Battles of World War II. The largest battles of the second world war. Offensive in Western Europe

The most violent and destructive conflict in human history was the Second World War. Only during this war were nuclear weapons used. 61 states became participants of the Second World War. It began on September 1, 1939 and ended on September 2, 1945.

The reasons for the Second World War are quite varied. But, first of all, these are territorial disputes caused by the results of the First World War and a serious imbalance of power in the world. The Versailles Treaty of England, France and the United States, concluded on extremely unfavorable terms for the losing side (Turkey and Germany), led to a constant increase in tension in the world. But, the so-called policy of appeasement of the aggressor, adopted by England and France in the 1030s, entailed an increase in military power Germany and led to the beginning of active hostilities.

The anti-Hitler coalition included: USSR, England, France, USA, China (Chiang Kai-shek's leadership) Yugoslavia, Greece, Mexico and so on. On the side of Nazi Germany, Japan, Italy, Bulgaria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Albania, Finland, China (the leadership of Wang Jingwei) Iran, Finland and other states took part in the Second World War. Many powers, not taking part in active hostilities, helped by supplying the necessary medicines, food and other resources.

These are the main stages of the Second World War, which researchers today identify.

This bloody conflict began on September 1, 1939. Germany and its allies committed the European blitzkrieg.
The second stage of the war began on June 22, 1941 and lasted until mid-November of the following 1942. Germany attacks the USSR, but Barbarossa's plan fails.
The next in the chronology of the Second World War was the period from the second half of November 1942 to the end of 1943. At this time, Germany is gradually losing its strategic initiative. At the Tehran Conference, in which Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill took part (late 1943), it was decided to open a second front.
The fourth stage, which began at the end of 1943, ended with the capture of Berlin and the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany on May 9, 1945.
The final stage of the war lasted from May 10, 1945 to September 2 of the same year. It was during this period that the United States used nuclear weapons. Military operations were conducted on Far East and in Southeast Asia.

The beginning of the Second World War 1939-1945 happened on September 1. The Wehrmacht launched an unexpected large-scale aggression against Poland. France, England and some other states declared war on Germany. But, nevertheless, no real help was provided. By September 28, Poland was completely under German rule. On the same day, a peace treaty was concluded between Germany and the USSR. Fascist Germany thus provided itself with a fairly reliable rear. This made it possible to begin preparations for war with France. By June 22, 1940, France was captured. Now nothing prevented Germany from starting serious preparations for military operations directed against the USSR. Even then, a plan for a lightning war against the USSR, "Barbarossa", was approved.

It should be noted that on the eve of World War II, the USSR received intelligence about the preparation of the invasion. But Stalin, believing that Hitler would not dare to attack so early, did not give the order to put the border units on alert.

The actions that unfolded between June 22, 1941 - May 9, 1945 are of particular importance. This period is known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War. Many important battles and events of World War II took place on the territory modern Russia, Ukraine, Belarus.

By 1941, the USSR was a state with a rapidly developing industry, primarily heavy and defense. Much attention was also paid to science. The discipline on collective farms and in production was as strict as possible. A whole network of military schools and academies was created in order to fill the ranks of the officer corps, more than 80% of which by that time had been repressed. But, these personnel could not receive full training in a short time.

For the world and russian history the main battles of the Second World War are of great importance.

September 30, 1941 - April 20, 1942 - the first victory of the Red Army - the Battle of Moscow.
July 17, 1942 - February 2, 1943 - a radical change in the Great Patriotic War, Stalingrad battle.
July 5 - August 23, 1943 - Battle of Kursk. During this period, the largest tank battle of the Second World War took place - at Prokhorovka.
April 25 - May 2, 1945 - Battle of Berlin and the subsequent surrender of Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

Events that had a serious impact on the course of the war took place not only on the fronts of the USSR. Thus, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 led to the entry of the United States into the war. It is worth noting the landing in Normandy on June 6, 1944, after the opening of the second front and the use of the United States nuclear weapons to strike at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

September 2, 1945 was the end date of the Second World War. After the Kwantung Army of Japan was defeated by the USSR, an act of surrender was signed. The battles and battles of World War II claimed at least 65 million lives. The USSR suffered the greatest losses in the Second World War, taking the main blow of the Hitlerite army. At least 27 million citizens died. But, only the resistance of the Red Army made it possible to stop the powerful military machine of the Reich.

These terrible results of the Second World War could not but horrify the world. For the first time, war threatened the existence of human civilization. Many war criminals were punished during the Tokyo and Nuremberg trials. The ideology of fascism was condemned. In 1945, at a conference in Yalta, a decision was made to establish the UN (United Nations). The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the consequences of which are still palpable, led eventually to the signing of the Rada of pacts on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.

The economic consequences of the Second World War are also obvious. In many countries of Western Europe, this war provoked economic decline. Their influence declined, while the authority and influence of the United States increased. The significance of the Second World War for the USSR is enormous. As a result, the Soviet Union significantly expanded its borders and strengthened the totalitarian system. Friendly communist regimes have been established in many European countries.

The fascist German troops occupied an advantageous operational-strategic position and had superiority in forces. In total ground forces enemy operating against the USSR, there were 4,300 thousand.In the course of the Smolensk battle, the Nazi troops suffered such a loss that in early September 1941 the troops of the Army Group Center were tasked with encircling and destroying the Soviet troops in the region of Bryansk and Vyazma, then with tank groups to cover Moscow from the north and south and the simultaneous attacks of tank forces from the flanks and infantry in ...

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Introduction

1. Moscow battle

2. Battle of Pearl Harbor

3. Battle of Stalingrad

4. Battle for the Caucasus

5. Battle of the Kursk Bulge

6. Battle for the Dnieper

7. Berlin operation

Conclusion

List of sources and literature

application

Introduction

The Second World War began in September 1939 with the invasion of Poland. At dawn that day, German planes roared in the air, approaching their targets - columns of Polish troops, trains with ammunition, bridges, railways, unprotected cities.

The war has become a fait accompli. World War II - prepared by the forces of the international imperialist reaction and unleashed by the main aggressive states - fascist Germany, fascist Italy and militaristic Japan - became the largest of the wars.

61 states took part in the Second World War.

The reasons for the Second World War were the imbalance of power in the world and the problems provoked by the results of the First World War, in particular, territorial disputes.

The victors in the First World War, the USA, England, and France concluded the Versailles Peace Treaty on the most unfavorable and humiliating conditions for the losing countries, Turkey and Germany, which provoked an increase in tension in the world.

At the same time, the policy of appeasing the aggressor, adopted in the late 1930s by Britain and France, enabled Germany to dramatically increase its military potential, which accelerated the transition of the Nazis to active military operations.

The members of the anti-Hitler bloc were the USSR, USA, France, England, China (Chiang Kai-shek), Greece, Yugoslavia, Mexico, etc. On the German side, Italy, Japan, Hungary, Albania, Bulgaria, Finland, China (Wang Jingwei), Thailand, Finland, Iraq, etc. took part in World War II.

Many states - participants of the Second World War, did not conduct actions on the fronts, but helped by supplying food, medicine and other necessary resources.

The purpose of this work is to highlight the main battles of the Second World War.

The main tasks on the way to achieving this goal were:

Analysis of the main events of the Second World War;

Theoretical substantiation of the victory of the Soviet people and Western countries in the war against fascism;

The structure of this work includes: introduction, seven chapters, conclusion, list of sources and literature.

1. Moscow battle

“When people ask me what I remember most from the last war, I always answer: the battle for Moscow.”

G.K. Zhukov

One of the first major battles of World War II was the battle for Moscow between the USSR and the countries of the fascist bloc, which unfolded in the USSR. The Moscow battle lasted from September 30, 1941 to April 20, 1942 and ended in the defeat of the Nazi troops.

The period of the battle for Moscow, in turn, can be divided into two large and rich in operational and tactical terms: defensive (September 30 - December 4, 1941) and offensive (December 5, 1941 - April 20, 1942)

The defensive stage of the battle for Moscow is notable for the extreme intensity of the battles, high mobility and significant troop movements on both sides, and special climatic conditions.

The operational-tactical situation on the Soviet-German front by the end of September 1941 was extremely difficult for the Soviet troops. The fascist German troops occupied an advantageous operational-strategic position and had superiority in forces.

The Red Army, after heavy defensive battles, were forced to retreat to Leningrad, leave Smolensk and Kiev.

The Wehrmacht, together with the armed forces of Germany's European allies, had 207 divisions here. The average staffing of an infantry division was 15.2 thousand people, a tank division - 14.4 thousand people. and motorized - 12.6 thousand people. In total, the enemy ground forces operating against the USSR numbered 4,300,000 men, 2,270 tanks, over 43,000 guns and mortars, and 3,050 aircraft.1

Despite the fact that with its heroic struggle the Red Army thwarted the plans of the Hitlerite command to defeat the USSR with lightning speed, the enemy stubbornly continued to move forward, regardless of losses.

During the Battle of Smolensk, the Nazi troops suffered such a loss that in early September 1941 the Nazi command issued an order to transfer troops in the Moscow direction to a temporary defense.

The troops of Army Group Center were tasked with encircling and destroying Soviet troops in the Bryansk and Vyazma region, then with tank groups to capture Moscow from the north and south, and simultaneous strikes by tank forces from the flanks and infantry in the center to capture Moscow. “The enemy's plan was to cut our Western Front with powerful strike forces, encircle the main group of forces in the Smolensk region and open the way to Moscow.

At the walls of the ancient Russian city, once a formidable obstacle on the way of Napoleonic troops to Moscow, a fierce battle unfolded again. It lasted two months ...

During the battle of Smolensk, the troops of the Red Army, the inhabitants of the city and its environs showed the greatest resilience ... ", - recalled Marshal of the USSR G.K. Zhukov.2

The offensive was well organized logistically. The work of the railways was recognized as good, and there were so many vehicles that part of it was withdrawn to the reserve by the German command.

The Wehrmacht promised the troops an imminent victory. The Hitlerite invaders were ready for desperate efforts in a new skirmish with the Soviet troops; such a fight seemed to them the last.

The strategic initiative remained with the Hitlerite command, it determined the time and place of strikes, the conditions of the struggle, and this posed many tasks of unprecedented difficulty for the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces of the USSR.

From the first weeks of the war, when the failures of our troops in the western direction were revealed. The State Defense Committee and the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command mobilized construction organizations, engineering troops, and workers' forces to strengthen the defensive lines of the Moscow region. At the call of the Central Committee, the Moscow, Smolensk, Tula and Kalinin regional party committees, hundreds of thousands of workers, collective farmers, office workers, students and housewives took part in the construction of fortifications. They erected dugouts, dug trenches and anti-tank ditches. The Vyazemskaya and Mozhaiskaya lines of defense were created: the latter included the Volokolamsky, Mozhaisky, Maloyaroslavetsky and Kaluga fortified areas.

By the beginning of the offensive of the fascist German troops in the Moscow direction, three Soviet fronts defended themselves on the distant approaches to the capital: Western (I.S. Konev), Reserve (S.M. Budyonny), and Bryansk (A.I. Eremenko). In total, at the end of September 1941, they numbered about 800 thousand people, 782 tanks and 6808 guns and mortars, 545 aircraft.3

The Red Army concentrated the best air forces and guards mortar units on the defense of Moscow. High-power artillery was installed in the most important areas, including heavy batteries of naval artillery. Long-range bomber aviation systematically bombed the deep rear and communications of Army Group Center. Frequent counterattacks by our troops inflicted serious damage on the enemy.

As early as September 27, 1941, the Headquarters of the Supreme Command issued directives to the troops of the Western direction to go over to a tough defense, but the fronts did not have reserves and time to organize it throughout the entire depth. Three to five days later, Army Group Center launched an offensive against Moscow. On September 30, 1941, from the Gadyach-Putivl-Glukhov-Novgorod-Seversky line, the 2nd Panzer Group of Guderian began an offensive on Oryol and Bryansk, on Moscow, consisting of 15 divisions, of which 10 were tank and motorized. It was supported by almost all the forces of the 2nd Air Fleet attached to Army Group Center.4

The Soviet command in this direction, after intense fighting and the defeat of the Southwestern Front, did not have operational reserves. The 13th Army of the Bryansk Front and the group of forces of General A.N. Ermakov, which were operating here, fought heroically, but the enemy, using the superiority of forces, by the end of September 30, 1941 broke through the defenses and, not encountering reserves in its depths, went nonstop to the city of Eagle. The city was not prepared for defense, there was no time left to organize it, and German tankers broke into its streets on October 3. At the same time, part of the forces of the 2nd Panzer Group, moving along the rear of the Bryansk Front from the south and southeast, captured Karachev on October 6 and captured Bryansk on the same day.

On October 2, 1941, the 3rd and 4th tank groups went on the offensive, the 9th and 4th field armies — the rest of the forces of Army Group Center. Its command concentrated the main efforts of the troops on the direction of the cities of Bely, Sychevka and along the Roslavl-Moscow highway. The strongest blows fell on the junction of the 30th and 19th armies of the Western Front, where 4 Soviet divisions were attacked by 12 enemy divisions, including 3 tank divisions (415 tanks), and against the 43rd Army of the Reserve Front, where against 5 Soviet divisions operated 17 enemy divisions, of which 4 were tank. Their offensive was supported by hundreds of aircraft from the 2nd Air Fleet.

The shallow defenses of the Soviet divisions could not withstand the massive attacks of aviation, tank groups and army infantry corps. They broke through in the center of the Western Front and on the left flank of the Reserve Front and went deep into their operational rear. In sectors where enemy attacks were repelled, enemy tank formations bypassed the positions of staunchly defending armies and divisions, enveloping their flanks.

Autumn days 1941 were one of the most formidable in the history of our Motherland. The German command was unanimous in its optimistic assessment of the prospects for an offensive against Moscow. But the encircled armies of the Western and Reserve fronts pinned down the enemy forces in battles at Vyazma. Attacked from all sides by tanks and infantry, under massive air and artillery attacks, deprived of ammunition supplies, they continued an unequal heroic struggle. This struggle was of great operational and strategic importance: the enemy suffered losses in men and military equipment and wasted time, during which the Soviet command let down reserves, created new centers of defense, and then a continuous front.

On October 4, 1941, by decision of the Supreme Command Headquarters, the Tula combat area was formed. On October 6, 1941, the Supreme Command Headquarters issued a directive to stop the enemy on the Mozhaisk defense line. On October 10, 1941, the troops of the Western and Reserve fronts were united into one Western. General G.K. Zhukov was appointed commander of the front. In connection with the approach of hostilities to Moscow, by the decision of the State Defense Committee of October 12, another line of defense was created on the direct approaches to the capital, in the construction of which the working people of the city and region took an active part. On October 17, the Kalinin Front was formed under the command of General I. S. Konev. Despite all the complexity of the situation, firm command and control of the troops was re-organized by the front commands and Headquarters. All these critical days and nights, reserves were tirelessly formed, which promptly, on the move, entered the battle on the most dangerous sectors.

By the second half of October 1941, when the armies of the Center group, having broken the resistance of the units encircled near Vyazma, moved to Moscow, they again met an organized defense front and were forced to break through it again. From October 13, 1941, fierce battles unfolded on the borders of Mozhaisky and Maloyaroslavetsky, and from October 16, 1941, and Volokolamsky fortified areas.

For five days and nights, the troops of the 5th Army of the Red Army repelled the onslaught of the motorized and infantry army corps. Only on October 18, 1941, enemy tanks broke into Mozhaisk. On the same day, Maloyaroslavets fell. The situation near Moscow has worsened. The enemy suffered irreparable losses in men, military equipment and in time, but his forces were still far superior to those of the Western Front.

Formidable communications from the fronts near Moscow mobilized all the workers of the capital. Hundreds of thousands of Muscovites joined the divisions of the people's militia, extermination detachments, and built fortifications. Moscow responded to the increased danger with new tens of thousands of volunteers. From October 20, 1941, by decision of the State Defense Committee, the capital and the surrounding areas were declared a state of siege. By that time, Moscow had transformed, became a front-line city, bristled with steel anti-tank "hedgehogs" and gouges. Barricades blocked the streets and entrances to the capital. There was a mass evacuation of the population, institutions and enterprises, and at the same time in the shops of the evacuated factories, the production of military products was again adjusted. Moscow became a reliable rear of the front. She supplied him with weapons, ammunition, reserves, inspired the soldiers to feats, strengthened their faith in victory: “On the initiative of Muscovites, 12 divisions of the people's militia were formed in the first months of the war. The military bodies and party organizations continued to receive thousands of applications from citizens with a request to send them to the front. ”- G.K. Zhukov recalled.5

Every day, the enemy's offensive became slower, he suffered more and more losses. The entire center of the Western Front survived. Although the enemy tried to bypass Moscow from the north, this turned out to be impossible, because the Kalinin Front pinned down the 9th German army with defense and counterattacks and threatened the northern flank of Army Group Center. Failed to break through to the Soviet capital from the south.

By late October and early November, Army Group Center began to run out of steam. Its attack on Moscow was stopped by the iron fortitude of our soldiers.

On November 7, 1941, a military parade of the Red Army troops took place on Red Square in Moscow. The German command urgently gave an order to their aviation to bomb Red Square, but German aircraft failed to break through to Moscow.

After the October offensive, Army Group Center required a two-week pause to prepare for a new offensive. During this time, the enemy troops were put in order, replenished, regrouped, were reinforced from the reserve by people, tanks, and artillery. They strove to occupy initial positions favorable for the offensive. The Hitlerite command was preparing to finally break down the resistance of the Soviet troops and seize Moscow.

In the November 1941 offensive, 51 divisions took part directly on Moscow, including 13 tank and 7 motorized, armed with a sufficient number of tanks, artillery and supported by aviation.

The Soviet High Command, having correctly assessed the situation, decided to strengthen the Western Front. From November 1 to November 15, 1941, rifle and cavalry divisions and tank brigades were transferred to him. In total, the front received 100 thousand soldiers, 300 tanks and 2 thousand guns. At that time, the Western Front already had more divisions than the enemy, and Soviet aviation was 1.5 times superior to the enemy. But in terms of the number of personnel and fire weapons, our divisions were significantly inferior to the German ones.

The Soviet troops were faced with extremely responsible and difficult tasks. The enemy approached Moscow in a number of places by 60 km, and its breakthrough by tanks could become extremely dangerous in any operational direction. The Soviet fronts did not have sufficient reserves. There were not enough stocks of weapons. In these conditions, it was necessary to repel the onslaught of the enemy, defend Moscow, their positions, gain time before the arrival of decisive reserves.

The offensive on Moscow began on November 15, 1941. The 3rd Panzer Group of General Hoth in the zone between the Moscow Sea and Klin. South of the position of the Soviet troops attacked the 4th Panzer Group of General Hepner. The blows fell on the 30th army of General Lelyushenko and on the 16th army of General Rokossovsky. Tank groups had the task of separating both of these armies, pushing back the 30th army to the Moscow Sea and the Volga, crossing the Moscow-Volga canal, and the 16th army, covering its northern flank, pushing back from the Leningradskoye and Volokolamskoye highways, along which to break through to the northern outskirts of the capital.

Despite stubborn resistance, the 30th Army was unable to repel the blow of superior enemy forces. Its front was broken, and one part of the army fought heavy battles south of the Moscow Sea and was pushed back to the Volga, while the other withdrew from the Leningradskoe highway to the canal. The northern flank of the 16th Army was exposed. Foreseeing the enemy's offensive, the Stavka ordered General Rokossovsky to preempt the enemy and attack him with its left flank in the direction of Volokolamsk, the 16th Army struck, but at the same hours the 4th tank group of the enemy began the offensive. Oncoming battles unfolded, in which Hepner's troops attacked the right flank of Rokossovsky's army, and the latter attacked the right flank of the enemy tank army. At the same time, fierce heavy battles broke out for Klin, Solnechnogorsk, Istra, on Leningradskoye and Volokolamskoye highways.

Possessing superiority, especially in tanks, the enemy broke through to the Rogachev and Yakhroma area. He managed to force the Moscow Canal at one of the sections and seize a bridgehead for an offensive bypassing the Soviet capital from the northwest. Having achieved success northeast of Volokolamsk, seizing Klin, Solnechnogorsk, Yakhroma and reaching the eastern bank of the channel, the enemy sharply increased the onslaught on Volokolamsk highway, trying to break through to the northern outskirts of Moscow.

In the Volokolamsk direction, formations of the 16th Army were defending. With their struggle, they slowed down the advance of the 4th Panzer Group. Only at the cost of huge losses did the enemy manage to seize Istra, break through to Kryukov, thus approaching Moscow from the north at a distance of 25 km. The enemy intended to begin shelling the city from here with heavy long-range guns. “The battles on November 16-18 were very difficult for us. The enemy, regardless of the losses, climbed ahead, trying to break through to Moscow with his tank wedges at any cost, "Zhukov recalled.6

The enemy attack northwest of Moscow was supported by the offensive south of Volokolamskoe highway, which began on November 19, 1941 and did not stop for a single day. Here the 9th and 7th Army Corps attacked the troops of the 5th Army of General L.A. Govorov. Having seized a number of settlements, the enemy approached Zvenigorod, broke through to the north of it into the area of \u200b\u200bPavlovskaya Sloboda. From here, the infantry divisions, whose blow now merged with the onslaught of tank divisions operating in the Istra region, were very close to Krasnogorsk and Tushin - to the western outskirts of Moscow.

The 4th Field Army of General Field Marshal Kluge in November 1941 limited itself to an offensive on and north of Zvenigorod, as well as to constraining actions in the center of the Western Front. But with the exit of the 4th Panzer Group to the Moscow-Volga Canal and the 2nd Panzer Army to Kashira, when conditions appeared on the flanks for bypassing Moscow, the enemy struck on December 1, 1941, in the center as well. Two infantry divisions with 70 tanks broke through the front of the 33rd Army in the 222nd sector rifle division north of Naro-Fominsk. They rushed to Kubinka, and then to Golitsyn and Aprelevka, threatening the rear of the 33rd and 5th armies.

In search of weak points of defense, the fascist troops tried to break through to Nakhabino and Khimki, but were thrown back. Failed to develop an offensive bypassing Moscow and the tank unit of the 4th Panzer Group, crossing the channel. On its western bank it was counterattacked by the defense forces, and from the bridgehead on the eastern bank it was dropped by rifle brigades that arrived in time by order of the Supreme Command Headquarters.

Meanwhile, by order of the Supreme Command Headquarters, the 1st Guards Cavalry Corps of General P.A. Belov and the 112th Tank Division of Colonel A.L. Getman were hastily thrown into the Kashira direction. The enemy was thrown back and began to retreat by flanking attacks of tankers and attacks of horsemen. Cavalry divisions pursued him. And the 112th Panzer Division, advancing towards the village. Revyakino attacked the enemy on the move, intercepting the highway and the railway from Tula to Moscow. The defenders of the city attacked the tankers. The enemy was defeated, and communications linking the city of gunsmiths with Moscow were restored.

In the second half of November 1941, the Soviet command was faced with the task: along with the defense of the main, Moscow strategic direction, to take urgent measures to ensure the flanks of the Soviet-German front. To accomplish this task, all available opportunities were used.

The crushing blows of the Red Army in December 1941 led to the defeat of the enemy and the retreat of his troops from Moscow, Rostov and Tikhvin. But despite this, the situation in our country remained dangerous. The main forces of the Hitlerite army - Army Group Center - were at such a distance from Moscow that the capital of our Motherland could again come under their attack. The Soviet command was faced with the task of thwarting the enemy's plans, preventing its troops from gaining a foothold on the lines to which they were thrown back by the December counteroffensive, and defeating them in new battles.

In January 1942, following the directive of the Supreme Command Headquarters, the soldiers of the Red Army again went on the offensive against the enemy. Having defeated and driven back the enemy 150-400 km, the Red Army eliminated the immediate threat to the capital. All Moscow, Tula, Ryazan regions were liberated. During the winter offensive in the northern and southern sectors of the front, a significant part of the regions of the Kalinin, Leningrad, Smolensk, Orel, Kursk, Kharkov, Stalin, Rostov regions, and the Kerch Peninsula were cleared of the enemy.

The defeat of the Nazi troops in the winter of 1941-1942. radically changed the situation on the Soviet-German front. However, for all the enormous significance of these events, they could not yet finally turn the course of the war in favor of the USSR. Although the Red Army inflicted strong blows on the enemy, this was still not enough to disable the Hitlerite war machine.

The victory near Moscow raised the political and moral state of the Red Army, the morale of its soldiers, who saw the "invincible" Nazi troops fleeing in panic under their blows. She strengthened the faith of the Soviet people in their Red Army, in its victory, and inspired new efforts to help the front.7

The defeat of the Nazis near Moscow shook all progressive mankind, increased sympathy for the USSR and faith in it on the part of the working people of the whole world. The forced transfer of German divisions from the countries of occupied Europe to the Eastern Front made it easier for the peoples of these states to resist the invaders. The military-political situation of Hitlerite Germany deteriorated.

2. Battle of Pearl Harbor

A surprise combined attack by Japanese carrier-based aircraft of the aircraft carrier formation of Vice Admiral Tuichi Nagumo and Japanese ultra-small submarines delivered to the site of the attack by submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy, on the American naval and air bases located in the vicinity of Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu (Hawaii ), happened Sunday morning December 7, 1941.

The attack consisted of two air raids involving 353 aircraft from 6 Japanese aircraft carriers. The result of the attack was the sinking of 4 battleships of the US Navy (2 of which were restored and returned to service at the end of the war), 4 more were damaged.

The Japanese sank or damaged 3 cruisers, 3 destroyers, 1 minelayer; destroyed 188 - 272 aircraft (according to various sources). The losses of the US armed forces in people amounted to 2402 people. killed and 1282 people. - wounded.

At the same time, it should be noted that the air strikes were mainly combat units Army, Air Force and US Navy. The power plant, shipyard, fuel and torpedo storage, piers, and the headquarters building were not damaged by the attack.

Japan's losses in this battle were minimal: 29 aircraft, 4 small submarines, along with 65 dead or injured soldiers.

The Japanese kamikaze attack was a preventive measure against the United States, aimed at eliminating the American navy, gaining air supremacy in the Pacific region and then conducting military operations against Burma, Thailand, and the western US possessions in the Pacific Ocean.

It was the attack on the US naval base - Pearl Harbor that caused the US to enter World War II - on the same day the US declared war on Japan and entered World War II.

Because of the attack, especially because of his character, public opinion America changed dramatically from an isolationist position in the mid-1930s to direct participation in hostilities. On December 8, 1941, US President Franklin Roosevelt addressed a joint meeting of both houses of Congress. The President demanded from December 7, "the day that will go down in history as a symbol of shame", declare war on Japan. The Congress adopted a corresponding resolution.

3. Battle of Stalingrad

The Battle of Stalingrad began in July 1942. Having suffered a heavy defeat in the battle of Moscow, Germany decided to send all its forces to Stalingrad in order to cut off the central part of the USSR from the grain regions and oil of the Caspian Sea.

To this end, the German fascist invaders launched a massive offensive against Stalingrad, the number of their soldiers significantly exceeded the number of the Red Army. The battle for Stalingrad lasted over 200 days and nights.

On August 28, 1942, the Germans reached the Volga and began endless attempts to storm the city. In the autumn, at the beginning of October 1941, large areas of Stalingrad were in the hands of German soldiers. The defenders of Stalingrad bravely defended the city, thanks to their fierce resistance, the Germans did not manage to completely capture Stalingrad, the advance of the German group slowed down.

The Soviet troops, stopping the offensive impulse of the Germans, decided to go over to the offensive. The offensive was developed in the strictest secrecy, for almost three long months.

At Stalingrad, the Germans concentrated significant forces. The number of their army reached more than a million people. In the Battle of Stalingrad, the command of the Soviet troops concentrated their forces on two main directions south and north of Stalingrad.

From the south, the troops of the Red Army attacked the Romanian detachments, whose morale was low. The offensive was preceded by a hurricane of artillery fire. After the artillery preparation, tanks went into battle.

The command of the enemy group gave the order - to hold on to the last soldier. After two days of rapid Soviet advance, the German armies were surrounded.

Immediately after this, an offensive began near Rzhev in the northern sectors of the Stalingrad Front, in order to prevent the Germans from transferring forces from there to Stalingrad.

An enemy grouping of troops under the command of Meinstein tried to break through the encirclement. Their plans were greatly interfered with by partisan detachments.

In January 1943, the outer ring of the encirclement went west, in a new offensive. The position of the troops encircled under the command of Paulus deteriorated sharply. He decided to surrender.

From January 31 to February 2, 1943, the Germans surrendered. In the Battle of Stalingrad, 32 German divisions were destroyed. The enemy lost more than 1.5 million people. Near Stalingrad, a huge amount of equipment, 3,500 tanks and guns, 12,000 cannons and mortars, and 3,000 aircraft were destroyed. In Germany, a 3-day mourning period was declared.

The Battle of Stalingrad was of great importance in the development of further events of the Great Patriotic War. Due to the defeat of the German troops at Stalingrad, discord began in the command of the allied forces. And in the occupied territories, the partisan movement grew. The position of the Germans deteriorated sharply. After the victory of the USSR in the Battle of Stalingrad, faith in the final victory over fascism grew.

4. Battle for the Caucasus

Simultaneously with the Battle of Stalingrad, fierce battles were fought in the North Caucasus. On June 23, 1942, the German command issued secret directive No. 45 outlining the Edelweiss plan.

In accordance with this plan, the Nazis sought to seize the entire eastern coast of the Black Sea in order to deprive the USSR of ports and the Black Sea Fleet.

At the same time, another group of German-fascist troops in the Caucasus advanced towards the Georgian Military Highway in order to capture the oil-bearing regions of Baku.

The enemy was opposed by the troops of the Red Army of the Southern Front, under the command of Lieutenant General R. Ya. Malinovsky, and part of the forces of the North Caucasian Front, under the command of Marshal S.M. Budyonny, with the support of the Black Sea Fleet and the Azov Military Flotilla.

From July 25 to December 31, 1942, the Red Army troops fought heavy defensive battles in the North Caucasus. Under the onslaught of superior enemy forces, the troops of the Red Army were forced to leave the areas North Caucasus and retreat to the passes of the Main Caucasian ridge and the Terek River.

In November-December 1942, the advance of the enemy troops was stopped. The plans of the fascist German command to seize the oil-bearing regions of the Caucasus and involve Turkey in the war remained unsuccessful.

From January 1 to February 4, 1943, the North Caucasian offensive operation was carried out under the code name "Don". It was attended by the troops of the Transcaucasian, South and North Caucasian fronts with the assistance of the forces of the Black Sea Fleet.

In the course of the unfolding offensive, the Red Army troops inflicted a major defeat on the enemy's Army Group A and reached the approaches to Rostov northeast of Krasnodar and to the Kuban River line. However, in the Kuban and Taman Peninsula, the enemy created powerful defensive fortifications - the "Blue Line" - from the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov to Novorossiysk. Soviet troops could not immediately overcome the defense of the "Blue Line" and the offensive stopped.

Despite the fact that the plan of the offensive operation was not fully completed, and the main enemy forces managed to retreat to the Donbass, avoiding complete defeat, the plans of the German command to seize the Caucasus and its oil regions failed. The Red Army liberated the Stavropol Territory, the Chechen-Ingush, North Ossetian and Kabardino-Balkarian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics, part of the Rostov Region and the Krasnodar Territory from the invaders. As a result of the offensive of the Red Army in January 1943, the Elbrus region was cleared of enemy troops.

On September 10, 1943, the Novorossiysko-Taman offensive operation of the Red Army began - the final operation of the battle for the Caucasus, which lasted until October 9, 1943. It was carried out by the troops of the North Caucasian Front, the forces of the Black Sea Fleet and the Azov military flotilla.

Red Army troops and naval forces defeated the formations of the enemy's Army Group A, liberated Novorossiysk by landing strikes from the sea and by army units from land, reached the coast of the Kerch Strait and completed the liberation of the Caucasus.

The enemy's Kuban bridgehead, which provided him with the defense of the Crimea, was eliminated. Clearing Novorossiysk and the Taman Peninsula from enemy troops significantly improved the basing of the Black Sea Fleet and created favorable opportunities for strikes against the Crimean enemy grouping from the sea and through the Kerch Strait.

For the battles in the Caucasus, thousands of soldiers and officers of the Red Army and navy sailors were awarded orders and medals. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 1, 1944, a medal "For the Defense of the Caucasus" was established, which was awarded to 600,000 people. In May 1973 Novorossiysk was awarded the title of Hero City.

5. Battle of the Kursk Bulge

The Battle of Kursk occupies a special place in World War II. It lasted 50 days and nights, from July 5 to August 23, 1943. In its ferocity and stubbornness of the struggle, this battle is unmatched.

The general plan of the German command was to encircle and destroy the troops of the Central and Voronezh fronts of the Red Army that were defending in the Kursk region. If successful, it was supposed to expand the front of the offensive and return the strategic initiative.

To implement their plans, the enemy concentrated powerful strike groups, which numbered over 900 thousand people, about 10 thousand guns and mortars, up to 2,700 tanks and assault guns, about 2,050 aircraft. Great hopes were pinned on the latest Tiger and Panther tanks, Ferdinand assault guns, Focke-Wulf-190-A fighter planes and Heinkel-129 attack aircraft.

The Soviet military command decided to first bleed the enemy strike forces in defensive battles, and then go over to the counteroffensive.

The battle that began immediately took on a grand scale and was extremely tense. The Soviet troops did not flinch. They met the avalanches of enemy tanks and infantry with unprecedented fortitude and courage. The offensive of the enemy strike groups was suspended. Only at the cost of huge losses did he manage to penetrate our defenses in some areas. On the Central Front - by 10-12 km, on the Voronezh Front - up to 35 km.

Finally, Hitler's Operation Citadel was buried, the largest tank battle at Prokhorovka in the entire Second World War. It took place on July 12, 1943. 1200 tanks and self-propelled guns participated in it from both sides at the same time. This battle was won by the Soviet soldiers. The Nazis, having lost up to 400 tanks in a day of battle, were forced to abandon the offensive.

On July 12, 1943, the second stage of the Battle of Kursk began - the Soviet counteroffensive. On August 5, 1943, Soviet troops liberated the cities of Orel and Belgorod. On the evening of August 5, 1943, in honor of this major success, a victorious salute was given for the first time in two years of war in Moscow. Since that time, artillery salutes have constantly announced glorious victories. soviet weapons... On August 23, Kharkov was liberated. So the battle on the Kursk fiery arc ended victoriously.

During the Battle of the Kursk Bulge, 30 elite enemy divisions were defeated. The German fascist troops lost about 500 thousand people, 1500 tanks, 3 thousand guns and 3700 aircraft.

For courage and heroism, over 100 thousand Soviet soldiers - participants in the Battle of the Arc of Fire, were awarded orders and medals. The Battle of Kursk ended with a radical change in the Great Patriotic War.

6. Battle for the Dnieper

The Battle for the Dnieper is an operation by Soviet troops to liberate the Left-Bank Ukraine from the German invaders. Fighting in the Battle of the Dnieper operation lasted from August to December 1943.

Soldiers from the Voronezh, Central, Steppe, Southern and Southwestern fronts took part in the operation to liberate the Left-Bank Ukraine. The total number of Soviet soldiers and officers who took part in the Battle of the Dnieper was approximately 2.5 million. The active armies included 51 thousand guns, more than 2.5 thousand tanks and about 3 thousand aircraft.

In the Battle of the Dnieper, the Soviet troops were opposed by the 2nd German Army from Army Group Center and the entire Army Group South. The number of the German army in the areas where the fighting took place was 1.5 million soldiers and officers, at their disposal were 13 thousand guns, 2 thousand tanks and the same number of aircraft. German troops were stationed along the Dnieper River in well-fortified positions.

Even during the Stalingrad offensive operation of the Red Army, the eastern parts of Donbass were liberated. By mid-August 1943, the Red Army reached the town of Zmiev. On the river Northern Donets created a staging area for a successful future offensive. On August 16, 1943, Soviet troops launched a new offensive. The German defenses were well organized, and as a result the Soviet offensive collapsed. The main result of the offensive was that the German command had to strengthen this sector of the front at the expense of other armies.

By the end of August 1943, the bridgehead of the Soviet troops was expanded to 100 km. wide, and up to 70 km. - in depth. Soviet troops liberated the cities of Ukraine one by one - Kharkov, Verkhnedneprovsk and others.

In mid-September 1943, there was a respite in the battle for the Dnieper River. Fighting resumed in mid-September 1943, Soviet troops liberated the city of Chernigov, and soon reached the r. Dnieper, near Veliky Bukrin. Here the preparation of troops for crossing the river began.

The battle for the Dnieper continued until December 1943. Soviet troops created bridgeheads through which they could continue to advance to the west. The Germans tried to destroy these bridgeheads.

Bloody and fierce battles unfolded near the city of Kiev. Kiev was planned to be taken by the Red Army in October 1943, but these attempts failed.

On November 3, 1943, a new offensive of the Soviet troops began. The German command feared that their armies operating near Kiev would be surrounded. The enemy was forced to retreat. Kiev was taken by Soviet troops on November 6, 1943.

By the end of December 1943, as a result of the operation "Battle for the Dnieper", the entire lower reaches of the river. The Dnieper was cleared of German troops. Also, German units were blocked in the Crimea.

During the offensive in Ukraine, through the efforts of five Soviet fronts, bridgeheads were created for a further offensive against the Germans in Belarus and the liberation of Right-Bank Ukraine. During the operation Battle of the Dnieper, Soviet troops liberated 38 thousand settlements and 160 cities.

7 the Berlin operation

In November 1944, the General Staff of the Soviet Army began planning military operations on the approaches to Berlin. It was necessary to defeat the German Army Group "A" and complete the liberation of Poland.

At the end of December 1944, German troops launched an offensive in the Ardennes and pushed the Allied forces to the brink of complete defeat. The leaders of the United States and Great Britain asked the USSR to conduct offensive operations to divert enemy forces.

Fulfilling the allied duty, the Soviet units went on the offensive eight days ahead of schedule and pulled back part of the German divisions. The offensive launched ahead of time did not make it possible to fully prepare it, which led to unjustified losses.

As a result of the rapidly developing offensive, already in February, Red Army units crossed the Oder - the last major obstacle to the German capital - and approached Berlin at a distance of 70 km.

The battles on the bridgeheads captured after the crossing of the Oder were fierce. Soviet troops conducted a continuous offensive and pressed the enemy all the way from the river. Vistula to Oder.

At the same time, the operation began in East Prussia... Its main goal was the capture of the Konigsberg fortress. Perfectly defended and provided with everything necessary, with an elite garrison, the fortress seemed impregnable. The strongest artillery preparation was carried out before the assault. After the capture of the fortress, its commandant admitted that he did not expect such a rapid fall of Konigsberg.

In April 1945 g. Soviet army began direct preparations for the storming of Berlin. The leadership of the USSR believed that the delay in the end of the war could lead to the opening of the front by the Germans in the west, the conclusion of a separate peace. The danger of the surrender of Berlin to the Anglo-American units was considered.

The Soviet offensive on Berlin was carefully prepared. A huge amount of ammunition was transferred to the city and military equipment... Troops of three fronts took part in the Berlin operation. The command was entrusted to marshals G.K. Zhukov, K.K. Rokossovsky and I.S. Konev. On both sides, 3.5 million people participated in the battle.

The assault began on April 16, 1945. At 3 am Berlin time, under the light of 140 searchlights, tanks and infantry attacked the German positions. After four days of fighting, the fronts commanded by Zhukov and Konev, with the support of two armies of the Polish Army, closed the ring around Berlin. 93 enemy divisions were defeated, about 490 thousand people were taken prisoner, a huge amount of captured military equipment and weapons. On this day, a meeting of Soviet and American troops took place on the Elbe River.

On April 21, 1945, the first assault detachments reached the outskirts of the German capital and started street battles. German soldiers put up fierce resistance, surrendering only in desperate situations.

On April 29, 1945, the storming of the Reishstag began, on April 30, 1945 the Red Banner was hoisted over it.

On May 1, 1945, General Krebs, Chief of the General Staff of the German Ground Forces, was delivered to the command post of the 8th Guards Army. He said that on April 30, Hitler committed suicide, and offered to start negotiations on an armistice.

The next day, the Berlin Defense Headquarters ordered the end of resistance. Berlin fell. When it was taken, the Soviet troops lost 300 thousand people. killed and wounded.

On the night of May 9, the act of Germany's unconditional surrender was signed. The war in Europe is over.

Conclusion

The second world War had a huge impact on the fate of mankind. Military operations were conducted on the territory of 40 states. 110 million people were mobilized into the armed forces. Total human losses reached 60-65 million people, of whom 27 million people were killed on the fronts, many of them citizens of the USSR. Also, China, Germany, Japan and Poland suffered heavy casualties.

Military spending and military losses totaled $ 4 trillion. Material costs reached 60-70% of the national income of the warring states. The industry of the USSR, USA, Great Britain and Germany alone produced 652.7 thousand aircraft (combat and transport), 286.7 thousand tanks, self-propelled guns and armored vehicles, over 1 million artillery pieces, over 4.8 million machine guns (excluding Germany) , 53 million rifles, carbines and machine guns and a huge amount of other weapons and equipment. The war was accompanied by colossal destruction, the destruction of tens of thousands of cities and villages, innumerable calamities of tens of millions of people.

As a result of the war, the role of Western Europe in global politics has weakened. The USSR and the USA became the main powers in the world. Great Britain and France, despite the victory, were significantly weakened. The war showed the inability of them and other Western European countries to maintain huge colonial empires. The anti-colonial movement intensified in the countries of Africa and Asia. As a result of the war, some countries were able to achieve independence: Ethiopia, Iceland, Syria, Lebanon, Vietnam, Indonesia. In Eastern Europe, occupied by Soviet troops, socialist regimes were established. One of the main outcomes of the Second World War was the creation of the United Nations on the basis of the Anti-Fascist Coalition, formed during the war, to prevent world wars in the future.

In some countries, partisan movements that developed during the war tried to continue their activities after the end of the war. In Greece, the conflict between the communists and the pre-war government escalated into a civil war. For some time after the end of the war, anti-communist armed groups operated in Western Ukraine, the Baltic states, and Poland. China continued civil War, lasting there since 1927.

Fascist and Nazi ideologies were declared criminal at the Nuremberg Trials and banned. In many Western countries, support for the communist parties has grown, thanks to their active participation in the anti-fascist struggle during the war.

Europe was divided into two camps: the western capitalist and the eastern socialist. Relations between the two blocs deteriorated sharply. A couple of years after the end of the war, the Cold War began.

List of sources and literature.

Grechko A.A. War years: 1941 - 1945 / A.A. Grechko. - M .: VOENNOE PUBLISHING HOUSE OF THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE OF THE USSR, 1976. - 574 p.
Zhukov, G.K. Memories and reflections / G.K. Zhukov. - M .: Publishing house of the news agency press, 1970. - 702 p.
Isaev A. Five circles of hell. Red Army in "boilers" / A. Isaev. - M .: Yauza: Exmo, 2011 .-- 400 p.
History of the Second World War: Vol. 1. - M .: VOENNOE PUBLISHING HOUSE OF THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE OF THE USSR, 1973. - 366 p.
History of the Second World War: Vol.2. - M .: VOENNOE PUBLISHING HOUSE OF THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE OF THE USSR, 1973. - 365 p.
History of the Second World War: Vol.4. - M .: VOENNOE PUBLISHING HOUSE OF THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE OF THE USSR, 1975. - 526 p.
History of the Second World War: Vol.5. - M .: VOENNOE PUBLISHING HOUSE OF THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE OF THE USSR, 1975. - 511 p.
History of the Second World War: Vol.6. - M .: VOENNOE PUBLISHING HOUSE OF THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE OF THE USSR, 1976. - 519 p.
History of the Second World War: Vol.7. - M .: VOENNOE PUBLISHING HOUSE OF THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE OF THE USSR, 1976. - 552 p.
1418 days of war: From the memoirs of the Great Patriotic War. - M .: Politizdat, 1990 .-- 687 p.

1 History of the Second World War: 1939 - 1945: vol. 4. - M .: Orders of the Red Banner of Labor MILITARY PUBLISHING OF THE USSR MINISTRY OF DEFENSE. - 1975 .-- p. 90.

4 Zhukov G.K. Memories and reflections / G.K. Zhukov. - Publishing house of the news press agency. - M .: 1970. - S. 320.

5 Zhukov G.K. Memories and reflections / G.K. Zhukov. - Publishing house of the news press agency. - M .: 1970. - S. 330.

6 Zhukov G.K. Memories and reflections / G.K. Zhukov. - Publishing house of the news press agency. - M .: 1970. - P.274-275.

7 Zhukov G.K. Memories and reflections / G.K. Zhukov. - Publishing house of the news press agency. - M .: 1970. - S. 359.

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Major battles of World War II, which were of great importance for the history of the USSR, are:

Battle of Stalingrad July 17, 1942 - February 2, 1943, which marked a radical turning point in the war;

Battle of Kursk, July 5 - August 23, 1943, during which the largest tank battle of the Second World War took place - near the village of Prokhorovka;

Battle of Berlin - leading to the surrender of Germany.

But events important for the course of World War II took place not only on the fronts of the USSR. Among the operations carried out by the allies, it is worth noting: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, which served as the reason for the US entry into World War II; the opening of the second front and the landing in Normandy on June 6, 1944; the use of nuclear weapons on August 6 and 9, 1945 to strike at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The end of World War II was September 2, 1945. Japan signed the act of surrender only after the defeat of the Kwantung Army by the Soviet troops. The battles of World War II, according to the most rough estimates, took away 65 million people on both sides. The Soviet Union suffered the greatest losses in World War II - 27 million citizens of the country were killed. It was he who took the brunt of the blow. This figure is also approximate and, according to some researchers, underestimated. It was the stubborn resistance of the Red Army that became the main cause of the defeat of the Reich.

Results of World War II

Outcome World War II horrified everyone. Military actions have brought the very existence of civilization to the brink. During the Nuremberg and Tokyo trials, fascist ideology was condemned, and many war criminals were punished. In order to prevent such a possibility of a new world war in the future, at the Yalta Conference in 1945 it was decided to create the United Nations Organization (UN), which still exists today. results nuclear bombing the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki led to the signing of non-proliferation pacts mass destruction, a ban on its production and use. It must be said that the consequences of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are being felt today.

The economic consequences of the Second World War were also serious. For Western European countries, it turned into a real economic disaster. The influence of Western European countries has diminished significantly. At the same time, the United States managed to maintain and strengthen its position.

Significance of World War II

Value World War II for the Soviet Union is enormous. The defeat of the fascists determined the future history of the country. As a result of the conclusion of the peace treaties that followed the defeat of Germany, the USSR significantly expanded its borders. At the same time, the totalitarian system was strengthened in the Union. In some european countries established communist regimes. The victory in the war did not save the USSR from the massive repressions that followed in the 50s.

The Second World War was fought on the territory of 40 countries, 72 states took part in it. In 1941, Germany had the strongest army in the world, but several crucial battles led the Third Reich to defeat.

Battle of Moscow (disruption of the blitzkrieg)

The battle for Moscow showed that the German blitzkrieg had failed. More than 7 million people took part in this battle in total. This is more than the Berlin operation, included in the Guinness Book as the largest battle of World War II, and more than the enemy forces on the western front after the Normandy landings.

The battle for Moscow was the only major battle of the Second World War, which was lost by the Wehrmacht, given its overall numerical superiority over the enemy.

Moscow was defended by "the whole world." So, the feat of the senior groom of the village of Lishnyagi, Serebryano-Prudskiy district, Ivan Petrovich Ivanov, who on December 11, 1941 repeated the feat of Ivan Susanin, led a German convoy of 40 cars into the deep ravine "Belgorodskie sosny".

The victory over the enemy was also helped by a simple teacher from Krasnaya Polyana, Elena Gorokhova, who informed the command of the Red Army about the redeployment of German units with long-range artillery batteries.

As a result of the counteroffensive near Moscow and the general offensive, the German units were thrown back 100-250 km. The Tula, Ryazan and Moscow regions, many areas of the Kalinin, Smolensk and Orel regions were completely liberated.

General Gunther Blumentritt wrote: “Now it was important for political leaders in Germany to understand that the days of the blitzkrieg were over. We were opposed by an army that was far superior in its combat qualities to any other army we had ever encountered on the battlefield. But it should be said that the German army also demonstrated high moral fortitude in overcoming all the disasters and dangers that befell it. "

Battle of Stalingrad (radical change)

The Battle of Stalingrad was the main turning point of the Second World War. The Soviet military command made it clear: there is no land beyond the Volga. The assessments of this battle and the losses suffered by Stalingrad by foreign historians are interesting.

In the book Operation Survive, which was published in 1949 and written by the famous American publicist Hessler, who is difficult to suspect of a pro-Russian position, it was stated: “According to the highly realistic scientist Dr. Philip Morrison, it would take at least 1000 atomic bombsto inflict damage on Russia only during the Stalingrad campaign ... This is much more than the number of bombs that we have accumulated after four years of tireless efforts. "

The Battle of Stalingrad was a struggle for survival.

The beginning was laid on August 23, 1942, when German aviation carried out a massive bombing of the city. 40,000 people died. This exceeds the official figures for the Allied air raid on Dresden in February 1945 (25,000 casualties).

In Stalingrad, the Red Army applied revolutionary innovations to psychological pressure on the enemy. From the loudspeakers installed at the front line, favorite hits of German music were heard, which were interrupted by messages about the victories of the Red Army in the sectors of the Stalingrad Front. The most effective means of psychological pressure was the monotonous beat of the metronome, which was interrupted after 7 beats with a comment in German: "Every 7 seconds one German soldier dies at the front." At the end of a series of 10-20 "timer reports", tango was heard from the loudspeakers.

During the Stalingrad operation, the Red Army managed to create the so-called "Stalingrad cauldron". On November 23, 1942, the troops of the Southwestern and Stalingrad fronts closed the encirclement ring, in which there was an almost 300,000-strong enemy group.

In Stalingrad, one of Hitler's “favorites”, Marshal Paulus, who became a field marshal in the days of the Battle of Stalingrad, was captured. By early 1943, Paulus' 6th Army was a pitiful sight. On January 8, the Soviet military command turned to the German commander with an ultimatum: if he did not surrender by 10 o'clock the next day, all Germans in the "cauldron" would be destroyed. Paulus did not react to the ultimatum. On January 31, he was taken prisoner. Subsequently, he became one of the USSR's allies in the Cold War propaganda war.

In early February 1943, units and formations of the 4th Luftwaffe Air Fleet received the password "Orlog". It meant that the 6th Army no longer existed, and the Battle of Stalingrad ended in the defeat of Germany.

Battle of the Kursk Bulge (transfer of the initiative to the Red Army)

The victory in the battles at the Kursk Bulge was of cardinal importance due to a number of factors. After Stalingrad, the Wehrmacht had another chance to change the situation on the Eastern Front in its favor, Hitler pinned great hopes on Operation Citadel and declared that "The victory at Kursk should serve as a torch for the whole world."

The importance of these battles was also understood by the Soviet command. It was important for the Red Army to prove that it can win victories not only during the winter campaigns, but also in the summer, therefore, the forces of not only the military, but also the civilian population were invested in the victory at the Kursk Bulge. In record time, in 32 days, a railway was built connecting Rzhava and Stary Oskol, called the "road of courage". Thousands of people worked day and night on its construction.

The turning point of the Battle of Kursk was the Battle of Prokhorovka. Largest tank battle in history with over 1,500 tanks.

Memories of that battle are still amazing. It was real hell.

The commander of the tank brigade Grigory Penezhko, who received the Hero of the Soviet Union for this battle, recalls: “We lost the sense of time, did not feel any thirst, or heat, or even blows in a cramped tank cabin. One thought, one aspiration - while alive, beat the enemy. Our tankers, who got out of their wrecked vehicles, searched the field for enemy crews, also left without equipment, and beat them with pistols, grabbed hand-to-hand ... ".

After Prokhorovka, our troops launched a decisive offensive. Operations "Kutuzov" and "Rumyantsev" allowed the liberation of Belgorod and Oryol, on August 23, Kharkov was liberated.

Oil is called the "blood of war". From the very beginning of the war, one of the main routes of the German offensive was directed towards the Baku oil fields. Controlling them was a priority for the Third Reich.
The battle for the Caucasus was marked by air battles in the skies over the Kuban, which became one of the largest air battles of the Second World War. For the first time in soviet pilots imposed their will on the Luftwaffe and actively interfered with and opposed the performance of the Germans' combat missions. From May 26 to June 7, the Red Army Air Force conducted 845 sorties at the Nazi airfields in Anapa, Kerch, Saki, Sarabuz and Taman. In total, during the battles in the skies of the Kuban, Soviet aviation made about 35 thousand sorties.

It was for the battles over the Kuban that the first Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to Alexander Pokryshkin, the future three times Hero of the Soviet Union and Air Marshal.

On September 9, 1943, the last operation of the battle for the Caucasus began - Novorossiysko-Tamanskaya. Within a month, German troops on the Taman Peninsula were defeated. As a result of the offensive, the cities of Novorossiysk and Anapa were liberated, the prerequisites were created for an amphibious operation in the Crimea. In honor of the liberation of the Taman Peninsula on October 9, 1943, a salute was given in Moscow with 20 volleys of 224 guns.

Ardennes operation (disruption of the "last blitzkrieg" of the Wehrmacht)

The Battle of the Ardennes is called "the last blitzkrieg of the Wehrmacht." This was the last attempt by the Third Reich to turn the tide on the Western Front. The operation was commanded by Field Marshal V. Model, who ordered to start it on the morning of December 16, 1944, by December 25 the Germans had advanced 90 km deep into the enemy's defenses.

However, the Germans did not know that the Allied defenses were deliberately weakened so that when the Germans break through to the West for 100 kilometers, surround them and strike from the flanks. The Wehrmacht did not foresee this maneuver.
The Allies knew about the Ardennes operation in advance, as they could read the German Ultra system codes. In addition, aerial reconnaissance reported on the movements of German troops.

Despite the fact that the initiative was initially with the Allies, the Germans were well prepared for the Ardennes. The time for the start of the offensive was chosen taking into account the fact that the Allied aviation could not provide air support. Also, the Germans went to the trick: everyone who knows english language, changed into American uniforms and, under the leadership of Otto Skorzeny, created assault troops from them so that they sow panic in the American rear.
Part of the "Panthers" was disguised as American tanks, bulwarks were hung on them, muzzle brakes were removed from the cannons, the towers were covered with sheet metal and large white stars were painted on the armor.

With the beginning of the offensive, the "false panthers" rushed to the rear of the American troops, but the cunning of the Germans was "chewed" out of stupidity. Some of the Germans asked for a gas station and said “petroleum” instead of “gas”. The Americans didn't say that. The saboteurs were exposed, and their cars were burned from bazookas.

In American historiography, the Battle of the Bulge is called the Battle of the Bulge. By January 29, the Allies had completed the operation and began the invasion of Germany.

The Wehrmacht lost in battles more than a third of its armored vehicles and almost all aircraft (including jet) that participated in the operation, used up fuel and ammunition. The only "profit" for Germany from the Ardennes operation was that it delayed the Allied offensive on the Rhine by six weeks: it had to be postponed to January 29, 1945.

War is a huge grief

World War II is the bloodiest war in human history. Lasted 6 years. 61 states with a total population of 1,700 million, that is, 80% of the total population of the earth, took part in the hostilities. The battles took place on the territories of 40 countries. For the first time in the annals of mankind, the number of civilian deaths exceeded the number of those killed directly in battles, and almost doubled.
finally dispelled people's illusions about human nature. No progress changes this nature. People have remained the same as two or a thousand years ago: beasts, only slightly covered with a thin layer of civilization and culture. Anger, envy, self-interest, stupidity, indifference are qualities that are manifested in them much more than kindness and compassion.
dispelled illusions about the importance of democracy. The people do not decide anything. As always in history, he is driven to the slaughterhouse to kill, rape, burn, and he obediently goes.
dispelled the illusion that humanity learns from its own mistakes. It doesn't learn. The First World War, which claimed 10 million lives, is only 23 years away from the Second.

World War II participants

— Germany, Italy, Japan, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic - on one side
— USSR, Great Britain, USA, China - on the other

Years of World War II 1939 - 1945

Causes of World War II

— not only drew a line under the First World War, in which Germany was defeated, but his terms humiliated and ruined Germany. Political instability, the danger of a victory of the left forces in the political struggle, economic difficulties contributed to the coming to power in Germany of the ultranationalist Nazinal-Socialist Party headed by Hitler, whose nationalist, demagogic, populist slogans appealed to the German people
"One Reich, one people, one Fuhrer"; "Blood and Soil"; "Germany wake up!"; “We want to show the German People that there is no life without Justice, but Justice without Power, Power without Power, and all Power is inside our People”, “Freedom and bread”, “Death of a lie”; "End Corruption!"
— After the First World War, pacifist sentiments gripped Western Europe. The peoples did not want to fight under any circumstances, for nothing. These feelings of voters were forced to reckon with politicians who in no way or very sluggishly, yielding in everything, reacted to the revanchist, aggressive actions and aspirations of Hitler

* early 1934 - Plans to mobilize 240 thousand enterprises for the production of military products were approved by the Working Committee of the Reich Defense Council

* October 1, 1934 - Hitler gave the order to increase the Reichswehr from 100 thousand to 300 thousand soldiers

* March 10, 1935 - Goering announced that Germany has air Force

* March 16, 1935 - Hitler announced the restoration of the system of general recruitment to the army and the creation in peacetime of an army of thirty-six divisions (this is about half a million people)

* On March 7, 1936, German troops entered the territory of the Rhineland Demilitarized Zone, violating all past treaties
* March 12, 1938 - Annexation of Austria to Germany
* 28-30 September 1938 - transfer of the Sudetenland to Czechoslovakia to Germany
* October 24, 1938 - Germany's demand for Poland to allow the annexation of the free city of Danzig to the Reich and the construction of extraterritorial railways and highways on Polish territory to East Prussia
* November 2, 1938 - Germany forced Czechoslovakia to transfer the southern regions of Slovakia and Transcarpathian Ukraine to Hungary
* March 15, 1939 - German occupation of the Czech Republic and its inclusion in the Reich

— In the 1920s and 1930s, before World War II, the West watched with great apprehension the actions and policies of the Soviet Union, which continued to broadcast about the world revolution, which Europe perceived as a desire for world domination. The leaders of France and England, Stalin and Hitler, were presented with the same field of berries and they hoped to direct the aggression of Germany to the East, by clever diplomatic moves pitting Germany and the USSR, and they themselves stay on the sidelines.
As a result of the disunity and contradictory actions of the world community, Germany gained strength and confidence in the possibility of its hegemony in the world.

Main events of World War II

, September 1 - the German army crossed the western border of Poland
1939 September 3 - Great Britain and France declared war on Germany
1939, September 17 - The Red Army crossed the eastern border of Poland
1939, October 6 - surrender of Poland
, May 10 - German attack on France
1940, April 9-June 7 - Occupation by Germany of Denmark, Belgium, Holland, Norway
1940, June 14 - The German army entered Paris
1940, September - 1941, May - Battle of England
1940, September 27 - The formation of the Triple Alliance between Germany, Italy, Japan, hoping after the victory to share the influence in the world

Later, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Finland, Thailand, Croatia, Spain joined the Union. The Triple Alliance or Axis countries in World War II were opposed by the Anti-Hitler coalition of the Soviet Union, Great Britain and its dominions, the United States and China

, March 11 - In the USA adopted
1941, April 13 - Treaty of the USSR and Japan on non-aggression and neutrality
1941, June 22 - Germany attacked the Soviet Union. The beginning of the Great Patriotic War
1941, September 8 - the beginning of the blockade of Leningrad
1941, September 30-December 5 - Battle of Moscow. Defeat of the German army
1941, November 7 - The Lend-Lease Law is extended to the USSR
1941, December 7 - Japanese attack on the American base Pearl Harbor. The outbreak of the war in the Pacific
1941, December 8 - US entry into the war
1941, December 9 - China's declaration of war on Japan, Germany and Italy
1941 Dec 25 - Japan invades British-owned Hong Kong
January 1 - Washington Declaration of 26 States on Cooperation in the Fight Against Fascism
1942, January-May - heavy defeats of British troops in North Africa
1942, January-March - Japanese troops occupied Rangoon, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Sumatra, Bali, part of New Guinea, New Britain, Gilbert Islands, most of the Solomon Islands
1942, first half - defeat of the Red Army. German army reached the Volga
1942, June 4-5 - defeat by the US fleet of a part of the Japanese fleet at Midway Atoll
1942, July 17 - the beginning of the Battle of Stalingrad
1942, 23 October-11 November - the defeat of the German army by the Anglo-American troops in North Africa
1942, November 11 - German occupation of southern France
, February 2 - the defeat of the fascist troops at Stalingrad
1943, January 12 - breaking the blockade of Leningrad
1943, May 13 - capitulation of German troops in Tunisia
1943, July 5-August 23 - the defeat of the Germans near Kursk
1943, July-August - the landing of the Anglo-American troops in Sicily
1943, August-December - the offensive of the Red Army, the liberation of most of Belarus and Ukraine
1943, November 28-December 1 - Tehran conference of Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt
, January-August - the offensive of the Red Army on all fronts. Her exit to the pre-war borders of the USSR
1944, June 6 - the landing of the allied Anglo-American troops in Normandy. Opening of the Second Front
1944, 25 August - Paris in the hands of the allies
1944, autumn - continuation of the Red Army offensive, liberation of the Baltic States, Moldova, Northern Norway
1944, December 16-1945, January - heavy defeat of the Allies during the German counteroffensive in the Ardennes
, January-May - offensive operations of the Red Army and allied forces in Europe and the Pacific
1945, January 4-11 - Yalta conference with the participation of Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill about post-war organization Europe
1945, April 12 - US President Roosevelt died, he was replaced by Truman
1945, April 25 - the storming of Berlin by units of the Red Army began
1945, May 8 - the surrender of Germany. The end of the Great Patriotic War
1945, July 17-August 2 - Potsdam Conference of the Heads of Government of the USA, USSR, Great Britain
1945 July 26 - Japan rejects surrender offer
1945, August 6 - atomic bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
1945, August 8 - USSR Japan
1945, September 2 - the surrender of Japan. End of World War II

World War II ended on September 2, 1945 with the signing of Japan's surrender

Major battles of World War II

Air and Naval Battle of England (10 July - 30 October 1940)
Battle of Smolensk (10 July-10 September 1941)
Battle of Moscow (September 30, 1941 - January 7, 1942)
Defense of Sevastopol (October 30, 1941 - July 4, 1942)
Japanese Navy attack on US Navy base Pearl Harbor (7 December 1941)
Naval battle at Midway Atoll in the Pacific Ocean of the US and Japanese fleets (June 4-June 7, 1942)
Battle of Guadalcanal Island of the Solomon Islands Archipelago in the Pacific Ocean (7 August 1942 - 9 February 1943)
Battle of Rzhev (January 5, 1942 - March 21, 1943)
Battle of Stalingrad (17 July 1942 - 2 February 1943)
Battle of El Alamein in North Africa (23 October-5 November)
Battle of the Kursk Bulge (July 5 - August 23, 1943)
Battle of the Dnieper (crossing the Dnieper 22-30 September) (26 August-23 December 1943)
Allied landings in Normandy (6 June 1944)
Liberation of Belarus (June 23 - August 29, 1944)
Battle of the Ardennes in southwest Belgium (December 16, 1944 - January 29, 1945)
Storming of Berlin (25 April-2 May 1945)

World War II generals

marshal Zhukov (1896-1974)
marshal Vasilevsky (1895-1977)
marshal Rokossovsky (1896-1968)
marshal Konev (1897-1973)
marshal Meretskov (1897 - 1968)
marshal Govorov (1897 - 1955)
marshal Malinovsky (1898 - 1967)
marshal Tolbukhin (1894 - 1949)
general of the Army Antonov (1896 - 1962)
general of the Army Vatutin (1901-1944)
chief Marshal of Armored Forces Rotmistrov (1901-1981)
marshal of Armored Forces Katukov (1900-1976)
general of the Army Chernyakhovsky (1906-1945)

general of the Army Marshall (1880-1959)
general of the Army Eisenhower (1890-1969)
general of the Army MacArthur (1880-1964)
general of the Army Bradley (1893-1981)
admiral Nimitz (1885-1966)
general of the Army, General of the Air Force H. Arnold (1886-1950)
general Patton (1885-1945)
general Divers (1887-1979)
general Clark (1896-1984)
admiral Fletcher (1885-1973)