“Katyusha” is one of the most famous wartime songs, but, surprisingly, it was created before the war. It has a rather complicated creation history but a very happy fate. This simple song managed to conquer almost the entire world. “Katyusha” - a legendary wartime song, although it sounds strange, was created before the war. The story of its creation was quite complicated. One of the most famous Soviet songs in the world was written in 1938 by poet Mikhail Isakovsky and composer Matvei Blanter. It all started with the already famous poet Mikhail Isakovsky inventing a quatrain – the well-known beginning of the song: “Apple trees and pear trees were blooming…”. But the lyrics did not come together further, so Isakovsky decided to put the work on hold for better times. Soon, he met composer Matvei Blanter. The composer really liked the initial lines of the future song and, after several sleepless nights, composed the legendary melody. The song was first performed in November 1938 in the Column Hall of the House of Unions. During the Great Patriotic War, the BM-13 rocket launchers were named in honor of this song. The sincere lines about Katyusha coming out to the high steep bank resonated with many. There are several versions of who became the prototype of the girl in the song. The most common and plausible one is that poet Mikhail Isakovsky was inspired by the story of Ekaterina Alexeeva: her husband was a border guard serving in the Far East. During the Hassan conflict in the late 1930s, she went to the front with him, worked in a hospital, and even received the Order of the Red Star. In 2013, a monument was erected in her honor in Vladivostok. During the war years, the song took on a new meaning. Soldiers not only knew the lyrics by heart but also created new versions. In these, Katyusha fought on the front, waited for her soldier, became a nurse or a partisan… Many perceived Katyusha as a real girl and even wrote her letters. The rocket launchers that terrified the fascists were named “Katyusha.” In one of the legendary song’s versions, a certain Katya Ivanova appeared. It turned out later that Katya Ivanova had a real-life prototype – a beautiful girl from Kuban who volunteered for the front and fought at Stalingrad. After the war, Ekaterina Andreevna kept a handwritten version of the song’s lyrics about Katya Ivanova, noting that these verses were dedicated to her. Interestingly, “Katyusha” was also liked by the enemies of the Soviet Union. The Germans sang a German version of it, Spanish volunteers serving in the 250th Wehrmacht division used its melody in their march “Primavera,” and the Finns had their own “Karelian Katyusha.” However, the friends and allies of the USSR also loved “Katyusha.” Under the title “Fischia il vento,” it became the anthem of the Italian partisans. A second Italian version of the popular song appeared, called “Caterina.” After the war, a “Katyusha” of their own appeared in Israel and even in China. Thus, this simple song managed to conquer people from all over the world.