LETTERS FROM THE FRONT: A HISTORICAL SOURCE AND SPIRITUAL HERITAGE

Abstract

Abstract. The present article focuses on the study of the military field postal system during the Great Patriotic War, analysing wartime letters as a unique historical source. The research explores the correspondence process between front-line soldiers and their families on the home front from 1941 to 1945. This study focuses on the organisation of field postal services, delivery mechanisms, and the role of censorship, with particular attention paid to its impact on the content of letters.

The study grounded in original wartime correspondence preserved in the collection of the Central State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan (CSM RK). These letters offer insight into the prevailing social mood of the era, the spiritual well-being of soldiers, the intricacies of familial relationships, the profound yearning for home, the glimmer of hope, and the unrelenting harshness of life at the front. The letters are analysed from linguistic and content perspectives, focusing on lexical features, emotional tone, and semantic structure. Moreover, the article describes the state institutions and military mechanisms that ensured the effective operation of the field postal system. The author emphasizes the crucial role of postal communication as a key tool for maintaining social connections between the front and the real life. The research findings highlight not only the documentary value of these letters but also their historical, cultural, and spiritual significance. The importance of the study lies in comprehending the social and historical significance of postal communication in wartime, as well as in evaluating the information value of front-line letters as sources. This study focuses on the analysis of the structure and functionality of military field mail during the Great Patriotic War, with a view to identifying the historical and cultural value of correspondence sent from the front.