The Female Traffic Guard monument (Russian: Памятник военным регулировщицам), commonly known as Marusya or the Traffic Guard Marusya (Russian: Маруся-регулировщица),[1][2] is a monument located near Matveev Kurgan in the southeastern part of Rostov Oblast. It pays tribute to Soviet female traffic guards of World War II.
Traffic Guard Marusya | |
 | |
| Location | Matveev Kurgan, Rostov Oblast, Russia |
|---|---|
| Height | 2.5 metres |
| Opening date | 1973 |
History
editMatveev Kurgan district played a crucial role in the Donbas strategic offensive in 1943 and is home to a significant number of monuments that pay tribute to the soldiers who fought in World War II, known as the Great Patriotic War in Russia.
During World War II, the Soviet female traffic guards played a crucial role in managing traffic and ensuring the safe and efficient flow of military vehicles.[3] These women were members of the Red Army traffic control units.[4][5] Photographic evidence from the time shows Soviet traffic police women directing traffic at significant locations such as the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin,[6] highlighting their active role in managing traffic during the war. They used signal flags and other means to regulate the movement of vehicles. Their contributions, along with those of other women in the Red Army, were instrumental in supporting the Soviet war machine and the eventual victory over the Axis powers.
Monument
editThe statue features a young woman dressed in a military uniform signaling "May proceed."
The pedestal stands at a height of 1.5 meters, and the statue itself is 2.5 meters tall.
The monument was designed by V. I. Perfilov and was inaugurated on May 9, 1973.[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Памятник Марусе-регулировщице в Матвеево-Курганском районе, retrieved 2023-10-21
- ^ "Журавли и девушка-регулировщица: символичные донские памятники Великой Отечественной войны". don24.ru (in Russian). 2023-05-04. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
- ^ Cardona, Euridice Charon; Markwick, Roger D. (2009). ""Our Brigade Will Not Be Sent to the Front": Soviet Women under Arms in the Great Fatherland War, 1941-45". The Russian Review. 68 (2): 240–262. ISSN 0036-0341.
- ^ "Final Stages of the German War: Russian Women Traffic Regulators with Russian and American Soldiers at Torgau at the Meeting of their Forces on 26th April 1945". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
- ^ "The Women of the Red Army & Their Role in WWII". TheCollector. 2021-10-10. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
- ^ "Soviet military police woman directing traffic at the Brandenburg Gate, in the Soviet Sector of divided Berlin, after the Nazi's surrendered in 1945. Photo by Evgenii Khaldei, famed Red Army photographer". SuperStock. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
- ^ Сарвилин, Деонисий. "Исторические памятники в поселке Матвеев Курган". Pandia.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-10-21.