On Sunday, June 22, 1941, at dawn the troops Nazi Germany without declaring war, they suddenly attacked the entire western border of the Soviet Union and launched bombing airstrikes on Soviet cities and military formations.
The Great Patriotic War began. She was expected, but still she came suddenly. And the point here is not a miscalculation or Stalin's distrust of intelligence data. During the pre-war months, different dates for the start of the war were called, for example, May 20, and this was reliable information, but due to the uprising in Yugoslavia, Hitler postponed the date of the attack on the USSR for more late deadline. There is another factor that is rarely mentioned. This is a successful disinformation campaign by German intelligence. So, the Germans spread rumors through all possible channels that the attack on the USSR would take place on June 22, but with the direction of the main attack in an area where it was obviously impossible. Thus, the date also looked like disinformation, so it was on this day that the attacks were least expected.
And in foreign textbooks, June 22, 1941 is presented as one of the current episodes of the Second World War, while in the textbooks of the Baltic States this date is considered positive, giving "hope for liberation".
Russia
§4. Invasion of the USSR. The beginning of the Great Patriotic War
At dawn on June 22, 1941, Nazi troops invaded the USSR. The Great Patriotic War began.
Germany and its allies (Italy, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia) did not have an overwhelming advantage in manpower and equipment and, according to the Barbarossa plan, they relied on the blitzkrieg ("lightning war") tactics on the surprise attack factor. The defeat of the USSR was supposed within two to three months by forces three groups armies (Army Group North, advancing on Leningrad, Army Group Center, advancing on Moscow, and Army Group South, advancing on Kyiv).
In the first days of the war, the German army inflicted serious damage on the Soviet defense system: military headquarters were destroyed, the activities of communications services were paralyzed, strategically captured important objects. The German army was rapidly advancing deep into the USSR, and by July 10, Army Group Center (commander von Bock), having captured Belarus, approached Smolensk; Army Group "South" (commander von Rundstedt) captured the Right-Bank Ukraine; Army Group North (commander von Leeb) occupied part of the Baltic. The losses of the Red Army (including those who were surrounded) amounted to more than two million people. The current situation was catastrophic for the USSR. But the Soviet mobilization resources were very large, and by the beginning of July, 5 million people were drafted into the Red Army, which made it possible to close the gaps formed at the front.
V.L.Kheifets, L.S. Kheifets, K.M. Severinov. General history. Grade 9 Ed. Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences V.S. Myasnikov. Moscow, publishing house "Ventana-Graf", 2013
Chapter XVII. The Great Patriotic War of the Soviet people against the Nazi invaders
The perfidious attack of Nazi Germany on the USSR
Fulfilling the grandiose tasks of the third Stalinist five-year plan and steadily and firmly pursuing a policy of peace, the Soviet government, at the same time, did not for a moment forget about the possibility of a new "imperialist attack on our country. Comrade Stalin tirelessly called on the peoples of the Soviet Union to be in mobilization readiness. In February 1938 In his response to a letter from Komsomol member Ivanov, Comrade Stalin wrote: “Indeed, it would be ridiculous and stupid to turn a blind eye to the fact of a capitalist encirclement and think that our external enemies, for example, the fascists, will not try, on occasion, to launch a military attack on the USSR.”
Comrade Stalin demanded the strengthening of the defense capability of our country. “It is necessary,” he wrote, “to strengthen and strengthen in every possible way our Red Army, Red Navy, Red Aviation, Osoaviakhim. It is necessary to keep our entire people in a state of mobilization readiness in the face of the danger of a military attack, so that no "accident" and no tricks of our external enemies could take us by surprise ... "
Comrade Stalin's warning alerted the Soviet people, made them more vigilantly follow the intrigues of the enemies and strengthen the Soviet army in every possible way.
The Soviet people understood that the German fascists, led by Hitler, were striving to unleash a new bloody war, with the help of which they hoped to win world domination. Hitler declared the Germans a "superior race" and all other peoples inferior, inferior races. With particular hatred, the Nazis treated the Slavic peoples and, first of all, the great Russian people, who more than once in their history came out to fight against the German aggressors.
The Nazis based their plan on the plan of a military attack and lightning defeat of Russia developed by General Hoffmann during the First World War. This plan called for a concentration huge armies on the western borders of our homeland, the capture within a few weeks of the vital centers of the country and the rapid advance deep into Russia, up to the Urals. Subsequently, this plan was supplemented and approved by the Nazi command and was called the Barbarossa plan.
The monstrous war machine of the Nazi imperialists began its movement in the Baltic States, Belorussia and the Ukraine, threatening the vital centers of the Soviet country.
Textbook "History of the USSR", 10th grade, K.V. Bazilevich, S.V. Bakhrushin, A.M. Pankratova, A.V. Foght, M., Uchpedgiz, 1952
Austria, Germany
Chapter "From the Russian Campaign to Complete Defeat"
After careful preparations that lasted for many months, on June 22, 1941, Germany launched a "war of total annihilation" against the Soviet Union. Its goal was to conquer a new living space for the Germanic Aryan race. The essence of the German plan was a lightning attack, called "Barbarossa". It was believed that under the rapid onslaught of a trained German military machine, Soviet troops would not be able to provide decent resistance. In a few months, the Nazi command seriously hoped to reach Moscow. It was assumed that the capture of the capital of the USSR would finally demoralize the enemy and the war would end in victory. However, after a series of impressive successes on the battlefields, after a few weeks, the Nazis were thrown back hundreds of kilometers from the Soviet capital.
Textbook "History" for grade 7, team of authors, Duden publishing house, 2013.
Holt McDougal. The World History.
For high school high school, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Pub. Co., 2012
Hitler began planning an attack on his ally, the USSR, as early as the early summer of 1940. The Balkan countries of Southeast Europe played a key role in Hitler's invasion plan. Hitler wanted to create a foothold in Southeastern Europe to attack the USSR. He also wanted to be sure that the British would not interfere.
In order to prepare for the invasion, Hitler moved to expand his influence in the Balkans. By early 1941, by threatening to use force, he persuaded Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary to join the Axis. Yugoslavia and Greece, ruled by pro-British governments, fought back. In early April 1941, Hitler invaded both countries. Yugoslavia fell after 11 days. Greece surrendered after 17 days.
Hitler attacks the Soviet Union. By establishing tight control over the Balkans, Hitler could carry out Operation Barbarossa, his plan to invade the USSR. Early on the morning of June 22, 1941, the roar of German tanks and the drone of aircraft marked the beginning of the invasion. The Soviet Union was not ready for this attack. Although he had the largest army in the world, the troops were neither well equipped nor well trained.
The invasion progressed week after week until the Germans penetrated 500 miles into the territory of the Soviet Union (804.67 kilometers. - Ed.). Retreating, the Soviet troops burned and destroyed everything in the way of the enemy. The Russians used such a scorched earth strategy against Napoleon.
Section 7. Second World War
The attack on the Soviet Union (the so-called Barbarossa plan) was carried out on June 22, 1941. The German army, which numbered about three million soldiers, launched an offensive in three directions: in the north - on Leningrad, in the central part of the USSR - on Moscow and in the south - on the Crimea. The onslaught of the invaders was swift. Soon the Germans laid siege to Leningrad and Sevastopol, came close to Moscow. The Red Army suffered heavy losses, but the main goal of the Nazis - the capture of the capital of the Soviet Union - never materialized. The vast expanses and early Russian winter, with the fierce resistance of the Soviet troops and ordinary inhabitants of the country, thwarted the German plan for a blitzkrieg. In early December 1941, units of the Red Army under the command of General Zhukov launched a counteroffensive and drove the enemy troops back 200 kilometers from Moscow.
History textbook for the 8th grade of elementary school (Klett publishing house, 2011). Predrag Vajagić and Nenad Stošić.
Never before have our people treated the German invasion otherwise than with determination to defend their land, but when Molotov announced the German attack in a trembling voice, the Estonians felt everything but sympathy. On the contrary, many have hope. The population of Estonia enthusiastically welcomed the German soldiers as liberators.
Russian soldiers aroused dislike in the average Estonian. These people were poor, poorly dressed, extremely suspicious, and at the same time often very pretentious. The Germans were more familiar to the Estonians. They were cheerful and fond of music, from the places where they gathered, laughter and playing on musical instruments.
Lauri Vakhtre. Textbook "Turning Moments in Estonian History".
Bulgaria
Chapter 2: The Globalization of Conflict (1941-1942)
Attack on the USSR (June 1941). On June 22, 1941, Hitler launched a major offensive against the USSR. Starting the conquest of new territories in the east, the Fuhrer put into practice the theory of "living space", proclaimed in the book "My Struggle" ("Mein Kampf"). On the other hand, the termination of the German-Soviet pact again made it possible for the Nazi regime to present itself as a fighter against communism in Europe: the aggression against the USSR was presented by German propaganda as a crusade against Bolshevism with the aim of exterminating the "Jewish Marxists".
However, this new blitzkrieg developed into a long and exhausting war. Shaken by a sudden attack, drained of blood Stalinist repressions and the ill-prepared Soviet army was quickly pushed back. In a few weeks, the German armies occupied one million square kilometers and reached the outskirts of Leningrad and Moscow. But fierce Soviet resistance and the rapid arrival of the Russian winter stopped German offensive: on the move, the Wehrmacht was unable to defeat the enemy in one campaign. IN spring period 1942 required a new offensive.
The plan of "blitzkrieg" against the USSR
The German command expected to approach Moscow by August 15, to end the war against the USSR and create a defensive line against "Asian Russia" by October 1, 1941, and to reach the Arkhangelsk-Astrakhan line by the winter of 1941.
On June 22, 1941, the Great Patriotic War began with the attack of Nazi Germany on the Soviet Union. Mobilization was announced in the USSR. Voluntary entry into the Red Army acquired a mass character. Popular militia became widespread. Fighter battalions and self-defense groups were created in the front line to protect important national economic facilities. The evacuation of people and property began from the territories threatened by the occupation.
Military operations were led by the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, created on June 23, 1941. The rate was headed by I. Stalin. Italy
June 22, 1941
Giardina, G. Sabbatucci, V. Vidotto, Manuale di Storia. L "eta`contemporanea. History textbook for the 5th grade of high school. Bari, Laterza. Textbook for the 11th grade of high school "Our new story", publishing house "Dar Aun", 2008
With the German attack on the Soviet Union in the early summer of 1941, a new phase of the war began. The widest front was opened in the east of Europe. Great Britain was no longer forced to fight alone. The ideological confrontation was simplified and radicalized with the termination of the anomalous agreement between Nazism and the Soviet regime. The international communist movement, which after August 1939 adopted an ambiguous position of condemnation of "opposing imperialisms", revised it in favor of allying with democracy and fighting fascism.
That the USSR was the main target of Hitler's expansionist intentions was no mystery to anyone, including the Soviet people. However, Stalin believed that Hitler would never attack Russia without ending the war with Britain. So when, on 22 June 1941, the German offensive (code-named "Barbarossa") began on a 1,600-kilometer front, from the Baltic to the Black Sea, the Russians were unprepared, and this lack of readiness, exacerbated by the fact that the 1937 purge had deprived the Red the army of its best military leaders, made the task of the aggressor easier at first.
The offensive, which also included the Italian expeditionary force sent in great haste by Mussolini, who dreamed of participating in a crusade against the Bolsheviks, continued throughout the summer: in the north through the Baltics, in the south through Ukraine in order to reach the oil regions in the Caucasus .
Celebrate 70th Anniversary Great Victory. Unfortunately, preparations for the celebrations timed to coincide with this anniversary are taking place in a situation where in some states they are trying to belittle the role of the Soviet people in the destruction of fascism. Therefore, today is the time to study those events in order to reasonably fight against attempts to rewrite history and even present our country as an aggressor who carried out an “invasion of Germany”. In particular, it is worth knowing why the beginning of the Second World War became a time of catastrophic losses for the USSR. And how our country nevertheless managed not only to expel the invaders from its territory, but also to end the war by hoisting the banner of Victory over the Reichstag.
First of all, let's deal with what is meant by the Second World War. The fact is that such a name is present only in Soviet sources, and for the whole world, the events that took place between the end of June 1941 and May 1945 are only part of the hostilities of the Second World War, localized in the Eastern European region of the planet. The term Great Patriotic War itself first appeared on the pages of the Pravda newspaper the day after the start of the invasion of the Third Reich troops into the territory of the USSR. As for German historiography, the expressions "Eastern campaign" and "Russian campaign" are used instead.
Adolf Hitler declared his desire to conquer Russia and "the outlying states that are subordinate to it" back in 1925. Eight years later, after becoming Reich Chancellor, he began to pursue a policy aimed at preparing for war in order to expand "living space for the German people." At the same time, the “Führer of the German nation” constantly and very successfully played diplomatic multi-way combinations in order to lull the vigilance of the alleged opponents and further quarrel the USSR and the countries of the West.
In 1936, Germany sent its troops into the Rhine zone, which was a kind of protective barrier for France, to which there was no serious reaction from the international community. A year and a half later, the German government, as a result of a plebiscite, annexed Austria to Germany, and then occupied the Sudetenland, inhabited by Germans, but belonging to Czechoslovakia. Feeling intoxicated by these almost bloodless victories, Hitler ordered the invasion of Poland, and then went through the "blitzkrieg" throughout Western Europe, almost never meeting serious resistance. The only country that continued to resist the troops of the Third Reich in the year the Second World War began was Great Britain. However, in this war, ground military units from none of the conflicting parties were involved, so the Wehrmacht was able to concentrate all its main forces near the borders with the USSR.
Speaking briefly about the beginning of the Second World War, one cannot fail to mention the annexation of the Baltic states that preceded this event, in which government coups took place in 1940 with the support of Moscow. In addition, the USSR demanded that Romania return Bessarabia and transfer Northern Bukovina to it, and as a result of the war with Finland, a part of the Karelian Isthmus, controlled by the Soviet Union, was added. Thus, the borders of the country were moved to the west, but it included territories, part of the population of which did not accept the loss of independence of their states and was hostile to the new authorities.
Despite the prevailing opinion that the Soviet Union was not preparing for war, preparations, and very serious ones, were nevertheless carried out. In particular, since the beginning of 1940, significant funds were directed to the development of the sector of the economy focused on production. military equipment and serving the needs of the Red Army. As a result, at the time of the German attack on the USSR, the Red Army was armed with more than 59, 7 thousand guns and mortars, 12,782 tanks and 10,743 aircraft.
At the same time, according to historians, the beginning of the Second World War could have been completely different if the repressions of the second half of the 30s had not deprived the country's Armed Forces of thousands of experienced military personnel, who simply had no one to replace. But be that as it may, back in 1939 it was decided to increase the terms of active service in the army and reduce the draft age, which made it possible to have more than 3.2 million soldiers and officers in the ranks of the Red Army at the start of the war.
As already mentioned, among the priority tasks of the Nazis initially there was a desire to seize "lands in the East." Moreover, Hitler even directly pointed out that the main mistake of German foreign policy over the previous 6 centuries was to strive to the south and to the west, instead of striving to the east. In addition, in one of his speeches at a meeting with the high command of the Wehrmacht, Hitler stated that if Russia was defeated, then England would be forced to capitulate, and Germany would become "the ruler of Europe and the Balkans."
The Second World War, and more specifically, the Second World War, also had an ideological background, since Hitler and his closest associates fanatically hated the Communists and considered the representatives of the peoples inhabiting the USSR to be subhuman, who should become "fertilizer" in the field of prosperity of the German nation.
Until now, historians have not subsided disputes related to why Germany chose June 22, 1941 to attack the Soviet Union.
Although there are many who are trying to find a mystical justification for this, most likely the German command proceeded from the fact that on the day of the summer solstice the most short night in a year. This meant that around 4 o'clock in the morning, when most of the inhabitants of the European part of the USSR would sleep, it would be twilight in the yard, and in an hour it would be completely light. In addition, this date fell on a Sunday, which means that many officers could be absent from the units, having gone to visit their relatives on Saturday morning. The Germans were also aware of the habit of the “Russians” to allow themselves a fair amount of strong alcohol on weekends.
As you can see, the start date of the Second World War was not chosen by chance, and the pedantic Germans provided for almost everything. Moreover, they managed to keep their intentions secret, and the Soviet command found out about their plans only a few hours before the attack on the USSR from a defector. The relevant directive was immediately sent to the troops, but it was already too late.
Half an hour before the onset of June 22, an order was received in 5 border districts of the USSR to bring them to combat readiness. However, the same directive prescribed not to succumb to provocations and contained not entirely clear wording. The result was that the local command began to send requests to Moscow with a request to specify the order instead of taking decisive action. So precious minutes were lost, and the warning about the impending attack did not play any role.
At 0400 hours in Berlin, the German Foreign Minister presented to the Soviet ambassador note by which the imperial government declared war on the USSR. At the same time, after aviation and artillery preparation, the troops of the Third Reich crossed the border of the Soviet Union. On the same day, at noon, Molotov spoke on the radio, and it was from him that many citizens of the USSR heard about the beginning of the war. In the first days after the invasion of the German troops, the Second World War was perceived by the Soviet people as an adventure on the part of the Germans, since they were confident in the defense capability of their country and believed in a quick victory over the enemy. However, the leadership of the USSR understood the seriousness of the situation and did not share the optimism of the people. In this regard, already on June 23, the State Defense Committee and the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command were formed.
Since the Finnish airfields were actively used by the German Luftwaffe, on June 25 Soviet aircraft launched an air raid aimed at destroying them. Helsinki and Turku were also bombed. As a result, the beginning of the Second World War was also marked by the unfreezing of the conflict with Finland, which also declared war on the USSR and in a few days regained all the territories lost during the Winter Campaign of 1939-1940.
The beginning of the Second World War was perceived by government circles in the United States and England as a gift of providence. The fact is that they hoped to prepare for the defense of the British Isles, while "Hitler will free his feet from the Russian swamp." However, already on June 24, President Roosevelt announced that his country would provide assistance to the USSR, as he believed that the main threat to the world came from the Nazis. Unfortunately, at that time these were just words that did not mean that the United States was ready to open a Second Front, since the start of the war (WWII) was beneficial for this country. As for Great Britain, on the eve of the invasion, Prime Minister Churchill announced that his goal was to destroy Hitler, and he was ready to help the USSR, because, “having finished with Russia”, the Germans would invade the British Isles.
Now you know what was the history of the beginning of the Second World War, which ended with the victory of the Soviet people.
When the sun's rays were just about to illuminate the earth on the western border of the USSR, the first soldiers of Nazi Germany set foot on Soviet soil. The Great Patriotic War (WWII) has been going on for almost two years, but now a heroic war has begun, and it will go not for resources, not for the domination of one nation over another, and not for the establishment of a new order, now the war will become sacred, popular and its price will be life, real and life of future generations.
On June 22, 1941, four years of inhuman efforts began to count down, during which the future of each of us hung practically in the balance.
War is always a disgusting business, but The Great Patriotic War (WWII) was too popular for only professional soldiers to participate. All the people, from young to old, stood up to defend the Motherland.
From the first day Great Patriotic War (WWII) the heroism of a simple Soviet soldier became a role model. What in the literature is often called "to stand to death" was fully demonstrated already in the battles for the Brest Fortress. The vaunted soldiers of the Wehrmacht, who conquered France in 40 days and forced England to cowardly huddle on their island, faced such resistance that they simply could not believe that ordinary people were fighting against them. As if they were warriors from epic tales, they stood up with their breasts to protect every inch native land. For almost a month, the garrison of the fortress fought off one German attack after another. And this, just think about it, 4,000 people who were cut off from the main forces, and who did not have a single chance of salvation. They were all doomed, but they did not succumb to weakness, did not lay down their arms.
When the advanced units of the Wehrmacht go to Kiev, Smolensk, Leningrad, fighting is still going on in the Brest Fortress. 
Great Patriotic War always characterize manifestations of heroism and perseverance. Whatever happened on the territory of the USSR, no matter how terrible the repressions of tyranny would be, the war equalized everyone.
A vivid example of changing attitudes within society, Stalin's famous address, which was made on July 3, 1941, contained the words - "Brothers and Sisters." There were no more citizens, there were no high ranks and comrades, it was a huge family, consisting of all the peoples and nationalities of the country. The family demanded salvation, demanded support.
Fighting continued on the eastern front. German generals first encountered an anomaly, there is no other way to call it. Designed by the best minds of Hitler's general staff, blitzkrieg, built on rapid breakthroughs of tank formations, followed by the encirclement of large parts of the enemy, no longer worked like a clock mechanism. Getting into the environment, the Soviet units fought their way through, and did not lay down their arms. To a serious extent, the heroism of soldiers and commanders thwarted the plans of the German offensive, slowed down the advance of enemy units and became a turning point in the war. Yes, yes, it was then, in the summer of 1941, that the plans for the offensive of the German army were completely thwarted. Then there were Stalingrad, Kursk, the Moscow battle, but all of them became possible thanks to the unparalleled courage of a simple Soviet soldier, who, at the cost of own life stopped the German invaders.
Of course, there were excesses in the leadership of military operations. It must be admitted that the command of the Red Army was not ready for WWII. The doctrine of the USSR assumed victorious war on enemy territory, but not on own land. And in technical terms, the Soviet troops were seriously inferior to the Germans. So they went into cavalry attacks on tanks, flew and shot down German aces on old planes, burned in tanks, and retreated without giving up a shred without a fight.
The plan for the lightning-fast capture of Moscow by the Germans finally collapsed in the winter of 1941. Much has been written about the Moscow battle, films have been made. However, every page of what was written, every frame of footage is imbued with the unparalleled heroism of the defenders of Moscow. We all know about the parade on November 7, which passed through Red Square, while german tanks went to the capital. Yes, this was also an example of how the Soviet people are going to defend their country. The troops went to the front line immediately from the parade, immediately entering the battle. And the Germans could not resist. The iron conquerors of Europe stopped. It seemed that nature itself came to the aid of the defenders, severe frosts hit, and this was the beginning of the end of the German offensive. Hundreds of thousands of lives, widespread manifestations of patriotism and devotion to the Motherland of soldiers in encirclement, soldiers near Moscow, residents who for the first time in their lives held weapons in their hands, all this stood up as an insurmountable obstacle on the way of the enemy to the very heart of the USSR.
But then the legendary offensive began. German troops were thrown back from Moscow, and for the first time they knew the bitterness of retreat and defeat. We can say that it was here, in the snowy areas under the capital, that the fate of the whole world, and not just the war, was predetermined. The brown plague, which up to that time had engulfed country after country, people after people, found itself face to face with people who did not want to, could not bow their heads.
The 41st was coming to an end, the western part of the USSR lay in ruins, the occupying troops were fierce, but nothing could break those who ended up in the occupied territories. There were also traitors, what can we hide, those who went over to the side of the enemy, and forever stigmatized themselves with the rank of “policeman”. And who are they now, where are they? The Holy War does not forgive traitors in their own land.
Speaking of Holy War. The legendary song very accurately reflected the state of society in those years. The People's and Holy War did not tolerate the subjunctive declension, and weakness. The price of victory or defeat was life itself.
d. allowed to change the relationship between the authorities and the church. Subjected to long years of persecution, during WWII Russian Orthodox Church helped the front with all her might. And this is another example of heroism and patriotism. After all, we all know that in the west, the Pope simply bowed to the iron fists of Hitler.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the guerrilla war during WWII. It was the first time that the Germans met with such fierce resistance from the population. Regardless of where the front line passed, military operations were constantly taking place behind enemy lines. The invaders on Soviet soil could not get a moment of peace. Whether it was the swamps of Belarus or the forests of the Smolensk region, the steppes of Ukraine, death awaited the invaders everywhere! Entire villages went to partisans, together with families, with relatives, and from there, from the innermost, ancient forests, they attacked the Nazis.
How many heroes spawned partisan movement. Both old and very young. Young boys and girls, who went to school yesterday, have matured today and performed feats that will remain in our memory for centuries.
While fighting was going on on the ground, the air, in the first months of the war, completely belonged to the Germans. A huge number of aircraft Soviet army was destroyed immediately after the start of the fascist offensive, and those who managed to take to the air could not fight German aircraft on an equal footing. However, the heroism WWII manifests itself not only on the battlefield. A low bow, all of us living today, give to the rear. In the most severe conditions, under constant shelling and bombardment, plants and factories were exported to the east. Immediately upon arrival, on the street, in the cold, workers stood at the machines. The army continued to receive ammunition. Talented designers created new models of weapons. They worked 18-20 hours a day in the rear, but the army did not need anything. Victory was forged at the cost of the enormous efforts of each person.
Great Patriotic War 1941-1945. Rear
Blockade Leningrad. Are there people who would not hear this phrase? 872 days of unparalleled heroism covered this city with eternal glory. German troops and allies could not break the resistance of the besieged city. The city lived, defended and struck back. The road of life, connecting the besieged city with the mainland, became the last for many, and there was not a single person who would refuse, who would chicken out and not take food and ammunition to Leningraders along this ice ribbon. Hope never really died. And the credit for this belongs entirely to ordinary people who above all valued the freedom of their country!
All history of the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945 written by unprecedented feats. Only real sons and daughters of their people, heroes, could close the embrasure of an enemy pillbox with their body, throw themselves under a tank with grenades, go for a ram in an air battle.
And they were rewarded! And let the sky over the village of Prokhorovka turn black from soot and smoke, let the waters of the northern seas receive dead heroes every day, but nothing could stop the liberation of the Motherland.
And there was the first salute, August 5, 1943. It was then that the fireworks began counting in honor of a new victory, a new liberation of the city.
The peoples of Europe today no longer know their history, true history World War II. Thanks to Soviet people they live, build their lives, give birth and raise children. Bucharest, Warsaw, Budapest, Sofia, Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, all these capitals were liberated at the cost of blood Soviet heroes. And the last shots in Berlin mark the end of the worst nightmare of the 20th century.
Much has been written about the war in the Soviet Union. Memoirs of generals, notes of officers and soldiers, prose, poetry, historical research were published in mass editions. There are also memories of home front workers (both ordinary workers and managers, plant directors, people's commissars, aircraft designers). All this makes up an impressive library, according to which, it would seem, it is possible to restore historical facts with complete certainty. In addition, films were shot - feature and documentary, short and serial. In schools, in technical schools and institutes, students discussed in detail with teachers all the stages of the great battle that claimed tens of millions of lives. And with all this, it turned out that our people know surprisingly little about what happened during the Great Patriotic War.
Two main dates are firmly entrenched in the minds of the masses - June 22, 1941 and May 9, 1945. Unfortunately, not everyone knows what exactly happened these days. In the early summer morning "Kyiv was bombed, they announced to us ...", and the general summary, which is that the Germans attacked suddenly, did not declare war. It's all about the first date. The information is not entirely correct. The declaration of war was, the German ambassador Schulenburg handed the note to Molotov. True, it did not matter, at that moment the Junkers and Henkel were already gaining altitude over the border, and there was no time left to prepare to repel the attack. But that's what the war is, so as not to warn about the attack in advance. About why they didn’t prepare for defense is a special conversation.
At first glance, more is known about the year in which the Great Patriotic War ended and on what day. But not everything is clear here either.
On June 22, something happened that the USSR had been preparing for a long time. An unprecedented modernization of the industrial potential, called industrialization, took place. Peasant life was radically rebuilt, the basis for private initiative in the village was eliminated. This led to a sharp decline in the well-being of the entire people. Large-scale efforts, as long as they did not lead to an increase in the standard of living, could be directed to only one thing - to defense. Propaganda persistently inspired the idea of the inevitability of war and at the same time of the peacefulness of the world's first state of workers and peasants. The scenario of future fateful events was described in a feature film with the eloquent title "If there is war tomorrow." The insidious enemy attacked, and retribution immediately overtook him terrible force. It is completely destroyed, and real freedom has come to its land, as in the USSR. Why did it turn out differently in June 1941?
Almost the entire military power of the Red Army as of mid-June 1941 was concentrated near the western borders of the USSR. There were also stocks of weapons, fuel, ammunition, medicines, food and everything necessary for waging a war on foreign territory with little bloodshed. The airfields were also pushed as far as possible into the border areas. The equipment was not completed, the delivery of military cargo and trains with equipment continued. All this was covered in works of art and in many memoirs.
It can be concluded that Stalin did not plan the Patriotic War to defend his country.
The German Fuhrer hoped mainly, apparently, for the discontent of the population Soviet power. The agents reported on the monstrous consequences of more than twenty years of communist rule, the repressions that decapitated the Red Army, the millions of starving peasants on the collective farms, the intimidated working class and the suppressed intelligentsia. The Fuhrer had practically no doubts that with the mere approach of the Wehrmacht to the borders of the USSR, the population would come out to joyfully meet the "liberators". Similar situations, by the way, took place in some western regions, but in general, hopes did not come true.
If it were not for the hope that the "colossus with feet of clay" would soon be crushed, Adolf Hitler would hardly have dared to attack. The position of Germany at the beginning of the summer of 1941 could not be called brilliant. Against the backdrop of successful actions in Europe, not very pleasant processes took place. Half of France remained "under-occupied", 100% control over Yugoslavia was never established, in North Africa things were going badly, maritime operations also took place with varying degrees of success. America did not enter the war, but actually already participated in it, helping Britain with its practically inexhaustible material resources.
Germany's allies - Romania, Italy and Japan - brought more trouble than good. against the USSR in such conditions could be considered a crazy step. There was practically no preparation, the Wehrmacht soldiers did not even have warm clothes and shoes (they never appeared), frost-resistant fuel and lubricants. Soviet intelligence knew about this and reported to the Kremlin.
Nevertheless, the war began for the USSR in a completely unexpected way and in an extremely unfavorable situation for us. The Germans quickly advanced deep into the territory, the situation became more and more threatening. It became clear that without the participation of the whole people in the defense, it would be impossible to win. And the war became Patriotic.
Almost immediately after the Nazi attack, the war was declared Patriotic. This happened for the second time in Russian history. The threat arose not just to some social system, but to the very existence of the country and the Eurasian civilization. And how was it the first time, under the tsar-liberator?
There was a Patriotic War with France in 1812 until the Napoleonic hordes were expelled from Russian soil. Bonaparte was driven all the way to Paris, they reached it, and, having taken the usurper emperor in 1814, they did not find it there. We stayed a little "at a party", and then returned home to the gallant songs. But after crossing the Berezina, all this was already just a campaign. Only the first year, while battles were going along near Borodino and Maloyaroslavets, and partisans attacked the invaders from the forests, the war was considered Patriotic.
If we draw historical analogies, then the question of the year in which the Great Patriotic War ended should be answered: in 1944, in the fall. It was then that the last armed German, Romanian, Spaniard, Italian, Hungarian and any other soldier who fought on the side Nazi Germany left the territory of the USSR. The prisoners and the dead don't count. The war itself continued, but it had already ceased to be patriotic, it entered the phase of finishing off the enemy in his lair while freeing the peoples enslaved by him along the way. The threat to the existence of the USSR was over, the only question was the timing of the final defeat of the enemy and the conditions for the subsequent peace.
True, this version also has opponents, and their arguments deserve respect. The end of the Second World War, in their opinion, chronologically coincides with the moment of signing the surrender in Karlshorst, a suburban area of Berlin. From our side, Marshal G.K. Zhukov and other military leaders participated in the ceremony, from the German side - Keitel with officers and generals of the German General Staff. Hitler had been dead for eight days. The date of the historical event is May 8, 1945. The day before, there was another signing of surrender, but the Soviet high command was not present at it, so I.V. Stalin did not recognize it, and did not give the order to cease hostilities. The victorious end of the Great Patriotic War on May 9 became a national holiday, it was announced by all the radio stations of the Soviet Union. The people rejoiced, people laughed and cried. And someone else had to fight ...
The signing of the act of surrender of Germany did not yet mean the end of the war. Soviet soldiers died on May 9 as well. In Prague, the German garrison, consisting of selected SS men, refused to lay down their arms. An acute situation arose, the townspeople tried to resist the Nazi fanatics, who understood that their days were numbered, and they had nothing to lose. The rapid advance of the Soviet troops saved the Czech capital from a bloody massacre. The outcome of the battles was a foregone conclusion, but not without losses. On the ninth of May it all ended. It was a shame to die on the last day of the war, but such is the soldier's lot ...
There was also a little-known war in the Far East. The Soviet Army quickly and decisively defeated the Kwantung grouping of the Japanese armed forces, having reached Korea. There were also losses, however, incomparably smaller than during the war with Germany.
The ninth of May is the day of the end, because although it was conducted from the autumn of 1944 not on our territory, but in fact the efforts of the whole country were aimed at overcoming the resistance of the enemy. The entire economic potential of the USSR worked according to the principle "everything for the front, everything for victory." The fighting went west of the Soviet borders, but there was a battle in the rear. Tanks, planes, guns, ships that were to crush the Wehrmacht, the Luftwaffe and the Krieggsmarine - everything was built in the rear.
The workers, among whom there were many women and teenagers, spared no effort to supply their native Red Army with everything necessary, they waged their war, crying to their heart's content over funerals and not eating enough. The victory in the Great Patriotic War was the result of the efforts not only of soldiers, officers, generals, admirals and sailors, but also of the rest of the Soviet people. In this sense, the war was patriotic from the first to the last day.
The signing of the surrender of Germany took place in a difficult and nervous atmosphere. The defeated enemy tried to maintain the appearance of some kind of dignity, Keitel even saluted the victors. The Allies added tension, they tried to observe their own geopolitical interests, which, in general, is quite natural. Mutual wariness interfered with the triumph of the expected great holiday. It is not surprising that in this situation they forgot about a very important document, namely the peace treaty. Wars end, what comes next? That's right, peace. But not some abstract one, but one that the winners will agree on. The vanquished can only accept the terms offered to them. The end of the Great Patriotic War in May 1945 was actual, but legal registration did not happen, it was simply forgotten.
They caught on almost ten years later. On January 25, 1955, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, signed by the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR K. Voroshilov and the Secretary of the Presidium N. Pegov, the state of war with Germany was terminated. Of course, this legislative act was symbolic, and even the most defeated state at that time did not exist in its previous form - it was divided into two parts, the FRG and the GDR, but teachers for history students had a question to fill in: “In what year did the Great Patriotic war in the legal sense? And the correct answer, which not everyone knew, is this: in 1955!
Legal subtleties are no longer of great importance today, they are important only for those who consider themselves an expert and want to show off their erudition in front of others. Today, when not every high school graduate knows in what year the Great Patriotic War ended, it is not so difficult. Everyone knew this a couple of decades ago. The events of history are becoming more and more distant from us, and fewer eyewitnesses can tell about them. The date of the end of the Great Patriotic War is written in textbooks, but it is also on the pedestals of monuments.
Known popular expression one of the great commanders that until at least one dead soldier is buried, the war cannot be considered over. Unfortunately, our country has lost so many sons and daughters that to this day search parties find their remains in the places of past battles. They are escorted on their last journey with military honors, relatives learn about the fate of their fathers and grandfathers, fireworks thunder ... Will we ever be able to say that all the soldiers who gave their lives for their Motherland have found a worthy rest? It's unlikely, but you should strive for it.
The opposition of the Russian people to the aggression of Germany and other countries seeking to establish a "new world order". This war became a battle between two opposing civilizations, in which the Western world set as its goal the complete destruction of Russia - the USSR as a state and nation, the seizure of a significant part of its territories and the formation of puppet regimes subject to Germany in the rest of its parts. The Judeo-Masonic regimes of the USA and England, who saw Hitler as an instrument for the implementation of their plans for world domination and the destruction of Russia, pushed Germany to war against Russia.
On June 22, 1941, the German armed forces, consisting of 103 divisions, including 10 tank divisions, invaded Russia. Their total number numbered five and a half million people, of which more than 900 thousand were military personnel of the Western allies of Germany - Italians, Spaniards, French, Dutch, Finns, Romanians, Hungarians, etc. This treacherous Western international was given 4300 tanks and assault guns , 4980 combat aircraft, 47200 guns and mortars.
Opposing the aggressor, the Russian armed forces of five western border military districts and three fleets were twice as inferior to the enemy in manpower, and in the first echelon of our armies there were only 56 rifle and cavalry divisions, which were difficult to compete with the German tank corps. The aggressor also had a great advantage in terms of artillery, tanks and aircraft of the latest designs.
By nationality, more than 90% of the Soviet army opposing Germany were Russians (Great Russians, Little Russians and Belarusians), which is why it can be called the Russian army without exaggeration, which does not in the least detract from the feasible contribution of other peoples of Russia in confronting the common enemy.
Treacherously, without declaring war, having concentrated overwhelming superiority on the direction of strikes, the aggressor broke through the defenses of the Russian troops, seized the strategic initiative and air supremacy. The enemy occupied a significant part of the country, moved inland up to 300 - 600 km.
On June 23, the Headquarters of the High Command was created (from August 6 - the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command). All power was concentrated in the State Defense Committee (GKO), created on June 30. Since August 8, I.V. Stalin became the Supreme Commander. He gathered around him the outstanding Russian commanders G. K. Zhukov, S. K. Timoshenko, B. M. Shaposhnikov, A. M. Vasilevsky, K. K. Rokossovsky, N. F. Vatutin, A. I. Eremenko, K. A. Meretskov, I. S. Konev, I. D. Chernyakhovsky and many others. In his public speeches, Stalin relies on the feeling of patriotism of the Russian people, urging them to follow the example of their heroic ancestors. The main military events of the summer-autumn campaign of 1941 were the Battle of Smolensk, the defense of Leningrad and the beginning of its blockade, the military catastrophe of the Soviet troops in Ukraine, the defense of Odessa, the beginning of the defense of Sevastopol, the loss of Donbass, the defensive period of the Moscow battle. The Russian army retreated 850-1200 km, but the enemy was stopped in the main directions near Leningrad, Moscow and Rostov and went on the defensive.
The winter campaign of 1941-42 began with a counteroffensive by Russian troops in the western strategic direction. In the course of it, a counteroffensive was carried out near Moscow, the Luban, Rzhev-Vyazemskaya, Barvenkovsko-Lozovskaya and Kerch-Feodosiya landing operations. Russian troops removed the threat to Moscow and the North Caucasus, eased the situation in Leningrad, completely or partially liberated the territory of 10 regions, as well as over 60 cities. The blitzkrieg strategy collapsed. About 50 enemy divisions were destroyed. A major role in defeating the enemy was played by the patriotism of the Russian people, which was widely manifested from the first days of the war. Thousands of folk heroes, like A. Matrosov and Z. Kosmodemyanskaya, hundreds of thousands of partisans behind enemy lines, already in the first months greatly shook morale aggressor.
In the summer-autumn campaign of 1942, the main military events unfolded in the southwestern direction: the defeat of the Crimean Front, the military catastrophe of the Soviet troops in the Kharkov operation, the Voronezh-Voroshilovgrad, Donbass, Stalingrad defensive operations, the battle in the North Caucasus. In the northwestern direction, the Russian army carried out the Demyansk and Rzhev-Sychevsk offensive operations. The enemy advanced 500 - 650 km, went to the Volga, captured part of the passes of the Main Caucasian Range. The territory was occupied, where before the war 42% of the population lived, a third of the gross output was produced, and more than 45% of the sown area was located. The economy was transferred to the war footing. A large number of enterprises were relocated to the eastern regions of the country (only in the second half of 1941 - 2,593, including 1,523 large ones), and 2.3 million heads of cattle were exported. In the first half of 1942, 10,000 aircraft, 11,000 tanks, approx. 54 thousand guns. In the 2nd half of the year, their output increased by more than 1.5 times.
In the winter campaign of 1942-43, the main military events were the Stalingrad and North Caucasian offensive operations, the breaking of the blockade of Leningrad. The Russian army advanced 600-700 km to the west, liberating a territory of over 480 thousand square meters. km, defeated 100 divisions (40% of the enemy forces on the Soviet-German front). In the summer-autumn campaign of 1943, the Battle of Kursk was the decisive event. The partisans played an important role (Operation Rail War). During the battle for the Dnieper, 38 thousand settlements were liberated, including 160 cities; with the capture of strategic bridgeheads on the Dnieper, conditions were created for an offensive in Belarus. In the battle for the Dnieper, the partisans carried out Operation Concert to destroy enemy communications. The Smolensk and Bryansk offensive operations were carried out in other directions. The Russian army fought up to 500 - 1300 km, defeated 218 divisions.
During the winter campaign of 1943-44, the Russian army carried out an offensive in the Ukraine (10 simultaneous and consecutive front-line operations united by a common plan). She completed the defeat of Army Group South, went beyond the border with Romania and transferred the fighting to its territory. Almost simultaneously, the Leningrad-Novgorod offensive operation unfolded; Leningrad was finally released. As a result of the Crimean operation, Crimea was liberated. Russian troops advanced west by 250 - 450 km, liberated approx. 300 thousand sq. km of territory, reached the state border with Czechoslovakia.
In June 1944, when the United States and Britain realized that Russia could win the war without their participation, they opened a 2nd front in France. This worsened the military-political position of Germany. In the summer-autumn campaign of 1944, Russian troops carried out the Belorussian, Lvov-Sandomierz, East Carpathian, Iasi-Kishinev, Baltic, Debrecen, East Carpathian, Belgrade, partly Budapest and Petsamo-Kirkenes offensive operations. The liberation of Belarus, Little Russia and the Baltic states (except for some regions of Latvia), partially Czechoslovakia was completed, Romania and Hungary were forced to surrender and entered the war against Germany, liberated from the invaders Soviet Arctic and northern regions of Norway.
The 1945 campaign in Europe included the East Prussian, Vistula-Oder, completion of the Budapest, East Pomeranian, Lower Silesian, Upper Silesian, West Carpathian, Vienna and Berlin operations, which ended with the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany. After the Berlin operation, Russian troops, together with the 2nd Army of the Polish Army, the 1st and 4th Romanian armies and the 1st Czechoslovak corps, carried out the Prague operation.
The victory in the war greatly raised the spirit of the Russian people, contributed to the growth of their national self-consciousness and faith in own forces. As a result of the victory, Russia regained most of what was taken from her as a result of the revolution (except for Finland and Poland). The historical Russian lands in Galicia, Bukovina, Bessarabia, etc. returned to its composition. Most of the Russian people (including Little Russians and Belarusians) again became a single entity in one state, which created the prerequisites for their unification in a single Church. The fulfillment of this historic task was the main positive outcome of the war. The victory of Russian weapons created favorable conditions for Slavic unity. At some stage, the Slavic countries united with Russia in something like a fraternal federation. The peoples of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia realized for a certain period how important it was for the Slavic world to stick together in the fight against the West's encroachments on the Slavic lands.
At the initiative of Russia, Poland received Silesia and a significant part of East Prussia, from which the city of Koenigsberg with its surrounding territory passed into the possession of the Russian state, and Czechoslovakia regained the Sudetenland previously occupied by Germany.
The great mission to save humanity from the “new world order” was given to Russia at a huge price: the Russian people and the fraternal peoples of our Fatherland paid for this with the lives of 47 million people (including direct and indirect losses), of which approximately 37 million people were actually Russians (including Little Russians and Belarusians).
Most of all, it was not the military who directly participated in the hostilities that died, but civilians, the civilian population of our country. The irretrievable losses of the Russian army (killed, dead from wounds, missing, killed in captivity) amount to 8 million 668 thousand 400 people. The remaining 35 million are the lives of the civilian population. During the war years, about 25 million people were evacuated to the East. Approximately 80 million people, or about 40% of the population of our country, turned out to be in the territory occupied by Germany. All these people became "objects" of the implementation of the misanthropic program "Ost", were subjected to brutal repressions, died from the famine organized by the Germans. About 6 million people were driven into German slavery, many of them died from unbearable living conditions.
As a result of the war, the genetic fund of the most active and viable part of the population was significantly undermined, because in it, first of all, the strongest and most energetic members of society, capable of producing the most valuable offspring, perished. In addition, due to the fall in the birth rate, the country missed tens of millions of future citizens.
The enormous price of victory fell most heavily on the shoulders of the Russian people (including the Little Russians and Belarusians), because the main hostilities were carried out on their ethnic territories and it was to them that the enemy was especially cruel and merciless.
In addition to huge human losses, our country suffered colossal material damage. Not a single country in its entire history and in the Second World War had such losses and barbaric destruction from aggressors that fell on Great Russia. The total material losses of Russia in world prices amounted to more than a trillion dollars (US national income over several years).
