Population and 1939 USSR census

[Nikel]

I know the population in cities is given for reference only according to the manual, however the manpower is related to it, someway.


However there are many discrepancies with the last Census elaborated in the USSR before the war, in 1939. This table is from that census and displays cities with a population bigger than 50000, that is casually the number selected for 1 population in the game.


Just an example, Baku population is a 800k town in the census (rounded), that should be 16 in the game, but it is 21.

[EwaldvonKleist]

Afaik the cities also represent the surrounding terrain. So you need to compare the Baku region of 1939 with Baku ingame.

[Nikel]

Yes, but the discrepancies are not only absolute, they are also relative.

Yaroslavl and Tambov are both 16 in the game, but in the census Yaroslavl (300k) more than doubles Tambov (120k).

[vvs007]

in the game, this is not the population, but the "potential of conscripts", so a large industrial city can give fewer conscripts than a large rural area, because in the city - workers produce tanks and planes ... Tashkent and Alma-ata are the regions where refugees from all over the country were evacuated ... a another part of the refugees, along with factories, moved beyond the Urals, so the cities of Siberia also give more conscripts.

the list is correct, but not as of 06/22/41, but after the evacuation measures 1941-42 (apparently DEV decided so in order not to do unnecessary mechanics)

[Nikel]

But Tashkent 133 is 6,65 millions, minus prewar population is more than 6 millions, I do not think so many were evacuated there, countryside included.

I had the idea that the evacuation was of factories workers (and families I guess), so not for conscription.


Also one thing is population, for reference only, and another manpower production.

I am talking about the population, and as reference seems to be wrong.

[vvs007]

ORIGINAL: Nikel

more than 6 millions, I do not think so many were evacuated there

about 25 million people were evacuated, more 1500 largest factories (some of them in just a few days) . Tens of thousands of train routes, several millions of railroad car trips. The USSR is one of the largest industrial powers of that time.

[Joel Billings]

In theory the population of the various locations includes the surrounding countryside. A lot of work went into trying to get the data to be correct (withing that abstraction) as of either 1940 or 1941 (don't remember which) as this goes back 10+ years. Can't claim it's all perfect, but we did have census data we were working from.

[Nikel]

Thanks for answering.

Just posted in case it was useful to improve the game [:)]

[DarkHorse2]

I suppose the value pop of Alma Ata (117) is representative of Kazakhstan?

According to the 1939 census, Kazakhstan had a population of 6 million. Or basically, 1 game pop for every 51,282 persons.

in contrast, Romania (280), after losing Transylvania to Hungary, had a Sep, 1940 population of a little over 13.2 million. Or basically, 1 game pop for every 47,142 persons.

Fairly close.