1. I wanted to write about the Hero Cities of the USSR, the list includes twelve cities and one fortress. The blow of the prepared and well-armed German army that hit our country in June 1941 was powerful and crushing. Soviet cities stood in the way of the enemy's advance, the inhabitants of which, together with the regular army, waged a heroic exhausting struggle against the almost always superior forces of the Nazis.

   In Moscow, in the Alexander Garden near the Kremlin walls, next to the Eternal Flame and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, there are granite slabs - symbols of twelve Hero Cities and one Hero Fortress. A star and a vessel with earth, which was brought from heroic cities, are built into the slab.

   What is a hero city? This is the highest degree of distinction given to those cities of the Soviet Union whose citizens showed mass heroism and courage in defending our country during the Great Patriotic War. Cities - Heroes were awarded the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal. These awards were depicted on city banners.

   The first cities awarded the honorary title of "Hero City" on May 08, 1965, in honor of the twentieth anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council, were Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Kyiv, Volgograd (Stalingrad), Sevastopol, Odessa , Moscow, Brest Fortress.

   
   

2. How many Hero Cities were in the USSR, list:

   1. Hero City Leningrad (St. Petersburg) received this title on May 8, 1965.
   The Germans wanted to wipe Leningrad off the face of the earth, and exterminate the population. Leningraders, who were under blockade for almost 900 days during the war (from September 8, 1941 to January 27, 1944), showed incredible heroism and courage. At the same time, the inhabitants managed to keep the city and help the front. From air raids, bombs, shell explosions, disease and starvation, about two million Leningraders died. Numerous memorial structures have been erected in our "northern" capital in memory of this time. On Victory Square in honor of the defenders of Leningrad. And the "broken" bronze ring, being a part of the monument, became a symbol of breaking the blockade.

   2. The title of "Hero City" Odessa received May 8, 1965.
   During the war, Odessa fought against the superior forces of the Nazis for seventy-three days. All this time, eighteen Nazi divisions were pinned down near the city walls. For the capture of Odessa, the Germans allocated forces that were five times greater than the number of defenders of the city. On August 13, 1941, the city was completely blocked by land. Everyone united to protect the city. The Germans blocked the water station, which supplied the city with drinking water. But the inhabitants began to dig wells, the stony land gave little water, its consumption was taken into account according to the cards. There were not enough tanks - abandoned German tanks were pulled from the battlefield and stars were painted instead of crosses, and they went into battle on these tanks. But, in spite of everything, the enemy could not break the resistance of the city's defenders. After the capture of the city by the Germans in October 1941, a partisan war began: the partisans settled in the uncaptured part of the city, in the catacombs. During the occupation, tens of thousands of Odessa civilians were executed, most of them Jews. Soviet troops liberated Odessa on April 10, 1944.

   Sevastopol began to be bombed from the very first day of the war. The German army invaded the Crimea, after which the defense of Sevastopol began, which lasted two hundred and fifty days (from October 30, 1941 to July 4, 1942). The whole way of city life was rebuilt on a military basis, Sevastopol events worked for the needs of the front, and a powerful partisan movement was deployed near Sevastopol. On July 9, Soviet troops left Sevastopol, before which the garrison had fiercely defended itself for two weeks against the enemy forces, which were superior in number and military equipment. But exactly one year before the Great Victory, on May 9, 1944, Soviet troops liberated Sevastopol.

   4. Volgograd (during the war - Stalingrad) became the "Hero City" on May 8, 1965.
   Stalingrad (now Volgograd) is a city that has become a household name when talking about a turning point in any military campaign.

   The incredible efforts of the heroes of the army and ordinary people in Stalingrad changed the course of that terrible war. The Nazis launched a massive offensive on the southern front, they sought to capture the Caucasus, the lower reaches of the Volga and the Kuban, where the most fertile lands in our country are concentrated. The Germans did not expect such a "cauldron" and did not believe until the very end that it had happened. The formations of the Wehrmacht were defeated by the Soviet troops, and the commander Paulus was captured. The defense of Stalingrad lasted 200 days. There were fights for every street, for every house. Almost fifty thousand people signed up for the people's militia alone - ordinary residents of the city. And the factories of the city continued to work and produce what was necessary for the front. The losses among the fighters were huge. The battle of Stalingrad became one of the bloodiest in the history of mankind! I remember the figure: German aircraft dropped one million bombs weighing one hundred thousand tons on Stalingrad! And it is impossible to establish the exact number of dead residents of the city, the damage caused to the city was enormous, more than eighty percent of the housing stock was destroyed. The famous Mamaev Kurgan and the Motherland sculpture towering on it are a grandiose monument-reminder of the heroic defense of Volgograd.

   5. The city of Kyiv was awarded the title of "Hero City" on May 8, 1965.
   Kyiv entered the war almost from its first day. Already in early July 1941, fighting began on the outskirts of the city. The defending Soviet armies fought grueling battles, militia detachments were created in the city. Their joint actions and the efforts of ordinary residents of the city delayed parts of the Germans for almost two months, during which large enterprises of the city and part of its inhabitants were evacuated. The Germans, after a long resistance from the defenders of Kyiv, were forced to withdraw part of the troops from the Moscow direction and transfer them to Kyiv. In general, the defense of Kyiv lasted seventy days. But in September 1941, the Soviet troops were forced to retreat. A brutal regime of occupation of the city began, some of the inhabitants were destroyed, some were sent to work in Germany. In the north-west of Kyiv, the Germans created the Syrets concentration camp (Babi Yar), where they shot more than a hundred thousand residents of Kyiv and prisoners of war. On November 6, 1943, the city of Kyiv was liberated by the Red Army.

   6. Moscow was awarded the Hero City title on May 8, 1965.
   Our capital received the title of "Hero City" in 1941-42. The Germans concentrated colossal forces for this operation - 77 divisions, 1700 tanks, more than a million personnel. The capture of Moscow for the Germans would be comparable to a complete victory over the Soviet Union. But the forces of the whole country carried out a common task - to defend Moscow: kilometers of dug trenches, defensive fortifications, millions of lives ... On December 5, 1941, the Soviet Army was able to push the enemy back from Moscow and go on the offensive, the myth of the "invincible" army of the Nazis collapsed. This was the beginning of a revolution in the course of the war, faith in victory became stronger. Such an outcome of the battle for Moscow cost almost two and a half million lives of our citizens. according to the original project, it was dedicated to the defenders of Moscow, but now it is one of the main monuments to all the soldiers of that war.

   Last Edit: Feb 18, 2017

   
   

   7. Novorossiysk bears the title of "Hero City" since September 14, 1973.

   Novorossiysk became a new target for the Nazis after their plans for an operation in the Caucasus were thwarted. From the capture of Novorossiysk, the Germans wanted to start advancing along the southern part of the Black Sea coast. It was assumed that through the "sea gate" - the city of Novorossiysk - the Germans would supply weapons, tanks and fresh forces, and export grain, non-ferrous metals, natural resources, and timber from the territory of the Soviet Union. Statistics compares the inequality of forces: 10 Germans fought against one Soviet tank, 8 Germans fought against 1 Soviet aircraft, for every nine Red Army soldiers there were fifteen soldiers of the Nazi army. The battle for Novorossiysk lasted two hundred and twenty-five days. Over ninety percent of the city was destroyed. The exploits of the marines who bravely defended the city, the paratroopers who boldly entered from the sea and stunned the enemy, and the motorized riflemen who broke through the defenses from land will forever go down in history.

   Tula bravely defended from October 24 to December 5, 1941. The rapid movement from the city of Orel taken almost immediately to Tula was part of the German operation to quickly advance towards Moscow. The Germans managed to capture Oryol so quickly that, according to the memoirs, "tanks entered the city when trams were peacefully running there." Among those who defended the city were one and a half thousand working regiment and the NKVD regiment, created from police officers to protect defense plants. Up to several thousand people worked daily at the construction of defense structures, most of whom were women. In addition, work was underway to evacuate defense plants from Tula. The city of gunsmiths was under siege, constantly subjected to shelling and tank attacks, but did not surrender to the Germans. Tula survived those harsh days, being under siege and constantly exposed to shelling and air raids. Of great importance in holding the city belongs to the partisan detachments operating near Tula. The Red Army, holding Tula, did not allow the Wehrmacht troops to make a breakthrough to Moscow from the south. This victory was given at a difficult price... And every third Tula, who went to the front, did not return from the war.

   9. Kerch received the title of "Hero City" on the 30th anniversary of the liberation of Crimea on September 14, 1973. The city of Kerch was captured by the Germans in November 1941, and at the very end of December of the same 1941, the city was liberated by the troops of the Black Sea Fleet and the Azov Flotilla. But in May 1942, the Germans again launched an attack on Kerch, concentrating large forces on the Kerch Peninsula.The fighting was fierce, Kerch was again occupied by the Nazis.A heroic struggle for Kerch began.In the Adzhimushkay quarries, where it is damp and hard to breathe, partisans strengthened.They defended themselves to the last bullet, starved and died of wounds right there, in the damp and dark quarries. According to some reports, there were up to fifteen thousand people in the Adzhimushkay quarries. is inside, slowly and painfully suffocated from lack of air.But the defenders came up with different ways to find a way out of this situation: grief The sticks were thrown into sand containers, and the walls were treated to make them gas-tight. But the main problem for those who lived and defended themselves in the quarries was water, or rather, its absence. People collected water drop by drop, even extracted it from damp walls. And when the Germans heard a knock, they understood that they were looking for water in the quarries, they were digging something like wells, wells. The Germans immediately blew up this place.

   10. Minsk bears the title of "Hero City" since June 26, 1974.
   Minsk - the capital of today's state of Belarus - was captured by the Germans on the sixth day of the war. And from the very first day, endless German air raids began. The occupation of Minsk continued for three years, the city was turned into ruins: factories, factories, power plants, almost eighty percent of residential buildings were destroyed. Despite the most severe terror, a powerful underground operated on the territory of Minsk and the region, and the Minsk region became the center of the partisan patriotic movement. Now the Independence Day of Belarus is celebrated on July 03. This memorable date, on this day, July 3, 1944, Minsk was liberated by Soviet troops. Minsk received the honorary title of "Hero City" in 1974. One of the main symbols of the valor of Soviet soldiers was at the site of the encirclement of a hundred thousandth enemy group ("Minsk Cauldron").

   Smolensk became a powerful barrier on the way of the aggressive German army to Moscow. In the Smolensk-Moscow direction, the German army group "Center", powerfully equipped with tanks and aircraft, operated. The incredible stubbornness of the Soviet troops near Smolensk for the first time stopped the strong German army, which had only been advancing since 1939. The heroic defense of Smolensk, where women and children stood along with men, amazed the German generals. The Smolensk region suffered greatly during the war. The Germans took the city, but Smolensk did not submit. During the period of fascist occupation, numerous underground associations and partisan detachments operated on the territory of Smolensk and the region. For two years and three months the Smolensk region was under occupation. Already retreating, the Nazis decided to wipe Smolensk off the face of the earth, but the Soviet troops prevented these plans. At the same time, thousands of explosive objects and bombs with a delayed action mechanism, which the Germans planted during the retreat, were neutralized in the city. Smolensk after the liberation was included in the list of fifteen cities subject to priority restoration.

   12. Murmansk received the title of "Hero City" on May 6, 1985.
   The capture of Murmansk was of great importance to the Germans. This is the northern ice-free port, and the railway to Leningrad, from here the Northern Sea Route began and the Soviet Navy base was located here. Plus, Murmansk is a rich natural region, with a lot of wealth, among which the Germans were especially interested in nickel for smelting high-strength steel. The 27,000-strong German corps with tanks and powerful artillery was opposed by a 12,000-strong group of border guards, whose main armament was a rifle. The Germans determined only a few days in order to overcome the distance from the Kola Peninsula to reach Murmansk. The border guards got the most, they fought to the last bullet. The Germans recalled that only machine-gun bursts were heard in response to the offer to surrender. Stubborn resistance awaited the Germans on the outskirts of Murmansk. There were fights for every meter of land, for every hill. The steadfastness and courage of Soviet soldiers, officers, sailors thrice thwarted the attack on the city. There were many northerners and residents of Murmansk in the ranks of the Marine Corps. At a time when danger loomed over their hometown, many of them wrote reports about being written off to land to protect their native land. Murmansk fought heroically - in the trenches and on the streets, on port berths and ship decks. The enemy's strike forces were paralyzed, the state border was held. German officers had to explain themselves in Berlin for failures in the Arctic, from a number of reasons they singled out difficult terrain conditions, bad roads and the incredible stamina and heroism of the Soviet people. In Murmansk there is a memorial "To the Defenders of the Soviet Arctic during the war years", a monument to a soldier in a raincoat and with a machine gun, he is also called "Alyosha".

   • The Brest Fortress received the title of "Fortress-Hero" on May 8, 1965.

   In just six weeks, the Germans planned to reach Moscow after the start of the war ... The garrison of the Brest Fortress was taken by surprise in the early morning, on the first day of the war, on June 22, 1941. A powerful assault began. The heroic struggle of the fortress garrison continued for more than a month. The enemy was shocked by the dedication of the defenders of the fortress. The Germans were forced to detain large military forces near Brest. And at that time, the most important thing was to gain time and delay the advance of the enemy inland. The forum is in the very first days of the war.

   Last Edit: Feb 18, 2017

   
   

   , thanks for the very interesting detailed material. I learned a lot of new things for myself. How exactly did the hero cities of the USSR defend, the list that you provided here. My grandfather fought in the Brest Fortress, who was taken prisoner and sent to, from where he managed to escape.

   In Volgograd, I was on an excursion when I was still at school. The Motherland Memorial made an indelible impression on me even when I was a little boy. I remember how you ride a train to Volgograd and the “Motherland” towers, a sense of pride in your country overwhelmed. What can I say, all the cities of the heroes of the USSR deservedly made it to the list.

   
   

   , I have not been to Volgograd, I also want to see the Motherland and show it to the children.

   When preparing this material, I learned a lot of new things for myself.
   For example, the beginning of the war, the Smolensk region, a military unit under the command of Flerov (the surname, you see, is not particularly "on hearing", and yet). The Germans, well-fed, confident, go to Moscow, set themselves deadlines for conquest ... and here - such resistance. The people, the "mysterious Russian people" fight like a beast. Reckless and furious. So the Germans somehow surrounded Flerov's unit and think, that's it, we offer to surrender. And in response - from the encirclement they fired simultaneously from all the guns at the Germans. Everyone flew into the air, both Germans and Russians. The Germans could not recover from such "behavior" for a long time ...
   This was only the beginning, there were many "surprises" ahead about the fearlessness of Soviet soldiers.

List of hero cities in World War II

The honorary title "Hero City" was awarded by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to those cities of the Soviet Union, whose inhabitants showed mass heroism and courage in defending the Motherland during the Great Patriotic War. Here is a list of hero cities, indicating the year in which this title was awarded:

Leningrad (St. Petersburg) - 1945 *;

Stalingrad (Volgograd) - 1945 *;

Sevastopol -1945*;

Odessa - 1945*;

Kyiv -1965;

Moscow -1965;

Brest (fortress-hero) -1965;

Kerch - 1973;

Novorossiysk -1973;

Minsk -1974;

Tula -1976;

Murmansk -1985;

Smolensk -1985.

* Leningrad, Stalingrad, Sevastopol and Odessa were named hero cities in the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of May 1, 1945, however, this title was officially assigned to them in the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on approval of the Regulations on the honorary title of "Hero City" dated 8 May 1965.

The city, awarded the highest degree of distinction "Hero City", was awarded the highest award of the Soviet Union - the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal, which were then depicted on the banner of the city.

Hero City Moscow

Among the 13 Hero Cities of the Soviet Union, the Hero City of Moscow occupies a special place. It was in the battle near the Soviet capital that the whole world saw the first defeat in history of the impeccably well-oiled military machine of the III Reich. It was here that a battle of colossal proportions took place, the equal of which world history did not know before or after, and it was here that the Soviet people demonstrated the highest degree of courage and heroism that shocked the world.

On May 8, 1965, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR established the Honorary title "Hero City", and on the same day Moscow (along with Kyiv and the Brest Fortress) was honored to be awarded a new high title. As all domestic and foreign military historians rightly point out, the defeat near the capital of the Soviet Union broke the morale of the German army, for the first time with obvious force exposed discord and contradictions in the top Nazi leadership, instilled hope in the oppressed peoples of Europe in an early liberation, and intensified national liberation movements in all European countries...

The Soviet leadership highly appreciated the contribution of the defenders of the city to the defeat of the fascist monster: the medal "For the Defense of Moscow", established on May 1, 1944, was awarded to more than 1 million soldiers, workers and employees who took part in this historical event of a grandiose scale.

In memory of those events filled with unprecedented heroism, in 1977 a memorial obelisk "Moscow - the Hero City" was solemnly opened; the memory of the fallen heroes is immortalized in the names of avenues and streets, in monuments and memorial plaques, the ever-extinguishing Eternal Flame burns in honor of the dead ...

For its unparalleled feat, the city was awarded the highest award of the Soviet Union - the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.

Hero City Leningrad

Among the 13 hero cities of the Soviet Union, Leningrad stands in a special place - it is the only city that survived almost a 3-year blockade (872 days), but never surrendered to the enemies. For Hitler, who dreamed of completely destroying and erasing the city on the Neva from the face of the earth, the capture of Leningrad was both a matter of personal prestige and the prestige of the entire German army as a whole; that is why directives were issued to the German troops besieging the city, stating that the capture of the city is the "military and political prestige" of the Wehrmacht. Thanks to the unsurpassed courage of the inhabitants and participants in the defense of the city, this prestige was lost in 1944, when the invaders were driven back from Leningrad, and finally crushed by Soviet troops on the ruins of the Reichstag in May 45th ...

The inhabitants of the city and the defenders paid a terrible price for holding the city: according to various estimates, the death toll is estimated from 300 thousand to 1.5 million people. At the Nuremberg trials, a figure of 632 thousand people was named, of which only 3% died as a result of hostilities; the remaining 97% starved to death. At the peak of the famine, which occurred in November 1941, the norm for issuing bread was 125 grams (!!!) per person per day. Despite the colossal mortality, severe frosts, the extreme exhaustion of the troops and the population, the city still survived.

In commemoration of the merits of the townspeople, soldiers and sailors of the Red Army and the Navy, partisan formations and people's squads that defended the city, it was Leningrad that was given the right to fireworks in honor of the complete lifting of the blockade, the order for which was signed by Marshal Govorov, who was entrusted with this right Stalin personally. Such an honor was not awarded to any of the commanders of the fronts during the entire period of the Great Patriotic War.

Leningrad was among the first cities of the Soviet Union (together with Stalingrad, Sevastopol and Odessa) was named a hero city in the Order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, dated May 1, 1945.

Leningrad was among the first to be awarded the honorary title "Hero City", established on May 8, 1965 by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, in accordance with which the city was awarded the highest awards of the Soviet Union - the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal, the images of which proudly flaunt on the city banner.

In memory of the mass heroism of the participants in the defense of Leningrad, a number of monuments were erected in the city, the most significant of which are the Obelisk "To the Hero City of Leningrad", installed on Vosstaniya Square, the "Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad" on Victory Square, a monument to the trolley, on which the collected corpses in the streets and the huge Piskarevskoye cemetery, where the ashes of those who died and starved to death from Leningrad rest.

Hero City Stalingrad (Volgograd)

The name of the city, after which the most epochal battle of the 20th century is named, is known far beyond the borders of the former Soviet Union. The events that took place here between July 17, 1942 and February 2, 1943 changed the course of world history. It was here, on the banks of the beautiful Volga, that the backbone of the Nazi military machine was broken. According to Goebbels, which he said in January 1943, losses in tanks and vehicles were comparable to six months, in artillery - with three months, in small arms and mortars - with two months of production of the III Reich. The human losses for Germany and its allies were even more horrifying: more than 1.5 million prisoners and dead soldiers and officers, including 24 generals.

The military-political significance of the victory at Stalingrad was highly appreciated by the military-political leadership of the Soviet Union: on May 1, 1945, the city on the Volga was named among the first hero cities in the Order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief (along with Sevastopol, Odessa and Leningrad), and 20 years later , May 8, 1965, in accordance with the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Stalingrad was awarded the honorary title of "Hero City". On the same day, this honor was awarded to Kyiv and Moscow, as well as the Brest Fortress.

Monuments dedicated to the events of that heroic era are the main city attractions. The most famous of them are Mamaev Kurgan, the panorama "The defeat of the Nazi troops near Stalingrad", the "House of Soldier's Glory" (better known as "Pavlov's House"), the Alley of Heroes, the "Connection of Fronts" monument, "Rodimtsev's Wall", " Lyudnikov Island", Mill of Gergart (Grudinin), etc.

Hero City Kyiv

One of the first Soviet cities that significantly delayed the advance of the enemy at the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War was the capital of Ukraine, the hero city of Kyiv, which received this title on the day it was established by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on May 8, 1965.

Already 2 weeks later (July 6, 1941) after the treacherous attack of the Nazi troops on the Soviet Union, the City Defense Headquarters was created in Kyiv, and a few days later the heroic defense of the Ukrainian capital began, lasting 72 days (until September 19, 1941), as a result of which over 100 thousand soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht were destroyed by the defending Soviet troops and residents of the city.

After the regular units of the Red Army left Kyiv on the orders of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, the inhabitants of the city organized resistance to the invaders. During the occupation, thousands of soldiers of the German regular army were liquidated by the underground, more than 500 cars were blown up and put out of action, 19 trains were derailed, 18 military depots were destroyed, 15 boats and ferries were sunk, more than 8,000 Kyivans were saved from being hijacked into slavery.

During the Kyiv offensive operation on November 6, 1943, the city was finally cleared of the invaders. Witnesses of those heroic events are hundreds of monuments and monuments located both in the city itself and on the lines of defense, the most famous of which are: the sculpture "Motherland" known throughout the Union, the memorial complexes "Park of Eternal Glory" and "Museum of History Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945", as well as the obelisk "To the Hero City of Kyiv" located on Victory Square.

Hero City Minsk

The hero city of Minsk, which was in the direction of the main blow of the Nazi troops, found itself in the very millstone of fierce battles already in the first days of the war. On June 25, 1941, an unstoppable avalanche of Nazi troops swept over the city. Despite the fierce resistance of the Red Army, the city had to be abandoned by the end of the day on June 28. A long occupation began, which lasted more than three years - until July 3, 1944.

Despite the horrors of the Nazi administration (during the German rule, the city lost a third of its inhabitants - more than 70 thousand citizens died), the invaders failed to break the will of Minsk residents, who created one of the largest underground formations of the Second World War, uniting about 9 thousand people, to which listened even in the People's Commissariat of Defense of the USSR when planning strategic tasks. The underground fighters (of which more than 600 people were awarded orders and medals of the Soviet Union) corrected their actions with 20 partisan detachments operating in the region, many of which later grew into large brigades.

During the occupation, the city underwent colossal destruction: at the time of the liberation by the Soviet troops on July 3, 1944, only 70 surviving buildings remained in the city. On Sunday, July 16, 1944, a partisan parade took place in Minsk in honor of the liberation of the capital of Belarus from Nazi invaders.

For the merits of the capital of Belarus in the fight against the fascist invaders, Minsk was awarded the honorary title of "Hero City" in accordance with the Decree of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces of June 26, 1974. In memory of the military events of that era, a number of monuments were erected in the city, the most famous of which are the Victory Monument and the eternal flame, the Mound of Glory and the Monument to Tank Soldiers.

Hero City Odessa

One of the four cities first named in the status of hero cities in the Order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of 05/01/1945 was Odessa (along with Stalingrad, Leningrad and Sevastopol). The city was awarded such a high honor for the heroic defense in the period from August 5 to October 16, 1941. These 73 days cost the German and Romanian troops dearly, the losses of which amount to 160 thousand soldiers and officers, more than 200 aircraft, and about a hundred tanks.

The defenders of the city were never defeated: in the period from October 1 to October 16, ships and vessels of the Black Sea Fleet, in the strictest secrecy, removed all available troops (about 86 thousand people), part of the civilian population (more than 15 thousand people) from the city. ), a significant amount of weapons and military equipment.

About 40 thousand inhabitants of the city went into the catacombs and continued to resist until the complete liberation of the city by the troops of the III Ukrainian Fleet on April 10, 1944. During this time, the enemy missed more than 5 thousand soldiers and officers, 27 echelons with military cargo, 248 vehicles; more than 20 thousand citizens were saved by partisans from being driven into German slavery.

The honorary title "Hero City" was officially awarded to Odessa on the basis of the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the day of the release of the "Regulations on the highest degree of distinction - the title of" Hero City "on May 8, 1965.

In memory of those heroic events along the line of the main defensive line of Odessa, the "Belt of Glory" was created, which includes 11 monuments located in various settlements on the outskirts of the city, in which the most fierce battles took place.

Hero City Sevastopol

One of the most persistent cities during the Great Patriotic War is rightfully considered the hero city of Sevastopol, which withstood fierce attacks and sieges of the enemy for 250 days. Thanks to the courage and unwavering stamina of the defenders, Sevastopol became a truly national hero city - the first books with the use of such characteristics appeared already in 1941-42.

At the official level, Sevastopol was named a Hero City on May 1, 1945 by the Order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief (together with Odessa, Stalingrad and Leningrad), and was awarded the honorary title "Hero City" on May 8, 1965 on the basis of the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

From October 30, 1941 to July 4, 1942 the defenders of the city held a heroic defense. During this time, four massive attacks were made with the aim of taking Sevastopol, but having encountered the stubborn resistance of the soldiers, sailors and townspeople who defended the city, the Nazi command was forced to change tactics - a long siege began with periodically breaking out fierce battles. After leaving the city by the Soviet authorities, the Nazis brutally took revenge on civilians, destroying about 30 thousand citizens during the management of the city.

Liberation came on May 9, 1944, when control over Sevastopol was fully restored by Soviet troops. During these 250 days, the losses of the Nazis amounted to about 300 thousand people killed and wounded. It is quite possible that the city is the champion on the territory of the former Soviet Union in terms of the number of military monuments, among which the diorama "Storm of the Sapun Mountain", Malakhov Kurgan, monuments to the soldiers of the 414th Anapa and 89th Taman Red Banner Divisions, the 318th Novorossiysk Mountain Rifle Division and the 2nd Guards Army, as well as the "Steam Locomotive-Monument" from the legendary armored train "Zheleznyakov" and a number of others.

Hero City Novorossiysk

One of the most outstanding pages of the Great Patriotic War was the defense of Novorossiysk, which lasted 393 days (only Leningrad defended longer in that war). The enemy did not manage to completely take the city - a tiny section of Novorossiysk in the region of cement plants in front of the strategically important Sukhumi highway remained in the hands of Soviet soldiers, although even the Soviet Information Bureau on September 11, 1942 erroneously reported that Novorossiysk was abandoned by the Red Army.

Another heroic milestone in the defense of Novorossiysk was the landing operation to seize a strategic foothold, called "Small Land". While the main forces of the paratroopers were pinned down by the German defense, a group of sailors of 274 people under the command of Major Ts.L. Kunikova, on the night of February 3rd to 4th, 1943, was able to capture a bridgehead with an area of ​​30 square meters. km, to which, within 5 days, significant forces of Soviet troops were transferred, consisting of 17 thousand paratroopers with 21 guns, 74 mortars, 86 machine guns and 440 tons of food and ammunition. In less than a month (from April 4 to April 30), more than 20 thousand people were killed by paratroopers. enemy manpower and a significant amount of military equipment. The bridgehead was held for 225 days until the complete liberation of the city on September 16, 1943.

Novorossiysk received its first award - the Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree, on May 7, 1966, and 7 years later, on September 14, 1973, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the city was awarded the honorary title "Hero City" with the award of the Gold Star medal and the Order of Lenin.

In memory of those heroic times, a number of monuments were erected in the city, the most famous of which are the "Defense of Malaya Zemlya" monument, the monument to Major Ts. L. Kunikov, the mass grave, the "Fire of Eternal Glory" monument, the "Small Land" memorial, To an Unknown Sailor" and "Heroic Sailors of the Black Sea".

Hero City Kerch

One of the few cities that changed hands several times during the Great Patriotic War was the hero city of Kerch, which was first captured by the Nazis on November 16, 1941. However, a month and a half later, the city was liberated by Soviet troops (December 30) and remained under the control of the Red Army for almost 5 months, until May 19, 1942.

On that May day, the Nazi troops, as a result of fierce battles, managed to regain control over the city. During the subsequent occupation of Kerch, which lasted almost 2 years, Soviet citizens faced a real avalanche of terror: during this time, almost 14 thousand citizens died at the hands of the invaders, and the same number were driven away for forced labor in Germany. An unenviable fate befell the Soviet prisoners of war, 15 thousand of whom were liquidated.

Despite the constant repressions, the inhabitants of the city found the strength to resist the invaders: many citizens joined the remnants of the Soviet troops who had taken refuge in the Adzhimushkay quarries. A consolidated partisan detachment of soldiers of the Red Army and residents of Kerch heroically fought against the invaders from May to October 1942.

During the Kerch-Eltigen landing operation in 1943, the Soviet troops managed to capture a small foothold on the outskirts of Kerch, and on April 11, 1944, the city was finally liberated by the Red Army. The following fact speaks eloquently about the terrifying fury of those battles: for participation in the liberation of the city, 146 people received the highest state award - the Star of the Hero of the USSR.

A little later, the city itself was awarded other highest state awards (the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal), and on September 14, 1973, on the basis of the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Kerch was awarded the honorary title "Hero City".

The exploits of the defenders of the city are immortalized in the obelisk of Glory, built in 1944 on Mount Mithridates in memory of the soldiers who died in the battles for the city. In their honor, on May 9, 1959, the Eternal Flame was solemnly lit, and in 1982 the memorial complex "To the Heroes of Adzhimushkay" was built.

Hero City Tula

Tula is one of the few hero cities of the Great Patriotic War that repelled all enemy attacks and remained unconquered. During the 45 days of the Tula operation, which lasted from October to December 1941, being in almost complete encirclement, the defenders of the city not only withstood massive bombardments and fierce enemy attacks, but also with the almost complete absence of production facilities (almost all the main enterprises were evacuated deep into the country ), managed to repair 90 tanks, more than a hundred artillery pieces, and also to organize the mass production of mortars and small arms (machine guns and rifles).

The last attempt to capture the city was made by German troops in early December 1941. Despite the fury of the German offensive, the city managed to defend. Having completely exhausted their offensive capabilities, the enemy troops left the territory on the outskirts of the city.

For the courage and heroism shown by the defenders of the city, on December 7, 1976, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Tula was awarded the honorary title of "Hero City".

In memory of the heroic days of defense, a number of monuments and commemorative signs have been erected in the city, among which the most famous are the Monumental Complex "The Front Line of the City's Defense", monuments to the "Defenders of Tula in the Great Patriotic War", "Tula Workers' Regiment" and "Heroes of the Soviet Union ", as well as monuments to various types of military equipment - a "lorry", an anti-aircraft gun, tanks IS-3 and T-34, "Katyusha", a howitzer cannon and an anti-tank gun

Hero City Murmansk

The hero-city of Murmansk during the Great Patriotic War was never taken by the Nazi troops, despite the efforts of the 150,000-strong German army and constant bombing (in terms of the total number of bombs and shells dropped on the city, Murmansk is second only to Stalingrad). The city withstood everything: two general offensives (in July and September), and 792 air raids, during which 185 thousand bombs were dropped on the city (on other days, the Nazis made up to 18 raids).

During the heroic defense in the city, up to 80% of the buildings and structures were destroyed, but the city did not surrender, and, along with the defense, continued to receive convoys from the allies, while remaining the only port of the Soviet Union that was able to receive them.

As a result of the massive Petsamo-Kirkenes offensive launched by the Soviet troops on October 7, 1944, the enemy was driven back from the walls of Murmansk and the threat of the capture of the city was finally eliminated. A significant enemy grouping ceased to exist less than a month after the start of the Soviet offensive.

For the steadfastness, courage and heroism shown by the defenders and residents during the defense of the city, Murmansk on May 6, 1985 was awarded the honorary title "Hero City" on the basis of the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

In memory of the heroic days of defense, many monuments and monuments were erected in the city, the most significant of which are the "Monument to the Defenders of the Soviet Arctic" (the so-called "Murmansk Alyosha"), monuments to "Hero of the Soviet Union Anatoly Bredov" and "Warriors 6- and the Heroic Komsomol Battery".

Hero City Smolensk

The hero city of Smolensk was at the forefront of the attack of the German troops, rushing to Moscow. The fierce battle for the city, which lasted from July 15 to 28, turned out to be one of the most fierce at the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War. The battle for the city was preceded by incessant bombing from the air, which began from the first days of the war (only in one day on June 24, more than 100 large high-explosive and more than 2 thousand incendiary bombs were dropped by Nazi pilots, as a result of which the city center was completely destroyed, more than 600 residential buildings burned down ).

After the Soviet troops retreated from the city on the night of July 28-29, the Battle of Smolensk continued until September 10, 1941. It was in this battle that the Soviet troops achieved their first major strategic success: on September 6, 1941, 5 fascist divisions were destroyed near Yelnya, and it was there that on September 18, for the first time, 4 divisions of the Red Army received the honorary title of Guards.

The Nazis brutally took revenge on the inhabitants of Smolensk for their steadfastness and courage: during the occupation in the city and its environs, more than 135 thousand civilians and prisoners of war were shot, another 80 thousand citizens were forcibly taken to Germany. In response, partisan detachments were massively created, of which by the end of July 1941 there were 54 units with a total number of 1160 fighters.

The liberation of the city by Soviet troops took place on September 25, 1943. In commemoration of the mass heroism of the inhabitants of the city and the soldiers of the Red Army during the Smolensk operation and the defense of the city, on May 6, 1985, Smolensk was presented with the honorary title of "Hero City" in accordance with the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. In addition, the city was twice awarded the Order of Lenin (in 1958 and 1983), and the Order of the Patriotic War I degree in 1966.

In memory of the heroic defense of Smolensk, a number of monuments were erected in the city and its environs, among which are the "Memorial sign in honor of the liberation of the Smolensk region from fascist invaders", the Mound of Immortality, the "Memorial to the memory of the victims of fascist terror", the Eternal Flame in the Square of Memory of Heroes, as well as the BM-13-"Katyusha" monument in the Ugransky district of the Smolensk region.

Fortress Hero Brest (Brest Fortress)

The Hero-Fortress Brest (Brest Fortress), the first to take the blow of a massive armada of Nazi troops, is one of the most striking symbols of the Great Patriotic War. One eloquent fact testifies to the fury of the battles taking place here: the losses of the German army on the outskirts of the fortress during the first week of battles amounted to 5% (!) Of the total number of losses on the entire eastern front. And although organized resistance was crushed by the end of June 26, 1941, individual pockets of resistance continued until the beginning of August. Even Hitler, struck by the unprecedented heroism of the defenders of the Brest Fortress, took a stone from there and kept it until his death (this stone was discovered in the Fuhrer's office after the end of the war).

The Germans failed to take the fortress by conventional military means: to destroy the defenders, the Nazis had to use special types of weapons - an 1800-kg aerial bomb and 600-mm Karl-Gerät guns (of which there were only 6 units in the Wehrmacht troops), firing concrete-piercing (over 2 tons ) and high-explosive (1250 kg) shells.

For the courage and heroism shown by the defenders, the fortress was awarded the honorary title "Hero Fortress" on the day the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the establishment of the title "Hero City" was promulgated. This solemn event took place on May 8, 1965. On the same day, Moscow and Kyiv were officially named hero cities.

In order to perpetuate the unparalleled courage and steadfastness of the defenders, in 1971 the Brest Fortress was given the status of a memorial complex, which includes a number of monuments and monuments, incl. "Museum of the Defense of the Brest Fortress" with the central monument "Courage", near which the Eternal Flame of Glory never goes out.

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When, in June 1941, fascist Germany unleashed the full power of its blow on our country, every Soviet city stood in its way as a mighty bastion. There was a heroic struggle literally for every quarter, for every inch of land, which mentally and physically exhausted the enemy. Particularly distinguished cities for the massively shown courage and heroism of their defenders were subsequently awarded the high rank Hero Cities.

For the first time, the concept of a hero city was voiced in the Order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of May 1, 1945, so they were named: Leningrad, Sevastopol, Odessa and Stalingrad, this of course was not an official assignment of the title, but an emphasis on their important contribution to the final victory and the heroic role of the defenders. Even during the war, participants in the defense of these cities were awarded specially established medals.

In 1965, on the eve of the twentieth anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the title of Hero City of the USSR was awarded to six cities, in addition to those already noted in the order of 1945, they were Kyiv and Moscow, as well as the Hero Fortress Brest. In 1973, this title was awarded to Novorossiysk and Kerch, in 1974 to Minsk, in 1976 to Tula. In the year of the fortieth anniversary of the Victory (1985), the title of Hero City was awarded to Smolensk and Murmansk.

Each of the cities awarded the high title of Hero City contributed its own unforgettable page to the fiery history of the Great Patriotic War.

So, Moscow, the capital of our Motherland, from the very beginning of the war was the primary object for the implementation of the enemy's aggressive plans to seize the USSR. For their implementation, the German command threw colossal forces. But their plan was thwarted thanks to the heroic struggle of the Soviet troops and the civilian population.

On the way to Moscow, other cities of the country stood in front of the Nazis with a powerful barrier - Smolensk, Tula and Minsk, which turned out to be at the very epicenter of the battles of 1941. Tula put up fierce resistance with a small number of defenders. Smolensk heroically withstood numerous enemy attacks and occupation, although here the Nazis outnumbered our troops in terms of numbers and combat equipment.

In September 1941, the enemy managed to take Leningrad into a tight ring, as a result of which a grueling 900-day blockade began, which led to mass deaths from hunger and cold. But, despite this, the inhabitants of Leningrad heroically survived, directing all their forces to fight the invaders.

Odessa, completely surrounded by enemy troops in 1941, bravely fought against an enemy that outnumbered it by five times. The importance of the defense of Sevastopol lay in its status as the main naval base of the country and the largest port on the Black Sea. The city survived three large-scale enemy attacks and occupation, its defenders were able to inflict serious damage on the German troops and frustrate their plans on the southern wing of the front.

Volgograd (Stalingrad) stood in the way of the Nazis, who sought to cut off the fertile and resource-rich southern regions of the country with a throw to the Volga. The Battle of Stalingrad went down in history as the largest and greatest battle of the Great Patriotic War. It lasted 200 days and nights, as a result of which the enemy lost 1.5 million people and was forced to turn back.

The Brest Fortress distinguished itself with special heroism, which, with the courage of its defenders, stopped the enemy for a whole month in his plans to advance deep into the country. The Germans, on the other hand, were sure that they would capture it in just a few hours, due to a sudden attack on the garrison.

Moscow. Cenotaph.

Coat of arms of the Hero City of Sevastopol.

Minsk. Obelisk on top of the Mound of Glory. .

Greetings to all readers of my blog! May 9th on the calendar! Great holiday! Victory Day! Victory lives in everyone's heart! And I heartily congratulate you, my dear readers! And I wish you, your families, your children a peaceful sky above your head, happiness and kindness!

War. She left her mark on the history of every family, every house, every village, every city of our country. To date, 45 cities are cities of military glory. And there are also 13 Hero Cities. This is the highest degree of distinction for heroic defense during the war years.

Let's talk about each of them in more detail.

Lesson plan:

Leningrad (St. Petersburg)

July 10, 1941. The beginning of the offensive of German troops in the Leningrad direction. The Germans managed to take Leningrad into the ring. On September 8, the blockade of Leningrad began. And it lasted 872 days. The history of mankind has never known such a long siege.

At that time, about three million people lived in the northern capital. Terrible famine, constant air raids, bombings, rats, diseases, infections claimed more than 2 million lives. Despite everything, the Leningraders survived, they even managed to help the front. Factories did not stop working and produced military products.

Today, numerous memorials and monuments erected in the northern capital remind of the feat of Leningraders.

Memorial Piskarevsky cemetery. This is a place of mass graves of people who died during the siege of Leningrad. A statue of the Motherland, a woman who looks at the graves of her fallen sons, was installed in the cemetery.

If you walk along Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg, find house number 14. An inscription from the time of the war is still preserved there.

And on Victory Square there is a monument in memory of the defenders of the city. One of the significant parts of this monument is a broken bronze ring, which symbolizes the breaking of the blockade ring.

Stalingrad (Volgograd)

Summer 1942. The Germans decided to capture the Caucasus, the Kuban, the Don, the Lower Volga. Hitler was going to deal with this in a week. In order to stop the advance of the enemy, the Stalingrad Front was created.

On July 17, 1942, the Battle of Stalingrad began, one of the most important and major battles. This great battle lasted 200 days. And it ended with the complete victory of our troops thanks to the selfless actions of the military and ordinary residents. More than 1 million of our soldiers died in terrible bloody battles. The Germans also suffered heavy losses. More than 800 thousand killed and wounded. More than 200 thousand German soldiers were taken prisoner.

In Volgograd, on Mamaev Kurgan, there is a monument-ensemble, which is dedicated to all the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad. The main monument of the ensemble is an 85-meter sculpture of the Motherland. 200 steps lead to this monument from the foot of the mound - a symbol of two hundred long days of battle.

And Mamaev Kurgan itself is a huge mass grave in which more than 34 thousand dead soldiers are buried.

Sevastopol

The defense of Sevastopol began on October 30, 1941 and ended on July 4, 1942. This is one of the bloodiest battles that ended in the defeat of the Soviet troops. But the courage and heroism shown by the units of the Red Army and the inhabitants of Sevastopol did not allow the units of the Wehrmacht to carry out a quick seizure of the Crimea and the Caucasus.

The Nazis, having overwhelming superiority in the air and at sea, over and over again could not take the city. For the first and only time (in the entire war), German troops used an artillery gun weighing more than 1000 tons, which was capable of firing 7-ton projectiles and pierced a rock slab 30 meters thick. But Sevastopol stood. He stood until the ammunition ran out ... Until almost all the defenders died ...

There are more than 1500 monuments in Sevastopol. And about 1000 of them were installed in memory of the events of that terrible war. On Cape Khrustalny there is a monument "Soldier and Sailor", it was erected in memory of the defenders of Sevastopol.

Odessa

In the first years of the war, victory was achieved only at the cost of gigantic sacrifices. Hundreds of thousands of people died in order not to miss the enemy, in order to at least slightly restrain the fascist war machine. The Nazis believed that Odessa would become another item in their long list of cities that surrendered without a fight. But, they were wrong.

The 73 days of the defense of Odessa inflicted colossal losses on the Romanian-German armies, who were waiting for an "easy walk". Of the 300,000 enemy soldiers, 160,000 died. Our losses were 16,000. The Nazis were never able to capture Odessa, the city was abandoned ...
Here is what the Pravda newspaper writes about the defense of Odessa:

In Odessa there is a "Monument to the Unknown Sailor". The obelisk in the form of a granite stele is intended to remind the living of the feat of sailors during the war years. And next to the "Walk of Glory", on it are the graves of the fallen warriors-defenders.

Moscow

Napoleon, followed by Hitler, called Russia and the USSR "a colossus with feet of clay." But, for some reason, this colossus did not want to kneel, but clenched his teeth and fists and threw himself at spears and machine guns with his bare chest. This is what happened near Moscow.

At the cost of terrible losses, but the enemy was moving more and more slowly towards the capture of Moscow. He was stopped near Brest, he was beaten near Smolensk and Odessa, he was not given rest near Minsk and Yelets. The defensive operation near Moscow also lasted several months. Defensive fortifications were built, thousands of kilometers of trenches were dug. They fought for every village, for every height. But the magnificent machine of the Wehrmacht moved forward. They even saw the walls of the Kremlin through binoculars, but for many of them this was the last memory.

On December 5, 1941, the Germans were shown the way home. The offensive of our troops near Moscow began. More than a million soldiers and officers shouting "Hurrah!" began to persecute the Nazis. The victory near Moscow became one of the key moments of the war, people believed that we could win...

In Moscow, on Poklonnaya Hill, there is a huge memorial complex dedicated to the Great Patriotic War.

This complex includes:

• Monument in the form of an obelisk 141.8 meters high. This height is not accidental. It reminds of 1418 days of the war.
• Three temples that were erected in memory of all those who died during the war.
• Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War.
• Exhibition of military equipment in the open air and other memorials.

Kyiv

When the first German planes flew over Kyiv, many residents thought that these were exercises ... And they even rejoiced, saying, “How great they prepared the exercises! They even painted crosses.” No, these were not exercises - Kyiv was one of the first to experience all the horrors of the war. He was at the forefront almost immediately. There was not enough ammunition, not enough supplies. But there was an order - not to surrender Kyiv!!! Over 600,000 people died trying to fulfill it! But, on September 19, 1941, German troops entered the city. It was one of the heaviest defeats of the Red Army.

On the right bank of the Dnieper, at the highest point of Kyiv, a monument is erected, the height of which is more than 100 meters. This is a sculpture of the Motherland.

The sculpture depicts a woman with her hands up. The woman holds a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. The monument symbolizes the inflexibility of the national spirit in the struggle for the Motherland.

Brest

On June 22, 1941, at 4:15 am, a massive artillery strike began on the defenders of the Brest Fortress. According to the plans of the German command, the fortress was to be taken by noon. But the fortress held out. Without water, without food, without communication with the main units of the Red Army...

Such an inscription will later be discovered by historians on the walls.

Thousands died, very little is known about them. There was almost no one left who could tell ... The last defender was captured only on July 23.

Memorial complex "Brest Hero Fortress". It was opened on September 25, 1971. If you are in Belarus, be sure to visit it. It includes many monuments, obelisks, an eternal flame, memorial plates, a defense museum. The main monument of the memorial is a sculpture depicting the head of a Soviet soldier against the background of a waving banner.

Also pay attention to the memorial composition "Thirst".

The defenders of the fortress experienced a lack of water, as the water supply system was destroyed. The Buk and Mokhovets rivers remained the only source of water for them. But since their shores were under constant fire, the campaign for water was deadly.

Kerch

The first time Kerch was captured in mid-November 1941. In December, it was liberated by Soviet troops, but in May 1942 it was again captured by the Nazis. It was from this time that the world-famous guerrilla war in the Kerch (Adzhimushkay) quarries began.

Throughout the occupation, several thousand partisans and fighters of the regular army were hiding in them, who did not allow the German troops to live in peace. The Nazis blew up the entrances and poisoned with gases, collapsed the vaults ... To get water, they had to break through with a fight every time, since all the sources were outside. But the German troops could not break the resistance. Kerch was completely liberated only in April 1944. A little more than 30,000 inhabitants survived.

"Obelisk of Glory" located on Mount Mithridates is a symbol of Kerch.

It is dedicated to all the soldiers who died for the liberation of Crimea in 1943-1944. This monument was erected in August 1944. This is the first monument in the USSR dedicated to the events of the Great Patriotic War. The stele rises 24 meters into the sky; it is made of light gray stone. And at the foot there are three cannons.

Novorossiysk

"Small land" - many have heard it, but do not know where it is. You know, this is Novorossiysk. This is the triumph and courage of the Soviet marines. A couple of facts: on February 4, 1943, 800 marines (according to other sources, up to 1,500) held a foothold against 500 enemy firing points (in Normandy, the Allies landed 156,000 people).

Several hundred people held out until the approach of the main forces and fought back kilometer after kilometer. The Germans were never able to throw them into the sea. 225 days of advance. Every inch of the earth is watered with blood and sweat, the result of inhuman efforts and Novorossiysk was liberated. On September 16, 1943, Soviet troops entered the city ... it was destroyed by almost 96%.

In 1961, a memorial was opened in Novorossiysk in memory of the heroic liberators of the city. This is a sculpture depicting three people: a soldier, a sailor with a banner and a partisan girl. Three people stand shoulder to shoulder, and personify strength and courage.

“The Shot Wagon” is another monument in Novorossiysk.

There are countless bullet holes in this boxcar. It was installed on the line of defense of the Soviet troops in 1946.

Minsk

Another heavy and terrible page of that war. So much so that even the Soviet Information Bureau did not report the surrender of Minsk. About 10 high-ranking Soviet military leaders were arrested and shot. After all, the city was already taken on June 28, 1941.

But, not only this fell to the lot of Belarusians. Several hundred thousand civilians were deported to work in Germany. Units returned. Hundreds of thousands were hanged, shot and burned alive. But, they didn't give up. A partisan movement was created, with which the elite units of the Wehrmacht could do nothing. Thanks to the partisans, many offensive operations of the Germans were thwarted. More than 11,000 echelons were derailed, the partisans blew up more than 300,000 rails. They killed the enemy wherever they could.

In Minsk in 1952, a "Monument-tank" was installed in honor of the feat of Soviet tankmen.

On July 3, 1944, Soviet tanks entered the city during its liberation from Nazi invaders.

Tula

At the beginning of the war, news of the German offensive sometimes came after the city had been captured. So it almost happened with Tula. A sudden tank breakthrough of the front led to the capture of Orel, and only 180 km from it to Tula. The city remained practically unarmed and not ready for defense.

But, skillful leadership and, most importantly, quickly deployed reinforcements did not allow the German units to occupy the city of gunsmiths. The difficult situation at the front led to the almost complete blockade of Tula, but the enemy was never able to take it. Thousands of women were digging trenches at a time when defense factories were being evacuated and fierce fighting was going on. The Germans threw into battle selected, elite units, in particular the regiment "Grossdeutschland". But they couldn't do anything either… Tula didn't give up! She survived!

There are several memorial complexes dedicated to the Great Patriotic War in Tula. For example, a memorial was erected on Victory Square in honor of the Heroes-Defenders who defended the city in 1941.

A soldier and a militia stand shoulder to shoulder, holding machine guns in their hands. And nearby, three multi-meter steel obelisks shot up into the sky.

Murmansk

Murmansk from the first days of the war became a front-line city. The offensive of the German troops began on June 29, 1941, but at the cost of incredible efforts it was thwarted and in the future the enemy could not advance even a kilometer. The front line was unchanged until 1944.

Over the years, 185 thousand bombs were dropped on Murmansk, but he lived, worked and did not give up. He repaired warships, accepted food and transport ... The resilience of the inhabitants of Murmansk helped Leningrad survive, since it was in Murmansk that food was accumulated, which was then transferred to the Northern capital. The Northern Fleet accounted for about 600 destroyed enemy ships. On May 6, 1985, the merits of the Murmansk people were recognized, and their city received the title of Hero.

Memorial to the Defenders of the Soviet Arctic. The most famous monument of Murmansk.

The sculpture, 35 meters high, depicts a soldier with a weapon in his hands. The monument was opened in 1974. The people call this stone soldier "Alyosha".

Smolensk

Smolensk has always stood in the way of those who rushed to Moscow. So it was in 1812, so it was in 1941. According to the plans of the German command, the capture of Smolensk opened the way to Moscow. It was planned to capture a number of cities with lightning speed, including Smolensk. But, as a result, the enemy lost more soldiers in this direction than since the beginning of the war in all other directions combined. 250 thousand fascists did not come back.

It was near Smolensk that the tradition of the "Soviet Guard" later glorified was born. September 10, 1941 Smolensk fell, but did not surrender. A powerful partisan movement was created, which did not give a quiet life to the invaders. 260 natives of the Smolensk region received the title of "Hero of the Soviet Union", and years later ... on May 6, 1985, Smolensk received the title of "Hero City".

Many monuments in Smolensk remind of those who laid down their lives in the struggle for their Motherland. Among them is the “Monument to the Grieving Mother”.

It is located in the place where in 1943 the Nazis shot more than 3,000 people. Their mass grave is also located here, and a memorial wall was erected above it, which depicts the moment of execution and a sculpture of a woman in simple clothes and a scarf, with eyes full of grief.

All these cities paid for the right to be called Heroes with courage, blood and lives of their inhabitants!

Let's once again say a huge thank you to our dear veterans. War veterans, labor veterans! For their deed!

Peace-peace!

All the best and brightest to you!

Evgenia Klimkovich.

P.S. I express my deep gratitude for the help in preparing this article to my husband Denis, a great connoisseur of history.

P.P.S. The information presented in the article will be an excellent material for preparing reports for Victory Day. Also on the blog you will find interesting facts and solutions for posters and projects, and other items.

Honorary titles were awarded to 12 cities of the former Soviet Union and the Brest Fortress.

For the first time at the national level, the concept of "hero city" appeared in the editorial of the newspaper " Truth" dated December 24, 1942 It was dedicated to the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the establishment of medals for defense Leningrad, Stalingrad, Odessa and Sevastopol. In official documents, for the first time Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Stalingrad (now Volgograd), Sevastopol and Odessa were named "hero cities" - in the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Joseph Stalin dated May 1, 1945. It spoke about the organization of fireworks in these cities.


June 21, 1961 in the decrees of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR " About city awards Kyiv Order of Lenin" and " On the establishment of the medal "For the Defense of Kyiv""The capital of Ukraine was named a "hero city".

On May 8, 1965, in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet (SC) of the USSR approved the regulation on the honorary title of "hero city". The main criterion according to which the cities received this status was the historical assessment of the contribution of their defenders to the victory over the enemy. " Hero Cities" became the centers of the largest battles of the Great Patriotic War (for example, the battle for Leningrad, the Battle of Stalingrad, etc.), cities, the defense of which determined the victory of the Soviet troops in the main strategic directions of the front.

In addition, this status was given to cities whose inhabitants continued to fight the enemy in the occupation. According to the law, the "hero cities" were awarded the Order of Lenin, the Gold Star medal, and a diploma from the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces. In addition, obelisks were installed in them with the text of the decree on conferring an honorary title, as well as with the image of the awards received.
On May 8, 1965, five decrees of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces were issued on the presentation of awards to the "hero cities" of Leningrad, Volgograd, Kyiv, Sevastopol, and Odessa. On the same day Moscow was awarded the honorary title of "hero city", and Brest Fortress- "fortress-hero" with the award of the orders of Lenin and the medal "Gold Star".
September 14, 1973 received the title Kerch and Novorossiysk, June 26, 1974 - Minsk, December 7, 1976 - Tula, May 6, 1985 - Murmansk and Smolensk.

Total honorary titles were awarded 12 cities of the former Soviet Union and the Brest Fortress.
In 1988 year, the practice of conferring the title was discontinued by a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
*
New honorary title - "City of Military Glory",
was established on May 9, 2006 by a federal law signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
It is assigned cities, " on the territory of which or in the immediate vicinity of which, during fierce battles, the defenders of the Fatherland showed courage, steadfastness and mass heroism, including cities that were awarded the title of "hero city ". Currently in Russia 45 cities have the honorary title "City of Military Glory".

In Moscow, in the Alexander Garden near the Kremlin wall, near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, there is a granite alley of hero cities. There are 12 porphyry blocks here, each of which bears the name of one of the hero cities and a chased image of the Gold Star medal.
Capsules with earth from the Piskarevsky cemetery in Leningrad and Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd, from the foot of the walls of the Brest Fortress and the obelisk of Glory of the defenders of Kyiv, from the defense lines of Odessa and Novorossiysk, from Malakhov Kurgan in Sevastopol and Victory Square in Minsk, from Mount Mithridates near Kerch, defensive positions near Tula, Murmansk and Smolensk.

On November 17, 2009, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree according to which the granite alley of hero cities near the Kremlin wall was included in the National Memorial of Military Glory, along with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and a memorial sign in honor of cities awarded the honorary title "City of Military Glory".