The largest battle of the Second World War. Battles of World War II

In Stalingrad, the course of the world took a sharp turn

In Russian military history, the battle of Stalingrad has always been considered the most outstanding and significant event of the Great Patriotic War and the entire Second World War. Modern world historiography also gives the highest assessment of the victory of the Soviet Union in the Battle of Stalingrad. “At the turn of the century, Stalingrad was recognized as the decisive battle not only of the Second World War, but of the era as a whole,” emphasizes British historian J. Roberts.

During the Great Patriotic War, there were other, no less brilliant Soviet victories, both in terms of their strategic results and the level of military art. So why does Stalingrad stand out among them? In connection with the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad, I would like to reflect on this.

The interests of historical science and the development of cooperation between peoples require freeing military history from the spirit of confrontation, subordinating the research of scientists to the interests of deep, truthful and objective coverage of the history of the Second World War, including the Battle of Stalingrad. This is due to the fact that some people want to falsify the history of the Second World War, to “re-fight” the war on paper.

Much has been written about the Battle of Stalingrad. Therefore, there is no need to retell its course in detail. Historians and military officers rightly wrote that its outcome was due to the increased power of the country and the Red Army by the fall of 1942, the high level of military leadership of its command cadres, the mass heroism of Soviet soldiers, the unity and dedication of the entire Soviet people. It was emphasized that our strategy, operational art and tactics during this battle took a new major step forward in their development and were enriched with new provisions.

PLANS OF THE PARTIES FOR 1942

When discussing plans for the summer campaign at the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command (SHC) in March 1942, the General Staff (Boris Shaposhnikov) and Georgy Zhukov proposed considering the transition to strategic defense as the main method of action.

Zhukov considered it possible to take private offensive actions only in the Western Front. Semyon Timoshenko proposed, in addition, to conduct an offensive operation in the Kharkov direction. To the objections of Zhukov and Shaposhnikov regarding this proposal, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Joseph Stalin said: “We can’t sit idly by in defense, don’t wait for the Germans to strike first! We ourselves must launch a series of pre-emptive strikes on a wide front and test the enemy’s readiness.”

As a result, it was decided to undertake a series of offensive operations in the Crimea, in the Kharkov region, in the Lgov and Smolensk directions, in the areas of Leningrad and Demyansk.

As for the plans of the German command, at one time it was believed that its main goal was to capture Moscow by deep encircling from the south. But in reality, according to the directive of the Fuhrer and Supreme Commander of the German Armed Forces Hitler No. 41 of April 5, 1942, the main goal of the German offensive in the summer of 1942 was to seize the Donbass, Caucasian oil and, by disrupting communications in the interior of the country, to deprive the USSR of the most important resources coming from these districts.

Firstly, when delivering a strike in the south, conditions were created for achieving surprise and more favorable opportunities for achieving success, because in 1942 our Supreme High Command again expected the enemy’s main attack in the Moscow direction, and the main forces and reserves were concentrated here. The German Kremlin disinformation plan was not solved either.

Secondly, when attacking in the Moscow direction, German troops would have to break through pre-prepared, defense in depth with the prospect of protracted military operations. If in 1941, near Moscow, the German Wehrmacht was unable to overcome the resistance of the Red Army, which was retreating with heavy losses, then in 1942 it was even more difficult for the Germans to count on capturing Moscow. At that time, in the south, in the Kharkov region, as a result of a major defeat of the Soviet troops, the German army was confronted by our significantly weakened forces; it was here that the most vulnerable section of the Soviet front was located.

Thirdly, when the German army delivered the main blow in the Moscow direction and even at worst captured Moscow (which was unlikely), the retention by Soviet troops of extremely economically important areas in the south created the conditions for the continuation of the war and its successful completion.

All this suggests that the strategic plans of the Nazi command basically correctly took into account the current situation. But even under this condition, the troops of Germany and its satellites would not have been able to advance so far and reach the Volga, if not for the major mistakes of the Soviet command in assessing the direction of a possible enemy attack, inconsistency and indecisiveness in choosing a method of action. On the one hand, in principle it was supposed to switch to strategic defense, on the other, a series of unprepared and unsupported offensive operations were undertaken. This led to a scattering of forces, and our army was unprepared for either defense or attack. Oddly enough, the Soviet troops again found themselves in the same uncertain position as in 1941.

And in 1942, despite the defeats of 1941, the ideological cult of the offensive doctrine continued to press so hard, the underestimation of defense, its false understanding were so deeply rooted in the consciousness of the Soviet command that it was embarrassed as something unworthy for the Red Army and was not fully resolved apply.

In the light of the plans of the parties discussed above, an important aspect is clearly clarified: the Stalingrad strategic operation was an interconnected part of the entire system of strategic actions of the Soviet Armed Forces in 1942. In many military-historical works, the Stalingrad operation was considered in isolation from other operations carried out in the western direction. This also applies to Operation Mars of 1942, the essence of which is most distorted, especially in American historiography.

The main point is that the main, decisive strategic operation in the fall and winter of 1942–1943 was not the operations in the southwest, but the offensive operations carried out in the western strategic direction. The basis for this conclusion is the fact that less forces and resources were allocated to solve problems in the south than in the western direction. But in reality this is not entirely true, because the southern strategic direction must be taken as a whole, and not just the troops at Stalingrad, including the troops in the North Caucasus and the troops in the Voronezh direction, which were practically directed towards the southern direction. In addition, we must take into account the fact that the offensive actions of our troops in the west did not allow the German command to transfer forces to the south. Our main strategic reserves were located southeast of Moscow and could be transferred to the south.

DEFENSIVE OPERATIONS ON THE APPROACHES TO STALINGRAD

The second group of questions relates to the first stage of the Battle of Stalingrad (from July 17 to November 18, 1942) and arises from the need for a more objective, critical assessment of defensive battles and operations on the approaches to Stalingrad. During this period there were the most omissions and shortcomings in the actions of our command and troops. Military theoretical thought has yet to clarify how our army, in catastrophically difficult conditions, managed to restore the almost completely destroyed strategic front in the southwestern direction in the summer of 1942. It is known that only from July 17 to September 30, 1942, the Supreme Command Headquarters sent 50 rifle and cavalry divisions, 33 brigades, including 24 tank brigades, to strengthen the Stalingrad direction.

At the same time, the Soviet command did not plan or task the troops to stop the advancing enemy only after retreating to the Volga. It repeatedly demanded that the enemy be stopped at a number of lines even on the distant approaches to Stalingrad. Why did this not succeed, despite the large number of reserves, the courage and massive heroism of officers and soldiers, and the skillful actions of a number of formations and units? There were, of course, many cases of confusion and panic, especially after heavy defeats and heavy losses of our troops in May-June 1942. For a psychological change to occur in the troops, a serious shake-up was needed. And in this regard, Order No. 227 of the People’s Commissar of Defense played a generally positive role, giving a sharp and truthful assessment of the situation and imbued with the main requirement - “Not a step back!” It was a very harsh and extremely tough document, but forced and necessary in the conditions that prevailed at that time.

Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus chose captivity over suicide.

The main reason for the failure of a number of defensive battles on the approaches to Stalingrad was that in organizing strategic defense the Soviet command repeated the mistakes of 1941.

After each major breakthrough of the German army, instead of a sober assessment of the situation and making a decision to defend at one or another advantageous line, where the retreating troops would fight and pull up fresh formations from the depths in advance, orders were given to hold the occupied lines at all costs, even when this was impossible . Reserve formations and incoming reinforcements were sent into battle on the move, as a rule, to launch poorly prepared counterattacks and counterstrikes. Therefore, the enemy had the opportunity to beat them piecemeal, and the Soviet troops were deprived of the opportunity to properly gain a foothold and organize defense on new lines.

The nervous reaction to each retreat further aggravated the already difficult, complex situation and doomed the troops to new retreats.

It should also be recognized that the German troops carried out offensive operations quite skillfully, widely maneuvering and massively using tank and motorized formations in open, tank-accessible terrain. Having encountered resistance in one area or another, they quickly changed the direction of their attacks, trying to reach the flank and rear of the Soviet troops, whose maneuverability was much lower.

The setting of unrealistic tasks, the appointment of dates for the start of hostilities and operations without taking into account the minimum necessary time for preparation for their implementation made themselves felt during many counterattacks and counterstrikes during defensive operations. For example, on September 3, 1942, in connection with the difficult situation on the Stalingrad front, Stalin sent a telegram to a representative of the Supreme Command Headquarters: “Demand that the commander of the troops stationed north and north-west of Stalingrad immediately strike the enemy and come to the aid of the Stalingraders.”

There were many such telegrams and demands. It is not difficult for a person who knows even a little about military affairs to understand their absurdity: how can troops, without minimal training and organization, take and “strike” and go on the offensive. The activity of the defense was of great importance for wearing down the enemy, disrupting and delaying his offensive actions. But counterattacks could have been more effective with more thorough preparation and material support.

During the defensive battles on the approaches to Stalingrad, air defense was extremely weak, and therefore it was necessary to operate in conditions of significant superiority of enemy aviation, which made maneuvering troops especially difficult.

If at the beginning of the war the inexperience of personnel was also reflected, then after heavy losses in 1941 and the spring of 1942, the problem of personnel was even more acute, although there were many commanders who managed to harden themselves and gain combat experience. There were many mistakes, omissions and even cases of criminal irresponsibility on the part of the commanders of fronts, armies, commanders of formations and units. Taken together, they also seriously complicated the situation, but were not as decisive as the miscalculations made by the Supreme Command Headquarters. Not to mention the fact that the too frequent change of commanders and commanders (in July–August 1942 alone, three commanders of the Stalingrad Front were replaced) did not allow them to get used to the situation.

The stability of the troops was negatively affected by fear of encirclement. Political distrust and repression against military personnel, who were surrounded during the retreats in 1941 and the spring of 1942, played a detrimental role in this regard. And after the war, officers who were surrounded were not accepted to study at military academies. It seemed to the military-political authorities and the heads of the NKVD that such an attitude towards the “encircled” could increase the resilience of the troops. But it was the other way around - fear of encirclement reduced the tenacity of the troops in defense. It did not take into account that, as a rule, the most staunchly defending troops were surrounded, often as a result of the retreat of their neighbors. It was this most selfless part of the military that was persecuted. No one was held accountable for this wild and criminal incompetence.

FEATURES OF THE STALINGRAD OFFENSIVE OPERATION

From the experience of the second stage of the Battle of Stalingrad (from November 19, 1942 to February 2, 1943), when the troops of the Southwestern, Don and Stalingrad fronts carried out a counteroffensive, important conclusions and lessons emerge regarding the preparation and conduct of offensive operations to encircle and destroy the enemy.

The strategic plan of this counter-offensive was to encircle and destroy the group of fascist Germans with concentrated attacks from the South-Western (Nikolai Vatutin), Don (Konstantin Rokossovsky) fronts from the north and the Stalingrad Front (Andrei Eremenko) from the area south of Stalingrad in the general direction of Kalach troops and their satellites (Romanian, Italian, Hungarian troops) east of Stalingrad. Long-range aviation and the Volga Flotilla also took part in the operation.

Various points of view are expressed as to who came up with the initial idea of ​​a counteroffensive to encircle and destroy the main enemy forces. Khrushchev, Eremenko, and many others claimed this. Objectively speaking, this idea in general, as many participants in the war recall, was literally “in the air,” because the very configuration of the front already suggested the need to strike the flanks of the enemy group under the command of Friedrich Paulus.

But the main, most difficult task was how to concretize and implement this idea, taking into account the current situation, how to collect and timely concentrate the necessary forces and means and organize their actions, where specifically to direct attacks and with what tasks. It can be considered an established fact that the main idea of ​​this plan, of course, belongs to the Supreme Command Headquarters, and first of all to Georgy Zhukov, Alexander Vasilevsky and the General Staff. Another thing is that it was born on the basis of proposals, meetings and conversations with generals and front officers.

In general, it must be said that the level of military art of command cadres and staffs, the combat skill of all personnel during the preparation and conduct of offensive operations at the second stage of the Battle of Stalingrad was significantly higher than in all previous offensive operations. Many methods of preparing and conducting combat operations, having appeared here for the first time (not always in finished form), were then used with great success in the operations of 1943–1945.

At Stalingrad, the massive use of forces and means in the directions chosen for the offensive was carried out with great success, although not yet to the same extent as in the operations of 1944–1945. Thus, on the Southwestern Front, in a breakthrough area of ​​22 km (9% of the entire width of the strip), 9 out of 18 rifle divisions were concentrated; on the Stalingrad front on a sector of 40 km (9%) of 12 divisions - 8; in addition, 80% of all tanks and up to 85% of artillery were concentrated in these areas. However, the artillery density was only 56 guns and mortars per 1 km of the breakthrough area, while in subsequent operations it was 200–250 or more. In general, secrecy of preparation and suddenness of the transition to the offensive were achieved.

Essentially, for the first time during the war, not only was careful planning of operations carried out, but also the required amount of painstaking work was carried out on the ground with commanders of all levels in preparing combat operations, organizing interaction, combat, logistics and technical support. Reconnaissance managed, although incompletely, to reveal the enemy’s fire system, which made it possible to carry out a more reliable fire defeat than was the case in previous offensive operations.

For the first time, artillery and air attacks were used in full, although the methods of artillery preparation and attack support were not yet sufficiently worked out.

For the first time, before an offensive on a wide front, in the zones of all armies, reconnaissance in force was carried out by forward units in order to clarify the location of the front line and the enemy’s fire system. But in the zones of some armies it was carried out two to three days, and in the 21st and 57th armies - five days before the start of the offensive, which under other circumstances could reveal the beginning of the offensive, and the obtained data on the enemy’s fire system could become significantly outdated .

At Stalingrad, for the first time during a major offensive operation, new infantry combat formations were used in accordance with the requirements of the People's Commissar of Defense Order No. 306 - with a single-echelon formation of not only subunits, units, but also formations. This formation reduced troop losses and made it possible to more fully use infantry firepower. But at the same time, the absence of second echelons made it difficult to build up efforts in a timely manner to develop the offensive in depth. This was one of the reasons why the first echelon rifle divisions failed to break through the enemy’s defenses; already at a depth of 3–4 km, tank corps had to be brought into battle, which, given the prevailing situation at that time, was a necessary measure. The experience of these and subsequent offensive operations has shown that in regiments and divisions, when possible, it is imperative to create second echelons.

The volume of material and technical support for troops has increased significantly. At the start of the counteroffensive, 8 million artillery shells and mines were concentrated on three fronts. For example: in 1914, the entire Russian army had 7 million shells.

But if we compare it with the needs of fire destruction, the November offensive operations of 1942 were relatively insufficiently supplied with ammunition - on average 1.7–3.7 rounds of ammunition; Southwestern Front - 3.4; Donskoy – 1.7; Stalingrad - 2. For example, in the Belarusian or Vistula-Oder operations, the supply of ammunition to the fronts was up to 4.5 rounds of ammunition.

Regarding the second stage of the Battle of Stalingrad, associated with the actions of troops to destroy the encircled enemy group and develop an offensive on the external front, two questions arise on which different opinions are expressed.

Firstly, some historians and military experts believe that a serious flaw in the Soviet counter-offensive operation at Stalingrad is the fact that a large gap formed between the encirclement of the enemy group and its destruction, while the classical position of military art states that the encirclement and destruction of the enemy must be a single a continuous process, which was subsequently achieved in the Belarusian, Yasso-Kishinev and some other operations. But what was accomplished at Stalingrad was a great achievement for that time, especially if we remember that in the offensive near Moscow, near Demyansk and in other areas it was not even possible to encircle the enemy, and near Kharkov in the spring of 1942, Soviet troops encircling the enemy They themselves were surrounded and defeated.

During the counter-offensive at Stalingrad, on the one hand, all necessary measures were not taken to dismember and destroy the enemy during his encirclement, although it is necessary to take into account the large size of the territory in which the encircled enemy was located and the high density of his groups. On the other hand, the presence of large enemy forces on the external front, trying to relieve the encircled 6th Army of Paulus, did not make it possible to concentrate sufficient forces to quickly eliminate the enemy troops encircled at Stalingrad.

In Stalingrad there was a battle for every house.

The Supreme High Command headquarters belatedly made a decision to unite the control of all troops engaged in destroying the encircled group in the hands of one front. It was only in mid-December 1942 that a directive was received to transfer all troops involved at Stalingrad to the Don Front.

Secondly, how legitimate was the decision of the Supreme Command Headquarters to send the 2nd Guards Army of Rodion Malinovsky to defeat Erich Manstein’s group in the Kotelnikovsky direction. As you know, initially the 2nd Guards Army was intended to operate as part of the Southwestern Front, then, as the situation changed, it was decided to transfer it to the Don Front to participate in the destruction of the encircled enemy group. But with the appearance of the enemy Army Group “Don” in the Kotelnikovsky direction under the command of Manstein, the Supreme High Command Headquarters, at the request of General Eremenko, made a new decision - to transfer the 2nd Guards Army to the Stalingrad Front for operations in the Kotelnikovsky direction. This proposal was supported by Vasilevsky, who was at the command post of the Don Front at that time. Rokossovsky continued to insist on the transfer of the 2nd Guards Army to the Don Front in order to speed up the destruction of the encircled enemy group. Nikolai Voronov also opposed the transfer of the 2nd Guards Army to the Stalingrad Front. After the war, he called this decision a “terrible miscalculation” by the Supreme Command Headquarters.

But a careful analysis of the situation at that time, with the use of enemy documents that became known to us after the war, shows that the decision of the Supreme High Command Headquarters to send the 2nd Guards Army to defeat Manstein was apparently more expedient. There was no guarantee that with the inclusion of the 2nd Guards Army in the Don Front it would be possible to quickly deal with the encircled group of Paulus. Subsequent events confirmed how difficult the task was to destroy 22 enemy divisions, numbering up to 250 thousand people. There was a large, insufficiently justified risk that a breakthrough by Manstein’s group and a strike towards it by Paulus’s army could lead to the release of the encircled enemy group and the disruption of the further offensive of the troops of the Southwestern and Voronezh fronts.

ABOUT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE BATTLE OF STALINGRAD FOR THE PROGRESS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR

In world historiography there is no common understanding of the significance of the Battle of Stalingrad for the course and outcome of the Second World War. After the end of the war, statements appeared in Western literature that it was not the Battle of Stalingrad, but the victory of the Allied forces at El Alamein that was the most significant turning point in the course of World War II. Of course, for the sake of objectivity, we must admit that at El Alamein the allies won a major victory, which made a significant contribution to the defeat of the common enemy. But still, the battle of El Alamein cannot be compared with the Battle of Stalingrad.

If we talk about the military-strategic side of the matter, the Battle of Stalingrad took place over a vast territory, almost 100 thousand square meters. km, and the operation near El Alamein was on a relatively narrow African coast.

At Stalingrad, at certain stages of the battle, more than 2.1 million people, over 26 thousand guns and mortars, 2.1 thousand tanks and over 2.5 thousand combat aircraft took part on both sides. The German command attracted 1 million 11 thousand people, 10,290 guns, 675 tanks and 1,216 aircraft for the battles of Stalingrad. While at El Alamein, Rommel's African Corps had only 80 thousand people, 540 tanks, 1200 guns and 350 aircraft.

The battle of Stalingrad lasted 200 days and nights (from July 17, 1942 to February 2, 1943), and the battle of El Alamein lasted 11 days (from October 23 to November 4, 1942), not to mention the incomparability of the tension and bitterness of the two these battles. If at El Alamein the fascist bloc lost 55 thousand people, 320 tanks and about 1 thousand guns, then at Stalingrad the losses of Germany and its satellites were 10–15 times greater. About 144 thousand people were taken prisoner. A 330,000-strong group of troops was destroyed. The losses of the Soviet troops were also very large - irretrievable losses amounted to 478,741 people. Many of the soldiers' lives could have been saved. But still our sacrifices were not in vain.

The military-political significance of the events that took place is incomparable. The Battle of Stalingrad took place in the main European theater of war, where the fate of the war was decided. The El Alamein operation took place in North Africa in a secondary theater of operations; its influence on the course of events could be indirect. The attention of the whole world was then focused not on El Alamein, but on Stalingrad.

The victory at Stalingrad had a huge impact on the liberation movement of peoples around the world. A powerful wave of national liberation movement swept through all countries that fell under the yoke of Nazism.

In turn, major defeats and huge losses of the Wehrmacht at Stalingrad sharply worsened the military-political and economic situation of Germany and put it in front of a deep crisis. The damage to enemy tanks and vehicles in the Battle of Stalingrad was equal, for example, to six months of their production by German factories, to four months for guns, and to two months for mortars and small arms. And in order to make up for such large losses, the German military industry was forced to work at extremely high voltage. The crisis in human resources has sharply worsened.

The disaster on the Volga left its noticeable imprint on the morale of the Wehrmacht. In the German army, the number of cases of desertion and disobedience to commanders increased, and military crimes became more frequent. After Stalingrad, the number of death sentences handed down by Nazi justice to German military personnel increased significantly. German soldiers began to conduct combat operations with less persistence and began to fear attacks from the flanks and encirclement. Oppositional sentiments against Hitler emerged among some politicians and representatives of senior officers.

The victory of the Red Army at Stalingrad shocked the fascist military bloc, had a depressing effect on Germany's satellites, and caused panic and insoluble contradictions in their camp. The ruling figures of Italy, Romania, Hungary and Finland, in order to save themselves from the impending catastrophe, began to look for excuses to leave the war and ignored Hitler’s orders to send troops to the Soviet-German front. Since 1943, not only individual soldiers and officers, but also entire units and units of the Romanian, Hungarian and Italian armies surrendered to the Red Army. The relationship between the Wehrmacht and the Allied armies worsened.

The crushing defeat of the fascist hordes at Stalingrad had a sobering effect on the ruling circles of Japan and Turkey. They abandoned their intentions to go to war against the USSR.

Under the influence of the successes achieved by the Red Army at Stalingrad and in subsequent operations of the winter campaign of 1942–1943, Germany’s isolation in the international arena increased and at the same time the international authority of the USSR increased. In 1942–1943, the Soviet government established diplomatic relations with Austria, Canada, Holland, Cuba, Egypt, Colombia, Ethiopia, and resumed previously interrupted diplomatic ties with Luxembourg, Mexico and Uruguay. Relations with the London-based governments of Czechoslovakia and Poland improved. On the territory of the USSR, the formation of military units and formations of a number of countries of the anti-Hitler coalition began - the French aviation squadron "Normandie", the 1st Czechoslovak infantry brigade, the 1st Polish division named after Tadeusz Kosciuszko. All of them were subsequently involved in the fight against Nazi troops on the Soviet-German front.

All this suggests that it was the battle of Stalingrad, and not the operation of El Alamein, that broke the back of the Wehrmacht and marked the beginning of a radical change in World War II in favor of the anti-Hitler coalition. More precisely, Stalingrad predetermined this radical change.

Theme of World War II 1939-1945. has always interested historians. Its study began during the war itself and has not stopped to this day.

The largest in history, the Second World War was prepared by the forces of international reaction and unleashed by the main aggressive states - Nazi Germany, fascist Italy and militaristic Japan. It began on September 1, 1939 with the German attack on Poland. The leaders of the Nazi state viewed the seizure of Poland as the initial stage of an armed struggle for world domination. At the same time, the task of creating a springboard for an attack on the Soviet Union was being solved.

The Second World War lasted 6 years. In terms of its scale and ferocity of the struggle, it has no equal in history. Humanity is faced with criminals who have set themselves the goal of exterminating or enslaving entire races and peoples. Fascism intended to impose its notorious “new order” through concentration camps and prisons, through enslavement and colonization of occupied countries not only in Europe. He planned to settle in Africa, prepared for the invasion of England, the USA, Canada, Latin America, the Near and Middle East, and to divide Asia with Japan. The aggressors intended to conquer world domination.

The war pulled into its orbit 61 states with a population of 1 billion 700 million people, i.e. more than 80% of the world's population. Military operations took place in 40 countries of Europe, Asia, Africa and in vast areas of the Atlantic, Arctic, Pacific and Indian oceans. Equipped with the latest military equipment, the armies of the warring parties numbered over 110 million people in their ranks. Its sacrifices and suffering cannot be compared with all previous wars. This most destructive war in world history claimed about 57 million lives, of which over 27 million were our compatriots, and almost half of them were civilians. Thousands of cities and tens of thousands of villages were wiped off the face of the earth, hundreds of thousands of plants and factories were turned into ruins, and enormous damage was caused to agriculture, historical and cultural values.

The total material costs associated with waging the Second World War and eliminating its consequences could feed the entire population of the globe for 50 years. The world still feels the consequences of this war today. The most significant events on the path to victory were on the Soviet-German front. It was they who radically changed the course of World War II in favor of anti-fascist forces.

Thousands of books, encyclopedias, stories, films, TV series, museums, memorial sites, streets, district names, and that’s not all, are dedicated to the Second World War. How many Heroes we remember and know, how many of our grandparents shed blood defending our lives and our future.

The purpose of this test is to review the main battles during the Second World War.

To achieve this goal, we face the following tasks:

Study the available literature on the topic;

Analyze sources and highlight the largest battles of World War II;

Determine the significance of these battles for victory in World War II.

The assault began on April 16, 1945. At 3 a.m. Berlin time, under the light of 140 searchlights, tanks and infantry attacked German positions. After four days of fighting, the fronts commanded by Zhukov and Konev, with the support of two armies of Polish troops, closed a ring around Berlin. 93 enemy divisions were defeated, about 490 thousand people were captured, and a huge amount of captured military equipment and weapons were captured. On this day, a meeting of Soviet and American troops took place on the Elbe.

Hitler's command declared: “Berlin will remain German,” and everything possible was done for this. Hitler refused to surrender and threw old people and children into street battles. He hoped for discord between the allies. The prolongation of the war led to numerous casualties.

On April 21, the first assault troops reached the outskirts of the German capital and started street battles. German soldiers put up fierce resistance, surrendering only in hopeless situations.

On May 1, at 3 o’clock, the Chief of the General Staff of the German Ground Forces, General Krebs, was delivered to the command post of the 8th Guards Army. He stated that Hitler had committed suicide on April 30 and proposed to begin armistice negotiations.

The next day, Berlin Defense Headquarters ordered an end to resistance. Berlin has fallen. When it was captured, Soviet troops lost 300 thousand killed and wounded.

2. Ten Stalinist blows of 1944 in TSB, second edition, T. 14, pp. 118-122; M., 1952

3. History of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union 1941-1945. in 6 volumes. Volume 2. Reflection by the Soviet people of the treacherous attack of Nazi Germany on the USSR. Creating conditions for a radical change in the war (June 1941 - November 1942) - M.: Voenizdat, 1961. - 682 p. [Electronic resource] Access mode: http://militera.lib.ru/h/6/2/index.html (10.22.2015)

4. History of the Second World War 1939 - 1945 in 12 volumes. Volume 12. Results and lessons of the Second World War. – M.: Voenizdat, 1982. - 610 p. [Electronic resource] Access mode: (10.22.2015)

5. Kiselev A.F., Shchagin E.M. Recent history of the Fatherland. XX century Volume 2. Textbook for university students: in 2 volumes. M.: Publisher: Vlados, 1998, 496 pp. [Electronic resource] Access mode: (10.22.2015)

6. Rodriguez A.M., Ponomarev M.V. Recent history of European and American countries. XX century Part 1. 1900-1945. Textbook for universities. - M.: Vlados, 2003. - 464 p. [Electronic resource] Access mode: (10.22.2015)

Rodriguez A.M., Ponomarev M.V. Recent history of European and American countries. XX century Part 1. 1900-1945. Textbook for universities. - M.: Vlados, 2003. - 464 p. [Electronic resource] Access mode: http://www.twirpx.com/file/349562/ (10.22.2015)

History of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union 1941-1945. in 6 volumes. Volume 2. Reflection by the Soviet people of the treacherous attack of Nazi Germany on the USSR. Creating conditions for a radical change in the war (June 1941 - November 1942) - M.: Voenizdat, 1961. - 682 p. [Electronic resource] Access mode: http://militera.lib.ru/h/6/2/index.html (05/12/2015)

Rodriguez A.M., Ponomarev M.V. Recent history of European and American countries. XX century Part 1. 1900-1945. Textbook for universities. - M.: Vlados, 2003. - 464 p. [Electronic resource] Access mode: http://www.twirpx.com/file/349562/ (10.22.2015)

Vernigorov V.I. The Great Patriotic War of the Soviet people (in the context of the Second World War): textbook. allowance / V.I. Vernigorov. - Mn.: New knowledge, 2005. - 160 p. [Electronic resource] Access mode: http://www.istmira.com/vtoraya-mirovaya-vojna/ (10.22.2015) History of the Second World War 1939 - 1945 in 12 volumes. Volume 12. Results and lessons of the Second World War. – M.: Voenizdat, 1982. - 610 p. [Electronic resource] Access mode: http://militera.lib.ru/h/12/12/index.html (10.22.2015)

The Second World War began as a war between the bourgeois-democratic and fascist-militarist blocs.

The first stage of the war (September 1, 1939 - June 21, 1941) The German army occupied part of Poland until September 17, reaching the line (the cities of Lviv, Vladimir-Volynsky, Brest-Litovsk), designated by one of the mentioned secret protocols of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.

Until May 10, 1940, England and France conducted virtually no military operations with the enemy, so this period was called the “Phantom War.” Germany took advantage of the passivity of the Allies, expanding its aggression, occupying Denmark and Norway in April 1940 and going on the offensive from the shores of the North Sea to the Maginot Line on May 10 of the same year. During May, the governments of Luxembourg, Belgium, and Holland capitulated. And already on June 22, 1940, France was forced to sign an armistice with Germany in Compiegne. As a result of the actual surrender of France, a collaborationist state was created in its south, headed by Marshal Pétain (1856-1951) and the administrative center in the city of Vichy (the so-called “Vichy regime”). The resisting France was led by General Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970).

On May 10, changes occurred in the leadership of Great Britain; Winston Churchill (1874-1965), whose anti-German, anti-fascist and anti-Soviet sentiments were well known, was appointed head of the country's War Cabinet. The period of the “Phantom War” is over. From August 1940 to May 1941, the German command organized systematic air raids on English cities, trying to force its leadership to withdraw from the war. As a result, during this time, about 190 thousand high-explosive and incendiary bombs were dropped on England, and by June 1941, a third of the tonnage of its merchant fleet was sunk at sea. Germany also intensified its pressure on the countries of South-Eastern Europe. Joining

The Berlin Pact (an agreement between Germany, Italy and Japan of September 27, 1940) of the Bulgarian pro-fascist government ensured the success of aggression against Greece and Yugoslavia in April 1941. Italy in 1940 developed military operations in Africa, attacking the colonial possessions of England and France ( East Africa, Sudan, Somalia, Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia). However, in December 1940, the British forced the Italian troops to surrender. Germany rushed to the aid of its ally.

Second stage of the war (June 22, 1941 - November 1942) was characterized by the entry into the war of the USSR, the retreat of the Red Army and its first victory (the battle for Moscow), as well as the beginning of the intensive formation of the anti-Hitler coalition. Thus, on June 22, 1941, England declared full support for the USSR, and the United States almost simultaneously (June 23) expressed its readiness to provide economic assistance to it. As a result, on July 12, a Soviet-British agreement on joint actions against Germany was signed in Moscow, and on August 16, on trade turnover between the two countries. In the same month, as a result of a meeting between F. Roosevelt (1882-1945) and W. Churchill, the Atlantic Charter was signed, which the USSR joined in September. However, the United States entered the war on December 7, 1941 after the tragedy at the Pacific naval base at Pearl Harbor, attacked by the Japanese. On January 1, 1942, in Washington, 27 states that were at war with the countries of the so-called “fascist axis” signed the United Nations Declaration, which completed the difficult process of creating an anti-Hitler coalition.

The third stage of the war (mid-November 1942 - end of 1943) was marked by a radical change in its course, which meant the loss of strategic initiative by the countries of the fascist coalition at the fronts, the superiority of the anti-Hitler coalition in the economic, political and moral aspects. On the Eastern Front, the Soviet Army won major victories at Stalingrad and Kursk. Anglo-American troops successfully advanced in Africa. In Europe, the Allies forced Italy to capitulate. In 1943, the allied relations of the countries of the anti-fascist bloc strengthened: at the Moscow Conference (October 1943), England, the USSR and the USA adopted declarations on Italy, Austria and universal security (also signed by China), on the responsibility of the Nazis for the crimes committed.

At the Tehran Conference (November 28 - December 1, 1943), where F. Roosevelt, I. Stalin and W. Churchill met for the first time, it was decided to open a Second Front in Europe in May 1944 and a Declaration on Joint Action in war against Germany and post-war cooperation.

During the fourth stage of the war (from the end of 1943 to May 9, 1945) There was a process of liberation by the Red Army of the western regions of the USSR, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, etc. In Western Europe, with some delay (June 6, 1944), the Second Front was opened, and the liberation of the countries of Western Europe was underway. In 1945, 18 million people, about 260 thousand guns and mortars, up to 40 thousand tanks and self-propelled artillery units, and over 38 thousand aircraft simultaneously participated on the battlefields in Europe.

At the Yalta Conference (February 1945), the leaders of England, the USSR and the USA decided the fate of Germany, Poland, Yugoslavia, discussed the creation of the United Nations (established on April 25, 1945), and concluded an agreement on the entry of the USSR into the war against Japan. The result joint efforts resulted in the complete and unconditional surrender of Germany on May 8, 1945, signed in the Berlin suburb of Karlhorst.

Final, fifth stage The Second World War took place in the Far East and Southeast Asia (from May 9 to September 2, 1945). After the defeat of the USSR Kwantung Army (August 1945), Japan signed an act of surrender (September 2, 1945)

The Second World War was the bloodiest and most brutal military conflict in the entire history of mankind and the only one in which nuclear weapons were used. 61 states took part in it. The dates of the beginning and end of this war are among the most significant for the entire civilized world. The causes of the Second World War were the imbalance of power in the world and the problems provoked by the results of the First World War, in particular territorial disputes. The winners of the First World War, the USA, England, and France, concluded the Treaty of Versailles on conditions that were most unfavorable and humiliating for the losing countries, Turkey and Germany, which provoked an increase in tension in the world. At the same time, adopted in the late 1930s by England and France, the policy of appeasing the aggressor made it possible for Germany to sharply increase its military potential, which accelerated the Nazis’ transition to active military action.

The main battles of World War II, which were of great importance for the history of the USSR, are:

By the end of September 1941, the Wehrmacht overcame the resistance of Soviet troops in the Battle of Smolensk. Having secretly concentrated more than half of the troops on the Soviet-German front, the Germans launched an attack on Moscow.

The Center Group began to implement the carefully developed Typhoon plan. The Germans managed to break through the heavily extended defenses of the Soviet troops and, wedged deep into the rear, encircled two Soviet armies near Bryansk and four near Vyazma. More than 660 thousand soldiers were captured.

Every day the situation near Moscow became more and more dramatic. Hitler's troops came close to the city.

By the beginning of December 1941, the Germans managed to reach the Moscow-Volga Canal and, having crossed it, occupy Khimki. From the east, the Germans crossed the Nara River and reached Kashira. On October 8, the State Defense Committee decided to evacuate a significant part of government institutions and enterprises. The creation of a militia began in Moscow, and the city went into a state of siege.

Despite the difficult situation at the front, on November 7, 1941, a military parade took place on Red Square. Stalin made a patriotic speech. This made a tremendous impression on Soviet citizens, instilling in them confidence in victory. From the parade the troops went to the front line.

The troops were tasked with defeating the strike forces of the Army Center and eliminating the threat of the capture of Moscow.

This came as a complete surprise to the German command. During this offensive, German troops were driven back 120-150 km from the capital.

During December, they lost over 120 thousand soldiers and officers killed. The Red Army liberated the cities of Kaluga and Tver.

For the first time in all previous military campaigns, fascist troops suffered such losses. The myth of their invincibility was dispelled before the whole world near Moscow.

The Battle of Stalingrad July 17, 1942 - February 2, 1943, which marked a radical turning point in the war.

The Battle of Stalingrad, one of the greatest battles of the Great Patriotic War, was a turning point during the Second World War. Interest in Stalingrad does not wane, and the debate among researchers continues. Stalingrad is a city that has become a symbol of suffering and pain, which has become a symbol of the greatest courage. Stalingrad will remain for centuries in the memory of mankind. The Battle of Stalingrad is conventionally divided into two periods: defensive and offensive. The defensive period began on July 17, 1942 and ended on November 18, 1942. The offensive period began with a Soviet counteroffensive on November 19, 1942 and ended with victorious salvoes on February 2, 1943. At certain stages, more than 2 million people took part in the battle.

The Battle of Stalingrad surpassed all previous battles in world history in terms of the duration and ferocity of the fighting, the number of people and military equipment involved. It unfolded over a vast territory of 100 thousand km2. At certain stages, more than 2 million people, more than 2 thousand tanks, more than 2 thousand aircraft, 26 thousand guns took part in it on both sides. The results of the battle surpassed all previous ones. During its time, the Soviet armed forces defeated five enemy armies: two German, two Romanian and one Italian. The Nazi troops lost up to 1.5 million soldiers and officers and a large amount of military equipment, weapons and equipment killed, wounded, and captured.

The Motherland highly appreciated the historical feat of Stalingrad. It was awarded the title of hero city. 55 formations and units that distinguished themselves in the Battle of Stalingrad were awarded orders.

The Battle of Stalingrad ended, the historical significance of which was recognized by the whole world. Stalingrad lay in ruins. The total material damage exceeded 9 billion rubles. And it was quite understandable that people wanted to see it revived and not just a city for residents, but a monument city, in stone and bronze, with an edifying lesson in retribution to the enemy, a city of eternal memory for its fallen defenders. Every Stalingrad family suffered - 300 thousand civilians were evacuated, 75 thousand people fought in militias and fighter battalions, 43 thousand people died during enemy air raids and artillery shelling, 50 thousand people were wounded, forced into forced labor in 46 thousand people were kidnapped in Germany.

The revival of the hero city became a significant milestone in the history of the people and the country.

Battle of Kursk July 5 - August 23, 1943, during which the largest tank battle of World War II took place near the village of Prokhorovka.

The Battle of Kursk occupies a special place in the Great Patriotic War. It lasted 50 days and nights, from July 5 to August 23, 1943. This battle has no equal in its ferocity and tenacity of struggle.

The general plan of the German command was to encircle and destroy the troops of the Central and Voronezh fronts defending in the Kursk area. If successful, it was planned to expand the offensive front and regain the strategic initiative. To implement his plans, the enemy concentrated powerful strike forces.

The Soviet command decided to first bleed the enemy's strike forces in defensive battles and then launch a counteroffensive. The battle that began immediately took on a grand scale and was extremely tense. Our troops did not flinch. They faced avalanches of enemy tanks and infantry with unprecedented tenacity and courage. The advance of enemy strike forces was suspended. Only at the cost of huge losses did he manage to wedge into our defenses in some areas. On the Central Front - 10-12 km, on Voronezh - up to 35 km. The largest oncoming tank battle of the entire Second World War near Prokhorovka finally buried Hitler’s Operation Citadel. It happened on July 12. 1,200 tanks and self-propelled guns simultaneously participated in it on both sides. This battle was won by Soviet soldiers. The Nazis, having lost up to 400 tanks during the day of battle, were forced to abandon the offensive.

On July 12, the second stage of the Battle of Kursk began - the counteroffensive of Soviet troops. On August 5, Soviet troops liberated the cities of Orel and Belgorod. On the evening of August 5, in honor of this major success, a victorious salute was given in Moscow for the first time in two years of war. From that time on, artillery salutes constantly announced the glorious victories of Soviet weapons. On August 23, Kharkov was liberated. Thus the Battle of the Kursk Arc of Fire ended victoriously. military bloody tank Kursk

The Battle of Berlin - which led to the surrender of Germany.

In the second half of April 1945, the Red Army dealt the final blow to Nazi Germany and its armed forces.

The troops of the Belorussian, Ukrainian 1st and 2nd Belorussian Fronts from the line of the Oder and Neisse rivers launched a grandiose offensive against Army Group Vistula and the left wing of Army Group Center, which was covering Berlin. Troops of the 1st and 2nd Polish armies also took part in the Berlin operation. 41,600 guns and mortars, more than 6,250 tanks and self-propelled guns, and 7,500 aircraft took part in the assault on Berlin from the Soviet side.

The German armies covering Berlin included about a million soldiers and officers, 10,400 guns and mortars, over 1,500 tanks and assault guns and 3,300 aircraft. In the face of a terrible danger, the Nazi command concentrated its forces in the east against the Red Army advancing along the entire front. In addition, the Nazis were looking for ways to avoid disaster diplomatically. To this end, they tried to start negotiations with the United States and England to conclude a separate peace. However, these attempts were not successful. Nothing could save Hitler's Germany and its army from complete defeat.

Troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front reached Berlin from the south and southwest. On the night of April 25, in cooperation with the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front, they completed the complete encirclement of the Berlin enemy group. On the same day, troops of the 5th Guards Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front reached the Elbe River and in the Torgau area came into contact with units of the 1st American Army. For ten days there were fierce riots on the streets of the capital of Nazi Germany. 8th Guards Army under the command of General V.I. Chuikov, the troops of the 3rd Shock Army under the command of General V.I. Kuznetsov fought their way towards each other to unite in the Reichstag area.

The Berlin enemy group was divided into four isolated parts. At dawn on April 30, Soviet soldiers, who had captured the central region of Berlin, launched an assault on the Reichstag. The fascist leaders were completely at a loss. Some of them fled from Berlin, others committed suicide. On the afternoon of April 30, Hitler himself committed suicide.

At 18 o'clock on the same day, as a result of a swift attack, Soviet soldiers found themselves at the Reichstag building.

The troops of the 2nd and 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts in early May reached the line Wismar - Schwerin - Wittegburg - Elbe to Meissen, and along its entire length came into contact with the Anglo-American troops advancing from west.

The significance of World War II for the Soviet Union is enormous. The defeat of the Nazis determined the future history of the country. As a result of the conclusion of the peace treaties that followed the defeat of Germany, the USSR noticeably expanded its borders. At the same time, the totalitarian system was strengthened in the Union. Communist regimes were established in some European countries. Victory in the war did not save the USSR from the mass repressions that followed in the 50s.

World War II, Great Patriotic War. It was the most brutal and bloody war in human history.

During this massacre, more than 60 million citizens of different countries of the world died. Historian scientists have calculated that every war month, an average of 27 thousand tons of bombs and shells fell on the heads of military and civilians on both sides of the front!

Let's remember today, on Victory Day, the 10 most formidable battles of World War II.

Source: realitypod.com/

It was the largest air battle in history. The Germans' goal was to gain air superiority over the British Royal Air Force in order to invade the British Isles without opposition. The battle was fought exclusively by combat aircraft of the opposing sides. Germany lost 3,000 of its pilots, England - 1,800 pilots. Over 20,000 British civilians were killed. Germany's defeat in this battle is considered one of the decisive moments in World War II - it did not allow the elimination of the USSR's Western allies, which subsequently led to the opening of a second front.

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The longest long battle of World War II. During naval battles, German submarines attempted to sink Soviet and British supply ships and warships. The Allies responded in kind. Everyone understood the special significance of this battle - on the one hand, Western weapons and equipment were supplied to the Soviet Union by sea, on the other hand, Britain was supplied with everything necessary mainly by sea - the British needed up to a million tons of all kinds of materials and food in order to survive and continue the fight . The cost of the victory of the members of the anti-Hitler coalition in the Atlantic was enormous and terrible - about 50,000 of its sailors died, and the same number of German sailors lost their lives.

Source: realitypod.com/

This battle began after German troops, at the end of World War II, made a desperate (and, as history shows, last) attempt to turn the tide of hostilities in their favor, organizing an offensive operation against Anglo-American troops in the mountainous and wooded areas of Belgium under the code called Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein (Watch on the Rhine). Despite all the experience of British and American strategists, the massive German attack took the Allies by surprise. However, the offensive ultimately failed. Germany lost more than 100 thousand of its soldiers and officers killed in this operation, and the Anglo-American allies lost about 20 thousand military personnel killed.

Source: realitypod.com/

Marshal Zhukov wrote in his memoirs: “When people ask me what I remember most from the last war, I always answer: the battle for Moscow.” Hitler considered the capture of Moscow, the capital of the USSR and the largest Soviet city, as one of the main military and political goals of Operation Barbarossa. In German and Western military history it is known as "Operation Typhoon". This battle is divided into two periods: defensive (September 30 - December 4, 1941) and offensive, which consists of 2 stages: counteroffensive (December 5-6, 1941 - January 7-8, 1942) and the general offensive of Soviet troops (January 7-10 - April 20, 1942). The losses of the USSR were 926.2 thousand people, the losses of Germany were 581 thousand people.

LANDING OF THE ALLIES IN NORMANDY, OPENING OF THE SECOND FRONT (FROM JUNE 6, 1944 TO JULY 24, 1944)

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This battle, which became part of Operation Overlord, marked the beginning of the deployment of a strategic group of Anglo-American allied forces in Normandy (France). British, American, Canadian and French units took part in the invasion. The landing of the main forces from Allied warships was preceded by a massive bombardment of German coastal fortifications and the landing of paratroopers and gliders on the positions of selected Wehrmacht units. Allied Marines landed on five beaches. Considered one of the largest amphibious operations in history. Both sides lost more than 200 thousand of their troops.

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The last strategic offensive operation of the armed forces of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War turned out to be one of the bloodiest. It became possible as a result of a strategic breakthrough of the German front by units of the Red Army carrying out the Vistula-Oder offensive operation. It ended with complete victory over Nazi Germany and the surrender of the Wehrmacht. During the battles for Berlin, the losses of our army amounted to more than 80 thousand soldiers and officers, the Nazis lost 450 thousand of their military personnel.