The collapse of “Barbarossa”: what did Hitler’s death machine stumble over. Historical addresses of Stalin to the Soviet people (sound recordings of speech) “Victory will be ours!” (07/3/1941)

Chairman of the State Defense Committee I.V. Stalin spoke on the radio with an appeal to to the Soviet people, in which he outlined a program to combat the Nazi invaders.

By decision of the Headquarters of the High Command, Major General P.P. Sobennikov took command of the troops of the North Western Front.

The troops of the Western Front fought for crossings across the river. Berezina in the Chernyavka, Berezino and south areas.

By the end of the day, the advancing Romanian-German troops captured bridgeheads on the northeastern bank of the river. Prut east of Botosani and in the Iasi area, from where they subsequently launched an offensive in the general direction of Mogilev-Podolsky.

The heroic 23-day defense of Mogilev by Soviet troops and militia units numbering over 12 thousand people began.

In the garrisons of the Northern Fleet, the formation of militia units from the civilian population began. The majority of the civilian personnel of the Northern Fleet expressed a desire to join the detachments.

The Central Committee of the CP(b)U and the Council of People's Commissars of the Ukrainian SSR ordered all regional party committees and regional executive committees of the republic located on the right bank of the Dnieper to evacuate all valuable property of collective farms, state farms, MTS, industrial enterprises, FZO schools and vocational schools.

German troops occupied the cities of Drissa, Lepen, Zhlobin, Rogachev in Belarus; in Ukraine - Ternopil, Berezhany, Bolekhov, Dolyna, Nadvirnaya; in Latvia - Valdemarpils, Gulbene, Kandava, Sigulda, Talsi.

From I. Stalin's speech on the radio

Comrades! Citizens!

Brothers and sisters!

Soldiers of our army and navy!

I am addressing you, my friends!

The treacherous military attack of Hitler Germany on our Motherland, which began on June 22, continues. Despite the heroic resistance of the Red Army, despite the fact that the enemy’s best divisions and the best units of his aviation have already been defeated and found their grave on the battlefield, the enemy continues to push forward, throwing new forces to the front. Hitler's troops managed to capture Lithuania, a significant part of Latvia, western part Belarus, part of Western Ukraine. Fascist aviation is expanding the areas of operation of its bombers, bombing Murmansk, Orsha, Mogilev, Smolensk, Kyiv, Odessa, and Sevastopol. A serious danger looms over our Motherland.

How could it happen that our glorious Red Army surrendered a number of cities and regions to fascist troops? Are the fascist German troops really invincible troops, as the fascist boastful propagandists tirelessly trumpet?

Of course not! History shows that there are no invincible armies and never have been. Napoleon's army was considered invincible, but it was defeated alternately by Russian, English, and German troops. Wilhelm's German army during the first imperialist war was also considered an invincible army, but it was defeated several times by Russian and Anglo-French troops and was finally defeated by Anglo-French troops. The same must be said about the current Nazi German army of Hitler. This army has not yet encountered serious resistance on the continent of Europe. Only on our territory did it meet serious resistance. And if, as a result of this resistance, the best divisions of the Nazi army were defeated by our Red Army, then this means that Hitler’s fascist army can also be defeated and will be defeated, just as the armies of Napoleon and Wilhelm were defeated.

As for the fact that part of our territory was nevertheless captured by fascist German troops, this is mainly explained by the fact that the war of fascist Germany against the USSR began under favorable conditions for German troops and disadvantageous for the Soviet troops. The fact is that the troops of Germany, as a country waging war, were already completely mobilized, and the 170 divisions abandoned by Germany against the USSR and moved to the borders of the USSR were in a state of full readiness, waiting only for a signal to move, while Soviet troops it was still necessary to mobilize and move closer to the borders. Of no small importance here was the fact that fascist Germany unexpectedly treacherously violated the non-aggression pact concluded in 1939 between it and the USSR, regardless of the fact that it would be recognized by the whole world as the attacking party. It is clear that our peace-loving country, not wanting to take the initiative to violate the pact, could not take the path of treachery.

It may be asked: how could it happen that the Soviet government agreed to conclude a non-aggression pact with such treacherous people and monsters as Hitler and Ribbentrop? Was there a mistake made here by the Soviet government? Of course not! A non-aggression pact is a peace pact between two states. This is exactly the kind of pact Germany offered us in 1939. Could the Soviet government refuse such a proposal? I think that not a single peace-loving state can refuse a peace agreement with a neighboring power, if at the head of this power are even such monsters and cannibals as Hitler and Ribbentrop. And this, of course, is subject to one indispensable condition - if the peace agreement does not affect either directly or indirectly the territorial integrity, independence and honor of the peace-loving state. As you know, the non-aggression pact between Germany and the USSR is just such a pact.

What did we win by concluding a non-aggression pact with Germany? We provided our country with peace for a year and a half and the opportunity to prepare our forces to fight back if Nazi Germany risked attacking our country contrary to the pact. This is a definite win for us and a loss for Nazi Germany.

What did Nazi Germany win and what did it lose by treacherously breaking the pact and attacking the USSR? She achieved by this some advantageous position for her troops for a short period of time, but she lost politically, exposing herself in the eyes of the whole world as a bloody aggressor. There can be no doubt that this short military gain for Germany is only an episode, and the enormous political gain for the USSR is a serious and long-term factor on the basis of which the decisive military successes of the Red Army in the war with Nazi Germany <...>

What is required in order to eliminate the danger looming over our Motherland, and what measures must be taken to defeat the enemy?

First of all, it is necessary for our people, the Soviet people, to understand the full depth of the danger that threatens our country, and to renounce complacency, from carelessness, from the mood of peaceful construction, which is quite understandable in the past. war time, but disastrous at the present time, when the war has radically changed the situation<...>Thus, the matter is about the life and death of the Soviet state, about the life and death of the peoples of the USSR, about the fact that the peoples will be Soviet Union free or fall into enslavement. It is necessary for the Soviet people to understand this and stop being carefree, for them to mobilize themselves and reorganize all their work in a new, military way, which knows no mercy to the enemy.

It is further necessary that in our ranks there is no place for whiners and cowards, alarmists and deserters, so that our people do not know fear in the struggle and selflessly go to our Fatherland War of Liberation against the fascist enslavers. The great Lenin, who created our state, said that the main quality Soviet people there must be courage, courage, ignorance of fear in the struggle, readiness to fight together with the people against the enemies of our Motherland. It is necessary that this magnificent quality of the Bolshevik become the property of millions and millions of the Red Army, our Red Navy and all the peoples of the Soviet Union<...>

The Red Army, the Red Navy and all citizens of the Soviet Union must defend every inch Soviet land, fight to the last drop of blood for our cities and villages, show courage and initiative characteristic of our people<...>

In the event of a forced withdrawal of Red Army units, it is necessary to hijack the entire rolling stock, not leave a single locomotive or a single carriage to the enemy, and not leave the enemy a single kilogram of bread or a liter of fuel. Collective farmers must drive away all livestock and hand over the grain for safekeeping. government agencies to transport it to the rear areas. All valuable property, including non-ferrous metals, bread and fuel, which cannot be exported, must, of course, be destroyed.

In areas occupied by the enemy it is necessary to create partisan detachments, horse and foot, create sabotage groups to fight units of the enemy army, to incite guerrilla warfare everywhere and everywhere, to blow up bridges, roads, damage telephone and telegraph communications, set fire to forests, warehouses, and carts. In occupied areas, create unbearable conditions for the enemy and all his accomplices, pursue and destroy them at every step, and disrupt all their activities.

The war with Nazi Germany cannot be considered an ordinary war. It is not only a war between two armies. At the same time, it is a war of the entire Soviet people against the Nazi troops. The goal of this nationwide Patriotic War against the fascist oppressors is not only to eliminate the danger looming over our country, but also to help all the peoples of Europe groaning under the yoke of German fascism. We will not be alone in this war of liberation. In this great war, we will have faithful allies in the people of Europe and America, including the German people, enslaved by Hitler’s bosses. Our war for the freedom of our Fatherland will merge with the struggle of the peoples of Europe and America for their independence, for democratic freedoms. This will be a united front of peoples standing for freedom against enslavement and the threat of enslavement from Hitler's fascist armies. In this regard, the historic speech of British Prime Minister Churchill on assistance to the Soviet Union and the declaration of the US government on its readiness to provide assistance to our country, which can only evoke a feeling of gratitude in the hearts of the peoples of the Soviet Union, are quite understandable and indicative.

Comrades! Our strength is incalculable. The arrogant enemy will soon be convinced of this. Together with the Red Army, many thousands of workers, collective farmers, and intellectuals are rising to war against the attacking enemy. The millions of our people will rise up. The working people of Moscow and Leningrad have already begun to create a militia of many thousands to support the Red Army. In every city that is in danger of enemy invasion, we must create such civil uprising, to raise all working people to fight in order to defend their freedom, their honor, their Motherland with their breasts in our Patriotic War against German fascism.

In order to quickly mobilize all the forces of the peoples of the USSR to repel the enemy who treacherously attacked our Motherland, it was created State Committee Defense, in whose hands all power in the state is now concentrated. The State Defense Committee has begun its work and calls on all the people to rally around the Lenin-Stalin party, around the Soviet government for selfless support of the Red Army and Red Navy, for the defeat of the enemy, for victory.

All our strength is in support of our heroic Red Army, our glorious Red Navy!

All the forces of the people are to defeat the enemy!

Forward, for our victory!

Chronicle of events in Leningrad

Some areas Leningrad region[at that time the Leningrad region included the territory of the current Novgorod and Pskov regions - approx. author] have already begun to be called front-line. At cluster meetings of the secretaries of rural district party committees, convened on July 3 by the regional party committee, instructions were given: in the event of the appearance of the enemy, destroyer battalions and detachments should remain in place and fight in the enemy rear.

The district committees immediately began organizing forest bases and preparing caches of food and clothing. More than four thousand rifles and explosives have been issued to areas under threat of enemy invasion.

Leningrad is becoming more and more like a front-line city. Those enlisted in the 1st Volunteer Division were ordered to report to the barracks. Some school buildings and premises of displaced institutions became barracks Kirovsky district. The division headquarters is located in the Gorky Palace of Culture.

The militia receive grenades and ammunition. There aren't enough rifles for everyone yet. There is a shortage of experienced commanders. Of the 1,824 commanders of all levels in the Kirov region division, there are only 10 career military personnel.

Memoirs of David Iosifovich Ortenberg, executive editor of the newspaper "Red Star"

Late the night before, the secretary of the party's Central Committee, A.S., called me. Shcherbakov.

- How's the newspaper?

- Let's finish. “Soon the strips will be pressed,” I reported cheerfully.

— Hold the first page. There will be important material,” Alexander Sergeevich warned.

This happened often. Nowadays, these central newspapers, as a rule, are published in the evening, so as to be sure to reach their readers by morning. And in wartime, very often rotary machines were just starting up in the morning.

This was explained by many reasons. One of the main ones was that Stalin worked almost all night and the General Staff, the apparatus of the Central Committee of the Party, TASS, the Sovinformburo, and, consequently, the editorial offices of newspapers adapted to this routine. Reports from the fronts also arrived late.

If someone had told us then about today's newspaper publication schedule, we would probably consider it science fiction. It’s not for nothing that editorial wits relished the anecdote about a certain newspaper “Terek”, which supposedly in ancient times was not only made, but also distributed a day in advance. The boys selling this newspaper seemed to be running through the streets shouting:

- "Terek" for tomorrow!.. Tomorrow's news!..

But jokes are jokes, but business is business. In anticipation of important material, it was necessary to make room for it on the front page. And there was also something important there. In any case, something that I didn’t want to put off until the next issue of the newspaper. This means that redesign of other stripes is inevitable.

I especially wanted to keep in the issue a message from the Leningrad Front about the air rams of fighter pilots Zdorovtsev and Kharitonov. At Khalkhin Gol, Skobarikhin and Mashnin became famous for this, they boldly chopped off the tails of Japanese bombers with the propellers of their vehicles. We wrote a lot about them in “Heroic Red Army”. And now junior lieutenants Zdorovtsev and Kharitonov distinguished themselves. I wanted their names to thunder on all fronts, throughout the country.

I considered the highlight of the issue to be an essay about Lieutenant Viktor Zhigov, which took up three columns under the heading “Heroes of the Patriotic War.” With this section, we also seemed to continue the traditions of the “Heroic Red Army”. There it was called: “Heroes of Khalkhin Gol.”

On the vast front from the Barents to the Black Sea, dozens, hundreds, maybe even thousands of heroic deeds were performed every hour, every minute. It would seem that it would be easier to maintain the “Heroes of the Patriotic War” section. But in reality it was not an easy task. Try to get to the hero if he has not yet left the battle, and what if he is wounded and evacuated to the rear? And another one laid his head down...

I have already mentioned that we did not immediately release Ilyenkov into the active army. I then said that there was an important matter for him in the editorial office itself. And I meant precisely this section - “Heroes of the Patriotic War”; Vasily Pavlovich conducted a similar column in the “Heroic March” in the winter of 1939-1940.

Ilyenkov once went into the editorial secretariat, saw how they were agonizing over headlines for essays about heroes, and expressed the right idea:

- There is no need to split hairs. You just need to put the hero's name in the title. In every feat, the main thing is the person. And let everyone remember his name...

And so it went from then on. First of all, Ilyenkov’s own essays were published with the following headings: “Fighter Pilot Kuznetsov”, “Battalion Commissar Stafeev”, “Artilleryman Evgeniy Zolyavin”.

Many other Krasnozvezda residents also contributed their work, their souls to the “Heroes of the Patriotic War” section. The materials published under this section, as a rule, belonged to the pen of writers, which probably determined the strong sympathy for them among the readers of our newspaper. Of course, not everything here met the high criteria; some of the essays were too informative, looking more like extended correspondence - due to the newspaper rush. But they also played their role, glorifying the courage and valor of front-line soldiers.

Writers then worked not for the distant future, but for the needs of the day, for battle. Nevertheless, much has stood the test of time. In the essays published by Red Star, snatched, one might say, from the fire of battle, one can find a finely drawn landscape, battle scenes, people’s characters, and colorful speech. Such works were later included in books.

Having turned over and signed three pages of the newspaper for publication, I telephoned Pyotr Pospelov and Lev Rovinsky, editors of Pravda and Izvestia, and asked if they knew anything about the important material for which the front page was reserved. No, they didn't know any more than I did.

One could only assume that Stalin's speech was possible. Everyone had been waiting for this since the first days of the war and wondered why such a performance was being postponed.

I went to GlavPUR and confirmed my guess. It was necessary to immediately return to the editorial office. There will be responses. Usually they were collected by journalists. But there were few journalists left in the editorial office - almost all of them were at the fronts. Writers helped. Ilya Erenburg, Lev Slavin, Vasily Ilyenkov, Boris Galin, Semyon Kirsanov, Nikolai Bogdanov, Semyon Tregub rushed to airfields near Moscow, to the firing positions of anti-aircraft gunners covering the capital, to reserve regiments, to recruiting stations, to hospitals.

I wanted to send a telegram to the front-line correspondents - to involve them in the urgent matter. I composed several versions of such a telegram with vague hints. However, he did not dare to get ahead of events. I hoped that experienced journalists themselves would figure out the responses in a timely manner.

The night is ending - it’s almost 5 o’clock in the morning, and still there is nothing. Is Stalin's supposed speech being postponed? I called TASS director Y.S. Khavinson. He cheated: he didn’t say “yes” or “no.” Wait, please.

Stalin spoke at 6:30 am. More than once I listened to his speeches both on the radio and at meetings in the Kremlin. But none have excited me as much as this one. Already the first Stalinist words literally pierced the soul: “Comrades! Citizens! Brothers and sisters! Soldiers of our army and navy! I’m turning to you, my friends!..”

He himself was noticeably worried, which is why the Georgian accent was heard more clearly, and there were pauses more often and longer than usual.

The bitter truth sounded in his words. He answered very frankly the burning questions that worried all our people at that time.

Of course, later, decades after the war, much was revealed more deeply, our mistakes, miscalculations and first military failures were explained in more detail. But what we heard then from Stalin shed clear light on what had happened and what was happening, and most importantly, it strengthened the Soviet people’s sense of optimism and faith in their own strengths.

An hour later we received the text of Stalin's speech. Around nine in the morning the rotation threw out the first thousand copies of the Red Star containing this very important document.

Morning message July 3

During the night of July 3, fierce battles between our troops and motorized mechanized enemy units continued in the Borisov direction and in the Kremenets, Zbarazh, and Tarnopol areas. In other sectors of the front, night searches by scouts and local battles took place.

In the Borisov direction, advanced enemy units repeatedly tried to cross the river. Berezina. However, these attempts were stopped everywhere by the actions of our troops.

After the battles in the Lutsk direction, as a result of which our troops stopped the advance of large enemy motorized mechanized units to Shepetivka and inflicted heavy damage on them, part of this enemy group tried to break through in a southern direction to Tarnopol. All night our troops with stubborn battles held back the advance of this group of enemy troops. The fighting continues.

Our aviation in air battles during July 2 destroyed 61 enemy aircraft, losing 28 aircraft.

Today at six thirty minutes the Chairman of the State Defense Committee I.V. Stalin spoke on the radio, calling on the peoples of the Soviet Union, our valiant Red Army and Navy, our falcon pilots for a selfless patriotic war of liberation against the fascist enslavers, for complete defeat enemy to victory.

The call of the leader of the people, Comrade Stalin, caused the greatest upsurge among the workers, peasants, intelligentsia, unprecedented inspiration and the will to victory over the German fascist hordes - over the fierce, insidious and cruel enemies of our Motherland and all advanced humanity. In cities, in factories, railways, Soviet institutions enthusiastically took up the leader’s call.

Workers and employees of the Moscow factory "Red Defense" at a rally dedicated to the speech of the Chairman of the State Defense Committee, Comrade Stalin, declared their full readiness to defend the Motherland with their breasts. “We, women,” said Comrade. Grishakin, - we will replace our fathers, husbands, sons on the labor front, we will devote all our strength to defending the fatherland from the fascist hordes. We are confident of victory over the insidious enemy."

Rallies and meetings of workers are held in Leningrad, Kyiv, Kharkov, Rostov-on-Don, Sverdlovsk and hundreds of other cities and regions of the country.

In Moscow, Leningrad, Kyiv, many tens of thousands of workers enroll as volunteers in the people's militia to support the Red Army.

Expressing the thoughts and feelings of all Soviet people, a mechanic at one of the Moscow factories, Comrade. Muravchev stated in his speech at the rally: “The Great Stalin calls on the Soviet people to fight against bloody fascism. There is not and cannot be a citizen in our country who would not respond to the leader’s call. Our entire people rose up to deliver a mortal blow to the enemy, united into an indestructible and powerful force around the Soviet government, around our native Bolshevik Party and our beloved leader, comrade Stalin.”

Soviet troops are fighting with great steadfastness and courage for the freedom and honor of our homeland. Red warriors fight to the last drop of blood for a just cause, for Soviet power, for the vital interests of all progressive humanity.

Many newspapers in England, the USA, Turkey, Sweden, Japan and other countries write about the exceptional heroism of the Red warriors: “Battles on eastern front extremely bitter. Red soldiers defend themselves with exceptional tenacity, bravery and courage. The fighting in the East is even more fierce than last year’s fighting in the West against the French and British.” " Soviet soldier has exceptional fighting qualities. He fights hard until the last bullet. He knows how to quickly build trenches or camouflaged posts on any land.”

The bravery and dedication of the Red Army soldiers were demonstrated to the whole world in the very first days of the fight against the fascist invaders. The soldiers of the Red Army courageously defend every inch of Soviet land, heroically fight for Soviet cities and villages, showing courage, initiative and intelligence characteristic of the great Soviet people.

Eleven fascist planes headed for the airfield where Senior Lieutenant Starikov’s unit was located. Four Soviet fighters instantly took off into the air. The cars of pilots Ivanov and Filimonov rushed into the very middle of enemy planes. A few minutes later one German fighter was burning on the ground. The rest, not accepting the battle, turned back, randomly dropping bombs. A Soviet bomber prepared for takeoff caught fire from fragments of one of the bombs. The slightest delay could lead to an explosion of the bomb load. Military technician 1st rank Leutin, senior lieutenant Tatarchuk and political instructor Makeev instantly put out the fire at the risk of their lives and prevented the danger of the plane exploding.

A group of enemy tanks, supported by aviation and artillery, crossed the N River and launched an attack on our artillery division. The division commander, Captain Sinyavsky, ordered direct fire to shoot enemy tanks. The artillerymen destroyed 37 tanks with well-aimed fire.

Fascist troops strive to send small parachute landings into our rear for sabotage purposes, which are systematically destroyed by our units and destroyer battalions.

In the N area, observers reported to Captain Andreev about the appearance of planes. The captain recognized them as enemy transport planes. After 10 minutes, the Red Army surrounded the area where, according to the captain’s assumption, German paratroopers could land. Soon, 80 paratroopers, led by an officer, were captured.

Workers of the Moscow Lepse plant declared a Stakhanov watch until the final defeat of the fascist hordes.

A movement for combining professions is widely developing at Moscow enterprises. Male and female workers are acquiring a second specialty in order to replace their comrades who have gone to the front. Dozens of female workers at the Moscabel plant are studying plumbing without interruption from their main jobs; workers vol. Sorotov, Makarov and others work simultaneously as turners and milling operators. At the Malenkov plant, female employees learn how to operate machines in the evenings.

Evening message July 3

During July 3, our troops fought fierce battles in the Dvina, Minsk and Tarnopol directions against large mechanized enemy units.

Everywhere the enemy is met with stubborn resistance from our troops, destructive artillery fire and crushing blows from Soviet aviation.

Thousands of German corpses, flaming tanks and downed enemy aircraft remain on the battlefield.

In the Dvina direction, major battles took place throughout the day at the turn of the river. Zap. Dvina, especially stubborn and fierce in the Yakobstadt and Dvinsk regions.

Only after the enemy brought in fresh reserves did he manage to cross to the northern bank of the river. Zap. Dvina near Jacobstadt and Dvinsk, where fierce fighting broke out again.

In the Minsk direction, the enemy suffered significant losses as a result of stubborn resistance from our troops.

The enemy cannot stand bayonet strikes from our troops.

During the day there were stubborn battles on the river. Berezina, where our troops, with joint strikes of infantry, tanks, artillery and aviation, inflict a significant defeat on the enemy.

Battles have established that enemy tanks avoid combat clashes with our heavy and medium tanks, and where our fighters appear, air supremacy quickly passes to them.

Throughout the day, our aviation attacked enemy mechanized units at crossings across the West. Dvina on the Bobruisk and Tarnopol directions.

The results of air battles are being clarified.

The radio speech of the Chairman of the State Defense Committee, I.V. Stalin, caused a new upsurge of national patriotism. Crowded rallies took place throughout the country - from Murmansk to Tbilisi, from Tallinn to Vladivostok. Millions of ardent Soviet patriots, inspired by the speech of Comrade Stalin, are determined to defend every inch of Soviet land and fight to the last drop of blood for our cities and villages, to fight selflessly and mercilessly until the complete defeat and destruction of the fascist barbarians.

Workers, peasants, and intellectuals submit tens of thousands of applications with a request to be sent into the ranks of the active Red Army or enlisted in the people's militia. Speaking at a meeting of workers and employees of the Krasny Bogatyr plant, old personnel officer Klavdiya Ivanovna Guresva in simple words expressed the general opinion of the Red Bogatyrs: “My husband is a participant in the battles with the White Finns. Now he is beating fascist dogs at the front. I will devote all my strength to production and work tirelessly on defense. But I am always ready to take a rifle, a grenade into my hands and beat the enemy until he is completely destroyed.” Participants in a rally of thousands of workers and employees of the Tashkent Textile Plant solemnly swore to sacredly carry out all the instructions of Comrade Stalin, to work selflessly and in a disciplined manner in production.

The leader’s speech caused a new upsurge of Soviet patriotism in the country’s collective and state farms. Collective farmers and collective farmers of the Yaroslavl region are organizing carts with vegetables and dairy products. Collective farmers of the Pervomaisky district delivered about 30 carts of flax from their stocks to the procurement point. Many collective farms in Poshekhon-Volodarsky, Uglich, Nerekhta and other districts fulfilled their annual milk and meat supply plan ahead of schedule. Collective farmers of the Irkutsk region unanimously make decisions on the early fulfillment of all obligations to the state. Many collective farms decided to immediately begin delivering grain to the state to cover the 1941 supplies from last year’s reserves. Kolkhoz named after Voroshilov has already handed over 6,000 poods of grain to the state, the collective farm “Giant” - 4,500 poods.

Millions of Soviet patriots at the front and in the rear are ready to defend their homeland, their honor and freedom to the last drop of blood and help the Red Army defeat the enemy.

A flight of bombers from the unit commanded by Colonel Efimov headed for enemy territory. The lead navigator, Senior Lieutenant Suslov, guided the airships exactly to the target. Quickly emerging from the clouds, the planes attacked the enemy airfield. Not a single enemy plane managed to take off. After bombing the airfield, the flight turned around and flew further, deep into enemy territory, to reconnaissance new military targets. Soon the observer noticed an enemy convoy. The enemy was re-distributing reinforcements and ammunition. A flight of planes rushed towards the enemy. The convoy was scattered and partially destroyed. All planes returned to their base.

Deep behind enemy lines, incidents of sabotage are becoming more frequent every day. A lot of artillery pieces have recently been damaged at the Skoda factories. In Holland, a new German chemical plant was completely destroyed, set on fire by Dutch patriots. In Norway, 11 wagons with German military cargo were blown up. Polish residents, hiding in roadside forests, are shooting holes in tanks carrying oil from Romania to Germany.

Reports begin to arrive about the actions of partisan detachments in Soviet areas captured by the enemy. Here is one such fact. A train with ammunition for German artillery was moving along a narrow-gauge branch towards the front. As the train advanced, security noticed thick smoke and then flames raging on both sides of the railway track. Wanting to pass through the danger zone at full speed, the driver developed high speed. The maneuver was unsuccessful: in the very center of the forest fire, the path was blocked by burning trees. When the train guards began to scatter the barrier, shots from shotguns and a light machine gun were heard on the tracks. The bold attack of the partisans was crowned with complete success: the train with ammunition exploded; the team accompanying the carriages was destroyed. The partisans - brave Soviet patriots - managed to escape in time.

The fascist bosses of the city of Lahti in Finland announced that they would pay the pilots a thousand Finnish marks for each shot down Soviet plane. Judging by latest messages from the front, Finnish pilots do not burden the cash register of the municipality of Lahti. This, apparently, was what the “generous” municipality was counting on: the patriotic gesture was made without any monetary risk.

The shameless lies of German military reports have now become common knowledge. For example, a military observer for the American newspaper Post Meridiem states in one of his latest articles: “The German Information Bureau has earned its reputation for advancing three times faster than the German troops. Last fall, this agency shot down British planes three times Furthermore numbers that the British had." Another well-known American newspaper, the Christian Science Monitor, rightly notes: “German radio messages are intended to confuse world public opinion.”

Stalin addressed the people more than once. Let us recall the main addresses to the people; listening to the voice of Joseph Vissarionovich.

"Mouthful of Work" (December 11, 1937)

Occasion: Speech at the pre-election meeting of voters of the Stalin district at the Bolshoi Theater.

Message: The main line of the speech is Stalin’s assurance that the deputy is a servant of the people, that every elected official is obliged to openly conduct political work. An important incentive is to follow Lenin. In addition, Stalin also highlighted in his speech the thesis about the demarcation of socialist and capitalist societies. With them everything is corrupt and bad, with us everything is fair, the work is led by the workers, the elections are fair and the water is wetter.

Intonation: This speech by Stalin could easily be the speech of a stand-up comedian. Stalin even insists that he does not want to speak and, they say, does not know what to talk about. Almost every phrase he says is met with applause. The leader makes jokes, quotes Gogol, behaves in his own way, which causes a strong reaction from the public. The dark irony of this situation is that by this time the purges of the “Great Terror” had already begun and Stalin, of course, was disingenuous, taking such a light, friendly intonation.

Quotes: “He turned off the road, voters have the right to demand the calling of new elections, and they have the right to ride a deputy who turned off the road.”

“Never before have there been such truly free and truly democratic elections in the world, never! History knows no other such example.”

“You know, comrades, a family is not without its black sheep. The great Russian writer Gogol quite aptly said about such people of an indefinite type, about people who resemble political ordinary people rather than political figures, about people of such an indefinite, unformed type, quite aptly: “People,” he says, indefinite, neither this nor that, you will not understand what kind of people, neither in the city of Bogdan, nor in the village of Selifan." Our people also quite aptly say about such indefinite people and figures: "a so-so person - neither fish nor meat”, “not a candle for God, not a devil’s poker.”

“Victory will be ours!” (07/3/1941)

Occasion: Beginning of the Great Patriotic War

Message: The main message of Stalin’s speech is for the Soviet people to realize the full importance of the war, the full severity of the danger hanging over the country. He says that the “invincibility” of the fascist army is a myth, citing the example of the armies of Napoleon and Wilhelm II. It was after this appeal that the expression “Great Patriotic War” came into circulation. Stalin also emphasizes that the peoples of Europe and America will be allies of the USSR and calls for joining the militia.

Intonation: Stalin’s speech is emphatically patriotic. He strengthens the usual address “comrades” and adds: “Citizens! Brothers and sisters!” Stalin skillfully uses rhetorical techniques, dividing “they” and “we”, by “we” meaning the entire Soviet people and himself. The intonation of speech is serious, but at the same time devoid of bureaucracy. Simply, frankly, Stalin calls on the people to unite to fight the enemy.

Quotes: “Comrades! Citizens! Brothers and sisters! Soldiers of our army and navy! I am addressing you, my friends!”

"A serious danger looms over our Motherland."

“The purpose of this nationwide Patriotic War against the fascist oppressors is not only to eliminate the danger hanging over our country, but also to help all the peoples of Europe groaning under the yoke of German fascism.”

"Comrade Red Army and Red Navy men!" (07.11.1941)

Occasion: 24th anniversary of October, Great Patriotic War.

Message: Stalin's speech was intended to prove the need to fight the fascist invaders. The peculiarity of this speech lies in the special conditions in which it was pronounced. The difficult conditions in which the capital found itself did not change the decision to hold the Parade. This made great sense; it instilled in people confidence in an imminent Victory. On the night before the parade, on Stalin’s personal orders, the Kremlin stars were uncovered and lit, and the camouflage was removed from the mausoleum. It was important for Stalin to show that the Soviet people were not afraid of the enemy. It was a serious challenge and a big risk: 34 German planes were shot down on approach to Red Square.

Intonation: Stalin’s main emphasis in his speech was that the Soviet people are fulfilling a mission and this mission must be completed. Stalin also notes that fascist aggression is not the business of the people of Germany. In Germany, he argues, there is famine, and accordingly, the war with the Nazis is not a war with another people, but a war with a treacherous enemy.

Quotes: “The war you are waging is a war of liberation, a just war. Let the courageous image of our great ancestors - Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy, Kuzma Minin, Dmitry Pozharsky, Alexander Suvorov, Mikhail Kutuzov - inspire you in this war! May the victorious banner overshadow you great Lenin!"

"They will get it!" (11/06/1941)

Occasion: Report at the ceremonial meeting of the Moscow Council of Working People's Deputies with party and public organizations the city of Moscow before the 24th anniversary of the October Revolution.

Message: Stalin’s fiery speech, in which he says in a rather harsh, ultimatum form that the fascists are non-humans who have lost all ideas about honor and conscience, about the boundaries of good and evil, calls Hitler and his associates animals. Stalin also notes the need to open a second front, defines the tasks of the Red Army, and calls Hitler’s regime predatory-imperialist.

Intonation: The intonation of this speech is less restrained than the one that was delivered at the parade. Its main task is to set people up for a desperate struggle. Numerous rhetorical devices are used, and Stalin's intonation is openly provocative, energetic and combative.

Quotes: "Well, if the Germans want to have a war of extermination, they will have it."

"No mercy for the German occupiers!"

“From now on, our task, the task of the peoples of the USSR, the task of the fighters, commanders and political workers of our army and our navy will be to exterminate every last one of the Germans who made their way into the territory of our Motherland as its occupiers.”

“The party of the Hitlerites is the party of imperialists, and moreover, the most predatory and predatory imperialists among all the imperialists in the world.”

“And these people, devoid of conscience and honor, people with animal morality, have the audacity to call for the destruction of the great Russian nation - the nation of Plekhanov and Lenin, Belinsky and Chernyshevsky, Pushkin and Tolstoy, Glinka and Tchaikovsky, Gorky and Chekhov, Sechenov and Pavlov, Repin and Surikov, Suvorov and Kutuzov!"

“Glory to our great people, the victorious people!” (05/09/1945)

Occasion: Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

Message: In his speech, Stalin focuses on the fact that Hitler’s Germany did not achieve its goals, speaks of commonality Slavic peoples who defended their freedom in the fight against the enemy. At the same time, Stalin notes that, unlike Hitler, the Soviet Union is not going to dismember and destroy defeated Germany and once again calls the Soviet people a victorious people.

Intonation: Stalin’s speech, short in volume, is distinguished by restrained intonation and calm confidence of the head of the victorious country. Only once did Stalin allow himself to focus on the dishonesty of Hitler’s policy, calling it “the wolfish behavior of the German bosses.”

Quotes: "Comrades! Compatriots and compatriots!
The great day of Victory over Germany has arrived. Nazi Germany, brought to its knees by the Red Army and the troops of our allies, admitted itself defeated and declared unconditional surrender."

“Three years ago, Hitler publicly declared that his tasks included dismembering the Soviet Union and separating from it the Caucasus, Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic states and other regions. He directly stated: “We will destroy Russia so that it can never rise again.”

“Glory to our heroic Red Army, which defended the independence of our Motherland and won victory over the enemy!
Glory to our great people, the victorious people!”

“May our Motherland live and prosper!” (09/2/1945)

Occasion: The end of the Second World War.

Message: In this speech Stalin devotes great importance issue of the Kuril Islands. Stalin notes that the Russo-Japanese War caused heavy moral damage to the patriots of Russia, but now, with the victory over Japan, the issue of the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin will be resolved in favor of the Soviet Union.

Intonation: Stalin uses the same rhetorical techniques, calls the Soviet people a victorious people, glorifies the Far Eastern troops and the Pacific Fleet, and restrainedly notes the merit of the allies in the victory.

Quotes: “This means that southern Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands will go to the Soviet Union and from now on they will not serve as a means of separating the Soviet Union from the ocean and as a base for a Japanese attack on our Far East, but a means of direct communication between the Soviet Union and the ocean and the base of our country’s defense against Japanese aggression.”

“This means that the end of the Second World War has come. We can now say that the conditions necessary for world peace have already been achieved. It should be noted that the Japanese invaders caused damage not only to our allies China, the United States of America, Great Britain. They "caused serious damage to our country as well. Therefore, we also have our own special account for Japan."

"Electoral campaign - trial of the ruling party" (02/09/1946)

Occasion: Speech by Comrade I.V. Stalin at the pre-election meeting of voters of the Stalin constituency in Moscow on February 9, 1946

Message: Stalin sums up the results of the war, calling the cause of both world wars the crisis of the capitalist economy. Stalin allocates a special role to the successes of the USSR in industry and economy, citing indicators for different years, and also provides justification for collectivization. For all successes, Stalin credits the Communist Party and its economic strategy.

Intonation: Unlike his 1937 election speech, Stalin no longer uses the “guy of the people” intonation. He is the head of the country that defeated fascism, the master of the people. Stalin again says that the electoral system implies that the chosen one is a servant of the people, and also notes that this time the one-party system will be abolished and the communists will go to the elections in a bloc with non-party members. Of course, this is slyness, but the audience continues to shower Stalin with applause and applause.

Quotes: “It should be noted that there are fewer and fewer “critics” of the Red Army. Moreover, notes appearing more and more often in the foreign press, noting the high qualities of the Red Army, the skill of its fighters and commanders, the impeccability of its strategy and tactics.”

“However, after the lessons of the war, these gentlemen no longer dare to deny the viability of the Soviet state system. Our victory means, thirdly, that the Soviets won armed forces, our Red Army won, that the Red Army heroically withstood all the hardships of the war, completely defeated the armies of our enemies and emerged victorious from the war." (Exclamation from the place: "Under the leadership of Comrade Stalin!" Everyone stands up, stormy, long-lasting applause , turning into ovation).

Comrades! Citizens!
Brothers and sisters! Soldiers of our army and navy!
I am addressing you, my friends!
The treacherous military attack of Nazi Germany on our homeland, which began on June 22, continues. Despite the heroic resistance of the Red Army, despite the fact that the enemy’s best divisions and the best units of his aviation have already been defeated and found their grave on the battlefield, the enemy continues to push forward, throwing new forces to the front. Hitler's troops managed to capture Lithuania, a significant part of Latvia, the western part of Belarus, and part of Western Ukraine. Fascist aviation is expanding the areas of operation of its bombers, bombing Murmansk, Orsha, Mogilev, Smolensk, Kyiv, Odessa, and Sevastopol. A serious danger looms over our homeland.
How could it happen that our glorious Red Army surrendered a number of our cities and regions to fascist troops? Are the fascist German troops really invincible troops, as the fascist boastful propagandists tirelessly trumpet?
Of course not! History shows that there are no invincible armies and never have been. Napoleon's army was considered invincible, but it was defeated alternately by Russian, English, and German troops. Wilhelm's German army during the first imperialist war was also considered an invincible army, but it was defeated several times by Russian and Anglo-French troops and was finally defeated by Anglo-French troops. The same must be said about the current Nazi German army of Hitler. This army has not yet encountered serious resistance on the continent of Europe. Only on our territory did it meet serious resistance. And if, as a result of this resistance, the best divisions of the Nazi army were defeated by our Red Army, then this means that Hitler’s fascist army can and will be defeated just as the armies of Napoleon and Wilhelm were defeated.
As for the fact that part of our territory was nevertheless captured by fascist German troops, this is mainly explained by the fact that the war of fascist Germany against the USSR began under favorable conditions for the German troops and unfavorable conditions for the Soviet troops. The fact is that the troops of Germany, as a country waging war, were already completely mobilized, and the 170 divisions abandoned by Germany against the USSR and moved to the borders of the USSR were in a state of full readiness, waiting only for a signal to move, while the Soviet troops needed there was still time to mobilize and move closer to the borders. Of considerable importance here was the fact that fascist Germany unexpectedly and treacherously violated the non-aggression pact concluded in 1939 between it and the USSR, regardless of the fact that it would be recognized by the whole world as the attacking party. It is clear that our peace-loving country, not wanting to take the initiative to violate the pact, could not take the path of treachery.
It may be asked: how could it happen that the Soviet Government agreed to conclude a non-aggression pact with such treacherous people and monsters as Hitler and Ribbentrop? Was there a mistake made here by the Soviet Government? Of course not! A non-aggression pact is a peace pact between two states. This is exactly the kind of pact Germany offered us in 1939. Could the Soviet Government refuse such a proposal? I think that not a single peace-loving state can refuse a peace agreement with a neighboring power, if at the head of this power are even such monsters and cannibals as Hitler and Ribbentrop. And this, of course, is subject to one indispensable condition - if the peace agreement does not affect either directly or indirectly the territorial integrity, independence and honor of the peace-loving state. As you know, the non-aggression pact between Germany and the USSR is just such a pact.
What did we win by concluding a non-aggression pact with Germany? We provided our country with peace for a year and a half and the opportunity to prepare our forces to fight back if Nazi Germany risked attacking our country contrary to the pact. This is a definite win for us and a loss for Nazi Germany.
What did Nazi Germany win and what did it lose by treacherously breaking the pact and attacking the USSR? She achieved by this some advantageous position for her troops for a short period of time, but she lost politically, exposing herself in the eyes of the whole world as a bloody aggressor. There can be no doubt that this short-term military gain for Germany is only an episode, and the enormous political gain for the USSR is a serious and long-term factor on the basis of which the decisive military successes of the Red Army in the war with Nazi Germany should unfold.
That is why our entire valiant army, all our valiant Navy, all our falcon pilots, all the peoples of our country, everyone the best people Europe, America and Asia, and finally, all the best people in Germany condemn the treacherous actions of the German fascists and sympathize with the Soviet Government, approve of the behavior of the Soviet Government and see that our cause is just, that the enemy will be defeated, that we must win.
Due to the war imposed on us, our country entered into a mortal battle with its worst and insidious enemy - German fascism. Our troops are heroically fighting an enemy armed to the teeth with tanks and aircraft. The Red Army and Red Navy, overcoming numerous difficulties, selflessly fight for every inch of Soviet land. The main forces of the Red Army, armed with thousands of tanks and aircraft, enter the battle. The bravery of the soldiers of the Red Army is unparalleled. Our resistance to the enemy is strengthening and growing. Together with the Red Army, the entire Soviet people are rising to defend the Motherland.
What is required in order to eliminate the danger looming over our Motherland, and what measures must be taken to defeat the enemy?
First of all, it is necessary that our people, the Soviet people, understand the full depth of the danger that threatens our country, and renounce complacency, carelessness, and the mood of peaceful construction, which were quite understandable in pre-war times, but are destructive at the present time, when the war has radically changed position. The enemy is cruel and unforgiving. His goal is to seize our lands, watered by our sweat, to seize our bread and our oil, obtained by our labor. He sets as his goal the restoration of the power of the landowners, the restoration of tsarism, the destruction national culture and the national statehood of Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians, Uzbeks, Tatars, Moldovans, Georgians, Armenians, Azerbaijanis and other free peoples of the Soviet Union, their Germanization, their transformation into slaves of German princes and barons. Thus, the matter is about the life and death of the Soviet state, about the life and death of the peoples of the USSR, about whether the peoples of the Soviet Union should be free or fall into enslavement. It is necessary for the Soviet people to understand this and stop being carefree, for them to mobilize themselves and reorganize all their work in a new, military way, which knows no mercy to the enemy.
It is further necessary that in our ranks there is no place for whiners and cowards, alarmists and deserters, so that our people do not know fear in the struggle and selflessly go to our patriotic war of liberation against the fascist enslavers. The great Lenin, who created our State, said that the main quality of Soviet people should be courage, bravery, ignorance of fear in struggle, readiness to fight together with the people against the enemies of our homeland. It is necessary that this magnificent quality of the Bolshevik become the property of millions and millions of the Red Army, our Red Navy and all the peoples of the Soviet Union.
We must immediately restructure all our work on a military basis, subordinating everything to the interests of the front and the tasks of organizing the defeat of the enemy. The peoples of the Soviet Union now see that German fascism is indomitable in its furious anger and hatred of our Motherland, which has ensured free labor and prosperity for all working people. The peoples of the Soviet Union must rise to defend their rights, their land against the enemy.
The Red Army, the Red Navy and all citizens of the Soviet Union must defend every inch of Soviet land, fight to the last drop of blood for our cities and villages, and show the courage, initiative and intelligence characteristic of our people. We must organize comprehensive assistance to the Red Army, ensure intensive replenishment of its ranks, ensure that it is supplied with everything necessary, organize the rapid advance of transports with troops and military supplies, and extensive assistance to the wounded.
We must strengthen the rear of the Red Army, subordinating all our work to the interests of this cause, ensure the enhanced work of all enterprises, produce more rifles, machine guns, guns, cartridges, shells, aircraft, organize the security of factories, power plants, telephone and telegraph communications, and establish local air defense .
We must organize a merciless fight against all sorts of disorganizers of the rear, deserters, alarmists, rumor mongers, destroy spies, saboteurs, enemy paratroopers, providing prompt assistance to our destruction battalions in all this. It must be borne in mind that the enemy is insidious, cunning, and experienced in deception and spreading false rumors. You need to take all this into account and not give in to provocations. It is necessary to immediately bring before the Military Tribunal all those who, with their alarmism and cowardice, interfere with the cause of defense, regardless of their faces.
In the event of a forced withdrawal of Red Army units, it is necessary to hijack the entire rolling stock, not leave a single locomotive or a single carriage to the enemy, and not leave the enemy a single kilogram of bread or a liter of fuel. Collective farmers must drive away all the livestock and hand over the grain for safekeeping to government agencies for transportation to the rear areas. All valuable property, including non-ferrous metals, grain and fuel, which cannot be exported, must be absolutely destroyed.
In areas occupied by the enemy, it is necessary to create partisan detachments, mounted and on foot, to create sabotage groups to fight units of the enemy army, to incite partisan warfare everywhere, to blow up bridges, roads, damage telephone and telegraph communications, set fire to forests, warehouses, and carts. In occupied areas, create unbearable conditions for the enemy and all his accomplices, pursue and destroy them at every step, and disrupt all their activities.
The war with Nazi Germany cannot be considered an ordinary war. It is not only a war between two armies. At the same time, it is a great war of the entire Soviet people against the Nazi troops. The goal of this nationwide patriotic war against the fascist oppressors is not only to eliminate the danger looming over our country, but also to help all the peoples of Europe groaning under the yoke of German fascism. We will not be alone in this war of liberation. In this great war, we will have faithful allies in the people of Europe and America, including the German people, enslaved by Hitler’s bosses. Our war for the freedom of our fatherland will merge with the struggle of the peoples of Europe and America for their independence, for democratic freedoms. This will be a united front of peoples standing for freedom against enslavement and the threat of enslavement from Hitler's fascist armies. In this regard, the historic speech of British Prime Minister Churchill on assistance to the Soviet Union and the US government’s declaration of readiness to provide assistance to our country, which can only evoke a feeling of gratitude in the hearts of the peoples of the Soviet Union, are quite understandable and indicative.
Comrades! Our strength is incalculable. The arrogant enemy will soon be convinced of this. Together with the Red Army, many thousands of workers, collective farmers, and intellectuals are rising to war against the attacking enemy. The millions of our people will rise up. The working people of Moscow and Leningrad have already begun to create a militia of many thousands to support the Red Army. In every city that is threatened by an enemy invasion, we must create such a people's militia, raise all working people to fight, in order to defend with our breasts our freedom, our honor, our homeland - in our Patriotic War with German phischism.
In order to quickly mobilize all the forces of the peoples of the USSR, to repel the enemy who treacherously attacked our homeland, the State Defense Committee was created, in whose hands all power in the state is now concentrated. The State Defense Committee has begun its work and calls on all the people to rally around the party of Lenin - Stalin, around the Soviet Government for selfless support of the Red Army and Red Navy, for the defeat of the enemy, for victory.
All our strength is in support of our heroic Red Army, our glorious Red Navy!
All the forces of the people are to defeat the enemy!
Forward, for our victory!

The website of the Zvezda TV channel publishes a series of articles about the Great Patriotic War of 1941– 1945 by writer Leonid Maslovsky, based on his book “Russian Truth”, published in 2011. In his original materials, Maslovsky, in his words, exposes “the myths invented by Russia’s ill-wishers about the events of the Great Patriotic War and shows the greatness of our Victory.” The author notes that in his articles he intends to “show the unseemly role of the West in preparing Germany for war with the USSR.” On the third of July 1941, J.V. Stalin addressed the people on the radio, starting a speech in the following words : “Comrades! Citizens! Brothers and sisters! Soldiers of our army and navy! I am addressing you, my friends! The treacherous military attack of Hitler’s Germany on our Motherland, launched on June 22, continues.” Stalin did not hide his excitement, spoke the truth, and strengthened faith in the coming victory. “Despite the heroic resistance of the Red Army, despite the fact that the enemy’s best divisions and the best units of his aviation have already been defeated and found their grave on the battlefields, the enemy continues to push forward, throwing new forces to the front. Hitler’s troops managed to capture Lithuania, a significant part Latvia, the western part of Belarus, part of Western Ukraine. Fascist aviation is expanding the areas of operation of its bombers, bombing Murmansk, Orsha, Mogilev, Smolensk, Kyiv, Odessa, and Sevastopol. A serious danger looms over our Motherland. How could it happen that our glorious Red Army surrendered a number of our cities and regions to the fascist troops? Are the fascist German troops really invincible troops, as the fascist boastful propagandists tirelessly trumpet? Of course not! History shows that there are no invincible armies and never have been... The same must be said about the current Nazi German army of Hitler. This army has not yet encountered serious resistance on the continent of Europe. Only on our territory did it meet serious resistance. And if, as a result of this resistance, the best divisions of the fascist German army were defeated by our Red Army, then this means that Hitler’s fascist army can and will be defeated just as the armies of Napoleon and Wilhelm were defeated.” Further J.V. Stalin analyzes the reason for the temporary success of Nazi Germany, the expediency of concluding a non-aggression pact in 1939, saying that Germany, having violated the pact, exposed “itself in the eyes of the whole world as a bloody aggressor... That is why our entire valiant army, our entire valiant Navy the fleet, all our falcon pilots, all the peoples of our country, all the best people of Europe, America and Asia, and finally, all the best people of Germany - brand the treacherous actions of the German fascists... and see that our cause is just, that the enemy will be defeated, that we must win. Due to the war imposed on us, our country has entered into a mortal battle with its worst and insidious enemy - German fascism... What is required in order to eliminate the danger looming over our Motherland, and what measures must be taken in order to defeat the enemy? First of all, it is necessary that our people, the Soviet people, understand the full depth of the danger that threatens our country, and renounce complacency, carelessness, and moods of peaceful construction, which were quite understandable in pre-war times, but are destructive at the present time, when the war is fundamentally changed position. The enemy is cruel and inexorable." Stalin explains the goals of the enemy, calls to stop being carefree, mobilize yourself and rebuild all your work in a new, military way, "knowing no mercy to the enemy", not to allow whining, cowardice, alarmism and desertion. "Peoples of the Soviet Union must rise to defend their rights, their land against the enemy. The Red Army, the Red Navy and all citizens of the Soviet Union must defend every inch of Soviet land, fight to the last drop of blood for our cities and villages, show courage, initiative and intelligence characteristic of our people,” Stalin said then. Stalin then spoke about help of the Red Army to the wounded, about strengthening the rear, about helping our destroyer battalions in the fight against saboteurs, enemy paratroopers, about the need to steal all rolling stock when retreating, not to leave valuable property, food, fuel to the enemy, to steal all livestock, about the creation of partisan detachments, about the nature of our war as a “national Patriotic” and liberation war, that “we will have faithful allies”, about the transfer of all power in the state to the established State Defense Committee, about the need for all the people to rally around the party and government to defeat the enemy, for victory. At the end of his speech, J.V. Stalin appealed to the people: “All our forces - to support our heroic Red Army, our glorious Red Fleet! All the forces of the people are to defeat the enemy! Forward, for our victory!” The people believed in their strength, the strength of the country, in victory. I believed Stalin as they believe their own father. Researcher O. A. Platonov writes: “In fact, in his address to the people, Stalin outlined a program for a nationwide struggle against the enemy. His simple and accessible language made it possible to convey many important tasks of the war to the hearts and minds of many Russian people. The moral significance of his speech was enormous. The words “our cause is just, the enemy will be defeated” became the main slogan of the entire Great Patriotic War. Firmness and confidence in victory inspired the Russian people.” Recalling the power of influence of Stalin’s speech on July 3, 1941 on the Soviet people, the poet and writer S. V. Mikhalkov wrote: “Whether we want to admit it today or not, it was his speech that began with the words “Brothers and sisters! ", in '41, aroused unprecedented enthusiasm among people of all ages. They volunteered at recruiting stations. Faith in a word is a huge faith if it is spoken by an authoritative person. And the fact that Stalin was an authoritative person for millions can be denied either due to feeblemindedness , or out of malicious intent." But even today, out of malicious intent, they write about Stalin and about the disorderly flight of our troops in the summer of 1941. The Great Patriotic War flared up, absorbing more and more territories of the USSR. On September 26, 1941, a report from the German High Command reported about the victory near Kiev. It was said that 665 thousand people were captured, 3,718 guns and 884 tanks were captured. Previously, these statements by Goebbels were not written about, but with the beginning of perestroika they began to penetrate many historical works and even textbooks. Russian historians refuted these information, indicating that before the start of the Kiev operation there were 677,085 people in the Southwestern Front. By the end of the operation, only in the front formations that avoided encirclement and retreated fighting to the rear lines, there were 150,541 people. If we take into account that the troops The Southwestern Front, during fierce battles that lasted almost the entire September, suffered heavy losses, a significant number of troops escaped encirclement, a considerable part broke through the enemy ring, the Germans could take no more than 50 thousand people prisoner near Kiev. The troops of the Southwestern and The Bryansk front actually stopped the advance of G. Guderian's troops at Romny, but a tank attack from the Kremenchug bridgehead of four German tank divisions secretly concentrated there towards Guderian decided the outcome of the battle of the Southwestern Front near Kiev in favor of the German troops. The battle of Kiev was won by the Germans by stopping the offensive on Moscow direction and the deployment of Guderian's tank divisions to the south, to Kyiv. About the Kiev defensive battle A. M. Vasilevsky wrote: “The enemy achieved success at a high price. The Red Army defeated ten enemy personnel divisions in fierce battles. He lost more than 100 thousand soldiers and officers. Enemy losses continued to mount. For more than a month, Soviet troops held back Army Group Center with actions in the Kiev direction. This was very important for preparing the battle of Moscow.” The Kiev defensive battle lasted from July 7 to September 26, 1941. Our troops near Kiev fought to the death. The Wehrmacht did not see such resilience in any of the wars unleashed by Germany. Hitler’s favorite Field Marshal von Bock wrote: “Kyiv is a brilliant success. But the Russians stood in front of me undefeated, and they still stand, and I don’t know whether they will be defeated.” After the fall of Kiev, it became more difficult to hold the defense of Odessa, which for 73 days fought with 18 German and Romanian divisions, and only on October 16 our The units left the city in an organized manner. The Germans were also haunted by Crimea, from the territory of which our aircraft could destroy the Romanian oil fields. Therefore, on October 18, fascist German troops launched an offensive and by mid-November occupied the territory of Crimea, except for the city of Russian glory - Sevastopol. In 1941, Sevastopol was beyond the power of the Germans. Red Army and Black Sea Fleet defended the city for 250 days, from October 30, 1941 to July 4, 1942. The Smolensk battle lasted from July 10 to September 10, 1941. It was this that became one of the reasons for the change in the Barbarossa plan. The Battle of Smolensk, which unfolded on a front of up to 650 kilometers and a depth of up to 250 kilometers, thwarted Hitler’s plan for a lightning war against the USSR. Soviet troops inflicted heavy damage on Army Group Center. In World War II, Nazi troops were forced for the first time to go on the defensive in the main direction. In addition, thanks to the Battle of Smolensk, the Nazi command did not risk transferring the 3rd Tank Group to attack Leningrad. The Battle of Smolensk, like the battle near Kiev, allowed the Soviet command to gain time to prepare the defense of Moscow and the subsequent defeat of the enemy in the Battle of Moscow in 1941–1942. The Smolensk and Kiev battles took place at the same time, and they can be called one operation, temporarily stopping the advance of the Nazi hordes on Moscow. The military formations that most distinguished themselves in the Battle of Smolensk were awarded the title of Guards. These were the first guards formations in the Red Army. In the Elninsky operation, which took place during the Battle of Smolensk, our troops, who did not have an advantage in numbers, but surpassed the enemy in the number of artillery pieces, went on the offensive on August 30, 1941, broke through German defense, liberated the city of Yelnya, defeated one motorized and seven infantry divisions Wehrmacht, eliminated the Elninsky ledge, which threatened the left wing of the Western Front troops, pushed the Germans back across the Desna River, liberated a significant territory native land and captured many prisoners. Like the Battle of Smolensk, the battle for Leningrad began on July 10. On this day, Nazi troops launched an attack directly on Leningrad. We barely had enough strength to defend the city. Our troops failed to prevent the cutting off of Leningrad by land from the territory of the USSR, but they did not allow the German armies to close the encirclement ring. To stop the Germans on the approaches to Volkhov, the Volkhov hydroelectric station and near Tikhvin, the Supreme High Command Headquarters allocated four divisions to help, of which 20 thousand the fighters were immediately airlifted, and the rest by the Ladoga military flotilla. This fact indicates that our army had firm control, airplanes, and ships military flotilla on Lake Ladoga. Our war was sacred. The saints are the warriors who died in the war, the saints are the victors who returned home from the front, the saints are the workers who forged weapons in the rear. For more than seven centuries, Europe went to war against Russia, but could not defeat Russia in battle - “mysterious Russian souls” were too tough for Europe. And in Hitler’s army there were all European peoples, except for the Serbs and Greeks, and even the British were holed up on their islands. And they all killed our men, women, children. Hitler, German General base, theoretically they calculated everything correctly: German troops quickly defeat soviet armies near Leningrad and Kiev and join the armies advancing on Moscow. But he did not take into account that in front of him was not Europe, but heroic Russia. In this case, the experience of the war in Europe was not beneficial, but to the detriment of Germany. To be continued… The opinions expressed in the publications of Leonid Maslovsky are the opinions of the author and may not coincide with the opinions of the editors of the Zvezda TV channel website.

I can't get past the ugliness. I really want to take part!

I thought about it (and I liked it)))
About Stalin's famous speech "Brothers and Sisters..."
We very often accuse him of disastrous delay in the first days of the war. Although at that time little could be done without accurate information from the field, especially since there were quite responsible persons who, due to their duty, had to react in accordance with instructions. And such instructions could not fail to exist. Shaposhnikov was an experienced military man. In the absence of "red envelopes" in the safes of local authorities. I don’t trust the party and the Cheka.
So here it is. Could this delay have been caused by the preparation of this very speech?
It is not customary to speak well of Stalin, however, not a single dog mentioned it. who was the author of the text itself. Not a secret. that to almost all political leaders of that period. with the exception of the Bolsheviks and, perhaps, Churchill, their speeches were written by special people. If there was even a suspicion, our ears would all be buzzing about the Leader’s intellectual incompetence. However, this is not the case.
Those. suddenly, after ten days of panic, a speech appears out of nowhere, shaking up the entire country. The speech, which in many ways became a programmatic document.
This is weird. This is impossible.
However, for a person whose library consisted of 20 thousand volumes, 6 thousand of which had his personal notes, this is quite possible. And it's logical.
Think it through. Select the questions that need to be answered. Justify your answer. Include instructions for practical actions in your speech. Rehearse the performance. And all this was done by one person, and not by a group of psychologists, analysts, and consultants.
Serious job.
Worthy of admiration.
At the same time, we should not forget about the colossal psychological pressure that the environment and the general psychological situation in the country could not help but exert on him. Shock and panic gripped the top of the country, and most of the population. Fear of being late.
I present this document, which largely determined the course of events.
Second question. Why did she go down in history under the name Brothers and Sisters?

vivovoco.rsl.ru/VV/RARE/OGONYOK/STALIN.HTM
Radio appearance

Chairman of the State Defense Committee

I.V. STALIN

Comrades! Citizens! Brothers and sisters! Soldiers of our army and navy!

I am addressing you, my friends!

The treacherous military attack of Nazi Germany on our homeland, which began on June 22, continues. Despite the heroic resistance of the Red Army, despite the fact that the enemy’s best divisions and the best units of his aviation have already been defeated and found their grave on the battlefield, the enemy continues to push forward, throwing new forces to the front. Hitler's troops managed to capture Lithuania, a significant part of Latvia, the western part of Belarus, and part of Western Ukraine. Fascist aviation is expanding the areas of operation of its bombers, bombing Murmansk, Orsha, Mogilev, Smolensk, Kyiv, Odessa, and Sevastopol. A serious danger looms over our homeland.

How could it happen that our glorious Red Army surrendered a number of our cities and regions to fascist troops? Are the fascist German troops really invincible troops, as the fascist boastful propagandists tirelessly trumpet?

Of course not! History shows that there are no invincible armies and never have been. Napoleon's army was considered invincible, but it was defeated alternately by Russian, English, and German troops. Wilhelm's German army during the first imperialist war was also considered an invincible army, but it was defeated several times by Russian and Anglo-French troops and was finally defeated by Anglo-French troops. The same must be said about the current Nazi German army of Hitler. This army has not yet encountered serious resistance on the continent of Europe. Only on our territory did it meet serious resistance. And if, as a result of this resistance, the best divisions of the Nazi army were defeated by our Red Army, then this means that Hitler’s fascist army can also be defeated and will be defeated, just as the armies of Napoleon and Wilhelm were defeated.

As for the fact that part of our territory was nevertheless captured by fascist German troops, this is mainly explained by the fact that the war of fascist Germany against the USSR began under conditions that were favorable for the German troops and unfavorable for the Soviet troops. The fact is that the troops of Germany, as a country waging war, were already completely mobilized, and the 170 divisions abandoned by Germany against the USSR and moved to the borders of the USSR were in a state of full readiness, waiting only for a signal to move, while the Soviet troops needed there was still time to mobilize and move towards the borders. Of no small importance here was the fact that fascist Germany unexpectedly and treacherously violated the non-aggression pact concluded in 1939 between it and the USSR, regardless of the fact that it would be recognized by the whole world as the attacking party. It is clear that our peace-loving country, not wanting to take the initiative to violate the pact, could not take the path of treachery.

It may be asked: how could it happen that the Soviet Government agreed to conclude a non-aggression pact with such treacherous people and monsters as Hitler and Ribentrop? Was there a mistake made here by the Soviet Government? Of course not! A non-aggression pact is a peace pact between two states. This is exactly the kind of pact Germany offered us in 1939. Could the Soviet Government refuse such a proposal? I think that not a single peace-loving state can refuse a peace agreement with a neighboring power, if at the head of this power are even such monsters and cannibals as Hitler and Ribentrop. And this, of course, is subject to one indispensable condition - if the peace agreement does not affect either directly or indirectly the territorial integrity, independence and honor of the peace-loving state. As you know, the non-aggression pact between Germany and the USSR is just such a pact.

What did we win by concluding a non-aggression pact with Germany? We provided our country with peace for a year and a half and the opportunity to prepare our forces to fight back if Nazi Germany risked attacking our country contrary to the pact. This is a definite win for us and a loss for Nazi Germany.

What did Nazi Germany win and what did it lose by treacherously breaking the pact and attacking the USSR? She achieved by this some advantageous position for her troops for a short period of time, but she lost politically, exposing herself in the eyes of the whole world as a bloody aggressor. There can be no doubt that this short-term military gain for Germany is only an episode, and the enormous political gain for the USSR is a serious and long-term factor on the basis of which the decisive military successes of the Red Army in the war with Nazi Germany should unfold.

That is why our entire valiant Army, our entire valiant navy, all our falcon pilots, all the peoples of our country, all the best people of Europe, America and Asia, and finally, all the best people of Germany - brand the treacherous actions of the German fascists and sympathize to the Soviet government, they approve of the behavior of the Soviet government and see that our cause is just, that the enemy will be defeated, that we must win.

Due to the war imposed on us, our country entered into a mortal battle with its worst and insidious enemy - German fascism. Our troops are heroically fighting an enemy armed to the teeth with tanks and aircraft. The Red Army and Red Navy, overcoming numerous difficulties, selflessly fight for every inch of Soviet land. The main forces of the Red Army, armed with thousands of tanks and aircraft, enter the battle. The bravery of the Red Army soldiers is unparalleled. Our resistance to the enemy is growing stronger and stronger. Together with the Red Army, the entire Soviet people are rising to defend the Motherland.

What is required in order to eliminate the danger looming over our Motherland, and what measures must be taken to defeat the enemy?

First of all, it is necessary that our people, the Soviet people, understand the full depth of the danger that threatens our country, and renounce complacency, carelessness, and the mood of peaceful construction, which were quite understandable in pre-war times, but are destructive at the present time, when the war has radically changed position. The enemy is cruel and unforgiving. His goal is to seize our lands. watered with our sweat, the seizure of our bread and our oil, obtained by our labor. It aims to restore the power of the landowners, restore tsarism, destroy the national culture and national statehood of Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians, Uzbeks, Tatars, Moldovans, Georgians, Armenians, Azerbaijanis and other free peoples of the Soviet Union, their Germanization, their transformation into slaves of German princes and barons. Thus, the matter is about the life and death of the Soviet state, about the life and death of the peoples of the USSR, about whether the peoples of the Soviet Union should be free or fall into enslavement. It is necessary for the Soviet people to understand this and stop being carefree, for them to mobilize themselves and reorganize all their work in a new, military way, which knows no mercy to the enemy.

It is further necessary that in our ranks there is no place for whiners and cowards, alarmists and deserters, so that our people do not know fear in the struggle and selflessly go to our patriotic war of liberation against the fascist enslavers. The great Lenin, who created our state, said that the main quality of Soviet people should be courage, bravery, ignorance of fear in struggle, readiness to fight together with the people against the enemies of our homeland. It is necessary that this magnificent quality of the Bolshevik become the property of millions and millions of the Red Army, our Red Navy and all the peoples of the Soviet Union.

We must immediately restructure all our work on a military basis, subordinating everything to the interests of the front and the tasks of organizing the defeat of the enemy. The peoples of the Soviet Union now see that German fascism is indomitable in its furious anger and hatred of our Motherland, which has ensured free labor and prosperity for all working people. The peoples of the Soviet Union must rise to defend their rights, their land against the enemy.

The Red Army, the Red Navy and all citizens of the Soviet Union must defend every inch of Soviet land, fight to the last drop of blood for our cities and villages, show the courage, initiative and intelligence characteristic of our people.

We must organize comprehensive assistance to the Red Army, ensure intensive replenishment of its ranks, ensure that it is supplied with everything necessary, organize the rapid advance of transports with troops and military supplies, and extensive assistance to the wounded.

We must strengthen the rear of the Red Army, subordinating all our work to the interests of this cause, ensure the enhanced work of all enterprises, produce more rifles, machine guns, guns, cartridges, shells, aircraft, organize the protection of factories, power plants, telephone and telegraph communications, and establish local air defense .

We must organize a merciless fight against all sorts of disorganizers of the rear, deserters, alarmists, rumor mongers, destroy spies, saboteurs, enemy paratroopers, providing prompt assistance to our destroyer battalions in all this. It must be borne in mind that the enemy is insidious, cunning, and experienced in deception and spreading false rumors. You need to take all this into account and not give in to provocations. It is necessary to immediately bring before the Military Tribunal all those who, with their alarmism and cowardice, interfere with the cause of defense, regardless of their faces.

In the event of a forced withdrawal of Red Army units, it is necessary to hijack the entire rolling stock, not leave a single locomotive or a single carriage to the enemy, and not leave the enemy a single kilogram of bread or a liter of fuel. Collective farmers must drive away all the livestock and hand over the grain for safekeeping to government agencies for transportation to the rear areas. All valuable property, including non-ferrous metals, bread and fuel, which cannot be exported, must be absolutely destroyed.

In areas occupied by the enemy, it is necessary to create partisan detachments, mounted and on foot, to create sabotage groups to fight units of the enemy army, to incite partisan warfare everywhere, to blow up bridges, roads, damage telephone and telegraph communications, set fire to forests, warehouses, and carts. In occupied areas, create unbearable conditions for the enemy and all his accomplices, pursue and destroy them at every step, and disrupt all their activities.

The war with Nazi Germany cannot be considered an ordinary war. It is not only a war between two armies. At the same time, it is a great war of the entire Soviet people against the Nazi troops. The goal of this nationwide patriotic war against the fascist oppressors is not only to eliminate the danger looming over our country, but also to help all the peoples of Europe groaning under the yoke of German fascism. We will not be alone in this war of liberation. In this great war, we will have faithful allies in the people of Europe and America, including the German people, enslaved by Hitler’s bosses. Our war for the freedom of our fatherland will merge with the struggle of the peoples of Europe and America for their independence, for democratic freedoms. This will be a united front of peoples standing for freedom against enslavement and the threat of enslavement from Hitler's fascist armies. In this regard, the historic speech of British Prime Minister Churchill on assistance to the Soviet Union and the declaration of the US government on its readiness to provide assistance to our country, which can only evoke a feeling of gratitude in the hearts of the peoples of the Soviet Union, are quite understandable and indicative.

Comrades! Our strength is incalculable. The arrogant enemy will soon be convinced of this. Together with the Red Army, many thousands of workers, collective farmers, and intellectuals are rising to war against the attacking enemy. The millions of our people will rise up. The working people of Moscow and Leningrad have already begun to create a militia of many thousands to support the Red Army. In every city that is threatened by an enemy invasion, we must create such a people's militia, rouse all working people to fight in order to defend their freedom, their honor, their homeland with their breasts - in our patriotic war against German fascism.

In order to quickly mobilize all the forces of the peoples of the USSR, to repel the enemy who treacherously attacked our homeland, the State Defense Committee was created, in whose hands all power in the state is now concentrated. The State Defense Committee has begun its work and calls on all the people to rally around the party of Lenin - Stalin, around the Soviet government for selfless support of the Red Army and Red Navy, for the defeat of the enemy, for victory.

All our strength is in support of our heroic Red Army, our glorious Red Navy!

All the forces of the people are to defeat the enemy!

Forward, for our victory!