1941 November 1942. The emergence of the anti-Hitler coalition

On June 22, 1941, at 4 o'clock in the morning, without presenting any claims against the Soviet Union, without declaring war, the regular troops of the German army attacked our country. June 22, 1941 - powerful strikes of the air and mechanized armies of Germany. 66 airfields were bombed. 1200 aircraft destroyed

June 23, 1941 - Headquarters of the High Command (Stavka of the Supreme High Command). Head - Stalin.

June 30, 1941 - State Defense Committee (GKO). Chairman - Stalin. All the fullness of state, party, military power.

Retreats of the Red Army in the first month of the war

In the first month of the war left: the Baltic States, Belarus, Moldova, most of Ukraine. Losses - 1,000,000 fighters, 724 thousand prisoners.

3 main failures of the first months of the war:

1) Smolensk defeat

The Nazis: to take possession of the "gates of Moscow" - Smolensk.

almost all the armies of the Western Front were defeated.

The command of the USSR: accused a large group of generals of treason, the head was the commander of the Western Front, Colonel General D.G. Pavlov. Judgment, execution.

Plan "Barbarossa" gave a crack: the capital is not captured in mid-July.

2) Southwest Russia and Kyiv

500,000 dead, along with the commander of the Southwestern Front, Lieutenant General M.D. Cypros.

Kyiv is taken -> strengthening the positions of the Nazis -> defense breakthrough in the Moscow direction

August 1941 - the beginning of the blockade of Leningrad.

August 16, 1941 - Order No. 270. All those who are in captivity are traitors and traitors. The families of captured commanders and political workers are repressed, the families of soldiers are deprived of benefits.

3) In the Moscow direction in October-November 1941, 5 armies were surrounded and thereby opened the way for the Nazis to Moscow

By December 1, 1941, German troops captured Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus, Moldova, Estonia, a significant part of the RSFSR, Ukraine, advanced inland up to 850-1200 km, while losing 740 thousand people (of which 230 thousand were killed).

The USSR lost the most important raw materials and industrial centers: Donbass, Krivoy Rog iron ore basin. Minsk, Kyiv, Kharkov, Smolensk, Odessa, Dnepropetrovsk were abandoned. Was in the blockade of Leningrad. The most important sources of food in Ukraine and southern Russia fell into the hands of the enemy or were cut off from the center. Millions of Soviet citizens found themselves in the occupied territories. Hundreds of thousands of civilians died or were driven into slavery in Germany. The German army, however, was stopped near Leningrad, Moscow and Rostov-on-Don; the strategic goals outlined by the Barbarossa plan could not be achieved.

43) The main stages and events of the Second World War

The official start of the war in the West is September 1, 1939. - German attack on Poland.

Reasons: Germany's desire to establish world domination, to destroy socialism in Russia and the Slavic peoples.

History of the war in Russia incl. 3 periods:

Initial - June 22, 1941 - November 18, 1942.: operation near Yelnya, the battle near Moscow, when the Nazis suffered a severe defeat for the first time.

The period of a radical turning point in the course of the war - November 19, 1942 - the end of 1943.: The Battle of Stalingrad, the battle on the Orel-Kursk Bulge, the tank battle near Prokhorovka and the beginning of the expulsion of the Nazi troops.

Late 1943 - May 9, 1945. - the period of complete expulsion of the fascist invaders from the owls. territories, osvob-e countries east. Europe and the completion of the defeat of Nazi Germany: the operation "Bagration" in Belarus, the Berlin operation.

The main sources of victory: heroism, solidarity of the masses, moral and watered. the unity of the owls. total Islands; the strength of the Soviets, strengthened in the war. army, the increased military skill of its generals and commanders; the heroic struggle of partisan units and the underground; unity of front and rear; a sense of patriotism and self-preservation of peoples; rapid restructuring of the management of the national economy and military operations, the possibility of a centralized directive economy, large natural and human resources.

44) Foreign policy of the USSR during the Second World War. Significance of the Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam conferences for the post-war order of the world

Tehran conference - the first in years Tue. World. The conference of the "Big Three" - the leaders of three countries: F. D. Roosevelt (USA), W. Churchill (Great Britain) and J. V. Stalin (USSR), held in Tehran November 28 - December 1, 1943.

The historical significance of the conference can hardly be overestimated - it was the first meeting of the "Big Three", at which the fate of millions of people, the future of the world were decided.

The main issue was the opening of a second front in Western Europe. After much debate, the Overlord issue was at an impasse. Then Stalin got up from his chair and, turning to Voroshilov and Molotov, said with irritation: “We have too much to do at home to waste time here. Nothing worthwhile, as I see it, does not work. The critical moment has come. Churchill understood this and, fearing that the conference might be disrupted, he compromised.

Post-war world order: de facto, the right was assigned to the Soviet Union as an indemnity to annex part of East Prussia after the victory, and also, F. Roosevelt proposed to divide Germany into 5 states

February 4-11, 1945 took place Yalta conference Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt. It discussed the basic principles of post-war politics.

Issues covered: the post-war structure of Germany, the future division of the world between the winners

Result: making agreed decisions

Potsdam conference took place in Potsdam at the Cecilienhof estate from July 17 to August 2, 1945 with the participation of the leadership of the three largest powers of the anti-Hitler coalition in World War II in order to determine further steps for the post-war structure of Europe. (Harry Truman was from the USA, Clement Attlee was the new president from Britain) Many contradictions between the allies emerged in Potsdam, which soon led to the Cold War.

45) The labor feat of the Soviet people during the Second World War

All the achievements of the Soviet economy during the Great Patriotic War would have been impossible without the genuine heroism of people who worked in very difficult conditions, sparing no effort, showing exceptional stamina and perseverance in fulfilling the tasks set. The war led to serious changes in the country's labor resources. Millions of Soviet people went to the front. Many, not having time to evacuate, remained in the territory occupied by the enemy. As a result, the number of workers and employees in the national economy of the USSR declined sharply. By the end of 1941, it amounted to only 18.5 million people (58.7% of the pre-war level).

In December 1941, in order to eliminate staff turnover at military enterprises, all employees were declared mobilized by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Unauthorized leaving from enterprises was considered as desertion, and those who committed it were criminally liable. For the vast majority of home front workers, the slogans put forward by the Communist Party became law: “Everything for the front, everything for the victory over the enemy!”, “Work not only for yourself, but also for a comrade who has gone to the front!”, “In work - like in battle ! The introduction of a rationed supply allowed the state, in conditions of an acute shortage of agricultural products, to provide people, first of all, with such an important food product as bread, which helped many escape from starvation. Among the serious problems of military life was housing. As a result of mass migration, the overcrowding of settlements in the Volga region, the Urals, Siberia, Kazakhstan and Central Asia has sharply increased.

In 1943, in the eastern regions of the country, the population increased by a third due to the evacuated workers and employees with their families, who were mobilized in industry and for the construction of collective farmers. For example, in the cities of the Sverdlovsk region, the norm of living space during the war did not exceed 2.5-3 m2 per person.
The Soviet people were convinced of the justice of the cause for which they fought at the front and for which they worked selflessly and endured hardships in the rear. They trusted the leadership, did not doubt the correctness of the policy pursued. This gave them the strength to survive in the most difficult conditions of the war, instilled confidence in victory, hope for a better life.

46) Results and meaning. Soviet victory in WWII. The beginning of the revival from-va

After the end of the war, the main task of the policy of the USSR in the first post-war years was the restoration of the national economy. It began as early as 1943 as the occupiers were driven out. In 1946, a plan for the development of the country during the years of the 4th five-year plan (46-50) was adopted. By 1950, about 6,000 enterprises had been restored and rebuilt, mainly in heavy industry. An important place in the restoration of industry was given to power plants. Huge funds were directed to the restoration of the Dneproges. Already in 1947, the Dneproges gave industrial current. Agriculture emerged from the war weakened. In 46-49 years. about 11 million hectares of peasant land were cut in favor of the collective farms. The consolidation of collective farms began. In the early 1950s, fertilizers and machinery were sent to the villages, which made it possible to reach the level of 1940. In 1947, the card system was abolished and a monetary reform was carried out. The war changed the socio-political situation in the country. However, the government was concerned about the revival of political life. The country was again depressed. In 1948, special regime camps appeared for those convicted of anti-Soviet activities. In 48-53 years. political prisoners of the camps of Vorkuta, Norilsk, Pechora raised uprisings in the camps. After the war, the international prestige of the USSR was strengthened, diplomatic relations were established with 52 countries of the world. In 1946, the Paris Peace Conference was held with the participation of the USSR, at which peace treaties were signed with the former allies of Germany. The USSR began to play a prominent role in the organization of the United Nations (UN) created in 1945. In 45-46 years. Soviet lawyers spoke at the Nuremberg trials of the main Nazi war criminals

47) XX Congress of the CPSU. The course towards the democratization of society

Twentieth Congress of the CPSU, held in Moscow on February 14-25, 1956. He is best known for condemning the cult of personality and, indirectly, Stalin's ideological legacy.

There were 1,349 voting delegates and 81 deliberative delegates representing 6,795,896 party members and 419,609 candidate party members.

The congress was attended by delegations of communist and workers' parties from 55 foreign countries.

Order of the day:

• Report of the Central Committee of the CPSU. Speaker - N. S. Khrushchev.
• Report of the Central Audit Commission of the CPSU. Speaker - P. G. Moskatov.
• Directives on the 6th five-year plan for the development of the national economy of the USSR for 1956-1960. Speaker N. A. Bulganin.
• Elections of the central bodies of the party. Speaker - N. S. Khrushchev.

The main events that made the congress famous took place on the last day of work, February 25, at a closed morning session. On this day, N. S. Khrushchev delivered a closed report “On the cult of personality and its consequences”, which was dedicated to the condemnation of the personality cult of I. V. Stalin.

It voiced a new point of view on the recent past of the country, listing numerous facts of the crimes of the second half of the 1930s - early 1950s, the blame for which was laid on Stalin. The report also raised the problem of the rehabilitation of party and military leaders who were repressed under Stalin. This is the essence of the democratization of society.

48) Social-econ. ref-we 50s-60s. Pre-crisis events in economy the USSR

In 1953 Khrushchev headed the Secretariat of the Central Committee. On the second half of the 50s prod. politics, eg. on the restoration of legality in the general-watered. life. Was impl. reform of the justice system: a new criminal law has been developed, a law on prosecutorial supervision has been adopted. Rehabilitation was actively carried out.

Khrushchev's policy aroused dissatisfaction with part of the party apparatus, they wanted to remove him, but this did not succeed. Malenkov were removed. Molotov, Kaganovich. Voroshilov's place was taken by Brezhnev. Simultaneous the cult of Khrushchev grew. He began to combine 2 positions: secretary and head of government. He prepared a new draft Program of the CPSU, which was adopted at the 22nd Party Congress. It contained formulas. the tasks of communism: to achieve the highest production in the world per capita, the transition to communes. arrogant. The upbringing of the new man. The new prog-ma caused a massive labor upsurge of the population.

In 1954, the development of virgin and fallow lands began: the Southern Urals, Siberia, Kazakhstan.

In 1958, the reorganization of the MTS: collective farms began to buy equipment from them, but this led to an increase in prices for old equipment. All these measures allowed led away. an increase in agricultural production by 34%, but there was no fundamental improvement. A new stage began in the consolidation of collective farms and the settlement of unpromising villages. Collective farms transformed. to state farms. At the same time, Spanish power methods. Khrushchev strongly began to recommend to everyone the sowing of corn, which led to the purchase of grain from abroad, subsequently to a crisis, due to the lack of buyers, crop failure, etc.

There have been changes in social structure. A census was made, and the population increased. For teenagers set. 6-hour working day, for other workers it is abbreviated. for 2 hours on holidays and on Saturdays, took away. pensions, wages increased, tuition fees were abolished. Increased housing construction. (famous "Khrushchev")

49) Results of the social-economy. development of the USSR in the 70-80s. their consequences

In the 1970s and early 1980s, stagnation became widespread in the USSR. The country began to lose the pace of economic development, lagging behind the developed countries of the West, Japan in technology, in the level and quality of life became more and more noticeable. It was at this time that the contradiction between the need for radical changes and the inability, unwillingness of the ruling structure of the state to quickly solve urgent problems in the economy, socio-political and spiritual life is felt with unprecedented force.

The growth of negative trends led to the fact that by the mid-80s the country was on the verge of a serious economic and social crisis. Its reasons were, on the one hand, that the top leadership of the party and the state did not take any serious measures to solve the aggravated problems of socio-economic development, and on the other hand, the administrative-command system of leadership, ignoring economic laws, inevitably had to start and brought the economy to a standstill. The costly nature of the stateization of everything and everything oriented it not towards progress, but towards stagnation and objectively contributed to the country's ever greater lag behind world scientific and technological progress, and to the growth of social tension.

The way out of the all-encompassing and increasingly aggravated crisis of society was impossible without a radical restructuring of the entire political system. It is the most important condition for the emancipation of the masses, the disclosure of the potential of the individual, the mobilization of the intellectual forces of society - our main reserve.

50) 1985. Attempts to comprehensively. reforms. Soviet polit. syst. The results of "perestroika"

The concept of "perestroika" can be defined. as an attempt to preserve the administrative-command socialism, giving it e-you democracy and market relations, without affecting the fundamental foundations of polit. building. Perestroika had serious prerequisites. Stagnation in the economy, the growth of scientific and technical. lagging behind the West, failures in the social. sphere

You can suggest sl. periodization of perestroika: 1st stage - from April 1985 to the end of 1986; the second stage - from January 1987 to April 1988; the third stage - from April 1988 to March 1990; the fourth stage - from March 1990 to August 1991.

An important role in impl. reforms, involvement in political. the life of the working people played half-ka publicity. It began with the disclosure of the truth about the crimes of the Stalinist period, without exposing the cat. it was impossible to break the totalitarian regime.

In the spring of 1990, the last the stage of restructuring is a crisis. Fast. Gorbachev's hesitations led the conservatives to accuse him of being "bourgeois", "a betrayal of the cause of socialism".

At the turn of 1990-1991. Gorbachev went to rapprochement with the conservatives. Complicated half-e in the union republics. April 23, 1991 - in Novo Ogaryovo, a meeting of the leaders of 11 republics took place, on the cat. b. an agreement was reached on the principles of a new union treaty. Yeltsin began to lose the support of the majority, the cat. was elected to the post of Chairman of the Supreme Council. He is prov. early presidential elections in Russia and wins.

The results of perestroika: the overthrow of Gorbachev, the collapse of the USSR, the formation of the RSFSR (Russian Soviet Federative Social Republic), the approval of B.N. Yeltsin as president, the liquidation of the communist. ideologies, the predominance of democracy, markets. economy, etc.

51) GKChP and the collapse of the social. reforms. THE USSR. The collapse of the USSR and the collapse of the CPSU

The State Committee for the State of Emergency (GKChP) is a self-proclaimed body in the USSR that existed from August 18 to August 22, 1991. It was formed from the first state and officials of the Soviet government, who opposed the reforms of Perestroika carried out by the President of the USSR M. S. Gorbachev and the transformation of the "Soviet Union" into a new "Union of Sovereign States", which terminated the functioning of the current Constitution of the USSR as a single Union State and became international organization, consisting of part of the already independent sovereign republics.

On August 22, 1991, the members of the State Emergency Committee were arrested, but in 1994, even before the trial, by decree of the President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin, they were amnestied.

Members of the State Emergency Committee: Yanaev, Baklanov, Kryuchkov, Pavlov, Pugo, Starodubtsev, Tizyakov, Yazov.

August 20, in Moscow, the first clash occurs between the army and the demonstrators; three demonstrators died. On the morning of August 21, the Minister of Defense of the USSR D.T. Yazov orders his military leaders and commanders to withdraw all units from Moscow to their places of permanent deployment and lift the blockade of the White House.

The Russian leadership, which led the fight against the GKChP, ensured the political victory of the supreme bodies of Russia over the Union Center. Since the autumn of 1991, the Constitution and laws of the RSFSR, the Congress of People's Deputies and the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, as well as the President of the RSFSR, received complete supremacy over the laws of the USSR on the territory of Russia. With rare exceptions, the leaders of the regional authorities of the RSFSR, who supported the State Emergency Committee, were removed from their posts.

On December 8, 1991, the presidents of the three founding states of the USSR B. N. Yeltsin, L. M. Kravchuk and S. S. Shushkevich, despite the decision of the all-Union referendum on the preservation of the USSR Union, signed the Belovezhskaya Agreement on the termination of the USSR and the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). On December 25, 1991, Gorbachev officially resigned as President of the USSR.

On December 26, 1991, the USSR officially ceased to exist.. In its place, a number of independent states have formed (currently 19, of which 15 are UN members, 2 are partially recognized by UN member countries, and 2 are not recognized by any of the UN member countries). As a result of the collapse of the USSR, the territory of Russia (the successor country of the USSR in terms of external assets and liabilities, and in the UN) decreased compared to the territory of the USSR by 24% (from 22.4 to 17 million km²), and the population decreased by 49% (from 290 to 148 million people) (at the same time, the territory of Russia has practically not changed compared to the territory of the RSFSR). The ruble zone and the unified Armed Forces of the USSR collapsed (the CSTO was created instead, except for the three Baltic republics, Moldova, Ukraine and subsequently Georgia, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan).

52) Belavezha Accords 1991 CIS education. Change ek. and polit. country courses

Belovezhskaya agreement- a document called the Agreement on the Creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), signed by the heads of the Russian Federation (RSFSR), the Republic of Belarus and Ukraine on December 8, 1991; marked the end of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

The preamble of the document stated that "the Union of the SSR as a subject of international law and geopolitical reality ceases to exist."

Article 14 defined Minsk as "the official seat of the coordinating bodies of the Commonwealth."

By dawn on June 22, 1941, Timoshenko, Zhukov and Deputy Chief of the General Staff N.F. Do not forget that Vatutin began to receive alarming messages from the commanders. It is worth noting that they reported on air strikes and waited for specific instructions. Timoshenko told Zhukov to call Stalin.

Stalin listened to the report and suggested giving the troops an order to respond. There was a long pause, and Stalin could be heard breathing into the phone. Then he ordered Zhukov and Timoshenko to come to the Kremlin and tell Poskrebyshev to call the members of the Politburo.

At 4.30 am everyone gathered in Stalin's office. It is worth noting that he stood at the table with a pale face, holding an unlit pipe in his hand. It is worth noting that he was clearly shocked.

After meeting with the German ambassador, Molotov hurried into the office. It is worth noting that he reported that Germany had declared war.

Stalin silently sank into a chair. It was one of the most dramatic moments in his life. It is worth noting that he used all ϲʙᴏ and opportunities to prevent this war. It is worth noting that he passionately desired to delay its beginning at least until next spring. It seemed to him ϶ᴛᴏ possible, and suddenly - a failure. Armaments have already begun to flow from defense factories to the troops, thanks to intensive combat training, discipline and combat capability have been strengthened in the army. In six months, fundamental changes could be achieved.

Stalin was aware that he had made a tragic miscalculation. Members It is worth saying - the Politburo and senior military leaders, with whom he discussed ϲʙᴏ decisions, unconditionally obeyed his will, recognizing his intellectual superiority and supreme power. It is worth noting that he was quite honestly aware of his full responsibility for what happened. It is worth noting that he misjudged Hitler's intention. And now the Soviet country was threatened with a terrible test, which could destroy the communist regime and all its achievements.

It was later asserted that starting precisely from the th day and during the following weeks, when reports of tragic defeats began to come to Stalin, his nerves could not stand it, and he fell into a state of gloomy despair. According to Khrushchev, in these days, Stalin believed that the end had come. He exclaimed: “Everything that Lenin created, we have lost forever!”* After the ϶ᴛᴏth emotional

* Stalin put it much more colorfully. I will not quote here his words for reasons of decency (A. Panfilov)

outburst, he remained inactive for a long time, and returned to active leadership only after a deputation from It is worth saying that the Politburo turned to him with a request to take leadership into his own hands. But ϶ᴛᴏ Khrushchev's testimony does not find confirmation from other eyewitnesses. In fact, Stalin never led more vigorously and actively than in these critical days, when it seemed that collapse was inevitable.

At the morning meeting on June 22, Stalin broke the oppressive silence by issuing Directive No. 2 calling on the troops of all military districts to attack the invaders. This command was unrealistic. The army rolled back in disorder. Interruptions in communication between the troops caused many problems.

By one o'clock on June 22, Stalin called Zhukov and said that since the front commanders had no combat experience and were confused, it is worth saying that the Politburo was sending him to the Southwestern Front as a representative of the Headquarters.
It is interesting to note that Khrushchev will join him there. Shaposhnikov and Kulik leave for the Western Front. To the question of Zhukov, who would lead the General Staff at a critical moment, Stalin succinctly replied: “Leave it to yourself. Do not forget that Vatutina. Don't waste time! We'll get by somehow!" Zhukov immediately flew to Kyiv, and from there, together with Khrushchev, they drove by car to Ternopil, where the command post of the front commander Kirponos was located.

From the very first day of the war, Stalin followed Lenin's civil war practice of sending trusted personal representatives to the most important areas. It is worth saying that for him, ϶ᴛᴏ meant not only to have direct contact with the front, the ability to supervise commanders who had no combat experience, but also served as a demonstration of his own presence.

Crushed by the onslaught of the German troops, the Red Army retreated. Directive No. 3 handed over by Stalin on the night of June 22, demanding that the troops of the Southwestern, Western and Northwestern fronts go on the offensive, turned out to be completely unrealistic. The situation was confusing, real information did not reach Moscow.

Stalin himself did not have a clear idea about the speed of the advance of the German troops and the chaos that reigned on the fronts.

On June 26, Stalin called Zhukov in Ternopil and ordered him to immediately return to the General Staff. The enemy was approaching Minsk, and it was obvious that the commander of the Western Front, Pavlov, had lost control. Kulik disappeared, Shaposhnikov fell ill. On June 28, Russian troops surrendered the capital of Belarus, Minsk. German troops brutally cracked down on the population, destroying most of the cities along the way.

On June 29, Stalin visited the General Staff twice. It is worth noting that he was out of sorts and reacted painfully to the chaotic situation on the Western Front. Zhukov contacted General Pavlov by telegraph, but it was clear that the situation there was hopeless. The next day, Stalin ordered Zhukov to summon Pavlov to Moscow. When he arrived, Zhukov hardly recognized him - he had changed so much during the eight days of the war. Pavlov was removed from command, and, along with other generals on the Western Front, he was put on trial. All were shot.

Stalin attached particular importance to the ϶ᴛᴏmu front, believing that it was here that the Germans would bring down the ϲʙᴏth main blow. In fact, these people were victims of the war, or rather, his own miscalculations. The most serious mistake was that along the entire broad front of the western border, the troops were not deployed in depth, as a result of which the German panzer divisions, advancing on the move, bypassed the strategic fortifications from the flanks and surrounded them.

The trial of Pavlov and other generals of his headquarters and their execution undermined the faith in the troops and among the commanding staff. Many questioned their accusations of betrayal and feared that ϶ᴛᴏ was the start of a new purge. These fears intensified after the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of July 16, 1941 on the restoration of the institution of military commissars.

Stalin soon realized that drastic measures not only did not strengthen morale, as he expected, but, on the contrary, increased anxiety in the army at a time when

there was cold determination and stubborn resistance. And he never made that mistake again. In the future, commanders who failed to cope with the task were removed from command, deprived of their ranks, or simply disappeared, and their fate remained unknown.

In preparation for war, no importance was attached to the organization of military and civilian leadership structures. Stalin concentrated his efforts on the defense industry, equipping and training the armed forces. Personally, he did not like collegial work in committees, which required a lot of time, and since all the most important issues came to the Politburo, and then to it for decision, he probably believed that he could do without the top leadership. At the same time, the beginning of the war immediately showed that many powers and functions should be transferred to the governing bodies.

On the morning of June 22, 1941, Timoshenko submitted a project to organize the Headquarters of the High Command with the appointment of Stalin as Commander-in-Chief. But before signing the decree, Stalin redid the project. According to him, Timoshenko was appointed Commander-in-Chief and the Headquarters of the High Command was established as part of the Military Council. It included: Timoshenko (chairman), Stalin, Molotov, Voroshilov, Budyonny, Zhukov and Kuznetsov. It was precisely such an organization, according to Zhukov, that complicated the command and control of the troops, since there were two commanders-in-chief; Timoshenko - legal and Stalin - actual. The headquarters was once called the highest headquarters of the tsarist army. At the same time, unlike the tsarist, Stalin's Headquarters did not have a powerful auxiliary body, but initially there was a small group of advisers.

Orders and directives were discussed and adopted in Stalin's office in the Kremlin. It was a spacious, bright room without luxury, with bog oak panelling, and a long table covered with green cloth. Portraits of Marx, Engels and Lenin hung on the walls, later portraits of Suvorov and Kutuzov were added to them. To the side stood Stalin's desk with maps and documents. Poskrebyshev's room adjoined the office, and behind it was

small security room. Behind the office there was a rest room and a communication room for Stalin with front commanders. Stalin's office and sometimes his dacha in Kuntsevo served as the main headquarters of the Soviet Armed Forces during the war.

On June 30, the State Defense Committee (GKO) was formed - the supreme body, whose orders were executed by the Council of People's Commissars through the mechanism of commissariats. The Headquarters, which resolved military issues, was re-equipped into the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. Note that now its council included: Stalin (chairman), Molotov, Timoshenko, Voroshilov, Budyonny, Shaposhnikov and Zhukov. On July 19, 1941, Stalin was appointed People's Commissar of Defense, and on August 8 - Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the USSR.

On July 4, one of the first and most important directives of the State Defense Committee on the transfer of industry to the east was adopted. Evacuation of 1523 industrial enterprises, many of which were industrial giants, incl. 1369 major arms manufacturers was an outstanding achievement and a heroic feat of people. The dismantling and relocation of factories caused a sharp decline in production.
It is worth noting that in the autumn of 1941 and in the spring of 1942 there was an acute shortage of weapons and equipment. At the same time, by the summer, the pace of production began to increase rapidly.

In the despair of the first days of the invasion, Stalin was preoccupied with the failure of the Soviet defense, the organization of the High Command and rebuffing the enemy. For a while, he forgot about people, about the need to raise and strengthen their morale and fighting spirit. The whole nation was shocked and stunned by the sudden, as the propaganda kept saying, insidious attack. People believed that the Red Army would not let the enemy into Russian soil. Stalin himself, to some extent, became a victim of ϶ᴛᴏ propaganda. Although he, like no one else, knew the weaknesses of his army, in his heart he still did not allow the thought that the enemy would cross the border. In 1939, he approved a draft field charter, which stated that "the USSR will meet the attack of any enemy with a crushing blow of all the might of their Armed Forces" and that "the military operations of the Red Army will be aimed at the complete defeat of the enemy and the achievement of a decisive victory with little bloodshed." By the way, this confidence was shaken, and he understood that now it was important to rally the Russian people and set them up for severe trials.

On July 3, twelve days after the German invasion, Stalin made a radio address to the people. It was a historical speech, devoid of rhetoric, appealing to the national pride of the people, to the instinct of defending the Fatherland, firmly rooted in the Russian national character. It is worth noting that he spoke as a friend and leader. That was the kind of support expected of him. Listening to him, people everywhere, and especially in the Armed Forces, experienced "tremendous enthusiasm and patriotic enthusiasm." General Fedyuninsky, who played an outstanding role on several fronts, narrated: "We suddenly seemed to feel stronger."

“Comrades, citizens, brothers and sisters, soldiers of our army and navy! I appeal to you, my friends” – this is how Stalin’s address to the people began. These words were strikingly different from his usual form of address and immediately united him with people. Then, with a deep understanding of the feelings and needs of the people, he outlined the current difficult situation, and every word was imbued with an indomitable will to win.

In places in his speech, Stalin somewhat downplayed the trouble and seemed to justify himself, but he did not hide the truth. “Although the elite divisions and air units of the enemy have already been defeated and found death on the battlefield, the enemy continues to rush forward. The Soviet-German pact was supposed to give peace or at least postpone the war, but Hitler treacherously violated his obligations and suddenly attacked the USSR. In this case, ϶ᴛᴏ advantage will be short-lived.

In simple, concise language, he explained to people what war means to them. “The enemy is cruel and ruthless. It is worth noting that he sets as his goal the seizure of our lands, watered with our sweat, the seizure of our bread and our oil, extracted by our labor. It is worth noting that he sets as his goal the restoration of the power of the landowners, the restoration of tsarism ... It is worth noting that the Germanization of the peoples of the Soviet Union, turning them into slaves of German princes and barons.

He bluntly told the people that they were drawn into a deadly battle with a strong and treacherous enemy, called on the people to immediately rebuild the entire life and economy of the country in accordance with the requirements of the war, rise to the sacred struggle, put an end to carelessness and increase vigilance. All valuable property must be evacuated, and if evacuation is impossible, destroyed. Do not leave the enemy a single wagon, not a gram of grain, not a drop of fuel. In the occupied areas it is necessary to create partisan detachments and underground organizations, blow up bridges and roads, disable telephone and telegraph lines, burn warehouses and transport, create unbearable conditions for the enemy and his accomplices, pursue and destroy the invaders everywhere, frustrate their plans in every possible way, ɥᴛᴏ the ground burned under the feet of the invaders. Stalin expressed gratitude for the help promised by Churchill. He recalled Napoleon's invasion and Russia's victory over the French, and added that Hitler was no more invincible than Napoleon. It is worth noting that he explained that this war is patriotic and the Soviet people are waging it for the liberation of all peoples. It is worth noting that he called on all the people "to rally around the party of Lenin and Stalin."

The summer of 1941 was formidable and unsettling. The offensive of the German troops developed at a rapid pace, and it seemed that nothing could stop him. On July 10, Stalin formed the High Command of the troops of the Western direction, covering the Western, Reserve and Moscow fronts. Timoshenko was appointed commander-in-chief. By ϶ᴛᴏmu time, the advanced German units had already reached Smolensk. Russian troops fought desperately, realizing that the fall of the ϶ᴛᴏgo city would open a direct road to Moscow.

Upon learning of the surrender of Smolensk, Stalin was furious. At the end of July, when the defeat near Smolensk was already inevitable, Poskrebyshev called Zhukov.

- Stalin ordered you and Timoshenko to immediately come to him!

It is worth saying - believing that Stalin wanted to consult on further actions, they were surprised to find that almost all members of the Politburo were sitting at the table. It is worth saying - the Politburo. Stalin, in an old jacket, stood in the middle of the room and held an extinguished pipe in his hands, which, according to Zhukov, was "a sure sign of a bad mood."

"That's it," said Stalin. - It is worth saying that the Politburo discussed Tymoshenko's activities as commander of the Western Front and decided to relieve him of his duties. There is a proposal to appoint Zhukov to this position. What do you think? he asked, turning to them.

Timoshenko was silent. Zhukov finally replied that the frequent change of front commanders was hard to demonstrate during operations. Timoshenko has been in command of the front for less than four weeks. In the battle of Smolensk, he did everything that could be done. The troops believed in him, and it would be unfair and inappropriate now to release him from command of the front.

“And which, perhaps, is right,” Kalinin remarked.

Stalin slowly lit his pipe, looked around at everyone and asked:

- Maybe we will agree with Zhukov?

Zhukov and Timoshenko were released on ϶ᴛᴏm. Timoshenko was ordered to immediately go to the front.

The advance of the Germans in the northern direction was no less rapid. German troops occupied the Baltic states. On July 12 they entered Pskov. Leningraders desperately erected defensive structures, repelling enemy attacks on the outskirts of this city. By early autumn, German troops had cut off Leningrad from the rest of Russia. It is important to note that, however, with all this, the morale of the defenders of the city was high. Many scolded the leadership, especially Voroshilov, Zhdanov and the chairman of the city executive committee, Popkov, for short-sightedness and incompetence in organizing the defense of the city, and criticized the army for being unable to stop the advancing enemy. The approach of the enemy and air raids, apparently, plunged Voroshilov into a panic.

In September, Stalin sent Zhukov to take command of him. Zhukov quickly restored order and organized the defense. Leningrad prepared for a difficult, long blockade in the winter of 1941-1942.

In the south, the German advance was briefly halted near Lvov and other areas, but then the German troops again rushed east, threatening Kyiv directly.

On July 29, Zhukov asked for an appointment with Stalin for an urgent report. Mekhlis was already sitting in Stalin's office, who was hostile to Zhukov. Zhukov laid out the maps and reported the situation in detail. It is worth noting that he proposed, firstly, to transfer eight divisions from the Far East to strengthen the Moscow direction and, secondly, to withdraw the Southwestern Front beyond the Dnieper. Stalin immediately asked about Kyiv. Knowing that his words would provoke anger, Zhukov, overcoming his emotions, said firmly:

- Kyiv will have to leave.

Stalin exploded:

- What are you talking about? What nonsense? How could you think of surrendering Kyiv to the enemy?

Unable to restrain himself, Zhukov replied that if Stalin believes that, as the chief of the General Staff, he is capable of "only grinding nonsense", then in this case he asks to relieve him of these duties and send him to the front.

“Don’t get excited,” Stalin replied. “Well, if that’s how you put the question, we can do without you. Go to work, we will ϶ᴛᴏ discuss and call you. Forty minutes later, Zhukov was again summoned to Stalin.

“We consulted and decided to relieve you of your duties as Chief of the General Staff,” said Stalin. - We will appoint Shaposhnikov to the ϶ᴛᴏ place. True, his health is not all right, but nothing, we will help him.

Then Stalin asked where Zhukov would like to go, and agreed that he should personally take on the organization of the counteroffensive near Yelnya, which Zhukov himself suggested.

When Zhukov asked permission to depart, Stalin smiled and offered him tea with him. It is worth noting that he appreciated

Zhukov, as a proven commander, did not want him to leave in a bad mood. But the conversation never happened. Stalin reminded Zhukov that he remained a member of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command.

In August, the Wehrmacht command decided to advance on Moscow. In particular, Guderian insisted on the need to capture the city with a massive blow, at the forefront of which his tank divisions would operate. But Hitler rejected this plan, deciding to direct the main attack to the south, to Ukraine. On August 8, Guderian's group attacked the front near Gomel. Stalin and Shaposhnikov considered the ϶ᴛᴏ offensive as an attempt to outflank the Western and Reserve fronts, and then deliver the main blow in the direction of Bryansk - Moscow. On August 14, Stalin hastily formed a new Bryansk Front under the command of Yeremenko, who impressed him - but not Zhukov and Shaposhnikov - as a capable military leader. Indeed, the strike in the Bryansk direction ϲᴏᴏᴛʙᴇᴛϲᴛʙ hit the German command, but Hitler did not approve the plan. Guderian's group stopped at the turn of the Desna River, awaiting orders to move east or south. Yeremenko's offensive failed, and his troops, despite Stalin's formidable messages, retreated in disorder.

In early September, Guderian received orders to advance in a southerly direction. His panzer divisions moved forward rapidly, and soon a threat arose to the Southwestern Front from the rear. Further south, another German group captured Dnepropetrovsk, and although Stalin constantly demanded to hold the line of the Dnieper, she managed to force the river and advance in a northerly direction.

On September 7, the commander of the Southwestern Front, Kirponos, reported on ϶ᴛᴏm to Budyonny and Shaposhnikov. Stalin irritably brushed off his threat warning. It is worth noting that he intended to keep Kyiv and accused the front command of defeatism. Ultimately, he ordered the Southwestern Front to be withdrawn to the Desna line, but insisted that Kirponos would hold Kyiv.

The front command, realizing the gravity of the situation, was dissatisfied with this order. Kirponos criticized Shaposhnikov, who was "a very competent officer of the old General Staff", but "he simply could not muster the courage to tell Comrade Stalin the whole truth." Finally, Budyonny called Shaposhnikov, but, having achieved nothing, sent a telegram to Stalin, emphasizing the danger of the situation. Budyonny was immediately removed from command. Khrushchev remained a member of the Military Council, apparently he did not protest as vigorously as he later spoke about ϶ᴛᴏm. Budyonny was replaced by Timoshenko.

Tymoshenko arrived in Kyiv on 13 September. Three days later the city was surrounded by the Germans. Four Russian armies were trapped. Four generals from the front command were killed, thousands of soldiers fell, breaking through the encirclement. It was the most crushing defeat of the Red Army. It is worth saying that for the Germans ϶ᴛᴏ was a great tactical victory, but, as Guderian noted, it was fraught with unfavorable strategic consequences, since German plans to capture Moscow before the winter came were frustrated.

Initially, Hitler intended to capture Leningrad and occupy Ukraine, the Donbass and the Caucasus. Then the army groups "Center" and "North" were to simultaneously move on Moscow. Moreover, in the first three months of the war, the German troops achieved such significant successes that it seemed to him that Russia would fall as shamefully quickly as France. It is worth noting that he changed plans, preferring the capture of Moscow before the arrival of winter. The capture of the capital would mean a significant victory and could cause the fall of the Soviet government.

On October 2, Hitler gave the order to the troops aimed at Moscow: "Today begins the last and decisive battle of the year." In fact, the German offensive had already begun. The commander of the Western Front, Konev, reported to the Kremlin on September 26 that a German offensive was inevitable. The headquarters ordered him to stand to the death.

The Germans delivered the main blow from positions south of Vyazma in the direction of Yukhnov. Communication between the troops and Headquarters

was ineffective. The news that German tanks were already in Yukhnov, received on October 5, took Stalin by surprise. It is worth noting that he was also concerned about the fact that on October 2 Guderian took Orel.

The advancing German troops surrounded Vyazma. Stalin learned of the threatening situation that had been created when it was already too late to correct anything. The mass retreat and the immediate threat to Moscow might have thrown anyone off balance, but they only strengthened Stalin's resolve to fight. Under the circumstances, there could not have been a more important factor in keeping the country from disintegrating.

On October 5, Stalin recalled Zhukov from Leningrad. Being preoccupied with the breakthrough of the Germans south of Vyazma and the surrender of Yukhnov, he sent Zhukov to clarify the situation. On October 10, he called Zhukov at the front headquarters and appointed him commander, and Konev deputy.

Throughout the first menacing months of the war, Stalin constantly kept an eye on the commanders of the fronts. Few of them had a proper military education and combat experience. It is important to know that the majority lived through the experience of the civil war. They lacked knowledge of the tactics of warfare in modern conditions. In the fight against a heavily armed and well-trained enemy, the shortcomings of the commanders were quickly revealed. Stalin was stern and intolerant of manifestations of panic and indecision. Material published on http: // site
It is worth noting that he demanded courage, determination, confidence in the leadership of the troops from the command staff. Some commanders were afraid to report failures to him, fearing accusations of betrayal.

Zhukov, Timoshenko and Shaposhnikov proved their competence in practice, and Stalin relied on them. Zhukov and Timoshenko, peasants by origin, emerged from non-commissioned officers and, learning from their own experience, became outstanding military leaders. In particular, Stalin appreciated the former tsarist officer Shaposhnikov for his clear, disciplined thinking. And when he was forced to leave Headquarters due to illness, his place was taken by the former staff captain of the tsarist army. It should not be forgotten that Vasilevsky, who had

similar abilities. Excluding the above, in the fierce battles and defeats of 1941, a number of courageous and competent military leaders came to the fore.

Constantly remaining in the post of Supreme Commander, Stalin nevertheless had to increasingly trust Zhukov and such generals as Do not forget that Vasilevsky, Malinovsky, Rokossovsky, Do not forget that Vatutin and Bagramyan.

As the Germans approached Moscow, fear and the spirit of doom took over the city more and more. Already on October 12-13, the State Defense Committee ordered the evacuation to the east of many government organizations and the diplomatic corps. By the end of the month, about two million people had left the city. Air raids continued, which began in July, but, confident in the imminent fall of Moscow, the Germans did not rely on bombing.

Mass evacuation and fear of German occupation caused panic. Crowds of people rushed to the stations, trying to get out of the doomed city by any means. Rumors that Stalin and the Politburo had already left Moscow further exacerbated the situation.

On October 19, a state of siege was declared. Spies, saboteurs and alarmists were subject to trial by the NKVD tribunal and speedy execution. Thanks to the presence of Stalin in the city and the slowdown of the German advance, order was restored.

On November 6, Stalin spoke at a ceremonial meeting in honor of the 24th anniversary of the October Revolution at the Mayakovskaya metro station. His speech was broadcast on the radio and published in newspapers.

He said that the blitzkrieg in Russia had failed and expressed full confidence in the might of the Red Army and in the success of the popular resistance. Temporary setbacks on the fronts arose because of Germany's treacherous violation of the peace treaty and the surprise attack. The Red Army does not have enough tanks and aircraft, so he called for an all-round increase in production.

Although Russia is not alone in the fight against Nazi Germany, since the United States and England expressed their support for it, nevertheless “one of the reasons for the failures of the Red Army

there will be no second front in Europe ... The situation is now such that we are now fighting for ϲʙᴏ alone without any military assistance against the combined forces of the Germans, Finns, Romanians, Italians and Hungarians.

The next morning, Stalin attended the traditional military parade on Red Square. Troops went directly from the parade to the front. Stalin again appealed to the patriotism of the people. He spoke passionately and sincerely.

Note that the texts of both speeches were quickly distributed among the troops and the population. In the occupied territory, they were scattered from aircraft. These speeches caused an unprecedented spiritual upsurge among people, stirred up love for the Fatherland and hatred for the enemy.

In response to the mention in Stalin's November 6 speech of the promised Anglo-American assistance, concrete proposals finally followed. Stalin insisted on the immediate opening of a second front in Europe. Churchill responded in a letter to Stalin that this demand was unrealistic. It is worth noting that he proposed to transfer an English squadron of fighters near Murmansk, start naval operations in the Arctic seas, deliveries of aircraft, ammunition and other equipment to Russia. Stalin demanded more. It is worth noting that he believed that the British were cunning, not wanting to risk the lives of their people and leaving the Russians to fight alone.

By winter, Churchill and Roosevelt were increasingly worried about the question: how much longer could Russia hold out? British and American military experts, with rare exceptions, believed that Russian resistance would soon be broken. On July 30, Harry Hopkins, personal representative and closest adviser to President Roosevelt, arrived in Moscow. It was an extraordinary person. Despite physical infirmity and sickness, he possessed an inner dynamism, a lively and sharp mind. Devoted to his allied duty, he quickly reached a good understanding with Stalin. In the future, he was destined to play an important role in the development of relations between the two countries.

The first meeting with Stalin, when the Russians were failing on all fronts and Western leaders expected news of Russia's collapse from day to day, made a strong impression on Hopkins.

Stalin gave Hopkins an optimistic picture of the position of their troops. By the beginning of October, he predicted the stabilization of the front line on the outskirts of Moscow, Leningrad and Kyiv. His assessment of the situation probably contained an element of bluff, or perhaps reflected his unwillingness to accept the prospect of future major defeats. At ϶ᴛᴏ he was under great stress, and Hopkins noticed that during their four-hour meeting he smoked incessantly.

Stalin made a deep impression on Hopkins with her determination to fight the war to a victorious end. “Give us anti-aircraft guns and aluminum and we can fight for three or four years,” Stalin said. In his letter to Churchill in September, he sincerely expressed his deep concern. The loss of Krivoy Rog and other cities "put the USSR in mortal danger ... The only way out of this more than unfavorable situation was the opening of a second front somewhere in the Balkans or France ... and at the same time supplying the Soviet Union with 30 thousand tons of aluminum by the beginning of October, as well as monthly deliveries of 400 aircraft and 500 tanks (small or medium)

Without ϶ᴛᴏy help, the USSR will either suffer defeat or be so weakened that for a long time it will lose the ability to help the allies with active operations on the front against Hitlerism.

A few days later, Stalin narrated that if the opening of a second front was not possible now, let England land an assault force of twenty-five to thirty divisions in the Arkhangelsk region or in the south for joint operations against a common enemy. The proposal to land British troops on Russian soil could come from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief only in a state of desperation.

After the Hopkins report, a series of negotiations took place in Moscow to coordinate the joint actions of the allies.

Lord Beaverbrook represented Churchill and Averell Harriman represented Roosevelt. The first meeting with Stalin on September 28 coincided with the German advance on Moscow. The talks were held in a low-key atmosphere. The second meeting was difficult. Harriman noted that "Stalin behaved unfriendly, sometimes showed no interest in negotiations and was strict and harsh with us." Beaverbrook narrated: “Stalin was preoccupied, continuously walked around the room and smoked. It seemed to both of us that he was in a state of great tension. By the way, this meeting took place during major setbacks at the front, when Vyazma was surrounded, and Guderian's tanks entered Orel.

The third meeting again proceeded in a friendly atmosphere. Russian applications for equipment, machinery and raw materials were fully accepted. Beaverbrook, always seething with energy, an ardent supporter of all kinds of assistance to Russia up to the speedy opening of a second front, infected all the participants in the meeting with his enthusiasm. His pro-Russian views, admiration and faith in Stalin made Beaverbrook a welcome guest.

In early October, the offensive against Moscow was halted. The Germans immediately got ready for the second throw. It is worth noting that they were war-weary and not adequately equipped for the Russian winter, but retained their offensive momentum and commitment to discipline.

The Russians were desperately building fortifications and pulling up reserves. In fourteen days, 100 thousand fighters, 300 tanks and 2 thousand guns were concentrated. Both sides were determined to win this battle.

During the preparation of the defense, Zhukov reported to Stalin that the enemy was concentrating forces in the Volokolamsk direction. Stalin immediately ordered counterattacks. It is worth noting that he could not wait for the enemy to attack, he longed for action. Zhukov was against counterattacks, they could disrupt the preparation of the defense and not give a result, since the enemy's positions were already fortified. Stalin was adamant. The blows were delivered, but they did not bring success.

On October 13, fierce battles broke out in all the main operational areas leading to Moscow. In some places, the enemy managed to get closer to the city for fifty miles. On October 17, the General Staff, headed by Shaposhnikov, was evacuated from Moscow. Stalin was left with two assistants - Do not forget that Vasilevsky and Shtemenko. Showing acute concern for the fate of the capital, he called Zhukov to the front.

- Are you sure that we will keep Moscow? Stalin asked. - It hurts me to ask about ϶ᴛᴏm, answer honestly, like a communist.

“We will defend Moscow at all costs,” Zhukov answered, “but we need at least two more armies and 200 tanks.

"It's good that you're so sure," Stalin said. Call the General Staff and agree on two reserve armies, they will be ready by the end of November. But we don't have tanks yet.

By the end of October, the German offensive bogged down, but on November 15 it resumed again. The enemy was approaching the city limits, but he did not manage to advance far.

As soon as the German offensive in the ϶ᴛᴏm direction was stopped, Stalin, Zhukov and Timoshenko began planning a winter counteroffensive.

In the early morning of November 30, Stalin called Zhukov and suggested that the entire Western Front go on the offensive. Zhukov expressed concern about the lack of aviation and tanks, especially the new T-34 tanks, which had already proven their superiority. Stalin replied that there were no tanks, but he would provide air support. Note that in the meantime Timoshenko attacked the enemy and liberated Rostov near Moscow. * With the consent of Stalin, he was preparing a blow to the flank of the central group of Germans. Zhukov reported the ϲʙᴏth counteroffensive plan. Do not forget that Vasilevsky, and Stalin immediately approved it.

The winter counter-offensive, launched on 6 December, was surprisingly successful at first. By mid-January 1942, the Germans were driven back in some sections of the front for two hundred miles. At the same time, the lack of tanks and vehicles, as well as the harsh winter, slowed down the advance of the Russians.

*This is clearly a confusion. At the end of November, during the offensive on the Southern Front, the city of Rostov-on-Don was liberated. (A. Panfilov)

The battle for Moscow was a significant event. Zhukov believed that it became a turning point in the war. It involved 2 million people, 2500 tanks, 1800 aircraft, 25 thousand guns. Losses on both sides were huge. By the way, this battle ended victoriously for the Russians. Having experienced the full power of the German blitzkrieg and despite impressive losses and an acute shortage of weapons and equipment, they were able to conduct a successful counteroffensive. The myth of the invincibility of the German army, which undermined the morale of the Russian troops, was dispelled. And most importantly, they defended Moscow.

Stalin was impatient to go on the offensive. He was worried about the morale of the commanders. Any sign of weakness on their part was quickly passed on to the rank and file. Often his demands to attack were unrealistic, even dangerous. But he considered the myth of the invincibility of the enemy to be more dangerous. It is worth noting that he believed that unfired troops should be brought into battle faster, since only in battle would they learn to win. When, by the end of February, Zhukov's offensive was stopped by enemy resistance, he offered to go on the defensive and gain a foothold in the positions reached. In response, Stalin gave the order: “Advance! If you do not achieve a result today, you will achieve it tomorrow; even if you achieve nothing but fetter the enemy's forces, the result will still be felt everywhere.

- We must defeat the Germans as quickly as possible, ɥᴛᴏ so that they would not be able to resume the offensive in the spring.

An immediate counteroffensive on all fronts was too bold a move. The official Soviet history of the war, written under Khrushchev's leadership, is critical of the overly ambitious plan without mentioning Stalin's name. "The army still lacked the experience and ability to conduct offensive operations of such a large scale."

At the meeting of the GKO, Stalin rejected the objections. If the army does not have the ability and experience to conduct a massive offensive, it must learn how to do it now, in the crucible of war. Although the plan was too ambitious, it reflected his views on leadership and on the war. Stalin thought and planned on a large scale. He was guided by the need to force the commanders and troops to advance and learn how to defeat the enemy. It is worth noting that he infected them with her iron determination to clear the Russian land of the invaders.

The counterattack paid off. Although the victories in the Leningrad and Moscow directions were not too significant in territorial terms, they nevertheless averted a direct threat from these cities. By the spring of 1942, the front line had stabilized here, and the Germans never managed to advance beyond these lines during the entire war.

With the approach of spring, Stalin and the General Staff were more and more inclined to the conclusion that the main goal of the enemy would be the capture of Moscow. Shaposhnikov persuaded Stalin to create a margin of safety by building a strategic defense. But Stalin could not refuse to take decisive action and approved several major offensive operations.

Hitler actually decided to abandon the attack on Moscow. It is worth noting that he now planned to launch an offensive north of Kursk and further develop it east in the direction of Voronezh. To mislead the Soviet command, misinformation was spread that the Germans would launch a spring offensive against Moscow.

In March, Timoshenko put forward a plan for a major offensive against the enemy grouping concentrated in the Kharkov area, with the aim of pushing the Germans from Ukraine to

west to Kyiv. Shaposhnikov and the General Staff subjected the plan to criticism. At the same time, Stalin allowed Timoshenko to realize it as much as possible, but only relying entirely on ϲʙᴏ and forces and means. It is worth noting that he dismissed Shaposhnikov's objection and asked if he really intended to stand still, waiting for the enemy to strike first. Zhukov supported Shaposhnikov, but emphasized that the Western Front should go on the offensive. It should not be forgotten that Vasilevsky was in complete agreement with Shaposhnikov, arguing later that the Stalinist strategy was fraught with disastrous dispersion of forces. Despite the conflicting opinions, it was extremely important to make a decision. Stalin was a supporter of an offensive strategy and allowed Timoshenko to implement his plan. This decision was erroneous and led to fatal events.

The summer of 1942 brought heavy defeats in the south. After the surrender of Kyiv in September 1941, the Germans found themselves in the entire western part of Ukraine and the Crimea, with the exception of the besieged Sevastopol. In an effort to lift the siege from Sevastopol, in March Stalin sent the head of the Main Political Directorate of the Red Army, Mekhlis, to the Crimea. Mehlis, who, as already mentioned, was hated by all the officers in the army for his special zeal in purges, he trusted. Arriving at the headquarters of the front commander Kozlov, Mekhlis immediately dismissed the chief of staff of the front Tolbukhin and, according to Shtemenko’s memoirs, “true to her usual practice, instead of providing assistance, he began meticulously sorting commanders and staff officers.” Instead of preparing defenses and planning offensive actions, Kozlov and Mekhlis "wasted time on long and useless meetings of the Military Council." On May 8, when the German offensive began, Mekhlis sent a telegram to Stalin with the following content: “Now is not the time to complain, but I must report, so that the Stavka knows what the front commander is like.” And then he placed all responsibility for the unpreparedness of the front entirely on Kozlov. Having no time to investigate such statements, Stalin replied: “You have taken the strange position of an outside observer who is not responsible for the affairs of the Crimean Front. It's very comfortable

position, but it smells very bad. On the Crimean front, you are not an outside observer, but a responsible representative of the Headquarters, responsible for all the successes and failures of the front, and are obliged to correct the mistakes of the command on the spot.

Attacked on May 8 by Manstein's 11th Army, Kozlov's Crimean Front was defeated. On July 4, Sevastopol was surrendered. It cost the Germans 24,000 lives. The Russians suffered even heavier losses. Without surrendering, officers and commissars committed suicide. In the catacombs and mountains, the defenders of the city blew themselves up along with women and children. It was a heroic, tragic defeat.

Stalin was outraged by the defeat of the Crimean Front and the surrender of Sevastopol. Mekhlis was summoned to Moscow and demoted. Kozlov and two army commanders were removed from their posts.

On June 28, the army group "South" went on the offensive at the junction of the Bryansk and South-Western fronts and quickly advanced towards Voronezh. Here the Germans ran into stubborn Russian resistance. It is worth noting that they did not get involved in fierce battles for Voronezh, turned south and moved along the right bank of the Don towards Stalingrad.

The replacement of the commanders of the Bryansk and Voronezh fronts is overdue. New candidates were discussed in Stalin's Kremlin office. Were present Do not forget that Vasilevsky, who was appointed chief of the General Staff instead of Shaposhnikov, who retired due to illness, and his deputy Do not forget that Vatutin. Everyone agreed that Rokossovsky would be the commander of the Bryansk Front. Do not forget that Vatutin asked Stalin to appoint him to the post of commander of the Voronezh Front. Do not forget that Vasilevsky supported the request. After some hesitation, Stalin agreed.

The enemy was rapidly advancing south. Timoshenko's southwestern front and Malinovsky's southern front were hastily retreating, trying to avoid encirclement. Stalin learned from last year's setbacks when he ordered troops to hold Kyiv and Vyazma.

By the end of July, the Germans captured the Donbass. It was a heavy loss as 60 percent of

of all coal in the country. Donbass was also the center of the southern industrial region. Discontent and disappointment grew in the country with the inability of the army to stop the enemy. Tough measures were taken to strengthen discipline and eradicate desertion. In October, Stalin introduced unity of command in the army. Commissars were forbidden to shoot fighters for cowardice and failure to comply with orders, they were charged with the duty to engage in purely political work.

On July 12, the Stalingrad Front was created. The offensive of the German troops continued, but its pace slowed down noticeably, as the resistance of the Red Army increased. In early August, the army group "South" reached the outer defensive ring of the city, and ten days later the 6th Army of Paulus was ready to force the Don. By August 14, the entire territory in the bend of the Don was in the hands of the Germans, with the exception of individual bridgeheads in the northern part. Note that now the German troops were moving towards Stalingrad from the south, northwest and north.

At a critical time, Churchill first came to Moscow. The main purpose of his visit was the desire, out of a sense of duty, to personally inform Stalin that in 1942 there would be no second front in the West. Subsequently, he narrated that "϶ᴛᴏ was like carrying a block of ice to the north pole." He was also interested in getting to know Stalin and visiting "the gloomy, sinister Bolshevik state".

Stalin, too, was curious to meet Churchill, an ardent enemy of Soviet Russia, who twenty-three years earlier had actively promoted Allied intervention. Fate brought together two people of completely opposite worldview and origin. Churchill is a descendant of the Duke of Marlborough and a popularly elected military leader, a man of great artistic talents, developed in the high drama of war, and who deeply hated the suffering and sacrifice that it brought. Stalin is a man who came from the bottom, who, thanks to cruelty and ability, became a national leader, the Supreme Commander, the father of the Russian

people. It is worth saying that for him the war was an episode of a fierce struggle, which he led all his life in Russia. It is worth noting that he accepted the terrible sacrifices as inevitable. The Russian land was devastated and Russia struggled to survive. It was one of the severe trials that Britain, hidden across the seas, managed to avoid for centuries.

The first meeting, which lasted four hours, took place on 12 August. It was attended by Stalin, Molotov and Voroshilov on the one hand, and Churchill, the representative of US President Harriman and the British ambassador, on the other. The first two hours of the conversation proceeded "dismal and gloomy." Frowning, Stalin listened to Churchill's detailed explanation of why the British and Americans could not land on the French coast until 1943. Stalin did not accept these explanations. It is worth noting that he believed that Great Britain and the United States are the two most industrialized countries in the world, both have powerful forces. If the defense industry of Russia - recently appeared, with factories partly destroyed, partly evacuated since the beginning of the war - was able to overcome seemingly insurmountable difficulties and start producing tanks and weapons in ever-increasing quantities, then these two industrial giants could undoubtedly produce equipment, necessary for landing in France. It is worth noting that he was convinced that ϶ᴛᴏ was possible, there would be a desire. It is appropriate to note that suspicions arose again that the cunning English were cunning; let, they say, the Russians fight themselves, and they will get involved in a fight when the Germans run out of steam on the eastern front.

He angrily asked Churchill why the British were so afraid of the Germans. Troops are hardened in battles. It is worth noting that he rejected Churchill's argument that Hitler did not invade England only because of the riskiness of such an operation. It is worth noting that he suspected that Britain's caution was based on fear of great losses. Churchill and the people of his generation were still under the impression of the human losses suffered by their country in the first world war. But this argument could hardly convince Stalin, who was well aware of the much greater losses of Russia in that war and even greater losses already suffered now, after the German invasion, which has continued to this day.

Then Churchill revealed in detail the secret plan of the Anglo-American offensive in the Mediterranean region, code-named "Torch". Stalin listened attentively, with growing interest. “May God help you in your work,” he said. It is worth noting that he asked many questions, then briefly described the importance of the ϶ᴛᴏth operation. “The remarkable characterization he gave of the ϶ᴛᴏ plan made a deep impression on me,” Churchill narrated. - She showed how quickly and completely the Russian dictator mastered a problem that was previously unknown to him. Few people could in a few minutes understand so deeply the causes and motives over which we have all struggled for so long. It is worth noting that he instantly figured out everything.

During the meeting the next day there were again disputes and accusations about the second front. A long memorial letter signed by Stalin accused the Allies of failing to fulfill his obligation to open a second front in France in 1942. Stalin said that the British army was afraid of the Germans. Churchill became very angry and passionately defended their compatriots. While his speech was being translated, Stalin, defusing the situation, declared that he liked the spirit of Churchill's answer. It is worth noting that they alternately exchanged barbs, although sometimes signs of a nascent good relationship slipped through.

Stalin joked a lot, demonstrating wit and an extraordinary sense of humor. When Churchill, speaking about Operation Torch, emphasized the need to keep information secret, Stalin smiled and expressed the hope that this secret would not appear in the British press. Churchill joked that Molotov was away alone for the whole day from Washington to New York. Stalin laughed merrily.

“He didn't go to New York,” he said, “but to Chicago, where other gangsters live.

Churchill spoke of the military genius of the Duke of Marlborough, who eliminated the threat of ϲʙᴏbode in Europe, a danger tantamount to the current one posed by Hitler. Stalin listened and then mischievously teased Churchill:

“I think there was a greater general in the history of England in General Wellington who defeated Napoleon, the greatest menace of all time. - And Stalin began to tell, revealing a fair amount of knowledge of the Napoleonic wars, especially the Spanish campaign of Wellington, directly related to the problem of the second front, which the Russians now need so much.

The next day, August 14, after an official dinner in the Kremlin, a less formal meeting took place. Churchill had already begun to say goodbye when Stalin offered to go to his apartment and have a drink before the road. It is worth noting that he led the guests along the corridors to a narrow Kremlin street, to another building. In addition to Churchill, they were accompanied by an English translator and two or three guards from the NKVD. Stalin's apartment consisted of a dining room, an office, a bedroom and a large bathroom. The environment was very modest, no luxury. An elderly housekeeper in a white apron set the table. The fifteen-year-old daughter Svetlana entered the room and kissed her father. She was introduced to Churchill. He subsequently narrated; “He looked at me with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, as if to say: you see, even the Bolsheviks have a family life.” Then Molotov joined them. A pleasant homemade feast ended at 2.30 am. At dawn Churchill flew from Moscow to London.

slide 2

Plan:

Invasion. Summer disaster in 1941 Mobilization of the country. Smolensk battle and catastrophe in Ukraine. Battle near Moscow. The birth of the anti-Hitler coalition. Combat events in the spring - summer of 1942. The defense of Stalingrad. Occupation regime on Soviet territory. partisan movement. "Everything for the front, everything for victory!"

slide 3

Invasion. Summer disaster 1941

On June 22, 1941, the troops of Germany and its allies (Hungary, Italy, Romania, Finland) invaded the territory of the Soviet Union and went on the offensive on the front stretching from the Arctic Ocean to the Black Sea. Having won air supremacy, the enemy pinned down Soviet ground forces, primarily tanks, which were being destroyed from the air. The troops did not have time to fulfill the order given from Moscow to put the border districts on combat readiness too late, communication with them was broken.

slide 4

mobilization of the country.

The German attack came as a surprise to the Soviet leadership. However, just a few hours after the start of the war, a directive was sent to the troops: “To fall upon the enemy forces and destroy them in areas where they violated the Soviet border. Do not cross the border until further notice." On June 23, 1941, Stalin signed the decision of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks on the establishment of the Headquarters of the High Command, it was headed by S.K. Timoshenko.

slide 5

slide 6

The reaction of the Kremlin to the belated information about the catastrophe: Search for the perpetrators of the failures Mobilization of all forces to repel fascist aggression June 30, 1941 - the State Defense Committee (GKO) was created, headed by I.V. Stalin. On July 3, 1941, he spoke on the radio with an appeal in which the war that had begun was called a nationwide, Patriotic war. The State Defense Committee took measures to organize the defense of the country with the involvement of all its socio-economic and military resources. Mobilization was announced, putting an additional 5.3 million people under arms. The country was engulfed in a patriotic upsurge. Heroic resistance to the advancing enemy acquired a massive character. People hurried to the military registration and enlistment offices, volunteering for the front. On July 4, 1941, the GKO adopted a resolution on the formation of a people's militia, in which about 1 million people signed up in a short time. About 40 divisions of the people's militia took part in the fighting.

Slide 7

Slide 8

Smolensk battle and catastrophe in Ukraine.

Army Group Center faced organized resistance from the Red Army for a month and a half in the Battle of Smolensk. Of particular concern to the Soviet command was the "Yelninsky ledge" - a possible springboard for the German offensive on Moscow in the area of ​​​​the city of Yelnya. The troops led by G.K. Zhukov, in early September 1941, ousted the German grouping from it, which suffered heavy losses. This success was of great moral and psychological significance. Near Yelnya, the Red Army defeated the Wehrmacht for the first time in the Great Patriotic War. In August 1941, the Nazis halted their attack on Moscow. Tank armies of the Army Group "Center" moved to Ukraine and Leningrad. An attempt to stop the German advance into Ukraine ended in a heavy defeat. As a result, by mid-September 1941, in the Kyiv region and on the left bank of the Dnieper, 4 Soviet armies were surrounded, a total of about 453 thousand people.

Slide 9

Battle near Moscow.

The operation to capture the capital of the USSR, which began, received the code name "Typhoon". The general offensive of the German troops of the Center group began on September 30, 1941 with a strike by the tank army of General Guderian in the direction of Orel - Tula - Moscow. The Germans captured Kaluga and Maloyaroslavets, approached Serpukhov, but in the battles for Maloyaroslavets near the village of Borodino and near Mozhaisk at the end of October 1941 they were stopped by the 16th army of Kakar Rokossovsky. At the cost of their own lives, they repulsed a tank attack on the Leningrad Highway at the Dubosekovo junction by 28 Panfilov fighters led by V.G. Klochkov.

Slide 10

On December 5-6, Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive near Moscow. The Kalinin Front under the command of Konev liberated the city of Kalinin and rushed to Rzhev. The Western Front under the command of Zhukov defeated the Germans and moved to Ruza and Volokolamsk. By mid-December 1941, the counteroffensive of the Soviet troops on three fronts with heavy losses pushed the enemy back 60 km north and 120 km south of Moscow. By December 20, the offensive of the Soviet troops on the main directions was suspended. The Germans shortened the front and strengthened its defenses.

slide 11

slide 12

The birth of the anti-Hitler coalition

Immediately after the invasion of German troops into the territory of the USSR, the leaders of Great Britain and the United States declared their support for the Soviet Union in the fight against the invaders. Agreements were concluded with the emigrant governments of Czechoslovakia and Poland on the formation of Polish and Czechoslovak military formations in the Soviet Union. The USSR and Great Britain sent troops to Iran, preventing it from taking the side of Germany.

slide 13

In September 1941, a conference of representatives of the USSR, Great Britain and the USA was held in Moscow. According to its decisions, the Lend-Lease system extended to the Soviet Union. It was a program of gratuitous aid from the United States of America to countries fighting Nazism. It was provided on the condition that only those equipment and resources that would not be used during the war were subject to payment. The first 20 tanks and 193 aircraft arrived in the USSR in October 1941.

Slide 14

Fighting in the spring and summer of 1942

In January 1942, Soviet troops went on the offensive in order to destroy the enemy's Rzhev-Vyazma grouping. Having advanced 80-250 km, having suffered heavy losses, the formations of the Red Army failed to reach their goal. In May 1942, they suffered a serious defeat near Kharkov and Kerch, which sealed the fall of Sevastopol. German troops broke through the front north of Kursk and reached Voronezh. The attempt of the Red Army to liquidate the blockade of Leningrad also turned out to be a failure. The Red Army has used up the reserves intended for the summer offensive. The Wehrmacht again seized the initiative and began to implement the plan to capture the Caucasus.

On June 22, 1941, the troops of Germany and its allies invaded the territory of the USSR and went on the offensive on the front stretching from the Arctic Ocean to the Black Sea. The enemy fettered the ground forces, the border districts were not put on alert. Only the Navy, thanks to the actions of its commander-in-chief, Admiral N.G. Kuznetsova suffered minimal losses. Invasion Admiral of the Fleet of the USSR N.G. Kuznetsov

The Germans delivered the main blow in the Western Front, commander General D.G. Pavlov. The suddenness of the attack, tank breakthroughs, massive air strikes allowed the German troops to advance by 10 km by July 10, 1941 and reach the Polotsk-Vitebsk-Orsha-Zhlobin line. Invasion Soviet planes after the air raid

Having concentrated a large number of tanks, the commander of the Southwestern Front, M.P. Kirponos tried to stop the advance of the German Army Group South. On June 26-29, 1941, the largest tank battle unfolded near Berestechko, Lutsk and Dubno. M.P. Invasion Kirponos

On June 22, 1941, V.M. Molotov announced the German attack. On June 23, 1941, Stalin signed the decision of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks on the establishment of the Headquarters of the High Command, headed by S.K. Timoshenko. It soon became clear that it would not be possible to win with “little bloodshed” and on “foreign land”. Mobilization of the country Soviet aircraft after the air raid

The Kremlin's reaction to the attack was typical of the Soviet leadership - they began to look for "switchmen". Commander of the Western Front D.G. Pavlov was shot. At the same time, all the forces of the country were mobilized. On June 30, 1941, the State Defense Committee (GKO) was created - an emergency authority, the orders of which had the force of law. Mobilization of the country D.G. Pavlov

July 3, 1941 I.V. Stalin spoke on the radio with an appeal in which the war that had begun was called a nationwide, Patriotic War. The State Defense Committee took measures to organize the defense of the country, mobilization was announced, people and enterprises began to be evacuated, and martial law was introduced. Mobilization of the country I.V. Stalin

NKVD headed by L.P. Beria created destroyer battalions, in July 1941 the institution of military commissars was restored. On July 10, 1941, the Headquarters of the High Command was transformed into the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, headed by Stalin. Mobilization of the country L.P. Beria

The country was gripped by an unprecedented patriotic upsurge. Hundreds of Soviet soldiers showed unprecedented stamina and courage in the first days of the war - Captain N.F. Gastello, Baltic sailors - defenders of the Moonsund archipelago, heroic defenders of the Brest Fortress. On July 4, 1941, the GKO adopted a resolution on the formation of a people's militia. The spiritual mood of the peoples of the USSR was reflected in the song that sounded in the first days of the war: “Get up, the country is huge!” Mobilization of the country N.F. Gastello

Army Group Center faced organized resistance from the Red Army for a month and a half. In early September 1941, troops under the command of G.K. Zhukov was forced out by the German group near Yelnya - this was the first defeat of the Wehrmacht. But in August 1941, the Nazis moved to Ukraine and Leningrad to seize the Crimea and Donbass. An attempt to stop the German offensive ended in a heavy defeat for the Red Army. Catastrophe in Ukraine Fragment of the German headquarters map for September 2, 1941

Having cut off the Crimea, establishing a blockade of Leningrad, the German army again transferred the main blow to the Moscow direction. The plan to capture Moscow was called "Typhoon". In mid-October 1941, the evacuation from the capital began urgently. On November 7, 1941, a military parade took place on Red Square, the participants of which immediately went to the front. Battle of Moscow Parade on Red Square

The troops of the Kalinin Front, led by I.S. Konev tried to hold down the offensive of the Wehrmacht. 16th Army K.K. Rokossovsky stopped the Germans at Mozhaisk. Tank brigade M.E. Katukova blocked the way for the advance of the enemy in the Tula direction. The Typhoon plan was thwarted. Battle of Moscow I.S. Konev K.K. Rokossovsky M.E. Katukov

By December 20, 1941, the offensive of the Red Army had stopped. The failure of the German offensive on Moscow dispelled the myth of the invincibility of the German army. He contributed to the growth of the liberation, anti-fascist movement of the peoples in the territories occupied by Germany and its allies. The Barbarossa plan was a total failure. Battle of Moscow

The defeat of the Wehrmacht near Moscow also contributed to the formation of the anti-Hitler coalition. The American lend-lease system was extended to the USSR. In 1942, the Soviet command developed a plan to carry out a broad offensive along the entire Soviet-German front. However, in January 1942, the Red Army units failed to destroy the Rzhev-Vyazma group of Germans, and in May 1942, the Soviet troops suffered a major defeat near Kharkov and Kerch. An attempt to eliminate the blockade of Leningrad also turned out to be a failure. Meanwhile, the Wehrmacht launched an offensive into the Caucasus. Fighting in the spring - summer of 1942 I. Toidze. 1941 poster

The heroic defense of Stalingrad was led by Generals V.I. Chuikov and M.S. Shumilov. The German 6th Army broke through to the Volga north of the city, then to its very center, but it failed to do the same south of Stalingrad. Defense of Stalingrad V.I. Chuikov M.S. Shumilov

Partisans were active in the territory occupied by the Germans. In May 1942, the Central Headquarters of the partisan movement was created to coordinate the actions of the partisans with the actions of the Red Army. The famous commanders of partisan formations were S.A. Kovpak, D.N. Medvedev, P.M. Masherov and others. Partisan movement S.A. Kovpak D.N. Medvedev P.M. Masherov
The war radically changed people's lives. At first there was hope that the fighting would move to enemy territory, but it soon became clear that the fate of the country itself was being decided during the course of the war. The atrocities of the fascists led the Soviet people to the need for a merciless struggle against the aggressor. In his speech on July 3, Stalin unexpectedly said: "Brothers and sisters!" People understood the need for unity and selflessness in the struggle, and this became a prerequisite for the partisan movement. Soviet rear during the war Refugees

The threat of occupation of the front-line areas forced the export of all the most valuable things - equipment, raw materials, people, etc. - from there. This activity was spearheaded by the Evacuation Board. In a short time, a huge amount of cargo was transferred to the East. For 5 months, 1,500 large enterprises and 10 million people were evacuated. In a new place, new production facilities were erected for them, or they were merged with existing enterprises. Soviet rear during the war Evacuated plant in a new location

Many industries were re-profiled for the production of military products. In December 1941, the decline in production stopped and its growth began. In the middle of 1942, the restructuring of the country's life for a military one was successfully completed, although Western experts believed that we would need at least 5 years for this. The Soviet economy eventually won the competition against the economy of Nazi Germany and this was one of the reasons for our victory in the war. Soviet rear during the war Poster 1943

The war dealt a heavy blow to the education system. Thousands of schools were destroyed, there were not enough textbooks and notebooks. But the work of schools continued even in the besieged Sevastopol, Leningrad, Stalingrad and other cities. In the occupied regions, the education of children has ceased. Scientific centers during the war moved to the East. Research institutes of the USSR Academy of Sciences were evacuated here. Soviet rear during the war years

During the war years, Soviet scientists worked for the needs of the army. Academician E. Paton developed a new method of steel welding, which made it possible to obtain heavy-duty tank hulls. A. Ioffe created the world's first radars. Doctors developed a technique for blood transfusion and for the first time began to use penicillin. In 1943, the development of Soviet nuclear weapons began. The designers worked on the creation of new types of weapons. Soviet rear during the war Constructor P. Degtyarev

World War II was the result of a global confrontation in the mid-twentieth century. Already on the eve of the war, two blocs (coalitions) of states had formed: the Nazi (Germany, Italy, Finland, Hungary, Romania, etc.) and the anti-Hitler (England, France, USA). Decisive importance in the plans of fascist Germany was attached to the defeat of the USSR. In 1940, the "Plan Barbarossa" was developed - the preparation and conduct of a blitzkrieg ("lightning war") against the Soviet Union. 153 German divisions and 37 divisions of its allies were concentrated in the eastern direction. The military-technical and economic preparation of the USSR for a possible armed conflict was carried out in two directions: economic and military. 33% of the state budget went to military needs, new military-industrial regions were created in the Urals, Siberia, and new types of weapons and military equipment were developed. The militarization of public life took place in the country (the working day increased, discipline in production became tougher, etc.). By the beginning of the war, the USSR had superiority in tanks, aviation, was not inferior in artillery and the size of the army (5 million 374 thousand people against 5.5 million people of the German troops). However, the technique was mostly outdated. New developed models (T-34 tank, IL-2 aircraft) were just beginning to be mastered, the rearmament of the army was proceeding at a slow pace. Stalin's personal mistakes in determining the timing of the start of the war and assessing Germany's plans led to the disorganization of the army, the military command, and the entire Soviet people. The main reason was the viciousness of the very system of the Stalinist dictatorship, in which the miscalculations of the dictator led to tragic consequences for the whole country. The beginning of the war was extremely unfavorable for the Red Army. The offensive of the German troops was carried out simultaneously in three directions - the army groups "North", "Center", "South" advanced in the direction of Leningrad, Moscow and Kyiv, respectively. In the first three weeks, the Soviet side suffered colossal losses in manpower - 850 thousand people, and in general, as a result of the summer-autumn campaign of 1941, more than 5 million people were killed, wounded and captured. German troops advanced 300-600 km deep into Soviet territory. On June 23, 1941, the Headquarters of the High Command was created for the strategic leadership of the armed forces, headed by I.V. Stalin. On June 29, 1941 martial law was introduced in the country. For the operational management of hostilities on June 30, 1941, the State Defense Committee (GKO) was created, which was also headed by Stalin. On September 30, the general offensive of the German troops of the Center group began with blows from Guderian's tank army in the direction of Orel - Tula - Moscow (Operation Typhoon). On December 5-6, 1941, the Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive under the command of G.K. Zhukov. 38 German divisions were defeated, the enemy was driven back 100-250 km. The defeat of the Germans near Moscow and the subsequent offensive of the Red Army in December 1941 - March 1942 showed the failure of the blitzkrieg strategy, the myth of the invincibility of the German army was dispelled. After the failure of a series of offensive operations in the first half of 1942, German troops occupied the Donbass and reached the North Caucasus and the Volga. The defense of Stalingrad began. In the summer of 1942, the level of disorganization of the retreating Soviet troops forced the Headquarters to introduce barrage detachments by order 227, which shot "alarmists and cowards" on the spot. In the conditions of the defeats of the Soviet troops in the country, repressions did not stop. On August 16, 1941, order No. 270 was issued, declaring all those who were captured as traitors and traitors. The repressions affected entire peoples accused of complicity with the Nazi invaders.

2. A radical change in the war

The second period on the Soviet-German front covered two campaigns: the winter 1942/43 and the summer-autumn 1943. November 19, 1942 The Battle of Stalingrad began, during which it was supposed to defeat the German troops in the southern direction and improve the situation near Moscow and Leningrad. The troops of the Southwestern (commander N.F. Vatutin), Don (commander K.K. Rokossovsky) and Stalingrad (commander A.I. Eremenko) fronts participated in the offensive. In the battles for Stalingrad, the German army lost 700 thousand killed and wounded, more than 1 thousand tanks and 1.4 thousand aircraft. 91 thousand people were taken prisoner, including 24 generals led by Field Marshal F. Paulus. As a result of the Battle of Stalingrad, the strategic initiative finally passed into the hands of the Soviet Armed Forces, which marked the beginning of a radical change in the course of the Second World War. During the Battle of Kursk (July 5 - August 23), which put an end to the strategic initiative of the German troops, Orel, Belgorod, and Kharkov were liberated. In October, fierce battles took place on the river. Dnieper, which ended on November 6 with the liberation of Kyiv. In the occupied Soviet territory, the activities of partisan detachments (3500) and underground resistance groups unfolded. The work of the rear was devoted to the goals of ensuring victory over the Nazi troops. In 1942 Labor mobilization was introduced for the entire urban and rural population over the age of 14, measures to strengthen labor discipline were tightened, and the working day was extended to 11 hours. Since 1943 a general rise in production began. The main food base during the war years were the regions of the Volga region, Siberia, Kazakhstan, and Central Asia. July 12, 1941 in Moscow, a Soviet-British agreement was concluded on joint actions in the war against Germany and its allies, which laid the foundation for the creation of an anti-Hitler coalition. In July 1942 it was supplemented by an agreement with the United States on lend-lease assistance (that is, on providing the USSR with a loan of weapons, equipment, and food). At the same time, the allies of the Soviet Union were delaying the opening of a second front in Europe. In November 1943 the Tehran Conference of the leaders of the three great powers - Great Britain (W. Churchill), the USA (F. Roosevelt), the USSR (JV Stalin), at which the dates for the opening of a second front in Europe were set, questions of the post-war order of the world were discussed.

During this period, the Soviet Army was faced with the task of finally defeating the enemy on Soviet territory and moving on to the liberation of European countries from the invaders. The fulfillment of this task was also facilitated by the fact that on June 6, 1944. a second front was opened in Europe - Allied troops under the command of General D. Eisenhower landed in Normandy (Operation Overlord). At the beginning of 1944 The blockade of Leningrad was finally lifted. In January 1944 The Korsun-Shevchenko operation was carried out, during which the troops of the Southwestern Front liberated the Right-Bank Ukraine, in early May - the Crimea. During the Belarusian operation (codenamed "Bagration", June 23 - August 29, 1944), Army Group Center was defeated and Belarus, Latvia, part of Lithuania, and eastern Poland were liberated. During the Lvov-Sandomierz operation (July 13 - August 29, 1944), the western regions of Ukraine and the southeastern regions of Poland were liberated. During the Iasi-Kishinev operation (August 22 - 29, 1944), Moldova was liberated and Romania was withdrawn from the war on the side of Germany. The victory of the Soviet troops in the Balkans created favorable conditions for the liberation by the end of 1944. Yugoslavia, Greece, Albania. During the Vistula-Oder operation (January 12 - February 3, 1945), an enemy group defending on the territory of Poland was defeated (600 thousand Soviet soldiers and officers died during the operation). At the end of March - the first half of April, Hungary and the eastern part of Austria were liberated. April 16 - May 8, 1945 the Berlin operation took place, led by marshals G.K. Zhukov, K.K. Rokossovsky and I.S. Konev. May 8, 1945 Germany's unconditional surrender was signed. On May 9, Soviet troops liberated Prague. With the cessation of hostilities, the Great Patriotic War ended. In accordance with the allied obligations on April 5, 1945. The USSR denounced the Soviet-Japanese neutrality treaty and on August 8, 1945. declared war on Japan. On August 6 and 9, without military necessity, to a large extent in order to intimidate the Soviet side, an American atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing many thousands of people. During combat operations in the Far East (led by the commanders of three fronts - Transbaikal - Marshal R.Ya. Malinovsky, 1st Far East - Marshal K.A. Meretskov, 2nd Far East - Army General M.A. Purkaev) Soviet troops liberated Manchuria, the cities of Dalniy and Port Arthur, North Korea, captured South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. On August 14, the Japanese government decided to surrender. On August 19, the mass surrender of Japanese soldiers and officers began. September 2, 1945 in Tokyo Bay, on board the American battleship Missouri, representatives of Japan signed the Act of Unconditional Surrender presented by the Allies. The participation of the USSR in the defeat of the Japanese Kwantung Army ends the period of World War II.

4. Results of the war. World War II ended with the complete defeat of German fascism and Japanese militarism. The Great Patriotic War of the Soviet people was its most important component. On the Soviet-German front, 607 enemy divisions were defeated. Germany lost 10 million people in the war with the USSR (80% of its military losses). The losses of the Soviet Union were much higher - 27 million people and one third of the national wealth. The result of the post-war Yalta-Potsdam system of international relations was a new geopolitical situation based on the construction of a two-bloc confrontation - the United States and Western Europe against the USSR and Eastern Europe (where the USSR sought to export the Stalinist model of socialism).