Rear area in the great patriotic war (1941-1945): Red army men's wives and families struggle for survival in Yaroslavl

The heroic image of the Red Army soldier answering the call of the Motherland to defend her in the Great Patriotic War against fascism has masked the harsh reality of life for their wives and families they left behind on the home front. Wartime propaganda claimed that soldiers' families were being well looked after. But documents from Yaroslavl' archives suggest that the wives and families of ordinary soldiers and officers struggled to survive on the 'second' home front, especially if they had to care for young children.