Mongolia was one of the Soviet Union’s staunchest allies in the first half of the 20th century. The two countries jointly opposed the Japanese invasion of the People’s Republic in 1939. When, on June 22, 1941, the USSR was invaded by German troops, the Mongols did not sit idly by.

The war in Europe, which was taking place so far from Mongolia, suddenly became his war. And, in some respects, the assistance that this sparsely populated and poor country gave to the USSR was equal to the assistance provided by the United States under the Lend-Lease program.

“Gift from the Mongolian people”

The Mongol rulers knew they were in no position to send their troops west: Japan still posed a tangible threat and the country was in no position to form a large contingent of expeditionary forces anyway. . That is why the republic intends to concentrate its efforts on providing all possible economic assistance to its northern neighbor.

Under the slogan: “There should not be a single person in the country who has not personally contributed to the Red Army relief fund”, Mongolia launched a campaign to collect money and gifts for soldiers of the Red Army.

Already in October, the first train loaded with sheepskin coats, fur vests, warm mittens, felt boots, sweaters and belts donated by Mongolian citizens left for the Soviet Union. The next echelon, which was shipped in February 1942, also contained food products: meat, charcuterie, butter and confectionery. Trains with help were sent to the USSR until the beginning of 1945.

One of the most generous donors was nomadic cattle herder Engaelyn Badam. On behalf of her family, she donated 16 camels, 93 horses, 1,600 sheep, as well as 10,000 tugriks, enough to buy an additional 12,500 sheep.

Strategic materials

In addition to donations, Mongolia regularly made large deliveries of meat, wool, sheepskins, and horses to the USSR at nominal prices. In return, Moscow provided Mongolia with the industrial and food products the Asian country needed and cleared Mongolian debts to the Soviet Union.

Throughout the war, Mongolia supplied its northern ally with some 500,000 tons of meat (for comparison, the United States supplied the USSR with 665,000 tons of canned meat) and 64,000 tons of wool (the United States sent 54,000 tons). One in five overcoats used by Red Army soldiers were made of Mongolian wool.

Indeed, the Mongolian People’s Republic was the only supplier of sheepskins to the USSR. The material was used to make winter coats for Red Army commanders.

Another crucial area in which Mongol aid to the USSR was essential was horses. During the initial period of the war alone, the Soviet Union lost almost half of its livestock: in September 1942, out of 17.5 million horses, only nine million remained.

Throughout the war, the Mongolian state purchased nearly 485,000 horses from its cattle herders to supply to the Soviet Union, and an additional 32,000 horses were donated by herdsmen.

The low-maintenance, hardy animals proved to be very good at adapting to the harsh conditions of the Eastern Front and were of vital assistance to Soviet troops in transporting goods and artillery pieces. until the truck shortage is resolved. Every fifth horse used on the Soviet front came from Mongolia.

“The horses had excellent walking qualities,” said Soviet General Issa Pliev reminded. “The short Mongolian horse has a solid build and short, strong legs with small, strong hooves. He is able to cover a distance of 100 kilometers in one day for several days in a row… So the sturdy and low-maintenance Mongolian horse reached Berlin with Soviet tanks.

Tanks, planes and volunteers

On January 16, 1942, the leadership of the Mongolian People’s Republic decided to start raising funds to make a column of tanks to donate to the Red Army. A year later, a Mongolian delegation led by the country’s leader Marshal Khorloogiin Choibalsan presented the Soviet 112th Tank Brigade with 32 T-34 tanks and 21 T-70 light tanks made with the collected money.

The 112th Brigade, nicknamed Revolutionary Mongolia, participated in the Battle of Kursk, where it successfully proved itself in battles against one of the most famous formations of the Wehrmacht, the Großdeutschland (Greater Germany) Division. For their courage and heroism, the servicemen of the brigade were awarded Soviet and Mongolian medals.

In the summer of 1943, with funds donated by the Mongolian people, the 2nd Fighter Squadron, known as the Mongol Arat Squadron, was established. On September 25, he was handed over to the 2nd Guards Regiment of the 322nd Fighter Aviation Division.

“Finally, the long-awaited hour arrived. One after another, 12 brand-new La-5 fighter jets emerged from behind the forest, each bearing a bright red Mongolian Arat inscription on its fuselage. After flying over airfield, the plane taxied to a specially designated area. [of] ‘Hurrah, Mongol Arat!’, ‘Hurrah, Mongol people!’ drowned out the roar of the engines,” wrote Lieutenant General Alexander Semyonov recalling that day.

The squadron took part in such important battles as Operation Bagration, as well as in the Berlin and Prague operations. Its personnel (as well as the personnel of the Mongolian Revolutionary Tank Brigade) were partially maintained by the Mongolian side, which never failed to commemorate the bravery of the military with awards.

In addition, from 500 to several thousand Mongolian volunteers took part in the fighting against the Germans on the Eastern Front. Red Army commanders valued them for their excellent skills as hunters and horsemen, so Mongol volunteers mainly served in cavalry units and were successfully used as scouts and snipers.

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