This article is cited in 1 paper

ON 80th ANNIVERSARY OF VICTORY IN GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR. CONFERENCES AND SYMPOSYA

Kurchatov Institute for science of the Great Victory

M. V. Kovalchuk, I. V. Fedoseeva, E. B. Yatsishina

National Research Centre Kurchatov Institute, Moscow

Abstract: For Soviet science, the years of the Great Patriotic War were a time to search for and quickly implement the most daring scientific and technical solutions to speed our Victory. One such example was applied practical work on demagnetization of ships, headed personally by A.P. Aleksandrov. As a result, a system for protecting ships from magnetic mines was deployed, saving hundreds of vessels and countless lives. Despite the numerous important tactical tasks that the front urgently needed to address, Soviet scientists and the USSR leadership clearly identified a long-term strategic priority: the Soviet Atomic Project. Under the scientific leadership of I.V. Kurchatov, the task was successfully completed—within six years, our country's nuclear shield was forged.
This review is based on the report prepared for the Scientific Session of the Physical Sciences Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences (PSD RAS) “On the 80th Anniversary of the Great Victory: Contribution of Russian Physicists” on May 14, 2025 (see Physics–Uspekhi 68 1183 (12) (2025); Uspekhi Fizicheskikh Nauk 195 (12) ii (2025)).

Keywords: demagnetization, nonwinding method, Atomic Project, self-sustaining chain reactions, uranium-graphite reactor

PACS: 01.65.+g, 28.70.+y, 89.20.Dd

Received: July 18, 2025
Accepted: May 14, 2025

DOI: 10.3367/UFNr.2025.05.039980

 English version: Physics–Uspekhi, 2025, 68:12, 1184–1198

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