“Azerbaijan is renowned globally for its being the first oil producing country”, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev emphasized in one his statements. Already in remote 1847 the first oil well in the world was drilled by a machine near Baku. “At the same time, Azerbaijan was the first country to produce oil offshore in mid of the 20th century, the head of state continued. Therefore, history of Azerbaijan’s oil industry is very reach. I also would like to note that oil produced in Azerbaijan during the Second World War accounted for 80% of oil produced in the Soviet Union. Azerbaijani oilmen made a big contribution to the Victory over fascism. Perhaps, the outcome of the Second World War could have been quite different without Azerbaijani oil”, I.Aliyev says.
Certain facts, short extracts from the history of the GPW and historical photo documents placed on the pages of this journal once again prove the irreplaceable role, big contribution of Azerbaijan and Baku to the victory over fascism in the war that ended in the USSR on May 9, 1945 while for the Western European countries and the USA it ended on May 8, 1945.
According to historical documents, even Moscow and Leningrad were not so much mentioned in Hitler’s strategic plans and notes as the Caucasus and Baku which were of strategic importance for further plans of the Nazi Germany.
It was already the 12th day (June 3, 1941) of the war when Chief of the General Staff of the Supreme Command of the German Army Halder diarized Hitler’s speech in front of the Wermacht generals: “It is high time to look ahead. We mean the opportunity to conquer Donbass and the Caucasian oil area. Huge forces will be required for the operations in the Caucasus. However, oil is worth paying any price…”
On July 27, 1941, the fuehrer made the following prediction to Halder, saying that “in a month our troops will reach Leningrad and Moscow via the Orel-Crimea line, Volga – early in October, Baku and Batumi – in November”.
The German army was ready for the conquest of the Caucasus. In particular, the staffs of units and forces of “A” Army Group had a special Caucasus guide published in Leipzig in 1942. It highlighted major areas and targets for invasion: “Baku-oil fountains, Kabarda – molybdenum, Grozniy- the best gasoline in the world, Osetia – zinc, Zangezur – copper”.
The enemy came very close to the Volga in summer 1942. Fierce battles were waged against Stalingrad walls and direct routes of oil delivery to the front turned out disrupted. It was then that the Baku sailors (Caspian Shipping Company) made an incredible decision. For the first time in the world practice they towed floating oil-loading rail tanks from Baku to Krasnovodsk as well as oil tanks with the capacity of several thousand tonnes from Makhachkala to Krasnovodsk. Baku oilmen supplied the front and rear areas with over 5 mln tonnes of different oil products, over 2,000 rail cisterns were shipped to the front line.
At that time, production of ammonia, activated pyrolusite meant for radio industry, aviation inhibitor, incendiary oil, sulphate of sodium, nitric, hydrochloric and accumulator acids, etc., was arranged at Azneftehim entities. Produced were trotyl, chlorosulfonated acid, vanadic catalyst which all were used for production of ammunitions. Production of over 100 types of ammunitions was arranged. Baku also produced rockets designed for famous “katyusha”, including a large volume of incendiary oil for the front.
Azneftekombinat trusts had introduced a number of rationalization proposals and inventions by the beginning of the war.
Production of the electric drill of the Ostrovski and Alexandrov system, multiple-stage turbo drill of Shumilov, Tagiyev, Kershenbaum’s lifter, steel derricks, offshore jackets, mobile aggregates and many other facilities was arranged in Baku. In fact it promoted production of record volume of oil in the years of the war. However, the need for production of higher amount of oil at all costs started the process of brutal destruction of subsurface resources of Absheron.
A huge amount of wells were commissioned in emergency mode, which produced as high as possible oil volumes without strings. Such operation of fields was accompanied by uncontrollable flows, fires, oil lakes and radiation pollution. Because of the lack of necessary materials designed for drilling and operation of fields, the oilmen had to cut casing pipes out of old wells and place them into new wells. But yet the development of turbine drilling and column-free operation of wells gained the momentum in those years. Baku oilmen worked in a very tight schedule. At the same time, half of them headed to the front and they were replaced by women who worked in hard conditions and practically had not opportunities to sleep and get some rest.
A total of 75 mln tonnes of oil has been produced in Azerbaijan during the war. The city accounted for 80% of gasoline production, 90% of ligroin production and 96% of different oils products in the Union. Baku specialists drilled 930,000 metres in 1941, which helped to commission 752 oil wells. The country received 23 mln 541 thou tonnes of oil in the first year of the war alone. It was a record volume. Every 4 out of 5 planes, tanks, vehicles were fueled by gasoline produced at Baku oil refineries out of oil extracted at Baku fields.
Baku oil was even supplied to Leningrad which was under blockade. A 28km long gasoline line with the carrying capacity of 400 tonnes per day was laid along the bed of the Ladoga Lake in 1942. Leningrad and Leningrad front were supplied with fuel for two years and a half.
The attack on the Caucasus was stopped late in the fall of 1942 owing to incredible efforts and casualties, heroism of the Soviet troops. The Wermacht army did not manage to get over the Caucasus mountain range and conquer oil fields.
The fact that the USSR possessed considerably more oil than it was required for waging the war helped the fuel supply system to adapt itself to the toughest warfare conditions. But the threat of occupation of Baku oil fields still remains.
W. Churchill recollects in his memoirs: “ …Three months ago we expected the advance of the German troops across the Caucasus towards the oil fields of the Caspian and Baku. This threat has probably been prevented, I would say for 4-5 months until the winter is over. Continuation of the Russians’ successful resistance in the south would certainly ensure our full security. However, this threat can arise again late in spring. The shortage of oil, which assumed a grave character in Germany and countries it conquered, makes the tasks of occupation of Baku and Iranian oil fields extremely viable and the second to the necessity of successful invasion into the British islands in importance…
In particular, I (W.Churchill) asked Stalin whether he will be able to hold the mountain passages in the Caucasus and hinder the Germans to reach the Caspian Sea, capture oil fields in Baku, and then take these advantages for moving toward the south through Turkey or Persia. He laid a map on the table and said with confidence: “We will stop them. They will not cross the mountains. I returned from Moscow with a new determination to help Russia as much as we can. It was clear that the forth coming winter campaign would become a critical stage of fight in the East, and that the Russian south flank in the area of Donbass and Caucasus would be the battle ground. As to the Germans, their direct target would be oil fields of Baku and gaining control over the Caspian region…”
It is noteworthy that during the most anxious days of 1942 famous figures as Grigoriy Alexandrov, Lyubov Orlova and Gara Garayev were shooting a feature film in Baku. The film called “One family” narrated about hospitality of Baku and its residents of varied nationalities, ready to give the shirt off their back. “We worked till we were fit to drop but still we all felt the hospitality of this city”, Lyubov Orlova recollected later. However, it was forbidden to show the film after completion of shooting “as the Great Patriotic War was allegedly not enough reflected in this film”.
Regretfully, over the course of 70 years, Baku was left bypassed in being rightfully awarded the high title of a hero-city and giving proper credit to the heroism of its residents. This is nothing short of ingratitude bordering on absurdity, failing to honor the memory of a bygone generation of heroes - Azerbaijani combatants, dedicated oil field labourers, tirelessly toiling battle frontline workers, as well as Azerbaijan’s surviving veterans of war and labor, dwellers of an indomitable heroic city, the city of winners - Baku.
