The main battles in the table briefly. Dates and events of the Great Patriotic War

The Great Patriotic War - undoubtedly the bloodiest war in the history of human civilization, claimed tens of millions of lives, and it was at their cost that victory was won over Nazi Germany.
The Great Patriotic War, like all other wars, was accompanied by a huge number of bloody battles, decisive destinies armies, peoples and entire states.
This article will discuss the most significant battles of the Great Patriotic War.

Battle of Moscow

The whole of 1941 was catastrophic for the Soviet army. The Red Army was unable to win a single significant victory over the armies of the Wehrmacht. And only near Moscow it was possible to stop the German offensive and launch a full-scale counterattack, which was accompanied by the liberation of the occupied territories.
The battle should be divided into two stages: defensive and offensive. The first began on 30 September and lasted until 5 December 1941. The Red Army forces managed to stop the Nazi army only 30 kilometers from Moscow. It was in the first days of December that the Soviet army for the first time succeeded in stabilizing the front and bled the German army to such an extent that it could no longer continue to act actively.
Already on December 5-6, the Red Army launched a decisive counteroffensive. The beginning of the next month began with a powerful offensive against the positions of the Germans near Moscow along the entire front line. In January, the Red Army managed to push back its enemy by 100 km, and in some places managed to break through the defense by as much as 250 km.
The Moscow battle played its role, since it was she who undermined the legend of the invincibility of the German military machine. After this victory, the spirit of the soldiers of the Red Army increased significantly, since everyone realized that it was possible to defeat the Germans, as well as to win the war is quite real. Along with this, the whole world learned about the victory of the USSR and this probably accelerated the entry into the war against Germany of other countries.

Battle of Stalingrad

The battle of Stalingrad, which decided the outcome of the Great Patriotic War and the entire Second World War, is rightfully considered the bloodiest battle in the history of mankind.
During the battle, one of the strongest armies of the Wehrmacht, the 6th, was defeated, and the brilliant commander Pauls was captured. Also near Stalingrad, the Germans lost the strongest tank army - the 4th.
Both sides involved more than one million people, tens of thousands of pieces of military equipment. The battles in Stalingrad were notable for their particular cruelty, a desperate battle was fought for every street, every room and apartment was dotted with machine-gun points, which fiercely resisted the advance of the enemies.
The losses of both sides can be called colossal, but the Germans, whose morale and effectiveness were severely undermined by the severe Russian frosts, without good supplies and reserves, were forced to move to the West, and the Red Army forces launched a decisive counteroffensive, which developed into an offensive, to stop which the Germans had no chance.
The Battle of Stalingrad radically changed the course of the entire war and finally turned the tide. The German army practically lost all resources in order to conduct a counteroffensive and was forced to defend itself.

Battle of Kursk

The Battle of Kursk was the last attempt by the Germans to turn the tide on the Eastern Front. Wehrmacht collected on Kursk Bulge most of all tank troops (70%), aviation (65%) and a huge contingent of infantry, as well as other equipment in order to break through the defenses of the Red Army and continue the lightning offensive. But their plans were not destined to come true, the Red Army confidently repelled the attack of the German army, destroyed their tank army (the battle of Prokhorovka) and, after a powerful artillery strike, launched a decisive counterattack that finally broke the enemy’s morale.
If at Stalingrad a radical change had just begun in the course of the Great Patriotic War, then the battle on the Kursk Bulge finally completed this change.
The enemy lost more than half a million people, great amount units of military equipment, guns and aviation, and most importantly - lost the strategic initiative, it passed to the Red Army.
After the victory of the USSR on the Kursk Bulge, there was no longer any doubt in the West that the Union alone was capable of destroying the armies of the Wehrmacht. But despite this, the United States and Britain decided to radically accelerate this process, after the Battle of Kursk began active training to the opening of the Second Front.

Operation Bagration

This operation should be called the largest offensive, which only carried out by the forces of the Red Army. In its course, a huge contingent of enemy troops was defeated - about 1.2 million people. The forces of the USSR this section The front numbered almost 2.5 million people.
During this operation, the Red Army liberated Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and approached the borders of Germany. In total, the Wehrmacht forces lost about 500 thousand people and almost all of their tank troops during the bloody battles.

Berlin operation - the end of the war

The victory in Germany was already close, but it was necessary to break the last pockets of resistance, and it was Berlin that defended itself most decisively, the enemy fought so fiercely that the battles went on for every centimeter.
The enemy still had at his disposal big number soldiers and equipment - more than 1.2 million people participated in the defense of the capital of Germany. However, the forces of the Red Army were more impressive - 2.5 million soldiers, not counting tens of thousands of pieces of military equipment.
The capture of Berlin lasted 17 days and both sides lost a huge number of soldiers. On May 8, the enemy defenses were broken, the Reichstag was captured, Germany was ready to announce surrender. But even after the surrender, individual parts of the Wehrmacht continued to conduct local skirmishes.
Before you was a list of the main battles of the Great Patriotic War. Of course, they all played their significant role and ended the most terrible episode in the history of mankind. Although these battles brought victory, one should not forget that they took away millions of lives and will forever remain in memory as the bloodiest events that should never be repeated.

The Germans violated the non-aggression pact.

The main battles of the Great Patriotic War

Smolensk battle, battles in the North Caucasus, battles near Leningrad and Novgorod, fighting in Ukraine, Belarus, in the Baltic states, in France, Belgium, Poland,.

At the beginning of World War II, resistance to the enemy was provided by the Red Army in border battles, in the battle near Smolensk, during the defense of Kyiv (in July-August 1941), Odessa (in August-October 1941) and Sevastopol (began in November 1941) .

Our troops, who were taken by surprise, failed to stop the advance of the enemy. Before the battle of Smolensk, the Nazis had an advantage in ammunition, the number of fighters, so the battle became tense.

German troops organized a breakthrough in the area of ​​Mogilev, Polotsk and Vitebsk. The 20th army of General Kurochkin Pavel Alekseevich continuously counterattacked the 9th German army, but could not stop it. The enemy tank divisions bypassed the 20th Army and approached Smolensk. On July 16, the Germans broke into the city, and after fighting for two weeks, they completely occupied it. Further, the Germans could break through to Moscow.

At the beginning of the winter of 1941, the Soviet Army stopped the Germans, and they failed to carry out the "blitzkrieg" plan. The first major defeat of the Germans in the Great Patriotic War was in the Battle of Moscow, which can be divided into two periods: the defense period (from September 30 to December 5, 1941) and the counteroffensive period (from December 5-6, 1941 to January 7-8, 1942). of the year).

The counteroffensive ended with a general offensive of the Soviet troops to the western direction of the front (from January 7-10, 1942 to April 20, 1942). The Germans were thrown back 250 km from the capital, most of they were defeated or captured. This victory lifted the spirit of the Soviet people. Turkey and Japan, allies of Germany, did not enter the war.

After Moscow makes new mistakes, first demanding a series of offensive operations. During the offensive near Kharkov (May 12-29, 1942), the Germans allowed our troops to go deep into the country (territory), then surrounded them and destroyed them. The second mistake is the plan of operations for 1942. assumed that the Germans would conduct military operations in the south, but Stalin thwarted Zhukov's plan.

In the summer of 1942, the German offensive began in the south. They wanted to first occupy the Kerch Peninsula, and then take possession of Sevastopol. On May 16, Kerch was abandoned by Soviet troops. The defenders of Sevastopol defended themselves for 250 days and nights until they ran out of ammunition and drinking water.

Then they left the ruined city and retreated to Cape Khersones, from where some of the defenders were evacuated on July 4, and the rest continued to fight until July 9. Some units managed to break into the mountains and join the partisan detachments. Some of the defenders were taken prisoner.

In a few weeks, the Germans reached Stalingrad and, in the North Caucasus, Ordzhonikidze. The Battle of Stalingrad lasted more than six months (July 17, 1942 - February 2, 1943), but Stalingrad did not surrender. According to the nature of the fighting, the battle can be divided into two stages: defensive (from July 17 to November 19, 1942) and offensive.

The winter offensive of the Soviet Army could not fail to be successful. She surrounded the Germans at Stalingrad, and the German army suffered its most important defeat, losing 1.5 million people. For this reason, the Nazi government of Germany declared three days of mourning.

After the Battle of Stalingrad, a number of German supporters - Romania, Italy and Finland declared their desire to withdraw from the war.

After the Battle of Stalingrad, the Soviet Army did not lose a single battle, going on the offensive along the entire front.

The last attempt by the Germans to win was the battle on the Kursk Bulge (July 5-August 23, 1943) - a ledge of the front in the Kursk region, formed as a result of the Soviet offensive. The battle is over, by and large, a draw. But Soviet industry instantly made up for the loss. After that, a continuous offensive of the Soviet army began.

The battle for Moscow, the battle of Stalingrad and the battle of Kursk are great, as they were able to turn the tide of the war in favor of the USSR. These victories lifted the spirit of the Soviet soldiers and proved to everyone that not everything was lost in this terrible war. On August 5, 1943, Orel and Belgorod were liberated, on August 23 - Kharkov, on November 6 - Kyiv. On January 27, 1944, the blockade of Leningrad was lifted, Odessa was liberated on April 10, and Sevastopol on May 9.

In the summer of 1944, Belarus, Moldova, Karelia were liberated, in October - the Baltic states, the Arctic, Transcarpathian Ukraine. After that, the Soviet troops, pursuing the Germans, crossed the borders of the USSR and entered the territories of neighboring states: Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Poland, Hungary, Austria, Czechoslovakia.

On May 2, 1945, Soviet troops under the command of Zhukov stormed Berlin, and on May 8, the German command signed an act of unconditional surrender. Thus ended the battles of the Great Patriotic War.

However, the last shots were fired in August 1945, when the USSR entered the war against Japan. On September 2, 1945, World War II ended.

Pupil 9 "a" class Kozyrev Dmitry Olegovich

Battle for Moscow (September 30, 1941 - April 20, 1942)

Divided into 2 periods: defensive (September 30
- December 4, 1941) and offensive, which
consists of 2 stages: counteroffensive (December 5-6
1941 - January 7-8, 1942) and the general offensive
Soviet troops (January 7-10 - April 20, 1942).

Late September - early
October 1941 began
german
operation
"Typhoon" aimed at
capture of Moscow. First
Soviet defense line
was
broken through
on
central direction
5 - 6 October. Pali
Bryansk and Vyazma. Second
line near Mozhaisk on
delayed a few days
German offensive. 10
October
commander
Western front was
appointed G.K. Zhukov. nineteen
October in the capital
introduced
siege
position.

Second
stage
offensive
the Nazis to Moscow began
November 15, 1941
they suffered huge losses in
late November - early December
reach the approaches to Moscow.
On
this
offensive
choked. December 5 - 6
started
counteroffensive
Red Army, as a result
which the enemy was driven back from
Moscow for 100 - 250 km. Were
released
Kalinin,
Maloyaroslavets, Kaluga, others
cities and towns.
Hitler's
plan
lightning fast
wars
finally failed.

Battle of Rzhev (1942–1943)

The Battle of Rzhev is a conditional concept that unites 4
separate offensive operations carried out
troops of the Western and Kalinin fronts against
Army Group "Center", on the Rzhev-Sychevsky-Vyazemsky
direction from January 8, 1942 to March 31, 1943 in
during the Great Patriotic War.

Rzhev-Vyazemsky operation of 1942

The offensive operation of the Kalinin and Northwestern fronts, carried out on January 8 - 20
April
1942
of the year.
Continuation of the Soviet
counteroffensive near Moscow. One of the most
bloody operations of the Great Patriotic
war: in just 4 months of fighting, approx. 300 thousand
people (according to official Soviet data).

Rzhev-Sychevskaya strategic offensive operation

(also known as the "Rzhev meat grinder", 2nd battle
for Rzhev) - the fighting of Kalininsky (Colonel General I. S. Konev) and Western (he also led
the whole operation - General of the Army G.K. Zhukov) fronts with
the goal of defeating the German 9th Army (Colonel General
B. Model, headquarters - Sychevka) Army Group "Center"
(Commander Field Marshal G. von Kluge),
defending in the Rzhev-Vyazemsky ledge.

Rzhev-Sychevskaya strategic offensive operation

(operation
"Mars")
-
combat
actions
Kalininsky (Colonel General M. A. Purkaev) and
Western (Colonel-General I. S. Konev) fronts
with the aim of defeating the German 9th Army (Colonel General V. Model, headquarters - Sychevka) of the group
armies "Center", defending in the Rzhev-Vyazemsky ledge. General in charge of the operation
Army G.K. Zhukov.

Rzhev-Vyazemskaya operation

strategic military operation armed forces
USSR against German troops during the Great
Patriotic War, final part
Rzhev battle.

RESULTS

The battles near Rzhev became one of the bloodiest
episodes of the Great Patriotic War. Total losses
Red Army only according to official data
exceeded
million
human.
By
last,
unofficial estimates of military historians, losses
amounted to 800-900 thousand killed and about 1.5 million -
wounded.
Rzhev, neighboring towns and villages were almost completely
destroyed. As a result of hostilities for 17 months
occupation Rzhev was destroyed to the ground, mainly
artillery and aviation of the Red Army when trying
liberation.

Siege of Leningrad (September 8, 1941 - January 27, 1944)

The capture of Leningrad was integral part developed
Nazi Germany war plan against the USSR -
Plan Barbarossa. It provided that
The Soviet Union must be completely destroyed in
during 3-4 months of the summer and autumn of 1941, that is, during
lightning war ("blitzkrieg"). By November 1941
German troops were to capture the entire
European part of the USSR.

Encirclement and blockade of Leningrad

September 8, 1941, when the Germans captured
Shlisselburg, the 871-day
Leningrad blockade. Got surrounded
2 million 544 thousand civilians
cities (including approximately 400
thousand
children),
343
thousand
residents
suburban
districts,
troops,
defending the city. food and
fuel supplies were limited
(only for 1-2 months). September 8, 1941
the result of an air raid and
emerging
fire
burned down
food warehouses. A.E.
Badaev. Due to termination of communication with
Large
earth
special
meaning
acquired a road across Lake Ladoga,
became the legendary "Dear Life".

Breakthrough and lifting of the blockade

The breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad began on January 12, 1943 with the offensive of the troops
Leningrad and Volkhov fronts in cooperation with the Red Banner
Baltic Fleet (KBF) south of Lake Ladoga. The blockade was broken
a narrow ledge was chosen to separate the troops of the fronts. January 18, 136th Rifle
division and the 61st Tank Brigade of the Leningrad Front broke into Rabochiy
settlement No. 5 and joined with units of the 18th Rifle Division of the Volkhov Front. AT
the same day, units of the 86th rifle division and the 34th ski brigade were
Shlisselburg was liberated and the entire southern coast of Ladoga was cleared of the enemy
lakes.
January 14, 1944 by the forces of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts with the support
artillery of Kronstadt began the final part of the operation to liberate
Leningrad. By January 27, 1944, Soviet troops broke into the defenses of the 18th German
army, defeated its main forces and advanced 60 kilometers in depth.
The Germans began to retreat. With the release of Pushkin, Gatchina and Chudovo blockade
Leningrad was completely removed

Battle of Stalingrad (July 17, 1942 - February 2, 1943)

DEFENSE STAGE

July 17 - the first serious clash of our troops with the forces
enemy on the banks of the tributaries of the Don.
August 23 - enemy tanks came close to the city.
German aviation began to regularly bomb Stalingrad.
September 13 - assault on the city. Fame thundered all over the world
workers of Stalingrad factories and plants, which are under fire
repaired damaged equipment and weapons.
October 14 - The Germans launched an offensive military
operation off the banks of the Volga with the aim of capturing the Soviet
bridgeheads.
November 19 - our troops launched a counteroffensive in accordance with
plan for Operation Uranus.

OFFENSIVE AND VICTORY

December 12 - the enemy made a desperate attempt to break out of
environment. However, the breakthrough attempt was unsuccessful.
Soviet troops began to compress the ring.
December 17 - The Red Army retook the German positions on the river
Chir (right tributary of the Don).
December 24 - ours advanced 200 km into the operational depth.
31th of December - soviet soldiers moved another 150 km. Line
front stabilized at the turn of Tormosin-ZhukovskayaKomissarovsky. January 10 - our offensive in accordance with
plan "Ring".
January 26 - The German 6th Army is divided into 2 groups.
January 31 - the southern part of the former 6th German army was destroyed.
February 02 - the northern group of fascists was liquidated
troops. Our soldiers, the heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad, won.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE BATTLE OF STALINGRAD

The battle was not only of grandiose proportions, but also
extremely significant political significance. continued
bloody war. The battle of Stalingrad became her
main turning point. Without exaggeration
we can say that it was after the victory under
Stalingrad gave mankind hope for victory
over fascism.

Battle of Kursk (July 5 - August 23, 1943)

An operation plan was developed
"Citadel" for breakthrough and encirclement
Red Army in the Kursk region.
The Germans launched an offensive on the Kursk
arc. At those gathered in front of
German front lines collapsed
squall
the fire
Soviet
artillery, inflicting heavy damage on them.
The advance of the enemy stalled, and
was a couple of hours late. Per day
battles, the enemy advanced only
5 kilometers, and in 6 days of the offensive
on the Kursk Bulge at 12 km. Such
the state of affairs is hardly satisfactory
German command.

During the battles on the Kursk Bulge, near the village
Prokhorovka happened the largest in history
tank battle. In battle, 800 tanks met with
each side. It was an impressive sight.
Tank models of the second were better on the battlefield
world war. Soviet T - 34 clashed with
German Tiger. Also in that battle was
St. John's wort tested. 57 mm cannon
pierced the armor of the "Tiger".

Counteroffensive.

Soviet soldiers took the fortifications and, with the support
aviation, made a breakthrough in the German defense. Battle on
The Kursk Bulge lasted approximately 50 days. Over this time
the Russian army destroyed 30 German divisions, including
7 tanks, 1.5 thousand aircraft, 3 thousand guns, 15 thousand
tanks. The casualties of the Wehrmacht on the Kursk Bulge amounted to
500 thousand people.
victory in Battle of Kursk, showed Germany the power of the Red
army. The specter of defeat in the war hung over the Wehrmacht.

The longest day of the year
With its cloudless weather
He gave us a common misfortune At all. For all four years.
She made such a mark
And laid so many on the ground,
That twenty years and thirty
years old
The living can't believe they're alive.
And to the dead, straightening the ticket,
Everybody
rides
anyone
from
loved ones.
And time adds to the lists
Someone else, someone else is missing.
And puts, puts obelisks.
K. Simonov

Eternal glory to all the Soviet people who entered the battle against the Nazi invaders during the Great patriotic war, who repulsed the enemy and liberated a significant part of Europe. The battles of the Great Patriotic War, which took place from June 1941 to May 1945, should by no means be forgotten. It is necessary to continue their more careful study and widespread coverage by any means possible.

It is impossible to minimize the importance of the participation of every Soviet person in the fight against the invaders and to forget the heroism and inhuman efforts of the whole people as the day approaches. great victory. All future generations should know the history of that difficult time, so that they never repeat what happened then and in a timely manner stop any actions related to the oppression of the rights and freedoms of every person on earth.

All military operations taking place during the Patriotic War can be divided into two main stages:

• heroic defense from June 1941 to August 1943,
• offensive-liberation operations from August 1943 to May 1945.

In the heroic defense of Brest, Bialystok, Minsk, Dubna, Lutsk, Uman, Vitebsk, in Moldova and on Western Ukraine in the first month of the war, the Red Army was sharpening its combat experience. Every day life-and-death battles with the enemy, any even the most insignificant delays in his advancement, made it possible to regroup and prepare for a more serious rebuff. In truth, the whole country stood before the enemies.

The defense of Kyiv, Smolensk, Odessa, Tallinn, Dnepropetrovsk and many other cities by the soldiers of the Red Army and the people's militia, in August and September 1941, took away a lot of manpower and means of warfare from the enemy. By all possible means, the lightning war plan was stopped.

In early September 1941, the first successful offensive operation of the Soviet troops near Yelnya was carried out. When the enemy approached Moscow and Leningrad, the country was ready to repulse the enemy. The battle began for these - the most expensive, for every Soviet person, cities.

Battle of Moscow

This battle was the first turning point, as in 1941, and throughout the war. It lasted from September 30, 1941 (defense of Moscow) to January 7, 1942. The offensive of the Soviet army began on December 5-6. As a result of the counteroffensive, it was possible to push the enemy back 150 - 400 km. In the defense of Moscow, and then the offensive took the fight:

• Western Front
• Bryansk Front
• Reserve fron
• Southwestern Front.

The Germans suffered their first major defeat. The greatest courage shown in the defense of the capital is described in many works of art. The unshakable will of each of her defenders was able not only to stop the enemy, but also to deal him a crushing blow.

Battle for Leningrad

And the battle for Leningrad, which began on July 10, 1041, continued until August 9, 1944. of this city in world history is one of the longest. In the liberation of Leningrad from the blockade participated:

• north front, Northwestern Front, Leningrad and Karelian fronts, as well as the Volkhov and Baltic fronts;
• Baltic Fleet, Onega and Ladoga Flotilla.

The blockade was broken on January 18, 1943, and completely lifted on January 27, 1944. The courage, heroism and patience of every Leningrader deserves a low bow from all mankind.

Defense of Sevastopol

Enormous heroism was represented by the defenders of the Crimea and Sevastopol. The Hero City of Sevastopol was defended from October 30, 1941 to July 4, 1942. Sevastopol surrendered to the enemy, but for a while.

Rzhev battle. Battle of Stalingrad

The Rzhev battle from January 8, 1941 to March 31, 1943 could not bring any significant changes in the theater of operations. These changes took place during the Battle of Stalingrad (1942-1943), which ended with Operation Ring in January-February 1943. From 07/17/1942 to 11/18/1942 the city was defended. And already from November 19, 1942, Soviet troops went on the offensive. As a result, the entire 6th German Army, under the command of Field Marshal Paulus, was surrounded and defeated. The following took part:

• Stalingrad Front
• Southeastern Front
• Southwestern Front
• Don Front
• Volga Flotilla.

Battle of Kursk

Offensive operations at the beginning of 1943 on other fronts did not bring significant success to the Soviet troops. The apogee in the battles was in July - August 1943. With a special tension in the situation, both warring forces were ready for a decisive battle. And it took place on the Kursk Bulge. The Soviet army, hardened in previous battles, with a carefully developed plan, was able to defeat the advancing groupings of German troops.

Participated in the Battle of Kursk:

• central front
• Voronezh Front
• Bryansk Front
• Western front.

Further WWII battles

And from this place the offensive-liberation movement began on the territory of the Soviet Union in 1943 - 1944 and enslaved Europe in 1944 - 1945:

• Battle for the Dnieper;
• Liberation of Kyiv;
• Offensive on the Right-bank Ukraine; Liberation of Belarus and the Eastern Carpathians;
• Liberation of the Baltic States, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia
• Liberation of Bulgaria, Hungary, Northern Norway and East Germany.

I would especially like to note the well-organized and conducted top level, from the point of view of military affairs, operations:

• Zhytomyr-Berdichevskaya (December 1943 - January 1944);
• Korsun-Shevchenkovskaya (January - February 1944);
• Odessa (March - April 1944);
• Crimean (April - May 1944); - Lviv-Sandomierz (July - August 1944);
• Yassko-Kishenevskaya (August 1944);
• Belarusian (June - August 1944);
• Baltic (September - November 1944);
• Vistula-Oder (January - February 1945);
• Warsaw-Poznan (January - February 1945);
• Vienna (March - April 1945);
• Königsberg (April 1945);
• Berlin (April - May 1945);
• Prague (May 1945).

Eternal memory to the heroes who gave their lives for peace during the Great Patriotic War. Low bow to them. All mankind must understand that war is grief, that everyone will defend their land from the aggressor. You cannot invade the borders of a foreign state, you cannot dictate your policy and conditions.

Chronology

• 1941, June 22 - 1945, May 9 The Great Patriotic War
• 1941 October - December Battle of Moscow
• November 1942 - February 1943 Battle of Stalingrad
• 1943, July - August Battle of Kursk
• January 1944 Liquidation of the blockade of Leningrad
• 1944 Liberation of the territory of the USSR from fascist invaders
• 1945 April - May Battle of Berlin
• May 9, 1945 Victory Day Soviet Union over Germany
• 1945, August - September Defeat of Japan

Great Patriotic War (1941 - 1945)

The Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union 1941-1945 as an integral and decisive part of the Second World War of 1939-1945. has three periods:

June 22, 1941 - November 18, 1942. It is characterized by measures to turn the country into a single military camp, the collapse of Hitler's strategy of "blitzkrieg" and the creation of conditions for a radical change in the war.

Early 1944 - May 9, 1945. Complete expulsion of the fascist invaders from Soviet soil; release Soviet Army peoples of Eastern and South Eastern Europe; final defeat of Nazi Germany.

By 1941, Nazi Germany and its allies captured virtually all of Europe: Poland was defeated, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg were occupied. The French army resisted for only 40 days. The English expeditionary army suffered a major defeat, and its formations were evacuated to British islands. Fascist troops entered the territory of the Balkan countries. In Europe, in essence, there was no force that could stop the aggressor. The Soviet Union became such a force. The great feat was accomplished by the Soviet people, who saved world civilization from fascism.

In 1940, the fascist leadership developed a plan “ Barbarossa”, the purpose of which was the lightning defeat of the Soviet Armed Forces and the occupation of the European part of the Soviet Union. Further plans included the complete destruction of the USSR. ultimate goal Nazi troops were to reach the Volga-Arkhangelsk line, and the Urals were planned to be paralyzed with the help of aviation. For this, 153 German divisions and 37 divisions of its allies (Finland, Romania and Hungary) were concentrated in the eastern direction. They had to strike in three directions: central(Minsk - Smolensk - Moscow), northwestern(Baltic - Leningrad) and southern(Ukraine with access to the Black Sea coast). A lightning campaign was planned to capture the European part of the USSR until the autumn of 1941.

The first period of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1942)

The beginning of the war

Implementation of the plan Barbarossa”began at dawn June 22, 1941. extensive air bombardments of the largest industrial and strategic centers, as well as the offensive of the ground forces of Germany and its allies along the entire European border of the USSR (over 4.5 thousand km).

Fascist planes drop bombs on civilians Soviet cities. June 22, 1941

In the first few days, German troops advanced tens and hundreds of kilometers. On central direction in early July 1941, all of Belarus was captured, and German troops reached the approaches to Smolensk. On northwestern- the Baltic states are occupied, Leningrad is blocked on September 9. On south Nazi troops occupied Moldova and the Right-Bank Ukraine. Thus, by the autumn of 1941, Hitler's plan to capture the vast territory of the European part of the USSR was carried out.

153 Nazi divisions (3,300 thousand people) and 37 divisions (300 thousand people) of satellite states were thrown against the Soviet state Nazi Germany. They were armed with 3,700 tanks, 4,950 aircraft, and 48,000 guns and mortars.

By the beginning of the war against the USSR, as a result of the occupation of Western European countries, weapons, ammunition and equipment of 180 Czechoslovak, French, British, Belgian, Dutch and Norwegian divisions were at the disposal of fascist Germany. This not only made it possible to equip the fascist troops in enough military equipment and equipment, but also to ensure superiority in military potential over the Soviet troops.

In our western districts, there were 2.9 million people, armed with 1,540 new types of aircraft, 1,475 modern T-34 and KV tanks, and 34,695 guns and mortars. The fascist German army had a great superiority in forces.

Describing the reasons for the failures of the Soviet Armed Forces in the first months of the war, many historians today see them in serious mistakes made by the Soviet leadership in the prewar years. In 1939, large mechanized corps, so necessary in modern war, the production of 45 and 76 mm anti-tank guns was discontinued, fortifications were dismantled on the old Western border and much more.

The weakening of the command staff caused by pre-war repressions also played a negative role. All this led to an almost complete change in the command and political composition of the Red Army. By the beginning of the war, about 75% of commanders and 70% of political workers had been in their positions for less than one year. Even the chief of the general staff of the ground forces of fascist Germany, General F. Halder, noted in his diary in May 1941: “The Russian officer corps is exceptionally bad. It makes a worse impression than in 1933. It will take Russia 20 years to reach its former height.” It was necessary to recreate the officer corps of our country already in the conditions of the outbreak of war.

Among the serious mistakes of the Soviet leadership, one should also include a miscalculation in determining the time of a possible attack by fascist Germany on the USSR.

Stalin and his entourage believed that the Nazi leadership would not dare to violate the non-aggression pact concluded with the USSR in the near future. All information received through various channels, including military and political intelligence, about the upcoming German attack was considered by Stalin as provocative, aimed at exacerbating relations with Germany. This may also explain the government's assessment, transmitted in a TASS statement on June 14, 1941, in which rumors of an impending German attack were declared provocative. This also explained the fact that the directive on bringing the troops of the western military districts to combat readiness and occupying combat lines by them was given too late. In essence, the directive was received by the troops when the war had already begun. Therefore, the consequences of this were extremely severe.

At the end of June - the first half of July 1941, large defensive border battles unfolded (the defense of the Brest Fortress, etc.).

Defenders of the Brest Fortress. Hood. P. Krivonogov. 1951

From July 16 to August 15, the defense of Smolensk continued in the central direction. In the northwestern direction, the German plan to capture Leningrad failed. In the south, until September 1941, the defense of Kyiv was carried out, until October - Odessa. The stubborn resistance of the Red Army in the summer and autumn of 1941 frustrated Hitler's plan for a blitzkrieg. At the same time, by the fall of 1941, the capture by the fascist command of the vast territory of the USSR with its most important industrial centers and grain regions was a serious loss for the Soviet government. (Reader T11 No. 3)

Restructuring the life of the country on a war footing

Immediately after the German attack Soviet government held major military-political and economic measures to repel aggression. On June 23, the Headquarters of the High Command was formed. July 10 it was converted to Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. It included I.V. Stalin (appointed commander-in-chief and soon became People's Commissar of Defense), V.M. Molotov, S.K. Timoshenko, S.M. Budyonny, K.E. Voroshilov, B.M. Shaposhnikov and G.K. Zhukov. By a directive of June 29, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks set the task for the entire country to mobilize all forces and means to fight the enemy. June 30 was created State Committee Defense(GKO), concentrating all power in the country. The military doctrine was radically revised, the task was put forward to organize a strategic defense, wear down and stop the offensive of the fascist troops. Large-scale measures were taken to transfer industry to a military footing, mobilize the population into the army and build defensive lines.

Page of the newspaper "Moskovsky Bolshevik" dated July 3, 1941 with the text of I.V. Stalin's speech. Fragment

One of the main tasks, which had to be solved from the first days of the war, was the fastest perestroika National economy , the entire economy of the country on military rails. The main line of this restructuring was defined in the Directive of June 29, 1941. Specific measures for the restructuring of the national economy began to be carried out from the very beginning of the war. On the second day of the war, a mobilization plan for the production of ammunition and cartridges was introduced. And on June 30, the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR approved a mobilization national economic plan for the third quarter of 1941. However, events at the front developed so unfavorably for us that this plan turned out to be unfulfilled. Given the current situation, on July 4, 1941, a decision was made to urgently develop a new plan for the development of military production. The decree of the GKO on July 4, 1941 noted: aviation industry, non-ferrous metallurgy and other people's commissars develop a military-economic plan for ensuring the defense of the country, referring to the use of resources and enterprises located on the Volga, in Western Siberia and in the Urals. This commission developed in two weeks new plan for the IV quarter of 1941 and for 1942 in the regions of the Volga region, the Urals, Western Siberia, Kazakhstan and Central Asia.

For the speedy deployment of the production base in the regions of the Volga region, the Urals, Western Siberia, Kazakhstan and Central Asia, it was decided to bring to these regions industrial enterprises People's Commissariat of Ammunition, People's Commissariat of Armaments, People's Commissariat of Aviation Industry, etc.

Members of the Politburo, who were at the same time members of the State Defense Committee, carried out general management of the main branches of the military economy. The issues of the production of weapons and ammunition were handled by N.A. Voznesensky, aircraft and aircraft engines - G.M. Malenkov, tanks - V.M. Molotov, food, fuel and clothing - A.I. Mikoyan and others. Industrial People's Commissariats were headed by: A.L. Shakhurin - aviation industry, V.L. Vannikov - ammunition, I.F. Tevosyan - ferrous metallurgy, A.I. Efremov - machine tool industry, V.V. Vakhrushev - coal, I.I. Sedin - oil.

The main link in the restructuring of the national economy on a war footing has become industrial restructuring. Almost all mechanical engineering was transferred to military production.

In November 1941, the People's Commissariat for General Engineering was transformed into the People's Commissariat for the Mortar Industry. In addition to the People's Commissariats of the aviation industry, shipbuilding, armaments and ammunition, created before the war, two People's Commissariats were formed at the beginning of the war - for the tank and mortar industries. Thanks to this, all the main branches of the military industry received specialized centralized management. The production of rocket launchers was started, which existed before the war only in prototypes. Their production is organized at the Moscow plant "Compressor". The front-line soldiers gave the name "Katyusha" to the first missile combat installation.

At the same time, the process workforce training through the labor reserve system. In just two years, about 1,100,000 people were trained through this sphere for work in industry.

For the same purposes, in February 1942, the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR “On the mobilization of the able-bodied urban population for work in production and construction” was adopted in February 1942.

In the course of the restructuring of the national economy, the main center of the war economy of the USSR became eastern industrial base, which was significantly expanded and strengthened with the outbreak of war. Already in 1942 grew specific gravity eastern regions in all-Union production.

As a result, the main burden of supplying the army with weapons and equipment fell on the eastern industrial base. In 1942, the production of military products in the Urals increased by more than 6 times in comparison with 1940, in Western Siberia - 27 times, and in the Volga region - 9 times. In general, during the war industrial production in these areas has more than tripled. It was a great military and economic victory achieved by the Soviet people during these years. She laid solid foundations for the final victory over Nazi Germany.

The course of hostilities in 1942

The Nazi leadership in the summer of 1942 staked on the capture of the oil regions of the Caucasus, the fertile regions of southern Russia and the industrial Donbass. Kerch and Sevastopol were lost.

At the end of June 1942, a general German offensive was launched in two directions: on Caucasus and east to Volga.

Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union (July 22, 1941 - May 9, 1945)

On Caucasian direction at the end of July 1942, a strong Nazi group crossed the Don. As a result, Rostov, Stavropol and Novorossiysk were captured. Stubborn battles were fought in the central part of the Main Caucasian Range, where specially trained enemy Alpine riflemen operated in the mountains. In spite of progress made in the Caucasian direction, the fascist command failed to solve its main task - to break into the Transcaucasus to master the oil reserves of Baku. By the end of September, the offensive of the fascist troops in the Caucasus was stopped.

An equally difficult situation for the Soviet command developed on eastbound. Created to cover it Stalingrad Front under the command of Marshal S.K. Timoshenko. In connection with the current critical situation, an order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief No. 227 was issued, which stated: “To retreat further means to ruin ourselves and at the same time our Motherland.” At the end July 1942. enemy in command General von Paulus dealt a powerful blow to Stalingrad front. However, despite the significant superiority in forces, during the month the fascist troops managed to advance only 60-80 km.

From the first days of September began heroic defense of Stalingrad, which actually lasted until the end of 1942. Its significance during the Great Patriotic War is enormous. Thousands of Soviet patriots heroically proved themselves in the battles for the city.

Street fighting in Stalingrad. 1942

As a result, in the battles for Stalingrad, the enemy troops suffered colossal losses. Every month of the battle, about 250 thousand new soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht, the bulk of military equipment, were sent here. By mid-November 1942, the Nazi troops, having lost more than 180 thousand people killed, 500 thousand wounded, were forced to stop the offensive.

During the summer-autumn campaign of 1942, the Nazis managed to occupy a huge part of the European part of the USSR, but the enemy was stopped.

Second period of the Great Patriotic War (1942-1943)

The final stage of the war (1944 - 1945)

Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union (July 22, 1941 - May 9, 1945)

In the winter of 1944, the offensive of the Soviet troops near Leningrad and Novgorod began.

900 day blockade heroic Leningrad, broken through in 1943, was completely removed.

Connected! Breaking the blockade of Leningrad. January 1943

Summer 1944. The Red Army carried out one of the largest operations of the Great Patriotic War (“ Bagration”). Belarus was completely released. This victory opened the way for advances into Poland, the Baltic states and East Prussia. In the middle of August 1944. Soviet troops in the western direction reached border with Germany.

At the end of August, Moldova was liberated.

These largest operations of 1944 were accompanied by the liberation of other territories of the Soviet Union - Transcarpathian Ukraine, the Baltic states, the Karelian Isthmus and the Arctic.

victories Russian troops in 1944 they helped the peoples of Bulgaria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia in their struggle against fascism. In these countries, pro-German regimes were overthrown, and patriotic forces came to power. Created back in 1943 on the territory of the USSR, the Polish Army took the side of the anti-Hitler coalition.

Main results offensive operations carried out in 1944, consisted in the fact that the liberation of the Soviet land was completely completed, completely restored state border USSR, hostilities were transferred outside our Motherland.

Front commanders on final stage wars

A further offensive of the Red Army against the Nazi troops was launched on the territory of Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia. The Soviet command, developing the offensive, conducted a number of operations outside the USSR (Budapest, Belgrade, etc.). They were caused by the need to destroy large enemy groupings in these territories in order to prevent the possibility of their transfer to the defense of Germany. At the same time, the introduction of Soviet troops into the countries of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe strengthened the leftist and communist parties in them and, in general, the influence of the Soviet Union in this region.

T-34-85 in the mountains of Transylvania

AT January 1945. Soviet troops began broad offensive operations in order to complete the defeat of fascist Germany. The offensive was on a huge 1,200 km front from the Baltic to the Carpathians. Polish, Czechoslovak, Romanian and Bulgarian troops acted together with the Red Army. The French aviation regiment "Normandy - Neman" also fought as part of the 3rd Belorussian Front.

By the end of the winter of 1945, the Soviet Army had completely liberated Poland and Hungary, a significant part of Czechoslovakia and Austria. In the spring of 1945, the Red Army reached the approaches to Berlin.

Berlin offensive operation (16.IV - 8.V 1945)

Banner of Victory over the Reichstag

It was a difficult battle in a burning, dilapidated city. On May 8, representatives of the Wehrmacht signed an act of unconditional surrender.

The signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany

On May 9, Soviet troops completed their last operation - they defeated the grouping of the Nazi army that surrounded the capital of Czechoslovakia - Prague, and entered the city.

The long-awaited Victory Day has come, which has become a great holiday. The decisive role in achieving this victory, in carrying out the defeat of fascist Germany and ending the Second World War, belongs to the Soviet Union.

Defeated fascist standards