The main lesson of the Second World War. A Brief History of the Great Patriotic War

The Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) is one of major events in the history of the Russian people, leaving an indelible mark on the soul of every person. In a seemingly short four years, almost 100 million were lost human lives, more than one and a half thousand cities and towns were destroyed, more than 30 thousand were disabled industrial enterprises and at least 60 thousand kilometers of roads. Our state was experiencing a severe shock, which is difficult to comprehend even now, in peacetime. What was the war of 1941-1945 like? What stages can be distinguished during combat operations? And what are the consequences of this terrible event? In this article we will try to find answers to all these questions.

The Second World War

The Soviet Union was not the first to be attacked by fascist troops. Everyone knows that the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 began only 1.5 years after the start of the world war. So what events started this terrible war, and what military actions were organized by Nazi Germany?

First of all, it is worth mentioning the fact that on August 23, 1939, a non-aggression pact was signed between Germany and the USSR. Along with it, some secret protocols were signed regarding the interests of the USSR and Germany, including the division of Polish territories. Thus, Germany, which had the goal of attacking Poland, protected itself from retaliatory steps by the Soviet leadership and actually made the USSR an accomplice in the division of Poland.

So, on September 1, 39 of the 20th century, fascist invaders attacked Poland. The Polish troops did not provide adequate resistance, and already on September 17 the troops Soviet Union entered the lands of Eastern Poland. As a result of this, the territories of Western Ukraine and Belarus were annexed to the territory of the Soviet state. On September 28 of the same year, Ribbentrop and V.M. Molotov concluded a treaty of friendship and borders.

Germany failed to achieve the planned blitzkrieg, or lightning-fast outcome of the war. Military operations on the Western Front until May 10, 1940 are called " strange war", since no events occurred during this period of time.

Only in the spring of 1940 did Hitler resume his offensive and capture Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France. The operation to capture England “Sea Lion” was unsuccessful, and then the “Barbarossa” plan for the USSR was adopted - a plan for the start of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945).

Preparing the USSR for war

Despite the non-aggression pact concluded in 1939, Stalin understood that the USSR would in any case be drawn into a world war. Therefore, the Soviet Union adopted a five-year plan to prepare for it, implemented in the period from 1938 to 1942.

The primary task in preparation for the war of 1941-1945 was the strengthening of the military-industrial complex and the development of heavy industry. Therefore, during this period, numerous thermal and hydroelectric power stations were built (including on the Volga and Kama), coal mines and mines were developed, and oil production increased. Also, great importance was given to the construction of railways and transport hubs.

The construction of backup enterprises was carried out in the eastern part of the country. And costs for the defense industry have increased several times. At this time, new models of military equipment and weapons were also released.

An equally important task was preparing the population for war. Work week now consisted of seven eight-hour days. The size of the Red Army was significantly increased due to the introduction of compulsory military service from the age of 18. For the workers it was obligatory receipt special education; Criminal liability was introduced for violations of discipline.

However, the actual results did not correspond to those planned by the management, and only in the spring of 1941 an 11-12-hour working day was introduced for workers. And on June 21, 1941 I.V. Stalin gave the order to put the troops on combat readiness, but the order reached the border guards too late.

USSR entry into the war

At dawn on June 22, 1941, fascist troops attacked the Soviet Union without declaring war, and from that moment the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 began.

At noon of the same day, Vyacheslav Molotov spoke on the radio, announcing to Soviet citizens the beginning of the war and the need to resist the enemy. The next day the Top Headquarters was created. High Command, and on June 30 - State. The Defense Committee, which actually received all the power. I.V. became the Chairman of the Committee and Commander-in-Chief. Stalin.

Now let's move on to a brief description of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.

Plan Barbarossa

Hitler's Barbarossa plan was as follows: it envisioned the rapid defeat of the Soviet Union with the help of three groups of the German army. The first of them (northern) would attack Leningrad, the second (central) would attack Moscow, and the third (southern) would attack Kyiv. Hitler planned to complete the entire offensive in 6 weeks and reach the Volga strip of Arkhangelsk-Astrakhan. However, the confident rebuff of the Soviet troops did not allow him to carry out a “lightning war.”

Considering the forces of the parties in the war of 1941-1945, we can say that the USSR, although slightly, was inferior to the German army. Germany and its allies had 190 divisions, while the Soviet Union had only 170. 48 thousand German artillery were fielded against 47 thousand Soviet artillery. The size of the opposing armies in both cases was approximately 6 million people. But in terms of the number of tanks and aircraft, the USSR significantly exceeded Germany (in total 17.7 thousand versus 9.3 thousand).

In the early stages of the war, the USSR suffered setbacks due to incorrectly chosen war tactics. Initially, the Soviet leadership planned to wage war on foreign territory, not allowing fascist troops into the territory of the Soviet Union. However, such plans were not successful. Already in July 1941, six Soviet republics were occupied, and the Red Army lost more than 100 of its divisions. However, Germany also suffered considerable losses: in the first weeks of the war, the enemy lost 100 thousand people and 40% of tanks.

The dynamic resistance of the troops of the Soviet Union led to the breakdown of Hitler's plan for a lightning war. During the Battle of Smolensk (10.07 - 10.09 1945), German troops needed to go on the defensive. In September 1941, the heroic defense of the city of Sevastopol began. But the enemy's main attention was concentrated on the capital of the Soviet Union. Then preparations began for an attack on Moscow and a plan to capture it - Operation Typhoon.

Battle for Moscow

The Battle of Moscow is considered one of the most important events of the Russian war of 1941-1945. Only stubborn resistance and courage of Soviet soldiers allowed the USSR to survive this difficult battle.

On September 30, 1941, German troops launched Operation Typhoon and began an attack on Moscow. The offensive started successfully for them. The fascist invaders managed to break through the defenses of the USSR, as a result of which, encircling the armies near Vyazma and Bryansk, they captured more than 650 thousand Soviet soldiers. The Red Army suffered significant losses. In October-November 1941, battles took place only 70-100 km from Moscow, which was extremely dangerous for the capital. On October 20, a state of siege was introduced in Moscow.

From the beginning of the battle for the capital, G.K. was appointed commander-in-chief on the Western Front. Zhukov, however, he managed to stop the German advance only by the beginning of November. On November 7, a parade was held on the capital's Red Square, from which the soldiers immediately went to the front.

In mid-November the German offensive began again. During the defense of the capital, the 316th Infantry Division of General I.V. Panfilov, who at the beginning of the offensive repelled several tank attacks from the aggressor.

On December 5-6, the troops of the Soviet Union, having received reinforcements from the Eastern Front, launched a counteroffensive, which marked the transition to a new stage of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. During the counteroffensive, the troops of the Soviet Union defeated almost 40 German divisions. Now the fascist troops were “thrown back” 100-250 km from the capital.

The victory of the USSR significantly influenced the spirit of the soldiers and the entire Russian people. The defeat of Germany made it possible for other countries to begin forming an anti-Hitler coalition of states.

Battle of Stalingrad

The successes of the Soviet troops made a deep impression on the state leaders. I.V. Stalin began to count on a speedy end to the war of 1941-1945. He believed that in the spring of 1942 Germany would repeat an attempt to attack Moscow, so he ordered the main forces of the army to be concentrated on the Western Front. However, Hitler thought differently and was preparing a large-scale offensive in the southern direction.

But before the start of the offensive, Germany planned to capture Crimea and some cities Ukrainian Republic. Thus, Soviet troops were defeated on the Kerch Peninsula, and on July 4, 1942 the city of Sevastopol had to be abandoned. Then Kharkov, Donbass and Rostov-on-Don fell; a direct threat to Stalingrad was created. Stalin, who realized his miscalculations too late, issued the order “Not a step back!” on July 28, forming barrage detachments for unstable divisions.

Until November 18, 1942, the residents of Stalingrad heroically defended their city. Only on November 19 did the USSR troops launch a counteroffensive.

Soviet troops organized three operations: “Uranus” (11/19/1942 - 02/2/1943), “Saturn” (12/16/30/1942) and “Ring” (11/10/1942 - 02/2/1943). What was each of them?

The Uranus plan envisaged the encirclement of fascist troops from three fronts: the Stalingrad front (commander - Eremenko), the Don Front (Rokossovsky) and the Southwestern Front (Vatutin). Soviet troops planned to meet on November 23 in the city of Kalach-on-Don and give the Germans an organized battle.

Operation Little Saturn was aimed at protecting oil fields located in the Caucasus. Operation Ring in February 1943 was the final plan of the Soviet command. Soviet troops were supposed to close a “ring” around the enemy army and defeat his forces.

As a result, on February 2, 1943, the enemy group surrounded by USSR troops surrendered. The commander-in-chief of the German army, Friedrich Paulus, was also captured. The victory at Stalingrad led to a radical change in the history of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Now the strategic initiative was in the hands of the Red Army.

Battle of Kursk

Next the most important stage the war became a battle Kursk Bulge, which lasted from July 5 to August 23, 1943. The German command adopted the “Citadel” plan, aimed at encircling and defeating Soviet army on the Kursk Bulge.

In response to the enemy’s plan, the Soviet command planned two operations, and it was supposed to begin with active defense, and then bring down all the forces of the main and reserve troops on the Germans.

Operation Kutuzov was a plan to attack German troops from the north (the city of Orel). Sokolovsky was appointed commander of the Western Front, Rokossovsky of the Central Front, and Popov of the Bryansk Front. Already on July 5, Rokossovsky struck the first blow against the enemy army, beating his attack by only a few minutes.

On July 12, the troops of the Soviet Union launched a counteroffensive, marking a turning point in the course of Battle of Kursk. On August 5, Belgorod and Orel were liberated by the Red Army. From August 3 to 23, Soviet troops carried out an operation to completely defeat the enemy - “Commander Rumyantsev” (commanders - Konev and Vatutin). It represented a Soviet offensive in the Belgorod and Kharkov area. The enemy suffered another defeat, losing more than 500 thousand soldiers.

The Red Army troops managed to liberate Kharkov, Donbass, Bryansk and Smolensk in a short period of time. In November 1943, the siege of Kyiv was lifted. The war of 1941-1945 was nearing its end.

Defense of Leningrad

One of the most terrible and heroic pages The Patriotic War of 1941-1945 and our entire history is the selfless defense of Leningrad.

The siege of Leningrad began in September 1941, when the city was cut off from food sources. Its most terrible period was the very Cold winter 1941-1942. The only way to salvation was the Road of Life, which was laid on the ice of Lake Ladoga. At the initial stage of the blockade (until May 1942), under constant enemy bombing, Soviet troops managed to deliver more than 250 thousand tons of food to Leningrad and evacuate about 1 million people.

For a better understanding of the hardships the residents of Leningrad suffered, we recommend watching this video.

Only in January 1943 the enemy blockade was partially broken, and the supply of food, medicine, and weapons to the city began. A year later, in January 1944, the blockade of Leningrad was completely lifted.

Plan "Bagration"

From June 23 to August 29, 1944, USSR troops carried out the main operation on the Belarusian front. It was one of the largest in the entire Great Patriotic War (WWII) of 1941-1945.

The goal of Operation Bagration was the final destruction of the enemy army and the liberation of Soviet territories from fascist invaders. Fascist troops in the areas of individual cities were defeated. Belarus, Lithuania and part of Poland were liberated from the enemy.

The Soviet command planned to begin liberating the peoples of European states from German troops.

Conferences

On November 28, 1943, a conference was held in Tehran, which brought together the leaders of the Big Three countries - Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill. The conference set dates for the opening of the Second Front in Normandy and confirmed the Soviet Union's commitment to enter the war with Japan after the final liberation of Europe and defeat the Japanese army.

The next conference was held on February 4-11, 1944 in Yalta (Crimea). The leaders of the three states discussed the conditions of occupation and demilitarization of Germany, held negotiations on the convening of the founding UN conference and the adoption of the Declaration of a Liberated Europe.

The Potsdam Conference took place on July 17, 1945. The leader of the USA was Truman, and K. Attlee spoke on behalf of Great Britain (from July 28). At the conference, new borders in Europe were discussed, and a decision was made on the size of reparations from Germany in favor of the USSR. At the same time, already at the Potsdam Conference, prerequisites were outlined Cold War between the USA and the Soviet Union.

End of World War II

According to the requirements discussed at conferences with representatives of the Big Three countries, on August 8, 1945, the USSR declared war on Japan. The USSR Army dealt a powerful blow to the Kwantung Army.

In less than three weeks, Soviet troops under the leadership of Marshal Vasilevsky managed to defeat the main forces of the Japanese army. On September 2, 1945, the Instrument of Surrender of Japan was signed on the American ship Missouri. The Second Ended World War.

Consequences

The consequences of the war of 1941-1945 are extremely diverse. Firstly, the military forces of the aggressors were defeated. The defeat of Germany and its allies meant the collapse of dictatorial regimes in Europe.

The Soviet Union ended the war as one of the two superpowers (along with the United States), and the Soviet army was recognized as the most powerful in the entire world.

In addition to the positive results, there were also incredible losses. The Soviet Union lost approximately 70 million people in the war. The state's economy was at a very low level. Major cities of the USSR suffered terrible losses, taking the strongest blows from the enemy. The USSR was faced with the task of restoring and confirming its status as the world's greatest superpower.

It is difficult to give a definite answer to the question: “What was the war of 1941-1945?” The main task of the Russian people is to never forget about greatest feats our ancestors and with pride and “with tears in our eyes” celebrate the main holiday for Russia - Victory Day.

With the beginning of September 1939, the short period of peace between the two big wars XX century. Two years later, it came under the rule of Nazi Germany. most of Europe with huge production and raw materials potential.

A powerful blow fell on the Soviet Union, for which the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) began. A brief summary of this period in the history of the USSR cannot express the scale of the suffering endured by the Soviet people and the heroism they showed.

On the eve of military trials

The revival of the power of Germany, dissatisfied with the results of the First World War (1914-1918), against the backdrop of the aggressiveness of the party that came to power there, led by the possessed Adolf Hitler, with its ideology of racial superiority, made the threat of a new war for the USSR more and more real. By the end of the 30s, these sentiments penetrated more and more into the people, and the all-powerful leader of the huge country, Stalin, understood this more and more clearly.

The country was preparing. People went to construction sites in the eastern part of the country, and military factories were built in Siberia and the Urals - backups to production facilities located near the western borders. Significantly more financial, human and scientific resources were invested in the defense industry than in the civilian industry. To increase the results of labor in cities and in agriculture, ideological and harsh administrative means were used (repressive laws on discipline in factories and collective farms).

The reform in the army was prompted by the adoption of the law on universal conscription (1939), and widespread military training was introduced. It was in shooting, parachute clubs, and flying clubs at OSOAVIAKHIM that future soldier-heroes of the Patriotic War of 1941-1945 began to study military science. New military schools were opened, newest types weapons, progressive type combat formations were formed: armored and airborne. But there was not enough time, the combat readiness of the Soviet troops was in many respects lower than that of the Wehrmacht - the army of Nazi Germany.

Stalin's suspicion of the power ambitions of the senior command caused great harm. It resulted in monstrous repressions that wiped out up to two-thirds of the officer corps. There is a version about a planned provocation by German military intelligence, which exposed many heroes of the civil war who became victims of purges.

Foreign policy factors

Stalin and the leaders of countries that wanted to limit Hitler’s European hegemony (England, France, the USA) were unable to create a united anti-fascist front before the start of the war. The Soviet leader, in an effort to delay the war, tried to contact Hitler. This led to the signing of the Soviet-German non-aggression pact (agreement) in 1939, which also did not contribute to the rapprochement of anti-Hitler forces.

As it turned out, the country's leadership was mistaken about the value of the peace agreement with Hitler. On June 22, 1941, the Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe attacked without declaring war western borders USSR throughout. This came as a complete surprise to the Soviet troops and a great shock to Stalin.

Tragic experience

In 1940, Hitler approved the Barbarossa plan. According to this plan, three summer months were allotted for the defeat of the USSR and the capture of its capital. And at first the plan was carried out with precision. All participants in the war recall the almost hopeless mood of mid-summer 1941. 5.5 million German soldiers against 2.9 million Russians, total superiority in weapons - and in a month Belarus, the Baltic states, Moldova, and almost all of Ukraine were captured. The losses of Soviet troops were 1 million killed, 700 thousand prisoners.

The superiority of the Germans in the skill of command and control of troops was noticeable - the combat experience of the army, which had already covered half of Europe, was reflected. Skillful maneuvers encircle and destroy entire groups near Smolensk, Kyiv, in the Moscow direction, and the blockade of Leningrad begins. Stalin was dissatisfied with the actions of his commanders and resorted to the usual repressions - the commander was shot for treason Western Front.

People's War

And yet Hitler’s plans collapsed. The USSR quickly took a war footing. The Headquarters of the Supreme High Command was created to control the armies and a single governing body for the entire country - State Committee Defense, headed by the all-powerful leader Stalin.

Hitler believed that Stalin's methods of leading the country, illegal repressions against the intelligentsia, the military, wealthy peasants and entire nationalities would cause the collapse of the state, the emergence of a “fifth column” - as he was used to in Europe. But he miscalculated.

Men in the trenches, women at the machines, old people and small children hated the invaders. Wars of this magnitude affect the fate of every person, and victory requires a universal effort. Sacrifices for the sake of a common victory were made not only because of ideological motives, but also because of innate patriotism, which had roots in pre-revolutionary history.

Battle of Moscow

The invasion received its first serious resistance near Smolensk. With heroic efforts, the attack on the capital was delayed there until the beginning of September.

By October, tanks with crosses on their armor reach Moscow, with the goal of capturing the Soviet capital before the onset of cold weather. The most difficult time during the Great Patriotic War was coming. A state of siege is declared in Moscow (10/19/1941).

The military parade on the anniversary of the October Revolution (11/07/1941) will forever remain in history as a symbol of confidence that Moscow will be able to be defended. The troops left Red Square directly to the front, which was located 20 kilometers to the west.

An example of the tenacity of Soviet soldiers was the feat of 28 Red Army soldiers from General Panfilov’s division. They delayed a breakthrough group of 50 tanks at the Dubosekovo crossing for 4 hours and died, destroying 18 combat vehicles. These heroes of the Patriotic War (1941-1945) are only a small part of the Immortal Regiment of the Russian Army. Such self-sacrifice gave rise to doubts about victory among the enemy, strengthening the courage of the defenders.

Recalling the events of the war, Marshal Zhukov, who commanded the Western Front near Moscow, whom Stalin began to promote to the leading roles, always noted the decisive importance of the defense of the capital for achieving victory in May 1945. Any delay by the enemy army made it possible to accumulate forces for a counterattack: fresh units of the Siberian garrisons were transferred to Moscow. Hitler did not plan to wage war in winter conditions; the Germans began to have problems supplying troops. By the beginning of December, there was a turning point in the battle for the Russian capital.

A radical turn

The offensive of the Red Army (December 5, 1941), which was unexpected for Hitler, threw the Germans one and a half hundred miles to the west. The fascist army suffered the first defeat in its history, the plan for a victorious war failed.

The offensive continued until April 1942, but it was far from irreversible changes in the course of the war: major defeats followed near Leningrad, Kharkov, in the Crimea, the Nazis reached the Volga near Stalingrad.

When historians of any country mention the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945), summary its events are not complete without Battle of Stalingrad. It was at the walls of the city that bore the name of Hitler's sworn enemy that he received the blow that ultimately led to his collapse.

The defense of the city was often carried out hand-to-hand, for every piece of territory. War participants note an unprecedented number of human and technical means, attracted from both sides and burned in the fire of the Battle of Stalingrad. The Germans lost a quarter of their troops - one and a half million bayonets, 2 million were our losses.

The unprecedented resilience of Soviet soldiers in defense and uncontrollable rage in the offensive, together with the increased tactical skill of the command, ensured the encirclement and capture of 22 divisions of the 6th Army of Field Marshal Paulus. The results of the second military winter shocked Germany and the whole world. The history of the war of 1941-1945 changed course; it became clear that the USSR not only withstood the first blow, but would also inevitably deal a powerful retaliatory blow to the enemy.

The final turning point in the war

The Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) contains several examples of the leadership talent of the Soviet command. A summary of the events of 1943 is a series of impressive Russian victories.

The spring of 1943 began with a Soviet offensive in all directions. The configuration of the front line threatened the encirclement of the Soviet Army in the Kursk region. The German offensive operation, called “Citadel,” had precisely this strategic goal, but the Red Army command provided for enhanced defense in the areas of the proposed breakthrough, while simultaneously preparing reserves for a counteroffensive.

The German offensive in early July managed to break through the Soviet defenses only in sections to a depth of 35 km. The history of the war (1941-1945) knows the date of the start of the largest oncoming battle of self-propelled combat vehicles. On a sultry July day, the 12th, the crews of 1,200 tanks began the battle in the steppe near the village of Prokhorovka. The Germans have the latest Tiger and Panther, the Russians have the T-34 with a new, more powerful gun. The defeat inflicted on the Germans knocked the offensive weapons of the motorized corps out of Hitler's hands, and the fascist army went on the strategic defensive.

By the end of August 1943, Belgorod and Orel were recaptured, and Kharkov was liberated. For the first time in years, the Red Army seized the initiative. Now German generals it was necessary to guess where she would begin hostilities.

In the penultimate war year, historians identify 10 decisive operations which led to the liberation of enemy-occupied territory. Until 1953 they were called “Stalin’s 10 blows.”

Great Patriotic War (1941-1945): summary of military operations of 1944

1. Lifting the Leningrad blockade (January 1944).
2. January-April 1944: Korsun-Shevchenko operation, successful battles in Right Bank Ukraine, March 26 - access to the border with Romania.
3. Liberation of Crimea (May 1944).
4. The defeat of Finland in Karelia, its exit from the war (June-August 1944).
5. The offensive of four fronts in Belarus (Operation Bagration).
6. July-August - battles on Western Ukraine, Lviv-Sandomierz operation.
7. Iasi-Kishinev operation, defeat of 22 divisions, withdrawal of Romania and Bulgaria from the war (August 1944).
8. Help for Yugoslav partisans I.B. Tito (September 1944).
9. Liberation of the Baltic states (July-October of the same year).
10. October - liberation of the Soviet Arctic and northeast Norway.

End of enemy occupation

By the beginning of November, the territory of the USSR within the pre-war borders was liberated. The period of occupation has ended for the peoples of Belarus and Ukraine. Today's political situation forces some “figures” to present the German occupation almost as a blessing. It’s worth asking about this from Belarusians, who lost every fourth person from the actions of “civilized Europeans.”

It was not for nothing that from the first days of the foreign invasion, partisans began to operate in the occupied territories. The war of 1941-1945 in this sense became an echo of the year when other European invaders did not know peace on our territory.

Liberation of Europe

The European liberation campaign required an unimaginable expenditure of human and military resources from the USSR. Hitler, who did not even allow the thought that soviet soldier entered German soil, threw all possible forces into battle, put the elderly and children under arms.

Move final stage wars can be traced by the names of the awards established by the Soviet government. Soviet soldiers-liberators received the following medals of the war of 1941-1945: for (10/20/1944), Warsaw (01/7/1945), Prague (May 9), for the capture of Budapest (February 13), Koenigsberg (April 10), Vienna (13 April). And finally, military personnel were awarded for the storming of Berlin (May 2).

...And May came. The victory was marked by the signing on May 8 of the Act of Unconditional Surrender of German Troops, and on June 24 a parade was held with the participation of representatives of all fronts, branches and branches of the military.

a great victory

Hitler's adventure cost humanity dearly. The exact number of human losses is still debated. Restoring destroyed cities and establishing an economy required many years of hard work, hunger and deprivation.

The results of the war are now assessed differently. The geopolitical changes that occurred after 1945 had different consequences. The territorial acquisitions of the Soviet Union, the emergence of the socialist camp, and the strengthening of the political weight of the USSR to the status of a superpower soon led to confrontation and increased tension between the allied countries in World War II.

But the main results are not subject to any revision and do not depend on the opinions of politicians looking for immediate benefits. In the Great Patriotic War, our country defended freedom and independence, a terrible enemy was defeated - the bearer of a monstrous ideology that threatened to destroy entire nations, and the peoples of Europe were delivered from it.

The participants in the battles are fading into history, the children of war are already elderly, but the memory of that war will live as long as people are able to value freedom, honesty and courage.

At dawn on June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union. On the side of Germany were Romania, Hungary, Italy and Finland. The aggressor's force group numbered 5.5 million people, 190 divisions, 5 thousand aircraft, about 4 thousand tanks and self-propelled artillery units (SPG), 47 thousand guns and mortars.

In accordance with the Barbarossa plan developed in 1940, Germany planned to the shortest possible time(in 6-10 weeks) enter the line Arkhangelsk - Volga - Astrakhan. It was a setup for blitzkrieg - lightning war. This is how the Great Patriotic War began.

Main periods of the Great Patriotic War

The first period (June 22, 1941–November 18, 1942) from the beginning of the war to the beginning of the Soviet offensive at Stalingrad. This was the most difficult period for the USSR.

Having created multiple superiority in men and military equipment in the main directions of attack, the German army achieved significant success.

By the end of November 1941, Soviet troops, having retreated under the blows of superior enemy forces to Leningrad, Moscow, Rostov-on-Don, left a huge territory to the enemy, lost about 5 million people killed, missing and captured, most of the tanks and aircraft .

The main efforts of the Nazi troops in the fall of 1941 were aimed at capturing Moscow.

Victory near Moscow

Battle for Moscow lasted from September 30, 1941 to April 20, 1942. December 5-6, 1941. The Red Army went on the offensive, the enemy’s defense front was broken through. Fascist troops were driven back 100-250 km from Moscow. The plan to capture Moscow failed, and the lightning war in the east did not take place.

The victory near Moscow was of great international significance. Japan and Türkiye refrained from entering the war against the USSR. The increased authority of the USSR on the world stage contributed to the creation of an anti-Hitler coalition.

However, in the summer of 1942, due to the mistakes of the Soviet leadership (primarily Stalin), the Red Army suffered a number of major defeats in the North-West, near Kharkov and in the Crimea.

Nazi troops reached the Volga - Stalingrad and the Caucasus.

The persistent defense of Soviet troops in these directions, as well as the transfer of the country's economy to a military footing, the creation of a coherent military economy, and the deployment of the partisan movement behind enemy lines prepared the necessary conditions for the Soviet troops to go on the offensive.

Stalingrad. Kursk Bulge

The second period (November 19, 1942 - end of 1943) is a radical turning point in the war. Having exhausted and bled the enemy in defensive battles, on November 19, 1942, Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive, encircling 22 fascist divisions numbering more than 300 thousand people near Stalingrad. On February 2, 1943, this group was liquidated. At the same time, enemy troops were expelled from North Caucasus. By the summer of 1943, the Soviet-German front had stabilized.

Using a front configuration that was advantageous to them, fascist troops launched an offensive near Kursk on July 5, 1943, with the goal of regaining the strategic initiative and encircling the Soviet group of troops on the Kursk Bulge. During fierce fighting, the enemy's advance was stopped. On August 23, 1943, Soviet troops liberated Orel, Belgorod, Kharkov, reached the Dnieper, and on November 6, 1943, Kyiv was liberated.

During the summer-autumn offensive, half of the enemy divisions were defeated, and significant territories of the Soviet Union were liberated. The collapse of the fascist bloc began, and in 1943 Italy withdrew from the war.

1943 was the year of a radical turning point not only in the course of military operations on the fronts, but also in the work of the Soviet rear. Thanks to the selfless work of the home front, by the end of 1943 an economic victory over Germany was won. The military industry in 1943 provided the front with 29.9 thousand aircraft, 24.1 thousand tanks, 130.3 thousand guns of all types. This was more than Germany produced in 1943. The Soviet Union in 1943 surpassed Germany in the production of the main types of military equipment and weapons.

The third period (end of 1943 - May 8, 1945) is the final period of the Great Patriotic War. In 1944, the Soviet economy achieved its greatest expansion ever war time. Industry, transport, and agriculture developed successfully. Military production grew especially rapidly. The production of tanks and self-propelled guns in 1944, compared to 1943, increased from 24 to 29 thousand, and combat aircraft - from 30 to 33 thousand units. From the beginning of the war to 1945, about 6 thousand enterprises were put into operation.

1944 was marked by victories of the Soviet Armed Forces. The entire territory of the USSR was completely liberated from the fascist occupiers. The Soviet Union came to the aid of the peoples of Europe - the Soviet Army liberated Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and fought its way to Norway. Romania and Bulgaria declared war on Germany. Finland left the war.

The successful offensive actions of the Soviet Army prompted the allies to open a second front in Europe on June 6, 1944 - Anglo-American troops under the command of General D. Eisenhower (1890-1969) landed in northern France, in Normandy. But the Soviet-German front still remained the main and most active front of the Second World War.

During the winter offensive of 1945, the Soviet Army pushed the enemy back more than 500 km. Poland, Hungary and Austria were almost completely liberated, East End Czechoslovakia. The Soviet Army reached the Oder (60 km from Berlin). On April 25, 1945, a historic meeting between Soviet troops and American and British troops took place on the Elbe, in the Torgau region.

The fighting in Berlin was exceptionally fierce and persistent. On April 30, the Victory Banner was hoisted over the Reichstag. On May 8, the signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany took place. May 9 became Victory Day. From July 17 to August 2, 1945, the Third Conference of the Heads of Government of the USSR, USA and Great Britain took place in the suburb of Berlin - Potsdam, which made important decisions on the post-war world order in Europe, the German problem and other issues. On June 24, 1945, the Victory Parade took place in Moscow on Red Square.

Victory of the USSR over Nazi Germany

The victory of the USSR over Nazi Germany was not only political and military, but also economic.

This is evidenced by the fact that in the period from July 1941 to August 1945, significantly more military equipment and weapons were produced in our country than in Germany.

Here are the specific data (thousand pieces):

This economic victory in the war was made possible because the Soviet Union was able to create a more advanced economic organization and achieve more effective use all its resources.

War with Japan. End of World War II

However, the end of military operations in Europe did not mean the end of World War II. In accordance with the agreement in principle in Yalta (February 1945) Soviet government On August 8, 1945, war was declared on Japan.

Soviet troops launched offensive operations on a front stretching over 5 thousand km. The geographical and climatic conditions in which the fighting took place were extremely difficult.

The advancing Soviet troops had to overcome the ridges of the Greater and Lesser Khingan and the East Manchurian Mountains, deep and stormy rivers, waterless deserts, and impassable forests.

But despite these difficulties, the Japanese troops were defeated.

During stubborn fighting in 23 days, Soviet troops liberated Northeast China, North Korea, the southern part of Sakhalin Island and the Kuril Islands. 600 thousand enemy soldiers and officers were captured, a large number of weapons and military equipment.

Under the blows of the armed forces of the USSR and its allies in the war (primarily the USA, England, China), Japan capitulated on September 2, 1945. The southern part of Sakhalin and the islands of the Kuril ridge went to the Soviet Union.

USA, dropping 6 and 9 August atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, marked the beginning of a new nuclear era.

The main lesson of World War II

The economic and socio-political situation that developed in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century gave rise to the revolution of 1905-1907, then the February and October revolutions of 1917.

Russian participation in the First World War, Civil War and military intervention 1918-1920. led to the loss of millions of lives of Russians and the enormous devastation of the country's national economy.

The New Economic Policy (NEP) of the Bolshevik Party allowed, within seven years (1921-1927), to overcome the devastation, restore industry, agriculture, transport, establish commodity-money relations, and carry out financial reform.

However, the NEP turned out to be not free from internal contradictions and crisis phenomena. Therefore, in 1928 it was finished.

Stalin's leadership in the late 20s - early 30s. set a course for the accelerated construction of state socialism through the accelerated implementation of industrialization of the country and complete collectivization Agriculture.

In the process of implementing this course, a command-administrative management system and Stalin’s personality cult took shape, which brought a lot of trouble to our people. However, it should be noted that the industrialization of the country and the collectivization of agriculture. were an important factor in ensuring economic victory over the enemy during the Great Patriotic War.

The Great Patriotic War was an important part of the Second World War . Soviet people and its Armed Forces bore the main burden of this war on their shoulders and achieved a historic victory over Nazi Germany and its allies.

Participants in the anti-Hitler coalition made their significant contribution to the victory over the forces of fascism and militarism.

Main lesson The Second World War is that the prevention of war requires the unity of action of peace-loving forces.

During the preparation for World War II, it could have been prevented.

Many countries and public organizations they tried to do this, but unity of action was never achieved.

Hitler approved the war plan against the USSR, codenamed “Barbarossa,” on December 18, 1940. He sought to establish German hegemony in Europe, which would have been impossible without the defeat of the USSR. Germany was also attracted by the natural resources of the USSR, which were important as strategic raw materials. The defeat of the Soviet Union, in the opinion of Hitler’s military command, would create conditions for an invasion of British Isles and the seizure of English colonies in the Near and Middle East and India. The strategic plan of Hitler’s command (“blitzkrieg” - lightning war) was as follows: to destroy Soviet troops concentrated in the western regions of the country, to rapidly advance into the depths of the Soviet Union, to occupy its most important political and economic centers. Moscow was to be destroyed after its capture. Final goal military operation against the USSR - the exit and consolidation of German troops on the Arkhangelsk - Astrakhan line.

On June 22, 1941, Germany attacked the Soviet Union. Hitler violated the German-Soviet non-aggression pact of 1939.

German troops advanced in three army groups. The task of Army Group North is to destroy Soviet troops in the Baltic states and occupy ports on the Baltic Sea, Pskov and Leningrad. Army Group South was supposed to defeat the Red Army forces in Ukraine and capture Kyiv, Kharkov, Donbass and Crimea. The most powerful was Army Group Center, which was advancing in the central direction towards Moscow.

On June 23, the Headquarters of the Main Command was created in Moscow to direct military operations. On July 10, it was transformed into the Supreme Command Headquarters. Its chairman was Stalin.

Initial stage (June 22, 1941— November 19, 1942).

1941

On June 22, the Germans crossed the border of the Soviet Union in many directions.

By July 10, the Nazis, advancing in three strategic directions (Moscow, Leningrad and Kiev), captured the Baltic states, significant part Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine.

July 10 - September 10 - Battle of Smolensk, loss of the city, encirclement of Red Army units, advance of the Nazis towards Moscow.

July 11 - September 19 - defense of Kyiv, loss of the city, encirclement of four armies of the Southwestern Front.

December 5, 1941 - January 8, 1942 - counteroffensive of the Red Army near Moscow, the Germans were driven back 120-250 km. The strategy of lightning war failed.

1942

January 9 - April - offensive of the Red Army, Moscow and Tula regions, areas of Kalinin, Smolensk, Ryazan, Oryol regions are liberated.

May - July - the offensive of German troops in the Crimea, the fall of Sevastopol (July 4).

July 17 - November 18 - the defensive stage of the Battle of Stalingrad, the plans of the German command for the lightning capture of the city were thwarted.

July 25 - December 31 - defensive battle in the North Caucasus.

Radical change (November 19, 1942 - December 1943).

November 19, 1942 - February 2, 1943 - offensive of the Red Army near Stalingrad, encirclement and capture of the 6th Army of Field Marshal Paulus and the 2nd Tank Army total number 300 thousand people, the beginning of a radical change during the Great Patriotic War.

1943

July 5 - August 23 - Battle of Kursk (July 12 - tank battle near Prokhorovka), the final transfer of strategic initiative to the Red Army.

August 25 - December 23 - battle for the Dnieper, liberation of Left Bank Ukraine, Donbass, Kyiv (November 6).

1944 G.

January - May - offensive operations near Leningrad and Novgorod (the blockade of Leningrad was lifted), near Odessa (the city was liberated) and in Crimea.

June - December - Operation Bagration and a number of other offensive operations to liberate Belarus, the Lvov-Sandomierz operation in Western Ukraine, operations to liberate Romania and Bulgaria, the Baltic states, Hungary and Yugoslavia.

1945

January 12 - February 7 - Vistula-Oder operation, Most of Poland was liberated.

January 13 - April 25 - East Prussian operation, Konigsberg, the main fortified bridgehead of East Prussia, was captured.

April 16 - May 8 - Berlin operation, capture of Berlin (May 2), surrender of Germany (May 8).

The Great Patriotic War was an integral part of the Second World War, in which Hitler's Germany and its allies were opposed by a powerful anti-Hitler coalition. The main participants in the coalition were the USSR, the USA and Great Britain. The Soviet Union made a decisive contribution to the defeat of fascism. The Eastern Front always remained the main one during the Second World War.

The victory over Germany and Japan strengthened the authority of the USSR throughout the world. The Soviet Army ended the war as the most powerful army in the world, and the Soviet Union became one of the two superpowers.

The main source of the USSR's victory in the war was the unparalleled courage and heroism of the Soviet people at the front and in the rear. On the Soviet-German front alone, 607 enemy divisions were defeated. Germany lost more than 10 million people (80% of its military losses), 167 thousand artillery pieces, 48 ​​thousand tanks, 77 thousand aircraft (75% of all its military equipment) in the war against the USSR. The victory came at a huge cost to us. The war claimed the lives of almost 27 million people (including 10 million soldiers and officers). 4 million partisans, underground fighters, and civilians died behind enemy lines. Over 6 million people found themselves in fascist captivity. Nevertheless, in the popular consciousness, the long-awaited Victory Day became the brightest and most joyful holiday, marking the end of the most bloody and destructive of wars.

The Great Patriotic War is one of the most terrible and difficult pages in our history. Even Soviet historians decided to divide the period of hostilities into three main stages - the time of defense, the time of offensive and the time of liberation of lands from invaders and victory over Germany. The victory in the Patriotic War was of great importance not only for the Soviet Union, the defeat and destruction of fascism had an impact on further political and economic development all over the world. And the prerequisites for the great victory were laid in the initial time periods of the Great Patriotic War.

Main stages

Each of the three main designated periods of the Great Patriotic War had its own characteristics, its pros and cons, its mistakes and important victories. Thus, the first stage is the time of defense, the time of heavy defeats, which, however, gave the opportunity to consider weak sides Red (then) Army and eliminate them. The second stage is characterized as the time of the start of offensive operations, crucial moment during military operations. Having realized the mistakes they had made and having gathered all their strength, the Soviet troops were able to go on the offensive. The third stage is the period of the offensive, victorious movement of the Soviet Army, the time of liberation of the occupied lands and the final expulsion of the fascist invaders from the territory of the Soviet Union. The march of the army continued across Europe right up to the borders of Germany. And by May 9, 1945, the fascist troops were finally defeated, and the German government was forced to capitulate. Victory Day is important date modern history.

a brief description of

However, it is worth noting that with the end of the Patriotic War, World War II was not over yet. Here, historians highlight another stage, dating back to the Second World War, and not the Patriotic War, within the time frame from May 10, 1945 to September 2, 1945. This period is characterized by the victory over Japan and the defeat of the remaining troops allied with Nazi Germany.