Hitler approved the war plan against the USSR, codenamed "Barbarossa", on December 18, 1940. He sought to establish German hegemony in Europe, which would have been impossible without the defeat of the USSR. Germany was attracted natural resources USSR, which were important as a strategic raw material. The defeat of the Soviet Union, in the opinion of the Hitlerite military command, would create the conditions for the invasion of the British Isles and the capture of British colonies in the Near and Middle East and in India. The strategic plan of the Hitlerite command (“blitzkrieg” - lightning war) was as follows: to destroy the Soviet troops concentrated in the western regions of the country, to rapidly advance deep into the Soviet Union, to occupy its most important political and economic centers. Moscow should have been destroyed after its capture. The ultimate goal of the military operation against the USSR is the withdrawal and consolidation of German troops on the Arkhangelsk-Astrakhan line.

June 22, 1941 Germany attacked Soviet Union. Hitler violated the German-Soviet non-aggression pact of 1939.

German troops advanced with three army groups. The task of the Army Group "North" is to destroy the Soviet troops in the Baltic states, to occupy the ports on the Baltic Sea, Pskov and Leningrad. Army Group "South" was supposed to defeat the forces of the Red Army in Ukraine, capture Kyiv, Kharkov, Donbass and Crimea. The most powerful was Army Group Center, advancing on] central direction to Moscow.

On June 23, the Headquarters of the High Command was created in Moscow to direct the fighting. On July 10, it was transformed into the Headquarters of the High Command. Stalin was its chairman.

Initial stage (June 22, 1941— November 19, 1942).

1941

On June 22, the Germans crossed the border of the Soviet Union in many directions.

By July 10, the Nazis, advancing in three strategic directions (Moscow, Leningrad and Kiev), captured the Baltic states, a significant part of Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine.

July 10 - September 10 - Battle of Smolensk, loss of the city, encirclement of Red Army formations, advance of the Nazis to Moscow.

July 11 - September 19 - the defense of Kyiv, the loss of the city, the encirclement of four armies of the South-Western Front.

December 5, 1941 - January 8, 1942 - the counteroffensive of the Red Army near Moscow, the Germans were driven back 120-250 km. The blitzkrieg strategy failed.

1942

January 9 - April - the offensive of the Red Army, the Moscow and Tula regions, the regions of the Kalinin, Smolensk, Ryazan, Oryol regions were liberated.

May - July - the offensive of German troops in the Crimea, the fall of Sevastopol (July 4).

July 17 - November 18 - the defensive stage of the Battle of Stalingrad, the plans of the German command to capture the city with lightning speed were thwarted.

July 25 - December 31 - defensive battle in the North Caucasus.

Radical change (November 19, 1942 - December 1943).

November 19, 1942 - February 2, 1943 - the offensive of the Red Army near Stalingrad, the encirclement and capture of the 6th Army of Field Marshal Paulus and the 2nd Tank Army with a total strength of 300 thousand people, the beginning of a radical change in during the Great Patriotic War.

1943

July 5 - August 23 - Battle of Kursk (July 12 - tank battle near Prokhorovka), the final transfer of the strategic initiative to the Red Army.

August 25 - December 23 - the battle for the Dnieper, the liberation of the Left-Bank Ukraine, Donbass, Kyiv (November 6).

1944 G.

January - May - offensive operations near Leningrad and Novgorod (the blockade of Leningrad was lifted), near Odessa (the city was liberated) and in the Crimea.

June - December - Operation Bagration and a number of other offensive operations to liberate Belarus, the Lvov-Sandomierz operation in Western Ukraine, operations to liberate Romania and Bulgaria, the Baltic states, Hungary and Yugoslavia.

1945

January 12 - February 7 - Vistula-Oder operation, most of Poland was liberated.

January 13 - April 25 - East Prussian operation, taken Koenigsberg, the main fortified bridgehead East Prussia.

April 16 - May 8 - Berlin operation, the capture of Berlin (May 2), the surrender of Germany (May 8).

Great Patriotic War was an integral part of the Second World War, in which Nazi Germany and its allies were opposed by a powerful anti-Hitler coalition. The main participants in the coalition were the USSR, the USA and Great Britain. The Soviet Union made a decisive contribution to the defeat of fascism. The Eastern Front has always remained the main one during the Second World War.

The victory over Germany and Japan strengthened the prestige of the USSR throughout the world. The Soviet Army ended the war with the most powerful army in the world, and the Soviet Union became one of the two superpowers.

The main source of the USSR's victory in the war was the unparalleled courage and heroism of the Soviet people at the front and in the rear. Only on the Soviet-German front, 607 enemy divisions were defeated. Germany lost in the war against the USSR more than 10 million people (80% of its military losses), 167 thousand artillery pieces, 48 ​​thousand tanks, 77 thousand aircraft (75% of all its military equipment). The victory came at a great cost to us. The war claimed the lives of almost 27 million people (including 10 million soldiers and officers). 4 million partisans, underground workers, and civilians died in the enemy rear. Over 6 million people ended up in fascist captivity. Nevertheless, in the people's minds, the long-awaited Victory Day became the brightest and most joyful holiday, which meant the end of the most bloody and destructive of wars.

The Great Patriotic War began on June 22, 1941, on the day of All Saints who shone in the Russian land. The Barbarossa plan - a plan for a lightning war with the USSR - was signed by Hitler on December 18, 1940. Now it has been put into action. German troops - the strongest army in the world - advanced in three groups ("North", "Center", "South"), aimed at quickly capturing the Baltic states and then Leningrad, Moscow, and Kyiv in the south.

Start

June 22, 1941 4:00 am - the start of the German offensive. 153 German divisions, 3712 tanks and 4950 combat aircraft entered the fighting (such data are given by Marshal G.K. Zhukov in his book "Memoirs and Reflections"). The enemy forces were several times superior to the forces of the Red Army, both in numbers and in equipment with military equipment.

On June 22, 1941, at 5:30 am, Reich Minister Goebbels, in a special broadcast on the Great German Radio, read out Adolf Hitler's appeal to the German people in connection with the outbreak of war against the Soviet Union.

On June 22, 1941, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Patriarchal Locum Tenens Metropolitan Sergius, addresses the faithful with an appeal. In his "Message to the Shepherds and Flocks of Christ's Orthodox Church," Metropolitan Sergius said: "The fascist robbers attacked our Motherland... The times of Batu, the German knights, Charles of Sweden, Napoleon are repeated... The miserable descendants of the enemies of Orthodox Christianity want to once again try to put the people our knees before the untruth... With God's help, and this time, he will dispel the fascist enemy force into dust... Let us remember the holy leaders of the Russian people, for example, Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy, who believed their souls for the people and the Motherland... Let us remember the innumerable thousands of simple Orthodox warriors... Our Orthodox Church has always shared the fate of the people. Together with him, she bore the trials and consoled herself with his successes. She will not leave her people even now. She blesses with a heavenly blessing and the forthcoming nationwide feat. If anyone, then it is we who need to remember the commandment of Christ: “There is no greater love than if a man lays down his life for his friends” (John 15:13)...”

Patriarch Alexander III of Alexandria addressed a message to Christians all over the world about prayerful and material assistance to Russia.

Brest Fortress, Minsk, Smolensk

July 9, 1941 - the enemy occupied Minsk. The forces were too unequal. The Soviet troops were in dire need of ammunition, and there was not enough transport or fuel to bring them up, besides, part of the warehouses had to be blown up, the rest were captured by the enemy. The enemy stubbornly rushed to Minsk from the north and south. Our troops were surrounded. Deprived of centralized control and supply, they, however, fought until July 8.

July 10 - September 10, 1941 Smolensk battle. On July 10, Army Group Center launched an offensive against the Western Front. The Germans had a twofold superiority in manpower and fourfold in tanks. The enemy's plan was to cut our western front with powerful strike groups, encircle the main group of troops in the Smolensk region and open the way to Moscow. The battle of Smolensk began on July 10 and dragged on for two months - a period that the German command did not count on at all. Despite all efforts, the troops of the Western Front were unable to complete the task of defeating the enemy in the Smolensk region. During the fighting near Smolensk, the Western Front suffered serious losses. By the beginning of August, no more than 1-2 thousand people remained in his divisions. However, the fierce resistance of the Soviet troops near Smolensk weakened the offensive power of Army Group Center. The enemy strike groupings were exhausted and suffered significant losses. According to the Germans themselves, by the end of August, only the motorized and tank divisions had lost half of their personnel and materiel, and the total losses amounted to about 500 thousand people. The main result of the Smolensk battle was the disruption of the Wehrmacht's plans for a non-stop advance towards Moscow. For the first time since the beginning of World War II, German troops were forced to go on the defensive in their main direction, as a result of which the Red Army command gained time to improve the strategic defense in the Moscow direction and prepare reserves.

August 8, 1941 - Stalin appointed Supreme Commander Armed Forces of the USSR.

Defense of Ukraine

But the lightning-fast capture that Hitler planned did not work out here either. Retreating under the blows of the German troops, the Red Army courageously and fiercely resisted, despite the heaviest losses. By the end of August, the troops of the Southwestern and Southern Fronts withdrew beyond the Dnieper. Once surrounded, the Soviet troops suffered huge losses.

Atlantic charter. Allied Powers

Leningrad blockade

From September 8, 1941 (the day of celebration in honor of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God) until January 27, 1944 (the day of St. Nina Equal-to-the-Apostles) continued Leningrad blockade. The most difficult for Leningraders was the winter of 1941/42. Fuel supplies have run out. The power supply to residential buildings was interrupted. The water supply failed, 78 km of the sewer network was destroyed. Utilities have stopped working. Food supplies were running out, since November 20, the lowest norms of bread for the entire time of the blockade were introduced - 250 grams for workers and 125 grams for employees and dependents. But even in the most difficult conditions of the blockade, Leningrad continued to fight. With the beginning of freeze-up, a motor road was laid on the ice of Lake Ladoga. Since January 24, 1942, it was possible to slightly increase the norms for supplying the population with bread. To supply the Leningrad Front and the city with fuel between the eastern and western shores of the Shlisselburg Bay of Lake Ladoga, an underwater pipeline was laid, which went into operation on June 18, 1942 and turned out to be practically invulnerable to the enemy. And in the fall of 1942, a power cable was also laid along the bottom of the lake, through which electricity began to flow into the city. Repeated attempts were made to break through the blockade ring. But it was only in January 1943 that they succeeded. As a result of the offensive, our troops occupied Shlisselburg and a number of other settlements. On January 18, 1943, the blockade was broken. A corridor 8-11 km wide was formed between Lake Ladoga and the front line. The blockade of Leningrad was completely lifted on January 27, 1944, on the day of St. Nina Equal to the Apostles.

During the blockade, 10 Orthodox churches operated in the city. Metropolitan of Leningrad Alexy (Simansky), the future Patriarch Alexy I, did not leave the city during the blockade, sharing its hardships with his flock. With the miraculous Kazan icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, a procession was made around the city. The Monk Elder Seraphim Vyritsky took upon himself a special feat of prayer - he prayed at night on a stone in the garden for the salvation of Russia, imitating his feat heavenly patron Reverend Seraphim of Sarov.

By the autumn of 1941, the leadership of the USSR turned off anti-religious propaganda. The publication of the magazines "Godless" and "Anti-religious" was discontinued.

Battle for Moscow

On October 20, 1941, a state of siege was introduced in Moscow and its surrounding areas. A decision was made to evacuate the diplomatic corps and a number of central institutions to Kuibyshev. It was also decided to remove especially important state values ​​from the capital. Muscovites formed 12 divisions of the people's militia.

In Moscow, a prayer service was performed in front of the miraculous Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, and with the icon they flew around Moscow on an airplane.

The second stage of the attack on Moscow, called "Typhoon", the German command began on November 15, 1941. The fights were very hard. The enemy, regardless of losses, sought to break through to Moscow at any cost. But already in the first days of December it was felt that the enemy was running out of steam. Due to the resistance of the Soviet troops, the Germans had to stretch their troops along the front to such an extent that in the final battles on the near approaches to Moscow they lost their penetration ability. Even before the start of our counterattack near Moscow, the German command decided to retreat. This order was issued on the night when the Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive.

Under pressure from Stalin, it was decided to launch a general offensive on the entire front. But far from all areas had the strength and means for this. Therefore, only the advance of the troops of the North-Western Front was successful, they advanced 70-100 kilometers and somewhat improved the operational-strategic situation in the western direction. Starting on January 7, the offensive continued until early April 1942. Then it was decided to go on the defensive.

Chief of the General Staff ground forces Wehrmacht General F. Halder wrote in his diary: “The myth of the invincibility of the German army has been broken. With the onset of summer, the German army will achieve new victories in Russia, but this will no longer restore the myth of its invincibility. Therefore, December 6, 1941 can be considered a turning point, and one of the most fatal moments in the brief history of the Third Reich. The strength and power of Hitler reached their zenith, from that moment they began to decline ... ".

Declaration of the United Nations

Crimean front. Sevastopol. Voronezh

October 30, 1941 - July 4, 1942 Defense of Sevastopol. The siege of the city lasted nine months, but after the capture of the Kerch Peninsula by the Nazis, the situation of Sevastopol became very difficult and on July 4, the Soviet troops were forced to leave Sevastopol. Crimea was completely lost.

June 28, 1942 - July 24, 1942 Voronezh-Voroshilovgrad operation. - combat operations of the troops of the Bryansk, Voronezh, South-Western and Southern Fronts against the German Army Group "South" in the region of Voronezh and Voroshilovgrad. As a result of the forced withdrawal of our troops, the richest regions of the Don and Donbass fell into the hands of the enemy. During the retreat, the Southern Front suffered irreparable losses, only a little more than a hundred people remained in its four armies. During the retreat from Kharkov, the troops of the Southwestern Front suffered heavy losses and could not successfully hold back the enemy's advance. The southern front, for the same reason, could not stop the Germans in the Caucasian direction. It was necessary to block the path of the German troops to the Volga. For this purpose, the Stalingrad Front was created.

Battle of Stalingrad (July 17, 1942 - February 2, 1943)

The defensive actions of the Soviet troops in the Stalingrad direction were carried out for 125 days. During this period, they carried out two consecutive defensive operations. The first of them was carried out on the outskirts of Stalingrad from July 17 to September 12, the second - in Stalingrad and to the south of it from September 13 to November 18, 1942. The heroic defense of the Soviet troops in the Stalingrad direction forced the Nazi high command to transfer more and more forces here. On September 13, the Germans went on the offensive along the entire front, trying to capture Stalingrad by storm. The Soviet troops failed to hold back his powerful onslaught. They were forced to retreat to the city. Day and night fighting did not stop on the streets of the city, in houses, factories, on the banks of the Volga. Our units, having suffered heavy losses, nevertheless held the defense, not leaving the city.

Soviet troops near Stalingrad were united in three fronts: Southwestern (lieutenant general, from December 7, 1942 - Colonel General N. F. Vatutin), Donskoy (lieutenant general, from January 15, 1943 - Colonel General K K. Rokossovsky) and Stalingradsky (Colonel-General A. I. Eremenko).

On September 13, 1942, a decision was made on the counteroffensive, the plan of which was developed by the Headquarters. The leading role in this development was played by Generals G.K. Zhukov (from January 18, 1943 - Marshal) and A.M. Vasilevsky, they were appointed representatives of the Stavka at the front. A.M. Vasilevsky coordinated the actions of the Stalingrad Front, and G.K. Zhukov - of the South-Western and Don. The idea of ​​the counteroffensive was to strike from the bridgeheads on the Don in the areas of Serafimovich and Kletskaya and from the area of ​​​​Sarpinsky Lakes south of Stalingrad to defeat the troops covering the flanks of the enemy strike force, and, developing the offensive in converging directions on the city of Kalach, the Soviet farm, to surround and destroy its main forces operating in the interfluve of the Volga and Don.

The offensive was scheduled for November 19, 1942 for the Southwestern and Don Fronts, and for November 20 for the Stalingrad Front. The strategic offensive operation to defeat the enemy near Stalingrad consisted of three stages: the encirclement of the enemy (November 19-30), the development of the offensive and the disruption of the enemy’s attempts to release the encircled grouping (December 1942), the liquidation of the grouping of Nazi troops surrounded in the Stalingrad region (10 January-February 2, 1943).

From January 10 to February 2, 1943, the troops of the Don Front captured 91 thousand people, including over 2.5 thousand officers and 24 generals, led by the commander of the 6th Army, Field Marshal Paulus.

“The defeat at Stalingrad,” as Lieutenant-General of the Nazi army Westphal writes about this, “threw both the German people and its army in horror. Never before in the entire history of Germany has there been a case of such a terrible death of so many troops.”

And it began Battle of Stalingrad with a prayer service before the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. The icon was among the troops, prayers and requiems for the fallen soldiers were constantly served in front of it. Among the ruins of Stalingrad, the only surviving building was the temple in the name of the Kazan icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary with a chapel of St. Sergius of Radonezh.

Caucasus

In the North Caucasus direction in late July-early August 1942, the development of events was clearly not in our favor. The superior forces of the enemy persistently moved forward. On August 10, enemy troops captured Maikop, on August 11 - Krasnodar. And on September 9, the Germans captured almost all the mountain passes. In stubborn bloody battles summer - autumn 1942, Soviet troops suffered heavy losses, left most of the territory North Caucasus, but still stopped the enemy. In December, preparations began for the North Caucasian offensive operation. In January, German troops began to withdraw from the Caucasus, and Soviet troops launched a powerful offensive. But the enemy put up fierce resistance and the victory in the Caucasus came at a high cost to us.

German troops were driven out to the Taman Peninsula. On the night of September 10, 1943, the Novorossiysk-Taman strategic offensive operation of the Soviet troops began. On September 16, 1943, Novorossiysk was liberated, on September 21 - Anapa, on October 3 - Taman.

On October 9, 1943, Soviet troops reached the coast of the Kerch Strait and completed the liberation of the North Caucasus.

Kursk Bulge

In 1943, the Nazi command decided to conduct its general offensive in the Kursk region. The fact is that the operational position of the Soviet troops on the Kursk ledge, concave towards the enemy, promised great prospects for the Germans. Two large fronts could be surrounded here at once, as a result of which a large gap would have formed, allowing the enemy to carry out major operations in the south and northeast directions.

The Soviet command was preparing for this offensive. From mid-April, the General Staff began to develop a plan for both a defensive operation near Kursk and a counteroffensive. And by the beginning of July 1943, the Soviet command had completed preparations for the Battle of Kursk.

July 5, 1943 German troops began the offensive. The first attack was repulsed. However, then the Soviet troops had to withdraw. The fighting was very intense and the Germans failed to achieve significant success. The enemy did not solve any of the assigned tasks and was eventually forced to stop the offensive and go on the defensive.

The struggle was exceptionally tense southern face Kursk ledge - in the strip of the Voronezh Front.

On July 12, the troops of the Bryansk and Western fronts went on the offensive in the Oryol direction, and on July 15, the troops of the Central.

August 5, 1943 (the day of the celebration of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God, as well as the icon of "Joy of All Who Sorrow") was released Eagle. On the same day, the troops of the Steppe Front were liberated Belgorod. The Oryol offensive operation lasted 38 days and ended on August 18 with the defeat of a powerful group of Nazi troops aimed at Kursk from the north.

The events on the southern wing of the Soviet-German front had a significant impact on the further course of events in the Belgorod-Kursk direction. On July 17, the troops of the Southern and Southwestern Fronts went on the offensive. On the night of July 19, the general withdrawal of the Nazi troops began on the southern face of the Kursk salient.

August 23, 1943 liberation of Kharkov the strongest battle of the Great Patriotic War ended - the Battle of Kursk (it lasted 50 days). It ended with the defeat of the main grouping of German troops.

Liberation of Smolensk (1943)

September 25, 1943 troops of the Western Front liberated Smolensk- the most important strategic center of defense of the Nazi troops in the western direction.

As a result of the successful implementation of the Smolensk offensive operation, our troops broke into the heavily fortified multi-lane and deeply echeloned defenses of the enemy and advanced 200-225 km to the West.

Liberation of Donbass, Bryansk and left-bank Ukraine

On August 26, the troops of the Central Front (commander - General of the Army K.K. Rokossovsky) launched an offensive, starting to carry out Chernigov-Poltava operation.

On September 2, the troops of the right wing of the Voronezh Front (commander - General of the Army N.F. Vatutin) liberated Sumy and launched an offensive against Romny.

Continuing to successfully develop the offensive, the troops of the Central Front advanced more than 200 km to the south-west and on September 15 liberated the city of Nizhyn, an important stronghold of the enemy defense on the outskirts of Kyiv. 100 km remained to the Dnieper. The troops of the right wing of the Voronezh Front advancing south by September 10 broke the stubborn resistance of the enemy in the area of ​​the city of Romny.

The troops of the right wing of the Central Front crossed the Desna River and on September 16 liberated the city of Novgorod-Seversky.

September 21 (Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary) Soviet troops liberated Chernihiv.

With the release of Soviet troops at the end of September to the border of the Dnieper, the liberation of the Left-Bank Ukraine was completed.

On September 21 (the feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos), the advanced units of the left wing of the Central Front reached the Dnieper north of Kyiv. Troops from other fronts were also successfully advancing these days. The troops of the right wing of the Southwestern Front reached the Dnieper on September 22 south of Dnepropetrovsk. From September 25 to 30, the troops of the Steppe Front in their entire offensive zone reached the Dnieper.

At first, forward detachments crossed over on improvised means under continuous enemy fire and tried to cling to the right bank. After that, pontoon crossings for equipment were created. The troops that crossed to the right bank of the Dnieper had a very difficult time. Before they had time to gain a foothold there, fierce battles flared up. The enemy, having brought up large forces, continuously counterattacked, trying to destroy our subunits and units or to throw them into the river. But our troops, suffering heavy losses, showing exceptional courage and heroism, held the captured positions.

By the end of September, having knocked down the defenses of the enemy troops, our troops crossed the Dnieper in a front section of 750 kilometers from Loev to Zaporozhye and captured a number of important bridgeheads from which it was supposed to develop the offensive further to the west.

For crossing the Dnieper, for selflessness and heroism in the battles on the bridgeheads, 2438 soldiers of all branches of the armed forces (47 generals, 1123 officers and 1268 soldiers and sergeants) were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

On October 20, 1943, the Voronezh Front was renamed the 1st Ukrainian, the Steppe Front - into the 2nd Ukrainian, Southwestern and Southern Fronts into the 3rd and 4th Ukrainian.

On November 6, 1943, on the day of the celebration of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow", Kyiv was liberated from the fascist invaders by the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front under the command of General N.F. Vatutin.

After the liberation of Kyiv, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front launched an offensive against Zhytomyr, Fastov and Korosten. Over the next 10 days, they advanced 150 km west and liberated many settlements, including the cities of Fastov and Zhitomir. On the right bank of the Dnieper, a strategic bridgehead was formed, the length of which along the front exceeded 500 km.

Intense fighting continued in southern Ukraine. On October 14 (the feast of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos), the city of Zaporozhye was liberated and the German bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnieper was liquidated. On October 25, Dnepropetrovsk was liberated.

Tehran Conference of the Allied Powers. Opening a second front

The main issue was the opening of the second front in Europe by the USA and Great Britain, which they did not open despite their promises. At the conference, a decision was made to open a second front in France during May 1944. The Soviet delegation, at the request of the allies, announced the readiness of the USSR to enter the war against Japan at the end of the war. action in Europe. Questions about the post-war structure and the fate of Germany were also discussed at the conference.

December 24, 1943 – January 14, 1944 Zhytomyr-Berdichev operation. Having advanced 100-170 km, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front in 3 weeks of hostilities almost completely liberated the Kyiv and Zhytomyr regions and many areas of the Vinnitsa and Rovno regions, including the cities of Zhitomir (December 31), Novograd-Volynsky (January 3) , Belaya Tserkov (January 4), Berdichev (January 5). On January 10-11, advanced units reached the approaches to Vinnitsa, Zhmerinka, Uman and Zhashkov; defeated 6 enemy divisions and deeply captured the left flank of the German grouping, which still held the right bank of the Dnieper in the Kanev area. Prerequisites were created for striking the flank and rear of this grouping.

January 5-16, 1944 Kirovograd operation. After intense fighting on January 8, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front captured Kirovograd and continued the offensive. However, on January 16, repelling the strong counterattacks of the enemy, they were forced to go on the defensive. As a result of the Kirovograd operation, the position of the Nazi troops in the zone of operations of the 2nd Ukrainian Front deteriorated significantly.

January 24 - February 17, 1944 Korsun-Shevchenko operation. During this operation, the troops of the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts surrounded and defeated a large grouping of Nazi troops in the Kanevsky salient.

January 27 - February 11, 1944 Rovno-Lutsk operation - was carried out by the troops of the right wing of the 1st Ukrainian Front. On February 2, the cities of Lutsk and Rivne were liberated, on February 11 - Shepetovka.

January 30 - February 29, 1944 Nikopol-Krivoy Rog operation. It was carried out by the troops of the 3rd and 4th Ukrainian fronts in order to eliminate the enemy's Nikopol bridgehead. By the end of February 7, the 4th Ukrainian Front completely cleared the Nikopol bridgehead from enemy troops and on February 8, together with units of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, liberated the city of Nikopol. After stubborn fighting, the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front on February 22 liberated the city of Krivoy Rog - a large industrial center and a road junction. By February 29, the 3rd Ukrainian Front, with its right wing and center, advanced to the Ingulets River, capturing a number of bridgeheads on its western bank. As a result, favorable conditions were created for delivering subsequent attacks on the enemy in the direction of Nikolaev and Odessa. As a result of the Nikopol-Krivoy Rog operation, 12 enemy divisions were defeated, including 3 tank and 1 motorized. Having eliminated the Nikopol bridgehead and pushed the enemy back from the Zaporozhye bend of the Dnieper, the Soviet troops deprived the Nazi command of the last hope of restoring land contact with the 17th Army blockaded in the Crimea. A significant reduction in the front line allowed the Soviet command to release forces to capture the Crimean peninsula.

On February 29, the commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front, General Nikolai Fedorovich Vatutin, was seriously wounded by Bandera. Unfortunately, it was not possible to save this talented commander. He passed away on April 15th.

By the spring of 1944, the troops of four Ukrainian fronts broke into the enemy's defenses all the way from Pripyat to the lower reaches of the Dnieper. Having advanced 150-250 km to the west for two months, they defeated several large enemy groupings and frustrated his plans to restore defense along the Dnieper. The liberation of the Kyiv, Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye regions was completed, the entire Zhytomyr, almost completely Rivne and Kirovograd regions, a number of districts of Vinnitsa, Nikolaev, Kamenetz-Podolsk and Volyn regions were cleared of the enemy. Such large industrial regions as Nikopol and Krivoy Rog have been returned. The length of the front in Ukraine by the spring of 1944 reached 1200 km. In March, a new offensive was launched in Right-Bank Ukraine.

On March 4, the 1st Ukrainian Front went on the offensive, which held Proskurov-Chernivtsi offensive operation(March 4 - April 17, 1944).

On March 5, the 2nd Ukrainian Front began Uman-Botoshansk operation(March 5 - April 17, 1944).

March 6 began Bereznegovato-Snigirevsky operation 3rd Ukrainian Front (March 6-18, 1944). On March 11, Soviet troops liberated Berislav, on March 13, the 28th Army captured Kherson, and on March 15, Bereznegovatoe and Snigirevka were liberated. The troops of the right wing of the front, pursuing the enemy, reached the Southern Bug near Voznesensk.

On March 29, our troops captured the regional center, the city of Chernivtsi. The enemy lost the last link between his troops, operating north and south of the Carpathians. The strategic front of the Nazi troops was cut into two parts. On March 26, the city of Kamenetz-Podolsk was liberated.

The 2nd Belorussian Front provided significant assistance to the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front in defeating the northern wing of the Nazi Army Group South. Polessky offensive operation(March 15 - April 5, 1944).

March 26, 1944 advance detachments of the 27th and 52nd armies (2nd Ukrainian Front) west of the city of Balti reached the Prut River, occupying an 85-km section along the border of the USSR with Romania. It would the first exit of Soviet troops to the border of the USSR.
On the night of March 28, the troops of the right wing of the 2nd Ukrainian Front crossed the Prut and advanced 20-40 km deep into Romanian territory. On the approaches to Iasi and Chisinau, they met stubborn resistance from the enemy. The main result of the Uman-Botoshansky operation was the liberation of a significant part of the territory of Ukraine, Moldova and the entry of Soviet troops into Romania.

March 26 - April 14, 1944 Odessa offensive operation troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. On March 26, the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front went on the offensive in their entire zone. On March 28, after heavy fighting, the city of Nikolaev was taken.

On the evening of April 9, Soviet troops broke into Odessa from the north and captured the city by night assault by 10 am on April 10. Troops of three armies, commanded by Generals V.D. Tsvetaev, V.I. Chuikov and I.T. Shlemin, as well as the horse-mechanized group of General I.A. Pliev, took part in the liberation of Odessa.

April 8 - May 6, 1944 Tyrgu-Frumosskaya offensive operation of the 2nd Ukrainian Front was the final operation of the strategic offensive of the Red Army in the Right-Bank Ukraine. Its purpose was to strike in the direction of Tirgu Frumos, Vaslui to cover the Chisinau grouping of the enemy from the west. The offensive of the troops of the right wing of the 2nd Ukrainian Front began quite successfully. In the period from April 8 to 11, they, having broken the resistance of the enemy, crossed the Siret River, advanced in the southwestern and southern directions by 30-50 km and reached the foothills of the Carpathians. However, the tasks were not completed. Our troops went over to the defensive at the achieved lines.

Liberation of Crimea (April 8 - May 12, 1944)

On April 18, the Separate Primorsky Army was renamed the Primorsky Army and included in the 4th Ukrainian Front.

Our troops were preparing for the assault. May 9, 1944 Sevastopol was liberated. The remnants of the German troops fled to Cape Chersonese, hoping to escape by sea. But on May 12 they were completely crushed. At Cape Khersones, 21 thousand enemy soldiers and officers were captured, a large amount of weapons and military equipment was captured.

Western Ukraine

In July-August 1944, Soviet troops liberated from the Nazi invaders western regions of Ukraine, as well as southeastern part of Poland, captured a large bridgehead on the western bank of the Vistula River, from which an offensive was subsequently launched into the central regions of Poland and further to the borders of Germany.

The final lifting of the blockade of Leningrad. Karelia

June 10 - August 9, 1944 Vyborg-Petrozavodsk offensive operation Soviet troops on the Karelian Isthmus.

Liberation of Belarus and Lithuania

The troops of the four fronts, with persistent and coordinated strikes, broke through the defenses to a depth of 25-30 km, crossed a number of rivers on the move and inflicted significant damage on the enemy.

In the Bobruisk area, about six divisions of the 35th Army and 41st Tank Corps of the 9th German Army were surrounded.

July 3, 1944 Soviet troops liberated Minsk. As Marshal G.K. Zhukov, "the capital of Belarus could not be recognized ... Now everything lay in ruins, and in the place of residential areas there were wastelands covered with piles of broken bricks and debris. The most difficult impression was made by people, residents of Minsk. Most of them were extremely exhausted, exhausted. .."

On June 29 - July 4, 1944, the troops of the 1st Baltic Front successfully carried out the Polotsk operation, destroying the enemy in this area, and on July 4 liberated Polotsk. Troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front on July 5 captured the city of Molodechno.

As a result of the defeat of large enemy forces near Vitebsk, Mogilev, Bobruisk and Minsk, the immediate goal of the Bagration operation was achieved, and several days ahead of schedule. In 12 days - from June 23 to July 4 - Soviet troops advanced almost 250 km. The Vitebsk, Mogilev, Polotsk, Minsk and Bobruisk regions were completely liberated.

On July 18, 1944 (the feast of St. Sergius of Radonezh), Soviet troops crossed the border of Poland.

On July 24 (on the feast of St. Princess Olga of Russia), the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front with their forward units reached the Vistula in the area of ​​Demblin. Here they released the prisoners of the Majdanek death camp, in which the Nazis exterminated about one and a half million people.

On August 1, 1944 (on the feast of St. Seraphim of Sarov), our troops reached the borders of East Prussia.

The troops of the Red Army, having launched an offensive on June 23 on a front of 700 km, by the end of August advanced 550-600 km to the west, expanding the front of hostilities to 1,100 km. The vast territory of the Belarusian Republic was cleared of the invaders - 80% and a fourth of Poland.

Warsaw Uprising (August 1 - October 2, 1944)

Liberation of Moldova, Romania, Slovakia

In April 1944, as a result of a successful offensive in Right-Bank Ukraine, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front reached the line of the cities of Iasi and Orhei and went on the defensive. The troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front reached the Dniester River and captured several bridgeheads on its western bank. These fronts, as well as the Black Sea Fleet and the Danube military flotilla, were tasked with carrying out the Iasi-Kishinev strategic offensive operation in order to defeat a large grouping of German and Romanian troops covering the Balkan direction.

As a result of the successful implementation of the Yassy-Kishinev operation, Soviet troops completed the liberation of Moldova and the Izmail region of Ukraine.

August 23, 1944 - an armed uprising in Romania. which resulted in the overthrow of the fascist regime of Antonescu. The next day, Romania withdrew from the war on the side of Germany and on August 25 declared war on her. Since that time, the Romanian troops took part in the war on the side of the Red Army.

September 8 - October 28, 1944 East Carpathian offensive operation. As a result of the offensive of the units of the 1st and 4th Ukrainian fronts in the Eastern Carpathians, our troops liberated almost the entire Transcarpathian Ukraine, on September 20 went to the border of Slovakia, liberated part of Eastern Slovakia. The breakthrough to the Hungarian lowland opened the prospect of the liberation of Czechoslovakia and access to the southern border of Germany.

the Baltics

September 22, 1944 - liberated Tallinn. In the following days (until September 26), the troops of the Leningrad Front came to the coast all the way from Tallinn to Pärnu, thereby completing the clearing of the enemy from the entire territory of Estonia, with the exception of the islands of Dago and Ezel.

On October 11, our troops reached borders with East Prussia. Continuing the offensive, by the end of October they had completely cleared the northern bank of the Neman River from the enemy.

As a result of the offensive of the Soviet troops in the Baltic strategic direction, Army Group North was expelled from almost the entire Baltic and lost communications that connected it by land with East Prussia. The struggle for the Baltic was long and extremely fierce. The enemy, having a well-developed road network, actively maneuvered with his own forces and means, put up stubborn resistance to the Soviet troops, often turning into counterattacks and delivering counterattacks. On his part, up to 25% of all forces on the Soviet-German front participated in the hostilities. During the Baltic operation, 112 soldiers were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Yugoslavia

The 20th of October Belgrade was liberated. The battles for the liberation of the capital of Yugoslavia lasted a week and were extremely stubborn.

With the liberation of the capital of Yugoslavia, the Belgrade offensive operation ended. During it, the army group "Serbia" was defeated and a number of formations of the army group "F" were defeated. As a result of the operation, the enemy front was pushed back 200 km to the west, the eastern half of Serbia was liberated, and the enemy's transport artery Thessaloniki-Belgrade was cut. At the same time, favorable conditions were created for the Soviet troops advancing in the direction of Budapest. The headquarters of the Supreme High Command could now use the forces of the 3rd Ukrainian Front to defeat the enemy in Hungary. The inhabitants of the villages and cities of Yugoslavia warmly welcomed the Soviet soldiers. They took to the streets with flowers, shook hands, hugged and kissed their liberators. The air was filled with solemn bells and Russian melodies performed by local musicians. The medal "For the Liberation of Belgrade" was established.

Karelian front, 1944

On October 25, Kirkenes was liberated, and the struggle was so fierce that every house and every street had to be stormed.

854 Soviet prisoners of war and 772 civilians driven by the Nazis from the Leningrad region were rescued from concentration camps.

The last cities our troops reached were Neiden and Nautsi.

Hungary

The offensive began on 29 October. The German command took all measures to prevent the capture of Budapest by Soviet troops and the withdrawal of its last ally from the war. Fierce battles flared up on the outskirts of Budapest. Our troops achieved significant success, but they could not defeat the enemy's Budapest grouping and take possession of the city. Finally managed to surround Budapest. But the city was a fortress prepared by the Nazis for a long defense. Hitler ordered to fight for Budapest to the last soldier. The battles for the liberation of the eastern part of the city (Pest) went on from December 27 to January 18, and its western part (Buda) - from January 20 to February 13.

During the Budapest operation, Soviet troops liberated a significant part of the territory of Hungary. The offensive actions of the Soviet troops in the autumn and winter of 1944–1945 in the southwestern direction led to a radical change in the entire political situation in the Balkans. In addition to Romania and Bulgaria, which were previously withdrawn from the war, another state was added - Hungary.

Slovakia and Southern Poland

Warsaw-Berlin direction

January 17, 1945 was liberated Warsaw. The Nazis literally wiped the city off the face of the earth, and local residents mercilessly destroyed.

At the second stage (from January 18 to February 3), the troops of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts, with the assistance on the flanks of the troops of the 2nd Belorussian and 4th Ukrainian fronts, in the course of the rapid pursuit of the enemy, defeated the enemy reserves advanced from the depths, captured Silesian industrial region and went out on a wide front to the Oder, capturing a number of bridgeheads on its western bank.

As a result of the Vistula-Oder operation, a significant part of Poland was liberated, and hostilities were transferred to German territory. About 60 divisions of German troops were defeated.

January 13 - April 25, 1945 East Prussian offensive operation. In the course of this long-term strategic operation, the Insterburg, Mlavsko-Elbing, Hejlsberg, Koenigsberg and Zemland front offensive operations were carried out.

East Prussia was Germany's main strategic foothold for attacking Russia and Poland. This territory also tightly covered access to the central regions of Germany. Therefore, the fascist command attached great importance to the retention of East Prussia. Relief features - lakes, rivers, swamps and canals, a developed network of highways and railways, strong stone buildings - greatly contributed to the defense.

The overall goal of the East Prussian strategic offensive operation was to cut off the enemy troops located in East Prussia from the rest of the fascist forces, press them to the sea, dismember and destroy them in parts, completely clearing the territory of East Prussia and Northern Poland from the enemy.

Three fronts took part in the operation: the 2nd Belorussian (commander - Marshal K.K. Rokossovsky), the 3rd Belorussian (commander - General of the Army I.D. Chernyakhovsky) and the 1st Baltic (commander - General I.Kh. Bagramyan). They were assisted by the Baltic Fleet under the command of Admiral V.F. Tributs.

The fronts began the offensive successfully (January 13 - the 3rd Belorussian and January 14 - the 2nd Belorussian). By January 18, the German troops, despite desperate resistance, suffered a heavy defeat in the places of the main blows of our armies and began to retreat. Until the end of January, waging the most stubborn battles, our troops captured a significant part of East Prussia. Coming out to the sea, they cut off the East Prussian grouping of the enemy from the rest of the forces. At the same time, on January 28, the 1st Baltic Front captured the large seaport of Memel (Klaipeda).

On February 10, the second stage of hostilities began - the elimination of isolated enemy groups. February 18 from seriously injured Army General I.D. Chernyakhovsky died. The command of the 3rd Belorussian Front was entrusted to Marshal A.M. Vasilevsky. During intense fighting, Soviet troops suffered serious losses. By March 29, it was possible to defeat the Nazis, who occupied the Heilsber region. Further, it was planned to defeat the Koenigsberg grouping. Around the city, the Germans created three powerful defensive positions. The city was declared by Hitler the best German fortress in the history of Germany and "absolutely impregnable bastion of the German spirit."

Assault on Koenigsberg started April 6th. On April 9, the garrison of the fortress capitulated. Moscow celebrated the completion of the assault on Koenigsberg with a salute of the highest category - 24 artillery volleys from 324 guns. The medal "For the capture of Koenigsberg" was established, which was usually done only on the occasion of capturing the capitals of states. All participants in the assault received a medal. On April 17, the grouping of German troops near Koenigsberg was liquidated.

After the capture of Koenigsberg, only the Zemland enemy grouping remained in East Prussia, which was defeated by the end of April.

In East Prussia, the Red Army destroyed 25 German divisions, the other 12 divisions lost from 50 to 70% of their composition. Soviet troops captured more than 220 thousand soldiers and officers.

But the Soviet troops also suffered huge losses: 126.5 thousand soldiers and officers died and went missing, more than 458 thousand soldiers were injured or out of action due to illness.

Yalta Conference of the Allied Powers

In Yalta, the “Declaration on a Liberated Europe” was also signed, which, in particular, stated: “The establishment of order in Europe and the reorganization of national economic life must be achieved in such a way that will allow the liberated peoples to destroy the last traces of Nazism and fascism and create democratic institutions of their own choice.

At the Yalta Conference, an agreement was concluded on the entry of the USSR into the war against Japan two to three months after the end of the war in Europe and with the condition that Russia return South Sakhalin and the adjacent islands, as well as previously owned by Russia naval base in Port Arthur and with the condition of transferring the Kuril Islands to the USSR.

The most important outcome of the conference was the decision to convene a conference on April 25, 1945 in San Francisco, at which it was supposed to develop a Charter new Organization United Nations.

Coast of the Baltic Sea

Vein

April 4, 1945 Soviet troops completed the liberation of Hungary and launched an offensive against Vienna.

Fierce battles for the capital of Austria began the very next day - April 5th. The city was covered from three sides - from the south, east and west. Leading stubborn street battles, Soviet troops advanced towards the city center. Fierce battles flared up for each quarter, and sometimes even for a separate building. By 2 p.m. on April 13, the Soviet troops were completely liberated Vienna.

During the Vienna operation, Soviet troops fought 150-200 km, completed the liberation of Hungary and the eastern part of Austria with its capital. The fighting during the Vienna operation was extremely fierce. The most combat-ready divisions of the Wehrmacht (6th SS Panzer Army) opposed the Soviet troops here, which shortly before that had inflicted a serious defeat on the Americans in the Ardennes. But the Soviet soldiers in a fierce struggle crushed this color of the Nazi Wehrmacht. True, the victory was achieved at the cost of considerable sacrifice.

Berlin offensive operation (April 16 - May 2, 1945)

The offensive of the Russian troops was planned very carefully. In a relatively narrow sector of the front, 65 rifle divisions, 3155 tanks and self-propelled vehicles, about 42 thousand guns and mortars were concentrated in a short time. The idea of ​​the Soviet command was to break through the enemy defenses along the Oder and Neisse rivers with powerful blows from the troops of three fronts and, developing the offensive in depth, encircle the main grouping of Nazi troops in the Berlin direction with the simultaneous dissection of it into several parts and the subsequent destruction of each of them. them. In the future, Soviet troops were to reach the Elbe. The completion of the defeat of the Nazi troops was supposed to be carried out jointly with the Western allies, an agreement in principle with which to coordinate actions was reached at the Crimean Conference. The main role in the upcoming operation was assigned to the 1st Belorussian Front (commander Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov), the 1st Ukrainian Front (commander - Marshal of the Soviet Union I.S. Konev) was to defeat the enemy group south of Berlin. The front delivered two blows: the main one in the general direction of Spremberg and the auxiliary one on Dresden. The beginning of the offensive of the troops of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts was scheduled for April 16. On the 2nd Belorussian Front (commander - Marshal of the Soviet Union K.K. Rokossovsky) was to launch an offensive on April 20, force the Oder in its lower reaches and strike in a north-western direction in order to cut off the West Pomeranian enemy grouping from Berlin. In addition, the 2nd Belorussian Front was tasked with part of the forces to cover the coast of the Baltic Sea from the mouth of the Vistula to Altdamm.

It was decided to start the main offensive two hours before dawn. One hundred and forty anti-aircraft searchlights were supposed to suddenly illuminate enemy positions and objects of attack. Sudden and powerful artillery preparation and air strikes, followed by an attack by infantry and tanks, stunned the Germans. Hitler's troops were literally sunk in a continuous sea of ​​fire and metal. On the morning of April 16, Russian troops were successfully moving forward in all sectors of the front. However, the enemy, having come to his senses, began to resist from the Seelow Heights - this natural line stood as a solid wall in front of our troops. The steep slopes of the Zelov Heights were pitted with trenches and trenches. All approaches to them were shot through with multi-layered cross-artillery and rifle-machine-gun fire. Separate buildings have been turned into strongholds, barriers made of logs and metal beams have been set up on the roads, and the approaches to them have been mined. On both sides of the highway leading from the city of Zelov to the west, there were anti-aircraft artillery, which was used for anti-tank defense. The approaches to the heights were blocked by an anti-tank ditch up to 3 m deep and 3.5 m wide. Having assessed the situation, Marshal Zhukov decided to bring tank armies into battle. However, even with their help it was not possible to quickly seize the border. Seelow heights were taken only by the morning of April 18, after fierce battles. However, on April 18, the enemy was still trying to stop the advance of our troops, throwing all his available reserves towards them. Only on April 19, suffering heavy losses, the Germans could not stand it and began to retreat to the outer contour of the defense of Berlin.

The offensive of the 1st Ukrainian Front developed more successfully. Having crossed the Neisse River, by the end of the day on April 16, combined-arms and tank formations had broken through the main enemy defense line on a front of 26 km and to a depth of 13 km. During the three days of the offensive, the armies of the 1st Ukrainian Front advanced up to 30 km in the direction of the main attack.

Storming Berlin

April 30 early in the morning began assault on the Reichstag. The approaches to the Reichstag were covered by strong buildings, the defense was held by selected SS units with a total number of about six thousand people, equipped with tanks, assault guns and artillery. At about 3 pm on April 30, the Red Banner was hoisted over the Reichstag. However, the fighting in the Reichstag continued throughout the day of 1 May and the night of 2 May. Separate scattered groups of Nazis, who settled in the basement, capitulated only on the morning of May 2.

On April 30, the German troops in Berlin were divided into four parts of different composition, and their unified command was lost.

At 3 am on May 1, the Chief of the General Staff of the German Ground Forces, General of the Infantry G. Krebs, by agreement with the Soviet command, crossed the front line in Berlin and was received by the commander of the 8th guards army General V.I. Chuikov. Krebs announced Hitler's suicide, and also handed over a list of members of the new imperial government and the proposal of Goebbels and Bormann for a temporary cessation of hostilities in the capital in order to prepare the conditions for peace negotiations between Germany and the USSR. However, this document did not say anything about surrender. Krebs' message was immediately reported by Marshal G.K. Zhukov to the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. The answer was: seek only unconditional surrender. On the evening of May 1, the German command sent an envoy who announced the refusal to capitulate. In response to this, the final assault began on the central part of the city, where the Imperial Chancellery was located. On May 2, by 3 p.m., the enemy in Berlin had completely ceased resistance.

Prague

On May 5, a spontaneous uprising began in Prague. Tens of thousands of city residents took to the streets. They not only built hundreds of barricades, but also seized the central post office, telegraph, railway stations, bridges over the Vltava, a number of military depots, disarmed several small units stationed in Prague, and established control over a significant part of the city. On May 6, German troops, using tanks, artillery and aircraft against the rebels, entered Prague and captured a significant part of the city. The rebels, having suffered heavy losses, turned over the radio to the allies for help. In this regard, Marshal I. S. Konev ordered the troops of his shock group to launch an offensive on the morning of May 6.

On the afternoon of May 7, the commander of Army Group Center received on the radio an order from Field Marshal V. Keitel about the surrender of German troops on all fronts, but did not bring him to his subordinates. On the contrary, he gave the troops his order, in which he stated that the rumors of surrender were false, they were being spread by Anglo-American and Soviet propaganda. On May 7, American officers arrived in Prague, who announced the surrender of Germany and advised to stop the fighting in Prague. At night it became known that the head of the German garrison in Prague, General R. Toussaint, was ready to enter into negotiations with the leadership of the rebels about surrender. At 4 p.m., an act of surrender was signed by the German garrison. Under its terms, German troops received the right to freely withdraw to the west, leaving heavy weapons at the exit from the city.

On May 9, our troops entered Prague and, with the active support of the population and the fighting squads of the rebels, the Soviet troops cleared the city of the Nazis. The possible retreat of the main forces of Army Group Center to the west and southwest with the capture of Prague by Soviet troops was cut off. The main forces of the Army Group "Center" were in the "bag" east of Prague. On May 10-11, they capitulated and were captured by Soviet troops.

Surrender of Germany

On the night of May 7, in Reims, where Eisenhower's headquarters was located, a preliminary protocol on the surrender of Germany was signed, according to which, from 23 hours on May 8, hostilities ceased on all fronts. The protocol specifically stipulated that it was not a comprehensive surrender treaty for Germany and its armed forces. It was signed on behalf of the Soviet Union by General ID Susloparov, on behalf of the Western Allies by General W. Smith, and on behalf of Germany by General Jodl. Only a witness was present from France. After the signing of this act, our Western allies hastened to notify the world of Germany's surrender to the American and British troops. However, Stalin insisted that "surrender must be committed as the most important historical act and adopted not on the territory of the winners, but where the fascist aggression came from - in Berlin, and not unilaterally, but necessarily by the supreme command of all countries of the anti-Hitler coalition ".

On the night of May 8-9, 1945, the Act of Unconditional Surrender was signed in Karlshorst (an eastern suburb of Berlin). Nazi Germany. The ceremony of signing the act took place in the building of the military engineering school, where a special hall was prepared, decorated state flags USSR, USA, England and France. At the main table were representatives of the allied powers. Present in the hall Soviet generals, whose troops took Berlin, as well as Soviet and foreign journalists. Marshal Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov was appointed representative of the Supreme High Command of the Soviet troops. The High Command of the Allied Forces was represented by the British Air Marshal Arthur V. Tedder, the commander of the US strategic air forces, General Spaatz, and the commander-in-chief of the French army, General Delattre de Tassigny. From the German side, Field Marshal Keitel, Admiral of the Fleet von Friedeburg and Colonel General of Aviation Stumpf were authorized to sign the act of unconditional surrender.

The ceremony of signing the surrender at 24 o'clock was opened by Marshal G.K. Zhukov. At his suggestion, Keitel presented to the heads of the Allied delegations a document on his powers, signed by Doenitz. The German delegation was then asked whether it had the Act of Unconditional Surrender in hand and whether it had studied it. After Keitel's affirmative answer, the representatives of the German armed forces, at the sign of Marshal Zhukov, signed an act drawn up in 9 copies. Then Tedder and Zhukov put their signatures, and representatives of the United States and France as witnesses. The procedure for signing the surrender ended at 00:43 on May 9, 1945. The German delegation, by order of Zhukov, left the hall. The act consisted of 6 paragraphs of the following content:

"one. We, the undersigned, acting on behalf of the German High Command, agree to unconditional surrender all our armed forces on land, at sea and in the air, as well as all the forces currently under German command, to the Supreme Command of the Red Army and at the same time to the Supreme Command of the Allied Expeditionary Forces.

2. The German High Command will immediately issue orders to all German commanders of the land, sea and air forces and to all forces under German command to cease hostilities at 23:01 hours Central European Time on May 8, 1945, to remain in their places where they are at this time, and disarm completely, handing over all their weapons and military equipment to local Allied commanders or officers assigned by representatives of the Allied High Command, not to destroy or cause any damage to ships, ships and aircraft, their engines, hulls and equipment, but also machines, armaments, apparatuses and all military-technical means of warfare in general.

3. The German High Command will immediately assign appropriate commanders and ensure that all further orders issued by the Supreme High Command of the Red Army and the High Command of the Allied Expeditionary Forces are carried out.

4. This act shall not prevent its replacement by another general instrument of surrender, concluded by or on behalf of the United Nations, applicable to Germany and the German armed forces as a whole.

5. In the event that the German High Command or any armed forces under its command do not act in accordance with this act of surrender, the High Command of the Red Army, as well as the High Command of the Allied Expeditionary Force, will take such punitive measures or other actions. as they deem necessary.

6. This act is drawn up in Russian, English and German. Only Russian and English texts are authentic.

At 0:50 the meeting was adjourned. After that, a reception took place, which was held with great enthusiasm. Much was said about the desire to strengthen friendly relations between the countries of the anti-fascist coalition. The festive dinner ended with songs and dances. As Marshal Zhukov recalls: "Soviet generals danced beyond competition. I also could not resist and, remembering my youth, I danced" Russian ""

Land, sea and air force Wehrmacht on the Soviet-German front began to lay down their arms. By the end of the day on May 8, the Kurland Army Group, pressed against the Baltic Sea, stopped resisting. About 190 thousand soldiers and officers, including 42 generals, surrendered. On the morning of May 9, German troops surrendered in the area of ​​Danzig and Gdynia. About 75 thousand soldiers and officers, including 12 generals, laid down their arms here. Task Force Narvik capitulated in Norway.

The Soviet landing force, which landed on the Danish island of Bornholm on May 9, captured it 2 days later and captured the German garrison (12,000 people) stationed there.

Small groups of Germans on the territory of Czechoslovakia and Austria, who did not want to surrender along with the bulk of the troops of Army Group Center and tried to make their way to the west, the Soviet troops had to destroy until May 19.

Potsdam Conference (July 17 - August 2, 1945)

According to N.A. Narochnitskaya, “The most important, although never spoken aloud, result of Yalta and Potsdam was the actual recognition of the succession of the USSR in relation to the geopolitical area Russian Empire combined with newfound military power and international influence."

Tatyana Radynova

Looking back, it seems that these events are several centuries old. Life is in full swing around, everyone is fussing, in a hurry, and sometimes even the events of a year ago have no meaning and are ingloriously covered in dust in memory. But mankind has no moral right to forget 1418 days of the Great Patriotic War. Chronicles of the war 1941-1945. - this is just a small echo of that time, a good reminder to the modern generation that the war never brought anything good to anyone.

Causes of the war

Like any armed confrontation, the reasons for the start of the war were very banal. In the chronicle of the Great 1941-1945) it is indicated that the battle began because Adolf Hitler wanted to lead Germany to world domination: to seize all countries and create a state with pure races.

For a year he invades Poland, then goes to Czechoslovakia, conquers more new territories, and then violates the peace treaty concluded on August 23, 1939 with the USSR. Intoxicated by the first successes and victories, he developed the Barbarossa plan, according to which he was supposed to capture the Soviet Union in a short time. But it was not there. From this moment begins a four-year chronicle of the events of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945).

1941st. Start

In June the war began. During this month, five defensive fronts were formed, each of which was responsible for its own territory:

• northern front. He defended Hanko (from 22.06 to 02.12) and the Arctic (from 29.07 to 10.10).
• Northwestern Front. Immediately after the attack, he began to conduct the Baltic strategic defensive operation (22.06-09.07).
• Western front. Here the Bialystok-Minsk battle unfolded (22.06-09.07).
• Southwestern front. Launched the Lvov-Chernivtsi defensive operation (22.06-06.07).
• Southern front. Founded on 25.07.

In July, defensive operations continued on the Northern Front. On the Northwestern Front began to carry out the Leningrad defensive operation (from 10.07 to 30.09). At the same time, the Battle of Smolensk begins on the Western Front (10.07-10.09). July 24 founded the Central Front, he took part in the battle of Smolensk. On the 30th, the Reserve Front was formed. In the South-West, the Kyiv defensive operation began (07.07-26.09). On the Southern Front, the Tiraspol-Melitopol defensive operation begins (27.07-28.09).

In August, the battle continues. The forces of the Reserve Front join the battle of Smolensk. On the 14th, the Bryansk Front was founded, the defense of the city was carried out in the Odessa defensive region (05.08-16.10). On August 23, the Transcaucasian Front is formed, two days later the Iranian operation begins.

The entries for September in the documentary chronicles of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) indicate that most of the defensive battles are over. The forces of the Soviet Union changed their place of deployment and began new offensive operations: Sumy-Kharkov and Donbass.

In October, the Sinyavskaya and Strelna-Peterhof operations are carried out on the Leningrad Front, and the Tikhvin defensive operation begins (from October 16 to November 18). On the 17th, the Kalinin Defensive Front was formed, and the defensive operation of the same name began. On the 10th, the Reserve Front ceased to exist. The Tula defensive operation began on the Bryansk Front (24.10-05.12). The Crimean troops began a defensive operation and entered the battle for Sevastopol (10/10/1941-07/09/1942).

In November, the Tikhvin offensive operation began, which ended by the end of the year. The battles went on with varying success. On December 5, the Kalinin offensive operation began, and on the 6th, the Klin-Solnechnaya and Tula offensive operations began. December 17 formed Volkhov Front. The Bryansk Front was formed again, and the Kerch Front began in the Transcaucasus. landing operation(26.12). The defense of Sevastopol continued.

1942 - a brief military chronicle of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945)

On January 1, 1942, an anti-German bloc was formed, which included 226 countries. Meanwhile, on January 2, the city of Maloyaroslavets was liberated, on the 3rd, near the city of Sukhinichi, the Russian army defeated the Germans, and on January 7, German shock groups near Moscow were defeated.

New offensive operations begin. On January 20, Mozhaisk was completely liberated. In early February, the entire Moscow region was liberated from the Germans. Soviet troops advanced 250 km in the direction of Vitebsk. On March 5, long-range aviation is created. On May 8, the German offensive begins in the Crimea. Battles are underway near Kharkov, on June 28, a large-scale offensive by German troops begins. Forces were mainly directed to the Volga and the Caucasus.

On July 17, the legendary Battle of Stalingrad begins, which is mentioned in all the chronicles of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 (photos of the confrontation are attached). On August 25, a state of siege was introduced in Stalingrad. On September 13, fighting begins at Mamaev Kurgan. On November 19, the Red Army begins an offensive operation near Stalingrad. On December 3, a group of German troops was defeated in the Shiripin area. On December 31, the troops of the Stalingrad Front liberate the city of Elista.

1943

This year has been a turning point. On January 1, the Rostov offensive operation began. The cities of Mozdok, Malgobek, Nalchik were liberated; on January 12, Operation Iskra began. The military who took part in it must have been Leningrad. Five days later, the city of Velikie Luki was liberated. January 18 managed to establish contact with Leningrad. On January 19, an offensive operation began on the Voronezh Front, and a large military grouping of the enemy was defeated. On January 20, in the area of ​​​​the city of Velikoluksk, enemy troops were defeated. On January 21, Stavropol was liberated.

On January 31, German troops capitulate at Stalingrad. On February 2, it was possible to liquidate the army near Stalingrad (nearly 300 thousand fascists). On February 8, Kursk was liberated, and on the 9th - Belgorod. Soviet army moved towards Minsk.

Krasnodar liberated; 14th - Rostov-on-Don, Voroshilovgrad and Krasnodon; On February 16, Kharkov was liberated. On March 3, they liberated Rzhevsk, on the 6th - Gzhatsk, on March 12, the Germans left their positions in Vyazma. On March 29, the Soviet flotilla inflicted significant damage on the German fleet off the coast of Norway.

On May 3, the Soviet army won the battle in the air, and on July 5, the legendary Battle of Kursk began. It ended on August 22, during the battle 30 German divisions were defeated. By the end of the year, successful offensive operations are being carried out, one by one the cities of the Soviet Union are being liberated from the invaders. suffers defeat.

1944

According to the chronicle of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945), the war took a favorable turn for the USSR. Offensive operations began on all fronts. ten so-called Stalin's blows helped to completely liberate the territory of the USSR, the fighting was now conducted on the territory of Europe.

Way to victory

The German command understands that it cannot seize the strategic initiative and begins to take up defensive positions in order to preserve at least those territories that they managed to capture. But every day they had to retreat further and further.

April 16, 1945 Soviet troops surround Berlin. The Nazi army is defeated. April 30 Hitler commits suicide. On May 7, Germany announced its surrender to the Western Allied Forces, and on May 9, it surrendered to the Soviet Union.

In the chronicles (1941-1945) the war is presented to the reader as a list of dates and events. But we must not forget that human destinies are hidden behind each date: unfulfilled hopes, unfulfilled promises and unlived lives.

On Sunday, June 22, 1941, at dawn, the troops of fascist Germany, without declaring war, suddenly attacked the entire western border of the Soviet Union and launched bombing airstrikes on Soviet cities and military units.

The Great Patriotic War began. She was expected, but still she came suddenly. And the point here is not a miscalculation or Stalin's distrust of intelligence data. During the pre-war months, different dates were given for the start of the war, for example, May 20, and this was reliable information, but due to the uprising in Yugoslavia, Hitler postponed the date of the attack on the USSR to a later date. There is another factor that is rarely mentioned. This is a successful disinformation campaign by German intelligence. So, the Germans spread rumors through all possible channels that the attack on the USSR would take place on June 22, but with the direction of the main attack in an area where it was obviously impossible. Thus, the date also looked like disinformation, so it was on this day that the attacks were least expected.
And in foreign textbooks, June 22, 1941 is presented as one of the current episodes of the Second World War, while in the textbooks of the Baltic States this date is considered positive, giving "hope for liberation".

Russia

§four. Invasion of the USSR. The beginning of the Great Patriotic War
At dawn on June 22, 1941, Nazi troops invaded the USSR. The Great Patriotic War began.
Germany and its allies (Italy, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia) did not have an overwhelming advantage in manpower and equipment and, according to the Barbarossa plan, they relied on the blitzkrieg ("lightning war") tactics on the surprise attack factor. The defeat of the USSR was supposed within two to three months by the forces of three army groups (Army Group North, advancing on Leningrad, Army Group Center, advancing on Moscow, and Army Group South, advancing on Kyiv).
In the first days of the war, the German army inflicted serious damage on the Soviet defense system: military headquarters were destroyed, the activities of communications services were paralyzed, and strategically important objects were captured. The German army was rapidly advancing deep into the USSR, and by July 10, Army Group Center (commander von Bock), having captured Belarus, approached Smolensk; Army Group "South" (commander von Rundstedt) captured the Right-Bank Ukraine; Army Group North (commander von Leeb) occupied part of the Baltic. The losses of the Red Army (including those who were surrounded) amounted to more than two million people. The current situation was catastrophic for the USSR. But the Soviet mobilization resources were very large, and by the beginning of July, 5 million people were drafted into the Red Army, which made it possible to close the gaps formed at the front.

V.L.Kheifets, L.S. Kheifets, K.M. Severinov. General history. Grade 9 Ed. Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences V.S. Myasnikov. Moscow, publishing house "Ventana-Graf", 2013

Chapter XVII. The Great Patriotic War of the Soviet people against the Nazi invaders
The perfidious attack of Nazi Germany on the USSR
Fulfilling the grandiose tasks of the third Stalinist five-year plan and steadily and firmly pursuing a policy of peace, the Soviet government, at the same time, did not for a moment forget about the possibility of a new "imperialist attack on our country. Comrade Stalin tirelessly called on the peoples of the Soviet Union to be in mobilization readiness. In February 1938 In his response to a letter from Komsomol member Ivanov, Comrade Stalin wrote: “Indeed, it would be ridiculous and stupid to turn a blind eye to the fact of a capitalist encirclement and think that our external enemies, for example, the fascists, will not try, on occasion, to launch a military attack on the USSR.”
Comrade Stalin demanded the strengthening of the defense capability of our country. “It is necessary,” he wrote, “to strengthen and strengthen in every possible way our Red Army, Red Navy, Red Aviation, Osoaviakhim. It is necessary to keep our entire people in a state of mobilization readiness in the face of the danger of a military attack, so that no "accident" and no tricks of our external enemies could take us by surprise ... "
Comrade Stalin's warning alerted the Soviet people, made them more vigilantly follow the intrigues of the enemies and strengthen the Soviet army in every possible way.
The Soviet people understood that the German fascists, led by Hitler, were striving to unleash a new bloody war, with the help of which they hoped to win world domination. Hitler declared the Germans a "superior race" and all other peoples inferior, inferior races. With particular hatred, the Nazis treated the Slavic peoples and, first of all, the great Russian people, who more than once in their history came out to fight against the German aggressors.
The Nazis based their plan on the plan of a military attack and lightning defeat of Russia developed by General Hoffmann during the First World War. This plan provided for the concentration of huge armies on the western borders of our homeland, the capture of the vital centers of the country within a few weeks and the rapid advance deep into Russia, up to the Urals. Subsequently, this plan was supplemented and approved by the Nazi command and was called the Barbarossa plan.
The monstrous war machine of the Nazi imperialists began its movement in the Baltic States, Belorussia and the Ukraine, threatening the vital centers of the Soviet country.

Textbook "History of the USSR", 10th grade, K.V. Bazilevich, S.V. Bakhrushin, A.M. Pankratova, A.V. Foght, M., Uchpedgiz, 1952

Austria, Germany

Chapter "From the Russian Campaign to Complete Defeat"
After careful preparations that lasted for many months, on June 22, 1941, Germany launched a "war of total annihilation" against the Soviet Union. Her goal was to conquer a new living space for the Germanic Aryan race. The essence of the German plan was a lightning attack, called "Barbarossa". It was believed that under the rapid onslaught of a trained German military machine, Soviet troops would not be able to provide decent resistance. In a few months, the Nazi command seriously hoped to reach Moscow. It was assumed that the capture of the capital of the USSR would finally demoralize the enemy and the war would end in victory. However, after a series of impressive successes on the battlefields, after a few weeks, the Nazis were thrown back hundreds of kilometers from the Soviet capital.

Textbook "History" for grade 7, team of authors, Duden publishing house, 2013.

Holt McDougal. The World History.
For Senior High School, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Pub. Co., 2012

Hitler began planning an attack on his ally, the USSR, as early as the early summer of 1940. The Balkan countries of Southeast Europe played a key role in Hitler's invasion plan. Hitler wanted to create a foothold in Southeastern Europe to attack the USSR. He also wanted to be sure that the British would not interfere.
In order to prepare for the invasion, Hitler moved to expand his influence in the Balkans. By early 1941, by threatening to use force, he persuaded Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary to join the Axis. Yugoslavia and Greece, ruled by pro-British governments, fought back. In early April 1941, Hitler invaded both countries. Yugoslavia fell after 11 days. Greece surrendered after 17 days.
Hitler attacks the Soviet Union. By establishing tight control over the Balkans, Hitler could carry out Operation Barbarossa, his plan to invade the USSR. Early on the morning of June 22, 1941, the roar of German tanks and the drone of aircraft marked the beginning of the invasion. The Soviet Union was not ready for this attack. Although he had the largest army in the world, the troops were neither well equipped nor well trained.
The invasion progressed week after week until the Germans penetrated 500 miles into the territory of the Soviet Union (804.67 kilometers. - Ed.). Retreating, the Soviet troops burned and destroyed everything in the way of the enemy. The Russians used such a scorched earth strategy against Napoleon.

Section 7. World War II
The attack on the Soviet Union (the so-called Barbarossa plan) was carried out on June 22, 1941. The German army, which numbered about three million soldiers, launched an offensive against three directions: in the north - to Leningrad, in the central part of the USSR - to Moscow and in the south - to the Crimea. The onslaught of the invaders was swift. Soon the Germans laid siege to Leningrad and Sevastopol, came close to Moscow. The Red Army suffered heavy losses, but the main goal of the Nazis - the capture of the capital of the Soviet Union - never materialized. Huge spaces and the early Russian winter, with the fierce resistance of the Soviet troops and ordinary residents of the country, thwarted german plan lightning war. In early December 1941, units of the Red Army under the command of General Zhukov launched a counteroffensive and drove the enemy troops back 200 kilometers from Moscow.

History textbook for the 8th grade of elementary school (Klett publishing house, 2011). Predrag Vajagić and Nenad Stošić.

Never before have our people treated the German invasion otherwise than with determination to defend their land, but when Molotov announced the German attack in a trembling voice, the Estonians felt everything but sympathy. On the contrary, many have hope. The people of Estonia enthusiastically welcomed German soldiers as liberators.
Russian soldiers aroused dislike in the average Estonian. These people were poor, poorly dressed, extremely suspicious, and at the same time often very pretentious. The Germans were more familiar to the Estonians. They were cheerful and fond of music, from the places where they gathered, laughter and playing musical instruments could be heard.

Lauri Vahtre. Textbook "Turning Moments in Estonian History".

Bulgaria

Chapter 2: The Globalization of Conflict (1941-1942)
Attack on the USSR (June 1941). On June 22, 1941, Hitler launched a major offensive against the USSR. Starting the conquest of new territories in the east, the Fuhrer put into practice the theory of "living space", proclaimed in the book "My Struggle" ("Mein Kampf"). On the other hand, the termination of the German-Soviet pact again made it possible for the Nazi regime to present itself as a fighter against communism in Europe: the aggression against the USSR was presented by German propaganda as a crusade against Bolshevism with the aim of exterminating the "Jewish Marxists".
However, this new blitzkrieg developed into a long and exhausting war. Shaken by a sudden attack, drained of blood Stalinist repressions and the ill-prepared Soviet army was quickly pushed back. In a few weeks, the German armies occupied one million square kilometers and reached the outskirts of Leningrad and Moscow. But fierce Soviet resistance and the rapid arrival of the Russian winter stopped the German offensive: on the move, the Wehrmacht could not defeat the enemy in one campaign. In the spring of 1942, a new offensive was required.

The plan of "blitzkrieg" against the USSR
The German command expected to approach Moscow by August 15, to end the war against the USSR and create a defensive line against "Asian Russia" by October 1, 1941, and to reach the Arkhangelsk-Astrakhan line by the winter of 1941.
On June 22, 1941, the Great Patriotic War began with the attack of Nazi Germany on the Soviet Union. Mobilization was announced in the USSR. Voluntary entry into the Red Army acquired a mass character. Popular militia became widespread. Fighter battalions and self-defense groups were created in the front line to protect important national economic facilities. The evacuation of people and property began from the territories threatened by the occupation.
Military operations were led by the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, created on June 23, 1941. The rate was headed by I. Stalin. Italy
June 22, 1941
Giardina, G. Sabbatucci, V. Vidotto, Manuale di Storia. L "eta`contemporanea. History textbook for the 5th grade of high school. Bari, Laterza. Textbook for the 11th grade of high school "Our new story", publishing house "Dar Aun", 2008
With the German attack on the Soviet Union in the early summer of 1941, a new phase of the war began. The widest front was opened in the east of Europe. Great Britain was no longer forced to fight alone. The ideological confrontation was simplified and radicalized with the termination of the anomalous agreement between Nazism and the Soviet regime. The international communist movement, which after August 1939 adopted an ambiguous position of condemnation of "opposing imperialisms", revised it in favor of allying with democracy and fighting fascism.
That the USSR was the main target of Hitler's expansionist intentions was no mystery to anyone, including the Soviet people. However, Stalin believed that Hitler would never attack Russia without ending the war with Britain. So when, on 22 June 1941, the German offensive (code-named "Barbarossa") began on a 1,600-kilometer front, from the Baltic to the Black Sea, the Russians were unprepared, and this lack of readiness, exacerbated by the fact that the 1937 purge had deprived the Red the army of its best military leaders, made the task of the aggressor easier at first.
The offensive, which also included the Italian expeditionary force sent in great haste by Mussolini, who dreamed of participating in a crusade against the Bolsheviks, continued throughout the summer: in the north through the Baltics, in the south through Ukraine in order to reach the oil regions in the Caucasus .

Event, battle: surprise attack by fascist Germany (without declaring war) on the Soviet Union

Totals, value, result: Soviet troops were not ready and could not give a worthy rebuff. The Nazis moved inland

Event, battle: defense of Odessa

Totals, value, result: the defense of Odessa delayed the enemy for a long time and contributed to the disruption of Hitler's military plan "Barbarossa"

Event, battle: blockade of Leningrad (872 days of the siege of the city by a dense ring of Nazi troops). The ring was broken through by Soviet troops on January 18, 1943, but the blockade was completely lifted only a year later.

Totals, value, result: more than 650 thousand Leningraders died of starvation and German bombing in a city cut off from the world

Event, battle: defense of Sevastopol

Totals, value, result: Sevastopol was surrendered to the enemy. The Soviet troops, like the Germans, suffered huge losses. The Germans, due to the fact that they could not take Sevastopol for almost a year, could not quickly move inland, as planned. And this helped thwart Hitler's Barbarossa plan to conquer the USSR.

Event, battle: Battle for Moscow

Results, meaning, result: Hitler did not get Moscow, the Barbarossa plan to conquer the USSR was thwarted.

Event, battle: Battle of Stalingrad

Totals, value, result: the failure of the German offensive against the USSR. The beginning of the offensive of the Soviet troops. A group of fascist troops led by Field Marshal Paulus was surrounded and captured. Almost completely destroyed the city of Stalingrad (Volgograd)

Event, battle: Battle of Kursk (" Kursk Bulge"). The largest tank battle in the history of the whole world

Totals, value, result: gave a turning point in the war. Now the Red Army began to attack, and the German army began to retreat

Event, battle: Battle for the Caucasus

Totals, value, result: Germany was unable to capture the Caucasus and its oil wells and was forced to retreat.

The date: June 1944

Event, battle: the allies of the USSR (the British and the British) opened a "second front" against Hitler in France and began to advance towards Germany

Totals, value, result: weakening Germany from the west

Event, battle: battle for Berlin. The biggest battle in the history of the planet

Totals, value, result: The capital of Germany, Berlin, is captured by Soviet troops. The Reichstag, the building of the government of Nazi Germany, fell

Event, battle: Hitler's suicide in a secret bunker in Berlin

Totals, value, result: Germany was left without a war leader

Event, battle: official surrender (surrender) of Germany

Totals, value, result: Union victory in the war