The results of the participation of the USSR in World War II

Comments

World War II lasted 2194 days. It was attended by 72 states with a population of 1,700 million people (80% of the world's population). Only 6 states remained neutral, and hostilities were conducted on the territory of 40 states. 110 million people were mobilized. More than 60 million people died, among whom, along with the military, there were many civilians.

The main burden of the Second World War fell on the USSR, our country became the main obstacle to the spread of German fascist domination and Japanese militarism over other peoples. The overwhelming majority of Wehrmacht divisions were on the Soviet-German front. In terms of fierceness, scope and activity of the fighting, it far surpassed other fronts of the Second World War. On the Eastern Front, the enemy suffered 73% of the total losses. The armed forces of the USSR destroyed 506.5 German divisions and 100 divisions of Germany's satellite countries. England and the USA defeated no more than 176 divisions in Western Europe, North Africa and Italy. Having by the beginning of the war industrial production, inferior to fascist Germany by 2 times, having suffered huge losses, the Soviet Union already in 1943 produced weapons and military equipment 2 times more than Germany.

During the 4 years of the war, Soviet troops conducted 51 strategic, over 250 front-line and about 1000 army operations. Until the summer of 1944, the absolute majority of German divisions were on the Soviet-German front, although, of course, we must not completely forget about the battles in North Africa, on the island of Sicily, in southern Italy, in the mountains of Yugoslavia, about the actions of French, Italian and other partisans.

The main factor of victory was the superiority of the Soviet army in all components of the military confrontation. 11 thousand people became heroes of the Soviet Union. The great commander of the 20th century became the Marshal of Victory. Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov. Exceptional stamina, patience, diligence, hatred of the enemy and love for their homeland were shown by the Russian people, all peoples, united into a single whole. The war was national, sacred, great, patriotic.

Numerous memorial ensembles were erected in the USSR in the places of past battles. Tanks, planes, sea boats, artillery pieces stood on pedestals. But the main memory belongs to the people, to each new generation of Russians, who on May 9 say: "Eternal glory to the heroes!"

"Cold War": reasons

The reasons		Content		results
Political:
Fear of further spread of influence of the USA and the USSR. · Presence all over the world of supporters of the USA and the USSR. The need to rally supporters in the face of a threat from the opposite camp		· Development of a common strategy, creation of blocs, holding bilateral and multilateral meetings. Support for your supporters in the enemy's country		· The US and its allies won the Cold War over the USSR and its allies. As a result of “perestroika”, pro-Western forces came to power in Russia and began to carry out reforms with the aim of consistent Westernization of the country
Economic:
· Struggle for resources, product markets. Weakening of the economic power of the enemy during the military-political confrontation		· The use of various means of negative influence on the development of the enemy's economy. · Arms race		Constant pressure on the economy of the USSR, an unbearable arms race and the lack of reasonable reforms led to the collapse of the Soviet economy, the fall of positions in the world economy
Military:
· Fear of the military power of the enemy. Providing advantages in the event of the outbreak of the Third World War		· Fierce intelligence struggle, military-industrial espionage. Checking the enemy in numerous local and regional conflicts		· The Soviet war machine stalled in Afghanistan. The progressive collapse of the USSR led to a significant weakening of military power
Ideological:
· To prevent the acquaintance of the population of the enemy countries with the attractive aspects of the life of an alien society. The total struggle of communist and liberal-bourgeois ideology		· Restriction of contacts between citizens of opposing countries. · Psychological treatment of the population in the spirit of hostility, hatred for the opposite side. Promotion of attractive ideas, their dissemination		· Western way of life, high standard of living turned out to be very attractive for the citizens of the USSR, many of whom emigrated. The media in the USSR gradually adopted Western ways of processing public consciousness

Comments

The strengthening of the positions of socialism throughout the world and the growth of the international prestige of the USSR were seen as a great threat by the US government, which during the years of World War II turned into the most powerful state in the capitalist world. The United States was the only country with nuclear weapons. American President G. Truman and British Prime Minister W. Churchill formulated the idea of ​​a "cold war" against the USSR. The goal of this war was proclaimed to be the "rejection of communism". The means of realizing this goal were: the imposition of an exhausting arms race on the USSR; deployment of a network of military bases around the USSR; the creation of a military-political bloc of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization - NATO in 1949; various methods of economic pressure, etc.

The Soviet leadership, headed by Stalin, was interested in maintaining economic cooperation with the former allies in the anti-Hitler coalition, but he had no desire to succumb to American dictates. The position of the United States was viewed as aggressive, which began to be used within the country for propaganda and communist education of the population. The presence of a permanent and dangerous enemy - American imperialism, the constant aggravation of the country's international position served as a convenient explanation for the slow rise in the living standards of the population.

The Soviet leadership did not abandon the idea of ​​a world socialist revolution. As the economic and military-political power of the USSR grew, so did the political ambitions of the Soviet leaders. Increasing financial and military assistance was provided to countries that embarked on the path of socialist construction and freed themselves from colonial dependence. Supported the communist, workers, anti-war movement in Western countries.

In the Cold War there were exacerbations and detentes. The USSR and the USA did not enter into direct military confrontation, but in most international conflicts they stood behind the backs of the opposing sides.

Under the conditions of perestroika, MS Gorbachev proposed the concept of a new way of thinking in the system of international relations, which provided for the solution of controversial issues through negotiations, the reduction of armaments, and the dissolution of military blocs. In 1990, the Warsaw Pact Organization was dissolved. In the fall of 1990, West and East Germany unified, with the unified FRG remaining a part of the NATO bloc. And in September-December 1991, the USSR collapsed. NATO and the US have taken control of the entire world.

Plan

1. World War II: beginning, causes, nature, scale, main stages.

2. Domestic and foreign policy of the Soviet state in 1939 - 1941

3. The attack of Nazi Germany on the USSR. Disruption of the "blitzkrieg" plan (June 1941 - November 1942).

4. A radical change during the Great Patriotic War (November 1942-1943).

5. Liberation of the Soviet territory. The victorious end of the Great Patriotic War (1944-1945).

6. Sources of the victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War.

1. World War II: beginning, causes, nature, scale, main stages.

The start date of World War II is September 1, 1939, when Germany treacherously attacked Poland. England, which provided guarantees to Poland, and France, bound to Poland by a non-aggression pact, declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939. Thus began the Second World War.

What are the causes of the war? Historians disagree on this issue. Some (mostly Western historians) argue that the war was caused by the Fuhrer's extremism, the intractability of neighboring states, the injustice of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany's overpopulation, etc. Others are trying to shift the blame on the Soviet Union. Allegedly, through his fault, negotiations on the creation of a collective security system in Europe were disrupted. He is accused of signing a non-aggression pact (August 23, 1939) with Germany.

The true causes of the war are hidden by bourgeois historiography. Two tendencies are active in the world of capital: the desire for unity in the struggle against socialism and the deepening of contradictions between individual capitalist states and their coalitions. The second trend was stronger. The expansionist interests of the fascist Reich came into conflict with the interests of the monopolies of the Western powers.

By its nature, the war was imperialist, reactionary, predatory, unjust.

The culprits of this war are not only the fascist states: Germany, Italy and militarist Japan, but also England and France, who refused to take joint steps with the USSR to create a system of collective security in Europe and sought to push Germany against the Soviet Union. This is evidenced by the Munich Agreement of Germany, England, France and Italy in 1938, which was discussed in the previous lecture.

The war, which began in 1939, lasted 6 years. 72 states participated in it. 110 million people were mobilized in the army. The area of ​​military operations was five times larger than in the years of World War I, the number of aircraft - 4 times more, guns - 8 times, tanks - 30 times.

During the Second World War, historians distinguish five periods.

The first period (September 1939 - June 1941) - the beginning of the war and the invasion of German troops into the countries of Western Europe.

The second period (June 1941 - November 1942) - the attack of fascist Germany on the USSR, the expansion of the scale of the war, the collapse of the Hitlerite doctrine of blitzkrieg and the myth of the invincibility of the German army.

The third period (November 1942 - December 1943) - a radical turning point in the course of the entire Second World War, the collapse of the offensive strategy of the fascist bloc.

The fourth period (January 1944 - May 1945) - the defeat of the fascist bloc, the expulsion of enemy troops from the USSR, the creation of a second front, the liberation from the occupation of European countries, the complete collapse of Germany and its unconditional surrender.

The fifth period (May - September 1945) - the defeat of imperialist Japan, the liberation of the peoples of Asia from Japanese occupation and the end of World War II.

2. Domestic and foreign policy of the Soviet state in 1939 - 1941

Under the conditions of the outbreak of World War II, the USSR continued to implement the third five-year plan, the main tasks of which were the further development of industrial production, agriculture, transport, defense power, and raising the living standards of the population. Special attention was given to the development of the production base in the East.

In 1940, the country's industry produced 45% more products than in 1937. Compared with 1913, the output of large-scale industry in 1940 was almost 12 times greater, and engineering - 35 times (History of the USSR. 1917-1978, M., 1979, p. 365).

Defense expenditures grew: in 1938 they amounted to 21.3% of the budget expenditures (57 billion rubles).

The government has taken a number of measures to strengthen the country's defense capability.

· The Red Army moved to a personnel position;

· Increased its number to 5.3 million people;

· Adopted a law on universal conscription (September 1939);

· Increased production of military equipment, improved its quality.

Only from 1939 to June 1941, 125 new divisions were formed. More than 105,000 light and heavy machine guns, 100,000 machine guns, more than 7,000 tanks, 29,637 field guns, 52,407 mortars, 17,745 combat aircraft were put into service. (True, 1995, April 12).

But it was not possible to complete the planned measures then.

Foreign policy was aimed, on the one hand, at strengthening the country's defense capability, and on the other hand, to avoid a one-on-one military clash with Germany.

After the failure of attempts to create a system of collective security in Europe, to conclude an effective pact of mutual assistance with Britain and France, the USSR, acting in self-defense and frustrating the attempts of the imperialists to pit the USSR against Germany in conditions of international isolation, accepted Germany's proposal to conclude a treaty on non-aggression, which was signed on 23.08.39. With this, the USSR secured peace for a year and a half and the opportunity to strengthen its defense capability. On September 1, 1939, Germany attacked Poland.

In an effort to secure their borders and take the peoples of Western Ukraine and Belarus under protection, on September 17, 1939, by order of the government, the Red Army entered the territory of Poland. Elected by secret universal suffrage, the people's assemblies of Western Ukraine and Belarus in October 1939 asked to be admitted to the USSR.

In September-October 1939, agreements on mutual assistance were signed between the USSR and the Baltic republics. The USSR received the right to build military bases and airfields, and introduce military units to protect them.

Lithuania was transferred to the city of Vilna and the Vilna region, forcibly captured by Poland.

November 30, 1939 Finnish reactionaries provoked a conflict on the Soviet-Finnish border. The Soviet-Finnish war began. Finland refused to move the border away from Leningrad - one of the reasons for the conflict. On March 12, 1940, a peace treaty was signed with Finland. The Karelian Isthmus, the northern and western shores of Lake Ladoga passed to the USSR. The USSR received the right to lease the Hanko Peninsula for 30 years. The treaty provided for mutual non-aggression and non-participation in coalitions hostile to each other.

Fearing Germany's penetration into the Baltic states, the Soviet government in June 1940 demanded the governments of the Baltic republics to remove reactionary, pro-fascist elements from the governments and to bring Soviet military units into the territory of these states. These demands were supported by the masses. Violent demonstrations began.

Bourgeois governments were ousted from power on a whim. In the second half of June, people's democratic governments were formed. On July 14-15, elections were held for the People's Seimas of Latvia and Lithuania and the State Duma of Estonia. The Union of Working People won.

The new parliaments in July 1940 proclaimed the restoration of Soviet power, which was liquidated with the help of interventionists in 1919, and decided to ask the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to accept the new Soviet republics into the USSR. On August 3-6, 1940, the 7th session of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR granted their request.

On June 26, 1940, the Soviet government demanded that Romania return Bessarabia, which was torn away from Russia in 1918, and transfer the northern part of Bukovina to the USSR. Romania accepted the demands of the USSR.

The Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted (August 2, 1940) a law on the reunification of the Moldavian population of Bessarabia and the Moldavian ASSR and the formation of the Moldavian SSR. The northern part of Bukovina, as well as its Khotinsky, Ankermansky and Gumanovsky counties of Bessarabia were included in the Ukrainian SSR.

Thus, the border was pushed to the west, and its fortification began. From a strategic point of view, such a measure was necessary to strengthen the defense capability of the USSR. This was understood by statesmen in the West.

The USSR tried to stop Hitler's aggression: it warned Germany about the inadmissibility of violating the neutrality of Sweden; invited Bulgaria to sign an agreement on friendship and mutual assistance, but was refused by Tsar Boris, who agreed to the entry of German troops into Bulgaria. April 5, 1941 A treaty of friendship and non-aggression was signed with Yugoslavia, but after 3 hours the German army attacked Yugoslavia.

In the spring and summer of 1941, there was an improvement in relations with England (at that time the government was headed by W. Churchill), with the United States, which lifted the "moral embargo" on trade with the USSR, introduced during the conflict between Finland and the USSR.

The Soviet government did everything to avoid a war with Germany, strictly implemented the treaties, eliminated all the pretexts that Hitlerite Germany could use to justify a "preventive war" against the USSR. Although it was not possible to prevent the attack of Germany, but by its policy the USSR deprived Germany of the slightest opportunity to justify this attack. Germany appeared as an aggressor, and the USSR received a huge political gain as a peace-loving country that was attacked.

3. The attack of Nazi Germany on the USSR. Disruption of the "blitzkrieg" plan (June 1941 - November 1942).

Germany's goals: to eliminate the socialist system, restore capitalism, dismember the USSR into a number of small states and enslave them, exterminate tens of millions of Soviet people. Germany saw the defeat of the USSR as a decisive condition for gaining world domination.

The "Plan Barbarossa", developed in 1940, provided for a sudden strike on the Soviet Union, the encirclement of Soviet troops at the border and their destruction, a rapid advance inland, the capture of Leningrad, Moscow, Kyiv within 6-8 weeks, access to the Arkhangelsk line - Astrakhan and the victorious end of the war.

By the summer of 1941, Germany concentrated 190 divisions, 5.5 million soldiers, up to 50 thousand guns and mortars, 430 tanks and almost 5 thousand aircraft on the border with the USSR (History of the Second World War. 1939 -1945. Vol. IV. M ., 1975, p. 21).

On the part of the USSR, this war was just, liberation, people's.

The war began under favorable conditions for Germany: her army was mobilized, had two years of experience in waging war, the economy had already been transferred to a war footing, she had at her disposal large resources of the countries she occupied, there was no second front in Europe, she had allies (Italy, Romania, Finland, Hungary), she was helped by: Japan, Bulgaria, Spain, Turkey. The USSR was forced to keep large forces in the Far East and Transcaucasia. The surprise of the attack also gave her an advantage. But these benefits were temporary.

The enemy met the heroic resistance of the Red Army. Brest, defensive battles on the Bug and Prut. The heroism of the Soviet people: D. V. Kokorev - the first ram, N. Gastello - sent a burning plane to a cluster of tanks.

The country's leadership was not at a loss and carried out a number of measures aimed at repelling aggression.

· Stalin concentrated all power in his hands: the chairman of the Council of People's Commissars, the State Defense Committee, the People's Commissar for Defense, the Supreme Commander.

· Evacuation of enterprises to the East -1500.

Self-government bodies were reorganized, new ones were created: the Evacuation Council, the Committee for the Distribution of Labor, etc., the rights of people's commissars were expanded, local defense committees were created, etc.

· At the call of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, a partisan movement began in the territory occupied by the enemy.

· In the Soviet rear, a massive collection of funds and things for the defense fund began.

· Began the restructuring of industry on a war footing.

· The diplomatic activity of the USSR became more active.

In 1941, the main battles unfolded in the Leningrad, Moscow and Kiev directions. The enemy had the initiative. The enemy met stubborn resistance in the area of ​​Smolensk, Yelnya, Kyiv, Odessa, which defended for 73 days, Leningrad.

By the end of 1941, the enemy had captured vast territory. The Nazis established a brutal occupation regime. However, the plan of "blitzkrieg" war was not carried out.

In early December 1941, the Soviet armies launched a successful counteroffensive near Moscow. 11 thousand settlements were liberated, including cities, up to 50 enemy divisions were defeated, 1300 tanks and many other equipment were destroyed. The plan of "blitzkrieg" war was thwarted. Under the influence of the victory of the Soviet troops, the liberation struggle of the peoples of Europe intensifies. Strengthened the anti-Hitler coalition. The Allies promised to open a second front in 1942 and increase assistance to the USSR.

1942 The Allies did not fulfill their promise: the second front was not opened. The initiative was still in the hands of Germany. In July 1942, the fortress of Sevastopol fell. At the same time, a powerful German offensive began from the Kharkov region to Stalingrad and the North Caucasus.

Thus, by the end of 1942, the enemy managed to seize part of the Soviet territory, where 80 million people lived before the war, over 70% of iron and 60% of steel were produced, and 47% of the sown area of ​​the USSR was sown. (History of the Second World War 1939-1945. T. V. M., p. 318).

Despite this, already in 1942 the USSR surpassed Nazi Germany in the production of aircraft, tanks, guns, and the gross industrial output of the USSR in 1942 increased by more than 1.5 times. Relying on the growing rear, the Red Army was able to achieve a radical change in the course of the war. (History of the USSR. 1917-1978 M., 1979, p. 365).

On the eve of the war, a radical restructuring of our armed forces was carried out. They have been greatly enhanced. On June 22, 1941, Germany treacherously attacked the Soviet Union. The European allies of Germany - Italy, Hungary, Romania and Finland - also entered the war against the USSR.

To implement the plan for a lightning war ("blitzkrieg") called "Barbarossa" - a plan for the destruction of Moscow, Leningrad, Kyiv, Minsk and the seizure of the North Caucasus, and most importantly Baku with its oil, the Nazis created an exceptional military power.

But, the “blitzkrieg” did not work out for the Nazis, they had to fight for almost 4 years (or rather 1418 days and nights), and as a result, lose everything and shamefully capitulate in Berlin.

The war can be conditionally divided into three periods: the first period - June 1941 - November 1942; the second period - November 1942 - the end of 1943; third period - January 1944 - May 1945

1.First period

The main directions of military operations: northwestern (Leningrad), western (Moscow), southwestern (Ukraine). Main events: border battles in the summer of 1941, the defense of the Brest Fortress; the capture of the Baltic states, Belarus by the Nazi troops, the beginning of the blockade of Leningrad; Smolensk battles of 1941; Kyiv defense, Odessa defense 1941 - 1942; fascist German occupation of Ukraine and Crimea; Moscow battle in September-December 1941

On December 5, 1941, the Red Army went on the offensive near Moscow. This was the first major defeat of the German troops in the Second World War, starting from the autumn of 1939. It was the collapse of the idea of ​​"blitzkrieg" - lightning war war and the beginning of a turning point in its course. The front in the east for Germany and its allies stopped near Moscow.

However, Hitler could not agree that the further conduct of hostilities against Russia would not lead Germany to victory. In June 1942, Hitler changed his plan - the main thing was to capture the Volga region and the Caucasus in order to provide the troops with fuel and food. The Nazi offensive began in the southeast of our country. A bright page in the history of the Great Patriotic War was the heroic defense of Stalingrad (July 17 - November 18, 1942). The battle for the Caucasus lasted from July 1942 to October 1943.

2.Second period of the war

The second period of the war begins with the counter-offensive of our troops near Stalingrad (November 19, 1942 - February 2, 1943 The defeat of the 330,000-strong Nazi group over Stalingrad meant a radical turning point in the course of the war.

Offensive operations in the North Caucasus, the Middle Don, as well as the breaking of the blockade of Leningrad in January 1943 - all this dispelled the myth of the invincibility of the fascist army. In the summer of 1943, Hitler was forced to conduct a total mobilization in Germany and in the satellite states. He urgently needed to take revenge for the defeats at Stalingrad and in the Caucasus. And on July 12-15, the Red Army launched a counteroffensive. On August 5, Oryol and Belgrade were liberated. The victory in the Battle of Kursk is regarded as an event of the war, during which the Soviet army "broke the back" of the German troops. From now on, no one in the world doubted the victory of the USSR.

From that moment on, the full strategic initiative passed to the Soviet army, which was held until the end of the war. In August-December 1943, all our fronts went on the offensive, German troops retreated everywhere beyond the Dnieper. Novorossiysk was liberated on September 16, and Kyiv on November 6.

Fearing to be late and eager to share the victory over Nazi Germany, the rulers of the United States and Great Britain agreed to open a second front. To do this, they met with the Soviet delegation, headed by Stalin, at the Tehran Conference in 1943.

But even after the agreement on joint actions, the United States and Great Britain were in no hurry to open a second front, guided by their far-reaching plans to bleed the USSR, and after the war to impose their will on Russia.

3.Third period

Defeat the enemy on the territory of European countries

Military operations are transferred to the territory of Germany's allies and the countries occupied by it. The Soviet government officially declared that the entry of the Red Army into the territory of other countries was caused by the need to completely defeat the armed forces of Germany.

Under the blows of the Red Army, the fascist bloc fell apart. During the summer-autumn of 1944, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary and Slovakia were liberated. In October 1944, Soviet troops entered the territory of Germany. Together with the Soviet troops, the Czechoslovak corps, the Bulgarian army, the People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia, the 1st and 2nd armies of the Polish Army, several Romanian units and formations took part in the liberation of their countries.

Under the blows of the Soviet troops in the East and the allied troops in the West, the position of the German army at the end of August deteriorated sharply. The German command was not able to fight on two fronts, and on August 28, 1944, it began to withdraw troops in the west to the borders of Germany.

In the first half of January 1945, Soviet troops launched a decisive offensive in Poland. Front troops entered Germany on January 29, 1945

Fall of Berlin

On April 29, Soviet troops broke through to the Reichstag, and after a stubborn battle on the evening of April 30, the soldiers of the 150th Infantry Division over the dome of the Reichstag Red Banner of Victory. The Berlin garrison capitulated.

Before May 5, the surrender of several German armies and army groups was accepted. And on May 7, at Eisenhower's headquarters in the city of Reims, a preliminary protocol was signed on the surrender of the German armed forces on all fronts. The USSR insisted on the preliminary nature of this act. The act of unconditional surrender took place at midnight on May 8 in the suburbs of Berlin - Karlshort. The historic act was signed by Field Marshal Keitel in the presence of Zhukov and representatives of the US, British and French commands. On the same day, Soviet troops liberated rebellious Prague. From that day on, the organized surrender of German troops began. The war in Europe is over.

In the course of the great liberation mission in Europe, Soviet troops completely or partially liberated the territory of 13 countries with a population of over 147 million people. The Soviet people paid a huge price for this. Irretrievable losses at the final stage of the Great Patriotic War amounted to more than 1 million people.

The victory of the USSR in the Great Patriotic War is a great feat of the Soviet people. Russia lost over 20 million people. Material damage amounted to 2600 billion rubles, hundreds of cities, 70 thousand villages, about 32 thousand industrial enterprises were destroyed.

48 .The main stages of relations between Russia and the West in the Second World War

Understanding the danger of fascist enslavement pushed aside traditional contradictions and prompted the leading politicians of the time to join forces in the fight against fascism. Immediately after the start of the aggression, the governments of Britain and the United States issued statements of support for the USSR. W. Churchill made a speech in which he guaranteed the support of the USSR by the government and people of Great Britain. In a statement by the US government on June 23, 1941, fascism was the main danger to the American continent.

The formation of the anti-Hitler coalition was initiated by the beginning of negotiations between the USSR, Great Britain and the USA, which ended with the signing on July 12, 1941 of the Soviet-British cooperation agreement. The agreement formed two basic principles of the coalition: assistance and support of any kind in the war against Germany, as well as the refusal to negotiate or conclude an armistice and a separate peace.

On August 16, 1941, an economic agreement on trade and credit was concluded. The allies of the USSR undertook to supply our country with weapons and food (deliveries under Lend-Lease). By joint efforts, pressure was put on Turkey and Afghanistan in order to achieve neutrality from these countries. Iran was occupied.

One of the main steps in the creation of the anti-Hitler coalition was the signing on January 1, 1942 (at the initiative of the United States), of the United Nations Declaration on the fight against the aggressor.

The agreement was based on the Atlantic Charter. The declaration was supported by 20 countries.

The main problem of the anti-Hitler coalition was the disagreement between the allies on the timing of the opening of the second front. This issue was first discussed during Molotov's visit to London and Washington. However, the Allies limited themselves to fighting in North Africa and landing troops in Sicily. This issue was finally resolved during the meeting of the heads of the allied powers in Tehran in November-December 1943.

In an agreement between Stalin, US President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister W. Churchill, the date for the opening of the second front was determined, and the problems of the post-war development of Europe were also discussed.

One of the most important stages in strengthening the anti-Hitler coalition was the Crimean Conference of the Heads of the Allied States, which was held in Yalta in February 1945.

Before the start of this conference, on the orders of Stalin, a powerful offensive was launched on the fronts.

Using this factor and playing on the contradictions between the allies, Stalin managed to achieve the confirmation of the borders of Poland along the "Curzon line", the decision to transfer East Prussia and Koenigsberg to the USSR.

A decision was made on the complete disarmament of Germany and the amount of reparations was determined. The Allies decided to take control of the German military industry, banned the Nazi Party.

Germany was divided into four occupation zones between the USA, USSR, England and France. At the conference, a secret agreement was adopted, according to which the USSR undertook to declare war on Japan.

On July 17, 1945, a conference of heads of state of the anti-Hitler coalition took place in Potsdam. Questions of the post-war device were solved. The Soviet delegation was headed by Stalin, the American delegation by Truman, and the British delegation by Churchill (during the conference he was defeated in the elections and was replaced by Clement Attlee).

The USSR demanded an increase in reparations and the transfer of Poland's borders along the Oder-Neisse line, to which he received consent. The conference participants decided to bring the Nazi criminals to the International Court.

Fulfilling its allied obligations, on August 8, 1945, the USSR denounced the neutrality treaty with Japan and declared war on it.

49.USSR during the Great Patriotic War The initial period of the Great Patriotic War

June 22, 1941 Germany and some of its allies (Italy, Hungary, Romania, Finland) suddenly attacked the USSR. German troops surrounded the Soviet units near Minsk and Bialystok, occupied Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, part of Ukraine. The reasons for the failures are the poor training of the Soviet troops and command and the good training and experience of the German, the suddenness of the strike, Stalin's mistakes, etc.

The State Defense Committee (GKO) and the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command (SVGK) were created. A popular militia was formed. Enterprises were evacuated to the east, to Siberia and Central Asia.

On July 10, fighting began near Kyiv and Smolensk. In September, the Nazis took Kyiv and surrounded 5 battle-weary and understaffed Soviet armies there, and blockaded Leningrad. On September 30, the battle for Moscow began (Operation Typhoon). The troops of the Western Front fell into the "cauldron" near Vyazma, but the courage of our soldiers and the lack of forces from the enemy did not allow him to take the capital. On December 5-6, 1941, the Red Army launched a counteroffensive near Moscow and pushed the enemy back 100-250 km. The Nazis were also defeated near Tikhvin, Rostov, Kerch. But the further advance of the Red Army was not successful.

In May 1942, our troops were defeated near Kharkov and Kerch. On June 28, the enemy launched an offensive in the south towards the Caucasus and the Volga. In October, the Nazis reached the central passes of the Caucasus. In September, they started fighting in Stalingrad.

On July 12, 1941, an Anglo-Soviet agreement was signed on the fight against the enemy. September 29 - October 1, 1941 Anglo-American-Soviet conference was held in Moscow. The sizes of deliveries to the USSR (lend-lease) were determined. On January 1, 1942, the United Nations Declaration on Combating the Enemy Without Separate Peace was signed. Anglo-Soviet agreement May 26, 1942 and US-Soviet agreement May 11, 1942 finalized the anti-Hitler coalition

Turning point during the Great Patriotic War

On November 19, 1942, the Red Army went on the offensive near Stalingrad and surrounded the F. Paulus group. An attempt to unlock it failed. On February 2, 1943, after heavy fighting, its remnants surrendered to the fighters of K.K. Rokossovsky. Soviet troops took Rostov, Voronezh and reached Kharkov and Belgorod, but then were driven back and went on the defensive. A counteroffensive began in the Caucasus. In January 1943, the blockade of Leningrad was broken. In May 1943, the Italo-German troops in North Africa surrendered to the Allies.

On July 5, 1943, the Battle of Kursk began. The troops of E. Manstein and X. Kluge, using heavy tanks "Tiger", pressed the units of N. F. Vatutin and K. K. Rokossovsky, but on July 12 the Red Army launched a counteroffensive and took Orel, Belgorod, Kharkov. On July 10, the Allies landed in Sicily. Italy withdrew from the war.

Following Stalingrad, the North Caucasus was cleared of the enemy. The bloody battle for the Dnieper began. On November 6, Kyiv was taken. The liberation of Belarus began.

The partisan movement against the Nazi "new order" was expanding (deportation of people to Germany, executions of Jews, communists suspected of having links with partisans, hostages, etc., robbery of resources). In 1943, the partisans carried out operations "Rail War" and "Concert" to disable the railways. The Nazis had to throw up to 20 divisions against them. Some of the Soviet citizens, for ideological or material reasons, helped the enemy.

November 28 - December 1, 1943, the Tehran Conference was held. I. V. Stalin, F. D. Roosevelt and W. Churchill agreed to open a second front in France, which did not take place in 1942 and 1943. The USSR promised to enter the war against Japan after the defeat of Germany. Questions of the post-war order of the world were discussed.

There was a turning point in the military industry

In the context of the Second World War that began on September 1, 1939, the Soviet leadership set a course to expand its sphere of influence, and then its territory in Europe. Stalin believed that such a course contributed to the strengthening of the country's security.

In 1939-1940, the western parts of Belarus and Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, as well as Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina were annexed to the USSR. Contradictions with Finland led to the Soviet-Finnish war (1939-1940), during which the USSR achieved only that the border was pushed back from Leningrad to Vyborg.

Under the guise of outwardly friendly relations, Germany and the USSR were preparing for a military clash. The initiative in the deployment of troops belonged to Germany. In December 1940, Hitler signed a directive on the development of a plan of attack on the USSR ("Barbarossa").

On June 22, 1941, Germany attacked the USSR. The Great Patriotic War began - an integral part of the Second World War. The Red Army suffered a crushing defeat in the border battles. The unpreparedness of the USSR for a defensive war and the better preparation of the German army allowed the aggressor to seize the strategic initiative in the first months of the war.

The beginning of the war caused a patriotic upsurge. Millions of people voluntarily came to the recruiting stations and went to the front. Reserve units advanced from the depths of the country to meet the advancing German army. However, they also suffered heavy losses, as they did not have combat experience, support for tanks and aircraft, most of which were lost in the border districts.

Soon after the attack, the restructuring of Soviet society on a military basis began. From now on, the whole life of the Soviet people was subordinated to the task of ensuring victory over the enemy. On June 23, 1941, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command was formed (later it was headed by Stalin). The terrible blow that hit the USSR led to the undermining of the country's economy. By November 1941, production had halved. However, a significant part of the equipment managed to be taken to the Urals, Siberia and Central Asia. One and a half thousand enterprises were dismantled, loaded onto trains, transported to new places and started up again there. Beyond the Urals, in essence, a new industrial base was created. During the war, the majority of the population lived according to the principle “Everything for the front! Everything for the victory!

By mid-July, the slowdown in the pace of the German offensive showed that a blitzkrieg was impossible. The USSR was more prepared for a protracted war than Germany.

The Nazis managed to occupy more than 40% of the territory of the Soviet Union with a population of about 80 million people; 6 million people were driven into slavery in Germany (half of them died during the war years). The Gestapo, the security service, was active, arresting anyone suspected of anti-fascist sentiments, torturing and destroying them. Raids were carried out by "Einsatz teams" that exterminated Jews. So, in 1941-1943, about 100 thousand Soviet citizens, mostly Jews, died in Babi Yar (in the northern part of Kyiv).

On the ground, the occupation administration attracted local collaborators to serve as elders and policemen (policemen). Some people went to cooperate with the occupiers out of hopelessness, considering the USSR defeated, some - wanting to make a career under the new regime, some - out of ideological considerations, hatred for the communist regime and sympathy for Nazi Germany. Ideological motives also dictated the behavior of that part of the Russian emigration that agreed to cooperate with Nazism. Some of the émigré collaborators were Germanophile or pro-Nazi (P. N. Krasnov, A. G. Shkuro, and others), and some hoped to play the role of a “third force” (People’s Labor Union). Life has proved the naivety of these hopes. Military collaborationist formations were also created, the largest of which was the Russian Liberation Army, headed by General A. A. Vlasov.

In the territories occupied by the Germans, a partisan movement and an anti-fascist underground unfolded. In total, 200 thousand square kilometers were under the control of the partisans in 1943.

After the victories of the Red Army near Moscow (December 1941), Stalingrad (November 1942 - February 1943) and Kursk (July - August 1943), a turning point occurred in the course of the war. In 1943, the blockade of Leningrad, which began in September 1941, was broken, which remained in the patriotic tradition a symbol of the courage of the civilian population.

In July 1944, with the capture of Pskov, the territory of the RSFSR was liberated from the enemy. In June-August 1944, Belarus was liberated during Operation Bagration. In October 1944, the liberation of Ukraine from the invaders was completed.

In March 1944, Soviet troops crossed the border between the USSR and Romania. In 1944-1945, in cooperation with local resistance, they liberated from the Nazis and occupied the countries of Eastern Europe. The Soviet sphere of influence included Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, and eastern parts of Germany and Austria occupied by Soviet troops and / or pro-communist formations.

In February 1945, having met in Yalta, Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill agreed that it was necessary to achieve the unconditional surrender of Germany. Germany had to pay reparations to the victors. The USSR pledged to enter the war against Japan 2-3 months after the victory over Germany, for which it was supposed to get back the Kuril Islands, South Sakhalin, Port Arthur and regain control of the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER). The allies recognized the new borders of the USSR, but agreed that coalition governments would be created in the countries of Eastern Europe with the participation of both communists and non-communist forces. The negotiators agreed to establish the United Nations.

On June 22, 1941, at 4 o'clock in the morning, fascist Germany treacherously invaded the USSR without declaring war. This attack ended the chain of aggressive actions of Nazi Germany, which, thanks to the connivance and instigation of the Western powers, grossly violated elementary norms international law resorted to predatory seizures and monstrous atrocities in the occupied countries.

In accordance with the Barbarossa plan, the fascist offensive began on a broad front by several groupings in various directions. The army was stationed in the north "Norway" advancing on Murmansk and Kandalaksha; an army group was advancing from East Prussia to the Baltic states and Leningrad "North"; most powerful army group "Center" had the goal of defeating units of the Red Army in Belorussia, capturing Vitebsk-Smolensk and taking Moscow on the move; army group "South" was concentrated from Lublin to the mouth of the Danube and led the attack on Kyiv - Donbass. The plans of the Nazis boiled down to delivering a surprise strike in these areas, destroying border and military units, breaking through to the rear, capturing Moscow, Leningrad, Kyiv and the most important industrial centers of the southern regions of the country.

The command of the German army expected to end the war in 6-8 weeks.

190 enemy divisions, about 5.5 million soldiers, up to 50 thousand guns and mortars, 4300 tanks, almost 5 thousand aircraft and about 200 warships were thrown into the offensive against the Soviet Union.

The war began in exceptionally favorable conditions for Germany. Before the attack on the USSR, Germany captured almost all of Western Europe, whose economy worked for the Nazis. Therefore, Germany had a powerful material and technical base.

Germany's military products were supplied by 6,500 largest enterprises in Western Europe. More than 3 million foreign workers were involved in the military industry. In Western European countries, the Nazis looted a lot of weapons, military equipment, trucks, wagons and steam locomotives. The military and economic resources of Germany and its allies greatly exceeded those of the USSR. Germany fully mobilized its army, as well as the armies of its allies. Most of the German army was concentrated near the borders of the Soviet Union. In addition, imperialist Japan threatened an attack from the East, which diverted a significant part of the Soviet Armed Forces to defend the country's eastern borders. In the theses of the Central Committee of the CPSU "50 years of the Great October Socialist Revolution" an analysis of the reasons for the temporary failures of the Red Army in the initial period of the war is given. They are connected with the fact that the Nazis used temporary advantages:

• the militarization of the economy and the whole life of Germany;
• lengthy preparations for a war of conquest and more than two years of experience in conducting military operations in the West;
• superiority in armament and the number of troops concentrated in advance in the border zones.

They had at their disposal the economic and military resources of almost all of Western Europe. The miscalculations made in determining the possible timing of an attack by Nazi Germany on our country and the related omissions in preparing to repulse the first blows played their role. There were reliable data on the concentration of German troops near the borders of the USSR and the preparation of Germany for an attack on our country. However, the troops of the western military districts were not brought to a state of full combat readiness.

All these reasons put the Soviet country in a difficult position. However, the enormous difficulties of the initial period of the war did not break the fighting spirit of the Red Army, did not shake the stamina of the Soviet people. From the first days of the attack, it became clear that the blitzkrieg plan had collapsed. Accustomed to easy victories over the Western countries, whose governments betrayed their people to be torn to pieces by the occupiers, the fascists met stubborn resistance from the Soviet Armed Forces, border guards and the entire Soviet people. The war lasted 1418 days. Groups of border guards bravely fought on the border. The garrison of the Brest Fortress covered itself with unfading glory. The defense of the fortress was led by Captain I. N. Zubachev, regimental commissar E. M. Fomin, major P. M. Gavrilov and others. (In total, about 200 rams were made during the war years). On June 26, the crew of Captain N.F. Gastello (A.A. Burdenyuk, G.N. Skorobogaty, A.A. Kalinin) crashed into a column of enemy troops on a burning plane. Hundreds of thousands of Soviet soldiers from the first days of the war showed examples of courage and heroism.

Lasted two months Smolensk battle. Born here near Smolensk soviet guard. The battle in the Smolensk region delayed the enemy advance until mid-September 1941.
During the Battle of Smolensk, the Red Army thwarted the plans of the enemy. The delay of the enemy offensive in the central direction was the first strategic success of the Soviet troops.

The Communist Party became the leading and guiding force for the defense of the country and the preparation for the destruction of the Nazi troops. From the first days of the war, the Party took urgent measures to organize a rebuff to the aggressor, carried out a huge amount of work to restructure all work on a war footing, to turn the country into a single military camp.

“For a real war,” wrote V. I. Lenin, “a strong organized rear is necessary. The best army, the most devoted to the cause of the revolution, people will be immediately exterminated by the enemy if they are not sufficiently armed, supplied with food, and trained ”(V. I. Lenin, Poln. sobr. soch., vol. 35, p. 408).

These Leninist instructions formed the basis for organizing the struggle against the enemy. On June 22, 1941, on behalf of the Soviet government, V. M. Molotov, People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR, spoke on the radio about the "robber" attack of fascist Germany and a call to fight the enemy. On the same day, a Decree was adopted by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the introduction of martial law on the European territory of the USSR, as well as a Decree on the mobilization of a number of ages in 14 military districts. On June 23, the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR adopted a resolution on the tasks of party and Soviet organizations in war conditions. On June 24, the Evacuation Council was formed, and on June 27, by a decree of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR “On the procedure for the export and placement of human contingents and valuable property”, the procedure for the evacuation of productive forces and the population to the eastern regions was determined. In the directive of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR dated June 29, 1941, the most important tasks for mobilizing all forces and means to defeat the enemy were set out to party and Soviet organizations in the front-line regions.

“... In the war with fascist Germany imposed on us,” this document said, “the question of life and death of the Soviet state is being decided, of whether the peoples of the Soviet Union should be free or fall into enslavement.” The Central Committee and the Soviet government called for realizing the full depth of the danger, reorganizing all work on a war footing, organizing all-round assistance to the front, increasing the production of weapons, ammunition, tanks, aircraft in every possible way, in the event of a forced withdrawal of the Red Army, to remove all valuable property, and to destroy what cannot be taken out , in the areas occupied by the enemy to organize partisan detachments. On July 3, the main provisions of the directive were outlined in a radio speech by IV Stalin. The directive determined the nature of the war, the degree of threat and danger, set the tasks of turning the country into a single military camp, strengthening the Armed Forces in every possible way, restructuring the work of the rear on a military basis, and mobilizing all forces to repulse the enemy. On June 30, 1941, an emergency body was created to quickly mobilize all the forces and means of the country to repel and defeat the enemy - State Defense Committee (GKO) headed by I. V. Stalin. All power in the country, state, military and economic leadership was concentrated in the hands of the State Defense Committee. It united the activities of all state and military institutions, party, trade union and Komsomol organizations.

Under war conditions, the restructuring of the entire economy on a war footing was of paramount importance. approved at the end of June "Mobilization national economic plan for the III quarter of 1941", and on August 16 "The military economic plan for the IV quarter of 1941 and for 1942 for the regions of the Volga region, the Urals, Western Siberia, Kazakhstan and Central Asia". In just five months of 1941, more than 1360 large military enterprises were relocated and about 10 million people were evacuated. Even according to bourgeois experts industry evacuation in the second half of 1941 and early 1942 and its deployment in the East should be considered among the most amazing feats of the peoples of the Soviet Union during the war. The evacuated Kramatorsk plant was launched 12 days after arriving at the site, Zaporozhye - after 20. By the end of 1941, the Urals produced 62% of iron and 50% of steel. In scope and significance, this was equal to the largest battles of wartime. The restructuring of the national economy on a war footing was completed by the middle of 1942.

The Party did a great deal of organizational work in the army. In accordance with the decision of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, on July 16, 1941, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR issued a decree "On the reorganization of political propaganda bodies and the introduction of the institution of military commissars". From July 16 in the Army, and from July 20 in the Navy, the institution of military commissars was introduced. During the second half of 1941, up to 1.5 million communists and more than 2 million Komsomol members were mobilized into the army (the party sent up to 40% of the entire membership to the active army). Prominent party leaders L. I. Brezhnev, A. A. Zhdanov, A. S. Shcherbakov, M. A. Suslov and others were sent to party work in the army.

On August 8, 1941, I. V. Stalin was appointed Supreme Commander of all the Armed Forces of the USSR. In order to concentrate all the functions of managing military operations, the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief was formed. Hundreds of thousands of communists and Komsomol members went to the front. About 300 thousand of the best representatives of the working class and intelligentsia of Moscow and Leningrad joined the ranks of the people's militia.

Meanwhile, the enemy stubbornly rushed to Moscow, Leningrad, Kyiv, Odessa, Sevastopol and other major industrial centers of the country. An important place in the plans of fascist Germany was occupied by the calculation of the international isolation of the USSR. However, from the very first days of the war, an anti-Hitler coalition began to take shape. Already on June 22, 1941, the British government announced its support for the USSR in the fight against fascism, and on July 12 signed an agreement on joint actions against Nazi Germany. On August 2, 1941, US President F. Roosevelt announced economic support for the Soviet Union. September 29, 1941 gathered in Moscow tri-power conference(USSR, USA and England), which developed a plan for Anglo-American assistance in the fight against the enemy. Hitler's calculation for the international isolation of the USSR failed. On January 1, 1942, a declaration of 26 states was signed in Washington anti-Hitler coalition about the use of all the resources of these countries for the struggle against the German bloc. However, the allies were in no hurry to provide effective assistance aimed at defeating fascism, trying to weaken the belligerents.

By October, the Nazi invaders, despite the heroic resistance of our troops, managed to approach Moscow from three sides, simultaneously launching an offensive on the Don, in the Crimea, near Leningrad. Heroically defended Odessa and Sevastopol. September 30, 1941 the German command begins the first, and in November - the second general offensive against Moscow. The Nazis managed to occupy Klin, Yakhroma, Naro-Fominsk, Istra and other cities of the Moscow region. Soviet troops fought a heroic defense of the capital, showing examples of courage and heroism. The 316th rifle division of General Panfilov fought to the death in fierce battles. A partisan movement unfolded behind enemy lines. About 10 thousand partisans fought near Moscow alone. On December 5-6, 1941, Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive near Moscow. At the same time, offensive operations were launched on the Western, Kalinin and Southwestern fronts. The powerful offensive of the Soviet troops in the winter of 1941/42 drove the fascists back in a number of places at a distance of up to 400 km from the capital and was their first major defeat in the Second World War.

Main result Moscow battle consisted in the fact that the strategic initiative was wrested from the hands of the enemy and the blitzkrieg plan failed. The defeat of the Germans near Moscow was a decisive turn in the military operations of the Red Army and had a great influence on the entire subsequent course of the war.

By the spring of 1942, the production of military products was established in the eastern regions of the country. By the middle of the year, most of the evacuated enterprises were deployed in new places. The transfer of the country's economy to a military footing was largely completed. In the rear - in Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Siberia, the Urals - there were more than 10 thousand industrial construction projects.

Instead of men who went to the front, women and youth came to the machines. Despite very difficult living conditions, Soviet people worked selflessly to ensure victory at the front. They worked one and a half to two shifts to restore industry and supply the front with everything necessary. All-Union socialist competition developed widely, the winners of which were awarded Red Banner GKO. In 1942 agricultural workers organized overplanned crops for the defense fund. The collective farm peasantry supplied the front and rear with food and industrial raw materials.

The situation in the temporarily occupied regions of the country was exceptionally difficult. The Nazis plundered cities and villages, mocked the civilian population. At the enterprises, German officials were appointed to oversee the work. The best lands were selected for farming for German soldiers. In all occupied settlements, German garrisons were kept at the expense of the population. However, the economic and social policy of the Nazis, which they tried to pursue in the occupied territories, immediately failed. The Soviet people, brought up on the ideas of the Communist Party, believed in the victory of the Soviet country, did not succumb to Hitler's provocations and demagogy.

Winter offensive of the Red Army in 1941/42 dealt a powerful blow to fascist Germany, to its military machine, but the Nazi army was still strong. Soviet troops fought stubborn defensive battles.

In this situation, the nationwide struggle of the Soviet people behind enemy lines played an important role, especially partisan movement.

Thousands of Soviet people went to partisan detachments. A partisan war developed widely in the Ukraine, in Belorussia and in the Smolensk region, in the Crimea and in a number of other places. In cities and villages temporarily occupied by the enemy, underground party and Komsomol organizations operated. In accordance with the resolution of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks of July 18, 1941 No. "On the organization of the struggle in the rear of the German troops" 3,500 partisan detachments and groups, 32 underground regional committees, 805 city and district party committees, 5,429 primary party organizations, 10 regional, 210 inter-district city and 45 thousand primary Komsomol organizations were created. To coordinate the actions of partisan detachments and underground groups with units of the Red Army, by decision of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks on May 30, 1942, at the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, the central headquarters of the partisan movement. Headquarters for the leadership of the partisan movement were formed in Belarus, Ukraine and other republics and regions occupied by the enemy.

After the defeat near Moscow and the winter offensive of our troops, the Nazi command was preparing a new major offensive with the aim of capturing all the southern regions of the country (Crimea, the North Caucasus, the Don) up to the Volga, capturing Stalingrad and tearing Transcaucasia from the center of the country. This posed an exceptionally serious threat to our country.

By the summer of 1942, the international situation had changed, characterized by the strengthening of the anti-Hitler coalition. In May - June 1942, agreements were signed between the USSR, Britain and the USA on an alliance in the war against Germany and on post-war cooperation. In particular, an agreement was reached on the opening in 1942 in Europe second front against Germany, which would have greatly accelerated the defeat of fascism. But the allies in every possible way delayed its opening. Taking advantage of this, the fascist command transferred divisions from the Western Front to the Eastern. By the spring of 1942, the Nazi army had 237 divisions, massive aviation, tanks, artillery and other types of equipment for a new offensive.

intensified Leningrad blockade, almost daily subjected to artillery fire. In May, the Kerch Strait was captured. On July 3, the High Command ordered the heroic defenders of Sevastopol to leave the city after a 250-day defense, since it was not possible to keep the Crimea. As a result of the defeat of the Soviet troops in the area of ​​Kharkov and the Don, the enemy reached the Volga. The Stalingrad Front, created in July, took upon itself the powerful blows of the enemy. Retreating with heavy fighting, our troops inflicted huge damage on the enemy. In parallel, the fascist offensive was going on in the North Caucasus, where Stavropol, Krasnodar, Maykop were occupied. In the Mozdok area, the Nazi offensive was suspended.

The main battles unfolded on the Volga. The enemy sought to capture Stalingrad at any cost. The heroic defense of the city was one of the brightest pages of the Patriotic War. The working class, women, old people, teenagers - the entire population rose to the defense of Stalingrad. Despite the mortal danger, the workers of the tractor factory daily sent tanks to the front lines. In September, fighting broke out in the city for every street, for every house.

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