Commanders

Strengths of the parties

The Second World War(September 1, 1939 - September 2, 1945) - the war of two world military-political coalitions, which became the largest war in human history. 61 states out of 73 existing at that time (80% of the world's population) participated in it. The fighting took place on the territory of three continents and in the waters of four oceans.

Naval warfare in World War II

Participants

The number of countries involved varied throughout the war. Some of them were actively involved in military operations, others helped their allies with food supplies, and many participated in the war only in name.

The anti-Hitler coalition included: the USSR, the British Empire, the USA, Poland, France and other countries.

On the other hand, the Axis countries and their allies participated in the war: Germany, Italy, Japan, Finland, Romania, Bulgaria and other countries.

Prerequisites for the war

The preconditions for the war stem from the so-called Versailles-Washington system - the balance of power that emerged after the First World War. The main winners (France, Great Britain, USA) were unable to make the new world order sustainable. Moreover, Britain and France were counting on a new war to strengthen their positions as colonial powers and weaken their competitors (Germany and Japan). Germany was limited in participation in international affairs, the creation of a full-fledged army and was subject to indemnity. With the decline in the standard of living in Germany, political forces with revanchist ideas, led by A. Hitler, came to power.

The German battleship Schleswig-Holstein fires at Polish positions

1939 campaign

Capture of Poland

World War II began on September 1, 1939 with a surprise German attack on Poland. The Polish naval forces did not have large surface ships, were not ready for war with Germany and were quickly defeated. Three Polish destroyers left for England before the start of the war, German aircraft sank a destroyer and a minelayer Gryf .

The beginning of the struggle at sea

Actions on communications in the Atlantic Ocean

In the initial period of the war, the German command hoped to solve the problem of fighting on sea communications, using surface raiders as the main striking force. Submarines and aircraft were assigned a supporting role. They had to force the British to carry out transportation in convoys, which would facilitate the actions of surface raiders. The British intended to use the convoy method as the main method of protecting shipping from submarines, and to use the long-range blockade as the main method of combating surface raiders, based on the experience of the First World War. To this end, at the beginning of the war, the British established sea patrols in the English Channel and in the Shetland Islands - Norway region. But these actions were ineffective - surface raiders, and even more so German submarines, actively operated on communications - the allies and neutral countries lost 221 merchant ships with a total tonnage of 755 thousand tons by the end of the year.

German merchant ships had instructions about the start of the war and tried to reach the ports of Germany or friendly countries; about 40 ships were sunk by their crews, and only 19 ships fell into enemy hands at the beginning of the war.

Actions in the North Sea

With the beginning of the war, large-scale laying of minefields in the North Sea began, which constrained active operations in it until the end of the war. Both sides mined the approaches to their coasts with wide protective belts of dozens of minefields. German destroyers also laid minefields off the coast of England.

German submarine raid U-47 at Scapa Flow, during which she sank an English battleship HMS Royal Oak showed the weakness of the entire anti-submarine defense of the English fleet.

Capture of Norway and Denmark

1940 campaign

Occupation of Denmark and Norway

In April - May 1940, German troops carried out Operation Weserubung, during which they captured Denmark and Norway. With the support and cover of large aviation forces, 1 battleship, 6 cruisers, 14 destroyers and other ships, a total of up to 10 thousand people were landed in Oslo, Kristiansand, Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim and Narvik. The operation was unexpected for the British, who got involved belatedly. The British fleet destroyed German destroyers in Battles 10 and 13 in Narvik. On May 24, the Allied command ordered the evacuation of Northern Norway, which was carried out from June 4 to 8. During the evacuation on June 9, German battleships sank the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious and 2 destroyers. In total, during the operation the Germans lost a heavy cruiser, 2 light cruisers, 10 destroyers, 8 submarines and other ships, the Allies lost an aircraft carrier, a cruiser, 7 destroyers, 6 submarines.

Actions in the Mediterranean. 1940-1941

Actions in the Mediterranean

Military operations in the Mediterranean theater began after Italy declared war on England and France on June 10, 1940. The combat operations of the Italian fleet began with the laying of minefields in the Strait of Tunis and on the approaches to their bases, with the deployment of submarines, as well as with air raids on Malta.

The first major naval battle between the Italian Navy and the British Navy was the Battle of Punta Stilo (also known in English sources as the Battle of Calabria. The collision took place on July 9, 1940, off the southeastern tip of the Apennine Peninsula. As a result of the battle, neither side suffered casualties did not suffer, but Italy had 1 battleship, 1 heavy cruiser and 1 destroyer damaged, while the British had 1 light cruiser and 2 destroyers.

French fleet at Mers-el-Kebir

Surrender of France

On June 22, France capitulated. Despite the terms of surrender, the Vichy government did not intend to give up the fleet to Germany. Distrusting the French, the British government launched Operation Catapult to capture French ships located in different bases. In Porsmouth and Plymouth, 2 battleships, 2 destroyers, 5 submarines were captured; ships in Alexandria and Martinique were disarmed. In Mers el-Kebir and Dakar, where the French resisted, the British sank the battleship Bretagne and damaged three more battleships. From the captured ships, the Free French fleet was organized; in the meantime, the Vichy government broke off relations with Great Britain.

Actions in the Atlantic in 1940-1941.

After the surrender of the Netherlands on May 14, German ground forces pinned the Allied forces to the sea. From May 26 to June 4, 1940, during Operation Dynamo, 338 thousand Allied troops were evacuated from the French coast in the Dunkirk area to Britain. At the same time, the Allied fleet suffered heavy losses from German aviation - about 300 ships and vessels were killed.

In 1940, German boats ceased to operate under the rules of prize law and switched to unrestricted submarine warfare. After the capture of Norway and the western regions of France, the system of basing German boats expanded. After Italy entered the war, 27 Italian boats began to be based in Bordeaux. The Germans gradually moved from the actions of single boats to the actions of groups of boats with curtains that blocked the ocean area.

German auxiliary cruisers successfully operated on ocean communications - by the end of 1940, 6 cruisers captured and destroyed 54 ships with a displacement of 366,644 tons.

1941 campaign

Actions in the Mediterranean in 1941

Actions in the Mediterranean

In May 1941, German troops captured the island. Crete. The British Navy, which was waiting for enemy ships near the island, lost 3 cruisers, 6 destroyers, and more than 20 other ships and transports from German air attacks; 3 battleships, an aircraft carrier, 6 cruisers, and 7 destroyers were damaged.

Active actions on Japanese communications put the Japanese economy in a difficult situation, the implementation of the shipbuilding program was disrupted, and the transportation of strategic raw materials and troops was complicated. In addition to submarines, surface forces of the US Navy, and primarily TF-58 (TF-38), also actively participated in the battle on communications. In terms of the number of Japanese transports sunk, aircraft carrier forces ranked second after submarines. Only in the period 10 - 16 October, aircraft carrier groups of the 38th formation, having attacked naval bases, ports and airfields in the Taiwan region, Philippines, destroyed about 600 aircraft on the ground and in the air, sank 34 transports and several auxiliary ships.

Landing in France

Landing in France

On June 6, 1944, Operation Overlord (Normandy landing operation) began. Under the cover of massive air strikes and naval artillery fire, an amphibious landing of 156 thousand people was carried out. The operation was supported by a fleet of 6 thousand military and landing ships and transport vessels.

The German navy offered almost no resistance to the landing. The Allies suffered the main losses from mines - 43 ships were blown up by them. During the second half of 1944, in the landing area off the coast of England and in the English Channel, 60 Allied transports were lost as a result of the actions of German submarines, torpedo boats, and mines.

German submarine sinks transport

Actions in the Atlantic Ocean

German troops began to retreat under pressure from the landing Allied troops. As a result, the German Navy lost its bases on the Atlantic coast by the end of the year. On September 18, Allied units entered Brest, and on September 25, troops occupied Boulogne. Also in September, the Belgian ports of Ostend and Antwerp were liberated. By the end of the year, fighting in the ocean had ceased.

In 1944, the Allies were able to ensure almost complete security of communications. To protect communications, they at that time had 118 escort aircraft carriers, 1,400 destroyers, frigates and sloops, and about 3,000 other patrol ships. Coastal PLO aviation consisted of 1,700 aircraft and 520 flying boats. The total losses in allied and neutral tonnage in the Atlantic as a result of submarine operations in the second half of 1944 amounted to only 58 ships with a total tonnage of 270 thousand gross tons. The Germans lost 98 boats at sea alone during this period.

Submarines

Signing of the Japanese surrender

Actions in the Pacific

Possessing an overwhelming superiority in forces, the American armed forces, in intense battles in 1945, broke the stubborn resistance of Japanese troops and captured the islands of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. For landing operations, the United States attracted huge forces, so the fleet off the coast of Okinawa consisted of 1,600 ships. During all the days of fighting off Okinawa, 368 Allied ships were damaged, and another 36 (including 15 landing ships and 12 destroyers) were sunk. The Japanese had 16 ships sunk, including the battleship Yamato.

In 1945, American air raids on Japanese bases and coastal installations became systematic, with attacks carried out by both shore-based naval aviation and strategic aviation and carrier strike formations. In March - July 1945, American aircraft, as a result of massive attacks, sank or damaged all large Japanese surface ships.

On August 8, the USSR declared war on Japan. From August 12 to August 20, 1945, the Pacific Fleet carried out a series of landings that captured the ports of Korea. On August 18, the Kuril landing operation was launched, during which Soviet troops occupied the Kuril Islands.

September 2, 1945 aboard the battleship USS Missouri The act of surrender of Japan was signed, ending World War II.

Results of the war

The Second World War had a huge impact on the destinies of mankind. 72 states (80% of the world's population) took part in it; military operations were carried out on the territory of 40 states. The total human losses reached 60-65 million people, of which 27 million people were killed at the fronts.

The war ended with the victory of the anti-Hitler coalition. As a result of the war, the role of Western Europe in global politics weakened. The USSR and the USA became the main powers in the world. Great Britain and France, despite the victory, were significantly weakened. The war showed the inability of them and other Western European countries to maintain huge colonial empires. Europe was divided into two camps: Western capitalist and Eastern socialist. Relations between the two blocs deteriorated sharply. A couple of years after the end of the war, the Cold War began.

History of world wars. - M: Tsentrpoligraf, 2011. - 384 p. -

When World War II began.

Monologue of a non-historian in three parts.

Part one. Fakes.

History is the prostitute of politics (C)

For almost the entire twentieth century, local wars were fought in different parts of the Earth, which twice escalated into world wars. This is how it happened the second time and the conversation will begin.
The Second World War began on September 1, 1939, with the German attack on Poland. As an undeniable truth, this phrase is used in school textbooks and enciplopedias, in scientific works and works of art. Yes, not all of them, in China, for example, there are completely different dates, and in the USA there are works that also have different dates. Recently, a modernized version is sometimes used: World War II in Europe began on September 1, 1939.
A simple question: “Who decided that the Second World War began on the first of September 1939, and not on some other day?” The simple answer is that no one, none of those whose authority is difficult to challenge, decided so, namely: the Big Three - Roosevelt, Stalin, Churchill (surnames are given in Russian alphabetical order) did not decide this way. There is no corresponding UN resolution either, and the Nuremberg Tribunal did not discuss this date. Thus, the statement “World War II began on September 1, 1939,” first expressed by someone by an English or American journalist in December 1941, has no official status and no legal force.
The Second World War ended on September 2, 1945, with the signing of the act of surrender of Japan. Japan did not attack Poland, and the question arises: when did Japan enter World War II? There are two possible answers. Japan began to seize Asian countries, either from the eighteenth of September 1931, or from the seventh of July 1937, which date is more precise is not so important, the main thing is that by the first of September 1939, Japan had captured territories comparable in area and population with Western Europe, with Hundreds of thousands, if not more, of Asians were killed. In any case, the local wars that turned into World War II began in Asia, not in Europe, therefore the statement “World War II began on September 1, 1939” is a fake.

The first of September 1939 was called the beginning of the Second World War in order to blame the Soviet Union for starting it, and the key words of this accusation are the “Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.” Through the efforts of falsifiers, under the words “Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact” the following sequence of events began to be perceived: “It means that Stalin and Hitler each sat down in front of their own globe and agreed on the division of the world over the phone, and Molotov and Ribbentrop formalized these agreements on paper, signed them - a week later The Second World War has begun."
In the eight days that have passed since the signing of the non-aggression treaty between Germany and the USSR and before the start of the local German-Polish war, it is simply impossible to plan and prepare a war of this size - too little time, it is difficult for a non-specialist to imagine the amount of work to prepare for a war of this scale, but if supporters of this version want to make fun of specialists and just people with common sense, then let them laugh, and archival documents show how long it actually took Germany to prepare for the attack on Poland.
There are two documents in the archives: the “White Plan”, which was signed by Hitler on April 3, 1939, and the directive of the high command of the German army “On the unified preparation of the armed forces for war,” signed on April 11, 1939. The “White Plan” talks about the political decision about the war with Poland , and the directive outlines a detailed plan for preparing an attack with the readiness to start a war on September 1, 1939. On April 28, 1939, Germany officially informed Poland that the Non-Aggression Protocol, which was signed by Poland and Germany in 1934, was ending, thus Germany warned Poland back in April 1939 about the imminent outbreak of war.
The German war plan provided for the following distribution of German troops: 57 personnel divisions, including all tank and mechanized ones against 39 divisions and 16 separate brigades of the Polish army, and 23 reserve divisions against 65 personnel and 45 reserve French plus several personnel English divisions stationed in France, such The distribution proves that long before the attack on Poland, Hitler already knew that England and France would not defend Poland by military action. When and under what circumstances he learned this is one of the main secrets of this period of world history.
The non-aggression pact between Germany and the USSR was signed on the twenty-third of August 1939, and German documents in April 1939, from a comparison of these dates it follows that the non-aggression pact between Germany and the USSR has nothing to do with Germany’s decision to attack Poland, nor to the date of this attack, and the accusation of the USSR in starting the Second World War is a fake.
Treaty and pact are different types of diplomatic documents, for example, on September 29, 1939, in the newspaper Trud, the “German-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and the Border between the USSR and Germany” and the “Mutual Assistance Pact between the USSR and the Estonian Republic” were published on one page.
If a document is called a non-aggression pact, then it is difficult to attribute any aggressive articles to it, and if the document is called the “Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact,” then anything can be attributed to its content. That is why the non-aggression pact between Germany and the USSR was given the false name “Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact” and is used instead of its real name. The use of the term "Molotov-Ribbetrope Pact" serves to hide the true meaning of the non-aggression pact between Germany and the USSR and also to create new fakes.
Here is an example of using the term “Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact” to create another fake. From the twenty-ninth of June to the third of July 2009, the eighteenth annual session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly took place in Vilnius. Among the resolutions adopted there was the resolution “Reuniting a Divided Europe: Promoting Human Rights and Civil Liberties in the Region in the 21st Century.” Here are paragraphs 10 and 11 of this resolution:
"10. recalling the initiative of the European Parliament to announce on August 23, i.e. the day of the signing of the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact 70 years ago, a pan-European day of remembrance for the victims of Stalinism and Nazism in the name of preserving the memory of the victims of mass deportations and executions, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
11. Reaffirms its united position rejecting totalitarian rule in any form, regardless of its ideological basis; …”
There is no document entitled “Ribbebtrop-Molotov pact” and signed by Molotov and Ribbebtrop, therefore it could not have been signed either on the twenty-third of September 1939, or on any other day, and any content in the agreement on The non-aggression between Germany and the USSR says nothing about mass deportations and executions, and the very concept of a “divided Europe” is based on a forgery called the “secret additional protocol.”
The statement that the Second World War in Europe began on September 1, 1939 is also a lie. The German-Polish war that began on this day was not the first local war in Europe after the end of the First World War.
When the first local war began in Europe and the true meaning of the non-aggression pact between Germany and the USSR will be discussed in the second part.

Part two. Restoring the truth

Stalin is not my friend, but the truth is dearer.

First, a little about the art of war. An ideal military operation at any level is an operation in which the target of the attack is captured without damage, there are no losses of personnel and no consumption of ammunition, and it does not matter so much whether the target of the attack is a barn on the outskirts of an abandoned village, a city like Paris or an entire country. In recent history, a generally accepted example of such a carefully planned, prepared and carried out operation is the capture of Denmark by Germany on April 9, 1940 during a local war.
And now a little about the laws. The first local war in Europe was preceded by the events of February 22, 1938. Before this date, Germany and Italy were lawbreakers in Europe, and on this day England joined them. Security and international law in Europe until February 22, 1938 were ensured by compliance with the charter of the League of Nations; Hitler's attempts to seize Austria were stopped not only by diplomatic demarches, but also by the deployment of troops to defend Austria.
On February 22, 1938, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain said in Parliament that Austria could no longer count on the protection of the League of Nations: “We must not deceive, much less encourage, small weak states by promising them protection from the League of Nations and appropriate steps with on our side, since we know that nothing of the kind can be done.” Translated from diplomatic language, this means: Great Britain will no longer comply with the charter of the League of Nations, from this moment international law in Europe ceases to apply, laws will no longer be observed - save yourself who can! .
Hitler took advantage of this and on the night from the eleventh to the twelfth of March 1938, German troops, previously concentrated on the border in accordance with the Otto plan, invaded Austrian territory. Austria was captured by Germany in a local war, the first local war in Europe since the end of the First World War. From a military point of view, the capture of Austria by Germany is absolutely no different from the capture of Denmark and is the result of the same carefully planned, prepared and carried out local war. If Germany's seizure of Austria is not a war, then what is Germany's seizure of Denmark?
As a result of the capture of Austria, Hitler had at his disposal industry, including the military, developed agriculture and, most importantly, the citizens of Austria, who were subsequently turned into cannon fodder. With the German capture of Austria, lawlessness and war continued their march across Europe, and it began with the invasion of Italo-German troops in Spain, which decided the outcome of the civil war in that country in favor of Franco.
In the fall of 1938, Germany made claims against Czechoslovakia. The problem could be solved in several ways: France was obliged to provide military assistance to Czechoslovakia in accordance with the existing treaty, but France acted illegally by refusing to fulfill its obligations. The USSR alone was ready to provide Czechoslovakia with any military assistance under the only condition - Poland had to allow the Red Army to cross Polish territory because The Soviet Union did not have a common border with Czechoslovakia. France and England did not force Poland to give such permission; Poland could have given such permission on its own, but refused to let the Red Army through. With its refusal to fulfill its obligations under the treaty for the defense of Czechoslovakia, France not only added to the list of iniquities, but also warned Poland that France would not defend Poland in the coming war, but the Polish rulers did not understand this.
The problem was solved by the signing of the Munich Treaty, as a result of which Germany, during a local war, captured one part of the Czech Republic, as a result of another local war, Poland occupied another part of Czech territory, in a third local war, Hungary captured another part of the territory of Czechoslovakia, and finally, in a subsequent local war, Germany completed the occupation of the remaining part of the Czech Republic. The Munich Treaty mentions Hungary's territorial claims to Czechoslovakia, but says nothing about Poland's claims, so by attacking the Czech Republic, Poland violated not only the charter of the League of Nations, but also the Munich Treaty, i.e. demonstrated double lawlessness.
The fighting of the German, Polish and Hungarian armed forces are local wars because they are no different from the German takeover of Denmark.
Everyone knows that the Czech Republic is a small country in the center of Europe, but few people know that the Czech military industry is one of the largest in the world, then, in 1938, only the Skoda concern produced more military products than the entire military industry of England combined, and besides Skoda, weapons Other factories also produced; ready-made weapons for dozens of divisions were stored in Czech warehouses. One of the largest military industries in the world and huge reserves of weapons - this was the gift the rulers of England and France gave Hitler by illegally disposing of someone else's property. By signing the Munich Treaty, the rulers of England and France officially handed over power in Europe to lawlessness.
The next war was the Italo-Albanian war. It began on April 7, 1939 with an attack by Italy. For those who think that I inserted bloodless wars to falsify the numbering of local wars in Europe, I clarify that the Italo-Albanian war was a war with battles, casualties and destruction, so the first shot of the Second World War in Europe was fired on April 7, 1939.
In August 1939, Anglo-French-Soviet negotiations were held in Moscow to develop a plan for joint military action in the event of a German attack on any of the European countries. The Soviet delegation was headed by the People's Commissar (Minister) of Defense, British and French minor generals and admirals, who did not even have the authority to sign anything. The negotiations ended without results in the second half of August; by their actions, the governments of England and France clearly and unequivocally announced their position: England and France will not fight against Germany, and therefore do not need help from the Soviet Union, therefore, in the event of a war between Germany and the Soviet Union As an alliance, England and France will also not fight against Germany. The question of whether England and France will fight against the Soviet Union together with Germany remains open.
In fact, the negotiations themselves represented an excellent operation of Anglo-French intelligence; it received first-hand information about the size and armament of the Red Army, about the capabilities of the military industry and road capacity, etc.
Ribbentrop arrived in Moscow on August 21, 1939. The detailed content of his negotiations with the Soviet leadership is unknown, but at least Ribbentrop did not deny that, in accordance with the directive of the High Command of the German Army of April 11, 1939, German troops were completing preparations for the war against Poland and would begin hostilities on September 1, 1939.
So, the Soviet leadership, continuing the war with Japan, an ally of Germany, at Khalkin Gol, had to choose from three options:
1. Start a war against Germany on Polish territory.
2. Wait until Germany conquers Poland and start a war against Germany on the Soviet-Polish border.
If one of these options was chosen, the Soviet Union was guaranteed a war on two fronts, with the risk of a third front emerging if England and France attacked, naturally the third option was chosen:
3. Without fear of a German attack, end the war with Japan. Maintain neutrality in the beginning war of Germany against Poland, England, France. Adjust your policy depending on the course of this war.
From the moment Hitler came to power, neither the leaders of Germany nor the leaders of the USSR doubted the impending German-Soviet war, and when in August 1939 the possibility of war began to turn into a reality, the German and Soviet leadership realized that if Germany and the USSR began to fight each other with a friend in the military-political conditions of August 1939, then the winner in this war, be it Germany or the USSR, will be so weakened that he will be forced to carry out the will of England and France, and if he tries to resist, he will be immediately attacked, defeated and occupied by the Anglo-French troops.
The presence of such Anglo-French plans is proven by Churchill’s actions at the beginning of 1945: on his orders, German troops captured by the British were placed in ordinary military camps, where they were under symbolic British guard, but in full accordance with German regulations, their weapons and combat The equipment was in full readiness for use nearby. This was preparation for a joint Anglo-American-German attack on the USSR, and Churchill persuaded the American leadership to lead and carry out this attack as quickly as possible. The allies, including the USSR and England, defeated Germany, the USSR was greatly weakened in this war, England is also weakened, it is not able to attack itself, so it is putting together a new coalition to attack the USSR - England’s foreign policy is famous for its consistency and perseverance...
On August 23, 1939, the leaders of Germany and the USSR signed a non-aggression pact between Germany and the USSR in Moscow. No secret additional protocols were signed. This is proven in the article “The Secret Protocol is Another Fake.”
The true meaning of the non-aggression pact between Germany and the USSR simply follows from its name, content and the international situation in August 1939: Germany and the USSR will not fight each other for Anglo-French interests.
The protocol phrases about the duration of the non-aggression treaty were a formality, because. both sides knew that war between Germany and the USSR would begin when Hitler decided that Germany was ready for a victorious war. Other German-Soviet treaties concluded a little later were used by each side to create for themselves the best conditions for a future war.
Although the non-aggression pact between Germany and the USSR caused intense diplomatic activity by the leaders of England and France, it did not change their decision not to fight with Germany.

Part three. Local wars

On September 1, 1939, Germany attacked Poland, but the newspapers did not carry the headlines “World War II has begun,” and when a couple of days later England and France declared war on Germany, there were also no headlines “England and France entered the world war.”
Here I planned to indicate the name of the person who was the first in the world to say: “The Second World War began on September 1, 1939.” It may not be possible to find this person, but it is quite possible to identify the first newspaper.
In the process of searching, I discovered the following: throughout 1939 there were no hints of a supposedly ongoing world war, in 1940 Churchill once mentioned a world war, but in a geographical sense, when the German fleet began attacks on British ships throughout the world's oceans , and only in December 1941, almost simultaneously, articles appeared in a number of American and English newspapers with hints that a world war was underway and it began in September 1939. Maybe there is someone who wants to conduct research on the topic: “The emergence, spread and conquest of almost the entire world by the myth of the beginning of the Second World War on September 1, 1939”?
On September 1, 1939, a local German-Polish war began; purely formally, it should be called the German-Polish-French-English war, but such a name is an insult to the memory of the fallen Polish soldiers. 110 French and no matter how many British divisions stood against 23 German divisions while the rest of the German army crushed the Polish army. Since England and France were not fighting, the German army rapidly advanced deep into Poland. There was a danger that the German army would reach the Soviet-Polish border directly. To prevent this, on September 17, 1939, the Red Army group moved towards the German troops. There was no predetermined line of division between the Soviet and German troops; everything was decided quickly, not always in a timely manner, which led to small military clashes with losses in manpower and military equipment on both sides.
The Polish state ceased to exist. The border between the USSR and Germany was clarified and legally formalized by the German-Soviet Treaty of September 28, 1939; this line divided the territory on which the Polish state existed until September 17, 1939.
The question about the legality of this section can be answered in two ways: if we admit that de facto, since February 22, 1938, international laws did not work in Europe, then Germany and the USSR did not violate anything by the division of Poland, and if we assume that formally the charter of the League of Nations continued to operate, the division of Poland occurred in accordance with the same law by which England and France gave Austria to Germany, by which England, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Hungary divided Czechoslovakia, and by which Italy captured Albania. This law does not yet have a name and I propose to call it “Chamberlain’s Law of Lawlessness.”
For the USSR, the time has come to prepare for a big war, no matter against Germany or England and France, or even all together. It was decided to start with Finland. The border with Finland ran 15-18 kilometers from Leningrad, the largest center of the defense industry, and the Finns had guns with a firing range of up to 30 kilometers, from which they could fire at the largest defense factories. To prevent this, the USSR started a local war against Finland.
Meanwhile, inaction continued on the Franco-German border, which contemporaries called the “strange war”, “the losses of the French army from September 1, 1939 to December 31, 1939 amounted to 1 person - the regimental scout shot himself out of boredom,” this is an example of the French humor of those times "Why are the French and English soldiers standing there?" - this question was asked by the dying Polish soldiers, it was asked by everyone, including the English and French soldiers themselves, only those who knew the answer were silent - the rulers of England and France.
There are many versions explaining the inaction of the English and French armies, I will give my own: English and French soldiers did not fight the Germans, because the rulers of England and France were going to fight against the USSR.
Arms were flowing into Finland and the first 100,000-strong expeditionary force was preparing to depart. Time is the main reason for the stupid, unprepared attacks of the Red Army on the Mannerheim Line, it was necessary to win the war with Finland before England and France entered it, this task was solved with Red Army blood - Finland was forced to sign a peace treaty before the start of the Anglo-French landing troops, and there were no major battles on the Franco-German border, but according to the accepted chronology, this standstill should be called: “England and France are waging the Second World War against Germany.”
But not all English and French soldiers were idle; many were very, very busy, especially the high command. Reconnaissance flights were made over Baku, and its bombing was planned. The German leadership was well aware of the impossibility of a German victory in a war on two fronts, but now it had the opportunity to concentrate absolutely all its forces against France, without any fear of a blow from the USSR. The German command took advantage of the situation, and on May 10, 1940, German troops launched an offensive against France and its neighbors. Here are the main reasons for the lightning defeat of France:

1. Refusal to fulfill obligations to protect Czechoslovakia and the signing of the Munich Agreement.
2. Actual refusal to fulfill allied obligations towards Poland.
3. Incorrect deployment of troops - the main forces were preparing to repel the German offensive from the north.
4. Too much hope for the Maginot Line, which the Germans simply bypassed. French experts envisaged the possibility of such a bypass, but some routes were considered impassable for tanks and were not covered in any way; it was along these routes that German tanks bypassed the Maginot Line.
Hitler decided not to pollute the beaches of Dunkirk with the British, and ordered German troops to stop 10-15 km from the coast. By this, Hitler demonstrated his love of peace and invited England to end the war. Abandoning their equipment and weapons, the British and part of the French troops crossed over to England, and the local Anglo-French-German war ended with the defeat of France. England refused to negotiate with Germany and a local Anglo-German war began, the first part of which is rightly called the “Battle of England.”
On June 14, 1940, the USSR began to neutralize the danger of unoccupied Baltic bridgehead. The dictatorial regimes of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were inclined towards broad cooperation with Germany, and the appearance of German troops on their territory gave Germany a strategic advantage in the upcoming German-Soviet war. To incorporate Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia into the USSR, the Soviet leadership developed and applied a set of political technologies, which in a modernized form are still used today under the name “color revolutions.”
The United States used the term “Inclusion” to name this process even then and did not recognize its legality, but the very use of this term proves that from the point of view of international law, the Baltic countries were included in the USSR without war or occupation.
On September 13, 1940, fighting began in Africa.
Through a series of local wars, Germany captured almost all of Europe, and the USSR improved its strategic position at the expense of Romania, and on June 22, 1941, a local German-Soviet war began.
All this time, Japan continued a series of local wars in Asia and the Pacific Ocean, and on December 8, 1941, Japanese troops attacked Pearl Harbor. Japan declared war on the USA. Three days later, Germany declared war on the United States. This day - the eleventh of December 1941 - united battles on the thousand-kilometer European, Asian and African fronts and on the thousand-mile Pacific front into one big battle, on this day a series of local wars in Asia and the Pacific Ocean, merging with a series of European local wars, turned into the Second World War.
Formally, Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and Germany's declaration of war on the United States are separated by three days, but in fact, the battle of Pearl Harbor is the very first battle of World War II, this is its true place in world history, which the falsifiers stole from the American people.
So when did World War II start?
Maybe it's time to convene a plenipotentiary international conference that will reasonably and honestly answer this question and give the answer official status?

Why did they delay so long in recognizing this fact?

Only on January 25, 1955, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted a Decree ending the state of war between the USSR and Germany. On October 19, 1956, the Joint Declaration on ending the state of war between the USSR and Japan was signed.

Only in 1991 were the decisions on the expulsion of peoples during the Great Patriotic War canceled. And even the rehabilitation of prisoners of war took place thanks to Yeltsin’s decree of January 31, 1995. Until that time, prisoners were only given amnesty, that is, forgiven.

Even in the official history of the foreign policy of the USSR, the victory over Germany is called “the historical victory of socialism over imperialism, which opened the way for the rise of the revolutionary struggle of the working class.” That is, Germany became only the first sign in the chain of continuous victories of the USSR. But the final victory has not yet arrived. Back in 1944, in violation of preliminary agreements that envisaged the holding of free elections and the creation of democratic governments in the countries of Eastern Europe, Vyshinsky appeared before King Mihai of Romania and demanded the dispersal of the democratic coalition government. At the same time, Soviet tanks took to the streets of the capital. The government was dissolved and another one was created in its place, controlled by the Soviets. The same governments were created in Bulgaria and Poland.

In these countries, with the arrival of Soviet troops, the USSR security agencies began to actively work and purges of unwanted elements were carried out. US President Roosevelt would soon say: “We cannot do business with Stalin. He broke every single promise he made in Yalta.”

In March 1945, the friendship treaty with Turkey was broken. The USSR presented a number of territorial claims to Turkey. He demanded control of the straits and the placement of a military base. These claims were completely contrary to the Yalta agreements, and therefore aroused fierce opposition from England and the United States.

At the same time, the USSR announced territorial claims to Italy and Spain.

In Iranian Azerbaijan, with the support of the USSR, a national government was formed, which proclaimed its autonomy. In addition, Iranian Kurdistan also declared autonomy.

Having concluded a treaty of friendship and alliance with the government of China, which was then headed by Chiang Kai-shek, in 1945, the USSR, withdrawing troops from China, armed the People's Liberation Army to the teeth under the leadership of Mao Zedong, which fought with the official government.

In 1947, at the first information meeting of Cominform A.A. Zhdanov proclaimed the division of the world into two opposing camps.

The next milestone was the Korean War. Preparations for it began back in 1945. The Americans were ready to give Korea completely under the control of the USSR. But ours insisted on dividing spheres of influence. Why? To preserve the source of tension.

This is what happened in 1947. It was then that Stalin wrote to Mao Zedong:

“... Because of prestige, the United States may be drawn into a big war; therefore, China will be drawn into the war, and along with it the USSR, which is connected with China by a mutual assistance pact, will be drawn into the war. Should we be afraid of this? In my opinion, it shouldn’t, because together we will be stronger than the USA and England. If war is inevitable, then let it be now, and not in a few years, when Japanese militarism is restored as an ally of the United States."

Much time has passed since then. In 1991, World War II finally ended with the collapse of the USSR.

But even now in the world, and especially here in Russia, you meet a lot of people who want to continue. "Who are they? Where is he driving them? Alas, history teaches no one anything.

I would like to hope that the new memorial date will be a reminder to some comrades in whose minds the war is still ongoing. “People, the war is over! Maybe we can start working?”

September 2 is celebrated in the Russian Federation as “The Day of the End of World War II (1945).” This memorable date was established in accordance with the Federal Law “On Amendments to Article 1(1) of the Federal Law “On Days of Military Glory and Memorable Dates of Russia”, signed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on July 23, 2010. Military Glory Day was established in memory of compatriots who showed dedication, heroism, devotion to their homeland and allied duty to the countries that were members of the anti-Hitler coalition in implementing the decision of the Crimean (Yalta) conference of 1945 on Japan. September 2 is a kind of second Victory Day for Russia, victory in the East.

This holiday cannot be called new - on September 3, 1945, the day after the surrender of the Japanese Empire, Victory Day over Japan was established by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. However, for a long time this holiday was practically ignored in the official calendar of significant dates.

The international legal basis for establishing Military Glory Day is the Act of Surrender of the Empire of Japan, which was signed on September 2, 1945 at 9:02 am Tokyo time on board the American battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay. On the Japanese side, the document was signed by Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu and Chief of the General Staff Yoshijiro Umezu. Representatives of the Allied Powers were Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers Douglas MacArthur, American Admiral Chester Nimitz, Commander of the British Pacific Fleet Bruce Fraser, Soviet General Kuzma Nikolaevich Derevyanko, Kuomintang General Su Yong-chang, French General J. Leclerc, Australian General T. Blamey, Dutch Admiral K. Halfrich, New Zealand Air Vice-Marshal L. Isit and Canadian Colonel N. Moore-Cosgrave. This document put an end to the Second World War, which, according to Western and Soviet historiography, began on September 1, 1939 with the attack of the Third Reich on Poland (Chinese researchers believe that the Second World War began with the attack of the Japanese army on China on July 7, 1937).

Do not use prisoners of war for forced labor;

Provide units located in remote areas with additional time to cease hostilities.

On the night of August 15, the “young tigers” (a group of fanatical commanders from the department of the War Ministry and the capital’s military institutions, led by Major K. Hatanaka) decided to disrupt the adoption of the declaration and continue the war. They planned to eliminate the "peace supporters", remove the text with a recording of Hirohito's speech about accepting the terms of the Potsdam Declaration and ending the war by the Empire of Japan before it was broadcast, and then persuade the armed forces to continue the fight. The commander of the 1st Guards Division, which guarded the imperial palace, refused to take part in the mutiny and was killed. Giving orders on his behalf, the “young tigers” entered the palace and attacked the residences of the head of government Suzuki, Lord Privy Seal K. Kido, Chairman of the Privy Council K. Hiranuma and the Tokyo radio station. However, they could not find the tapes with the recording and find the leaders of the “peace party”. The troops of the capital garrison did not support their actions, and even many members of the “young tigers” organization, not wanting to go against the emperor’s decision and not believing in the success of the cause, did not join the putschists. As a result, the rebellion failed within the first hours. The instigators of the conspiracy were not tried; they were allowed to commit ritual suicide by cutting open the abdomen.

On August 15, an address from the Japanese Emperor was broadcast on the radio. Given the high level of self-discipline among Japanese government and military leaders, a wave of suicides occurred in the empire. On August 11, the former Prime Minister and Minister of the Army, a staunch supporter of the alliance with Germany and Italy, Hideki Tojo, tried to commit suicide with a revolver shot (he was executed on December 23, 1948 as a war criminal). On the morning of August 15, “the most magnificent example of the samurai ideal” and the Minister of the Army, Koretika Anami, committed hara-kiri; in his suicide note, he asked the emperor for forgiveness for his mistakes. The 1st Deputy Chief of the Naval General Staff (previously the commander of the 1st Air Fleet), the “father of kamikaze” Takijiro Onishi, Field Marshal of the Imperial Japanese Army Hajime Sugiyama, as well as other ministers, generals and officers committed suicide.

The cabinet of Kantaro Suzuki resigned. Many military and political leaders began to favor the idea of ​​a unilateral occupation of Japan by US troops in order to preserve the country from the threat of the communist threat and preserve the imperial system. On August 15, hostilities between the Japanese armed forces and the Anglo-American troops ceased. However, Japanese troops continued to offer fierce resistance to the Soviet army. Parts of the Kwantung Army were not given the order to cease fire, and therefore the Soviet troops were also not given instructions to stop the offensive. Only on August 19, a meeting between the commander-in-chief of Soviet troops in the Far East, Marshal Alexander Vasilevsky, and the chief of staff of the Kwantung Army, Hiposaburo Hata, took place, where an agreement was reached on the procedure for the surrender of Japanese troops. Japanese units began to surrender their weapons, a process that dragged on until the end of the month. The Yuzhno-Sakhalin and Kuril landing operations continued until August 25 and September 1, respectively.

On August 14, 1945, the Americans developed a draft of “General Order No. 1 (for the Army and Navy)” on accepting the surrender of Japanese troops. This project was approved by American President Harry Truman and on August 15 it was reported to the allied countries. The draft specified the zones in which each of the Allied powers had to accept the surrender of Japanese units. On August 16, Moscow announced that it generally agreed with the project, but proposed an amendment - to include all the Kuril Islands and the northern half of Hokkaido in the Soviet zone. Washington did not raise any objections regarding the Kuril Islands. But regarding Hokkaido, the American President noted that the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the Pacific, General Douglas MacArthur, was surrendering to the Japanese armed forces on all the islands of the Japanese archipelago. It was specified that MacArthur would use token armed forces, including Soviet units.

The American government from the very beginning did not intend to let the USSR into Japan and rejected allied control in post-war Japan, which was provided for by the Potsdam Declaration. On August 18, the United States put forward a demand to allocate one of the Kuril Islands for the American Air Force base. Moscow rejected this brazen advance, declaring that the Kuril Islands, according to the Crimean Agreement, are the possession of the USSR. The Soviet government announced that it was ready to allocate an airfield for landing American commercial aircraft, subject to the allocation of a similar airfield for Soviet aircraft in the Aleutian Islands.

On August 19, a Japanese delegation led by Deputy Chief of the General Staff, General T. Kawabe, arrived in Manila (Philippines). The Americans notified the Japanese that their forces must liberate the Atsugi airfield on August 24, the Tokyo Bay and Sagami Bay areas by August 25, and Kanon Base and the southern part of Kyushu Island by mid-day on August 30. Representatives of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces requested a delay in the landing of the occupying forces by 10 days in order to strengthen precautions and avoid unnecessary incidents. The request of the Japanese side was granted, but for a shorter period. The landing of the advanced occupation forces was scheduled for August 26, and the main forces for August 28.

On August 20, the Japanese in Manila were presented with an Act of Surrender. The document provided for the unconditional surrender of the Japanese armed forces, regardless of their location. Japanese troops were required to immediately cease hostilities, release prisoners of war and interned civilians, ensure their maintenance, protection and delivery to designated places. On September 2, the Japanese delegation signed the Instrument of Surrender. The ceremony itself was structured to highlight the United States' primary role in defeating Japan. The procedure for the surrender of Japanese troops in various areas of the Asia-Pacific region dragged on for several months.

The largest war in human history, the Second World War became a logical continuation of the First World War. In 1918, the Kaiser's Germany lost to the Entente countries. The result of the First World War was the Treaty of Versailles, according to which the Germans lost part of their territory. Germany was prohibited from having a large army, navy and colonies. An unprecedented economic crisis began in the country. It became even worse after the Great Depression of 1929.

German society barely survived its defeat. Massive revanchist sentiments arose. Populist politicians began to play on the desire to “restore historical justice.” The National Socialist German Workers' Party, led by Adolf Hitler, began to enjoy great popularity.

Causes

Radicals came to power in Berlin in 1933. The German state quickly became totalitarian and began to prepare for the upcoming war for dominance in Europe. Simultaneously with the Third Reich, its own “classical” fascism arose in Italy.

The Second World War (1939-1945) involved events not only in the Old World, but also in Asia. In this region, Japan was a source of concern. In the Land of the Rising Sun, just like in Germany, imperialist sentiments were extremely popular. China, weakened by internal conflicts, became the object of Japanese aggression. The war between the two Asian powers began in 1937, and with the outbreak of conflict in Europe it became part of the overall Second World War. Japan turned out to be an ally of Germany.

During the Third Reich, it left the League of Nations (predecessor of the UN) and stopped its own disarmament. In 1938, the Anschluss (annexation) of Austria took place. It was bloodless, but the causes of World War II, in short, were that European politicians turned a blind eye to Hitler’s aggressive behavior and did not stop his policy of absorbing more and more territories.

Germany soon annexed the Sudetenland, which was inhabited by Germans but belonged to Czechoslovakia. Poland and Hungary also took part in the division of this state. In Budapest, the alliance with the Third Reich was maintained until 1945. The example of Hungary shows that the causes of the Second World War, in short, included the consolidation of anti-communist forces around Hitler.

Start

On September 1, 1939, they invaded Poland. A few days later, France, Great Britain and their numerous colonies declared war on Germany. Two key powers had allied agreements with Poland and acted in its defense. Thus began the Second World War (1939-1945).

A week before the Wehrmacht attacked Poland, German diplomats concluded a non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union. Thus, the USSR found itself on the sidelines of the conflict between the Third Reich, France and Great Britain. By signing an agreement with Hitler, Stalin was solving his own problems. In the period before the start of the Great Patriotic War, the Red Army entered Eastern Poland, the Baltic states and Bessarabia. In November 1939, the Soviet-Finnish war began. As a result, the USSR annexed several western regions.

While German-Soviet neutrality was maintained, the German army was engaged in the occupation of most of the Old World. 1939 was met with restraint by overseas countries. In particular, the United States declared its neutrality and maintained it until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Blitzkrieg in Europe

Polish resistance was broken after just a month. All this time, Germany acted on only one front, since the actions of France and Great Britain were of a low-initiative nature. The period from September 1939 to May 1940 received the characteristic name of the “Strange War”. During these few months, Germany, in the absence of active actions by the British and French, occupied Poland, Denmark and Norway.

The first stages of World War II were characterized by transience. In April 1940, Germany invaded Scandinavia. Air and naval landings entered key Danish cities without hindrance. A few days later, monarch Christian X signed the capitulation. In Norway, the British and French landed troops, but they were powerless against the onslaught of the Wehrmacht. The early periods of World War II were characterized by the general advantage of the Germans over their enemy. The long preparation for future bloodshed took its toll. The whole country worked for the war, and Hitler did not hesitate to throw more and more resources into its cauldron.

In May 1940, the invasion of Benelux began. The whole world was shocked by the unprecedented destructive bombing of Rotterdam. Thanks to their swift attack, the Germans managed to occupy key positions before the Allies appeared there. By the end of May, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg had capitulated and were occupied.

During the summer, the battles of World War II moved into France. In June 1940, Italy joined the campaign. Its troops attacked the south of France, and the Wehrmacht attacked the north. Soon a truce was signed. Most of France was occupied. In a small free zone in the south of the country, the Peten regime was established, which cooperated with the Germans.

Africa and the Balkans

In the summer of 1940, after Italy entered the war, the main theater of military operations moved to the Mediterranean. The Italians invaded North Africa and attacked British bases in Malta. At that time, there were a significant number of English and French colonies on the “Dark Continent”. The Italians initially concentrated on the eastern direction - Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and Sudan.

Some French colonies in Africa refused to recognize the new French government led by Pétain. Charles de Gaulle became the symbol of the national struggle against the Nazis. In London, he created a liberation movement called "Fighting France". British troops, together with de Gaulle's troops, began to recapture the African colonies from Germany. Equatorial Africa and Gabon were liberated.

In September the Italians invaded Greece. The attack took place against the backdrop of the fighting for North Africa. Many fronts and stages of the Second World War began to intertwine with each other due to the increasing expansion of the conflict. The Greeks managed to successfully resist the Italian onslaught until April 1941, when Germany intervened in the conflict, occupying Hellas in just a few weeks.

Simultaneously with the Greek campaign, the Germans began the Yugoslav campaign. The forces of the Balkan state were split into several parts. The operation began on April 6, and on April 17 Yugoslavia capitulated. Germany in World War II increasingly looked like an unconditional hegemon. Puppet pro-fascist states were created on the territory of occupied Yugoslavia.

Invasion of the USSR

All previous stages of World War II paled in scale compared to the operation that Germany was preparing to carry out in the USSR. War with the Soviet Union was only a matter of time. The invasion began exactly after the Third Reich occupied most of Europe and was able to concentrate all its forces on the Eastern Front.

Wehrmacht units crossed the Soviet border on June 22, 1941. For our country, this date became the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. Until the last moment, the Kremlin did not believe in the German attack. Stalin refused to take intelligence data seriously, considering it disinformation. As a result, the Red Army was completely unprepared for Operation Barbarossa. In the first days, airfields and other strategic infrastructure in the western Soviet Union were bombed without hindrance.

The USSR in World War II faced another German blitzkrieg plan. In Berlin they were planning to capture the main Soviet cities in the European part of the country by winter. For the first months everything went according to Hitler's expectations. Ukraine, Belarus, and the Baltic states were completely occupied. Leningrad was under siege. The course of World War II brought the conflict to a key point. If Germany had defeated the Soviet Union, it would have had no opponents left except overseas Great Britain.

The winter of 1941 was approaching. The Germans found themselves in the vicinity of Moscow. They stopped on the outskirts of the capital. On November 7, a festive parade was held dedicated to the next anniversary of the October Revolution. Soldiers went straight from Red Square to the front. The Wehrmacht was stuck several tens of kilometers from Moscow. The German soldiers were demoralized by the harsh winter and the most difficult battle conditions. On December 5, the Soviet counteroffensive began. By the end of the year, the Germans were driven back from Moscow. The previous stages of World War II were characterized by the total advantage of the Wehrmacht. Now the army of the Third Reich stopped for the first time in its global expansion. The Battle of Moscow became the turning point of the war.

Japanese attack on the USA

Until the end of 1941, Japan remained neutral in the European conflict, while at the same time fighting China. At a certain point, the country's leadership faced a strategic choice: to attack the USSR or the USA. The choice was made in favor of the American version. On December 7, Japanese aircraft attacked the Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii. As a result of the raid, almost all American battleships and, in general, a significant part of the American Pacific fleet were destroyed.

Until this moment, the United States had not openly participated in World War II. When the situation in Europe changed in favor of Germany, the American authorities began to support Great Britain with resources, but did not interfere in the conflict itself. Now the situation has changed 180 degrees, since Japan was an ally of Germany. The day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Washington declared war on Tokyo. Great Britain and its dominions did the same. A few days later, Germany, Italy and their European satellites declared war on the United States. This is how the contours of the alliances that faced head-to-head confrontation in the second half of World War II were finally formed. The USSR had been at war for several months and also joined the anti-Hitler coalition.

In the new year of 1942, the Japanese invaded the Dutch East Indies, where they began to capture island after island without much difficulty. At the same time, the offensive in Burma was developing. By the summer of 1942, Japanese forces controlled all of Southeast Asia and large parts of Oceania. The United States in World War II changed the situation in the Pacific theater of operations somewhat later.

USSR counter-offensive

In 1942, the Second World War, the table of events of which usually includes basic information, was at its key stage. The forces of the opposing alliances were approximately equal. The turning point occurred towards the end of 1942. In the summer, the Germans launched another offensive in the USSR. This time their key target was the south of the country. Berlin wanted to cut off Moscow from oil and other resources. To do this, it was necessary to cross the Volga.

In November 1942, the whole world anxiously awaited news from Stalingrad. The Soviet counter-offensive on the banks of the Volga led to the fact that since then the strategic initiative was finally in the hands of the USSR. There was no bloodier or larger-scale battle in World War II than the Battle of Stalingrad. The total losses on both sides exceeded two million people. At the cost of incredible efforts, the Red Army stopped the Axis advance on the Eastern Front.

The next strategically important success of the Soviet troops was the Battle of Kursk in June - July 1943. That summer, the Germans tried for the last time to seize the initiative and launch an attack on Soviet positions. The Wehrmacht's plan failed. The Germans not only did not achieve success, but also abandoned many cities in central Russia (Orel, Belgorod, Kursk), while following the “scorched earth tactics.” All tank battles of World War II were bloody, but the largest was the Battle of Prokhorovka. It was a key episode of the entire Battle of Kursk. By the end of 1943 - beginning of 1944, Soviet troops liberated the south of the USSR and reached the borders of Romania.

Allied landings in Italy and Normandy

In May 1943, the Allies cleared the Italians from North Africa. The British fleet began to control the entire Mediterranean Sea. Earlier periods of World War II were characterized by Axis successes. Now the situation has become exactly the opposite.

In July 1943, American, British and French troops landed in Sicily, and in September on the Apennine Peninsula. The Italian government renounced Mussolini and within a few days signed a truce with the advancing opponents. The dictator, however, managed to escape. Thanks to the help of the Germans, he created the puppet republic of Salo in the industrial north of Italy. The British, French, Americans and local partisans gradually conquered more and more cities. On June 4, 1944, they entered Rome.

Exactly two days later, on the 6th, the Allies landed in Normandy. This is how the second or Western Front was opened, as a result of which the Second World War was ended (the table shows this event). In August, a similar landing began in the south of France. On August 25, the Germans finally left Paris. By the end of 1944 the front had stabilized. The main battles took place in the Belgian Ardennes, where each side made, for the time being, unsuccessful attempts to develop its own offensive.

On February 9, as a result of the Colmar operation, the German army stationed in Alsace was surrounded. The Allies managed to break through the defensive Siegfried Line and reach the German border. In March, after the Meuse-Rhine operation, the Third Reich lost territories beyond the western bank of the Rhine. In April, the Allies took control of the Ruhr industrial region. At the same time, the offensive continued in Northern Italy. On April 28, 1945 he fell into the hands of Italian partisans and was executed.

Capture of Berlin

In opening a second front, the Western Allies coordinated their actions with the Soviet Union. In the summer of 1944, the Red Army began to attack. Already in the fall, the Germans lost control over the remnants of their possessions in the USSR (with the exception of a small enclave in western Latvia).

In August, Romania, which had previously acted as a satellite of the Third Reich, withdrew from the war. Soon the authorities of Bulgaria and Finland did the same. The Germans began to hastily evacuate from the territory of Greece and Yugoslavia. In February 1945, the Red Army carried out the Budapest operation and liberated Hungary.

The route of Soviet troops to Berlin ran through Poland. Together with her, the Germans left East Prussia. The Berlin operation began at the end of April. Hitler, realizing his own defeat, committed suicide. On May 7, the act of German surrender was signed, which came into force on the night of the 8th to the 9th.

Defeat of the Japanese

Although the war ended in Europe, bloodshed continued in Asia and the Pacific. The last force to resist the Allies was Japan. In June the empire lost control of Indonesia. In July, Great Britain, the United States and China presented her with an ultimatum, which, however, was rejected.

On August 6 and 9, 1945, the Americans dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These cases were the only ones in human history when nuclear weapons were used for combat purposes. On August 8, the Soviet offensive began in Manchuria. The Japanese Surrender Act was signed on September 2, 1945. This ended the Second World War.

Losses

Research is still being conducted on how many people suffered and how many died in World War II. On average, the number of lives lost is estimated at 55 million (of which 26 million were Soviet citizens). The financial damage amounted to $4 trillion, although it is hardly possible to calculate exact figures.

Europe was hit hardest. Its industry and agriculture continued to recover for many years. How many died in World War II and how many were destroyed became clear only after some time, when the world community was able to clarify the facts about Nazi crimes against humanity.

The largest bloodshed in human history was carried out using completely new methods. Entire cities were destroyed by bombing, and centuries-old infrastructure was destroyed in a few minutes. The Third Reich's genocide of World War II, directed against Jews, Gypsies and Slavic populations, is horrifying in its details to this day. German concentration camps became real “death factories,” and German (and Japanese) doctors conducted cruel medical and biological experiments on people.

Results

The results of the Second World War were summed up at the Potsdam Conference, held in July - August 1945. Europe was divided between the USSR and the Western allies. Communist pro-Soviet regimes were established in eastern countries. Germany lost a significant part of its territory. was annexed by the USSR, several more provinces passed to Poland. Germany was first divided into four zones. Then, on their basis, the capitalist Federal Republic of Germany and the socialist GDR emerged. In the east, the USSR received the Japanese-owned Kuril Islands and the southern part of Sakhalin. The communists came to power in China.

Western European countries lost much of their political influence after World War II. The former dominant position of Great Britain and France was occupied by the United States, which suffered less than others from German aggression. The process of collapse of colonial empires began. In 1945, the United Nations was created to maintain world peace. Ideological and other contradictions between the USSR and Western allies caused the start of the Cold War.