How to tell children about the Great Patriotic War? With this story you will accessible form tell your children about the war.
It presents a chronology of the main events of the Great Patriotic War.
Victory will be ours!
- War! War!
On June 22, 1941, German fascists attacked our homeland. They attacked like thieves, like robbers. They wanted to seize our lands, our cities and villages, and either kill our people or make them their servants and slaves. The Great Patriotic War began. It lasted four years.
The path to victory was not easy. The enemies attacked us unexpectedly. They had more tanks and planes. Our armies were retreating. The battles took place on the ground, in the sky, and at sea. Great battles thundered: Moscow, Stalingrad, the Battle of Kursk Bulge. Didn't surrender to the enemy for 250 days heroic Sevastopol. 900 days in terrible blockade Courageous Leningrad held on. The Caucasus fought bravely. In Ukraine, Belarus, and other places, formidable partisans crushed the invaders. Millions of people, including children, worked at factory machines and in the fields of the country. Soviet people(The Soviet Union was the name of our country in those years) did everything to stop the Nazis. Even at the most hard days they firmly believed: “The enemy will be defeated! Victory will be ours!"
And then the day came when the advance of the invaders was stopped. The Soviet armies drove the Nazis out of their native land.
And again battles, battles, battles, battles. The blows of the Soviet troops are becoming more and more powerful, more and more indestructible. And the most long-awaited, greatest day came. Our soldiers reached the borders of Germany and stormed the capital of the Nazis - the city of Berlin. It was 1945. Spring was blooming. It was the month of May.
The Nazis admitted their complete defeat on May 9. Since then, this day has become our great holiday - Victory Day.
Our people showed miracles of heroism and courage while defending their native land from the Nazis.
The Brest Fortress stood on the very border. The Nazis attacked it on the very first day of the war. They thought: one day - and the fortress is in their hands. Our soldiers held out for a whole month. And when there was no strength left and the Nazis broke into the fortress, its last defender wrote on the wall with a bayonet: “I’m dying, but I’m not giving up.”
There was the Great Moscow Battle. Fascist tanks rushed forward. On one of the sections of the front, the enemy’s road was blocked by 28 heroic soldiers from General Panfilov’s division. Dozens of tanks were knocked out by soldiers. And they kept walking and walking. The soldiers were exhausted in battle. And the tanks kept coming and going. And yet Panfilov’s men did not retreat in this terrible battle. The Nazis were not allowed to enter Moscow.
General Dmitry Karbyshev was wounded in battle and was captured. He was a professor, a very famous military builder. The Nazis wanted the general to come over to their side. They promised life and high positions. Dmitry Karbyshev did not betray his homeland. The Nazis executed the general. Brought out to severe frost outside. Doused cold water from hoses.
Vasily Zaitsev - famous hero Battle of Stalingrad. From my sniper rifle he destroyed three hundred fascists. Zaitsev was elusive to his enemies. The fascist commanders had to call the famous shooter from Berlin. That's who will destroy Soviet sniper. It turned out the other way around. Zaitsev killed a Berlin celebrity. “Three hundred and one,” said Vasily Zaitsev.
During the battles near Stalingrad, field telephone communications were interrupted in one of the artillery regiments. An ordinary soldier, signalman Titaev, crawled under enemy fire to find out where the wire was broken. Found. He just tried to twist the ends of the wires when a fragment of an enemy shell hit the fighter. Before Titaev had time to connect the wires, then, dying, he clamped them tightly with his lips. The connection is working. "Fire! Fire!" - the commands sounded again in the artillery regiment.
The war brought us many deaths. The twelve Grigoryan soldiers were members of a large Armenian family. They served in the same department. They went to the front together. Together we defended our native Caucasus. Together with everyone else we went forward. One reached Berlin. Eleven Grigoryans died. After the war, the residents of the city where the Grigoryans lived planted twelve poplars in honor of the heroes. The poplars have now grown. They stand exactly in a row, like soldiers in formation - tall and beautiful. Eternal memory to the Grigoryans.
Teenagers and even children took part in the fight against enemies. Many of them were awarded military medals and orders for their bravery and courage. Valya Kotik went to work as a scout at the age of twelve. partisan detachment. At the age of fourteen, for his exploits he became the youngest Hero Soviet Union.
An ordinary machine gunner fought in Sevastopol. Slayed enemies accurately. Left alone in the trench, he took on an unequal battle. He was wounded and shell-shocked. But he held the trench. Destroyed up to a hundred fascists. He was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. The machine gunner's name was Ivan Bogatyr. You won't find a better surname.
Fighter pilot Alexander Pokryshkin shot down the first fascist plane at the very beginning of the war. Lucky Pokryshkin. The number of planes he shot down increases - 5, 10, 15. The names of the fronts on which the pilot fought change. The heroic score of victories grew and grew—20, 30, 40. The war was drawing to a close—50, 55, 59. Fifty-nine enemy planes were shot down by fighter pilot Alexander Pokryshkin.
He became a Hero of the Soviet Union.
Became twice Hero of the Soviet Union.
Became Hero of the Soviet Union three times.
Eternal glory to you, Alexander Pokryshkin, the first three times hero in the country.
And here is the story of another feat. Pilot Alexey Maresyev was shot down in an air battle. He survived, but was seriously wounded. His plane crashed on enemy territory in a deep forest. It was winter. He walked for 18 days, and then crawled to his own. He was picked up by the partisans. The pilot had frostbitten feet. They had to be amputated. How can you fly without legs?! Maresyev learned not only to walk and even dance on prosthetics, but most importantly, to fly a fighter. In the first place air battles he shot down three fascist planes.
We walked last days war. Hard fights were fought on the streets of Berlin. Soldier Nikolai Masalov on one of the Berlin streets, risking his life under enemy fire, carried a crying woman from the battlefield. German girl. The war is over. In the very center of Berlin, in a park on a high hill, there now stands a monument to a Soviet soldier. He stands with the rescued girl in his arms.
At 4 a.m. on June 22, 1941, troops fascist Germany(5.5 million people) crossed the borders of the Soviet Union, German planes (5 thousand) began to bomb Soviet cities, military units and airfields. By this time, World War II had been going on in Europe for almost two years. At the first stage of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1942), the Red Army suffered one defeat after another, retreating further into the interior of the country. About two million Soviet soldiers were captured or died. The reasons for the defeats were the army's unpreparedness for war, serious miscalculations by the top leadership, the crimes of the Stalinist regime, and the surprise of the attack. But even in these difficult months soviet soldiers fought heroically against the enemy. The defenders of the Brest Fortress held out whole month after the front line had moved far to the east. At the end of 1941, the enemy stood several tens of kilometers from Moscow, and Leningrad was completely surrounded. But ending the war in the fall was thwarted. As a result of the Red Army's counteroffensive near Moscow in December 1941, the Germans were driven back. Leningrad, under siege, bravely held on - despite the fact that the most terrible blockade winter of 1941-42. Hundreds of thousands of peaceful Leningraders died from hunger and cold. In the summer of 1942, German units began attacking Stalingrad. For several months, selected Wehrmacht units stormed the city. Stalingrad was turned into ruins, but the Soviet soldiers who fought for every house survived and went on the offensive. In the winter of 1942-1943, 22 German divisions. The war has reached a turning point. In the summer of 1943, the largest tank battle World War II, in which the Nazis lost about 350 tanks and 3.5 thousand killed. Under the blows of the Red Army, German units began to retreat to the borders of the Soviet Union. And in the German rear it flared up guerrilla warfare
. Enemy echelons flew downhill, detachments of punitive forces and traitor policemen were destroyed. The Nazis responded to the actions of the partisans with terror against the civilian population, but the outcome of the war was already a foregone conclusion. By the summer of 1944, the Red Army liberated the territory of the Soviet Union and began to liberate European states captured by the Nazis. At the same time as the Soviet Union, the war against the Germans was waged by the allies of the anti-Hitler coalition - England, the USA and France. In the summer of 1944, the long-awaited second front was opened, which eased the position of the Red Army.
In the spring of 1945, Soviet and allied troops entered German territory. The final Berlin operation began, in which Soviet troops were commanded by Marshal G.K. Zhukov.
On May 9, 1945, Zhukov, together with the Allied military leaders, accepted the surrender of Germany. The country paid a huge price for its victory: about 27 million people died, millions were left crippled and disabled, and a third of the national treasure was destroyed. Victory in the Great Patriotic War is one of the brightest pages in the history of our country.
2) November 17, 1942 - December 1943 - a radical turning point during the Second World War and the Second World War, the transition of strategic initiative to Soviet army ended with the crossing of the Dnieper and the liberation of Kyiv;
3) 1944 - May 9, 1945, the complete expulsion of the invaders from the territory of the USSR, the liberation of the countries of Central and South-Eastern Europe by the Soviet Army, the final defeat and surrender of Nazi Germany.
GERMANY'S TREASONABLE ATTACK ON THE USSR
Preparations for war - from the late 20s.
BUT by 1941 the USSR was not ready for war.
The Nazis have the military potential of all of Europe;
Repression command staff in USSR
The element of surprise is also associated with Stalin’s credulity in Hitler’s promises after August 23, 1939
Germany occupied: France, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Greece, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Poland.
Pro-German regimes: Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania.
Germany's allies: Italy, Japan. Türkiye.
Plan Barbarossa
The lightning war and the defeat of the USSR army in the summer campaign of 1941.
Directions: “North” - to Leningrad (commanded by General von Leeba), “Center” - to Moscow (von Brauchitsch) and “South” - to Odessa and Kyiv, in addition - Group “Norway” was supposed to control the situation in the North Sea . The main direction is “Center” - to Moscow
By the summer of 1941, there were 5.5 million soldiers on the USSR border from the Barents to the Black Sea (Germany + allies + satellites).
USSR: 4 military districts. 2.9 million people
Far East, South – 1.5 million people. (invasion by Turkey and Japan is expected).
RETREATS OF SOVIET FORCES (June-September 1941)
The first days of the war
On the eve of the war, Stalin repeatedly received intelligence about an impending attack, but refused to believe it. Only at midnight on June 21 was a series of orders given to bring troops into combat readiness- and this is not enough to deploy a multi-layered defense.
June 22, 1941. - powerful attacks of the air and mechanized armies of Germany. “On June 22, at exactly 4 o’clock, Kyiv was bombed, they announced to us that the war had begun...”
66 airfields were bombed. 1200 aircraft destroyed ->German air supremacy until the summer of 1943.
June 23, 1941. – Headquarters of the High Command (Stavka Supreme High Command). The head is Stalin.
June 30, 1941. – State Defense Committee (GKO). Chairman - Stalin. The entirety of state, party, and military power.
Retreats of the Red Army in the first month of the war
In the first month of the war, the Baltic states, Belarus, Moldova, and most of Ukraine were abandoned. Losses - 1,000,000 soldiers, 724 thousand prisoners.
3 main failures of the first months of the war:
1) Smolensk defeat
The Nazis: to take possession of the “gates of Moscow” - Smolensk.
->almost all the armies of the Western Front were defeated.
USSR Command: accused a large group of generals of treason, the head of which was the commander of the Western Front, Colonel General D.G. Pavlov. Trial, execution.
The Barbarossa plan cracked: the capital was not captured in mid-July.
2) South-West Russia and Kyiv
500,000 dead, together with the commander of the Southwestern Front, Lieutenant General M.D. Kipronos.
Kyiv was taken ->strengthening the Nazis' positions ->breaking through the defense in the Moscow direction.
August 1941- the beginning of the siege of Leningrad.
August 16, 1941. –order No. 270. All who are in captivity are traitors and traitors. The families of captured commanders and political workers are repressed, the families of soldiers are deprived of benefits.
3) in the Moscow direction to October-November 1941. 5 armies were surrounded and thereby opened the way for the Nazis to Moscow
BATTLE FOR MOSCOW
The plan to take Moscow from Hitler is “Typhoon”. On September 30, he spoke on the radio (“Not a single Moscow resident, be it a woman, an old man or a child, should leave the city...”)
According to plan:
Army Group Center sweeps away Soviet defenses and captures the capital before winter sets in. In the convoy there was pink granite for the monument to the victorious German soldier on the site of destroyed Moscow (later it was used on Gorky Street - now Tverskaya - for cladding buildings, including the Post Office).
Beginning October I am the approach of the Nazis to Moscow. Stalin urgently summoned Zhukov from Leningrad
October 16- day of general panic in Moscow, valuables are taken away, including the State Tretyakov Gallery (paintings)
November 6- meeting of the Moscow City Council at the Mayakovskaya metro station. Stalin spoke. "Victory will be ours!" It has been decided that there will be a parade on November 7th!
November 7- parade, from Red Square soldiers and militias (25 divisions) - went straight to the front along the street. Gorky and to Voikovskaya, there is a front line
By the end of November 1941. – Germans at a distance of 25-30 km. from Moscow.
The Dubosekovo patrol - 28 Panfilov heroes (commanded by Panfilov), political instructor Klochkov: “Russia is great, but there is nowhere to retreat, Moscow is behind us!”
3 fronts:
United Western - direct defense of Moscow (G.M. Zhukov);
Kalininsky (I.S. Konev);
South-West (S.K. Timoshenko).
5 armies of the Western and Reserve Fronts are in the “cauldron”.
600,000 people – surrounded (every 2nd).
Moscow, Tula, and a significant part of the Kalinin region were liberated.
Losses during the counteroffensive:
USSR – 600,000 people.
Germany: 100,000-150,000 people.
Near Moscow - the first major defeat since 1939.
The blitzkrieg plan failed.
With the victory in the Battle of Moscow, there was a radical turn (but not yet a turning point!) in the course of the war in favor of the USSR.
The enemy - to the strategy of a protracted war.
By the winter of 1941: losses - 5,000,000 people.
2 million were killed, 3 million were captured.
Counteroffensive - until April 1942
Successes are fragile, soon there will be major losses.
Unsuccessful attempt to break the blockade of Leningrad (established in August 1941)
The 2nd Shock Army of the Volkhov Front was defeated, the command and head - A.A. Vlasov - were captured.
Fascists: defeat in the Battle of Moscow -> it is impossible to launch an offensive along the entire Eastern Front -> strikes in the south.
Stalin: waiting for a second attack on Moscow, despite intelligence reports. The main forces are near Moscow.
Order to launch a series of diversionary strikes in the south (Crimea, Kharkov). Against - the head of the General Staff B.M. Shaposhnikov -> a complete failure.
Dispersion of forces -> failure.
May 1942. - in the Kharkov direction, the Germans surrounded 3 armies of the Southwestern Front. 240 thousand prisoners.
May 1942. - defeat of the Kerch operation. »150 thousand prisoners in Crimea. After 250 days of siege, Sevastopol was surrendered.
June 1942- Nazi advance towards Stalingrad
July 28, 1942–"Order No. 227"- Stalin – “Not a step back, Under no circumstances should the city be surrendered”
Retreat without command orders is a betrayal of the Motherland.
Penal battalions (for commanders and political workers)
Fines (for sergeants and privates).
Barrier detachments behind the backs of the combatants. They have the right to shoot retreating people on the spot.
end of August– occupied Abgonerovo (the last settlement near Stalingrad)
Simultaneously: August 1942- a group of fascists in the Caucasus.
Beginning of September - we occupied the embankment, the square in front of the department store... Fighting for every street, for every house
End of September - battles for height 102 (“Mamaev Kurgan” - now there is a monument to the Motherland)
Autumn 1942 - 80 million people. in the occupied territory.
->the country lost
Human Resources;
Largest industrial areas;
Giant agricultural areas.
The brunt of the siege fell on the 62nd Army under the command of General Chuikov. The capture of Stalingrad = cutting of the Volga transport artery, through which bread and oil are delivered.
The period of radical change.
Fundamental change = transition from defense to strategic offensive.
Battle of Stalingrad
Frontier - Battle of Stalingrad.
November 19, 1942- Southwestern Front (N.F. Vatutin), Don Front (K.K. Rokossovsky), Stalingrad Front (A.I. Eremenko).
They surrounded 22 enemy divisions, 330 thousand people.
December 1942 - an attempt to break through the encirclement from the Middle Don (Italian-German troops). Failure.
The final stage of the counteroffensive:
The troops of the Don Front carried out an operation to eliminate the encircled enemy group.
6th Command German army surrendered. F. Paulus (came to our side and subsequently began to live in the GDR, was Chairman of the German Peace Committee).
During the Battle of Stalingrad:
Nazi losses - 1.5 million people, ¼ of all forces.
Losses of the Red Army - 2 million people.
The final stage of the Battle of Stalingrad ® general offensive of Soviet troops.
January 1943- successful breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad south of Lake Ladoga. The corridor is 8-11 km. “Road of Life” on the ice of Lake Ladoga. Connection with the whole country.
The Battle of Kursk (Orel-Belgorod) is the final stage of the turning point.
Germany: they planned to carry out a major offensive operation (“Citadel”) in the Kursk region in the summer of 1943. Here, at our Headquarters, the operation was called “Suvorov\Kutuzov”, since its goal was the liberation of 2 cities (Orel and Kursk) “The war brought us to Kursk and Orel, to the very enemy gates, such, brother, are things...”
They wanted to destroy the entire southern wing.
50 divisions, 16 tank and motorized. "Tiger", "Panther".
THE USSR: 40% of combined arms formations. Slight superiority in troops.
Central Front (K.K. Rokossovsky);
Voronezh Front (N.F. Vatutin);
Steppe Front (I.S. Konev) and other fronts.
First stage
The Germans are on the offensive. Up to 35 km deep.
The largest oncoming tank battle of the 2nd World War.
1200 tanks on both sides. Russian victory
Second phase
The main enemy groups have been defeated.
August 5, 1943- Belgorod and Orel are liberated -> the first artillery salute in Moscow.
Liberation of Kharkov = completion of the Battle of Kursk.
30 enemy divisions were defeated, losses were 500,000 people.
->Hitler was unable to transfer a single division from the Eastern Front to Italy, where a political revolution took place;
->intensification of the Resistance movement in Europe.
->the collapse of the theory of “General Frost” - that is, weather conditions (winter, terrible frosts that were typical for 1941-1942), which allegedly contributed to the hardy Russians. Battle of Kursk - the first summer battle
Counteroffensive near Kursk ® strategic offensive of the spacecraft along the entire front.
Soviet troops - to the West, 300-600 km.
Left Bank Ukraine and Donbass have been liberated, and bridgeheads in Crimea have been captured.
Crossing of the Dnieper.
->end of the battle for the Dnieper.
Hitler's Germany - to strategic defense.
The period of liberation of the USSR and the defeat of Nazi Germany
The successful actions of the Soviet army in 1944 in “Stalinist” historiography were associated with the “commanderial genius” of this “father of nations.” Hence the term “Stalin’s 10 strikes of 1944.” Indeed, the SA offensive in 1944 was characterized by 10 major operations, and the general strategy was a constant change in the direction of the main attack (which did not allow the Germans to concentrate forces in any one direction)
Leningrad (L.A. Govorov) and Volkhov (K.A. Meretskov) front. Liberation of the Leningrad and Novgorod regions.
The 1st Ukrainian (N.F. Vatutin) and 2nd Ukrainian (I.S. Konev) fronts surrounded the Korsun-Shevchenko group. The central event of this “blow” was the restoration of the Soviet border: March 26, 1944– troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front – on the border with Romania.
3. Beginning of May 1944– liberation of Crimea = completion of the autumn-winter offensive.
4. June-August 1944- liberation of Karelia. Finland withdrew from the war and broke off relations with Germany
5. Operation "Bagration" = liberation of Belarus., general direction - Minsk-Warsaw-Berlin. June 23 – August 17, 1944 Three Ukrainian Fronts (Rokossovsky, G.F. Zakharov, I.D. Chernyakhovsky), 1st Baltic Front (I.Kh. Bagramyan).
6. July-August 1944– liberation of Western Ukraine. Lviv-Sandomierz operation Late August 1944– the offensive was stopped in the foothills of the Carpathians by the strengthened and fierce resistance of the Nazis.
7. August 1944– Iasi-Kishinev operation. 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian front. Moldova and Romania were liberated, 22 divisions of Army Group “Southern Ukraine” were destroyed. Romania, Bulgaria - overthrow of pro-fascist governments. These countries declared war on Germany.
8. September 1944– from Moldova and Romania – to the rescue Yugoslav partisans. Josip Broz Tito
10. October 1944– Northern Fleet + Northern Front: liberation of the Soviet Arctic, expulsion of the enemy from the Murmansk region. Cleared of the enemy north eastern regions Norway.
LIBERATION CAMPAIGN OF THE USSR ARMED FORCES
Romania ® Bulgaria ® part of Poland ® part of Norway
® part of Hungary ® Yugoslavia ® remaining part of Poland ® remaining part of Hungary ® Austria ® Czech Republic
End of September 1944 - at the request of I. Broz Tito (commander-in-chief), Soviet troops carry out the Belgrade operation to liberate the capital of Yugoslavia
October 1944- Belgrade is liberated.
LIBERATION OF BERLIN
February 1945– Vistula-Oder operation. = continuation of Operation Bagration
600,000 soldiers died in Poland during its liberation.
Vistula-Oder operation = salvation of the Allied operation in the Ardennes (American losses there - 40,000 people).
Beginning of April 1945 - complete liberation of Hungary and Austria.
250,000 people died.
1st, 2nd Belorussian Front (Zhukov, Rokossovsky), 1st Ukrainian (Konev).
Hitler committed suicide
May 8, 1945, V Karlshorst (near Berlin)- representatives of the USSR, USA, England, France and Germany signed an act on complete and unconditional surrender Hitler's Germany.
From the USSR - G.K. Zhukov. From Germany - Keitel (this general studied in the USSR as an exchange student in the late 30s (!) after the non-aggression pact)
May 9, 1945– Soviet troops entered Prague, the Prague garrison resisted until May 12, not recognizing the act of surrender
RESULT OF THE WWII: unconditional victory of the Soviet people. June 24, 1945 there was a parade on Red Square (fascist banners were thrown to the Mausoleum, but - this is not shown in the chronicle - ordinary Muscovites felt sorry for the captured Germans, who were led through the Moscow streets as a sign of victory, and brought them bread)
17. WWII
Great Patriotic War of 1941
The reasons for the failures of the USSR at the beginning of the war and the reasons for the failure of the Krieg blitz.
Mein Kampf: Hitler stated that the destruction of the USSR as a socialist. The state is the meaning of his whole life. The purpose for which the National Socialist movement exists. Based on this, one of the Wehrmacht directives read: “many millions of people will become redundant in this territory, they will either have to die or move to Siberia.”
In December 1940, Hitler approved the Barabarossa plan: 2-3 months after the start of the war, German troops should reach the Arkhangelsk-Astrakhan line. The war began on June 22, 1941 at 4 am. It lasted 1418 days and nights.
There are 4 periods.
Before December 1, 1941, the USSR lost 7 million people. Several tens of thousands of tanks and aircraft. Reason: objective:
A) superiority in material means of warfare
B) there are 400 million Germans in human resources. 197 million USSR.
C) greater experience in modern warfare.
D) surprise of the attack.
Subjective:
A) Stalin’s underestimation of diplomatic means of warfare. On June 14, 1941, a TASS statement was published in newspapers stating that Germany’s preparations for war with the Soviet Union had no basis.
B) the transfer of troops to the pre-war position was not carried out.
C) repression in the army: 85% of the command staff held their posts for less than one year. From 733 former military leaders 579 comprites were repressed to marshals. It takes 20 years to train an army commander.
D) distortions in ideological work.
The first period of the war.
June 30, 1941 creation of the state. Defense Committee: Stalin, Molotov, Voroshilov, Malinkov, Bulganin, Beria, Voznesensky, Kaganovich, Mikoyan.
It was done: the institution of military commissars was introduced, following the example of the civil war. In the shortest possible time, the military economy was transferred to a military footing. By the winter of 1941, 10 million people and 1.5 thousand large industrial enterprises were sent to the east. The formation of new formations in the rear was accelerated. 36 divisions of the people's militia were formed. The result was the defeat of the Germans near Moscow. On November 6, a meeting was held at Mayakovskaya station in honor of the great October Revolution. Parade on November 7th.
The defeat of the Germans near Moscow. Germany's first serious defeat. July August 41, the governments of England and the USA announced their support for the USSR. Contacts were established with France, Slovakia, etc. The anti-Hitler coalition was founded. Formed on January 1, 1942. After the Japanese attack on the Hawaiian Islands. In the fall, the coalition already included 34 states with a population of 1.5 billion people. Activation of the resistance movement in all 12 countries occupied by Germany.
2nd period of the war. Events and facts. Battle for Stalingrad. Changes in the totalitarian democratic system: cessation of repression, elimination of the institution of military commissars. The growth of the Comintern. Revival of the traditions of the Russian army. Introduction of military ranks. Guards, shifting the emphasis in ideology to the defense of the fatherland. Strengthening the role of the church. Spring 1943. General offensive of Soviet troops. Breaking the blockade of Leningrad.
July 5, 1943 – the battle on the Kursk Bulge began. For the first time in the war, the balance of forces changed in favor of the Red Army, the isolation of Germany in the international arena began, the landing of Anglo-American troops in Italy, and the overthrow of the Mussolini regime in Italy. For the first time, the USSR was ahead of Germany in the production of various types of military products. There is a development of positive personnel changes in the country. Voroshilov and Budyonny find themselves in secondary roles.
Gross violations of national policy continue. Mass relocation of Germans to the Volga region, destruction of their autonomies. 1943 – eviction of Kalmyks. 1944 – eviction of Balkars, Chechens and Ingush; more than 1 million Tatars were evicted from the Crimea and the Caucasus.
Third Period of War. Liberation mission of the Soviet troops. The year 1944 began with major offensive operations by Soviet troops in the northern and southern directions: lifting the blockade of Leningrad, liberating the Novgorod region, Estonia, right-bank Ukraine and Crimea. On June 6, 1944, a second front was opened in Europe. July 1944 – liberation of Belarus, Operation Bagration. By the end of 1944, all Soviet territory was liberated. By the beginning of 1945, 11 European countries were liberated. More than 1 million Soviet soldiers and officers died during the liberation of the countries of Eastern Europe. April 16, 1945 – beginning Berlin operation. On May 8, the act of unconditional surrender of Germany was signed.
The fourth period of the war. The question of the USSR's participation in the war against Japan was resolved in February 1945 at the Yalta Conference. Hostilities began on August 9 and ended on September 2. August 6 and 8 – Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Kwantung Army was defeated in August 1945; on September 2, the Japanese surrender act was signed on the American battleship Missouri.
Results of the Second World War.
Churchill: “It was the Russian army that gutted the German war machine.” In total, about 60 million people died in World War II. Of these, the USSR lost 27 million, Germany - 13, Poland - 6, China - 5 million. Japan - 2.5 million, Yugoslavia - 1.7 million, France, England and the USA - 1 million 300 thousand people. Of the 18 million imprisoned in concentration camps, 11 million died.
The international authority of the USSR increased sharply. The USSR received the Kuril Islands and South Sakhalin. East Prussia and the city of Königsberg (Kaliningrad) were transferred to us. Changes in the totalitarian system. The Gulag, repressions, the formation of Stalinist-style regimes in Eastern European countries and the resettlement of repressed peoples.
Chronology
- 1941, June 22 - 1945, May 9 Great Patriotic War
- 1941, October - December Battle of Moscow
- 1942, November - 1943, February Battle of Stalingrad
- 1943, July - August Battle of Kursk
- 1944, January Liquidation of the siege of Leningrad
- 1944 Liberation of the territory of the USSR from fascist invaders
- 1945, April - May Battle of Berlin
- 1945, May 9 Victory Day of the Soviet Union over Germany
- 1945, August - September Defeat of Japan
Great Patriotic War (1941 - 1945)
Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union 1941 - 1945. as an integral and decisive part of the Second World War 1939 - 1945. has three periods:
June 22, 1941 - November 18, 1942. It is characterized by measures to transform the country into a single military camp, the collapse of Hitler’s strategy “ lightning war” and creating conditions for a radical change in the war.
Beginning of 1944 - May 9, 1945. Complete expulsion of fascist invaders from Soviet soil; liberation by the Soviet Army of the peoples of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe; final defeat fascist 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 British expeditionary army suffered a major defeat, whose units were evacuated to British Isles. Fascist troops entered the territory Balkan countries. In Europe, essentially, there was no force that could stop the aggressor. The Soviet Union became such a force. The Soviet people accomplished a great feat by saving world civilization from fascism.
In 1940, the fascist leadership developed a plan “ Barbarossa”, the goal of which was the lightning defeat of the Soviet Armed Forces and the occupation of the European part of the Soviet Union. Future plans provided for the complete destruction of the USSR. The ultimate goal Nazi troops were to reach the Volga-Arkhangelsk line, and the Urals were planned to be paralyzed with the help of aviation. To do this on east direction 153 German divisions and 37 divisions of its allies (Finland, Romania and Hungary) were concentrated. They had to strike in three directions: central(Minsk - Smolensk - Moscow), northwest(Baltics - Leningrad) and southern(Ukraine with access to the Black Sea coast). A lightning campaign was planned to capture the European part of the USSR before the fall of 1941.
The first period of the Great Patriotic War (1941 - 1942)
Beginning of the war
Implementation of the plan “ Barbarossa” started at dawn June 22, 1941. extensive air bombing of the largest industrial and strategic centers, as well as the offensive ground forces Germany and its allies along the entire European border of the USSR (over 4.5 thousand km).
Fascist planes drop bombs on peaceful Soviet cities. June 22, 1941
In the first few days, German troops advanced tens and hundreds of kilometers. On central direction at the beginning of July 1941, all of Belarus was captured, and German troops reached the approaches to Smolensk. On northwest- the Baltic states are occupied, Leningrad is blocked on September 9. On south Hitler's troops occupied Moldova and Right Bank Ukraine. Thus, by the autumn of 1941, Hitler's plan capture huge territory European part of the USSR.
Against Soviet state 153 fascist German divisions (3,300 thousand people) and 37 divisions (300 thousand people) of the satellite states of Nazi Germany were abandoned. They were armed with 3,700 tanks, 4,950 aircraft and 48 thousand guns and mortars.
By the beginning of the war against the USSR at the disposal of Nazi Germany as a result of the occupation Western European countries weapons, ammunition and equipment were transferred to 180 Czechoslovak, French, English, Belgian, Dutch and Norwegian divisions. This not only made it possible to equip the fascist troops with sufficient quantities of 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, who were armed with 1,540 aircraft of new types, 1,475 modern tanks T-34 and KV and 34,695 guns and mortars. The Nazi army had great superiority in strength.
Characterizing 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 pre-war years. In 1939, large mechanized corps, so necessary in modern warfare, production of 45 and 76 mm anti-tank guns was stopped, fortifications 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 command and political composition 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 boss General Staff ground forces Nazi Germany, General F. Halder noted in his diary in May 1941: “Russian officer corps exceptionally bad. It makes a worse impression than in 1933. It will take Russia 20 years until it reaches its previous heights.” The officer corps of our country had to be recreated already in the conditions of the outbreak of war.
Among the serious mistakes of the Soviet leadership is a miscalculation in determining the time of a possible attack by Nazi Germany on the USSR.
Stalin and his entourage believed that Hitler’s leadership would not dare to violate the non-aggression treaty 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 aggravating relations with Germany. This can also explain the government’s assessment conveyed in a TASS statement on June 14, 1941, in which rumors about an impending German attack were declared provocative. This also explained the fact that the directive to bring the troops of the western military districts into combat readiness and occupy combat lines was given too late. Essentially, 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 (defense Brest Fortress and 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 north westward The German plan to capture Leningrad failed. In the south, the defense of Kyiv was carried out until September 1941, and Odessa until October. The stubborn resistance of the Red Army in the summer and autumn of 1941 thwarted Hitler's plan for a lightning war. At the same time, by the fall of 1941, the fascist command captured 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 country's life on a war footing
Immediately after the German attack, the Soviet government carried out major military-political and economic measures to repel aggression. On June 23, the Headquarters of the Main Command was formed. July 10 it was converted into 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 entire country the task of mobilizing all forces and means to fight the enemy. On June 30, the State Defense Committee was created(GKO), which concentrated all power in the country. The military doctrine was radically revised, the task was put forward to organize strategic defense, wear down and stop the advance of the fascist troops. Large-scale events were carried out to transfer industry to a military footing, mobilize the population into the army and build defensive lines.
Page of the newspaper "Moscow Bolshevik" dated July 3, 1941 with the text of the speech of J.V. Stalin. Fragment
One of the main tasks, which had to be resolved 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 to restructure the national economy began to be implemented 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 the mobilization national economic plan for the third quarter of 1941. However, events at the front developed so unfavorably for us that this plan was not fulfilled. Taking into account the current situation, on July 4, 1941, a decision was made to urgently develop a new plan for the development of military production. The GKO resolution on July 4, 1941 noted: “Instruct Comrade Voznesensky’s commission, with the involvement of the People’s Commissar of Arms, Ammunition, aviation industry, non-ferrous metallurgy and other people's commissars develop a military-economic plan for ensuring the country's defense, 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 a production base in the Volga region, Urals, Western Siberia, Kazakhstan and Central Asia, it was decided to bring to these areas 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, exercised general management of the main branches of the military economy. N.A. was involved in the production of weapons and ammunition. Voznesensky, aircraft and aircraft engines - G.M. Malenkov, tanks - V.M. Molotov, food, fuel and clothing - A.I. Mikoyan and others. Industrial People's Commissariat was 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 is an oil worker.
The main link in the restructuring of the national economy on a war footing became industrial restructuring. Almost all mechanical engineering was transferred to military production.
In November 1941, the People's Commissariat of General Engineering was transformed into the People's Commissariat of the Mortar Industry. In addition to the People's Commissariat of the aviation industry, shipbuilding, weapons and ammunition created before the war, two People's Commissariat of the tank and mortar industry were formed at the beginning of the war. Thanks to this, all major industries military industry received specialized centralized management. The production of rocket launchers began, which existed before the war only in prototypes. Their production is organized at the Moscow Kompressor plant. The first missile combat installation was given the name “Katyusha” by front-line soldiers.
At the same time, the process was actively carried out training of workers through the system labor reserves. In just two years, about 1,100 thousand people were trained to work in industry through this area.
For the same purposes, in February 1942, the Decree of the Presidium was adopted Supreme Council USSR “On the mobilization during wartime of the able-bodied urban population to work in production and construction.”
During the restructuring of the national economy, the main center war economy The USSR was becoming eastern industrial base, which was significantly expanded and strengthened with the outbreak of the war. Already in 1942 he grew up specific gravity eastern regions in all-Union production.
As a result, the eastern industrial base bore the brunt of supplying the army with weapons and equipment. In 1942, military production increased in the Urals by more than 6 times compared to 1940, in Western Siberia by 27 times, and in the Volga region by 9 times. In general, during the war industrial production in these areas has more than tripled. This was a great military-economic victory achieved by the Soviet people during these years. She laid a strong foundation for final victory over Nazi Germany.
Progress of military operations in 1942
In the summer of 1942, the fascist leadership relied on capturing 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 in two directions: on Caucasus and to the east - to Volga.
Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union (22.VI. 1941 - 9.V. 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 fighting took place in the central part of the Main Caucasus Range, where specially trained enemy alpine riflemen operated in the mountains. Despite achievements achieved in the Caucasian direction, the fascist command never managed to resolve its main task- break through to Transcaucasia to seize the oil reserves of Baku. By the end of September, the offensive of fascist troops in the Caucasus was stopped.
An equally difficult situation for the Soviet command arose in east direction. It was created to cover it Stalingrad Front under the command of Marshal S.K. Tymoshenko. Due to the current critical situation Order No. 227 of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief was issued, which stated: “To retreat further means to ruin ourselves and at the same time our Motherland.” At the end July 1942. enemy under command General von Paulus dealt a powerful blow to Stalingrad front. However, despite the significant superiority in forces, within a month the fascist troops managed to advance only 60 - 80 km.
From the first days of September began heroic defense Stalingrad, which actually continued until the end of 1942. Its significance during the Great Patriotic War is enormous. Thousands of Soviet patriots showed themselves heroically in the battles for the city.
Street fighting in Stalingrad. 1942
As a result, enemy troops suffered colossal losses in the battles for Stalingrad. Every month of the battle, about 250 thousand new Wehrmacht soldiers and officers were sent here, the bulk military equipment. By mid-November 1942, the Nazi troops, having lost more than 180 thousand people killed and 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 (22.VI. 1941 - 9.V. 1945)
In the winter of 1944, the offensive of Soviet troops began near Leningrad and Novgorod.
900-day blockade heroic Leningrad, broken in 1943, was completely removed.
United! 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 to advance into Poland, the Baltic states and East Prussia. In mid-August 1944. Soviet troops in the western direction reached border with Germany.
At the end of August, Moldova was liberated.
These are the most major operations 1944 was accompanied by the liberation of other territories of the Soviet Union - Transcarpathian Ukraine, the Baltic states, Karelian Isthmus and the Arctic.
Victory 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. The Polish Army, created back in 1943 on the territory of the USSR, took the side of the anti-Hitler coalition.
Main results offensive operations carried out in 1944, consisted in the fact that the liberation of Soviet land was completely completed, the state border of the USSR was completely restored, military operations were transferred beyond the borders of our Motherland.
Front commanders final stage wars
A further offensive of the Red Army was launched against Hitler's troops on the territory of Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia. The Soviet command, developing the offensive, carried out a number of operations outside the USSR (Budapest, Belgrade, etc.). They were caused by the need to destroy large enemy groups 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 left and communist parties and the overall influence of the Soviet Union in the region.
T-34-85 in the mountains of Transylvania
IN January 1945. Soviet troops began widespread offensive actions in order to complete the defeat of Nazi Germany. The offensive took place on a huge 1,200 km front from the Baltic to the Carpathians. Polish, Czechoslovak, Romanian and Bulgarian troops operated together with the Red Army. As part of the 3rd Belorussian Front French also fought aviation regiment"Normandy - Neman".
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(16.IV - 8.V 1945)
It was a difficult battle in a burning, dilapidated city. On May 8, representatives of the Wehrmacht signed an act of unconditional surrender.
Signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany
On May 9, Soviet troops completed their last operation - they defeated the Nazi army group surrounding the capital of Czechoslovakia, Prague, and entered the city.
The long-awaited Victory Day has arrived, which has become a great holiday. Decisive role in achieving this victory, in achieving the defeat of Nazi Germany and ending the Second World War belongs to the Soviet Union.
Defeated fascist standardsA few minutes later, Hitler's hordes invaded the USSR. Simultaneously with the invasion of ground forces, hundreds of enemy aircraft began to bomb airfields, naval bases, hubs and communication lines, railway stations, military camps and other military installations. Many Soviet cities were subjected to massive air raids: Libau, Riga, Kaunas, Minsk, Smolensk, Kyiv, Zhitomir, Sevastopol, etc. Enemy aircraft operated in the entire western border strip - from the Gulf of Finland to the Black Sea. First of all, it sought to destroy the fighter aircraft of the border military districts at the airfields. As a result of sudden air strikes, the enemy managed to knock out a significant part of the fighter aircraft, mainly new designs, which greatly facilitated the fight for fascist German aviation for air supremacy.
Thus, Hitler’s Germany, treacherously violating the non-aggression pact concluded in 1939, suddenly attacked our Motherland. Together with her fighting The armed forces of Finland, Romania, Italy, Slovakia, Finland, Spain, Bulgaria and Hungary began against the Soviet Army. The predatory attack of Hitlerite Germany on the USSR became a fait accompli. However, those people who were not directly exposed to the first blows of the enemy and did not receive combat orders from higher headquarters did not yet believe that the war had begun. And it is no coincidence that, having received the first reports from border posts about an enemy invasion, some commanders gave instructions to the troops not to cross the border and not to open fire on enemy aircraft. But this did not last long. Soviet troops began to rapidly advance to the border to meet the invading enemy. Soon, together with the border guards, they entered into battle with the enemy.
The fighting on the ground and in the air became extremely intense. Fierce and bloody battles unfolded along the entire front. Despite the incredibly difficult situation in which Soviet soldiers, officers and generals had to fight from the very first hours of the war, they showed great courage and massive heroism.
Military-political goals of the Soviet Union in the war with Hitler's Germany were defined in the directive of the Council of People's Commissars USSR and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) dated June 29, 1941. The purpose of the Great Patriotic War against the fascist invaders was not only to eliminate the danger hanging over our country, but also to help all the peoples of Europe groaning under the yoke of German imperialism.
The situation for the Soviet Army in the first days of the war was difficult. Due to the delay in taking measures to bring the troops of the border military districts into combat readiness, our formations were not deployed in a timely manner to repel the aggressor's attack, they entered the battle separately, in parts, and as a result often suffered failures. Advancing along various routes to the front line and meeting the enemy, they fought against him in separate areas. Therefore, the defensive actions of the Soviet troops were of a focal nature. Since there was no continuous front, enemy formations, especially tank units, had the opportunity to strike on the flanks and from the rear. Under these conditions, Soviet troops had to fight surrounded and retreat to the rear lines.
The enemy occupied a significant part of the country, advanced up to 300-600 km, losing 100 thousand people killed, almost 40% of tanks and 950 aircraft. Our losses were even more horrific. Border battles and initial period The war (until mid-July) generally led to the defeat of the Red Army. She lost 850 thousand people killed and wounded, 9.5 thousand guns, St. 6 thousand tanks, approx. 3.5 thousand aircraft; approx. were captured. 1 million people. On June 23, the Headquarters of the High Command was created (from August 8 - the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command). All power was concentrated in the one created on June 30 State Committee Defense (GKO). From August 8, J.V. Stalin became Supreme Commander-in-Chief. The main military events of the summer-autumn campaign of 1941 were Battle of Smolensk, defense of Leningrad and the beginning of its blockade, military disaster Soviet troops in Ukraine, the defense of Odessa, the beginning of the defense of Sevastopol, the loss of Donbass, the defensive period of the Battle of Moscow. The Red Army retreated 850-1200 km, but the enemy was stopped in the main directions near Leningrad, Moscow and Rostov and went on the defensive. The winter campaign of 1941-42 began with a counter-offensive of Soviet troops in the western strategic direction. During it, a counteroffensive near Moscow, the Lyuban, Rzhevsko-Vyazemskaya, Barvenkovsko-Lozovskaya and Kerch-Feodosia landing operations were carried out. Soviet troops removed the threat to Moscow and the North. Caucasus, eased the situation in Leningrad, completely or partially liberated the territory of 10 regions, as well as St. 60 cities. The blitzkrieg strategy collapsed. It was destroyed approx. 50 enemy divisions.
On the occupied territory of the USSR, the enemy established occupation regime. German occupation territories exposed Byelorussian SSR, Ukrainian SSR, Estonian SSR, Latvian SSR, Lithuanian SSR, 13 regions of the RSFSR. Moldova and some areas of the south of the Ukrainian SSR (Transnistria) were included in Romania, part of the Karelo-Finnish SSR was occupied by Finnish troops.
More than ten million Soviet citizens became victims of the occupiers.
As indicated Russian historian G. A. Bordyugov, in the affairs of the Extraordinary State Commission “for the identification and investigation of atrocities Nazi invaders and their accomplices" (June 1941 - December 1944) recorded 54,784 acts of atrocities against civilians in the occupied Soviet territories. Among them are crimes such as “use civilian population during hostilities, forced mobilization of civilians, executions civilians and the destruction of their homes, rape, hunting for people - slaves for German industry."
In the summer-autumn campaign of 1942, Soviet troops had an unrealistic task: to completely defeat the enemy and liberate the entire territory of the country. The main military events unfolded in the southwestern direction: defeat Crimean Front, military disaster of Soviet troops in the Kharkov operation, Voronezh-Voroshilovgrad, Donbass, Stalingrad defensive operations, the battle of the North. Caucasus. In the northwestern direction, the Red Army carried out the Demyansk and Rzhev-Sychevsk offensive operations. The enemy advanced 500-650 km, reached the Volga, and captured part of the passes of the Main Caucasus Range. The territory was occupied, where before the war 42% of the population lived, 1/3 of the gross output was produced, and more than 45% of the sown areas were located. The economy was put on a war footing. It was relocated to the eastern regions of the country a large number of enterprises (only in the 2nd half of 1941 - 2593, including 1523 large ones), 2.3 million heads of livestock were exported. In the first half of 1942, 10 thousand aircraft, 11 thousand tanks, approx. 54 thousand guns. In the 2nd half of the year, their output increased by more than 1.5 times. Soviet-British agreement of July 12, 1941, Moscow Conference of representatives of the USSR, USA and Great Britain (September 29 - October 1, 1941), Declaration of 26 states of January 1, 1942 on the military alliance of countries that fought against fascism, Soviet-American agreement of June 11, 1942 formed the core of the anti-Hitler coalition.
In the winter campaign of 1942-43, the main military events were the Stalingrad and North Caucasus offensive operations and the breaking of the blockade of Leningrad. The Red Army advanced 600-700 km westward, liberating the territory of St. 480 km2, defeated 100 divisions (40% of the enemy forces on the Soviet-German front). Were created favorable conditions to complete the Allied offensive in the North. Africa, Sicily and South. Italy. In the summer-autumn campaign of 1943 decisive event there was the Battle of Kursk. Important role played by the partisans (operation " Rail War"). During the battle for the Dnieper, 38 thousand settlements were liberated, including 160 cities; With the capture of strategic bridgeheads on the Dnieper, conditions were created for an offensive in Belarus. In the Battle of the Dnieper, the partisans carried out Operation Concert to destroy enemy communications. The Smolensk and Bryansk offensive operations were carried out in other directions. The Red Army fought up to 500-1300 km and defeated 218 divisions. An important step in the development of international and inter-allied relations became the Tehran Conference (November 28 - December 1, 1943). 
During the winter campaign of 1943-44, the Red Army carried out an offensive in Ukraine (10 simultaneous and sequential front-line operations united by a common plan), completed the defeat of Army Group South, reached the border with Romania and transferred hostilities to its territory.
Almost simultaneously, the Leningrad-Novgorod offensive operation unfolded; Leningrad was finally released. As a result Crimean operation Crimea is liberated. Soviet troops advanced 250-450 km westward and liberated approx. 300 thousand km2 of territory, reached state border with Czechoslovakia. In June 1944, the Allies opened the 2nd Front in France, which worsened the military-political situation in Germany. During the summer-autumn campaign of 1944, Soviet troops carried out the Belarusian, Lvov-Sandomierz, East Carpathian, Iasi-Kishinev, Baltic, Debrecen, East Carpathian, Belgrade, partially Budapest and Petsamo-Kirkenes offensive operations. The liberation of Belarus, Ukraine and the Baltic states (except for some regions of Latvia), partially of Czechoslovakia was completed, Romania and Hungary were forced to surrender and entered the war against Germany, the Soviet Arctic was liberated from the occupiers and northern regions Norway. February 4-11, 1945 in Yalta took place Crimean Conference leaders of the USSR, Great Britain and the USA.
The 1945 campaign in Europe included the East Prussian, Vistula-Oder, completion of Budapest, East Pomeranian, Lower Silesian, Upper Silesian, Western Carpathian, Vienna and Berlin operations, which ended with the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany. After the Berlin operation, Soviet troops, together with the 2nd Army of the Polish Army, the 1st and 4th Romanian armies and the 1st Czechoslovak corps spent Prague operation. On June 24, the Victory Parade took place in Moscow. At the Berlin Conference of the leaders of the three great powers, which took place in July-August, an agreement was reached on issues of post-war peace in Europe. On August 9, 1945, the USSR, fulfilling its allied obligations, began military operations against Japan.
During the Manchurian operation, Soviet troops defeated Kwantung Army, released Yuzh. Sakhalin and Kuril Islands. On September 2, 1945, Japan signed the Act of Unconditional Surrender. On the Soviet-German front, 607 enemy divisions were defeated and captured, and 75% of their military equipment was destroyed. According to various sources, Wehrmacht losses ranged from 6 million to 13.7 million people. The USSR lost approx. 27 million people, including 11.3 million people at the front, 4-5 million partisans, many people died in the occupied territory and in the rear of the country. IN fascist captivity it turned out ok. 6 million people. Material damage amounted to 679 billion rubles. In heavy bloody war The Soviet people made a decisive contribution to the liberation of the peoples of Europe from the fascist yoke. Victory Day (May 9) is celebrated annually as a national holiday and a day of remembrance for those killed.
Bordyugov G. A. The Wehrmacht and the Red Army: on the question of the nature of crimes against the civilian population. Report at the International scientific conference“The experience of world wars in the history of Russia”, September 11, 2005, Chelyabinsk.
Anfilov V.A. The beginning of the Great Patriotic War (June 22 - mid-July 1941). Military historical essay. - M.: Voenizdat, 1962.
http://cccp.narod.ru/work/enciklop/vov_01.html.
The initial period of the Great Patriotic War:
On June 22, 1941, Germany and some of its allies (Italy, Hungary, Romania, Finland) declared war on the USSR. German troops were already near Minsk and Bialystok, occupied Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, and part of Ukraine. The USSR suffered setbacks due to poor preparation.
September 1941 - Germany captured Kyiv and blocked Leningrad.
September 30, 1941 - Battle of Moscow (Operation Typhoon). The Red Army in the cauldron near Vyazma.
December 5-6, 1941 - counter-offensive of the Red Army near Moscow. Victory of the USSR, German troops retreated hundreds of kilometers. In addition, they were defeated near Tikhvin, Rostov, and Kerch.
May 1942 - defeat of the Red Army near Kharkov and Kerch.
September 1942 – fighting begins at Stalingrad. German troops took half of the Caucasus.
July 12, 1941 - ratification of the Anglo-Soviet agreement on the fight against the enemy.
September 29 - October 1, 1941 - Moscow conference with the participation of the USSR, England and the USA. The parameters of Lend-Lease have been determined.
January 1, 1942 - The United Nations Declaration on Confronting the Enemy Without a Separate Peace is signed.
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Turning point during the Great Patriotic War:
November 19, 1942 - the offensive of the Red Army near Stalingrad. The result is that Paulus’s group was surrounded and blocked.
February 2, 1943 - the Poilus group surrendered to K.K. Rokossovsky. Rostov, Voronezh, Kharkov, Belgorod were taken by the Red Army.
January 1943 - the blockade of Leningrad was broken.
July 5, 1943 Battle of Kursk. The troops of E. Manstein and X. Kluge used Tiger tanks.
November 6, 1943 - Kyiv was captured, the offensive continued with the liberation of Belarus with the participation of partisans.
November 28 - December 1, 1943 - Tehran Conference. An agreement was signed to open a second front in France. Plus, the USSR promised to enter the war against Japan. The issues of the post-war world order received an image.
Third period:
The winter campaign of 1943-1944 was the offensive of the Red Army on Right Bank Ukraine. Group "South" is broken
April - May 1944 – Crimean offensive operation. The goal was achieved - Crimea was liberated.
In June 1944, the Second Front was opened. Entry of the Red Army into Polish territory.
October 1944 - Budapest and Debrecen operations, during which Hungary made peace with the USSR. By this time, Slovakia had already occurred national uprising led by Tissot. The goal of the uprising is to get rid of pro-Hitler policies.
January 1945 – East Prussian operation. The Red Army occupied East Prussia and liberated part of Northern Poland.
May 2 1945 - Berlin capitulated, and on May 9 - capitulated German soldiers on the island of Bornholm in Denmark, where Soviet troops landed.