The Great Patriotic War ... Every resident of our vast country has heard about this event, which claimed the lives of millions of Soviet soldiers, more than once. Today, much is said about the causes of the war, its consequences and how we could live without these 1418 days and nights in our history. World War II affected almost every family in the Soviet Union. Someone escorted to the front their sons and husbands, someone himself worked in the rear, providing the army with the necessary food and weapons.
The beginning of WWII was on June 22, 1941, when Nazi Germany, which received the support of Italy, Romania, Finland, Slovakia and Hungary, began its invasion of the territory of the Soviet Union. In fact, the war began without warning or official announcement. The reasons for the beginning of World War II were named only after the German troops crossed the Soviet border. Following the Germans, Romania and Italy declared war on the Soviet Union. For the occupation of our country by the troops of the German invaders, three army groups were formed, which were located on the eve of June 22 along the western border of the USSR.
Army Group South concentrated on a territory stretching 1300 km from the Black Sea to Polesie and consisted of the 6th, 11th, 17th German armies, 3rd, 4th Romanian armies and the Hungarian corps. The command was carried out by the German general - Field Marshal von Rundstedt.
An army group called the "Center" was located on an area of more than 500 km, it included the 4th and 9th field armies, the 2nd and 3rd tank groups. This direction of the offensive was under the command of the German Field Marshal von Bock.
Army Group Sever was inferior in composition to the first two and was located on an area of 230 km. It included the 16th and 18th armies, the 1st air fleet, and the 4th tank group. This Army Group was commanded by Field Marshal von Leeb.
As we know from the lessons of history, in the early days of the battles the army of the Soviet Union failed. This is due primarily to the surprise attack of the aggressor. The outbreak of World War II was associated with large losses of both human resources and military equipment and ammunition from the USSR. So, on the day it began, more than a thousand Soviet aircraft were destroyed .
The outbreak of World War II and the Great Patriotic War was preceded by a series of events. Firstly, the Nazis came to power in Germany and Italy and the related military tensions. Secondly, the collapse of the collective security policy, which was based on the desire of the political forces of several countries to prevent the outbreak of world war. In addition, many historians connect the beginning of WWII with the aggressive goals of Japan and the conduct of a rather aggressive policy of its statesmen (occupation of China, the withdrawal of Japanese army forces to the borders of the Soviet Far East). The conclusion of a nonaggression pact with Germany (1939) as an attempt by the Soviet Union to prevent the outbreak of WWII was also unsuccessful.
The foreign policy of many countries is not the only prerequisite for the outbreak of war. By the end of the 30s of the twentieth century, many people living in Europe were on the verge of poverty and social insecurity. The so-called lower classes of society have become fertile ground for the spread of fascism in Europe and Asia. The outbreak of the WWII was also provoked by the presence of acute geopolitical contradictions in the world, and the desire of Germany for world domination. The largest world power - the Soviet Union - was also drawn into a bloody four-year war. The role of the Soviet people, their heroism in protecting their land in the victory over fascism is enormous. Every year we honor the memory of all those who died in the fields of WWII, because thanks to them today we have the opportunity to live in peace in a free country and not be afraid for the future of our children.