When a modern Russian hears the words “lightning war”, “blitzkrieg”, the first thing that comes to mind is the Great Patriotic War and Hitler’s failed plans for the instant conquest of the Soviet Union. However, this was not the first time that this tactic had been used by Germany. At the beginning of the war, German General A. Schlieffen, who was later called the theorist of blitzkrieg, developed a plan for the “lightning-fast” destruction of enemy forces. History has shown that the plan was unsuccessful, but it is worth talking in more detail about the reasons for the failure of the lightning war plan.

First World War: causes, participants, goals

Before examining the reasons for the failure of the lightning war plan, we should first analyze the prerequisites for the outbreak of hostilities. The cause of the conflict was the conflicting geopolitical interests of two political blocs: the Entente, which included Great Britain, France and Russian empire, and the Triple Alliance, of which Germany was a party, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Italy, and later (since 1915) Turkey. There was a growing need to redistribute colonies, markets and spheres of influence.

The Balkans became a special zone of political tension in Europe, where many Slavic peoples, and the European great powers often took advantage of the many contradictions between them. The reason for the war was the assassination of the heir to the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, Franz Ferdinand, in Sarajevo, in response to which Serbia received an ultimatum from Austria-Hungary, the terms of which practically deprived it of sovereignty. Despite Serbia's readiness to cooperate, on July 15 (July 28, new style), 1914, Austria-Hungary began a war against Serbia. Russia agreed to side with Serbia, which led to Germany declaring war on Russia and France. The last member of the Entente, England, entered the conflict on August 4.

General Schlieffen's plan

The idea of ​​the plan, in essence, was to devote all forces to victory in the only decisive battle to which the war would come down. It was planned to encircle the enemy (French) army from the right flank and destroy it, which would undoubtedly lead to the surrender of France. The main blow was planned to be delivered in the only tactically convenient way - through the territory of Belgium. It was planned to leave a small barrier on the Eastern (Russian) front, counting on the slow mobilization of Russian troops.

This strategy seemed well thought out, if risky. But what are the reasons for the failure of the lightning war plan?

Moltke's changes

The High Command, fearing the failure of plans for a lightning war, considered the Schlieffen plan too risky. Under pressure from disgruntled military leaders, some changes were made to it. Author of modifications, head of the Bolshoi General Staff Germany, H.I.L. von Moltke, proposed to strengthen the left wing of the army to the detriment of the attacking group on the right flank. In addition, additional forces were sent to the Eastern Front.

Reasons for making changes to the original plan

1. The German command was afraid to radically strengthen the right wing of the army, which was responsible for encircling the French. With a significant weakening of the forces of the left wing, combined with an active enemy offensive, the entire German rear was exposed to threat.

2. Resistance from influential industrialists regarding the possible surrender of the Alsace-Lorraine region into the hands of the enemy.

3. The economic interests of the Prussian nobility (Junkers) forced the diversion of a fairly large group of troops to the defense of East Prussia.

4. Germany's transport capabilities did not allow supplying the right wing of the army to the extent that Schlieffen expected.

1914 Campaign

In Europe there was a war on the Western (France and Belgium) and Eastern (against Russia) fronts. Actions on Eastern Front became known as the East Prussian Operation. During its course, two Russian armies, coming to the aid of allied France, invaded East Prussia and defeated the Germans in the Battle of Gumbinnen-Goldap. To prevent the Russians from striking Berlin, German troops had to transfer some troops from the right wing of the Western Front to East Prussia, which ultimately became one of the reasons for the failure of the Blitz. Let us note, however, that on the Eastern Front this transfer brought success to the German troops - two Russian armies were surrounded, and about 100 thousand soldiers were captured.

On the Western Front, timely assistance from Russia, which drew German troops to itself, allowed the French to provide serious resistance and prevent the Germans from blockading Paris. The bloody battles on the banks of the Marne (September 3-10), which involved approximately 2 million people on both sides, showed that the First World War went from lightning fast to protracted.

Campaign of 1914: summing up

By the end of the year, the advantage was on the side of the Entente. The troops of the Triple Alliance suffered defeats in most areas of the fighting.

In November 1914, Japan occupied the German port of Jiaozhou on Far East, as well as the Mariana, Caroline and Marshall Islands. The rest of the Pacific passed into the hands of the British. At that time, fighting was still going on in Africa, but it was clear that these colonies were also lost for Germany.

The fighting of 1914 showed that Schlieffen's plan for a quick victory did not live up to the expectations of the German command. The reasons for the failure of the lightning war plan had become obvious by this point will be discussed below. A war of attrition of the enemy began.

As a result of military operations, by the end of 1914, the German military command transferred the main combat operations to the east - to bring Russia out of the war. Thus, by the beginning of 1915, Eastern Europe became the main theater of military operations.

Reasons for the failure of the German plan for lightning war

So, as mentioned above, by the beginning of 1915 the war had entered a protracted stage. Let us finally consider the reasons for the failure of the lightning war plan.

Let us first note that the German command simply underestimated the strength of the Russian army (and the Entente as a whole) and its readiness to mobilize. In addition, following the lead of the industrial bourgeoisie and the nobility, the German army often did not always take tactically right decisions. Some researchers in this regard argue that just original plan Schlieffen, despite its riskiness, had a chance of success. However, as mentioned above, the reasons for the failure of the plan for a lightning war, which were mainly the unpreparedness of the German army for a long war, as well as the dispersion of forces in connection with the demands of the Prussian Junkers and industrialists, were largely due to the changes made to the plan by Moltke, or, as they were called often called "Moltke's errors".

The meaning of the word "blitzkrieg" (Blitzkrieg - "lightning", Krieg - "war") is known to many. This military strategy. It involves a lightning-fast attack on the enemy using a large amount of military equipment. It is assumed that the enemy will not have time to deploy his main forces and will be successfully defeated. This is exactly the tactic the Germans used when they attacked the Soviet Union in 1941. About this military operation we'll talk about it in our article.

Background

The theory of lightning war arose in the early 20th century. Invented it German military leader Alfred von Schlieffen. The tactics were very clever. The world was experiencing an unprecedented technological boom, and the military had new combat weapons at its disposal. But during the First World War the blitzkrieg failed. The imperfection of military equipment and weak aviation had an impact. Germany's rapid offensive against France faltered. The successful use of this method of military action was postponed until better times. And they came in 1940, when Nazi Germany carried out a lightning occupation, first in Poland and then in France.

"Barborossa"

In 1941, it was the USSR's turn. Hitler rushed to the East with a very specific goal. He needed to neutralize the Soviet Union in order to strengthen his dominance in Europe. England continued to resist, counting on the support of the Red Army. This obstacle had to be eliminated.

The Barbarossa plan was developed to attack the USSR. It was based on the theory of blitzkrieg. It was a very ambitious project. The German fighting machine was about to unleash all its might on the Soviet Union. It was considered possible to destroy the main forces of the Russian troops through the operational invasion of tank divisions. Four combat groups were created, combining tank, motorized and infantry divisions. They had to first penetrate far behind enemy lines, and then unite with each other. The ultimate goal of the new lightning war was to seize the territory of the USSR up to the Arkhangelsk-Astrakhan line. Before the attack, Hitler's strategists were confident that the war with the Soviet Union would take them only three to four months.

Strategy

The German forces were divided into three large groups: "North", "Center" and "South". "North" was advancing on Leningrad. "Center" was rushing towards Moscow. "South" was supposed to conquer Kyiv and Donbass. The main role in the attack was given to tank groups. There were four of them, led by Guderian, Hoth, Gopner and Kleist. It was they who were supposed to carry out the fleeting blitzkrieg. It wasn't that impossible. However German generals miscalculated.

Start

On June 22, 1941, the Great Patriotic War began. German bombers were the first to cross the border of the Soviet Union. They bombed Russian cities and military airfields. It was a smart move. The destruction of Soviet aviation gave the invaders a serious advantage. The damage was particularly severe in Belarus. In the first hours of the war, 700 aircraft were destroyed.

Then German ground divisions entered the lightning war. And if the army group "North" managed to successfully cross the Neman and approach Vilnius, then the "Center" met unexpected resistance in Brest. Of course, this did not stop Hitler’s elite units. However, it made an impression on German soldiers. For the first time they realized who they had to deal with. The Russians died, but did not give up.

Tank battles

The German Blitzkrieg in the Soviet Union failed. But Hitler had a huge chance of success. In 1941, the Germans had the most advanced military equipment in the world. Therefore, the very first tank battle between the Russians and the Nazis turned into a beating. The fact is that Soviet combat vehicles of the 1932 model were defenseless against enemy guns. They didn't answer modern requirements. More than 300 T-26 and BT-7 light tanks were destroyed in the first days of the war. However, in some places the Nazis encountered serious resistance. The big shock for them was the meeting with the brand new T-34 and KV-1. German shells flew off the tanks, which seemed like unprecedented monsters to the invaders. But general situation at the front it was still catastrophic. The Soviet Union did not have time to deploy its main forces. The Red Army suffered huge losses.

Chronicle of events

Period from June 22, 1941 to November 18, 1942. historians call the first stage of the Great Patriotic War. At this time, the initiative belonged entirely to the invaders. In a relatively short period of time, the Nazis occupied Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine, Estonia, Belarus and Moldova. Then enemy divisions began the siege of Leningrad and captured Novgorod and Rostov-on-Don. However main goal fascists were Moscow. This would allow the Soviet Union to be struck at the very heart. However, the lightning offensive quickly fell behind the approved schedule. On September 8, 1941, the military blockade of Leningrad began. The Wehrmacht troops stood under it for 872 days, but were never able to conquer the city. The Kiev Cauldron is considered the largest defeat of the Red Army. More than 600,000 people died there. The Germans captured a huge amount of military equipment, opened their way to the Azov region and Donbass, but... lost precious time. No wonder the second commander tank division Guderian left the front line, came to Hitler's headquarters and tried to convince him that the main task in Germany this moment- occupation of Moscow. Blitzkrieg is a powerful breakthrough into the interior of the country, which turns into complete defeat for the enemy. However, Hitler did not listen to anyone. He preferred to send military units of the “Center” to the South to seize territories where valuable natural resources were concentrated.

Blitzkrieg failure

This is a turning point in the history of Nazi Germany. Now the Nazis had no chance. They say that Field Marshal Keitel, when asked when he first realized that the blitzkrieg had failed, answered only one word: “Moscow.” The defense of the capital turned the tide of the Second World War. On December 6, 1941, the Red Army launched a counteroffensive. After this, the "lightning" war turned into a battle of attrition. How could enemy strategists make such a miscalculation? Among the reasons, some historians name the total Russian impassability and severe frost. However, the invaders themselves pointed to two main reasons:

• fierce enemy resistance;
• biased assessment of the defense capability of the Red Army.

Of course, the fact that Russian soldiers defended their Motherland also played a role. And they managed to defend every inch of their native land. The failure of Nazi Germany's blitzkrieg against the USSR is a great feat that evokes sincere admiration. And this feat was accomplished by soldiers of the multinational Red Army.

To the question when the lightning war plan asked by the author was thwarted Nastena the best answer is December 5, 1941

Answer from 22 answers[guru]

Hello! Here is a selection of topics with answers to your question: when was the plan for a lightning war disrupted?

Answer from Salt out[expert]
From the first days of the war, everything went wrong - the pace of advance slowed down, enemy resistance increased, communications were stretched...

Answer from Neuropathologist[guru]
According to the blitzkrieg plan, the Germans expected to end the war with the USSR a maximum of three months before October 1; the war was supposed to end with the Germans reaching the line of Arkhangelsk, Gorky, Kuibyshev, Astrakhan. In reality, on October 1, the Germans were stuck somewhere near Vyazma, it turns out that Hitler’s plan was thwarted already in the first days of the war.

Answer from VictoryZi[expert]
in 1941

Answer from Welfare[master]
Among the largest events of the Second World War, the great battle of Moscow ranks special place. Destruction fascist troops near Moscow was the beginning of a radical turn in the course of the war. The legend of the invincibility of Hitler's army has been debunked.

Answer from Zabiiaka[guru]
If you don't rely on school curriculum, then it was actually immediately disrupted.
"...But from the first days of the war, the enemy encountered fierce, truly heroic resistance from Soviet soldiers and the population of the front-line areas. Without stubborn struggle and bloody battles, not a single position, not a single settlement, surrendered. The aggressor suffered heavy losses in people and military equipment , his advance into the interior of the country slowed down every day.
Until the last bullet, Soviet border guards, armed only with small arms, fought against the fascist hordes. A number of border outposts, the garrisons of which numbered only 40-50 people, held their lines for 2-3 days, although the Nazi command planned to crush them in 15-30 minutes of battle. The whole world knows the epic of the heroic defense of the Brest Fortress. Amazing examples of resilience and mass heroism were shown by Soviet soldiers and the local population in defending the cities of Liepaja, Tallinn, Siauliai, and Przemysl.
In the first days of the war, Soviet mechanized troops launched a powerful counterattack against enemy tank forces in the area of ​​the Ukrainian cities of Dubno, Lutsk, Brody, and Rivne. As a result of this, the advance of the fascist hordes on Kyiv was delayed.
Similar heroic deeds and events occurred every day on all sectors of the huge Soviet-German front. This cooled the ardor of the fascist strategists and forced them to think about what the adventure they had begun would threaten them with. In particular, one of the highest military leaders in Germany, Chief of the Wehrmacht General Staff, General F. Halder, wrote in his diary on June 24, 1941: “The tenacity of individual Russian formations in battle should be noted. There were cases when garrisons of pillboxes blew themselves up along with the pillboxes, not wanting to surrender." Five days later, Halder again notes: “Information from the front confirms that the Russians are fighting everywhere until last person» .
In general, there is evidence that the USSR was preparing for this war. And even more than that, he intended to launch a preventive strike, for example, why the spacecraft were plagued by failures in the first months of the war - because all military equipment was mainly of an offensive nature, i.e. lighter tanks - for marching along European roads, and not powerful and heavy ones for defense And so on, but I'm afraid they don't study this in school =)))

Russian history. XX - early XXI centuries. 9th grade Volobuev Oleg Vladimirovich

§ 27. FAILURE OF HITLER’S “BLIGHTNING WAR” PLAN

THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR. Germany for the second time in the first half of the 20th century. made an attempt to establish dominance over Russia. But if in the First World War the Germans announced an attack through diplomatic channels, then in 1941 they acted treacherously.

For senior management Soviet state and the Red Army was surprised not only by the surprise of the attack Hitler's Germany. G.K. Zhukov subsequently noted: “The main danger was not that the Germans crossed the border, but that their six- and eight-fold superiority in forces in decisive directions turned out to be a surprise to us; the scale of concentration of their troops also turned out to be a surprise to us , and the force of their impact."

Hitler, starting the war, formulated the task this way: “Russia must be liquidated... The duration of the operation is five months.” For this purpose, the Barbarossa plan was developed. It provided for the rapid destruction of the Red Army forces in western regions, encirclement and defeat of the remaining combat-ready Soviet troops, reaching the line from which bombing of German territory by Soviet aviation would become impossible, etc. The ultimate goal of the operation was “to create a barrier against Asian Russia along the common Volga-Arkhangelsk line.”

For the war with the Soviet Union, Germany allocated huge and technically equipped forces.

In 1941, the population of the USSR was 194 million, Germany (together with its allies) was 283 million

By the beginning of the war, the command of the Red Army was able to concentrate in the western military districts 3.1 million people (out of a total of 5.7 million), more than 47.2 thousand guns and mortars, 12.8 thousand tanks (of which 2,242 required repairs) , about 7.5 thousand aircraft (serviceable - 6.4 thousand).

The German army was led by generals who had combat experience in the First World War and two years of the Second World War. The senior generals of the Red Army were heterogeneous in abilities and experience. Only a small part of it underwent combat training. Many talented commanders were shot or were in prison.

By the end of the first day of the war, the Germans had advanced almost 60 km deep into USSR territory, and in three weeks - almost 500 km. The Baltic states, Belarus, Moldova, and part of Ukraine were surrendered. But even in these the most difficult conditions Soviet soldiers showed heroism and courage.

The Red Army carried major losses: hundreds of thousands killed, wounded, captured; thousands of destroyed tanks, aircraft, guns; thousands of square kilometers of territories surrendered to the enemy. This was the price of the political and military-strategic miscalculations of the country's leadership and the insufficient preparedness of the army for a war with a strong enemy.

A fascist plane shot down near Moscow. Summer 1941

Composition of German combat forces and assets by mid-1941

The first three weeks of the war showed the weaknesses of not only the Red Army. In 20 days of fighting, the Nazis lost about 100 thousand soldiers - the same as in two years of war in Europe.

Guard

The country's leadership took measures to organize the fight against the enemy, increase the efficiency and effectiveness of command and control of troops and activities state apparatus. Were created Supreme High Command Headquarters (SVGK) led by Stalin, State Defense Committee (GKO) composed of: Stalin (chairman), Molotov (deputy), Voroshilov, Malenkov, Beria. Specially created Evacuation advice determined facilities, transportation means and locations for enterprises and population in the East of the country. Organs state power and management acquired a new structure.

The army's losses in manpower were replenished. In the first two weeks, 5.3 million people were drafted into its ranks. And yet the Red Army did not come out of a streak of failures.

The Germans broke through to Smolensk. They believed that the path to Moscow lay right here (Napoleon also believed so in 1812).

Sign up for civil uprising. Summer 1941

Bodies of state power and administration of the USSR during the Great Patriotic War (1941 – 1945)

It turned around for Smolensk bloody battle. In the battles near Orsha on July 14, 1941, a battery of barrelless systems fired the first salvo at the enemy rocket artillery(“Katyusha”). The battery commander, Captain I. A. Flerov, died in battle, but before his death he did everything possible to prevent the rocket launchers from falling into the hands of the enemy. Subsequently, installations of this type terrified the Nazis, but German designers were unable to unravel the secret of Soviet rocket mortars. In 1995, I. A. Flerov was awarded the title of Hero of Russia (posthumously). At the end of August - beginning of September, a counter-offensive of Soviet troops was launched in the Yelnya area. The enemy group was repulsed, Yelnya was liberated. The enemy lost about 47 thousand people killed and wounded. The Soviet Union was born here guard.

Evacuation of enterprises to the East. 1941

The Battle of Smolensk and the capture of Yelnya delayed Hitler’s attack on Moscow.

A difficult situation developed in the Kyiv region in September. Here conditions were created for the encirclement of a huge group of Soviet troops. Stalin resolutely opposed its timely withdrawal to the East. The order to retreat was given when the enemy closed the encirclement. The enemy took Kyiv.

Defense of Sevastopol

Odessa offered resistance to the enemy for a long time. Only after 73 days the defense was stopped, and the city’s defenders were evacuated by sea. Even before the end of the war, Odessa was declared a “Hero City”.

One of the most heroic pages of the war is the 250-day defense of Sevastopol. There, the Nazis lost about 300 thousand people killed and wounded - as many as in all theaters of military operations before the attack on the USSR.

RESTRUCTURING THE NATIONAL ECONOMY. A loss large territories, which produced a significant part of industrial and agricultural products, placed the national economy of the Soviet Union and the Red Army in difficult conditions. Within just the first months of the war, the industrial potential of the USSR was reduced by half. To successfully conduct combat operations, the army lacked equipment, weapons and ammunition.

The government and people were required to unite the front and rear into a single, monolithic organism. To achieve this, a number of measures were outlined and implemented to ensure the preservation of significant production resources and the construction of new plants and factories for military needs.

Deportation

In the conditions of the rapid advance of the Nazis, one of the most important tasks began the evacuation of industrial enterprises, agricultural machinery, and livestock. In 1941 – 1942 more than 3 thousand plants and factories were sent to the East, many other material and cultural values. Together with enterprises, about 40% of the country’s labor collectives were transferred to the East. In 1941 alone, 1.5 million railway cars, or 30 thousand trains, were occupied for evacuation. Built in one line, they would take the path from the Bay of Biscay to the Pacific Ocean.

What is the meaning of the term “guard” in the modern army?

The production of equipment, weapons, and equipment needed by the front was carried out at evacuated enterprises in incredibly difficult conditions.

The food problem has sharply worsened. After the mobilization of men into the army, the rural labor force consisted of women, old people and teenagers. The production rate established for adolescents was equal to the minimum pre-war standard for adults. The share of female labor in the national economy increased to 57%. All women from 16 to 45 years old were declared mobilized for production.

Yakovlev Alexander Sergeevich (1906 – 1989) – aircraft designer (left)

ESTABLISHING A "NEW ORDER". The top leaders of the Reich, even before the war, determined what the " new order"in the conquered Russian space.

Management structures were created in the territories captured by the Nazis. The highest authority was the Ministry for the Occupied Territories in the East. Below were the Reichskommissariat, which were divided into general commissariats, districts, districts (districts), headed by commissars. A system of city councils was established in cities, and volost elders and elders were appointed in villages. Punitive strong structure, similar to the gendarmerie. In the majority settlements policemen were appointed. All residents were ordered to unconditionally obey the new authorities.

In the occupied territories of the Soviet Union, the Germans solved three tasks set by Hitler: mass executions of “superfluous” people; economic robbery of the country; deportation(expulsion) of the working population to Germany.

We must wipe this country off the face of the earth.

A. Hitler

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Machines are installed in workshops when there are no walls yet. They begin to produce airplanes when there are no windows or roofs yet. Snow covers the person and the machine, but the work continues. They don’t leave the workshops anywhere. This is where they live. There are no canteens yet.

From the memoirs of aircraft designer A. S. Yakovlev

Among the “extra” people, first of all, were Jews, gypsies and prisoners of war. Mass extermination of Jews (Holocaust) occurred throughout the occupied territory (its symbolic place is Babi Yar near Kiev). Millions of civilians and prisoners of war died in gas chambers and from starvation. IN concentration camps mortality in the winter of 1941 - 1942 amounted to 95% of total number prisoners. In general, according to incomplete data, up to 3.5 million Soviet people died in concentration camps.

Auschwitz concentration camp. About 4 million people of various nationalities were exterminated here

The Nazis resorted to mass deportation of Soviet people to the West. The deportation was brutal: parents were torn away from their children; pregnant women were forced to have abortions; villages were burned if the residents were hiding, etc. The number of deportees was about 5 million people (they planned to take out 15 million).

Resettlement camp of Soviet children before being deported to Germany

The USSR was not spared the phenomenon of collaboration. In almost all countries where the Germans entered, there were local residents who collaborated with them. In France, for example, after the war for treason, many collaborators were put on trial, some were executed. Among the traitors were former Prime Minister Pierre Laval and Marshal Henri Pétain.

Collaborator

Holocaust

Among the Soviet people who embarked on the path of betrayal, there were those who suffered from Stalinist repressions and collectivization, and adherents of the pre-October and pre-February political regimes. Among the traitors there were also nationalists who saw like-minded people in the Nazis, simply cowardly or selfish people who had lost faith in victory over Hitler.

It would seem that white emigration could become a special force in the anti-Soviet movement, but this did not happen. Part of it, putting political differences aside for a while, advocated for the victory of its compatriots over fascism (A. I. Denikin, P. N. Milyukov, etc.). In France, Boris Wilde, the “Red Princess” Vera Obolenskaya and many other emigrants took part in the Resistance movement.

But not all representatives of the white emigration wanted the victory of the USSR. Former Kuban and Don Cossack atamans V. Naumenko and P. Krasnov offered their services to the Germans. The Nazis allowed them to create the so-called Cossack units. Generals A. Shkuro, S. Klych-Girey, S. and P. Krasnov, and others, well-known in the Civil War in Russia, showed particular zeal.

Quite large collaborationist forces were the army of the former Soviet general A. Vlasova, 14th SS Division “Galicia”, etc.

From the autumn of 1944 to January 1945, the “Armed Forces of KONR” (Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia) was formed, consisting of 50 thousand renegades. They were led by General Vlasov. Soon they entered into hostilities on the Western Front against the allies of the USSR, but they could not bring any benefit to Hitler: the practice of combat showed the low combat effectiveness of these units. In the May days of 1945, the Vlasovites were captured by Soviet troops: their attempts to surrender American army were not successful. Vlasov and 11 of his closest associates were sentenced to death.

Karbyshev Dmitry Mikhailovich (1880 – 1945)

ORGANIZATION OF THE PARTISA MOVEMENT. From the first days of the war, partisan detachments began to form and operate behind enemy lines. In Belarus, detachment V. 3. Korzha was created on the evening of June 22, 1941. It consisted of 50 people and on June 28 entered into battle with the Nazis.

Kuznetsov Nikolai Ivanovich (1911 – 1944) – Soviet intelligence officer

In July, the partisan movement gained such strength that the commander of the 11th Nazi Army, General E. Manstein, stated: with the creation of the partisan movement, the Germans in Russia began to acquire a second front.

The number of partisan detachments and groups grew continuously. On October 1, 1941, in Ukraine and Belarus they numbered 28 and 12 thousand people, respectively. In 1941, 41 partisan detachments and 377 sabotage groups operated in the Moscow region alone.

Many partisans put their sense of duty above their own lives. Thus, already in the first months of the war, followers of Ivan Susanin appeared in several detachments, repeating his feat. The first “Susaninites” in 1941 were intelligence officer N. Drozdova and collective farmer I. Ivanov. Old people and children became “Susaninites”. M.K. Kuzmin was 86 years old, N. Molchanov was 13. In total, 50 such feats were accomplished during the Great Patriotic War.

With its creation in May 1942 Central headquarters of the partisan movement The partisan fight became noticeably more effective. Commander-in-Chief partisan movement Marshal K.E. Voroshilov was appointed, and the former first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus P.K. Ponomarenko was appointed chief of staff.

IN partisan detachments all social strata were represented Soviet society- peasants, workers, employees. Along with adults, teenagers also took part in the fight against the Nazis. They were especially useful in reconnaissance and communication with the underground. Marat Kazei, Lenya Golikov, Volodya Dubinin and others were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Zoya Anatolyevna Kosmodemyanskaya (1923 – 1941) – partisan

As a result of the partisan struggle, entire regions were formed in the occupied territories, where power remained Soviet. The partisans maintained contact with underground fighters in cities and villages, received valuable information from them and transmitted it to Moscow.

BATTLE FOR LENINGRAD: BLOCKADE. According to the plan of the Nazi command, the capture of Moscow should have been preceded by the capture of Leningrad.

On August 30, 1941, the enemy managed to cut the railways connecting the city with the country. Having captured Shlisselburg, the Germans reliably closed the blockade ring.

On September 9, 1941, the enemy reached the near approaches to the city. In this situation, emergency measures were taken. J.V. Stalin sent General G.K. Zhukov to Leningrad, who, skillfully organizing the defense of the most dangerous areas front, constrained the enemy's actions.

Berggolts Olga Fedorovna (1910 – 1975) – poetess

The city defended itself bravely. 4100 were built on its territory pillboxes(long-term firing point) And bunkers(wood-earth firing point), equipped with 22,000 firing points, 35 km of barricades and anti-tank obstacles installed. Hundreds of artillery shells, incendiary and high-explosive bombs rained down on the city every day. Air raids and artillery shelling often continued for 18 hours a day. There was a food shortage in the city. The situation of the blockade survivors was extremely difficult.

The only possibility of delivering food, medicine, and ammunition to besieged Leningrad was "The road of life"– transport route across Lake Ladoga. Only in the first blockade winter of 1941/42, under continuous shelling and bombing, more than 360 thousand tons of cargo were transported through it, and during the entire period of the blockade - 1615 thousand tons of cargo.

Shostakovich Dmitry Dmitrievich (1906 – 1975) – composer

Unconquered Leningrad was of enormous military and strategic importance. Hitler's hopes of quickly capturing the city collapsed at the very beginning of the war. The fascist German troops, which were planned to be sent to capture Moscow, were pinned down and could not be sent to other fronts. Leningrad is the first city in two years of World War II that was able to resist the powerful German military machine.

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...b) first we blockade Leningrad (hermetically) and destroy the city, if possible, with artillery and aviation... d) the remnants of the “fortress garrison” will remain there for the winter. In the spring we will penetrate the city... we will take everything that remains alive into the depths of Russia or take prisoners, raze Leningrad to the ground and transfer the area north of the Neva to Finland.

From A. Hitler’s report “On the Siege of Leningrad”

"The road of life". From September 1941 to March 1943 it connected Leningrad with the country via the ice of Lake Ladoga

BATTLE OF MOSCOW. Having defeated the Kyiv group of Soviet troops, the Nazi command resumed the offensive of Army Group Center on Moscow. It began on September 30 with a flank attack by the tank army of General H. Guderian in the direction of Tula. The enemy threw the main group of his troops in the direction of Vyazma, where he managed to close the encirclement, but soviet armies continued to fight, pinning down the forces of about 20 Nazi divisions.

This delay made it possible to strengthen the Mozhaisk defense line. 450 thousand residents of the capital were mobilized to build defensive structures around Moscow. But only 90 thousand soldiers were concentrated on this line, which was clearly not enough. The situation was becoming critical. The evacuation of government buildings began. On October 20, 1941, by decision of the State Defense Committee, a state of siege was introduced in the city. At the front, holding back superior enemy forces, Soviet soldiers fought to the death.

Having superiority in manpower and equipment, the enemy began to bypass Moscow from the north and south. The Germans were separated from the capital by several tens of kilometers, but, exhausted in stubborn battles with units of the Red Army, the fascist German troops were forced to pause the offensive in order to gather for a decisive attack.

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In October - 400 g of bread per day for workers and 200 g for dependents.

In November - 250 and 125 g, respectively.

11,085 people died in November.

58,881 people died in December.

Statistics besieged Leningrad(1941)

Commanding Western Front G.K. Zhukov used the Germans' respite to regroup and build up the forces of the Red Army. In Moscow itself, on November 6 and 7, 1941, a ceremonial meeting took place in the Kremlin and a parade of troops on Red Square in honor of the 24th anniversary of the October Revolution.

On November 16, a new rapid German offensive began. They came so close to Moscow that they were already preparing to shell the Kremlin from two long-range guns located in Krasnaya Polyana, northwest of the capital (the guns were destroyed by special order).

Simultaneously with repelling the enemy's offensive, a hidden build-up of human and material reserves took place and a counter-offensive was being prepared.

The composition of the opposing forces and assets of the Wehrmacht and the Red Army on the eve of the decisive battle near Moscow (early December 1941)

With such a balance of forces and means Soviet command gave the order to launch a counteroffensive. On the night of December 6, 1941 Soviet troops dealt a powerful blow to the enemy. In 10 days of fighting, the Nazis were driven back from Moscow by 100 - 250 km. German army lost more than 500 thousand people, over 1000 tanks, 2500 guns. The immediate threat to the capital was eliminated.

The first six months of the war became a time of testing the courage of the peoples of the Soviet Union and its army. Phagworms captured the territory where 40% of the country's population lived before the aggression began. During June - December 1941, the losses of Soviet troops amounted to about 4 million people, over 20 thousand tanks, about 17 thousand aircraft, over 60 thousand guns and mortars. But these six months also became the beginning of the defeat of Hitler’s Wehrmacht. Battle of Moscow - bright that confirmation.

1941, December 5 - the day the Red Army began its counteroffensive against Nazi troops near Moscow

The significance of the Moscow Battle is great. Germany's first major defeat in World War II dispelled the myth of the invincibility of the Nazi army. The victory contributed to the strengthening of the anti-Hitler coalition and the weakening of the fascist bloc, forced Japan and Turkey to refrain from entering the war against the USSR, and gave strength liberation movement in Europe.

ATTEMPTS TO COUNTEROFFENSE THE RED ARMY. At the beginning of 1942, the forces of both sides were approximately equal. After many failures and the first major victory near Moscow, competent and thoughtful decisions were needed. But Stalin ordered an offensive to be launched on all fronts, which, however, did not produce positive results.

In the winter and early spring of 1942, an attempt was made to break the blockade of Leningrad. The fighting took place in difficult terrain. The troops lacked weapons, ammunition, food, Vehicle. The offensive, although it initially put the Germans in a difficult position, floundered. The enemy launched a counter-offensive and surrounded the units of the 2nd shock army. The army commander, Lieutenant General A. A. Vlasov, voluntarily surrendered.

Diary of Tanya Savicheva. From the chronicle of besieged Leningrad

At the turn of 1941 – 1942 The Soviet command carried out an amphibious operation with a landing on the Kerch Peninsula. Kerch and Feodosia were liberated. However, carried away by the offensive, the command did not provide the necessary defense and soon paid for it. With a strike along the Feodosia Gulf, the Germans defeated the Soviet group and took Kerch. The defeat in the Kerch region seriously complicated the situation in Sevastopol, which had been heroically defending itself since the fall of 1941. For nine months this city attracted significant enemy forces, but in July 1942 it was abandoned by sailors Black Sea Fleet and soldiers of the Red Army, and Crimea was completely occupied.

In the midst of the battles for Crimea, an offensive of Soviet troops began in the Kharkov direction, and they were able to advance 25–50 km in three days. But having significant forces in this area, the Germans launched a counteroffensive and surrounded three Soviet armies.

After the capture of Crimea and the failure of the Kharkov offensive, the Germans launched a strike from the Kursk region in the direction of Voronezh. Their blow was no less powerful in the Donbass. As a result, the enemy gained a number of advantages and, bringing in fresh reserves, began a rapid advance in the large bend of the Don towards Stalingrad. The Red Army was forced to retreat. This forced Stalin to issue order No. 227, better known as the “Not a step back!” order. It stated: “It’s time to end the retreat. No step back! This should now be our main call.” The order took effect immediately. Violation of this rule was punishable by execution.

And yet the enemy broke through to the Volga. And the Soviet troops were bleeding and exhausted. There was a real threat of the capture of Stalingrad, a major center of the defense industry and an important strategic point, as well as the enemy reaching North Caucasus. The country again found itself in an extremely difficult situation.

Poster 1942 Artist V. B. Koretsky

QUESTIONS AND TASKS

1. What was the surprise of Nazi Germany’s attack on the Soviet Union? What was the balance of forces and means of the warring parties on initial stage war?

2. How did the restructuring of our country’s economy take place on a war footing?

3. Describe the “new order” that the Nazis imposed on the occupied territory.

4. What were the tasks of the partisan movement?

5. How did the battle for Leningrad develop? Why were the Nazis, having enormous military superiority, unable to take the city?

6. Why were our troops unable to defend Brest and Minsk, Kyiv and Smolensk, dozens of other large cities, and did not surrender Moscow and Leningrad to the enemy?

7. Why did the Red Army's counteroffensives fail in 1942?

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The main method of war of the Third Reich, due to the lack of resources and the fact that Germany began to form its military power relatively recently, due to the prohibitions of the Treaty of Versailles, until 1933, its capabilities were limited, there was a “blitzkrieg”.

The Wehrmacht tried to crush the main enemy forces with the first blow, by achieving maximum concentration of forces in the main directions of attack. On April 3, 1939, the original plan for the war with Poland, Plan Weiss - The White Plan, developed by the headquarters of the German Armed Forces, was sent to the commanders of the ground forces, air force and navy. By May 1, the commanders had to provide their opinion regarding the war with Poland. The date for the attack on the Poles was also named - September 1, 1939. By April 11, the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces (OKW) developed the “Directive on the unified preparation of the Armed Forces for war in 1939-1940”, it was signed by Adolf Hitler.

The basis of the White Plan was the plan for a “lightning war” - the Polish armed forces were supposed to dismember, encircle and destroy with swift deep blows. Armored units and the Luftwaffe were to play a major role in this. The main blows were to be delivered by Army Group “North” from Pomerania and East Prussia and “South” from the territory of Moravia and Silesia; they were supposed to defeat the main forces of the Polish army west of the Vistula and Narew rivers. The German Navy was supposed to blockade Polish bases from the sea, destroy the Polish Navy, and support ground forces.

The defeat and capture of Poland was planned not only with the aim of solving the problem of Danzig and connecting the territories of the two parts of the Reich (East Prussia was an enclave), but also as a stage in the struggle for world domination, the most important step in the implementation of the “Eastern program” of the Nazis, the expansion of “living space” Germans. So, on May 23, 1939, at a meeting with the military, Hitler said: “Danzig is by no means the object for which everything is being done. For us, we are talking about expanding living space in the East and providing food, as well as solving Baltic problem" That is, there was only talk about the defeat of Poland and solving the Danzig problem, there was no “Polish corridor”, from the very beginning they planned to deprive Poland of statehood, they were faced with a policy of genocide and plunder of resources in favor of Germany.

In addition, the territory of Poland was supposed to become an important springboard for a strike against the Soviet Union. The defeat of Poland was supposed to be the first step in preparing a strike on France.

Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces, Walter Brauchitsch.

Hitler and Brauchitsch at the parade on October 5, 1939.

Germany's capture of Czechoslovakia and Memel sharply complicated the military-strategic position of Poland; the Wehrmacht had the opportunity to strike from the north and south. With the capture of Czechoslovakia, the Wehrmacht strengthened its capabilities, capturing powerful Czech industry and a lot of equipment.

The main problem for the military-political leadership of Germany there was a need to avoid a war on two fronts - a strike French army from the west, with the assistance of England. In Berlin it was believed that Paris and London would continue to adhere to the course of “appeasement”, Munich course. Yes, Chief of the General Staff ground forces Halder wrote in his diary that Hitler was confident that England would threaten, stop trade for a while, maybe recall the ambassador, but would not enter the war. This is confirmed by General K. Tippelskirch: “Despite the existing Franco-Polish alliance and the guarantees that England gave Poland at the end of March... Hitler hoped that he had managed to limit himself to a military conflict with Poland alone.” Guderian: “Hitler and his Foreign Minister Ribbentrop were inclined to believe that the Western powers would not dare to start a war against Germany and therefore had a free hand to achieve their goals in Eastern Europe.”

In principle, Hitler turned out to be right, Paris and London “save face” by declaring war on Germany, but in reality they did nothing to help Poland - the so-called “strange war”. And the opportunity was left to settle the bloodless “war” between Germany and France and England.

Hitler also played on the anti-Soviet sentiments of the elite of France and England, presenting the attack on Poland as preparation for a strike on the Union, hiding his next stage on the path to dominance in Europe - the defeat of France. In addition, the quick, lightning defeat of Poland was supposed to prevent the real involvement of the Anglo-French forces in the war with Germany. Therefore, to cover the western border of Germany, a minimum of forces and resources were allocated, without tanks. Only 32 divisions were deployed there, with 800 aircraft - Army Group C, of ​​which only 12 divisions were fully equipped, the rest were sharply inferior in their combat capabilities. They could only be used for positional warfare, and then only in secondary sectors. These divisions were supposed to hold the defense on a border with a length of about 1390 km, with Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, France; the fortified Siegfried Line was still under construction and could not be a reliable support.

By the beginning of the war in Poland, only France had eastern border there were 78 divisions, more than 17 thousand guns and mortars, about 2 thousand tanks (without easy accounting armored vehicles), 1,400 first-line aircraft and 1,600 aircraft in reserve. In the very first days, this group could have been significantly strengthened. Plus support from the British Navy and Air Force.

The German generals were aware of all this and were very nervous, so Manstein wrote: “the risk taken German command, was very large... there is no doubt that the French army from the very first day of the war was many times superior to the German forces operating on the Western Front.”

German soldiers on the Polish border.

The task of a crushing defeat of the Polish army, maximum concentration of forces and means

The task of the total defeat and destruction of the Polish troops was finally formulated by A. Hitler at a meeting with the highest generals on August 22, 1939: “Goal: Destruction of Poland, elimination of its manpower. This is not about reaching some milestone or new border, but about destroying the enemy, which should be steadily strived for by any means... The winner is never judged or questioned...” The Directive on the plan of attack on Poland by the Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces, Colonel General Brauchitsch, also begins with these words: “The purpose of the operation is the destruction of the Polish Armed Forces.”

To achieve this, the Wehrmacht concentrated its forces and resources against Poland as much as possible: all the most trained divisions, all tanks, the 1st and 4th air fleets. By September 1, 1939, 54 divisions were concentrated in full combat readiness (several more were in reserve - in total 62 divisions were put up against the Poles): in Army Group North the 3rd and 4th armies, in Army Group South 8, 10 , 14th Army. The total number of invasion forces was 1.6 million people, 6 thousand. artillery pieces, 2,000 aircraft and 2,800 tanks. In addition, the Polish command made it easier for the Wehrmacht by dispersing its forces along the entire border, trying to cover the entire border, instead of trying to tightly close the main directions of possible attacks, concentrating on them the maximum possible number of forces and means.

Gerd von Rundstedt, commander of Army Group South, concentrated: 21 infantry divisions, 4 tank, 2 motorized, 4 light, 3 mountain rifle divisions; There are 9 more divisions and more than 1000 tanks in reserve. The commander of Army Group North, Theodor von Bock, had 14 infantry divisions, 2 tank, 2 motorized, 1 cavalry brigade, and 2 divisions in reserve. Both army groups attacked in the general direction of Warsaw, towards the Vistula, at Army Group South the 10th Army was advancing on Warsaw, the weaker 8th and 14th supported it with offensive actions. In the center, the Wehrmacht concentrated relatively small forces; they were supposed to distract the enemy, misleading him about the main directions of attack.

Gerd von Rundstedt, led Army Group South.

As a result, the Wehrmacht managed to concentrate overwhelming superiority in the directions of the main attacks: 8-fold in tanks, 4-fold in field artillery, 7-fold in anti-tank artillery. In addition, measures were successfully carried out to camouflage large forces, including mechanized ones.

The maximum pace of advance of the tank and motorized divisions was planned; they were instructed not to be distracted by the final destruction of the defeated Polish units, entrusting this task, as well as covering the flanks and rear, to the infantry divisions. They were supposed to prevent the Polish command from carrying out measures to mobilize, concentrate, and regroup troops and capture the most important economic regions intact. On August 14, Hitler set the task of defeating Poland in the shortest possible time - 8-14 days, after which the main forces were to be released for possible actions on other fronts. On August 22, Hitler said: “A quick outcome of military operations is necessary... The main thing is speed. Persecution until complete destruction."

An important role in disrupting the enemy's mobilization activities was assigned to aviation; it was supposed to strike Polish mobilization centers, disrupt traffic on railways and highways, and prevent the Poles from concentrating a group of forces in the offensive zone of the 10th Army, in Western Galicia, west of the Vistula ; disrupt the organization of defense measures in the offensive zone of Army Group North at the Vistula-Drevenets line and on the Narew.

Destruction of the enemy by envelopment and encirclement: The White Plan was based on the idea of ​​deep envelopment, encirclement, and destruction of the main forces of the Polish armed forces west of the Vistula and Narev rivers. This plan was brought to life by a successful strategic position - the opportunity to deploy troops on the territory of the former Czechoslovakia. By the way, Slovakia also allocated a couple of divisions for the war with Poland. The Poles angered them so much with their territorial claims.

As a result, the Wehrmacht advanced with two flank groups located far from each other, almost completely abandoning major operations in the center.

Theodor von Bock, commander of Army Group North.

Diplomatic cover, disinformation measures

In order to be able to deliver the most sudden blow possible, Berlin hid its intentions even from its allies, Rome and Tokyo. At the same time, secret negotiations were conducted with England, France, and Poland, declarations of commitment to the idea of ​​peace were proclaimed, even the party congress scheduled for September was called the “peace congress.”

To intimidate the French in order to keep them from entering the war, Hitler at the end of July demonstratively visited the Siegfried Line, although the command and Hitler knew that it was not ready and made a fuss on the radio in the media about its complete readiness and “impregnability.” Even the photos of the “new” defensive structures were still of the old fortifications - until 1933. Rumors were spread about the concentration of large forces in the West. As a result, Warsaw “took the bait” and believed that if the war began, the main forces of Germany would fight in the West, there would be auxiliary forces against it, and that they would even be able to carry out an offensive operation against East Prussia themselves.

Pressuring Warsaw about Danzig and the construction of a railway and highway in the “Polish corridor,” Berlin simultaneously spoke about the general direction of the struggle - against the USSR, about a possible joint campaign to the East, the Poles were promised Ukraine and access to the Black Sea. Thus depriving Poland of its only opportunity to survive, it would agree to help the USSR, which it offered more than once, before concluding a pact with Germany.

The construction of defensive structures began on the border with Poland, lulling the vigilance of the Poles. This was one of the largest and most expensive measures to mislead Poland. Since the spring of 1939, the so-called “Eastern Wall” was built and the pace of construction was quite high; entire Wehrmacht divisions took part in the construction. At the same time, construction also explained high concentration Wehrmacht forces on the border with Poland. The transfer of additional units to East Prussia was disguised as preparation for the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the victory over the Russian army at Tannenberg in August 1914.

Polish prisoners of war in a temporary German camp in Poland, September 1939.

Even covert mobilization began only on August 25; it was considered that the available forces were sufficient and therefore the full deployment of all forces could be neglected. Therefore, we decided to temporarily refrain from creating a reserve army. Territorial divisions of the Landwehr. The deployment of aviation was planned only on the very first day of the war.

As a result, even before the official mobilization, Berlin was able to transfer and deploy for the invasion 35% of the wartime ground forces, 85% of the tank, 100% of the motorized and light divisions, and only 63% of the forces allocated for the war with Poland. In the first operations against Poland, 100% of the motorized and 86% of the tank forces and only 80% of the forces planned for the entire military campaign against Poland were able to participate. This made it possible to carry out the first strike with the entire power of the main forces, while the Poles by September 1 completed only 60% of the mobilization plan, deploying 70% of the troops.

Camping German troops near the border with Poland shortly before the German invasion. Time of shooting: 08/31/1939-09/01/1939.

German Junkers Ju-87 dive bombers in the skies of Poland, September 1939.

Bottom line

In general, the plan was carried out, but the reasons for this are not only that the Wehrmacht was magnificent, there are also other fundamental reasons: the weakness of Poland itself. The Polish elite completely failed the pre-war stage, both politically and diplomatically, and militarily. They did not seek an alliance with the USSR, they finally became its enemy, they did not make concessions on the issue of Danzig and the construction of a highway and railway to East Prussia - although there was a possibility that Berlin would limit itself to this and in the end Poland, as it wanted, would become a satellite of Germany , in the war with the USSR. They chose the wrong defense strategy - dispersing forces along the entire border; before the war they did not pay enough attention to aviation, air defense systems, and anti-tank artillery.

The Polish military-political leadership behaved disgustingly, not using all the possibilities for struggle, abandoning their people and army while they were still fighting, running away, thereby finally breaking the will to resist.

Berlin was lucky that there were people not like de Gaulle in Paris; a blow from the French army would have brought Germany to the brink of disaster; the path to Berlin was actually open. It would be necessary to urgently transfer forces to the West, stopping the advance of the French army, the Poles would continue to resist. Hitler would have gotten a real war on two fronts, a protracted one, for which Germany was not ready; she would have had to look for a way out in diplomacy.

German soldiers inspect an abandoned single-turret Polish Vickers tank; it is distinguished from a regular one by a large air intake casing with a grille.

Polish 7TP tanks captured by the Germans march past the main stands at the parade marking the first anniversary of the surrender of Polish troops on October 6, 1940. Governor Hans Frank and Field Marshal Wilhelm List are present in the high stands. Time taken: 10/06/1940. Filming location: Warsaw, Poland.

The German army marches through captured Warsaw, the capital of Poland.

Sources:
Documents and materials on the eve of the Second World War. 1937-1939. In 2 volumes. M., 1981.
Kurt von Tippelskirch. Second World War. Blitzkrieg. M., 2011.
Manstein E. Lost victories. Memoirs of a field marshal. M., 2007.
Solovyov B.G. Suddenness of attack is a weapon of aggression. M., 2002.
http://militera.lib.ru/db/halder/index.html
http://militera.lib.ru/h/tippelskirch/index.html
http://militera.lib.ru/memo/german/guderian/index.html
http://waralbum.ru/category/war/east/poland_1939/