When the Patriotic War ended 1941 1945. Losses during the Battle of Kursk. Reasons from Russia
The Great Patriotic War- the war of the USSR with Germany and its allies in - years and with Japan in 1945; component World War II .
From the point of view of the leadership of Nazi Germany, the war with the USSR was inevitable. The communist regime was regarded by him as alien, and at the same time capable of striking at any moment. Only the rapid defeat of the USSR gave the Germans the opportunity to ensure dominance on the European continent. In addition, he gave them access to the rich industrial and agricultural regions of Eastern Europe.
At the same time, according to some historians, Stalin himself, at the end of 1939, decided on a preemptive attack on Germany in the summer of 1941. On June 15, Soviet troops began strategic deployment and advance to the western border. According to one version, this was done in order to strike at Romania and German-occupied Poland, according to another, to frighten Hitler and force him to abandon plans to attack the USSR.
The first period of the war (June 22, 1941 - November 18, 1942)
The first stage of the German offensive (June 22 - July 10, 1941)
On June 22, the mobilization of those liable for military service born in 1905-1918 was carried out in the USSR, and from the first days of the war, a mass registration of volunteers began. On June 23, in the USSR, an emergency body of the highest military administration, the Headquarters of the High Command, was created to direct military operations, and there was also a maximum centralization of military and political power in the hands of Stalin.
On June 22, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill made a radio statement supporting the USSR in its struggle against Hitlerism. On June 23, the US State Department welcomed the efforts of the Soviet people to repel the German invasion, and on June 24, US President Franklin Roosevelt promised to provide the USSR with all possible assistance.
On July 18, the Soviet leadership decided to organize a partisan movement in the occupied and frontline regions, which gained momentum in the second half of the year.
In the summer-autumn of 1941, about 10 million people were evacuated to the east. and more than 1350 large enterprises. Tough and energetic measures were taken to militarize the economy; all the material resources of the country were mobilized for military needs.
The main reason for the defeats of the Red Army, despite its quantitative and often qualitative (T-34 and KV tanks) technical superiority, was the poor training of privates and officers, low level operation of military equipment and the lack of experience among the troops in conducting large-scale military operations in conditions modern war. The repressions against the high command in 1937-1940 also played a significant role.
The second stage of the German offensive (July 10 - September 30, 1941)
On July 10, Finnish troops launched an offensive and on September 1, the 23rd Soviet Army on the Karelian Isthmus withdrew to the line of the old state border, occupied before the Finnish war of 1939–1940. By October 10, the front had stabilized along the line Kestenga - Ukhta - Rugozero - Medvezhyegorsk - Lake Onega. - river Svir. The enemy was unable to cut off the communication lines of European Russia with the northern ports.
On July 10, the Army Group "North" launched an offensive in the Leningrad and Tallinn directions. August 15 fell Novgorod, August 21 - Gatchina. On August 30, the Germans reached the Neva, cutting off the railway communication with the city, and on September 8 they took Shlisselburg and closed the blockade ring around Leningrad. Only the tough measures of the new commander of the Leningrad Front, G.K. Zhukov, made it possible to stop the enemy by September 26.
On July 16, the Romanian 4th Army took Kishinev; the defense of Odessa lasted about two months. Soviet troops left the city only in the first half of October. In early September, Guderian crossed the Desna and on September 7 captured Konotop ("Konotop breakthrough"). Five Soviet armies were surrounded; the number of prisoners was 665 thousand. Left-bank Ukraine was in the hands of the Germans; the way to the Donbass was open; Soviet troops in the Crimea were cut off from the main forces.
The defeats on the fronts prompted the Headquarters to issue order No. 270 on August 16, qualifying all soldiers and officers who surrendered as traitors and deserters; their families were deprived state support and were subject to exile.
The third stage of the German offensive (September 30 - December 5, 1941)
On September 30, Army Group Center launched an operation to capture Moscow (Typhoon). On October 3, Guderian's tanks broke into Orel and took to the road to Moscow. On October 6-8, all three armies of the Bryansk Front were surrounded south of Bryansk, and the main forces of the Reserve (19th, 20th, 24th and 32nd armies) - west of Vyazma; the Germans captured 664,000 prisoners and more than 1,200 tanks. But the advance of the 2nd tank group of the Wehrmacht to Tula was thwarted by the stubborn resistance of the brigade of M.E. Katukov near Mtsensk; The 4th Panzer Group occupied Yukhnov and rushed towards Maloyaroslavets, but was held up near Medyn by Podolsk cadets (October 6–10); the autumn thaw also slowed down the pace of the German offensive.
On October 10, the Germans attacked the right wing of the Reserve Front (renamed the Western Front); On October 12, the 9th Army captured Staritsa, and on October 14 - Rzhev. On October 19, a state of siege was declared in Moscow. On October 29, Guderian tried to take Tula, but was repulsed with heavy losses for himself. In early November, the new commander of the Western Front, Zhukov, with an incredible effort of all forces and constant counterattacks, managed, despite huge losses in manpower and equipment, to stop the Germans in other directions.
On September 27, the Germans broke through the defense line of the Southern Front. Most of the Donbass was in the hands of the Germans. During the successful counter-offensive of the troops of the Southern Front, Rostov was liberated on November 29, and the Germans were driven back to the Mius River.
In the second half of October, the 11th German Army broke into the Crimea and by mid-November captured almost the entire peninsula. Soviet troops managed to hold only Sevastopol.
Counteroffensive of the Red Army near Moscow (December 5, 1941 - January 7, 1942)
On December 5-6, the Kalinin, Western and Southwestern fronts switched to offensive operations in the northwestern and southwestern directions. The successful advance of the Soviet troops forced Hitler on December 8 to issue a directive on the transition to defense along the entire front line. On December 18, the troops of the Western Front launched an offensive in the central direction. As a result, by the beginning of the year, the Germans were pushed back 100–250 km to the west. There was a threat of coverage of the army group "Center" from the north and south. The strategic initiative passed to the Red Army.
The success of the operation near Moscow prompted the Stavka to decide on the transition to a general offensive along the entire front from Lake Ladoga to the Crimea. The offensive operations of the Soviet troops in December 1941 - April 1942 led to a significant change in the military-strategic situation on the Soviet-German front: the Germans were driven back from Moscow, Moscow, part of the Kalinin, Oryol and Smolensk regions were liberated. There was also a psychological turning point among the soldiers and the civilian population: faith in victory was strengthened, the myth of the invincibility of the Wehrmacht was destroyed. The collapse of the lightning war plan gave rise to doubts about the successful outcome of the war, both among the German military-political leadership and among ordinary Germans.
Luban operation (January 13 - June 25)
The Lyuban operation was aimed at breaking through the blockade of Leningrad. On January 13, the forces of the Volkhov and Leningrad fronts launched an offensive in several directions, planning to link up at Lyuban and encircle the enemy's Chudov grouping. On March 19, the Germans launched a counterattack, cutting off the 2nd shock army from the rest of the forces of the Volkhov Front. Soviet troops repeatedly tried to release it and resume the offensive. On May 21, the Stavka decided to withdraw it, but on June 6 the Germans completely closed the encirclement. On June 20, soldiers and officers were ordered to leave the encirclement on their own, but only a few managed to do this (according to various estimates, from 6 to 16 thousand people); commander A.A. Vlasov surrendered.
Military operations in May-November 1942
Having defeated the Crimean Front (almost 200 thousand people were taken prisoner), the Germans occupied Kerch on May 16, and Sevastopol in early July. On May 12, the troops of the Southwestern Front and the Southern Front launched an offensive against Kharkov. For several days it developed successfully, but on May 19 the Germans defeated the 9th Army, throwing it behind the Seversky Donets, went to the rear of the advancing Soviet troops and on May 23 took them into pincers; the number of prisoners reached 240 thousand. On June 28-30, the German offensive began against the left wing of the Bryansk and the right wing of the Southwestern Front. On July 8, the Germans captured Voronezh and reached the Middle Don. By July 22, the 1st and 4th tank armies had reached the Southern Don. On July 24, Rostov-on-Don was taken.
In the conditions of a military catastrophe in the south, on July 28, Stalin issued order No. 227 “Not a step back”, which provided for severe punishments for retreating without instructions from above, detachments to deal with unauthorized leaving positions, penal units for operations on the most dangerous sectors of the front. On the basis of this order, during the war years, about 1 million military personnel were convicted, of which 160 thousand were shot, and 400 thousand were sent to penal companies.
On July 25, the Germans crossed the Don and rushed south. In mid-August, the Germans established control over almost all the passes in the central part of the Main Caucasian Range. In the Grozny direction, the Germans occupied Nalchik on October 29, they failed to take Ordzhonikidze and Grozny, and in mid-November their further advance was stopped.
On August 16, German troops launched an offensive against Stalingrad. On September 13, fighting began in Stalingrad itself. In the second half of October - the first half of November, the Germans captured a significant part of the city, but could not break the resistance of the defenders.
By mid-November, the Germans had established control over the Right Bank of the Don and for the most part North Caucasus, but did not achieve their strategic goals - to break into the Volga region and Transcaucasia. This was prevented by the counterattacks of the Red Army in other directions ("Rzhev meat grinder", tank battle between Zubtsov and Karmanovo, etc.), which, although unsuccessful, nevertheless did not allow the Wehrmacht command to transfer reserves to the south.
The second period of the war (November 19, 1942 - December 31, 1943): a radical change
Victory at Stalingrad (November 19, 1942 - February 2, 1943)
On November 19, units of the Southwestern Front broke through the defenses of the 3rd Romanian Army and on November 21 took five Romanian divisions in pincers (Operation Saturn). On November 23, units of the two fronts joined at the Soviet and surrounded the Stalingrad enemy grouping.
On December 16, the troops of the Voronezh and Southwestern Fronts launched Operation Little Saturn on the Middle Don, defeated the 8th Italian Army, and on January 26, the 6th Army was cut into two parts. On January 31, the southern grouping led by F. Paulus capitulated, on February 2 - the northern one; 91 thousand people were captured. The Battle of Stalingrad, despite the heavy losses of the Soviet troops, was the beginning of a radical turning point in the Great Patriotic War. The Wehrmacht suffered a major defeat and lost the strategic initiative. Japan and Turkey abandoned their intention to enter the war on the side of Germany.
Economic recovery and transition to the offensive in the central direction
By this time, a turning point had also occurred in the sphere of the Soviet military economy. Already in the winter of 1941/1942 it was possible to stop the decline in engineering. In March, ferrous metallurgy began to rise, and in the second half of 1942, energy and the fuel industry began to rise. By the beginning there was a clear economic superiority of the USSR over Germany.
In November 1942 - January 1943, the Red Army launched an offensive in the central direction.
Operation "Mars" (Rzhev-Sychevskaya) was carried out in order to eliminate the Rzhev-Vyazma bridgehead. The formations of the Western Front made their way through the Rzhev-Sychevka railway and raided the enemy rear, however, significant losses and a lack of tanks, guns and ammunition forced them to stop, but this operation did not allow the Germans to transfer part of their forces from the central direction to Stalingrad.
Liberation of the North Caucasus (January 1 - February 12, 1943)
On January 1–3, an operation began to liberate the North Caucasus and the Don bend. On January 3, Mozdok was liberated, on January 10-11 - Kislovodsk, Mineralnye Vody, Essentuki and Pyatigorsk, on January 21 - Stavropol. On January 24, the Germans surrendered Armavir, on January 30 - Tikhoretsk. On February 4, the Black Sea Fleet landed troops in the Myskhako area south of Novorossiysk. On February 12, Krasnodar was taken. However, the lack of forces prevented the Soviet troops from encircling the enemy's North Caucasian grouping.
Breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad (January 12–30, 1943)
Fearing the encirclement of the main forces of Army Group Center on the Rzhev-Vyazma bridgehead, the German command began on March 1 their systematic withdrawal. On March 2, units of the Kalinin and Western fronts began pursuing the enemy. On March 3, Rzhev was liberated, on March 6 - Gzhatsk, on March 12 - Vyazma.
The January-March 1943 campaign, despite a series of setbacks, led to the liberation of a huge territory (the North Caucasus, the lower reaches of the Don, the Voroshilovgrad, Voronezh, Kursk regions, and part of the Belgorod, Smolensk, and Kalinin regions). The blockade of Leningrad was broken, the Demyansky and Rzhev-Vyazemsky ledges were liquidated. Control over the Volga and Don was restored. The Wehrmacht suffered huge losses (about 1.2 million people). exhaustion human resources forced the Nazi leadership to conduct a total mobilization of older (over 46 years old) and younger ages (16-17 years old).
Since the winter of 1942/1943, the partisan movement in the German rear has become an important military factor. The partisans caused serious damage to the German army, destroying manpower, blowing up warehouses and trains, disrupting the communications system. The largest operations were the raids of the detachment of M.I. Naumov in Kursk, Sumy, Poltava, Kirovograd, Odessa, Vinnitsa, Kiev and Zhytomyr (February-March 1943) and S.A. Kovpak in Rivne, Zhytomyr and Kiev regions (February-May 1943).
Defensive battle on the Kursk Bulge (July 5–23, 1943)
The Wehrmacht command developed Operation Citadel to encircle a strong group of the Red Army on the Kursk ledge through counter tank attacks from the north and south; if successful, it was planned to carry out Operation Panther to defeat the Southwestern Front. However, Soviet intelligence unraveled the plans of the Germans, and in April-June a powerful defensive system of eight lines was created on the Kursk ledge.
On July 5, the German 9th Army launched an attack on Kursk from the north, and the 4th Panzer Army from the south. On the northern flank, already on July 10, the Germans went on the defensive. On the southern wing, Wehrmacht tank columns reached Prokhorovka on July 12, but were stopped, and by July 23, the troops of the Voronezh and Steppe Fronts pushed them back to their original lines. Operation Citadel failed.
The general offensive of the Red Army in the second half of 1943 (July 12 - December 24, 1943). Liberation of Left-Bank Ukraine
On July 12, units of the Western and Bryansk fronts broke through the German defenses at Zhilkovo and Novosil, by August 18, Soviet troops cleared the Orlovsky ledge from the enemy.
By September 22, units of the Southwestern Front pushed the Germans back beyond the Dnieper and reached the approaches to Dnepropetrovsk (now the Dnieper) and Zaporozhye; formations of the Southern Front occupied Taganrog, on September 8, Stalino (now Donetsk), on September 10 - Mariupol; the result of the operation was the liberation of Donbass.
On August 3, the troops of the Voronezh and Steppe Fronts broke through the defenses of Army Group South in several places and captured Belgorod on August 5. On August 23 Kharkov was taken.
On September 25, by means of flank attacks from the south and north, the troops of the Western Front captured Smolensk and by the beginning of October entered the territory of Belarus.
On August 26, the Central, Voronezh and Steppe Fronts launched the Chernigov-Poltava operation. The troops of the Central Front broke through the enemy defenses south of Sevsk and occupied the city on August 27; On September 13, they reached the Dnieper at the Loev–Kyiv section. Parts of the Voronezh Front reached the Dnieper in the Kyiv-Cherkassy section. The formations of the Steppe Front approached the Dnieper in the Cherkasy-Verkhnedneprovsk section. As a result, the Germans lost almost all of Left-Bank Ukraine. At the end of September, Soviet troops crossed the Dnieper in several places and captured 23 bridgeheads on its right bank.
On September 1, the troops of the Bryansk Front overcame the Wehrmacht's defense line "Hagen" and occupied Bryansk, by October 3, the Red Army reached the line of the Sozh River in Eastern Belarus.
On September 9, the North Caucasian Front, in cooperation with the Black Sea Fleet and the Azov military flotilla, launched an offensive on the Taman Peninsula. Having broken through the Blue Line, Soviet troops took Novorossiysk on September 16, and by October 9 they completely cleared the peninsula of the Germans.
On October 10, the Southwestern Front launched an operation to eliminate the Zaporozhye bridgehead and on October 14 captured Zaporozhye.
On October 11, the Voronezh (since October 20 - 1st Ukrainian) Front began the Kiev operation. After two unsuccessful attempts to take the capital of Ukraine with an attack from the south (from the Bukrinsky bridgehead), it was decided to launch the main attack from the north (from the Lyutezhsky bridgehead). On November 1, in order to divert the attention of the enemy, the 27th and 40th armies moved to Kyiv from the Bukrinsky bridgehead, and on November 3rd, the shock group of the 1st Ukrainian Front suddenly attacked him from the Lyutezhsky bridgehead and broke through the German defenses. On November 6, Kyiv was liberated.
On November 13, the Germans, having pulled up their reserves, launched a counteroffensive against the 1st Ukrainian Front in the Zhytomyr direction in order to recapture Kyiv and restore the defense along the Dnieper. But the Red Army held the vast strategic Kyiv bridgehead on the right bank of the Dnieper.
During the period of hostilities from June 1 to December 31, the Wehrmacht suffered huge losses (1 million 413 thousand people), which it was no longer able to fully compensate for. A significant part of the territory of the USSR occupied in 1941–1942 was liberated. The plans of the German command to gain a foothold on the Dnieper lines failed. Conditions were created for the expulsion of the Germans from the Right-Bank Ukraine.
Third period of the war (December 24, 1943 - May 11, 1945): defeat of Germany
After a series of failures throughout 1943, the German command abandoned attempts to seize the strategic initiative and switched to a tough defense. The main task of the Wehrmacht in the north was to prevent the breakthrough of the Red Army into the Baltic states and East Prussia, in the center to the border with Poland, and in the south to the Dniester and the Carpathians. The Soviet military leadership set the goal of the winter-spring campaign to defeat the German troops on the extreme flanks - in the Right-Bank Ukraine and near Leningrad.
Liberation of Right-Bank Ukraine and Crimea
On December 24, 1943, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front launched an offensive in the western and southwestern directions (Zhytomyr-Berdichev operation). Only at the cost of great effort and significant losses did the Germans manage to stop the Soviet troops on the Sarny-Polonnaya-Kazatin-Zhashkov line. On January 5–6, units of the 2nd Ukrainian Front struck in the Kirovograd direction and captured Kirovograd on January 8, but on January 10 they were forced to stop the offensive. The Germans did not allow the connection of the troops of both fronts and were able to keep the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky ledge, which posed a threat to Kiev from the south.
On January 24, the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian fronts launched a joint operation to defeat the enemy's Korsun-Shevchensk grouping. On January 28, the 6th and 5th Guards Tank Armies joined at Zvenigorodka and closed the encirclement. Kanev was taken on January 30, Korsun-Shevchenkovsky on February 14. On February 17, the liquidation of the "cauldron" was completed; more than 18 thousand Wehrmacht soldiers were taken prisoner.
On January 27, units of the 1st Ukrainian Front struck from the Sarn region in the Lutsk-Rivne direction. On January 30, the offensive of the troops of the 3rd and 4th Ukrainian fronts began on the Nikopol bridgehead. Having overcome the fierce resistance of the enemy, on February 8 they captured Nikopol, on February 22 - Krivoy Rog, and by February 29 they reached the river. Ingulets.
As a result of the winter campaign of 1943/1944, the Germans were finally driven back from the Dnieper. In an effort to make a strategic breakthrough to the borders of Romania and prevent the Wehrmacht from gaining a foothold on the Southern Bug, Dniester and Prut rivers, the Headquarters developed a plan to encircle and defeat Army Group South in Right-Bank Ukraine through a coordinated strike of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts .
The final chord of the spring operation in the south was the expulsion of the Germans from the Crimea. On May 7–9, the troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front, with the support of the Black Sea Fleet, stormed Sevastopol, and by May 12 they defeated the remnants of the 17th Army that had fled to Chersonese.
Leningrad-Novgorod operation of the Red Army (January 14 - March 1, 1944)
On January 14, the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts launched an offensive south of Leningrad and near Novgorod. Having inflicted a defeat on the German 18th Army and pushed it back to Luga, they liberated Novgorod on January 20. In early February, units of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts reached the approaches to Narva, Gdov and Luga; On February 4 they took Gdov, on February 12 - Luga. The threat of encirclement forced the 18th Army to hastily retreat to the southwest. On February 17, the 2nd Baltic Front carried out a series of attacks against the 16th German Army on the Lovat River. In early March, the Red Army reached defensive line"Panther" (Narva - Lake Peipsi - Pskov - Ostrov); most of the Leningrad and Kalinin regions were liberated.
Military operations in the central direction in December 1943 - April 1944
As the tasks of the winter offensive of the 1st Baltic, Western and Belorussian fronts, the Stavka set the troops to reach the Polotsk-Lepel-Mogilev-Ptich line and liberate Eastern Belarus.
In December 1943 - February 1944, the 1st PribF made three attempts to capture Vitebsk, which did not lead to the capture of the city, but exhausted the enemy's forces to the limit. The offensive actions of the Polar Front in the Orsha direction on February 22-25 and March 5-9, 1944 were not successful either.
On the Mozyr direction, the Belorussian Front (BelF) on January 8 dealt a strong blow to the flanks of the 2nd German Army, but thanks to a hasty retreat, it managed to avoid encirclement. The lack of forces prevented the Soviet troops from encircling and destroying the Bobruisk enemy grouping, and on February 26 the offensive was stopped. Formed on February 17 at the junction of the 1st Ukrainian and Belorussian (since February 24, the 1st Belorussian) fronts, the 2nd Belorussian Front began the Polessky operation on March 15 with the aim of capturing Kovel and breaking through to Brest. Soviet troops surrounded Kovel, but on March 23 the Germans launched a counterattack and on April 4 released the Kovel group.
Thus, in the central direction during the winter-spring campaign of 1944, the Red Army was unable to achieve its goals; On April 15, she went on the defensive.
Offensive in Karelia (June 10 - August 9, 1944). Finland's exit from the war
After the loss of most of the occupied territory of the USSR, the main task of the Wehrmacht was to prevent the Red Army from entering Europe and not to lose its allies. That is why the Soviet military-political leadership, having failed in their attempts to reach a peace agreement with Finland in February-April 1944, decided to start the summer campaign of the year with a strike in the north.
On June 10, 1944, LenF troops, with the support of the Baltic Fleet, launched an offensive on the Karelian Isthmus, as a result, control was restored over the White Sea-Baltic Canal and the strategically important Kirov Railway connecting Murmansk with European Russia. By early August, Soviet troops had liberated all of the occupied territory east of Ladoga; in the Kuolisma area, they reached the Finnish border. Having suffered a defeat, Finland on August 25 entered into negotiations with the USSR. On September 4, she broke off relations with Berlin and ceased hostilities, on September 15 she declared war on Germany, and on September 19 she concluded a truce with the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition. The length of the Soviet-German front was reduced by a third. This allowed the Red Army to free up significant forces for operations in other directions.
Liberation of Belarus (June 23 - early August 1944)
Successes in Karelia prompted the Headquarters to conduct a large-scale operation to defeat the enemy in the central direction with the forces of three Belorussian and 1st Baltic fronts (Operation Bagration), which became the main event of the summer-autumn campaign of 1944.
The general offensive of the Soviet troops began on June 23–24. The coordinated strike of the 1st PribF and the right wing of the 3rd BF ended on June 26–27 with the liberation of Vitebsk and the encirclement of five German divisions. On June 26, units of the 1st BF took Zhlobin, on June 27–29 they surrounded and destroyed the Bobruisk grouping of the enemy, and on June 29 they liberated Bobruisk. As a result of the rapid offensive of the three Belorussian fronts, an attempt by the German command to organize a line of defense along the Berezina was thwarted; On July 3, the troops of the 1st and 3rd BF broke into Minsk and took the 4th German army in pincers south of Borisov (liquidated by July 11).
The German front began to crumble. Formations of the 1st PribF occupied Polotsk on July 4 and, moving downstream of the Western Dvina, entered the territory of Latvia and Lithuania, reached the coast of the Gulf of Riga, cutting off Army Group North stationed in the Baltic states from the rest of the Wehrmacht forces. Parts of the right wing of the 3rd BF, having taken Lepel on June 28, broke through into the valley of the river in early July. Viliya (Nyaris), on August 17 they reached the border of East Prussia.
The troops of the left wing of the 3rd BF, having made a swift throw from Minsk, took Lida on July 3, on July 16, together with the 2nd BF - Grodno, and at the end of July approached the northeastern ledge of the Polish border. The 2nd BF, advancing to the southwest, captured Bialystok on July 27 and drove the Germans across the Narew River. Parts of the right wing of the 1st BF, having liberated Baranovichi on July 8, and Pinsk on July 14, at the end of July they reached the Western Bug and reached the central section of the Soviet-Polish border; On July 28 Brest was taken.
As a result of Operation Bagration, Belarus, most of Lithuania and part of Latvia were liberated. The possibility of an offensive in East Prussia and Poland opened up.
Liberation of Western Ukraine and offensive in Eastern Poland (July 13 - August 29, 1944)
Trying to stop the advance of Soviet troops in Belarus, the Wehrmacht command was forced to transfer formations there from other sectors of the Soviet-German front. This facilitated the operations of the Red Army in other directions. On July 13–14, the offensive of the 1st Ukrainian Front began in Western Ukraine. Already on July 17, they crossed the state border of the USSR and entered South-Eastern Poland.
On July 18, the left wing of the 1st BF launched an offensive near Kovel. At the end of July, they approached Prague (the right-bank suburb of Warsaw), which they managed to take only on September 14th. In early August, the resistance of the Germans intensified sharply, and the advance of the Red Army was stopped. Because of this, the Soviet command was unable to provide necessary assistance an uprising that broke out in the Polish capital on August 1 under the leadership of the Home Army, and by the beginning of October it was brutally suppressed by the Wehrmacht.
Offensive in the Eastern Carpathians (September 8 - October 28, 1944)
After the occupation of Estonia in the summer of 1941, the Tallinn Metropolitan. Alexander (Paulus) announced the separation of the Estonian parishes from the Russian Orthodox Church (the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church was established on the initiative of Alexander (Paulus) in 1923, in 1941 the bishop repented of the sin of schism). In October 1941, at the insistence of the German General Commissar of Belarus, the Belarusian Church was established. However, Panteleimon (Rozhnovsky), who headed it in the rank of Metropolitan of Minsk and Belarus, retained canonical communion with the Patriarchal Locum Tenens, Met. Sergius (Stragorodsky). After Metropolitan Panteleimon was forcibly retired in June 1942, Archbishop Filofei (Narko), who also refused to arbitrarily proclaim a national autocephalous Church, became his successor.
Given the patriotic position of the Patriarchal Locum Tenens, Met. Sergius (Stragorodsky), the German authorities initially hindered the activities of those priests and parishes who claimed to belong to the Moscow Patriarchate. Over time, the German authorities became more tolerant of the communities of the Moscow Patriarchate. According to the invaders, these communities only verbally declared their loyalty to the Moscow center, but in reality they were ready to assist the German army in the destruction of the atheistic Soviet state.
Thousands of churches, churches, prayer houses of various Protestant denominations (primarily Lutherans and Pentecostals) have resumed their activities in the occupied territory. This process was especially active on the territory of the Baltic States, in the Vitebsk, Gomel, Mogilev regions of Belarus, in the Dnepropetrovsk, Zhytomyr, Zaporozhye, Kiev, Voroshilovgrad, Poltava regions of Ukraine, in the Rostov, Smolensk regions of the RSFSR.
The religious factor was taken into account when planning domestic policy in areas where Islam was traditionally spread, primarily in the Crimea and the Caucasus. German propaganda declared respect for the values of Islam, presented the occupation as the liberation of peoples from the "Bolshevik godless yoke", guaranteed the creation of conditions for the revival of Islam. The invaders willingly went to the opening of mosques in almost every settlement of the "Muslim regions", provided the Muslim clergy with the opportunity to contact the believers through the radio and the press. Throughout the occupied territory where Muslims lived, the positions of mullahs and senior mullahs were restored, whose rights and privileges were equated with the heads of administrations of cities and settlements.
When forming special units from among the prisoners of war of the Red Army great attention was given to confessional affiliation: if representatives of the peoples who traditionally professed Christianity were mainly sent to the "army of General Vlasov", then representatives of the "Islamic" peoples were sent to such formations as the "Turkestan Legion", "Idel-Ural".
The "liberalism" of the German authorities did not extend to all religions. Many communities were on the verge of destruction, for example, in Dvinsk alone, almost all of the 35 synagogues that operated before the war were destroyed, up to 14 thousand Jews were shot. Most of the Evangelical Christian Baptist communities that found themselves in the occupied territory were also destroyed or dispersed by the authorities.
Forced to leave the occupied territories under the onslaught of Soviet troops, the Nazi invaders took out liturgical objects, icons, paintings, books, items made of precious metals from prayer buildings.
According to the far from complete data of the Extraordinary State Commission for Establishing and Investigating the Atrocities of the Nazi Invaders, 1670 Orthodox churches, 69 chapels, 237 churches, 532 synagogues, 4 mosques and 254 other prayer buildings were completely destroyed, looted or desecrated in the occupied territory. Among those destroyed or desecrated by the Nazis were priceless monuments of history, culture and architecture, incl. relating to the XI-XVII centuries, in Novgorod, Chernigov, Smolensk, Polotsk, Kyiv, Pskov. Many prayer buildings were converted by the invaders into prisons, barracks, stables, and garages.
The position and patriotic activities of the Russian Orthodox Church during the war
On June 22, 1941, the Patriarchal Locum Tenens Met. Sergius (Stragorodsky) compiled a "Message to the Shepherds and Flocks of the Orthodox Church of Christ", in which he revealed the anti-Christian essence of fascism and called on the faithful to defend themselves. In their letters to the Patriarchate, believers reported that voluntary collections of donations for the needs of the front and the defense of the country had begun everywhere.
After the death of Patriarch Sergius, according to his will, Met. Alexy (Simansky), unanimously elected at the last meeting of the Local Council on January 31-February 2, 1945, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. The Council was attended by Patriarchs of Alexandria Christopher II, Antioch Alexander III and Georgian Kallistrat (Tsintsadze), representatives of the Constantinople, Jerusalem, Serbian and Romanian Patriarchs.
In 1945, the so-called Estonian schism was overcome; Orthodox parishes and the clergy of Estonia.
Patriotic activities of communities of other faiths and religions
Immediately after the start of the war, the leaders of almost all religious associations of the USSR supported the liberation struggle of the peoples of the country against the Nazi aggressor. Addressing the faithful with patriotic messages, they called for worthy fulfillment of their religious and civic duty to defend the Fatherland, to provide all possible material assistance to the needs of the front and rear. The leaders of most religious associations in the USSR condemned those representatives of the clergy who consciously went over to the side of the enemy and helped to impose a "new order" on the occupied territory.
The head of the Russian Old Believers of the Belokrinitsky hierarchy, Archbishop. Irinarkh (Parfyonov), in his Christmas message of 1942, called on the Old Believers, a considerable number of whom fought on the fronts, to serve valiantly in the Red Army and to resist the enemy in the occupied territory in the ranks of the partisans. In May 1942, the leaders of the Unions of Baptists and Evangelical Christians addressed the believers with a letter of appeal; the appeal spoke of the danger of fascism "for the cause of the Gospel" and called for "brothers and sisters in Christ" to fulfill "their duty to God and to the Motherland", being "the best soldiers at the front and the best workers in the rear." Baptist communities were engaged in sewing linen, collecting clothes and other things for the soldiers and families of the dead, helped in the care of the wounded and sick in hospitals, and took care of orphans in orphanages. Funds raised in the Baptist congregations were used to build a Merciful Samaritan ambulance to transport seriously wounded soldiers to the rear. The leader of Renovationism, A. I. Vvedensky, repeatedly made patriotic appeals.
With regard to a number of other religious associations, the policy of the state during the war years remained invariably tough. First of all, this concerned “anti-state, anti-Soviet and savage sects”, which included the Dukhobors.
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The Great Patriotic War 1941-1945 - war of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics against Nazi Germany and its allies (Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, Finland, Croatia); decisive part of World War II.
In Russian historical literature, the Great Patriotic War is usually divided into three periods:
I period (initial) from June 22, 1941 to November 18, 1942 (the Red Army leaves a large territory, fought heavy defensive battles, the first major defeat of the Nazi troops near Moscow, the failure of the blitzkrieg attempt);
II period (the period of a radical turning point in the war) from November 19, 1942 to the end of 1943 (the Nazis were defeated at Stalingrad, on the Kursk Bulge, in the North Caucasus, on the Dnieper);
III period (final) from January 1944 to May 8, 1945 (liberation of Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Crimea, Baltic States, restoration of the state border of the USSR, liberation of the peoples of Europe and the defeat of the Nazi coalition);
On June 22, 1941, the German invasion of the USSR began. In the early morning, after artillery and aviation preparation, German troops crossed the border of the USSR.
On June 22, at 12 noon, Molotov made an official address to the citizens of the USSR on the radio, announcing the German attack on the USSR and announcing the start of a Patriotic War.
Battle for Moscow(September 30, 1941 - April 20, 1942) - the fighting of Soviet and German troops in the Moscow area. It is divided into 2 periods: defensive (September 30 - December 4, 1941) and offensive (December 5, 1941 - April 20, 1942). At the first stage, the Soviet troops of the Western Front stopped the offensive of the troops of Army Group Center. During the defensive battles, the enemy was significantly bled. On December 5-6, Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive, and on January 7-10, 1942, they launched a general offensive on the entire front. In January-April 1942, the troops of the Western, Kalinin, Bryansk and North-Western fronts defeated the enemy and pushed him back 100-250 km. The battle of Moscow was of great importance: the myth of the invincibility of the German army was dispelled, the plan for a lightning war was thwarted, and the international position of the USSR was strengthened.
Defense of Sevastopol and the battle for the Crimea (September 12, 1941 - July 9, 1942) - the fighting of Soviet and German troops in the Crimea during the Great Patriotic War. The Nazi troops invaded the Crimea on October 20, 1941, and within 10 days they approached the outskirts of Sevastopol. The stubborn defense of Sevastopol began, field fortifications were already created during the fighting. After stubborn battles, having suffered serious losses, the Germans stopped frontal attacks on November 21 and proceeded to the siege of the city. On the morning of June 7, the enemy launched a decisive attack along the entire defense perimeter. The fight continued until 9 July. The 250-day defense of Sevastopol, despite its tragic end, showed the whole world the unbending dedication of the Russian soldier and sailor.
Battle of Stalingrad 1942 - 1943 Defensive (July 17 - November 18, 1942) and offensive (November 19, 1942 - February 2, 1943) operations carried out by Soviet troops in order to defend Stalingrad and defeat a large enemy strategic group operating in the Stalingrad direction. In defensive battles in the Stalingrad region and in the city itself, the troops of the Stalingrad Front and the Don Front managed to stop the offensive of the 6th Army of Colonel General F. Paulus and the 4th Panzer Army. At the cost of great efforts, the command of the Soviet troops managed not only to stop the advance of the German troops in Stalingrad, but also to gather significant forces for the start of the counteroffensive. On November 19-20, the troops of the Southwestern Front, the Stalingrad and Don Fronts went on the offensive and surrounded 22 divisions in the Stalingrad area. Having repelled an enemy attempt to free the encircled grouping in December, the Soviet troops liquidated it. January 31 - February 2, 1943 the remnants of the enemy army surrendered. The victory at Stalingrad marked the beginning of a radical change in the course of the Great Patriotic War and the Second World War.
Operation Spark- an offensive operation of the Soviet troops during the Great Patriotic War, carried out from January 12 to 30, 1943 with the aim of breaking the blockade of Leningrad. Siege of Leningrad - a military blockade by German troops during the Great Patriotic War of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). It lasted from September 8, 1941 to January 27, 1944 (the blockade ring was broken on January 18, 1943) - 872 days. On the night of January 12, Soviet bombers launched a massive attack on enemy positions in the breakthrough zone, as well as on airfields and railway junctions in the rear. On January 13-17, the fighting took on a protracted and fierce character. The enemy offered stubborn resistance, relying on numerous defense units. On January 18, the blockade of Leningrad was broken.
Battle of Kursk 1943 Defensive and offensive operations carried out by Soviet troops in the Kursk region to disrupt a major German offensive. The German command, after the defeat of its troops at Stalingrad, intended to conduct a major offensive operation in the Kursk region. The Soviet command assigned the task of repelling the enemy offensive to the troops of the Central and Voronezh fronts. The enemy offensive began on July 5. On July 12, there was a turning point in the course of the battle. On this day, the largest oncoming tank battle in history took place in the Prokhorovka area. On July 12, a new stage began in the Battle of Kursk, during which the counteroffensive of the Soviet troops developed. The main result of the battle was the transition of German troops to strategic defense. In the Great Patriotic War and the Second World War, a radical change started by the Battle of Stalingrad ended.
Belarusian operation(June 23 - August 29, 1944). The code name is Operation Bagration. One of the largest strategic offensive operations undertaken by the Soviet high command to defeat the Nazi Army Group Center and liberate Belarus. According to the nature of the hostilities and the achievement of the tasks set, the operation is divided into two stages. During the operation, Lithuania and Latvia were partially liberated. On July 20, the Red Army entered the territory of Poland and on August 17 approached the borders of East Prussia. By August 29, she entered the suburbs of Warsaw.
Berlin operation 1945 The final strategic offensive operation carried out by the Soviet troops on April 16 - May 8, 1945. The objectives of the operation were to defeat the group of German troops defending in the Berlin direction, capture Berlin and reach the Elbe to connect with the Allied forces. According to the nature of the tasks performed and the results, the Berlin operation is divided into 3 stages. 1st stage - breakthrough of the Oder-Neissen line of defense of the enemy (April 16 - 19); 2nd stage - encirclement and dismemberment of enemy troops (April 19 - 25); 3rd stage - the destruction of the encircled groups and the capture of Berlin (April 26 - May 8). The main goals of the operation were achieved in 16-17 days.
At 22:43 CET on May 8, the war in Europe ended with the unconditional surrender of the German armed forces. The fighting lasted 1418 days. Nevertheless, having accepted the surrender, the Soviet Union did not sign peace with Germany, that is, formally remained at war with Germany. The war with Germany was formally ended on January 25, 1955 by the publication by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the decree "On the termination of the state of war between the Soviet Union and Germany"
The Great Patriotic War began on June 22, 1941 - the day when the Nazi invaders and their allies invaded the territory of the USSR. It lasted four years and became final stage World War II. In total, about 34,000,000 Soviet soldiers took part in it, more than half of which died.
Causes of the Great Patriotic War
The main reason for the start of the Great Patriotic War was the desire of Adolf Hitler to lead Germany to world domination by capturing other countries and establishing a racially pure state. Therefore, on September 1, 1939, Hitler invaded Poland, then Czechoslovakia, starting World War II and conquering more and more territories. The successes and victories of Nazi Germany forced Hitler to violate the non-aggression pact concluded on August 23, 1939 between Germany and the USSR. They developed special operation under the name "Barbarossa", which meant the capture of the Soviet Union in a short time. Thus began the Great Patriotic War. It went through three stages.
Stages of the Great Patriotic War
Stage 1: June 22, 1941 - November 18, 1942
The Germans captured Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine, Estonia, Belarus and Moldova. The troops moved inland to capture Leningrad, Rostov-on-Don and Novgorod, but the main goal of the Nazis was Moscow. At this time, the USSR suffered heavy losses, thousands of people were taken prisoner. On September 8, 1941, the military blockade of Leningrad began, which lasted 872 days. As a result, the Soviet troops were able to stop the German offensive. The Barbarossa plan failed.
Stage 2: 1942-1943
During this period, the USSR continued to build up its military power, industry and defense grew. Thanks to the incredible efforts of the Soviet troops, the front line was pushed back - to the west. The central event of this period was the greatest Battle of Stalingrad in history (July 17, 1942 - February 2, 1943). The goal of the Germans was to capture Stalingrad, the big bend of the Don and the Volgodonsk isthmus. During the battle, more than 50 armies, corps and divisions of enemies were destroyed, about 2 thousand tanks, 3 thousand aircraft and 70 thousand vehicles were destroyed, German aviation was significantly weakened. The victory of the USSR in this battle had a significant impact on the course of further military events.
Stage 3: 1943-1945
From defense, the Red Army gradually goes over to the offensive, moving towards Berlin. Several campaigns aimed at destroying the enemy were implemented. flares up guerrilla war, during which 6200 partisan detachments are formed, trying to fight the enemy on their own. The partisans used all means at hand, down to clubs and boiling water, set up ambushes and traps. At this time, there are battles for the Right-Bank Ukraine, Berlin. The Belarusian, Baltic, and Budapest operations were developed and put into action. As a result, on May 8, 1945, Germany officially recognized defeat.
Thus, the victory of the Soviet Union in the Great Patriotic War was actually the end of the Second World War. The defeat of the German army put an end to Hitler's desire to gain dominance over the world, universal slavery. However, the victory in the war came at a heavy price. Millions of people died in the struggle for the Motherland, cities, villages and villages were destroyed. All the last funds went to the front, so people lived in poverty and hunger. Every year on May 9th we celebrate Great Victory over fascism, we are proud of our soldiers for giving life to future generations, providing a brighter future. At the same time, the victory was able to consolidate the influence of the USSR on the world stage and turn it into a superpower.
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The Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) is the most terrible and bloody war in the entire history of the USSR. This war was between two powers, the mighty power of the USSR and Germany. In a fierce battle, for five years, the USSR nevertheless won worthy of its opponent. Germany, when attacking the union, hoped to quickly capture the whole country, but they did not expect how powerful and selenium the Slavic people were. What did this war lead to? To begin with, we will analyze a number of reasons, because of what it all started?
After the First World War, Germany was greatly weakened, a severe crisis overcame the country. But at this time, Hitler came to power and introduced a large number of reforms and changes, thanks to which the country began to prosper, and people showed their trust in him. When he became the ruler, he pursued such a policy in which he informed the people that the nation of Germans was the most excellent in the world. Hitler was ignited by the idea of revenging for the First World War, for that terrible lose, he had the idea to subjugate the whole world. He began with the Czech Republic and Poland, which later grew into the Second World War
We all remember very well from history books that until 1941 a non-aggression treaty was signed between the two countries of Germany and the USSR. But Hitler still attacked. The Germans developed a plan called "Barbarossa". It clearly stated that Germany should capture the USSR in 2 months. He believed that if he had at his disposal all the strength and power of the country, then he would be able to go to war with the United States with fearlessness.
The war began so quickly, the USSR was not ready, but Hitler did not get what he wanted and expected. Our army put up a lot of resistance, the Germans did not expect to see such a strong opponent in front of them. And the war dragged on for a long 5 years.
Now we will analyze the main periods during the entire war.
The initial stage of the war is June 22, 1941 to November 18, 1942. During this time, the Germans captured most of the country, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus also got here. Further, the Germans already had Moscow and Leningrad in front of their eyes. And they almost succeeded, but the Russian soldiers turned out to be stronger than them and did not allow this city to be captured.
Unfortunately, they captured Leningrad, but what is most surprising, the people living there did not let the invaders into the city itself. There were battles for these cities until the end of 1942.
The end of 1943, the beginning of 1943, was very difficult for the German troops and at the same time happy for the Russians. The Soviet army launched a counteroffensive, the Russians began to slowly but surely retake their territory, and the invaders and their allies slowly retreated to the west. Some of the allies were destroyed on the spot.
Everyone remembers very well how the entire industry of the Soviet Union switched to the production of military supplies, thanks to which they were able to repulse the enemies. The retreating army turned into attackers.
The final. 1943 to 1945 The Soviet soldiers gathered all their strength and began to recapture their territory at a fast pace. All forces were directed towards the invaders, namely to Berlin. At this time, Leningrad was liberated, and other previously captured countries were recaptured. The Russians resolutely marched on Germany.
The last stage (1943-1945). At this time, the USSR began to take away its lands bit by bit and move towards the invaders. Russian soldiers retook Leningrad and other cities, then they proceeded to the very heart of Germany - Berlin.
On May 8, 1945, the USSR entered Berlin, the Germans announced their surrender. Their ruler could not stand it and independently left for the next world.
And now the worst part of the war. How many people died so that we would now live in the world and enjoy every day.
In fact, history is silent about these terrible figures. The USSR concealed for a long time, then the number of people. The government hid data from the people. And people then understood how many died, how many were taken prisoner, and how many missing people to this day. But after a while, the data nevertheless surfaced. According to official sources, up to 10 million soldiers died in this war, and about 3 million more were in German captivity. These are terrible numbers. And how many children, old people, women died. The Germans mercilessly shot everyone.
It was a terrible war, unfortunately it brought a lot of tears to families, there was still devastation in the country long time, but slowly the USSR got on its feet, post-war actions subsided, but did not subside in the hearts of people. In the hearts of mothers who did not wait for their sons from the front. Wives who were left widows with children. But what a strong Slavic people, even after such a war, he rose from his knees. Then the whole world knew how strong the state was and how strong in spirit people lived there.
Thanks to the veterans who protected us when they were very young. Unfortunately, at the moment there are only a few of them left, but we will never forget their feat.
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The Great Patriotic War began on June 22, 1941, on the day of All Saints who shone in the Russian land. The Barbarossa plan - a plan for a lightning war with the USSR - was signed by Hitler on December 18, 1940. Now it has been put into action. German troops - the strongest army in the world - advanced in three groups ("North", "Center", "South"), aimed at quickly capturing the Baltic states and then Leningrad, Moscow, and Kyiv in the south.
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June 22, 1941 4:00 am - the start of the German offensive. 153 German divisions, 3712 tanks and 4950 combat aircraft entered the fighting (such data are given by Marshal G.K. Zhukov in his book "Memoirs and Reflections"). The enemy forces were several times superior to the forces of the Red Army, both in numbers and in equipment with military equipment.
On June 22, 1941, at 5:30 am, Reich Minister Goebbels, in a special broadcast on the Great German Radio, read out Adolf Hitler's appeal to the German people in connection with the outbreak of war against the Soviet Union.
June 22, 1941 Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Metropolitan Sergius, Patriarchal Locum Tenens, appeals to the faithful. In his "Message to the Shepherds and Flocks of Christ's Orthodox Church," Metropolitan Sergius said: "The fascist robbers attacked our Motherland... The times of Batu, the German knights, Charles of Sweden, Napoleon are repeated... The miserable descendants of the enemies of Orthodox Christianity want to once again try to put the people our knees before the untruth... With God's help, and this time, he will dispel the fascist enemy force into dust... Let us remember the holy leaders of the Russian people, for example, Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy, who believed their souls for the people and the Motherland... Let us remember the innumerable thousands of simple Orthodox warriors... Our Orthodox Church has always shared the fate of the people. Together with him, she bore the trials and consoled herself with his successes. She will not leave her people even now. She blesses with a heavenly blessing and the forthcoming nationwide feat. If anyone, then it is we who need to remember the commandment of Christ: “There is no greater love than if a man lays down his life for his friends” (John 15:13)...”
Patriarch Alexander III of Alexandria addressed a message to Christians all over the world about prayerful and material assistance to Russia.
Brest Fortress, Minsk, Smolensk
June 22 - July 20, 1941. Defense of the Brest Fortress. The first Soviet strategic border point located in the direction of the main attack of Army Group Center (to Minsk and Moscow) was Brest and the Brest Fortress, which the German command planned to capture in the first hours of the war.
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July 9, 1941 - the enemy occupied Minsk. The forces were too unequal. The Soviet troops were in dire need of ammunition, and there was not enough transport or fuel to bring them up, besides, part of the warehouses had to be blown up, the rest were captured by the enemy. The enemy stubbornly rushed to Minsk from the north and south. Our troops were surrounded. Deprived of centralized control and supply, they, however, fought until July 8.
July 10 - September 10, 1941 Smolensk battle. On July 10, Army Group Center launched an offensive against the Western Front. The Germans had a twofold superiority in manpower and fourfold in tanks. The enemy's plan was to cut our western front with powerful strike groups, encircle the main group of troops in the Smolensk region and open the way to Moscow. The battle of Smolensk began on July 10 and dragged on for two months - a period that the German command did not count on at all. Despite all efforts, the troops of the Western Front were unable to complete the task of defeating the enemy in the Smolensk region. During the fighting near Smolensk, the Western Front suffered serious losses. By the beginning of August, no more than 1-2 thousand people remained in his divisions. However, the fierce resistance of the Soviet troops near Smolensk weakened the offensive power of Army Group Center. The enemy strike groupings were exhausted and suffered significant losses. According to the Germans themselves, by the end of August, only motorized and tank divisions had lost half of their personnel and materiel, and total losses were about 500 thousand people. The main outcome of the Smolensk battle was the disruption of the Wehrmacht's plans for a non-stop advance towards Moscow. For the first time since the beginning of World War II, German troops were forced to go on the defensive in their main direction, as a result of which the Red Army command gained time to improve the strategic defense in the Moscow direction and prepare reserves.
August 8, 1941 - Stalin appointed as Supreme Commander Armed Forces of the USSR.
Defense of Ukraine
The capture of Ukraine was of great importance for the Germans, who sought to deprive the Soviet Union of its largest industrial and agricultural base, to seize Donetsk coal and Krivoy Rog ore. From a strategic point of view, the capture of Ukraine provided support from the south to the central grouping of German troops, which faced the main task- the capture of Moscow.But the lightning-fast capture that Hitler planned did not work out here either. Retreating under the blows of the German troops, the Red Army courageously and fiercely resisted, despite the heaviest losses. By the end of August, the troops of the Southwestern and Southern Fronts withdrew beyond the Dnieper. Once surrounded, the Soviet troops suffered huge losses.
Atlantic charter. Allied Powers
On August 14, 1941, US President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Churchill adopted a declaration aboard the British battleship Prince of Wales in Argentia Bay (Newfoundland), which set out the goals of the war against the fascist states. On September 24, 1941, the Soviet Union joined the Atlantic Charter.Leningrad blockade
On August 21, 1941, defensive battles began on the near approaches to Leningrad. In September, fierce fighting continued in the immediate vicinity of the city. But the German troops could not overcome the resistance of the defenders of the city and take Leningrad. Then the German command decided to starve the city out. Having captured Shlisselburg on September 8, the enemy went to Lake Ladoga and blockaded Leningrad from land. German troops encircled the city in a dense ring, cutting it off from the rest of the country. The connection of Leningrad with the "mainland" was carried out only by air and through Lake Ladoga. And with artillery strikes and bombing, the Nazis sought to destroy the city.From September 8, 1941 (the day of the celebration in honor of the Presentation of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God) until January 27, 1944 (the day of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Nina) continued Leningrad blockade. The most difficult for Leningraders was the winter of 1941/42. Fuel supplies have run out. The power supply to residential buildings was interrupted. The water supply system failed, 78 km were destroyed sewer network. Utilities have stopped working. Food supplies were running out, since November 20, the lowest norms of bread for the entire time of the blockade were introduced - 250 grams for workers and 125 grams for employees and dependents. But even in the most difficult conditions of the blockade, Leningrad continued to fight. With the beginning of freeze-up, a motor road was laid on the ice of Lake Ladoga. Since January 24, 1942, it was possible to slightly increase the norms for supplying the population with bread. To supply the Leningrad Front and the city with fuel between the eastern and western shores of the Shlisselburg Bay of Lake Ladoga, an underwater pipeline was laid, which went into operation on June 18, 1942 and turned out to be practically invulnerable to the enemy. And in the fall of 1942, a power cable was also laid along the bottom of the lake, through which electricity began to flow into the city. Repeated attempts were made to break through the blockade ring. But it was only in January 1943 that they succeeded. As a result of the offensive, our troops occupied Shlisselburg and a number of other settlements. On January 18, 1943, the blockade was broken. A corridor 8-11 km wide was formed between Lake Ladoga and the front line. The blockade of Leningrad was completely lifted on January 27, 1944, on the day of St. Nina Equal to the Apostles.
During the blockade, 10 Orthodox churches operated in the city. Metropolitan of Leningrad Alexy (Simansky), the future Patriarch Alexy I, did not leave the city during the blockade, sharing its hardships with his flock. With the miraculous Kazan icon Holy Mother of God was committed procession around the city. The Reverend Elder Seraphim Vyritsky took upon himself a special feat of prayer - he prayed at night on a stone in the garden for the salvation of Russia, imitating his feat heavenly patron Reverend Seraphim of Sarov.
By the autumn of 1941, the leadership of the USSR turned off anti-religious propaganda. The publication of the magazines "Godless" and "Anti-religious" was discontinued.
Battle for Moscow
From October 13, 1941, fierce battles broke out in all operationally important areas leading to Moscow.On October 20, 1941, a state of siege was introduced in Moscow and its surrounding areas. A decision was made to evacuate the diplomatic corps and a number of central institutions to Kuibyshev. It was also decided to remove especially important state values from the capital. Muscovites formed 12 divisions of the people's militia.
In Moscow, a prayer service was performed in front of the miraculous Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, and with the icon they flew around Moscow on an airplane.
The second stage of the attack on Moscow, called "Typhoon", the German command began on November 15, 1941. The fights were very hard. The enemy, regardless of losses, sought to break through to Moscow at any cost. But already in the first days of December it was felt that the enemy was running out of steam. Due to the resistance of the Soviet troops, the Germans had to stretch their troops along the front to such an extent that in the final battles on the near approaches to Moscow they lost their penetrating ability. Even before the start of our counterattack near Moscow, the German command decided to retreat. This order was issued on the night when the Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive.
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Under pressure from Stalin, it was decided to launch a general offensive on the entire front. But far from all areas had the strength and means for this. Therefore, only the advance of the troops of the North-Western Front was successful, they advanced 70-100 kilometers and somewhat improved the operational-strategic situation in the western direction. Starting on January 7, the offensive continued until early April 1942. Then it was decided to go on the defensive.
Chief of the General Staff ground forces Wehrmacht General F. Halder wrote in his diary: “The myth of the invincibility of the German army has been broken. With the onset of summer, the German army will achieve new victories in Russia, but this will no longer restore the myth of its invincibility. Therefore, December 6, 1941 can be considered a turning point, and one of the most fatal moments in the brief history of the Third Reich. The strength and power of Hitler reached their zenith, from that moment they began to decline ... ".
Declaration of the United Nations
In January 1942, a declaration of 26 countries was signed in Washington (later known as the "Declaration of the United Nations"), in which they agreed to use all forces and means to fight against aggressive states and not conclude a separate peace or truce with them. An agreement was reached with Great Britain and the United States on the opening of a second front in Europe in 1942.Crimean front. Sevastopol. Voronezh
On May 8, 1942, the enemy, having concentrated his strike force against the Crimean Front and brought into action numerous aircraft, broke through our defenses. Soviet troops, finding themselves in a difficult situation, were forced to leave Kerch. By May 25, the Nazis captured the entire Kerch Peninsula.October 30, 1941 - July 4, 1942 Defense of Sevastopol. The siege of the city lasted nine months, but after the capture by the Nazis Kerch Peninsula, the situation in Sevastopol became very difficult and on July 4, the Soviet troops were forced to leave Sevastopol. Crimea was completely lost.
June 28, 1942 - July 24, 1942 Voronezh-Voroshilovgrad operation. - combat operations of the troops of the Bryansk, Voronezh, South-Western and Southern Fronts against the German Army Group "South" in the region of Voronezh and Voroshilovgrad. As a result of the forced withdrawal of our troops, the richest regions of the Don and Donbass fell into the hands of the enemy. During the retreat, the Southern Front suffered irreparable losses, only a little more than a hundred people remained in its four armies. During the retreat from Kharkov, the troops of the Southwestern Front suffered heavy losses and could not successfully hold back the enemy's advance. The southern front, for the same reason, could not stop the Germans in the Caucasian direction. It was necessary to block the path of the German troops to the Volga. For this purpose, the Stalingrad Front was created.
Battle of Stalingrad (July 17, 1942 - February 2, 1943)
According to the plan of the Nazi command, the German troops were to achieve in the summer campaign of 1942 those goals that were thwarted by their defeat in Moscow. The main blow was supposed to be delivered on the southern wing of the Soviet-German front in order to capture the city of Stalingrad, access to the oil-bearing regions of the Caucasus and the fertile regions of the Don, Kuban and Lower Volga. With the fall of Stalingrad, the enemy got the opportunity to cut off the south of the country from the center. We could lose the Volga - the most important transport artery, along which goods from the Caucasus went.The defensive actions of the Soviet troops in the Stalingrad direction were carried out for 125 days. During this period, they carried out two consecutive defensive operations. The first of them was carried out on the outskirts of Stalingrad from July 17 to September 12, the second - in Stalingrad and to the south of it from September 13 to November 18, 1942. The heroic defense of the Soviet troops in the Stalingrad direction forced the Nazi high command to transfer more and more forces here. On September 13, the Germans went on the offensive along the entire front, trying to capture Stalingrad by storm. The Soviet troops failed to hold back his powerful onslaught. They were forced to retreat to the city. Day and night fighting did not stop on the streets of the city, in houses, factories, on the banks of the Volga. Our units, having suffered heavy losses, nevertheless held the defense, not leaving the city.
Soviet troops near Stalingrad were united in three fronts: Southwestern (lieutenant general, from December 7, 1942 - Colonel General N. F. Vatutin), Donskoy (lieutenant general, from January 15, 1943 - Colonel General K K. Rokossovsky) and Stalingradsky (Colonel-General A. I. Eremenko).
On September 13, 1942, a decision was made on the counteroffensive, the plan of which was developed by the Headquarters. The leading role in this development was played by Generals G.K. Zhukov (from January 18, 1943 - Marshal) and A.M. Vasilevsky, they were appointed representatives of the Stavka at the front. A.M. Vasilevsky coordinated the actions of the Stalingrad Front, and G.K. Zhukov - of the South-Western and Don. The idea of the counteroffensive was to strike from the bridgeheads on the Don in the areas of Serafimovich and Kletskaya and from the area of Sarpinsky Lakes south of Stalingrad to defeat the troops covering the flanks of the enemy strike force, and, developing the offensive in converging directions on the city of Kalach, the Soviet farm, to surround and destroy its main forces operating in the interfluve of the Volga and Don.
The offensive was scheduled for November 19, 1942 for the Southwestern and Don Fronts, and for November 20 for the Stalingrad Front. The strategic offensive operation to defeat the enemy near Stalingrad consisted of three stages: the encirclement of the enemy (November 19-30), the development of the offensive and the disruption of the enemy’s attempts to release the encircled grouping (December 1942), the liquidation of the group of Nazi troops surrounded in the Stalingrad region (10 January-February 2, 1943).
From January 10 to February 2, 1943, the troops of the Don Front captured 91 thousand people, including over 2.5 thousand officers and 24 generals, led by the commander of the 6th Army, Field Marshal Paulus.
“The defeat at Stalingrad,” as Lieutenant-General of the Nazi army Westphal writes about this, “threw both the German people and its army in horror. Never before in the entire history of Germany has there been a case of such a terrible death of so many troops.”
And the Battle of Stalingrad began with a prayer service before the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. The icon was among the troops, prayers and requiems for the fallen soldiers were constantly served in front of it. Among the ruins of Stalingrad, the only surviving building was the temple in the name of the Kazan icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary with a chapel of St. Sergius of Radonezh.
Caucasus
July 1942 - October 9, 1943. Battle for the CaucasusIn the North Caucasus direction in late July-early August 1942, the development of events was clearly not in our favor. The superior forces of the enemy persistently moved forward. On August 10, enemy troops captured Maikop, on August 11 - Krasnodar. And on September 9, the Germans captured almost all the mountain passes. In the stubborn bloody battles of the summer - autumn of 1942, the Soviet troops suffered heavy losses, left most of the territory of the North Caucasus, but still stopped the enemy. In December, preparations began for the North Caucasian offensive operation. In January, German troops began to withdraw from the Caucasus, and Soviet troops launched a powerful offensive. But the enemy put up fierce resistance and the victory in the Caucasus came at a high cost to us.
German troops were driven out to the Taman Peninsula. On the night of September 10, 1943, the Novorossiysk-Taman strategic offensive operation of the Soviet troops began. On September 16, 1943, Novorossiysk was liberated, on September 21 - Anapa, on October 3 - Taman.
On October 9, 1943, Soviet troops reached the coast of the Kerch Strait and completed the liberation of the North Caucasus.
Kursk Bulge
July 5, 1943 – May 1944 Battle of Kursk.In 1943, the Nazi command decided to conduct its general offensive in the Kursk region. The fact is that the operational position of the Soviet troops on the Kursk ledge, concave towards the enemy, promised great prospects for the Germans. Two large fronts could be surrounded here at once, as a result of which a large gap would have formed, allowing the enemy to carry out major operations in the south and northeast directions.
The Soviet command was preparing for this offensive. From mid-April, the General Staff began to develop a plan for both a defensive operation near Kursk and a counteroffensive. And by the beginning of July 1943, the Soviet command had completed preparations for the Battle of Kursk.
July 5, 1943 German troops began the offensive. The first attack was repulsed. However, then the Soviet troops had to withdraw. The fighting was very intense and the Germans failed to achieve significant success. The enemy did not solve any of the assigned tasks and was eventually forced to stop the offensive and go on the defensive.
The struggle on the southern face of the Kursk ledge, in the zone of the Voronezh Front, was of an exceptionally tense character.
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On July 12, the troops of the Bryansk and Western fronts went on the offensive in the Oryol direction, and on July 15, the troops of the Central.
August 5, 1943 (celebration day Pochaev icon Mother of God, as well as the icon "Joy of All Who Sorrow") was released Eagle. On the same day, the troops of the Steppe Front were liberated Belgorod. The Oryol offensive operation lasted 38 days and ended on August 18 with the defeat of a powerful group of Nazi troops aimed at Kursk from the north.
The events on the southern wing of the Soviet-German front had a significant impact on the further course of events in the Belgorod-Kursk sector. On July 17, the troops of the Southern and Southwestern Fronts went on the offensive. On the night of July 19, the general withdrawal of the Nazi troops began on the southern face of the Kursk salient.
August 23, 1943 liberation of Kharkov the strongest battle of the Great Patriotic War ended - the Battle of Kursk (it lasted 50 days). It ended with the defeat of the main grouping of German troops.
Liberation of Smolensk (1943)
Smolensk offensive operation August 7 - October 2, 1943. In the course of hostilities and the nature of the tasks performed, the Smolensk strategic offensive operation is divided into three stages. The first stage covers the period of hostilities from 7 to 20 August. During this stage, the troops of the Western Front carried out the Spas-Demenskaya operation. The troops of the left wing of the Kalinin Front began the Dukhovshchinskaya offensive operation. At the second stage (August 21 - September 6), the troops of the Western Front carried out the Yelnensko-Dorogobuzh operation, and the troops of the left wing of the Kalinin Front continued to conduct the Dukhovshchinskaya offensive operation. At the third stage (September 7 - October 2), the troops of the Western Front, in cooperation with the troops of the left wing of the Kalinin Front, carried out the Smolensk-Roslavl operation, and the main forces of the Kalinin Front carried out the Dukhovshchinsky-Demidov operation.September 25, 1943 troops of the Western Front liberated Smolensk- the most important strategic center of defense of the Nazi troops in the western direction.
As a result of the successful implementation of the Smolensk offensive operation, our troops broke into the heavily fortified multi-lane and deeply echeloned defenses of the enemy and advanced 200-225 km to the West.
Liberation of Donbass, Bryansk and left-bank Ukraine
August 13, 1943 began Donbass operation Southwestern and Southern fronts. The leadership of Nazi Germany gave the keeping of Donbass in their hands exclusively great importance. From the very first day, the fighting took on an extremely tense character. The enemy put up stubborn resistance. However, he failed to stop the offensive of the Soviet troops. The Nazi troops in the Donbass faced the threat of encirclement and a new Stalingrad. Retreating from the Left-Bank Ukraine, the Nazi command carried out a savage plan, drawn up according to the recipes for total war, for the complete devastation of the territory being abandoned. Along with regular troops, the mass extermination of civilians and their deportation to Germany, the destruction of industrial facilities, cities and other settlements were carried out by SS and police units. However, the rapid advance of the Soviet troops prevented him from fully implementing his plan.On August 26, the troops of the Central Front (commander - General of the Army K.K. Rokossovsky) launched an offensive, starting to carry out Chernigov-Poltava operation.
On September 2, the troops of the right wing of the Voronezh Front (commander - General of the Army N.F. Vatutin) liberated Sumy and launched an offensive against Romny.
Continuing to successfully develop the offensive, the troops of the Central Front advanced more than 200 km to the south-west and on September 15 liberated the city of Nizhyn, an important stronghold of the enemy defense on the outskirts of Kiev. 100 km remained to the Dnieper. The troops of the right wing of the Voronezh Front advancing south by September 10 broke the stubborn resistance of the enemy in the area of the city of Romny.
The troops of the right wing of the Central Front crossed the Desna River and on September 16 liberated the city of Novgorod-Seversky.
September 21 (Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary) Soviet troops liberated Chernihiv.
With the release of Soviet troops at the end of September to the border of the Dnieper, the liberation of the Left-Bank Ukraine was completed.
“... Rather, the Dnieper will flow back than the Russians will overcome it ...”, Hitler said. Indeed, the Broad, deep, high-water river with a high right bank was a serious natural barrier to the advancing Soviet troops. The Soviet high command clearly understood how important the Dnieper was for the retreating enemy, and did everything to force it on the move, seize bridgeheads on the right bank and prevent the enemy from gaining a foothold on this line. They tried to accelerate the advance of troops to the Dnieper, and to develop an offensive not only against the main enemy groupings retreating to permanent crossings, but also in the intervals between them. This made it possible to reach the Dnieper on a broad front and frustrate the plan of the Nazi command to make the "Eastern Wall" impregnable. Significant forces of partisans also actively joined the struggle, which subjected enemy communications to continuous blows and interfered with the regrouping of German troops.On September 21 (the feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos), the advanced units of the left wing of the Central Front reached the Dnieper north of Kyiv. Troops from other fronts were also successfully advancing these days. The troops of the right wing of the Southwestern Front reached the Dnieper on September 22 south of Dnepropetrovsk. From September 25 to 30, the troops of the Steppe Front in their entire offensive zone reached the Dnieper.
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At first, forward detachments crossed over on improvised means under continuous enemy fire and tried to cling to the right bank. After that, pontoon crossings for equipment were created. The troops that crossed to the right bank of the Dnieper had a very difficult time. Before they had time to gain a foothold there, fierce battles flared up. The enemy, having brought up large forces, continuously counterattacked, trying to destroy our subunits and units or to throw them into the river. But our troops, suffering heavy losses, showing exceptional courage and heroism, held the captured positions.
By the end of September, having knocked down the defenses of the enemy troops, our troops crossed the Dnieper in a front section of 750 kilometers from Loev to Zaporozhye and captured a number of important bridgeheads from which it was supposed to develop the offensive further to the west.
For crossing the Dnieper, for selflessness and heroism in the battles on the bridgeheads, 2438 soldiers of all branches of the armed forces (47 generals, 1123 officers and 1268 soldiers and sergeants) were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
On October 20, 1943, the Voronezh Front was renamed the 1st Ukrainian, the Steppe Front - into the 2nd Ukrainian, Southwestern and Southern Fronts into the 3rd and 4th Ukrainian.
On November 6, 1943, on the day of the celebration of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow", Kyiv was liberated from the fascist invaders by the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front under the command of General N.F. Vatutin.
After the liberation of Kyiv, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front launched an offensive against Zhytomyr, Fastov and Korosten. Over the next 10 days, they advanced 150 km west and liberated many settlements, including the cities of Fastov and Zhitomir. On the right bank of the Dnieper, a strategic bridgehead was formed, the length of which along the front exceeded 500 km.
Intense fighting continued in southern Ukraine. On October 14 (the feast of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos), the city of Zaporozhye was liberated and the German bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnieper was liquidated. On October 25, Dnepropetrovsk was liberated.
Tehran Conference of the Allied Powers. Opening a second front
From November 28 - December 1, 1943 took place Tehran Conference heads of allied powers against fascism of the states - the USSR (JV Stalin), the USA (President F. Roosevelt) and Great Britain (Prime Minister W. Churchill).The main issue was the opening of the second front in Europe by the USA and Great Britain, which they did not open despite their promises. At the conference, a decision was made to open a second front in France during May 1944. The Soviet delegation, at the request of the allies, announced the readiness of the USSR to enter the war against Japan at the end of the war. action in Europe. Questions about the post-war structure and the fate of Germany were also discussed at the conference.
December 24, 1943 - May 6, 1944 Dnieper-Carpathian strategic offensive operation. Within the framework of this strategic operation, 11 offensive operations of fronts and groups of fronts were carried out: Zhytomyr-Berdichevskaya, Kirovogradskaya, Korsun-Shevchenkovskaya, Nikopol-Krivorozhskaya, Rivne-Lutskaya, Proskurovsko-Chernovitskaya, Umansko-Botoshanskaya, Bereznegovato-Snigirevskaya, Polesskaya, Odessa and Tyrgu- Frumosskaya.December 24, 1943 – January 14, 1944 Zhytomyr-Berdichev operation. Having advanced 100-170 km, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front in 3 weeks of hostilities almost completely liberated the Kiev and Zhytomyr regions and many areas of the Vinnitsa and Rovno regions, including the cities of Zhitomir (December 31), Novograd-Volynsky (January 3) , Belaya Tserkov (January 4), Berdichev (January 5). On January 10-11, advanced units reached the approaches to Vinnitsa, Zhmerinka, Uman and Zhashkov; defeated 6 enemy divisions and deeply captured the left flank of the German grouping, which still held the right bank of the Dnieper in the Kanev area. Prerequisites were created for striking the flank and rear of this grouping.
January 5-16, 1944 Kirovograd operation. After intense fighting on January 8, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front captured Kirovograd and continued the offensive. However, on January 16, repelling the strong counterattacks of the enemy, they were forced to go on the defensive. As a result of the Kirovograd operation, the position of the Nazi troops in the zone of operations of the 2nd Ukrainian Front deteriorated significantly.
January 24 - February 17, 1944 Korsun-Shevchenko operation. During this operation, the troops of the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts surrounded and defeated a large grouping of Nazi troops in the Kanevsky salient.
January 27 - February 11, 1944 Rovno-Lutsk operation- was carried out by the troops of the right wing of the 1st Ukrainian Front. On February 2, the cities of Lutsk and Rivne were liberated, on February 11 - Shepetovka.
January 30 - February 29, 1944 Nikopol-Krivoy Rog operation. It was carried out by the troops of the 3rd and 4th Ukrainian fronts in order to eliminate the enemy's Nikopol bridgehead. By the end of February 7, the 4th Ukrainian Front completely cleared the Nikopol bridgehead from enemy troops and on February 8, together with units of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, liberated the city of Nikopol. After stubborn fighting, the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front on February 22 liberated the city of Krivoy Rog - a large industrial center and a road junction. By February 29, the 3rd Ukrainian Front, with its right wing and center, advanced to the Ingulets River, capturing a number of bridgeheads on its western bank. As a result, favorable conditions were created for delivering subsequent attacks on the enemy in the direction of Nikolaev and Odessa. As a result of the Nikopol-Krivoy Rog operation, 12 enemy divisions were defeated, including 3 tank and 1 motorized. Having eliminated the Nikopol bridgehead and pushed the enemy back from the Zaporozhye bend of the Dnieper, the Soviet troops deprived the Nazi command of the last hope of restoring land contact with the 17th Army blockaded in the Crimea. A significant reduction in the front line allowed the Soviet command to release forces to capture the Crimean peninsula.
On February 29, the commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front, General Nikolai Fedorovich Vatutin, was seriously wounded by Bandera. Unfortunately, it was not possible to save this talented commander. He passed away on April 15th.
By the spring of 1944, the troops of four Ukrainian fronts broke into the enemy's defenses all the way from Pripyat to the lower reaches of the Dnieper. Having advanced 150-250 km to the west for two months, they defeated several large enemy groupings and frustrated his plans to restore defense along the Dnieper. The liberation of the Kiev, Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye regions was completed, the entire Zhytomyr, almost completely Rivne and Kirovograd regions, a number of districts of Vinnitsa, Nikolaev, Kamenetz-Podolsk and Volyn regions were cleared of the enemy. Such large industrial regions as Nikopol and Krivoy Rog have been returned. The length of the front in Ukraine by the spring of 1944 reached 1200 km. In March, a new offensive was launched in Right-Bank Ukraine.
On March 4, the 1st Ukrainian Front went on the offensive, which held Proskurov-Chernivtsi offensive operation(March 4 - April 17, 1944).
On March 5, the 2nd Ukrainian Front began Uman-Botoshansk operation(March 5 - April 17, 1944).
March 6 began Bereznegovato-Snigirevsky operation 3rd Ukrainian Front (March 6-18, 1944). On March 11, Soviet troops liberated Berislav, on March 13, the 28th Army captured Kherson, and on March 15, Bereznegovatoye and Snigirevka were liberated. The troops of the right wing of the front, pursuing the enemy, reached the Southern Bug near Voznesensk.
On March 29, our troops captured the regional center, the city of Chernivtsi. The enemy lost the last link between his troops, operating north and south of the Carpathians. The strategic front of the Nazi troops was cut into two parts. On March 26, the city of Kamenetz-Podolsk was liberated.
The 2nd Belorussian Front provided significant assistance to the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front in defeating the northern wing of the Nazi Army Group South. Polessky offensive operation(March 15 - April 5, 1944).
March 26, 1944 advance detachments of the 27th and 52nd armies (2nd Ukrainian Front) west of the city of Balti reached the Prut River, occupying an 85-km section along the border of the USSR with Romania. It would the first exit of Soviet troops to the border of the USSR.
On the night of March 28, the troops of the right wing of the 2nd Ukrainian Front crossed the Prut and advanced 20-40 km deep into Romanian territory. On the approaches to Iasi and Chisinau, they met stubborn resistance from the enemy. The main result of the Uman-Botoshansky operation was the liberation of a significant part of the territory of Ukraine, Moldova and the entry of Soviet troops into Romania.
March 26 - April 14, 1944 Odessa offensive operation troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. On March 26, the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front went on the offensive in their entire zone. On March 28, after heavy fighting, the city of Nikolaev was taken.
On the evening of April 9, Soviet troops broke into Odessa from the north and captured the city by night assault by 10 am on April 10. Troops of three armies, commanded by Generals V.D. Tsvetaev, V.I. Chuikov and I.T. Shlemin, as well as the horse-mechanized group of General I.A. Pliev, took part in the liberation of Odessa.
April 8 - May 6, 1944 Tyrgu-Frumosskaya offensive operation of the 2nd Ukrainian Front was the final operation of the strategic offensive of the Red Army in the Right-Bank Ukraine. Its purpose was to strike in the direction of Targu Frumos, Vaslui to cover the Chisinau grouping of the enemy from the west. The offensive of the troops of the right wing of the 2nd Ukrainian Front began quite successfully. In the period from April 8 to April 11, having broken the resistance of the enemy, they crossed the Siret River, advanced 30-50 km in the southwestern and southern directions and reached the foothills of the Carpathians. However, the tasks were not completed. Our troops went over to the defensive at the achieved lines.
Liberation of Crimea (April 8 - May 12, 1944)
On April 8, the offensive of the 4th Ukrainian Front began with the aim of liberating the Crimea. On April 11, our troops captured Dzhankoy, a powerful stronghold in the enemy's defense and an important road junction. The exit of the 4th Ukrainian Front to the Dzhankoy region endangered the retreat routes of the enemy's Kerch grouping and thus created favorable conditions for the offensive of the Separate Primorsky Army. Fearing encirclement, the enemy decided to withdraw troops from the Kerch Peninsula. Having discovered preparations for withdrawal, the Separate Primorsky Army on the night of April 11 went on the offensive. On April 13, Soviet troops liberated the cities of Evpatoria, Simferopol and Feodosia. And on April 15-16, they reached the approaches to Sevastopol, where they were stopped by the organized defense of the enemy.On April 18, the Separate Primorsky Army was renamed the Primorsky Army and included in the 4th Ukrainian Front.
Our troops were preparing for the assault. May 9, 1944 Sevastopol was liberated. The remnants of the German troops fled to Cape Chersonese, hoping to escape by sea. But on May 12 they were completely crushed. At Cape Khersones, 21 thousand enemy soldiers and officers were captured, a large amount of weapons and military equipment was captured.
Western Ukraine
July 27 after stubborn fighting was liberated Lviv.In July-August 1944, Soviet troops liberated from the Nazi invaders western regions of Ukraine, as well as southeastern part of Poland, captured a large bridgehead on the western bank of the Vistula River, from which an offensive was subsequently launched into the central regions of Poland and further to the borders of Germany.
The final lifting of the blockade of Leningrad. Karelia
January 14 - March 1, 1944. Leningrad-Novgorod offensive operation. As a result of the offensive, Soviet troops liberated the territory of almost the entire Leningrad and part of the Kalinin regions from the invaders, completely lifted the blockade from Leningrad, and entered Estonia. The basing area of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet in the Gulf of Finland has expanded significantly. Favorable conditions were created for defeating the enemy in the Baltic states and in areas north of Leningrad.June 10 - August 9, 1944 Vyborg-Petrozavodsk offensive operation Soviet troops on the Karelian Isthmus.
Liberation of Belarus and Lithuania
June 23 - August 29, 1944 Belarusian strategic offensive operation Soviet troops in Belarus and Lithuania "Bagration". As part of the Belarusian operation, the Vitebsk-Orsha operation was also carried out.The general offensive was launched on June 23 by the troops of the 1st Baltic Front (commanded by Colonel-General I.Kh. Bagramyan), by the troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front (commanded by Colonel-General I.D. Colonel General G.F. Zakharov). The next day, the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front under the command of General of the Army K.K. Rokossovsky went on the offensive. Behind enemy lines, partisan detachments began active operations.
The troops of the four fronts, with persistent and coordinated strikes, broke through the defenses to a depth of 25-30 km, crossed a number of rivers on the move and inflicted significant damage on the enemy.
In the Bobruisk area, about six divisions of the 35th Army and 41st Tank Corps of the 9th German Army were surrounded.
July 3, 1944 Soviet troops liberated Minsk. As Marshal G.K. Zhukov, "the capital of Belarus could not be recognized ... Now everything lay in ruins, and in the place of residential areas there were wastelands covered with piles of broken bricks and debris. The most difficult impression was made by people, residents of Minsk. Most of them were extremely exhausted, exhausted. .."
On June 29 - July 4, 1944, the troops of the 1st Baltic Front successfully carried out the Polotsk operation, destroying the enemy in this area, and on July 4 liberated Polotsk. Troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front on July 5 captured the city of Molodechno.
As a result of the defeat of large enemy forces near Vitebsk, Mogilev, Bobruisk and Minsk, the immediate goal of the Bagration operation was achieved, and several days ahead of schedule. In 12 days - from June 23 to July 4 - Soviet troops advanced almost 250 km. The Vitebsk, Mogilev, Polotsk, Minsk and Bobruisk regions were completely liberated.
On July 18, 1944 (the feast of St. Sergius of Radonezh), Soviet troops crossed the border of Poland.
On July 24 (on the feast day of St. Princess Olga of Russia), the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front with their forward units reached the Vistula near Demblin. Here they released the prisoners of the Majdanek death camp, in which the Nazis exterminated about one and a half million people.
On August 1, 1944 (on the feast of St. Seraphim of Sarov), our troops reached the borders of East Prussia.
The troops of the Red Army, having launched an offensive on June 23 on a front of 700 km, by the end of August advanced 550-600 km to the west, expanding the front of hostilities to 1,100 km. The vast territory of the Belarusian Republic was cleared of the invaders - 80% and a fourth of Poland.
Warsaw Uprising (August 1 - October 2, 1944)
On August 1, 1994, an anti-Nazi uprising was raised in Warsaw. In response, the Germans committed atrocious reprisals against the population. The city was destroyed to the ground. Soviet troops made an attempt to help the rebels, crossed the Vistula and captured the embankment in Warsaw. However, soon the Germans began to push our units, the Soviet troops suffered heavy losses. It was decided to withdraw the troops. The uprising lasted 63 days and was crushed. Warsaw was the front line of the German defense, and the rebels had only light weapons. Without the help of Russian troops, the rebels had practically no chance of victory. And the uprising, unfortunately, was not agreed with the command of the Soviet army in order to receive effective assistance from our troops.Liberation of Moldova, Romania, Slovakia
August 20 - 29, 1944. Iasi-Chisinau offensive operation.In April 1944, as a result of a successful offensive in Right-Bank Ukraine, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front reached the line of the cities of Iasi and Orhei and went on the defensive. The troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front reached the Dniester River and captured several bridgeheads on its western bank. These fronts, as well as the Black Sea Fleet and the Danube military flotilla, were tasked with carrying out the Iasi-Kishinev strategic offensive operation in order to defeat a large grouping of German and Romanian troops covering the Balkan direction.
As a result of the successful implementation of the Yassy-Kishinev operation, Soviet troops completed the liberation of Moldova and the Izmail region of Ukraine.
August 23, 1944 - an armed uprising in Romania. which resulted in the overthrow of the fascist regime of Antonescu. The next day, Romania withdrew from the war on the side of Germany and on August 25 declared war on her. Since that time, the Romanian troops took part in the war on the side of the Red Army.
September 8 - October 28, 1944 East Carpathian offensive operation. As a result of the offensive of the units of the 1st and 4th Ukrainian fronts in the Eastern Carpathians, our troops liberated almost the entire Transcarpathian Ukraine, on September 20 went to the border of Slovakia, liberated part of Eastern Slovakia. The breakthrough to the Hungarian lowland opened the prospect of the liberation of Czechoslovakia and access to the southern border of Germany.
the Baltic States
September 14 - November 24, 1944 Baltic offensive operation. This is one of the largest operations in the autumn of 1944, 12 armies of the three Baltic fronts and the Leningrad front were deployed on the 500-km front. The Baltic Fleet was also involved.September 22, 1944 - liberated Tallinn. In the following days (until September 26), the troops of the Leningrad Front came to the coast all the way from Tallinn to Pärnu, thereby completing the clearing of the enemy from the entire territory of Estonia, with the exception of the islands of Dago and Ezel.
On October 11, our troops reached borders with East Prussia. Continuing the offensive, by the end of October they had completely cleared the northern bank of the Neman River from the enemy.
As a result of the offensive of the Soviet troops in the Baltic strategic direction, Army Group North was expelled from almost the entire Baltic and lost communications that connected it by land with East Prussia. The struggle for the Baltic was long and extremely fierce. The enemy, having a well-developed road network, actively maneuvered with his own forces and means, put up stubborn resistance to the Soviet troops, often turning into counterattacks and delivering counterattacks. On his part, up to 25% of all forces on the Soviet-German front participated in the hostilities. During the Baltic operation, 112 soldiers were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Yugoslavia
September 28 - October 20, 1944 Belgrade offensive operation. The purpose of the operation was to use the joint efforts of the Soviet and Yugoslav troops in the Belgrade direction, the Yugoslav and Bulgarian troops in the Nis and Skopje directions to defeat the army group "Serbia" and liberate the eastern half of the territory of Serbia, including Belgrade. To accomplish these tasks, the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian (57th and 17th air armies, the 4th guards mechanized corps and units of front subordination) and the 2nd Ukrainian (46th and parts of the 5th air army) fronts were involved . The offensive of the Soviet troops in Yugoslavia forced the German command to make a decision on October 7, 1944 to withdraw its main forces from Greece, Albania and Macedonia. By the same time, the troops of the left wing of the 2nd Ukrainian Front reached the Tisza River, freeing the entire left bank of the Danube east of the Tisza mouth from the enemy. On October 14 (the feast of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos), an order was given to begin the assault on Belgrade.The 20th of October Belgrade was liberated. The battles for the liberation of the capital of Yugoslavia lasted a week and were extremely stubborn.
With the liberation of the capital of Yugoslavia, the Belgrade offensive operation ended. During it, the army group "Serbia" was defeated and a number of formations of the army group "F" were defeated. As a result of the operation, the enemy front was pushed back 200 km to the west, the eastern half of Serbia was liberated, and the enemy's transport artery Thessaloniki-Belgrade was cut. At the same time, favorable conditions were created for the Soviet troops advancing in the direction of Budapest. The headquarters of the Supreme High Command could now use the forces of the 3rd Ukrainian Front to defeat the enemy in Hungary. The inhabitants of the villages and cities of Yugoslavia warmly welcomed the Soviet soldiers. They took to the streets with flowers, shook hands, hugged and kissed their liberators. The air was filled with solemn bells and Russian melodies performed by local musicians. The medal "For the Liberation of Belgrade" was established.
Karelian front, 1944
October 7 - 29, 1944 Petsamo-Kirkenes offensive operation. The successful conduct of the Vyborg-Petrozavodsk strategic offensive operation by the Soviet troops forced Finland to withdraw from the war. By the autumn of 1944, the troops of the Karelian Front basically reached the pre-war border with Finland, with the exception of the Far North, where the Nazis continued to occupy part of the Soviet and Finnish territories. Germany sought to retain this region of the Arctic, which was an important source of strategic raw materials (copper, nickel, molybdenum) and had ice-free seaports where the forces of the German fleet were based. The commander of the Karelian Front, General of the Army K. A. Meretskov, wrote: “Under the feet of the tundra, damp and somehow uncomfortable, from below breathes lifelessness: there, in the depths, permafrost lying in islands begins, and after all, soldiers have to sleep on this land, laying under him only one half of his overcoat ... Sometimes the earth rises with bare masses of granite rocks ... Nevertheless, it was necessary to fight. And not just fight, but attack, beat the enemy, drive him and destroy him. I had to remember the words of the great Suvorov: "Where a deer passed, a Russian soldier would pass there, and where a deer did not pass, a Russian soldier would pass anyway." On October 15, the city of Petsamo (Pechenga) was liberated. Back in 1533, a Russian monastery was founded at the mouth of the Pechenga River. Soon here, at the base of a wide bay of the Barents Sea, convenient for sailors, a port was built. Through Pechenga there was a lively trade with Norway, Holland, England and other Western countries. In 1920, under a peace treaty of October 14, Soviet Russia voluntarily ceded the Pechenga region to Finland.On October 25, Kirkenes was liberated, and the struggle was so fierce that every house and every street had to be stormed.
854 Soviet prisoners of war and 772 civilians driven by the Nazis from the Leningrad region were rescued from concentration camps.
The last cities our troops reached were Neiden and Nautsi.
Hungary
October 29, 1944 - February 13, 1945 The assault and capture of Budapest.The offensive began on 29 October. The German command took all measures to prevent the capture of Budapest by Soviet troops and the withdrawal of its last ally from the war. Fierce battles flared up on the outskirts of Budapest. Our troops achieved significant success, but they could not defeat the enemy's Budapest grouping and take possession of the city. Finally managed to surround Budapest. But the city was a fortress prepared by the Nazis for a long defense. Hitler ordered to fight for Budapest to the last soldier. The battles for the liberation of the eastern part of the city (Pest) went on from December 27 to January 18, and its western part (Buda) - from January 20 to February 13.
During the Budapest operation, Soviet troops liberated a significant part of the territory of Hungary. The offensive operations of the Soviet troops in the autumn and winter of 1944–1945 in the southwestern direction led to a radical change in the entire political situation in the Balkans. In addition to Romania and Bulgaria, which were previously withdrawn from the war, another state was added - Hungary.
Slovakia and Southern Poland
January 12 - February 18, 1945. West Carpathian offensive operation. In the West Carpathian operation, our troops had to overcome the defensive lines of the enemy, stretching in depth for 300-350 km. The offensive was carried out by the 4th Ukrainian Front (commander - General of the Army I.E. Petrov) and part of the forces of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. As a result of the winter offensive of the Red Army in the Western Carpathians, our troops liberated vast areas of Slovakia and southern Poland with a population of about 1.5 million people.Warsaw-Berlin direction
January 12 - February 3, 1945. Vistula-Oder offensive operation. The offensive in the Warsaw-Berlin direction was carried out by the forces of the 1st Belorussian Front under the command of Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov and the 1st Ukrainian Front under the command of Marshal of the Soviet Union I.S. Konev. Soldiers of the Polish Army fought together with the Russians. The actions of the troops of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts to defeat the Nazi troops between the Vistula and the Oder can be divided into two stages. On the first (from January 12 to 17), the enemy's strategic defense front was broken through in a strip of about 500 km, the main forces of Army Group A were defeated, and conditions were created for the rapid development of the operation to a greater depth.January 17, 1945 was liberated Warsaw. The Nazis literally wiped the city off the face of the earth, and local residents mercilessly destroyed.
At the second stage (from January 18 to February 3), the troops of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts, with the assistance on the flanks of the troops of the 2nd Belorussian and 4th Ukrainian fronts, in the course of the rapid pursuit of the enemy, defeated the enemy reserves advanced from the depths, captured Silesian industrial region and went out on a wide front to the Oder, capturing a number of bridgeheads on its western bank.
As a result of the Vistula-Oder operation, a significant part of Poland was liberated, and hostilities were transferred to German territory. About 60 divisions of German troops were defeated.
January 13 - April 25, 1945 East Prussian offensive operation. In the course of this long-term strategic operation, the Insterburg, Mlavsko-Elbing, Hejlsberg, Koenigsberg and Zemland front offensive operations were carried out.
East Prussia was Germany's main strategic foothold for attacking Russia and Poland. This territory also tightly covered access to the central regions of Germany. Therefore, the fascist command attached great importance to the retention of East Prussia. Relief features - lakes, rivers, swamps and canals, a developed network of highways and railways, strong stone buildings - greatly contributed to the defense.
The overall goal of the East Prussian strategic offensive operation was to cut off the enemy troops located in East Prussia from the rest of the fascist forces, press them to the sea, dismember and destroy in parts, completely clearing the territory of East Prussia and Northern Poland from the enemy.
Three fronts took part in the operation: the 2nd Belorussian (commander - Marshal K.K. Rokossovsky), the 3rd Belorussian (commander - General of the Army I.D. Chernyakhovsky) and the 1st Baltic (commander - General I.Kh. Bagramyan). They were assisted by the Baltic Fleet under the command of Admiral V.F. Tributs.
The fronts began the offensive successfully (January 13 - the 3rd Belorussian and January 14 - the 2nd Belorussian). By January 18, the German troops, despite desperate resistance, suffered a heavy defeat in the places of the main blows of our armies and began to retreat. Until the end of January, waging the most stubborn battles, our troops captured a significant part of East Prussia. Coming out to the sea, they cut off the East Prussian grouping of the enemy from the rest of the forces. At the same time, on January 28, the 1st Baltic Front captured the large seaport of Memel (Klaipeda).
On February 10, the second stage of hostilities began - the elimination of isolated enemy groups. On February 18, General of the Army I.D. Chernyakhovsky died from a serious wound. The command of the 3rd Belorussian Front was entrusted to Marshal A.M. Vasilevsky. During intense fighting, Soviet troops suffered serious losses. By March 29, it was possible to defeat the Nazis, who occupied the Heilsber region. Further, it was planned to defeat the Koenigsberg grouping. Around the city, the Germans created three powerful defensive positions. The city was declared by Hitler the best German fortress in the history of Germany and "absolutely impregnable bastion of the German spirit."
Assault on Koenigsberg started April 6th. On April 9, the garrison of the fortress capitulated. Moscow celebrated the completion of the assault on Koenigsberg with a salute of the highest category - 24 artillery volleys from 324 guns. The medal "For the capture of Koenigsberg" was established, which was usually done only on the occasion of capturing the capitals of states. All participants in the assault received a medal. On April 17, the grouping of German troops near Koenigsberg was liquidated.
After the capture of Koenigsberg, only the Zemland enemy grouping remained in East Prussia, which was defeated by the end of April.
In East Prussia, the Red Army destroyed 25 German divisions, the other 12 divisions lost from 50 to 70% of their composition. Soviet troops captured more than 220 thousand soldiers and officers.
But the Soviet troops also suffered huge losses: 126.5 thousand soldiers and officers died and went missing, more than 458 thousand soldiers were injured or out of action due to illness.
Yalta Conference of the Allied Powers
This conference was held from February 4 to February 11, 1945. The heads of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition - the USSR, the USA and Great Britain - I. Stalin, F. Roosevelt and W. Churchill took part in it. The victory over fascism was no longer in doubt, it was a matter of time. The conference discussed the post-war structure of the world, the division of spheres of influence. It was decided to occupy and divide Germany into occupation zones and to allocate its own zone to France. For the USSR, the main task was to ensure the security of its borders after the end of the war. So, for example, there was a provisional government of Poland in exile, based in London. However, Stalin insisted on the creation of a new government in Poland, since it was from the territory of Poland that attacks on Russia were conveniently carried out by its enemies.In Yalta, the “Declaration on a Liberated Europe” was also signed, which, in particular, stated: “The establishment of order in Europe and the reorganization of national economic life must be achieved in such a way that will allow the liberated peoples to destroy the last traces of Nazism and fascism and create democratic institutions of their own choice.
At the Yalta Conference, an agreement was concluded on the entry of the USSR into the war against Japan two or three months after the end of the war in Europe and on the condition that Russia return South Sakhalin and the adjacent islands, as well as the naval base in Port Arthur that previously belonged to Russia and on the condition transfer of the Kuril Islands to the USSR.
The most important outcome of the conference was the decision to convene a conference on April 25, 1945 in San Francisco, at which it was supposed to develop a Charter new Organization United Nations.
Coast of the Baltic Sea
February 10 - April 4, 1945. East Pomeranian Offensive. The enemy command continued to hold the coast of the Baltic Sea in Eastern Pomerania in its hands, as a result of which between the armies of the 1st Belorussian Front, which reached the Oder River, and the troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front, whose main forces were fighting in East Prussia, in early February 1945 a gap about 150 km long was formed. This strip of terrain was occupied by the limited forces of the Soviet troops. As a result of hostilities, by March 13, the troops of the 1st Belorussian and 2nd Belorussian fronts reached the coast of the Baltic Sea. By April 4, the East Pomeranian enemy grouping was liquidated. The enemy, having suffered huge losses, not only lost a bridgehead convenient for operations against our troops preparing for an attack on Berlin, but also a significant part of the coast of the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Fleet, having relocated its light forces to the ports of Eastern Pomerania, took advantageous positions on the Baltic Sea and could provide the coastal flank of the Soviet troops during their offensive in the Berlin direction.Vein
March 16 - April 15, 1945. Vienna offensive operation In January-March 1945, as a result of the Budapest and Balaton operations carried out by the Red Army, the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front (commander - Marshal of the Soviet Union F. I. Tolbukhin) defeated the enemy in the central part of Hungary and moved west.April 4, 1945 Soviet troops completed the liberation of Hungary and launched an offensive against Vienna.
Fierce battles for the capital of Austria began the very next day - April 5th. The city was covered from three sides - from the south, east and west. Leading stubborn street battles, Soviet troops advanced towards the city center. Fierce battles flared up for each quarter, and sometimes even for a separate building. By 2 p.m. on April 13, the Soviet troops were completely liberated Vienna.
During the Vienna operation, Soviet troops fought 150-200 km, completed the liberation of Hungary and the eastern part of Austria with its capital. The fighting during the Vienna operation was extremely fierce. The most combat-ready divisions of the Wehrmacht (6th SS Panzer Army) opposed the Soviet troops here, which shortly before that had inflicted a serious defeat on the Americans in the Ardennes. But the Soviet soldiers in a fierce struggle crushed this color of the Nazi Wehrmacht. True, the victory was achieved at the cost of considerable sacrifice.
Berlin offensive operation (April 16 - May 2, 1945)
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The offensive of the Russian troops was planned very carefully. In a relatively narrow sector of the front, 65 rifle divisions, 3155 tanks and self-propelled vehicles, about 42 thousand guns and mortars were concentrated in a short time. The idea of the Soviet command was to break through the enemy defenses along the Oder and Neisse rivers with powerful blows from the troops of three fronts and, developing the offensive in depth, encircle the main grouping of Nazi troops in the Berlin direction with the simultaneous dissection of it into several parts and the subsequent destruction of each of them. them. In the future, Soviet troops were to reach the Elbe. The completion of the defeat of the Nazi troops was supposed to be carried out jointly with the Western allies, an agreement in principle with which to coordinate actions was reached at the Crimean Conference. The main role in the upcoming operation was assigned to the 1st Belorussian Front (commander Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov), the 1st Ukrainian Front (commander - Marshal of the Soviet Union I.S. Konev) was to defeat the enemy group south of Berlin. The front delivered two blows: the main one in the general direction of Spremberg and the auxiliary one on Dresden. The beginning of the offensive of the troops of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts was scheduled for April 16. On the 2nd Belorussian Front (commander - Marshal of the Soviet Union K.K. Rokossovsky) was to launch an offensive on April 20, force the Oder in its lower reaches and strike in a north-western direction in order to cut off the West Pomeranian enemy grouping from Berlin. In addition, the 2nd Belorussian Front was tasked with part of the forces to cover the coast of the Baltic Sea from the mouth of the Vistula to Altdamm.
It was decided to start the main offensive two hours before dawn. One hundred and forty anti-aircraft searchlights were supposed to suddenly illuminate enemy positions and objects of attack. Sudden and powerful artillery preparation and air strikes, followed by an attack by infantry and tanks, stunned the Germans. Hitler's troops were literally sunk in a continuous sea of fire and metal. On the morning of April 16, Russian troops were successfully moving forward in all sectors of the front. However, the enemy, having come to his senses, began to resist from the Seelow Heights - this natural line stood as a solid wall in front of our troops. The steep slopes of the Zelov Heights were pitted with trenches and trenches. All approaches to them were shot through with multi-layered cross-artillery and rifle-machine-gun fire. Separate buildings have been turned into strongholds, barriers made of logs and metal beams have been set up on the roads, and the approaches to them have been mined. On both sides of the highway leading from the city of Zelov to the west, there were anti-aircraft artillery, which was used for anti-tank defense. The approaches to the heights were blocked by an anti-tank ditch up to 3 m deep and 3.5 m wide. Having assessed the situation, Marshal Zhukov decided to bring tank armies into battle. However, even with their help it was not possible to quickly seize the border. Seelow heights were taken only by the morning of April 18, after fierce battles. However, on April 18, the enemy was still trying to stop the advance of our troops, throwing all his available reserves towards them. Only on April 19, suffering heavy losses, the Germans could not stand it and began to withdraw to the outer contour of the defense of Berlin.
The offensive of the 1st Ukrainian Front developed more successfully. Having crossed the Neisse River, by the end of the day on April 16, combined-arms and tank formations broke through the main enemy defense line on a front of 26 km and to a depth of 13 km. During the three days of the offensive, the armies of the 1st Ukrainian Front advanced up to 30 km in the direction of the main attack.
Storming Berlin
April 20 began the assault on Berlin. Long-range artillery of our troops opened fire on the city. On April 21, our units broke into the outskirts of Berlin and started fighting in the city itself. The fascist German command made desperate efforts to prevent the encirclement of their capital. It was decided to remove all troops from the Western Front and throw them into the battle for Berlin. However, on April 25, the encirclement ring around the Berlin grouping of the enemy was closed. On the same day, a meeting of Soviet and American troops took place in the Torgau region on the Elbe River. The 2nd Belorussian Front, by active operations in the lower reaches of the Oder, reliably fettered the 3rd German Panzer Army, depriving it of the opportunity to launch a counterattack from the north against the Soviet armies surrounding Berlin. Our troops suffered heavy losses, but, inspired by the successes, they rushed to the center of Berlin, where the main command of the enemy, headed by Hitler, was still located. Fierce battles unfolded on the streets of the city. The fighting did not stop day or night.
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April 30 early in the morning began assault on the Reichstag. The approaches to the Reichstag were covered by strong buildings, the defense was held by selected SS units with a total number of about six thousand people, equipped with tanks, assault guns and artillery. At about 3 pm on April 30, the Red Banner was hoisted over the Reichstag. However, the fighting in the Reichstag continued throughout the day of 1 May and the night of 2 May. Separate scattered groups of Nazis, who settled in the basement, capitulated only on the morning of May 2.
On April 30, the German troops in Berlin were divided into four parts of different composition, and their unified command was lost.
At 3 am on May 1, the chief of the general staff of the German ground forces, General of the Infantry G. Krebs, by agreement with the Soviet command, crossed the front line in Berlin and was received by the commander of the 8th Guards Army, General V. I. Chuikov. Krebs announced Hitler's suicide, and also handed over a list of members of the new imperial government and the proposal of Goebbels and Bormann for a temporary cessation of hostilities in the capital in order to prepare the conditions for peace negotiations between Germany and the USSR. However, this document did not say anything about surrender. Krebs' message was immediately reported by Marshal G.K. Zhukov to the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. The answer was: seek only unconditional surrender. On the evening of May 1, the German command sent an envoy who announced the refusal to capitulate. In response to this, the final assault began on the central part of the city, where the Imperial Chancellery was located. On May 2, by 3 p.m., the enemy in Berlin had completely ceased resistance.
Prague
May 6 - 11, 1945. Prague offensive operation. After the defeat of the enemy in the Berlin direction, the only force capable of providing serious resistance to the Red Army remained the Army Group Center and part of the Army Group Austria, located on the territory of Czechoslovakia. The idea of the Prague operation was to encircle, dismember and in a short time defeat the main forces of the Nazi troops on the territory of Czechoslovakia by delivering several blows in converging directions to Prague, to prevent their retreat to the west. The main attacks on the flanks of Army Group Center were delivered by the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front from the area northwest of Dresden and the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front from the area south of Brno.On May 5, a spontaneous uprising began in Prague. Tens of thousands of city residents took to the streets. They not only built hundreds of barricades, but also seized the central post office, telegraph, railway stations, bridges over the Vltava, a number of military depots, disarmed several small units stationed in Prague, and established control over a significant part of the city. On May 6, German troops, using tanks, artillery and aircraft against the rebels, entered Prague and captured a significant part of the city. The rebels, having suffered heavy losses, turned over the radio to the allies for help. In this regard, Marshal I. S. Konev ordered the troops of his shock group to launch an offensive on the morning of May 6.
On the afternoon of May 7, the commander of Army Group Center received on the radio an order from Field Marshal V. Keitel about the surrender of German troops on all fronts, but did not bring him to his subordinates. On the contrary, he gave his orders to the troops, in which he stated that the rumors of surrender were false, they were being spread by Anglo-American and Soviet propaganda. On May 7, American officers arrived in Prague, who announced the surrender of Germany and advised to stop the fighting in Prague. At night it became known that the head of the garrison of German troops in Prague, General R. Toussaint, was ready to enter into negotiations with the leadership of the rebels about surrender. At 4 p.m., an act of surrender was signed by the German garrison. Under its terms, German troops received the right to freely withdraw to the west, leaving heavy weapons at the exit from the city.
On May 9, our troops entered Prague and, with the active support of the population and the fighting squads of the rebels, the Soviet troops cleared the city of the Nazis. The possible retreat of the main forces of Army Group Center to the west and southwest with the capture of Prague by Soviet troops was cut off. The main forces of the Army Group "Center" were in the "bag" east of Prague. On May 10-11, they capitulated and were captured by Soviet troops.
Surrender of Germany
On May 6, on the day of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious, Grand Admiral Doenitz, who was the head of the German state after the suicide of Hitler, agreed to the surrender of the Wehrmacht, Germany recognized itself defeated.On the night of May 7, in Reims, where Eisenhower's headquarters was located, a preliminary protocol on the surrender of Germany was signed, according to which, from 23 hours on May 8, hostilities ceased on all fronts. The protocol specifically stipulated that it was not a comprehensive surrender treaty for Germany and its armed forces. It was signed on behalf of the Soviet Union by General ID Susloparov, on behalf of the Western Allies by General W. Smith, and on behalf of Germany by General Jodl. Only a witness was present from France. After the signing of this act, our Western allies hastened to notify the world of Germany's surrender to the American and British troops. However, Stalin insisted that "surrender must be committed as the most important historical act and adopted not on the territory of the winners, but where the fascist aggression came from - in Berlin, and not unilaterally, but necessarily by the supreme command of all countries of the anti-Hitler coalition ".
On the night of May 8-9, 1945, the Act of Unconditional Surrender was signed in Karlshorst (an eastern suburb of Berlin). Nazi Germany. The ceremony of signing the act took place in the building of the military engineering school, where a special hall was prepared, decorated with the state flags of the USSR, the USA, England and France. At the main table were representatives of the allied powers. The hall was attended by Soviet generals, whose troops took Berlin, as well as Soviet and foreign journalists. Marshal Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov was appointed representative of the Supreme High Command of the Soviet troops. The High Command of the Allied Forces was represented by the British Air Marshal Arthur V. Tedder, the commander of the US strategic air forces, General Spaatz, and the commander-in-chief of the French army, General Delattre de Tassigny. From the German side, Field Marshal Keitel, Admiral of the Fleet von Friedeburg and Colonel General of Aviation Stumpf were authorized to sign the act of unconditional surrender.
The ceremony of signing the surrender at 24 o'clock was opened by Marshal G.K. Zhukov. At his suggestion, Keitel presented the heads of the allied delegations with a document on his powers, signed by Doenitz. The German delegation was then asked whether it had the Act of Unconditional Surrender in hand and whether it had studied it. After Keitel's affirmative answer, the representatives of the German armed forces, at the sign of Marshal Zhukov, signed an act drawn up in 9 copies. Then Tedder and Zhukov put their signatures, and representatives of the United States and France as witnesses. The procedure for signing the surrender ended at 00:43 on May 9, 1945. The German delegation, by order of Zhukov, left the hall. The act consisted of 6 paragraphs of the following content:
"one. We, the undersigned, acting on behalf of the German High Command, agree to the unconditional surrender of all our armed forces on land, sea and air, as well as all forces currently under German command, to the High Command of the Red Army and at the same time to the High Command Allied Expeditionary Force.
2. The German High Command will immediately issue orders to all German commanders of the land, sea and air forces and to all forces under German command to cease hostilities at 23:01 hours Central European Time on May 8, 1945, to remain in their places where they are at this time, and disarm completely, handing over all their weapons and military equipment to local Allied commanders or officers assigned by representatives of the Allied High Command, not to destroy or cause any damage to steamships, ships and aircraft, their engines, hulls and equipment, but also machines, armaments, apparatuses and all military-technical means of warfare in general.
3. The German High Command will immediately assign appropriate commanders and ensure that all further orders issued by the Supreme High Command of the Red Army and the High Command of the Allied Expeditionary Forces are carried out.
4. This act shall not prevent its replacement by another general instrument of surrender, concluded by or on behalf of the United Nations, applicable to Germany and the German armed forces as a whole.
5. In the event that the German High Command or any armed forces under its command do not act in accordance with this act of surrender, the High Command of the Red Army, as well as the High Command of the Allied Expeditionary Force, will take such punitive measures or other actions. as they deem necessary.
6. This act is drawn up in Russian, English and German. Only Russian and English texts are authentic.
At 0:50 the meeting was adjourned. After that, a reception took place, which was held with great enthusiasm. Much was said about the desire to strengthen friendly relations between the countries of the anti-fascist coalition. The festive dinner ended with songs and dances. As Marshal Zhukov recalls: "Soviet generals danced beyond competition. I also could not resist and, remembering my youth, I danced" Russian ""
The land, sea and air forces of the Wehrmacht on the Soviet-German front began to lay down their arms. By the end of the day on May 8, the resistance was pressed against Baltic Sea Army Group Courland. About 190 thousand soldiers and officers, including 42 generals, surrendered. On the morning of May 9, German troops surrendered in the area of Danzig and Gdynia. About 75 thousand soldiers and officers, including 12 generals, laid down their arms here. Task Force Narvik capitulated in Norway.
The Soviet landing force, which landed on the Danish island of Bornholm on May 9, captured it 2 days later and captured the German garrison (12,000 people) stationed there.
Small groups of Germans on the territory of Czechoslovakia and Austria, who did not want to surrender along with the bulk of the troops of Army Group Center and tried to make their way to the west, the Soviet troops had to destroy until May 19.
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Potsdam Conference (July 17 - August 2, 1945)
This conference was attended by governmental delegations of the allied states. The Soviet delegation headed by JV Stalin, the British delegation headed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the American delegation headed by President G. Truman. The first official meeting was attended by heads of government, all foreign ministers, their first deputies, military and civilian advisers and experts. The main issue of the conference was the question of the post-war structure of the countries of Europe and the reorganization of Germany. An agreement was reached on political and economic principles for coordinating Allied policy towards Germany during the period of Allied control over it. The text of the agreement stated that German militarism and Nazism were to be eradicated, all Nazi institutions were to be dissolved, and all members of the Nazi Party were to be removed from public office. War criminals must be arrested and brought to justice. The production of German armaments must be prohibited. With regard to the restoration of the German economy, it was decided that the main attention should be given to the development of peaceful industry and agriculture. Also, at the insistence of Stalin, it was decided that Germany should remain a single entity (the United States and England proposed dividing Germany into three states).According to N.A. Narochnitskaya, “The most important, although never spoken aloud, result of Yalta and Potsdam was the actual recognition of the succession of the USSR in relation to the geopolitical area Russian Empire combined with newfound military power and international influence.
Tatyana Radynova
The opposition of the Russian people to the aggression of Germany and other countries seeking to establish a "new world order". This war became a battle between two opposing civilizations, in which western world set as its goal the complete destruction of Russia - the USSR as a state and nation, the seizure of a significant part of its territories and the formation of puppet regimes subject to Germany in the rest of its parts. The Judeo-Masonic regimes of the USA and England, who saw Hitler as an instrument for the implementation of their plans for world domination and the destruction of Russia, pushed Germany to war against Russia.
On June 22, 1941, the German armed forces, consisting of 103 divisions, including 10 tank divisions, invaded Russia. Their total number numbered five and a half million people, of which more than 900 thousand were military personnel of the Western allies of Germany - Italians, Spaniards, French, Dutch, Finns, Romanians, Hungarians, etc. This treacherous Western international was given 4300 tanks and assault guns , 4980 combat aircraft, 47200 guns and mortars.
Opposing the aggressor, the Russian armed forces of five western border military districts and three fleets were twice as inferior to the enemy in manpower, and in the first echelon of our armies there were only 56 rifle and cavalry divisions, which were difficult to compete with the German tank corps. The aggressor also had a great advantage in terms of artillery, tanks and aircraft of the latest designs.
By nationality, more than 90% of the Soviet army opposing Germany were Russians (Great Russians, Little Russians and Belarusians), which is why it can be called the Russian army without exaggeration, which does not in the least detract from the feasible contribution of other peoples of Russia in confronting the common enemy.
Treacherously, without declaring war, having concentrated overwhelming superiority on the direction of strikes, the aggressor broke through the defenses of the Russian troops, seized the strategic initiative and air supremacy. The enemy occupied a significant part of the country, moved inland up to 300 - 600 km.
On June 23, the Headquarters of the High Command was created (from August 6 - the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command). All power was concentrated in the State Defense Committee (GKO), created on June 30. Since August 8, I.V. Stalin became the Supreme Commander. He gathered around him the outstanding Russian commanders G. K. Zhukov, S. K. Timoshenko, B. M. Shaposhnikov, A. M. Vasilevsky, K. K. Rokossovsky, N. F. Vatutin, A. I. Eremenko, K. A. Meretskov, I. S. Konev, I. D. Chernyakhovsky and many others. In his public speeches, Stalin relies on the feeling of patriotism of the Russian people, urging them to follow the example of their heroic ancestors. The main military events of the summer-autumn campaign of 1941 were the Battle of Smolensk, the defense of Leningrad and the beginning of its blockade, the military catastrophe of the Soviet troops in Ukraine, the defense of Odessa, the beginning of the defense of Sevastopol, the loss of Donbass, the defensive period of the Moscow battle. The Russian 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 counteroffensive by Russian troops in the western strategic direction. In the course of it, a counteroffensive was carried out near Moscow, the Luban, Rzhev-Vyazemskaya, Barvenkovsko-Lozovskaya and Kerch-Feodosiya landing operations. Russian 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 over 60 cities. The blitzkrieg strategy collapsed. About 50 enemy divisions were destroyed. A major role in defeating the enemy was played by the patriotism of the Russian people, which was widely manifested from the first days of the war. Thousands of folk heroes like A. Matrosov and Z. Kosmodemyanskaya, hundreds of thousands of partisans behind enemy lines, already in the first months greatly shook the morale of the aggressor.
In the summer-autumn campaign of 1942, the main military events unfolded in the southwestern direction: the defeat of the Crimean Front, the military catastrophe of the Soviet troops in the Kharkov operation, the Voronezh-Voroshilovgrad, Donbass, Stalingrad defensive operations, the battle in the North Caucasus. In the northwestern direction, the Russian army carried out the Demyansk and Rzhev-Sychevsk offensive operations. The enemy advanced 500 - 650 km, went to the Volga, captured part of the passes of the Main Caucasian Range. The territory was occupied, where before the war 42% of the population lived, a third of the gross output was produced, and more than 45% of the sown area was located. The economy was transferred to the war footing. AT eastern regions a large number of enterprises were relocated in the country (only in the second half of 1941 - 2593, including 1523 large ones), 2.3 million heads of cattle were exported. In the first half of 1942, 10,000 aircraft, 11,000 tanks, approx. 54 thousand guns. In the 2nd half of the year, their output increased by more than 1.5 times.
In the winter campaign of 1942-43, the main military events were the Stalingrad and North Caucasian offensive operations, the breaking of the blockade of Leningrad. The Russian army advanced 600-700 km to the west, liberating a territory of over 480 thousand square meters. km, defeated 100 divisions (40% of the enemy forces on the Soviet-German front). In the summer-autumn campaign of 1943, the Battle of Kursk was the decisive event. The partisans played an important role (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 for 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 Russian army fought up to 500 - 1300 km, defeated 218 divisions.
During the winter campaign of 1943-44, the Russian army carried out an offensive in the Ukraine (10 simultaneous and consecutive front-line operations united by a common plan). She completed the defeat of Army Group South, went beyond the border with Romania and transferred the fighting to its territory. Almost simultaneously, the Leningrad-Novgorod offensive operation unfolded; Leningrad was finally released. As a result of the Crimean operation, Crimea was liberated. Russian troops advanced west by 250 - 450 km, liberated approx. 300 thousand sq. km of territory, reached the state border with Czechoslovakia.
In June 1944, when the United States and Britain realized that Russia could win the war without their participation, they opened a 2nd front in France. This worsened the military-political position of Germany. In the summer-autumn campaign of 1944, Russian troops carried out the Belorussian, Lvov-Sandomierz, East Carpathian, Iasi-Kishinev, Baltic, Debrecen, East Carpathian, Belgrade, partly Budapest and Petsamo-Kirkenes offensive operations. The liberation of Belarus, Little Russia and the Baltic states (except for some regions of Latvia), partially Czechoslovakia was completed, Romania and Hungary were forced to surrender and entered the war against Germany, the Soviet Arctic and the northern regions of Norway were liberated from the invaders.
The 1945 campaign in Europe included the East Prussian, Vistula-Oder, completion of the Budapest, East Pomeranian, Lower Silesian, Upper Silesian, West Carpathian, Vienna and Berlin operations, which ended with the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany. After the Berlin operation, Russian troops, together with the 2nd Army of the Polish Army, the 1st and 4th Romanian armies and the 1st Czechoslovak corps, carried out the Prague operation.
The victory in the war greatly raised the spirit of the Russian people, contributed to the growth of their national self-consciousness and faith in own forces. As a result of the victory, Russia regained most of what was taken from her as a result of the revolution (except for Finland and Poland). The historical Russian lands in Galicia, Bukovina, Bessarabia, etc. returned to its composition. Most of the Russian people (including Little Russians and Belarusians) again became a single entity in one state, which created the preconditions for their unification in a single Church. The fulfillment of this historic task was the main positive outcome of the war. The victory of Russian arms created favorable conditions for Slavic unity. At some stage, the Slavic countries united with Russia in something like a fraternal federation. The peoples of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia realized for a certain period how important Slavic world stand together in the fight against the encroachments of the West on the Slavic lands.
At the initiative of Russia, Poland received Silesia and a significant part of East Prussia, from which the city of Konigsberg with its surrounding territory passed into the possession of the Russian state, and Czechoslovakia regained the Sudetenland occupied by Germany earlier.
The great mission to save humanity from the “new world order” was given to Russia at a huge price: the Russian people and the fraternal peoples of our Fatherland paid for this with the lives of 47 million people (including direct and indirect losses), of which approximately 37 million people were actually Russians (including Little Russians and Belarusians).
Most of all, it was not the military who directly participated in the hostilities that died, but civilians, the civilian population of our country. The irretrievable losses of the Russian army (killed, dead from wounds, missing, killed in captivity) amount to 8 million 668 thousand 400 people. The remaining 35 million are the lives of the civilian population. During the war years, about 25 million people were evacuated to the East. Approximately 80 million people, or about 40% of the population of our country, turned out to be in the territory occupied by Germany. All these people became "objects" of the implementation of the misanthropic program "Ost", were subjected to brutal repressions, died from the famine organized by the Germans. About 6 million people were driven into German slavery, many of them died from unbearable living conditions.
As a result of the war, the genetic fund of the most active and viable part of the population was significantly undermined, because in it, first of all, the strongest and most energetic members of society, capable of producing the most valuable offspring, perished. In addition, due to the fall in the birth rate, the country missed tens of millions of future citizens.
The enormous price of victory fell most heavily on the shoulders of the Russian people (including the Little Russians and Belarusians), because the main hostilities were fought on their ethnic territories, and it was to them that the enemy was especially cruel and merciless.
In addition to huge human losses, our country suffered colossal material damage. Not a single country in its entire history and in the Second World War had such losses and barbaric destruction from aggressors that fell on Great Russia. The total material losses of Russia in world prices amounted to more than a trillion dollars (US national income over several years).