Who fought with the Germans against the USSR. Satellites

The Second World War was not only the most terrible tragedy in human history, but also the largest geopolitical conflict throughout the development of civilization. Dozens of countries were involved in this bloody confrontation, each of which pursued its own goals: influence, economic gain, protection of its own borders and population.

To achieve their goals, participants in World War II were forced to unite in coalitions. The allied groupings included countries whose interests and goals were most closely intertwined. But sometimes in such blocks for the sake of a solution highest task Even countries that saw the post-war world order in completely different ways united.

Who were the main and minor participants in World War II? The list of countries that were officially parties to the conflict is presented below.

Axis countries

First of all, let's look at the states that are considered to be the direct aggressors that started the Second World War. They are conventionally called the Axis countries.

Countries of the Tripartite Pact

The countries of the Tripartite or Berlin Pact were participants in World War II, who played a leading role among the Axis states. They concluded an alliance treaty between themselves on September 27, 1940 in Berlin, directed against their rivals and defining the post-war division of the world in the event of victory.

Germany- the most powerful military and economic state of the Axis countries, which acted as the main connecting force of this association. It was the one that posed the greatest threat and caused the heaviest damage to the troops of the anti-Hitler coalition. She is in 1939.

Italy- Germany's strongest ally in Europe. Untied fighting in 1940.

Japan- the third participant in the Tripartite Pact. It claimed exclusive influence in the Asia-Pacific region, within which it conducted military operations. Entered the war in 1941.

Minor Axis members

Minor members of the “Axis” include participants in World War II from among the allies of Germany, Japan and Italy, who did not play primary roles on the battlefields, but nevertheless took part in hostilities on the side of the Nazi bloc or declared war on the countries of the Anti-Hitler coalition. These include:

• Hungary;
• Bulgaria;
• Romania;
• Slovakia;
• Kingdom of Thailand;
• Finland;
• Iraq;
• Republic of San Marino.

States ruled by collaborationist governments

This category of countries includes states occupied during hostilities by Germany or its allies, in which governments loyal to the Axis bloc were established. It was the Second World War that brought these forces to power. The participants of the Tripartite Pact, therefore, wanted to position themselves in these countries as liberators, not conquerors. These countries include:

Anti-Hitler coalition

Under symbol The “Anti-Hitler Coalition” refers to the unification of countries that opposed the Axis states. The formation of this union bloc took place throughout almost the entire period during which the Second World War was going on. The participating countries were able to withstand the fight against Nazism and win.

Big Three

The Big Three are participants in World War II from among the countries of the Anti-Hitler Coalition who made the greatest contribution to the victory over Germany and other Axis states. Possessing the highest military potential, they were able to turn the tide of hostilities, which initially were not in their favor. It was primarily thanks to these countries that the Second World War ended in triumph over Nazism. Participants in the battles from among other states of the Anti-Hitler coalition, of course, also deserved the gratitude of all free peoples of the world for getting rid of " brown plague“, but without the coordinated actions of these three powers, victory would have been impossible.

Great Britain- the state that was the first to enter into open confrontation with Nazi Germany in 1939 after the latter’s attack on Poland. Throughout the war it created the greatest problems for Western Europe.

USSR- the state that suffered the greatest human losses during the Second World War. According to some estimates, they exceeded 27 million people. It is at the cost of blood and incredible efforts Soviet people managed to stop the victorious march of the Reich divisions and reverse the flywheel of the war. The USSR entered the war after being attacked by Nazi Germany in June 1941.

USA- later than all of the Big Three states to take part in hostilities (since the end of 1941). But it was the entry of the United States into the war that made it possible to complete the formation of the Anti-Hitler coalition, and successful actions in battles with Japan did not allow it to open a front on Far East against the USSR.

Minor members of the Anti-Hitler Coalition

Of course, in such an important matter as the fight against Nazism, there cannot be secondary roles, but the countries presented below still had less influence on the course of hostilities than the members of the Big Three. At the same time, they made their contribution to the end of such a grandiose military conflict as the Second World War. The countries participating in the Anti-Hitler Coalition, each according to their capabilities, gave battle to Nazism. Some of them directly opposed the Axis states on the battlefields, others organized a movement against the occupiers, and others helped with supplies.

Here you can name the following countries:

• France (one of the first to enter the war with Germany (1939) and was defeated);
• British states;
• Poland;
• Czechoslovakia (at the time of the outbreak of hostilities, in fact, no longer existed as a single state);
• Netherlands;
• Belgium;
• Luxembourg;
• Denmark;
• Norway;
• Greece;
• Monaco (despite neutrality, was alternately occupied by Italy and Germany);
• Albania;
• Argentina;
• Chile;
• Brazil;
• Bolivia;
• Venezuela;
• Colombia;
• Peru;
• Ecuador;
• Dominican Republic;
• Guatemala;
• Salvador;
• Costa Rica;
• Panama;
• Mexico;
• Honduras;
• Nicaragua;
• Haiti;
• Cuba;
• Uruguay;
• Paraguay;
• Türkiye;
• Bahrain;
• Saudi Arabia;
• Iran;
• Iraq;
• Nepal;
• China;
• Mongolia;
• Egypt;
• Liberia;
• Ethiopia;
• Tuva.

It is difficult to underestimate the breadth of the scope of such a colossal tragedy as the Second World War. The number of participants in the largest armed conflict of the 20th century was 62 countries. This is a very high figure, considering that at that time there were only 72 independent states. In principle, there were no countries that were not affected by this grand event at all, even though ten of them declared their neutrality. Neither the memoirs of World War II participants or concentration camp victims, nor even more so history textbooks, can convey the full scale of the tragedy. But the current generation should remember well the mistakes of the past so as not to repeat them in the future.

The troops of Romania, Hungary, Italy, Finland, Slovakia, and Croatia fought on the side of Germany in the war against the USSR. In addition, volunteer units of the Spaniards, Belgians, Dutch, French, Danes, and Norwegians fought on the side of Germany against the USSR.

Romania

Romania declared war on the USSR on June 22, 1941. Romania had the goal of returning Bessarabia and Bukovina, which were taken from it in June 1940, as well as annexing Transnistria (the territory from the Dniester to the Southern Bug).

The Romanian 3rd Army (mountain and cavalry corps) and the 4th Army (3 infantry corps) were intended for military operations against the USSR. total number about 220 thousand people.

From June 22, Romanian troops tried to seize bridgeheads on the eastern bank of the Prut River (at the same time, June 25-26, 1941, the Soviet Danube flotilla landed troops on Romanian territory, Soviet aircraft and ships Black Sea Fleet bombed and shelled Romanian oil fields and other objects).

Romanian troops began active hostilities by crossing the Prut River on July 2, 1941. By July 26, Romanian troops occupied the territories of Bessarabia and Bukovina.

Then the Romanian 3rd Army advanced in Ukraine, crossed the Dnieper in September and reached the coast Sea of ​​Azov. From the end of October 1941, units of the Romanian 3rd Army participated in the seizure of Crimea (together with the German 11th Army under the command of von Manstein).

From the beginning of August 1941, the Romanian 4th Army led an operation to capture Odessa. By September 10, 12 Romanian divisions and 5 brigades were assembled to capture Odessa, with a total number of up to 200 thousand people (as well as German units - an infantry regiment, an assault battalion and 2 heavy artillery regiments). After heavy fighting, Odessa was captured by Romanian troops on October 16, 1941. The losses of the Romanian 4th Army in this operation amounted to 29 thousand dead and missing and 63 thousand wounded.

In August 1942, the Romanian 3rd Army (3 cavalry and 1 mountain divisions) took part in the German offensive in the Caucasus.In August, Romanian cavalry divisions took Taman, Anapa, Novorossiysk (the latter together with German troops), the Romanian mountain division captured Nalchik in October 1942.

In the fall of 1942, Romanian troops occupied positions in the Stalingrad area (now Volgograd). Romanian 3rd Army (8 infantry and 2 cavalry divisions, totaling 150 thousand people) - a front section 140 km northwest of this city, Romanian 4th Army (5 infantry and 2 cavalry divisions, totaling 75 thousand people) - a section of the front 300 km south of it.

On November 19, 1942, the troops of two Soviet fronts went on the offensive, and on November 23 they formed an encirclement ring around Stalingrad, which included the German 6th Army, part of the troops of the German 4th Army, and the Romanian 6 infantry and 1 cavalry divisions. By the end of January 1943, the Romanian 3rd and 4th armies were practically destroyed - their total losses amounted to almost 160 thousand dead, missing and wounded.

At the beginning of 1943, 6 Romanian divisions, with a total strength of 65 thousand people, fought (as part of the German 17th Army) in the Kuban. In September 1943 these troops retreated to Crimea. In April-May 1944, Soviet troops captured Crimea. Romanian troops in Crimea lost more than a third of their personnel, the rest were evacuated by sea to Romania.

On August 23, 1944, a coup was carried out in Romania, and the Romanian army began to fight together with the Red Army against Germany and Hungary.

In total, up to 200 thousand Romanians(including 55 thousand died in Soviet captivity).

18 Romanians were awarded the German Knight's Cross, of whom three also received Oak Leaves for the Knight's Cross.

Italy

Italy declared war on the USSR on June 22, 1941. The motivation is Mussolini’s initiative, proposed since January 1940 - a “pan-European campaign against Bolshevism.” At the same time, Italy had no territorial claims to any zone of occupation of the USSR.

The Italian Expeditionary Force for the war against the USSR was created on July 10, 1941, consisting of one cavalry and two infantry divisions, with corps artillery and two air groups (reconnaissance and fighter).

In total, there were 62 thousand soldiers and officers in the corps. There were 220 guns, 60 machine-gun tankettes, aviation - 50 fighters and 20 reconnaissance aircraft.

The corps was sent to the southern section of the German-Soviet front (through Austria, Hungary, Romania), for operations in the south of Ukraine.

First clash between the advanced units of the Italian corps and units of the Red Army occurred on August 10, 1941, on the Southern Bug River. In September 1941, the Italian corps fought on the Dnieper, in a 100-km section in the area Dneprodzerzhinsk.

In October-November 1941, the Italian corps participated in the German offensive to capture Donbass. Then, until July 1942, the Italians stood on the defensive, fighting local battles with units of the Red Army.

The losses of the Italian corps from August 1941 to June 1942 were: more than 1,600 dead, more than 400 missing, almost 6,300 wounded, more than 3,600 frostbitten.

In July 1942, Italian troops on the territory of the USSR were significantly strengthened. The 8th Italian Army was formed, consisting of 3 corps (a total of 10 divisions, the total number of the army reached 230 thousand people in September 1942, 940 guns, 31 light tanks (20 mm gun), 19 self-propelled guns (47 mm gun ), aviation - 41 fighters and 23 reconnaissance aircraft).

In the fall of 1942, the Italian army occupied positions on the Don River (an area of ​​more than 250 km), northwest of Stalingrad (now Volgograd). In December 1942 - January 1943, the Italians repelled the offensive of the Red Army. As a result, the Italian army was virtually defeated - 21 thousand Italians died, 64 thousand were missing.

The remaining 145 thousand Italians were withdrawn to Italy in March 1943.

Italian losses in the USSR from August 1941 to February 1943 amounted to about 90 thousand dead and missing. According to Soviet data, 49 thousand Italians were captured, of which 21 thousand Italians were released from Soviet captivity in 1946-1956. Thus, in total, about 70 thousand Italians.

9 Italians were awarded the German Knight's Cross.

Finland

On June 25, 1941, Soviet aviation bombed settlements Finland. On June 26, Finland declared itself in a state of war with the USSR. Finland intended to return the territories taken from it in March 1940, as well as annex Karelia.

On June 30, 1941, Finnish troops (11 infantry divisions and 4 brigades, totaling about 150 thousand people) went on the offensive in the direction of Vyborg and Petrozavodsk. By the end of August 1941, the Finns reached the approaches to Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) on ​​the Karelian Isthmus, and by the beginning of October 1941 they occupied almost the entire territory of Karelia (except for the coast of the White Sea and Zaonezhye), after which they went on the defensive at the achieved lines.

From the end of 1941 to the summer of 1944, there were practically no military operations on the Soviet-Finnish front, except for raids by Soviet partisans (formed from conscripts from the Ural region) into the territory of Karelia and bombings of Finnish settlements by Soviet aircraft.

On June 9, 1944, Soviet troops (totaling up to 500 thousand people) went on the offensive against the Finns (16 infantry divisions, about 200 thousand people). During heavy fighting that lasted until August 1944, Soviet troops took Petrozavodsk, Vyborg and in one section reached the Soviet-Finnish border in March 1940. On August 29, 1944, Soviet troops went on the defensive.

On September 1, 1944, Marshal Mannerheim proposed a truce; on September 4, Stalin agreed to a truce. After which Finnish troops retreated to the border in March 1940.

Died in the war against the USSR 54 thousand Finns.

2 Finns were awarded the German Knight's Cross, including Marshal Mannerheim who received the Oak Leaves for the Knight's Cross.

Hungary

Hungary declared war on the USSR on June 27, 1941, after Soviet aircraft bombed Hungarian settlements. Hungary had no territorial claims to the USSR, the motivation was “revenge on the Bolsheviks for the communist revolution of 1919 in Hungary.”

On July 1, 1941, Hungary sent the “Carpathian Group” (5 brigades, totaling 40 thousand people) to the war against the USSR, which fought as part of the German 17th Army in Ukraine.

In July 1941, the group was divided - 2 infantry brigades began to serve as rear guards, and the “fast corps” (2 motorized and 1 cavalry brigades, a total of 25 thousand people, with several dozen light tanks and wedges) continued to advance.

By November 1941, the “fast corps” suffered heavy losses - up to 12 thousand killed, missing and wounded, all tankettes and almost all light tanks were lost. The corps was returned to Hungary. At the same time, the Hungarian 4 infantry and 2 cavalry brigades (with a total number of 60 thousand people) remained at the front and in the rear areas.

In April 1942, the Hungarian 2nd Army (about 200 thousand people) was sent to the war against the USSR. In June 1942, it went on the offensive in the Voronezh direction, as part of the German offensive on the southern sector of the German-Soviet front.

In January 1943, the Hungarian 2nd Army was practically destroyed during the Soviet offensive (up to 100 thousand dead and up to 60 thousand captured, most of them wounded). In May 1943, the remnants of the army (about 40 thousand people) were withdrawn to Hungary.

In the fall of 1944, all Hungarian armed forces (three armies) fought against the Red Army, already on the territory of Hungary. The fighting in Hungary ended in April 1945, but some Hungarian units continued to fight in Austria until the German surrender on May 8, 1945.

More than 200 thousand Hungarians(including 55 thousand who died in Soviet captivity).

8 Hungarians were awarded the German Knight's Cross.

Slovakia

Slovakia took part in the war against the USSR as part of the “pan-European campaign against Bolshevism.” She had no territorial claims to the USSR. 2 Slovak divisions were sent to the war against the USSR.

One division (consisting of 2 infantry regiments, an artillery regiment, a battalion of light tanks, numbering 8 thousand people) fought in Ukraine in 1941, in the Kuban in 1942, and performed security functions in the Crimea in 1943-1944.

Another division (consisting of 2 infantry regiments and an artillery regiment, 8 thousand people) performed security functions in Ukraine in 1941-1942, and in Belarus in 1943-1944.

3.5 thousand Slovaks.

Croatia

Croatia took part in the war against the USSR as part of the “pan-European campaign against Bolshevism.” She had no territorial claims to the USSR.

1 volunteer Croatian regiment (3 infantry battalions and 1 artillery battalion, with a total number of 3.9 thousand people) was sent to the war against the USSR. The regiment arrived at the front in October 1941. Fought in the Donbass, and in 1942 in Stalingrad (now Volgograd). By February 1943, the Croatian regiment was practically destroyed - about 700 Croats were taken prisoner by the Soviets.

About 2 thousand Croats.

Spain

Spain did not officially declare war against the USSR, but organized the sending of one volunteer division to the front. The motivation is revenge for the Comintern's sending of the International Brigades to Spain during the Civil War.

The Spanish division (18 thousand people) was sent to the northern section of the German-Soviet front. From October 1941 - she fought in the Volkhov region, from August 1942 - near Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). In October 1943, the division was returned to Spain, but about 2 thousand volunteers remained to fight in the Spanish Legion ( three-battalion composition). The Legion was disbanded in March 1944, but about 300 Spaniards wished to fight further, and 2 companies of SS troops were formed from them, fighting against the Red Army until the end of the war.

About 5 thousand Spaniards(452 Spaniards were captured by the Soviets).

2 Spaniards were awarded the German Knight's Cross, including one who received the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross.

Belgium

In 1941, two volunteer legions were formed in Belgium for the war against the USSR. They differed in ethnicity - Flemish and Walloon, both of battalion size. In the fall of 1941 they were sent to the German-Soviet front - the Walloon Legion to the southern sector (Rostov-on-Don, then Kuban), the Flemish Legion to the northern sector (Volkhov).

In June 1943, both legions were reorganized into brigades of SS troops - the volunteer brigade of the SS troops "Langemarck" and the volunteer assault brigade of the SS troops "Wallonia". In October, the brigades were renamed into divisions (remaining the same composition - 2 infantry regiments each). At the end of the war, both the Flemings and Walloons fought against the Red Army in Pomerania.

About 5 thousand Belgians(2 thousand Belgians were taken prisoner by the Soviets).

4 Belgians were awarded the German Knight's Cross, including one who received the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross.

Netherlands

The Dutch Volunteer Legion (a motorized battalion of 5 companies) was formed in July 1941.

In January 1942, the Dutch Legion arrived on the northern section of the German-Soviet front, in the Volkhov area. Then the legion was transferred to Leningrad (now St. Petersburg).

In May 1943, the Dutch Legion was reorganized into the volunteer SS brigade "Netherlands" (consisting of two motorized regiments and other units, with a total number of 9 thousand people).

In 1944, one of the regiments of the Dutch brigade was practically destroyed in the battles near Narva. In the fall of 1944, the brigade retreated to Courland, and in January 1945 it was evacuated to Germany by sea.

In February 1945, the brigade was renamed a division, although its strength was greatly reduced due to losses. By May 1945, the Dutch division was practically destroyed in battles against the Red Army.

About 8 thousand Dutch(more than 4 thousand Dutch were taken prisoner by the Soviets).

4 Dutchmen were awarded the German Knight's Cross.

France

The French Volunteer Legion for the war against the Bolsheviks was created in July 1941.

In October 1941, the French Legion (an infantry regiment of 2.5 thousand people) was sent to the German-Soviet front, in the Moscow direction. The French suffered heavy losses there, and from the spring of 1942 to the summer of 1944, the legion was removed from the front and sent to fight against Soviet partisans in the rear.

In the summer of 1944, the French legion actually found itself on the front line again (as a result of the Red Army's offensive in Belarus), again suffered heavy losses and was withdrawn to Germany.

In September 1944, the French volunteer legion was disbanded, and a French brigade of SS troops (numbering more than 7 thousand people) was created in its place.

In February 1945, the French SS brigade was renamed the 33rd SS Grenadier Division "Charlemagne" ("Charlemagne") and sent to the front in Pomerania against Soviet troops. In March 1945, the French division was almost destroyed.

The remnants of the French division (about 700 people) defended themselves in Berlin at the end of April 1945.

About 8 thousand French(not counting the Alsatians drafted into the Wehrmacht).

3 Frenchmen were awarded the German Knight's Cross.

Denmark

The Danish government (social democratic) did not declare war on the USSR, but did not interfere with the formation of the Danish volunteer corps, and officially allowed members of the Danish army to join it (indefinite leave with retention of rank).

In July-December 1941, more than 1 thousand people joined the Danish volunteer corps (the name “corps” was symbolic, in fact – a battalion). In May 1942, the Danish corps was sent to the front, to the Demyansk area. Since December 1942, the Danes fought in the Velikiye Luki region.

At the beginning of June 1943, the Danish Volunteer Corps was disbanded, many of its members, as well as new volunteers, joined the Danemark regiment of the 11th SS Volunteer Division Nordland (Danish-Norwegian division). In January 1944, the division was sent to Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). Then she took part in the battle of Narva. In January 1945, the division fought against the Red Army in Pomerania, and in April 1945 there were battles in Berlin.

About 2 thousand Danes(456 Danes were captured by the Soviets).

3 Danes were awarded the German Knight's Cross.

Norway

The Norwegian government in July 1941 announced the formation of the Norwegian Volunteer Legion to be sent to help Finland in the war against the USSR.

In February 1942, after training in Germany, the Norwegian Legion (1 battalion, numbering 1.2 thousand people) was sent to the German-Soviet front, near Leningrad (now St. Petersburg).

In May 1943, the Norwegian Legion was disbanded, most of its fighters joined the Norwegian regiment of the 11th SS Volunteer Division Nordland (Danish-Norwegian division). In January 1944, the division was sent to Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). Then she took part in the battle of Narva. In January 1945, the division fought against the Red Army in Pomerania, and in April 1945 there were battles in Berlin.

About 1 thousand Norwegians(100 Norwegians were taken prisoner by the Soviets).

On September 2, 1945, the Second World War ended with the surrender of Japan. World War- the largest armed conflict in human history, which claimed tens of millions of lives.

When they talk about the countries participating in the war, they first of all remember the leading three of the anti-Hitler coalition (USSR, USA, Great Britain) and the triumvirate of aggressors - Germany, Italy and Japan.

In fact, dozens of states were involved in the war to one degree or another. At the same time, some officially managed to take part in the Second World War on both sides.

Italy

Fascist state led by Benito Mussolini pursued an aggressive policy even before the official start of World War II. In 1936, the Italian army captured Ethiopia. In April 1939, Albania was occupied.

On June 10, 1940, Italy declared war on France and Great Britain, officially becoming a party to the conflict and Germany's closest ally. In June 1941, together with the Third Reich, Italy declared war Soviet Union.

Military failures and heavy losses made Mussolini's regime extremely unstable by 1943.

After the Allies captured Sicily, a coup took place in Rome on July 25, 1943, as a result of which the Duce was removed from power.

The Royal Government of Italy, which concluded a truce with the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition, declared war on Germany and the Axis countries on October 13, 1943. The Italian army fought against German troops in 1943-1945 on the side of the anti-Hitler coalition in Italy and the Balkans.

At the same time, by order Hitler the territory of Northern and Central Italy was occupied by German troops, and Mussolini was liberated by German saboteurs. A puppet Italian Social Republic was created in the occupied territories, which formally continued to fight on the side of Germany until April 1945.

Romania

Before the outbreak of World War II, Romania was in allied relations with France, but after its defeat it became closer to Germany. This, however, did not save the country from territorial concessions - in June 1940, Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina were transferred to the Soviet Union, and in August Hungary received Northern Transylvania.

These losses did not prevent the strengthening of Romanian-German ties. Dictatorial regime Jonah Antonescu expected to achieve the implementation of ideas " Greater Romania"as a result of the expected Soviet-German war in the future.

In June 1941, Romania not only acted as a springboard for German units that invaded Germany, but itself declared war on the USSR.

Romanian troops took an active part in the battles in Ukraine, the Battle of Odessa, the Battle of Sevastopol, the Battle of the Caucasus and the Battle of Stalingrad.

With the approval of Germany, Bessarabia, Bukovina and the area between the Dniester and Southern Bug rivers came under the control of Romania. On these lands the Bukovina Governorate, the Bessarabian Governorate and Transnistria were established.

The turning point in the war for Romania was the battle for Stalingrad, the total losses of which exceeded 150 thousand people. Dissatisfaction with the regime of Ion Antonescu began to grow in the country.

A series of defeats for the German army and its rapid rollback to the West led to the fact that by the summer of 1944, most of the USSR territories captured by Romania were lost to it, and the war moved directly to Romanian lands.

On August 23, 1944, King Michael I and opposition parties overthrew the Antonescu regime. Romania went over to the side of the anti-Hitler coalition, declaring war on Hungary and Germany. In the final part of the Second World War, the Romanian army carried out operations against its former allies, and King Michael I was awarded Soviet order“Victory” with the wording “For the courageous act of a decisive turn in the policy of Romania towards a break with Nazi Germany and an alliance with the United Nations at a time when the defeat of Germany had not yet been clearly determined.”

Bulgaria

Military-political cooperation between Nazi Germany and Bulgaria began in the mid-1930s. At the beginning of World War II Bulgarian Tsar Boris III provided the country's territory for the transit of Hitler's troops and their allies.

Units of the Bulgarian army did not take part in active hostilities against Greece and Yugoslavia, but were involved in the occupation of the territories of these countries.

After the attack on the USSR in June 1941, Hitler repeatedly demanded that Tsar Boris send Bulgarian troops to the Eastern Front. However, fearing the growth of pro-Russian sentiments, the tsar avoided fulfilling this demand and Bulgaria nominally did not participate in Germany’s war against the USSR.

On December 13, 1941, Tsar Boris III gave in to German demands, and Bulgaria declared war on the United States and Great Britain.

Throughout the war, pro-Soviet sentiments were strong on Bulgarian territory and the communist underground was active. As the Red Army approached the country's borders, demands for an exit from the war began to sound increasingly louder.

Tsar Boris tried to break the alliance with Germany, but on August 28, 1943, after visiting Hitler's headquarters, he died suddenly. His successors tried to continue the pro-German course, but their positions became increasingly weaker.

On September 8, 1944, a coup took place in Bulgaria, during which pro-Soviet forces came to power. In the final period of World War II, the Bulgarian army took part in hostilities against Germany in Yugoslavia, Hungary and Austria, including the Belgrade operation and the Battle of Lake Balaton. As a result of the fighting of the Bulgarian troops, German troops lost 69 thousand military personnel killed and captured.

Finland

In 1939-1940, an armed conflict broke out between the USSR and Finland, which resulted in the Finns losing a significant part of their territory.

According to a number of historians, this conflict was part of the Second World War, although the USSR categorically disagreed with this, considering the Soviet-Finnish war to be a separate confrontation.

Finland had close relations with Great Britain and France, however, these countries, having provided technical assistance to Helsinki, did not intervene militarily in the confrontation with the USSR.

After this, the Finnish authorities began to expand ties with the Third Reich.

In June 1941, the Finnish army, together with the Wehrmacht, invaded the territory of the USSR. Finnish units participated most actively in the war in the north of the USSR, where they not only returned previous territories, but also captured new ones. The Finnish army took part in the siege of Leningrad.

After Germany's defeat at Stalingrad, sentiment in Finland began to change in favor of a decision to withdraw from the war. However, it was not adopted until September 1944, when, under the attacks of Soviet troops, Finland was under the threat of not only new territorial losses, but also complete defeat.

On September 19, 1944, the Moscow Armistice was signed in Moscow between Finland, the USSR and Great Britain, according to which Finland left the war and assumed obligations to begin military operations against German troops on its territory.

In accordance with its obligations, Finland began military operations against German troops based in the north of the country. The conflict, known as the Lapland War, continued until the end of April 1945.

Iraq

After England's defeats in Europe and North Africa at the beginning of World War II, Iraqi Prime Minister Rashid Ali al-Gailani, head of Iraqi General Staff Amin Zaki Suleiman and the pro-German nationalist group "Golden Square", led by Colonels Salah ad-Din al-Sabah, Mahmoud Salman, Fahmy Said And Kamil Chabib, April 1, 1941 carried out a military coup against Great Britain.

Almost the entire territory of the country came under the control of the new government, with the exception of British military bases.

On April 17, Rashid Ali, on behalf of the Government of National Defense, addressed fascist Germany for military assistance in the event of war with Britain.

On May 1, 1941, an armed conflict began between Iraq and Great Britain. The Iraqi authorities turned to Berlin for help and received it, but it turned out to be insufficient for successful resistance.

By the end of May, Britain had defeated the Iraqi army, and the government of Rashid Ali fled through Iran to Germany.

On 31 May 1941, the mayor of Baghdad signed an armistice between Britain and Iraq in the presence of British Ambassador. British land and air Force occupied the most important strategic points in Iraq.

In January 1943, Iraq, effectively under British occupation, formally declared war on Nazi Germany.

According to some, during the Great Patriotic War, a million Soviet citizens went to fight under the tricolor flag. Sometimes they even talk about two million Russians who fought against the Bolshevik regime, but here they probably also count 700 thousand emigrants. These figures are cited for a reason - they serve as an argument for the assertion that the Great Patriotic War is the essence of the Second Civil War of the Russian people against the hated Stalin. What can I say?

If it really happened that a million Russians stood under the tricolor banner and fought tooth and nail against the Red Army for a free Russia, shoulder to shoulder with their German allies, then we would have no choice but to admit that yes, The Great Patriotic War truly became the Second Civil War for the Russian people. But was it so?

To figure out whether this is true or not, you need to answer several questions: how many of them were there, who were they, how did they get into the service, how and with whom did they fight, and what motivated them?

Cooperation between Soviet citizens and the occupiers took place in different forms, both in terms of the degree of voluntariness and the degree of involvement in the armed struggle - from the Baltic SS volunteers who fought fiercely near Narva, to the “Ostarbeiters” forcibly driven to Germany. I believe that even the most stubborn anti-Stalinists will not be able to enroll the latter in the ranks of fighters against the Bolshevik regime without crooking their souls. Typically, these ranks include those who received rations from the German military or police department, or held in their hands what they received from the hands of the Germans or pro-German local government.

That is, the maximum number of potential fighters against the Bolsheviks includes:
foreign military units of the Wehrmacht and SS;
eastern security battalions;
Wehrmacht construction units;
Wehrmacht support personnel, they are also “our Ivans” or Hiwi (Hilfswilliger: “voluntary helpers”);
auxiliary police units (“noise” - Schutzmannshaften);
border guard;
“air defense assistants” mobilized to Germany through youth organizations;

HOW MANY ARE THERE?

We will probably never know the exact numbers, since no one really counted them, but some estimates are available to us. A lower estimate can be obtained from the archives of the former NKVD - until March 1946, 283,000 “Vlasovites” and other collaborators in uniform were transferred to the authorities. The upper estimate can probably be taken from Drobyazko’s works, which serve as the main source of figures for proponents of the “Second Civil” version. According to his calculations (the method of which, unfortunately, he does not disclose), the following passed through the Wehrmacht, SS and various pro-German paramilitary and police forces during the war years:
250,000 Ukrainians
70,000 Belarusians
70,000 Cossacks
150,000 Latvians
90,000 Estonians
50,000 Lithuanians
70,000 Central Asians
12,000 Volga Tatars
10,000 Crimean Tatars
7,000 Kalmyks
40,000 Azerbaijanis
25,000 Georgians
20,000 Armenians
30,000 North Caucasian peoples

Since the total number of all former Soviet citizens who wore German and pro-German uniforms is estimated at 1.2 million, that leaves about 310,000 Russians (excluding Cossacks). There are, of course, other calculations that give a smaller total number, but let’s not waste time on trifles, let’s take Drobyazko’s estimate from above as the basis for further reasoning.

WHO WERE THEY?

Hiwi and construction battalion soldiers can hardly be considered civil war fighters. Of course, their work freed up German soldiers for the front, but this also applies to the “ostarbeiters” to the same extent. Sometimes hiwi received weapons and fought alongside the Germans, but such cases in the unit's combat logs are described more as a curiosity than as a mass phenomenon. It is interesting to count how many there were who actually held weapons in their hands.

The number of hiwi at the end of the war Drobiazko gives about 675,000, if we add construction units and take into account the loss during the war, then I think we will not be much mistaken in assuming that this category covers about 700-750,000 people out of a total of 1.2 million. This is consistent with with the share of non-combatants among the Caucasian peoples, in the calculation presented by the headquarters of the eastern troops at the end of the war. According to him, of the total number of 102,000 Caucasians who passed through the Wehrmacht and SS, 55,000 served in the legions, Luftwaffe and SS and 47,000 in hiwi and construction units. It should be taken into account that the share of Caucasians enrolled in combat units was higher than the share of Slavs.

So, out of 1.2 million who wore a German uniform, only 450-500 thousand did so while holding weapons. Let's now try to calculate the layout of the actual combat units of the eastern peoples.

75 Asian battalions (Caucasians, Turks and Tatars) were formed (80,000 people). Taking into account 10 Crimean police battalions (8,700), Kalmyks and special units, there are approximately 110,000 “combat” Asians out of a total of 215,000. This completely hits the Caucasians separately with the layout.

The Baltic states endowed the Germans with 93 police battalions (later partly consolidated into regiments), with a total number of 33,000 people. In addition, 12 border regiments (30,000) were formed, partly staffed by police battalions, followed by three SS divisions (15, 19 and 20) and two volunteer regiments, through which perhaps 70,000 men passed. Police and border regiments and battalions were partly recruited to form them. Taking into account the absorption of some units by others, in total about 100,000 Balts passed through the combat units.

In Belarus, 20 police battalions (5,000) were formed, of which 9 were considered Ukrainian. After the introduction of mobilization in March 1944, police battalions became part of the army of the Belarusian Central Rada. In total, the Belarusian Regional Defense (BKA) had 34 battalions, 20,000 people. Having retreated in 1944 along with German troops, these battalions were consolidated into the Siegling SS Brigade. Then, on the basis of the brigade, with the addition of Ukrainian “policemen”, the remnants of the Kaminsky brigade and even the Cossacks, the 30th SS Division was deployed, which was later used to staff the 1st Vlasov Division.

Galicia was once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and was seen as potentially German territory. It was separated from Ukraine, included in the Reich, as part of the General Government of Warsaw, and put in line for Germanization. On the territory of Galicia, 10 police battalions (5,000) were formed, and subsequently a recruitment of volunteers for the SS troops was announced. It is believed that 70,000 volunteers showed up at the recruiting sites, but so many were not needed. As a result, one SS division (14th) and five police regiments were formed. Police regiments were disbanded as needed and sent to replenish the division. Galicia's total contribution to the victory over Stalinism can be estimated at 30,000 people.

In the rest of Ukraine, 53 police battalions (25,000) were formed. It is known that a small part of them became part of the 30th SS Division, the fate of the rest is unknown to me. After the formation in March 1945 of the Ukrainian analogue of KONR - the Ukrainian National Committee - the Galician 14th SS Division was renamed the 1st Ukrainian and the formation of the 2nd began. It was formed from volunteers of Ukrainian nationality recruited from various auxiliary formations; about 2,000 people were recruited.

About 90 security “ostbattalions” were formed from Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians, through which approximately 80,000 people passed, including the “Russian National People’s Army”, which was reformed into five security battalions. Among other Russian military formations, one can recall the 3,000-strong 1st Russian National SS Brigade of Gil (Rodionov), which went over to the side of the partisans, the approximately 6,000-strong “Russian National Army” of Smyslovsky and the army of Kaminsky (“Russian Liberation People's Army"), which arose as the so-called self-defense forces. Lokot Republic. Maximum estimates of the number of people who passed through Kaminsky’s army reach 20,000. After 1943, Kaminsky's troops retreated along with the German army and in 1944 an attempt was made to reorganize them into the 29th SS Division. For a number of reasons, the reformation was canceled, and the personnel were transferred to complete the 30th SS Division. At the beginning of 1945, the armed forces of the Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia (the Vlasov army) were created. The first army division is formed from the "ostbattalions" and the remnants of the 30th SS division. The second division is formed from “ost battalions”, and partly from volunteer prisoners of war. The number of Vlasovites before the end of the war is estimated at 40,000 people, of which about 30,000 were former SS men and former battalions. In total, the Wehrmacht and SS fought with weapons in their hands in different time about 120,000 Russians.

The Cossacks, according to Drobyazko’s calculations, fielded 70,000 people, let’s accept this figure.

HOW DID THEY GET INTO SERVICE?

Initially, the eastern units were staffed with volunteers from among prisoners of war and the local population. Since the summer of 1942, the principle of recruitment of the local population has changed from voluntary to voluntary-forced - an alternative to voluntary joining the police is forced deportation to Germany, as an “Ostarbeiter”. By the fall of 1942, undisguised coercion began. Drobyazko, in his dissertation, talks about raids on men in the Shepetivka area: those caught were offered a choice between joining the police or being sent to a camp. Since 1943, mandatory military service in various “self-defense” units of the Reichskommissariat “Ostland”. In the Baltic states, SS units and border guards were recruited through mobilization since 1943.

HOW AND WHO DID THEY FIGHT?

Initially, the Slavic eastern units were created for security service. In this capacity, they were supposed to replace the Wehrmacht security battalions, which were sucked out of the rear zone like a vacuum cleaner by the needs of the front. At first, soldiers of the eastern battalions guarded warehouses and railways, but as the situation became more complicated, they began to be involved in anti-partisan operations. The involvement of the eastern battalions in the fight against the partisans contributed to their disintegration. If in 1942 the number of “ost-battalion members” who went over to the partisan side was relatively small (although this year the Germans were forced to disband the RNNA due to massive defections), then in 1943 14 thousand fled to the partisans (and this is very, very quite a lot, with the average number of eastern units in 1943 being about 65,000 people). The Germans did not have any strength to observe the further decomposition of the eastern battalions, and in October 1943 the remaining eastern units were sent to France and Denmark (disarming 5-6 thousand volunteers as unreliable). There they were included as 3 or 4 battalions in the regiments of the German divisions.

Slavic eastern battalions, with rare exceptions, were not used in battles on the eastern front. In contrast, a significant number of Asian Ostbattalions were involved in the first line of advancing German troops during the Battle of the Caucasus. The results of the battles were contradictory - some performed well, others, on the contrary, turned out to be infected with deserter sentiments and produced a large percentage of defectors. By the beginning of 1944, most of the Asian battalions also found themselves on the Western Wall. Those who remained in the East were brought together into the Eastern Turkic and Caucasian SS formations and were involved in the suppression of the Warsaw and Slovak uprisings.

In total, by the time of the Allied invasion, 72 Slavic, Asian and Cossack battalions with a total number of about 70 thousand people had been assembled in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. In general, the remaining battalions performed poorly in battles with the allies (with some exceptions). Out of almost 8.5 thousand. irrecoverable losses, 8 thousand were missing, that is, most of them were deserters and defectors. After this, the remaining battalions were disarmed and involved in fortification work on the Siegfried Line. Subsequently, they were used to form units of the Vlasov army.

In 1943, Cossack units were also withdrawn from the east. The most combat-ready formation of the Germans Cossack troops- von Panwitz’s 1st Cossack Division, formed in the summer of 1943, went to Yugoslavia to deal with Tito’s partisans. There they gradually gathered all the Cossacks, expanding the division into a corps. The division took part in battles on Eastern Front in 1945, fighting mainly against the Bulgarians.

The Baltic States gave greatest number troops to the front - in addition to three SS divisions, separate police regiments and battalions took part in the battles. The 20th Estonian SS Division was defeated near Narva, but was subsequently restored and managed to take part in last battles war. The Latvian 15th and 19th SS divisions came under attack from the Red Army in the summer of 1944 and could not withstand the attack. Large levels of desertion and loss of combat capability are reported. As a result, the 15th Division, having transferred its most reliable composition to the 19th, was withdrawn to the rear for use in the construction of fortifications. The second time it was used in battle was in January 1945, in East Prussia, after which it was again withdrawn to the rear. She managed to surrender to the Americans. The 19th remained in Courland until the end of the war.

Belarusian policemen and those freshly mobilized into the BKA in 1944 were collected in the 30th SS Division. After its formation, the division was transferred to France in September 1944, where it took part in battles with the Allies. Suffered heavy losses mainly from desertion. Belarusians ran over to the allies in droves and continued the war in Polish units. In December, the division was disbanded, and the remaining personnel were transferred to staff the 1st Vlasov Division.

The Galician 14th SS Division, barely sniffing gunpowder, was surrounded near Brody and almost completely destroyed. Although she was quickly restored, she no longer took part in battles at the front. One of her regiments was involved in suppressing the Slovak uprising, after which she went to Yugoslavia to fight Tito’s partisans. Since Yugoslavia is not far from Austria, the division managed to surrender to the British.

The KONR armed forces were formed in early 1945. Although the 1st Vlasov division was staffed almost entirely by punitive veterans, many of whom had already been to the front, Vlasov brainwashed Hitler by demanding more time for preparation. In the end, the division still managed to move to the Oder Front, where it took part in one attack against Soviet troops on April 13. The very next day, the division commander, Major General Bunyachenko, ignoring the protests of his German immediate superior, withdrew the division from the front and went to join the rest of Vlasov’s army in the Czech Republic. The Vlasov army carried out the second battle against its ally, attacking German troops in Prague on May 5.

WHAT MOVED THEM?

The driving motives were completely different.

Firstly, among the eastern troops one can distinguish national separatists who fought to create their own nation state or at least a privileged province of the Reich. This includes the Baltic states, Asian legionnaires and Galicians. The creation of units of this kind has a long tradition - remember, for example, the Czechoslovak Corps or the Polish Legion in the First World War. These would fight against the central government, no matter who sat in Moscow - the tsar, the secretary general or the popularly elected president.

Secondly, there were ideological and stubborn opponents of the regime. This may include the Cossacks (although their motives were partly national-separatist), part of the personnel of the eastern battalions, and a significant part of the officer corps of the KONR troops.

Thirdly, we can name opportunists who bet on the winner, those who joined the Reich during the victories of the Wehrmacht, but fled to the partisans after the defeat at Kursk and continued to run away at the first opportunity. These probably made up a significant part of the eastern battalions and local police. There were some from that side of the front, as can be seen from the change in the number of defectors to the Germans in 1942-44:
1942 79,769
1943 26,108
1944 9,207

Fourthly, these were people who hoped to break out of the camp and, at a convenient opportunity, go to their own. It’s hard to say how many of these there were, but sometimes there were enough for a whole battalion.

AND WHAT DOES IT END UP?

But the picture that emerges is completely different from those painted by ardent anti-communists. Instead of one (or even two) million Russians united under the tricolor flag in the fight against the hateful Stalinist regime, there is a very motley (and clearly not reaching a million) company of Balts, Asians, Galicians and Slavs, each fighting for their own. And mainly not with the Stalinist regime, but with the partisans (and not only Russians, but also Yugoslav, Slovak, French, Polish), Western allies, and even with the Germans in general. Doesn't look much like civil war, is not it? Well, perhaps we can use these words to describe the struggle between partisans and policemen, but the policemen fought not under a tricolor flag, but with a swastika on their sleeves.

For the sake of fairness, it should be noted that until the end of 1944, until the formation of KONR and its armed forces, the Germans did not provide the opportunity for Russian anti-communists to fight for the national idea, for a Russia without communists. It can be assumed that if they had allowed this earlier, “under the tricolor flag” they would have united more people, especially since there were still plenty of opponents of the Bolsheviks in the country. But this is “would” and besides, my grandmother said it in two. But in reality, no “millions under the tricolor flag” were observed.

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