The scale of destruction of Soviet cities during the Second World War. Thirteen cities that have been awarded the proud title of Heroes! In which cities during the war?
On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany attacked Soviet Union. At 3:30 a.m., when the fascist German troops received the pre-arranged Dortmund signal, an artillery strike was suddenly launched at Soviet border outposts and fortifications, and a few minutes later enemy hordes invaded the USSR. Large forces of German aviation brought down thousands of tons of deadly cargo on Soviet airfields, bridges, warehouses, railways, naval bases, lines and communication centers, to sleeping cities. A giant fire tornado raged in the border regions of the country. The cruel and incredibly difficult Great Patriotic War began for the Soviet people.
At 12 noon, Molotov made an official address on the radio to the citizens of the USSR, announcing the German attack on the USSR and announcing the beginning of the Patriotic War. I think everyone has heard and knows the text of this appeal to the Soviet people:
Citizens and women of the Soviet Union!
The Soviet government and its head, Comrade. Stalin instructed me to make the following statement:
Today, at 4 o'clock in the morning, without presenting any claims to the Soviet Union, without declaring war, German troops attacked our country, attacked our borders in many places and bombed our cities from their planes - Zhitomir, Kyiv, Sevastopol, Kaunas and some others, more than two hundred people were killed and wounded. Enemy aircraft raids and artillery shelling were also carried out from Romanian and Finnish territory.
This unheard of attack on our country is a treachery unparalleled in the history of civilized nations. The attack on our country was carried out despite the fact that a non-aggression treaty was concluded between the USSR and Germany, and the Soviet government fulfilled all the terms of this treaty in all good faith. The attack on our country was carried out despite the fact that during the entire duration of this treaty the German government could never make a single claim against the USSR regarding the implementation of the treaty. All responsibility for this predatory attack on the Soviet Union falls entirely on the German fascist rulers.
“Today, at 4 o’clock in the morning...” - this very hour is considered the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. However, the Great Patriotic War began 47 minutes earlier, and not in Brest or on the Prut River, but in Sevastopol.
The war began for Sevastopol at 3:13 on June 22, 1941 with a German air raid. The first bombs fell on the city, and mines were dropped into the bay.
The first mine fell directly into the waters of the Sevastopol Bay - in order to prevent ships from going to sea Black Sea Fleet. She fell almost in the same place where in Crimean War During the defense of Sevastopol, old wooden ships were sunk in order to prevent the Anglo-French squadron from entering the bay. There is also a monument there, which is called “Monument to the Scuttled Ships” (it’s the one in the picture). It was here that the Great Patriotic War began.
The second mine was also thrown for this purpose, but did not hit the water area, but fell on the street. Podgornaya and brought the first victims (about 20 people killed and wounded). These were the first victims of the Great Patriotic War.
The mines were lowered by parachute and exploded when they fell to the ground; several of them fell into the sea. Military experts suggested that the enemy was dropping ordinary anchor mines. On the evening of June 22, an underwater explosion killed the SP-12 tugboat, two days later a 25-ton floating crane, and then the Bystry destroyer. It turned out that German troops used a new type of weapon - non-contact bottom magnetic mines, which exploded under the influence of the mass of ships passing over them. By placing electromagnetic mines on the fairways, the German command hoped to clog the main base of the Black Sea Fleet, and then destroy the ships with bomber strikes.
However, as a result successful work Air Defense Forces, the task of blocking the Sevastopol bays with mines in order to subsequently destroy the fleet by bomber aircraft was not completed by the Germans. For a long time, enemy planes tried to mine the bay, the main fairway.
The boats of the Water District Protection Division found a means of combating proximity mines. At high speed, the boats passed over the places where mines had been dropped and dropped depth charges, from the explosion of which the mines detonated and exploded. But this method was not absolutely reliable and was fraught with huge risks.
To quickly solve a complex problem, the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet created a group of military engineers in early July. They received great assistance from the research staff of the Leningrad Institute of Physics and Technology E.E. Lysenko, Yu.S. Lazurkin, A.R. Regel, P.G. Stepanov and laboratory assistant K.K. Shcherbo. Soon the first electromagnetic trawl was created.
On August 9, 1941, physicists, later academicians, A.P. Aleksandrov and I.V. Kurchatov arrived in Sevastopol. The days of intense work came (after the departure of A.P. Aleksandrov, the leadership was carried out by Igor Vasilyevich Kurchatov). In a small house on the shore of Holland Bay, I.V. Kurchatov and his group managed to develop a demagnetization system in a uniquely short time. Scientists, together with specialists from the Black Sea Fleet, having carefully and comprehensively studied the fundamental principles of the new weapon, theoretically substantiated the method of mine protection of ships by demagnetizing them. Based on their research, the special mine-resistant treatment of warships before they go to sea gave positive results. Surface and underwater ships of the fleet treated by this method were not afraid of enemy magnetic mines.
Participants in the work on demagnetizing ships. In the first row - A.R. Regel, Yu.S. Lazurkin, V.D. Panchenko. In the second row - P.G. Stepanov, D.M. Gitelmacher. In the third - I.V. Kurchatov. 1941
Detonation of an underwater mine carried out by a special trawl developed by I.V. Kurchatova.
The physical principle, in general, is quite simple - the mine sensor reacts to the ship’s magnetic field, just like a compass needle. The idea underlying the work to protect ships from proximity mines was to demagnetize ships. It was assumed that this could be done by compensating the ship's magnetic field using special windings attached to it, through which it was passed D.C.. In this case, the magnetic field of the ship can be compensated by the magnetic field of the current to such an extent that the passage of the ship over the mine will not trigger the fuse, which has limited sensitivity.
The first work on demagnetizing ships was carried out even before the war, but in Sevastopol they worked with larger mines of a new design. Resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR dated April 10, 1942 for the creation effective methods demagnetization of ships and their practical implementation, A.P. Aleksandrov, I.V. Kurchatov and six other participants in the work were awarded the Stalin Prize of the first degree. On October 4, 1944, I.V. Kurchatov was awarded the order Red Banner of Labor for solving the same problem. The command of the Black Sea Fleet nominated Kurchatov to be awarded the medal “For the Defense of Sevastopol.” So we can say that the demagnetization of ships in order to protect them from mines also began to actively develop after this work by Aleksandrov and Kurchatov in 1941 in Sevastopol.
The enemy reached Sevastopol on land only in October 1941. Already in mid-September, German and Romanian troops began preparations for an invasion of the peninsula. Until mid-October, our troops managed to hold the enemy on the approaches to Crimea. However, on October 22, the Germans reached the last, Ishun line of defense of the Crimean isthmuses and, having captured them, on October 28 they broke through to the steppe expanses of the peninsula, developing an offensive in the direction of Sevastopol and Kerch.
On October 29, 1941, a state of siege was introduced in Sevastopol. On October 30, 1941, the second heroic defense of Sevastopol began, which lasted 250 days - until July 4, 1942. From the first battles to last days defense, the defenders of the city showed dedication, unparalleled fortitude and heroism. On November 4, the Sevastopol Defense Region (SOR) was created to unite all the forces of the Main Base of the Black Sea Fleet. General management of the Main Base of the Black Sea Fleet and its defense was carried out by the Military Council of the Black Sea Fleet. As in the first defense of Sevastopol, the defense was commanded by Soviet sailors - the successors of Nakhimov, Kornilov, Istomin.
A. A. Deineka, “Defense of Sevastopol” (1942)
The city withstood two assaults (the first was an attempt by German troops to capture the city on the move during October 30 - November 21, 1941, the second - December 17-30). The last, summer assault began on June 7. Both sides prepared for the last, June assault with all their might: the Sevastopol residents - with the courage of despair, the Germans - with unprecedented frenzy. Their group was strengthened to 200 thousand people. The latest weapons were delivered to Sevastopol, including the largest cannon of the Second World War, the Dora, which was serviced by an entire division led by a general. One shell weighed 7 tons - it was visible in flight. But only 3 weeks later, on June 30, street fighting began. On the same day, an order from Headquarters was received to abandon Sevastopol. However, organized resistance ceased on July 3. Some pockets resisted until June 12. The last defenders of Sevastopol fought on the Chersonesos Peninsula, on the legendary 35th battery (now there is a unique museum complex dedicated to the heroic defenders of Sevastopol - I recommend everyone to visit, you will not see this anywhere else).
If the defense of Sevastopol lasted 250 days, the liberation took only a week. On May 5, as a result of a powerful offensive, German fortifications near the Mekenzi Mountains were broken through, and on May 7, Sapun Mountain was taken by storm. 58 hours later, by the end of the day on May 9, 1944, the city was liberated. Sevastopol. On May 8, 1965, Sevastopol was awarded the title of Hero City (among the first 7: Leningrad, Odessa, Stalingrad, Kyiv, Brest Fortress and Moscow).
Memorial wall in honor of the heroic defense of Sevastopol and Alley of Hero Cities of Sevastopol (Republic of Crimea) (my photo). The two bayonets reflected by the soldier symbolize two reflected assaults.
Today, June 22, 2015 at 3:13 a.m., the All-Russian “Candle of Memory” event will take place at the Memorial of the Heroic Defense of Sevastopol 1941-1942.
On June 22, 1941, the German army invaded the territory of the USSR, and the Great Patriotic War began, in which about 27 million Soviet citizens died. This tragic date is sacred for each of us; today, on the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow, we remember and honor the feat of those who died in the Great Patriotic War.
The longest day of the year
With its cloudless weather
He gave us a common misfortune
For everyone, for all four years.
She was so impressed by the tour of the Reichstag
June 21, 1941, 13:00. German troops receive the code signal "Dortmund", confirming that the invasion will begin the next day.
Commander of the 2nd Tank Group of Army Group Center Heinz Guderian writes in his diary: “Careful observation of the Russians convinced me that they did not suspect anything about our intentions. In the courtyard of the Brest fortress, which was visible from our observation points, they were changing the guards to the sounds of an orchestra. The coastal fortifications along the Western Bug were not occupied by Russian troops."
21:00. Soldiers of the 90th border detachment of the Sokal commandant's office detained a German soldier who crossed border river Swim the Bug. The defector was sent to the detachment headquarters in the city of Vladimir-Volynsky.
23:00. German minelayers stationed in Finnish ports began to mine the exit from the Gulf of Finland. At the same time, Finnish submarines began laying mines off the coast of Estonia.
June 22, 1941, 0:30. The defector was taken to Vladimir-Volynsky. During interrogation, the soldier identified himself Alfred Liskov, soldiers of the 221st Regiment of the 15th Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht. He said that at dawn on June 22, the German army would go on the offensive along the entire length of the Soviet-German border. The information was transferred to higher command.
At the same time, the transmission of Directive No. 1 of the People's Commissariat of Defense for parts of the western military districts began from Moscow. “During June 22-23, 1941, a surprise attack by the Germans is possible on the fronts of LVO, PribOVO, ZAPOVO, KOVO, OdVO. An attack may begin with provocative actions,” the directive said. “The task of our troops is not to succumb to any provocative actions that could cause major complications.”
The units were ordered to be put on combat readiness, to secretly occupy firing points of fortified areas on the state border, and to disperse aircraft to field airfields.
Bring the directive to military units before the start of hostilities fails, as a result of which the measures specified in it are not carried out.
Mobilization. Columns of fighters are moving to the front. Photo: RIA Novosti
“I realized that it was the Germans who opened fire on our territory”
1:00. The commandants of the sections of the 90th border detachment report to the head of the detachment, Major Bychkovsky: “nothing suspicious was noticed on the adjacent side, everything is calm.”
3:05 . A group of 14 German Ju-88 bombers drops 28 magnetic mines near the Kronstadt roadstead.
3:07. The commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Vice Admiral Oktyabrsky, reports to the Chief of the General Staff, General Zhukov: “The fleet’s air surveillance, warning and communications system reports the approach from the sea large quantity unknown aircraft; The fleet is in full combat readiness."
3:10. The NKGB for the Lviv region transmits by telephone message to the NKGB of the Ukrainian SSR the information obtained during the interrogation of the defector Alfred Liskov.
From the memoirs of the chief of the 90th border detachment, Major Bychkovsky: “Without finishing the interrogation of the soldier, I heard strong artillery fire in the direction of Ustilug (the first commandant’s office). I realized that it was the Germans who opened fire on our territory, which was immediately confirmed by the interrogated soldier. I immediately began to call the commandant by phone, but the connection was broken...”3:30. Chief of Staff of the Western District General Klimovsky reports on enemy air raids on the cities of Belarus: Brest, Grodno, Lida, Kobrin, Slonim, Baranovichi and others.
3:33. The chief of staff of the Kyiv district, General Purkaev, reports on an air raid on the cities of Ukraine, including Kyiv.
3:40. Commander of the Baltic Military District General Kuznetsov reports on enemy air raids on Riga, Siauliai, Vilnius, Kaunas and other cities.
“The enemy raid has been repulsed. An attempt to strike our ships was foiled."
3:42. Chief of the General Staff Zhukov is calling Stalin and reports the start of hostilities by Germany. Stalin orders Tymoshenko and Zhukov arrive at the Kremlin, where an emergency meeting of the Politburo is convened.
3:45. The 1st border outpost of the 86th August border detachment was attacked by an enemy reconnaissance and sabotage group. Outpost personnel under command Alexandra Sivacheva, having entered into battle, destroys the attackers.
4:00. The commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Vice Admiral Oktyabrsky, reports to Zhukov: “The enemy raid has been repulsed. An attempt to strike our ships was foiled. But there is destruction in Sevastopol.”
4:05. The outposts of the 86th August Border Detachment, including the 1st Border Outpost of Senior Lieutenant Sivachev, come under heavy artillery fire, after which the German offensive begins. Border guards, deprived of communication with the command, engage in battle with superior enemy forces.
4:10. The Western and Baltic special military districts report the beginning of hostilities by German troops on the ground.
4:15. The Nazis open massive artillery fire on the Brest Fortress. As a result, warehouses were destroyed, communications were disrupted, and there were a large number of dead and wounded.
4:25. The 45th Wehrmacht Infantry Division begins an attack on the Brest Fortress.
Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Residents of the capital on June 22, 1941, during the radio announcement of a government message about the treacherous attack of Nazi Germany on the Soviet Union. Photo: RIA Novosti
“Protecting not individual countries, but ensuring the security of Europe”
4:30. A meeting of Politburo members begins in the Kremlin. Stalin expresses doubt that what happened is the beginning of a war and does not exclude the possibility of a German provocation. People's Commissar of Defense Timoshenko and Zhukov insist: this is war.
4:55. In the Brest Fortress, the Nazis manage to capture almost half of the territory. Further progress was stopped by a sudden counterattack by the Red Army.
5:00. German Ambassador to the USSR Count von Schulenburg presented to the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR Molotov“Note from the German Foreign Office to the Soviet Government,” which states: “The German Government cannot remain indifferent to the serious threat on the eastern border, therefore the Fuehrer has ordered the German Armed Forces to ward off this threat by all means.” An hour after the actual start of hostilities, Germany de jure declares war on the Soviet Union.
5:30. On German radio, the Reich Minister of Propaganda Goebbels reads out the appeal Adolf Hitler to the German people in connection with the start of the war against the Soviet Union: “Now the hour has come when it is necessary to speak out against this conspiracy of the Jewish-Anglo-Saxon warmongers and also the Jewish rulers of the Bolshevik center in Moscow... At the moment, a military action of the greatest extent and volume is taking place, what the world has ever seen... The task of this front is no longer to protect individual countries, but to ensure the security of Europe and thereby save everyone.”7:00. Reich Minister for Foreign Affairs Ribbentrop begins a press conference at which he announces the beginning of hostilities against the USSR: “The German army has invaded the territory of Bolshevik Russia!”
“The city is burning, why aren’t you broadcasting anything on the radio?”
7:15. Stalin approves directive to repel the attack Hitler's Germany: “The troops will, with all their might and means, attack enemy forces and destroy them in areas where they have violated Soviet border" Transfer of “directive No. 2” due to saboteurs’ disruption of communication lines in the western districts. Moscow does not have a clear picture of what is happening in the combat zone.
9:30. It was decided that at noon, People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Molotov would address the Soviet people in connection with the outbreak of war.
10:00. From the speaker's memories Yuri Levitan: “They’re calling from Minsk: “Enemy planes are over the city,” they’re calling from Kaunas: “The city is burning, why aren’t you transmitting anything on the radio?” “Enemy planes are over Kiev.” A woman’s crying, excitement: “Is it really war?..” However, no official messages are transmitted until 12:00 Moscow time on June 22.
10:30. From a report from the headquarters of the 45th German division about the battles on the territory of the Brest Fortress: “The Russians are resisting fiercely, especially behind our attacking companies. In the citadel, the enemy organized a defense with infantry units supported by 35-40 tanks and armored vehicles. Enemy sniper fire resulted in heavy casualties among officers and non-commissioned officers."
11:00. The Baltic, Western and Kiev special military districts were transformed into the North-Western, Western and South-Western fronts.
“The enemy will be defeated. Victory will be ours"
12:00. People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Vyacheslav Molotov reads out an appeal to the citizens of the Soviet Union: “Today at 4 o’clock in the morning, without making any claims against the Soviet Union, without declaring war, German troops attacked our country, attacked our borders in many places and bombed us with their planes attacked our cities - Zhitomir, Kyiv, Sevastopol, Kaunas and some others, and more than two hundred people were killed and wounded. Raids by enemy planes and artillery shelling were also carried out from Romanian and Finnish territory... Now that the attack on the Soviet Union has already taken place, the Soviet government has given an order to our troops to repel the bandit attack and expel German troops from the territory of our homeland... The government calls on you, citizens and citizens of the Soviet Union, to rally our ranks even more closely around our glorious Bolshevik Party, around our Soviet government, around our great leader, Comrade Stalin.
Our cause is just. The enemy will be defeated. Victory will be ours" .
12:30. Advanced German units break into the Belarusian city of Grodno.
13:00.
The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR issues a decree “On the mobilization of those liable for military service...”
“Based on Article 49, paragraph “o” of the USSR Constitution, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR announces mobilization on the territory of the military districts - Leningrad, Baltic special, Western special, Kyiv special, Odessa, Kharkov, Oryol, Moscow, Arkhangelsk, Ural, Siberian, Volga, North -Caucasian and Transcaucasian.
13:30. Chief of the General Staff General Zhukov flies to Kyiv as a representative of the newly created Headquarters of the Main Command on the Southwestern Front.
Photo: RIA Novosti
14:00. The Brest Fortress is completely surrounded by German troops. Soviet units blocked in the citadel continue to offer fierce resistance.
14:05. Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano states: “In view of the current situation, due to the fact that Germany declared war on the USSR, Italy, as an ally of Germany and as a member of the Tripartite Pact, also declares war on the Soviet Union from the moment German troops entered Soviet territory.”
14:10. The 1st border outpost of Alexander Sivachev has been fighting for more than 10 hours. The border guards, who had only small arms and grenades, destroyed up to 60 Nazis and burned three tanks. The wounded commander of the outpost continued to command the battle.
15:00. From the notes of the commander of Army Group Center, Field Marshal von Bock: “The question of whether the Russians are carrying out a systematic withdrawal remains open. There is now plenty of evidence both for and against this.
What is surprising is that nowhere is any significant work of their artillery visible. Heavy artillery fire is conducted only in the northwest of Grodno, where the VIII Army Corps is advancing. Apparently, our air force has an overwhelming superiority over Russian aviation."
Of the 485 border posts attacked, not a single one withdrew without orders.
16:00. After a 12-hour battle, the Nazis took the positions of the 1st border outpost. This became possible only after all the border guards who defended it died. The head of the outpost, Alexander Sivachev, was posthumously awarded the order Patriotic War I degree.
The feat of the outpost of Senior Lieutenant Sivachev was one of hundreds committed by border guards in the first hours and days of the war. On June 22, 1941, the state border of the USSR from the Barents to the Black Sea was guarded by 666 border outposts, 485 of which were attacked on the very first day of the war. Not one of the 485 outposts attacked on June 22 withdrew without orders.
Hitler's command allotted 20 minutes to break the resistance of the border guards. 257 Soviet border posts held their defense from several hours to one day. More than one day - 20, more than two days - 16, more than three days - 20, more than four and five days - 43, from seven to nine days - 4, more than eleven days - 51, more than twelve days - 55, more than 15 days - 51 outpost. 45 outposts fought for up to two months.
Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. The workers of Leningrad listen to a message about the attack of Nazi Germany on the Soviet Union. Photo: RIA Novosti
Of the 19,600 border guards who met the Nazis on June 22 in the direction of the main attack of Army Group Center, more than 16,000 died in the first days of the war.
17:00. Hitler's units manage to occupy the southwestern part of the Brest Fortress, the northeast remained under the control of Soviet troops. Stubborn battles for the fortress will continue for weeks.
“The Church of Christ blesses all Orthodox Christians for the defense of the sacred borders of our Motherland”
18:00. The Patriarchal Locum Tenens, Metropolitan Sergius of Moscow and Kolomna, addresses the believers with a message: “Fascist robbers attacked our homeland. Trampling all kinds of agreements and promises, they suddenly fell upon us, and now the blood of peaceful citizens is already irrigating our native land... Our Orthodox Church has always shared the fate of the people. She endured trials with him and was consoled by his successes. She will not abandon her people even now... The Church of Christ blesses all Orthodox Christians for the defense of the sacred borders of our Motherland.”
19:00. From the notes of the Chief of the General Staff of the Wehrmacht Ground Forces, Colonel General Franz Halder: “All armies, except the 11th Army of Army Group South in Romania, went on the offensive according to plan. The offensive of our troops, apparently, came as a complete tactical surprise to the enemy along the entire front. Border bridges across the Bug and other rivers were everywhere captured by our troops without a fight and in complete safety. The complete surprise of our offensive for the enemy is evidenced by the fact that the units were taken by surprise in a barracks arrangement, the planes were parked at airfields, covered with tarpaulins, and the advanced units, suddenly attacked by our troops, asked the command about what to do... The Air Force command reported, that today 850 enemy aircraft have been destroyed, including entire squadrons of bombers, which, having taken off without fighter cover, were attacked by our fighters and destroyed.”
20:00. Directive No. 3 of the People's Commissariat of Defense was approved, ordering Soviet troops to launch a counteroffensive with the task of defeating Hitler's troops on the territory of the USSR with further advance into enemy territory. The directive ordered the capture of the Polish city of Lublin by the end of June 24.
Great Patriotic War 1941-1945. June 22, 1941 Nurses provide assistance to the first wounded after a Nazi air raid near Chisinau. Photo: RIA Novosti
“We must provide Russia and the Russian people with all the help we can.”
21:00. Summary of the Red Army High Command for June 22: “At dawn on June 22, 1941, regular troops of the German army attacked our border units on the front from the Baltic to the Black Sea and were held back by them during the first half of the day. In the afternoon, German troops met with the advanced units of the field troops of the Red Army. After fierce fighting, the enemy was repulsed with heavy losses. Only in the Grodno and Kristinopol directions did the enemy manage to achieve minor tactical successes and occupy the towns of Kalwaria, Stoyanuv and Tsekhanovets (the first two are 15 km and the last 10 km from the border).
Enemy aircraft attacked a number of our airfields and populated areas, but everywhere they met decisive resistance from our fighters and anti-aircraft artillery, which inflicted heavy losses on the enemy. We shot down 65 enemy aircraft.”
23:00. Message from the Prime Minister of Great Britain Winston Churchill to the British people in connection with the German attack on the USSR: “At 4 o'clock this morning Hitler attacked Russia. All his usual formalities of treachery were observed with scrupulous precision... suddenly, without a declaration of war, even without an ultimatum, German bombs fell from the sky on Russian cities, German troops violated Russian borders, and an hour later the German ambassador, who just the day before had generously lavished his assurances on the Russians in friendship and almost an alliance, paid a visit to the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs and declared that Russia and Germany were at war...
No one has been more staunchly opposed to communism over the past 25 years than I have been. I will not take back a single word that was said about him. But all this pales in comparison to the spectacle unfolding now.The past, with its crimes, follies and tragedies, recedes. I see Russian soldiers as they stand on the border native land and guard the fields which their fathers have plowed since time immemorial. I see them guarding their homes; their mothers and wives pray—oh, yes, because at such a time everyone prays for the safety of their loved ones, for the return of their breadwinner, patron, their protectors...
We must provide Russia and the Russian people with all the help we can. We must call on all our friends and allies in all parts of the world to pursue a similar course and pursue it as steadfastly and steadily as we will, to the very end.”
June 22 came to an end. There were still 1,417 days ahead of the worst war in human history.
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Kremlin Wall
Leningrad 1941
Defense of Leningrad
Residents participated in the construction of defensive structures of Leningrad
Leningrad during the siege
Liberation of Leningrad
The road of life
Fascists captured near Moscow
Destroyed Stalingrad
Monument to the Grieving Mother on Mamayev Kurgan
Mamaev Kurgan in Volgograd
Defense of Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Heroes - sailors of Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Defense of Odessa
Liberation of Odessa
Odessa is a Russian city
Kyiv after the German bombing
Defense of Kyiv
Defenders of Kyiv
Kyiv today
Defense of Kerch
Liberation of Kerch
Kerch today
Defense of Novorossiysk
Liberation of Novorossiysk
Novorossiysk
Liberation of Minsk
Defense of Tula
The defenders defended Tula
Defense of Murmansk
Defenders of Murmansk
Murmansk
Destroyed Smolensk
Defense of Smolensk
Smolensk
Our Heroic Motherland has always attracted the attention of enemies, many wanted to seize our lands, make slaves of the Russians and the peoples living in Russia, this was the case in ancient times, and this was also the case quite recently, when Nazi Germany attacked our country. On the way of the German fascist invaders Russian cities stood up and defended themselves courageously. We mourn the fallen soldiers, the elderly, women and children who fell defending our cities. Hero cities are our story about them.
Hero City Moscow
In the plans of Nazi Germany, the capture of Moscow was of primary importance, since it was with the capture of Moscow that the victory of German troops over our country would be considered. To capture the city, a special operation was developed under code name"Typhoon". The Germans launched two major attacks on the capital of our Motherland in October and November 1941. The forces were unequal. In the first operation, the Nazi command used 74 divisions (including 22 motorized and tank), 1.8 million officers and soldiers, 1,390 aircraft, 1,700 tanks, 14,000 mortars and guns. The second operation consisted of 51 combat-ready divisions. On our side, a little more than a million people, 677 aircraft, 970 tanks and 7,600 mortars and guns stood up to defend the hero city.
As a result of the fierce battle that ensued, which lasted more than 200 days, the enemy was thrown back 80-250 km west of Moscow. This event strengthened the spirit of our entire people and the Red Army, and shattered the myth of the invincibility of the Nazis. For the exemplary performance of combat missions, 36 thousand defenders of the city were awarded various orders and medals, and 110 people were awarded the title “Hero of the Soviet Union.” More than a million soldiers were awarded the medal “For the Defense of Moscow”. By decree of May 8, 1965, Moscow was awarded the honorary title of Hero City.
Hero City Leningrad (St. Petersburg)
The Nazis wanted to completely destroy Leningrad, wipe it off the face of the earth and exterminate its population.
Fierce fighting on the outskirts of Leningrad began on July 10, 1941. Numerical superiority was on the enemy’s side: almost 2.5 times more soldiers, 10 times more aircraft, 1.2 times more tanks, and almost 6 times more mortars. As a result, on September 8, 1941, the Nazis managed to capture Shlisselburg and thus take control of the source of the Neva. As a result, Leningrad was blocked from land (cut off from the mainland).
From that moment on, the infamous 900-day blockade of the city began, which lasted until January 1944. Despite the terrible famine that began and the continuous attacks of the enemy, as a result of which almost 650,000 residents of Leningrad died, they showed themselves to be real heroes, directing all their strength to the fight with the fascist invaders.
More than 500 thousand Leningraders went to work on the construction of defensive structures; they built 35 km of barricades and anti-tank obstacles, as well as more than 4,000 bunkers and pillboxes; 22,000 firing points are equipped. At the cost of their own health and lives, the courageous Leningrad heroes gave the front thousands of field and naval guns, repaired and launched 2,000 tanks, produced 10 million shells and mines, 225,000 machine guns and 12,000 mortars.
The first breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad occurred on January 18, 1943 through the efforts of the troops of the Volkhov and Leningrad fronts, when a corridor 8-11 km wide was formed between the front line and Lake Ladoga. A year later, Leningrad was completely liberated. On December 22, 1942, the medal “For the Defense of Leningrad” was established, which was awarded to about 1,500,000 defenders of the city. In 1965, Leningrad was awarded the title of Hero City.
City Hero Volgograd (Stalingrad)
In the summer of 1942, fascist German troops launched a massive offensive on the southern front, trying to capture the Caucasus, the Don region, lower Volga and Kuban are the richest and most fertile lands of our country. First of all, the city of Stalingrad came under attack.
On July 17, 1942, one of the greatest and largest battles in the history of World War II began - the Battle of Stalingrad. Despite the Nazis' desire to capture the city as quickly as possible, it continued for 200 long, bloody days and nights, thanks to the incredible efforts of the heroes of the army, navy and ordinary residents of the region.
The first attack on the city took place on August 23, 1942. Then, just north of Stalingrad, the Germans almost approached the Volga. Policemen, sailors of the Volga Fleet, NKVD troops, cadets and other volunteer heroes were sent to defend the city. That same night, the Germans launched their first air raid on the city, and on August 25, a state of siege was introduced in Stalingrad. At that time, about 50 thousand volunteers - heroes from among ordinary townspeople - signed up for the people's militia. Despite the almost continuous shelling, the Stalingrad factories continued to operate and produce tanks, Katyushas, cannons, mortars and a huge number of shells.
On September 12, 1942, the enemy came close to the city. Two months of fierce defensive battles for Stalingrad caused significant damage to the Germans: the enemy lost about 700 thousand people killed and wounded, and on November 19, 1942, the counter-offensive of our army began.
The offensive operation continued for 75 days and, finally, the enemy at Stalingrad was surrounded and completely defeated. January 1943 brought complete victory on this sector of the front. The fascist invaders were surrounded, and their commander, General Paulus, and his entire army surrendered. During the entire Battle of Stalingrad, the German army lost more than 1,500,000 people.
Stalingrad was one of the first to be called a hero city. This honorary title was first announced in the order of the Commander-in-Chief dated May 1, 1945. And the medal “For the Defense of Stalingrad” became a symbol of the courage of the city’s defenders.
Hero City Sevastopol
By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the city of Sevastopol was the largest port on the Black Sea and the main naval base of the country. His heroic defense against the Nazis began on October 30, 1941. and lasted 250 days, going down in history as an example of the long-term defense of a coastal city deep behind enemy lines. The Germans failed to capture Sevastopol immediately, since its garrison numbered 23 thousand people and had 150 coastal and field guns. But then, until the summer of 1942, they made three more attempts to capture the city.
Sevastopol was attacked for the first time on November 11, 1941 by German- fascist army For 10 days in a row they tried to break through to the hero city with the strength of four infantry divisions, but to no avail. They were opposed by our naval and ground forces, united in the Sevastopol defensive region.
The Nazis made a second attempt to capture the city from December 7 to December 31, 1941. This time they had at their disposal seven infantry divisions, two mountain rifle brigades, over 150 tanks, 300 aircraft and 1,275 guns and mortars. But this attempt also failed; the heroic defenders of Sevastopol destroyed up to 40,000 fascists and did not allow them to approach the city.
By the end of spring 1942, the Germans had amassed 200,000 soldiers, 600 aircraft, 450 tanks and more than 2,000 guns and mortars to Sevastopol. They managed to blockade the city from the air and increased their activity at sea, as a result of which the courageous defenders of the city were forced to retreat. Despite this, the heroic defenders of Sevastopol inflicted serious damage on the forces of the Nazi troops and disrupted their plans on the southern wing of the front.
The battles for the liberation of Sevastopol began on April 15, 1944, when Soviet soldiers reached the occupied city. Particularly fierce battles were fought in the area adjacent to Sapun Mountain. On May 9, 1944, our army liberated Sevastopol. For military distinction, 44 soldiers who participated in those battles were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and over 39,000 people received the medal “For the Defense of Sevastopol.” Sevastopol was one of the first to receive the title of Hero City on May 8, 1965.
Hero City Odessa
Already in August 1941, Odessa was completely surrounded by Nazi troops. Its heroic defense lasted 73 days, during which the Soviet army and troops people's militia defended the city from enemy invasion. From the mainland side, Odessa was defended by the Primorsky Army, from the sea - by ships of the Black Sea Fleet, with the support of artillery from the shore. To capture the city, the enemy threw forces five times larger than its defenders.
Nazi troops launched the first big assault on Odessa on August 20, 1941, but heroic Soviet troops stopped their advance 10-14 kilometers from the city borders. Every day, 10-12 thousand women and children dug trenches, laid mines, and pulled wire fences. In total, during the defense, 40,000 mines were planted by residents, more than 250 kilometers of anti-tank ditches were dug, and about 250 barricades were built on the city streets. The hands of teenagers who worked in factories made about 300,000 hand grenades and the same number of anti-tank and anti-personnel mines. During the months of defense, 38 thousand ordinary residents-heroes of Odessa moved to the ancient Odessa catacombs, stretching for many kilometers underground, to take part in the defense of their home city.
The heroic defense of Odessa blocked the enemy army for 73 days. Thanks to the dedication of the Soviet troops and the heroes of the people's militia, more than 160,000 German soldiers 200 enemy aircraft and 100 tanks were killed and destroyed.
But the city was nevertheless taken on October 16, 1941. From that day on, a merciless partisan fight against the invaders began: 5 thousand soldiers and officers were destroyed by Odessa partisans - heroes, 27 trains with enemy troops were derailed military equipment, 248 cars were blown up.
Odessa was liberated on April 10, 1944, and the title of City Hero was awarded in 1965.
Hero City Kyiv
German troops launched a surprise attack on the city of Kyiv from the air on June 22, 1941 - in the very first hours of the war, a heroic struggle for the city began, which lasted for 72 days. Kyiv was defended not only by Soviet soldiers, but also by ordinary residents. Huge efforts were made for this by militia units, of which there were nineteen by the beginning of July. Also, 13 fighter battalions were formed from among the townspeople, and in total 33,000 people from the city’s residents took part in the defense of Kyiv. In those difficult times July days Kiev residents built more than 1,400 pillboxes and manually dug 55 kilometers of anti-tank ditches.
The courage and courage of the defenders’ heroes stopped the enemy advance on the first line of the city’s fortifications. The Nazis failed to take Kyiv in a raid. However, on July 30, 1941, the fascist army made a new attempt to storm the city. On the tenth of August, she managed to break through the defenses on its southwestern outskirts, but through the joint efforts of the people's militia and regular troops they managed to give a worthy rebuff to the enemy. By August 15, 1941, the militia drove the Nazis back to their previous positions. Enemy losses near Kiev numbered more than 100,000 people. The Nazis did not undertake any more direct assaults on the city. Such prolonged resistance by the city’s defenders forced the enemy to withdraw part of the forces from the offensive in the Moscow direction and transfer them to Kyiv, due to which the Soviet soldiers were forced to retreat on September 19, 1941.
The Nazi invaders who occupied the city inflicted enormous damage on it, establishing a regime of brutal occupation. More than 200,000 Kiev residents were killed, and about 100,000 people were sent to Germany for forced labor. Residents of the city actively resisted the Nazis. An underground was organized in Kyiv that fought the Nazi regime. The underground heroes destroyed hundreds of fascists, blew up 500 German cars, derailed 19 trains, and burned 18 warehouses.
Kyiv was liberated on November 6, 1943. In 1965, Kyiv was awarded the title of Hero City.
Hero-Fortress Brest
Of all the cities of the Soviet Union, it was Brest that had the fate of being the first to encounter the Nazi invaders. In the early morning of June 22, 1941, the Brest Fortress, in which at that time there were approximately 7 thousand Soviet soldiers and family members of their commanders.
The German command expected to capture the fortress within a few hours, but the 45th Wehrmacht Division was stuck in Brest for a week and, with significant losses, suppressed individual pockets of resistance of the heroic defenders of Brest for another month. As a result, the Brest Fortress became a symbol of courage, heroic fortitude and valor during the Great Patriotic War. The attack on the fortress was sudden, so the garrison was taken by surprise. With fire from the air, the Nazis destroyed the water supply and warehouses, interrupted communications and inflicted heavy losses on the garrison.
An unexpected artillery attack did not allow the heroic defenders of the fortress to provide coordinated resistance, so it was broken into several centers. According to eyewitnesses of those days, single shooting from the Brest fortress was heard until the beginning of August, but, in the end, the resistance was suppressed. But the German losses from that repulse of the heroes - the defenders of Brest - were significant - 1,121 people killed and wounded. During the occupation of Brest, the Nazis killed 40,000 civilians in the city. The city of Brest, including the famous fortress, met its heroes - liberators on July 28, 1944.
On May 8, 1965, the fortress received the title of “hero fortress.” In 1971, the hero fortress “Brest” became a memorial complex.
Hero City Kerch
Kerch was one of the first cities to come under attack by Nazi troops at the beginning of the war. During all this time, the front line passed through it four times and during the war years the city was occupied twice by Nazi troops, as a result of which 15 thousand civilians were killed, and more than 14 thousand Kerchan residents were driven to Germany for forced labor. The city was captured for the first time in November 1941, after bloody battles. But already on December 30, during the Kerch-Feodosia landing operation, Kerch was liberated by our troops.
In May 1942, the Nazis concentrated large forces and launched a new attack on the city. As a result of heavy and stubborn fighting, Kerch was abandoned again. A legendary page inscribed in the history of the Great Patriotic War was the stubborn struggle and long defense in the Adzhimushkai quarries. Soviet patriots - heroes showed the whole world an example of mutual assistance and loyalty military duty and military brotherhood. Also, underground fighters and partisans waged an active fight against the invaders.
During the 320 days that the city was in the hands of the enemy, the occupiers destroyed all the factories, burned all the bridges and ships, cut down and burned parks and gardens, destroyed the power station and telegraph, and blew up the railway lines. Kerch was almost completely wiped off the face of the earth.
With the onset of 1943, the German command considered Crimea to be one of the most important bridgeheads, so huge forces were drawn to Kerch: tanks, artillery, and aviation. In addition, the Germans mined the strait itself to prevent the Soviet liberation troops from breaking through into the occupied lands. At night, November 1, 1943, 18 machine gunners occupied a small mound near the village of Eltigen. All these heroes died on the bridgehead, but did not let the enemy through. The continuous battle, which lasted 40 days, went down in history under the name “Terra del Fuego.” This feat, which began the reconquest of the Kerch Strait, marked the beginning of the liberation of the Crimean Peninsula.
So, for the defense and liberation of Kerch, 153 people were awarded the Order of Hero of the Soviet Union. The city was liberated on April 11, 1944, and on September 14, 1973, Kerch was awarded the title of Hero City.
Hero City Novorossiysk
To protect the city of Novorossiysk, on August 17, 1942, the Novorossiysk defensive region was created, which included the 47th Army, sailors of the Azov Military Flotilla and the Black Sea Fleet. People's militia units were actively created in the city, more than 200 defensive firing points and command posts were built, and an anti-tank and anti-personnel obstacle course more than thirty kilometers long was equipped.
The ships of the Black Sea Fleet particularly distinguished themselves in the fight for Novorossiysk. Despite the heroic efforts of the defenders of Novorossiysk, the forces were unequal, and on September 7, 1942, the enemy managed to enter the city and capture several administrative objects in it. But after four days the Nazis were stopped in the south-eastern part of the city and moved to a defensive position.
The landing on the night of February 4, 1943 made a victorious entry in the history of the battle for the liberation of Novorossiysk. amphibious assault, headed by Major Kunnikov. This happened on the southern border of the hero city, in the area of the village of Stanichki. A kind of bridgehead with an area of 30 square meters. kilometers, entered the chronicle of the Great Patriotic War under the name “Malaya Zemlya”. The battle for Novorossiysk lasted 225 days and ended with the complete liberation of the hero city on September 16, 1943.
On September 14, 1973, in honor of the 30th victory over the Nazis, during the defense of the North Caucasus, Novorossiysk received the title of hero city.
Hero City Minsk
From the first days of the Great Patriotic War, Minsk found itself in the very center of the battles, as it was located in the direction of the main attack of the Germans, on Moscow. The advanced units of the enemy troops approached the city on June 26, 1941. They were met by only one 64th rifle division, which in just three days of fierce fighting destroyed about 300 enemy vehicles and armored vehicles, as well as many tanks. On June twenty-seventh, the Nazis managed to be thrown back, 10 km from Minsk - this reduced the striking force and pace of the Nazis’ advance to the east. However, after stubborn and heavy fighting, on June 28, Soviet troops were forced to retreat and leave the city.
The Nazis established a strict occupation regime in Minsk, during which they destroyed a huge number of both prisoners of war and civilians of the city. But the courageous Minsk residents did not submit to the enemy; underground groups and sabotage detachments began to be created in the city. These heroes accounted for over 1,500 acts of sabotage, as a result of which several military and military facilities were blown up in Minsk. administrative significance, and the city railway junction was repeatedly put out of action. For their courage and heroism, 600 participants of the Minsk underground were awarded orders and medals, 8 people received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. On June 26, 1974, Minsk was awarded the title of Hero City.
Hero City of Tula
By October 1941, the fascist invaders, who dreamed of capturing Moscow, managed to advance quite far into Russia.
The German general Guderian was able to take the city of Orel, which was taken by surprise by the enemy, before reaching Tula. There were only 180 km left to Tula, and there were no military units in the city, except for: one NKVD regiment, which guarded defense factories operating here at full capacity, the 732nd anti-aircraft artillery regiment, covering the city from the air, and fighter battalions consisting of workers and employees.
Almost immediately, brutal and bloody battles broke out for the city, since Tula was the next step for the enemy rushing towards Moscow.
Also immediately after the capture of Orel, Tula was placed under martial law. Working extermination squads were created there. Residents of the city surrounded Tula with ribbons of trenches, dug anti-tank ditches inside the city, installed gouges and hedgehogs, and built barricades and strongholds. In parallel, active work was carried out to evacuate defense factories.
The Nazis sent their best troops to take Tula: three tank divisions, one motorized division and a regiment Greater Germany" The heroes of the workers' guard, as well as security officers and anti-aircraft gunners, bravely resisted the enemy forces.
Despite the most fierce attacks, in which about a hundred tanks took part from the enemy, the Nazis did not manage to break through to Tula in any battle area. Moreover, in just one day Soviet heroes, defending the city, managed to destroy 31 enemy tanks and destroy many infantry.
Defense life was in full swing in the city itself. The telephone exchange helped establish communications between units of the Soviet army that had emerged from encirclement, hospitals received the wounded, equipment and weapons were repaired at factories, the defenders of Tula were supplied with provisions and warm clothing.
As a result, the city survived! The enemy was unable to capture it. For the courage shown in battles and defense, about 250 of its residents were awarded the title “Hero of the Soviet Union.” On December 7, 1976, Tula received the title of Hero City and was awarded the Gold Star medal.
Hero City Murmansk
To seize the lands of the Arctic, from Norway and Finland, the Germans deployed the “Norway” front. The plans of the fascist invaders included an attack on the Kola Peninsula. The defense of the peninsula was deployed on the Northern Front, a strip 500 km long. It was these units that covered the Murmansk, Kandelak and Ukhta directions. Ships of the Northern Fleet and ground troops The Soviet army, defending the Arctic from the invasion of German troops.
The enemy offensive began on June 29, 1941, but our soldiers stopped the enemy 20-30 kilometers from the border line. At the cost of fierce fighting and the boundless courage of these heroes, the front line remained unchanged until 1944, when our troops launched an offensive. Murmansk is one of those cities that became front-line from the very first days of the war. The Nazis carried out 792 air raids and dropped 185 thousand bombs on the city - however, Murmansk survived and continued to operate as a port city. Under regular air raids, ordinary citizens-heroes carried out the unloading and loading of ships, the construction of bomb shelters, and production military equipment. During all the war years, the Murmansk port received 250 ships and handled 2 million tons of various cargo.
The hero fishermen of Murmansk did not stand aside either - in three years they managed to catch 850 thousand centners of fish, supplying both city residents and soldiers of the Red Army with food. The townspeople who worked at the shipyards repaired 645 combat ships and 544 ordinary transport ships. In addition, another 55 fishing vessels were converted into combat vessels in Murmansk. In 1942, the main strategic actions developed not on land, but in the harsh waters of the northern seas.
As a result of incredible efforts, the heroes of the Northern Fleet destroyed more than 200 fascist warships and about 400 transport ships. And in the fall of 1944, the fleet expelled the enemy from these lands and the threat of capturing Murmansk passed.
In 1944, the medal “For the Defense of the Soviet Arctic” was established. The city of Murmansk received the title “Hero City” on May 6, 1985.
Hero City Smolensk
With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Smolensk found itself on the path of the main attack of the fascist troops towards Moscow. The city was first bombed on June 24, 1941, and 4 days later the Nazis launched a second air attack on Smolensk, as a result of which it was completely destroyed central part cities.
On July 10, 1941, the famous Battle of Smolensk began, which lasted until September 10 of the same year. Soldiers stood up to defend the hero city, as well as the capital of our homeland. Western Front Red Army. The enemy outnumbered them in manpower, artillery and aircraft (2 times), as well as in tank equipment (4 times).
In the hero city of Smolensk itself, three fighter battalions and one police battalion were formed. Its residents also actively helped Soviet soldiers; they dug anti-tank ditches and trenches, built take-off platforms, built barricades and cared for the wounded. Despite the heroic efforts of the defenders of Smolensk, on July 29, 1941, the Nazis managed to enter the city. The occupation lasted until September 25, 1943, but even during these terrible years for Smolensk, its residents continued to fight the enemy, creating partisan detachments and conducting underground subversive activities.
For courage and heroism shown behind enemy lines and in the ranks Soviet army, 260 natives Smolensk region were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and 10 thousand partisans and underground fighters were awarded orders and medals. The title of Hero City was awarded to Smolensk on May 6, 1985.
We say the City is a hero and we understand that these people are heroes. Residents of these cities, soldiers who defended and liberated these cities. It was the people who made these cities heroes, and who became heroes themselves. No one on earth has yet managed to enslave our country, because we are the most courageous and resilient people in the world.
Our ancestors, at the cost of their lives, defended our independence more than once. We must be worthy of their memory, we must preserve our Motherland for future generations, just as our ancestors did for us. Eternal memory to all those who fell in the Great Patriotic War.
On June 22, 1941, at 4 o’clock in the morning, Nazi Germany treacherously invaded the USSR without declaring war. This attack ended the chain of aggressive actions of Nazi Germany, which, thanks to the connivance and incitement of the Western powers, grossly violated the elementary norms of international law, resorted to predatory seizures and monstrous atrocities in the occupied countries.
In accordance with the Barbarossa plan, the fascist offensive began on a wide front by several groups in different directions. An army was stationed in the north "Norway", advancing on Murmansk and Kandalaksha; from East Prussia an army group was advancing on the Baltic states and Leningrad "North"; the most powerful army group "Center" had the goal of defeating the Red Army units in Belarus, capturing Vitebsk-Smolensk and taking Moscow on the move; army group "South" was concentrated from Lublin to the mouth of the Danube and led an attack on Kyiv - Donbass. The Nazis' plans boiled down to delivering a surprise attack in these directions, destroying border and military units, breaking through deep into the rear, and capturing Moscow, Leningrad, Kyiv and the most important industrial centers in the southern regions of the country.
The command of the German army expected to end the war in 6-8 weeks.
190 enemy divisions, about 5.5 million soldiers, up to 50 thousand guns and mortars, 4,300 tanks, almost 5 thousand aircraft and about 200 warships were thrown into the offensive against the Soviet Union.
The war began in extremely favorable conditions for Germany. Before the attack on the USSR, Germany captured almost all of Western Europe, whose economy worked for the Nazis. Therefore, Germany had a powerful material and technical base.
Germany's military products were supplied by 6,500 of the largest enterprises in Western Europe. IN military industry More than 3 million foreign workers were involved. In Western European countries, the Nazis looted a lot of weapons, military equipment, trucks, carriages and locomotives. The military-economic resources of Germany and its allies significantly exceeded those of the USSR. Germany fully mobilized its army, as well as the armies of its allies. Most of the German army was concentrated near the borders of the Soviet Union. In addition, imperialist Japan threatened an attack from the East, which diverted a significant part of the Soviet Armed Forces to defend the country's eastern borders. In theses of the CPSU Central Committee "50 years of the Great October Revolution" socialist revolution» An analysis of the reasons for the temporary failures of the Red Army in the initial period of the war is given. They are due to the fact that the Nazis used temporary advantages:
- militarization of the economy and all life in Germany;
- long preparation for a war of conquest and more than two years of experience in conducting military operations in the West;
- superiority in weapons and numbers of troops concentrated in advance in border zones.
They had the economic and military resources of almost all of Western Europe at their disposal. Miscalculations in determining the possible timing of Hitler Germany’s attack on our country and the associated omissions in preparation for repelling the first blows played a role. There was reliable information about the concentration of German troops near the borders of the USSR and Germany’s preparations for an attack on our country. However, the troops of the western military districts were not brought to a state of full combat readiness.
All these reasons put the Soviet country in a difficult situation. However, enormous difficulties initial period the wars did not break the fighting spirit of the Red Army, did not shake the fortitude of the Soviet people. From the first days of the attack it became clear that the plan lightning war collapsed. Accustomed to easy victories over Western countries, whose governments treacherously surrendered their people to be torn to pieces by the occupiers, the Nazis met stubborn resistance from the Soviet Armed Forces, border guards and the entire Soviet people. The war lasted 1418 days. Groups of border guards fought bravely on the border. The garrison of the Brest Fortress covered itself with unfading glory. The defense of the fortress was led by Captain I. N. Zubachev, regimental commissar E. M. Fomin, Major P. M. Gavrilov and others. On June 22, 1941, at 4:25 a.m., fighter pilot I. I. Ivanov made the first ram. (In total, about 200 rams were carried out during the war). On June 26, the crew of Captain N.F. Gastello (A.A. Burdenyuk, G.N. Skorobogatiy, A.A. Kalinin) crashed into a column of enemy troops on a burning plane. From the first days of the war, hundreds of thousands of Soviet soldiers showed examples of courage and heroism.
lasted two months Battle of Smolensk. Born here near Smolensk soviet guard
. The battle in the Smolensk region delayed the enemy's advance until mid-September 1941.
During the Battle of Smolensk, the Red Army thwarted the enemy's plans. The delay of the enemy offensive in the central direction was the first strategic success of the Soviet troops.
The Communist Party became the leading and directing force for the country's defense and preparation for the destruction of Hitler's troops. From the first days of the war, the party took emergency measures to organize resistance to the aggressor; a huge amount of work was carried out to reorganize all work on a military basis, turning the country into a single military camp.
“To wage a war for real,” wrote V.I. Lenin, “a strong, organized rear is needed. The most best army“, the people most devoted to the cause of the revolution will be immediately exterminated by the enemy if they are not sufficiently armed, supplied with food, and trained” (Lenin V.I. Poln. sobr. soch., vol. 35, p. 408).
These Leninist instructions formed the basis for organizing the fight against the enemy. On June 22, 1941, on behalf of the Soviet government, V. M. Molotov, People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR, spoke on the radio with a message about the “robbery” attack of Nazi Germany and a call to fight the enemy. On the same day, a Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR was adopted on the introduction of martial law on the European territory of the USSR, as well as a Decree on the mobilization of a number of ages in 14 military districts. On June 23, the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR adopted a resolution on the tasks of party and Soviet organizations in war conditions. On June 24, the Evacuation Council was formed, and on June 27, the resolution of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR “On the procedure for the removal and placement of human contingents and valuable property” determined the procedure for the evacuation of productive forces and the population to the eastern regions. In the directive of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR dated June 29, 1941, the most important tasks for mobilizing all forces and means to defeat the enemy were outlined to party and Soviet organizations in the front-line regions.
“...In the war imposed on us with Nazi Germany,” this document said, “the question of life and death is being decided Soviet state, about whether the peoples of the Soviet Union should be free or fall into enslavement.” The Central Committee and the Soviet government called for realizing the full depth of the danger, reorganizing all work on a war footing, organizing comprehensive assistance to the front, increasing the production of weapons, ammunition, tanks, aircraft in every possible way, and in the event of a forced withdrawal of the Red Army, removing all valuable property, and destroying what cannot be removed. , in enemy-occupied areas to organize partisan detachments. On July 3, the main provisions of the directive were outlined in a speech by J.V. Stalin on the radio. The directive determined the nature of the war, the degree of threat and danger, set the tasks of transforming the country into a single combat camp, comprehensively strengthening the Armed Forces, restructuring the work of the rear on a military scale, and mobilizing all forces to repel the enemy. On June 30, 1941, an emergency body was created to quickly mobilize all the country’s forces and resources to repel and defeat the enemy - State Defense Committee (GKO) led by I.V. Stalin. All power in the country, state, military and economic leadership was concentrated in the hands of the State Defense Committee. It united the activities of all state and military institutions, party, trade union and Komsomol organizations.
In war conditions, the restructuring of the entire economy on a war footing was of paramount importance. At the end of June it was approved “Mobilization national economic plan for the third quarter of 1941.”, and on August 16 “Military-economic plan for the IV quarter of 1941 and 1942 for the regions of the Volga region, the Urals, Western Siberia, Kazakhstan and Central Asia" In just five months of 1941, over 1,360 large military enterprises were relocated and about 10 million people were evacuated. Even according to the admission of bourgeois experts evacuation of industry in the second half of 1941 and early 1942 and its deployment in the East should be considered among the most amazing feats of the peoples of the Soviet Union during the war. The evacuated Kramatorsk plant was launched 12 days after arriving at the site, Zaporozhye - after 20. By the end of 1941, the Urals were producing 62% of cast iron and 50% of steel. In scope and significance this was equal to the largest battles of wartime. Perestroika National economy on a military scale was completed by mid-1942.
The party carried out a lot of organizational work in the army. In accordance with the decision of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR issued a decree on July 16, 1941 “On the reorganization of political propaganda bodies and the introduction of the institution of military commissars”. From July 16 in the Army, and from July 20 to Navy The institution of military commissars was introduced. During the second half of 1941, up to 1.5 million communists and more than 2 million Komsomol members were mobilized into the army (up to 40% of the total strength of the party was sent to the active army). Prominent party leaders L. I. Brezhnev, A. A. Zhdanov, A. S. Shcherbakov, M. A. Suslov and others were sent to party work in the active army.
On August 8, 1941, J.V. Stalin was appointed Supreme Commander-in-Chief of all the Armed Forces of the USSR. In order to concentrate all the functions of managing military operations, the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief was formed. Hundreds of thousands of communists and Komsomol members went to the front. About 300 thousand of the best representatives of the working class and intelligentsia of Moscow and Leningrad joined the ranks of the people's militia.
Meanwhile, the enemy stubbornly rushed to Moscow, Leningrad, Kyiv, Odessa, Sevastopol and other important industrial centers countries. An important place in the plans of fascist Germany was occupied by the calculation of the international isolation of the USSR. However, already from the first days of the war, an anti-Hitler coalition began to take shape. Already on June 22, 1941, the British government announced its support for the USSR in the fight against fascism, and on July 12 it signed an agreement on joint actions against fascist Germany. On August 2, 1941, US President F. Roosevelt announced economic support for the Soviet Union. On September 29, 1941, the conference of representatives of the three powers(USSR, USA and England), at which a plan for Anglo-American assistance in the fight against the enemy was developed. Hitler's plan to isolate the USSR internationally failed. On January 1, 1942, a declaration of 26 states was signed in Washington anti-Hitler coalition about using all the resources of these countries to fight against the German bloc. However, the Allies were in no hurry to provide effective assistance aimed at defeating fascism, trying to weaken the warring parties.
By October, the Nazi invaders, despite the heroic resistance of our troops, managed to approach Moscow from three sides, while simultaneously launching an offensive on the Don, in the Crimea, near Leningrad. Odessa and Sevastopol defended themselves heroically. On September 30, 1941, the German command launched the first, and in November - the second general offensive against Moscow. The Nazis managed to occupy Klin, Yakhroma, Naro-Fominsk, Istra and other cities in the Moscow region. Soviet troops conducted a heroic defense of the capital, showing examples of courage and heroism. The 316th Infantry Division of General Panfilov fought to the death in fierce battles. A partisan movement developed behind enemy lines. About 10 thousand partisans fought near Moscow alone. On December 5-6, 1941, Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive near Moscow. At the same time, offensive operations were launched in Western, Kalininsky and Southwestern fronts. The powerful offensive of Soviet troops in the winter of 1941/42 drove the Nazis back in a number of places to a distance of up to 400 km from the capital and was their first major defeat in the Second World War.
Main result Moscow battle was that the strategic initiative had been wrested from the hands of the enemy and the plan for a lightning war had failed. The defeat of the Germans near Moscow was a decisive turn in the military operations of the Red Army and had a great influence on the entire further course of the war.
By the spring of 1942, military production had been established in the eastern regions of the country. By the middle of the year, most of the evacuated enterprises were set up in new locations. The transition of the country's economy to a war footing was basically completed. In the deep rear - in Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Siberia, and the Urals - there were over 10 thousand industrial construction projects.
Instead of the men who went to the front, women and youth came to the machines. Despite the very difficult living conditions Soviet people worked selflessly to ensure victory at the front. We worked one and a half to two shifts to restore industry and supply the front with everything necessary. The All-Union Socialist Competition developed widely, the winners of which were awarded a challenge Red Banner of the State Defense Committee. Agricultural workers organized above-plan crops in 1942 for the defense fund. The collective farm peasantry supplied the front and rear with food and industrial raw materials.
The situation in the temporarily occupied areas of the country was extremely difficult. The Nazis plundered cities and villages and abused the civilian population. German officials were appointed at the enterprises to supervise the work. The best lands were selected for farms for German soldiers. In all occupied populated areas German garrisons were maintained at the expense of the population. However, economic and social politics the fascists, which they tried to carry out in the occupied territories, immediately failed. Soviet people, brought up on the ideas of the Communist Party, believed in the victory of the Soviet country and did not succumb to Hitler’s provocations and demagoguery.
Winter offensive of the Red Army in 1941/42 dealt a powerful blow to Nazi Germany, to its military vehicle, but Hitler's army was still strong. Soviet troops fought stubborn defensive battles.
In this situation, the nationwide struggle of the Soviet people behind enemy lines, especially partisan movement.
Thousands of Soviet people joined partisan detachments. Guerrilla warfare developed widely in Ukraine, Belarus and the Smolensk region, Crimea and a number of other places. In cities and villages temporarily occupied by the enemy, underground party and Komsomol organizations operated. In accordance with the resolution of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks dated July 18, 1941. “On the organization of the fight in the rear of German troops” 3500 were created partisan detachments and groups, 32 underground regional committees, 805 city and district party committees, 5429 primary party organizations, 10 regional, 210 inter-district city and 45 thousand primary Komsomol organizations. To coordinate the actions of partisan detachments and underground groups with units of the Red Army, by decision of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks on May 30, 1942, a central headquarters of the partisan movement. Headquarters for the leadership of the partisan movement were formed in Belarus, Ukraine and other republics and regions occupied by the enemy.
After the defeat near Moscow and the winter offensive of our troops, the Nazi command was preparing a new major offensive with the goal of capturing all the southern regions of the country (Crimea, North Caucasus, Don) right up to the Volga, the capture of Stalingrad and the separation of Transcaucasia from the center of the country. This posed an extremely serious threat to our country.
By the summer of 1942, the international situation had changed, characterized by the strengthening of the anti-Hitler coalition. In May - June 1942, agreements were concluded between the USSR, England and the USA on an alliance in the war against Germany and on post-war cooperation. In particular, an agreement was reached on the opening in 1942 in Europe second front against Germany, which would significantly speed up the defeat of fascism. But the Allies delayed its opening in every possible way. Taking advantage of this, the fascist command transferred divisions from the Western Front to the Eastern Front. By the spring of 1942, Hitler's army had 237 divisions, massive aviation, tanks, artillery and other types of equipment for a new offensive.
Intensified Leningrad blockade, exposed to artillery fire almost daily. In May, the Kerch Strait was captured. On July 3, the Supreme Command gave the order to the heroic defenders of Sevastopol to leave the city after a 250-day defense, since it was not possible to hold Crimea. As a result of the defeat of Soviet troops in the region of Kharkov and the Don, the enemy reached the Volga. The Stalingrad Front, created in July, took on powerful enemy attacks. Retreating with heavy fighting, our troops inflicted enormous damage on the enemy. In parallel, there was a fascist offensive in the North Caucasus, where Stavropol, Krasnodar, and Maykop were occupied. In the Mozdok area, the Nazi offensive was suspended.
The main battles took place on the Volga. The enemy sought to capture Stalingrad at any cost. The heroic defense of the city was one of the brightest pages of the Patriotic War. The working class, women, old people, teenagers - the entire population rose to defend Stalingrad. Despite the mortal danger, workers at the tractor plant sent tanks to the front lines every day. In September, battles broke out in the city for every street, for every house.
On the radio July 2, 1941. In this speech I.V. Stalin also used the terms “Patriotic War of Liberation”, “National Patriotic War”, “Patriotic War against German Fascism”.
Another official approval of this name was the introduction of the Order of the Patriotic War on May 2, 1942.
1941
On September 8, 1941, the siege of Leningrad began. For 872 days the city heroically resisted the German invaders. He not only resisted, but also worked. It should be noted that during the siege, Leningrad provided weapons and ammunition to the troops of the Leningrad Front, and also supplied military products to neighboring fronts.
On September 30, 1941, the Battle of Moscow began. First major battle The Great Patriotic War in which German troops suffered a serious defeat. The battle began as the German offensive Operation Typhoon.
On December 5, the Red Army's counteroffensive began near Moscow. The troops of the Western and Kalinin fronts pushed the enemy back in places more than 100 kilometers from Moscow.
Despite the victorious offensive of the Red Army near Moscow, this was only the beginning. Start great battle with fascism, which will last another 3 long years.
1942
The most difficult year of the Great Patriotic War. This year the Red Army suffered very heavy defeats.
The offensive near Rzhev resulted in huge losses. More than 250,000 were lost in the Kharkov cauldron. Attempts to break the blockade of Leningrad ended in failure. The 2nd Shock Army died in the Novgorod swamps.
Key dates of the second year of the Great Patriotic War
From January 8 to March 3, the Rzhev-Vyazemsk operation took place. The final stage of the Battle of Moscow.
From January 9 to February 6, 1942 - Toropetsko-Kholm offensive operation. The Red Army troops advanced almost 300 kilometers, liberating many settlements.
On January 7, the Demyansk offensive operation began, as a result of which the so-called Demyansk cauldron was formed. Wehrmacht troops totaling more than 100,000 people were surrounded. Including the elite SS division “Totenkopf”.
After some time, the encirclement was broken, but all the miscalculations of the Demyansk operation were taken into account when eliminating the encircled group at Stalingrad. This particularly concerned the interruption of air supplies and the strengthening of the defense of the outer ring of encirclement.
On March 17, as a result of the unsuccessful Lyuban offensive operation near Novgorod, the 2nd Shock Army was surrounded.
On November 18, after heavy defensive battles, the Red Army troops went on the offensive and surrounded the German group in the Stalingrad area.
1943 - the year of turning point during the fighting of the Great Patriotic War
In 1943, the Red Army managed to wrest the initiative from the hands of the Wehrmacht and begin a victorious march to the borders of the USSR. In some places, our units have advanced more than 1000-1200 kilometers in a year. The experience accumulated by the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War made itself felt.
On January 12, Operation Iskra began, as a result of which the blockade of Leningrad was broken. A narrow corridor up to 11 kilometers wide connected the city with the “Mainland”.
On July 5, 1943, the Battle of Kursk began. A turning point battle during the Great Patriotic War, after which the strategic initiative completely passed to the side of the Soviet Union and the Red Army.
Already during the Great Patriotic War, contemporaries appreciated the significance of this battle. Wehrmacht General Guderian said after Battle of Kursk: "...more on Eastern Front there were no quiet days..."
August - December 1943. Battle of the Dnieper - left-bank Ukraine is completely liberated, Kyiv is taken.
1944 is the year of the liberation of our country from fascist invaders
In 1944, the Red Army almost completely cleared the territory of the USSR from the Nazi invaders. As a result of a series of strategic operations, Soviet troops came close to the borders of Germany. More than 70 German divisions were destroyed.
This year, Red Army troops entered the territory of Poland, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Norway, Romania, Yugoslavia and Hungary. Finland emerged from the war with the USSR.
January - April 1944. Liberation of right-bank Ukraine. Exit to the state border of the Soviet Union.
On June 23, one of the largest operations of the Great Patriotic War began - the offensive Operation Bagration. Belarus, part of Poland and almost the entire Baltic region were completely liberated. Army Group Center was defeated.
On July 17, 1944, for the first time during the war, a column of almost 60,000 German prisoners captured in Belarus was marched through the streets of Moscow.
1945 - the year of victory in the Great Patriotic War
The years of the Great Patriotic War spent Soviet troops in the trenches, made their presence felt. The year 1945 began with the Vistula-Oder offensive operation, which would later be called the most rapid offensive in human history.
In just 2 weeks, the Red Army troops covered 400 kilometers, liberating Poland and defeating more than 50 German divisions.
On April 30, 1945, Adolf Hitler, Reich Chancellor, Fuhrer and supreme commander Germany.
On May 9, 1945 at 0 hours 43 minutes Moscow time it was signed unconditional surrender Germany.
On the Soviet side, the surrender was accepted by Marshal of the Soviet Union, Commander of the 1st Belorussian Front, Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov.
4 years, 1418 days of the most difficult and bloody war in the history of Russia have ended.
At 22:00 on May 9, to commemorate the complete victory over Germany, Moscow saluted with 30 artillery salvoes from a thousand guns.
On June 24, 1945, the Victory Parade took place in Moscow. This solemn event marked the final point in the Great Patriotic War.
It should be noted that on May 9 the Great Patriotic War ended, but the 2nd did not end. World War. In accordance with allied agreements, on August 8, the USSR entered the war with Japan. In just two weeks, the Red Army troops defeated Japan's largest and most powerful army in Manchuria - the Kwantung Army.
Having almost completely lost its ground forces and the ability to wage war on the Asian continent, Japan capitulated on September 2. September 2, 1945 is the official date of the end of World War II.
Interesting fact. Formally, the Soviet Union was at war with Germany until January 25, 1955. The fact is that after Germany surrendered, a peace treaty was not signed. Legally, the Great Patriotic War ended when the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted a decree. This happened on January 25, 1955.
By the way, the United States ended the state of war with Germany on October 19, 1951, and France and Great Britain on July 9, 1951.
Photographers: Georgy Zelma, Yakov Ryumkin, Evgeny Khaldey, Anatoly Morozov.
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