Organization of military-sport training in Tomsk State University during the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945)

From the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Tomsk State University (TSU), the oldest university behind the Urals, established the Department of Military-Sport Training instead of two Departments: Military and of Physical Education. L. G Vydrin was the head of it. The war required reconstruction of the educational process. On the basis of instructions of the Commissariat of Education of the USSR and the All-Union Committee of Higher Education from 25th June, 1941 "On restructuring of the university curriculum and accelerated training in wartime period", the study period at the university was reduced to three years. But in September, 1942 the five-year period was restored. The Department had to master the programs of military training of students, all-round physical development of students on the basis of the complex Ready for Labor and Defense, develop practical skills in military-applied exercises. Reorganization of the educational process was accompanied by mastering the Vsevobuch (Universal Military Training) program. Besides, the Department organized mass war-sports work among the students, research workers, auxiliary staff, workers and employees of TSU and trained public instructors in particular kinds of sports. Mass war-sports work was in progress with the councils of Nauka Voluntary Sports Society and OSOAVIAKhIM (Society for Facilitating Defense, Aviation and Chemical Construction) by organizing war circles and sectional work in particular kinds of sports. Male students of the first to third courses attended Vsevobuch. Men of the fourth course were released from it. Together with mass war-sports work in TSU there were some sports sections: skiing, gymnastic, basketball and volley-ball. War-sports work in the university was controlled by the Educational Office of the university and by municipal and public organizations. The development of war-sports training in the university was held back by the absence of the material base for improving skills. During the war the Department held different conferences to improve the qualification of the staff. Different educational and methodological questions, the connection of sport-mass work with the educational work of TSU were discussed at those conferences. Methods of skiing training were worked out in the conditions of the Great Patriotic War. The programs of war and physical training were calculated for 30 weeks. So, in spite of the difficult situation in the years of the Great Patriotic War, the Department of Military-Sport Training (the Department of Physical Education since 1944 / 45 academic year) of TSU made a valuable contribution to the physical development of future specialists, promoted preparation of reserves for the Red Army.

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