Patriotic War '45. Data

THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR 1941-45

war of the peoples of the Sov. The Union for Freedom and Independence against Nazi Germany and its allies, the most important and decisive part of the Second World. war 1939-45.

Ur made a significant contribution to the common cause of victory over the enemy. region, incl. in 1941-45 Molotovskaya (now Perm.), Sverdl., Chelyab., Chkalovskaya (now Orenb.), Kurg. (formed in February 1943) region, author. rep. Bashk. and Udm. His ter. by 1941 it reached 856.9 thousand square meters. km, where 13.5 million people lived. To the beginning War U. was one of the main. bases of heavy industry, primarily mechanical engineering and met. prom. During the pre-war five-year plans, more than 400 large industrial plants were built and reconstructed in the Ukraine. enterprises. The flagships of the domestic industry have come into operation: Chelyab. tractor, Ur. mechanical engineering, Perm. engine building, Pervouralsk new pipe plant, Krasnouralsk copper smelting plant, Bereznikovsky chemical plant, Magnitogorsk metallurgical plant, Solikamsk, Kama pulp and paper mills. For 1928-37 bas. funds ur. prom. increased 12 times, and its gross output increased 7 times. Lv. meth gave 18.1% of all-Union production. cast iron, 21.4% steel, 21.2% rolled products. In the region mechanical engineering, the U. took fourth place after the Moscow, Leningrad and Ukrainian industries. district Stalin's state, based on the theory of inevitable armed conflict with foreign countries. enemy, on ideological dogmas and politics. the ambitions of the leader, developed ur. prom. only in order to strengthen its military power. Therefore, investment in production. means of consumption in pre-war period amounted to only a few. percent, which determined low level life of us. U.

During the Second World War, the role of Ukraine in the country's economy increased even more. Already by Nov. In 1941, the enemy occupied the territory where 40% of the population lived, more than 60% of metal was produced, and 42% of the entire country’s electricity was generated. As a result, U. was forced to take on Ch. the burden of supplying the USSR Armed Forces. In a short time, a redistribution of mathematical, technical, financial, labor resources in favor of defense production. Industrial units evacuated from the front line were deployed and put into operation. enterprises, new factories, factories, and mines have begun. By the fall of 1942, 788 enterprises had been relocated to the Ukraine, including in Sverdl. region - 212, Chelyab. - 200, Perm. - 124, Orenb. - 60, Bashk. - 172, Udm. - 20. Chebarkul and Chelyab were built. meth Hello, Chelyab. pipe-rolling plant, expanded capacity. Magnitogorsk met. Comb-ta, Novotagil, Zlatoust, Chusovsky met. health Chelyab was built using high-speed methods. and Solikamsk Thermal Power Plant, Kizelovskaya State District Power Plant and other power plants were expanded. In coal basins. U. put into operation 69 mines and 9 open-pit mines with a total annual capacity. 16250 thousand tons of fuel. This process was not a restructuring of the economy on a war footing, but was only an accelerated continuation of the transition of the people. x-va on a war footing, undertaken by I.V. Stalin back in the pre-war period. He did not break the established forms of hands, and completely retained centralized planning and distribution. The industrial rise that took place in the Ukraine during the Second World War was ensured by strict command and administration. methods combined with the labor upsurge of the population. Numerous patriotic movements that arose during the Second World War in the factories and factories of Ukraine were skillfully used by government agencies in production. process, which contributed to an increase in labor productivity and an increase in the output of military products. Izv. throughout the country, the labor initiatives of A. Sorokovy, D. Bosogo, P. Podzharov, P. Spekhov, E. Agarkov, T. Abramenko, N. Bazetov made it possible to free up thousands of slaves. and give millions of rubles to the defense fund. above-plan production. The authorities demanded that workers level. rear fulfillment and overfulfillment of planned targets in an environment of a sharp decline in living standards, when production. food products decreased by 2 times, and market prices for them increased 13 times, when the problem of industrial shortages became acute. goods, and many others enterprises, in order to somehow provide shoes and clothing for their workers, were forced to organize production workshops. bast shoes, sewing workshops, etc. And yet, despite the hardships, industrial workers. U. enterprises, showing amazing patience and unpretentiousness, fulfilled their patriotic duty and managed to transform ur. region in ch. arsenal of the country's Armed Forces. Military production During the Second World War, income increased 6 times. Region and rep. The region produced 40% of the country's total military production, 60% of medium, 100% of heavy tanks. Only three z-da-giants - Lv. carriage building, Chelyab. tractor (Kirovsky) and Uralmash produced 2/3 of all tanks and self-propelled guns produced in the USSR.

The country's loss in the beginning. wars 47% of sown areas. forced the Soviet state to take measures to supply food to the army and us, to provide industrial raw materials.

The workers of the level found themselves in the most difficult conditions. villages. They were forced to solve the assigned problems in a situation of a sharp reduction in mathematics and technology. base and a significant reduction in numbers. us. During the war years, the machine and tractor fleet of collective and state farms in the region decreased by 15.7%. The social and demographic structure of the agricultural sector has undergone serious changes. During the period of hostilities there was a large outflow of us. from rural areas, which was associated with mass mobilizations in France, with the redistribution of villages. us. between industry, transport and pp. had an extremely negative impact on the demographic situation in ur. village a sharp decline in the birth rate and migration processes associated with evacuation and re-evacuation. As a result, no. sat down us. U. for the years war decreased by 25.3%. This trend was especially evident among the working-age male population, which decreased by 76.9%. Enormous scale of loss of able-bodied us. sharply aggravated the problem of labor resources. There was an acute shortage of not only qualified personnel, but also simply labor. Abbreviation mat.-techn. base and labor force of the Ukrainian agricultural sector forced the authorities to look for more effective ways of functioning. x-va within the framework of a single military economy. Unfortunately, all searches were reduced to strengthening the state. regulation of agricultural production Rigid planning and rude interference from desks were carried out. -state organs in production trials, direct repressions against village residents. terrain. To compensate for the shortage of workers. forces, the authorities energetically used the patriotic upsurge of the workers of the village. Women played a leading role in the development of the agricultural sector. They worked selflessly in all sectors, often performing traditionally male duties. Share of women in agricultural production. U. was almost 80%. Among them the most. Tractor drivers D. Larionova, K. Sklyueva, A. Maksimova stood out for their labor activity. Field farmers P. Marusina, E. Pochitailo, milkmaid M. Dunaeva and others achieved high production rates. The dedication and enthusiasm of the workers of the village. U. farms made it possible to make a significant contribution to providing food for citizens and military personnel. During the Second World War, the collective and state farms of Ukraine surrendered to the state of St. 12 million tons of bread, more than 1.5 million tons of milk, 1 million tons of potatoes, 736 thousand tons of vegetables. And yet the reduction of mat.-techn. funds, labor overstrain, adm. centralism of management did not allow maintaining the volume of production. agricultural products in ur. region at the pre-war level. Crop yields and gross yields in agriculture have decreased, livestock productivity and production have fallen. livestock products. The volume of agricultural products in Ukraine decreased by 18.5%. Sowing square grain legumes decreased by 33.2%, and their gross harvest by 44.8%. The number of cattle decreased by 3.8%, pigs - by 55.9%, horses - 44.6%, sheep and goats - by 34.2%. That. throughout the war in the agricultural sector ur. the region experienced a decline in agricultural production.

Dedication sat down. us., the attempts of the authorities to stabilize the situation using administrative and legal methods only contributed to a slight inhibition of this process. As a result, the collective and state farms of Ukraine, which had worked to their limits, came to the end of the war weakened, with their productive forces destroyed.

Despite the extreme difficulties of ur. region in war continued to be one of the largest scientific. and cult. c. Moreover, its spiritual potential increased significantly due to the evacuated research institutes, laboratories, design bureaus, and academic institutions. head of theaters and other cultural institutions. In war in Sverdl. Pres. worked actively. Academy of Sciences of the USSR. The activities of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences continued in Ufa. The science of warfare during the war focused primarily on the needs of the French and was closely connected with military production. An example of this was the activity of the USSR Academy of Sciences Commission on mobilizing U. resources for defense needs, headed by Academician. V.L. Komarov. 60 scientists took part in its work. institutions and industry enterprises, more than 800 specialists of various types. branches of science and technology, rep. people's commissariats, military organizations. Among them were such outstanding scientists as academician. acad. I. Bardin, E. Britske, A. Baykov, V. Obraztsov, L. Shevyakov and others.

The Second World War made serious adjustments to the activities of the people's system. education U. Overcoming the difficulties of the beginning. period of the war, associated with the reduction of mathematics and technology. base, a decrease in the student population and the teaching corps, it ultimately not only fully restored its potential, but even significantly increased it. To this in plural. contributed to the evacuation to the U. large number higher, secondary specialized and general educational institutions. head Over the years During the war, 46 universities were evacuated to Ukraine. During the re-evacuation of many Of these, they left part of the account. equipment, teaching staff and students. On this basis, the process of organizing new higher education took place. head Thus, aviation and oil institutes were opened in Ufa, and in Chelyab. - honey and mechanical engineering, in Orenb. - medical, in Kurgan - agricultural. In total, during the Second World War, the number of universities in Ukraine increased from 48 to 60. Higher education. head region in The war trained 20 thousand specialists. Among them are 7 thousand doctors, 5 thousand teachers, 3 thousand engineers, more than 1 thousand agricultural specialists. By the end of the war at level. region was expanded and the network cf. schools So, if at the beginning There were 15,733 of them during military operations, then in the 1944/45 academic year. their number increased to 16,694.

The Second World War had a severe impact on the cult. U's life. However, its development did not stop. In all regions and rep. Writers' organizations were active in the region. In Sverdl. Ur was created. lit. c., headed by P. Bazhov and A. Karavaeva. Ch. The attention of writers was drawn to the heroism of the working and military life of the fighting people. U. received 25 evacuated theaters, among which were the Moscow Art Theater, Moscow. Theater Kr. Army, Moscow. theater of satire, Leningrad. theater op. and ballet named after. S.M.Kirova, Leningrad. Maly theater op. and ballet, etc. The significant concentration of theatrical forces in Ukraine contributed to the development of the level. theater school, increasing audience interest in this type of art. In 1945, there were 60 theater groups operating in Ukraine, which accounted for 15.6% of the total number of theater institutions in the RSFSR. The first theater institute in the history of the region was created (Sverdl., 1945), openly known today as Perm. choreographic school (Perm, 1945). All performances of local and evacuated theaters were sold out. For the war years. 3.7 thousand plays were staged in Ukrainian theaters, 65.6 thousand performances were held, reaching 28.5 million spectators. The "theater boom" in Ukraine was due to the renewal of the repertoire, an increase in the quality of performances, and the strengthening of the role of theater groups in military patronage work. Over the years WWII artists Sverdl. region More than 20 thousand concerts were held in French. and in the rear.

A significant contribution to the overall victory was made by lv. thin They created portraits of war heroes and decorated squares, train stations, and propaganda centers with visual propaganda. Cinema played an important role in mobilizing home front workers. Lv. filmmakers successfully solved the problem of increasing the quantity and improving the quality of film production, and energetically contributed to the promotion of cinema to the masses. Sverdl worked actively. a newsreel studio that released 242 newsreels during the war period. From Feb. 1943 in Sverdl. The film studio began its activities. films, and in 1944 she shot the first film, “Silva,” which was released on the country’s screens at the end of the war. Its place in the cult. The life of the region was occupied by Ur., formed in 1944. adv. chorus Of course, products created by the representative. thin intelligentsia of Ukraine in WWII, bore the stamp of totalitarian culture. Creative workers were not completely free in their activities; they experienced fasting. ideological pressure from the command and administration. systems. However, the paradox of the development of the artistic-figurative potential of culture in the years. war was that the direction of this pressure coincided with the patriotic feelings of the people. Hood. production created in wars in the Ukraine, expressed the desire of the entire country for victory and in many ways. contributed to its achievement.

Gg. The wars became a period of changes in the state's policy towards religion. The Bolshevik regime, trying to use the authority of the church in the process of consolidating all patriotic and anti-fascist forces, took a number of liberal steps in relation to the clergy. The opening of churches was allowed, and the possibility of legal religious worship became possible. In the U. for the years. During the war, 88 Orthodox churches and 17 religious institutions of other religions resumed services. The activities of clergy and believers were distinguished by their desire to unite the forces of the people in repelling the enemy, to ease the moral suffering of people, and to make a concrete contribution to the defense of the country. So, only in the Defense Fund the parishes of lv. dioceses handed over approx. 14 million rub.

The difficult trials that befell the entire country during the Second World War hardened the inhabitants of Ur. region, increased their watering. activity. Residents of the Urals participated in the voluntary collection of warm clothes for front-line soldiers, money for the Defense Fund, and for tank columns, air squadrons, and artillery batteries. During the war, only Bashk workers. and Udm. collected 3.5 billion rubles for the Defense Fund. Due to the voluntary contributions of the Urals residents, the 30th Volunteer Tank Corps, tank columns "Sverdlovsky Komsomolets", "Chelyabinsk Collective Farmers", "Collective Farmer of Udmurtia", named after. V. Chkalov, named after. Chelyabinsk Komsomol; air squadrons "Bashkir Fighter", "Komsomolets of Bashkiria", "Komsomolets of Udmurtia", "Sverdlovsk Collective Farmer", "Kurgan State Farms", "Molotov Osoaviakhimovets", named after. Komsomol of the Molotov region, "Shadrinsky worker"; sixteen artillery batteries, the submarine "Chelyabinsk Komsomolets", a link of boats "Sea Hunter" and many others. other military units. During the Second World War, U. provided great assistance to the districts of the USSR that suffered from the German occupation: personnel, industry. equipment, agricultural machinery, seeds, etc. U. made a significant contribution to the feat of arms accomplished by the country in the years. WWII. On his ter. more than 500 were formed military units and connections. Among them are 3 buildings, 78 divisions, a large number of departments. brigades, regiments, battalions, divisions and companies. In fr. took approx. 2 million Urals residents, of which more than 600 thousand did not return home. Lv. units took part in many major battles. Most of them, having shown heroism and valor, became guardsmen and received awards. Almost all units and formations formed in the U. were given the honorary names of the cities they liberated: Lvov, Vitebsk, Kiev, Leningrad, Nikolaev, Sumy, Kharkov, Pskov, Budapest, Berlin, Prague, etc. In the battles of the Second World War, the Urals showed personal courage and bravery. 1005 reps. U. were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Union. Among them are I. Zolin, A. Burdenyuk, who directed their damaged planes at accumulations of enemy equipment and soldiers, A. Matrosov, Y. Paderin, G. Kunavin, who covered the embrasures of enemy pillboxes with their bodies, twice Heroes of the Owls. Union, fearless pilots K. Evstigneev, G. Rechkalov, E. Kungurtsev, M. Odintsov, G. Sivkov, tank crews S. Khokhryakov, V. Arkhipov and many others. etc.

Lit.: Ural - to the front. M., 1985; Antufiev A.A. Ural industry on the eve and during the Second World War. Ekaterinburg, 1992; Kornilov G.E. Ural village and war. Ekaterinburg, 1993; Ural forged victory. Chelyabinsk, 1994; The Urals in the Great Patriotic War. Ekaterinburg, 1995; Speransky A.V. In the crucible of trials. Culture of the Urals during the Great Years Patriotic War. Ekaterinburg, 1996.

Speransky A.V., Kornilov G.E.. Institute of History and Archeology, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 1998-2004 .

When, on the western border of the USSR, the sun's rays were just about to illuminate the earth, the first soldiers of Hitler's Germany set foot on Soviet soil. The Great Patriotic War (WWII) had been going on for almost two years, but now a heroic war had begun, and it would not be for resources, not for the dominance of one nation over another, and not for the establishment of a new order, now the war would become sacred, popular, and its price would be life, real and life of future generations.

Great Patriotic War 1941-1945. The beginning of the Second World War

On June 22, 1941, the countdown began to four years of inhuman efforts, during which the future of each of us hung practically by a thread.
War is always a disgusting business, but The Great Patriotic War (WWII) was too popular for only professional soldiers to participate in it. The entire people, young and old, stood up to defend the Motherland.
From the first day Great Patriotic War (WWII) the heroism of an ordinary Soviet soldier became a role model. What is often called in literature “to stand to death” was fully demonstrated already in the battles for the Brest Fortress. The vaunted Wehrmacht soldiers, who conquered France in 40 days and forced England to cower cowardly on their island, faced such resistance that they simply could not believe that ordinary people were fighting against them. As if these were warriors from epic tales, they stood up to protect every inch with their chests native land. For almost a month, the fortress garrison repelled one German attack after another. And this, just think about it, is 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 never succumbed to weakness and did not lay down their arms.
When the advanced units of the Wehrmacht reach Kyiv, Smolensk, Leningrad, fighting is still ongoing in the Brest Fortress.
Great Patriotic War are always characterized by manifestations of heroism and resilience. No matter what happened on the territory of the USSR, no matter how terrible the repressions of tyranny were, the war equalized everyone.
A striking example of a change in attitude 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.
And on eastern front The fighting continued. The German generals encountered an anomaly for the first time; there is no other way to describe it. Developed by the best minds of Hitler's General Staff, lightning war, built on quick breakthroughs of tank formations, followed by the encirclement of large enemy units, no longer worked like a clock mechanism. When surrounded, Soviet units fought their way through rather than lay down their arms. To a serious extent, the heroism of the 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 German army’s offensive plans were completely thwarted. Then there were Stalingrad, Kursk, the Battle of Moscow, but all of them became possible thanks to the unparalleled courage of an ordinary Soviet soldier, who stopped the German invaders at the cost of his own life.
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 USSR doctrine assumed a victorious war on enemy territory, but not on its own soil. 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 in old planes, burned in the tanks, and retreated, not giving up a single piece of land without a fight.

Great Patriotic War 1941-1945. Battle for Moscow

The plan for the lightning capture of Moscow by the Germans finally collapsed in the winter of 1941. Much has been written about the Moscow battle and films have been made. However, every page of what was written, every frame of what was filmed is imbued with the unparalleled heroism of the defenders of Moscow. We all know about the parade on November 7, which took place across Red Square, while German tanks were approaching the capital. Yes, this was also an example of how the Soviet people are going to defend their country. The troops left for the front line immediately after the parade, immediately entering the battle. And the Germans could not stand it. The iron conquerors of Europe stopped. It seemed that nature itself came to the aid of the defenders, severe frosts struck, 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 surrounded, soldiers near Moscow, residents who held weapons in their hands for the first time in their lives, all this became an insurmountable obstacle to the enemy’s path to the very heart of the USSR.
But then the legendary offensive began. German troops were driven back from Moscow, and for the first time experienced the bitterness of retreat and defeat. We can say that it was here, in the snowy areas near the capital, that the fate of the whole world, and not just the war, was predetermined. Brown Plague, which until this time had been absorbing country after country, nation after nation, found itself face to face with people who did not want, could not bow their heads.
The 41st was coming to an end, the western part of the USSR lay in ruins, the occupation forces were fierce, but nothing could break those who found themselves in the occupied territories. There were also traitors, needless to say, those who went over to the enemy’s side and forever branded themselves with shame and the rank of “policeman.” And who are they now, where are they? Doesn't forgive Holy war traitors on their 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 and weakness. The price for victory or defeat was life itself.
g. allowed the relationship between the authorities and the church to change. Subjected to persecution for many years, during WWII The Russian Orthodox Church helped the front with all its 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.

Great Patriotic War 1941-1945. Guerrilla warfare

It is worth mentioning separately guerrilla warfare during WWII. For the first time, the Germans encountered such fierce resistance from the population. Regardless of where the front line was, there was constant fighting behind enemy lines. fighting. 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 occupiers everywhere! Entire villages joined the partisans, together with their families and relatives, and from there, from the hidden, ancient forests, they struck at the fascists.
How many heroes has it given birth to? partisan movement. Both old and very young. Young boys and girls who went to school just yesterday have grown up today and performed feats that will remain in our memory for centuries.
While the fighting was going on on the ground, the air, in the first months of the war, belonged entirely to the Germans. A huge number of Soviet army aircraft were destroyed immediately after the start of the fascist offensive, and those who managed to take to the air could not fight on equal terms with German aviation. However, heroism in WWII manifests itself not only on the battlefield. All of us living today pay our deepest respects to those in the rear. In the most severe conditions, under constant shelling and bombing, plants and factories were transported to the east. Immediately upon arrival, outside, in the cold, the workers stood at their 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 enormous efforts of every person.

Great Patriotic War 1941-1945. Rear

Great Patriotic War 1941-1945. Siege Leningrad.

Siege Leningrad. Are there people who have not heard this phrase? 872 days of unparalleled heroism covered this city with eternal glory. German troops and allies were unable to break the resistance of the besieged city. The city lived, defended itself and struck back. The road of life that connected 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 carry food and ammunition along this ice ribbon to the Leningraders. Hope never died. And the credit for this goes entirely to ordinary people who valued the freedom of their country above all else!
All history of the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945 written with 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, or go for a ram in an air battle.
And they were rewarded! And even though the sky over the village of Prokhorovka became black from soot and smoke, even though the waters of the northern seas received dead heroes every day, nothing could stop the liberation of the Motherland.
And there was the first fireworks, on August 5, 1943. It was then that the fireworks countdown began in honor of the new victory, the new liberation of the city.
The peoples of Europe today no longer know their history, the true history of the Second World War. It is thanks to the Soviet people that 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.

THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR of 1941-45, the liberation war of the peoples of the USSR against Nazi Germany and its allies, the most important and decisive part of the Second World War of 1939-45.

The situation on the eve of the war. The situation in the world in the spring of 1941 was characterized by the complexity of interstate relations, fraught with the danger of expanding the scope of the 2nd World War that began in September 1939. The aggressive bloc of Germany, Italy and Japan (see Three Power Pact of 1940) expanded, Romania, Bulgaria, and Slovakia joined it. Even before the start of World War II, the USSR proposed creating a system collective security in Europe, however, the Western powers did not support him. Under the current conditions, the USSR was forced to conclude a non-aggression pact with Germany in 1939 (see Soviet-German treaties of 1939), which allowed it to strengthen its defense capability for almost 2 more years. Simultaneously with the treaty, a “secret additional protocol” was signed, which delimited the “spheres of mutual interests” of the USSR and Germany and actually imposed on the latter an obligation not to extend its military and political activity to states and territories that the USSR considered its “sphere of interests.”

Germany in 1938-41 annexed Austria (see Anschluss), the Sudetenland, part of the territories of Poland and Lithuania, occupied Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, a significant part of Poland and France, Yugoslavia, Greece, establishing in them " new order" The militarization of the economy and the entire life of Germany, the seizure of industry and strategic reserves, raw materials, the forced use of cheap labor from the occupied and allied states allowed the Nazis to mobilize the enormous military-economic potential of almost all of continental Europe. Germany's military production increased 22-fold between 1934 and 1940. The number of German armed forces by mid-1941 was about 7.3 million people and outnumbered the Soviet armed forces by almost 1.3 times. The ground forces (about 5.2 million people) consisted of about 208 divisions (169 infantry, 21 tank, 14 motorized, etc.), 6 separate brigades. The German army had over 5.6 thousand tanks and assault guns, over 71.5 thousand guns and mortars, about 10 thousand aircraft (including 5.7 thousand combat ones). By June 1941, the Navy had 207 warships of the main classes, including 122 submarines. The German army had successful experience of a 2-year war, with the massive use of tanks and aircraft. The military defeat of the USSR was considered by Hitler's leadership as the most important stage on the path to conquest of world domination. In Germany, ideological indoctrination of the population and army was widely carried out, racism and extreme chauvinism were propagated - the “superiority” of the Aryan race, the “necessity” of conquering a “new living space in the East” for Germany.

By 1941, the territory of the USSR was 22.1 million km 2, the population was 194.1 million people. The average annual output of industrial products in the Soviet Union over the 3 pre-war years increased by 13%, and defense production by 39%. In the production of mechanical engineering products, oil and coal production, production of tractors, electricity, cast iron, steel and cement, the USSR became one of the leading countries in the world. The Soviet government, taking into account the features international situation, took measures to strengthen the defense capability of the USSR. The entry into the USSR in 1939-40 of Western Ukraine, Western Belarus, Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina, the Baltic republics, the annexation of the Karelian Isthmus and some territories in the north-west (see Soviet-Finnish War 1939-40) had an extremely important military strategic importance. This made it possible to significantly reduce the western border of the USSR, and therefore the front of a possible invasion of German troops, and move the state border away from the vital centers of the country (Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev, Minsk, Odessa and Murmansk). The USSR received ice-free ports on the Baltic Sea, which significantly improved the operational capabilities of the Soviet Navy. By mid-1941, the Soviet state had a material and technical base that ensured the mass production of military equipment and weapons, the restructuring of industry and transport was carried out, the defense industry was created, the armed forces were deployed, their technical re-equipment took place, the training of military personnel was expanded, and allocations for military needs increased. . New defense plants were built and existing ones expanded at a rapid pace. By June 1941, the Soviet Armed Forces numbered about 5.7 million people and consisted of the Ground Forces (SV), Air Force, Navy, Air Defense Forces and NKVD Troops (border and internal troops). The Army was armed with over 110 thousand guns and mortars, over 23 thousand tanks, of which 18.7 thousand were combat-ready. The air defense forces had 4.5 thousand anti-aircraft guns, the Air Force had about 13 thousand serviceable combat aircraft, the Navy had 276 warships of the main classes, including 211 submarines. At the same time, the economic capabilities of the USSR did not allow the armed forces to be equipped in a short time with new small arms, artillery, tank and aviation weapons and military equipment, or to complete the construction of defensive lines on the new border. In the Red Army, after the political “purges” of the late 1930s, there was an acute shortage of experienced command personnel, especially from the division commander and above. The training of junior commanders of the Red Army was at a low level. To compensate for losses in personnel and to meet the growing need for them in connection with the deployment of armed forces, the network of military academies, schools, and courses was expanded in 1940-41. A significant number of commanders were called up from the reserves, and some of the repressed were returned to duty. But it was not possible to completely improve the situation with personnel before the start of the war (the shortage of command and control personnel was about 20%).

Germany and its satellites concentrated 182 divisions against the USSR (including 19 tank and 14 motorized) - in total over 5 million people, about 4.4 thousand tanks and assault guns, 47.2 thousand guns and mortars, about 4.5 thousand combat aircraft and over 190 warships. By the summer of 1941, the German command completed the strategic deployment of troops along the western borders of the USSR in 3 strategic directions. In accordance with the Barbarossa plan, it was envisaged to defeat the USSR in a fast-moving campaign: to destroy the main forces of the Red Army west of the Dnieper-Western Dvina line, preventing their withdrawal into the interior of the country. Moscow, Leningrad, Kyiv, Donbass were considered the most important strategic objects, with a special role assigned to Moscow. It was assumed that its capture would be decisive for the outcome of the war. 3 groups of troops were created. Army Group North, deployed in East Prussia, was tasked with defeating Soviet troops in the Baltic states and capturing ports on the Baltic Sea, including Leningrad and Kronstadt. Army Group Center, concentrated in the main (Moscow) direction, was supposed to cut through the strategic defense front, encircle and destroy the Red Army troops in Belarus and develop an offensive against Moscow. Army Group South was deployed in the Kiev direction, with the task of destroying Soviet troops in Right Bank Ukraine, reaching the Dnieper and developing an offensive to the east. The German Army Norway and 2 Finnish armies were deployed on the territory of Norway and Finland. Army Norway had the task of capturing Murmansk and Polyarny, Finnish troops had the task of assisting Army Group North in capturing Leningrad. There were 24 divisions in the reserve of the main command of the German ground forces. In the war against the USSR, German leaders planned to enslave and physically exterminate millions of Soviet people, which was provided for by the Ost master plan, and to carry out ruthless exploitation of the surviving population, natural and production resources of the occupied territories. Since from February 1941 German troops were concentrated at the western borders of the USSR, in May 800 thousand reservists were called up for training camps to supplement a number of formations of the Red Army, and the movement of troops from the internal districts to the west began. However, by June 22, 1941, the Red Army did not have time to complete mobilization measures and full deployment according to the plan for covering the state border.

The first period of the warriors (22.6.1941 -18.11.1942). At dawn on June 22, 1941, Germany, treacherously violating the 1939 non-aggression treaty, attacked the USSR (Italy, Romania, Finland, Hungary and Slovakia soon took its side). Enemy aircraft carried out massive attacks on airfields, railway junctions, naval bases, places of permanent deployment of troops and many cities to a depth of 250-300 km from the state border. The Great Patriotic War began, and the Soviet-German front became the main front of the 2nd World War. The first to enter the battle were the border troops and divisions of the Red Army located near the border. The enemy’s powerful strike and the rapid advance of his tank and motorized formations disrupted the control of the Soviet troops, who, with heavy fighting, were forced to retreat into the interior of the country. In the border battles of 1941, Soviet troops, launching counterattacks on the enemy and slowing down his advance, despite numerous encirclements, with staunch defense in the Smolensk forests, near Leningrad and Kiev, did not allow the Wehrmacht to win decisive victories.

The Soviet government and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks took a number of emergency measures to mobilize all the resources of the state to repel aggression, restructuring the life and activities of the country on a military basis.

The Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces announced the mobilization of those liable for military service born in 1905-18. On the basis of the departments and troops of the border military districts, the Northern, Northwestern, Western, Southwestern and Southern fronts(later other fronts were created, their number changed). The maritime borders were defended by the Northern, Baltic and Black Sea fleets. For strategic leadership of the armed forces, the Headquarters of the High Command was created on June 23 (see Headquarters of the Supreme High Command). Its working body was the General Staff. Based on the current situation, the Soviet command at the end of June decided to switch to strategic defense on the entire Soviet-German front. The troops of the 1st strategic echelon were tasked with preparing a system of echeloned defensive lines and lines in the directions of the enemy's main attacks, relying on them, stopping him and gaining time to prepare a counteroffensive. In the first days of the war, the leadership of the USSR developed a program for restructuring the activities of party and state bodies in accordance with the tasks of mobilizing all forces to fight the enemy, which was set out in the Directive of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks dated June 29, 1941 to party and Soviet organizations in the front-line regions . In order to unite the efforts of the front and rear, all power in the country was concentrated in the hands of the State Defense Committee (GKO), formed on June 30, 1941, consisting of: I. V. Stalin (chairman), V. M. Molotov (deputy chairman), K. E. Voroshilov, G. M. Malenkov, L. P. Beria (in February 1942, A. I. Mikoyan, N. A. Voznesensky, L. M. Kaganovich were additionally introduced into the State Defense Committee; in November 1944, N. was included instead of Voroshilov. A. Bulganin). The provisions of the Directive were outlined in Stalin’s radio speech on July 3, 1941. Resolutions of the State Defense Committee were mandatory for party, Soviet, trade union, Komsomol organizations and military bodies, for all citizens of the USSR. On June 23, the mobilization plan for the production of ammunition was put into effect, and on June 30, the mobilization National Economic Plan for the 3rd quarter of 1941 was approved. In connection with the threat to important economic regions in the west and south of the country, it was necessary to immediately move industrial enterprises to the Urals, Siberia, the Volga region, Central Asia(see Evacuation 1941-42). On June 24, the Evacuation Council was formed under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, headed by N. M. Shvernik. In the 2nd half of 1941, according to incomplete data, equipment from about 2.6 thousand industrial enterprises (including over 1.5 thousand large ones) was relocated to the eastern regions, and 30-40% of workers, engineers and technicians were evacuated. At the same time, grain and food supplies, tens of thousands of tractors and agricultural machines, and other material and cultural assets were transported to the rear. Collective and state farms in the eastern regions of the country in the 2nd half of 1941 received about 2.4 million heads of livestock transferred from the front line. Hundreds were evacuated inland scientific institutes, laboratories, schools, libraries, as well as unique works of art from museums in Moscow, Leningrad, Kyiv and other cities. Organized civil uprising. The formation of new formations began in the rear. On July 10, in order to bring strategic leadership closer to the troops, the High Commands of the North-Western, Western and South-Western directions were created. To improve the material support of the troops of the active army, by decision of the State Defense Committee dated July 28, 1941, the Main Logistics Directorate and the post of Chief of Logistics of the Red Army (Lieutenant General A.V. Khrulev) were established. At the end of June 1941, a decision was made to mass mobilize communists and Komsomol members to the front. Based on the decision of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, on July 16, 1941, the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces adopted a resolution “On the reorganization of political propaganda bodies and the introduction of the institution of military commissars in the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army,” which on July 20 was extended to the Navy. On July 18, the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks adopted a resolution “On the organization of the struggle in the rear of German troops.” It obliged the republican, regional and district party committees to deploy a network of underground party organizations behind enemy lines, to lead the actions of partisan detachments, sabotage groups, and combat squads (see Partisan movement). On September 17, 1941, universal compulsory training of the population in military affairs was introduced (see Vsevobuch), which covered over 9.8 million people.

In the summer and autumn of 1941 there were fierce battles on the fronts. In the northwestern direction, the enemy managed to reach the near approaches to Leningrad and cut off the land communications connecting the city with the country. The Battle of Leningrad of 1941-44 had a significant impact on the course of hostilities in other sectors of the Soviet-German front, pinning down large forces of German troops and the Finnish army. In the Moscow direction, in the Battle of Smolensk in 1941, which unfolded on a front of up to 650 km and a depth of up to 250 km, Soviet troops with counterattacks forced German troops to go on the defensive on the main direction for the first time during World War II. In these battles the Soviet Guard was born (see Soviet Guard). In July, a new Soviet weapon was used for the first time - rocket-propelled mortars - "Katyusha". In July - September there were fierce battles in the southwestern direction, where the enemy was rushing towards Kyiv (see Kiev operation of 1941). In August, Soviet troops were forced to retreat to Odessa (see Odessa defense of 1941), and in mid-September they left Kyiv, in October - November 1941 - the western regions of Donbass. German troops broke into Crimea, the heroic defense Sevastopol (see Sevastopol defense 1941-42), in November 1941 they captured Rostov. In the summer-autumn campaign of 1941, the Soviet Armed Forces suffered the heaviest losses of the entire Great Patriotic War (irrecoverable - over 2.5 million people, sanitary - over 1.1 million people, captured and missing - over 2.2 million people ). The Battle of Smolensk and the defense of Leningrad, Kyiv, Odessa, and Sevastopol contributed to the disruption of the German Blitz-Krieg plan. At the end of September - beginning of October, the enemy resumed the offensive in the Moscow direction and came close to the capital, in which a state of siege was declared on October 20 (see Battle of Moscow 1941-42). Some government offices were evacuated, and buildings in the Kremlin were covered with camouflage netting. In the defensive battle near Moscow, Soviet troops showed heroism and exceptional resilience. The bloodless strike group of German troops was forced to go on the defensive in early December. The success of the Battle of Moscow was facilitated by the defense of Tula, the Tikhvin offensive operation of 1941 and the Rostov operation of 1941. In early December, a counter-offensive of Soviet troops began near Moscow, which developed into a general offensive, and for the first time since the beginning of World War II, German troops suffered a major defeat. The victory of the Red Army near Moscow finally thwarted the “blitzkrieg” plan and dispelled the myth of the invincibility of the German army. Enemy troops went on the defensive along the entire Soviet-German front. This allowed us to gain time for the formation of new Soviet units and connections, restructuring National economy in a military way. However, the military leadership of the USSR overestimated its strength and launched a winter offensive in three strategic directions. Unsuccessful operations in the Crimea, to release Leningrad (the encirclement of the 2nd Shock Army of the Volkhov Front) and especially near Kharkov in the summer of 1942 (see Kharkov operation of 1942) again created an extremely difficult situation on the Soviet-German front.

Soviet efforts foreign policy in the summer and autumn of 1941 were aimed at creating an anti-Hitler coalition. In July 1941, the Soviet government signed an agreement on joint action in the war against Germany with the governments of Great Britain, Czechoslovakia and Poland. A significant role in the development of allied relations between the three powers was played by the 1941 Moscow Conference of representatives of the USSR, Great Britain and the USA on the issue of military supplies to the USSR (the so-called Lend-Lease), held on 29.9-1.10.1941 (see Moscow meetings 1941-43). In May - June 1942, during negotiations between the USSR, the USA and Great Britain, a decision was reached to create a second front in Europe in 1942.

Despite the unsuccessful operations of the Red Army in the spring of 1942, the German command no longer had the strength to conduct offensive operations simultaneously on the entire Soviet-German front, and in the summer of 1942 concentrated its main efforts in the south in order to reach the oil regions of the Caucasus and fertile areas Don, Kuban, Lower Volga. The German leadership hoped that the victorious completion of the campaign would allow Turkey and Japan to be drawn into the war against the USSR. The enemy again seized the strategic initiative and launched a general offensive at the end of June 1942. In mid-July, German troops entered the big bend of the Don, creating a real threat of a breakthrough to the Volga and the Caucasus. On July 17, the Battle of Stalingrad of 1942-1943 began. During the defense of the Caucasus (see Battle of the Caucasus 1942-43), which lasted from July to December, the Red Army troops thwarted the enemy command’s plan to capture the Caucasus and gained time to prepare the offensive. In May - September 1942, the Soviet command carried out several offensive operations in the northwestern, western directions (Demyansk and Rzhev-Sychevsk operations of 1942) and the defensive Voronezh-Voroshilovgrad operation of 1942.

In general, the 1st period of the war was the most difficult for Soviet people and its armed forces. German troops captured part of the territory where, before the war, about 42% of the population lived, 1/3 of the gross industrial output of the USSR and a significant part of food were produced. However, the German leadership did not achieve its goals in the war with the USSR. In the winter of 1941/42, on the Soviet-German front, German troops were defeated for the first time during the 2nd World War. As a result of the heroic efforts of the working people, by the end of 1942, a coherent military economy was created in the USSR. By the end of the 1st period of the war, the combat skills of commanders and all personnel of the Red Army had increased, experience had been gained in organizing defense, offensive and all types of support for troops and their combat operations, using reserves, organizing the combat use of various types of troops, as well as types of armed forces. strength

Second period of the war (11/19/1942 - end of 1943). By the 2nd half of November 1942, the situation on the Soviet-German front remained tense. Second front in Western Europe was not opened, the USSR continued to fight alone against the bloc of aggressor states. The enemy additionally transferred 67 divisions to the Soviet-German front, formed 16 new ones, and by November 1942 had 266 divisions here (over 6.2 million people), about 52 thousand guns and mortars, over 5 thousand tanks and assault guns, 3.5 thousands of combat aircraft, 194 warships (the maximum number of enemy troops on the Soviet-German front). However, despite the difficult conditions in which the Soviet state found itself, already in the 2nd half of 1942 the military industry produced more weapons than the military industry of Germany. By November 1942, there were about 6.6 million people in the Soviet active army, over 78 thousand guns and mortars (without anti-aircraft guns), over 7.3 thousand tanks, over 4.5 thousand combat aircraft. The increase in the production of military equipment and weapons and the equipping of troops with them made it possible in the 2nd half of 1942 to create mixed tank armies, tank and mechanized corps, artillery divisions of the reserve of the Supreme High Command (SHC), and the formation of air armies and homogeneous air formations. The organizational structure of the Navy, the country's air defense forces, and special forces was further developed, and strategic reserves were created.

Under these conditions, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command set the Red Army the task of defeating enemy troops on the southern wing of the Soviet-German front during the winter of 1942/43 and at the same time improving the strategic position near Moscow and Leningrad. On November 19, 1942, a counteroffensive of Soviet troops began near Stalingrad, during which 22 divisions and 160 separate units of German troops (330 thousand people) were surrounded. The strategic initiative finally passed to the Red Army. The Battle of Stalingrad of 1942-43, in which over 3.2 million people simultaneously participated on both sides, became a radical turning point in the war. The victory at Stalingrad strengthened the anti-Hitler coalition, intensified the struggle of the peoples of Europe against the occupiers, Turkey and Japan abandoned their intention to oppose the USSR. In the Caucasian direction, Soviet troops, having gone on the offensive in January, advanced 500-600 km by early April 1943, liberating most of North Caucasus. In January 1943, Soviet troops broke the blockade of Leningrad. In January - February 1943, the Ostrogozh-Rossoshan and Voronezh-Kastornye enemy groups were completely defeated. Despite the defeats in the winter of 1942/43, Germany still had great military power. In an effort to regain the strategic initiative, the German leadership, having carried out total mobilization in Germany and satellite countries, taking advantage of the absence of a second front, launched an offensive in the area of ​​the Kursk salient in the summer of 1943 (see Battle of Kursk 1943). As a result of the Battle of Kursk, the last attempt of the German command to seize the strategic initiative was thwarted, German troops suffered irreparable losses (about 500 thousand people out of 900 thousand people who took part in the battle, a large amount of weapons) and were forced to switch to strategic defense on the entire Soviet-German front. It had a decisive influence on the development of the 2nd World War. The general strategic offensive of the Red Army began on a front of over 2 thousand km - from Velikiye Luki to the Black Sea. Soviet troops liberated Smolensk (see Smolensk operation 1943) and Bryansk, rapidly advanced to the middle reaches of the Dnieper (see Battle of the Dnieper 1943), liberated Donbass, the Taman Peninsula, and then Kyiv (see Kiev operation 1943). By mid-December, Soviet troops liberated part of the Kalinin, all of Smolensk regions, part of the Polotsk, Vitebsk, Mogilev and Gomel regions, crossed the Desna, Sozh, Dnieper, Pripyat, Berezina rivers and reached Polesie, the liberation of the eastern regions of Belarus began. From November 1942 to December 1943, the Red Army advanced 500-1300 km and liberated about 50% of the enemy-occupied territory. On the Soviet-German front during this period, from 236 to 266 divisions of Germany and its allies operated, many of which were defeated. Soviet troops destroyed up to 7 thousand tanks, 14.3 thousand combat aircraft, about 50 thousand guns, 296 ships and vessels of various classes were sunk. The partisans caused great damage to the enemy. By mid-1943, about 250 thousand partisans and underground fighters were fighting in the occupied territory, and partisan regions and regions were created. Centralized leadership of the fight behind enemy lines was carried out by the republican and regional headquarters of the partisan movement, led by the Central Headquarters of the partisan movement. Large partisan detachments were transformed into brigades and divisions, the command staff were assigned military ranks. In 1943, the partisans carried out major operations to destroy communication lines, codenamed “Rail War” and “Concert”. The defeat of German troops in the Battle of Kursk and the entry of the Red Army to the Dnieper marked a radical turning point not only in the Great Patriotic War, but also during the entire 2nd World War. The successes of the Soviet troops gave scope to the Resistance Movement in the occupied countries and in Germany itself. The national liberation movement in Poland, Czechoslovakia, the heroic struggle of the peoples of Yugoslavia against the German occupiers intensified, and the partisan movement grew in Bulgaria, Greece, Albania, France and other occupied countries. This struggle made Germany's European rear increasingly fragile. Compared to the Soviet-German front, Allied operations in 1943 were carried out with limited forces and involved a small part of the enemy troops in active hostilities. British American troops liberated North Africa, landed in Sicily, captured the southern part of the Apennine Peninsula, and brought Italy out of the war.

For the USSR, the 2nd half of 1943 became a turning point not only on the fronts, but also in economic development. Despite the temporary loss of important economic areas, the front was provided with everything necessary. In economic development, the needs of the military industry, metallurgy, fuel industry, power plants and railways. Women played a big role in the labor feat of the people. They bore the brunt of labor in industry, agriculture, and transport on their shoulders. In 1943, compared to 1942, the total volume of industrial production increased by 17% (in Germany - by 12%). New metallurgical plants were built and existing ones were expanded in the Urals and Siberia, coal production in Kuzbass increased sharply, and new power plants were put into operation. On the basis of the development of heavy industry, military production was developed; its growth made it possible to increase the level of technical equipment of the Red Army, which received more and more military equipment and weapons that were superior in a number of indicators to the equipment and weapons of the German army. These are, first of all, self-propelled guns, heavy tanks, fighters, attack aircraft and new types of bombers, as well as artillery pieces. The increase in the production of new types of military equipment and weapons made it possible during the 2nd period of the war to restore the rifle corps, abolished in 1941, to create more powerful tank and mechanized formations, tank armies of a homogeneous composition, which included tank and mechanized corps. Artillery corps and breakthrough divisions, anti-tank artillery formations and units, etc. were formed. In November 1942, the formation of air armies as part of the fronts was completed. Industrial production was restored in the liberated areas. Agriculture, despite the temporary loss of vast territories and the departure of the most able-bodied and qualified workers to the front, provided the country with food and raw materials. Scientists provided enormous assistance in the development of industry and agriculture. A major role in the patriotic education of the masses belonged to the press, radio, literature, and art. The works of K. M. Simonov, V. P. Solovyov-Sedoy, D. A. Shmarinov, M. A. Sholokhov, D. D. Shostakovich, I. G. Erenburg and others affirmed among the Soviet people the belief in the inevitability of final victory over the enemy. A striking manifestation of patriotism was the voluntary financial assistance of workers to the state, as a result of which additional planes, tanks and other military equipment were sent to the front. The collection of things and gifts for soldiers, money from the population to the Defense Fund, and donation, which contributed to the return of soldiers after injuries, became widespread. Great importance The Russian Orthodox Church had a patriotic position, which provided not only moral, but also material assistance in the struggle of the Soviet people against foreign invaders. The turning point achieved by the USSR in the economic battle with the enemy became the material basis for the turning point in the course of military operations.

In the 2nd period of the war, Soviet military art received further development. Distinctive feature Soviet military strategy was a strategic offensive, which was carried out by conducting successive operations along the front and in depth and, as a rule, a group of fronts. Soviet troops gained experience in breaking through enemy defenses and maneuvering in the enemy’s operational depths, conducting operations to encircle and destroy enemy groups, and crossing large water barriers. As a result of the victories of the Red Army, the prestige of the USSR in the international arena and its role in resolving issues of world politics increased. At the Tehran Conference in 1943, the leaders of the three powers - the USSR, the USA and Great Britain - agreed on plans and deadlines for joint actions to defeat the enemy, and the issue of opening a second front in Europe during May 1944.

The third period of the war (January 1944 -9.5.1945). By January 1944, German troops continued to occupy Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Karelia, a significant part of Belarus, Ukraine, the Leningrad and Kalinin regions, Moldova and Crimea. The enemy's armed forces numbered over 10 million people. However, Germany's situation deteriorated sharply. Defeats on the Soviet-German front led to an aggravation of the internal political situation in Germany itself and in satellite countries. Despite the growth in military production that continued until July 1944, the German economy entered a period of insurmountable difficulties. The situation with human reserves has become extremely aggravated. The losses of experienced personnel on the Soviet-German front, amounting to over 1.2 million people in July - November 1943, by the beginning of 1944 were compensated by new mobilizations by less than 3/4. By the beginning of 1944, the German army had 314 divisions and 17 brigades. On the Soviet-German front there were 198 divisions and 6 brigades, as well as 38 divisions and 18 brigades of its allies. There were about 6.7 million people in the active army, of which about 5 million were on the Soviet-German front. The enemy had about 54.6 thousand guns and mortars, 5.4 thousand tanks and assault guns and over 3 thousand aircraft. The general military-political and strategic situation, in comparison with the first years of the war, changed in favor of the USSR and its armed forces. In 1944, steel production in the USSR amounted to 10.9 million tons, cast iron - 7.3 million tons, coal - 121.5 million tons, oil - 18.3 million tons. In 1942-44, over 2.2 thousand large industrial enterprises were built in the eastern regions and over 6 thousand enterprises were restored in liberated areas. In 1944, over 24 thousand km of railways were restored. The defense industry in 1944 produced 5 times more tanks and aircraft monthly than in 1941, reaching its maximum level during the war. Agriculture achieved an increase in the production of bread and livestock products; in 1944, the country's sown area increased by 16 million hectares compared to 1943. By the beginning of 1944, the active army of the USSR had over 6.3 million people, over 83.6 thousand guns and mortars (without anti-aircraft guns and 50-mm mortars), about 5.3 thousand tanks and self-propelled guns, 10.2 thousand combat airplanes. However, there was still no overwhelming superiority over the German troops in forces and means (with the exception of artillery and aviation). The enemy held a number of Soviet naval bases in his hands, as a result of which the basing and operations capabilities of the Baltic and Black Sea fleets were limited. The Red Army was faced with the task of completing the liberation from the invaders Soviet land, to assist the peoples of Europe in liberation from German occupation, to end the war by defeating the enemy on German territory.

In December 1943 - April 1944, Soviet troops during the offensive in Right Bank Ukraine (Zhitomir-Berdichev operation 1944, Kirovograd, Korsun-Shevchenko operation 1944, Rivne-Lutsk, Nikopol-Krivorozh, Proskurov-Chernivtsi operation 1944, Uman-Botoshan, Bereznegovato -Snigiryovskaya operation of 1944, Polesie and Odessa operations), which unfolded on a front of over 1.3 thousand km, defeated the opposing group of German troops, and reached the state border, the foothills of the Carpathians and the territory of Romania. As a result of the Leningrad-Novgorod operation of 1944, the blockade of Leningrad was finally lifted. In the spring of 1944, Crimea was liberated. In accordance with the decisions of the Tehran Conference, the armed forces of the United States and Great Britain launched an invasion of Northern France on June 6, 1944 (see Operation Overlord). The Allied landing in Normandy was favored by the general military-strategic situation that had developed by that time as a result of the actions of Soviet troops on the Soviet-German front. In the winter and spring of 1944, the Red Army defeated over 170 enemy divisions. To restore these losses, the German command transferred about 40 divisions to the Soviet-German front, thereby weakening the grouping of its troops in Western Europe. By the beginning of June 1944, 239 enemy divisions were operating on the Soviet-German front, including 181 German ones. There were 58 German divisions remaining in France, Belgium and the Netherlands, more than half of which had almost no vehicles, and about 20 were being formed and rebuilt. The landing and subsequent actions of the British-American troops were facilitated by the Red Army, which, according to the decisions of the Tehran Conference, launched a strategic offensive in Karelia (Vyborg-Petrozavodsk operation 1944), Belarus (Belarus operation 1944), Western Ukraine (Lvov-Sandomierz operation 1944) in the summer of 1944 ) and Moldova (Iasi-Kishinev operation 1944). In Karelia, Soviet troops advanced 110-250 km, which accelerated Finland's exit from the war. During the Belarusian operation, Soviet troops defeated the enemy group defending in the Belarusian ledge and liberated Belarus, most of Lithuania and Latvia, the eastern part of Poland and approached the borders of East Prussia, advancing 550-600 km and expanding the offensive front by more than 1 thousand km. Having suffered serious losses during the 2-month offensive, Soviet troops were unable to immediately break through the German defenses on the Vistula River and provide assistance Warsaw Uprising 1944. As a result of the Lviv-Sandomierz operation, the western regions of Ukraine and the southeastern part of Poland were liberated. During the Iasi-Kishinev operation, 22 German divisions were destroyed and almost all Romanian divisions at the front were defeated. This changed the entire military-political situation in the Balkans and contributed to the victory of the anti-fascist armed uprising in Romania, which came out of the war on the side of Germany and declared war on it on August 24. The offensive of the Red Army in the autumn of 1944 in the southern direction provided direct assistance to the Bulgarian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak peoples and the peoples of Yugoslavia in their liberation from occupation and pro-German regimes. Soviet troops crossed the Romanian-Bulgarian border in September, and on September 9 an armed uprising took place in Sofia under the leadership of the Bulgarian Communist Party. The Fatherland Front government came to power and declared war on Germany. In September - October 1944, Soviet troops carried out the East Carpathian Operation of 1944, liberated part of Czechoslovakia and assisted the Slovak National Uprising of 1944. Subsequently, the Red Army, together with the troops of Romania, Bulgaria, and the allied Yugoslavia that had sided with the anti-Hitler coalition, continued the offensive in order to liberate Hungary (Debrecen operation 1944, Budapest operation 1944-45) and Yugoslavia (see Belgrade operation 1944). In September - November, Soviet troops carried out the Baltic operation of 1944, which ended with the liberation of almost the entire Baltic region (29 divisions were defeated, about 33 were blocked in Courland). In October, the Red Army and Navy liberated the Soviet Arctic and the northern regions of Norway (see Petsamo-Kirkenes operation 1944). Thus, the Soviet Armed Forces in 1944 defeated the main enemy groups. In the summer and autumn alone, the enemy lost 1.6 million people. Germany lost almost all of its European allies, the front approached its borders, and in East Prussia crossed them.

With the opening of the second front, Germany's position worsened. Squeezed in the grip of two fronts, it could no longer freely transfer forces from West to East; it had to carry out a new total mobilization in order to, to some extent, make up for losses at the front. At the same time, coordination of military actions of the Soviet troops with the armed forces of the Allies emerged. In the winter of 1944/45, when, as a result of the offensive of German troops in the Ardennes (see Ardennes operation 1944-45), British-American troops found themselves in a difficult situation, at the request of W. Churchill, Soviet troops in January 1945, earlier than planned, went on the offensive from The Baltic to the Carpathians, easing the position of the allies, and already at the beginning of February they reached the approaches to Berlin. In January - the 1st half of April 1945, as a result of the strategic offensive of the Red Army on the entire Soviet-German front (see East Prussian operation 1945, Vistula-Oder operation 1945, Vienna operation 1945, East Pomeranian operation 1945, Lower Silesian operation 1945, Upper Silesian operation of 1945) the main groups of German troops were defeated, almost all of Poland, a significant part of the territory of Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and the eastern part of Austria (with Vienna) were liberated. Soviet troops reached the Oder and captured the Kyustrin bridgehead on the left bank of the river. The German command, facing a clear threat of defeat, sought to cause a split in the anti-Hitler coalition and achieve a separate peace with the USA and Great Britain (some representatives of the ruling circles of these states, secretly from the USSR, tried to negotiate with Germany; see Anglo-American-German contacts 1943-45) . The victories of the Red Army contributed to the success of the Crimean (Yalta) conference of 1945 of the heads of government of the USSR, USA and Great Britain, at which issues related to the completion of the defeat of Germany and its post-war situation were agreed upon. An agreement was reached on the USSR's entry into the war against Japan 3 months after the end of the war in Europe. During the Berlin operation of 1945, Soviet troops captured the German capital, defeated 93 enemy divisions and many individual units, captured about 480 thousand people, and captured a large amount of military equipment. Continuing the offensive, units of the Red Army met with Allied troops on the Elbe River. The Berlin operation was characterized by exceptionally high tension on both sides; was prepared and carried out by the Red Army on the basis of comprehensive consideration and creative use of the experience accumulated during the war. On May 8, 1945, the Act of Surrender of Germany was signed in Karlshorst (a suburb of Berlin). On May 6-11, Soviet troops, providing assistance to the rebellious (May 1-5) population of Prague and other regions of Czechoslovakia, defeated German troops who refused to capitulate (see Prague operation 1945).

May 9 became Victory Day over Germany. The Great Patriotic War ended in complete victory, which largely predetermined the outcome of the 2nd World War. In connection with the end of the war in Europe, the 1945 Berlin (Potsdam) Conference of the heads of government of the USSR, USA and Great Britain took place on July 17 - August 2, 1945, at which decisions were made on the German question and the problems of a post-war peace settlement in Europe.

Military-political results of the war. The victory of the USSR in the Great Patriotic War had world-historical significance. Having repelled the attack of Nazi Germany and its satellites, the USSR made a decisive contribution to their final defeat and the liberation of the peoples of Europe from German occupation and fascist regimes. About 7 million Soviet soldiers participated in the liberation of 10 European countries. The Great Patriotic War was the most difficult of all wars in world history. The USSR lost about 27 million people in it (some of them were civilians who died in German death camps). These losses amounted to 40% of all casualties in the 2nd World War. About 1 million Soviet soldiers gave their lives during the liberation of the peoples of Europe. According to the conclusion of the Extraordinary State Commission to establish and investigate the atrocities of the Nazi invaders (see Extraordinary State Commission 1942-45), the occupiers completely or partially destroyed over 1.7 thousand cities and towns, over 70 thousand villages and villages of the USSR, only direct material damage to the state and population amounted to 679 billion rubles (in 1941 prices). Material losses of the Soviet Armed Forces by main types of weapons reached: about 96.5 thousand tanks and self-propelled guns, over 317.5 thousand guns and mortars, about 88.3 thousand combat aircraft. On the Soviet-German front, 607 enemy divisions were defeated and captured, while the Allies defeated and captured 176 divisions throughout the war. Irrevocable losses Germany and its allies on the Soviet-German front amounted to over 8.6 million people (80% of total losses). On the Soviet-German front, the bulk of the enemy’s military equipment was destroyed - up to 75% of tanks and assault guns, over 75% of aircraft, 74% of guns and mortars.

Throughout the war, the front and rear represented a single multinational battle camp. Victory in the Great Patriotic War was ensured by the military-economic superiority of the USSR over Germany and its allies. During the war years, Soviet industry produced 2 times more weapons and military equipment and best quality than Germany. From July 1, 1941 to September 1, 1945, the USSR produced 112.1 thousand combat aircraft, about 102.8 thousand tanks and self-propelled guns, and over 830 thousand guns and mortars. A great contribution to the organization of the military economy was made by People's Commissars B. L. Vannikov, V. V. Vakhrushev, P. N. Goremykin, A. I. Efremov, A. G. Zverev, V. A. Malyshev, P. I. Parshin, M. G. Pervukhin, I. F. Tevosyan, D. F. Ustinov, A. I. Shakhurin and others. During the years 1941-45, the Soviet Armed Forces received over 10 million tons of food and fodder, about 13.5 million tons of other property. Agriculture, despite all the difficulties of wartime, provided the country with about 70 million tons of grain in 1941-44. Transport suffered a colossal burden during the war. Railroad transportation, which accounted for 85% of the total cargo turnover, delivered over 19 million wagons of cargo to the front. The results of the activities of the USSR Academy of Sciences and other scientific institutions made it possible to continuously expand the production and raw material base, the scope of work on the design and modernization of military equipment, and its mass production. The centralized system of public administration subordinated the activities of all party, Soviet, and economic bodies to the solution of the main task - the defense of the Fatherland and the defeat of the enemy, fully mobilized the resources of the state, achieved the production of the required amount of military products, but at the same time, meeting the needs of the front led to a sharp deterioration in the financial situation inside the country. Despite this, the voluntary financial assistance of workers to the state made it possible to additionally send 2,565 aircraft, several thousand tanks and much other military equipment to the front. Receipts of funds from the population to the Defense Fund, the Red Army Fund, etc., through loans and lotteries amounted to over 100 billion rubles. The Russian Orthodox Church made a significant material and spiritual contribution to the common cause. Writers, actors, painters, and musicians helped the people maintain faith in victory. Many compatriots in exile who took part in the Resistance Movement also made their contribution to the common cause of the fight against Nazism. During the war years, the United States (to a lesser extent Great Britain and Canada) provided assistance to the USSR under the so-called Lend-Lease program. Although supplies of main types of weapons accounted for a relatively small share of the total volume of Soviet military production (aircraft - 13%, tanks - 7%, anti-aircraft guns - 2%), supplies of automotive equipment (about 427 thousand vehicles), fuel, food and technological materials (machines, locomotives, rails, etc.).

For exploits on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, over 11 thousand Soviet soldiers were awarded the title of Hero Soviet Union, 104 of them received this title twice, and G.K. Zhukov, I.N. Kozhedub and A.I. Pokryshkin - three times. Four Heroes of the Soviet Union - artillerymen A.V. Aleshin, N.I. Kuznetsov, pilot I.G. Drachenko and rifle platoon commander P.Kh. Dubinda were also awarded Orders of Glory of three degrees. Over 7 million people were awarded orders and medals. During the war, over 204 thousand home front workers were awarded orders and medals, 201 people received the title of Hero of Socialist Labor, over 16 million workers were awarded the medal “For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.”

Victory in the Great Patriotic War was also ensured by the superiority of the Soviet Armed Forces over the Wehrmacht in combat power, moral and political qualities, organizational development and military art. Despite the heavy defeats of the first years, the Red Army turned the tide of the war and achieved victory over the enemy. During the war years, a brilliant galaxy of commanders and naval commanders grew up who successfully led large operations and were awarded the highest military order "Victory" - A. M. Vasilevsky, G. K. Zhukov (both twice), A. I. Antonov, L. A. Govorov, I. S. Konev, R. Ya. Malinovsky , K. A. Meretskov, K. K. Rokossovsky, S. K. Timoshenko and F. I. Tolbukhin. JV Stalin was also awarded the Order of Victory twice.

As a result of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, the authority of the USSR in the world grew, its ties with other states expanded (diplomatic relations with 25 states at the beginning of the war, from 49 at the end). The alignment of military-political forces in the world has changed radically.

The Great Patriotic War once again confirmed that the decisive force of history and the main creator of victory in war is the people. It convincingly showed that the strength of the people lies in its unity, its spiritual cohesion, in the justice of those goals in the name of which the people are waging armed struggle.

Lit.: 1941: Sat. documents: In 2 books / Edited by A. N. Yakovlev. M., 1998; Vishnev O.V. On the eve of June 22, 1941: Documentary essays. M., 2001; Kulkov E. N., Myagkov M. P., Rzheshevsky O. A. War 1941-1945: Facts and documents. M., 2001; World wars of the 20th century. M., 2002. Book. 3: Second World War: Historical essay. Book 4: World War II: Documents and materials; Aksel A. Heroes of Russia, 1941-1942. M., 2002; Wert A. Russia in the war of 1941-1945. M., 2003; Orlov A.S. Stalin: on the eve of the war. M., 2003; Roberts J. Victory at Stalingrad. M., 2003; War and society 1941-1945: In 2 books / Rep. editor G. N. Sevostyanov. M., 2004; Koshkin A.V. Japanese Front of Marshal Stalin. M., 2004; Rzheshevsky O.A. Stalin and Churchill. M., 2004; History of the Great Victory 1941-1945 / Edited by V. A. Zolotarev. M., 2005; Dean J. Strange Union. M., 2005; Zolotarev V. A., Nevzorov B. I., Orlov A. S., Frolov B. P. Holy War. M., 2005.

war of owls people against Germany and its allies during the Second World War 1939-45.

The situation on the eve of the war. 1.9.1939 Germany started hostilities in Europe. In a short time, 10 euros were occupied. state-in. By 1941 Germany had created a huge military economy. potential. Her military production increased 22 times from 1934 to 1940. In addition, in the occupier. many countries were captured. equipment and weapons. In the war against the USSR, Hitler. the leadership set the goal of eliminating the Sov. state, take possession of its wealth, destroy the main. part of the citizens of the USSR and “Germanize” the territory. countries up to the Urals.

German Armed Forces by mid. 1941 numbered 7.3 million people. They included 208 divas. (including 21 tanks and 19 motorized units) and 6 brigades. There were 5.6 thousand tanks and assault rifles. or., approx. 10 thousand units (including 5.7 thousand combatants), 71.5 thousand ord. and min. The Navy had 4 battleships, 4 heavy ships. and 4 light cruisers, 33 destroyers and destroyers, 122 submarines and 40 torpedo boats. For the war against the USSR, 182 divas were exhibited. (including 19 tanks and 13 motorized), 20 brigades - a total of 5 million people, approx. 4.4 thousand tanks and assault. or., 47.2 thousand or. and min., 4.4 thousand combat units, 192 combat cors. Over 4 million people deployed in the 1st unit.
USSR in the pre-war over the years has also made efforts to improve the economy. and military the power of the state. Wed-year release of industrial products for 3 last year increased by 13.2%, and defense - by 39%. However, Sov. The Union was unable to begin. war to surpass Germany in the level of the most important types of products and create all the necessary conditions to repel aggression. Ext. Sov politics The Union was focused on creating a system of collective security. However, the attempts of the owls. pr-va to conclude watered. and military the agreement with Great Britain and France failed (see Moscow Soviet-British-French negotiations 1939). Under these conditions, Sov. The Union accepted Germany's proposal to conclude a non-aggression pact, which allowed it to delay the start of the war and gain time to increase its defense capability (see Soviet-German treaties of 1939). In connection with the transfer of borders and the withdrawal of part of the border troops. military districts on the territory Zap. Ukraine, Western In Belarus, the Baltic republics and Bessarabia, measures began to be taken to prepare a new theater of operations. Sov. management admitted the strategist. an error in determining the likely timing of a German attack on the USSR.

The composition of the Soviet Armed Forces on the eve of the war and their deployment. To the beginning owl wars The Armed Forces numbered 5.7 million people. NE had 303 divas. (including 61 tanks and 31 motorized vehicles), 3 departments. brigade, St. 110 thousand or. and min., St. 23 thousand tanks, of which 18.7 thousand were combat-ready. The air defense forces had 4.5 thousand zen. or., in the Air Force - approx. 13 thousand serviceable combat units. The Navy included 3 battleships, 7 cruisers, 54 leaders and destroyers, 211 submarines and 2 experienced submarines, 22 watchmen. cor., 80 minesweepers, 269 torpedoes. boats, 2.8 thousand military units. Border. the troops had St. 127 thousand people, internal troops - 14 divisions, 18 brigades and a number of other units.

For the war in the West, approx. 70% of forces and means, incl. 240 div. Since from Feb. 1941 pr-k began to concentrate its troops near the west. borders of the USSR, in May 1941 a number of connections were completed. due to conscription for training. gatherings of 800 thousand reservists, the movement of troops from the interior began. districts to the west. To the beginning. 186 divas were concentrated during the war. (instead of 240 according to plan). Sov. The troops were deployed according to the government cover plan. border, which largely predetermined the unsuccessful outcome of the border battles of 1941. The Wehrmacht troops were in full combat readiness.

22.6.1941 Germany, violating the Soviet-German. treaties of 1939, attacked the Soviet Union. Union. On the same day, Italy and Romania took her side, Slovakia on June 23, Finland on June 25, Hungary on June 27, and August 16. – Norway. Having created on the directions of ch. blows overwhelming superiority, German. The troops suddenly attacked the covering troops, moving from their places of permanent deployment to the border to occupy the defense lines, and captured the strategy. initiative and air supremacy and already in the first days wedged themselves into the depths of the owls. ter. for 300-600 km. To repel an attack at the western base. border military districts were created Northern. (gen.-l. M.M. Popov), North-West. (general-principal F.I. Kuznetsov), Zap. (Army General D.G. Pavlov), South-West. (gen.-p. M.P. Kirponos) and Yuzh. (Army General I.V. Tyulenev) fronts. Mor. the borders were defended by the North. (candidate of adm. A.G. Golovko), Balt. (V.F. Tributs), Chernomor. (V.-Adm. F.S. Oktyabrsky) fleets. For the strategist. leadership of the Armed Forces on June 23, the General Headquarters was created. Command (from August 8 - Headquarters of the Supreme High Command) in Ch. with I.V. Stalin. All power was concentrated in the State Defense Committee (GKO), created on June 30. In order to stabilize the front, urgent measures were taken to strengthen the most important troops, partially replace the losses incurred, and prepare reserves. In 5 months managed to send 291 divas to the active army. and 94 brigades. Troops were transferred from the D. East and South to the most dangerous west. reserves were deployed in the direction. armies united on July 30, 1941 into the Reserve. front. The struggle was organized in the rear of the German troops. The most important area of ​​work in the country's rear was the transition of the economy to meet the needs of the war. Basic military The events of the summer-autumn campaign of 1941 were border battles, the Battle of Smolensk, the Elninsk Opera, and the Kiev Defensive. opera, the beginning of the battle for Leningrad (St. Petersburg). Fierce. battles unfolded on the flanks of the Soviet-Germans. front. On the Right Bank. Ukraine and Moldova pr-k surrounded 6A and 12A South-West. front in the Uman region. Sov. troops continued to hold Kyiv and Odessa. The defeat of the South-West. front allowed the pr-ku to again launch an offensive in all three directions. 30 Sep. Moscow began. battle. The pr-k was surrounded by owls. troops near Vyazma and Bryansk. Kr. the army retreated 850-1200 km. By Nov. 1941 the enemy was stopped at the base. directions near Leningrad, Moscow, and near Tikhvin and Rostov launched a counteroffensive.

The winter campaign of 1941/42 began with a counter-offensive by the Owls. troops to the West strategist. direction, which turned into a general offensive. During its implementation: Moscow. 1941-42, Lyubanskaya 1942, Rzhevsko-Vyazemskaya 1942, Barvenkovo-Lozovskaya 1942 offensive and Kerch-Feodosia des. 1942 operas (see corresponding articles). The threat to Moscow and the North was lifted. Caucasus, the situation in Leningrad was eased, the territory was completely or partially liberated. 10 regions, as well as St. 60 cities, destroyed approx. 50 div. pr-ka. Hitler collapsed. Blitzkrieg strategy.

Summer-autumn campaign 1942, main. military events unfolded in the southwest. direction, ended for Kr. army tragically (see Battle of Kharkov 1942, Kerch operation 1942). 2.7.1942 Sov. troops left Sevastopol. The bitterness began. battles on Stalingrad. and Caucasian directions. In the north-west direction Kr. The army carried out the Demyansk and Rzhev-Sychev operations in 1942. The pr-k advanced 500-650 km, reached the Volga, captured the Donbass, captured a number of Gl. passes. Kavk. ridge, occupied the territory where 42% of us lived before the war. USSR, produced 33% of gross output, was St. 45% of sown areas. At the same time, during this period the troops of the Kr. armies caused great damage to the pr-ku: approx. 1 million people, 20.4 thousand or. and mines, more than 1.5 thousand tanks and St. 4 thousand s-comrade

In the winter campaign 1942/43 main. military events were Stalingr. and North Caucasus will come operas, breaking the siege of Leningrad. Sov. the troops advanced 600-700 km to the west, liberating the territory. St. 480 thousand km 2, defeated 100 divas. (40% of the pr-ka’s troops on the Soviet-German front).

In the summer-autumn campaign of 1943, the decisive event was the Battle of Kursk, which marked a radical turning point in the war. After the defeat at Kursk, he the command tried to make the war protracted. An important role in this was given to the border of the river. Dnieper, where it was planned to create an insurmountable defense. But this attempt failed (see Battle of the Dnieper 1943). The Owls advanced successfully. troops and in other directions. In Oct. they liberated the Taman Peninsula and held the Smolensk opera. Kr. During this period, the army fought up to 500-1300 km and defeated 218 divas. pr-ka.

During the winter campaign of 1943/44 Kr. The army carried out a series of offensives. operational fronts and groups of fronts, during which the Right Bank was liberated. Ukraine and Crimea, the blockade of Leningrad has finally been lifted, Sov. troops reached the state. border, in the foothills of the Carpathians and on the territory. Romania. The enemy suffered huge losses. To restore them, the Wehrmacht command transferred them to the East from the West. Europe and Africa more than 34 div., part of the av-i, that means. number of weapons and military equipment. This made it easier for the Anglo-Americans. troops offensive in the North. Africa, landing in Sicily and South. Italy.

In June 1944, the Allies opened the 2nd Front in France, which worsened the military-political situation. position of Germany. During the summer-autumn campaign of 1944 the Soviets. the command planned to defeat the enemy troops in the center. direction. For this purpose, troops from 11 fronts and forces from 3 fleets were involved. Belarus began on June 23-24. operations, during which the liberation of Belarus and part of the Baltic states was completed. July 20 owls troops entered Poland. Gr. Army Center was defeated. In July - Aug. owls troops reached the Vistula and captured a bridgehead on its left bank (see Lvov-Sandomierz operation of 1944). The success of the owls. troops to the center. area of ​​the Soviet-German front worsened the enemy's position in Moldova and Romania. In Aug. - Sep. The Iasi-Chisinau Opera was held. Aug 23 The fascists were overthrown in Romania. regime of J. Antonescu. Aug 31 owls troops entered Bucharest, and on September 8. crossed the Romanian-Bulgarian border. The liberation of Belarus, Ukraine and the Baltic states was completed (except for certain districts of Latvia), partially Czechoslovakia, Romania and Hungary were forced to surrender and entered the war against Germany, the Soviets were liberated. Arctic and Northern Norway.

The 1945 campaign was opened by the East Prussian and Vistula-Oder operas, which were at the request of the West. allies were started earlier than planned. term, since the Allies were defeated in the Ardennes. In Poland, owls. troops broke through the defenses of the avenue in a zone of up to 500 km, January 17. Warsaw was liberated by February 3. advanced 400-500 km, reached the Oder. In Feb. - Apr. troops of Kr. armies during the East Pomeranian operations and reached the Baltic coast. m. At the beginning March Kr. the army, having carried out the Balaton operation, repelled the counter-offensive of the pr-ka in the region of the lake. Balaton. The offensive of the owls. troops to Berlin. direction began on April 16. By May 1, the district was liquidated. the Frankfurt-Guba group, and in May the remnants of Berlin capitulated. garrison (see Berlin operation 1945). On the night of May 9, the Act of Armed Surrender was signed in Karlshorst. forces fash. Germany. On May 6-11, in the area of ​​the Prague Opera, the city of Czechoslovakia was defeated. V.O.v. owls people ended in complete victory. In Soviet-German 607 divas were captured and defeated on the front. pr-ka. Irreversible losses of Germany and its allies to the Soviet-German. front amounted to 8649.5 thousand people. More than 75% of all weapons and military were captured and destroyed. enemy technology. The Soviet victory came at a high price. Union. Total human losses (directly during the entire war) owls. people amounted to approx. 27 million people The occupiers completely or partially destroyed 1,710 cities and towns, St. 70 thousand villages and hamlets. The amount of damage caused to Sov. Union, amounted to 679 billion rubles. Material losses of the owls. Aircraft according to basic types of weapons reached: 96.5 thousand tanks and self-propelled guns, 317.5 thousand ordnance. and min., 88.3 thousand military units.

Victory in V.O.v. ensured by superior economics. and the combat power of the USSR over Germany. During the war years, the Soviets. the industry produced weapons and military. There is 2 times more equipment and better quality than fash. Germany. Agriculture provided the country with 70.4 million tons of grain, which turned out to be sufficient to supply the front with food. Essential mater. assistance to the USSR was provided by the USA and Great Britain, although their supplies constituted a relatively small share of the total volume of the Soviet Union. military production An important role in the leadership of the armed forces. The fight was played by the Supreme Command Headquarters. and its working body - the General Staff. Methods of conducting strategy were mastered. defense, transition from defense to counter-offensive. During the war years Kr. The army carried out 14 strategists. defensive and 37 strategists. will come oper. Complex problems such as achieving strategists have been resolved. and operator surprise of the blow, fragmentation of the strategist. defense front, development of operations. success in strategic, use of strategist. and operator reserves for increasing the efforts of troops, flexible maneuver with the rapid transfer of efforts from one direction to another, the organization of interaction between various. genera and types of aircraft. Strategist. offensive operations, as a rule, were deployed on the St. front. 1000 km and to depth. 500-800 km. Kr. The achievement was the conduct of operations on the environment. Operators developed dynamically. art and tactics. Based on the development of ideas of deep operations, new methods of conducting attacks have been developed. operational armies, fronts and deep-echelon breakthrough. defense pr-ka, the task of introducing second units into battle has been practically solved. and mobile groups, landings and naval actions. landings. Owl tactics troops were enriched with various ways and techniques of carrying out combat missions, a creative approach to building battle formations, a clear organization of interaction, the use of covert concentration of troops and a sudden transition to an attack, and the skillful use of advanced detachments. Means. development received military. claim of types of armed forces, branches of troops. Airborne operations began. oper-and, anti-aircraft were born. The efficiency of operational fleets and flies of heterogeneous forces has increased. During the war years, a galaxy of commanders and naval commanders grew, who were awarded hordes. "Victory": A.M. Vasilevsky, G.K. Zhukov (both twice), A.I. Antonov, L.A. Govorov, I.S. Konev, R.Ya. Malinovsky, K.A. Meretskov, K.K. Rokossovsky, S.K. Timoshenko and F.I. Tolbukhin. Twice horde. “Victory” was awarded to I.V. Stalin.

Ch. The creator of victory in the war was Sov. people. For exploits on the fronts of V.O.V. St. 11 thousand people awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Union, St. 100 of them received this title twice, and G.K. Zhukov, I.N. Kozhedub and A.I. Pokryshkin - three times. More than 7 million people were awarded orders and medals. During the war they were awarded orders and medals of St. 204 thousand home front workers and 201 people. received the title of Hero of Social Sciences. Labor. Victory Day (May 9) is celebrated annually as a state holiday. holiday and day of remembrance for those killed in V.O.V.

May 9, 2015 will mark 70 years since the end of the Great Patriotic War - the most terrible and bloody war in human history.

During the Great Patriotic War, from 1941 to 1945, the Chelyabinsk region literally became the forge of Victory, providing the front with ammunition, military equipment and everything necessary. The industry of the region was immediately transferred to a war footing. The Southern Urals received seemingly endless trains with equipment from evacuated industries and institutions. Since the beginning of the war, over 200 industrial enterprises have been transported here, 35 new factories have been built, including ChMZ, ChTPZ, ChZAP. In the most difficult conditions, knee-deep in snow, people unloaded equipment, built buildings, and produced the first products - sometimes in the open air. Women, old people, and children stood at the machines. They worked 12-16 hours a day, mastered complex equipment, collecting shells and cartridges, tanks and Katyushas with frozen fingers.

The Chelyabinsk region, like the whole country, lived at that time under the slogan “Everything for the front! Everything for Victory! From the first days of the war, the Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works received an order to master the production of armor. In order to fulfill a new, unusually complex order, it was necessary to radically restructure production. Armor was required for the manufacture of tanks and other military equipment. Exactly a month after the start of the war, the plant produced its first smelting of armor steel. Metal went into production in large quantities different types weapons, and Chelyabinsk tank builders received Magnitogorsk armor a month and a half ahead of the deadline set by the government. Every third shell fired at the enemy, and the armor of every second tank was made of Magnitogorsk steel.

Production of ammunition at the Sergo Ordzhonikidze plant. Stakhanovka A.M. Maryashina, 1945.

Another flagship of the Ural industry, the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant, had to quickly establish tank production. At first, there was no high-quality metal, armor plate, or materials necessary for the production of powerful engines. Many workers from the factory went to the front. The turning point occurred in the fall of 1941. From the beginning of October, workers and equipment from the Leningrad Kirov, Kharkov diesel engine and machine tool plants began arriving at ChTZ. Somewhat later - the Moscow factories "Red Proletary" and "Dynamo". On October 6, 1941, the plant began to be called Kirovsky. As on the battlefield, tank builders, regardless of hardships, did not leave their jobs day or night. Car production increased every day. On August 22, 1942, the first T-34 tank rolled off the factory assembly line, later recognized as the best tank of the Second World War. It took Chelyabinsk residents only 34 days to launch its mass production. During the Great Patriotic War, ChTZ produced 18 thousand tanks and self-propelled artillery units, which is one fifth of all those produced in the country. It is no coincidence that Chelyabinsk received a second, unofficial name - Tankograd.

However, the Southern Urals went down in the history of the Great Patriotic War not only thanks to its famous tanks. Here they assembled no less formidable weapons that terrified the enemy - MB-13 rocket artillery systems, better known as Katyushas. Development and production were carried out in strict secrecy, which is why this fact became known many years after the end of the war. “Katyushas” produced a stunning effect on the enemy: the shells flying out with a deafening roar reached speeds of up to 355 meters per second, sweeping away everything in their path.

For 1,418 long days, the people of the South Urals worked at the limit of human capabilities, courageously enduring hardships and losses for the sake of such a desired and long-awaited Victory. The monument “Rear to Front”, erected in Magnitogorsk, is dedicated to the labor feat of our fellow countrymen. This is the first part of a unique sculptural composition. A worker with outstretched arms hands over a forged Sword of Victory to a warrior, who raises the “Motherland” on Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd and lowers the “Warrior Liberator” in Treptower Park in Berlin.

Despite all the difficulties of wartime, life did not stop - schools, theaters were open, and film shows were held. Interesting fact: during the Second World War, for the first time in its history, Chelyabinsk became a city with a population of one million: over 500 thousand people were evacuated here, deep in the rear.

The Southern Urals can rightfully be proud of its contribution to Great Victory. IN Chelyabinsk region During the Great Patriotic War, dozens of military units and formations were formed. From 1941 to 1945, over 1 million people were sent to the front from regional conscription centers and military registration and enlistment offices. Of these, 250 thousand, one in four, remained on the battlefields. There is no such kind of troops, no matter where our fellow countrymen fight. Many Chelyabinsk residents and guests of the city are well aware of the memorial to volunteer tankers on the Walk of Fame of the regional center. It was installed in memory of all those who did not return from the battlefields on the square from where they saw off the South Urals who were leaving for the front. The figure of the fighter represents a tank builder who is already wearing a tank helmet and boots. And this is no coincidence. The fact is that during the war years a volunteer tank corps was formed in the Urals. Inspired by the victory in the Battle of Stalingrad, in a few months the workers of the Chelyabinsk, Sverdlovsk and Perm regions not only assembled and trained the corps personnel - volunteer factory workers, but also equipped it with all the necessary weapons and military equipment. Having accepted baptism of fire on the Kursk Bulge, volunteer tankers marched victoriously to Berlin, becoming an example of perseverance and courage.

Tens, hundreds of thousands of our fellow countrymen have earned the glory of defenders of the Fatherland, liberators of the world from fascism, but not all South Urals soldiers managed to live to see the bright Victory Day. In memory of their exploits, the Eternal Flames burn in the Chelyabinsk region. About 50 years ago, the Eternal Flame was lit in the very heart of the regional center on the Walk of Fame. The memorial is framed by granite slabs on which are carved the names of natives of the Southern Urals - Heroes of the Soviet Union and full holders of the Order of Glory.