22
Translator’s note — literally, “Comsomol Crack Worker”.
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23
Translator’s note — another diminutive for Anna.
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24
Translator’s note — ‘Labour’.
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25
Translator’s note — abbreviation of ‘rabochiy correspondent’ or working correspondent — a correspondent who worked at industrial operations.
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26
Translator’s note — Russian abbreviation for the Air Force of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army.
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27
Translator’s note — a five day period — in the 1930s in the USSR the normal seven-day week was replaced by a five-day week.
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28
Translator’s note — a national group in the Northern Caucasus.
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Editor’s note — The Society of Assistance to Defence, Aviation and Chemical Construction. It was established in 1927 by the merging of the Voluntary Society of Friends of the Air Fleet, Chemical Defense and Industry of the USSR and the Society of the Assistance to Defence. In 1948 it was divided into three Societies — the Voluntary Society of Assistance to the Army, the Voluntary Society of Assistance to the Air Force, and the Voluntary Society of Assistance to the Navy.
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30
Translator’s note — Sergeant-Major.
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31
Translator’s note — a province in Southern Russia.
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32
Translator’s note — a common Russian name for the Baltic countries.
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33
Editor’s note — with 31 or 32 personal and 16 shared victories.
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34
Editor’s note — a diminutive form of Victor.
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35
Translator’s note — diminutive for Louka.
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36
Translator’s note — literally, ‘little hawk’ — a common nickname for Soviet fighters.
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37
Editor’s note — a pro-Communist organisation for 9-14 year old children in the USSR, similar to the Scout movement.
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38
Translator’s note — a penal colony run by the NKVD — People’s Commissariat of Internal Affairs.
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39
Editor’s note — addressing a person using both their first and second (patronymic) name is a sign of respect in Russia.
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40
Editor’s note — a common name for the Great War in the USSR in the 1920s and 1930s.
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41
Translator’s note — another diminutive for Vasiliy.
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42
Translator’s note — a common nickname for the counter-revolutionary forces during the Civil war in Russia (1918-1922).
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43
Translator’s note — abbreviation of Communist University.
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44
Translator’s note — Moscow Garment.
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45
Translator’s note — Moscow City Council.
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46
Translator’s note — another diminutive for Anna.
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47
Translator’s note — a trio of judges — a typical court during Stalin’s purges.
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48
Editor’s note — Yurka, Yurochka — diminutives for Yuri.
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49
Translator’s note — diminutive from Alexey.
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50
Translator’s note — died during Stalin’s purges in 1937.
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51
Translator’s note — Provincial Comsomol Committee.
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52
Translator’s note — the President of the USSR — a notable figure during Stalin’s reign.
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53
Translator’s note — diminutive for Vasiliy.
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54
Translator’s note — surname of famous Soviet test-pilot brothers in the 1930s.
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55
Editor’s note — the highest mark of the five-point system still employed in Russia.
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56
Translator’s note — abbreviation for ‘squadron commander’.
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57
Translator’s note — between the Volga and Moscow rivers.
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58
Translator’s note — a Moscow street.
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59
Editor’s note — a common diminutive for Maria.
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60
Editor’s note — yet another diminutive for Anna.
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61
Translator’s note — the pre-revolutionary name of the city of Kalinin — now Tver’ again.
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62
Translator’s note — the scene of fierce beach fighting on the Black Sea coast in the Caucasus during WWII.
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63
Translator’s note — a square in Moscow with the three major train stations facing onto it.
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64
Translator’s note — large caltrop-like obstacles made of welded railway girders.
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65
Translator’s note — Yuri Levitan — a well-known radio announcer during WWII.
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66
Translator’s note — abbreviation of ‘Soviet Information Bureau’.
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67
Translator’s note — a historical name for the wives of Dekabrists or ‘Decembrists’ — members of the Russian nobility who rebelled against the monarchy in 1825. Most of them went into exile to Siberia and some of their wives followed them.
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68
Translator’s note — military commissariat.
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69
Editor’s note — winged air force insignia.
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70
Translator’s note — during the Spanish Civil War 1936-1939 many Soviet pilots fought on the Republican side.
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71
Translator’s note — ‘cropduster’ — a somewhat contemptuous nickname for the U-2 biplane, that was used in agricultural operations.
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72
Translator’s note — a most typical truck in the USSR back then — a variety of Ford trucks were built under licence.
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73
Translator’s note — apparently from the coal shafts numerous in that part of the country.
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74
Translator’s note — a small town near Moscow.
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75
Translator’s note — volunteers, home guard.
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76
Translator’s note — Ivan Konev — one of the top Soviet commanders later in the war.
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77
Editor’s note — the most common nickname for German soldiers in Russian military slang.
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78
Translator’s note — Party organizer.
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79
Translator’s note — Comsomol organizer.
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80
Translator’s note — a military rank for political officers.
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81
Translator’s note — a common Russian nickname for artillery.
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82
Translator’s note — popular Russian nickname for Messerschmitt Me/Bf 109 fighters.
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83
Translator’s note — a steppe wind.
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84
Editor’s note — here, a nickname for M-13 truck-mounted rocket missile launch systems.
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85
Translator’s note — a Soviet Republic in Central Asia, now Turkmenistan.
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86
Translator’s note — a Soviet-made light vehicle M-1.
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87
Editor’s note — literally, ‘little buddy’.
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88
Translator’s note — literally, a ‘stormtrooper’.
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89
Translator’s note — a Russian proverb identical to the English “to be born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth”.
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90
Editor’s note — a diminutive form of Ilya.
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91
Translator’s note — a man from Kuban, a Cossack-populated area in Southern Russia in the Kuban River basin.
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92
Translator’s note — a red scarf — a sign of belonging to the Pioneer organization.
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93
Translator’s note — head of the teaching unit in USSR schools.
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94
Translator’s note — Air Force Training Regiment.
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95
Translator’s note — Ilyushin Il-2.
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96
Translator’s note — referring to the use of castor oil as a laxative.
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97
Translator’s note — a nickname for I-16, originating from the Russian pronunciation of I-shestnadtsat (I-16), literally, ‘a donkey’.
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98
Translator’s note — diminutive of Valentin.
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99
Translator’s note — a city on the west shore of the Caspian Sea.
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100
Translator’s note — a city on the north shore of Caspian in the mouth of the Volga.
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101
Translator’s note — of the cockpit windscreen.
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102
Translator’s note — a smaller variety of astrakhan — originally from the Kuban Cossack province.
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103
Translator’s note — a common epithet for the Soviet airmen adopted by USSR propaganda bodies during WWII.
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104
Translator’s note — abbreviation of the Russian words for ‘Trade With Foreigners’, a network of shops with luxury goods for foreigners and people possessing foreign currency and valuables in the pre-war USSR.
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105
Translator’s note — a recreation park in Moscow.
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106
Translator’s note — a large Cossack settlement.
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107
Editor’s note — M. Lermontov (1814-1841) is one of the most recognized Russian poets.
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108
Editor’s note — A. Suvorov (1729-1800) — a famed military commander of the pre-Napoleonic era.
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109
Editor’s note — ranked fourth in the list of top-scoring Soviet aces of WWII, with 56 personal and 5 or 6 shared air kills.
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110
Editor’s note — junior brother, Dmitriy Glinka is ranked seventh in the list of top-scoring Soviet aces of WWII, with 50 personal air kills; elder brother, Boris Glinka, scored 30 personal and 1 shared aerial victories.
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Over Fields of Fire Page 30