The City Defence Committee in the system of government agencies in the city of Sevastopol (October 1941 - June 1942)

Sevastopol Municipal Committee of Defence was founded on October 23, 1941. The aim of its foundation was centralization of power on the ground to guarantee well co-ordinated work of the state, party and social structures of administration. According to its structure and functions it imitated the Bureau of the Municipal Party Committee a lot. Boris Borisov, First Secretary of Municipal Party Committee, headed both the agencies. The functions were identical: military education of citizens, ensuring of military industry, organization of local air defence, etc. After studying the reports of the Municipal Committee of Defence one can detect three basic stages of its functioning. The first stage lasted from October 28, 1941 to November 4, 1941. It is characterized by making a number of important decisions: to make the population get ready to meet the attack, to evacuation, to work in the industry. But the military administration doubted the necessity to establish this agency. It could cause the committee's work suspension. From November, 1941 to January, 1942 the agency had no meetings. The Bureau of the Municipal Party Committee was making all the decisions about defence. Meetings of the Municipal Committee of Defence were renewed on January 5, 1942. Up to the middle of May, 1942 9 meetings were held. The following questions were discussed: city's restoration, evacuation, military training of population, and improvement of epidemic environment. The Bureau of the Municipal Party Committee continued its functioning, the Party administration assembled on the regular basis. Firstly, a number of questions were discussed in the Bureau, and then they were submitted for approval by the Committee of Defence. The functions of these agencies were not clarified and separated. The Bureau discussed and made decisions on some important issues (food supply for population, for example). In the middle of May, 1942 the situation changed. The Soviet Army was defeated in Kerch Peninsular. Now, all efforts of the German command were directed to the fast capture of Sevastopol. In such an extreme situation the Municipal Committee of Defence became the agency that headed the work of the Soviet and Party bodies aimed to meet the third attack. The active functioning stage of the Municipal Committee of Defence started. It worked in a close contact with military administration, that is the Commander of Defence Area in Sevastopol Admiral Fillip Octyabrsky. From the middle of May to the end of June urgent meetings for discussing current issues were held. By the end of the month the city's administration was absolutely disturbed. All agencies and the Municipal Committee of Defence finished their work. Thus, while the defence of city, two agencies with extreme powers were functioning. Only during the third attack the Municipal Committee of Defence became the main body of civil administration.

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