Komsomol What/Who are they?

[medaldude]

Hello All.

I bought my first (I think) Komsomol badge today. Who or what was this organization? Was it an offical government group? I went through the Komsomol group but didn't find where any posting came right out and gave a difinition.

Thanks,

Tom,

[HuliganRS]

A youth political organization. It was created during the First All-Russian Congress of Worker and Peasant Youth on October 29, 1918, and was initially called the Russian Communist Union of Youth (RKSM), RLKSM from 1924, and VLKSM from 1926. The Union's first program specified that it was affiliated with RKP(b) (Russian Communist Party (of the bolsheviks)) and saw "its task in spreading the ideas of communism and involving the worker and peasant youth into active construction of the Soviet Russia." Additionally, the Komsomol's task included the communist upbringing based on the involvement of the worker youth in the political struggle, supplemented by theoretical education. Besides that, the Komsomol was a more popular organization than the party since the party was a leader of the proletariat, its members were supposed to possess at least a minimal political qualificaton. Komsomol was an organization aimed at upbringing, it could accept even "raw material", uninitiated young proletarians. Sturcturally, the Komsomol (TsK VLKSM) was directly subordinate to the party (TsK VKP(b)). The 22nd Extraordinary Congress of VLKSM (September 1991) decided the role of VLKSM as a federation of communist unions of youth to be completed.

[Tretov]

Komsomol is short of "Vsesoiuznyi Leninskii kommunisticheskii soiuz molodezhi"

/Patrik

[dannybou]

What was the age of the participants in the Komsomol? Did some units see combat during WW2 or were they used for other details due to their young age?

[Dolf]

Danny,

I don't know about the age (certainly young people) but I know they are often referred as political guides/advisers, and even participating in combat on Chuikov's book describing the Battle for Stalingrad.

Dolf

[Dolf]

Danny,

I'm copying a few lines from Chuikov's book "The Battle for Stalingrad":

Today's Heroic Fighters

Kozlov, Andrey Yefimovich - machine gunner, member of the Komsomol. Since the war began Comrade Kozlov has killed 50 Germans, not counting those killed by his machine gun team. Since October 7, 1942, Comrade Kozlov has killed 17 of the enemy. Kozlov's machine gun team is the best in the batallion. Comrade Kozlov took part in the battles of Leningrad and Kharkov. He has been wounded twice. He has been decorated twice. Emulate Kozlov.

This is the text of one of those leaflets used for propaganda and for helping on the morale of the troops during the war, in this case in Stalingrad.

Anyway, this helps to confirm that Komsomol young people had not only a political role on the war, but they also actually participated in combat.
As for the age I couldn't find no info yet, but my guess is that at least some were pretty young, 16-18 years old I suppose.

Hope it helps.

Best,

Dolf

[Al-muell]

Many soldiers were KOMSOMOL members - there was even a special gap in a military ID to indicatw wether one was or was not WLKSM member.
So a member of KOMSOMOL could became a soldier, but didin't have to (ussually). There were no special Komsomol members squads serving as a special military units.
It was rather something of a Youth club...
as for the age limit for KOMSOMOŁ members - simply if one was too old for Young Pioneers he/she could join VLKSM.

[Simon]

[quote=Al-muell]There were no special Komsomol members squads serving as a special military units.QUOTE]

I think there were. In a movie "One Two Soldiers Went" the unit commander reports that his all-Komsomol unit is lined up in a formation. Also, one paratroop officer in his me***rs mentioned that the airborne division where he served was elite. Everyone in this division was specially selected and was Komsomol or Party member.

After the war, Komsomol became an organization that everyone joined in school. One couldn't go to college in USSR if he wasn't a member of Komsomol!

[Art]

Danny,

Lenin himself created the Young Communist League (or Komosomol) in 1918. In 1922, the Komsomol was instructed to create the "Young Pioneers" their main task was to educate children aged ten to fourteen. In 1926, the Komosomol formed the "Little Octobrists" for children aged six to nine. The main purpose of the Octobrists and Pioneers was to mold the child for inclusion into the Komosomol when they were of age.

As was mentioned earlier the Komosomol was essentially a humongous free labor pool through which the CPSU could task whenever/wherever it wanted. By the end of the 1980's they had over 40 million members aged fourteen to twenty-eight. The Komosomol helped with many industrial projects (such as hydropower dams and other massive earth-moving projects like the BAM railroad) and food harvests.

Yes, the Komosomol fought in WW2. During the first few weeks of the war, 260,000 Komosomolites went to the front, where they served as propagandists, as a buttress against defection and as front line soldiers. The first Soviet heroes during WW2 were Komsomolites, and in total over three and a half million Komsomolites were awarded orders and medals for fortitude and courage. Out of 11,000 Heroes of the Soviet Union, 7,000 were affiliated with the Komsomol. On April 30, 1945 a Komsomolite raised the red banner of victory over the Reichstag. The Komsomol received an Order of Lenin for its services in WW2.

Art

Originally Posted by dannybou

What was the age of the participants in the Komsomol? Did some units see combat during WW2 or were they used for other details due to their young age?

[Dolf]

Art,

Thank you very much for the History lesson! Very interesting!

Best,

Dolf