For Soviet science, the years of the Great Patriotic War were a time of searching for and quickly implementing the most daring scientific and technical solutions for our speedy Victory. One such example was demagnetizing ships led by the group of A.P. Alexandrov, which resulted in the installing to ships magnetic mine protection system, thanks to which hundreds of ships and many human lives were saved. Despite the many important tactical tasks that the front desperately needed to be solved, Soviet government and Soviet scientists clearly identified a long-term strategic priority: the Soviet atomic project. Under the scientific leadership of I.V. Kurchatov, this task was successfully completed: within six years, our country got a nuclear shield.