Fig.1: Goryunova S.V.
We bring to your attention the diary entries made in 1941-1943 by a junior research fellow at the Institute of Microbiology of the USSR Academy of Sciences, PhD Sofya Vasilyevna Goryunova (born in 1907). They tell the story of the scientists who remained in Moscow while most of the staff left for evacuation.
Fig.2: 1936 Expedition. Institute N.I. Vavilova Goryunova S.V.
Diary entries from 1941-1943 in the author's edition
During daytime alarms at the institutes, except for those on duty at their posts, everyone went down to the basement floor, where the library and reading room of the Department of Biological Sciences were located (where our library still is now).
Fig.3: Bitsevsky S.-H. technical school of seed production Goryunova S.V. 1928
The mass camouflage painting of buildings greatly changed the familiar appearance of Moscow. Often, instead of one, you would see two different buildings, completely different from each other. Or, in their continuous row, there would appear empty spaces that you had not noticed before. Factories, plants and institutions, including our Institutes, sent more and more people, mainly young women, to the labor front - to build defensive fortifications of the Mozhaisk line and the Moscow defense zone. By the beginning of October, Moscow had sent about 300 thousand people to defensive work.
Fig.4: Bitsevsky S.-H. technical school of seed production Goryunova S.V. group photo
On many boulevards, squares and even large vacant lots the first balloons appeared, never seen or even heard of by us before, and with them girls in military uniform.
Somewhere in early or mid-September, the Moscow militia was hastily formed from party and Komsomol members at the district party committees. We sadly said goodbye to our former Komsomol members, young scientists who had just joined the party and who, as they said then, showed promise: Petya Kolesnikov from the Institute of Biochemistry and Kostya Ovcharov from the Institute of Physiology, Ya. Khudyakov (Institute of Microbiology), Patrushev and Kushner (Institute of Geography), Katunsky (Institute of Plant Physiology), Sadovyi (Institute of Animal Morphology) and many others, who were sent to the front in the first days of the war. (You can now read about the fate of some of them on the website of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences).
Fig.5: In the office of Goryunova S.V.
Moscow was under martial law!
Evacuation points worked around the clock to send women with children and the elderly deep into the country.
Fig.6. Director of the Institute Isachenko. Before 1941. Goryunova S.V.
On Bolshaya Kaluzhskaya Street, one could sometimes see herds of cows and sheep slowly walking along it, which were evacuating somewhere to the east “on their own” from the western side.
Fig.7. In the department. Goryunova S.V. with other employees.
From the beginning of the constant air raids, the characters of the Institute employees began to change noticeably. Some literally suffered mental shock and had to leave Moscow immediately. Others, who were not brave in peacetime, and even had a timid character, for example, A.G. Melnikova (PhD, senior research fellow at the laboratory of Corresponding Member A.N. Butkevich) - turned out to be steadfast, courageous fighters in civil self-defense groups, standing at their posts during the bombings, on roofs or in the yard, under a tiny wooden umbrella, throughout the long night of alarm.
Fig.8. Isachenko, Director of the Institute. Before 1941. Goryunova S.V.
Since August, the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences (USSR) has been sending elderly and infirm academicians and corresponding members with their families to Central Asia, to a resort in Borovoe. The evacuation of women with children of scientific employees (or family members) has also been ongoing. Thus, Gromyko, Rukina, Garkina and some of our other employees left for the Urals.
Fig.9. Goryunova’s house on Miusskaya street
In September, all Moscow institutes of the Biological Department of Sciences began preparing for departure to Kuibyshev. We carefully packed books, manuscripts and scientific diaries, instruments, reagents and laboratory glassware.
Fig.10. Head of the expedition on the scientific ship Vityaz Goryunova S.V.
Autumn in 1941 came very early and was damp and cold. Literally from the first days of October it began to rain almost continuously, sometimes with snow. It was felt that there would be a harsh winter. In Moscow, a collection of warm clothes for the army was announced everywhere. At our Institute, we also tried to collect as much as possible. People willingly brought their sweaters, fur hats with earflaps, and those who could – men's winter underwear, felt boots. And almost everyone found mittens or warm woolen socks. Everything was carefully counted and stored in the room of research fellow Kriss.
Fig.11. Head of the expedition on the scientific ship Vityaz Goryunova S.V.
There were fewer and fewer people left at the Institute. The difficulties of wartime were growing. Somewhere in the middle of the first ten days of October, an alarming rumor suddenly spread that the Germans were approaching Moscow and, apparently, had already occupied Yakhroma. And that armed squads were already being organized at the factories. Is that true? For some reason, it was precisely these first three weeks of Moscow October that were drowned in a mysterious informational haze. But, apparently, something very big and important had happened? The historical date, in my opinion, was approaching - October 16, 1941!
As always, I arrived at the Institute for work on time that day, i.e. by 10 o'clock. Nevertheless, our deputy director for scientific affairs, M.N. Meisel, who was replacing the director at that time, was already waiting for me there.
Fig.12. Goryunova S.V. in Podlipki
Since I was a biochemist and our laboratory at that time, unlike all the others, had practically the only well-functioning fume hood in the Institute, I received an order from him to destroy (by burning) all the personal files and correspondence of the Institute. A huge pile of folders was already in my room.
To burn everything under a small draft (after all, in the past it was Professor Kizel's office and in one day?!) was not an easy task. And I, on the one hand, by some intuition - taking advantage of the general chaos in which the Institute had been for the last few days, freed myself from most of this difficult and ignoble work, running around all the laboratories and asking people to choose their papers from this pile (many of them were later so grateful to me for this "initiative"). Indeed, who better than the owners themselves can store their documents? And if necessary, won’t they have the time and opportunity to burn them themselves?!
But I still had to destroy some of the general affairs and correspondence – admittedly, quite ordinary (after all, in those days, in our institutes, so small compared to today's, there was nothing secret) – I still had to destroy it. I burned all day. True, sometimes I was distracted by conversations and all sorts of other things – fortunately, the authorities did not check up on me. But still, it turned out that I was, apparently, the last to leave the Institute. And since our laboratory was the second from the entrance, I did not even look back as I ran away.
The next morning, as always, suspecting nothing, I quickly got ready and rushed to my institute. On the way, I was, however, somewhat surprised by the streets of Moscow. It seemed to me that for some reason they were more crowded than usual. But... maybe it just seemed that way? Where could free people come from at such a time?
However, when I entered the Institute, I was dumbfounded!
The scene that appeared before me could easily be called "the Battle with Mamai"! All the doors were wide open. In the office and accounting department, there were open, empty safes. (In the office, Sondak kept precious metals in the safe: platinum wire for crucible and cup sowing). In the office, there were salaries for the employees that had just been received from the bank. In the preparation room, there was a mass of broken dishes and garbage. All the warm clothes that we had so conscientiously collected for the army had disappeared from Kriss's small laboratory. And, of course, the Institute's property was scattered around, packed in boxes and piled up!
And most importantly – there was no one around! I was alone!
Having wandered these strange ashes that only yesterday were our institute, I returned to my laboratory again, and in great confusion and bewilderment sat down in the chair in front of Kizel’s desk. How long I sat there: an hour or two – I don’t remember! But suddenly the door opened slightly and someone’s strange snub-nosed face stuck into the resulting gap. And a cheerful young voice asked: “Who are you?” I answered: “And what do you want here?” The visitor turned out to be a young soldier. Not at all offended by my unfriendliness, he squeezed through the door and started a friendly conversation with me, telling me that this morning on Bolshaya Kaluzhskaya Street and even further beyond the outpost all the official buildings were empty. And he and his comrades, who by this time should already be next to him, had just visited the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions, where all the doors were also wide open, and watches and many other valuables, which the trade unions usually awarded to shock workers, were scattered haphazardly on the tables. My new acquaintances were among those who were now on patrol duty to protect this abandoned state property, including our academic property, and had arrived to take up their posts.
However, this confidential conversation of ours was suddenly interrupted by another daytime alarm. My new acquaintances hurried to their commander, and I, out of habit, went down to the basement.
And... Oh, joy! Before even reaching the library, but only through the glass doors, I saw people there. And what people! Among others - my old biochemist acquaintances: A.L. Kursanov, the permanent (under Oparin) scientific secretary of the Institute of Biochemistry N.N. Dyachkova, and my university classmate Nina Kryukova. They were also very surprised when they saw me. And Andrei Lvovich Kursanov exclaimed with genuine amazement: "Sonya, are you here too?" I, still not suspecting anything this time, laughingly answered: "Of course, I'm here too!"
Fig.13. Goryunova S.V. with her department
Then some light and informal conversation began, far removed from current events. And then the all clear sounded. The alarm turned out to be false, that is, the German planes did not break through to Moscow this time. And we all together, in a crowd, poured out onto the street to quickly fly to our places.
By the way, when we were leaving the building, I noticed that our watch, like the day before, was at their duty posts, and there were no soldiers in the building anymore.
On the way home, I was again struck by the abundance of unoccupied people on the Moscow streets. Just like on holidays. And rather lively, even.
It turns out that on that famous October 16, 1941, when trains with government institutions were preparing to leave or had already left Moscow, panic began in the city (!!). And what is amazing is that only the "party elite" fled. Naturally, first of all, those who had cars or other means of transportation at their disposal.
Fig.14. Award to Goryunova S.V.
True, at about nine o'clock in the evening on October 18, the radio had already broadcast a strict order for the immediate return of all those who had abandoned their posts. But despite this, the situation in the capital was astounding!
On October 19, as always, I went to the institute, but the situation there was already different. Gradually, during the day, about two dozen employees who had not managed to leave had gathered. Among them were M.N. Meisel, deputy director for research, senior research associates, candidates of science - E.N. Odintsova, P.A. Agatov, A.A. Egorova and E.N. Mishustin - the only professor among us.
We all again, on Meisel's orders, began packing equipment, reagents, materials, etc. Two weeks later, two freight cars were received. Meisel posted a list of those who had been evacuated. It did not include Butkevich and Isachenko's employees, Mishustin and Agatov's groups, and some others - including me. Meisel justified this refusal by saying that my parents are very old and will not survive the difficult road. What he told others - I don't know.
So, I was left with two old people and my 18-year-old sister Irina, with 25 rubles of my father's pension.
Fig.15. Orders and awards of Goryunova S.V.
At that moment I had no money, no prospects for getting any work: everything that could be closed was closed!
That's when the Russian proverb came into play: "A man is truly known in trouble." Thus, E.N. Mishustin showed unexpected concern for us, for all of us who remained. Being a man of remarkable energy and enterprise, he found a workshop somewhere where it was possible to glue gas masks for the army. He himself got a job as a foreman, and enrolled us all as members of the brigade. But there was a misfire here too. An order from the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences unexpectedly arrived "on the immediate evacuation of employees with academic degrees."
I was unexpectedly saved by A.A. Egorova, the closest assistant and employee of our director (B.L. Isachenko), who barely knew me then. It turned out that as a specialist in water microbiology, she received a military subject related to the analysis of drinking water and therefore remained in Moscow. (I am still grateful to her for this. And not only for this. How much more wise and kind advice she later gave me and taught me not only to understand, but also to preserve the valuable things that science and culture give us). She was the one who petitioned the director for me. Soon an order came that I was to remain in Moscow as the Institute's authorized representative, i.e. the custodian of its building and the remaining property. Such authorized representatives appeared in other Institutes as well. At the same time, we were also part of the civil self-defense group. The Presidium monitored our activities.
Fig.16. Orders and awards of Goryunova S.V.
After a week or two, the Institutes of the Department gradually began to fill up with military units. Downstairs, on the first floor, in the Institute of Paleontology, there was a reconnaissance unit. Opposite, in the Institute of Animal Morphology, there was a chemical unit. On our second floor, all the laboratories of the Institute of Genetics and half of the premises of our institute were occupied by a repair unit.
How the chemical unit lived - I have no idea. But the scouts were remembered for a long time. They were tall, healthy, all of them young men, hunters from Siberia and former prisoners. And in reconnaissance, perhaps, even irreplaceable. Well, in addition to that, boys - lovers of thrills and romance. Their commander, a captain by the last name of Sugarenko, was also amazing. A very active man of about 40-45 years old. He literally adored his unit and looked after each member. He collected everything he could from our institutes for them: undelivered warm clothes, skis, and everything else that could be useful. He tried to feed them as much as possible. And they, especially on dark November and December days, went on missions straight from us, already in white camouflage suits, in groups or individually. (After all, the German force landed in Fili somewhere at the end of October. The Mozhaisk and Volokolamsk directions of the fronts appeared daily in all reports. Moscow was under siege). And when they returned alive and well, then, according to the old Russian tradition, having had a glass of vodka, they had fun and shot at the ceiling in their barracks. I just don’t know what kind of cartridges they used?
Fig.17. Orders and awards of Goryunova S.V.
Our repair unit repaired damaged vehicles right on the move, i.e. from the front line – fortunately the academic garage was nearby (B. Kaluzhskaya, 31). Sometimes the vehicles also had machine guns and other weapons, which were stored in the room of the junior command staff (in our office).
Fig.18. Goryunova S.V. Head of the expedition. The driver drove into a parked bus. Many months of treatment.
As everyone remembers - now old-timers - the winter of 1941-1942 was unusually long and very severe. Frosts reached 25-30 degrees, and there were no thaws. Spring came somewhere in the middle of May and was more than cool, as it was later all summer. And then there was a hitch with electricity, and in January (1942) the steam heating pipes in our building began to burst. After all, at that time the heating plant was still so low-powered that its share of maintenance accounted for some hundredths, and maybe even thousandths of a percent. Moscow was heated by countless individual boiler houses running on coal, and hot water was supplied to the upper floors by electric motors.
Fig.19. Goryunova S.V. Head of the expedition. The driver drove into a parked bus. Many months of treatment.
This winter was very difficult for all of us, with its countless alarms. One – the duty alarm, the permanent one: from six in the evening until six in the morning. And short-term, unregulated daytime alarms. The latter were especially annoying because they completely disrupted the already anxious rhythm of our lives. For example, we stand in line for bread. We stand for an hour or two. And suddenly the sirens start to blare, the store closes. We hide in the nearest bomb shelters. After lights out, we stand in line again. And again the alarm. And after all, they are waiting for bread at home!
Fig.20. 1961 Kislovodsk, Goryunova S.V.
At that time, the Muscovites received invaluable help from the wheat flour given out to each family member, I don’t know on whose initiative, at the end of October or in November. Without it, everything could have turned out differently.
It became easier by spring. There were no bombings, although there were alarms, but as they said then – “false”. German planes were already flying beyond Moscow, to Gorky. But the front line was still very close to Moscow – only a hundred or a little more kilometers.
Fig.21. Goryunova S.V. at the celebration in the department
In the first half of May, we all received land for vegetable gardens. The plots of the Academy of Sciences employees occupied the area near the modern building of the Moscow department store, where today, along Leninsky Prospekt (in the back), there are: the clinic and hospital of the USSR Academy of Sciences (house 50a), next to it the maternity hospital and other buildings adjacent to them, as well as the Palace of Pioneers. After all, back then, along Kaluga Highway, in addition to the village, in this part of the avenue there were only two large buildings: the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions and, almost opposite, the Institute of Fungicides and Pesticides.
Somehow, the military units also left the building of the Department of Biological Sciences unnoticed. In their place, and in the same laboratories, we temporarily had employees from the bombed-out academic institute of "Human Physiology" in Kitai-gorod move in. Its director at that time was the only female academician in our country, Lina Solomonovna Stern. In the other empty half, one of the rooms was occupied by A.A. Egorova with her lab assistant L.V. Yarmolyuk. Thus, the three of us already formed a small team. Life was gradually getting better, although false alarms, and therefore the duty of members of the self-defense group, continued. In this regard, I cannot help but mention here that in Moscow, during this most difficult time of the first two years of the war with fascist Germany, all those who remained in it were somehow unusually united, i.e. the morale of Muscovites was very high. It is enough to recall that during the most difficult months of the siege, during alarms, most apartments remained unlocked. Since the experience of the first days of bombing showed that the air wave, having no barriers, causes less destruction. In extreme cases, windows and doors were thrown open. And with such temptation - there was no looting in the city!
Fig.23. Goryunova S.V. receiving awards
But time passed, and everything returned to normal. By the autumn of 1943, Moscow had become completely calm. All the institutes had returned from evacuation. After the first months of fussing about placing employees in laboratories, unpacking and installing equipment, establishing the smooth operation of the preparation room and other auxiliary services, the institute finally felt the familiar rhythm of the team's work.
Diary entries provided by Goryunova's grandson, Chavchanidze Andro Dzhemalovich.
