Under Fire and Women at the Machines: How Factories Accelerated Victory During the War

Every page of frontline history reflects the heroism not only of soldiers but also of those who remained in the rear, continuing their work amid bombings and when strength was nearly gone.

Victory Day has always been one of the most significant holidays for our nation, and this year it holds special meaning. Exactly 80 years ago, Soviet forces triumphed in the Great Patriotic War, and behind every page of that frontline history was the courage not only of soldiers but also of those who stayed behind.

Known as heroes without weapons, these individuals bore the heavy burden of industrial labor during the country's darkest years. Mostly women, elderly, and children united their efforts to support the army, hastening the moment when on May 9, 1945, 30 salvos of fireworks lit up Red Square in Moscow to celebrate a crushing victory over the enemy. Our article highlights four factories whose destinies are forever intertwined with the nation's wartime history and how they operate today.

Yalutorovsk Factory: Cultured Milk for Besieged Leningrad

When the Great Patriotic War began, the Yalutorovsk Dry Milk Factory was already well-known across the Tyumen region and the entire country for its products—casein (a complex milk protein), egg powder, and butter. During the war, production never stopped. In the winter of 1942, the factory sent supplies of dry milk and cultured milk to the besieged Leningrad and soon began producing "malt milk." This powdered plant-based drink had a long shelf life, was nutritious, and helped stave off hunger for both soldiers and those remaining on the home front.

Since almost all the men from the Yalutorovsk factory went to the front at the start of the war, women took their places at the machines, while children helped by delivering firewood for the production furnaces. Wood was in short supply, so schoolchildren retrieved logs from the Tobol River and carried them to the boiler room. Of the 300 mobilized factory workers, 45 never returned from the war. Today, their names are engraved on the city memorial, and the factory remains the only one in the Health&Nutrition company producing the base for infant formulas.

Lipetsk Factory: Cottage Cheese and Butter for Frontline Hospitals

The dairy industry in Lipetsk began to develop rapidly during the war—in 1941. Production was modest, with only 50 employees, but thanks to their dedication and hard work, the factory supplied cottage cheese, butter, and other nutritious products to more than 200 hospitals. Maintaining such capacity under harsh wartime conditions was also possible due to the factory's first director, Viktor Abramov. He went to the front at the war's start, suffered severe injuries, but returned promptly to Lipetsk and resumed his work.

After the war, the factory became one of the country's most advanced, producing kefir, fermented baked milk, curd snacks, and in the 1990s, butter for strategic reserves. Today, the Lipetsk factory is the only producer of curd grains in the European part of Russia.

SamaraLacto: Heavy-Duty Production in the Reserve Capital

During the war, Kuybyshev (now Samara) became the country's reserve capital, officially designated in 1941. Due to evacuations from other regions, the population of this small Volga city nearly doubled, with each resident entitled to 400 grams of dairy products per month. The factory had to operate under severe raw material shortages, and later, by order from Moscow, the production of ice cream and curd snacks was banned. All resources were redirected to producing butter and casein—a complex milk protein also used as technical raw material in the defense industry after specific processing.

Despite these challenges, progress continued: the factory later began producing malt milk, coffee drinks, and whey-based jelly. In 1942, the Samara plant ranked among the top three factories in the industry. Today, SamaraLacto leads in producing thermostatic yogurts and lactose-free products, supplying markets in Russia and the CIS.

Petmol: Working Even Under Bombardment

The siege of Leningrad lasted a terrifying 872 days, during which the Petmol factory never ceased operations. Even when milk supplies stopped, the factory found a solution by producing plant-based mixtures—soy, malt, and albumin-based. Although hunger and shortages became increasingly severe, efforts were made to make children's products as tasty as possible by adding sugar, chocolate, and rice. Like all city residents, factory workers suffered from starvation; in 1942, 38 employees died of exhaustion.

The factory also faced other trials: it was bombed with 34 aerial bombs and hit by 140 shells. Repairs were made without halting production, and workers immediately returned to the assembly line, earning many medals later, including the honorary "For the Defense of Leningrad" award.

Today, Petmol is one of Saint Petersburg's most technologically advanced factories, featuring a fully automated warehouse and producing brands like "Prostokvashino" and "Tema." Eight decades later, these factories continue to operate, and most importantly, their walls still hold the memory of the brave workers who spared no effort for victory.

Photo credits: Legion-Media.com, Mark Redkin, Emmanuil Evzerikhin, Leonid Dorensky, Alexander Ditlov/TASS, Zuma/TASS

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