Young Soviet Pioneers in Defense Drill, Leningrad (1937)

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[Viktor] Bulla’s photograph of hundreds of children wearing gas masks was not meant to be ghoulish, a commentary on war or lost innocence, but rather exemplified a reason for pride – the country was blessed with well-trained, well-equipped and obviously courageous young fighters.

Via wallpoper.

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I design video games for a living, write fiction, political theory and poetry for personal amusement, and train regularly in Western European 16th century swordwork. On frequent occasion I have been known to hunt for and explore abandoned graveyards, train tunnels and other interesting places wherever I may find them, but there is absolutely no truth to the rumor that I am preparing to set off a zombie apocalypse. Nothing that will stand up in court, at least. I use paranthesis with distressing frequency, have a deep passion for history, anthropology and sociological theory, and really, really, really hate mayonnaise. But I wash my hands after the writing. Promise.

8 thoughts on “Young Soviet Pioneers in Defense Drill, Leningrad (1937)”

  1. a gray on said:

    I don’t believe this is a World War I related photograph. It appears to be a 1920s/1930s photograph of a Komsomol group on parade and wearing the gas masks of the time. It is an interesting, albeit weird, view.

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    • on said:

      Thanks for the info; I looked around and just found a couple of references to World War I, but nothing at all firm, so I am grateful for the additional insight.

      Updated the article.

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      • on said:

        Awesome. Updated the post to reflect the info. Much appreciated.

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      • a gray on said:

        Very, very neat. How did you find the photograph’s origin?

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        • on said:

          A couple of different people commented with more information; I originally honestly couldn’t find any additional info myself.

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          • a gray on said:

            The gas masks they are wearing are reminiscent of World War I equipment, and I figured they were a Soviet youth group. To my mind, that had to place the photograph sometime after World War I. Other than that, I was lost. I don’t how photographs are cataloged.

            Have I mentioned my blog, Wayne’s Journal, http://www.waynes-journal.com?

  2. Anton on said:

    The photo is Pioneers Defense Drill. Leningrad USSR, 1937. Photographer: Viktor Bulla.

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