USSR in the years of the Second World War briefly. Abstract: the USSR during the Great Patriotic War and in the post-war period. People's struggle in the occupied territory

Goals: analyze the causes of the war, the course of hostilities at different stages of the war, the results and consequences of the war.

Tasks:

Educational: to analyze the preparation of the parties for the war and the reasons for the defeats of the Red Army at the initial stage of the war; the course of hostilities in the second and final periods of the war; the role of military leadership, the contribution of the rear to the victory over the enemy; evaluate the results of the war.

Educational: fostering a sense of patriotism and love for the motherland on the examples of the heroism of soldiers and officers of the Soviet Army.

Developing: the ability to work with a map

Plan.

1. Causes of the defeats of the USSR in 1941-1942.

2. A radical change in the Great Patriotic War

3.Soviet rear during the Great Patriotic War. People's struggle in the occupied territory

4.Foreign policy of the USSR during the Great Patriotic War

1. Causes of the defeats of the USSR in 1941-1942.

In 1941 the Second World War entered a new phase. By this time, fascist Germany and its allies had captured virtually all of Europe. In connection with the destruction of Polish statehood, a joint Soviet-German border was established. In 1940, the fascist leadership developed the Barbarossa plan, the goal of which was to defeat the Soviet armed forces with lightning speed and occupy the European part of the Soviet Union. Further plans included the complete destruction of the USSR. To do this, 153 German divisions and 37 divisions of its allies (Finland, Romania and Hungary) were concentrated in the eastern direction. They were supposed to strike in three directions: central (Minsk Smolensk Moscow), northwestern (Baltic Leningrad) and southern (Ukraine with access to the Black Sea coast). A lightning campaign was planned in order to capture the European part of the USSR until the autumn of 1941. The beginning of the war. Implementation of the Barbarossa plan began at dawn June 22, 1941. extensive air bombardments of the largest industrial and strategic centers, as well as the offensive of the ground forces of Germany and its allies along the entire European border of the USSR (over 4.5 thousand km). In the first few days, German troops advanced tens and hundreds of kilometers. In the central direction, in early July 1941, all of Belarus was captured and German troops reached the approaches to Smolensk. The Baltic is occupied in the northwest. On September 9, Leningrad was blocked. In the south, Nazi troops occupied Moldova and the Right-Bank Ukraine. Thus, by the autumn of 1941, Hitler's plan to capture the vast territory of the European part of the USSR was implemented. The rapid offensive of the German troops on the Soviet front and their successes in the summer campaign were explained by many factors of an objective and subjective nature. Germany had significant advantages in economic and military-strategic plans. At the initial stage of the war, she used not only her own, but also the resources of the allied, dependent and occupied countries of Europe to strike at the Soviet Union. The Hitlerite command and troops had the experience of conducting modern warfare and extensive offensive operations, accumulated at the first stage of the Second World War. The technical equipment of the Wehrmacht (tanks, aircraft, communications equipment, etc.) was significantly superior to the Soviet one in terms of mobility and maneuverability. The Soviet Union, despite the efforts made during the years of the Third Five-Year Plan, did not complete its preparations for war. The rearmament of the Red Army was not completed. Military doctrine assumed the conduct of operations on enemy territory. In this regard, the defensive lines on the old Soviet-Polish border were dismantled, and new ones were not created quickly enough. The biggest miscalculation of I.V. Stalin turned out to be his disbelief in the beginning of the war in the summer of 1941. Therefore, the whole country and, first of all, the army, its leadership were not prepared to repel aggression. As a result, in the first days of the war, a significant part of Soviet aviation was destroyed right on the airfields. Large formations of the Red Army were surrounded, destroyed or captured. Immediately after the German attack, the Soviet government carried out major military-political and economic measures to repel the aggression. On June 23, 1941, the Headquarters of the High Command was formed. On July 10, it was transformed into the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. She entered I.V. Stalin(appointed Commander-in-Chief and who soon became People's Commissar of Defense), V.M. Molotov, S.K. Timoshenko, S.M. Budyonny, K.E. Voroshilov, B.M. Shaposhnikov and G.K. Zhukov. By a directive of June 29, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks set the task for the entire country to mobilize all forces and means to fight the enemy. On June 30, 1941, the State Defense Committee was established(GKO), concentrating all power in the country. The military doctrine was radically revised, the task was put forward to organize a strategic defense, wear down and stop the offensive of the fascist troops. Large-scale measures were taken to transfer industry to a military footing, mobilize the population into the army and build defensive lines. At the end of June, the first half of July 1941, major defensive border battles unfolded (the defense of the Brest Fortress, etc.). With July 16 to August 15 1941 in the central direction continued defense of Smolensk . In the northwestern direction, the German plan to capture Leningrad failed. In the south, Kyiv was defended until September 1941, and Odessa was defended until October. The stubborn resistance of the Red Army in the summer and autumn of 1941 frustrated Hitler's plan for a blitzkrieg. At the same time, by the fall of 1941, the capture by the fascist command of the vast territory of the USSR with its most important industrial centers and grain regions was a serious loss for the Soviet government. In late September, early October 1941, the German operation Typhoon began, aimed at capturing Moscow. The first line of Soviet defense was broken through in the central direction on October 5-6. Pali Bryansk and Vyazma. The second line near Mozhaisk delayed the German offensive for several days. On October 10, G.K. was appointed commander of the Western Front. Zhukov. On October 19, a state of siege was introduced in the capital. In bloody battles, the Red Army managed to stop the enemy; the October stage of the Nazi offensive on Moscow ended. The three-week respite was used by the Soviet command to strengthen the defense of the capital, mobilize the population into the militia, accumulate military equipment and, above all, aviation. On November 6, a solemn meeting of the Moscow Council of Working People's Deputies was held, dedicated to the anniversary of the October Revolution. On November 7, the traditional parade of the Moscow garrison took place on Red Square. For the first time, other military units also participated in it, including militias who went straight from the parade to the front. These events contributed to the patriotic upsurge of the people, strengthening their faith in victory. The second stage of the Nazi offensive on Moscow began on November 15, 1941. At the cost of huge losses, they managed to reach the approaches to Moscow in late November and early December, envelop it in a semicircle in the north in the Dmitrov region (dropped Moscow - Volga), in the south near Tula. On this, the German offensive bogged down. The defensive battles of the Red Army, in which many soldiers and militias died, were accompanied by the accumulation of forces at the expense of Siberian divisions, aircraft and other military equipment. On December 5-6, 1941, the counteroffensive of the Red Army began, as a result of which the enemy was thrown back from Moscow by 100-250 km. Kalinin, Maloyaroslavets, Kaluga, other cities and towns were liberated. Hitler's plan for a blitzkrieg was thwarted. In the winter of 1942, units of the Red Army launched an offensive on other fronts as well. However, the breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad failed. In the south, the Kerch Peninsula and Feodosia were liberated from the Nazis. The victory near Moscow in the conditions of the military-technical superiority of the enemy was the result of the heroic efforts of the Soviet people.

2. A radical change in the Great Patriotic War

The Nazi leadership in the summer of 1942 staked on the capture of the oil regions of the Caucasus, the fertile regions of southern Russia and the industrial Donbass. I.V. Stalin made a new strategic mistake in assessing the military situation, in determining the direction of the enemy's main attack, in underestimating his forces and reserves. In this regard, his order for the Red Army to advance simultaneously on several fronts led to serious defeats near Kharkov and in the Crimea. Kerch and Sevastopol were lost. At the end of June 1942, a general German offensive was launched. Fascist troops in the course of stubborn battles reached Voronezh, the upper reaches of the Don and captured the Donbass. Then they broke through our defenses between the Northern Donets and the Don. This enabled the Nazi command to solve the main strategic task of the summer campaign of 1942 and launch a broad offensive in two directions: to the Caucasus and east to the Volga. In the Caucasian direction at the end of July 1942, a strong enemy group crossed the Don. As a result, Rostov, Stavropol and Novorossiysk were captured. Stubborn battles were fought in the central part of the Main Caucasian Range, where specially trained enemy Alpine riflemen operated in the mountains. Despite the successes achieved in the Caucasian direction, the fascist command failed to solve its main task of breaking through into the Transcaucasus to seize the oil reserves of Baku. By the end of September, the offensive of the fascist troops in the Caucasus was stopped. An equally difficult situation for the Soviet command developed in the eastern direction. To cover it, the Stalingrad Front was created under the command of Marshal S.K. Timoshenko.

In connection with the current critical situation, an order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief No. 227 was issued, which stated: “To retreat further means to ruin ourselves and at the same time our Motherland.” At the end of July 1942, the enemy commanded by General von Paulus dealt a powerful blow on the Stalingrad front. However, despite the significant superiority in forces, during the month the fascist troops managed to advance only 60-80 km and with great difficulty reach the distant defensive lines of Stalingrad. In August, they reached the Volga and intensified their offensive. From the first days of September, the heroic defense of Stalingrad began, which actually continued until the end of 1942. Its significance during the Great Patriotic War is enormous. During the struggle for the city, Soviet troops under the command of generals IN AND. Chuikov and M.S. Shumilova in September November 1942 they repulsed up to 700 enemy attacks and withstood all the tests with honor. Thousands of Soviet patriots heroically proved themselves in the battles for the city. As a result, in the battles for Stalingrad, the enemy troops suffered colossal losses. Every month of the battle, she sent about 250 thousand new soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht, the bulk of military equipment. By mid-November 1942, the Nazi troops, having lost more than 180 thousand people killed, 500 thousand wounded, were forced to stop the offensive.

During the summer-autumn campaign, the Nazis managed to occupy a huge part of the European part of the USSR, where about 15% of the population lived, 30% of the gross output was produced, and more than 45% of the sown area was located. However, it was a Pyrrhic victory. The Red Army exhausted and bled the fascist hordes. The Germans lost up to 1 million soldiers and officers, more than 20 thousand guns, over 1500 tanks. The enemy was stopped. The resistance of the Soviet troops made it possible to create favorable conditions for their transition to a counteroffensive in the Stalingrad region.

Even during the fierce autumn battles, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command began to develop a plan for a grandiose offensive operation designed to encircle and defeat the main forces of the Nazi troops operating directly near Stalingrad. A great contribution to the preparation of this operation, which received the code name "Uranus", made G.K. Zhukov and A.M. Vasilevsky. To accomplish this task, three new fronts were created: Southwestern (N.F. Vatutin), Donskoy (K.K. Rokossovsky) and Stalingrad (A.I. Eremenko). In total, the offensive group included more than 1 million people, 13 thousand guns and mortars, about 1000 tanks, 1500 aircraft. On November 19, 1942, the offensive of the Southwestern and Don fronts began. A day later, the Stalingrad Front advanced. The offensive was unexpected for the Germans. It developed at lightning speed and successfully. On November 23, 1942, a historic meeting and connection of the Southwestern and Stalingrad fronts took place . As a result, the German group near Stalingrad (330 thousand soldiers and officers under the command of General von Paulus) was surrounded. Hitler's command could not come to terms with the situation. He formed the Don army group consisting of 30 divisions. She was supposed to strike at Stalingrad, break through the outer front of the encirclement and connect with the 6th army of von Paulus. However, an attempt made in mid-December to carry out this task ended in a new major defeat for the German and Italian forces. By the end of December, having defeated this grouping, Soviet troops reached the Kotelnikovo area and launched an attack on Rostov. This made it possible to begin the final destruction of the encircled German troops. January 10 to February 2, 1943 . they were finally eliminated.

Victory in the Battle of Stalingrad led to a broad offensive of the Red Army on all fronts: in January 1943 the blockade of Leningrad was broken; in February, the North Caucasus was liberated; in February March, in the central (Moscow) direction, the front line moved 130-160 km. As a result of the autumn-winter campaign of 1942/43, the military power of Nazi Germany was significantly undermined.

In the central direction, after successful operations in the spring of 1943, the so-called Kursk ledge was formed on the front line. The Hitlerite command, wishing to recapture the strategic initiative, developed an operation "Citadel" for a breakthrough and encirclement of the Red Army in the Kursk region. In contrast to 1942, the Soviet command unraveled the enemy's intentions and created a defense in depth in advance. The Battle of Kursk is the largest battle of World War II. About 900 thousand people, 1.5 thousand tanks (including the latest models of "tiger", "panther"), more than 2 thousand aircraft were involved in it from Germany; from the Soviet side more than 1 million people, 3400 tanks and about 3 thousand aircraft. Outstanding generals commanded in the Battle of Kursk: marshals G.K. Zhukov and A.M. Vasilevsky, generals N.F. Vatutin and K.K. Rokossovsky. Strategic reserves were created under the command of General I.S. Konev, since the plan of the Soviet command provided for the transition from defense to a further offensive. July 5, 1943 . began a massive offensive by the German troops. After tank battles unprecedented in world history ( battle near the village of Prokhorovka and etc.) July, 12 the enemy was stopped. The counteroffensive of the Red Army began. As a result of the defeat of the Nazi troops near Kursk in August 1943, Soviet troops captured Orel and Belgorod. In honor of this victory for the first time during the war years, in Moscow on August 5, 1943. a salute was fired with 12 artillery salvos from 120 guns.

Continuing the offensive, the Soviet troops inflicted a crushing blow on the Nazis during Belgorod-Kharkov operation. In September Left-bank Ukraine and Donbass were liberated, in October the Dnieper was forced and in November Kyiv was taken.

In 1944-1945. The Soviet Union achieved economic, military-strategic and political superiority over the enemy. The labor of the Soviet people steadily provided for the needs of the front. The strategic initiative completely passed to the Red Army. The level of planning and implementation of major military operations has increased. June 6, 1944 Great Britain and the USA landed their troops in Normandy under the command of General D. Eisenhower. Since opening of the Second Front in Europe Allied relations acquired a new quality. The resistance of the peoples in the countries occupied by Germany intensified. It resulted in a broad partisan movement, uprisings, sabotage and sabotage. In general, the Resistance of the peoples of Europe, in which Soviet people who fled from German captivity also participated, became a significant contribution to the struggle against fascism. The political unity of the German bloc was weakening. Japan never came out against the USSR. In the government circles of Germany's allies (Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania), the idea of ​​a break with her was ripening. The fascist dictatorship of B. Mussolini was overthrown. Italy capitulated and then declared war on Germany. In 1944, building on previous successes. The Red Army "carried out a number of major operations that completed the liberation of the territory of our Motherland. In January, the blockade of Leningrad, which lasted 900 days, was finally lifted. The northwestern part of the territory of the USSR was liberated. In January, Korsun-Shevchenko operation, in the development of which Soviet troops liberated the Right-Bank Ukraine and the southern regions of the USSR (Crimea, the cities of Kherson, Odessa, etc.). In the summer of 1944, the Red Army carried out one of the largest operations of the Great Patriotic War ("Bagration"). Belarus was completely liberated. This victory opened the way for advances into Poland, the Baltic states and East Prussia.

In mid-August 1944, Soviet troops in the western direction reached the border with Germany. At the end of August began Iasi-Kishinev operation, which resulted in the liberation of Moldova. An opportunity was created for the withdrawal from the war of Romania, an ally of Germany. These largest operations of 1944 were accompanied by the liberation of other territories of the Soviet Union in the Baltics, the Karelian Isthmus and the Arctic. The victories of the Soviet troops in 1944 helped the peoples of Bulgaria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia in their struggle against fascism. In these countries, pro-German regimes were overthrown, and patriotic forces came to power. Created back in 1943 on the territory of the USSR, the Polish Army took the side of the anti-Hitler coalition. The process of re-establishing Polish statehood began.

The Soviet command, developing the offensive, conducted a number of operations outside the USSR ( Budapest, Belgrade and etc.). They were caused by the need to destroy large enemy groupings in these territories in order to prevent the possibility of their transfer to the defense of Germany. At the same time, the introduction of Soviet troops into the countries of Eastern and Southeastern Europe strengthened the leftist and communist parties in them and, in general, the influence of the Soviet Union in this region. The year 1944 was decisive in securing the victory over fascism. On the Eastern Front, Germany lost a huge amount of military equipment, more than 1.5 million soldiers and officers, its military and economic potential was completely undermined. She lost most of the occupied territories. At the beginning of 1945, the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition coordinated their efforts to defeat Nazi Germany. On the Eastern Front, as a result of a powerful offensive by the Red Army, Poland, most of Czechoslovakia and Hungary were finally liberated. On the Western Front, despite the unsuccessful Ardennes operation of 1944, the allies of the USSR also inflicted decisive defeats on Germany, liberated a significant part of Western Europe and came close to the borders of Germany.

AT April 1945 Soviet troops began Berlin operation. She was aimed at the capture of the capital of Germany and the final defeat of fascism. Troops of the 1st (Commander Marshal G.K. Zhukov), 2nd (Commander Marshal K.K. Rokossovsky) Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian (Commander Marshal I.S. Konev) fronts destroyed the Berlin grouping of the enemy, took prisoner about 500 thousand people, a huge amount of military equipment and weapons. The fascist leadership was completely demoralized, A. Hitler committed suicide. On the morning of May 1, the capture of Berlin was completed and the Red Banner, a symbol of the Victory of the Soviet people, was hoisted over the Reichstag (German parliament).

On May 8, 1945, in the Berlin suburb of Karlshorst, the hastily created new German government signed the Act of Unconditional Surrender. On May 9, the remnants of German troops were defeated in the region of Prague, the capital of Czechoslovakia. Therefore, May 9 became the Victory Day of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War.

3.Soviet rear during the Great Patriotic War. People's struggle in the occupied territory

Mobilization of efforts to ensure victory in the Great Patriotic War was also carried out in the field of economics, social policy, and ideology. Main political slogan "Everything for the front, everything for victory!" played an important role in mobilizing the forces of the people, had concrete and practical significance. The attack of Nazi Germany on the Soviet Union caused a powerful patriotic upsurge of the entire population of the country. Many Soviet people signed up for the people's militia, donated their blood, participated in air defense, donated money and jewelry to the defense fund. The Red Army was greatly assisted by millions of women sent to dig trenches, build anti-tank ditches and other defensive structures. With the onset of cold weather in the winter of 1941/42, an extensive campaign was launched to collect warm clothes for the army: sheepskin coats, felt boots, mittens, etc.

There are two periods in the economic policy of the government of the country. The first - June 22, 1941 - the end of 1942: restructuring the economy on a war footing in the most difficult conditions of the defeat of the Red Army and the loss of a significant part of the economically developed European part of the territory of the Soviet Union. Second - 1943 - 1945. - steadily increasing military-industrial production, achieving economic superiority over Germany and its allies, restoring the national economy in the liberated territories. From the first days of the war, extraordinary measures were taken to transfer the economy to a military footing.: a military-economic plan for the production of all types of weapons and ammunition was developed (in contrast to previous years - monthly and quarterly); the rigid system of centralized management of industry, transport and agriculture has been strengthened; special people's commissariats for the production of certain types of weapons, the Committee for Food and Clothing Supply of the Red Army, and the Evacuation Council were created. Extensive work has begun on the evacuation of industrial enterprises and human resources to the eastern regions of the country.

In 1941-1942. about 2,000 enterprises and 11 million people were moved to the Urals, Siberia, and Central Asia. This process took place especially intensively in the summer-autumn of 1941 and in the summer-autumn of 1942; in the most difficult moments of the struggle on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. At the same time, work was organized on the ground to start the evacuated factories as soon as possible. The mass production of modern types of weapons (aircraft, tanks, artillery, automatic small arms) began, the designs of which were developed back in the pre-war years. In 1942, the volume of gross industrial output exceeded the level of 1941 by 1.5 times.

Huge losses in the initial period of the war suffered agriculture. The main grain areas were occupied by the enemy. The sown area and the number of cattle decreased by 2 times. Gross agricultural output was 37% of the pre-war level. Therefore, the work, begun even before the war, to expand the sown areas in Siberia, Kazakhstan and Central Asia, was accelerated.

By the end of 1942, the restructuring of the economy to serve the needs of the war was completed. In 1941-1942. An important role was played by the military and economic assistance of the United States, an ally of the USSR in the anti-Hitler coalition. Deliveries under the so-called Lend-Lease of military equipment, medicines and food were not of decisive importance (about 4% of industrial production produced in our country), but they provided some help to the Soviet people in the most difficult period of the war. Due to the underdevelopment of the domestic automobile industry, transport supplies (American-made trucks and cars) were especially valuable.

At the second stage (1943-1945), the USSR achieved a decisive superiority over Germany in economic development, especially in the production of military products. 7,500 large enterprises were put into operation, which ensured a steady growth in industrial production. Compared with the previous period, the volume of industrial production increased by 38%. In 1943, 30 thousand aircraft, 24 thousand tanks, 130 thousand artillery pieces of all kinds were produced. The improvement of the military equipment of small arms (submachine gun), new fighters (La-5, Yak-9), heavy bombers (Ant-42, which received the front-line name TB7) continued. These strategic bombers were able to bomb Berlin and return to their bases. In contrast to the pre-war and early war years, new models of military equipment immediately went into mass production. In August 1943, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks adopted a resolution “On urgent measures to restore the economy in areas liberated from German occupation.” On its basis, already during the war years, the restoration of the destroyed industry and agriculture began in them. At the same time, special attention was paid to the mining, metallurgical and energy industries in the Donbass in the Dnieper region. In 1944 and early 1945, the highest rise in military production was achieved and complete superiority over Germany, whose economic situation deteriorated sharply. The gross volume of production exceeded the pre-war level, and the military volume increased 3 times. Of particular importance was the increase in agricultural production.

Social policy was also aimed at securing victory. Extraordinary measures were taken in this area, on the whole justified by the situation of the war. Many millions of Soviet people were mobilized to the front. Compulsory general military training covered 10 million people in the rear. In 1942, labor mobilization of the entire urban and rural population was introduced, and measures to strengthen labor discipline were tightened. The network of factory schools was expanded; (FZU), through which about 2 million people passed. The use of female and adolescent labor in production has increased significantly. Since the autumn of 1941, a centralized distribution of food (card system) was introduced, which made it possible to avoid mass starvation. To alleviate the terrible situation of the rural population, the possibilities of the so-called collective farm market were expanded.

Together with justified harsh social measures, actions were taken that were generated by the cult of personality of I.V. Stalin. Illegal arrests of citizens continued. Soviet soldiers and officers who were taken prisoner were declared traitors to the Motherland. Entire peoples were deported - Volga Germans, Chechens, Ingush, Crimean Tatars, Kalmyks.

In the ideological field, the line on strengthening patriotism and interethnic unity of the peoples of the USSR continued. The glorification of the heroic past of the Russian and other peoples, begun in the prewar period, intensified significantly. New elements were introduced into propaganda methods. Class, socialist values ​​were replaced by generalizing concepts of Motherland and Fatherland. In propaganda, they no longer placed special emphasis on the principle of proletarian internationalism (in May 1943, the Comintern was dissolved). It was now based on a call for the unity of all countries in the common struggle against fascism, regardless of the nature of their socio-political systems. During the war years, reconciliation and rapprochement between the Soviet government and the Russian Orthodox Church took place, which on June 22, 1941 blessed the people "to defend the sacred borders of the Motherland." In 1942, the largest hierarchs were involved in the work of the Commission for the Investigation of Fascist Crimes. In 1943, by permission of I.V. Stalin, the Local Council elected Metropolitan Sergius Patriarch of All Russia.

In the field of literature and art, administrative and ideological control was softened. During the war years, many writers went to the front, becoming war correspondents. Outstanding anti-fascist works: poems by A.T. Tvardovsky, O.F. Bergholz and K.M. Simonov, journalistic essays and articles by I.G. Ehrenburg, A.N. Tolstoy and M.A. Sholokhov, symphonies by D.D. Shostakovich and S.S. Prokofiev, songs by A.V. Alexandrova, B.A. Mokrousova, V.P. Solovyov-Sedogo, M.I. Blanter, I.O. Dunayevsky and others raised the morale of Soviet citizens, strengthened their confidence in victory, and developed feelings of national pride and patriotism. Cinema became especially popular during the war years. Domestic cameramen and directors recorded the most important events that took place at the front, filmed documentaries (“The defeat of German troops near Moscow”, “Leningrad in the fight”, “Battle for Sevastopol”, “Berlin”) and feature films (“Zoya”, “Guy from of our city”, “Invasion”, “She defends the Motherland”, “Two fighters”, etc.). Well-known theater, film and stage artists created creative teams that went to the front, to hospitals, factory shops and collective farms. At the front, 440 thousand performances and concerts were given by 42 thousand creative workers. An important role in the development of propaganda and mass work was played by the artists who designed the TASS Windows, creating posters and cartoons known throughout the country. The main themes of all works of art (literature, music, cinema, etc.) were plots from the heroic past of Russia, as well as facts testifying to the courage, loyalty and devotion to the Motherland of the Soviet people who fought the enemy at the front and in the occupied territories.

Scientists made a great contribution to ensuring victory over the enemy, despite the difficulties of wartime and the evacuation of many scientific, cultural and educational institutions inland. Basically, they concentrated their work in the applied branches of science, but did not leave out of sight research of a fundamental, theoretical nature. They developed technology for the manufacture of new hard alloys and steels needed by the tank industry; conducted research in the field of radio waves, contributing to the creation of domestic radars. L.D. Landau developed the theory of quantum fluid motion, for which he later received the Nobel Prize. The nationwide upsurge and the generally achieved social harmony were one of the most important factors that ensured the victory of the Soviet Union in the Great Patriotic War.

One of the important conditions that ensured victory in the Great Patriotic War was resistance to invaders in the occupied territories. It was caused, firstly, deep patriotism and a sense of national self-consciousness of the Soviet people. Secondly, the country's leadership carried out targeted actions to support and organize this movement. Thirdly, a natural protest was caused by the fascist idea of ​​the inferiority of the Slavic and other peoples of the USSR, economic robbery and pumping out human resources.

The "Eastern policy" of Germany, calculated on the dissatisfaction of the population with the Bolshevik regime and national contradictions, completely failed. The brutal attitude of the German command towards Soviet prisoners of war, extreme anti-Semitism, the mass extermination of Jews and other peoples, the execution of ordinary communists and party and state employees of any rank, all this exacerbated the hatred of the Soviet people for the invaders. Only a small part of the population (especially in the territories forcibly annexed to the Soviet Union before the war) agreed to cooperate with the invaders. Resistance unfolded in various forms: special groups of the NKVD operating behind enemy lines, partisan detachments, underground organizations in captured cities, etc. Many of them were led by underground regional committees and district committees of the CPSU (b). They were faced with the task of maintaining faith in the inviolability of Soviet power, strengthening the morale of the people and intensifying the struggle in the occupied territories. In late June and early July 1941, the Council of People's Commissars and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks adopted resolutions on organizing the struggle in the rear of the German troops. By the end of 1941. on the territory captured by the Nazi troops, in extremely difficult conditions, without experience of underground struggle more than 2 thousand partisan detachments operated, numbering more than 100 thousand people. To coordinate the actions of partisan detachments, deliver weapons, ammunition, food and medicine to them, organize the removal of the sick and wounded to the mainland in May 1942, at the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, the Central Headquarters of the partisan movement was created, headed by P.K. Ponomarenko. The commanders of the active army provided significant assistance to the partisan detachments. As a result, vast territories were liberated behind enemy lines and partisan territories were created (in Belarus and the Russian Federation). The Nazi command was forced to send 22 divisions to suppress the partisans. The partisan movement reached its peak in 1943. Its peculiarity was the enlargement of partisan formations (into regiments, brigades) and coordination of actions with the general plans of the Soviet command. AT August-September 1943 operations "Rail War" and "Concert" for a long time, the partisans put out of action more than 2 thousand km of communication lines, bridges and various kinds of railway equipment behind enemy lines. This provided significant assistance to the Soviet troops during the battles near Kursk, Orel and Kharkov. At the same time, the Carpathian raid was carried out in the rear of the enemy under the command of S.A. Kovpak, who was of great importance in the general patriotic upsurge of the population in the western parts of Ukraine. In 1944, the partisan movement played an important role in the liberation of Belarus and the Right-Bank Ukraine. As the territory of the Soviet Union was liberated, partisan detachments joined the active army. Part of the partisan formations moved to Poland and Slovakia. The selfless struggle of the Soviet people behind enemy lines was one of the important factors that ensured the victory of the Soviet Union in the Great Patriotic War.

4.Foreign policy of the USSR during the Great Patriotic War

In the first months of the Great Patriotic War, an anti-Hitler coalition began to actively take shape as part of the USSR, Great Britain and later the USA. These were its main participants, to which other countries joined. The coalition was based on the common idea of ​​fighting against fascism, preserving the sovereignty and independence of their states. Western democracies, despite their hatred of the Soviet system, understood the need for cooperation with the USSR. Thus, completely different socio-political systems began to converge in the face of a common danger. Each side pursued its own political goals. This determined the complex and contradictory nature of their cooperation. The Soviet Union sought to get out of international isolation and was ready to accept the help of Western countries to repel Hitler's aggression. The West intended to make the most of the human potential of the Soviet Union to achieve victory. Therefore, the question of opening the Second Front, i.e. the direct participation of Great Britain and the United States in large-scale military operations against Germany in the central European direction (in France and Belgium) became the main subject of negotiations between the allies. Moscow conference. In the autumn of 1941, the Moscow Allied Conference took place. The USSR, England and the USA considered a plan for economic deliveries to the USSR. In 1941-1942. The Soviet government concluded agreements with Czechoslovakia, Poland, Yugoslavia, France (their governments in exile in London) on the joint struggle against the fascist bloc and the future contours of the post-war reconstruction of Europe. On January 1, 1942, 26 states of the world signed the Declaration of the United Nations. This meant the creation of a coalition led by the USSR, Great Britain and the USA against the German bloc. However, the issue of opening the Second Front in 1941-1942, despite the diplomatic efforts of the USSR, was not resolved. The allies of the Soviet Union preferred to operate in the peripheral areas of the Second World War, strengthening their positions in the Middle East, Central Asia and the Pacific region. The landing of Anglo-American troops in Northern France was still delayed.

At the end of 1943 the first meeting of the three leaders of the leading powers of the anti-Hitler coalition took place (I.V. Stalin, W. Churchill, T. Roosevelt) Tehran Conference. The terms of the agreements concluded were largely dictated by the major military successes of the USSR in the summer and autumn of 1943. The United States and Great Britain pledged to open a Second Front in northern France no later than May 1944. Some questions of the post-war structure of Europe were discussed. The Allies decided to transfer part of East Prussia (now the Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation) to the USSR. We agreed on the restoration of independent Poland within the borders of 1918. The important strategic position of Poland directly on the border of the USSR caused a constant discussion of the question of its future fate. Austria and Hungary after the end of the war were proclaimed independent and free states. The Allies recognized the accession of the Baltic States to the USSR, betraying its peoples because of their own interests. The decision on the future structure of Germany was postponed. In exchange for these concessions, the USSR agreed to assist the United States in the Far East and declare war on Japan no later than 3 months after the end of hostilities in Europe. Fulfilling the decisions of the Tehran Conference and in the conditions of a powerful, decisive offensive of the Red Army on the Eastern Front (with access to the Balkans and the countries of Eastern Europe), June 6, 1944. allied troops, crossing the English Channel and the Pas de Calais, landed in Normandy(Operation Overlord). The liberation of France began.

At the final stage of the Second World War, when the victory over Germany was beyond doubt, the Yalta Conference (February 1945). It addressed the issues of the post-war structure of Europe. Germany was divided by the allies into four occupation zones: British, American, Soviet and French. The USSR's demand for German reparations in the amount of 10 billion dollars was recognized as legal. They had to come in the form of the export of goods and capital, the use of human power. (This decision of the Yalta Conference was not fully implemented. In addition, morally and physically obsolete equipment was exported to the USSR, which prevented the modernization of the Soviet economy.) Based on the decisions of the Yalta Conference, the Soviet Union achieved the strengthening of its positions in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia. The Soviet Union at the conference confirmed its promise to enter the war with Japan, for which received the consent of the allies to join the Kuril Islands and South Sakhalin. It was decided to establish the United Nations(UN). The Soviet Union received three seats in it for the RSFSR, Ukraine and Belarus, i.e. those republics that bore the brunt of the war suffered the greatest economic and human losses.

The Potsdam (Berlin) conference took place on July 17-August 2, 1945. Its task was to solve the global problems of the post-war settlement. The Soviet delegation was headed by I.V. Stalin, the American G. Truman (the new US President), the English first W. Churchill, then his successor as Prime Minister K. Atglie. The conference participants developed principles aimed at the implementation of the demilitarization, denazification and democratization of Germany, a plan for the eradication of German militarism and Nazism. It included the liquidation of the German military industry, the prohibition of the German National Socialist Party and Nazi propaganda, and the punishment of war criminals. An agreement was reached on reparations from Germany (one-third in favor of the Soviet Union). The conference considered a number of territorial and political issues. USSR transferred to Koenigsberg(capital of East Prussia). The territory of Poland expanded significantly in the west at the expense of Germany (the Polish-German border was established along the Oder-Neisse rivers). The foundations were laid for the signing of a series of peace treaties that took into account the geopolitical interests of the USSR and confirmed its borders established in 1939. Potsdam's decisions were only partially implemented, since at the end of 1945 and beginning of 1946 there was a significant divergence of the former allies. Since 1946, the era of the “cold war” began in international relations, the so-called “iron curtain”, an intensified confrontation between the two socio-political systems, appeared.

By virtue of the agreements reached at the Tehran and Yalta conferences, USSR August 8, 1945 declared war on Japan. By this time, its military and economic potential had been seriously undermined by the allies in the Pacific. Moral and psychological intimidation produced US atomic bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima (August 6) and Nagasaki (August 9), which had no military-strategic meaning. They killed more than 100 thousand people and injured about half a million civilians. At the same time, Japan still retained significant forces in the territory of Manchuria, Northeast China, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, where hostilities were unfolding between it and the USSR. In the summer of 1945, the Soviet command created in the east a significant superiority in livestock and equipment over the Japanese Kvashunskaya army. In this regard, in fact, within a month, Japan suffered a crushing defeat. Soviet troops occupied Manchuria, Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, Northeast China and Korea. September 2, 1945 In Tokyo Bay, on board the American battleship Missouri, Japanese representatives signed the Act of Unconditional Surrender. They created the conditions for the demilitarization of Japan. Japan's signing of the Instrument of Surrender marked the end of World War II.

Even during the war, the Allies raised the question of the need to punish the leaders of Nazi Germany, who unleashed the Second World War. It was first proclaimed in the declaration of the Government of the USSR and the Polish Republic (London Government) in December 1941, enshrined in the Moscow Declaration of the USSR, USA, Great Britain in 1943, confirmed at the Yalta Conference in 1945. In connection with these decisions after the surrender of Germany in Nuremberg, the trial of the leaders of the III Reich took place, which took place from December 1945 to October 1946. It was carried out by a specially created International Military Tribunal of the victorious countries. The political and military leaders of fascist Germany, Goering, Hess, Ribbentrop, Kaltenbrunner, Keitel, and others, were put on trial. Leading industrialists (Schacht, Speer, G. Krupp, and others) who played a prominent role in supporting fascism and militarizing Germany were also charged. All of them were charged with organizing and carrying out a conspiracy against peace and humanity: unleashing a total war, killing prisoners of war and ill-treating them in concentration camps, plundering public and private property, and generally committing the gravest war crimes. The accusation was also brought against organizations: the National Socialist Party, assault (SA) and security (SS) detachments, the security service (SD), the secret police (Gestapo). At the trial, written testimonies and thousands of documentary evidence about the atrocities of the Nazis were considered. At the beginning of October 1946, the verdict was announced. In fact, all the defendants were found guilty of carrying out a conspiracy to prepare and wage aggressive wars, of criminal aggression against Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Yugoslavia, Greece, the USSR and a number of other countries. The main perpetrators were sentenced to death, the rest to life imprisonment. The Tribunal declared the SS, Gestapo, SD, and the leadership of the Nazi Party to be criminal organizations. The Nuremberg trials were the first court in the history of the world to recognize aggression as the gravest criminal offence, punishing statesmen guilty of preparing, unleashing and waging aggressive wars as criminals. The principles enshrined by the International Tribunal and expressed in the verdict were confirmed by a resolution of the UN General Assembly in 1946.

On June 22, 1941, at 4 o'clock in the morning, fascist Germany treacherously invaded the USSR without declaring war. This attack ended the chain of aggressive actions of Hitlerite Germany, which, thanks to the connivance and instigation of the Western powers, grossly violated the elementary norms of international law, resorted to predatory seizures and monstrous atrocities in the occupied countries.

In accordance with the Barbarossa plan, the fascist offensive began on a broad front by several groupings in various directions. The army was stationed in the north "Norway" advancing on Murmansk and Kandalaksha; an army group was advancing from East Prussia to the Baltic states and Leningrad "North"; most powerful army group "Centre" had the goal of defeating units of the Red Army in Belorussia, capturing Vitebsk-Smolensk and taking Moscow on the move; army group "South" was concentrated from Lublin to the mouth of the Danube and led the attack on Kyiv - Donbass. The plans of the Nazis boiled down to delivering a surprise strike in these areas, destroying border and military units, breaking through to the rear, capturing Moscow, Leningrad, Kyiv and the most important industrial centers of the southern regions of the country.

The command of the German army expected to end the war in 6-8 weeks.

190 enemy divisions, about 5.5 million soldiers, up to 50 thousand guns and mortars, 4300 tanks, almost 5 thousand aircraft and about 200 warships were thrown into the offensive against the Soviet Union.

The war began in exceptionally favorable conditions for Germany. Before the attack on the USSR, Germany captured almost all of Western Europe, whose economy worked for the Nazis. Therefore, Germany had a powerful material and technical base.

Germany's military products were supplied by 6,500 largest enterprises in Western Europe. More than 3 million foreign workers were involved in the military industry. In Western European countries, the Nazis looted a lot of weapons, military equipment, trucks, wagons and steam locomotives. The military and economic resources of Germany and its allies greatly exceeded those of the USSR. Germany fully mobilized its army, as well as the armies of its allies. Most of the German army was concentrated near the borders of the Soviet Union. In addition, imperialist Japan threatened an attack from the East, which diverted a significant part of the Soviet Armed Forces to defend the country's eastern borders. In the theses of the Central Committee of the CPSU "50 years of the Great October Socialist Revolution" an analysis of the reasons for the temporary failures of the Red Army in the initial period of the war is given. They are connected with the fact that the Nazis used temporary advantages:

• the militarization of the economy and the whole life of Germany;
• lengthy preparations for a war of conquest and more than two years of experience in conducting military operations in the West;
• superiority in armament and the number of troops concentrated in advance in the border zones.

They had at their disposal the economic and military resources of almost all of Western Europe. The miscalculations made in determining the possible timing of an attack by Nazi Germany on our country and the related omissions in preparing to repulse the first blows played their role. There were reliable data on the concentration of German troops near the borders of the USSR and the preparation of Germany for an attack on our country. However, the troops of the western military districts were not brought to a state of full combat readiness.

All these reasons put the Soviet country in a difficult position. However, the enormous difficulties of the initial period of the war did not break the fighting spirit of the Red Army, did not shake the stamina of the Soviet people. From the first days of the attack, it became clear that the blitzkrieg plan had collapsed. Accustomed to easy victories over the Western countries, whose governments betrayed their people to be torn to pieces by the occupiers, the fascists met stubborn resistance from the Soviet Armed Forces, border guards and the entire Soviet people. The war lasted 1418 days. Groups of border guards bravely fought on the border. The garrison of the Brest Fortress covered itself with unfading glory. The defense of the fortress was led by Captain I. N. Zubachev, regimental commissar E. M. Fomin, Major P. M. Gavrilov and others. (In total, about 200 rams were made during the war years). On June 26, the crew of Captain N.F. Gastello (A.A. Burdenyuk, G.N. Skorobogaty, A.A. Kalinin) crashed into a column of enemy troops on a burning plane. Hundreds of thousands of Soviet soldiers from the first days of the war showed examples of courage and heroism.

Lasted two months Smolensk battle. Born here near Smolensk soviet guard. The battle in the Smolensk region delayed the enemy advance until mid-September 1941.
During the Battle of Smolensk, the Red Army thwarted the plans of the enemy. The delay of the enemy offensive in the central direction was the first strategic success of the Soviet troops.

The Communist Party became the leading and guiding force for the defense of the country and the preparation for the destruction of the Nazi troops. From the first days of the war, the Party took urgent measures to organize a rebuff to the aggressor, carried out a huge amount of work to restructure all work on a war footing, to turn the country into a single military camp.

“For a real war,” wrote V. I. Lenin, “a strong organized rear is necessary. The best army, the most devoted to the cause of the revolution, people will be immediately exterminated by the enemy if they are not sufficiently armed, supplied with food, and trained ”(V. I. Lenin, Poln. sobr. soch., vol. 35, p. 408).

These Leninist instructions formed the basis for organizing the struggle against the enemy. On June 22, 1941, on behalf of the Soviet government, V. M. Molotov, People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR, spoke on the radio about the "robber" attack of fascist Germany and a call to fight the enemy. On the same day, a Decree was adopted by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the introduction of martial law on the European territory of the USSR, as well as a Decree on the mobilization of a number of ages in 14 military districts. On June 23, the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR adopted a resolution on the tasks of party and Soviet organizations in war conditions. On June 24, the Evacuation Council was formed, and on June 27, by a decree of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR “On the procedure for the export and placement of human contingents and valuable property”, the procedure for the evacuation of productive forces and the population to the eastern regions was determined. In the directive of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR dated June 29, 1941, the most important tasks for mobilizing all forces and means to defeat the enemy were set out to party and Soviet organizations in the front-line regions.

“... In the war with fascist Germany imposed on us,” this document said, “the question of life and death of the Soviet state is being decided, of whether the peoples of the Soviet Union should be free or fall into enslavement.” The Central Committee and the Soviet government urged to realize the full depth of the danger, to reorganize all work on a war footing, to organize all-round assistance to the front, to increase the production of weapons, ammunition, tanks, aircraft in every possible way, to export all valuable property in the event of the forced withdrawal of the Red Army, and to destroy what cannot be taken out , in the areas occupied by the enemy to organize partisan detachments. On July 3, the main provisions of the directive were outlined in a radio speech by IV Stalin. The directive determined the nature of the war, the degree of threat and danger, set the tasks of turning the country into a single military camp, strengthening the Armed Forces in every possible way, restructuring the work of the rear on a military basis, and mobilizing all forces to repulse the enemy. On June 30, 1941, an emergency body was created to quickly mobilize all the forces and means of the country to repel and defeat the enemy - State Defense Committee (GKO) headed by I. V. Stalin. All power in the country, state, military and economic leadership was concentrated in the hands of the State Defense Committee. It united the activities of all state and military institutions, party, trade union and Komsomol organizations.

Under war conditions, the restructuring of the entire economy on a war footing was of paramount importance. approved at the end of June "Mobilization national economic plan for the III quarter of 1941", and on August 16 "The military economic plan for the IV quarter of 1941 and for 1942 for the regions of the Volga region, the Urals, Western Siberia, Kazakhstan and Central Asia". In just five months of 1941, more than 1360 large military enterprises were relocated and about 10 million people were evacuated. Even according to bourgeois experts industry evacuation in the second half of 1941 and early 1942 and its deployment in the East should be considered among the most amazing feats of the peoples of the Soviet Union during the war. The evacuated Kramatorsk plant was launched 12 days after arriving at the site, Zaporozhye - after 20. By the end of 1941, the Urals produced 62% of iron and 50% of steel. In scope and significance, this was equal to the largest battles of wartime. The restructuring of the national economy on a war footing was completed by the middle of 1942.

The Party did a great deal of organizational work in the army. In accordance with the decision of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, on July 16, 1941, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR issued a decree "On the reorganization of political propaganda bodies and the introduction of the institution of military commissars". From July 16 in the Army, and from July 20 in the Navy, the institution of military commissars was introduced. During the second half of 1941, up to 1.5 million communists and more than 2 million Komsomol members were mobilized into the army (the party sent up to 40% of the entire membership to the active army). Prominent party leaders L. I. Brezhnev, A. A. Zhdanov, A. S. Shcherbakov, M. A. Suslov and others were sent to party work in the army.

On August 8, 1941, I. V. Stalin was appointed Supreme Commander of all the Armed Forces of the USSR. In order to concentrate all the functions of managing military operations, the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief was formed. Hundreds of thousands of communists and Komsomol members went to the front. About 300 thousand of the best representatives of the working class and intelligentsia of Moscow and Leningrad joined the ranks of the people's militia.

Meanwhile, the enemy stubbornly rushed to Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev, Odessa, Sevastopol and other major industrial centers of the country. An important place in the plans of fascist Germany was occupied by the calculation of the international isolation of the USSR. However, from the very first days of the war, an anti-Hitler coalition began to take shape. Already on June 22, 1941, the British government announced its support for the USSR in the fight against fascism, and on July 12 signed an agreement on joint actions against Nazi Germany. On August 2, 1941, US President F. Roosevelt announced economic support for the Soviet Union. September 29, 1941 gathered in Moscow tri-power conference(USSR, USA and England), which developed a plan for Anglo-American assistance in the fight against the enemy. Hitler's calculation for the international isolation of the USSR failed. On January 1, 1942, a declaration of 26 states was signed in Washington anti-Hitler coalition about the use of all the resources of these countries for the struggle against the German bloc. However, the allies were in no hurry to provide effective assistance aimed at defeating fascism, trying to weaken the belligerents.

By October, the Nazi invaders, despite the heroic resistance of our troops, managed to approach Moscow from three sides, simultaneously launching an offensive on the Don, in the Crimea, near Leningrad. Heroically defended Odessa and Sevastopol. September 30, 1941 the German command begins the first, and in November - the second general offensive against Moscow. The Nazis managed to occupy Klin, Yakhroma, Naro-Fominsk, Istra and other cities of the Moscow region. Soviet troops fought a heroic defense of the capital, showing examples of courage and heroism. The 316th rifle division of General Panfilov fought to the death in fierce battles. A partisan movement unfolded behind enemy lines. About 10 thousand partisans fought near Moscow alone. On December 5-6, 1941, Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive near Moscow. At the same time, offensive operations were launched on the Western, Kalinin and Southwestern fronts. The powerful offensive of the Soviet troops in the winter of 1941/42 drove the fascists back in a number of places at a distance of up to 400 km from the capital and was their first major defeat in World War II.

Main result Moscow battle consisted in the fact that the strategic initiative was wrested from the hands of the enemy and the blitzkrieg plan failed. The defeat of the Germans near Moscow was a decisive turn in the military operations of the Red Army and had a great influence on the entire subsequent course of the war.

By the spring of 1942, the production of military products was established in the eastern regions of the country. By the middle of the year, most of the evacuated enterprises were deployed in new places. The transfer of the country's economy to a military footing was largely completed. In the rear - in Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Siberia, the Urals - there were more than 10 thousand industrial construction projects.

Instead of men who went to the front, women and youth came to the machines. Despite very difficult living conditions, Soviet people worked selflessly to ensure victory at the front. They worked one and a half to two shifts to restore industry and supply the front with everything necessary. All-Union socialist competition developed widely, the winners of which were awarded Red Banner GKO. In 1942 agricultural workers organized overplanned crops for the defense fund. The collective farm peasantry supplied the front and rear with food and industrial raw materials.

The situation in the temporarily occupied regions of the country was exceptionally difficult. The Nazis plundered cities and villages, mocked the civilian population. At the enterprises, German officials were appointed to oversee the work. The best lands were selected for farming for German soldiers. In all occupied settlements, German garrisons were kept at the expense of the population. However, the economic and social policy of the Nazis, which they tried to pursue in the occupied territories, immediately failed. The Soviet people, brought up on the ideas of the Communist Party, believed in the victory of the Soviet country, did not succumb to Hitler's provocations and demagogy.

Winter offensive of the Red Army in 1941/42 dealt a powerful blow to fascist Germany, to its military machine, but the Nazi army was still strong. Soviet troops fought stubborn defensive battles.

In this situation, the nationwide struggle of the Soviet people behind enemy lines played an important role, especially partisan movement.

Thousands of Soviet people went to partisan detachments. A partisan war developed widely in the Ukraine, in Belorussia and in the Smolensk region, in the Crimea and in a number of other places. In cities and villages temporarily occupied by the enemy, underground party and Komsomol organizations operated. In accordance with the resolution of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks of July 18, 1941 No. "On the organization of the struggle in the rear of the German troops" 3,500 partisan detachments and groups, 32 underground regional committees, 805 city and district party committees, 5,429 primary party organizations, 10 regional, 210 inter-district city and 45 thousand primary Komsomol organizations were created. To coordinate the actions of partisan detachments and underground groups with units of the Red Army, by decision of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks on May 30, 1942, at the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, the central headquarters of the partisan movement. Headquarters for the leadership of the partisan movement were formed in Belarus, Ukraine and other republics and regions occupied by the enemy.

After the defeat near Moscow and the winter offensive of our troops, the Nazi command was preparing a new major offensive with the aim of capturing all the southern regions of the country (Crimea, the North Caucasus, the Don) up to the Volga, capturing Stalingrad and tearing Transcaucasia from the center of the country. This posed an exceptionally serious threat to our country.

By the summer of 1942, the international situation had changed, characterized by the strengthening of the anti-Hitler coalition. In May - June 1942, agreements were signed between the USSR, Britain and the USA on an alliance in the war against Germany and on post-war cooperation. In particular, an agreement was reached on the opening in 1942 in Europe second front against Germany, which would have greatly accelerated the defeat of fascism. But the allies in every possible way delayed its opening. Taking advantage of this, the fascist command transferred divisions from the Western Front to the Eastern. By the spring of 1942, the Nazi army had 237 divisions, massive aviation, tanks, artillery and other types of equipment for a new offensive.

intensified Leningrad blockade, almost daily subjected to artillery fire. In May, the Kerch Strait was captured. On July 3, the High Command ordered the heroic defenders of Sevastopol to leave the city after a 250-day defense, since it was not possible to keep the Crimea. As a result of the defeat of the Soviet troops in the area of ​​Kharkov and the Don, the enemy reached the Volga. The Stalingrad Front, created in July, took upon itself the powerful blows of the enemy. Retreating with heavy fighting, our troops inflicted huge damage on the enemy. In parallel, the fascist offensive was going on in the North Caucasus, where Stavropol, Krasnodar, Maykop were occupied. In the Mozdok area, the Nazi offensive was suspended.

The main battles unfolded on the Volga. The enemy sought to capture Stalingrad at any cost. The heroic defense of the city was one of the brightest pages of the Patriotic War. The working class, women, old people, teenagers - the entire population rose to the defense of Stalingrad. Despite the mortal danger, the workers of the tractor factory daily sent tanks to the front lines. In September, fighting broke out in the city for every street, for every house.

On September 1, 1939, fascist Germany, dreaming of world domination and revenge for the defeat in the First World War, unleashed hostilities against Poland. Thus began the Second World War - the largest military clash of our century.

On the eve of these events, the USSR and Germany signed non-aggression and friendship treaties. There were also secret protocols that dealt with the division of spheres of influence between the two states, the contents of which became public knowledge only four decades later.

The signed documents promised benefits to both parties. Germany secured its eastern borders and could safely conduct military operations in the West, while the Soviet Union, relatively safely for its western borders, could concentrate its military power in the East.

Having divided spheres of influence in Europe with Germany, the USSR concluded agreements with the Baltic states, on whose territory the Red Army troops were soon introduced. Together with Western Ukraine, Western Belarus and Bessarabia, these lands soon became part of the Soviet Union.

As a result of hostilities with Finland, which took place from November 30, 1939 to March 1940, the Karelian Isthmus with the city of Vyborg and the northern coast of Ladoga went to the USSR. The League of Nations, defining these actions as aggression, expelled the Soviet Union from its ranks.

A short military clash with Finland revealed serious miscalculations in the organization of the USSR Armed Forces, in the level of equipment available to them, as well as in the training of command personnel. As a result of mass repressions, many positions among the officers were occupied by specialists who did not have the necessary training.

Measures to strengthen the defense capability of the Soviet state

In March 1939, the 18th Congress of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks adopted the fourth five-year plan, which outlined grandiose, difficult-to-implement rates of economic growth. The main attention in the plan was paid to the development of heavy engineering, the defense, metallurgical and chemical industries, the increase in industrial production in the Urals and Siberia. Expenses for the production of weapons and other defense products increased sharply.

An even stricter labor discipline was introduced at industrial enterprises. Being late for work by more than 20 minutes threatened with criminal punishment. A seven-day work week was introduced throughout the country.

The military and political leadership of the country did not do everything possible in the strategic plan. The experience of military operations was insufficiently analyzed, many talented commanders of the highest rank and major military theorists were repressed. In the military environment of I.V. Stalin, the opinion prevailed that the coming war for the USSR would be only offensive in nature, military operations would only take place on foreign soil.

During this period, scientists developed new types of weapons, which were soon to enter the Red Army. However, by the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, this process was not completed. Many samples of new equipment and weapons lacked spare parts, and the personnel of the armed forces had not yet mastered the new types of weapons to the proper extent.

The beginning of the Great Patriotic War

In the spring of 1940, the German military command developed a plan for attacking the USSR: the Reich army was supposed to defeat the Red Army with lightning strikes from tank groups in the North (Leningrad-Karelia), in the center (Minsk-Moscow) and in the South (Ukraine-Caucasus-Lower Volga). before the onset of winter.

By the spring of 1941, a military grouping of more than 5.5 million people and a huge amount of military equipment, unprecedented in scale, was pulled up to the western borders of the Soviet Union.

The Soviet Union knew about the desire of German fascism to start hostilities thanks to intelligence work. During 1940 - early 1941, the country's government received convincing information about the plans of a potential enemy. However, the leadership headed by I. V. Stalin did not take these reports seriously, until the last moment they believed that Germany could not wage war in the west and east at the same time.

Only at about midnight on June 21, 1941, People's Commissar of Defense S.K. Timoshenko and Chief of the General Staff G.K. Zhukov gave the order to bring the troops of the western military districts to full combat readiness. However, the directive came to some military units already at the moment when the bombardment began. Only the Baltic Fleet was put on full combat readiness, meeting the aggressor with a worthy rebuff.

guerrilla war

During the Great Patriotic War, a nationwide partisan struggle unfolded. Gradually, fighters and commanders from the encircled units and formations poured into the partisan detachments. In the spring of 1942, the Central Headquarters of the partisan movement was established in Moscow. With the expansion of offensive operations of the Red Army, joint combat operations of partisans and regular military units were carried out more and more actively.

As a result of the well-executed operation "rail war", partisan formations, putting the railroads out of action, disrupted the movement of enemy formations, and inflicted significant material damage on the enemy.

By the beginning of 1944, a large number of partisan detachments joined the army formations. The leaders of the partisan detachments S. A. Kovpak, A. F. Fedorov were twice awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Underground groups were active together with the partisans. They organized sabotage, carried out explanatory work among the inhabitants of the occupied regions. Numerous information about the deployment of enemy military formations, thanks to the actions of the underground, became the property of army intelligence.

The heroic work of the rear

Despite the sudden invasion of the enemy, thanks to the clear organization and heroism of millions of citizens of the country, a significant number of industrial enterprises were evacuated to the East in a short time. The main industrial production was concentrated in the Center and in the Urals. There was a victory there.

It took just a few months to not only start producing defense products in new areas, but also to achieve high labor productivity. By 1943, Soviet military production in terms of quantity and quality significantly surpassed the German one. A large-scale serial production of T-34 medium tanks, heavy KV tanks, IL-2 attack aircraft and other military equipment was launched.

These successes were achieved by the selfless labor of workers and peasants, most of whom were women, old people and teenagers.

High was the patriotic spirit of the people who believed in victory.

Liberation of the territory of the USSR and Eastern Europe from fascism (1944-1945)

In January 1944, as a result of the successful operation of the Leningrad, Volkhov and 2nd Baltic fronts, the blockade of Leningrad was lifted. In the winter of 1944, Right-bank Ukraine was liberated by the efforts of three Ukrainian fronts, and by the end of spring, the western border of the USSR was completely restored.

Under such conditions, at the beginning of the summer of 1944, a second front was opened in Europe.

The Headquarters of the Supreme High Command developed a grandiose in scale and tactically successful plan for the complete liberation of Soviet territory and the entry of the Red Army troops into Eastern Europe in order to liberate it from fascist enslavement. This was preceded by one of the major offensive operations - Belorussian, which received the code name "Bagration".

As a result of the offensive, the Soviet Army reached the outskirts of Warsaw and stopped on the right bank of the Vistula. At this time, a popular uprising broke out in Warsaw, brutally suppressed by the Nazis.

In September-October 1944, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia were liberated. The partisan formations of these states took an active part in the hostilities of the Soviet troops, which then formed the basis of their national armed forces.

Fierce battles flared up for the liberation of the lands of Hungary, where there was a large grouping of fascist troops, especially in the area of ​​​​Lake Balaton. For two months, Soviet troops besieged Budapest, the garrison of which capitulated only in February 1945. Only by mid-April 1945 was the territory of Hungary completely liberated.

Under the sign of the victories of the Soviet Army, from February 4 to 11, a conference of the leaders of the USSR, the USA and England was held in Yalta, at which questions of the post-war reorganization of the world were discussed. Among them, the establishment of the borders of Poland, the recognition of the demands of the USSR for reparations, the question of the entry of the USSR into the war against Japan, the consent of the Allied Powers to the annexation of the Kuril Islands and South Sakhalin to the USSR.

April 16 - May 2 - Berlin operation - the last major battle of the Great Patriotic War. It went through several stages:
- the capture of the Seelow Heights;
-fighting on the outskirts of Berlin;
-storming of the central, most fortified part of the city.

On the night of May 9, in the Berlin suburb of Karlshorst, the Act of unconditional surrender of Germany was signed.

July 17 - August 2 - Potsdam Conference of Heads of State - members of the anti-Hitler coalition. The main question is the fate of post-war Germany. Control- was created. ny council - a joint body of the USSR, the USA, Great Britain and France for the exercise of supreme power in Germany for the period of its occupation. He paid special attention to the issues of the Polish-German border. Germany was subject to complete demilitarization, and the activities of the Social Nazi Party were prohibited. Stalin confirmed the readiness of the USSR to take part in the war against Japan.

The President of the United States, having received positive results from nuclear weapons tests by the beginning of the conference, began to put pressure on the Soviet Union. Accelerated work on the creation of atomic weapons in the USSR.

On August 6 and 9, the US bombed two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which were of no strategic importance. The act was of a warning and threatening nature, primarily for our state.

On the night of August 9, 1945, the Soviet Union began military operations against Japan. Three fronts were formed: the Trans-Baikal and two Far Eastern ones. Together with the Pacific Fleet and the Amur Military Flotilla, the elite Japanese Kwantung Army was defeated and North China, North Korea, South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands were liberated.

On September 2, 1945, the Second World War ended with the signing of the Japanese Surrender Act on the USS Missouri.

Results of the Great Patriotic War

Of the 50 million human lives claimed by the Second World War, about 30 million fell to the share of the Soviet Union. Huge and material losses of our state.

All the forces of the country were thrown to achieve victory. Significant economic assistance was provided by countries participating in the anti-Hitler coalition.

During the Great Patriotic War, a new galaxy of commanders was born. It was rightfully headed by four times Hero of the Soviet Union, Deputy Supreme Commander-in-Chief Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov, twice awarded the Order of Victory.

Among the famous commanders of the Great Patriotic War, K. K. Rokossovsky, A. M. Vasilevsky, I. S. Konev and other talented military leaders who had to bear responsibility for the wrong strategic decisions made by the political leadership of the country and personally by I. V. Stalin, especially in the first, most difficult period of the Great Patriotic War.

Chronology

• 1941, June 22 - 1945, May 9 The Great Patriotic War
• 1941 October - December Battle of Moscow
• November 1942 - February 1943 Battle of Stalingrad
• 1943, July - August Battle of Kursk
• January 1944 Liquidation of the blockade of Leningrad
• 1944 Liberation of the territory of the USSR from fascist invaders
• 1945 April - May Battle of Berlin
• May 9, 1945 Victory Day of the Soviet Union over Germany
• 1945, August - September Defeat of Japan

Great Patriotic War (1941 - 1945)

The Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union 1941-1945 as an integral and decisive part of the Second World War of 1939-1945. has three periods:

June 22, 1941 - November 18, 1942. It is characterized by measures to turn the country into a single military camp, the collapse of Hitler's strategy of "blitzkrieg" and the creation of conditions for a radical change in the war.

Early 1944 - May 9, 1945. Complete expulsion of the fascist invaders from Soviet soil; the liberation by the Soviet Army of the peoples of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe; final defeat of Nazi Germany.

By 1941, Nazi Germany and its allies captured virtually all of Europe: Poland was defeated, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg were occupied. The French army resisted for only 40 days. The English expeditionary army suffered a major defeat, and its formations were evacuated to the British Isles. Fascist troops entered the territory of the Balkan countries. In Europe, in essence, there was no force that could stop the aggressor. The Soviet Union became such a force. The great feat was accomplished by the Soviet people, who saved world civilization from fascism.

In 1940, the fascist leadership developed a plan “ Barbarossa”, the purpose of which was the lightning defeat of the Soviet Armed Forces and the occupation of the European part of the Soviet Union. Further plans included the complete destruction of the USSR. The ultimate goal of the Nazi troops was to reach the Volga-Arkhangelsk line, and it was planned to paralyze the Urals with the help of aircraft. For this, 153 German divisions and 37 divisions of its allies (Finland, Romania and Hungary) were concentrated in the eastern direction. They had to strike in three directions: central(Minsk - Smolensk - Moscow), northwestern(Baltic - Leningrad) and southern(Ukraine with access to the Black Sea coast). A lightning campaign was planned to capture the European part of the USSR until the autumn of 1941.

The first period of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1942)

The beginning of the war

Implementation of the plan Barbarossa”began at dawn June 22, 1941. extensive air bombardments of the largest industrial and strategic centers, as well as the offensive of the ground forces of Germany and its allies along the entire European border of the USSR (over 4.5 thousand km).

Nazi planes are dropping bombs on peaceful Soviet cities. June 22, 1941

In the first few days, German troops advanced tens and hundreds of kilometers. On the central direction in early July 1941, all of Belarus was captured, and German troops reached the approaches to Smolensk. On the northwestern- the Baltic states are occupied, Leningrad is blocked on September 9. On the south Nazi troops occupied Moldova and the Right-Bank Ukraine. Thus, by the autumn of 1941, Hitler's plan to capture the vast territory of the European part of the USSR was carried out.

153 Nazi divisions (3,300,000 men) and 37 divisions (300,000 men) of Nazi Germany's satellite states were thrown against the Soviet state. They were armed with 3,700 tanks, 4,950 aircraft, and 48,000 guns and mortars.

By the beginning of the war against the USSR, as a result of the occupation of Western European countries, weapons, ammunition and equipment of 180 Czechoslovak, French, British, Belgian, Dutch and Norwegian divisions were at the disposal of fascist Germany. This not only made it possible to equip the fascist troops in sufficient quantities with military equipment and equipment, but also ensured an advantage in military potential over the Soviet troops.

In our western districts, there were 2.9 million people, armed with 1,540 new types of aircraft, 1,475 modern T-34 and KV tanks, and 34,695 guns and mortars. The fascist German army had a great superiority in forces.

Describing the reasons for the failures of the Soviet Armed Forces in the first months of the war, many historians today see them in serious mistakes made by the Soviet leadership in the prewar years. In 1939, large mechanized corps, so necessary in modern warfare, were disbanded, production of 45 and 76 mm anti-tank guns was stopped, fortifications on the old Western border were dismantled, and much more.

The weakening of the command staff caused by pre-war repressions also played a negative role. All this led to an almost complete change in the command and political composition of the Red Army. By the beginning of the war, about 75% of commanders and 70% of political workers had been in their positions for less than one year. Even the chief of the general staff of the ground forces of fascist Germany, General F. Halder, noted in his diary in May 1941: “The Russian officer corps is exceptionally bad. It makes a worse impression than in 1933. It will take Russia 20 years to reach its former height.” It was necessary to recreate the officer corps of our country already in the conditions of the outbreak of war.

Among the serious mistakes of the Soviet leadership, one should also include a miscalculation in determining the time of a possible attack by fascist Germany on the USSR.

Stalin and his entourage believed that the Nazi leadership would not dare to violate the non-aggression pact concluded with the USSR in the near future. All information received through various channels, including military and political intelligence, about the upcoming German attack was considered by Stalin as provocative, aimed at exacerbating relations with Germany. This may also explain the government's assessment, transmitted in a TASS statement on June 14, 1941, in which rumors of an impending German attack were declared provocative. This also explained the fact that the directive on bringing the troops of the western military districts to combat readiness and occupying combat lines by them was given too late. In essence, the directive was received by the troops when the war had already begun. Therefore, the consequences of this were extremely severe.

At the end of June - the first half of July 1941, large defensive border battles unfolded (the defense of the Brest Fortress, etc.).

Defenders of the Brest Fortress. Hood. P. Krivonogov. 1951

From July 16 to August 15, the defense of Smolensk continued in the central direction. In the northwestern direction, the German plan to capture Leningrad failed. In the south, until September 1941, the defense of Kyiv was carried out, until October - Odessa. The stubborn resistance of the Red Army in the summer and autumn of 1941 frustrated Hitler's plan for a blitzkrieg. At the same time, by the fall of 1941, the capture by the fascist command of the vast territory of the USSR with its most important industrial centers and grain regions was a serious loss for the Soviet government. (Reader T11 No. 3)

Restructuring the life of the country on a war footing

Immediately after the German attack, the Soviet government carried out major military-political and economic measures to repel the aggression. On June 23, the Headquarters of the High Command was formed. July 10 it was converted to Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. It included I.V. Stalin (appointed commander-in-chief and soon became People's Commissar of Defense), V.M. Molotov, S.K. Timoshenko, S.M. Budyonny, K.E. Voroshilov, B.M. Shaposhnikov and G.K. Zhukov. By a directive of June 29, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks set the task for the entire country to mobilize all forces and means to fight the enemy. On June 30, the State Defense Committee was created(GKO), concentrating all power in the country. The military doctrine was radically revised, the task was put forward to organize a strategic defense, wear down and stop the offensive of the fascist troops. Large-scale measures were taken to transfer industry to a military footing, mobilize the population into the army and build defensive lines.

Page of the newspaper "Moskovsky Bolshevik" dated July 3, 1941 with the text of I.V. Stalin's speech. Fragment

One of the main tasks, which had to be solved from the first days of the war, was the fastest restructuring of the national economy, the entire economy of the country on military rails. The main line of this restructuring was defined in the Directive of June 29, 1941. Specific measures for the restructuring of the national economy began to be carried out from the very beginning of the war. On the second day of the war, a mobilization plan for the production of ammunition and cartridges was introduced. And on June 30, the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR approved a mobilization national economic plan for the third quarter of 1941. However, events at the front developed so unfavorably for us that this plan turned out to be unfulfilled. Given the current situation, on July 4, 1941, a decision was made to urgently develop a new plan for the development of military production. The GKO decree on July 4, 1941 noted: develop a military-economic plan for ensuring the defense of the country, referring to the use of resources and enterprises located on the Volga, in Western Siberia and the Urals”. Within two weeks this commission developed a new plan for the fourth quarter of 1941 and for 1942 for the regions of the Volga region, the Urals, Western Siberia, Kazakhstan and Central Asia.

For the speedy deployment of a production base in the regions of the Volga region, the Urals, Western Siberia, Kazakhstan and Central Asia, it was decided to bring industrial enterprises of the People's Commissariat of Ammunition, the People's Commissariat for Armaments, the People's Commissariat of Aviation Industry, etc.

Members of the Politburo, who were at the same time members of the State Defense Committee, carried out general management of the main branches of the military economy. The issues of the production of weapons and ammunition were handled by N.A. Voznesensky, aircraft and aircraft engines - G.M. Malenkov, tanks - V.M. Molotov, food, fuel and clothing - A.I. Mikoyan and others. Industrial People's Commissariats were headed by: A.L. Shakhurin - aviation industry, V.L. Vannikov - ammunition, I.F. Tevosyan - ferrous metallurgy, A.I. Efremov - machine tool industry, V.V. Vakhrushev - coal, I.I. Sedin - oil.

The main link in the restructuring of the national economy on a war footing has become industrial restructuring. Almost all mechanical engineering was transferred to military production.

In November 1941, the People's Commissariat for General Engineering was transformed into the People's Commissariat for the Mortar Industry. In addition to the People's Commissariats of the aviation industry, shipbuilding, armaments and ammunition, created before the war, two People's Commissariats were formed at the beginning of the war - for the tank and mortar industries. Thanks to this, all the main branches of the military industry received specialized centralized management. The production of jet mortars, which existed before the war only in prototypes, was started. Their production is organized at the Moscow plant "Compressor". The front-line soldiers gave the name "Katyusha" to the first missile combat installation.

At the same time, the process workforce training through the labor reserve system. In just two years, about 1,100,000 people were trained through this sphere for work in industry.

For the same purposes, in February 1942, the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR “On the mobilization of the able-bodied urban population for work in production and construction” was adopted in February 1942.

In the course of the restructuring of the national economy, the main center of the war economy of the USSR became eastern industrial base, which was significantly expanded and strengthened with the outbreak of war. As early as 1942, the proportion of the eastern regions in all-Union production increased.

As a result, the main burden of supplying the army with weapons and equipment fell on the eastern industrial base. In 1942, the production of military products in the Urals increased by more than 6 times in comparison with 1940, in Western Siberia - 27 times, and in the Volga region - 9 times. On the whole, industrial production in these regions more than tripled during the war. It was a great military and economic victory achieved by the Soviet people during these years. It laid a solid foundation for the final victory over fascist Germany.

The course of hostilities in 1942

The Nazi leadership in the summer of 1942 staked on the capture of the oil regions of the Caucasus, the fertile regions of southern Russia and the industrial Donbass. Kerch and Sevastopol were lost.

At the end of June 1942, a general German offensive was launched in two directions: on Caucasus and east to Volga.

Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union (July 22, 1941 - May 9, 1945)

On the Caucasian direction at the end of July 1942, a strong Nazi group crossed the Don. As a result, Rostov, Stavropol and Novorossiysk were captured. Stubborn battles were fought in the central part of the Main Caucasian Range, where specially trained enemy Alpine riflemen operated in the mountains. Despite the successes achieved in the Caucasian direction, the fascist command failed to solve its main task - to break through into the Transcaucasus to master the oil reserves of Baku. By the end of September, the offensive of the fascist troops in the Caucasus was stopped.

An equally difficult situation for the Soviet command developed on eastbound. Created to cover it Stalingrad Front under the command of Marshal S.K. Timoshenko. In connection with the current critical situation, an order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief No. 227 was issued, which stated: “To retreat further means to ruin ourselves and at the same time our Motherland.” At the end July 1942. enemy in command General von Paulus dealt a powerful blow to Stalingrad front. However, despite the significant superiority in forces, during the month the fascist troops managed to advance only 60-80 km.

From the first days of September began heroic defense of Stalingrad, which actually lasted until the end of 1942. Its significance during the Great Patriotic War is enormous. Thousands of Soviet patriots heroically proved themselves in the battles for the city.

Street fighting in Stalingrad. 1942

As a result, in the battles for Stalingrad, the enemy troops suffered colossal losses. Every month of the battle, about 250 thousand new soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht, the bulk of military equipment, were sent here. By mid-November 1942, the Nazi troops, having lost more than 180 thousand people killed, 500 thousand wounded, were forced to stop the offensive.

During the summer-autumn campaign of 1942, the Nazis managed to occupy a huge part of the European part of the USSR, but the enemy was stopped.

Second period of the Great Patriotic War (1942-1943)

The final stage of the war (1944 - 1945)

Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union (July 22, 1941 - May 9, 1945)

In the winter of 1944, the offensive of Soviet troops near Leningrad and Novgorod began.

900 day blockade heroic Leningrad, broken through in 1943, was completely removed.

Connected! Breaking the blockade of Leningrad. January 1943

Summer 1944. The Red Army carried out one of the largest operations of the Great Patriotic War (“ Bagration”). Belarus was completely released. This victory opened the way for advances into Poland, the Baltic states and East Prussia. In the middle of August 1944. Soviet troops in the western direction reached border with Germany.

At the end of August, Moldova was liberated.

These largest operations of 1944 were accompanied by the liberation of other territories of the Soviet Union - Transcarpathian Ukraine, the Baltic states, the Karelian Isthmus and the Arctic.

The victories of the Russian troops in 1944 helped the peoples of Bulgaria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia in their struggle against fascism. In these countries, pro-German regimes were overthrown, and patriotic forces came to power. Created back in 1943 on the territory of the USSR, the Polish Army took the side of the anti-Hitler coalition.

Main results offensive operations carried out in 1944, consisted in the fact that the liberation of the Soviet land was completely completed, the state border of the USSR was completely restored, military operations were transferred outside our Motherland.

Front commanders at the final stage of the war

A further offensive of the Red Army against the Nazi troops was launched on the territory of Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia. The Soviet command, developing the offensive, conducted a number of operations outside the USSR (Budapest, Belgrade, etc.). They were caused by the need to destroy large enemy groupings in these territories in order to prevent the possibility of their transfer to the defense of Germany. At the same time, the introduction of Soviet troops into the countries of Eastern and Southeastern Europe strengthened the leftist and communist parties in them and, in general, the influence of the Soviet Union in this region.

T-34-85 in the mountains of Transylvania

AT January 1945. Soviet troops began broad offensive operations in order to complete the defeat of fascist Germany. The offensive was on a huge 1,200 km front from the Baltic to the Carpathians. Polish, Czechoslovak, Romanian and Bulgarian troops acted together with the Red Army. The French aviation regiment "Normandy - Neman" also fought as part of the 3rd Belorussian Front.

By the end of the winter of 1945, the Soviet Army had completely liberated Poland and Hungary, a significant part of Czechoslovakia and Austria. In the spring of 1945, the Red Army reached the approaches to Berlin.

Berlin offensive operation (16.IV - 8.V 1945)

Banner of Victory over the Reichstag

It was a difficult battle in a burning, dilapidated city. On May 8, representatives of the Wehrmacht signed an act of unconditional surrender.

The signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany

On May 9, Soviet troops completed their last operation - they defeated the grouping of the Nazi army that surrounded the capital of Czechoslovakia - Prague, and entered the city.

The long-awaited Victory Day has come, which has become a great holiday. The decisive role in achieving this victory, in carrying out the defeat of fascist Germany and ending the Second World War, belongs to the Soviet Union.

Defeated fascist standards

The Great Patriotic War began on June 22, 1941, the day when the Nazi invaders and their allies invaded the territory of the USSR. It lasted four years and became the final stage of the Second World War. In total, about 34,000,000 Soviet soldiers took part in it, more than half of which died.

Causes of the Great Patriotic War

The main reason for the start of the Great Patriotic War was the desire of Adolf Hitler to lead Germany to world domination by capturing other countries and establishing a racially pure state. Therefore, on September 1, 1939, Hitler invaded Poland, then Czechoslovakia, starting World War II and conquering more and more territories. The successes and victories of Nazi Germany forced Hitler to violate the non-aggression pact concluded on August 23, 1939 between Germany and the USSR. He developed a special operation called "Barbarossa", which meant the capture of the Soviet Union in a short time. Thus began the Great Patriotic War. It went through three stages.

Stages of the Great Patriotic War

Stage 1: June 22, 1941 - November 18, 1942

The Germans captured Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine, Estonia, Belarus and Moldova. The troops moved inland to capture Leningrad, Rostov-on-Don and Novgorod, but the main goal of the Nazis was Moscow. At this time, the USSR suffered heavy losses, thousands of people were taken prisoner. On September 8, 1941, the military blockade of Leningrad began, which lasted 872 days. As a result, the Soviet troops were able to stop the German offensive. The Barbarossa plan failed.

Stage 2: 1942-1943

During this period, the USSR continued to build up its military power, industry and defense grew. Thanks to the incredible efforts of the Soviet troops, the front line was pushed back - to the west. The central event of this period was the greatest Battle of Stalingrad in history (July 17, 1942 - February 2, 1943). The goal of the Germans was to capture Stalingrad, the big bend of the Don and the Volgodonsk isthmus. During the battle, more than 50 armies, corps and divisions of enemies were destroyed, about 2 thousand tanks, 3 thousand aircraft and 70 thousand vehicles were destroyed, German aviation was significantly weakened. The victory of the USSR in this battle had a significant impact on the course of further military events.

Stage 3: 1943-1945

From defense, the Red Army gradually goes over to the offensive, moving towards Berlin. Several campaigns aimed at destroying the enemy were implemented. A guerrilla war breaks out, during which 6200 partisan detachments are formed, trying to fight the enemy on their own. The partisans used all means at hand, down to clubs and boiling water, set up ambushes and traps. At this time, there are battles for the Right-Bank Ukraine, Berlin. The Belarusian, Baltic, and Budapest operations were developed and put into action. As a result, on May 8, 1945, Germany officially recognized defeat.

Thus, the victory of the Soviet Union in the Great Patriotic War was actually the end of the Second World War. The defeat of the German army put an end to Hitler's desire to gain dominance over the world, universal slavery. However, the victory in the war came at a heavy price. Millions of people died in the struggle for the Motherland, cities, villages and villages were destroyed. All the last funds went to the front, so people lived in poverty and hunger. Every year on May 9, we celebrate the day of the Great Victory over fascism, we are proud of our soldiers for giving life to future generations, providing a brighter future. At the same time, the victory was able to consolidate the influence of the USSR on the world stage and turn it into a superpower.

Briefly for children

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The Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) is the most terrible and bloody war in the entire history of the USSR. This war was between two powers, the mighty power of the USSR and Germany. In a fierce battle, for five years, the USSR nevertheless won worthy of its opponent. Germany, when attacking the union, hoped to quickly capture the whole country, but they did not expect how powerful and selenium the Slavic people were. What did this war lead to? To begin with, we will analyze a number of reasons, because of what it all started?

After the First World War, Germany was greatly weakened, a severe crisis overcame the country. But at this time, Hitler came to power and introduced a large number of reforms and changes, thanks to which the country began to prosper, and people showed their trust in him. When he became the ruler, he pursued such a policy in which he informed the people that the nation of Germans was the most excellent in the world. Hitler was ignited by the idea of ​​​​revenging for the First World War, for that terrible lose, he had the idea to subjugate the whole world. He began with the Czech Republic and Poland, which later grew into the Second World War

We all remember very well from history books that until 1941 a non-aggression treaty was signed between the two countries of Germany and the USSR. But Hitler still attacked. The Germans developed a plan called "Barbarossa". It clearly stated that Germany should capture the USSR in 2 months. He believed that if he had at his disposal all the strength and power of the country, then he would be able to go to war with the United States with fearlessness.

The war began so quickly, the USSR was not ready, but Hitler did not get what he wanted and expected. Our army put up a lot of resistance, the Germans did not expect to see such a strong opponent in front of them. And the war dragged on for a long 5 years.

Now we will analyze the main periods during the entire war.

The initial stage of the war is June 22, 1941 to November 18, 1942. During this time, the Germans captured most of the country, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus also got here. Further, the Germans already had Moscow and Leningrad in front of their eyes. And they almost succeeded, but the Russian soldiers turned out to be stronger than them and did not allow this city to be captured.

Unfortunately, they captured Leningrad, but what is most surprising, the people living there did not let the invaders into the city itself. There were battles for these cities until the end of 1942.

The end of 1943, the beginning of 1943, was very difficult for the German troops and at the same time happy for the Russians. The Soviet army launched a counteroffensive, the Russians began to slowly but surely retake their territory, and the invaders and their allies slowly retreated to the west. Some of the allies were destroyed on the spot.

Everyone remembers very well how the entire industry of the Soviet Union switched to the production of military supplies, thanks to which they were able to repulse the enemies. The retreating army turned into attackers.

The final. 1943 to 1945 The Soviet soldiers gathered all their strength and began to recapture their territory at a fast pace. All forces were directed towards the invaders, namely to Berlin. At this time, Leningrad was liberated, and other previously captured countries were recaptured. The Russians resolutely marched on Germany.

The last stage (1943-1945). At this time, the USSR began to take away its lands bit by bit and move towards the invaders. Russian soldiers retook Leningrad and other cities, then they proceeded to the very heart of Germany - Berlin.

On May 8, 1945, the USSR entered Berlin, the Germans announced their surrender. Their ruler could not stand it and independently left for the next world.

And now the worst part of the war. How many people died so that we would now live in the world and enjoy every day.

In fact, history is silent about these terrible figures. The USSR concealed for a long time, then the number of people. The government hid data from the people. And people then understood how many died, how many were taken prisoner, and how many missing people to this day. But after a while, the data nevertheless surfaced. According to official sources, up to 10 million soldiers died in this war, and about 3 million more were in German captivity. These are terrible numbers. And how many children, old people, women died. The Germans mercilessly shot everyone.

It was a terrible war, unfortunately it brought a lot of tears to families, there was devastation in the country for a long time, but slowly the USSR got on its feet, post-war actions subsided, but did not subside in the hearts of people. In the hearts of mothers who did not wait for their sons from the front. Wives who were left widows with children. But what a strong Slavic people, even after such a war, he rose from his knees. Then the whole world knew how strong the state was and how strong in spirit people lived there.

Thanks to the veterans who protected us when they were very young. Unfortunately, at the moment there are only a few of them left, but we will never forget their feat.

Report on the Great Patriotic War

June 22, 1941 at 4 o'clock in the morning, Germany attacked the USSR without declaring war. Such an unexpected event briefly put the Soviet troops out of action. The Soviet army adequately met the enemy, although the enemy was very strong and had an advantage over the Red Army. Germany had a lot of weapons, tanks, planes, when the Soviet army was just moving from cavalry protection to armory.

The USSR was not ready for such a large-scale war, many of the commanders at that moment were inexperienced and young. Of the five marshals, three were shot and recognized as enemies of the people. Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was in power during the Great Patriotic War and did everything possible for the victory of the Soviet troops.

The war was cruel and bloody, the whole country stood up to defend the Motherland. Everyone could join the ranks of the Soviet army, the youth created partisan detachments and tried to help in every possible way. All men and women fought for the defense of their native land.

900 days lasted the struggle for Leningrad residents, who were in the blockade. Many soldiers were killed and taken prisoner. The Nazis created concentration camps, where they mocked and starved people. The Nazi troops expected that the war would end within 2-3 months, but the patriotism of the Russian people turned out to be stronger, and the war dragged on for a long 4 years.

In August 1942, the Battle of Stalingrad began, lasting six months. The Soviet army won and captured more than 330,000 Nazis. The Nazis could not come to terms with their defeat and launched an attack on Kursk. 1200 vehicles took part in the Battle of Kursk - it was a massive battle of tanks.

In 1944, the troops of the Red Army were able to liberate Ukraine, the Baltic states, and Moldova. Also, Soviet troops received support from Siberia, the Urals and the Caucasus and were able to drive enemy troops away from their native lands. Many times the Nazis wanted to lure the troops of the Soviet army into a trap by cunning, but they did not succeed. Thanks to the competent Soviet command, the plans of the Nazis were destroyed and then they set in motion heavy artillery. The Nazis launched heavy tanks such as the "Tiger" and "Panther" into battle, but despite this, the Red Army gave a worthy rebuff.

At the very beginning of 1945, the Soviet army broke into Germany and forced the Nazis to admit defeat. From May 8 to May 9, 1945, the Act of surrender of the forces of Nazi Germany was signed. Officially, May 9 is considered Victory Day, and is celebrated to this day.

Great Patriotic War 1941-1945

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