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Great battles of the Great Patriotic War

Great battles of WWII

Moscow battle 1941 - 1942 There are two main stages in the battle: defensive (September 30 - December 5, 1941) and offensive (December 5, 1941 - April 20, 1942). At the first stage, the goal of the Soviet troops was the defense of Moscow, at the second - the defeat of the enemy forces advancing on Moscow.

By the beginning of the German offensive on Moscow, the Center Army Group (Field Marshal F. Bock) had 74.5 divisions (approximately 38% of the infantry and 64% of the tank and mechanized divisions operating on the Soviet-German front), 1,800,000 people, 1,700 tanks, over 14,000 guns and mortars, 1,390 aircraft. The Soviet troops had 1,250,000 men, 990 tanks, 7,600 guns and mortars, and 677 aircraft in the Western direction as part of three fronts.

At the first stage, the Soviet troops of the Western Front (Colonel General I. S. Konev, and from October 10 - Army General G. K. Zhukov), (Bryansk (until October 10 - Colonel General A. I. Eremenko) and Kalininsky ( from October 17 - 8. S. Konev) of the fronts stopped the offensive of the troops of the Army Group "Center" (the implementation of the frequent operation "Typhoon") at the turn: south of the Volga reservoir, Dmitrov, Yakhroma, Krasnaya Polyana (27 km from Moscow), eastern Istra, west of Kubinka, Naro-Fominsk, west of Serpukhov, east of Aleksin, Tula. During the defensive battles, the enemy was significantly bled white.On December 5-6, Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive, and on January 7-10, 1942 launched a general offensive on the entire front. In January-April 1942, the troops of the Western, Kalinin, Bryansk (since December 18 - Colonel General Ya. T. Cherevichenko) and Northwestern Lieutenant General P. A. Kurochkin) fronts defeated the enemy and drove him back 100 -250 km. 11 tank, 4 motorized and 23 infantry divisions were defeated. The losses of the anti-terrorist only for the period of January 1 - March 30, 1942 amounted to 333 thousand people.

The Moscow battle was of great importance: the myth of the invincibility of the German army was dispelled, the plan for a lightning war was thwarted, and the international position of the USSR was strengthened.

Battle of Stalingrad 1942 - 1943 Defensive and (July 17 - November 18, 1942) and offensive (November 19, 1942 - February 2, 1943) operations carried out by Soviet troops in order to defend Stalingrad and defeat a large enemy strategic group operating in the Stalingrad direction.

In defensive battles in the Stalingrad region and in the city itself, the troops of the Stalingrad Front (Marshal S. K. Timoshenko, from July 23 - Lieutenant General V. N. Gordov, from August 5 - Colonel General A. I. Eremenko) and the Don Front (from September 28 - Lieutenant General K.K. Rokossovsky) managed to stop the offensive of the 6th Army, Colonel General F. Paulus and the 4th Tank Army. By July 17, the 6th Army included 13 divisions (about 270 thousand people, 3 thousand guns and mortars, about 500 tanks). They were supported by aviation of the 4th Air Fleet (up to 1200 aircraft). The troops of the Stalingrad Front numbered 160 thousand people, 2.2 thousand guns, about 400 tanks and 454 aircraft. At the cost of great efforts, the command of the Soviet troops managed not only to stop the advance of German troops in Stalingrad, but also to gather significant forces for the start of the counteroffensive (1,103 thousand people, 15,500 guns and mortars, 1,463 tanks and self-propelled guns, 1,350 combat aircraft). By this time, a significant grouping of German troops and forces of Germany's allied countries (in particular, the 8th Italian, 3rd and 4th Romanian armies) was sent to help the troops of Field Marshal F. Paulus. The total number of enemy troops at the start of the Soviet counteroffensive was 1,011,500 men, 10,290 guns and mortars, 675 tanks and assault guns, and 1,216 combat aircraft.

On November 19-20, the troops of the Southwestern Front (Lieutenant General N.F. Vatutin), the Stalingrad and Don Fronts went on the offensive and surrounded 22 divisions (330 thousand people) in the Stalingrad area. Having repelled an enemy attempt to free the encircled grouping in December, the Soviet troops liquidated it. January 31 - February 2, 1943 the remnants of the 6th Army of the enemy, led by Field Marshal F. Paulus, surrendered (91 thousand people).

The victory at Stalingrad marked the beginning of a radical change in the course of the Great Patriotic War and the Second World War.

Battle of Kursk 1943 Defensive (July 5 - 23) and offensive (July 12 - August 23) operations carried out by Soviet troops in the Kursk region to disrupt a major German offensive and defeat the enemy's strategic grouping. The German command, after the defeat of its troops at Stalingrad, intended to conduct a major offensive operation in the Kursk region (Operation Citadel). Significant enemy forces were involved in its implementation - 50 divisions (including 16 tank and mechanized) and a number of separate units of the Army Group Center (Field Marshal G. Kluge) and Army Group South (Field Marshal E . Manstein). This amounted to about 70% of tank, up to 30% of motorized and more than 20% of infantry divisions operating on the Soviet-German front, as well as over 65% of all combat aircraft. About 20 enemy divisions operated on the flanks of the strike groupings. The ground forces were supported by aviation of the 4th and 6th air fleets. In total, the enemy strike groupings included over 900 thousand people, about 10 thousand guns and mortars, up to 2700 tanks and self-propelled guns (most of them were new designs - "tigers", "panthers" and "Ferdinands") and about 2050 aircraft (including the latest designs - Focke-Wulf-lQOA and Heinkel-129).

The Soviet command assigned the task of repelling the enemy offensive to the troops of the Central (from the side of Orel) and Voronezh (from the side of Belgorod) fronts. After solving the problems of defense, it was planned to defeat the Oryol grouping of the enemy (Plan "Kutuzov") by the troops of the right wing of the Central Front (Army General K. K. Rokossovsky), Bryansk (Colonel General M. M. Popov) and the left wing of the Western Front (Colonel General V. D. Sokolovsky). The offensive operation in the Belgorod-Kharkov direction (the plan "Commander Rumyantsev") was to be carried out by the forces of the Voronezh (General of the Army N. F. Vatutin) and the Steppe (Colonel General I. S. Konev) fronts in cooperation with the troops of the South-Western Front (General Army R. Ya. Malinovsky). The overall coordination of the actions of all these forces was entrusted to the representatives of the Stavka marshals G.K. Zhukov and A.M. Vasilevsky.

By the beginning of July, the Central and Voronezh Fronts had 1336 thousand people, over 19 thousand guns and mortars, 3444 tanks and self-propelled guns (including 900 light tanks) and 2172 aircraft. In the rear of the Kursk ledge, the Steppe Military District (from July 9 - the front) was deployed, which was the strategic reserve of the Headquarters.

The enemy offensive was to begin at 3 o'clock in the morning on July 5. However, just before it began, the Soviet troops carried out artillery counter-preparation and inflicted heavy damage on the enemy in the places of his concentration. The German offensive began only after 2.5 hours, and its course was different from what was planned. Thanks to the measures taken, it was possible to hold back the advance of the enemy (in seven days he managed to advance only 10-12 km in the direction of the Central Front). The most powerful enemy grouping operated on the direction of the Voronezh Front. Here the advance of the Germans amounted to 35 km deep into the defense of the Soviet troops. On July 12, there was a turning point in the course of the battle. On this day, the largest oncoming tank battle in history took place in the Prokhorovka area, in which 1200 tanks and self-propelled guns took part on both sides. The enemy lost here only on this day up to 400 tanks and self-propelled guns and 10 thousand people were killed. On July 12, a new stage began in the Battle of Kursk, during which the counteroffensive of the Soviet troops developed as part of the Oovskaya and Velgorod-Kharkov operations, culminating in the liberation of Orel and Belgorod on August 5, and Kharkov on August 23.

As a result of the Battle of Kursk, 30 enemy divisions (including 7 tank divisions) were completely defeated. The enemy lost over 500 thousand people, 1.5 thousand tanks, over 3.7 thousand aircraft, 3 thousand guns. The main outcome of the battle was the transition of German troops in all theaters of operations to strategic defense. The strategic initiative finally passed into the hands of the Soviet command. In the Great Patriotic War and the Second World War, a radical change started by the Battle of Stalingrad ended.

Belarusian operation (June 23 - August 29, 1944). The code name is Operation Bagration. One of the largest strategic offensive operations undertaken by the Soviet high command to defeat the Nazi Army Group Center and liberate Belarus. The total number of enemy troops was 63 divisions and 3 brigades of 1.2 million people, 9.5 thousand guns, 900 tanks and 1350 aircraft. Field Marshal E. Bush commanded the enemy grouping, and from June 28, Field Marshal V. Model. She was opposed by the Soviet troops of four fronts (1st Baltic, 3rd Belorussian, 2nd Belorussian and 1st Belorussian) under the command of General of the Army I. Kh. Baghramyan, General of the Army I. D. Chernyakhovsky, General of the Army G. F. Zakharov and Marshal of the Soviet Union K. K. Rokossovsky. Four fronts united 20 combined arms and 2 tank armies (a total of 166 divisions, 112 tank and mechanized corps, 7 fortified areas and 21 brigades). The total number of Soviet troops reached 2.4 million people, armed with about 86 thousand guns, 5.2 thousand tanks, 5.3 thousand combat aircraft,

According to the nature of the hostilities and the achievement of the tasks set, the operation is divided into two stages. At the first (June 23 - July 4), the Vitebsk-Orsha, Mogilev, Bobruisk and Polotsk operations were carried out and the encirclement of the enemy Minsk grouping was completed. At the second stage (July 5 - August 29), the encircled enemy was destroyed and the Soviet troops entered new lines during the Siauliai, Vilnius, Kaunas, Bialystok and Lublin-Brest operations. During the Belarusian operation, the enemy completely lost 17 divisions and 3 brigades, and 50 divisions lost more than 50% of their composition. The total losses of the enemy amounted to about 500 thousand killed, wounded and captured. During the operation, Lithuania and Latvia were partially liberated. On July 20, the Red Army entered the territory of Poland and on August 17 approached the borders of East Prussia. By August 29, she entered the suburbs of Warsaw. In general, on a front with a length of 1100 km, our troops advanced 550-100 km, completely cutting off the northern enemy grouping in the Baltic states. For participation in the operation, over 400 thousand soldiers and officers of the Red Army were awarded military orders and medals.

Berlin operation 1945 The final strategic offensive operation carried out by the Soviet troops on April 16 - May 8, 1945. The objectives of the operation were to defeat the group of German troops defending in the Berlin direction, to capture Berlin and reach the Elbe to join up with the allied forces. In the Berlin direction, the troops of the Vistula group occupied the defense "And the Center group under the command of Colonel General G. Heinritz and Field Marshal F. Scherner. The total number of enemy troops was 1 million people, 10,400 guns, 1,500 tanks, 3,300 aircraft. In the rear of these army groups were reserve units consisting of 8 divisions, as well as the Berlin garrison of 200 thousand people.

The troops of three fronts were involved in the operation: the 2nd Belorussian (Marshal K.K. Rokossovsky), the 1st Belorussian (Marshal G.K. Zhukov), the 1st Ukrainian (Marshal I.S. Konev). In total, the advancing troops included up to 2.5 million soldiers and officers, 41,600 guns and mortars, 6,250 tanks and self-propelled guns, 7,500 aircraft, as well as part of the forces of the Baltic Fleet and the Dnieper military flotilla.

According to the nature of the tasks performed and the results, the Berlin operation is divided into 3 stages. 1st stage - breakthrough of the Oder-Neissen line of defense of the enemy (April 16 - 19); 2nd stage - encirclement and dismemberment of enemy troops (April 19 - 25); 3rd stage - the destruction of the encircled groups and the capture of Berlin (April 26 - May 8). The main goals of the operation were achieved in 16-17 days.

For the success of the operation, 1082 thousand soldiers were awarded the medal "For the Capture of Berlin". More than 600 participants in the operation became Heroes of the Soviet Union, and 13 people were awarded the second Gold Star medal. Significant dates of the Great Patriotic War

December 5 - Day of the beginning of the counter-offensive of Soviet troops against the invaders in the battle of Moscow

The day of the beginning of the counter-offensive of the Soviet troops against the Nazi troops in the battle near Moscow.

In terms of the number of troops, military equipment and weapons, the scope and intensity of hostilities, the battle near Moscow in 1941-1942. was one of the largest in the history of the Second World War. It took place on the territory up to 1 thousand km along the front and up to 350 - 400 km in depth, which was equal in area to England, Ireland, Iceland, Belgium and Holland combined. Fierce, fierce and bloody battles went on for more than 200 days, in which more than 7 million soldiers and officers, about 53 thousand guns and mortars, about 6.5 thousand tanks and assault guns, more than 3 thousand combat aircraft fought on both sides. The Battle of Moscow was the decisive military event of the first year of the Great Patriotic War.

Even in Directive N 21, the Wehrmacht was tasked with reaching Moscow as soon as possible. After the first successes, Hitler demanded that the command and troops "occupy Moscow on August 15, and end the war with Russia on October 1". However, the Soviet troops stopped the enemy with active and decisive actions.

By December 5, the German offensive was in crisis. Having suffered heavy losses and having used up material resources, the enemy began to go over to the defensive. At the same time, by the beginning of December, the Headquarters of the Supreme Command had concentrated significant strategic reserves near Moscow.

On December 5-6, the troops of the Kalinin, Western and Southwestern Fronts launched a decisive counteroffensive. Despite the stubborn resistance of the enemy, severe frosts and deep snow cover, it developed successfully. By January 7, 1942, Soviet troops advanced 100-250 km to the west.

For valor and courage shown in fierce and bloody battles, 40 formations and units were awarded guard ranks, 36 thousand soldiers and officers were awarded orders and medals. The battle near Moscow was the beginning of a radical turning point in the Great Patriotic War.

Federal Law of March 13, 1995 N 32-FZ "On the days of military glory (victory days) of Russia"

The victory of the Soviet troops over the Nazi troops near Stalingrad is one of the most glorious pages in the annals of the Great Patriotic War. For 200 days and nights - from July 17, 1942 to February 2, 1943 - the Battle of Stalingrad continued with the continuously increasing tension of the forces of both sides. During the first four months, stubborn defensive battles went on, first in the big bend of the Don, and then on the outskirts of Stalingrad and in the city itself. During this period, Soviet troops exhausted the German fascist grouping that was rushing to the Volga and forced it to go on the defensive. In the next two and a half months, the Red Army, going on the counteroffensive, defeated the enemy troops northwest and south of Stalingrad, surrounded and liquidated the 300,000-strong group of Nazi troops.

The Battle of Stalingrad is the decisive battle of the Second World War, in which the Soviet troops won the biggest victory. This battle marked the beginning of a radical change in the course of the Great Patriotic War and World War II in general. The victorious offensive of the Nazi troops ended and their expulsion from the territory of the Soviet Union began.

The battle of Stalingrad in terms of the duration and fierceness of the fighting, in terms of the number of people and military equipment participating, surpassed at that time all the battles of world history. It unfolded over a vast territory of 100,000 square kilometers. At certain stages, more than 2 million people, up to 2 thousand tanks, more than 2 thousand aircraft, up to 26 thousand guns participated in it on both sides. According to the results, this battle also surpassed all previous ones. Near Stalingrad, Soviet troops defeated five armies: two German, two Romanian and one Italian. The fascist German troops lost more than 800 thousand soldiers and officers, as well as a large number of military equipment, weapons and equipment, killed, wounded, captured.

The battle for Stalingrad is usually divided into two inextricably linked periods: defensive (from July 17 to November 18, 1942) and offensive (from November 19, 1942 to February 2, 1943).

At the same time, due to the fact that the Battle of Stalingrad is a whole complex of defensive and offensive operations, its periods, in turn, must be considered in stages, each of which is either one completed or even several interrelated operations.

For courage and heroism shown in the Battle of Stalingrad, 32 formations and units were given the honorary titles "Stalingrad", 5 - "Don". 55 formations and units were awarded orders. 183 units, formations and associations were transformed into guards. More than one hundred and twenty soldiers were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, about 760 thousand participants in the battle were awarded the medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad." On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War, the hero city of Volgograd was awarded the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.

August 23 - Day of the defeat of the Nazi troops by the Soviet troops in the Battle of Kursk

Fierce battles on the ground and in the air on the Kursk Bulge lasted 50 days (5.07 - 23.08, 1943). Through Oboyan and Prokhorovka, the Nazis rushed to Kursk. On July 12, 1943, the largest oncoming tank battle in history took place near Prokhorovka, in which more than 1,200 tanks and self-propelled guns participated on both sides. The Wehrmacht lost about 500 thousand people, 1.5 thousand tanks, over 3.7 thousand aircraft, 3 thousand guns.

His offensive strategy was completely defeated. The victory was won by Soviet tankers, who destroyed up to 400 enemy tanks. During the Battle of Kursk, Soviet troops liberated the Russian cities of Orel and Belgorod. On this day, for the first time during the war, Moscow saluted the heroic soldiers, announcing the victory at the Kursk Bulge to the world. The last attempt by the enemy command to regain the strategic initiative and take revenge for Stalingrad failed. The fascist German army was placed before a catastrophe. The mass expulsion of the Nazi invaders from the USSR began.

Our people sacredly honor the memory of warrior-heroes. Along the line of the Kursk Bulge from Orel to Belgorod, monuments and obelisks of military glory were erected at the sites of battles and battles in 1943. At the 624th kilometer of the Moscow-Simferopol highway, not far from Prokhorovka (Belgorod Region), in honor of the tank heroes who participated in the defeat of the Nazi troops on the Kursk Bulge, in 1954, the famous Soviet T-34 tank was installed on a pedestal. In 1973 the memorial complex was opened.

From the first days of the war, one of the strategic directions, according to the plans of the Nazi command, was Leningrad. Leningrad was one of the most important objects scheduled for capture.

The battle for Leningrad, the longest in the course of the entire Great Patriotic War, went from July 10, 1941 to August 9, 1944. During the 900-day defense of Leningrad, Soviet troops pinned down large forces of the German army and the entire Finnish army. This undoubtedly contributed to the victories of the Red Army in other sectors of the Soviet-German front. Leningrad residents showed examples of steadfastness, endurance and patriotism.

During the blockade, about 1 million inhabitants died, including more than 600 thousand from starvation. During the war, Hitler repeatedly demanded that the city be razed to the ground and its population completely destroyed. However, neither shelling and bombing, nor hunger and cold broke its defenders.

Already in July - September 1941, 10 divisions of the people's militia were formed in the city. Despite the most difficult conditions, the industry of Leningrad did not stop its work. Assistance to the blockade was carried out on the ice of Lake Ladoga. This highway was called the "Road of Life". On January 12-30, 1943, an operation was carried out to break the blockade of Leningrad ("Iskra").

It was a turning point in the battle for Leningrad. The entire southern coast of Lake Ladoga was cleared of the enemy, and the initiative to conduct military operations in this direction passed to the Red Army. During the course of the Leningrad-Novgorod strategic offensive operation from January 14 to March 1, 1944, Army Group North was severely defeated.

On January 27, 1944, Leningraders celebrated the lifting of the blockade. In the evening, a salute of 324 guns took place, about which our famous poetess A. A. Akhmatova wrote such unforgettable lines: “And in the starless January night, Marveling at an unprecedented fate, Returned from the mortal abyss, Leningrad salutes itself.” As a result of powerful blows, almost the entire Leningrad region and part of the Kalinin region were liberated, Soviet troops entered Estonia. Favorable conditions developed for defeating the enemy in the Baltic.

Victory Day of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.

One of the days of military glory of Russia.

Victory Day is a non-working day and is celebrated annually with a military parade and artillery salute.

The military parade is held in the capital of the Russian Federation, Moscow, using the symbols of the Great Patriotic War.

Artillery salute is held in hero cities, as well as in cities where the headquarters of military districts and fleets are deployed. The procedure for holding festive processions, meetings, rallies and demonstrations dedicated to Victory Day is determined in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

This Day was established by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of April 2, 1996 N 489 in connection with the signing of the Treaty between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, which ensures the further integration of the fraternal peoples.

The prisoners of the fascist death camps still have heavy dreams. 55 years have passed until the day of liberation, from the time when we lived with the only thought - to endure everything and not give up. They persevered and did not give up. Having not achieved their goal, the executioners sent for destruction to the death camps everyone who resisted, who fought against fascism during the period of Nazi terror.

18 million prisoners from 23 countries of the world with the heading "not subject to return" entered the gates of concentration camps and only seven million waited for freedom. Auschwitz alone, a real factory of death, claimed the lives of four million. And how many were there? Mauthausen, Dachau, Sachsengeisen...

The international women's death camp Ravensbrück, hell, justified its name: its name is translated into Russian as "crow's bridge". There, behind a brick wall four and a half meters high with a wire energized by six thousand volts, the “medical luminaries” of the Third Reich did their dirty work: they instilled cancer, gas gangrene, chopped off their legs, and they took all the blood from children. No one could run away from here to tell what was going on behind these walls. Many women were sterilized, saying: “You will be a slave, but never a mother!”

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 extensive, in this post we will only reveal my main recommendations on this topic, and also learn in practice how to solve 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 to deal with such a serious topic? Read on and find out!

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

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

The reasons for the defeat in the first months of the war are as follows: the rejection by the country's leadership of the possibility of starting a war with Nazi Germany in 1941, ignoring the facts that contradict 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 the USE history books online, I will name one: that, according to the calculations of the Soviet leadership, it would be ridiculous for Germany to leave undefeated England in the rear, and Germany carried out a competent operation to disinform the Soviet leadership, announcing the Sea Lion operation aimed at on the conquest of England.

The nature of the war was popular, that is, mass heroism is characteristic of a popular war, when the question was decided whether the Russian people would continue to exist under the sun, or not.

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

War is the worst thing that can happen in our lives. This must not be forgotten.

1. Battle of Stalingrad, 1942-1943

Opponents: Nazi Germany vs. the USSR
Losses: Germany 841,000; Soviet Union 1,130,000
Total: 1,971,000
Outcome: Victory of the USSR

The German advance began with a devastating series of Luftwaffe raids that left much of Stalingrad in ruins. But the bombing did not completely destroy the urban landscape. As they advanced, the German army became embroiled in fierce street fighting with the Soviet forces. Although the Germans took control of more than 90% of the city, the Wehrmacht forces were unable to dislodge the remaining stubborn Soviet soldiers from it.

The cold began, and in November 1942, the Red Army launched a double attack of the 6th German Army in Stalingrad. The flanks collapsed, and the 6th Army was surrounded, both by the Red Army and by the harsh Russian winter. Hunger, cold, and sporadic Soviet attacks began to take their toll. But Hitler did not allow the 6th Army to retreat. By February 1943, after an unsuccessful German attempt to break through when food supply lines were cut, the 6th Army was defeated.

2. Battle of Leipzig, 1813

Opponents: France vs. Russia, Austria and Prussia
Losses: 30,000 French, 54,000 allies
Total: 84000
Outcome: Victory of the Coalition Forces

The Battle of Leipzig was the largest and most powerful defeat suffered by Napoleon, and the largest battle in Europe before the outbreak of the First World War. Faced with attacks from all sides, the French army performed remarkably well, keeping the attackers at bay for more than nine hours before they were outnumbered.

Realizing the imminent defeat, Napoleon began to withdraw his troops in an orderly manner across the only remaining bridge. The bridge was blown up too soon. Over 20,000 French soldiers were thrown into the water and drowned while trying to cross the river. The defeat opened the doors to France for the allied forces.

3. Battle of Borodino, 1812

Opponents: Russia vs. France
Losses: Russians - 30,000 - 58,000; French - 40,000 - 58,000
Total: 70,000
Outcome: Various interpretations of the results

Borodino is considered the bloodiest one-day battle in history. Napoleon's army invaded the Russian Empire without declaring war. The rapid advance of the powerful French army forced the Russian command to retreat inland. Commander-in-Chief M.I. Kutuzov decided to give a general battle not far from Moscow, near the village of Borodino.

During this battle, every hour on the battlefield, about 6 thousand people died or were injured, according to the most conservative estimates. During the battle, the Russian army lost about 30% of its composition, the French - about 25%. In absolute numbers, this is about 60 thousand killed on both sides. But, according to some reports, up to 100 thousand people were killed during the battle and died later from wounds. Not a single one-day battle that took place before Borodino was so bloody.

Opponents: Britain vs. Germany
Casualties: Britain 60,000, Germany 8,000
Total: 68,000
Outcome: Inconclusive

The British Army experienced the bloodiest day in its history in the opening stages of a battle that would last for several months. More than a million people were killed as a result of the hostilities, and the original military tactical situation remained largely unchanged. The plan was to pulverize the German defenses with artillery bombardment to the point where the attacking British and French forces could simply move in and occupy the opposite trenches. But the shelling did not bring the expected devastating consequences.

As soon as the soldiers left the trenches, the Germans opened fire from machine guns. Poorly coordinated artillery often covered their own advancing infantry with fire or was often left without shelter. By nightfall, despite the massive loss of life, only a few targets were occupied. Attacks continued in this manner until October 1916.

5. Battle of Cannae, 216 BC

Opponents: Rome vs. Carthage
Losses: 10,000 Carthaginians, 50,000 Romans
Total: 60,000
Outcome: Carthaginian victory

The Carthaginian commander Hannibal led his army through the Alps and defeated two Roman armies on Trebia and Lake Trasimene, sought to involve the Romans in the last decisive battle. The Romans concentrated their heavy infantry in the center, hoping to break through the middle of the Carthaginian army. Hannibal, in anticipation of a central Roman attack, deployed his best troops on the flanks of his army.

As the center of the Carthaginian forces collapsed, the Carthaginian parties closed in on the Roman flanks. The mass of legionnaires in the back ranks forced the front ranks to march irresistibly forward, not knowing that they were driving themselves into a trap. Eventually, the Carthaginian cavalry arrived and closed the gap, thus completely encircling the Roman army. In close combat, the legionnaires, unable to flee, were forced to fight to the death. As a result of the battle, 50 thousand Roman citizens and two consuls were killed.

Moscow battle 1941– 1942 There are two main stages in the battle: defensive (September 30 - December 5, 1941) and offensive (December 5, 1941 - April 20, 1942). At the first stage, the goal of the Soviet troops was the defense of Moscow, at the second - the defeat of the enemy forces advancing on Moscow.

By the beginning of the German offensive on Moscow, the Center Army Group (Field Marshal F. Bock) had 74.5 divisions (approximately 38% of the infantry and 64% of the tank and mechanized divisions operating on the Soviet-German front), 1,800,000 people, 1,700 tanks, over 14,000 guns and mortars, 1,390 aircraft. The Soviet troops had 1,250,000 men, 990 tanks, 7,600 guns and mortars, and 677 aircraft in the Western direction as part of three fronts.

At the first stage, the Soviet troops of the Western Front (Colonel General I.S. Konev, and from October 10 - Army General G.K. Zhukov), Bryansk (until October 10 - Colonel General A.I. Eremenko) and Kalininsky (from October 17 - I.S. Konev) of the fronts stopped the offensive of the troops of the Army Group "Center" (the implementation of the German operation "Typhoon") at the turn south of the Volga reservoir, Dmitrov, Yakhroma, Krasnaya Polyana (27 km from Moscow), east of Istra, west of Kubinka , Naro-Fominsk, west of Serpukhov, east of Aleksin, Tula. During the defensive battles, the enemy was significantly bled. On December 5-6, Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive, and on January 7-10, 1942, they launched a general offensive on the entire front. In January-April 1942, the troops of the Western, Kalinin, Bryansk (since December 18 - Colonel General Ya.T. Cherevichenko) and Northwestern (Lieutenant General P.A. Kurochkin) fronts defeated the enemy and drove him back for 100-250 km. 11 tank, 4 motorized and 23 infantry divisions were defeated. The losses of the enemy only for the period of January 1 - March 30, 1942 amounted to 333 thousand people.

The Moscow battle was of great importance: the myth of the invincibility of the German army was dispelled, the plan for a blitzkrieg was thwarted, and the international position of the USSR was strengthened.

Battle of Stalingrad 1942 - 1943 Defensive (July 17 - November 18, 1942) and offensive (November 19, 1942 - February 2, 1943) operations carried out by Soviet troops to defend Stalingrad and defeat a large enemy strategic group operating in the Stalingrad direction.

In defensive battles in the Stalingrad region and in the city itself, the troops of the Stalingrad Front (Marshal S.K. Timoshenko, from July 23 - Lieutenant General V.N. Gordov, from August 5 - Colonel General A.I. Eremenko) and the Don Front (since September 28 - Lieutenant General K.K. Rokossovsky) managed to stop the offensive of the 6th Army, Colonel General F. Paulus and the 4th Tank Army. By July 17, the 6th Army included 13 divisions (about 270 thousand people, 3 thousand guns and mortars, about 500 tanks). They were supported by aviation of the 4th Air Fleet (up to 1200 aircraft). The troops of the Stalingrad Front numbered 160 thousand people, 2.2 thousand guns, about 400 tanks and 454 aircraft. At the cost of great efforts, the command of the Soviet troops managed not only to stop the advance of German troops in Stalingrad, but also to gather significant forces for the start of the counteroffensive (1,103 thousand people, 15,500 guns and mortars, 1,463 tanks and self-propelled guns, 1,350 combat aircraft). By this time, a significant grouping of German troops and forces of Germany's allied countries (in particular, the 8th Italian, 3rd and 4th Romanian armies) was sent to help the troops of Field Marshal F. Paulus. The total number of enemy troops by the beginning of the Soviet counteroffensive was 1,011.5 thousand people, 10,290 guns and mortars, 675 tanks and assault guns, and 1,216 combat aircraft.

On November 19-20, the troops of the Southwestern Front (Lieutenant General N.F. Vatutin), the Stalingrad and Don Fronts went on the offensive and surrounded 22 divisions (330 thousand people) in the Stalingrad area. Having repelled an enemy attempt to free the encircled grouping in December, the Soviet troops liquidated it. January 31 - February 2, 1943 the remnants of the 6th army of the enemy, led by Field Marshal F. Paulus, surrendered (91 thousand people).

The victory at Stalingrad marked the beginning of a radical change in the course of the Great Patriotic War and the Second World War.

Battle of Kursk 1943 Defensive (July 5 - 23) and offensive (July 12 - August 23) operations carried out by Soviet troops in the Kursk region to disrupt a major German offensive and defeat the enemy's strategic grouping. The German command, after the defeat of its troops at Stalingrad, intended to conduct a major offensive operation in the Kursk region (Operation Citadel). Significant enemy forces were involved in its implementation - 50 divisions (including 16 tank and mechanized) and a number of separate units of the Army Group Center (General Field Marshal G. Kluge) and Army Group South (General Field Marshal E .Manstein). This amounted to about 70% of tank, up to 30% of motorized and more than 20% of infantry divisions operating on the Soviet-German front, as well as over 65% of all combat aircraft. About 20 enemy divisions operated on the flanks of the strike groupings. The ground forces were supported by aviation of the 4th and 6th air fleets. In total, the enemy strike groupings included over 900 thousand people, about 10 thousand guns and mortars, up to 2700 tanks and self-propelled guns (most of them were new designs - Tigers, Panthers and Ferdinands) and about 2050 aircraft (including the latest designs - Focke-Wulf-190A and Henkel-129).

The Soviet command assigned the task of repulsing the enemy offensive to the troops of the Central Front (from the side of Orel) and the Voronezh Front (from the side of Belgorod). After solving the problems of defense, it was planned to defeat the Oryol grouping of the enemy (Plan "Kutuzov") by the troops of the right wing of the Central Front (General of the Army K.K. Rokossovsky), Bryansk (Colonel General M.M. Popov) and the left wing of the Western Front (Colonel General V.D.Sokolovsky). The offensive operation in the Belgorod-Kharkov direction (the plan "Commander Rumyantsev") was to be carried out by the forces of the Voronezh Front (General of the Army N.F. Vatutin) and the Steppe Front (Colonel General I.S. Konev) in cooperation with the troops of the South-Western Front (General of the Army R.Ya. Malinovsky). The overall coordination of the actions of all these forces was entrusted to the representatives of the Stavka Marshals G.K. Zhukov and A.M. Vasilevsky.

By early July, the Central and Voronezh Fronts had 1,336,000 men, over 19,000 guns and mortars, 3,444 tanks and self-propelled guns (including 900 light tanks), and 2,172 aircraft. In the rear of the Kursk ledge, the Steppe Military District (from July 9 - the front) was deployed, which was the strategic reserve of the Headquarters.

The enemy offensive was to begin at 3 o'clock in the morning on July 5. However, just before it began, the Soviet troops carried out artillery counter-preparation and inflicted heavy damage on the enemy in the places of his concentration. The German offensive began only after 2.5 hours and was not originally conceived. By the measures taken, it was possible to restrain the advance of the enemy (in 7 days he managed to advance only 10-12 km in the direction of the Central Front). The most powerful enemy grouping operated on the direction of the Voronezh Front. Here the advance of the enemy was up to 35 km deep into the defense of the Soviet troops. On July 12, there was a turning point in the course of the battle. On this day, the largest oncoming tank battle in history took place in the Prokhorovka area, in which 1200 tanks and self-propelled guns took part on both sides. The enemy lost here only on this day up to 400 tanks and self-propelled guns and 10 thousand people. On July 12, a new stage began in the Battle of Kursk, during which the counteroffensive of the Soviet troops developed as part of the Oryol operation and the Belgorod-Kharkov operation, culminating in the liberation of Orel and Belgorod on August 5, and Kharkov on August 23.

As a result of the Battle of Kursk, 30 enemy divisions (including 7 tank divisions) were completely defeated. The enemy lost over 500 thousand people, 1.5 thousand tanks, over 3.7 thousand aircraft, 3 thousand guns.

The main outcome of the battle was the transition of German troops in all theaters of operations to strategic defense. The strategic initiative finally passed into the hands of the Soviet command. In the Great Patriotic War and the Second World War, a radical change started by the Battle of Stalingrad ended.

Belarusian operation (June 23– August 29, 1944). The code name is Operation Bagration. One of the largest strategic offensive operations undertaken by the Soviet high command to defeat the Nazi Army Group Center and liberate Belarus. The total number of enemy troops was 63 divisions and 3 brigades of 1.2 million people, 9.5 thousand guns, 900 tanks and 1350 aircraft. Field Marshal E. Bush commanded the enemy grouping, and from June 28 - Field Marshal V. Model. She was opposed by the Soviet troops of four fronts (1st Baltic, 3rd Belorussian, 2nd Belorussian and 1st Belorussian) under the command of General of the Army I.Kh. Bagramyan, General of the Army I.D. Chernyakhovsky, General of the Army G. F. Zakharov and Marshal of the Soviet Union K.K. Rokossovsky. Four fronts united 20 combined arms and 2 tank armies (a total of 166 divisions, 12 tank and mechanized corps, 7 fortified areas and 21 brigades). The total number of Soviet troops reached 2.4 million people, armed with about 36 thousand guns, 5.2 thousand tanks, 5.3 thousand combat aircraft.

According to the nature of the hostilities and the achievement of the tasks set, the operation is divided into two stages. On the first (June 23 - July 4), the Vitebsk-Orsha, Mogilev, Bobruisk and Polotsk operations were carried out and the encirclement of the Minsk enemy grouping was completed. At the second stage (July 5 - August 29), the encircled enemy was destroyed and the Soviet troops entered new lines during the Siauliai, Vilnius, Kaunas, Bialystok and Lublin-Brest operations. During the Belarusian operation, the enemy completely lost 17 divisions and 3 brigades, and 50 divisions lost more than 50% of their composition. The total losses of the enemy amounted to about 500 thousand killed, wounded and captured. During the operation, Lithuania and Latvia were partially liberated. On July 20, the Red Army entered the territory of Poland and on August 17 approached the borders of East Prussia. By August 29, she entered the suburbs of Warsaw. In general, on a front with a length of 1100 km, our troops advanced 550-600 km, completely cutting off the northern enemy grouping in the Baltic. For participation in the operation, over 400 thousand soldiers and officers of the Soviet Army were awarded military orders and medals.

Berlin operation 1945 The final strategic offensive operation carried out by the Soviet troops on April 16 - May 8, 1945. The purpose of the operation was to defeat the group of German troops defending in the Berlin direction, capture Berlin and reach the Elbe to join the Allied forces. In the Berlin direction, the troops of the Vistula group and the Center group under the command of Colonel General G. Heinrici and Field Marshal F. Scherner took up the defense. The total number of enemy troops was 1 million people, 10,400 guns, 1,500 tanks, 3,300 aircraft. In the rear of these army groups were reserve units consisting of 8 divisions, as well as the Berlin garrison of 200 thousand people.

The troops of three fronts were involved in the operation: the 2nd Belorussian (Marshal K.K. Rokossovsky), the 1st Belorussian (Marshal G.K. Zhukov), the 1st Ukrainian (Marshal I.S. Konev). According to the nature of the tasks performed and the results, the Berlin operation is divided into 3 stages: 1st stage - breakthrough of the Oder-Neissen line of enemy defense (April 16 - 19); 2nd stage - encirclement and dismemberment of enemy troops (April 19 - 25); 3rd stage - the destruction of the encircled groups and the capture of Berlin (April 26 - May 8). The main goals of the operation were achieved in 16-17 days.

For the success of the operation, 1,082,000 soldiers were awarded the medal "For the Capture of Berlin". More than 600 participants in the operation became Heroes of the Soviet Union, and 13 people. were awarded the 2nd Gold Star medal.