What did you eat during the war? What happened during such “friendly meetings”.

Achievements during the war In B.G.Sh. the question of how the participation of the English expeditionary force could be expressed in the event of war between Germany and France was carefully considered. Agreements in writing, according to which France and England in the event of war would have to

No. 85 From the draft relationship of the Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR M.V. Frunze in the USSR Service Station on the issue of organizing the management of railways in wartime on May 26, 1925 * Secret Study of the extensive experience of the World War has clearly revealed the importance of railways, which have become

To this day, the soldiers who defended our Motherland from enemies are remembered. Those caught up in these cruel times were children born in 1927 to 1941 and in the subsequent years of the war. These are the children of war. They survived everything: hunger, death of loved ones, backbreaking work, devastation, children did not know what scented soap, sugar, comfortable new clothes, shoes were. All of them are old people for a long time and teach the younger generation to value everything they have. But often they are not given due attention, and for them it is so important to pass on their experience to others.

Training during the war

Despite the war, many children studied, went to school, whatever they needed.“Schools were open, but few people studied, everyone worked, education was up to 4th grade. There were textbooks, but no notebooks; the children wrote on newspapers, old receipts, on any piece of paper they found. The ink was soot from the furnace. It was diluted with water and poured into a jar - it was ink. We dressed for school in what we had; neither boys nor girls had a specific uniform. The school day was short because I had to go to work. Brother Petya was taken by my father’s sister to Zhigalovo; he was the only one in the family who finished 8th grade” (Fartunatova Kapitolina Andreevna).

“We had an incomplete secondary school (7 grades), I already graduated in 1941. I remember that there were few textbooks. If five people lived nearby, then they were given one textbook, and they all gathered together at one person’s house and read and prepared their homework. They were given one notebook per person to do their homework. We had a strict teacher in Russian and literature, he called us to the blackboard and asked us to recite a poem by heart. If you don’t tell, then they will definitely ask you at the next lesson. That's why I still know the poems of A.S. Pushkina, M.Yu. Lermontov and many others" (Vorotkova Tamara Aleksandrovna).

“I went to school very late, I had nothing to wear. There was poverty and a shortage of textbooks even after the war” (Alexandra Egorovna Kadnikova)

“In 1941, I graduated from the 7th grade at the Konovalovskaya school with an award - a piece of calico. They gave me a ticket to Artek. Mom asked me to show me on the map where that Artek was and refused the ticket, saying: “It’s too far away. What if there’s a war?” And I was not mistaken. In 1944, I went to study at Malyshevskaya secondary school. We got to Balagansk by walks, and then by ferry to Malyshevka. There were no relatives in the village, but there was an acquaintance of my father’s, Sobigrai Stanislav, whom I saw once. I found a house from memory and asked for an apartment for the duration of my studies. I cleaned the house, did laundry, thereby earning money for the shelter. Before the New Year, food items included a bag of potatoes and a bottle of vegetable oil. This had to be stretched out until the holidays. I studied diligently, well, so I wanted to become a teacher. At school, much attention was paid to the ideological and patriotic education of children. In the first lesson, the teacher spent the first 5 minutes talking about events at the front. Every day a line was held where the results of academic performance in grades 6-7 were summed up. The elders reported. That class received the red challenge banner; there were more good and excellent students. Teachers and students lived as one family, respecting each other.” (Fonareva Ekaterina Adamovna)

Nutrition, daily life

Most people during the war faced an acute problem of food shortages. They ate poorly, mostly from the garden, from the taiga. We caught fish from nearby bodies of water.

“We were mainly fed by the taiga. We collected berries and mushrooms and stored them for the winter. The most delicious and joyful thing was when my mother baked pies with cabbage, bird cherry, and potatoes. Mom planted a vegetable garden where the whole family worked. There wasn't a single weed. And they carried water for irrigation from the river and climbed high up the mountain. They kept livestock; if they had cows, then 10 kg of butter per year was given to the front. They dug up frozen potatoes and collected the remaining spikelets on the field. When dad was taken away, Vanya replaced him for us. He, like his father, was a hunter and fisherman. The Ilga River flowed in our village, and there was good fish in it: grayling, hare, burbot. Vanya will wake us up early in the morning, and we will go pick different berries: currants, boyarka, rosehip, lingonberries, bird cherry, blueberry. We will collect, dry and sell them for money and for storage to the defense fund. They collected until the dew disappeared. As soon as it’s okay, run home - we need to go to the collective farm hayfield to rake hay. They gave out very little food, small pieces just to make sure there was enough for everyone. Brother Vanya sewed “Chirki” shoes for the whole family. Dad was a hunter, he caught a lot of fur and sold it. Therefore, when he left, there was a large amount of stock left. They grew wild hemp and made pants from it. The older sister was a needlewoman; she knitted socks, stockings and mittens” (Fartunatova Kapitalina Andreevna).

“Baikal fed us. We lived in the village of Barguzin, we had a cannery. There were teams of fishermen, they caught various fish both from Baikal and from the Barguzin River. Sturgeon, whitefish, and omul were caught from Baikal. There were fish in the river such as perch, sorog, crucian carp, and burbot. The canned goods were sent to Tyumen and then to the front. The frail old people, those who did not go to the front, had their own foreman. The foreman was a fisherman all his life, had his own boat and seine. They called all the residents and asked: “Who needs fish?” Everyone needed fish, since only 400 g were given out per year, and 800 g per worker. Everyone who needed fish pulled a net on the shore, the old people swam into the river on a boat, set the net, then brought the other end to the shore. A rope was evenly selected from both sides and the seine was pulled to the shore. It was important not to let go of the joint. Then the foreman divided the fish among everyone. That's how they fed themselves. At the factory, after the canned food was made, they sold fish heads; 1 kilogram cost 5 kopecks. We didn’t have potatoes, and we didn’t have any vegetable gardens either. Because there was only forest around. Parents went to a neighboring village and exchanged fish for potatoes. We didn’t feel severe hunger” (Vorotkova Tomara Aleksandrovna).

“There was nothing to eat, we walked around the field collecting spikelets and frozen potatoes. They kept livestock and planted vegetable gardens” (Alexandra Egorovna Kadnikova).

“All spring, summer and autumn I walked barefoot - from snow to snow. It was especially bad when we were working in the field. The stubble made my legs bleed. The clothes were the same as everyone else’s - a canvas skirt, a jacket from someone else’s shoulder. Food - cabbage leaves, beet leaves, nettles, oatmeal mash and even the bones of horses who died of starvation. The bones steamed and then drank salted water. Potatoes and carrots were dried and sent to the front in parcels” (Ekaterina Adamovna Fonareva)

In the archive I studied the Book of Orders for the Balagansky District Health Department. (Fund No. 23 inventory No. 1 sheet No. 6 - Appendix 2) I discovered that there were no epidemics of infectious diseases among children during the war years, although by order of the District Health Department of September 27, 1941, rural medical obstetric centers were closed. (Fund No. 23, inventory No. 1, sheet No. 29-Appendix 3) Only in 1943, in the village of Molka, an epidemic was mentioned (the disease was not specified). Health questions Sanitary doctor Volkova, local doctor Bobyleva, paramedic Yakovleva were sent to the site of the outbreak for 7 days . I conclude that preventing the spread of infection was a very important matter.

The report at the 2nd district party conference on the work of the district party committee on March 31, 1945 sums up the work of the Balagansky district during the war years. It is clear from the report that the years 1941,1942,1943 were very difficult for the region. Productivity declined catastrophically. Potato yield in 1941 – 50, in 1942 – 32, in 1943 – 18 c. (Appendix 4)

Gross grain harvest – 161627, 112717, 29077 c; grain received per workday: 1.3; 0.82; 0.276 kg. From these figures we can conclude that people really lived from hand to mouth. (Appendix 5)

Hard work

Everyone worked, young and old, the work was different, but difficult in its own way. We worked day after day from morning until late at night.

“Everyone worked. Both adults and children from 5 years old. The boys hauled hay and drove horses. No one left until the hay was removed from the field. Women took young cattle and raised them, and children helped them. They took the cattle to water and provided food. In the fall, during school, the children still continue to work, being at school in the morning, and at the first call they went to work. Basically, the children worked in the fields: digging potatoes, collecting ears of rye, etc. Most people worked on the collective farm. They worked in the calf barn, raised livestock, and worked in collective farm gardens. We tried to remove the bread quickly, without sparing ourselves. As soon as the grain is harvested and the snow falls, they are sent to logging. The saws were ordinary with two handles. They felled huge trees in the forest, cut off branches, sawed them into logs and split firewood. A lineman came and measured the cubic capacity. It was necessary to prepare at least five cubes. I remember how my brothers and sisters and I were carrying firewood home from the forest. They were carried on a bull. He was big and had a temper. They began to slide down the hill, and he carried away and made a fool of himself. The cart rolled and firewood fell out onto the side of the road. The bull broke the harness and ran away to the stable. The herdsmen realized that this was our family and sent my grandfather on horseback to help. So they brought the firewood home already after dark. And in winter, the wolves came close to the village and howled. They often killed livestock, but did not harm people.

The calculation was carried out at the end of the year by workdays, some were praised, and some remained in debt, since the families were large, there were few workers and it was necessary to feed the family throughout the year. They borrowed flour and cereals. After the war, I went to work on a collective farm as a milkmaid, they gave me 15 cows, but in general they give 20, I asked that they give it like everyone else. They added cows, and I exceeded the plan and produced a lot of milk. For this they gave me 3 m of blue satin. This was my bonus. They made a dress from satin, which was very dear to me. On the collective farm there were both hard workers and lazy people. Our collective farm has always exceeded its plan. We collected parcels for the front. Knitted socks and mittens.

There weren't enough matches or salt. Instead of matches, at the beginning of the village, the old people set fire to a large log, it slowly burned, smoking. They took coal from her, brought it home and fanned the fire in the stove.” (Fartunatova Kapitolina Andreevna).

“The children worked mainly in collecting firewood. Pupils of 6-7 grades worked. All the adults fished and worked at the factory. We worked seven days a week.” (Vorotkova Tamara Aleksandrovna).

“The war began, the brothers went to the front, Stepan died. I worked on a collective farm for three years. First as a nanny in a nursery, then at an inn, where she cleaned the yard with her younger brother, carried and sawed wood. She worked as an accountant in a tractor brigade, then in a field crew, and in general, she went where she was sent. She made hay, harvested crops, cleared fields of weeds, planted vegetables in the collective farm garden.” (Fonareva Ekaterina Adamovna)

Valentin Rasputin's story “Live and Remember” describes similar work during the war. Same conditions (Ust-Uda and Balagansk are located nearby, stories about the common military past seem to be copied from the same source:

“And we got it,” Lisa picked up. - That's right, women, you got it? It's sickening to remember. On a collective farm, work is okay, it’s yours. As soon as we remove the bread, there will be snow and logging. To the end of my life I will remember these logging operations. There are no roads, the horses are torn, they can’t pull. But we cannot refuse: the labor front, help for our men. They left the little guys in the first years... But those without kids or those who were older, they didn’t leave them, they went and went. Nasten, however, did not miss more than one winter. I went there twice and left my kids here with my dad. You will pile up these forests, these cubic meters, and carry them with you in the sleigh. Not a step without a banner. Either it will carry you into a snowdrift, or something else - turn it out, little ladies, push. Where you will turn it out and where you won’t. He won’t let the wall be torn down: the winter before last, a praying little mare rolled downhill and at the turn couldn’t handle it - the sleigh landed on one side, almost knocking the little mare over. I fought and fought, but I can’t. I'm exhausted. I sat down on the road and cried. The wall approached from behind - I began to roar like a stream. — Tears welled up in Lisa’s eyes. - She helped me. She helped me, we went together, but I just couldn’t calm down, I howled and howled. — Succumbing even more to the memories, Lisa sobbed. - I roar and roar, I can’t help myself. I can not.

I worked in the archive and looked through the Book of Accounting of Workdays of Collective Farmers of the “In Memory of Lenin” Collective Farm for 1943. It recorded the collective farmers and the work they did. In the book, entries are kept by family. The teenagers were recorded only by last name and first name - Nyuta Medvetskaya, Shura Lozovaya, Natasha Filistovich, Volodya Strashinsky, in total I counted 24 teenagers. The following types of work were listed: logging, grain harvesting, hay harvesting, road work, horse care and others. The main working months for children are August, September, October and November. I associate this time of work with making hay, harvesting and threshing grain. At this time, it was necessary to carry out cleaning before the snow, so everyone was involved. The number of full workdays for Shura is 347, for Natasha – 185, for Nyuta – 190, for Volodya – 247. Unfortunately, there is no more information about the children in the archive. [Foundation No. 19, inventory No. 1-l, sheets No. 1-3, 7,8, 10,22,23,35,50, 64,65]

The decree of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks dated September 5, 1941 “On the beginning of collecting warm clothes and linen for the Red Army” indicated a list of things to be collected. Schools in the Balagansky district also collected things. According to the list by the head of the school (last name and school not established), the parcel included: cigarettes, soap, handkerchiefs, cologne, gloves, hat, pillowcases, towels, shaving brushes, soap dish, underpants.

Celebrations

Despite the hunger and cold, as well as such a hard life, people in different villages tried to celebrate the holidays.

“There were holidays, for example: when all the grain was harvested and the threshing was finished, the “Threshing” holiday was held. During the holidays they sang songs, danced, played various games, for example: towns, jumped on a board, prepared a kochulya (swing) and rolled balls, made a ball from dried manure. They took a round stone and dried the manure in layers to the required size. That's what they played with. The older sister sewed and knitted beautiful outfits and dressed us up for the holiday. Everyone had fun at the festival, both children and old people. There were no drunks, everyone was sober. Most often on holidays they were invited home. We went from house to house, since no one had much food.” (Fartunatova Kapitalina Andreevna).

“We celebrated New Year, Constitution Day and May 1st. Since we were surrounded by forest, we chose the most beautiful Christmas tree and placed it in the club. The residents of our village brought whatever toys they could to the Christmas tree, most were homemade, but there were also rich families who could already bring beautiful toys. Everyone took turns going to this Christmas tree. First, first-graders and 4th-graders, then 4-5th graders, and then two graduating classes. After all the schoolchildren, workers from the factory, shops, post office and other organizations came there in the evening. During the holidays they danced: waltz, krakowiak. They gave gifts to each other. After the festive concert, the women held gatherings with alcohol and various conversations. On May 1, demonstrations take place, all organizations gather for it” (Tamara Aleksandrovna Vorotkova).

The beginning and end of the war

Childhood is the best period in life, from which the best and brightest memories remain. What are the memories of the children who survived these four terrible, cruel and harsh years?

Early morning June 21, 1941. The people of our country sleep quietly and peacefully in their beds, and no one knows what awaits them ahead. What torment will they have to overcome and what will they have to come to terms with?

“As a collective farm, we removed stones from the arable land. An employee of the Village Council rode as a messenger on horseback and shouted “The War has begun.” They immediately began to gather all the men and boys. Those who worked directly from the fields were collected and taken to the front. They took all the horses. Dad was a foreman and he had a horse, Komsomolets, and he was also taken away. In 1942, dad’s funeral came.

On May 9, 1945, we were working in the field and again a Village Council worker was riding along with a flag in his hands and announced that the war was over. Some cried, some rejoiced!” (Fartunatova Kapitolina Andreevna).

“I worked as a postman and then they called me and announced that the war had begun. Everyone was crying in each other's arms. We lived at the mouth of the Barguzin River, there were many more villages further downstream from us. The Angara ship came to us from Irkutsk; it could accommodate 200 people, and when the war began, it collected all the future military personnel. It was deep-sea and therefore stopped 10 meters from the shore, the men sailed there on fishing boats. Many tears were shed!!! In 1941, everyone was drafted into the army at the front, the main thing was that their legs and arms were intact, and they had a head on their shoulders.”

“May 9, 1945. They called me and told me to sit and wait until everyone got in touch. They call “Everyone, Everyone, Everyone,” when everyone got in touch, I congratulated everyone, “Guys, the war is over.” Everyone was happy, hugging, some were crying!” (Vorotkova Tamara Aleksandrovna)

Anyone who has been through war will tell you that it is disgusting. And if anyone tells you otherwise, they either didn't visit it personally or somehow profited from it. In any case, the course of a war is almost always unpredictable, and the situation can change at any moment. Knowing this, we will look at some very original and unusual tricks that were used during the war.

10. Dutch floating island

On February 27, 1942, the combined fleet, consisting of American, British, Dutch and Australian ships, was crushingly defeated by the Japanese in a battle that later became known as the Battle of the Java Sea. As a result, the Dutch completely lost control of the East Indies. In the following days, Japanese bombers continuously patrolled the ocean, searching for retreating Allied ships. One such ship was the Dutch Abraham Krijnsen, a poorly protected and slow-moving minesweeper. His only chance of survival was to reach Australia as quickly as possible. But due to Japanese superiority at sea and constant air control, this was almost impossible. The solution was unusual and, to put it mildly, inventive.

The ship's crew of 45 dropped anchor near one of the many Indonesian islands, after which the crew went to land and cut down as many trees as could fit on a small minesweeper. They then arranged the trees to look like a jungle. Everything that could not be hidden behind the trees was painted to match the color of the rocks. But, as you can imagine, even this was not enough to provide cover from Japanese planes flying overhead, especially on the high seas. Therefore, during the day the ship settled near the island, and at nightfall it set off for the next island. So, day after day, the ship approached Australia. The entire journey lasted eight days, after which the Dutch minesweeper was able to reach Australia and rejoin the rest of the Allied forces.

9Fake Trees During World War I

Of all the wars that have ever engulfed our planet and pitted people against each other, one of the most horrific was the First World War. Thanks to new technologies such as tanks, barbed wire, modern artillery and chemical weapons, the endless front line became hell on Earth for all combatants. It was a terrible war of attrition, with countless trenches, barbed wire, and large swaths of no-man's land between the two opposing sides' trench systems. In some cases, this strip of land was so wide that it was impossible to see from one side what was happening on the other. Therefore, in order to get a better vantage point, the French decided to be the first to take advantage of what was still left on the battlefield and could serve as camouflage, and these were trees.

The French got as close to the enemy lines as possible and then took many photographs, sketches and measurements. Note that all this was done in secret and from afar. All this data was then taken to a workshop to produce a perfect copy. The copy was made in accordance with the original dimensions, taking into account all scratches and cracks, down to the smallest detail. Of course, these artificial trees were made of metal, and they were empty inside, with a tiny ladder that could take you almost to the top. There was also a small retractable chair and several cleverly covered openings through which the soldier could observe enemy movements. The hardest thing remained to be done - replacing real trees with copies.

As darkness fell, under the cover of massive machine gun and artillery fire, a team of engineers delivered the fake tree to "no man's land." The real tree was uprooted and a new observation post was placed in its place: "The Tree". When everything was calm and there was confidence that the enemy had not noticed the replacement, then a soldier, usually of the smallest stature, would sneak to the tree at night and climb inside through a tiny hole under the roots. He observed the enemy and returned to headquarters the next night to report information. But, as you can imagine, this was not the most comfortable position. Later, both sides began to use similar trees for observation.

8. Once the Romans were afraid of trees

If we talk about the use of trees during war, then we should look into more ancient times. More precisely, in 88 AD, to the battle between the Romans and Dacians, which took place in southwestern Romania. The year before, the Roman Emperor Domitian ordered his general Cornelius Fuscus to attack the Dacians with five legions. But it so happened that on the way to the capital of the kingdom, Sarmisegetusa, located high in the mountains, the Roman legions were ambushed by the Dacians, led by King Decebalus. At the narrow pass of Tapae, the legions were destroyed, General Fuscus was killed, and the Dacians received the equipment of the Romans as spoils of war. In the summer of 88 AD, Domitian sent another army under General Tettius Julianus along the same route as last time, hoping to capture the capital and conquer the Dacians once and for all. This time the Romans won and the Dacian army was destroyed, although the Romans themselves suffered heavy losses.

What happened next was described by the Roman historian Cassius Dio. Fearing that the Romans would reach and capture Sarmizegetusa, King Decebalus ordered an area of ​​forest to be cleared in front of the advancing Romans, and then human armor to be placed on the logs. Seeing this from afar, Tettius Julianus decided that Decebalus had received reinforcements and the Roman forces were too small for another battle, so the Romans retreated. Fortunately for the Dacians, at this time a new pretender to the throne rebelled against Domitian, and at the same time the pressure from the Germanic tribes increased. This led to the emperor concluding a truce with Decebalus, offering the Dacians annual payments and the help of Roman builders in exchange for Dacia recognizing itself as a vassal state. Some historians suggest that it was this unfavorable deal for Rome that ultimately led to the assassination of Domitian in 92 AD.

7. Bluff in Belgrade

Bluffing is a skill commonly used in poker, but it turns out that it can also be used to conquer entire cities. This was demonstrated by the German captain Fritz Klingenberg during World War II, who was described by his superior as: “intelligent and persistent, loyal but capable of criticizing his superiors, brilliant in critical situations, but arrogant to the point of insubordination.” At the beginning of the war, when German troops were constantly advancing, Klingenberg, at the head of a detachment of scouts on motorcycles, collected information, moving ahead of the advancing army. As the squad approached the Yugoslav capital Belgrade, the 26-year-old captain decided to cross the Danube River with six of his men and take a closer look at the situation. Before this, the city was subjected to four days of Nazi air bombing, and most of the Serbian civil servants had already escaped by this time. Klingenberg's force captured several cars, rescued a drunken German tourist who was about to be executed, and entered Belgrade without encountering any real enemy.

After this, he replaced the Yugoslav flag with a Nazi one on several central buildings and ordered his men to patrol the city in their vehicles, creating the impression that Belgrade was now in German hands. When Klingenberg confronted the mayor and several other officials, he told them that he was leading the lead detachment, followed by several SS panzer divisions, and that Belgrade was now under Nazi control. He also told the mayor that he needed to radio his units and order surrender, otherwise the German Air Force would continue to bomb the city, soon followed by a heavy ground artillery attack.

Not knowing what to do, the mayor began to reflect on Klingenberg's words and treated them with a fair amount of skepticism. But at that moment a group of German reconnaissance planes flew over the city, the captain pointed up and, tapping his wrist, reminded the mayor that time was running out. After this, the mayor immediately relented and began preparing for capitulation. When Klingenberg sent a radiogram about the capture of Belgrade, even his own command did not believe him at first, deciding that the scouts had been captured, tortured and forced to lure the German army into an ambush. However, Klingenberg was actually able to capture a city of 1,300 Serbian militia and 200,000 civilians without firing a shot, with only a handful of men and his own wits.

6. Zhuge Liang – Sleeping Dragon

A somewhat similar story happened in the 3rd century in China, but it was the other way around: a huge army was driven out by one man with a lute. But this was no ordinary person, this was none other than the great general Zhuge Liang - the Sleeping Dragon. As a result of one of his few mistakes, Zhuge Liang found himself separated from his main troops and faced with an enemy army of over 100,000 soldiers - with no chance of retreat. Any other general could have admitted defeat and surrender or, to avoid shame, committed suicide, but not Zhuge Liang. Hearing about the approach of a large army, he ordered the 100 soldiers with him to hide and open the gates of the city in which they were at that moment.

He then changed into simple Taoist clothes, climbed to a clearly visible place on the city wall and waited. When a huge army led by Sima Yi, Liang's longtime enemy, approached the city, he immediately realized that something was wrong. Knowing Sleeping Dragon's cunning, Sima Yi suspected a trap. Sima Yi could not find any explanation for the fact that while a huge army was approaching the city, Liang was burning incense and playing the lute. He came to the conclusion that Zhuge Liang had come up with some kind of particularly complex trap and ordered a quick retreat. In modern China, Sleeping Dragon is considered one of the most popular statesmen and successful military commanders in the history of the country.

5. The Red Army deceived the Nazis for a long time

Operation Berezino (in English sources the operation is called Operation Scherhorn) was one of the most successful and clever tricks on the part of the Soviet command, which for almost a year, from August 1944 to May 1945, supplied disinformation to Berlin. The operation was proposed by none other than Stalin and carried out by the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs - NKVD. The Soviet command managed to convince the Nazis that a large German unit of about 2,500 people was surrounded on the territory of Belarus. With the help of the captured German lieutenant colonel Heinrich Scherhorn, who was involved in the operation, the plan was brought to life.

Scherhorn contacted Berlin, told about the situation and the location of the unit and asked for help. Although the Germans initially believed it was a trap, they were eventually convinced. A team of commandos was sent, but they were all captured. Then several more attempts were made, but each time Soviet troops appeared as if out of nowhere and disrupted the rescue operation. The German high command decided to abandon further rescue attempts and, instead, establish regular supplies of the encircled unit through the air corridor. Otto Skorzeny was responsible for supplies to Scherhorn's troops.

An interesting fact here is that even when the Nazis were already on the eve of complete defeat and the Allied forces attacked them on all fronts, they continued their supplies. Scherhorn himself was considered a national hero and was even awarded the Iron Knight's Cross, the highest award of the German army during World War II.

4. Animals and the First World War

As mentioned above, World War I was one of the worst global conflicts in history. This was the first major conflict to bring many technological advances to the battlefield, so the ability to improvise was a necessity. Among other things, in addition to those fake trees for observing the enemy, which we talked about earlier, they used stuffed animals made of papier-mâché, which were perfectly camouflaged among the huge number of dead horses scattered everywhere. Being inside these hollow effigies, soldiers could spy on the enemy and report to the command about all the enemy’s movements. In addition, in the event of shelling or something similar, soldiers could take advantage of the noise and chaos to fire from these effigies without being noticed. At the same time, the African front had its own peculiarities: instead of stuffed horses, stuffed ponies or zebras were used.

In the war at sea, soldiers showed no less ingenuity. First of all, the military began to develop certain habits in the sea lions. They began to feed them simultaneously with the arrival of the next submarine, hoping that when an enemy submarine approached, the sea lions, out of habit, would begin to gather in anticipation of food and, thus, give a signal about the enemy. This technique was not very useful because it suddenly became clear that it was quite difficult to keep track of all the sea lions swimming freely off the coast of Great Britain. There was even an idea to paint animals with glow-in-the-dark paint... but that didn’t help either. The technique of training seagulls to pounce on the periscopes of enemy submarines also did not work. Yes, all this happened in reality.

3. Decoy ships of the First World War

Naval warfare during the First World War also changed beyond recognition, especially with the advent of submarines. German submarines were notorious and became a serious threat, especially to the Allied merchant fleet delivering cargo to England from America, Canada or the British colonies. To counter this invisible threat, the British came up with decoy ships. These were warships, but smaller than usual. German submarines usually rose to the surface to shoot small ships, preferring to save their torpedoes for larger or warships. While submarines were practically invulnerable underwater, on the surface they became quite easy targets.

But for this ploy to work, both sailors and ships had to play the role of real merchant ships. A complex camouflage system was invented for the ships and their crews, and the name of the ship changed almost every time before going to sea. Some of the sailors even dressed up and acted out roles on deck, posing as vacationing tourists. When the submarines rose to the surface, half the crew pretended to panic and prepare life rafts, while the other half aimed hidden guns at the boat. As soon as the submarines came within firing range, they opened fire and sometimes even destroyed them. This method proved quite successful, at least in the early days, but after a while the Germans realized what was happening and changed their tactics.

2. Operation “Spring of Youth”

A year after the Munich massacre of 11 Israeli Olympic athletes in 1972, in which they were first taken hostage and then killed by the Palestinian terrorist group Black September, the IDF prepared a retaliatory strike that would target three senior leaders from Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The operation was called “Spring of Youth”. The targets were in Beirut and Lebanon, and to get there the commandos used motorboats and landed on the coast. There they were met and escorted to the site of the attack by Mossad officers.

But in order to approach the apartment buildings, the Israeli commandos needed to attract as little attention as possible from local police and PLO soldiers. So, in order to get closer, half the Israeli commandos dressed up in women's dresses and walked hand in hand with their male counterparts. This scheme worked, the commandos managed to get past the guards and complete the task. The man in charge of the operation and one of the commandos dressed as a woman was Ehud Barak, the former Minister of Defense and Prime Minister of Israel. We know what you're thinking - but no, Steven Spielberg's film Munich is not about this operation, although Barack is mentioned in it too.

1. Opium cigarettes

In 1917, during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I, the British fought the Ottoman Empire for control of the Middle East region and the conquest of Jerusalem. For several months, the Ottomans were constantly bombed, their supplies began to be disrupted and their supplies began to dwindle. The British threw packs of cigarettes along with calls to refrain from fighting, this did not work, but the Turks got used to looking for these cigarettes on the battlefield.

Then, before storming the city of Beersheba, the British once again scattered packs of cigarettes over the Turkish positions, but this time the cigarettes contained large amounts of opium. These cigarettes made the Turkish soldiers incapable of fighting, and the battle was won by the British.

Chaotic rubbish called “war” unsettles us like nothing else, leaves the most vile sensations and changes our essence for the rest of our lives. Wars affect everyone without exception, and the experience of artists, musicians, sculptors and writers is invaluable within the framework of history. Therefore, we feel the numerical imprints left on the cultural heritage of Beethoven, Tolkien, Remarque and other great figures. Today we are more interested than ever in what kind of help they could offer during the most difficult times of their lives and what many of them had to do, against their will.

An interesting example is the booklet “Art and War. What should a modern artist do? “, which was distributed in Petrograd (modern St. Petersburg) during the First World War. Here you can find designations for various areas of art, as well as read about which areas need the talent of certain artists.

Rudyard Kipling

Kipling is the number one person in literature, because the brilliant work of the writer’s entire life was “The Jungle Book,” which opened up a wonderful world to the little adventurer who lives in each of us. During World War I, Kipling and his wife worked for the Red Cross, but they faced their greatest loss - their eldest son John paid the ultimate price on the battlefield - his life.

Having survived the grief, Kipling became a member of the War Graves Commission, and Rudyard’s merit is also considered his proposal to use the famous biblical phrase: “Their names will live forever” on obelisks in memory of the military. It so happens that this phrase is used to this day all over the world. But it’s hard not to notice how, against the backdrop of world upheavals, the writer’s later work began to noticeably fade.

Walt Disney

Walt was eager to go to the front as soon as World War I began, but at that time he was only 14 years old and was considered too young for the army. Therefore, the guy volunteered for the Red Cross and even drove an ambulance (like Somerset Maugham, by the way). In school, Walt passionately drew patriotic pictures on the pages of his school notebooks. Afterwards, he repeatedly depicted and ridiculed the Germans in his cartoons.

Ernest Hemingway

Despite being prohibited from going to war due to poor eyesight, Ernest still achieved his goal and somehow got to the front. However, in 1918 he was seriously wounded on the Austro-Italian front (near Fossalta di Piave). In the hospital, a tragedy of a spiritual nature awaited him (which was also reflected in the work of his entire life, like the war) - the nurse Agnes von Kurowski, with whom the first was madly in love, refused him. During the Second World War, Ernest worked as a war journalist in London, from where he was sent to “hot spots” more than once, and his articles for world history are now of great value.

Charlie Chaplin

This is a man of incredible strength of character and spirit, because he survived the most difficult times in the history of the last century, which he continued to ridicule, despite political persecution and threats. During World War I, he distributed government bonds (half the request of the US government) and spoke at related rallies. Later, the FBI opened a case against Chaplin back in the 30s, namely after the film “Modern Times” (1936). However, the apogee was his film “The Great Dictator” (1940), where Chaplin ridiculed Hitler himself on the big screen.

Will Burtin

The graphic artist suffered a lot in his native Germany, and before he fled to the United States with his half-Jewish wife, he made illustrations for Nazi propaganda against his will. During World War II, he was drafted by the Army, where Will was tasked with explaining complex strategic information to soldiers through visualization. Thanks to simplified drawings, the preparatory lessons for machine gunners were cut in half, since Burtin made them understandable to everyone.

Nikolay Glushchenko

The Ukrainian artist worked as an intelligence officer during World War II and personally reported to Stalin about Hitler’s further tactics. And thanks to his ability to draw, Soviet intelligence had two hundred and five secret drawings of enemy military equipment. He also made portrait sketches during the trial of Samuil Schwartzbad, the murderer of Symon Petliura.

John Tolkien

John's relatives were upset that the young guy had not yet enlisted in the army (during the First World War) and seriously insisted on this. He did so, but got to the front only after 11 months of training. She separated him from his wife Edith, who was very sensitive to any news about the battles and was often in a deep state of stress. There were also difficulties with the censorship imposed on the British army due to constant surveillance of their correspondence. However, Tolkien came up with a certain code that Edith could read besides him. Thus, he easily circumvented the ban and regularly informed her of his whereabouts. A few years later, he became a second lieutenant, but was so exhausted by the numbers of battles that he was declared unfit and sent to hospital.

John himself hated the war with all his soul, because by 1918 it had taken all his friends. Afterwards, Tolkien experienced the Second World War, but being already in adulthood, he tried out for the position of a codebreaker in order to serve in the cryptographic department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but he was rejected.

Erich Maria Remarque

The German writer was drafted into the army in 1917 and sent to the Western Front, where Erich was wounded in the leg, arm and neck. After serious injuries, Remarque was sent to a military hospital in Germany.

Afterwards, the young man described his memories of the cruelty of the war and its meaninglessness, but his works were subject to strict censorship and burned in 1933. Erich wrote more than once about the horrors of war in adulthood, but remembering the 33rd, he said that it was a public procession led by Nazi students accompanied by slogans: “No to the scribblers who betray the heroes of the World War. Long live the education of youth in the spirit of true historicism! I consign to the fire the works of Erich Maria Remarque!” After the persecutions, Remarque moved to Switzerland.

Alexander Blok

Since Blok was unfit for the army due to damage to the radial nerve, Alexander worked as a war correspondent. As a result, most of his essays, stories and novels are literature dedicated to the civil war and not only, in which he also ridicules the methods of warfare of the fascists.

Marc Chagall

During the First World War, the artist joined the Military-Industrial Committee (immediately after his marriage). However, the biggest blow was still the Holocaust, and since Mark was of Jewish origin, his family was greatly affected by it during World War II. And we see how his experiences are reflected in numerical pictures illustrating the most terrible period of the last century.

Ludwig van Beethoven

The Napoleonic unrest in Austria and the French occupation of Vienna left their mark on Beethoven's work. This time was the most emotional period in the composer’s life, because, among other things, deafness triumphed over his hearing.

But still, to the public of Ludwig’s time, the music of the genius was incomprehensible and too new, because, unlike traditionally, it made you think, and was (and remains) very strange and even crazy.

It is interesting to know that during World War II, the first bars of the late musician's Fifth Symphony were used as a signal calling on the French to fight the German occupiers.

In order to mobilization of all resources state in the first days of the war, a radical restructuring of the entire life of the country began on a military basis. The defining program of activity was the slogan: “ Everything for the front, everything for victory!».

The economic situation was significantly complicated by the fact that the enemy captured more than 1.5 million square meters at the beginning of the war. km, where previously 74.5 million people lived and up to 50% of industrial and agricultural products were produced. The war had to be continued with the industrial potential of almost the early 1930s.

On June 24, 1941 it was created Evacuation advice chaired by N.M. Shvernik. Basic directions of economic restructuring:

1) evacuation of industrial enterprises, material assets and people from the front line to the east.

During July - November 1941, 1,523 industrial enterprises, including 1,360 large military enterprises, were relocated to the eastern regions of the country. They were located in the Volga region, the Urals, Western and Eastern Siberia, Kazakhstan and Central Asia. These enterprises were put into operation in record time. Thus, at the Magnitogorsk plant, in a few months, the largest blast furnace in Europe No. 5 was built with a capacity of 1,400 tons of cast iron per day (in peacetime, it took 2.5 years to build a blast furnace).

From this position the war became the apogee in the realization of the capabilities of the Soviet totalitarian system. Despite enormous difficulties, the conditions of this regime made it possible to use such advantages as over-centralization of management, huge natural and human resources, lack of personal freedom, as well as the tension of all the forces of the people caused by patriotic feelings.

The outcome of the war was determined not only at the front, but also in rear. Before achieving a military victory over Germany, it was necessary to defeat it in military and economic terms. The formation of the war economy in the first months of the war was very difficult:

carrying out evacuation in conditions of disorderly withdrawal of troops;

rapid loss of economically important areas, destruction of economic ties;

loss of qualified personnel and equipment;

Crisis on the railways.

In the first months of the war, the decline in production was up to 30%. A difficult situation has developed in agriculture. The USSR lost territories that produced 38% of grain and 84% of sugar. In the fall of 1941, a card system for providing the population with food was introduced (covering up to 70 million people).

To organize production, emergency measures were taken - from June 26, 1941, mandatory overtime was introduced for workers and employees, the working day for adults was increased to 11 hours with a six-day work week, and vacations were cancelled. In December 1941, all military production workers were declared mobilized and assigned to work at these enterprises.

By the end of 1941, it was possible to stop the decline in industrial production, and at the end of 1942, the USSR was significantly ahead of Germany in the production of military equipment, not only in quantity (2,100 aircraft, 2,000 tanks monthly)^ but also in qualitative terms: from June 1941 it began serial production of Katyusha-type mortar systems, the T-34/85 tank was modernized, etc. Methods for automatic welding of armor were developed (E. O. Paton), automatic machines for producing cartridges were designed. |

In the shortest possible time, backup enterprises were put into operation in the Urals and Siberia. Already in March 1942, growth began in the military field. It took time to produce weapons and equipment in a new location. Only in the second half of 1942, at the cost of incredible efforts of home front workers and the tough organizational work of party committees, was it possible to create a well-coordinated military-industrial complex, which produces more weapons and equipment than Germany and its allies. To provide enterprises with labor, the responsibility of workers for labor discipline was tightened. In February 1942, a decree was adopted in accordance with which workers and employees were declared mobilized for the duration of the war. The bulk of the rear workers and rural workers were women and teenagers. A distribution card system was introduced in the cities. By 1943, the army was equipped with new types of military equipment: Il-10 and Yak-7 aircraft, T-34(m) tanks.

Made a significant contribution to strengthening the Armed Forces the science. New oil and gas fields have been discovered and high-quality production has been mastered. high-quality steels, new radars were created, and work began on nuclear fission. The West Siberian Fi| Lial of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

Thanks to the dedicated work of the rear to at the end of 1943 was woneconomic victory over Germany, and weapons production reached its maximum level in 1944.

Men who went to the front at enterprises and collective farms were replaced by women, pensioners and teenagers (40% of the number of workers in industry were women, 360 thousand students in grades 8-10 came to production in the second half of 1941). In 1944, there were 2.5 million people under the age of 18 among the working class, including 700 thousand teenagers.

The population erected defensive structures, organized duty in hospitals, and donated blood as doyors. Gulag prisoners made a great contribution to the victory (by the beginning of the war their number had reached monstrous proportions - 2 million 300 thousand people; in 1943 it was 983,974 people). They mined minerals, produced shells, and sewed uniforms. For special distinctions in the rear, 198 people were awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor; 16 million people were awarded the medal “For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.” However, speaking about labor achievements and mass heroism in the rear, we should not forget that the war undermined the health of the people. Poor living conditions, malnutrition, and lack of medical care have become the norm of life for millions of people.”

The rear sent weapons, ammunition, military equipment, food and uniforms to the front. Industrial achievements made it possible by November 1942 to change the balance of forces in favor of the Soviet troops. The quantitative increase in the production of military equipment and weapons was accompanied by a rapid improvement in their quality characteristics, the creation of new types of vehicles, artillery systems, and small arms.

So, The T-34 medium tank remained the best in World War II; it was superior to the same type of fascist tank T-V (Panther). Also in 1943, serial production of self-propelled artillery units (SAU) began.

In the activities of the Soviet rear, 1943 became a turning point. During the war, the tactical and technical characteristics of the aircraft improved. More advanced fighters La-5, Yak-9, Yak-7 appeared; serial production of the Il-2 attack aircraft, nicknamed the “tank destroyer,” was mastered, an analogue of which the German industry was never able to create.

They made a great contribution to the expulsion of the occupiers partisans.

According to plan "Ost" The Nazis established a regime of bloody terror in the occupied areas, creating the so-called “new order”. There was a special program for the export of food, material and cultural values. About 5 million people. In many areas, collective farms have been retained with appointed elders to remove food. Death camps, prisons and ghettos were created. Became a symbol of the extermination of the Jewish population Babi Yar in Kyiv, where in September 1941 over 100 thousand people were shot. In extermination camps on the territory of the USSR and other European countries (Majdanek, Auschwitz etc.) millions of people (prisoners of war, underground fighters and partisans, Jews) died.

The first call for the deployment of a resistance movement behind enemy lines came in directiveSNKiTsIKVKP(b) dated June 29, 1941 Were delivered tasks disrupt communications in occupied territories, destroy transport, disrupt military events, destroy fascists and their accomplices, help create sabotage killing groups. The partisan movement at the first stage was spontaneous.

In the winter of 1941-1942. in the Tula and Kalinin regions the first partisan detachments, which included communists who went underground, soldiers from defeated units and the local population. At the same time, underground organizations operated, engaged in reconnaissance, sabotage and informing the population about the situation at the fronts. The name of a 17-year-old Moscow Komsomol member, intelligence officer, became a symbol of courage of Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya , the daughter of a repressed person, thrown behind enemy lines and hanged by the Nazis.

May 30, 1942 in Moscow was created Central headquarters of the partisan movement in Pavé with P. K. Ponomarenko , and at army headquarters there are special departments for communication with partisan detachments. From this moment on, the partisan movement becomes more organized and coordinates its actions with the army (Belarus, the northern part of Ukraine, Bryansk, Smolensk and Oryol regions). By the spring of 1943, underground sabotage work was carried out in almost all cities in the occupied territory. Large partisan formations (regiments, brigades) began to emerge, led by experienced commanders: WITH.A. Kovpak, A. N. Saburov, A. F. Fedorov, Hi 3. Kolyada, S. V. Grishin etc. Almost all partisan formations had radio contact with the Center.

Since summer 1943 large formations of partisans carried out combat operations as part of combined arms operations. Particularly large-scale partisan actions were during the Battle of Kursk, operations "Rail War" And"Concert ». As the Soviet troops advanced, partisan formations were reorganized and merged into units of the regular army.

In total, during the war years, the partisans disabled 1.5 million enemy soldiers and officers, blew up 20 thousand enemy trains and 12 thousand bridges; 65 thousand vehicles, 2.3 thousand tanks, 1.1 thousand aircraft, 17 thousand km of communication lines were destroyed.

The partisan movement and the underground became one of the significant factors in the victory.

Anti-Hitler coalition.

In the first days of the war, British Prime Minister W. Churchill, who was a supporter of an uncompromising fight against Germany, declared his readiness to support the Soviet Union. The United States also expressed its readiness to provide assistance. The official entry of the United States into World War II on December 8, 1941 significantly influenced the balance of forces in the world conflict and contributed to the completion of the creation of the anti-Hitler coalition.

On October 1, 1941, in Moscow, the USSR, England and the USA agreed on the supply of weapons and food to our country in exchange for strategic ones! raw materials. Supplies of weapons, food and other military materials to the USSR from the USA and England began in 1941 and continued until 1945. Mainly? most of them walked in three ways: through the Middle East and Iran (British and Soviet troops entered Iran in August 1941), through Murmansk and1 Arkhangelsk, through Vladivostok. Was adopted in the USA Lend-Lease law - neprovision of necessary materials and weapons to allies on loan or for rent). The total cost of this assistance was about $11 billion, or 4.5% of all material resources used by the USSR in World War II. For planes, tanks, and trucks, the level of this assistance was higher. Overall, these supplies helped the Soviet economy reduce negative consequences in military production, as well as overcome broken economic ties.

Legally, the anti-Hitler coalition was formedOn January 1, 1942, 26 states signedin WashingtonUnited Nations Declaration. The governments of the allied countries took upon themselves the obligation to direct all their resources against the members of the Tripartite Pact, and also not to conclude a separate truce or peace with their enemies.

From the very first days of the war, disagreements emerged between the allies on the question of opening a Second Front : Stalin turned to the allies with a request to open a Second Front already in September 1941. However, the actions of the allies were limited in 1941-1943. battles in North Africa, and in 1943 - landings in Sicily and Southern Italy.

One of the reasons for the disagreement is a different understanding of the Second Front. The Allies understood the Second Front as military operations against the fascist coalition in French North-West Africa, and then the “Balkan option”; For the Soviet leadership, the Second Front was the landing of Allied troops on the territory of Northern France.

The issue of opening a Second Front was discussed in May-June 1942 during Molotov’s visits to London and Washington, and then at the Tehran Conference in 1943.

The second front was opened in June 1944. On June 6, the landing of Anglo-American troops began in Normandy (Operation Overlord, commander D. Eisenhower).

Until 1944, the Allies carried out local military operations. In 1942, the Americans carried out military operations against Japan in the Pacific Ocean. After Japan captured Southeast Asia (Thailand, Burma, Indonesia, Philippines, Hong Kong, etc.) by the summer of 1942, the US fleet in the summer of 1942 managed to win the battle off the island. Midway. The Japanese began to transition from offensive to defensive. British troops under the command of Montgomery won a victory in North Africa in November 1942 near El Alaimen.

In 1943, the Anglo-Americans completely liberated North Africa. In the summer of 1943 they landed on the island. Sicily and then in Italy. In September 1943, Italy went over to the side of the anti-Hitler coalition. In response, German troops captured most of Italy.

Tehran Conference.

WITH November 28 to December 1, 1943 in Tehran a meeting took place between J. Stalin, F. Roosevelt, W. Churchill.

Main questions:

it was decided that the opening of the Second Front would occur in May 1944;

Stalin announced the USSR's readiness to enter into a war with Japan after the surrender of Germany;

the Declaration on Joint Actions in the War and Post-War was adopted; cooperation;

no decision was made on the fate of Germany and the borders of Poland.

On Yalta Conference (February 1945.) questions raised:

about the post-war borders of Germany and Poland;

on preserving Germany as a single state; Germany itself and Berlin were temporarily divided into occupation zones: American, British, French and Soviet;

about the timing of the USSR’s entry into the war with Japan (three months after the end of the war in Europe);

on the demilitarization and denazification of Germany and the holding of democratic elections in it. The Declaration of a Liberated Europe was adopted, in which the Allied powers declared their readiness to help the European peoples "to establish democratic institutions of their own choice."

Serious controversy raised questions about the fate of Poland and reparations. According to the decisions of the conference, the USSR was to receive 50% of all reparation payments (in addition, as “compensation” for Western Ukraine and Western Belarus, Poland received territories in the west and north.

The Allies agreed to create the UN, and on April 25, 1945, its founding assembly was held in San Francisco. The main organs of the UN: the UN General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice and the Secretariat. Headquarters - in New York.

From July 17 to August 2 in Potsdam (near Berlin) the last summit meeting during the war took place. It was attended by I. Stalin, G. Truman (F. Roosevelt died in April 1945), W. Churchill (With On July 28, he was replaced by K. Attlee, the leader of the Labor Party, which won the parliamentary elections). The following decisions were made at the conference:

on the German question - the disarmament of Germany, the liquidation of its military industry, the ban on Nazi organizations and the democratization of the social system were envisaged. Germany was viewed as a single economic whole;

the issue of reparations and the division of the German military and merchant fleets was resolved;

In Germany, it was decided to create four zones of occupation. East Germany entered the Soviet zone;

to govern Germany, a Control Council was created from representatives of the Allied powers;

territorial issues. The USSR received East Prussia with the city of Koenigsberg. The western border of Poland was determined by the river. Oder and Western Neisse. The Soviet-Finnish (established in March 1940) and Soviet-Polish (established in September 1939) borders were recognized;

a permanent Council of Foreign Ministers of the great powers (USSR, USA, Great Britain, France and China) was created. He was tasked with preparing peace treaties with Germany and its former allies - Bulgaria, Romania, Finland and Italy;

the Nazi Party was outlawed;

a decision was made to convene an international tribunal to try the main war criminals.

Yalta and Potsdam summed up the results of the Second World War, fixing a new balance of power in the international arena. They were proof that only cooperation and negotiation can lead to constructive decisions.

International conferences of the heads of state of the USSR, Great Britain and the USA

Lend-Lease.

In October 1941, the United States provided the USSR with a loan in the amount of $1 billion based on the law on the transfer of loans or leases of weapons. England took upon itself the obligation to organize the supply of aircraft and tanks.

In total, according to the American Lend-Lease law extended to our country (it was adopted by the US Congress back in March 1941 and provided for assistance to other countries with raw materials and weapons in the interests of US defense), during the war years the Soviet Union received from the US 14.7 thousand. aircraft, 7 thousand tanks, 427 thousand cars, food and other materials. The USSR received 2 million 599 thousand tons of petroleum products, 422 thousand field telephones, over 15 million pairs of shoes, 4.3 tons of food. In response to the assistance provided, during the war years the Soviet Union supplied the United States with 300 thousand tons of chrome ore, 32 thousand tons of manganese ore, a large amount of platinum, gold, and furs. From the beginning of the war to April 30, 1944, 3,384 aircraft, 4,292 tanks were received from England, and 1,188 tanks came from Canada. In the historical literature, there is a point of view that the supply of goods by the allies during the entire war amounted to 4% of the volume of Soviet industry. During the war years, many political leaders in the United States and England recognized the insignificance of supplies of military materials. However, the indisputable fact is that they became not only material, but, above all, political and moral support for our country in the most tragic months of the war, when the Soviet Union was gathering decisive forces on the Soviet-German front, and Soviet industry was not able to provide the Red Army everything you need.

In the Soviet Union there has always been a tendency to underestimate allied supplies under Lend-Lease. American sources estimate allied assistance at $11-12 billion. The supply problem gave rise to copious correspondence at the highest levels, the tone of which was often quite caustic. The Allies accused the USSR of “ungratefulness” because its propaganda was completely silent about foreign assistance. For its part, the Soviet Union suspected the allies of intending to substitute a material contribution for the opening of a second front. Thus, Soviet soldiers jokingly called the American stew they liked “the second front.”

In fact, Lend-Lease supplies of finished goods, semi-finished products and food provided significant economic support.

Our country still remains in debt for these supplies.

After Germany signed the surrender, the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition abandoned the Yalta plans for its division. A control council consisting of the commanders-in-chief of the Allied armed forces was supposed to regulate life in the four zones of Berlin. The new agreement on the German question, signed in Potsdam in July 1945, provided for the complete disarmament and demilitarization of Germany, the dissolution of the NSDAP and the condemnation of war criminals, and the democratization of the administration of Germany. Still united in the fight against Nazism, the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition had already embarked on the path of splitting Germany.

The new balance of power in the post-war world objectively made Germany an ally of the West in the fight against communism, widespread in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, so the Western powers began to speed up the recovery of the German economy, which led to the unification of the American and British occupation zones. Thus, the contradictions and ambitions of the former allies led to the tragedy of an entire people. The division of Germany was overcome only after more than 40 years.

Defeat and surrender of Japan

Germany's unconditional surrender did not mean the end of World War II. The Allies had to eliminate another serious enemy in the Far East.

For the first time, the question of the participation of the Red Army in the war against Japan was raised at the Tehran Conference. In February 1945, at the second meeting of I. Stalin, F. Roosevelt and W. Churchill in the Crimea, the Soviet side confirmed its agreement to participate in the war with Japan two to three months after the surrender of Germany, while simultaneously putting forward a number of conditions for consideration by the allies, which were accepted them. The agreement signed by the leaders of the three countries provided for the following.

Maintaining the status quo of the Mongolian People's Republic.

Restoration of Russia's rights violated as a result of its defeat in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905:

a) to return the southern part of the island to the Soviet Union. Sakhalin and all adjacent islands;

b) the internationalization of the commercial port of Dairen (Dalniy) and the restoration of the lease of Port Arthur as a naval base of the USSR;

c) joint operation of the Chinese-Eastern and South Manchurian railways on the basis of organizing a mixed Soviet-Chinese society, ensuring the primary interests of the Soviet Union.

Transfer of the Kuril Islands to the Soviet Union.

By signing the Yalta Agreement, the United States was able to avoid large losses of American soldiers in the war against the Japanese army, and the USSR was able to return all the objects listed in the document that were lost and were in the hands of Japan.

The US interest in the war against Japan was so great that in July 1945, during the Potsdam Conference, I.V. Stalin had to confirm the USSR's readiness to enter the war by mid-August.

By August 1945, American and British troops managed to capture a number of islands in the Pacific Ocean captured by Japan and significantly weaken its navy. However, as the war approached the shores of Japan, the resistance of its troops increased. The ground armies still remained a formidable force for the Allies. America and England planned to launch a combined attack on Japan, combining the power of American strategic aviation with the actions of the Red Army, which was faced with the task of defeating a large formation of Japanese ground forces - the Kwantung Army.

Based on repeated violations by the Japanese side of the neutrality treaty of April 13, 1941, the Soviet government denounced it on April 5, 1945.

In accordance with allied obligations, as well as to ensure the security of its Far Eastern borders On the night of August 8-9, 1945, the Soviet Union entered the war with Japan th and thereby put her before inevitable defeat. With the converging attacks of the troops of the Transbaikal (commander Marshal R.Ya. Malinovsky), 1st Far Eastern (commander Marshal K.A. Meretskov) and 2nd Far Eastern (commander Army General M.A. Purkaev) fronts, the Kwantung Army was dismembered and piecemeal destroyed. In combat operations, the Pacific Fleet and the Amur Flotilla actively interacted with the fronts. The general command of the troops was exercised by the marshal A. M. Vasilevsky. Together with Soviet troops, the Mongolian and Chinese people's armies fought against Japan.

More 6 and 9 August 1945 g., rather pursuing the goal of establishing a dictatorship in the post-war world, rather than in accordance with strategic necessity, USA for the first time used a new deadly weapon - atomic bombs. As a result of the American aviation nuclear bombing of Japanese citiesHiroshima and Nagasaki More than 200 thousand civilians died and were maimed. This was one of the factors that led Japan to surrender to the Allies. The use of nuclear weapons against Japanese cities was caused not so much by military as by political reasons and above all, the desire to demonstrate (and test in real conditions) a trump card for putting pressure on the USSR.

The Soviet Union made a great contribution to the victory over Japan, defeating the Kwantung group within three weeks, from August 9 to September 2, 1945

On August 28, 1945, American troops began landing on Japanese territory, and on September 2, an act of unconditional surrender of Japan was signed in Tokyo Bay on board the American battleship Missouri. The Second World War has ended.

The Russians occupied the southern part of Sakhalin(which was transferred to Japan in 1905) and Kurile Islands(which Russia lost to Japan in 1875). By agreement with China we got it back half ownership rights to the Chinese Eastern Railway(sold in 1935 to Manchukuo), including the line to Port Arthur, which was lost in 1905. Himself Port Arthur, like Dairen, until the conclusion of a formal peace with Japan was supposed to remain under joint Chinese-Russian management. However, a peace treaty with Japan was not signed (disagreements over the ownership of the islands of Urup, Kunashir, Habomai and Iturup. World War II was over.

Nuremberg trials.

WITH December 1945 to October 1946 V Nuremberg took place trial of the leaders of the Third Reich. It was carried out by a specially created International Military Tribunal of the victorious countries. The highest military and government officials of Nazi Germany were put on trial, accused of conspiracy against peace, humanity and the gravest war crimes.

Of utmost importance is the fact that Nuremberg trial for the first time in history, he put in the dock not just individuals, but also the criminal organizations created by them, as well as the very ideas that pushed them to misanthropic practices for their implementation. The essence of fascism and plans for the destruction of states and entire peoples were exposed.

Nuremberg trial- the first court in world history to recognize aggression as a grave criminal offense, punishing as criminals statesmen guilty of preparing, unleashing and waging aggressive wars. The principles enshrined by the International Tribunal and expressed in the verdict were confirmed by a resolution of the UN General Assembly in 1946.

Results and consequences of the war

The Second World War became the bloodiest and largest conflict in the history of mankind, in which it was drawn 80% of the world's population.

The most important result of the war was destruction of fascism as a form of totalitarianism .

This was made possible thanks to joint efforts of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition.

The victory contributed to the growth of the authority of the USSR and the USA, their transformation into superpowers.

First Nazism was judged internationally . Were created conditions for the democratic development of countries.

The collapse of the colonial system began .

WITHcreateeUnited Nations V 1945 g., which opened up opportunities for formation of a collective security system, the emergence of a radically new organization of international relations.

Victory Factors:

Mass heroism of the entire people.

Efficiency of the government apparatus.

Mobilization of the economy.

An economic victory has been won. Effective rear work.

Creation of an anti-Hitler coalition, opening of a second front.

Lend-Lease supplies.

Military art of military leaders.

Partisan movement.

Serial production of new military equipment.

The Soviet-German front was the main one in the Second World War: on this front, 2/3 of Germany’s ground forces were defeated, 73% of the German army personnel were destroyed; 75% tanks, artillery, mortars, over 75% aviation.

The price of victory over the fascist bloc is very high. The war brought great destruction. The total cost of destroyed material assets (including military equipment and weapons) of all warring countries amounted to more than $316 billion, and the damage to the USSR was almost 41% of this amount. However, first of all, the cost of victory is determined by human losses. It is generally accepted that World War II claimed more than 55 million human lives. Of these, about 40 million deaths occurred in European countries. Germany lost over 13 million people (including 6.7 million military personnel); Japan - 2.5 million people (mostly military personnel), over 270 thousand people are victims of atomic bombings. UK losses amounted to 370 thousand, France - 600 thousand, USA - 300 thousand people killed. The direct human losses of the USSR during all the years of the war were enormous and amounted to more than 27 million people.

Such a high number of our losses is explained primarily by the fact that for a long period of time the Soviet Union actually stood alone against Nazi Germany, which initially set a course for the mass extermination of Soviet people. Our losses included those killed in battle, those missing in action, those who died from disease and starvation, those killed during bombing, those shot and tortured in concentration camps.

Enormous human losses and material destruction changed the demographic situation and gave rise to post-war economic difficulties: the most capable people in age dropped out of the productive forces; the existing structure of production was disrupted.

War conditions necessitated the development of military art and various types of weapons (including those that became the basis of modern ones). Thus, during the war years in Germany, serial production of A-4 (V-2) missiles began, which could not be intercepted and destroyed in the air. With their appearance, the era of accelerated development of rocket and then rocket and space technology began.

Already at the very end of World War II, the Americans created and used for the first time nuclear weapons, which were best suited for installation on combat missiles. Combining a missile with nuclear weapons led to a drastic change in the overall situation in the world. With the help of nuclear missile weapons, it became possible to deliver an unexpected strike of unimaginable destructive force, regardless of the distance to enemy territory. With the transformation in the late 1940s. The USSR became a second nuclear power and the arms race intensified.

He made a decisive contribution to the defeat of fascismSoviet people . Having lived under the despotic Stalinist regime, the people made a choice in defense of the independence of the Motherland and the ideals of the revolution. Heroism and self-sacrifice became a mass phenomenon. Feats I. Ivanova, N. Gastello, A. Matrosova, A. Meresyeva repeated by many Soviet soldiers. During the war, such commanders as A. M. Vasilevsky, G. K. Zhukov, K. K. Rokossovsky, L. A. Govorov, I. S. Konev, V. I. Chuikov etc. The unity of the peoples of the USSR stood the test. According to a number of scientists, the administrative-command system made it possible to concentrate human and material resources in the most important areas to defeat the enemy. However, the essence of this system led to the “tragedy of victory,” because the system required victory at any cost. This cost was human life and the suffering of the population in the rear.

Thus, having suffered huge losses, the Soviet Union won a difficult war:

During the war, a powerful military industry was created and an industrial base was formed;

Following the war, the USSR included additional territories in the West and East;

the foundation was laid for the creation of a “bloc of socialist states in Europe and Asia;

opportunities have opened up for the democratic renewal of the world and the liberation of colonies;