Скачать или смотреть WWII: How the Soviets Relocated Whole Factories Under Fire

When German forces pushed deep into the Soviet Union in 1941, Stalin’s answer was drastic: move entire industries east.

Factories were dismantled piece by piece, loaded onto over 1.5 million freight cars, and shipped thousands of kilometers to the Urals, Siberia, and Central Asia. Workers and engineers traveled with the machines, rebuilding production lines in bare fields, wooden sheds, or even under open skies.

Amazingly, many plants were running again within weeks. This massive relocation not only saved Soviet industry—it helped turn the tide of WWII.

In our linked Short, we explore the other side of wartime industry: how Germany’s resource shortages strained its population, economy, and war effort.