The Second World War left its small part in the history of every nation. This truly terrifying and at the same time great period changed the world beyond recognition. Almost every country played its part in this war. For the states of the former USSR, the Second World War occupies a special place in history. It even has a completely different name - the Great Patriotic War. This historical period was truly a turning point for the peoples of modern Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other countries of the USSR. This war was a test of the courage, bravery and will of the great Soviet people.
The Soviet army proved its professionalism and inviolability even in the face of such a terrible ideological enemy as Nazism.
Today, historians are constantly discussing the main battles of the Great Patriotic War. Many facts have not yet been disclosed, because of the "great love" for the secrets of the Soviet government. Nevertheless, we can single out the main stages and battles of the Great Patriotic War. But before describing them,it is necessary to recall the reasons that led to the military conflict between Nazi Germany and the Stalinist USSR.
The Great Patriotic War - causes
As we know, on September 1, 1939, World War II began. The main escalation of the conflict was from Germany in the West. During this time, German Nazism developed into its classical form. Hitler's power was unlimited. Although this charismatic leader actually declared war on all states, the USSR was in no hurry to join it because of the non-aggression pact.
It was signed on August 23, 1939. The treaty stipulated the neutral attitude of the USSR to the war that Germany would wage against the countries of the West and Europe. Cooperation in the field of activities with other countries was also approved. Both parties were forbidden to participate in alliances that in one way or another contradicted their interests. For such "tolerance" on the part of the Soviet Union, Germany undertook to return part of the territory it had lost. There is also a secret protocol in which the parties stipulated the division of power in Eastern Europe and Poland. In fact, this agreement was concluded with the aim of establishing mutual world domination in the future. But there was one problem. From the very beginning, Germany did not want peace with the USSR. Of course, it was beneficial in the early stages of the war, but there was no question of any mutual domination.
Further actions of Germany can be called only one word - betrayal. This dastardly step gave birth to greatbattles of the Great Patriotic War. Already on June 22, 1941, Germany officially attacked the USSR. Since that time, the Great Patriotic War begins. Next, we will look at the main battles of the Great Patriotic War, which play an important role in the history of this period.
Battle of Moscow
Wehrmacht troops used specific offensive tactics. Their attack was based on the interaction of all branches of the armed forces. First, the enemy was subjected to powerful shelling from the air. The planes were immediately followed by tanks, which literally burned out the enemy troops. At the very end, the German infantry began its action. Thanks to this tactic, the enemy troops, led by General Bock, already in September 1941 made their way to the center of the Soviet Union - Moscow. At the very beginning of the offensive, the German army consisted of 71.5 divisions, which is approximately 1,700,000 people. It also included 1,800 tanks, 15,100 guns, and 1,300 aircraft. According to these indicators, the German side was about five times larger than the Soviet side.
September 30, 1941, the Germans begin their attack on Moscow. From the very first stages of the Moscow offensive, the Wehrmacht troops suffered significant setbacks. Already on October 17, the Soviet army under the command of Zhukov stopped the offensive by implementing Operation Typhoon. The bloodless enemy had only strength left for a positional war, so in January 1942 the Germans were defeated and driven back 100 kilometers from Moscow. This victory dispelled the myth of the invincibility of the Fuhrer's army. Moscow was the frontier that was necessaryovercome on the way to victory. The German army did not cope with this task, so Hitler ultimately lost the war. But the battles of the Great Patriotic War do not end there. Below we take a look at the real turning point in this global conflict.
Battle of Stalingrad
Today we can distinguish a lot of events that the Great Patriotic War is known for. The Battle of Stalingrad is the turning point that led to a crushing series of failures of the German army. The period of the Battle of Stalingrad can be divided into two stages: the beginning and the counteroffensive. On July 17, 1942, the famous Battle of Stalingrad began.
At this stage, the German troops stopped in the area of the city. The Soviet army did not want to surrender it until the very end. The forces of the Soviet Union were commanded by Lieutenant General Vatutin and Marshal Timoshenko. They managed to completely paralyze the Germans, but the Soviet troops were surrounded. Skirmishes between small groups of Soviet and German soldiers constantly took place in the city. According to the memoirs of veterans: "There was a real hell in Stalingrad." In one of the Museums of Volgograd (former Stalingrad) there is a rather interesting exhibit: bullets that hit each other. This indicates the intensity of hostilities in the city. As for the strategic importance, it actually did not exist. This city was important to Hitler as a symbol of Stalin's power. Therefore, it had to be taken, and most importantly, kept. It follows that the city became the centerclash of interests during the Great Patriotic War. The battle of Stalingrad made it possible to evaluate and compare the power of the two ideological titans of the 20th century.
Counterattack at Stalingrad
The German army, led by General Paulus, by the time of the counteroffensive, consisted of 1,010,600 people, 600 tanks, 1,200 combat aircraft and about 10,000 guns. From the side of the Soviet Union there was practically the same number of military and military equipment. Significant forces, which our side pulled up during the siege, allowed November 20, 1942 to go on the offensive and surround the Germans.
By the evening of January 31, 1943, the Stalingrad German group was liquidated. Such results were achieved thanks to the well-coordinated work of the three main fronts of the USSR. The Battle of Stalingrad is glorified along with other major battles of the Great Patriotic War. Because this event significantly undermined the strength of the German army. In other words, after Stalingrad, Germany was never able to renew its combat power. In addition, the German command could not even imagine that the city would emerge from the encirclement. But it happened, and further events were not in favor of the Fuhrer.
The Great Patriotic War: Battle of Kursk
After the events in the city of Stalingrad, the German army was never able to recover, however, it still posed a serious threat. On the Kursk Bulge (the front line formed after the victory at Stalingrad), German troops gathered a significantthe amount of his strength. The Soviet side was going to conduct a powerful attack in the region of the city of Kursk. In the early stages, the German troops had significant victories. They were commanded by such famous German military leaders as G. Kluge and Manstein. The main task of the USSR troops was to prevent a new advance of the Nazi army "Center" deep into the mainland. The situation changed radically on July 12, 1943.
Prokhorovskaya battle of 1943
The great battles of the Great Patriotic War were unpredictable. One of these battles is a tank confrontation near the village of Prokhorovka. Over 1,000 tanks and self-propelled guns from both sides took part in it. After this battle, there were no questions about who would win the war. The German army was defeated, although not completely. After the Battle of Prokhorov, the USSR troops were able to launch a large-scale offensive against Belgorod and Kharkov. This actually ends the history of the Kursk confrontation, the largest battle of the Great Patriotic War, which opened the doors of the USSR to conquer Berlin.
The Capture of Berlin 1945
The Berlin operation played the final role in the history of the German-Soviet confrontation. The purpose of its holding was the defeat of the German troops, which were formed near the city of Berlin.
The army of the Center group is located near the city, as well as the military group Vistula under the command of Heinrits and Scherner. On the part of the USSR, an army consisting of three fronts under the command of marshals Zhukov, Konev and Rokossovsky acted. TakeBerlin ended with the German surrender on May 9, 1945.
The main battles of the Great Patriotic War are coming to an end at this stage. Just a few months later, on September 2, 1945, World War II ended.
Conclusion
So, the most important battles of the Great Patriotic War were considered in the article. The list can be supplemented with other equally important and famous events, but our article lists the most epic and memorable battles. Today it is impossible to imagine a person who would not know about the feat of the great Soviet soldiers.
