When during the war all the people stand up to defend the Motherland, regardless of estate and property status, then it is called domestic. In other words, a patriotic war is when people fight for their country, for its independence and liberation from invaders, not under duress, but based on their convictions and moral principles.
How many wars in Russia are considered domestic
In Russia, the war with Napoleon was called domestic for the first time. Two wars received the status of patriotic by official decrees:
- Patriotic War of 1812.
- The Great Patriotic War.
Both in 1812 and in 1945 the people of Russia defeated the enemy and defended the independence of their state. Russian troops paraded in Paris in 1814. The same triumph was in Berlin in 1945. These victories cost the country and its people enormous stress.
Besides the fact that these wars took a huge amount of money and material resources, the biggest loss was the death of thousands (1812-1814) and millions (1941-1945) of people. Despite this, Russia defended its statehood, andas a result of these victories has become a great influential world power.
Napoleon's attack on Russia
The war between Russia and France after 1810 was inevitable for many geopolitical reasons, but the formal basis for its start was the violation of the Tilsit Treaty. It began on August 12, 1812, when Napoleon's troops captured the Russian fortress of Kovno. The first clash occurred the next day. The number of the advancing army was 240 thousand people.
The Russian military was not taken by surprise by this attack, as offensive and defensive plans for a war with Napoleon's troops had been considered since 1810. The first rebuff to the advancing Napoleon was provided by the troops of the 1st and 2nd armies. The first army was led by Barclay de Tolly, and the second by Bagration. The total number of soldiers of these armies was 153 thousand, armed with 758 guns.
Partisan warfare as part of the national war
One of the forms of military resistance to Napoleon's troops was the partisan movement. By decision of the leadership of the Russian army, mobile detachments were created that successfully operated behind enemy lines. But on their own, without the support of the population, they would not be able to fulfill their tasks. The support of the people proved that resistance to Napoleon was a real Patriotic War. This was proved by the people's militia - the peasants who participated in the battles, and those who provided the partisans and the Russian army with food and fodder.
The peasants sabotaged the orders and requests of the French by all means. They refused to supply them with food - they burned all their supplies so that they would not get to the enemy. They even set fire to their houses, after which they went into the forest and joined partisan detachments. Heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812 who participated in the partisan movement:
- Seslavin Alexander Nikitich;
- Denis Vasilyevich Davydov;
- Ivan Semenovich Dorokhov;
- Alexander Samoilovich Figner.
War of 1812 in Brief
At first, the French army captured Russian positions. When the command of the Russian army was headed by Mikhail Kutuzov, a strategy was developed that made it possible to defeat the enemy. The retreat beyond Moscow allowed us to maintain a combat-ready army and stop Napoleon's advance further deep into Russia.
Kutuzov's famous Tarutinsky maneuver - the retreat beyond Moscow after the Battle of Borodino and stopping the army in the camp in Tarutino - made it possible to turn the tide of the war. The Battle of Tarutino was the first major Russian operation, which brought an undoubted victory. During the years of the Patriotic War, there were about ten large-scale battles that influenced its course:
- at the Mole Swamp;
- under Red;
- for Smolensk;
- at Valutina Mountain;
- near Borodino;
- at Tarutino;
- near Maloyaroslavets.
The war with Napoleonic troops ended in May 1814 after the capitulation of Paris and the signing ofpeace treaty. The Russian army paraded in Paris. However, this is no longer a patriotic war, this is one of the stages of the liberation of Europe. And the Patriotic War of 1812, according to the published manifesto of Alexander I, was over after the battle on November 14-16 near the Berezina River. The war of 1812 is both a manifestation of the courage of the military, and a wise strategy of military leaders, and a feat of the whole people, who resisted the enemy with all their might.
The Great Patriotic War
Germany, ignoring the peace treaty concluded in 1939, violated the territorial boundaries of the Soviet Union in June. On June 22, the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 began. Hitler's plans provided for a blitzkrieg - a lightning offensive and the capture of the USSR in a few months. Hitler used such tactics starting from the 39th year, which allowed him to capture half of Europe.
However, in the battles with the Soviet troops, this tactic did not justify itself. Although in the first years of the Patriotic War (1941-1942) the German army was able to conquer significant territories, this did not in any way correspond to the Barbarossa plan. This plan provided for the end of hostilities by the end of 1941, and Russia, by that time, was to disappear forever from the political map of the world.
The Soviet people showed that the Great Patriotic War is truly a people's war. The unparalleled heroism of the military made it difficult for the advance of German troops in an easterly direction. In turn, the partisan detachments fettered the large forces of the Wehrmacht, made it difficult to transportfood and ammunition. These factors made it possible to slow down the offensive as much as possible, accumulate military potential, and turn the tide of the war.
Manifestation of heroism by Soviet people during the war
The Great Patriotic War revealed the best qualities in Soviet people. Readiness for self-denial for the sake of one's Motherland and courage - these qualities have become not an exception, but the norm. Heroes of the Patriotic War are millions of people. Over 11 thousand people received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In the period 1941-1945. About 38 million orders and medals were awarded. A significant portion was awarded posthumously.
Many books describe the exploits of the Patriotic War, many films have been shot, which show the acts of heroism of Soviet soldiers and partisans. Some of the clearest examples of courage are:
- Matrosov's feat. He closed the enemy bunker with his body and allowed his unit to complete its combat mission.
- Gastello's feat. Nikolai Frantsevich did not jump out of the burning plane, but sent it into the midst of enemy troops and equipment.
- Feat of Ekaterina Zelenko. During the battle, when her plane was left without fuel, she went to ram and shot down an enemy fighter.
Chronology of hostilities
From the beginning of hostilities, Soviet troops fought defensive battles and were forced to retreat. In late 1942 - early 1943, they managed to take the initiative in the battles. The battles of Stalingrad and Kursk turned out to be turning point battles. Great Patriotic War 1941-1945I remember such events on the territory of the USSR:
- June 22, 1941 - the perfidious invasion of German troops.
- From June to September 1941 Minsk, Vilnius, Riga, Talin, Kyiv were captured.
- From July 10 to September 10, 1941, the Battle of Smolensk lasted.
- September 1941–January 27, 1944 The blockade of Leningrad continued.
- September 1941–April 1942 – German troops were advancing on the outskirts of Moscow.
- From mid-July 1942 to February 1943, the battle for Stalingrad (Battle of Stalingrad) lasted.
- July 1942–October 1943 – the battle for the Caucasus.
- In July-August 1943, a major tank battle (Battle of Kursk) took place.
- From August to October 1943, the Smolensk offensive operation lasted.
- End of September 1943 - crossing of the Dnieper.
- Kyiv was liberated in November 1943.
- On March 1, 1944, the blockade of Leningrad was completely lifted.
- In April 1944 Crimea was liberated.
- In July 1944, Minsk was liberated.
- In September–November 1944, the B altic republics were liberated.
Restoration of borders and victory
By the end of 1944, the territory of the Soviet Union was restored to the same borders as they were before the German attack. After that, hostilities began on the territory of European countries captured by German troops. After their liberation, in 1945, an offensive began on the territory of Germany. The final victory in the Great Patriotic War came after the German command signed an act on May 8surrender.
The Patriotic War, which showed the courage and resilience of the Soviet people, gave many moral lessons. Victory in this war allowed the USSR not only to defend its independence, but also to become a leading geopolitical player on the world stage.
