Activity of the Astronomical Observatory of Kharkiv University and Its Employees during the German–Soviet War (1941–1945)

Abstract

A historical research study devoted to the elucidation of the historical facts about the activity of the Kharkiv Astronomical Observatory during the German–Soviet War is carried out. The astronomical community of Kharkiv suffered heavy losses: Professors O.I. Razdol’skii, M.S. Savron, and S.M. Semiletov, Researcher G.L. Strashnii, Yu.M. Fadeev, and V.O. Balanskii, and calculation specialist L.M. Kostirya died; young representatives of the Kharkiv astronomical community M. Azbel’, F. Berezovskii, I. Tymoshenko, and O. Ubiivovk gave their lives in the battle with the enemy. During warfare, many observatory buildings, together with astronomical instruments and devices, were seriously damaged. The peculiarities of observatory operation during the studied period have been documented, and the biographical data of most of the employees of the Kharkiv Astronomical Observatory during the Nazi occupation of the city in 1941–1943 have been clarified. The stages of restoration of the observatory after the liberation of Kharkiv from the invaders were considered.