief engineer Boris Ivanovich Kanevsky. He was a charming and modest man, a kind adviser and a real teacher. His orders were always very clear, he was able to successfully eliminate any breakthroughs, and he solved every technical issue quickly and profitably. Working alongside him was a great school for all of us, young professionals.

The third quarter of 1937 ended. And the program was still running with great difficulty and lag. Over the past few months, the supplier plants have not only failed to eliminate their billet supply arrears, but also increased their breakthroughs, reducing their supplies every month. The threat of disruption of the annual program was created. Then it was decided to hold a general meeting of workers, IT specialists and employees of the plant and send a delegation to the People's Commissar of Defense Industry. This delegation was to insist, on behalf of the entire team, to the People's Commissar that measures should be taken to ensure that-

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supplier companies fulfilled their contracts. If they fail again, there will be no way to save the annual program. At the same time, it was decided to send delegations to suppliers of blanks. The delegation to the People's Commissar's Office included M. Z. Olevsky, head of the flight of the anti-aircraft artillery shop, N. T. Malyushin, a Stakhanovite milling machine operator, senior master Shamshurin and myself. At the reception with the People's Commissar, in addition to the delegation of the plant and the director, there was also Deputy People's Commissar B. L. Vannikov (previously head of the 3rd central board of the People's Commissariat, in his place was appointed former head of shop "N" 1 P. N. Goremykin).

The delegation briefly reported to the People's Commissar about the meeting's request. In response, we heard sharp reproaches to Mirzakhanov and Vannikov: why is the second facility of the plant, which was transferred to us more than a year ago, not being used enough? Why are the production areas empty? The delegation felt uneasy. It seemed to us that we came in vain, but then they told us:

- The People's Commissariat will take measures, you will be provided with blanks.

We left, but Vannikov and Mirzakhanov stayed with the People's Commissar. Later, the director told us that the People's Commissar instructed his inspection to strictly monitor the implementation of the order given. Indeed, the supplier plants significantly improved the supply of billets, although they kept our team under the greatest strain until the end of the year.

All the workers joined the battle for the implementation of the annual program. The party organization has developed an active activity in all workshops. This period of labor and struggle coincided with the great political upsurge of all working people associated with the election of deputies to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the first convocation. The plant's staff nominated Nikolai Timofeyevich Malyushin, a milling machine operator, as a candidate for deputies to the Union Council, and Ivan Sergeyevich Khokhlov, chairman of the Moscow Regional Executive Committee, as a candidate for the Council of Nationalities (I. S. Khokhlov became chairman of the Central Union of the USSR in June 1938, and in September 1940 - chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR). All workers, engineers, technicians and employees joined the social competition in honor of the elections, worked with enthusiasm. Completing daily tasks has become a general law. The plant kept its word: the program of 1937 was fully implemented in the entire range of manufactured guns. As a result, during the second five-year period, the output of artillery products was increased by about 7 times, and labor productivity increased by more than 2 times.

3. Guns on the conveyor belt

In the middle of January 1938 I received a call from Mirzakhanov's assistant Ashmarin:

- The director asked me to tell you to go to the entrance immediately and get in the car. You will go with him to Moscow.

- What materials should I take with me? - I asked.

"Wait a minute, I'll find out." After a while, he added , " You don't need to take any materials with you.

During the entire journey, Mirzakhanov did not talk to me about anything and asked only one question:

"How old are you?"

- I will soon be 33 years old.

- Good age.

I did not attach any importance to this question, and I had no idea where we were going or why we were going. When we arrived at the People's Commissariat of Defense Industry and went to the reception room of Deputy People's Commissar B. L. Vannikov, Mirzakhanov left me in the reception room and went into Vannikov's office. I waited for about five minutes, and I was beginning to realize that I was probably going to be assigned to another job. Indeed, in recent months, a number of engineers have been sent from our plant to different positions in another plant (in the Far East). This enterprise, a young one in the system of our People's Commissariat, was still developing and needed specialists in artillery production. Here the door to the office opens. Boris Lvovich greets me affably and asks:

"Well, how are you?" How does it work?

- Living well, and working the same way.

- Will you work as a director? "That's the last question I expected.

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- No, Boris Lvovich, I've only been working at the plant for a year and a half, and I want to gain more experience and be a technologist...

- What kind of technologist is there! We must immediately start concluding a contract with the State Agrarian University. Here is your first experience in a new place.

And immediately picked up the phone from the wire to the People's Commissar's office:

"I have Mirzakhanov and Nosovsky.

"Come in, all three of you, to my place!" I heard a reply. After greeting me, the commissar looked me up and down and said:

"I know his face."

"He was a member of your factory delegation," Mirzakhanov said,

"Oh, yes, yes, I remember. Comrade Nosovsky, we have decided to take Mirzakhanov and appoint him as the director of another plant, and you-in his place, the director of your plant. What do you say?

It was so unexpected that I couldn't even answer right away. Then he started refusing:

- I am still a young specialist, I have little work experience, and the plant is large, has a multi-million-dollar program, I can fail such an important task.

The commissar looked questioningly at Mirzakhanov. He answered with a smile:

"He'll do fine!

So my fate was decided. In February, an order was issued to appoint me as a director. During the transfer of cases, Mirzakhanov stated:

"I leave you only one case in writing. The roof of shop No. 1 is in a state of disrepair. It's leaking and generally rotten. I didn't have time to replace it. Before replacing it, you need to regularly drop snow from it. You will learn about the rest of the plant's business from the balance sheet and the annual performance report.

Left alone in the director's office, I couldn't get used to the idea that now I would have to work instead of Mirzakhanov. But there was nowhere to go. The most important thing is the attitude of the party organization. The party committee, which was then headed by Alexander Vasilyevich Kuranov, immediately supported the young director. The heads of shops and departments also treated me well. I was concerned about how the Deputy director and Chief Engineer B. I. Kanevsky would react to my appointment. After all, a lot will depend on a well-coordinated work with him. At the time of my appointment, Boris Ivanovich was on vacation. And a few days later, I received a letter from him from the South, in which he congratulated me on my appointment and stressed that we would work together, and he was happy with my candidacy. I literally lost the torah from my shoulders...

An important place in organizing a new upsurge in our defense industry was occupied by a meeting of active employees of the People's Commissariat of Defense and our entire manufacturing industry, which was held in Moscow in the first quarter of 1938. It was very impressive. It was attended by directors and chief engineers of factories, party committee secretaries, the best Stakhanovites, heads of main departments of all spheres of the defense industry, senior employees of the People's Commissariat, including deputy People's Commissars I. F. Tevosyan, B. L. Vannikov, M. V. Khrunichev, famous designers S. V. Ilyushin, A. S. Yakovlev, V. G. Grabin, famous heroes- pilots V. P. Chkalov, M. M. Gromov, G. F. Baydukov, M. V. Vodopyanov, representatives of the military command of all branches of the Armed Forces, members of the Central Committee and MK of the CPSU (b).

The asset gathered at the very beginning of the third five-year plan. The Central Committee of the Party attached great importance to this asset. At the meeting, the defense industry workers were tasked with further development of defense equipment, expansion of capacities and a sharp increase in the output of defense products. If the gross industrial output of the USSR in 1937 increased in comparison with 1932 by 2 times, then the output of the defense industry in the second five-year plan increased by more than 2.8 times. Production of aircraft and tanks increased 4.2 times; artillery-2.6 times; rifles-2.3 times 4 . Aviation and tank production have actually become new branches of the defense industry, having received-

4 " The Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union. 1941 - 1945". Brief History, Moscow, 1967, p. 38.

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shimi development during the first two five-year plans. The most important achievement was the growth of Soviet design forces, engineering and command personnel, skilled workers and craftsmen in all branches of the defense industry.

But there were also drawbacks to the asset: the creation of new types of defense equipment and their development were slow; the growth rate of the defense industry and quantitative output in the conditions of the tense international situation created at that time were also lower than desired. The Central Committee of the party and the government demanded that, along with a sharp increase in the production of defense equipment, they focus all their attention on creating the latest weapons, improving the quality and ensuring a rhythmic output of products. After all, when the war begins, the army will not be able to wait for a quarter or a year for the equipment that the factories produce. The war will go on every day, and every hour. Therefore, guns, tanks, planes, rifles, ammunition, devices will be constantly required by the front. It is necessary now, in peacetime, to learn how to work strictly on schedule and put an end to storming. We, the members of Aktiv, were very impressed by these just demands of the Central Committee of the party and the Government.

Further, the role of design organizations and the importance of chief designers were emphasized, while the role of chief technologists was truly emphasized for the first time. Previously, chief technologists were virtually absent from factories, but there were technical departments. In this regard, it was pointed out that technological discipline in factories is at a low level, and without the knowledge and permission of technologists, technology often changes and is violated. It was decided to create an institute of chief technologists, who should play the same role in the production itself as the chief designer when developing drawings of the structures being created. Later, a special government decree was issued on the observance of the strictest technological discipline.

Much attention was also paid to the issues of specialization and cooperation. As for the latter, I had to go through a personal setback. In my speech I talked about the measures taken by the plant to increase the production of cannons and establishing the rhythmic work, but at the same time talked like us reeling systematic failure of the supply of blanks, individual units and purchase products, I turned to the heads of a number of plants and to the leadership of the people's Commissariat with the request to prevent supply disruptions. Here I was abruptly interrupted by the People's commissar and said to loud laughter from the whole hall:

- When I recently appointed you director of the plant, I thought that I did not take you from the nursery!

I don't remember how I ended my speech. After analyzing what happened later, I thought that I did the right thing, but I couldn't calm down for a long time.

The asset as a whole passed with a big rise. He contributed to the fact that, having left for their places, the heads of defense factories, together with the party organizations, launched a great effort to sharply increase production and improve all the quality indicators of enterprises. Immediately after the People's Commissariat asset, a party and economic asset was held at the plant, and soon we completed the production of a conveyor for assembling 45-mm tank guns. Now the technology of assembling guns has improved, labor productivity has increased dramatically, all assembly operations have been fully mechanized, including painting and drying, and the number of people working on the assembly has been reduced by three times. The psychology of factory workers has also changed. From the very beginning, the question was raised so that the stop of the conveyor should be considered as an emergency. Everything was now being rebuilt for the tasks of conveyor, continuous assembly. The conveyor set in motion all departments and workshops.

Employees of shop No. 1, where the conveyor was organized, headed by I. E. Goldberg and his deputy I. V. Manenk, together with technologists, provided advanced production technology in the mechanical and assembly departments. The department of the chief mechanic headed by Z. G. Tsyrinsky produced and debugged the conveyor in two months. Technical guidance was provided by B. I. Kanevsky, and assistance was provided by the head of the central board P. N. Goremykin, Chief Engineer E. V. Kolesnikov. And Satel, in the People's Commissariat - B. L. Bannikov. Then it was decided to transfer to the daily delivery and 45-mm proti-

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anti-tank guns, since it is impossible to allow shop No. 1 to hand over one serial gun (tank) on a daily schedule, and another (anti-tank), which was assembled and fired in the same assembly department, handed over at the end of the month, especially since these guns are unified, they had the same number of components and parts.

As for the 76-mm land anti-aircraft guns and sea 45-mm and 76-mm anti-aircraft guns, due to their relatively small serial number and great complexity in production, as well as serious difficulties associated with cooperative deliveries, it was decided during 1938 to organize their decadent, and for some guns monthly release. We have developed and approved a premium system to encourage uniform delivery of products. The determining factor for receiving increased premiums was the provision of an inviolable stock of parts, blanks, metal, cooperative and purchased products. The program of the first quarter was implemented across the entire nomenclature, and from the first days of the second quarter, the rhythmic release of guns began according to the approved schedule. Every day, the senior military representative of the plant A. I. Brovalsky with great satisfaction issued receipts for guns, which were surrendered daily in the amount of 1/25 of the monthly program. The plant began to receive money from the bank at any time: the fear of delayed wages for workers and employees disappeared; payment with suppliers was made accurately, immediately upon receipt of invoices. The financial position of production has strengthened. In general, life at the plant has changed radically. Rhythmic work helped to improve the quality of manufactured guns.

Conveyor assembly and delivery of guns on a daily schedule were then a new business in our entire artillery industry. Therefore, the People's Commissariat of Defense Industry attached great importance to it. B. L. Vannikov daily monitored the work of the plant, demanded not to allow disruption of rhythmic work. The Moscow Party Committee was very attentive to the work of the plant. When the president of the Czechoslovak company "Skoda" Gromadka visited our factory and saw the assembly of tank guns on the conveyor, he said:"Well, if you assemble guns on the conveyor, then you are not afraid of any Hitler."

In the second half of April 1938, B. L. Vannikov called me and informed me that at the end of the month there would be a review of artillery at the Moscow training ground. Guns from different factories will be displayed in front of the government. I, B. I. Kanevsky, chief designer M. N. Loginov and senior military representative A. I. Brovalsky are to arrive at the test site. At the training ground, we saw members of the government, many representatives of the military command, the Main Artillery Directorate, the GAU Artillery Committee, and others. Soon J. V. Stalin arrived. Representatives of the factories were at "their" guns. The equipment review began. Explanations were given by the head of the State Agrarian University G. I. Kulik. Heavy artillery was demonstrated, followed by medium and light artillery. A lot of samples were put up at the test site, the review lasted several hours. The artillery was highly appreciated by the Government and the military command. The previous review was held in 1935. Then there was a fascination with universalism in design: they tried to create such weapons that could simultaneously meet a number of requirements - to fight against enemy aircraft, tanks, manpower and field fortifications. These versatile guns were bulky, heavy, slow-moving, non-maneuverable, and difficult to manufacture. Now the picture was different. There was already specialized artillery. Each gun was adapted to perform certain tactical and technical tasks, its design was worked out, lightened, more maneuverable and relatively easy to produce. Unification of artillery systems was applied.

We were standing by our 45-mm anti-tank gun when J. V. Stalin, government officials and representatives of the military command accompanied him approached us. As you can see, Stalin knew what kind of guns this or that factory was making, because, pointing to the 45-mm gun, he said::

"It's a gun from the Kalinin factory.

The gun crew prepared to fire. We were very worried. However, the calculation worked flawlessly, the movements were sharp and fast. During the shooting, many soldiers looked at the stopwatch. The shooting lasted one minute and 25 shots were fired. All shells were placed on the shield 500 m away from the bull's-eye gun.-

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the accuracy and accuracy of the fire was amazing. An even greater effect was produced by the firing of a battery of four 76-mm anti-aircraft guns. But the biggest impression was made by the 45-mm anti-aircraft automatic gun. It was the first time everyone had seen such a rate of fire. The barrel of the machine gun was aimed at the zenith, and the gun worked flawlessly, making 60 shots in a minute.

After the review, a reception was held for gunners, military and industrial workers in a tarpaulin hut at the training ground. The designers were especially praised. Toasts were repeatedly made in their honor. Stalin sat down with our chief designer Mikhail Loginov and emphasized that he particularly liked his 45-mm automatic gun...

In mid-January 1939, the 20th anniversary of the establishment of our factory on the new base was celebrated. It was decided to send a delegation to the" All-Union headman " M. I. Kalinin to invite him to take part in the celebration. The delegation included senior foreman S. S. Ulyanov and several other personnel officers who worked in St. Petersburg together with M. I. Kalinin, a prominent Stakhanovite N. T. Malyushin, a party organizer A. V. Kuranov and myself. Mikhail Ivanovich received the delegation in his office. The conversation continued for about an hour over a cup of tea. We sent greetings from the whole team, told them about the plant's activities, showed them photos of the guns produced, certain types of equipment, and technological processes. M. I. Kalinin showed great interest, asked a number of questions, was interested in creating new models of guns, asked what was new, how new houses and schools were being built, and was interested in the wages of workers. The cadres recalled with Mikhail Ivanovich their joint life and work in tsarist times, the revolutionary activities of their comrades. Suddenly S. S. Ulyanov asked:

"What is it, Kalinich, that you haven't been to our factory for a long time?

- I'm too busy with my "bureaucratic" work, - joked M. I. Kalinin, - I haven't been able to get out to you lately.

- Will you come to us for the holiday?

"I'll definitely come."

- Will you speak to the people?

- Give me the floor, I will speak.

The work of our team was highly appreciated by the government. By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of January 16, 1939, our plant was awarded the Order of Lenin. Many comrades received awards. A solemn meeting dedicated to the twentieth anniversary and awarding of the plant was held in Moscow, in the Column Hall of the House of Unions, on January 19, 1939. In the presidium of the assembly were M. I. Kalinin (later he made a speech), People's Commissars, secretary of the Moscow regional and City Committees of the CPSU (b) A. S. Shcherbakov and others.

(The ending follows.)

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