Russian battles. The most significant battles and battles in the military history of Russia

In the four years that passed between the undeclared start of the war and the signing of the German surrender, the parties fought countless battles. Some of them will forever go down in military history as battles that determined the outcome of the most terrible war in human history. Today Primorskaya Gazeta will remember the five most significant battles of the Great Patriotic War.

1. Battle of Moscow (1941 - 1942)

At the beginning of September 1941, the German command began preparing the operation to capture Moscow. The idea of ​​the operation was to use powerful strikes from large groups to encircle the main forces of the Red Army troops covering the capital and destroy them in the areas of Bryansk and Vyazma, and then quickly bypass Moscow from the north and south with the aim of capturing it. The operation to capture Moscow was codenamed “Typhoon”.

Red Army soldiers go straight from the parade to the front

To implement this plan, the German command managed to create an impressive superiority in manpower and equipment in the directions of the main attacks.

The general offensive of German troops began on September 30, 1941, and by October 7 they managed to encircle four Soviet armies west of Vyazma and two south of Bryansk. The path to Moscow, as the German command believed, was open. But the plans of the fascists were not destined to come true. The encircled Soviet armies pinned down about 20 German divisions in stubborn battles for two weeks. At this time, the Mozhaisk defense line was hastily strengthened, and reserve troops were urgently brought up. Georgy Zhukov was recalled from the Leningrad Front and took command of the Western Front on October 10.

Despite heavy losses, the Germans continued to rush towards Moscow. They captured Kalinin, Mozhaisk, Maloyaroslavets. In mid-October, the evacuation of government institutions, the diplomatic corps, industrial enterprises, and the population from Moscow began. The rush to evacuate created confusion and panic. Rumors spread throughout Moscow about the planned surrender of the city to the Germans. This forced the State Defense Committee to introduce a state of siege in Moscow from October 20.

By the beginning of November, the city’s defenders managed to stop the enemy’s advance, and on December 5, Soviet troops, having repelled a number of more attacks, went on the offensive. On the fields of the Moscow region, Germany suffered its first major defeat in World War II, and the myth of the invincibility of its army was dispelled. The Germans lost a total of more than half a million people, 1,300 tanks, 2,500 guns, more than 15 thousand vehicles and much other equipment.

2. Battle of Stalingrad (1942 - 1943)

Encouraged by the successes near Moscow, the Soviet leadership tried to seize the strategic initiative and in May 1942 launched large forces on the offensive near Kharkov. For the Wehrmacht, this operation came as a complete surprise, and at first the Soviet offensive was a serious threat to the German Army Group South.

German military leaders, however, demonstrated that they were capable of making bold decisions in critical situations, and thanks to the concentration of troops on a narrow section of the front, they were able to break through the Soviet defenses, take the attacking group into a “cauldron” and defeat it.

Street fighting in Stalingrad

The “Kharkov disaster” was a serious blow to the morale of the USSR army, but the worst consequence was that the road to the Caucasus and the Volga direction was no longer covered by anyone.

In May 1942, the Fuehrer of the Third Reich, Adolf Hitler, personally intervened in strategic planning and ordered the division of Army Group South into two groups. One of them was to continue the offensive into the northern Caucasus, and Group B, including Paulus's 6th Army and Hoth's 4th Panzer Army, was to move east towards the Volga and Stalingrad.

The capture of Stalingrad was very important for Hitler for several reasons. It was a large industrial city on the banks of the Volga, along which and along which strategically important transport routes ran, connecting the Center of Russia with the Southern regions of the USSR. The capture of Stalingrad would have allowed the Nazis to cut the water and land communications vital for the USSR, reliably cover the left flank of the German troops advancing in the Caucasus, and create serious supply problems for the Red Army units opposing them. Finally, the very fact that the city bore the name of Stalin, Hitler’s ideological enemy, made the capture of the city a winning ideological and propaganda move.

However, the defenders of Stalingrad managed not only to defend their city, but also to encircle and then destroy the enemy army along with the formations rushing to its aid.

German fighter shot down in the sky over Stalingrad

From January 10 to February 2, 1943 alone, over 91 thousand people were captured, including two and a half thousand officers and 24 generals. In total, during the Battle of Stalingrad, the enemy lost about one and a half million people killed, wounded, captured and missing - a quarter of their forces operating on the Soviet-German front.

The victory of the Soviet troops in the Battle of Stalingrad had enormous political and international significance; it had a significant impact on the development of the Resistance Movement in the territories of European states occupied by the fascist invaders. As a result of the battle, the Soviet armed forces wrested the strategic initiative from the enemy and retained it until the end of the war.

3. Battle of Kursk (1943)

The successes achieved at Stalingrad were consolidated in the summer of that year.

During the winter offensive of the Red Army and the subsequent counter-offensive of the Wehrmacht in Eastern Ukraine, a protrusion up to 150 kilometers deep and up to 200 kilometers wide, facing west, was formed in the center of the Soviet-German front - the so-called “Kursk Bulge”. The German command, flattering itself with the hope of regaining the strategic initiative, decided to conduct a strategic operation on the Kursk salient. For this purpose, a military operation codenamed “Citadel” was developed and approved. Having information about the preparation of enemy troops for an offensive, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command decided to temporarily go on the defensive on the Kursk Bulge and, during the defensive battle, bleed the enemy’s strike forces and thereby create favorable conditions for the Soviet troops to launch a counteroffensive, and then a general strategic offensive.

Soviet soldiers advance under the cover of tanks

To carry out Operation Citadel, the German command concentrated in a narrow area about 70% of tank, up to 30% of motorized and more than 20% of infantry divisions, as well as over 65% of all combat aircraft operating on the Soviet-German front.

On July 5, 1943, German attack groups, according to the operation plan, began an attack on Kursk from the Orel and Belgorod areas, and on July 12, in the area of ​​the Prokhorovka railway station, 56 kilometers north of Belgorod, the largest oncoming tank battle of the Second World War took place. On both sides, up to 1,200 tanks and self-propelled guns took part in the battle. The fierce battle lasted all day; by evening, tank crews and infantry were fighting hand-to-hand.

Despite the massive scale of the offensive, Soviet troops managed to stop the enemy’s advance deeper into the Kursk ledge, and just a day later, troops from the Bryansk, Central and Western fronts organized a counteroffensive. By July 18, the Soviet army had completely eliminated the enemy wedge in the Kursk direction; a little later, troops of the Steppe Front were brought into the battle and began pursuing the retreating enemy.

Red Army counteroffensive

Developing the offensive, Soviet ground forces, supported by air strikes from two air armies, as well as long-range aviation, pushed the enemy to the west and liberated Orel, Belgorod and Kharkov.

According to Soviet sources, the Wehrmacht lost over 500 thousand soldiers and officers, 1.5 thousand tanks, more than 3.7 thousand aircraft, and three thousand guns in the Battle of Kursk. The losses of Soviet troops were even worse. 863 thousand people did not return from the battle, and the armored fleet was depleted by six thousand vehicles.

However, the demographic resources of the USSR were much higher than the German ones, so the Battle of Kursk was more difficult for the invaders. The balance of forces at the front changed sharply in favor of the Red Army, which provided it with favorable conditions for the deployment of a general strategic offensive. The whole world realized that the defeat of Nazi Germany was a matter of time.

4. Belarusian operation (1944)

One of the largest military operations in human history, in which up to four million people took part on both sides (according to various sources).

By June 1944, the front line in the east approached the line Vitebsk - Orsha - Mogilev - Zhlobin, forming a huge protrusion - a wedge facing deep into the USSR, the so-called “Belarusian balcony”. If in Ukraine the Red Army managed to achieve a series of impressive successes (almost the entire territory of the republic was liberated, the Wehrmacht suffered heavy losses in the chain of “cauldrons”), then when trying to break through in the direction of Minsk in the winter of 1943-1944, the successes, on the contrary, were quite modest.

Artillery attack on German positions

At the same time, by the end of spring 1944, the offensive in the south slowed down, and the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, on the initiative of Konstantin Rokossovsky, decided to change the direction of efforts.

The goal of the operation was the defeat of the German Army Group Center and the liberation of Belarus with subsequent access to the territories of Lithuania, Latvia and Poland. This offensive operation was included in the operational documents of the Headquarters under the code name “Bagration”.

The operation plan provided for a simultaneous breakthrough of the enemy’s defenses in six sections of the “Belarusian Balcony”.

The operation consisted of two stages. During the first, which lasted from June 23 to July 4, Soviet troops broke through the front and, with the help of a series of enveloping maneuvers, surrounded large German groups. Near Bobruisk, Soviet troops for the first time used a massive air strike to destroy the encircled group, which disorganized and scattered the German units going for a breakthrough.

To the west!

As a result, the main forces of Army Group Center were defeated, a 400-kilometer gap was formed in the center of the Soviet-German front, and Soviet troops were able to advance to the West. A huge role in this operation was played by Belarusian partisans, who disorganized the operational rear of the Germans, paralyzing their transfer of reserves.

At the second stage (July 5 - August 29), operations were carried out that ensured that Soviet troops continued to advance deeper into territories that had recently been under enemy control.

During the Belarusian operation, the USSR army liberated all of Belarus, most of Lithuania and Latvia, entered the territory of Poland and advanced to the borders of East Prussia. For carrying out the operation, Army General Konstantin Rokossovsky received the rank of marshal.

5. Berlin operation (1945)

One of the last strategic operations of Soviet troops in the European theater of operations, during which the Red Army occupied the capital of Germany and victoriously ended the Great Patriotic War and the Second World War in Europe. The operation lasted 23 days - from April 16 to May 8, 1945, during which Soviet troops advanced westward to a distance of 100 to 220 km.

After the fighting on the streets of Berlin

At the final stage of the Great Patriotic War, the world community no longer had any doubts that the anti-Hitler coalition would win the protracted war. However, the German leadership hoped to the last to mitigate the consequences of the war. In particular, the Germans wanted to conclude a separate peace with Great Britain and the United States, and then, left alone with the Soviet Union, gradually restore strategic equality.

Therefore, the Soviet command was required to make quick and bold decisions aimed at ending the war as quickly as possible. It was necessary to prepare and carry out an operation to defeat a group of German troops in the Berlin direction, capture Berlin and reach the Elbe River to join the Allied forces. The successful completion of this strategic task made it possible to thwart the plans of the Nazi leadership.

To carry out the operation, troops of three fronts were involved: the 2nd Belorussian under the leadership of Marshal Rokossovsky, the 1st Belorussian (Marshal G.K. Zhukov) and the 1st Ukrainian (Marshal I.S. Konev). In total, the attacking troops included up to 2.5 million soldiers and officers, 41,600 guns and mortars, 6,250 tanks and self-propelled artillery units, 7,500 aircraft, as well as part of the forces of the Baltic Fleet and the Dnieper Military Flotilla.

Based on the nature of the tasks performed and the results, the Berlin operation was divided into three stages. First, the Oder-Neissen line of enemy defense was broken through, then the enemy troops were surrounded and dismembered.

On April 30, 1945 at 21:30, units of the 150th Infantry Division under the command of Major General V.M. Shatilov and the 171st Infantry Division under the command of Colonel A.I. Negoda stormed the main part of the Reichstag building. The remaining Nazi units offered stubborn resistance. We had to fight for every room. In the early morning of May 1, the assault flag of the 150th Infantry Division was raised over the Reichstag, but the battle for the Reichstag continued all day, and only on the night of May 2 did the Reichstag garrison capitulate.

On May 1, only the Tiergarten district and the government quarter remained in German hands. The imperial chancellery was located here, in the courtyard of which there was a bunker at Hitler's headquarters. On the night of May 1, by prior agreement, the Chief of the General Staff of the German Ground Forces, General Krebs, arrived at the headquarters of the 8th Guards Army. He informed the army commander, General V.I. Chuikov, about Hitler’s suicide and the proposal of the new German government to conclude a truce. However, the German government rejected the demand for unconditional surrender, and Soviet troops resumed the assault with renewed vigor.

Soviet soldiers against the backdrop of the captured Reichstag

At one o'clock in the morning on May 2, the radio stations of the 1st Belorussian Front received a message in Russian: “We ask you to cease fire. We are sending envoys to the Potsdam Bridge.” A German officer who arrived at the appointed place, on behalf of the commander of the defense of Berlin, General Weidling, announced the readiness of the Berlin garrison to stop resistance. At 6 a.m. on May 2, Artillery General Weidling, accompanied by three German generals, crossed the front line and surrendered. An hour later, while at the headquarters of the 8th Guards Army, he wrote a surrender order, which was duplicated and, with the help of loudspeaker installations and radio, delivered to enemy units defending in the center of Berlin. As this order was communicated to the defenders, resistance in the city ceased. By the end of the day, the troops of the 8th Guards Army cleared the central part of the city from the enemy. Individual units that did not want to surrender tried to break through to the west, but were destroyed or scattered.

Alexey Mikhaldyk

The heroism and courage of Soviet soldiers shown during the battles of the Great Patriotic War deserve eternal memory. The wisdom of military leaders, which became one of the most important components of the overall victory, continues to amaze us today.

Over the long years of the war, so many battles took place that even some historians disagree on the meaning of certain battles. And yet, the largest battles, which have a significant impact on the further course of military operations, are known to almost every person. It is these battles that will be discussed in our article.

Good afternoon, dear friends!

In this post we will talk about such an important topic as the Great Patriotic War. Due to the fact that the topic is very broad, in this post we will only reveal my main recommendations on this topic, and also learn in practice how to solve Unified State Exam tests on this topic. In addition, at the end of the post you will find a stunning, detailed table on the Great Patriotic War. How does one cope with such a serious topic? Read on and find out!

The Patriotic War was in 1812 with revolutionary France, the Great Patriotic War was with the Nazi-fascist invaders in 1941 - 1945.

Unfortunately, there are still students who confuse these two completely different wars and make serious mistakes when solving the exam in history.

The reasons for the defeat in the first months of the war are the following: the country's leadership did not accept the possibility of starting a war with Nazi Germany in 1941, ignoring facts that contradicted this attitude. Why did the Soviet leadership ignore the facts of the accumulation of enemy forces near the borders of the USSR? There are many versions given in textbooks on the history of the Unified State Examination online, I will name one: that according to the calculations of the Soviet leadership, it would be absurd for Germany to leave undefeated England in the rear, and Germany carried out a competent operation to disinform the Soviet leadership, announcing Operation Sea Lion, aimed at on the conquest of England.

The nature of the war was popular, that is, a people's war is characterized by mass heroism, when the question of whether the Russian people will continue to exist under the sun or not will be decided.

Table. The main battles during the Second World War and their results:

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.

Source: realitypod.com/

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)

Source: realitypod.com/

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.

Source: realitypod.com/

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.