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Selfmade Red Army Boots

Written by Yuriy Khrushchev

To prepare this material, I talked to Olga Yurievna Popova, director of the Museum of Local History in Bondar District of Tambov Region. The exhibit to be discussed is a boot made by Olga Yurievna’s grandfather, Gerasimov Ivan Prokopyevich. Ivan Prokopyevich, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, was drafted into the army in 1941. At the very beginning of the war, the advanced units were not always fully equipped, and in the conditions of continuous battles, adjusted for weather and landscape, uniforms quickly deteriorated and became unusable. This was especially the case with soldiers’ shoes. Therefore, the civilian profession of Ivan Prokopyevich was very convenient – before the war, he was a master of shoe making, sewing model shoes and was a sought after professional. Until 1943, Ivan Prokopyevich tirelessly made shoes for soldiers and officers of combat units, and then he himself got to the front line. He served in artillery as a battery charger. He participated in the liberation of Poland, where he met the end of the war. He was awarded the medal “For bravery”: in battle, despite the massive shelling of the enemy clearly and courageously performed the task, as a result of which his department suppressed the enemy’s machine-gun point. He also holds the medal “For the victory over Germany”.

Having demobilized, Ivan Prokopyevich returned to his native village and continued doing his favorite thing – making shoes. He passed the secrets of his skill to his son, who decided to follow in his father’s footsteps, and also to make and fix boots for his fellow villagers.