2.1 The beginning of the war of Germany against the USSR. The collapse of Hitler's "Lightning War" strategy

At dawn on June 22, fascist Germany attacked the Soviet Union without declaring war. It was still dark, armadas of airships rose from German airfields, crossed the borders on a wide front from the Baltic to the Black Seas and rushed to the east.

One of the first to take over the air strike was the main base Black Sea Fleet- Sevastopol. An enemy attempt by a surprise raid to disable warships and mine the exit from Severnaya Bay into the sea was thwarted by parts of the air defense of the city and the fleet. Failed to damage the bases and the Red Banner Baltic Fleet.

Events unfolded differently in the land theater of operations. The aviation units of the districts did not have time to disperse and camouflage their aircraft and suffered heavy losses from sudden attacks by the enemy, who had gained air supremacy. The troops of the Soviet Army lost reliable air cover.

The nature and results of hostilities in the first days of the war were decisively affected by the unpreparedness of the USSR for war. The suddenness of the attack by the German troops had a strong psychological impact on the fighters and commanders.

The enemy in the first battles in the directions of his main attacks outnumbered the Soviet troops in terms of the number of people by 3-5 times, guns and mortars - more than 3 times and had an absolute superiority in tanks. His aircraft dominated the air. Such superiority provided the enemy’s tank and motorized divisions with the opportunity on the first day of the war to move deep into Soviet territory 35, and in some places even 50 km.

The situation in the border military districts was difficult on June 22, 1941. The capacity of the railways in the new border regions that became part of the USSR, starting from 1939, was three to four times lower than on the German side. The construction of fortifications along the new frontiers was also in June 1941 only at an early stage.

In the Smolensk region, for the first time, Soviet troops managed to stop the lightning-fast offensive of the Germans for at least only two months. But thereby the maneuvering freedom of the German high command, moreover, in the direction of the main attack, aimed directly at Moscow, was severely constrained, and the deadlines set by him, which were of paramount importance, were frustrated.

The command of the Red Army brought in reserves on a wide front from Velikiye Luki to Mozyr, which, with their contacts, successfully delayed the German offensive. Although Smolensk itself fell, fighting continued in the city area, throughout the second half of July and throughout August, the Germans failed to break through the front, which was firmly stabilized about 30-40 km east of Smolensk, along the Yartsevo - Yelnya - Desna line.

The battle of Smolensk was one of the turning points of the war. The Red Army stopped the German "blitzkrieg" and forced Hitler to change his plans.

Simultaneously with the battle of Smolensk, the Red Army waged defensive battles in other directions. Fierce fighting unfolded over the Moonsund Islands.

By the end of August, German troops reached the nearest approaches to Leningrad and, together with the Finnish troops advancing from the north, on September 8 blockaded the city.

Communication with Leningrad became possible only by air and via Lake Ladoga. By September 26, it was possible to stop the advance of the Nazis.

The front stabilized along the line Coal pier, Pulkovskie heights, Pushkin, south of Kolpino and along the Neva to Lake Ladoga; on the Karelian Isthmus - along the line of the state border of 1939, to the north of Lake Ladoga, Finnish troops reached the Svir River. Kyiv and almost all of Right-Bank Ukraine were captured by the enemy. To restore in the south, the Headquarters had to use up a significant part of the strategic reserves, and the fascist command was able to reinforce the Center group again to resume the offensive against Moscow.

On the southern wing of the front, the Separate Maritime Army, cut off from the rest of the Red Army, was assigned to Odessa in early August. The Nazis sought at any cost to take this largest economic center, a trading port in the south of the country and one of the bases of the Black Sea Fleet.

At the end of September 1941, the Headquarters decided to leave Odessa due to the deteriorating situation of Soviet troops in the Crimea and the need to strengthen its defenses. By mid-October, the evacuation of the civilian population and industrial equipment from Odessa was completed.

2.2 Defense of Moscow

The operation to seize Moscow was codenamed "Typhoon".

On the way to Moscow, the fascist command concentrated three field armies, three tank groups and a large number of reinforcement units in three strike groups - a total of 77.5 divisions (more than 1 million people), almost 14.5 thousand guns and mortars and 1700 tanks. Air support for the ground forces was carried out by the 2nd Air Fleet and the 8th Aviation Corps, which had 950 combat aircraft. The troops were commanded by Field Marshal Bock, Kluge, Generals Strauss, Guderian, Goth and others.

The first operation "Typhoon" was launched by the southern strike force from enemy areas. On September 30, she struck at the troops of the Bryansk Front from the Shostka-Glukhov region in the direction of Orel and around Bryansk from the southeast.

On October 2, the remaining two groups from the regions of Dukhovshchina and Roslavl went on the offensive. Their attacks were directed in converging directions to Vyazma in order to cover the main forces of the Western and Reserve fronts. Deep breakthroughs of enemy tank groups, their encirclement of significant forces on three fronts, the incomplete construction of lines and the absence of troops on the Mozhaisk line of defense - all this created a threat of access to Moscow.

On the night of October 5, the State Defense Committee decided to defend Moscow. The Mozhaisk line of defense was determined as the main line of resistance, where all forces and means were urgently sent. At the same time, it was decided to concentrate the efforts of all state bodies and public organizations on the speedy creation of new strategic reserves in the depths of the country, their arming and training for combat.

To improve the front-line situation and assist the headquarters of the Western and Reserve fronts in establishing control and creating a new grouping of forces to repel the enemy, representatives of the State Defense and Headquarters Committee V.M. Molotov, K.E. Voroshilov and A.M. Vasilevsky. They sent up to five divisions from among the retreating troops to the Mozhaisk line. The headquarters took measures to transfer forces from other fronts and from the depths of the country. Three rifle and two tank divisions hurried from the Far East to Moscow.

On October 10, the State Defense Committee, at the suggestion of a group of its representatives, united the command and control of the troops of the Western and Reserve fronts in one hand. Their troops were included in the Western Front, headed by G.K. Zhukov, who had previously commanded the Leningrad Front. N.A. remained a member of the Military Council of the front. Bulganin, the chief of staff of the front - General V.D. Sokolovsky. It was decided to build another line of defense on the immediate approaches to the capital - the Moscow zone.

By October 10, a fierce struggle unfolded at the front from the upper reaches of the Volga to Lgov. German troops captured Sychevka, Gzhatsk, reached the approaches to Kaluga, fought in the Bryansk region, near Mtsensk, on the outskirts of Ponyri and Lgov. The greatest success in the following days was achieved by the northern shock group of the Wehrmacht troops, which on October 14 broke into the city of Kalinin. On October 17, the Headquarters created the Kalinin Front here under the command of General I.S. Konev.

On the morning of December 5, 1941, after artillery preparation, the troops of the Kalinin Front crossed the Volga on the ice and started fighting for Kalinin. The next day, the Western and Southwestern fronts went on the offensive.

All the forces of the 9th German Army were drawn into the struggle in the Kalinin direction, which, thus, turned out to be turned off from the attack on Moscow.

The defenders of Tula wrote a heroic page in the history of the Battle of Moscow. This city stood as an insurmountable obstacle in the way of the southern shock group of fascist troops. The troops of the 50th Army under the command of General A.N. Ermakov, the Tula Air Defense District, with the support of detachments of Tula workers, repelled all the attacks of the Nazis. This was the limit of the October offensive. To resume it, the Germans had to spend two weeks preparing. This pause was used by the Soviet command to further strengthen the fronts and strengthen the defenses on the nearest approaches to Moscow.

The bloody, exhausting struggle continued throughout the second half of November. North of Moscow, the Germans managed to break through to the Moscow-Volga canal and cross it in the Yakhroma region, in the south - bypass Tula from the east and go to Kashira.

On December 4-5, a decisive turning point occurred on the Moscow front. The enemy's advance bogged down. It became clear to the German - fascist command that Moscow could not be taken. As early as December 3, Halder pointed out that it was dangerous to stop the offensive and go over to the defensive.

The defensive period of the Battle of Moscow is over. This is how Hitler's "Typhoon" was pacified - the last bet of the Nazi generals to achieve the goals of the Barbarossa plan they had worked out.

Army Group Center suffered a heavy defeat. 23 infantry, 11 armored and 4 motorized divisions suffered significant losses. The enemy was thrown back from the capital far to the west.

A.M. Gorchakov - an outstanding diplomat of the 19th century

But, despite all the merits of Gorchakov, clouds were gathering over his head. Foreign Minister Nesselrode, with his intrigues, tried in every possible way to create trouble for Alexander Mikhailovich ...

The Great Patriotic War

The Great Patriotic War was the most difficult and bloody of all the wars ever experienced by the Soviet Union. However, she was not only dramatic...

Great Patriotic War, final stage

By the end of 1943, more than half of the territory occupied by the enemy had been liberated. But in his hands were still the Right-Bank Ukraine and a significant part of Belarus, the Crimea, Moldova, the entire Baltic ...

The foreign policy of the USSR in the 30s of the XX century

September 1, 1939 Germany attacked Poland. Poland's allies, Great Britain and France, declared war on Germany on 3 September. However, they did not provide real military assistance to the Polish government, which ensured A. Hitler a quick victory...

Second World War

After the defeat of Poland in Europe, a somewhat unusual situation developed, which went down in history under the name "strange war". The fact is that until April 1940 the Anglo-French coalition did not conduct active operations against Germany ...

World War II and the Great Patriotic War: victory - its price and lessons

World War II was not a surprise. Already in 1934, Adolf Hitler's book "Mein Kampf" was published, which, in essence, was its ideological premise. In the book, the Fuhrer declared the racial superiority of the Aryans ...

World War II: causes, participants, stages, results and consequences

In the process of preparing for the war, the fascist regime, having created an extensive and powerful apparatus, launched the ideological indoctrination of the population on an unprecedented scale. “After the Nazis came to power,” notes the Australian author E. Bramsted ...

Foreign intervention in the Russian Far East during the Civil War (1917-1922)

Mensheviks during the Civil War

The aggravation of the civil war and foreign intervention, the revolution in Germany and the process of international recognition of Bolshevik power - all this led to the further disintegration of Menshevism. In the autumn of 1918 something happened ...

Polybius: political portrait of Philip V

In 220, Philip arrived in Corinth, where a council was held, at which the allies of Macedon expressed all their grievances against the Aetolians. The Boeotians complained that the Aetolians in peacetime desecrated the temple of Athena Itonia...

The Polish question in the Russian Empire in the 18th century

During the period of aggravation of the political situation in the world in connection with the religious wars, Ukraine was, as a suffering party, at the epicenter of the most important European events. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Catholicism ...

The Spread of the Ideas of National Socialism in Germany in the Context of Foreign Policy (1918–1933)

At the end of World War I, it was liquidated German Empire. The German bourgeoisie looked at the formation of the Weimar Republic as a necessity, and made plans to revive the monarchy. Even before the end of hostilities...

Russia in World War II

By June 1941, the strength of the Soviet armed forces was over 5 million people: in the Ground Forces and the Air Defense Forces (Air Defense) - over 4.5 million, in the Air Force (Air Force) - 476 thousand, in the Naval Navy (Navy) - 344 thousand people ...

USSR in the Great Patriotic War

The prelude to any war is some kind of diplomatic activity. Planning for German aggression against the Soviet Union began long before the war. In 1933, Adolf Hitler became the new Chancellor of Germany...

The fate of Soviet prisoners of war during the Great Patriotic War

From July 1 to July 27, 1929, an international conference was held in Geneva. It ended with the adoption of a new international convention on the regime of prisoners of war. It seemed that this was the end of the path along which mankind had been walking since time immemorial...

§ 27

THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR. Germany for the second time in the first half of the 20th century. made an attempt to establish dominance over Russia. But if during the First World War the Germans announced the attack through diplomatic channels, then in 1941 they acted treacherously.

For senior management Soviet state and the Red Army was surprised not only by the suddenness of the attack Nazi Germany. G.K. Zhukov subsequently noted: “The main danger was not that the Germans crossed the border, but that their six-fold and eight-fold superiority in forces in decisive directions turned out to be a surprise for us, and the scale of the concentration of their troops turned out to be a surprise for us , and the force of their impact.

Hitler, starting the war, formulated the task as follows: "Russia must be liquidated ... The duration of the operation is five months." To this end, the Barbarossa plan was developed. It provided for the rapid destruction of the Red Army forces in western regions, the encirclement and defeat of the remaining combat-ready Soviet troops, reaching the line from which the bombardment of German territory by Soviet aircraft would become impossible, etc. The ultimate goal of the operation was "creating a barrier against Asian Russia along the Volga-Arkhangelsk common line."

For the war with the Soviet Union, Germany allocated huge and technically equipped forces.

In 1941, the population of the USSR - 194 million, Germany (together with the allies) - 283 million

By the beginning of the war, the command of the Red Army managed to concentrate in the western military districts 3.1 million people (out of 5.7 million total), more than 47.2 thousand guns and mortars, 12.8 thousand tanks (of which 2242 required repair) , about 7.5 thousand aircraft (serviceable - 6.4 thousand).

The German army was led by generals who had combat experience in World War I and two years of World War II. The top generals of the Red Army were heterogeneous in ability and experience. Only a small part of it has been combat hardened. Many talented commanders were shot or were in prison.

By the end of the first day of the war, the Germans advanced almost 60 km deep into the territory of the USSR, and in three weeks - almost 500 km. The Baltic States, Belarus, Moldova, part of Ukraine were surrendered. But even in these difficult conditions soviet soldiers showed heroism and courage.

The Red Army suffered heavy losses: hundreds of thousands of dead, wounded, captured; thousands of destroyed tanks, planes, guns; thousands of square kilometers of territories surrendered to the enemy. Such was the price of the political and military-strategic miscalculations of the country's leadership and the insufficient preparedness of the army for a war with a strong enemy.

Nazi plane shot down near Moscow. Summer 1941

The composition of the combat forces and means of Germany by the middle of 1941

The first three weeks of the war showed the weaknesses not only of the Red Army. In 20 days of fighting, the Nazis lost about 100 thousand soldiers - the same number as in two years of war in Europe.

Guard

The country's leadership took measures to organize the fight against the enemy, increase the efficiency and effectiveness of command and control of troops and the activities of the state apparatus. Were created Headquarters of the Supreme High Command (SVGK) led by Stalin State Defense Committee (GKO) consisting of: Stalin (chairman), Molotov (deputy), Voroshilov, Malenkov, Beria. Specially crafted Evacuation Council determined objects, means of transfer and places of basing of enterprises and the population in the East of the country. Bodies of state power and administration have acquired a new structure.

The losses of the army in manpower were replenished. In the first two weeks, 5.3 million people were drafted into its ranks. Nevertheless, the Red Army did not leave the streak of failures.

The Germans broke through to Smolensk. They believed that the path to Moscow lay precisely here (Napoleon also believed so in 1812).

Registration in the people's militia. Summer 1941

Bodies of state power and administration of the USSR during the Great Patriotic War (1941 - 1945)

A bloody battle unfolded for Smolensk. In the battles near Orsha on July 14, 1941, a battery of barrelless rocket artillery systems (“Katyusha”) fired its first salvo at the enemy. The battery commander, Captain I. A. Flerov, died in battle, but before his death he did everything possible so that the enemy did not get the rocket launchers. Subsequently, installations of this type terrified the Nazis, but the German designers failed to unravel the secret of the Soviet rocket launchers. In 1995, I. A. Flerov was awarded the title of Hero of Russia (posthumously). In late August - early September, a counteroffensive of Soviet troops was launched in the Yelnya region. The enemy grouping was driven back, Yelnya was liberated. The enemy lost about 47 thousand people killed and wounded. Here was born the Soviet guard.

Evacuation of enterprises to the East. 1941

The battle of Smolensk and the capture of Yelnya delayed the Nazi attack on Moscow.

In September, a difficult situation developed in the Kyiv region. Here conditions were created for the encirclement of a huge grouping of Soviet troops. Stalin resolutely opposed its timely retreat to the East. The order to retreat was given when the enemy closed the encirclement. The enemy took Kyiv.

Defense of Sevastopol

For a long time, Odessa offered resistance to the enemy. Only after 73 days the defense was stopped, and the defenders of the city were evacuated by sea. Even before the end of the war, Odessa was declared a "Hero City".

One of the most heroic pages of the war is the 250-day defense of Sevastopol. There, the Nazis lost about 300 thousand people killed and wounded - as much as in all theaters of military operations before the attack on the USSR.

RESTRUCTURING OF THE NATIONAL ECONOMY. The loss of large territories, which produced a significant part of industrial and agricultural products, put the national economy of the Soviet Union and the Red Army in the most difficult conditions. After a few first months of the war, the industrial potential of the USSR decreased by half. For the successful conduct of hostilities, the army lacked equipment, weapons and ammunition.

The government and the people were required to unite the front and rear into a single, monolithic organism. To this end, a number of measures were planned and implemented that ensured the preservation of significant production resources and the construction of new plants and factories for military needs.

Deportation

In the conditions of the rapid advance of the Nazis, one of the most important tasks was the evacuation of industrial enterprises, agricultural machinery, and livestock. In 1941 - 1942. more than 3 thousand plants and factories were sent to the East, as well as many other material and cultural values. Together with enterprises, about 40% of the country's labor collectives were transferred to the East. In 1941 alone, 1.5 million railway wagons, or 30,000 trains, were employed in the evacuation. Built in one line, they would take the path from the Bay of Biscay to the Pacific Ocean.

What is the meaning of the term "guard" in the modern army?

The production of equipment, weapons, equipment needed by the front was carried out at the evacuated enterprises in incredibly difficult conditions.

The food question sharply aggravated. After the mobilization of men into the army, the labor force in the countryside consisted of women, old people and teenagers. The output rate set for adolescents was equal to the minimum pre-war rate for adults. The share of female labor in the national economy increased to 57%. All women from 16 to 45 years old were declared mobilized for production.

Yakovlev Alexander Sergeevich (1906 - 1989) - aircraft designer (left)

INSTALLATION OF THE "NEW ORDER". Even before the war, the top leaders of the Reich determined what the “new order” should be like in the conquered Russian space.

In the territories occupied by the Nazis, administrative structures were created. The highest authority was the Ministry for the Occupied Territories in the East. Below were the Reichskommissariats, which were divided into general commissariats, districts, districts (districts), headed by commissars. In the cities, a system of city governments was established, in the villages, volost foremen and elders were appointed. Formed punitive power structures, similar to the gendarmerie. Most settlements the police were appointed. All residents were ordered to unconditionally obey the new authorities.

In the occupied territories of the Soviet Union, the Germans solved three tasks set by Hitler: mass executions of "extra" people; economic robbery of the country; deportation(expulsion) of able-bodied population to Germany.

We must wipe this country off the face of the earth.

A. Hitler

Document

Machines are installed in workshops when there are no walls yet. They start producing planes when there are no windows or roofs yet. Snow covers the man, the machine, but the work continues. They don't leave the shops. They also live here. There are no tables yet.

From the memoirs of aircraft designer A. S. Yakovlev

Among the "superfluous" people, Jews, gypsies and prisoners of war were in the first place. Mass extermination of Jews (holocaust) took place throughout the occupied territory (its symbolic place is Babi Yar near Kyiv). Millions of civilians and prisoners of war perished in the gas chambers and from starvation. AT concentration camps mortality in the winter of 1941-1942 was up to 95% of total number prisoners. In general, according to incomplete data, up to 3.5 million died in concentration camps. Soviet people.

Auschwitz concentration camp. About 4 million people of various nationalities were exterminated here.

The Nazis resorted to the mass deportation of Soviet people to the West. The removal was cruel: parents were torn away from their children; pregnant women were forced to have abortions; villages were burned if the inhabitants were hiding, etc. The number of deportees was about 5 million people (they planned to take out 15 million).

Resettlement camp of Soviet children before deportation to Germany

The USSR did not bypass such a phenomenon as collaborationism. In almost all countries where the Germans entered, there were local residents who collaborated with them. In France, for example, after the war for treason, many collaborators were put on trial, some were executed. Among the traitors were former Prime Minister Pierre Laval and Marshal Henri Pétain.

Collaborator

Holocaust

Among the Soviet people who embarked on the path of betrayal, there were those who suffered from Stalinist repressions and collectivization, and adherents of the pre-October and pre-February political regimes. Among the traitors were also nationalists who saw their like-minded people in the Nazis, simply cowardly or selfish people who had lost faith in the victory over Hitler.

It would seem that white emigration could become a special force of the anti-Soviet movement, but this did not happen. Part of it, putting aside political differences for a while, stood up for the victory of compatriots over fascism (A. I. Denikin, P. N. Milyukov, and others). In France, Boris Vilde, the "red princess" Vera Obolenskaya and many other emigrants took part in the resistance movement.

But not all representatives of the white emigration wished for the victory of the USSR. Former Kuban and Don Cossack chieftains V. Naumenko, P. Krasnov offered their services to the Germans. The Nazis allowed them to create the so-called Cossack units. Generals A. Shkuro, S. Klych-Girey, S. and P. Krasnov, and others known for the Civil War in Russia, showed particular zeal.

Quite large collaborationist forces were the army of the former Soviet general A. Vlasov, the 14th SS division "Galicia", etc.

From the autumn of 1944 to January 1945, the Armed Forces of the KONR (Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia) were formed, consisting of 50,000 renegades. They were led by General Vlasov. Soon they entered into hostilities on the Western Front against the allies of the USSR, but they could not bring benefits to Hitler: the practice of fighting showed the low combat capability of these units. In the May days of 1945, the Vlasovites were captured by Soviet troops: their attempts to surrender to the American army were not successful. Vlasov and 11 of his closest associates were sentenced to death.

Karbyshev Dmitry Mikhailovich (1880 - 1945)

ORGANIZATION OF THE PARTISAN MOVEMENT. From the first days of the war, partisan detachments began to form and operate behind enemy lines. In Belarus, the detachment of V. 3. Korzha was created on the evening of June 22, 1941. It consisted of 50 people and on June 28 joined the battle with the Nazis.

Kuznetsov Nikolai Ivanovich (1911 - 1944) - Soviet intelligence officer

In July, the partisan movement gained such strength that the commander of the 11th fascist army, General E. Manstein, stated: with the creation of the partisan movement, the Germans in Russia began to acquire a second front.

The number of partisan detachments and groups grew continuously. On October 1, 1941, in Ukraine and Belarus, there were 28 and 12 thousand people, respectively. In 1941, 41 partisan detachments and 377 sabotage groups were operating in the Moscow region alone.

Many partisans put a sense of duty above their own lives. So, already in the first months of the war, followers of Ivan Susanin appeared in several detachments, repeating his feat. The first "Susanians" in 1941 were the scout N. Drozdova and the collective farmer I. Ivanov. Old people and children became "Susanians". M. K. Kuzmin was 86 years old, N. Molchanov - 13. In total, 50 such feats were accomplished during the Great Patriotic War.

With the creation in May 1942 Central headquarters of the partisan movement guerrilla warfare has become noticeably more effective. Marshal K. E. Voroshilov was appointed commander-in-chief of the partisan movement, and the former first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus P. K. Ponomarenko was appointed chief of staff.

All social strata of Soviet society were represented in the partisan detachments - peasants, workers, employees. Along with adults, teenagers also participated in the fight against the Nazis. They were especially useful in reconnaissance and providing communications with the underground. Marat Kazei, Lenya Golikov, Volodya Dubinin and others were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Kosmodemyanskaya Zoya Anatolyevna (1923 - 1941) - partisan

As a result of the partisan struggle, entire regions were formed in the occupied territories, where the power remained Soviet. The partisans kept in touch with the underground workers of cities and villages, received valuable information from them and transmitted them to Moscow.

BATTLE FOR LENINGRAD: BLOCKADE. According to the plan of the Nazi command, the capture of Moscow was to be preceded by the capture of Leningrad.

On August 30, 1941, the enemy managed to cut the railways connecting the city with the country. Having captured Shlisselburg, the Germans reliably closed the blockade ring.

On September 9, 1941, the enemy reached the near approaches to the city. In this situation, emergency measures were taken. I. V. Stalin sent General G. K. Zhukov to Leningrad, who, having skillfully organized the defense in the most dangerous sectors of the front, fettered the actions of the enemy.

Berggolts Olga Fedorovna (1910 - 1975) - poetess

The city bravely defended itself. 4100 buildings were built on its territory. pillboxes(long-term firing point) and bunkers(wood-and-earth firing point), 22,000 firing points were equipped, 35 km of barricades and anti-tank obstacles were installed. Every day, hundreds of artillery shells, incendiary and high-explosive bombs fell on the city. Air raids, artillery shelling often continued for 18 hours a day. There was not enough food in the city. The situation of the blockade was the most difficult.

The only way to deliver food, medicines, ammunition to besieged Leningrad was "The road of life"- transport route through Ladoga lake. Only in the first blockade winter of 1941/42, under continuous shelling and bombing, more than 360 thousand tons of cargo were transported through it, and for the entire period of the blockade - 1615 thousand tons of cargo.

Shostakovich Dmitry Dmitrievich (1906 - 1975) - composer

Unconquered Leningrad was of great military and strategic importance. Hitler's calculation for a quick capture of the city collapsed at the very beginning of the war. The Nazi troops, which were planned to be sent to take Moscow, were pinned down and could not be sent to other fronts. Leningrad is the first city in the two years of World War II that was able to resist the powerful German military machine.

Document

... b) first we blockade Leningrad (hermetically) and destroy the city, if possible, with artillery and aircraft ... d) the remnants of the "fortress garrison" will remain there for the winter. In the spring we penetrate the city ... we will take out everything that remains alive into the depths of Russia or take it prisoner, raze Leningrad to the ground and transfer the area north of the Neva to Finland.

From the report of A. Hitler "On the Siege of Leningrad"

"The road of life". From September 1941 to March 1943, it connected Leningrad with the country along the ice of Lake Ladoga

MOSCOW BATTLE. Having defeated the Kyiv grouping of Soviet troops, the Nazi command resumed the offensive of Army Group Center on Moscow. It began on September 30 with a flank attack by the tank army of General X. Guderian in the direction of Tula. The enemy threw the main grouping of his troops in the direction of Vyazma, where he managed to close the encirclement, but Soviet armies continued to fight, pinning down the forces of about 20 Nazi divisions.

This delay made it possible to strengthen the Mozhaisk line of defense. For construction defensive structures 450 thousand inhabitants of the capital were mobilized around Moscow. But only 90 thousand fighters were able to concentrate on this line, which was clearly not enough. The situation became critical. The evacuation of government offices began. On October 20, 1941, by decision of the State Defense Committee, a state of siege was introduced in the city. At the front, holding back superior enemy forces, Soviet soldiers fought to the death.

Having superiority in manpower and technology, the enemy began to bypass Moscow from the north and south. Several tens of kilometers separated the Germans from the capital, but, exhausted in stubborn battles with units of the Red Army, the Nazi troops were forced to suspend the offensive in order to rally for a decisive throw.

Document

In October - 400 grams of bread per day for workers and 200 grams for dependents.

In November - respectively 250 and 125 g.

In November, 11,085 people died.

In December, 58,881 people died.

Statistics besieged Leningrad(1941)

The commander of the Western Front, G.K. Zhukov, used the respite of the Germans to regroup and build up the forces of the Red Army. In Moscow itself, on November 6 and 7, 1941, a solemn meeting was held in the Kremlin and a parade of troops on Red Square was held in honor of the 24th anniversary of the October Revolution.

On November 16, a new impetuous offensive of the Germans began. They came so close to Moscow that they were already preparing to shell the Kremlin from two long-range guns located in Krasnaya Polyana, northwest of the capital (by special order, the guns were destroyed).

Simultaneously with the reflection of the enemy offensive, a covert buildup of human and material reserves took place and a counteroffensive was being prepared.

The composition of the opposing forces and means of the Wehrmacht and the Red Army on the eve of the decisive battle near Moscow (beginning of December 1941)

With such a balance of forces and means, the Soviet command gave the order to launch a counteroffensive. On the night of December 6, 1941, Soviet troops dealt a powerful blow to the enemy. For 10 days of fighting, the Nazis were thrown back from Moscow by 100 - 250 km. The German army lost more than 500 thousand people, over 1000 tanks, 2500 guns. The immediate threat to the capital was eliminated.

The first six months of the war became a time of testing the courage of the peoples of the Soviet Union and its army. The fa-worms seized the territory on which 40% of the country's population lived before the start of the aggression. During June - December 1941, the losses of the Soviet troops amounted to about 4 million people, over 20 thousand tanks, about 17 thousand aircraft, over 60 thousand guns and mortars. But these six months became the beginning of the defeat of the Nazi Wehrmacht. The battle near Moscow is a vivid confirmation of this.

1941, December 5 - the day of the beginning of the counter-offensive of the Red Army against the Nazi troops near Moscow

The significance of the Moscow battle is great. The first major defeat of Germany in World War II dispelled the myth of the invincibility of the Nazi army. The victory helped strengthen the anti-Hitler coalition and weaken the fascist bloc, forced Japan and Turkey to refrain from entering the war against the USSR, and gave strength to the liberation movement in Europe.

ATTEMPTS OF THE RED ARMY'S COUNTEROFFENSIVE. At the beginning of 1942, the forces of both sides were approximately equal. After many failures and the first major victory near Moscow, competent and thoughtful decisions were needed. But Stalin ordered an offensive on all fronts, which, however, positive results did not.

In the winter and early spring of 1942, an attempt was made to break through the blockade of Leningrad. The fighting was carried out in difficult terrain. The troops lacked weapons, ammunition, food, vehicles. The offensive, although it put the Germans at first in a difficult position, bogged down. The enemy launched a counteroffensive and surrounded the units of the 2nd Shock Army that had moved forward. The commander of the army, Lieutenant General A. A. Vlasov, voluntarily surrendered.

Diary of Tanya Savicheva. From the chronicle of besieged Leningrad

At the turn of 1941 - 1942. The Soviet command carried out a landing operation with a landing on the Kerch Peninsula. Kerch and Feodosia were liberated. However, carried away by the offensive, the command did not provide the necessary defense and soon paid for it. With a blow along the Feodosiya Gulf, the Germans defeated the Soviet grouping and took Kerch. The defeat in the Kerch region seriously complicated the situation in Sevastopol, which had been heroically defending itself since the autumn of 1941. For nine months, this city chained significant enemy forces to itself, but in July 1942 it was abandoned by the sailors of the Black Sea Fleet and soldiers of the Red Army, and the Crimea was completely occupied.

In the midst of the battles for the Crimea in the Kharkiv direction, the offensive of the Soviet troops began, which were able to advance 25-50 km in three days. But having significant forces in this area, the Germans launched a counteroffensive and surrounded three Soviet armies.

After the capture of the Crimea, the failure of the Kharkov offensive, the Germans struck from the Kursk region in the direction of Voronezh. Their blow was no less powerful in the Donbass. As a result, the enemy gained a number of advantages and, having brought up fresh reserves, began a rapid advance in the big bend of the Don towards Stalingrad. The Red Army was forced to retreat. This forced Stalin to issue Order No. 227, better known as the order "Not a step back!". It declared: “It is time to end the retreat. Not one step back! This should be our main call now.” The order took effect immediately. Its violation was punishable by death.

Nevertheless, the enemy broke through to the Volga. And the Soviet troops were bled and exhausted. There was a real threat of the capture of Stalingrad, a major center of the defense industry and an important strategic point, as well as the enemy’s entry into North Caucasus. The country was once again in an extremely difficult situation.

Poster 1942. Artist V. B. Koretsky

QUESTIONS AND TASKS

1. What was the suddenness of the attack Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union? What was the ratio of forces and means of the belligerents at the initial stage of the war?

2. How was the restructuring of the economy of our country on a war footing?

3. Describe the "new order" that the Nazis planted in the occupied territory.

4. What were the tasks of the partisan movement?

5. How did the battle for Leningrad develop? Why did the Nazis, having a huge military superiority, fail to take the city?

6. Why did our troops fail to defend Brest and Minsk, Kyiv and Smolensk, dozens of other large cities, but did not surrender Moscow and Leningrad to the enemy?

7. Why did the counteroffensives of the Red Army in 1942 fail?

This text is an introductory piece. From the book Great Civil War 1939-1945 author Burovsky Andrey Mikhailovich

The failure of the "blitzkrieg" Operation "Barbarossa" ended in failure. In the first months, the Wehrmacht advanced even more successfully than expected. But still, it was not possible to defeat the USSR in the course of one campaign, before the cold weather. Why? Firstly, the Wehrmacht itself was not enough. It turned out that

From the book The Big Game. British Empire against Russia and the USSR author Leontiev Mikhail Vladimirovich

II. Breakdown. From Afghanistan to the Crimea “England exists as long as she owns India. There is not a single Englishman who will dispute that India must be guarded not only against an actual attack, but even from the mere thought of it. India is like a little child

From the book Russia in the War 1941-1945 the author Vert Alexander

Chapter IV. Smolensk: Nazi Germany's first blitzkrieg failure The State Defense Committee, whose creation Stalin announced in his July 3 speech, was responsible not only for the conduct of the war, but also for the "rapid mobilization of all the forces of the country." Many solutions

From the book Falsifiers of History. Truths and lies about the Great War (compilation) author Starikov Nikolai Viktorovich

The failure of the "blitzkrieg" In undertaking an attack on our country, the Nazi invaders believed that they would certainly be able to "finish" the Soviet Union in one and a half to two months and would be able to reach the Urals within this short time. Need to say,

From the book Reform in the Red Army Documents and materials 1923-1928. [Book 1] author Team of authors

From the book Russia in 1917-2000. A book for anyone interested national history author Yarov Sergey Viktorovich

2.5. The split of the Nazi bloc One of the directions of the foreign policy activity of the USSR during the war years was the diplomatic isolation of Germany's allied countries and their withdrawal from the war. Germany's satellites entered into negotiations only when there was a fundamental change in their

From the book "European Union" by Hitler author Vasilchenko Andrey Vyacheslavovich

Chapter 4. The European Economic Community - the Legacy of the Hitler Regime

From the book The Defeat of Fascism. USSR and Anglo-American allies in World War II author Olshtynsky Lennor Ivanovich

1.4. Japan's aggression against the USA and England Formation of the United Nations coalition, two policies - two plans for a coalition war Japanese aggression in the Pacific Ocean With the beginning of Germany's aggression against the USSR, Japan accelerated preparations for war both against the Soviet Union and

From the book Secret Operations of Nazi Intelligence 1933-1945. author Sergeev F. M.

PREPARING FOR A "LIGHTNING WAR" As already mentioned, according to the instructions of the leader of the Nazi Party, Hitler and his accomplices, armed aggression against the USSR was to be a special "war for living space in the East", during which they did not think

From the book 900 DAYS OF BLOCKADE. Leningrad 1941-1944 author Kovalchuk Valentin Mikhailovich

5. Causes of the collapse of Hitler's plan to capture Leningrad The collapse of Hitler's plans to capture Leningrad was of great military and strategic importance. Having stopped Army Group North, the Soviet soldiers not only did not give the enemy the opportunity to cut off the country from the northern

From the book Maritime Policy of Russia in the 80s of the XIX century author Kondratenko Robert Vladimirovich

Chapter 4 Participation of the Maritime Department in solving foreign policy problems. Cooldown Crisis. Akhal-Teke expedition. Naval demonstration at Dulcinho. Development of a plan for war with China The beginning of the new year, 1880, turned out to be alarming for the Russian government. Shortly

From the book Reform in the Red Army Documents and materials 1923-1928. t 1 author

No. 31 Report pom. head of the Operational Directorate of the Headquarters of the Red Army V. Dragilev to the head of the Directorate "on the system for developing a war plan" No. 2041021 May 1924 Sov. secretAbout the war plan development systemI. The system of developing a war plan, which has been carried out so far by the Headquarters of the Red Army, by

From the book Boris Yeltsin. Afterword author Mlechin Leonid Mikhailovich

Breakdown or rebellion? In terms of his psychotype, Yeltsin differed from the rest of the members of the Politburo. He is not a man speech culture, he was uncomfortable among the craftsmen and talkers who had long settled down in Moscow. He wanted to prevail. But Yeltsin was not at the huge table of the secretariat of the Central Committee

The main method of war of the Third Reich, due to the lack of resources and the fact that Germany began to form its military power relatively recently, due to the prohibitions of the Versailles Treaty, until 1933, its capabilities were limited, there was a “blitzkrieg”.

The Wehrmacht tried to crush the main enemy forces with the first strike, by achieving the maximum concentration of forces in the main directions of attack. On April 3, 1939, the original plan for the war with Poland, the Weiss plan - the White Plan, developed by the headquarters of the German Armed Forces, was sent to the commander of the ground forces, air force and navy. By May 1, the commanders had to give their opinion regarding the war with Poland. The date of the attack on the Polyakov was also named - September 1, 1939. By April 11, the Supreme High Command of the Armed Forces (OKW) developed the "Directive on the unified preparation of the Armed Forces for the war for 1939-1940", it was signed by Adolf Hitler.

The basis of the White Plan was the "blitzkrieg" plan - the Polish armed forces intended to dismember, surround and destroy with swift deep blows. Armored units and the Luftwaffe were to play a big role in this. The main blows were to be delivered by the Army Group "North" from Pomerania and East Prussia and "South" from the territory of Moravia and Silesia, they were supposed to defeat the main forces of the Polish army west of the Vistula and Narew rivers. The German Navy was supposed to block the Polish bases from the sea, destroy the Polish Navy, and support the ground forces.

The defeat and capture of Poland was planned not only to solve the problem of Danzig and connect the territories of the two parts of the Reich (East Prussia was an enclave), but also as a stage in the struggle for world domination, the most important step in the implementation of the "Eastern program" of the Nazis, the expansion of "living space" Germans. So, on May 23, 1939, at a meeting with the military, Hitler said: “Danzig is by no means the object because of which everything is being done. For us, it is about expanding living space in the East and providing food, as well as solving the Baltic problem.” That is, there was no talk only about the defeat of Poland and the solution of the Danzig problem, there was no “Polish corridor”, from the very beginning they planned to deprive Poland of statehood, they were waiting for a policy of genocide and plunder of resources in favor of Germany.

In addition, the territory of Poland was to become an important springboard for an attack on Soviet Union. The defeat of Poland was to be the first step in preparing an attack on France.

Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces, Walter Brauchitsch.

Hitler and Brauchitsch at the parade on October 5, 1939.

The capture of Czechoslovakia and Memel by Germany sharply complicated the military-strategic position of Poland, the Wehrmacht got the opportunity to strike from the north and south. With the capture of Czechoslovakia, the Wehrmacht and its capabilities strengthened, capturing a powerful Czech industry and a lot of equipment.

The main problem for the military-political leadership of Germany was the need to avoid a war on two fronts - an attack by the French army from the west, with the assistance of England. In Berlin, it was believed that Paris and London would continue to adhere to the course of "appeasement", the Munich course. So, the chief of the general staff of the ground forces, Halder, wrote in his diary that Hitler was sure that England would threaten, stop trade for a while, maybe recall the ambassador, but would not enter the war. General K. Tippelskirch confirms this: “Despite the existing Franco-Polish alliance and the guarantees that England gave Poland at the end of March ... Hitler hoped that he managed to limit himself to a military conflict with Poland alone.” Guderian: "Hitler and his Foreign Minister Ribbentrop were inclined to believe that the Western powers would not dare to start a war against Germany and therefore they had a free hand to carry out their goals in Eastern Europe."

In principle, Hitler was right, Paris and London "saved face" by declaring war on Germany, but in reality they did nothing to help Poland - the so-called "strange war". And the opportunity was left to settle the bloodless "war" between Germany and France, England.

Hitler also played on the anti-Soviet sentiments of the elites of France and England, presenting the attack on Poland as a preparation for a strike against the Union, hiding his next stage on the path to dominance in Europe - the defeat of France. In addition, the rapid, lightning-fast defeat of Poland was supposed to prevent the Anglo-French forces from actually being drawn into the war with Germany. Therefore, to cover the western border of Germany, a minimum of forces and means was allocated, without. Only 32 divisions were deployed there, with 800 aircraft - Army Group "C", of which only 12 divisions were fully equipped, the rest were sharply inferior in their combat capabilities. They could only be used for positional warfare, and then only in secondary areas. These divisions were supposed to keep the defense on the border with a length of about 1390 km, with Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, the fortified line "Siegfried" was still under construction and could not be a reliable support.

By the beginning of the war in Poland, only France had 78 divisions on the eastern border, more than 17 thousand guns and mortars, about 2 thousand tanks (excluding light armored vehicles), 1400 first-line aircraft and 1600 aircraft in reserve. In the very first days, this grouping could be significantly strengthened. Plus the support of the Navy and the British Air Force.

The German generals were aware of this and were very nervous, as Manstein wrote: “The risk taken by the German command was very large ... there is no doubt that the French army from the very first day of the war was many times superior German forces operating on the Western Front.

German soldiers on the border of Poland.

The task of crushing the defeat of the Polish army, the maximum concentration of forces and means

The task of total destruction and destruction Polish troops was finally formulated by A. Hitler at a meeting with the highest generals on August 22, 1939: “Goal: Destruction of Poland, elimination of its manpower. This is not about reaching some line or a new border, but about destroying the enemy, which should be steadily strived for by any means ... The winner is never judged and never asked ... ". The Directive on the plan of attack on Poland by the commander-in-chief of the ground forces, Colonel-General Brauchitsch, begins with these words: "The purpose of the operation is the destruction of the Polish Armed Forces."

To do this, the Wehrmacht concentrated its forces and means against Poland as much as possible: all the most trained divisions, all tanks, the 1st and 4th air fleets were sent against it. By September 1, 1939, 54 divisions were concentrated in full combat readiness (a few more were in reserve - a total of 62 divisions were put up against the Poles): in the North Army Group, 3 and 4 armies, in the South Army Group, 8, 10 , 14th Army. The total number of invasion forces totaled 1.6 million people, 6 thousand. artillery pieces, 2,000 aircraft and 2,800 tanks. In addition, the Polish command made it easier for the Wehrmacht by dispersing its forces along the entire border, trying to cover the entire border, instead of trying to tightly close the main directions of possible attacks, concentrating on them the maximum possible number of forces and means.

Gerd von Rundstedt, commander of Army Group South, had: 21 infantry divisions, 4 tank, 2 motorized, 4 light, 3 mountain rifle divisions; there are 9 more divisions in reserve, more than 1000 tanks. The commander of Army Group North, Theodor von Bock, had 14 infantry divisions, 2 tank, 2 motorized, 1 cavalry brigade, 2 divisions in reserve. Both army groups delivered strikes in the general direction to Warsaw, to the Vistula, at Army Group South, the 10th Army advanced on Warsaw, the weaker 8th and 14th supported it with offensive actions. In the center, the Wehrmacht concentrated relatively small forces, they had to distract the enemy, misleading him about the main directions of attack.

Gerd von Rundstedt, led Army Group South.

As a result, the Wehrmacht managed to concentrate overwhelming superiority on the directions of the main attacks: 8-fold in tanks, 4-fold in field artillery, 7-fold in anti-tank artillery. In addition, measures were successfully taken to camouflage large forces, including mechanized ones.

The maximum rate of advance of tank and motorized divisions was planned, they were assigned not to be distracted by the final destruction of the defeated Polish units, assigning this task, as well as covering the flanks and rear infantry divisions. They were supposed to prevent the Polish command from carrying out measures to mobilize, concentrate, regroup troops, and capture the most important economic regions intact. On August 14, Hitler set the task of defeating Poland as soon as possible - 8-14 days, after which the main forces were to be released for possible actions on other fronts. On August 22, Hitler declared: “A quick outcome of hostilities is necessary ... The main thing is speed. persecution to the point of complete annihilation."

An important role in disrupting the enemy's mobilization measures was assigned to, she was supposed to strike at Polish mobilization centers, disrupt traffic on the railways, along the highway, prevent the Poles from concentrating the grouping of forces in the offensive zone of the 10 Army, in Western Galicia, west of the Vistula; disrupt the organization of defensive measures in the offensive zone of Army Group North at the Vistula-Drevents line and on the Narew.

Destruction of the enemy by envelopment and encirclement: The White Plan was based on the idea of ​​deep encirclement, encirclement, and destruction of the main forces of the Polish armed forces west of the Vistula and Narew rivers. This plan was brought to life by a successful strategic position - the ability to deploy troops on the territory of the former Czechoslovakia. By the way, Slovakia also allocated a couple of divisions for the war with Poland. The Poles angered them so much with their territorial claims.

As a result, the Wehrmacht attacked with two flank groups that were far from each other, almost completely abandoning major operations in the center.

Theodor von Bock, commander of Army Group North.

Diplomatic cover, disinformation measures

In order to be able to strike as suddenly as possible, Berlin hid its intentions even from its allies, Rome and Tokyo. At the same time, secret negotiations were held with England, France, Poland, declarations of commitment to the idea of ​​peace were proclaimed, even the party congress scheduled for September was called the “peace congress”.

To intimidate the French to keep them from entering the war, Hitler defiantly visited the "Siegfried Line" at the end of July, although the command and Hitler knew that she was not ready to raise a fuss on the radio in the media, about her complete readiness and "impregnability". Even the photos of the "new" defensive structures were still old fortifications - until 1933. Rumors spread about the concentration of large forces in the West. As a result, in Warsaw they “pecked” and believed that if the war did start, the main forces of Germany would fight in the West, there would be auxiliary forces against it, and that they would even be able to carry out offensive operation against East Prussia.

Putting pressure on Warsaw over Danzig and the construction of a railway and a highway in the "Polish corridor", Berlin at the same time spoke about the general direction of the struggle - against the USSR, about a possible joint campaign to the East, the Poles were promised Ukraine and access to the Black Sea. Depriving Poland in this way of the only opportunity to survive, it will agree to the help of the USSR, which it has repeatedly offered, until the conclusion of a pact with Germany.

On the border with Poland, the construction of defensive structures was launched, lulling the vigilance of the Poles. This was one of the largest and most costly measures to mislead Poland. Since the spring of 1939, the so-called "Eastern Wall" was being built and the pace of construction was quite high, entire divisions of the Wehrmacht participated in the construction. At the same time, the construction also explained the high concentration of Wehrmacht forces on the border with Poland. The transfer of additional units to East Prussia was disguised by preparations for the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the victory over the Russian army near Tannenberg in August 1914.

Polish prisoners of war in a temporary German camp in Poland, September 1939.

Even covert mobilization began only on August 25, it was considered that there would be enough available forces and therefore the full deployment of all forces could be neglected. Therefore, we decided to temporarily refrain from creating a reserve army. Territorial divisions of the Landwehr. The deployment of aviation was planned only on the very first day of the war.

As a result, even before the official mobilization, Berlin was able to transfer and deploy for the invasion 35% of the wartime ground forces, 85% of tank, 100% of motorized and light divisions, only 63% of the forces allocated for the war with Poland. In the first operations against Poland, 100% of motorized and 86% of tank forces and only 80% of the forces planned for the entire military campaign against Poland were able to participate. This made it possible to carry out the first strike with all the might of the main forces, while by September 1 the Poles had completed only 60% of the mobilization plan, deploying 70% of the troops.

Campground of German troops in front of the border with Poland shortly before the German invasion. Shooting time: 08/31/1939-09/01/1939.

German dive bombers Junkers Ju-87 (Ju-87) in the skies of Poland, September 1939.

Outcome

In general, the plan was carried out, but the reasons for this were not only that the Wehrmacht was magnificent, there are other fundamental reasons: the weakness of Poland itself. The Polish elite completely failed the pre-war stage, both politically and diplomatically and militarily. They did not seek an alliance with the USSR, they finally became its enemy, they did not make concessions on the issue of Danzig and the construction of a highway and a railway to East Prussia - although there was a possibility that Berlin would limit itself to this and as a result Poland would, as it wanted, become a satellite of Germany , in the war with the USSR. They chose the wrong defense strategy - dispersing forces along the entire border, before the war they did not pay enough attention to aviation, air defense systems, and anti-tank artillery.

The Polish military-political leadership behaved disgustingly, not using all the opportunities for the struggle, they abandoned their people and the army, when they were still fighting, fled, thus finally breaking the will to resist.

Berlin was lucky that people not like de Gaulle were sitting in Paris, a blow from the French army would have put Germany on the brink of disaster, the way to Berlin was actually open. It would be necessary to urgently transfer forces to the West, stopping the offensive of the French army, the Poles would continue to resist. Hitler would have real war on two fronts, a protracted one for which Germany was not ready, she would have to look for a way out in diplomacy.

German soldiers inspect an abandoned one-tower polish tank"Vickers", it is distinguished from the usual by a large air intake casing with a grill

Polish 7TP tanks, captured by the Germans, pass by the main stands at the parade on the occasion of the first anniversary of the surrender of Polish troops on October 6, 1940. The high stands are attended by Governor Hans Frank and Field Marshal Wilhelm List. Shooting time: 10/06/1940. Location: Warsaw, Poland.

The German army marches through the captured Warsaw, the capital of Poland.

Sources:
Documents and materials on the eve of the Second World War. 1937-1939. In 2 vols. M., 1981.
Kurt von Tippelskirch. Second World War. Blitzkrieg. M., 2011.
Manstein E. Lost victories. Memoirs of a Field Marshal. M., 2007.
Solovyov B.G. Surprise of an attack is a weapon of aggression. M., 2002.
http://militera.lib.ru/db/halder/index.html
http://militera.lib.ru/h/tippelskirch/index.html
http://militera.lib.ru/memo/german/guderian/index.html
http://waralbum.ru/category/war/east/poland_1939/

When a modern Russian person hears the words "blitzkrieg", "blitzkrieg", the first thing that comes to mind is the Great Patriotic War and Hitler's failed plans for an instant conquest of the Soviet Union. However, this tactic was not used by Germany for the first time. At the beginning of the war, the German General A. Schlieffen, who was later called the blitzkrieg theorist, developed a plan for the "lightning" crushing of enemy forces. History has shown that the plan was unsuccessful, but it is worth talking about the reasons for the failure of the blitzkrieg plan in more detail.

World War I: causes, participants, goals

Before analyzing what are the reasons for the failure of the blitzkrieg plan, one should first analyze the prerequisites for the outbreak of hostilities. The conflict was caused by the contradictions between the geopolitical interests of two political blocs: the Entente, which included Great Britain, France and Russian empire, and the Triple Alliance, the participants of which were Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Italy, and later (since 1915) and Turkey. There was a need to redistribute the colonies, markets and spheres of influence.

The Balkans became a particular area of ​​political tension in Europe, where many Slavic peoples lived, and the European great powers often took advantage of the many contradictions between them. The reason for the war was the assassination of the heir of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, in response to which Serbia received an ultimatum from Austria-Hungary, the terms of which practically deprived it of sovereignty. Despite Serbia's willingness to cooperate, on July 15 (July 28, New Style), 1914, Austria-Hungary launched a war against Serbia. Russia agreed to side with Serbia, which led to Germany's declaration of war on Russia and France. The last member of the Entente - England - entered the conflict on 4 August.

General Schlieffen's plan

The idea of ​​the plan, in essence, was to devote all forces to victory in the only decisive battle, to which the war would boil down. The enemy (French) army was planned to be surrounded from the right flank and destroyed, which would undoubtedly lead to the surrender of France. It was planned to strike the main blow in the only tactically convenient way - through the territory of Belgium. On the Eastern (Russian) front, it was supposed to leave a small barrier, counting on the slow mobilization of Russian troops.

Such a strategy seemed well thought out, albeit risky. But what are the reasons for the failure of the blitzkrieg plan?

Moltke's changes

The high command, fearing the failure of the blitzkrieg plans, considered the Schlieffen plan too risky. Under pressure from dissatisfied military leaders, some changes were made to it. The author of the modifications, Chief of the German General Staff H. I. L. von Moltke, proposed to strengthen the left wing of the army to the detriment of the attacking grouping on the right flank. In addition, additional forces were sent to the Eastern Front.

Reasons for making changes to the original plan

1. The German command was afraid to radically strengthen the right wing of the army, which was responsible for encircling the French. With a significant weakening of the forces of the left wing, combined with an active offensive by the enemy, the entire rear of the Germans was threatened.

2. Resistance of influential industrialists over the possible surrender of the Alsace-Lorraine region into the hands of the enemy.

3. The economic interests of the Prussian nobility (Junkers) made it necessary to divert a rather large group of troops to the defense of East Prussia.

4. The transport capabilities of Germany did not allow supplying the right wing of the army to the extent that Schlieffen assumed.

Campaign of 1914

In Europe, there was a war on the Western (France and Belgium) and Eastern (against Russia) fronts. Actions on the Eastern Front were called the East Prussian operation. In its course, two Russian armies coming to the aid of allied France invaded East Prussia and defeated the Germans in the Gumbinnen-Goldap battle. In order to prevent the Russians from striking at Berlin, the German troops had to transfer part of the troops to East Prussia from the right wing of the Western Front, which ultimately became one of the reasons for the failure of the blitzkrieg. We note, however, that on the Eastern Front this transfer brought success to the German troops - two Russian armies were surrounded, and about 100 thousand soldiers were captured.

On the Western Front, the timely assistance of Russia, which pulled the German troops back on itself, allowed the French to put up serious resistance and prevent the German blockade of Paris. The bloody battles on the banks of the Marne (September 3-10), in which approximately 2 million people participated on both sides, showed that the First World War turned from a lightning-fast one into a protracted one.

Campaign of 1914: Summing up

By the end of the year, the advantage was on the side of the Entente. The troops of the Triple Alliance were defeated in most of the battlefields.

In November 1914, Japan occupied the German port of Jiaozhou in the Far East, as well as the Mariana, Caroline and Marshall Islands. The rest of the Pacific passed into the hands of the British. In Africa at that time, hostilities were still going on, but it was clear that these colonies were lost for Germany.

The fighting in 1914 showed that Schlieffen's plan for a quick victory did not live up to expectations. German command. What reasons for the failure of the blitzkrieg plan have become apparent by this point will be discussed below. A war of attrition began.

As a result of hostilities, by the end of 1914, the German military command had transferred the main combat operations to the east - to withdraw Russia from the war. Thus, by the beginning of 1915, Eastern Europe became the main theater of military operations.

Reasons for the failure of the German blitzkrieg plan

So, as mentioned above, by the beginning of 1915 the war had entered a protracted stage. Finally, consider what are the reasons for the failure of the blitzkrieg plan.

To begin with, we note that the German command tritely underestimated the strength of the Russian army (and the Entente as a whole) and its readiness for mobilization. In addition, following the lead of the industrial bourgeoisie and the nobility, the German army often made decisions that were not always tactically correct. Some researchers in this regard argue that it was Schlieffen's original plan, despite its riskiness, that had a chance of success. However, as mentioned above, the reasons for the failure of the blitzkrieg plan, which were mainly the unpreparedness of the German army for a long war, as well as the dispersal of forces in connection with the demands of the Prussian junkers and industrialists, are largely due to the changes made to the plan by Moltke, or, as they often referred to as "Moltke's errors".

The meaning of the word "blitzkrieg" (Blitzkrieg - "lightning", Krieg - "war") is known to many. This is military strategy. It implies a lightning attack on the enemy using a large amount of military equipment. It is assumed that the enemy will not have time to deploy his main forces and will be successfully defeated. This is exactly the tactic used by the Germans when they attacked the Soviet Union in 1941. We will talk about this military operation in our article.

Background

The blitzkrieg theory emerged in the early 20th century. It was invented by the German commander Alfred von Schlieffen. The tactics were very clever. The world was experiencing an unprecedented technological boom, and new military means were at the disposal of the military. But during the First World War, the blitzkrieg failed. Imperfection affected military equipment and weak aviation. The rapid advance of Germany on France bogged down. The successful application of this method of warfare was postponed until better times. And they came in 1940, when fascist Germany carried out a lightning-fast occupation, first in Poland, and then in France.

"Barborossa"

In 1941, it was the turn of the USSR. Hitler rushed to the East with a very specific goal. He needed to neutralize the Soviet Union in order to consolidate his dominance in Europe. England continued to resist, counting on the support of the Red Army. This hindrance had to be removed.

To attack the USSR, the Barbarossa plan was developed. It was based on the theory of blitzkrieg. It was a very ambitious project. The German war machine was about to unleash all its might on the Soviet Union. The main forces of the Russian troops were considered possible to destroy through the operational invasion of tank divisions. Four battle groups were created, uniting tank, motorized and infantry divisions. They had to first penetrate far behind enemy lines, and then unite with each other. The ultimate goal of the new blitzkrieg was to seize the territory of the USSR up to the Arkhangelsk-Astrakhan line. Before the attack, Hitler's strategists were sure that the war with the Soviet Union would take them only three to four months.

Strategy

The German troops were divided into three large groups: "North", "Center" and "South". "North" was advancing on Leningrad. "Center" rushed to Moscow. "South" was supposed to conquer Kyiv and Donbass. The main role in the attack was assigned to tank groups. There were four of them, led by Guderian, Goth, Gopner and Kleist. It was they who were supposed to carry out a fleeting blitzkrieg. It wasn't all that impossible. However German generals miscalculated.

Start

On June 22, 1941, the Great Patriotic War began. German bombers were the first to cross the border of the Soviet Union. They bombed Russian cities and military airfields. It was a smart move. The destruction of Soviet aviation gave the invaders a serious advantage. Particularly severe damage was inflicted in Belarus. In the very first hours of the war, 700 aircraft were destroyed.

Then the German ground divisions entered the blitzkrieg. And if the army group "North" managed to successfully cross the Neman and approach Vilnius, then the "Center" met with unexpected resistance in Brest. Of course, this did not stop the elite Nazi units. However, it made an impression on German soldiers. For the first time they understood with whom they would have to deal. Russians died, but did not give up.

tank battles

The German Blitzkrieg in the Soviet Union failed. But Hitler had a huge chance of success. In 1941, the Germans had the most advanced military equipment in the world. Therefore, the very first tank battle between the Russians and the Nazis turned into a massacre. The point is that the Soviet combat vehicles sample 1932 were defenseless against enemy guns. They did not meet modern requirements. More than 300 T-26 and BT-7 light tanks were destroyed in the first days of the war. However, in some places the Nazis met with serious resistance. The meeting with the brand new T-34s and KV-1s was a big shock for them. German shells flew off from the tanks, which seemed to the invaders like unprecedented monsters. But the general situation at the front was still catastrophic. The Soviet Union did not have time to deploy its main forces. The Red Army suffered huge losses.

Chronicle of events

Period from June 22, 1941 to November 18, 1942 historians call the first stage of the Great Patriotic War. At this time, the initiative entirely belonged to the invaders. In a relatively short period of time, the Nazis occupied Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine, Estonia, Belarus and Moldova. Then the enemy divisions began the siege of Leningrad, captured Novgorod and Rostov-on-Don. However, the main goal of the Nazis was Moscow. This would have allowed the Soviet Union to strike at the very heart. However, the lightning offensive quickly got out of the approved schedule. On September 8, 1941, the military blockade of Leningrad began. Wehrmacht troops stood under it for 872 days, but were never able to conquer the city. The Kyiv cauldron is considered the largest defeat of the Red Army. More than 600,000 people died in it. The Germans seized a huge amount of military equipment, opened their way to the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov and Donbass, but ... they lost precious time. No wonder the commander of the second tank division, Guderian, left the front line, appeared at Hitler's headquarters and tried to convince him that the main task of Germany in this moment- Occupation of Moscow. Blitzkrieg is a powerful breakthrough inland, which turns into a complete defeat for the enemy. However, Hitler did not listen to anyone. He preferred to send military units of the "Center" to the South to seize territories where valuable natural resources are concentrated.

The failure of the blitzkrieg

This is a turning point in the history of Nazi Germany. Now the Nazis had no chance. It is said that Field Marshal Keitel, when asked when he first realized that the blitzkrieg had failed, answered only one word: "Moscow." The defense of the capital turned the tide of the Second World War. On December 6, 1941, the Red Army launched a counteroffensive. After that, the "lightning" war turned into a battle of attrition. How could enemy strategists miscalculate so? Among the reasons, some historians name the total Russian off-road and severe frost. However, the invaders themselves pointed to two main reasons:

• fierce enemy resistance;
• biased assessment of the defense capability of the Red Army.

Of course, the fact that Russian soldiers defended their Motherland also played a role. And they managed to defend every inch native land. The failure of the blitzkrieg of fascist Germany against the USSR is a great feat that causes sincere admiration. And this feat was accomplished by the soldiers of the multinational Red Army.