In the early summer of 1941, or rather June 22, the Great Patriotic War began with the treacherous betrayal of Germany. Hitler and his entourage created the Barbarossa plan, according to which the USSR was to be defeated with lightning speed. The document was signed on December 18, 1940.
Each of us must remember the main dates of the Second World War and pass this knowledge on to children. At the time the conflict began, the German army was the strongest in the world. She worked simultaneously in three directions and was supposed to immediately capture the Baltic states, Leningrad, Kiev and Moscow.
Treacherous attack
On August 23, 1939, a non-aggression pact was signed between the two countries - Germany and the USSR. Some historians believe that he contributed to the start of the military confrontation.
According to the pact, the two countries had to refrain from any aggression, both independently and in alliance with other powers. The parties to the treaty also did not have to support coalitions into which other countries could enter if their plans included military operations directed against Germany or the USSR. The signatories were:
- from the USSR - Vyacheslav Molotov;
- from the German side - Joachim von Ribbentrop.
The day after the conclusion of the treaty, Germany attacked Poland.
Why did the Barbarossa plan fail?
Everyone around Hitler understood that he was programmed to capture the USSR. The decree to develop a plan for the capture was received by General Marx. He passed several options to Hitler. Why did the Barbarossa plan fail? German intelligence incorrectly assessed the military power of the USSR and the fighting spirit of the Red Army. According to its data, for example, in the USSR six times fewer combat aircraft were produced than in reality.
The beginning of the confrontation
Belarus, Ukraine and the Baltic States were the first to suffer from the bombing of German aircraft. This happened at 3:30 a.m. on June 22, 1941. The following figures are also given in Zhukov’s book “Memoirs and Reflections”. The battle involved:
- 4,950 combat aircraft;
- 3,712 tanks;
- 153 German divisions.
High school students study all the main dates of the Second World War, but most of all students are struck by its beginning. It was a peaceful sunrise on June 22 - graduates met the dawn, said goodbye to the school and prepared for adulthood. Each of them had plans and dreams that were cut off by German tanks and planes. Goebbels announced to his people the start of the war at 5:30 in the morning. He read Hitler’s appeal on the Great German Radio.
Brest Fortress - the first blow
If we consider all the main dates of the Second World War, then the defense of the fortress in the city of Brest is an incredible feat of soldiers, their families and just the population. German troops planned to capture it for the first time a day of war.
The defense was held by 3,500 people:
- 17th border detachment;
- division of the 6th and 42nd rifle divisions;
- 132nd battalion of the NKVD troops.
The Brest Fortress was liberated from the Germans on July 28, 1944.
The garrison was cut off from the Red Army. As a result of hurricane artillery fire, all communications and communications with the outside world were destroyed. Already on June 24, the Nazis partially seized the fortress. Shooting in the vicinity was heard until August.
The heroic defense of the Brest Fortress is a worthy example of patriotism. May 8, 1965 she was given the title of fortress hero. In 1971, it became a memorial.
Smolensk battle
From July 10 to September 10, 1941, the Smolensk battle took place. The Nazis opposed the Western Front. The army of the Third Reich had twice as many soldiers and four times as many tanks. The task of the Nazis was to break up our Western Front into parts and destroy the troops that defend Smolensk. By this they had to clear the way to Moscow.
The Battle of Smolensk is a World War II event in which the Nazis crashed for the first time since the start of the confrontation between Germany and the USSR. Soviet soldiers heroically defended this area for 2 months. The enemy did not count on such resistance. This led to the complete disruption of all plans of the Wehrmacht. Instead of quickly capturing Moscow, the enemy was forced to move on to defend their positions.
Capture of Ukraine
Fascist Germany saw in Ukraine a strategically important object. The Germans needed coal, which was mined in the Donetsk region, Kryvyi Rih ore, as well as agricultural land.
If we take the strategic objective, then, having captured the territory of Ukraine, German troops could help southward to the central grouping of their colleagues in the capture of Moscow. Hitler was not able to defeat this country with lightning speed, but still the Red Army had to surrender.
The main dates of the Second World War, which relate to Ukraine:
- The Red Army left the capital of Ukraine on September 19, 1941.
- German troops captured Odessa on October 16, 1941.
- Kharkov surrendered on October 24, 1941.
Winners union
On August 14, 1941, the Atlantic Charter was created - a document that set out the main goals of the war against fascist states. Negotiations took place on board the English ship Prince of Wales, which stopped in Newfoundland. Roosevelt and Churchill signed the declaration. The USSR and many other countries joined the Atlantic Charter on September 24, 1941. This policy document of the anti-Hitler coalition determined the world order after the defeat of the Nazis and became the basis for the creation of the UN.
Tipping February 2 - Battle of Stalingrad
The capture of Stalingrad was very important for the Nazis. The Germans wanted to get the road to:
- Caucasus (oil-bearing areas);
- lower Volga;
- Kuban;
- Don.
It is scary to imagine what would happen if German troops captured Stalingrad. As a result of this, the Soviet army would lose one of the country's most important waterways - the Volga River. Cargo from the Caucasus went along it. Having captured Stalingrad, the enemy wanted to cut off the south of the USSR from the central part. One hundred twenty-five days there were fierce battles for this city, but Stalingrad survived. The confrontation began on July 17, 1942, and at the end of the winter of 1943 (February 2), the Battle of Stalingrad was won.
Battle of Kursk
After the defeat of the Nazis near Stalingrad, the German troops were thrown back and wanted revenge. The victory of the Red Army created the conditions for the expulsion of the enemy from Ukraine. In December 1942, the liberation of Donbass began.
On July 5, 1943, the battle of Kursk began, which lasted 50 days. It ended with the victory of the Soviet troops. The battle of Kursk made it possible to liberate Kharkov and other Ukrainian cities:
- Poltava;
- Chernihiv;
- all of Donbass.
Prokhorovka (1943)
In the summer of 1943, on July 12 near Prokhorovka, the most terrible battle in history took place. For an hour, the battlefield was littered with flashing tanks that clung onto caterpillars and fired until the enemy’s car exploded. Soviet troops heroically withstood this struggle and blocked the enemy’s path to Kursk.
The end of the war: interesting facts
German troops surrendered on May 9, 1945 at 00:43 minutes - this is a victory, a great event of the Second World War. The most bloody military confrontation in the history of the USSR lasted 1,418 days. May 9 at 22:00 as a sign of victory in Moscow gave a salute from a huge number of guns.
This date is the end of the Second World War, but the military confrontations in the world did not end. There was a union agreement that had to be implemented. On August 8, Soviet troops began to fight with Japan. The standoff lasted 2 weeks. Soviet soldiers defeated the powerful Kwantung army in Manchuria.
According to documents, the USSR was in a state of military confrontation with Germany until January 1955, since immediately after the surrender, a peace treaty was not signed.
Do not forget the main dates of the Second World War - it is the duty of each of us to those who defended our land. World War II claimed the lives of 65 million people around the globe. This must be remembered so that a terrible tragedy will never again affect humanity.